Discovery BoxIsaiah 42:9
Context42:9 Look, my earlier predictive oracles have come to pass; 1
now I announce new events.
Before they begin to occur,
I reveal them to you.” 2
Isaiah 48:5
Context48:5 I announced them to you beforehand;
before they happened, I predicted them for you,
so you could never say,
‘My image did these things,
my idol, my cast image, decreed them.’
Genesis 15:13-21
Context15:13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain 3 that your descendants will be strangers 4 in a foreign country. 5 They will be enslaved and oppressed 6 for four hundred years. 15:14 But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve. 7 Afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15:15 But as for you, 8 you will go to your ancestors 9 in peace and be buried at a good old age. 10 15:16 In the fourth generation 11 your descendants 12 will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit.” 13
15:17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming torch 14 passed between the animal parts. 15 15:18 That day the Lord made a covenant 16 with Abram: “To your descendants I give 17 this land, from the river of Egypt 18 to the great river, the Euphrates River – 15:19 the land 19 of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 15:20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 15:21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” 20
Genesis 28:13-15
Context28:13 and the Lord stood at its top. He said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. 21 I will give you and your descendants the ground 22 you are lying on. 28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, 23 and you will spread out 24 to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 25 using your name and that of your descendants. 26 28:15 I am with you! 27 I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!”
Genesis 46:3
Context46:3 He said, “I am God, 28 the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.
Genesis 48:19
Context48:19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a nation and he too will become great. In spite of this, his younger brother will be even greater and his descendants will become a multitude 29 of nations.”
Genesis 49:1-28
Context49:1 Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather together so I can tell you 30 what will happen to you in the future. 31
49:2 “Assemble and listen, you sons of Jacob;
listen to Israel, your father.
49:3 Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might and the beginning of my strength,
outstanding in dignity, outstanding in power.
49:4 You are destructive 32 like water and will not excel, 33
for you got on your father’s bed, 34
then you defiled it – he got on my couch! 35
49:5 Simeon and Levi are brothers,
weapons of violence are their knives! 36
49:6 O my soul, do not come into their council,
do not be united to their assembly, my heart, 37
for in their anger they have killed men,
and for pleasure they have hamstrung oxen.
49:7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce,
and their fury, for it was cruel.
I will divide them in Jacob,
and scatter them in Israel! 38
49:8 Judah, 39 your brothers will praise you.
Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies,
your father’s sons will bow down before you.
49:9 You are a lion’s cub, Judah,
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He crouches and lies down like a lion;
like a lioness – who will rouse him?
49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, 40
until he comes to whom it belongs; 41
the nations will obey him. 42
49:11 Binding his foal to the vine,
and his colt to the choicest vine,
he will wash 43 his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.
49:12 His eyes will be dark from wine,
and his teeth white from milk. 44
49:13 Zebulun will live 45 by the haven of the sea
and become a haven for ships;
his border will extend to Sidon. 46
49:14 Issachar is a strong-boned donkey
lying down between two saddlebags.
49:15 When he sees 47 a good resting place,
and the pleasant land,
he will bend his shoulder to the burden
and become a slave laborer. 48
49:16 Dan 49 will judge 50 his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
49:17 May Dan be a snake beside the road,
a viper by the path,
that bites the heels of the horse
so that its rider falls backward. 51
49:18 I wait for your deliverance, O Lord. 52
49:19 Gad will be raided by marauding bands,
but he will attack them at their heels. 53
49:20 Asher’s 54 food will be rich, 55
and he will provide delicacies 56 to royalty.
49:21 Naphtali is a free running doe, 57
he speaks delightful words. 58
49:22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, 59
a fruitful bough near a spring
whose branches 60 climb over the wall.
49:23 The archers will attack him, 61
they will shoot at him and oppose him.
49:24 But his bow will remain steady,
and his hands 62 will be skillful;
because of the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of 63 the Shepherd, the Rock 64 of Israel,
49:25 because of the God of your father,
who will help you, 65
because of the sovereign God, 66
who will bless you 67
with blessings from the sky above,
blessings from the deep that lies below,
and blessings of the breasts and womb. 68
49:26 The blessings of your father are greater
than 69 the blessings of the eternal mountains 70
or the desirable things of the age-old hills.
They will be on the head of Joseph
and on the brow of the prince of his brothers. 71
49:27 Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
in the morning devouring the prey,
and in the evening dividing the plunder.”
49:28 These 72 are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He gave each of them an appropriate blessing. 73
Leviticus 26:1-46
Context26:1 “‘You must not make for yourselves idols, 74 so you must not set up for yourselves a carved image or a pillar, and you must not place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down before 75 it, for I am the Lord your God. 26:2 You must keep my Sabbaths and reverence 76 my sanctuary. I am the Lord.
26:3 “‘If you walk in my statutes and are sure to obey my commandments, 77 26:4 I will give you your rains in their time so that 78 the land will give its yield and the trees of the field will produce their fruit. 79 26:5 Threshing season will extend for you until the season for harvesting grapes, 80 and the season for harvesting grapes will extend until sowing season, so 81 you will eat your bread until you are satisfied, 82 and you will live securely in your land. 26:6 I will grant peace in the land so that 83 you will lie down to sleep without anyone terrifying you. 84 I will remove harmful animals 85 from the land, and no sword of war 86 will pass through your land. 26:7 You will pursue your enemies and they will fall before you by the sword. 87 26:8 Five of you will pursue a hundred, and a hundred of you will pursue ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword. 26:9 I will turn to you, make you fruitful, multiply you, and maintain 88 my covenant with you. 26:10 You will still be eating stored produce from the previous year 89 and will have to clean out what is stored from the previous year to make room for new. 90
26:11 “‘I will put my tabernacle 91 in your midst and I will not abhor you. 92 26:12 I will walk among you, and I will be your God and you will be my people. 26:13 I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, from being their slaves, 93 and I broke the bars of your yoke and caused you to walk upright. 94
26:14 “‘If, however, 95 you do not obey me and keep 96 all these commandments – 26:15 if you reject my statutes and abhor my regulations so that you do not keep 97 all my commandments and you break my covenant – 26:16 I for my part 98 will do this to you: I will inflict horror on you, consumption and fever, which diminish eyesight and drain away the vitality of life. 99 You will sow your seed in vain because 100 your enemies will eat it. 101 26:17 I will set my face against you. You will be struck down before your enemies, those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when there is no one pursuing you.
