Genesis 22:18

22:18 Because you have obeyed me, ¹  all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ²  using the name of your descendants.’”

Genesis 49:10

49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, ³ 

until he comes to whom it belongs; ⁴ 

the nations will obey him. ⁵ 

Psalms 22:26-27

22:26 Let the oppressed eat and be filled! ⁶ 

Let those who seek his help praise the Lord!

May you ⁷  live forever!

22:27 Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him! ⁸ 

Let all the nations ⁹  worship you! ¹⁰ 

Psalms 67:1-3

Psalm 67 ¹¹ 

For the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm, a song.

67:1 May God show us his favor ¹²  and bless us! ¹³ 

May he smile on us! ¹⁴  (Selah)

67:2 Then those living on earth will know what you are like;

all nations will know how you deliver your people. ¹⁵ 

67:3 Let the nations thank you, O God!

Let all the nations thank you! ¹⁶ 

Psalms 72:17-19

72:17 May his fame endure! ¹⁷ 

May his dynasty last as long as the sun remains in the sky! ¹⁸ 

May they use his name when they formulate their blessings! ¹⁹ 

May all nations consider him to be favored by God! ²⁰ 

72:18 The Lord God, the God of Israel, deserves praise! ²¹ 

He alone accomplishes amazing things! ²² 

72:19 His glorious name deserves praise ²³  forevermore!

May his majestic splendor ²⁴  fill the whole earth!

We agree! We agree! ²⁵ 

Isaiah 2:2-3

2:2 In the future ²⁶ 

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will endure ²⁷ 

as the most important of mountains,

and will be the most prominent of hills. ²⁸ 

All the nations will stream to it,

2:3 many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain,

to the temple of the God of Jacob,

so ²⁹  he can teach us his requirements, ³⁰ 

and ³¹  we can follow his standards.” ³² 

For Zion will be the center for moral instruction; ³³ 

the Lord will issue edicts from Jerusalem. ³⁴ 

Isaiah 11:10

Israel is Reclaimed and Reunited

11:10 At that time ³⁵  a root from Jesse ³⁶  will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, ³⁷  and his residence will be majestic.

Isaiah 19:23-25

19:23 At that time there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will visit Egypt, and the Egyptians will visit Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. ³⁸  19:24 At that time Israel will be the third member of the group, along with Egypt and Assyria, and will be a recipient of blessing ³⁹  in the earth. ⁴⁰  19:25 The Lord who commands armies will pronounce a blessing over the earth, saying, ⁴¹  “Blessed be my people, Egypt, and the work of my hands, Assyria, and my special possession, ⁴²  Israel!”

Isaiah 24:15-16

24:15 So in the east ⁴³  extol the Lord,

along the seacoasts extol ⁴⁴  the fame ⁴⁵  of the Lord God of Israel.

24:16 From the ends of the earth we ⁴⁶  hear songs –

the Just One is majestic. ⁴⁷ 

But I ⁴⁸  say, “I’m wasting away! I’m wasting away! I’m doomed!

Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!” ⁴⁹ 

Isaiah 49:6-7

49:6 he says, “Is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant,

to reestablish the tribes of Jacob,

and restore the remnant ⁵⁰  of Israel? ⁵¹ 

I will make you a light to the nations, ⁵² 

so you can bring ⁵³  my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth.”

49:7 This is what the Lord,

the protector ⁵⁴  of Israel, their Holy One, ⁵⁵  says

to the one who is despised ⁵⁶  and rejected ⁵⁷  by nations, ⁵⁸ 

a servant of rulers:

“Kings will see and rise in respect, ⁵⁹ 

princes will bow down,

because of the faithful Lord,

the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.”

Isaiah 66:18-21

66:18 “I hate their deeds and thoughts! So I am coming ⁶⁰  to gather all the nations and ethnic groups; ⁶¹  they will come and witness my splendor. 66:19 I will perform a mighty act among them ⁶²  and then send some of those who remain to the nations – to Tarshish, Pul, ⁶³  Lud ⁶⁴  (known for its archers ⁶⁵ ), Tubal, Javan, ⁶⁶  and to the distant coastlands ⁶⁷  that have not heard about me or seen my splendor. They will tell the nations of my splendor. 66:20 They will bring back all your countrymen ⁶⁸  from all the nations as an offering to the Lord. They will bring them ⁶⁹  on horses, in chariots, in wagons, on mules, and on camels ⁷⁰  to my holy hill Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “just as the Israelites bring offerings to the Lord’s temple in ritually pure containers. 66:21 And I will choose some of them as priests and Levites,” says the Lord.

