Isaiah 25:1

25:1 O Lord, you are my God! ¹ 

I will exalt you in praise, I will extol your fame. ² 

For you have done extraordinary things,

and executed plans made long ago exactly as you decreed. ³ 

Isaiah 25:9

25:9 At that time they will say, ⁴ 

“Look, here ⁵  is our God!

We waited for him and he delivered us.

Here ⁶  is the Lord! We waited for him.

Let’s rejoice and celebrate his deliverance!”

Isaiah 49:13

49:13 Shout for joy, O sky! ⁷ 

Rejoice, O earth!

Let the mountains give a joyful shout!

For the Lord consoles his people

and shows compassion to the ⁸  oppressed.

Isaiah 60:18-19

60:18 Sounds of violence ⁹  will no longer be heard in your land,

or the sounds of ¹⁰  destruction and devastation within your borders.

You will name your walls, ‘Deliverance,’

and your gates, ‘Praise.’

60:19 The sun will no longer supply light for you by day,

nor will the moon’s brightness shine on you;

the Lord will be your permanent source of light –

the splendor of your God will shine upon you. ¹¹ 

Psalms 34:1-22

Psalm 34 ¹² 

Written by David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, causing the king to send him away. ¹³ 

34:1 I will praise ¹⁴  the Lord at all times;

my mouth will continually praise him. ¹⁵ 

34:2 I will boast ¹⁶  in the Lord;

let the oppressed hear and rejoice! ¹⁷ 

34:3 Magnify the Lord with me!

Let’s praise ¹⁸  his name together!

34:4 I sought the Lord’s help ¹⁹  and he answered me;

he delivered me from all my fears.

34:5 Those who look to him for help are happy;

their faces are not ashamed. ²⁰ 

34:6 This oppressed man cried out and the Lord heard;

he saved him ²¹  from all his troubles.

34:7 The Lord’s angel camps around

the Lord’s ²²  loyal followers ²³  and delivers them. ²⁴ 

34:8 Taste ²⁵  and see that the Lord is good!

How blessed ²⁶  is the one ²⁷  who takes shelter in him! ²⁸ 

34:9 Remain loyal to ²⁹  the Lord, you chosen people of his, ³⁰ 

for his loyal followers ³¹  lack nothing!

34:10 Even young lions sometimes lack food and are hungry,

but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

34:11 Come children! Listen to me!

I will teach you what it means to fear the Lord. ³² 

34:12 Do you want to really live? ³³ 

Would you love to live a long, happy life? ³⁴ 

34:13 Then make sure you don’t speak evil words ³⁵ 

or use deceptive speech! ³⁶ 

34:14 Turn away from evil and do what is right! ³⁷ 

Strive for peace and promote it! ³⁸ 

34:15 The Lord pays attention to the godly

and hears their cry for help. ³⁹ 

34:16 But the Lord opposes evildoers

and wipes out all memory of them from the earth. ⁴⁰ 

34:17 The godly ⁴¹  cry out and the Lord hears;

he saves them from all their troubles. ⁴² 

34:18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;

he delivers ⁴³  those who are discouraged. ⁴⁴ 

34:19 The godly ⁴⁵  face many dangers, ⁴⁶ 

but the Lord saves ⁴⁷  them ⁴⁸  from each one of them.

34:20 He protects ⁴⁹  all his bones; ⁵⁰ 

not one of them is broken. ⁵¹ 

34:21 Evil people self-destruct; ⁵² 

those who hate the godly are punished. ⁵³ 

34:22 The Lord rescues his servants; ⁵⁴ 

all who take shelter in him escape punishment. ⁵⁵ 

Psalms 67:1-4

Psalm 67 ⁵⁶ 

For the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm, a song.

67:1 May God show us his favor ⁵⁷  and bless us! ⁵⁸ 

May he smile on us! ⁵⁹  (Selah)

67:2 Then those living on earth will know what you are like;

all nations will know how you deliver your people. ⁶⁰ 

67:3 Let the nations thank you, O God!

