Jude 1:11-12

1:11 Woe to them! For they have traveled down Cain’s path, ¹  and because of greed ²  have abandoned themselves ³  to ⁴  Balaam’s error; hence, ⁵  they will certainly perish ⁶  in Korah’s rebellion. 1:12 These men are ⁷  dangerous reefs ⁸  at your love feasts, ⁹  feasting without reverence, ¹⁰  feeding only themselves. ¹¹  They are ¹²  waterless ¹³  clouds, carried along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit ¹⁴  – twice dead, ¹⁵  uprooted;

Jude 1:6-7

1:6 You also know that ¹⁶  the angels who did not keep within their proper domain ¹⁷  but abandoned their own place of residence, he has kept ¹⁸  in eternal chains ¹⁹  in utter ²⁰  darkness, locked up ²¹  for the judgment of the great Day. 1:7 So also ²²  Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring towns, ²³  since they indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire ²⁴  in a way similar to ²⁵  these angels, ²⁶  are now displayed as an example by suffering the punishment of eternal fire.

Jude 1:6

1:6 You also know that ²⁷  the angels who did not keep within their proper domain ²⁸  but abandoned their own place of residence, he has kept ²⁹  in eternal chains ³⁰  in utter ³¹  darkness, locked up ³²  for the judgment of the great Day.

Jude 1:13-14

1:13 wild sea waves, ³³  spewing out the foam of ³⁴  their shame; ³⁵  wayward stars ³⁶  for whom the utter depths of eternal darkness ³⁷  have been reserved.

1:14 Now Enoch, the seventh in descent beginning with Adam, ³⁸  even prophesied of them, ³⁹  saying, “Look! The Lord is coming ⁴⁰  with thousands and thousands ⁴¹  of his holy ones,

Psalms 78:56-57

78:56 Yet they challenged and defied ⁴²  the sovereign God, ⁴³ 

and did not obey ⁴⁴  his commands. ⁴⁵ 

78:57 They were unfaithful ⁴⁶  and acted as treacherously as ⁴⁷  their ancestors;

they were as unreliable as a malfunctioning bow. ⁴⁸ 

Psalms 106:34-40

106:34 They did not destroy the nations, ⁴⁹ 

as the Lord had commanded them to do.

106:35 They mixed in with the nations

and learned their ways. ⁵⁰ 

106:36 They worshiped ⁵¹  their idols,

which became a snare to them. ⁵² 

106:37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons. ⁵³ 

106:38 They shed innocent blood –

the blood of their sons and daughters,

whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan.

The land was polluted by bloodshed. ⁵⁴ 

106:39 They were defiled by their deeds,

and unfaithful in their actions. ⁵⁵ 

106:40 So the Lord was angry with his people ⁵⁶ 

and despised the people who belong to him. ⁵⁷ 

Ezekiel 16:15-63

16:15 “‘But you trusted in your beauty and capitalized on your fame by becoming a prostitute. You offered your sexual favors to every man who passed by so that your beauty ⁵⁸  became his. 16:16 You took some of your clothing and made for yourself decorated high places; you engaged in prostitution on them. You went to him to become his. ⁵⁹  16:17 You also took your beautiful jewelry, made of my gold and my silver I had given to you, and made for yourself male images and engaged in prostitution ⁶⁰  with them. 16:18 You took your embroidered clothing and used it to cover them; you offered my olive oil and my incense to them. 16:19 As for my food that I gave you – the fine flour, olive oil, and honey I fed you – you placed it before them as a soothing aroma. That is exactly what happened, declares the sovereign Lord.

16:20 “‘You took your sons and your daughters whom you bore to me and you sacrificed them ⁶¹  as food for the idols to eat. As if your prostitution not enough, 16:21 you slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols. ⁶²  16:22 And with all your abominable practices and prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth when you were naked and bare, kicking around in your blood.

16:23 “‘After all of your evil – “Woe! Woe to you!” declares the sovereign Lord – 16:24 you built yourself a chamber ⁶³  and put up a pavilion ⁶⁴  in every public square. 16:25 At the head of every street you erected your pavilion and you disgraced ⁶⁵  your beauty when you spread ⁶⁶  your legs to every passerby and multiplied your promiscuity. 16:26 You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your sexually aroused neighbors, ⁶⁷  multiplying your promiscuity and provoking me to anger. 16:27 So see here, I have stretched out my hand against you and cut off your rations. I have delivered you into the power of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed by your obscene conduct. 16:28 You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians because your sexual desires were insatiable; you prostituted yourself with them and yet you were still not satisfied. 16:29 Then you multiplied your promiscuity to the land of merchants, Babylonia, ⁶⁸  but you were not satisfied there either.

