Isaiah 11:11-16

11:11 At that time ¹  the sovereign master ²  will again lift his hand ³  to reclaim ⁴  the remnant of his people ⁵  from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, ⁶  Cush, ⁷  Elam, Shinar, ⁸  Hamath, and the seacoasts. ⁹ 

11:12 He will lift a signal flag for the nations;

he will gather Israel’s dispersed people ¹⁰ 

and assemble Judah’s scattered people

from the four corners of the earth.

11:13 Ephraim’s jealousy will end, ¹¹ 

and Judah’s hostility ¹²  will be eliminated.

Ephraim will no longer be jealous of Judah,

and Judah will no longer be hostile toward Ephraim.

11:14 They will swoop down ¹³  on the Philistine hills to the west; ¹⁴ 

together they will loot the people of the east.

They will take over Edom and Moab, ¹⁵ 

and the Ammonites will be their subjects.

11:15 The Lord will divide ¹⁶  the gulf ¹⁷  of the Egyptian Sea; ¹⁸ 

he will wave his hand over the Euphrates River ¹⁹  and send a strong wind, ²⁰ 

he will turn it into seven dried-up streams, ²¹ 

and enable them to walk across in their sandals.

11:16 There will be a highway leading out of Assyria

for the remnant of his people, ²² 

just as there was for Israel,

when ²³  they went up from the land of Egypt.

Isaiah 27:12-13

27:12 At that time ²⁴  the Lord will shake the tree, ²⁵  from the Euphrates River ²⁶  to the Stream of Egypt. Then you will be gathered up one by one, O Israelites. ²⁷  27:13 At that time ²⁸  a large ²⁹  trumpet will be blown, and the ones lost ³⁰  in the land of Assyria will come, as well as the refugees in ³¹  the land of Egypt. They will worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem. ³² 

Jeremiah 30:7

30:7 Alas, what a terrible time of trouble it is! ³³ 

There has never been any like it.

It is a time of trouble for the descendants of Jacob,

but some of them will be rescued out of it. ³⁴ 

Ezekiel 37:21-28

37:21 Then tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to take the Israelites from among the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from round about and bring them to their land. 37:22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over them all. They will never again be two nations and never again be divided into two kingdoms. ³⁵  37:23 They will not defile themselves with their idols, their detestable things, and all their rebellious deeds. I will save them from all their unfaithfulness ³⁶  by which they sinned. I will purify them; they will become my people and I will become their God.

37:24 “‘My servant David will be king over them; there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow ³⁷  my regulations and carefully observe my statutes. ³⁸  37:25 They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, in which your fathers lived; they will live in it – they and their children and their grandchildren forever. David my servant will be prince over them forever. 37:26 I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be a perpetual covenant with them. ³⁹  I will establish them, ⁴⁰  increase their numbers, and place my sanctuary among them forever. 37:27 My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 37:28 Then, when my sanctuary is among them forever, the nations will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel.’” ⁴¹ 

Ezekiel 39:25-29

39:25 “Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Now I will restore ⁴²  the fortunes of Jacob, and I will have mercy on the entire house of Israel. I will be zealous for my holy name. 39:26 They will bear their shame for all their unfaithful acts against me, when they live securely on their land with no one to make them afraid. 39:27 When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will magnify myself among them in the sight of many nations. 39:28 Then they will know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations, and then gathered them into their own land. I will not leave any of them in exile ⁴³  any longer. 39:29 I will no longer hide my face from them, when I pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel, ⁴⁴  declares the sovereign Lord.”

Hosea 3:4-5

3:4 For the Israelites ⁴⁵  must live many days without a king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred fertility pillar, without ephod or idols. 3:5 Afterward, the Israelites will turn and seek the Lord their God and their Davidic king. ⁴⁶  Then they will submit to the Lord in fear and receive his blessings ⁴⁷  in the future. ⁴⁸ 

Joel 3:16-21

3:16 The Lord roars from Zion;

from Jerusalem ⁴⁹  his voice bellows out. ⁵⁰ 

The heavens ⁵¹  and the earth shake.

But the Lord is a refuge for his people;

he is a stronghold for the citizens ⁵²  of Israel.

