Psalms 147:11

147:11 The Lord takes delight in his faithful followers, ¹ 

and in those who wait for his loyal love.

Proverbs 15:8

15:8 The Lord abhors ²  the sacrifices ³  of the wicked, ⁴ 

but the prayer ⁵  of the upright pleases him. ⁶ 

The Song of Songs 2:14

The Dove in the Clefts of En-Gedi

The Lover to His Beloved:

2:14 O my dove, ⁷  in the clefts of the rock,

in the hiding places of the mountain crags,

let me see your face,

let me hear your voice;

for your voice is sweet,

and your face is lovely.

Isaiah 43:21

43:21 the people whom I formed for myself,

so they might praise me.” ⁸ 

Ezekiel 22:30

22:30 “I looked for a man from among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it, but I found no one. ⁹ 

Ezekiel 22:1

The Sins of Jerusalem

22:1 The word of the Lord came to me:

Ezekiel 2:9

2:9 Then I looked and realized a hand was stretched out to me, and in it was a written scroll.

[147:11]  ¹ tn Heb “those who fear him.”

[15:8]  ² tn Heb “an abomination of the Lord.” The term יְהוָה (yÿhvah, “the Lord”) functions as a subjective genitive: “the Lord abhors.” Cf. NIV “the Lord detests”; NCV, NLT “the Lord hates”; CEV “the Lord is disgusted.”

[15:8]  ³ tn Heb “sacrifice” (so many English versions).

[15:8]  ⁴ sn The sacrifices of the wicked are hated by the Lord because the worshipers are insincere and blasphemous (e.g., Prov 15:29; 21:3; 28:9; Ps 40:6-8; Isa 1:10-17). In other words, the spiritual condition of the worshiper determines whether or not the worship is acceptable to God.

[15:8]  ⁵ sn J. H. Greenstone notes that if God will accept the prayers of the upright, he will accept their sacrifices; for sacrifice is an outer ritual and easily performed even by the wicked, but prayer is a private and inward act and not usually fabricated by unbelievers (Proverbs, 162).

[15:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “[is] his pleasure.” The 3rd person masculine singular suffix functions as a subjective genitive: “he is pleased.” God is pleased with the prayers of the upright.

[2:14]  ⁷ sn The dove was a common figure for romantic love in ancient Near Eastern love literature. This emphasis seems to be suggested by his use of the term “my dove.” Just as the young man heard the voice of the turtledove in 2:12, so now he wants to hear her voice. Doves were often associated with timidity in the ancient world. Being virtually defenseless, they would often take refuge in crevices and cliffs for safety (Jer 48:28). The emphasis on timidity and the need for security is undoubtedly the emphasis here because of the explicit description of this “dove” hiding in the “clefts of the rock” and in “the hiding places of the mountain crevice.” Fortresses were sometimes built in the clefts of the rocks on mountainsides because they were inaccessible and therefore, in a secure place of safety (Jer 49:16; Obad 3). Perhaps he realized it might be intimidating for her to join him and communicate with him freely. She would need to feel secure in his love to do this. It would be easy for her to hide from such emotionally exposing experiences.

[43:21]  ⁸ tn Heb “[so] they might declare my praise.”

[22:30]  ⁹ tn Heb “I did not find.”