Leviticus 26:40-42

26:40 However, when ¹  they confess their iniquity and their ancestors’ iniquity which they committed by trespassing against me, ²  by which they also walked ³  in hostility against me ⁴  26:41 (and I myself will walk in hostility against them and bring them into the land of their enemies), and ⁵  then their uncircumcised hearts become humbled and they make up for ⁶  their iniquity, 26:42 I will remember my covenant with Jacob and also my covenant with Isaac and also my covenant with Abraham, ⁷  and I will remember the land.

Leviticus 26:1

Exhortation to Obedience

26:1 “‘You must not make for yourselves idols, ⁸  so you must not set up for yourselves a carved image or a pillar, and you must not place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down before ⁹  it, for I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 8:1-2

Ordination of the Priests

8:1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ¹⁰  8:2 “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, the anointing oil, the sin offering bull, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread,

Leviticus 6:1

Trespass by Deception and False Oath

6:1 (5:20) ¹¹  Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ¹² 

Leviticus 6:1

Trespass by Deception and False Oath

6:1 (5:20) ¹³  Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ¹⁴ 

Nehemiah 1:6

1:6 may your ear be attentive and your eyes be open to hear the prayer of your servant that I am praying to you today throughout both day and night on behalf of your servants the Israelites. I am confessing the sins of the Israelites that we have committed ¹⁵  against you – both I myself and my family ¹⁶  have sinned.

Nehemiah 9:2-37

9:2 Those truly of Israelite descent ¹⁷  separated from all the foreigners, ¹⁸  standing and confessing their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors. ¹⁹  9:3 For one-fourth of the day they stood in their place and read from the book of the law of the LORD their God, and for another fourth they were confessing their sins ²⁰  and worshiping the LORD their God. 9:4 Then the Levites – Jeshua, Binnui, ²¹  Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani – stood on the steps and called out loudly ²²  to the LORD their God. 9:5 The Levites – Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah – said, “Stand up and bless the LORD your God!”

“May you be blessed, O LORD our God, from age to age. ²³  May your glorious name ²⁴  be blessed; may it be lifted up above all blessing and praise. 9:6 You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, ²⁵  along with all their multitude of stars, ²⁶  the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You impart life to them all, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

9:7 “You are the LORD God who chose Abram and brought him forth from Ur of the Chaldeans. You changed his name to Abraham. 9:8 When you perceived that his heart was faithful toward you, you established a ²⁷  covenant with him to give his descendants ²⁸  the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites. You have fulfilled your promise, ²⁹  for you are righteous.

9:9 “You saw the affliction of our ancestors in Egypt, and you heard their cry at the Red Sea. ³⁰  9:10 You performed awesome signs ³¹  against Pharaoh, against his servants, and against all the people of his land, for you knew that the Egyptians ³²  had acted presumptuously ³³  against them. You made for yourself a name that is celebrated to this day. 9:11 You split the sea before them, and they crossed through ³⁴  the sea on dry ground! But you threw their pursuers ³⁵  into the depths, like a stone into surging ³⁶  waters. 9:12 You guided them with a pillar of cloud by day and with a pillar of fire by night to illumine for them the path they were to travel.

9:13 “You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven. You provided them with just judgments, true laws, and good statutes and commandments. 9:14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath; you issued commandments, statutes, and law to them through ³⁷  Moses your servant. 9:15 You provided bread from heaven for them in their time of hunger, and you brought forth water from the rock for them in their time of thirst. You told them to enter in order to possess the land that you had sworn ³⁸  to give them.

9:16 “But they – our ancestors ³⁹  – behaved presumptuously; they rebelled ⁴⁰  and did not obey your commandments. 9:17 They refused to obey and did not recall your miracles that you had performed among them. Instead, they rebelled and appointed a leader to return to their bondage in Egypt. ⁴¹  But you are a God of forgiveness, merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and unfailing in your loyal love. ⁴²  You did not abandon them, 9:18 even when they made a cast image of a calf for themselves and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up from Egypt,’ or when they committed atrocious ⁴³  blasphemies.

