Discovery BoxPsalms 9:9
Context9:9 Consequently 1 the Lord provides safety for the oppressed; 2
he provides safety in times of trouble. 3
Psalms 10:14-18
Context10:14 You have taken notice, 4
for 5 you always see 6 one who inflicts pain and suffering. 7
The unfortunate victim entrusts his cause to you; 8
you deliver 9 the fatherless. 10
10:15 Break the arm 11 of the wicked and evil man!
Hold him accountable for his wicked deeds, 12
which he thought you would not discover. 13
10:16 The Lord rules forever! 14
The nations are driven out of his land. 15
10:17 Lord, you have heard 16 the request 17 of the oppressed;
you make them feel secure because you listen to their prayer. 18
10:18 You defend 19 the fatherless and oppressed, 20
so that mere mortals may no longer terrorize them. 21
Psalms 12:5
Context12:5 “Because of the violence done to the oppressed, 22
because of the painful cries 23 of the needy,
I will spring into action,” 24 says the Lord.
“I will provide the safety they so desperately desire.” 25
Psalms 72:4
Context72:4 He will defend 26 the oppressed among the people;
he will deliver 27 the children 28 of the poor
and crush the oppressor.
Psalms 72:12
Context72:12 For he will rescue the needy 29 when they cry out for help,
and the oppressed 30 who have no defender.
Psalms 109:31
Context109:31 because he stands at the right hand of the needy,
to deliver him from those who threaten 31 his life.
Psalms 146:7
Context146:7 vindicates the oppressed, 32
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord releases the imprisoned.
Deuteronomy 24:14-15
Context24:14 You must not oppress a lowly and poor servant, whether one from among your fellow Israelites 33 or from the resident foreigners who are living in your land and villages. 34 24:15 You must pay his wage that very day before the sun sets, for he is poor and his life depends on it. Otherwise he will cry out to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
Job 27:13-23
Context27:13 This is the portion of the wicked man
allotted by God, 35
the inheritance that evildoers receive
from the Almighty.
27:14 If his children increase – it is for the sword! 36
His offspring never have enough to eat. 37
27:15 Those who survive him are buried by the plague, 38
and their 39 widows do not mourn for them.
27:16 If he piles up silver like dust
and stores up clothing like mounds of clay,
27:17 what he stores up 40 a righteous man will wear,
and an innocent man will inherit his silver.
27:18 The house he builds is as fragile as a moth’s cocoon, 41
like a hut 42 that a watchman has made.
27:19 He goes to bed wealthy, but will do so no more. 43
When he opens his eyes, it is all gone. 44
27:20 Terrors overwhelm him like a flood; 45
at night a whirlwind carries him off.
27:21 The east wind carries him away, and he is gone;
it sweeps him out of his place.
27:22 It hurls itself against him without pity 46
as he flees headlong from its power.
27:23 It claps 47 its hands at him in derision
and hisses him away from his place. 48
Proverbs 14:31
Context14:31 The one who oppresses 49 the poor insults 50 his Creator,
but whoever shows favor 51 to the needy honors him.
Proverbs 22:22-23
Context22:22 Do not exploit 52 a poor person because he is poor
and do not crush the needy in court, 53
22:23 for the Lord will plead their case 54
and will rob those who are robbing 55 them.
Proverbs 23:10
Context23:10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone,
or take over 56 the fields of the fatherless,
Isaiah 14:4-32
Context14:4 you will taunt the king of Babylon with these words: 57
“Look how the oppressor has met his end!
Hostility 58 has ceased!
14:5 The Lord has broken the club of the wicked,
the scepter of rulers.
14:6 It 59 furiously struck down nations
with unceasing blows. 60
It angrily ruled over nations,
oppressing them without restraint. 61
14:7 The whole earth rests and is quiet;
they break into song.
14:8 The evergreens also rejoice over your demise, 62
as do the cedars of Lebanon, singing, 63
‘Since you fell asleep, 64
no woodsman comes up to chop us down!’ 65
14:9 Sheol 66 below is stirred up about you,
ready to meet you when you arrive.
It rouses 67 the spirits of the dead for you,
all the former leaders of the earth; 68
it makes all the former kings of the nations
rise from their thrones. 69
14:10 All of them respond to you, saying:
‘You too have become weak like us!
You have become just like us!
14:11 Your splendor 70 has been brought down to Sheol,
as well as the sound of your stringed instruments. 71
You lie on a bed of maggots,
with a blanket of worms over you. 72
14:12 Look how you have fallen from the sky,
O shining one, son of the dawn! 73
You have been cut down to the ground,
O conqueror 74 of the nations! 75
14:13 You said to yourself, 76
“I will climb up to the sky.
Above the stars of El 77
I will set up my throne.
I will rule on the mountain of assembly
on the remote slopes of Zaphon. 78
14:14 I will climb up to the tops 79 of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High!” 80
14:15 But you were brought down 81 to Sheol,
to the remote slopes of the pit. 82
14:16 Those who see you stare at you,
they look at you carefully, thinking: 83
“Is this the man who shook the earth,
the one who made kingdoms tremble?
