Zechariah 9:13-15

9:13 I will bend Judah as my bow; I will load the bow with Ephraim, my arrow! ¹  I will stir up your sons, Zion, against yours, Greece, and I will make you, Zion, ²  like a warrior’s sword.

9:14 Then the Lord will appear above them, and his arrow will shoot forth like lightning; the Lord God will blow the trumpet and will sally forth on the southern storm winds. 9:15 The Lord who rules over all will guard them, and they will prevail and overcome with sling stones. Then they will drink, and will become noisy like drunkards, ³  full like the sacrificial basin or like the corners of the altar. ⁴ 

Numbers 27:16

27:16 “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all humankind, ⁵  appoint ⁶  a man over the community,

Numbers 27:2

27:2 And they stood before Moses and Eleazar the priest and the leaders of the whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said,

Numbers 14:11

The Punishment from God

14:11 The Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people despise ⁷  me, and how long will they not believe ⁸  in me, in spite of the signs that I have done among them?

Isaiah 11:2-4

11:2 The Lord’s spirit will rest on him ⁹  –

a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom, ¹⁰ 

a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans, ¹¹ 

a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord. ¹² 

11:3 He will take delight in obeying the Lord. ¹³ 

He will not judge by mere appearances, ¹⁴ 

or make decisions on the basis of hearsay. ¹⁵ 

11:4 He will treat the poor fairly, ¹⁶ 

and make right decisions ¹⁷  for the downtrodden of the earth. ¹⁸ 

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, ¹⁹ 

and order the wicked to be executed. ²⁰ 

Isaiah 30:1

Egypt Will Prove Unreliable

30:1 “The rebellious ²¹  children are as good as dead,” ²²  says the Lord,

“those who make plans without consulting me, ²³ 

who form alliances without consulting my Spirit, ²⁴ 

and thereby compound their sin. ²⁵ 

Isaiah 32:15

32:15 This desolation will continue until new life is poured out on us from heaven. ²⁶ 

Then the desert will become an orchard

and the orchard will be considered a forest. ²⁷ 

Isaiah 63:10-14

63:10 But they rebelled and offended ²⁸  his holy Spirit, ²⁹ 

so he turned into an enemy

and fought against them.

63:11 His people remembered the ancient times. ³⁰ 

Where is the one who brought them up out of the sea,

along with the shepherd of ³¹  his flock?

Where is the one who placed his holy Spirit among them, ³² 

63:12 the one who made his majestic power available to Moses, ³³ 

who divided the water before them,

gaining for himself a lasting reputation, ³⁴ 

63:13 who led them through the deep water?

Like a horse running on flat land ³⁵  they did not stumble.

63:14 Like an animal that goes down into a valley to graze, ³⁶ 

so the Spirit of the Lord granted them rest.

In this way ³⁷  you guided your people,

gaining for yourself an honored reputation. ³⁸ 

Ezekiel 37:11-14

37:11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are all the house of Israel. Look, they are saying, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope has perished; we are cut off.’ 37:12 Therefore prophesy, and tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to open your graves and will raise you from your graves, my people. I will bring you to the land of Israel. 37:13 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and raise you from your graves, my people. 37:14 I will place my breath ³⁹  in you and you will live; I will give you rest in your own land. Then you will know that I am the Lord – I have spoken and I will act, declares the Lord.’”

Hosea 1:7

1:7 But I will have pity on the nation ⁴⁰  of Judah. ⁴¹  I will deliver them by the Lord their God; I will not deliver them by the warrior’s bow, by sword, by military victory, ⁴²  by chariot horses, or by chariots.” ⁴³ 

Haggai 2:2-5

2:2 “Ask the following questions to ⁴⁴  Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, the high priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, ⁴⁵  and the remnant of the people: 2:3 ‘Who among you survivors saw the former splendor of this temple? ⁴⁶  How does it look to you now? Isn’t it nothing by comparison? 2:4 Even so, take heart, Zerubbabel,’ says the Lord. ‘Take heart, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and ⁴⁷  all you citizens of the land,’ ⁴⁸  says the Lord, ‘and begin to work. For I am with you,’ says the Lord who rules over all. 2:5 ‘Do not fear, because I made a promise to your ancestors when they left Egypt, and my spirit ⁴⁹  even now testifies to you.’ ⁵⁰ 

