Psalms 16:7

16:7 I will praise ¹  the Lord who ²  guides ³  me;

yes, during the night I reflect and learn. ⁴ 

Psalms 25:9

25:9 May he show ⁵  the humble what is right! ⁶ 

May he teach ⁷  the humble his way!

Psalms 32:8

32:8 I will instruct and teach you ⁸  about how you should live. ⁹ 

I will advise you as I look you in the eye. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 48:14

48:14 For God, our God, is our defender forever! ¹¹ 

He guides ¹²  us! ¹³ 

Psalms 143:8-10

143:8 May I hear about your loyal love in the morning, ¹⁴ 

for I trust in you.

Show me the way I should go, ¹⁵ 

because I long for you. ¹⁶ 

143:9 Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord!

I run to you for protection. ¹⁷ 

143:10 Teach me to do what pleases you, ¹⁸ 

for you are my God.

May your kind presence ¹⁹ 

lead me ²⁰  into a level land. ²¹ 

Proverbs 3:5-6

3:5 Trust ²²  in the Lord with all your heart, ²³ 

and do not rely ²⁴  on your own understanding. ²⁵ 

3:6 Acknowledge ²⁶  him in all your ways, ²⁷ 

and he will make your paths straight. ²⁸ 

Proverbs 8:20

8:20 I walk in the path of righteousness,

in the pathway of justice,

Isaiah 30:21

30:21 You ²⁹  will hear a word spoken behind you, saying,

“This is the correct ³⁰  way, walk in it,”

whether you are heading to the right or the left.

Isaiah 48:17

48:17 This is what the Lord, your protector, ³¹  says,

the Holy One of Israel: ³² 

“I am the Lord your God,

who teaches you how to succeed,

who leads you in the way you should go.

Isaiah 58:8

58:8 Then your light will shine like the sunrise; ³³ 

your restoration will quickly arrive; ³⁴ 

your godly behavior ³⁵  will go before you,

and the Lord’s splendor will be your rear guard. ³⁶ 

Isaiah 58:11

58:11 The Lord will continually lead you;

he will feed you even in parched regions. ³⁷ 

He will give you renewed strength, ³⁸ 

and you will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring that continually produces water.

Luke 11:13

11:13 If you then, although you are ³⁹  evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit ⁴⁰  to those who ask him!”

John 16:13

16:13 But when he, ⁴¹  the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide ⁴²  you into all truth. ⁴³  For he will not speak on his own authority, ⁴⁴  but will speak whatever he hears, and will tell you ⁴⁵  what is to come. ⁴⁶ 

James 1:5

1:5 But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him.

[16:7]  ¹ tn Heb “bless,” that is, “proclaim as worthy of praise.”

[16:7]  ² tn Or “because.”

[16:7]  ³ tn Or “counsels, advises.”

[16:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “yes, [during] nights my kidneys instruct [or “correct”] me.” The “kidneys” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s moral character (see Ps 26:2). In the quiet darkness the Lord speaks to his inner being, as it were, and enables him to grow in moral understanding.

[25:9]  ⁵ tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive; the psalmist expresses his prayer.

[25:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “may he guide the humble into justice.” The Hebrew term עֲנָוִים (’anavim, “humble”) usually refers to the oppressed, but in this context, where the psalmist confesses his sin and asks for moral guidance, it apparently refers to sinners who humble themselves before God and seek deliverance from their sinful condition.

[25:9]  ⁷ tn The prefixed verbal form is interpreted as a jussive (it stands parallel to the jussive form, “may he guide”).

[32:8]  ⁸ tn The second person pronominal forms in this verse are singular. The psalmist addresses each member of his audience individually (see also the note on the word “eye” in the next line). A less likely option (but one which is commonly understood) is that the Lord addresses the psalmist in vv. 8-9 (cf. NASB “I will instruct you and teach you…I will counsel you with My eye upon you”).

[32:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “I will instruct you and I will teach you in the way [in] which you should walk.”

[32:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “I will advise, upon you my eye,” that is, “I will offer advice [with] my eye upon you.” In 2 Chr 20:12 the statement “our eye is upon you” means that the speakers are looking to the Lord for intervention. Here the expression “my eye upon you” may simply mean that the psalmist will teach his pupils directly and personally.

