29:13 The sovereign master 7 says,
“These people say they are loyal to me; 8
they say wonderful things about me, 9
but they are not really loyal to me. 10
Their worship consists of
nothing but man-made ritual. 11
1 tn Heb “as people come.” Apparently this is an idiom indicating that they come in crowds. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:264.
2 tn The word “as” is supplied in the translation.
3 tn Heb “do.”
4 tn Heb “They do lust with their mouths.”
5 tn Heb “goes after.”
6 tn The present translation understands the term often used for “unjust gain” in a wider sense, following M. Greenberg, who also notes that the LXX uses a term which can describe either sexual or ritual pollution. See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:687.
7 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).
8 tn Heb “Because these people draw near to me with their mouth.”
9 tn Heb “and with their lips they honor me.”
10 tn Heb “but their heart is far from me.” The heart is viewed here as the seat of the will, from which genuine loyalty derives.
11 tn Heb “their fear of me is a commandment of men that has been taught.”
12 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
13 tn This reflexive makes it clear that Mary took the initiative in sitting by Jesus.
14 sn The description of Mary sitting at the Lord’s feet and listening to him makes her sound like a disciple (compare Luke 8:35).
15 tn Grk “a Jewish man.”
16 tn BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατρέφω b has “of mental and spiritual nurture bring up, rear, train…ἀνατεθραμμένος ἐν τ. πόλει ταύτῃ 22:3.”
17 tn Or “with precision.” Although often translated “strictly” this can be misunderstood for “solely” in English. BDAG 39 s.v. ἀκρίβεια gives the meaning as “exactness, precision.” To avoid the potential misunderstanding the translation “with strictness” is used, although it is slightly more awkward than “strictly.”
18 tn Grk “strictly at the feet of” (an idiom).
19 tn Or “brought up in this city under Gamaliel, educated with strictness…” The phrase παρὰ τοὺς πόδας Γαμαλιὴλ (para tou" poda" Gamalihl) could be understood with what precedes or with what follows. The punctuation of NA27 and UBS4, which place a comma after ταύτῃ (tauth), has been followed in the translation.
20 tn Or “our forefathers.”
21 tn Grk “ancestors, being.” The participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
22 tn BDAG 427 s.v. ζηλωτής 1.a.α has “of pers. …ζ. τοῦ θεοῦ one who is loyal to God Ac 22:3.”