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Genesis 17:1-27

Context
The Sign of the Covenant

17:1 When Abram was 99 years old, 1  the Lord appeared to him and said, 2  “I am the sovereign God. 3  Walk 4  before me 5  and be blameless. 6  17:2 Then I will confirm my covenant 7  between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.” 8 

17:3 Abram bowed down with his face to the ground, 9  and God said to him, 10  17:4 “As for me, 11  this 12  is my covenant with you: You will be the father of a multitude of nations. 17:5 No longer will your name be 13  Abram. Instead, your name will be Abraham 14  because I will make you 15  the father of a multitude of nations. 17:6 I will make you 16  extremely 17  fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you. 18  17:7 I will confirm 19  my covenant as a perpetual 20  covenant between me and you. It will extend to your descendants after you throughout their generations. I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 21  17:8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residing 22  – to you and your descendants after you as a permanent 23  possession. I will be their God.”

17:9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep 24  the covenantal requirement 25  I am imposing on you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 17:10 This is my requirement that you and your descendants after you must keep: 26  Every male among you must be circumcised. 27  17:11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a reminder 28  of the covenant between me and you. 17:12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old 29  must be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not one of your descendants. 17:13 They must indeed be circumcised, 30  whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenant 31  will be visible in your flesh as a permanent 32  reminder. 17:14 Any uncircumcised male 33  who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off 34  from his people – he has failed to carry out my requirement.” 35 

17:15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai; 36  Sarah 37  will be her name. 17:16 I will bless her and will give you a son through her. I will bless her and she will become a mother of nations. 38  Kings of countries 39  will come from her!”

17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed 40  as he said to himself, 41  “Can 42  a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? 43  Can Sarah 44  bear a child at the age of ninety?” 45  17:18 Abraham said to God, “O that 46  Ishmael might live before you!” 47 

17:19 God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. 48  I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual 49  covenant for his descendants after him. 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. 50  I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. 51  He will become the father of twelve princes; 52  I will make him into a great nation. 17:21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.” 17:22 When he finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him. 53 

17:23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money) 54  and circumcised them 55  on that very same day, just as God had told him to do. 17:24 Now Abraham was 99 years old 56  when he was circumcised; 57  17:25 his son Ishmael was thirteen years old 58  when he was circumcised. 17:26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the very same day. 17:27 All the men of his household, whether born in his household or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Genesis 20:13

Context
20:13 When God made me wander 59  from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: 60  Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”

Genesis 33:15

Context

33:15 So Esau said, “Let me leave some of my men with you.” 61  “Why do that?” Jacob replied. 62  “My lord has already been kind enough to me.” 63 

Genesis 36:27

Context

36:27 These were the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.

Genesis 37:24

Context
37:24 Then they took him and threw him into the cistern. (Now the cistern was empty; 64  there was no water in it.)

Deuteronomy 4:1

Context
The Privileges of the Covenant

4:1 Now, Israel, pay attention to the statutes and ordinances 65  I am about to teach you, so that you might live and go on to enter and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, 66  is giving you.

Deuteronomy 5:1

Context
The Opening Exhortation

5:1 Then Moses called all the people of Israel together and said to them: 67  “Listen, Israel, to the statutes and ordinances that I am about to deliver to you today; learn them and be careful to keep them!

Deuteronomy 6:1-2

Context
Exhortation to Keep the Covenant Principles

6:1 Now these are the commandments, 68  statutes, and ordinances that the Lord your God instructed me to teach you so that you may carry them out in the land where you are headed 69  6:2 and that you may so revere the Lord your God that you will keep all his statutes and commandments 70  that I am giving 71  you – you, your children, and your grandchildren – all your lives, to prolong your days.

Deuteronomy 10:12-13

Context
An Exhortation to Love Both God and People

10:12 Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you except to revere him, 72  to obey all his commandments, 73  to love him, to serve him 74  with all your mind and being, 75  10:13 and to keep the Lord’s commandments and statutes that I am giving 76  you today for your own good?

Deuteronomy 11:1

Context
Reiteration of the Call to Obedience

11:1 You must love the Lord your God and do what he requires; keep his statutes, ordinances, and commandments 77  at all times.

Nehemiah 9:13-14

Context

9:13 “You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven. You provided them with just judgments, true laws, and good statutes and commandments. 9:14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath; you issued commandments, statutes, and law to them through 78  Moses your servant.

