Acts 9:11

9:11 Then the Lord told him, “Get up and go to the street called ‘Straight,’ ¹  and at Judas’ house look for a man from Tarsus named Saul. For he is praying,

Psalms 25:5

25:5 Guide me into your truth ²  and teach me.

For you are the God who delivers me;

on you I rely all day long.

Psalms 25:8-9

25:8 The Lord is both kind and fair; ³ 

that is why he teaches sinners the right way to live. ⁴ 

25:9 May he show ⁵  the humble what is right! ⁶ 

May he teach ⁷  the humble his way!

Psalms 55:17

55:17 During the evening, morning, and noontime

I will lament and moan, ⁸ 

and he will hear ⁹  me. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 86:3

86:3 Have mercy on me, ¹¹  O Lord,

for I cry out to you all day long!

Psalms 88:1

Psalm 88 ¹² 

A song, a psalm written by the Korahites; for the music director; according to the machalath-leannoth style; ¹³  a well-written song ¹⁴  by Heman the Ezrachite.

88:1 O Lord God who delivers me! ¹⁵ 

By day I cry out

and at night I pray before you. ¹⁶ 

Psalms 119:2

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

and seek him with all their heart,

Proverbs 2:3-5

2:3 indeed, if ¹⁷  you call out for ¹⁸  discernment ¹⁹  –

raise your voice ²⁰  for understanding –

2:4 if ²¹  you seek ²²  it like silver, ²³ 

and search for it ²⁴  like hidden treasure,

2:5 then you will understand ²⁵  how to fear the Lord, ²⁶ 

and you will discover ²⁷  knowledge ²⁸  about God. ²⁹ 

Daniel 6:10

6:10 When Daniel realized ³⁰  that a written decree had been issued, he entered his home, where the windows ³¹  in his upper room opened toward Jerusalem. ³²  Three ³³  times daily he was ³⁴  kneeling ³⁵  and offering prayers and thanks to his God just as he had been accustomed to do previously.

Daniel 6:16

6:16 So the king gave the order, ³⁶  and Daniel was brought and thrown into a den ³⁷  of lions. The king consoled ³⁸  Daniel by saying, “Your God whom you continually serve will rescue you!”

Daniel 6:20

6:20 As he approached the den, he called out to Daniel in a worried voice, ³⁹  “Daniel, servant of the living God, was your God whom you continually serve able to rescue you from the lions?”

Matthew 7:7-8

Ask, Seek, Knock

7:7 “Ask ⁴⁰  and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door ⁴¹  will be opened for you. 7:8 For everyone who asks ⁴²  receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Luke 18:1

Prayer and the Parable of the Persistent Widow

18:1 Then ⁴³  Jesus ⁴⁴  told them a parable to show them they should always ⁴⁵  pray and not lose heart. ⁴⁶ 

Colossians 4:2

Exhortation to Pray for the Success of Paul’s Mission

4:2 Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.

Colossians 4:1

4:1 Masters, treat your slaves with justice and fairness, because you know that you also have a master in heaven.

Colossians 1:17

1:17 He himself is before all things and all things are held together ⁴⁷  in him.

James 1:5

1:5 But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him.

[9:11]  ¹ sn The noting of the detail of the locale, ironically called ‘Straight’ Street, shows how directive and specific the Lord was.

[25:5]  ² sn The Lord’s commandments are referred to as truth here because they are a trustworthy and accurate expression of the divine will.

[25:8]  ³ tn Heb “good and just.”

[25:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “teaches sinners in the way.”

[25:9]  ⁵ tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive; the psalmist expresses his prayer.

[25:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “may he guide the humble into justice.” The Hebrew term עֲנָוִים (’anavim, “humble”) usually refers to the oppressed, but in this context, where the psalmist confesses his sin and asks for moral guidance, it apparently refers to sinners who humble themselves before God and seek deliverance from their sinful condition.

[25:9]  ⁷ tn The prefixed verbal form is interpreted as a jussive (it stands parallel to the jussive form, “may he guide”).

[55:17]  ⁸ tn The first verb is clearly a cohortative form, expressing the psalmist’s resolve. The second verb, while formally ambiguous, should also be understood as cohortative here.

[55:17]  ⁹ tn The prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive normally appears in narrational contexts to indicate past action, but here it continues the anticipatory (future) perspective of the preceding line. In Ps 77:6 one finds the same sequence of cohortative + prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive. In this case as well, both forms refer to future actions.

[55:17]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “my voice.”

[86:3]  ¹¹ tn Or “show me favor.”

[88:1]  ¹² sn Psalm 88. The psalmist cries out in pain to the Lord, begging him for relief from his intense and constant suffering. The psalmist regards God as the ultimate cause of his distress, but nevertheless clings to God in hope.

[88:1]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew phrase מָחֲלַת לְעַנּוֹת (makhalat lÿ’annot) may mean “illness to afflict.” Perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. The term מָחֲלַת also appears in the superscription of Ps 53.