14:17 Is this the one who made the world like a desert,
who ruined its 84 cities,
and refused to free his prisoners so they could return home?”’ 85
14:18 86 As for all the kings of the nations,
all of them 87 lie down in splendor, 88
each in his own tomb. 89
14:19 But you have been thrown out of your grave
like a shoot that is thrown away. 90
You lie among 91 the slain,
among those who have been slashed by the sword,
among those headed for 92 the stones of the pit, 93
as if you were a mangled corpse. 94
14:20 You will not be buried with them, 95
because you destroyed your land
and killed your people.
The offspring of the wicked
will never be mentioned again.
14:21 Prepare to execute 96 his sons
for the sins their ancestors have committed. 97
They must not rise up and take possession of the earth,
or fill the surface of the world with cities.” 98
14:22 “I will rise up against them,”
says the Lord who commands armies.
“I will blot out all remembrance of Babylon and destroy all her people, 99
including the offspring she produces,” 100
says the Lord.
14:23 “I will turn her into a place that is overrun with wild animals 101
and covered with pools of stagnant water.
I will get rid of her, just as one sweeps away dirt with a broom,” 102
says the Lord who commands armies.
14:24 103 The Lord who commands armies makes this solemn vow:
“Be sure of this:
Just as I have intended, so it will be;
just as I have planned, it will happen.
14:25 I will break Assyria 104 in my land,
I will trample them 105 underfoot on my hills.
Their yoke will be removed from my people,
the burden will be lifted from their shoulders. 106
14:26 This is the plan I have devised for the whole earth;
my hand is ready to strike all the nations.” 107
14:27 Indeed, 108 the Lord who commands armies has a plan,
and who can possibly frustrate it?
His hand is ready to strike,
and who can possibly stop it? 109
14:28 In the year King Ahaz died, 110 this message was revealed: 111
14:29 Don’t be so happy, all you Philistines,
just because the club that beat you has been broken! 112
For a viper will grow out of the serpent’s root,
and its fruit will be a darting adder. 113
14:30 The poor will graze in my pastures; 114
the needy will rest securely.
But I will kill your root by famine;
it will put to death all your survivors. 115
14:31 Wail, O city gate!
Cry out, O city!
Melt with fear, 116 all you Philistines!
For out of the north comes a cloud of smoke,
and there are no stragglers in its ranks. 117
14:32 How will they respond to the messengers of this nation? 118
Indeed, the Lord has made Zion secure;
the oppressed among his people will find safety in her.
Isaiah 14:17-19
Context14:17 Is this the one who made the world like a desert,
who ruined its 119 cities,
and refused to free his prisoners so they could return home?”’ 120
14:18 121 As for all the kings of the nations,
all of them 122 lie down in splendor, 123
each in his own tomb. 124
14:19 But you have been thrown out of your grave
like a shoot that is thrown away. 125
You lie among 126 the slain,
among those who have been slashed by the sword,
among those headed for 127 the stones of the pit, 128
as if you were a mangled corpse. 129
Isaiah 58:6-7
Context58:6 No, this is the kind of fast I want. 130
I want you 131 to remove the sinful chains,
to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke,
to set free the oppressed, 132
and to break every burdensome yoke.
58:7 I want you 133 to share your food with the hungry
and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. 134
When you see someone naked, clothe him!
Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood! 135
Jeremiah 7:6-15
Context7:6 Stop oppressing foreigners who live in your land, children who have lost their fathers, and women who have lost their husbands. 136 Stop killing innocent people 137 in this land. Stop paying allegiance to 138 other gods. That will only bring about your ruin. 139 7:7 If you stop doing these things, 140 I will allow you to continue to live in this land 141 which I gave to your ancestors as a lasting possession. 142
7:8 “‘But just look at you! 143 You are putting your confidence in a false belief 144 that will not deliver you. 145 7:9 You steal. 146 You murder. You commit adultery. You lie when you swear on oath. You sacrifice to the god Baal. You pay allegiance to 147 other gods whom you have not previously known. 7:10 Then you come and stand in my presence in this temple I have claimed as my own 148 and say, “We are safe!” You think you are so safe that you go on doing all those hateful sins! 149 7:11 Do you think this temple I have claimed as my own 150 is to be a hideout for robbers? 151 You had better take note! 152 I have seen for myself what you have done! says the Lord. 7:12 So, go to the place in Shiloh where I allowed myself to be worshiped 153 in the early days. See what I did to it 154 because of the wicked things my people Israel did. 7:13 You also have done all these things, says the Lord, and I have spoken to you over and over again. 155 But you have not listened! You have refused to respond when I called you to repent! 156 7:14 So I will destroy this temple which I have claimed as my own, 157 this temple that you are trusting to protect you. I will destroy this place that I gave to you and your ancestors, 158 just like I destroyed Shiloh. 159 7:15 And I will drive you out of my sight just like I drove out your relatives, the people of Israel.’” 160
Ezekiel 22:7
Context22:7 They have treated father and mother with contempt 161 within you; they have oppressed the foreigner among you; they have wronged the orphan and the widow 162 within you.
Ezekiel 22:12-14
Context22:12 They take bribes within you to shed blood. You engage in usury and charge interest; 163 you extort money from your neighbors. You have forgotten me, 164 declares the sovereign Lord. 165
22:13 “‘See, I strike my hands together 166 at the dishonest profit you have made, and at the bloodshed 167 they have done among you. 22:14 Can your heart endure, 168 or can your hands be strong when I deal with you? 169 I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it!