26:18 “‘If, in spite of all these things, 102 you do not obey me, I will discipline you seven times more on account of your sins. 103 26:19 I will break your strong pride and make your sky like iron and your land like bronze. 26:20 Your strength will be used up in vain, your land will not give its yield, and the trees of the land 104 will not produce their fruit.
26:21 “‘If you walk in hostility against me 105 and are not willing to obey me, I will increase your affliction 106 seven times according to your sins. 26:22 I will send the wild animals 107 against you and they will bereave you of your children, 108 annihilate your cattle, and diminish your population 109 so that your roads will become deserted.
26:23 “‘If in spite of these things 110 you do not allow yourselves to be disciplined and you walk in hostility against me, 111 26:24 I myself will also walk in hostility against you and strike you 112 seven times on account of your sins. 26:25 I will bring on you an avenging sword, a covenant vengeance. 113 Although 114 you will gather together into your cities, I will send pestilence among you and you will be given into enemy hands. 115 26:26 When I break off your supply of bread, 116 ten women will bake your bread in one oven; they will ration your bread by weight, 117 and you will eat and not be satisfied.
26:27 “‘If in spite of this 118 you do not obey me but walk in hostility against me, 119 26:28 I will walk in hostile rage against you 120 and I myself will also discipline you seven times on account of your sins. 26:29 You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters. 121 26:30 I will destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars, 122 and I will stack your dead bodies on top of the lifeless bodies of your idols. 123 I will abhor you. 124 26:31 I will lay your cities waste 125 and make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will refuse to smell your soothing aromas. 26:32 I myself will make the land desolate and your enemies who live in it will be appalled. 26:33 I will scatter you among the nations and unsheathe the sword 126 after you, so your land will become desolate and your cities will become a waste.
26:34 “‘Then the land will make up for 127 its Sabbaths all the days it lies desolate while you are in the land of your enemies; then the land will rest and make up its Sabbaths. 26:35 All the days of the desolation it will have the rest it did not have 128 on your Sabbaths when you lived on it.
26:36 “‘As for 129 the ones who remain among you, I will bring despair into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a blowing leaf will pursue them, and they will flee as one who flees the sword and fall down even though there is no pursuer. 26:37 They will stumble over each other as those who flee before a sword, though 130 there is no pursuer, and there will be no one to take a stand 131 for you before your enemies. 26:38 You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will consume you.
26:39 “‘As for the ones who remain among you, they will rot away because of 132 their iniquity in the lands of your enemies, and they will also rot away because of their ancestors’ 133 iniquities which are with them. 26:40 However, when 134 they confess their iniquity and their ancestors’ iniquity which they committed by trespassing against me, 135 by which they also walked 136 in hostility against me 137 26:41 (and I myself will walk in hostility against them and bring them into the land of their enemies), and 138 then their uncircumcised hearts become humbled and they make up for 139 their iniquity, 26:42 I will remember my covenant with Jacob and also my covenant with Isaac and also my covenant with Abraham, 140 and I will remember the land. 26:43 The land will be abandoned by them 141 in order that it may make up for 142 its Sabbaths while it is made desolate 143 without them, 144 and they will make up for their iniquity because 145 they have rejected my regulations and have abhorred 146 my statutes. 26:44 In spite of this, however, when they are in the land of their enemies I will not reject them and abhor them to make a complete end of them, to break my covenant with them, for I am the Lord their God. 26:45 I will remember for them the covenant with their ancestors 147 whom I brought out from the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the Lord.’”
26:46 These are the statutes, regulations, and instructions which the Lord established 148 between himself and the Israelites at Mount Sinai through 149 Moses.
Deuteronomy 4:25-31
Context4:25 After you have produced children and grandchildren and have been in the land a long time, 150 if you become corrupt and make an image of any kind 151 and do other evil things before the Lord your God that enrage him, 152 4:26 I invoke heaven and earth as witnesses against you 153 today that you will surely and swiftly be removed 154 from the very land you are about to cross the Jordan to possess. You will not last long there because you will surely be 155 annihilated. 4:27 Then the Lord will scatter you among the peoples and there will be very few of you 156 among the nations where the Lord will drive you. 4:28 There you will worship gods made by human hands – wood and stone that can neither see, hear, eat, nor smell. 4:29 But if you seek the Lord your God from there, you will find him, if, indeed, you seek him with all your heart and soul. 157 4:30 In your distress when all these things happen to you in the latter days, 158 if you return to the Lord your God and obey him 159 4:31 (for he 160 is a merciful God), he will not let you down 161 or destroy you, for he cannot 162 forget the covenant with your ancestors that he confirmed by oath to them.
Deuteronomy 28:1-68
Context28:1 “If you indeed 163 obey the Lord your God and are careful to observe all his commandments I am giving 164 you today, the Lord your God will elevate you above all the nations of the earth. 28:2 All these blessings will come to you in abundance 165 if you obey the Lord your God: 28:3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the field. 166 28:4 Your children 167 will be blessed, as well as the produce of your soil, the offspring of your livestock, the calves of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks. 28:5 Your basket and your mixing bowl will be blessed. 28:6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. 168 28:7 The Lord will cause your enemies who attack 169 you to be struck down before you; they will attack you from one direction 170 but flee from you in seven different directions. 28:8 The Lord will decree blessing for you with respect to your barns and in everything you do – yes, he will bless you in the land he 171 is giving you. 28:9 The Lord will designate you as his holy people just as he promised you, if you keep his commandments 172 and obey him. 173 28:10 Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you belong to the Lord, 174 and they will respect you. 28:11 The Lord will greatly multiply your children, 175 the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your soil in the land which he 176 promised your ancestors 177 he would give you. 28:12 The Lord will open for you his good treasure house, the heavens, to give you rain for the land in its season and to bless all you do; 178 you will lend to many nations but you will not borrow from any. 28:13 The Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always end up at the top and not at the bottom, if you obey his 179 commandments which I am urging 180 you today to be careful to do. 28:14 But you must not turn away from all the commandments I am giving 181 you today, to either the right or left, nor pursue other gods and worship 182 them.
