Discovery BoxLeviticus 2:1-2
Context2:1 “‘When a person presents a grain offering 1 to the Lord, his offering must consist of choice wheat flour, 2 and he must pour olive oil on it and put frankincense 3 on it. 2:2 Then he must bring it to the sons of Aaron, the priests, and the priest 4 must scoop out from there a handful of its choice wheat flour and some of its olive oil in addition to all of its frankincense, and the priest must offer its memorial portion 5 up in smoke on the altar – it is 6 a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord.
Leviticus 2:4-5
Context2:4 “‘When you present an offering of grain baked in an oven, it must be made of 7 choice wheat flour baked into unleavened loaves 8 mixed with olive oil or 9 unleavened wafers smeared 10 with olive oil. 2:5 If your offering is a grain offering made on the griddle, it must be choice wheat flour mixed with olive oil, unleavened.
Leviticus 2:15-16
Context2:15 And you must put olive oil on it and set frankincense on it – it is a grain offering. 2:16 Then the priest must offer its memorial portion up in smoke – some of its crushed bits, some of its olive oil, in addition to all of its frankincense – it is 11 a gift to the Lord.
Numbers 5:15
Context5:15 then 12 the man must bring his wife to the priest, and he must bring the offering required for her, one tenth of an ephah of barley meal; he must not pour olive oil on it or put frankincense on it, because it is a grain offering of suspicion, 13 a grain offering for remembering, 14 for bringing 15 iniquity to remembrance.
Psalms 22:1-21
ContextFor the music director; according to the tune “Morning Doe;” 17 a psalm of David.
22:1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? 18
I groan in prayer, but help seems far away. 19
22:2 My God, I cry out during the day,
but you do not answer,
and during the night my prayers do not let up. 20
22:3 You are holy;
you sit as king receiving the praises of Israel. 21
22:4 In you our ancestors 22 trusted;
they trusted in you 23 and you rescued them.
22:5 To you they cried out, and they were saved;
in you they trusted and they were not disappointed. 24
22:6 But I 25 am a worm, 26 not a man; 27
people insult me and despise me. 28
22:7 All who see me taunt 29 me;
they mock me 30 and shake their heads. 31
“Commit yourself 33 to the Lord!
Let the Lord 34 rescue him!
Let the Lord 35 deliver him, for he delights in him.” 36
22:9 Yes, you are the one who brought me out 37 from the womb
and made me feel secure on my mother’s breasts.
22:10 I have been dependent on you since birth; 38
from the time I came out of my mother’s womb you have been my God. 39
22:11 Do not remain far away from me,
for trouble is near and I have no one to help me. 40
22:12 Many bulls 41 surround me;
powerful bulls of Bashan 42 hem me in.
22:13 They 43 open their mouths to devour me 44
like a roaring lion that rips its prey. 45
22:14 My strength drains away like water; 46
all my bones are dislocated;
my heart 47 is like wax;
it melts away inside me.
22:15 The roof of my mouth 48 is as dry as a piece of pottery;
my tongue sticks to my gums. 49
You 50 set me in the dust of death. 51
22:16 Yes, 52 wild dogs surround me –
a gang of evil men crowd around me;
like a lion they pin my hands and feet. 53
22:17 I can count 54 all my bones;
my enemies 55 are gloating over me in triumph. 56
22:18 They are dividing up my clothes among themselves;
they are rolling dice 57 for my garments.
22:19 But you, O Lord, do not remain far away!
You are my source of strength! 58 Hurry and help me! 59
22:20 Deliver me 60 from the sword!
Save 61 my life 62 from the claws 63 of the wild dogs!
22:21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lion, 64
and from the horns of the wild oxen! 65
You have answered me! 66
Psalms 69:1-21
ContextFor the music director; according to the tune of “Lilies;” 68 by David.
69:1 Deliver me, O God,
for the water has reached my neck. 69
69:2 I sink into the deep mire
where there is no solid ground; 70
I am in 71 deep water,
and the current overpowers me.
