Luke 14:31-32

14:31 Or what king, going out to confront another king in battle, will not sit down ¹  first and determine whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose ²  the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 14:32 If he cannot succeed, ³  he will send a representative ⁴  while the other is still a long way off and ask for terms of peace. ⁵ 

Genesis 32:3-28

32:3 Jacob sent messengers on ahead ⁶  to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the region ⁷  of Edom. 32:4 He commanded them, “This is what you must say to my lord Esau: ‘This is what your servant ⁸  Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban until now. 32:5 I have oxen, donkeys, sheep, and male and female servants. I have sent ⁹  this message ¹⁰  to inform my lord, so that I may find favor in your sight.’”

32:6 The messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you and has four hundred men with him.” 32:7 Jacob was very afraid and upset. So he divided the people who were with him into two camps, as well as the flocks, herds, and camels. 32:8 “If Esau attacks one camp,” ¹¹  he thought, ¹²  “then the other camp will be able to escape.” ¹³ 

32:9 Then Jacob prayed, ¹⁴  “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, you said ¹⁵  to me, ‘Return to your land and to your relatives and I will make you prosper.’ ¹⁶  32:10 I am not worthy of all the faithful love ¹⁷  you have shown ¹⁸  your servant. With only my walking stick ¹⁹  I crossed the Jordan, ²⁰  but now I have become two camps. 32:11 Rescue me, ²¹  I pray, from the hand ²²  of my brother Esau, ²³  for I am afraid he will come ²⁴  and attack me, as well as the mothers with their children. ²⁵  32:12 But you ²⁶  said, ‘I will certainly make you prosper ²⁷  and will make ²⁸  your descendants like the sand on the seashore, too numerous to count.’” ²⁹ 

32:13 Jacob ³⁰  stayed there that night. Then he sent ³¹  as a gift ³²  to his brother Esau 32:14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 32:15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 32:16 He entrusted them to ³³  his servants, who divided them into herds. ³⁴  He told his servants, “Pass over before me, and keep some distance between one herd and the next.” 32:17 He instructed the servant leading the first herd, ³⁵  “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong? ³⁶  Where are you going? Whose herds are you driving?’ ³⁷  32:18 then you must say, ³⁸  ‘They belong ³⁹  to your servant Jacob. ⁴⁰  They have been sent as a gift to my lord Esau. ⁴¹  In fact Jacob himself is behind us.’” ⁴² 

32:19 He also gave these instructions to the second and third servants, as well as all those who were following the herds, saying, “You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. ⁴³  32:20 You must also say, ‘In fact your servant Jacob is behind us.’” ⁴⁴  Jacob thought, ⁴⁵  “I will first appease him ⁴⁶  by sending a gift ahead of me. ⁴⁷  After that I will meet him. ⁴⁸  Perhaps he will accept me.” ⁴⁹  32:21 So the gifts were sent on ahead of him ⁵⁰  while he spent that night in the camp. ⁵¹ 

32:22 During the night Jacob quickly took ⁵²  his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons ⁵³  and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. ⁵⁴  32:23 He took them and sent them across the stream along with all his possessions. ⁵⁵  32:24 So Jacob was left alone. Then a man ⁵⁶  wrestled ⁵⁷  with him until daybreak. ⁵⁸  32:25 When the man ⁵⁹  saw that he could not defeat Jacob, ⁶⁰  he struck ⁶¹  the socket of his hip so the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated while he wrestled with him.

32:26 Then the man ⁶²  said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” ⁶³  “I will not let you go,” Jacob replied, ⁶⁴  “unless you bless me.” ⁶⁵  32:27 The man asked him, ⁶⁶  “What is your name?” ⁶⁷  He answered, “Jacob.” 32:28 “No longer will your name be Jacob,” the man told him, ⁶⁸  “but Israel, ⁶⁹  because you have fought ⁷⁰  with God and with men and have prevailed.”

Genesis 32:1

Jacob Wrestles at Peniel

32:1 So Jacob went on his way and the angels of God ⁷¹  met him.

