Revelation 12:10

12:10 Then ¹  I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,

“The salvation and the power

and the kingdom of our God,

and the ruling authority ²  of his Christ, ³  have now come,

because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, ⁴ 

the one who accuses them day and night ⁵  before our God,

has been thrown down.

Revelation 15:4

15:4 Who will not fear you, O Lord,

and glorify ⁶  your name, because you alone are holy? ⁷ 

All nations ⁸  will come and worship before you

for your righteous acts ⁹  have been revealed.”

Revelation 17:14

17:14 They will make war with the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those accompanying ¹⁰  the Lamb are the called, chosen, and faithful.”

Revelation 20:4

20:4 Then ¹¹  I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge. ¹²  I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These ¹³  had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They ¹⁴  came to life ¹⁵  and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Psalms 22:27-28

22:27 Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him! ¹⁶ 

Let all the nations ¹⁷  worship you! ¹⁸ 

22:28 For the Lord is king ¹⁹ 

and rules over the nations.

Psalms 72:11

72:11 All kings will bow down to him;

all nations will serve him.

Psalms 86:9

86:9 All the nations, whom you created,

will come and worship you, ²⁰  O Lord.

They will honor your name.

Psalms 89:15-17

89:15 How blessed are the people who worship you! ²¹ 

O Lord, they experience your favor. ²² 

89:16 They rejoice in your name all day long,

and are vindicated ²³  by your justice.

89:17 For you give them splendor and strength. ²⁴ 

By your favor we are victorious. ²⁵ 

Isaiah 2:2-3

2:2 In the future ²⁶ 

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will endure ²⁷ 

as the most important of mountains,

and will be the most prominent of hills. ²⁸ 

All the nations will stream to it,

2:3 many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain,

to the temple of the God of Jacob,

so ²⁹  he can teach us his requirements, ³⁰ 

and ³¹  we can follow his standards.” ³² 

For Zion will be the center for moral instruction; ³³ 

the Lord will issue edicts from Jerusalem. ³⁴ 

Isaiah 49:6-7

49:6 he says, “Is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant,

to reestablish the tribes of Jacob,

and restore the remnant ³⁵  of Israel? ³⁶ 

I will make you a light to the nations, ³⁷ 

so you can bring ³⁸  my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth.”

49:7 This is what the Lord,

the protector ³⁹  of Israel, their Holy One, ⁴⁰  says

to the one who is despised ⁴¹  and rejected ⁴²  by nations, ⁴³ 

a servant of rulers:

“Kings will see and rise in respect, ⁴⁴ 

princes will bow down,

because of the faithful Lord,

the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.”

Isaiah 49:22-23

49:22 This is what the sovereign Lord says:

“Look I will raise my hand to the nations;

I will raise my signal flag to the peoples.

They will bring your sons in their arms

and carry your daughters on their shoulders.

49:23 Kings will be your children’s ⁴⁵  guardians;

their princesses will nurse your children. ⁴⁶ 

With their faces to the ground they will bow down to you

and they will lick the dirt on ⁴⁷  your feet.

Then you will recognize that I am the Lord;

those who wait patiently for me are not put to shame.

Isaiah 55:5

55:5 Look, you will summon nations ⁴⁸  you did not previously know;

nations ⁴⁹  that did not previously know you will run to you,

because of the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel, ⁵⁰ 

for he bestows honor on you.

Isaiah 60:3-14

60:3 Nations come to your light,

kings to your bright light.

60:4 Look all around you! ⁵¹ 

They all gather and come to you –

your sons come from far away

and your daughters are escorted by guardians.

60:5 Then you will look and smile, ⁵² 

you will be excited and your heart will swell with pride. ⁵³ 

For the riches of distant lands ⁵⁴  will belong to you

and the wealth of nations will come to you.

60:6 Camel caravans will cover your roads, ⁵⁵ 

young camels from Midian and Ephah.

All the merchants of Sheba ⁵⁶  will come,

bringing gold and incense

and singing praises to the Lord. ⁵⁷ 

60:7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;

the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices. ⁵⁸ 

They will go up on my altar acceptably, ⁵⁹ 

and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.

60:8 Who are these who float along ⁶⁰  like a cloud,

who fly like doves to their shelters? ⁶¹ 

60:9 Indeed, the coastlands ⁶²  look eagerly for me,

the large ships ⁶³  are in the lead,

bringing your sons from far away,

along with their silver and gold,

to honor the Lord your God, ⁶⁴ 

the Holy One of Israel, ⁶⁵  for he has bestowed honor on you.

