Leviticus 26:40-45

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. 26:43 The land will be abandoned by them ⁸  in order that it may make up for ⁹  its Sabbaths while it is made desolate ¹⁰  without them, ¹¹  and they will make up for their iniquity because ¹²  they have rejected my regulations and have abhorred ¹³  my statutes. 26:44 In spite of this, however, when they are in the land of their enemies I will not reject them and abhor them to make a complete end of them, to break my covenant with them, for I am the Lord their God. 26:45 I will remember for them the covenant with their ancestors ¹⁴  whom I brought out from the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the Lord.’”

Deuteronomy 4:30-31

4:30 In your distress when all these things happen to you in the latter days, ¹⁵  if you return to the Lord your God and obey him ¹⁶  4:31 (for he ¹⁷  is a merciful God), he will not let you down ¹⁸  or destroy you, for he cannot ¹⁹  forget the covenant with your ancestors that he confirmed by oath to them.

Psalms 25:6

25:6 Remember ²⁰  your compassionate and faithful deeds, O Lord,

for you have always acted in this manner. ²¹ 

Psalms 77:5-11

77:5 I thought about the days of old,

about ancient times. ²² 

77:6 I said, “During the night I will remember the song I once sang;

I will think very carefully.”

I tried to make sense of what was happening. ²³ 

77:7 I asked, ²⁴  “Will the Lord reject me forever?

Will he never again show me his favor?

77:8 Has his loyal love disappeared forever?

Has his promise ²⁵  failed forever?

77:9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?

Has his anger stifled his compassion?”

77:10 Then I said, “I am sickened by the thought

that the sovereign One ²⁶  might become inactive. ²⁷ 

77:11 I will remember the works of the Lord.

Yes, I will remember the amazing things you did long ago! ²⁸ 

Psalms 89:47-50

89:47 Take note of my brief lifespan! ²⁹ 

Why do you make all people so mortal? ³⁰ 

89:48 No man can live on without experiencing death,

or deliver his life from the power of Sheol. ³¹  (Selah)

89:49 Where are your earlier faithful deeds, ³²  O Lord, ³³ 

the ones performed in accordance with your reliable oath to David? ³⁴ 

89:50 Take note, O Lord, ³⁵  of the way your servants are taunted, ³⁶ 

and of how I must bear so many insults from people! ³⁷ 

Psalms 143:5

143:5 I recall the old days; ³⁸ 

I meditate on all you have done;

I reflect on your accomplishments. ³⁹ 

Luke 1:54-55

1:54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering ⁴⁰  his mercy, ⁴¹ 

1:55 as he promised ⁴²  to our ancestors, ⁴³  to Abraham and to his descendants ⁴⁴  forever.”

[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.

[26:43]  ⁸ tn Heb “from them.” The preposition “from” refers here to the agent of the action (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 455).

[26:43]  ⁹ tn The jussive form of the verb with the simple vav (ו) here calls for a translation that expresses purpose.

[26:43]  ¹⁰ tn The verb is the Hophal infinitive construct with the third feminine singular suffix (GKC 182 §67.y; cf. v. 34).

[26:43]  ¹¹ tn Heb “from them.”

[26:43]  ¹² tn Heb “because and in because,” a double expression, which is used only here and in Ezek 13:10 (without the vav) for emphasis (GKC 492 §158.b).

[26:43]  ¹³ tn Heb “and their soul has abhorred.”

[26:45]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “covenant of former ones.”

[4:30]  ¹⁵ sn The phrase is not used here in a technical sense for the eschaton, but rather refers to a future time when Israel will be punished for its sin and experience exile. See Deut 31:29.

[4:30]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “hear his voice.” The expression is an idiom meaning “obey,” occurring in Deut 8:20; 9:23; 13:18; 21:18, 20; 26:14, 17; 27:10; 28:1-2, 15, 45, 62; 30:2, 8, 10, 20.

[4:31]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 4:3.

[4:31]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “he will not drop you,” i.e., “will not abandon you” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[4:31]  ¹⁹ tn Or “will not.” The translation understands the imperfect verbal form to have an added nuance of capability here.

[25:6]  ²⁰ tn That is, “remember” with the intention of repeating.

