Exodus 32:12

32:12 Why ¹  should the Egyptians say, ²  ‘For evil ³  he led them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy ⁴  them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger, and relent ⁵  of this evil against your people.

Numbers 14:15-16

14:15 If you kill ⁶  this entire people at once, ⁷  then the nations that have heard of your fame will say, 14:16 ‘Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to them, he killed them in the wilderness.’

Joshua 7:9

7:9 When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will turn against us and destroy the very memory of us ⁸  from the earth. What will you do to protect your great reputation?” ⁹ 

Psalms 115:1-2

Psalm 115 ¹⁰ 

115:1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us!

But to your name bring honor, ¹¹ 

for the sake of your loyal love and faithfulness. ¹² 

115:2 Why should the nations say,

“Where is their God?”

Psalms 140:8

140:8 O Lord, do not let the wicked have their way! ¹³ 

Do not allow their ¹⁴  plan to succeed when they attack! ¹⁵  (Selah)

Isaiah 10:8-15

10:8 Indeed, ¹⁶  he says:

“Are not my officials all kings?

10:9 Is not Calneh like Carchemish?

Hamath like Arpad?

Samaria like Damascus? ¹⁷ 

10:10 I overpowered kingdoms ruled by idols, ¹⁸ 

whose carved images were more impressive than Jerusalem’s ¹⁹  or Samaria’s.

10:11 As I have done to Samaria and its idols,

so I will do to Jerusalem and its idols.” ²⁰ 

10:12 But when ²¹  the sovereign master ²²  finishes judging ²³  Mount Zion and Jerusalem, then I ²⁴  will punish the king of Assyria for what he has proudly planned and for the arrogant attitude he displays. ²⁵  10:13 For he says:

“By my strong hand I have accomplished this,

by my strategy that I devised.

I invaded the territory of nations, ²⁶ 

and looted their storehouses.

Like a mighty conqueror, ²⁷  I brought down rulers. ²⁸ 

10:14 My hand discovered the wealth of the nations, as if it were in a nest,

as one gathers up abandoned eggs,

I gathered up the whole earth.

There was no wing flapping,

or open mouth chirping.” ²⁹ 

10:15 Does an ax exalt itself over the one who wields it,

or a saw magnify itself over the one who cuts with it? ³⁰ 

As if a scepter should brandish the one who raises it,

or a staff should lift up what is not made of wood!

Isaiah 37:10

37:10 “Tell King Hezekiah of Judah this: ‘Don’t let your God in whom you trust mislead you when he says, “Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.”

Isaiah 37:12-23

37:12 Were the nations whom my predecessors ³¹  destroyed – the nations of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar – rescued by their gods? ³²  37:13 Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the kings of Lair, ³³  Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’”

37:14 Hezekiah took the letter ³⁴  from the messengers and read it. ³⁵  Then Hezekiah went up to the Lord’s temple and spread it out before the Lord. 37:15 Hezekiah prayed before the Lord: 37:16 “O Lord who commands armies, O God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubim! ³⁶  You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky ³⁷  and the earth. 37:17 Pay attention, Lord, and hear! Open your eyes, Lord, and observe! Listen to this entire message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God! ³⁸  37:18 It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the nations ³⁹  and their lands. 37:19 They have burned the gods of the nations, ⁴⁰  for they are not really gods, but only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why the Assyrians could destroy them. ⁴¹  37:20 Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power, so all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.” ⁴² 

37:21 Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Because you prayed to me concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria, ⁴³  37:22 this is what the Lord says about him: ⁴⁴ 

“The virgin daughter Zion ⁴⁵ 

despises you – she makes fun of you;

daughter Jerusalem

shakes her head after you. ⁴⁶ 

37:23 Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at?

At whom have you shouted

and looked so arrogantly? ⁴⁷ 

At the Holy One of Israel! ⁴⁸ 

Daniel 4:30-37

4:30 The king uttered these words: “Is this not the great Babylon that I have built for a royal residence ⁴⁹  by my own mighty strength ⁵⁰  and for my majestic honor?” 4:31 While these words were still on the king’s lips, ⁵¹  a voice came down from heaven: “It is hereby announced to you, ⁵²  King Nebuchadnezzar, that your kingdom has been removed from you! 4:32 You will be driven from human society, and you will live with the wild animals. You will be fed grass like oxen, and seven periods of time will pass by for you before ⁵³  you understand that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and gives them to whomever he wishes.”

4:33 Now in that very moment ⁵⁴  this pronouncement about ⁵⁵  Nebuchadnezzar came true. ⁵⁶  He was driven from human society, he ate grass like oxen, and his body became damp with the dew of the sky, until his hair became long like an eagle’s feathers, and his nails like a bird’s claws. ⁵⁷ 

4:34 But at the end of the appointed time ⁵⁸  I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up ⁵⁹  toward heaven, and my sanity returned to me.

