Discovery BoxDeuteronomy 4:6-8
Context4:6 So be sure to do them, because this will testify of your wise understanding 1 to the people who will learn of all these statutes and say, “Indeed, this great nation is a very wise 2 people.” 4:7 In fact, what other great nation has a god so near to them like the Lord our God whenever we call on him? 4:8 And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just 3 as this whole law 4 that I am about to share with 5 you today?
Deuteronomy 28:1-14
Context28:1 “If you indeed 6 obey the Lord your God and are careful to observe all his commandments I am giving 7 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 8 if you obey the Lord your God: 28:3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the field. 9 28:4 Your children 10 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. 11 28:7 The Lord will cause your enemies who attack 12 you to be struck down before you; they will attack you from one direction 13 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 14 is giving you. 28:9 The Lord will designate you as his holy people just as he promised you, if you keep his commandments 15 and obey him. 16 28:10 Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you belong to the Lord, 17 and they will respect you. 28:11 The Lord will greatly multiply your children, 18 the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your soil in the land which he 19 promised your ancestors 20 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; 21 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 22 commandments which I am urging 23 you today to be careful to do. 28:14 But you must not turn away from all the commandments I am giving 24 you today, to either the right or left, nor pursue other gods and worship 25 them.
Jude 1:6-14
Context1:6 You also know that 26 the angels who did not keep within their proper domain 27 but abandoned their own place of residence, he has kept 28 in eternal chains 29 in utter 30 darkness, locked up 31 for the judgment of the great Day. 1:7 So also 32 Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring towns, 33 since they indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire 34 in a way similar to 35 these angels, 36 are now displayed as an example by suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
1:8 Yet these men, 37 as a result of their dreams, 38 defile the flesh, reject authority, 39 and insult 40 the glorious ones. 41 1:9 But even 42 when Michael the archangel 43 was arguing with the devil and debating with him 44 concerning Moses’ body, he did not dare to bring a slanderous judgment, but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!” 1:10 But these men do not understand the things they slander, and they are being destroyed by the very things that, like irrational animals, they instinctively comprehend. 45 1:11 Woe to them! For they have traveled down Cain’s path, 46 and because of greed 47 have abandoned themselves 48 to 49 Balaam’s error; hence, 50 they will certainly perish 51 in Korah’s rebellion. 1:12 These men are 52 dangerous reefs 53 at your love feasts, 54 feasting without reverence, 55 feeding only themselves. 56 They are 57 waterless 58 clouds, carried along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit 59 – twice dead, 60 uprooted; 1:13 wild sea waves, 61 spewing out the foam of 62 their shame; 63 wayward stars 64 for whom the utter depths of eternal darkness 65 have been reserved.
1:14 Now Enoch, the seventh in descent beginning with Adam, 66 even prophesied of them, 67 saying, “Look! The Lord is coming 68 with thousands and thousands 69 of his holy ones,
Jeremiah 2:2-25
Context2:2 “Go and declare in the hearing of the people of Jerusalem: 70 ‘This is what the Lord says: “I have fond memories of you, 71 how devoted you were to me in your early years. 72 I remember how you loved me like a new bride; you followed me through the wilderness, through a land that had never been planted. 2:3 Israel was set apart to the Lord; they were like the first fruits of a harvest to him. 73 All who tried to devour them were punished; disaster came upon them,” says the Lord.’”
2:4 Now listen to what the Lord has to say, you descendants 74 of Jacob,
all you family groups from the nation 75 of Israel.
2:5 This is what the Lord says:
“What fault could your ancestors 76 have possibly found in me
that they strayed so far from me? 77
They paid allegiance to 78 worthless idols, and so became worthless to me. 79
2:6 They did not ask:
‘Where is the Lord who delivered us out of Egypt,
who brought us through the wilderness,
through a land of desert sands and rift valleys,
through a land of drought and deep darkness, 80
through a land in which no one travels,
and where no one lives?’ 81
2:7 I brought you 82 into a fertile land
so you could enjoy 83 its fruits and its rich bounty.
But when you entered my land, you defiled it; 84
you made the land I call my own 85 loathsome to me.
