Discovery Box2 Samuel 23:3-4
Context23:3 The God of Israel spoke,
the protector 1 of Israel spoke to me.
The one who rules fairly among men,
the one who rules in the fear of God,
23:4 is like the light of morning when the sun comes up,
a morning in which there are no clouds.
He is like the brightness after rain
that produces grass from the earth.
2 Samuel 23:1
Context23:1 These are the final words of David:
“The oracle of David son of Jesse,
the oracle of the man raised up as
the ruler chosen by the God of Jacob, 2
Israel’s beloved 3 singer of songs:
2 Samuel 18:14
Context18:14 Joab replied, “I will not wait around like this for you!” He took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the middle of Absalom while he was still alive in the middle of the oak tree. 4
Psalms 45:6-7
Context45:6 Your throne, 5 O God, is permanent. 6
The scepter 7 of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.
45:7 You love 8 justice and hate evil. 9
For this reason God, your God 10 has anointed you 11
with the oil of joy, 12 elevating you above your companions. 13
Psalms 72:2
Context72:2 Then he will judge 14 your people fairly,
and your oppressed ones 15 equitably.
Psalms 75:2
Context“At the appointed times, 17
I judge 18 fairly.
Psalms 78:71-72
Context78:71 He took him away from following the mother sheep, 19
and made him the shepherd of Jacob, his people,
and of Israel, his chosen nation. 20
78:72 David 21 cared for them with pure motives; 22
he led them with skill. 23
Psalms 89:14
Context89:14 Equity and justice are the foundation of your throne. 24
Loyal love and faithfulness characterize your rule. 25
Psalms 101:1-8
ContextA psalm of David.
101:1 I will sing about loyalty and justice!
To you, O Lord, I will sing praises!
101:2 I will walk in 27 the way of integrity.
When will you come to me?
I will conduct my business with integrity in the midst of my palace. 28
101:3 I will not even consider doing what is dishonest. 29
I hate doing evil; 30
I will have no part of it. 31
101:4 I will have nothing to do with a perverse person; 32
I will not permit 33 evil.
101:5 I will destroy anyone who slanders his neighbor in secret.
I will not tolerate anyone who has a cocky demeanor and an arrogant attitude. 34
101:6 I will favor the honest people of the land, 35
and allow them to live with me. 36
Those who walk in the way of integrity will attend me. 37
101:7 Deceitful people will not live in my palace. 38
Liars will not be welcome in my presence. 39
101:8 Each morning I will destroy all the wicked people in the land,
and remove all evildoers from the city of the Lord.
Isaiah 9:7
Context9:7 His dominion will be vast 40
and he will bring immeasurable prosperity. 41
He will rule on David’s throne
and over David’s kingdom, 42
establishing it 43 and strengthening it
by promoting justice and fairness, 44
from this time forward and forevermore.
The Lord’s intense devotion to his people 45 will accomplish this.
Jeremiah 22:15-16
Context22:15 Does it make you any more of a king
that you outstrip everyone else in 46 building with cedar?
Just think about your father.
He was content that he had food and drink. 47
He did what was just and right. 48
So things went well with him.
22:16 He upheld the cause of the poor and needy.
So things went well for Judah.’ 49
The Lord says,
‘That is a good example of what it means to know me.’ 50
Jeremiah 23:5-6
Context23:5 “I, the Lord, promise 51 that a new time will certainly come 52
when I will raise up for them a righteous branch, 53 a descendant of David.
He will rule over them with wisdom and understanding 54
and will do what is just and right in the land. 55
23:6 Under his rule 56 Judah will enjoy safety 57
and Israel will live in security. 58
This is the name he will go by:
‘The Lord has provided us with justice.’ 59
Amos 5:15
Context5:15 Hate what is wrong, love what is right!
Promote 60 justice at the city gate! 61
Maybe the Lord, the God who commands armies, will have mercy on 62 those who are left from 63 Joseph. 64
Amos 5:24
Context5:24 Justice must flow like torrents of water,
righteous actions 65 like a stream that never dries up.
[23:3] 1 tn Heb “rock,” used as a metaphor of divine protection.
[23:1] 2 tn Heb “the anointed one of the God of Jacob.”
[18:14] 4 tn There is a play on the word “heart” here that is difficult to reproduce in English. Literally the Hebrew text says “he took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the heart of the oak tree.” This figure of speech involves the use of the same word in different senses and is known as antanaclasis. It is illustrated in the familiar saying from the time of the American Revolution: “If we don’t hang together, we will all hang separately.” The present translation understands “heart” to be used somewhat figuratively for “chest” (cf. TEV, CEV), which explains why Joab’s armor bearers could still “kill” Absalom after he had been stabbed with three spears through the “heart.” Since trees do not have “chests” either, the translation uses “middle.”