Micah 2:1-3
Context2:1 Those who devise sinful plans are as good as dead, 170
those who dream about doing evil as they lie in bed. 171
As soon as morning dawns they carry out their plans, 172
because they have the power to do so.
2:2 They confiscate the fields they desire,
and seize the houses they want. 173
They defraud people of their homes, 174
and deprive people of the land they have inherited. 175
2:3 Therefore the Lord says this: “Look, I am devising disaster for this nation! 176
It will be like a yoke from which you cannot free your neck. 177
You will no longer 178 walk proudly,
for it will be a time of catastrophe.
Micah 3:2-4
Context3:2 yet you 179 hate what is good, 180
and love what is evil. 181
You flay my people’s skin 182
and rip the flesh from their bones. 183
3:3 You 184 devour my people’s flesh,
strip off their skin,
and crush their bones.
You chop them up like flesh in a pot 185 –
like meat in a kettle.
3:4 Someday these sinners will cry to the Lord for help, 186
but he will not answer them.
He will hide his face from them at that time,
because they have done such wicked deeds.”
James 2:6
Context2:6 But you have dishonored the poor! 187 Are not the rich oppressing you and dragging you into the courts?
James 5:1-6
Context5:1 Come now, you rich! Weep and cry aloud 188 over the miseries that are coming on you. 5:2 Your riches have rotted and your clothing has become moth-eaten. 5:3 Your gold and silver have rusted and their rust will be a witness against you. It will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have hoarded treasure! 189 5:4 Look, the pay you have held back from the workers who mowed your fields cries out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5:5 You have lived indulgently and luxuriously on the earth. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 190 5:6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person, although he does not resist you. 191
[9:9] 1 tn Following the imperfect in v. 9, the construction vav (ו) conjunctive + shortened form of the prefixed verb הָיָה (hayah) indicates a consequence or result of the preceding statement. The construction functions this same way in Pss 81:15 and 104:20.
[9:9] 2 tn Heb “and the
[9:9] 3 tn Heb “[he is] an elevated place for times in trouble.” Here an “elevated place” refers to a stronghold, a defensible, secure position that represents a safe haven in times of unrest or distress (cf. NEB “tower of strength”; NIV, NRSV “stronghold”).
[10:14] 4 tn Heb “you see.” One could translate the perfect as generalizing, “you do take notice.”
[10:14] 5 tn If the preceding perfect is taken as generalizing, then one might understand כִּי (ki) as asseverative: “indeed, certainly.”
[10:14] 6 tn Here the imperfect emphasizes God’s typical behavior.
[10:14] 7 tn Heb “destruction and suffering,” which here refers metonymically to the wicked, who dish out pain and suffering to their victims.
[10:14] 8 tn Heb “to give into your hand, upon you, he abandons, [the] unfortunate [one].” The syntax is awkward and the meaning unclear. It is uncertain who or what is being given into God’s hand. Elsewhere the idiom “give into the hand” means to deliver into one’s possession. If “to give” goes with what precedes (as the accentuation of the Hebrew text suggests), then this may refer to the wicked man being delivered over to God for judgment. The present translation assumes that “to give” goes with what follows (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). The verb יַעֲזֹב (ya’azov) here has the nuance “entrust” (see Gen 39:6; Job 39:11); the direct object (“[his] cause”) is implied.
[10:14] 10 tn Heb “[for] one who is fatherless, you are a deliverer.” The noun יָתוֹם (yatom) refers to one who has lost his father (not necessarily his mother, see Ps 109:9).
[10:15] 11 sn The arm symbolizes the strength of the wicked, which they use to oppress and exploit the weak.
[10:15] 12 tn Heb “you seek his wickedness.” As in v. 13, the verb דָרַשׁ (darash, “seek”) is used here in the sense of “seek an accounting.” One could understand the imperfect as describing a fact, “you hold him accountable,” or as anticipating divine judgment, “you will hold him accountable.” However, since the verb is in apparent parallelism with the preceding imperative (“break”), it is better to understand the imperfect as expressing the psalmist’s desire or request.
[10:15] 13 tn Heb “you will not find.” It is uncertain how this statement relates to what precedes. Some take בַל (bal), which is used as a negative particle in vv. 4, 6, 11, 18, as asseverative here, “Indeed find (i.e., judge his wickedness).” The translation assumes that the final words are an asyndetic relative clause which refers back to what the wicked man boasted in God’s face (“you will not find [i.e., my wickedness]”). See v. 13.
[10:16] 14 tn Heb “the
[10:16] 15 tn Or “the nations perish from his land.” The perfect verb form may express what is typical or it may express rhetorically the psalmist’s certitude that God’s deliverance is “as good as done.”
[10:17] 16 sn You have heard. The psalmist is confident that God has responded positively to his earlier petitions for divine intervention. The psalmist apparently prayed the words of vv. 16-18 after the reception of an oracle of deliverance (given in response to the confident petition of vv. 12-15) or after the Lord actually delivered him from his enemies.
[10:17] 18 tn Heb “you make firm their heart, you cause your ear to listen.”
[10:18] 19 tn Heb “to judge (on behalf of),” or “by judging (on behalf of).”
[10:18] 20 tn Heb “crushed.” See v. 10.
[10:18] 21 tn Heb “he will not add again [i.e., “he will no longer”] to terrify, man from the earth.” The Hebrew term אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh, “man”) refers here to the wicked nations (v. 16). By describing them as “from the earth,” the psalmist emphasizes their weakness before the sovereign, eternal king.