The Lord’s Presence in Zion

3:17 You will be convinced ⁵³  that I the Lord am your God,

dwelling on Zion, my holy mountain.

Jerusalem ⁵⁴  will be holy –

conquering armies ⁵⁵  will no longer pass through it.

3:18 On that day ⁵⁶  the mountains will drip with sweet wine, ⁵⁷ 

and the hills will flow with milk. ⁵⁸ 

All the dry stream beds ⁵⁹  of Judah will flow with water.

A spring will flow out from the temple ⁶⁰  of the Lord,

watering the Valley of Acacia Trees. ⁶¹ 

3:19 Egypt will be desolate

and Edom will be a desolate wilderness,

because of the violence they did to the people of Judah, ⁶² 

in whose land they shed innocent blood.

3:20 But Judah will reside securely forever,

and Jerusalem will be secure ⁶³  from one generation to the next.

3:21 I will avenge ⁶⁴  their blood which I had not previously acquitted.

It is the Lord who dwells in Zion!

Amos 9:11-15

The Restoration of the Davidic Dynasty

9:11 “In that day I will rebuild the collapsing hut ⁶⁵  of David.

I will seal its ⁶⁶  gaps,

repair its ⁶⁷  ruins,

and restore it to what it was like in days gone by. ⁶⁸ 

9:12 As a result they ⁶⁹  will conquer those left in Edom ⁷⁰ 

and all the nations subject to my rule.” ⁷¹ 

The Lord, who is about to do this, is speaking!

9:13 “Be sure of this, ⁷²  the time is ⁷³  coming,” says the Lord,

“when the plowman will catch up to the reaper ⁷⁴ 

and the one who stomps the grapes ⁷⁵  will overtake ⁷⁶  the planter. ⁷⁷ 

Juice will run down the slopes, ⁷⁸ 

it will flow down all the hillsides. ⁷⁹ 

9:14 I will bring back my people, Israel; ⁸⁰ 

they will rebuild the cities lying in rubble ⁸¹  and settle down. ⁸² 

They will plant vineyards and drink the wine they produce; ⁸³ 

they will grow orchards ⁸⁴  and eat the fruit they produce. ⁸⁵ 

9:15 I will plant them on their land

and they will never again be uprooted from the ⁸⁶  land I have given them,”

says the Lord your God.

Obadiah 1:17-21

1:17 But on Mount Zion there will be a remnant of those who escape, ⁸⁷ 

and it will be a holy place once again.

The descendants ⁸⁸  of Jacob will conquer ⁸⁹ 

those who had conquered them. ⁹⁰ 

1:18 The descendants of Jacob will be a fire,

and the descendants of Joseph a flame.

The descendants of Esau will be like stubble.

They will burn them up and devour them.

There will not be a single survivor ⁹¹  of the descendants of Esau!”

Indeed, the Lord has spoken it.

1:19 The people of the Negev ⁹²  will take possession ⁹³  of Esau’s mountain,

and the people of the Shephelah ⁹⁴  will take

possession ⁹⁵  of the land of ⁹⁶  the Philistines.

They will also take possession of the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria,

and the people of Benjamin will take possession ⁹⁷  of Gilead. ⁹⁸ 

1:20 The exiles of this fortress ⁹⁹  of the people of Israel

will take possession ¹⁰⁰  of what belongs to

the people of Canaan, as far as Zarephath, ¹⁰¹ 

and the exiles of Jerusalem ¹⁰²  who are in Sepharad ¹⁰³ 

will take possession of the towns of the Negev.

1:21 Those who have been delivered ¹⁰⁴  will go up on Mount Zion

in order to rule over ¹⁰⁵  Esau’s mountain.

