Psalms 11:3

11:3 When the foundations ¹  are destroyed,

what can the godly ²  accomplish?” ³ 

Psalms 75:3

75:3 When the earth and all its inhabitants dissolve in fear, ⁴ 

I make its pillars secure.” ⁵  (Selah)

Ecclesiastes 3:16

The Problem of Injustice and Oppression

3:16 I saw something else on earth: ⁶ 

In the place of justice, there was wickedness,

and in the place of fairness, ⁷  there was wickedness.

Isaiah 5:7

5:7 Indeed ⁸  Israel ⁹  is the vineyard of the Lord who commands armies,

the people ¹⁰  of Judah are the cultivated place in which he took delight.

He waited for justice, but look what he got – disobedience! ¹¹ 

He waited for fairness, but look what he got – cries for help! ¹² 

Isaiah 5:2

5:2 He built a hedge around it, ¹³  removed its stones,

and planted a vine.

He built a tower in the middle of it,

and constructed a winepress.

He waited for it to produce edible grapes,

but it produced sour ones instead. ¹⁴ 

Isaiah 2:19

2:19 They ¹⁵  will go into caves in the rocky cliffs

and into holes in the ground, ¹⁶ 

trying to escape the dreadful judgment of the Lord ¹⁷ 

and his royal splendor,

when he rises up to terrify the earth. ¹⁸ 

[11:3]  ¹ tn The precise meaning of this rare word is uncertain. An Ugaritic cognate is used of the “bottom” or “base” of a cliff or mountain (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47, 159). The noun appears in postbiblical Hebrew with the meaning “foundation” (see Jastrow 1636 s.v. שָׁת).

[11:3]  ² tn The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form “pure [of heart]” in the previous verse.

[11:3]  ³ sn The quotation of the advisers’ words (which begins in 11:1c) ends at this point. They advise the psalmist to flee because the enemy is poised to launch a deadly attack. In such a lawless and chaotic situation godly people like the psalmist can accomplish nothing, so they might as well retreat to a safe place.

[75:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “melt.”

[75:3]  ⁵ tn The statement is understood in a generalizing sense; God typically prevents the world from being overrun by chaos. One could take this as referring to an anticipated event, “I will make its pillars secure.”

[3:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “under the sun.”

[3:16]  ⁷ tn Or “righteousness.”

[5:7]  ⁸ tn Or “For” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[5:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “the house of Israel” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[5:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “men,” but in a generic sense.

[5:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “but, look, disobedience.” The precise meaning of מִשְׂפָּח (mishpakh), which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain. Some have suggested a meaning “bloodshed.” The term is obviously chosen for its wordplay value; it sounds very much like מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat, “justice”). The sound play draws attention to the point being made; the people have not met the Lord’s expectations.

[5:7]  ¹² tn Heb “but, look, a cry for help.” The verb (“he waited”) does double duty in the parallelism. צְעָקָה (tsa’qah) refers to the cries for help made by the oppressed. It sounds very much like צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “fairness”). The sound play draws attention to the point being made; the people have not met the Lord’s expectations.

[5:2]  ¹³ tn Or, “dug it up” (so NIV); KJV “fenced it.’ See HALOT 810 s.v. עזק.

[5:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “wild grapes,” i.e., sour ones (also in v. 4).

[2:19]  ¹⁵ tn The identity of the grammatical subject is unclear. The “idols” could be the subject; they will “go” into the caves and holes when the idolaters throw them there in their haste to escape God’s judgment (see vv. 20-21). The picture of the idols, which represent the foreign deities worshiped by the people, fleeing from the Lord would be highly polemical and fit the overall mood of the chapter. However it seems more likely that the idolaters themselves are the subject, for v. 10 uses similar language in sarcastically urging them to run from judgment.

[2:19]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “dust”; ASV “into the holes of the earth.”

[2:19]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “from the dread of the Lord,” that is, from the dread that he produces in the objects of his judgment.” The words “trying to escape” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[2:19]  ¹⁸ tn Or “land.” It is not certain if these verses are describing the judgment of Judah (see vv. 6-9) or a more universal judgment on all proud men.