Psalms 71:15

71:15 I will tell about your justice,

and all day long proclaim your salvation, ¹ 

though I cannot fathom its full extent. ² 

Psalms 89:1-2

Psalm 89 ³ 

A well-written song ⁴  by Ethan the Ezrachite.

89:1 I will sing continually ⁵  about the Lord’s faithful deeds;

to future generations I will proclaim your faithfulness. ⁶ 

89:2 For I say, “Loyal love is permanently established; ⁷ 

in the skies you set up your faithfulness.” ⁸ 

Psalms 145:2

145:2 Every day I will praise you!

I will praise your name continually! ⁹ 

Isaiah 63:7

A Prayer for Divine Intervention

63:7 I will tell of the faithful acts of the Lord,

of the Lord’s praiseworthy deeds.

I will tell about all ¹⁰  the Lord did for us,

the many good things he did for the family of Israel, ¹¹ 

because of ¹²  his compassion and great faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

ח (Khet)

3:22 The Lord’s loyal kindness ¹³  never ceases; ¹⁴ 

his compassions ¹⁵  never end.

3:23 They are fresh ¹⁶  every morning;

your faithfulness is abundant! ¹⁷ 

John 1:17

1:17 For the law was given through Moses, but ¹⁸  grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ.

[71:15]  ¹ tn Heb “my mouth declares your vindication, all the day your deliverance.”

[71:15]  ² tn Heb “though I do not know [the] numbers,” that is, the tally of God’s just and saving acts. HALOT 768 s.v. סְפֹרוֹת understands the plural noun to mean “the art of writing.”

[89:1]  ³ sn Psalm 89. The psalmist praises God as the sovereign creator of the world. He recalls God’s covenant with David, but then laments that the promises of the covenant remain unrealized. The covenant promised the Davidic king military victories, but the king has now been subjected to humiliating defeat.

[89:1]  ⁴ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 88.

[89:1]  ⁵ tn Or “forever.”

[89:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “to a generation and a generation I will make known your faithfulness with my mouth.”

[89:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “built.”

[89:2]  ⁸ sn You set up your faithfulness. This may allude to the Lord’s heavenly throne, which symbolizes his just rule and from which the Lord decrees his unconditional promises (see vv. 8, 14).

[145:2]  ⁹ tn Or, hyperbolically, “forever.”

[63:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “according to all which.”

[63:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “greatness of goodness to the house of Israel which he did for them.”

[63:7]  ¹² tn Heb “according to.”

[3:22]  ¹³ tn It is difficult to capture the nuances of the Hebrew word חֶסֶד (khesed). When used of the Lord it is often connected to his covenant loyalty. This is the only occasion when the plural form of חֶסֶד (khesed) precedes the plural form of רַחֲמִים (rakhamim, “mercy, compassion”). The plural forms, as with this one, tend to be in late texts. The plural may indicate several concrete expressions of God’s kindnesses or may indicate the abstract concept of his kindness.

[3:22]  ¹⁴ tc The MT reads תָמְנוּ (tamnu) “indeed we are [not] cut off,” Qal perfect 1st person common plural from תָּמַם (tamam, “be finished”): “[Because of] the kindnesses of the Lord, we are not cut off.” However, the ancient versions (LXX, Syriac Peshitta, Aramaic Targum) and many medieval Hebrew mss preserve the alternate reading תָּמּוּ (tammu), Qal perfect 3rd person common plural from תָּמַם (tamam, “to be finished”): “The kindnesses of the Lord never cease.” The external evidence favors the alternate reading. The internal evidence supports this as well, as the parallel B-line suggests: “his compassions never come to an end.” Several English versions follow the MT: “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed” (KJV, NKJV), “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed” (NIV). Other English versions follow the alternate textual tradition: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases” (RSV, NRSV), “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease” (NASB), “The kindness of the Lord has not ended” (NJPS) and “The Lord’s unfailing love still continues” (TEV).

[3:22]  ¹⁵ tn The plural form of רַחֲמִים (rakhamim) may denote the abstract concept of mercy, several concrete expressions of mercy, or the plural of intensity: “great compassion.” See IBHS 122 §7.4.3a.

[3:23]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “they are new.”

[3:23]  ¹⁷ tn The adjective רַב (rav) has a broad range of meanings: (1) quantitative: “much, numerous, many (with plurals), abundant, enough, exceedingly” and (2) less often in a qualitative sense: “great” (a) of space and location, (b) “strong” as opposed to “weak” and (c) “major.” The traditional translation, “great is thy faithfulness,” is less likely than the quantitative sense: “your faithfulness is abundant” [or, “plentiful”]. NJPS is on target in its translation: “Ample is your grace!”

[1:17]  ¹⁸ tn “But” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the implied contrast between the Mosaic law and grace through Jesus Christ. John 1:17 seems to indicate clearly that the Old Covenant (Sinai) was being contrasted with the New. In Jewish sources the Law was regarded as a gift from God (Josephus, Ant. 3.8.10 [3.223]; Pirqe Avot 1.1; Sifre Deut 31:4 §305). Further information can be found in T. F. Glasson, Moses in the Fourth Gospel (SBT).