9:19 “Due to your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. The pillar of cloud did not stop guiding them in the path by day, ⁴⁴  nor did the pillar of fire stop illuminating for them by night the path on which they should travel. 9:20 You imparted your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths; you provided water for their thirst. 9:21 For forty years you sustained them. Even in the desert they never lacked anything. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.

9:22 “You gave them kingdoms and peoples, and you allocated them to every corner of the land. ⁴⁵  They inherited the land of King Sihon of Heshbon ⁴⁶  and the land of King Og of Bashan. 9:23 You multiplied their descendants like the stars of the sky. You brought them to the land you had told their ancestors to enter in order to possess. 9:24 Their descendants ⁴⁷  entered and possessed the land. You subdued before them the Canaanites who were the inhabitants of the land. You delivered them into their hand, together with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with as they pleased. 9:25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land. They took possession of houses full of all sorts of good things – wells previously dug, vineyards, olive trees, and fruit trees in abundance. They ate until they were full ⁴⁸  and grew fat. They enjoyed to the full your great goodness.

9:26 “Nonetheless they grew disobedient and rebelled against you; they disregarded your law. ⁴⁹  They killed your prophets who had solemnly admonished them in order to cause them to return to you. They committed atrocious blasphemies. 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 ⁵⁰  their adversaries.

9:28 “Then, when they were at rest again, they went back to doing evil before you. Then you abandoned them to ⁵¹  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, ⁵²  will live. They boldly turned from you; ⁵³  they rebelled ⁵⁴  and did not obey. 9:30 You prolonged your kindness ⁵⁵  with them for many years, and you solemnly admonished them by your Spirit through your prophets. Still they paid no attention, ⁵⁶  so you delivered them into the hands of the neighboring peoples. ⁵⁷  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 ⁵⁸  – do not regard as inconsequential ⁵⁹  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. ⁶⁰  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 ⁶¹  goodness that you had lavished ⁶²  on them in the spacious and fertile land you had set ⁶³  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 ⁶⁴  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, ⁶⁵  and we are in great distress!

Job 33:27-28

33:27 That person sings ⁶⁶  to others, ⁶⁷  saying:

‘I have sinned and falsified what is right,

but I was not punished according to what I deserved. ⁶⁸ 

33:28 He redeemed my life ⁶⁹ 

from going down to the place of corruption,

and my life sees the light!’

Psalms 32:5

32:5 Then I confessed my sin;

I no longer covered up my wrongdoing.

I said, “I will confess ⁷⁰  my rebellious acts to the Lord.”

And then you forgave my sins. ⁷¹  (Selah)

Psalms 51:2-5

51:2 Wash away my wrongdoing! ⁷² 

Cleanse me of my sin! ⁷³ 

51:3 For I am aware of ⁷⁴  my rebellious acts;

I am forever conscious of my sin. ⁷⁵ 

51:4 Against you – you above all ⁷⁶  – I have sinned;

I have done what is evil in your sight.

So ⁷⁷  you are just when you confront me; ⁷⁸ 

you are right when you condemn me. ⁷⁹ 

51:5 Look, I was guilty of sin from birth,

a sinner the moment my mother conceived me. ⁸⁰ 

Proverbs 28:13

28:13 The one who covers ⁸¹  his transgressions will not prosper, ⁸² 

but whoever confesses them and forsakes them will find mercy. ⁸³ 

Daniel 9:4-20

9:4 I prayed to the LORD my God, confessing in this way:

“O Lord, ⁸⁴  great and awesome God who is faithful to his covenant ⁸⁵  with those who love him and keep his commandments, 9:5 we have sinned! We have done what is wrong and wicked; we have rebelled by turning away from your commandments and standards. 9:6 We have not paid attention to your servants the prophets, who spoke by your authority ⁸⁶  to our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors, ⁸⁷  and to all the inhabitants ⁸⁸  of the land as well.

