Psalms 9:7-8

9:7 But the Lord ¹  rules ²  forever;

he reigns in a just manner. ³ 

9:8 He judges the world fairly;

he makes just legal decisions for the nations. ⁴ 

Psalms 37:6

37:6 He will vindicate you in broad daylight,

and publicly defend your just cause. ⁵ 

Psalms 50:1-6

Psalm 50 ⁶ 

A psalm by Asaph.

50:1 El, God, the Lord ⁷  speaks,

and summons the earth to come from the east and west. ⁸ 

50:2 From Zion, the most beautiful of all places, ⁹ 

God comes in splendor. ¹⁰ 

50:3 Our God approaches and is not silent; ¹¹ 

consuming fire goes ahead of him

and all around him a storm rages. ¹² 

50:4 He summons the heavens above,

as well as the earth, so that he might judge his people. ¹³ 

50:5 He says: ¹⁴ 

“Assemble my covenant people before me, ¹⁵ 

those who ratified a covenant with me by sacrifice!” ¹⁶ 

50:6 The heavens declare his fairness, ¹⁷ 

for God is judge. ¹⁸  (Selah)

Psalms 98:9

98:9 before the Lord!

For he comes to judge the earth!

He judges the world fairly, ¹⁹ 

and the nations in a just manner.

Psalms 149:9

149:9 and execute the judgment to which their enemies ²⁰  have been sentenced. ²¹ 

All his loyal followers will be vindicated. ²² 

Praise the Lord!

Ecclesiastes 11:9

Enjoy Life to the Fullest under the Fear of God

11:9 Rejoice, young man, while you are young, ²³ 

and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth.

Follow the impulses ²⁴  of your heart and the desires ²⁵  of your eyes,

but know that God will judge your motives and actions. ²⁶ 

Ecclesiastes 12:14

12:14 For God will evaluate every deed, ²⁷ 

including every secret thing, whether good or evil.

John 5:22-23

5:22 Furthermore, the Father does not judge ²⁸  anyone, but has assigned ²⁹  all judgment to the Son, 5:23 so that all people ³⁰  will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

John 5:27

5:27 and he has granted the Son ³¹  authority to execute judgment, ³²  because he is the Son of Man.

Acts 17:31

17:31 because he has set ³³  a day on which he is going to judge the world ³⁴  in righteousness, by a man whom he designated, ³⁵  having provided proof to everyone by raising ³⁶  him from the dead.”

Romans 2:16

2:16 on the day when God will judge ³⁷  the secrets of human hearts, ³⁸  according to my gospel ³⁹  through Christ Jesus.

Romans 14:10

14:10 But you who eat vegetables only – why do you judge your brother or sister? ⁴⁰  And you who eat everything – why do you despise your brother or sister? ⁴¹  For we will all stand before the judgment seat ⁴²  of God.

Romans 14:1

Exhortation to Mutual Forbearance

14:1 Now receive the one who is weak in the faith, and do not have disputes over differing opinions. ⁴³ 

Colossians 4:5

4:5 Conduct yourselves ⁴⁴  with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunities.

Colossians 1:13

1:13 He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, ⁴⁵ 

Revelation 22:12-15

22:12 (Look! I am coming soon,

and my reward is with me to pay ⁴⁶  each one according to what he has done!

22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega,

the first and the last,

the beginning and the end!) ⁴⁷ 

22:14 Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can have access ⁴⁸  to the tree of life and can enter into the city by the gates. 22:15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers ⁴⁹  and the sexually immoral, and the murderers, and the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood! ⁵⁰ 

Revelation 22:20

22:20 The one who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

[9:7]  ¹ tn The construction vav (ו) + subject highlights the contrast between the exalted Lord and his defeated foes (see v. 6).

[9:7]  ² tn Heb “sits” (i.e., enthroned, see v. 4). The imperfect verbal form highlights the generalization.

[9:7]  ³ tn Heb “he establishes for justice his throne.”

[9:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “the peoples.” The imperfect verbal forms in v. 8 either describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions (“will judge…”).

[37:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “and he will bring out like light your vindication, and your just cause like noonday.”

[50:1]  ⁶ sn Psalm 50. This psalm takes the form of a covenant lawsuit in which the Lord comes to confront his people in a formal manner (as in Isa 1:2-20). The Lord emphasizes that he places priority on obedience and genuine worship, not empty ritual.

[50:1]  ⁷ sn Israel’s God is here identified with three names: El (אֵל [’el], or “God”), Elohim (אֱלֹהִים [’elohim], or “God”), and Yahweh (יְהוָה [yÿhvah] or “the Lord”). There is an obvious allusion here to Josh 22:22, the only other passage where these three names appear in succession. In that passage the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh declare, “El, God, the Lord! El, God, the Lord! He knows the truth! Israel must also know! If we have rebelled or disobeyed the Lord, don’t spare us today!” In that context the other tribes had accused the trans-Jordanian tribes of breaking God’s covenant by worshiping idols. The trans-Jordanian tribes appealed to “El, God, the Lord” as their witness that they were innocent of the charges brought against them. Ironically here in Ps 50 “El, God, the Lord” accuses his sinful covenant people of violating the covenant and warns that he will not spare them if they persist in their rebellion.

