Isaiah 5:1-2

A Love Song Gone Sour

5:1 I ¹  will sing to my love –

a song to my lover about his vineyard. ² 

My love had a vineyard

on a fertile hill. ³ 

5:2 He built a hedge around it, ⁴  removed its stones,

and planted a vine.

He built a tower in the middle of it,

and constructed a winepress.

He waited for it to produce edible grapes,

but it produced sour ones instead. ⁵ 

Isaiah 46:3-4

46:3 “Listen to me, O family of Jacob, ⁶ 

all you who are left from the family of Israel, ⁷ 

you who have been carried from birth, ⁸ 

you who have been supported from the time you left the womb. ⁹ 

46:4 Even when you are old, I will take care of you, ¹⁰ 

even when you have gray hair, I will carry you.

I made you and I will support you;

I will carry you and rescue you. ¹¹ 

Deuteronomy 1:31

1:31 and in the desert, where you saw him ¹²  carrying you along like a man carries his son. This he did everywhere you went until you came to this very place.”

Deuteronomy 4:7-8

4:7 In fact, what other great nation has a god so near to them like the Lord our God whenever we call on him? 4:8 And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just ¹³  as this whole law ¹⁴  that I am about to share with ¹⁵  you today?

Jeremiah 31:9

31:9 They will come back shedding tears of contrition.

I will bring them back praying prayers of repentance. ¹⁶ 

I will lead them besides streams of water,

along smooth paths where they will never stumble. ¹⁷ 

I will do this because I am Israel’s father;

Ephraim ¹⁸  is my firstborn son.’”

Ezekiel 16:6-14

16:6 “‘I passed by you and saw you kicking around helplessly in your blood. I said to you as you lay there in your blood, “Live!” I said to you as you lay there in your blood, “Live!” ¹⁹  16:7 I made you plentiful like sprouts in a field; you grew tall and came of age so that you could wear jewelry. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown, but you were still naked and bare.

16:8 “‘Then I passed by you and watched you, noticing ²⁰  that you had reached the age for love. ²¹  I spread my cloak ²²  over you and covered your nakedness. I swore a solemn oath to you and entered into a marriage covenant with you, declares the sovereign Lord, and you became mine.

16:9 “‘Then I bathed you in water, washed the blood off you, and anointed you with fragrant oil. 16:10 I dressed you in embroidered clothing and put fine leather sandals on your feet. I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. 16:11 I adorned you with jewelry. I put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck. 16:12 I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. 16:13 You were adorned with gold and silver, while your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidery. You ate the finest flour, honey, and olive oil. You became extremely beautiful and attained the position of royalty. 16:14 Your fame ²³  spread among the nations because of your beauty; your beauty was perfect because of the splendor which I bestowed on you, declares the sovereign Lord. ²⁴ 

Ezekiel 20:5-32

20:5 and say to them:

“‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose Israel I swore ²⁵  to the descendants ²⁶  of the house of Jacob and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt. I swore ²⁷  to them, “I am the Lord your God.” 20:6 On that day I swore ²⁸  to bring them out of the land of Egypt to a land which I had picked out ²⁹  for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, ³⁰  the most beautiful of all lands. 20:7 I said to them, “Each of you must get rid of the detestable idols you keep before you, ³¹  and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.” 20:8 But they rebelled against me, and refused to listen to me; no one got rid of their detestable idols, ³²  nor did they abandon the idols of Egypt. Then I decided to pour out ³³  my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 20:9 I acted for the sake of my reputation, ³⁴  so that I would not be profaned before the nations among whom they lived, ³⁵  before whom I revealed myself by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. ³⁶ 

20:10 “‘So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them to the wilderness. 20:11 I gave them my statutes ³⁷  and revealed my regulations to them. The one ³⁸  who carries ³⁹  them out will live by them! ⁴⁰  20:12 I also gave them my Sabbaths ⁴¹  as a reminder of our relationship, ⁴²  so that they would know that I, the Lord, sanctify them. ⁴³  20:13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness; they did not follow my statutes and they rejected my regulations (the one who obeys them will live by them), and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I decided to pour out ⁴⁴  my rage on them in the wilderness and destroy them. ⁴⁵  20:14 I acted for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 20:15 I also swore ⁴⁶  to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them to the land I had given them – a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. 20:16 I did this ⁴⁷  because they rejected my regulations, did not follow my statutes, and desecrated my Sabbaths; for their hearts followed their idols. ⁴⁸  20:17 Yet I had pity on ⁴⁹  them and did not destroy them, so I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.