Genesis 25:18

25:18 His descendants ⁷²  settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next ⁷³  to Egypt all the way ⁷⁴  to Asshur. ⁷⁵  They settled ⁷⁶  away from all their relatives. ⁷⁷ 

Job 22:21

22:21 “Reconcile yourself ⁷⁸  with God, ⁷⁹ 

and be at peace ⁸⁰  with him;

in this way your prosperity will be good.

Job 23:7

23:7 There ⁸¹  an upright person

could present his case ⁸²  before him,

and I would be delivered forever from my judge.

Psalms 32:6

32:6 For this reason every one of your faithful followers ⁸³  should pray to you

while there is a window of opportunity. ⁸⁴ 

Certainly ⁸⁵  when the surging water ⁸⁶  rises,

it will not reach them. ⁸⁷ 

Proverbs 6:1-5

Admonitions and Warnings against Dangerous and Destructive Acts ⁸⁸ 

6:1 My child, ⁸⁹  if you have made a pledge ⁹⁰  for your neighbor,

and ⁹¹  have become a guarantor ⁹²  for a stranger, ⁹³ 

6:2 if ⁹⁴  you have been ensnared ⁹⁵  by the words you have uttered, ⁹⁶ 

and have been caught by the words you have spoken,

6:3 then, my child, do this in order to deliver yourself, ⁹⁷ 

because you have fallen into your neighbor’s power: ⁹⁸ 

go, humble yourself, ⁹⁹ 

and appeal firmly ¹⁰⁰  to your neighbor.

6:4 Permit no sleep to your eyes ¹⁰¹ 

or slumber to your eyelids.

6:5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from a snare, ¹⁰² 

and like a bird from the trap ¹⁰³  of the fowler.

Isaiah 55:6

55:6 Seek the Lord while he makes himself available; ¹⁰⁴ 

call to him while he is nearby!

Isaiah 55:2

55:2 Why pay money for something that will not nourish you? ¹⁰⁵ 

Why spend ¹⁰⁶  your hard-earned money ¹⁰⁷  on something that will not satisfy?

Listen carefully ¹⁰⁸  to me and eat what is nourishing! ¹⁰⁹ 

Enjoy fine food! ¹¹⁰ 

Colossians 1:2

1:2 to the saints, the faithful ¹¹¹  brothers and sisters ¹¹²  in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you ¹¹³  from God our Father! ¹¹⁴ 

Hebrews 3:7-13

Exposition of Psalm 95: Hearing God’s Word in Faith

3:7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, ¹¹⁵ 

“Oh, that today you would listen as he speaks! ¹¹⁶ 

3:8 “Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness.

3:9 “There your fathers tested me and tried me, ¹¹⁷  and they saw my works for forty years.

3:10 “Therefore, I became provoked at that generation and said, ‘Their hearts are always wandering ¹¹⁸  and they have not known my ways.’

3:11 “As I swore in my anger, ‘They will never enter my rest!’” ¹¹⁹ 

3:12 See to it, ¹²⁰  brothers and sisters, ¹²¹  that none of you has ¹²²  an evil, unbelieving heart that forsakes ¹²³  the living God. ¹²⁴  3:13 But exhort one another each day, as long as it is called “Today,” that none of you may become hardened by sin’s deception.

[14:31]  ¹ tn The participle καθίσας (kaqisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[14:31]  ² tn On the meaning of this verb see also L&N 55.3, “to meet in battle, to face in battle.”

[14:32]  ³ tn Grk “And if not.” Here δέ (de) has not been translated; “succeed” is implied and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[14:32]  ⁴ tn Grk “a messenger.”

[14:32]  ⁵ sn This image is slightly different from the former one about the tower (vv. 28-30). The first part of the illustration (sit down first and determine) deals with preparation. The second part of the illustration (ask for terms of peace) has to do with recognizing who is stronger. This could well suggest thinking about what refusing the “stronger one” (God) might mean, and thus constitutes a warning. Achieving peace with God, the more powerful king, is the point of the illustration.

[32:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “before him.”

[32:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “field.”

[32:4]  ⁸ sn Your servant. The narrative recounts Jacob’s groveling in fear before Esau as he calls his brother his “lord,” as if to minimize what had been done twenty years ago.