69:3 I am exhausted from shouting for help;
my throat is sore; 72
my eyes grow tired of looking for my God. 73
69:4 Those who hate me without cause are more numerous than the hairs of my head.
Those who want to destroy me, my enemies for no reason, 74 outnumber me. 75
They make me repay what I did not steal! 76
69:5 O God, you are aware of my foolish sins; 77
my guilt is not hidden from you. 78
69:6 Let none who rely on you be disgraced because of me,
O sovereign Lord and king! 79
Let none who seek you be ashamed because of me,
O God of Israel!
69:7 For I suffer 80 humiliation for your sake 81
and am thoroughly disgraced. 82
69:8 My own brothers treat me like a stranger;
they act as if I were a foreigner. 83
69:9 Certainly 84 zeal for 85 your house 86 consumes me;
I endure the insults of those who insult you. 87
69:10 I weep and refrain from eating food, 88
which causes others to insult me. 89
69:11 I wear sackcloth
and they ridicule me. 90
69:12 Those who sit at the city gate gossip about me;
drunkards mock me in their songs. 91
69:13 O Lord, may you hear my prayer and be favorably disposed to me! 92
O God, because of your great loyal love,
answer me with your faithful deliverance! 93
69:14 Rescue me from the mud! Don’t let me sink!
Deliver me 94 from those who hate me,
from the deep water!
69:15 Don’t let the current overpower me!
Don’t let the deep swallow me up!
Don’t let the pit 95 devour me! 96
69:16 Answer me, O Lord, for your loyal love is good! 97
Because of your great compassion, turn toward me!
69:17 Do not ignore 98 your servant,
for I am in trouble! Answer me right away! 99
69:18 Come near me and redeem me! 100
Because of my enemies, rescue me!
69:19 You know how I am insulted, humiliated and disgraced;
you can see all my enemies. 101
69:20 Their insults are painful 102 and make me lose heart; 103
I look 104 for sympathy, but receive none, 105
for comforters, but find none.
69:21 They put bitter poison 106 into my food,
and to quench my thirst they give me vinegar to drink. 107
Isaiah 53:2-10
Context53:2 He sprouted up like a twig before God, 108
like a root out of parched soil; 109
he had no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention, 110
no special appearance that we should want to follow him. 111
53:3 He was despised and rejected by people, 112
one who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness;
people hid their faces from him; 113
he was despised, and we considered him insignificant. 114
53:4 But he lifted up our illnesses,
he carried our pain; 115
even though we thought he was being punished,
attacked by God, and afflicted for something he had done. 116
53:5 He was wounded because of 117 our rebellious deeds,
crushed because of our sins;
he endured punishment that made us well; 118
because of his wounds we have been healed. 119
53:6 All of us had wandered off like sheep;
each of us had strayed off on his own path,
but the Lord caused the sin of all of us to attack him. 120
53:7 He was treated harshly and afflicted, 121
but he did not even open his mouth.
Like a lamb led to the slaughtering block,
like a sheep silent before her shearers,
he did not even open his mouth. 122
53:8 He was led away after an unjust trial 123 –
but who even cared? 124
Indeed, he was cut off from the land of the living; 125
because of the rebellion of his own 126 people he was wounded.
53:9 They intended to bury him with criminals, 127
but he ended up in a rich man’s tomb, 128
because 129 he had committed no violent deeds,
nor had he spoken deceitfully.
53:10 Though the Lord desired to crush him and make him ill,
once restitution is made, 130
he will see descendants and enjoy long life, 131
and the Lord’s purpose will be accomplished through him.