28:15 “But if you ignore 183 the Lord your God and are not careful to keep all his commandments and statutes I am giving you today, then all these curses will come upon you in full force: 184 28:16 You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the field. 28:17 Your basket and your mixing bowl will be cursed. 28:18 Your children 185 will be cursed, as well as the produce of your soil, the calves of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks. 28:19 You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out. 186
28:20 “The Lord will send on you a curse, confusing you and opposing you 187 in everything you undertake 188 until you are destroyed and quickly perish because of the evil of your deeds, in that you have forsaken me. 189 28:21 The Lord will plague you with deadly diseases 190 until he has completely removed you from the land you are about to possess. 28:22 He 191 will afflict you with weakness, 192 fever, inflammation, infection, 193 sword, 194 blight, and mildew; these will attack you until you perish. 28:23 The 195 sky 196 above your heads will be bronze and the earth beneath you iron. 28:24 The Lord will make the rain of your land powder and dust; it will come down on you from the sky until you are destroyed.
28:25 “The Lord will allow you to be struck down before your enemies; you will attack them from one direction but flee from them in seven directions and will become an object of terror 197 to all the kingdoms of the earth. 28:26 Your carcasses will be food for every bird of the sky and wild animal of the earth, and there will be no one to chase them off. 28:27 The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, eczema, and scabies, all of which cannot be healed. 28:28 The Lord will also subject you to madness, blindness, and confusion of mind. 198 28:29 You will feel your way along at noon like the blind person does in darkness and you will not succeed in anything you do; 199 you will be constantly oppressed and continually robbed, with no one to save you. 28:30 You will be engaged to a woman and another man will rape 200 her. You will build a house but not live in it. You will plant a vineyard but not even begin to use it. 28:31 Your ox will be slaughtered before your very eyes but you will not eat of it. Your donkey will be stolen from you as you watch and will not be returned to you. Your flock of sheep will be given to your enemies and there will be no one to save you. 28:32 Your sons and daughters will be given to another people while you look on in vain all day, and you will be powerless to do anything about it. 201 28:33 As for the produce of your land and all your labor, a people you do not know will consume it, and you will be nothing but oppressed and crushed for the rest of your lives. 28:34 You will go insane from seeing all this. 28:35 The Lord will afflict you in your knees and on your legs with painful, incurable boils – from the soles of your feet to the top of your head. 28:36 The Lord will force you and your king 202 whom you will appoint over you to go away to a people whom you and your ancestors have not known, and you will serve other gods of wood and stone there. 28:37 You will become an occasion of horror, a proverb, and an object of ridicule to all the peoples to whom the Lord will drive you.
28:38 “You will take much seed to the field but gather little harvest, because locusts will consume it. 28:39 You will plant vineyards and cultivate them, but you will not drink wine or gather in grapes, because worms will eat them. 28:40 You will have olive trees throughout your territory but you will not anoint yourself with olive oil, because the olives will drop off the trees while still unripe. 203 28:41 You will bear sons and daughters but not keep them, because they will be taken into captivity. 28:42 Whirring locusts 204 will take over every tree and all the produce of your soil. 28:43 The foreigners 205 who reside among you will become higher and higher over you and you will become lower and lower. 28:44 They will lend to you but you will not lend to them; they will become the head and you will become the tail!
28:45 All these curses will fall on you, pursuing and overtaking you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey the Lord your God by keeping his commandments and statutes that he has given 206 you. 28:46 These curses 207 will be a perpetual sign and wonder with reference to you and your descendants. 208
28:47 “Because you have not served the Lord your God joyfully and wholeheartedly with the abundance of everything you have, 28:48 instead in hunger, thirst, nakedness, and poverty 209 you will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you. They 210 will place an iron yoke on your neck until they have destroyed you. 28:49 The Lord will raise up a distant nation against you, one from the other side of the earth 211 as the eagle flies, 212 a nation whose language you will not understand, 28:50 a nation of stern appearance that will have no regard for the elderly or pity for the young. 28:51 They 213 will devour the offspring of your livestock and the produce of your soil until you are destroyed. They will not leave you with any grain, new wine, olive oil, calves of your herds, 214 or lambs of your flocks 215 until they have destroyed you. 28:52 They will besiege all of your villages 216 until all of your high and fortified walls collapse – those in which you put your confidence throughout the land. They will besiege all your villages throughout the land the Lord your God has given you. 28:53 You will then eat your own offspring, 217 the flesh of the sons and daughters the Lord your God has given you, because of the severity of the siege 218 by which your enemies will constrict you. 28:54 The man among you who is by nature tender and sensitive will turn against his brother, his beloved wife, and his remaining children. 28:55 He will withhold from all of them his children’s flesh that he is eating (since there is nothing else left), because of the severity of the siege by which your enemy will constrict 219 you in your villages. 28:56 Likewise, the most 220 tender and delicate of your women, who would never think of putting even the sole of her foot on the ground because of her daintiness, 221 will turn against her beloved husband, her sons and daughters, 28:57 and will secretly eat her afterbirth 222 and her newborn children 223 (since she has nothing else), 224 because of the severity of the siege by which your enemy will constrict you in your villages.
28:58 “If you refuse to obey 225 all the words of this law, the things written in this scroll, and refuse to fear this glorious and awesome name, the Lord your God, 28:59 then the Lord will increase your punishments and those of your descendants – great and long-lasting afflictions and severe, enduring illnesses. 28:60 He will infect you with all the diseases of Egypt 226 that you dreaded, and they will persistently afflict you. 227 28:61 Moreover, the Lord will bring upon you every kind of sickness and plague not mentioned in this scroll of commandments, 228 until you have perished. 28:62 There will be very few of you left, though at one time you were as numerous as the stars in the sky, 229 because you will have disobeyed 230 the Lord your God. 28:63 This is what will happen: Just as the Lord delighted to do good for you and make you numerous, he 231 will take delight in destroying and decimating you. You will be uprooted from the land you are about to possess. 28:64 The Lord will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods of wood and stone. 28:65 Among those nations you will have no rest nor will there be a place of peaceful rest for the soles of your feet, for there the Lord will give you an anxious heart, failing eyesight, and a spirit of despair. 28:66 Your life will hang in doubt before you; you will be terrified by night and day and will have no certainty of surviving from one day to the next. 232 28:67 In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were evening!’ And in the evening you will say, ‘I wish it were morning!’ because of the things you will fear and the things you will see. 28:68 Then the Lord will make you return to Egypt by ship, over a route I said to you that you would never see again. There you will sell yourselves to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.”
