2 Chronicles 33:12-13

33:12 In his pain ¹  Manasseh ²  asked the Lord his God for mercy ³  and truly ⁴  humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. ⁵  33:13 When he prayed to the Lord, ⁶  the Lord ⁷  responded to him ⁸  and answered favorably ⁹  his cry for mercy. The Lord ¹⁰  brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh realized that the Lord is the true God.

2 Chronicles 34:27

34:27 ‘You displayed a sensitive spirit ¹¹  and humbled yourself before God when you heard his words concerning this place and its residents. You humbled yourself before me, tore your clothes and wept before me, and I have heard you,’ says the Lord.

Proverbs 15:8

15:8 The Lord abhors ¹²  the sacrifices ¹³  of the wicked, ¹⁴ 

but the prayer ¹⁵  of the upright pleases him. ¹⁶ 

Matthew 5:3

5:3 “Blessed ¹⁷  are the poor in spirit, ¹⁸  for the kingdom of heaven belongs ¹⁹  to them.

Luke 18:13-14

18:13 The tax collector, however, stood ²⁰  far off and would not even look up ²¹  to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful ²²  to me, sinner that I am!’ ²³  18:14 I tell you that this man went down to his home justified ²⁴  rather than the Pharisee. ²⁵  For everyone who exalts ²⁶  himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

James 4:6

4:6 But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.” ²⁷ 

James 4:10

4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.

James 4:1

Passions and Pride

4:1 Where do the conflicts and where ²⁸  do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, ²⁹  from your passions that battle inside you? ³⁰ 

James 5:5

5:5 You have lived indulgently and luxuriously on the earth. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. ³¹ 

[33:12]  ¹ tn Or “distress.”

[33:12]  ² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Manasseh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:12]  ³ tn Heb “appeased the face of the Lord his God.”

[33:12]  ⁴ tn Or “greatly.”

[33:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “fathers.”

[33:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “him”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “was entreated by him,” or “allowed himself to be entreated by him.”

[33:13]  ⁹ tn Heb “heard.”

[33:13]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:27]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Because your heart was tender.”

[15:8]  ¹² tn Heb “an abomination of the Lord.” The term יְהוָה (yÿhvah, “the Lord”) functions as a subjective genitive: “the Lord abhors.” Cf. NIV “the Lord detests”; NCV, NLT “the Lord hates”; CEV “the Lord is disgusted.”

[15:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “sacrifice” (so many English versions).

[15:8]  ¹⁴ sn The sacrifices of the wicked are hated by the Lord because the worshipers are insincere and blasphemous (e.g., Prov 15:29; 21:3; 28:9; Ps 40:6-8; Isa 1:10-17). In other words, the spiritual condition of the worshiper determines whether or not the worship is acceptable to God.

[15:8]  ¹⁵ sn J. H. Greenstone notes that if God will accept the prayers of the upright, he will accept their sacrifices; for sacrifice is an outer ritual and easily performed even by the wicked, but prayer is a private and inward act and not usually fabricated by unbelievers (Proverbs, 162).

[15:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “[is] his pleasure.” The 3rd person masculine singular suffix functions as a subjective genitive: “he is pleased.” God is pleased with the prayers of the upright.

[5:3]  ¹⁷ sn The term Blessed introduces the first of several beatitudes promising blessing to those whom God cares for. They serve as an invitation to come into the grace God offers.

[5:3]  ¹⁸ sn The poor in spirit is a reference to the “pious poor” for whom God especially cares. See Ps 14:6; 22:24; 25:16; 34:6; 40:17; 69:29.

[5:3]  ¹⁹ sn The present tense (belongs) here is significant. Jesus makes the kingdom and its blessings currently available. This phrase is unlike the others in the list with the possessive pronoun being emphasized.

[18:13]  ²⁰ tn Grk “standing”; the Greek participle has been translated as a finite verb.

[18:13]  ²¹ tn Grk “even lift up his eyes” (an idiom).

[18:13]  ²² tn The prayer is a humble call for forgiveness. The term for mercy (ἱλάσκομαι, Jilaskomai) is associated with the concept of a request for atonement (BDAG 473-74 s.v. 1; Ps 51:1, 3; 25:11; 34:6, 18).

[18:13]  ²³ tn Grk “the sinner.” The tax collector views himself not just as any sinner but as the worst of all sinners. See ExSyn 222-23.

[18:14]  ²⁴ sn The prayer that was heard and honored was the one given with humility; in a surprising reversal it was the tax collector who went down to his home justified.

[18:14]  ²⁵ tn Grk “the other”; the referent (the Pharisee, v. 10) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:14]  ²⁶ sn Everyone who exalts himself. See Luke 14:11. Jesus often called for humility and condemned those who sought honor.

[4:6]  ²⁷ sn A quotation from Prov 3:34.

[4:1]  ²⁸ tn The word “where” is repeated in Greek for emphasis.

[4:1]  ²⁹ tn Grk “from here.”

[4:1]  ³⁰ tn Grk “in your members [i.e., parts of the body].”

[5:5]  ³¹ sn James’ point seems to be that instead of seeking deliverance from condemnation, they have defied God’s law (fattened your hearts) and made themselves more likely objects of his judgment (in a day of slaughter).