Proverbs 17:23

17:23 A wicked person receives a bribe secretly ¹ 

to pervert ²  the ways of justice.

Psalms 18:16

18:16 He reached down ³  from above and took hold of me;

he pulled me from the surging water. ⁴ 

Psalms 19:6

19:6 It emerges from the distant horizon, ⁵ 

and goes from one end of the sky to the other; ⁶ 

nothing can escape ⁷  its heat.

Psalms 21:13

21:13 Rise up, O Lord, in strength! ⁸ 

We will sing and praise ⁹  your power!

Psalms 29:4

29:4 The Lord’s shout is powerful, ¹⁰ 

the Lord’s shout is majestic. ¹¹ 

Exodus 23:8

23:8 “You must not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see ¹²  and subverts the words of the righteous.

Deuteronomy 16:19

16:19 You must not pervert justice or show favor. Do not take a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and distort ¹³  the words of the righteous. ¹⁴ 

[17:23]  ¹ sn The fact that the “gift” is given secretly (Heb “from the bosom” [מֵחֵיק, mekheq]; so NASB) indicates that it was not proper. Cf. NRSV “a concealed bribe”; TEV, CEV, NLT “secret bribes.”

[17:23]  ² tn The form לְהַטּוֹת (lÿhattot) is the Hiphil infinitive construct of נָטָה (natah), meaning “to thrust away,” i.e., to “pervert.” This purpose clause clarifies that the receiving of the “gift” is for evil intent.

[18:16]  ³ tn Heb “stretched.” Perhaps “his hand” should be supplied by ellipsis (see Ps 144:7). In this poetic narrative context the three prefixed verbal forms in this verse are best understood as preterites indicating past tense, not imperfects.

[18:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “mighty waters.” The waters of the sea symbolize the psalmist’s powerful enemies, as well as the realm of death they represent (see v. 4 and Ps 144:7).

[19:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “from the end of the heavens [is] its going forth.”

[19:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “and its circuit [is] to their ends.”

[19:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “is hidden from.”

[21:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “in your strength,” but English idiom does not require the pronoun.

[21:13]  ⁹ tn Heb “sing praise.”

[29:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the voice of the Lord [is] accompanied by strength.”

[29:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the voice of the Lord [is] accompanied by majesty.”

[23:8]  ¹² tn Heb “blinds the open-eyed.”

[16:19]  ¹³ tn Heb “twist, overturn”; NRSV “subverts the cause.”

[16:19]  ¹⁴ tn Or “innocent”; NRSV “those who are in the right”; NLT “the godly.”