7:12 If you obey these ordinances and are careful to do them, the Lord your God will faithfully keep covenant with you 25 as he promised 26 your ancestors.
105:9 the promise 27 he made to Abraham,
the promise he made by oath to Isaac!
1 tn Heb “By myself I swear.”
2 tn Heb “the oracle of the
3 tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the finite verbal form (either an imperfect or cohortative) emphasizes the certainty of the blessing.
4 tn Here too the infinitive absolute is used for emphasis before the following finite verb (either an imperfect or cohortative).
5 tn The Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) occurring here and in v. 18 may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.
6 tn Or “inherit.”
7 tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. To break through the gate complex would be to conquer the city, for the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”).
8 tn Or “the land of my birth.”
9 tn Heb “and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying.”
10 tn Or “his messenger.”
11 tn Heb “before you and you will take.”
12 tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur) means “to live temporarily without ownership of land.” Abraham’s family will not actually possess the land of Canaan until the Israelite conquest hundreds of years later.
13 tn After the imperative “stay” the two prefixed verb forms with prefixed conjunction here indicate consequence.
14 tn The Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) occurring here and in v. 18 may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.
15 tn The Hiphil stem of the verb קוּם (qum) here means “to fulfill, to bring to realization.” For other examples of this use of this verb form, see Lev 26:9; Num 23:19; Deut 8:18; 9:5; 1 Sam 1:23; 1 Kgs 6:12; Jer 11:5.
16 tn Heb “the oath which I swore.”
17 tn Heb “the
18 tn For the verb אָהַב (’ahav, “to love”) as a term of choice or election, see note on the word “loved” in Deut 4:37.
19 tn Heb “oath.” This is a reference to the promises of the so-called “Abrahamic Covenant” (cf. Gen 15:13-16).
20 tn Heb “swore on oath.”
21 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 12, 13).
22 tn Heb “by a strong hand” (NAB similar); NLT “with such amazing power.”
23 sn Redeeming you from the place of slavery. The Hebrew verb translated “redeeming” (from the root פָּדָה, padah) has the idea of redemption by the payment of a ransom. The initial symbol of this was the Passover lamb, offered by Israel to the
24 tn Heb “hand” (so KJV, NRSV), a metaphor for power or domination.
25 tn Heb “will keep with you the covenant and loyalty.” On the construction used here, see v. 9.
26 tn Heb “which he swore on oath.” The relative pronoun modifies “covenant,” so one could translate “will keep faithfully the covenant (or promise) he made on oath to your ancestors.”
27 tn Heb “which.”
28 tn The phrase “a land flowing with milk and honey” is very familiar to readers in the Jewish and Christian traditions as a proverbial description of the agricultural and pastoral abundance of the land of Israel. However, it may not mean too much to readers outside those traditions; an equivalent expression would be “a land of fertile fields and fine pastures.” E. W. Bullinger (Figures of Speech, 626) identifies this as a figure of speech called synecdoche where the species is put for the genus, “a region…abounding with pasture and fruits of all kinds.”
29 tn Heb “‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ as at this day.” However, the literal reading is too elliptical and would lead to confusion.
30 tn The words “Let it be so” are not in the text; they are an explanation of the significance of the term “Amen” for those who may not be part of the Christian or Jewish tradition.
31 tn The plural Greek term ἄνθρωποι (anqrwpoi) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, and is thus translated “people.”
32 tn Grk “by something greater”; the rest of the comparison (“than themselves”) is implied.
33 tn Grk “the oath for confirmation is an end of all dispute.”
34 tn Grk “in which.”
35 tn Or “immutable” (here and in v. 18); Grk “the unchangeableness of his purpose.”