Jeremiah 12:6

12:6 As a matter of fact, ¹  even your own brothers

and the members of your own family have betrayed you too.

Even they have plotted to do away with you. ² 

So do not trust them even when they say kind things ³  to you.

Psalms 12:2-3

12:2 People lie to one another; ⁴ 

they flatter and deceive. ⁵ 

12:3 May the Lord cut off ⁶  all flattering lips,

and the tongue that boasts! ⁷ 

Psalms 55:11-12

55:11 Disaster is within it;

violence ⁸  and deceit do not depart from its public square.

55:12 Indeed, ⁹  it is not an enemy who insults me,

or else I could bear it;

it is not one who hates me who arrogantly taunts me, ¹⁰ 

or else I could hide from him.

Proverbs 26:24-25

26:24 The one who hates others disguises ¹¹  it with his lips,

but he stores up ¹²  deceit within him. ¹³ 

26:25 When ¹⁴  he speaks graciously, ¹⁵  do not believe him, ¹⁶ 

for there are seven ¹⁷  abominations ¹⁸  within him.

Micah 7:5-6

7:5 Do not rely on a friend;

do not trust a companion!

Don’t even share secrets with the one who lies in your arms! ¹⁹ 

7:6 For a son thinks his father is a fool,

a daughter challenges ²⁰  her mother,

and a daughter-in-law her mother-in-law;

a man’s enemies are his own servants. ²¹ 

Matthew 10:17

10:17 Beware ²²  of people, because they will hand you over to councils ²³  and flog ²⁴  you in their synagogues. ²⁵ 

Matthew 10:21

10:21 “Brother ²⁶  will hand over brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against ²⁷  parents and have them put to death.

Matthew 10:34-35

Not Peace, but a Sword

10:34 “Do not think that I have come to bring ²⁸  peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace but a sword. 10:35 For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law,

Luke 21:16

21:16 You will be betrayed even by parents, ²⁹  brothers, relatives, ³⁰  and friends, and they will have some of you put to death.

[12:6]  ¹ tn This is an attempt to give some contextual sense to the particle “for, indeed” (כִּי, ki).

[12:6]  ² tn Heb “they have called after you fully”; or “have lifted up loud voices against you.” The word “against” does not seem quite adequate for the preposition “after.” The preposition “against” would be Hebrew עַל (’al). The idea appears to be that they are chasing after him, raising their voices along with those of the conspirators to have him killed.

[12:6]  ³ tn Heb “good things.” See BDB 373 s.v. II טוֹב 2 for this nuance and compare Prov 12:25 for usage.

[12:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “falsehood they speak, a man with his neighbor.” The imperfect verb forms in v. 2 describe what is typical in the psalmist’s experience.

[12:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “[with] a lip of smoothness, with a heart and a heart they speak.” Speaking a “smooth” word refers to deceptive flattery (cf. Ps 5:9; 55:21; Prov 2:16; 5:3; 7:5, 21; 26:28; 28:23; Isa 30:10). “Heart” here refers to their mind, from which their motives and intentions originate. The repetition of the noun indicates diversity (see GKC 396 §123.f, IBHS 116 §7.2.3c, and Deut 25:13, where the phrase “weight and a weight” refers to two different measuring weights). These people have two different types of “hearts.” Their flattering words seem to express kind motives and intentions, but this outward display does not really reflect their true motives. Their real “heart” is filled with evil thoughts and destructive intentions. The “heart” that is seemingly displayed through their words is far different from the real “heart” they keep disguised. (For the idea see Ps 28:3.) In 1 Chr 12:33 the phrase “without a heart and a heart” means “undivided loyalty.”

[12:3]  ⁶ tn The verb form is a jussive, indicating that the statement is imprecatory (“May the Lord cut off”), not indicative (“The Lord will cut off”; see also Ps 109:15 and Mal 2:12). The psalmist appeals to God to destroy the wicked, rather than simply stating his confidence that he will. In this way he seeks to activate divine judgment by appealing to God’s just character. For an example of the power of such a curse, see Judg 9:7-57.

[12:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “a tongue speaking great [things].”

[55:11]  ⁸ tn Or “injury, harm.”

[55:12]  ⁹ tn Or “for.”

[55:12]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “[who] magnifies against me.” See Pss 35:26; 38:16.

[26:24]  ¹¹ tn The Niphal imperfect from נָכַר (nakhar) means “to act [or, treat] as a foreigner [or, stranger]; to misconstrue; to disguise.” The direct object (“it”) is not present in the Hebrew text but is implied. In this passage it means that the hater speaks what is “foreign” to his thought; in other words, he dissembles.

[26:24]  ¹² tn Or “places; puts; lays up” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB).

[26:24]  ¹³ tn Heb “within him” (so KJV, ASV) or “in his midst”; NAB “in his inmost being.”

[26:25]  ¹⁴ tn The particle כִּי (ki) is here interpreted with a temporal nuance. It is also possible that it could be read as concessive (so NIV, NLT “Though”).

[26:25]  ¹⁵ tn The meaning of the rare Piel form of חָנַן (khanan) is “to make gracious; to make favorable.” The subject is קוֹלוֹ (qolo, “his voice”), a metonymy of cause for what he says. The idea is that what he says is very gracious in its content and its effect.

[26:25]  ¹⁶ sn It may be that the placing of this proverb in this setting is designed to point out that the person speaking graciously is this wicked person who conceals an evil heart. Otherwise it may have in mind a person who has already proven untrustworthy but protests in order to conceal his plans. But even if that were not the connection, the proverb would still warn the disciple not to believe someone just because it sounded wonderful. It will take great discernment to know if there is sincerity behind the person’s words.

[26:25]  ¹⁷ sn The number “seven” is used in scripture as the complete number. In this passage it is not intended to be literally seven; rather, the expression means that there is complete or total abomination in his heart. Cf. TEV “his heart is filled to the brim with hate.”

[26:25]  ¹⁸ sn “Abomination” means something that is loathed. This is a description applied by the writer, for the hypocritical person would not refer to his plans this way.

[7:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “from the one who lies in your arms, guard the doors of your mouth.”

[7:6]  ²⁰ tn Heb “rises up against.”

[7:6]  ²¹ tn Heb “the enemies of a man are the men of his house.”

[10:17]  ²² tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[10:17]  ²³ sn Councils in this context refers to local judicial bodies attached to the Jewish synagogue. This group would be responsible for meting out justice and discipline within the Jewish community.

[10:17]  ²⁴ tn BDAG 620 s.v. μαστιγόω 1.a states, “of flogging as a punishment decreed by the synagogue (Dt 25:2f; s. the Mishna Tractate Sanhedrin-Makkoth, edited w. notes by SKrauss ’33) w. acc. of pers. Mt 10:17; 23:34.”

[10:17]  ²⁵ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.

[10:21]  ²⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[10:21]  ²⁷ tn Or “will rebel against.”

[10:34]  ²⁸ tn Grk “cast.” For βάλλω (ballw) in the sense of causing a state or condition, see L&N 13.14.

[21:16]  ²⁹ sn To confess Christ might well mean rejection by one’s own family, even by parents.

[21:16]  ³⁰ tn Grk “and brothers and relatives,” but καί (kai) has not been translated twice here since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.