2 Samuel 16:1-23 
Context16:1 When David had gone a short way beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth was there to meet him. He had a couple of donkeys that were saddled, and on them were two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred raisin cakes, a hundred baskets of summer fruit, 1 and a container of wine.
16:2 The king asked Ziba, “Why did you bring these things?” 2 Ziba replied, “The donkeys are for the king’s family to ride on, the loaves of bread 3 and the summer fruit are for the attendants to eat, and the wine is for those who get exhausted in the desert.” 4 16:3 The king asked, “Where is your master’s grandson?” 5 Ziba replied to the king, “He remains in Jerusalem, 6 for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will give back to me my grandfather’s 7 kingdom.’” 16:4 The king said to Ziba, “Everything that was Mephibosheth’s now belongs to you.” Ziba replied, “I bow before you. May I find favor in your sight, my lord the king.”
16:5 Then King David reached 8 Bahurim. There a man from Saul’s extended family named Shimei son of Gera came out, yelling curses as he approached. 9 16:6 He threw stones at David and all of King David’s servants, as well as all the people and the soldiers who were on his right and on his left. 16:7 As he yelled curses, Shimei said, “Leave! Leave! You man of bloodshed, you wicked man! 10 16:8 The Lord has punished you for 11 all the spilled blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you rule. Now the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. Disaster has overtaken you, for you are a man of bloodshed!”
16:9 Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head!” 16:10 But the king said, “What do we have in common, 12 you sons of Zeruiah? If he curses because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David!’, who can say to him, ‘Why have you done this?’” 16:11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “My own son, my very own flesh and blood, 13 is trying to take my life. So also now this Benjaminite! Leave him alone so that he can curse, for the Lord has spoken to him. 16:12 Perhaps the Lord will notice my affliction 14 and this day grant me good in place of his curse.” 15
16:13 So David and his men went on their way. But Shimei kept going along the side of the hill opposite him, yelling curses as he threw stones and dirt at them. 16 16:14 The king and all the people who were with him arrived exhausted at their destination, where David 17 refreshed himself.
16:15 Now when Absalom and all the men 18 of Israel arrived in Jerusalem, 19 Ahithophel was with him. 16:16 When David’s friend Hushai the Arkite came to Absalom, Hushai said to him, 20 “Long live the king! Long live the king!”
16:17 Absalom said to Hushai, “Do you call this loyalty to your friend? Why didn’t you go with your friend?” 16:18 Hushai replied to Absalom, “No, I will be loyal to the one whom the Lord, these people, and all the men of Israel have chosen. 21 16:19 Moreover, whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? Just as I served your father, so I will serve you.” 22
16:20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your advice. What should we do?” 16:21 Ahithophel replied to Absalom, “Have sex with 23 your father’s concubines whom he left to care for the palace. All Israel will hear that you have made yourself repulsive to your father. Then your followers will be motivated to support you.” 24 16:22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, 25 and Absalom had sex with 26 his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.
16:23 In those days Ahithophel’s advice was considered as valuable as a prophetic revelation. 27 Both David and Absalom highly regarded the advice of Ahithophel. 28
2 Corinthians 9:1-15
Context9:1 For it is not necessary 29 for me to write you about this service 30 to the saints, 9:2 because I know your eagerness to help. 31 I keep boasting to the Macedonians about this eagerness of yours, 32 that Achaia has been ready to give 33 since last year, and your zeal to participate 34 has stirred up most of them. 35 9:3 But I am sending 36 these brothers so that our boasting about you may not be empty in this case, so that you may be ready 37 just as I kept telling them. 9:4 For if any of the Macedonians should come with me and find that you are not ready to give, we would be humiliated 38 (not to mention you) by this confidence we had in you. 39 9:5 Therefore I thought it necessary to urge these brothers to go to you in advance and to arrange ahead of time the generous contribution 40 you had promised, so this may be ready as a generous gift 41 and not as something you feel forced to do. 42 9:6 My point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously 43 will also reap generously. 9:7 Each one of you should give 44 just as he has decided in his heart, 45 not reluctantly 46 or under compulsion, 47 because God loves a cheerful giver. 9:8 And God is able to make all grace overflow 48 to you so that because you have enough 49 of everything in every way at all times, you will overflow 50 in every good work. 9:9 Just as it is written, “He 51 has scattered widely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness remains forever.” 52 9:10 Now God 53 who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your supply of seed and will cause the harvest of your righteousness to grow. 9:11 You will be enriched in every way so that you may be generous on every occasion, 54 which is producing through us thanksgiving to God, 9:12 because the service of this ministry is not only providing for 55 the needs of the saints but is also overflowing with many thanks to God. 9:13 Through the evidence 56 of this service 57 they will glorify God because of your obedience to your confession in the gospel of Christ and the generosity of your sharing 58 with them and with everyone. 9:14 And in their prayers on your behalf they long for you because of the extraordinary grace God has shown to you. 59 9:15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 60
Ezekiel 23:1-49
Context23:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 23:2 “Son of man, there were two women who were daughters of the same mother. 23:3 They engaged in prostitution in Egypt; in their youth they engaged in prostitution. Their breasts were squeezed there; lovers 61 fondled their virgin nipples there. 23:4 Oholah was the name of the older and Oholibah 62 the name of her younger sister. They became mine, and gave birth to sons and daughters. 63 Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
23:5 “Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was mine. 64 She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians 65 – warriors 66 23:6 clothed in blue, governors and officials, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses. 23:7 She bestowed her sexual favors on them; all of them were the choicest young men of Assyria. She defiled herself with all whom she desired 67 – with all their idols. 23:8 She did not abandon the prostitution she had practiced in Egypt; for in her youth men had sex with her, fondled her virgin breasts, and ravished her. 68 23:9 Therefore I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians 69 for whom she lusted. 23:10 They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. She became notorious 70 among women, and they executed judgments against her.