[42:9] 1 tn Heb “the former things, look, they have come.”
[42:9] 2 tn Heb “before they sprout up, I cause you to hear.” The pronoun “you” is plural, referring to the people of Israel. In this verse “the former things” are the Lord’s earlier predictive oracles which have come to pass, while “the new things” are predicted events that have not yet begun to take place. “The former things” are earlier events in Israel’s history which God announced beforehand, such as the Exodus (see 43:16-18). “The new things” are the predictions about the servant (42:1-7). and may also include Cyrus’ conquests (41:25-27).
[15:13] 3 tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, with the Qal infinitive absolute followed by the imperfect from יָדַע (yada’, “know”). The imperfect here has an obligatory or imperatival force.
[15:13] 4 tn The Hebrew word גֵּר (ger, “sojourner, stranger”) is related to the verb גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn, to stay for awhile”). Abram’s descendants will stay in a land as resident aliens without rights of citizenship.
[15:13] 5 tn Heb “in a land not theirs.”
[15:13] 6 tn Heb “and they will serve them and they will oppress them.” The verb עִנּוּ, (’innu, a Piel form from עָנָה, ’anah, “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly”), is used in Exod 1:11 to describe the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt.
[15:14] 7 tn The participle דָּן (dan, from דִּין, din) is used here for the future: “I am judging” = “I will surely judge.” The judgment in this case will be condemnation and punishment. The translation “execute judgment on” implies that the judgment will certainly be carried out.
[15:15] 8 tn The vav with the pronoun before the verb calls special attention to the subject in contrast to the preceding subject.
[15:15] 9 sn You will go to your ancestors. This is a euphemistic expression for death.
[15:15] 10 tn Heb “in a good old age.”
[15:16] 11 sn The term generation is being used here in its widest sense to refer to a full life span. When the chronological factors are considered and the genealogies tabulated, there are four hundred years of bondage. This suggests that in this context a generation is equivalent to one hundred years.
[15:16] 12 tn Heb “they”; the referent (“your descendants”) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[15:16] 13 tn Heb “is not yet complete.”
[15:17] 14 sn A smoking pot with a flaming torch. These same implements were used in Mesopotamian rituals designed to ward off evil (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 113-14).
[15:17] 15 tn Heb “these pieces.”
[15:18] 16 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[15:18] 17 tn The perfect verbal form is understood as instantaneous (“I here and now give”). Another option is to understand it as rhetorical, indicating certitude (“I have given” meaning it is as good as done, i.e., “I will surely give”).
[15:18] 18 sn The river of Egypt is a wadi (a seasonal stream) on the northeastern border of Egypt, not to the River Nile.
[15:19] 19 tn The words “the land” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[15:21] 20 tn Each of the names in the list has the Hebrew definite article, which is used here generically for the class of people identified.
[28:13] 21 tn Heb “the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.” The Hebrew word for “father” can typically be used in a broader sense than the English word, in this case referring to Abraham (who was Jacob’s grandfather). For stylistic reasons and for clarity, the words “your father” are supplied with “Isaac” in the translation.
[28:13] 22 tn The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ (’erets) can mean “[the] earth,” “land,” “region,” “piece of ground,” or “ground” depending on the context. Here the term specifically refers to the plot of ground on which Jacob was lying, but at the same time this stands by metonymy for the entire land of Canaan.
[28:14] 23 tn This is the same Hebrew word translated “ground” in the preceding verse.
[28:14] 24 tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew; Jacob is addressed as the representative of his descendants.
[28:14] 25 tn Theoretically the Niphal stem can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Jacob were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in other formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless (i.e., pronounce blessings upon) themselves/one another.” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 28:14 predicts that Jacob will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae (see Gen 12:2 and 18:18 as well, where Abram/Abraham receives this promise). For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.
[28:14] 26 tn Heb “and they will pronounce blessings by you, all the families of the earth, and by your offspring.”
[28:15] 27 tn Heb “Look, I [am] with you.” The clause is a nominal clause; the verb to be supplied could be present (as in the translation) or future, “Look, I [will be] with you” (cf. NEB).
[49:1] 30 tn After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose/result.
[49:1] 31 tn The expression “in the future” (אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים, ’akharit hayyamim, “in the end of days”) is found most frequently in prophetic passages; it may refer to the end of the age, the eschaton, or to the distant future. The contents of some of the sayings in this chapter stretch from the immediate circumstances to the time of the settlement in the land to the coming of Messiah. There is a great deal of literature on this chapter, including among others C. Armerding, “The Last Words of Jacob: Genesis 49,” BSac 112 (1955): 320-28; H. Pehlke, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Genesis 49:1-28” (Th.D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1985); and B. Vawter, “The Canaanite Background of Genesis 49,” CBQ 17 (1955): 1-18.
[49:4] 32 tn The Hebrew noun פַּחַז (pakhaz) only occurs here in the OT. A related verb occurs twice in the prophets (Jer 23:32; Zeph 3:4) for false prophets inventing their messages, and once in Judges for unscrupulous men bribed to murder (Judg 9:4). It would describe Reuben as being “frothy, boiling, turbulent” as water. The LXX has “run riot,” the Vulgate has “poured out,” and Tg. Onq. has “you followed your own direction.” It is a reference to Reuben’s misconduct in Gen 35, but the simile and the rare word invite some speculation. H. Pehlke suggests “destructive like water,” for Reuben acted with pride and presumption; see his “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Genesis 49:1-28” (Th.D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1985).
[49:4] 33 tn Heb “Do not excel!” The Hiphil of the verb יָתַר (yatar) has this meaning only here. The negated jussive is rhetorical here. Rather than being a command, it anticipates what will transpire. The prophecy says that because of the character of the ancestor, the tribe of Reuben would not have the character to lead (see 1 Chr 5:1).
[49:4] 34 sn This is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse with Jacob’s wives (see Gen 35:22).