Haggai 2:1

The Glory to Come

2:1 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, ⁵¹  the Lord spoke again through the prophet Haggai: ⁵² 

Colossians 2:4-5

2:4 I say this so that no one will deceive you through arguments ⁵³  that sound reasonable. ⁵⁴  2:5 For though ⁵⁵  I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, rejoicing to see ⁵⁶  your morale ⁵⁷  and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

Colossians 2:2

2:2 My goal is that ⁵⁸  their hearts, having been knit together ⁵⁹  in love, may be encouraged, and that ⁶⁰  they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ, ⁶¹ 

Colossians 1:4-5

1:4 since ⁶²  we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints. 1:5 Your faith and love have arisen ⁶³  from the hope laid up ⁶⁴  for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel ⁶⁵ 

Colossians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁶⁶  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Colossians 1:12

1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share ⁶⁷  in the saints’ ⁶⁸  inheritance in the light.

[9:13]  ¹ tn The words “my arrow” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation to clarify the imagery for the modern reader (cf. NRSV, NLT).

[9:13]  ² tn The word “Zion” is not repeated here in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation to indicate that the statement refers to Zion and not to Greece.

[9:15]  ³ tn Heb “they will drink and roar as with wine”; the LXX (followed here by NAB, NRSV) reads “they will drink blood like wine” (referring to a figurative “drinking” of the blood of their enemies).

[9:15]  ⁴ sn The whole setting is eschatological as the intensely figurative language shows. The message is that the Lord will assume his triumphant reign over all the earth and will use his own redeemed and renewed people Israel to accomplish that work. The imagery of v. 15 is the eating and drinking of the flesh and blood of God’s enemies, that is, Israel’s complete mastery of them. Like those who drink too much wine, the Lord’s warriors will be satiated with the blood of their foes and will exult as though drunk.

[27:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “flesh”; cf. NAB, NIV “all mankind”; NCV “all people”; NLT “all living things.”

[27:16]  ⁶ tn This is the same verb פָּקַד (paqad) that is used throughout the book for the aspect of “numbering” the people.

[14:11]  ⁷ tn The verb נָאַץ (na’ats) means “to condemn, spurn” (BDB 610 s.v.). Coats suggests that in some contexts the word means actual rejection or renunciation (Rebellion in the Wilderness, 146, 7). This would include the idea of distaste.

[14:11]  ⁸ tn The verb “to believe” (root אָמַן, ’aman) has the basic idea of support, dependability for the root. The Hiphil has a declarative sense, namely, to consider something reliable or dependable and to act on it. The people did not trust what the Lord said.

[11:2]  ⁹ sn Like David (1 Sam 16:13), this king will be energized by the Lord’s spirit.

[11:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “a spirit of wisdom and understanding.” The synonyms are joined here to emphasize the degree of wisdom he will possess. His wisdom will enable him to make just legal decisions (v. 3). A very similar phrase occurs in Eph 1:17.

[11:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “a spirit of counsel [or “strategy”] and strength.” The construction is a hendiadys; the point is that he will have the strength/ability to execute the plans/strategies he devises. This ability will enable him to suppress oppressors and implement just policies (v. 4).

[11:2]  ¹² tn Heb “a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.” “Knowledge” is used here in its covenantal sense and refers to a recognition of God’s authority and a willingness to submit to it. See Jer 22:16. “Fear” here refers to a healthy respect for God’s authority which produces obedience. Taken together the two terms emphasize the single quality of loyalty to the Lord. This loyalty guarantees that he will make just legal decisions and implement just policies (vv. 4-5).

