1 Kings 18:1-46 
Context18:1 Some time later, in the third year of the famine, the Lord told Elijah, 1 “Go, make an appearance before Ahab, so I may send rain on the surface of the ground.” 18:2 So Elijah went to make an appearance before Ahab.
Now the famine was severe in Samaria. 2 18:3 So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who supervised the palace. (Now Obadiah was a very loyal follower of the Lord. 3 18:4 When Jezebel was killing 4 the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them in two caves in two groups of fifty. He also brought them food and water.) 18:5 Ahab told Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grazing areas 5 so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to kill 6 some of the animals.” 18:6 They divided up the land between them; Ahab went 7 one way and Obadiah went the other.
18:7 As Obadiah was traveling along, Elijah met him. 8 When he recognized him, he fell facedown to the ground and said, “Is it really you, my master, Elijah?” 18:8 He replied, “Yes, 9 go and say to your master, ‘Elijah is back.’” 10 18:9 Obadiah 11 said, “What sin have I committed that you are ready to hand your servant over to Ahab for execution? 12 18:10 As certainly as the Lord your God lives, my master has sent to every nation and kingdom in an effort to find you. When they say, ‘He’s not here,’ he makes them 13 swear an oath that they could not find you. 18:11 Now you say, ‘Go and say to your master, “Elijah is back.”’ 14 18:12 But when I leave you, the Lord’s spirit will carry you away so I can’t find you. 15 If I go tell Ahab I’ve seen you, he won’t be able to find you and he will kill me. 16 That would not be fair, 17 because your servant has been a loyal follower of 18 the Lord from my youth. 18:13 Certainly my master is aware of what I did 19 when Jezebel was killing the Lord’s prophets. I hid one hundred of the Lord’s prophets in two caves in two groups of fifty and I brought them food and water. 18:14 Now you say, ‘Go and say to your master, “Elijah is back,”’ 20 but he will kill me.” 18:15 But Elijah said, “As certainly as the Lord who rules over all 21 lives (whom I serve), 22 I will make an appearance before him today.”
18:16 When Obadiah went and informed Ahab, the king went to meet Elijah. 23 18:17 When Ahab saw Elijah, he 24 said to him, “Is it really you, the one who brings disaster 25 on Israel?” 18:18 Elijah 26 replied, “I have not brought disaster 27 on Israel. But you and your father’s dynasty have, by abandoning the Lord’s commandments and following the Baals. 18:19 Now send out messengers 28 and assemble all Israel before me at Mount Carmel, as well as the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah whom Jezebel supports. 29
18:20 Ahab sent messengers to all the Israelites and had the prophets assemble at Mount Carmel. 18:21 Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision? 30 If the Lord is the true God, 31 then follow him, but if Baal is, follow him!” But the people did not say a word. 18:22 Elijah said to them: 32 “I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left, but there are 450 prophets of Baal. 18:23 Let them bring us two bulls. Let them choose one of the bulls for themselves, cut it up into pieces, and place it on the wood. But they must not set it on fire. I will do the same to the other bull and place it on the wood. But I will not set it on fire. 18:24 Then you 33 will invoke the name of your god, and I will invoke the name of the Lord. The god who responds with fire will demonstrate that he is the true God.” 34 All the people responded, “This will be a fair test.” 35
18:25 Elijah told the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls for yourselves and go first, for you are the majority. Invoke the name of your god, but do not light a fire.” 36 18:26 So they took a bull, as he had suggested, 37 and prepared it. They invoked the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us.” But there was no sound and no answer. They jumped 38 around on the altar they had made. 39 18:27 At noon Elijah mocked them, “Yell louder! After all, he is a god; he may be deep in thought, or perhaps he stepped out for a moment or has taken a trip. Perhaps he is sleeping and needs to be awakened.” 40 18:28 So they yelled louder and, in accordance with their prescribed ritual, 41 mutilated themselves with swords and spears until their bodies were covered with blood. 42 18:29 Throughout the afternoon they were in an ecstatic frenzy, 43 but there was no sound, no answer, and no response. 44
18:30 Elijah then told all the people, “Approach me.” So all the people approached him. He repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down. 45 18:31 Then Elijah took twelve stones, corresponding to the number of tribes that descended from Jacob, to whom the Lord had said, “Israel will be your new 46 name.” 47 18:32 With the stones he constructed an altar for the Lord. 48 Around the altar he made a trench large enough to contain two seahs 49 of seed. 18:33 He arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. 18:34 Then he said, “Fill four water jars and pour the water on the offering and the wood.” When they had done so, 50 he said, “Do it again.” So they did it again. Then he said, “Do it a third time.” So they did it a third time. 18:35 The water flowed down all sides of the altar and filled the trench. 18:36 When it was time for the evening offering, 51 Elijah the prophet approached the altar 52 and prayed: “O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, prove 53 today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 18:37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are the true God 54 and that you are winning back their allegiance.” 55 18:38 Then fire from the Lord fell from the sky. 56 It consumed the offering, the wood, the stones, and the dirt, and licked up the water in the trench. 18:39 When all the people saw this, they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and said, “The Lord is the true God! 57 The Lord is the true God!” 18:40 Elijah told them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Don’t let even one of them escape!” So they seized them, and Elijah led them down to the Kishon Valley and executed 58 them there.
