2 Chronicles 10:15

10:15 The king refused to listen to the people, because God was instigating this turn of events ¹  so that he might bring to pass the prophetic announcement he had made ²  through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

Genesis 50:20

50:20 As for you, you meant to harm me, ³  but God intended it for a good purpose, so he could preserve the lives of many people, as you can see this day. ⁴ 

Genesis 50:1

The Burials of Jacob and Joseph

50:1 Then Joseph hugged his father’s face. ⁵  He wept over him and kissed him.

Genesis 11:29

11:29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, ⁶  and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah; ⁷  she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah.

Psalms 33:11

33:11 The Lord’s decisions stand forever;

his plans abide throughout the ages. ⁸ 

Hosea 8:4

The Political and Cultic Sin of Israel

8:4 They enthroned kings without my consent! ⁹ 

They appointed princes without my approval! ¹⁰ 

They made idols out of their silver and gold,

but they will be destroyed! ¹¹ 

¹ tn Heb “because this turn of events was from God.”

² tn Heb “so that the Lord might bring to pass his word which he spoke.”

³ tn Heb “you devised against me evil.”

⁴ tn Heb “God devised it for good in order to do, like this day, to preserve alive a great nation.”

⁵ tn Heb “fell on.” The expression describes Joseph’s unrestrained sorrow over Jacob’s death; he probably threw himself across the body and embraced his father.

⁶ sn The name Sarai (a variant spelling of “Sarah”) means “princess” (or “lady”). Sharratu was the name of the wife of the moon god Sin. The original name may reflect the culture out of which the patriarch was called, for the family did worship other gods in Mesopotamia.

⁷ sn The name Milcah means “Queen.” But more to the point here is the fact that Malkatu was a title for Ishtar, the daughter of the moon god. If the women were named after such titles (and there is no evidence that this was the motivation for naming the girls “Princess” or “Queen”), that would not necessarily imply anything about the faith of the two women themselves.

⁸ tn Heb “the thoughts of his heart for generation to generation.” The verb “abides” is supplied in the translation. The Lord’s “decisions” and “plans” here refer to his decrees and purposes.

⁹ tn Heb “but without me”; NCV “without asking my permission”; CEV “without consulting me.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “but I did not know”; NRSV “but without my knowledge.”

¹¹ tn Heb “in order to be cut off.” The text gives the impression that they made the idols for this purpose, but the language is ironic and sarcastic, bringing out the futility of their efforts. One could paraphrase, “they made idols…but only so that they might be destroyed.” Though they had other plans for the idols, God’s judgment would bring their intentions to naught.