1 Kings 3:14

3:14 If you follow my instructions ¹  by obeying ²  my rules and regulations, just as your father David did, ³  then I will grant you long life.” ⁴ 

1 Kings 8:25

8:25 Now, O Lord, God of Israel, keep the promise you made to your servant, my father David, when you said, ‘You will never fail to have a successor ruling before me on the throne of Israel, ⁵  provided that your descendants watch their step and serve me as you have done.’ ⁶ 

1 Kings 11:4

11:4 When Solomon became old, his wives shifted his allegiance to ⁷  other gods; he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his father David had been. ⁸ 

1 Kings 11:6

11:6 Solomon did evil in the Lord’s sight; ⁹  he did not remain loyal to ¹⁰  the Lord, like his father David had.

1 Kings 11:38

11:38 You must obey ¹¹  all I command you to do, follow my instructions, ¹²  do what I approve, ¹³  and keep my rules and commandments, like my servant David did. Then I will be with you and establish for you a lasting dynasty, as I did for David; ¹⁴  I will give you Israel.

1 Kings 14:8

14:8 I tore the kingdom away from the Davidic dynasty and gave it to you. But you are not like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me wholeheartedly by doing only what I approve. ¹⁵ 

1 Kings 15:5

15:5 He did this ¹⁶  because David had done what he approved ¹⁷  and had not disregarded any of his commandments ¹⁸  his entire lifetime, except for the incident involving Uriah the Hittite.

Genesis 17:1

The Sign of the Covenant

17:1 When Abram was 99 years old, ¹⁹  the Lord appeared to him and said, ²⁰  “I am the sovereign God. ²¹  Walk ²²  before me ²³  and be blameless. ²⁴ 

Deuteronomy 28:1-2

The Covenant Blessings

28:1 “If you indeed ²⁵  obey the Lord your God and are careful to observe all his commandments I am giving ²⁶  you today, the Lord your God will elevate you above all the nations of the earth. 28:2 All these blessings will come to you in abundance ²⁷  if you obey the Lord your God:

Deuteronomy 7:17-18

7:17 If you think, “These nations are more numerous than I – how can I dispossess them?” 7:18 you must not fear them. You must carefully recall ²⁸  what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and all Egypt,

Job 23:11-12

23:11 My feet ²⁹  have followed ³⁰  his steps closely;

I have kept to his way and have not turned aside. ³¹ 

23:12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;

I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my allotted portion. ³² 

Psalms 15:2

15:2 Whoever lives a blameless life, ³³ 

does what is right,

and speaks honestly. ³⁴ 

Psalms 26:1

Psalm 26 ³⁵ 

By David.

26:1 Vindicate me, O Lord,

for I have integrity, ³⁶ 

and I trust in the Lord without wavering.

Psalms 26:11

26:11 But I have integrity! ³⁷ 

Rescue me ³⁸  and have mercy on me!

Proverbs 20:7

20:7 The righteous person ³⁹  behaves in integrity; ⁴⁰ 

blessed are his children after him. ⁴¹ 

Zechariah 3:7

3:7 “The Lord who rules over all says, ‘If you live ⁴²  and work according to my requirements, you will be able to preside over my temple ⁴³  and attend to my courtyards, and I will allow you to come and go among these others who are standing by you.

Luke 1:6

1:6 They ⁴⁴  were both righteous in the sight of God, following ⁴⁵  all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. ⁴⁶ 

Luke 1:1

Explanatory Preface

1:1 Now ⁴⁷  many have undertaken to compile an account ⁴⁸  of the things ⁴⁹  that have been fulfilled ⁵⁰  among us,

Luke 4:1-2

The Temptation of Jesus

4:1 Then ⁵¹  Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River ⁵²  and was led by the Spirit ⁵³  in ⁵⁴  the wilderness, ⁵⁵  4:2 where for forty days he endured temptations ⁵⁶  from the devil. He ⁵⁷  ate nothing ⁵⁸  during those days, and when they were completed, ⁵⁹  he was famished.

[3:14]  ¹ tn Heb “walk in my ways.”

[3:14]  ² tn Or “keeping.”

[3:14]  ³ tn Heb “walked.”

[3:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “I will lengthen your days.”

[8:25]  ⁵ tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from before me sitting on the throne of Israel.”

[8:25]  ⁶ tn Heb “guard their way by walking before me as you have walked before me.”

[11:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “bent his heart after.”

[11:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “his heart was not complete with the Lord his God, like the heart of David his father.”

[11:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “in the eyes of the Lord.”

[11:6]  ¹⁰ tn The idiomatic statement reads in Hebrew, “he did not fill up after.”

[11:38]  ¹¹ tn Heb “If you obey.” In the Hebrew text v. 38 is actually one long conditional sentence, which has been broken into two parts in the translation for stylistic purposes.

[11:38]  ¹² tn Heb “walk in my ways.”

[11:38]  ¹³ tn Heb “do what is right in my eyes.”

[11:38]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “I will build for you a permanent house, like I built for David.”

[14:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “what was right in my eyes.”

[15:5]  ¹⁶ tn The words “he did this” are added for stylistic reasons.

[15:5]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “what was right in the eyes of the Lord.”

[15:5]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and had not turned aside from all which he commanded him.”

[17:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”

[17:1]  ²⁰ 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]  ²¹ 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]  ²² 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]  ²³ tn Or “in my presence.”

[17:1]  ²⁴ 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).

[28:1]  ²⁵ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “indeed.”

[28:1]  ²⁶ tn Heb “commanding”; NAB “which I enjoin on you today” (likewise in v. 15).

