4:1 Now, Israel, pay attention to the statutes and ordinances 3 I am about to teach you, so that you might live and go on to enter and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, 4 is giving you.
3:12 This is the land we brought under our control at that time: The territory extending from Aroer 17 by the Wadi Arnon and half the Gilead hill country with its cities I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites. 18
28:28 And he said to mankind,
‘The fear of the Lord 19 – that is wisdom,
and to turn away from evil is understanding.’” 20
111:10 To obey the Lord is the fundamental principle for wise living; 21
all who carry out his precepts acquire good moral insight. 22
He will receive praise forever. 23
119:27 Help me to understand what your precepts mean! 24
Then I can meditate 25 on your marvelous teachings. 26
2:5 then you will understand 27 how to fear the Lord, 28
and you will discover 29 knowledge 30 about God. 31
14:8 The wisdom of the shrewd person 32 is to discern 33 his way,
but the folly of fools is deception. 34
23:23 Acquire 35 truth and do not sell it –
wisdom, and discipline, and understanding.
4:22 The Lord answered, 36
“This will happen 37 because my people are foolish.
They do not know me.
They are like children who have no sense. 38
They have no understanding.
They are skilled at doing evil.
They do not know how to do good.”
1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, 44 have not ceased praying for you and asking God 45 to fill 46 you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
1:1 From Paul, 47 an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
4:2 Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. 4:3 At the same time pray 48 for us too, that 49 God may open a door for the message 50 so that we may proclaim 51 the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 52
1:18 He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn 53 from among the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things. 54
1:1 From Paul, 55 an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
4:2 Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.
1 tn Heb “it is wisdom and understanding.”
2 tn Heb “wise and understanding.”
3 tn These technical Hebrew terms (חֻקִּים [khuqqim] and מִשְׁפָּטִים [mishpatim]) occur repeatedly throughout the Book of Deuteronomy to describe the covenant stipulations to which Israel had been called to subscribe (see, in this chapter alone, vv. 1, 5, 6, 8). The word חֻקִּים derives from the verb חֹק (khoq, “to inscribe; to carve”) and מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim) from שָׁפַט (shafat, “to judge”). They are virtually synonymous and are used interchangeably in Deuteronomy.
4 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 31, 37).
5 sn Sidonians were Phoenician inhabitants of the city of Sidon (now in Lebanon), about 47 mi (75 km) north of Mount Carmel.
6 sn Sirion. This name is attested in the Ugaritic texts as sryn. See UT 495.
7 sn Senir. Probably this was actually one of the peaks of Hermon and not the main mountain (Song of Songs 4:8; 1 Chr 5:23). It is mentioned in a royal inscription of Shalmaneser III of Assyria (saniru; see ANET 280).
8 sn Salecah. Today this is known as Salkhad, in Jordan, about 31 mi (50 km) east of the Jordan River in the Hauran Desert.
9 sn Edrei. See note on this term in 3:1.
10 tn Heb “Behold” (הִנֵּה, hinneh).
11 tn The Hebrew term עֶרֶשׂ (’eres), traditionally translated “bed” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) is likely a basaltic (volcanic) stone sarcophagus of suitable size to contain the coffin of the giant Rephaite king. Its iron-like color and texture caused it to be described as an iron container. See A. Millard, “King Og’s Iron Bed: Fact or Fancy?” BR 6 (1990): 16-21, 44; cf. also NEB “his sarcophagus of basalt”; TEV, CEV “his coffin.”
12 tn Or “of iron-colored basalt.” See note on the word “sarcophagus” earlier in this verse.
13 sn Rabbath. This place name (usually occurring as Rabbah; 2 Sam 11:11; 12:27; Jer 49:3) refers to the ancient capital of the Ammonite kingdom, now the modern city of Amman, Jordan. The word means “great [one],” probably because of its political importance. The fact that the sarcophagus “still remain[ed]” there suggests this part of the verse is post-Mosaic, having been added as a matter of explanation for the existence of the artifact and also to verify the claim as to its size.
14 tn Heb “nine cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 in (45 cm) for the standard cubit, this would be 13.5 ft (4.1 m) long.
15 tn Heb “four cubits.” This would be 6 ft (1.8 m) wide.
16 tn Heb “by the cubit of man.” This probably refers to the “short” or “regular” cubit of approximately 18 in (45 cm).
17 tn The words “the territory extending” are not in the Hebrew text; they are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
18 sn Reubenites and Gadites. By the time of Moses’ address the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had already been granted permission to settle in the Transjordan, provided they helped the other tribes subdue the occupants of Canaan (cf. Num 32:28-42).
