Psalms 41:1-4

Psalm 41 ¹ 

For the music director; a psalm of David.

41:1 How blessed ²  is the one who treats the poor properly! ³ 

When trouble comes, ⁴  the Lord delivers him. ⁵ 

41:2 May the Lord protect him and save his life! ⁶ 

May he be blessed ⁷  in the land!

Do not turn him over ⁸  to his enemies! ⁹ 

41:3 The Lord supports ¹⁰  him on his sickbed;

you completely heal him from his illness. ¹¹ 

41:4 As for me, I said: ¹² 

“O Lord, have mercy on me!

Heal me, for I have sinned against you!

Psalms 112:4-9

112:4 In the darkness a light ¹³  shines for the godly,

for each one who is merciful, compassionate, and just. ¹⁴ 

112:5 It goes well for the one ¹⁵  who generously lends money,

and conducts his business honestly. ¹⁶ 

112:6 For he will never be upended;

others will always remember one who is just. ¹⁷ 

112:7 He does not fear bad news.

He ¹⁸  is confident; he trusts ¹⁹  in the Lord.

112:8 His resolve ²⁰  is firm; he will not succumb to fear

before he looks in triumph on his enemies.

112:9 He generously gives ²¹  to the needy;

his integrity endures. ²² 

He will be vindicated and honored. ²³ 

Isaiah 32:7-8

32:7 A deceiver’s methods are evil; ²⁴ 

he dreams up evil plans ²⁵ 

to ruin the poor with lies,

even when the needy are in the right. ²⁶ 

32:8 An honorable man makes honorable plans;

his honorable character gives him security. ²⁷ 

Isaiah 57:1

57:1 The godly ²⁸  perish,

but no one cares. ²⁹ 

Honest people disappear, ³⁰ 

when no one ³¹  minds ³² 

that the godly ³³  disappear ³⁴  because of ³⁵  evil. ³⁶ 

Isaiah 58:7-12

58:7 I want you ³⁷  to share your food with the hungry

and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. ³⁸ 

When you see someone naked, clothe him!

Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood! ³⁹ 

58:8 Then your light will shine like the sunrise; ⁴⁰ 

your restoration will quickly arrive; ⁴¹ 

your godly behavior ⁴²  will go before you,

and the Lord’s splendor will be your rear guard. ⁴³ 

58:9 Then you will call out, and the Lord will respond;

you will cry out, and he will reply, ‘Here I am.’

You must ⁴⁴  remove the burdensome yoke from among you

and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully.

58:10 You must ⁴⁵  actively help the hungry

and feed the oppressed. ⁴⁶ 

Then your light will dispel the darkness, ⁴⁷ 

and your darkness will be transformed into noonday. ⁴⁸ 

58:11 The Lord will continually lead you;

he will feed you even in parched regions. ⁴⁹ 

He will give you renewed strength, ⁵⁰ 

and you will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring that continually produces water.

58:12 Your perpetual ruins will be rebuilt; ⁵¹ 

you will reestablish the ancient foundations.

You will be called, ‘The one who repairs broken walls,

the one who makes the streets inhabitable again.’ ⁵² 

Daniel 4:27

4:27 Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you. Break away from your sins by doing what is right, and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps your prosperity will be prolonged.” ⁵³ 

Matthew 5:7

5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Matthew 6:14-15

6:14 “For if you forgive others ⁵⁴  their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 6:15 But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.

Matthew 25:34-40

25:34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 25:36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 25:37 Then the righteous will answer him, ⁵⁵  ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 25:38 When ⁵⁶  did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? 25:39 When ⁵⁷  did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 25:40 And the king will answer them, ⁵⁸  ‘I tell you the truth, ⁵⁹  just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters ⁶⁰  of mine, you did it for me.’

Luke 6:38

6:38 Give, and it will be given to you: A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, ⁶¹  will be poured ⁶²  into your lap. For the measure you use will be the measure you receive.” ⁶³ 

Luke 6:2

6:2 But some of the Pharisees ⁶⁴  said, “Why are you ⁶⁵  doing what is against the law ⁶⁶  on the Sabbath?”

Colossians 1:6-14

1:6 that has come to you. Just as in the entire world this gospel ⁶⁷  is bearing fruit and growing, so it has also been bearing fruit and growing ⁶⁸  among you from the first day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth. 1:7 You learned the gospel ⁶⁹  from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave ⁷⁰  – a ⁷¹  faithful minister of Christ on our ⁷²  behalf – 1:8 who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, ⁷³  have not ceased praying for you and asking God ⁷⁴  to fill ⁷⁵  you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 1:10 so that you may live ⁷⁶  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ⁷⁷  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, 1:11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of ⁷⁸  all patience and steadfastness, joyfully 1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share ⁷⁹  in the saints’ ⁸⁰  inheritance in the light. 1:13 He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, ⁸¹  1:14 in whom we have redemption, ⁸²  the forgiveness of sins.

