Psalms 19:5

19:5 Like a bridegroom it emerges ¹  from its chamber; ² 

like a strong man it enjoys ³  running its course. ⁴ 

Ecclesiastes 9:11

Wisdom Cannot Protect against Seemingly Chance Events

9:11 Again, ⁵  I observed this on the earth: ⁶ 

the race is not always ⁷  won by the swiftest,

the battle is not always won by the strongest;

prosperity ⁸  does not always belong to those who are the wisest,

wealth does not always belong to those who are the most discerning,

nor does success ⁹  always come to those with the most knowledge –

for time and chance may overcome ¹⁰  them all.

Jeremiah 12:5

12:5 The Lord answered, ¹¹ 

“If you have raced on foot against men and they have worn you out,

how will you be able to compete with horses?

And if you feel secure only ¹²  in safe and open country, ¹³ 

how will you manage in the thick undergrowth along the Jordan River? ¹⁴ 

[19:5]  ¹ tn The participle expresses the repeated or regular nature of the action.

[19:5]  ² tn The Hebrew noun חֻפָּה (khufah, “chamber”) occurs elsewhere only in Isa 4:5 and Joel 2:16 (where it refers to the bedroom of a bride and groom).

[19:5]  ³ tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the regularity of the action.

[19:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “[on] a path.”

[9:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “I returned and.” In the Hebrew idiom, “to return and do” means “to do again.”

[9:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “under the sun.”

[9:11]  ⁷ tn The term “always” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation (five times in this verse) for clarity.

[9:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “bread.”

[9:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “favor.”

[9:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “happen to.”

[12:5]  ¹¹ tn The words “The Lord answered” are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[12:5]  ¹² tn Some commentaries and English versions follow the suggestion given in HALOT 116 s.v. II בָּטַח that a homonym meaning “to stumble, fall down” is involved here and in Prov 14:16. The evidence for this homonym is questionable because both passages can be explained on other grounds with the usual root.

[12:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “a land of tranquility.” The expression involves a figure of substitution where the feeling engendered is substituted for the conditions that engender it. For the idea see Isa 32:18. The translation both here and in the following line is intended to bring out the contrast implicit in the emotive connotations connected with “peaceful country” and “thicket along the Jordan.”

[12:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the thicket along the Jordan.” The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.