Discovery BoxLeviticus 19:35-36
Context19:35 You must not do injustice in the regulation of measures, whether of length, weight, or volume. 1 19:36 You must have honest balances, 2 honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. 3 I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt.
Proverbs 11:1
Context11:1 The Lord abhors 4 dishonest scales, 5
but an accurate weight 6 is his delight.
Proverbs 16:11
Context16:11 Honest scales and balances 7 are from the Lord;
all the weights 8 in the bag are his handiwork.
Amos 8:5-6
Context8:5 You say,
“When will the new moon festival 9 be over, 10 so we can sell grain?
When will the Sabbath end, 11 so we can open up the grain bins? 12
We’re eager 13 to sell less for a higher price, 14
and to cheat the buyer with rigged scales! 15
8:6 We’re eager to trade silver for the poor, 16
a pair of sandals 17 for the needy!
We want to mix in some chaff with the grain!” 18
Micah 6:10-11
Context6:10 “I will not overlook, 19 O sinful house, the dishonest gain you have hoarded away, 20
or the smaller-than-standard measure I hate so much. 21
6:11 I do not condone the use of rigged scales,
or a bag of deceptive weights. 22
Micah 6:1
Context6:1 Listen to what the Lord says:
“Get up! Defend yourself 23 before the mountains! 24
Present your case before the hills!” 25
Micah 6:9-10
Context6:9 Listen! The Lord is calling 26 to the city!
It is wise to respect your authority, O Lord! 27
Listen, O nation, and those assembled in the city! 28
6:10 “I will not overlook, 29 O sinful house, the dishonest gain you have hoarded away, 30
or the smaller-than-standard measure I hate so much. 31
[19:35] 1 tn That is, liquid capacity (HALOT 640 s.v. מְשׂוּרָה). Cf. ASV, NIV, NRSV, TEV “quantity”; NAB, NASB “capacity.”
[19:36] 2 tn Heb “balances of righteousness,” and so throughout this sentence.
[19:36] 3 sn An ephah is a dry measure which measures about four gallons, or perhaps one third of a bushel, while a hin is a liquid measure of about 3.6 liters (= approximately 1 quart).
[11:1] 4 tn Heb “an abomination of the
[11:1] 5 tn Heb “scales of deception.” The genitive is attributive: “deceptive scales.” This refers to dishonesty in the market where silver was weighed in the scales. God condemns dishonest business practices (Deut 25:13-16; Lev 10:35-36), as did the ancient Near East (ANET 388, 423).
[11:1] 6 tn Heb “a perfect stone.” Stones were used for measuring amounts of silver on the scales; here the stone that pleases the
[16:11] 7 tn Heb “a scale and balances of justice.” This is an attributive genitive, meaning “just scales and balances.” The law required that scales and measures be accurate and fair (Lev 19:36; Deut 25:13). Shrewd dishonest people kept light and heavy weights to make unfair transactions.
[8:5] 9 sn Apparently work was prohibited during the new moon festival, just as it was on the Sabbath.
[8:5] 11 tn The verb, though omitted in the Hebrew text, is supplied in the translation from the parallel line.
[8:5] 12 tn Heb “sell grain.” Here “grain” could stand by metonymy for the bins where it was stored.
[8:5] 13 tn Here and in v. 6 the words “we’re eager” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[8:5] 14 tn Heb “to make small the ephah and to make great the shekel.” The “ephah” was a unit of dry measure used to determine the quantity purchased, while the “shekel” was a standard weight used to determine the purchase price. By using a smaller than standard ephah and a heavier than standard shekel, these merchants were able to increase their profit (“sell less for a higher price”) by cheating the buyer.
[8:5] 15 tn Heb “and to cheat with deceptive scales”; NASB, NIV “dishonest scales”; NRSV “false balances.”
[8:6] 16 tn Heb “to buy the poor for silver.”
[8:6] 17 tn See the note on the word “sandals” in 2:6.
[8:6] 18 tn Heb “The chaff of the grain we will sell.”
[6:10] 19 tn The meaning of the first Hebrew word in the line is unclear. Possibly it is a combination of the interrogative particle and אִשׁ (’ish), an alternate form of יֵשׁ (yesh, “there is/are”). One could then translate literally, “Are there treasures of sin [in] the house of the sinful?” The translation assumes an emendation to הַאֶשֶּׁה (ha’esheh, from נָשָׁא, nasha’, “to forget”), “Will I forget?” The rhetorical question expects an answer, “No, I will not forget.”
[6:10] 20 tn Heb “the treasures of sin”; NASB “treasures of wickedness”; NIV “ill-gotten treasures.”
[6:10] 21 tn Heb “the accursed scant measure.”
[6:11] 22 tn Heb “Do I acquit sinful scales, and a bag of deceptive weights?” The rhetorical question expects an answer, “No, I do not,” and has been translated as a declarative statement for clarity and emphasis.
[6:1] 23 tn Or “plead your case” (NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “present your plea”; NLT “state your case.”
[6:1] 24 sn As in some ancient Near Eastern treaties, the mountains are personified as legal witnesses that will settle the dispute between God and Israel.
[6:1] 25 tn Heb “let the hills hear your voice.”
[6:9] 26 tn Or “the voice of the
[6:9] 27 tn Heb “one who sees your name is wisdom.” It is probably better to emend יִרְאֶה (yir’eh, “he sees”) to יִרְאָה (yir’ah, “fearing”). One may then translate, “fearing your name is wisdom.” The
[6:9] 28 tn Heb (apparently) “Listen [to] the staff and the one who appointed it.” Verse 10 then begins with עוֹד (yod, “still” or “again”). The translation assumes an emendation to שִׁמְעוּ מַטֶּה וּמוֹעֵד הָעִיר (shim’u matteh umo’ed ha’ir, “listen, O tribe and the assembly of the city”).
[6:10] 29 tn The meaning of the first Hebrew word in the line is unclear. Possibly it is a combination of the interrogative particle and אִשׁ (’ish), an alternate form of יֵשׁ (yesh, “there is/are”). One could then translate literally, “Are there treasures of sin [in] the house of the sinful?” The translation assumes an emendation to הַאֶשֶּׁה (ha’esheh, from נָשָׁא, nasha’, “to forget”), “Will I forget?” The rhetorical question expects an answer, “No, I will not forget.”
[6:10] 30 tn Heb “the treasures of sin”; NASB “treasures of wickedness”; NIV “ill-gotten treasures.”
