Numbers 5:7

5:7 then he must confess ¹  his sin that he has committed and must make full reparation, ²  add one fifth to it, and give it to whomever he wronged. ³ 

Deuteronomy 4:29-31

4:29 But if you seek the Lord your God from there, you will find him, if, indeed, you seek him with all your heart and soul. ⁴  4:30 In your distress when all these things happen to you in the latter days, ⁵  if you return to the Lord your God and obey him ⁶  4:31 (for he ⁷  is a merciful God), he will not let you down ⁸  or destroy you, for he cannot ⁹  forget the covenant with your ancestors that he confirmed by oath to them.

Deuteronomy 30:1-3

The Results of Covenant Reaffirmation

30:1 “When you have experienced all these things, both the blessings and the curses ¹⁰  I have set before you, you will reflect upon them ¹¹  in all the nations where the Lord your God has banished you. 30:2 Then if you and your descendants ¹²  turn to the Lord your God and obey him with your whole mind and being ¹³  just as ¹⁴  I am commanding you today, 30:3 the Lord your God will reverse your captivity and have pity on you. He will turn and gather you from all the peoples among whom he ¹⁵  has scattered you.

Joshua 7:19

7:19 So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, honor ¹⁶  the Lord God of Israel and give him praise! Tell me what you did; don’t hide anything from me!”

Joshua 7:1

Achan Sins and is Punished

7:1 But the Israelites disobeyed the command about the city’s riches. ¹⁷  Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, ¹⁸  son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, stole some of the riches. ¹⁹  The Lord was furious with the Israelites. ²⁰ 

Joshua 8:33

8:33 All the people, ²¹  rulers, ²²  leaders, and judges were standing on either side of the ark, in front of the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord. Both resident foreigners and native Israelites were there. ²³  Half the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and the other half in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the Lord’s servant had previously instructed to them to do for the formal blessing ceremony. ²⁴ 

Joshua 8:1

Israel Conquers Ai

8:1 The Lord told Joshua, “Don’t be afraid and don’t panic! ²⁵  Take the whole army with you and march against Ai! ²⁶  See, I am handing over to you ²⁷  the king of Ai, along with his people, city, and land.

Nehemiah 9:2-5

9:2 Those truly of Israelite descent ²⁸  separated from all the foreigners, ²⁹  standing and confessing their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors. ³⁰  9:3 For one-fourth of the day they stood in their place and read from the book of the law of the LORD their God, and for another fourth they were confessing their sins ³¹  and worshiping the LORD their God. 9:4 Then the Levites – Jeshua, Binnui, ³²  Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani – stood on the steps and called out loudly ³³  to the LORD their God. 9:5 The Levites – Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah – said, “Stand up and bless the LORD your God!”

“May you be blessed, O LORD our God, from age to age. ³⁴  May your glorious name ³⁵  be blessed; may it be lifted up above all blessing and praise.

Job 33:27-28

33:27 That person sings ³⁶  to others, ³⁷  saying:

‘I have sinned and falsified what is right,

but I was not punished according to what I deserved. ³⁸ 

33:28 He redeemed my life ³⁹ 

from going down to the place of corruption,

and my life sees the light!’

Psalms 32:5

32:5 Then I confessed my sin;

I no longer covered up my wrongdoing.

I said, “I will confess ⁴⁰  my rebellious acts to the Lord.”

And then you forgave my sins. ⁴¹  (Selah)

Proverbs 28:13

28:13 The one who covers ⁴²  his transgressions will not prosper, ⁴³ 

but whoever confesses them and forsakes them will find mercy. ⁴⁴ 

Jeremiah 31:18-20

31:18 I have indeed ⁴⁵  heard the people of Israel ⁴⁶  say mournfully,

‘We were like a calf untrained to the yoke. ⁴⁷ 

You disciplined us and we learned from it. ⁴⁸ 

Let us come back to you and we will do so, ⁴⁹ 

for you are the Lord our God.

31:19 For after we turned away from you we repented.

After we came to our senses ⁵⁰  we beat our breasts in sorrow. ⁵¹ 

We are ashamed and humiliated

because of the disgraceful things we did previously.’ ⁵² 

31:20 Indeed, the people of Israel are my dear children.

They are the children I take delight in. ⁵³ 

For even though I must often rebuke them,

I still remember them with fondness.

