1 Samuel 2:8

2:8 He lifts the weak ¹  from the dust;

he raises ²  the poor from the ash heap

to seat them with princes

and to bestow on them an honored position. ³ 

The foundations of the earth belong to the Lord,

and he has placed the world on them.

Job 34:29

34:29 But if God ⁴  is quiet, who can condemn ⁵  him?

If he hides his face, then who can see him?

Yet ⁶  he is over the individual and the nation alike, ⁷ 

Psalms 33:11

33:11 The Lord’s decisions stand forever;

his plans abide throughout the ages. ⁸ 

Psalms 36:6

36:6 Your justice is like the highest mountains, ⁹ 

your fairness like the deepest sea;

you preserve ¹⁰  mankind and the animal kingdom. ¹¹ 

Proverbs 21:30

21:30 There is no wisdom and there is no understanding,

and there is no counsel against ¹²  the Lord. ¹³ 

Isaiah 14:26-27

14:26 This is the plan I have devised for the whole earth;

my hand is ready to strike all the nations.” ¹⁴ 

14:27 Indeed, ¹⁵  the Lord who commands armies has a plan,

and who can possibly frustrate it?

His hand is ready to strike,

and who can possibly stop it? ¹⁶ 

Isaiah 43:13

43:13 From this day forward I am he;

no one can deliver from my power; ¹⁷ 

I will act, and who can prevent it?”

Isaiah 46:10-11

46:10 who announces the end from the beginning

and reveals beforehand ¹⁸  what has not yet occurred,

who says, ‘My plan will be realized,

I will accomplish what I desire,’

46:11 who summons an eagle ¹⁹  from the east,

from a distant land, one who carries out my plan.

Yes, I have decreed, ²⁰ 

yes, I will bring it to pass;

I have formulated a plan,

yes, I will carry it out.

Daniel 4:15

4:15 But leave its taproot ²¹  in the ground,

with a band of iron and bronze around it ²² 

surrounded by the grass of the field.

Let it become damp with the dew of the sky,

and let it live with ²³  the animals in the grass of the land.

Daniel 4:35

4:35 All the inhabitants of the earth are regarded as nothing. ²⁴ 

He does as he wishes with the army of heaven

and with those who inhabit the earth.

No one slaps ²⁵  his hand

and says to him, ‘What have you done?’

Acts 4:28

4:28 to do as much as your power ²⁶  and your plan ²⁷  had decided beforehand ²⁸  would happen.

Ephesians 1:11

1:11 In Christ ²⁹  we too have been claimed as God’s own possession, ³⁰  since we were predestined according to the one purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will

Ephesians 3:11

3:11 This was according to ³¹  the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,

[2:8]  ¹ tn Or “lowly”; Heb “insignificant.”

[2:8]  ² tn The imperfect verbal form, which is parallel to the participle in the preceding line, is best understood here as indicating what typically happens.

[2:8]  ³ tn Heb “a seat of honor.”

[34:29]  ⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:29]  ⁵ tn The verb in this position is somewhat difficult, although it does make good sense in the sentence – it is just not what the parallelism would suggest. So several emendations have been put forward, for which see the commentaries.

[34:29]  ⁶ tn The line simply reads “and over a nation and over a man together.” But it must be the qualification for the points being made in the previous lines, namely, that even if God hides himself so no one can see, yet he is still watching over them all (see H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 222).

[34:29]  ⁷ tn The word translated “alike” (Heb “together”) has bothered some interpreters. In the reading taken here it is acceptable. But others have emended it to gain a verb, such as “he visits” (Beer), “he watches over” (Duhm), “he is compassionate” (Kissane), etc. But it is sufficient to say “he is over.”

[33:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “the thoughts of his heart for generation to generation.” The verb “abides” is supplied in the translation. The Lord’s “decisions” and “plans” here refer to his decrees and purposes.

[36:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “mountains of God.” The divine name אֵל (’el, “God”) is here used in an idiomatic manner to indicate the superlative.

[36:6]  ¹⁰ tn Or “deliver.”

[36:6]  ¹¹ sn God’s justice/fairness is firm and reliable like the highest mountains and as abundant as the water in the deepest sea. The psalmist uses a legal metaphor to describe God’s preservation of his creation. Like a just judge who vindicates the innocent, God protects his creation from destructive forces.

[21:30]  ¹² tn The form לְנֶגֶד (lÿneged) means “against; over against; in opposition to.” The line indicates they cannot in reality be in opposition, for human wisdom is nothing in comparison to the wisdom of God (J. H. Greenstone, Proverbs, 232).

[21:30]  ¹³ sn The verse uses a single sentence to state that all wisdom, understanding, and advice must be in conformity to the will of God to be successful. It states it negatively – these things cannot be in defiance of God (e.g., Job 5:12-13; Isa 40:13-14).

[14:26]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and this is the hand that is outstretched over all the nations.”

[14:27]  ¹⁵ tn Or “For” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[14:27]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “His hand is outstretched and who will turn it back?”

[43:13]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “hand” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “No one can oppose what I do.”

[46:10]  ¹⁸ tn Or “from long ago”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “from ancient times.”

[46:11]  ¹⁹ tn Or, more generally, “a bird of prey” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV; see 18:6).

[46:11]  ²⁰ tn Heb “spoken”; KJV “I have spoken it.”

[4:15]  ²¹ tn Aram “the stock of its root.” So also v. 23. The implication here is that although the tree is chopped down, it is not killed. Its life-giving root is spared. The application to Nebuchadnezzar is obvious.

[4:15]  ²² sn The function of the band of iron and bronze is not entirely clear, but it may have had to do with preventing the splitting or further deterioration of the portion of the tree that was left after being chopped down. By application it would then refer to the preservation of Nebuchadnezzar’s life during the time of his insanity.

[4:15]  ²³ tn Aram “its lot be.”

[4:35]  ²⁴ tc The present translation reads כְּלָא (kÿla’), with many medieval Hebrew MSS, rather than כְּלָה (kÿlah) of BHS.

[4:35]  ²⁵ tn Aram “strikes against.”

[4:28]  ²⁶ tn Grk “hand,” here a metaphor for God’s strength or power or authority.

[4:28]  ²⁷ tn Or “purpose,” “will.”

[4:28]  ²⁸ tn Or “had predestined.” Since the term “predestine” is something of a technical theological term, not in wide usage in contemporary English, the translation “decide beforehand” was used instead (see L&N 30.84). God’s direction remains as the major theme.

[1:11]  ²⁹ tn Grk “in whom,” as a continuation of the previous verse.

[1:11]  ³⁰ tn Grk “we were appointed by lot.” The notion of the verb κληρόω (klhrow) in the OT was to “appoint a portion by lot” (the more frequent cognate verb κληρονομέω [klhronomew] meant “obtain a portion by lot”). In the passive, as here, the idea is that “we were appointed [as a portion] by lot” (BDAG 548 s.v. κληρόω 1). The words “God’s own” have been supplied in the translation to clarify this sense of the verb. An alternative interpretation is that believers receive a portion as an inheritance: “In Christ we too have been appointed a portion of the inheritance.” See H. W. Hoehner, Ephesians, 226-27, for discussion on this interpretive issue.

[3:11]  ³¹ tn Grk “according to.” The verse is a prepositional phrase subordinate to v. 10.