Psalms 50:1-6

Psalm 50 ¹ 

A psalm by Asaph.

50:1 El, God, the Lord ²  speaks,

and summons the earth to come from the east and west. ³ 

50:2 From Zion, the most beautiful of all places, ⁴ 

God comes in splendor. ⁵ 

50:3 Our God approaches and is not silent; ⁶ 

consuming fire goes ahead of him

and all around him a storm rages. ⁷ 

50:4 He summons the heavens above,

as well as the earth, so that he might judge his people. ⁸ 

50:5 He says: ⁹ 

“Assemble my covenant people before me, ¹⁰ 

those who ratified a covenant with me by sacrifice!” ¹¹ 

50:6 The heavens declare his fairness, ¹² 

for God is judge. ¹³  (Selah)

Psalms 96:13

96:13 before the Lord, for he comes!

For he comes to judge the earth!

He judges the world fairly, ¹⁴ 

and the nations in accordance with his justice. ¹⁵ 

Psalms 98:9

98:9 before the Lord!

For he comes to judge the earth!

He judges the world fairly, ¹⁶ 

and the nations in a just manner.

Ecclesiastes 11:9

Enjoy Life to the Fullest under the Fear of God

11:9 Rejoice, young man, while you are young, ¹⁷ 

and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth.

Follow the impulses ¹⁸  of your heart and the desires ¹⁹  of your eyes,

but know that God will judge your motives and actions. ²⁰ 

Ecclesiastes 12:14

12:14 For God will evaluate every deed, ²¹ 

including every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Matthew 25:31-32

The Judgment

25:31 “When ²²  the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 25:32 All ²³  the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

John 5:21-22

5:21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, ²⁴  so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes. ²⁵  5:22 Furthermore, the Father does not judge ²⁶  anyone, but has assigned ²⁷  all judgment to the Son,

Romans 14:10-12

14:10 But you who eat vegetables only – why do you judge your brother or sister? ²⁸  And you who eat everything – why do you despise your brother or sister? ²⁹  For we will all stand before the judgment seat ³⁰  of God. 14:11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God.” ³¹  14:12 Therefore, each of us will give an account of himself to God. ³² 

Romans 14:2

14:2 One person believes in eating everything, but the weak person eats only vegetables.

Colossians 1:10

1:10 so that you may live ³³  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ³⁴  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,

Revelation 20:11-15

The Great White Throne

20:11 Then ³⁵  I saw a large ³⁶  white throne and the one who was seated on it; the earth and the heaven ³⁷  fled ³⁸  from his presence, and no place was found for them. 20:12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. Then ³⁹  books were opened, and another book was opened – the book of life. ⁴⁰  So ⁴¹  the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds. ⁴²  20:13 The ⁴³  sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death ⁴⁴  and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds. 20:14 Then ⁴⁵  Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death – the lake of fire. 20:15 If ⁴⁶  anyone’s name ⁴⁷  was not found written in the book of life, that person ⁴⁸  was thrown into the lake of fire.

[50:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 50. This psalm takes the form of a covenant lawsuit in which the Lord comes to confront his people in a formal manner (as in Isa 1:2-20). The Lord emphasizes that he places priority on obedience and genuine worship, not empty ritual.

[50:1]  ² sn Israel’s God is here identified with three names: El (אֵל [’el], or “God”), Elohim (אֱלֹהִים [’elohim], or “God”), and Yahweh (יְהוָה [yÿhvah] or “the Lord”). There is an obvious allusion here to Josh 22:22, the only other passage where these three names appear in succession. In that passage the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh declare, “El, God, the Lord! El, God, the Lord! He knows the truth! Israel must also know! If we have rebelled or disobeyed the Lord, don’t spare us today!” In that context the other tribes had accused the trans-Jordanian tribes of breaking God’s covenant by worshiping idols. The trans-Jordanian tribes appealed to “El, God, the Lord” as their witness that they were innocent of the charges brought against them. Ironically here in Ps 50 “El, God, the Lord” accuses his sinful covenant people of violating the covenant and warns that he will not spare them if they persist in their rebellion.

[50:1]  ³ tn Heb “and calls [the] earth from the sunrise to its going.”

[50:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “the perfection of beauty.”

[50:2]  ⁵ tn Or “shines forth.”

[50:3]  ⁶ tn According to GKC 322 §109.e, the jussive (note the negative particle אַל, ’al) is used rhetorically here “to express the conviction that something cannot or should not happen.”

[50:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “fire before him devours, and around him it is very stormy.”

[50:4]  ⁸ tn Or perhaps “to testify against his people.”

