Psalms 10:13-14

10:13 Why does the wicked man reject God? ¹ 

He says to himself, ²  “You ³  will not hold me accountable.” ⁴ 

10:14 You have taken notice, ⁵ 

for ⁶  you always see ⁷  one who inflicts pain and suffering. ⁸ 

The unfortunate victim entrusts his cause to you; ⁹ 

you deliver ¹⁰  the fatherless. ¹¹ 

Psalms 11:4-5

11:4 The Lord is in his holy temple; ¹² 

the Lord’s throne is in heaven. ¹³ 

His eyes ¹⁴  watch; ¹⁵ 

his eyes ¹⁶  examine ¹⁷  all people. ¹⁸ 

11:5 The Lord approves of ¹⁹  the godly, ²⁰ 

but he ²¹  hates ²²  the wicked and those who love to do violence. ²³ 

Proverbs 5:21

5:21 For the ways of a person ²⁴  are in front of the Lord’s eyes,

and the Lord ²⁵  weighs ²⁶  all that person’s ²⁷  paths.

Proverbs 15:3

15:3 The eyes of the Lord ²⁸  are in every place,

keeping watch ²⁹  on those who are evil and those who are good.

Proverbs 25:21-23

25:21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat,

and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,

25:22 for you will heap coals of fire on his head, ³⁰ 

and the Lord will reward you. ³¹ 

25:23 The north wind ³²  brings forth rain,

and a gossiping tongue ³³  brings forth ³⁴  an angry look. ³⁵ 

Ecclesiastes 5:8

Government Corruption

5:8 If you see the extortion ³⁶  of the poor,

or the perversion ³⁷  of justice and fairness in the government, ³⁸ 

do not be astonished by the matter.

For the high official is watched by a higher official, ³⁹ 

and there are higher ones over them! ⁴⁰ 

Amos 8:7

8:7 The Lord confirms this oath ⁴¹  by the arrogance of Jacob: ⁴² 

“I swear ⁴³  I will never forget all you have done! ⁴⁴ 

Amos 9:2

9:2 Even if they could dig down into the netherworld, ⁴⁵ 

my hand would pull them up from there.

Even if they could climb up to heaven,

I would drag them down from there.

Habakkuk 1:13

1:13 You are too just ⁴⁶  to tolerate ⁴⁷  evil;

you are unable to condone ⁴⁸  wrongdoing.

So why do you put up with such treacherous people? ⁴⁹ 

Why do you say nothing when the wicked devour ⁵⁰  those more righteous than they are? ⁵¹ 

Revelation 2:23

2:23 Furthermore, I will strike her followers ⁵²  with a deadly disease, ⁵³  and then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts. I will repay ⁵⁴  each one of you ⁵⁵  what your deeds deserve. ⁵⁶ 

[10:13]  ¹ tn The rhetorical question expresses the psalmist’s outrage that the wicked would have the audacity to disdain God.

[10:13]  ² tn Heb “he says in his heart” (see vv. 6, 11). Another option is to understand an ellipsis of the interrogative particle here (cf. the preceding line), “Why does he say in his heart?”

[10:13]  ³ tn Here the wicked man addresses God directly.

[10:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “you will not seek.” The verb דָרַשׁ (darash, “seek”) is used here in the sense of “seek an accounting.” One could understand the imperfect as generalizing about what is typical and translate, “you do not hold [people] accountable.”

[10:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “you see.” One could translate the perfect as generalizing, “you do take notice.”

[10:14]  ⁶ tn If the preceding perfect is taken as generalizing, then one might understand כִּי (ki) as asseverative: “indeed, certainly.”

[10:14]  ⁷ tn Here the imperfect emphasizes God’s typical behavior.

[10:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “destruction and suffering,” which here refers metonymically to the wicked, who dish out pain and suffering to their victims.

[10:14]  ⁹ tn Heb “to give into your hand, upon you, he abandons, [the] unfortunate [one].” The syntax is awkward and the meaning unclear. It is uncertain who or what is being given into God’s hand. Elsewhere the idiom “give into the hand” means to deliver into one’s possession. If “to give” goes with what precedes (as the accentuation of the Hebrew text suggests), then this may refer to the wicked man being delivered over to God for judgment. The present translation assumes that “to give” goes with what follows (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). The verb יַעֲזֹב (ya’azov) here has the nuance “entrust” (see Gen 39:6; Job 39:11); the direct object (“[his] cause”) is implied.

