Joshua 1:7-8

1:7 Make sure you are ¹  very strong and brave! Carefully obey ²  all the law my servant Moses charged you to keep! ³  Do not swerve from it to the right or to the left, so that you may be successful ⁴  in all you do. ⁵  1:8 This law scroll must not leave your lips! ⁶  You must memorize it ⁷  day and night so you can carefully obey ⁸  all that is written in it. Then you will prosper ⁹  and be successful. ¹⁰ 

Joshua 1:1

The Lord Commissions Joshua

1:1 After Moses the Lord’s servant died, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant:

Joshua 18:5

18:5 Divide it into seven regions. ¹¹  Judah will stay ¹²  in its territory in the south, and the family ¹³  of Joseph in its territory in the north.

Joshua 18:14

18:14 It then turned on the west side southward from the hill near Beth Horon on the south and extended to Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim), a city belonging to the tribe ¹⁴  of Judah. This is the western border. ¹⁵ 

Joshua 18:1-2

The Tribes Meet at Shiloh

18:1 The entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh and there they set up the tent of meeting. ¹⁶  Though they had subdued the land, ¹⁷  18:2 seven Israelite tribes had not been assigned their allotted land. ¹⁸ 

Joshua 1:1

The Lord Commissions Joshua

1:1 After Moses the Lord’s servant died, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant:

Joshua 1:1

The Lord Commissions Joshua

1:1 After Moses the Lord’s servant died, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant:

Psalms 1:2-3

1:2 Instead ¹⁹  he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands; ²⁰ 

he meditates on ²¹  his commands ²²  day and night.

1:3 He is like ²³  a tree planted by flowing streams; ²⁴ 

it ²⁵  yields ²⁶  its fruit at the proper time, ²⁷ 

and its leaves never fall off. ²⁸ 

He succeeds in everything he attempts. ²⁹ 

Psalms 119:98-100

119:98 Your commandments ³⁰  make me wiser than my enemies,

for I am always aware of them.

119:99 I have more insight than all my teachers,

for I meditate on your rules.

119:100 I am more discerning than those older than I,

for I observe your precepts.

Proverbs 3:1-4

Exhortations to Seek Wisdom and Walk with the Lord ³¹ 

3:1 My child, ³²  do not forget my teaching,

but let your heart keep ³³  my commandments,

3:2 for they will provide ³⁴  a long and full life, ³⁵ 

and they will add well-being ³⁶  to you.

3:3 Do not let truth and mercy ³⁷  leave you;

bind them around your neck,

write them on the tablet of your heart. ³⁸ 

3:4 Then you will find ³⁹  favor and good understanding, ⁴⁰ 

in the sight of God and people. ⁴¹ 

[1:7]  ¹ tn Or “Only be.”

[1:7]  ² tn Heb “so you can be careful to do.” The use of the infinitive לִשְׁמֹר (lishmor, “to keep”) after the imperatives suggests that strength and bravery will be necessary for obedience. Another option is to take the form לִשְׁמֹר as a vocative lamed (ל) with imperative (see Isa 38:20 for an example of this construction), which could be translated, “Indeed, be careful!”

[1:7]  ³ tn Heb “commanded you.”

[1:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “be wise,” but the word can mean “be successful” by metonymy.

[1:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “in all which you go.”

[1:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “mouth.”

[1:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “read it in undertones,” or “recite it quietly” (see HALOT 1:237).

[1:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “be careful to do.”

[1:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “you will make your way prosperous.”

[1:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and be wise,” but the word can mean “be successful” by metonymy.

[18:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “portions.”

[18:5]  ¹² tn Heb “stand.”

[18:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “the house.”

[18:14]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “sons,” here referring to the tribe.

[18:14]  ¹⁵ tn Or “side.”

[18:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the tent of assembly.”

[18:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and the land was subdued before them.”

[18:2]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “there were left among the sons of Israel who had not divided up their inheritance seven tribes.”

[1:2]  ¹⁹ tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki-’im, “instead”) introduces a contrast between the sinful behavior depicted in v. 1 and the godly lifestyle described in v. 2.

[1:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “his delight [is] in the law of the Lord.” In light of the following line, which focuses on studying the Lord’s law, one might translate, “he finds pleasure in studying the Lord’s commands.” However, even if one translates the line this way, it is important to recognize that mere study and intellectual awareness are not ultimately what bring divine favor. Study of the law is metonymic here for the correct attitudes and behavior that should result from an awareness of and commitment to God’s moral will; thus “obeying” has been used in the translation rather than “studying.”