2:8 Your priests 86 did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’ 87
Those responsible for teaching my law 88 did not really know me. 89
Your rulers rebelled against me.
Your prophets prophesied in the name of the god Baal. 90
They all worshiped idols that could not help them. 91
2:9 “So, once more I will state my case 92 against you,” says the Lord.
“I will also state it against your children and grandchildren. 93
2:10 Go west 94 across the sea to the coasts of Cyprus 95 and see.
Send someone east to Kedar 96 and have them look carefully.
See if such a thing as this has ever happened:
2:11 Has a nation ever changed its gods
(even though they are not really gods at all)?
But my people have exchanged me, their glorious God, 97
for a god that cannot help them at all! 98
2:12 Be amazed at this, O heavens! 99
Be shocked and utterly dumbfounded,”
says the Lord.
2:13 “Do so because my people have committed a double wrong:
they have rejected me,
the fountain of life-giving water, 100
and they have dug cisterns for themselves,
cracked cisterns which cannot even hold water.”
2:14 “Israel is not a slave, is he?
He was not born into slavery, was he? 101
If not, why then is he being carried off?
2:15 Like lions his enemies roar victoriously over him;
they raise their voices in triumph. 102
They have laid his land waste;
his cities have been burned down and deserted. 103
2:16 Even the soldiers 104 from Memphis and Tahpanhes
have cracked your skulls, people of Israel. 105
2:17 You have brought all this on yourself, Israel, 106
by deserting the Lord your God when he was leading you along the right path. 107
2:18 What good will it do you 108 then 109 to go down to Egypt
to seek help from the Egyptians? 110
What good will it do you 111 to go over to Assyria
to seek help from the Assyrians? 112
2:19 Your own wickedness will bring about your punishment.
Your unfaithful acts will bring down discipline on you. 113
Know, then, and realize how utterly harmful 114
it was for you to reject me, the Lord your God, 115
to show no respect for me,” 116
says the Lord God who rules over all. 117
2:20 “Indeed, 118 long ago you threw off my authority
and refused to be subject to me. 119
You said, ‘I will not serve you.’ 120
Instead, you gave yourself to other gods on every high hill
and under every green tree,
like a prostitute sprawls out before her lovers. 121
2:21 I planted you in the land
like a special vine of the very best stock.
Why in the world have you turned into something like a wild vine
that produces rotten, foul-smelling grapes? 122
2:22 You can try to wash away your guilt with a strong detergent.
You can use as much soap as you want.
But the stain of your guilt is still there for me to see,” 123
says the Lord God. 124
2:23 “How can you say, ‘I have not made myself unclean.
I have not paid allegiance to 125 the gods called Baal.’
Just look at the way you have behaved in the Valley of Hinnom! 126
Think about the things you have done there!
You are like a flighty, young female camel
that rushes here and there, crisscrossing its path. 127
2:24 You are like a wild female donkey brought up in the wilderness.
In her lust she sniffs the wind to get the scent of a male. 128
No one can hold her back when she is in heat.
None of the males need wear themselves out chasing after her.
At mating time she is easy to find. 129
2:25 Do not chase after other gods until your shoes wear out
and your throats become dry. 130
But you say, ‘It is useless for you to try and stop me
because I love those foreign gods 131 and want to pursue them!’
Hosea 13:1
Context13:1 When Ephraim 132 spoke, 133 there was terror; 134
he was exalted 135 in Israel,
but he became guilty by worshiping Baal and died.
[4:6] 1 tn Heb “it is wisdom and understanding.”
[4:6] 2 tn Heb “wise and understanding.”
[4:8] 3 tn Or “pure”; or “fair”; Heb “righteous.”
[4:8] 4 tn The Hebrew phrase הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת (hattorah hazzo’t), in this context, refers specifically to the Book of Deuteronomy. That is, it is the collection of all the חֻקִּים (khuqqim, “statutes,” 4:1) and מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim, “ordinances,” 4:1) to be included in the covenant text. In a full canonical sense, of course, it pertains to the entire Pentateuch or Torah.
