1 tn Heb “the
2 tn Heb “may prolong your days”; NAB “may have long life”; TEV “will continue to live.”
3 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 21).
5 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation seeks to reflect with “be sure.”
7 sn I invoke heaven and earth as witnesses against you. This stock formula introduces what is known form-critically as a רִיב (riv) or controversy pattern. It is commonly used in the ancient Near Eastern world in legal contexts and in the OT as a forensic or judicial device to draw attention to Israel’s violation of the
8 tn Or “be destroyed”; KJV “utterly perish”; NLT “will quickly disappear”; CEV “you won’t have long to live.”
9 tn Or “be completely” (so NCV, TEV). It is not certain here if the infinitive absolute indicates the certainty of the following action (cf. NIV) or its degree.
9 tn Heb “commanding” (so NRSV).
11 tn The imperative here means, literally, “regard as heavy” (כַּבֵּד, kabbed). The meaning is that great importance must be ascribed to parents by their children.
12 tn Heb “the
13 tn Here the terms are not the usual חֻקִּים (khuqqim) and מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim; as in v. 1) but חֻקֹּת (khuqqot, “statutes”) and מִצְוֹת (mitsot, “commandments”). It is clear that these terms are used interchangeably and that their technical precision ought not be overly stressed.
14 tn Heb “commanding.” For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, “giving” has been used in the translation.
15 tc Heb “upon his kingship.” Smr supplies כִּסֵא (kise’, “throne”) so as to read “upon the throne of his kingship.” This overliteralizes what is a clearly understood figure of speech.
17 tn Or “just”; Heb “righteous.”
19 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “certainly.”
20 tn Heb “to go there to possess it.”