Acts 7:36

7:36 This man led them out, performing wonders and miraculous signs ¹  in the land of Egypt, ²  at ³  the Red Sea, and in the wilderness ⁴  for forty years.

Acts 7:39-43

7:39 Our ⁵  ancestors ⁶  were unwilling to obey ⁷  him, but pushed him aside ⁸  and turned back to Egypt in their hearts, 7:40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go in front of us, for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt ⁹  – we do not know what has happened to him!’ ¹⁰  7:41 At ¹¹  that time ¹²  they made an idol in the form of a calf, ¹³  brought ¹⁴  a sacrifice to the idol, and began rejoicing ¹⁵  in the works of their hands. ¹⁶  7:42 But God turned away from them and gave them over ¹⁷  to worship the host ¹⁸  of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘It was not to me that you offered slain animals and sacrifices ¹⁹  forty years in the wilderness, was it, ²⁰  house of Israel? 7:43 But you took along the tabernacle ²¹  of Moloch ²²  and the star of the ²³  god Rephan, ²⁴  the images you made to worship, but I will deport ²⁵  you beyond Babylon.’ ²⁶ 

Exodus 16:2

16:2 The entire company ²⁷  of Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron in the desert.

Exodus 16:35

16:35 Now the Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was inhabited; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

Numbers 14:22

14:22 For all the people have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have tempted ²⁸  me now these ten times, ²⁹  and have not obeyed me, ³⁰ 

Numbers 14:33-34

14:33 and your children will wander ³¹  in the wilderness forty years and suffer for your unfaithfulness, ³²  until your dead bodies lie finished ³³  in the wilderness. 14:34 According to the number of the days you have investigated this land, forty days – one day for a year – you will suffer for ³⁴  your iniquities, forty years, and you will know what it means to thwart me. ³⁵ 

Deuteronomy 9:7

The History of Israel’s Stubbornness

9:7 Remember – don’t ever forget ³⁶  – how you provoked the Lord your God in the desert; from the time you left the land of Egypt until you came to this place you were constantly rebelling against him. ³⁷ 

Deuteronomy 9:21-24

9:21 As for your sinful thing ³⁸  that you had made, the calf, I took it, melted it down, ³⁹  ground it up until it was as fine as dust, and tossed the dust into the stream that flows down the mountain. 9:22 Moreover, you continued to provoke the Lord at Taberah, ⁴⁰  Massah, ⁴¹  and Kibroth-Hattaavah. ⁴²  9:23 And when he ⁴³  sent you from Kadesh-Barnea and told you, “Go up and possess the land I have given you,” you rebelled against the Lord your God ⁴⁴  and would neither believe nor obey him. 9:24 You have been rebelling against him ⁴⁵  from the very first day I knew you!

Nehemiah 9:16-21

9:16 “But they – our ancestors ⁴⁶  – behaved presumptuously; they rebelled ⁴⁷  and did not obey your commandments. 9:17 They refused to obey and did not recall your miracles that you had performed among them. Instead, they rebelled and appointed a leader to return to their bondage in Egypt. ⁴⁸  But you are a God of forgiveness, merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and unfailing in your loyal love. ⁴⁹  You did not abandon them, 9:18 even when they made a cast image of a calf for themselves and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up from Egypt,’ or when they committed atrocious ⁵⁰  blasphemies.

9:19 “Due to your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. The pillar of cloud did not stop guiding them in the path by day, ⁵¹  nor did the pillar of fire stop illuminating for them by night the path on which they should travel. 9:20 You imparted your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths; you provided water for their thirst. 9:21 For forty years you sustained them. Even in the desert they never lacked anything. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.

Psalms 78:17-42

78:17 Yet they continued to sin against him,

and rebelled against the sovereign One ⁵²  in the desert.

78:18 They willfully challenged God ⁵³ 

by asking for food to satisfy their appetite.

78:19 They insulted God, saying, ⁵⁴ 

“Is God really able to give us food ⁵⁵  in the wilderness?

78:20 Yes, ⁵⁶  he struck a rock and water flowed out,

streams gushed forth.

But can he also give us food?

Will he provide meat for his people?”

78:21 When ⁵⁷  the Lord heard this, he was furious.

A fire broke out against Jacob,

and his anger flared up ⁵⁸  against Israel,

78:22 because they did not have faith in God,

and did not trust his ability to deliver them. ⁵⁹ 

78:23 He gave a command to the clouds above,

and opened the doors in the sky.