Jeremiah 16:19

16:19 Then I said, ⁷¹ 

“Lord, you give me strength and protect me.

You are the one I can run to for safety when I am in trouble. ⁷² 

Nations from all over the earth

will come to you and say,

‘Our ancestors had nothing but false gods –

worthless idols that could not help them at all. ⁷³ 

Hosea 2:23

2:23 Then I will plant her as my own ⁷⁴  in the land.

I will have pity on ‘No Pity’ (Lo-Ruhamah).

I will say to ‘Not My People’ (Lo-Ammi), ‘You are my people!’

And he ⁷⁵  will say, ‘You are ⁷⁶  my God!’”

Joel 2:32

2:32 It will so happen that

everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered. ⁷⁷ 

For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem ⁷⁸  there will be those who survive, ⁷⁹ 

just as the Lord has promised;

the remnant ⁸⁰  will be those whom the Lord will call. ⁸¹ 

Micah 4:1-2

Better Days Ahead for Jerusalem

4:1 In the future ⁸²  the Lord’s Temple Mount will be the most important mountain of all; ⁸³ 

it will be more prominent than other hills. ⁸⁴ 

People will stream to it.

4:2 Many nations will come, saying,

“Come on! Let’s go up to the Lord’s mountain,

to the temple ⁸⁵  of Jacob’s God,

so he can teach us his commands ⁸⁶ 

and we can live by his laws.” ⁸⁷ 

For Zion will be the source of instruction;

the Lord’s teachings will proceed from Jerusalem. ⁸⁸ 

Micah 5:7

5:7 Those survivors from ⁸⁹  Jacob will live ⁹⁰ 

in the midst of many nations. ⁹¹ 

They will be like the dew the Lord sends,

like the rain on the grass,

that does not hope for men to come

or wait around for humans to arrive. ⁹² 

Zechariah 2:11

2:11 “Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on the day of salvation, ⁹³  and they will also be my ⁹⁴  people. Indeed, I will settle in the midst of you all.” Then you will know that the Lord who rules over all has sent me to you.

Zechariah 8:20-23

8:20 The Lord who rules over all says, ‘It will someday come to pass that people – residents of many cities – will come. 8:21 The inhabitants of one will go to another and say, “Let’s go up at once to ask the favor of the Lord, to seek the Lord who rules over all. Indeed, I’ll go with you.”’ 8:22 Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord who rules over all and to ask his favor. 8:23 The Lord who rules over all says, ‘In those days ten people from all languages and nations will grasp hold of – indeed, grab – the robe of one Jew and say, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’” ⁹⁵ 

Malachi 1:11

1:11 For from the east to the west my name will be great among the nations. Incense and pure offerings will be offered in my name everywhere, for my name will be great among the nations,” ⁹⁶  says the Lord who rules over all.

[22:18]  ¹ tn In the Hebrew text this causal clause comes at the end of the sentence. The translation alters the word order for stylistic reasons.

[22:18]  ² tn Traditionally the verb is taken as passive (“will be blessed”) here, as if Abraham’s descendants were going to be a channel or source of blessing to the nations. But the Hitpael is better understood here as reflexive/reciprocal, “will bless [i.e., pronounce blessings on] themselves/one another” (see also Gen 26:4). Elsewhere the Hitpael of the verb “to bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11. Earlier formulations of this promise (see Gen 12:2; 18:18) use the Niphal stem. (See also Gen 28:14.)

[49:10]  ³ tn Or perhaps “from his descendants,” taking the expression “from between his feet” as a euphemism referring to the genitals. In this case the phrase refers by metonymy to those who come forth from his genitals, i.e., his descendants.

[49:10]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew form שִׁילֹה (shiloh) is a major interpretive problem. There are at least four major options (with many variations and less likely alternatives): (1) Some prefer to leave the text as it is, reading “Shiloh” and understanding it as the place where the ark rested for a while in the time of the Judges. (2) By repointing the text others arrive at the translation “until the [or “his”] ruler comes,” a reference to a Davidic ruler or the Messiah. (3) Another possibility that does not require emendation of the consonantal text, but only repointing, is “until tribute is brought to him” (so NEB, JPS, NRSV), which has the advantage of providing good parallelism with the following line, “the nations will obey him.” (4) The interpretation followed in the present translation, “to whom it [belongs]” (so RSV, NIV, REB), is based on the ancient versions. Again, this would refer to the Davidic dynasty or, ultimately, to the Messiah.

