Proverbs 30:12

30:12 There is a generation who are pure in their own eyes

and yet are not washed ¹  from their filthiness. ² 

Proverbs 30:20

30:20 This is the way ³  of an adulterous ⁴  woman:

she eats and wipes her mouth ⁵ 

and says, “I have not done wrong.” ⁶ 

Jeremiah 2:23

2:23 “How can you say, ‘I have not made myself unclean.

I have not paid allegiance to ⁷  the gods called Baal.’

Just look at the way you have behaved in the Valley of Hinnom! ⁸ 

Think about the things you have done there!

You are like a flighty, young female camel

that rushes here and there, crisscrossing its path. ⁹ 

Jeremiah 2:35

2:35 you say, ‘I have not done anything wrong,

so the Lord cannot really be angry with me any more.’

But, watch out! ¹⁰  I will bring down judgment on you

because you say, ‘I have not committed any sin.’

Malachi 2:17

Resistance to the Lord through Self-deceit

2:17 You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” Because you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the Lord’s opinion, ¹¹  and he delights in them,” or “Where is the God of justice?”

Malachi 3:13

Resistance to the Lord through Self-sufficiency

3:13 “You have criticized me sharply,” ¹²  says the Lord, “but you ask, ‘How have we criticized you?’

Luke 10:29

10:29 But the expert, ¹³  wanting to justify ¹⁴  himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Luke 16:15

16:15 But ¹⁵  Jesus ¹⁶  said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in men’s eyes, ¹⁷  but God knows your hearts. For what is highly prized ¹⁸  among men is utterly detestable ¹⁹  in God’s sight.

[30:12]  ¹ tn The verb רָחַץ (rakhats) means “to wash; to wash off; to wash away; to bathe.” It is used of physical washing, ceremonial washings, and hence figuratively of removing sin and guilt through confession (e.g., Isa 1:16). Here the form is the Pual perfect (unless it is a rare old Qal passive, since there is no Piel and no apparent change of meaning from the Qal).

[30:12]  ² sn Filthiness often refers to physical uncleanness, but here it refers to moral defilement. Zech 3:3-4 uses it metaphorically as well for the sin of the nation (e.g., Isa 36:12).

[30:20]  ³ sn Equally amazing is the insensitivity of the adulterous woman to the sin. The use of the word “way” clearly connects this and the preceding material. Its presence here also supports the interpretation of the final clause in v. 19 as referring to sexual intimacy. While that is a wonder of God’s creation, so is the way that human nature has distorted it and ruined it.

[30:20]  ⁴ sn The word clearly indicates that the woman is married and unchaste; but the text describes her as amoral as much as immoral – she sees nothing wrong with what she does.

[30:20]  ⁵ sn The acts of “eating” and “wiping her mouth” are euphemistic; they employ an implied comparison between the physical act of eating and wiping one’s mouth afterward on the one hand with sexual activity on the other hand (e.g., Prov 9:17).

[30:20]  ⁶ sn This is the amazing part of the observation. It is one thing to sin, for everyone sins, but to dismiss the act of adultery so easily, as if it were no more significant than a meal, is incredibly brazen.

[2:23]  ⁷ tn Heb “I have not gone/followed after.” See the translator’s note on 2:5 for the meaning and usage of this idiom.

[2:23]  ⁸ tn Heb “Look at your way in the valley.” The valley is an obvious reference to the Valley of Hinnom where Baal and Molech were worshiped and child sacrifice was practiced.

[2:23]  ⁹ sn The metaphor is intended to depict Israel’s lack of clear direction and purpose without the Lord’s control.

[2:35]  ¹⁰ tn This is an attempt to render the Hebrew particle often translated “behold” (הִנֵּה, hinneh) in a meaningful way in this context. See further the translator’s note on the word “really” in 1:6.

[2:17]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in the eyes of the Lord.”

[3:13]  ¹² tn Heb “your words are hard [or “strong”] against me”; cf. NIV “said harsh things against me”; TEV, NLT “said terrible things about me.”

[10:29]  ¹³ tn Grk “And he”; the referent (the expert in religious law, shortened here to “the expert”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:29]  ¹⁴ tn Or “vindicate.”

[16:15]  ¹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[16:15]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:15]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “before men.” The contrast is between outward appearance (“in people’s eyes”) and inward reality (“God knows your hearts”). Here the Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used twice in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, but “men” has been retained in the text to provide a strong verbal contrast with “God” in the second half of the verse.

[16:15]  ¹⁸ tn Or “exalted.” This refers to the pride that often comes with money and position.

[16:15]  ¹⁹ tn Or “is an abomination,” “is abhorrent” (L&N 25.187).