[45:6] 5 sn The king’s throne here symbolizes his rule.
[45:6] 6 tn Or “forever and ever.”
[45:6] 7 sn The king’s scepter symbolizes his royal authority.
[45:7] 8 sn To love justice means to actively promote it.
[45:7] 9 sn To hate evil means to actively oppose it.
[45:7] 10 tn For other examples of the repetition of Elohim, “God,” see Pss 43:4; 48:8, 14; 50:7; 51:14; 67:7. Because the name Yahweh (“
[45:7] 11 sn Anointed you. When read in the light of the preceding context, the anointing is most naturally taken as referring to the king’s coronation. However, the following context (vv. 8-9) focuses on the wedding ceremony, so some prefer to see this anointing as part of the king’s preparations for the wedding celebration. Perhaps the reference to his anointing at his coronation facilitates the transition to the description of the wedding, for the king was also anointed on this occasion.
[45:7] 12 sn The phrase oil of joy alludes to the fact that the coronation of the king, which was ritually accomplished by anointing his head with olive oil, was a time of great celebration and renewed hope. (If one understands the anointing in conjunction with the wedding ceremony, the “joy” would be that associated with the marriage.) The phrase “oil of joy” also appears in Isa 61:3, where mourners are granted “oil of joy” in conjunction with their deliverance from oppression.
[45:7] 13 tn Heb “from your companions.” The “companions” are most naturally understood as others in the royal family or, more generally, as the king’s countrymen.
[72:2] 14 tn The prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, not a jussive.
[72:2] 15 sn These people are called God’s oppressed ones because he is their defender (see Pss 9:12, 18; 10:12; 12:5).
[75:2] 16 tn The words “God says” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation to clarify that God speaks in vv. 2-3.
[75:2] 17 tn Heb “when I take an appointed time.”
[75:2] 18 tn Heb “I, [in] fairness, I judge.” The statement is understood in a generalizing sense; God typically executes fair judgment as he governs the world. One could take this as referring to an anticipated (future) judgment, “I will judge.”
[78:71] 19 tn Heb “from after the ewes he brought him.”
[78:71] 20 tn Heb “to shepherd Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance.”
[78:72] 21 tn Heb “He”; the referent (David, God’s chosen king, mentioned in v. 70) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[78:72] 22 tn Heb “and he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart.”
[78:72] 23 tn Heb “and with the understanding of his hands he led them.”
[89:14] 24 sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.
[89:14] 25 tn Heb “are in front of your face.” The idiom can mean “confront” (Ps 17:13) or “meet, enter the presence of” (Ps 95:2).
[101:1] 26 sn Psalm 101. The psalmist, who appears to be a king, promises to promote justice in his land and vows to rid his royal court of evildoers.
[101:2] 27 tn Heb “take notice of.”
[101:2] 28 tn Heb “I will walk about in the integrity of my heart in the midst of my house.”
[101:3] 29 tn Heb “I will not set before my eyes a thing of worthlessness.”
[101:3] 30 tn Heb “the doing of swerving [deeds] I hate.” The Hebrew term סֵטִים (setim) is probably an alternate spelling of שֵׂטִים (setim), which appears in many medieval Hebrew
[101:3] 31 tn Heb “it [i.e., the doing of evil deeds] does not cling to me.”
[101:4] 32 tn Heb “a perverse heart will turn aside from me.” The adjective עִקֵּשׁ (’iqqesh) has the basic nuance “twisted; crooked” and by extension refers to someone or something that is morally perverse (see Ps 18:26). It appears frequently in the Book of Proverbs, where it is used of evil people (22:5), speech (8:8; 19:1), thoughts (11:20; 17:20), and life styles (2:15; 28:6).
[101:4] 33 tn Heb “know.” The king will not willingly allow perverse individuals to remain in his royal court.
[101:5] 34 tn Heb “[one who has] pride of eyes and wideness [i.e., arrogance] of heart, him I will not endure.”
[101:6] 35 tn Heb “my eyes [are] on the faithful of the land.”
[101:6] 36 tn The Hebrew text simply reads, “in order to live with me.”
[101:6] 37 tn Heb “one who walks in the way of integrity, he will minister to me.”
[101:7] 38 tn Heb “he will not live in the midst of my house, one who does deceit.”
[101:7] 39 tn Heb “one who speaks lies will not be established before my eyes.”
[9:7] 40 tc The Hebrew text has לְםַרְבֵּה (lÿmarbeh), which is a corrupt reading. לם is dittographic; note the preceding word, שָׁלוֹם (shalom). The corrected text reads literally, “great is the dominion.”