78:24 He rained down manna for them to eat;

he gave them the grain of heaven. ⁶⁰ 

78:25 Man ate the food of the mighty ones. ⁶¹ 

He sent them more than enough to eat. ⁶² 

78:26 He brought the east wind through the sky,

and by his strength led forth the south wind.

78:27 He rained down meat on them like dust,

birds as numerous as the sand on the seashores. ⁶³ 

78:28 He caused them to fall right in the middle of their camp,

all around their homes.

78:29 They ate until they were stuffed; ⁶⁴ 

he gave them what they desired.

78:30 They were not yet filled up, ⁶⁵ 

their food was still in their mouths,

78:31 when the anger of God flared up against them.

He killed some of the strongest of them;

he brought the young men of Israel to their knees.

78:32 Despite all this, they continued to sin,

and did not trust him to do amazing things. ⁶⁶ 

78:33 So he caused them to die unsatisfied ⁶⁷ 

and filled with terror. ⁶⁸ 

78:34 When he struck them down, ⁶⁹  they sought his favor; ⁷⁰ 

they turned back and longed for God.

78:35 They remembered that God was their protector, ⁷¹ 

and that the sovereign God was their deliverer. ⁷² 

78:36 But they deceived him with their words, ⁷³ 

and lied to him. ⁷⁴ 

78:37 They were not really committed to him, ⁷⁵ 

and they were unfaithful to his covenant.

78:38 Yet he is compassionate.

He forgives sin and does not destroy.

He often holds back his anger,

and does not stir up his fury. ⁷⁶ 

78:39 He remembered ⁷⁷  that they were made of flesh,

and were like a wind that blows past and does not return. ⁷⁸ 

78:40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness,

and insulted him ⁷⁹  in the desert!

78:41 They again challenged God, ⁸⁰ 

and offended ⁸¹  the Holy One of Israel. ⁸² 

78:42 They did not remember what he had done, ⁸³ 

how he delivered them from the enemy, ⁸⁴ 

Psalms 95:8-11

95:8 He says, ⁸⁵  “Do not be stubborn like they were at Meribah, ⁸⁶ 

like they were that day at Massah ⁸⁷  in the wilderness, ⁸⁸ 

95:9 where your ancestors challenged my authority, ⁸⁹ 

and tried my patience, even though they had seen my work.

95:10 For forty years I was continually disgusted ⁹⁰  with that generation,

and I said, ‘These people desire to go astray; ⁹¹ 

they do not obey my commands.’ ⁹² 

95:11 So I made a vow in my anger,

‘They will never enter into the resting place I had set aside for them.’” ⁹³ 

Psalms 106:13-29

106:13 They quickly forgot what he had done; ⁹⁴ 

they did not wait for his instructions. ⁹⁵ 

106:14 In the wilderness they had an insatiable craving ⁹⁶  for meat; ⁹⁷ 

they challenged God ⁹⁸  in the desert.

106:15 He granted their request,

then struck them with a disease. ⁹⁹ 

106:16 In the camp they resented ¹⁰⁰  Moses,

and Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest. ¹⁰¹ 

106:17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;

it engulfed ¹⁰²  the group led by Abiram. ¹⁰³ 

106:18 Fire burned their group;

the flames scorched the wicked. ¹⁰⁴ 

106:19 They made an image of a calf at Horeb,

and worshiped a metal idol.

106:20 They traded their majestic God ¹⁰⁵ 

for the image of an ox that eats grass.

106:21 They rejected ¹⁰⁶  the God who delivered them,

the one who performed great deeds in Egypt,

106:22 amazing feats in the land of Ham,

mighty ¹⁰⁷  acts by the Red Sea.

106:23 He threatened ¹⁰⁸  to destroy them,

but ¹⁰⁹  Moses, his chosen one, interceded with him ¹¹⁰ 

and turned back his destructive anger. ¹¹¹ 

106:24 They rejected the fruitful land; ¹¹² 

they did not believe his promise. ¹¹³ 

106:25 They grumbled in their tents; ¹¹⁴ 

they did not obey ¹¹⁵  the Lord.

106:26 So he made a solemn vow ¹¹⁶ 

that he would make them die ¹¹⁷  in the desert,

106:27 make their descendants ¹¹⁸  die ¹¹⁹  among the nations,

and scatter them among foreign lands. ¹²⁰ 

106:28 They worshiped ¹²¹  Baal of Peor,

and ate sacrifices offered to the dead. ¹²² 

106:29 They made the Lord angry ¹²³  by their actions,

and a plague broke out among them.

