Jeremiah 13:18

13:18 The Lord told me, ¹ 

“Tell the king and the queen mother,

‘Surrender your thrones, ² 

for your glorious crowns

will be removed ³  from your heads. ⁴ 

Jeremiah 19:3

19:3 Say, ‘Listen to what the Lord says, you kings of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem! ⁵  The Lord God of Israel who rules over all ⁶  says, “I will bring a disaster on this place ⁷  that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it ring! ⁸ 

Jeremiah 22:2

22:2 Say: ‘Listen, O king of Judah who follows in David’s succession. ⁹  You, your officials, and your subjects who pass through the gates of this palace must listen to what the Lord says. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 49:1-2

Psalm 49 ¹¹ 

For the music director, a psalm by the Korahites.

49:1 Listen to this, all you nations!

Pay attention, all you inhabitants of the world! ¹² 

49:2 Pay attention, all you people, ¹³ 

both rich and poor!

Ezekiel 2:7

2:7 You must speak my words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious.

Ezekiel 3:17

3:17 “Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman ¹⁴  for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you must give them a warning from me.

Hosea 5:1

Announcement of Sin and Judgment

5:1 Hear this, you priests!

Pay attention, you Israelites! ¹⁵ 

Listen closely, ¹⁶  O king! ¹⁷ 

For judgment is about to overtake you! ¹⁸ 

For you were like a trap ¹⁹  to Mizpah, ²⁰ 

like a net ²¹  spread out to catch Tabor. ²² 

Amos 4:1

4:1 Listen to this message, you cows of Bashan ²³  who live on Mount Samaria!

You ²⁴  oppress the poor;

you crush the needy.

You say to your ²⁵  husbands,

“Bring us more to drink!” ²⁶ 

Micah 3:1

God Will Judge Judah’s Sinful Leaders

3:1 I said,

“Listen, you leaders ²⁷  of Jacob,

you rulers of the nation ²⁸  of Israel!

You ought to know what is just, ²⁹ 

Revelation 2:29

2:29 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

[13:18]  ¹ tn The words “The Lord told me” are not in the text but are implicit in the shift from second plural pronouns in vv. 15-17 to second singular in the Hebrew text of this verse. These words are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[13:18]  ² tn Or “You will come down from your thrones”; Heb “Make low! Sit!” This is a case of a construction where two forms in the same case, mood, or tense are joined in such a way that one (usually the first) is intended as an adverbial or adjectival modifier of the other (a figure called hendiadys). This is also probably a case where the imperative is used to express a distinct assurance or promise. See GKC 324 §110.b and compare the usage in Isa 37:30 and Ps 110:2.

[13:18]  ³ tn Heb “have come down.” The verb here and those in the following verses are further examples of the “as good as done” form of the Hebrew verb (the prophetic perfect).

[13:18]  ⁴ tc The translation follows the common emendation of a word normally meaning “place at the head” (מַרְאֲשׁוֹת [mar’ashot] plus pronoun = מַרְאֲוֹשׁתֵיכֶם [mar’aoshtekhem]) to “from your heads” (מֵרָאשֵׁיכֶם, mera’shekhem) following the ancient versions. The meaning “tiara” is nowhere else attested for this word.

[19:3]  ⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[19:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.”

[19:3]  ⁷ sn Careful comparison of the use of this term throughout this passage and comparison with 7:31-33 which is parallel to several verses in this passage will show that the reference is to the Valley of Ben Hinnom which will become a Valley of Slaughter (see v. 6 and 7:32).

[19:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “which everyone who hears it [or about it] his ears will ring.” This is proverbial for a tremendous disaster. See 1 Sam 3:11; 2 Kgs 21:12 for similar prophecies.

[22:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “who sits on David’s throne.”

[22:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah who sits on the throne of David, you, and your officials and your people who pass through these gates.”

[49:1]  ¹¹ sn Psalm 49. In this so-called wisdom psalm (see v. 3) the psalmist states that he will not fear the rich enemies who threaten him, for despite their wealth, they are mere men who will die like everyone else. The psalmist is confident the Lord will vindicate the godly and protect them from the attacks of their oppressors.

[49:1]  ¹² tn The rare noun חָלֶד (kheled, “world”) occurs in Ps 17:14 and perhaps also in Isa 38:11 (see the note on “world” there).

[49:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “even the sons of mankind, even the sons of man.” Because of the parallel line, where “rich and poor” are mentioned, some treat these expressions as polar opposites, with בְּנֵי אָדָם (bÿney ’adam) referring to the lower classes and בְּנֵי אִישׁ (bÿney ’ish) to higher classes (cf. NIV, NRSV). But usage does not support such a view. The rare phrase בְּנֵי אִישׁ (“sons of man”) appears to refer to human beings in general in its other uses (see Pss 4:2; 62:9; Lam 3:33). It is better to understand “even the sons of mankind” and “even the sons of man” as synonymous expressions (cf. NEB “all mankind, every living man”). The repetition emphasizes the need for all people to pay attention, for the psalmist’s message is relevant to everyone.

[3:17]  ¹⁴ tn The literal role of a watchman is described in 2 Sam 18:24; 2 Kgs 9:17.

[5:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “O house of Israel” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV); NLT “all of Israel’s leaders.”

[5:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Use the ear”; ASV “give ear.”

[5:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “O house of the king” (so KJV); NIV “O royal house.”

[5:1]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “for the judgment is to you”; or “For this accusation is against you.” Cf. NIV “This judgment is against you.”

[5:1]  ¹⁹ sn The noun פַּח (pakh, “trap”) is used (1) literally of a bird-trap, used in similes and metaphors (Amos 3:5; Prov 7:23; Eccl 9:12), and (2) figuratively to refer to (a) calamities and plots (Job 18:9; 22:10; Pss 91:3; 119:110; 124:7; 140:6; 141:9; 142:4; Prov 22:5; Isa 24:17-18; Jer 18:22; 48:43-44; Hos 9:8) and (b) a source of calamity (Josh 23:13; Pss 11:6; 69:23; Isa 8:14; Hos 5:1; BDB 809 s.v. פַּח).

[5:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “you were a trap to Mizpah.”

[5:1]  ²¹ sn The noun רֶשֶׁת (reshet, “net”) is used (1) literally of a net used to catch birds (Prov 1:17) and (2) in figurative descriptions of the wicked plotting to ensnare their victims (Prov 29:5; Pss 9:16; 10:9; 25:15; 31:5; 35:7; 57:7; 140:6; Job 18:8; BDB 440 s.v. רֶשֶׁת).

[5:1]  ²² tn Heb “and a net spread out over Tabor.”

[4:1]  ²³ sn The expression cows of Bashan is used by the prophet to address the wealthy women of Samaria, who demand that their husbands satisfy their cravings. The derogatory language perhaps suggests that they, like the livestock of Bashan, were well fed, ironically in preparation for the coming slaughter. This phrase is sometimes cited to critique the book’s view of women.

[4:1]  ²⁴ tn Heb “the ones who” (three times in this verse).

[4:1]  ²⁵ tn Heb “their.”

[4:1]  ²⁶ sn Some commentators relate this scene to the description of the marzeah feast of 6:3-6, in which drinking played a prominent part (see the note at 6:6).

[3:1]  ²⁷ tn Heb “heads.”

[3:1]  ²⁸ tn Heb “house.”

[3:1]  ²⁹ tn Heb “Should you not know justice?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course you should!”