Psalms 37:37-38

37:37 Take note of the one who has integrity! Observe the godly! ¹ 

For the one who promotes peace has a future. ² 

37:38 Sinful rebels are totally destroyed; ³ 

evil men have no future. ⁴ 

Job 27:8

27:8 For what hope does the godless have when he is cut off, ⁵ 

when God takes away his life? ⁶ 

Ecclesiastes 8:12-13

8:12 Even though a sinner might commit a hundred crimes ⁷  and still live a long time, ⁸ 

yet I know that it will go well with God-fearing people ⁹  – for they stand in fear ¹⁰  before him.

8:13 But it will not go well with the wicked,

nor will they ¹¹  prolong their ¹²  days like a shadow, ¹³ 

because they ¹⁴  do not stand in fear ¹⁵  before God.

Jeremiah 5:31

5:31 The prophets prophesy lies.

The priests exercise power by their own authority. ¹⁶ 

And my people love to have it this way.

But they will not be able to help you when the time of judgment comes! ¹⁷ 

Luke 12:20

12:20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life ¹⁸  will be demanded back from ¹⁹  you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ ²⁰ 

Luke 16:22-23

16:22 “Now ²¹  the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. ²²  The ²³  rich man also died and was buried. ²⁴  16:23 And in hell, ²⁵  as he was in torment, ²⁶  he looked up ²⁷  and saw Abraham far off with Lazarus at his side. ²⁸ 

[37:37]  ¹ tn Or “upright.”

[37:37]  ² tn Heb “for [there is] an end for a man of peace.” Some interpret אַחֲרִית (’akharit, “end”) as referring to offspring (see the next verse and Ps 109:13; cf. NEB, NRSV).

[37:38]  ³ tn Or “destroyed together.” In this case the psalmist pictures judgment sweeping them away as a group.

[37:38]  ⁴ tn Heb “the end of evil men is cut off.” As in v. 37, some interpret אַחֲרִית (’akharit, “end”) as referring to offspring (see Ps 109:13). The perfect verbal forms in v. 38 probably express general truths. Another option is that they are used emphatically to state with certitude that the demise of the wicked is as good as done.

[27:8]  ⁵ tn The verb יִבְצָע (yivtsa’) means “to cut off.” It could be translated transitively or intransitively – the latter is better here (“when he is cut off”). Since the next line speaks of prayer, some have thought this verse should be about prayer. Mandelkern, in his concordance (p. 228b), suggested the verb should be “when he prays” (reading יִפְגַּע [yifga’] in place of יִבְצָע [yivtsa’]).

[27:8]  ⁶ tn The verb יֵשֶׁל (yeshel) is found only here. It has been related spoils [or sheaves]”); שָׁאַל (sha’al, “to ask”); נָשָׂא (nasa’, “to lift up” [i.e., pray]); and a host of others.

[8:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “does evil one hundred [times].”

[8:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “and prolongs his [life].”

[8:12]  ⁹ tn Heb “those who fear God.”

[8:12]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “they fear.”

[8:13]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he.”

[8:13]  ¹² tn The word “their” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.

[8:13]  ¹³ tn The phrase “like a shadow” (כַּצֵּל, katsel) modifies the verb (“prolong”) rather than the noun (“days”). Several English versions misconstrue the line: “he will not prolong his days, [which are] like a shadow” (KJV, ASV); “the man who does not fear God is like a shadow” (NEB); and “he will not prolong his shadowy days” (NAB). It should be rendered “he will not prolong his days like a shadow” (RSV, NRSV, NASB, MLB, NIV). Unlike a shadow that lengthens at sunset, the wicked do not normally live long.

[8:13]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “he.”

[8:13]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “they do not fear.”

[5:31]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “they shall rule at their hands.” Since the word “hand” can be used figuratively for authority or mean “side” and the pronoun “them” can refer to the priests themselves or the prophets, the following translations have also been suggested: “the priests rule under their [the prophets’] directions,” or “the priests rule in league with them [the prophets].” From the rest of the book it would appear that the prophets did not exercise authority over the priests nor did they exercise the same authority over the people that the priests did. Hence it probably mean “by their own hand/power/authority.”

[5:31]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “But what will you do at its end?” The rhetorical question implies a negative answer: “Nothing!”

[12:20]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “your soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.

[12:20]  ¹⁹ tn Or “required back.” This term, ἀπαιτέω (apaitew), has an economic feel to it and is often used of a debt being called in for repayment (BDAG 96 s.v. 1).

[12:20]  ²⁰ tn Grk “the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” The words “for yourself” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[16:22]  ²¹ tn Grk “Now it happened that the.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[16:22]  ²² tn Grk “to Abraham’s bosom.” The phrase “carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom” describes being gathered to the fathers and is a way to refer to heaven (Gen 15:15; 47:30; Deut 31:16).

[16:22]  ²³ tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[16:22]  ²⁴ sn The shorter description suggests a different fate, which is confirmed in the following verses.

[16:23]  ²⁵ sn The Greek term Hades stands for the Hebrew concept of Sheol. It is what is called hell today. This is where the dead were gathered (Ps 16:10; 86:13). In the NT Hades has an additional negative force of awaiting judgment (Rev 20:13).

[16:23]  ²⁶ sn Hades is a place of torment, especially as one knows that he is separated from God.

[16:23]  ²⁷ tn Grk “he lifted up his eyes” (an idiom).

[16:23]  ²⁸ tn Grk “in his bosom,” the same phrase used in 16:22. This idiom refers to heaven and/or participation in the eschatological banquet. An appropriate modern equivalent is “at Abraham’s side.”