Ezekiel 20:10-17

20:10 “‘So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them to the wilderness. 20:11 I gave them my statutes ¹²⁴  and revealed my regulations to them. The one ¹²⁵  who carries ¹²⁶  them out will live by them! ¹²⁷  20:12 I also gave them my Sabbaths ¹²⁸  as a reminder of our relationship, ¹²⁹  so that they would know that I, the Lord, sanctify them. ¹³⁰  20:13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness; they did not follow my statutes and they rejected my regulations (the one who obeys them will live by them), and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I decided to pour out ¹³¹  my rage on them in the wilderness and destroy them. ¹³²  20:14 I acted for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 20:15 I also swore ¹³³  to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them to the land I had given them – a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. 20:16 I did this ¹³⁴  because they rejected my regulations, did not follow my statutes, and desecrated my Sabbaths; for their hearts followed their idols. ¹³⁵  20:17 Yet I had pity on ¹³⁶  them and did not destroy them, so I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.

Amos 5:25-26

5:25 You did not bring me ¹³⁷  sacrifices and grain offerings during the forty years you spent in the wilderness, family ¹³⁸  of Israel.

5:26 You will pick up your images ¹³⁹  of Sikkuth, ¹⁴⁰  your king, ¹⁴¹ 

and Kiyyun, ¹⁴²  your star god, which you made for yourselves,

Amos 5:1

Death is Imminent

5:1 Listen to this funeral song I am ready to sing about you, ¹⁴³  family ¹⁴⁴  of Israel:

Colossians 1:1-10

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ¹⁴⁵  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 1:2 to the saints, the faithful ¹⁴⁶  brothers and sisters ¹⁴⁷  in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you ¹⁴⁸  from God our Father! ¹⁴⁹ 

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Church

1:3 We always ¹⁵⁰  give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 1:4 since ¹⁵¹  we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints. 1:5 Your faith and love have arisen ¹⁵²  from the hope laid up ¹⁵³  for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel ¹⁵⁴  1:6 that has come to you. Just as in the entire world this gospel ¹⁵⁵  is bearing fruit and growing, so it has also been bearing fruit and growing ¹⁵⁶  among you from the first day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth. 1:7 You learned the gospel ¹⁵⁷  from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave ¹⁵⁸  – a ¹⁵⁹  faithful minister of Christ on our ¹⁶⁰  behalf – 1:8 who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, ¹⁶¹  have not ceased praying for you and asking God ¹⁶²  to fill ¹⁶³  you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 1:10 so that you may live ¹⁶⁴  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ¹⁶⁵  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,

Hebrews 3:7-10

Exposition of Psalm 95: Hearing God’s Word in Faith

3:7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, ¹⁶⁶ 

“Oh, that today you would listen as he speaks! ¹⁶⁷ 

3:8 “Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness.

3:9 “There your fathers tested me and tried me, ¹⁶⁸  and they saw my works for forty years.

3:10 “Therefore, I became provoked at that generation and said, ‘Their hearts are always wandering ¹⁶⁹  and they have not known my ways.’

Hebrews 3:16-19

3:16 For which ones heard and rebelled? Was it not all who came out of Egypt under Moses’ leadership? ¹⁷⁰  3:17 And against whom was God ¹⁷¹  provoked for forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness? ¹⁷²  3:18 And to whom did he swear they would never enter into his rest, except those who were disobedient? 3:19 So ¹⁷³  we see that they could not enter because of unbelief.

[7:36]  ¹ tn Here the context indicates the miraculous nature of the signs mentioned.

[7:36]  ² tn Or simply “in Egypt.” The phrase “the land of” could be omitted as unnecessary or redundant.

[7:36]  ³ tn Grk “and at,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[7:36]  ⁴ tn Or “desert.”

[7:39]  ⁵ tn Grk “whom our.” The continuation of the sentence as a relative clause is awkward in English, so a new sentence was started in the translation at this point.

[7:39]  ⁶ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:39]  ⁷ sn To obey. Again the theme of the speech is noted. The nation disobeyed the way of God and opted for Egypt over the promised land.

[7:39]  ⁸ sn Pushed him aside. This is the second time Moses is “pushed aside” in Stephen’s account (see v. 27).

[7:40]  ⁹ tn Or simply “of Egypt.” The phrase “the land of” could be omitted as unnecessary or redundant.

[7:40]  ¹⁰ sn A quotation from Exod 32:1, 23. Doubt (we do not know what has happened to him) expresses itself in unfaithful action. The act is in contrast to God’s promise in Exod 23:20.

[7:41]  ¹¹ tn Grk “And.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[7:41]  ¹² tn Grk “In those days.”

