Isaiah 40:18

40:18 To whom can you compare God?

To what image can you liken him?

Isaiah 40:25

40:25 “To whom can you compare me? Whom do I resemble?”

says the Holy One. ¹ 

Exodus 15:11

15:11 Who is like you, ²  O Lord, among the gods? ³ 

Who is like you? – majestic in holiness, fearful in praises, ⁴  working wonders?

Psalms 86:8

86:8 None can compare to you among the gods, O Lord!

Your exploits are incomparable! ⁵ 

Psalms 89:6

89:6 For who in the skies can compare to the Lord?

Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings, ⁶ 

Psalms 89:8

89:8 O Lord, sovereign God! ⁷ 

Who is strong like you, O Lord?

Your faithfulness surrounds you.

Psalms 113:5

113:5 Who can compare to the Lord our God,

who sits on a high throne? ⁸ 

Jeremiah 10:6-7

10:6 I said, ⁹ 

“There is no one like you, Lord. ¹⁰ 

You are great.

And you are renowned for your power. ¹¹ 

10:7 Everyone should revere you, O King of all nations, ¹² 

because you deserve to be revered. ¹³ 

For there is no one like you

among any of the wise people of the nations nor among any of their kings. ¹⁴ 

Jeremiah 10:16

10:16 The Lord, who is the inheritance ¹⁵  of Jacob’s descendants, ¹⁶  is not like them.

He is the one who created everything.

And the people of Israel are those he claims as his own. ¹⁷ 

He is known as the Lord who rules over all.” ¹⁸ 

Philippians 2:6

2:6 ¹⁹ who though he existed in the form of God ²⁰ 

did not regard equality with God

as something to be grasped,

Colossians 1:15

The Supremacy of Christ

1:15 ²¹ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn ²²  over all creation, ²³ 

Hebrews 1:3

1:3 The Son is ²⁴  the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word, ²⁵  and so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. ²⁶ 

[40:25]  ¹ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[15:11]  ² tn The question is of course rhetorical; it is a way of affirming that no one is comparable to God. See C. J. Labuschagne, The Incomparability of Yahweh in the Old Testament, 22, 66-67, and 94-97.

[15:11]  ³ sn Verses 11-17 will now focus on Yahweh as the incomparable one who was able to save Israel from their foes and afterward lead them to the promised land.

[15:11]  ⁴ tn S. R. Driver suggests “praiseworthy acts” as the translation (Exodus, 137).

[86:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “and there are none like your acts.”

[89:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “sons of gods”; or “sons of God.” Though אֵלִים (’elim) is vocalized as a plural form (“gods”) in the Hebrew text, it is likely that the final mem (ם) is actually enclitic rather than a plural marker. In this case one may read “God.” Some, following a Qumran text and the LXX, also propose the phrase occurred in the original text of Deut 32:8. The phrase בְנֵי אֵלִים (vÿney ’elim, “sons of gods” or “sons of God”) occurs only here and in Ps 29:1. Since the “sons of gods/God” are here associated with “the assembly of the holy ones” and “council of the holy ones,” the heavenly assembly (comprised of so-called “angels” and other supernatural beings) appears to be in view. See Job 5:1; 15:15 and Zech 14:5, where these supernatural beings are referred to as “holy ones.” In Canaanite mythological texts the divine council of the high god El is called “the sons of El.” The OT apparently uses the Canaanite phrase, applying it to the supernatural beings that surround the Lord’s heavenly throne.

[89:8]  ⁷ tn Traditionally “God of hosts.” The title here pictures the Lord as enthroned in the midst of the angelic hosts of heaven.

[113:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “the one who makes high to sit.”

[10:6]  ⁹ tn The words “I said” are not in the Hebrew text, but there appears to be a shift in speaker. Someone is now addressing the Lord. The likely speaker is Jeremiah, so the words “I said” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[10:6]  ¹⁰ tn The form that introduces this line has raised debate. The form מֵאֵין (me’en) normally means “without” and introduces a qualification of a term expressing desolation or “so that not” and introduces a negative result (cf. BDB 35 s.v. II אַיִן 6.b). Neither of these nuances fit either this verse or the occurrence in v. 7. BDB 35 s.v. II אַיִן 6.b.γ notes that some have explained this as a strengthened form of אַיִן (’ayin) which occurs in a similar phrase five other times (cf., e.g., 1 Kgs 8:23). Though many including BDB question the validity of this solution it is probably better than the suggestion that BDB gives of repointing to מֵאַיִן (me’ayin, “whence”), which scarcely fits the context of v. 7, or the solution of HALOT 41 s.v. I אַיִן, which suggests that the מ (mem) is a double writing (dittograph) of the final consonant from the preceding word. That would assume that the scribe made the same error twice or was influenced the second time by the first erroneous writing.

[10:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Great is your name in power.”

[10:7]  ¹² tn Heb “Who should not revere you…?” The question is rhetorical and expects a negative answer.

[10:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “For it is fitting to you.”

[10:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “their royalty/dominion.” This is a case of substitution of the abstract for the concrete “royalty, royal power” for “kings” who exercise it.

[10:16]  ¹⁵ tn The words “The Lord who is” are not in the text. They are supplied in the translation for clarity. For the significance of the words that follow them see the study note that follows.

[10:16]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “The Portion of Jacob.” “Descendants” is implied, and is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[10:16]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “And Israel is the tribe of his possession.”

[10:16]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “Yahweh of armies is his name.”

[2:6]  ¹⁹ sn This passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.

[2:6]  ²⁰ sn The Greek term translated form indicates a correspondence with reality. Thus the meaning of this phrase is that Christ was truly God.

[1:15]  ²¹ sn This passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.

[1:15]  ²² tn The Greek term πρωτότοκος (prwtotokos) could refer either to first in order of time, such as a first born child, or it could refer to one who is preeminent in rank. M. J. Harris, Colossians and Philemon (EGGNT), 43, expresses the meaning of the word well: “The ‘firstborn’ was either the eldest child in a family or a person of preeminent rank. The use of this term to describe the Davidic king in Ps 88:28 LXX (=Ps 89:27 EVV), ‘I will also appoint him my firstborn (πρωτότοκον), the most exalted of the kings of the earth,’ indicates that it can denote supremacy in rank as well as priority in time. But whether the πρωτό- element in the word denotes time, rank, or both, the significance of the -τοκος element as indicating birth or origin (from τίκτω, give birth to) has been virtually lost except in ref. to lit. birth.” In Col 1:15 the emphasis is on the priority of Jesus’ rank as over and above creation (cf. 1:16 and the “for” clause referring to Jesus as Creator).

[1:15]  ²³ tn The genitive construction πάσης κτίσεως (pash" ktisew") is a genitive of subordination and is therefore translated as “over all creation.” See ExSyn 103-4.

[1:3]  ²⁴ tn Grk “who being…and sustaining.” Heb 1:1-4 form one skillfully composed sentence in Greek, but it must be broken into shorter segments to correspond to contemporary English usage, which does not allow for sentences of this length and complexity.

[1:3]  ²⁵ tn Grk “by the word of his power.”

[1:3]  ²⁶ sn An allusion to Ps 110:1, quoted often in Hebrews.