[49:4] 35 tn The last verb is third masculine singular, as if for the first time Jacob told the brothers, or let them know that he knew. For a discussion of this passage see S. Gevirtz, “The Reprimand of Reuben,” JNES 30 (1971): 87-98.
[49:5] 36 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word מְכֵרָה (mÿkherah) is uncertain. It has been rendered (1) “habitations”; (2) “merchandise”; (3) “counsels”; (4) “swords”; (5) “wedding feasts.” If it is from the verb כָּרַת (karat) and formed after noun patterns for instruments and tools (maqtil, miqtil form), then it would refer to “knives.” Since the verb is used in Exod 4:25 for circumcision, the idea would be “their circumcision knives,” an allusion to the events of Gen 34 (see M. J. Dahood, “‘MKRTYHM’ in Genesis 49,5,” CBQ 23 [1961]: 54-56). Another explanation also connects the word to the events of Gen 34 as a reference to the intended “wedding feast” for Dinah which could take place only after the men of Shechem were circumcised (see D. W. Young, “A Ghost Word in the Testament of Jacob (Gen 49:5)?” JBL 100 [1981]: 335-422).
[49:6] 37 tn The Hebrew text reads “my glory,” but it is preferable to repoint the form and read “my liver.” The liver was sometimes viewed as the seat of the emotions and will (see HALOT 456 s.v. II כָּבֵד) for which the heart is the modern equivalent.
[49:7] 38 sn Divide…scatter. What is predicted here is a division of their tribes. Most commentators see here an anticipation of Levi being in every area but not their own. That may be part of it, but not entirely what the curse intended. These tribes for their ruthless cruelty would be eliminated from the power and prestige of leadership.
[49:8] 39 sn There is a wordplay here; the name Judah (יְהוּדָה, yÿhudah) sounds in Hebrew like the verb translated praise (יוֹדוּךָ, yodukha). The wordplay serves to draw attention to the statement as having special significance.
[49:10] 40 tn Or perhaps “from his descendants,” taking the expression “from between his feet” as a euphemism referring to the genitals. In this case the phrase refers by metonymy to those who come forth from his genitals, i.e., his descendants.
[49:10] 41 tn The Hebrew form שִׁילֹה (shiloh) is a major interpretive problem. There are at least four major options (with many variations and less likely alternatives): (1) Some prefer to leave the text as it is, reading “Shiloh” and understanding it as the place where the ark rested for a while in the time of the Judges. (2) By repointing the text others arrive at the translation “until the [or “his”] ruler comes,” a reference to a Davidic ruler or the Messiah. (3) Another possibility that does not require emendation of the consonantal text, but only repointing, is “until tribute is brought to him” (so NEB, JPS, NRSV), which has the advantage of providing good parallelism with the following line, “the nations will obey him.” (4) The interpretation followed in the present translation, “to whom it [belongs]” (so RSV, NIV, REB), is based on the ancient versions. Again, this would refer to the Davidic dynasty or, ultimately, to the Messiah.
[49:10] 42 tn “and to him [will be] the obedience of the nations.” For discussion of this verse see J. Blenkinsopp, “The Oracle of Judah and the Messianic Entry,” JBL 80 (1961): 55-64; and E. M. Good, “The ‘Blessing’ on Judah,” JBL 82 (1963): 427-32.
[49:11] 43 tn The perfect verbal form is used rhetorically, describing coming events as though they have already taken place.
[49:12] 44 tn Some translate these as comparatives, “darker than wine…whiter than milk,” and so a reference to his appearance (so NEB, NIV, NRSV). But if it is in the age of abundance, symbolized by wine and milk, then the dark (i.e., red or perhaps dull) eyes would be from drinking wine, and the white teeth from drinking milk.
[49:13] 45 tn The verb שָׁכַן (shakhan) means “to settle,” but not necessarily as a permanent dwelling place. The tribal settlements by the sea would have been temporary and not the tribe’s territory.
[49:13] 46 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[49:15] 47 tn The verb forms in this verse (“sees,” “will bend,” and “[will] become”) are preterite; they is used in a rhetorical manner, describing the future as if it had already transpired.
[49:15] 48 sn The oracle shows that the tribe of Issachar will be willing to trade liberty for the material things of life. Issachar would work (become a slave laborer) for the Canaanites, a reversal of the oracle on Canaan. See C. M. Carmichael, “Some Sayings in Genesis 49,” JBL 88 (1969): 435-44; and S. Gevirtz, “The Issachar Oracle in the Testament of Jacob,” ErIsr 12 (1975): 104-12.
[49:16] 49 sn The name Dan (דָּן, dan) means “judge” and forms a wordplay with the following verb.
[49:17] 51 sn The comparison of the tribe of Dan to a venomous serpent is meant to say that Dan, though small, would be potent, gaining victory through its skill and shrewdness. Jewish commentators have linked the image in part with Samson. That link at least illustrates the point: Though a minority tribe, Dan would gain the upper hand over others.
[49:18] 52 sn I wait for your deliverance, O
[49:19] 53 tc Heb “heel.” The MT has suffered from misdivision at this point. The initial mem on the first word in the next verse should probably be taken as a plural ending on the word “heel.”
[49:20] 54 tc Heb “from Asher,” but the initial mem (מ) of the MT should probably be moved to the end of the preceding verse and taken as a plural ending on “heel.”
[49:20] 55 tn The Hebrew word translated “rich,” when applied to products of the ground, means abundant in quantity and quality.
[49:20] 56 tn The word translated “delicacies” refers to foods that were delightful, the kind fit for a king.
[49:21] 57 tn Heb “a doe set free.”
[49:21] 58 tn Heb “the one who gives words of beauty.” The deer imagery probably does not continue into this line; Naphtali is the likely antecedent of the substantival participle, which is masculine, not feminine, in form. If the animal imagery is retained from the preceding line, the image of a talking deer is preposterous. For this reason some read the second line “the one who bears beautiful fawns,” interpreting אִמְרֵי (’imre) as a reference to young animals, not words (see HALOT 67 s.v. *אִמֵּר).
