Discovery BoxJeremiah 5:28
Context5:28 That is how 1 they have grown fat and sleek. 2
There is no limit to the evil things they do. 3
They do not plead the cause of the fatherless in such a way as to win it.
They do not defend the rights of the poor.
Job 12:6
Context12:6 But 4 the tents of robbers are peaceful,
and those who provoke God are confident 5 –
who carry their god in their hands. 6
Job 21:7-15
Context21:7 “Why do the wicked go on living, 7
grow old, 8 even increase in power?
21:8 Their children 9 are firmly established
in their presence, 10
their offspring before their eyes.
21:9 Their houses are safe 11 and without fear; 12
and no rod of punishment 13 from God is upon them. 14
21:10 Their bulls 15 breed 16 without fail; 17
their cows calve and do not miscarry.
21:11 They allow their children to run 18 like a flock;
their little ones dance about.
21:12 They sing 19 to the accompaniment of tambourine and harp,
and make merry to the sound of the flute.
21:13 They live out 20 their years in prosperity
and go down 21 to the grave 22 in peace.
21:14 So they say to God, ‘Turn away from us!
We do not want to 23 know your ways. 24
21:15 Who is the Almighty, that 25 we should serve him?
What would we gain
if we were to pray 26 to him?’ 27
Psalms 37:1
ContextBy David.
37:1 Do not fret 29 when wicked men seem to succeed! 30
Do not envy evildoers!
Psalms 37:35
Context37:35 I have seen ruthless evil men 31
growing in influence, like a green tree grows in its native soil. 32
Psalms 73:3-28
Context73:3 For I envied those who are proud,
as I observed 33 the prosperity 34 of the wicked.
73:4 For they suffer no pain; 35
their bodies 36 are strong and well-fed. 37
73:5 They are immune to the trouble common to men;
they do not suffer as other men do. 38
73:6 Arrogance is their necklace, 39
and violence their clothing. 40
73:7 Their prosperity causes them to do wrong; 41
their thoughts are sinful. 42
73:8 They mock 43 and say evil things; 44
they proudly threaten violence. 45
73:9 They speak as if they rule in heaven,
and lay claim to the earth. 46
73:10 Therefore they have more than enough food to eat,
and even suck up the water of the sea. 47
73:11 They say, “How does God know what we do?
Is the sovereign one aware of what goes on?” 48
73:12 Take a good look! This is what the wicked are like, 49
those who always have it so easy and get richer and richer. 50
73:13 I concluded, 51 “Surely in vain I have kept my motives 52 pure
and maintained a pure lifestyle. 53
73:14 I suffer all day long,
and am punished every morning.”
73:15 If I had publicized these thoughts, 54
I would have betrayed your loyal followers. 55
73:16 When I tried to make sense of this,
it was troubling to me. 56
73:17 Then I entered the precincts of God’s temple, 57
and understood the destiny of the wicked. 58
73:18 Surely 59 you put them in slippery places;
you bring them down 60 to ruin.
73:19 How desolate they become in a mere moment!
Terrifying judgments make their demise complete! 61
73:20 They are like a dream after one wakes up. 62
O Lord, when you awake 63 you will despise them. 64
73:21 Yes, 65 my spirit was bitter, 66
and my insides felt sharp pain. 67
73:22 I was ignorant 68 and lacked insight; 69
I was as senseless as an animal before you. 70
73:23 But I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
73:24 You guide 71 me by your wise advice,
and then you will lead me to a position of honor. 72
73:25 Whom do I have in heaven but you?
I desire no one but you on earth. 73
73:26 My flesh and my heart may grow weak, 74
but God always 75 protects my heart and gives me stability. 76
73:27 Yes, 77 look! Those far from you 78 die;
you destroy everyone who is unfaithful to you. 79
73:28 But as for me, God’s presence is all I need. 80
I have made the sovereign Lord my shelter,
as 81 I declare all the things you have done.