[4:8] 5 tn Heb “place before.”
[28:1] 6 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “indeed.”
[28:1] 7 tn Heb “commanding”; NAB “which I enjoin on you today” (likewise in v. 15).
[28:2] 8 tn Heb “come upon you and overtake you” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “come upon you and accompany you.”
[28:3] 9 tn Or “in the country” (so NAB, NIV, NLT). This expression also occurs in v. 15.
[28:4] 10 tn Heb “the fruit of your womb” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[28:6] 11 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] 12 tn Heb “who rise up against” (so NIV).
[28:7] 13 tn Heb “way” (also later in this verse and in v. 25).
[28:8] 14 tn Heb “the
[28:9] 15 tn Heb “the commandments of the
[28:9] 16 tn Heb “and walk in his ways” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[28:10] 17 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] 18 tn Heb “the fruit of your womb” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “will give you a lot of children.”
[28:11] 19 tn Heb “the
[28:11] 20 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 36, 64).
[28:12] 21 tn Heb “all the work of your hands.”
[28:13] 22 tn Heb “the
[28:13] 23 tn Heb “commanding” (so NRSV); NASB “which I charge you today.”
[28:14] 24 tn Heb “from all the words which I am commanding.”
[28:14] 25 tn Heb “in order to serve.”
[1:6] 26 tn Grk “and.” Verse 6 is a continuation of the same sentence begun in v. 5. Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[1:6] 27 tn Grk “who did not keep their own domain.”
[1:6] 28 sn There is an interesting play on words used in this verse. Because the angels did not keep their proper place, Jesus has kept them chained up in another place. The same verb keep is used in v. 1 to describe believers’ status before God and Christ.
[1:6] 29 sn In 2 Pet 2:4 a less common word for chains is used.
[1:6] 30 tn The word ζόφος (zofos, “utter, deepest darkness”) is used only five times in the NT: two in 2 Peter, two in Jude, and one in Hebrews. Jude 6 parallels 2 Pet 2:4; Jude 13 parallels 2 Pet 2:17.
[1:6] 31 tn The words “locked up” are not in Greek, but is expressed in English as a resumptive point after the double prepositional phrase (“in eternal chains in utter darkness”).
[1:7] 33 tn Grk “the towns [or cities] surrounding them.”
[1:7] 34 tn Grk “strange flesh.” This phrase has been variously interpreted. It could refer to flesh of another species (such as angels lusting after human flesh). This would aptly describe the sin of the angels, but not easily explain the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. It could refer to the homosexual practices of the Sodomites, but a difficulty arises from the use of ἕτερος ({etero"; “strange,” “other”). When this is to be distinguished from ἄλλος (allos, “another”) it suggests “another of a different kind.” If so, would that properly describe homosexual behavior? In response, the language could easily be compact: “pursued flesh other than what was normally pursued.” However, would this find an analogy in the lust of angels (such would imply that angels normally had sexual relations of some sort, but cf. Matt 22:30)? Another alternative is that the focus of the parallel is on the activity of the surrounding cities and the activity of the angels. This is especially plausible since the participles ἐκπορνεύσασαι (ekporneusasai, “having indulged in sexual immorality”) and ἀπελθοῦσαι (apelqousai, “having pursued”) have concord with “cities” (πόλεις, poleis), a feminine plural noun, rather than with Sodom and Gomorrah (both masculine nouns). If so, then their sin would not necessarily have to be homosexuality. However, most likely the feminine participles are used because of constructio ad sensum (construction according to sense). That is, since both Sodom and Gomorrah are cities, the feminine is used to imply that all the cities are involved. The connection with angels thus seems to be somewhat loose: Both angels and Sodom and Gomorrah indulged in heinous sexual immorality. Thus, whether the false teachers indulge in homosexual activity is not the point; mere sexual immorality is enough to condemn them.
[1:7] 35 tn Or “in the same way as.”
[1:7] 36 tn “Angels” is not in the Greek text; but the masculine demonstrative pronoun most likely refers back to the angels of v. 6.
[1:8] 37 tn The reference is now to the false teachers.