60:10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls;

their kings will serve you.

Even though I struck you down in my anger,

I will restore my favor and have compassion on you. ⁶⁶ 

60:11 Your gates will remain open at all times;

they will not be shut during the day or at night,

so that the wealth of nations may be delivered,

with their kings leading the way. ⁶⁷ 

60:12 Indeed, ⁶⁸  nations or kingdoms that do not serve you will perish;

such nations will be totally destroyed. ⁶⁹ 

60:13 The splendor of Lebanon will come to you,

its evergreens, firs, and cypresses together,

to beautify my palace; ⁷⁰ 

I will bestow honor on my throne room. ⁷¹ 

60:14 The children of your oppressors will come bowing to you;

all who treated you with disrespect will bow down at your feet.

They will call you, ‘The City of the Lord,

Zion of the Holy One of Israel.’ ⁷² 

Jeremiah 16:19

16:19 Then I said, ⁷³ 

“Lord, you give me strength and protect me.

You are the one I can run to for safety when I am in trouble. ⁷⁴ 

Nations from all over the earth

will come to you and say,

‘Our ancestors had nothing but false gods –

worthless idols that could not help them at all. ⁷⁵ 

Daniel 2:44-45

2:44 In the days of those kings the God of heaven will raise up an everlasting kingdom that will not be destroyed and a kingdom that will not be left to another people. It will break in pieces and bring about the demise of all these kingdoms. But it will stand forever. 2:45 You saw that a stone was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands; it smashed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold into pieces. The great God has made known to the king what will occur in the future. ⁷⁶  The dream is certain, and its interpretation is reliable.”

Daniel 7:14

7:14 To him was given ruling authority, honor, and sovereignty.

All peoples, nations, and language groups were serving ⁷⁷  him.

His authority is eternal and will not pass away. ⁷⁸ 

His kingdom will not be destroyed. ⁷⁹ 

Daniel 7:18

7:18 The holy ones ⁸⁰  of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will take possession of the kingdom forever and ever.’

Daniel 7:22

7:22 until the Ancient of Days arrived and judgment was rendered ⁸¹  in favor of the holy ones of the Most High. Then the time came for the holy ones to take possession of the kingdom.

Daniel 7:27

7:27 Then the kingdom, authority,

and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven

will be delivered to the people of the holy ones ⁸²  of the Most High.

His kingdom is an eternal kingdom;

all authorities will serve him and obey him.’

Hosea 2:23

2:23 Then I will plant her as my own ⁸³  in the land.

I will have pity on ‘No Pity’ (Lo-Ruhamah).

I will say to ‘Not My People’ (Lo-Ammi), ‘You are my people!’

And he ⁸⁴  will say, ‘You are ⁸⁵  my God!’”

Amos 9:11-12

The Restoration of the Davidic Dynasty

9:11 “In that day I will rebuild the collapsing hut ⁸⁶  of David.

I will seal its ⁸⁷  gaps,

repair its ⁸⁸  ruins,

and restore it to what it was like in days gone by. ⁸⁹ 

9:12 As a result they ⁹⁰  will conquer those left in Edom ⁹¹ 

and all the nations subject to my rule.” ⁹² 

The Lord, who is about to do this, is speaking!

Micah 4:1-2

Better Days Ahead for Jerusalem

4:1 In the future ⁹³  the Lord’s Temple Mount will be the most important mountain of all; ⁹⁴ 

it will be more prominent than other hills. ⁹⁵ 

People will stream to it.

4:2 Many nations will come, saying,

“Come on! Let’s go up to the Lord’s mountain,

to the temple ⁹⁶  of Jacob’s God,

so he can teach us his commands ⁹⁷ 

and we can live by his laws.” ⁹⁸ 

For Zion will be the source of instruction;

the Lord’s teachings will proceed from Jerusalem. ⁹⁹ 

Zephaniah 3:9-10

3:9 Know for sure that I will then enable

the nations to give me acceptable praise. ¹⁰⁰ 

All of them will invoke the Lord’s name when they pray, ¹⁰¹ 

and will worship him in unison. ¹⁰² 

3:10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, ¹⁰³ 

those who pray to me ¹⁰⁴  will bring me tribute.

