Psalms 22:6

22:6 But I ¹  am a worm, ²  not a man; ³ 

people insult me and despise me. ⁴ 

Isaiah 49:7

49:7 This is what the Lord,

the protector ⁵  of Israel, their Holy One, ⁶  says

to the one who is despised ⁷  and rejected ⁸  by nations, ⁹ 

a servant of rulers:

“Kings will see and rise in respect, ¹⁰ 

princes will bow down,

because of the faithful Lord,

the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.”

Isaiah 50:5-6

50:5 The sovereign Lord has spoken to me clearly; ¹¹ 

I have not rebelled,

I have not turned back.

50:6 I offered my back to those who attacked, ¹² 

my jaws to those who tore out my beard;

I did not hide my face

from insults and spitting.

Isaiah 52:14

52:14 (just as many were horrified by the sight of you) ¹³ 

he was so disfigured ¹⁴  he no longer looked like a man; ¹⁵ 

Isaiah 53:2-3

53:2 He sprouted up like a twig before God, ¹⁶ 

like a root out of parched soil; ¹⁷ 

he had no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention, ¹⁸ 

no special appearance that we should want to follow him. ¹⁹ 

53:3 He was despised and rejected by people, ²⁰ 

one who experienced pain and was acquainted with illness;

people hid their faces from him; ²¹ 

he was despised, and we considered him insignificant. ²² 

Daniel 9:26

9:26 Now after the sixty-two weeks,

an anointed one will be cut off and have nothing. ²³ 

As for the city and the sanctuary,

the people of the coming prince will destroy ²⁴  them.

But his end will come speedily ²⁵  like a flood. ²⁶ 

Until the end of the war that has been decreed

there will be destruction.

Zechariah 9:9

9:9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion!

Shout, daughter of Jerusalem!

Look! Your king is coming to you:

he is legitimate ²⁷  and victorious, ²⁸ 

humble and riding on a donkey ²⁹  –

on a young donkey, the foal of a female donkey.

Mark 9:12

9:12 He said to them, “Elijah does indeed come first, and restores all things. And why is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be despised?

Romans 15:3

15:3 For even Christ did not please himself, but just as it is written, “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” ³⁰ 

Romans 15:2

15:2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up.

Colossians 1:9

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, ³¹  have not ceased praying for you and asking God ³²  to fill ³³  you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

Hebrews 2:9-18

2:9 but we see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, ³⁴  now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, ³⁵  so that by God’s grace he would experience ³⁶  death on behalf of everyone. 2:10 For it was fitting for him, for whom and through whom all things exist, ³⁷  in bringing many sons to glory, to make the pioneer ³⁸  of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 2:11 For indeed he who makes holy and those being made holy all have the same origin, ³⁹  and so ⁴⁰  he is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, ⁴¹  2:12 saying, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers; ⁴²  in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.” ⁴³  2:13 Again he says, ⁴⁴  “I will be confident in him,” and again, “Here I am, ⁴⁵  with ⁴⁶  the children God has given me.” ⁴⁷  2:14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he likewise shared in ⁴⁸  their humanity, ⁴⁹  so that through death he could destroy ⁵⁰  the one who holds the power of death (that is, the devil), 2:15 and set free those who were held in slavery all their lives by their fear of death. 2:16 For surely his concern is not for angels, but he is concerned for Abraham’s descendants. 2:17 Therefore he had ⁵¹  to be made like his brothers and sisters ⁵²  in every respect, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, to make atonement ⁵³  for the sins of the people. 2:18 For since he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

Hebrews 12:2

12:2 keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. ⁵⁴ 

Hebrews 13:3

13:3 Remember those in prison as though you were in prison with them, ⁵⁵  and those ill-treated as though you too felt their torment. ⁵⁶ 

[22:6]  ¹ tn The grammatical construction (conjunction + pronoun) highlights the contrast between the psalmist’s experience and that of his ancestors. When he considers God’s past reliability, it only heightens his despair and confusion, for God’s present silence stands in stark contrast to his past saving acts.

[22:6]  ² tn The metaphor expresses the psalmist’s self-perception, which is based on how others treat him (see the following line).

