Genesis 15:18

15:18 That day the Lord made a covenant ¹  with Abram: “To your descendants I give ²  this land, from the river of Egypt ³  to the great river, the Euphrates River –

Genesis 17:7-9

17:7 I will confirm ⁴  my covenant as a perpetual ⁵  covenant between me and you. It will extend to your descendants after you throughout their generations. I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you. ⁶  17:8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residing ⁷  – to you and your descendants after you as a permanent ⁸  possession. I will be their God.”

17:9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep ⁹  the covenantal requirement ¹⁰  I am imposing on you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

Exodus 24:3-11

24:3 Moses came ¹¹  and told the people all the Lord’s words ¹²  and all the decisions. All the people answered together, ¹³  “We are willing to do ¹⁴  all the words that the Lord has said,” 24:4 and Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Early in the morning he built ¹⁵  an altar at the foot ¹⁶  of the mountain and arranged ¹⁷  twelve standing stones ¹⁸  – according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 24:5 He sent young Israelite men, ¹⁹  and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls for peace offerings ²⁰  to the Lord. 24:6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and half of the blood he splashed on the altar. ²¹  24:7 He took the Book of the Covenant ²²  and read it aloud ²³  to the people, and they said, “We are willing to do and obey ²⁴  all that the Lord has spoken.” 24:8 So Moses took the blood and splashed it on ²⁵  the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant ²⁶  that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

24:9 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up, ²⁷  24:10 and they saw ²⁸  the God of Israel. Under his feet ²⁹  there was something like a pavement ³⁰  made of sapphire, clear like the sky itself. ³¹  24:11 But he did not lay a hand ³²  on the leaders of the Israelites, so they saw God, ³³  and they ate and they drank. ³⁴ 

Numbers 18:19

18:19 All the raised offerings of the holy things that the Israelites offer to the Lord, I have given to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual ordinance. It is a covenant of salt ³⁵  forever before the Lord for you and for your descendants with you.”

Psalms 89:3-18

89:3 The Lord said, ³⁶ 

“I have made a covenant with my chosen one;

I have made a promise on oath to David, my servant:

89:4 ‘I will give you an eternal dynasty ³⁷ 

and establish your throne throughout future generations.’” ³⁸  (Selah)

89:5 O Lord, the heavens ³⁹  praise your amazing deeds,

as well as your faithfulness in the angelic assembly. ⁴⁰ 

89:6 For who in the skies can compare to the Lord?

Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings, ⁴¹ 

89:7 a God who is honored ⁴²  in the great angelic assembly, ⁴³ 

and more awesome than ⁴⁴  all who surround him?

89:8 O Lord, sovereign God! ⁴⁵ 

Who is strong like you, O Lord?

Your faithfulness surrounds you.

89:9 You rule over the proud sea. ⁴⁶ 

When its waves surge, ⁴⁷  you calm them.

89:10 You crushed the Proud One ⁴⁸  and killed it; ⁴⁹ 

with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.

89:11 The heavens belong to you, as does the earth.

You made the world and all it contains. ⁵⁰ 

89:12 You created the north and the south.

Tabor and Hermon ⁵¹  rejoice in your name.

89:13 Your arm is powerful,

your hand strong,

your right hand ⁵²  victorious. ⁵³ 

89:14 Equity and justice are the foundation of your throne. ⁵⁴ 

Loyal love and faithfulness characterize your rule. ⁵⁵ 

89:15 How blessed are the people who worship you! ⁵⁶ 

O Lord, they experience your favor. ⁵⁷ 

89:16 They rejoice in your name all day long,

and are vindicated ⁵⁸  by your justice.