18:41 Then Elijah told Ahab, “Go on up and eat and drink, for the sound of a heavy rainstorm can be heard.” 59 18:42 So Ahab went on up to eat and drink, while Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel. He bent down toward the ground and put his face between his knees. 18:43 He told his servant, “Go on up and look in the direction of the sea.” So he went on up, looked, and reported, “There is nothing.” 60 Seven times Elijah sent him to look. 61 18:44 The seventh time the servant 62 said, “Look, a small cloud, the size of the palm of a man’s hand, is rising up from the sea.” Elijah 63 then said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up the chariots and go down, so that the rain won’t overtake you.’” 64 18:45 Meanwhile the sky was covered with dark clouds, the wind blew, and there was a heavy rainstorm. Ahab rode toward 65 Jezreel. 18:46 Now the Lord energized Elijah with power; 66 he tucked his robe into his belt 67 and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Context1:1 From Paul 68 and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians 69 in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to you! 70
1:2 We thank God always for all of you as we mention you constantly 71 in our prayers, 1:3 because we recall 72 in the presence of our God and Father 73 your work of faith and labor of love and endurance of hope 74 in our Lord Jesus Christ. 1:4 We know, 75 brothers and sisters 76 loved by God, that he has chosen you, 77 1:5 in that 78 our gospel did not come to you merely in words, 79 but in power and in the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction (surely you recall the character we displayed when we came among you to help you). 80
1:6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, when you received 81 the message with joy that comes from the Holy Spirit, despite great affliction. 1:7 As a result you became an example 82 to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 1:8 For from you the message of the Lord 83 has echoed forth not just in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place reports of your faith in God have spread, 84 so that we do not need to say anything. 1:9 For people everywhere 85 report how you welcomed us 86 and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God 1:10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath. 87
Ezekiel 48:1-35
Context48:1 “These are the names of the tribes: From the northern end beside the road of Hethlon to Lebo-hamath, as far as Hazar-enan (which is on the border of Damascus, toward the north beside Hamath), extending from the east side to the west, Dan will have one portion. 48:2 Next to the border of Dan, from the east side to the west, Asher 88 will have one portion. 48:3 Next to the border of Asher from the east side to the west, Naphtali will have one portion. 48:4 Next to the border of Naphtali from the east side to the west, Manasseh will have one portion. 48:5 Next to the border of Manasseh from the east side to the west, Ephraim will have one portion. 48:6 Next to the border of Ephraim from the east side to the west, Reuben will have one portion. 48:7 Next to the border of Reuben from the east side to the west, Judah 89 will have one portion.
