Genesis 18:25

18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the godly with the wicked, treating the godly and the wicked alike! Far be it from you! Will not the judge ¹  of the whole earth do what is right?” ² 

Genesis 18:1

Three Special Visitors

18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham ³  by the oaks ⁴  of Mamre while ⁵  he was sitting at the entrance ⁶  to his tent during the hottest time of the day.

Genesis 3:18

3:18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,

but you will eat the grain ⁷  of the field.

Job 1:20-21

1:20 Then Job got up ⁸  and tore his robe. ⁹  He shaved his head, ¹⁰  and then he threw himself down with his face to the ground. ¹¹  1:21 He said, “Naked ¹²  I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return there. ¹³  The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. ¹⁴  May the name of the Lord ¹⁵  be blessed!”

Job 2:10

2:10 But he replied, ¹⁶  “You’re talking like one of the godless ¹⁷  women would do! Should we receive ¹⁸  what is good from God, and not also ¹⁹  receive ²⁰  what is evil?” ²¹  In all this Job did not sin by what he said. ²² 

Psalms 39:9

39:9 I am silent and cannot open my mouth

because of what you have done. ²³ 

Psalms 46:10

46:10 He says, ²⁴  “Stop your striving and recognize ²⁵  that I am God!

I will be exalted ²⁶  over ²⁷  the nations! I will be exalted over ²⁸  the earth!”

Isaiah 39:8

39:8 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The Lord’s word which you have announced is appropriate.” ²⁹  Then he thought, ³⁰  “For ³¹  there will be peace and stability during my lifetime.”

Matthew 10:37

10:37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

[18:25]  ¹ tn Or “ruler.”

[18:25]  ² sn Will not the judge of the whole earth do what is right? For discussion of this text see J. L. Crenshaw, “Popular Questioning of the Justice of God in Ancient Israel,” ZAW 82 (1970): 380-95, and C. S. Rodd, “Shall Not the Judge of All the Earth Do What Is Just?” ExpTim 83 (1972): 137-39.

[18:1]  ³ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ⁴ tn Or “terebinths.”

[18:1]  ⁵ tn The disjunctive clause here is circumstantial to the main clause.

[18:1]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew noun translated “entrance” is an adverbial accusative of place.

[3:18]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew term עֵשֶׂב (’esev), when referring to human food, excludes grass (eaten by cattle) and woody plants like vines.

[1:20]  ⁸ tn The verb וַיָּקָם (vayyaqom, “and he arose”) indicates the intentionality and the rapidity of the actions to follow. It signals the beginning of his response to the terrible news. Therefore, the sentence could be translated, “Then Job immediately began to tear his robe.”

[1:20]  ⁹ sn It was the custom to tear the robe in a time of mourning, to indicate that the heart was torn (Joel 2:13). The “garment, mantel” here is the outer garment frequently worn over the basic tunic. See further D. R. Ap-Thomas, “Notes on Some Terms Relating to Prayer,” VT 6 (1956): 220-24.

[1:20]  ¹⁰ sn In mourning one normally put off every adornment that enhanced or embellished the person, including that which nature provided (Jer 7:29; Mic 1:16).

[1:20]  ¹¹ tn This last verb is the Hishtaphel of the word חָוָה (khavah; BDB 1005 s.v. שָׁחָה); it means “to prostrate oneself, to cause oneself to be low to the ground.” In the OT it is frequently translated “to worship” because that is usually why the individual would kneel down and then put his or her forehead to the ground at the knees. But the word essentially means “to bow down to the ground.” Here “worship” (although employed by several English translations, cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, CEV) conveys more than what is taking place – although Job’s response is certainly worshipful. See G. I. Davies, “A Note on the Etymology of histah^awah,” VT 29 (1979): 493-95; and J. A. Emerton, “The Etymology of histah^awah,” OTS (1977): 41-55.