89:17 For you give them splendor and strength. ⁵⁹ 

By your favor we are victorious. ⁶⁰ 

89:18 For our shield ⁶¹  belongs to the Lord,

our king to the Holy One of Israel. ⁶² 

Jeremiah 31:31-34

31:31 “Indeed, a time is coming,” says the Lord, ⁶³  “when I will make a new covenant ⁶⁴  with the people of Israel and Judah. ⁶⁵  31:32 It will not be like the old ⁶⁶  covenant that I made with their ancestors ⁶⁷  when I delivered them ⁶⁸  from Egypt. For they violated that covenant, even though I was like a faithful husband to them,” ⁶⁹  says the Lord. ⁷⁰  31:33 “But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel ⁷¹  after I plant them back in the land,” ⁷²  says the Lord. ⁷³  “I will ⁷⁴  put my law within them ⁷⁵  and write it on their hearts and minds. ⁷⁶  I will be their God and they will be my people. ⁷⁷ 

31:34 “People will no longer need to teach their neighbors and relatives to know me. ⁷⁸  For all of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me,” ⁷⁹  says the Lord. “For ⁸⁰  I will forgive their sin and will no longer call to mind the wrong they have done.”

Jeremiah 33:20-26

33:20 “I, Lord, make the following promise: ⁸¹  ‘I have made a covenant with the day ⁸²  and with the night that they will always come at their proper times. Only if you people ⁸³  could break that covenant 33:21 could my covenant with my servant David and my covenant with the Levites ever be broken. So David will by all means always have a descendant to occupy his throne as king and the Levites will by all means always have priests who will minister before me. ⁸⁴  33:22 I will make the children who follow one another in the line of my servant David very numerous. I will also make the Levites who minister before me very numerous. I will make them all as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sands which are on the seashore.’” ⁸⁵ 

33:23 The Lord spoke still further to Jeremiah. ⁸⁶  33:24 “You have surely noticed what these people are saying, haven’t you? They are saying, ⁸⁷  ‘The Lord has rejected the two families of Israel and Judah ⁸⁸  that he chose.’ So they have little regard that my people will ever again be a nation. ⁸⁹  33:25 But I, the Lord, make the following promise: ⁹⁰  I have made a covenant governing the coming of day and night. I have established the fixed laws governing heaven and earth. 33:26 Just as surely as I have done this, so surely will I never reject the descendants of Jacob. Nor will I ever refuse to choose one of my servant David’s descendants to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Indeed, ⁹¹  I will restore them ⁹²  and show mercy to them.”

Ezekiel 37:26

37:26 I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be a perpetual covenant with them. ⁹³  I will establish them, ⁹⁴  increase their numbers, and place my sanctuary among them forever.

Luke 1:72

1:72 He has done this ⁹⁵  to show mercy ⁹⁶  to our ancestors, ⁹⁷ 

and to remember his holy covenant ⁹⁸  –

Acts 3:25

3:25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors, ⁹⁹  saying to Abraham, ‘And in your descendants ¹⁰⁰  all the nations ¹⁰¹  of the earth will be blessed.’ ¹⁰² 

Romans 9:4-5

9:4 who are Israelites. To them belong ¹⁰³  the adoption as sons, ¹⁰⁴  the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple worship, ¹⁰⁵  and the promises. 9:5 To them belong the patriarchs, ¹⁰⁶  and from them, ¹⁰⁷  by human descent, ¹⁰⁸  came the Christ, ¹⁰⁹  who is God over all, blessed forever! ¹¹⁰  Amen.

Romans 9:8

9:8 This means ¹¹¹  it is not the children of the flesh ¹¹²  who are the children of God; rather, the children of promise are counted as descendants.

Galatians 3:16-17

3:16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. ¹¹³  Scripture ¹¹⁴  does not say, “and to the descendants,” ¹¹⁵  referring to many, but “and to your descendant,” ¹¹⁶  referring to one, who is Christ. 3:17 What I am saying is this: The law that came four hundred thirty years later does not cancel a covenant previously ratified by God, ¹¹⁷  so as to invalidate the promise.

[15:18]  ¹ tn Heb “cut a covenant.”

[15:18]  ² tn The perfect verbal form is understood as instantaneous (“I here and now give”). Another option is to understand it as rhetorical, indicating certitude (“I have given” meaning it is as good as done, i.e., “I will surely give”).