Let all the nations thank you! ⁶¹ 

67:4 Let foreigners ⁶²  rejoice and celebrate!

For you execute justice among the nations,

and govern the people living on earth. ⁶³  (Selah)

Psalms 69:34-36

69:34 Let the heavens and the earth praise him,

along with the seas and everything that swims in them!

69:35 For God will deliver Zion

and rebuild the cities of Judah,

and his people ⁶⁴  will again live in them and possess Zion. ⁶⁵ 

69:36 The descendants of his servants will inherit it,

and those who are loyal to him ⁶⁶  will live in it. ⁶⁷ 

Psalms 72:15-19

72:15 May he live! ⁶⁸  May they offer him gold from Sheba! ⁶⁹ 

May they continually pray for him!

May they pronounce blessings on him all day long! ⁷⁰ 

72:16 May there be ⁷¹  an abundance ⁷²  of grain in the earth;

on the tops ⁷³  of the mountains may it ⁷⁴  sway! ⁷⁵ 

May its ⁷⁶  fruit trees ⁷⁷  flourish ⁷⁸  like the forests of Lebanon! ⁷⁹ 

May its crops ⁸⁰  be as abundant ⁸¹  as the grass of the earth! ⁸² 

72:17 May his fame endure! ⁸³ 

May his dynasty last as long as the sun remains in the sky! ⁸⁴ 

May they use his name when they formulate their blessings! ⁸⁵ 

May all nations consider him to be favored by God! ⁸⁶ 

72:18 The Lord God, the God of Israel, deserves praise! ⁸⁷ 

He alone accomplishes amazing things! ⁸⁸ 

72:19 His glorious name deserves praise ⁸⁹  forevermore!

May his majestic splendor ⁹⁰  fill the whole earth!

We agree! We agree! ⁹¹ 

Psalms 149:6-9

149:6 May they praise God

while they hold a two-edged sword in their hand, ⁹² 

149:7 in order to take ⁹³  revenge on the nations,

and punish foreigners.

149:8 They bind ⁹⁴  their kings in chains,

and their nobles in iron shackles,

149:9 and execute the judgment to which their enemies ⁹⁵  have been sentenced. ⁹⁶ 

All his loyal followers will be vindicated. ⁹⁷ 

Praise the Lord!

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?

Revelation 15:3-4

15:3 They ⁹⁸  sang the song of Moses the servant ⁹⁹  of God and the song of the Lamb: ¹⁰⁰ 

“Great and astounding are your deeds,

Lord God, the All-Powerful! ¹⁰¹ 

Just ¹⁰²  and true are your ways,

King over the nations! ¹⁰³ 

15:4 Who will not fear you, O Lord,

and glorify ¹⁰⁴  your name, because you alone are holy? ¹⁰⁵ 

All nations ¹⁰⁶  will come and worship before you

for your righteous acts ¹⁰⁷  have been revealed.”

Revelation 19:1-7

19:1 After these things I heard what sounded like the loud voice of a vast throng in heaven, saying,

“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

19:2 because his judgments are true and just. ¹⁰⁸ 

For he has judged ¹⁰⁹  the great prostitute

who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality,

and has avenged the blood of his servants ¹¹⁰  poured out by her own hands!” ¹¹¹ 

19:3 Then ¹¹²  a second time the crowd shouted, “Hallelujah!” The smoke rises from her forever and ever. ¹¹³  19:4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures threw themselves to the ground ¹¹⁴  and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne, saying: “Amen! Hallelujah!”

19:5 Then ¹¹⁵  a voice came from the throne, saying:

“Praise our God

all you his servants,

and all you who fear Him,

both the small and the great!”

The Wedding Celebration of the Lamb

19:6 Then ¹¹⁶  I heard what sounded like the voice of a vast throng, like the roar of many waters and like loud crashes of thunder. They were shouting: ¹¹⁷ 

“Hallelujah!

For the Lord our God, ¹¹⁸  the All-Powerful, ¹¹⁹  reigns!