[11:3]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “and his smelling is in the fear of the Lord.” In Amos 5:21 the Hiphil of רוּחַ (ruakh, “smell”) carries the nuance of “smell with delight, get pleasure from.” There the Lord declares that he does not “smell with delight” (i.e., get pleasure from) Israel’s religious assemblies, which probably stand by metonymy for the incense offered during these festivals. In Isa 11:3 there is no sacrificial context to suggest such a use, but it is possible that “the fear of the Lord” is likened to incense. This coming king will get the same kind of delight from obeying (fearing) the Lord, as a deity does in the incense offered by worshipers. Some regard such an explanation as strained in this context, and prefer to omit this line from the text as a virtual dittograph of the preceding statement.

[11:3]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “by what appears to his eyes”; KJV “after the sight of his eyes”; NIV “by what he sees with his eyes.”

[11:3]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “by what is heard by his ears”; NRSV “by what his ears hear.”

[11:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “with justice” (so NAB) or “with righteousness” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[11:4]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “make decisions with rectitude”; cf. ASV, NRSV “and decide with equity.”

[11:4]  ¹⁸ tn Or “land” (NAB, NCV, CEV). It is uncertain if the passage is picturing universal dominion or focusing on the king’s rule over his covenant people. The reference to God’s “holy mountain” in v. 9 and the description of renewed Israelite conquests in v. 14 suggest the latter, though v. 10 seems to refer to a universal kingdom (see 2:2-4).

[11:4]  ¹⁹ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and he will strike the earth with the scepter of his mouth.” Some have suggested that in this context אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”) as an object of judgment seems too broad in scope. The parallelism is tighter if one emends the word to ץ(י)עָרִ (’arits, “potentate, tyrant”). The phrase “scepter of his mouth” refers to the royal (note “scepter”) decrees that he proclaims with his mouth. Because these decrees will have authority and power (see v. 2) behind them, they can be described as “striking” the tyrants down. Nevertheless, the MT reading may not need emending. Isaiah refers to the entire “earth” as the object of God’s judgment in several places without specifying the wicked as the object of the judgment (Isa 24:17-21; 26:9, 21; 28:22; cf. 13:11).

[11:4]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and by the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked.” The “breath of his lips” refers to his speech, specifically in this context his official decrees that the wicked oppressors be eliminated from his realm. See the preceding note.

[30:1]  ²¹ tn Or “stubborn” (NCV); cf. NIV “obstinate.”

[30:1]  ²² tn Heb “Woe [to] rebellious children.”

[30:1]  ²³ tn Heb “making a plan, but not from me.”

[30:1]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and pouring out a libation, but not [from] my spirit.” This translation assumes that the verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “pour out,” and that the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה (massekhah) means “libation.” In this case “pouring out a libation” alludes to a ceremony that formally ratifies an alliance. Another option is to understand the verb נָסַךְ as a homonym meaning “weave,” and the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה as a homonym meaning “covering.” In this case forming an alliance is likened to weaving a garment.

[30:1]  ²⁵ tn Heb “consequently adding sin to sin.”

[32:15]  ²⁶ tn Heb “until a spirit is emptied out on us from on high.” The words “this desolation will continue” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic purposes. The verb עָרָה (’arah), used here in the Niphal, normally means “lay bare, expose.” The term רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) is often understood here as a reference to the divine spirit (cf. 44:3 and NASB, NIV, CEV, NLT), but it appears here without an article (cf. NRSV “a spirit”), pronominal suffix, or a genitive (such as “of the Lord”). The translation assumes that it carries an impersonal nuance “vivacity, vigor” in this context.

[32:15]  ²⁷ sn The same statement appears in 29:17b, where, in conjunction with the preceding line, it appears to picture a reversal. Here it seems to depict supernatural growth. The desert will blossom into an orchard, and the trees of the orchard will multiply and grow tall, becoming a forest.

[63:10]  ²⁸ tn Or “grieved, hurt the feelings of.”

[63:10]  ²⁹ sn The phrase “holy Spirit” occurs in the OT only here (in v. 11 as well) and in Ps 51:11 (51:13 HT), where it is associated with the divine presence.