48:8 “Next to the border of Judah from the east side to the west will be the allotment you must set apart. It is to be eight and a quarter miles 90 wide, and the same length as one of the tribal portions, from the east side to the west; the sanctuary will be in the middle of it. 48:9 The allotment you set apart to the Lord will be eight and a quarter miles 91 in length and three and one-third miles 92 in width. 48:10 These will be the allotments for the holy portion: for the priests, toward the north eight and a quarter miles 93 in length, toward the west three and one-third miles 94 in width, toward the east three and one-third miles 95 in width, and toward the south eight and a quarter miles 96 in length; the sanctuary of the Lord will be in the middle. 48:11 This will be for the priests who are set apart from the descendants of Zadok who kept my charge and did not go astray when the people of Israel strayed off, like the Levites did. 97 48:12 It will be their portion from the allotment of the land, a most holy place, next to the border of the Levites.
48:13 “Alongside the border of the priests, the Levites will have an allotment eight and a quarter miles 98 in length and three and one-third miles 99 in width. The whole length will be eight and a quarter miles 100 and the width three and one-third miles. 101 48:14 They must not sell or exchange any of it; they must not transfer this choice portion of land, for it is set apart 102 to the Lord.
48:15 “The remainder, one and two-thirds miles 103 in width and eight and a quarter miles 104 in length, will be for common use by the city, for houses and for open space. The city will be in the middle of it; 48:16 these will be its measurements: The north side will be one and one-half miles, 105 the south side one and one-half miles, the east side one and one-half miles, and the west side one and one-half miles. 48:17 The city will have open spaces: On the north there will be 437½ feet, 106 on the south 437½ feet, on the east 437½ feet, and on the west 437½ feet. 48:18 The remainder of the length alongside the holy allotment will be three and one-third miles 107 to the east and three and one-third miles toward the west, and it will be beside the holy allotment. Its produce will be for food for the workers of the city. 48:19 The workers of the city from all the tribes of Israel will cultivate it. 48:20 The whole allotment will be eight and a quarter miles 108 square, you must set apart the holy allotment with the possession of the city.
48:21 “The rest, on both sides of the holy allotment and the property of the city, will belong to the prince. Extending from the eight and a quarter miles 109 of the holy allotment to the east border, and westward from the eight and a quarter miles 110 to the west border, alongside the portions, it will belong to the prince. The holy allotment and the sanctuary of the temple will be in the middle of it. 48:22 The property of the Levites and of the city will be in the middle of that which belongs to the prince. The portion between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin will be for the prince.
48:23 “As for the rest of the tribes: From the east side to the west side, Benjamin will have one portion. 48:24 Next to the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west side, Simeon will have one portion. 48:25 Next to the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west side, Issachar will have one portion. 48:26 Next to the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west side, Zebulun will have one portion. 48:27 Next to the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west side, Gad will have one portion. 48:28 Next to the border of Gad, at the south side, the border will run from Tamar to the waters of Meribath Kadesh, to the Stream of Egypt 111 and on to the Great Sea. 48:29 This is the land which you will allot to the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions, declares the sovereign Lord.
48:30 “These are the exits of the city: On the north side, one and one-half miles 112 by measure, 48:31 the gates of the city 113 will be named for the tribes of Israel; there will be three gates to the north: one gate for Reuben, one gate for Judah, and one gate for Levi. 48:32 On the east side, one and one-half miles in length, there will be three gates: one gate for Joseph, one gate for Benjamin, and one gate for Dan. 48:33 On the south side, one and one-half miles by measure, there will be three gates: one gate for Simeon, one gate for Issachar, and one gate for Zebulun. 48:34 On the west side, one and one-half miles in length, there will be three gates: one gate for Gad, one gate for Asher, and one gate for Naphtali. 48:35 The circumference of the city will be six miles. 114 The name of the city from that day forward will be: ‘The Lord Is There.’” 115
Psalms 104:1-35
Context104:1 Praise the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, you are magnificent. 117
You are robed in splendor and majesty.
104:2 He covers himself with light as if it were a garment.
He stretches out the skies like a tent curtain,
104:3 and lays the beams of the upper rooms of his palace on the rain clouds. 118
He makes the clouds his chariot,
and travels along on the wings of the wind. 119
104:4 He makes the winds his messengers,
and the flaming fire his attendant. 120
104:5 He established the earth on its foundations;
it will never be upended.
