Luke 1:74

1:74 that we, being rescued from the hand of our ¹  enemies,

may serve him without fear, ² 

Deuteronomy 33:29

33:29 You have joy, Israel! Who is like you?

You are a people delivered by the Lord,

your protective shield

and your exalted sword.

May your enemies cringe before you;

may you trample on their backs.

Psalms 106:10

106:10 He delivered them from the power ³  of the one who hated them,

and rescued ⁴  them from the power ⁵  of the enemy.

Psalms 106:47

106:47 Deliver us, O Lord, our God!

Gather us from among the nations!

Then we will give thanks ⁶  to your holy name,

and boast about your praiseworthy deeds. ⁷ 

Isaiah 14:1-3

14:1 The Lord will certainly have compassion on Jacob; ⁸  he will again choose Israel as his special people ⁹  and restore ¹⁰  them to their land. Resident foreigners will join them and unite with the family ¹¹  of Jacob. 14:2 Nations will take them and bring them back to their own place. Then the family of Jacob will make foreigners their servants as they settle in the Lord’s land. ¹²  They will make their captors captives and rule over the ones who oppressed them. 14:3 When the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and anxiety, ¹³  and from the hard labor which you were made to perform,

Isaiah 44:24-26

The Lord Empowers Cyrus

44:24 This is what the Lord, your protector, ¹⁴  says,

the one who formed you in the womb:

“I am the Lord, who made everything,

who alone stretched out the sky,

who fashioned the earth all by myself, ¹⁵ 

44:25 who frustrates the omens of the empty talkers ¹⁶ 

and humiliates ¹⁷  the omen readers,

who overturns the counsel of the wise men ¹⁸ 

and makes their advice ¹⁹  seem foolish,

44:26 who fulfills the oracles of his prophetic servants ²⁰ 

and brings to pass the announcements ²¹  of his messengers,

who says about Jerusalem, ²²  ‘She will be inhabited,’

and about the towns of Judah, ‘They will be rebuilt,

her ruins I will raise up,’

Isaiah 54:7-17

54:7 “For a short time I abandoned ²³  you,

but with great compassion I will gather you.

54:8 In a burst ²⁴  of anger I rejected you ²⁵  momentarily,

but with lasting devotion I will have compassion on you,”

says your protector, ²⁶  the Lord.

54:9 “As far as I am concerned, this is like in Noah’s time, ²⁷ 

when I vowed that the waters of Noah’s flood ²⁸  would never again cover the earth.

In the same way I have vowed that I will not be angry at you or shout at you.

54:10 Even if the mountains are removed

and the hills displaced,

my devotion will not be removed from you,

nor will my covenant of friendship ²⁹  be displaced,”

says the Lord, the one who has compassion on you.

54:11 “O afflicted one, driven away, ³⁰  and unconsoled!

Look, I am about to set your stones in antimony

and I lay your foundation with lapis-lazuli.

54:12 I will make your pinnacles out of gems, ³¹ 

your gates out of beryl, ³² 

and your outer wall ³³  out of beautiful ³⁴  stones.

54:13 All your children will be followers of the Lord,

and your children will enjoy great prosperity. ³⁵ 

54:14 You will be reestablished when I vindicate you. ³⁶ 

You will not experience oppression; ³⁷ 

indeed, you will not be afraid.

You will not be terrified, ³⁸ 

for nothing frightening ³⁹  will come near you.

54:15 If anyone dares to ⁴⁰  challenge you, it will not be my doing!

Whoever tries to challenge you will be defeated. ⁴¹ 

54:16 Look, I create the craftsman,

who fans the coals into a fire

and forges a weapon. ⁴² 

I create the destroyer so he might devastate.

54:17 No weapon forged to be used against you will succeed;

you will refute everyone who tries to accuse you. ⁴³ 

This is what the Lord will do for his servants –

I will vindicate them,” ⁴⁴ 

says the Lord.

Jeremiah 23:6

23:6 Under his rule ⁴⁵  Judah will enjoy safety ⁴⁶ 

and Israel will live in security. ⁴⁷ 

This is the name he will go by:

‘The Lord has provided us with justice.’ ⁴⁸ 

Jeremiah 30:9-11

30:9 But they will be subject ⁴⁹  to the Lord their God

and to the Davidic ruler whom I will raise up as king over them. ⁵⁰ 

30:10 So I, the Lord, tell you not to be afraid,

you descendants of Jacob, my servants. ⁵¹ 

Do not be terrified, people of Israel.

