Isaiah 49:7

49:7 This is what the Lord,

the protector ¹  of Israel, their Holy One, ²  says

to the one who is despised ³  and rejected ⁴  by nations, ⁵ 

a servant of rulers:

“Kings will see and rise in respect, ⁶ 

princes will bow down,

because of the faithful Lord,

the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.”

Isaiah 50:6

50:6 I offered my back to those who attacked, ⁷ 

my jaws to those who tore out my beard;

I did not hide my face

from insults and spitting.

Psalms 22:6-8

22:6 But I ⁸  am a worm, ⁹  not a man; ¹⁰ 

people insult me and despise me. ¹¹ 

22:7 All who see me taunt ¹²  me;

they mock me ¹³  and shake their heads. ¹⁴ 

22:8 They say, ¹⁵ 

“Commit yourself ¹⁶  to the Lord!

Let the Lord ¹⁷  rescue him!

Let the Lord ¹⁸  deliver him, for he delights in him.” ¹⁹ 

Psalms 69:10-12

69:10 I weep and refrain from eating food, ²⁰ 

which causes others to insult me. ²¹ 

69:11 I wear sackcloth

and they ridicule me. ²² 

69:12 Those who sit at the city gate gossip about me;

drunkards mock me in their songs. ²³ 

Psalms 69:19-20

69:19 You know how I am insulted, humiliated and disgraced;

you can see all my enemies. ²⁴ 

69:20 Their insults are painful ²⁵  and make me lose heart; ²⁶ 

I look ²⁷  for sympathy, but receive none, ²⁸ 

for comforters, but find none.

Micah 5:1

5:1 (4:14) ²⁹  But now slash yourself, ³⁰  daughter surrounded by soldiers! ³¹ 

We are besieged!

With a scepter ³²  they strike Israel’s ruler ³³ 

on the side of his face.

Zechariah 11:8

11:8 Next I eradicated the three shepherds in one month, ³⁴  for I ran out of patience with them and, indeed, they detested me as well.

Zechariah 11:12-13

11:12 Then I ³⁵  said to them, “If it seems good to you, pay me my wages, but if not, forget it.” So they weighed out my payment – thirty pieces of silver. ³⁶  11:13 The Lord then said to me, “Throw to the potter that exorbitant sum ³⁷  at which they valued me!” So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter ³⁸  at the temple ³⁹  of the Lord.

Matthew 26:67

26:67 Then they spat in his face and struck him with their fists. And some slapped him,

Matthew 27:39-44

27:39 Those ⁴⁰  who passed by defamed him, shaking their heads 27:40 and saying, “You who can destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! ⁴¹  If you are God’s Son, come down ⁴²  from the cross!” 27:41 In ⁴³  the same way even the chief priests – together with the experts in the law ⁴⁴  and elders ⁴⁵  – were mocking him: ⁴⁶  27:42 “He saved others, but he cannot save himself! He is the king of Israel! If he comes down ⁴⁷  now from the cross, we will believe in him! 27:43 He trusts in God – let God, if he wants to, deliver him now ⁴⁸  because he said, ‘I am God’s Son’!” 27:44 The ⁴⁹  robbers who were crucified with him also spoke abusively to him. ⁵⁰ 

Matthew 27:63

27:63 and said, “Sir, we remember that while that deceiver was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’

Mark 9:12

9:12 He said to them, “Elijah does indeed come first, and restores all things. And why is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be despised?

Mark 15:19

15:19 Again and again ⁵¹  they struck him on the head with a staff ⁵²  and spit on him. Then they knelt down and paid homage to him.

Luke 8:53

8:53 And they began making fun ⁵³  of him, because they knew ⁵⁴  that she was dead. ⁵⁵ 

Luke 9:22

9:22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer ⁵⁶  many things and be rejected by the elders, ⁵⁷  chief priests, and experts in the law, ⁵⁸  and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” ⁵⁹ 

Luke 16:14

More Warnings about the Pharisees

16:14 The Pharisees ⁶⁰  (who loved money) heard all this and ridiculed ⁶¹  him.

Luke 23:18-25

23:18 But they all shouted out together, ⁶²  “Take this man ⁶³  away! Release Barabbas for us!” 23:19 (This ⁶⁴  was a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection ⁶⁵  started in the city, and for murder.) ⁶⁶  23:20 Pilate addressed them once again because he wanted ⁶⁷  to release Jesus. 23:21 But they kept on shouting, ⁶⁸  “Crucify, crucify ⁶⁹  him!” 23:22 A third time he said to them, “Why? What wrong has he done? I have found him guilty ⁷⁰  of no crime deserving death. ⁷¹  I will therefore flog ⁷²  him and release him.” 23:23 But they were insistent, ⁷³  demanding with loud shouts that he be crucified. And their shouts prevailed. 23:24 So ⁷⁴  Pilate ⁷⁵  decided ⁷⁶  that their demand should be granted. 23:25 He released the man they asked for, who had been thrown in prison for insurrection and murder. But he handed Jesus over ⁷⁷  to their will. ⁷⁸ 

John 8:48

8:48 The Judeans ⁷⁹  replied, ⁸⁰  “Aren’t we correct in saying ⁸¹  that you are a Samaritan and are possessed by a demon?” ⁸² 

Hebrews 12:2-3

12:2 keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. ⁸³  12:3 Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up.

