Job 42:6

42:6 Therefore I despise myself, ¹ 

and I repent in dust and ashes!

Isaiah 61:3

61:3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,

by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,

oil symbolizing joy, ²  instead of mourning,

a garment symbolizing praise, ³  instead of discouragement. ⁴ 

They will be called oaks of righteousness, ⁵ 

trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor. ⁶ 

Daniel 9:3

9:3 So I turned my attention ⁷  to the Lord God ⁸  to implore him by prayer and requests, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. ⁹ 

John 3:5-6

3:5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the solemn truth, ¹⁰  unless a person is born of water and spirit, ¹¹  he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 3:6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, ¹²  and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.

[42:6]  ¹ tn Or “despise what I said.” There is no object on the verb; Job could be despising himself or the things he said (see L. J. Kuyper, “Repentance of Job,” VT 9 [1959]: 91-94).

[61:3]  ² tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”

[61:3]  ³ tn Heb “garment of praise.”

[61:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”

[61:3]  ⁵ tn Rather than referring to the character of the people, צֶדֶק (tsedeq) may carry the nuance “vindication” here, suggesting that God’s restored people are a testimony to his justice. See v. 2, which alludes to the fact that God will take vengeance against the enemies of his people. Cf. NAB “oaks of justice.”

[61:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”

[9:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “face.”

[9:3]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew phrase translated “Lord God” here is אֲדֹנָי הָאֱלֹהִים (’adonay ha’elohim).

[9:3]  ⁹ sn When lamenting, ancient Israelites would fast, wear sackcloth, and put ashes on their heads to show their sorrow and contrition.

[3:5]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[3:5]  ¹¹ tn Or “born of water and wind” (the same Greek word, πνεύματος [pneumatos], may be translated either “spirit/Spirit” or “wind”).

[3:6]  ¹² sn What is born of the flesh is flesh, i.e., what is born of physical heritage is physical. (It is interesting to compare this terminology with that of the dialogue in John 4, especially 4:23, 24.) For John the “flesh” (σάρξ, sarx) emphasizes merely the weakness and mortality of the creature – a neutral term, not necessarily sinful as in Paul. This is confirmed by the reference in John 1:14 to the Logos becoming “flesh.” The author avoids associating sinfulness with the incarnate Christ.