[1:8] 38 tn Grk “dreaming.” The participle ἐνυπνιαζόμενοι (enupniazomenoi, “dreaming”) is adverbial to the pronoun οὗτοι (|outoi, “these”), though the particular relationship is not clear. It could mean, “while dreaming,” “by dreaming,” or “because of dreaming.” This translation has adopted the last option as Jude’s meaning, partially for syntactical reasons (the causal participle usually precedes the main verb) and partially for contextual reasons (these false teachers must derive their authority from some source, and the dreams provide the most obvious base). The participle ἐνυπνιαζόμενοι was sometimes used of apocalyptic visions, both of true and false prophets. This seems to be the meaning here.
[1:8] 39 tn Most likely, the authority of the Lord is in view. This verse, then, echoes the indictment of v. 4: “they deny our Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”
[1:8] 40 tn The construction with the three verbs (“defile, “reject,” and “insult”) involves the particles μέν, δέ, δέ (men, de, de). A more literal (and pedantic) translation would be: “on the one hand, they defile the flesh, on the other hand, they reject authority, and on another hand, they insult the glorious ones.”
[1:8] 41 sn The glorious ones refers to angelic beings rather than mere human beings, just as in 2 Pet 2:10 (on which this passage apparently depends). Whether the angelic beings are good or evil, however, is difficult to tell (hence, the translation is left ambiguous). However, both in 2 Pet 2:11 and here, in Jude 9, the wicked angels seem to be in view (for not even Michael insults them).
[1:9] 42 tn The word “even” is not in Greek; it is implied by the height of the contrast.
[1:9] 43 sn According to Jewish intertestamental literature (such as 1 En. 20), Michael was one of seven archangels.
[1:9] 44 tn The sentence structure is a bit different in Greek. Literally it reads: “But Michael the archangel, when arguing with the devil and disputing.”
[1:10] 45 tn Or “they should naturally comprehend.” The present tense in this context may have a conative force.
[1:11] 46 tn Or “they have gone the way of Cain.”
[1:11] 48 tn The verb ἐκχέω (ekcew) normally means “pour out.” Here, in the passive, it occasionally has a reflexive idea, as BDAG 312 s.v. 3. suggests (with extra-biblical examples).
[1:11] 50 tn Grk “and.” See note on “perish” later in this verse.
[1:11] 51 tn The three verbs in this verse are all aorist indicative (“have gone down,” “have abandoned,” “have perished”). Although the first and second could be considered constative or ingressive, the last is almost surely proleptic (referring to the certainty of their future judgment). Although it may seem odd that a proleptic aorist is so casually connected to other aorists with a different syntactical force, it is not unparalleled (cf. Rom 8:30).
[1:12] 52 tn Grk “these are the men who are.”
[1:12] 53 tn Though σπιλάδες (spilades) is frequently translated “blemishes” or “stains,” such is actually a translation of the Greek word σπίλοι (spiloi). The two words are quite similar, especially in their root or lexical forms (σπιλάς [spila"] and σπίλος [spilos] respectively). Some scholars have suggested that σπιλάδες in this context means the same thing as σπίλοι. But such could be the case only by a stretch of the imagination (see BDAG 938 s.v. σπιλάς for discussion). Others suggest that Jude’s spelling was in error (which also is doubtful). One reason for the tension is that in the parallel passage, 2 Pet 2:13, the term used is indeed σπίλος. And if either Jude used 2 Peter or 2 Peter used Jude, one would expect to see the same word. Jude, however, may have changed the wording for the sake of a subtle wordplay. The word σπιλάς was often used of a mere rock, though it normally was associated with a rock along the shore or one jutting out in the water. Thus, the false teachers would appear as “rocks” – as pillars in the community (cf. Matt 16:18; Gal 2:9), when in reality if a believer got too close to them his faith would get shipwrecked. Some suggest that σπιλάδες here means “hidden rocks.” Though this meaning is attested for the word, it is inappropriate in this context, since these false teachers are anything but hidden. They are dangerous because undiscerning folks get close to them, thinking they are rocks and pillars, when they are really dangerous reefs.
