Discovery BoxDeuteronomy 32:34
Context32:34 “Is this not stored up with me?” says the Lord, 1
“Is it not sealed up in my storehouses?
Job 14:17
Context14:17 My offenses would be sealed up 2 in a bag; 3
you would cover over 4 my sin.
The Song of Songs 8:6
ContextThe Beloved to Her Lover:
8:6 Set me like a cylinder seal 5 over your heart, 6
like a signet 7 on your arm. 8
For love is as strong as death, 9
passion 10 is as unrelenting 11 as Sheol.
Its flames burst forth, 12
it is a blazing flame. 13
Daniel 8:26
Context8:26 The vision of the evenings and mornings that was told to you is correct. 14 But you should seal up the vision, for it refers to a time many days from now.”
John 3:33
Context3:33 The one who has accepted his testimony has confirmed clearly that God is truthful. 15
John 6:27
Context6:27 Do not work for the food that disappears, 16 but for the food that remains to eternal life – the food 17 which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has put his seal of approval on him.” 18
John 6:2
Context6:2 A large crowd was following him because they were observing the miraculous signs he was performing on the sick.
Colossians 1:22
Context1:22 but now he has reconciled you 19 by his physical body through death to present you holy, without blemish, and blameless before him –
Ephesians 1:13
Context1:13 And when 20 you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation) – when you believed in Christ 21 – you were marked with the seal 22 of the promised Holy Spirit, 23
Ephesians 4:30
Context4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Revelation 7:2
Context7:2 Then 24 I saw another angel ascending from the east, 25 who had 26 the seal 27 of the living God. He 28 shouted out with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given permission 29 to damage the earth and the sea: 30
Revelation 9:4
Context9:4 They 31 were told 32 not to damage the grass of the earth, or any green plant or tree, but only those people 33 who did not have the seal of God on their 34 forehead.
[32:34] 1 tn Verses 34-35 appear to be a quotation of the
[14:17] 2 tn The passive participle חָתֻם (khatum), from חָתַם (khatam, “seal”), which is used frequently in the Bible, means “sealed up.” The image of sealing sins in a bag is another of the many poetic ways of expressing the removal of sin from the individual (see 1 Sam 25:29). Since the term most frequently describes sealed documents, the idea here may be more that of sealing in a bag the record of Job’s sins (see D. J. A. Clines, Job [WBC], 334).
[14:17] 3 tn The idea has been presented that the background of putting tally stones in a bag is intended (see A. L. Oppenheim, “On an Operational Device in Mesopotamian Bureaucracy,” JNES 18 [1959]: 121-28).
[14:17] 4 tn This verb was used in Job 13:4 for “plasterers of lies.” The idea is probably that God coats or paints over the sins so that they are forgotten (see Isa 1:18). A. B. Davidson (Job, 105) suggests that the sins are preserved until full punishment is exacted. But the verse still seems to be continuing the thought of how the sins would be forgotten in the next life.
[8:6] 5 sn In the ancient Near East חוֹתָם (khotam, “seal”) was used to denote ownership and was thus very valuable (Jer 22:24; Hag 2:23; Eccl 17:22). Seals were used to make a stamp impression to identify the object as the property of the seal’s owner (HALOT 300 s.v. I חוֹתָם). Seals were made of semi-precious stone upon which was engraved a unique design and an inscription, e.g., LMLK [PN] “belonging to king […].” The impression could be placed upon wet clay of a jar or on a writing tablet by rolling the seal across the clay. Because it was a valuable possession its owner would take careful precautions to not lose it and would keep it close to him at all times.
[8:6] 6 tn The term לֵבָב (levav, “heart”) is used figuratively here as (1) a metonymy (container for the thing contained) for his chest over which the cylinder seal was hung or (2) a metonymy (concrete body part for the abstract emotions with which it is associated) for his emotions, such as love and loyalty to the Beloved (e.g., Judg 16:25; Ruth 3:7; 1 Sam 25:36; 2 Sam 13:28; 1 Kgs 8:66) (HALOT 514-15 s.v. לֵב) (see H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 40-58).
[8:6] 7 tn Literally “cylinder-seal” or “seal.” The term חוֹתָם (khotam, “cylinder-seal”) is repeated in 8:6 for emphasis. The translation above uses the terms “cylinder seal” and “signet” simply for the sake of poetic variation. The Beloved wanted to be as safe and secure as a cylinder seal worn on the arm or around the neck, hanging down over the heart. She also wanted to be placed on his heart (emotions), like the impression of a cylinder seal is written on a document. She wanted to be “written” on his heart like the impression of a cylinder seal, and kept secure in his love as a signet ring is worn around his arm/hand to keep it safe.
[8:6] 8 tn Alternately, “wrist.” In Palestine cylinder seals were often hung on a bracelet worn around one’s wrist. The cylinder seal was mounted on a pin hanging from a bracelet. The cylinder seal in view in Song 8:6 could be a stamp seal hung from a bracelet of a type known from excavations in Israel. See W. W. Hallo, “‘As the Seal Upon Thy Heart’: Glyptic Roles in the Biblical World,” BRev 2 (1985): 26.
[8:6] 9 sn It was a common practice in the ancient world to compare intense feelings to death. The point of the expression “love is as strong as death” means that love is extremely strong. The expression “love is as cruel as Sheol” may simply mean that love can be profoundly cruel. For example: “His soul was vexed to death,” means that he could not stand it any longer (Judg 16:16). “I do well to be angry to death,” means that he was extremely angry (Jonah 4:9). “My soul is sorrowful to death,” means that he was exceedingly sorrowful (Matt 26:38 = Mark 14:34) (D. W. Thomas, “A Consideration of Some Unusual Ways of Expressing the Superlative in Hebrew,” VT 3 [1953]: 220-21).
