40:4 How blessed 1 is the one 2 who trusts in the Lord 3
and does not seek help from 4 the proud or from liars! 5
84:12 O Lord who rules over all, 6
how blessed are those who trust in you! 7
146:3 Do not trust in princes,
or in human beings, who cannot deliver! 8
146:4 Their life’s breath departs, they return to the ground;
on that day their plans die. 9
146:5 How blessed is the one whose helper is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
16:20 The one who deals wisely 10 in a matter 11 will find success, 12
and blessed 13 is the one who trusts in the Lord. 14
26:3 You keep completely safe the people who maintain their faith,
for they trust in you. 15
26:4 Trust in the Lord from this time forward, 16
even in Yah, the Lord, an enduring protector! 17
30:18 For this reason the Lord is ready to show you mercy;
he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. 18
Indeed, the Lord is a just God;
all who wait for him in faith will be blessed. 19
17:7 My blessing is on those people who trust in me,
who put their confidence in me. 20
“Look, I am laying in Zion a stone that will cause people to stumble
and a rock that will make them fall, 21
yet the one who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 22
1:1 From Paul, 26 an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints [in Ephesus], 27 the faithful 28 in Christ Jesus.
1 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
2 tn Heb “man.” See the note on the word “one” in Ps 1:1.
3 tn Heb “who has made the
4 tn Heb “and does not turn toward.”
5 tn Heb “those falling away toward a lie.”
6 tn Traditionally “
7 tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man [who] trusts in you.” Hebrew literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle stated here is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the plural “those.” The individual referred to here is representative of all followers of God, as the use of the plural form in v. 12b indicates.
11 tn Heb “in a son of man, to whom there is no deliverance.”
16 tn Heb “his spirit goes out, it returns to his ground; in that day his plans die.” The singular refers to the representative man mentioned in v. 3b.
21 tn Heb “he who is prudent” or “he who deals wisely” (cf. KJV). The proverb seems to be referring to wise business concerns and the reward for the righteous. One who deals wisely in a matter will find good results. R. N. Whybray sees a contrast here: “The shrewd man of business will succeed well, but the happy man is he who trusts the
22 tn Or “he who gives heed to a word,” that is, “who listens to instruction” (cf. NIV, NLT).
23 tn Heb “good” (so KJV, ASV).
24 tn Although traditionally this word is translated “happy” (cf. KJV, ASV, NAB, NRSV, NLT), such a translation can be misleading because the word means far more than that. It describes the heavenly bliss that comes from knowing one is right with God and following God’s precepts. The “blessed” could be at odds with the world (Ps 1:1-3).
25 tn Heb “and the one who trusts in the
26 tn Heb “[one of] firm purpose you will keep [in] peace, peace, for in you he possesses trust.” The Hebrew term יֵצֶר (yetser) refers to what one devises in the mind; סָמוּךְ (samukh) probably functions here like an attributive adjective and carries the nuance “firm.” So the phrase literally means, “a firm purpose,” but as the object of the verb “keep, guard,” it must stand by metonymy for the one(s) who possess a firm purpose. In this context the “righteous nation” (v. 2) is probably in view and the “firm purpose” refers to their unwavering faith in God’s vindication (see 25:9). In this context שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”), which is repeated for emphasis, likely refers to national security, not emotional or psychological composure (see vv. 1-2). The passive participle בָּטוּחַ (batuakh) expresses a state that results from the subject’s action.
31 tn Or “forevermore.” For other uses of the phrase עֲדֵי־עַד (’ade-’ad) see Isa 65:18 and Pss 83:17; 92:7.
32 tc The Hebrew text has “for in Yah, the Lord, an everlasting rock.” Some have suggested that the phrase בְּיָהּ (beyah, “in Yah”) is the result of dittography. A scribe seeing כִּי יְהוָה (ki yÿhvah) in his original text would somehow have confused the letters and accidentally inserted בְּיָהּ between the words (bet and kaf [ב and כ] can be confused in later script phases). A number of English versions retain both divine names for emphasis (ESV, NIV, NKJV, NRSV, NLT). One of the Qumran texts (1QIsaa) confirms the MT reading as well.
36 tn Heb “Therefore the Lord waits to show you mercy, and therefore he is exalted to have compassion on you.” The logical connection between this verse and what precedes is problematic. The point seems to be that Judah’s impending doom does not bring God joy. Rather the prospect of their suffering stirs within him a willingness to show mercy and compassion, if they are willing to seek him on his terms.
37 tn Heb “Blessed are all who wait for him.”
41 tn Heb “Blessed is the person who trusts in the
46 tn Grk “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”
47 sn A quotation from Isa 28:16; 8:14.
51 sn A quotation from Isa 28:16.
56 tn Or “who had already hoped.”
57 tn Or “the Messiah.”
61 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
62 tc The earliest and most important
63 tn Grk “and faithful.” The construction in Greek (as well as Paul’s style [and even if this letter is not by Paul it follows the general style of Paul’s letters, with some modifications]) suggests that the saints are identical to the faithful; hence, the καί (kai) is best left untranslated. See M. Barth, Ephesians (AB 34), 1:68 and ExSyn 282.