[1:2]  ²¹ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the characteristic behavior described here and lends support to the hyperbolic adverbial phrase “day and night.” The verb הָגָה (hagag) means “to recite quietly; to meditate” and refers metonymically to intense study and reflection.

[1:2]  ²² tn Or “his law.”

[1:3]  ²³ tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the same characteristic force as the imperfect in the preceding verse. According to the psalmist, the one who studies and obeys God’s commands typically prospers.

[1:3]  ²⁴ tn Heb “channels of water.”

[1:3]  ²⁵ tn Heb “which.”

[1:3]  ²⁶ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in v. 3 draw attention to the typical nature of the actions/states they describe.

[1:3]  ²⁷ tn Heb “in its season.”

[1:3]  ²⁸ tn Or “fade”; “wither.”

[1:3]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and all which he does prospers”; or “and all which he does he causes to prosper.” (The simile of the tree does not extend to this line.) It is not certain if the Hiphil verbal form (יַצְלִיחַ, yatsliakh) is intransitive-exhibitive (“prospers”) or causative (“causes to prosper”) here. If the verb is intransitive, then כֹּל (kol, “all, everything”) is the subject. If the verb is causative, then the godly individual or the Lord himself is the subject and כֹּל is the object. The wording is reminiscent of Josh 1:8, where the Lord tells Joshua: “This law scroll must not leave your lips! You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper (literally, “cause your way to prosper”) and be successful.”

[119:98]  ³⁰ tn The plural form needs to be revocalized as a singular in order to agree with the preceding singular verb and the singular pronoun in the next line. The Lord’s “command” refers here to the law (see Ps 19:8).

[3:1]  ³¹ sn The chapter begins with an introductory exhortation (1-4), followed by an admonition to be faithful to the Lord (5-12). Wisdom is commended as the most valuable possession (13-18), essential to creation (19-20), and the way to a long and safe life (21-26). There then follows a warning to avoid unneighborliness (27-30) and emulating the wicked (31-35).

[3:1]  ³² tn Heb “my son” (likewise in vv. 11, 21).

[3:1]  ³³ tn The verb יִצֹּר (yitsor) is a Qal jussive and the noun לִבֶּךָ (libbekha, “your heart”) functions as the subject: “let your heart keep my commandments.”

[3:2]  ³⁴ tn The phrase “they will provide” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.

[3:2]  ³⁵ tn Heb “length of days and years of life” (so NASB, NRSV). The idiom “length of days” refers to a prolonged life and “years of life” signifies a long time full of life, a life worth living (T. T. Perowne, Proverbs, 51). The term “life” refers to earthly felicity combined with spiritual blessedness (BDB 313 s.v. חַיִּים).

[3:2]  ³⁶ tn The noun שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) here means “welfare, health, prosperity” (BDB 1022 s.v. 3). It can be used of physical health and personal well-being. It is the experience of positive blessing and freedom from negative harm and catastrophe.

[3:3]  ³⁷ tn The two words חֶסֶד וֶאֶמֶת (khesed ve’emet, “mercy and truth”) form a nominal hendiadys, the second word becoming an adjective: “faithful covenant love” or “loyal [covenant] love and faithfulness.”

[3:3]  ³⁸ sn This involves two implied comparisons (hypocatastasis). One is a comparison of living out the duties and responsibilities taught with binding a chain around the neck, and the other is a comparison of the inward appropriation of the teachings with writing them on a tablet. So the teachings are not only to become the lifestyle of the disciple but his very nature.

[3:4]  ³⁹ tn The form וּמְצָא (umÿtsa’, “find”) is the imperative but it functions as a purpose/result statement. Following a string of imperatives (v. 3), the imperative with a prefixed vav introduces a volitive sequence expressing purpose or result (v. 4).

[3:4]  ⁴⁰ tn The noun שֵׂכֶל (sekhel, “understanding”) does not seem to parallel חֵן (khen, “favor”). The LXX attaches the first two words to v. 3 and renders v. 4: “and devise excellent things in the sight of the Lord and of men.” Tg. Prov 3:4 and Syriac Peshitta list all three words separately: “favor and good and understanding.” C. H. Toy (Proverbs [ICC], 59) suggests emending the MT’s שֵׂכֶל־טוֹב (sekhel-tov, “good understanding”) to שֵׁם־טוֹב (shem-tov, “a good name”). It is also possible to take the two words as a hendiadys: the favor of good understanding, meaning, a reputation for good understanding.

[3:4]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “man.”