[49:10]  ⁵ tn “and to him [will be] the obedience of the nations.” For discussion of this verse see J. Blenkinsopp, “The Oracle of Judah and the Messianic Entry,” JBL 80 (1961): 55-64; and E. M. Good, “The ‘Blessing’ on Judah,” JBL 82 (1963): 427-32.

[22:26]  ⁶ sn Eat and be filled. In addition to praising the Lord, the psalmist also offers a thank offering to the Lord and invites others to share in a communal meal.

[22:26]  ⁷ tn Heb “may your heart[s].”

[22:27]  ⁸ tn Heb “may all the ends of the earth remember and turn to the Lord.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 27 are understood as jussives (cf. NEB). Another option (cf. NIV, NRSV) is to take the forms as imperfects and translate, “all the people of the earth will acknowledge and turn…and worship.” See vv. 29-32.

[22:27]  ⁹ tn Heb “families of the nations.”

[22:27]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “before you.”

[67:1]  ¹¹ sn Psalm 67. The psalmist prays for God’s blessing upon his people and urges the nations to praise him for he is the just ruler of the world.

[67:1]  ¹² tn Or “have mercy on us.”

[67:1]  ¹³ tn The prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives expressing the psalmist’s prayer. Note the jussive form יָאֵר (ya’er) in the next line.

[67:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “may he cause his face to shine with us.”

[67:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “to know in the earth your way, among all nations your deliverance.” The infinitive with -לְ (lamed) expresses purpose/result. When God demonstrates his favor to his people, all nations will recognize his character as a God who delivers. The Hebrew term דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) refers here to God’s characteristic behavior, more specifically, to the way he typically saves his people.

[67:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “let the nations, all of them, thank you.” The prefixed verbal forms in vv. 3-4a are understood as jussives in this call to praise.

[72:17]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “may his name [be] permanent.” The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect.

[72:17]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “before the sun may his name increase.” The Kethib (consonantal text) assumes יָנִין (yanin; a Hiphil of the verbal root נִין, nin) or יְנַיֵן (yÿnayen; a Piel form), while the Qere (marginal reading) assumes יִנּוֹן (yinnon; a Niphal form). The verb נִין occurs only here, though a derived noun, meaning “offspring,” appears elsewhere (see Isa 14:22). The verb appears to mean “propagate, increase” (BDB 630 s.v. נוּן, נִין) or “produce shoots, get descendants” (HALOT 696 s.v. נין). In this context this appears to be a prayer for a lasting dynasty that will keep the king’s name and memory alive.

[72:17]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “may they bless one another by him,” that is, use the king’s name in their blessing formulae because he is a prime example of one blessed by God (for examples of such blessing formulae, see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11). There is some debate on whether the Hitpael form of בָּרַךְ (barakh, “bless”) is reflexive-reciprocal (as assumed in the present translation) or passive. The Hitpael of בָּרַךְ occurs in five other passages, including the hotly debated Gen 22:18 and 26:4. In these two texts one could understand the verb form as passive and translate, “all the nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring,” or one could take the Hitpael as reflexive or reciprocal and translate, “all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings [i.e., on themselves or one another] by your offspring.” In the first instance Abraham’s (or Isaac’s) offspring are viewed as a channel of divine blessing. In the second instance they are viewed as a prime example of blessing that will appear as part of the nations’ blessing formulae, but not necessarily as a channel of blessing to the nations. In Deut 29:18 one reads: “When one hears the words of this covenant [or “oath”] and invokes a blessing on himself (Hitpael of בָּרַךְ) in his heart, saying: ‘I will have peace, even though I walk with a rebellious heart.’” In this case the Hitpael is clearly reflexive, as the phrases “in his heart” and “I will have peace” indicate. The Hitpael of בָּרַךְ appears twice in Isaiah 65:16: “The one who invokes a blessing on himself (see Deut 9:18) in the land will invoke that blessing by the God of truth; and the one who makes an oath in the land will make that oath by the God of truth.” A passive nuance does not fit here. The parallel line, which mentions making an oath, suggests that the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ refers here to invoking a blessing. Both pronouncements of blessing and oaths will appeal to God as the one who rewards and judges, respectively. Jer 4:2 states: “If you swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ with truth, integrity, and honesty, then the nations will pronounce blessings by him and boast in him.” A passive nuance might work (“the nations will be blessed”), but the context refers to verbal pronouncements (swearing an oath, boasting), suggesting that the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ refers here to invoking a blessing. The logic of the verse seems to be as follows: If Israel conducts its affairs with integrity, the nation will be favored by the Lord, which will in turn attract the surrounding nations to Israel’s God. To summarize, while the evidence might leave the door open for a passive interpretation, there is no clear cut passive use. Usage favors a reflexive or reciprocal understanding of the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ. In Ps 72:17 the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ is followed by the prepositional phrase בוֹ (vo, “by him”). The verb could theoretically be taken as passive, “may all the nations be blessed through him” (cf. NIV, NRSV), because the preceding context describes the positive effects of this king’s rule on the inhabitants of the earth. But the parallel line, which employs the Piel of אָשַׁר (’ashar) in a factitive/declarative sense, “regard as happy, fortunate,” suggests a reflexive or reciprocal nuance for the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ here. If the nations regard the ideal king as a prime example of one who is fortunate or blessed, it is understandable that they would use his name in their pronouncements of blessing.

