Jeremiah 10:8

10:8 The people of those nations ¹  are both stupid and foolish.

Instruction from a wooden idol is worthless! ² 

Jeremiah 10:14-15

10:14 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 

10:15 They are worthless, mere objects to be mocked. ⁶ 

When the time comes to punish them, they will be destroyed.

Jonah 2:8

2:8 Those who worship ⁷  worthless idols ⁸  forfeit the mercy that could be theirs. ⁹ 

Zechariah 10:2

10:2 For the household gods ¹⁰  have spoken wickedness, the soothsayers have seen a lie, and as for the dreamers, they have disclosed emptiness and give comfort in vain. Therefore the people set out like sheep and become scattered because they have no shepherd. ¹¹ 

Romans 1:23-25

1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings ¹²  or birds or four-footed animals ¹³  or reptiles.

1:24 Therefore God gave them over ¹⁴  in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor ¹⁵  their bodies among themselves. ¹⁶  1:25 They ¹⁷  exchanged the truth of God for a lie ¹⁸  and worshiped and served the creation ¹⁹  rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Romans 1:2

1:2 This gospel ²⁰  he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures,

Romans 2:9-11

2:9 There will be ²¹  affliction and distress on everyone ²²  who does evil, on the Jew first and also the Greek, ²³  2:10 but ²⁴  glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, for the Jew first and also the Greek. 2:11 For there is no partiality with God.

Romans 2:1

The Condemnation of the Moralist

2:1 ²⁵ Therefore ²⁶  you are without excuse, ²⁷  whoever you are, ²⁸  when you judge someone else. ²⁹  For on whatever grounds ³⁰  you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things.

Romans 4:1-2

The Illustration of Justification

4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh, ³¹  has discovered regarding this matter? ³²  4:2 For if Abraham was declared righteous ³³  by the works of the law, he has something to boast about – but not before God.

Revelation 13:11-15

13:11 Then ³⁴  I saw another beast ³⁵  coming up from the earth. He ³⁶  had two horns like a lamb, ³⁷  but ³⁸  was speaking like a dragon. 13:12 He ³⁹  exercised all the ruling authority ⁴⁰  of the first beast on his behalf, ⁴¹  and made the earth and those who inhabit it worship the first beast, the one whose lethal wound had been healed. 13:13 He ⁴²  performed momentous signs, even making fire come down from heaven in front of people ⁴³  13:14 and, by the signs he was permitted to perform on behalf of the beast, he deceived those who live on the earth. He told ⁴⁴  those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who had been wounded by the sword, but still lived. 13:15 The second beast ⁴⁵  was empowered ⁴⁶  to give life ⁴⁷  to the image of the first beast ⁴⁸  so that it could speak, and could cause all those who did not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

Revelation 19:20

19:20 Now ⁴⁹  the beast was seized, and along with him the false prophet who had performed the signs on his behalf ⁵⁰  – signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur. ⁵¹ 

[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.

[10:15]  ⁶ tn Or “objects of mockery.”

[2:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “those who pay regard to.” The verbal root שָׁמַר (shamar, “to keep, to watch”) appears in the Piel stem only here in biblical Hebrew, meaning “to pay regard to” (BDB 1037 s.v. שָׁמַר). This is metonymical for the act of worship (e.g., Qal “to observe” = to worship, Ps 31:7).

[2:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “worthlessnesses of nothingness” or “vanities of emptiness.” The genitive construct הַבְלֵי־שָׁוְא (havle-shavÿ’) forms an attributive adjective expression: “empty worthlessness” or “worthless vanities.” This ironic reference to false gods is doubly insulting (e.g., Ps 31:7). The noun הֶבֶל (hevel, “vapor, breath”) is often used figuratively to describe what is insubstantial, empty, and futile (31 times in Eccl; see also, e.g., Pss 39:4-6, 11; 144:4; Prov 13:11; 21:6; Isa 30:7; 49:4). It often refers to idols – the epitome of emptiness, nothingness, and worthlessness (Deut 32:21; 1 Kgs 16:13, 26; Ps 31:7; Jer 8:19; 10:8, 15; 14:22; 16:19; 51:18). The noun שָׁוְא (“worthlessness, emptiness, nothingness”) describes what is ineffective and lacking reality (BDB 996 s.v. שָׁוְא; e.g., Exod 20:7; Pss 60:11; 127:1; Ezek 22:28). It is also often used to refer to idols (e.g., Ps 31:7; Jer 18:15; Hos 5:11).

