¹ tn Heb “men.”

² tn Heb “they”; the referent (the judges) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Heb “declare to be just”; KJV, NASB “justify the righteous”; NAB, NIV “acquitting the innocent.”

⁴ tn Heb “declare to be evil”; NIV “condemning the guilty (+ party NAB).”

⁵ tn Heb “and it will be.”

⁶ tn Heb “if the evil one is a son of smiting.”

⁷ tn Heb “according to his wickedness, by number.”

⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the judge) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁹ tn Heb “Forty blows he may strike him”; however, since the judge is to witness the punishment (v. 2) it is unlikely the judge himself administered it.

¹⁰ tn Heb “your brothers” but not limited only to an actual sibling; cf. NAB) “your kinsman”; NRSV, NLT “your neighbor.”

¹¹ tn Heb “an.” By implication this is one’s own animal.

¹² tn Heb “take her as wife”; NRSV “taking her in marriage.”

¹³ sn This is the so-called “levirate” custom (from the Latin term levir, “brother-in-law”), an ancient provision whereby a man who died without male descendants to carry on his name could have a son by proxy, that is, through a surviving brother who would marry his widow and whose first son would then be attributed to the brother who had died. This is the only reference to this practice in an OT legal text but it is illustrated in the story of Judah and his sons (Gen 38) and possibly in the account of Ruth and Boaz (Ruth 2:8; 3:12; 4:6).

¹⁴ tn Heb “and it will be that.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “the firstborn.” This refers to the oldest male child.

¹⁶ tn Heb “want to take his sister-in-law, then his sister in law.” In the second instance the pronoun (“she”) has been used in the translation to avoid redundancy.

¹⁷ sn The removal of the sandal was likely symbolic of the relinquishment by the man of any claim to his dead brother’s estate since the sandal was associated with the soil or land (cf. Ruth 4:7-8). Spitting in the face was a sign of utmost disgust or disdain, an emotion the rejected widow would feel toward her uncooperative brother-in-law (cf. Num 12:14; Lev 15:8). See W. Bailey, NIDOTTE 2:544.

¹⁸ tn Heb “build the house of his brother”; TEV “refuses to give his brother a descendant”; NLT “refuses to raise up a son for his brother.”

¹⁹ tn Heb “called,” i.e., “known as.”

²⁰ tn Heb “house.”

²¹ tn Cf. NIV, NCV “The Family of the Unsandaled.”

²² tn Heb “a man and his brother.”

²³ tn Heb “shameful parts.” Besides the inherent indelicacy of what she has done, the woman has also threatened the progenitive capacity of the injured man. The level of specificity given this term in modern translations varies: “private parts” (NAB, NIV, CEV); “genitals” (NASB, NRSV, TEV); “sex organs” (NCV); “testicles” (NLT).

²⁴ tn Heb “a stone and a stone.” The repetition of the singular noun here expresses diversity, as the following phrase indicates. See IBHS 116 §7.2.3c.

²⁵ tn Heb “a large and a small,” but since the issue is the weight, “a heavy and a light one” conveys the idea better in English.

²⁶ tn Heb “an ephah and an ephah.” An ephah refers to a unit of dry measure roughly equivalent to five U.S. gallons (just under 20 liters). On the repetition of the term to indicate diversity, see IBHS 116 §7.2.3c.

²⁷ tn Or “just”; Heb “righteous.”

²⁸ tn The Hebrew term translated here “abhorrent” (תּוֹעֵבָה, to’evah) speaks of attitudes and/or behaviors so vile as to be reprehensible to a holy God. See note on the word “abhorrent” in Deut 7:25.

²⁹ tn Heb “what Amalek” (so NAB, NRSV). Here the individual ancestor, the namesake of the tribe, is cited as representative of the entire tribe at the time Israel was entering Canaan. Consistent with this, singular pronouns are used in v. 18 and the singular name appears again in v. 19. Since readers unfamiliar with the tribe of Amalekites might think this refers to an individual, the term “Amalekites” and the corresponding plural pronouns have been used throughout these verses (cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).

³⁰ sn See Exod 17:8-16.

³¹ tn Heb “ the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

³² tn The Hebrew text includes “to possess it.”

