Psalms 16:8

16:8 I constantly trust in the Lord; ¹ 

because he is at my right hand, I will not be upended.

Psalms 37:24

37:24 Even if ²  he trips, he will not fall headlong, ³ 

for the Lord holds ⁴  his hand.

Psalms 62:2

62:2 He alone is my protector ⁵  and deliverer.

He is my refuge; ⁶  I will not be upended. ⁷ 

Psalms 62:6

62:6 He alone is my protector ⁸  and deliverer.

He is my refuge; ⁹  I will not be upended. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 121:3

121:3 May he not allow your foot to slip!

May your protector ¹¹  not sleep! ¹² 

Psalms 121:1

Psalm 121 ¹³ 

A song of ascents. ¹⁴ 

121:1 I look up ¹⁵  toward the hills.

From where ¹⁶  does my help come?

Psalms 2:9

2:9 You will break them ¹⁷  with an iron scepter; ¹⁸ 

you will smash them like a potter’s jar!’” ¹⁹ 

John 10:27-30

10:27 My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 10:28 I give ²⁰  them eternal life, and they will never perish; ²¹  no one will snatch ²²  them from my hand. 10:29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, ²³  and no one can snatch ²⁴  them from my Father’s hand. 10:30 The Father and I ²⁵  are one.” ²⁶ 

John 10:1

Jesus as the Good Shepherd

10:1 “I tell you the solemn truth, ²⁷  the one who does not enter the sheepfold ²⁸  by the door, ²⁹  but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber.

John 1:5

1:5 And the light shines on ³⁰  in the darkness, ³¹  but ³²  the darkness has not mastered it. ³³ 

[16:8]  ¹ tn Heb “I set the Lord before me continually.” This may mean that the psalmist is aware of the Lord’s presence and sensitive to his moral guidance (see v. 7), or that he trusts in the Lord’s protection (see the following line).

[37:24]  ² tn Other translation options for כִּי in this context are “when” (so NASB) or “though” (so NEB, NIV, NRSV).

[37:24]  ³ tn Heb “be hurled down.”

[37:24]  ⁴ tn The active participle indicates this is characteristically true. See v. 17.

[62:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”

[62:2]  ⁶ tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).

[62:2]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew text adds רַבָּה (rabbah, “greatly”) at the end of the line. It is unusual for this adverb to follow a negated verb. Some see this as qualifying the assertion to some degree, but this would water down the affirmation too much (see v. 6b, where the adverb is omitted). If the adverb has a qualifying function, it would suggest that the psalmist might be upended, though not severely. This is inconsistent with the confident mood of the psalm. The adverb probably has an emphatic force here, “I will not be greatly upended” meaning “I will not be annihilated.”

[62:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”

[62:6]  ⁹ tn Or “my elevated place” (see Ps 18:2).

[62:6]  ¹⁰ sn The wording is identical to that of v. 2, except that רַבָּה (rabbah, “greatly”) does not appear in v. 6.

[121:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the one who guards you.”

[121:3]  ¹² tn The prefixed verbal forms following the negative particle אל appear to be jussives. As noted above, if they are taken as true jussives of prayer, then the speaker in v. 3 would appear to be distinct from both the speaker in vv. 1-2 and the speaker in vv. 4-8. However, according to GKC 322 §109.e), the jussives are used rhetorically here “to express the conviction that something cannot or should not happen.” In this case one should probably translate, “he will not allow your foot to slip, your protector will not sleep,” and understand just one speaker in vv. 4-8.

[121:1]  ¹³ sn Psalm 121. The psalm affirms that the Lord protects his people Israel. Unless the psalmist addresses an observer (note the second person singular forms in vv. 3-8), it appears there are two or three speakers represented in the psalm, depending on how one takes v. 3. The translation assumes that speaker one talks in vv. 1-2, that speaker two responds to him with a prayer in v. 3 (this assumes the verbs are true jussives of prayer), and that speaker three responds with words of assurance in vv. 4-8. If the verbs in v. 3 are taken as a rhetorical use of the jussive, then there are two speakers. Verses 3-8 are speaker two’s response to the words of speaker one. See the note on the word “sleep” at the end of v. 3.

[121:1]  ¹⁴ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[121:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “I lift my eyes.”