[49:22] 59 tn The Hebrew text appears to mean “[is] a son of fruitfulness.” The second word is an active participle, feminine singular, from the verb פָּרָה (parah, “to be fruitful”). The translation “bough” is employed for בֵּן (ben, elsewhere typically “son”) because Joseph is pictured as a healthy and fruitful vine growing by the wall. But there are difficulties with this interpretation. The word “son” nowhere else refers to a plant and the noun translated “branches” (Heb “daughters”) in the third line is a plural form whereas its verb is singular. In the other oracles of Gen 49 an animal is used for comparison and not a plant, leading some to translate the opening phrase בֵּן פָּרָה (ben parah, “fruitful bough”) as “wild donkey” (JPS, NAB). Various other interpretations involving more radical emendation of the text have also been offered.
[49:22] 60 tn Heb “daughters.”
[49:23] 61 tn The verb forms in vv. 23-24 are used in a rhetorical manner, describing future events as if they had already taken place.
[49:24] 62 tn Heb “the arms of his hands.”
[49:24] 63 tn Heb “from there,” but the phrase should be revocalized and read “from [i.e., because of] the name of.”
[49:25] 65 tn Heb “and he will help you.”
[49:25] 66 tn Heb “Shaddai.” See the note on the title “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1. The preposition אֵת (’et) in the Hebrew text should probably be emended to אֵל (’el, “God”).
[49:25] 67 tn Heb “and he will bless you.”
[49:25] 68 sn Jacob envisions God imparting both agricultural (blessings from the sky above, blessings from the deep that lies below) and human fertility (blessings of the breasts and womb) to Joseph and his family.
[49:26] 69 tn Heb “have prevailed over.”
[49:26] 70 tn One could interpret the phrase הוֹרַי (horay) to mean “my progenitors” (literally, “the ones who conceived me”), but the masculine form argues against this. It is better to emend the text to הַרֲרֵי (harare, “mountains of”) because it forms a better parallel with the next clause. In this case the final yod (י) on the form is a construct plural marker, not a pronominal suffix.
[49:26] 71 tn For further discussion of this passage, see I. Sonne, “Genesis 49:24-26,” JBL 65 (1946): 303-6.
[49:28] 72 tn Heb “All these.”
[49:28] 73 tn Heb “and he blessed them, each of whom according to his blessing, he blessed them.”
[26:1] 74 sn For the literature regarding the difficult etymology and meaning of the term for “idols” (אֱלִילִם, ’elilim), see the literature cited in the note on Lev 19:4. It appears to be a diminutive play on words with אֵל (’el, “god, God”) and, perhaps at the same time, recalls a common Semitic word for “worthless, weak, powerless, nothingness.” Snaith suggests a rendering of “worthless godlings.”
[26:1] 75 tn Heb “on.” The “sculpted stone” appears to be some sort of stone with images carved into (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 181, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 449).
[26:2] 76 tn Heb “and my sanctuary you shall fear.” Cf. NCV “respect”; CEV “honor.”
[26:3] 77 tn Heb “and my commandments you shall keep and do them.” This appears to be a kind of verbal hendiadys, where the first verb is a modifier of the action of the second verb (see GKC 386 §120.d, although שָׁמַר [shamar, “to keep”] is not cited there; cf. Lev 20:8; 25:18, etc.).
[26:4] 78 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.
[26:4] 79 tn Heb “the tree of the field will give its fruit.” As a collective singular this has been translated as plural.
[26:5] 80 tn Heb “will reach for you the vintage season.”
[26:5] 81 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.
[26:5] 82 tn Heb “to satisfaction”; KJV, ASV, NASB “to the full.”
[26:6] 83 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.
[26:6] 84 tn Heb “and there will be no one who terrifies.” The words “to sleep” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[26:6] 85 tn Heb “harmful animal,” singular, but taken here as a collective plural (so almost all English versions).
[26:6] 86 tn Heb “no sword”; the words “of war” are supplied in the translation to indicate what the metaphor of the sword represents.
[26:7] 87 tn Heb “to the sword.”
[26:9] 88 tn Heb “cause to arise,” but probably used here for the
[26:10] 89 tn Heb “old [produce] growing old.”
[26:10] 90 tn Heb “and old from the presence of new you will bring out.”
[26:11] 91 tn LXX codexes Vaticanus and Alexandrinus have “my covenant” rather than “my tabernacle.” Cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV “my dwelling.”
[26:11] 92 tn Heb “and my soul [נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh] will not abhor you.”
[26:13] 93 tn Heb “from being to them slaves.”
[26:13] 94 tn In other words, to walk as free people and not as slaves. Cf. NIV “with (+ your CEV, NLT) heads held high”; NCV “proudly.”
[26:14] 96 tn Heb “and do not do.”
[26:15] 97 tn Heb “to not do.”
[26:16] 98 tn Or “I also” (see HALOT 76 s.v. אַף 6.b).
[26:16] 99 tn Heb “soul.” These expressions may refer either to the physical effects of consumption and fever as the rendering in the text suggests (e.g., J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 452, 454, “diminishing eyesight and loss of appetite”), or perhaps the more psychological effects, “which exhausts the eyes” because of anxious hope “and causes depression” (Heb “causes soul [נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh] to pine away”), e.g., B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 185.
[26:16] 100 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have causal force here.
[26:16] 101 tn That is, “your enemies will eat” the produce that grows from the sown seed.
[26:18] 102 tn Heb “And if until these.”
[26:18] 103 tn Heb “I will add to discipline you seven [times] on your sins.”
[26:20] 104 tn Heb “the tree of the land will not give its fruit.” The collective singular has been translated as a plural. Tg. Onq., some medieval Hebrew
[26:21] 105 tn Heb “hostile with me,” but see the added preposition בְּ (bet) on the phrase “in hostility” in v. 24 and 27.
[26:21] 106 tn Heb “your blow, stroke”; cf. TEV “punishment”; NLT “I will inflict you with seven more disasters.”
[26:22] 107 tn Heb “the animal of the field.” This collective singular has been translated as a plural. The expression “animal of the field” refers to a wild (i.e., nondomesticated) animal.
[26:22] 108 tn The words “of your children” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
[26:22] 109 tn Heb “and diminish you.”
[26:23] 110 tn Heb “And if in these.”
[26:23] 111 tn Heb “with me,” but see the added preposition בְּ (bet) on the phrase “in hostility” in vv. 24 and 27.
[26:24] 112 tn Heb “and I myself will also strike you.”
[26:25] 113 tn Heb “vengeance of covenant”; cf. NAB “the avenger of my covenant.”
