Genesis 31:29

31:29 I have ¹  the power to do you harm, but the God of your father told me last night, ‘Be careful ²  that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.’ ³ 

Deuteronomy 28:32

28:32 Your sons and daughters will be given to another people while you look on in vain all day, and you will be powerless to do anything about it. ⁴ 

Proverbs 3:27

Wisdom Demonstrated in Relationships with People

3:27 Do not withhold good from those who need it, ⁵ 

when ⁶  you ⁷  have the ability ⁸  to help. ⁹ 

John 19:11

19:11 Jesus replied, “You would have no authority ¹⁰  over me at all, unless it was given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you ¹¹  is guilty of greater sin.” ¹² 

[31:29]  ¹ tn Heb “there is to my hand.”

[31:29]  ² tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.

[31:29]  ³ tn Heb “from speaking with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 24, is uncertain. See the note on the same phrase in v. 24.

[28:32]  ⁴ tn Heb “and there will be no power in your hand”; NCV “there will be nothing you can do.”

[3:27]  ⁵ tn The MT has “from its possessors” and the LXX simply has “from the poor.” C. H. Toy (Proverbs [ICC], 77) suggests emending the text to read “neighbors” (changing בְּעָלָיו [be’alav] to רֵעֶיךָ, re’ekha) but that is gratuitous. The idea can be explained as being those who need to possess it, or as BDB 127 s.v. בַּעַל has it with an objective genitive, “the owner of it” = the one to whom it is due.

[3:27]  ⁶ tn The infinitive construct with preposition ב (bet) introduces a temporal clause: “when….”

[3:27]  ⁷ tc The form יָדֶיךָ (yadekha) is a Kethib/Qere reading. The Kethib is the dual יָדֶיךָ (“your hands”) and the Qere is the singular יָדְךָ (yadÿkha, “your hand”). Normally the Qere is preferred because it represents an alternate textual tradition that the Masoretes viewed as superior to the received text.

[3:27]  ⁸ tn Heb “it is to the power of your hand.” This expression is idiomatic for “it is in your power” or “you have the ability” (Gen 31:29; Deut 28:23; Neh 5:5; Mic 2:1). The noun אֵל (’el) means “power” (BDB 43 s.v. 7), and יָד (yad, “hand”) is used figuratively to denote “ability” (BDB 390 s.v. 2). Several translations render this as “when it is in your power to do it” (KJV, RSV, NRSV, NASB) or “when it is in your power to act” (NIV). W. McKane suggests, “when it is in your power to confer it” (Proverbs [OTL], 215).

[3:27]  ⁹ tn Heb “to do [it]” (cf. KJV, NASB, NRSV).

[19:11]  ¹⁰ tn Or “power.”

[19:11]  ¹¹ tn Or “who delivered me over to you.”

[19:11]  ¹² tn Grk “has the greater sin” (an idiom).