Zechariah 2:11

2:11 “Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on the day of salvation, ¹⁰⁵  and they will also be my ¹⁰⁶  people. Indeed, I will settle in the midst of you all.” Then you will know that the Lord who rules over all has sent me to you.

Zechariah 8:20-23

8:20 The Lord who rules over all says, ‘It will someday come to pass that people – residents of many cities – will come. 8:21 The inhabitants of one will go to another and say, “Let’s go up at once to ask the favor of the Lord, to seek the Lord who rules over all. Indeed, I’ll go with you.”’ 8:22 Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord who rules over all and to ask his favor. 8:23 The Lord who rules over all says, ‘In those days ten people from all languages and nations will grasp hold of – indeed, grab – the robe of one Jew and say, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’” ¹⁰⁷ 

Zechariah 14:9

14:9 The Lord will then be king over all the earth. In that day the Lord will be seen as one with a single name. ¹⁰⁸ 

Malachi 1:11

1:11 For from the east to the west my name will be great among the nations. Incense and pure offerings will be offered in my name everywhere, for my name will be great among the nations,” ¹⁰⁹  says the Lord who rules over all.

[12:10]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[12:10]  ² tn Or “the right of his Messiah to rule.” See L&N 37.35.

[12:10]  ³ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[12:10]  ⁴ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). The translation “fellow believer” would normally apply (L&N 11.23), but since the speaker(s) are not specified in this context, it is not clear if such a translation would be appropriate here. The more generic “brothers and sisters” was chosen to emphasize the fact of a relationship without specifying its type.

[12:10]  ⁵ tn Or “who accuses them continually.”

[15:4]  ⁶ tn Or “and praise.”

[15:4]  ⁷ sn Because you alone are holy. In the Greek text the sentence literally reads “because alone holy.” Three points can be made in connection with John’s language here: (1) Omitting the second person, singular verb “you are” lays stress on the attribute of God’s holiness. (2) The juxtaposition of alone with holy stresses the unique nature of God’s holiness and complete “otherness” in relationship to his creation. It is not just moral purity which is involved in the use of the term holy, though it certainly includes that. It is also the pervasive OT idea that although God is deeply involved in the governing of his creation, he is to be regarded as separate and distinct from it. (3) John’s use of the term holy is also intriguing since it is the term ὅσιος (Josios) and not the more common NT term ἅγιος (Jagios). The former term evokes images of Christ’s messianic status in early Christian preaching. Both Peter in Acts 2:27 and Paul in Acts 13:35 apply Psalm 16:10 (LXX) to Jesus, referring to him as the “holy one” (ὅσιος). It is also the key term in Acts 13:34 (Isa 55:3 [LXX]) where it refers to the “holy blessings” (i.e., forgiveness and justification) brought about through Jesus in fulfillment of Davidic promise. Thus, in Rev 15:3-4, when John refers to God as “holy,” using the term ὅσιος in a context where the emphasis is on both God and Christ, there might be an implicit connection between divinity and the Messiah. This is bolstered by the fact that the Lamb is referred to in other contexts as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (cf. 1:5; 17:14; 19:16 and perhaps 11:15; G. K. Beale, Revelation [NIGTC], 796-97).

[15:4]  ⁸ tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[15:4]  ⁹ tn Or perhaps, “your sentences of condemnation.” On δικαίωμα (dikaiwma) in this context BDAG 249 s.v. 2. states, “righteous deed…δι᾿ ἑνὸς δικαιώματος (opp. παράπτωμα) Ro 5:18. – B 1:2 (cp. Wengst, Barnabas-brief 196, n.4); Rv 15:4 (here perh.= ‘sentence of condemnation’ [cp. Pla., Leg. 9, 864e; ins fr. Asia Minor: LBW 41, 2 [κατὰ] τὸ δι[καί]ωμα τὸ κυρω[θέν]= ‘acc. to the sentence which has become valid’]; difft. Wengst, s. above); 19:8.”

[17:14]  ¹⁰ tn See BDAG 636 s.v. μετά A.2.a.α.

[20:4]  ¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[20:4]  ¹² tn Grk “I saw thrones, and those seated on them, and judgment was given to them.” BDAG 567 s.v. κρίμα 3 says, “judging, judgment, the κρίμα ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς authority to judge was given to them Rv 20:4.”

[20:4]  ¹³ tn Grk “God, and who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronoun “these” as subject.