[15:18]  ³ sn The river of Egypt is a wadi (a seasonal stream) on the northeastern border of Egypt, not to the River Nile.

[17:7]  ⁴ tn The verb קוּם (qum, “to arise, to stand up”) in the Hiphil verbal stem means “to confirm, to give effect to, to carry out” (i.e., a covenant or oath; see BDB 878-79 s.v. קוּם).

[17:7]  ⁵ tn Or “as an eternal.”

[17:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “to be to you for God and to your descendants after you.”

[17:8]  ⁷ tn The verbal root is גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn, to reside temporarily,” i.e., as a resident alien). It is the land in which Abram resides, but does not yet possess as his very own.

[17:8]  ⁸ tn Or “as an eternal.”

[17:9]  ⁹ tn The imperfect tense could be translated “you shall keep” as a binding command; but the obligatory nuance (“must”) captures the binding sense better.

[17:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “my covenant.” The Hebrew word בְּרִית (bÿrit) can refer to (1) the agreement itself between two parties (see v. 7), (2) the promise made by one party to another (see vv. 2-3, 7), (3) an obligation placed by one party on another, or (4) a reminder of the agreement. In vv. 9-10 the word refers to a covenantal obligation which God gives to Abraham and his descendants.

[24:3]  ¹¹ sn The general consensus among commentators is that this refers to Moses’ coming from the mountain after he made the ascent in 20:21. Here he came and told them the laws (written in 20:22-23:33), and of the call to come up to Yahweh.

[24:3]  ¹² sn The Decalogue may not be included here because the people had heard those commands themselves earlier.

[24:3]  ¹³ tn The text simply has “one voice” (קוֹל אֶחָד, qol ’ekhad); this is an adverbial accusative of manner, telling how the people answered – “in one voice,” or unanimously (see GKC 375 §118.q).

[24:3]  ¹⁴ tn The verb is the imperfect tense (נַעֲשֶׂה, na’aseh), although the form could be classified as a cohortative. If the latter, they would be saying that they are resolved to do what God said. If it is an imperfect, then the desiderative would make the most sense: “we are willing to do.” They are not presumptuously saying they are going to do all these things.

[24:4]  ¹⁵ tn The two preterites quite likely form a verbal hendiadys (the verb “to get up early” is frequently in such constructions). Literally it says, “and he got up early [in the morning] and he built”; this means “early [in the morning] he built.” The first verb becomes the adverb.

[24:4]  ¹⁶ tn “under.”

[24:4]  ¹⁷ tn The verb “arranged” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied to clarify exactly what Moses did with the twelve stones.

[24:4]  ¹⁸ tn The thing numbered is found in the singular when the number is plural – “twelve standing-stone.” See GKC 433 §134.f. The “standing-stone” could be a small piece about a foot high, or a huge column higher than men. They served to commemorate treaties (Gen 32), or visions (Gen 28) or boundaries, or graves. Here it will function with the altar as a place of worship.

[24:5]  ¹⁹ tn The construct has “young men of the Israelites,” and so “Israelite” is a genitive that describes them.

[24:5]  ²⁰ tn The verbs and their respective accusatives are cognates. First, they offered up burnt offerings (see Lev 1), which is וַיַּעֲלוּ עֹלֹת (vayya’alu ’olot); then they sacrificed young bulls as peace sacrifices (Lev 3), which is in Hebrew וַיִּזְבְּחוּ זְבָחִים (vayyizbÿkhu zÿvakhim). In the first case the cognate accusative is the direct object; in the second it is an adverbial accusative of product. See on this covenant ritual H. M. Kamsler, “The Blood Covenant in the Bible,” Dor le Dor 6 (1977): 94-98; E. W. Nicholson, “The Covenant Ritual in Exodus 24:3-8,” VT 32 (1982): 74-86.

[24:6]  ²¹ sn The people and Yahweh through this will be united by blood, for half was spattered on the altar and the other half spattered on/toward the people (v. 8).

