Psalms 4:6

4:6 Many say, “Who can show us anything good?”

Smile upon us, Lord! ¹ 

Psalms 21:6

21:6 For you grant him lasting blessings;

you give him great joy by allowing him into your presence. ² 

Psalms 30:5

30:5 For his anger lasts only a brief moment,

and his good favor restores one’s life. ³ 

One may experience sorrow during the night,

but joy arrives in the morning. ⁴ 

Philippians 1:23

1:23 I feel torn between the two, ⁵  because I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far,

Philippians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul ⁶  and Timothy, slaves ⁷  of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, ⁸  with the overseers ⁹  and deacons.

Philippians 3:2

3:2 Beware of the dogs, ¹⁰  beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh! ¹¹ 

[4:6]  ¹ tn Heb “lift up upon us the light of your face, Lord.” The verb נסה is apparently an alternate form of נשׂא, “lift up.” See GKC 217 §76.b. The idiom “light of your face” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 31:16; 44:3; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; 89:15; Dan 9:17).

[21:6]  ² tn Heb “you make him happy with joy with [i.e., “close by” or “in”] your face.” On the idiom “with your face” (i.e., “in your presence”) see Ps 16:11 and BDB 816 s.v. פָּנֻה II.2.a.

[30:5]  ³ tn Heb “for [there is] a moment in his anger, [but] life in his favor.” Because of the parallelism with “moment,” some understand חַיִּים (khayyim) in a quantitative sense: “lifetime” (cf. NIV, NRSV). However, the immediate context, which emphasizes deliverance from death (see v. 3), suggests that חַיִּים has a qualitative sense: “physical life” or even “prosperous life” (cf. NEB “in his favour there is life”).

[30:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “in the evening weeping comes to lodge, but at morning a shout of joy.” “Weeping” is personified here as a traveler who lodges with one temporarily.

[1:23]  ⁵ tn Grk “I am hard-pressed between the two.” Cf. L&N 30.18.

[1:1]  ⁶ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ⁷ tn Traditionally, “servants” or “bondservants.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  ⁸ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[1:1]  ⁹ sn The overseers (or “church leaders,” L&N 53.71) is another term for the same official position of leadership as the “elder.” This is seen in the interchange of the two terms in Titus 1:6-7 and in Acts 20:17, 28, as well as in the parallels between Titus 1:6-7 and 1 Tim 3:1-7.

[3:2]  ¹⁰ sn Dogs is a figurative reference to false teachers whom Paul regards as just as filthy as dogs.

[3:2]  ¹¹ tn Grk “beware of the mutilation.”