28:1 “If you indeed 2 obey the Lord your God and are careful to observe all his commandments I am giving 3 you today, the Lord your God will elevate you above all the nations of the earth.
40:12 Look at every proud man and abase him;
crush the wicked on the spot! 9
106:41 He handed them over to 10 the nations,
and those who hated them ruled over them.
106:42 Their enemies oppressed them;
they were subject to their authority. 11
106:43 Many times he delivered 12 them,
but they had a rebellious attitude, 13
and degraded themselves 14 by their sin.
29:23 A person’s pride 15 will bring him low, 16
but one who has a lowly spirit 17 will gain honor.
1 tn Heb “the foreigner.” This is a collective singular and has therefore been translated as plural; this includes the pronouns in the following verse, which are also singular in the Hebrew text.
2 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “indeed.”
3 tn Heb “commanding”; NAB “which I enjoin on you today” (likewise in v. 15).
4 tn The Hebrew text does not have the first person pronoun; it has been supplied for purposes of English style (the Lord is speaking here).
5 tn Heb “all the work of your hands.”
6 tn Heb “he has.” This has been converted to first person in the translation in keeping with English style.
7 tn Heb “known” (so ASV, NASB); NAB “been concerned about.”
8 tn Heb “the
9 tn The expression translated “on the spot” is the prepositional phrase תַּחְתָּם (takhtam, “under them”). “Under them” means in their place. But it can also mean “where someone stands, on the spot” (see Exod 16:29; Jos 6:5; Judg 7:21, etc.).
10 tn Heb “gave them into the hand of.”
11 tn Heb “they were subdued under their hand.”
12 tn The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“he would deliver”).
13 tn Heb “but they rebelled in their counsel.” The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“they would have a rebellious attitude”).
14 tn Heb “they sank down.” The Hebrew verb מָכַךְ (makhakh, “to lower; to sink”) occurs only here in the Qal.
15 tn Heb “pride of a man,” with “man” functioning as a possessive. There is no indication in the immediate context that this is restricted only to males.
16 tn There is a wordplay here due to the repetition of the root שָׁפֵל (shafel). In the first line the verb תִּשְׁפִּילֶנּוּ (tishpilennu) is the Hiphil imperfect of the root, rendered “will bring him low.” In the second line the word is used in the description of the “lowly of spirit,” שְׁפַל־רוּחַ (shÿfal-ruakh). The contrast works well: The proud will be brought “low,” but the one who is “lowly” will be honored. In this instance the wordplay can be preserved in the translation.
17 tn Heb “low in spirit”; KJV “humble in spirit.” This refers to an attitude of humility.