11:7 When a wicked person dies, his expectation perishes, 1
and the hope of his strength 2 perishes. 3
14:32 The wicked will be thrown down in his trouble, 4
but the righteous have refuge 5 even in the threat of death. 6
8:13 Such is the destiny 7 of all who forget God;
the hope of the godless 8 perishes,
11:20 But the eyes of the wicked fail, 9
and escape 10 eludes them;
their one hope 11 is to breathe their last.” 12
112:10 When the wicked 13 see this, they will worry;
they will grind their teeth in frustration 14 and melt away;
the desire of the wicked will perish. 15
1 tn The first colon features an imperfect tense depicting habitual action, while the second has a perfect tense verb depicting gnomic action.
2 tc There are several suggested changes for this word אוֹנִים (’onim, “vigor” or “strength”). Rashi, a Jewish scholar who lived
3 tc The LXX adds an antithesis to this: “When the righteous dies, hope does not perish.” The LXX translators wanted to see the hope of the righteous fulfilled in the world to come.
4 tn The prepositional phrase must be “in his time of trouble” (i.e., when catastrophe comes). Cf. CEV “In times of trouble the wicked are destroyed.” A wicked person has nothing to fall back on in such times.
5 sn The righteous have hope in a just retribution – they have a place of safety even in death.
6 tc The LXX reads this as “in his integrity,” as if it were בְּתוּמּוֹ (bÿtumo) instead of “in his death” (בְּמוֹתוֹ, bÿmoto). The LXX is followed by some English versions (e.g., NAB “in his honesty,” NRSV “in their integrity,” and TEV “by their integrity”).
7 tn The word אָרְחוֹת (’orkhot) means “ways” or “paths” in the sense of tracks of destiny or fate. The word דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way, road, path”) is used in a similar way (Isa 40:27; Ps 37:5). However, many commentators emend the text to read אַחֲרִית (’akharit, “end”) in harmony with the LXX. But Prov 1:19 (if not emended as well) confirms the primary meaning here without changing the text (see D. J. A. Clines, Job [WBC], 199).
8 tn The word חָנֵף (khanef) is often translated “hypocrite.” But the root verb means “to be profane,” and this would be done by idolatry or bloodshed. It describes an irreligious person, a godless person. In Dan 11:32 the word seems to mean “make someone pagan.” The word in this verse is parallel to “those who forget God.”
9 tn The verb כָּלָה (kalah) means “to fail, cease, fade away.” The fading of the eyes, i.e., loss of sight, loss of life’s vitality, indicates imminent death.
10 tn Heb a “place of escape” (with this noun pattern). There is no place to escape to because they all perish.
11 tn The word is to be interpreted as a metonymy; it represents what is hoped for.
12 tn Heb “the breathing out of the soul”; cf. KJV, ASV “the giving up of the ghost.” The line is simply saying that the brightest hope that the wicked have is death.
13 tn The Hebrew text uses the singular; the representative wicked individual is in view as typifying the group (note the use of the plural form in v. 10).
14 tn Heb “his teeth he will gnash.” In Pss 35:16 and 37:12 this action is associated with a vicious attack.
15 tn This could mean that the desires of the wicked will go unfulfilled. Another possibility is that “desire” refers by metonymy to the object desired and acquired. In this case the point is that the wicked will lose what they desired so badly and acquired by evil means (see Ps 10:3).
16 sn The Greek term Hades stands for the Hebrew concept of Sheol. It is what is called hell today. This is where the dead were gathered (Ps 16:10; 86:13). In the NT Hades has an additional negative force of awaiting judgment (Rev 20:13).
17 sn Hades is a place of torment, especially as one knows that he is separated from God.
18 tn Grk “he lifted up his eyes” (an idiom).
19 tn Grk “in his bosom,” the same phrase used in 16:22. This idiom refers to heaven and/or participation in the eschatological banquet. An appropriate modern equivalent is “at Abraham’s side.”
20 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous actions in the narrative.
21 tn Grk “calling out he said”; this is redundant in contemporary English style and has been simplified to “he called out.”
22 sn The rich man had not helped Lazarus before, when he lay outside his gate (v. 2), but he knew him well enough to know his name. This is why the use of the name Lazarus in the parable is significant. (The rich man’s name, on the other hand, is not mentioned, because it is not significant for the point of the story.)
23 sn The dipping of the tip of his finger in water is evocative of thirst. The thirsty are in need of God’s presence (Ps 42:1-2; Isa 5:13). The imagery suggests the rich man is now separated from the presence of God.
24 tn Or “in terrible pain” (L&N 24.92).
25 sn Fire in this context is OT imagery; see Isa 66:24.
26 tn The Greek term here is τέκνον (teknon), which could be understood as a term of endearment.
27 tn Or “in terrible pain” (L&N 24.92). Here is the reversal Jesus mentioned in Luke 6:20-26.
28 tn Grk “And in all these things.” There is no way Lazarus could carry out this request even if divine justice were not involved.
29 sn The great chasm between heaven and hell is impassable forever. The rich man’s former status meant nothing now.
30 tn Grk “between us and you.”