Isaiah 38:18

38:18 Indeed ¹  Sheol does not give you thanks;

death does not ²  praise you.

Those who descend into the pit do not anticipate your faithfulness.

Isaiah 49:9

49:9 You will say ³  to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’

and to those who are in dark dungeons, ⁴  ‘Emerge.’ ⁵ 

They will graze beside the roads;

on all the slopes they will find pasture.

Jeremiah 31:17

31:17 Indeed, there is hope for your posterity. ⁶ 

Your children will return to their own territory.

I, the Lord, affirm it! ⁷ 

Lamentations 3:21-22

3:21 But this I call ⁸  to mind; ⁹ 

therefore I have hope:

ח (Khet)

3:22 The Lord’s loyal kindness ¹⁰  never ceases; ¹¹ 

his compassions ¹²  never end.

Ezekiel 37:11

37:11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are all the house of Israel. Look, they are saying, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope has perished; we are cut off.’

Hosea 2:15

2:15 From there I will give back her vineyards to her,

and turn the “Valley of Trouble” ¹³  into an “Opportunity ¹⁴  for Hope.”

There she will sing as she did when she was young, ¹⁵ 

when ¹⁶  she came up from the land of Egypt.

¹ tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

² tn The negative particle is understood by ellipsis in this line. See GKC 483 §152.z.

³ tn Heb “to say.” In the Hebrew text the infinitive construct is subordinated to what precedes.

⁴ tn Heb “in darkness” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “the prisoners of darkness.”

⁵ tn Heb “show yourselves” (so ASV, NAB, NASB).

⁶ tn For this nuance for the Hebrew word אַחֲרִית (’akharit) see BDB 31 s.v. אַחֲרִית d and compare usage in Pss 37:38; 109:13. Others translate “your future” but the “future” lies with the return of her descendants, her posterity.

⁷ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

⁸ tn Heb “I cause to return.”

⁹ tn Heb “to my heart.” The noun לֵבָב (levav, “heart”) has a broad range of meanings, including its use as a metonymy of association, standing for thoughts and thinking = “mind” (e.g., Deut 32:46; 1 Chr 29:18; Job 17:11; Ps 73:7; Isa 10:7; Hag 1:5, 7; 2:15, 18; Zech 7:10; 8:17).

¹⁰ tn It is difficult to capture the nuances of the Hebrew word חֶסֶד (khesed). When used of the Lord it is often connected to his covenant loyalty. This is the only occasion when the plural form of חֶסֶד (khesed) precedes the plural form of רַחֲמִים (rakhamim, “mercy, compassion”). The plural forms, as with this one, tend to be in late texts. The plural may indicate several concrete expressions of God’s kindnesses or may indicate the abstract concept of his kindness.

¹¹ tc The MT reads תָמְנוּ (tamnu) “indeed we are [not] cut off,” Qal perfect 1st person common plural from תָּמַם (tamam, “be finished”): “[Because of] the kindnesses of the Lord, we are not cut off.” However, the ancient versions (LXX, Syriac Peshitta, Aramaic Targum) and many medieval Hebrew mss preserve the alternate reading תָּמּוּ (tammu), Qal perfect 3rd person common plural from תָּמַם (tamam, “to be finished”): “The kindnesses of the Lord never cease.” The external evidence favors the alternate reading. The internal evidence supports this as well, as the parallel B-line suggests: “his compassions never come to an end.” Several English versions follow the MT: “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed” (KJV, NKJV), “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed” (NIV). Other English versions follow the alternate textual tradition: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases” (RSV, NRSV), “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease” (NASB), “The kindness of the Lord has not ended” (NJPS) and “The Lord’s unfailing love still continues” (TEV).

¹² tn The plural form of רַחֲמִים (rakhamim) may denote the abstract concept of mercy, several concrete expressions of mercy, or the plural of intensity: “great compassion.” See IBHS 122 §7.4.3a.

¹³ tn Heb “Valley of Achor,” so named because of the unfortunate incident recorded in Josh 7:1-26 (the name is explained in v. 26; the Hebrew term Achor means “disaster” or “trouble”). Cf. TEV, CEV “Trouble Valley.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “door” or “doorway”; cf. NLT “gateway.” Unlike the days of Joshua, when Achan’s sin jeopardized Israel’s mission and cast a dark shadow over the nation, Israel’s future return to the land will be marked by renewed hope.

¹⁵ tn Heb “as in the days of her youth” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).

¹⁶ tn Heb “as in the day when” (so KJV, NASB).