9:7 “You are righteous, ⁸⁹  O Lord, but we are humiliated this day ⁹⁰  – the people ⁹¹  of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far away in all the countries in which you have scattered them, because they have behaved unfaithfully toward you. 9:8 O LORD, we have been humiliated ⁹²  – our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors – because we have sinned against you. 9:9 Yet the Lord our God is compassionate and forgiving, ⁹³  even though we have rebelled against him. 9:10 We have not obeyed ⁹⁴  the LORD our God by living according to ⁹⁵  his laws ⁹⁶  that he set before us through his servants the prophets.

9:11 “All Israel has broken ⁹⁷  your law and turned away by not obeying you. ⁹⁸  Therefore you have poured out on us the judgment solemnly threatened ⁹⁹  in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against you. ¹⁰⁰  9:12 He has carried out his threats ¹⁰¹  against us and our rulers ¹⁰²  who were over ¹⁰³  us by bringing great calamity on us – what has happened to Jerusalem has never been equaled under all heaven! 9:13 Just as it is written in the law of Moses, so all this calamity has come on us. Still we have not tried to pacify ¹⁰⁴  the LORD our God by turning back from our sin and by seeking wisdom ¹⁰⁵  from your reliable moral standards. ¹⁰⁶  9:14 The LORD was mindful of the calamity, and he brought it on us. For the LORD our God is just ¹⁰⁷  in all he has done, ¹⁰⁸  and we have not obeyed him. ¹⁰⁹ 

9:15 “Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with great power ¹¹⁰  and made a name for yourself that is remembered to this day – we have sinned and behaved wickedly. 9:16 O Lord, according to all your justice, ¹¹¹  please turn your raging anger ¹¹²  away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. For due to our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people are mocked by all our neighbors.

9:17 “So now, our God, accept ¹¹³  the prayer and requests of your servant, and show favor to ¹¹⁴  your devastated sanctuary for your own sake. ¹¹⁵  9:18 Listen attentively, ¹¹⁶  my God, and hear! Open your eyes and look on our desolated ruins ¹¹⁷  and the city called by your name. ¹¹⁸  For it is not because of our own righteous deeds that we are praying to you, ¹¹⁹  but because your compassion is abundant. 9:19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, pay attention, and act! Don’t delay, for your own sake, O my God! For your city and your people are called by your name.” ¹²⁰ 

Gabriel Gives to Daniel a Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

9:20 While I was still speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my request before the LORD my God concerning his holy mountain ¹²¹  –

Matthew 3:6

3:6 and he was baptizing them ¹²²  in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.

Mark 1:5

1:5 People ¹²³  from the whole Judean countryside and all of Jerusalem ¹²⁴  were going out to him, and he was baptizing them ¹²⁵  in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.

Acts 19:18

19:18 Many of those who had believed came forward, ¹²⁶  confessing and making their deeds known. ¹²⁷ 

[26:40]  ¹ tn Heb “And.” Many English versions take this to be a conditional clause (“if…”) though there is no conditional particle (see, e.g., NASB, NIV, NRSV; but see the very different rendering in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 190). The temporal translation offered here (“when”) takes into account the particle אָז (’az, “then”), which occurs twice in v. 41. The obvious contextual contrast between vv. 39 and 40 is expressed by “however” in the translation.

[26:40]  ² tn Heb “in their trespassing which they trespassed in me.” See the note on Lev 5:15, although the term is used in a more technical sense there in relation to the “guilt offering.”

[26:40]  ³ tn Heb “and also which they walked.”

[26:40]  ⁴ tn Heb “with me.”

[26:41]  ⁵ tn Heb “or then,” although the LXX has “then” and the Syriac “and then.”

[26:41]  ⁶ tn Heb “and then they make up for.” On the verb “make up for” see the note on v. 34 above.

[26:42]  ⁷ tn Heb “my covenant with Abraham I will remember.” The phrase “I will remember” has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[26:1]  ⁸ sn For the literature regarding the difficult etymology and meaning of the term for “idols” (אֱלִילִם, ’elilim), see the literature cited in the note on Lev 19:4. It appears to be a diminutive play on words with אֵל (’el, “god, God”) and, perhaps at the same time, recalls a common Semitic word for “worthless, weak, powerless, nothingness.” Snaith suggests a rendering of “worthless godlings.”