Psalms 92:7
Context92:7 When the wicked sprout up like grass,
and all the evildoers glisten, 82
it is so that they may be annihilated. 83
Psalms 94:3-4
Context94:3 O Lord, how long will the wicked,
how long will the wicked celebrate? 84
94:4 They spew out threats 85 and speak defiantly;
all the evildoers boast. 86
Proverbs 1:32
Context1:32 For the waywardness 87 of the
simpletons will kill 88 them,
and the careless ease 89 of fools will destroy them.
Habakkuk 1:4
Context1:4 For this reason the law lacks power, 90
and justice is never carried out. 91
Indeed, 92 the wicked intimidate 93 the innocent. 94
For this reason justice is perverted. 95
Malachi 3:15
Context3:15 So now we consider the arrogant to be happy; indeed, those who practice evil are successful. 96 In fact, those who challenge 97 God escape!’”
[5:28] 1 tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to show that this line is parallel with the preceding.
[5:28] 2 tn The meaning of this word is uncertain. This verb occurs only here. The lexicons generally relate it to the word translated “plate” in Song 5:14 and understand it to mean “smooth, shiny” (so BDB 799 s.v. I עֶשֶׁת) or “fat” (so HALOT 850 s.v. II עֶשֶׁת). The word in Song 5:14 more likely means “smooth” than “plate” (so TEV). So “sleek” is most likely here.
[5:28] 3 tn Heb “they cross over/transgress with respect to matters of evil.”
[12:6] 4 tn The verse gives the other side of the coin now, the fact that the wicked prosper.
[12:6] 5 tn The plural is used to suggest the supreme degree of arrogant confidence (E. Dhorme, Job, 171).
[12:6] 6 sn The line is perhaps best understood as describing one who thinks he is invested with the power of God.
[21:7] 7 sn A. B. Davidson (Job, 154) clarifies that Job’s question is of a universal scope. In the government of God, why do the wicked exist at all? The verb could be translated “continue to live.”
[21:7] 8 tn The verb עָתַק (’ataq) means “to move; to proceed; to advance.” Here it is “to advance in years” or “to grow old.” This clause could serve as an independent clause, a separate sentence; but it more likely continues the question of the first colon and is parallel to the verb “live.”
[21:8] 10 tn The text uses לִפְנֵיהֶם עִמָּם (lifnehem ’immam, “before them, with them”). Many editors think that these were alternative readings, and so omit one or the other. Dhorme moved עִמָּם (’immam) to the second half of the verse and emended it to read עֹמְדִים (’omÿdim, “abide”). Kissane and Gordis changed only the vowels and came up with עַמָּם (’ammam, “their kinfolk”). But Gordis thinks the presence of both of them in the line is evidence of a conflated reading (p. 229).
[21:9] 11 tn The word שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace, safety”) is here a substantive after a plural subject (see GKC 452 §141.c, n. 3).
[21:9] 12 tn The form מִפָּחַד (mippakhad) is translated “without fear,” literally “from fear”; the preposition is similar to the alpha privative in Greek. The word “fear, dread” means nothing that causes fear or dread – they are peaceful, secure. See GKC 382 §119.w.
[21:9] 13 tn Heb “no rod of God.” The words “punishment from” have been supplied in the translation to make the metaphor understandable for the modern reader by stating the purpose of the rod.
[21:9] 14 sn In 9:34 Job was complaining that there was no umpire to remove God’s rod from him, but here he observes no such rod is on the wicked.
[21:10] 15 tn Heb “his bull,” but it is meant to signify the bulls of the wicked.
[21:10] 16 tn The verb used here means “to impregnate,” and not to be confused with the verb עָבַר (’avar, “to pass over”).
[21:10] 17 tn The use of the verb גָּעַר (ga’ar) in this place is interesting. It means “to rebuke; to abhor; to loathe.” In the causative stem it means “to occasion impurity” or “to reject as loathsome.” The rabbinic interpretation is that it does not emit semen in vain, and so the meaning is it does not fail to breed (see E. Dhorme, Job, 311; R. Gordis, Job, 229).
