¹ tn Heb “after these things.” The words “the following episode took place” are added for stylistic reasons.

² sn King Ahab of Samaria. Samaria, as the capital of the northern kingdom, here stands for the nation of Israel.

map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.

³ tn Heb “if it is good in your eyes.”

⁴ tc The Old Greek translation includes the following words: “And it will be mine as a garden of herbs.”

⁵ tn Heb “Far be it from me, by the Lord, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you.”

⁶ tn Heb “on account of the word that Naboth the Jezreelite spoke to him.”

⁷ tn Heb “I will not give to you the inheritance of my fathers.”

⁸ tn Heb “turned away his face.”

⁹ tn Heb “While I was talking…, I said…, he said….” Ahab’s explanation is one lengthy sentence in the Hebrew text, which is divided in the English translation for stylistic reasons.

¹⁰ tn Heb “You, now, you are exercising kingship over Israel.”

¹¹ tn Heb “so your heart [i.e., disposition] might be well.”

¹² tn Heb “scrolls.”

¹³ tn Heb “in the name of Ahab.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “scrolls.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “elders.”

¹⁶ tn Heb “to the nobles who were in his city, the ones who lived with Naboth.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “she wrote on the scrolls, saying.”

¹⁸ tn Heb “his.”

¹⁹ tn Heb “elders.”

²⁰ tn Heb “and the nobles who were living in his city.”

²¹ tn Heb “did as Jezebel sent to them, just as was written in the scrolls which she sent to them.”

²² tn Heb “led him.”

²³ tn Heb “and they stoned him with stones and he died.”

²⁴ tn Heb “Naboth was stoned and he died.” So also in v. 15.

²⁵ tn Heb “Jezebel”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“she”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

²⁶ tc The Old Greek translation includes the following words here: “he tore his garments and put on sackcloth. After these things.”

²⁷ tn Heb “the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite.”

²⁸ tn Heb “and Ahab said to Elijah.” The narrative is elliptical and streamlined. The words “when Elijah arrived” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

²⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³⁰ tn Heb “you have sold yourself.”

³¹ tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

³² tn The introductory formula “the Lord says” is omitted in the Hebrew text, but supplied in the translation for clarification.

³³ sn Disaster. There is a wordplay in the Hebrew text. The word translated “disaster” (רָעָה, ra’ah) is similar to the word translated “evil” (v. 20, הָרַע, hara’). Ahab’s sins would receive an appropriate punishment.

³⁴ tn Heb “I will burn after you.” Some take the verb בָּעַר (ba’ar) to mean here “sweep away.” See the discussion of this verb in the notes at 14:10 and 16:3.

³⁵ tn Heb “and I will cut off from Ahab those who urinate against a wall, [including both those who are] restrained and let free [or “abandoned”] in Israel.” The precise meaning of the idiomatic phrase עָצוּר וְעָזוּב (’atsur vÿ’azuv, translated here “weak and incapacitated”) is uncertain. For various options see HALOT 871 s.v. עצר and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 107. The two terms are usually taken as polar opposites (“slaves and freemen” or “minors and adults”), but Cogan and Tadmor, on the basis of contextual considerations (note the usage with אֶפֶס (’efes), “nothing but”) in Deut 32:36 and 2 Kgs 14:26, argue convincingly that the terms are synonyms, meaning “restrained and abandoned,” and refer to incapable or incapacitated individuals.

³⁶ tn Heb “house.”

³⁷ tn Heb “because of the provocation by which you angered [me], and you caused Israel to sin.”

³⁸ tc A few Hebrew mss and some ancient versions agree with 2 Kgs 9:10, 36, which reads, “the plot [of ground] at Jezreel.” The Hebrew words translated “outer wall” (חֵל, khel, defectively written here!) and “plot [of ground]” (חֵלֶק, kheleq) are spelled similarly.

³⁹ tn “Dogs will eat the ones who belonging to Ahab who die in the city.”

⁴⁰ tn Heb “who sold himself.”

⁴¹ tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

⁴² tn Heb “like Ahab…whom his wife Jezebel incited.”

