Discovery BoxJeremiah 10:8
Context10:8 The people of those nations 1 are both stupid and foolish.
Instruction from a wooden idol is worthless! 2
Jeremiah 10:14
Context10:14 All these idolaters 3 will prove to be stupid and ignorant.
Every goldsmith will be disgraced by the idol he made.
For the image he forges is merely a sham. 4
There is no breath in any of those idols. 5
Jeremiah 2:8
Context2:8 Your priests 6 did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’ 7
Those responsible for teaching my law 8 did not really know me. 9
Your rulers rebelled against me.
Your prophets prophesied in the name of the god Baal. 10
They all worshiped idols that could not help them. 11
Jeremiah 5:31
Context5:31 The prophets prophesy lies.
The priests exercise power by their own authority. 12
And my people love to have it this way.
But they will not be able to help you when the time of judgment comes! 13
Jeremiah 8:9
Context8:9 Your wise men will be put to shame.
They will be dumbfounded and be brought to judgment. 14
Since they have rejected the word of the Lord,
what wisdom do they really have?
Jeremiah 12:10
Context12:10 Many foreign rulers 15 will ruin the land where I planted my people. 16
They will trample all over my chosen land. 17
They will turn my beautiful land
into a desolate wasteland.
Jeremiah 23:9-32
Context23:9 Here is what the Lord says concerning the false prophets: 19
My heart and my mind are deeply disturbed.
I tremble all over. 20
I am like a drunk person,
like a person who has had too much wine, 21
because of the way the Lord
and his holy word are being mistreated. 22
23:10 For the land is full of people unfaithful to him. 23
They live wicked lives and they misuse their power. 24
So the land is dried up 25 because it is under his curse. 26
The pastures in the wilderness are withered.
23:11 Moreover, 27 the Lord says, 28
“Both the prophets and priests are godless.
I have even found them doing evil in my temple!
23:12 So the paths they follow will be dark and slippery.
They will stumble and fall headlong.
For I will bring disaster on them.
A day of reckoning is coming for them.” 29
The Lord affirms it! 30
23:13 The Lord says, 31 “I saw the prophets of Samaria 32
doing something that was disgusting. 33
They prophesied in the name of the god Baal
and led my people Israel astray. 34
23:14 But I see the prophets of Jerusalem 35
doing something just as shocking.
They are unfaithful to me
and continually prophesy lies. 36
So they give encouragement to people who are doing evil,
with the result that they do not stop their evildoing. 37
I consider all of them as bad as the people of Sodom,
and the citizens of Jerusalem as bad as the people of Gomorrah. 38
23:15 So then I, the Lord who rules over all, 39
have something to say concerning the prophets of Jerusalem: 40
‘I will make these prophets eat the bitter food of suffering
and drink the poison water of judgment. 41
For the prophets of Jerusalem are the reason 42
that ungodliness 43 has spread throughout the land.’”
23:16 The Lord who rules over all 44 says to the people of Jerusalem: 45
“Do not listen to what
those prophets are saying to you.
They are filling you with false hopes.
They are reporting visions of their own imaginations,
not something the Lord has given them to say. 46
23:17 They continually say 47 to those who reject what the Lord has said, 48
‘Things will go well for you!’ 49
They say to all those who follow the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts,
‘Nothing bad will happen to you!’
23:18 Yet which of them has ever stood in the Lord’s inner circle 50
so they 51 could see and hear what he has to say? 52
Which of them have ever paid attention or listened to what he has said?
23:19 But just watch! 53 The wrath of the Lord
will come like a storm! 54
Like a raging storm it will rage down 55
on the heads of those who are wicked.
23:20 The anger of the Lord will not turn back
until he has fully carried out his intended purposes. 56
In days to come 57
you people will come to understand this clearly. 58
23:21 I did not send those prophets.
Yet they were in a hurry to give their message. 59
I did not tell them anything.
Yet they prophesied anyway.
23:22 But if they had stood in my inner circle, 60
they would have proclaimed my message to my people.
They would have caused my people to turn from their wicked ways
and stop doing the evil things they are doing.
