Genesis 34:23-24

34:23 If we do so, ¹  won’t their livestock, their property, and all their animals become ours? So let’s consent to their demand, so they will live among us.”

34:24 All the men who assembled at the city gate ²  agreed with ³  Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male who assembled at the city gate ⁴  was circumcised.

Genesis 38:16

38:16 He turned aside to her along the road and said, “Come on! I want to have sex with you.” ⁵  (He did not realize ⁶  it was his daughter-in-law.) She asked, “What will you give me in exchange for having sex with you?” ⁷ 

Exodus 23:7-8

23:7 Keep your distance ⁸  from a false charge ⁹  – do not kill the innocent and the righteous, ¹⁰  for I will not justify the wicked. ¹¹ 

23:8 “You must not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see ¹²  and subverts the words of the righteous.

Deuteronomy 16:19

16:19 You must not pervert justice or show favor. Do not take a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and distort ¹³  the words of the righteous. ¹⁴ 

Deuteronomy 23:4-5

23:4 for they did not meet you with food and water on the way as you came from Egypt, and furthermore, they hired ¹⁵  Balaam son of Beor of Pethor in Aram Naharaim to curse you. 23:5 But the Lord your God refused to listen to Balaam and changed ¹⁶  the curse to a blessing, for the Lord your God loves ¹⁷  you.

Deuteronomy 23:18

23:18 You must never bring the pay of a female prostitute ¹⁸  or the wage of a male prostitute ¹⁹  into the temple of the Lord your God in fulfillment of any vow, for both of these are abhorrent to the Lord your God.

Jude 1:10-11

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. ²⁰  1:11 Woe to them! For they have traveled down Cain’s path, ²¹  and because of greed ²²  have abandoned themselves ²³  to ²⁴  Balaam’s error; hence, ²⁵  they will certainly perish ²⁶  in Korah’s rebellion.

Jude 1:19-20

1:19 These people are divisive, ²⁷  worldly, ²⁸  devoid of the Spirit. ²⁹  1:20 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith, by praying in the Holy Spirit, ³⁰ 

Jude 1:1-2

Salutation

1:1 From Jude, ³¹  a slave ³²  of Jesus Christ and brother of James, ³³  to those who are called, wrapped in the love of ³⁴  God the Father and kept for ³⁵  Jesus Christ. 1:2 May mercy, peace, and love be lavished on you! ³⁶ 

Jude 1:10-11

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. ³⁷  1:11 Woe to them! For they have traveled down Cain’s path, ³⁸  and because of greed ³⁹  have abandoned themselves ⁴⁰  to ⁴¹  Balaam’s error; hence, ⁴²  they will certainly perish ⁴³  in Korah’s rebellion.

Proverbs 1:19

1:19 Such ⁴⁴  are the ways ⁴⁵  of all who gain profit unjustly; ⁴⁶ 

it ⁴⁷  takes away the life ⁴⁸  of those who obtain it! ⁴⁹ 

Isaiah 1:23

1:23 Your officials are rebels, ⁵⁰ 

they associate with ⁵¹  thieves.

All of them love bribery,

and look for ⁵²  payoffs. ⁵³ 

They do not take up the cause of the orphan, ⁵⁴ 

or defend the rights of the widow. ⁵⁵ 

Isaiah 56:11

56:11 The dogs have big appetites;

they are never full. ⁵⁶ 

They are shepherds who have no understanding;

they all go their own way,

each one looking for monetary gain. ⁵⁷ 

Jeremiah 5:27-28

5:27 Like a cage filled with the birds that have been caught, ⁵⁸ 

their houses are filled with the gains of their fraud and deceit. ⁵⁹ 

That is how they have gotten so rich and powerful. ⁶⁰ 

5:28 That is how ⁶¹  they have grown fat and sleek. ⁶² 

There is no limit to the evil things they do. ⁶³ 

They do not plead the cause of the fatherless in such a way as to win it.

They do not defend the rights of the poor.

Ezekiel 13:19

13:19 You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. You have put to death people ⁶⁴  who should not die and kept alive those who should not live by your lies to my people, who listen to lies!

Ezekiel 16:33

16:33 All prostitutes receive payment, ⁶⁵  but instead you give gifts to every one of your lovers. You bribe them to come to you from all around for your sexual favors!

