Job 15:14-16

15:14 What is man that he should be pure,

or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?

15:15 If God places no trust in his holy ones, ¹ 

if even the heavens ²  are not pure in his eyes,

15:16 how much less man, who is abominable and corrupt, ³ 

who drinks in evil like water! ⁴ 

Psalms 130:3

130:3 If you, O Lord, were to keep track of ⁵  sins,

O Lord, who could stand before you? ⁶ 

Psalms 143:2

143:2 Do not sit in judgment on ⁷  your servant,

for no one alive is innocent before you. ⁸ 

Proverbs 20:9

20:9 Who can say, ⁹  “I have kept my heart clean; ¹⁰ 

I am pure ¹¹  from my sin”?

Ecclesiastes 7:20

7:20 For ¹²  there is not one truly ¹³  righteous person on the earth

who continually does good and never sins.

James 3:2

3:2 For we all stumble ¹⁴  in many ways. If someone does not stumble ¹⁵  in what he says, ¹⁶  he is a perfect individual, ¹⁷  able to control the entire body as well.

James 3:1

The Power of the Tongue

3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, ¹⁸  because you know that we will be judged more strictly. ¹⁹ 

James 1:8-10

1:8 since he is a double-minded individual, ²⁰  unstable in all his ways.

1:9 Now the believer ²¹  of humble means ²²  should take pride ²³  in his high position. ²⁴  1:10 But the rich person’s pride should be in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a wildflower in the meadow. ²⁵ 

[15:15]  ¹ tn Eliphaz here reiterates the point made in Job 4:18.

[15:15]  ² sn The question here is whether the reference is to material “heavens” (as in Exod 24:10 and Job 25:5), or to heavenly beings. The latter seems preferable in this context.

[15:16]  ³ tn The two descriptions here used are “abominable,” meaning “disgusting” (a Niphal participle with the value of a Latin participle [see GKC 356-57 §116.e]), and “corrupt” (a Niphal participle which occurs only in Pss 14:3 and 53:4), always in a moral sense. On the significance of the first description, see P. Humbert, “Le substantif toáe„ba„ et le verbe táb dans l’Ancien Testament,” ZAW 72 [1960]: 217ff.). On the second word, G. R. Driver suggests from Arabic, “debauched with luxury, corrupt” (“Some Hebrew Words,” JTS 29 [1927/28]: 390-96).

[15:16]  ⁴ sn Man commits evil with the same ease and facility as he drinks in water – freely and in large quantities.

[130:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “observe.”

[130:3]  ⁶ tn The words “before you” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The psalmist must be referring to standing before God’s judgment seat. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No one.”

[143:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “do not enter into judgment with.”

[143:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “for no one living is innocent before you.”

[20:9]  ⁹ sn The verse is a rhetorical question; it is affirming that no one can say this because no one is pure and free of sin.

[20:9]  ¹⁰ tn The verb form זִכִּיתִי (zikkiti) is the Piel perfect of זָכָה (zakhah, “to be clear; to be clean; to be pure”). The verb has the idea of “be clear, justified, acquitted.” In this stem it is causative: “I have made my heart clean” (so NRSV) or “kept my heart pure” (so NIV). This would be claiming that all decisions and motives were faultless.

[20:9]  ¹¹ sn The Hebrew verb translated “I am pure” (טָהֵר, taher) is a Levitical term. To claim this purity would be to claim that moral and cultic perfection had been attained and therefore one was acceptable to God in the present condition. Of course, no one can claim this; even if one thought it true, it is impossible to know all that is in the heart as God knows it.

[7:20]  ¹² tn The introductory particle כִּי (ki) is rendered variously: “for” (KJV); “indeed” (NASB); not translated (NIV); “for” (NJPS). The particle functions in an explanatory sense, explaining the need for wisdom in v. 19. Righteousness alone cannot always protect a person from calamity (7:15-16); therefore, something additional, such as wisdom, is needed. The need for wisdom as protection from calamity is particularly evident in the light of the fact that no one is truly righteous (7:19-20).

[7:20]  ¹³ tn The term “truly” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. Qoheleth does not deny the existence of some people who are relatively righteous.

[3:2]  ¹⁴ tn Or “fail.”

[3:2]  ¹⁵ tn Or “fail.”

[3:2]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “in speech.”

[3:2]  ¹⁷ tn The word for “man” or “individual” is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But it sometimes is used generically to mean “anyone,” “a person,” as here (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. 2).

[3:1]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[3:1]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “will receive a greater judgment.”

[1:8]  ²⁰ tn Grk “a man of two minds,” continuing the description of the person in v. 7, giving the reason that he cannot expect to receive anything. The word for “man” or “individual” is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But it sometimes is used generically to mean “anyone,” “a person,” as here (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. 2).

[1:9]  ²¹ tn Grk “brother.” Here the term “brother” means “fellow believer” or “fellow Christian” (cf. TEV, NLT “Christians”; CEV “God’s people”). The term broadly connotes familial relationships within the family of God (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a).

[1:9]  ²² tn Grk “the lowly brother,” but “lowly/humble” is clarified in context by the contrast with “wealthy” in v. 10.

[1:9]  ²³ tn Grk “let him boast.”

[1:9]  ²⁴ tn Grk “his height,” “his exaltation.”

[1:10]  ²⁵ tn Grk “a flower of grass.”