23:23 Do you people think 61 that I am some local deity
and not the transcendent God?” 62 the Lord asks. 63
23:24 “Do you really think anyone can hide himself
where I cannot see him?” the Lord asks. 64
“Do you not know that I am everywhere?” 65
the Lord asks. 66
23:25 The Lord says, 67 “I have heard what those prophets who are prophesying lies in my name are saying. They are saying, ‘I have had a dream! I have had a dream!’ 68 23:26 Those prophets are just prophesying lies. They are prophesying the delusions of their own minds. 69 23:27 How long will they go on plotting 70 to make my people forget who I am 71 through the dreams they tell one another? That is just as bad as what their ancestors 72 did when they forgot who I am by worshiping the god Baal. 73 23:28 Let the prophet who has had a dream go ahead and tell his dream. Let the person who has received my message report that message faithfully. What is like straw cannot compare to what is like grain! 74 I, the Lord, affirm it! 75 23:29 My message is like a fire that purges dross! 76 It is like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces! 77 I, the Lord, so affirm it! 78 23:30 So I, the Lord, affirm 79 that I am opposed to those prophets who steal messages from one another that they claim are from me. 80 23:31 I, the Lord, affirm 81 that I am opposed to those prophets who are using their own tongues to declare, ‘The Lord declares….’ 82 23:32 I, the Lord, affirm 83 that I am opposed to those prophets who dream up lies and report them. They are misleading my people with their reckless lies. 84 I did not send them. I did not commission them. They are not helping these people at all. 85 I, the Lord, affirm it!” 86
Isaiah 56:10-12
Context56:10 All their watchmen 87 are blind,
they are unaware. 88
All of them are like mute dogs,
unable to bark.
They pant, 89 lie down,
and love to snooze.
56:11 The dogs have big appetites;
they are never full. 90
They are shepherds who have no understanding;
they all go their own way,
each one looking for monetary gain. 91
‘Come on, I’ll get some wine!
Let’s guzzle some beer!
Tomorrow will be just like today!
We’ll have everything we want!’ 93
Ezekiel 22:25-30
Context22:25 Her princes 94 within her are like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they have devoured lives. They take away riches and valuable things; they have made many women widows 95 within it. 22:26 Her priests abuse my law and have desecrated my holy things. They do not distinguish between the holy and the profane, 96 or recognize any distinction between the unclean and the clean. They ignore 97 my Sabbaths and I am profaned in their midst. 22:27 Her officials are like wolves in her midst rending their prey – shedding blood and destroying lives – so they can get dishonest profit. 22:28 Her prophets coat their messages with whitewash. 98 They see false visions and announce lying omens for them, saying, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says,’ when the Lord has not spoken. 22:29 The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have wronged the poor and needy; they have oppressed the foreigner who lives among them and denied them justice. 99
22:30 “I looked for a man from among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it, but I found no one. 100
Ezekiel 34:2-10
Context34:2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds 101 of Israel; prophesy, and say to them – to the shepherds: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not shepherds feed the flock? 34:3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the choice animals, but you do not feed the sheep! 34:4 You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost, but with force and harshness 102 you have ruled over them. 34:5 They were scattered because they had no shepherd, and they became food for every wild beast. 103 34:6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over the entire face of the earth with no one looking or searching for them.
34:7 “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 34:8 As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, my sheep have become prey and have become food for all the wild beasts. There was no shepherd, and my shepherds did not search for my flock, but fed themselves and did not feed my sheep, 34:9 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 34:10 This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand my sheep from their hand. I will no longer let them be shepherds; 104 the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore. I will rescue my sheep from their mouth, so that they will no longer be food for them.
John 10:12-13
Context10:12 The hired hand, 105 who is not a shepherd and does not own sheep, sees the wolf coming and abandons 106 the sheep and runs away. 107 So the wolf attacks 108 the sheep and scatters them. 10:13 Because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep, 109 he runs away. 110
Zechariah 10:3
Context10:3 I am enraged at the shepherds and will punish the lead-goats.
For the Lord who rules over all has brought blessing to his flock, the house of Judah, and will transform them into his majestic warhorse.
[10:8] 1 tn Or “Those wise people and kings are…” It is unclear whether the subject is the “they” of the nations in the preceding verse, or the wise people and kings referred to. The text merely has “they.”
