Genesis 13:10-13

13:10 Lot looked up and saw ¹  the whole region ²  of the Jordan. He noticed ³  that all of it was well-watered (before the Lord obliterated ⁴  Sodom and Gomorrah) ⁵  like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, ⁶  all the way to Zoar. 13:11 Lot chose for himself the whole region of the Jordan and traveled ⁷  toward the east.

So the relatives separated from each other. ⁸  13:12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled among the cities of the Jordan plain ⁹  and pitched his tents next to Sodom. 13:13 (Now ¹⁰  the people ¹¹  of Sodom were extremely wicked rebels against the Lord.) ¹² 

Numbers 22:17-19

22:17 For I will honor you greatly, ¹³  and whatever you tell me I will do. So come, put a curse on this nation for me.’”

22:18 Balaam replied ¹⁴  to the servants of Balak, “Even if Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I could not transgress the commandment ¹⁵  of the Lord my God ¹⁶  to do less or more. 22:19 Now therefore, please stay ¹⁷  the night here also, that I may know what more the Lord might say to me.” ¹⁸ 

Joshua 7:11

7:11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenantal commandment! ¹⁹  They have taken some of the riches; ²⁰  they have stolen them and deceitfully put them among their own possessions. ²¹ 

Joshua 7:2

7:2 Joshua sent men from Jericho ²²  to Ai (which is located near Beth Aven, east of Bethel ²³ ) and instructed them, “Go up and spy on the land.” So the men went up and spied on Ai.

Joshua 5:1

5:1 When all the Amorite kings on the west side of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the seacoast heard how the Lord had dried up the water of the Jordan before the Israelites while they ²⁴  crossed, they lost their courage and could not even breathe for fear of the Israelites. ²⁵ 

Proverbs 15:27

15:27 The one who is greedy for gain ²⁶  troubles ²⁷  his household, ²⁸ 

but whoever hates bribes ²⁹  will live.

Proverbs 20:21

20:21 An inheritance gained easily ³⁰  in the beginning

will not be blessed ³¹  in the end. ³² 

Proverbs 21:6

21:6 Making a fortune ³³  by a lying tongue is like ³⁴  a vapor driven back and forth; ³⁵ 

they seek death. ³⁶ 

Proverbs 22:16

22:16 The one who oppresses the poor to increase his own gain

and the one who gives to the rich ³⁷  – both end up only in poverty.

Proverbs 28:20-22

28:20 A faithful person ³⁸  will have an abundance of blessings,

but the one who hastens ³⁹  to gain riches will not go unpunished.

28:21 To show partiality ⁴⁰  is terrible, ⁴¹ 

for a person will transgress over the smallest piece of bread. ⁴² 

28:22 The stingy person ⁴³  hastens after riches

and does not know that poverty will overtake him. ⁴⁴ 

Isaiah 5:8

Disaster is Coming

5:8 Those who accumulate houses are as good as dead, ⁴⁵ 

those who also accumulate landed property ⁴⁶ 

until there is no land left, ⁴⁷ 

and you are the only landowners remaining within the land. ⁴⁸ 

Hosea 12:7-8

The Lord Refutes Israel’s False Claim of Innocence

12:7 The businessmen love to cheat; ⁴⁹ 

they use dishonest scales. ⁵⁰ 

12:8 Ephraim boasts, ⁵¹  “I am very rich!

I have become wealthy! ⁵² 

In all that I have done to gain my wealth, ⁵³ 

no one can accuse me of any offense ⁵⁴  that is actually sinful.” ⁵⁵ 

Amos 8:4-6

8:4 Listen to this, you who trample ⁵⁶  the needy,

and do away with ⁵⁷  the destitute in the land.

8:5 You say,

“When will the new moon festival ⁵⁸  be over, ⁵⁹  so we can sell grain?

When will the Sabbath end, ⁶⁰  so we can open up the grain bins? ⁶¹ 

We’re eager ⁶²  to sell less for a higher price, ⁶³ 

and to cheat the buyer with rigged scales! ⁶⁴ 

8:6 We’re eager to trade silver for the poor, ⁶⁵ 

a pair of sandals ⁶⁶  for the needy!

We want to mix in some chaff with the grain!” ⁶⁷ 

Zechariah 11:5

11:5 Those who buy them ⁶⁸  slaughter them and are not held guilty; those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich.’ Their own shepherds have no compassion for them.