Philippians 4:17

4:17 I do not say this because I am seeking a gift. ⁸³  Rather, I seek the credit that abounds to your account.

[41:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 41. The psalmist is confident (vv. 11-12) that the Lord has heard his request to be healed (vv. 4-10), and he anticipates the joy he will experience when the Lord intervenes (vv. 1-3). One must assume that the psalmist is responding to a divine oracle of assurance (see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 319-20). The final verse is a fitting conclusion to this psalm, but it is also serves as a fitting conclusion to the first “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the second, third, and fourth “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 72:19, 89:52, and 106:48 respectively).

[41:1]  ² tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).

[41:1]  ³ sn One who treats the poor properly. The psalmist is characterizing himself as such an individual and supplying a reason why God has responded favorably to his prayer. The Lord’s attitude toward the merciful mirrors their treatment of the poor.

[41:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “in the day of trouble” (see Ps 27:5).

[41:1]  ⁵ tn That is, the one who has been kind to the poor. The prefixed verbal form could be taken as jussive of prayer (“may the Lord deliver,” see v. 2), but the preceding parallel line is a declaration of fact, not a prayer per se. The imperfect can be taken here as future (“will deliver,” cf. NEB, NASB) or as generalizing (“delivers,” cf. NIV, NRSV). The parallel line, which has a generalizing tone, favors the latter. At the same time, though the psalmist uses a generalizing style here, he clearly has himself primarily in view.

[41:2]  ⁶ tn The prefixed verbal forms are taken as jussives in the translation because the jussive is clearly used in the final line of the verse, suggesting that this is a prayer. The psalmist stops to pronounce a prayer of blessing on the godly individual envisioned in v. 1. Of course, he actually has himself primarily in view. He mixes confidence (vv. 1, 3) with petition (v. 2) because he stands in the interval between the word of assurance and the actual intervention by God.

[41:2]  ⁷ tc The translation follows the consonantal Hebrew text (Kethib), which has a Pual (passive) prefixed form, regarded here as a jussive. The Pual of the verb אָשַׁר (’ashar) also appears in Prov 3:18. The marginal reading (Qere) assumes a vav (ו) consecutive and Pual perfect. Some, with the support of the LXX, change the verb to a Piel (active) form with an objective pronominal suffix, “and may he bless him,” or “and he will bless him” (cf. NIV).

[41:2]  ⁸ tn The negative particle אַל (’al) before the prefixed verbal form indicates the verb is a jussive and the statement a prayer. Those who want to take v. 2 as a statement of confidence suggest emending the negative particle to לֹא (lo’), which is used with the imperfect. See the earlier note on the verbal forms in line one of this verse. According to GKC 322 §109.e, this is a case where the jussive is used rhetorically to “express that something cannot or should not happen.” In this case one might translate, “you will not turn him over to his enemies,” and take the preceding verbal forms as indicative in mood.

[41:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “do not give him over to the desire of his enemies” (see Ps 27:12).

[41:3]  ¹⁰ tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as jussive, continuing the prayer of v. 2, but the parallel line in v. 3b employs the perfect, suggesting that the psalmist is again speaking in the indicative mood (see v. 1b). The imperfect can be understood as future or as generalizing (see v. 1).

[41:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “all his bed you turn in his illness.” The perfect is used here in a generalizing sense (see v. 1) or in a rhetorical manner to emphasize that the healing is as good as done.

[41:4]  ¹² sn In vv. 4-10 the psalmist recites the prayer of petition and lament he offered to the Lord.

[112:4]  ¹³ tn In this context “light” symbolizes divine blessing in its various forms (see v. 2), including material prosperity and stability.

[112:4]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “merciful and compassionate and just.” The Hebrew text has three singular adjectives, which are probably substantival and in apposition to the “godly” (which is plural, however). By switching to the singular, the psalmist focuses on each individual member of the group known as the “godly.” Note how vv. 5-9, like vv. 1-2a, use the singular to describe the representative godly individual who typifies the whole group.

[112:5]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “man.”

[112:5]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “he sustains his matters with justice.”

[112:6]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “for an eternal memorial a just [one] will be.”

[112:7]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “his heart,” viewed here as the seat of the volition and emotions (see Ps 108:1).

[112:7]  ¹⁹ tn The passive participle בָּטֻחַ [בָּטוּחַ] (batuakh [batuakh]) expresses a state that results from the subject’s action. See Isa 26:3.

[112:8]  ²⁰ tn Heb “his heart,” viewed here as the seat of the volition.