[20:4]  ¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[20:4]  ¹⁵ tn On the use of the aorist ἔζησαν (ezhsan) BDAG 425 s.v. ζάω 1.a.β says, “of dead persons who return to life become alive again: of humans in general (3 Km 17:23) Mt 9:18; Ac 9:41; 20:12; Rv 20:4, 5.”

[22:27]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “may all the ends of the earth remember and turn to the Lord.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 27 are understood as jussives (cf. NEB). Another option (cf. NIV, NRSV) is to take the forms as imperfects and translate, “all the people of the earth will acknowledge and turn…and worship.” See vv. 29-32.

[22:27]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “families of the nations.”

[22:27]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “before you.”

[22:28]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “for to the Lord [is] dominion.”

[86:9]  ²⁰ tn Or “bow down before you.”

[89:15]  ²¹ tn Heb “who know the shout.” “Shout” here refers to the shouts of the Lord’s worshipers (see Pss 27:6; 33:3; 47:5).

[89:15]  ²² tn Heb “in the light of your face they walk.” 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 4:6; 31:16; 44:3; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; Dan 9:17).

[89:16]  ²³ tn Heb “are lifted up.”

[89:17]  ²⁴ tn Heb “for the splendor of their strength [is] you.”

[89:17]  ²⁵ tn Heb “you lift up our horn,” or if one follows the marginal reading (Qere), “our horn is lifted up.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:24; 92:10; Lam 2:17).

[2:2]  ²⁶ tn Heb “in the end of the days.” This phrase may refer generally to the future, or more technically to the final period of history. See BDB 31 s.v. ַאחֲרִית. The verse begins with a verb that functions as a “discourse particle” and is not translated. In numerous places throughout the OT, the “to be” verb with a prefixed conjunction (וְהָיָה [vÿhayah] and וַיְהִי [vayÿhi]) occurs in this fashion to introduce a circumstantial clause and does not require translation.

[2:2]  ²⁷ tn Or “be established” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).

[2:2]  ²⁸ tn Heb “as the chief of the mountains, and will be lifted up above the hills.” The image of Mount Zion being elevated above other mountains and hills pictures the prominence it will attain in the future.

[2:3]  ²⁹ tn The prefixed verb form with simple vav (ו) introduces a purpose/result clause after the preceding prefixed verb form (probably to be taken as a cohortative; see IBHS 650 §39.2.2a).

[2:3]  ³⁰ tn Heb “his ways.” In this context God’s “ways” are the standards of moral conduct he decrees that people should live by.

[2:3]  ³¹ tn The cohortative with vav (ו) after the prefixed verb form indicates the ultimate purpose/goal of their action.

[2:3]  ³² tn Heb “walk in his ways.”

[2:3]  ³³ tn Heb “for out of Zion will go instruction.”

[2:3]  ³⁴ tn Heb “the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

[49:6]  ³⁵ tn Heb “the protected [or “preserved”] ones.”

[49:6]  ³⁶ sn The question is purely rhetorical; it does not imply that the servant was dissatisfied with his commission or that he minimized the restoration of Israel.

[49:6]  ³⁷ tn See the note at 42:6.

[49:6]  ³⁸ tn Heb “be” (so KJV, ASV); CEV “you must take.”

[49:7]  ³⁹ tn Heb “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[49:7]  ⁴⁰ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[49:7]  ⁴¹ tc The Hebrew text reads literally “to [one who] despises life.” It is preferable to read with the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a לבזוי, which should be vocalized as a passive participle, לִבְזוּי (livzuy, “to the one despised with respect to life” [נֶפֶשׁ is a genitive of specification]). The consonantal sequence וי was probably misread as ה in the MT tradition. The contextual argument favors the 1QIsa^a reading. As J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 2:294) points out, the three terse phrases “convey a picture of lowliness, worthlessness, and helplessness.”

[49:7]  ⁴² tn MT’s Piel participle (“to the one who rejects”) does not fit contextually. The form should be revocalized as a Pual, “to the one rejected.”

[49:7]  ⁴³ tn Parallelism (see “rulers,” “kings,” “princes”) suggests that the singular גּוֹי (goy) be emended to a plural or understood in a collective sense (see 55:5).

[49:7]  ⁴⁴ tn For this sense of קוּם (qum), see Gen 19:1; 23:7; 33:10; Lev 19:32; 1 Sam 20:41; 25:41; 1 Kgs 2:19; Job 29:8.

[49:23]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “your,” but Zion here stands by metonymy for her children (see v. 22b).

