Jeremiah 5:28

5:28 That is how ¹  they have grown fat and sleek. ² 

There is no limit to the evil things they do. ³ 

They do not plead the cause of the fatherless in such a way as to win it.

They do not defend the rights of the poor.

Jeremiah 22:2-3

22:2 Say: ‘Listen, O king of Judah who follows in David’s succession. ⁴  You, your officials, and your subjects who pass through the gates of this palace must listen to what the Lord says. ⁵  22:3 The Lord says, “Do what is just and right. Deliver those who have been robbed from those ⁶  who oppress them. Do not exploit or mistreat foreigners who live in your land, children who have no fathers, or widows. ⁷  Do not kill innocent people ⁸  in this land.

Jeremiah 22:15-17

22:15 Does it make you any more of a king

that you outstrip everyone else in ⁹  building with cedar?

Just think about your father.

He was content that he had food and drink. ¹⁰ 

He did what was just and right. ¹¹ 

So things went well with him.

22:16 He upheld the cause of the poor and needy.

So things went well for Judah.’ ¹² 

The Lord says,

‘That is a good example of what it means to know me.’ ¹³ 

22:17 But you are always thinking and looking

for ways to increase your wealth by dishonest means.

Your eyes and your heart are set

on killing some innocent person

and committing fraud and oppression. ¹⁴ 

Jeremiah 23:5

23:5 “I, the Lord, promise ¹⁵  that a new time will certainly come ¹⁶ 

when I will raise up for them a righteous branch, ¹⁷  a descendant of David.

He will rule over them with wisdom and understanding ¹⁸ 

and will do what is just and right in the land. ¹⁹ 

Jeremiah 23:2

23:2 So the Lord God of Israel has this to say about the leaders who are ruling over his people: “You have caused my people ²⁰  to be dispersed and driven into exile. You have not taken care of them. So I will punish you for the evil that you have done. ²¹  I, the Lord, affirm it! ²² 

Jeremiah 8:15

8:15 We hoped for good fortune, but nothing good has come of it.

We hoped for a time of relief, but instead we experience terror. ²³ 

Psalms 72:1-4

Psalm 72 ²⁴ 

For ²⁵  Solomon.

72:1 O God, grant the king the ability to make just decisions! ²⁶ 

Grant the king’s son ²⁷  the ability to make fair decisions! ²⁸ 

72:2 Then he will judge ²⁹  your people fairly,

and your oppressed ones ³⁰  equitably.

72:3 The mountains will bring news of peace to the people,

and the hills will announce justice. ³¹ 

72:4 He will defend ³²  the oppressed among the people;

he will deliver ³³  the children ³⁴  of the poor

and crush the oppressor.

Psalms 72:12-14

72:12 For he will rescue the needy ³⁵  when they cry out for help,

and the oppressed ³⁶  who have no defender.

72:13 He will take pity ³⁷  on the poor and needy;

the lives of the needy he will save.

72:14 From harm and violence he will defend them; ³⁸ 

he will value their lives. ³⁹ 

Psalms 82:2-4

82:2 He says, ⁴⁰  “How long will you make unjust legal decisions

and show favoritism to the wicked? ⁴¹  (Selah)

82:3 Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless! ⁴² 

Vindicate the oppressed and suffering!

82:4 Rescue the poor and needy!

Deliver them from the power ⁴³  of the wicked!

Isaiah 1:17

1:17 Learn to do what is right!

Promote justice!

Give the oppressed reason to celebrate! ⁴⁴ 

Take up the cause of the orphan!

Defend the rights of the widow! ⁴⁵ 

Isaiah 16:3-5

16:3 “Bring a plan, make a decision! ⁴⁶ 

Provide some shade in the middle of the day! ⁴⁷ 

Hide the fugitives! Do not betray ⁴⁸  the one who tries to escape!

16:4 Please let the Moabite fugitives live ⁴⁹  among you.

Hide them ⁵⁰  from the destroyer!”

Certainly ⁵¹  the one who applies pressure will cease, ⁵² 

the destroyer will come to an end,

those who trample will disappear ⁵³  from the earth.

