Jeremiah 6:27

6:27 The Lord said to me, ¹ 

“I have made you like a metal assayer

to test my people like ore. ² 

You are to observe them

and evaluate how they behave.” ³ 

Jeremiah 15:20

15:20 I will make you as strong as a wall to these people,

a fortified wall of bronze.

They will attack you,

but they will not be able to overcome you.

For I will be with you to rescue you and deliver you,” ⁴ 

says the Lord.

Isaiah 50:7

50:7 But the sovereign Lord helps me,

so I am not humiliated.

For that reason I am steadfastly resolved; ⁵ 

I know I will not be put to shame.

Ezekiel 3:8-9

3:8 “I have made your face adamant ⁶  to match their faces, and your forehead hard to match their foreheads. 3:9 I have made your forehead harder than flint – like diamond! ⁷  Do not fear them or be terrified of the looks they give you, ⁸  for they are a rebellious house.”

Micah 3:8-9

3:8 But I ⁹  am full of the courage that the Lord’s Spirit gives,

and have a strong commitment to justice. ¹⁰ 

This enables me to confront Jacob with its rebellion,

and Israel with its sin. ¹¹ 

3:9 Listen to this, you leaders of the family ¹²  of Jacob,

you rulers of the nation ¹³  of Israel!

You ¹⁴  hate justice

and pervert all that is right.

John 1:42

1:42 Andrew brought Simon ¹⁵  to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, the son of John. ¹⁶  You will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter). ¹⁷ 

[6:27]  ¹ tn These words are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity. Note “I have appointed you.” Compare Jer 1:18.

[6:27]  ² tn Heb “I have made you an assayer of my people, a tester [?].” The meaning of the words translated “assayer” (בָּחוֹן, bakhon) and “tester” (מִבְצָר, mivtsar) is uncertain. The word בָּחוֹן (bakhon) can mean “tower” (cf. BDB 103 s.v. בָּחוֹן; cf. Isa 23:13 for the only other use) or “assayer” (cf. BDB 103 s.v. בָּחוֹן). The latter would be the more expected nuance because of the other uses of nouns and verbs from this root. The word מִבְצָר (mivtsar) normally means “fortress” (cf. BDB 131 s.v. מִבְצָר), but most modern commentaries and lexicons deem that nuance inappropriate here. HALOT follows a proposal that the word is to be repointed to מְבַצֵּר (mÿvatser) and derived from a root בָּצַר (batsar) meaning “to test” (cf. HALOT 143 s.v. IV בָּצַר). That proposal makes the most sense in the context, but the root appears nowhere else in the OT.

[6:27]  ³ tn Heb “test their way.”

[15:20]  ⁴ sn See 1:18. The Lord renews his promise of protection and reiterates his call to Jeremiah.

[50:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “Therefore I set my face like flint.”

[3:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “strong, resolute.”

[3:9]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew term translated “diamond” is parallel to “iron” in Jer 17:1. The Hebrew uses two terms which are both translated at times as “flint,” but here one is clearly harder than the other. The translation “diamond” attempts to reflect this distinction in English.

[3:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “of their faces.”

[3:8]  ⁹ sn The prophet Micah speaks here and contrasts himself with the mercenaries just denounced by the Lord in the preceding verses.

[3:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “am full of power, the Spirit of the Lord, and justice and strength.” The appositional phrase “the Spirit of the Lord” explains the source of the prophet’s power. The phrase “justice and strength” is understood here as a hendiadys, referring to the prophet’s strong sense of justice.

[3:8]  ¹¹ tn Heb “to declare to Jacob his rebellion and to Israel his sin.” The words “this enables me” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[3:9]  ¹² tn Heb “house.”

[3:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “house.”

[3:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “who.” A new sentence was begun here in the translation for stylistic reasons (also at the beginning of v. 10).

[1:42]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “He brought him”; both referents (Andrew, Simon) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:42]  ¹⁶ tc The reading “Simon, son of John” is well attested in Ì^66,75,106 א B* L 33 pc it co. The majority of mss (A B² Ψ Ë^1,13 Ï) read “Simon, the son of Jonah” here instead, but that is perhaps an assimilation to Matt 16:17.

[1:42]  ¹⁷ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. The change of name from Simon to Cephas is indicative of the future role he will play. Only John among the gospel writers gives the Greek transliteration (Κηφᾶς, Khfas) of Simon’s new name, Qéphâ (which is Galilean Aramaic). Neither Πέτρος (Petros) in Greek nor Qéphâ in Aramaic is a normal proper name; it is more like a nickname.