Proverbs 2:11

2:11 Discretion ¹  will protect you, ² 

understanding will guard you,

Proverbs 3:23-24

3:23 Then you will walk on your way ³  with security,

and you ⁴  will not stumble. ⁵ 

3:24 When ⁶  you lie down you will not be filled with fear; ⁷ 

when ⁸  you lie down your sleep will be pleasant. ⁹ 

Psalms 17:4

17:4 As for the actions of people ¹⁰  –

just as you have commanded,

I have not followed in the footsteps of violent men. ¹¹ 

Psalms 43:3

43:3 Reveal ¹²  your light ¹³  and your faithfulness!

They will lead me, ¹⁴ 

they will escort ¹⁵  me back to your holy hill, ¹⁶ 

and to the place where you live. ¹⁷ 

Psalms 119:9

ב (Bet)

119:9 How can a young person ¹⁸  maintain a pure life? ¹⁹ 

By guarding it according to your instructions! ²⁰ 

Psalms 119:11

119:11 In my heart I store up ²¹  your words, ²² 

so I might not sin against you.

Psalms 119:24

119:24 Yes, I find delight in your rules;

they give me guidance. ²³ 

Psalms 119:54

119:54 Your statutes have been my songs ²⁴ 

in the house where I live. ²⁵ 

Psalms 119:97

מ (Mem)

119:97 O how I love your law!

All day long I meditate on it.

Psalms 119:148

119:148 My eyes anticipate the nighttime hours,

so that I can meditate on your word.

Daniel 11:18-21

11:18 Then he will turn his attention ²⁶  to the coastal regions and will capture many of them. But a commander ²⁷  will bring his shameful conduct to a halt; in addition, ²⁸  he will make him pay for his shameful conduct. ²⁹  11:19 He will then turn his attention to the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble and fall, not to be found again. 11:20 There will arise after him ³⁰  one ³¹  who will send out an exactor ³²  of tribute to enhance the splendor of the kingdom, but after a few days he will be destroyed, ³³  though not in anger or battle.

11:21 “Then there will arise in his place a despicable person ³⁴  to whom the royal honor has not been rightfully conferred. He will come on the scene in a time of prosperity and will seize the kingdom through deceit.

[2:11]  ¹ tn The word מְזִמָּה (mÿzimmah, “discretion”) is the ability to know the best course of action for achieving one’s goal. It is knowledge and understanding with a purpose. This kind of knowledge enables one to make the right choices that will protect him from blunders and their consequences (cf. NLT “wise planning”; CEV “sound judgment”).

[2:11]  ² tn Heb “will watch over you.”

[3:23]  ³ tn The noun דַּרְכֶּךָ (darkekha, “your way”) functions as an adverbial accusative of location: “on your way.”

[3:23]  ⁴ tn Heb “your foot.” The term רַגְלְךָ (raglÿkha, “your foot”) functions as a synecdoche of part (= foot) for the whole person (= you).

[3:23]  ⁵ sn The verb נָגַף (ragaf, “to strike; to smite”) sometimes means “to stumble” against a stone (e.g., Ps 91:12). Here the object (“stone”) is implied (BDB 619 s.v.). This is a figure (hypocatastasis) comparing stumbling on a stone in the path to making serious mistakes in life that bring harm.

[3:24]  ⁶ tn The particle אִם (’im, “if”) here functions in its rare temporal sense (“when”) followed by an imperfect tense (e.g., Num 36:4; BDB 50 s.v. 1.b.4.b).

[3:24]  ⁷ tn Heb “terror.” The verb פָּחַד (pakhad, “terror”) describes emotion that is stronger than mere fear – it is dread.

[3:24]  ⁸ tn The construction of vav consecutive + perfect tense followed by vav (ו) consecutive + perfect tense depicts a temporal clause. The temporal nuance is also suggested by the parallelism of the preceding colon.

[3:24]  ⁹ tn The verb עָרְבָה (’orvah) is from III עָרַב (“to be sweet; to be pleasing; to be pleasant”; BDB 787 s.v. III עָרַב). It should not be confused with the other five homonymic roots that are also spelled עָרַב (’arav; see BDB 786-88).

[17:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “with regard to the deeds of man[kind].”

[17:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “by the word of your lips, I, I have watched the paths of the violent” (i.e., “watched” in the sense of “watched for the purpose of avoiding”).

[43:3]  ¹² tn Heb “send.”

[43:3]  ¹³ sn God’s deliverance is compared here to a light which will lead the psalmist back home to the Lord’s temple. Divine deliverance will in turn demonstrate the Lord’s faithfulness to his people.

[43:3]  ¹⁴ tn Or “may they lead me.” The prefixed verbal forms here and in the next line may be taken as jussives.

[43:3]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “bring.”

[43:3]  ¹⁶ sn In this context the Lord’s holy hill is Zion/Jerusalem. See Isa 66:20; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Zech 8:3; Pss 2:6; 15:1; 48:1; 87:1; Dan 9:16.

[43:3]  ¹⁷ tn Or “to your dwelling place[s].” The plural form of the noun may indicate degree or quality; this is the Lord’s special dwelling place (see Pss 46:4; 84:1; 132:5, 7).

[119:9]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “young man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, the gender specific “young man” has been translated with the more neutral “young person.”

[119:9]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “purify his path.”

[119:9]  ²⁰ tn Heb “by keeping according to your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural, “your words.”

[119:11]  ²¹ tn Or “hide.”

[119:11]  ²² tn Heb “your word.” Some medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural, “your words.”

[119:24]  ²³ tn Heb “men of my counsel.” That is, God’s rules are like advisers to the psalmist, for they teach him how to live in a godly manner that refutes the accusations of his enemies.

[119:54]  ²⁴ tn Heb “songs were your statutes to me.”

[119:54]  ²⁵ tn Heb “in the house of my dwelling place.” Some take the Hebrew noun מָגוֹר (magor) in the sense of “temporary abode,” and see this as a reference to the psalmist’s status as a resident alien (see v. 19). But the noun can refer to a dwelling place in general (see Ps 55:15).

[11:18]  ²⁶ tn Heb “his face.” See v. 19 as well.

[11:18]  ²⁷ sn The commander is probably the Roman commander, Lucius Cornelius Scipio.

[11:18]  ²⁸ tn The Hebrew here is difficult in that the negative בִּלְתִּי (biltiy, “not”) is used in an unusual way. The sense is not entirely clear.

[11:18]  ²⁹ tn Heb “his shameful conduct he will return to him.”

[11:20]  ³⁰ tn Heb “on his place.”

[11:20]  ³¹ sn The one who will send out an exactor of tribute was Seleucus IV Philopator (ca. 187-176 B.C.).

[11:20]  ³² sn Perhaps this exactor of tribute was Heliodorus (cf. 2 Maccabees 3).

[11:20]  ³³ tn Heb “broken” or “shattered.”

[11:21]  ³⁴ sn This despicable person to whom the royal honor has not been rightfully conferred is Antiochus IV Epiphanes (ca. 175-164 B.C.).