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.”’” ¹ 

Genesis 49:10

49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, ² 

until he comes to whom it belongs; ³ 

the nations will obey him. ⁴ 

Genesis 49:1

The Blessing of Jacob

49:1 Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather together so I can tell you ⁵  what will happen to you in the future. ⁶ 

Genesis 2:10

2:10 Now ⁷  a river flows ⁸  from Eden ⁹  to

water the orchard, and from there it divides ¹⁰  into four headstreams. ¹¹ 

Psalms 2:6-8

2:6 “I myself ¹²  have installed ¹³  my king

on Zion, my holy hill.”

2:7 The king says, ¹⁴  “I will announce the Lord’s decree. He said to me: ¹⁵ 

‘You are my son! ¹⁶  This very day I have become your father!

2:8 Ask me,

and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, ¹⁷ 

the ends of the earth as your personal property.

Psalms 22:27-31

22:27 Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him! ¹⁸ 

Let all the nations ¹⁹  worship you! ²⁰ 

22:28 For the Lord is king ²¹ 

and rules over the nations.

22:29 All of the thriving people ²²  of the earth will join the celebration and worship; ²³ 

all those who are descending into the grave ²⁴  will bow before him,

including those who cannot preserve their lives. ²⁵ 

22:30 A whole generation ²⁶  will serve him;

they will tell the next generation about the sovereign Lord. ²⁷ 

22:31 They will come and tell about his saving deeds; ²⁸ 

they will tell a future generation what he has accomplished. ²⁹ 

Psalms 47:2-9

47:2 For the sovereign Lord ³⁰  is awe-inspiring; ³¹ 

he is the great king who rules the whole earth! ³² 

47:3 He subdued nations beneath us ³³ 

and countries ³⁴  under our feet.

47:4 He picked out for us a special land ³⁵ 

to be a source of pride for ³⁶  Jacob, ³⁷  whom he loves. ³⁸  (Selah)

47:5 God has ascended his throne ³⁹  amid loud shouts; ⁴⁰ 

the Lord has ascended his throne amid the blaring of ram’s horns. ⁴¹ 

47:6 Sing to God! Sing!

Sing to our king! Sing!

47:7 For God is king of the whole earth!

Sing a well-written song! ⁴² 

47:8 God reigns ⁴³  over the nations!

God sits on his holy throne!

47:9 The nobles of the nations assemble,

along with the people of the God of Abraham, ⁴⁴ 

for God has authority over the rulers ⁴⁵  of the earth.

He is highly exalted! ⁴⁶ 

Psalms 67:4

67:4 Let foreigners ⁴⁷  rejoice and celebrate!

For you execute justice among the nations,

and govern the people living on earth. ⁴⁸  (Selah)

Psalms 72:8-11

72:8 May he rule ⁴⁹  from sea to sea, ⁵⁰ 

and from the Euphrates River ⁵¹  to the ends of the earth!

72:9 Before him the coastlands ⁵²  will bow down,

and his enemies will lick the dust. ⁵³ 

72:10 The kings of Tarshish ⁵⁴  and the coastlands will offer gifts;

the kings of Sheba ⁵⁵  and Seba ⁵⁶  will bring tribute.

72:11 All kings will bow down to him;

all nations will serve him.

Psalms 72:17

72:17 May his fame endure! ⁵⁷ 

May his dynasty last as long as the sun remains in the sky! ⁵⁸ 

May they use his name when they formulate their blessings! ⁵⁹ 

May all nations consider him to be favored by God! ⁶⁰ 

Psalms 86:9

86:9 All the nations, whom you created,

will come and worship you, ⁶¹  O Lord.

They will honor your name.