[22:6]  ³ tn Or “not a human being.” The psalmist perceives himself as less than human.

[22:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “a reproach of man and despised by people.”

[49:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[49:7]  ⁶ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[49:7]  ⁷ tc The Hebrew text reads literally “to [one who] despises life.” It is preferable to read with the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a לבזוי, which should be vocalized as a passive participle, לִבְזוּי (livzuy, “to the one despised with respect to life” [נֶפֶשׁ is a genitive of specification]). The consonantal sequence וי was probably misread as ה in the MT tradition. The contextual argument favors the 1QIsa^a reading. As J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 2:294) points out, the three terse phrases “convey a picture of lowliness, worthlessness, and helplessness.”

[49:7]  ⁸ tn MT’s Piel participle (“to the one who rejects”) does not fit contextually. The form should be revocalized as a Pual, “to the one rejected.”

[49:7]  ⁹ tn Parallelism (see “rulers,” “kings,” “princes”) suggests that the singular גּוֹי (goy) be emended to a plural or understood in a collective sense (see 55:5).

[49:7]  ¹⁰ tn For this sense of קוּם (qum), see Gen 19:1; 23:7; 33:10; Lev 19:32; 1 Sam 20:41; 25:41; 1 Kgs 2:19; Job 29:8.

[50:5]  ¹¹ tn Or perhaps, “makes me obedient.” The text reads literally, “has opened for me an ear.”

[50:6]  ¹² tn Or perhaps, “who beat [me].”

[52:14]  ¹³ tn Some witnesses read “him,” which is more consistent with the context, where the servant is spoken about, not addressed. However, it is possible that the Lord briefly addresses the servant here. The present translation assumes the latter view and places the phrase in parentheses.

[52:14]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “such was the disfigurement.” The noun מִשְׁחַת (mishkhat) occurs only here. It may be derived from the verbal root שָׁחַת (shakhat, “be ruined”; see BDB 1007-8 s.v. שָׁחַת). The construct form appears here before a prepositional phrase (cf. GKC 421 §130.a).

[52:14]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “from a man his appearance.” The preposition מִן (min) here carries the sense “away from,” i.e., “so as not to be.” See BDB 583 s.v.

[53:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “before him.” Some suggest an emendation to “before us.” If the third singular suffix of the Hebrew text is retained, it probably refers to the Lord (see v. 1b). For a defense of this reading, see R. Whybray, Isaiah 40-66 (NCBC), 173-74.

[53:2]  ¹⁷ sn The metaphor in this verse suggests insignificance.

[53:2]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “that we might see him.” The vav conjunctive prefixed to the imperfect introduces a result clause here. See GKC 504-5 §166.a.

[53:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “that we should desire him.” The vav conjunctive prefixed to the imperfect introduces a result clause here. See GKC 504-5 §166.a.

[53:3]  ²⁰ tn Heb “lacking of men.” If the genitive is taken as specifying (“lacking with respect to men”), then the idea is that he lacked company because he was rejected by people. Another option is to take the genitive as indicating genus or larger class (i.e., “one lacking among men”). In this case one could translate, “he was a transient” (cf. the use of חָדֵל [khadel] in Ps 39:5 HT [39:4 ET]).

[53:3]  ²¹ tn Heb “like a hiding of the face from him,” i.e., “like one before whom the face is hidden” (see BDB 712 s.v. מַסְתֵּר).

[53:3]  ²² sn The servant is likened to a seriously ill person who is shunned by others because of his horrible disease.

[9:26]  ²³ sn The expression have nothing is difficult. Presumably it refers to an absence of support or assistance for the anointed one at the time of his “cutting off.” The KJV rendering “but not for himself,” apparently suggesting a vicarious death, cannot be defended.

[9:26]  ²⁴ tc Some witnesses (e.g., the Syriac) understand a passive verb and the preposition עִם (’im, “with) rather than the noun עַם (’am, “people”), thus reading “the city and the sanctuary will be destroyed with the coming prince.”

[9:26]  ²⁵ tn The words “will come speedily” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.

[9:26]  ²⁶ sn Flood here is a metaphor for sudden destruction.

