Psalms 67:4

67:4 Let foreigners ¹  rejoice and celebrate!

For you execute justice among the nations,

and govern the people living on earth. ²  (Selah)

Psalms 98:3

98:3 He remains loyal and faithful to the family of Israel. ³ 

All the ends of the earth see our God deliver us. ⁴ 

Numbers 14:21

14:21 But truly, as I live, ⁵  all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord.

Numbers 14:2

14:2 And all the Israelites murmured ⁶  against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died ⁷  in the land of Egypt, or if only we had perished ⁸  in this wilderness!

Numbers 22:1

Balaam Refuses to Curse Israel

22:1 ⁹ The Israelites traveled on ¹⁰  and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan River ¹¹  across from Jericho. ¹² 

Isaiah 6:3

6:3 They called out to one another, “Holy, holy, holy ¹³  is the Lord who commands armies! ¹⁴  His majestic splendor fills the entire earth!”

Isaiah 45:6

45:6 I do this ¹⁵  so people ¹⁶  will recognize from east to west

that there is no God but me;

I am the Lord, I have no peer.

Isaiah 60:2-3

60:2 For, look, darkness covers the earth

and deep darkness covers ¹⁷  the nations,

but the Lord shines on you;

his splendor ¹⁸  appears over you.

60:3 Nations come to your light,

kings to your bright light.

Habakkuk 2:14

2:14 For recognition of the Lord’s sovereign majesty will fill the earth

just as the waters fill up the sea. ¹⁹ 

Matthew 6:9

6:9 So pray this way: ²⁰ 

Our Father ²¹  in heaven, may your name be honored, ²² 

[67:4]  ¹ tn Or “peoples.”

[67:4]  ² tn Heb “for you judge nations fairly, and [as for the] peoples in the earth, you lead them.” The imperfects are translated with the present tense because the statement is understood as a generalization about God’s providential control of the world. Another option is to understand the statement as anticipating God’s future rule (“for you will rule…and govern”).

[98:3]  ³ tn Heb “he remembers his loyal love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel.”

[98:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “the deliverance of our God,” with “God” being a subjective genitive (= God delivers).

[14:21]  ⁵ sn This is the oath formula, but in the Pentateuch it occurs here and in v. 28.

[14:2]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew verb “to murmur” is לוּן (lun). It is a strong word, signifying far more than complaining or grumbling, as some of the modern translations have it. The word is most often connected to the wilderness experience. It is paralleled in the literature with the word “to rebel.” The murmuring is like a parliamentary vote of no confidence, for they no longer trusted their leaders and wished to choose a new leader and return. This “return to Egypt” becomes a symbol of their lack of faith in the Lord.

[14:2]  ⁷ tn The optative is expressed by לוּ (lu) and then the verb, here the perfect tense מַתְנוּ (matnu) – “O that we had died….” Had they wanted to die in Egypt they should not have cried out to the Lord to deliver them from bondage. Here the people became consumed with the fear and worry of what lay ahead, and in their panic they revealed a lack of trust in God.

[14:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “died.”

[22:1]  ⁹ sn The fifth section of the book (22:1-33:56) traces the Israelite activities in Transjordan. It is hard to determine how long they were in Transjordan, but a good amount of time must have elapsed for the number of moves they made and the wars they fought. There is a considerable amount of information available on this section of the book. Some of the most helpful works include: H. C. Brichto, The Problem of “Curse” in the Hebrew Bible (JBLMS); E. Burrows, The Oracles of Jacob and Balaam; G. W. Coats, “Balaam, Sinner or Saint?” BR 18 (1973): 21-29; P. C. Craigie, “The Conquest and Early Hebrew Poetry,” TynBul 20 (1969): 76-94; I. Parker, “The Way of God and the Way of Balaam,” ExpTim 17 (1905): 45; and J. A. Wharton, “The Command to Bless: An Exposition of Numbers 22:41–23:25,” Int 13 (1959): 37-48. This first part introduces the characters and sets the stage for the oracles. It can be divided into four sections: the invitation declined (vv. 1-14), the second invitation extended (vv. 15-21), God opposes Balaam (vv. 22-35), and Balaam meets Balak (vv. 36-41).

[22:1]  ¹⁰ tn The verse begins with the vav (ו) consecutive.

[22:1]  ¹¹ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[22:1]  ¹² map For the location of Jericho see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[6:3]  ¹³ tn Some have seen a reference to the Trinity in the seraphs’ threefold declaration, “holy, holy, holy.” This proposal has no linguistic or contextual basis and should be dismissed as allegorical. Hebrew sometimes uses repetition for emphasis. (See IBHS 233-34 §12.5a; and GKC 431-32 §133.k.) By repeating the word “holy,” the seraphs emphasize the degree of the Lord’s holiness. For another example of threefold repetition for emphasis, see Ezek 21:27 (Heb. v. 32). (Perhaps Jer 22:29 provides another example.)

[6:3]  ¹⁴ tn Perhaps in this context, the title has a less militaristic connotation and pictures the Lord as the ruler of the heavenly assembly. See the note at 1:9.

[45:6]  ¹⁵ tn The words “I do this” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[45:6]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “they” (so KJV, ASV); TEV, CEV “everyone”; NLT “all the world.”

[60:2]  ¹⁷ tn The verb “covers” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[60:2]  ¹⁸ tn Or “glory” (so most English versions); TEV “the brightness of his presence.”

[2:14]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, just as the waters cover over the sea.”

[6:9]  ²⁰ sn Pray this way. What follows, although traditionally known as the Lord’s prayer, is really the disciples’ prayer. It represents how they are to approach God, by acknowledging his uniqueness and their need for his provision and protection.

[6:9]  ²¹ sn God is addressed in terms of intimacy (Father). The original Semitic term here was probably Abba. The term is a little unusual in a personal prayer, especially as it lacks qualification. It is not the exact equivalent of “daddy” (as is sometimes popularly suggested), but it does suggest a close, familial relationship.

[6:9]  ²² tn Grk “hallowed be your name.”