[7:41]  ¹³ tn Or “a bull calf” (see Exod 32:4-6). The term μοσχοποιέω (moscopoiew) occurs only in Christian writings according to BDAG 660 s.v.

[7:41]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “and brought,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[7:41]  ¹⁵ tn The imperfect verb εὐφραίνοντο (eufrainonto) has been translated ingressively. See BDAG 414-15 s.v. εὐφραίνω 2.

[7:41]  ¹⁶ tn Or “in what they had done.”

[7:42]  ¹⁷ sn The expression and gave them over suggests similarities to the judgment on the nations described by Paul in Rom 1:18-32.

[7:42]  ¹⁸ tn Or “stars.”

[7:42]  ¹⁹ tn The two terms for sacrifices “semantically reinforce one another and are here combined essentially for emphasis” (L&N 53.20).

[7:42]  ²⁰ tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ question, “was it?”

[7:43]  ²¹ tn Or “tent.”

[7:43]  ²² sn Moloch was a Canaanite deity who was believed to be the god of the sky and the sun.

[7:43]  ²³ tc ‡ Most mss, including several important ones (Ì⁷⁴ א A C E Ψ 33 1739 Ï h p vg sy^h mae bo Cyr), have ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “your”) here, in conformity with the LXX of Amos 5:26. But other significant and diverse witnesses lack the pronoun: The lack of ὑμῶν in B D 36 453 gig sy^p sa Ir^lat Or is difficult to explain if it is not the original wording here. NA²⁷ has the word in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.

[7:43]  ²⁴ sn Rephan (῾Ραιφάν, RJaifan) was a pagan deity. The term was a name for Saturn. It was variously spelled in the mss (BDAG 903 s.v. has Rompha as an alternate spelling). The references cover a range of deities and a history of unfaithfulness.

[7:43]  ²⁵ tn Or “I will make you move.”

[7:43]  ²⁶ sn A quotation from Amos 5:25-27. This constituted a prediction of the exile.

[16:2]  ²⁷ tn Or “community” or “assembly.”

[14:22]  ²⁸ tn The verb נָסָה (nasah) means “to test, to tempt, to prove.” It can be used to indicate things are tried or proven, or for testing in a good sense, or tempting in the bad sense, i.e., putting God to the test. In all uses there is uncertainty or doubt about the outcome. Some uses of the verb are positive: If God tests Abraham in Genesis 22:1, it is because there is uncertainty whether he fears the Lord or not; if people like Gideon put out the fleece and test the Lord, it is done by faith but in order to be certain of the Lord’s presence. But here, when these people put God to the test ten times, it was because they doubted the goodness and ability of God, and this was a major weakness. They had proof to the contrary, but chose to challenge God.

[14:22]  ²⁹ tn “Ten” is here a round figure, emphasizing the complete testing. But see F. V. Winnett, The Mosaic Tradition, 121-54.

[14:22]  ³⁰ tn Heb “listened to my voice.”

[14:33]  ³¹ tn The word is “shepherds.” It means that the people would be wilderness nomads, grazing their flock on available land.

[14:33]  ³² tn Heb “you shall bear your whoredoms.” The imagery of prostitution is used throughout the Bible to reflect spiritual unfaithfulness, leaving the covenant relationship and following after false gods. Here it is used generally for their rebellion in the wilderness, but not for following other gods.

[14:33]  ³³ tn The infinitive is from תָּמַם (tamam), which means “to be complete.” The word is often used to express completeness in a good sense – whole, blameless, or the like. Here and in v. 35 it seems to mean “until your deaths have been completed.” See also Gen 47:15; Deut 2:15.

[14:34]  ³⁴ tn Heb “you shall bear.”

[14:34]  ³⁵ tn The phrase refers to the consequences of open hostility to God, or perhaps abandonment of God. The noun תְּנוּאָה (tÿnu’ah) occurs in Job 33:10 (perhaps). The related verb occurs in Num 30:6 HT (30:5 ET) and 32:7 with the sense of “disallow, discourage.” The sense of the expression adopted in this translation comes from the meticulous study of R. Loewe, “Divine Frustration Exegetically Frustrated,” Words and Meanings, 137-58.

[9:7]  ³⁶ tn By juxtaposing the positive זְכֹר (zekhor, “remember”) with the negative אַל־תִּשְׁכַּח (’al-tishÿkakh, “do not forget”), Moses makes a most emphatic plea.

[9:7]  ³⁷ tn Heb “the Lord” (likewise in the following verse with both “him” and “he”). See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:21]  ³⁸ tn Heb “your sin.” This is a metonymy in which the effect (sin) stands for the cause (the metal calf).