104:6 The watery deep covered it 121 like a garment;
the waters reached 122 above the mountains. 123
104:7 Your shout made the waters retreat;
at the sound of your thunderous voice they hurried off –
104:8 as the mountains rose up,
and the valleys went down –
to the place you appointed for them. 124
104:9 You set up a boundary for them that they could not cross,
so that they would not cover the earth again. 125
104:10 He turns springs into streams; 126
they flow between the mountains.
104:11 They provide water for all the animals in the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
104:12 The birds of the sky live beside them;
they chirp among the bushes. 127
104:13 He waters the mountains from the upper rooms of his palace; 128
the earth is full of the fruit you cause to grow. 129
104:14 He provides grass 130 for the cattle,
and crops for people to cultivate, 131
so they can produce food from the ground, 132
104:15 as well as wine that makes people feel so good, 133
and so they can have oil to make their faces shine, 134
as well as food that sustains people’s lives. 135
104:16 The trees of the Lord 136 receive all the rain they need, 137
the cedars of Lebanon which he planted,
104:17 where the birds make nests,
near the evergreens in which the herons live. 138
104:18 The wild goats live in the high mountains; 139
the rock badgers find safety in the cliffs.
104:19 He made the moon to mark the months, 140
and the sun sets according to a regular schedule. 141
104:20 You make it dark and night comes, 142
during which all the beasts of the forest prowl around.
104:21 The lions roar for prey,
seeking their food from God. 143
104:22 When the sun rises, they withdraw
and sleep 144 in their dens.
104:23 Men then go out to do their work,
and labor away until evening. 145
104:24 How many living things you have made, O Lord! 146
You have exhibited great skill in making all of them; 147
the earth is full of the living things you have made.
104:25 Over here is the deep, wide sea, 148
which teems with innumerable swimming creatures, 149
living things both small and large.
104:26 The ships travel there,
and over here swims the whale 150 you made to play in it.
104:27 All of your creatures 151 wait for you
to provide them with food on a regular basis. 152
104:28 You give food to them and they receive it;
you open your hand and they are filled with food. 153
104:29 When you ignore them, they panic. 154
When you take away their life’s breath, they die
and return to dust.
104:30 When you send your life-giving breath, they are created,
and you replenish the surface of the ground.
104:31 May the splendor of the Lord endure! 155
May the Lord find pleasure in the living things he has made! 156
104:32 He looks down on the earth and it shakes;
he touches the mountains and they start to smolder.
104:33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I exist! 157
104:34 May my thoughts 158 be pleasing to him!
I will rejoice in the Lord.
104:35 May sinners disappear 159 from the earth,
and the wicked vanish!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord!
1 tn Heb “the word of the
2 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
3 tn Heb “now Obadiah greatly feared the
4 tn Heb “cutting off.”
5 tn Heb “grass.”
6 tn Heb “to cut off.”
7 tn The Hebrew text has “alone” here and again in reference to Obadiah toward the end of the verse.
8 tn Heb “look, Elijah [came] to meet him.”
9 tn Heb “[It is] I.”
10 tn Heb “Look, Elijah”; or “Elijah is here.”
11 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Obadiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12 tn Heb “to kill me.”
13 tn Heb “he makes the kingdom or the nation swear an oath.”
14 tn Heb “Look, Elijah”; or “Elijah is here.”
15 tn Heb “to [a place] which I do not know.”
16 tn Heb “and I will go to inform Ahab and he will not find you and he will kill me.”
17 tn The words “that would not be fair” are added to clarify the logic of Obadiah’s argument.
18 tn Heb “has feared the
19 tn Heb “Has it not been told to my master what I did…?” The rhetorical question expects an answer, “Of course it has!”
20 tn Heb “Look, Elijah”; or “Elijah is here.”
21 tn Traditionally, “the
22 tn Heb “(before whom I stand).”
23 tn Heb “Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah.”
24 tn Heb “Ahab.”
25 tn Or “trouble.”
26 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
27 tn Or “trouble.”
28 tn The word “messengers” is supplied in the translation both here and in v. 20 for clarification.
29 tn Heb “who eat at the table of Jezebel.”
30 tn Heb “How long are you going to limp around on two crutches?” (see HALOT 762 s.v. סְעִפִּים). In context this idiomatic expression refers to indecision rather than physical disability.