[49:23]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “you.” See the preceding note.

[49:23]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “at your feet” (NAB, NIV); NLT “from your feet.”

[55:5]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “a nation,” but the singular is collective here, as the plural verbs in the next line indicate (note that both “know” and “run” are third plural forms).

[55:5]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “a nation,” but the singular is collective here, as the plural verbs that follow indicate.

[55:5]  ⁵⁰ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[60:4]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “Lift up around your eyes and see!”

[60:5]  ⁵² tn Or “shine,” or “be radiant” (NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[60:5]  ⁵³ tn Heb “and it will tremble and be wide, your heart.”

[60:5]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “the wealth of the sea,” i.e., wealth that is transported from distant lands via the sea.

[60:6]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “an abundance of camels will cover you.”

[60:6]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “all of them, from Sheba.”

[60:6]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “and they will announce the praises of the Lord.”

[60:7]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “will serve you,” i.e., be available as sacrifices (see the next line). Another option is to understood these “rams” as symbolic of leaders who will be subject to the people of Zion. See v. 10.

[60:7]  ⁵⁹ tc Heb “they will go up on acceptance [on] my altar.” Some have suggested that the preposition עַל (’al) is dittographic (note the preceding יַעֲלוּ [ya’alu]). Consequently, the form should be emended to לְרָצוֹן (lÿratson, “acceptably”; see BDB 953 s.v. רָצוֹן). However, the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has both לרצון followed by the preposition על, which would argue against deleted the preposition. As the above translation seeks to demonstrate, the preposition עַל (’al) indicates a norm (“in accordance with acceptance” or “acceptably”; IBHS 218 §11.2.13e, n. 111) and the “altar” functions as an objective accusative with a verb of motion (cf. Gen 49:4; Lev 2:2; Num 13:17; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:534, n. 14).

[60:8]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “fly” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “fly along.”

[60:8]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “to their windows,” i.e., to the openings in their coops. See HALOT 83 s.v. אֲרֻבָּה.

[60:9]  ⁶² tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”

[60:9]  ⁶³ tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” See the note at 2:16.

[60:9]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”

[60:9]  ⁶⁵ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[60:10]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “in my favor I will have compassion on you.”

[60:11]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “led in procession.” The participle is passive.

[60:12]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); TEV “But.”

[60:12]  ⁶⁹ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.

[60:13]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “holy place, sanctuary.”

[60:13]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “the place of my feet.” See Ezek 43:7, where the Lord’s throne is called the “place of the soles of my feet.”

[60:14]  ⁷² sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[16:19]  ⁷³ tn The words “Then I said” are not in the text. They are supplied in the translation to show the shift from God, who has been speaking to Jeremiah, to Jeremiah, who here addresses God.

[16:19]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “O Lord, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of trouble. The literal which piles up attributes is of course more forceful than the predications. However, piling up poetic metaphors like this adds to the length of the English sentence and risks lack of understanding on the part of some readers. Some rhetorical force has been sacrificed for the sake of clarity.

[16:19]  ⁷⁵ tn Once again the translation has sacrificed some of the rhetorical force for the sake of clarity and English style: Heb “Only falsehood did our ancestors possess, vanity and [things in which?] there was no one profiting in them.”

[2:45]  ⁷⁶ tn Aram “after this.”

[7:14]  ⁷⁷ tn Some take “serving” here in the sense of “worshiping.”

[7:14]  ⁷⁸ tn Aram “is an eternal authority which will not pass away.”

[7:14]  ⁷⁹ tn Aram “is one which will not be destroyed.”

[7:18]  ⁸⁰ sn The expression holy ones is either a reference to angels or to human beings devoted to God.

[7:22]  ⁸¹ tc In the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate the verb is active, understanding “judgment” to be the object rather than the subject of the verb (i.e., “the Ancient of Days rendered judgment”). This presupposes a different vocalization of the verb ( יְהַב [yÿhav] rather than the MT יְהִב [yÿhiv]).

[7:27]  ⁸² tn If the “holy ones” are angels, then this probably refers to the angels as protectors of God’s people. If the “holy ones” are God’s people, then this is an appositional construction, “the people who are the holy ones.” See 8:24 for the corresponding Hebrew phrase and the note there.

[2:23]  ⁸³ tn Heb “for myself.”