23:11 “Her sister Oholibah watched this, 71 but she became more corrupt in her lust than her sister had been, and her acts of prostitution were more numerous than those of her sister. 23:12 She lusted after the Assyrians – governors and officials, warriors in full armor, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men. 23:13 I saw that she was defiled; both of them followed the same path. 23:14 But she increased her prostitution. She saw men carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans carved in bright red, 72 23:15 wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers, the image of Babylonians 73 whose native land is Chaldea. 23:16 When she saw them, 74 she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. 75 23:17 The Babylonians crawled into bed with her. 76 They defiled her with their lust; after she was defiled by them, she 77 became disgusted with them. 23:18 When she lustfully exposed her nakedness, 78 I 79 was disgusted with her, just as I 80 had been disgusted with her sister. 23:19 Yet she increased her prostitution, remembering the days of her youth when she engaged in prostitution in the land of Egypt. 23:20 She lusted after their genitals – as large as those of donkeys, 81 and their seminal emission was as strong as that of stallions. 23:21 This is how you assessed 82 the obscene conduct of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled 83 your nipples and squeezed 84 your young breasts.
23:22 “Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look here, 85 I am about to stir up against you the lovers with whom you were disgusted; I will bring them against you from every side: 23:23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, 86 Shoa, 87 and Koa, 88 and all the Assyrians with them, desirable young men, all of them governors and officials, officers and nobles, all of them riding on horses. 23:24 They will attack 89 you with weapons, 90 chariots, wagons, and with a huge army; 91 they will array themselves against you on every side with large shields, small shields, and helmets. I will assign them the task of judgment; 92 they will punish you according to their laws. 23:25 I will direct 93 my jealous anger against you, and they will deal with you in rage. They will cut off your nose and your ears, 94 and your survivors will die 95 by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and your survivors will be consumed by fire. 23:26 They will strip your clothes off you and take away your beautiful jewelry. 23:27 So I will put an end to your obscene conduct and your prostitution which you have practiced in the land of Egypt. 96 You will not seek their help 97 or remember Egypt anymore.
23:28 “For this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look here, 98 I am about to deliver you over to 99 those whom you hate, to those with whom you were disgusted. 23:29 They will treat you with hatred, take away all you have labored for, 100 and leave you naked and bare. Your nakedness will be exposed, just as when you engaged in prostitution and obscene conduct. 101 23:30 I will do these things to you 102 because you engaged in prostitution with the nations, polluting yourself with their idols. 23:31 You have followed the ways of your sister, so I will place her cup of judgment 103 in your hand. 23:32 “This is what the sovereign Lord says: “You will drink your sister’s deep and wide cup; 104 you will be scorned and derided, for it holds a great deal. 23:33 You will be overcome by 105 drunkenness and sorrow. The cup of your sister Samaria is a cup of horror and desolation. 23:34 You will drain it dry, 106 gnaw its pieces, 107 and tear out your breasts, 108 for I have spoken, declares the sovereign Lord.
23:35 “Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Because you have forgotten me and completely disregarded me, 109 you must bear now the punishment 110 for your obscene conduct and prostitution.”
23:36 The Lord said to me: “Son of man, are you willing to pronounce judgment 111 on Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominable deeds! 23:37 For they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and their sons, whom they bore to me, 112 they have passed through the fire as food to their idols. 113 23:38 Moreover, they have done this to me: In the very same day 114 they desecrated my sanctuary and profaned my Sabbaths. 23:39 On the same day they slaughtered their sons for their idols, they came to my sanctuary to desecrate it. This is what they have done in the middle of my house.
