25:1 If controversy arises between people, 14 they should go to court for judgment. When the judges 15 hear the case, they shall exonerate 16 the innocent but condemn 17 the guilty. 25:2 Then, 18 if the guilty person is sentenced to a beating, 19 the judge shall force him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with the number of blows his wicked behavior deserves. 20 25:3 The judge 21 may sentence him to forty blows, 22 but no more. If he is struck with more than these, you might view your fellow Israelite 23 with contempt.
1 tn Heb “it” (so NRSV), a collective singular referring to the invading nation (several times in this verse and v. 52).
2 tn Heb “increase of herds.”
3 tn Heb “growth of flocks.”
4 tn Heb “gates,” also in vv. 55, 57.
5 tn Heb “the fruit of your womb” (so NAB, NRSV); NASB “the offspring of your own body.”
6 tn Heb “siege and stress.”
7 tn Heb “besiege,” redundant with the noun “siege.”
8 tc The LXX adds σφόδρα (sfodra, “very”) to bring the description into line with v. 54.
9 tn Heb “delicateness and tenderness.”
10 tn Heb includes “that which comes out from between her feet.”
11 tn Heb “her sons that she will bear.”
12 tn Heb includes “in her need for everything.”
13 tn Heb “come upon you and overtake you” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “come upon you and accompany you.”
14 tn Heb “men.”
15 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the judges) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
16 tn Heb “declare to be just”; KJV, NASB “justify the righteous”; NAB, NIV “acquitting the innocent.”
17 tn Heb “declare to be evil”; NIV “condemning the guilty (+ party NAB).”
18 tn Heb “and it will be.”
19 tn Heb “if the evil one is a son of smiting.”
20 tn Heb “according to his wickedness, by number.”
21 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the judge) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
22 tn Heb “Forty blows he may strike him”; however, since the judge is to witness the punishment (v. 2) it is unlikely the judge himself administered it.
23 tn Heb “your brothers” but not limited only to an actual sibling; cf. NAB) “your kinsman”; NRSV, NLT “your neighbor.”
24 tn Heb “mother.”
25 sn Mesopotamian kings believed that the gods revealed the future through omens. They employed various divination techniques, some of which are included in the list that follows. A particularly popular technique was the examination and interpretation of the livers of animals. See R. R. Wilson, Prophecy and Society in Ancient Israel, 90-110.
26 tn This word refers to personal idols that were apparently used for divination purposes (Gen 31:19; 1 Sam 19:13, 16).
27 tn Heb “sees.”
28 tn Heb “the liver.”
29 tn Or “on the right side,” i.e., the omen mark on the right side of the liver.
30 tn Heb “to open the mouth” for slaughter.
31 tn Heb “to raise up a voice in a battle cry.”
32 tn Heb “lean on, put pressure on.”
33 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
34 sn Jesus now predicted the events that would be fulfilled in the fall of Jerusalem in
35 sn An embankment refers to either wooden barricades or earthworks, or a combination of the two.
36 tn Grk “They will raze you to the ground.”
37 tn Grk “your children within you.” The phrase “[your] walls” has been supplied in the translation to clarify that the city of Jerusalem, metaphorically pictured as an individual, is spoken of here.
38 sn (Not) one stone on top of another is an idiom for total destruction.
39 tn Grk “leave stone on stone.”
40 tn Grk “the time of your visitation.” To clarify what this refers to, the words “from God” are supplied at the end of the verse, although they do not occur in the Greek text.