Deuteronomy 28:1-14

The Covenant Blessings

28:1 “If you indeed ¹  obey the Lord your God and are careful to observe all his commandments I am giving ²  you today, the Lord your God will elevate you above all the nations of the earth. 28:2 All these blessings will come to you in abundance ³  if you obey the Lord your God: 28:3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the field. ⁴  28:4 Your children ⁵  will be blessed, as well as the produce of your soil, the offspring of your livestock, the calves of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks. 28:5 Your basket and your mixing bowl will be blessed. 28:6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. ⁶  28:7 The Lord will cause your enemies who attack ⁷  you to be struck down before you; they will attack you from one direction ⁸  but flee from you in seven different directions. 28:8 The Lord will decree blessing for you with respect to your barns and in everything you do – yes, he will bless you in the land he ⁹  is giving you. 28:9 The Lord will designate you as his holy people just as he promised you, if you keep his commandments ¹⁰  and obey him. ¹¹  28:10 Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you belong to the Lord, ¹²  and they will respect you. 28:11 The Lord will greatly multiply your children, ¹³  the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your soil in the land which he ¹⁴  promised your ancestors ¹⁵  he would give you. 28:12 The Lord will open for you his good treasure house, the heavens, to give you rain for the land in its season and to bless all you do; ¹⁶  you will lend to many nations but you will not borrow from any. 28:13 The Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always end up at the top and not at the bottom, if you obey his ¹⁷  commandments which I am urging ¹⁸  you today to be careful to do. 28:14 But you must not turn away from all the commandments I am giving ¹⁹  you today, to either the right or left, nor pursue other gods and worship ²⁰  them.

Job 5:19-26

5:19 He will deliver you ²¹  from six calamities;

yes, in seven ²²  no evil will touch you.

5:20 In time of famine ²³  he will redeem you from death,

and in time of war from the power of the sword. ²⁴ 

5:21 You will be protected ²⁵  from malicious gossip, ²⁶ 

and will not be afraid of the destruction ²⁷  when it comes.

5:22 You will laugh at destruction and famine ²⁸ 

and need not ²⁹  be afraid of the beasts of the earth.

5:23 For you will have a pact with the stones ³⁰  of the field,

and the wild animals ³¹  will be at peace ³²  with you.

5:24 And ³³  you will know ³⁴  that your home ³⁵ 

will be secure, ³⁶ 

and when you inspect ³⁷  your domains,

you will not be missing ³⁸  anything.

5:25 You will also know that your children ³⁹  will be numerous,

and your descendants ⁴⁰  like the grass of the earth.

5:26 You will come to your grave in a full age, ⁴¹ 

As stacks of grain are harvested in their season.

Psalms 37:3-4

37:3 Trust in the Lord and do what is right!

Settle in the land and maintain your integrity! ⁴² 

37:4 Then you will take delight in the Lord, ⁴³ 

and he will answer your prayers. ⁴⁴ 

Psalms 37:16-19

37:16 The little bit that a godly man owns is better than

the wealth of many evil men, ⁴⁵ 

37:17 for evil men will lose their power, ⁴⁶ 

but the Lord sustains ⁴⁷  the godly.

37:18 The Lord watches over the innocent day by day ⁴⁸ 

and they possess a permanent inheritance. ⁴⁹ 

37:19 They will not be ashamed when hard times come; ⁵⁰ 

when famine comes they will have enough to eat. ⁵¹ 

Psalms 37:29

37:29 The godly will possess the land

and will dwell in it permanently.

Psalms 84:11

84:11 For the Lord God is our sovereign protector. ⁵² 

The Lord bestows favor ⁵³  and honor;

he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity. ⁵⁴ 

Psalms 91:10-16

91:10 No harm will overtake ⁵⁵  you;

no illness ⁵⁶  will come near your home. ⁵⁷ 

91:11 For he will order his angels ⁵⁸ 

to protect you in all you do. ⁵⁹ 

91:12 They will lift you up in their hands,

so you will not slip and fall on a stone. ⁶⁰ 

91:13 You will subdue ⁶¹  a lion and a snake; ⁶² 

you will trample underfoot a young lion and a serpent.