19:7 Let us rejoice ¹²⁰  and exult

and give him glory,

because the wedding celebration of the Lamb has come,

and his bride has made herself ready.

[25:1]  ¹ sn The prophet speaks here as one who has observed the coming judgment of the proud.

[25:1]  ² tn Heb “name.” See the note at 24:15.

[25:1]  ³ tn Heb “plans from long ago [in] faithfulness, trustworthiness.” The feminine noun אֱמוּנָה (’emunah, “faithfulness”) and masculine noun אֹמֶן (’omen, “trustworthiness”), both of which are derived from the root אָמַן (’aman), are juxtaposed to emphasize the basic idea conveyed by the synonyms. Here they describe the absolute reliability of the divine plans.

[25:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “and one will say in that day.”

[25:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “this [one].”

[25:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “this [one].”

[49:13]  ⁷ tn Or “O heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[49:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “his” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[60:18]  ⁹ tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[60:18]  ¹⁰ tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[60:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and your God for your splendor.”

[34:1]  ¹² sn Psalm 34. In this song of thanksgiving the psalmist praises God for delivering him from distress. He encourages others to be loyal to the Lord, tells them how to please God, and assures them that the Lord protects his servants. The psalm is an acrostic; vv. 1-21 begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. (Verse 6 begins with the letter he (ה) and v. 7 with the letter zayin (ז). The letter vav (ו), which comes between ה and ז, seems to be omitted, although it does appear at the beginning of v. 6b. The final verse of the psalm, which begins with the letter pe (פ), is outside the acrostic scheme.

[34:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “By David, when he changed his sense before Abimelech and he drove him away and he went.”

[34:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “bless.”

[34:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “continually [will] his praise [be] in my mouth.”

[34:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “my soul will boast”; or better, “let my soul boast.” Following the cohortative form in v. 1, it is likely that the prefixed verbal form here is jussive.

[34:2]  ¹⁷ tn The two prefixed verbal forms in this verse are best taken as jussives, for the psalmist is calling his audience to worship (see v. 3).

[34:3]  ¹⁸ tn Or “exalt.”

[34:4]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “I sought the Lord.”

[34:5]  ²⁰ tc Heb “they look to him and are radiant and their faces are not ashamed.” The third person plural subject (“they”) is unidentified; there is no antecedent in the Hebrew text. For this reason some prefer to take the perfect verbal forms in the first line as imperatives, “look to him and be radiant” (cf. NEB, NRSV). Some medieval Hebrew mss and other ancient witnesses (Aquila, the Syriac, and Jerome) support an imperatival reading for the first verb. In the second line some (with support from the LXX and Syriac) change “their faces” to “your faces,” which allows one to retain more easily the jussive force of the verb (suggested by the preceding אַל [’al]): “do not let your faces be ashamed.” It is probable that the verbal construction in the second line is rhetorical, expressing the conviction that the action in view cannot or should not happen. See GKC 322 §109.e.

[34:6]  ²¹ tn The pronoun refers back to “this oppressed man,” namely, the psalmist.

[34:7]  ²² tn Heb “his”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:7]  ²³ tn Heb “those who fear him.”

[34:7]  ²⁴ tn The prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the same generalizing force as the active participle in the first line. See GKC 329 §111.u.

[34:8]  ²⁵ tn This verb is normally used of tasting or savoring food. The metaphor here appears to compare the Lord to a tasty meal.

[34:8]  ²⁶ tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).

[34:8]  ²⁷ tn Heb “man.” The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the more neutral “one.”

[34:8]  ²⁸ tn “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear, and serve the Lord (Pss 2:12; 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).

[34:9]  ²⁹ tn Heb “fear.”

[34:9]  ³⁰ tn Heb “O holy ones of his.”

[34:9]  ³¹ tn Heb “those who fear him.”

[34:11]  ³² tn Heb “the fear of the Lord I will teach you.” In vv. 13-14 the psalmist explains to his audience what it means to “fear” the Lord.

