Isaiah 2:2-4

2:2 In the future ¹ 

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will endure ² 

as the most important of mountains,

and will be the most prominent of hills. ³ 

All the nations will stream to it,

2:3 many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain,

to the temple of the God of Jacob,

so ⁴  he can teach us his requirements, ⁵ 

and ⁶  we can follow his standards.” ⁷ 

For Zion will be the center for moral instruction; ⁸ 

the Lord will issue edicts from Jerusalem. ⁹ 

2:4 He will judge disputes between nations;

he will settle cases for many peoples.

They will beat their swords into plowshares, ¹⁰ 

and their spears into pruning hooks. ¹¹ 

Nations will not take up the sword against other nations,

and they will no longer train for war.

Daniel 2:44

2:44 In the days of those kings the God of heaven will raise up an everlasting kingdom that will not be destroyed and a kingdom that will not be left to another people. It will break in pieces and bring about the demise of all these kingdoms. But it will stand forever.

Daniel 9:24-27

9:24 “Seventy weeks ¹²  have been determined

concerning your people and your holy city

to put an end to ¹³  rebellion,

to bring sin ¹⁴  to completion, ¹⁵ 

to atone for iniquity,

to bring in perpetual ¹⁶  righteousness,

to seal up ¹⁷  the prophetic vision, ¹⁸ 

and to anoint a most holy place. ¹⁹ 

9:25 So know and understand:

From the issuing of the command ²⁰  to restore and rebuild

Jerusalem ²¹  until an anointed one, a prince arrives, ²² 

there will be a period of seven weeks ²³  and sixty-two weeks.

It will again be built, ²⁴  with plaza and moat,

but in distressful times.

9:26 Now after the sixty-two weeks,

an anointed one will be cut off and have nothing. ²⁵ 

As for the city and the sanctuary,

the people of the coming prince will destroy ²⁶  them.

But his end will come speedily ²⁷  like a flood. ²⁸ 

Until the end of the war that has been decreed

there will be destruction.

9:27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one week. ²⁹ 

But in the middle of that week

he will bring sacrifices and offerings to a halt.

On the wing ³⁰  of abominations will come ³¹  one who destroys,

until the decreed end is poured out on the one who destroys.”

Amos 9:11

The Restoration of the Davidic Dynasty

9:11 “In that day I will rebuild the collapsing hut ³²  of David.

I will seal its ³³  gaps,

repair its ³⁴  ruins,

and restore it to what it was like in days gone by. ³⁵ 

Micah 4:1-2

Better Days Ahead for Jerusalem

4:1 In the future ³⁶  the Lord’s Temple Mount will be the most important mountain of all; ³⁷ 

it will be more prominent than other hills. ³⁸ 

People will stream to it.

4:2 Many nations will come, saying,

“Come on! Let’s go up to the Lord’s mountain,

to the temple ³⁹  of Jacob’s God,

so he can teach us his commands ⁴⁰ 

and we can live by his laws.” ⁴¹ 

For Zion will be the source of instruction;

the Lord’s teachings will proceed from Jerusalem. ⁴² 

Malachi 3:1

3:1 “I am about to send my messenger, ⁴³  who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord ⁴⁴  you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger ⁴⁵  of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming,” says the Lord who rules over all.

Malachi 3:1

3:1 “I am about to send my messenger, ⁴⁶  who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord ⁴⁷  you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger ⁴⁸  of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming,” says the Lord who rules over all.

Colossians 1:11

1:11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of ⁴⁹  all patience and steadfastness, joyfully

Galatians 4:4

4:4 But when the appropriate time ⁵⁰  had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,

Hebrews 1:2

1:2 in these last days he has spoken to us in a son, ⁵¹  whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world. ⁵² 

Hebrews 9:10

9:10 They served only for matters of food and drink ⁵³  and various washings; they are external regulations ⁵⁴  imposed until the new order came. ⁵⁵ 

Hebrews 11:40

11:40 For God had provided something better for us, so that they would be made perfect together with us. ⁵⁶ 

Hebrews 11:1

People Commended for Their Faith

11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see.

Hebrews 1:1

Introduction: God Has Spoken Fully and Finally in His Son

1:1 After God spoke long ago ⁵⁷  in various portions ⁵⁸  and in various ways ⁵⁹  to our ancestors ⁶⁰  through the prophets,

[2:2]  ¹ tn Heb “in the end of the days.” This phrase may refer generally to the future, or more technically to the final period of history. See BDB 31 s.v. ַאחֲרִית. The verse begins with a verb that functions as a “discourse particle” and is not translated. In numerous places throughout the OT, the “to be” verb with a prefixed conjunction (וְהָיָה [vÿhayah] and וַיְהִי [vayÿhi]) occurs in this fashion to introduce a circumstantial clause and does not require translation.