So I am deeply moved with pity for them ⁵⁴ 

and will surely have compassion on them.

I, the Lord, affirm it! ⁵⁵ 

Ezekiel 36:31

36:31 Then you will remember your evil behavior ⁵⁶  and your deeds which were not good; you will loathe yourselves on account of your sins and your abominable deeds.

Daniel 9:3-20

9:3 So I turned my attention ⁵⁷  to the Lord God ⁵⁸  to implore him by prayer and requests, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. ⁵⁹  9:4 I prayed to the LORD my God, confessing in this way:

“O Lord, ⁶⁰  great and awesome God who is faithful to his covenant ⁶¹  with those who love him and keep his commandments, 9:5 we have sinned! We have done what is wrong and wicked; we have rebelled by turning away from your commandments and standards. 9:6 We have not paid attention to your servants the prophets, who spoke by your authority ⁶²  to our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors, ⁶³  and to all the inhabitants ⁶⁴  of the land as well.

9:7 “You are righteous, ⁶⁵  O Lord, but we are humiliated this day ⁶⁶  – the people ⁶⁷  of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far away in all the countries in which you have scattered them, because they have behaved unfaithfully toward you. 9:8 O LORD, we have been humiliated ⁶⁸  – our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors – because we have sinned against you. 9:9 Yet the Lord our God is compassionate and forgiving, ⁶⁹  even though we have rebelled against him. 9:10 We have not obeyed ⁷⁰  the LORD our God by living according to ⁷¹  his laws ⁷²  that he set before us through his servants the prophets.

9:11 “All Israel has broken ⁷³  your law and turned away by not obeying you. ⁷⁴  Therefore you have poured out on us the judgment solemnly threatened ⁷⁵  in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against you. ⁷⁶  9:12 He has carried out his threats ⁷⁷  against us and our rulers ⁷⁸  who were over ⁷⁹  us by bringing great calamity on us – what has happened to Jerusalem has never been equaled under all heaven! 9:13 Just as it is written in the law of Moses, so all this calamity has come on us. Still we have not tried to pacify ⁸⁰  the LORD our God by turning back from our sin and by seeking wisdom ⁸¹  from your reliable moral standards. ⁸²  9:14 The LORD was mindful of the calamity, and he brought it on us. For the LORD our God is just ⁸³  in all he has done, ⁸⁴  and we have not obeyed him. ⁸⁵ 

9:15 “Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with great power ⁸⁶  and made a name for yourself that is remembered to this day – we have sinned and behaved wickedly. 9:16 O Lord, according to all your justice, ⁸⁷  please turn your raging anger ⁸⁸  away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. For due to our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people are mocked by all our neighbors.

9:17 “So now, our God, accept ⁸⁹  the prayer and requests of your servant, and show favor to ⁹⁰  your devastated sanctuary for your own sake. ⁹¹  9:18 Listen attentively, ⁹²  my God, and hear! Open your eyes and look on our desolated ruins ⁹³  and the city called by your name. ⁹⁴  For it is not because of our own righteous deeds that we are praying to you, ⁹⁵  but because your compassion is abundant. 9:19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, pay attention, and act! Don’t delay, for your own sake, O my God! For your city and your people are called by your name.” ⁹⁶ 

Gabriel Gives to Daniel a Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

9:20 While I was still speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my request before the LORD my God concerning his holy mountain ⁹⁷  –

Hosea 5:15--6:2

5:15 Then I will return again to my lair

until they have suffered their punishment. ⁹⁸ 

Then they will seek me; ⁹⁹ 

in their distress they will earnestly seek me.

Superficial Repentance Breeds False Assurance of God’s Forgiveness

6:1 “Come on! Let’s return to the Lord!

He himself has torn us to pieces,

but he will heal us!

He has injured ¹⁰⁰  us,

but he will bandage our wounds!

6:2 He will restore ¹⁰¹  us in a very short time; ¹⁰² 

he will heal us in a little while, ¹⁰³ 

so that we may live in his presence.

Luke 15:18-19

15:18 I will get up and go to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned ¹⁰⁴  against heaven ¹⁰⁵  and against ¹⁰⁶  you. 15:19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me ¹⁰⁷  like one of your hired workers.”’

