Luke 12:15-21

12:15 Then ¹  he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourself from ²  all types of greed, ³  because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 12:16 He then ⁴  told them a parable: ⁵  “The land of a certain rich man produced ⁶  an abundant crop, 12:17 so ⁷  he thought to himself, ⁸  ‘What should I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ ⁹  12:18 Then ¹⁰  he said, ‘I ¹¹  will do this: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 12:19 And I will say to myself, ¹²  “You have plenty of goods stored up for many years; relax, eat, drink, celebrate!”’ 12:20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life ¹³  will be demanded back from ¹⁴  you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ ¹⁵  12:21 So it is with the one who stores up riches for himself, ¹⁶  but is not rich toward God.”

Luke 18:23-25

18:23 But when the man ¹⁷  heard this he became very sad, ¹⁸  for he was extremely wealthy. 18:24 When Jesus noticed this, ¹⁹  he said, “How hard ²⁰  it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! ²¹  18:25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle ²²  than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

Job 21:7-15

The Wicked Prosper

21:7 “Why do the wicked go on living, ²³ 

grow old, ²⁴  even increase in power?

21:8 Their children ²⁵  are firmly established

in their presence, ²⁶ 

their offspring before their eyes.

21:9 Their houses are safe ²⁷  and without fear; ²⁸ 

and no rod of punishment ²⁹  from God is upon them. ³⁰ 

21:10 Their bulls ³¹  breed ³²  without fail; ³³ 

their cows calve and do not miscarry.

21:11 They allow their children to run ³⁴  like a flock;

their little ones dance about.

21:12 They sing ³⁵  to the accompaniment of tambourine and harp,

and make merry to the sound of the flute.

21:13 They live out ³⁶  their years in prosperity

and go down ³⁷  to the grave ³⁸  in peace.

21:14 So they say to God, ‘Turn away from us!

We do not want to ³⁹  know your ways. ⁴⁰ 

21:15 Who is the Almighty, that ⁴¹  we should serve him?

What would we gain

if we were to pray ⁴²  to him?’ ⁴³ 

Psalms 49:6-7

49:6 They trust ⁴⁴  in their wealth

and boast ⁴⁵  in their great riches.

49:7 Certainly a man cannot rescue his brother; ⁴⁶ 

he cannot pay God an adequate ransom price ⁴⁷ 

Psalms 49:16-19

49:16 Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich ⁴⁸ 

and his wealth multiplies! ⁴⁹ 

49:17 For he will take nothing with him when he dies;

his wealth will not follow him down into the grave. ⁵⁰ 

49:18 He pronounces this blessing on himself while he is alive:

“May men praise you, for you have done well!”

49:19 But he will join his ancestors; ⁵¹ 

they will never again see the light of day. ⁵² 

Psalms 73:3-12

73:3 For I envied those who are proud,

as I observed ⁵³  the prosperity ⁵⁴  of the wicked.

73:4 For they suffer no pain; ⁵⁵ 

their bodies ⁵⁶  are strong and well-fed. ⁵⁷ 

73:5 They are immune to the trouble common to men;

they do not suffer as other men do. ⁵⁸ 

73:6 Arrogance is their necklace, ⁵⁹ 

and violence their clothing. ⁶⁰ 

73:7 Their prosperity causes them to do wrong; ⁶¹ 

their thoughts are sinful. ⁶² 

73:8 They mock ⁶³  and say evil things; ⁶⁴ 

they proudly threaten violence. ⁶⁵ 

73:9 They speak as if they rule in heaven,

and lay claim to the earth. ⁶⁶ 

73:10 Therefore they have more than enough food to eat,

and even suck up the water of the sea. ⁶⁷ 

73:11 They say, “How does God know what we do?

Is the sovereign one aware of what goes on?” ⁶⁸ 

73:12 Take a good look! This is what the wicked are like, ⁶⁹ 

those who always have it so easy and get richer and richer. ⁷⁰ 

Proverbs 1:32

1:32 For the waywardness ⁷¹  of the

simpletons will kill ⁷²  them,

and the careless ease ⁷³  of fools will destroy them.

Jeremiah 5:4-6

5:4 I thought, “Surely it is only the ignorant poor who act this way. ⁷⁴ 

They act like fools because they do not know what the Lord demands. ⁷⁵ 

They do not know what their God requires of them. ⁷⁶ 

5:5 I will go to the leaders ⁷⁷ 

and speak with them.

Surely they know what the Lord demands. ⁷⁸ 

Surely they know what their God requires of them.” ⁷⁹ 

Yet all of them, too, have rejected his authority

and refuse to submit to him. ⁸⁰ 

5:6 So like a lion from the thicket their enemies will kill them.

