Psalms 28:5

28:5 For they do not understand the Lord’s actions,

or the way he carries out justice. ¹ 

The Lord ²  will permanently demolish them. ³ 

Psalms 64:9

64:9 and all people will fear. ⁴ 

They will proclaim ⁵  what God has done,

and reflect on his deeds.

Isaiah 5:12

5:12 They have stringed instruments, ⁶  tambourines, flutes,

and wine at their parties.

So they do not recognize what the Lord is doing,

they do not perceive what he is bringing about. ⁷ 

Jeremiah 9:12

9:12 I said, ⁸ 

“Who is wise enough to understand why this has happened? ⁹ 

Who has a word from the Lord that can explain it? ¹⁰ 

Why does the land lie in ruins?

Why is it as scorched as a desert through which no one travels?”

Daniel 10:12

10:12 Then he said to me, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel, for from the very first day you applied your mind ¹¹  to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard. I have come in response to your words.

Hosea 14:9

Concluding Exhortation

14:9 Who is wise?

Let him discern ¹²  these things!

Who is discerning?

Let him understand them!

For the ways of the Lord are right;

the godly walk in them,

but in them the rebellious stumble.

¹ tn Heb “or the work of his hands.” In this context “the Lord’s actions” and “the work of his hands” probably refer to the way he carries out justice by vindicating the godly and punishing the wicked. (Note the final line of the verse, which refers to divine judgment. See also Ps 92:4-7.) Evil men do not “understand” God’s just ways; they fail to realize he will protect the innocent. Consequently they seek to harm the godly, as if they believe they will never be held accountable for their actions.

² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord, who is referred to in the two immediately preceding lines) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Heb “will tear them down and not rebuild them.” The ungodly are compared to a structure that is permanently demolished.

⁴ tc Many medieval Hebrew mss read וַיִּרְאוּ (vayyir’u, “and they will see”) instead of וַיִּירְאוּ (vayyirÿ’u, “and they will proclaim”).

⁵ tn Heb “the work of God,” referring to the judgment described in v. 7.

⁶ tn Two types of stringed instruments are specifically mentioned in the Hebrew text, the כִּנּוֹר (kinnor, “zither”) and נֶבֶל (nevel, “harp”).

⁷ tn Heb “the work of the Lord they do not look at, and the work of his hands they do not see.” God’s “work” can sometimes be his creative deeds, but in this context it is the judgment that he is planning to bring upon his people (cf. vv. 19, 26; 10:12; 28:21).

⁸ tn The words, “I said” are not in the text. It is not clear that a shift in speaker has taken place. However, the words of the verse are very unlikely to be a continuation of the Lord’s threat. It is generally assumed that these are the words of Jeremiah and that a dialogue is going on between him and the Lord in vv. 9-14. That assumption is accepted here.

⁹ tn Heb “Who is the wise man that he may understand this?”

¹⁰ tn Heb “And [who is the man] to whom the mouth of the Lord has spoken that he may explain it?”

¹¹ tn Heb “gave your heart.”

¹² tn The shortened form of the prefix-conjugation verb וְיָבֵן (vÿyaven) indicates that it is a jussive rather than an imperfect. When a jussive comes from a superior to an inferior, it may connote exhortation and instruction or advice and counsel. For the functions of the jussive, see IBHS 568-70 §34.3.