[26:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “on.” The “sculpted stone” appears to be some sort of stone with images carved into (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 181, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 449).

[8:1]  ¹⁰ sn Lev 8 is the fulfillment account of the ordination legislation recorded in Exod 29, and is directly connected to the command to ordain the tabernacle and priesthood in Exod 40:1-16 as well as the partial record of its fulfillment in Exod 40:17-38.

[6:1]  ¹¹ sn Beginning with 6:1, the verse numbers through 6:30 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 6:1 ET = 5:20 HT, 6:2 ET = 5:21 HT, 6:8 ET = 6:1 HT, etc., through 6:30 ET = 6:23 HT. Beginning with 7:1 the verse numbers in the English text and Hebrew text are again the same.

[6:1]  ¹² sn This paragraph is Lev 6:1-7 in the English Bible but Lev 5:20-26 in the Hebrew text. The quotation introduced by v. 1 extends from Lev 6:2 (5:21 HT) through 6:7 (5:26 HT), encompassing the third main section of guilt offering regulations. Compare the notes on Lev 1:1; 4:1; and 5:14 above.

[6:1]  ¹³ sn Beginning with 6:1, the verse numbers through 6:30 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 6:1 ET = 5:20 HT, 6:2 ET = 5:21 HT, 6:8 ET = 6:1 HT, etc., through 6:30 ET = 6:23 HT. Beginning with 7:1 the verse numbers in the English text and Hebrew text are again the same.

[6:1]  ¹⁴ sn This paragraph is Lev 6:1-7 in the English Bible but Lev 5:20-26 in the Hebrew text. The quotation introduced by v. 1 extends from Lev 6:2 (5:21 HT) through 6:7 (5:26 HT), encompassing the third main section of guilt offering regulations. Compare the notes on Lev 1:1; 4:1; and 5:14 above.

[1:6]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “have sinned.” For stylistic reasons – to avoid redundancy in English – this was translated as “committed.”

[1:6]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the house of my father.”

[9:2]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the seed of Israel.”

[9:2]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “sons of a foreigner.”

[9:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 9, 16, 23, 32, 34, 36).

[9:3]  ²⁰ tn Heb “confessing.” The words “their sins” are not present in the Hebrew text of v. 3, but are clearly implied here because they are explicitly stated in v. 2.

[9:4]  ²¹ tc Heb “Bani.” The translation reads “Binnui” (so also NAB) rather than the MT reading “Bani.” Otherwise there are two individuals with the same name in this verse. The name “Binnui” appears, for example, in Neh 10:10.

[9:4]  ²² tn Heb “in a great voice.”

[9:5]  ²³ tc The MT reads here only “from age to age,” without the preceding words “May you be blessed, O LORD our God” which are included in the present translation. But apparently something has dropped out of the text. This phrase occurs elsewhere in the OT as a description of the Lord (see Ps 41:13; 106:48), and it seems best to understand it here in that light. The LXX adds “And Ezra said” at the beginning of v. 6 as a transition: “And Ezra said, ‘You alone are the LORD.” Without this addition (which is not included by most modern English translations) the speakers of vv. 9:5b-10:1 continue to be the Levites of v. 5a.

[9:5]  ²⁴ tn Heb “the name of your glory.”

[9:6]  ²⁵ tn Heb “the heavens of the heavens.”

[9:6]  ²⁶ tn Heb “all their host.”

[9:8]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the” (so NAB).

[9:8]  ²⁸ tn Heb “seed.”

[9:8]  ²⁹ tn Heb “your words.”

[9:9]  ³⁰ tn Heb “the Sea of Reeds.” Traditionally this is identified as the Red Sea, and the modern designation has been used in the translation for clarity.

[9:10]  ³¹ tn Heb “signs and wonders.” This phrase is a hendiadys. The second noun functions adjectivally, while the first noun retains its full nominal sense: “awesome signs” or “miraculous signs.”