[34:12]  ³³ tn Heb “Who is the man who desires life?” The rhetorical question is used to grab the audience’s attention. “Life” probably refers here to quality of life, not just physical existence or even duration of life. See the following line.

[34:12]  ³⁴ tn Heb “[Who] loves days to see good?”

[34:13]  ³⁵ tn Heb “guard your tongue from evil.”

[34:13]  ³⁶ tn Heb “and your lips from speaking deception.”

[34:14]  ³⁷ tn Or “do good.”

[34:14]  ³⁸ tn Heb “seek peace and pursue it.”

[34:15]  ³⁹ tn Heb “the eyes of the Lord [are] toward the godly, and his ears [are] toward their cry for help.”

[34:16]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “the face of the Lord [is] against the doers of evil to cut off from the earth memory of them.”

[34:17]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “they” (i.e., the godly mentioned in v. 15).

[34:17]  ⁴² tn The three perfect verbal forms are taken in a generalizing sense in v. 17 and translated with the present tense (note the generalizing mood of vv. 18-22).

[34:18]  ⁴³ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the Lord typically delivers the oppressed and needy.

[34:18]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “the crushed in spirit.”

[34:19]  ⁴⁵ tn The Hebrew text uses the singular form; the representative or typical godly person is envisioned.

[34:19]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “trials.”

[34:19]  ⁴⁷ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the Lord typically delivers the godly.

[34:19]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “him,” agreeing with the singular form in the preceding line.

[34:20]  ⁴⁹ tn The Hebrew participial form suggests such protection is characteristic.

[34:20]  ⁵⁰ tn That is, he protects the godly from physical harm.

[34:20]  ⁵¹ sn Not one of them is broken. The author of the Gospel of John saw a fulfillment of these words in Jesus’ experience on the cross (see John 19:31-37), for the Roman soldiers, when they saw that Jesus was already dead, did not break his legs as was customarily done to speed the death of crucified individuals. John’s use of the psalm seems strange, for the statement in its original context suggests that the Lord protects the godly from physical harm. Jesus’ legs may have remained unbroken, but he was brutally and unjustly executed by his enemies. John seems to give the statement a literal sense that is foreign to its original literary context by applying a promise of divine protection to a man who was seemingly not saved by God. However, John saw in this incident a foreshadowing of Jesus’ ultimate deliverance and vindication. His unbroken bones were a reminder of God’s commitment to the godly and a sign of things to come. Jesus’ death on the cross was not the end of the story; God vindicated him, as John goes on to explain in the following context (John 19:38-20:18).

[34:21]  ⁵² tn Heb “evil kills the wicked [one].” The singular form is representative; the typical evil person is envisioned. The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action.

[34:21]  ⁵³ tn Heb “are guilty,” but the verb is sometimes used metonymically with the meaning “to suffer the consequences of guilt,” the effect being substituted for the cause.

[34:22]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “redeems the life of his servants.” The Hebrew participial form suggests such deliverance is characteristic.

[34:22]  ⁵⁵ tn “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear, and serve the Lord (Pss 2:12; 5:11-12; 31:19).

[67:1]  ⁵⁶ sn Psalm 67. The psalmist prays for God’s blessing upon his people and urges the nations to praise him for he is the just ruler of the world.

[67:1]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “have mercy on us.”

[67:1]  ⁵⁸ tn The prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives expressing the psalmist’s prayer. Note the jussive form יָאֵר (ya’er) in the next line.

[67:1]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “may he cause his face to shine with us.”

[67:2]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “to know in the earth your way, among all nations your deliverance.” The infinitive with -לְ (lamed) expresses purpose/result. When God demonstrates his favor to his people, all nations will recognize his character as a God who delivers. The Hebrew term דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) refers here to God’s characteristic behavior, more specifically, to the way he typically saves his people.

[67:3]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “let the nations, all of them, thank you.” The prefixed verbal forms in vv. 3-4a are understood as jussives in this call to praise.