31 tn Heb “the God.”
32 tn Heb “to the people.”
33 tn Elijah now directly addresses the prophets.
34 tn Heb “the God.”
35 tn Heb “The matter [i.e., proposal] is good [i.e., acceptable].”
36 tc The last sentence of v. 25 is absent in the Syriac Peshitta.
37 tn Heb “and they took the bull which he allowed them.”
38 tn Heb “limped” (the same verb is used in v. 21).
39 tc The MT has “which he made,” but some medieval Hebrew
40 sn Elijah’s sarcastic proposals would have been especially offensive and irritating to Baal’s prophets, for they believed Baal was imprisoned in the underworld as death’s captive during this time of drought. Elijah’s apparent ignorance of their theology is probably designed for dramatic effect; indeed the suggestion that Baal is away on a trip or deep in sleep comes precariously close to the truth as viewed by the prophets.
41 tn Or “as was their custom.”
42 tn Heb “until blood poured out on them.”
sn mutilated…covered with blood. This self-mutilation was a mourning rite designed to facilitate Baal’s return from the underworld.
43 tn Heb “when noon passed they prophesied until the offering up of the offering.”
44 tc The Old Greek translation and Syriac Peshitta include the following words here: “When it was time to offer the sacrifice, Elijah the Tishbite spoke to the prophets of the abominations: ‘Stand aside for the time being, and I will offer my burnt offering.’ So they stood aside and departed.”
sn In 2 Kgs 4:31 the words “there was no sound and there was no response” are used to describe a dead boy. Similar words are used here to describe the god Baal as dead and therefore unresponsive.
45 sn Torn down. The condition of the altar symbolizes the spiritual state of the people.
46 tn The word “new” is implied but not actually present in the Hebrew text.
47 sn Israel will be your new name. See Gen 32:28; 35:10.
48 tn Heb “and he built the stones into an altar in the name of the
49 tn A seah was a dry measure equivalent to about seven quarts.
50 tn The words “when they had done so” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
51 tn Heb “at the offering up of the offering.”
52 tn The words “the altar” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
53 tn Heb “let it be known.”
54 tn Heb “the God.”
55 tn Heb “that you are turning their heart[s] back.”
56 tn The words “from the sky” are added for stylistic reasons.
57 tn Heb “the God” (the phrase occurs twice in this verse).
58 tn Or “slaughtered.”
59 tn Heb “for [there is] the sound of the roar of the rain.”
60 sn So he went on up, looked, and reported, “There is nothing.” Several times in this chapter those addressed by Elijah obey his orders. In vv. 20 and 42 Ahab does as instructed, in vv. 26 and 28 the prophets follow Elijah’s advice, and in vv. 30, 34, 40 and 43 the people and servants do as they are told. By juxtaposing Elijah’s commands with accounts of those commands being obeyed, the narrator emphasizes the authority of the
61 tn Heb “He said, ‘Return,’ seven times.”
62 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
63 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
64 tn Heb “so that the rain won’t restrain you.”
65 tn Heb “rode and went to.”
66 tn Heb “and the hand of the
67 tn Heb “and girded up his loins.” The idea is that of gathering up the robes and tucking them into the sash or belt so that they do not get in the way of the legs when running (or working or fighting).
68 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
69 map For the location of Thessalonica see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.
70 tc The majority of witnesses, including several early and important ones (א A [D] I 33 Ï bo), have ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ κυριοῦ Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ (apo qeou patro" Jhmwn kai kuriou Ihsou Cristou, “from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”) at the end of v. 1. The more abrupt reading (“Grace and peace to you”) without this addition is supported by B F G Ψ 0278 629 1739 1881 pc lat sa. Apart from a desire to omit the redundancy of the mention of God and Christ in this verse, there is no good reason why scribes would have omitted the characteristically Pauline greeting. (Further, if this were the case, why did these same scribes overlook such an opportunity in 2 Thess 1:1-2?) On the other hand, since 1 Thessalonians is one of Paul’s earliest letters, what would become characteristic of his greetings seems to have been still in embryonic form (e.g., he does not yet call his audience “saints” [which will first be used in his address to the Corinthians], nor does he use ἐν (en) plus the dative to refer to the location of the church). Thus, the internal evidence is overwhelming in support of the shorter reading, for scribes would have been strongly motivated to rework this salutation in light of Paul’s style elsewhere. And the external evidence, though not overwhelming, is supportive of this shorter reading, found as it is in some of the best witnesses of the Alexandrian and Western texttypes.
tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”
71 tn Or “mention you in our prayers, because we recall constantly…”
72 tn Grk “making mention…recalling.” The participle ποιούμενοι (poioumenoi) in v. 2 has been translated as temporal, and μνημονεύοντες (mnhmoneuonte") in v. 3 has been translated as causal.
73 tn Or the phrase may connect at the end of the verse: “hope…in the presence of our God and Father.”
74 tn These phrases denote Christian virtues in action: the work produced by faith, labor motivated by love, and endurance that stems from hope in Christ.
75 tn Grk “knowing.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the participle εἰδότες (eidotes) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence started here in the translation.
76 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).
77 tn Grk “your election.”
78 tn Or “because.”
79 tn Or “speech,” or “an act of speaking.”
80 tn Grk “just as you know what sort of people we were among you for your sakes.” Verse 5 reflects on the experience of Paul and his fellow preachers; v. 6 begins to describe the Thessalonians’ response.
81 tn Or “after you received.”
82 tc Most
83 tn Or “the word of the Lord.”
sn “The word of the Lord” is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; here and in Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said. Here the phrase has been translated “the message of the Lord” because of the focus upon the spread of the gospel evident in the passage.
84 tn Grk “your faith in God has gone out.”
85 tn Grk “they themselves,” referring to people in the places just mentioned.
86 tn Grk “what sort of entrance we had to you” (an idiom for how someone is received).
87 sn The coming wrath. This wrath is an important theme in 1 Thess 5.
88 sn The tribes descended from Jacob’s maidservants are placed farthest from the sanctuary. See Gen 30.
89 sn The tribe from which the Davidic prince would come is given the most prestigious allotment (see Gen 49:8-12).
90 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
91 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
92 tn Heb “ten thousand cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
93 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
94 tn Heb “ten thousand cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
95 tn Heb “ten thousand cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
96 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
97 tn Heb “strayed off.”
98 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
99 tn Heb “ten thousand cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
100 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
101 tn Heb “ten thousand cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers).
102 tn Or “holy.”
103 tn Heb “five thousand cubits” (i.e., 2.625 kilometers).
104 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
105 tn Heb “four thousand five hundred cubits” (i.e., 2.36 kilometers); the phrase occurs three more times in this verse.
106 tn Heb “two hundred fifty cubits” (i.e., 131.25 meters); the phrase occurs three more times in this verse.
107 tn Heb “ten thousand cubits” (i.e., 5.25 kilometers); the phrase occurs again later in this verse.
108 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
109 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
110 tn Heb “twenty-five thousand cubits” (i.e., 13.125 kilometers).
111 tn Traditionally “the Brook of Egypt,” although a number of recent translations have “the Wadi of Egypt” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV). The word “Egypt” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.
112 tn Heb “four thousand five hundred cubits” (i.e., 2.36 kilometers); the phrase occurs again in vv. 32-34.
113 sn See Rev 21:12-14.
114 tn Heb “eighteen thousand cubits” (i.e., 9.45 kilometers).
115 sn See Rev 21:12-21.
116 sn Psalm 104. The psalmist praises God as the ruler of the world who sustains all life.
117 tn Heb “very great.”
118 tn Heb “one who lays the beams on water [in] his upper rooms.” The “water” mentioned here corresponds to the “waters above” mentioned in Gen 1:7. For a discussion of the picture envisioned by the psalmist, see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 44-45.
119 sn Verse 3 may depict the Lord riding a cherub, which is in turn propelled by the wind current. Another option is that the wind is personified as a cherub. See Ps 18:10 and the discussion of ancient Near Eastern parallels to the imagery in M. Weinfeld, “‘Rider of the Clouds’ and ‘Gatherer of the Clouds’,” JANESCU 5 (1973): 422-24.