20:18 “‘But I said to their children ⁵⁰  in the wilderness, “Do not follow the practices of your fathers; do not observe their regulations, ⁵¹  nor defile yourselves with their idols. 20:19 I am the Lord your God; follow my statutes, observe my regulations, and carry them out. 20:20 Treat my Sabbaths as holy ⁵²  and they will be a reminder of our relationship, ⁵³  and then you will know that I am the Lord your God.” 20:21 “‘But the children ⁵⁴  rebelled against me, did not follow my statutes, did not observe my regulations by carrying them out (the one who obeys ⁵⁵  them will live by them), and desecrated my Sabbaths. I decided to pour out ⁵⁶  my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the wilderness. 20:22 But I refrained from doing so, ⁵⁷  and acted instead for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 20:23 I also swore ⁵⁸  to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands. ⁵⁹  20:24 I did this ⁶⁰  because they did not observe my regulations, they rejected my statutes, they desecrated my Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on ⁶¹  their fathers’ idols. 20:25 I also gave ⁶²  them decrees ⁶³  which were not good and regulations by which they could not live. 20:26 I declared them to be defiled because of their sacrifices ⁶⁴  – they caused all their first born to pass through the fire ⁶⁵  – so that I would devastate them, so that they will know that I am the Lord.’ ⁶⁶ 

20:27 “Therefore, speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: In this way too your fathers blasphemed me when they were unfaithful to me. 20:28 I brought them to the land which I swore ⁶⁷  to give them, but whenever they saw any high hill or leafy tree, they offered their sacrifices there and presented the offerings that provoke me to anger. They offered their soothing aroma there and poured out their drink offerings. 20:29 So I said to them, What is this high place you go to?’” (So it is called “High Place” ⁶⁸  to this day.)

20:30 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Will you defile yourselves like your fathers ⁶⁹  and engage in prostitution with detestable idols? 20:31 When you present your sacrifices ⁷⁰  – when you make your sons pass through the fire – you defile yourselves with all your idols to this very day. Will I allow you to seek me, ⁷¹  O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I will not allow you to seek me! ⁷² 

20:32 “‘What you plan ⁷³  will never happen. You say, “We will be ⁷⁴  like the nations, like the clans of the lands, who serve gods of wood and stone.” ⁷⁵ 

Romans 3:1-2

3:1 Therefore what advantage does the Jew have, or what is the value of circumcision? 3:2 Actually, there are many advantages. ⁷⁶  First of all, ⁷⁷  the Jews ⁷⁸  were entrusted with the oracles of God. ⁷⁹ 

Romans 9:4-5

9:4 who are Israelites. To them belong ⁸⁰  the adoption as sons, ⁸¹  the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple worship, ⁸²  and the promises. 9:5 To them belong the patriarchs, ⁸³  and from them, ⁸⁴  by human descent, ⁸⁵  came the Christ, ⁸⁶  who is God over all, blessed forever! ⁸⁷  Amen.

[5:1]  ¹ tn It is uncertain who is speaking here. Possibly the prophet, taking the role of best man, composes a love song for his friend on the occasion of his wedding. If so, יָדִיד (yadid) should be translated “my friend.” The present translation assumes that Israel is singing to the Lord. The word דוֹד (dod, “lover”) used in the second line is frequently used by the woman in the Song of Solomon to describe her lover.

[5:1]  ² sn Israel, viewing herself as the Lord’s lover, refers to herself as his vineyard. The metaphor has sexual connotations, for it pictures her capacity to satisfy his appetite and to produce children. See Song 8:12.