91:14 The Lord says, ⁶³ 

“Because he is devoted to me, I will deliver him;

I will protect him ⁶⁴  because he is loyal to me. ⁶⁵ 

91:15 When he calls out to me, I will answer him.

I will be with him when he is in trouble;

I will rescue him and bring him honor.

91:16 I will satisfy him with long life, ⁶⁶ 

and will let him see my salvation.

Psalms 112:1-3

Psalm 112 ⁶⁷ 

112:1 Praise the Lord!

How blessed is the one ⁶⁸  who obeys ⁶⁹  the Lord,

who takes great delight in keeping his commands. ⁷⁰ 

112:2 His descendants ⁷¹  will be powerful on the earth;

the godly ⁷²  will be blessed.

112:3 His house contains wealth and riches;

his integrity endures. ⁷³ 

Psalms 128:1-6

Psalm 128 ⁷⁴ 

A song of ascents. ⁷⁵ 

128:1 How blessed is every one of the Lord’s loyal followers, ⁷⁶ 

each one who keeps his commands! ⁷⁷ 

128:2 You ⁷⁸  will eat what you worked so hard to grow. ⁷⁹ 

You will be blessed and secure. ⁸⁰ 

128:3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine ⁸¹ 

in the inner rooms of your house;

your children ⁸²  will be like olive branches,

as they sit all around your table.

128:4 Yes indeed, the man who fears the Lord

will be blessed in this way. ⁸³ 

128:5 May the Lord bless you ⁸⁴  from Zion,

that you might see ⁸⁵  Jerusalem ⁸⁶  prosper

all the days of your life,

128:6 and that you might see ⁸⁷  your grandchildren. ⁸⁸ 

May Israel experience peace! ⁸⁹ 

Psalms 145:19

145:19 He satisfies the desire ⁹⁰  of his loyal followers; ⁹¹ 

he hears their cry for help and delivers them.

Proverbs 3:16-18

3:16 Long life ⁹²  is in her right hand;

in her left hand are riches and honor.

3:17 Her ways are very pleasant, ⁹³ 

and all her paths are peaceful.

3:18 She is like ⁹⁴  a tree of life ⁹⁵  to those who obtain her, ⁹⁶ 

and everyone who grasps hold of her will be blessed. ⁹⁷ 

Ecclesiastes 8:12

8:12 Even though a sinner might commit a hundred crimes ⁹⁸  and still live a long time, ⁹⁹ 

yet I know that it will go well with God-fearing people ¹⁰⁰  – for they stand in fear ¹⁰¹  before him.

Isaiah 3:10

3:10 Tell the innocent ¹⁰²  it will go well with them, ¹⁰³ 

for they will be rewarded for what they have done. ¹⁰⁴ 

Isaiah 32:17-18

32:17 Fairness will produce peace ¹⁰⁵ 

and result in lasting security. ¹⁰⁶ 

32:18 My people will live in peaceful settlements,

in secure homes,

and in safe, quiet places. ¹⁰⁷ 

Isaiah 33:16

33:16 This is the person who will live in a secure place; ¹⁰⁸ 

he will find safety in the rocky, mountain strongholds; ¹⁰⁹ 

he will have food

and a constant supply of water.

Isaiah 65:13-14

65:13 So this is what the sovereign Lord says:

“Look, my servants will eat, but you will be hungry!

Look, my servants will drink, but you will be thirsty!

Look, my servants will rejoice, but you will be humiliated!

65:14 Look, my servants will shout for joy as happiness fills their hearts! ¹¹⁰ 

But you will cry out as sorrow fills your hearts; ¹¹¹ 

you will wail because your spirits will be crushed. ¹¹² 

Matthew 5:3-12

5:3 “Blessed ¹¹³  are the poor in spirit, ¹¹⁴  for the kingdom of heaven belongs ¹¹⁵  to them.