[26:25] 114 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) has a concessive force in this context.
[26:25] 115 tn Heb “in hand of enemy,” but Tg. Ps.-J. and Tg. Neof. have “in the hands of your enemies” (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 454).
[26:26] 116 tn Heb “When I break to you staff of bread” (KJV, ASV, and NASB all similar).
[26:26] 117 tn Heb “they will return your bread in weight.”
[26:27] 118 tn Heb “And if in this.”
[26:28] 120 tn Heb “in rage of hostility with you”; NASB “with wrathful hostility”; NRSV “I will continue hostile to you in fury”; CEV “I’ll get really furious.”
[26:29] 121 tn Heb “and the flesh of your daughters you will eat.” The phrase “you will eat” has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:30] 122 sn Regarding these cultic installations, see the remarks in B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 188, and R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:903. The term rendered “incense altars” might better be rendered “sanctuaries [of foreign deities]” or “stelae.”
[26:30] 123 tn The translation reflects the Hebrew wordplay “your corpses…the corpses of your idols.” Since idols, being lifeless, do not really have “corpses,” the translation uses “dead bodies” for people and “lifeless bodies” for the idols.
[26:30] 124 tn Heb “and my soul will abhor you.”
[26:31] 125 tn Heb “And I will give your cities a waste”; NLT “make your cities desolate.”
[26:33] 126 tn Heb “and I will empty sword” (see HALOT 1228 s.v. ריק 3).
[26:34] 127 tn There are two Hebrew roots רָצָה (ratsah), one meaning “to be pleased with; to take pleasure” (HALOT 1280-81 s.v. רצה; cf. “enjoy” in NASB, NIV, NRSV, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 452), and the other meaning “to restore” (HALOT 1281-82 s.v. II רצה; cf. NAB “retrieve” and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 189).
[26:35] 128 tn Heb “it shall rest which it did not rest.”
[26:37] 130 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) is used in a concessive sense here.
[26:37] 131 tn The term rendered “to stand up” is a noun, not an infinitive. It occurs only here and appears to designate someone who would take a powerful stand for them against their enemies.
[26:39] 132 tn Heb “in” (so KJV, ASV; also later in this verse).
[26:39] 133 tn Heb “fathers’” (also in the following verse).
[26:40] 134 tn Heb “And.” Many English versions take this to be a conditional clause (“if…”) though there is no conditional particle (see, e.g., NASB, NIV, NRSV; but see the very different rendering in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 190). The temporal translation offered here (“when”) takes into account the particle אָז (’az, “then”), which occurs twice in v. 41. The obvious contextual contrast between vv. 39 and 40 is expressed by “however” in the translation.
[26:40] 135 tn Heb “in their trespassing which they trespassed in me.” See the note on Lev 5:15, although the term is used in a more technical sense there in relation to the “guilt offering.”
[26:40] 136 tn Heb “and also which they walked.”
[26:41] 138 tn Heb “or then,” although the LXX has “then” and the Syriac “and then.”
[26:41] 139 tn Heb “and then they make up for.” On the verb “make up for” see the note on v. 34 above.
[26:42] 140 tn Heb “my covenant with Abraham I will remember.” The phrase “I will remember” has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:43] 141 tn Heb “from them.” The preposition “from” refers here to the agent of the action (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 455).
[26:43] 142 tn The jussive form of the verb with the simple vav (ו) here calls for a translation that expresses purpose.
[26:43] 143 tn The verb is the Hophal infinitive construct with the third feminine singular suffix (GKC 182 §67.y; cf. v. 34).
[26:43] 144 tn Heb “from them.”
[26:43] 145 tn Heb “because and in because,” a double expression, which is used only here and in Ezek 13:10 (without the vav) for emphasis (GKC 492 §158.b).
[26:43] 146 tn Heb “and their soul has abhorred.”
[26:45] 147 tn Heb “covenant of former ones.”
[26:46] 148 tn Heb “gave” (so NLT); KJV, ASV, NCV “made.”
[26:46] 149 tn Heb “by the hand of” (so KJV).
[4:25] 150 tn Heb “have grown old in the land,” i.e., been there for a long time.
[4:25] 151 tn Heb “a form of anything.” Cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, TEV “an idol.”
[4:25] 152 tn The infinitive construct is understood here as indicating the result, not the intention, of their actions.
[4:26] 153 sn I invoke heaven and earth as witnesses against you. This stock formula introduces what is known form-critically as a רִיב (riv) or controversy pattern. It is commonly used in the ancient Near Eastern world in legal contexts and in the OT as a forensic or judicial device to draw attention to Israel’s violation of the
[4:26] 154 tn Or “be destroyed”; KJV “utterly perish”; NLT “will quickly disappear”; CEV “you won’t have long to live.”
[4:26] 155 tn Or “be completely” (so NCV, TEV). It is not certain here if the infinitive absolute indicates the certainty of the following action (cf. NIV) or its degree.
[4:27] 156 tn Heb “you will be left men (i.e., few) of number.”
[4:29] 157 tn Or “mind and being.” See Deut 6:5.
[4:30] 158 sn The phrase is not used here in a technical sense for the eschaton, but rather refers to a future time when Israel will be punished for its sin and experience exile. See Deut 31:29.
[4:30] 159 tn Heb “hear his voice.” The expression is an idiom meaning “obey,” occurring in Deut 8:20; 9:23; 13:18; 21:18, 20; 26:14, 17; 27:10; 28:1-2, 15, 45, 62; 30:2, 8, 10, 20.
[4:31] 160 tn Heb “the
[4:31] 161 tn Heb “he will not drop you,” i.e., “will not abandon you” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[4:31] 162 tn Or “will not.” The translation understands the imperfect verbal form to have an added nuance of capability here.
[28:1] 163 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “indeed.”
[28:1] 164 tn Heb “commanding”; NAB “which I enjoin on you today” (likewise in v. 15).
[28:2] 165 tn Heb “come upon you and overtake you” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “come upon you and accompany you.”
[28:3] 166 tn Or “in the country” (so NAB, NIV, NLT). This expression also occurs in v. 15.
[28:4] 167 tn Heb “the fruit of your womb” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[28:6] 168 sn Come in…go out. To “come in” and “go out” is a figure of speech (merism) indicating all of life and its activities.