23:40 “They even sent for men from far away; when the messenger arrived, those men set out. 115 For them you bathed, 116 painted your eyes, and decorated yourself with jewelry. 23:41 You sat on a magnificent couch, with a table arranged in front of it where you placed my incense and my olive oil. 23:42 The sound of a carefree crowd accompanied her, 117 including all kinds of men; 118 even Sabeans 119 were brought from the desert. The sisters 120 put bracelets on their wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads. 23:43 Then I said about the one worn out by adultery, ‘Now they will commit immoral acts with her.’ 23:44 They had sex with her 121 as one does with a prostitute. In this way they had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, promiscuous women. 23:45 But upright men will punish them appropriately for their adultery and bloodshed, 122 because they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands.
23:46 “For this is what the sovereign Lord says: Bring up an army 123 against them and subject them 124 to terror and plunder. 23:47 That army will pelt them with stones and slash them with their swords; they will kill their sons and daughters and burn their houses. 125 23:48 I will put an end to the obscene conduct in the land; all the women will learn a lesson from this and not engage in obscene conduct. 23:49 They will repay you for your obscene conduct, and you will be punished for idol worship. 126 Then you will know that I am the sovereign Lord.”
Psalms 70:1--71:24
ContextFor the music director; by David; written to get God’s attention. 128
70:1 O God, please be willing to rescue me! 129
O Lord, hurry and help me! 130
70:2 May those who are trying to take my life
be embarrassed and ashamed! 131
May those who want to harm me
be turned back and ashamed! 132
70:3 May those who say, “Aha! Aha!”
be driven back 133 and disgraced! 134
70:4 May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you!
May those who love to experience 135 your deliverance say continually, 136
70:5 I am oppressed and needy! 139
O God, hurry to me! 140
You are my helper and my deliverer!
O Lord, 141 do not delay!
71:1 In you, O Lord, I have taken shelter!
Never let me be humiliated!
71:2 Vindicate me by rescuing me! 143
Listen to me! 144 Deliver me! 145
71:3 Be my protector and refuge, 146
a stronghold where I can be safe! 147
For you are my high ridge 148 and my stronghold.
71:4 My God, rescue me from the power 149 of the wicked,
from the hand of the cruel oppressor!
71:5 For you give me confidence, 150 O Lord;
O Lord, I have trusted in you since I was young. 151
71:6 I have leaned on you since birth; 152
you pulled me 153 from my mother’s womb.
I praise you continually. 154
71:7 Many are appalled when they see me, 155
but you are my secure shelter.
71:8 I praise you constantly
and speak of your splendor all day long. 156
71:9 Do not reject me in my old age! 157
When my strength fails, do not abandon me!
71:10 For my enemies talk about me;
those waiting for a chance to kill me plot my demise. 158
71:11 They say, 159 “God has abandoned him.
Run and seize him, for there is no one who will rescue him!”
71:12 O God, do not remain far away from me!
My God, hurry and help me! 160
71:13 May my accusers be humiliated and defeated!
May those who want to harm me 161 be covered with scorn and disgrace!
71:14 As for me, I will wait continually,
and will continue to praise you. 162
71:15 I will tell about your justice,
and all day long proclaim your salvation, 163
though I cannot fathom its full extent. 164
71:16 I will come and tell about 165 the mighty acts of the sovereign Lord.
I will proclaim your justice – yours alone.
71:17 O God, you have taught me since I was young,
and I am still declaring 166 your amazing deeds.
71:18 Even when I am old and gray, 167
O God, do not abandon me,
until I tell the next generation about your strength,
and those coming after me about your power. 168
71:19 Your justice, O God, extends to the skies above; 169
you have done great things. 170
O God, who can compare to you? 171
71:20 Though you have allowed me to experience much trouble and distress, 172
revive me once again! 173
Bring me up once again 174 from the depths of the earth!
71:21 Raise me to a position of great honor! 175
Turn and comfort me! 176
71:22 I will express my thanks to you with a stringed instrument,
praising 177 your faithfulness, O my God!
I will sing praises to you accompanied by a harp,
O Holy One of Israel! 178
71:23 My lips will shout for joy! Yes, 179 I will sing your praises!
I will praise you when you rescue me! 180
71:24 All day long my tongue will also tell about your justice,
for those who want to harm me 181 will be embarrassed and ashamed. 182
1 tn Heb “a hundred summer fruit.”
2 tn Heb “What are these to you?”
3 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
4 tn The Hebrew text adds “to drink.”
5 tn Heb “son.”
6 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
7 tn Heb “my father’s.”