5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ¹¹⁶ 

5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger ¹¹⁷  and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children ¹¹⁸  of God.

5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.

5:11 “Blessed are you when people ¹¹⁹  insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely ¹²⁰  on account of me. 5:12 Rejoice and be glad because your reward is great in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.

Matthew 6:33

6:33 But above all pursue his kingdom ¹²¹  and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 19:29

19:29 And whoever has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much ¹²²  and will inherit eternal life.

Mark 10:19-20

10:19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” ¹²³  10:20 The man ¹²⁴  said to him, “Teacher, I have wholeheartedly obeyed ¹²⁵  all these laws ¹²⁶  since my youth.” ¹²⁷ 

Luke 12:31-32

12:31 Instead, pursue ¹²⁸  his ¹²⁹  kingdom, ¹³⁰  and these things will be given to you as well.

12:32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is well pleased ¹³¹  to give you the kingdom.

Romans 8:28

8:28 And we know that all things work together ¹³²  for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose,

Romans 8:1

The Believer’s Relationship to the Holy Spirit

8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ¹³³ 

Colossians 3:22

3:22 Slaves, ¹³⁴  obey your earthly ¹³⁵  masters in every respect, not only when they are watching – like those who are strictly people-pleasers – but with a sincere heart, fearing the Lord.

Colossians 3:2

3:2 Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth,

Colossians 1:3-4

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Church

1:3 We always ¹³⁶  give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 1:4 since ¹³⁷  we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints.

Colossians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ¹³⁸  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Colossians 2:1

2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, ¹³⁹  and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face. ¹⁴⁰ 

Revelation 3:12

3:12 The one who conquers ¹⁴¹  I will make ¹⁴²  a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never depart from it. I ¹⁴³  will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God (the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from my God), ¹⁴⁴  and my new name as well.

Revelation 3:21

3:21 I will grant the one ¹⁴⁵  who conquers ¹⁴⁶  permission ¹⁴⁷  to sit with me on my throne, just as I too conquered ¹⁴⁸  and sat down with my Father on his throne.

[28:1]  ¹ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “indeed.”

[28:1]  ² tn Heb “commanding”; NAB “which I enjoin on you today” (likewise in v. 15).

[28:2]  ³ tn Heb “come upon you and overtake you” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “come upon you and accompany you.”

[28:3]  ⁴ tn Or “in the country” (so NAB, NIV, NLT). This expression also occurs in v. 15.

[28:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “the fruit of your womb” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[28:6]  ⁶ sn Come in…go out. To “come in” and “go out” is a figure of speech (merism) indicating all of life and its activities.

[28:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “who rise up against” (so NIV).

[28:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “way” (also later in this verse and in v. 25).

[28:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” Because English would not typically reintroduce the proper name following a relative pronoun (“he will bless…the Lord your God is giving”), the pronoun (“he”) has been employed here in the translation.

[28:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the commandments of the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in the previous verse.

[28:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and walk in his ways” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[28:10]  ¹² tn Heb “the name of the Lord is called over you.” The Hebrew idiom indicates ownership; see 2 Sam 12:28; Isa 4:1, as well as BDB 896 s.v. קָרָא Niph. 2.d.(4).

[28:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “the fruit of your womb” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “will give you a lot of children.”

[28:11]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 28:8.

[28:11]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 36, 64).

[28:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “all the work of your hands.”

[28:13]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the Lord your God’s.” See note on “he” in 28:8.

[28:13]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “commanding” (so NRSV); NASB “which I charge you today.”

[28:14]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “from all the words which I am commanding.”

[28:14]  ²⁰ tn Heb “in order to serve.”

[5:19]  ²¹ tn The verb is the Hiphil imperfect of נָצַל (natsal, “deliver”). These verbs might have been treated as habitual imperfects if it were not for the use of the numerical images – “six calamities…in seven.” So the nuance is specific future instead.