[67:4]  ⁶² tn Or “peoples.”

[67:4]  ⁶³ tn Heb “for you judge nations fairly, and [as for the] peoples in the earth, you lead them.” The imperfects are translated with the present tense because the statement is understood as a generalization about God’s providential control of the world. Another option is to understand the statement as anticipating God’s future rule (“for you will rule…and govern”).

[69:35]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “they”; the referent (God’s people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[69:35]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix probably refers to “Zion” (see Pss 48:12; 102:14); thus the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[69:36]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “the lovers of his name.” The phrase refers to those who are loyal to God (cf. v. 35). See Pss 5:11; 119:132; Isa 56:6.

[69:36]  ⁶⁷ sn Verses 35-36 appear to be an addition to the psalm from the time of the exile. The earlier lament reflects an individual’s situation, while these verses seem to reflect a communal application of it.

[72:15]  ⁶⁸ tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect. Because the form has the prefixed vav (ו), some subordinate it to what precedes as a purpose/result clause. In this case the representative poor individual might be the subject of this and the following verb, “so that he may live and give to him gold of Sheba.” But the idea of the poor offering gold is incongruous. It is better to take the jussive as a prayer with the king as subject of the verb. (Perhaps the initial vav is dittographic; note the vav at the end of the last form in v. 14.) The statement is probably an abbreviated version of the formula יְחִי הַמֶּלֶךְ (yÿkhiy hammelekh, “may the king live”; see 1 Sam 10:24; 2 Sam 16:16; 1 Kgs 1:25, 34, 39; 2 Kgs 11:12).

[72:15]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “and he will give to him some gold of Sheba.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive with a grammatically indefinite subject (“and may one give”). Of course, the king’s subjects, mentioned in the preceding context, are the tribute bearers in view here.

[72:15]  ⁷⁰ tn As in the preceding line, the prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives with a grammatically indefinite subject (“and may one pray…and may one bless”). Of course, the king’s subjects, mentioned in the preceding context, are in view here.

[72:16]  ⁷¹ tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect. The translation assumes the subject is impersonal (rather than the king).

[72:16]  ⁷² tn The Hebrew noun פִסַּה (pissah; which appears here in the construct form) occurs only here in the OT. Perhaps the noun is related to the verbal root פָּשָׂה (pasah, “to spread,” see BDB 832 s.v.; the root appears as פָּסָה [pasah] in postbiblical Hebrew), which is used in postbiblical Hebrew of the rising sun’s rays spreading over the horizon and a tree’s branches spreading out (see Jastrow 1194 s.v. פסי, פָּסָה, פָּשָׂה). In Ps 72:16 a “spreading of grain” would refer to grain fields extending out over the land. C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs (Psalms [ICC], 2:139) emend the form to סְפִיחַ (sÿfiakh, “second growth”).

[72:16]  ⁷³ tn Heb “top” (singular).

[72:16]  ⁷⁴ tn That is, the grain.

[72:16]  ⁷⁵ tn According to the traditional accentuation of the MT, this verb belongs with what follows. See the translator’s note at the end of the verse for a discussion of the poetic parallelism and interpretation of the verse.

[72:16]  ⁷⁶ tn The antecedent of the third masculine singular pronominal suffix is unclear. It is unlikely that the antecedent is אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”) because this noun is normally grammatically feminine. Perhaps רֹאשׁ (ro’sh, “top [of the mountains]”) is the antecedent. Another option is to understand the pronoun as referring to the king, who would then be viewed as an instrument of divine agricultural blessing (see v. 6).

[72:16]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “fruit.”

