2 Kings 21:9

21:9 But they did not obey, ¹  and Manasseh misled them so that they sinned more than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed from before the Israelites.

Proverbs 12:26

12:26 The righteous person is cautious in his friendship, ² 

but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

Jeremiah 23:13-15

23:13 The Lord says, ³  “I saw the prophets of Samaria ⁴ 

doing something that was disgusting. ⁵ 

They prophesied in the name of the god Baal

and led my people Israel astray. ⁶ 

23:14 But I see the prophets of Jerusalem ⁷ 

doing something just as shocking.

They are unfaithful to me

and continually prophesy lies. ⁸ 

So they give encouragement to people who are doing evil,

with the result that they do not stop their evildoing. ⁹ 

I consider all of them as bad as the people of Sodom,

and the citizens of Jerusalem as bad as the people of Gomorrah. ¹⁰ 

23:15 So then I, the Lord who rules over all, ¹¹ 

have something to say concerning the prophets of Jerusalem: ¹² 

‘I will make these prophets eat the bitter food of suffering

and drink the poison water of judgment. ¹³ 

For the prophets of Jerusalem are the reason ¹⁴ 

that ungodliness ¹⁵  has spread throughout the land.’”

Jeremiah 23:1

New Leaders over a Regathered Remnant

23:1 The Lord says, ¹⁶  “The leaders of my people are sure to be judged. ¹⁷  They were supposed to watch over my people like shepherds watch over their sheep. But they are causing my people to be destroyed and scattered. ¹⁸ 

Jeremiah 4:1-2

4:1 “If you, Israel, want to come back,” says the Lord,

“if you want to come back to me ¹⁹ 

you must get those disgusting idols ²⁰  out of my sight

and must no longer go astray. ²¹ 

4:2 You must be truthful, honest and upright

when you take an oath saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!’ ²² 

If you do, ²³  the nations will pray to be as blessed by him as you are

and will make him the object of their boasting.” ²⁴ 

Jeremiah 3:13

3:13 However, you must confess that you have done wrong, ²⁵ 

and that you have rebelled against the Lord your God.

You must confess ²⁶  that you have given yourself to ²⁷  foreign gods under every green tree,

and have not obeyed my commands,’ says the Lord.

Jeremiah 3:1

3:1 “If a man divorces his wife

and she leaves him and becomes another man’s wife,

he may not take her back again. ²⁸ 

Doing that would utterly defile the land. ²⁹ 

But you, Israel, have given yourself as a prostitute to many gods. ³⁰ 

So what makes you think you can return to me?” ³¹ 

says the Lord.

Jeremiah 2:26

2:26 Just as a thief has to suffer dishonor when he is caught,

so the people of Israel ³²  will suffer dishonor for what they have done. ³³ 

So will their kings and officials,

their priests and their prophets.

Revelation 2:20

2:20 But I have this against you: You tolerate that ³⁴  woman ³⁵  Jezebel, ³⁶  who calls herself a prophetess, and by her teaching deceives ³⁷  my servants ³⁸  to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. ³⁹ 

[21:9]  ¹ tn Heb “listen.”

[12:26]  ² tn The line has several possible translations: (1) The verb יָתֵר (yater) can mean “to spy out; to examine,” which makes a good contrast to “lead astray” in the parallel colon. (2) יָתֵר could be the Hophal of נָתַר (natar, Hiphil “to set free”; Hophal “to be set free”): “the righteous is delivered from harm” [reading mera`ah] (J. A. Emerton, “A Note on Proverbs 12:26,” ZAW 76 [1964]: 191-93). (3) Another option is, “the righteous guides his friend aright” (cf. NRSV, NLT).

[23:13]  ³ tn The words “The Lord says” are not in the text, but it is clear from the content that he is the speaker. These words are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[23:13]  ⁴ map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.

[23:13]  ⁵ tn According to BDB 1074 s.v. תִּפְלָּה this word means “unseemly, unsavory.” The related adjective is used in Job 6:6 of the tastelessness of something that is unseasoned.

[23:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “by Baal.”

[23:14]  ⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[23:14]  ⁸ tn Or “they commit adultery and deal falsely.” The word “shocking” only occurs here and in 5:30 where it is found in the context of prophesying lies. This almost assures that the reference to “walking in lies” (Heb “in the lie”) is referring to false prophesy. Moreover the references to the prophets in 5:13 and in 14:13-15 are all in the context of false prophesy as are the following references in this chapter in 23:24, 26, 32 and in 28:15. This appears to be the theme of this section. This also makes it likely that the reference to adultery is not literal adultery, though two of the false prophets in Babylon were guilty of this (29:23). The reference to “encouraging those who do evil” that follows also makes more sense if they were preaching messages of comfort rather than messages of doom. The verbs here are infinitive absolutes in place of the finite verb, probably used to place greater emphasis on the action (cf. Hos 4:2 in a comparable judgment speech.)

[23:14]  ⁹ tn Heb “So they strengthen the hands of those doing evil so that they do not turn back from their evil.” For the use of the figure “strengthen the hands” meaning “encourage” see Judg 9:24; Ezek 13:22 (and cf. BDB 304 s.v. חָזַק Piel.2). The vav consecutive on the front of the form gives the logical consequence equivalent to “so” in the translation.

[23:14]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “All of them are to me like Sodom and its [Jerusalem’s] inhabitants like Gomorrah.”

[23:15]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”

[23:15]  ¹² tn Heb “Therefore, thus says the Lord…concerning the prophets.” The person is shifted to better conform with English style and the word “of Jerusalem” is supplied in the translation to avoid the possible misunderstanding that the judgment applies to the prophets of Samaria who had already been judged long before.

