Isaiah 1:2

Obedience, not Sacrifice

1:2 Listen, O heavens,

pay attention, O earth! ¹ 

For the Lord speaks:

“I raised children, ²  I brought them up, ³ 

but ⁴  they have rebelled ⁵  against me!

Isaiah 63:10

63:10 But they rebelled and offended ⁶  his holy Spirit, ⁷ 

so he turned into an enemy

and fought against them.

Deuteronomy 9:7

The History of Israel’s Stubbornness

9:7 Remember – don’t ever forget ⁸  – how you provoked the Lord your God in the desert; from the time you left the land of Egypt until you came to this place you were constantly rebelling against him. ⁹ 

Deuteronomy 31:27

31:27 for I know about your rebellion and stubbornness. ¹⁰  Indeed, even while I have been living among you to this very day, you have rebelled against the Lord; you will be even more rebellious after my death! ¹¹ 

Jeremiah 5:23

5:23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts.

They have turned aside and gone their own way. ¹² 

Ezekiel 2:3-7

2:3 He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the house ¹³  of Israel, to rebellious nations ¹⁴  who have rebelled against me; both they and their fathers have revolted ¹⁵  against me to this very day. 2:4 The people ¹⁶  to whom I am sending you are obstinate and hard-hearted, ¹⁷  and you must say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says.’ ¹⁸  2:5 And as for them, ¹⁹  whether they listen ²⁰  or not – for they are a rebellious ²¹  house ²²  – they will know that a prophet has been among them. 2:6 But you, son of man, do not fear them, and do not fear their words – even though briers ²³  and thorns ²⁴  surround you and you live among scorpions – do not fear their words and do not be terrified of the looks they give you, ²⁵  for they are a rebellious house! 2:7 You must speak my words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious.

Acts 7:51-52

7:51 “You stubborn ²⁶  people, with uncircumcised ²⁷  hearts and ears! ²⁸  You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors ²⁹  did! 7:52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors ³⁰  not persecute? ³¹  They ³²  killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, ³³  whose betrayers and murderers you have now become! ³⁴ 

Acts 7:1

Stephen’s Defense Before the Council

7:1 Then the high priest said, “Are these things true?” ³⁵ 

Acts 2:15-16

2:15 In spite of what you think, these men are not drunk, ³⁶  for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ³⁷  2:16 But this is what was spoken about through the prophet Joel: ³⁸ 

[1:2]  ¹ sn The personified heavens and earth are summoned to God’s courtroom as witnesses against God’s covenant people. Long before this Moses warned the people that the heavens and earth would be watching their actions (see Deut 4:26; 30:19; 31:28; 32:1).

[1:2]  ² tn Or “sons” (NAB, NASB).

[1:2]  ³ sn The normal word pair for giving birth to and raising children is יָלַד (yalad, “to give birth to”) and גָּדַל (gadal, “to grow, raise”). The pair גָּדַל and רוּם (rum, “to raise up”) probably occur here to highlight the fact that Yahweh made something important of Israel (cf. R. Mosis, TDOT 2:403).

[1:2]  ⁴ sn Against the backdrop of Yahweh’s care for his chosen people, Israel’s rebellion represents abhorrent treachery. The conjunction prefixed to a nonverbal element highlights the sad contrast between Yahweh’s compassionate care for His people and Israel’s thankless rebellion.

[1:2]  ⁵ sn To rebel carries the idea of “covenant treachery.” Although an act of פֶּשַׁע (pesha’, “rebellion”) often signifies a breach of the law, the legal offense also represents a violation of an existing covenantal relationship (E. Carpenter and M. Grisanti, NIDOTTE 3:707).

[63:10]  ⁶ tn Or “grieved, hurt the feelings of.”

[63:10]  ⁷ sn The phrase “holy Spirit” occurs in the OT only here (in v. 11 as well) and in Ps 51:11 (51:13 HT), where it is associated with the divine presence.