Then the Lord will reign as King! ¹⁰⁶ 

Zechariah 12:3-10

12:3 Moreover, on that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy burden ¹⁰⁷  for all the nations, and all who try to carry it will be seriously injured; ¹⁰⁸  yet all the peoples of the earth will be assembled against it. 12:4 In that day,” says the Lord, “I will strike every horse with confusion and its rider with madness. I will pay close attention to the house of Judah, but will strike all the horses ¹⁰⁹  of the nations ¹¹⁰  with blindness. 12:5 Then the leaders of Judah will say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are a means of strength to us through their God, the Lord who rules over all.’ 12:6 On that day ¹¹¹  I will make the leaders of Judah like an igniter ¹¹²  among sticks and a burning torch among sheaves, and they will burn up all the surrounding nations right and left. Then the people of Jerusalem will settle once more in their place, the city of Jerusalem. 12:7 The Lord also will deliver the homes ¹¹³  of Judah first, so that the splendor of the kingship ¹¹⁴  of David and of the people of Jerusalem may not exceed that of Judah. 12:8 On that day the Lord himself will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the weakest among them will be like mighty David, and the dynasty of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them. ¹¹⁵  12:9 So on that day I will set out to destroy all the nations ¹¹⁶  that come against Jerusalem.”

12:10 “I will pour out on the kingship ¹¹⁷  of David and the population of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication so that they will look to me, ¹¹⁸  the one they have pierced. They will lament for him as one laments for an only son, and there will be a bitter cry for him like the bitter cry for a firstborn. ¹¹⁹ 

Romans 11:5-6

11:5 So in the same way at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 11:6 And if it is by grace, it is no longer by works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

Romans 11:15

11:15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

Romans 11:26

11:26 And so ¹²⁰  all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

“The Deliverer will come out of Zion;

he will remove ungodliness from Jacob.

[11:11]  ¹ tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[11:11]  ² tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).

[11:11]  ³ tc The Hebrew text reads, “the sovereign master will again, a second time, his hand.” The auxiliary verb יוֹסִיף (yosif), which literally means “add,” needs a main verb to complete it. Consequently many emend שֵׁנִית (shenit, “a second time”) to an infinitive. Some propose the form שַׁנֹּת (shannot, a Piel infinitive construct from שָׁנָה, shanah) and relate it semantically to an Arabic cognate meaning “to be high.” If the Hebrew text is retained a verb must be supplied. “Second time” would allude back to the events of the Exodus (see vv. 15-16).

[11:11]  ⁴ tn Or “acquire”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV “recover.”

[11:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “the remnant of his people who remain.”

[11:11]  ⁶ sn Perhaps a reference to Upper (i.e., southern) Egypt (so NIV, NLT; NCV “South Egypt”).

[11:11]  ⁷ tn Or “Ethiopia” (NAB, NRSV, NLT).

[11:11]  ⁸ tn Or “Babylonia” (NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT).

[11:11]  ⁹ tn Or perhaps, “the islands of the sea.”

[11:12]  ¹⁰ tn Or “the banished of Israel,” i.e., the exiles.

[11:13]  ¹¹ tn Heb “turn aside”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “depart.”

[11:13]  ¹² tn Heb “hostile ones of Judah.” Elsewhere when the substantival participle of צָרָר (tsarar) takes a pronominal suffix or appears in a construct relationship, the following genitive is objective. (For a list of texts see BDB 865 s.v. III צָרַר) In this case the phrase “hostile ones of Judah” means “those who are hostile toward Judah,” i.e., Judah’s enemies. However, the parallel couplet that follows suggests that Judah’s hostility toward Ephraim is in view. In this case “hostile ones of Judah” means “hostile ones from Judah.” The translation above assumes the latter, giving the immediate context priority over general usage.

[11:14]  ¹³ tn Heb “fly.” Ephraim/Judah are compared to a bird of prey.

[11:14]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “on the shoulder of Philistia toward the sea.” This refers to the slopes of the hill country west of Judah. See HALOT 506 s.v. כָּתֵף.

[11:14]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “Edom and Moab [will be the place of] the outstretching of their hand,” i.e., included in their area of jurisdiction (see HALOT 648 s.v. ח(וֹ)מִשְׁלֹ).

[11:15]  ¹⁶ tn The verb is usually understood as “put under the ban, destroy,” or emended to חָרָב (kharav, “dry up”). However, HALOT 354 s.v. II חרם proposes a homonymic root meaning “divide.”

[11:15]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “tongue” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[11:15]  ¹⁸ sn That is, the Red Sea.

[11:15]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the river”; capitalized in some English versions (e.g., ASV, NASB, NRSV) as a reference to the Euphrates River.