[9:21]  ³⁹ tn Heb “burned it with fire.”

[9:22]  ⁴⁰ sn Taberah. By popular etymology this derives from the Hebrew verb בָעַר (ba’ar, “to burn”), thus, here, “burning.” The reference is to the Lord’s fiery wrath against Israel because of their constant complaints against him (Num 11:1-3).

[9:22]  ⁴¹ sn Massah. See note on this term in Deut 6:16.

[9:22]  ⁴² sn Kibroth-Hattaavah. This place name means in Hebrew “burial places of appetite,” that is, graves that resulted from overindulgence. The reference is to the Israelites stuffing themselves with the quail God had provided and doing so with thanklessness (Num 11:31-35).

[9:23]  ⁴³ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:23]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord your God,” that is, against the commandment that he had spoken.

[9:24]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:16]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “and our fathers.” The vav is explicative.

[9:16]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “they stiffened their neck” (so also in the following verse).

[9:17]  ⁴⁸ tc The present translation follows a few medieval Hebrew MSS and the LXX in reading בְּמִצְרָיִם (bÿmitsrayim, “in Egypt”; so also NAB, NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT) rather than the MT reading בְּמִרְיָם (bÿmiryam, “in their rebellion”).

[9:17]  ⁴⁹ tc The translation follows the Qere reading חֶסֶד (khesed, “loyal love”) rather than the Kethib reading וְחֶסֶד (vÿkhesed, “and loyal love”) of the MT.

[9:18]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “great.”

[9:19]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “did not turn from them by day to guide them in the path.”

[78:17]  ⁵² tn Heb “rebelling [against] the Most High.”

[78:18]  ⁵³ tn Heb “and they tested God in their heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the center of their volition.

[78:19]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “they spoke against God, they said.”

[78:19]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “to arrange a table [for food].”

[78:20]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “look.”

[78:21]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “therefore.”

[78:21]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “and also anger went up.”

[78:22]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “and they did not trust his deliverance.”

[78:24]  ⁶⁰ sn Manna was apparently shaped like a seed (Exod 16:31), perhaps explaining why it is here compared to grain.

[78:25]  ⁶¹ sn Because of the reference to “heaven” in the preceding verse, it is likely that mighty ones refers here to the angels of heaven. The LXX translates “angels” here, as do a number of modern translations (NEB, NIV, NRSV).

[78:25]  ⁶² tn Heb “provision he sent to them to satisfaction.”

[78:27]  ⁶³ tn Heb “and like the sand of the seas winged birds.”

[78:29]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “and they ate and were very satisfied.”

[78:30]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “they were not separated from their desire.”

[78:32]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “and did not believe in his amazing deeds.”

[78:33]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “and he ended in vanity their days.”

[78:33]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “and their years in terror.”

[78:34]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “killed them,” that is, killed large numbers of them.

[78:34]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “they sought him.”

[78:35]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”

[78:35]  ⁷² tn Heb “and [that] God Most High [was] their redeemer.”

[78:36]  ⁷³ tn Heb “with their mouth.”

[78:36]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “and with their tongue they lied to him.”

[78:37]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “and their heart was not firm with him.”

[78:38]  ⁷⁶ tn One could translate v. 38 in the past tense (“he was compassionate…forgave sin and did not destroy…held back his anger, and did not stir up his fury”), but the imperfect verbal forms are probably best understood as generalizing. Verse 38 steps back briefly from the narrational summary of Israel’s history and lays the theological basis for v. 39, which focuses on God’s mercy toward sinful Israel.

[78:39]  ⁷⁷ tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive signals a return to the narrative.

[78:39]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “and he remembered that they [were] flesh, a wind [that] goes and does not return.”

[78:40]  ⁷⁹ tn Or “caused him pain.”

[78:41]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “and they returned and tested God.” The Hebrew verb שׁוּב (shuv, “to return”) is used here in an adverbial sense to indicate that an earlier action was repeated.

[78:41]  ⁸¹ tn Or “wounded, hurt.” The verb occurs only here in the OT.

[78:41]  ⁸² sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. This expression is a common title for the Lord in the book of Isaiah.

[78:42]  ⁸³ tn Heb “his hand,” symbolizing his saving activity and strength, as the next line makes clear.

[78:42]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “[the] day [in] which he ransomed them from [the] enemy.”

[95:8]  ⁸⁵ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the following words are spoken by the Lord (see vv. 9-11).

