Discovery BoxJoshua 24:15-22
Context24:15 If you have no desire 1 to worship 2 the Lord, choose today whom you will worship, 3 whether it be the gods whom your ancestors 4 worshiped 5 beyond the Euphrates, 6 or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my family 7 will worship 8 the Lord!”
24:16 The people responded, “Far be it from us to abandon the Lord so we can 9 worship 10 other gods! 24:17 For the Lord our God took us and our fathers out of slavery 11 in the land of Egypt 12 and performed these awesome miracles 13 before our very eyes. He continually protected us as we traveled and when we passed through nations. 14 24:18 The Lord drove out from before us all the nations, including the Amorites who lived in the land. So we too will worship 15 the Lord, for he is our God!”
24:19 Joshua warned 16 the people, “You will not keep worshiping 17 the Lord, for 18 he is a holy God. 19 He is a jealous God who will not forgive 20 your rebellion or your sins. 24:20 If 21 you abandon the Lord and worship 22 foreign gods, he will turn against you; 23 he will bring disaster on you and destroy you, 24 though he once treated you well.” 25
24:21 The people said to Joshua, “No! We really will 26 worship 27 the Lord!” 24:22 Joshua said to the people, “Do you agree to be witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to worship the Lord?” 28 They replied, “We are witnesses!” 29
Ruth 1:11-18
Context1:11 But Naomi replied, “Go back home, my daughters! There is no reason for you to return to Judah with me! 30 I am no longer capable of giving birth to sons who might become your husbands! 31 1:12 Go back home, my daughters! For I am too old to get married again. 32 Even if I thought that there was hope that I could get married tonight and conceive sons, 33 1:13 surely you would not want to wait until they were old enough to marry! 34 Surely you would not remain unmarried all that time! 35 No, 36 my daughters, you must not return with me. 37 For my intense suffering 38 is too much for you to bear. 39 For the Lord is afflicting me!” 40
1:14 Again they wept loudly. 41 Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, 42 but Ruth 43 clung tightly to her. 44 1:15 So Naomi 45 said, “Look, your sister-in-law is returning to her people and to her god. 46 Follow your sister-in-law back home!” 1:16 But Ruth replied,
“Stop urging me to abandon you! 47
For wherever you go, I will go.
Wherever you live, I will live.
Your people will become my people,
and your God will become my God.
1:17 Wherever you die, I will die – and there I will be buried.
May the Lord punish me severely if I do not keep my promise! 48
Only death will be able to separate me from you!” 49
1:18 When Naomi 50 realized that Ruth 51 was determined to go with her, she stopped trying to dissuade her. 52
Ruth 1:2
Context1:2 (Now the man’s name was Elimelech, 53 his wife was Naomi, 54 and his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. 55 They were of the clan of Ephrath 56 from Bethlehem in Judah.) They entered the region of Moab and settled there. 57
Ruth 1:19-20
Context1:19 So the two of them 58 journeyed together until they arrived in Bethlehem. 59
When they entered 60 Bethlehem, 61 the whole village was excited about their arrival. 62 The women of the village said, 63 “Can this be Naomi?” 64 1:20 But she replied 65 to them, 66 “Don’t call me ‘Naomi’! 67 Call me ‘Mara’ 68 because the Sovereign One 69 has treated me very harshly. 70
Luke 14:25-33
Context14:25 Now large crowds 71 were accompanying Jesus, 72 and turning to them he said, 14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate 73 his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, 74 he cannot be my disciple. 14:27 Whoever does not carry his own cross 75 and follow 76 me cannot be my disciple. 14:28 For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t sit down 77 first and compute the cost 78 to see if he has enough money to complete it? 14:29 Otherwise, 79 when he has laid 80 a foundation and is not able to finish the tower, 81 all who see it 82 will begin to make fun of 83 him. 14:30 They will say, 84 ‘This man 85 began to build and was not able to finish!’ 86 14:31 Or what king, going out to confront another king in battle, will not sit down 87 first and determine whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose 88 the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 14:32 If he cannot succeed, 89 he will send a representative 90 while the other is still a long way off and ask for terms of peace. 91 14:33 In the same way therefore not one of you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his own possessions. 92
[24:15] 1 tn Heb “if it is bad in your eyes.”
[24:15] 4 tn Heb “your fathers.”
[24:15] 6 tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity; see v. 3.
[24:17] 11 tn Heb “of the house of slavery.”
