Psalms 11:1

Psalm 11 ¹ 

For the music director; by David.

11:1 In the Lord I have taken shelter. ² 

How can you say to me, ³ 

“Flee to a mountain like a bird! ⁴ 

Psalms 27:1

Psalm 27 ⁵ 

By David.

27:1 The Lord delivers and vindicates me! ⁶ 

I fear no one! ⁷ 

The Lord protects my life!

I am afraid of no one! ⁸ 

Psalms 56:3

56:3 When ⁹  I am afraid,

I trust in you.

Psalms 56:11

56:11 in God I trust, I am not afraid.

What can mere men ¹⁰  do to me? ¹¹ 

Psalms 91:5

91:5 You need not fear the terrors of the night, ¹² 

the arrow that flies by day,

Psalms 112:7

112:7 He does not fear bad news.

He ¹³  is confident; he trusts ¹⁴  in the Lord.

Proverbs 3:25

3:25 You will not be afraid ¹⁵  of sudden ¹⁶  disaster, ¹⁷ 

or when destruction overtakes ¹⁸  the wicked; ¹⁹ 

Isaiah 12:2

12:2 Look, God is my deliverer! ²⁰ 

I will trust in him ²¹  and not fear.

For the Lord gives me strength and protects me; ²² 

he has become my deliverer.” ²³ 

Isaiah 41:10

41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you!

Don’t be frightened, for I am your God! ²⁴ 

I strengthen you –

yes, I help you –

yes, I uphold you with my saving right hand! ²⁵ 

Isaiah 41:14

41:14 Don’t be afraid, despised insignificant Jacob, ²⁶ 

men of ²⁷  Israel.

I am helping you,” says the Lord,

your protector, ²⁸  the Holy One of Israel. ²⁹ 

Jeremiah 1:8

1:8 Do not be afraid of those to whom I send you, ³⁰  for I will be with you to protect ³¹  you,” says the Lord.

Ezekiel 2:6

2:6 But you, son of man, do not fear them, and do not fear their words – even though briers ³²  and thorns ³³  surround you and you live among scorpions – do not fear their words and do not be terrified of the looks they give you, ³⁴  for they are a rebellious house!

Matthew 10:26

Fear God, Not Man

10:26 “Do ³⁵  not be afraid of them, for nothing is hidden ³⁶  that will not be revealed, ³⁷  and nothing is secret that will not be made known.

Luke 12:4

12:4 “I ³⁸  tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, ³⁹  and after that have nothing more they can do.

Acts 18:9

18:9 The Lord said to Paul by a vision ⁴⁰  in the night, ⁴¹  “Do not be afraid, ⁴²  but speak and do not be silent,

Acts 18:2

18:2 There he ⁴³  found ⁴⁴  a Jew named Aquila, ⁴⁵  a native of Pontus, ⁴⁶  who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius ⁴⁷  had ordered all the Jews to depart from ⁴⁸  Rome. ⁴⁹  Paul approached ⁵⁰  them,

Acts 1:7

1:7 He told them, “You are not permitted to know ⁵¹  the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.

Revelation 2:10

2:10 Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer. The devil is about to have some of you thrown ⁵²  into prison so you may be tested, ⁵³  and you will experience suffering ⁵⁴  for ten days. Remain faithful even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown that is life itself. ⁵⁵ 

Revelation 21:8

21:8 But to the cowards, unbelievers, detestable persons, murderers, the sexually immoral, and those who practice magic spells, ⁵⁶  idol worshipers, ⁵⁷  and all those who lie, their place ⁵⁸  will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. ⁵⁹  That ⁶⁰  is the second death.”

[11:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 11. The psalmist rejects the advice to flee from his dangerous enemies. Instead he affirms his confidence in God’s just character and calls down judgment on evildoers.

[11:1]  ² tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form probably refers here to a completed action with continuing results.

[11:1]  ³ tn The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.

[11:1]  ⁴ tc The MT is corrupt here. The Kethib (consonantal text) reads: “flee [masculine plural!] to your [masculine plural!] mountain, bird.” The Qere (marginal reading) has “flee” in a feminine singular form, agreeing grammatically with the addressee, the feminine noun “bird.” Rather than being a second masculine plural pronominal suffix, the ending כֶם- (-khem) attached to “mountain” is better interpreted as a second feminine singular pronominal suffix followed by an enclitic mem (ם). “Bird” may be taken as vocative (“O bird”) or as an adverbial accusative of manner (“like a bird”). Either way, the psalmist’s advisers compare him to a helpless bird whose only option in the face of danger is to fly away to an inaccessible place.