16:5 Then a trustworthy king will be established;

he will rule in a reliable manner,

this one from David’s family. ⁵⁴ 

He will be sure to make just decisions

and will be experienced in executing justice. ⁵⁵ 

Isaiah 31:1-2

Egypt Will Disappoint

31:1 Those who go down to Egypt for help are as good as dead, ⁵⁶ 

those who rely on war horses,

and trust in Egypt’s many chariots ⁵⁷ 

and in their many, many horsemen. ⁵⁸ 

But they do not rely on the Holy One of Israel ⁵⁹ 

and do not seek help from the Lord.

31:2 Yet he too is wise ⁶⁰  and he will bring disaster;

he does not retract his decree. ⁶¹ 

He will attack the wicked nation, ⁶² 

and the nation that helps ⁶³  those who commit sin. ⁶⁴ 

Zechariah 7:9-11

7:9 “The Lord who rules over all said, ‘Exercise true judgment and show brotherhood and compassion to each other. 7:10 You must not oppress the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, or the poor, nor should anyone secretly plot evil against his fellow human being.’

7:11 “But they refused to pay attention, turning away stubbornly and stopping their ears so they could not hear.

[5:28]  ¹ tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to show that this line is parallel with the preceding.

[5:28]  ² tn The meaning of this word is uncertain. This verb occurs only here. The lexicons generally relate it to the word translated “plate” in Song 5:14 and understand it to mean “smooth, shiny” (so BDB 799 s.v. I עֶשֶׁת) or “fat” (so HALOT 850 s.v. II עֶשֶׁת). The word in Song 5:14 more likely means “smooth” than “plate” (so TEV). So “sleek” is most likely here.

[5:28]  ³ tn Heb “they cross over/transgress with respect to matters of evil.”

[22:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “who sits on David’s throne.”

[22:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah who sits on the throne of David, you, and your officials and your people who pass through these gates.”

[22:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “from the hand [or power] of.”

[22:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “aliens, orphans, or widows” treating the terms as generic or collective. However, the term “alien” carries faulty connotations and the term “orphan” is not totally appropriate because the Hebrew term does not necessarily mean that both parents have died.

[22:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “Do not shed innocent blood.”

[22:15]  ⁹ tn For the use of this verb see Jer 12:5 where it is used of Jeremiah “competing” with horses. The form is a rare Tiphel (see GKC 153 §55.h).

[22:15]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Your father, did he not eat and drink and do justice and right.” The copulative vav in front of the verbs here (all Hebrew perfects) shows that these actions are all coordinate not sequential. The contrast drawn here between the actions of Jehoiakim and Josiah show that the phrase eating and drinking should be read in the light of the same contrasts in Eccl 2 which ends with the note of contentment in Eccl 2:24 (see also Eccl 3:13; 5:18 [5:17 HT]; 8:15). The question is, of course, rhetorical setting forth the positive role model against which Jehoiakim’s actions are to be condemned. The key terms here are “then things went well with him” which is repeated in the next verse after the reiteration of Josiah’s practice of justice.

[22:15]  ¹¹ sn The father referred to here is the godly king Josiah. He followed the requirements for kings set forth in 22:3 in contrast to his son who did not (22:13).

[22:16]  ¹² tn The words “for Judah” are not in the text, but the absence of the preposition plus object as in the preceding verse suggests that this is a more general statement, i.e., “things went well for everyone.”

[22:16]  ¹³ tn Heb “Is that not what it means to know me.” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer. It is translated in the light of the context.

[22:17]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Your eyes and your heart do not exist except for dishonest gain and for innocent blood to shed [it] and for fraud and for oppression to do [them].” The sentence has been broken up to conform more to English style and the significance of “eyes” and “heart” explained before they are introduced into the translation.

[23:5]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[23:5]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Behold the days are coming.”

[23:5]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “a righteous sprig to David” or “a righteous shoot” (NAB).

[23:5]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “he will reign as king and act wisely.” This is another example of the use of two verbs joined by “and” where one becomes the adverbial modifier of the other (hendiadys). For the nuance of the verb “act wisely” rather than “prosper” see Amos 5:13; Ps 2:10 (cf. BDB 968 s.v. שָׂכַל Hiph.5).

[23:5]  ¹⁹ sn This has been the constant emphasis in this section. See 22:3 for the demand, 22:15 for its fulfillment, and 22:13 for its abuse. The ideal king would follow in the footsteps of his illustrious ancestor David (2 Sam 8:15) who set this forth as an ideal for his dynasty (2 Sam 23:3) and prayed for it to be true of his son Solomon (Ps 72:1-2).