Psalms 19:7-11

Context

19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect

and preserves one’s life. 79 

The rules set down by the Lord 80  are reliable 81 

and impart wisdom to the inexperienced. 82 

19:8 The Lord’s precepts are fair 83 

and make one joyful. 84 

The Lord’s commands 85  are pure 86 

and give insight for life. 87 

19:9 The commands to fear the Lord are right 88 

and endure forever. 89 

The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy

and absolutely just. 90 

19:10 They are of greater value 91  than gold,

than even a great amount of pure gold;

they bring greater delight 92  than honey,

than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb.

19:11 Yes, your servant finds moral guidance there; 93 

those who obey them receive a rich reward. 94 

Psalms 105:44-45

Context

105:44 He handed the territory of nations over to them,

and they took possession of what other peoples had produced, 95 

105:45 so that they might keep his commands

and obey 96  his laws.

Praise the Lord!

Psalms 119:1-6

Context
Psalm 119 97 

א (Alef)

119:1 How blessed are those whose actions are blameless, 98 

who obey 99  the law of the Lord.

119:2 How blessed are those who observe his rules,

and seek him with all their heart,

119:3 who, moreover, do no wrong,

but follow in his footsteps. 100 

119:4 You demand that your precepts

be carefully kept. 101 

119:5 If only I were predisposed 102 

to keep your statutes!

119:6 Then I would not be ashamed,

if 103  I were focused on 104  all your commands.

Luke 1:6

Context
1:6 They 105  were both righteous in the sight of God, following 106  all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. 107 

John 14:21

Context
14:21 The person who has my commandments and obeys 108  them is the one who loves me. 109  The one 110  who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal 111  myself to him.”

Acts 24:16

Context
24:16 This is the reason 112  I do my best to always 113  have a clear 114  conscience toward God and toward people. 115 

James 1:22-25

Context
1:22 But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves. 1:23 For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone 116  who gazes at his own face 117  in a mirror. 1:24 For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets 118  what sort of person he was. 1:25 But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, 119  and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out – he 120  will be blessed in what he does. 121 
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[17:1]  1 tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”

[17:1]  2 tn Heb “appeared to Abram and said to him.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) and the final phrase “to him” has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.

[17:1]  3 tn The name אֵל שַׁדַּי (’el shadday, “El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72. Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain (see discussion below) its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. In Gen 17:1-8 he appeared to Abram, introduced himself as El Shaddai, and announced his intention to make the patriarch fruitful. In the role of El Shaddai God repeated these words (now elevated to the status of a decree) to Jacob (35:11). Earlier Isaac had pronounced a blessing on Jacob in which he asked El Shaddai to make Jacob fruitful (28:3). Jacob later prayed that his sons would be treated with mercy when they returned to Egypt with Benjamin (43:14). The fertility theme is not as apparent here, though one must remember that Jacob viewed Benjamin as the sole remaining son of the favored and once-barren Rachel (see 29:31; 30:22-24; 35:16-18). It is quite natural that he would appeal to El Shaddai to preserve Benjamin’s life, for it was El Shaddai’s miraculous power which made it possible for Rachel to give him sons in the first place. In 48:3 Jacob, prior to blessing Joseph’s sons, told him how El Shaddai appeared to him at Bethel (see Gen 28) and promised to make him fruitful. When blessing Joseph on his deathbed Jacob referred to Shaddai (we should probably read “El Shaddai,” along with a few Hebrew mss, the Samaritan Pentateuch, the LXX, and Syriac) as the one who provides abundant blessings, including “blessings of the breast and womb” (49:25). (The direct association of the name with “breasts” suggests the name might mean “the one of the breast” [i.e., the one who gives fertility], but the juxtaposition is probably better explained as wordplay. Note the wordplay involving the name and the root שָׁדַד, shadad, “destroy”] in Isa 13:6 and in Joel 1:15.) Outside Genesis the name Shaddai (minus the element “El” [“God”]) is normally used when God is viewed as the sovereign king who blesses/protects or curses/brings judgment. The name appears in the introduction to two of Balaam’s oracles (Num 24:4, 16) of blessing upon Israel. Naomi employs the name when accusing the Lord of treating her bitterly by taking the lives of her husband and sons (Ruth 1:20-21). In Ps 68:14; Isa 13:6; and Joel 1:15 Shaddai judges his enemies through warfare, while Ps 91:1 depicts him as the protector of his people. (In Ezek 1:24 and 10:5 the sound of the cherubs’ wings is compared to Shaddai’s powerful voice. The reference may be to the mighty divine warrior’s battle cry which accompanies his angry judgment.) Finally, the name occurs 31 times in the Book of Job. Job and his “friends” assume that Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world (11:7; 37:23a) who is the source of life (33:4b) and is responsible for maintaining justice (8:3; 34:10-12; 37:23b). He provides abundant blessings, including children (22:17-18; 29:4-6), but he can also discipline, punish, and destroy (5:17; 6:4; 21:20; 23:16). It is not surprising to see the name so often in this book, where the theme of God’s justice is primary and even called into question (24:1; 27:2). The most likely proposal is that the name means “God, the one of the mountain” (an Akkadian cognate means “mountain,” to which the Hebrew שַׁד, shad, “breast”] is probably related). For a discussion of proposed derivations see T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 70-71. The name may originally have depicted God as the sovereign judge who, in Canaanite style, ruled from a sacred mountain. Isa 14:13 and Ezek 28:14, 16 associate such a mountain with God, while Ps 48:2 refers to Zion as “Zaphon,” the Canaanite Olympus from which the high god El ruled. (In Isa 14 the Canaanite god El may be in view. Note that Isaiah pictures pagan kings as taunting the king of Babylon, suggesting that pagan mythology may provide the background for the language and imagery.)