[11:15]  ²⁰ tn Heb “with the [?] of his wind” [or “breath”]. The Hebrew term עַיָם (’ayam) occurs only here. Some attempt to relate the word to an Arabic root and translate, “scorching [or “hot”] wind.” This interpretation fits especially well if one reads “dry up” in the previous line. Others prefer to emend the form to עֹצֶם (’otsem, “strong”). See HALOT 817 s.v. עֲצַם.

[11:15]  ²¹ tn Heb “seven streams.” The Hebrew term נַחַל (nakhal, “stream”) refers to a wadi, or seasonal stream, which runs during the rainy season, but is otherwise dry. The context (see v. 15b) here favors the translation, “dried up streams.” The number seven suggests totality and completeness. Here it indicates that God’s provision for escape will be thorough and more than capable of accommodating the returning exiles.

[11:16]  ²² tn Heb “and there will be a highway for the remnant of his people who remain, from Assyria.”

[11:16]  ²³ tn Heb “in the day” (so KJV).

[27:12]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and it will be in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[27:12]  ²⁵ tn Heb “the Lord will beat out.” The verb is used of beating seeds or grain to separate the husk from the kernel (see Judg 6:11; Ruth 2:17; Isa 28:27), and of beating the olives off the olive tree (Deut 24:20). The latter metaphor may be in view here, where a tree metaphor has been employed in the preceding verses. See also 17:6.

[27:12]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the river,” a frequent designation in the OT for the Euphrates. For clarity most modern English versions substitute the name “Euphrates” for “the river” here.

[27:12]  ²⁷ sn The Israelites will be freed from exile (likened to beating the olives off the tree) and then gathered (likened to collecting the olives).

[27:13]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and it will be in that day.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[27:13]  ²⁹ tn Traditionally, “great” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NLT); CEV “loud.”

[27:13]  ³⁰ tn Or “the ones perishing.”

[27:13]  ³¹ tn Or “the ones driven into.”

[27:13]  ³² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[30:7]  ³³ tn Heb “Alas [or Woe] for that day will be great.” For the use of the particle “Alas” to signal a time of terrible trouble, even to sound the death knell for someone, see the translator’s note on 22:13.

[30:7]  ³⁴ tn Heb “It is a time of trouble for Jacob but he will be saved out of it.”

[37:22]  ³⁵ sn Jeremiah also attested to the reuniting of the northern and southern kingdoms (Jer 3:12, 14; 31:2-6).

[37:23]  ³⁶ tc Heb “their dwellings.” The text as it stands does not make sense. Based on the LXX, a slight emendation of two vowels, including a mater, yields the reading “from their turning,” a reference here to their turning from God and deviating from his commandments. See BDB 1000 s.v. מְשׁוּבָה, and D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:407.

[37:24]  ³⁷ tn Heb “walk [in].”

[37:24]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and my statutes they will guard and they will do them.”

[37:26]  ³⁹ sn See Isa 24:5; 55:3; 61:8; Jer 32:40; 50:5; Ezek 16:60, for other references to perpetual covenants.

[37:26]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “give them.”

[37:28]  ⁴¹ sn The sanctuary of Israel becomes the main focus of Ezek 40-48.

[39:25]  ⁴² tn Heb “cause to return.”

[39:28]  ⁴³ tn Heb “there,” referring to the foreign nations to which they were exiled. The translation makes the referent clear.

[39:29]  ⁴⁴ sn See Ezek 11:19; 37:14.

[3:4]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “sons of Israel” (so NASB); KJV “children of Israel”; NAB “people of Israel” (likewise in the following verse).

[3:5]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “David their king”; cf. NCV “the king from David’s family”; TEV “a descendant of David their king”; NLT “David’s descendant, their king.”

[3:5]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “his goodness”; NLT “his good gifts.”

[3:5]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “in the end of the days.” Cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV, NLT “in the last days.”

[3:16]  ⁴⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:16]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “he sounds forth his voice.”

[3:16]  ⁵¹ tn Or “the sky.” See the note on “sky” in 2:30.

[3:16]  ⁵² tn Heb “sons.”

[3:17]  ⁵³ tn Heb “know.”

