49:7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce,
and their fury, for it was cruel.
I will divide them in Jacob,
and scatter them in Israel! 1
49:2 “Assemble and listen, you sons of Jacob;
listen to Israel, your father.
28:15 Like 4 a roaring lion or a roving bear, 5
so is a wicked ruler over a poor people. 6
28:17 The one who is tormented 7 by the murder 8 of another will flee to the pit; 9
let no one support him.
26:21 For look, the Lord is coming out of the place where he lives, 10
to punish the sin of those who live on the earth.
The earth will display the blood shed on it;
it will no longer cover up its slain. 11
59:7 They are eager to do evil, 12
quick to shed innocent blood. 13
Their thoughts are sinful;
they crush and destroy. 14
10:14 The roar of battle will rise against your people;
all your fortresses will be devastated,
just as Shalman devastated 15 Beth Arbel on the day of battle,
when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children.
1 sn Divide…scatter. What is predicted here is a division of their tribes. Most commentators see here an anticipation of Levi being in every area but not their own. That may be part of it, but not entirely what the curse intended. These tribes for their ruthless cruelty would be eliminated from the power and prestige of leadership.
2 tn The word “again” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
3 tn Heb “it did not again return to him still.” For a study of this section of the flood narrative, see W. O. E. Oesterley, “The Dove with the Olive Leaf (Gen VIII 8–11),” ExpTim 18 (1906/07): 377-78.
4 tn The term “like” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.
5 sn The comparison uses animals that are powerful, terrifying, insensitive, and in search of prey. Because political tyrants are like this, animal imagery of this sort is also used in Dan 7:1-8 for the series of ruthless world powers.
6 sn A poor nation under the control of political tyrants who are dangerous and destructive is helpless. The people of that nation will crumble under them because they cannot meet their demands and are of no use to them.
7 tn The form is the Qal passive participle. The verb means “to oppress; to wrong; to extort”; here the idea of being “oppressed” would refer to the burden of a guilty conscience (hence “tormented”; cf. NAB, NRSV “burdened”). Some commentators have wanted to emend the text to read “suspected,” or “charged with,” or “given to,” etc., but if the motive is religious and not legal, then “oppressed” or “tormented” is preferred.
8 sn The text has “the blood of a life”; blood will be the metonymy of effect for the murder, the shedding of blood.
9 tn The verse is cryptic; it simply says that he will “flee to the pit.” Some have taken the “pit” to refer to the place of detention for prisoners, but why would he flee to that place? It seems rather to refer to death. This could mean that (1) since there is no place for him to go outside of the grave, he should flee to the pit (cf. TEV, NLT), or (2) he will be a fugitive until he goes to the grave (cf. NASB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, CEV). Neither one of these options is easily derived from the text. The verse seems to be saying that the one who is guilty of murder will flee, and no one should assist him. The meaning of “the pit” is unresolved.
10 tn Heb “out of his place” (so KJV, ASV).
11 sn This implies that rampant bloodshed is one of the reasons for divine judgment. See the note at 24:5.
12 tn Heb “their feet run to evil.”
13 tn Heb “they quickly pour out innocent blood.”
14 tn Heb “their thoughts are thoughts of sin, destruction and crushing [are] in their roadways.”
15 tn Heb “as the devastation of Shalman.” The genitive noun שַׁלְמַן (shalman, “Shalman”) functions as a subjective genitive: “as Shalman devastated [Beth Arbel].”
16 tn Or “of the witnesses to Jesus.” Here the genitive ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou) is taken as an objective genitive; Jesus is the object of their testimony.
17 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
18 tn Grk “I marveled a great marvel” (an idiom for great astonishment).