[9:7] 41 tn Heb “and to peace there will be no end” (KJV and ASV both similar). On the political and socio-economic sense of שָׁלוֹם (shalom) in this context, see the note at v. 6 on “Prince of Peace.”
[9:7] 42 tn Heb “over the throne of David, and over his kingdom.” The referent of the pronoun “his” (i.e., David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:7] 43 tn The feminine singular pronominal suffix on this form and the following one (translated “it” both times) refers back to the grammatically feminine noun “kingdom.”
[9:7] 44 tn Heb “with/by justice and fairness”; ASV “with justice and with righteousness.”
[9:7] 45 tn Heb “the zeal of the Lord.” In this context the Lord’s “zeal” refers to his intense devotion to and love for his people which prompts him to vindicate them and to fulfill his promises to David and the nation.
[22:15] 46 tn For the use of this verb see Jer 12:5 where it is used of Jeremiah “competing” with horses. The form is a rare Tiphel (see GKC 153 §55.h).
[22:15] 47 tn Heb “Your father, did he not eat and drink and do justice and right.” The copulative vav in front of the verbs here (all Hebrew perfects) shows that these actions are all coordinate not sequential. The contrast drawn here between the actions of Jehoiakim and Josiah show that the phrase eating and drinking should be read in the light of the same contrasts in Eccl 2 which ends with the note of contentment in Eccl 2:24 (see also Eccl 3:13; 5:18 [5:17 HT]; 8:15). The question is, of course, rhetorical setting forth the positive role model against which Jehoiakim’s actions are to be condemned. The key terms here are “then things went well with him” which is repeated in the next verse after the reiteration of Josiah’s practice of justice.
[22:15] 48 sn The father referred to here is the godly king Josiah. He followed the requirements for kings set forth in 22:3 in contrast to his son who did not (22:13).
[22:16] 49 tn The words “for Judah” are not in the text, but the absence of the preposition plus object as in the preceding verse suggests that this is a more general statement, i.e., “things went well for everyone.”
[22:16] 50 tn Heb “Is that not what it means to know me.” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer. It is translated in the light of the context.
[23:5] 51 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[23:5] 52 tn Heb “Behold the days are coming.”
[23:5] 53 tn Heb “a righteous sprig to David” or “a righteous shoot” (NAB).
[23:5] 54 tn Heb “he will reign as king and act wisely.” This is another example of the use of two verbs joined by “and” where one becomes the adverbial modifier of the other (hendiadys). For the nuance of the verb “act wisely” rather than “prosper” see Amos 5:13; Ps 2:10 (cf. BDB 968 s.v. שָׂכַל Hiph.5).
[23:5] 55 sn This has been the constant emphasis in this section. See 22:3 for the demand, 22:15 for its fulfillment, and 22:13 for its abuse. The ideal king would follow in the footsteps of his illustrious ancestor David (2 Sam 8:15) who set this forth as an ideal for his dynasty (2 Sam 23:3) and prayed for it to be true of his son Solomon (Ps 72:1-2).
[23:6] 56 tn Heb “In his days [= during the time he rules].”
[23:6] 57 tn Parallelism and context (cf. v. 4) suggest this nuance for the word often translated “be saved.” For this nuance elsewhere see Ps 119:117; Prov 28:18 for the verb (יָשַׁע [yasha’] in the Niphal); and Ps 12:6; Job 5:4, 11 for the related noun (יֶשַׁע, yesha’).
[23:6] 58 sn It should be noted that this brief oracle of deliverance implies the reunification of Israel and Judah under the future Davidic ruler. Jeremiah has already spoken about this reunification earlier in 3:18 and will have more to say about it in 30:3; 31:27, 31. This same ideal was espoused in the prophecies of Hosea (1:10-11 [2:1-2 HT]), Isaiah (11:1-4, 10-12), and Ezekiel (37:15-28) all of which have messianic and eschatological significance.
[23:6] 59 tn Heb “his name will be called ‘The
[5:15] 60 tn Heb “set up, establish.” In the ancient Near East it was the responsibility especially of the king to establish justice. Here the prophet extends that demand to local leaders and to the nation as a whole (cf. 5:24).
[5:15] 61 sn Legal disputes were resolved in the city gate (see the note in v. 12). This repetition of this phrase serves to highlight a deliberate contrast to the injustices cited in vv. 11-13.
[5:15] 62 tn Or “will show favor to.”
[5:15] 63 tn Or “the remnant of” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “what’s left of your people.”
[5:15] 64 sn Joseph (= Ephraim and Manasseh), as the most prominent of the Israelite tribes, represents the entire northern kingdom.