[3:17]  ⁵⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:17]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “strangers” or “foreigners.” In context, this refers to invasions by conquering armies.

[3:18]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “and it will come about in that day.”

[3:18]  ⁵⁷ tn Many English translations read “new wine” or “sweet wine,” meaning unfermented wine, i.e., grape juice.

[3:18]  ⁵⁸ sn The language used here is a hyperbolic way of describing both a bountiful grape harvest (“the mountains will drip with juice”) and an abundance of cattle (“the hills will flow with milk”). In addition to being hyperbolic, the language is also metonymical (effect for cause).

[3:18]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “seasonal streams.”

[3:18]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “house.”

[3:18]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “valley of Shittim.” The exact location of the Valley of Acacia Trees is uncertain. The Hebrew word שִׁטִּים (shittim) refers to a place where the acacia trees grow, which would be a very arid and dry place. The acacia tree can survive in such locations, whereas most other trees require more advantageous conditions. Joel’s point is that the stream that has been mentioned will proceed to the most dry and barren of locations in the vicinity of Jerusalem.

[3:19]  ⁶² tn Heb “violence of the sons of Judah.” The phrase “of the sons of Judah” is an objective genitive (cf. KJV “the violence against the children of Judah”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “violence done to the people of Judah”). It refers to injustices committed against the Judeans, not violence that the Judeans themselves had committed against others.

[3:20]  ⁶³ tn The phrase “will be secure” does not appear in the Hebrew, but are supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.

[3:21]  ⁶⁴ tc The present translation follows the reading וְנִקַּמְתִּי (vÿniqqamti, “I will avenge”) rather than וְנִקֵּתִי (vÿniqqeti, “I will acquit”) of the MT.

[9:11]  ⁶⁵ tn The phrase translated “collapsing hut” refers to a temporary shelter (cf. NASB, NRSV “booth”) in disrepair and emphasizes the relatively weakened condition of the once powerful Davidic dynasty. Others have suggested that the term refers to Jerusalem, while still others argue that it should be repointed to read “Sukkoth,” a garrison town in Transjordan. Its reconstruction would symbolize the rebirth of the Davidic empire and its return to power (e.g., M. E. Polley, Amos and the Davidic Empire, 71-74).

[9:11]  ⁶⁶ tc The MT reads a third feminine plural suffix, which could refer to the two kingdoms (Judah and Israel) or, more literally, to the breaches in the walls of the cities that are mentioned in v. 4 (cf. 4:3). Some emend to third feminine singular, since the “hut” of the preceding line (a feminine singular noun) might be the antecedent. In that case, the final nun (ן) is virtually dittographic with the vav (ו) that appears at the beginning of the following word.

[9:11]  ⁶⁷ tc The MT reads a third masculine singular suffix, which could refer back to David. However, it is possible that an original third feminine singular suffix (יה-, yod-hey) has been misread as masculine (יו-, yod-vav). In later Hebrew script a ה (he) resembles a יו- (yod-vav) combination.

[9:11]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “and I will rebuild as in days of antiquity.”

[9:12]  ⁶⁹ sn They probably refers to the Israelites or to the Davidic rulers of the future.

[9:12]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “take possession of the remnant of Edom”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “possess the remnant of Edom.”

[9:12]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “nations over whom my name is proclaimed.” The Hebrew idiom indicates ownership, sometimes as a result of conquest. See 2 Sam 12:28.

[9:13]  ⁷² tn Heb “behold” or “look.”

[9:13]  ⁷³ tn Heb “the days are.”

[9:13]  ⁷⁴ sn The plowman will catch up to the reaper. Plowing occurred in October-November, and harvesting in April-May (see P. King, Amos, Hosea, Micah, 109.) But in the future age of restored divine blessing, there will be so many crops the reapers will take all summer to harvest them, and it will be time for plowing again before the harvest is finished.

[9:13]  ⁷⁵ sn When the grapes had been harvested, they were placed in a press where workers would stomp on them with their feet and squeeze out the juice. For a discussion of grape harvesting technique, see O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 110-12.

[9:13]  ⁷⁶ tn The verb is omitted here in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation from the parallel line.