[28:7] 169 tn Heb “who rise up against” (so NIV).
[28:7] 170 tn Heb “way” (also later in this verse and in v. 25).
[28:8] 171 tn Heb “the
[28:9] 172 tn Heb “the commandments of the
[28:9] 173 tn Heb “and walk in his ways” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[28:10] 174 tn Heb “the name of the Lord is called over you.” The Hebrew idiom indicates ownership; see 2 Sam 12:28; Isa 4:1, as well as BDB 896 s.v. קָרָא Niph. 2.d.(4).
[28:11] 175 tn Heb “the fruit of your womb” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “will give you a lot of children.”
[28:11] 176 tn Heb “the
[28:11] 177 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 36, 64).
[28:12] 178 tn Heb “all the work of your hands.”
[28:13] 179 tn Heb “the
[28:13] 180 tn Heb “commanding” (so NRSV); NASB “which I charge you today.”
[28:14] 181 tn Heb “from all the words which I am commanding.”
[28:14] 182 tn Heb “in order to serve.”
[28:15] 183 tn Heb “do not hear the voice of.”
[28:15] 184 tn Heb “and overtake you” (so NIV, NRSV); NAB, NLT “and overwhelm you.”
[28:18] 185 tn Heb “the fruit of your womb” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[28:19] 186 sn See note on the similar expression in v. 6.
[28:20] 187 tn Heb “the curse, the confusion, and the rebuke” (NASB and NIV similar); NRSV “disaster, panic, and frustration.”
[28:20] 188 tn Heb “in all the stretching out of your hand.”
[28:20] 189 tc For the MT first person common singular suffix (“me”), the LXX reads either “Lord” (Lucian) or third person masculine singular suffix (“him”; various codices). The MT’s more difficult reading probably represents the original text.
[28:21] 190 tn Heb “will cause pestilence to cling to you.”
[28:22] 191 tn Heb “The
[28:22] 192 tn Or perhaps “consumption” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). The term is from a verbal root that indicates a weakening of one’s physical strength (cf. NAB “wasting”; NIV, NLT “wasting disease”).
[28:22] 193 tn Heb “hot fever”; NIV “scorching heat.”
[28:22] 194 tn Or “drought” (so NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[28:23] 195 tc The MT reads “Your.” The LXX reads “Heaven will be to you.”
[28:23] 196 tn Or “heavens” (also in the following verse). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
[28:25] 197 tc The meaningless MT reading זַעֲוָה (za’avah) is clearly a transposition of the more commonly attested Hebrew noun זְוָעָה (zÿva’ah, “terror”).
[28:28] 198 tn Heb “heart” (so KJV, NASB).
[28:29] 199 tn Heb “you will not cause your ways to prosper.”
[28:30] 200 tc For MT reading שָׁגַל (shagal, “ravish; violate”), the Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate presume the less violent שָׁכַב (shakhav, “lie with”). The unexpected counterpart to betrothal here favors the originality of the MT.
[28:32] 201 tn Heb “and there will be no power in your hand”; NCV “there will be nothing you can do.”
[28:36] 202 tc The LXX reads the plural “kings.”
[28:40] 203 tn Heb “your olives will drop off” (נָשַׁל, nashal), referring to the olives dropping off before they ripen.
[28:42] 204 tn The Hebrew term denotes some sort of buzzing or whirring insect; some have understood this to be a type of locust (KJV, NIV, CEV), but other insects have also been suggested: “buzzing insects” (NAB); “the cricket” (NASB); “the cicada” (NRSV).
[28:43] 205 tn Heb “the foreigner.” This is a collective singular and has therefore been translated as plural; this includes the pronouns in the following verse, which are also singular in the Hebrew text.
[28:45] 206 tn Heb “commanded”; NAB, NIV, TEV “he gave you.”
[28:46] 207 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the curses mentioned previously) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[28:46] 208 tn Heb “seed” (so KJV, ASV).
[28:48] 209 tn Heb “lack of everything.”
[28:48] 210 tn Heb “he” (also later in this verse). The pronoun is a collective singular referring to the enemies (cf. CEV, NLT). Many translations understand the singular pronoun to refer to the
[28:49] 211 tn Heb “from the end of the earth.”
[28:49] 212 tn Some translations understand this to mean “like an eagle swoops down” (e.g., NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT), comparing the swift attack of an eagle to the attack of the Israelites’ enemies.
[28:51] 213 tn Heb “it” (so NRSV), a collective singular referring to the invading nation (several times in this verse and v. 52).
[28:51] 214 tn Heb “increase of herds.”
[28:51] 215 tn Heb “growth of flocks.”
[28:52] 216 tn Heb “gates,” also in vv. 55, 57.
[28:53] 217 tn Heb “the fruit of your womb” (so NAB, NRSV); NASB “the offspring of your own body.”
[28:53] 218 tn Heb “siege and stress.”
[28:55] 219 tn Heb “besiege,” redundant with the noun “siege.”
[28:56] 220 tc The LXX adds σφόδρα (sfodra, “very”) to bring the description into line with v. 54.
[28:56] 221 tn Heb “delicateness and tenderness.”
[28:57] 222 tn Heb includes “that which comes out from between her feet.”
[28:57] 223 tn Heb “her sons that she will bear.”
[28:57] 224 tn Heb includes “in her need for everything.”
[28:58] 225 tn Heb “If you are not careful to do.”
[28:60] 226 sn These are the plagues the
[28:60] 227 tn Heb “will cling to you” (so NIV); NLT “will claim you.”
[28:61] 228 tn The Hebrew term תּוֹרָה (torah) can refer either (1) to the whole Pentateuch or, more likely, (2) to the book of Deuteronomy or even (3) only to this curse section of the covenant text. “Scroll” better reflects the actual document, since “book” conveys the notion of a bound book with pages to the modern English reader. Cf. KJV, NASB, NRSV “the book of this law”; NIV, NLT “this Book of the Law”; TEV “this book of God’s laws and teachings.”
[28:62] 229 tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
[28:62] 230 tn Heb “have not listened to the voice of.”
[28:63] 231 tn Heb “the
[28:66] 232 tn Heb “you will not be confident in your life.” The phrase “from one day to the next” is implied by the following verse.