[12:5] 22 tn The term translated “oppressed” is an objective genitive; the oppressed are the recipients/victims of violence.
[12:5] 23 tn Elsewhere in the psalms this noun is used of the painful groans of prisoners awaiting death (79:11; 102:20). The related verb is used of the painful groaning of those wounded in combat (Jer 51:52; Ezek 26:15) and of the mournful sighing of those in grief (Ezek 9:4; 24:17).
[12:5] 24 tn Heb “I will rise up.”
[12:5] 25 tn Heb “I will place in deliverance, he pants for it.” The final two words in Hebrew (יָפִיחַ לוֹ, yafiakh lo) comprise an asyndetic relative clause, “the one who pants for it.” “The one who pants” is the object of the verb “place” and the antecedent of the pronominal suffix (in the phrase “for it”) is “deliverance.” Another option is to translate, “I will place in deliverance the witness for him,” repointing יָפִיחַ (a Hiphil imperfect from פּוּחַ, puakh, “pant”) as יָפֵחַ (yafeakh), a noun meaning “witness.” In this case the
[72:4] 26 tn Heb “judge [for].”
[72:4] 27 tn The prefixed verbal form appears to be an imperfect, not a jussive.
[72:12] 29 tn The singular is representative. The typical needy individual here represents the entire group.
[72:12] 30 tn The singular is representative. The typical oppressed individual here represents the entire group.
[146:7] 32 tn Heb “executes justice for the oppressed.”
[24:14] 33 tn Heb “your brothers,” but not limited only to actual siblings; cf. NASB “your (+ own NAB) countrymen.”
[24:14] 34 tn Heb “who are in your land in your gates.” The word “living” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[27:13] 35 tn The expression “allotted by God” interprets the simple prepositional phrase in the text: “with/from God.”
[27:14] 36 tn R. Gordis (Job, 294) identifies this as a breviloquence. Compare Ps 92:8 where the last two words also constitute the apodosis.
[27:14] 37 tn Heb “will not be satisfied with bread/food.”
[27:15] 38 tn The text says “will be buried in/by death.” A number of passages in the Bible use “death” to mean the plague that kills (see Jer 15:2; Isa 28:3; and BDB 89 s.v. בְּ 2.a). In this sense it is like the English expression for the plague, “the Black Death.”
[27:15] 39 tc The LXX has “their widows” to match the plural, and most commentators harmonize in the same way.
[27:17] 40 tn The text simply repeats the verb from the last clause. It could be treated as a separate short clause: “He may store it up, but the righteous will wear it. But it also could be understood as the object of the following verb, “[what] he stores up the righteous will wear.” The LXX simply has, “All these things shall the righteous gain.”
[27:18] 41 tn Heb כָעָשׁ (kha’ash, “like a moth”), but this leaves room for clarification. Some commentators wanted to change it to “bird’s nest” or just “nest” (cf. NRSV) to make the parallelism; see Job 4:14. But the word is not found. The LXX has a double expression, “as moths, as a spider.” So several take it as the spider’s web, which is certainly unsubstantial (cf. NAB, NASB, NLT; see Job 8:14).
[27:18] 42 tn The Hebrew word is the word for “booth,” as in the Feast of Booths. The word describes something that is flimsy; it is not substantial at all.
[27:19] 43 tc The verb is the Niphal יֵאָסֵף (ye’asef), from אָסַף (’asaf, “to gather”). So, “he lies down rich, but he is not gathered.” This does not make much sense. It would mean “he will not be gathered for burial,” but that does not belong here. Many commentators accept the variant יֹאסִף (yo’sif) stood for יוֹסִיף (yosif, “will [not] add”). This is what the LXX and the Syriac have. This leads to the interpretive translation that “he will do so no longer.”
[27:19] 44 tn Heb “and he is not.” One view is that this must mean that he dies, not that his wealth is gone. R. Gordis (Job, 295) says the first part should be made impersonal: “when one opens one’s eyes, the wicked is no longer there.” E. Dhorme (Job, 396) has it more simply: “He has opened his eyes, and it is for the last time.” But the other view is that the wealth goes overnight. In support of this is the introduction into the verse of the wealthy. The RSV, NRSV, ESV, and NLT take it that “wealth is gone.”
[27:20] 45 tn Many commentators want a word parallel to “in the night.” And so we are offered בַּיּוֹם (bayyom, “in the day”) for כַמַּיִם (khammayim, “like waters”) as well as a number of others. But “waters” sometimes stand for major calamities, and so may be retained here. Besides, not all parallel structures are synonymous.
[27:22] 46 tn The verb is once again functioning in an adverbial sense. The text has “it hurls itself against him and shows no mercy.”
[27:23] 47 tn If the same subject is to be carried through here, it is the wind. That would make this a bold personification, perhaps suggesting the force of the wind. Others argue that it is unlikely that the wind claps its hands. They suggest taking the verb with an indefinite subject: “he claps” means “one claps. The idea is that of people rejoicing when the wicked are gone. But the parallelism is against this unless the second line is changed as well. R. Gordis (Job, 296) has “men will clap their hands…men will whistle upon him.”
[27:23] 48 tn Or “hisses at him from its place” (ESV).
