Discovery BoxLuke 18:13
Context18:13 The tax collector, however, stood 1 far off and would not even look up 2 to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful 3 to me, sinner that I am!’ 4
Jeremiah 31:19
Context31:19 For after we turned away from you we repented.
After we came to our senses 5 we beat our breasts in sorrow. 6
We are ashamed and humiliated
because of the disgraceful things we did previously.’ 7
Acts 2:37
Context2:37 Now when they heard this, 8 they were acutely distressed 9 and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “What should we do, brothers?”
[18:13] 1 tn Grk “standing”; the Greek participle has been translated as a finite verb.
[18:13] 2 tn Grk “even lift up his eyes” (an idiom).
[18:13] 3 tn The prayer is a humble call for forgiveness. The term for mercy (ἱλάσκομαι, Jilaskomai) is associated with the concept of a request for atonement (BDAG 473-74 s.v. 1; Ps 51:1, 3; 25:11; 34:6, 18).
[18:13] 4 tn Grk “the sinner.” The tax collector views himself not just as any sinner but as the worst of all sinners. See ExSyn 222-23.
[31:19] 5 tn For this meaning of the verb see HAL 374 s.v. יָדַע Nif 5 or W. L. Holladay, Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, 129. REB translates “Now that I am submissive” relating the verb to a second root meaning “be submissive.” (See HALOT 375 s.v. II יָדַע and J. Barr, Comparative Philology and the Text of the Old Testament, 19-21, for evidence for this verb. Other passages cited with this nuance are Judg 8:16; Prov 10:9; Job 20:20.)
[31:19] 6 tn Heb “I struck my thigh.” This was a gesture of grief and anguish (cf. Ezek 21:12 [21:17 HT]). The modern equivalent is “to beat the breast.”
[31:19] 7 tn Heb “because I bear the reproach of my youth.” For the plural referents see the note at the beginning of v. 18.
[2:37] 8 tn The word “this” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
[2:37] 9 tn Grk “they were pierced to the heart” (an idiom for acute emotional distress).
