Hebrews 12:13

12:13 and make straight paths for your feet, ¹  so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but be healed.

Exodus 32:8

32:8 They have quickly turned aside ²  from the way that I commanded them – they have made for themselves a molten calf and have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt.’”

Jude 1:17

Exhortation to the Faithful

1:17 But you, dear friends – recall the predictions ³  foretold by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴ 

Isaiah 30:11

30:11 Turn aside from the way,

stray off the path. ⁵ 

Remove from our presence the Holy One of Israel.” ⁶ 

¹ sn A quotation from Prov 4:26. The phrase make straight paths for your feet is figurative for “stay on God’s paths.”

² tn The verb is a perfect tense, reflecting the present perfect nuance: “they have turned aside” and are still disobedient. But the verb is modified with the adverb “quickly” (actually a Piel infinitive absolute). It has been only a matter of weeks since they heard the voice of God prohibiting this.

³ tn Grk “words.” In conjunction with προεῖπον (proeipon), however, the meaning of the construction is that the apostles uttered prophecies.

⁴ sn This verse parallels 2 Pet 3:2 both conceptually and in much of the verbiage. There is one important difference, however: In 2 Pet 3:2 the prophets and apostles speak; here, just the apostles speak. This makes good sense if Jude is using 2 Peter as his main source and is urging his readers to go back to the authoritative writings, both OT and now especially NT.

⁵ sn The imagery refers to the way or path of truth, as revealed by God to the prophet.

⁶ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.