1 Kings 8:33-34

8:33 “The time will come when ¹  your people Israel are defeated by an enemy ²  because they sinned against you. If they come back to you, renew their allegiance to you, ³  and pray for your help ⁴  in this temple, 8:34 then listen from heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.

1 Kings 8:39

8:39 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place, forgive their sin, ⁵  and act favorably toward each one based on your evaluation of his motives. ⁶  (Indeed you are the only one who can correctly evaluate the motives of all people.) ⁷ 

Isaiah 63:15

63:15 Look down from heaven and take notice,

from your holy, majestic palace!

Where are your zeal ⁸  and power?

Do not hold back your tender compassion! ⁹ 

[8:33]  ¹ tn Heb “when.” In the Hebrew text vv. 33-34 actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided into two sentences for stylistic reasons.

[8:33]  ² tn Or “are struck down before an enemy.”

[8:33]  ³ tn Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”

[8:33]  ⁴ tn Heb “and they pray and ask for help.”

[8:39]  ⁵ tn The words “their sin” are added for clarification.

[8:39]  ⁶ tn Heb “and act and give to each one according to all his ways because you know his heart.” In the Hebrew text vv. 37-39a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided up for stylistic reasons.

[8:39]  ⁷ tn Heb “Indeed you know, you alone, the heart of all the sons of mankind.”

[63:15]  ⁸ tn This probably refers to his zeal for his people, which motivates him to angrily strike out against their enemies.

[63:15]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “the agitation of your intestines and your compassion to me they are held back.” The phrase “agitation of your intestines” is metonymic, referring to the way in which one’s nervous system reacts when one feels pity and compassion toward another. אֵלַי (’elay, “to me”) is awkward in this context, where the speaker represents the nation and, following the introduction (see v. 7), utilizes first person plural forms. The translation assumes an emendation to the negative particle אַל (’al). This also necessitates emending the following verb form (which is a plural perfect) to a singular jussive (תִתְאַפָּק, tit’appaq). The Hitpael of אָפַק (’afaq) also occurs in 42:14.