Matthew 13:22

13:22 The ⁶⁹  seed sown among thorns is the person who hears the word, but worldly cares and the seductiveness of wealth ⁷⁰  choke the word, ⁷¹  so it produces nothing.

Matthew 19:22

19:22 But when the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he was very rich. ⁷² 

Matthew 26:15

26:15 and said, “What will you give me to betray him into your hands?” ⁷³  So they set out thirty silver coins for him.

James 5:1-4

Warning to the Rich

5:1 Come now, you rich! Weep and cry aloud ⁷⁴  over the miseries that are coming on you. 5:2 Your riches have rotted and your clothing has become moth-eaten. 5:3 Your gold and silver have rusted and their rust will be a witness against you. It will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have hoarded treasure! ⁷⁵  5:4 Look, the pay you have held back from the workers who mowed your fields cries out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

James 5:2

5:2 Your riches have rotted and your clothing has become moth-eaten.

James 2:15-16

2:15 If a brother or sister ⁷⁶  is poorly clothed and lacks daily food, 2:16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm and eat well,” but you do not give them what the body needs, ⁷⁷  what good is it?

Jude 1:11

1:11 Woe to them! For they have traveled down Cain’s path, ⁷⁸  and because of greed ⁷⁹  have abandoned themselves ⁸⁰  to ⁸¹  Balaam’s error; hence, ⁸²  they will certainly perish ⁸³  in Korah’s rebellion.

[13:10]  ¹ tn Heb “lifted up his eyes and saw.” The expression draws attention to the act of looking, indicating that Lot took a good look. It also calls attention to the importance of what was seen.

[13:10]  ² tn Or “plain”; Heb “circle.”

[13:10]  ³ tn The words “he noticed” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[13:10]  ⁴ sn Obliterated. The use of the term “destroy” (שַׁחֵת, shakhet) is reminiscent of the Noahic flood (Gen 6:13). Both at the flood and in Sodom the place was obliterated by catastrophe and only one family survived (see C. Westermann, Genesis, 2:178).

[13:10]  ⁵ tn This short temporal clause (preposition + Piel infinitive construct + subjective genitive + direct object) is strategically placed in the middle of the lavish descriptions to sound an ominous note. The entire clause is parenthetical in nature. Most English translations place the clause at the end of v. 10 for stylistic reasons.

[13:10]  ⁶ sn The narrative places emphasis on what Lot saw so that the reader can appreciate how it aroused his desire for the best land. It makes allusion to the garden of the Lord and to the land of Egypt for comparison. Just as the tree in the garden of Eden had awakened Eve’s desire, so the fertile valley attracted Lot. And just as certain memories of Egypt would cause the Israelites to want to turn back and abandon the trek to the promised land, so Lot headed for the good life.

[13:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “Lot traveled.” The proper name has not been repeated in the translation at this point for stylistic reasons.

[13:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “a man from upon his brother.”

[13:12]  ⁹ tn Or “the cities of the plain”; Heb “[the cities of] the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.

[13:13]  ¹⁰ tn Here is another significant parenthetical clause in the story, signaled by the vav (וו) disjunctive (translated “now”) on the noun at the beginning of the clause.

[13:13]  ¹¹ tn Heb “men.” However, this is generic in sense; it is unlikely that only the male residents of Sodom were sinners.

[13:13]  ¹² tn Heb “wicked and sinners against the Lord exceedingly.” The description of the sinfulness of the Sodomites is very emphatic. First, two nouns are used to form a hendiadys: “wicked and sinners” means “wicked sinners,” the first word becoming adjectival. The text is saying these were no ordinary sinners; they were wicked sinners, the type that cause pain for others. Then to this phrase is added “against the Lord,” stressing their violation of the laws of heaven and their culpability. Finally, to this is added מְאֹד (mÿ’od, “exceedingly,” translated here as “extremely”).

[22:17]  ¹³ tn The construction uses the Piel infinitive כַּבֵּד (kabbed) to intensify the verb, which is the Piel imperfect/cohortative אֲכַבֶּדְךָ (’akhabbedkha). The great honor could have been wealth, prestige, or position.

[22:18]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “answered and said.”

[22:18]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “mouth.”

[22:18]  ¹⁶ sn In the light of subsequent events one should not take too seriously that Balaam referred to Yahweh as his God. He is referring properly to the deity for which he is acting as the agent.