[2:1] 1 sn The “grain offering” ( מִנְחָה[minkhah]; here קָרְבַּן מִנְחָה, [qorbban minkhah], “an offering of a grain offering”) generally accompanied a burnt or peace offering to supplement the meat with bread (the libation provided the drink; cf. Num 15:1-10), thus completing the food “gift” to the
[2:1] 2 tn The Hebrew term for “choice wheat flour” (סֹלֶת, selet) is often translated “fine flour” (cf. KJV, NAB, NIV, NCV), but it refers specifically to wheat as opposed to barley (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 10). Moreover, the translation “flour” might be problematic, since the Hebrew term may designate the “grits” rather than the more finely ground “flour” (see J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:179 as opposed to Levine, 10, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 30).
[2:1] 3 sn This is not just any “incense” (קְטֹרֶת, qÿtoret; R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 3:913-16), but specifically “frankincense” (לְבֹנָה, lÿvonah; R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:756-57).
[2:2] 4 tn Heb “and he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. The syntax is strange here and might suggest that it was the offerer who scooped out a handful of the grain offering for the memorial portion (G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 66), but based on v. 9 below it should be understood that it was the priest who performed this act (see, e.g., NRSV “After taking from it a handful of the choice flour and oil…the priest shall…”; see also J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:177, 181 and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 30).
[2:2] 5 sn The “memorial portion” (אַזְכָרָה, ’azkharah) was the part of the grain offering that was burnt on the altar (see the previous clause), as opposed to the remainder, which was normally consumed by the priests (v. 3; see the full regulations in Lev 6:14-23[7-16]). It was probably intended to call to mind (i.e., memorialize) before the
[2:2] 6 tn The words “it is” have been supplied. See the notes on Lev 1:9 and 2:3. There is no text critical problem here, but the syntax suggests the same translation.
[2:4] 7 tn The insertion of the words “it must be made of” is justified by the context and the expressed words “it shall be made of” in vv. 7 and 8 below.
[2:4] 8 sn These “loaves” were either “ring-shaped” (HALOT 317 s.v. חַלָּה) or “perforated” (BDB 319 s.v. חַלָּה; cf. J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:184).
[2:4] 9 tn Heb “and.” Here the conjunction vav (ו) has an alternative sense (“or”).
[2:4] 10 tn The Hebrew word מְשֻׁחִים (mÿshukhim) translated here as “smeared” is often translated “anointed” in other contexts. Cf. TEV “brushed with olive oil” (CEV similar).
[2:16] 11 tn See the note on “it is” in 2:9b.
[5:15] 12 tn All the conditions have been laid down now for the instruction to begin – if all this happened, then this is the procedure to follow.
[5:15] 13 tn The Hebrew word is “jealousy,” which also would be an acceptable translation here. But since the connotation is that suspicion has been raised about the other person, “suspicion” seems to be a better rendering in this context.
[5:15] 14 tn The word “remembering” is זִכָּרוֹן (zikkaron); the meaning of the word here is not so much “memorial,” which would not communicate much, but the idea of bearing witness before God concerning the charges. The truth would come to light through this ritual, and so the attestation would stand. This memorial would bring the truth to light. It was a somber occasion, and so no sweet smelling additives were placed on the altar.
[5:15] 15 tn The final verbal form, מַזְכֶּרֶת (mazkeret), explains what the memorial was all about – it was causing iniquity to be remembered.
[22:1] 16 sn Psalm 22. The psalmist cries out to the Lord for deliverance from his dangerous enemies, who have surrounded him and threaten his life. Confident that the Lord will intervene, he then vows to thank the Lord publicly for his help and anticipates a time when all people will recognize the Lord’s greatness and worship him.
[22:1] 17 tn Heb “according to the doe of the dawn.” Apparently this refers to a particular musical tune or style.
[22:1] 18 sn From the psalmist’s perspective it seems that God has abandoned him, for he fails to answer his cry for help (vv. 1b-2).
[22:1] 19 tn Heb “far from my deliverance [are] the words of my groaning.” The Hebrew noun שְׁאָגָה (shÿ’agah) and its related verb שָׁאַג (sha’ag) are sometimes used of a lion’s roar, but they can also describe human groaning (see Job 3:24 and Pss 32:3 and 38:8.
