2 Chronicles 12:1

12:1 After Rehoboam’s rule was established and solidified, he and all Israel rejected the law of the Lord.

2 Chronicles 31:4

31:4 He ordered¹ the people living in Jerusalem² to contribute the portion prescribed for the priests and Levites so they might be obedient³ to the law of the Lord.

2 Chronicles 35:26

35:26 The rest of the events of Josiah’s reign, including the faithful acts he did in obedience to what is written in the law of the Lord⁴

Deuteronomy 17:18-19

17:18 When he sits on his royal throne he must make a copy of this law⁵ on a scroll⁶ given to him by the Levitical priests. 17:19 It must be with him constantly and he must read it as long as he lives, so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and observe all the words of this law and these statutes and carry them out.

Joshua 1:8

1:8 This law scroll must not leave your lips!⁷ You must memorize it⁸ day and night so you can carefully obey⁹ all that is written in it. Then you will prosper¹⁰ and be successful.¹¹

Ezra 7:10

7:10 Now Ezra had dedicated himself¹² to the study of the law of the Lord, to its observance, and to teaching¹³ its statutes and judgments in Israel.

Psalms 1:2

1:2 Instead¹⁴ he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands;¹⁵

he meditates on¹⁶ his commands¹⁷ day and night.

Isaiah 5:24

5:24 Therefore, as flaming fire¹⁸ devours straw,

and dry grass disintegrates in the flames,

so their root will rot,

and their flower will blow away like dust.¹⁹

For they have rejected the law of the Lord who commands armies,

they have spurned the commands²⁰ of the Holy One of Israel.²¹

Isaiah 30:9

30:9 For these are rebellious people –

they are lying children,

children unwilling to obey the Lord’s law.²²

Jeremiah 8:8

8:8 How can you say, “We are wise!

We have the law of the Lord”?

The truth is,²³ those who teach it²⁴ have used their writings

to make it say what it does not really mean.²⁵

Luke 2:39

2:39 So²⁶ when Joseph and Mary²⁷ had performed²⁸ everything according to the law of the Lord,²⁹ they returned to Galilee, to their own town³⁰ of Nazareth.³¹

¹tn Heb “said to.”

²map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

³tn Heb “might hold firmly.”

⁴tn Heb “and his faithful acts according to what is written in the law of the Lord.”

⁵tn Or “instruction.” The LXX reads here τὸ δευτερονόμιον τοῦτο (to deuteronomion touto, “this second law”). From this Greek phrase the present name of the book, “Deuteronomy” or “second law” (i.e., the second giving of the law), is derived. However, the MT’s expression מִשְׁנֶה הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת (mishneh hattorah hazzo’t) is better rendered “copy of this law.” Here the term תּוֹרָה (torah) probably refers only to the book of Deuteronomy and not to the whole Pentateuch.

⁶tn The Hebrew term סֵפֶר (sefer) means a “writing” or “document” and could be translated “book” (so KJV, ASV, TEV). However, since “book” carries the connotation of a modern bound book with pages (an obvious anachronism) it is preferable to render the Hebrew term “scroll” here and elsewhere.

⁷tn Heb “mouth.”

⁸tn Heb “read it in undertones,” or “recite it quietly” (see HALOT 1:237).

⁹tn Heb “be careful to do.”

¹⁰tn Heb “you will make your way prosperous.”

¹¹tn Heb “and be wise,” but the word can mean “be successful” by metonymy.

¹²tn Heb “established his heart.”

¹³tn Heb “to do and to teach.” The expression may be a hendiadys, in which case it would have the sense of “effectively teaching.”

¹⁴tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki-’im, “instead”) introduces a contrast between the sinful behavior depicted in v. 1 and the godly lifestyle described in v. 2.

¹⁵tn Heb “his delight [is] in the law of the Lord.” In light of the following line, which focuses on studying the Lord’s law, one might translate, “he finds pleasure in studying the Lord’s commands.” However, even if one translates the line this way, it is important to recognize that mere study and intellectual awareness are not ultimately what bring divine favor. Study of the law is metonymic here for the correct attitudes and behavior that should result from an awareness of and commitment to God’s moral will; thus “obeying” has been used in the translation rather than “studying.”

¹⁶tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the characteristic behavior described here and lends support to the hyperbolic adverbial phrase “day and night.” The verb הָגָה (hagag) means “to recite quietly; to meditate” and refers metonymically to intense study and reflection.

¹⁷tn Or “his law.”

¹⁸tn Heb “a tongue of fire” (so NASB), referring to a tongue-shaped flame.

¹⁹sn They are compared to a flowering plant that withers quickly in a hot, arid climate.

²⁰tn Heb “the word.”

²¹sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

²²tn Or perhaps, “instruction” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); NCV, TEV “teachings.”

²³tn Heb “Surely, behold!”

²⁴tn Heb “the scribes.”

²⁵tn Heb “The lying pen of the scribes have made [it] into a lie.” The translation is an attempt to make the most common interpretation of this passage understandable for the average reader. This is, however, a difficult passage whose interpretation is greatly debated and whose syntax is capable of other interpretations. The interpretation of the NJPS, “Assuredly, for naught has the pen labored, for naught the scribes,” surely deserves consideration within the context; i.e. it hasn’t done any good for the scribes to produce a reliable copy of the law, which the people have refused to follow. That interpretation has the advantage of explaining the absence of an object for the verb “make” or “labored” but creates a very unbalanced poetic couplet.

²⁶tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the conclusion of the topic.

²⁷tn Grk “when they”; the referents (Joseph and Mary) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁸tn Or “completed.”

²⁹sn On the phrase the law of the Lord see Luke 2:22-23.

³⁰tn Or “city.”

³¹map For location see Map1-D3; Map2-C2; Map3-D5; Map4-C1; Map5-G3.