Malachi 3:13-15

Resistance to the Lord through Self-sufficiency

3:13 “You have criticized me sharply,” ¹  says the Lord, “but you ask, ‘How have we criticized you?’ 3:14 You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God. How have we been helped ²  by keeping his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord who rules over all? ³  3:15 So now we consider the arrogant to be happy; indeed, those who practice evil are successful. ⁴  In fact, those who challenge ⁵  God escape!’”

Job 34:5-9

34:5 For Job says, ‘I am innocent, ⁶ 

but God turns away my right.

34:6 Concerning my right, should I lie? ⁷ 

My wound ⁸  is incurable,

although I am without transgression.’ ⁹ 

34:7 What man is like Job,

who ¹⁰  drinks derision ¹¹  like water!

34:8 He goes about ¹²  in company ¹³  with evildoers,

he goes along ¹⁴  with wicked men. ¹⁵ 

34:9 For he says, ‘It does not profit a man

when he makes his delight with God.’ ¹⁶ 

Job 34:17

34:17 Do you really think ¹⁷ 

that one who hates justice can govern? ¹⁸ 

And will you declare guilty

the supremely righteous ¹⁹  One,

Job 34:36

34:36 But ²⁰  Job will be tested to the end,

because his answers are like those of wicked men.

Job 36:17

36:17 But now you are preoccupied with the judgment due the wicked,

judgment and justice take hold of you.

Psalms 73:3-15

73:3 For I envied those who are proud,

as I observed ²¹  the prosperity ²²  of the wicked.

73:4 For they suffer no pain; ²³ 

their bodies ²⁴  are strong and well-fed. ²⁵ 

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

they do not suffer as other men do. ²⁶ 

73:6 Arrogance is their necklace, ²⁷ 

and violence their clothing. ²⁸ 

73:7 Their prosperity causes them to do wrong; ²⁹ 

their thoughts are sinful. ³⁰ 

73:8 They mock ³¹  and say evil things; ³² 

they proudly threaten violence. ³³ 

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

and lay claim to the earth. ³⁴ 

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

and even suck up the water of the sea. ³⁵ 

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

Is the sovereign one aware of what goes on?” ³⁶ 

73:12 Take a good look! This is what the wicked are like, ³⁷ 

those who always have it so easy and get richer and richer. ³⁸ 

73:13 I concluded, ³⁹  “Surely in vain I have kept my motives ⁴⁰  pure

and maintained a pure lifestyle. ⁴¹ 

73:14 I suffer all day long,

and am punished every morning.”

73:15 If I had publicized these thoughts, ⁴² 

I would have betrayed your loyal followers. ⁴³ 

Matthew 11:18-19

11:18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ ⁴⁴  11:19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him, ⁴⁵  a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors ⁴⁶  and sinners!’ ⁴⁷  But wisdom is vindicated ⁴⁸  by her deeds.” ⁴⁹ 

[3:13]  ¹ tn Heb “your words are hard [or “strong”] against me”; cf. NIV “said harsh things against me”; TEV, NLT “said terrible things about me.”

[3:14]  ² tn Heb “What [is the] profit”; NIV “What did we gain.”

[3:14]  ³ sn The people’s public display of self-effacing piety has gone unrewarded by the Lord. The reason, of course, is that it was blatantly hypocritical.

[3:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “built up” (so NASB); NIV, NRSV “prosper”; NLT “get rich.”

[3:15]  ⁵ tn Or “test”; NRSV, CEV “put God to the test.”

[34:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “righteous,” but in this context it means to be innocent or in the right.

[34:6]  ⁷ tn The verb is the Piel imperfect of כָּזַב (kazav), meaning “to lie.” It could be a question: “Should I lie [against my right?] – when I am innocent. If it is repointed to the Pual, then it can be “I am made to lie,” or “I am deceived.” Taking it as a question makes good sense here, and so emendations are unnecessary.

[34:6]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew text has only “my arrow.” Some commentators emend that word slightly to get “my wound.” But the idea could be derived from “arrows” as well, the wounds caused by the arrows. The arrows are symbolic of God’s affliction.

[34:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “without transgression”; but this is parallel to the first part where the claim is innocence.

[34:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he drinks,” but coming after the question this clause may be subordinated.

[34:7]  ¹¹ tn The scorn or derision mentioned here is not against Job, but against God. Job scorns God so much, he must love it. So to reflect this idea, Gordis has translated it “blasphemy” (cf. NAB).

[34:8]  ¹² tn The perfect verb with the vav (ו) consecutive carries the sequence forward from the last description.