Like a wolf from the desert they will destroy them.

Like a leopard they will lie in wait outside their cities

and totally destroy anyone who ventures out. ⁸¹ 

For they have rebelled so much

and done so many unfaithful things. ⁸² 

Amos 4:1-3

4:1 Listen to this message, you cows of Bashan ⁸³  who live on Mount Samaria!

You ⁸⁴  oppress the poor;

you crush the needy.

You say to your ⁸⁵  husbands,

“Bring us more to drink!” ⁸⁶ 

4:2 The sovereign Lord confirms this oath by his own holy character: ⁸⁷ 

“Certainly the time is approaching ⁸⁸ 

when you will be carried away ⁸⁹  in baskets, ⁹⁰ 

every last one of you ⁹¹  in fishermen’s pots. ⁹² 

4:3 Each of you will go straight through the gaps in the walls; ⁹³ 

you will be thrown out ⁹⁴  toward Harmon.” ⁹⁵ 

The Lord is speaking!

Amos 6:1-6

The Party is over for the Rich

6:1 Woe ⁹⁶  to those who live in ease in Zion, ⁹⁷ 

to those who feel secure on Mount Samaria.

They think of themselves as ⁹⁸  the elite class of the best nation.

The family ⁹⁹  of Israel looks to them for leadership. ¹⁰⁰ 

6:2 They say to the people: ¹⁰¹ 

“Journey over to Calneh and look at it!

Then go from there to Hamath-Rabbah! ¹⁰² 

Then go down to Gath of the Philistines!

Are they superior to our two ¹⁰³  kingdoms?

Is their territory larger than yours?” ¹⁰⁴ 

6:3 You refuse to believe a day of disaster will come, ¹⁰⁵ 

but you establish a reign of violence. ¹⁰⁶ 

6:4 They lie around on beds decorated with ivory, ¹⁰⁷ 

and sprawl out on their couches.

They eat lambs from the flock,

and calves from the middle of the pen.

6:5 They sing ¹⁰⁸  to the tune of ¹⁰⁹  stringed instruments; ¹¹⁰ 

like David they invent ¹¹¹  musical instruments.

6:6 They drink wine from sacrificial bowls, ¹¹² 

and pour the very best oils on themselves. ¹¹³ 

Yet they are not concerned over ¹¹⁴  the ruin ¹¹⁵  of Joseph.

Haggai 2:9

2:9 ‘The future splendor of this temple will be greater than that of former times,’ ¹¹⁶  the Lord who rules over all declares, ‘and in this place I will give peace.’” ¹¹⁷ 

Haggai 2:1

The Glory to Come

2:1 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, ¹¹⁸  the Lord spoke again through the prophet Haggai: ¹¹⁹ 

Haggai 1:1

Introduction

1:1 On the first day of the sixth month ¹²⁰  of King Darius’ ¹²¹  second year, the Lord spoke this message through the prophet Haggai ¹²²  to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak: ¹²³ 

James 2:6

2:6 But you have dishonored the poor! ¹²⁴  Are not the rich oppressing you and dragging you into the courts?

James 5:1-6

Warning to the Rich

5:1 Come now, you rich! Weep and cry aloud ¹²⁵  over the miseries that are coming on you. 5:2 Your riches have rotted and your clothing has become moth-eaten. 5:3 Your gold and silver have rusted and their rust will be a witness against you. It will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have hoarded treasure! ¹²⁶  5:4 Look, the pay you have held back from the workers who mowed your fields cries out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5:5 You have lived indulgently and luxuriously on the earth. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. ¹²⁷  5:6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person, although he does not resist you. ¹²⁸ 

Revelation 18:6-8

18:6 Repay her the same way she repaid others; ¹²⁹  pay her back double ¹³⁰  corresponding to her deeds. In the cup she mixed, mix double the amount for her. 18:7 As much as ¹³¹  she exalted herself and lived in sensual luxury, ¹³²  to this extent give her torment and grief because she said to herself, ¹³³  ‘I rule as queen and am no widow; I will never experience grief!’ 18:8 For this reason, she will experience her plagues ¹³⁴  in a single day: disease, ¹³⁵  mourning, ¹³⁶  and famine, and she will be burned down ¹³⁷  with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is powerful!”

[12:15]  ¹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[12:15]  ² tn See L&N 13.154 for this use of the middle voice of φυλάσσω (fulassw) in this verse.

[12:15]  ³ tn Or “avarice,” “covetousness.” Note the warning covers more than money and gets at the root attitude – the strong desire to acquire more and more possessions and experiences.

[12:16]  ⁴ tn Grk “And he.” Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the connection to the preceding statement.

[12:16]  ⁵ tn Grk “a parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.

