1 Samuel 2:6

2:6 The Lord both kills and gives life;

he brings down to the grave ¹  and raises up.

1 Samuel 2:2

2:2 No one is holy ²  like the Lord!

There is no one other than you!

There is no rock ³  like our God!

1 Samuel 5:7

5:7 When the people ⁴  of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel should not remain with us, for he has attacked ⁵  both us and our god Dagon!”

Job 5:18

5:18 For ⁶  he ⁷  wounds, ⁸  but he also bandages;

he strikes, but his hands also heal.

Psalms 68:20

68:20 Our God is a God who delivers;

the Lord, the sovereign Lord, can rescue from death. ⁹ 

Isaiah 43:13

43:13 From this day forward I am he;

no one can deliver from my power; ¹⁰ 

I will act, and who can prevent it?”

Hosea 6:1

Superficial Repentance Breeds False Assurance of God’s Forgiveness

6:1 “Come on! Let’s return to the Lord!

He himself has torn us to pieces,

but he will heal us!

He has injured ¹¹  us,

but he will bandage our wounds!

John 8:24

8:24 Thus I told you ¹²  that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am he, ¹³  you will die in your sins.”

Revelation 1:17-18

1:17 When ¹⁴  I saw him I fell down at his feet as though I were dead, but ¹⁵  he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid! I am the first and the last, 1:18 and the one who lives! I ¹⁶  was dead, but look, now I am alive – forever and ever – and I hold the keys of death and of Hades! ¹⁷ 

[2:6]  ¹ tn Heb “Sheol”; NAB “the nether world”; CEV “the world of the dead.”

[2:2]  ² 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]  ³ 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.”

[5:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “men.”

[5:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “for his hand is severe upon.”

[5:18]  ⁶ sn Verses 18-23 give the reasons why someone should accept the chastening of God – the hand that wounds is the same hand that heals. But, of course, the lines do not apply to Job because his suffering is not due to divine chastening.

[5:18]  ⁷ tn The addition of the independent pronoun here makes the subject emphatic, as if to say, “For it is he who makes….”

[5:18]  ⁸ tn The imperfect verbs in this verse describe the characteristic activities of God; the classification as habitual imperfect fits the idea and is to be rendered with the English present tense.

[68:20]  ⁹ tn Heb “and to the Lord, the Lord, to death, goings out.”

[43:13]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “hand” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “No one can oppose what I do.”

[6:1]  ¹¹ tn “has struck”; NRSV “struck down.”

[8:24]  ¹² tn Grk “thus I said to you.”

[8:24]  ¹³ tn Grk “unless you believe that I am.” In this context there is an implied predicate nominative (“he”) following the “I am” phrase. What Jesus’ hearers had to acknowledge is that he was who he claimed to be, i.e., the Messiah (cf. 20:31). This view is also reflected in English translations like NIV (“if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be”), NLT (“unless you believe that I am who I say I am”), and CEV (“if you don’t have faith in me for who I am”). For a different view that takes this “I am” and the one in 8:28 as nonpredicated (i.e., absolute), see R. E. Brown, John (AB), 1:533-38. Such a view refers sees the nonpredicated “I am” as a reference to the divine Name revealed in Exod 3:14, and is reflected in English translations like NAB (“if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins”) and TEV (“you will die in your sins if you do not believe that ‘I Am Who I Am’”).

[1:17]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “And when.” 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.

[1:17]  ¹⁵ tn Here the Greek conjunction καί (kai) has been translated as a contrastive (“but”) due to the contrast between the two clauses.

[1:18]  ¹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[1:18]  ¹⁷ tn Concerning “Hades” BDAG 19 s.v. ᾅδης 1 and 2 states: “Orig. proper noun, god of the nether world, ‘Hades’, then the nether world, Hades as place of the dead, Ac 2:27, 31 (Ps 15:10; Eccl 9:10; PGM 1, 179; 16, 8; Philo, Mos. 1, 195; Jos., Bell. 1, 596, Ant. 6, 332). Of Jonah’s fish ἐκ τοῦ κατωτάτου ᾅδου. In the depths, contrasted w. heaven ἕως (τοῦ) ᾅδου Mt 11:23; Lk 10:15 (PsSol 15:10; cp.; Is 14:11, 15); ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ 16:23; ἐν ῝Αιδου ApcPt Rainer. Accessible by gates (but the pl. is also used [e.g. Hom., X., Ael. Aristid. 47, 20 K.=23 p. 450 D.] when only one gate is meant), hence πύλαι ᾅδου (Il. 5, 646; Is 38:10; Wsd 16:13; 3 Macc 5:51; Pss. Sol. 16:2. – Lucian, Menipp. 6 the magicians can open τοῦ ῝Αιδου τὰς πύλας and conduct people in and out safely) Mt 16:18…locked ἔχω τὰς κλεῖς τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τοῦ ᾅδου Rv 1:18 (the genitives are either obj. [Ps.-Apollod. 3, 12, 6, 10 Aeacus, the son of Zeus holds the κλεῖς τοῦ ῝Αιδου; SEG VIII, 574, 3 (III ad) τῷ τὰς κλεῖδας ἔχοντι τῶν καθ᾿ ῝Αιδου (restored)] or possess.; in the latter case death and Hades are personif.; s. 2)…Hades personif.…w. θάνατος (cp. Is 28:15; Job 38:17…) Rv 6:8; 20:13f.”