28:21 For the Lord will rise up, as he did at Mount Perazim, 4
he will rouse himself, as he did in the Valley of Gibeon, 5
to accomplish his work,
his peculiar work,
to perform his task,
his strange task. 6
1 tn Grk “in/by which,” referring to the change of behavior described in v. 3. The unbelievers are astonished by the readers’ moral transformation. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
2 tn Or “are surprised, are taken aback.” The same verb occurs in 4:12.
3 tn Grk “blaspheming,” giving the result of their astonishment. Here the target of their “blasphemy/vilification” is not God but the Christian.
4 sn This probably alludes to David’s victory over the Philistines at Baal Perazim. See 2 Sam 5:20.
5 sn This probably alludes to the Lord’s victory over the Canaanites at Gibeon, during the days of Joshua. See Josh 10:10-11.
6 sn God’s judgment of his own people is called “his peculiar work” and “his strange task,” because he must deal with them the way he treated their enemies in the past.