Genesis 46:2

46:2 God spoke to Israel in a vision during the night ¹  and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” He replied, “Here I am!”

Numbers 12:6

12:6 The Lord ²  said, “Hear now my words: If there is a prophet among you, ³  I the Lord ⁴  will make myself known to him in a vision; I will speak with him in a dream.

Numbers 12:1

Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses

12:1 ⁵ Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against ⁶  Moses because of the Cushite ⁷  woman he had married ⁸  (for he had married an Ethiopian woman).

Numbers 9:9

9:9 The Lord spoke to Moses:

Ezekiel 1:1

A Vision of God’s Glory

1:1 In the thirtieth year, ⁹  on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles ¹⁰  at the Kebar River, ¹¹  the heavens opened ¹²  and I saw a divine vision. ¹³ 

Ezekiel 3:4

3:4 He said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak my words to them.

Ezekiel 11:24

11:24 Then a wind ¹⁴  lifted me up and carried me to the exiles in Babylonia, ¹⁵  in the vision given to me by the Spirit of God.

Then the vision I had seen went up from me.

Daniel 10:1-16

An Angel Appears to Daniel

10:1 ¹⁶ In the third ¹⁷  year of King Cyrus of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel (who was also called Belteshazzar). This message was true and concerned a great war. ¹⁸  He understood the message and gained insight by the vision.

10:2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three whole weeks. ¹⁹  10:3 I ate no choice food; no meat or wine came to my lips, ²⁰  nor did I anoint myself with oil ²¹  until the end of those three weeks.

10:4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month ²²  I was beside the great river, the Tigris. ²³  10:5 I looked up ²⁴  and saw a ²⁵  man ²⁶  clothed in linen; ²⁷  around his waist was a belt made of gold from Upaz. ²⁸  10:6 His body resembled yellow jasper, ²⁹  and his face had an appearance like lightning. His eyes were like blazing torches; ³⁰  his arms and feet had the gleam of polished bronze. His voice ³¹  thundered forth like the sound of a large crowd.

10:7 Only I, Daniel, saw the vision; the men who were with me did not see it. ³²  On the contrary, they were overcome with fright ³³  and ran away to hide. 10:8 I alone was left to see this great vision. My strength drained from ³⁴  me, and my vigor disappeared; ³⁵  I was without energy. ³⁶  10:9 I listened to his voice, ³⁷  and as I did so ³⁸  I fell into a trance-like sleep with my face to the ground. 10:10 Then ³⁹  a hand touched me and set me on my hands and knees. ⁴⁰  10:11 He said to me, “Daniel, you are of great value. ⁴¹  Understand the words that I am about to ⁴²  speak to you. So stand up, ⁴³  for I have now been sent to you.” When he said this ⁴⁴  to me, I stood up shaking. 10:12 Then he said to me, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel, for from the very first day you applied your mind ⁴⁵  to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard. I have come in response to your words. 10:13 However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia was opposing me for twenty-one days. But ⁴⁶  Michael, one of the leading princes, came to help me, because I was left there ⁴⁷  with the kings of Persia. 10:14 Now I have come to help you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to future days.”

10:15 While he was saying this to me, ⁴⁸  I was flat on ⁴⁹  the ground and unable to speak. 10:16 Then ⁵⁰  one who appeared to be a human being ⁵¹  was touching my lips. I opened my mouth and started to speak, saying to the one who was standing before me, “Sir, ⁵²  due to the vision, anxiety has gripped me and I have no strength.

Acts 10:10-17

10:10 He became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing the meal, a trance came over him. ⁵³  10:11 He ⁵⁴  saw heaven ⁵⁵  opened ⁵⁶  and an object something like a large sheet ⁵⁷  descending, ⁵⁸  being let down to earth ⁵⁹  by its four corners. 10:12 In it ⁶⁰  were all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles ⁶¹  of the earth and wild birds. ⁶²  10:13 Then ⁶³  a voice said ⁶⁴  to him, “Get up, Peter; slaughter ⁶⁵  and eat!” 10:14 But Peter said, “Certainly not, Lord, for I have never eaten anything defiled and ritually unclean!” ⁶⁶  10:15 The voice ⁶⁷  spoke to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not consider ⁶⁸  ritually unclean!” ⁶⁹  10:16 This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into heaven. ⁷⁰ 

10:17 Now while Peter was puzzling over ⁷¹  what the vision he had seen could signify, the men sent by Cornelius had learned where Simon’s house was ⁷²  and approached ⁷³  the gate.

Acts 10:22

10:22 They said, “Cornelius the centurion, ⁷⁴  a righteous ⁷⁵  and God-fearing man, well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, ⁷⁶  was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear a message ⁷⁷  from you.”