[5:1]  ³ tn Heb “on a horn, a son of oil.” Apparently קֶרֶן (qeren, “horn”) here refers to the horn-shaped peak of a hill (BDB 902 s.v.) or to a mountain spur, i.e., a ridge that extends laterally from a mountain (HALOT 1145 s.v. קֶרֶן; H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:180). The expression “son of oil” pictures this hill as one capable of producing olive trees. Isaiah’s choice of קֶרֶן, a rare word for hill, may have been driven by paronomastic concerns, i.e., because קֶרֶן sounds like כֶּרֶם (kerem, “vineyard”).

[5:2]  ⁴ tn Or, “dug it up” (so NIV); KJV “fenced it.’ See HALOT 810 s.v. עזק.

[5:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “wild grapes,” i.e., sour ones (also in v. 4).

[46:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “house of Jacob”; TEV “descendants of Jacob.”

[46:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “and all the remnant of the house of Israel.”

[46:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “from the womb” (so NRSV); KJV “from the belly”; NAB “from your infancy.”

[46:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “who have been lifted up from the womb.”

[46:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “until old age, I am he” (NRSV similar); NLT “I will be your God throughout your lifetime.”

[46:4]  ¹¹ sn Unlike the weary idol gods, whose images must be carried by animals, the Lord carries his weary people.

[1:31]  ¹² tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun (“him”) has been employed in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[4:8]  ¹³ tn Or “pure”; or “fair”; Heb “righteous.”

[4:8]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew phrase הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת (hattorah hazzo’t), in this context, refers specifically to the Book of Deuteronomy. That is, it is the collection of all the חֻקִּים (khuqqim, “statutes,” 4:1) and מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim, “ordinances,” 4:1) to be included in the covenant text. In a full canonical sense, of course, it pertains to the entire Pentateuch or Torah.

[4:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “place before.”

[31:9]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “They will come with weeping; I will bring them with supplication.” The ideas of contrition and repentance are implicit from the context (cf. vv. 18-19) and are supplied for clarity.

[31:9]  ¹⁷ sn Jer 31:8-9 are reminiscent of the “New Exodus” motif of Isa 40-66 which has already been referred to in Jer 16:14-15; 23:7-8. See especially Isa 35:3-10; 40:3-5, 11; 41:17-20; 42:14-17; 43:16-21; 49:9-13. As there, the New Exodus will so outstrip the old that the old will pale in comparison and be almost forgotten (see Jer 23:7-8).

[31:9]  ¹⁸ sn Ephraim was the second son of Joseph who was elevated to a place of prominence in the family of Jacob by the patriarch’s special blessing. It was the strongest tribe in northern Israel and Samaria lay in its territory. It is often used as a poetic parallel for Israel as here. The poetry is not speaking of two separate entities here; it is a way of repeating an idea for emphasis. Moreover, there is no intent to show special preference for northern Israel over Judah. All Israel is metaphorically God’s son and the object of his special care and concern (Exod 4:22; Deut 32:6).

[16:6]  ¹⁹ tc The translation reflects the Hebrew text, which repeats the statement, perhaps for emphasis. However, a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts, the Old Greek, and the Syriac do not include the repetition. The statement could have been accidentally repeated or the second occurrence could have been accidentally omitted. Based on the available evidence it is difficult to know which is more likely.

[16:8]  ²⁰ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a participle.

[16:8]  ²¹ tn See similar use of this term in Ezek 23:17; Prov 7:16; Song of Songs 4:10; 7:13.

[16:8]  ²² tn Heb “wing” or “skirt.” The gesture symbolized acquiring a woman in early Arabia (similarly, see Deut 22:30; Ruth 3:9).

[16:14]  ²³ tn Heb “name.”

[16:14]  ²⁴ sn The description of the nation Israel in vv. 10-14 recalls the splendor of the nation’s golden age under King Solomon.

[20:5]  ²⁵ tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”

[20:5]  ²⁶ tn Heb “seed.”

[20:5]  ²⁷ tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”

[20:6]  ²⁸ tn Heb “I lifted up my hand to them.”

[20:6]  ²⁹ tn Or “searched out.” The Hebrew word is used to describe the activity of the spies in “spying out” the land of Canaan (Num 13-14); cf. KJV “I had espied for them.”