[9:7]  ⁸ tn By juxtaposing the positive זְכֹר (zekhor, “remember”) with the negative אַל־תִּשְׁכַּח (’al-tishÿkakh, “do not forget”), Moses makes a most emphatic plea.

[9:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “the Lord” (likewise in the following verse with both “him” and “he”). See note on “he” in 9:3.

[31:27]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “stiffness of neck” (cf. KJV, NAB, NIV). See note on the word “stubborn” in Deut 9:6.

[31:27]  ¹¹ tn Heb “How much more after my death?” The Hebrew text has a sarcastic rhetorical question here; the translation seeks to bring out the force of the question.

[5:23]  ¹² tn The words, “their own way” are not in the text but are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:3]  ¹³ tc The Hebrew reads “sons of,” while the LXX reads “house,” implying the more common phrase in Ezekiel. Either could be abbreviated with the first letter ב (bet). In preparation for the characterization “house of rebellion,” in vv. 5, 6, and 8, “house” is preferred (L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [WBC], 1:10 and W. Zimmerli, Ezekiel [Hermeneia], 2:564-65).

[2:3]  ¹⁴ tc Heb “to the rebellious nations.” The phrase “to the rebellious nations” is omitted in the LXX. Elsewhere in Ezekiel the singular word “nation” is used for Israel (36:13-15; 37:22). Here “nations” may have the meaning of “tribes” or refer to the two nations of Israel and Judah.

[2:3]  ¹⁵ tc This word is omitted from the LXX.

[2:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “sons.” The word choice may reflect treaty idiom, where the relationship between an overlord and his subjects can be described as that of father and son.

[2:4]  ¹⁷ tc Heb “stern of face and hard of heart.” The phrases “stern of face” and “hard of heart” are lacking in the LXX.

[2:4]  ¹⁸ tn The phrase “thus says [the Lord]” occurs 129 times in Ezekiel; the announcement is identical to the way messengers often introduced their messages (Gen 32:5; 45:9; Exod 5:10; Num 20:14; Judg 11:15).

[2:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “they”; the phrase “And as for them” has been used in the translation for clarity.

[2:5]  ²⁰ tn The Hebrew word implies obedience rather than mere hearing or paying attention.

[2:5]  ²¹ tn This Hebrew adjective is also used to describe the Israelites in Num 17:25 and Isa 30:9.

[2:5]  ²² sn The book of Ezekiel frequently refers to the Israelites as a rebellious house (Ezek 2:5, 6, 8; 3:9, 26-27; 12:2-3, 9, 25; 17:12; 24:3).

[2:6]  ²³ tn The Hebrew term occurs only here in the OT.

[2:6]  ²⁴ tn The Hebrew term is found elsewhere in the OT only in Ezek 28:24.

[2:6]  ²⁵ tn Heb “of their faces.”

[7:51]  ²⁶ sn Traditionally, “stiff-necked people.” Now the critique begins in earnest.

[7:51]  ²⁷ tn The term ἀπερίτμητοι (aperitmhtoi, “uncircumcised”) is a NT hapax legomenon (occurs only once). See BDAG 101-2 s.v. ἀπερίτμητος and Isa 52:1.

[7:51]  ²⁸ tn Or “You stubborn and obstinate people!” (The phrase “uncircumcised hearts and ears” is another figure for stubbornness.)

[7:51]  ²⁹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:52]  ³⁰ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:52]  ³¹ sn Which…persecute. The rhetorical question suggests they persecuted them all.

[7:52]  ³² tn Grk “And they.” 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.

[7:52]  ³³ sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ.

[7:52]  ³⁴ sn Whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. The harsh critique has OT precedent (1 Kgs 19:10-14; Neh 9:26; 2 Chr 36:16).

[7:1]  ³⁵ tn Grk “If it is so concerning these things” (see BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 10.a for this use).

[2:15]  ³⁶ tn Grk “These men are not drunk, as you suppose.”

[2:15]  ³⁷ tn Grk “only the third hour.”

[2:16]  ³⁸ sn Note how in the quotation that follows all genders, ages, and classes are included. The event is like a hope Moses expressed in Num 11:29.