[88:1]  ¹⁴ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

[88:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “O Lord God of my deliverance.” In light of the content of the psalm, this reference to God as the one who delivers seems overly positive. For this reason some emend the text to אַלֹהַי שִׁוַּעְתִּי (’alohay shivva’tiy, “[O Lord] my God, I cry out”). See v. 13.

[88:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “[by] day I cry out, in the night before you.”

[2:3]  ¹⁷ tn Both particles retain their individual meanings, otherwise the verse would begin with a strong adversative and be a contrast to what has been said.

[2:3]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “summon.”

[2:3]  ¹⁹ sn The noun recalls the second purpose of the book (1:2). It is also cognate to the last word of 2:2, forming a transition. The two objects of the prepositions in this verse are actually personifications, as if they could be summoned.

[2:3]  ²⁰ tn Heb “give your voice”; the expression is idiomatic for raising or lifting the voice to make a sound that carries further (e.g., Jer 2:15). This deliberate expression indicates that something significant is being uttered. J. H. Greenstone says, “If it [understanding] does not come at your first call, raise your voice to a higher pitch, put forth greater efforts” (Proverbs, 17).

[2:4]  ²¹ tn The conditional particle now reiterates the initial conditional clause of this introductory section (1-4); the apodosis will follow in v. 5.

[2:4]  ²² tn The verb בָּקַשׁ (baqash) means “to search for; to seek; to investigate” (BDB 134 s.v.). This calls for the same diligence one would have in looking for silver.

[2:4]  ²³ sn The two similes affirm that the value placed on the object will influence the eagerness and diligence in the pursuit and development of wisdom (e.g., Job 28:9-11). The point is not only that the object sought is valuable, but that the effort will be demanding but rewarding.

[2:4]  ²⁴ sn The verb חָפַשׂ (khafas) means “to dig; to search” (BDB 344 s.v.; cf. NCV “hunt for it”). The Arabic cognate means “to dig for water.” It is used literally of Joseph searching his brothers’ sacks (Gen 44:12) and figuratively for searching the soul (Ps 64:7). This is a more emphatic word than the one used in the first colon and again emphasizes that acquiring wisdom will be demanding.

[2:5]  ²⁵ tn The verb בִּין (bin, “to perceive; to understand; to discern”) refers to ability to grasp, discern or be sensitive to what it means to fear the Lord.

[2:5]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the fear of the Lord.” The noun is an objective genitive; the Lord is to be the object of fear and reverence.

[2:5]  ²⁷ tn Heb “find” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[2:5]  ²⁸ tn The term דַּעַת (da’at, “knowledge”) goes beyond cognition; it is often used metonymically (cause) for obedience (effect); see, e.g., Prov 3:6, “in all your ways acknowledge him,” and BDB 395 s.v. This means that the disciple will follow God’s moral code; for to know God is to react ethically and spiritually to his will (e.g., J. H. Greenstone, Proverbs, 18).

[2:5]  ²⁹ tn Heb “knowledge of God.” The noun is an objective genitive.

[6:10]  ³⁰ tn Aram “knew.”

[6:10]  ³¹ sn In later rabbinic thought this verse was sometimes cited as a proof text for the notion that one should pray only in a house with windows. See b. Berakhot 34b.

[6:10]  ³² map For the location of Jerusalem see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[6:10]  ³³ sn This is apparently the only specific mention in the OT of prayer being regularly offered three times a day. The practice was probably not unique to Daniel, however.

[6:10]  ³⁴ tc Read with several medieval Hebrew MSS and printed editions הֲוָה (havah) rather than the MT הוּא (hu’).

[6:10]  ³⁵ tn Aram “kneeling on his knees” (so NASB).

[6:16]  ³⁶ tn Aram “said.” So also in vv. 24, 25.

[6:16]  ³⁷ sn The den was perhaps a pit below ground level which could be safely observed from above.

[6:16]  ³⁸ tn Aram “answered and said [to Daniel].”

[6:20]  ³⁹ tn Aram “The king answered and said to Daniel.” This phrase has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons; it is redundant in English.

[7:7]  ⁴⁰ sn The three present imperatives in this verse (Ask…seek…knock) are probably intended to call for a repeated or continual approach before God.

[7:7]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “it”; the referent (a door) is implied by the context and has been specified in the translation here and in v. 8 for clarity.

[7:8]  ⁴² sn The actions of asking, seeking, and knocking are repeated here from v. 7 with the encouragement that God does respond.

[18:1]  ⁴³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[18:1]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “should pray at all times” (L&N 67.88).

[18:1]  ⁴⁶ sn This is one of the few parables that comes with an explanation at the start: …they should always pray and not lose heart. It is part of Luke’s goal in encouraging Theophilus (1:4).

[1:17]  ⁴⁷ tn BDAG 973 s.v. συνίστημι B.3 suggests “continue, endure, exist, hold together” here.