1 Kings 21:8-13

21:8 She wrote out orders, ¹  signed Ahab’s name to them, ²  and sealed them with his seal. She then sent the orders ³  to the leaders ⁴  and to the nobles who lived in Naboth’s city. ⁵  21:9 This is what she wrote: ⁶  “Observe a time of fasting and seat Naboth in front of the people. 21:10 Also seat two villains opposite him and have them testify, ‘You cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”

21:11 The men of the ⁷  city, the leaders ⁸  and the nobles who lived there, ⁹  followed the written orders Jezebel had sent them. ¹⁰  21:12 They observed a time of fasting and put Naboth in front of the people. 21:13 The two villains arrived and sat opposite him. Then the villains testified against Naboth right before the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they dragged him ¹¹  outside the city and stoned him to death. ¹² 

1 Kings 21:2

21:2 Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard so I can make a vegetable garden out of it, for it is adjacent to my palace. I will give you an even better vineyard in its place, or if you prefer, ¹³  I will pay you silver for it.” ¹⁴ 

1 Kings 10:1-7

Solomon Entertains a Queen

10:1 When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, ¹⁵  she came to challenge ¹⁶  him with difficult questions. ¹⁷  10:2 She arrived in Jerusalem ¹⁸  with a great display of pomp, ¹⁹  bringing with her camels carrying spices, ²⁰  a very large quantity of gold, and precious gems. She visited Solomon and discussed with him everything that was on her mind. 10:3 Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the king. ²¹  10:4 When the queen of Sheba saw for herself Solomon’s extensive wisdom, ²²  the palace ²³  he had built, 10:5 the food in his banquet hall, ²⁴  his servants and attendants, ²⁵  their robes, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings which he presented in the Lord’s temple, she was amazed. ²⁶  10:6 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your wise sayings and insight ²⁷  was true! 10:7 I did not believe these things until I came and saw them with my own eyes. Indeed, I didn’t hear even half the story! ²⁸  Your wisdom and wealth ²⁹  surpass what was reported to me.

1 Kings 19:9

19:9 He went into a cave there and spent the night. All of a sudden the Lord spoke to him, “Why are you here, Elijah?”

1 Kings 19:14

19:14 He answered, “I have been absolutely loyal ³⁰  to the Lord, the sovereign God, ³¹  even though the Israelites have abandoned the agreement they made with you, ³²  torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left and now they want to take my life.” ³³ 

1 Kings 19:2

19:2 Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah with this warning, ³⁴  “May the gods judge me severely ³⁵  if by this time tomorrow I do not take your life as you did theirs!” ³⁶ 

1 Kings 1:17

1:17 She replied to him, “My master, you swore an oath to your servant by the Lord your God, ‘Solomon your son will be king after me and he will sit on my throne.’

Ezra 4:7-16

4:7 And during the reign ³⁷  of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, ³⁸  Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their colleagues ³⁹  wrote to King Artaxerxes ⁴⁰  of Persia. This letter ⁴¹  was first written in Aramaic but then translated.

[Aramaic:] ⁴² 

4:8 Rehum the commander ⁴³  and Shimshai the scribe ⁴⁴  wrote a letter concerning ⁴⁵  Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes as follows: 4:9 From ⁴⁶  Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues – the judges, the rulers, the officials, the secretaries, the Erechites, the Babylonians, the people of Susa (that is, ⁴⁷  the Elamites), 4:10 and the rest of nations whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal ⁴⁸  deported and settled in the cities ⁴⁹  of Samaria and other places in Trans-Euphrates. ⁵⁰  4:11 (This is a copy of the letter they sent to him:)

“To King Artaxerxes, ⁵¹  from your servants in ⁵²  Trans-Euphrates: 4:12 Now ⁵³  let the king be aware that the Jews who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and odious city. ⁵⁴  They are completing its walls and repairing its foundations. 4:13 Let the king also be aware that if this city is built and its walls are completed, no more tax, custom, or toll will be paid, and the royal treasury ⁵⁵  will suffer loss. 4:14 In light of the fact that we are loyal to the king, ⁵⁶  and since it does not seem appropriate to us that the king should sustain damage, ⁵⁷  we are sending the king this information ⁵⁸  4:15 so that he may initiate a search of the records ⁵⁹  of his predecessors ⁶⁰  and discover in those records ⁶¹  that this city is rebellious ⁶²  and injurious to both kings and provinces, producing internal revolts ⁶³  from long ago. ⁶⁴  It is for this very reason that this city was destroyed. 4:16 We therefore are informing the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, you will not retain control ⁶⁵  of this portion of Trans-Euphrates.”