[21:11] 18 tn The verb שָׁלַח (shalakh) means “to send forth,” but in the Piel “to release; to allow to run free.” The picture of children frolicking in the fields and singing and dancing is symbolic of peaceful, prosperous times.
[21:12] 19 tn The verb is simply “they take up [or lift up],” but the understood object is “their voices,” and so it means “they sing.”
[21:13] 20 tc The Kethib has “they wear out” but the Qere and the versions have יְכַלּוּ (yÿkhallu, “bring to an end”). The verb כָּלָה (kalah) means “to finish; to complete,” and here with the object “their days,” it means that they bring their life to a (successful) conclusion. Both readings are acceptable in the context, with very little difference in the overall meaning (which according to Gordis is proof the Qere does not always correct the Kethib).
[21:13] 21 tc The MT has יֵחָתּוּ (yekhattu, “they are frightened [or broken]”), taking the verb from חָתַת (khatat, “be terrified”). But most would slightly repoint it to יֵחָתוּ (yekhatu), an Aramaism, “they go down,” from נָחַת (nakhat, “go down”). See Job 17:16.
[21:13] 22 tn The word רֶגַע (rega’) has been interpreted as “in a moment” or “in peace” (on the basis of Arabic raja`a, “return to rest”). Gordis thinks this is a case of talhin – both meanings present in the mind of the writer.
[21:14] 23 tn The absence of the preposition before the complement adds greater vividness to the statement: “and knowing your ways – we do not desire.”
[21:14] 24 sn Contrast Ps 25:4, which affirms that walking in God’s ways means to obey God’s will – the Torah.
[21:15] 25 tn The interrogative clause is followed by ki, similar to Exod 5:2, “Who is Yahweh, that I should obey him?”
[21:15] 26 tn The verb פָּגַע (paga’) means “to encounter; to meet,” but also “to meet with request; to intercede; to interpose.” The latter meaning is a derived meaning by usage.
[21:15] 27 tn The verse is not present in the LXX. It may be that it was considered too blasphemous and therefore omitted.
[37:1] 28 sn Psalm 37. The psalmist urges his audience not to envy the wicked, but to trust in and obey the Lord, for he will destroy sinners and preserve the godly. When the smoke of judgment clears, the wicked will be gone, but the godly will remain and inherit God’s promised blessings. The psalm is an acrostic; every other verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
[37:1] 29 tn The verb form is singular (see vv. 3-10 as well, where the second person verbs and pronouns are also singular). The psalmist’s exhortation has a wisdom flavor to it; it is personalized for each member of his audience.
[37:1] 30 tn Heb “over sinners.” The context indicates that the psalmist has in mind the apparent power and success of sinners. See v. 7b.
[37:35] 31 tn The Hebrew uses the representative singular again here.
[37:35] 32 tn Heb “being exposed [?] like a native, luxuriant.” The Hebrew form מִתְעָרֶה (mit’areh) appears to be a Hitpael participle from עָרָה (’arah, “be exposed”), but this makes no sense in this context. Perhaps the form is a dialectal variant of מִתְעָלָה (“giving oneself an air of importance”; see Jer 51:3), from עָלָה (’alah, “go up”; see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 296). The noun אֶזְרָח (’ezrakh, “native, full citizen”) refers elsewhere to people, but here, where it is collocated with “luxuriant, green,” it probably refers to a tree growing in native soil.
[73:3] 33 tn The imperfect verbal form here depicts the action as continuing in a past time frame.
[73:3] 34 tn Heb “peace” (שָׁלוֹם, shalom).
[73:4] 35 tn In Isa 58:6, the only other occurrence of this word in the OT, the term refers to “bonds” or “ropes.” In Ps 73:4 it is used metaphorically of pain and suffering that restricts one’s enjoyment of life.