[24:7]  ²² tn The noun “book” would be the scroll just written containing the laws of chaps. 20-23. On the basis of this scroll the covenant would be concluded here. The reading of this book would assure the people that it was the same that they had agreed to earlier. But now their statement of willingness to obey would be more binding, because their promise would be confirmed by a covenant of blood.

[24:7]  ²³ tn Heb “read it in the ears of.”

[24:7]  ²⁴ tn A second verb is now added to the people’s response, and it is clearly an imperfect and not a cohortative, lending support for the choice of desiderative imperfect in these commitments – “we want to obey.” This was their compliance with the covenant.

[24:8]  ²⁵ tn Given the size of the congregation, the preposition might be rendered here “toward the people” rather than on them (all).

[24:8]  ²⁶ sn The construct relationship “the blood of the covenant” means “the blood by which the covenant is ratified” (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 254). The parallel with the inauguration of the new covenant in the blood of Christ is striking (see, e.g., Matt 26:28, 1 Cor 11:25). When Jesus was inaugurating the new covenant, he was bringing to an end the old.

[24:9]  ²⁷ tn The verse begins with “and Moses went up, and Aaron….” This verse may supply the sequel to vv. 1-2. At any rate, God was now accepting them into his presence.

[24:10]  ²⁸ sn S. R. Driver (Exodus, 254) wishes to safeguard the traditional idea that God could not be seen by reading “they saw the place where the God of Israel stood” so as not to say they saw God. But according to U. Cassuto there is not a great deal of difference between “and they saw the God” and “the Lord God appeared” (Exodus, 314). He thinks that the word “God” is used instead of “Yahweh” to say that a divine phenomenon was seen. It is in the LXX that they add “the place where he stood.” In v. 11b the LXX has “and they appeared in the place of God.” See James Barr, “Theophany and Anthropomorphism in the Old Testament,” VTSup 7 (1959): 31-33. There is no detailed description here of what they saw (cf. Isa 6; Ezek 1). What is described amounts to what a person could see when prostrate.

[24:10]  ²⁹ sn S. R. Driver suggests that they saw the divine Glory, not directly, but as they looked up from below, through what appeared to be a transparent blue sapphire pavement (Exodus, 254).

[24:10]  ³⁰ tn Or “tiles.”

[24:10]  ³¹ tn Heb “and like the body of heaven for clearness.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven” or “sky” depending on the context; here, where sapphire is mentioned (a blue stone) “sky” seems more appropriate, since the transparent blueness of the sapphire would appear like the blueness of the cloudless sky.

[24:11]  ³² tn Heb “he did not stretch out his hand,” i.e., to destroy them.

[24:11]  ³³ tn The verb is חָזָה (khazah); it can mean “to see, perceive” or “see a vision” as the prophets did. The LXX safeguarded this by saying, “appeared in the place of God.” B. Jacob says they beheld – prophetically, religiously (Exodus, 746) – but the meaning of that is unclear. The fact that God did not lay a hand on them – to kill them – shows that they saw something that they never expected to see and live. Some Christian interpreters have taken this to refer to a glorious appearance of the preincarnate Christ, the second person of the Trinity. They saw the brilliance of this manifestation – but not the detail. Later, Moses will still ask to see God’s glory – the real presence behind the phenomena.

[24:11]  ³⁴ sn This is the covenant meal, the peace offering, that they are eating there on the mountain. To eat from the sacrifice meant that they were at peace with God, in covenant with him. Likewise, in the new covenant believers draw near to God on the basis of sacrifice, and eat of the sacrifice because they are at peace with him, and in Christ they see the Godhead revealed.

[18:19]  ³⁵ sn Salt was used in all the offerings; its importance as a preservative made it a natural symbol for the covenant which was established by sacrifice. Even general agreements were attested by sacrifice, and the phrase “covenant of salt” speaks of such agreements as binding and irrevocable. Note the expression in Ezra 4:14, “we have been salted with the salt of the palace.” See further J. F. Ross, IDB 4:167.

[89:3]  ³⁶ tn The words “the Lord said” are supplied in the translation for clarification. It is clear that the words of vv. 3-4 are spoken by the Lord, in contrast to vv. 1-2, which are spoken by the psalmist.