Isaiah 2:2-4

2:2 In the future ⁶² 

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will endure ⁶³ 

as the most important of mountains,

and will be the most prominent of hills. ⁶⁴ 

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 ⁶⁵  he can teach us his requirements, ⁶⁶ 

and ⁶⁷  we can follow his standards.” ⁶⁸ 

For Zion will be the center for moral instruction; ⁶⁹ 

the Lord will issue edicts from Jerusalem. ⁷⁰ 

2:4 He will judge disputes between nations;

he will settle cases for many peoples.

They will beat their swords into plowshares, ⁷¹ 

and their spears into pruning hooks. ⁷² 

Nations will not take up the sword against other nations,

and they will no longer train for war.

Isaiah 45:22-25

45:22 Turn to me so you can be delivered, ⁷³ 

all you who live in the earth’s remote regions!

For I am God, and I have no peer.

45:23 I solemnly make this oath ⁷⁴  –

what I say is true and reliable: ⁷⁵ 

‘Surely every knee will bow to me,

every tongue will solemnly affirm; ⁷⁶ 

45:24 they will say about me,

“Yes, the Lord is a powerful deliverer.”’” ⁷⁷ 

All who are angry at him will cower before him. ⁷⁸ 

45:25 All the descendants of Israel will be vindicated by the Lord

and will boast in him. ⁷⁹ 

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 ⁸⁰  of Israel? ⁸¹ 

I will make you a light to the nations, ⁸² 

so you can bring ⁸³  my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth.”

49:7 This is what the Lord,

the protector ⁸⁴  of Israel, their Holy One, ⁸⁵  says

to the one who is despised ⁸⁶  and rejected ⁸⁷  by nations, ⁸⁸ 

a servant of rulers:

“Kings will see and rise in respect, ⁸⁹ 

princes will bow down,

because of the faithful Lord,

the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.”

Isaiah 54:5

54:5 For your husband is the one who made you –

the Lord who commands armies is his name.

He is your protector, ⁹⁰  the Holy One of Israel. ⁹¹ 

He is called “God of the entire earth.”

Isaiah 60:12-14

60:12 Indeed, ⁹²  nations or kingdoms that do not serve you will perish;

such nations will be totally destroyed. ⁹³ 

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

its evergreens, firs, and cypresses together,

to beautify my palace; ⁹⁴ 

I will bestow honor on my throne room. ⁹⁵ 

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.’ ⁹⁶ 

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. ⁹⁷  The dream is certain, and its interpretation is reliable.”

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 ⁹⁸  of the Most High.

His kingdom is an eternal kingdom;

all authorities will serve him and obey him.’

Amos 9:12

9:12 As a result they ⁹⁹  will conquer those left in Edom ¹⁰⁰ 

and all the nations subject to my rule.” ¹⁰¹ 

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

Micah 4:1-3

Better Days Ahead for Jerusalem

4:1 In the future ¹⁰²  the Lord’s Temple Mount will be the most important mountain of all; ¹⁰³ 

it will be more prominent than other hills. ¹⁰⁴ 

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 ¹⁰⁵  of Jacob’s God,

so he can teach us his commands ¹⁰⁶ 

and we can live by his laws.” ¹⁰⁷ 

For Zion will be the source of instruction;

the Lord’s teachings will proceed from Jerusalem. ¹⁰⁸ 

4:3 He will arbitrate ¹⁰⁹  between many peoples

and settle disputes between many ¹¹⁰  distant nations. ¹¹¹ 

They will beat their swords into plowshares, ¹¹² 

and their spears into pruning hooks. ¹¹³ 

Nations will not use weapons ¹¹⁴  against other nations,

and they will no longer train for war.

Micah 5:4

5:4 He will assume his post ¹¹⁵  and shepherd the people ¹¹⁶  by the Lord’s strength,

by the sovereign authority of the Lord his God. ¹¹⁷ 

They will live securely, ¹¹⁸  for at that time he will be honored ¹¹⁹ 

even in the distant regions of ¹²⁰  the earth.

