Psalms 71:9

71:9 Do not reject me in my old age!

When my strength fails, do not abandon me!

Psalms 71:18

71:18 Even when I am old and gray,

O God, do not abandon me,

until I tell the next generation about your strength,

and those coming after me about your power.

Job 32:6-7

Elihu Claims Wisdom

32:6 So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite spoke up:

“I am young, but you are elderly;

that is why I was fearful,

and afraid to explain to you what I know.

32:7 I said to myself, ‘Age should speak,

and length of years 10  should make wisdom known.’

Acts 21:16

21:16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea 11  came along with us too, and brought us to the house 12  of Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple from the earliest times, 13  with whom we were to stay.

Philemon 1:8-9

Paul’s Request for Onesimus

1:8 So, although I have quite a lot of confidence in Christ and could command you to do what is proper, 1:9 I would rather appeal 14  to you on the basis of love – I, Paul, an old man 15  and even now a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus 16 


tn Heb “do not cast me away at the time of old age.”

tn Heb “and even unto old age and gray hair.”

tn Heb “until I declare your arm to a generation, to everyone who comes your power.” God’s “arm” here is an anthropomorphism that symbolizes his great strength.

tn Heb “answered and said.”

tn The text has “small in days.”

tn The verb זָחַלְתִּי (zakhalti) is found only here in the OT, but it is found in a ninth century Aramaic inscription as well as in Biblical Aramaic. It has the meaning “to be timid” (see H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 208).

tn The Piel infinitive with the preposition (מֵחַוֹּת, mekhavvot) means “from explaining.” The phrase is the complement: “explain” what Elihu feared.

tn Heb “days.”

tn The imperfect here is to be classified as an obligatory imperfect.

10 tn Heb “abundance of years.”

11 sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1.

12 tn Grk “to Mnason…”; the words “the house of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the verb ξενισθῶμεν (xenisqwmen).

13 tn Or perhaps, “Mnason of Cyprus, one of the original disciples.” BDAG 137 s.v. ἀρχαῖος 1 has “. μαθητής a disciple of long standing (perh. original disc.) Ac 21:16.”

14 tn Or “encourage.”

15 tn Or perhaps “an ambassador” (so RSV, TEV), reading πρεσβευτής for πρεσβύτης (a conjecture proposed by Bentley, cf. BDAG 863 s.v. πρεσβύτης). NRSV reads “old man” and places “ambassador” in a note.

16 tn Grk “a prisoner of Christ Jesus.”