[12:16]  ⁶ tn Or “yielded a plentiful harvest.”

[12:17]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that this is a result of the preceding statement.

[12:17]  ⁸ tn Grk “to himself, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.

[12:17]  ⁹ sn I have nowhere to store my crops. The thinking here is prudent in terms of recognizing the problem. The issue in the parable will be the rich man’s solution, particularly the arrogance reflected in v. 19.

[12:18]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[12:18]  ¹¹ sn Note how often the first person pronoun is present in these verses. The farmer is totally self absorbed.

[12:19]  ¹² tn Grk “to my soul,” which is repeated as a vocative in the following statement, but is left untranslated as redundant.

[12:20]  ¹³ tn Grk “your soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.

[12:20]  ¹⁴ tn Or “required back.” This term, ἀπαιτέω (apaitew), has an economic feel to it and is often used of a debt being called in for repayment (BDAG 96 s.v. 1).

[12:20]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” The words “for yourself” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[12:21]  ¹⁶ sn It is selfishness that is rebuked here, in the accumulation of riches for himself. Recall the emphasis on the first person pronouns throughout the parable.

[18:23]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:23]  ¹⁸ tn Or “very distressed” (L&N 25.277).

[18:24]  ¹⁹ tc ‡ The phrase περίλυπον γενόμενον (perilupon genomenon, “[When Jesus saw him] becoming sad”) is found in the majority of mss (A [D] W Θ Ψ 078 ˹³ 33^vid Ï latt sy), and it is not unknown in Lukan style to repeat a word or phrase in adjacent passages (TCGNT 143). However, the phrase is lacking in some significant mss (א B L ˹ 579 1241 2542 co). The shorter reading is nevertheless difficult to explain if it is not original: It is possible that these witnesses omitted this phrase out of perceived redundancy from the preceding verse, although intentional omissions, especially by several and varied witnesses, are generally unlikely. NA²⁷ places the words in brackets, indicating doubts as to their authenticity.

[18:24]  ²⁰ sn For the rich it is hard for wealth not to be the point of focus, as the contrast in vv. 28-30 will show, and for rich people to trust God. Wealth was not an automatic sign of blessing as far as Jesus was concerned.

[18:24]  ²¹ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

[18:25]  ²² sn The eye of a needle refers to a sewing needle, one of the smallest items one might deal with on a regular basis, in contrast to the biggest animal of the region. (The gate in Jerusalem known as “The Needle’s Eye” was built during the middle ages and was not in existence in Jesus’ day.) Jesus is saying rhetorically that this is impossible, unless God (v. 27) intervenes.

[21:7]  ²³ sn A. B. Davidson (Job, 154) clarifies that Job’s question is of a universal scope. In the government of God, why do the wicked exist at all? The verb could be translated “continue to live.”

[21:7]  ²⁴ tn The verb עָתַק (’ataq) means “to move; to proceed; to advance.” Here it is “to advance in years” or “to grow old.” This clause could serve as an independent clause, a separate sentence; but it more likely continues the question of the first colon and is parallel to the verb “live.”

[21:8]  ²⁵ tn Heb “their seed.”

[21:8]  ²⁶ tn The text uses לִפְנֵיהֶם עִמָּם (lifnehem ’immam, “before them, with them”). Many editors think that these were alternative readings, and so omit one or the other. Dhorme moved עִמָּם (’immam) to the second half of the verse and emended it to read עֹמְדִים (’omÿdim, “abide”). Kissane and Gordis changed only the vowels and came up with עַמָּם (’ammam, “their kinfolk”). But Gordis thinks the presence of both of them in the line is evidence of a conflated reading (p. 229).

[21:9]  ²⁷ tn The word שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace, safety”) is here a substantive after a plural subject (see GKC 452 §141.c, n. 3).

[21:9]  ²⁸ tn The form מִפָּחַד (mippakhad) is translated “without fear,” literally “from fear”; the preposition is similar to the alpha privative in Greek. The word “fear, dread” means nothing that causes fear or dread – they are peaceful, secure. See GKC 382 §119.w.

[21:9]  ²⁹ tn Heb “no rod of God.” The words “punishment from” have been supplied in the translation to make the metaphor understandable for the modern reader by stating the purpose of the rod.

[21:9]  ³⁰ sn In 9:34 Job was complaining that there was no umpire to remove God’s rod from him, but here he observes no such rod is on the wicked.

[21:10]  ³¹ tn Heb “his bull,” but it is meant to signify the bulls of the wicked.

[21:10]  ³² tn The verb used here means “to impregnate,” and not to be confused with the verb עָבַר (’avar, “to pass over”).