[1:12] 54 tc Several witnesses (A Cvid 1243 1846 al), influenced by the parallel in 2 Pet 2:13, read ἀπάταις (apatai", “deceptions”) for ἀγάπαις (agapai", “love-feasts”) in v. 12. However, ἀγάπαις has much stronger and earlier support and should therefore be considered original.
[1:12] 55 tn Or “fearlessly.” The term in this context, however, is decidedly negative. The implication is that these false teachers ate the Lord’s Supper without regarding the sanctity of the meal. Cf. 1 Cor 11:17-22.
[1:12] 56 tn Grk “shepherding themselves.” The verb ποιμαίνω (poimainw) means “shepherd, nurture [the flock].” But these men, rather than tending to the flock of God, nurture only themselves. They thus fall under the condemnation Paul uttered when writing to the Corinthians: “For when it comes time to eat [the Lord’s Supper,] each one goes ahead with his own meal” (1 Cor 11:21). Above all, the love-feast was intended to be a shared meal in which all ate and all felt welcome.
[1:12] 57 tn “They are” is not in Greek, but resumes the thought begun at the front of v. 12. There is no period before “They are.” English usage requires breaking this into more than one sentence.
[1:12] 58 tn Cf. 2 Pet 2:17. Jude’s emphasis is slightly different (instead of waterless springs, they are waterless clouds).
[1:12] 59 sn The imagery portraying the false teachers as autumn trees without fruit has to do with their lack of productivity. Recall the statement to the same effect by Jesus in Matt 7:16-20, in which false prophets will be known by their fruits. Like waterless clouds full of false hope, these trees do not yield any harvest even though it is expected.
[1:12] 60 tn Grk “having died twice.”
[1:13] 61 tn Grk “wild waves of the sea.”
[1:13] 62 tn Grk “foaming, causing to foam.” The verb form is intensive and causative. BDAG 360 s.v. ἐπαφρίζω suggests the meaning “to cause to splash up like froth, cause to foam,” or, in this context, “waves casting up their own shameless deeds like (dirty) foam.”
[1:13] 63 tn Grk “shames, shameful things.” It is uncertain whether shameful deeds or shameful words are in view. Either way, the picture has taken a decided turn: Though waterless clouds and fruitless trees may promise good things, but deliver nothing, wild sea-waves are portents of filth spewed forth from the belly of the sea.
[1:13] 64 sn The imagery of a star seems to fit the nautical theme that Jude is developing. Stars were of course the guides to sailors at night, just as teachers are responsible to lead the flock through a benighted world. But false teachers, as wayward stars, are not fixed and hence offer unreliable, even disastrous guidance. They are thus both the dangerous reefs on which the ships could be destroyed and the false guides, leading them into these rocks. There is a special irony that these lights will be snuffed out, reserved for the darkest depths of eternal darkness.
[1:13] 65 tn Grk “utter darkness of darkness for eternity.” See note on the word “utter” in v. 6.
[1:14] 66 tn Grk “the seventh from Adam.”
[1:14] 67 tn Grk “against them.” The dative τούτοις (toutois) is a dativus incommodi (dative of disadvantage).
[1:14] 68 tn Grk “has come,” a proleptic aorist.
[1:14] 69 tn Grk “ten thousands.” The word μυριάς (muria"), from which the English myriad is derived, means “ten thousand.” In the plural it means “ten thousands.” This would mean, minimally, 20,000 (a multiple of ten thousand). At the same time, the term was often used in apocalyptic literature to represent simply a rather large number, without any attempt to be specific.
[2:2] 70 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[2:2] 71 tn Heb “I remember to/for you.”
[2:2] 72 tn Heb “the loyal love of your youth.”
[2:3] 73 sn Heb “the first fruits of his harvest.” Many commentators see the figure here as having theological significance for the calling of the Gentiles. It is likely, however, that in this context the metaphor – here rendered as a simile – is intended to bring out the special relationship and inviolability that Israel had with God. As the first fruits were the special possession of the
[2:5] 77 tn Or “I did not wrong your ancestors in any way. Yet they went far astray from me.” Both translations are an attempt to render the rhetorical question which demands a negative answer.