[49:7]  ¹ tn Heb “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[49:7]  ² sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[49:7]  ³ tc The Hebrew text reads literally “to [one who] despises life.” It is preferable to read with the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a לבזוי, which should be vocalized as a passive participle, לִבְזוּי (livzuy, “to the one despised with respect to life” [נֶפֶשׁ is a genitive of specification]). The consonantal sequence וי was probably misread as ה in the MT tradition. The contextual argument favors the 1QIsa^a reading. As J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 2:294) points out, the three terse phrases “convey a picture of lowliness, worthlessness, and helplessness.”

[49:7]  ⁴ tn MT’s Piel participle (“to the one who rejects”) does not fit contextually. The form should be revocalized as a Pual, “to the one rejected.”

[49:7]  ⁵ tn Parallelism (see “rulers,” “kings,” “princes”) suggests that the singular גּוֹי (goy) be emended to a plural or understood in a collective sense (see 55:5).

[49:7]  ⁶ tn For this sense of קוּם (qum), see Gen 19:1; 23:7; 33:10; Lev 19:32; 1 Sam 20:41; 25:41; 1 Kgs 2:19; Job 29:8.

[50:6]  ⁷ tn Or perhaps, “who beat [me].”

[22:6]  ⁸ tn The grammatical construction (conjunction + pronoun) highlights the contrast between the psalmist’s experience and that of his ancestors. When he considers God’s past reliability, it only heightens his despair and confusion, for God’s present silence stands in stark contrast to his past saving acts.

[22:6]  ⁹ tn The metaphor expresses the psalmist’s self-perception, which is based on how others treat him (see the following line).

[22:6]  ¹⁰ tn Or “not a human being.” The psalmist perceives himself as less than human.

[22:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “a reproach of man and despised by people.”

[22:7]  ¹² tn Or “scoff at, deride, mock.”

[22:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “they separate with a lip.” Apparently this refers to their verbal taunting.

[22:7]  ¹⁴ sn Shake their heads. Apparently this refers to a taunting gesture. See also Job 16:4; Ps 109:25; Lam 2:15.

[22:8]  ¹⁵ tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons. The psalmist here quotes the sarcastic taunts of his enemies.

[22:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “roll [yourself].” The Hebrew verb גלל here has the sense of “commit” (see Prov 16:3). The imperatival form in the Hebrew text indicates the enemies here address the psalmist. Since they refer to him in the third person in the rest of the verse, some prefer to emend the verb to a perfect, “he commits himself to the Lord.”

[22:8]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “Let him”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:8]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “Let him”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:8]  ¹⁹ tn That is, “for he [the Lord] delights in him [the psalmist].” For other cases where the expression “delight in” refers to God’s delight in a person, see Num 14:8; 1 Kgs 10:9; Pss 18:19; 40:8.

[69:10]  ²⁰ sn Fasting was a practice of mourners. By refraining from normal activities such as eating food, the mourner demonstrated the sincerity of his sorrow.

[69:10]  ²¹ tn Heb “and it becomes insults to me.”

[69:11]  ²² tn Heb “and I am an object of ridicule to them.”

[69:12]  ²³ tn Heb “the mocking songs of the drinkers of beer.”

[69:19]  ²⁴ tn Heb “before you [are] all my enemies.”

[69:20]  ²⁵ tn Heb “break my heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the origin of the psalmist’s emotions.

[69:20]  ²⁶ tn The verb form appears to be a Qal preterite from an otherwise unattested root נוּשׁ (nush), which some consider an alternate form of אָנַשׁ (’anash, “be weak; be sick”; see BDB 60 s.v. I אָנַשׁ). Perhaps the form should be emended to a Niphal, וָאֵאָנְשָׁה (va’e’onshah, “and I am sick”). The Niphal of אָנַשׁ occurs in 2 Sam 12:15, where it is used to describe David’s sick child.

[69:20]  ²⁷ tn Heb “wait.”