[21:10]  ³³ tn The use of the verb גָּעַר (ga’ar) in this place is interesting. It means “to rebuke; to abhor; to loathe.” In the causative stem it means “to occasion impurity” or “to reject as loathsome.” The rabbinic interpretation is that it does not emit semen in vain, and so the meaning is it does not fail to breed (see E. Dhorme, Job, 311; R. Gordis, Job, 229).

[21:11]  ³⁴ tn The verb שָׁלַח (shalakh) means “to send forth,” but in the Piel “to release; to allow to run free.” The picture of children frolicking in the fields and singing and dancing is symbolic of peaceful, prosperous times.

[21:12]  ³⁵ tn The verb is simply “they take up [or lift up],” but the understood object is “their voices,” and so it means “they sing.”

[21:13]  ³⁶ tc The Kethib has “they wear out” but the Qere and the versions have יְכַלּוּ (yÿkhallu, “bring to an end”). The verb כָּלָה (kalah) means “to finish; to complete,” and here with the object “their days,” it means that they bring their life to a (successful) conclusion. Both readings are acceptable in the context, with very little difference in the overall meaning (which according to Gordis is proof the Qere does not always correct the Kethib).

[21:13]  ³⁷ tc The MT has יֵחָתּוּ (yekhattu, “they are frightened [or broken]”), taking the verb from חָתַת (khatat, “be terrified”). But most would slightly repoint it to יֵחָתוּ (yekhatu), an Aramaism, “they go down,” from נָחַת (nakhat, “go down”). See Job 17:16.

[21:13]  ³⁸ tn The word רֶגַע (rega’) has been interpreted as “in a moment” or “in peace” (on the basis of Arabic raja`a, “return to rest”). Gordis thinks this is a case of talhin – both meanings present in the mind of the writer.

[21:14]  ³⁹ tn The absence of the preposition before the complement adds greater vividness to the statement: “and knowing your ways – we do not desire.”

[21:14]  ⁴⁰ sn Contrast Ps 25:4, which affirms that walking in God’s ways means to obey God’s will – the Torah.

[21:15]  ⁴¹ tn The interrogative clause is followed by ki, similar to Exod 5:2, “Who is Yahweh, that I should obey him?”

[21:15]  ⁴² tn The verb פָּגַע (paga’) means “to encounter; to meet,” but also “to meet with request; to intercede; to interpose.” The latter meaning is a derived meaning by usage.

[21:15]  ⁴³ tn The verse is not present in the LXX. It may be that it was considered too blasphemous and therefore omitted.

[49:6]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “the ones who trust.” The substantival participle stands in apposition to “those who deceive me” (v. 5).

[49:6]  ⁴⁵ tn The imperfect verbal form emphasizes their characteristic behavior.

[49:7]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “a brother, he surely does not ransom, a man.” The sequence אִישׁ...אָח (’akh...’ish, “a brother…a man”) is problematic, for the usual combination is אָח...אָח (“a brother…a brother”) or אִישׁ...אִישׁ (“a man…a man”). When אִישׁ and אָח are combined, the usual order is אָח...אִישׁ (“a man…a brother”), with “brother” having a third masculine singular suffix, “his brother.” This suggests that “brother” is the object of the verb and “man” the subject. (1) Perhaps the altered word order and absence of the suffix can be explained by the text’s poetic character, for ellipsis is a feature of Hebrew poetic style. (2) Another option, supported by a few medieval Hebrew mss, is to emend “brother” to the similar sounding אַךְ (’akh, “surely; but”) which occurs in v. 15 before the verb פָּדָה (padah, “ransom”). If this reading is accepted the Qal imperfect יִפְדֶּה (yifddeh, “he can [not] ransom”) would need to be emended to a Niphal (passive) form, יִפָּדֶה (yifadeh, “he can[not] be ransomed”) unless one understands the subject of the Qal verb to be indefinite (“one cannot redeem a man”). (A Niphal imperfect can be collocated with a Qal infinitive absolute. See GKC 344-45 §113.w.) No matter how one decides the textual issues, the imperfect in this case is modal, indicating potential, and the infinitive absolute emphasizes the statement.

[49:7]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “he cannot pay to God his ransom price.” Num 35:31 may supply the legal background for the metaphorical language used here. The psalmist pictures God as having a claim on the soul of the individual. When God comes to claim the life that ultimately belongs to him, he demands a ransom price that is beyond the capability of anyone to pay. The psalmist’s point is that God has ultimate authority over life and death; all the money in the world cannot buy anyone a single day of life beyond what God has decreed.

[49:16]  ⁴⁸ sn When a man becomes rich. Why would people fear such a development? The acquisition of wealth makes individuals powerful and enables them to oppress others (see vv. 5-6).

[49:16]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “when the glory of his house grows great.”