Luke 15:1

The Parable of the Lost Sheep and Coin

15:1 Now all the tax collectors ¹⁰⁸  and sinners were coming ¹⁰⁹  to hear him.

Luke 1:8-10

1:8 Now ¹¹⁰  while Zechariah ¹¹¹  was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, ¹¹²  1:9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, ¹¹³  to enter ¹¹⁴  the holy place ¹¹⁵  of the Lord and burn incense. 1:10 Now ¹¹⁶  the whole crowd ¹¹⁷  of people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering. ¹¹⁸ 

[5:7]  ¹ tn The verb is the Hitpael perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive from the verb יָדָה (yadah), which in this stem means “acknowledge, confess sin,” but in the Hiphil (primarily) it means “praise, give thanks.” In both cases one is acknowledging something, either the sin, or the person and work of the Lord. Here the verb comes in the apodosis: “when…then he must confess.”

[5:7]  ² tn The verb is the Hiphil perfect of שׁוּב (shuv, “return”). Here it has the sense of “repay” with the word “reparation” (traditionally rendered “guilt offering,” but now is understood to refer to what was defrauded). The Levitical rulings called for the guilty to restore what was taken, if it could be made right, and pay a fifth more as a surcharge.

[5:7]  ³ tn This is now the third use of אָשָׁם (’asham); the first referred to “guilt,” the second to “reparation,” and now “wronged.” The idea of “guilt” lies behind the second two uses as well as the first. In the second “he must repay his guilt” (meaning what he is guilty of); and here it can also mean “the one against whom he is guilty of sinning.”

[4:29]  ⁴ tn Or “mind and being.” See Deut 6:5.

[4:30]  ⁵ sn The phrase is not used here in a technical sense for the eschaton, but rather refers to a future time when Israel will be punished for its sin and experience exile. See Deut 31:29.

[4:30]  ⁶ tn Heb “hear his voice.” The expression is an idiom meaning “obey,” occurring in Deut 8:20; 9:23; 13:18; 21:18, 20; 26:14, 17; 27:10; 28:1-2, 15, 45, 62; 30:2, 8, 10, 20.

[4:31]  ⁷ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 4:3.

[4:31]  ⁸ tn Heb “he will not drop you,” i.e., “will not abandon you” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[4:31]  ⁹ tn Or “will not.” The translation understands the imperfect verbal form to have an added nuance of capability here.

[30:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the blessing and the curse.”

[30:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and you bring (them) back to your heart.”

[30:2]  ¹² tn Heb “sons” (so NASB); KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “children.”

[30:2]  ¹³ tn Or “heart and soul” (also in vv. 6, 10).

[30:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “according to all.”

[30:3]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[7:19]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “give glory to.”

[7:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “But the sons of Israel were unfaithful with unfaithfulness concerning what was set apart [to the Lord].”

[7:1]  ¹⁸ tn 1 Chr 2:6 lists a “Zimri” (but no Zabdi) as one of the five sons of Zerah (cf. also 1 Chr 7:17, 18).

[7:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “took from what was set apart [to the Lord].”

[7:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “the anger of the Lord burned against the sons of Israel.”

[8:33]  ²¹ tn Heb “All Israel.”

[8:33]  ²² tn Or “elders.”

[8:33]  ²³ tn Heb “like the resident alien, like the citizen.” The language is idiomatic, meaning that both groups were treated the same, at least in this instance.

[8:33]  ²⁴ tn Heb “as Moses, the Lord’s servant, commanded to bless the people, Israel, formerly.”

[8:1]  ²⁵ tn Or perhaps “and don’t get discouraged!”

[8:1]  ²⁶ tn Heb “Take with you all the people of war and arise, go up against Ai!”

[8:1]  ²⁷ tn Heb “I have given into our hand.” The verbal form, a perfect, is probably best understood as a perfect of certitude, indicating the certainty of the action.

[9:2]  ²⁸ tn Heb “the seed of Israel.”

[9:2]  ²⁹ tn Heb “sons of a foreigner.”

[9:2]  ³⁰ tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 9, 16, 23, 32, 34, 36).

[9:3]  ³¹ tn Heb “confessing.” The words “their sins” are not present in the Hebrew text of v. 3, but are clearly implied here because they are explicitly stated in v. 2.

[9:4]  ³² tc Heb “Bani.” The translation reads “Binnui” (so also NAB) rather than the MT reading “Bani.” Otherwise there are two individuals with the same name in this verse. The name “Binnui” appears, for example, in Neh 10:10.

