Job 29:16

29:16 I was a father ¹  to the needy,

and I investigated the case of the person I did not know;

Job 31:13

31:13 “If I have disregarded the right of my male servants

or my female servants

when they disputed ²  with me,

Job 31:21

31:21 if I have raised my hand ³  to vote against the orphan,

when I saw my support in the court, ⁴ 

Psalms 31:7

31:7 I will be happy and rejoice in your faithfulness,

because you notice my pain

and you are aware of how distressed I am. ⁵ 

Psalms 41:1

Psalm 41 ⁶ 

For the music director; a psalm of David.

41:1 How blessed ⁷  is the one who treats the poor properly! ⁸ 

When trouble comes, ⁹  the Lord delivers him. ¹⁰ 

Galatians 6:1

Support One Another

6:1 Brothers and sisters, ¹¹  if a person ¹²  is discovered in some sin, ¹³  you who are spiritual ¹⁴  restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness. ¹⁵  Pay close attention ¹⁶  to yourselves, so that you are not tempted too.

[29:16]  ¹ sn The word “father” does not have a wide range of meanings in the OT. But there are places that it is metaphorical, especially in a legal setting like this where the poor need aid.

[31:13]  ² tn This construction is an adverbial clause using the temporal preposition, the infinitive from רִיב (riv, “contend”), and the suffix which is the subjective genitive.

[31:21]  ³ tn The expression “raised my hand” refers to a threatening manner or gesture in the court rather than a threat of physical violence in the street. Thus the words “to vote” are supplied in the translation to indicate the setting.

[31:21]  ⁴ tn Heb “gate,” referring to the city gate where judicial decisions were rendered in the culture of the time. The translation uses the word “court” to indicate this to the modern reader, who might not associate a city gate complex with judicial functions.

[31:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “you know the distresses of my life.”

[41:1]  ⁶ sn Psalm 41. The psalmist is confident (vv. 11-12) that the Lord has heard his request to be healed (vv. 4-10), and he anticipates the joy he will experience when the Lord intervenes (vv. 1-3). One must assume that the psalmist is responding to a divine oracle of assurance (see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 319-20). The final verse is a fitting conclusion to this psalm, but it is also serves as a fitting conclusion to the first “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the second, third, and fourth “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 72:19, 89:52, and 106:48 respectively).

[41:1]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).

[41:1]  ⁸ sn One who treats the poor properly. The psalmist is characterizing himself as such an individual and supplying a reason why God has responded favorably to his prayer. The Lord’s attitude toward the merciful mirrors their treatment of the poor.

[41:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “in the day of trouble” (see Ps 27:5).

[41:1]  ¹⁰ tn That is, the one who has been kind to the poor. The prefixed verbal form could be taken as jussive of prayer (“may the Lord deliver,” see v. 2), but the preceding parallel line is a declaration of fact, not a prayer per se. The imperfect can be taken here as future (“will deliver,” cf. NEB, NASB) or as generalizing (“delivers,” cf. NIV, NRSV). The parallel line, which has a generalizing tone, favors the latter. At the same time, though the psalmist uses a generalizing style here, he clearly has himself primarily in view.

[6:1]  ¹¹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:11.

[6:1]  ¹² tn Here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense, referring to both men and women.

[6:1]  ¹³ tn Or “some transgression” (L&N 88.297).

[6:1]  ¹⁴ sn Who are spiritual refers to people who are controlled and directed by God’s Spirit.

[6:1]  ¹⁵ tn Or “with a gentle spirit” or “gently.”

[6:1]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “taking careful notice.”