[73:4] 37 tc Or “fat.” The MT of v. 4 reads as follows: “for there are no pains at their death, and fat [is] their body.” Since a reference to the death of the wicked seems incongruous in the immediate context (note v. 5) and premature in the argument of the psalm (see vv. 18-20, 27), some prefer to emend the text by redividing it. The term לְמוֹתָם (lÿmotam,“at their death”) is changed to לָמוֹ תָּם (lamo tam, “[there are no pains] to them, strong [and fat are their bodies]”). The term תָּם (tam, “complete; sound”) is used of physical beauty in Song 5:2; 6:9. This emendation is the basis for the present translation. However, in defense of the MT (the traditional Hebrew text), one may point to an Aramaic inscription from Nerab which views a painful death as a curse and a nonpainful death in one’s old age as a sign of divine favor. See ANET 661.
[73:5] 38 tn Heb “in the trouble of man they are not, and with mankind they are not afflicted.”
[73:6] 39 sn Arrogance is their necklace. The metaphor suggests that their arrogance is something the wicked “wear” proudly. It draws attention to them, just as a beautiful necklace does to its owner.
[73:6] 40 tn Heb “a garment of violence covers them.” The metaphor suggests that violence is habitual for the wicked. They “wear” it like clothing; when one looks at them, violence is what one sees.
[73:7] 41 tc The MT reads “it goes out from fatness their eye,” which might be paraphrased, “their eye protrudes [or “bulges”] because of fatness.” This in turn might refer to their greed; their eyes “bug out” when they see rich food or produce (the noun חֵלֶב [khelev, “fatness”] sometimes refers to such food or produce). However, when used with the verb יָצָא (yatsa’, “go out”) the preposition מִן (“from”) more naturally indicates source. For this reason it is preferable to emend עֵינֵמוֹ (’enemo, “their eye”) to עֲוֹנָמוֹ, (’avonamo, “their sin”) and read, “and their sin proceeds forth from fatness,” that is, their prosperity gives rise to their sinful attitudes. If one follows this textual reading, another interpretive option is to take חֵלֶב (“fatness”) in the sense of “unreceptive, insensitive” (see its use in Ps 17:10). In this case, the sin of the wicked proceeds forth from their spiritual insensitivity.
[73:7] 42 tn Heb “the thoughts of [their] heart [i.e., mind] cross over” (i.e., violate God’s moral boundary, see Ps 17:3).
[73:8] 43 tn The verb מוּק (muq, “mock”) occurs only here in the OT.
[73:8] 44 tn Heb “and speak with evil.”
[73:8] 45 tn Heb “oppression from an elevated place they speak.” The traditional accentuation of the MT places “oppression” with the preceding line. In this case, one might translate, “they mock and speak with evil [of] oppression, from an elevated place [i.e., “proudly”] they speak.” By placing “oppression” with what follows, one achieves better poetic balance in the parallelism.
[73:9] 46 tn Heb “they set in heaven their mouth, and their tongue walks through the earth.” The meaning of the text is uncertain. Perhaps the idea is that they lay claim to heaven (i.e., speak as if they were ruling in heaven) and move through the earth declaring their superiority and exerting their influence. Some take the preposition -בְּ (bet) the first line as adversative and translate, “they set their mouth against heaven,” that is, they defy God.
[73:10] 47 tc Heb “therefore his people return [so Qere (marginal reading); Kethib (consonantal text) has “he brings back”] to here, and waters of abundance are sucked up by them.” The traditional Hebrew text (MT) defies explanation. The present translation reflects M. Dahood’s proposed emendations (Psalms [AB], 2:190) and reads the Hebrew text as follows: לָכֵן יִשְׂבְעוּם לֶחֶם וּמֵי מָלֵא יָמֹצּוּ לָמוֹ (“therefore they are filled with food, and waters of abundance they suck up for themselves”). The reading יִשְׂבְעוּם לֶחֶם (yisvÿ’um lekhem, “they are filled with food”) assumes (1) an emendation of יָשׁיּב עַמּוֹ (yashyyv, “he will bring back his people”) to יִשְׂבְעוּם (yisvÿ’um, “they will be filled”; a Qal imperfect third masculine plural form from שָׂבַע [sava’] with enclitic mem [ם]), and (2) an emendation of הֲלֹם (halom, “to here”) to לֶחֶם (“food”). The expression “be filled/fill with food” appears elsewhere at least ten times (see Ps 132:15, for example). In the second line the Niphal form יִמָּצוּ (yimmatsu, derived from מָצָה, matsah, “drain”) is emended to a Qal form יָמֹצּוּ (yamotsu), derived from מָצַץ (matsats, “to suck”). In Isa 66:11 the verbs שָׂבַע (sava’; proposed in Ps 73:10a) and מָצַץ (proposed in Ps 73:10b) are parallel. The point of the emended text is this: Because they are seemingly sovereign (v. 9), they become greedy and grab up everything they need and more.