[10:14]  ¹⁰ tn Or “help.”

[10:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “[for] one who is fatherless, you are a deliverer.” The noun יָתוֹם (yatom) refers to one who has lost his father (not necessarily his mother, see Ps 109:9).

[11:4]  ¹² tn Because of the royal imagery involved here, one could translate “lofty palace.” The Lord’s heavenly temple is in view here (see Mic 1:2-4).

[11:4]  ¹³ sn The Lord’s throne is in heaven. The psalmist is confident that the Lord reigns as sovereign king, “keeps an eye on” all people, and responds in a just manner to the godly and wicked.

[11:4]  ¹⁴ sn His eyes. The anthropomorphic language draws attention to God’s awareness of and interest in the situation on earth. Though the enemies are hidden by the darkness (v. 2), the Lord sees all.

[11:4]  ¹⁵ tn The two Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in this verse describe the Lord’s characteristic activity.

[11:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “eyelids.”

[11:4]  ¹⁷ tn For other uses of the verb in this sense, see Job 7:18; Pss 7:9; 26:2; 139:23.

[11:4]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “test the sons of men.”

[11:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “examines,” the same verb used in v. 4b. But here it is used in a metonymic sense of “examine and approve” (see Jer 20:12).

[11:5]  ²⁰ tn The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form “pure (of heart)” in v. 2.

[11:5]  ²¹ tn Heb “his [very] being.” A נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being, soul”) is also attributed to the Lord in Isa 1:14, where a suffixed form of the noun appears as the subject of the verb “hate.” Both there and here the term is used of the seat of one’s emotions and passions.

[11:5]  ²² sn He hates the wicked. The Lord “hates” the wicked in the sense that he despises their wicked character and deeds, and actively opposes and judges them for their wickedness. See Ps 5:5.

[11:5]  ²³ tn Heb “the wicked [one] and the lover of violence.” The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked [ones]”) in vv. 2 and 6.

[5:21]  ²⁴ tn Heb “man.”

[5:21]  ²⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:21]  ²⁶ tn BDB 814 s.v. פָּלַס 2 suggests that the participle מְפַּלֵּס (mÿpalles) means “to make level [or, straight].” As one’s ways are in front of the eyes of the Lord, they become straight or right. It could be translated “weighs” since it is a denominative from the noun for “balance, scale”; the Lord weighs or examines the actions.

[5:21]  ²⁷ tn Heb “all his”; the referent (the person mentioned in the first half of the verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:3]  ²⁸ sn The proverb uses anthropomorphic language to describe God’s exacting and evaluating knowledge of all people.

[15:3]  ²⁹ tn The form צֹפוֹת (tsofot, “watching”) is a feminine plural participle agreeing with “eyes.” God’s watching eyes comfort good people but convict evil.

[25:22]  ³⁰ sn The imagery of the “burning coals” represents pangs of conscience, more readily effected by kindness than by violence. These coals produce the sharp pain of contrition through regret (e.g., 18:19; 20:22; 24:17; Gen 42-45; 1 Sam 24:18-20; Rom 12:20). The coals then would be an implied comparison with a searing conscience.

[25:22]  ³¹ sn The second consequence of treating enemies with kindness is that the Lord will reward the act. The fact that this is promised shows that the instruction here belongs to the religious traditions of Israel.

[25:23]  ³² sn One difficulty here is that it is the west wind that brings rain to Israel (e.g., 1 Kgs 18:41-44). C. H. Toy suggests that the expression is general, referring to a northwest wind – unless it is an error (Proverbs [ICC], 468). J. P. M. van der Ploeg suggests that the saying originated outside the land, perhaps in Egypt (“Prov 25:23,” VT 3 [1953]: 189-92). But this would imply it was current in a place where it made no sense. R. N. Whybray suggests that the solution lies with the verb “brings forth” (תְּחוֹלֵל, tÿkholel); he suggests redefining it to mean “repels, holds back” (cf. KJV “driveth away”). Thus, the point would be that the north wind holds back the rain just as an angry look holds back slander (Proverbs [CBC], 149). But the support for this definition is not convincing. Seeing this as a general reference to northerly winds is the preferred solution.

[25:23]  ³³ tn Heb “a tongue of secret” or “a hidden tongue,” referring to someone who goes around whispering about people behind their backs (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV “a backbiting tongue”).

[25:23]  ³⁴ tn The phrase “brings forth” does not appear in Hebrew in this line but is implied by the parallelism with the previous line; it is supplied here in the translation for clarity.