Nehemiah 6:5

6:5 The fifth time that Sanballat sent his assistant to me in this way, he had an open letter in his hand.

Nehemiah 6:17

6:17 In those days the aristocrats of Judah repeatedly sent letters to Tobiah, and responses from Tobiah were repeatedly coming to them.

Nehemiah 6:19

6:19 They were telling me about his good deeds and then taking back to him the things I said. ⁶⁶  Tobiah, on the other hand, sent letters in order to scare ⁶⁷  me.

Acts 9:2

9:2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues ⁶⁸  in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, ⁶⁹  either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners ⁷⁰  to Jerusalem. ⁷¹ 

[21:8]  ¹ tn Heb “scrolls.”

[21:8]  ² tn Heb “in the name of Ahab.”

[21:8]  ³ tn Heb “scrolls.”

[21:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “elders.”

[21:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “to the nobles who were in his city, the ones who lived with Naboth.”

[21:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “she wrote on the scrolls, saying.”

[21:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “his.”

[21:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “elders.”

[21:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “and the nobles who were living in his city.”

[21:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “did as Jezebel sent to them, just as was written in the scrolls which she sent to them.”

[21:13]  ¹¹ tn Heb “led him.”

[21:13]  ¹² tn Heb “and they stoned him with stones and he died.”

[21:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “if it is good in your eyes.”

[21:2]  ¹⁴ tc The Old Greek translation includes the following words: “And it will be mine as a garden of herbs.”

[10:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the report about Solomon.” The Hebrew text also has, “to the name of the Lord,” which fits very awkwardly in the sentence. If retained, perhaps it should be translated, “because of the reputation of the Lord.” The phrase, which is omitted in the parallel passage in 2 Chr 9:1, may be an addition based on the queen’s declaration of praise to the Lord in v. 9.

[10:1]  ¹⁶ tn Or “test.”

[10:1]  ¹⁷ tn Or “riddles.”

[10:2]  ¹⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[10:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “with very great strength.” The Hebrew term חַיִל (khayil, “strength”) may refer here to the size of her retinue (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or to the great wealth she brought with her.

[10:2]  ²⁰ tn Or “balsam oil.”

[10:3]  ²¹ tn Heb “Solomon declared to her all her words; there was not a word hidden from the king which he did not declare to her.” If riddles are specifically in view (see v. 1), then one might translate, “Solomon explained to her all her riddles; there was no riddle too complex for the king.”

[10:4]  ²² tn Heb “all the wisdom of Solomon.”

[10:4]  ²³ tn Heb “house.”

[10:5]  ²⁴ tn Heb “the food on his table.”

[10:5]  ²⁵ tn Heb “the seating of his servants and the standing of his attendants.”

[10:5]  ²⁶ tn Heb “there was no breath still in her.”

[10:6]  ²⁷ tn Heb “about your words [or perhaps, “deeds”] and your wisdom.”

[10:7]  ²⁸ tn Heb “the half was not told to me.”

[10:7]  ²⁹ tn Heb “good.”

[19:14]  ³⁰ tn Or “very zealous.” The infinitive absolute preceding the finite verb emphasizes the degree of his zeal and allegiance.

[19:14]  ³¹ tn Traditionally, “the God of hosts.”

[19:14]  ³² tn Heb “abandoned your covenant.”

[19:14]  ³³ tn Heb “and they are seeking my life to take it.”

[19:2]  ³⁴ tn Heb “saying.”

[19:2]  ³⁵ tn Heb “So may the gods do to me, and so may they add.”

[19:2]  ³⁶ tn Heb “I do not make your life like the life of one of them.”

[4:7]  ³⁷ tn Heb “And in the days.”

[4:7]  ³⁸ tn The LXX understands this word as a prepositional phrase (“in peace”) rather than as a proper name (“Bishlam”). Taken this way it would suggest that Mithredath was “in agreement with” the contents of Tabeel’s letter. Some scholars regard the word in the MT to be a corruption of either “in Jerusalem” (i.e., “in the matter of Jerusalem”) or “in the name of Jerusalem.” The translation adopted above follows the traditional understanding of the word as a name.

[4:7]  ³⁹ tc The translation reads the plural with the Qere rather than the singular found in the MT Kethib.

[4:7]  ⁴⁰ sn Artaxerxes I ruled in Persia from ca. 465–425 b.c.

[4:7]  ⁴¹ tc It is preferable to delete the MT’s וּכְתָב (ukhÿtav) here.

