Leviticus 26:17

26:17 I will set my face against you. You will be struck down before your enemies, those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when there is no one pursuing you.

Leviticus 26:36-38

26:36 “‘As for ¹  the ones who remain among you, I will bring despair into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a blowing leaf will pursue them, and they will flee as one who flees the sword and fall down even though there is no pursuer. 26:37 They will stumble over each other as those who flee before a sword, though ²  there is no pursuer, and there will be no one to take a stand ³  for you before your enemies. 26:38 You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will consume you.

Deuteronomy 4:26-27

4:26 I invoke heaven and earth as witnesses against you ⁴  today that you will surely and swiftly be removed ⁵  from the very land you are about to cross the Jordan to possess. You will not last long there because you will surely be ⁶  annihilated. 4:27 Then the Lord will scatter you among the peoples and there will be very few of you ⁷  among the nations where the Lord will drive you.

Deuteronomy 28:25

Curses by Defeat and Deportation

28:25 “The Lord will allow you to be struck down before your enemies; you will attack them from one direction but flee from them in seven directions and will become an object of terror ⁸  to all the kingdoms of the earth.

Deuteronomy 28:31-33

28:31 Your ox will be slaughtered before your very eyes but you will not eat of it. Your donkey will be stolen from you as you watch and will not be returned to you. Your flock of sheep will be given to your enemies and there will be no one to save you. 28:32 Your sons and daughters will be given to another people while you look on in vain all day, and you will be powerless to do anything about it. ⁹  28:33 As for the produce of your land and all your labor, a people you do not know will consume it, and you will be nothing but oppressed and crushed for the rest of your lives.

Deuteronomy 28:48

28:48 instead in hunger, thirst, nakedness, and poverty ¹⁰  you will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you. They ¹¹  will place an iron yoke on your neck until they have destroyed you.

Jude 1:14-15

1:14 Now Enoch, the seventh in descent beginning with Adam, ¹²  even prophesied of them, ¹³  saying, “Look! The Lord is coming ¹⁴  with thousands and thousands ¹⁵  of his holy ones, 1:15 to execute judgment on ¹⁶  all, and to convict every person ¹⁷  of all their thoroughly ungodly deeds ¹⁸  that they have committed, ¹⁹  and of all the harsh words that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” ²⁰ 

Nehemiah 9:27-37

9:27 Therefore you delivered them into the hand of their adversaries, who oppressed them. But in the time of their distress they called to you, and you heard from heaven. In your abundant compassion you provided them with deliverers to rescue them from ²¹  their adversaries.

9:28 “Then, when they were at rest again, they went back to doing evil before you. Then you abandoned them to ²²  their enemies, and they gained dominion over them. When they again cried out to you, in your compassion you heard from heaven and rescued them time and again. 9:29 And you solemnly admonished them in order to return them to your law, but they behaved presumptuously and did not obey your commandments. They sinned against your ordinances – those by which an individual, if he obeys them, ²³  will live. They boldly turned from you; ²⁴  they rebelled ²⁵  and did not obey. 9:30 You prolonged your kindness ²⁶  with them for many years, and you solemnly admonished them by your Spirit through your prophets. Still they paid no attention, ²⁷  so you delivered them into the hands of the neighboring peoples. ²⁸  9:31 However, due to your abundant mercy you did not do away with them altogether; you did not abandon them. For you are a merciful and compassionate God.

9:32 “So now, our God – the great, powerful, and awesome God, who keeps covenant fidelity ²⁹  – do not regard as inconsequential ³⁰  all the hardship that has befallen us – our kings, our leaders, our priests, our prophets, our ancestors, and all your people – from the days of the kings of Assyria until this very day! 9:33 You are righteous with regard to all that has happened to us, for you have acted faithfully. ³¹  It is we who have been in the wrong! 9:34 Our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our ancestors have not kept your law. They have not paid attention to your commandments or your testimonies by which you have solemnly admonished them. 9:35 Even when they were in their kingdom and benefiting from your incredible ³²  goodness that you had lavished ³³  on them in the spacious and fertile land you had set ³⁴  before them, they did not serve you, nor did they turn from their evil practices.

9:36 “So today we are slaves! In the very land you gave to our ancestors to eat its fruit and to enjoy ³⁵  its good things – we are slaves! 9:37 Its abundant produce goes to the kings you have placed over us due to our sins. They rule over our bodies and our livestock as they see fit, ³⁶  and we are in great distress!