[17:1]  4 tn Or “Live out your life.” The Hebrew verb translated “walk” is the Hitpael; it means “to walk back and forth; to walk about; to live out one’s life.”

[17:1]  5 tn Or “in my presence.”

[17:1]  6 tn There are two imperatives here: “walk…and be blameless [or “perfect”].” The second imperative may be purely sequential (see the translation) or consequential: “walk before me and then you will be blameless.” How one interprets the sequence depends on the meaning of “walk before”: (1) If it simply refers in a neutral way to serving the Lord, then the second imperative is likely sequential. (2) But if it has a positive moral connotation (“serve me faithfully”), then the second imperative probably indicates purpose (or result). For other uses of the idiom see 1 Sam 2:30, 35 and 12:2 (where it occurs twice).

[17:2]  7 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative indicates consequence. If Abram is blameless, then the Lord will ratify the covenant. Earlier the Lord ratified part of his promise to Abram (see Gen 15:18-21), guaranteeing him that his descendants would live in the land. But the expanded form of the promise, which includes numerous descendants and eternal possession of the land, remains to be ratified. This expanded form of the promise is in view here (see vv. 2b, 4-8). See the note at Gen 15:18 and R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 35-54.

[17:2]  8 tn Heb “I will multiply you exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.

[17:3]  9 tn Heb “And Abram fell on his face.” This expression probably means that Abram sank to his knees and put his forehead to the ground, although it is possible that he completely prostrated himself. In either case the posture indicates humility and reverence.

[17:3]  10 tn Heb “God spoke to him, saying.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[17:4]  11 tn Heb “I.”

[17:4]  12 tn Heb “is” (הִנֵּה, hinneh).

[17:5]  13 tn Heb “will your name be called.”

[17:5]  14 sn Your name will be Abraham. The renaming of Abram was a sign of confirmation to the patriarch. Every time the name was used it would be a reminder of God’s promise. “Abram” means “exalted father,” probably referring to Abram’s father Terah. The name looks to the past; Abram came from noble lineage. The name “Abraham” is a dialectical variant of the name Abram. But its significance is in the wordplay with אַב־הֲמוֹן (’av-hamon, “the father of a multitude,” which sounds like אַבְרָהָם, ’avraham, “Abraham”). The new name would be a reminder of God’s intention to make Abraham the father of a multitude. For a general discussion of renaming, see O. Eissfeldt, “Renaming in the Old Testament,” Words and Meanings, 70-83.

[17:5]  15 tn The perfect verbal form is used here in a rhetorical manner to emphasize God’s intention.

[17:6]  16 tn This verb starts a series of perfect verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive to express God’s intentions.

[17:6]  17 tn Heb “exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.

[17:6]  18 tn Heb “and I will make you into nations, and kings will come out from you.”

[17:7]  19 tn The verb קוּם (qum, “to arise, to stand up”) in the Hiphil verbal stem means “to confirm, to give effect to, to carry out” (i.e., a covenant or oath; see BDB 878-79 s.v. קוּם).

