Deuteronomy 12:18

12:18 Only in the presence of the Lord your God may you eat these, in the place he ¹  chooses. This applies to you, your son, your daughter, your male and female servants, and the Levites ²  in your villages. In that place you will rejoice before the Lord your God in all the output of your labor. ³ 

Deuteronomy 12:1

The Central Sanctuary

12:1 These are the statutes and ordinances you must be careful to obey as long as you live in the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, ⁴  has given you to possess. ⁵ 

Deuteronomy 2:1

The Journey from Kadesh Barnea to Moab

2:1 Then we turned and set out toward the desert land on the way to the Red Sea ⁶  just as the Lord told me to do, detouring around Mount Seir for a long time.

Job 13:15

13:15 Even if he slays me, I will hope in him; ⁷ 

I will surely ⁸  defend ⁹  my ways to his face!

Psalms 33:1

Psalm 33 ¹⁰ 

33:1 You godly ones, shout for joy because of the Lord!

It is appropriate for the morally upright to offer him praise.

Psalms 46:1-5

Psalm 46 ¹¹ 

For the music director; by the Korahites; according to the alamoth style; ¹²  a song.

46:1 God is our strong refuge; ¹³ 

he is truly our helper in times of trouble. ¹⁴ 

46:2 For this reason we do not fear ¹⁵  when the earth shakes, ¹⁶ 

and the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea, ¹⁷ 

46:3 when its waves ¹⁸  crash ¹⁹  and foam,

and the mountains shake ²⁰  before the surging sea. ²¹  (Selah)

46:4 The river’s channels bring joy to the city of God, ²² 

the special, holy dwelling place of ²³  the sovereign One. ²⁴ 

46:5 God lives within it, ²⁵  it cannot be moved. ²⁶ 

God rescues it ²⁷  at the break of dawn. ²⁸ 

Psalms 85:6

85:6 Will you not revive us once more?

Then your people will rejoice in you!

Psalms 97:12

97:12 You godly ones, rejoice in the Lord!

Give thanks to his holy name. ²⁹ 

Psalms 104:34

104:34 May my thoughts ³⁰  be pleasing to him!

I will rejoice in the Lord.

Psalms 118:15

118:15 They celebrate deliverance in the tents of the godly. ³¹ 

The Lord’s right hand conquers, ³² 

Psalms 149:2

149:2 Let Israel rejoice in their Creator!

Let the people ³³  of Zion delight in their king! ³⁴ 

Isaiah 41:16

41:16 You will winnow them and the wind will blow them away;

the wind will scatter them.

You will rejoice in the Lord;

you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 61:10

61:10 I ³⁵  will greatly rejoice ³⁶  in the Lord;

I will be overjoyed because of my God. ³⁷ 

For he clothes me in garments of deliverance;

he puts on me a robe symbolizing vindication. ³⁸ 

I look like a bridegroom when he wears a turban as a priest would;

I look like a bride when she puts on her jewelry. ³⁹ 

Zechariah 10:7

10:7 The Ephraimites will be like warriors and will rejoice as if they had drunk wine. Their children will see it and rejoice; they will celebrate in the things of the Lord.

Luke 1:46-47

Mary’s Hymn of Praise

1:46 And Mary ⁴⁰  said, ⁴¹ 

“My soul exalts ⁴²  the Lord, ⁴³ 

1:47 and my spirit has begun to rejoice ⁴⁴  in God my Savior,

Romans 5:2-3

5:2 through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice ⁴⁵  in the hope of God’s glory. 5:3 Not ⁴⁶  only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,

Philippians 4:4

4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice!

James 1:2

Joy in Trials

1:2 My brothers and sisters, ⁴⁷  consider it nothing but joy ⁴⁸  when you fall into all sorts of trials,

James 1:9-10

1:9 Now the believer ⁴⁹  of humble means ⁵⁰  should take pride ⁵¹  in his high position. ⁵²  1:10 But the rich person’s pride should be in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a wildflower in the meadow. ⁵³ 

James 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From James, ⁵⁴  a slave ⁵⁵  of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. ⁵⁶  Greetings!

James 1:8

1:8 since he is a double-minded individual, ⁵⁷  unstable in all his ways.

James 4:12-13

4:12 But there is only one who is lawgiver and judge – the one who is able to save and destroy. On the other hand, who are you to judge your neighbor? ⁵⁸ 

4:13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that town ⁵⁹  and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.”

[12:18]  ¹ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 12:5.

[12:18]  ² tn See note at Deut 12:12.

[12:18]  ³ tn Heb “in all the sending forth of your hands.”

[12:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “fathers.”

[12:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “you must be careful to obey in the land the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess all the days which you live in the land.” This adverbial statement modifies “to obey,” not “to possess,” so the order in the translation has been rearranged to make this clear.

[2:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “Reed Sea.” See note on the term “Red Sea” in Deut 1:40.