[49:17]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “his glory will not go down after him.”

[49:19]  ⁵¹ tn Verses 18-19a are one long sentence in the Hebrew text, which reads: “Though he blesses his soul in his life, [saying], ‘And let them praise you, for you do well for yourself,’ it [that is, his soul] will go to the generation of his fathers.” This has been divided into two sentences in the translation for clarity, in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences.

[49:19]  ⁵² tn Heb “light.” The words “of day” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[73:3]  ⁵³ tn The imperfect verbal form here depicts the action as continuing in a past time frame.

[73:3]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “peace” (שָׁלוֹם, shalom).

[73:4]  ⁵⁵ tn In Isa 58:6, the only other occurrence of this word in the OT, the term refers to “bonds” or “ropes.” In Ps 73:4 it is used metaphorically of pain and suffering that restricts one’s enjoyment of life.

[73:4]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “bellies.”

[73:4]  ⁵⁷ tc Or “fat.” The MT of v. 4 reads as follows: “for there are no pains at their death, and fat [is] their body.” Since a reference to the death of the wicked seems incongruous in the immediate context (note v. 5) and premature in the argument of the psalm (see vv. 18-20, 27), some prefer to emend the text by redividing it. The term לְמוֹתָם (lÿmotam,“at their death”) is changed to לָמוֹ תָּם (lamo tam, “[there are no pains] to them, strong [and fat are their bodies]”). The term תָּם (tam, “complete; sound”) is used of physical beauty in Song 5:2; 6:9. This emendation is the basis for the present translation. However, in defense of the MT (the traditional Hebrew text), one may point to an Aramaic inscription from Nerab which views a painful death as a curse and a nonpainful death in one’s old age as a sign of divine favor. See ANET 661.

[73:5]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “in the trouble of man they are not, and with mankind they are not afflicted.”

[73:6]  ⁵⁹ sn Arrogance is their necklace. The metaphor suggests that their arrogance is something the wicked “wear” proudly. It draws attention to them, just as a beautiful necklace does to its owner.

[73:6]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “a garment of violence covers them.” The metaphor suggests that violence is habitual for the wicked. They “wear” it like clothing; when one looks at them, violence is what one sees.

[73:7]  ⁶¹ tc The MT reads “it goes out from fatness their eye,” which might be paraphrased, “their eye protrudes [or “bulges”] because of fatness.” This in turn might refer to their greed; their eyes “bug out” when they see rich food or produce (the noun חֵלֶב [khelev, “fatness”] sometimes refers to such food or produce). However, when used with the verb יָצָא (yatsa’, “go out”) the preposition מִן (“from”) more naturally indicates source. For this reason it is preferable to emend עֵינֵמוֹ (’enemo, “their eye”) to עֲוֹנָמוֹ, (’avonamo, “their sin”) and read, “and their sin proceeds forth from fatness,” that is, their prosperity gives rise to their sinful attitudes. If one follows this textual reading, another interpretive option is to take חֵלֶב (“fatness”) in the sense of “unreceptive, insensitive” (see its use in Ps 17:10). In this case, the sin of the wicked proceeds forth from their spiritual insensitivity.

[73:7]  ⁶² tn Heb “the thoughts of [their] heart [i.e., mind] cross over” (i.e., violate God’s moral boundary, see Ps 17:3).

[73:8]  ⁶³ tn The verb מוּק (muq, “mock”) occurs only here in the OT.

[73:8]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “and speak with evil.”

[73:8]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “oppression from an elevated place they speak.” The traditional accentuation of the MT places “oppression” with the preceding line. In this case, one might translate, “they mock and speak with evil [of] oppression, from an elevated place [i.e., “proudly”] they speak.” By placing “oppression” with what follows, one achieves better poetic balance in the parallelism.

[73:9]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “they set in heaven their mouth, and their tongue walks through the earth.” The meaning of the text is uncertain. Perhaps the idea is that they lay claim to heaven (i.e., speak as if they were ruling in heaven) and move through the earth declaring their superiority and exerting their influence. Some take the preposition -בְּ (bet) the first line as adversative and translate, “they set their mouth against heaven,” that is, they defy God.