Hebrews 1:1

Introduction: God Has Spoken Fully and Finally in His Son

1:1 After God spoke long ago ⁷⁸  in various portions ⁷⁹  and in various ways ⁸⁰  to our ancestors ⁸¹  through the prophets,

[46:2]  ¹ tn Heb “in visions of the night.” The plural form has the singular meaning, probably as a plural of intensity.

[12:6]  ² tn Heb “he.”

[12:6]  ³ tn The form of this construction is rare: נְבִיאֲכֶם (nÿvi’akhem) would normally be rendered “your prophet.” The singular noun is suffixed with a plural pronominal suffix. Some commentators think the MT has condensed “a prophet” with “to you.”

[12:6]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew syntax is difficult here. “The Lord” is separated from the verb by two intervening prepositional phrases. Some scholars conclude that this word belongs with the verb at the beginning of v. 6 (“And the Lord spoke”).

[12:1]  ⁵ sn In this short chapter we find a prime example of jealousy among leaders and how God dealt with it. Miriam and Aaron are envious of Moses’ leadership, but they use an occasion – his marriage – to criticize him. Often the immediate criticism is simply a surface issue for a deeper matter. God indicates very clearly he will speak through many people, including them, but Moses is different. Moses is the mediator of the covenant. The chapter is a lesson of what not to do. They should have fulfilled their duties before God and not tried to compete or challenge the leader in this way. There is a touch of divine irony here, for Miriam is turned white with leprosy. The chapter falls easily into the sections of the story: the accusation (vv. 1-3), the Lord’s response (vv. 4-10), the intercession of Moses (vv. 11-16). For further information, see J. S. Kselman, “A Note on Numbers 12:6-8,” VT 26 (1976): 500-504.

[12:1]  ⁶ tn The preposition bet (בְּ) has the adversative sense here, “[speak] against” (see also its use for hostile speech in 21:5, 7). Speaking against is equal to the murmuring throughout the wilderness period. The verb of the sentence is וַתְּדַבֵּר (vattÿdabber), the feminine form of the verb. This indicates that Miriam was the main speaker for the two, the verb agreeing with the first of the compound subject.

[12:1]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew text has הַכֻּשִׁית (hakkushit, “the Cushite”) as the modifier of “woman.” The Greek text interpreted this correctly as “Ethiopian.” The word Cush in the Bible can describe the Cassites, east of Babylon of the later period (Gen 10:18), or Ethiopia (Isa 20:3; Nah 3:5; et al). Another suggestion is that it would refer to Cushan of Hab 3:7, perhaps close to Midian, and so the area Moses had been. This would suggest it could be Zipporah – but the Bible does not identify the Cushite as Zipporah. The most natural understanding would be that it refers to an Egyptian/Ethiopian woman. The text does not say when Moses married this woman, or what Miriam’s problem with her was. It is clear that it was a racial issue, by virtue of the use of “Cushite.” Whether she was of darker skin than the Hebrews would be hard to say, since the Bible gives no further detail. Neither does it say if this is a second wife, or a woman Moses married since Zipporah went home (Exod 18:2). These do not seem to be the issues the text wishes to elaborate on; it is simply stating that this woman was the occasion for a deeper challenge.

[12:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “taken.”

[1:1]  ⁹ sn The meaning of the thirtieth year is problematic. Some take it to mean the age of Ezekiel when he prophesied (e.g., Origen). The Aramaic Targum explains the thirtieth year as the thirtieth year dated from the recovery of the book of the Torah in the temple in Jerusalem (2 Kgs 22:3-9). The number seems somehow to be equated with the fifth year of Jehoiachin’s exile in 1:2, i.e., 593 b.c.

[1:1]  ¹⁰ sn The Assyrians started the tactic of deportation, the large-scale forced displacement of conquered populations, in order to stifle rebellions. The task of uniting groups of deportees, gaining freedom from one’s overlords and returning to retake one’s own country would be considerably more complicated than living in one’s homeland and waiting for an opportune moment to drive out the enemy’s soldiers. The Babylonians adopted this practice also, after defeating the Assyrians. The Babylonians deported Judeans on three occasions. The practice of deportation was reversed by the Persian conquerors of Babylon, who gained favor from their subjects for allowing them to return to their homeland and, as polytheists, sought the favor of the gods of the various countries which had come under their control.

[1:1]  ¹¹ sn The Kebar River is mentioned in Babylonian texts from the city of Nippur in the fifth century b.c. It provided artificial irrigation from the Euphrates.

