Psalms 25:14

25:14 The Lord’s loyal followers receive his guidance, ¹ 

and he reveals his covenantal demands to them. ² 

Psalms 78:36-38

78:36 But they deceived him with their words, ³ 

and lied to him. ⁴ 

78:37 They were not really committed to him, ⁵ 

and they were unfaithful to his covenant.

78:38 Yet he is compassionate.

He forgives sin and does not destroy.

He often holds back his anger,

and does not stir up his fury. ⁶ 

Ezekiel 20:37-38

20:37 I will make you pass under ⁷  the shepherd’s staff, ⁸  and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. 20:38 I will eliminate from among you the rebels and those who revolt ⁹  against me. I will bring them out from the land where they have been residing, but they will not come to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

Hebrews 8:9

8:9 “It will not be like the covenant ¹⁰  that I made with their fathers, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant and I had no regard for them, says the Lord.

[25:14]  ¹ tn Heb “the advice of the Lord belongs to those who fear him.”

[25:14]  ² tn Heb “and his covenant, to make them know.”

[78:36]  ³ tn Heb “with their mouth.”

[78:36]  ⁴ tn Heb “and with their tongue they lied to him.”

[78:37]  ⁵ tn Heb “and their heart was not firm with him.”

[78:38]  ⁶ tn One could translate v. 38 in the past tense (“he was compassionate…forgave sin and did not destroy…held back his anger, and did not stir up his fury”), but the imperfect verbal forms are probably best understood as generalizing. Verse 38 steps back briefly from the narrational summary of Israel’s history and lays the theological basis for v. 39, which focuses on God’s mercy toward sinful Israel.

[20:37]  ⁷ tn This is the same Hebrew verb used to describe the passing of the children through the fire.

[20:37]  ⁸ sn The metaphor may be based in Lev 27:32 (see also Jer 33:13; Matt 25:32-33). A shepherd would count his sheep as they passed beneath his staff.

[20:38]  ⁹ tn See the note at 2:3.

[8:9]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “not like the covenant,” continuing the description of v. 8b.