Ezekiel 22:12

22:12 They take bribes within you to shed blood. You engage in usury and charge interest; ⁶⁶  you extort money from your neighbors. You have forgotten me, ⁶⁷  declares the sovereign Lord. ⁶⁸ 

Micah 3:11

3:11 Her ⁶⁹  leaders take bribes when they decide legal cases, ⁷⁰ 

her priests proclaim rulings for profit,

and her prophets read omens for pay.

Yet they claim to trust ⁷¹  the Lord and say,

“The Lord is among us. ⁷² 

Disaster will not overtake ⁷³  us!”

Micah 7:3-4

7:3 They are determined to be experts at doing evil; ⁷⁴ 

government officials and judges take bribes, ⁷⁵ 

prominent men make demands,

and they all do what is necessary to satisfy them. ⁷⁶ 

7:4 The best of them is like a thorn;

the most godly among them are more dangerous than a row of thorn bushes. ⁷⁷ 

The day you try to avoid by posting watchmen –

your appointed time of punishment – is on the way, ⁷⁸ 

and then you will experience confusion. ⁷⁹ 

Malachi 1:10

1:10 “I wish that one of you would close the temple doors, ⁸⁰  so that you no longer would light useless fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord who rules over all, “and I will no longer accept an offering from you.

Matthew 23:14

23:14 [[EMPTY]] ⁸¹ 

Acts 1:16-19

1:16 “Brothers, ⁸²  the scripture had to be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit foretold through ⁸³  David concerning Judas – who became the guide for those who arrested Jesus – 1:17 for he was counted as one of us and received a share in this ministry.” ⁸⁴  1:18 (Now this man Judas ⁸⁵  acquired a field with the reward of his unjust deed, ⁸⁶  and falling headfirst ⁸⁷  he burst open in the middle and all his intestines ⁸⁸  gushed out. 1:19 This ⁸⁹  became known to all who lived in Jerusalem, so that in their own language ⁹⁰  they called that field ⁹¹  Hakeldama, that is, “Field of Blood.”)

Titus 1:11

1:11 who must be silenced because they mislead whole families by teaching for dishonest gain what ought not to be taught.

Revelation 18:13

18:13 cinnamon, spice, ⁹²  incense, perfumed ointment, ⁹³  frankincense, ⁹⁴  wine, olive oil and costly flour, ⁹⁵  wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and four-wheeled carriages, ⁹⁶  slaves and human lives. ⁹⁷ 

[34:23]  ¹ tn The words “If we do so” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[34:24]  ² tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”

[34:24]  ³ tn Heb “listened to.”

[34:24]  ⁴ tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”

[38:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “I will go to you.” The imperfect verbal form probably indicates his desire here. The expression “go to” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “for he did not know that.”

[38:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “when you come to me.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[23:7]  ⁸ tn Or “stay away from,” or “have nothing to do with.”

[23:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “a false matter,” this expression in this context would have to be a case in law that was false or that could only be won by falsehood.

[23:7]  ¹⁰ tn The two clauses probably should be related: the getting involved in the false charge could lead to the death of an innocent person (so, e.g., Naboth in 1 Kgs 21:10-13).

[23:7]  ¹¹ sn God will not declare right the one who is in the wrong. Society should also be consistent, but it cannot see the intents and motives, as God can.

[23:8]  ¹² tn Heb “blinds the open-eyed.”

[16:19]  ¹³ tn Heb “twist, overturn”; NRSV “subverts the cause.”

[16:19]  ¹⁴ tn Or “innocent”; NRSV “those who are in the right”; NLT “the godly.”

[23:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “hired against you.”

[23:5]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the Lord your God changed.” The phrase “the Lord your God” has not been included in the translation here for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy. Moreover, use of the pronoun “he” could create confusion regarding the referent (the Lord or Balaam).

[23:5]  ¹⁷ tn The verb אָהַב (’ahav, “love”) here and commonly elsewhere in the Book of Deuteronomy speaks of God’s elective grace toward Israel. See note on the word “loved” in Deut 4:37.

[23:18]  ¹⁸ tn Here the Hebrew term זוֹנָה (zonah) refers to a noncultic (i.e., “secular”) female prostitute; see note on the phrase “sacred prostitute” in v. 17.

[23:18]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “of a dog.” This is the common Hebrew term for a noncultic (i.e., “secular”) male prostitute. See note on the phrase “sacred male prostitute” in v. 17.

[1:10]  ²⁰ tn Or “they should naturally comprehend.” The present tense in this context may have a conative force.

[1:11]  ²¹ tn Or “they have gone the way of Cain.”