[14:31] 49 tn The verb עָשַׁק (’ashaq) normally means “to oppress” (as in many English versions). However, here it might mean “to slander.” See J. A. Emerton, “Notes on Some Passages in the Book of Proverbs,” JTS 20 (1969): 202-22.
[14:31] 50 sn In the Piel this verb has the meaning of “to reproach; to taunt; to say sharp things against” someone (cf. NIV “shows contempt for”). By oppressing the poor one taunts or mistreats God because that person is in the image of God – hence the reference to the “Creator.” To ridicule what God made is to ridicule God himself.
[14:31] 51 sn The phrase “shows favor” is contrasted with the term “oppresses.” To “show favor” means to be gracious to (or treat kindly) those who do not deserve it or cannot repay it. It is treatment that is gratis. This honors God because he commanded it to be done (Prov 14:21; 17:5; 19:17).
[22:22] 52 tn Two negated jussives form the instruction here: אַל־תִּגְזָל (’al-tigzal, “do not exploit”) and וְאַל־תְּדַכֵּא (ve’al-tÿdakke’, “do not crush”).
[22:22] 53 tn Heb “in the gate” (so KJV); NAB, NASB, NRSV “at the gate.” The “gate” of the city was the center of activity, the place of business as well as the place for settling legal disputes. The language of the next verse suggests a legal setting, so “court” is an appropriate translation here.
[22:23] 54 tn The construction uses the verb יָרִיב (yariv) with its cognate accusative. It can mean “to strive,” but here it probably means “to argue a case, plead a case” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV). How the
[22:23] 55 tn The verb קָבַע (qava’, “to rob; to spoil; to plunder”) is used here in both places to reflect the principle of talionic justice. What the oppressors did to the poor will be turned back on them by the
[23:10] 56 tn Or “encroach on” (NIV, NRSV); Heb “go into.”
[14:4] 57 tn Heb “you will lift up this taunt over the king of Babylon, saying.”
[14:4] 58 tc The word in the Hebrew text (מַדְהֵבָה, madhevah) is unattested elsewhere and of uncertain meaning. Many (following the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa) assume a dalet-resh (ד-ר) confusion and emend the form to מַרְהֵבָה (marhevah, “onslaught”). See HALOT 548 s.v. II *מִדָּה and HALOT 633 s.v. *מַרְהֵבָה.
[14:6] 59 tn Or perhaps, “he” (cf. KJV; NCV “the king of Babylon”). The present translation understands the referent of the pronoun (“it”) to be the “club/scepter” of the preceding line.
[14:6] 60 tn Heb “it was striking down nations in fury [with] a blow without ceasing.” The participle (“striking down”) suggests repeated or continuous action in past time.
[14:6] 61 tn Heb “it was ruling in anger nations [with] oppression without restraint.” The participle (“ruling”) suggests repeated or continuous action in past time.
[14:8] 62 tn Heb “concerning you.”
[14:8] 63 tn The word “singing” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. Note that the personified trees speak in the second half of the verse.
[14:8] 64 tn Heb “lay down” (in death); cf. NAB “laid to rest.”
[14:8] 65 tn Heb “the [wood]cutter does not come up against us.”
[14:9] 66 sn Sheol is the proper name of the subterranean world which was regarded as the land of the dead.
[14:9] 67 tn Heb “arousing.” The form is probably a Polel infinitive absolute, rather than a third masculine singular perfect, for Sheol is grammatically feminine (note “stirred up”). See GKC 466 §145.t.
[14:9] 68 tn Heb “all the rams of the earth.” The animal epithet is used metaphorically here for leaders. See HALOT 903 s.v. *עַתּוּד.
[14:9] 69 tn Heb “lifting from their thrones all the kings of the nations.” הֵקִים (heqim, a Hiphil perfect third masculine singular) should be emended to an infinitive absolute (הָקֵים, haqem). See the note on “rouses” earlier in the verse.
[14:11] 70 tn Or “pride” (NCV, CEV); KJV, NIV, NRSV “pomp.”
[14:11] 71 tn Or “harps” (NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[14:11] 72 tn Heb “under you maggots are spread out, and worms are your cover.”
[14:12] 73 tn The Hebrew text has הֵילֵל בֶּן־שָׁחַר (helel ben-shakhar, “Helel son of Shachar”), which is probably a name for the morning star (Venus) or the crescent moon. See HALOT 245 s.v. הֵילֵל.
[14:12] 74 tn Some understand the verb to from חָלַשׁ (khalash, “to weaken”), but HALOT 324 s.v. II חלשׁ proposes a homonym here, meaning “to defeat.”
[14:12] 75 sn In this line the taunting kings hint at the literal identity of the king, after likening him to the god Helel and a tree. The verb גָדַע (gada’, “cut down”) is used of chopping down trees in 9:10 and 10:33.
[14:13] 76 tn Heb “you, you said in your heart.”
[14:13] 77 sn In Canaanite mythology the stars of El were astral deities under the authority of the high god El.
[14:13] 78 sn Zaphon, the Canaanite version of Olympus, was the “mountain of assembly” where the gods met.
[14:14] 79 tn Heb “the high places.” This word often refers to the high places where pagan worship was conducted, but here it probably refers to the “backs” or tops of the clouds. See HALOT 136 s.v. בָּמָה.
[14:14] 80 sn Normally in the OT the title “Most High” belongs to the God of Israel, but in this context, where the mythological overtones are so strong, it probably refers to the Canaanite high god El.