[22:2] 20 tn Heb “there is no silence to me.”
[22:3] 21 tn Heb “[O] one who sits [on] the praises of Israel.” The verb “receiving” is supplied in the translation for clarity. The metaphorical language pictures the
[22:4] 23 tn The words “in you” are supplied in the translation. They are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line).
[22:5] 24 tn Or “were not ashamed.”
[22:6] 25 tn The grammatical construction (conjunction + pronoun) highlights the contrast between the psalmist’s experience and that of his ancestors. When he considers God’s past reliability, it only heightens his despair and confusion, for God’s present silence stands in stark contrast to his past saving acts.
[22:6] 26 tn The metaphor expresses the psalmist’s self-perception, which is based on how others treat him (see the following line).
[22:6] 27 tn Or “not a human being.” The psalmist perceives himself as less than human.
[22:6] 28 tn Heb “a reproach of man and despised by people.”
[22:7] 29 tn Or “scoff at, deride, mock.”
[22:7] 30 tn Heb “they separate with a lip.” Apparently this refers to their verbal taunting.
[22:7] 31 sn Shake their heads. Apparently this refers to a taunting gesture. See also Job 16:4; Ps 109:25; Lam 2:15.
[22:8] 32 tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons. The psalmist here quotes the sarcastic taunts of his enemies.
[22:8] 33 tn Heb “roll [yourself].” The Hebrew verb גלל here has the sense of “commit” (see Prov 16:3). The imperatival form in the Hebrew text indicates the enemies here address the psalmist. Since they refer to him in the third person in the rest of the verse, some prefer to emend the verb to a perfect, “he commits himself to the
[22:8] 34 tn Heb “Let him”; the referent (the
[22:8] 35 tn Heb “Let him”; the referent (the
[22:8] 36 tn That is, “for he [the
[22:9] 37 tn Or “the one who pulled me.” The verb is derived from either גָחָה (gakhah; see HALOT 187 s.v. גחה) or גִּיחַ (giyakh; see BDB 161 s.v. גִּיחַ) and seems to carry the nuance “burst forth” or “pull out.”
[22:10] 38 tn Heb “upon you I was cast from [the] womb.”
[22:10] 39 tn Heb “from the womb of my mother you [have been] my God.”
[22:11] 40 tn Heb “and there is no helper.”
[22:12] 41 sn The psalmist figuratively compares his enemies to dangerous bulls.
[22:12] 42 sn Bashan, located east of the Jordan River, was well-known for its cattle. See Ezek 39:18; Amos 4:1.
[22:13] 43 tn “They” refers to the psalmist’s enemies, who in the previous verse are described as “powerful bulls.”
[22:13] 44 tn Heb “they open against me their mouth[s].” To “open the mouth against” is a Hebrew idiom associated with eating and swallowing (see Ezek 2:8; Lam 2:16).
[22:13] 45 tn Heb “a lion ripping and roaring.”
[22:14] 46 tn Heb “like water I am poured out.”
[22:14] 47 sn The heart is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s strength and courage.
[22:15] 48 tc Heb “my strength” (כֹּחִי, kokhiy), but many prefer to emend the text to חִכִּי (khikiy, “my palate”; cf. NEB, NRSV “my mouth”) assuming that an error of transposition has occurred in the traditional Hebrew text.
[22:15] 49 tn Cf. NEB “my jaw”; NASB, NRSV “my jaws”; NIV “the roof of my mouth.”
[22:15] 50 sn Here the psalmist addresses God and suggests that God is ultimately responsible for what is happening because of his failure to intervene (see vv. 1-2, 11).
[22:15] 51 sn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the progressive nature of the action. The psalmist is in the process of dying.