[5:19]  ²² tn The use of a numerical ladder as we have here – “six // seven” is frequent in wisdom literature to show completeness. See Prov 6:16; Amos 1:3, Mic 5:5. A number that seems to be sufficient for the point is increased by one, as if to say there is always one more. By using this Eliphaz simply means “in all troubles” (see H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 56).

[5:20]  ²³ sn Targum Job here sees an allusion to the famine of Egypt and the war with Amalek.

[5:20]  ²⁴ tn Heb “from the hand of the sword.” This is idiomatic for “the power of the sword.” The expression is also metonymical, meaning from the effect of the sword, which is death.

[5:21]  ²⁵ tn The Hebrew verb essentially means “you will be hidden.” In the Niphal the verb means “to be hidden, to be in a hiding place,” and protected (Ps 31:20).

[5:21]  ²⁶ tn Heb “from the lash [i.e., whip] of the tongue.” Sir 26:9 and 51:2 show usages of these kinds of expressions: “the lash of the tongue” or “the blow of the tongue.” The expression indicates that a malicious gossip is more painful than a blow.

[5:21]  ²⁷ tn The word here is שׁוֹד (shod); it means “destruction,” but some commentators conjecture alternate readings: שׁוֹאָה (sho’ah, “desolation”); or שֵׁד (shed, “demon”). One argument for maintaining שׁוֹד (shod) is that it fits the assonance within the verse שׁוֹד…לָשׁוֹן…שׁוֹט (shot…lashon…shod).

[5:22]  ²⁸ tc The repetition of “destruction” and “famine” here has prompted some scholars to delete the whole verse. Others try to emend the text. The LXX renders them as “the unrighteous and the lawless.” But there is no difficulty in having the repetition of the words as found in the MT.

[5:22]  ²⁹ tn The negated jussive is used here to express the conviction that something cannot or should not happen (GKC 322 §109.e).

[5:23]  ³⁰ tn Heb “your covenant is with the stones of the field.” The line has been variously interpreted and translated. It is omitted in the LXX. It seems to mean there is a deep sympathy between man and nature. Some think it means that the boundaries will not be violated by enemies; Rashi thought it represented some species of beings, like genii of the field, and so read אֲדֹנֵי (’adone, “lords”) for אַבְנֵי (’avne, “stones”). Ball takes the word as בְּנֵי (bÿne, “sons”), as in “sons of the field,” to get the idea that the reference is to the beasts. E. Dhorme (Job, 71) rejects these ideas as too contrived; he says to have a pact with the stones of the field simply means the stones will not come and spoil the ground, making it less fertile.

[5:23]  ³¹ tn Heb “the beasts of the field.”

[5:23]  ³² tn This is the only occurrence of the Hophal of the verb שָׁלֵם (shalem, “to make or have peace” with someone). Compare Isa 11:6-9 and Ps 91:13. The verb form is the perfect; here it is the perfect consecutive following a noun clause (see GKC 494 §159.g).

[5:24]  ³³ sn Verses 19-23 described the immunity from evil and trouble that Job would enjoy – if he were restored to peace with God. Now, v. 24 describes the safety and peace of the homestead and his possessions if he were right with God.

[5:24]  ³⁴ tn The verb is again the perfect, but in sequence to the previous structure so that it is rendered as a future. This would be the case if Job were right with God.

[5:24]  ³⁵ tn Heb “tent.”

[5:24]  ³⁶ tn The word שָׁלוֹם (shalom) means “peace; safety; security; wholeness.” The same use appears in 1 Sam 25:6; 2 Sam 20:9.

[5:24]  ³⁷ tn The verb is פָּקַד (paqad, “to visit”). The idea here is “to gather together; to look over; to investigate,” or possibly even “to number” as it is used in the book of Numbers. The verb is the perfect with the vav consecutive; it may be subordinated to the imperfect verb that follows to form a temporal clause.