[14:15] 81 tn The prefixed verb form is taken as a preterite. Note the use of perfects in v. 12 to describe the king’s downfall.
[14:15] 82 tn The Hebrew term בּוּר (bor, “cistern”) is sometimes used metaphorically to refer to the place of the dead or the entrance to the underworld.
[14:16] 83 tn The word “thinking” is supplied in the translation in order to make it clear that the next line records their thoughts as they gaze at him.
[14:17] 84 tc The pronominal suffix is masculine, even though its antecedent appears to be the grammatically feminine noun “world.” Some have suggested that the form עָרָיו (’arayv, plural noun with third masculine singular suffix) should be emended to עָרֶיהָ (’areha, plural noun with third feminine singular suffix). This emendation may be unnecessary in light of other examples of lack of agreement a suffix and its antecedent noun.
[14:17] 85 tn Heb “and his prisoners did not let loose to [their] homes.” This really means, “he did not let loose his prisoners and send them back to their homes.’ On the elliptical style, see GKC 366 §117.o.
[14:18] 86 sn It is unclear where the quotation of the kings, begun in v. 10b, ends. However, the reference to the “kings of the nations” in v. 18 (see also v. 9) seems to indicate that the quotation has ended at this point and that Israel’s direct taunt (cf. vv. 4b-10a) has resumed. In fact the references to the “kings of the nations” may form a stylistic inclusio or frame around the quotation.
[14:18] 87 tc The phrase “all of them” does not appear in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa.
[14:18] 88 sn This refers to the typically extravagant burial of kings.
[14:18] 89 tn Heb “house” (so KJV, ASV), but in this context a tomb is in view. Note the verb “lie down” in the preceding line and the reference to a “grave” in the next line.
[14:19] 90 tn Heb “like a shoot that is abhorred.” The simile seems a bit odd; apparently it refers to a small shoot that is trimmed from a plant and tossed away. Some prefer to emend נֵצֶר (netser, “shoot”); some propose נֵפֶל (nefel, “miscarriage”). In this case one might paraphrase: “like a horrible-looking fetus that is delivered when a woman miscarries.”
[14:19] 91 tn Heb “are clothed with.”
[14:19] 92 tn Heb “those going down to.”
[14:19] 93 tn בּוֹר (bor) literally means “cistern”; cisterns were constructed from stones. On the metaphorical use of “cistern” for the underworld, see the note at v. 15.
[14:19] 94 tn Heb “like a trampled corpse.” Some take this line with what follows.
[14:20] 95 tn Heb “you will not be united with them in burial” (so NASB).
[14:21] 96 tn Or “the place of slaughter for.”
[14:21] 97 tn Heb “for the sin of their fathers.”
[14:21] 98 sn J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:320, n. 10) suggests that the garrison cities of the mighty empire are in view here.
[14:22] 99 tn Heb “I will cut off from Babylon name and remnant” (ASV, NAB, and NRSV all similar).
[14:22] 100 tn Heb “descendant and child.”
[14:23] 101 tn Heb “I will make her into a possession of wild animals.” It is uncertain what type of animal קִפֹּד (qippod) refers to. Some suggest a rodent (cf. NASB, NRSV “hedgehog”), others an owl (cf, NAB, NIV, TEV).
[14:23] 102 tn Heb “I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction.”
[14:24] 103 sn Having announced the downfall of the Chaldean empire, the Lord appends to this prophecy a solemn reminder that the Assyrians, the major Mesopotamian power of Isaiah’s day, would be annihilated, foreshadowing what would subsequently happen to Babylon and the other hostile nations.
[14:25] 104 tn Heb “to break Assyria.”
[14:25] 105 tn Heb “him.” This is a collective singular referring to the nation, or a reference to the king of Assyria who by metonymy stands for the entire nation.
[14:25] 106 tn Heb “and his [i.e., Assyria’s] yoke will be removed from them [the people?], and his [Assyria’s] burden from his [the nation’s?] shoulder will be removed.” There are no antecedents in this oracle for the suffixes in the phrases “from them” and “from his shoulder.” Since the Lord’s land and hills are referred to in the preceding line and the statement seems to echo 10:27, it is likely that God’s people are the referents of the suffixes; the translation uses “my people” to indicate this.
[14:26] 107 tn Heb “and this is the hand that is outstretched over all the nations.”
[14:27] 108 tn Or “For” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[14:27] 109 tn Heb “His hand is outstretched and who will turn it back?”
[14:28] 110 sn Perhaps 715
[14:28] 111 tn Heb “this oracle came.”
[14:29] 112 sn The identity of this “club” (also referred to as a “serpent” in the next line) is uncertain. It may refer to an Assyrian king, or to Ahaz. For discussion see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:331-32. The viper/adder referred to in the second half of the verse is his successor.
[14:29] 113 tn Heb “flying burning one.” The designation “burning one” may allude to the serpent’s appearance or the effect of its poisonous bite. (See the note at 6:2.) The qualifier “flying” probably refers to the serpent’s quick, darting movements, though one might propose a homonym here, meaning “biting.” (See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:332, n. 18.) Some might think in terms of a mythological flying, fire breathing dragon (cf. NAB “a flying saraph”; CEV “a flying fiery dragon”), but this proposal does not make good sense in 30:6, where the phrase “flying burning one” appears again in a list of desert animals.
