2 Kings 6:33

6:33 He was still talking to them when the messenger approached and said, “Look, the Lord is responsible for this disaster! Why should I continue to wait for the Lord to help?”

Psalms 27:14

27:14 Rely on the Lord!

Be strong and confident!

Rely on the Lord!

Psalms 130:5-6

130:5 I rely on the Lord,

I rely on him with my whole being;

I wait for his assuring word.

130:6 I yearn for the Lord,

more than watchmen do for the morning,

yes, more than watchmen do for the morning. 10 

Isaiah 30:18

The Lord Will Not Abandon His People

30:18 For this reason the Lord is ready to show you mercy;

he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. 11 

Indeed, the Lord is a just God;

all who wait for him in faith will be blessed. 12 

Lamentations 3:25-26

ט (Tet)

3:25 The Lord is good to those who trust 13  in him,

to the one 14  who seeks him.

3:26 It is good to wait patiently 15 

for deliverance from the Lord. 16 

Micah 7:7

7:7 But I will keep watching for the Lord;

I will wait for the God who delivers me.

My God will hear my lament. 17 

Luke 2:25

The Prophecy of Simeon

2:25 Now 18  there was a man in Jerusalem 19  named Simeon who was righteous 20  and devout, looking for the restoration 21  of Israel, and the Holy Spirit 22  was upon him.

James 5:7-8

Patience in Suffering

5:7 So be patient, brothers and sisters, 23  until the Lord’s return. 24  Think of how the farmer waits 25  for the precious fruit of the ground and is patient 26  for it until it receives the early and late rains. 5:8 You also be patient and strengthen your hearts, for the Lord’s return is near.


tn The Hebrew text also has “look” here.

tn Heb “came down to him.”

tn Heb “Look, this is a disaster from the Lord.”

tn Or “wait.”

tn Heb “be strong and let your heart be confident.”

tn Or “wait for.”

tn Heb “my soul waits.”

tn Heb “his word.”

tn Heb “my soul for the master.”

10 tn Heb “more than watchmen for the morning, watchmen for the morning.” The words “yes, more” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

11 tn Heb “Therefore the Lord waits to show you mercy, and therefore he is exalted to have compassion on you.” The logical connection between this verse and what precedes is problematic. The point seems to be that Judah’s impending doom does not bring God joy. Rather the prospect of their suffering stirs within him a willingness to show mercy and compassion, if they are willing to seek him on his terms.

12 tn Heb “Blessed are all who wait for him.”

13 tn Heb “wait for him”

14 tn Heb “to the soul…” The term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul”) is a synecdoche of part (= “the soul who seeks him”) for the whole person (= “the person who seeks him”).

15 tn Heb “waiting and silently.” The two adjectives וְיָחִיל וְדוּמָם (vÿyakhil vÿdumam, “waiting and silently”) form a hendiadys: The first functions verbally and the second functions adverbially: “to wait silently.” The adjective דוּמָם (dumam, “silently”) also functions as a metonymy of association, standing for patience or rest (HALOT 217 s.v.). This metonymical nuance is captured well in less literal English versions: “wait in patience” (TEV) and “wait patiently” (CEV, NJPS). The more literal English versions do not express the metonymy as well: “quietly wait” (KJV, NKJV, ASV), “waits silently” (NASB), “wait quietly” (RSV, NRSV, NIV).

16 tn Heb “deliverance of the Lord.” In the genitive-construct, the genitive יהוה (YHWH, “the Lord”) denotes source, that is, he is the source of the deliverance: “deliverance from the Lord.”

17 tn Heb “me.” In the interest of clarity the nature of the prophet’s cry has been specified as “my lament” in the translation.

18 tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

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

20 tn Grk “This man was righteous.” The Greek text begins a new sentence here, but this was changed to a relative clause in the translation to avoid redundancy.

21 tn Or “deliverance,” “consolation.”

22 sn Once again, by mentioning the Holy Spirit, Luke stresses the prophetic enablement of a speaker. The Spirit has fallen on both men (Zechariah, 1:67) and women (Elizabeth, 1:41) in Luke 1–2 as they share the will of the Lord.

23 tn Grk “brothers”; this phrase occurs again three times in the paragraph. See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

24 tn Or “advent”; or “coming” (also in v. 8).

25 tn Grk “Behold! The farmer waits.”

26 tn Grk “being patient.”