[72:17]  ²⁰ tn Heb “all the nations, may they regard him as happy.” The Piel is used here in a delocutive sense (“regard as”).

[72:18]  ²¹ tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21; 41:13.

[72:18]  ²² tn Heb “[the] one who does amazing things by himself.”

[72:19]  ²³ tn Heb “[be] blessed.”

[72:19]  ²⁴ tn Or “glory.”

[72:19]  ²⁵ tn Heb “surely and surely” (אָמֵן וְאָמֵן [’amen vÿ’amen], i.e., “Amen and amen”). This is probably a congregational response of agreement to the immediately preceding statement about the propriety of praising God.

[2:2]  ²⁶ tn Heb “in the end of the days.” This phrase may refer generally to the future, or more technically to the final period of history. See BDB 31 s.v. ַאחֲרִית. The verse begins with a verb that functions as a “discourse particle” and is not translated. In numerous places throughout the OT, the “to be” verb with a prefixed conjunction (וְהָיָה [vÿhayah] and וַיְהִי [vayÿhi]) occurs in this fashion to introduce a circumstantial clause and does not require translation.

[2:2]  ²⁷ tn Or “be established” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).

[2:2]  ²⁸ tn Heb “as the chief of the mountains, and will be lifted up above the hills.” The image of Mount Zion being elevated above other mountains and hills pictures the prominence it will attain in the future.

[2:3]  ²⁹ tn The prefixed verb form with simple vav (ו) introduces a purpose/result clause after the preceding prefixed verb form (probably to be taken as a cohortative; see IBHS 650 §39.2.2a).

[2:3]  ³⁰ tn Heb “his ways.” In this context God’s “ways” are the standards of moral conduct he decrees that people should live by.

[2:3]  ³¹ tn The cohortative with vav (ו) after the prefixed verb form indicates the ultimate purpose/goal of their action.

[2:3]  ³² tn Heb “walk in his ways.”

[2:3]  ³³ tn Heb “for out of Zion will go instruction.”

[2:3]  ³⁴ tn Heb “the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

[11:10]  ³⁵ tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[11:10]  ³⁶ sn See the note at v. 1.

[11:10]  ³⁷ tn Heb “ a root from Jesse, which stands for a signal flag of the nations, of him nations will inquire” [or “seek”].

[19:23]  ³⁸ tn The text could be translated, “and Egypt will serve Assyria” (cf. NAB), but subjugation of one nation to the other does not seem to be a theme in vv. 23-25. Rather the nations are viewed as equals before the Lord (v. 25). Therefore it is better to take אֶת (’et) in v. 23b as a preposition, “together with,” rather than the accusative sign. The names of the two countries are understood to refer by metonymy to their respective inhabitants.

[19:24]  ³⁹ tn Heb “will be a blessing” (so NCV).

[19:24]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “land” (KJV, NAB).

[19:25]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “which the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] will bless [it], saying.” The third masculine singular suffix on the form בֵּרֲכוֹ (berakho) should probably be emended to a third feminine singular suffix בֵּרֲכָהּ (berakhah), for its antecedent would appear to be the feminine noun אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”) at the end of v. 24.