[73:11] 48 tn Heb “How does God know? Is there knowledge with the Most High?” They appear to be practical atheists, who acknowledge God’s existence and sovereignty in theory, but deny his involvement in the world (see Pss 10:4, 11; 14:1).
[73:12] 49 tn Heb “Look, these [are] the wicked.”
[73:12] 50 tn Heb “the ones who are always at ease [who] increase wealth.”
[73:13] 51 tn The words “I concluded” are supplied in the translation. It is apparent that vv. 13-14 reflect the psalmist’s thoughts at an earlier time (see vv. 2-3), prior to the spiritual awakening he describes in vv. 17-28.
[73:13] 52 tn Heb “heart,” viewed here as the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.
[73:13] 53 tn Heb “and washed my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image from cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The reference to “hands” suggests actions.
[73:15] 54 tn Heb “If I had said, ‘I will speak out like this.’”
[73:15] 55 tn Heb “look, the generation of your sons I would have betrayed.” The phrase “generation of your [i.e., God’s] sons” occurs only here in the OT. Some equate the phrase with “generation of the godly” (Ps 14:5), “generation of the ones seeking him” (Ps 24:6), and “generation of the upright” (Ps 112:2). In Deut 14:1 the Israelites are referred to as God’s “sons.” Perhaps the psalmist refers here to those who are “Israelites” in the true sense because of their loyalty to God (note the juxtaposition of “Israel” with “the pure in heart” in v. 1).
[73:16] 56 tn Heb “and [when] I pondered to understand this, troubling it [was] in my eyes.”
[73:17] 57 tn The plural of the term מִקְדָּשׁ (miqdash) probably refers to the temple precincts (see Ps 68:35; Jer 51:51).
[73:17] 58 tn Heb “I discerned their end.” At the temple the psalmist perhaps received an oracle of deliverance announcing his vindication and the demise of the wicked (see Ps 12) or heard songs of confidence (for example, Ps 11), wisdom psalms (for example, Pss 1, 37), and hymns (for example, Ps 112) that describe the eventual downfall of the proud and wealthy.
[73:18] 59 tn The use of the Hebrew term אַךְ (’akh, “surely”) here literarily counteracts its use in v. 13. The repetition draws attention to the contrast between the two statements, the first of which expresses the psalmist’s earlier despair and the second his newly discovered confidence.
[73:18] 60 tn Heb “cause them to fall.”
[73:19] 61 tn Heb “they come to an end, they are finished, from terrors.”
[73:20] 62 tn Heb “like a dream from awakening.” They lack any real substance; their prosperity will last for only a brief time.
[73:20] 63 sn When you awake. The psalmist compares God’s inactivity to sleep and the time of God’s judgment to his awakening from sleep.
[73:20] 64 tn Heb “you will despise their form.” The Hebrew term צֶלֶם (tselem, “form; image”) also suggests their short-lived nature. Rather than having real substance, they are like the mere images that populate one’s dreams. Note the similar use of the term in Ps 39:6.
[73:21] 65 tn Or perhaps “when.”
[73:21] 66 tn The imperfect verbal form here describes a continuing attitude in a past time frame.
[73:21] 67 tn Heb “and [in] my kidneys I was pierced.” The imperfect verbal form here describes a continuing condition in a past time frame.
[73:22] 68 tn Or “brutish, stupid.”
[73:22] 69 tn Heb “and I was not knowing.”