[22:16] 53 tn Heb “like a lion, my hands and my feet.” This reading is often emended because it is grammatically awkward, but perhaps its awkwardness is by rhetorical design. Its broken syntax may be intended to convey the panic and terror felt by the psalmist. The psalmist may envision a lion pinning the hands and feet of its victim to the ground with its paws (a scene depicted in ancient Near Eastern art), or a lion biting the hands and feet. The line has been traditionally translated, “they pierce my hands and feet,” and then taken as foreshadowing the crucifixion of Christ. Though Jesus does appropriate the language of this psalm while on the cross (compare v. 1 with Matt 27:46 and Mark 15:34), the NT does not cite this verse in describing the death of Jesus. (It does refer to vv. 7-8 and 18, however. See Matt 27:35, 39, 43; Mark 15:24, 29; Luke 23:34; John 19:23-24.) If one were to insist on an emendation of כָּאֲרִי (ka’ariy, “like a lion”) to a verb, the most likely verbal root would be כָּרָה (karah, “dig”; see the LXX). In this context this verb could refer to the gnawing and tearing of wild dogs (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV). The ancient Greek version produced by Symmachus reads “bind” here, perhaps understanding a verbal root כרך, which is attested in later Hebrew and Aramaic and means “to encircle, entwine, embrace” (see HALOT 497-98 s.v. כרך and Jastrow 668 s.v. כָּרַךְ). Neither one of these proposed verbs can yield a meaning “bore, pierce.”
[22:17] 54 tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 17-18 draw attention to the progressive nature of the action.
[22:17] 55 tn Heb “they.” The masculine form indicates the enemies are in view. The referent (the psalmist’s enemies) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:17] 56 tn Heb “they gaze, they look upon me.”
[22:18] 57 tn Heb “casting lots.” The precise way in which this would have been done is not certain.
[22:19] 58 tn Heb “O my strength.”
[22:19] 59 tn Heb “hurry to my help.”
[22:20] 61 tn The verb “save” is supplied in the translation; it is understood by ellipsis (see “deliver” in the preceding line).
[22:20] 62 tn Heb “my only one.” The psalmist may mean that his life is precious, or that he feels isolated and alone.
[22:20] 63 tn Heb “from the hand.” Here “hand” is understood by metonymy as a reference to the “paw” and thus the “claws” of the wild dogs.
[22:21] 64 sn The psalmist again compares his enemies to vicious dogs and ferocious lions (see vv. 13, 16).
[22:21] 65 tn The Hebrew term רֵמִים (remim) appears to be an alternate spelling of רְאֵמִים (rÿ’emim, “wild oxen”; see BDB 910 s.v. רְאֵם).
[22:21] 66 tn Heb “and from the horns of the wild oxen you answer me.” Most take the final verb with the preceding prepositional phrase. Some understand the verb form as a relatively rare precative perfect, expressing a wish or request (see IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d). However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew. (See the discussion at Ps 3:7.) Others prefer to take the perfect in its usual indicative sense. The psalmist, perhaps in response to an oracle of salvation, affirms confidently that God has answered him, assuring him that deliverance is on the way. The present translation takes the prepositional phrase as parallel to the preceding “from the mouth of the lion” and as collocated with the verb “rescue” at the beginning of the verse. “You have answered me” is understood as a triumphant shout which marks a sudden shift in tone and introduces the next major section of the psalm. By isolating the statement syntactically, the psalmist highlights the declaration.
[69:1] 67 sn Psalm 69. The psalmist laments his oppressed condition and asks the Lord to deliver him by severely judging his enemies.
[69:1] 68 tn Heb “according to lilies.” See the superscription to Ps 45.
[69:1] 69 tn The Hebrew term נפשׁ (nefesh) here refers to the psalmist’s throat or neck. The psalmist compares himself to a helpless, drowning man.
[69:2] 70 tn Heb “and there is no place to stand.”
[69:2] 71 tn Heb “have entered.”
[69:3] 72 tn Or perhaps “raw”; Heb “burned; enflamed.”
[69:3] 73 tn Heb “my eyes fail from waiting for my God.” The psalmist has intently kept his eyes open, looking for God to intervene, but now his eyes are watery and bloodshot, impairing his vision.
