Psalms 59:3

59:3 For look, they wait to ambush me;

powerful men stalk me,

but not because I have rebelled or sinned, O Lord.

Joshua 22:22

22:22 “El, God, the Lord! El, God, the Lord! He knows the truth! Israel must also know! If we have rebelled or disobeyed the Lord, don’t spare us today!

Joshua 22:1

Joshua Sends Home the Eastern Tribes

22:1 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh

Joshua 20:8

20:8 Beyond the Jordan east of Jericho they selected Bezer in the desert on the plain belonging to the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead belonging to the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan belonging to the tribe of Manasseh.

Joshua 22:8

22:8 saying, “Take home 10  great wealth, a lot of cattle, 11  silver, gold, bronze, iron, and a lot of 12  clothing. Divide up the goods captured from your enemies with your brothers.”

Joshua 22:13

22:13 The Israelites sent Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.

Joshua 24:9

24:9 Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, launched an attack 13  against Israel. He summoned 14  Balaam son of Beor to call down judgment 15  on you.

Joshua 1:18

1:18 Any man who rebels against what you say and does not obey all your commands will be executed. 16  But 17  be strong and brave!”

Joshua 1:1-2

The Lord Commissions Joshua

1:1 After Moses the Lord’s servant died, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant: 1:2 “Moses my servant is dead. Get ready! 18  Cross the Jordan River! 19  Lead these people into the land which I am ready to hand over to them. 20 

Joshua 16:7-8

16:7 It then descended from Janoah to Ataroth and Naarah, touched Jericho, 21  and extended to the Jordan River. 22  16:8 From Tappuah it went westward to the Valley of Kanah and ended at the sea. This is the land assigned to the tribe of Ephraim 23  by its clans.

Job 16:17-19

16:17 although 24  there is no violence in my hands

and my prayer is pure.

An Appeal to God as Witness

16:18 “O earth, do not cover my blood, 25 

nor let there be a secret 26  place for my cry.

16:19 Even now my witness 27  is in heaven;

my advocate 28  is on high.


tn Heb “my life.”

tn The Hebrew verb is from the root גּוּר (gur), which means “to challenge, attack” in Isa 54:15 and “to stalk” (with hostile intent) in Ps 56:8.

sn The point is that the psalmist’s enemies have no justifiable reason for attacking him. He has neither rebelled or sinned against the Lord.

sn Israel’s God is here identified with three names: (1) אֵל (’el), “El” (or “God”); (2) אֱלֹהִים (’elohim), “Elohim” (or “God”), and (3) יְהוָה (yÿhvah), “Yahweh” (or “the Lord”). The name אֵל (’el, “El”) is often compounded with titles, for example, El Elyon, “God Most High.”

tn Heb “he knows.”

tn Heb “if in rebellion or if in unfaithfulness against the Lord.”

tn Heb “do not save us.” The verb form is singular, being addressed to either collective Israel or the Lord himself. The LXX translates in the third person.

map For the location of Jericho see Map5-B2; Map6-E1; Map7-E1; Map8-E3; Map10-A2; Map11-A1.

tn Or “set aside.”

10 tn Heb “return to your tents with.”

11 tn Heb “very many cattle.”

12 tn Heb “very much clothing.”

13 tn Heb “arose and fought.”

14 tn Heb “sent and called.”

15 tn Or “to curse.”

16 tn Heb “any man who rebels against your mouth and does not listen to your words, to all which you command us, will be put to death.”

17 tn Or “Only.” Here and in v. 17 this word qualifies what precedes (see also v. 7).

18 tn Heb “Get up!”

19 tn Heb “this Jordan”; the word “River” has been supplied in the translation for clarity (likewise in v. 11).

20 tc Heb “Cross over this Jordan, you and all these people, to the land that I am giving to them, to the children of Israel.” The final phrase, “to the children of Israel,” is probably a later scribal addition specifying the identity of “these people/them.”

21 map For location see Map5-B2; Map6-E1; Map7-E1; Map8-E3; Map10-A2; Map11-A1.

22 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

23 tn Heb “This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Ephraim.”

24 tn For the use of the preposition עַל (’al) to introduce concessive clauses, see GKC 499 §160.c.

25 sn Job knows that he will die, and that his death, signified here by blood on the ground, will cry out for vindication.

26 tn The word is simply “a place,” but in the context it surely means a hidden place, a secret place that would never be discovered (see 18:21).

27 sn The witness in heaven must be God, to whom the cries and prayers come. Job’s dilemma is serious, but common to the human experience: the hostility of God toward him is baffling, but he is conscious of his innocence and can call on God to be his witness.

28 tn The parallelism now uses the Aramaic word “my advocate” – the one who testifies on my behalf. The word again appears in Gen 31:47 for Laban’s naming of the “heap of witness” in Aramaic – “Sahadutha.”