[89:4]  ³⁷ tn Heb “forever I will establish your offspring.”

[89:4]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and I will build to a generation and a generation your throne.”

[89:5]  ³⁹ tn As the following context makes clear, the personified “heavens” here stand by metonymy for the angelic beings that surround God’s heavenly throne.

[89:5]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “in the assembly of the holy ones.” The phrase “holy ones” sometimes refers to God’s people (Ps 34:9) or to their priestly leaders (2 Chr 35:3), but here it refers to God’s heavenly assembly and the angels that surround his throne (see vv. 6-7).

[89:6]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “sons of gods”; or “sons of God.” Though אֵלִים (’elim) is vocalized as a plural form (“gods”) in the Hebrew text, it is likely that the final mem (ם) is actually enclitic rather than a plural marker. In this case one may read “God.” Some, following a Qumran text and the LXX, also propose the phrase occurred in the original text of Deut 32:8. The phrase בְנֵי אֵלִים (vÿney ’elim, “sons of gods” or “sons of God”) occurs only here and in Ps 29:1. Since the “sons of gods/God” are here associated with “the assembly of the holy ones” and “council of the holy ones,” the heavenly assembly (comprised of so-called “angels” and other supernatural beings) appears to be in view. See Job 5:1; 15:15 and Zech 14:5, where these supernatural beings are referred to as “holy ones.” In Canaanite mythological texts the divine council of the high god El is called “the sons of El.” The OT apparently uses the Canaanite phrase, applying it to the supernatural beings that surround the Lord’s heavenly throne.

[89:7]  ⁴² tn Heb “feared.”

[89:7]  ⁴³ tn Heb “in the great assembly of the holy ones.”

[89:7]  ⁴⁴ tn Or perhaps “feared by.”

[89:8]  ⁴⁵ tn Traditionally “God of hosts.” The title here pictures the Lord as enthroned in the midst of the angelic hosts of heaven.

[89:9]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “the majesty of the sea.”

[89:9]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “rise up.”

[89:10]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “Rahab.” The name “Rahab” means “proud one.” Since it is sometimes used of Egypt (see Ps 87:4; Isa 30:7), the passage may allude to the exodus. However, the name is also used of the sea (or the mythological sea creature) which symbolizes the disruptive forces of the world that seek to replace order with chaos (see Job 9:13; 26:12). Isa 51:9 appears to combine the mythological and historical referents. The association of Rahab with the sea in Ps 89 (see v. 9) suggests that the name carries symbolic force in this context. In this case the passage may allude to creation (see vv. 11-12), when God overcame the great deep and brought order out of chaos.

[89:10]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “like one fatally wounded.”

[89:11]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “the world and its fullness, you established them.”

[89:12]  ⁵¹ sn Tabor and Hermon were two of the most prominent mountains in Palestine.

[89:13]  ⁵² sn The Lord’s arm, hand, and right hand all symbolize his activities, especially his exploits in war.

[89:13]  ⁵³ tn Heb “is lifted up.” The idiom “the right hand is lifted up” refers to victorious military deeds (see Pss 89:42; 118:16).

[89:14]  ⁵⁴ sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.

[89:14]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “are in front of your face.” The idiom can mean “confront” (Ps 17:13) or “meet, enter the presence of” (Ps 95:2).

[89:15]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “who know the shout.” “Shout” here refers to the shouts of the Lord’s worshipers (see Pss 27:6; 33:3; 47:5).

[89:15]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “in the light of your face they walk.” The idiom “light of your face” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 44:3; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; Dan 9:17).

[89:16]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “are lifted up.”

[89:17]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “for the splendor of their strength [is] you.”

[89:17]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “you lift up our horn,” or if one follows the marginal reading (Qere), “our horn is lifted up.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:24; 92:10; Lam 2:17).

[89:18]  ⁶¹ tn The phrase “our shield” refers metaphorically to the Davidic king, who, as God’s vice-regent, was the human protector of the people. Note the parallelism with “our king" here and with “your anointed one” in Ps 84:9.