Psalms 71:1-7

Psalm 71 ³⁷ 

71:1 In you, O Lord, I have taken shelter!

Never let me be humiliated!

71:2 Vindicate me by rescuing me! ³⁸ 

Listen to me! ³⁹  Deliver me! ⁴⁰ 

71:3 Be my protector and refuge, ⁴¹ 

a stronghold where I can be safe! ⁴² 

For you are my high ridge ⁴³  and my stronghold.

71:4 My God, rescue me from the power ⁴⁴  of the wicked,

from the hand of the cruel oppressor!

71:5 For you give me confidence, ⁴⁵  O Lord;

O Lord, I have trusted in you since I was young. ⁴⁶ 

71:6 I have leaned on you since birth; ⁴⁷ 

you pulled me ⁴⁸  from my mother’s womb.

I praise you continually. ⁴⁹ 

71:7 Many are appalled when they see me, ⁵⁰ 

but you are my secure shelter.

Psalms 106:40-43

106:40 So the Lord was angry with his people ⁵¹ 

and despised the people who belong to him. ⁵² 

106:41 He handed them over to ⁵³  the nations,

and those who hated them ruled over them.

106:42 Their enemies oppressed them;

they were subject to their authority. ⁵⁴ 

106:43 Many times he delivered ⁵⁵  them,

but they had a rebellious attitude, ⁵⁶ 

and degraded themselves ⁵⁷  by their sin.

Isaiah 10:6

10:6 I sent him ⁵⁸  against a godless ⁵⁹  nation,

I ordered him to attack the people with whom I was angry, ⁶⁰ 

to take plunder and to carry away loot,

to trample them down ⁶¹  like dirt in the streets.

Lamentations 1:5

ה (He)

1:5 Her foes subjugated her; ⁶² 

her enemies are at ease. ⁶³ 

For the Lord afflicted her

because of her many acts of rebellion. ⁶⁴ 

Her children went away

captive ⁶⁵  before the enemy.

Lamentations 1:10

י (Yod)

1:10 An enemy grabbed ⁶⁶ 

all her valuables. ⁶⁷ 

Indeed she watched in horror ⁶⁸  as Gentiles ⁶⁹ 

invaded her holy temple ⁷⁰  –

those whom you ⁷¹  had commanded:

“They must not enter ⁷²  your assembly place.” ⁷³ 

[26:36]  ¹ tn Heb “And.”

[26:37]  ² tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) is used in a concessive sense here.

[26:37]  ³ tn The term rendered “to stand up” is a noun, not an infinitive. It occurs only here and appears to designate someone who would take a powerful stand for them against their enemies.

[4:26]  ⁴ sn I invoke heaven and earth as witnesses against you. This stock formula introduces what is known form-critically as a רִיב (riv) or controversy pattern. It is commonly used in the ancient Near Eastern world in legal contexts and in the OT as a forensic or judicial device to draw attention to Israel’s violation of the Lord’s covenant with them (see Deut 30:19; Isa 1:2; 3:13; Jer 2:9). Since court proceedings required the testimony of witnesses, the Lord here summons heaven and earth (that is, all creation) to testify to his faithfulness, Israel’s disobedience, and the threat of judgment.

[4:26]  ⁵ tn Or “be destroyed”; KJV “utterly perish”; NLT “will quickly disappear”; CEV “you won’t have long to live.”

[4:26]  ⁶ tn Or “be completely” (so NCV, TEV). It is not certain here if the infinitive absolute indicates the certainty of the following action (cf. NIV) or its degree.

[4:27]  ⁷ tn Heb “you will be left men (i.e., few) of number.”

[28:25]  ⁸ tc The meaningless MT reading זַעֲוָה (za’avah) is clearly a transposition of the more commonly attested Hebrew noun זְוָעָה (zÿva’ah, “terror”).

[28:32]  ⁹ tn Heb “and there will be no power in your hand”; NCV “there will be nothing you can do.”

[28:48]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “lack of everything.”

[28:48]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he” (also later in this verse). The pronoun is a collective singular referring to the enemies (cf. CEV, NLT). Many translations understand the singular pronoun to refer to the Lord (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV).

[1:14]  ¹² tn Grk “the seventh from Adam.”

[1:14]  ¹³ tn Grk “against them.” The dative τούτοις (toutois) is a dativus incommodi (dative of disadvantage).

