Psalms 33:9

33:9 For he spoke, and it ¹  came into existence,

he issued the decree, ²  and it stood firm.

Psalms 33:11

33:11 The Lord’s decisions stand forever;

his plans abide throughout the ages. ³ 

Psalms 115:3

115:3 Our God is in heaven!

He does whatever he pleases! ⁴ 

Isaiah 46:10

46:10 who announces the end from the beginning

and reveals beforehand ⁵  what has not yet occurred,

who says, ‘My plan will be realized,

I will accomplish what I desire,’

Daniel 4:35

4:35 All the inhabitants of the earth are regarded as nothing. ⁶ 

He does as he wishes with the army of heaven

and with those who inhabit the earth.

No one slaps ⁷  his hand

and says to him, ‘What have you done?’

Amos 4:13

4:13 For here he is!

He ⁸  formed the mountains and created the wind.

He reveals ⁹  his plans ¹⁰  to men.

He turns the dawn into darkness ¹¹ 

and marches on the heights of the earth.

The Lord, the God who commands armies, ¹²  is his name!”

Amos 9:6

9:6 He builds the upper rooms of his palace ¹³  in heaven

and sets its foundation supports ¹⁴  on the earth. ¹⁵ 

He summons the water of the sea

and pours it out on the earth’s surface.

The Lord is his name.

Matthew 28:18

28:18 Then Jesus came up and said to them, ¹⁶  “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

[33:9]  ¹ tn That is, “all the earth” in the first line of v. 8. The apparent antecedent of the masculine subject of the verbs in v. 9 (note וַיֶּהִי [vayyehiy] and וַיַּעֲמֹד [vayya’amod]) is “earth” or “world,” both of which are feminine nouns. However, כָּל (kol, “all”) may be the antecedent, or the apparent lack of agreement may be explained by the collective nature of the nouns involved here (see GKC 463 §145.e).

[33:9]  ² tn Heb “he commanded.”

[33:11]  ³ tn Heb “the thoughts of his heart for generation to generation.” The verb “abides” is supplied in the translation. The Lord’s “decisions” and “plans” here refer to his decrees and purposes.

[115:3]  ⁴ sn He does whatever he pleases. Such sovereignty is characteristic of kings (see Eccl 8:3).

[46:10]  ⁵ tn Or “from long ago”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “from ancient times.”

[4:35]  ⁶ tc The present translation reads כְּלָא (kÿla’), with many medieval Hebrew MSS, rather than כְּלָה (kÿlah) of BHS.

[4:35]  ⁷ tn Aram “strikes against.”

[4:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “For look, the one who.” This verse is considered to be the first hymnic passage in the book. The others appear at 5:8-9 and 9:5-6. Scholars debate whether these verses were originally part of a single hymn or three distinct pieces deliberately placed in each context for particular effect.

[4:13]  ⁹ tn Or “declares” (NAB, NASB).

[4:13]  ¹⁰ tn Or “his thoughts.” The translation assumes that the pronominal suffix refers to God and that divine self-revelation is in view (see 3:7). If the suffix refers to the following term אָדַם (’adam, “men”), then the expression refers to God’s ability to read men’s minds.

[4:13]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he who makes dawn, darkness.” The meaning of the statement is unclear. The present translation assumes that allusion is made to God’s approaching judgment, when the light of day will be turned to darkness (see 5:20). Other options include: (1) “He makes the dawn [and] the darkness.” A few Hebrew mss, as well as the LXX, add the conjunction (“and”) between the two nouns. (2) “He turns darkness into glimmering dawn” (NJPS). See S. M. Paul (Amos [Hermeneia], 154), who takes שָׁחַר (shakhar) as “blackness” rather than “dawn” and עֵיפָה (’efah) as “glimmering dawn” rather than “darkness.”

[4:13]  ¹² tn Traditionally, “God of hosts.”

[9:6]  ¹³ tc The MT reads “his steps.” If this is correct, then the reference may be to the steps leading up to the heavenly temple or the throne of God (cf. 1 Kgs 10:19-20). The prefixed מ (mem) may be dittographic (note the preceding word ends in mem). The translation assumes an emendation to עֲלִיָּתוֹ (’aliyyato, “his upper rooms”).

[9:6]  ¹⁴ tn Traditionally, “vault” (so ASV, NAB, NRSV). The precise meaning of this word in this context is unclear. Elsewhere it refers to objects grouped or held together. F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman (Amos [AB], 845-46) suggest the foundational structure of a building is in view.

[9:6]  ¹⁵ sn Verse 6a pictures the entire universe as a divine palace founded on the earth and extending into the heavens.

[28:18]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “coming, Jesus spoke to them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn, “saying”) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.