[50:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “and calls [the] earth from the sunrise to its going.”

[50:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “the perfection of beauty.”

[50:2]  ¹⁰ tn Or “shines forth.”

[50:3]  ¹¹ tn According to GKC 322 §109.e, the jussive (note the negative particle אַל, ’al) is used rhetorically here “to express the conviction that something cannot or should not happen.”

[50:3]  ¹² tn Heb “fire before him devours, and around him it is very stormy.”

[50:4]  ¹³ tn Or perhaps “to testify against his people.”

[50:5]  ¹⁴ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. God’s summons to the defendant follows.

[50:5]  ¹⁵ tn Or “Gather to me my covenant people.” The Hebrew term חָסִיד (khasid, “covenant people”) elsewhere in the psalms is used in a positive sense of God’s loyal followers (see the note at Ps 4:3), but here, as the following line makes clear, the term has a neutral sense and simply refers to those who have outwardly sworn allegiance to God, not necessarily to those whose loyalty is genuine.

[50:5]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the cutters of my covenant according to sacrifice.” A sacrifice accompanied the covenant-making ceremony and formally ratified the agreement (see Exod 24:3-8).

[50:6]  ¹⁷ tn Or “justice.”

[50:6]  ¹⁸ tn Or “for God, he is about to judge.” The participle may be taken as substantival (as in the translation above) or as a predicate (indicating imminent future action in this context).

[98:9]  ¹⁹ tn The verbal forms in v. 9 probably describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, though they may depict in dramatic fashion the outworking of divine judgment or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions (“will judge…”).

[149:9]  ²⁰ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the enemies of the people of God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[149:9]  ²¹ tn Heb “to do against them judgment [that] is written.”

[149:9]  ²² tn Heb “it is honor for all his godly ones.” The judgment of the oppressive kings will bring vindication and honor to God’s people (see vv. 4-5).

[11:9]  ²³ tn Heb “in your youth”; or “in your childhood.”

[11:9]  ²⁴ tn Heb “walk in the ways of your heart.”

[11:9]  ²⁵ tn Heb “the sight.”

[11:9]  ²⁶ tn Heb “and know that concerning all these God will bring you into judgment.” The point is not that following one’s impulses and desires is inherently bad and will bring condemnation from God. Rather the point seems to be: As you follow your impulses and desires, realize that all you think and do will eventually be evaluated by God. So one must seek joy within the boundaries of God’s moral standards.

[12:14]  ²⁷ tn Heb “will bring every deed into judgment.”

[5:22]  ²⁸ tn Or “condemn.”

[5:22]  ²⁹ tn Or “given,” or “handed over.”

[5:23]  ³⁰ tn Grk “all.” The word “people” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for stylistic reasons and for clarity (cf. KJV “all men”).

[5:27]  ³¹ tn Grk “him.”

[5:27]  ³² tn Grk “authority to judge.”

[17:31]  ³³ tn Or “fixed.”

[17:31]  ³⁴ sn The world refers to the whole inhabited earth.

[17:31]  ³⁵ tn Or “appointed.” BDAG 723 s.v. ὁρίζω 2.b has “of persons appoint, designate, declare: God judges the world ἐν ἀνδρὶ ᾧ ὥρισεν through a man whom he has appointed Ac 17:31.”

[17:31]  ³⁶ tn The participle ἀναστήσας (anasthsa") indicates means here.

[2:16]  ³⁷ tn The form of the Greek word is either present or future, but it is best to translate in future because of the context of future judgment.

[2:16]  ³⁸ tn Grk “of people.”

[2:16]  ³⁹ sn On my gospel cf. Rom 16:25; 2 Tim 2:8.

[14:10]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “But why do you judge your brother?” The introductory phrase has been supplied in the translation to clarify whom Paul is addressing, i.e., the “weak” Christian who eats only vegetables (see vv. 2-3). The author uses the singular pronoun here to rhetorically address one person, but the plural has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:10]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “Or again, why do you despise your brother?” The introductory phrase has been supplied in the translation to clarify whom Paul is addressing, i.e., the “strong” Christian who eats everything (see vv. 2-3). The author uses the singular pronoun here to rhetorically address one person, but the plural has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:10]  ⁴² sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city.

[14:1]  ⁴³ tn Grk “over opinions.” The qualifier “differing” has been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[4:5]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “walk.” The verb περιπατέω (peripatew) is a common NT idiom for one’s lifestyle, behavior, or manner of conduct (L&N 41.11).

[1:13]  ⁴⁵ tn Here αὐτοῦ (autou) has been translated as a subjective genitive (“he loves”).

[22:12]  ⁴⁶ tn The Greek term may be translated either “pay” or “pay back” and has something of a double meaning here. However, because of the mention of “wages” (“reward,” another wordplay with two meanings) in the previous clause, the translation “pay” for ἀποδοῦναι (apodounai) was used here.

[22:13]  ⁴⁷ sn These lines are parenthetical, forming an aside to the narrative. The speaker here is the Lord Jesus Christ himself rather than the narrator.

[22:14]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “so that there will be to them authority over the tree of life.”

[22:15]  ⁴⁹ tn On the term φάρμακοι (farmakoi) see L&N 53.101.

[22:15]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “lying,” “deceit.”