[72:16]  ⁷⁸ tc According to the traditional accentuation of the MT, this verb belongs with what follows. See the note on the word “earth” at the end of the verse for a discussion of the poetic parallelism and interpretation of the verse. The present translation takes it with the preceding words, “like Lebanon its fruit” and emends the verb form from וְיָצִיצוּ (vÿyatsitsu; Qal imperfect third masculine plural with prefixed vav, [ו]) to יָצִיץ (yatsits; Qal imperfect third masculine singular). The initial vav is eliminated as dittographic (note the vav on the ending of the preceding form פִּרְיוֹ, piryo, “its/his fruit”) and the vav at the end of the form is placed on the following emended form (see the note on the word “crops”), yielding וַעֲמִיר (va’amir, “and [its] crops”).

[72:16]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “like Lebanon.”

[72:16]  ⁸⁰ tc The MT has “from the city.” The translation assumes an emendation to עֲמִיר (’amir, “crops”).

[72:16]  ⁸¹ tn The translation assumes that the verb צוץ (“flourish”) goes with the preceding line. The words “be as abundant” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[72:16]  ⁸² tc The traditional accentuation and vocalization of the MT differ from the text assumed by the present translation. The MT reads as follows: “May there be an abundance of grain in the earth, / and on the tops of the mountains! / May its [or “his”?] fruit [trees?] rustle like [the trees of] Lebanon! / May they flourish from the city, like the grass of the earth!” If one follows the MT, then it would appear that the “fruit” of the third line is a metaphorical reference to the king’s people, who flow out from the cities to populate the land (see line 4). Elsewhere in the OT people are sometimes compared to grass that sprouts up from the land (see v. 7, as well as Isa 27:6; Pss 92:7; 103:15). The translation understands a different poetic structural arrangement and, assuming the emendations mentioned in earlier notes, interprets each line of the verse to be a prayer for agricultural abundance.

[72:17]  ⁸³ tn Heb “may his name [be] permanent.” The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect.

[72:17]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “before the sun may his name increase.” The Kethib (consonantal text) assumes יָנִין (yanin; a Hiphil of the verbal root נִין, nin) or יְנַיֵן (yÿnayen; a Piel form), while the Qere (marginal reading) assumes יִנּוֹן (yinnon; a Niphal form). The verb נִין occurs only here, though a derived noun, meaning “offspring,” appears elsewhere (see Isa 14:22). The verb appears to mean “propagate, increase” (BDB 630 s.v. נוּן, נִין) or “produce shoots, get descendants” (HALOT 696 s.v. נין). In this context this appears to be a prayer for a lasting dynasty that will keep the king’s name and memory alive.

[72:17]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “may they bless one another by him,” that is, use the king’s name in their blessing formulae because he is a prime example of one blessed by God (for examples of such blessing formulae, see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11). There is some debate on whether the Hitpael form of בָּרַךְ (barakh, “bless”) is reflexive-reciprocal (as assumed in the present translation) or passive. The Hitpael of בָּרַךְ occurs in five other passages, including the hotly debated Gen 22:18 and 26:4. In these two texts one could understand the verb form as passive and translate, “all the nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring,” or one could take the Hitpael as reflexive or reciprocal and translate, “all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings [i.e., on themselves or one another] by your offspring.” In the first instance Abraham’s (or Isaac’s) offspring are viewed as a channel of divine blessing. In the second instance they are viewed as a prime example of blessing that will appear as part of the nations’ blessing formulae, but not necessarily as a channel of blessing to the nations. In Deut 29:18 one reads: “When one hears the words of this covenant [or “oath”] and invokes a blessing on himself (Hitpael of בָּרַךְ) in his heart, saying: ‘I will have peace, even though I walk with a rebellious heart.’” In this case the Hitpael is clearly reflexive, as the phrases “in his heart” and “I will have peace” indicate. The Hitpael of בָּרַךְ appears twice in Isaiah 65:16: “The one who invokes a blessing on himself (see Deut 9:18) in the land will invoke that blessing by the God of truth; and the one who makes an oath in the land will make that oath by the God of truth.” A passive nuance does not fit here. The parallel line, which mentions making an oath, suggests that the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ refers here to invoking a blessing. Both pronouncements of blessing and oaths will appeal to God as the one who rewards and judges, respectively. Jer 4:2 states: “If you swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ with truth, integrity, and honesty, then the nations will pronounce blessings by him and boast in him.” A passive nuance might work (“the nations will be blessed”), but the context refers to verbal pronouncements (swearing an oath, boasting), suggesting that the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ refers here to invoking a blessing. The logic of the verse seems to be as follows: If Israel conducts its affairs with integrity, the nation will be favored by the Lord, which will in turn attract the surrounding nations to Israel’s God. To summarize, while the evidence might leave the door open for a passive interpretation, there is no clear cut passive use. Usage favors a reflexive or reciprocal understanding of the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ. In Ps 72:17 the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ is followed by the prepositional phrase בוֹ (vo, “by him”). The verb could theoretically be taken as passive, “may all the nations be blessed through him” (cf. NIV, NRSV), because the preceding context describes the positive effects of this king’s rule on the inhabitants of the earth. But the parallel line, which employs the Piel of אָשַׁר (’ashar) in a factitive/declarative sense, “regard as happy, fortunate,” suggests a reflexive or reciprocal nuance for the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ here. If the nations regard the ideal king as a prime example of one who is fortunate or blessed, it is understandable that they would use his name in their pronouncements of blessing.