[17:7]  20 tn Or “as an eternal.”

[17:7]  21 tn Heb “to be to you for God and to your descendants after you.”

[17:8]  22 tn The verbal root is גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn, to reside temporarily,” i.e., as a resident alien). It is the land in which Abram resides, but does not yet possess as his very own.

[17:8]  23 tn Or “as an eternal.”

[17:9]  24 tn The imperfect tense could be translated “you shall keep” as a binding command; but the obligatory nuance (“must”) captures the binding sense better.

[17:9]  25 tn Heb “my covenant.” The Hebrew word בְּרִית (bÿrit) can refer to (1) the agreement itself between two parties (see v. 7), (2) the promise made by one party to another (see vv. 2-3, 7), (3) an obligation placed by one party on another, or (4) a reminder of the agreement. In vv. 9-10 the word refers to a covenantal obligation which God gives to Abraham and his descendants.

[17:10]  26 tn Heb “This is my covenant that you must keep between me and you and your descendants after you.”

[17:10]  27 sn For a discussion of male circumcision as the sign of the covenant in this passage see M. V. Fox, “The Sign of the Covenant: Circumcision in the Light of the Priestly ‘ot Etiologies,” RB 81 (1974): 557-96.

[17:11]  28 tn Or “sign.”

[17:12]  29 tn Heb “the son of eight days.”

[17:13]  30 tn The emphatic construction employs the Niphal imperfect tense (collective singular) and the Niphal infinitive.

[17:13]  31 tn Heb “my covenant.” Here in v. 13 the Hebrew word בְּרִית (bÿrit) refers to the outward, visible sign, or reminder, of the covenant. For the range of meaning of the term, see the note on the word “requirement” in v. 9.

[17:13]  32 tn Or “an eternal.”

[17:14]  33 tn The disjunctive clause calls attention to the “uncircumcised male” and what will happen to him.

[17:14]  34 tn Heb “that person will be cut off.” The words “that person” have not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[17:14]  35 tn Heb “he has broken my covenant.” The noun בְּרִית (bÿrit) here refers to the obligation required by God in conjunction with the covenantal agreement. For the range of meaning of the term, see the note on the word “requirement” in v. 9.

[17:15]  36 tn Heb “[As for] Sarai your wife, you must not call her name Sarai, for Sarah [will be] her name.”

[17:15]  37 sn Sarah. The name change seems to be a dialectical variation, both spellings meaning “princess” or “queen.” Like the name Abram, the name Sarai symbolized the past. The new name Sarah, like the name Abraham, would be a reminder of what God intended to do for Sarah in the future.

[17:16]  38 tn Heb “she will become nations.”

[17:16]  39 tn Heb “peoples.”

[17:17]  40 sn Laughed. The Hebrew verb used here provides the basis for the naming of Isaac: “And he laughed” is וַיִּצְחָק (vayyitskhaq); the name “Isaac” is יִצְחָק (yitskhaq), “he laughs.” Abraham’s (and Sarah’s, see 18:12) laughter signals disbelief, but when the boy is born, the laughter signals surprise and joy.

[17:17]  41 tn Heb “And he fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart.”

[17:17]  42 tn The imperfect verbal form here carries a potential nuance, as it expresses the disbelief of Abraham.

[17:17]  43 tn Heb “to the son of a hundred years.”

[17:17]  44 sn It is important to note that even though Abraham staggers at the announcement of the birth of a son, finding it almost too incredible, he nonetheless calls his wife Sarah, the new name given to remind him of the promise of God (v. 15).

[17:17]  45 tn Heb “the daughter of ninety years.”

[17:18]  46 tn The wish is introduced with the Hebrew particle לוּ (lu), “O that.”

[17:18]  47 tn Or “live with your blessing.”

[17:19]  48 tn Heb “will call his name Isaac.” The name means “he laughs,” or perhaps “may he laugh” (see the note on the word “laughed” in v. 17).

[17:19]  49 tn Or “as an eternal.”

[17:20]  50 sn The Hebrew verb translated “I have heard you” forms a wordplay with the name Ishmael, which means “God hears.” See the note on the name “Ishmael” in 16:11.

[17:20]  51 tn Heb “And I will multiply him exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.

