36:15 The Lord God of their ancestors 5 continually warned them through his messengers, 6 for he felt compassion for his people and his dwelling place. 36:16 But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his warnings, 7 and ridiculed his prophets. 8 Finally the Lord got very angry at his people and there was no one who could prevent his judgment. 9
9:26 “Nonetheless they grew disobedient and rebelled against you; they disregarded your law. 10 They killed your prophets who had solemnly admonished them in order to cause them to return to you. They committed atrocious blasphemies.
2:30 “It did no good for me to punish your people.
They did not respond to such correction.
You slaughtered your prophets
like a voracious lion.” 11
מ (Mem)
4:13 But it happened 14 due to the sins of her prophets 15
and the iniquities of her priests,
who poured out in her midst
the blood of the righteous.
Now on that day a great 25 persecution began 26 against the church in Jerusalem, 27 and all 28 except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions 29 of Judea and Samaria.
1 tn Heb “did not remember.”
2 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Jehoiada) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Zechariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Heb “and seek [ – ].” The direct object of “seek” is omitted in the Hebrew text but implied; “vengeance” is supplied for clarification.
5 tn Heb “fathers.”
6 tn Heb “and the
7 tn Heb “his words.”
8 tn All three verbal forms (“mocked,” “despised,” and “ridiculed”) are active participles in the Hebrew text, indicating continual or repeated action. They made a habit of rejecting God’s prophetic messengers.
9 tn Heb “until the anger of the
10 tn Heb “they cast your law behind their backs.”
11 tn Heb “Your sword devoured your prophets like a destroying lion.” However, the reference to the sword in this and many similar idioms is merely idiomatic for death by violent means.
12 tn Heb “from Egypt.”
13 sn The burial place of the common people was the public burial grounds, distinct from the family tombs, where poor people without any distinction were buried. It was in the Kidron Valley east of Jerusalem (2 Kgs 23:6). The intent of reporting this is to show the ruthlessness of Jehoiakim.
14 tn These words do not appear in the Hebrew, but are supplied to make sense of the line. The introductory causal preposition מִן (min) (“because”) indicates that this phrase – or something like it – is implied through elision.
15 tn There is no main verb in the verse; it is an extended prepositional phrase. One must either assume a verbal idea such as “But it happened due to…” or connect it to the following verses, which themselves are quite difficult. The former option was employed in the present translation.
16 sn The image of the tenants mistreating the owner’s slaves pictures the nation’s rejection of the prophets and their message.
17 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
18 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
19 sn Which…persecute. The rhetorical question suggests they persecuted them all.
20 tn Grk “And they.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
21 sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ.
22 sn Whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. The harsh critique has OT precedent (1 Kgs 19:10-14; Neh 9:26; 2 Chr 36:16).
23 tn Grk “And they.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.
24 tn The term ἀναίρεσις (anairesi") can refer to murder (BDAG 64 s.v.; 2 Macc 5:13; Josephus, Ant. 5.2.12 [5.165]).
25 tn Or “severe.”
26 tn Grk “Now there happened on that day a great persecution.” It is less awkward to say in English “Now on that day a great persecution began.”
27 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
28 sn All. Given that the Jerusalem church is still active after this and that the Hellenists are the focus of Acts 6-8, it is possible to argue that only the Hellenistic Christians were forced to scatter.
29 tn Or “countryside.”
30 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
31 tn The Greek word πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to a major (broad) street (L&N 1.103).
32 tn Grk “spiritually.”