For I will rescue you and your descendants

from a faraway land where you are captives. ⁵² 

The descendants of Jacob will return to their land and enjoy peace.

They will be secure and no one will terrify them. ⁵³ 

30:11 For I, the Lord, affirm ⁵⁴  that

I will be with you and will rescue you.

I will completely destroy all the nations where I scattered you.

But I will not completely destroy you.

I will indeed discipline you, but only in due measure.

I will not allow you to go entirely unpunished.” ⁵⁵ 

Jeremiah 32:37

32:37 ‘I will certainly regather my people from all the countries where I will have exiled ⁵⁶  them in my anger, fury, and great wrath. I will bring them back to this place and allow them to live here in safety.

Ezekiel 28:26

28:26 They will live securely in it; they will build houses and plant vineyards. They will live securely ⁵⁷  when I execute my judgments on all those who scorn them and surround them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.’”

Ezekiel 34:25

34:25 “‘I will make a covenant of peace with them and will rid the land of wild beasts, so that they can live securely ⁵⁸  in the wilderness and even sleep in the woods. ⁵⁹ 

Ezekiel 34:28

34:28 They will no longer be prey for the nations and the wild beasts will not devour them. They will live securely and no one will make them afraid.

Ezekiel 38:8

38:8 After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come to a land restored from the ravages of war, ⁶⁰  with many peoples gathered on the mountains of Israel that had long been in ruins. Its people ⁶¹  were brought out from the peoples, and all of them will be living securely.

Zephaniah 3:15-20

3:15 The Lord has removed the judgment against you; ⁶² 

he has turned back your enemy.

Israel’s king, the Lord, is in your midst!

You no longer need to fear disaster.

3:16 On that day they will say ⁶³  to Jerusalem,

“Don’t be afraid, Zion!

Your hands must not be paralyzed from panic! ⁶⁴ 

3:17 The Lord your God is in your midst;

he is a warrior who can deliver.

He takes great delight in you; ⁶⁵ 

he renews you by his love; ⁶⁶ 

he shouts for joy over you.” ⁶⁷ 

3:18 “As for those who grieve because they cannot attend the festivals –

I took them away from you;

they became tribute and were a source of shame to you. ⁶⁸ 

3:19 Look, at that time I will deal with those who mistreated you.

I will rescue the lame sheep ⁶⁹ 

and gather together the scattered sheep.

I will take away their humiliation

and make the whole earth admire and respect them. ⁷⁰ 

3:20 At that time I will lead you –

at the time I gather you together. ⁷¹ 

Be sure of this! ⁷²  I will make all the nations of the earth respect and admire you ⁷³ 

when you see me restore you,” ⁷⁴  says the Lord.

Zechariah 9:9-10

9:9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion!

Shout, daughter of Jerusalem!

Look! Your king is coming to you:

he is legitimate ⁷⁵  and victorious, ⁷⁶ 

humble and riding on a donkey ⁷⁷  –

on a young donkey, the foal of a female donkey.

9:10 I will remove ⁷⁸  the chariot from Ephraim

and the warhorse from Jerusalem,

and the battle bow will be removed.

Then he will announce peace to the nations.

His dominion will be from sea to sea

and from the Euphrates River ⁷⁹  to the ends of the earth.

Zechariah 9:1

The Coming of the True King

9:1 An oracle of the word of the Lord concerning the land of Hadrach, ⁸⁰  with its focus on Damascus: ⁸¹ 

The eyes of all humanity, ⁸²  especially of the tribes of Israel, are toward the Lord,

Zechariah 3:8

3:8 Listen now, Joshua the high priest, both you and your colleagues who are sitting before you, all of you ⁸³  are a symbol that I am about to introduce my servant, the Branch. ⁸⁴ 

[1:74]  ¹ tc Many important early mss (א B L W [0130] Ë^1,13 565 892 pc) lack “our,” while most (A C D [K] Θ Ψ 0177 33 Ï pc) supply it. Although the addition is most likely not authentic, “our” has been included in the translation due to English stylistic requirements.

[1:74]  ² tn This phrase in Greek is actually thrown forward to the front of the verse to give it emphasis.

[106:10]  ³ tn Heb “hand.”

[106:10]  ⁴ tn Or “redeemed.”

[106:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “hand.”

[106:47]  ⁶ tn Heb “to give thanks.” The infinitive construct indicates result after the imperative.