[8:6] 10 tn Alternately, “jealousy.” The noun קִנְאָה (qin’ah) has a wide range of meanings: “jealousy” (Prov 6:34; 14:30; 27:4), “competitiveness” (Eccl 4:4; 9:6), “anger” (Num 5:14, 30), “zeal” (2 Kgs 10:16; Pss 69:10; 119:139; Job 5:2; Sir 30:24), and “passion” (Song 8:6). The Hebrew noun is related to the Akkadian and Arabic roots that mean “to become intensely red” or “become red with passion,” suggesting that the root denotes strong emotion. Although קִנְאָה is traditionally rendered “jealousy” (KJV, RSV, NASB, NIV), the parallelism with אַהֲבָה (’ahavah, “love”) suggests the nuance “passion” (NJPS). Coppes notes, “This word is translated in the KJV in a bad sense in Song 8:6, ‘jealousy is as cruel as the grave,’ but it could be taken in a good sense in parallel with the preceding, ‘ardent zeal is as strong as the grave’” (TWOT 2:803).
[8:6] 11 tn Heb “harsh” or “severe.”
[8:6] 12 tn Heb “Its flames are flames of fire.”
[8:6] 13 tn The noun שַׁלְהֶבֶתְיָה (shalhevetyah, “mighty flame”) is related to the nouns שַׁלְהֶבֶת (shalhevet, “flame”), לֶהָבָה (lehavah, “flame”), and לַהַב (lahav, “flame”), all of which are derived from the root להב “to burn, blaze, flame up” (HALOT 520 s.v. לַהַב). The form שַׁלְהֶבֶתְיָה is an unusual noun pattern with (1) a prefix ־שׁ that is common in Akkadian but rare in Hebrew; it has an intensive adjective meaning, (2) a feminine ־ת ending, and (3) a suffix ־יָה whose meaning is debated. The suffix ־יָה has been taken in three ways by scholars and translators: (1) יָה is an abbreviated form of the divine name יהוה (“Yahweh”), functioning as a genitive of source: “the flame of the
[6:27] 16 tn Or “perishes” (this might refer to spoiling, but is more focused on the temporary nature of this kind of food).
[6:27] 17 tn The referent (the food) has been specified for clarity by repeating the word “food” from the previous clause.
[6:27] 18 tn Grk “on this one.”
[1:22] 19 tc Some of the better representatives of the Alexandrian and Western texts have a passive verb here instead of the active ἀποκατήλλαξεν (apokathllaxen, “he has reconciled”): ἀποκατηλλάγητε (apokathllaghte) in (Ì46) B, ἀποκατήλλακται [sic] (apokathllaktai) in 33, and ἀποκαταλλαγέντες (apokatallagente") in D* F G. Yet the active verb is strongly supported by א A C D2 Ψ 048 075 [0278] 1739 1881 Ï lat sy. Internally, the passive creates an anacoluthon in that it looks back to the accusative ὑμᾶς (Juma", “you”) of v. 21 and leaves the following παραστῆσαι (parasthsai) dangling (“you were reconciled…to present you”). The passive reading is certainly the harder reading. As such, it may well explain the rise of the other readings. At the same time, it is possible that the passive was produced by scribes who wanted some symmetry between the ποτε (pote, “at one time”) of v. 21 and the νυνὶ δέ (nuni de, “but now”) of v. 22: Since a passive periphrastic participle is used in v. 21, there may have a temptation to produce a corresponding passive form in v. 22, handling the ὑμᾶς of v. 21 by way of constructio ad sensum. Since παραστῆσαι occurs ten words later, it may not have been considered in this scribal modification. Further, the Western reading (ἀποκαταλλαγέντες) hardly seems to have arisen from ἀποκατηλλάγητε (contra TCGNT 555). As difficult as this decision is, the preferred reading is the active form because it is superior externally and seems to explain the rise of all forms of the passive readings.
[1:13] 20 tn Grk “in whom you also, when…” (continuing the sentence from v. 12).
[1:13] 21 tn Grk “in whom also having believed.” The relative pronoun “whom” has been replaced in the translation with its antecedent (“Christ”) to improve the clarity.
[1:13] 22 tn Or “you were sealed.”
[1:13] 23 tn Grk “the Holy Spirit of promise.” Here ἐπαγγελίας (epangelias, “of promise”) has been translated as an attributive genitive.
[7:2] 24 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[7:2] 25 tn Grk “from the rising of the sun.” BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατολή 2.a takes this as a geographical direction: “ἀπὸ ἀ. ἡλίου…from the east Rv 7:2; 16:12…simply ἀπὸ ἀ. …21:13.”
[7:2] 26 tn Grk “having,” but v. 3 makes it clear that the angel’s purpose is to seal others with the seal he carries.
[7:2] 27 tn Or “signet” (L&N 6.54).
[7:2] 28 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[7:2] 29 tn The word “permission” is implied; Grk “to whom it was given to them to damage the earth.”
[7:2] 30 tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[9:4] 31 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[9:4] 32 tn The dative indirect object (αὐταῖς, autais) was converted into the subject (“they”) as this more closely approximates English usage. The following ἵ῞να (Jina) is taken as substantival, introducing a direct object clause. In this case, because it is reported speech, the ἵνα is similar to the declarative ὅτι (Joti).
[9:4] 33 tn Grk “men”; but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense here of both men and women.
[9:4] 34 tn The article τῶν (twn) has been translated as a possessive pronoun here (ExSyn 215).