⁴³ tn The Hebrew word used here, גִלּוּלִים (gillulim) is always used as a disdainful reference to idols. It is generally thought to have originally referred to “dung pellets” (cf. KBL 183 s.v. גִלּוּלִים). It is only one of several terms used in this way, such as אֱלִילִים (’elilim, “worthless things”) and הֲבָלִים (havalim, “vanities” or “empty winds”).

⁴⁴ tn Heb “He acted very abominably by walking after the disgusting idols, according to all which the Amorites had done.”

⁴⁵ tn Heb “the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite.”

⁴⁶ tn Or “humbles himself.” The expression occurs a second time later in this verse.

⁴⁷ tn Heb “I will not bring the disaster during his days, [but] in the days of his son I will bring the disaster on his house.”

⁴⁸ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.

⁴⁹ sn As you received instruction from us about how (Grk “as you received from us how”). The Greek word translated received is used for accepting instructions passed on as fixed traditions from teacher to follower. Paul speaks in these terms about doctrinal traditions as well as ethical instruction that he passes on to his converts and expects them to keep (cf. 1 Cor 11:2, 23; 15:1-3; Gal 1:9; Phil 4:9; 2 Thess 2:15; 3:6).

⁵⁰ tc This parenthetical clause is absent in several later witnesses (D² Ψ Ï), but it may have been expunged for sounding redundant. The longer text, in this instance, is solidly supported by א A B D* F G 0183^vid 0278 33 81 104 326 365 629 al co and should be unquestionably preferred.

⁵¹ tn Or “your sanctification.”

⁵² tn Grk “to gain [or possess] his own vessel.” “Vessel” is most likely used figuratively for “body” (cf. 2 Cor 4:7). Some take it to mean “wife” (thus, “to take a wife for himself” or “to live with his wife”), but this is less likely. See J. Smith, “1 Thess 4:4 – Breaking the Impasse,” BBR 10 (Fall 2000), who argues that “vessel” in this context is very likely a euphemism for the sexual organs.

⁵³ tn Grk “not to transgress against or defraud his brother in the matter,” continuing the sentence of vv. 3-5.

⁵⁴ tn Grk “concerning all these things.”

⁵⁵ tn Grk “rejecting man.”

⁵⁶ tn Grk “concerning brotherly love.”

⁵⁷ tn Grk “brothers”; this applies to the second occurrence as well. See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.

⁵⁸ sn To do so more and more. See 1 Thess 4:1.

⁵⁹ tn Grk “that you may live,” continuing the sentence of 4:10b-11.

⁶⁰ tn Or “not be dependent on anyone”; Grk “and have need of nothing,” “of no one.”

⁶¹ tn Grk “ignorant.”

⁶² tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.

⁶³ tn The verb κοιμάω (koimaw) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for death when speaking of believers. This metaphorical usage by its very nature emphasizes the hope of resurrection: Believers will one day “wake up” out of death. Here the term refers to death, but “sleep” was used in the translation to emphasize the metaphorical, rhetorical usage of the term. This word also occurs in vv. 14 and 15.

⁶⁴ tn “we believe that” is understood from the first clause of the verse, which is parallel. Grk “so also God will bring.”

⁶⁵ tn Grk “those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.” It is possible that “through Jesus” describes “bring,” but this gives the unlikely double reference, “through Jesus God will bring them with Jesus.” Instead it describes their “falling sleep,” since through him their death is only sleep and not the threat it once was. Also Christians are those whose total existence – life and death – is in and through and for Christ (1 Cor 8:6).

⁶⁶ 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 1:8; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.

⁶⁷ tn Neither noun in this phrase (ἐν φωνῇ ἀρχαγγέλου, ejn fwnh ajrcangelou, “with the voice of the archangel”) has the article in keeping with Apollonius’ Canon. Since ἀρχάγγελος (ajrcangelo") is most likely monadic, both nouns are translated as definite in keeping with Apollonius’ Corollary (see ExSyn 250-51).

⁶⁸ tc The words οἱ περιλειπόμενοι (Joi perileipomenoi, “[the ones] who are left”) are lacking in F G {0226^vid} ar b as well as a few fathers, but the rest of the textual tradition has the words. Most likely, the Western mss omitted the words because of perceived redundancy with οἱ ζῶντες (Joi zwnte", “[the ones] who are alive”).

