Discovery Box1 Kings 8:41-43
Context8:41 “Foreigners, who do not belong to your people Israel, will come from a distant land because of your reputation. 1 8:42 When they hear about your great reputation 2 and your ability to accomplish mighty deeds, 3 they will come and direct their prayers toward this temple. 8:43 Then listen from your heavenly dwelling place and answer all the prayers of the foreigners. 4 Then all the nations of the earth will acknowledge your reputation, 5 obey 6 you like your people Israel do, and recognize that this temple I built belongs to you. 7
Psalms 68:30-31
Context68:30 Sound your battle cry 8 against the wild beast of the reeds, 9
and the nations that assemble like a herd of calves led by bulls! 10
They humble themselves 11 and offer gold and silver as tribute. 12
God 13 scatters 14 the nations that like to do battle.
68:31 They come with red cloth 15 from Egypt,
Ethiopia 16 voluntarily offers tribute 17 to God.
Psalms 72:10
Context72:10 The kings of Tarshish 18 and the coastlands will offer gifts;
the kings of Sheba 19 and Seba 20 will bring tribute.
Psalms 72:15
Context72:15 May he live! 21 May they offer him gold from Sheba! 22
May they continually pray for him!
May they pronounce blessings on him all day long! 23
Isaiah 60:6-7
Context60:6 Camel caravans will cover your roads, 24
young camels from Midian and Ephah.
All the merchants of Sheba 25 will come,
bringing gold and incense
and singing praises to the Lord. 26
60:7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;
the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices. 27
They will go up on my altar acceptably, 28
and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.
[8:41] 1 tn Heb “your name.” In the OT the word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the
[8:42] 2 tn Heb “your great name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in the previous verse.
[8:42] 3 tn Heb “and your strong hand and your outstretched arm.”
[8:43] 4 tn Heb “and do all which the foreigner calls to [i.e., “requests of”] you.”
[8:43] 5 tn Heb “your name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in v. 41.
[8:43] 7 tn Heb “that your name is called over this house which I built.” The Hebrew idiom “to call the name over” indicates ownership. See 2 Sam 12:28.
[68:30] 8 tn The Hebrew verb גָּעַר (ga’ar) is often understood to mean “rebuke.” In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts such as Ps 68 this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See A. Caquot, TDOT 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Ps 106:9 and Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 18:15; 76:6; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.
[68:30] 9 sn The wild beast of the reeds probably refers to a hippopotamus, which in turn symbolizes the nation of Egypt.
[68:30] 10 tn Heb “an assembly of bulls, with calves of the nations.”
[68:30] 11 tn Heb “humbling himself.” The verb form is a Hitpael participle from the root רָפַס (rafas, “to trample”). The Hitpael of this verb appears only here and in Prov 6:3, where it seems to mean, “humble oneself,” a nuance that fits nicely in this context. The apparent subject is “wild beast” or “assembly,” though both of these nouns are grammatically feminine, while the participle is a masculine form. Perhaps one should emend the participial form to a masculine plural (מִתְרַפִּם, mitrapim) and understand “bulls” or “calves” as the subject.
[68:30] 12 tc Heb “with pieces [?] of silver.” The meaning of the Hebrew term רַצֵּי (ratsey) is unclear. It is probably best to emend the text to בֶּצֶר וְכָסֶף (betser vÿkhasef, “[with] gold and silver”).
[68:30] 13 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[68:30] 14 tn The verb בָּזַר (bazar) is an alternative form of פָּזַר (pazar, “scatter”).
[68:31] 15 tn This noun, which occurs only here in the OT, apparently means “red cloth” or “bronze articles” (see HALOT 362 s.v. חַשְׁמַן; cf. NEB “tribute”). Traditionally the word has been taken to refer to “nobles” (see BDB 365 s.v. חַשְׁמַן; cf. NIV “envoys”). Another option would be to emend the text to הַשְׁמַנִּים (hashmannim, “the robust ones,” i.e., leaders).
[68:31] 17 tn Heb “causes its hands to run,” which must mean “quickly stretches out its hands” (to present tribute).
[72:10] 18 sn Tarshish was a distant western port, the precise location of which is uncertain.
[72:10] 19 sn Sheba was located in Arabia.
[72:10] 20 sn Seba was located in Africa.
[72:15] 21 tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect. Because the form has the prefixed vav (ו), some subordinate it to what precedes as a purpose/result clause. In this case the representative poor individual might be the subject of this and the following verb, “so that he may live and give to him gold of Sheba.” But the idea of the poor offering gold is incongruous. It is better to take the jussive as a prayer with the king as subject of the verb. (Perhaps the initial vav is dittographic; note the vav at the end of the last form in v. 14.) The statement is probably an abbreviated version of the formula יְחִי הַמֶּלֶךְ (yÿkhiy hammelekh, “may the king live”; see 1 Sam 10:24; 2 Sam 16:16; 1 Kgs 1:25, 34, 39; 2 Kgs 11:12).
[72:15] 22 tn Heb “and he will give to him some gold of Sheba.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive with a grammatically indefinite subject (“and may one give”). Of course, the king’s subjects, mentioned in the preceding context, are the tribute bearers in view here.
[72:15] 23 tn As in the preceding line, the prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives with a grammatically indefinite subject (“and may one pray…and may one bless”). Of course, the king’s subjects, mentioned in the preceding context, are in view here.
[60:6] 24 tn Heb “an abundance of camels will cover you.”
[60:6] 25 tn Heb “all of them, from Sheba.”
[60:6] 26 tn Heb “and they will announce the praises of the Lord.”
[60:7] 27 tn Heb “will serve you,” i.e., be available as sacrifices (see the next line). Another option is to understood these “rams” as symbolic of leaders who will be subject to the people of Zion. See v. 10.
[60:7] 28 tc Heb “they will go up on acceptance [on] my altar.” Some have suggested that the preposition עַל (’al) is dittographic (note the preceding יַעֲלוּ [ya’alu]). Consequently, the form should be emended to לְרָצוֹן (lÿratson, “acceptably”; see BDB 953 s.v. רָצוֹן). However, the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has both לרצון followed by the preposition על, which would argue against deleted the preposition. As the above translation seeks to demonstrate, the preposition עַל (’al) indicates a norm (“in accordance with acceptance” or “acceptably”; IBHS 218 §11.2.13e, n. 111) and the “altar” functions as an objective accusative with a verb of motion (cf. Gen 49:4; Lev 2:2; Num 13:17; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:534, n. 14).