[2:5] 78 tn Heb “They went/followed after.” This idiom is found most often in Deuteronomy or covenant contexts. It refers to loyalty to God and to his covenant or his commandments (e.g., 1 Kgs 14:8; 2 Chr 34:31) with the metaphor of a path or way underlying it (e.g., Deut 11:28; 28:14). To “follow other gods” was to abandon this way and this loyalty (i.e., to “abandon” or “forget” God, Judg 2:12; Hos 2:13) and to follow the customs or religious traditions of the pagan nations (e.g., 2 Kgs 17:15). The classic text on “following” God or another god is 1 Kgs 18:18, 21 where Elijah taunts the people with “halting between two opinions” whether the
[2:5] 79 tn The words “to me” are not in the Hebrew text but are implicit from the context: Heb “they followed after the worthless thing/things and became worthless.” There is an obvious wordplay on the verb “became worthless” and the noun “worthless thing,” which is probably to be understood collectively and to refer to idols as it does in Jer 8:19; 10:8; 14:22; Jonah 2:8.
[2:6] 80 tn This word is erroneously rendered “shadow of death” in most older English versions; that translation is based on a faulty etymology. Contextual studies and comparative Semitic linguistics have demonstrated that the word is merely another word for darkness. It is confined to poetic texts and often carries connotations of danger and distress. It is associated in poetic texts with the darkness of a prison (Ps 107:10, 14), a mine (Job 28:3), and a ravine (Ps 23:4). Here it is associated with the darkness of the wasteland and ravines of the Sinai desert.
[2:6] 81 sn The context suggests that the question is related to a lament where the people turn to God in their troubles, asking him for help and reminding him of his past benefactions. See for example Isa 63:11-19 and Ps 44. It is an implicit prayer for his intervention, cf. 2 Kgs 2:14.
[2:7] 82 sn Note how contemporary Israel is again identified with her early ancestors. See the study note on 2:2.
[2:7] 84 sn I.e., made it ceremonially unclean. See Lev 18:19-30; Num 35:34; Deut 21:23.
[2:7] 85 tn Heb “my inheritance.” Or “the land [i.e., inheritance] I gave you,” reading the pronoun as indicating source rather than possession. The parallelism and the common use in Jeremiah of the term to refer to the land or people as the
[2:8] 86 tn Heb “The priests…the ones who grasp my law…the shepherds…the prophets…they…”
[2:8] 87 sn See the study note on 2:6.
[2:8] 88 tn Heb “those who handle my law.”
[2:8] 89 tn Or “were not committed to me.” The Hebrew verb rendered “know” refers to more than mere intellectual knowledge. It carries also the ideas of emotional and volitional commitment as well intimacy. See for example its use in contexts like Hos 4:1; 6:6.
[2:8] 91 tn Heb “and they followed after those things [the word is plural] which do not profit.” The poetic structure of the verse, four lines in which a distinct subject appears at the beginning followed by a fifth line beginning with a prepositional phrase and no distinct subject, argues that this line is climactic and refers to all four classes enumerated in the preceding lines. See W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:88-89. There may be a play or pun in the Hebrew text on the name for the god Baal (בַּעַל, ba’al) and the verb “cannot help you” (Heb “do not profit”) which is spelled יַעַל (ya’al).
[2:9] 92 tn Or “bring charges against you.”
[2:9] 93 tn The words “your children and” are supplied in the translation to bring out the idea of corporate solidarity implicit in the passage.
[2:10] 94 tn Heb “For go west.”
[2:10] 95 tn Heb “pass over to the coasts of Kittim.” The words “west across the sea” in this line and “east of” in the next are implicit in the text and are supplied in the translation to give geographical orientation.
[2:10] 96 sn Kedar is the home of the Bedouin tribes in the Syro-Arabian desert. See Gen 25:18 and Jer 49:38. See also the previous note for the significance of the reference here.
