Discovery BoxPsalms 12:1
ContextFor the music director; according to the sheminith style; 2 a psalm of David.
12:1 Deliver, Lord!
For the godly 3 have disappeared; 4
people of integrity 5 have vanished. 6
Psalms 14:1-3
ContextFor the music director; by David.
14:1 Fools say to themselves, 8 “There is no God.” 9
They sin and commit evil deeds; 10
none of them does what is right. 11
14:2 The Lord looks down from heaven 12 at the human race, 13
to see if there is anyone who is wise 14 and seeks God. 15
they are all morally corrupt. 17
None of them does what is right, 18
not even one!
Isaiah 57:1
Contextbut no one cares. 20
Honest people disappear, 21
that the godly 24 disappear 25 because of 26 evil. 27
Romans 3:10-18
Context3:10 just as it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one,
3:11 there is no one who understands,
there is no one who seeks God.
3:12 All have turned away,
together they have become worthless;
there is no one who shows kindness, not even one.” 28
3:13 “Their throats are open graves, 29
they deceive with their tongues,
the poison of asps is under their lips.” 30
3:14 “Their mouths are 31 full of cursing and bitterness.” 32
3:15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood,
3:16 ruin and misery are in their paths,
[12:1] 1 sn Psalm 12. The psalmist asks the Lord to intervene, for society is overrun by deceitful, arrogant oppressors and godly individuals are a dying breed. When the Lord announces his intention to defend the oppressed, the psalmist affirms his confidence in the divine promise.
[12:1] 2 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (shÿminit) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.
[12:1] 3 tn The singular form is collective or representative. Note the plural form “faithful [ones]” in the following line. A “godly [one]” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
[12:1] 4 tn Or “have come to an end.”
[12:1] 5 tn Heb “the faithful [ones] from the sons of man.”
[12:1] 6 tn The Hebrew verb פָּסַס (pasas) occurs only here. An Akkadian cognate means “efface, blot out.”
[14:1] 7 sn Psalm 14. The psalmist observes that the human race is morally corrupt. Evildoers oppress God’s people, but the psalmist is confident of God’s protection and anticipates a day when God will vindicate Israel.
[14:1] 8 tn Heb “a fool says in his heart.” The singular is used here in a collective or representative sense; the typical fool is envisioned.
[14:1] 9 sn “There is no God.” The statement is probably not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that God is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see Ps 10:4, 11).
[14:1] 10 tn Heb “they act corruptly, they make a deed evil.” The verbs describe the typical behavior of the wicked. The subject of the plural verbs is “sons of man” (v. 2). The entire human race is characterized by sinful behavior. This practical atheism – living as if there is no God who will hold them accountable for their actions – makes them fools, for one of the earmarks of folly is to fail to anticipate the long range consequences of one’s behavior.
[14:1] 11 tn Heb “there is none that does good.”
[14:2] 12 sn The picture of the
[14:2] 13 tn Heb “upon the sons of man.”
[14:2] 14 tn Or “acts wisely.” The Hiphil is exhibitive.
[14:2] 15 sn Anyone who is wise and seeks God refers to the person who seeks to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him.
[14:3] 16 tn Heb “everyone turns aside.”
[14:3] 17 tn Heb “together they are corrupt.”
[14:3] 18 tn Heb “there is none that does good.”
[57:1] 19 tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the just man”; TEV “Good people.”
[57:1] 20 tn Or perhaps, “understands.” Heb “and there is no man who sets [it] upon [his] heart.”
[57:1] 21 tn Heb “Men of loyalty are taken away.” The Niphal of אָסַף (’asaf) here means “to die.”
[57:1] 22 tn The Hebrew term בְּאֵין (bÿ’en) often has the nuance “when there is no.” See Prov 8:24; 11;14; 14:4; 15:22; 26:20; 29:18.
[57:1] 23 tn Or “realizes”; Heb “understands” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[57:1] 24 tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the just man.”
[57:1] 25 tn Heb “are taken away.” The Niphal of אָסַף (’asaf) here means “to die.”
[57:1] 26 tn The term מִפְּנֵי (mippÿne, “from the face of”) often has a causal nuance. It also appears with the Niphal of אָסַף (’asaph, “gather”) in 2 Chr 12:5: אֲשֶׁר־נֶאֶסְפוּ אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלַם מִפְּנֵי שִׁישָׁק (’asher-ne’esphu ’el-yÿrushalam mippÿney shishaq, “who had gathered at Jerusalem because of [i.e., due to fear of] Shishak”).
[57:1] 27 tn The translation assumes that this verse, in proverbial fashion, laments society’s apathy over the persecution of the godly. The second half of the verse observes that such apathy results in more widespread oppression. Since the next verse pictures the godly being taken to a place of rest, some interpret the second half of v. 1 in a more positive vein. According to proponents of this view, God removes the godly so that they might be spared suffering and calamity, a fact which the general populace fails to realize.
[3:12] 28 sn Verses 10-12 are a quotation from Ps 14:1-3.
[3:13] 29 tn Grk “their throat is an opened grave.”
[3:13] 30 sn A quotation from Pss 5:9; 140:3.
[3:14] 31 tn Grk “whose mouth is.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[3:14] 32 sn A quotation from Ps 10:7.
[3:17] 33 sn Rom 3:15-17 is a quotation from Isa 59:7-8.