[22:19]  ¹⁷ tn In this case “lodge” is not used, but “remain, reside” (שְׁבוּ, shÿvu).

[22:19]  ¹⁸ tn This clause is also a verbal hendiadys: “what the Lord might add to speak,” meaning, “what more the Lord might say.”

[7:11]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “They have violated my covenant which I commanded them.”

[7:11]  ²⁰ tn Heb “what was set apart [to the Lord].”

[7:11]  ²¹ tn Heb “and also they have stolen, and also they have lied, and also they have placed [them] among their items.”

[7:2]  ²² map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[7:2]  ²³ map For the location of Bethel see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[5:1]  ²⁴ tc Another textual tradition has, “while we crossed.”

[5:1]  ²⁵ tn Heb “their heart[s] melted and there was no longer in them breathe because of the sons of Israel.”

[15:27]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the one who gains.” The phrase בּוֹצֵעַ בָּצַע (botseakh batsa’) is a participle followed by its cognate accusative. This refers to a person who is always making the big deal, getting the larger cut, or in a hurry to get rich. The verb, though, makes it clear that the gaining of a profit is by violence and usually unjust, since the root has the idea of “cut off; break off; gain by violence.” The line is contrasted with hating bribes, and so the gain in this line may be through bribery.

[15:27]  ²⁷ sn The participle “troubles” (עֹכֵר, ’okher) can have the connotation of making things difficult for the family, or completely ruining the family (cf. NAB). In Josh 7:1 Achan took some of the “banned things” and was put to death: Because he “troubled Israel,” the Lord would “trouble” him (take his life, Josh 7:25).

[15:27]  ²⁸ tn Heb “his house.”

[15:27]  ²⁹ tn Heb “gifts” (so KJV). Gifts can be harmless enough, but in a setting like this the idea is that the “gift” is in exchange for some “profit [or, gain].” Therefore they are bribes (cf. ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT), and to be hated or rejected. Abram, for example, would not take anything that the king of Sodom had to offer, “lest [he] say, “I have made Abram rich” (Gen 14:22-24).

[20:21]  ³⁰ tc The Kethib reads מְבֻחֶלֶת (mÿbukhelet), “gotten by greed” (based on a cognate Syriac verb, “to be greedy”); but the Qere is מְבֹהֶלֶת (mÿvohelet), “gotten hastily [or, quickly].” A large number of mss and the ancient versions read with the Qere (cf. KJV, ASV “gotten hastily”; NAB “gained hastily”; NIV “quickly gained”; NRSV “quickly acquired”).

[20:21]  ³¹ tn The form is the Pual imperfect, “will not be blessed,” suggesting that divine justice is at work.

[20:21]  ³² tn Heb “in its end”; KJV, ASV “the end thereof.”

[21:6]  ³³ tn The first word of the verse is the noun meaning “doing, deed, work.” The BHS editors suggest reading with the LXX an active participle – “the one who makes” (cf. NAB “He who makes”). The second word means “treasure,” from the verb “lay up, store up.” It is an objective genitive here.

[21:6]  ³⁴ tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity.

[21:6]  ³⁵ tn The Hebrew הֶבֶל נִדָּף (hevel nidaf) is properly “a driven vapor” (“driven” = the Niphal participle). The point of the metaphor is that the ill-gotten gains will vanish into thin air. The LXX has “pursues” (as if reading רֹדֵף, rodef); cf. NAB “chasing a bubble over deadly snares.”

[21:6]  ³⁶ tn The Hebrew has “seekers of death,” meaning “[they that seek them] are seekers of death,” or that the fortune is “a fleeting vapor for those who seek death.” The sense is not readily apparent. The Greek and the Latin versions have “snares of death”; the form מוֹקְשֵׁי (moqÿshe) was read instead of מְבַקְשֵׁי (mÿvaqshe). This reading does not make a more credible metaphor, and one must explain the loss of the letter ב (bet) in the textual variant. It is, however, slightly easier to interpret in the verse, and is followed by a number of English versions (e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). But whether the easier reading is the correct one in this case would be difficult to prove.

[22:16]  ³⁷ tn Heb “oppressing the poor, it is gain; giving to the rich, it is loss.” The Hebrew is cryptic, but two sins are mentioned here that will be punished by poverty: extortion and bribery. Perhaps the proverb is simply saying it is easy to oppress the poor for gain, but it is a waste of money to try to buy or bribe a patron (D. Kidner, Proverbs [TOTC], 149).