[9:4]  ³³ tn Heb “in a great voice.”

[9:5]  ³⁴ tc The MT reads here only “from age to age,” without the preceding words “May you be blessed, O LORD our God” which are included in the present translation. But apparently something has dropped out of the text. This phrase occurs elsewhere in the OT as a description of the Lord (see Ps 41:13; 106:48), and it seems best to understand it here in that light. The LXX adds “And Ezra said” at the beginning of v. 6 as a transition: “And Ezra said, ‘You alone are the LORD.” Without this addition (which is not included by most modern English translations) the speakers of vv. 9:5b-10:1 continue to be the Levites of v. 5a.

[9:5]  ³⁵ tn Heb “the name of your glory.”

[33:27]  ³⁶ tc The verb יָשֹׁר (yashor) is unusual. The typical view is to change it to יָשִׁיר (yashir, “he sings”), but that may seem out of harmony with a confession. Dhorme suggests a root שׁוּר (shur, “to repeat”), but this is a doubtful root. J. Reider reads it יָשֵׁיר (yasher) and links it to an Arabic word “confesses” (ZAW 24 [1953]: 275).

[33:27]  ³⁷ tn Heb “to men.”

[33:27]  ³⁸ tn The verb שָׁוָה (shavah) has the impersonal meaning here, “it has not been requited to me.” The meaning is that the sinner has not been treated in accordance with his deeds: “I was not punished according to what I deserved.”

[33:28]  ³⁹ sn See note on “him” in v. 24.

[32:5]  ⁴⁰ tn The Hiphil of ידה normally means “give thanks, praise,” but here, as in Prov 28:13, it means “confess.”

[32:5]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “the wrongdoing of my sin.” By joining synonyms for “sin” in this way, the psalmist may be emphasizing the degree of his wrongdoing.

[28:13]  ⁴² tn The Hebrew participles provide the subject matter in this contrast. On the one hand is the person who covers over (מְכַסֶּה, mÿkhasseh) his sins. This means refusing to acknowledge them in confession, and perhaps rationalizing them away. On the other hand there is the one who both “confesses” (מוֹדֶה, modeh) and “forsakes” (עֹזֵב, ’ozev) the sin. To “confess” sins means to acknowledge them, to say the same thing about them that God does.

[28:13]  ⁴³ sn The verse contrasts the consequences of each. The person who refuses to confess will not prosper. This is an understatement (a figure of speech known as tapeinosis); the opposite is the truth, that eventually such a person will be undone and ruined. On the other hand, the penitent will find mercy. This expression is a metonymy of cause for the effect – although “mercy” is mentioned, what mercy provides is intended, i.e., forgiveness. In other passages the verb “conceal” is used of God’s forgiveness – he covers over the iniquity (Ps 32:1). Whoever acknowledges sin, God will cover it; whoever covers it, God will lay it open.

[28:13]  ⁴⁴ sn This verse is unique in the book of Proverbs; it captures the theology of forgiveness (e.g., Pss 32 and 51). Every part of the passage is essential to the point: Confession of sins as opposed to concealing them, coupled with a turning away from them, results in mercy.

[31:18]  ⁴⁵ tn The use of “indeed” is intended to reflect the infinitive absolute which precedes the verb for emphasis (see IBHS 585-86 §35.3.1f).

[31:18]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “Ephraim.” See the study note on 31:9. The more familiar term is used, the term “people” added to it, and plural pronouns used throughout the verse to aid in understanding.

[31:18]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “like an untrained calf.” The metaphor is that of a calf who has never been broken to bear the yoke (cf. Hos 4:16; 10:11).

[31:18]  ⁴⁸ tn The verb here is from the same root as the preceding and is probably an example of the “tolerative Niphal,” i.e., “I let myself be disciplined/I responded to it.” See IBHS 389-90 §23.4g and note the translation of some of the examples there, especially Isa 19:22; 65:1.

[31:18]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “Bring me back in order that I may come back.” For the use of the plural pronouns see the marginal note at the beginning of the verse. The verb “bring back” and “come back” are from the same root in two different verbal stems and in the context express the idea of spiritual repentance and restoration of relationship not physical return to the land. (See BDB 999 s.v. שׁוּב Hiph.2.a for the first verb and 997 s.v. Qal.6.c for the second.) For the use of the cohortative to express purpose after the imperative see GKC 320 §108.d or IBHS 575 §34.5.2b.