[69:20]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and I wait for sympathy, but there is none.” The form נוּד (nud) is an infinitive functioning as a verbal noun:, “sympathizing.” Some suggest emending the form to a participle נָד (nad, “one who shows sympathy”). The verb נוּד (nud) also has the nuance “show sympathy” in Job 2:11; 42:11 and Isa 51:19.

[5:1]  ²⁹ sn Beginning with 5:1, the verse numbers through 5:15 in the English Bible differ by one from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 5:1 ET = 4:14 HT, 5:2 ET = 5:1 HT, 5:3 ET = 5:2 HT, etc., through 5:15 ET = 5:14 HT. From 6:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same.

[5:1]  ³⁰ tn The Hebrew verb גָדַד (gadad) can be translated “slash yourself” or “gather in troops.” A number of English translations are based on the latter meaning (e.g., NASB, NIV, NLT).

[5:1]  ³¹ tn Heb “daughter of a troop of warriors.”

[5:1]  ³² tn Or “staff”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “rod”; CEV “stick”; NCV “club.”

[5:1]  ³³ tn Traditionally, “the judge of Israel” (so KJV, NASB).

[11:8]  ³⁴ sn Zechariah is only dramatizing what God had done historically (see the note on the word “cedars” in 11:1). The “one month” probably means just any short period of time in which three kings ruled in succession. Likely candidates are Elah, Zimri, Tibni (1 Kgs 16:8-20); Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem (2 Kgs 15:8-16); or Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah (2 Kgs 24:1–25:7).

[11:12]  ³⁵ sn The speaker (Zechariah) represents the Lord, who here is asking what his service as faithful shepherd has been worth in the opinion of his people Israel.

[11:12]  ³⁶ sn If taken at face value, thirty pieces (shekels) of silver was worth about two and a half years’ wages for a common laborer. The Code of Hammurabi prescribes a monthly wage for a laborer of one shekel. If this were the case in Israel, 30 shekels would be the wages for 2 1/2 years (R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, pp. 76, 204-5). For other examples of “thirty shekels” as a conventional payment, see K. Luke, “The Thirty Pieces of Silver (Zech. 11:12f.), Ind TS 19 (1982): 26-30. Luke, on the basis of Sumerian analogues, suggests that “thirty” came to be a term meaning anything of little or no value (p. 30). In this he follows Erica Reiner, “Thirty Pieces of Silver,” in Essays in Memory of E. A. Speiser, AOS 53, ed. William W. Hallo (New Haven, Conn.: American Oriental Society, 1968), 186-90. Though the 30 shekels elsewhere in the OT may well be taken literally, the context of Zech. 11:12 may indeed support Reiner and Luke in seeing it as a pittance here, not worth considering (cf. Exod 21:32; Lev 27:4; Matt 26:15).

[11:13]  ³⁷ tn Heb “splendor of splendor” (אֶדֶר הַיְקָר, ’eder hayqar). This expression sarcastically draws attention to the incredibly low value placed upon the Lord’s redemptive grace by his very own people.

[11:13]  ³⁸ tn The Syriac presupposes הָאוֹצָר (ha’otsar, “treasury”) for the MT הַיּוֹצֵר (hayyotser, “potter”) perhaps because of the lack of evidence for a potter’s shop in the area of the temple. The Syriac reading is followed by NAB, NRSV, TEV. Matthew seems to favor this when he speaks of Judas having thrown the thirty shekels for which he betrayed Jesus into the temple treasury (27:5-6). However, careful reading of the whole gospel pericope makes it clear that the money actually was used to purchase a “potter’s field,” hence Zechariah’s reference to a potter. The MT reading is followed by most other English versions.

[11:13]  ³⁹ tn Heb “house” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[27:39]  ⁴⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[27:40]  ⁴¹ sn There is rich irony in the statements of those who were passing by, “save yourself!” and “come down from the cross!” In summary, they wanted Jesus to come down from the cross and save his physical life, but it was indeed his staying on the cross and giving his physical life that led to the fact that they could experience a resurrection from death to life.

[27:40]  ⁴² tc ‡ Many important witnesses (א* A D pc it sy^[s],p) read καί (kai, here with the force of “then”) before κατάβηθι (katabhqi, “come down”). The shorter reading may well be due to homoioarcton, but judging by the diverse external evidence (א² B L W Θ 0250 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat) it is equally possible that the shorter reading is original (and is so considered for this translation). NA²⁷ puts the καί in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[27:41]  ⁴³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[27:41]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “with the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[27:41]  ⁴⁵ tn Only “chief priests” is in the nominative case; this sentence structure attempts to capture this emphasis.

[27:41]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “Mocking him, the chief priests…said.”

[27:42]  ⁴⁷ tn Here the aorist imperative καταβάτω (katabatw) has been translated as a conditional imperative. This fits the pattern of other conditional imperatives (imperative + καί + future indicative) outlined by ExSyn 489.