[25:6]  ²¹ tn Heb “for from antiquity [are] they.”

[77:5]  ²² tn Heb “the years of antiquity.”

[77:6]  ²³ tn Heb “I will remember my song in the night, with my heart I will reflect. And my spirit searched.” As in v. 4, the words of v. 6a are understood as what the psalmist said earlier. Consequently the words “I said” are supplied in the translation for clarification (see v. 10). The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive at the beginning of the final line is taken as sequential to the perfect “I thought” in v. 6.

[77:7]  ²⁴ tn As in vv. 4 and 6a, the words of vv. 7-9 are understood as a quotation of what the psalmist said earlier. Therefore the words “I asked” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[77:8]  ²⁵ tn Heb “word,” which may refer here to God’s word of promise (note the reference to “loyal love” in the preceding line).

[77:10]  ²⁶ tn Heb “Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.

[77:10]  ²⁷ tc Heb “And I said, ‘This is my wounding, the changing of the right hand of the Most High.’” The form חַלּוֹתִי (khallotiy) appears to be a Qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbal root חָלַל (khalal, “to pierce; to wound”). The present translation assumes an emendation to חֲלוֹתִי (khalotiy), a Qal infinitive construct (with a first person singular pronominal suffix) from the verbal root חָלָה (khalah, “be sick, weak”). The form שְׁנוֹת (shÿnot) is understood as a Qal infinitive construct from שָׁנָה (shanah, “to change”) rather than a plural noun form, “years” (see v. 5). “Right hand” here symbolizes by metonymy God’s power and activity. The psalmist observes that his real problem is theological in nature. His experience suggests that the sovereign Lord has abandoned him and become inactive. However, this goes against the grain of his most cherished beliefs.

[77:11]  ²⁸ tn Heb “yes, I will remember from old your wonders.”

[89:47]  ²⁹ tn Heb “remember me, what is [my] lifespan.” The Hebrew term חֶלֶד (kheled) is also used of one’s lifespan in Ps 39:5. Because the Hebrew text is so awkward here, some prefer to emend it to read מֶה חָדֵל אָנִי (meh khadel ’aniy, “[remember] how transient [that is, “short-lived”] I am”; see Ps 39:4).

[89:47]  ³⁰ tn Heb “For what emptiness do you create all the sons of mankind?” In this context the term שָׁוְא (shavah) refers to mankind’s mortal nature and the brevity of life (see vv. 45, 48).

[89:48]  ³¹ tn Heb “Who [is] the man [who] can live and not see death, [who] can deliver his life from the hand of Sheol?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”

[89:49]  ³² sn The Lord’s faithful deeds are also mentioned in Pss 17:7 and 25:6.

[89:49]  ³³ tc Many medieval Hebrew mss read here יְהוָה (yehvah, “the Lord”).

[89:49]  ³⁴ tn Heb “[which] you swore on oath to David by your faithfulness.”

[89:50]  ³⁵ tc Many medieval Hebrew mss read here יְהוָה (yehvah, “the Lord”).

[89:50]  ³⁶ tn Heb “remember, O Lord, the taunt against your servants.” Many medieval Hebrew mss read the singular here, “your servant” (that is, the psalmist).

[89:50]  ³⁷ tn Heb “my lifting up in my arms [or “against my chest”] all of the many, peoples.” The term רַבִּים (rabbim, “many”) makes no apparent sense here. For this reason some emend the text to רִבֵי (rivey, “attacks by”), a defectively written plural construct form of רִיב (riv, “dispute; quarrel”).

[143:5]  ³⁸ tn Or “ancient times”; Heb “days from before.”

[143:5]  ³⁹ tn Heb “the work of your hands.”

[1:54]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “because he remembered mercy,” understanding the infinitive as causal.

[1:54]  ⁴¹ tn Or “his [God’s] loyal love.”

[1:55]  ⁴² tn Grk “as he spoke.” Since this is a reference to the covenant to Abraham, ἐλάλησεν (elalhsen) can be translated in context “as he promised.” God keeps his word.

[1:55]  ⁴³ tn Grk “fathers.”

[1:55]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “his seed” (an idiom for offspring or descendants).