[24:17] 12 tn Heb “for the
[24:17] 13 tn Or “great signs.”
[24:17] 14 tn Heb “and he guarded us in all the way in which we walked and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed.”
[24:18] 15 tn Or “will serve.”
[24:19] 17 tn Heb “you are not able to serve.”
[24:19] 18 sn For an excellent discussion of Joshua’s logical argument here, see T. C. Butler, Joshua (WBC), 274-75.
[24:19] 19 tn In the Hebrew text both the divine name (אֱלֹהִים, ’elohim) and the adjective (קְדֹשִׁים, qÿdoshim, “holy”) are plural. Normally the divine name, when referring to the one true God, takes singular modifiers, but this is a rare exception where the adjective agrees grammatically with the honorific plural noun. See GKC §124.i and IBHS 122.
[24:19] 20 tn Heb “lift up” or “take away.”
[24:20] 23 tn The words “against you” are added for clarification.
[24:20] 24 tn Heb “bring you to an end.”
[24:20] 25 tn Heb “after he did good for you.”
[24:21] 26 tn The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) is emphatic. Another option is to take it as explanatory, “No, for we will….”
[24:21] 27 tn Or “will serve.”
[24:22] 28 tn Heb “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves the
[24:22] 29 sn Like witnesses in a court of law, Israel’s solemn vow to worship the Lord will testify against them in the divine court if the nation ever violates its commitment.
[1:11] 30 tn Heb “Why would you want to come with me?” Naomi’s rhetorical question expects a negative answer. The phrase “to Judah” is added in the translation for clarification.
[1:11] 31 tn Heb “Do I still have sons in my inner parts that they might become your husbands?” Again Naomi’s rhetorical question expects a negative answer.
[1:12] 32 sn Too old to get married again. Naomi may be exaggerating for the sake of emphasis. Her point is clear, though: It is too late to roll back the clock.
[1:12] 33 tn Verse 12b contains the protasis (“if” clause) of a conditional sentence, which is completed by the rhetorical questions in v. 13. For a detailed syntactical analysis, see F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther (WBC), 78-79.
[1:13] 34 tn Heb “For them would you wait until they were grown?” Some understand הֲלָהֵן (halahen) as an interrogative he (ה) with an Aramaic particle meaning “therefore” (see GKC 301 §103.b.2 [n. 4]; cf. ASV, NASB), while others understand the form to consist of an interrogative he, the preposition ל (lamed, “for”), and an apparent third person feminine plural pronominal suffix (CEV, NLT “for them”). The feminine suffix is problematic, for its antecedent is the hypothetical “sons” mentioned at the end of v. 12. For this reason some emend the form to הלתם (“for them,” a third person masculine plural suffix). R. L. Hubbard raises the possibility that the nunated suffix is an archaic Moabite masculine dual form (Ruth [NICOT], 111, n. 31). In any case, Naomi’s rhetorical question expects a negative answer.
[1:13] 35 tn Heb “For them would you hold yourselves back so as not to be for a man?” Again Naomi’s rhetorical question expects a negative answer. The verb עָגַן (’agan, “hold back”; cf. KJV, ASV “stay”; NRSV “refrain”) occurs only here in the OT. For discussion of its etymology and meaning, see HALOT 785-86 s.v. עגן, and F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther (WBC), 79-80.
[1:13] 36 tn The negative is used here in an elliptical manner for emphasis (see HALOT 48 s.v. I אַל; GKC 479-80 §152.g).
[1:13] 37 tn Heb “No, my daughters.” Naomi is not answering the rhetorical questions she has just asked. In light of the explanatory clause that follows, it seems more likely that she is urging them to give up the idea of returning with her. In other words, the words “no, my daughters” complement the earlier exhortation to “go back.” To clarify this, the words “you must not return with me” are added in the translation.
[1:13] 38 tn Heb “bitterness to me.” The term מָרַר (marar) can refer to emotional bitterness: “to feel bitter” (1 Sam 30:6; 2 Kgs 4:27; Lam 1:4) or a grievous situation: “to be in bitter circumstances” (Jer 4:18) (BDB 600 s.v.; HALOT 638 s.v. I מרר). So the expression מַר־לִי (mar-li) can refer to emotional bitterness (KJV, NKJV, ASV, RSV, NASB, NIV, NJPS, CEV, NLT) or a grievous situation (cf. NRSV, NAB, NCV, CEV margin). Although Naomi and her daughters-in-law had reason for emotional grief, the issue at hand was Naomi’s lamentable situation, which she did not want them to experience: being a poor widow in a foreign land.