[9:10]  ³² tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Egyptians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:10]  ³³ tn Or “arrogantly” (so NASB); NRSV “insolently.”

[9:11]  ³⁴ tn Heb “in the midst of.”

[9:11]  ³⁵ tn Heb “those who pursued them.”

[9:11]  ³⁶ tn Heb “mighty.”

[9:14]  ³⁷ tn Heb “by the hand of.”

[9:15]  ³⁸ tn Heb “had lifted your hand.”

[9:16]  ³⁹ tn Heb “and our fathers.” The vav is explicative.

[9:16]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “they stiffened their neck” (so also in the following verse).

[9:17]  ⁴¹ tc The present translation follows a few medieval Hebrew MSS and the LXX in reading בְּמִצְרָיִם (bÿmitsrayim, “in Egypt”; so also NAB, NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT) rather than the MT reading בְּמִרְיָם (bÿmiryam, “in their rebellion”).

[9:17]  ⁴² tc The translation follows the Qere reading חֶסֶד (khesed, “loyal love”) rather than the Kethib reading וְחֶסֶד (vÿkhesed, “and loyal love”) of the MT.

[9:18]  ⁴³ tn Heb “great.”

[9:19]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “did not turn from them by day to guide them in the path.”

[9:22]  ⁴⁵ tn The words “of the land” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:22]  ⁴⁶ tc Most Hebrew MSS read “the land of Sihon and the land of the king of Heshbon.” The present translation (along with NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, CEV, NLT) follows the reading of one Hebrew MS, the LXX, and the Vulgate.

[9:24]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “the sons.”

[9:25]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “they ate and were sated.” This expression is a hendiadys. The first verb retains its full verbal sense, while the second functions adverbially: “they ate and were filled” = “they ate until they were full.”

[9:26]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “they cast your law behind their backs.”

[9:27]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “from the hand of” (so NASB, NIV); NAB “from the power of.”

[9:28]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “in the hand of” (so KJV, ASV); NAB “to the power of.”

[9:29]  ⁵² tn Heb “if a man keep.” See note on the word “obey” in Neh 1:5.

[9:29]  ⁵³ tn Heb “they gave a stubborn shoulder.”

[9:29]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “they stiffened their neck.”

[9:30]  ⁵⁵ 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]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “did not give ear to.”

[9:30]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”

[9:32]  ⁵⁸ 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]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “do not let it seem small in your sight.”

[9:33]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “you have done truth.”

[9:35]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “great.”

[9:35]  ⁶² tn Heb “given them.”

[9:35]  ⁶³ tn Heb “given.”

[9:36]  ⁶⁴ tn The expression “to enjoy” is not included in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:37]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “according to their desire.”

[33:27]  ⁶⁶ tc The verb יָשֹׁר (yashor) is unusual. The typical view is to change it to יָשִׁיר (yashir, “he sings”), but that may seem out of harmony with a confession. Dhorme suggests a root שׁוּר (shur, “to repeat”), but this is a doubtful root. J. Reider reads it יָשֵׁיר (yasher) and links it to an Arabic word “confesses” (ZAW 24 [1953]: 275).

[33:27]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “to men.”

[33:27]  ⁶⁸ tn The verb שָׁוָה (shavah) has the impersonal meaning here, “it has not been requited to me.” The meaning is that the sinner has not been treated in accordance with his deeds: “I was not punished according to what I deserved.”

[33:28]  ⁶⁹ sn See note on “him” in v. 24.

[32:5]  ⁷⁰ tn The Hiphil of ידה normally means “give thanks, praise,” but here, as in Prov 28:13, it means “confess.”

[32:5]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “the wrongdoing of my sin.” By joining synonyms for “sin” in this way, the psalmist may be emphasizing the degree of his wrongdoing.

[51:2]  ⁷² tn Heb “Thoroughly wash me from my wrongdoing.”