[5:24]  ³⁸ tn The verb is usually rendered “to sin”; but in this context the more specific primary meaning of “to miss the mark” or “to fail to find something.” Neither Job’s tent nor his possessions will be lost.

[5:25]  ³⁹ tn Heb “your seed.”

[5:25]  ⁴⁰ tn The word means “your shoots” and is parallel to “your seed” in the first colon. It refers here (as in Isa 34:1 and 42:5) to the produce of the earth. Some commentators suggest that Eliphaz seems to have forgotten or was insensitive to Job’s loss of his children; H. H. Rowley (Job [NCBC], 57) says his conventional theology is untouched by human feeling.

[5:26]  ⁴¹ tn The word translated “in a full age” has been given an array of meanings: “health; integrity”; “like a new blade of corn”; “in your strength [or vigor].” The numerical value of the letters in the word בְכֶלָח (bÿkhelakh, “in old age”) was 2, 20, 30, and 8, or 60. This led some of the commentators to say that at 60 one would enter the ripe old age (E. Dhorme, Job, 73).

[37:3]  ⁴² tn Heb “tend integrity.” The verb רָעָה (ra’ah, “tend, shepherd”) is probably used here in the sense of “watch over, guard.” The noun אֱמוּנָה (’emunah, “faithfulness, honesty, integrity”) is understood as the direct object of the verb, though it could be taken as an adverbial accusative, “[feed] securely,” if the audience is likened to a flock of sheep.

[37:4]  ⁴³ tn Following the imperatives of v. 3 the prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) in v. 4 indicate result. Faith and obedience (v. 3) will bring divine blessing (v. 4).

[37:4]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “and he will give you what you desire most.” Heb “and he will grant to you the requests of your heart.”

[37:16]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “Better [is] a little to the godly one than the wealth of many evil ones.” The following verses explain why this is true. Though a godly individual may seem to have only meager possessions, he always has what he needs and will eventually possess the land. The wicked may prosper for a brief time, but will eventually be destroyed by divine judgment and lose everything.

[37:17]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “for the arms of the evil ones will be broken.”

[37:17]  ⁴⁷ tn The active participle here indicates this is characteristically true.

[37:18]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “the Lord knows the days of the innocent ones.” He “knows” their days in the sense that he is intimately aware of and involved in their daily struggles. He meets their needs and sustains them.

[37:18]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “and their inheritance is forever.”

[37:19]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “in a time of trouble.”

[37:19]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “in days of famine they will be satisfied.”

[84:11]  ⁵² tn Heb “[is] a sun and a shield.” The epithet “sun,” though rarely used of Israel’s God in the OT, was a well-attested royal title in the ancient Near East. For several examples from Ugaritic texts, the Amarna letters, and Assyrian royal inscriptions, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 131, n. 2.

[84:11]  ⁵³ tn Or “grace.”

[84:11]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “he does not withhold good to those walking in integrity.”

[91:10]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “confront.”

[91:10]  ⁵⁶ tn For this sense of the Hebrew term נגע see Ps 38:11.

[91:10]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “your tent.”

[91:11]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “for his angels he will command concerning you.”

[91:11]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “in all your ways.”

[91:12]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “so your foot will not strike a stone.”

[91:13]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “walk upon.”

[91:13]  ⁶² tn Or perhaps “cobra” (see Ps 58:4).

[91:14]  ⁶³ tn The words “the Lord says” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the words which follow are the Lord’s oracle of assurance.

[91:14]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “make him secure” (Heb “set him on high”).

[91:14]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “because he knows my name” (see Ps 9:10).

[91:16]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “length of days.”

[112:1]  ⁶⁷ sn Psalm 112. This wisdom psalm lists some of the benefits of living a godly life. The psalm is an acrostic. After the introductory call to praise, every poetic line (twenty-two in all) begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

[112:1]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The individual is representative of a larger group, called the “godly” in vv. 3-4. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender specific “man” with the more neutral “one.” The generic masculine pronoun is used in the following verses.