[32:5]  ⁹ tn Or “I am sending.” The form is a preterite with the vav consecutive; it could be rendered as an English present tense – as the Hebrew perfect/preterite allows – much like an epistolary aorist in Greek. The form assumes the temporal perspective of the one who reads the message.

[32:5]  ¹⁰ tn The words “this message” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:8]  ¹¹ tn Heb “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it.”

[32:8]  ¹² tn Heb “and he said, ‘If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it.” The Hebrew verb אָמַר (’amar) here represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “he thought.” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “the surviving camp will be for escape.” The word “escape” is a feminine noun. The term most often refers to refugees from war.

[32:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “said.”

[32:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the one who said.”

[32:9]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “I will cause good” or “I will treat well [or “favorably”].” The idea includes more than prosperity, though that is its essential meaning. Here the form is subordinated to the preceding imperative and indicates purpose or result. Jacob is reminding God of his promise in the hope that God will honor his word.

[32:10]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the loving deeds and faithfulness” (see 24:27, 49).

[32:10]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “you have done with.”

[32:10]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “for with my staff.” The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally translated “staff,” has been rendered as “walking stick” because a “staff” in contemporary English refers typically to the support personnel in an organization.

[32:10]  ²⁰ tn Heb “this Jordan.”

[32:11]  ²¹ tn The imperative has the force of a prayer here, not a command.

[32:11]  ²² tn The “hand” here is a metonymy for “power.”

[32:11]  ²³ tn Heb “from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau.”

[32:11]  ²⁴ tn Heb “for I am afraid of him, lest he come.”

[32:11]  ²⁵ sn Heb “me, [the] mother upon [the] sons.” The first person pronoun “me” probably means here “me and mine,” as the following clause suggests.

[32:12]  ²⁶ tn Heb “But you, you said.” One of the occurrences of the pronoun “you” has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.

[32:12]  ²⁷ tn Or “will certainly deal well with you.” The infinitive absolute appears before the imperfect, underscoring God’s promise to bless. The statement is more emphatic than in v. 9.

[32:12]  ²⁸ tn The form is the perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive, carrying the nuance of the preceding verb forward.

[32:12]  ²⁹ tn Heb “which cannot be counted because of abundance.” The imperfect verbal form indicates potential here.

[32:13]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:13]  ³¹ tn Heb “and he took from that which was going into his hand,” meaning that he took some of what belonged to him.

[32:13]  ³² sn The Hebrew noun translated gift can in some contexts refer to the tribute paid by a subject to his lord. Such a nuance is possible here, because Jacob refers to Esau as his lord and to himself as Esau’s servant (v. 4).

[32:16]  ³³ tn Heb “and he put them in the hand of.”

[32:16]  ³⁴ tn Heb “a herd, a herd, by itself,” or “each herd by itself.” The distributive sense is expressed by repetition.

[32:17]  ³⁵ tn Heb “the first”; this has been specified as “the servant leading the first herd” in the translation for clarity.

[32:17]  ³⁶ tn Heb “to whom are you?”

[32:17]  ³⁷ tn Heb “and to whom are these before you?”

[32:18]  ³⁸ tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; it has the nuance of an imperfect of instruction.

[32:18]  ³⁹ tn The words “they belong” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:18]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “to your servant, to Jacob.”

[32:18]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “to my lord, to Esau.”

[32:18]  ⁴² tn Heb “and look, also he [is] behind us.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:19]  ⁴³ tn Heb “And he commanded also the second, also the third, also all the ones going after the herds, saying: ‘According to this word you will speak when you find him.’”

[32:20]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “and look, your servant Jacob [is] behind us.”

[32:20]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “for he said.” The referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “thought.”

[32:20]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “I will appease his face.” The cohortative here expresses Jacob’s resolve. In the Book of Leviticus the Hebrew verb translated “appease” has the idea of removing anger due to sin or guilt, a nuance that fits this passage very well. Jacob wanted to buy Esau off with a gift of more than five hundred and fifty animals.

[32:20]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “with a gift going before me.”

[32:20]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “I will see his face.”

