Isaiah 59:19

59:19 In the west, people respect ¹  the Lord’s reputation; ² 

in the east they recognize his splendor. ³ 

For he comes like a rushing ⁴  stream

driven on by wind sent from the Lord. ⁵ 

Genesis 49:10

49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, ⁶ 

until he comes to whom it belongs; ⁷ 

the nations will obey him. ⁸ 

John 3:14-15

3:14 Just as ⁹  Moses lifted up the serpent ¹⁰  in the wilderness, ¹¹  so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹²  3:15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” ¹³ 

John 12:32

12:32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people ¹⁴  to myself.”

[59:19]  ¹ tc Heb “fear.” A few medieval Hebrew mss read “see.”

[59:19]  ² tn Heb “and they fear from the west the name of the Lord.”

[59:19]  ³ tn Heb “and from the rising of the sun his splendor.”

[59:19]  ⁴ tn Heb “narrow”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “pent-up.”

[59:19]  ⁵ tn Heb “the wind of the Lord drives it on.” The term רוּחַ (ruakh) could be translated “breath” here (see 30:28).

[49:10]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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.

[3:14]  ⁹ tn Grk “And just as.”

[3:14]  ¹⁰ sn Or the snake, referring to the bronze serpent mentioned in Num 21:9.

[3:14]  ¹¹ sn An allusion to Num 21:5-9.

[3:14]  ¹² sn So must the Son of Man be lifted up. This is ultimately a prediction of Jesus’ crucifixion. Nicodemus could not have understood this, but John’s readers, the audience to whom the Gospel is addressed, certainly could have (compare the wording of John 12:32). In John, being lifted up refers to one continuous action of ascent, beginning with the cross but ending at the right hand of the Father. Step 1 is Jesus’ death; step 2 is his resurrection; and step 3 is the ascension back to heaven. It is the upward swing of the “pendulum” which began with the incarnation, the descent of the Word become flesh from heaven to earth (cf. Paul in Phil 2:5-11). See also the note on the title Son of Man in 1:51.

[3:15]  ¹³ tn This is the first use of the term ζωὴν αἰώνιον (zwhn aiwnion) in the Gospel, although ζωή (zwh) in chap. 1 is to be understood in the same way without the qualifying αἰώνιος (aiwnios).

[12:32]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “all.” The word “people” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for stylistic reasons and for clarity (cf. KJV “all men”).