Genesis 13:9

13:9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself now from me. If you go ¹  to the left, then I’ll go to the right, but if you go to the right, then I’ll go to the left.”

Genesis 13:14

13:14 After Lot had departed, the Lord said to Abram, ²  “Look ³  from the place where you stand to the north, south, east, and west.

Psalms 16:3

16:3 As for God’s chosen people who are in the land,

and the leading officials I admired so much ⁴  –

Psalms 119:63

119:63 I am a friend to all your loyal followers, ⁵ 

and to those who keep your precepts.

Proverbs 27:10

27:10 Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend,

and do not enter your brother’s house in the day of your disaster;

a neighbor nearby is better than a brother far away. ⁶ 

Hebrews 10:25

10:25 not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day ⁷  drawing near. ⁸ 

Hebrews 10:1

Concluding Exposition: Old and New Sacrifices Contrasted

10:1 For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship. ⁹ 

Hebrews 2:17

2:17 Therefore he had ¹⁰  to be made like his brothers and sisters ¹¹  in every respect, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, to make atonement ¹²  for the sins of the people.

¹ tn The words “you go” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons both times in this verse.

² tn Heb “and the Lord said to Abram after Lot separated himself from with him.” The disjunctive clause at the beginning of the verse signals a new scene.

³ tn Heb “lift up your eyes and see.”

⁴ tn Heb “regarding the holy ones who [are] in the land, they; and the mighty [ones] in [whom is/was] all my desire.” The difficult syntax makes the meaning of the verse uncertain. The phrase “holy ones” sometimes refers to God’s angelic assembly (see Ps 89:5, 7), but the qualifying clause “who are in the land” suggests that here it refers to God’s people (Ps 34:9) or to their priestly leaders (2 Chr 35:3).

⁵ tn Heb “to all who fear you.”

⁶ sn The meaning of the verse is very difficult, although the translation is rather straightforward. It may simply be saying that people should retain family relationships but will discover that a friend who is available is better than a relative who is not. But C. H. Toy thinks that the verse is made up of three lines that have no connection: 10a instructs people to maintain relationships, 10b says not to go to a brother’s house [only?] when disaster strikes, and 10c observes that a nearby friend is better than a far-away relative. C. H. Toy suggests a connection may have been there, but has been lost (Proverbs [ICC], 485-86). The conflict between 17:17 and 10b may be another example of presenting two sides of the issue, a fairly frequent occurrence in the book of Proverbs.

⁷ sn The day refers to that well-known time of Christ’s coming and judgment in the future; see a similar use of “day” in 1 Cor 3:13.

⁸ tn This paragraph (vv. 19-25) is actually a single, skillfully composed sentence in Greek, but it must be broken into shorter segments for English idiom. It begins with several subordinate phrases (since we have confidence and a great priest), has three parallel exhortations as its main verbs (let us draw near, hold, and take thought), and concludes with several subordinate phrases related to the final exhortation (not abandoning but encouraging).

⁹ tn Grk “those who approach.”

¹⁰ tn Or “he was obligated.”

¹¹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.

¹² tn Or “propitiation.”