Isaiah 64:8

64:8 Yet, ¹  Lord, you are our father.

We are the clay, and you are our potter;

we are all the product of your labor. ² 

Exodus 4:22

4:22 You must say ³  to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says ⁴  the Lord, “Israel is my son, my firstborn, ⁵ 

Deuteronomy 32:6

32:6 Is this how you repay ⁶  the Lord,

you foolish, unwise people?

Is he not your father, your creator?

He has made you and established you.

Deuteronomy 32:1

Invocation of Witnesses

32:1 Listen, O heavens, and I will speak;

hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

Deuteronomy 29:10

29:10 You are standing today, all of you, before the Lord your God – the heads of your tribes, ⁷  your elders, your officials, every Israelite man,

Jeremiah 3:19

3:19 “I thought to myself, ⁸ 

‘Oh what a joy it would be for me to treat you like a son! ⁹ 

What a joy it would be for me to give ¹⁰  you a pleasant land,

the most beautiful piece of property there is in all the world!’ ¹¹ 

I thought you would call me, ‘Father’ ¹² 

and would never cease being loyal to me. ¹³ 

Jeremiah 31:9

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

I will bring them back praying prayers of repentance. ¹⁴ 

I will lead them besides streams of water,

along smooth paths where they will never stumble. ¹⁵ 

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

Ephraim ¹⁶  is my firstborn son.’”

Malachi 1:6

The Sacrilege of Priestly Service

1:6 “A son naturally honors his father and a slave respects ¹⁷  his master. If I am your ¹⁸  father, where is my honor? If I am your master, where is my respect? The Lord who rules over all asks you this, you priests who make light of my name! But you reply, ‘How have we made light of your name?’

Malachi 2:10

The Rebellion of the People

2:10 Do we not all have one father? ¹⁹  Did not one God create us? Why do we betray one another, in this way making light of the covenant of our ancestors?

Matthew 6:9

6:9 So pray this way: ²⁰ 

Our Father ²¹  in heaven, may your name be honored, ²² 

[64:8]  ¹ tn On the force of וְעַתָּה (vÿ’attah) here, see HALOT 902 s.v. עַתָּה.

[64:8]  ² tn Heb “the work of your hand.”

[4:22]  ³ tn The sequence of the instruction from God uses the perfect tense with vav (ו), following the preceding imperfects.

[4:22]  ⁴ tn The instantaneous use of the perfect tense fits well with the prophetic announcement of what Yahweh said or says. It shows that the words given to the prophet are still binding.

[4:22]  ⁵ sn The metaphor uses the word “son” in its connotation of a political dependent, as it was used in ancient documents to describe what was intended to be a loyal relationship with well-known privileges and responsibilities, like that between a good father and son. The word can mean a literal son, a descendant, a chosen king (and so, the Messiah), a disciple (in Proverbs), and here, a nation subject to God. If the people of Israel were God’s “son,” then they should serve him and not Pharaoh. Malachi reminds people that the Law said “a son honors his father,” and so God asked, “If I am a father, where is my honor?” (Mal 1:6).

[32:6]  ⁶ tn Or “treat” (TEV).

[29:10]  ⁷ tc Heb “your heads, your tribes.” The Syriac presupposes either “heads of your tribes” or “your heads, your judges,” etc. (reading שֹׁפְטֵכֶם [shofÿtekhem] for שִׁבְטֵיכֶם [shivtekhem]). Its comparative difficulty favors the originality of the MT reading. Cf. KJV “your captains of your tribes”; NRSV “the leaders of your tribes”; NLT “your tribal leaders.”

[3:19]  ⁸ tn Heb “I, myself, said.” See note on “I thought that she might come back to me” in 3:7.

[3:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “How I would place you among the sons.” Israel appears to be addressed here contextually as the Lord’s wife (see the next verse). The pronouns of address in the first two lines are second feminine singular as are the readings of the two verbs preferred by the Masoretes (the Qere readings) in the third and fourth lines. The verbs that are written in the text in the third and fourth lines (the Kethib readings) are second masculine plural as is the verb describing Israel’s treachery in the next verse.

[3:19]  ¹⁰ tn The words “What a joy it would be for me to” are not in the Hebrew text but are implied in the parallel structure.

[3:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the most beautiful heritage among the nations.”

[3:19]  ¹² tn Heb “my father.”

[3:19]  ¹³ tn Heb “turn back from [following] after me.”

[31:9]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ 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).

[1:6]  ¹⁷ tn The verb “respects” is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. It is understood by ellipsis (see “honors” in the preceding line).

[1:6]  ¹⁸ tn The pronoun “your” is supplied in the translation for clarification (also a second time before “master” later in this verse).

[2:10]  ¹⁹ sn The rhetorical question Do we not all have one father? by no means teaches the “universal fatherhood of God,” that is, that all people equally are children of God. The reference to the covenant in v. 10 as well as to Israel and Judah (v. 11) makes it clear that the referent of “we” is God’s elect people.

[6:9]  ²⁰ sn Pray this way. What follows, although traditionally known as the Lord’s prayer, is really the disciples’ prayer. It represents how they are to approach God, by acknowledging his uniqueness and their need for his provision and protection.

[6:9]  ²¹ sn God is addressed in terms of intimacy (Father). The original Semitic term here was probably Abba. The term is a little unusual in a personal prayer, especially as it lacks qualification. It is not the exact equivalent of “daddy” (as is sometimes popularly suggested), but it does suggest a close, familial relationship.

[6:9]  ²² tn Grk “hallowed be your name.”