44:3 For they did not conquer 2 the land by their swords,
and they did not prevail by their strength, 3
but rather by your power, 4 strength 5 and good favor, 6
for you were partial to 7 them.
2:21 He changes times and seasons,
deposing some kings
and establishing others. 8
He gives wisdom to the wise;
he imparts knowledge to those with understanding; 9
2:37 “You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has granted you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. 2:38 Wherever human beings, 10 wild animals, 11 and birds of the sky live – he has given them into your power. 12 He has given you authority over them all. You are the head of gold.
4:35 All the inhabitants of the earth are regarded as nothing. 19
He does as he wishes with the army of heaven
and with those who inhabit the earth.
No one slaps 20 his hand
and says to him, ‘What have you done?’
1 tn Heb “I have given into your hand Jericho.” The Hebrew verb נָתַתִּי (natatti, “I have given”) is probably best understood as a perfect of certitude, indicating the certainty of the action. The Hebrew pronominal suffix “your” is singular, being addressed to Joshua as the leader and representative of the nation. To convey to the modern reader what is about to happen and who is doing it, the translation “I am about to defeat Jericho for you” has been used.
2 tn Or “take possession of.”
3 tn Heb “and their arm did not save them.” The “arm” here symbolizes military strength.
4 tn Heb “your right hand.” The
5 tn Heb “your arm.”
6 tn Heb “light of your face.” The idiom “light of your face” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; 89:15; Dan 9:17).
7 tn Or “favorable toward.”
8 tn Aram “kings.”
9 tn Aram “the knowers of understanding.”
10 tn Aram “the sons of man.”
11 tn Aram “the beasts of the field.”
12 tn Aram “hand.”
13 tn The Aramaic indefinite active plural is used here like the English passive. So also in v. 28, 29,32.
14 tn Aram “from mankind.” So also in v. 32.
15 tn Aram “your dwelling will be.” So also in v. 32.
16 tn Or perhaps “be made to eat.”
17 sn Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity has features that are associated with the mental disorder known as boanthropy, in which the person so afflicted imagines himself to be an ox or a similar animal and behaves accordingly.
18 tn Aram “until.”
19 tc The present translation reads כְּלָא (kÿla’), with many medieval Hebrew
20 tn Aram “strikes against.”