[89:18]  ⁶² sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. This expression is a common title for the Lord in the book of Isaiah.

[31:31]  ⁶³ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[31:31]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “a renewed covenant” (also in vv. 22-23).

[31:31]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “the house of Israel and the house of Judah.”

[31:32]  ⁶⁶ tn The word “old” is not in the text but is implicit in the use of the word “new.” It is supplied in the translation for greater clarity.

[31:32]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “fathers.”

[31:32]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “when I took them by the hand and led them out.”

[31:32]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “I was their master.” See the study note on 3:14.

[31:32]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[31:33]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “with the house of Israel.” All commentators agree that the term here refers to both the whole nation which was divided into the house of Israel and the house of Judah in v. 30.

[31:33]  ⁷² tn Heb “after those days.” Commentators are generally agreed that this refers to the return from exile and the repopulation of the land referred to in vv. 27-28 and not to something subsequent to the time mentioned in v. 30. This is the sequencing that is also presupposed in other new covenant passages such as Deut 30:1-6; Ezek 11:17-20; 36:24-28.

[31:33]  ⁷³ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[31:33]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “‘But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after these days:’ says the Lord, ‘I will….’” The sentence has been reworded and restructured to avoid the awkwardness of the original style.

[31:33]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “in their inward parts.” The Hebrew word here refers to the seat of the thoughts, emotions, and decisions (Jer 9:8 [9:7 HT]). It is essentially synonymous with “heart” in Hebrew psychological terms.

[31:33]  ⁷⁶ tn The words “and minds” is not in the text but is supplied in the translation to bring the English psychology more into line with the Hebrew where the “heart” is the center both of knowing/thinking/reflecting and deciding/willing.

[31:33]  ⁷⁷ sn Compare Jer 24:7; 30:22; 31:1 and see the study note on 30:2.

[31:34]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “teach…, saying, ‘Know the Lord.’” The indirect quote has been chosen for stylistic reasons, i.e., to better parallel the following line.

[31:34]  ⁷⁹ sn This statement should be understood against the background of Jer 8:8-9 where class distinctions were drawn and certain people were considered to have more awareness and responsibility for knowing the law and also Jer 5:1-5 and 9:3-9 where the sinfulness of Israel was seen to be universal across these class distinctions and no trust was to be placed in friends, neighbors, or relatives because all without distinction had cast off God’s yoke (i.e., refused to submit themselves to his authority).

[31:34]  ⁸⁰ tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) that introduces this clause refers to more than just the preceding clause (i.e., that all will know the Lord) but to all of vv. 31-34a (See BDB 474 s.v. כִּי 3.c).

[33:20]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “Thus says the Lord.” However, the Lord is speaking so the first person introduction has again been adopted. The content of the verse shows that it is a promise to David (vv. 21-22) and the Levites based on a contrary to fact condition (v. 20). See further the translator’s note at the end of the next verse for explanation of the English structure adopted here.

[33:20]  ⁸² tn The word יוֹמָם (yomam) is normally an adverb meaning “daytime, by day, daily.” However, here and in v. 25 and in Jer 15:9 it means “day, daytime” (cf. BDB 401 s.v. יוֹמָם 1).

[33:20]  ⁸³ tn Heb “you.” The pronoun is plural as in 32:36, 43; 33:10.

[33:21]  ⁸⁴ tn The very complex and elliptical syntax of the original Hebrew of vv. 20-21 has been broken down to better conform with contemporary English style. The text reads somewhat literally (after the addition of a couple of phrases which have been left out by ellipsis): “Thus says the Lord, ‘If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night so that there is not to be daytime and night in their proper time then also my covenant can be broken with my servant David so that there is not to him a son reigning upon his throne [and also my covenant can be broken] with the Levites [so there are not] priests who minister to me.” The two phrases in brackets are elliptical, the first serving double duty for the prepositional phrase “with the Levites” as well as “with David” and the second serving double duty with the noun “priests” which parallels “a son.” The noun “priests” is not serving here as appositional because that phrase is always “the priests, the Levites,” never “the Levites, the priests.”