³³ tn Or “from beneath the sky.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.

³⁴ sn This command is fulfilled in 1 Sam 15:1-33.

³⁵ sn Psalm 116. The psalmist thanks the Lord for delivering him from a life threatening crisis and promises to tell the entire covenant community what God has done for him.

³⁶ tn Heb “I love because the Lord heard my voice, my pleas.” It is possible that “the Lord” originally appeared directly after “I love” and was later accidentally misplaced. The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a preterite. The psalmist recalls that God heard his cry for help (note the perfect in v. 2a and the narrative in vv. 3-4).

³⁷ tn Heb “because he turned his ear to me.”

³⁸ tn Heb “and in my days I will cry out.”

³⁹ tn Heb “surrounded me.”

⁴⁰ tn The Hebrew noun מצר (“straits; distress”) occurs only here, Ps 118:5 and Lam 1:3. If retained, it refers to Sheol as a place where one is confined or severely restricted (cf. BDB 865 s.v. מֵצַר, “the straits of Sheol”; NIV “the anguish of the grave”; NRSV “the pangs of Sheol”). However, HALOT 624 s.v. מֵצַר suggests an emendation to מְצָדֵי (mÿtsadey, “snares of”), a rare noun attested in Job 19:6 and Eccl 7:26. This proposal, which is reflected in the translation, produces better parallelism with “ropes” in the preceding line.

⁴¹ tn The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a preterite. The psalmist recalls the crisis from which the Lord delivered him.

⁴² tn Heb “guards.” The active participle indicates this is a characteristic of the Lord.

⁴³ tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly. See Ps 19:7.

⁴⁴ tn Heb “I was low.”

⁴⁵ tn Heb “return, my soul, to your place of rest.”

⁴⁶ tn The Hebrew idiom גָּמַל עַל (gamal ’al) means “to repay,” here in a positive sense (cf. Ps 13:5).

⁴⁷ tn Or “for.”

⁴⁸ tn “Lord” is supplied here in the translation for clarification.

⁴⁹ tn Heb “walk before” (see Ps 56:13). On the meaning of the Hebrew idiom, see the notes at 2 Kgs 20:3/Isa 38:3.

⁵⁰ tn Heb “lands, regions.”

⁵¹ tn Heb “I said in my haste.”

⁵² tn Heb “a cup of deliverance I will lift up.” Perhaps this alludes to a drink offering the psalmist will present as he thanks the Lord for his deliverance. See v. 17.

⁵³ tn Heb “precious in the eyes of the Lord [is] the death of his godly ones.” The point is not that God delights in or finds satisfaction in the death of his followers! The psalmist, who has been delivered from death, affirms that the life-threatening experiences of God’s followers get God’s attention, just as a precious or rare object would attract someone’s eye. See Ps 72:14 for a similar expression of this belief.

⁵⁴ tn Heb “I am your servant, the son of your female servant.” The phrase “son of a female servant” (see also Ps 86:16) is used of a son born to a secondary wife or concubine (Exod 23:12). In some cases the child’s father is the master of the house (see Gen 21:10, 13; Judg 9:18). The use of the expression here certainly does not imply that the Lord has such a secondary wife or concubine! It is used metaphorically and idiomatically to emphasize the psalmist’s humility before the Lord and his status as the Lord’s servant.

⁵⁵ tn Heb “you have loosed my bonds.” In this context the imagery refers to deliverance from death (see v. 3).

⁵⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

⁵⁷ tn Heb “Shake yourself free from the dirt.”

⁵⁸ tc The Hebrew text has שְּׂבִי (shÿvi), which some understand as a feminine singular imperative from יָשַׁב (yashav, “sit”). The LXX, Vulgate, Syriac, and the Targum support the MT reading (the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a does indirectly). Some interpret this to mean “take your throne”: The Lord exhorts Jerusalem to get up from the dirt and sit, probably with the idea of sitting in a place of honor (J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:361). However, the form is likely a corruption of שְׁבִיָּה (shÿviyyah, “captive”), which appears in the parallel line.

⁵⁹ tn Heb “and now what [following the marginal reading (Qere)] to me here?”

