Discovery BoxPsalms 31:19
Context31:19 How great is your favor, 1
which you store up for your loyal followers! 2
In plain sight of everyone you bestow it on those who take shelter 3 in you. 4
Psalms 31:2
ContextQuickly deliver me!
Be my protector and refuge, 6
a stronghold where I can be safe! 7
Psalms 6:1
ContextFor the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments, according to the sheminith style; 9 a psalm of David.
6:1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger!
Do not discipline me in your raging fury! 10
Romans 2:4
Context2:4 Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know 11 that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?
Ephesians 1:3
Context1:3 Blessed 12 is 13 the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed 14 us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ.
[31:19] 1 tn Or “How abundant are your blessings!”
[31:19] 2 tn Heb “for those who fear you.”
[31:19] 3 tn “Taking shelter” in the
[31:19] 4 tn Heb “you work [your favor] for the ones seeking shelter in you before the sons of men.”
[31:2] 5 tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”
[31:2] 6 tn Heb “become for me a rocky summit of refuge.”
[31:2] 7 tn Heb “a house of strongholds to deliver me.”
[6:1] 8 sn Psalm 6. The psalmist begs the Lord to withdraw his anger and spare his life. Having received a positive response to his prayer, the psalmist then confronts his enemies and describes how they retreat.
[6:1] 9 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (shÿminit, “sheminith”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.
[6:1] 10 sn The implication is that the psalmist has sinned, causing God to discipline him by bringing a life-threatening illness upon him (see vv. 2-7).
[2:4] 11 tn Grk “being unaware.”
[1:3] 12 sn Eph 1:3-14 comprises one long sentence in Greek, with three major sections. Each section ends with a note of praise for God (vv. 6, 12, 14), focusing on a different member of the Trinity. After an opening summary of all the saints’ spiritual blessings (v. 3), the first section (vv. 4-6) offers up praise that the Father has chosen us in eternity past; the second section (vv. 7-12) offers up praise that the Son has redeemed us in the historical past (i.e., at the cross); the third section (vv. 13-14) offers up praise that the Holy Spirit has sealed us in our personal past, at the point of conversion.
[1:3] 13 tn There is no verb in the Greek text; either the optative (“be”) or the indicative (“is”) can be supplied. The meaning of the term εὐλογητός (euloghtos), the author’s intention at this point in the epistle, and the literary genre of this material must all come into play to determine which is the preferred nuance. εὐλογητός as an adjective can mean either that one is praised or that one is blessed, that is, in a place of favor and benefit. The meaning “blessed” would be more naturally paired with an indicative verb here and would suggest that blessedness is an intrinsic part of God’s character. The meaning “praised” would be more naturally paired with an optative verb here and would suggest that God ought to be praised. Pauline style in the epistles generally moves from statements to obligations, expressing the reality first and then the believer’s necessary response, which would favor the indicative. However, many scholars regard Eph 1:3-14 as a berakah psalm (cf. A. T. Lincoln, Ephesians [WBC], 10-11). Rooted in the OT and Jewish worship, berakah psalms were songs of praise in which the worshiper gave praise to God; this would favor the optative (although not all scholars are agreed on this genre classification here; see H. W. Hoehner, Ephesians, 153-59, for discussion and an alternate conclusion). When considered as a whole, although a decision is difficult, the indicative seems to fit all the factors better. The author seems to be pointing to who God is and what he has done for believers in this section; the indicative more naturally fits that emphasis. Cf. also 2 Cor 1:3; 1 Pet 1:3.