[73:10]  ⁶⁷ tc Heb “therefore his people return [so Qere (marginal reading); Kethib (consonantal text) has “he brings back”] to here, and waters of abundance are sucked up by them.” The traditional Hebrew text (MT) defies explanation. The present translation reflects M. Dahood’s proposed emendations (Psalms [AB], 2:190) and reads the Hebrew text as follows: לָכֵן יִשְׂבְעוּם לֶחֶם וּמֵי מָלֵא יָמֹצּוּ לָמוֹ (“therefore they are filled with food, and waters of abundance they suck up for themselves”). The reading יִשְׂבְעוּם לֶחֶם (yisvÿ’um lekhem, “they are filled with food”) assumes (1) an emendation of יָשׁיּב עַמּוֹ (yashyyv, “he will bring back his people”) to יִשְׂבְעוּם (yisvÿ’um, “they will be filled”; a Qal imperfect third masculine plural form from שָׂבַע [sava’] with enclitic mem [ם]), and (2) an emendation of הֲלֹם (halom, “to here”) to לֶחֶם (“food”). The expression “be filled/fill with food” appears elsewhere at least ten times (see Ps 132:15, for example). In the second line the Niphal form יִמָּצוּ (yimmatsu, derived from מָצָה, matsah, “drain”) is emended to a Qal form יָמֹצּוּ (yamotsu), derived from מָצַץ (matsats, “to suck”). In Isa 66:11 the verbs שָׂבַע (sava’; proposed in Ps 73:10a) and מָצַץ (proposed in Ps 73:10b) are parallel. The point of the emended text is this: Because they are seemingly sovereign (v. 9), they become greedy and grab up everything they need and more.

[73:11]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “How does God know? Is there knowledge with the Most High?” They appear to be practical atheists, who acknowledge God’s existence and sovereignty in theory, but deny his involvement in the world (see Pss 10:4, 11; 14:1).

[73:12]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “Look, these [are] the wicked.”

[73:12]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “the ones who are always at ease [who] increase wealth.”

[1:32]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “turning away” (so KJV). The term מְשׁוּבַת (mÿshuvat, “turning away”) refers to moral defection and apostasy (BDB 1000 s.v.; cf. ASV “backsliding”). The noun מְשׁוּבַת (“turning away”) which appears at the end of Wisdom’s speech in 1:32 is from the same root as the verb תָּשׁוּבוּ (tashuvu, “turn!”) which appears at the beginning of this speech in 1:23. This repetition of the root שׁוּב (shuv, “to turn”) creates a wordplay: Because fools refuse to “turn to” wisdom (1:23), they will be destroyed by their “turning away” from wisdom (1:32). The wordplay highlights the poetic justice of their judgment. But here they have never embraced the teaching in the first place; so it means turning from the advice as opposed to turning to it.

[1:32]  ⁷² sn The Hebrew verb “to kill” (הָרַג, harag) is the end of the naive who refuse to change. The word is broad enough to include murder, massacre, killing in battle, and execution. Here it is judicial execution by God, using their own foolish choices as the means to ruin.

[1:32]  ⁷³ tn Heb “complacency” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “smugness.” The noun שַׁלְוַה (shalvah) means (1) positively: “quietness; peace; ease” and (2) negatively: “self-sufficiency; complacency; careless security” (BDB 1017 s.v.), which is the sense here. It is “repose gained by ignoring or neglecting the serious responsibilities of life” (C. H. Toy, Proverbs [ICC], 29).

[5:4]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “Surely they are poor.” The translation is intended to make clear the explicit contrasts and qualifications drawn in this verse and the next.

[5:4]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “the way of the Lord.”

[5:4]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “the judgment [or ordinance] of their God.”

[5:5]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “people in power”; Heb “the great ones.”

[5:5]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “the way of the Lord.”

[5:5]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “the judgment [or ordinance] of their God.”

[5:5]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “have broken the yoke and torn off the yoke ropes.” Compare Jer 2:20 and the note there.

[5:6]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “So a lion from the thicket will kill them. A wolf from the desert will destroy them. A leopard will watch outside their cities. Anyone who goes out from them will be torn in pieces.” However, it is unlikely that, in the context of judgment that Jeremiah has previously been describing, literal lions are meant. The animals are metaphorical for their enemies. Compare Jer 4:7.

[5:6]  ⁸² tn Heb “their rebellions are so many and their unfaithful acts so numerous.”

[4:1]  ⁸³ sn The expression cows of Bashan is used by the prophet to address the wealthy women of Samaria, who demand that their husbands satisfy their cravings. The derogatory language perhaps suggests that they, like the livestock of Bashan, were well fed, ironically in preparation for the coming slaughter. This phrase is sometimes cited to critique the book’s view of women.

[4:1]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “the ones who” (three times in this verse).

[4:1]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “their.”

[4:1]  ⁸⁶ sn Some commentators relate this scene to the description of the marzeah feast of 6:3-6, in which drinking played a prominent part (see the note at 6:6).

[4:2]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “swears by his holiness.”

[4:2]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “Look, certainly days are coming upon you”; NRSV “the time is surely coming upon you.”

[4:2]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “one will carry you away”; NASB “they will take you away.”