[33:22]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “Just as the stars in the sky cannot be numbered or the sand on the seashore cannot be measured, so I will greatly increase [or multiply] the seed of my servant David and the Levites who minister before me.” The word “seed of” does not carry over to the “the Levites” as a noun governing two genitives because “the Levites” has the accusative marker in front of it. The sentence has been broken down in conformity with contemporary English style.

[33:23]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying.” See v. 1. This is a continuation of “the second time.”

[33:24]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “Have you not seen what this people have said, saying.” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer. The sentence has been broken in two to better conform with contemporary English style.

[33:24]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “The two families which the Lord chose, he has rejected them.” This is an example of an object prepositioned before the verb and resumed by a redundant pronoun to throw emphasis of focus on it (called casus pendens in the grammars; cf. GKC 458 §143.d). Some commentators identify the “two families” as those of David and Levi mentioned in the previous verses, and some identify them as the families of the Israelites and of David mentioned in the next verse. However, the next clause in this verse and the emphasis on the restoration and regathering of Israel and Judah in this section (cf. 33:7, 14) show that the reference is to Israel and Judah (see also 30:3, 4; 31:27, 31 and 3:18).

[33:24]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “and my people [i.e., Israel and Judah] they disdain [or look down on] from being again a nation before them.” The phrase “before them” refers to their estimation, their mental view (cf. BDB s.v. פָּנֶה II.4.a[g]). Hence it means they look with disdain on the people being a nation again (cf. BDB s.v. עוֹד 1.a[b] for the usage of עוֹד [’od] here).

[33:25]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “Thus says the Lord.” See the translator’s note at the beginning of v. 20 for the style adopted here. Here the promise is in v. 26 following the contrary to fact condition in v. 25. The Hebrew text of vv. 25-26 reads: “Thus says the Lord, “If I have not established my covenant with day and night [and] the laws/statutes of heaven and earth, also I could reject the seed of Jacob and David my servant from taking from his seed as rulers over the seed of Abraham…” The syntax of the original is a little awkward because it involves the verbs “establish” and “reject” governing two objects, the first governing two similar objects “my covenant” and “the regulations” and the second governing two dissimilar objects “the seed of Jacob” and “my servant David from taking [so as not to take].” The translation has sought to remove these awkward syntactical constructions and also break down the long complex original sentence in such a way as to retain its original intent, i.e., the guarantee of the continuance of the seed of Jacob and of the rule of a line of David’s descendants over them based on the fixed order of God’s creation decrees.

[33:26]  ⁹¹ tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) is probably intensive here as it has been on a number of occasions in the book of Jeremiah (see BDB 472 s.v. כִּי 1.e for the category).

[33:26]  ⁹² tn Or “I will make them prosperous once again,” or “I will bring them back from captivity.”

[37:26]  ⁹³ sn See Isa 24:5; 55:3; 61:8; Jer 32:40; 50:5; Ezek 16:60, for other references to perpetual covenants.

[37:26]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “give them.”

[1:72]  ⁹⁵ tn The words “He has done this” (referring to the raising up of the horn of salvation from David’s house) are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to allow a new sentence to be started in the translation. The Greek sentence is lengthy and complex at this point, while contemporary English uses much shorter sentences.

[1:72]  ⁹⁶ sn Mercy refers to God’s loyal love (steadfast love) by which he completes his promises. See Luke 1:50.

[1:72]  ⁹⁷ tn Or “our forefathers”; Grk “our fathers.” This begins with the promise to Abraham (vv. 55, 73), and thus refers to many generations of ancestors.

[1:72]  ⁹⁸ sn The promises of God can be summarized as being found in the one promise (the oath that he swore) to Abraham (Gen 12:1-3).

[3:25]  ⁹⁹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[3:25]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Or “in your offspring”; Grk “in your seed.”