[112:1]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “fears.”

[112:1]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “in his commands he delights very much.” The words “in keeping” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Taking delight in the law is metonymic here for obeying God’s moral will. See Ps 1:2.

[112:2]  ⁷¹ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

[112:2]  ⁷² tn Heb “His seed will be mighty on the earth, the generation of the godly.” The Hebrew term דוֹר (dor, “generation”) could be taken as parallel to “offspring” and translated “posterity,” but the singular more likely refers to the godly as a class. See BDB 189-90 s.v. for other examples where “generation” refers to a class of people.

[112:3]  ⁷³ tn Heb “stands forever.”

[128:1]  ⁷⁴ sn Psalm 128. The psalmist observes that the godly individual has genuine happiness because the Lord rewards such a person with prosperity and numerous children.

[128:1]  ⁷⁵ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[128:1]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “every fearer of the Lord.”

[128:1]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “the one who walks in his ways.”

[128:2]  ⁷⁸ tn The psalmist addresses the representative God-fearing man, as indicated by the references to “your wife” (v. 3) and “the man” (v. 4), as well as the second masculine singular pronominal and verbal forms in vv. 2-6.

[128:2]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “the work of your hands, indeed you will eat.”

[128:2]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “how blessed you [will be] and it will be good for you.”

[128:3]  ⁸¹ sn The metaphor of the fruitful vine pictures the wife as fertile; she will give her husband numerous children (see the next line).

[128:3]  ⁸² tn One could translate “sons” (see Ps 127:3 and the note on the word “sons” there), but here the term seems to refer more generally to children of both genders.

[128:4]  ⁸³ tn Heb “look, indeed thus will the man, the fearer of the Lord, be blessed.”

[128:5]  ⁸⁴ tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer (note the imperatives that are subordinated to this clause in vv. 5b-6a). Having described the blessings that typically come to the godly, the psalmist concludes by praying that this ideal may become reality for the representative godly man being addressed.

[128:5]  ⁸⁵ tn The imperative with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding jussive.

[128:5]  ⁸⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[128:6]  ⁸⁷ tn The imperative with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the jussive in v. 5a.

[128:6]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “sons to your sons.”

[128:6]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “peace [be] upon Israel.” The statement is understood as a prayer (see Ps 125:5).

[145:19]  ⁹⁰ tn In this context “desire” refers to the followers’ desire to be delivered from wicked enemies.

[145:19]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “the desire of those who fear him, he does.”

[3:16]  ⁹² tn Heb “length of days” (so KJV, ASV).

[3:17]  ⁹³ tn Heb “her ways are ways of pleasantness” (so KJV, NRSV). The present translation contracts this expression for the sake of smoothness. The plural of דֶרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) is repeated for emphasis. The noun נֹעַם (no’am, “pleasantness”) functions as an attributive genitive: “pleasant ways.”

[3:18]  ⁹⁴ tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[3:18]  ⁹⁵ sn The metaphor compares wisdom to the symbol of vitality and fullness of life. This might be an allusion to Gen 3:22, suggesting that what was lost as a result of the Fall may be recovered through wisdom: long and beneficial life (R. Marcus, “The Tree of Life in Proverbs,” JBL 62 [1943]: 117-20).

[3:18]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “lay hold of her.”

[3:18]  ⁹⁷ tn The singular participle מְאֻשָּׁר (mÿ’ushar, literally, “he will be blessed”) functions as a distributive singular for a plural subject (GKC 464 §145.l): “each and everyone will be blessed.” Not recognizing this point of syntax, the BHS editors unnecessarily suggest emending this singular form to the plural.

[8:12]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “does evil one hundred [times].”

[8:12]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “and prolongs his [life].”

[8:12]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “those who fear God.”

[8:12]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “they fear.”

[3:10]  ¹⁰² tn Or “the righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, TEV); NLT “those who are godly.”

[3:10]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “that it is good.”

[3:10]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “for the fruit of their deeds they will eat.”