[23:15]  ¹³ tn Heb “I will feed this people wormwood and make them drink poison water.” For these same words of judgment on another group see 9:15 (9:14 HT). “Wormwood” and “poison water” are not to be understood literally here but are symbolic of judgment and suffering. See, e.g., BDB 542 s.v. לַעֲנָה.

[23:15]  ¹⁴ tn The compound preposition מֵאֵת (me’et) expresses source or origin (see BDB 86 s.v. אֵת 4.c). Context shows that the origin is in their false prophesying which encourages people in their evil behavior.

[23:15]  ¹⁵ sn A word that derives from this same Hebrew word is used in v. 11 at the beginning of the Lord’s criticism of the prophet and priest. This is a common rhetorical device for bracketing material that belongs together. The criticism has, however, focused on the false prophets and the judgment due them.

[23:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[23:1]  ¹⁷ sn Heb This particle once again introduces a judgment speech. The indictment is found in v. 1 and the announcement of judgment in v. 2. This leads into an oracle of deliverance in vv. 3-4. See also the note on the word “judged” in 22:13.

[23:1]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “Woe to the shepherds who are killing and scattering the sheep of my pasture.” See the study note on 22:13 for the significance of “Sure to be judged” (Heb “Woe”) See the study note for the significance of the metaphor introduced here.

[4:1]  ¹⁹ tn Or “If you, Israel, want to turn [away from your shameful ways (those described in 3:23-25)]…then you must turn back to me.” Or perhaps, “Israel, you must turn back…Yes, you must turn back to me.”

[4:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “disgusting things.”

[4:1]  ²¹ tn Or possibly, “If you get those disgusting idols out of my sight, you will not need to flee.” This is less probable because the normal meaning of the last verb is “to wander,” “ to stray.”

[4:2]  ²² tn Heb “If you [= you must, see the translator’s note on the word “do” later in this verse] swear/take an oath, ‘As the Lord lives,’ in truth, justice, and righteousness…”

[4:2]  ²³ tn 4:1-2a consists of a number of “if” clauses, two of which are formally introduced by the Hebrew particle אִם (’im) while the others are introduced by the conjunction “and,” followed by a conjunction (“and” = “then”) with a perfect in 4:2b which introduces the consequence. The translation “You must…. If you do,” was chosen to avoid a long and complicated sentence.

[4:2]  ²⁴ tn Heb “bless themselves in him and make their boasts in him.”

[3:13]  ²⁵ tn Heb “Only acknowledge your iniquity.”

[3:13]  ²⁶ tn The words “You must confess” are repeated to convey the connection. The Hebrew text has an introductory “that” in front of the second line and a coordinative “and” in front of the next two lines.

[3:13]  ²⁷ tc MT reads דְּרָכַיִךְ (dÿrakhayikh, “your ways”), but the BHS editors suggest דּוֹדַיִךְ (dodayikh, “your breasts”) as an example of orthographic confusion. While the proposal makes sense, it remains a conjectural emendation since it is not supported by any actual manuscripts or ancient versions.

[3:1]  ²⁸ tn Heb “May he go back to her again?” The question is rhetorical and expects a negative answer.

[3:1]  ²⁹ tn Heb “Would the land not be utterly defiled?” The stative is here rendered actively to connect better with the preceding. The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer.

[3:1]  ³⁰ tn Heb “But you have played the prostitute with many lovers.”

[3:1]  ³¹ tn Heb “Returning to me.” The form is the bare infinitive which the KJV and ASV have interpreted as an imperative “Yet, return to me!” However, it is more likely that a question is intended, expressing surprise in the light of the law alluded to and the facts cited. For the use of the infinitive absolute in the place of a finite verb, cf. GKC 346 §113.ee. For the introduction of a question without a question marker, cf. GKC 473 §150.a.

[2:26]  ³² tn Heb “house of Israel.”

[2:26]  ³³ tn The words “for what they have done” are implicit in the comparison and are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[2:20]  ³⁴ tn The Greek article has been translated here with demonstrative force.

[2:20]  ³⁵ tc The ms evidence for γυναῖκα (gunaika, “woman”) alone includes {א C P 1611 2053 pc lat}. The ms evidence for the addition of “your” (σου, sou) includes A 1006 2351 Ï^K pc sy. With the pronoun, the text reads “your wife, Jezebel” instead of “that woman, Jezebel.” In Revelation, A C are the most important mss, along with א Ì⁴⁷ (which only reads in portions of chapters 9-17) 1006 1611 2053; in this instance, the external evidence slightly favors the shorter reading. But internally, it gains strength. The longer reading implies the idea that the angel in 2:18 is the bishop or leader of the church in Thyatira. The pronoun “your” (σου) is used four times in vv. 19-20 and may have been the cause for the scribe copying it again. Further, once the monarchical episcopate was in vogue (beginning in the 2nd century) scribes might have been prone to add “your” here.

[2:20]  ³⁶ sn Jezebel was the name of King Ahab’s idolatrous and wicked queen in 1 Kgs 16:31; 18:1-5; 19:1-3; 21:5-24. It is probable that the individual named here was analogous to her prototype in idolatry and immoral behavior, since those are the items singled out for mention.

[2:20]  ³⁷ tn Grk “teaches and deceives” (διδάσκει καὶ πλανᾷ, didaskei kai plana), a construction in which the first verb appears to specify the means by which the second is accomplished: “by her teaching, deceives…”

[2:20]  ³⁸ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[2:20]  ³⁹ sn To commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. Note the conclusions of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15:29, which specifically prohibits Gentile Christians from engaging in these activities.