[1:13] 39 tn Heb “for there is bitterness to me exceedingly from you.” The clause כִּי־מַר־לִי מְאֹד מִכֶּם (ki-mar-li me’od mikkem) is notoriously difficult to interpret. It has been taken in three different ways: (1) “For I am very bitter for me because of you,” that is, because of your widowed condition (cf. KJV, NKJV, ASV, RSV, NJB, REB, JB, TEV). This does not fit well, however, with the following statement (“for the LORD has attacked me”) nor with the preceding statement (“You must not return with me”). (2) “For I am far more bitter than for you” (cf. NASB, NIV, NJPS, NEB, CEV, NLT). This does not provide an adequate basis, however, for the preceding statement (“You must not return with me”). (3) “For my bitterness is too much for you [to bear]” (cf. NAB, NRSV, NCV, CEV margin). This is preferable because it fits well with both the preceding and following statements. These three options reflect the three ways the preposition מן may be taken here: (1) causal: “because of, on account of” (BDB 580 s.v. מִן 2.f; HALOT 598 s.v. מִן 6), not that Orpah and Ruth were the cause of her calamity, but that Naomi was grieved because they had become widows; (2) comparative: “more [bitter] than you” (BDB 581 s.v. 6.a; HALOT 598 s.v. 5b), meaning that Naomi’s situation was more grievous than theirs – while they could remarry, her prospects were much more bleak; and (3) elative, describing a situation that is too much for a person to bear: “too [bitter] for you” (BDB 581 s.v. 6.d; HALOT 598 s.v. 5a; IBHS 267 §14.4f; e.g., Gen 4:13; Exod 18:18; Deut 17:8; 1 Kgs 19:17), meaning that Naomi’s plight was too bitter for her daughters-in-law to share. While all three options are viable, the meaning adopted must fit two criteria: (1) The meaning of this clause (1:13b) must provide the grounds for Naomi’s emphatic rejection of the young women’s refusal to separate themselves from her (1:13a); and (2) it must fit the following clause: “for the hand of the LORD has gone out against me” (1:13c). The first and second options do not provide adequate reasons for sending her daughters-in-law back home, nor do they fit her lament that the LORD had attached her (not them); however, the third option (elative sense) fits both criteria. Naomi did not want her daughters-in-law to share her sad situation, that is, to be poor, childless widows in a foreign land with no prospect for marriage. If they accompanied her back to Judah, they would be in the same kind of situation in which she found herself in Moab. If they were to find the “rest” (security of home and husband) she wished for them, it would be in Moab, not in Judah. The
[1:13] 40 tn Heb “for the hand of the
[1:14] 41 tn Heb “they lifted their voice[s] and wept” (so NASB; see v. 9). The expression refers to loud weeping employed in mourning tragedy (Judg 21:2; 2 Sam 13:36; Job 2:12).
[1:14] 42 tc The LXX adds, “and she returned to her people” (cf. TEV “and went back home”). Translating the Greek of the LXX back to Hebrew would read a consonantal text of ותשׁב אל־עמה. Most dismiss this as a clarifying addition added under the influence of v. 15, but this alternative reading should not be rejected too quickly. It is possible that a scribe’s eye jumped from the initial vav on ותשׁב (“and she returned”) to the initial vav on the final clause (וְרוּת [vÿrut], “and Ruth”), inadvertently leaving out the intervening words, “and she returned to her people.” Or a scribe’s eye could have jumped from the final he on לַחֲמוֹתָהּ (lakhamotah, “to her mother-in-law”) to the final he on עַמָּהּ (’ammah, “her people”), leaving out the intervening words, “and she returned to her people.”
[1:14] 43 tn The clause is disjunctive. The word order is conjunction + subject + verb, highlighting the contrast between the actions of Orpah and Ruth.
[1:14] 44 sn Clung tightly. The expression suggests strong commitment (see R. L. Hubbard, Jr., Ruth [NICOT], 115).
[1:15] 45 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Naomi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:15] 46 tn Or “gods” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, CEV, NLT), if the plural form is taken as a numerical plural. However, it is likely that Naomi, speaking from Orpah’s Moabite perspective, uses the plural of majesty of the Moabite god Chemosh. For examples of the plural of majesty being used of a pagan god, see BDB 43 s.v. אֱלֹהִים 1.d. Note especially 1 Kgs 11:33, where the plural form is used of Chemosh.
