Ruth 4:11

4:11 All the people who were at the gate and the elders replied, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is entering your home like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built up the house of Israel! May ¹  you prosper ²  in Ephrathah and become famous ³  in Bethlehem. ⁴ 

Genesis 18:19

18:19 I have chosen him ⁵  so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep ⁶  the way of the Lord by doing ⁷  what is right and just. Then the Lord will give ⁸  to Abraham what he promised ⁹  him.”

Joshua 24:15

24:15 If you have no desire ¹⁰  to worship ¹¹  the Lord, choose today whom you will worship, ¹²  whether it be the gods whom your ancestors ¹³  worshiped ¹⁴  beyond the Euphrates, ¹⁵  or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my family ¹⁶  will worship ¹⁷  the Lord!”

Psalms 133:1-3

Psalm 133 ¹⁸ 

A song of ascents, ¹⁹  by David.

133:1 Look! How good and how pleasant it is

when brothers live together! ²⁰ 

133:2 It is like fine oil poured on the head

which flows down the beard ²¹  –

Aaron’s beard,

and then flows down his garments. ²² 

133:3 It is like the dew of Hermon, ²³ 

which flows down upon the hills of Zion. ²⁴ 

Indeed ²⁵  that is where the Lord has decreed

a blessing will be available – eternal life. ²⁶ 

Psalms 133:1

Psalm 133 ²⁷ 

A song of ascents, ²⁸  by David.

133:1 Look! How good and how pleasant it is

when brothers live together! ²⁹ 

Psalms 6:2

6:2 Have mercy on me, ³⁰  Lord, for I am frail!

Heal me, Lord, for my bones are shaking! ³¹ 

[4:11]  ¹ tn Following the jussive, the imperative with prefixed vav indicates purpose or result.

[4:11]  ² tn The phrase וַעֲשֵׂה־חַיִל (va’aseh-khayil, literally, “do strength”) has been variously translated: (1) financial prosperity: “may you become rich” (TEV), “may you be a rich man” (CEV), “may you achieve wealth” (NASB), “may you prosper” (NKJV, NJPS); (2) social prominence: “may you become powerful” (NCV), “may you have standing” (NIV), “may you be great” (NLT), “may you do well” (NAB); (3) reproductive fertility: “may you produce children” (NRSV); and (4) social activity: “may you do a worthy deed” (REB).

[4:11]  ³ tc Heb “and call a name.” This statement appears to be elliptical. Usually the person named and the name itself follow this expression. Perhaps וּקְרָא־שֵׁם (uqÿra’-shem) should be emended to וְיִקָּרֵא־שֵׁם (vÿyiqqare’-shem), “and your name will be called out,” that is, “perpetuated” (see Gen 48:16, cf. also Ruth 4:14b). The omission of the suffix with “name” could be explained as virtual haplography (note the letter bet [ב], which is similar to kaf [כ], at the beginning of the next word). The same explanation could account for the omission of the prefixed yod (י) on the verb “call” (yod [י] and vav [ו] are similar in appearance). Whether one reads the imperative (the form in the MT) or the jussive (the emended form), the construction indicates purpose or result following the earlier jussive “may he make.”

[4:11]  ⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[18:19]  ⁵ tn Heb “For I have known him.” The verb יָדַע (yada’) here means “to recognize and treat in a special manner, to choose” (see Amos 3:2). It indicates that Abraham stood in a special covenantal relationship with the Lord.

[18:19]  ⁶ tn Heb “and they will keep.” The perfect verbal form with vav consecutive carries on the subjective nuance of the preceding imperfect verbal form (translated “so that he may command”).

[18:19]  ⁷ tn The infinitive construct here indicates manner, explaining how Abraham’s children and his household will keep the way of the Lord.

[18:19]  ⁸ tn Heb “bring on.” The infinitive after לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) indicates result here.

[18:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “spoke to.”

[24:15]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “if it is bad in your eyes.”

[24:15]  ¹¹ tn Or “to serve.”

[24:15]  ¹² tn Or “will serve.”

[24:15]  ¹³ tn Heb “your fathers.”

[24:15]  ¹⁴ tn Or “served.”

[24:15]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity; see v. 3.

[24:15]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “house.”

[24:15]  ¹⁷ tn Or “will serve.”

[133:1]  ¹⁸ sn Psalm 133. The psalmist affirms the benefits of family unity.

[133:1]  ¹⁹ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[133:1]  ²⁰ sn This statement refers to the extended family structure of ancient Israel, where brothers would often live in proximity to one another (Deut 25:5), giving the family greater social prominence and security. However, in its later application in the Israelite cult it probably envisions unity within the covenant community. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 212-15.

[133:2]  ²¹ tn Heb “[it is] like the good oil on the head, going down on the beard.”

[133:2]  ²² tn Heb “which goes down in accordance with his measured things.” The Hebrew phrase מִדּוֹתָיו (middotayv, “his measured things”) refers here to the robes worn by Aaron. HALOT 546 s.v. *מַד derives the form from מַד (midah, “robe”) rather than מִדָּה (middah, “measured thing”). Ugaritic md means “robe” and is pluralized mdt.

[133:3]  ²³ sn Hermon refers to Mount Hermon, located north of Israel.

[133:3]  ²⁴ sn The hills of Zion are those surrounding Zion (see Pss 87:1; 125:2). The psalmist does not intend to suggest that the dew from Mt. Hermon in the distant north actually flows down upon Zion. His point is that the same kind of heavy dew that replenishes Hermon may also be seen on Zion’s hills. See A. Cohen, Psalms (SoBB), 439. “Dew” here symbolizes divine blessing, as the next line suggests.

[133:3]  ²⁵ tn Or “for.”

[133:3]  ²⁶ tn Heb “there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forever.”

[133:1]  ²⁷ sn Psalm 133. The psalmist affirms the benefits of family unity.

[133:1]  ²⁸ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[133:1]  ²⁹ sn This statement refers to the extended family structure of ancient Israel, where brothers would often live in proximity to one another (Deut 25:5), giving the family greater social prominence and security. However, in its later application in the Israelite cult it probably envisions unity within the covenant community. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 212-15.

[6:2]  ³⁰ tn Or “show me favor.”

[6:2]  ³¹ tn Normally the verb בָּהַל (bahal) refers to an emotional response and means “tremble with fear, be terrified” (see vv. 3, 10). Perhaps here the “bones” are viewed as the seat of the psalmist’s emotions. However, the verb may describe one of the effects of his physical ailment, perhaps a fever. In Ezek 7:27 the verb describes how the hands of the people will shake with fear when they experience the horrors of divine judgment.