[17:20]  52 tn For a discussion of the Hebrew word translated “princes,” see E. A. Speiser, “Background and Function of the Biblical Nasi’,” CBQ 25 (1963): 111-17.

[17:22]  53 tn Heb “And when he finished speaking with him, God went up from Abraham.” The sequence of pronouns and proper names has been modified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[17:23]  54 tn Heb “Ishmael his son and all born in his house and all bought with money, every male among the men of the house of Abraham.”

[17:23]  55 tn Heb “circumcised the flesh of their foreskin.” The Hebrew expression is somewhat pleonastic and has been simplified in the translation.

[17:24]  56 tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”

[17:24]  57 tn Heb “circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin” (also in v. 25).

[17:25]  58 tn Heb “the son of thirteen years.”

[20:13]  59 tn The Hebrew verb is plural. This may be a case of grammatical agreement with the name for God, which is plural in form. However, when this plural name refers to the one true God, accompanying predicates are usually singular in form. Perhaps Abraham is accommodating his speech to Abimelech’s polytheistic perspective. (See GKC 463 §145.i.) If so, one should translate, “when the gods made me wander.”

[20:13]  60 tn Heb “This is your loyal deed which you can do for me.”

[33:15]  61 tn The cohortative verbal form here indicates a polite offer of help.

[33:15]  62 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Why this?’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[33:15]  63 tn Heb “I am finding favor in the eyes of my lord.”

[37:24]  64 tn The disjunctive clause gives supplemental information that helps the reader or hearer to picture what happened.

[4:1]  65 tn These technical Hebrew terms (חֻקִּים [khuqqim] and מִשְׁפָּטִים [mishpatim]) occur repeatedly throughout the Book of Deuteronomy to describe the covenant stipulations to which Israel had been called to subscribe (see, in this chapter alone, vv. 1, 5, 6, 8). The word חֻקִּים derives from the verb חֹק (khoq, “to inscribe; to carve”) and מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim) from שָׁפַט (shafat, “to judge”). They are virtually synonymous and are used interchangeably in Deuteronomy.

[4:1]  66 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 31, 37).

[5:1]  67 tn Heb “and Moses called to all Israel and he said to them”; NAB, NASB, NIV “Moses summoned (convened NRSV) all Israel.”

[6:1]  68 tn Heb “commandment.” The word מִצְוָה (mitsvah) again is in the singular, serving as a comprehensive term for the whole stipulation section of the book. See note on the word “commandments” in 5:31.

[6:1]  69 tn Heb “where you are going over to possess it” (so NASB); NRSV “that you are about to cross into and occupy.”

[6:2]  70 tn Here the terms are not the usual חֻקִּים (khuqqim) and מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim; as in v. 1) but חֻקֹּת (khuqqot, “statutes”) and מִצְוֹת (mitsot, “commandments”). It is clear that these terms are used interchangeably and that their technical precision ought not be overly stressed.

[6:2]  71 tn Heb “commanding.” For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation.

[10:12]  72 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 10:4.

[10:12]  73 tn Heb “to walk in all his ways” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NAB “follow his ways exactly”; NLT “to live according to his will.”

[10:12]  74 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 10:4.

[10:12]  75 tn Heb “heart and soul” or “heart and being”; NCV “with your whole being.” See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.

[10:13]  76 tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB, NRSV). For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation.

[11:1]  77 tn This collocation of technical terms for elements of the covenant text lends support to its importance and also signals a new section of paraenesis in which Moses will exhort Israel to covenant obedience. The Hebrew term מִשְׁמָרוֹת (mishmarot, “obligations”) sums up the three terms that follow – חֻקֹּת (khuqot), מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishppatim), and מִצְוֹת (mitsot).

[9:14]  78 tn Heb “by the hand of.”

[19:7]  79 tn Heb “[it] restores life.” Elsewhere the Hiphil of שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) when used with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “life”) as object, means to “rescue or preserve one’s life” (Job 33:30; Ps 35:17) or to “revive one’s strength” (emotionally or physically; cf. Ruth 4:15; Lam 1:11, 16, 19). Here the point seems to be that the law preserves the life of the one who studies it by making known God’s will. Those who know God’s will know how to please him and can avoid offending him. See v. 11a.

[19:7]  80 tn Traditionally, “the testimony of the Lord.” The noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to the demands of God’s covenant law.

[19:7]  81 tn God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.

[19:7]  82 tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly.