[10:8] 2 tn Heb “The instruction of vanities [worthless idols] is wood.” The meaning of this line is a little uncertain. Various proposals have been made to make sense, most of which involve radical emendation of the text. For some examples see J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah (NICOT), 323-24, fn 6. However, this is probably a case of the bold predication that discussed in GKC 452 §141.d, some examples of which may be seen in Ps 109:4 “I am prayer,” and Ps 120:7 “I am peace.”
[10:14] 3 tn Heb “Every man.” But in the context this is not a reference to all people without exception but to all idolaters. The referent is made explicit for the sake of clarity.
[10:14] 4 tn Or “nothing but a phony god”; Heb “a lie/falsehood.”
[10:14] 5 tn Heb “There is no breath in them.” The referent is made explicit so that no one will mistakenly take it to refer to the idolaters or goldsmiths.
[2:8] 6 tn Heb “The priests…the ones who grasp my law…the shepherds…the prophets…they…”
[2:8] 7 sn See the study note on 2:6.
[2:8] 8 tn Heb “those who handle my law.”
[2:8] 9 tn Or “were not committed to me.” The Hebrew verb rendered “know” refers to more than mere intellectual knowledge. It carries also the ideas of emotional and volitional commitment as well intimacy. See for example its use in contexts like Hos 4:1; 6:6.
[2:8] 11 tn Heb “and they followed after those things [the word is plural] which do not profit.” The poetic structure of the verse, four lines in which a distinct subject appears at the beginning followed by a fifth line beginning with a prepositional phrase and no distinct subject, argues that this line is climactic and refers to all four classes enumerated in the preceding lines. See W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:88-89. There may be a play or pun in the Hebrew text on the name for the god Baal (בַּעַל, ba’al) and the verb “cannot help you” (Heb “do not profit”) which is spelled יַעַל (ya’al).
[5:31] 12 tn Heb “they shall rule at their hands.” Since the word “hand” can be used figuratively for authority or mean “side” and the pronoun “them” can refer to the priests themselves or the prophets, the following translations have also been suggested: “the priests rule under their [the prophets’] directions,” or “the priests rule in league with them [the prophets].” From the rest of the book it would appear that the prophets did not exercise authority over the priests nor did they exercise the same authority over the people that the priests did. Hence it probably mean “by their own hand/power/authority.”
[5:31] 13 tn Heb “But what will you do at its end?” The rhetorical question implies a negative answer: “Nothing!”
[8:9] 14 tn Heb “be trapped.” However, the word “trapped” generally carries with it the connotation of divine judgment. See BDB 540 s.v. לָכַד Niph.2, and compare usage in Jer 6:11 for support. The verbs in the first two lines are again the form of the Hebrew verb that emphasizes that the action is as good as done (Hebrew prophetic perfects).
[12:10] 15 tn Heb “Many shepherds.” For the use of the term “shepherd” as a figure for rulers see the notes on 10:21.
[12:10] 16 tn Heb “my vineyard.” To translate literally would presuppose an unlikely familiarity of this figure on the part of some readers. To translate as “vineyards” as some do would be misleading because that would miss the figurative nuance altogether.
[12:10] 17 tn Heb “my portion.”
[23:9] 18 sn Jeremiah has already had a good deal to say about the false prophets and their fate. See 2:8, 26; 5:13, 31; 14:13-15. Here he parallels the condemnation of the wicked prophets and their fate (23:9-40) with that of the wicked kings (21:11-22:30).
[23:9] 19 tn The word “false” is not in the text, but it is clear from the context that these are whom the sayings are directed against. The words “Here is what the
[23:9] 20 tn Heb “My heart is crushed within me. My bones tremble.” It has already been noted several times that the “heart” in ancient Hebrew psychology was the intellectual and volitional center of the person, the kidneys were the emotional center, and the bones the locus of strength and also the subject of joy, distress, and sorrow. Here Jeremiah is speaking of his distress of heart and mind in modern psychology, a distress that leads him to trembling of body which he compares to that of a drunken person staggering around under the influence of wine.
[23:9] 21 tn Heb “wine has passed over him.”
[23:9] 22 tn Heb “wine because of the
[23:10] 23 tn Heb “adulterers.” But spiritual adultery is clearly meant as also in 3:8-9; 9:2, and probably also 5:7.