[14:30] 114 tc The Hebrew text has, “the firstborn of the poor will graze.” “Firstborn” may be used here in an idiomatic sense to indicate the very poorest of the poor. See BDB 114 s.v. בְּכוֹר. The translation above assumes an emendation of בְּכוֹרֵי (bÿkhorey, “firstborn of”) to בְּכָרַי (bekharay, “in my pastures”).
[14:30] 115 tn Heb “your remnant” (so NAB, NRSV).
[14:31] 116 tn Or “despair” (see HALOT 555 s.v. מוג). The form נָמוֹג (namog) should be taken here as an infinitive absolute functioning as an imperative. See GKC 199-200 §72.v.
[14:31] 117 tn Heb “and there is no one going alone in his appointed places.” The meaning of this line is uncertain. בּוֹדֵד (boded) appears to be a participle from בָּדַד (badad, “be separate”; see BDB 94 s.v. בָּדַד). מוֹעָד (mo’ad) may mean “assembly” or, by extension, “multitude” (see HALOT 558 s.v. *מוֹעָד), but the referent of the third masculine pronominal suffix attached to the noun is unclear. It probably refers to the “nation” mentioned in the next line.
[14:32] 118 sn The question forces the Philistines to consider the dilemma they will face – surrender and oppression, or battle and death.
[14:17] 119 tc The pronominal suffix is masculine, even though its antecedent appears to be the grammatically feminine noun “world.” Some have suggested that the form עָרָיו (’arayv, plural noun with third masculine singular suffix) should be emended to עָרֶיהָ (’areha, plural noun with third feminine singular suffix). This emendation may be unnecessary in light of other examples of lack of agreement a suffix and its antecedent noun.
[14:17] 120 tn Heb “and his prisoners did not let loose to [their] homes.” This really means, “he did not let loose his prisoners and send them back to their homes.’ On the elliptical style, see GKC 366 §117.o.
[14:18] 121 sn It is unclear where the quotation of the kings, begun in v. 10b, ends. However, the reference to the “kings of the nations” in v. 18 (see also v. 9) seems to indicate that the quotation has ended at this point and that Israel’s direct taunt (cf. vv. 4b-10a) has resumed. In fact the references to the “kings of the nations” may form a stylistic inclusio or frame around the quotation.
[14:18] 122 tc The phrase “all of them” does not appear in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa.
[14:18] 123 sn This refers to the typically extravagant burial of kings.
[14:18] 124 tn Heb “house” (so KJV, ASV), but in this context a tomb is in view. Note the verb “lie down” in the preceding line and the reference to a “grave” in the next line.
[14:19] 125 tn Heb “like a shoot that is abhorred.” The simile seems a bit odd; apparently it refers to a small shoot that is trimmed from a plant and tossed away. Some prefer to emend נֵצֶר (netser, “shoot”); some propose נֵפֶל (nefel, “miscarriage”). In this case one might paraphrase: “like a horrible-looking fetus that is delivered when a woman miscarries.”
[14:19] 126 tn Heb “are clothed with.”
[14:19] 127 tn Heb “those going down to.”
[14:19] 128 tn בּוֹר (bor) literally means “cistern”; cisterns were constructed from stones. On the metaphorical use of “cistern” for the underworld, see the note at v. 15.
[14:19] 129 tn Heb “like a trampled corpse.” Some take this line with what follows.
[58:6] 130 tn Heb “Is this not a fast I choose?” “No” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[58:6] 131 tn The words “I want you” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[58:7] 133 tn Heb “Is it not?” The rhetorical question here expects a positive answer, “It is!”
[58:7] 134 tn Heb “and afflicted [ones], homeless [ones] you should bring [into] a house.” On the meaning of מְרוּדִים (mÿrudim, “homeless”) see HALOT 633 s.v. *מָרוּד.
[58:7] 135 tn Heb “and from your flesh do not hide yourself.”
[7:6] 136 tn Heb “Stop oppressing foreigner, orphan, and widow.”
[7:6] 137 tn Heb “Stop shedding innocent blood.”
[7:6] 138 tn Heb “going/following after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for an explanation of the idiom involved here.
[7:6] 139 tn Heb “going after other gods to your ruin.”
[7:7] 140 tn The translation uses imperatives in vv. 5-6 followed by the phrase, “If you do all this,” to avoid the long and complex sentence structure of the Hebrew sentence which has a series of conditional clauses in vv. 5-6 followed by a main clause in v. 7.
[7:7] 141 tn Heb “live in this place, in this land.”
[7:7] 142 tn Heb “gave to your fathers [with reference to] from ancient times even unto forever.”
[7:8] 144 tn Heb “You are trusting in lying words.” See the similar phrase in v. 4 and the note there.
[7:8] 145 tn Heb “not profit [you].”
[7:9] 146 tn Heb “Will you steal…then say, ‘We are safe’?” Verses 9-10 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text.
[7:9] 147 tn Heb “You go/follow after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for an explanation of the idiom involved here.
[7:10] 148 tn Heb “over which my name is called.” For this nuance of this idiom cf. BDB 896 s.v. קָרָא Niph.2.d(4) and see the usage in 2 Sam 12:28.