[32:20]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “Perhaps he will lift up my face.” In this context the idiom refers to acceptance.

[32:21]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “and the gift passed over upon his face.”

[32:21]  ⁵¹ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial/temporal.

[32:22]  ⁵² tn Heb “and he arose in that night and he took.” The first verb is adverbial, indicating that he carried out the crossing right away.

[32:22]  ⁵³ tn The Hebrew term used here is יֶלֶד (yeled) which typically describes male offspring. Some translations render the term “children” but this is a problem because by this time Jacob had twelve children in all, including one daughter, Dinah, born to Leah (Gen 30:21). Benjamin, his twelfth son and thirteenth child, was not born until later (Gen 35:16-19).

[32:22]  ⁵⁴ sn Hebrew narrative style often includes a summary statement of the whole passage followed by a more detailed report of the event. Here v. 22 is the summary statement, while v. 23 begins the detailed account.

[32:23]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “and he sent across what he had.”

[32:24]  ⁵⁶ sn Reflecting Jacob’s perspective at the beginning of the encounter, the narrator calls the opponent simply “a man.” Not until later in the struggle does Jacob realize his true identity.

[32:24]  ⁵⁷ sn The verb translated “wrestled” (וַיֵּאָבֵק, vayye’aveq) sounds in Hebrew like the names “Jacob” (יַעֲקֹב, ya’aqov) and “Jabbok” (יַבֹּק, yabboq). In this way the narrator links the setting, the main action, and the main participant together in the mind of the reader or hearer.

[32:24]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “until the rising of the dawn.”

[32:25]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:25]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:25]  ⁶¹ tn Or “injured”; traditionally “touched.” The Hebrew verb translated “struck” has the primary meanings “to touch; to reach; to strike.” It can, however, carry the connotation “to harm; to molest; to injure.” God’s “touch” cripples Jacob – it would be comparable to a devastating blow.

[32:26]  ⁶² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:26]  ⁶³ tn Heb “dawn has arisen.”

[32:26]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “and he said, ‘I will not let you go.’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:26]  ⁶⁵ sn Jacob wrestled with a man thinking him to be a mere man, and on that basis was equal to the task. But when it had gone on long enough, the night visitor touched Jacob and crippled him. Jacob’s request for a blessing can only mean that he now knew that his opponent was supernatural. Contrary to many allegorical interpretations of the passage that make fighting equivalent to prayer, this passage shows that Jacob stopped fighting, and then asked for a blessing.

[32:27]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “and he said to him.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:27]  ⁶⁷ sn What is your name? The question is rhetorical, since the Lord obviously knew Jacob’s identity. But since the Lord is going to change Jacob’s name, this question is designed to bring focus Jacob’s attention on all that his name had come to signify.

[32:28]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “and he said.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:28]  ⁶⁹ sn The name Israel is a common construction, using a verb with a theophoric element (אֵל, ’el) that usually indicates the subject of the verb. Here it means “God fights.” This name will replace the name Jacob; it will be both a promise and a call for faith. In essence, the Lord was saying that Jacob would have victory and receive the promises because God would fight for him.

[32:28]  ⁷⁰ sn You have fought. The explanation of the name Israel includes a sound play. In Hebrew the verb translated “you have fought” (שָׂרִיתָ, sarita) sounds like the name “Israel” (יִשְׂרָאֵל, yisra’el ), meaning “God fights” (although some interpret the meaning as “he fights [with] God”). The name would evoke the memory of the fight and what it meant. A. Dillmann says that ever after this the name would tell the Israelites that, when Jacob contended successfully with God, he won the battle with man (Genesis, 2:279). To be successful with God meant that he had to be crippled in his own self-sufficiency (A. P. Ross, “Jacob at the Jabboq, Israel at Peniel,” BSac 142 [1985]: 51-62).

[32:1]  ⁷¹ sn The phrase angels of God occurs only here and in Gen 28:12 in the OT. Jacob saw a vision of angels just before he left the promised land. Now he encounters angels as he prepares to return to it. The text does not give the details of the encounter, but Jacob’s response suggests it was amicable. This location was a spot where heaven made contact with earth, and where God made his presence known to the patriarch. See C. Houtman, “Jacob at Mahanaim: Some Remarks on Genesis XXXII 2-3,” VT 28 (1978): 37-44.