[28:20]  ³⁸ tn Heb “a man of faithfulness,” although the context does not indicate this should be limited only to males.

[28:20]  ³⁹ sn The proverb is not rebuking diligent labor. One who is eager to get rich quickly is the opposite of the faithful person. The first person is faithful to God and to the covenant community; the second is trying to get rich as quickly as possible, at the least without doing an honest day’s work and at the worst dishonestly. In a hurry to gain wealth, he falls into various schemes and will pay for it. Tg. Prov 28:20 interprets this to say he hastens through deceit and wrongdoing.

[28:21]  ⁴⁰ tn The construction uses the Hiphil infinitive הַכֵּר (hakken) as the subject of the sentence: “to have respect for [or, recognize] persons is not good” (e.g., 24:23; 18:5; Deut 1:17; Lev 19:15). Such favoritism is “not good”; instead, it is a miscarriage of justice and is to be avoided.

[28:21]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “not good.” This is a figure of speech known as tapeinosis – a deliberate understatement to emphasize a worst-case scenario: “it is terrible!”

[28:21]  ⁴² tn The meaning and connection of the line is not readily clear. It could be taken in one of two ways: (1) a person can steal even a small piece of bread if hungry, and so the court should show some compassion, or it should show no partiality even in such a pathetic case; (2) a person could be bribed for a very small price (a small piece of bread being the figure representing this). This second view harmonizes best with the law.

[28:22]  ⁴³ tn Heb “a man with an evil eye” (as opposed to the generous man who has a “good” eye). This individual is selfish, unkind, unsympathetic to others. He looks only to his own gain. Cf. NAB “The avaricious man”; NLT “A greedy person.”

[28:22]  ⁴⁴ sn The one who is hasty to gain wealth is involved in sin in some way, for which he will be punished by poverty. The idea of “hastening” after riches suggests a dishonest approach to acquiring wealth.

[5:8]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who make a house touch a house.” The exclamation הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) was used in funeral laments (see 1 Kgs 13:30; Jer 22:18; 34:5) and carries the connotation of death.

[5:8]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “[who] bring a field near a field.”

[5:8]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “until the end of the place”; NASB “until there is no more room.”

[5:8]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land.”

[12:7]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “the merchant…loves to cheat.” The Hebrew has singular forms (noun and verb) which are used generically to refer to all Israelite merchants and traders in general. The singular noun II כְּנַעַן (kÿna’an, “a merchant; a trader”; BDB 488 s.v. II כְּנַעַן) is used in a generic sense to refer to the merchant class of Israel as a whole (e.g., Ezek 16:29; 17:4; Zeph 1:11).

[12:7]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “The merchant – in his hand are scales of deceit – loves to cheat.” The present translation rearranges the Hebrew line division to produce a smoother English rendering.

[12:8]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “says” (so NAB).

[12:8]  ⁵² tn Heb “I have found wealth for myself.” The verb מָצַא (matsa’, “to find”) is repeated in 12:8 to create a wordplay that is difficult to reproduce in translation. The Israelites have “found” (מָצַא) wealth for themselves (i.e., become wealthy; v. 8a) through dishonest business practices (v. 7). Nevertheless, they claim that no guilt can be “found” (מָצַא) in anything they have done in gaining their wealth (v. 8b).

[12:8]  ⁵³ tc The MT reads the 1st person common singular suffix on the noun יְגִיעַי (yÿgi’ay, “my labors/gains”; masculine plural noun + 1st person common singular suffix). The LXX’s οἱ πόνοι αὐτοῦ ({oi ponoi autou, “his labors”) assumes a 3rd person masculine singular suffix on the noun יְגִיעַיו (yÿgi’av, “his labors/gains”; masculine plural noun + 3rd person masculine singular suffix). The BHS editors suggest adopting the LXX reading. The textual decision is based upon whether or not this line continues the speech of Ephraim (1st person common singular suffix) or whether these are the words of the prophet (3rd person masculine singular suffix). See the following translator’s note for the two rival lexical meanings which in turn lead to the textual options for the line as a whole.

