Proverbs 13:22

13:22 A benevolent ¹  person leaves an inheritance ²  for his grandchildren, ³ 

but the wealth of a sinner is stored up for the righteous. ⁴ 

Genesis 17:7-8

17:7 I will confirm ⁵  my covenant as a perpetual ⁶  covenant between me and you. It will extend to your descendants after you throughout their generations. I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you. ⁷  17:8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residing ⁸  – to you and your descendants after you as a permanent ⁹  possession. I will be their God.”

Psalms 37:26

37:26 All day long he shows compassion and lends to others, ¹⁰ 

and his children ¹¹  are blessed.

Psalms 112:1-2

Psalm 112 ¹² 

112:1 Praise the Lord!

How blessed is the one ¹³  who obeys ¹⁴  the Lord,

who takes great delight in keeping his commands. ¹⁵ 

112:2 His descendants ¹⁶  will be powerful on the earth;

the godly ¹⁷  will be blessed.

Isaiah 27:4

27:4 I am not angry.

I wish I could confront some thorns and briers!

Then I would march against them ¹⁸  for battle;

I would set them ¹⁹  all on fire,

Jeremiah 32:39

32:39 I will give them a single-minded purpose to live in a way that always shows respect for me. They will want to do that for ²⁰  their own good and the good of the children who descend from them.

Acts 2:39

2:39 For the promise ²¹  is for you and your children, and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.”

¹ tn Heb “good.”

² sn In ancient Israel the idea of leaving an inheritance was a sign of God’s blessing; blessings extended to the righteous and not the sinners.

³ tn Heb “the children of children.”

⁴ sn In the ultimate justice of God, the wealth of the wicked goes to the righteous after death (e.g., Ps 49:10, 17).

⁵ tn The verb קוּם (qum, “to arise, to stand up”) in the Hiphil verbal stem means “to confirm, to give effect to, to carry out” (i.e., a covenant or oath; see BDB 878-79 s.v. קוּם).

⁶ tn Or “as an eternal.”

⁷ tn Heb “to be to you for God and to your descendants after you.”

⁸ tn The verbal root is גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn, to reside temporarily,” i.e., as a resident alien). It is the land in which Abram resides, but does not yet possess as his very own.

⁹ tn Or “as an eternal.”

¹⁰ tn The active participles describe characteristic behavior.

¹¹ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

¹² sn Psalm 112. This wisdom psalm lists some of the benefits of living a godly life. The psalm is an acrostic. After the introductory call to praise, every poetic line (twenty-two in all) begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

¹³ tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The individual is representative of a larger group, called the “godly” in vv. 3-4. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender specific “man” with the more neutral “one.” The generic masculine pronoun is used in the following verses.

¹⁴ tn Heb “fears.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “in his commands he delights very much.” The words “in keeping” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Taking delight in the law is metonymic here for obeying God’s moral will. See Ps 1:2.

¹⁶ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “His seed will be mighty on the earth, the generation of the godly.” The Hebrew term דוֹר (dor, “generation”) could be taken as parallel to “offspring” and translated “posterity,” but the singular more likely refers to the godly as a class. See BDB 189-90 s.v. for other examples where “generation” refers to a class of people.

¹⁸ tn Heb “it.” The feminine singular suffix apparently refers back to the expression “thorns and briers,” understood in a collective sense. For other examples of a cohortative expressing resolve after a hypothetical statement introduced by נָתַן with מִי (miwith natan), see Judg 9:29; Jer 9:1-2; Ps 55:6.

¹⁹ tn Heb “it.” The feminine singular suffix apparently refers back to the expression “thorns and briers,” understood in a collective sense.

²⁰ tn Heb “I will give to them one heart and one way to [= in order that they may] fear me all the days for good to them.” The phrase “one heart” refers both to unanimity of will and accord (cf. 1 Chr 12:38 [12:39 HT]; 2 Chr 30:12) and to singleness of purpose or intent (cf. Ezek 11:19 and see BDB 525 s.v. ֵלב 4 where reference is made to “inclinations, resolutions, and determinations of the will”). The phrase “one way” refers to one way of life or conduct (cf. BDB 203 s.v. דֶּרֶךְ 6.a where reference is made to moral action and character), a way of life that is further qualified by the goal of showing “fear, reverence, respect” for the Lord. The Hebrew sentence has been broken up to avoid a long complex sentence in English which is contrary to contemporary English style. However, an attempt has been made to preserve all the connections of the original.

²¹ sn The promise refers to the promise of the Holy Spirit that Jesus received from the Father in 2:33 and which he now pours out on others. The promise consists of the Holy Spirit (see note in 2:33). Jesus is the active mediator of God’s blessing.