[1:1]  ¹² sn For the concept of the heavens opened in later literature, see 3 Macc 6:18; 2 Bar. 22:1; T. Levi 5:1; Matt 3:16; Acts 7:56; Rev 19:11.

[1:1]  ¹³ tn Or “saw visions from God.” References to divine visions occur also in Ezek 8:3; 40:2

[11:24]  ¹⁴ tn Or “spirit.” See note on “wind” in 2:2.

[11:24]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “to Chaldea.”

[10:1]  ¹⁶ sn This chapter begins the final unit in the book of Daniel, consisting of chapters 10-12. The traditional chapter divisions to some extent obscure the relationship of these chapters.

[10:1]  ¹⁷ tc The LXX has “first.”

[10:1]  ¹⁸ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word צָבָא (tsava’) is uncertain in this context. The word most often refers to an army or warfare. It may also mean “hard service,” and many commentators take that to be the sense here (i.e., “the service was great”). The present translation assumes the reference to be to the spiritual conflicts described, for example, in 10:16–11:1.

[10:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “three weeks of days.” The inclusion of “days” here and in v. 3 is perhaps intended to call attention to the fact that these weeks are very different in nature from those of chap. 9, which are “weeks of years.”

[10:3]  ²⁰ tn Heb “mouth.”

[10:3]  ²¹ sn Anointing oneself with oil (usually olive oil) was a common OT practice due to the severity of the Middle Eastern sun (cf. Ps 121:6). It was also associated with rejoicing (e.g., Prov 27:9) and was therefore usually not practiced during a period of mourning.

[10:4]  ²² sn The first month would be the month of Nisan, during which Passover was observed.

[10:4]  ²³ tn The Hebrew text has חִדָּקֶל (hiddaqel). “Tigris” appears here in the LXX, since it is the Greek name for this river. Elsewhere in the OT “the great river” refers to the Euphrates (e.g., Gen 15:18; Josh 1:4), leading some interpreters to think that a mistake is involved in using the expression to refer to the Tigris. But it is doubtful that the expression had such a fixed and limited usage. The Syriac, however, does render the word here by “Euphrates” (Syr. perat) in keeping with biblical usage elsewhere.

[10:5]  ²⁴ tn Heb “I lifted up my eyes.”

[10:5]  ²⁵ tn Heb “one.” The Hebrew numerical adjective is used here like an English indefinite article.

[10:5]  ²⁶ sn The identity of the messenger is not specifically disclosed. Presumably he is an unnamed angel. Some interpreters identify him as Gabriel, but there is no adequate reason for doing so.

[10:5]  ²⁷ tn The Hebrew word בַּדִּים (baddim) is a plural of extension. See GKC 396-97 §124.a, b, c and Joüon 2:500 §136.c.

[10:5]  ²⁸ tn The location of this place and even the exact form of the Hebrew name אוּפָז (’ufaz) are uncertain. Apparently it was a source for pure gold. (See Jer 10:9.) The Hebrew word פָז (paz, “refined gold” or “pure gold”) is more common in the OT than אוּפָז, and some scholars emend the text of Dan 10:5 to read this word. Cf. also “Ophir” (1 Kgs 9:28; Isa 13:12; Job 22:24; 28:16).

[10:6]  ²⁹ tn The Hebrew word translated “yellow jasper” is תַּרשִׁישׁ (tarshish); it appears to be a semiprecious stone, but its exact identity is somewhat uncertain. It may be the yellow jasper, although this is conjectural. Cf. NAB, NIV “chrysolite”; NASB, NRSV “beryl.”

[10:6]  ³⁰ tn Heb “torches of fire.”

[10:6]  ³¹ tn Heb “The sound of his words” (cf. v. 9).

[10:7]  ³² tn Heb “the vision.”

[10:7]  ³³ tn Heb “great trembling fell on them.”

[10:8]  ³⁴ tn Heb “did not remain in.”

[10:8]  ³⁵ tn Heb “was changed upon me for ruin.”

[10:8]  ³⁶ tn Heb “strength.”

[10:9]  ³⁷ tc Heb “I heard the sound of his words.” These words are absent in the LXX and the Syriac.

[10:9]  ³⁸ tn Heb “as I listened to the sound of his words.”

[10:10]  ³⁹ tn Heb “Behold.”

[10:10]  ⁴⁰ tc Theodotion lacks “and the palms of my hands.”

[10:11]  ⁴¹ tn Or “a treasured person”; KJV “a man greatly beloved”; NASB “man of high esteem.”

[10:11]  ⁴² tn The Hebrew participle is often used, as here, to refer to the imminent future.

[10:11]  ⁴³ tn Heb “stand upon your standing.”