[2:11] 97 tn Heb “have exchanged their glory [i.e., the God in whom they glory].” This is a case of a figure of speech where the attribute of a person or thing is put for the person or thing. Compare the common phrase in Isaiah, the Holy One of Israel, obviously referring to the
[2:11] 98 tn Heb “what cannot profit.” The verb is singular and the allusion is likely to Baal. See the translator’s note on 2:8 for the likely pun or wordplay.
[2:12] 99 sn In earlier literature the heavens (and the earth) were called on to witness Israel’s commitment to the covenant (Deut 30:12) and were called to serve as witnesses to Israel’s fidelity or infidelity to it (Isa 1:2; Mic 6:1).
[2:13] 100 tn It is difficult to decide whether to translate “fresh, running water” which the Hebrew term for “living water” often refers to (e.g., Gen 26:19; Lev 14:5), or “life-giving water” which the idiom “fountain of life” as source of life and vitality often refers to (e.g., Ps 36:9; Prov 13:14; 14:27). The contrast with cisterns, which collected and held rain water, suggests “fresh, running water,” but the reality underlying the metaphor contrasts the
[2:14] 101 tn Heb “Is Israel a slave? Or is he a house born slave?” The questions are rhetorical, expecting a negative answer.
[2:15] 102 tn Heb “Lions shout over him, they give out [raise] their voices.”
[2:15] 103 tn Heb “without inhabitant.”
[2:16] 104 tn Heb “the sons of…”
[2:16] 105 tc The translation follows the reading of the Syriac version. The Hebrew text reads “have grazed [= “shaved” ?] your skulls [as a sign of disgracing them].” Note that the reference shifts from third person, “him,” to second person, “you,” which is common in Hebrew style. The words “people of Israel” have been supplied in the translation to help identify the referent and ease the switch. The reading presupposes יְרֹעוּךְ (yÿro’ukh) a Qal imperfect from the verb רָעַע (ra’a’; see BDB 949 s.v. II רָעַע Qal.1 and compare usage in Jer 15:2; Ps 2:9). The MT reads יִרְעוּךְ (yir’ukh), a Qal imperfect from the root רָעָה (ra’ah; see BDB 945 s.v. I רָעָה Qal.2.b for usage). The use of the verb in the MT is unparalleled in the sense suggested, but the resultant figure, if “graze” can mean “shave,” is paralleled in Jer 47:5; 48:37; Isa 7:20. The reading of the variant is accepted on the basis that it is the rarer root; the scribe would have been more familiar with the root “graze” even though it is unparalleled in the figurative nuance implied here. The noun “head/skull” is functioning as an accusative of further specification (see GKC 372 §117.ll and compare usage in Gen 3:8), i.e., “they crack you on the skull” or “they shave you on the skull.” The verb is a prefixed form and in this context is either a preterite without vav (ו) consecutive or an iterative imperfect denoting repeated action. Some modern English versions render the verb in the future tense, “they will break [or shave] your skull.”
[2:17] 106 tn Heb “Are you not bringing this on yourself.” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer.
[2:17] 107 tn Heb “at the time of leading you in the way.”
[2:18] 108 tn Heb “What to you to the way.”
[2:18] 109 tn The introductory particle וְעַתָּה (vÿ’attah, “and now”) carries a logical, not temporal, connotation here (cf. BDB 274 s.v. עַתָּה 2.b).
[2:18] 110 tn Heb “to drink water from the Shihor [a branch of the Nile].” The reference is to seeking help through political alliance with Egypt as opposed to trusting in God for help. This is an extension of the figure in 2:13.
[2:18] 111 tn Heb “What to you to the way.”
[2:18] 112 tn Heb “to drink water from the River [a common designation in biblical Hebrew for the Euphrates River].” This refers to seeking help through political alliance. See the preceding note.
[2:19] 113 tn Or “teach you a lesson”; Heb “rebuke/chide you.”
[2:19] 114 tn Heb “how evil and bitter.” The reference is to the consequences of their acts. This is a figure of speech (hendiadys) where two nouns or adjectives joined by “and” introduce a main concept modified by the other noun or adjective.
[2:19] 115 tn Heb “to leave the
[2:19] 116 tn Heb “and no fear of me was on you.”