[4:2]  ⁹⁰ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word translated “baskets” is uncertain. The translation follows the suggestion of S. M. Paul (Amos [Hermeneia], 128), who discusses the various options (130-32): “shields” (cf. NEB); “ropes”; “thorns,” which leads to the most favored interpretation, “hooks” (cf. NASB “meat hooks”; NIV, NRSV “hooks”); “baskets,” and (derived from “baskets”) “boats.” Against the latter, it is unlikely that Amos envisioned a deportation by boat for the inhabitants of Samaria! See also the note on the expression “fishermen’s pots” later in this verse.

[4:2]  ⁹¹ tn Or “your children”; KJV “your posterity.”

[4:2]  ⁹² tn The meaning of the Hebrew expression translated “in fishermen’s pots” is uncertain. The translation follows that of S. M. Paul (Amos [Hermeneia], 128), who discusses the various options (132-33): “thorns,” understood by most modern interpreters to mean (by extension) “fishhooks” (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV); “boats,” but as mentioned in the previous note on the word “baskets,” a deportation of the Samaritans by boat is geographically unlikely; and “pots,” referring to a container used for packing fish (cf. NEB “fish-baskets”). Paul (p. 134) argues that the imagery comes from the ancient fishing industry. When hauled away into exile, the women of Samaria will be like fish packed and transported to market.

[4:3]  ⁹³ tn Heb “and [through the] breaches you will go out, each straight ahead.”

[4:3]  ⁹⁴ tn The Hiphil verb form has no object. It may be intransitive (F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman, Amos [AB], 425), though many emend it to a Hophal.

[4:3]  ⁹⁵ tn The meaning of this word is unclear. Many understand it as a place name, though such a location is not known. Some (e.g., H. W. Wolff, Joel and Amos [Hermeneia[, 204) emend to “Hermon” or to similarly written words, such as “the dung heap” (NEB, NJPS), “the garbage dump” (NCV), or “the fortress” (cf. NLT “your fortresses”).

[6:1]  ⁹⁶ tn On the Hebrew term הוֹי (hoy; “ah, woe”) as a term of mourning, see the notes in 5:16, 18.

[6:1]  ⁹⁷ sn Zion is a reference to Jerusalem.

[6:1]  ⁹⁸ tn The words “They think of themselves as” are supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the term נְקֻבֵי (nÿquvey; “distinguished ones, elite”) is in apposition to the substantival participles in the first line.

[6:1]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “house.”

[6:1]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “comes to them.”

[6:2]  ¹⁰¹ tn The words “They say to the people” are interpretive and supplied in the translation for clarification. The translation understands v. 2 as the boastful words, which the leaders (described in v. 1) spoke to those who came to them (v. 1b). Some interpret v. 2 differently, understanding the words as directed to the leaders by the prophet. Verse 2b would then be translated: “Are you (i.e., Israel and Judah) better than these kingdoms (i.e., Calneh, etc.)? Is your border larger than their border?” (This reading requires an emendation of the Hebrew text toward the end of the verse.) In this case the verse is a reminder to Judah/Israel that they are not superior to other nations, which have already fallen victim to military conquest. Consequently Judah/Israel should not expect to escape the same fate. Following this line of interpretation, some take v. 2 as a later addition since the Assyrians under Tiglath-pileser III conquered Calneh, Hamath, and Gath after the time of Amos’ ministry. However, this conclusion is not necessary since the kingdoms mentioned here had suffered military setbacks prior to Amos’ time as well. See S. M. Paul, Amos (Hermeneia), 201-4.

[6:2]  ¹⁰² tn Or “Great Hamath” (cf. NIV); or “Hamath the great” (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); the word “rabbah” means “great” in Hebrew.

[6:2]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “to these,” referring to Judah and Israel (see v. 1a).

[6:2]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Both rhetorical questions in this verse expect the answer “no.” If these words do come from the leaders, then this verse underscores their self-delusion of power (compare 6:13). The prophet had no such mistaken sense of national grandeur (7:2, 5).

[6:3]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “those who push away a day of disaster.”

[6:3]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “you bring near a seat of violence.” The precise meaning of the Hebrew term שֶׁבֶת (shevet, “seat, sitting”) is unclear in this context. The translation assumes that it refers to a throne from which violence (in the person of the oppressive leaders) reigns. Another option is that the expression refers not to the leaders’ oppressive rule, but to the coming judgment when violence will overtake the nation in the person of enemy invaders.

[6:4]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “beds of ivory.”

[6:5]  ¹⁰⁸ tn The meaning of the Hebrew verb פָּרַט (parat), which occurs only here in the OT, is unclear. Some translate “strum,” “pluck,” or “improvise.”

[6:5]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “upon the mouth of,” that is, “according to.”