[27:1]  ⁵ sn Psalm 27. The author is confident of the Lord’s protection and asks the Lord to vindicate him.

[27:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “the Lord [is] my light and my deliverance.” “Light” is often used as a metaphor for deliverance and the life/blessings it brings. See Pss 37:6; 97:11; 112:4; Isa 49:6; 51:4; Mic 7:8. Another option is that “light” refers here to divine guidance (see Ps 43:3).

[27:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “Whom shall I fear?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”

[27:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “Of whom shall I be afraid?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”

[56:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “[in] a day.”

[56:11]  ¹⁰ tn The statement is similar to that of v. 4, except “flesh” is used there instead of “man.”

[56:11]  ¹¹ tn The rhetorical question assumes the answer, “Nothing!” The imperfect is used in a modal sense here, indicating capability or potential.

[91:5]  ¹² tn This probably alludes to a sneak attack by enemies in the darkness of night (see Song 3:8).

[112:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “his heart,” viewed here as the seat of the volition and emotions (see Ps 108:1).

[112:7]  ¹⁴ tn The passive participle בָּטֻחַ [בָּטוּחַ] (batuakh [batuakh]) expresses a state that results from the subject’s action. See Isa 26:3.

[3:25]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “do not be afraid.” The negative exhortation אַל־תִּירָא (’al-tira’, “do not be afraid”) is used rhetorically to emphasize that the person who seeks wisdom will have no reason to fear the consequences of wicked actions.

[3:25]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “terror of suddenness.” The noun פִּתְאֹם (pit’om, “sudden”) functions as an attributive genitive: “sudden terror” (e.g., Job 22:10; BDB 837 s.v.).

[3:25]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “terror.” The noun פַּחַד (pakhad, “terror”) is a metonymy of effect for cause (= disaster); see BDB 808 s.v. 2. This is suggested by the parallelism with the noun מִשֹּׁאַת (misho’at, “destruction”) in the following colon. The term פַּחַד (“terror”) often refers to the object (or cause) of terror (e.g., Job 3:25; 15:21; 22:10; 31:23; Pss 31:12; 36:2; Isa 24:18; Jer 48:44).

[3:25]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “or the destruction of the wicked when it comes.”

[3:25]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “destruction of the wicked.” The noun רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked ones”) probably functions as an objective genitive (the destruction that comes on the wicked) or a genitive of source (the destruction that the wicked bring on others).

[12:2]  ²⁰ tn Or “salvation” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).

[12:2]  ²¹ tn The words “in him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[12:2]  ²² tc The Hebrew text has, “for my strength and protection [is] the Lord, the Lord (Heb “Yah, Yahweh).” The word יְהוָה (yehvah) is probably dittographic or explanatory here (note that the short form of the name [יָהּ, yah] precedes, and that the graphically similar וַיְהִי [vayÿhi] follows). Exod 15:2, the passage from which the words of v. 2b are taken, has only יָהּ. The word זִמְרָת (zimrat) is traditionally understood as meaning “song,” in which case one might translate, “for the Lord gives me strength and joy” (i.e., a reason to sing); note that in v. 5 the verb זָמַר (zamar, “sing”) appears. Many recent commentators, however, have argued that the noun is here instead a homonym, meaning “protection” or “strength.” See HALOT 274 s.v. III *זמר.

[12:2]  ²³ tn Or “salvation” (so many English versions, e.g., KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “my savior.”

[41:10]  ²⁴ tn According to BDB (1043 s.v. שָׁעָה), the verb תִּשְׁתָּע (tishta’) in the second line of the poetic couplet is a Hitpael form from the root שָׁעָה (sha’ah, “gaze,” with metathesis of the stem prefix and the first root letter). Taking the Hitpael as iterative, one may then translate “do not anxiously look about.” However, the alleged Hitpael form of שָׁעָה (sha’ah) only occurs here and in verse 23. HALOT 1671 s.v. שׁתע proposes that the verb is instead a Qal form from the root שׁתע (“fear”) which is attested in cognate Semitic languages, including Ugaritic (discovered after the publishing of BDB), suggests the existence of this root. The poetic structure of v. 10 also supports the proposal, for the form in question is in synonymous parallelism to יָרֵא (yare’, “fear”).

[41:10]  ²⁵ tn The “right hand” is a symbol of the Lord’s power to deliver (Exod 15:6, 12) and protect (Ps 63:9 HT [63:8 ET]). Here צֶדֶק (tsedeq) has its well-attested nuance of “vindicated righteousness,” i.e., “victory, deliverance” (see 45:8; 51:5, and BDB 841-42 s.v.).