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

[1:14]  ¹⁵ 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.

[1:15]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “against” (κατά [kata] + genitive). English usage is satisfied with “on” at this point, but the parallel is lost in the translation to some degree, for the end of v. 15 says that this judgment is meted out on these sinners because they spoke against him (κατά + genitive).

[1:15]  ¹⁷ tn Or “soul.”

[1:15]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “of all their works of ungodliness.” The adverb “thoroughly” is part of the following verb “have committed.” See note on verb “committed” later in this verse.

[1:15]  ¹⁹ tn The verb in Greek does not simply mean “have committed,” but “have committed in an ungodly way.” The verb ἀσεβέω (asebew) is cognate to the noun ἀσέβεια (asebeia, “ungodliness”). There is no easy way to express this in English, since English does not have a single word that means the same thing. Nevertheless, the tenor of v. 15 is plainly seen, regardless of the translation.

[1:15]  ²⁰ sn An apparent quotation from 1 En. 1:9. There is some doubt as to whether Jude is actually quoting from the text of 1 Enoch; the text here in Jude differs in some respects from the extant text of this pseudepigraphic book. It is sometimes suggested that Jude may instead have been quoting from oral tradition which had roots older than the written text.

[9:27]  ²¹ tn Heb “from the hand of” (so NASB, NIV); NAB “from the power of.”

[9:28]  ²² tn Heb “in the hand of” (so KJV, ASV); NAB “to the power of.”

[9:29]  ²³ tn Heb “if a man keep.” See note on the word “obey” in Neh 1:5.

[9:29]  ²⁴ tn Heb “they gave a stubborn shoulder.”

[9:29]  ²⁵ tn Heb “they stiffened their neck.”

[9:30]  ²⁶ tn The Hebrew expression here is elliptical. The words “your kindness” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:30]  ²⁷ tn Heb “did not give ear to.”

[9:30]  ²⁸ tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”

[9:32]  ²⁹ tn Heb “the covenant and loyal love.” The expression is a hendiadys. The second noun retains its full nominal sense, while the first functions adjectivally: “the covenant and loyalty” = covenant fidelity.

[9:32]  ³⁰ tn Heb “do not let it seem small in your sight.”

[9:33]  ³¹ tn Heb “you have done truth.”

[9:35]  ³² tn Heb “great.”

[9:35]  ³³ tn Heb “given them.”

[9:35]  ³⁴ tn Heb “given.”

[9:36]  ³⁵ tn The expression “to enjoy” is not included in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:37]  ³⁶ tn Heb “according to their desire.”

[71:1]  ³⁷ sn Psalm 71. The psalmist prays for divine intervention and expresses his confidence that God will protect and vindicate him. The first three verses are very similar to Ps 31:1-3a.

[71:2]  ³⁸ tn Heb “in your vindication rescue me and deliver me.” Ps 31:1 omits “and deliver me.”

[71:2]  ³⁹ tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”

[71:2]  ⁴⁰ tn Ps 31:2 adds “quickly” before “deliver.”

[71:3]  ⁴¹ tc Heb “become for me a rocky summit of a dwelling place.” The Hebrew term מָעוֹן (ma’on, “dwelling place”) should probably be emended to מָעוֹז (ma’oz, “refuge”; see Ps 31:2).

[71:3]  ⁴² tc Heb “to enter continually, you commanded to deliver me.” The Hebrew phrase לָבוֹא תָּמִיד צִוִּיתָ (lavo’ tamid tsivvita, “to enter continually, you commanded”) should be emended to לְבֵית מְצוּדוֹת (lÿvet mÿtsudot, “a house of strongholds”; see Ps 31:2).

[71:3]  ⁴³ sn You are my high ridge. This metaphor pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28.

[71:4]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “hand.”

[71:5]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “for you [are] my hope.”

[71:5]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “O Lord, my source of confidence from my youth.”

[71:6]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “from the womb.”

[71:6]  ⁴⁸ tc The form in the MT is derived from גָזָה (gazah, “to cut off”), perhaps picturing God as the one who severed the psalmist’s umbilical cord. Many interpreters and translators prefer to emend the text to גֹחִי (gokhiy), from גוּח (gukh) or גִיח, (gikh, “pull out”; see Ps 22:9; cf. the present translation) or to עוּזִּי (’uzziy, “my strength”; cf. NEB “my protector since I left my mother’s womb”).