[19:25]  ⁴² tn Or “my inheritance” (NAB, NASB, NIV).

[24:15]  ⁴³ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “in the lights,” interpreted by some to mean “in the region of light,” referring to the east. Some scholars have suggested the emendation of בָּאֻרִים (ba’urim) to בְּאִיֵּי הַיָּם (bÿ’iyyey hayyam, “along the seacoasts”), a phrase that is repeated in the next line. In this case, the two lines form synonymous parallelism. If one retains the MT reading (as above), “in the east” and “along the seacoasts” depict the two ends of the earth to refer to all the earth (as a merism).

[24:15]  ⁴⁴ tn The word “extol” is supplied in the translation; the verb in the first line does double duty in the parallelism.

[24:15]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “name,” which here stands for God’s reputation achieved by his mighty deeds.

[24:16]  ⁴⁶ sn The identity of the subject is unclear. Apparently in vv. 15-16a an unidentified group responds to the praise they hear in the west by exhorting others to participate.

[24:16]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “Beauty belongs to the just one.” These words may summarize the main theme of the songs mentioned in the preceding line.

[24:16]  ⁴⁸ sn The prophet seems to contradict what he hears the group saying. Their words are premature because more destruction is coming.

[24:16]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “and [with] deception deceivers deceive.”

[49:6]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “the protected [or “preserved”] ones.”

[49:6]  ⁵¹ sn The question is purely rhetorical; it does not imply that the servant was dissatisfied with his commission or that he minimized the restoration of Israel.

[49:6]  ⁵² tn See the note at 42:6.

[49:6]  ⁵³ tn Heb “be” (so KJV, ASV); CEV “you must take.”

[49:7]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[49:7]  ⁵⁵ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[49:7]  ⁵⁶ tc The Hebrew text reads literally “to [one who] despises life.” It is preferable to read with the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a לבזוי, which should be vocalized as a passive participle, לִבְזוּי (livzuy, “to the one despised with respect to life” [נֶפֶשׁ is a genitive of specification]). The consonantal sequence וי was probably misread as ה in the MT tradition. The contextual argument favors the 1QIsa^a reading. As J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 2:294) points out, the three terse phrases “convey a picture of lowliness, worthlessness, and helplessness.”

[49:7]  ⁵⁷ tn MT’s Piel participle (“to the one who rejects”) does not fit contextually. The form should be revocalized as a Pual, “to the one rejected.”

[49:7]  ⁵⁸ tn Parallelism (see “rulers,” “kings,” “princes”) suggests that the singular גּוֹי (goy) be emended to a plural or understood in a collective sense (see 55:5).

[49:7]  ⁵⁹ tn For this sense of קוּם (qum), see Gen 19:1; 23:7; 33:10; Lev 19:32; 1 Sam 20:41; 25:41; 1 Kgs 2:19; Job 29:8.

[66:18]  ⁶⁰ tc The Hebrew text reads literally “and I, their deeds and their thoughts, am coming.” The syntax here is very problematic, suggesting that the text may have suffered corruption. Some suggest that the words “their deeds and their thoughts” have been displaced from v. 17. This line presents two primary challenges. In the first place, the personal pronoun “I” has no verb after it. Most translations insert “know” for the sake of clarity (NASB, NRSV, NLT, ESV). The NIV has “I, because of their actions and their imaginations…” Since God’s “knowledge” of Israel’s sin occasions judgment, the verb “hate” is an option as well (see above translation). The feminine form of the next verb (בָּאָה, ba’ah) could be understood in one of two ways. One could provide an implied noun “time” (עֵת, ’et) and render the next line “the time is coming/has come” (NASB, ESV). One could also emend the feminine verb to the masculine בָּא (ba’) and have the “I” at the beginning of the line govern this verb as well (for the Lord is speaking here): “I am coming” (cf. NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT).

[66:18]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “and the tongues”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “and tongues.”

[66:19]  ⁶² tn Heb “and I will set a sign among them.” The precise meaning of this statement is unclear. Elsewhere “to set a sign” means “perform a mighty act” (Ps 78:43; Jer 32:20), “make [someone] an object lesson” (Ezek 14:8), and “erect a [literal] standard” (Ps 74:4).

[66:19]  ⁶³ tn Some prefer to read “Put” (i.e., Libya).

[66:19]  ⁶⁴ sn That is, Lydia (in Asia Minor).