Zephaniah 3:9

3:9 Know for sure that I will then enable

the nations to give me acceptable praise. ¹²¹ 

All of them will invoke the Lord’s name when they pray, ¹²² 

and will worship him in unison. ¹²³ 

Revelation 11:15

The Seventh Trumpet

11:15 Then ¹²⁴  the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying:

“The kingdom of the world

has become the kingdom of our Lord

and of his Christ, ¹²⁵ 

and he will reign for ever and ever.”

[8:23]  ¹ 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).

[49:10]  ² tn Or perhaps “from his descendants,” taking the expression “from between his feet” as a euphemism referring to the genitals. In this case the phrase refers by metonymy to those who come forth from his genitals, i.e., his descendants.

[49:10]  ³ tn The Hebrew form שִׁילֹה (shiloh) is a major interpretive problem. There are at least four major options (with many variations and less likely alternatives): (1) Some prefer to leave the text as it is, reading “Shiloh” and understanding it as the place where the ark rested for a while in the time of the Judges. (2) By repointing the text others arrive at the translation “until the [or “his”] ruler comes,” a reference to a Davidic ruler or the Messiah. (3) Another possibility that does not require emendation of the consonantal text, but only repointing, is “until tribute is brought to him” (so NEB, JPS, NRSV), which has the advantage of providing good parallelism with the following line, “the nations will obey him.” (4) The interpretation followed in the present translation, “to whom it [belongs]” (so RSV, NIV, REB), is based on the ancient versions. Again, this would refer to the Davidic dynasty or, ultimately, to the Messiah.

[49:10]  ⁴ tn “and to him [will be] the obedience of the nations.” For discussion of this verse see J. Blenkinsopp, “The Oracle of Judah and the Messianic Entry,” JBL 80 (1961): 55-64; and E. M. Good, “The ‘Blessing’ on Judah,” JBL 82 (1963): 427-32.

[49:1]  ⁵ tn After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose/result.

[49:1]  ⁶ tn The expression “in the future” (אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים, ’akharit hayyamim, “in the end of days”) is found most frequently in prophetic passages; it may refer to the end of the age, the eschaton, or to the distant future. The contents of some of the sayings in this chapter stretch from the immediate circumstances to the time of the settlement in the land to the coming of Messiah. There is a great deal of literature on this chapter, including among others C. Armerding, “The Last Words of Jacob: Genesis 49,” BSac 112 (1955): 320-28; H. Pehlke, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Genesis 49:1-28” (Th.D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1985); and B. Vawter, “The Canaanite Background of Genesis 49,” CBQ 17 (1955): 1-18.

[2:10]  ⁷ tn The disjunctive clause (note the construction conjunction + subject + predicate) introduces an entire paragraph about the richness of the region in the east.

[2:10]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew active participle may be translated here as indicating past durative action, “was flowing,” or as a present durative, “flows.” Since this river was the source of the rivers mentioned in vv. 11-14, which appear to describe a situation contemporary with the narrator, it is preferable to translate the participle in v. 10 with the present tense. This suggests that Eden and its orchard still existed in the narrator’s time. According to ancient Jewish tradition, Enoch was taken to the Garden of Eden, where his presence insulated the garden from the destructive waters of Noah’s flood. See Jub. 4:23-24.

[2:10]  ⁹ sn Eden is portrayed here as a source of life-giving rivers (that is, perennial streams). This is no surprise because its orchard is where the tree of life is located. Eden is a source of life, but tragically its orchard is no longer accessible to humankind. The river flowing out of Eden is a tantalizing reminder of this. God continues to provide life-giving water to sustain physical existence on the earth, but immortality has been lost.

[2:10]  ¹⁰ tn The imperfect verb form has the same nuance as the preceding participle. (If the participle is taken as past durative, then the imperfect would be translated “was dividing.”)

[2:10]  ¹¹ tn Or “branches”; Heb “heads.” Cf. NEB “streams”; NASB “rivers.”

[2:6]  ¹² tn The first person pronoun appears before the first person verbal form for emphasis, reflected in the translation by “myself.”