[2:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “abandon their mercy/loyalty.” The meaning of חַסְדָּם יַעֲזֹבוּ (khasdam ya’azovu, “forsake their mercy/loyalty”) is greatly debated. There are two exegetical issues that are mutually related. First, does the noun חֶסֶד (khesed) here mean (1) “mercy, kindness” that man receives from God, or (2) “loyalty, faithfulness” that man must give to God (see BDB 338-39 s.v חֶסֶד; HALOT 336-37 s.v. חֶסֶד)? Second, the third masculine plural suffix on חַסְדָּם (“their loyalty/mercy”) has been taken as (1) subjective genitive, referring to the loyal allegiance they ought to display to the true God: “they abandon the loyalty they should show.” Examples of subjective genitives are: “This is your kindness (חַסְדֵּךְ, khasdek) which you must do for me: every place to which we come, say of me, ‘He is my brother’” (Gen 20:13; also cf. Gen 40:14; 1 Sam 20:14-15). Several English versions take this approach: “forsake their faithfulness” (NASB), “abandon their faithful love” (NJB), “abandon their loyalty” (NEB, REB), “forsake their true loyalty” (RSV, NRSV), “turn their backs on all God’s mercies” (NLT), “have abandoned their loyalty to you” (TEV). (2) This has also been taken as objective genitive, referring to the mercy they might have received from God: “they forfeit the mercy that could be theirs.” The ancient versions interpret חַסְדָּם in this sense: “they do not know the source of their welfare” (Tg. Jonah 2:8), “forsake the source of their welfare” (Vulgate), and “abandon their own mercy” (LXX). Several English versions follow this approach: “forsake their source of mercy” (NAB); “forfeit the grace that could be theirs” (NIV), “forsake their own welfare” (JPS, NJPS), “forsake their own mercy” (KJV, ASV), “forsake their own Mercy” (NKJV), “turn from the God who offers them mercy” (CEV). This is a difficult lexical/syntactical problem. On the one hand, the next line contrasts their failure with Jonah’s boast of loyalty to the true God – demonstrating that he, unlike pagan idolaters, deserves to be delivered. On the other hand, the only other use of חֶסֶד in the book refers to “mercy” God bestows (4:2) – something that Jonah did not believe that the (repentant) pagan idolaters had a right to receive. BDB 339 s.v. I חֶסֶד II takes this approach – “He is חַסְדָּם their goodness, favour Jonah 2:9” – and cites other examples of חֶסֶד with suffixes referring to God: חַסְדִּי (khasdi) “my kindness” = he shows kindness to me (Ps 144:2); and אֱלֹהֵי חַסְדִּי (’elohe khasdi) “the God of my kindness” = the God who shows kindness to me (Ps 59:18).

[10:2]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew word תְּרָפִים (tÿrafim, “teraphim”) refers to small images used as means of divination and in other occult practices (cf. Gen 31:19, 34-35; 1 Sam 19:13, 16; Hos 3:4). A number of English versions transliterate the Hebrew term (cf. ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV) or simply use the generic term “idols” (so KJV, NIV, TEV).

[10:2]  ¹¹ sn Shepherd is a common OT metaphor for the king (see esp. Jer 2:8; 3:15; 10:21; 23:1-2; 50:6; Ezek 34).

[1:23]  ¹² tn Grk “exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God in likeness of an image of corruptible man.” Here there is a wordplay on the Greek terms ἄφθαρτος (afqarto", “immortal, imperishable, incorruptible”) and φθαρτός (fqarto", “mortal, corruptible, subject to decay”).

[1:23]  ¹³ sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 106:19-20.

[1:24]  ¹⁴ sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 81:12.

[1:24]  ¹⁵ tn The genitive articular infinitive τοῦ ἀτιμάζεσθαι (tou atimazesqai, “to dishonor”) has been taken as (1) an infinitive of purpose; (2) an infinitive of result; or (3) an epexegetical (i.e., explanatory) infinitive, expanding the previous clause.

[1:24]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “among them.”

[1:25]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “who.” The relative pronoun was converted to a personal pronoun and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:25]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “the lie.”

[1:25]  ¹⁹ tn Or “creature, created things.”

[1:2]  ²⁰ tn Grk “the gospel of God, which he promised.” Because of the length and complexity of this sentence in Greek, it was divided into shorter English sentences in keeping with contemporary English style. To indicate the referent of the relative pronoun (“which”), the word “gospel” was repeated at the beginning of v. 2.