[23:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “about the shepherds who are shepherding my people. ‘You have caused my sheep….’” For the metaphor see the study note on the previous verse.

[23:2]  ²¹ tn Heb “Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who should be shepherding my people: You have scattered my sheep and driven them away and you have not taken care of them. Behold I will visit upon you the evil of your deeds.” “Therefore” announces the judgment which does not come until “Behold.” It is interrupted by the messenger formula and a further indictment. The original has been broken up to conform more to contemporary English style, the metaphors have been interpreted for clarity and the connections between the indictments and the judgments have been carried by “So.”

[23:2]  ²² tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[8:15]  ²³ tn Heb “[We hoped] for a time of healing but behold terror.”

[72:1]  ²⁴ sn Psalm 72. This royal psalm contains a prayer for the Davidic king (note the imperatival form in v. 1 and the jussive forms in vv. 16-17). It is not entirely clear if vv. 2-15 express a prayer or anticipate a future reign. The translation assumes a blend of petition and vision: (I) opening prayer (v. 1), followed by anticipated results if prayer is answered (vv. 2-7); (II) prayer (v. 8), followed by anticipated results if prayer is answered (vv. 9-14); (III) closing prayer (vv. 15-17). Whether a prayer, vision, or combination of the two, the psalm depicts the king’s universal rule of peace and prosperity. As such it is indirectly messianic, for the ideal it expresses will only be fully realized during the Messiah’s earthly reign. Verses 18-19 are a conclusion for Book 2 of the Psalter (Pss 42-72; cf. Ps 41:13, which contains a similar conclusion for Book 1), while v. 20 appears to be a remnant of an earlier collection of psalms or an earlier edition of the Psalter.

[72:1]  ²⁵ tn The preposition could be understood as indicating authorship (“Of Solomon”), but since the psalm is a prayer for a king, it may be that the superscription reflects a tradition that understood this as a prayer for Solomon.

[72:1]  ²⁶ tn Heb “O God, your judgments to [the] king give.”

[72:1]  ²⁷ sn Grant the king…Grant the king’s son. It is not entirely clear whether v. 1 envisions one individual or two. The phrase “the king’s son” in the second line may simply refer to “the king” of the first line, drawing attention to the fact that he has inherited his dynastic rule. Another option is that v. 1 envisions a co-regency between father and son (a common phenomenon in ancient Israel) or simply expresses a hope for a dynasty that champions justice.

[72:1]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and your justice to [the] son of [the] king.”

[72:2]  ²⁹ tn The prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, not a jussive.

[72:2]  ³⁰ sn These people are called God’s oppressed ones because he is their defender (see Pss 9:12, 18; 10:12; 12:5).

[72:3]  ³¹ tn Heb “[the] mountains will bear peace to the people, and [the] hills with justice.” The personified mountains and hills probably represent messengers who will sweep over the land announcing the king’s just decrees and policies. See Isa 52:7 and C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms (ICC), 2:133.

[72:4]  ³² tn Heb “judge [for].”

[72:4]  ³³ tn The prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, not a jussive.

[72:4]  ³⁴ tn Heb “sons.”

[72:12]  ³⁵ tn The singular is representative. The typical needy individual here represents the entire group.

[72:12]  ³⁶ tn The singular is representative. The typical oppressed individual here represents the entire group.

[72:13]  ³⁷ tn The prefixed verb form is best understood as a defectively written imperfect (see Deut 7:16).

[72:14]  ³⁸ tn Or “redeem their lives.” The verb “redeem” casts the Lord in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Pss 19:14; 69:18).

[72:14]  ³⁹ tn Heb “their blood will be precious in his eyes.”

[82:2]  ⁴⁰ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation to indicate that the following speech is God’s judicial decision (see v. 1).

[82:2]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “and the face of the wicked lift up.”

[82:3]  ⁴² tn The Hebrew noun יָתוֹם (yatom) refers to one who has lost his father (not necessarily his mother, see Ps 109:9). Because they were so vulnerable and were frequently exploited, fatherless children are often mentioned as epitomizing the oppressed (see Pss 10:14; 68:5; 94:6; 146:9; as well as Job 6:27; 22:9; 24:3, 9; 29:12; 31:17, 21).