[28:2]  ²⁷ tn Heb “come upon you and overtake you” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “come upon you and accompany you.”

[7:18]  ²⁸ tn Heb “recalling, you must recall.” The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute before the finite verb for emphasis. Cf. KJV, ASV “shalt well remember.”

[23:11]  ²⁹ tn Heb “my foot.”

[23:11]  ³⁰ tn Heb “held fast.”

[23:11]  ³¹ tn The last clause, “and I have not turned aside,” functions adverbially in the sentence. The form אָט (’at) is a pausal form of אַתֶּה (’atteh), the Hiphil of נָטָה (natah, “stretch out”).

[23:12]  ³² tc The form in the MT (מֵחֻקִּי, mekhuqqi) means “more than my portion” or “more than my law.” An expanded meaning results in “more than my necessary food” (see Ps 119:11; cf. KJV, NASB, ESV). HALOT 346 s.v. חֹק 1 indicates that חֹק (khoq) has the meaning of “portion” and is here a reference to “what is appointed for me.” The LXX and the Latin versions, along with many commentators, have בְּחֵקִי (bÿkheqi, “in my bosom”).

[15:2]  ³³ tn Heb “one who walks blamelessly.”

[15:2]  ³⁴ tn Heb “one who speaks truth in his heart”; or “one who speaks truth [that is] in his heart.” This apparently refers to formulating a truthful statement in one’s mind and then honestly revealing that statement in one’s speech.

[26:1]  ³⁵ sn Psalm 26. The author invites the Lord to test his integrity, asserts his innocence and declares his loyalty to God.

[26:1]  ³⁶ tn Heb “for I in my integrity walk.”

[26:11]  ³⁷ tn Heb “and I in my integrity walk.” The psalmist uses the imperfect verbal form to emphasize this is his practice. The construction at the beginning of the verse (conjunction + pronoun) highlights the contrast between the psalmist and the sinners mentioned in vv. 9-10.

[26:11]  ³⁸ tn Or “redeem me.”

[20:7]  ³⁹ sn Two terms describe the subject of this proverb: “righteous” and “integrity.” The first describes the person as a member of the covenant community who strives to live according to God’s standards; the second emphasizes that his lifestyle is blameless.

[20:7]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “walks in his integrity” (so NASB); cf. NIV “leads a blameless life.” The Hitpael participle of הָלַךְ (halakh) means “to walk about; to walk to and fro.” The idiom of walking representing living is intensified here in this stem. This verbal stem is used in scripture to describe people “walking with” God.

[20:7]  ⁴¹ sn The nature and the actions of parents have an effect on children (e.g., Exod 20:4-6); if the parents are righteous, the children will enjoy a blessing – the respect and the happiness which the parent reflects on them.

[3:7]  ⁴² tn Heb “walk,” a frequent biblical metaphor for lifestyle or conduct; TEV “If you [+ truly CEV] obey.” To “walk” in the ways of the Lord is to live life as he intends (cf. Deut 8:6; 10:12-22; 28:9).

[3:7]  ⁴³ sn The statement you will be able to preside over my temple (Heb “house,” a reference to the Jerusalem temple) is a hint of the increasingly important role the high priest played in the postexilic Jewish community, especially in the absence of a monarchy. It also suggests the messianic character of the eschatological priesthood in which the priest would have royal prerogatives.

[1:6]  ⁴⁴ 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]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “walking in” (an idiom for one’s lifestyle).

[1:6]  ⁴⁶ tn The predicate adjective has the effect of an adverb here (BDF §243).

[1:1]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “Since” or “Because.” This begins a long sentence that extends through v. 4. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, the Greek sentence has been divided up into shorter English sentences in the translation.

[1:1]  ⁴⁸ tn This is sometimes translated “narrative,” but the term itself can refer to an oral or written account. It is the verb “undertaken” which suggests a written account, since it literally is “to set one’s hand” to something (BDAG 386 s.v. ἐπιχειρέω). “Narrative” is too specific, denoting a particular genre of work for the accounts that existed in the earlier tradition. Not all of that material would have been narrative.

[1:1]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “events.”

[1:1]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “have been accomplished.” Given Luke’s emphasis on divine design (e.g., Luke 24:43-47) a stronger sense (“fulfilled”) is better than a mere reference to something having taken place (“accomplished”).

[4:1]  ⁵¹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate continuity with the previous topic.

[4:1]  ⁵² tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.

[4:1]  ⁵³ sn The double mention of the Spirit in this verse makes it clear that the temptation was neither the fault of Jesus nor an accident.

[4:1]  ⁵⁴ tc Most mss (A Θ Ξ Ψ 0102 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat) read εἰς τὴν ἔρημον (ei" thn erhmon, “into the wilderness”), apparently motivated by the parallel in Matt 4:1. However, the reading behind the translation (ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, en th ejrhmw) is found in overall better witnesses (Ì^4vid,7,75vid א B D L W 579 892 1241 pc it).

[4:1]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “desert.”

[4:2]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “in the desert, for forty days being tempted.” The participle πειραζόμενος (peirazomeno") has been translated as an adverbial clause in English to avoid a run-on sentence with a second “and.” Here the present participle suggests a period of forty days of testing. Three samples of the end of the testing are given in the following verses.

[4:2]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[4:2]  ⁵⁸ sn The reference to Jesus eating nothing could well be an idiom meaning that he ate only what the desert provided; see Exod 34:28. A desert fast simply meant eating only what one could obtain in the desert. The parallel in Matt 4:2 speaks only of Jesus fasting.

[4:2]  ⁵⁹ tn The Greek word here is συντελεσθείσων (suntelesqeiswn) from the verb συντελέω (suntelew).