Job 20:29

20:29 Such is the lot God allots the wicked,

and the heritage of his appointment ¹  from God.”

Job 31:3

31:3 Is it not misfortune for the unjust,

and disaster for those who work iniquity?

Psalms 11:6

11:6 May the Lord rain down ²  burning coals ³  and brimstone ⁴  on the wicked!

A whirlwind is what they deserve! ⁵ 

Ecclesiastes 8:13

8:13 But it will not go well with the wicked,

nor will they ⁶  prolong their ⁷  days like a shadow, ⁸ 

because they ⁹  do not stand in fear ¹⁰  before God.

Isaiah 3:11

3:11 Too bad for the wicked sinners!

For they will get exactly what they deserve. ¹¹ 

Isaiah 3:2

3:2 the mighty men and warriors,

judges and prophets,

omen readers and leaders, ¹² 

Isaiah 2:9

2:9 Men bow down to them in homage,

they lie flat on the ground in worship. ¹³ 

Don’t spare them! ¹⁴ 

[20:29]  ¹ tn For the word אִמְרוֹ (’imro) some propose reading “his appointment,” and the others, “his word.” Driver shows that “the heritage of his appointment” means “his appointed heritage” (see GKC 440 §135.n).

[11:6]  ² tn The verb form is a jussive, indicating that the statement is imprecatory (“May the Lord rain down”), not indicative (“The Lord rains down”; see also Job 20:23). The psalmist appeals to God to destroy the wicked, rather than simply stating his confidence that God will do so. In this way the psalmist seeks to activate divine judgment by appealing to God’s just character. For an example of the power of such a curse, see Judg 9:7-57.

[11:6]  ³ tc The MT reads “traps, fire, and brimstone,” but the image of God raining traps, or snares, down from the sky is bizarre and does not fit the fire and storm imagery of this verse. The noun פַּחִים (pakhim, “traps, snares”) should be emended to פַּחֲמֵי (pakhamey, “coals of [fire]”). The rare noun פֶּחָם (pekham, “coal”) occurs in Prov 26:21 and Isa 44:12; 54:16.

[11:6]  ⁴ sn The image of God “raining down” brimstone on the objects of his judgment also appears in Gen 19:24 and Ezek 38:22.

[11:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “[may] a wind of rage [be] the portion of their cup.” The precise meaning of the rare noun זִלְעָפוֹת (zil’afot) is uncertain. It may mean “raging heat” (BDB 273 s.v. זַלְעָפָה) or simply “rage” (HALOT 272 s.v. זַלְעָפָה). If one understands the former sense, then one might translate “hot wind” (cf. NEB, NRSV). The present translation assumes the latter nuance, “a wind of rage” (the genitive is attributive) referring to a “whirlwind” symbolic of destructive judgment. In this mixed metaphor, judgment is also compared to an allotted portion of a beverage poured into one’s drinking cup (see Hab 2:15-16).

[8:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “he.”

[8:13]  ⁷ tn The word “their” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.

[8:13]  ⁸ tn The phrase “like a shadow” (כַּצֵּל, katsel) modifies the verb (“prolong”) rather than the noun (“days”). Several English versions misconstrue the line: “he will not prolong his days, [which are] like a shadow” (KJV, ASV); “the man who does not fear God is like a shadow” (NEB); and “he will not prolong his shadowy days” (NAB). It should be rendered “he will not prolong his days like a shadow” (RSV, NRSV, NASB, MLB, NIV). Unlike a shadow that lengthens at sunset, the wicked do not normally live long.

[8:13]  ⁹ tn Heb “he.”

[8:13]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “they do not fear.”

[3:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “for the work of his hands will be done to him.”

[3:2]  ¹² tn Heb “elder” (so ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NCV “older leaders.”

[2:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “men bow down, men are low.” Since the verbs שָׁחָח (shakhakh) and שָׁפַל (shafal) are used later in this discourse to describe how God will humiliate proud men (see vv. 11, 17), some understand v. 9a as a prediction of judgment, “men will be brought down, men will be humiliated.” However, these prefixed verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive appear to carry on the description that precedes and are better taken with the accusation. They draw attention to the fact that human beings actually bow down and worship before the lifeless products of their own hands.

[2:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “don’t lift them up.” The idiom “lift up” (נָשָׂא with לְ, nasa’ with preposition lamed) can mean “spare, forgive” (see Gen 18:24, 26). Here the idiom plays on the preceding verbs. The idolaters are bowed low as they worship their false gods; the prophet asks God not to “lift them up.”