[12:8]  ⁵⁴ tn The phrase מָצָאתִי אוֹן לִי (matsa’ti ’on li, “I have found wealth for myself” = I have become wealthy) forms a wordplay with לֹא יִמְצְאוּ לִי עָוֹן (lo’ yimtsÿ’u li ’avon, “they will not find guilt in me”). The repetition of מָצָא לִי (matsa’ li) is enhanced by the paronomasia between the similar sounding nouns עוֹן (’on, “guilt”) and אוֹן (’on, “wealth”). The wordplay emphasizes that Israel’s acquisition of wealth cannot be divorced from his guilt in dishonest business practices. Israel has difficulty in protesting his innocence that he is not guilty (עוֹן) of the dishonest acquisition of wealth (אוֹן).

[12:8]  ⁵⁵ tc The MT reads “[in] all my gains, they will not find guilt in me which would be sin.” The LXX reflects a Hebrew Vorlage which would be translated “in all his labors, he cannot offset his guilt which is sin.” Some translations follow the LXX: “but all his riches can never offset the guilt he has incurred” (RSV); “None of his gains shall atone for the guilt of his sins” (NEB); “All his gain shall not suffice him for the guilt of his sin” (NAB). Most follow the MT: “In all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin” (KJV); “In all my labors they will find in me no iniquity, which would be sin” (NASB); “With all my wealth they will not find in me any iniquity or sin” (NIV); “All my gains do not amount to an offense which is real guilt” (NJPS); “No one can accuse us [sic] of getting rich dishonestly” (TEV); “I earned it all on my own, without committing a sin” (CEV). See D. Barthélemy, ed., Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 5:262-63.

[8:4]  ⁵⁶ tn See the note on the word “trample” in 2:7.

[8:4]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “put an end to”; or “exterminate.”

[8:5]  ⁵⁸ sn Apparently work was prohibited during the new moon festival, just as it was on the Sabbath.

[8:5]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “pass by.”

[8:5]  ⁶⁰ tn The verb, though omitted in the Hebrew text, is supplied in the translation from the parallel line.

[8:5]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “sell grain.” Here “grain” could stand by metonymy for the bins where it was stored.

[8:5]  ⁶² tn Here and in v. 6 the words “we’re eager” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[8:5]  ⁶³ tn Heb “to make small the ephah and to make great the shekel.” The “ephah” was a unit of dry measure used to determine the quantity purchased, while the “shekel” was a standard weight used to determine the purchase price. By using a smaller than standard ephah and a heavier than standard shekel, these merchants were able to increase their profit (“sell less for a higher price”) by cheating the buyer.

[8:5]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “and to cheat with deceptive scales”; NASB, NIV “dishonest scales”; NRSV “false balances.”

[8:6]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “to buy the poor for silver.”

[8:6]  ⁶⁶ tn See the note on the word “sandals” in 2:6.

[8:6]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “The chaff of the grain we will sell.”

[11:5]  ⁶⁸ sn The expression those who buy them appears to be a reference to the foreign nations to whom Israel’s own kings “sold” their subjects. Far from being good shepherds, then, they were evil and profiteering. The whole section (vv. 4-14) refers to the past when the Lord, the Good Shepherd, had in vain tried to lead his people to salvation and life.

[13:22]  ⁶⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[13:22]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “the deceitfulness of riches.” Cf. BDAG 99 s.v. ἀπάτη 1, “the seduction which comes from wealth.”

[13:22]  ⁷¹ sn That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.

[19:22]  ⁷² tn Grk “he had many possessions.” This term (κτῆμα, kthma) is often used for land as a possession.

[26:15]  ⁷³ tn Grk “What will you give to me, and I will betray him to you?”

[5:1]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “wail”; Grk “crying aloud.”

[5:3]  ⁷⁵ tn Or “hoarded up treasure for the last days”; Grk “in the last days.”

[2:15]  ⁷⁶ tn It is important to note that the words ἀδελφός (adelfos) and ἀδελφή (adelfh) both occur in the Greek text at this point, confirming that the author intended to refer to both men and women. See the note on “someone” in 2:2.

[2:16]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “what is necessary for the body.”

[1:11]  ⁷⁸ tn Or “they have gone the way of Cain.”

[1:11]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “for wages.”

[1:11]  ⁸⁰ 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]  ⁸¹ tn Or “in.”

[1:11]  ⁸² tn Grk “and.” See note on “perish” later in this verse.

[1:11]  ⁸³ 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).