[25:23]  ³⁵ sn The verse implies a comparison between the two parts to make the point that certain things automatically bring certain results. Gossiping words will infuriate people as easily as the northerly winds bring the cold rain.

[5:8]  ³⁶ tn Alternately, “oppression.” The term עֹשֶׁק (’osheq) has a basic two-fold range of meaning: (1) “oppression; brutality” (e.g., Isa 54:14); and (2) “extortion” (e.g., Ps 62:11); see HALOT 897 s.v. עֹשֶׁק; BDB 799 s.v. עֹשֶׁק. The LXX understands the term as “oppression,” as the translation συκοφαντίαν (sukofantian, “oppression”) indicates. Likewise, HALOT 897 s.v. עֹשֶׁק 1 classifies this usage as “oppression” against the poor. However, the context of 5:8-9 [7-8 HT] focuses on corrupt government officials robbing people of the fruit of their labor through extortion and the perversion of justice.

[5:8]  ³⁷ tn Heb “robbery.” The noun גֵזֶל (gezel, “robbery”) refers to the wrestling away of righteousness or the perversion of justice (HALOT 186 s.v. גֵּזֶל). The related forms of the root גזל mean “to rob; to loot” (HALOT 186 s.v. גֵּזֶל). The term “robbery” is used as a figure for the perversion of justice (hypocatastasis): just as a thief robs his victims through physical violence, so corrupt government officials “rob” the poor through the perversion of justice.

[5:8]  ³⁸ tn Heb “in the province.”

[5:8]  ³⁹ tn The word “official” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[5:8]  ⁴⁰ sn And there are higher ones over them! This may describe a corrupt system of government in which each level of hierarchy exploits its subordinates, all the way down to the peasants: “Set in authority over the people is an official who enriches himself at their expense; he is watched by a more authoritative governor who also has his share of the spoils; and above them are other officers of the State who likewise have to be satisfied”; see A. Cohen, The Five Megilloth (SoBB), 141.

[8:7]  ⁴¹ tn Or “swears.”

[8:7]  ⁴² sn In an oath one appeals to something permanent to emphasize one’s commitment to the promise. Here the Lord sarcastically swears by the arrogance of Jacob, which he earlier had condemned (6:8), something just as enduring as the Lord’s own life (see 6:8) or unchanging character (see 4:2). Other suggestions include that the Lord is swearing by the land, his most valuable possession (cf. Isa 4:2; Ps 47:4 [47:5 HT]); that this is a divine epithet analogous to “the Glory of Israel” (1 Sam 15:29); or that an ellipsis should be understood here, in which case the meaning is the same as that of 6:8 (“The Lord has sworn [by himself] against the arrogance of Jacob”).

[8:7]  ⁴³ tn The words “I swear” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation because a self-imprecation is assumed in oaths of this type.

[8:7]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “I will never forget all your deeds.”

[9:2]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “into Sheol” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV), that is, the land of the dead localized in Hebrew thought in the earth’s core or the grave. Cf. KJV “hell”; NCV, NLT “the place of the dead”; NIV “the depths of the grave.”

[1:13]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “[you] are too pure of eyes.” God’s “eyes” here signify what he looks at with approval. His “eyes” are “pure” in that he refuses to tolerate any wrongdoing in his presence.

[1:13]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “to see.” Here “see” is figurative for “tolerate,” “put up with.”

[1:13]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “to look at.” Cf. NEB “who canst not countenance wrongdoing”; NASB “You can not look on wickedness with favor.”

[1:13]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “Why do you look at treacherous ones?” The verb בָּגַד (bagad, “be treacherous”) is often used of those who are disloyal or who violate agreements. See S. Erlandsson, TDOT 1:470-73.

[1:13]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “swallow up.”

[1:13]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “more innocent than themselves.”

[2:23]  ⁵² tn Grk “her children,” but in this context a reference to this woman’s followers or disciples is more likely meant.

[2:23]  ⁵³ tn Grk “I will kill with death.” θάνατος (qanatos) can in particular contexts refer to a manner of death, specifically a contagious disease (see BDAG 443 s.v. 3; L&N 23.158).

[2:23]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “I will give.” The sense of δίδωμι (didwmi) in this context is more “repay” than “give.”

[2:23]  ⁵⁵ sn This pronoun and the following one are plural in the Greek text.

[2:23]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “each one of you according to your works.”