⁶⁹ tn Or “snatched up.” The Greek verb ἁρπάζω implies that the action is quick or forceful, so the translation supplied the adverb “suddenly” to make this implicit notion clear.

⁷⁰ tn Or “simultaneously,” but this meaning does not fit as well in the parallel in 5:10.

⁷¹ sn The LXX introduces this chapter with the following chronological note: “in the eighteenth year of.” Such a date would place these events at about the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. (cf. 2 Kgs 25:8). However, there seems to be no real basis for associating the events of Daniel 3 with this date.

⁷² sn There is no need to think of Nebuchadnezzar’s image as being solid gold. No doubt the sense is that it was overlaid with gold (cf. Isa 40:19; Jer 10:3-4), with the result that it presented a dazzling self-compliment to the greatness of Nebuchadnezzar’s achievements.

⁷³ sn According to a number of patristic authors, the image represented a deification of Nebuchadnezzar himself. This is not clear from the biblical text, however.

⁷⁴ tn Aram “sixty cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 inches for the standard cubit, the image would be 90 feet (27.4 m) high.

⁷⁵ tn Aram “six cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 inches for the standard cubit, the image would be 9 feet (2.74 m) wide.

sn The dimensions of the image (ninety feet high and nine feet wide) imply that it did not possess normal human proportions, unless a base for the image is included in the height dimension. The ancient world knew of other tall statues. For example, the Colossus of Rhodes – the huge statue of Helios which stood (ca. 280-224 B.C.) at the entrance to the harbor at Rhodes and was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world – was said to be seventy cubits (105 ft or 32 m) in height, which would make it even taller than Nebuchadnezzar’s image.

⁷⁶ sn The specific duties of the seven types of officials listed here (cf. vv. 3, 27) are unclear. The Aramaic words that are used are transliterations of Akkadian or Persian technical terms whose exact meanings are uncertain. The translations given here follow suggestions set forth in BDB.

⁷⁷ tn Aram “Nebuchadnezzar the king.” The proper name and title have been replaced by the relative pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁷⁸ tc The LXX and Theodotion lack the words “that Nebuchadnezzar had erected.”

⁷⁹ tn According to BDB 1097 s.v. כָּרוֹז the Aramaic word used here is a Greek loanword, but other scholars have argued instead for a Persian derivation (HALOT 1902 s.v. *כָּרוֹז).

⁸⁰ tn Aram “in strength.”

⁸¹ tn Aram “they are saying.”

⁸² sn The word zither (Aramaic קִיתָרוֹס [qitaros]), and the words for harp (Aramaic פְּסַנְתֵּרִין [pÿsanterin]) and pipes (Aramaic סוּמְפֹּנְיָה [sumponÿyah]), are of Greek derivation. Though much has been made of this in terms of suggesting a date in the Hellenistic period for the writing of the book, it is not surprising that a few Greek cultural terms, all of them the names of musical instruments, should appear in this book. As a number of scholars have pointed out, the bigger surprise (if, in fact, the book is to be dated to the Hellenistic period) may be that there are so few Greek loanwords in Daniel.

⁸³ tn The imperfect Aramaic verbs have here an injunctive nuance.

⁸⁴ tn Aram “in that hour.”

⁸⁵ tn Aram “all the peoples.”

⁸⁶ tc Though not in the Aramaic text of BHS, this word appears in many medieval Hebrew MSS, some LXX MSS, and Vulgate. Cf. vv. 5, 10, 15.

⁸⁷ tc This expression is absent in Theodotion.

⁸⁸ tn Aram “men.”

⁸⁹ tn Aram “ate the pieces of.” This is a rather vivid idiom for slander.

⁹⁰ tn Aram “answered and said,” a common Aramaic idiom that occurs repeatedly in this chapter.

⁹¹ sn O king, live forever! is a comment of typical court courtesy that is not necessarily indicative of the real sentiments of the speaker. Ancient oriental court protocol could sometimes require a certain amount of hypocrisy.

