Proverbs 28:13

28:13 The one who covers ¹  his transgressions will not prosper, ² 

but whoever confesses them and forsakes them will find mercy. ³ 

Isaiah 55:7

55:7 The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle ⁴ 

and sinful people their plans. ⁵ 

They should return ⁶  to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them, ⁷ 

and to their God, for he will freely forgive them. ⁸ 

Jeremiah 4:1

4:1 “If you, Israel, want to come back,” says the Lord,

“if you want to come back to me ⁹ 

you must get those disgusting idols ¹⁰  out of my sight

and must no longer go astray. ¹¹ 

Hosea 14:1

Prophetic Call to Genuine Repentance

14:1 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,

for your sin has been your downfall! ¹² 

Acts 3:19

3:19 Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out,

[28:13]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ 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.

[55:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “Let the wicked one abandon his way.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “and the man of evil his thoughts.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “let him return.” The singular is collective, meaning “let them.”

[55:7]  ⁷ tn The imperfect with vav (ו) conjunctive after the jussive indicates purpose/result.

[55:7]  ⁸ sn The appeal and promise of vv. 6-7 echoes the language of Deut 4:25-31; 30:1-10; and 1 Kgs 8:46-53, all of which anticipate the exile and speak of the prerequisites for restoration.

[4:1]  ⁹ tn Or “If you, Israel, want to turn [away from your shameful ways (those described in 3:23-25)]…then you must turn back to me.” Or perhaps, “Israel, you must turn back…Yes, you must turn back to me.”

[4:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “disgusting things.”

[4:1]  ¹¹ tn Or possibly, “If you get those disgusting idols out of my sight, you will not need to flee.” This is less probable because the normal meaning of the last verb is “to wander,” “ to stray.”

[14:1]  ¹² tn Heb “For you have stumbled in your iniquity”; NASB, NRSV “because of your iniquity.”