[112:9]  ²¹ tn Heb “he scatters, he gives.”

[112:9]  ²² tn Heb “stands forever.”

[112:9]  ²³ tn Heb “his horn will be lifted up in honor.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17).

[32:7]  ²⁴ tn Heb “as for a deceiver, his implements [or “weapons”] are evil.”

[32:7]  ²⁵ tn Or “he plans evil things”; NIV “he makes up evil schemes.”

[32:7]  ²⁶ tn Heb “to ruin the poor with words of falsehood, even when the needy speak what is just.”

[32:8]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and he upon honorable things stands.”

[57:1]  ²⁸ tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the just man”; TEV “Good people.”

[57:1]  ²⁹ tn Or perhaps, “understands.” Heb “and there is no man who sets [it] upon [his] heart.”

[57:1]  ³⁰ tn Heb “Men of loyalty are taken away.” The Niphal of אָסַף (’asaf) here means “to die.”

[57:1]  ³¹ 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]  ³² tn Or “realizes”; Heb “understands” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[57:1]  ³³ tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the just man.”

[57:1]  ³⁴ tn Heb “are taken away.” The Niphal of אָסַף (’asaf) here means “to die.”

[57:1]  ³⁵ 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]  ³⁶ 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.

[58:7]  ³⁷ tn Heb “Is it not?” The rhetorical question here expects a positive answer, “It is!”

[58:7]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and afflicted [ones], homeless [ones] you should bring [into] a house.” On the meaning of מְרוּדִים (mÿrudim, “homeless”) see HALOT 633 s.v. *מָרוּד.

[58:7]  ³⁹ tn Heb “and from your flesh do not hide yourself.”

[58:8]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “will burst out like the dawn.”

[58:8]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “prosper”; KJV “spring forth speedily.”

[58:8]  ⁴² tn Or “righteousness.” Their godly behavior will be on display for all to see.

[58:8]  ⁴³ sn The nation will experience God’s protective presence.

[58:9]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “if you.” In the Hebrew text vv. 9b-10 are one long conditional sentence. The protasis (“if” clauses appear in vv. 9b-10a), with the apodosis (“then” clause) appearing in v. 10b.

[58:10]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “if you.” See the note on “you must” in v. 9b.

[58:10]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “If you furnish for the hungry [with] your being, and the appetite of the oppressed you satisfy.”

[58:10]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “will rise in the darkness.”

[58:10]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “and your darkness [will be] like noonday.”

[58:11]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “he will satisfy in parched regions your appetite.”

[58:11]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “and your bones he will strengthen.”

[58:12]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “and they will build from you ancient ruins.”

[58:12]  ⁵² tc The Hebrew text has “the one who restores paths for dwelling.” The idea of “paths to dwell in” is not a common notion. Some have proposed emending נְתִיבוֹת (nÿtivot, “paths”) to נְתִיצוֹת (nÿtitsot, “ruins”), a passive participle from נָתַץ (natats, “tear down”; see HALOT 732 s.v. *נְתִיצָה), because tighter parallelism with the preceding line is achieved. However, none of the textual sources support this emendation. The line may mean that paths must be repaired in order to dwell in the land.

[4:27]  ⁵³ tn Aram “if there may be a lengthening to your prosperity.”

[6:14]  ⁵⁴ tn Here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense: “people, others.”

[25:37]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “answer him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[25:38]  ⁵⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[25:39]  ⁵⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[25:40]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “answering, the king will say to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.

[25:40]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[25:40]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). In this context Jesus is ultimately speaking of his “followers” (whether men or women, adults or children), but the familial connotation of “brothers and sisters” is also important to retain here.

[6:38]  ⁶¹ sn The background to the image pressed down, shaken together, running over is pouring out grain for measure in the marketplace. One often poured the grain into a container, shook it to level out the grain and then poured in some more. Those who are generous have generosity running over for them.

[6:38]  ⁶² tn Grk “they will give”; that is, “pour.” The third person plural has been replaced by the passive in the translation.

[6:38]  ⁶³ tn Grk “by [the measure] with which you measure it will be measured back to you.”

[6:2]  ⁶⁴ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[6:2]  ⁶⁵ tn Note that the verb is second person plural (with an understood plural pronominal subject in Greek). The charge is again indirectly made against Jesus by charging the disciples.

[6:2]  ⁶⁶ sn The alleged violation expressed by the phrase what is against the law is performing work on the Sabbath. That the disciples ate from such a field is no problem given Deut 23:25, but Sabbath activity is another matter in the leaders’ view (Exod 20:8-11 and Mishnah, m. Shabbat 7.2). The supposed violation involved reaping, threshing, winnowing, and preparing food. This probably explains why the clause describing the disciples “rubbing” the heads of grain in their hands is mentioned last, in emphatic position. This was preparation of food.