⁹² sn Daniel’s absence from this scene has sparked the imagination of commentators, some of whom have suggested that perhaps he was unable to attend the dedication due to sickness or due to being away on business. Hippolytus supposed that Daniel may have been watching from a distance.

⁹³ tn Aram “in anger and wrath”; NASB “in rage and anger.” The expression is a hendiadys.

⁹⁴ tn The Aramaic infinitive is active.

⁹⁵ tn Aram “these men.” The pronoun is used in the translation to avoid undue repetition.

⁹⁶ tn Aram “hand.” So also in v. 17.

⁹⁷ tc In the MT this word is understood to begin the following address (“answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar’”). However, it seems unlikely that Nebuchadnezzar’s subordinates would address the king in such a familiar way, particularly in light of the danger that they now found themselves in. The present translation implies moving the atnach from “king” to “Nebuchadnezzar.”

⁹⁸ tn Aram “to return a word to you.”

⁹⁹ tc The ancient versions typically avoid the conditional element of v. 17.

¹⁰⁰ tn The Aramaic expression used here is very difficult to interpret. The question concerns the meaning and syntax of אִיתַי (’itay, “is” or “exist”). There are several possibilities. (1) Some interpreters take this word closely with the participle later in the verse יָכִל (yakhil, “able”), understanding the two words to form a periphrastic construction (“if our God is…able”; cf. H. Bauer and P. Leander, Grammatik des Biblisch-Aramäischen, 365, §111b). But the separation of the two elements from one another is not an argument in favor of this understanding. (2) Other interpreters take the first part of v. 17 to mean “If it is so, then our God will deliver us” (cf. KJV, ASV, RSV, NASB). However, the normal sense of ’itay is existence; on this point see F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 45, §95. The present translation maintains the sense of existence for the verb (“If our God…exists”), even though the statement is admittedly difficult to understand in this light. The statement may be an implicit reference back to Nebuchadnezzar’s comment in v. 15, which denies the existence of a god capable of delivering from the king’s power.

¹⁰¹ tn Aram “the appearance of his face was altered”; cf. NLT “his face became distorted with rage”; NAB “[his] face became livid with utter rage.”

¹⁰² tn Aram “he answered and said.”

¹⁰³ tn This is sometimes taken as a comparative: “[some of the] strongest.”

¹⁰⁴ sn There is a great deal of uncertainty with regard to the specific nature of these items of clothing.

¹⁰⁵ tn Aram “into the midst of the furnace.” For stylistic reasons the words “the midst of” have been left untranslated.

¹⁰⁶ tn Aram “caused to go up.”

¹⁰⁷ tn The Aramaic verb is active.

¹⁰⁸ tn Aram “the flame of the fire” (so KJV, ASV, NASB); NRSV “the raging flames.”

¹⁰⁹ tn Aram “into the midst of the furnace.” For stylistic reasons the words “the midst of” have been left untranslated.

¹¹⁰ sn The deuterocanonical writings known as The Prayer of Azariah and The Song of the Three present at this point a confession and petition for God’s forgiveness and a celebration of God’s grace for the three Jewish youths in the fiery furnace. Though not found in the Hebrew/Aramaic text of Daniel, these compositions do appear in the ancient Greek versions.

¹¹¹ tn Aram “we threw…bound.”

¹¹² tn Aram “into the midst of.”

¹¹³ sn The phrase like that of a god is in Aramaic “like that of a son of the gods.” Many patristic writers understood this phrase in a christological sense (i.e., “the Son of God”). But it should be remembered that these are words spoken by a pagan who is seeking to explain things from his own polytheistic frame of reference; for him the phrase “like a son of the gods” is equivalent to “like a divine being.”

¹¹⁴ tn Aram “answered and said.”

¹¹⁵ tn Aram “from the midst of the fire.” For stylistic reasons the words “the midst of” have been left untranslated.

¹¹⁶ tn Aram “in their bodies.”

¹¹⁷ tn Aram “the fire did not have power.”

¹¹⁸ tn Aram “answered and said.”

¹¹⁹ sn The king identifies the “son of the gods” (v. 25) as an angel. Comparable Hebrew expressions are used elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible for the members of God’s angelic assembly (see Gen 6:2, 4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; Pss 29:1; 89:6). An angel later comes to rescue Daniel from the lions (Dan 6:22).