[7:10] 149 tn Or “‘We are safe!’ – safe, you think, to go on doing all those hateful things.” Verses 9-10 are all one long sentence in the Hebrew text. It has been broken up for English stylistic reasons. Somewhat literally it reads “Will you steal…then come and stand…and say, ‘We are safe’ so as to/in order to do…” The Hebrew of v. 9 has a series of infinitives which emphasize the bare action of the verb without the idea of time or agent. The effect is to place a kind of staccato like emphasis on the multitude of their sins all of which are violations of one of the Ten Commandments. The final clause in v. 8 expresses purpose or result (probably result) through another infinitive. This long sentence is introduced by a marker (ה interrogative in Hebrew) introducing a rhetorical question in which God expresses his incredulity that they could do these sins, come into the temple and claim the safety of his protection, and then go right back out and commit the same sins. J. Bright (Jeremiah [AB], 52) catches the force nicely: “What? You think you can steal, murder…and then come and stand…and say, ‘We are safe…’ just so that you can go right on…”
[7:11] 150 tn Heb “over which my name is called.” For this nuance of this idiom cf. BDB 896 s.v. קָרָא Niph.2.d(4) and see the usage in 2 Sam 12:28.
[7:11] 151 tn Heb “Is this house…a den/cave of robbers in your eyes?”
[7:12] 153 tn Heb “where I caused my name to dwell.” The translation does not adequately represent the theology of the
[7:12] 154 sn The place in Shiloh…see what I did to it. This refers to the destruction of Shiloh by the Philistines circa 1050
[7:13] 155 tn This reflects a Hebrew idiom (e.g., 7:25; 11:7; 25:3, 4), i.e., an infinitive of a verb meaning “to do something early [or eagerly]” followed by an infinitive of another verb of action. Cf. HALOT 1384 s.v. שָׁכַם Hiph.2.
[7:13] 156 tn Heb “I called to you and you did not answer.” The words “to repent” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[7:14] 157 tn Heb “over which my name is called.” For this nuance of this idiom cf. BDB 896 s.v. קָרָא Niph.2.d(4) and see the usage in 2 Sam 12:28.
[7:14] 158 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 22, 25, 26).
[7:14] 159 tn Heb “I will do to this house which I…in which you put…and to this place which…as I did to Shiloh.”
[7:15] 160 tn Heb “the descendants of Ephraim.” However, Ephraim here stands (as it often does) for all the northern tribes of Israel.
[22:7] 161 tn Heb “treated lightly, cursed.”
[22:7] 162 tn Widows and orphans are often coupled together in the OT (Deut 14:29; 16:11, 14; 24:19-21; 26:12-13; Jer 7:6; 22:3). They represented all who were poor and vulnerable to economic exploitation.
[22:12] 163 tn Heb “usury and interest you take.” See 18:13, 17. This kind of economic exploitation violated the law given in Lev 25:36.
[22:12] 164 sn Forgetting the Lord is also addressed in Deut 6:12; 8:11, 14; Jer 3:21; 13:25; Ezek 23:35; Hos 2:15; 8:14; 13:6.
[22:12] 165 tn The second person verb forms are feminine singular in Hebrew, indicating that the personified city is addressed here as representing its citizens.
[22:13] 166 sn This gesture apparently expresses mourning and/or anger (see 6:11; 21:14, 17).
[22:13] 167 tn Heb “the blood which was in you.”
[22:14] 168 tn Heb “stand.” The heart here stands for the emotions; Jerusalem would panic in the face of God’s judgment.
[22:14] 169 tn Heb “in the days when I act against you.”
[2:1] 170 tn Heb “Woe to those who plan sin.” The Hebrew term הוֹי (hoy, “woe”; “ah”) was a cry used in mourning the dead.
[2:1] 171 tn Heb “those who do evil upon their beds.”
[2:1] 172 tn Heb “at the light of morning they do it.”
[2:2] 173 tn Heb “they desire fields and rob [them], and houses and take [them] away.”
[2:2] 174 tn Heb “and they oppress a man and his home.”
[2:2] 175 tn Heb “and a man and his inheritance.” The verb עָשַׁק (’ashaq, “to oppress”; “to wrong”) does double duty in the parallel structure and is understood by ellipsis in the second line.
[2:3] 176 tn Heb “clan” or “extended family.”
[2:3] 177 tn Heb “from which you will not remove your neck.” The words “It will be like a yoke” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[2:3] 178 tn Or “you will not.”
[3:2] 179 tn Heb “the ones who.”
[3:2] 182 tn Heb “their skin from upon them.” The referent of the pronoun (“my people,” referring to Jacob and/or the house of Israel, with the
[3:2] 183 tn Heb “and their flesh from their bones.”
[3:3] 185 tc The MT reads “and they chop up as in a pot.” The translation assumes an emendation of כַּאֲשֶׁר (ka’asher, “as”) to כִּשְׁאֵר (kish’er, “like flesh”).
[3:4] 186 tn Heb “then they will cry out to the
[2:6] 187 tn This is singular: “the poor person,” perhaps referring to the hypothetical one described in vv. 2-3.
[5:1] 188 tn Or “wail”; Grk “crying aloud.”
[5:3] 189 tn Or “hoarded up treasure for the last days”; Grk “in the last days.”
[5:5] 190 sn James’ point seems to be that instead of seeking deliverance from condemnation, they have defied God’s law (fattened your hearts) and made themselves more likely objects of his judgment (in a day of slaughter).
[5:6] 191 tn Literally a series of verbs without connectives, “you have condemned, you have murdered…he does not resist.”