[1:11]  ²² tn Grk “for wages.”

[1:11]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ tn Or “in.”

[1:11]  ²⁵ tn Grk “and.” See note on “perish” later in this verse.

[1:11]  ²⁶ 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).

[1:19]  ²⁷ tn Grk “these are the ones who cause divisions.”

[1:19]  ²⁸ tn Or “natural,” that is, living on the level of instincts, not on a spiritual level (the same word occurs in 1 Cor 2:14 as a description of nonbelievers).

[1:19]  ²⁹ tn Grk “not having [the] Spirit.”

[1:20]  ³⁰ tn The participles in v. 20 have been variously interpreted. Some treat them imperativally or as attendant circumstance to the imperative in v. 21 (“maintain”): “build yourselves up…pray.” But they do not follow the normal contours of either the imperatival or attendant circumstance participles, rendering this unlikely. A better option is to treat them as the means by which the readers are to maintain themselves in the love of God. This both makes eminently good sense and fits the structural patterns of instrumental participles elsewhere.

[1:1]  ³¹ tn Grk “Judas,” traditionally “Jude” in English versions to distinguish him from the one who betrayed Jesus. The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ³² tn Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). At the same time, perhaps “servant” is apt in that the δοῦλος of Jesus Christ took on that role voluntarily, unlike a slave. The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  ³³ sn Although Jude was half-brother of Jesus, he humbly associates himself with James, his full brother. By first calling himself a slave of Jesus Christ, it is evident that he wants no one to place stock in his physical connections. At the same time, he must identify himself further: Since Jude was a common name in the 1st century (two of Jesus’ disciples were so named, including his betrayer), more information was needed, that is to say, brother of James.

[1:1]  ³⁴ tn Grk “loved in.” The perfect passive participle suggests that the audience’s relationship to God is not recent; the preposition ἐν (en) before πατρί (patri) could be taken as sphere or instrument (agency is unlikely, however). Another possible translation would be “dear to God.”

[1:1]  ³⁵ tn Or “by.” Datives of agency are quite rare in the NT (and other ancient Greek), almost always found with a perfect verb. Although this text qualifies, in light of the well-worn idiom of τηρέω (threw) in eschatological contexts, in which God or Christ keeps the believer safe until the parousia (cf. 1 Thess 5:23; 1 Pet 1:4; Rev 3:10; other terms meaning “to guard,” “to keep” are also found in similar eschatological contexts [cf. 2 Thess 3:3; 2 Tim 1:12; 1 Pet 1:5; Jude 24]), it is probably better to understand this verse as having such an eschatological tinge. It is at the same time possible that Jude’s language was intentionally ambiguous, implying both ideas (“kept by Jesus Christ [so that they might be] kept for Jesus Christ”). Elsewhere he displays a certain fondness for wordplays; this may be a hint of things to come.

[1:2]  ³⁶ tn Grk “may mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.”

[1:10]  ³⁷ tn Or “they should naturally comprehend.” The present tense in this context may have a conative force.

[1:11]  ³⁸ tn Or “they have gone the way of Cain.”

[1:11]  ³⁹ tn Grk “for wages.”

[1:11]  ⁴⁰ 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]  ⁴¹ tn Or “in.”

[1:11]  ⁴² tn Grk “and.” See note on “perish” later in this verse.

[1:11]  ⁴³ 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).

[1:19]  ⁴⁴ tn The exclamation כֵּן (ken, “so; thus; such”) marks a conclusion (BDB 485 s.v.). It draws a comparison between the destruction of the wicked in v. 18 and the concluding statement in v. 19.

[1:19]  ⁴⁵ tc The MT reads אָרְחוֹת (’orkhot, “paths; ways” as figure for mode of life): “so are the ways [or, paths] of all who gain profit unjustly.” The BHS editors suggest emending the text to אַחֲרִית (’akharit, “end” as figure for their fate) by simple metathesis between ח (khet) and ר (resh) and by orthographic confusion between י (yod) and ו (vav), both common scribal errors: “so is the fate of all who gain profit unjustly.” The external evidence supports MT, which is also the more difficult reading. It adequately fits the context which uses “way” and “path” imagery throughout 1:10-19.

[1:19]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “those who unjustly gain unjust gain.” The participle בֹּצֵעַ (boysea’, “those who unjustly gain”) is followed by the cognate accusative of the same root בָּצַע (batsa’, “unjust gain”) to underscore the idea that they gained their wealth through heinous criminal activity.