[69:4] 74 tn Heb “[with] a lie.” The Hebrew noun שֶׁקֶר (sheqer, “lie”) is used here as an adverb, “falsely, wrongfully” (see Pss 35:19; 38:19).
[69:4] 75 tn The Hebrew verb עָצַם (’atsam) can sometimes mean “are strong,” but here it probably focuses on numerical superiority; note the parallel verb רָבַב (ravav, “be many”).
[69:4] 76 tn Heb “that which I did not steal, then I restore.” Apparently אָז (’az, “then”) is used here to emphasize the verb that follows.
[69:5] 77 tn Heb “you know my foolishness.”
[69:5] 78 sn The psalmist is the first to admit that he is not perfect. But even so, he is innocent of the allegations which his enemies bring against him (v. 5b). God, who is aware of his foolish sins and guilt, can testify to the truth of his claim.
[69:6] 79 tn Heb “O Master,
[69:7] 80 tn Heb “carry, bear.”
[69:7] 81 tn Heb “on account of you.”
[69:7] 82 tn Heb “and shame covers my face.”
[69:8] 83 tn Heb “and I am estranged to my brothers, and a foreigner to the sons of my mother.”
[69:9] 84 tn Or “for.” This verse explains that the psalmist’s suffering is due to his allegiance to God.
[69:9] 85 tn Or “devotion to.”
[69:9] 86 sn God’s house, the temple, here represents by metonymy God himself.
[69:9] 87 tn Heb “the insults of those who insult you fall upon me.”
[69:10] 88 sn Fasting was a practice of mourners. By refraining from normal activities such as eating food, the mourner demonstrated the sincerity of his sorrow.
[69:10] 89 tn Heb “and it becomes insults to me.”
[69:11] 90 tn Heb “and I am an object of ridicule to them.”
[69:12] 91 tn Heb “the mocking songs of the drinkers of beer.”
[69:13] 92 tn Heb “as for me, [may] my prayer be to you, O
[69:13] 93 tn Heb “O God, in the abundance of your loyal love, answer me in the faithfulness of your deliverance.”
[69:14] 94 tn Heb “let me be delivered.”
[69:15] 95 tn Heb “well,” which here symbolizes the place of the dead (cf. Ps 55:23).
[69:15] 96 tn Heb “do not let the well close its mouth upon me.”
[69:16] 97 tn Or “pleasant”; or “desirable.”
[69:17] 98 tn Heb “do not hide your face from.” The Hebrew idiom “hide the face” can (1) mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or (2) carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).
[69:18] 100 tn Heb “come near my life and redeem it.” The verb “redeem” casts the
[69:19] 101 tn Heb “before you [are] all my enemies.”
[69:20] 102 tn Heb “break my heart.” The “heart” is viewed here as the origin of the psalmist’s emotions.
[69:20] 103 tn The verb form appears to be a Qal preterite from an otherwise unattested root נוּשׁ (nush), which some consider an alternate form of אָנַשׁ (’anash, “be weak; be sick”; see BDB 60 s.v. I אָנַשׁ). Perhaps the form should be emended to a Niphal, וָאֵאָנְשָׁה (va’e’onshah, “and I am sick”). The Niphal of אָנַשׁ occurs in 2 Sam 12:15, where it is used to describe David’s sick child.
[69:20] 105 tn Heb “and I wait for sympathy, but there is none.” The form נוּד (nud) is an infinitive functioning as a verbal noun:, “sympathizing.” Some suggest emending the form to a participle נָד (nad, “one who shows sympathy”). The verb נוּד (nud) also has the nuance “show sympathy” in Job 2:11; 42:11 and Isa 51:19.
[69:21] 106 tn According to BDB 912 s.v. II רֹאשׁ the term can mean “a bitter and poisonous plant.”
[69:21] 107 sn John 19:28-30 appears to understand Jesus’ experience on the cross as a fulfillment of this passage (or Ps 22:15). See the study note on the word “thirsty” in John 19:28.