[6:5]  ¹¹⁰ sn The stringed instruments mentioned here are probably harps (cf. NIV, NRSV) or lutes (cf. NEB).

[6:5]  ¹¹¹ tn The meaning of the Hebrew phrase חָשְׁבוּ לָהֶם (khoshvu lahem) is uncertain. Various options include: (1) “they think their musical instruments are like David’s”; (2) “they consider themselves musicians like David”; (3) “they esteem musical instruments highly like David”; (4) “they improvise [new songs] for themselves [on] instruments like David”; (5) “they invent musical instruments like David.” However, the most commonly accepted interpretation is that given in the translation (see S. M. Paul, Amos [Hermeneia], 206-7).

[6:6]  ¹¹² sn Perhaps some religious rite is in view, or the size of the bowls is emphasized (i.e., bowls as large as sacrificial bowls).

[6:6]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “with the best of oils they anoint [themselves].”

[6:6]  ¹¹⁴ tn Or “not sickened by.”

[6:6]  ¹¹⁵ sn The ruin of Joseph may refer to the societal disintegration in Israel, or to the effects of the impending judgment.

[2:9]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “greater will be the latter splendor of this house than the former”; NAB “greater will be the future glory.”

[2:9]  ¹¹⁷ tn In the Hebrew text there is an implicit play on words in the clause “in this place [i.e., Jerusalem] I will give peace”: in יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (yÿrushalayim) there will be שָׁלוֹם (shalom).

[2:1]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “In the seventh [month], on the twenty-first day of the month.”

[2:1]  ¹¹⁹ tc Heb “the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying.” The MT has בְּיַד (bÿyad, “by the hand of” = “through” [so NAB, NIV, NLT] as in 1:1, 3); the Murabba’at Dead Sea text reads אֶל (’el, “to”), perhaps because the following command is given to the prophet.

[1:1]  ¹²⁰ sn The first day of the sixth month was Elul 1 according to the Jewish calendar; August 29, 520 b.c. according to the modern (Julian) calendar.

[1:1]  ¹²¹ sn King Darius is the Persian king Darius Hystaspes who ruled from 522-486 b.c.

[1:1]  ¹²² tn Heb “the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet” (בְּיַד־חַגַּי, bÿyad-khaggay). This suggests that the prophet is only an instrument of the Lord; the Lord is to be viewed as the true author (see 1:3; 2:1; Mal 1:1).

[1:1]  ¹²³ tn The typical translation “Joshua (the) son of Jehozadak, the high priest” (cf. ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV) can be understood to mean that Jehozadak was high priest. However, Zech 3:1, 8 clearly indicates that Joshua was high priest (see also Ezra 5:1-2; cf. NAB). The same potential misunderstanding occurs in Hag 1:12, 14 and 2:2, where the same solution has been employed in the translation.

[2:6]  ¹²⁴ tn This is singular: “the poor person,” perhaps referring to the hypothetical one described in vv. 2-3.

[5:1]  ¹²⁵ tn Or “wail”; Grk “crying aloud.”

[5:3]  ¹²⁶ tn Or “hoarded up treasure for the last days”; Grk “in the last days.”

[5:5]  ¹²⁷ sn James’ point seems to be that instead of seeking deliverance from condemnation, they have defied God’s law (fattened your hearts) and made themselves more likely objects of his judgment (in a day of slaughter).

[5:6]  ¹²⁸ tn Literally a series of verbs without connectives, “you have condemned, you have murdered…he does not resist.”

[18:6]  ¹²⁹ tn The word “others” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[18:6]  ¹³⁰ tn On this term BDAG 252 s.v. διπλόω states, “to double τὰ διπλᾶ pay back double Rv 18:6.”

[18:7]  ¹³¹ tn “As much as” is the translation of ὅσα (Josa).

[18:7]  ¹³² tn On the term ἐστρηνίασεν (estrhniasen) BDAG 949 s.v. στρηνιάω states, “live in luxury, live sensually Rv 18:7. W. πορνεύειν vs. 9.”

[18:7]  ¹³³ tn Grk “said in her heart,” an idiom for saying something to oneself.

[18:8]  ¹³⁴ tn Grk “For this reason, her plagues will come.”

[18:8]  ¹³⁵ tn Grk “death.” θάνατος (qanatos) can in particular contexts refer to a manner of death, specifically a contagious disease (see BDAG 443 s.v. 3; L&N 23.158).

[18:8]  ¹³⁶ tn This is the same Greek word (πένθος, penqo") translated “grief” in vv. 7-8.

[18:8]  ¹³⁷ tn Here “burned down” was used to translate κατακαυθήσεται (katakauqhsetai) because a city is in view.