[9:13]  ⁷⁷ sn The grape harvest occurred in August-September, planting in November-December (see P. King, Amos, Hosea, Micah, 109). But in the future age described here there will be so many grapes the workers who stomp them will still be working when the next planting season arrives.

[9:13]  ⁷⁸ tn Or “hills,” where the vineyards were planted.

[9:13]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “and all the hills will melt.”

[9:14]  ⁸⁰ tn This line can also be translated “I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel” and is a common idiom (e.g., Deut 30:3; Jer 30:3; Hos 6:11; Zeph 3:20). This rendering is followed by several modern English versions (e.g., NEB, NRSV, NJPS).

[9:14]  ⁸¹ tn Or “the ruined [or “desolate”] cities.”

[9:14]  ⁸² tn Or “and live [in them].”

[9:14]  ⁸³ tn Heb “drink their wine.”

[9:14]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “gardens.”

[9:14]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “eat their fruit.”

[9:15]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “their.” The pronoun was replaced by the English definite article in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:17]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “will be a fugitive.” This is a collective singular. Cf. NCV “some will escape the judgment.”

[1:17]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “house” (so most English versions); NCV, TEV “the people of Jacob.” The word “house” also occurs four times in v. 18.

[1:17]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “dispossess.” This root is repeated in the following line to emphasize poetic justice: The punishment will fit the crime.

[1:17]  ⁹⁰ tc The present translation follows the reading מוֹרִשֵׁיהֶם (morishehem; literally, “those dispossessing them”; cf. NAB, NRSV, CEV) rather than מוֹרָשֵׁיהֶם (morashehem, “their possessions”) of the MT (cf. LXX, Syriac, and Vg, followed by KJV, ASV, NASB).

[1:18]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “will be no survivor”; NAB “none shall survive.”

[1:19]  ⁹² tn Heb “the Negev”; ASV “the South”; NCV, TEV “southern Judah.” The Hebrew text does not have the words “the people of,” but these words have been supplied in the translation for clarity. The place name “the Negev” functions as a synecdoche (container for contents) for the people living in the Negev.

[1:19]  ⁹³ sn The verb יָרַשׁ (yarash, “to take possession of [something]”) which is repeated three times in vv. 19-20 for emphasis, often implies a violent means of acquisition, such as through military conquest. Obadiah here pictures a dramatic reversal: Judah’s enemies, who conquered them then looted all her valuable possessions, will soon be conquered by the Judeans who will in turn take possession of their valuables. The punishment will fit the crime.

[1:19]  ⁹⁴ tn The Hebrew text does not have the words “the people of,” but they are supplied in the translation since “the Shephelah” functions as a synecdoche referring to residents of this region.

[1:19]  ⁹⁵ tn The phrase “will take possession” does not appear in this clause, but is implied from its previous use in this verse. It is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.

[1:19]  ⁹⁶ tn The words “the land of” are not present in the Hebrew text. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[1:19]  ⁹⁷ tn The phrase “will take possession” does not appear in this clause, but is implied from its previous use in this verse. It is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:19]  ⁹⁸ sn Gilead is a mountainous region on the eastern side of the Jordan River in what is today the country of Jordan.

[1:20]  ⁹⁹ tn Or “army” (TEV); KJV, NAB, NASB “host”; NIV “company.” Some text critics suggest revocalizing MT הַחֵל (hakhel, “the fortress”) to the place- name הָלָה (halah, “Halah”; so NRSV), the location to which many of the Israelite exiles were sent in the 8th century (2 Kgs 7:6; 18:11; 1 Chr 5:26). The MT form is from הַיִל (hayil, “strength”), which is used elsewhere to refer to an army (Exod 14:17; 1 Sam 17:20; 2 Sam 8:9), military fortress (2 Sam 20:15; 22:33), leaders (Exod 18:21) and even wealth or possessions (Obad 1:11, 13).

[1:20]  ¹⁰⁰ tn The Hebrew text has no verb here. The words “will possess” have been supplied from the context.

[1:20]  ¹⁰¹ sn Zarephath was a Phoenician coastal city located some ten miles south of Sidon.