[48:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “for this is God, our God, forever and ever.” “This” might be paraphrased, “this protector described and praised in the preceding verses.”

[48:14]  ¹² tn The imperfect highlights the characteristic nature of the generalizing statement.

[48:14]  ¹³ tn In the Hebrew text the psalm ends with the words עַל־מוּת (’al-mut, “upon [unto?] dying”), which make little, if any, sense. M. Dahood (Psalms [AB], 1:293) proposes an otherwise unattested plural form עֹלָמוֹת (’olamot; from עוֹלָם, ’olam, “eternity”). This would provide a nice parallel to עוֹלָם וָעֶד (’olam va’ed, “forever”) in the preceding line, but elsewhere the plural of עוֹלָם appears as עֹלָמִים (’olamim). It is preferable to understand the phrase as a musical direction of some sort (see עַל־מוּת [’al-mut] in the superscription of Ps 9) or to emend the text to עַל־עֲלָמוֹת (’al-’alamot, “according to the alamoth style”; see the heading of Ps 46). In either case it should be understood as belonging with the superscription of the following psalm.

[143:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “cause me to hear in the morning your loyal love.” Here “loyal love” probably stands metonymically for an oracle of assurance promising God’s intervention as an expression of his loyal love.

[143:8]  ¹⁵ sn The way probably refers here to God’s moral and ethical standards and requirements (see v. 10).

[143:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “for to you I lift up my life.” The Hebrew expression נָאָשׂ נֶפֶשׁ (na’as nefesh, “to lift up [one’s] life”) means “to desire; to long for” (see Deut 24:15; Prov 19:18; Jer 22:27; 44:14; Hos 4:8, as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 16).

[143:9]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “to you I cover,” which makes no sense. The translation assumes an emendation to נַסְתִּי (nastiy, “I flee,” a Qal perfect, first singular form from נוּס, nos). Confusion of kaf (כ) and nun (נ) is attested elsewhere (see P. K. McCarter, Textual Criticism [GBS], 48). The collocation of נוּס (“flee”) with אֶל (’el, “to”) is well-attested.

[143:10]  ¹⁸ tn Or “your will.” See Ps 40:8.

[143:10]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “your good spirit.” God’s “spirit” may refer here to his presence (see the note on the word “presence” in Ps 139:7) or to his personal Spirit (see Ps 51:10).

[143:10]  ²⁰ tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive. Taking the statement as a prayer fits well with the petitionary tone of vv. 7-10a.

[143:10]  ²¹ sn A level land (where one can walk free of obstacles) here symbolizes divine blessing and protection. See Pss 26:12 and 27:11 for similar imagery.

[3:5]  ²² sn The word בְּטַח (bÿtakh, “trust”) is used in the OT in (1) literal physical sense: to physically lean upon something for support and (2) figurative sense: to rely upon someone or something for help or protection (BDB 105 s.v. I בְּטַח; HALOT 120 s.v. I בטח). The verb is often used with false securities, people trusting in things that prove to be worthless. But here the object of the secure trust is the Lord who is a reliable object of confidence.

[3:5]  ²³ sn The “heart” functions as a metonymy of subject encompassing mind, emotions and will (BDB 524 s.v. לֵב 2).

[3:5]  ²⁴ tn Heb “do not lean.” The verb שָׁעַן (sha’an, “to lean; to rely”) is used in (1) literal physical sense of leaning upon something for support and (2) figurative sense of relying upon someone or something for help or protection (BDB 1043 s.v.). Here it functions figuratively (hypocatastasis: implied comparison); relying on one’s own understanding is compared to leaning on something that is unreliable for support (e.g., Isa 10:20).

[3:5]  ²⁵ tn Heb “your understanding.” The term בִּינָה (binah, “understanding”) is used elsewhere in this book of insight given by God from the instructions in Proverbs (Prov 2:3; 7:4; 8:14; 9:6, 10; 23:23). Here it refers to inherent human understanding that functions in relative ignorance unless supplemented by divine wisdom (Job 28:12-28; 39:26). The reflexive pronoun “own” is supplied in the translation to clarify this point. It is dangerous for a person to rely upon mere human wisdom (Prov 14:12; 16:25).