[25:18]  ⁷² tn Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:18]  ⁷³ tn Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.

[25:18]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “as you go.”

[25:18]  ⁷⁵ sn The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.

[25:18]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “he fell.”

[25:18]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “upon the face of all his brothers.” This last expression, obviously alluding to the earlier oracle about Ishmael (Gen 16:12), could mean that the descendants of Ishmael lived in hostility to others or that they lived in a territory that was opposite the lands of their relatives. While there is some ambiguity about the meaning, the line probably does give a hint of the Ishmaelite-Israelite conflicts to come.

[22:21]  ⁷⁸ tn The verb סָכַן (sakhan) meant “to be useful; to be profitable” in v. 2. Now, in the Hiphil it means “to be accustomed to” or “to have experience with.” Joined by the preposition “with” it means “to be reconciled with him.” W. B. Bishai cites Arabic and Ugaritic words to support a meaning “acquiesce” (“Notes on hskn in Job 22:21,” JNES 20 [1961]: 258-59).

[22:21]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:21]  ⁸⁰ tn The two imperatives in this verse imply a relationship of succession and not consequence.

[23:7]  ⁸¹ tn The adverb “there” has the sense of “then” – there in the future.

[23:7]  ⁸² tn The form of the verb is the Niphal נוֹכָח (nokkakh, “argue, present a case”). E. Dhorme (Job, 346) is troubled by this verbal form and so changes it and other things in the line to say, “he would observe the upright man who argues with him.” The Niphal is used for “engaging discussion,” “arguing a case,” and “settling a dispute.”

[32:6]  ⁸³ tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).

[32:6]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “at a time of finding.” This may mean, “while there is time to ‘find’ [the Lord]” and seek his forgiveness (cf. NIV). Some emend the text by combining מְצֹא (mÿtso’, “finding”) with the following term רַק (raq, “only, surely”) and read either ר[וֹ]מָצ (matsor, “distress”; see Ps 31:22) or ק[וֹ]מָצ (matsoq, “hardship”; see Ps 119:143). In this case, one may translate “in a time of distress/hardship” (cf. NEB, NRSV).

[32:6]  ⁸⁵ tn The Hebrew term רַק (raq) occasionally has an asseverative force.

[32:6]  ⁸⁶ sn The surging water is here a metaphor for trouble that endangers one’s life.

[32:6]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “him.” The translation uses the plural “them” to agree with the plural “every one of your faithful followers” in the first line of v. 6.

[6:1]  ⁸⁸ sn The chapter advises release from foolish indebtedness (1-5), admonishes avoiding laziness (6-11), warns of the danger of poverty (9-11) and deviousness (12-15), lists conduct that the Lord hates (16-19), and warns about immorality (20-35).

[6:1]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “my son” (likewise in vv. 3, 20).

[6:1]  ⁹⁰ sn It was fairly common for people to put up some kind of financial security for someone else, that is, to underwrite another’s debts. But the pledge in view here was foolish because the debtor was a neighbor who was not well known (זָר, zar), perhaps a misfit in the community. The one who pledged security for this one was simply gullible.

[6:1]  ⁹¹ tn The conjunction “and” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.

[6:1]  ⁹² tn Heb “struck your hands”; NIV “have struck hands in pledge”; NASB “have given a pledge.” The guarantee of a pledge was signaled by a handshake (e.g., 11:15; 17:18; 22:26).

[6:1]  ⁹³ tn Heb “stranger.” The term זוּר (zur, “stranger”) probably refers to a neighbor who was not well-known. Alternatively, it could describe a person who is living outside the norms of convention, a moral misfit in the community. In any case, this “stranger” is a high risk in any financial arrangement.

[6:2]  ⁹⁴ tn The term “if” does not appear in this line but is implied by the parallelism. It is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[6:2]  ⁹⁵ tn The verb יָקַשׁ (yaqash) means “to lay a bait; to lure; to lay snares.” In the Niphal it means “to be caught by bait; to be ensnared” – here in a business entanglement.

