1 Samuel 2:12

Eli’s Sons Misuse Their Sacred Office

2:12 The sons of Eli were wicked men. ¹  They did not recognize the Lord’s authority. ² 

1 Samuel 11:12

Saul Is Established as King

11:12 Then the people said to Samuel, “Who were the ones asking, ‘Will Saul reign over us?’ Hand over those men so we may execute them!”

Deuteronomy 13:13

13:13 some evil people ³  have departed from among you to entice the inhabitants of their cities, ⁴  saying, “Let’s go and serve other gods” (whom you have not known before). ⁵ 

Deuteronomy 13:2

13:2 and the sign or wonder should come to pass concerning what he said to you, namely, “Let us follow other gods” – gods whom you have not previously known – “and let us serve them.”

Deuteronomy 20:1-2

Laws Concerning War with Distant Enemies

20:1 When you go to war against your enemies and see chariotry ⁶  and troops ⁷  who outnumber you, do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, is with you. 20:2 As you move forward for battle, the priest ⁸  will approach and say to the soldiers, ⁹ 

Deuteronomy 13:7

13:7 the gods of the surrounding people (whether near you or far from you, from one end of the earth ¹⁰  to the other).

Acts 7:35

7:35 This same ¹¹  Moses they had rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge?’ ¹²  God sent as both ruler and deliverer ¹³  through the hand of the angel ¹⁴  who appeared to him in the bush.

Acts 7:51-52

7:51 “You stubborn ¹⁵  people, with uncircumcised ¹⁶  hearts and ears! ¹⁷  You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors ¹⁸  did! 7:52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors ¹⁹  not persecute? ²⁰  They ²¹  killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, ²²  whose betrayers and murderers you have now become! ²³ 

[2:12]  ¹ tn Heb “sons of worthlessness.”

[2:12]  ² tn Heb “they did not know the Lord.” The verb here has the semantic nuance “recognize the authority of.” Eli’s sons obviously knew who the Lord was; they served in his sanctuary. But they did not recognize his moral authority.

[13:13]  ³ tn Heb “men, sons of Belial.” The Hebrew term בְּלִיַּעַל (bÿliyya’al) has the idea of worthlessness, without morals or scruples (HALOT 133-34 s.v.). Cf. NAB, NRSV “scoundrels”; TEV, CEV “worthless people”; NLT “worthless rabble.”

[13:13]  ⁴ tc The LXX and Tg read “your” for the MT’s “their.”

[13:13]  ⁵ tn The translation understands the relative clause as a statement by Moses, not as part of the quotation from the evildoers. See also v. 2.

[20:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “horse and chariot.”

[20:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “people.”

[20:2]  ⁸ sn The reference to the priest suggests also the presence of the ark of the covenant, the visible sign of God’s presence. The whole setting is clearly that of “holy war” or “Yahweh war,” in which God himself takes initiative as the true commander of the forces of Israel (cf. Exod 14:14-18; 15:3-10; Deut 3:22; 7:18-24; 31:6, 8).

[20:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “and he will say to the people.” Cf. NIV, NCV, CEV “the army”; NRSV, NLT “the troops.”

[13:7]  ¹⁰ tn Or “land” (so NIV, NCV); the same Hebrew word can be translated “land” or “earth.”

[7:35]  ¹¹ sn This same. The reference to “this one” occurs five times in this speech. It is the way the other speeches in Acts refer to Jesus (e.g., Acts 2:23).

[7:35]  ¹² sn A quotation from Exod 2:14 (see Acts 7:27). God saw Moses very differently than the people of the nation did. The reference to a ruler and a judge suggests that Stephen set up a comparison between Moses and Jesus, but he never finished his speech to make the point. The reader of Acts, however, knowing the other sermons in the book, recognizes that the rejection of Jesus is the counterpoint.

[7:35]  ¹³ tn Or “liberator.” The meaning “liberator” for λυτρωτήν (lutrwthn) is given in L&N 37.129: “a person who liberates or releases others.”

[7:35]  ¹⁴ tn Or simply “through the angel.” Here the “hand” could be understood as a figure for the person or the power of the angel himself. The remark about the angel appearing fits the first century Jewish view that God appears to no one (John 1:14-18; Gal 3:19; Deut 33:2 LXX).

[7:51]  ¹⁵ sn Traditionally, “stiff-necked people.” Now the critique begins in earnest.

[7:51]  ¹⁶ tn The term ἀπερίτμητοι (aperitmhtoi, “uncircumcised”) is a NT hapax legomenon (occurs only once). See BDAG 101-2 s.v. ἀπερίτμητος and Isa 52:1.

[7:51]  ¹⁷ tn Or “You stubborn and obstinate people!” (The phrase “uncircumcised hearts and ears” is another figure for stubbornness.)

[7:51]  ¹⁸ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:52]  ¹⁹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:52]  ²⁰ sn Which…persecute. The rhetorical question suggests they persecuted them all.

[7:52]  ²¹ tn Grk “And they.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[7:52]  ²² sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ.

[7:52]  ²³ sn Whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. The harsh critique has OT precedent (1 Kgs 19:10-14; Neh 9:26; 2 Chr 36:16).