[32:17]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “and the product of fairness will be peace.”

[32:17]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “and the work of fairness [will be] calmness and security forever.”

[32:18]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Or “in safe resting places”; NAB, NRSV “quiet resting places.”

[33:16]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “he [in the] exalted places will live.”

[33:16]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “mountain strongholds, cliffs [will be] his elevated place.”

[65:14]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “from the good of the heart.”

[65:14]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “from the pain of the heart.”

[65:14]  ¹¹² tn Heb “from the breaking of the spirit.”

[5:3]  ¹¹³ sn The term Blessed introduces the first of several beatitudes promising blessing to those whom God cares for. They serve as an invitation to come into the grace God offers.

[5:3]  ¹¹⁴ sn The poor in spirit is a reference to the “pious poor” for whom God especially cares. See Ps 14:6; 22:24; 25:16; 34:6; 40:17; 69:29.

[5:3]  ¹¹⁵ sn The present tense (belongs) here is significant. Jesus makes the kingdom and its blessings currently available. This phrase is unlike the others in the list with the possessive pronoun being emphasized.

[5:4]  ¹¹⁶ sn The promise they will be comforted is the first of several “reversals” noted in these promises. The beatitudes and the reversals that accompany them serve in the sermon as an invitation to enter into God’s care, because one can know God cares for those who turn to him.

[5:6]  ¹¹⁷ sn Those who hunger are people like the poor Jesus has already mentioned. The term has OT roots both in conjunction with the poor (Isa 32:6-7; 58:6-7, 9-10; Ezek 18:7, 16) or by itself (Ps 37:16-19; 107:9).

[5:9]  ¹¹⁸ tn Grk “sons,” though traditionally English versions have taken this as a generic reference to both males and females, hence “children” (cf. KJV, NAB, NRSV, NLT).

[5:11]  ¹¹⁹ tn Grk “when they insult you.” The third person pronoun (here implied in the verb ὀνειδίσωσιν [ojneidiswsin]) has no specific referent, but refers to people in general.

[5:11]  ¹²⁰ tc Although ψευδόμενοι (yeudomenoi, “bearing witness falsely”) could be a motivated reading, clarifying that the disciples are unjustly persecuted, its lack in only D it sy^s Tert does not help its case. Since the Western text is known for numerous free alterations, without corroborative evidence the shorter reading must be judged as secondary.

[6:33]  ¹²¹ tc ‡ Most mss (L W Θ 0233 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat sy mae) read τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ (thn basileian tou qeou kai thn dikaiosunhn aujtou, “the kingdom of God and his righteousness”) here, but the words “of God” are lacking in א B pc sa bo Eus. On the one hand, there is the possibility of accidental omission on the part of these Alexandrian witnesses, but it seems unlikely that the scribe’s eye would skip over both words (especially since τοῦ θεοῦ is bracketed by first declension nouns). Intrinsically, the author generally has a genitive modifier with βασιλεία – especially θεοῦ or οὐρανῶν (ouranwn) – but this argument cuts both ways: Although he might be expected to use such an adjunct here, scribes might also be familiar with his practice and would thus naturally insert it if it were missing in their copy of Matthew. Although a decision is difficult, the omission of τοῦ θεοῦ is considered most likely to be original. NA²⁷ includes the words in brackets, indicating doubt as to their authenticity.

[19:29]  ¹²² sn Jesus reassures his disciples with a promise that (1) much benefit in this life (a hundred times as much) and (2) eternal life will be given.

[10:19]  ¹²³ sn A quotation from Exod 20:12-16; Deut 5:16-20, except for do not defraud, which is an allusion to Deut 24:14.

[10:20]  ¹²⁴ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the man who asked the question in v. 17) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:20]  ¹²⁵ tn Grk “kept.” The implication of this verb is that the man has obeyed the commandments without fail throughout his life, so the adverb “wholeheartedly” has been added to the translation to bring out this nuance.