[106:47]  ⁷ tn Heb “to boast in your praise.”

[14:1]  ⁸ tn The sentence begins with כִּי (ki), which is understood as asseverative (“certainly”) in the translation. Another option is to translate, “For the Lord will have compassion.” In this case one of the reasons for Babylon’s coming demise (13:22b) is the Lord’s desire to restore his people.

[14:1]  ⁹ tn The words “as his special people” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:1]  ¹⁰ tn Or “settle” (NASB, NIV, NCV, NLT).

[14:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “house.”

[14:2]  ¹² tn Heb “and the house of Jacob will take possession of them [i.e., the nations], on the land of the Lord, as male servants and female servants.”

[14:3]  ¹³ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[44:24]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “your redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[44:24]  ¹⁵ tn The consonantal text (Kethib) has “Who [was] with me?” The marginal reading (Qere) is “from with me,” i.e., “by myself.” See BDB 87 s.v. II אֵת 4.c.

[44:25]  ¹⁶ tc The Hebrew text has בַּדִּים (baddim), perhaps meaning “empty talkers” (BDB 95 s.v. III בַּד). In the four other occurrences of this word (Job 11:3; Isa 16:6; Jer 48:30; 50:36) the context does not make the meaning of the term very clear. Its primary point appears to be that the words spoken are meaningless or false. In light of its parallelism with “omen readers,” some have proposed an emendation to בָּרִים (barim, “seers”). The Mesopotamian baru-priests were divination specialists who played an important role in court life. See R. Wilson, Prophecy and Society in Ancient Israel, 93-98. Rather than supporting an emendation, J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 2:189, n. 79) suggests that Isaiah used בַּדִּים purposively as a derisive wordplay on the Akkadian word baru (in light of the close similarity of the d and r consonants).

[44:25]  ¹⁷ tn Or “makes fools of” (NIV, NRSV); NAB and NASB both similar.

[44:25]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “who turns back the wise” (so NRSV); NIV “overthrows the learning of the wise”; TEV “The words of the wise I refute.”

[44:25]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “their knowledge” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[44:26]  ²⁰ tn Heb “the word of his servant.” The following context indicates that the Lord’s prophets are in view.

[44:26]  ²¹ tn Heb “counsel.” The Hebrew term עֵצָה (’etsah) probably refers here to the divine plan as announced by the prophets. See HALOT 867 s.v. I עֵצָה.

[44:26]  ²² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[54:7]  ²³ tn Or “forsook” (NASB).

[54:8]  ²⁴ tn According to BDB 1009 s.v. שֶׁטֶף the noun שֶׁצֶף here is an alternate form of שֶׁטֶף (shetef, “flood”). Some relate the word to an alleged Akkadian cognate meaning “strength.”

[54:8]  ²⁵ tn Heb “I hid my face from you.”

[54:8]  ²⁶ tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[54:9]  ²⁷ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “For [or “indeed”] the waters of Noah [is] this to me.” כִּי־מֵי (ki-me, “for the waters of”) should be emended to כְּמֵי (kÿmey, “like the days of”), which is supported by the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a and all the ancient versions except LXX.

[54:9]  ²⁸ tn Heb “the waters of Noah” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[54:10]  ²⁹ tn Heb “peace” (so many English versions); NLT “of blessing.”

[54:11]  ³⁰ tn Or, more literally, “windblown, storm tossed.”

[54:12]  ³¹ tn Perhaps, “rubies” (so ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[54:12]  ³² tn On the meaning of אֶקְדָּח (’eqdakh), which occurs only here, see HALOT 82 s.v.

[54:12]  ³³ tn Heb “border” (so ASV); NASB “your entire wall.”

[54:12]  ³⁴ tn Heb “delightful”; KJV “pleasant.”

[54:13]  ³⁵ tn Heb “and great [will be] the peace of your sons.”

[54:14]  ³⁶ tn Heb “in righteousness [or “vindication”] you will be established.” The precise meaning of צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah) here is uncertain. It could mean “righteousness, justice,” indicating that the city will be a center for justice. But the context focuses on deliverance, suggesting that the term means “deliverance, vindication” here.

[54:14]  ³⁷ tn Heb “Be far from oppression!” The imperative is used here in a rhetorical manner to express certainty and assurance. See GKC 324 §110.c.

[54:14]  ³⁸ tn Heb “from terror.” The rhetorical command, “be far” is understood by ellipsis here. Note the preceding context.