[20:6]  ³⁰ sn The phrase “a land flowing with milk and honey,” a figure of speech describing the land’s abundant fertility, occurs in v. 15 as well as Exod 3:8, 17; 13:5; 33:3; Lev 20:24; Num 13:27; Deut 6:3; 11:9; 26:9; 27:3; Josh 5:6; Jer 11:5; 32:23 (see also Deut 1:25; 8:7-9).

[20:7]  ³¹ tn Heb “each one, the detestable things of his eyes, throw away.” The Pentateuch does not refer to the Israelites worshiping idols in Egypt, but Josh 24:14 appears to suggest that they did so.

[20:8]  ³² tn Heb “each one, the detestable things of their eyes did not throw away.”

[20:8]  ³³ tn Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”

[20:9]  ³⁴ tn Heb “for the sake of my name.”

[20:9]  ³⁵ tn Heb “before the eyes of the nations in whose midst they were.”

[20:9]  ³⁶ tn Heb “to whom I made myself known before their eyes to bring them out from the land of Egypt.” The translation understands the infinitive construct (“to bring them out”) as indicating manner. God’s deliverance of his people from Egypt was an act of self-revelation in that it displayed his power and his commitment to his promises.

[20:11]  ³⁷ sn The laws were given at Mount Sinai.

[20:11]  ³⁸ tn Heb “the man.”

[20:11]  ³⁹ tn Heb “does.”

[20:11]  ⁴⁰ tn The wording and the concept is contained in Lev 18:5 and Deut 30:15-19.

[20:12]  ⁴¹ sn Ezekiel’s contemporary, Jeremiah, also stressed the importance of obedience to the Sabbath law (Jer 17).

[20:12]  ⁴² tn Heb “to become a sign between me and them.”

[20:12]  ⁴³ tn Or “set them apart.” The last phrase of verse 12 appears to be a citation of Exod 31:13.

[20:13]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”

[20:13]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “to bring them to an end.”

[20:15]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”

[20:16]  ⁴⁷ tn The words “I did this” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons. Verses 15-16 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text. The translation divides this sentence into two for stylistic reasons.

[20:16]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “for after their idols their heart was going.” The use of the active participle (“was going”) in the Hebrew text draws attention to the ongoing nature of their idolatrous behavior.

[20:17]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “my eye pitied.”

[20:18]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “sons,” reflecting the patriarchal idiom of the culture.

[20:18]  ⁵¹ tn Or “standard of justice.” See Ezek 7:27.

[20:20]  ⁵² tn Or “set apart my Sabbaths.”

[20:20]  ⁵³ tn Heb “and they will become a sign between me and you.”

[20:21]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “sons.”

[20:21]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “carries them out.”

[20:21]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”

[20:22]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “drew my hand back.” This idiom also occurs in Lam 2:8 and Ps 74:11.

[20:23]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “I lifted up my hand.”

[20:23]  ⁵⁹ sn Though the Pentateuch does not seem to know of this episode, Ps 106:26-27 may speak of God’s oath to exile the people before they had entered Canaan.

[20:24]  ⁶⁰ tn The words “I did this” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons. Verses 23-24 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text. The translation divides this sentence into two for stylistic reasons.

[20:24]  ⁶¹ tn Or “they worshiped” (NCV, TEV, CEV); Heb “their eyes were on” or “were after” (cf. v. 16).

[20:25]  ⁶² tn Or “permitted.”

[20:25]  ⁶³ tn The Hebrew term חֻקּוֹת (khuqot; translated “statutes” elsewhere in this chapter) is normally feminine. Here Ezekiel changes the form to masculine: חֻקִּים (khuqim). Further, they are not called “my decrees” as vv. 11 and 13 refer to “my statutes.” The change is a signal that Ezekiel is not talking about the same statutes in vv. 11 and 13, which lead to life.

[20:26]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “gifts.”

[20:26]  ⁶⁵ sn This act is prohibited in Deut 12:29-31 and Jer 7:31; 19:5; 32:35. See also 2 Kgs 21:6; 23:10. This custom indicates that the laws the Israelites were following were the disastrous laws of pagan nations (see Ezek 16:20-21).