[72:17]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “all the nations, may they regard him as happy.” The Piel is used here in a delocutive sense (“regard as”).

[72:18]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21; 41:13.

[72:18]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “[the] one who does amazing things by himself.”

[72:19]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “[be] blessed.”

[72:19]  ⁹⁰ tn Or “glory.”

[72:19]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “surely and surely” (אָמֵן וְאָמֵן [’amen vÿ’amen], i.e., “Amen and amen”). This is probably a congregational response of agreement to the immediately preceding statement about the propriety of praising God.

[149:6]  ⁹² tn Heb “[May] praises of God [be] in their throat, and a two-edged sword in their hand.”

[149:7]  ⁹³ tn Heb “to do.”

[149:8]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “to bind.”

[149:9]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the enemies of the people of God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[149:9]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “to do against them judgment [that] is written.”

[149:9]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “it is honor for all his godly ones.” The judgment of the oppressive kings will bring vindication and honor to God’s people (see vv. 4-5).

[15:3]  ⁹⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[15:3]  ⁹⁹ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[15:3]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[15:3]  ¹⁰¹ tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”

[15:3]  ¹⁰² tn Or “righteous,” although the context favors justice as the theme.

[15:3]  ¹⁰³ tc Certain mss (Ì⁴⁷ א*^,2 C 1006 1611 1841 pc) read “ages” (αἰώνων, aiwnwn) instead of “nations” (ἐθνῶν, eqnwn), which itself is supported by several mss (א¹ A 051 Ï). The ms evidence seems to be fairly balanced, though αἰώνων has somewhat better support. The replacement of “ages” with “nations” is possibly a scribal attempt to harmonize this verse with the use of “nations” in the following verse. On the other hand, the idea of “nations” fits well with v. 4 and it may be that “ages” is a scribal attempt to assimilate this text to 1 Tim 1:17: “the king of the ages” (βασιλεὺς τῶν αἰώνων, basileu" twn aiwnwn). The decision is a difficult one since both scenarios deal well with the evidence, though the verbal parallel with 1 Tim 1:17 is exact while the parallel with v. 4 is not. The term “king” occurs 17 other times (most occurrences refer to earthly kings) in Revelation and it is not used with either “ages” or “nations” apart from this verse. Probably the reading “nations” should be considered original due to the influence of 1 Tim 1:17.

[15:4]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Or “and praise.”

