Genesis 8:22

8:22 “While the earth continues to exist, ¹ 

planting time ²  and harvest,

cold and heat,

summer and winter,

and day and night will not cease.”

Psalms 19:4-6

19:4 Yet its voice ³  echoes ⁴  throughout the earth;

its ⁵  words carry ⁶  to the distant horizon. ⁷ 

In the sky ⁸  he has pitched a tent for the sun. ⁹ 

19:5 Like a bridegroom it emerges ¹⁰  from its chamber; ¹¹ 

like a strong man it enjoys ¹²  running its course. ¹³ 

19:6 It emerges from the distant horizon, ¹⁴ 

and goes from one end of the sky to the other; ¹⁵ 

nothing can escape ¹⁶  its heat.

Psalms 89:36-37

89:36 His dynasty will last forever. ¹⁷ 

His throne will endure before me, like the sun, ¹⁸ 

89:37 it will remain stable, like the moon, ¹⁹ 

his throne will endure like the skies.” ²⁰  (Selah)

Psalms 104:19-23

104:19 He made the moon to mark the months, ²¹ 

and the sun sets according to a regular schedule. ²² 

104:20 You make it dark and night comes, ²³ 

during which all the beasts of the forest prowl around.

104:21 The lions roar for prey,

seeking their food from God. ²⁴ 

104:22 When the sun rises, they withdraw

and sleep ²⁵  in their dens.

104:23 Men then go out to do their work,

and labor away until evening. ²⁶ 

Jeremiah 33:20

33:20 “I, Lord, make the following promise: ²⁷  ‘I have made a covenant with the day ²⁸  and with the night that they will always come at their proper times. Only if you people ²⁹  could break that covenant

[8:22]  ¹ tn Heb “yet all the days of the earth.” The idea is “[while there are] yet all the days of the earth,” meaning, “as long as the earth exists.”

[8:22]  ² tn Heb “seed,” which stands here by metonymy for the time when seed is planted.

[19:4]  ³ tc The MT reads, “their measuring line” (קוּם, qum). The noun קַו (qav, “measuring line”) makes no sense in this context. The reading קוֹלָם (qolam, “their voice”) which is supported by the LXX, is preferable.

[19:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “goes out,” or “proceeds forth.”

[19:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “their” (see the note on the word “its” in v. 3).

[19:4]  ⁶ tn The verb is supplied in the translation. The Hebrew text has no verb; יָצָא (yatsa’, “goes out”) is understood by ellipsis.

[19:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “to the end of the world.”

[19:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “in them” (i.e., the heavens).

[19:4]  ⁹ sn He has pitched a tent for the sun. The personified sun emerges from this “tent” in order to make its daytime journey across the sky. So the “tent” must refer metaphorically to the place where the sun goes to rest during the night.

[19:5]  ¹⁰ tn The participle expresses the repeated or regular nature of the action.

[19:5]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew noun חֻפָּה (khufah, “chamber”) occurs elsewhere only in Isa 4:5 and Joel 2:16 (where it refers to the bedroom of a bride and groom).

[19:5]  ¹² tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the regularity of the action.

[19:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “[on] a path.”

[19:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “from the end of the heavens [is] its going forth.”

[19:6]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and its circuit [is] to their ends.”

[19:6]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “is hidden from.”

[89:36]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “his offspring forever will be.”

[89:36]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and his throne like the sun before me.”

[89:37]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “like the moon it will be established forever.”

[89:37]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and a witness in the sky, secure.” Scholars have offered a variety of opinions as to the identity of the “witness” referred to here, none of which is very convincing. It is preferable to join וְעֵד (vÿ’ed) to עוֹלָם (’olam) in the preceding line and translate the commonly attested phrase עוֹלָם וְעֵד (“forever”). In this case one may translate the second line, “[it] will be secure like the skies.” Another option (the one reflected in the present translation) is to take עד as a rare noun meaning “throne” or “dais.” This noun is attested in Ugaritic; see, for example, CTA 16 vi 22-23, where ksi (= כִּסֵּא, kisse’, “throne”) and ’d (= עד, “dais”) appear as synonyms in the poetic parallelism (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 91). Emending בַּשַּׁחַק (bashakhaq, “in the heavens”) to כַּשַׁחַק (kashakhaq, “like the heavens”) – bet/kaf (כ/ב) confusion is widely attested – one can then read “[his] throne like the heavens [is] firm/stable.” Verse 29 refers to the enduring nature of the heavens, while Job 37:18 speaks of God spreading out the heavens (שְׁחָקִים, shÿkhaqim) and compares their strength to a bronze mirror. Ps 89:29 uses the term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim, “skies”) which frequently appears in parallelism to שְׁחָקִים.

[104:19]  ²¹ tn Heb “he made [the] moon for appointed times.” The phrase “appointed times” probably refers to the months of the Hebrew lunar calendar.

[104:19]  ²² tn Heb more metaphorically, “knows its setting.”

[104:20]  ²³ tn Heb “you make darkness, so that it might be night.”

[104:21]  ²⁴ sn The lions’ roaring is viewed as a request for food from God.

[104:22]  ²⁵ tn Heb “lie down.”

[104:23]  ²⁶ tn Heb “man goes out to his work, and to his labor until evening.”

[33:20]  ²⁷ 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]  ²⁸ 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]  ²⁹ tn Heb “you.” The pronoun is plural as in 32:36, 43; 33:10.