[1:19]  ⁴⁷ tn The subject of the verb is the noun בָּצַע (“unjust gain”), which is also the referent of the 3rd person masculine singular suffix on בְּעָלָיו (bÿ’alav, “its owners”). Greed takes away the life of those who live by greed (e.g., 15:27; 26:27). See G. R. Driver, “Problems in the Hebrew Text of Proverbs,” Bib 32 (1951): 173-74.

[1:19]  ⁴⁸ tn The term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul”) is used as a metonymy (= soul) of association (= life). The noun נֶפֶשׁ often refers to physical “life” (Exod 21:23; Num 17:3; Judg 5:18; Prov 12:10; BDB 659 s.v. 3.c).

[1:19]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “its owners.”

[1:23]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “stubborn”; CEV “have rejected me.”

[1:23]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “and companions of” (so KJV, NASB); CEV “friends of crooks.”

[1:23]  ⁵² tn Heb “pursue”; NIV “chase after gifts.”

[1:23]  ⁵³ sn Isaiah may have chosen the word for gifts (שַׁלְמוֹנִים, shalmonim; a hapax legomena here), as a sarcastic pun on what these rulers should have been doing. Instead of attending to peace and wholeness (שָׁלוֹם, shalom), they sought after payoffs (שַׁלְמוֹנִים).

[1:23]  ⁵⁴ sn See the note at v. 17.

[1:23]  ⁵⁵ sn The rich oppressors referred to in Isaiah and the other eighth century prophets were not rich capitalists in the modern sense of the word. They were members of the royal military and judicial bureaucracies in Israel and Judah. As these bureaucracies grew, they acquired more and more land and gradually commandeered the economy and legal system. At various administrative levels bribery and graft become commonplace. The common people outside the urban administrative centers were vulnerable to exploitation in such a system, especially those, like widows and orphans, who had lost their family provider through death. Through confiscatory taxation, conscription, excessive interest rates, and other oppressive governmental measures and policies, they were gradually disenfranchised and lost their landed property, and with it, their rights as citizens. The socio-economic equilibrium envisioned in the law of Moses was radically disturbed.

[56:11]  ⁵⁶ sn The phrase never full alludes to the greed of the leaders.

[56:11]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “for his gain from his end.”

[5:27]  ⁵⁸ tn The words, “that have been caught” are not in the text but are implicit in the comparison.

[5:27]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “are filled with deceit.” The translation assumes a figure of speech of cause for effect (metonymy). Compare the same word in the same figure in Zeph 1:9.

[5:27]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “therefore they have gotten great and rich.”

[5:28]  ⁶¹ tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to show that this line is parallel with the preceding.

[5:28]  ⁶² tn The meaning of this word is uncertain. This verb occurs only here. The lexicons generally relate it to the word translated “plate” in Song 5:14 and understand it to mean “smooth, shiny” (so BDB 799 s.v. I עֶשֶׁת) or “fat” (so HALOT 850 s.v. II עֶשֶׁת). The word in Song 5:14 more likely means “smooth” than “plate” (so TEV). So “sleek” is most likely here.

[5:28]  ⁶³ tn Heb “they cross over/transgress with respect to matters of evil.”

[13:19]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “human lives” or “souls.”

[16:33]  ⁶⁵ tn The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT.

[22:12]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “usury and interest you take.” See 18:13, 17. This kind of economic exploitation violated the law given in Lev 25:36.

[22:12]  ⁶⁷ sn Forgetting the Lord is also addressed in Deut 6:12; 8:11, 14; Jer 3:21; 13:25; Ezek 23:35; Hos 2:15; 8:14; 13:6.

[22:12]  ⁶⁸ tn The second person verb forms are feminine singular in Hebrew, indicating that the personified city is addressed here as representing its citizens.

[3:11]  ⁶⁹ sn The pronoun Her refers to Jerusalem (note the previous line).

[3:11]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “judge for a bribe.”

[3:11]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “they lean upon” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NAB “rely on.”

[3:11]  ⁷² tn Heb “Is not the Lord in our midst?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course he is!”

[3:11]  ⁷³ tn Or “come upon” (so many English versions); NCV “happen to us”; CEV “come to us.”

[7:3]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “upon evil [are their] hands to do [it] well.”

[7:3]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “the official asks – and the judge – for a bribe.”

[7:3]  ⁷⁶ tn More literally, “the great one announces what his appetite desires and they weave it together.” Apparently this means that subordinates plot and maneuver to make sure the prominent man’s desires materialize.