[2:9]  ²¹ tn No verb is expressed in this verse, but the verb “to be” is implied by the Greek construction. Literally “suffering and distress on everyone…”

[2:9]  ²² tn Grk “every soul of man.”

[2:9]  ²³ sn Paul uses the term Greek here and in v. 10 to refer to non-Jews, i.e., Gentiles.

[2:10]  ²⁴ tn Grk “but even,” to emphasize the contrast. The second word has been omitted since it is somewhat redundant in English idiom.

[2:1]  ²⁵ sn Rom 2:1-29 presents unusual difficulties for the interpreter. There have been several major approaches to the chapter and the group(s) it refers to: (1) Rom 2:14 refers to Gentile Christians, not Gentiles who obey the Jewish law. (2) Paul in Rom 2 is presenting a hypothetical viewpoint: If anyone could obey the law, that person would be justified, but no one can. (3) The reference to “the ones who do the law” in 2:13 are those who “do” the law in the right way, on the basis of faith, not according to Jewish legalism. (4) Rom 2:13 only speaks about Christians being judged in the future, along with such texts as Rom 14:10 and 2 Cor 5:10. (5) Paul’s material in Rom 2 is drawn heavily from Diaspora Judaism, so that the treatment of the law presented here cannot be harmonized with other things Paul says about the law elsewhere (E. P. Sanders, Paul, the Law, and the Jewish People, 123); another who sees Rom 2 as an example of Paul’s inconsistency in his treatment of the law is H. Räisänen, Paul and the Law [WUNT], 101-9. (6) The list of blessings and curses in Deut 27–30 provide the background for Rom 2; the Gentiles of 2:14 are Gentile Christians, but the condemnation of Jews in 2:17-24 addresses the failure of Jews as a nation to keep the law as a whole (A. Ito, “Romans 2: A Deuteronomistic Reading,” JSNT 59 [1995]: 21-37).

[2:1]  ²⁶ tn Some interpreters (e.g., C. K. Barrett, Romans [HNTC], 43) connect the inferential Διό (dio, “therefore”) with 1:32a, treating 1:32b as a parenthetical comment by Paul.

[2:1]  ²⁷ tn That is, “you have nothing to say in your own defense” (so translated by TCNT).

[2:1]  ²⁸ tn Grk “O man.”

[2:1]  ²⁹ tn Grk “Therefore, you are without excuse, O man, everyone [of you] who judges.”

[2:1]  ³⁰ tn Grk “in/by (that) which.”

[4:1]  ³¹ tn Or “according to natural descent” (BDAG 916 s.v. σάρξ 4).

[4:1]  ³² tn Grk “has found?”

[4:2]  ³³ tn Or “was justified.”

[13:11]  ³⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[13:11]  ³⁵ sn This second beast is identified in Rev 16:13 as “the false prophet.”

[13:11]  ³⁶ tn Grk “and it had,” a continuation of the preceding sentence. On the use of the pronoun “he” to refer to the second beast, see the note on the word “It” in 13:1.

[13:11]  ³⁷ tn Or perhaps, “like a ram.” Here L&N 4.25 states, “In the one context in the NT, namely, Re 13:11, in which ἀρνίον refers literally to a sheep, it is used in a phrase referring to the horns of an ἀρνίον. In such a context the reference is undoubtedly to a ‘ram,’ that is to say, the adult male of sheep.” In spite of this most translations render the word “lamb” here to maintain the connection between this false lamb and the true Lamb of the Book of Revelation, Jesus Christ.

[13:11]  ³⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[13:12]  ³⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[13:12]  ⁴⁰ tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.

[13:12]  ⁴¹ tn For this meaning see BDAG 342 s.v. ἐνώπιον 4.b, “by the authority of, on behalf of Rv 13:12, 14; 19:20.”

[13:13]  ⁴² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[13:13]  ⁴³ tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both men and women.

[13:14]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “earth, telling.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in Greek.

[13:15]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “it”; the referent (the second beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:15]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “it was given [permitted] to it [the second beast].”

[13:15]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “breath,” but in context the point is that the image of the first beast is made to come to life and speak.

[13:15]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “of the beast”; the word “first” has been supplied to specify the referent.

[19:20]  ⁴⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of an unexpected development in the account: The opposing armies do not come together in battle; rather the leader of one side is captured.

[19:20]  ⁵⁰ tn For this meaning see BDAG 342 s.v. ἐνώπιον 4.b, “by the authority of, on behalf of Rv 13:12, 14; 19:20.”

[19:20]  ⁵¹ tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”