[3:6]  ²⁶ tn Heb “know him.” The verb יָדַע (yadah, “to know”) includes mental awareness of who God is and the consequential submission to his lordship. To know him is to obey him. The sage is calling for a life of trust and obedience in which the disciple sees the Lord in every event and relies on him. To acknowledge the Lord in every event means trusting and obeying him for guidance in right conduct.

[3:6]  ²⁷ tn The term דֶרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) is figurative (hypocatastasis: implied comparison) referring to a person’s course of life, actions and undertakings (Prov 2:8; 3:6, 23; 11:5; 20:24; 29:27; 31:3; BDB 203 s.v. 5; cf. TEV “in everything you do”; NCV, NLT “in all you do”). This is a call for total commitment in trust for obedience in all things.

[3:6]  ²⁸ tn The verb יָשָׁר (yashar) means “to make smooth; to make straight” (BDB 444 s.v.). This phrase means “to make the way free from obstacles,” that is, to make it successful (e.g., Isa 40:3). The straight, even road is the right road; God will make the way smooth for the believer.

[30:21]  ²⁹ tn Heb “your ears” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[30:21]  ³⁰ tn The word “correct’ is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[48:17]  ³¹ tn Heb “your redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[48:17]  ³² sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[58:8]  ³³ tn Heb “will burst out like the dawn.”

[58:8]  ³⁴ tn Heb “prosper”; KJV “spring forth speedily.”

[58:8]  ³⁵ tn Or “righteousness.” Their godly behavior will be on display for all to see.

[58:8]  ³⁶ sn The nation will experience God’s protective presence.

[58:11]  ³⁷ tn Heb “he will satisfy in parched regions your appetite.”

[58:11]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and your bones he will strengthen.”

[11:13]  ³⁹ tn The participle ὑπάρχοντες (Juparconte") has been translated as a concessive participle.

[11:13]  ⁴⁰ sn The provision of the Holy Spirit is probably a reference to the wisdom and guidance supplied in response to repeated requests. Some apply it to the general provision of the Spirit, but this would seem to look only at one request in a context that speaks of repeated asking. The teaching as a whole stresses not that God gives everything his children want, but that God gives the good that they need. The parallel account in Matthew (7:11) refers to good things where Luke mentions the Holy Spirit.

[16:13]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “that one.”

[16:13]  ⁴² tn Or “will lead.”

[16:13]  ⁴³ sn Three important points must be noted here. (1) When the Holy Spirit comes, he will guide the disciples into all truth. What Jesus had said in 8:31-32, “If you continue to follow my teaching you are really my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” will ultimately be realized in the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit to the disciples after Jesus’ departure. (2) The things the Holy Spirit speaks to them will not be things which originate from himself (he will not speak on his own authority), but things he has heard. This could be taken to mean that no new revelation is involved, as R. E. Brown does (John [AB], 2:714-15). This is a possible but not a necessary inference. The point here concerns the source of the things the Spirit will say to the disciples and does not specifically exclude originality of content. (3) Part at least of what the Holy Spirit will reveal to the disciples will concern what is to come, not just fuller implications of previous sayings of Jesus and the like. This does seem to indicate that at least some new revelation is involved. But the Spirit is not the source or originator of these things – Jesus is the source, and he will continue to speak to his disciples through the Spirit who has come to indwell them. This does not answer the question, however, whether these words are addressed to all followers of Jesus, or only to his apostles. Different modern commentators will answer this question differently. Since in the context of the Farewell Discourse Jesus is preparing the twelve to carry on his ministry after his departure, it is probably best to take these statements as specifically related only to the twelve. Some of this the Holy Spirit does directly for all believers today; other parts of this statement are fulfilled through the apostles (e.g., in giving the Book of Revelation the Spirit speaks through the apostles to the church today of things to come). One of the implications of this is that a doctrine does not have to be traced back to an explicit teaching of Jesus to be authentic; all that is required is apostolic authority.

[16:13]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “speak from himself.”

[16:13]  ⁴⁵ tn Or will announce to you.”

[16:13]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “will tell you the things to come.”