120 tc Heb “and his attendants a flaming fire.” The lack of agreement between the singular “fire” and plural “attendants” has prompted various emendations. Some read “fire and flame.” The present translation assumes an emendation to “his attendant” (יו in the Hebrew text being virtually dittographic).
sn In Ugaritic mythology Yam’s messengers appear as flaming fire before the assembly of the gods. See G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 42.
121 tc Heb “you covered it.” The masculine suffix is problematic if the grammatically feminine noun “earth” is the antecedent. For this reason some emend the form to a feminine verb with feminine suffix, כִּסַּתָּה (kisattah, “[the watery deep] covered it [i.e., the earth]”), a reading assumed by the present translation.
122 tn Heb “stood.”
123 sn Verse 6 refers to the condition described in Gen 1:2 (note the use of the Hebrew term תְּהוֹם [tÿhom, “watery deep”] in both texts).
124 tn Heb “from your shout they fled, from the sound of your thunder they hurried off.”
sn Verses 7-8 poetically depict Gen 1:9-10.
125 tn Heb “a boundary you set up, they will not cross, they will not return to cover the earth.”
126 tn Heb “[the] one who sends springs into streams.” Another option is to translate, “he sends streams [i.e., streams that originate from springs] into the valleys” (cf. NIV).
127 tn Heb “among the thick foliage they give a sound.”
128 tn Heb “from his upper rooms.”
129 tn Heb “from the fruit of your works the earth is full.” The translation assumes that “fruit” is literal here. If “fruit” is understood more abstractly as “product; result,” then one could translate, “the earth flourishes as a result of your deeds” (cf. NIV, NRSV, REB).
130 tn Heb “causes the grass to sprout up.”
131 tn Heb “for the service of man” (see Gen 2:5).
132 tn Heb “to cause food to come out from the earth.”
133 tn Heb “and wine [that] makes the heart of man happy.”
134 tn Heb “to make [the] face shine from oil.” The Hebrew verb צָהַל (tsahal, “to shine”) occurs only here in the OT. It appears to be an alternate form of צָהַר (tsahar), a derivative from צָהָרִים (tsaharim, “noon”).
135 tn Heb “and food [that] sustains the heart of man.”
136 sn The trees of the
137 tn Heb “are satisfied,” which means here that they receive abundant rain (see v. 13).
138 tn Heb “[the] heron [in the] evergreens [is] its home.”
sn The cedars and evergreens of the Lebanon forest are frequently associated (see, for example, 2 Chr 2:8; Isa 14:8; 37:24; Ezek 31:8).
139 tn Heb “the high mountains [are] for the goats.”
140 tn Heb “he made [the] moon for appointed times.” The phrase “appointed times” probably refers to the months of the Hebrew lunar calendar.
141 tn Heb more metaphorically, “knows its setting.”
142 tn Heb “you make darkness, so that it might be night.”
143 sn The lions’ roaring is viewed as a request for food from God.
144 tn Heb “lie down.”
145 tn Heb “man goes out to his work, and to his labor until evening.”
146 tn Heb “How many [are] your works, O
147 tn Heb “all of them with wisdom you have made.”
148 tn Heb “this [is] the sea, great and broad of hands [i.e., “sides” or “shores”].”
149 tn Heb “where [there are] swimming things, and without number.”
150 tn Heb “[and] this Leviathan, [which] you formed to play in it.” Elsewhere Leviathan is a multiheaded sea monster that symbolizes forces hostile to God (see Ps 74:14; Isa 27:1), but here it appears to be an actual marine creature created by God, probably some type of whale.
151 tn Heb “All of them.” The pronoun “them” refers not just to the sea creatures mentioned in vv. 25-26, but to all living things (see v. 24). This has been specified in the translation as “all of your creatures” for clarity.
152 tn Heb “to give their food in its time.”
153 tn Heb “they are satisfied [with] good.”
154 tn Heb “you hide your face, they are terrified.”
155 tn Heb “be forever.”
156 tn Or “rejoice in his works.”
157 tn Heb “in my duration.”
158 tn That is, the psalmist’s thoughts as expressed in his songs of praise.
159 tn Or “be destroyed.”