[34:8]  ¹³ tn The word חֶבְרַה (khevrah, “company”) is a hapax legomenon. But its meaning is clear enough from the connections to related words and this context as well.

[34:8]  ¹⁴ tn The infinitive construct with the ל (lamed) preposition may continue the clause with the finite verb (see GKC 351 §114.p).

[34:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “men of wickedness”; the genitive is attributive (= “wicked men”).

[34:9]  ¹⁶ tn Gordis, however, takes this expression in the sense of “being in favor with God.”

[34:17]  ¹⁷ tn The force of הַאַף (ha’af) is “Is it truly the case?” The point is being made that if Job were right God could not be judging the world.

[34:17]  ¹⁸ tn The verb חָבַשׁ (khavash) has the basic idea of “to bind,” as in binding on the yoke, and then in the sense of subduing people under authority (cf. Assyrian absanu). The imperfect verb here is best expressed with the potential nuance.

[34:17]  ¹⁹ tn The two words could be taken separately, but they seem to form a fine nominal hendiadys, because the issue is God’s justice. So the word for power becomes the modifier.

[34:36]  ²⁰ tc The MT reads אָבִי (’avi, “my father”), which makes no sense. Some follow the KJV and emend the word to make a verb “I desire” or use the noun “my desire of it.” Others follow an Arabic word meaning “entreat, I pray” (cf. ESV, “Would that Job were tried”). The LXX and the Syriac versions have “but” and “surely” respectively. Since this is the only ms support, albeit weak, it may be the best choice. In this sense Elihu would be saying that because of Job’s attitude God will continue to test him.

[73:3]  ²¹ tn The imperfect verbal form here depicts the action as continuing in a past time frame.

[73:3]  ²² tn Heb “peace” (שָׁלוֹם, shalom).

[73:4]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ tn Or “bellies.”

[73:4]  ²⁵ 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]  ²⁶ tn Heb “in the trouble of man they are not, and with mankind they are not afflicted.”

[73:6]  ²⁷ 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]  ²⁸ 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]  ²⁹ 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]  ³⁰ 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]  ³¹ tn The verb מוּק (muq, “mock”) occurs only here in the OT.

[73:8]  ³² tn Heb “and speak with evil.”

[73:8]  ³³ 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]  ³⁴ 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]  ³⁵ 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]  ³⁶ 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]  ³⁷ tn Heb “Look, these [are] the wicked.”

[73:12]  ³⁸ tn Heb “the ones who are always at ease [who] increase wealth.”

[73:13]  ³⁹ tn The words “I concluded” are supplied in the translation. It is apparent that vv. 13-14 reflect the psalmist’s thoughts at an earlier time (see vv. 2-3), prior to the spiritual awakening he describes in vv. 17-28.

[73:13]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “heart,” viewed here as the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.

[73:13]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “and washed my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image from cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The reference to “hands” suggests actions.

[73:15]  ⁴² tn Heb “If I had said, ‘I will speak out like this.’”

[73:15]  ⁴³ tn Heb “look, the generation of your sons I would have betrayed.” The phrase “generation of your [i.e., God’s] sons” occurs only here in the OT. Some equate the phrase with “generation of the godly” (Ps 14:5), “generation of the ones seeking him” (Ps 24:6), and “generation of the upright” (Ps 112:2). In Deut 14:1 the Israelites are referred to as God’s “sons.” Perhaps the psalmist refers here to those who are “Israelites” in the true sense because of their loyalty to God (note the juxtaposition of “Israel” with “the pure in heart” in v. 1).

[11:18]  ⁴⁴ sn John the Baptist was too separatist and ascetic for some, and so he was accused of not being directed by God, but by a demon.

[11:19]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “Behold a man.”

[11:19]  ⁴⁶ sn See the note on tax collectors in 5:46.

[11:19]  ⁴⁷ sn Neither were they happy with Jesus (the Son of Man), even though he was the opposite of John and associated freely with people like tax collectors and sinners. Either way, God’s messengers were subject to complaint.

[11:19]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “shown to be right.”

[11:19]  ⁴⁹ tc Most witnesses (B² C D L Θ Ë¹ 33 Ï lat) have “children” (τέκνων, teknwn) here instead of “deeds” (ἔργων, ergwn), but since “children” is the reading of the parallel in Luke 7:35, scribes would be motivated to convert the less colorful “deeds” into more animate offspring of wisdom. Further, ἔργων enjoys support from א B* W (˹³) as well as early versional and patristic support.