Deuteronomy 16:3

16:3 You must not eat any yeast with it; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast, symbolic of affliction, for you came out of Egypt hurriedly. You must do this so you will remember for the rest of your life the day you came out of the land of Egypt.

Psalms 80:5

80:5 You have given them tears as food; ¹ 

you have made them drink tears by the measure. ² 

Psalms 102:9

102:9 For I eat ashes as if they were bread, ³ 

and mix my drink with my tears, ⁴ 

Psalms 127:2

127:2 It is vain for you to rise early, come home late,

and work so hard for your food. ⁵ 

Yes, ⁶  he can provide for those whom he loves even when they sleep. ⁷ 

Isaiah 30:20

30:20 The sovereign master ⁸  will give you distress to eat

and suffering to drink; ⁹ 

but your teachers will no longer be hidden;

your eyes will see them. ¹⁰ 

[80:5]  ¹ tn Heb “you have fed them the food of tears.”

[80:5]  ² tn Heb “[by] the third part [of a measure].” The Hebrew term שָׁלִישׁ (shalish, “third part [of a measure]”) occurs only here and in Isa 40:12.

[102:9]  ³ sn Mourners would sometimes put ashes on their head or roll in ashes as a sign of mourning (see 2 Sam 13:19; Job 2:8; Isa 58:5).

[102:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “weeping.”

[127:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “[it is] vain for you, you who are early to rise, who delay sitting, who eat the food of hard work.” The three substantival participles are parallel and stand in apposition to the pronominal suffix on the preposition. See לָכֶם (lakhem, “for you”).

[127:2]  ⁶ tn Here the Hebrew particle כֵּן (ken) is used to stress the following affirmation (see Josh 2:4; Ps 63:2).

[127:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “he gives to his beloved, sleep.” The translation assumes that the Hebrew term שֵׁנָא (shena’, “sleep,” an alternate form of שֵׁנָה, shenah) is an adverbial accusative. The point seems to be this: Hard work by itself is not what counts, but one’s relationship to God, for God is able to bless an individual even while he sleeps. (There may even be a subtle allusion to the miracle of conception following sexual intercourse; see the reference to the gift of sons in the following verse.) The statement is not advocating laziness, but utilizing hyperbole to give perspective and to remind the addressees that God must be one’s first priority. Another option is to take “sleep” as the direct object: “yes, he gives sleep to his beloved” (cf. NIV, NRSV). In this case the point is this: Hard work by itself is futile, for only God is able to bless one with sleep, which metonymically refers to having one’s needs met. He blesses on the basis of one’s relationship to him, not on the basis of physical energy expended.

[30:20]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).

[30:20]  ⁹ tn Heb “and the Master will give to you bread – distress, and water – oppression.”

[30:20]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “but your teachers will no longer be hidden, your eyes will be seeing your teachers.” The translation assumes that the form מוֹרֶיךָ (morekha) is a plural participle, referring to spiritual leaders such as prophets and priests. Another possibility is that the form is actually singular (see GKC 273-74 §93.ss) or a plural of respect, referring to God as the master teacher. See HALOT 560-61 s.v. III מוֹרֶה. For discussion of the views, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:560.