[2:6]  ¹³ tn Or perhaps “consecrated.”

[2:7]  ¹⁴ tn The words “the king says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The speaker is the Lord’s chosen king.

[2:7]  ¹⁵ tn Or “I will relate the decree. The Lord said to me” (in accordance with the Masoretic accentuation).

[2:7]  ¹⁶ sn ‘You are my son!’ The Davidic king was viewed as God’s “son” (see 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 89:26-27). The idiom reflects ancient Near Eastern adoption language associated with covenants of grant, by which a lord would reward a faithful subject by elevating him to special status, referred to as “sonship.” Like a son, the faithful subject received an “inheritance,” viewed as an unconditional, eternal gift. Such gifts usually took the form of land and/or an enduring dynasty. See M. Weinfeld, “The Covenant of Grant in the Old Testament and in the Ancient Near East,” JAOS 90 (1970): 184-203, for general discussion and some striking extra-biblical parallels.

[2:8]  ¹⁷ sn I will give you the nations. The Lord promises the Davidic king universal dominion.

[22:27]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “families of the nations.”

[22:27]  ²⁰ tn Heb “before you.”

[22:28]  ²¹ tn Heb “for to the Lord [is] dominion.”

[22:29]  ²² tn Heb “fat [ones].” This apparently refers to those who are healthy and robust, i.e., thriving. In light of the parallelism, some prefer to emend the form to יְשֵׁנֵי (yÿsheney, “those who sleep [in the earth]”; cf. NAB, NRSV), but דִּשְׁנֵי (dishney, “fat [ones]”) seems to form a merism with “all who descend into the grave” in the following line. The psalmist envisions all people, whether healthy or dying, joining in worship of the Lord.

[22:29]  ²³ tn Heb “eat and worship.” The verb forms (a perfect followed by a prefixed form with vav [ו] consecutive) are normally used in narrative to relate completed actions. Here the psalmist uses the forms rhetorically as he envisions a time when the Lord will receive universal worship. The mood is one of wishful thinking and anticipation; this is not prophecy in the strict sense.

[22:29]  ²⁴ tn Heb “all of the ones going down [into] the dust.” This group stands in contrast to those mentioned in the previous line. Together the two form a merism encompassing all human beings – the healthy, the dying, and everyone in between.

[22:29]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and his life he does not revive.”

[22:30]  ²⁶ tn Heb “offspring.”

[22:30]  ²⁷ tn Heb “it will be told concerning the Lord to the generation.” The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[22:31]  ²⁸ tn Heb “his righteousness.” Here the noun צִדָקָה (tsidaqah) refers to the Lord’s saving deeds whereby he vindicates the oppressed.

[22:31]  ²⁹ tn Heb “to a people [to be] born that he has acted.” The words “they will tell” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[47:2]  ³⁰ tn Heb “the Lord Most High.” The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures the Lord as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked.

[47:2]  ³¹ tn Or “awesome.” The Niphal participle נוֹרָא (nora’), when used of God in the psalms, focuses on the effect that his royal splendor and powerful deeds have on those witnessing his acts (Pss 66:3, 5; 68:35; 76:7, 12; 89:7; 96:4; 99:3; 111:9). Here it refers to his capacity to fill his defeated foes with terror and his people with fearful respect.

[47:2]  ³² tn Heb “a great king over all the earth.”

[47:3]  ³³ tn On the meaning of the verb דָּבַר (davar, “subdue”), a homonym of דָּבַר (“speak”), see HALOT 209-10 s.v. I דבר. See also Ps 18:47 and 2 Chr 22:10. The preterite form of the verb suggests this is an historical reference and the next verse, which mentions the gift of the land, indicates that the conquest under Joshua is in view.

[47:3]  ³⁴ tn Or “peoples” (see Pss 2:1; 7:7; 9:8; 44:2).

[47:4]  ³⁵ tn Heb “he chose for us our inheritance.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite (see “subdued” in v. 3).