[15:4]  ¹⁰⁵ sn Because you alone are holy. In the Greek text the sentence literally reads “because alone holy.” Three points can be made in connection with John’s language here: (1) Omitting the second person, singular verb “you are” lays stress on the attribute of God’s holiness. (2) The juxtaposition of alone with holy stresses the unique nature of God’s holiness and complete “otherness” in relationship to his creation. It is not just moral purity which is involved in the use of the term holy, though it certainly includes that. It is also the pervasive OT idea that although God is deeply involved in the governing of his creation, he is to be regarded as separate and distinct from it. (3) John’s use of the term holy is also intriguing since it is the term ὅσιος (Josios) and not the more common NT term ἅγιος (Jagios). The former term evokes images of Christ’s messianic status in early Christian preaching. Both Peter in Acts 2:27 and Paul in Acts 13:35 apply Psalm 16:10 (LXX) to Jesus, referring to him as the “holy one” (ὅσιος). It is also the key term in Acts 13:34 (Isa 55:3 [LXX]) where it refers to the “holy blessings” (i.e., forgiveness and justification) brought about through Jesus in fulfillment of Davidic promise. Thus, in Rev 15:3-4, when John refers to God as “holy,” using the term ὅσιος in a context where the emphasis is on both God and Christ, there might be an implicit connection between divinity and the Messiah. This is bolstered by the fact that the Lamb is referred to in other contexts as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (cf. 1:5; 17:14; 19:16 and perhaps 11:15; G. K. Beale, Revelation [NIGTC], 796-97).

[15:4]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[15:4]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Or perhaps, “your sentences of condemnation.” On δικαίωμα (dikaiwma) in this context BDAG 249 s.v. 2. states, “righteous deed…δι᾿ ἑνὸς δικαιώματος (opp. παράπτωμα) Ro 5:18. – B 1:2 (cp. Wengst, Barnabas-brief 196, n.4); Rv 15:4 (here perh.= ‘sentence of condemnation’ [cp. Pla., Leg. 9, 864e; ins fr. Asia Minor: LBW 41, 2 [κατὰ] τὸ δι[καί]ωμα τὸ κυρω[θέν]= ‘acc. to the sentence which has become valid’]; difft. Wengst, s. above); 19:8.”

[19:2]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Compare the similar phrase in Rev 16:7.

[19:2]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Or “has punished.” See BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 5.b.α, describing the OT background which involves both the vindication of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty.

[19:2]  ¹¹⁰ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[19:2]  ¹¹¹ tn Grk “from her hand” (referring to her responsibility in causing the blood of God’s followers to be shed).

[19:3]  ¹¹² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[19:3]  ¹¹³ tn Or “her smoke ascends forever and ever.”

[19:4]  ¹¹⁴ tn Grk “creatures fell down.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[19:5]  ¹¹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[19:6]  ¹¹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[19:6]  ¹¹⁷ tn Grk “like the voice of a large crowd…saying.” Because of the complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the words “They were.”

[19:6]  ¹¹⁸ tc Several mss (א² P 1611 2053 2344 pc Ï^K lat ) read “the Lord our God” (κύριος ὁ θεός ἡμῶν, kurio" Jo qeo" Jhmwn). Other important mss (A 1006 1841 pc), however, omit the “our” (ἡμῶν). Further, certain mss (051 Ï^A) omit “Lord” (κύριος), while others (including א*) change the order of the statement to “God our Lord” (ὁ θεός ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν). The expression “the Lord God, the All-Powerful” occurs in 6 other places in Revelation (1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22) and the pronoun “our” is never used. Scribes familiar with the expression in this book, and especially with the frequent κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ (kurio" Jo qeo" Jo pantokratwr; “the Lord God, the All-Powerful”) in the OT Prophets (LXX; cf. Jer 39:19; Hos 12:6; Amos 3:13; 4:13; 5:8, 14, 15, 16, 27; 9:5, 6, 15; Nah 3:5; Zech 10:3), would naturally omit the pronoun. Its presence may have arisen due to liturgical motivations or to conform to the expression “our God” in 19:1, 5, but this seems much less likely than an aversion to using the pronoun here and only here in the Greek Bible in the fuller title κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ.

[19:6]  ¹¹⁹ tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22…κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν ὁ π. Rv 19:6.”

[19:7]  ¹²⁰ tn This verb and the next two verbs are hortatory subjunctives (giving exhortations).