2 Kings 22:19

22:19 ‘You displayed a sensitive spirit ¹  and humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard how I intended to make this place and its residents into an appalling example of an accursed people. ²  You tore your clothes and wept before me, and I have heard you,’ says the Lord.

Psalms 34:18

34:18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;

he delivers ³  those who are discouraged. ⁴ 

Psalms 51:17

51:17 The sacrifices God desires are a humble spirit ⁵  –

O God, a humble and repentant heart ⁶  you will not reject. ⁷ 

Isaiah 57:15

57:15 For this is what the high and exalted one says,

the one who rules ⁸  forever, whose name is holy:

“I dwell in an exalted and holy place,

but also with the discouraged and humiliated, ⁹ 

in order to cheer up the humiliated

and to encourage the discouraged. ¹⁰ 

Isaiah 66:2

66:2 My hand made them; ¹¹ 

that is how they came to be,” ¹²  says the Lord.

I show special favor ¹³  to the humble and contrite,

who respect what I have to say. ¹⁴ 

Ezekiel 9:4

9:4 The Lord said to him, “Go through the city of Jerusalem ¹⁵  and put a mark ¹⁶  on the foreheads of the people who moan and groan over all the abominations practiced in it.”

Matthew 5:3-4

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

5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ²⁰ 

[22:19]  ¹ tn Heb “Because your heart was tender.”

[22:19]  ² tn Heb “how I said concerning this place and its residents to become [an object of] horror and [an example of] a curse.” The final phrase (“horror and a curse”) refers to Judah becoming a prime example of an accursed people. In curse formulations they would be held up as a prime example of divine judgment. For an example of such a curse, see Jer 29:22.

[34:18]  ³ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the Lord typically delivers the oppressed and needy.

[34:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “the crushed in spirit.”

[51:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “a broken spirit.”

[51:17]  ⁶ tn Heb “a broken and crushed heart.”

[51:17]  ⁷ tn Or “despise.”

[57:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “the one who dwells forever.” שֹׁכֵן עַד (shokhen ’ad) is sometimes translated “the one who lives forever,” and understood as a reference to God’s eternal existence. However, the immediately preceding and following descriptions (“high and exalted” and “holy”) emphasize his sovereign rule. In the next line, he declares, “I dwell in an exalted and holy [place],” which refers to the place from which he rules. Therefore it is more likely that שֹׁכֵן עַד (shokhen ’ad) means “I dwell [in my lofty palace] forever” and refers to God’s eternal kingship.

[57:15]  ⁹ tn Heb “and also with the crushed and lowly of spirit.” This may refer to the repentant who have humbled themselves (see 66:2) or more generally to the exiles who have experienced discouragement and humiliation.

[57:15]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “to restore the lowly of spirit and to restore the heart of the crushed.”

[66:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “all these.” The phrase refers to the heavens and earth, mentioned in the previous verse.

[66:2]  ¹² tn Heb “and all these were.” Some prefer to emend וַיִּהְיוּ (vayyihyu, “and they were”) to וְלִי הָיוּ (vÿli hayu, “and to me they were”), i.e., “and they belong to me.”

[66:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “and to this one I look” (KJV and NASB both similar).

[66:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to the humble and the lowly in spirit and the one who trembles at my words.”

[9:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem.”

[9:4]  ¹⁶ tn The word translated “mark” is in Hebrew the letter ת (tav). Outside this context the only other occurrence of the word is in Job 31:35. In ancient Hebrew script this letter was written like the letter X.

[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.

[5:4]  ²⁰ sn The promise they will be comforted is the first of several “reversals” noted in these promises. The beatitudes and the reversals that accompany them serve in the sermon as an invitation to enter into God’s care, because one can know God cares for those who turn to him.