[47:4]  ³⁶ tn Heb “the pride of.” The phrase is appositional to “our inheritance,” indicating that the land is here described as a source of pride to God’s people.

[47:4]  ³⁷ tn That is, Israel.

[47:4]  ³⁸ sn Jacob whom he loves. The Lord’s covenantal devotion to his people is in view.

[47:5]  ³⁹ sn God ascended his throne. In the context of vv. 3-4, which refer to the conquest of the land under Joshua, v. 5 is best understood as referring to an historical event. When the Lord conquered the land and placed his people in it, he assumed a position of kingship, as predicted by Moses (see Exod 15:17-18, as well as Ps 114:1-2). That event is here described metaphorically in terms of a typical coronation ceremony for an earthly king (see 2 Sam 15:10; 2 Kgs 9:13). Verses 1-2, 8-9 focus on God’s continuing kingship, which extends over all nations.

[47:5]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “God ascended amid a shout.” The words “his throne” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Lord’s coronation as king is described here (see v. 8). Here the perfect probably has a present perfect function, indicating a completed action with continuing effects.

[47:5]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “the Lord amid the sound of the ram horn.” The verb “ascended” is understood by ellipsis; see the preceding line.

[47:7]  ⁴² tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term also occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142. Here, in a context of celebration, the meaning “skillful, well-written” would fit particularly well.

[47:8]  ⁴³ tn When a new king was enthroned, his followers would acclaim him king using this enthronement formula (Qal perfect 3ms מָלַךְ, malakh, “to reign,” followed by the name of the king). See 2 Sam 15:10; 1 Kgs 1:11, 13, 18; 2 Kgs 9:13, as well as Isa 52:7. In this context the perfect verbal form is generalizing, but the declaration logically follows the historical reference in v. 5 to the Lord’s having ascended his throne.

[47:9]  ⁴⁴ tc The words “along with” do not appear in the MT. However, the LXX has “with,” suggesting that the original text may have read עִם עַם (’im ’am, “along with the people”). In this case the MT is haplographic (the consonantal sequence ayin-mem [עם] being written once instead of twice). Another option is that the LXX is simply and correctly interpreting “people” as an adverbial accusative and supplying the appropriate preposition.

[47:9]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “for to God [belong] the shields of the earth.” Perhaps the rulers are called “shields” because they are responsible for protecting their people. See Ps 84:9, where the Davidic king is called “our shield,” and perhaps also Hos 4:18.

[47:9]  ⁴⁶ tn The verb עָלָה (’alah, “ascend”) appears once more (see v. 5), though now in the Niphal stem.

[67:4]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “peoples.”

[67:4]  ⁴⁸ 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”).

[72:8]  ⁴⁹ tn The prefixed verbal form is a (shortened) jussive form, indicating this is a prayer of blessing.

[72:8]  ⁵⁰ sn From sea to sea. This may mean from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Dead Sea in the east. See Amos 8:12. The language of this and the following line also appears in Zech 9:10.

[72:8]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “the river,” a reference to the Euphrates.

[72:9]  ⁵² tn Or “islands.” The term here refers metonymically to those people who dwell in these regions.

[72:9]  ⁵³ sn As they bow down before him, it will appear that his enemies are licking the dust.

[72:10]  ⁵⁴ sn Tarshish was a distant western port, the precise location of which is uncertain.

[72:10]  ⁵⁵ sn Sheba was located in Arabia.

[72:10]  ⁵⁶ sn Seba was located in Africa.

[72:17]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “may his name [be] permanent.” The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect.