[73:22] 70 tn Heb “an animal I was with you.”
[73:24] 71 tn The imperfect verbal form here suggests this is the psalmist’s ongoing experience.
[73:24] 72 tn Heb “and afterward [to] glory you will take me.” Some interpreters view this as the psalmist’s confidence in an afterlife in God’s presence and understand כָּבוֹד (cavod) as a metonymic reference to God’s presence in heaven. But this seems unlikely in the present context. The psalmist anticipates a time of vindication, when the wicked are destroyed and he is honored by God for his godly life style. The verb לָקַח (laqakh, “take”) here carries the nuance “lead, guide, conduct,” as in Num 23:14, 27-28; Josh 24:3 and Prov 24:11.
[73:25] 73 tn Heb “Who [is there] for me in heaven? And besides you I do not desire [anyone] in the earth.” The psalmist uses a merism (heaven/earth) to emphasize that God is the sole object of his desire and worship in the entire universe.
[73:26] 74 tn The Hebrew verb כָלָה (khalah, “to fail; to grow weak”) does not refer here to physical death per se, but to the physical weakness that sometimes precedes death (see Job 33:21; Pss 71:9; 143:7; Prov 5:11).
[73:26] 76 tn Heb “is the rocky summit of my heart and my portion.” The psalmist compares the
[73:27] 78 sn The following line defines the phrase far from you in a spiritual sense. Those “far” from God are those who are unfaithful and disloyal to him.
[73:27] 79 tn Heb “everyone who commits adultery from you.”
[73:28] 80 tn Heb “but as for me, the nearness of God for me [is] good.”
[73:28] 81 tn The infinitive construct with -לְ (lÿ) is understood here as indicating an attendant circumstance. Another option is to take it as indicating purpose (“so that I might declare”) or result (“with the result that I declare”).
[92:7] 83 tn Heb “in order that they might be destroyed permanently.”
[94:4] 85 tn Heb “they gush forth [words].”
[94:4] 86 tn The Hitpael of אָמַר (’amar) occurs only here (and perhaps in Isa 61:6).
[1:32] 87 tn Heb “turning away” (so KJV). The term מְשׁוּבַת (mÿshuvat, “turning away”) refers to moral defection and apostasy (BDB 1000 s.v.; cf. ASV “backsliding”). The noun מְשׁוּבַת (“turning away”) which appears at the end of Wisdom’s speech in 1:32 is from the same root as the verb תָּשׁוּבוּ (tashuvu, “turn!”) which appears at the beginning of this speech in 1:23. This repetition of the root שׁוּב (shuv, “to turn”) creates a wordplay: Because fools refuse to “turn to” wisdom (1:23), they will be destroyed by their “turning away” from wisdom (1:32). The wordplay highlights the poetic justice of their judgment. But here they have never embraced the teaching in the first place; so it means turning from the advice as opposed to turning to it.
[1:32] 88 sn The Hebrew verb “to kill” (הָרַג, harag) is the end of the naive who refuse to change. The word is broad enough to include murder, massacre, killing in battle, and execution. Here it is judicial execution by God, using their own foolish choices as the means to ruin.
[1:32] 89 tn Heb “complacency” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “smugness.” The noun שַׁלְוַה (shalvah) means (1) positively: “quietness; peace; ease” and (2) negatively: “self-sufficiency; complacency; careless security” (BDB 1017 s.v.), which is the sense here. It is “repose gained by ignoring or neglecting the serious responsibilities of life” (C. H. Toy, Proverbs [ICC], 29).
[1:4] 90 tn Heb “the law is numb,” i.e., like a hand that has “fallen asleep” (see Ps 77:2). Cf. NAB “is benumbed”; NIV “is paralyzed.”
[1:4] 91 tn Heb “never goes out.”
[1:4] 93 tn Heb “surround” (so NASB, NRSV).
[1:4] 94 tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[1:4] 95 tn Heb “comes out crooked.”
[3:15] 96 tn Heb “built up” (so NASB); NIV, NRSV “prosper”; NLT “get rich.”