I extolled the Most High,

and I praised and glorified the one who lives forever.

For his authority is an everlasting authority,

and his kingdom extends from one generation to the next.

4:35 All the inhabitants of the earth are regarded as nothing. ⁶⁰ 

He does as he wishes with the army of heaven

and with those who inhabit the earth.

No one slaps ⁶¹  his hand

and says to him, ‘What have you done?’

4:36 At that time my sanity returned to me. I was restored ⁶²  to the honor of my kingdom, and my splendor returned to me. My ministers and my nobles were seeking me out, and I was reinstated ⁶³  over my kingdom. I became even greater than before. 4:37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all his deeds are right and his ways are just. He is able to bring down those who live ⁶⁴  in pride.

[32:12]  ¹ tn The question is rhetorical; it really forms an affirmation that is used here as a reason for the request (see GKC 474 §150.e).

[32:12]  ² tn Heb “speak, saying.” This is redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.

[32:12]  ³ tn The word “evil” means any kind of life-threatening or fatal calamity. “Evil” is that which hinders life, interrupts life, causes pain to life, or destroys it. The Egyptians would conclude that such a God would have no good intent in taking his people to the desert if now he destroyed them.

[32:12]  ⁴ tn The form is a Piel infinitive construct from כָּלָה (kalah, “to complete, finish”) but in this stem, “bring to an end, destroy.” As a purpose infinitive this expresses what the Egyptians would have thought of God’s motive.

[32:12]  ⁵ tn The verb “repent, relent” when used of God is certainly an anthropomorphism. It expresses the deep pain that one would have over a situation. Earlier God repented that he had made humans (Gen 6:6). Here Moses is asking God to repent/relent over the judgment he was about to bring, meaning that he should be moved by such compassion that there would be no judgment like that. J. P. Hyatt observes that the Bible uses so many anthropomorphisms because the Israelites conceived of God as a dynamic and living person in a vital relationship with people, responding to their needs and attitudes and actions (Exodus [NCBC], 307). See H. V. D. Parunak, “A Semantic Survey of NHM,” Bib 56 (1975): 512-32.

[14:15]  ⁶ tn The verb is the Hiphil perfect of מוּת (mut), וְהֵמַתָּה (vÿhemattah). The vav (ו) consecutive makes this also a future time sequence verb, but again in a conditional clause.

[14:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “as one man.”

[7:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “and cut off our name.”

[7:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “What will you do for your great name?”

[115:1]  ¹⁰ sn Psalm 115. The psalmist affirms that Israel’s God is superior to pagan idols and urges Israel to place their confidence in him.

[115:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “give glory.”

[115:1]  ¹² sn The psalmist asks the Lord to demonstrate his loyal love and faithfulness, not simply so Israel may benefit, but primarily so that the Lord will receive honor among the nations, who will recognize, contrary to their present view (see v. 2), that Israel’s God is committed to his people.

[140:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “do not grant the desires of the wicked.”

[140:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “his.” The singular is used in a representative sense (see v. 1).

[140:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “his plot do not promote, they rise up.” The translation understands the final verb as being an unmarked temporal clause. Another option is to revocalize the verb as a Hiphil and take the verb with the next verse, “those who surround me lift up [their] head,” which could refer to their proud attitude as they anticipate victory (see Ps 27:6).

[10:8]  ¹⁶ tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[10:9]  ¹⁷ sn Calneh … Carchemish … Hamath … Arpad … Samaria … Damascus. The city states listed here were conquered by the Assyrians between 740-717 b.c. The point of the rhetorical questions is that no one can stand before Assyria’s might. On the geographical, rather than chronological arrangement of the cities, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:264, n. 4.

[10:10]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “Just as my hand found the kingdoms of the idol[s].” The comparison is expanded in v. 11a (note “as”) and completed in v. 11b (note “so”).

[10:10]  ¹⁹ map For the location of Jerusalem see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[10:11]  ²⁰ tn The statement is constructed as a rhetorical question in the Hebrew text: “Is it not [true that] just as I have done to Samaria and its idols, so I will do to Jerusalem and its idols?”

[10:12]  ²¹ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[10:12]  ²² tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 16, 23, 24, 33 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[10:12]  ²³ tn Heb “his work on/against.” Cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV “on”; NIV “against.”

[10:12]  ²⁴ tn The Lord is speaking here, as in vv. 5-6a.

[10:12]  ²⁵ tn Heb “I will visit [judgment] on the fruit of the greatness of the heart of the king of Assyria, and on the glory of the height of his eyes.” The proud Assyrian king is likened to a large, beautiful fruit tree.