[95:8]  ⁸⁶ sn The name Meribah means “strife.” Two separate but similar incidents at Meribah are recorded in the Pentateuch (Exod 17:1-7; Num 20:1-13, see also Pss 81:7; 106:32). In both cases the Israelites complained about lack of water and the Lord miraculously provided for them.

[95:8]  ⁸⁷ sn The name Massah means “testing.” This was another name (along with Meribah) given to the place where Israel complained following the Red Sea Crossing (see Exod 17:1-7, as well as Deut 6:16; 9:22; 33:8).

[95:8]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “do not harden your heart[s] as [at] Meribah, as [in] the day of Massah in the wilderness.”

[95:9]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “where your fathers tested me.”

[95:10]  ⁹⁰ tn The prefixed verbal form is either a preterite or an imperfect. If the latter, it emphasizes the ongoing nature of the condition in the past. The translation reflects this interpretation of the verbal form.

[95:10]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “a people, wanderers of heart [are] they.”

[95:10]  ⁹² tn Heb “and they do not know my ways.” In this context the Lord’s “ways” are his commands, viewed as a pathway from which his people, likened to wayward sheep (see v. 7), wander.

[95:11]  ⁹³ tn Heb “my resting place.” The promised land of Canaan is here viewed metaphorically as a place of rest for God’s people, who are compared to sheep (see v. 7).

[106:13]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “his works.”

[106:13]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “his counsel.”

[106:14]  ⁹⁶ sn They had an insatiable craving. This is described in Num 11:4-35.

[106:14]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “they craved [with] a craving.”

[106:14]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “they tested God.”

[106:15]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “and he sent leanness into their being.”

[106:16]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Or “envied.”

[106:16]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “the holy one of the Lord.”

[106:17]  ¹⁰² tn Or “covered.”

[106:17]  ¹⁰³ tn Or “the assembly of Abiram.”

[106:18]  ¹⁰⁴ sn Verses 16-18 describe the events of Num 16:1-40.

[106:20]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “their glory.” According to an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition, the text originally read “his glory” or “my glory.” In Jer 2:11 the Lord states that his people (Israel) exchanged “their glory” (a reference to the Lord) for worthless idols.

[106:21]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “forgot.”

[106:22]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Or “awe-inspiring.”

[106:23]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “and he said.”

[106:23]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “if not,” that is, “[and would have] if [Moses] had not.”

[106:23]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “stood in the gap before him.”

[106:23]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “to turn back his anger from destroying.”

[106:24]  ¹¹² tn Heb “a land of delight” (see also Jer 3:19; Zech 7:14).

[106:24]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “his word.”

[106:25]  ¹¹⁴ sn They grumbled in their tents. See Deut 1:27.

[106:25]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “did not listen to the voice of.”

[106:26]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “and he lifted his hand to [or “concerning”] them.” The idiom “to lift a hand” here refers to swearing an oath. One would sometimes solemnly lift one’s hand when making such a vow (see Ezek 20:5-6, 15).

[106:26]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “to cause them to fall.”

[106:27]  ¹¹⁸ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

[106:27]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “and to cause their offspring to fall.” Some emend the verb to “scatter” to form tighter parallelism with the following line (cf. NRSV “disperse”).

[106:27]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “among the lands.” The word “foreign” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[106:28]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “joined themselves to.”

[106:28]  ¹²² tn Here “the dead” may refer to deceased ancestors (see Deut 26:14). Another option is to understand the term as a derogatory reference to the various deities which the Israelites worshiped at Peor along with Baal (see Num 25:2 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 49).

[106:29]  ¹²³ tn Heb “They made angry [him].” The pronominal suffix is omitted here, but does appear in a few medieval Hebrew mss. Perhaps it was accidentally left off, an original וַיַּכְעִיסוּהוּ (vayyakh’isuhu) being misread as וַיַּכְעִיסוּ (vayyakh’isu). In the translation the referent of the pronominal suffix (the Lord) has been specified for clarity to avoid confusion with Baal of Peor (mentioned in the previous verse).

[20:11]  ¹²⁴ sn The laws were given at Mount Sinai.

[20:11]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “the man.”

[20:11]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “does.”

[20:11]  ¹²⁷ tn The wording and the concept is contained in Lev 18:5 and Deut 30:15-19.

[20:12]  ¹²⁸ sn Ezekiel’s contemporary, Jeremiah, also stressed the importance of obedience to the Sabbath law (Jer 17).

[20:12]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “to become a sign between me and them.”

[20:12]  ¹³⁰ tn Or “set them apart.” The last phrase of verse 12 appears to be a citation of Exod 31:13.