19 tc A number of medieval Hebrew manuscripts have YHWH (“
20 tc Many commentators delete this verse because (1) many read the divine name Yahweh (translated “
21 tn Heb “the beginning of wisdom [is] the fear of the
22 tn Heb “good sense [is] to all who do them.” The third masculine plural pronominal suffix must refer back to the “precepts” mentioned in v. 7. In the translation the referent has been specified for clarity. The phrase שֵׂכֶל טוֹב (shekhel tov) also occurs in Prov 3:4; 13:15 and 2 Chr 30:22.
23 tn Heb “his praise stands forever.”
24 tn Heb “the way of your precepts make me understand.”
25 tn The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.
26 tn Heb “your amazing things,” which refers here to the teachings of the law (see v. 18).
27 tn The verb בִּין (bin, “to perceive; to understand; to discern”) refers to ability to grasp, discern or be sensitive to what it means to fear the
28 tn Heb “the fear of the
29 tn Heb “find” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).
30 tn The term דַּעַת (da’at, “knowledge”) goes beyond cognition; it is often used metonymically (cause) for obedience (effect); see, e.g., Prov 3:6, “in all your ways acknowledge him,” and BDB 395 s.v. This means that the disciple will follow God’s moral code; for to know God is to react ethically and spiritually to his will (e.g., J. H. Greenstone, Proverbs, 18).
31 tn Heb “knowledge of God.” The noun is an objective genitive.
32 tn Or “the prudent [person]” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV).
33 tn The Hiphil infinitive construct denotes purpose. Those who are shrewd will use it to give careful consideration to all their ways.
34 tn The word means “deception,” but some suggest “self-deception” here (W. McKane, Proverbs [OTL], 466; and D. W. Thomas, “Textual and Philological Notes on Some Passages in the Book of Proverbs,” VTSup 3 [1955]: 286); cf. NLT “fools deceive themselves.” The parallelism would favor this, but there is little support for it. The word usually means “craft practiced on others.” If the line is saying the fool is deceitful, there is only a loose antithesis between the cola.
35 tn Heb “buy” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT); CEV “Invest in truth.”
36 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to show clearly the shift in speaker. Jeremiah has been speaking; now the
37 tn Heb “For….” This gives the explanation for the destruction envisaged in 4:20 to which Jeremiah responds in 4:19, 21.
38 tn Heb “They are senseless children.”
39 tn Grk “his will.”
40 tn Grk “or whether I speak from myself.”
41 tn Although συσχηματίζεσθε (suschmatizesqe) could be either a passive or middle, the passive is more likely since it would otherwise have to be a direct middle (“conform yourselves”) and, as such, would be quite rare for NT Greek. It is very telling that being “conformed” to the present world is viewed as a passive notion, for it may suggest that it happens, in part, subconsciously. At the same time, the passive could well be a “permissive passive,” suggesting that there may be some consciousness of the conformity taking place. Most likely, it is a combination of both.
42 tn Grk “to this age.”
43 sn The verb translated test and approve (δοκιμάζω, dokimazw) carries the sense of “test with a positive outcome,” “test so as to approve.”
44 tn Or “heard about it”; Grk “heard.” There is no direct object stated in the Greek (direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context). A direct object is expected by an English reader, however, so most translations supply one. Here, however, it is not entirely clear what the author “heard”: a number of translations supply “it” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV; NAB “this”), but this could refer back either to (1) “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8, or (2) “your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints” (v. 4). In light of this uncertainty, other translations supply “about you” (TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). This is preferred by the present translation since, while it does not resolve the ambiguity entirely, it does make it less easy for the English reader to limit the reference only to “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8.
45 tn The term “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but the following reference to “the knowledge of his will” makes it clear that “God” is in view as the object of the “praying and asking,” and should therefore be included in the English translation for clarity.
46 tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated as substantival, indicating the content of the prayer and asking. The idea of purpose may also be present in this clause.
47 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
48 tn Though προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi) is an adverbial participle related to the previous imperative, προσκαρτερεῖτε (proskartereite), it is here translated as an independent clause due to requirements of contemporary English style.
49 tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been rendered as substantival here, indicating the content of the prayer rather than the purpose for it. These two ideas are very similar and difficult to differentiate in this passage, but the conjunction ἵνα following a verb of praying is generally regarded as giving the content of the prayer.
50 tn Grk “that God may open for us a door of the word to speak the mystery of Christ.” The construction in Greek is somewhat awkward in this clause. The translation attempts to simplify this structure somewhat and yet communicate exactly what Paul is asking for.
51 tn Or “so that we may speak.”
52 tn Or “in prison.”
53 tn See the note on the term “firstborn” in 1:15. Here the reference to Jesus as the “firstborn from among the dead” seems to be arguing for a chronological priority, i.e., Jesus was the first to rise from the dead.
54 tn Grk “in order that he may become in all things, himself, first.”
55 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.