[2:2]  ² tn Or “be established” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).

[2:2]  ³ tn Heb “as the chief of the mountains, and will be lifted up above the hills.” The image of Mount Zion being elevated above other mountains and hills pictures the prominence it will attain in the future.

[2:3]  ⁴ tn The prefixed verb form with simple vav (ו) introduces a purpose/result clause after the preceding prefixed verb form (probably to be taken as a cohortative; see IBHS 650 §39.2.2a).

[2:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “his ways.” In this context God’s “ways” are the standards of moral conduct he decrees that people should live by.

[2:3]  ⁶ tn The cohortative with vav (ו) after the prefixed verb form indicates the ultimate purpose/goal of their action.

[2:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “walk in his ways.”

[2:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “for out of Zion will go instruction.”

[2:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

[2:4]  ⁷ sn Instead of referring to the large plow as a whole, the plowshare is simply the metal tip which actually breaks the earth and cuts the furrow.

[2:4]  ⁸ sn This implement was used to prune the vines, i.e., to cut off extra leaves and young shoots (H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:93; M. Klingbeil, NIDOTTE 1:1117-18). It was a short knife with a curved hook at the end sharpened on the inside like a sickle. Breaking weapons and fashioning agricultural implements indicates a transition from fear and stress to peace and security.

[9:24]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “sevens.” Elsewhere the term is used of a literal week (a period of seven days), cf. Gen 29:27-28; Exod 34:22; Lev 12:5; Num 28:26; Deut 16:9-10; 2 Chr 8:13; Jer 5:24; Dan 10:2-3. Gabriel unfolds the future as if it were a calendar of successive weeks. Most understand the reference here as periods of seventy “sevens” of years, or a total of 490 years.

[9:24]  ¹¹ tc Or “to finish.” The present translation reads the Qere (from the root תָּמַם, tamam) with many witnesses. The Kethib has “to seal up” (from the root הָתַם, hatam), a confusion with a reference later in the verse to sealing up the vision.

[9:24]  ¹² tc The present translation reads the Qere (singular), rather than the Kethib (plural).

[9:24]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew phrase לְכַלֵּא (lÿkhalle’) is apparently an alternative (metaplastic) spelling of the root כָּלָה (kalah, “to complete, finish”), rather than a form of כָּלָא (kala’, “to shut up, restrain”), as has sometimes been supposed.

[9:24]  ¹⁴ tn Or “everlasting.”

[9:24]  ¹⁵ sn The act of sealing in the OT is a sign of authentication. Cf. 1 Kgs 21:8; Jer 32:10, 11, 44.

[9:24]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “vision and prophecy.” The expression is a hendiadys.

[9:24]  ¹⁷ tn Or “the most holy place” (NASB, NLT); or “a most holy one”; or “the most holy one,” though the expression is used of places or objects elsewhere, not people.

[9:25]  ¹³ tn Or “decree” (NASB, NIV); or “word” (NAB, NRSV).

[9:25]  ¹⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[9:25]  ¹⁵ tn The word “arrives” is added in the translation for clarification.

[9:25]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “sevens” (also later in this line and in v. 26).

[9:25]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “it will return and be built.” The expression is a verbal hendiadys.

[9:26]  ¹⁶ sn The expression have nothing is difficult. Presumably it refers to an absence of support or assistance for the anointed one at the time of his “cutting off.” The KJV rendering “but not for himself,” apparently suggesting a vicarious death, cannot be defended.

[9:26]  ¹⁷ tc Some witnesses (e.g., the Syriac) understand a passive verb and the preposition עִם (’im, “with) rather than the noun עַם (’am, “people”), thus reading “the city and the sanctuary will be destroyed with the coming prince.”

[9:26]  ¹⁸ tn The words “will come speedily” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.

[9:26]  ¹⁹ sn Flood here is a metaphor for sudden destruction.

[9:27]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “one seven” (also later in this line).

[9:27]  ²⁰ tn The referent of the Hebrew word כְּנַף (kÿnaf, “wing”) is unclear here. The LXX and Theodotion have “the temple.” Some English versions (e.g., NAB, NIV) take this to mean “a wing of the temple,” but this is not clear.

[9:27]  ²¹ tn The Hebrew text does not have this verb, but it has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:11]  ²² 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]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ 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]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and I will rebuild as in days of antiquity.”

[4:1]  ²⁵ tn Heb “at the end of days.”

[4:1]  ²⁶ tn Heb “will be established as the head of the mountains.”