[9:9]  ²⁷ tn The Hebrew term צַדִּיק (tsadiq) ordinarily translated “righteous,” frequently occurs, as here, with the idea of conforming to a standard or meeting certain criteria. The Messianic king riding into Jerusalem is fully qualified to take the Davidic throne (cf. 1 Sam 23:3; Isa 9:5-6; 11:4; 16:5; Jer 22:1-5; 23:5-6).

[9:9]  ²⁸ tn The Hebrew term נוֹשָׁע (nosha’) a Niphal participle of יָשַׁע (yasha’, “to save”) could mean “one delivered” or, if viewed as active, “one bringing salvation” (similar KJV, NIV, NKJV). It is preferable to take the normal passive use of the Niphal and understand that the king, having been delivered, is as a result “victorious” (so also NRSV, TEV, NLT).

[9:9]  ²⁹ sn The NT understands this verse to be a prophecy of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and properly so (cf. Matt 21:5; John 12:15), but reference to the universal rule of the king in v. 10 reveals that this is a “split prophecy,” that is, it has a two-stage fulfillment. Verse 9 was fulfilled in Jesus’ earthly ministry but v. 10 awaits a millennial consummation (cf. Rev 19:11-16).

[15:3]  ³⁰ sn A quotation from Ps 69:9.

[1:9]  ³¹ tn Or “heard about it”; Grk “heard.” There is no direct object stated in the Greek (direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context). A direct object is expected by an English reader, however, so most translations supply one. Here, however, it is not entirely clear what the author “heard”: a number of translations supply “it” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV; NAB “this”), but this could refer back either to (1) “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8, or (2) “your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints” (v. 4). In light of this uncertainty, other translations supply “about you” (TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). This is preferred by the present translation since, while it does not resolve the ambiguity entirely, it does make it less easy for the English reader to limit the reference only to “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8.

[1:9]  ³² tn The term “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but the following reference to “the knowledge of his will” makes it clear that “God” is in view as the object of the “praying and asking,” and should therefore be included in the English translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ³³ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated as substantival, indicating the content of the prayer and asking. The idea of purpose may also be present in this clause.

[2:9]  ³⁴ tn Or “who was made a little lower than the angels.”

[2:9]  ³⁵ tn Grk “because of the suffering of death.”

[2:9]  ³⁶ tn Grk “would taste.” Here the Greek verb does not mean “sample a small amount” (as a typical English reader might infer from the word “taste”), but “experience something cognitively or emotionally; come to know something” (cf. BDAG 195 s.v. γεύομαι 2).

[2:10]  ³⁷ tn Grk “for whom are all things and through whom are all things.”

[2:10]  ³⁸ sn The Greek word translated pioneer is used of a “prince” or leader, the representative head of a family. It also carries nuances of “trailblazer,” one who breaks through to new ground for those who follow him. It is used some thirty-five times in the Greek OT and four times in the NT, always of Christ (Acts 3:15; 5:31; Heb 2:10; 12:2).

[2:11]  ³⁹ tn Grk “are all from one.”

[2:11]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “for which reason.”

[2:11]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). The context here also indicates both men and women are in view; note especially the collective τὰ παιδία (ta paidia) in v. 14.

[2:12]  ⁴² tn Here, because of its occurrence in an OT quotation, τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς (tois adelfois) has been translated simply as “brothers” rather than “brothers and sisters” (see the note on the latter phrase in the previous verse).

[2:12]  ⁴³ sn A quotation from Ps 22:22.

[2:13]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “and again,” as a continuation of the preceding.

[2:13]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “behold, I,” but this construction often means “here is/there is” (cf. BDAG 468 s.v. ἰδού 2).

[2:13]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “and.”

[2:13]  ⁴⁷ sn A quotation from Isa 8:17-18.

[2:14]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “partook of” (this is a different word than the one in v. 14a).

[2:14]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “the same.”

[2:14]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “break the power of,” “reduce to nothing.”

[2:17]  ⁵¹ tn Or “he was obligated.”

[2:17]  ⁵² tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.

[2:17]  ⁵³ tn Or “propitiation.”

[12:2]  ⁵⁴ sn An allusion to Ps 110:1.

[13:3]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “as being imprisoned together.”

[13:3]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “since you too are vulnerable”; Grk “you also being in the body.”