16:30 “‘How sick is your heart, declares the sovereign Lord, when you perform all of these acts, the deeds of a bold prostitute. 16:31 When you built your chamber at the head of every street and put up your pavilion in every public square, you were not like a prostitute, because you scoffed at payment. ⁶⁹ 

16:32 “‘Adulterous wife, who prefers strangers instead of her own husband! 16:33 All prostitutes receive payment, ⁷⁰  but instead you give gifts to every one of your lovers. You bribe them to come to you from all around for your sexual favors! 16:34 You were different from other prostitutes ⁷¹  because no one solicited you. When you gave payment and no payment was given to you, you became the opposite!

16:35 “‘Therefore O prostitute, hear the word of the Lord: 16:36 This is what the sovereign Lord says: Because your lust ⁷²  was poured out and your nakedness was uncovered in your prostitution with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols, and because of the blood of your children you have given to them, 16:37 therefore, take note: I am about to gather all your lovers whom you enjoyed, both all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around, and I will expose your nakedness to them, and they will see all your nakedness. ⁷³  16:38 I will punish you as an adulteress and murderer deserves. ⁷⁴  I will avenge your bloody deeds with furious rage. ⁷⁵  16:39 I will give you into their hands and they will destroy your chambers and tear down your pavilions. They will strip you of your clothing and take your beautiful jewelry and leave you naked and bare. 16:40 They will summon a mob who will stone you and hack you in pieces with their swords. 16:41 They will burn down your houses and execute judgments on you in front of many women. Thus I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer give gifts to your clients. ⁷⁶  16:42 I will exhaust my rage on you, and then my fury will turn from you. I will calm down and no longer be angry.

16:43 “‘Because you did not remember the days of your youth and have enraged me with all these deeds, I hereby repay you for what you have done, ⁷⁷  declares the sovereign Lord. Have you not engaged in prostitution on top of all your other abominable practices?

16:44 “‘Observe – everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you: “Like mother, like daughter.” 16:45 You are the daughter of your mother, who detested her husband and her sons, and you are the sister of your sisters who detested their husbands and their sons. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. 16:46 Your older sister was Samaria, who lived north ⁷⁸  of you with her daughters, and your younger sister, who lived south ⁷⁹  of you, was Sodom ⁸⁰  with her daughters. 16:47 Have you not copied their behavior ⁸¹  and practiced their abominable deeds? In a short time ⁸²  you became even more depraved in all your conduct than they were! 16:48 As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, your sister Sodom and her daughters never behaved as wickedly as you and your daughters have behaved.

16:49 “‘See here – this was the iniquity ⁸³  of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters had majesty, abundance of food, and enjoyed carefree ease, but they did not help ⁸⁴  the poor and needy. 16:50 They were haughty and practiced abominable deeds before me. Therefore when I saw it I removed them. 16:51 Samaria has not committed half the sins you have; you have done more abominable deeds than they did. ⁸⁵  You have made your sisters appear righteous with all the abominable things you have done. 16:52 So now, bear your disgrace, because you have given your sisters reason to justify their behavior. ⁸⁶  Because the sins you have committed were more abominable than those of your sisters; they have become more righteous than you. So now, be ashamed and bear the disgrace of making your sisters appear righteous.

16:53 “‘I will restore their fortunes, the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters (along with your fortunes among them), 16:54 so that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you have done in consoling them. 16:55 As for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters will be restored to their former status, Samaria and her daughters will be restored to their former status, and you and your daughters will be restored to your former status. 16:56 In your days of majesty, ⁸⁷  was not Sodom your sister a byword in your mouth, 16:57 before your evil was exposed? Now you have become an object of scorn to the daughters of Aram ⁸⁸  and all those around her and to the daughters of the Philistines – those all around you who despise you. 16:58 You must bear your punishment for your obscene conduct and your abominable practices, declares the Lord.

16:59 “‘For this is what the sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you according to what you have done when you despised your oath by breaking your covenant. 16:60 Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish a lasting ⁸⁹  covenant with you. 16:61 Then you will remember your conduct, and be ashamed when you receive your older and younger sisters. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on account of my covenant with you. 16:62 I will establish my covenant with you, and then you will know that I am the Lord. 16:63 Then you will remember, be ashamed, and remain silent ⁹⁰  when I make atonement for all you have done, ⁹¹  declares the sovereign Lord.’”

Ezekiel 20:21

20:21 “‘But the children ⁹²  rebelled against me, did not follow my statutes, did not observe my regulations by carrying them out (the one who obeys ⁹³  them will live by them), and desecrated my Sabbaths. I decided to pour out ⁹⁴  my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the wilderness.

Ezekiel 23:4-49

23:4 Oholah was the name of the older and Oholibah ⁹⁵  the name of her younger sister. They became mine, and gave birth to sons and daughters. ⁹⁶  Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem.