[4:1]  ²⁷ tn Heb “it will be lifted up above the hills.”

[4:2]  ²⁸ tn Heb “house.”

[4:2]  ²⁹ tn Heb “ways.”

[4:2]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and we can walk in his paths.”

[4:2]  ³¹ tn Heb “instruction [or, “law”] will go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

[3:1]  ³¹ tn In Hebrew the phrase “my messenger” is מַלְאָכִי (mal’akhi), the same form as the prophet’s name (see note on the name “Malachi” in 1:1). However, here the messenger appears to be an eschatological figure who is about to appear, as the following context suggests. According to 4:5, this messenger is “Elijah the prophet,” whom the NT identifies as John the Baptist (Matt 11:10; Mark 1:2) because he came in the “spirit and power” of Elijah (Matt 11:14; 17:11-12; Lk 1:17).

[3:1]  ³² tn Here the Hebrew term הָאָדוֹן (ha’adon) is used, not יְהוָה (yÿhvah, typically rendered Lord). Thus the focus is not on the Lord as the covenant God, but on his role as master.

[3:1]  ³³ sn This messenger of the covenant may be equated with my messenger (that is, Elijah) mentioned earlier in the verse, or with the Lord himself. In either case the messenger functions as an enforcer of the covenant. Note the following verses, which depict purifying judgment on a people that has violated the Lord’s covenant.

[3:1]  ³⁴ tn In Hebrew the phrase “my messenger” is מַלְאָכִי (mal’akhi), the same form as the prophet’s name (see note on the name “Malachi” in 1:1). However, here the messenger appears to be an eschatological figure who is about to appear, as the following context suggests. According to 4:5, this messenger is “Elijah the prophet,” whom the NT identifies as John the Baptist (Matt 11:10; Mark 1:2) because he came in the “spirit and power” of Elijah (Matt 11:14; 17:11-12; Lk 1:17).

[3:1]  ³⁵ tn Here the Hebrew term הָאָדוֹן (ha’adon) is used, not יְהוָה (yÿhvah, typically rendered Lord). Thus the focus is not on the Lord as the covenant God, but on his role as master.

[3:1]  ³⁶ sn This messenger of the covenant may be equated with my messenger (that is, Elijah) mentioned earlier in the verse, or with the Lord himself. In either case the messenger functions as an enforcer of the covenant. Note the following verses, which depict purifying judgment on a people that has violated the Lord’s covenant.

[1:11]  ³⁷ tn The expression “for the display of” is an attempt to convey in English the force of the Greek preposition εἰς (eis) in this context.

[4:4]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “the fullness of time” (an idiom for the totality of a period of time, with the implication of proper completion; see L&N 67.69).

[1:2]  ⁴³ tn The Greek puts an emphasis on the quality of God’s final revelation. As such, it is more than an indefinite notion (“a son”) though less than a definite one (“the son”), for this final revelation is not just through any son of God, nor is the emphasis specifically on the person himself. Rather, the focus here is on the nature of the vehicle of God’s revelation: He is no mere spokesman (or prophet) for God, nor is he merely a heavenly messenger (or angel); instead, this final revelation comes through one who is intimately acquainted with the heavenly Father in a way that only a family member could be. There is, however, no exact equivalent in English (“in son” is hardly good English style).

[1:2]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “the ages.” The temporal (ages) came to be used of the spatial (what exists in those time periods). See Heb 11:3 for the same usage.

[9:10]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “only for foods and drinks.”

[9:10]  ⁴⁷ tc Most witnesses (D¹ Ï) have “various washings, and external regulations” (βαπτισμοῖς καὶ δικαιώμασιν, baptismoi" kai dikaiwmasin), with both nouns in the dative. The translation “washings; they are… regulations” renders βαπτισμοῖς, δικαιώματα (baptismoi", dikaiwmata; found in such important mss as Ì⁴⁶ א* A I P 0278 33 1739 1881 al sa) in which case δικαιώματα is taken as the nominative subject of the participle ἐπικείμενα (epikeimena). It seems far more likely that scribes would conform δικαιώματα to the immediately preceding datives and join it to them by καί than they would to the following nominative participle. Both on external and internal evidence the text is thus secure as reading βαπτισμοῖς, δικαιώματα.

[9:10]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “until the time of setting things right.”

[11:40]  ⁴⁹ tn The Greek phrasing emphasizes this point by negating the opposite: “so that they would not be made perfect without us.”

[1:1]  ⁵² tn Or “spoke formerly.”

[1:1]  ⁵³ 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]  ⁵⁴ tn These two phrases are emphasized in Greek by being placed at the beginning of the sentence and by alliteration.

[1:1]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “to the fathers.”