[27:43]  ⁴⁸ sn An allusion to Ps 22:8.

[27:44]  ⁴⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[27:44]  ⁵⁰ sn Matthew’s wording suggests that both of the criminals spoke abusively to him. If so, one of them quickly changed his attitude toward Jesus (see Luke 23:40-43).

[15:19]  ⁵¹ tn The verb here has been translated as an iterative imperfect.

[15:19]  ⁵² tn Or “a reed.” The Greek term can mean either “staff” or “reed.” See BDAG 502 s.v. κάλαμος 2.

[8:53]  ⁵³ tn This imperfect verb has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[8:53]  ⁵⁴ tn The participle εἰδότες (eidotes) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[8:53]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “had died.”

[9:22]  ⁵⁶ sn The necessity that the Son of Man suffer is the particular point that needed emphasis, since for many 1st century Jews the Messiah was a glorious and powerful figure, not a suffering one.

[9:22]  ⁵⁷ sn Rejection in Luke is especially by the Jewish leadership (here elders, chief priests, and experts in the law), though in Luke 23 almost all will join in.

[9:22]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “and scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

[9:22]  ⁵⁹ sn The description of the Son of Man being rejected…killed, and…raised is the first of six passion summaries in Luke: 9:44; 17:25; 18:31-33; 24:7; 24:46-47.

[16:14]  ⁶⁰ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[16:14]  ⁶¹ tn A figurative extension of the literal meaning “to turn one’s nose up at someone”; here “ridicule, sneer at, show contempt for” (L&N 33.409).

[23:18]  ⁶² tn Grk “together, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated here.

[23:18]  ⁶³ tn Grk “this one.” The reference to Jesus as “this man” is pejorative in this context.

[23:19]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “who” (a continuation of the previous sentence).

[23:19]  ⁶⁵ sn Ironically, what Jesus was alleged to have done, started an insurrection, this man really did.

[23:19]  ⁶⁶ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[23:20]  ⁶⁷ sn The account pictures a battle of wills – the people versus Pilate. Pilate is consistently portrayed in Luke’s account as wanting to release Jesus because he believed him to be innocent.

[23:21]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “shouting, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated here.

[23:21]  ⁶⁹ tn This double present imperative is emphatic.

[23:22]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “no cause of death I found in him.”

[23:22]  ⁷¹ sn The refrain of innocence comes once again. Pilate tried to bring some sense of justice, believing Jesus had committed no crime deserving death.

[23:22]  ⁷² tn Or “scourge” (BDAG 749 s.v. παιδεύω 2.b.γ). See the note on “flogged” in v. 16.

[23:23]  ⁷³ tn Though a different Greek term is used here (BDAG 373 s.v. ἐπίκειμαι), this remark is like 23:5.

[23:24]  ⁷⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the crowd’s cries prevailing.

[23:24]  ⁷⁵ sn Finally Pilate gave in. He decided crucifying one Galilean teacher was better than facing a riot. Justice lost out in the process, because he did not follow his own verdict.

[23:24]  ⁷⁶ tn Although some translations render ἐπέκρινεν (epekrinen) here as “passed sentence” or “gave his verdict,” the point in context is not that Pilate sentenced Jesus to death here, but that finally, although convinced of Jesus’ innocence, he gave in to the crowd’s incessant demand to crucify an innocent man.

[23:25]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “delivered up.”

[23:25]  ⁷⁸ sn He handed Jesus over to their will. Here is where Luke places the major blame for Jesus’ death. It lies with the Jewish nation, especially the leadership, though in Acts 4:24-27 he will bring in the opposition of Herod, Pilate, and all people.

[8:48]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “the Jews.” See the note on this term in v. 31. Here the phrase refers to the Jewish people in Jerusalem (“Judeans”; cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e) who had been listening to Jesus’ teaching in the temple courts (8:20) and had initially believed his claim to be the Messiah (cf. 8:31). They had become increasingly hostile as Jesus continued to teach. Now they were ready to say that Jesus was demon-possessed.

[8:48]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “answered and said to him.”

[8:48]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “Do we not say rightly.”

[8:48]  ⁸² tn Grk “and have a demon.” It is not clear what is meant by the charge Σαμαρίτης εἶ σὺ καὶ δαιμόνιον ἔχεις (Samarith" ei su kai daimonion ecei"). The meaning could be “you are a heretic and are possessed by a demon.” Note that the dual charge gets one reply (John 8:49). Perhaps the phrases were interchangeable: Simon Magus (Acts 8:14-24) and in later traditions Dositheus, the two Samaritans who claimed to be sons of God, were regarded as mad, that is, possessed by demons.

[12:2]  ⁸³ sn An allusion to Ps 110:1.