Discovery BoxPsalms 53:1
ContextFor the music director; according to the machalath style; 2 a well-written song 3 by David.
53:1 Fools say to themselves, 4 “There is no God.” 5
They sin and commit evil deeds; 6
none of them does what is right. 7
Ecclesiastes 7:20
Context7:20 For 8 there is not one truly 9 righteous person on the earth
who continually does good and never sins.
Isaiah 64:6
Context64:6 We are all like one who is unclean,
all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in your sight. 10
We all wither like a leaf;
our sins carry us away like the wind.
Ephesians 2:8-10
Context2:8 For by grace you are saved 11 through faith, 12 and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 2:9 it is not from 13 works, so that no one can boast. 14 2:10 For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them. 15
Philippians 2:12-13
Context2:12 So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, continue working out your salvation with awe and reverence, 16 2:13 for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort – for the sake of his good pleasure – is God.
Titus 2:13-14
Context2:13 as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing 17 of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 18 2:14 He 19 gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are truly his, 20 who are eager to do good. 21
James 1:16-17
Context1:16 Do not be led astray, my dear brothers and sisters. 22 1:17 All generous giving and every perfect gift 23 is from above, coming down 24 from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. 25
[53:1] 1 sn Psalm 53. This psalm is very similar to Ps 14. The major difference comes in v. 5, which corresponds to, but differs quite a bit from, Ps 14:5-6, and in the use of the divine name. Ps 14 uses “the
[53:1] 2 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מָחֲלַת (makhalat, “machalath”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. The term also appears in the heading of Ps 88.
[53:1] 3 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 52.
[53:1] 4 tn Heb “a fool says in his heart.” The singular is used here in a collective or representative sense; the typical fool is envisioned.
[53:1] 5 sn There is no God. This statement is probably not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that he is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see Ps 10:4, 11).
[53:1] 6 tn Heb “they act corruptly, they do evil [with] injustice.” Ps 14:1 has עֲלִילָה (’alilah, “a deed”) instead of עָוֶל (’aval, “injustice”). The verbs describe the typical behavior of the wicked. The subject of the plural verbs is “sons of man” (v. 2). The entire human race is characterized by sinful behavior. This practical atheism – living as if there is no God who will hold them accountable for their actions – makes them fools, for one of the earmarks of folly is to fail to anticipate the long range consequences of one’s behavior.
[53:1] 7 tn Heb “there is none that does good.”
[7:20] 8 tn The introductory particle כִּי (ki) is rendered variously: “for” (KJV); “indeed” (NASB); not translated (NIV); “for” (NJPS). The particle functions in an explanatory sense, explaining the need for wisdom in v. 19. Righteousness alone cannot always protect a person from calamity (7:15-16); therefore, something additional, such as wisdom, is needed. The need for wisdom as protection from calamity is particularly evident in the light of the fact that no one is truly righteous (7:19-20).
[7:20] 9 tn The term “truly” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. Qoheleth does not deny the existence of some people who are relatively righteous.
[64:6] 10 tn Heb “and like a garment of menstruation [are] all our righteous acts”; KJV, NIV “filthy rags”; ASV “a polluted garment.”
[2:8] 11 tn See note on the same expression in v. 5.
[2:8] 12 tc The feminine article is found before πίστεως (pistews, “faith”) in the Byzantine text as well as in A Ψ 1881 pc. Perhaps for some scribes the article was intended to imply creedal fidelity as a necessary condition of salvation (“you are saved through the faith”), although elsewhere in the corpus Paulinum the phrase διὰ τῆς πίστεως (dia th" pistew") is used for the act of believing rather than the content of faith (cf. Rom 3:30, 31; Gal 3:14; Eph 3:17; Col 2:12). On the other side, strong representatives of the Alexandrian and Western texts (א B D* F G P 0278 6 33 1739 al bo) lack the article. Hence, both text-critically and exegetically, the meaning of the text here is most likely “saved through faith” as opposed to “saved through the faith.” Regarding the textual problem, the lack of the article is the preferred reading.
[2:9] 13 tn Or “not as a result of.”
[2:9] 14 tn Grk “lest anyone should boast.”
[2:10] 15 tn Grk “so that we might walk in them” (or “by them”).
[2:12] 16 tn Grk “with fear and trembling.” The Greek words φόβος and τρόμος both imply fear in a negative sense (L&N 25.251 and 16.6 respectively) while the former can also refer to respect and awe for deity (L&N 53.59). Paul’s use of the terms in other contexts refers to “awe and reverence in the presence of God” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 284; see discussion on 282-84). The translation “awe and reverence” was chosen to portray the attitude the believer should have toward God as they consider their behavior in light of God working through Jesus Christ (2:6-11) and in the believer’s life (2:13) to accomplish their salvation.
[2:13] 17 tn Grk “the blessed hope and glorious appearing.”
[2:13] 18 tn The terms “God and Savior” both refer to the same person, Jesus Christ. This is one of the clearest statements in the NT concerning the deity of Christ. The construction in Greek is known as the Granville Sharp rule, named after the English philanthropist-linguist who first clearly articulated the rule in 1798. Sharp pointed out that in the construction article-noun-καί-noun (where καί [kai] = “and”), when two nouns are singular, personal, and common (i.e., not proper names), they always had the same referent. Illustrations such as “the friend and brother,” “the God and Father,” etc. abound in the NT to prove Sharp’s point. The only issue is whether terms such as “God” and “Savior” could be considered common nouns as opposed to proper names. Sharp and others who followed (such as T. F. Middleton in his masterful The Doctrine of the Greek Article) demonstrated that a proper name in Greek was one that could not be pluralized. Since both “God” (θεός, qeos) and “savior” (σωτήρ, swthr) were occasionally found in the plural, they did not constitute proper names, and hence, do fit Sharp’s rule. Although there have been 200 years of attempts to dislodge Sharp’s rule, all attempts have been futile. Sharp’s rule stands vindicated after all the dust has settled. For more information on Sharp’s rule see ExSyn 270-78, esp. 276. See also 2 Pet 1:1 and Jude 4.
[2:14] 19 tn Grk “who” (as a continuation of the previous clause).
[2:14] 20 tn Or “a people who are his very own.”
[2:14] 21 tn Grk “for good works.”
[1:16] 22 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
[1:17] 23 tn The first phrase refers to the action of giving and the second to what is given.
[1:17] 24 tn Or “All generous giving and every perfect gift from above is coming down.”
[1:17] 25 tn Grk “variation or shadow of turning” (referring to the motions of heavenly bodies causing variations of light and darkness).
