1 Kings 2:21-25

2:21 She said, “Allow Abishag the Shunammite to be given to your brother Adonijah as a wife.” 2:22 King Solomon answered his mother, “Why just request Abishag the Shunammite for him? ¹  Since he is my older brother, you should also request the kingdom for him, for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab son of Zeruiah!”

2:23 King Solomon then swore an oath by the Lord, “May God judge me severely, ²  if Adonijah does not pay for this request with his life! ³  2:24 Now, as certainly as the Lord lives (he who made me secure, allowed me to sit on my father David’s throne, and established a dynasty ⁴  for me as he promised), Adonijah will be executed today!” 2:25 King Solomon then sent ⁵  Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he killed Adonijah. ⁶ 

Job 15:22

15:22 He does not expect ⁷  to escape from darkness; ⁸ 

he is marked for the sword; ⁹ 

Proverbs 13:6

13:6 Righteousness ¹⁰  guards the one who lives with integrity, ¹¹ 

but wickedness ¹²  overthrows the sinner.

Proverbs 21:12

21:12 The Righteous One ¹³  considers ¹⁴  the house ¹⁵  of the wicked;

he overthrows the wicked to their ruin. ¹⁶ 

[2:22]  ¹ tn Heb “for Adonijah.”

[2:23]  ² tn Heb “So may God do to me, and so may he add.”

[2:23]  ³ tn Heb “if with his life Adonijah has not spoken this word.”

[2:24]  ⁴ tn Heb “house.”

[2:25]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew text adds, “by the hand of.”

[2:25]  ⁶ tn Heb “and he struck him and he died.”

[15:22]  ⁷ tn This is the meaning of the Hiphil imperfect negated: “he does not believe” or “he has no confidence.” It is followed by the infinitive construct functioning as the direct object – he does not expect to return (to escape) from darkness.

[15:22]  ⁸ sn In the context of these arguments, “darkness” probably refers to calamity, and so the wicked can expect a calamity that is final.

[15:22]  ⁹ tn Heb “he is watched [or waited for] by the sword.” G. R. Driver reads it, “he is marked down for the sword” (“Problems in the Hebrew text of Job,” VTSup 3 [1955]: 78). Ewald suggested “laid up for the sword.” Ball has “looks for the sword.” The MT has a passive participle from צָפָה (tsafah, “to observe, watch”) which can be retained in the text; the meaning of the form can then be understood as the result of the inspection (E. Dhorme, Job, 217).

[13:6]  ¹⁰ sn Righteousness refers to that which conforms to law and order. One who behaves with integrity will be safe from consequences of sin.

[13:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “blameless of way.” The term דָּרֶךְ (darekh) is a genitive of specification: “blameless in respect to his way.” This means living above reproach in their course of life. Cf. NASB “whose way is blameless”; NAB “who walks honestly.”

[13:6]  ¹² sn Righteousness and wickedness are personified in this proverb to make the point of security and insecurity for the two courses of life.

[21:12]  ¹³ tn In the book of Proverbs, the Hebrew term צַּדִּיק (ysadiq) normally refers to a human being, and that is a possible translation here (cf. KJV, ASV, NAB), although it would have to refer to a righteous person who was a judge or a ruler with the right to destroy the wicked. Many commentators and English versions simply interpret this as a reference to God (cf. NIV, NRSV, TEV, NLT).

[21:12]  ¹⁴ tn The form מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is now used with the meaning “to consider; to give attention to; to ponder.” It is the careful scrutiny that is given to the household of the wicked before judgment is poured out on them.

[21:12]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “house.” This term probably means “household” here – the family. One way to read the line is that the righteous judge (human or divine) takes into consideration the wicked person’s family before judging the wicked person. The other – and more plausible – interpretation is that the judge considers the household of the wicked and then on the basis of what was observed judges them.

[21:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “to evil” (i.e., catastrophe); cf. NLT “to disaster.”