[53:2] 108 tn Heb “before him.” Some suggest an emendation to “before us.” If the third singular suffix of the Hebrew text is retained, it probably refers to the Lord (see v. 1b). For a defense of this reading, see R. Whybray, Isaiah 40-66 (NCBC), 173-74.
[53:2] 109 sn The metaphor in this verse suggests insignificance.
[53:2] 110 tn Heb “that we might see him.” The vav conjunctive prefixed to the imperfect introduces a result clause here. See GKC 504-5 §166.a.
[53:2] 111 tn Heb “that we should desire him.” The vav conjunctive prefixed to the imperfect introduces a result clause here. See GKC 504-5 §166.a.
[53:3] 112 tn Heb “lacking of men.” If the genitive is taken as specifying (“lacking with respect to men”), then the idea is that he lacked company because he was rejected by people. Another option is to take the genitive as indicating genus or larger class (i.e., “one lacking among men”). In this case one could translate, “he was a transient” (cf. the use of חָדֵל [khadel] in Ps 39:5 HT [39:4 ET]).
[53:3] 113 tn Heb “like a hiding of the face from him,” i.e., “like one before whom the face is hidden” (see BDB 712 s.v. מַסְתֵּר).
[53:3] 114 sn The servant is likened to a seriously ill person who is shunned by others because of his horrible disease.
[53:4] 115 sn Illness and pain stand by metonymy (or perhaps as metaphors) for sin and its effects, as vv. 11-12 make clear.
[53:4] 116 tn The words “for something he had done” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The group now realizes he suffered because of his identification with them, not simply because he was a special target of divine anger.
[53:5] 117 tn The preposition מִן (min) has a causal sense (translated “because of”) here and in the following clause.
[53:5] 118 tn Heb “the punishment of our peace [was] on him.” שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) is here a genitive of result, i.e., “punishment that resulted in our peace.”
[53:5] 119 sn Continuing to utilize the imagery of physical illness, the group acknowledges that the servant’s willingness to carry their illnesses (v. 4) resulted in their being healed. Healing is a metaphor for forgiveness here.
[53:6] 120 tn Elsewhere the Hiphil of פָגַע (paga’) means “to intercede verbally” (Jer 15:11; 36:25) or “to intervene militarily” (Isa 59:16), but neither nuance fits here. Apparently here the Hiphil is the causative of the normal Qal meaning, “encounter, meet, touch.” The Qal sometimes refers to a hostile encounter or attack; when used in this way the object is normally introduced by the preposition -בְּ (bet, see Josh 2:16; Judg 8:21; 15:12, etc.). Here the causative Hiphil has a double object – the Lord makes “sin” attack “him” (note that the object attacked is introduced by the preposition -בְּ. In their sin the group was like sheep who had wandered from God’s path. They were vulnerable to attack; the guilt of their sin was ready to attack and destroy them. But then the servant stepped in and took the full force of the attack.
[53:7] 121 tn The translation assumes the Niphal is passive; another option is take the clause (note the subject + verb pattern) as concessive and the Niphal as reflexive, “though he humbled himself.”
[53:7] 122 sn This verse emphasizes the servant’s silent submission. The comparison to a sheep does not necessarily suggest a sacrificial metaphor. Sheep were slaughtered for food as well as for sacrificial rituals, and טֶבַח (tevakh) need not refer to sacrificial slaughter (see Gen 43:16; Prov 7:22; 9:2; Jer 50:27; note also the use of the related verb in Exod 21:37; Deut 28:31; 1 Sam 25:11).
[53:8] 123 tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. The present translation assumes that מִן (min) here has an instrumental sense (“by, through”) and understands עֹצֶר וּמִמִּשְׁפָּט (’otser umimmishpat, “coercion and legal decision”) as a hendiadys meaning “coercive legal decision,” thus “an unjust trial.” Other interpretive options include: (1) “without [for this sense of מִן, see BDB 578 s.v. 1.b] hindrance and proper judicial process,” i.e., “unfairly and with no one to defend him,” (2) “from [in the sense of “after,” see BDB 581 s.v. 4.b] arrest and judgment.”