[19:8]  83 tn Or “just.” Perhaps the idea is that they impart a knowledge of what is just and right.

[19:8]  84 tn Heb “[they] make happy [the] heart.” Perhaps the point is that they bring a sense of joyful satisfaction to the one who knows and keeps them, for those who obey God’s law are richly rewarded. See v. 11b.

[19:8]  85 tn Heb “command.” The singular here refers to the law as a whole.

[19:8]  86 tn Because they reflect God’s character, his commands provide a code of moral and ethical purity.

[19:8]  87 tn Heb [they] enlighten [the] eyes.

[19:9]  88 tn Heb “the fear of the Lord is clean.” The phrase “fear of the Lord” probably refers here to the law, which teaches one how to demonstrate proper reverence for the Lord. See Ps 111:10 for another possible use of the phrase in this sense.

[19:9]  89 tn Heb “[it] stands permanently.”

[19:9]  90 sn Trustworthy and absolutely just. The Lord’s commands accurately reflect God’s moral will for his people and are an expression of his just character.

[19:10]  91 tn Heb “more desirable.”

[19:10]  92 tn Heb “are sweeter.” God’s law is “sweet’ in the sense that, when obeyed, it brings a great reward (see v. 11b).

[19:11]  93 tn Heb “moreover your servant is warned by them.”

[19:11]  94 tn Heb “in the keeping of them [there is] a great reward.”

[105:44]  95 tn Heb “and the [product of the] work of peoples they possessed.”

[105:45]  96 tn Heb “guard.”

[119:1]  97 sn Psalm 119. The psalmist celebrates God’s law and the guidance it provides his people. He expresses his desire to know God’s law thoroughly so that he might experience the blessings that come to those who obey it. This lengthy psalm exhibits an elaborate acrostic pattern. The psalm is divided into twenty-two sections (corresponding to the letters of the Hebrew alphabet), each of which is comprised of eight verses. Each of the verses in the first section (vv. 1-8) begins with the letter alef (א), the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This pattern continues throughout the psalm as each new section highlights a successive letter of the alphabet. Each verse in section two (vv. 9-16) begins with the second letter of the alphabet, each verse in section three (vv. 17-24) with the third letter, etc. This rigid pattern creates a sense of order and completeness and may have facilitated memorization.

[119:1]  98 tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness of those who are blameless of way.”

[119:1]  99 tn Heb “walk in.”

[119:3]  100 tn Heb “walk in his ways.”

[119:4]  101 tn Heb “you, you commanded your precepts, to keep, very much.”

[119:5]  102 tn Heb “if only my ways were established.”

[119:6]  103 tn Or “when.”

[119:6]  104 tn Heb “I gaze at.”

[1:6]  105 tn Grk “And they.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[1:6]  106 tn Grk “walking in” (an idiom for one’s lifestyle).

[1:6]  107 tn The predicate adjective has the effect of an adverb here (BDF §243).

[14:21]  108 tn Or “keeps.”

[14:21]  109 tn Grk “obeys them, that one is the one who loves me.”

[14:21]  110 tn Grk “And the one.” Here the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated to improve the English style.

[14:21]  111 tn Or “will disclose.”

[24:16]  112 tn BDAG 329 s.v. ἐν 9.a, “ἐν τούτῳ πιστεύομεν this is the reason why we believe Jn 16:30; cp. Ac 24:16.”

[24:16]  113 tn BDAG 224 s.v. διά 2.a, “διὰ παντόςalways, continually, constantlyAc 2:25 (Ps 15:8); 10:2; 24:16.” However, the positioning of the adverb “always” in the English translation is difficult; the position used is one of the least awkward.

[24:16]  114 tn BDAG 125 s.v. ἀπρόσκοπος 1 has “. συνείδησις a clear conscience Ac 24:16.”

[24:16]  115 tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use (Paul does not have only males in view).

[1:23]  116 tn The word for “man” or “individual” is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” However, as BDAG 79 s.v. 2 says, here it is “equivalent to τὶς someone, a person.”

[1:23]  117 tn Grk “the face of his beginning [or origin].”

[1:24]  118 tn Grk “and he has gone out and immediately has forgotten.”

[1:25]  119 tn Grk “continues.”

[1:25]  120 tn Grk “this one.”

[1:25]  121 tn Grk “in his doing.”



TIP #14: Use the Discovery Box to further explore word(s) and verse(s). [ALL]
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