[23:10] 24 tn For the word translated “They live…lives” see usage in Jer 8:6. For the idea of “misusing” their power (Heb “their power is not right” i.e., used in the wrong way) see 2 Kgs 7:9; 17:9. In the original text this line (really two lines in the Hebrew poetry) are at the end of the verse. However, this places the antecedent too far away and could lead to confusion. The lines have been rearranged to avoid such confusion.
[23:10] 25 tn For the use of this verb see 12:4 and the note there.
[23:10] 26 tc The translation follows the majority of Hebrew
[23:11] 27 tn The particle כִּי (ki) which begins this verse is parallel to the one at the beginning of the preceding verse. However, the connection is too distant to render it “for.” “Moreover” is intended to draw the parallel. The words “the
[23:11] 28 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:12] 29 tn For the last two lines see 11:23 and the notes there.
[23:12] 30 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:13] 31 tn The words “The
[23:13] 32 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[23:13] 33 tn According to BDB 1074 s.v. תִּפְלָּה this word means “unseemly, unsavory.” The related adjective is used in Job 6:6 of the tastelessness of something that is unseasoned.
[23:14] 35 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[23:14] 36 tn Or “they commit adultery and deal falsely.” The word “shocking” only occurs here and in 5:30 where it is found in the context of prophesying lies. This almost assures that the reference to “walking in lies” (Heb “in the lie”) is referring to false prophesy. Moreover the references to the prophets in 5:13 and in 14:13-15 are all in the context of false prophesy as are the following references in this chapter in 23:24, 26, 32 and in 28:15. This appears to be the theme of this section. This also makes it likely that the reference to adultery is not literal adultery, though two of the false prophets in Babylon were guilty of this (29:23). The reference to “encouraging those who do evil” that follows also makes more sense if they were preaching messages of comfort rather than messages of doom. The verbs here are infinitive absolutes in place of the finite verb, probably used to place greater emphasis on the action (cf. Hos 4:2 in a comparable judgment speech.)
[23:14] 37 tn Heb “So they strengthen the hands of those doing evil so that they do not turn back from their evil.” For the use of the figure “strengthen the hands” meaning “encourage” see Judg 9:24; Ezek 13:22 (and cf. BDB 304 s.v. חָזַק Piel.2). The vav consecutive on the front of the form gives the logical consequence equivalent to “so” in the translation.
[23:14] 38 tn Heb “All of them are to me like Sodom and its [Jerusalem’s] inhabitants like Gomorrah.”
[23:15] 39 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[23:15] 40 tn Heb “Therefore, thus says the
[23:15] 41 tn Heb “I will feed this people wormwood and make them drink poison water.” For these same words of judgment on another group see 9:15 (9:14 HT). “Wormwood” and “poison water” are not to be understood literally here but are symbolic of judgment and suffering. See, e.g., BDB 542 s.v. לַעֲנָה.
[23:15] 42 tn The compound preposition מֵאֵת (me’et) expresses source or origin (see BDB 86 s.v. אֵת 4.c). Context shows that the origin is in their false prophesying which encourages people in their evil behavior.
[23:15] 43 sn A word that derives from this same Hebrew word is used in v. 11 at the beginning of the
[23:16] 44 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”
[23:16] 45 tn The words “to the people of Jerusalem” are not in the Hebrew text but are supplied in the translation to reflect the masculine plural form of the imperative and the second masculine plural form of the pronoun. These words have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[23:16] 46 tn Heb “They tell of a vision of their own heart [= mind] not from the mouth of the
[23:17] 47 tn The translation reflects an emphatic construction where the infinitive absolute follows a participle (cf. GKC 343 §113.r).
[23:17] 48 tc The translation follows the Greek version. The Hebrew text reads, “who reject me, ‘The
[23:17] 49 tn Heb “You will have peace.” But see the note on 14:13. See also 6:14 and 8:11.
[23:18] 50 tn Or “has been the
[23:18] 51 tn The form here is a jussive with a vav of subordination introducing a purpose after a question (cf. GKC 322 §109.f).
[23:18] 52 tc Heb “his word.” In the second instance (“what he has said” at the end of the verse) the translation follows the suggestion of the Masoretes (Qere) and many Hebrew
[23:19] 54 tn The syntax of this line has generally been misunderstood, sometimes to the point that some want to delete the word wrath. Both here and in 30:23 where these same words occur the word “anger” stands not as an accusative of attendant circumstance but an apposition, giving the intended referent to the figure. Comparison should be made with Jer 25:15 where “this wrath” is appositional to “the cup of wine” (cf. GKC 425 §131.k).