[1:20]  ¹⁰² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:20]  ¹⁰³ sn The exact location of Sepharad is uncertain. Suggestions include a location in Spain, or perhaps Sparta in Greece, or perhaps Sardis in Asia Minor. For inscriptional evidence that bears on this question see E. Lipinski, “Obadiah 20,” VT 23 (1973): 368-70. The reason for mentioning this location in v. 20 seems to be that even though it was far removed from Jerusalem, the Lord will nonetheless enable the Jewish exiles there to return and participate in the restoration of Israel that Obadiah describes.

[1:21]  ¹⁰⁴ tc The present translation follows the reading מוּשָׁעִים (musha’im, “those who have been delivered”; cf. NRSV, CEV) rather than מוֹשִׁעִים (moshi’im,“deliverers”; cf. NASB, NIV, NLT) of the MT (cf. LXX, Aquila, Theodotion, and Syriac).

[1:21]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “to judge.” In this context the term does not mean “to render judgment on,” but “to rule over” (cf. NAB “to rule”; NIV “to govern”).

[1:21]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “then the kingdom will belong to the Lord.”

[12:3]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “heavy stone” (so NRSV, TEV, NLT); KJV “burdensome stone”; NIV “an immovable rock.”

[12:3]  ¹⁰⁸ sn In Israel’s and Judah’s past they had been uprooted by various conquerors such as the Assyrians and the Babylonians. In the eschaton, however, they will be so “heavy” with God’s glory and so rooted in his promises that no nation will be able to move them.

[12:4]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “every horse.”

[12:4]  ¹¹⁰ tn Or “peoples” (so NAB, NRSV).

[12:6]  ¹¹¹ sn On that day (referring to the day of the Lord) the Davidic monarchy will be restored and the Lord’s people will recognize once more the legitimacy and divine sanction of David’s dynasty. But there will also be a democratizing that will not give Jerusalem and its rulers undue priority over the people of the countryside (v. 7).

[12:6]  ¹¹² tn Heb “a firepot” (so NASB, NIV); NRSV “a blazing pot”; NLT “a brazier.”

[12:7]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “the tents” (so NAB, NRSV); NIV “the dwellings.”

[12:7]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “house,” referring here to the dynastic line. Cf. NLT “the royal line”; CEV “the kingdom.” The same expression is translated “dynasty” in the following verse.

[12:8]  ¹¹⁵ sn The statement the dynasty of David will be like God is hyperbole to show the remarkable enhancements that will accompany the inauguration of the millennial age.

[12:9]  ¹¹⁶ tn Or “peoples.”

[12:10]  ¹¹⁷ tn Or “dynasty”; Heb “house.”

[12:10]  ¹¹⁸ tc Because of the difficulty of the concept of the mortal piercing of God, the subject of this clause, and the shift of pronoun from “me” to “him” in the next, many mss read אַלֵי אֵת אֲשֶׁר (’ale ’et ’asher, “to the one whom,” a reading followed by NAB, NRSV) rather than the MT’s אֵלַי אֵת אֲשֶׁר (’ela ’et ’asher, “to me whom”). The reasons for such alternatives, however, are clear – they are motivated by scribes who found such statements theologically objectionable – and they should be rejected in favor of the more difficult reading (lectio difficilior) of the MT.

[12:10]  ¹¹⁹ tn The Hebrew term בְּכוֹר (bÿkhor, “firstborn”), translated usually in the LXX by πρωτότοκος (prwtotokos), has unmistakable messianic overtones as the use of the Greek term in the NT to describe Jesus makes clear (cf. Col 1:15, 18). Thus, the idea of God being pierced sets the stage for the fatal wounding of Jesus, the Messiah and the Son of God (cf. John 19:37; Rev 1:7). Note that some English translations supply “son” from the context (e.g., NIV, TEV, NLT).

[11:26]  ¹²⁰ tn It is not clear whether the phrase καὶ οὕτως (kai Joutws, “and so”) is to be understood in a modal sense (“and in this way”) or in a temporal sense (“and in the end”). Neither interpretation is conclusive from a grammatical standpoint, and in fact the two may not be mutually exclusive. Some, like H. Hübner, who argue strongly against the temporal reading, nevertheless continue to give the phrase a temporal significance, saying that God will save all Israel in the end (Gottes Ich und Israel [FRLANT], 118).