[54:14]  ³⁹ tn Heb “it,” i.e., the “terror” just mentioned.

[54:15]  ⁴⁰ tn The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb here for emphasis.

[54:15]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “will fall over you.” The expression נָפַל עַל (nafal ’al) can mean “attack,” but here it means “fall over to,” i.e., “surrender to.”

[54:16]  ⁴² tn Heb “who brings out an implement for his work.”

[54:17]  ⁴³ tn Heb “and every tongue that rises up for judgment with you will prove to be guilty.”

[54:17]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “this is the inheritance of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication from me.”

[23:6]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “In his days [= during the time he rules].”

[23:6]  ⁴⁶ tn Parallelism and context (cf. v. 4) suggest this nuance for the word often translated “be saved.” For this nuance elsewhere see Ps 119:117; Prov 28:18 for the verb (יָשַׁע [yasha’] in the Niphal); and Ps 12:6; Job 5:4, 11 for the related noun (יֶשַׁע, yesha’).

[23:6]  ⁴⁷ sn It should be noted that this brief oracle of deliverance implies the reunification of Israel and Judah under the future Davidic ruler. Jeremiah has already spoken about this reunification earlier in 3:18 and will have more to say about it in 30:3; 31:27, 31. This same ideal was espoused in the prophecies of Hosea (1:10-11 [2:1-2 HT]), Isaiah (11:1-4, 10-12), and Ezekiel (37:15-28) all of which have messianic and eschatological significance.

[23:6]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “his name will be called ‘The Lord our righteousness’.”

[30:9]  ⁴⁹ tn The word “subject” in this verse and “subjugate” are from the same root word in Hebrew. A deliberate contrast is drawn between the two powers that they will serve.

[30:9]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “and to David their king whom I will raise up for them.”

[30:10]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “So do not be afraid, my servant Jacob, oracle of the Lord.” Here and elsewhere in the verse the terms Jacob and Israel are poetic for the people of Israel descended from the patriarch Jacob. The terms have been supplied throughout with plural referents for greater clarity.

[30:10]  ⁵² tn Heb “For I will rescue you from far away, your descendants from the land of their captivity.”

[30:10]  ⁵³ sn Compare the ideals of the Mosaic covenant in Lev 26:6, the Davidic covenant in 2 Sam 7:10-11, and the new covenant in Ezek 34:25-31.

[30:11]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[30:11]  ⁵⁵ tn The translation “entirely unpunished” is intended to reflect the emphatic construction of the infinitive absolute before the finite verb.

[32:37]  ⁵⁶ tn The verb here should be interpreted as a future perfect; though some of the people have already been exiled (in 605 and 597 b.c.), some have not yet been exiled at the time this prophesy is given (see study note on v. 1 for the date). However, contemporary English style does not regularly use the future perfect, choosing instead to use the simple future or the simple perfect as the present translation has done here.

[28:26]  ⁵⁷ sn This promise was given in Lev 25:18-19.

[34:25]  ⁵⁸ tn The phrase “live securely” occurs in Ezek 28:26; 38:8, 11, 14; 39:26 as an expression of freedom from fear. It is a promised blessing resulting from obedience (see Lev 26:5-6).

[34:25]  ⁵⁹ sn The woods were typically considered to be places of danger (Ps 104:20-21; Jer 5:6).

[38:8]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “from the sword.”

[38:8]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “it.”

[3:15]  ⁶² tn Heb “your judgments,” that is, “the judgments directed against you.” The translation reflects the implications of the parallelism.

[3:16]  ⁶³ tn Heb “it will be said.” The passive construction has been translated as active for stylistic reasons.

[3:16]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “your hands must not go limp.”

[3:17]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “he rejoices over you with joy.”

[3:17]  ⁶⁶ tc The MT reads, “he is silent in his love,” but this makes no sense in light of the immediately preceding and following lines. Some take the Hiphil verb form as causative (see Job 11:3) rather than intransitive and translate, “he causes [you] to be silent by his love,” that is, “he soothes [you] by his love.” The present translation follows the LXX and assumes an original reading יְחַדֵּשׁ (yÿkhaddesh, “he renews”) with ellipsis of the object (“you”).

[3:17]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “he rejoices over you with a shout of joy.”

