Psalms 1:4

1:4 Not so with the wicked!

Instead ¹  they are like wind-driven chaff. ² 

Psalms 59:11

59:11 Do not strike them dead suddenly,

because then my people might forget the lesson. ³ 

Use your power to make them homeless vagabonds and then bring them down,

O Lord who shields us! ⁴ 

Psalms 68:30

68:30 Sound your battle cry ⁵  against the wild beast of the reeds, ⁶ 

and the nations that assemble like a herd of calves led by bulls! ⁷ 

They humble themselves ⁸  and offer gold and silver as tribute. ⁹ 

God ¹⁰  scatters ¹¹  the nations that like to do battle.

Leviticus 26:33

26:33 I will scatter you among the nations and unsheathe the sword ¹²  after you, so your land will become desolate and your cities will become a waste.

Numbers 10:35

10:35 And when the ark traveled, Moses would say, “Rise up, O Lord! May your enemies be scattered, and may those who hate you flee before you!”

Deuteronomy 28:64

28:64 The Lord will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods of wood and stone.

Isaiah 17:13

17:13 Though these people make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves, ¹³ 

when he shouts at ¹⁴  them, they will flee to a distant land,

driven before the wind like dead weeds on the hills,

or like dead thistles ¹⁵  before a strong gale.

Ezekiel 5:12

5:12 A third of your people will die of plague or be overcome by the famine within you. ¹⁶  A third of your people will fall by the sword surrounding you, ¹⁷  and a third I will scatter to the winds. I will unleash a sword behind them.

Matthew 7:23

7:23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!’ ¹⁸ 

Luke 21:24

21:24 They ¹⁹  will fall by the edge ²⁰  of the sword and be led away as captives ²¹  among all nations. Jerusalem ²²  will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. ²³ 

[1:4]  ¹ tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki-’im, “instead,” cf. v. 2) introduces a contrast between the prosperity of the godly depicted in v. 3 and the destiny of the wicked described in v. 4.

[1:4]  ² tn Heb “[they are] like the chaff which [the] wind blows about.” The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action described.

[59:11]  ³ tn Heb “do not kill them, lest my people forget.”

[59:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “make them roam around by your strength and bring them down, O our shield, the Lord.”

[68:30]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew verb גָּעַר (ga’ar) is often understood to mean “rebuke.” In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts such as Ps 68 this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See A. Caquot, TDOT 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Ps 106:9 and Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 18:15; 76:6; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.

[68:30]  ⁶ sn The wild beast of the reeds probably refers to a hippopotamus, which in turn symbolizes the nation of Egypt.

[68:30]  ⁷ tn Heb “an assembly of bulls, with calves of the nations.”

[68:30]  ⁸ tn Heb “humbling himself.” The verb form is a Hitpael participle from the root רָפַס (rafas, “to trample”). The Hitpael of this verb appears only here and in Prov 6:3, where it seems to mean, “humble oneself,” a nuance that fits nicely in this context. The apparent subject is “wild beast” or “assembly,” though both of these nouns are grammatically feminine, while the participle is a masculine form. Perhaps one should emend the participial form to a masculine plural (מִתְרַפִּם, mitrapim) and understand “bulls” or “calves” as the subject.

[68:30]  ⁹ tc Heb “with pieces [?] of silver.” The meaning of the Hebrew term רַצֵּי (ratsey) is unclear. It is probably best to emend the text to בֶּצֶר וְכָסֶף (betser vÿkhasef, “[with] gold and silver”).

[68:30]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[68:30]  ¹¹ tn The verb בָּזַר (bazar) is an alternative form of פָּזַר (pazar, “scatter”).

[26:33]  ¹² tn Heb “and I will empty sword” (see HALOT 1228 s.v. ריק 3).

[17:13]  ¹³ tn Heb “the peoples are in an uproar like the uproar of mighty waters.”

[17:13]  ¹⁴ tn Or “rebukes.” The verb and related noun are used in theophanies of God’s battle cry which terrifies his enemies. See, for example, Pss 18:15; 76:7; 106:9; Isa 50:2; Nah 1:4, and A. Caquot, TDOT 3:49-53.

[17:13]  ¹⁵ tn Or perhaps “tumbleweed” (NAB, NIV, CEV); KJV “like a rolling thing.”

[5:12]  ¹⁶ sn The judgment of plague and famine comes from the covenant curse (Lev 26:25-26). As in v. 10, the city of Jerusalem is figuratively addressed here.

[5:12]  ¹⁷ sn Judgment by plague, famine, and sword occurs in Jer 21:9; 27:13; Ezek 6:11, 12; 7:15.

[7:23]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “workers of lawlessness.”

[21:24]  ¹⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:24]  ²⁰ tn Grk “by the mouth of the sword” (an idiom for the edge of a sword).

[21:24]  ²¹ sn Here is the predicted judgment against the nation until the time of Gentile rule has passed: Its people will be led away as captives.

[21:24]  ²² tn Grk “And Jerusalem.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:24]  ²³ sn Until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled implies a time when Israel again has a central role in God’s plan.