[20:26]  ⁶⁶ sn God sometimes punishes sin by inciting the sinner to sin even more, as the biblical examples of divine hardening and deceit make clear. See Robert B. Chisholm, Jr., “Divine Hardening in the Old Testament,” BSac 153 (1996): 410-34; idem, “Does God Deceive?” BSac 155 (1998): 11-28. For other instances where the Lord causes individuals to act unwisely or even sinfully as punishment for sin, see 1 Sam 2:25; 2 Sam 17:14; 1 Kgs 12:15; 2 Chr 25:20.

[20:28]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “which I lifted up my hand.”

[20:29]  ⁶⁸ tn The Hebrew word (“Bamah”) means “high place.”

[20:30]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “in the way of your fathers.”

[20:31]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “gifts.”

[20:31]  ⁷¹ tn Or “Will I reveal myself to you?”

[20:31]  ⁷² tn Or “I will not reveal myself to you.”

[20:32]  ⁷³ tn Heb “what comes upon your mind.”

[20:32]  ⁷⁴ tn The Hebrew could also read: “Let us be.”

[20:32]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “serving wood and stone.”

[3:2]  ⁷⁶ tn Grk “much in every way.”

[3:2]  ⁷⁷ tc ‡ Most witnesses (א A D² 33 Ï) have γάρ (gar) after μέν (men), though some significant Alexandrian and Western witnesses lack the conjunction (B D* G Ψ 81 365 1506 2464* pc latt). A few mss have γάρ, but not μέν (6 1739 1881). γάρ was frequently added by scribes as a clarifying conjunction, making it suspect here. NA²⁷ has the γάρ in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.

[3:2]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “they were.”

[3:2]  ⁷⁹ tn The referent of λόγια (logia, “oracles”) has been variously understood: (1) BDAG 598 s.v. λόγιον takes the term to refer here to “God’s promises to the Jews”; (2) some have taken this to refer more narrowly to the national promises of messianic salvation given to Israel (so S. L. Johnson, Jr., “Studies in Romans: Part VII: The Jews and the Oracles of God,” BSac 130 [1973]: 245); (3) perhaps the most widespread interpretation sees the term as referring to the entire OT generally.

[9:4]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “of whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[9:4]  ⁸¹ tn The Greek term υἱοθεσία (Juioqesia) was originally a legal technical term for adoption as a son with full rights of inheritance. BDAG 1024 s.v. notes, “a legal t.t. of ‘adoption’ of children, in our lit., i.e. in Paul, only in a transferred sense of a transcendent filial relationship between God and humans (with the legal aspect, not gender specificity, as major semantic component).” Although some modern translations remove the filial sense completely and render the term merely “adoption” (cf. NAB, ESV), the retention of this component of meaning was accomplished in the present translation by the phrase “as sons.”

[9:4]  ⁸² tn Or “cultic service.”

[9:5]  ⁸³ tn Grk “of whom are the fathers.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[9:5]  ⁸⁴ tn Grk “from whom.” Here the relative pronoun has been replaced by a personal pronoun.

[9:5]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “according to the flesh.”

[9:5]  ⁸⁶ tn Or “Messiah.” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed.”)

[9:5]  ⁸⁷ tn Or “the Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever,” or “the Messiah. God who is over all be blessed forever!” or “the Messiah who is over all. God be blessed forever!” The translational difficulty here is not text-critical in nature, but is a problem of punctuation. Since the genre of these opening verses of Romans 9 is a lament, it is probably best to take this as an affirmation of Christ’s deity (as the text renders it). Although the other renderings are possible, to see a note of praise to God at the end of this section seems strangely out of place. But for Paul to bring his lament to a crescendo (that is to say, his kinsmen had rejected God come in the flesh), thereby deepening his anguish, is wholly appropriate. This is also supported grammatically and stylistically: The phrase ὁ ὢν (Jo wn, “the one who is”) is most naturally taken as a phrase which modifies something in the preceding context, and Paul’s doxologies are always closely tied to the preceding context. For a detailed examination of this verse, see B. M. Metzger, “The Punctuation of Rom. 9:5,” Christ and the Spirit in the New Testament, 95-112; and M. J. Harris, Jesus as God, 144-72.