Numbers 11:11

11:11 And Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you afflicted ¹  your servant? Why have I not found favor in your sight, that ²  you lay the burden of this entire people on me?

Numbers 16:22

16:22 Then they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground ³  and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all people, ⁴  will you be angry with the whole community when only one man sins?” ⁵ 

Deuteronomy 9:18-20

9:18 Then I again fell down before the Lord for forty days and nights; I ate and drank nothing because of all the sin you had committed, doing such evil before the Lord as to enrage him. 9:19 For I was terrified at the Lord’s intense anger ⁶  that threatened to destroy you. But he ⁷  listened to me this time as well. 9:20 The Lord was also angry enough at Aaron to kill him, but at that time I prayed for him ⁸  too.

Psalms 74:1-2

Psalm 74 ⁹ 

A well-written song ¹⁰  by Asaph.

74:1 Why, O God, have you permanently rejected us? ¹¹ 

Why does your anger burn ¹²  against the sheep of your pasture?

74:2 Remember your people ¹³  whom you acquired in ancient times,

whom you rescued ¹⁴  so they could be your very own nation, ¹⁵ 

as well as Mount Zion, where you dwell!

Isaiah 63:17

63:17 Why, Lord, do you make us stray ¹⁶  from your ways, ¹⁷ 

and make our minds stubborn so that we do not obey you? ¹⁸ 

Return for the sake of your servants,

the tribes of your inheritance!

Jeremiah 12:1-2

12:1 Lord, you have always been fair

whenever I have complained to you. ¹⁹ 

However, I would like to speak with you about the disposition of justice. ²⁰ 

Why are wicked people successful? ²¹ 

Why do all dishonest people have such easy lives?

12:2 You plant them like trees and they put down their roots. ²² 

They grow prosperous and are very fruitful. ²³ 

They always talk about you,

but they really care nothing about you. ²⁴ 

[11:11]  ¹ tn The verb is the Hiphil of רָעַע (ra’a’, “to be evil”). Moses laments (with the rhetorical question) that God seems to have caused him evil.

[11:11]  ² tn The infinitive construct with the preposition is expressing the result of not finding favor with God (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 12-13, §57). What Moses is claiming is that because he has been given this burden God did not show him favor.

[16:22]  ³ sn It is Moses and Aaron who prostrate themselves; they have the good of the people at heart.

[16:22]  ⁴ tn The expression “the God of the spirits of all humanity [flesh]” is somewhat difficult. The Hebrew text says אֱלֹהֵי הָרוּחֹת לְכָל־בָּשָׂר (’elohey harukhot lÿkhol-basar). This expression occurs in Num 27:16 again. It also occurs in some postbiblical texts, a fact which has prompted some scholars to conclude that it is a late addition. The words clearly show that Moses is interceding for the congregation. The appeal in the verse is that it is better for one man to die for the whole nation than the whole nation for one man (see also John 11:50).

[16:22]  ⁵ tn The verb is the Qal imperfect יֶחֱטָא (yekheta’); it refers to the sinful rebellion of Korah, but Moses is stating something of a principle: “One man sins, and will you be angry….” A past tense translation would assume that this is a preterite use of the imperfect (without vav [ו] consecutive).

[9:19]  ⁶ tn Heb “the anger and the wrath.” Although many English versions translate as two terms, this construction is a hendiadys which serves to intensify the emotion (cf. NAB, TEV “fierce anger”).

[9:19]  ⁷ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 9:3.

[9:20]  ⁸ tn Heb “Aaron.” The pronoun is used in the translation to avoid redundancy.

[74:1]  ⁹ sn Psalm 74. The psalmist, who has just experienced the devastation of the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 586 b.c., asks God to consider Israel’s sufferings and intervene on behalf of his people. He describes the ruined temple, recalls God’s mighty deeds in the past, begs for mercy, and calls for judgment upon God’s enemies.

[74:1]  ¹⁰ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

[74:1]  ¹¹ sn The psalmist does not really believe God has permanently rejected his people or he would not pray as he does in this psalm. But this initial question reflects his emotional response to what he sees and is overstated for the sake of emphasis. The severity of divine judgment gives the appearance that God has permanently abandoned his people.

[74:1]  ¹² tn Heb “smoke.” The picture is that of a fire that continues to smolder.

[74:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “your assembly,” which pictures God’s people as an assembled community.

[74:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “redeemed.” The verb “redeem” casts God in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Ps 19:14).

[74:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the tribe of your inheritance” (see Jer 10:16; 51:19).

[63:17]  ¹⁶ tn Some suggest a tolerative use of the Hiphil here, “[why do] you allow us to stray?” (cf. NLT). Though the Hiphil of תָעָה (ta’ah) appears to be tolerative in Jer 50:6, elsewhere it is preferable or necessary to take it as causative. See Isa 3:12; 9:15; and 30:28, as well as Gen 20:13; 2 Kgs 21:9; Job 12:24-25; Prov 12:26; Jer 23:13, 32; Hos 4:12; Amos 2:4; Mic 3:5.

[63:17]  ¹⁷ tn This probably refers to God’s commands.

[63:17]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “[Why do] you harden our heart[s] so as not to fear you.” The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[12:1]  ¹⁹ tn Or “Lord, you are fair when I present my case before you.”

[12:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “judgments” or “matters of justice.” For the nuance of “complain to,” “fair,” “disposition of justice” assumed here, see BDB 936 s.v. רִיב Qal.4 (cf. Judg 21:22); BDB 843 s.v. צַדִּיק 1.d (cf. Ps 7:12; 11:7); BDB 1049 s.v. מִשְׁפָּט 1.f (cf. Isa 26:8; Ps 10:5; Ezek 7:27).

[12:1]  ²¹ tn Heb “Why does the way [= course of life] of the wicked prosper?”

[12:2]  ²² tn Heb “You planted them and they took root.”

[12:2]  ²³ tn Heb “they grow and produce fruit.” For the nuance “grow” for the verb which normally means “go, walk,” see BDB 232 s.v. חָלַךְ Qal.I.3 and compare Hos 14:7.

[12:2]  ²⁴ tn Heb “You are near in their mouths, but far from their kidneys.” The figure of substitution is being used here, “mouth” for “words” and “kidneys” for passions and affections. A contemporary equivalent might be, “your name is always on their lips, but their hearts are far from you.”