[13:15]  ⁷ tn There is a textual difficulty here that factors into the interpretation of the verse. The Kethib is לֹא (lo’, “not”), but the Qere is לוֹ (lo, “to him”). The RSV takes the former: “Behold, he will slay me, I have no hope.” The NIV takes it as “though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.” Job is looking ahead to death, which is not an evil thing to him. The point of the verse is that he is willing to challenge God at the risk of his life; and if God slays him, he is still confident that he will be vindicated – as he says later in this chapter. Other suggestions are not compelling. E. Dhorme (Job, 187) makes a slight change of אֲיַחֵל (’ayakhel, “I will hope”) to אַחִיל (’akhil, “I will [not] tremble”). A. B. Davidson (Job, 98) retains the MT, but interprets the verb more in line with its use in the book: “I will not wait” (cf. NLT).

[13:15]  ⁸ tn On אַךְ (’akh, “surely”) see GKC 483 §153 on intensive clauses.

[13:15]  ⁹ tn The verb once again is יָכָה (yakhah, in the Hiphil, “argue a case, plead, defend, contest”). But because the word usually means “accuse” rather than “defend,” I. L. Seeligmann proposed changing “my ways” to “his ways” (“Zur Terminologie für das Gerichtsverfahren im Wortschatz des biblischen Hebräisch,” VTSup 16 [1967]: 251-78). But the word can be interpreted appropriately in the context without emendation.

[33:1]  ¹⁰ sn Psalm 33. In this hymn the psalmist praises the Lord as the sovereign creator and just ruler of the world who protects and vindicates those who fear him.

[46:1]  ¹¹ sn Psalm 46. In this so-called “Song Of Zion” God’s people confidently affirm that they are secure because the great warrior-king dwells within Jerusalem and protects it from the nations that cause such chaos in the earth. A refrain (vv. 7, 11) concludes the song’s two major sections.

[46:1]  ¹² sn The meaning of the Hebrew term עֲלָמוֹת (alamoth, which means “young women”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. Cf. 1 Chr 15:20.

[46:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “our refuge and strength,” which is probably a hendiadys meaning “our strong refuge” (see Ps 71:7). Another option is to translate, “our refuge and source of strength.”

[46:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “a helper in times of trouble he is found [to be] greatly.” The perfect verbal form has a generalizing function here. The adverb מְאֹד (mÿ’od, “greatly”) has an emphasizing function.

[46:2]  ¹⁵ tn The imperfect is taken in a generalizing sense (cf. NEB) because the situation described in vv. 2-3 is understood as symbolizing typical world conditions. In this case the imperfect draws attention to the typical nature of the response. The covenant community characteristically responds with confidence, not fear. Another option is to take the situation described as purely hypothetical. In this case one might translate, “We will not fear, even though the earth should shake” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[46:2]  ¹⁶ tn The Hiphil infinitival form is normally taken to mean “when [the earth] is altered,” being derived from מוּר (mur, “to change”). In this case the Hiphil would be intransitive, as in Ps 15:4. HALOT 560 s.v. II מור emends the form to a Niphal and derives it from a homonymic root מוּר attested in Arabic with the meaning “shake.”

[46:2]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “heart of the seas.” The plural may be used for emphasis, pointing to the deepest sea. Note that the next verse uses a singular pronoun (“its waters,” “its swelling”) in referring back to the plural noun.

[46:3]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “its waters.”

[46:3]  ¹⁹ tn Or “roar.”

[46:3]  ²⁰ tn The three imperfect verbal forms in v. 3 draw attention to the characteristic nature of the activity described.

[46:3]  ²¹ tn Heb “at its swelling.” The Hebrew word often means “pride.” If the sea is symbolic of hostile nations, then this may be a case of double entendre. The surging, swelling sea symbolizes the proud, hostile nations. On the surface the psalmist appears to be depicting a major natural catastrophe, perhaps a tidal wave. If so, then the situation would be hypothetical. However, the repetition of the verbs הָמָה (hamah, “crash; roar,” v. 3) and מוֹט (mot, “shake,” v. 2) in v. 6, where nations/kingdoms “roar” and “shake,” suggests that the language of vv. 2-3 is symbolic and depicts the upheaval that characterizes relationships between the nations of the earth. As some nations (symbolized by the surging, chaotic waters) show hostility, others (symbolized by the mountains) come crashing down to destruction. The surging waters are symbolic of chaotic forces in other poetic texts (see, for example, Isa 17:12; Jer 51:42) and mountains can symbolize strong kingdoms (see, for example, Jer 51:25).

[46:4]  ²² tn Heb “A river, its channels cause the city of God to be glad.”

[46:4]  ²³ tn Heb “the holy [place] of the dwelling places of.” The adjective “holy” is used here in a substantival manner and placed in construct with the following noun (see GKC 428 §132.c). Origen’s transliterated text assumes the reading קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh, “holiness; holy place”), while the LXX assumes a Piel verbal form קִדֵּשׁ (qidesh, “makes holy”) and takes the following form as “his dwelling place.” The plural form מִשְׁכְּנֵי (mishkÿney, “dwelling places of”) is probably a plural of degree, emphasizing the special character of this dwelling place. See GKC 397 §124.b. The form stands as an appositional genitive in relation to the preceding construct noun.

