Genesis 22:17

22:17 I will indeed bless you, ¹  and I will greatly multiply ²  your descendants ³  so that they will be as countless as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession ⁴  of the strongholds ⁵  of their enemies.

Genesis 23:10

23:10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite ⁶  replied to Abraham in the hearing ⁷  of the sons of Heth – before all who entered the gate ⁸  of his city –

Deuteronomy 17:5

17:5 you must bring to your city gates ⁹  that man or woman who has done this wicked thing – that very man or woman – and you must stone that person to death. ¹⁰ 

Ruth 4:1

Boaz Settles the Matter

4:1 Now Boaz went up ¹¹  to the village gate and sat there. Then along came the guardian ¹²  whom Boaz had mentioned to Ruth! ¹³  Boaz said, “Come ¹⁴  here and sit down, ‘John Doe’!” ¹⁵  So he came ¹⁶  and sat down.

Job 29:7

29:7 When I went out to the city gate

and secured my seat in the public square, ¹⁷ 

Proverbs 31:23

31:23 Her husband is well-known ¹⁸  in the city gate ¹⁹ 

when he sits with the elders ²⁰  of the land.

Amos 5:10

5:10 The Israelites ²¹  hate anyone who arbitrates at the city gate; ²² 

they despise anyone who speaks honestly.

Amos 5:12

5:12 Certainly ²³  I am aware of ²⁴  your many rebellious acts ²⁵ 

and your numerous sins.

You ²⁶  torment the innocent, you take bribes,

and you deny justice to ²⁷  the needy at the city gate. ²⁸ 

Amos 5:15

5:15 Hate what is wrong, love what is right!

Promote ²⁹  justice at the city gate! ³⁰ 

Maybe the Lord, the God who commands armies, will have mercy on ³¹  those who are left from ³²  Joseph. ³³ 

Zechariah 8:16

8:16 These are the things you must do: Speak the truth, each of you, to one another. Practice true and righteous judgment in your courts. ³⁴ 

[22:17]  ¹ tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the finite verbal form (either an imperfect or cohortative) emphasizes the certainty of the blessing.

[22:17]  ² tn Here too the infinitive absolute is used for emphasis before the following finite verb (either an imperfect or cohortative).

[22:17]  ³ tn The Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) occurring here and in v. 18 may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.

[22:17]  ⁴ tn Or “inherit.”

[22:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. To break through the gate complex would be to conquer the city, for the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”).

[23:10]  ⁶ tn Or perhaps “Hittite,” but see the note on the name “Heth” in v. 3.

[23:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “ears.” By metonymy the “ears” stand for the presence or proximity (i.e., within earshot) of the persons named.

[23:10]  ⁸ sn On the expression all who entered the gate see E. A. Speiser, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate,” BASOR 144 (1956): 20-23; and G. Evans, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate: A Discussion of Professor Speiser’s Paper,” BASOR 150 (1958): 28-33.

[17:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “gates.”

[17:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “stone them with stones so that they die” (KJV similar); NCV “throw stones at that person until he dies.”

[4:1]  ¹¹ tn The disjunctive clause structure (note the pattern vav [ו] + subject + verb) here signals the beginning of a new scene.

[4:1]  ¹² tn Sometimes translated “redeemer.” See the note on the phrase “guardian of the family interests” in 3:9.

[4:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “look, the guardian was passing by of whom Boaz had spoken.”

[4:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “turn aside” (so KJV, NASB); NIV, TEV, NLT “Come over here.”

[4:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “a certain one”; KJV, ASV “such a one.” The expression פְלֹנִי אַלְמֹנִי (pÿloni ’almoni) is not the name of the nearest relative, but an idiom which literally means “such and such” or “a certain one” (BDB 811-12 s.v. פְלֹנִי), which is used when one wishes to be ambiguous (1 Sam 21:3; 2 Kgs 6:8). Certainly Boaz would have known his relative’s name, especially in such a small village, and would have uttered his actual name. However the narrator refuses to record his name in a form of poetic justice because he refused to preserve Mahlon’s “name” (lineage) by marrying his widow (see 4:5, 9-10). This close relative, who is a literary foil for Boaz, refuses to fulfill the role of family guardian. Because he does nothing memorable, he remains anonymous in a chapter otherwise filled with names. His anonymity contrasts sharply with Boaz’s prominence in the story and the fame he attains through the child born to Ruth. Because the actual name of this relative is not recorded, the translation of this expression is difficult since contemporary English style expects either a name or title. This is usually supplied in modern translations: “friend” (NASB, NIV, RSV, NRSV, NLT), “so-and-so” (JPS, NJPS). Perhaps “Mr. So-And-So!” or “Mr. No-Name!” makes the point. For discussion see Adele Berlin, Poetics and Interpretation of Biblical Narrative, 99-101; R. L. Hubbard, Jr., Ruth (NICOT), 233-35; F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther (WBC), 196-97. In the present translation “John Doe” is used since it is a standard designation for someone who is a party to legal proceedings whose true name is unknown.

[4:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and he turned aside” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “And he went over.”

[29:7]  ¹⁷ sn In the public square. The area referred to here should not be thought of in terms of modern western dimensions. The wide space, plaza, or public square mentioned here is the open area in the gate complex where legal and business matters were conducted. The area could be as small as a few hundred square feet.

[31:23]  ¹⁸ tn The first word of the fourteenth line begins with נ (nun), the fourteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The form is the Niphal participle of יָדַע (yada’); it means that her husband is “known.” The point is that he is a prominent person, respected in the community.

[31:23]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “gate”; the term “city” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[31:23]  ²⁰ tn The construction uses the infinitive construct with the preposition and a pronominal suffix that serves as the subject (subjective genitive) to form a temporal clause. The fact that he “sits with the elders” means he is one of the elders; he sits as a judge among the people.

[5:10]  ²¹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Israelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:10]  ²² sn In ancient Israelite culture, legal disputes were resolved in the city gate, where the town elders met.

[5:12]  ²³ tn Or “for.”

[5:12]  ²⁴ tn Or “I know” (so most English versions).

[5:12]  ²⁵ tn Or “transgressions,” “sins.” See the note on the word “crimes” in 1:3 and on the phrase “covenant violations” in 2:4.

[5:12]  ²⁶ tn Heb “Those who.”

[5:12]  ²⁷ tn Heb “turn aside.” They “turn aside” the needy by denying them the justice they deserve at the city gate (where legal decisions were made, and therefore where justice should be done).

[5:12]  ²⁸ sn Legal disputes were resolved in the city gate, where the town elders met.

[5:15]  ²⁹ tn Heb “set up, establish.” In the ancient Near East it was the responsibility especially of the king to establish justice. Here the prophet extends that demand to local leaders and to the nation as a whole (cf. 5:24).

[5:15]  ³⁰ sn Legal disputes were resolved in the city gate (see the note in v. 12). This repetition of this phrase serves to highlight a deliberate contrast to the injustices cited in vv. 11-13.

[5:15]  ³¹ tn Or “will show favor to.”

[5:15]  ³² tn Or “the remnant of” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “what’s left of your people.”

[5:15]  ³³ sn Joseph (= Ephraim and Manasseh), as the most prominent of the Israelite tribes, represents the entire northern kingdom.

[8:16]  ³⁴ sn For a similar reference to true and righteous judgment see Mic 6:8.