Psalms 53:2

53:2 God looks down from heaven ¹  at the human race, ² 

to see if there is anyone who is wise ³  and seeks God. ⁴ 

Jeremiah 23:23-24

23:23 Do you people think ⁵  that I am some local deity

and not the transcendent God?” ⁶  the Lord asks. ⁷ 

23:24 “Do you really think anyone can hide himself

where I cannot see him?” the Lord asks. ⁸ 

“Do you not know that I am everywhere?” ⁹ 

the Lord asks. ¹⁰ 

Hebrews 4:13

4:13 And no creature is hidden from God, ¹¹  but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.

[53:2]  ¹ sn The picture of the Lord looking down from heaven draws attention to his sovereignty over the world.

[53:2]  ² tn Heb “upon the sons of man.”

[53:2]  ³ tn Or “acts wisely.” The Hiphil is exhibitive.

[53:2]  ⁴ tn That is, who seeks to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him.

[23:23]  ⁵ tn The words “Do you people think” at the beginning of this verse and “Do you really think” at the beginning of the next verse are not in the text but are a way of trying to convey the nature of the rhetorical questions which expect a negative answer. They are also a way of trying to show that the verses are still connected with the preceding discussion addressed to the people (cf. 23:16, 20).

[23:23]  ⁶ tn Heb “Am I a god nearby and not a god far off?” The question is sometimes translated as though there is an alternative being given in v. 23, one that covers both the ideas of immanence and transcendence (i.e., “Am I only a god nearby and not also a god far off?”). However, the hey interrogative (הַ) at the beginning of this verse and the particle (אִם, ’im) at the beginning of the next show that the linkage is between the question in v. 23 and that in v. 24a. According to BDB 210 s.v. הֲ 1.d both questions in this case expect a negative answer.

[23:23]  ⁷ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[23:24]  ⁸ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[23:24]  ⁹ tn The words “Don’t you know” are not in the text. They are a way of conveying the idea that the question which reads literally “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” expects a positive answer. They follow the pattern used at the beginning of the previous two questions and continue that thought. The words are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[23:24]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[4:13]  ¹¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.