[31:19]  ⁵⁰ 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]  ⁵¹ 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]  ⁵² tn Heb “because I bear the reproach of my youth.” For the plural referents see the note at the beginning of v. 18.

[31:20]  ⁵³ tn Heb “Is Ephraim a dear son to me or a child of delight?” For the substitution of Israel for Ephraim and the plural pronouns for the singular see the note on v. 18. According to BDB 210 s.v. הֲ 1.c the question is rhetorical having the force of an impassioned affirmation. See 1 Sam 2:27; Job 41:9 (41:1 HT) for parallel usage.

[31:20]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “my stomach churns for him.” The parallelism shows that this refers to pity or compassion.

[31:20]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[36:31]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “ways.”

[9:3]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “face.”

[9:3]  ⁵⁸ tn The Hebrew phrase translated “Lord God” here is אֲדֹנָי הָאֱלֹהִים (’adonay ha’elohim).

[9:3]  ⁵⁹ sn When lamenting, ancient Israelites would fast, wear sackcloth, and put ashes on their heads to show their sorrow and contrition.

[9:4]  ⁶⁰ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 7, 9, 15, 16, and 19 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[9:4]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “who keeps the covenant and the loyal love.” The expression is a hendiadys.

[9:6]  ⁶² tn Heb “in your name.” Another option is to translate, “as your representatives.”

[9:6]  ⁶³ tn Heb “our fathers” (also in vv. 8, 16). The Hebrew term translated “father” can refer to more distant relationships such as grandfathers or ancestors.

[9:6]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “people.”

[9:7]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “to you (belongs) righteousness.”

[9:7]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “and to us (belongs) shame of face like this day.”

[9:7]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “men.”

[9:8]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “to us (belongs) shame of face.”

[9:9]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “to the Lord our God (belong) compassion and forgiveness.”

[9:10]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “paid attention to the voice of,” which is an idiomatic expression for obedience (cf. NASB “nor have we obeyed the voice of”).

[9:10]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “to walk in.”

[9:10]  ⁷² tc The LXX and Vulgate have the singular.

[9:11]  ⁷³ tn Or “transgressed.” The Hebrew verb has the primary sense of crossing a boundary, in this case, God’s law.

[9:11]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “by not paying attention to your voice.”

[9:11]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “the curse and the oath which is written.” The term “curse” refers here to the judgments threatened in the Mosaic law (see Deut 28) for rebellion. The expression “the curse and the oath” is probably a hendiadys (cf. Num 5:21; Neh 10:29) referring to the fact that the covenant with its threatened judgments was ratified by solemn oath and made legally binding upon the covenant community.

[9:11]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “him.”

[9:12]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “he has fulfilled his word(s) which he spoke.”

[9:12]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “our judges.”

[9:12]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “who judged.”

[9:13]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “we have not pacified the face of.”

[9:13]  ⁸¹ tn Or “by gaining insight.”

[9:13]  ⁸² tn Heb “by your truth.” The Hebrew term does not refer here to abstract truth, however, but to the reliable moral guidance found in the covenant law. See vv 10-11.

[9:14]  ⁸³ tn Or “righteous.”

[9:14]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “in all his deeds which he has done.”

[9:14]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “we have not listened to his voice.”

[9:15]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “with a powerful hand.”

[9:16]  ⁸⁷ tn Or “righteousness.”

[9:16]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “your anger and your rage.” The synonyms are joined here to emphasize the degree of God’s anger. This is best expressed in English by making one of the terms adjectival (cf. NLT “your furious anger”; CEV “terribly angry”).

[9:17]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “hear.” Here the verb refers to hearing favorably, accepting the prayer and responding positively.

[9:17]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “let your face shine.” This idiom pictures God smiling in favor. See Pss 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19.

[9:17]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “for the sake of my Lord.” Theodotion has “for your sake.” Cf. v. 19.

[9:18]  ⁹² tn Heb “turn your ear.”

[9:18]  ⁹³ tn Heb “desolations.” The term refers here to the ruined condition of Judah’s towns.

