Job 23:12

23:12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;

I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my allotted portion. ¹ 

Deuteronomy 6:6-9

Exhortation to Teach the Covenant Principles

6:6 These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind, 6:7 and you must teach ²  them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, ³  as you lie down, and as you get up. 6:8 You should tie them as a reminder on your forearm ⁴  and fasten them as symbols ⁵  on your forehead. 6:9 Inscribe them on the doorframes of your houses and gates. ⁶ 

Psalms 119:11

119:11 In my heart I store up ⁷  your words, ⁸ 

so I might not sin against you.

Proverbs 4:4

4:4 he taught me, and he said to me:

“Let your heart lay hold of my words;

keep my commands so that ⁹  you will live.

Proverbs 4:21

4:21 Do not let them depart ¹⁰  from your sight,

guard ¹¹  them within your heart; ¹² 

Jeremiah 15:16

15:16 As your words came to me I drank them in, ¹³ 

and they filled my heart with joy and happiness

because I belong to you. ¹⁴ 

Matthew 12:35

12:35 The good person ¹⁵  brings good things out of his ¹⁶  good treasury, ¹⁷  and the evil person brings evil things out of his evil treasury.

Matthew 13:52

13:52 Then he said to them, “Therefore every expert in the law ¹⁸  who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his treasure what is new and old.”

Luke 2:19

2:19 But Mary treasured up all these words, pondering in her heart what they might mean. ¹⁹ 

Luke 2:51

2:51 Then ²⁰  he went down with them and came to Nazareth, ²¹  and was obedient ²²  to them. But ²³  his mother kept all these things ²⁴  in her heart. ²⁵ 

[23:12]  ¹ tc The form in the MT (מֵחֻקִּי, mekhuqqi) means “more than my portion” or “more than my law.” An expanded meaning results in “more than my necessary food” (see Ps 119:11; cf. KJV, NASB, ESV). HALOT 346 s.v. חֹק 1 indicates that חֹק (khoq) has the meaning of “portion” and is here a reference to “what is appointed for me.” The LXX and the Latin versions, along with many commentators, have בְּחֵקִי (bÿkheqi, “in my bosom”).

[6:7]  ² tn Heb “repeat” (so NLT). If from the root I שָׁנַן (shanan), the verb means essentially to “engrave,” that is, “to teach incisively” (Piel); note NAB “Drill them into your children.” Cf. BDB 1041-42 s.v.

[6:7]  ³ tn Or “as you are away on a journey” (cf. NRSV, TEV, NLT); NAB “at home and abroad.”

[6:8]  ⁴ sn Tie them as a sign on your forearm. Later Jewish tradition referred to the little leather containers tied to the forearms and foreheads as tefillin. They were to contain the following passages from the Torah: Exod 13:1-10, 11-16; Deut 6:5-9; 11:13-21. The purpose was to serve as a “sign” of covenant relationship and obedience.

[6:8]  ⁵ sn Fasten them as symbols on your forehead. These were also known later as tefillin (see previous note) or phylacteries (from the Greek term). These box-like containers, like those on the forearms, held the same scraps of the Torah. It was the hypocritical practice of wearing these without heartfelt sincerity that caused Jesus to speak scathingly about them (cf. Matt 23:5).

[6:9]  ⁶ sn The Hebrew term מְזוּזֹת (mÿzuzot) refers both to the door frames and to small cases attached on them containing scripture texts (always Deut 6:4-9 and 11:13-21; and sometimes the decalogue; Exod 13:1-10, 11-16; and Num 10:35-36). See J. H. Tigay, Deuteronomy (JPSTC), 443-44.

[119:11]  ⁷ tn Or “hide.”

[119:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “your word.” Some medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural, “your words.”

[4:4]  ⁹ tn The imperative with the vav expresses volitional sequence after the preceding imperative: “keep and then you will live,” meaning “keep so that you may live.”

[4:21]  ¹⁰ tn The Hiphil form יַלִּיזוּ (yallizu) follows the Aramaic with gemination. The verb means “to turn aside; to depart” (intransitive Hiphil or inner causative).

[4:21]  ¹¹ tn Or “keep” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV and many others).

[4:21]  ¹² sn The words “eyes” and “heart” are metonymies of subject representing the faculties of each. Cf. CEV “think about it all.”

[15:16]  ¹³ sn Heb “Your words were found and I ate them.” This along with Ezek 2:8–3:3 is a poetic picture of inspiration. The prophet accepted them, assimilated them, and made them such a part of himself that he spoke with complete assurance what he knew were God’s words.

[15:16]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Your name is called upon me.”

[12:35]  ¹⁵ tn The Greek text reads here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos). The term is generic referring to any person.

[12:35]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “the”; the Greek article has been translated here and in the following clause (“his evil treasury”) as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[12:35]  ¹⁷ sn The treasury here is a metaphorical reference to a person’s heart (cf. BDAG 456 s.v. θησαυρός 1.b and the parallel passage in Luke 6:45).

[13:52]  ¹⁸ tn Or “every scribe.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4. It is possible that the term translated “expert in the law” (traditionally, “scribe”) here is a self-description used by the author, Matthew, to represent his role in conveying the traditions about Jesus to his intended audience. See David E. Orton, The Understanding Scribe [JSNTSup].

[2:19]  ¹⁹ tn The term συμβάλλουσα (sumballousa) suggests more than remembering. She is trying to put things together here (Josephus, Ant. 2.5.3 [2.72]). The words “what they might mean” have been supplied in the translation to make this clear. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[2:51]  ²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[2:51]  ²¹ map For location see Map1 D3; Map2 C2; Map3 D5; Map4 C1; Map5 G3.

[2:51]  ²² tn Or “was submitting.”

[2:51]  ²³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.

[2:51]  ²⁴ tn Or “all these words.”

[2:51]  ²⁵ sn On the phrase his mother kept all these things in her heart compare Luke 2:19.