[50:5]  ⁹ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. God’s summons to the defendant follows.

[50:5]  ¹⁰ tn Or “Gather to me my covenant people.” The Hebrew term חָסִיד (khasid, “covenant people”) elsewhere in the psalms is used in a positive sense of God’s loyal followers (see the note at Ps 4:3), but here, as the following line makes clear, the term has a neutral sense and simply refers to those who have outwardly sworn allegiance to God, not necessarily to those whose loyalty is genuine.

[50:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the cutters of my covenant according to sacrifice.” A sacrifice accompanied the covenant-making ceremony and formally ratified the agreement (see Exod 24:3-8).

[50:6]  ¹² tn Or “justice.”

[50:6]  ¹³ tn Or “for God, he is about to judge.” The participle may be taken as substantival (as in the translation above) or as a predicate (indicating imminent future action in this context).

[96:13]  ¹⁴ tn The verbal forms in v. 13 probably describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, though they may depict in dramatic fashion the outworking of divine judgment or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions, in which case they could be translated “will judge the world.”

[96:13]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and the nations with his integrity.”

[98:9]  ¹⁶ tn The verbal forms in v. 9 probably describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, though they may depict in dramatic fashion the outworking of divine judgment or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions (“will judge…”).

[11:9]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “in your youth”; or “in your childhood.”

[11:9]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “walk in the ways of your heart.”

[11:9]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the sight.”

[11:9]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and know that concerning all these God will bring you into judgment.” The point is not that following one’s impulses and desires is inherently bad and will bring condemnation from God. Rather the point seems to be: As you follow your impulses and desires, realize that all you think and do will eventually be evaluated by God. So one must seek joy within the boundaries of God’s moral standards.

[12:14]  ²¹ tn Heb “will bring every deed into judgment.”

[25:31]  ²² tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[25:32]  ²³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[5:21]  ²⁴ tn Grk “and makes them live.”

[5:21]  ²⁵ tn Grk “the Son makes whomever he wants to live.”

[5:22]  ²⁶ tn Or “condemn.”

[5:22]  ²⁷ tn Or “given,” or “handed over.”

[14:10]  ²⁸ tn Grk “But why do you judge your brother?” The introductory phrase has been supplied in the translation to clarify whom Paul is addressing, i.e., the “weak” Christian who eats only vegetables (see vv. 2-3). The author uses the singular pronoun here to rhetorically address one person, but the plural has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:10]  ²⁹ tn Grk “Or again, why do you despise your brother?” The introductory phrase has been supplied in the translation to clarify whom Paul is addressing, i.e., the “strong” Christian who eats everything (see vv. 2-3). The author uses the singular pronoun here to rhetorically address one person, but the plural has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:10]  ³⁰ sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city.

[14:11]  ³¹ sn A quotation from Isa 45:23.

[14:12]  ³² tc ‡ The words “to God” are absent from some mss (B F G 6 630 1739 1881 pc) but are found in א A C D Ψ 0209 33 Ï lat sy co. External evidence somewhat favors their inclusion since Alexandrian, Western, and Byzantine mss are well represented. From an internal standpoint, however, it is easy to see the words as a scribal gloss intended to clarify the referent, especially as a reinforcement to the quotation of Isa 45:23 in v. 11. Not only that, but the abrupt ending of the verse without “to God” is harsh, both in Greek and in English. In this instance, the internal considerations seem overwhelming on the side of the omission. At the same time, English stylistic needs require the words and they have been put into the translation, even though they are most likely not original. NA²⁷ places the words in brackets, indicating doubt as to their authenticity.

[1:10]  ³³ 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]  ³⁴ 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.”

[20:11]  ³⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[20:11]  ³⁶ tn Traditionally, “great,” but μέγας (megas) here refers to size rather than importance.

[20:11]  ³⁷ tn Or “and the sky.” The same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky,” and context usually determines which is meant. In this apocalyptic scene, however, it is difficult to be sure what referent to assign the term.

[20:11]  ³⁸ tn Or “vanished.”

[20:12]  ³⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[20:12]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “another book was opened, which is of life.”

[20:12]  ⁴¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the books being opened.

[20:12]  ⁴² tn Grk “from the things written in the books according to their works.”

[20:13]  ⁴³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[20:13]  ⁴⁴ sn Here Death is personified (cf. 1 Cor 15:55).

[20:14]  ⁴⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[20:15]  ⁴⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[20:15]  ⁴⁷ tn The word “name” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[20:15]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “he”; the pronoun has been intensified by translating as “that person.”