⁶⁰ tn The verb appears to be a Hiphil form from the root יָלַל (yalal, “howl”), perhaps here in the sense of “mock.” Some emend the form to יְהוֹלָּלוֹ (yÿhollalo) and understand a Polel form of the root הָלַל meaning here “mock, taunt.”

⁶¹ tn The verb is apparently a Hitpolal form (with assimilated tav, ת) from the root נָאַץ (na’ats), but GKC 151-52 §55.b explains it as a mixed form, combining Pual and Hitpolel readings.

⁶² tn The verb is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

⁶³ tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

⁶⁴ tn Heb “How delightful on the mountains.”

⁶⁵ tn Or “has become king.” When a new king was enthroned, his followers would give this shout. For other examples of this enthronement formula (Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular מָלַךְ [malakh], followed by the name of the king), see 2 Sam 15:10; 1 Kgs 1:11, 13, 18; 2 Kgs 9:13. The Lord is an eternal king, but here he is pictured as a victorious warrior who establishes his rule from Zion.

⁶⁶ tn קוֹל (qol, “voice”) is used at the beginning of the verse as an interjection.

⁶⁷ tn Heb “eye in eye”; KJV, ASV “eye to eye”; NAB “directly, before their eyes.”

⁶⁸ tn Or “redeems.” See the note at 41:14.

⁶⁹ tn Heb “lays bare”; NLT “will demonstrate.”

⁷⁰ tn Heb “his holy arm.” This is a metonymy for his power.

⁷¹ tn Heb “the remote regions,” which here stand for the extremities and everything in between.

⁷² tn Heb “the deliverance of our God.” “God” is a subjective genitive here.

⁷³ tn Heb “the vessels of the Lord” (so KJV, NAB).

⁷⁴ tn Heb “or go in flight”; NAB “leave in headlong flight.”

⁷⁵ tn Heb “act wisely,” which by metonymy means “succeed.”

⁷⁶ tn This piling up of synonyms emphasizes the degree of the servant’s coming exaltation.

⁷⁷ tn Some witnesses read “him,” which is more consistent with the context, where the servant is spoken about, not addressed. However, it is possible that the Lord briefly addresses the servant here. The present translation assumes the latter view and places the phrase in parentheses.

⁷⁸ tn Heb “such was the disfigurement.” The noun מִשְׁחַת (mishkhat) occurs only here. It may be derived from the verbal root שָׁחַת (shakhat, “be ruined”; see BDB 1007-8 s.v. שָׁחַת). The construct form appears here before a prepositional phrase (cf. GKC 421 §130.a).

⁷⁹ tn Heb “from a man his appearance.” The preposition מִן (min) here carries the sense “away from,” i.e., “so as not to be.” See BDB 583 s.v.

⁸⁰ tn Heb “and his form from the sons of men.” The preposition מִן (min) here carries the sense “away from,” i.e., “so as not to be.”

⁸¹ tn This statement completes the sentence begun in v. 14a. The introductory כֵּן (ken) answers to the introductory כַּאֲשֶׁר (ka’asher) of v. 14a. Verses 14b-15a are parenthetical, explaining why many were horrified.

⁸² tn Traditionally the verb יַזֶּה (yazzeh, a Hiphil stem) has been understood as a causative of נָזָה (nazah, “spurt, spatter”) and translated “sprinkle.” In this case the passage pictures the servant as a priest who “sprinkles” (or spiritually cleanses) the nations. Though the verb נָזָה does occur in the Hiphil with the meaning “sprinkle,” the usual interpretation is problematic. In all other instances where the object or person sprinkled is indicated, the verb is combined with a preposition. This is not the case in Isaiah 52:15, unless one takes the following עָלָיו (’alayv, “on him”) with the preceding line. But then one would have to emend the verb to a plural, make the nations the subject of the verb “sprinkle,” and take the servant as the object. Consequently some interpreters doubt the cultic idea of “sprinkling” is present here. Some emend the text; others propose a homonymic root meaning “spring, leap,” which in the Hiphil could mean “cause to leap, startle” and would fit the parallelism of the verse nicely.

⁸³ tn Heb “Because of him kings will shut their mouths,” i.e., be speechless.

