Job 20:5-9

20:5 that the elation of the wicked is brief, ¹ 

the joy of the godless ²  lasts but a moment. ³ 

20:6 Even though his stature ⁴  reaches to the heavens

and his head touches the clouds,

20:7 he will perish forever, like his own excrement; ⁵ 

those who used to see him will say, ‘Where is he?’

20:8 Like a dream he flies away, never again to be found, ⁶ 

and like a vision of the night he is put to flight.

20:9 People ⁷  who had seen him will not see him again,

and the place where he was

will recognize him no longer.

Psalms 7:14-15

7:14 See the one who is pregnant with wickedness,

who conceives destructive plans,

and gives birth to harmful lies – ⁸ 

7:15 he digs a pit ⁹ 

and then falls into the hole he has made. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 9:15-16

9:15 The nations fell ¹¹  into the pit they had made;

their feet were caught in the net they had hidden. ¹² 

9:16 The Lord revealed himself;

he accomplished justice;

the wicked were ensnared by their own actions. ¹³  (Higgaion. ¹⁴  Selah)

Matthew 26:52

26:52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back in its place! ¹⁵  For all who take hold of the sword will die by the sword.

Luke 13:1-2

A Call to Repent

13:1 Now ¹⁶  there were some present on that occasion who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. ¹⁷  13:2 He ¹⁸  answered them, “Do you think these Galileans were worse sinners ¹⁹  than all the other Galileans, because they suffered these things?

[20:5]  ¹ tn The expression in the text is “quite near.” This indicates that it is easily attained, and that its end is near.

[20:5]  ² tn For the discussion of חָנֵף (khanef, “godless”) see Job 8:13.

[20:5]  ³ tn The phrase is “until a moment,” meaning it is short-lived. But see J. Barr, “Hebrew ’ad, especially at Job 1:18 and Neh 7:3,” JSS 27 (1982): 177-88.

[20:6]  ⁴ tn The word שִׂיא (si’) has been connected with the verb נָשָׂא (nasa’, “to lift up”), and so interpreted here as “pride.” The form is parallel to “head” in the next part, and so here it refers to his stature, the part that rises up and is crowned. But the verse does describe the pride of such a person, with his head in the heavens.

[20:7]  ⁵ tn There have been attempts to change the word here to “like a whirlwind,” or something similar. But many argue that there is no reason to remove a coarse expression from Zophar.

[20:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “and they do not find him.” The verb has no expressed subject, and so here is equivalent to a passive. The clause itself is taken adverbially in the sentence.

[20:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “the eye that had seen him.” Here a part of the person (the eye, the instrument of vision) is put by metonymy for the entire person.

[7:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “and he conceives harm and gives birth to a lie.”

[7:15]  ⁹ tn Heb “a pit he digs and he excavates it.” Apparently the imagery of hunting is employed; the wicked sinner digs this pit to entrap and destroy his intended victim. The redundancy in the Hebrew text has been simplified in the translation.

[7:15]  ¹⁰ tn The verb forms in vv. 15-16 describe the typical behavior and destiny of those who attempt to destroy others. The image of the evildoer falling into the very trap he set for his intended victim emphasizes the appropriate nature of God’s judgment.

[9:15]  ¹¹ tn Heb “sank down.”

[9:15]  ¹² sn The hostility of the nations against God’s people is their downfall, for it prompts God to intervene and destroy them. See also Ps 7:15-16.

[9:16]  ¹³ tn Heb “by the work of his hands [the] wicked [one] was ensnared. The singular form רָשָׁע (rasha’, “wicked”) is collective or representative here (see vv. 15, 17). The form נוֹקֵשׁ (noqesh) appears to be an otherwise unattested Qal form (active participle) from נָקַשׁ (naqash), but the form should be emended to נוֹקַשׁ (noqash), a Niphal perfect from יָקַשׁ (yaqash).

[9:16]  ¹⁴ tn This is probably a technical musical term.

[26:52]  ¹⁵ tn The translation “put your sword back in its place” for this phrase is given in L&N 85.52.

[13:1]  ¹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[13:1]  ¹⁷ sn This is an event that otherwise is unattested, though several events similar to it are noted in Josephus (J. W. 2.9.2-4 [2.169-177]; Ant. 13.13.5 [13.372-73], 18.3.1-2 [18.55-62]; 18.4.1 [18.85-87]). It would have caused a major furor.

[13:2]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[13:2]  ¹⁹ sn Jesus did not want his hearers to think that tragedy was necessarily a judgment on these people because they were worse sinners.