[23:19] 55 tn The translation is deliberate, intending to reflect the repetition of the Hebrew root which is “swirl/swirling.”
[23:20] 56 tn Heb “until he has done and until he has carried out the purposes of his heart.”
[23:20] 57 tn Heb “in the latter days.” However, as BDB 31 s.v. אַחֲרִית b suggests, the meaning of this idiom must be determined from the context. Sometimes it has remote, even eschatological, reference and other times it has more immediate reference as it does here and in Jer 30:23 where it refers to the coming days of Babylonian conquest and exile.
[23:20] 58 tn The translation is intended to reflect a Hebrew construction where a noun functions as the object of a verb from the same root word (the Hebrew cognate accusative).
[23:21] 59 tn Heb “Yet they ran.”
[23:22] 60 tn Or “had been my confidant.” See the note on v. 18.
[23:23] 61 tn The words “Do you people think” at the beginning of this verse and “Do you really think” at the beginning of the next verse are not in the text but are a way of trying to convey the nature of the rhetorical questions which expect a negative answer. They are also a way of trying to show that the verses are still connected with the preceding discussion addressed to the people (cf. 23:16, 20).
[23:23] 62 tn Heb “Am I a god nearby and not a god far off?” The question is sometimes translated as though there is an alternative being given in v. 23, one that covers both the ideas of immanence and transcendence (i.e., “Am I only a god nearby and not also a god far off?”). However, the hey interrogative (הַ) at the beginning of this verse and the particle (אִם, ’im) at the beginning of the next show that the linkage is between the question in v. 23 and that in v. 24a. According to BDB 210 s.v. הֲ 1.d both questions in this case expect a negative answer.
[23:23] 63 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:24] 64 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:24] 65 tn The words “Don’t you know” are not in the text. They are a way of conveying the idea that the question which reads literally “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” expects a positive answer. They follow the pattern used at the beginning of the previous two questions and continue that thought. The words are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[23:24] 66 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:25] 67 tn The words, “The
[23:25] 68 sn To have had a dream was not an illegitimate means of receiving divine revelation. God had revealed himself in the past to his servants through dreams (e.g., Jacob [Gen 31:10-11] and Joseph [Gen 37:6, 7, 9]) and God promised to reveal himself through dreams (Num 12:6; Joel 2:28 [3:1 HT]). What was illegitimate was to use the dream to lead people away from the
[23:26] 69 sn See the parallel passage in Jer 14:13-15.
[23:27] 70 tn The relation of the words to one another in v. 26 and the beginning of v. 27 has created difficulties for translators and commentators. The proper solution is reflected in the NJPS. Verses 26-27 read somewhat literally, “How long is there in the hearts of the prophets who are prophesying the lie and [in the hearts of] the prophets of the delusions of their [own] heart the plotting to cause my people to forget my name…” Most commentaries complain that the text is corrupt, that there is no subject for “is there.” However, the long construct qualification “in the hearts of” has led to the lack of observation that the proper subject is “the plotting to make my people forget.” There are no exact parallels but Jer 14:22; Neh 5:5 follow the same structure. The “How long” precedes the other means of asking a question for the purpose of emphasis (cf. BDB 210 s.v. הֲ 1.b and compare for example the usage in 2 Sam 7:7). There has also been a failure to see that “the prophets of the delusion of…” is a parallel construct noun after “heart of.” Stripping the syntax down to its barest minimum and translating literally, the sentence would read “How long will the plotting…continue in the hearts of the prophets who…and [in hearts of] the prophets of…” The sentence has been restructured in the translation to conform to contemporary English style but attempt has been made to maintain the same subordinations.
[23:27] 72 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 39).
[23:27] 73 tn Heb “through Baal.” This is an elliptical expression for the worship of Baal. See 11:17; 12:16; 19:5 for other references to their relation to Baal. There is a deliberate paralleling in the syntax here between “through their dreams” and “through Baal.”
[23:28] 74 tn Heb “What to the straw with [in comparison with] the grain?” This idiom represents an emphatic repudiation or denial of relationship. See, for example, the usage in 2 Sam 16:10 and note BDB 553 s.v. מָה 1.d(c).