[1:16] 47 tn Heb “do not urge me to abandon you to turn back from after you.” Most English versions, following the lead of the KJV, use “leave” here. The use of עזב (“abandon”) reflects Ruth’s perspective. To return to Moab would be to abandon Naomi and to leave her even more vulnerable than she already is.
[1:17] 48 tn Heb “Thus may the
[1:17] 49 tn Heb “certainly death will separate me and you.” Ruth’s vow has been interpreted two ways: (1) Not even death will separate her from Naomi – because they will be buried next to one another (e.g., NRSV, NCV; see E. F. Campbell, Ruth [AB], 74-75). However, for the statement to mean, “Not even death will separate me and you,” it would probably need to be introduced by אִם (’im, “if”) or negated by לֹא (lo’, “not”; see F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 83). (2) Nothing except death will separate her from Naomi (e.g., KJV, ASV, RSV, NASB, NIV, TEV, NJPS, REB, NLT, GW; see Bush, 83). The particle כִּי introduces the content of the vow, which – if violated – would bring about the curse uttered in the preceding oath (BDB 472 s.v. כִּי 1.c; e.g., Gen 42:16; Num 14:22; 1 Sam 20:3; 26:16; 29:6; 2 Sam 3:35; 1 Kgs 2:23; Isa 49:18). Some suggest that כּי is functioning as an asseverative (“indeed, certainly”) to express what the speaker is determined will happen (Bush, 83; see 1 Sam 14:44; 2 Sam 3:9; 1 Kgs 2:23; 19:2). Here כִּי probably functions in a conditional sense: “if” or “if…except, unless” (BDB 473 s.v. כִּי2.b). So her vow may essentially mean “if anything except death should separate me from you!” The most likely view is (2): Ruth is swearing that death alone will separate her from Naomi.
[1:18] 50 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Naomi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:18] 51 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Ruth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:18] 52 tn Heb “she ceased speaking to her.” This does not imply that Naomi was completely silent toward Ruth. It simply means that Naomi stopped trying to convince her to go back to Moab (see F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 84-85).
[1:2] 53 sn The name “Elimelech” literally means “My God [is] king.” The narrator’s explicit identification of his name seems to cast him in a positive light.
[1:2] 54 tn Heb “and the name of his wife [was] Naomi.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[1:2] 55 tn Heb “and the name[s] of his two sons [were] Mahlon and Kilion.”
[1:2] 56 tn Heb “[They were] Ephrathites.” Ephrathah is a small village (Ps 132:6) in the vicinity of Bethlehem (Gen 35:16), so close in proximity that it is often identified with the larger town of Bethlehem (Gen 35:19; 48:7; Ruth 4:11; Mic 5:2 [MT 5:1]; HALOT 81 s.v. אֶפְרָתָה); see F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther (WBC), 64. The designation “Ephrathites” might indicate that they were residents of Ephrathah. However, the adjectival form אֶפְרָתִים (ephratim, “Ephrathites”) used here elsewhere refers to someone from the clan of Ephrath (cf. 1 Chr 4:4) which lived in the region of Bethlehem: “Now David was the son of an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in Judah whose name was Jesse” (1 Sam 17:12; cf. Mic 5:2 [MT 5:1]). So it is more likely that the virtually identical expression here – “Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah” – refers to the clan of Ephrath in Bethlehem (see R. L. Hubbard, Jr., Ruth [NICOT], 91).
[1:2] 57 tn Heb “and were there”; KJV “continued there”; NRSV “remained there”; TEV “were living there.”
[1:19] 58 tn The suffix “them” appears to be masculine, but it is probably an archaic dual form (E. F. Campbell, Ruth [AB], 65; F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 75-76).
[1:19] 59 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[1:19] 60 tn The temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi, “and it was”) here introduces a new scene.
[1:19] 61 map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[1:19] 62 tn Heb “because of them” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “excited to see them.”
[1:19] 63 tn Heb “they said,” but the verb form is third person feminine plural, indicating that the women of the village are the subject.
[1:19] 64 tn Heb “Is this Naomi?” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). The question here expresses surprise and delight because of the way Naomi reacts to it (F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther [WBC], 92).