[2:19] 117 tn Heb “the Lord Yahweh, [the God of] hosts.” For the title Lord
[2:20] 118 tn Or “For.” The Hebrew particle (כִּי, ki) here introduces the evidence that they had no respect for him.
[2:20] 119 tn Heb “you broke your yoke…tore off your yoke ropes.” The metaphor is that of a recalcitrant ox or heifer which has broken free from its master.
[2:20] 120 tc The MT of this verse has two examples of the old second feminine singular perfect, שָׁבַרְתִּי (shavarti) and נִתַּקְתִּי (nittaqti), which the Masoretes mistook for first singulars leading to the proposal to read אֶעֱבוֹר (’e’evor, “I will not transgress”) for אֶעֱבֹד (’e’evod, “I will not serve”). The latter understanding of the forms is accepted in KJV but rejected by almost all modern English versions as being less appropriate to the context than the reading accepted in the translation given here.
[2:20] 121 tn Heb “you sprawled as a prostitute on….” The translation reflects the meaning of the metaphor.
[2:21] 122 tc Heb “I planted you as a choice vine, all of it true seed. How then have you turned into a putrid thing to me, a strange [or wild] vine.” The question expresses surprise and consternation. The translation is based on a redivision of the Hebrew words סוּרֵי הַגֶּפֶן (sure haggefen) into סוֹרִיָּה גֶּפֶן (soriyyah gefen) and the recognition of a hapax legomenon סוֹרִיָּה (soriyyah) meaning “putrid, stinking thing.” See HALOT 707 s.v. סוֹרִי.
[2:22] 123 tn Heb “Even if you wash with natron/lye, and use much soap, your sin is a stain before me.”
[2:22] 124 tn Heb “Lord Yahweh.” For an explanation of this title see the study notes on 1:6.
[2:23] 125 tn Heb “I have not gone/followed after.” See the translator’s note on 2:5 for the meaning and usage of this idiom.
[2:23] 126 tn Heb “Look at your way in the valley.” The valley is an obvious reference to the Valley of Hinnom where Baal and Molech were worshiped and child sacrifice was practiced.
[2:23] 127 sn The metaphor is intended to depict Israel’s lack of clear direction and purpose without the
[2:24] 128 tn The words “to get the scent of a male” are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[2:24] 129 sn The metaphor is intended to depict Israel’s irrepressible desire to worship other gods.
[2:25] 130 tn Heb “Refrain your feet from being bare and your throat from being dry/thirsty.”
[2:25] 131 tn Heb “It is useless! No!” For this idiom, see Jer 18:12; NEB “No; I am desperate.”
[13:1] 132 sn In Hosea the name “Ephraim” does not refer to the tribe, but to the region of Mount Ephraim where the royal residence of Samaria was located. It functions as a synecdoche of location (Mount Ephraim) for its inhabitants (the king of Samaria; e.g., 5:13; 8:8, 10).
[13:1] 133 tn The rulers of Ephraim (i.e., Samaria) issued many political decisions in the 8th century
[13:1] 134 tn The noun רְתֵת (rÿtet, “terror, trembling”) appears only here in OT (BDB 958 s.v. רְתֵת; HALOT 1300-1301 s.v. רְתֵת). However, it is attested in 1QH 4:33 where it means “trembling” and is used as a synonym with רַעַד (ra’ad, “quaking”). It also appears in Mishnaic Hebrew, meaning “trembling” (G. Dalman, Aramäisch-neuhebräisches Handwörterbuch, 406, s.v. רעד). This is the meaning reflected in the Greek recensions of Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion, as well as Jerome’s Latin Vulgate.
[13:1] 135 tc The MT vocalizes the consonantal text as נָשָׂא (nasa’, “he exalted”; Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular) which is syntactically awkward. The LXX and Syriac reflect a vocalization tradition of נִשָּׂא (nisa’, “he was exalted”; Niphal perfect 3rd person masculine singular). The BHS editors suggest that this revocalization should be adopted, and it has been followed by NAB, NIV, NRSV.