[46:4]  ²⁴ tn Heb “Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.

[46:5]  ²⁵ tn Heb “God [is] within her.” The feminine singular pronoun refers to the city mentioned in v. 4.

[46:5]  ²⁶ tn Another option is to translate the imperfect verbal form as future, “it will not be upended.” Even if one chooses this option, the future tense must be understood in a generalizing sense. The verb מוֹט (mot), translated “upended” here, is used in v. 2 of the mountains “tumbling” into the seas and in v. 6 of nations being “upended.” By way of contrast, Jerusalem, God’s dwelling place, is secure and immune from such turmoil and destruction.

[46:5]  ²⁷ tn Or “helps her.” The imperfect draws attention to the generalizing character of the statement.

[46:5]  ²⁸ tn Heb “at the turning of morning.” (For other uses of the expression see Exod 14:27 and Judg 19:26).

[97:12]  ²⁹ tn Heb “to his holy remembrance.” The Hebrew noun זָכַר (zakhar, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the Lord as invoked in liturgy and praise. Cf. Pss 6:5; 30:4. The Lord’s “name” is “holy” in the sense that it is a reminder of his uniqueness and greatness.

[104:34]  ³⁰ tn That is, the psalmist’s thoughts as expressed in his songs of praise.

[118:15]  ³¹ tn Heb “the sound of a ringing shout and deliverance [is] in the tents of the godly.”

[118:15]  ³² tn Heb “does valiantly.” The statement refers here to military success (see Num 24:18; 1 Sam 14:48; Pss 60:12; 108:13).

[149:2]  ³³ tn Heb “sons.”

[149:2]  ³⁴ sn The Lord is the king here, as the parallelism in the previous line (“their creator”) indicates.

[61:10]  ³⁵ sn The speaker in vv. 10-11 is not identified, but it is likely that the personified nation (or perhaps Zion) responds here to the Lord’s promise of restoration.

[61:10]  ³⁶ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.

[61:10]  ³⁷ tn Heb “my being is happy in my God”; NAB “in my God is the joy of my soul.”

[61:10]  ³⁸ tn Heb “robe of vindication”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “robe of righteousness.”

[61:10]  ³⁹ tn Heb “like a bridegroom [who] acts like a priest [by wearing] a turban, and like a bride [who] wears her jewelry.” The words “I look” are supplied for stylistic reasons and clarification.

[1:46]  ⁴⁰ tc A few witnesses, especially Latin mss, (a b l* Ir^arm Or^lat mss Nic) read “Elizabeth” here, since she was just speaking, but the ms evidence overwhelmingly supports “Mary” as the speaker.

[1:46]  ⁴¹ sn The following passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.

[1:46]  ⁴² tn Or “lifts up the Lord in praise.”

[1:46]  ⁴³ sn This psalm (vv. 46-55) is one of the few praise psalms in the NT. Mary praises God and then tells why both in terms of his care for her (vv. 46-49) and for others, including Israel (vv. 50-55). Its traditional name, the “Magnificat,” comes from the Latin for the phrase My soul magnifies the Lord at the hymn’s start.

[1:47]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “rejoices.” The translation renders this aorist, which stands in contrast to the previous line’s present tense, as ingressive, which highlights Mary’s joyous reaction to the announcement. A comprehensive aorist is also possible here.

[5:2]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “exult, boast.”

[5:3]  ⁴⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[1:2]  ⁴⁷ 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). Where the plural term is used in direct address, as here, “brothers and sisters” is used; where the term is singular and not direct address (as in v. 9), “believer” is preferred.

[1:2]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “all joy,” “full joy,” or “greatest joy.”

[1:9]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “brother.” Here the term “brother” means “fellow believer” or “fellow Christian” (cf. TEV, NLT “Christians”; CEV “God’s people”). The term broadly connotes familial relationships within the family of God (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a).

[1:9]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “the lowly brother,” but “lowly/humble” is clarified in context by the contrast with “wealthy” in v. 10.

[1:9]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “let him boast.”

[1:9]  ⁵² tn Grk “his height,” “his exaltation.”

[1:10]  ⁵³ tn Grk “a flower of grass.”

[1:1]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “James.” The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ⁵⁵ tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) 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.

[1:1]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora.” The Greek term διασπορά (diaspora, “dispersion”) refers to Jews not living in Palestine but “dispersed” or scattered among the Gentiles.

[1:8]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “a man of two minds,” continuing the description of the person in v. 7, giving the reason that he cannot expect to receive anything. The word for “man” or “individual” is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But it sometimes is used generically to mean “anyone,” “a person,” as here (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. 2).

[4:12]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “who judges your neighbor.”

[4:13]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “city.”