[72:17]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “before the sun may his name increase.” The Kethib (consonantal text) assumes יָנִין (yanin; a Hiphil of the verbal root נִין, nin) or יְנַיֵן (yÿnayen; a Piel form), while the Qere (marginal reading) assumes יִנּוֹן (yinnon; a Niphal form). The verb נִין occurs only here, though a derived noun, meaning “offspring,” appears elsewhere (see Isa 14:22). The verb appears to mean “propagate, increase” (BDB 630 s.v. נוּן, נִין) or “produce shoots, get descendants” (HALOT 696 s.v. נין). In this context this appears to be a prayer for a lasting dynasty that will keep the king’s name and memory alive.

[72:17]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “may they bless one another by him,” that is, use the king’s name in their blessing formulae because he is a prime example of one blessed by God (for examples of such blessing formulae, see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11). There is some debate on whether the Hitpael form of בָּרַךְ (barakh, “bless”) is reflexive-reciprocal (as assumed in the present translation) or passive. The Hitpael of בָּרַךְ occurs in five other passages, including the hotly debated Gen 22:18 and 26:4. In these two texts one could understand the verb form as passive and translate, “all the nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring,” or one could take the Hitpael as reflexive or reciprocal and translate, “all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings [i.e., on themselves or one another] by your offspring.” In the first instance Abraham’s (or Isaac’s) offspring are viewed as a channel of divine blessing. In the second instance they are viewed as a prime example of blessing that will appear as part of the nations’ blessing formulae, but not necessarily as a channel of blessing to the nations. In Deut 29:18 one reads: “When one hears the words of this covenant [or “oath”] and invokes a blessing on himself (Hitpael of בָּרַךְ) in his heart, saying: ‘I will have peace, even though I walk with a rebellious heart.’” In this case the Hitpael is clearly reflexive, as the phrases “in his heart” and “I will have peace” indicate. The Hitpael of בָּרַךְ appears twice in Isaiah 65:16: “The one who invokes a blessing on himself (see Deut 9:18) in the land will invoke that blessing by the God of truth; and the one who makes an oath in the land will make that oath by the God of truth.” A passive nuance does not fit here. The parallel line, which mentions making an oath, suggests that the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ refers here to invoking a blessing. Both pronouncements of blessing and oaths will appeal to God as the one who rewards and judges, respectively. Jer 4:2 states: “If you swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ with truth, integrity, and honesty, then the nations will pronounce blessings by him and boast in him.” A passive nuance might work (“the nations will be blessed”), but the context refers to verbal pronouncements (swearing an oath, boasting), suggesting that the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ refers here to invoking a blessing. The logic of the verse seems to be as follows: If Israel conducts its affairs with integrity, the nation will be favored by the Lord, which will in turn attract the surrounding nations to Israel’s God. To summarize, while the evidence might leave the door open for a passive interpretation, there is no clear cut passive use. Usage favors a reflexive or reciprocal understanding of the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ. In Ps 72:17 the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ is followed by the prepositional phrase בוֹ (vo, “by him”). The verb could theoretically be taken as passive, “may all the nations be blessed through him” (cf. NIV, NRSV), because the preceding context describes the positive effects of this king’s rule on the inhabitants of the earth. But the parallel line, which employs the Piel of אָשַׁר (’ashar) in a factitive/declarative sense, “regard as happy, fortunate,” suggests a reflexive or reciprocal nuance for the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ here. If the nations regard the ideal king as a prime example of one who is fortunate or blessed, it is understandable that they would use his name in their pronouncements of blessing.

[72:17]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “all the nations, may they regard him as happy.” The Piel is used here in a delocutive sense (“regard as”).

[86:9]  ⁶¹ tn Or “bow down before you.”

[2:2]  ⁶² 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]  ⁶³ tn Or “be established” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).

[2:2]  ⁶⁴ 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]  ⁶⁵ 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]  ⁶⁶ 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]  ⁶⁷ tn The cohortative with vav (ו) after the prefixed verb form indicates the ultimate purpose/goal of their action.

[2:3]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “walk in his ways.”

[2:3]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “for out of Zion will go instruction.”

[2:3]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

[2:4]  ⁷¹ sn Instead of referring to the large plow as a whole, the plowshare is simply the metal tip which actually breaks the earth and cuts the furrow.

