Psalms 37:3

37:3 Trust in the Lord and do what is right!

Settle in the land and maintain your integrity! ¹ 

Psalms 37:1

Psalm 37 ² 

By David.

37:1 Do not fret ³  when wicked men seem to succeed! ⁴ 

Do not envy evildoers!

Psalms 5:1

Psalm 5 ⁵ 

For the music director, to be accompanied by wind instruments; ⁶  a psalm of David.

5:1 Listen to what I say, ⁷  Lord!

Carefully consider my complaint! ⁸ 

Titus 3:8

Summary of the Letter

3:8 This saying ⁹  is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on such truths, ¹⁰  so that those who have placed their faith in God may be intent on engaging in good works. These things are good and beneficial for all people.

Titus 3:14

3:14 Here is another way that our people ¹¹  can learn ¹²  to engage in good works to meet pressing needs and so not be unfruitful.

Hebrews 13:16

13:16 And do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, ¹³  for God is pleased with such sacrifices.

Hebrews 13:21

13:21 equip you with every good thing to do his will, working in us ¹⁴  what is pleasing before him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever. ¹⁵  Amen.

Hebrews 13:1

Final Exhortations

13:1 Brotherly love must continue.

Hebrews 2:16-17

2:16 For surely his concern is not for angels, but he is concerned for Abraham’s descendants. 2:17 Therefore he had ¹⁶  to be made like his brothers and sisters ¹⁷  in every respect, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, to make atonement ¹⁸  for the sins of the people.

¹ tn Heb “tend integrity.” The verb רָעָה (ra’ah, “tend, shepherd”) is probably used here in the sense of “watch over, guard.” The noun אֱמוּנָה (’emunah, “faithfulness, honesty, integrity”) is understood as the direct object of the verb, though it could be taken as an adverbial accusative, “[feed] securely,” if the audience is likened to a flock of sheep.

² sn Psalm 37. The psalmist urges his audience not to envy the wicked, but to trust in and obey the Lord, for he will destroy sinners and preserve the godly. When the smoke of judgment clears, the wicked will be gone, but the godly will remain and inherit God’s promised blessings. The psalm is an acrostic; every other verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

³ tn The verb form is singular (see vv. 3-10 as well, where the second person verbs and pronouns are also singular). The psalmist’s exhortation has a wisdom flavor to it; it is personalized for each member of his audience.

⁴ tn Heb “over sinners.” The context indicates that the psalmist has in mind the apparent power and success of sinners. See v. 7b.

⁵ sn Psalm 5. Appealing to God’s justice and commitment to the godly, the psalmist asks the Lord to intervene and deliver him from evildoers.

⁶ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word נְחִילוֹת (nÿkhilot), which occurs only here, is uncertain. Many relate the form to חָלִיל (khalil, “flute”).

⁷ tn Heb “my words.”

⁸ tn Or “sighing.” The word occurs only here and in Ps 39:3.

⁹ sn This saying (Grk “the saying”) refers to the preceding citation (Titus 3:4-7). See 1 Tim 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; 2 Tim 2:11 for other occurrences of this phrase.

¹⁰ tn Grk “concerning these things.”

¹¹ tn Grk “that those who are ours” (referring to the Christians).

¹² tn Grk “and also let our people learn.”

¹³ tn Grk “neglect doing good and fellowship.”

¹⁴ tc Some mss (C P Ψ 6 629* 630 1505 pm latt sy^h) read ὑμῖν (Jumin, “in you”) here, but ἡμῖν (Jhmin) has stronger external support (Ì⁴⁶ א A D^vid K 0243 0285 33 81 104 326 365 629^c 1175 1739 1881 pm sy^p co). It is also more likely that ἡμῖν would have been changed to ὑμῖν in light of the “you” which occurs at the beginning of the verse than vice versa.

¹⁵ tc ‡ Most mss (א A [C*] 0243 0285 33 1739 1881 Ï latt) include the words “and ever” here, but the shorter reading (supported by Ì⁴⁶ C³ D Ψ 6 104 365 1505 al) is preferred on internal grounds. It seemed more likely that scribes would assimilate the wording to the common NT doxological expression “for ever and ever,” found especially in the Apocalypse (cf., e.g., 1 Tim 1:17; 2 Tim 4:18; Rev 4:9; 22:5) than to the “forever” of Heb 13:8. Nevertheless, a decision is difficult here. NA²⁷ places the phrase in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

¹⁶ tn Or “he was obligated.”

¹⁷ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.

¹⁸ tn Or “propitiation.”