Amos 6:8

6:8 The sovereign Lord confirms this oath by his very own life. ¹ 

The Lord, the God who commands armies, is speaking:

“I despise Jacob’s arrogance;

I hate their ²  fortresses.

I will hand over to their enemies ³  the city of Samaria ⁴  and everything in it.”

Deuteronomy 33:26-29

General Praise and Blessing

33:26 There is no one like God, O Jeshurun, ⁵ 

who rides through the sky ⁶  to help you,

on the clouds in majesty.

33:27 The everlasting God is a refuge,

and underneath you are his eternal arms; ⁷ 

he has driven out enemies before you,

and has said, “Destroy!”

33:28 Israel lives in safety,

the fountain of Jacob is quite secure, ⁸ 

in a land of grain and new wine;

indeed, its heavens ⁹  rain down dew. ¹⁰ 

33:29 You have joy, Israel! Who is like you?

You are a people delivered by the Lord,

your protective shield

and your exalted sword.

May your enemies cringe before you;

may you trample on their backs.

Psalms 47:4

47:4 He picked out for us a special land ¹¹ 

to be a source of pride for ¹²  Jacob, ¹³  whom he loves. ¹⁴  (Selah)

Psalms 68:34

68:34 Acknowledge God’s power, ¹⁵ 

his sovereignty over Israel,

and the power he reveals in the skies! ¹⁶ 

Luke 2:32

2:32 a light, ¹⁷ 

for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory ¹⁸  to your people Israel.”

[6:8]  ¹ tn Heb “swears by his life”; or “swears by himself.”

[6:8]  ² tn Heb “his,” referring to Jacob, which stands here for the nation of Israel.

[6:8]  ³ tn The words “to their enemies” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[6:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “the city”; this probably refers to the city of Samaria (cf. 6:1), which in turn, by metonymy, represents the entire northern kingdom.

[33:26]  ⁵ sn Jeshurun is a term of affection referring to Israel, derived from the Hebrew verb יָשַׁר (yashar, “be upright”). See note on the term in Deut 32:15.

[33:26]  ⁶ tn Or “(who) rides (on) the heavens” (cf. NIV, NRSV, NLT). This title depicts Israel’s God as sovereign over the elements of the storm (cf. Ps 68:33). The use of the phrase here may be polemical; Moses may be asserting that Israel’s God, not Baal (called the “rider of the clouds” in the Ugaritic myths), is the true divine king (cf. v. 5) who controls the elements of the storm, grants agricultural prosperity, and delivers his people from their enemies. See R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “The Polemic against Baalism in Israel’s Early History and Literature,” BSac 151 (1994): 275.

[33:27]  ⁷ tn Heb “and from under, arms of perpetuity.” The words “you” and “his” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Some have perceived this line to be problematic and have offered alternative translations that differ significantly from the present translation: “He spread out the primeval tent; he extended the ancient canopy” (NAB); “He subdues the ancient gods, shatters the forces of old” (NRSV). These are based on alternate meanings or conjectural emendations rather than textual variants in the mss and versions.

[33:28]  ⁸ tn Heb “all alone.” The idea is that such vital resources as water will some day no longer need protection because God will provide security.

[33:28]  ⁹ tn Or “skies.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.

[33:28]  ¹⁰ tn Or perhaps “drizzle, showers.” See note at Deut 32:2.

[47:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he chose for us our inheritance.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite (see “subdued” in v. 3).

[47:4]  ¹² tn Heb “the pride of.” The phrase is appositional to “our inheritance,” indicating that the land is here described as a source of pride to God’s people.

[47:4]  ¹³ tn That is, Israel.

[47:4]  ¹⁴ sn Jacob whom he loves. The Lord’s covenantal devotion to his people is in view.

[68:34]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “give strength to God.”

[68:34]  ¹⁶ sn The language of v. 34 echoes that of Deut 33:26.

[2:32]  ¹⁷ tn The syntax of this verse is disputed. Most read “light” and “glory” in parallelism, so Jesus is a light for revelation to the Gentiles and is glory to the people for Israel. Others see “light” (1:78-79) as a summary, while “revelation” and “glory” are parallel, so Jesus is light for all, but is revelation for the Gentiles and glory for Israel. Both readings make good sense and either could be correct, but Luke 1:78-79 and Acts 26:22-23 slightly favor this second option.

[2:32]  ¹⁸ sn In other words, Jesus is a special cause for praise and honor (“glory”) for the nation.