[2:4]  ⁷² sn This implement was used to prune the vines, i.e., to cut off extra leaves and young shoots (H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:93; M. Klingbeil, NIDOTTE 1:1117-18). It was a short knife with a curved hook at the end sharpened on the inside like a sickle. Breaking weapons and fashioning agricultural implements indicates a transition from fear and stress to peace and security.

[45:22]  ⁷³ tn The Niphal imperative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose after the preceding imperative. The Niphal probably has a tolerative sense, “allow yourselves to be delivered, accept help.”

[45:23]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “I swear by myself”; KJV, NASB “have sworn.”

[45:23]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “a word goes out from my mouth [in] truth and will not return.”

[45:23]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “swear” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “confess allegiance.”

[45:24]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “‘Yes, in the Lord,’ one says about me, ‘is deliverance and strength.’”

[45:24]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “will come to him and be ashamed.”

[45:25]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “In the Lord all the offspring of Israel will be vindicated and boast.”

[49:6]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “the protected [or “preserved”] ones.”

[49:6]  ⁸¹ 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]  ⁸² tn See the note at 42:6.

[49:6]  ⁸³ tn Heb “be” (so KJV, ASV); CEV “you must take.”

[49:7]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[49:7]  ⁸⁵ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[49:7]  ⁸⁶ 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]  ⁸⁷ 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]  ⁸⁸ 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]  ⁸⁹ 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.

[54:5]  ⁹⁰ tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[54:5]  ⁹¹ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[60:12]  ⁹² tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); TEV “But.”

[60:12]  ⁹³ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.

[60:13]  ⁹⁴ tn Or “holy place, sanctuary.”

[60:13]  ⁹⁵ 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]  ⁹⁶ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[2:45]  ⁹⁷ tn Aram “after this.”

[7:27]  ⁹⁸ 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.

[9:12]  ⁹⁹ sn They probably refers to the Israelites or to the Davidic rulers of the future.

[9:12]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “take possession of the remnant of Edom”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “possess the remnant of Edom.”

[9:12]  ¹⁰¹ 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]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “at the end of days.”

[4:1]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “will be established as the head of the mountains.”

[4:1]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “it will be lifted up above the hills.”

[4:2]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “house.”

[4:2]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “ways.”

[4:2]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “and we can walk in his paths.”

[4:2]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “instruction [or, “law”] will go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

[4:3]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Or “judge.”

[4:3]  ¹¹⁰ tn Or “mighty” (NASB); KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV “strong”; TEV “among the great powers.”

[4:3]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “[for many nations] to a distance.”

[4:3]  ¹¹² sn Instead of referring to the large plow as a whole, the plowshare is simply the metal tip which actually breaks the earth and cuts the furrow.

[4:3]  ¹¹³ sn This implement was used to prune the vines, i.e., to cut off extra leaves and young shoots (M. Klingbeil, NIDOTTE 1:1117-18). It was a short knife with a curved hook at the end sharpened on the inside like a sickle.

[4:3]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “take up the sword.”

[5:4]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “stand up”; NAB “stand firm”; NASB “will arise.”

[5:4]  ¹¹⁶ tn The words “the people” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:4]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “by the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.”

[5:4]  ¹¹⁸ tn The words “in peace” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Perhaps וְיָשָׁבוּ (vÿyashavu, “and they will live”) should be emended to וְשָׁבוּ (vÿshavu, “and they will return”).

[5:4]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “be great.”

[5:4]  ¹²⁰ tn Or “to the ends of.”

[3:9]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “Certainly [or perhaps, “For”] then I will restore to the nations a pure lip.”

[3:9]  ¹²² tn Heb “so that all of them will call on the name of the Lord.”

[3:9]  ¹²³ tn Heb “so that [they] will serve him [with] one shoulder.”

[11:15]  ¹²⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[11:15]  ¹²⁵ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”