1:24 Now to the one who is able to keep you from falling, 9 and to cause you to stand, rejoicing, 10 without blemish 11 before his glorious presence, 12 1:25 to the only God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen.
1 sn Heb “send her off.” The Hebrew term שִׁלַּחְתָּה (shillakhtah) is a somewhat euphemistic way of referring to divorce, the matter clearly in view here (cf. Deut 22:19, 29; 24:1, 3; Jer 3:1; Mal 2:16). This passage does not have the matter of divorce as its principal objective, so it should not be understood as endorsing divorce generally. It merely makes the point that if grounds for divorce exist (see Deut 24:1-4), and then divorce ensues, the husband could in no way gain profit from it.
2 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates by the words “in any case.”
3 tn The Hebrew text includes “for money.” This phrase has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
4 tn Or perhaps “must not enslave her” (cf. ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); Heb “[must not] be tyrannical over.”
5 sn You have humiliated her. Since divorce was considered rejection, the wife subjected to it would “lose face” in addition to the already humiliating event of having become a wife by force (21:11-13). Furthermore, the Hebrew verb translated “humiliated” here (עָנָה, ’anah), commonly used to speak of rape (cf. Gen 34:2; 2 Sam 13:12, 14, 22, 32; Judg 19:24), likely has sexual overtones as well. The woman may not be enslaved or abused after the divorce because it would be double humiliation (see also E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy [NAC], 291).
6 tn Heb “humbled.”
7 tn Heb “wife.”
8 tn Heb “burn.” See note on the phrase “purge out” in Deut 21:21.
9 tn The construction in Greek is a double accusative object-complement. “You” is the object and “free from falling” is the adjectival complement.
10 tn Grk “with rejoicing.” The prepositional clause is placed after “his glorious presence” in Greek, but most likely goes with “cause you to stand.”
11 tn The construction in Greek is a double accusative object-complement. “You” is the object and “without blemish” is the adjectival complement.
12 tn Or “in the presence of his glory,” “before his glory.”
13 tn Heb “the nakedness of a father one uncovers within you.” The ancient versions read the verb as plural (“they uncover”). If the singular is retained, it must be taken as indefinite and representative of the entire group. The idiomatic expression “uncover the nakedness” refers here to sexual intercourse (cf. Lev 18:6). To uncover a father’s nakedness could include sexual relations with one’s own mother (Lev 18:7), but more likely it refers to having intercourse with another wife of one’s father, such as a stepmother (Lev 18:8; cf. Gen 35:22; 49:4).
14 tn Heb “(one who is) unclean due to the impurity they humble within you.” The use of the verb “to humble” suggests that these men forced themselves upon women during menstruation. Having sexual relations with a woman during her period was forbidden by the Law (Lev 18:19; 20:18).
15 tn Heb “a man.”
16 tn The verb is the same one used in verse 10b and suggests forcible sexual violation of the woman.
17 sn Sexual relations with one’s half-sister may be primarily in view here. See Lev 18:9; 20:17.