¹²⁰ tn Aram “they changed” or “violated.”

¹²¹ tn Aram “so that they might not.”

¹²² tn Aram “from me is placed an edict.”

¹²³ tn Aram “speaks negligence.”

¹²⁴ tn Aram “and the king.” The proper name has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

¹²⁵ sn Psalm 107. The psalmist praises God for his kindness to his exiled people.

¹²⁶ tn Heb “for forever [is] his loyal love.”

¹²⁷ tn Or “let the redeemed of the Lord say [so].”

¹²⁸ tn Or “redeemed.”

¹²⁹ tn Heb “hand.”

¹³⁰ tn Heb “from lands.” The word “foreign” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

¹³¹ tn Heb “and their soul in them fainted.”

¹³² sn A level road. See Jer 31:9.

¹³³ tn Heb “and [for] his amazing deeds for the sons of man.”

¹³⁴ tn Heb “[the] longing throat.” The noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh), which frequently refers to one’s very being or soul, here probably refers to one’s parched “throat” (note the parallelism with נֶפֱשׁ רְעֵבָה, nefesh rÿ’evah, “hungry throat”).

¹³⁵ tn Heb “and [the] hungry throat he has filled [with] good.”

¹³⁶ tn Heb “those who sat in darkness and deep darkness.” Synonyms are joined here to emphasize the degree of “darkness” experienced by the exiles. The Hebrew term צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet, “deep darkness”) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun, meaning “shadow of death” (צֵל + מָוֶת [tsel + mavet]; see BDB 853 s.v. צַלְמָוֶת; cf. NASB). Other authorities prefer to vocalize the form צַלְמוּת (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root צלם) meaning “darkness.” An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. In Ps 107:10 the word refers metonymically to a dungeon, which in turn metaphorically depicts the place of Israel’s exile (see vv. 2-3).

¹³⁷ tn Heb “those bound in suffering and iron.” “Suffering and iron” is a hendiadys (like English “good and angry”), where both words contribute to one idea. In this case the first word characterizes the second; the iron (chains) contribute to the prisoners’ pain and suffering.

¹³⁸ tn Heb “the words of God.”

¹³⁹ tn Heb “the counsel of the Most High.”

¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “and he subdued with suffering their heart.”

¹⁴¹ tn Heb “darkness and deep darkness.” See the note on the word “darkness” in v. 10.

¹⁴² tn Heb “and [for] his amazing deeds for the sons of man.” See v. 8.

¹⁴³ sn The language of v. 16 recalls Isa 45:2.

¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “fools [they were] because of the way of their rebellion.”

¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “all food their appetite loathed.”

¹⁴⁶ tn Heb “he sent his word.” This probably refers to an oracle of assurance which announced his intention to intervene (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 59).

¹⁴⁷ tn Heb “he rescued from their traps.” The Hebrew word שְׁחִית (shekhit, “trap”) occurs only here and in Lam 4:20, where it refers to a trap or pit in which one is captured. Because of the rarity of the term and the absence of an object with the verb “rescued,” some prefer to emend the text of Ps 107:20, reading מִשַׁחַת חַיָּתָם (mishakhat khayyatam, “[he rescued] their lives from the pit”). Note also NIV “from the grave,” which interprets the “pit” as Sheol or the grave.

¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “and [for] his amazing deeds for the sons of man.” See v. 8.

¹⁴⁹ tn Heb “and let them proclaim his works with a ringing cry.”

¹⁵⁰ sn Verses 23-30, which depict the Lord rescuing sailors from a storm at sea, do not seem to describe the exiles’ situation, unless the word picture is metaphorical. Perhaps the psalmist here broadens his scope and offers an example of God’s kindness to the needy beyond the covenant community.

¹⁵¹ tn Heb “those going down [into].”

¹⁵² tn Heb “doers of work on the mighty waters.”

¹⁵³ tn Heb “he spoke and caused to stand a stormy wind.”

¹⁵⁴ tn Heb “and it stirred up its [i.e., the sea’s, see v. 23] waves.”

¹⁵⁵ tn That is, the waves (see v. 25).