[82:4]  ⁴³ tn Heb “hand.”

[1:17]  ⁴⁴ tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. The translation assumes an emendation of חָמוֹץ (khamots, “oppressor [?]”) to חָמוּץ (khamuts, “oppressed”), a passive participle from II חָמַץ (khamats, “oppress”; HALOT 329 s.v. II חמץ) and takes the verb II אָשַׁר (’ashar) in the sense of “make happy” (the delocutive Piel, meaning “call/pronounce happy,” is metonymic here, referring to actually effecting happiness). The parallelism favors this interpretation, for the next two lines speak of positive actions on behalf of the destitute. The other option is to retain the MT pointing and translate, “set right the oppressor,” but the nuance “set right” is not clearly attested elsewhere for the verb I אשׁר. This verb does appear as a participle in Isa 3:12 and 9:16 with the meaning “to lead or guide.” If it can mean to “lead” or “rebuke/redirect” in this verse, the prophet could be contrasting this appeal for societal reformation (v. 17c) with a command to reorder their personal lives (v. 17a-b). J. A. Motyer (The Prophecy of Isaiah, 47) suggests that these three statements (v. 17a-c) provide “the contrast between the two ends of imperfect society, the oppressor and the needy, the one inflicting and the other suffering the hurt. Isaiah looks for a transformed society wherever it needs transforming.”

[1:17]  ⁴⁵ tn This word refers to a woman who has lost her husband, by death or divorce. The orphan and widow are often mentioned in the OT as epitomizing the helpless and impoverished who have been left without the necessities of life due to the loss of a family provider.

[16:3]  ⁴⁶ sn It is unclear who is being addressed in this verse. Perhaps the prophet, playing the role of a panic stricken Moabite refugee, requests the leaders of Judah (the imperatives are plural) to take pity on the fugitives.

[16:3]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “Make your shade like night in the midst of noonday.” “Shade” here symbolizes shelter, while the heat of noonday represents the intense suffering of the Moabites. By comparing the desired shade to night, the speaker visualizes a huge dark shadow cast by a large tree that would provide relief from the sun’s heat.

[16:3]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “disclose, uncover.”

[16:4]  ⁴⁹ tn That is, “live as resident foreigners.”

[16:4]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “Be a hiding place for them.”

[16:4]  ⁵¹ tn The present translation understands כִּי (ki) as asseverative, but one could take it as explanatory (“for,” KJV, NASB) or temporal (“when,” NAB, NRSV). In the latter case, v. 4b would be logically connected to v. 5.

[16:4]  ⁵² tn A perfect verbal form is used here and in the next two lines for rhetorical effect; the demise of the oppressor(s) is described as if it had already occurred.

[16:4]  ⁵³ tc The Hebrew text has, “they will be finished, the one who tramples, from the earth.” The plural verb form תַּמּוּ, (tammu, “disappear”) could be emended to agree with the singular subject רֹמֵס (romes, “the one who tramples”) or the participle can be emended to a plural (רֹמֵסִם, romesim) to agree with the verb. The translation assumes the latter. Haplography of mem (ם) seems likely; note that the word after רֹמֵס begins with a mem.

[16:5]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “and a throne will be established in faithfulness, and he will sit on it in reliability, in the tent of David.”

[16:5]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “one who judges and seeks justice, and one experienced in fairness.” Many understand מְהִר (mÿhir) to mean “quick, prompt” (see BDB 555 s.v. מָהִיר), but HALOT 552 s.v. מָהִיר offers the meaning “skillful, experienced,” and translates the phrase in v. 5 “zealous for what is right.”

[31:1]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who go down to Egypt for help.”

[31:1]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “and trust in chariots for they are many.”

[31:1]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “and in horsemen for they are very strong [or “numerous”].”

[31:1]  ⁵⁹ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[31:2]  ⁶⁰ sn This statement appears to have a sarcastic tone. The royal advisers who are advocating an alliance with Egypt think they are wise, but the Lord possesses wisdom as well and will thwart their efforts.

[31:2]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “and he does not turn aside [i.e., “retract”] his words”; NIV “does not take back his words.”

[31:2]  ⁶² tn Heb “and he will arise against the house of the wicked.”

[31:2]  ⁶³ sn That is, Egypt.

[31:2]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “and against the help of the doers of sin.”