[4:7]  ⁴² sn The double reference in v. 7 to the Aramaic language is difficult. It would not make sense to say that the letter was written in Aramaic and then translated into Aramaic. Some interpreters understand the verse to mean that the letter was written in the Aramaic script and in the Aramaic language, but this does not seem to give sufficient attention to the participle “translated” at the end of the verse. The second reference to Aramaic in the verse is more probably a gloss that calls attention to the fact that the following verses retain the Aramaic language of the letter in its original linguistic form. A similar reference to Aramaic occurs in Dan 2:4b, where the language of that book shifts from Hebrew to Aramaic. Ezra 4:8–6:18 and 7:12-26 are written in Aramaic, whereas the rest of the book is written in Hebrew.

[4:8]  ⁴³ tn Aram “lord of the command.” So also in vv. 9, 17.

[4:8]  ⁴⁴ sn Like Rehum, Shimshai was apparently a fairly high-ranking official charged with overseeing Persian interests in this part of the empire. His title was “scribe” or “secretary,” but in a more elevated political sense than that word sometimes has elsewhere. American governmental titles such as “Secretary of State” perhaps provide an analogy in that the word “secretary” can have a broad range of meaning.

[4:8]  ⁴⁵ tn Or perhaps “against.”

[4:9]  ⁴⁶ tn Aram “then.” What follows in v. 9 seems to be the preface of the letter, serving to identify the senders of the letter. The word “from” is not in the Aramaic text but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[4:9]  ⁴⁷ tn For the qere of the MT (דֶּהָיֵא, dehaye’, a proper name) it seems better to retain the Kethib דִּהוּא (dihu’, “that is”). See F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 25, §35; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 36.

[4:10]  ⁴⁸ tn Aram “Osnappar” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV), another name for Ashurbanipal.

[4:10]  ⁴⁹ tc The translation reads with the ancient versions the plural בְּקֻרְיַהּ (bÿquryah, “in the cities”) rather than the singular (“in the city”) of the MT.

[4:10]  ⁵⁰ tn Aram “beyond the river.” In Ezra this term is a technical designation for the region west of the Euphrates river.

[4:11]  ⁵¹ tn The Masoretic accents indicate that the phrase “to Artaxerxes the king” goes with what precedes and that the letter begins with the words “from your servants.” But it seems better to understand the letter to begin by identifying the addressee.

[4:11]  ⁵² tn Aram “men of.”

[4:12]  ⁵³ tn The MT takes this word with the latter part of v. 11, but in English style it fits better with v. 12.

[4:12]  ⁵⁴ sn Management of the provinces that were distantly removed from the capital was difficult, and insurrection in such places was a perennial problem. The language used in this report about Jerusalem (i.e., “rebellious,” “odious”) is intentionally inflammatory. It is calculated to draw immediate attention to the perceived problem.

[4:13]  ⁵⁵ tn Aram “the treasury of kings.” The plural “kings” is Hebrew, not Aramaic. If the plural is intended in a numerical sense the reference is not just to Artaxerxes but to his successors as well. Some scholars understand this to be the plural of majesty, referring to Artaxerxes. See F. C. Fensham, Ezra and Nehemiah (NICOT), 74.

[4:14]  ⁵⁶ tn Aram “we eat the salt of the palace.”

[4:14]  ⁵⁷ tn Aram “the dishonor of the king is not fitting for us to see.”

[4:14]  ⁵⁸ tn Aram “and we have made known.”

[4:15]  ⁵⁹ tn Aram “the book of the minutes.”

[4:15]  ⁶⁰ tn Aram “of your fathers.”

[4:15]  ⁶¹ tn Aram “discover…and learn.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a single concept.

[4:15]  ⁶² tn Aram “is a rebellious city.”

[4:15]  ⁶³ tn Aram “revolts they are making in its midst.”

[4:15]  ⁶⁴ tn Aram “from olden days.” So also in v. 19.

[4:16]  ⁶⁵ tn Aram “will not be to you.”

[6:19]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “my words.”

[6:19]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “to intimidate” (so NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[9:2]  ⁶⁸ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[9:2]  ⁶⁹ sn The expression “the way” in ancient religious literature refers at times to “the whole way of life fr. a moral and spiritual viewpoint” (BDAG 692 s.v. ὁδός 3.c), and it has been so used of Christianity and its teachings in the book of Acts (see also 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). It is a variation of Judaism’s idea of two ways, the true and the false, where “the Way” is the true one (1 En. 91:18; 2 En. 30:15).

[9:2]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “bring them bound”; the translation “bring someone as prisoner” for δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά (dedemenon agein tina) is given by BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b.

[9:2]  ⁷¹ sn From Damascus to Jerusalem was a six-day journey. Christianity had now expanded into Syria.