[10:11]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “spoke this word.”

[10:12]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “gave your heart.”

[10:13]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “and behold.”

[10:13]  ⁴⁷ tc The Greek version of Theodotion reads “I left him [i.e., Michael] there,” and this is followed by a number of English translations (cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT).

[10:15]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “speaking to me according to these words.”

[10:15]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “I placed my face toward.”

[10:16]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “Behold.”

[10:16]  ⁵¹ tc So most Hebrew MSS; one Hebrew MS along with the Dead Sea Scrolls and LXX read “something that looked like a man’s hand.”

[10:16]  ⁵² tn Heb “my lord,” here a title of polite address. Cf. v. 19.

[10:10]  ⁵³ tn The traditional translation, “he fell into a trance,” is somewhat idiomatic; it is based on the textual variant ἐπέπεσεν (epepesen, “he fell”) found in the Byzantine text but almost certainly not original.

[10:11]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “And he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[10:11]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[10:11]  ⁵⁶ tn On the heavens “opening,” see Matt 3:16; Luke 3:21; Rev 19:11 (cf. BDAG 84 s.v. ἀνοίγω 2). This is the language of a vision or a revelatory act of God.

[10:11]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “a large linen cloth” (the term was used for the sail of a ship; BDAG 693 s.v. ὀθόνη).

[10:11]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “coming down.”

[10:11]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “to the ground.”

[10:12]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “in which.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “it,” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style.

[10:12]  ⁶¹ tn Or “snakes.” Grk “creeping things.” According to L&N 4.51, in most biblical contexts the term (due to the influence of Hebrew classifications such as Gen 1:25-26, 30) included small four-footed animals like rats, mice, frogs, toads, salamanders, and lizards. In this context, however, where “creeping things” are contrasted with “four-footed animals,” the English word “reptiles,” which primarily but not exclusively designates snakes, is probably more appropriate. See also Gen 6:20, as well as the law making such creatures unclean food in Lev 11:2-47.

[10:12]  ⁶² tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).

[10:13]  ⁶³ tn Grk “And there came.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[10:13]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “a voice to him”; the word “said” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[10:13]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “kill.” Traditionally θῦσον (quson) is translated “kill,” but in the case of animals intended for food, “slaughter” is more appropriate.

[10:14]  ⁶⁶ tn Possibly there is a subtle distinction in meaning between κοινός (koinos) and ἀκάθαρτος (akaqarto") here, but according to L&N 53.39 it is difficult to determine precise differences in meaning based on existing contexts.

[10:15]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “And the voice.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[10:15]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “declare.”

[10:15]  ⁶⁹ sn For the significance of this vision see Mark 7:14-23; Rom 14:14; Eph 2:11-22. God directed this change in practice.

[10:16]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “into the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[10:17]  ⁷¹ tn Or “was greatly confused over.” The term means to be perplexed or at a loss (BDAG 235 s.v. διαπορέω).

[10:17]  ⁷² tn Grk “having learned.” The participle διερωτήσαντες (dierwthsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[10:17]  ⁷³ tn BDAG 418 s.v. ἐφίστημι 1 has “ἐπί τι approach or stand by someth. (Sir 41:24) Ac 10:17.”

[10:22]  ⁷⁴ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[10:22]  ⁷⁵ tn Or “just.”

[10:22]  ⁷⁶ tn The phrase τοῦ ἔθνους τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων (tou eqnou" twn Ioudaiwn) is virtually a technical term for the Jewish nation (1 Macc 10:25; 11:30, 33; Josephus, Ant. 14.10.22 [14.248]). “All the Jewish people,” while another possible translation of the Greek phrase, does not convey the technical sense of a reference to the nation in English.

[10:22]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “hear words.”

[1:1]  ⁷⁸ tn Or “spoke formerly.”

[1:1]  ⁷⁹ tn Or “parts.” The idea is that God’s previous revelation came in many parts and was therefore fragmentary or partial (L&N 63.19), in comparison with the final and complete revelation contained in God’s Son. However, some interpret πολυμερῶς (polumerw") in Heb 1:1 to mean “on many different occasions” and would thus translate “many times” (L&N 67.11). This is the option followed by the NIV: “at many times and in various ways.” Finally, this word is also understood to refer to the different manners in which something may be done, and would then be translated “in many different ways” (L&N 89.81). In this last case, the two words πολυμερῶς and πολυτρόπως (polutropw") mutually reinforce one another (“in many and various ways,” NRSV).

[1:1]  ⁸⁰ tn These two phrases are emphasized in Greek by being placed at the beginning of the sentence and by alliteration.

[1:1]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “to the fathers.”