1 Samuel 2:2

2:2 No one is holy ¹  like the Lord!

There is no one other than you!

There is no rock ²  like our God!

Psalms 52:1

Psalm 52 ³ 

For the music director; a well-written song ⁴  by David. It was written when Doeg the Edomite went and informed Saul: “David has arrived at the home of Ahimelech.” ⁵ 

52:1 Why do you boast about your evil plans, ⁶  O powerful man?

God’s loyal love protects me all day long! ⁷ 

Psalms 145:7-9

145:7 They will talk about the fame of your great kindness, ⁸ 

and sing about your justice. ⁹ 

145:8 The Lord is merciful and compassionate;

he is patient ¹⁰  and demonstrates great loyal love. ¹¹ 

145:9 The Lord is good to all,

and has compassion on all he has made. ¹² 

James 1:17

1:17 All generous giving and every perfect gift ¹³  is from above, coming down ¹⁴  from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. ¹⁵ 

James 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From James, ¹⁶  a slave ¹⁷  of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. ¹⁸  Greetings!

James 4:8-10

4:8 Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts pure, you double-minded. ¹⁹  4:9 Grieve, mourn, ²⁰  and weep. Turn your laughter ²¹  into mourning and your joy into despair. 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.

James 4:16

4:16 But as it is, ²²  you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

[2:2]  ¹ sn In this context God’s holiness refers primarily to his sovereignty and incomparability. He is unique and distinct from all other so-called gods.

[2:2]  ² tn The LXX has “and there is none righteous like our God.” The Hebrew term translated “rock” refers to a rocky cliff where one can seek refuge from enemies. Here the metaphor depicts God as a protector of his people. Cf. TEV “no protector like our God”; CEV “We’re safer with you than on a high mountain.”

[52:1]  ³ sn Psalm 52. The psalmist confidently confronts his enemy and affirms that God will destroy evildoers and vindicate the godly.

[52:1]  ⁴ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

[52:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, ‘David has come to the house of Ahimelech.’”

[52:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “Why do you boast in evil?”

[52:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “the loyal love of God [is] all the day.” In this context, where the psalmist is threatened by his enemy, the point seems to be that the psalmist is protected by God’s loyal love at all times.

[145:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “the fame of the greatness of your goodness.”

[145:7]  ⁹ tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 7 are understood as imperfects, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as jussives, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may they talk…and sing.”

[145:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “slow to anger” (see Pss 86:15; 103:8).

[145:8]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and great of loyal love” (see Pss 86:15; 103:8).

[145:9]  ¹² tn Heb “and his compassion is over all his works.”

[1:17]  ¹³ tn The first phrase refers to the action of giving and the second to what is given.

[1:17]  ¹⁴ tn Or “All generous giving and every perfect gift from above is coming down.”

[1:17]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “variation or shadow of turning” (referring to the motions of heavenly bodies causing variations of light and darkness).

[1:1]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “James.” The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ¹⁷ tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora.” The Greek term διασπορά (diaspora, “dispersion”) refers to Jews not living in Palestine but “dispersed” or scattered among the Gentiles.

[4:8]  ¹⁹ tn Or “two-minded” (the same description used in 1:8).

[4:9]  ²⁰ tn This term and the following one are preceded by καί (kai) in the Greek text, but contemporary English generally uses connectives only between the last two items in such a series.

[4:9]  ²¹ tn Grk “let your laughter be turned.”

[4:16]  ²² tn Grk “but now.”