Psalms 81:6

81:6 It said: “I removed the burden from his shoulder;

his hands were released from holding the basket.

Ezekiel 29:18

29:18 “Son of man, King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon made his army labor hard against Tyre. Every head was rubbed bald and every shoulder rubbed bare; yet he and his army received no wages from Tyre for the work he carried out against it.

Matthew 23:4

23:4 They tie up heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them.

tn The words “It said” are not included in the Hebrew text. They are supplied in the translation for clarification.

sn I removed the burden. The Lord speaks metaphorically of how he delivered his people from Egyptian bondage. The reference to a basket/burden probably alludes to the hard labor of the Israelites in Egypt, where they had to carry loads of bricks (see Exod 1:14).

tn Heb “Nebuchadrezzar” is a variant and more correct spelling of Nebuchadnezzar, as the Babylonian name Nabu-kudurri-usur has an “r” rather than an “n” (so also in v. 19).

sn Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre from 585 to 571 b.c.

tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.