[7:4]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “[the] godly from a row of thorn bushes.” The preposition מִן (min) is comparative and the comparative element (perhaps “sharper” is the idea) is omitted. See BDB 582 s.v. 6 and GKC 431 §133.e.

[7:4]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “the day of your watchmen, your appointed [time], is coming.” The present translation takes “watchmen” to refer to actual sentries. However, the “watchmen” could refer figuratively to the prophets who had warned Judah of approaching judgment. In this case one could translate, “The day your prophets warned about – your appointed time of punishment – is on the way.”

[7:4]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “and now will be their confusion.”

[1:10]  ⁸⁰ sn The rhetorical language suggests that as long as the priesthood and people remain disobedient, the temple doors may as well be closed because God is not “at home” to receive them or their worship there.

[23:14]  ⁸¹ tc The most important mss (א B D L Z Θ Ë¹ 33 892* pc and several versional witnesses) do not have 23:14 “Woe to you experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows’ property, and as a show you pray long prayers! Therefore you will receive a more severe punishment.” Part or all of the verse is contained (either after v. 12 or after v. 13) in W 0102 0107 ˹³ Ï and several versions, but it is almost certainly not original. The present translation follows NA²⁷ in omitting the verse number as well, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations. Note also that Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47 are very similar in wording and are not disputed textually.

[1:16]  ⁸² tn Grk “Men brothers.” In light of the compound phrase ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί (andre" adelfoi, “Men brothers”) Peter’s words are best understood as directly addressed to the males present, possibly referring specifically to the twelve (really ten at this point – eleven minus the speaker, Peter) mentioned by name in v. 13.

[1:16]  ⁸³ tn Grk “foretold by the mouth of.”

[1:17]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “and was chosen to have a share in this ministry.” The term λαγχάνω (lancanw) here and in 2 Pet 1:1 can be understood as referring to the process of divine choice and thus be translated, “was chosen to have.”

[1:18]  ⁸⁵ tn The referent of “this man” (Judas) was specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:18]  ⁸⁶ tn Traditionally, “with the reward of his wickedness.”

[1:18]  ⁸⁷ tn Traditionally, “falling headlong.”

[1:18]  ⁸⁸ tn Or “all his bowels.”

[1:19]  ⁸⁹ tn Grk “And this.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[1:19]  ⁹⁰ sn Their own language refers to Aramaic, the primary language spoken in Palestine in Jesus’ day.

[1:19]  ⁹¹ tn Grk “that field was called.” The passive voice has been converted to active in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style.

[18:13]  ⁹² tn On the term ἄμωμον (amwmon) L&N 5.23 states, “a generic term for any kind of spice, though often a specific reference to amomum, an Indian type of spice – ‘spice, amomum.’ κιννάμωμον καὶ ἄμωμον καὶ θυμιάματα ‘cinnamon and spice and incense’ Re 18:13. In most translations ἄμωμον is interpreted as spice in general.”

[18:13]  ⁹³ tn Or “myrrh,” a strong aromatic ointment often used to prepare a body for burial (L&N 6.205).

[18:13]  ⁹⁴ tn The Greek term λίβανος (libano") refers to the aromatic resin of a certain type of tree (L&N 6.212).

[18:13]  ⁹⁵ tn On σεμίδαλις (semidali") L&N 5.10 states, “a fine grade of wheat flour – ‘fine flour.’ οἶνον καὶ ἔλαιον καὶ σεμίδαλιν καὶ σῖτον ‘wine and oil and fine flour and wheat’ Re 18:13. In some languages ‘fine flour’ may be best expressed as ‘expensive flour.’ Such a rendering fits well the context of Re 18:13.”

[18:13]  ⁹⁶ tn Or “and wagons.” On the term ῥέδη (rJedh) see L&N 6.53: “a four-wheeled carriage or wagon used for travel or the transportation of loads – ‘carriage, wagon.’ The term ῥέδη occurs only in Re 18:13 in a list of products bought and sold by merchants.”

[18:13]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “and bodies and souls of men.” This could be understood (1) as a hendiadys (two things mentioned = one thing meant), referring only to slave trade; (2) it could be referring to two somewhat different concepts: slavery (bodies) and the cheapness of human life – some of the items earlier in the list of merchandise were to be obtained only at great cost of human life; or (3) a somewhat related idea, that the trade is in not just physical bodies (slavery) but human souls (people whose lives are destroyed through this trade).