Discovery BoxIsaiah 42:5
Context42:5 This is what the true God, 1 the Lord, says –
the one who created the sky and stretched it out,
the one who fashioned the earth and everything that lives on it, 2
the one who gives breath to the people on it,
and life to those who live on it: 3
Numbers 16:22
Context16:22 Then they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground 4 and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all people, 5 will you be angry with the whole community when only one man sins?” 6
Job 34:14-15
Context34:14 If God 7 were to set his heart on it, 8
and gather in his spirit and his breath,
34:15 all flesh would perish together
and human beings would return to dust.
Ecclesiastes 12:7
Context12:7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was,
and the life’s breath 9 returns to God who gave it.
Jeremiah 38:16
Context38:16 So King Zedekiah made a secret promise to Jeremiah and sealed it with an oath. He promised, 10 “As surely as the Lord lives who has given us life and breath, 11 I promise you this: I will not kill you or hand you over to those men who want to kill you.” 12
Zechariah 12:1
Context12:1 The revelation of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: The Lord – he who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundations of the earth, who forms the human spirit within a person 13 – says,
Hebrews 12:9
Context12:9 Besides, we have experienced discipline from 14 our earthly fathers 15 and we respected them; shall we not submit ourselves all the more to the Father of spirits and receive life? 16
[42:5] 1 tn Heb “the God.” The definite article here indicates distinctiveness or uniqueness.
[42:5] 2 tn Heb “and its offspring” (so NASB); NIV “all that comes out of it.”
[42:5] 3 tn Heb “and spirit [i.e., “breath”] to the ones walking in it” (NAB, NASB, and NRSV all similar).
[16:22] 4 sn It is Moses and Aaron who prostrate themselves; they have the good of the people at heart.
[16:22] 5 tn The expression “the God of the spirits of all humanity [flesh]” is somewhat difficult. The Hebrew text says אֱלֹהֵי הָרוּחֹת לְכָל־בָּשָׂר (’elohey harukhot lÿkhol-basar). This expression occurs in Num 27:16 again. It also occurs in some postbiblical texts, a fact which has prompted some scholars to conclude that it is a late addition. The words clearly show that Moses is interceding for the congregation. The appeal in the verse is that it is better for one man to die for the whole nation than the whole nation for one man (see also John 11:50).
[16:22] 6 tn The verb is the Qal imperfect יֶחֱטָא (yekheta’); it refers to the sinful rebellion of Korah, but Moses is stating something of a principle: “One man sins, and will you be angry….” A past tense translation would assume that this is a preterite use of the imperfect (without vav [ו] consecutive).
[34:14] 7 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:14] 8 tc This is the reading following the Qere. The Kethib and the Syriac and the LXX suggest a reading יָשִׂים (yasim, “if he [God] recalls”). But this would require leaving out “his heart,” and would also require redividing the verse to make “his spirit” the object. It makes better parallelism, but may require too many changes.
[12:7] 9 tn Or “spirit.” The likely referent is the life’s breath that originates with God. See Eccl 3:19, as well as Gen 2:7; 6:17; 7:22.
[38:16] 10 tn Heb “So King Zedekiah secretly swore an oath to Jeremiah, saying.”
[38:16] 11 tn Heb “who has made this life/soul/ breath [נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh] for us.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ refers to the living, breathing substance of a person which constitutes his very life (cf. BDB 659 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 1; 3).
[38:16] 12 tn Heb “who are seeking your life.”
[12:1] 13 tn Heb “who forms the spirit of man within him” (so NIV).
[12:9] 14 tn Grk “we had our earthly fathers as discipliners.”
[12:9] 15 tn Grk “the fathers of our flesh.” In Hebrews, “flesh” is a characteristic way of speaking about outward, physical, earthly life (cf. Heb 5:7; 9:10, 13), as opposed to the inward or spiritual dimensions of life.