[20:13]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”

[20:13]  ¹³² tn Heb “to bring them to an end.”

[20:15]  ¹³³ tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”

[20:16]  ¹³⁴ tn The words “I did this” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons. Verses 15-16 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text. The translation divides this sentence into two for stylistic reasons.

[20:16]  ¹³⁵ tn Heb “for after their idols their heart was going.” The use of the active participle (“was going”) in the Hebrew text draws attention to the ongoing nature of their idolatrous behavior.

[20:17]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “my eye pitied.”

[5:25]  ¹³⁷ tn Heb “Did you bring me…?” This rhetorical question expects a negative answer. The point seems to be this: Since sacrifices did not characterize God’s relationship with Israel during the nation’s formative years, the people should not consider them to be so fundamental. The Lord places a higher priority on justice than he does on empty ritual.

[5:25]  ¹³⁸ tn Heb “house.”

[5:26]  ¹³⁹ tn This word appears in an awkward position in the Hebrew, following “Kiyyun.” It is placed here for better sense.

[5:26]  ¹⁴⁰ tn The Hebrew term סִכּוּת (sikkut) apparently refers to Sakkuth, a Mesopotamian star god identified with Ninurta in an Ugaritic god list. The name is vocalized in the Hebrew text after the pattern of שִׁקוּץ (shiqquts, “detestable thing”). See S. M. Paul, Amos (Hermeneia), 195-96. Some English versions, following the LXX, translate as “tent” or “shrine” (NEB, NIV), pointing the term as סֻכַּת (sukkat; cf. 9:11).

[5:26]  ¹⁴¹ tc LXX, Vulgate, and Acts 7:43 read “Moloch” (cf. KJV). The Hebrew consonants are the same for both “king” and “Moloch” (מֹלֶךְ; molekh).

[5:26]  ¹⁴² tn The Hebrew term כִּיּוּן (kiyyun) apparently refers to the Mesopotamian god Kayamanu, or Saturn. The name, like “Sikkuth” in the previous line, is vocalized in the Hebrew text after the pattern of שִׁקוּץ (shiqquts, “detestable thing”). See S. M. Paul, Amos (Hermeneia), 195-96. Some versions translate as “pedestal” (NEB, NIV), relating the term to the root כּוּן (kun).

[5:1]  ¹⁴³ tn Heb “Listen to this word which I am about to take up against you, a funeral song.”

[5:1]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “house.”

[1:1]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:2]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Grk “and faithful.” The construction in Greek (as well as Paul’s style) suggests that the saints are identical to the faithful; hence, the καί (kai) is best left untranslated (cf. Eph 1:1). See ExSyn 281-82.

[1:2]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[1:2]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:2]  ¹⁴⁹ tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (א A C F G I [P] 075 Ï it bo), read “and the Lord Jesus Christ” at the end of this verse, no doubt to conform the wording to the typical Pauline salutation. However, excellent and early witnesses (B D K L Ψ 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 al sa) lack this phrase. Since the omission is inexplicable as arising from the longer reading (otherwise, these mss would surely have deleted the phrase in the rest of the corpus Paulinum), it is surely authentic.

[1:3]  ¹⁵⁰ tn The adverb πάντοτε (pantote) is understood to modify the indicative εὐχαριστοῦμεν (eucaristoumen) because it precedes περὶ ὑμῶν (peri Jumwn) which probably modifies the indicative and not the participle προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi). But see 1:9 where the same expression occurs and περὶ ὑμῶν modifies the participle “praying” (προσευχόμενοι).

[1:4]  ¹⁵¹ tn The adverbial participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") is understood to be temporal and translated with “since.” A causal idea may also be in the apostle’s mind, but the context emphasizes temporal ideas, e.g., “from the day” (v. 6).

[1:5]  ¹⁵² tn Col 1:3-8 form one long sentence in the Greek text and have been divided at the end of v. 4 and v. 6 and within v. 6 for clarity, in keeping with the tendency in contemporary English toward shorter sentences. Thus the phrase “Your faith and love have arisen from the hope” is literally “because of the hope.” The perfect tense “have arisen” was chosen in the English to reflect the fact that the recipients of the letter had acquired this hope at conversion in the past, but that it still remains and motivates them to trust in Christ and to love one another.

[1:5]  ¹⁵³ tn BDAG 113 s.v. ἀπόκειμαι 2 renders ἀποκειμένην (apokeimenhn) with the expression “reserved” in this verse.

[1:5]  ¹⁵⁴ tn The term “the gospel” (τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, tou euangeliou) is in apposition to “the word of truth” (τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ἀληθείας, tw logw th" alhqeia") as indicated in the translation.