[10:13]  ²⁶ tn Heb “removed the borders of nations”; cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV “boundaries.”

[10:13]  ²⁷ tc The consonantal text (Kethib) has כְּאַבִּיר (kÿ’abir, “like a strong one”); the marginal reading (Qere) is כַּבִיר (kavir, “mighty one”).

[10:13]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and I brought down, like a strong one, ones sitting [or “living”].” The participle יוֹשְׁבִים (yoshÿvim, “ones sitting”) could refer to the inhabitants of the nations, but the translation assumes that it refers to those who sit on thrones, i.e., rulers. See BDB 442 s.v. יָשַׁב and HALOT 444 s.v. ישׁב.

[10:14]  ²⁹ sn The Assyrians’ conquests were relatively unopposed, like robbing a bird’s nest of its eggs when the mother bird is absent.

[10:15]  ³⁰ tn Heb “the one who pushes it back and forth”; KJV “him that shaketh it”; ASV “him that wieldeth it.”

[37:12]  ³¹ tn Heb “fathers” (so KJV, NAB, NASB); NIV “forefathers”; NCV “ancestors.”

[37:12]  ³² tn Heb “Did the gods of the nations whom my fathers destroyed rescue them – Gozan and Haran, and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who are in Telassar?”

[37:13]  ³³ sn Lair was a city located in northeastern Babylon. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 235.

[37:14]  ³⁴ tc The Hebrew text has the plural, “letters.” The final mem (ם) may be dittographic (note the initial mem on the form that immediately follows). Some Greek and Aramaic witnesses have the singular. If so, one still has to deal with the yod that is part of the plural ending. J. N. Oswalt refers to various commentators who have suggested ways to understand the plural form (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:652).

[37:14]  ³⁵ tn In the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:14 the verb has the plural suffix, “them,” but this probably reflects a later harmonization to the preceding textual corruption (of “letter” to “letters”).

[37:16]  ³⁶ sn Cherubim (singular “cherub”) refers to the images of winged angelic creatures that were above the ark of the covenant.

[37:16]  ³⁷ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[37:17]  ³⁸ tn Heb “Hear all the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taunt the living God.”

[37:18]  ³⁹ tn The Hebrew text here has “all the lands,” but the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:17 has “the nations.”

[37:19]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “and they put their gods in the fire.”

[37:19]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “so they destroyed them” (NASB similar).

[37:20]  ⁴² tn The parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:19 reads, “that you, Lord, are the only God.”

[37:21]  ⁴³ tn The parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:20 reads, “That which you prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.” The verb “I have heard” does not appear in Isa 37:21, where אֲשֶׁר (’asher) probably has a causal sense: “because.”

[37:22]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “this is the word which the Lord has spoken about him.”

[37:22]  ⁴⁵ sn Zion (Jerusalem) is pictured here as a young, vulnerable daughter whose purity is being threatened by the would-be Assyrian rapist. The personification hints at the reality which the young girls of the city would face if the Assyrians conquer it.

[37:22]  ⁴⁶ sn Shaking the head was a mocking gesture of derision.

[37:23]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “and lifted your eyes on high?” Cf. NIV “lifted your eyes in pride”; NRSV “haughtily lifted your eyes.”

[37:23]  ⁴⁸ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[4:30]  ⁴⁹ tn Aram “house.”

[4:30]  ⁵⁰ tn Aram “by the might of my strength.”

[4:31]  ⁵¹ tn Aram “in the mouth of the king.”

[4:31]  ⁵² tn Aram “to you they say.”

[4:32]  ⁵³ tn Aram “until.”

[4:33]  ⁵⁴ tn Aram “hour.”

[4:33]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “on.”

[4:33]  ⁵⁶ tn Aram “was fulfilled.”

[4:33]  ⁵⁷ tn The words “feathers” and “claws” are not present in the Aramaic text, but have been added in the translation for clarity.

[4:34]  ⁵⁸ tn Aram “days.”

[4:34]  ⁵⁹ tn Aram “lifted up my eyes.”

[4:35]  ⁶⁰ tc The present translation reads כְּלָא (kÿla’), with many medieval Hebrew MSS, rather than כְּלָה (kÿlah) of BHS.

[4:35]  ⁶¹ tn Aram “strikes against.”

[4:36]  ⁶² tc The translation reads הַדְרֵת (hadret, “I returned”) rather than the MT הַדְרִי (hadri, “my honor”); cf. Theodotion.

[4:36]  ⁶³ tc The translation reads הָתְקְנֵת (hotqÿnet, “I was established”) rather than the MT הָתְקְנַת (hotqÿnat, “it was established”). As it stands, the MT makes no sense here.

[4:37]  ⁶⁴ tn Aram “walk.”