[63:11]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and he remembered the days of antiquity, Moses, his people.” The syntax of the statement is unclear. The translation assumes that “his people” is the subject of the verb “remembered.” If original, “Moses” is in apposition to “the days of antiquity,” more precisely identifying the time period referred to. However, the syntactical awkwardness suggests that “Moses” may have been an early marginal note (perhaps identifying “the shepherd of his flock” two lines later) that has worked its way into the text.

[63:11]  ³¹ tn The Hebrew text has a plural form, which if retained and taken as a numerical plural, would probably refer to Moses, Aaron, and the Israelite tribal leaders at the time of the Exodus. Most prefer to emend the form to the singular (רָעָה, ra’ah) and understand this as a reference just to Moses.

[63:11]  ³² sn See the note at v. 10.

[63:12]  ³³ tn Heb “who caused to go at the right hand of Moses the arm of his splendor.”

[63:12]  ³⁴ tn Heb “making for himself a lasting name.”

[63:13]  ³⁵ tn Heb “in the desert [or “steppe”].”

[63:14]  ³⁶ tn The words “to graze” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[63:14]  ³⁷ tn Or “so” (KJV, ASV), or “thus” (NAB, NRSV).

[63:14]  ³⁸ tn Heb “making for yourself a majestic name.”

[37:14]  ³⁹ tn Or “spirit.” This is likely an allusion to Gen 2 and God’s breath which creates life.

[1:7]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “house”; cf. NCV, TEV, NLT “the people of Judah.”

[1:7]  ⁴¹ tn The word order in this line is rhetorical, emphasizing the divine decision to withhold pity from Israel but to bestow it on Judah. The accusative direct object, which is introduced by a disjunctive vav (to denote contrast), appears before the verb: וְאֶת־בֵּית יְהוּדָה אֲרַחֵם (vé’et-bet yéhudah ’arakhem, “but upon the house of Judah I will show pity”).

[1:7]  ⁴² tn Heb “by war” (so NAB, NRSV, TEV); KJV, NASB, NIV “battle.”

[1:7]  ⁴³ sn These military weapons are examples of the metonymy of adjunct (the specific weapons named) for subject (warfare).

[2:2]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “say to”; NAB “Tell this to.”

[2:2]  ⁴⁵ tn Many English versions have “Joshua (the) son of Jehozadak the high priest,” but this is subject to misunderstanding. See the note on the name “Jehozadak” at the end of v. 1.

[2:3]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “this house in its earlier splendor”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “in its former glory.”

[2:4]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “and take heart.” Although emphatic, the repetition of the verb is redundant in contemporary English style and has been left untranslated.

[2:4]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “the people of the land” (עַם הָאָרֶץ, ’am ha’arets); this is a technical term referring to free citizens as opposed to slaves.

[2:5]  ⁴⁹ sn My spirit. It is theologically anachronistic to understand “spirit” here in the NT sense as a reference to the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity; nevertheless during this postexilic period the conceptual groundwork was being laid for the doctrine of the Holy Spirit later revealed in the NT.

[2:5]  ⁵⁰ tc The MT of v. 5 reads “with the word which I cut with you when you went out from Egypt and my spirit [which] stands in your midst, do not fear.” BHS proposes emending “with the word” to זֹאת הַבְּרִית (zo’t habbÿrit, “this is the covenant”) at the beginning of the verse. The proposed emendation makes excellent sense and is expected with the verb כָּרַת (karat, “cut” or “make” a covenant), but it has no textual support. Most English versions (including the present translation) therefore follow the MT here.

[2:1]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “In the seventh [month], on the twenty-first day of the month.”

[2:1]  ⁵² tc Heb “the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, saying.” The MT has בְּיַד (bÿyad, “by the hand of” = “through” [so NAB, NIV, NLT] as in 1:1, 3); the Murabba’at Dead Sea text reads אֶל (’el, “to”), perhaps because the following command is given to the prophet.