[2:23]  ⁸⁴ tn The Hebrew text, carrying out the reference to the son born in 1:8-9, uses the third person masculine singular pronoun here; some English translations use third person plural (“they,” so KJV, NASB, NIV, CEV) in keeping with the immediate context, which refers to reestablished Israel.

[2:23]  ⁸⁵ tn The words “You are” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but are implied. It is necessary to supply the phrase in the translation to prevent the reader from understanding the predicate “my God” as an exclamation (cf. NAB).

[9:11]  ⁸⁶ tn The phrase translated “collapsing hut” refers to a temporary shelter (cf. NASB, NRSV “booth”) in disrepair and emphasizes the relatively weakened condition of the once powerful Davidic dynasty. Others have suggested that the term refers to Jerusalem, while still others argue that it should be repointed to read “Sukkoth,” a garrison town in Transjordan. Its reconstruction would symbolize the rebirth of the Davidic empire and its return to power (e.g., M. E. Polley, Amos and the Davidic Empire, 71-74).

[9:11]  ⁸⁷ tc The MT reads a third feminine plural suffix, which could refer to the two kingdoms (Judah and Israel) or, more literally, to the breaches in the walls of the cities that are mentioned in v. 4 (cf. 4:3). Some emend to third feminine singular, since the “hut” of the preceding line (a feminine singular noun) might be the antecedent. In that case, the final nun (ן) is virtually dittographic with the vav (ו) that appears at the beginning of the following word.

[9:11]  ⁸⁸ tc The MT reads a third masculine singular suffix, which could refer back to David. However, it is possible that an original third feminine singular suffix (יה-, yod-hey) has been misread as masculine (יו-, yod-vav). In later Hebrew script a ה (he) resembles a יו- (yod-vav) combination.

[9:11]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “and I will rebuild as in days of antiquity.”

[9:12]  ⁹⁰ sn They probably refers to the Israelites or to the Davidic rulers of the future.

[9:12]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “take possession of the remnant of Edom”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “possess the remnant of Edom.”

[9:12]  ⁹² tn Heb “nations over whom my name is proclaimed.” The Hebrew idiom indicates ownership, sometimes as a result of conquest. See 2 Sam 12:28.

[4:1]  ⁹³ tn Heb “at the end of days.”

[4:1]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “will be established as the head of the mountains.”

[4:1]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “it will be lifted up above the hills.”

[4:2]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “house.”

[4:2]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “ways.”

[4:2]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “and we can walk in his paths.”

[4:2]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “instruction [or, “law”] will go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

[3:9]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “Certainly [or perhaps, “For”] then I will restore to the nations a pure lip.”

[3:9]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “so that all of them will call on the name of the Lord.”

[3:9]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “so that [they] will serve him [with] one shoulder.”

[3:10]  ¹⁰³ tn Or “Nubia”; Heb “Cush.” “Cush” is traditionally assumed to refer to the region south of Egypt, i.e. Nubia or northern Sudan, referred to as “Ethiopia” by classical authors (not the more recent Abyssinia).

[3:10]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “those who pray to me, the daughter of my dispersed ones.” The meaning of the phrase is unclear. Perhaps the text is corrupt at this point or a proper name should be understood. For a discussion of various options see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 134-35.

[2:11]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “on that day.” The descriptive phrase “of salvation” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:11]  ¹⁰⁶ tc The LXX and Syriac have the 3rd person masculine singular suffix in both places (“his people” and “he will settle”; cf. NAB, TEV) in order to avoid the Lord’s speaking of himself in the third person. Such resort is unnecessary, however, in light of the common shifting of person in Hebrew narrative (cf. 3:2).

[8:23]  ¹⁰⁷ sn This scene of universal and overwhelming attraction of the nations to Israel’s God finds initial fulfillment in the establishment of the church (Acts 2:5-11) but ultimate completion in the messianic age (Isa 45:14, 24; 60:14; Zech 14:16-21).

[14:9]  ¹⁰⁸ sn The expression the Lord will be seen as one with a single name is an unmistakable reference to the so-called Shema, the crystallized statement of faith in the Lord as the covenant God of Israel (cf. Deut 6:4-5). Zechariah, however, universalizes the extent of the Lord’s dominion – he will be “king over all the earth.”

[1:11]  ¹⁰⁹ sn My name will be great among the nations. In what is clearly a strongly ironic shift of thought, the Lord contrasts the unbelief and virtual paganism of the postexilic community with the conversion and obedience of the nations that will one day worship the God of Israel.