Job 12:19

12:19 He leads priests away stripped ¹ 

and overthrows ²  the potentates. ³ 

Job 12:21

12:21 He pours contempt on noblemen

and disarms ⁴  the powerful. ⁵ 

Psalms 2:2-4

2:2 The kings of the earth ⁶  form a united front; ⁷ 

the rulers collaborate ⁸ 

against the Lord and his anointed king. ⁹ 

2:3 They say, ¹⁰  “Let’s tear off the shackles they’ve put on us! ¹¹ 

Let’s free ourselves from ¹²  their ropes!”

2:4 The one enthroned ¹³  in heaven laughs in disgust; ¹⁴ 

the Lord taunts ¹⁵  them.

Ecclesiastes 5:8

Government Corruption

5:8 If you see the extortion ¹⁶  of the poor,

or the perversion ¹⁷  of justice and fairness in the government, ¹⁸ 

do not be astonished by the matter.

For the high official is watched by a higher official, ¹⁹ 

and there are higher ones over them! ²⁰ 

Isaiah 3:14

3:14 The Lord comes to pronounce judgment

on the leaders of his people and their officials.

He says, ²¹  “It is you ²²  who have ruined ²³  the vineyard! ²⁴ 

You have stashed in your houses what you have stolen from the poor. ²⁵ 

[12:19]  ¹ tn Except for “priests,” the phraseology is identical to v. 17a.

[12:19]  ² tn The verb has to be defined by its context: it can mean “falsify” (Exod 23:8), “make tortuous” (Prov 19:3), or “plunge” into misfortune (Prov 21:12). God overthrows those who seem to be solid.

[12:19]  ³ tn The original meaning of אֵיתָן (’eytan) is “perpetual.” It is usually an epithet for a torrent that is always flowing. It carries the connotations of permanence and stability; here applied to people in society, it refers to one whose power and influence does not change. These are the pillars of society.

[12:21]  ⁴ tn The expression in Hebrew uses מְזִיחַ (mÿziakh, “belt”) and the Piel verb רִפָּה (rippah, “to loosen”) so that “to loosen the belt of the mighty” would indicate “to disarm/incapacitate the mighty.” Others have opted to change the text: P. Joüon emends to read “forehead” – “he humbles the brow of the mighty.”

[12:21]  ⁵ tn The word אָפַק (’afaq, “to be strong”) is well-attested, and the form אָפִיק (’afiq) is a normal adjective formation. So a translation like “mighty” (KJV, NIV) or “powerful” is acceptable, and further emendations are unnecessary.

[2:2]  ⁶ sn The expression kings of the earth refers somewhat hyperbolically to the kings who had been conquered by and were subject to the Davidic king.

[2:2]  ⁷ tn Or “take their stand.” The Hebrew imperfect verbal form describes their action as underway.

[2:2]  ⁸ tn Or “conspire together.” The verbal form is a Niphal from יָסַד (yasad). BDB 413-14 s.v. יָסַד defines the verb as “establish, found,” but HALOT 417 s.v. II יסד proposes a homonym meaning “get together, conspire” (an alternate form of סוּד, sud).

[2:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “and against his anointed one.” The Davidic king is the referent (see vv. 6-7).

[2:3]  ¹⁰ tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The quotation represents the words of the rebellious kings.

[2:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “their (i.e., the Lord’s and the king’s) shackles.” The kings compare the rule of the Lord and his vice-regent to being imprisoned.

[2:3]  ¹² tn Heb “throw off from us.”

[2:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “sitting.” The Hebrew verb יָשַׁב (yashav) is here used metonymically of “sitting enthroned” (see Pss 9:7; 29:10; 55:19; 102:12; 123:1).

[2:4]  ¹⁴ tn As the next line indicates, this refers to derisive laughter. The Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in vv. 4-5 describe the action from the perspective of an eyewitness who is watching the divine response as it unfolds before his eyes.

[2:4]  ¹⁵ tn Or “scoffs at”; “derides”; “mocks.”

[5:8]  ¹⁶ tn Alternately, “oppression.” The term עֹשֶׁק (’osheq) has a basic two-fold range of meaning: (1) “oppression; brutality” (e.g., Isa 54:14); and (2) “extortion” (e.g., Ps 62:11); see HALOT 897 s.v. עֹשֶׁק; BDB 799 s.v. עֹשֶׁק. The LXX understands the term as “oppression,” as the translation συκοφαντίαν (sukofantian, “oppression”) indicates. Likewise, HALOT 897 s.v. עֹשֶׁק 1 classifies this usage as “oppression” against the poor. However, the context of 5:8-9 [7-8 HT] focuses on corrupt government officials robbing people of the fruit of their labor through extortion and the perversion of justice.

[5:8]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “robbery.” The noun גֵזֶל (gezel, “robbery”) refers to the wrestling away of righteousness or the perversion of justice (HALOT 186 s.v. גֵּזֶל). The related forms of the root גזל mean “to rob; to loot” (HALOT 186 s.v. גֵּזֶל). The term “robbery” is used as a figure for the perversion of justice (hypocatastasis): just as a thief robs his victims through physical violence, so corrupt government officials “rob” the poor through the perversion of justice.

[5:8]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “in the province.”

[5:8]  ¹⁹ tn The word “official” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[5:8]  ²⁰ sn And there are higher ones over them! This may describe a corrupt system of government in which each level of hierarchy exploits its subordinates, all the way down to the peasants: “Set in authority over the people is an official who enriches himself at their expense; he is watched by a more authoritative governor who also has his share of the spoils; and above them are other officers of the State who likewise have to be satisfied”; see A. Cohen, The Five Megilloth (SoBB), 141.

[3:14]  ²¹ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[3:14]  ²² tn The pronominal element is masculine plural; the leaders are addressed.

[3:14]  ²³ tn The verb בָּעַר (ba’ar, “graze, ruin”; HALOT 146 s.v. II בער) is a homonym of the more common בָּעַר (ba’ar, “burn”; see HALOT 145 s.v. I בער).

[3:14]  ²⁴ sn The vineyard is a metaphor for the nation here. See 5:1-7.

[3:14]  ²⁵ tn Heb “the plunder of the poor [is] in your houses” (so NASB).