[2:4]  ⁵³ tn BDAG 812 s.v. πιθανολογία states, “persuasive speech, art of persuasion (so Pla., Theaet. 162e) in an unfavorable sense in its only occurrence in our lit. ἐν πιθανολογίᾳ by specious arguments Col 2:4 (cp. PLips 40 III, 7 διὰ πιθανολογίας).”

[2:4]  ⁵⁴ sn Paul’s point is that even though the arguments seem to make sense (sound reasonable), they are in the end false. Paul is not here arguing against the study of philosophy or serious thinking per se, but is arguing against the uncritical adoption of a philosophy that is at odds with a proper view of Christ and the ethics of the Christian life.

[2:5]  ⁵⁵ tn The conditional particle εἰ (ei) together with καί (kai) here indicates a first class condition in Greek and carries a concessive force, especially when seen in contrast to the following phrase which begins with ἀλλά (alla).

[2:5]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “rejoicing and seeing.”

[2:5]  ⁵⁷ tn The Greek word τάξις can mean “order,” “discipline,” or even “unbroken ranks” (REB).

[2:2]  ⁵⁸ tn Verse two begins a subordinate ἵνα (Jina) clause which was divided up into two sentences for the sake of clarity in English. Thus the phrase “My goal is that” is an attempt to reflect in the translation the purpose expressed through the ἵνα clauses.

[2:2]  ⁵⁹ tn BDAG 956 s.v. συμβιβάζω 1.b reads “unite, knit together.” Some commentators take the verb as a reference to instruction, “instructed in love.” See P. T. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon (WBC), 93.

[2:2]  ⁶⁰ tn The phrase “and that” translates the first εἰς (eis) clause of v. 2 and reflects the second goal of Paul’s striving and struggle for the Colossians – the first is “encouragement” and the second is “full assurance.”

[2:2]  ⁶¹ tc There are at least a dozen variants here, almost surely generated by the unusual wording τοῦ θεοῦ, Χριστοῦ (tou qeou, Cristou, “of God, Christ”; so Ì⁴⁶ B Hil). Scribes would be prone to conform this to more common Pauline expressions such as “of God, who is in Christ” (33), “of God, the Father of Christ” (א* A C 048^vid 1175 bo), and “of the God and Father of Christ” (א² Ψ 075 0278 365 1505 pc). Even though the external support for the wording τοῦ θεοῦ, Χριστοῦ is hardly overwhelming, it clearly best explains the rise of the other readings and should thus be regarded as authentic.

[1:4]  ⁶² tn The adverbial participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") is understood to be temporal and translated with “since.” A causal idea may also be in the apostle’s mind, but the context emphasizes temporal ideas, e.g., “from the day” (v. 6).

[1:5]  ⁶³ tn Col 1:3-8 form one long sentence in the Greek text and have been divided at the end of v. 4 and v. 6 and within v. 6 for clarity, in keeping with the tendency in contemporary English toward shorter sentences. Thus the phrase “Your faith and love have arisen from the hope” is literally “because of the hope.” The perfect tense “have arisen” was chosen in the English to reflect the fact that the recipients of the letter had acquired this hope at conversion in the past, but that it still remains and motivates them to trust in Christ and to love one another.

[1:5]  ⁶⁴ tn BDAG 113 s.v. ἀπόκειμαι 2 renders ἀποκειμένην (apokeimenhn) with the expression “reserved” in this verse.

[1:5]  ⁶⁵ tn The term “the gospel” (τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, tou euangeliou) is in apposition to “the word of truth” (τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ἀληθείας, tw logw th" alhqeia") as indicated in the translation.

[1:1]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:12]  ⁶⁷ tn BDAG 473 s.v. ἱκανόω states, “τινὰ εἴς τι someone for someth. Col 1:12.” The point of the text is that God has qualified the saints for a “share” or “portion” in the inheritance of the saints.

[1:12]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “the inheritance of the saints.” The genitive noun τῶν ἁγίων (twn Jagiwn) is a possessive genitive: “the saints’ inheritance.”