[66:19]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “drawers of the bow” (KJV and ASV both similar).

[66:19]  ⁶⁶ sn Javan is generally identified today as Greece (so NIV, NCV, NLT).

[66:19]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “islands” (NIV).

[66:20]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “brothers” (so NIV); NCV “fellow Israelites.”

[66:20]  ⁶⁹ tn The words “they will bring them” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[66:20]  ⁷⁰ tn The precise meaning of this word is uncertain. Some suggest it refers to “chariots.” See HALOT 498 s.v. *כִּרְכָּרָה.

[16:19]  ⁷¹ tn The words “Then I said” are not in the text. They are supplied in the translation to show the shift from God, who has been speaking to Jeremiah, to Jeremiah, who here addresses God.

[16:19]  ⁷² tn Heb “O Lord, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of trouble. The literal which piles up attributes is of course more forceful than the predications. However, piling up poetic metaphors like this adds to the length of the English sentence and risks lack of understanding on the part of some readers. Some rhetorical force has been sacrificed for the sake of clarity.

[16:19]  ⁷³ tn Once again the translation has sacrificed some of the rhetorical force for the sake of clarity and English style: Heb “Only falsehood did our ancestors possess, vanity and [things in which?] there was no one profiting in them.”

[2:23]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “for myself.”

[2:23]  ⁷⁵ tn The Hebrew text, carrying out the reference to the son born in 1:8-9, uses the third person masculine singular pronoun here; some English translations use third person plural (“they,” so KJV, NASB, NIV, CEV) in keeping with the immediate context, which refers to reestablished Israel.

[2:23]  ⁷⁶ tn The words “You are” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but are implied. It is necessary to supply the phrase in the translation to prevent the reader from understanding the predicate “my God” as an exclamation (cf. NAB).

[2:32]  ⁷⁷ tn While a number of English versions render this as “saved” (e.g., NIV, NRSV, NLT), this can suggest a “spiritual” or “theological” salvation rather than the physical deliverance from the cataclysmic events of the day of the Lord described in the context.

[2:32]  ⁷⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:32]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “deliverance”; or “escape.” The abstract noun “deliverance” or “escape” probably functions here as an example of antimeria, referring to those who experience deliverance or escape with their lives: “escaped remnant” or “surviving remnant” (Gen 32:8; 45:7; Judg 21:17; 2 Kgs 19:30, 31; Isa 4:2; 10:20; 15:9; 37:31, 32; Ezek 14:22; Obad 1:17; Ezra 9:8, 13-15; Neh 1:2; 1 Chr 4:43; 2 Chr 30:6).

[2:32]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “and among the remnant.”

[2:32]  ⁸¹ tn The participle used in the Hebrew text seems to indicate action in the imminent future.

[4:1]  ⁸² tn Heb “at the end of days.”

[4:1]  ⁸³ tn Heb “will be established as the head of the mountains.”

[4:1]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “it will be lifted up above the hills.”

[4:2]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “house.”

[4:2]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “ways.”

[4:2]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “and we can walk in his paths.”

[4:2]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “instruction [or, “law”] will go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

[5:7]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “the remnant of” (also in v. 8).

[5:7]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “will be.”

[5:7]  ⁹¹ tn This could mean “(scattered) among the nations” (cf. CEV, NLT) or “surrounded by many nations” (cf. NRSV).

[5:7]  ⁹² tn Heb “that does not hope for man, and does not wait for the sons of men.”

[2:11]  ⁹³ tn Heb “on that day.” The descriptive phrase “of salvation” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:11]  ⁹⁴ tc The LXX and Syriac have the 3rd person masculine singular suffix in both places (“his people” and “he will settle”; cf. NAB, TEV) in order to avoid the Lord’s speaking of himself in the third person. Such resort is unnecessary, however, in light of the common shifting of person in Hebrew narrative (cf. 3:2).

[8:23]  ⁹⁵ sn This scene of universal and overwhelming attraction of the nations to Israel’s God finds initial fulfillment in the establishment of the church (Acts 2:5-11) but ultimate completion in the messianic age (Isa 45:14, 24; 60:14; Zech 14:16-21).

[1:11]  ⁹⁶ sn My name will be great among the nations. In what is clearly a strongly ironic shift of thought, the Lord contrasts the unbelief and virtual paganism of the postexilic community with the conversion and obedience of the nations that will one day worship the God of Israel.