[51:2]  ⁷³ sn In vv. 1b-2 the psalmist uses three different words to emphasize the multifaceted character and degree of his sin. Whatever one wants to call it (“rebellious acts,” “wrongdoing,” “sin”), he has done it and stands morally polluted in God’s sight. The same three words appear in Exod 34:7, which emphasizes that God is willing to forgive sin in all of its many dimensions. In v. 2 the psalmist compares forgiveness and restoration to physical cleansing. Perhaps he likens spiritual cleansing to the purification rites of priestly law.

[51:3]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “know.”

[51:3]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “and my sin [is] in front of me continually.”

[51:4]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “only you,” as if the psalmist had sinned exclusively against God and no other. Since the Hebrew verb חָטָא (hata’, “to sin”) is used elsewhere of sinful acts against people (see BDB 306 s.v. 2.a) and David (the presumed author) certainly sinned when he murdered Uriah (2 Sam 12:9), it is likely that the psalmist is overstating the case to suggest that the attack on Uriah was ultimately an attack on God himself. To clarify the point of the hyperbole, the translation uses “especially,” rather than the potentially confusing “only.”

[51:4]  ⁷⁷ tn The Hebrew term לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) normally indicates purpose (“in order that”), but here it introduces a logical consequence of the preceding statement. (Taking the clause as indicating purpose here would yield a theologically preposterous idea – the psalmist purposely sinned so that God’s justice might be vindicated!) For other examples of לְמַעַן indicating result, see 2 Kgs 22:17; Jer 27:15; Amos 2:7, as well as IBHS 638-40 §38.3.

[51:4]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “when you speak.” In this context the psalmist refers to God’s word of condemnation against his sin delivered through Nathan (cf. 2 Sam 12:7-12).

[51:4]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “when you judge.”

[51:5]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “Look, in wrongdoing I was brought forth, and in sin my mother conceived me.” The prefixed verbal form in the second line is probably a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive), stating a simple historical fact. The psalmist is not suggesting that he was conceived through an inappropriate sexual relationship (although the verse has sometimes been understood to mean that, or even that all sexual relationships are sinful). The psalmist’s point is that he has been a sinner from the very moment his personal existence began. By going back beyond the time of birth to the moment of conception, the psalmist makes his point more emphatically in the second line than in the first.

[28:13]  ⁸¹ tn The Hebrew participles provide the subject matter in this contrast. On the one hand is the person who covers over (מְכַסֶּה, mÿkhasseh) his sins. This means refusing to acknowledge them in confession, and perhaps rationalizing them away. On the other hand there is the one who both “confesses” (מוֹדֶה, modeh) and “forsakes” (עֹזֵב, ’ozev) the sin. To “confess” sins means to acknowledge them, to say the same thing about them that God does.

[28:13]  ⁸² sn The verse contrasts the consequences of each. The person who refuses to confess will not prosper. This is an understatement (a figure of speech known as tapeinosis); the opposite is the truth, that eventually such a person will be undone and ruined. On the other hand, the penitent will find mercy. This expression is a metonymy of cause for the effect – although “mercy” is mentioned, what mercy provides is intended, i.e., forgiveness. In other passages the verb “conceal” is used of God’s forgiveness – he covers over the iniquity (Ps 32:1). Whoever acknowledges sin, God will cover it; whoever covers it, God will lay it open.

[28:13]  ⁸³ sn This verse is unique in the book of Proverbs; it captures the theology of forgiveness (e.g., Pss 32 and 51). Every part of the passage is essential to the point: Confession of sins as opposed to concealing them, coupled with a turning away from them, results in mercy.

[9:4]  ⁸⁴ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 7, 9, 15, 16, and 19 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[9:4]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “who keeps the covenant and the loyal love.” The expression is a hendiadys.

[9:6]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “in your name.” Another option is to translate, “as your representatives.”

[9:6]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “our fathers” (also in vv. 8, 16). The Hebrew term translated “father” can refer to more distant relationships such as grandfathers or ancestors.

[9:6]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “people.”

[9:7]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “to you (belongs) righteousness.”

[9:7]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “and to us (belongs) shame of face like this day.”

[9:7]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “men.”