23:5 “Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was mine. ⁹⁷  She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians ⁹⁸  – warriors ⁹⁹  23:6 clothed in blue, governors and officials, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses. 23:7 She bestowed her sexual favors on them; all of them were the choicest young men of Assyria. She defiled herself with all whom she desired ¹⁰⁰  – with all their idols. 23:8 She did not abandon the prostitution she had practiced in Egypt; for in her youth men had sex with her, fondled her virgin breasts, and ravished her. ¹⁰¹  23:9 Therefore I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians ¹⁰²  for whom she lusted. 23:10 They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. She became notorious ¹⁰³  among women, and they executed judgments against her.

23:11 “Her sister Oholibah watched this, ¹⁰⁴  but she became more corrupt in her lust than her sister had been, and her acts of prostitution were more numerous than those of her sister. 23:12 She lusted after the Assyrians – governors and officials, warriors in full armor, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men. 23:13 I saw that she was defiled; both of them followed the same path. 23:14 But she increased her prostitution. She saw men carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans carved in bright red, ¹⁰⁵  23:15 wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers, the image of Babylonians ¹⁰⁶  whose native land is Chaldea. 23:16 When she saw them, ¹⁰⁷  she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. ¹⁰⁸  23:17 The Babylonians crawled into bed with her. ¹⁰⁹  They defiled her with their lust; after she was defiled by them, she ¹¹⁰  became disgusted with them. 23:18 When she lustfully exposed her nakedness, ¹¹¹  I ¹¹²  was disgusted with her, just as I ¹¹³  had been disgusted with her sister. 23:19 Yet she increased her prostitution, remembering the days of her youth when she engaged in prostitution in the land of Egypt. 23:20 She lusted after their genitals – as large as those of donkeys, ¹¹⁴  and their seminal emission was as strong as that of stallions. 23:21 This is how you assessed ¹¹⁵  the obscene conduct of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled ¹¹⁶  your nipples and squeezed ¹¹⁷  your young breasts.

23:22 “Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look here, ¹¹⁸  I am about to stir up against you the lovers with whom you were disgusted; I will bring them against you from every side: 23:23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, ¹¹⁹  Shoa, ¹²⁰  and Koa, ¹²¹  and all the Assyrians with them, desirable young men, all of them governors and officials, officers and nobles, all of them riding on horses. 23:24 They will attack ¹²²  you with weapons, ¹²³  chariots, wagons, and with a huge army; ¹²⁴  they will array themselves against you on every side with large shields, small shields, and helmets. I will assign them the task of judgment; ¹²⁵  they will punish you according to their laws. 23:25 I will direct ¹²⁶  my jealous anger against you, and they will deal with you in rage. They will cut off your nose and your ears, ¹²⁷  and your survivors will die ¹²⁸  by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and your survivors will be consumed by fire. 23:26 They will strip your clothes off you and take away your beautiful jewelry. 23:27 So I will put an end to your obscene conduct and your prostitution which you have practiced in the land of Egypt. ¹²⁹  You will not seek their help ¹³⁰  or remember Egypt anymore.

23:28 “For this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look here, ¹³¹  I am about to deliver you over to ¹³²  those whom you hate, to those with whom you were disgusted. 23:29 They will treat you with hatred, take away all you have labored for, ¹³³  and leave you naked and bare. Your nakedness will be exposed, just as when you engaged in prostitution and obscene conduct. ¹³⁴  23:30 I will do these things to you ¹³⁵  because you engaged in prostitution with the nations, polluting yourself with their idols. 23:31 You have followed the ways of your sister, so I will place her cup of judgment ¹³⁶  in your hand. 23:32 “This is what the sovereign Lord says: “You will drink your sister’s deep and wide cup; ¹³⁷  you will be scorned and derided, for it holds a great deal. 23:33 You will be overcome by ¹³⁸  drunkenness and sorrow. The cup of your sister Samaria is a cup of horror and desolation. 23:34 You will drain it dry, ¹³⁹  gnaw its pieces, ¹⁴⁰  and tear out your breasts, ¹⁴¹  for I have spoken, declares the sovereign Lord.

23:35 “Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Because you have forgotten me and completely disregarded me, ¹⁴²  you must bear now the punishment ¹⁴³  for your obscene conduct and prostitution.”

23:36 The Lord said to me: “Son of man, are you willing to pronounce judgment ¹⁴⁴  on Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominable deeds! 23:37 For they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and their sons, whom they bore to me, ¹⁴⁵  they have passed through the fire as food to their idols. ¹⁴⁶  23:38 Moreover, they have done this to me: In the very same day ¹⁴⁷  they desecrated my sanctuary and profaned my Sabbaths. 23:39 On the same day they slaughtered their sons for their idols, they came to my sanctuary to desecrate it. This is what they have done in the middle of my house.

23:40 “They even sent for men from far away; when the messenger arrived, those men set out. ¹⁴⁸  For them you bathed, ¹⁴⁹  painted your eyes, and decorated yourself with jewelry. 23:41 You sat on a magnificent couch, with a table arranged in front of it where you placed my incense and my olive oil. 23:42 The sound of a carefree crowd accompanied her, ¹⁵⁰  including all kinds of men; ¹⁵¹  even Sabeans ¹⁵²  were brought from the desert. The sisters ¹⁵³  put bracelets on their wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads. 23:43 Then I said about the one worn out by adultery, ‘Now they will commit immoral acts with her.’ 23:44 They had sex with her ¹⁵⁴  as one does with a prostitute. In this way they had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, promiscuous women. 23:45 But upright men will punish them appropriately for their adultery and bloodshed, ¹⁵⁵  because they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands.

23:46 “For this is what the sovereign Lord says: Bring up an army ¹⁵⁶  against them and subject them ¹⁵⁷  to terror and plunder. 23:47 That army will pelt them with stones and slash them with their swords; they will kill their sons and daughters and burn their houses. ¹⁵⁸  23:48 I will put an end to the obscene conduct in the land; all the women will learn a lesson from this and not engage in obscene conduct. 23:49 They will repay you for your obscene conduct, and you will be punished for idol worship. ¹⁵⁹  Then you will know that I am the sovereign Lord.”

[1:11]  ¹ tn Or “they have gone the way of Cain.”

[1:11]  ² tn Grk “for wages.”

[1:11]  ³ tn The verb ἐκχέω (ekcew) normally means “pour out.” Here, in the passive, it occasionally has a reflexive idea, as BDAG 312 s.v. 3. suggests (with extra-biblical examples).

[1:11]  ⁴ tn Or “in.”

[1:11]  ⁵ tn Grk “and.” See note on “perish” later in this verse.

[1:11]  ⁶ tn The three verbs in this verse are all aorist indicative (“have gone down,” “have abandoned,” “have perished”). Although the first and second could be considered constative or ingressive, the last is almost surely proleptic (referring to the certainty of their future judgment). Although it may seem odd that a proleptic aorist is so casually connected to other aorists with a different syntactical force, it is not unparalleled (cf. Rom 8:30).

[1:12]  ⁷ tn Grk “these are the men who are.”

[1:12]  ⁸ tn Though σπιλάδες (spilades) is frequently translated “blemishes” or “stains,” such is actually a translation of the Greek word σπίλοι (spiloi). The two words are quite similar, especially in their root or lexical forms (σπιλάς [spila"] and σπίλος [spilos] respectively). Some scholars have suggested that σπιλάδες in this context means the same thing as σπίλοι. But such could be the case only by a stretch of the imagination (see BDAG 938 s.v. σπιλάς for discussion). Others suggest that Jude’s spelling was in error (which also is doubtful). One reason for the tension is that in the parallel passage, 2 Pet 2:13, the term used is indeed σπίλος. And if either Jude used 2 Peter or 2 Peter used Jude, one would expect to see the same word. Jude, however, may have changed the wording for the sake of a subtle wordplay. The word σπιλάς was often used of a mere rock, though it normally was associated with a rock along the shore or one jutting out in the water. Thus, the false teachers would appear as “rocks” – as pillars in the community (cf. Matt 16:18; Gal 2:9), when in reality if a believer got too close to them his faith would get shipwrecked. Some suggest that σπιλάδες here means “hidden rocks.” Though this meaning is attested for the word, it is inappropriate in this context, since these false teachers are anything but hidden. They are dangerous because undiscerning folks get close to them, thinking they are rocks and pillars, when they are really dangerous reefs.

[1:12]  ⁹ tc Several witnesses (A C^vid 1243 1846 al), influenced by the parallel in 2 Pet 2:13, read ἀπάταις (apatai", “deceptions”) for ἀγάπαις (agapai", “love-feasts”) in v. 12. However, ἀγάπαις has much stronger and earlier support and should therefore be considered original.

[1:12]  ¹⁰ tn Or “fearlessly.” The term in this context, however, is decidedly negative. The implication is that these false teachers ate the Lord’s Supper without regarding the sanctity of the meal. Cf. 1 Cor 11:17-22.

[1:12]  ¹¹ tn Grk “shepherding themselves.” The verb ποιμαίνω (poimainw) means “shepherd, nurture [the flock].” But these men, rather than tending to the flock of God, nurture only themselves. They thus fall under the condemnation Paul uttered when writing to the Corinthians: “For when it comes time to eat [the Lord’s Supper,] each one goes ahead with his own meal” (1 Cor 11:21). Above all, the love-feast was intended to be a shared meal in which all ate and all felt welcome.

[1:12]  ¹² tn “They are” is not in Greek, but resumes the thought begun at the front of v. 12. There is no period before “They are.” English usage requires breaking this into more than one sentence.

[1:12]  ¹³ tn Cf. 2 Pet 2:17. Jude’s emphasis is slightly different (instead of waterless springs, they are waterless clouds).

[1:12]  ¹⁴ sn The imagery portraying the false teachers as autumn trees without fruit has to do with their lack of productivity. Recall the statement to the same effect by Jesus in Matt 7:16-20, in which false prophets will be known by their fruits. Like waterless clouds full of false hope, these trees do not yield any harvest even though it is expected.

[1:12]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “having died twice.”

[1:6]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “and.” Verse 6 is a continuation of the same sentence begun in v. 5. Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:6]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “who did not keep their own domain.”

[1:6]  ¹⁸ sn There is an interesting play on words used in this verse. Because the angels did not keep their proper place, Jesus has kept them chained up in another place. The same verb keep is used in v. 1 to describe believers’ status before God and Christ.

[1:6]  ¹⁹ sn In 2 Pet 2:4 a less common word for chains is used.

[1:6]  ²⁰ tn The word ζόφος (zofos, “utter, deepest darkness”) is used only five times in the NT: two in 2 Peter, two in Jude, and one in Hebrews. Jude 6 parallels 2 Pet 2:4; Jude 13 parallels 2 Pet 2:17.

[1:6]  ²¹ tn The words “locked up” are not in Greek, but is expressed in English as a resumptive point after the double prepositional phrase (“in eternal chains in utter darkness”).

[1:7]  ²² tn Grk “as.”

[1:7]  ²³ tn Grk “the towns [or cities] surrounding them.”

[1:7]  ²⁴ tn Grk “strange flesh.” This phrase has been variously interpreted. It could refer to flesh of another species (such as angels lusting after human flesh). This would aptly describe the sin of the angels, but not easily explain the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. It could refer to the homosexual practices of the Sodomites, but a difficulty arises from the use of ἕτερος ({etero"; “strange,” “other”). When this is to be distinguished from ἄλλος (allos, “another”) it suggests “another of a different kind.” If so, would that properly describe homosexual behavior? In response, the language could easily be compact: “pursued flesh other than what was normally pursued.” However, would this find an analogy in the lust of angels (such would imply that angels normally had sexual relations of some sort, but cf. Matt 22:30)? Another alternative is that the focus of the parallel is on the activity of the surrounding cities and the activity of the angels. This is especially plausible since the participles ἐκπορνεύσασαι (ekporneusasai, “having indulged in sexual immorality”) and ἀπελθοῦσαι (apelqousai, “having pursued”) have concord with “cities” (πόλεις, poleis), a feminine plural noun, rather than with Sodom and Gomorrah (both masculine nouns). If so, then their sin would not necessarily have to be homosexuality. However, most likely the feminine participles are used because of constructio ad sensum (construction according to sense). That is, since both Sodom and Gomorrah are cities, the feminine is used to imply that all the cities are involved. The connection with angels thus seems to be somewhat loose: Both angels and Sodom and Gomorrah indulged in heinous sexual immorality. Thus, whether the false teachers indulge in homosexual activity is not the point; mere sexual immorality is enough to condemn them.

[1:7]  ²⁵ tn Or “in the same way as.”

[1:7]  ²⁶ tn “Angels” is not in the Greek text; but the masculine demonstrative pronoun most likely refers back to the angels of v. 6.

[1:6]  ²⁷ tn Grk “and.” Verse 6 is a continuation of the same sentence begun in v. 5. Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:6]  ²⁸ tn Grk “who did not keep their own domain.”

[1:6]  ²⁹ sn There is an interesting play on words used in this verse. Because the angels did not keep their proper place, Jesus has kept them chained up in another place. The same verb keep is used in v. 1 to describe believers’ status before God and Christ.

[1:6]  ³⁰ sn In 2 Pet 2:4 a less common word for chains is used.

[1:6]  ³¹ tn The word ζόφος (zofos, “utter, deepest darkness”) is used only five times in the NT: two in 2 Peter, two in Jude, and one in Hebrews. Jude 6 parallels 2 Pet 2:4; Jude 13 parallels 2 Pet 2:17.

[1:6]  ³² tn The words “locked up” are not in Greek, but is expressed in English as a resumptive point after the double prepositional phrase (“in eternal chains in utter darkness”).

[1:13]  ³³ tn Grk “wild waves of the sea.”

[1:13]  ³⁴ tn Grk “foaming, causing to foam.” The verb form is intensive and causative. BDAG 360 s.v. ἐπαφρίζω suggests the meaning “to cause to splash up like froth, cause to foam,” or, in this context, “waves casting up their own shameless deeds like (dirty) foam.”

[1:13]  ³⁵ tn Grk “shames, shameful things.” It is uncertain whether shameful deeds or shameful words are in view. Either way, the picture has taken a decided turn: Though waterless clouds and fruitless trees may promise good things, but deliver nothing, wild sea-waves are portents of filth spewed forth from the belly of the sea.

[1:13]  ³⁶ sn The imagery of a star seems to fit the nautical theme that Jude is developing. Stars were of course the guides to sailors at night, just as teachers are responsible to lead the flock through a benighted world. But false teachers, as wayward stars, are not fixed and hence offer unreliable, even disastrous guidance. They are thus both the dangerous reefs on which the ships could be destroyed and the false guides, leading them into these rocks. There is a special irony that these lights will be snuffed out, reserved for the darkest depths of eternal darkness.

[1:13]  ³⁷ tn Grk “utter darkness of darkness for eternity.” See note on the word “utter” in v. 6.

[1:14]  ³⁸ tn Grk “the seventh from Adam.”

[1:14]  ³⁹ tn Grk “against them.” The dative τούτοις (toutois) is a dativus incommodi (dative of disadvantage).

[1:14]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “has come,” a proleptic aorist.

[1:14]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “ten thousands.” The word μυριάς (muria"), from which the English myriad is derived, means “ten thousand.” In the plural it means “ten thousands.” This would mean, minimally, 20,000 (a multiple of ten thousand). At the same time, the term was often used in apocalyptic literature to represent simply a rather large number, without any attempt to be specific.

[78:56]  ⁴² tn Or “tested and rebelled against.”

[78:56]  ⁴³ tn Heb “God, the Most High.”

[78:56]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “keep.”

[78:56]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “his testimonies” (see Ps 25:10).

[78:57]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “they turned back.”

[78:57]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “acted treacherously like.”

[78:57]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “they turned aside like a deceitful bow.”

[106:34]  ⁴⁹ tn That is, the nations of Canaan.

[106:35]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “their deeds.”

[106:36]  ⁵¹ tn Or “served.”

[106:36]  ⁵² sn Became a snare. See Exod 23:33; Judg 2:3.

[106:37]  ⁵³ tn The Hebrew term שֵׁדִים (shedim, “demons”) occurs only here and in Deut 32:17. Some type of lesser deity is probably in view.

[106:38]  ⁵⁴ sn Num 35:33-34 explains that bloodshed defiles a land.

[106:39]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “and they committed adultery in their actions.” This means that they were unfaithful to the Lord (see Ps 73:27).

[106:40]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “the anger of the Lord burned against his people.”

[106:40]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “his inheritance.”

[16:15]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “it” (so KJV, ASV); the referent (the beauty in which the prostitute trusted, see the beginning of the verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:16]  ⁵⁹ tc The text as written in the MT is incomprehensible (“not coming [plural] and he will not”). Driver has suggested a copying error of similar-sounding words, specifically לֹא (lo’) for לוֹ (lo). The feminine participle בָאוֹת (va’ot) has also been read as the feminine perfect בָאת (va’t). See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 1:228, n. 15.b, and D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:486, n. 137.

[16:17]  ⁶⁰ tn Or perhaps “and worshiped them,” if the word “prostitution” is understood in a figurative rather than a literal sense (cf. CEV, NLT).

[16:20]  ⁶¹ sn The sacrifice of children was prohibited in Lev 18:21; 20:2; Deut 12:31; 18:10.

[16:21]  ⁶² tn Heb “and you gave them, by passing them through to them.” Some believe this alludes to the pagan practice of making children pass through the fire.

[16:24]  ⁶³ tn The Hebrew גֶּב (gev) may represent more than one word, each rare in the Old Testament. It may refer to a “mound” or to “rafters.” The LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate interpret this as a brothel.

[16:24]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “lofty place” (NRSV). See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 1:229, and B. Lang, Frau Weisheit, 137.

[16:25]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “treated as if abominable,” i.e., repudiated.

[16:25]  ⁶⁶ tn The only other occurrence of the Hebrew root is found in Prov 13:3 in reference to the talkative person who habitually “opens wide” his lips.

[16:26]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “your neighbors, large of flesh.” The word “flesh” is used here of the genitals. It may simply refer to the size of their genitals in general, or, as the translation suggests, depicts them as sexually aroused.

[16:29]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “Chaldea.” The name of the tribal group ruling Babylon (“Chaldeans”) and the territory from which they originated (“Chaldea”) is used as metonymy for the whole empire of Babylon.

[16:31]  ⁶⁹ tn The Hebrew term, which also occurs in vv. 34 and 41 of this chapter, always refers to the payment of a prostitute (Deut 23:19; Isa 23:17; Hos 9:1; Mic 1:7).

[16:33]  ⁷⁰ tn The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT.

[16:34]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “With you it was opposite of women in your prostitution.”

[16:36]  ⁷² tn The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT.

[16:37]  ⁷³ sn Harlots suffered degradation when their nakedness was exposed (Jer 13:22, 26; Hos 2:12; Nah 3:5).

[16:38]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “and I will judge you (with) the judgments of adulteresses and of those who shed blood.”

[16:38]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “and I will give you the blood of rage and zeal.”

[16:41]  ⁷⁶ tn The words “to your clients” are not in the Hebrew text but are implied.

[16:43]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “your way on (your) head I have placed.”

[16:46]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “left.”

[16:46]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “right.”

[16:46]  ⁸⁰ sn Sodom was the epitome of evil (Deut 29:23; 32:32; Isa 1:9-10; 3:9; Jer 23:14; Lam 4:6; Matt 10:15; 11:23-24; Jude 7).

[16:47]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “walked in their ways.”

[16:47]  ⁸² tn The Hebrew expression has a temporal meaning as illustrated by the use of the phrase in 2 Chr 12:7.

[16:49]  ⁸³ tn Or “guilt.”

[16:49]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “strengthen the hand of.”

[16:51]  ⁸⁵ tn Or “you have multiplied your abominable deeds beyond them.”

[16:52]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “because you have interceded for your sisters with your sins.”

[16:56]  ⁸⁷ tn Or “pride.”

[16:57]  ⁸⁸ tc So MT, LXX, and Vulgate; many Hebrew mss and Syriac read “Edom.”

[16:60]  ⁸⁹ tn Or “eternal.”

[16:63]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “and your mouth will not be open any longer.”

[16:63]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “when I make atonement for you for all which you have done.”

[20:21]  ⁹² tn Heb “sons.”

[20:21]  ⁹³ tn Or “carries them out.”

[20:21]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”

[23:4]  ⁹⁵ tn The names Oholah and Oholibah are both derived from the word meaning “tent.” The meaning of Oholah is “her tent,” while Oholibah means “my tent is in her.”

[23:4]  ⁹⁶ sn In this allegory the Lord is depicted as being the husband of two wives. The OT law prohibited a man from marrying sisters (Lev 18:18), but the practice is attested in the OT (cf. Jacob). The metaphor is utilized here for illustrative purposes and does not mean that the Lord condoned such a practice or bigamy in general.

[23:5]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “while she was under me.” The expression indicates that Oholah is viewed as the Lord’s wife. See Num 5:19-20, 29.

[23:5]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “Assyria.”

[23:5]  ⁹⁹ tn The term apparently refers to Assyrian military officers; it is better construed with the description that follows. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:738.

[23:7]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “lusted after.”

[23:8]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “and poured out their harlotry on her.”

[23:9]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “I gave her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the sons of Assyria.”

[23:10]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “name.”

[23:11]  ¹⁰⁴ tn The word “this” is not in the original text.

[23:14]  ¹⁰⁵ tn The only other occurrence of the Hebrew term is in Jer 22:14.

[23:15]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “the sons of Babel.”

[23:16]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “at the appearance of her eyes.”

[23:16]  ¹⁰⁸ sn The Chaldeans were prominent tribal groups of Babylonia. The imagery is reminiscent of events in the reigns of Hezekiah (2 Kgs 20:12-15) and Jehoiakim (2 Kgs 23:34-24:1).

[23:17]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “The sons of Babel came to her on a bed of love.”

[23:17]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “her soul.”

[23:18]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “She exposed her harlotry and she exposed her nakedness.”

[23:18]  ¹¹² tn Heb “my soul.”

[23:18]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “my soul.”

[23:20]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “She lusted after their concubines (?) whose flesh was the flesh of donkeys.” The phrase “their concubines” is extremely problematic here. The pronoun is masculine plural, suggesting that the Egyptian men are in view, but how concubines would fit into the picture envisioned here is not clear. Some suggest that Ezekiel uses the term in an idiomatic sense of “paramour,” but this still fails to explain how the pronoun relates to the noun. It is more likely that the term refers here to the Egyptians’ genitals. The relative pronoun that follows introduces a more specific description of their genitals.

[23:21]  ¹¹⁵ tn Or “you took note of.” The Hebrew verb פָּקַד (paqad) in the Qal implies evaluating something and then acting in light of that judgment; here the prophet depicts Judah as approving of her youthful unfaithfulness and then magnifying it at the present time. Some translations assume the verb should be repointed as a Niphal, rendering “you missed” or by extension “you longed for,” but such an extension of the Niphal “to be missing” is otherwise unattested.

[23:21]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “when (they) did,” but the verb makes no sense here and is better emended to “when (they) fondled,” a verb used in vv. 3 and 8. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:43.

[23:21]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “for the sake of,” but the expression is awkward and is better emended to read “to squeeze.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:43.

[23:22]  ¹¹⁸ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.

[23:23]  ¹¹⁹ sn Pekod was the name of an Aramean tribe (known as Puqudu in Mesopotamian texts) that lived in the region of the Tigris River.

[23:23]  ¹²⁰ sn Shoa was the name of a nomadic people (the Sutu) that lived in Mesopotamia.

[23:23]  ¹²¹ sn Koa was the name of another Mesopotamian people group (the Qutu).

[23:24]  ¹²² tn Heb “come against.”

[23:24]  ¹²³ tn This is the only occurrence of this term in the OT. The precise meaning is uncertain.

[23:24]  ¹²⁴ tn Heb “an assembly of peoples.”

[23:24]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “I will place before them judgment.”

[23:25]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “give.”

[23:25]  ¹²⁷ tn Heb “they will remove.”

[23:25]  ¹²⁸ tn Heb “fall.”

[23:27]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “I will cause your obscene conduct to cease from you and your harlotry from the land of Egypt.”

[23:27]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “lift your eyes to them.”

[23:28]  ¹³¹ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.

[23:28]  ¹³² tn Heb “I am giving you into the hand of.”

[23:29]  ¹³³ tn The Hebrew term means “labor,” but by extension it can also refer to that for which one works.

[23:29]  ¹³⁴ tn Heb “The nakedness of your prostitution will be exposed, and your obscene conduct and your harlotry.”

[23:30]  ¹³⁵ tn The infinitive absolute continues the sequence begun in v. 28: “Look here, I am about to deliver you.” See Joüon 2:430 §123.w.

[23:31]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “her cup.” A cup of intoxicating strong drink is used, here and elsewhere, as a metaphor for judgment because both leave one confused and reeling. (See Jer 25:15, 17, 28; Hab 2:16.) The cup of wrath is a theme also found in the NT (Mark 14:36).

[23:32]  ¹³⁷ sn The image of a deep and wide cup suggests the degree of punishment; it will be extensive and leave the victim helpless.

[23:33]  ¹³⁸ tn Heb “filled with.”

[23:34]  ¹³⁹ tn Heb “You will drink it and drain (it).”

[23:34]  ¹⁴⁰ tn D. I. Block compares this to the idiom of “licking the plate” (Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:754, n. 137). The text is difficult as the word translated “gnaw” is rare. The noun is used of the shattered pieces of pottery and so could envision a broken cup. But the Piel verb form is used in only one other place (Num 24:8), where it is a denominative from the noun “bone” and seems to mean to “break (bones).” Why it would be collocated with “sherds” is not clear. For this reason some emend the phrase to read “consume its dregs” (see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [WBC], 2:44) or emend the verb to read “swallow,” as if the intoxicated Oholibah breaks the cup and then eats the very sherds in an effort to get every last drop of the beverage that dampens them.

[23:34]  ¹⁴¹ sn The severe action is more extreme than beating the breasts in anguish (Isa 32:12; Nah 2:7). It is also ironic for these are the very breasts she so blatantly offered to her lovers (vv. 3, 21).

[23:35]  ¹⁴² tn Heb “and you cast me behind your back.” The expression pictures her rejection of the Lord (see 1 Kgs 14:9).

[23:35]  ¹⁴³ tn The word “punishment” is not in the Hebrew text but is demanded by the context.

[23:36]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “will you judge.” Here the imperfect form of the verb is probably used with a desiderative nuance. Addressed to the prophet, “judge” means to warn of or pronounce God’s impending judgment. See 20:4; 22:2.

[23:37]  ¹⁴⁵ sn The Lord speaks here in the role of the husband of the sisters.

[23:37]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Heb “they have passed to them for food.” The verb is commonly taken to refer to passing children through fire, especially as an offering to the pagan god Molech. See Jer 32:35.

[23:38]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Heb “in that day.”

[23:40]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “to whom a messenger was sent, and look, they came.” Foreign alliances are in view here.

[23:40]  ¹⁴⁹ tn The Hebrew verb form is feminine singular, indicating that Oholibah (Judah) is specifically addressed here. This address continues through verse 42a (note “her”), but then both sisters are described in verse 42b, where the feminine pronouns are again plural.

[23:42]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Heb “(was) in her.”

[23:42]  ¹⁵¹ tn Heb “and men from the multitude of mankind.”

[23:42]  ¹⁵² tn An alternate reading is “drunkards.” Sheba is located in the area of modern day Yemen.

[23:42]  ¹⁵³ tn Heb “they”; the referents (the sisters) have been specified in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[23:44]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Heb “and they came to her.”

[23:45]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “and upright men will judge them (with) the judgment of adulteresses and the judgment of those who shed blood.”

[23:46]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Heb “assembly.”

[23:46]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “give them to.”

[23:47]  ¹⁵⁸ tn The Hebrew text adds “with fire.”

[23:49]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Heb “and the sins of your idols you will bear.” By extension it can mean the punishment for the sins.