[3:18]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “The ones grieving from an assembly I gathered from you they were, tribute upon her, a reproach.” Any translation of this difficult verse must be provisional at best. The present translation assumes three things: (1) The preposition מִן (min) prefixed to “assembly” is causal (the individuals are sorrowing because of the assemblies or festivals they are no longer able to hold). (2) מַשְׂאֵת (mas’et) means “tribute” and refers to the exiled people being treated as the spoils of warfare (see R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah [WEC], 385-86). (3) The third feminine singular suffix refers to personified Jerusalem, which is addressed earlier in the verse (the pronominal suffix in “from you” is second feminine singular). For other interpretive options see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 146.

[3:19]  ⁶⁹ tn The word “sheep” is supplied for clarification. As in Mic 4:6-7, the exiles are here pictured as injured and scattered sheep whom the divine shepherd rescues from danger.

[3:19]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “I will make them into praise and a name, in all the earth, their shame.” The present translation assumes that “their shame” specifies “them” and that “name” stands here for a good reputation.

[3:20]  ⁷¹ tn In this line the second person pronoun is masculine plural, indicating that the exiles are addressed.

[3:20]  ⁷² tn Or “for.”

[3:20]  ⁷³ tn Heb “I will make you into a name and praise among all the peoples of the earth.” Here the word “name” carries the nuance of “good reputation.”

[3:20]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “when I restore your fortunes to your eyes.” See the note on the phrase “restore them” in 2:7.

[9:9]  ⁷⁵ tn The Hebrew term צַדִּיק (tsadiq) ordinarily translated “righteous,” frequently occurs, as here, with the idea of conforming to a standard or meeting certain criteria. The Messianic king riding into Jerusalem is fully qualified to take the Davidic throne (cf. 1 Sam 23:3; Isa 9:5-6; 11:4; 16:5; Jer 22:1-5; 23:5-6).

[9:9]  ⁷⁶ tn The Hebrew term נוֹשָׁע (nosha’) a Niphal participle of יָשַׁע (yasha’, “to save”) could mean “one delivered” or, if viewed as active, “one bringing salvation” (similar KJV, NIV, NKJV). It is preferable to take the normal passive use of the Niphal and understand that the king, having been delivered, is as a result “victorious” (so also NRSV, TEV, NLT).

[9:9]  ⁷⁷ sn The NT understands this verse to be a prophecy of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and properly so (cf. Matt 21:5; John 12:15), but reference to the universal rule of the king in v. 10 reveals that this is a “split prophecy,” that is, it has a two-stage fulfillment. Verse 9 was fulfilled in Jesus’ earthly ministry but v. 10 awaits a millennial consummation (cf. Rev 19:11-16).

[9:10]  ⁷⁸ tc The MT first person pronoun (“I”), which seems to shift the subject too abruptly, becomes 3rd person masculine singular (“he”) in the LXX (הִכְרִית, hikhrit, presupposed for הִכְרַתִּי, hikhratti). However, the Lord is the subject of v. 8, which speaks of his protection of Jerusalem, so it is not surprising that he is the subject in v. 10 as well.

[9:10]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “the river.” The Hebrew expression typically refers to the Euphrates, so the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:1]  ⁸⁰ sn The land of Hadrach was a northern region stretching from Aleppo in the north to Damascus in the south (cf. NLT “Aram”).

[9:1]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “Damascus its resting place.” The 3rd person masculine singular suffix on “resting place” (מְנֻחָתוֹ, mÿnukhato), however, precludes “land” or even “Hadrach,” both of which are feminine, from being the antecedent. Most likely “word” (masculine) is the antecedent, i.e., the “word of the Lord” is finding its resting place, that is, its focus in or on Damascus.

[9:1]  ⁸² tc Though without manuscript and version support, many scholars suggest emendation here to clarify what, to them, is an unintelligible reading. Thus some propose עָדֵי אָרָם (’ade ’aram, “cities of Aram”; cf. NAB, NRSV) for עֵין אָדָם (’en ’adam, “eye of man”) or אֲדָמָה (’adamah, “ground”) for אָדָם (’adam, “man”), “(surface of) the earth.” It seems best, however, to see “eye” as collective and to understand the passage as saying that the attention of the whole earth will be upon the Lord (cf. NIV, NLT).

[3:8]  ⁸³ tn Heb “these men.” The cleansing of Joshua and his elevation to enhanced leadership as a priest signify the coming of the messianic age.

[3:8]  ⁸⁴ sn The collocation of servant and branch gives double significance to the messianic meaning of the passage (cf. Isa 41:8, 9; 42:1, 19; 43:10; 44:1, 2, 21; Ps 132:17; Jer 23:5; 33:15).