⁸⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

⁸⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel mentioned in 21:9, 15) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸⁶ tn Grk “proceeding.” Water is more naturally thought to pour out or flow out in English idiom.

⁸⁷ tn Grk “its”; the referent (the city, the new Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸⁸ tn The Greek word πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to a major (broad) street (L&N 1.103).

⁸⁹ tn Grk “From here and from there.”

⁹⁰ tn Or “twelve crops” (one for each month of the year).

⁹¹ tn The words “of the year” are implied.

⁹² tn Or “be anything accursed” (L&N 33.474).

⁹³ tn Grk “in it”; the referent (the city, the new Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁹⁴ tn Grk “city, and his.” Although this is a continuation of the previous sentence in Greek, a new sentence was started here in the translation because of the introduction of the Lamb’s followers.

⁹⁵ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

⁹⁶ tn Or “will serve.”

⁹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

⁹⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel mentioned in 21:9, 15; 22:1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁹⁹ tn Grk “faithful.”

¹⁰⁰ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

¹⁰¹ sn These lines are parenthetical, forming an aside to the narrative. The speaker here is the Lord Jesus Christ himself rather than the narrator.

¹⁰² tn Or “I am John, the one who heard and saw these things.”

¹⁰³ tn The pronoun “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

¹⁰⁴ tn Grk “I fell down and worshiped at the feet.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

¹⁰⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present here.

¹⁰⁶ tn On the elliptical expression ὅρα μή ({ora mh) BDAG 720 s.v. ὁράω B.2 states: “Elliptically…ὅρα μή (sc. ποιήσῃς) watch out! don’t do that! Rv 19:10; 22:9.”

¹⁰⁷ tn Grk “fellow slave.” Though σύνδουλος (sundoulos) is here translated “fellow servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

¹⁰⁸ tn Grk “keep” (an idiom for obedience).

¹⁰⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

¹¹⁰ tn Grk “must do evil still.”

¹¹¹ tn For this translation see L&N 88.258; the term refers to living in moral filth.

¹¹² tn Grk “filthy, and the.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in Greek, but because of the length and complexity of the construction a new sentence was started in the translation.

¹¹³ tn The Greek term may be translated either “pay” or “pay back” and has something of a double meaning here. However, because of the mention of “wages” (“reward,” another wordplay with two meanings) in the previous clause, the translation “pay” for ἀποδοῦναι (apodounai) was used here.

¹¹⁴ sn These lines are parenthetical, forming an aside to the narrative. The speaker here is the Lord Jesus Christ himself rather than the narrator.

¹¹⁵ tn Grk “so that there will be to them authority over the tree of life.”

¹¹⁶ tn On the term φάρμακοι (farmakoi) see L&N 53.101.

¹¹⁷ tn Or “lying,” “deceit.”

¹¹⁸ tn On this expression BDAG 892 s.v. πρωϊνός states, “early, belonging to the morning ὁ ἀστὴρ ὁ πρ. the morning star, Venus Rv 2:28; 22:16.”

¹¹⁹ tn Grk “written.”

¹²⁰ tc The Textus Receptus, on which the KJV rests, reads “the book” of life (ἀπὸ βίβλου, apo biblou) instead of “the tree” of life. When the Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus translated the NT he had access to no Greek mss for the last six verses of Revelation. So he translated the Latin Vulgate back into Greek at this point. As a result he created seventeen textual variants which were not in any Greek mss. The most notorious of these is this reading. It is thus decidedly inauthentic, while “the tree” of life, found in the best and virtually all Greek mss, is clearly authentic. The confusion was most likely due to an intra-Latin switch: The form of the word for “tree” in Latin in this passage is ligno; the word for “book” is libro. The two-letter difference accounts for an accidental alteration in some Latin mss; that “book of life” as well as “tree of life” is a common expression in the Apocalypse probably accounts for why this was not noticed by Erasmus or the KJV translators. (This textual problem is not discussed in NA²⁷.)

¹²¹ tc Most mss (א Ï) read “amen” (ἀμήν, amhn) after “all” (πάντων, pantwn). It is, however, not found in other important mss (A 1006 1841 pc). It is easier to account for its addition than its omission from the text if original. Such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant.