Leviticus 19:15
Context19:15 “‘You 1 must not deal unjustly in judgment: 2 you must neither show partiality to the poor nor honor the rich. 3 You must judge your fellow citizen fairly. 4
Job 32:21
Context32:21 I will not show partiality to anyone, 5
nor will I confer a title 6 on any man.
Job 34:19
Context34:19 who shows no partiality to princes,
and does not take note of 7 the rich more than the poor,
because all of them are the work of his hands?
Psalms 15:4
Context15:4 He despises a reprobate, 8
but honors the Lord’s loyal followers. 9
He makes firm commitments and does not renege on his promise. 10
Proverbs 28:21
Context28:21 To show partiality 11 is terrible, 12
for a person will transgress over the smallest piece of bread. 13
Proverbs 28:1
Context28:1 The wicked person flees when there is no one pursuing, 14
but the righteous person is as confident 15 as a lion.
Proverbs 6:5
Context6:5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from a snare, 16
and like a bird from the trap 17 of the fowler.
James 2:1-9
Context2:1 My brothers and sisters, 18 do not show prejudice 19 if you possess faith 20 in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. 21 2:2 For if someone 22 comes into your assembly 23 wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes, 2:3 do you pay attention to the one who is finely dressed and say, 24 “You sit here in a good place,” 25 and to the poor person, “You stand over there,” or “Sit on the floor”? 26 2:4 If so, have you not made distinctions 27 among yourselves and become judges with evil motives? 28 2:5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! 29 Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him? 2:6 But you have dishonored the poor! 30 Are not the rich oppressing you and dragging you into the courts? 2:7 Do they not blaspheme the good name of the one you belong to? 31 2:8 But if you fulfill the royal law as expressed in this scripture, 32 “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” 33 you are doing well. 2:9 But if you show prejudice, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as violators. 34
James 2:2
Context2:2 For if someone 35 comes into your assembly 36 wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes,
James 2:1-3
Context2:1 My brothers and sisters, 37 do not show prejudice 38 if you possess faith 39 in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. 40 2:2 For if someone 41 comes into your assembly 42 wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes, 2:3 do you pay attention to the one who is finely dressed and say, 43 “You sit here in a good place,” 44 and to the poor person, “You stand over there,” or “Sit on the floor”? 45
[19:15] 1 tc Smr has the singular rather than the plural “you” of the MT, which brings this verb form into line with the ones surrounding it.
[19:15] 2 tn Heb “You shall not do injustice in judgment” (NASB similar); cf. NIV “do not pervert justice.”
[19:15] 3 tn Heb “You shall not lift up faces of poor [people] and you shall not honor faces of great.”
[19:15] 4 tn Heb “In righteousness you shall judge your fellow citizen.”
[32:21] 5 tn The idiom is “I will not lift up the face of a man.” Elihu is going to show no favoritism, but speak his mind.
[32:21] 6 tn The verb means “to confer an honorary title; to give a mark of distinction,” but it is often translated with the verb “flatter.” Elihu will not take sides, he will not use pompous titles.
[34:19] 7 tn The verb means “to give recognition; to take note of” and in this passage with לִפְנֵי (lifne, “before”) it means to show preferential treatment to the rich before the poor. The word for “rich” here is an unusual word, found parallel to “noble” (Isa 32:2). P. Joüon thinks it is a term of social distinction (Bib 18 [1937]: 207-8).
[15:4] 8 tn Heb “despised in his eyes [is] a rejected [one].” The Hebrew term נִמְאָס (nim’as, “rejected [one]”) apparently refers here to one who has been rejected by God because of his godless behavior. It stands in contrast to “those who fear God” in the following line.
[15:4] 9 tn Heb “those who fear the
[15:4] 10 tn Heb “he takes an oath to do harm and does not change.” The phrase “to do harm” cannot mean “do harm to others,” for the preceding verse clearly characterizes this individual as one who does not harm others. In this context the phrase must refer to an oath to which a self-imprecation is attached. The godly individual takes his commitments to others so seriously he is willing to “swear to his own hurt.” For an example of such an oath, see Ruth 1:16-17.
[28:21] 11 tn The construction uses the Hiphil infinitive הַכֵּר (hakken) as the subject of the sentence: “to have respect for [or, recognize] persons is not good” (e.g., 24:23; 18:5; Deut 1:17; Lev 19:15). Such favoritism is “not good”; instead, it is a miscarriage of justice and is to be avoided.
[28:21] 12 tn Heb “not good.” This is a figure of speech known as tapeinosis – a deliberate understatement to emphasize a worst-case scenario: “it is terrible!”
[28:21] 13 tn The meaning and connection of the line is not readily clear. It could be taken in one of two ways: (1) a person can steal even a small piece of bread if hungry, and so the court should show some compassion, or it should show no partiality even in such a pathetic case; (2) a person could be bribed for a very small price (a small piece of bread being the figure representing this). This second view harmonizes best with the law.
[28:1] 14 sn The line portrays the insecurity of a guilty person – he flees because he has a guilty conscience, or because he is suspicious of others around him, or because he fears judgment.
[28:1] 15 tn The verb בָּטַח (batakh) means “to trust; to be secure; to be confident.” Cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “bold.”
[6:5] 16 tn Heb “from the hand.” Most translations supply “of the hunter.” The word “hand” can signify power, control; so the meaning is that of a gazelle freeing itself from a snare or a trap that a hunter set.
[6:5] 17 tc Heb “hand” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV). Some
[2:1] 18 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
[2:1] 20 tn Grk “do not have faith with personal prejudice,” with emphasis on the last phrase.
[2:1] 21 tn Grk “our Lord Jesus Christ of glory.” Here δόξης (doxhs) has been translated as an attributive genitive.
[2:2] 22 tn The word for “man” or “individual” here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But as BDAG 79 s.v. 2 says, “equivalent to τὶς someone.”
[2:2] 23 tn Grk “synagogue.” Usually συναγωγή refers to Jewish places of worship (e.g., Matt 4:23, Mark 1:21, Luke 4:15, John 6:59). The word can be used generally to refer to a place of assembly, and here it refers specifically to a Christian assembly (BDAG 963 s.v. 2.b.).
[2:3] 24 tn Grk “and you pay attention…and say,” continuing the “if” clauses from v. 2. In the Greek text, vv. 2-4 form one long sentence.
[2:3] 25 tn Or “sit here, please.”
[2:3] 26 tn Grk “sit under my footstool.” The words “on the floor” have been supplied in the translation to clarify for the modern reader the undesirability of this seating arrangement (so also TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). Another option followed by a number of translations is to replace “under my footstool” with “at my feet” (NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[2:4] 27 tn Grk “have you not made distinctions” (as the conclusion to the series of “if” clauses in vv. 2-3).
[2:4] 28 tn Grk “judges of evil reasonings.”
[2:5] 29 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
[2:6] 30 tn This is singular: “the poor person,” perhaps referring to the hypothetical one described in vv. 2-3.
[2:7] 31 tn Grk “that was invoked over you,” referring to their baptism in which they confessed their faith in Christ and were pronounced to be his own. To have the Lord’s name “named over them” is OT imagery for the Lord’s ownership of his people (cf. 2 Chr 7:14; Amos 9:12; Isa 63:19; Jer 14:9; 15:16; Dan 9:19; Acts 15:17).
[2:8] 32 tn Grk “according to the scripture.”
[2:8] 33 sn A quotation from Lev 19:18 (also quoted in Matt 19:19; 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Rom 13:9; Gal 5:14).
[2:9] 34 tn Or “transgressors.”
[2:2] 35 tn The word for “man” or “individual” here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But as BDAG 79 s.v. 2 says, “equivalent to τὶς someone.”
[2:2] 36 tn Grk “synagogue.” Usually συναγωγή refers to Jewish places of worship (e.g., Matt 4:23, Mark 1:21, Luke 4:15, John 6:59). The word can be used generally to refer to a place of assembly, and here it refers specifically to a Christian assembly (BDAG 963 s.v. 2.b.).
[2:1] 37 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
[2:1] 39 tn Grk “do not have faith with personal prejudice,” with emphasis on the last phrase.
[2:1] 40 tn Grk “our Lord Jesus Christ of glory.” Here δόξης (doxhs) has been translated as an attributive genitive.
[2:2] 41 tn The word for “man” or “individual” here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But as BDAG 79 s.v. 2 says, “equivalent to τὶς someone.”
[2:2] 42 tn Grk “synagogue.” Usually συναγωγή refers to Jewish places of worship (e.g., Matt 4:23, Mark 1:21, Luke 4:15, John 6:59). The word can be used generally to refer to a place of assembly, and here it refers specifically to a Christian assembly (BDAG 963 s.v. 2.b.).
[2:3] 43 tn Grk “and you pay attention…and say,” continuing the “if” clauses from v. 2. In the Greek text, vv. 2-4 form one long sentence.
[2:3] 44 tn Or “sit here, please.”
[2:3] 45 tn Grk “sit under my footstool.” The words “on the floor” have been supplied in the translation to clarify for the modern reader the undesirability of this seating arrangement (so also TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). Another option followed by a number of translations is to replace “under my footstool” with “at my feet” (NAB, NIV, NRSV).