[71:6]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “in you [is] my praise continually.”

[71:7]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “like a sign [i.e., portent or bad omen] I am to many.”

[106:40]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “the anger of the Lord burned against his people.”

[106:40]  ⁵² tn Heb “his inheritance.”

[106:41]  ⁵³ tn Heb “gave them into the hand of.”

[106:42]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “they were subdued under their hand.”

[106:43]  ⁵⁵ tn The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“he would deliver”).

[106:43]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “but they rebelled in their counsel.” The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“they would have a rebellious attitude”).

[106:43]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “they sank down.” The Hebrew verb מָכַךְ (makhakh, “to lower; to sink”) occurs only here in the Qal.

[10:6]  ⁵⁸ sn Throughout this section singular forms are used to refer to Assyria; perhaps the king of Assyria is in view (see v. 12).

[10:6]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “defiled”; cf. ASV “profane”; NAB “impious”; NCV “separated from God.”

[10:6]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “and against the people of my anger I ordered him.”

[10:6]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “to make it [i.e., the people] a trampled place.”

[1:5]  ⁶² tn Heb “her foes became [her] head” (הָיוּ צָרֶיהָ לְרֹאשׁ, hayu tsareha lÿro’sh) or more idiomatically “have come out on top.” This is a Semitic idiom for domination or subjugation, with “head” as a metaphor for leader.

[1:5]  ⁶³ tn The nuance expressed in the LXX is that her enemies prosper (cf. KJV, NASB, NRSV, NLT).

[1:5]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “because of her many rebellions.” The plural פְּשָׁעֶיהָ (pÿsha’eha, “her rebellions”) is an example of the plural of repeated action or characteristic behavior (see IBHS 121 §7.4.2c). The 3rd person feminine singular suffix (“her”) probably functions as a subjective genitive: “her rebellions” = “she has rebelled.”

[1:5]  ⁶⁵ tn The singular noun שְׁבִי (shÿvi) is a collective singular, meaning “captives, prisoners.” It functions as an adverbial accusative of state: “[they] went away as captives.”

[1:10]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “stretched out his hand.” The war imagery is of seizure of property; the anthropomorphic element pictures rape. This is an idiom that describes greedy actions (BDB 831 s.v. פָרַשׂ), meaning “to seize” (HALOT 976 s.v. 2).

[1:10]  ⁶⁷ tc The Kethib is written מַחֲמוֹדֵּיהֶם (makhamodehem, “her desired things”); the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss read מַחֲמַדֵּיהֶם (makhamaddehem, “her desirable things”). The Qere reading should be adopted.

[1:10]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “she watched” or “she saw.” The verb רָאָה (ra’ah, “to see”) has a broad range of meanings, including “to see” a spectacle causing grief (Gen 21:16; 44:34; Num 11:15; 2 Kgs 22:20; 2 Chr 34:28; Esth 8:6) or abhorrence (Isa 66:24). The words “in horror” are added to “she watched” to bring out this nuance.

[1:10]  ⁶⁹ sn The syntax of the sentence is interrupted by the insertion of the following sentence, “they invaded…,” then continued with “whom…” The disruption of the syntax is a structural device intended to help convey the shock of the situation.

[1:10]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “her sanctuary.” The term מִקְדָּשָׁהּ (miqdashah, “her sanctuary”) refers to the temple. Anthropomorphically, translating as “her sacred place” would also allow for the rape imagery.

[1:10]  ⁷¹ sn Lam 1-2 has two speaking voices: a third person voice reporting the horrific reality of Jerusalem’s suffering and Jerusalem’s voice. See W. F. Lanahan, “The Speaking Voice in the Book of Lamentations” JBL 93 (1974): 41-49. The reporting voice has been addressing the listener, referring to the Lord in the third person. Here he switches to a second person address to God, also changing the wording of the following command to second person. The revulsion of the Reporter is so great that he is moved to address God directly.

[1:10]  ⁷² tn Heb “enter.” The Hebrew term בּוֹא (bo’) is also a sexual metaphor.

[1:10]  ⁷³ tn The noun קָהָל (qahal, “assembly”) does not refer here to the collective group of people assembled to worship the Lord, but to the place of their assembly: the temple. This is an example of a synecdoche of the people contained (= assembly) for the container (= temple). The intent is to make the violation feel more personal than someone walking into a building.