[3:25]  ¹⁰¹ tn Or “families.” The Greek word πατριά (patria) can indicate persons of succeeding generations who are related by birth (“lineage,” “family”) but it can also indicate a relatively large unit of people who make up a sociopolitical group and who share a presumed biological descent. In many contexts πατριά is very similar to ἔθνος (eqnos) and λαός (laos). In light of the context of the OT quotation, it is better to translate πατριά as “nations” here.

[3:25]  ¹⁰² sn A quotation from Gen 22:18.

[9:4]  ¹⁰³ tn Grk “of whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[9:4]  ¹⁰⁴ tn The Greek term υἱοθεσία (Juioqesia) was originally a legal technical term for adoption as a son with full rights of inheritance. BDAG 1024 s.v. notes, “a legal t.t. of ‘adoption’ of children, in our lit., i.e. in Paul, only in a transferred sense of a transcendent filial relationship between God and humans (with the legal aspect, not gender specificity, as major semantic component).” Although some modern translations remove the filial sense completely and render the term merely “adoption” (cf. NAB, ESV), the retention of this component of meaning was accomplished in the present translation by the phrase “as sons.”

[9:4]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Or “cultic service.”

[9:5]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Grk “of whom are the fathers.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[9:5]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Grk “from whom.” Here the relative pronoun has been replaced by a personal pronoun.

[9:5]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Grk “according to the flesh.”

[9:5]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Or “Messiah.” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed.”)

[9:5]  ¹¹⁰ tn Or “the Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever,” or “the Messiah. God who is over all be blessed forever!” or “the Messiah who is over all. God be blessed forever!” The translational difficulty here is not text-critical in nature, but is a problem of punctuation. Since the genre of these opening verses of Romans 9 is a lament, it is probably best to take this as an affirmation of Christ’s deity (as the text renders it). Although the other renderings are possible, to see a note of praise to God at the end of this section seems strangely out of place. But for Paul to bring his lament to a crescendo (that is to say, his kinsmen had rejected God come in the flesh), thereby deepening his anguish, is wholly appropriate. This is also supported grammatically and stylistically: The phrase ὁ ὢν (Jo wn, “the one who is”) is most naturally taken as a phrase which modifies something in the preceding context, and Paul’s doxologies are always closely tied to the preceding context. For a detailed examination of this verse, see B. M. Metzger, “The Punctuation of Rom. 9:5,” Christ and the Spirit in the New Testament, 95-112; and M. J. Harris, Jesus as God, 144-72.

[9:8]  ¹¹¹ tn Grk “That is,” or “That is to say.”

[9:8]  ¹¹² tn Because it forms the counterpoint to “the children of promise” the expression “children of the flesh” has been retained in the translation.

[3:16]  ¹¹³ tn Grk “his seed,” a figurative extension of the meaning of σπέρμα (sperma) to refer to descendants (L&N 10.29).

[3:16]  ¹¹⁴ tn Grk “It”; the referent (the scripture) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The understood subject of the verb λέγει (legei) could also be “He” (referring to God) as the one who spoke the promise to Abraham.

[3:16]  ¹¹⁵ tn Grk “to seeds.” See the note on “descendant” earlier in this verse. Here the term is plural; the use of the singular in the OT text cited later in this verse is crucial to Paul’s argument.

[3:16]  ¹¹⁶ tn See the note on “descendant” earlier in this verse.

[3:17]  ¹¹⁷ tc Most mss (D F G I 0176 0278 Ï it sy) read “ratified by God in Christ” whereas the omission of “in Christ” is the reading in Ì⁴⁶ א A B C P Ψ 6 33 81 1175 1739 1881 2464 pc co. The shorter reading is strongly supported by the ms evidence, and it is probable that a copyist inserted the words as an interpretive gloss. However, this form of the “in Christ” expression is somewhat atypical in the corpus Paulinum (εἰς Χριστόν [ei" Criston] rather than ἐν Χριστῷ [en Cristw]), a fact which tempers one’s certainty about the shorter reading. Nevertheless, the expression is used more in Galatians than in any other of Paul’s letters (Gal 2:16; 3:24, 27), and may have been suggested by such texts to early copyists.