[53:8] 124 tn Heb “and his generation, who considers?” (NASB similar). Some understand “his generation” as a reference to descendants. In this case the question would suggest that he will have none. However, אֶת (’et) may be taken here as specifying a new subject (see BDB 85 s.v. I אֵת 3). If “his generation” refers to the servant’s contemporary generation, one may then translate, “As for his contemporary generation, who took note?” The point would be that few were concerned about the harsh treatment he received.
[53:8] 125 sn The “land of the living” is an idiom for the sphere where people live, in contrast to the underworld realm of the dead. See, for example, Ezek 32:23-27.
[53:8] 126 tn The Hebrew text reads “my people,” a reading followed by most English versions, but this is problematic in a context where the first person plural predominates, and where God does not appear to speak again until v. 11b. Therefore, it is preferable to read with the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa עמו (“his people”). In this case, the group speaking in these verses is identified as the servant’s people (compare פְּשָׁעֵנוּ [pÿsha’enu, “our rebellious deeds”] in v. 5 with פֶּשַׁע עַמִּי [pesha’ ’ammi, “the rebellion of his people”] in v. 8).
[53:9] 127 tn Heb “one assigned his grave with criminals.” The subject of the singular is impersonal; English typically uses “they” in such constructions.
[53:9] 128 tn This line reads literally, “and with the rich in his death.” בְּמֹתָיו (bÿmotayv) combines a preposition, a plural form of the noun מוֹת (mot), and a third masculine singular suffix. The plural of the noun is problematic and the יו may be the result of virtual dittography. The form should probably be emended to בָּמָתוֹ (bamato, singular noun). The relationship between this line and the preceding one is uncertain. The parallelism appears to be synonymous (note “his grave” and “in his death”), but “criminals” and “the rich” hardly make a compatible pair in this context, for they would not be buried in the same kind of tomb. Some emend עָשִׁיר (’ashir, “rich”) to עָשֵׂי רָע (’ase ra’, “doers of evil”) but the absence of the ayin (ע) is not readily explained in this graphic environment. Others suggest an emendation to שְׂעִירִים (sÿ’irim, “he-goats, demons”), but the meaning in this case is not entirely transparent and the proposal assumes that the form suffered from both transposition and the inexplicable loss of a final mem. Still others relate עָשִׁיר (’ashir) to an alleged Arabic cognate meaning “mob.” See HALOT 896 s.v. עָשִׁיר. Perhaps the parallelism is antithetical, rather than synonymous. In this case, the point is made that the servant’s burial in a rich man’s tomb, in contrast to a criminal’s burial, was appropriate, for he had done nothing wrong.
[53:9] 129 tn If the second line is antithetical, then עַל (’al) is probably causal here, explaining why the servant was buried in a rich man’s tomb, rather than that of criminal. If the first two lines are synonymous, then עַל is probably concessive: “even though….”
[53:10] 130 tn The meaning of this line is uncertain. It reads literally, “if you/she makes, a reparation offering, his life.” The verb תָּשִׂים (tasim) could be second masculine singular,in which case it would have to be addressed to the servant or to God. However, the servant is only addressed once in this servant song (see 52:14a), and God either speaks or is spoken about in this servant song; he is never addressed. Furthermore, the idea of God himself making a reparation offering is odd. If the verb is taken as third feminine singular, then the feminine noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) at the end of the line is the likely subject. In this case one can take the suffixed form of the noun as equivalent to a pronoun and translate, “if he [literally, “his life”] makes a reparation offering.”
[53:10] 131 sn The idiomatic and stereotypical language emphasizes the servant’s restoration to divine favor. Having numerous descendants and living a long life are standard signs of divine blessing. See Job 42:13-16.