[121:1]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew term מֵאַיִן (me’ayin) is interrogative, not relative, in function. Rather than directly stating that his source of help descends from the hills, the psalmist is asking, “From where does my help come?” Nevertheless, the first line does indicate that he is looking toward the hills for help, probably indicating that he is looking up toward the sky in anticipation of supernatural intervention. The psalmist assumes the dramatic role of one needing help. He answers his own question in v. 2.

[2:9]  ¹⁷ tc The LXX reads “you will shepherd them.” This reading, quoted in the Greek text of the NT in Rev 2:27; 12:5; 19:15, assumes a different vocalization of the consonantal Hebrew text and understands the verb as רָעָה (ra’ah, “to shepherd”) rather than רָעָע (ra’a’, “to break”). But the presence of נָפַץ (nafats, “to smash”) in the next line strongly favors the MT vocalization.

[2:9]  ¹⁸ tn The Hebrew term שֵׁבֶט (shevet) can refer to a “staff” or “rod,” but here it probably refers to the Davidic king’s royal scepter, symbolizing his sovereignty.

[2:9]  ¹⁹ sn Like a potter’s jar. Before the Davidic king’s awesome power, the rebellious nations are like fragile pottery.

[10:28]  ²⁰ tn Grk “And I give.”

[10:28]  ²¹ tn Or “will never die” or “will never be lost.”

[10:28]  ²² tn Or “no one will seize.”

[10:29]  ²³ tn Or “is superior to all.”

[10:29]  ²⁴ tn Or “no one can seize.”

[10:30]  ²⁵ tn Grk “I and the Father.” The order has been reversed to reflect English style.

[10:30]  ²⁶ tn The phrase ἕν ἐσμεν ({en esmen) is a significant assertion with trinitarian implications. ἕν is neuter, not masculine, so the assertion is not that Jesus and the Father are one person, but one “thing.” Identity of the two persons is not what is asserted, but essential unity (unity of essence).

[10:1]  ²⁷ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[10:1]  ²⁸ sn There was more than one type of sheepfold in use in Palestine in Jesus’ day. The one here seems to be a courtyard in front of a house (the Greek word used for the sheepfold here, αὐλή [aulh] frequently refers to a courtyard), surrounded by a stone wall (often topped with briars for protection).

[10:1]  ²⁹ tn Or “entrance.”

[1:5]  ³⁰ tn To this point the author has used past tenses (imperfects, aorists); now he switches to a present. The light continually shines (thus the translation, “shines on”). Even as the author writes, it is shining. The present here most likely has gnomic force (though it is possible to take it as a historical present); it expresses the timeless truth that the light of the world (cf. 8:12, 9:5, 12:46) never ceases to shine.

[1:5]  ³¹ sn The author now introduces what will become a major theme of John’s Gospel: the opposition of light and darkness. The antithesis is a natural one, widespread in antiquity. Gen 1 gives considerable emphasis to it in the account of the creation, and so do the writings of Qumran. It is the major theme of one of the most important extra-biblical documents found at Qumran, the so-called War Scroll, properly titled The War of the Sons of Light with the Sons of Darkness. Connections between John and Qumran are still an area of scholarly debate and a consensus has not yet emerged. See T. A. Hoffman, “1 John and the Qumran Scrolls,” BTB 8 (1978): 117-25.

[1:5]  ³² tn Grk “and,” but the context clearly indicates a contrast, so this has been translated as an adversative use of καί (kai).

[1:5]  ³³ tn Or “comprehended it,” or “overcome it.” The verb κατέλαβεν (katelaben) is not easy to translate. “To seize” or “to grasp” is possible, but this also permits “to grasp with the mind” in the sense of “to comprehend” (esp. in the middle voice). This is probably another Johannine double meaning – one does not usually think of darkness as trying to “understand” light. For it to mean this, “darkness” must be understood as meaning “certain people,” or perhaps “humanity” at large, darkened in understanding. But in John’s usage, darkness is not normally used of people or a group of people. Rather it usually signifies the evil environment or ‘sphere’ in which people find themselves: “They loved darkness rather than light” (John 3:19). Those who follow Jesus do not walk in darkness (8:12). They are to walk while they have light, lest the darkness “overtake/overcome” them (12:35, same verb as here). For John, with his set of symbols and imagery, darkness is not something which seeks to “understand (comprehend)” the light, but represents the forces of evil which seek to “overcome (conquer)” it. The English verb “to master” may be used in both sorts of contexts, as “he mastered his lesson” and “he mastered his opponent.”