[6:2]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “by the words of your mouth.” The same expression occurs at the end of the following line (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB). Many English versions vary the wording slightly, presumably for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy (e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[6:3]  ⁹⁷ tn The syntactical construction of imperative followed by an imperative + vav consecutive denotes purpose: “in order to be delivered.” The verb means “to deliver oneself, be delivered” in the Niphal. The image is one of being snatched or plucked quickly out of some danger or trouble, in the sense of a rescue, as in a “brand snatched [Hophal stem] from the fire” (Zech 3:2).

[6:3]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “have come into the hand of your neighbor” (so NASB; cf. KJV, ASV). The idiom using the “hand” means that the individual has come under the control or the power of someone else. This particular word for hand is used to play ironically on its first occurrence in v. 1.

[6:3]  ⁹⁹ tn In the Hitpael the verb רָפַס (rafas) means “to stamp oneself down” or “to humble oneself” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV). BDB 952 s.v. Hithp suggests “become a suppliant.” G. R. Driver related it to the Akkadian cognate rapasu, “trample,” and interpreted as trampling oneself, swallowing pride, being unremitting in effort (“Some Hebrew Verbs, Nouns, and Pronouns,” JTS 30 [1929]: 374).

[6:3]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “be bold.” The verb רָהַב (rahav) means “to act stormily; to act boisterously; to act arrogantly.” The idea here is a strong one: storm against (beset, importune) your neighbor. The meaning is that he should be bold and not take no for an answer. Cf. NIV “press your plea”; TEV “beg him to release you.”

[6:4]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “do not give sleep to your eyes.” The point is to go to the neighbor and seek release from the agreement immediately (cf. NLT “Don’t rest until you do”).

[6:5]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “from the hand.” Most translations supply “of the hunter.” The word “hand” can signify power, control; so the meaning is that of a gazelle freeing itself from a snare or a trap that a hunter set.

[6:5]  ¹⁰³ tc Heb “hand” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV). Some mss and versions have it as “trap,” which may very well represent an interpretation too.

[55:6]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “while he allows himself to be found.” The Niphal form has a tolerative force here.

[55:2]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “for what is not food.”

[55:2]  ¹⁰⁶ tn The interrogative particle and the verb “spend” are understood here by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[55:2]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “your labor,” which stands by metonymy for that which one earns.

[55:2]  ¹⁰⁸ tn The infinitive absolute follows the imperative and lends emphasis to the exhortation.

[55:2]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “good” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[55:2]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “Let your appetite delight in fine food.”

[1:2]  ¹¹¹ tn Grk “and faithful.” The construction in Greek (as well as Paul’s style) suggests that the saints are identical to the faithful; hence, the καί (kai) is best left untranslated (cf. Eph 1:1). See ExSyn 281-82.

[1:2]  ¹¹² tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[1:2]  ¹¹³ tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:2]  ¹¹⁴ tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (א A C F G I [P] 075 Ï it bo), read “and the Lord Jesus Christ” at the end of this verse, no doubt to conform the wording to the typical Pauline salutation. However, excellent and early witnesses (B D K L Ψ 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 al sa) lack this phrase. Since the omission is inexplicable as arising from the longer reading (otherwise, these mss would surely have deleted the phrase in the rest of the corpus Paulinum), it is surely authentic.

[3:7]  ¹¹⁵ sn The following quotation is from Ps 95:7b-11.

[3:7]  ¹¹⁶ tn Grk “today if you hear his voice.”

[3:9]  ¹¹⁷ tn Grk “tested me by trial.”

[3:10]  ¹¹⁸ tn Grk “they are wandering in the heart.”

[3:11]  ¹¹⁹ tn Grk “if they shall enter my rest,” a Hebrew idiom expressing an oath that something will certainly not happen.

[3:12]  ¹²⁰ tn Or “take care.”

[3:12]  ¹²¹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.

[3:12]  ¹²² tn Grk “that there not be in any of you.”

[3:12]  ¹²³ tn Or “deserts,” “rebels against.”

[3:12]  ¹²⁴ tn Grk “in forsaking the living God.”