¹⁵⁶ tn Heb “their being”; traditionally “their soul” (referring to that of the sailors). This is sometimes translated “courage” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

¹⁵⁷ tn Or “melted.”

¹⁵⁸ tn Heb “from danger.”

¹⁵⁹ tn Only here does the Hebrew verb חָגַג (khagag; normally meaning “to celebrate”) carry the nuance “to sway.”

¹⁶⁰ tn The Hitpael of בָלַע (vala’) occurs only here in the OT. Traditionally the form is derived from the verbal root בלע (“to swallow”), but HALOT 135 s.v. III בלע understands a homonym here with the meaning “to be confused.”

¹⁶¹ tn Heb “he raised [the] storm to calm.”

¹⁶² tn Heb “their waves.” The antecedent of the third masculine plural pronominal suffix is not readily apparent, unless it refers back to “waters” in v. 23.

¹⁶³ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the sailors) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁶⁴ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the waves) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁶⁵ tn The Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT.

¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “and [for] his amazing deeds for the sons of man.” See v. 8.

¹⁶⁷ tn Heb “in the seat of the elders.”

¹⁶⁸ tn The verbal form appears to be a preterite, which is most naturally taken as narrational. (The use of prefixed forms with vav [ו] consecutive in vv. 36-37 favor this.) The psalmist may return to the theme of God’s intervention for the exiles (see vv. 4-22, especially vv. 4-9). However, many regard vv. 33-41 as a hymnic description which generalizes about God’s activities among men. In this case it would be preferable to use the English present tense throughout (cf. NEB, NRSV).

¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “a salty land.”

¹⁷⁰ tn The words “As for his people” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity. The psalmist contrasts God’s judgment on his enemies with his blessing of his people. See the note on the word “enemies” in v. 39 for further discussion.

¹⁷¹ tn The verbal form appears to be a preterite, which is most naturally taken as narrational. See the note on the word “turned” in v. 33.

¹⁷² tn Heb “sowed seed in.”

¹⁷³ tn Heb “fruit [as] produce.”

¹⁷⁴ tn “Bless” here carries the nuance “endue with sexual potency, make fertile.” See Gen 1:28, where the statement “he blessed them” directly precedes the command “be fruitful and populate the earth” (see also 1:22). The verb “bless” carries this same nuance in Gen 17:16 (where God’s blessing of Sarai imparts to her the capacity to bear a child); 48:16 (where God’s blessing of Joseph’s sons is closely associated with their having numerous descendants); and Deut 7:13 (where God’s blessing is associated with fertility in general, including numerous descendants). See also Gen 49:25 (where Jacob uses the noun derivative in referring to “blessings of the breast and womb,” an obvious reference to fertility) and Gen 27:27 (where the verb is used of a field to which God has given the capacity to produce vegetation).

¹⁷⁵ tn The verbal form in this line appears to be an imperfect, which may be taken as customary (drawing attention to typical action in a past time frame) or as generalizing (in which case one should use the English present tense, understanding a move from narrative to present reality).

¹⁷⁶ tn The words “As for their enemies” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity. Without such clarification, one might think that v. 39 refers to those just mentioned in v. 38 as objects of divine blessing, which would contradict the point just emphasized by the psalmist. The structure of vv. 33-42 is paneled (A-B-A-B). In vv. 33-34 the psalmist describes God’s judgment upon his enemies (perhaps those who had enslaved his people). In vv. 35-38 he contrasts this judgment with the divine blessing poured out on God’s people. (See the note on the word “people” in v. 35.) In vv. 39-40 he contrasts this blessing with the judgment experienced by enemies, before returning in vv. 41-42 to the blessing experienced by God’s people.

¹⁷⁷ tn Heb “from the oppression of calamity.”

¹⁷⁸ tn The active participle is understood as past durative here, drawing attention to typical action in a past time frame. However, it could be taken as generalizing (in which case one should translate using the English present tense), in which case the psalmist moves from narrative to present reality. Perhaps the participial form appears because the statement is lifted from Job 12:21.

¹⁷⁹ tn Heb “set on high.”

¹⁸⁰ tn Heb “all evil,” which stands metonymically for those who do evil.