[1:6]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “just as in the entire world it is bearing fruit.” The antecedent (“the gospel”) of the implied subject (“it”) of ἐστιν (estin) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:6]  ⁶⁸ tn Though the participles are periphrastic with the present tense verb ἐστίν (estin), the presence of the temporal indicator “from the day” in the next clause indicates that this is a present tense that reaches into the past and should be translated as “has been bearing fruit and growing.” For a discussion of this use of the present tense, see ExSyn 519-20.

[1:7]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “learned it.” The Greek text simply has “you learned” without the reference to “the gospel,” but “the gospel” is supplied to clarify the sense of the clause. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[1:7]  ⁷⁰ tn The Greek word translated “fellow slave” is σύνδουλος (sundoulo"); the σύν- prefix here denotes association. Though δοῦλος is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:7]  ⁷¹ tn The Greek text has “who (ὅς, Jos) is a faithful minister.” The above translation conveys the antecedent of the relative pronoun quite well and avoids the redundancy with the following substantival participle of v. 8, namely, “who told” (ὁ δηλώσας, Jo dhlwsa").

[1:7]  ⁷² tc ‡ Judging by the superior witnesses for the first person pronoun ἡμῶν (Jhmwn, “us”; Ì⁴⁶ א* A B D* F G 326* 1505 al) vs. the second person pronoun ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “you”; found in א² C D¹ Ψ 075 33 1739 1881 Ï lat sy co), ἡμῶν should be regarded as original. Although it is possible that ἡμῶν was an early alteration of ὑμῶν (either unintentionally, as dittography, since it comes seventeen letters after the previous ἡμῶν; or intentionally, to conform to the surrounding first person pronouns), this supposition is difficult to maintain in light of the varied and valuable witnesses for this reading. Further, the second person is both embedded in the verb ἐμάθετε (emaqete) and is explicit in v. 8 (ὑμῶν). Hence, the motivation to change to the first person pronoun is counterbalanced by such evidence. The second person pronoun may have been introduced unintentionally via homoioarcton with the ὑπέρ (Juper) that immediately precedes it. As well, the second person reading is somewhat harder for it seems to address Epaphras’ role only in relation to Paul and his colleagues, rather than in relation to the Colossians. Nevertheless, the decision must be based ultimately on external evidence (because the internal evidence can be variously interpreted), and this strongly supports ἡμῶν.

[1:9]  ⁷³ 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]  ⁷⁴ 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]  ⁷⁵ 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.

[1:10]  ⁷⁶ tn The infinitive περιπατῆσαι (peripathsai, “to walk, to live, to live one’s life”) is best taken as an infinitive of purpose related to “praying” (προσευχόμενοι, proseucomenoi) and “asking” (αἰτούμενοι, aitoumenoi) in v. 9 and is thus translated as “that you may live.”

[1:10]  ⁷⁷ tn BDAG 129 s.v. ἀρεσκεία states that ἀρεσκείαν (areskeian) refers to a “desire to please εἰς πᾶσαν ἀ. to please (the Lord) in all respects Col 1:10.”

[1:11]  ⁷⁸ tn The expression “for the display of” is an attempt to convey in English the force of the Greek preposition εἰς (eis) in this context.

[1:12]  ⁷⁹ tn BDAG 473 s.v. ἱκανόω states, “τινὰ εἴς τι someone for someth. Col 1:12.” The point of the text is that God has qualified the saints for a “share” or “portion” in the inheritance of the saints.

[1:12]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “the inheritance of the saints.” The genitive noun τῶν ἁγίων (twn Jagiwn) is a possessive genitive: “the saints’ inheritance.”

[1:13]  ⁸¹ tn Here αὐτοῦ (autou) has been translated as a subjective genitive (“he loves”).

[1:14]  ⁸² tc διὰ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ (dia tou {aimato" autou, “through his blood”) is read at this juncture by several minuscule mss (614 630 1505 2464 al) as well as a few, mostly secondary, versional and patristic witnesses. But the reading was prompted by the parallel in Eph 1:7 where the wording is solid. If these words had been in the original of Colossians, why would scribes omit them here but not in Eph 1:7? Further, the testimony on behalf of the shorter reading is quite overwhelming: {א A B C D F G Ψ 075 0150 6 33 1739 1881 Ï latt co as well as several other versions and fathers}. The conviction that “through his blood” is not authentic in Col 1:14 is as strong as the conviction that these words are authentic in Eph 1:7.

[4:17]  ⁸³ tn Grk “Not that I am seeking the gift.” The phrase “I do not say this…” has been supplied in the translation to complete the thought for the modern reader.