[1:20] 65 tn Heb “said.” For stylistic reasons the present translation employs “replied” here.
[1:20] 66 tn The third person feminine plural form of the pronominal suffix indicates the women of the village (see v. 19) are the addressees.
[1:20] 67 sn The name Naomi means “pleasant.”
[1:20] 68 sn The name Mara means “bitter.”
[1:20] 69 tn Heb “Shaddai”; traditionally “the Almighty.” The etymology and meaning of this divine name is uncertain. It may be derived from: (1) שָׁדַד (shadad, “to be strong”), cognate to Arabic sdd, meaning “The Strong One” or “Almighty”; (2) שָׁדָה (shadah, “mountain”), cognate to Akkadian shadu, meaning “The Mountain Dweller” or “God of the Mountains”; (3) שָׁדַד (shadad, “to devastate”) and שַׁד (shad, “destroyer”), Akkadian Shedum, meaning “The Destroyer” or “The Malevolent One”; or (4) שֶׁ (she, “who”) plus דִּי (diy, “sufficient”), meaning “The One Who is Sufficient” or “All-Sufficient One” (HALOT 1420-22 s.v. שַׁדַּי, שַׁדָּי). In terms of use, Shaddai (or El Shaddai) is presented as the sovereign king/judge of the world who grants life/blesses and kills/judges. In Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he blesses/protects and also takes away life/happiness. In light of Naomi’s emphasis on God’s sovereign, malevolent deprivation of her family, one can understand her use of this name for God. For discussion of this divine name, see T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72.
[1:20] 70 tn Or “caused me to be very bitter”; NAB “has made it very bitter for me.”
[14:25] 71 sn It is important to note that the following remarks are not just to disciples, but to the large crowds who were following Jesus.
[14:25] 72 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:26] 73 tn This figurative use operates on a relative scale. God is to be loved more than family or self.
[14:26] 74 tn Grk “his own soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.
[14:27] 75 sn It was customary practice in a Roman crucifixion for the prisoner to be made to carry his own cross. Jesus is speaking figuratively here in the context of rejection. If the priority is not one’s allegiance to Jesus, then one will not follow him in the face of possible rejection; see Luke 9:23.
[14:27] 76 tn Grk “and come after.” In combination with the verb ἔρχομαι (ercomai) the improper preposition ὀπίσω (opisw) means “follow.”
[14:28] 77 tn The participle καθίσας (kaqisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
[14:28] 78 tn The first illustration involves checking to see if enough funds exist to build a watchtower. Both ψηφίζω (yhfizw, “compute”) and δαπάνη (dapanh, “cost”) are economic terms.
[14:29] 79 tn Grk “to complete it, lest.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation and ἵνα μήποτε ({ina mhpote, “lest”) has been translated as “Otherwise.”
[14:29] 80 tn The participle θέντος (qentos) has been taken temporally.
[14:29] 81 tn The words “the tower” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[14:29] 82 tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[14:29] 83 tn Or “mock,” “ridicule.” The person who did not plan ahead becomes an object of joking and ridicule.
[14:30] 84 tn Grk “make fun of him, saying.”
[14:30] 85 sn The phrase this man is often used in Luke in a derogatory sense; see “this one” and expressions like it in Luke 5:21; 7:39; 13:32; 23:4, 14, 22, 35.
[14:30] 86 sn The failure to finish the building project leads to embarrassment (in a culture where avoiding public shame was extremely important). The half completed tower testified to poor preparation and planning.
[14:31] 87 tn The participle καθίσας (kaqisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
[14:31] 88 tn On the meaning of this verb see also L&N 55.3, “to meet in battle, to face in battle.”
[14:32] 89 tn Grk “And if not.” Here δέ (de) has not been translated; “succeed” is implied and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[14:32] 90 tn Grk “a messenger.”
[14:32] 91 sn This image is slightly different from the former one about the tower (vv. 28-30). The first part of the illustration (sit down first and determine) deals with preparation. The second part of the illustration (ask for terms of peace) has to do with recognizing who is stronger. This could well suggest thinking about what refusing the “stronger one” (God) might mean, and thus constitutes a warning. Achieving peace with God, the more powerful king, is the point of the illustration.
[14:33] 92 tn Grk “Likewise therefore every one of you who does not renounce all his own possessions cannot be my disciple.” The complex double negation is potentially confusing to the modern reader and has been simplified in the translation. See L&N 57.70.
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