[9:18]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “over which your name is called.” Cf. v. 19. This expression implies that God is the owner of his city, Jerusalem. Note the use of the idiom in 2 Sam 12:28; Isa 4:1; Amos 9:12.

[9:18]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “praying our supplications before you.”

[9:19]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “for your name is called over your city and your people.” See the note on this expression in v 18.

[9:20]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “the holy mountain of my God.”

[5:15]  ⁹⁸ tn The verb יֶאְשְׁמוּ (ye’shÿmu, Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural from אָשַׁם, ’asham, “to be guilty”) means “to bear their punishment” (Ps 34:22-23; Prov 30:10; Isa 24:6; Jer 2:3; Hos 5:15; 10:2; 14:1; Zech 11:5; Ezek 6:6; BDB 79 s.v. אָשַׁם 3). Many English versions translate this as “admit their guilt” (NIV, NLT) or “acknowledge their guilt” (NASB, NRSV), but cf. NAB “pay for their guilt” and TEV “have suffered enough for their sins.”

[5:15]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “seek my face” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “seek my presence.”

[6:1]  ¹⁰⁰ tn “has struck”; NRSV “struck down.”

[6:2]  ¹⁰¹ tn The Piel of חָיָה (khayah) may mean: (1) to keep/preserve persons alive from the threat of premature death (1 Kgs 20:31; Ezek 13:18; 18:27); (2) to restore the dead to physical life (Deut 32:39; 1 Sam 2:6; cf. NCV “will put new life in us”); or (3) to restore the dying back to life from the threat of death (Ps 71:20; BDB 311 s.v. חָיָה).

[6:2]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “after two days” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV). The expression “after two days” is an idiom meaning “after a short time” (see, e.g., Judg 11:4; BDB 399 s.v. יוֹם 5.a).

[6:2]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “on the third day” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV), which parallels “after two days” and means “in a little while.” The “2-3” sequence is an example of graded numerical parallelism (Prov 30:15-16, 18-19, 21-23, 24-28, 29-31). This expresses the unrepentant overconfidence of Israel that the Lord’s discipline of Israel would be relatively short and that he would restore them quickly.

[15:18]  ¹⁰⁴ sn In the confession “I have sinned” there is a recognition of wrong that pictures the penitent coming home and “being found.”

[15:18]  ¹⁰⁵ sn The phrase against heaven is a circumlocution for God.

[15:18]  ¹⁰⁶ tn According to BDAG 342 s.v. ἐνωπιον 4.a, “in relation to ἁμαρτάνειν ἐ. τινος sin against someone Lk 15:18, 21 (cf. Jdth 5:17; 1 Km 7:6; 20:1).”

[15:19]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Or “make me.” Here is a sign of total humility.

[15:1]  ¹⁰⁸ sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.

[15:1]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Grk “were drawing near.”

[1:8]  ¹¹⁰ tn Grk “Now it happened that.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[1:8]  ¹¹¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Zechariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:8]  ¹¹² tn Grk “serving as priest in the order of his division before God.”

[1:9]  ¹¹³ tn Grk “according to the custom of the priesthood it fell to him by lot.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation to make it clear that the prepositional phrase κατὰ τὸ ἔθος τῆς ἱερατείας (kata to eqo" th" Jierateia", “according to the custom of the priesthood”) modifies the phrase “it fell to him by lot” rather than the preceding clause.

[1:9]  ¹¹⁴ tn This is an aorist participle and is temporally related to the offering of incense, not to when the lot fell.

[1:9]  ¹¹⁵ tn Or “temple.” Such sacrifices, which included the burning of incense, would have occurred in the holy place according to the Mishnah (m. Tamid 1.2; 3.1; 5-7). A priest would have given this sacrifice, which was offered for the nation, once in one’s career. It would be offered either at 9 a.m. or 3 p.m., since it was made twice a day.

[1:10]  ¹¹⁶ tn Grk “And,” but “now” better represents the somewhat parenthetical nature of this statement in the flow of the narrative.

[1:10]  ¹¹⁷ tn Grk “all the multitude.” While “assembly” is sometimes used here to translate πλῆθος (plhqo"), that term usually implies in English a specific or particular group of people. However, this was simply a large group gathered outside, which was not unusual, especially for the afternoon offering.

[1:10]  ¹¹⁸ tn The “hour of the incense offering” is another way to refer to the time of sacrifice.