[41:14]  ²⁶ tn Heb “O worm Jacob” (NAB, NIV). The worm metaphor suggests that Jacob is insignificant and despised.

[41:14]  ²⁷ tn On the basis of the parallelism (note “worm”) and an alleged Akkadian cognate, some read “louse” or “weevil.” Cf. NAB “O maggot Israel”; NRSV “you insect Israel.”

[41:14]  ²⁸ tn Heb “your kinsman redeemer.” A גָּאַל (ga’al, “kinsman redeemer”) was a protector of the extended family’s interests.

[41:14]  ²⁹ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[1:8]  ³⁰ tn Heb “be afraid of them.” The antecedent is the “whomever” in v. 7.

[1:8]  ³¹ tn Heb “rescue.”

[2:6]  ³² tn The Hebrew term occurs only here in the OT.

[2:6]  ³³ tn The Hebrew term is found elsewhere in the OT only in Ezek 28:24.

[2:6]  ³⁴ tn Heb “of their faces.”

[10:26]  ³⁵ tn Grk “Therefore do not.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated.

[10:26]  ³⁶ tn Or “concealed.”

[10:26]  ³⁷ sn I.e., be revealed by God. The passive voice here and in the next verb see the revelation as coming from God. The text is both a warning about bad things being revealed and an encouragement that good things will be made known.

[12:4]  ³⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[12:4]  ³⁹ sn Judaism had a similar exhortation in 4 Macc 13:14-15.

[18:9]  ⁴⁰ sn Frequently in Acts such a vision will tell the reader where events are headed. See Acts 10:9-16 and 16:9-10 for other accounts of visions.

[18:9]  ⁴¹ tn BDAG 682 s.v. νύξ 1.c has “W. prep. ἐν ν. at night, in the night…Ac 18:9.”

[18:9]  ⁴² tn The present imperative here (with negation) is used (as it normally is) of a general condition (BDF §335).

[18:2]  ⁴³ tn Grk “And he.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here. The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[18:2]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρών (Jeurwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:2]  ⁴⁵ sn On Aquila and his wife Priscilla see also Acts 18:18, 26; Rom 16:3-4; 1 Cor 16:19; 2 Tim 4:19. In the NT “Priscilla” and “Prisca” are the same person. This author uses the full name Priscilla, while Paul uses the diminutive form Prisca.

[18:2]  ⁴⁶ sn Pontus was a region in the northeastern part of Asia Minor. It was a Roman province.

[18:2]  ⁴⁷ sn Claudius refers to the Roman emperor Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus, known as Claudius, who ruled from a.d. 41-54. The edict expelling the Jews from Rome was issued in a.d. 49 (Suetonius, Claudius 25.4).

[18:2]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “to leave.”

[18:2]  ⁴⁹ map For location see JP4 A1.

[18:2]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “went to.”

[1:7]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “It is not for you to know.”

[2:10]  ⁵² tn Grk “is about to throw some of you,” but the force is causative in context.

[2:10]  ⁵³ tn Or “tempted.”

[2:10]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “experience persecution,” “will be in distress” (see L&N 22.2).

[2:10]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “crown of life,” with the genitive “of life” (τῆς ζωῆς, th" zwh") functioning in apposition to “crown” (στέφανον, stefanon): “the crown that consists of life.”

[21:8]  ⁵⁶ tn On the term φαρμακεία (farmakeia, “magic spells”) see L&N 53.100: “the use of magic, often involving drugs and the casting of spells upon people – ‘to practice magic, to cast spells upon, to engage in sorcery, magic, sorcery.’ φαρμακεία: ἐν τῇ φαρμακείᾳ σου ἐπλανήθησαν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ‘with your magic spells you deceived all the peoples (of the world)’ Re 18:23.”

[21:8]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “idolaters.”

[21:8]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “their share.”

[21:8]  ⁵⁹ tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”

[21:8]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “sulfur, which is.” The relative pronoun has been translated as “that” to indicate its connection to the previous clause. The nearest logical antecedent is “the lake [that burns with fire and sulfur],” although “lake” (λίμνη, limnh) is feminine gender, while the pronoun “which” (ὅ, Jo) is neuter gender. This means that (1) the proper antecedent could be “their place” (Grk “their share,”) agreeing with the relative pronoun in number and gender, or (2) the neuter pronoun still has as its antecedent the feminine noun “lake,” since agreement in gender between pronoun and antecedent was not always maintained, with an explanatory phrase occurring with a neuter pronoun regardless of the case of the antecedent. In favor of the latter explanation is Rev 20:14, where the phrase “the lake of fire” is in apposition to the phrase “the second death.”