112:3 His house contains wealth and riches;
his integrity endures. 1
8:18 Riches and honor are with me,
long-lasting wealth and righteousness.
21:21 The one who pursues righteousness and love 2
finds life, bounty, 3 and honor.
51:8 For a moth will eat away at them like clothes;
a clothes moth will devour them like wool.
But the vindication I provide 4 will be permanent;
the deliverance I give will last.”
51:1 “Listen to me, you who pursue godliness, 5
who seek the Lord!
Look at the rock from which you were chiseled,
at the quarry 6 from which you were dug! 7
1 tn Heb “stands forever.”
2 sn These two attributes, “righteousness” (צְדָקָה, tsÿdaqah) and “loyal love” (חֶסֶד, khesed) depict the life style of the covenant-believer who is pleasing to God and a blessing to others. The first term means that he will do what is right, and the second means that he will be faithful to the covenant community.
3 sn The Hebrew term translated “bounty” is צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah) again, so there is a wordplay on the term in the verse. The first use of the word had the basic meaning of “conduct that conforms to God’s standard”; this second use may be understood as a metonymy of cause, indicating the provision or reward (“bounty”) that comes from keeping righteousness (cf. NIV “prosperity”; NCV “success”). The proverb is similar to Matt 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.”
4 tn Heb “my vindication”; many English versions “my righteousness”; NRSV, TEV “my deliverance”; CEV “my victory.”
5 tn Or “righteousness” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “justice”; NLT “hope for deliverance.”
6 tn Heb “the excavation of the hole.”
7 sn The “rock” and “quarry” refer here to Abraham and Sarah, the progenitors of the nation.
8 tn Here αὐτοῦ (autou) has been translated as a subjective genitive (“he loves”).
9 tn Grk “but faith working through love.”