[9:8]  ⁹² tn Heb “to us (belongs) shame of face.”

[9:9]  ⁹³ tn Heb “to the Lord our God (belong) compassion and forgiveness.”

[9:10]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “paid attention to the voice of,” which is an idiomatic expression for obedience (cf. NASB “nor have we obeyed the voice of”).

[9:10]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “to walk in.”

[9:10]  ⁹⁶ tc The LXX and Vulgate have the singular.

[9:11]  ⁹⁷ tn Or “transgressed.” The Hebrew verb has the primary sense of crossing a boundary, in this case, God’s law.

[9:11]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “by not paying attention to your voice.”

[9:11]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “the curse and the oath which is written.” The term “curse” refers here to the judgments threatened in the Mosaic law (see Deut 28) for rebellion. The expression “the curse and the oath” is probably a hendiadys (cf. Num 5:21; Neh 10:29) referring to the fact that the covenant with its threatened judgments was ratified by solemn oath and made legally binding upon the covenant community.

[9:11]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “him.”

[9:12]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “he has fulfilled his word(s) which he spoke.”

[9:12]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “our judges.”

[9:12]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “who judged.”

[9:13]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “we have not pacified the face of.”

[9:13]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Or “by gaining insight.”

[9:13]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “by your truth.” The Hebrew term does not refer here to abstract truth, however, but to the reliable moral guidance found in the covenant law. See vv 10-11.

[9:14]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Or “righteous.”

[9:14]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “in all his deeds which he has done.”

[9:14]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “we have not listened to his voice.”

[9:15]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “with a powerful hand.”

[9:16]  ¹¹¹ tn Or “righteousness.”

[9:16]  ¹¹² tn Heb “your anger and your rage.” The synonyms are joined here to emphasize the degree of God’s anger. This is best expressed in English by making one of the terms adjectival (cf. NLT “your furious anger”; CEV “terribly angry”).

[9:17]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “hear.” Here the verb refers to hearing favorably, accepting the prayer and responding positively.

[9:17]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “let your face shine.” This idiom pictures God smiling in favor. See Pss 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19.

[9:17]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “for the sake of my Lord.” Theodotion has “for your sake.” Cf. v. 19.

[9:18]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “turn your ear.”

[9:18]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “desolations.” The term refers here to the ruined condition of Judah’s towns.

[9:18]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “over which your name is called.” Cf. v. 19. This expression implies that God is the owner of his city, Jerusalem. Note the use of the idiom in 2 Sam 12:28; Isa 4:1; Amos 9:12.

[9:18]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “praying our supplications before you.”

[9:19]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “for your name is called over your city and your people.” See the note on this expression in v 18.

[9:20]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “the holy mountain of my God.”

[3:6]  ¹²² tn Grk “they were being baptized by him.” The passive construction has been rendered as active in the translation for the sake of English style.

[1:5]  ¹²³ tn Grk “And the whole Judean countryside.” Mark uses the Greek conjunction καί (kai) at numerous places in his Gospel to begin sentences and paragraphs. This practice is due to Semitic influence and reflects in many cases the use of the Hebrew ו (vav) which is used in OT narrative, much as it is here, to carry the narrative along. Because in contemporary English style it is not acceptable to begin every sentence with “and,” καί was often left untranslated or rendered as “now,” “so,” “then,” or “but” depending on the context. When left untranslated it has not been noted. When given an alternative translation, this is usually indicated by a note.

[1:5]  ¹²⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:5]  ¹²⁵ tn Grk “they were being baptized by him.” The passive construction has been rendered as active in the translation for the sake of English style.

[19:18]  ¹²⁶ tn Grk “came”; the word “forward” is supplied in the translation to clarify the meaning and to conform to the contemporary English idiom.

[19:18]  ¹²⁷ tn Or “confessing and disclosing their deeds.” BDAG 59 s.v. ἀναγγέλλω 2 has “W. ἐξομολογεῖσθαι: ἀ. τὰς πράξεις αὐτο'ν make their deeds known Ac 19:18.”