[1:6]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Grk “just as in the entire world it is bearing fruit.” The antecedent (“the gospel”) of the implied subject (“it”) of ἐστιν (estin) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:6]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Though the participles are periphrastic with the present tense verb ἐστίν (estin), the presence of the temporal indicator “from the day” in the next clause indicates that this is a present tense that reaches into the past and should be translated as “has been bearing fruit and growing.” For a discussion of this use of the present tense, see ExSyn 519-20.

[1:7]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Or “learned it.” The Greek text simply has “you learned” without the reference to “the gospel,” but “the gospel” is supplied to clarify the sense of the clause. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[1:7]  ¹⁵⁸ tn The Greek word translated “fellow slave” is σύνδουλος (sundoulo"); the σύν- prefix here denotes association. Though δοῦλος is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:7]  ¹⁵⁹ tn The Greek text has “who (ὅς, Jos) is a faithful minister.” The above translation conveys the antecedent of the relative pronoun quite well and avoids the redundancy with the following substantival participle of v. 8, namely, “who told” (ὁ δηλώσας, Jo dhlwsa").

[1:7]  ¹⁶⁰ tc ‡ Judging by the superior witnesses for the first person pronoun ἡμῶν (Jhmwn, “us”; Ì⁴⁶ א* A B D* F G 326* 1505 al) vs. the second person pronoun ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “you”; found in א² C D¹ Ψ 075 33 1739 1881 Ï lat sy co), ἡμῶν should be regarded as original. Although it is possible that ἡμῶν was an early alteration of ὑμῶν (either unintentionally, as dittography, since it comes seventeen letters after the previous ἡμῶν; or intentionally, to conform to the surrounding first person pronouns), this supposition is difficult to maintain in light of the varied and valuable witnesses for this reading. Further, the second person is both embedded in the verb ἐμάθετε (emaqete) and is explicit in v. 8 (ὑμῶν). Hence, the motivation to change to the first person pronoun is counterbalanced by such evidence. The second person pronoun may have been introduced unintentionally via homoioarcton with the ὑπέρ (Juper) that immediately precedes it. As well, the second person reading is somewhat harder for it seems to address Epaphras’ role only in relation to Paul and his colleagues, rather than in relation to the Colossians. Nevertheless, the decision must be based ultimately on external evidence (because the internal evidence can be variously interpreted), and this strongly supports ἡμῶν.

[1:9]  ¹⁶¹ tn Or “heard about it”; Grk “heard.” There is no direct object stated in the Greek (direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context). A direct object is expected by an English reader, however, so most translations supply one. Here, however, it is not entirely clear what the author “heard”: a number of translations supply “it” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV; NAB “this”), but this could refer back either to (1) “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8, or (2) “your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints” (v. 4). In light of this uncertainty, other translations supply “about you” (TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). This is preferred by the present translation since, while it does not resolve the ambiguity entirely, it does make it less easy for the English reader to limit the reference only to “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8.

[1:9]  ¹⁶² tn The term “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but the following reference to “the knowledge of his will” makes it clear that “God” is in view as the object of the “praying and asking,” and should therefore be included in the English translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ¹⁶³ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated as substantival, indicating the content of the prayer and asking. The idea of purpose may also be present in this clause.

[1:10]  ¹⁶⁴ tn The infinitive περιπατῆσαι (peripathsai, “to walk, to live, to live one’s life”) is best taken as an infinitive of purpose related to “praying” (προσευχόμενοι, proseucomenoi) and “asking” (αἰτούμενοι, aitoumenoi) in v. 9 and is thus translated as “that you may live.”

[1:10]  ¹⁶⁵ tn BDAG 129 s.v. ἀρεσκεία states that ἀρεσκείαν (areskeian) refers to a “desire to please εἰς πᾶσαν ἀ. to please (the Lord) in all respects Col 1:10.”

[3:7]  ¹⁶⁶ sn The following quotation is from Ps 95:7b-11.

[3:7]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Grk “today if you hear his voice.”

[3:9]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Grk “tested me by trial.”

[3:10]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Grk “they are wandering in the heart.”

[3:16]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Grk “through Moses.”

[3:17]  ¹⁷¹ tn Grk “he”; in the translation the referent (God) has been specified for clarity.

[3:17]  ¹⁷² sn An allusion to God’s judgment pronounced in Num 14:29, 32.

[3:19]  ¹⁷³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “So” to indicate a summary or conclusion to the argument of the preceding paragraph.