[10:20]  ¹²⁶ tn Grk “these things.” The referent of the pronoun (the laws mentioned by Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:20]  ¹²⁷ sn Since my youth. Judaism regarded the age of thirteen as the age when a man would have become responsible to live by God’s commands.

[12:31]  ¹²⁸ tn Grk “seek,” but in the sense of the previous verses.

[12:31]  ¹²⁹ tc Most mss (Ì⁴⁵ A D¹ Q W Θ 070 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat sy) read τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou, “of God”) instead of αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”; found in א B D* L Ψ 579 892 pc co). But such a clarifying reading is suspect. αὐτοῦ is superior on both internal and external grounds. Ì⁷⁵ includes neither and as such would support the translation above since the article alone can often be translated as a possessive pronoun.

[12:31]  ¹³⁰ sn His (that is, God’s) kingdom is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

[12:32]  ¹³¹ tn Or perhaps, “your Father chooses.”

[8:28]  ¹³² tc ὁ θεός (Jo qeos, “God”) is found after the verb συνεργεῖ (sunergei, “work”) in v. 28 by Ì⁴⁶ A B 81 sa; the shorter reading is found in א C D F G Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï latt sy bo. Although the inclusion is supported by a significant early papyrus, the alliance of significant Alexandrian and Western witnesses favors the shorter reading. As well, the longer reading is evidently motivated by a need for clarification. Since ὁ θεός is textually suspect, it is better to read the text without it. This leaves two good translational options: either “he works all things together for good” or “all things work together for good.” In the first instance the subject is embedded in the verb and “God” is clearly implied (as in v. 29). In the second instance, πάντα (panta) becomes the subject of an intransitive verb. In either case, “What is expressed is a truly biblical confidence in the sovereignty of God” (C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans [ICC], 1:427).

[8:1]  ¹³³ tc The earliest and best witnesses of the Alexandrian and Western texts, as well as a few others (א* B D* F G 6 1506 1739 1881 pc co), have no additional words for v. 1. Later scribes (A D¹ Ψ 81 365 629 pc vg) added the words μὴ κατὰ σάρκα περιπατοῦσιν (mh kata sarka peripatousin, “who do not walk according to the flesh”), while even later ones (א² D² 33^vid Ï) added ἀλλὰ κατὰ πνεῦμα (alla kata pneuma, “but [who do walk] according to the Spirit”). Both the external evidence and the internal evidence are compelling for the shortest reading. The scribes were evidently motivated to add such qualifications (interpolated from v. 4) to insulate Paul’s gospel from charges that it was characterized too much by grace. The KJV follows the longest reading found in Ï.

[3:22]  ¹³⁴ tn On this word here and in 4:1, see the note on “fellow slave” in 1:7.

[3:22]  ¹³⁵ tn The prepositional phrase κατὰ σάρκα (kata sarka) does not necessarily qualify the masters as earthly or human (as opposed to the Master in heaven, the Lord), but could also refer to the sphere in which “the service-relation holds true.” See BDAG 577 s.v. κύριος 1.b.

[1:3]  ¹³⁶ 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]  ¹³⁷ 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).

[1:1]  ¹³⁸ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[2:1]  ¹³⁹ tn Or “I want you to know how hard I am working for you…”

[2:1]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Grk “as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.”

[3:12]  ¹⁴¹ tn Or “who is victorious”; traditionally, “who overcomes.”

[3:12]  ¹⁴² tn Grk “I will make him,” but the pronoun (αὐτόν, auton, “him”) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.

[3:12]  ¹⁴³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[3:12]  ¹⁴⁴ sn This description of the city of my God is parenthetical, explaining further the previous phrase and interrupting the list of “new names” given here.

[3:21]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Grk “The one who conquers, to him I will grant.”

[3:21]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Or “who is victorious”; traditionally, “who overcomes.”

[3:21]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Grk “I will give [grant] to him.”

[3:21]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Or “have been victorious”; traditionally, “have overcome.”