[1:21]  ¹² tn The adjective “naked” is functioning here as an adverbial accusative of state, explicative of the state of the subject. While it does include the literal sense of nakedness at birth, Job is also using it symbolically to mean “without possessions.”

[1:21]  ¹³ sn While the first half of the couplet is to be taken literally as referring to his coming into this life, this second part must be interpreted only generally to refer to his departure from this life. It is parallel to 1 Tim 6:7, “For we have brought nothing into this world and so we cannot take a single thing out either.”

[1:21]  ¹⁴ tn The two verbs are simple perfects. (1) They can be given the nuance of gnomic imperfect, expressing what the sovereign God always does. This is the approach taken in the present translation. Alternatively (2) they could be referring specifically to Job’s own experience: “Yahweh gave [definite past, referring to his coming into this good life] and Yahweh has taken away” [present perfect, referring to his great losses]. Many English versions follow the second alternative.

[1:21]  ¹⁵ sn Some commentators are troubled by the appearance of the word “Yahweh” on the lips of Job, assuming that the narrator inserted his own name for God into the story-telling. Such thinking is based on the assumption that Yahweh was only a national god of Israel, unknown to anyone else in the ancient world. But here is a clear indication that a non-Israelite, Job, knew and believed in Yahweh.

[2:10]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “he said to her.”

[2:10]  ¹⁷ tn The word “foolish” (נָבָל, naval) has to do with godlessness more than silliness (Ps 14:1). To be foolish in this sense is to deny the nature and the work of God in life its proper place. See A. Phillips, “NEBALA – A Term for Serious Disorderly Unruly Conduct,” VT 25 (1975): 237-41; and W. M. W. Roth, “NBL,” VT 10 (1960): 394-409.

[2:10]  ¹⁸ tn The verb קִבֵּל (qibbel) means “to accept, receive.” It is attested in the Amarna letters with the meaning “receive meekly, patiently.”

[2:10]  ¹⁹ tn The adverb גָּם (gam, “also, even”) is placed here before the first clause, but belongs with the second. It intensifies the idea (see GKC 483 §153). See also C. J. Labuschagne, “The Emphasizing Particle GAM and Its Connotations,” Studia Biblica et Semitica, 193-203.

[2:10]  ²⁰ tn The two verbs in this sentence, Piel imperfects, are deliberative imperfects; they express the reasoning or deliberating in the interrogative sentences.

[2:10]  ²¹ tn A question need not be introduced by an interrogative particle or adverb. The natural emphasis on the words is enough to indicate it is a question (GKC 473 §150.a).

[2:10]  ²² tn Heb “sin with his lips,” an idiom meaning he did not sin by what he said.

[39:9]  ²³ tn Heb “because you acted.” The psalmist has in mind God’s disciplinary measures (see vv. 10-13).

[46:10]  ²⁴ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[46:10]  ²⁵ tn Heb “do nothing/be quiet (see 1 Sam 15:16) and know.” This statement may be addressed to the hostile nations, indicating they should cease their efforts to destroy God’s people, or to Judah, indicating they should rest secure in God’s protection. Since the psalm is an expression of Judah’s trust and confidence, it is more likely that the words are directed to the nations, who are actively promoting chaos and are in need of a rebuke.

[46:10]  ²⁶ tn Elsewhere in the psalms the verb רוּם (rum, “be exalted”) when used of God, refers to his exalted position as king (Pss 18:46; 99:2; 113:4; 138:6) and/or his self-revelation as king through his mighty deeds of deliverance (Pss 21:13; 57:5, 11).

[46:10]  ²⁷ tn Or “among.”

[46:10]  ²⁸ tn Or “in.”

[39:8]  ²⁹ tn Heb “good” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “favorable.”

[39:8]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and he said.” The verb אָמַר (’amar, “say”) is sometimes used of what one thinks (that is, says to oneself).

[39:8]  ³¹ tn Or “surely”; cf. CEV “At least.”