[23:28] 75 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:29] 76 tn Heb “Is not my message like a fire?” The rhetorical question expects a positive answer that is made explicit in the translation. The words “that purges dross” are not in the text but are implicit to the metaphor. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[23:29] 77 tn Heb “Is it not like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” See preceding note.
[23:29] 78 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:30] 79 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:30] 80 tn Heb “who are stealing my words from one another.” However, context shows that it is their own word which they claim is from the
[23:31] 81 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:31] 82 tn The word “The
[23:32] 83 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:32] 84 tn Heb “with their lies and their recklessness.” This is an example of hendiadys where two nouns (in this case a concrete and an abstract one) are joined by “and” but one is intended to be the adjectival modifier of the other.
[23:32] 85 sn In the light of what has been said this is a rhetorical understatement; they are not only “not helping,” they are leading them to their doom (cf. vv. 19-22). This figure of speech is known as litotes.
[23:32] 86 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[56:10] 87 sn The “watchmen” are probably spiritual leaders, most likely prophets and priests, responsible for giving the people moral direction.
[56:10] 88 tn Heb “they do not know”; KJV “they are all ignorant”; NIV “they all lack knowledge.”
[56:10] 89 tn The Hebrew text has הֹזִים (hozim), which appears to be derived from an otherwise unattested verbal root הָזָה (hazah). On the basis of alleged cognates, BDB 223 s.v. הָזָה offers the definition “dream, rave” while HALOT 243 s.v. הזה lists “pant.” In this case the dog metaphor of the preceding lines continues. The reference to dogs at the beginning of v. 11 favors the extension of the metaphor. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has חזים (“seers”) here. In this case the “watchmen” are directly identified as prophets and depicted as lazy.
[56:11] 90 sn The phrase never full alludes to the greed of the leaders.
[56:11] 91 tn Heb “for his gain from his end.”
[56:12] 92 tn The words “each one says” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[56:12] 93 tn Heb “great, [in] abundance, very much,” i.e., “very great indeed.” See HALOT 452 s.v. יֶתֶר.
[22:25] 94 tn Heb “a conspiracy of her prophets is in her midst.” The LXX reads “whose princes” rather than “a conspiracy of prophets.” The prophets are mentioned later in the paragraph (v. 28). If one follows the LXX in verse 25, then five distinct groups are mentioned in vv. 25-29: princes, priests, officials, prophets, and the people of the land. For a defense of the Septuagintal reading, see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:32, and D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:720, n. 4.
[22:25] 95 tn Heb “her widows they have multiplied.” The statement alludes to their murderous acts.
[22:26] 96 tn Or “between the consecrated and the common.”
[22:26] 97 tn Heb “hide their eyes from.” The idiom means to disregard or ignore something or someone (see Lev 20:4; 1 Sam 12:3; Prov 28:27; Isa 1:15).
[22:28] 98 tn Heb “her prophets coat for themselves with whitewash.” The expression may be based on Ezek 13:10-15.
[22:29] 99 tn Heb “and the foreigner they have oppressed without justice.”
[22:30] 100 tn Heb “I did not find.”
[34:2] 101 tn The term shepherd is applied to kings in the ancient Near East. In the OT the
[34:4] 102 tn The term translated “harshness” is used to describe the oppression the Israelites suffered as slaves in Egypt (Exod 1:13).
[34:5] 103 tn As a case of dittography, the MT repeats “and they were scattered” at the end of the verse.
[34:10] 104 tn Heb “I will cause them to cease from feeding sheep.”
[10:12] 105 sn Jesus contrasts the behavior of the shepherd with that of the hired hand. This is a worker who is simply paid to do a job; he has no other interest in the sheep and is certainly not about to risk his life for them. When they are threatened, he simply runs away.
[10:12] 108 tn Or “seizes.” The more traditional rendering, “snatches,” has the idea of seizing something by force and carrying it off, which is certainly possible here. However, in the sequence in John 10:12, this action precedes the scattering of the flock of sheep, so “attacks” is preferable.
[10:13] 109 tn Grk “does not have a care for the sheep.”
[10:13] 110 tc The phrase “he runs away” is lacking in several important