8 tn Heb “came to.” The form of the verb in the MT is odd. Some prefer to read וַיַּבֹא (vayyavo’), preterite with vav consecutive) rather than וּבָא (uva’), apparently perfect with vav), but this is probably an instance where the narrative offline vÿqatal construction introduces a new scene.
9 tn Heb “And look, from there a man was coming out from the clan of the house of Saul and his name was Shimei son of Gera, continually going out and cursing.”
10 tn Heb “man of worthlessness.”
11 tn Heb “has brought back upon you.”
12 tn Heb “What to me and to you?”
13 tn Heb “who came out from my entrails.” David’s point is that is his own son, his child whom he himself had fathered, was now wanting to kill him.
14 tc The Hebrew text is difficult here. It is probably preferable to read with the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate בְּעוֹנִי (bÿ’onyi, “on my affliction”) rather than the Kethib of the MT בָּעַוֹנִי (ba’avoni, “on my wrongdoing”). While this Kethib reading is understandable as an objective genitive (i.e., “the wrong perpetrated upon me”), it does not conform to normal Hebrew idiom for this idea. The Qere of the MT בְּעֵינֵי (bÿ’eni, “on my eyes”), usually taken as synecdoche to mean “my tears,” does not commend itself as a likely meaning. The Hebrew word is one of the so-called tiqqune sopherim, or “emendations of the scribes.”
15 tn Heb “and the
16 tn Heb “and he cursed and threw stones, opposite him, pelting [them] with dirt.” The offline vÿqatal construction in the last clause indicates an action that was complementary to the action described in the preceding clause. He simultaneously threw stones and dirt.
17 tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
18 tn Heb “and all the people, the men of Israel.”
19 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
20 tn Heb “to Absalom.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
21 tn Heb “No for with the one whom the
22 tn Heb “Just as I served before your father, so I will be before you.”
23 tn Heb “go to”; NAB “have (+ sexual NCV) relations with”; TEV “have intercourse with”; NLT “Go and sleep with.”
24 tn Heb “and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.”
25 sn That is, on top of the flat roof of the palace, so it would be visible to the public.
26 tn Heb “went to”; NAB “he visited his father’s concubines”; NIV “lay with his father’s concubines”; TEV “went in and had intercourse with.”
27 tn Heb “And the advice of Ahithophel which he advised in those days was as when one inquires of the word of God.”
28 tn Heb “So was all the advice of Ahithophel, also to David, also to Absalom.”
29 tn Or “it is superfluous.”
30 tn Or “this ministry,” “this contribution.”
31 tn The words “to help” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
32 tn Grk “concerning which I keep boasting to the Macedonians about you.” A new sentence was started here and the translation was simplified by removing the relative clause and repeating the antecedent “this eagerness of yours.”
33 tn The words “to give” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
34 tn The words “to participate” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
35 sn Most of them is a reference to the Macedonians (cf. v. 4).
36 tn This verb has been translated as an epistolary aorist.
37 tn That is, ready with the collection for the saints.
38 tn Or “be disgraced”; Grk “be put to shame.”
39 tn Grk “by this confidence”; the words “we had in you” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied as a necessary clarification for the English reader.
40 tn Grk “the blessing.”
41 tn Grk “a blessing.”
42 tn Grk “as a covetousness”; that is, a gift given grudgingly or under compulsion.
43 tn Or “bountifully”; so also in the next occurrence in the verse.
44 tn Or “must do.” The words “of you” and “should give” are not in the Greek text, which literally reads, “Each one just as he has decided in his heart.” The missing words are an ellipsis; these or similar phrases must be supplied for the English reader.
45 tn Or “in his mind.”
46 tn Or “not from regret”; Grk “not out of grief.”
47 tn Or “not out of a sense of duty”; Grk “from necessity.”
48 tn Or “abound.”
49 tn Or “so that by having enough.” The Greek participle can be translated as a participle of cause (“because you have enough”) or means (“by having enough”).
50 tn Or “abound.”
51 sn He in the quotation refers to the righteous person.
52 sn A quotation from Ps 112:9.
53 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
54 tn Grk “in every way for every generosity,” or “he will always make you rich enough to be generous at all times” (L&N 57.29).
55 tn Or “not only supplying.”
56 tn Or “proof,” or perhaps “testing” (NRSV).
57 tn Or “ministry.”
58 tn Or “your partnership”; Grk “your fellowship.”
59 tn Grk “the extraordinary grace of God to you”; the point is that God has given or shown grace to the Corinthians.
60 tn “Let us thank God for his gift which cannot be described with words” (L&N 33.202).
61 tn In the Hebrew text the subject is left unstated and must be supplied from the context.
62 tn The names Oholah and Oholibah are both derived from the word meaning “tent.” The meaning of Oholah is “her tent,” while Oholibah means “my tent is in her.”
63 sn In this allegory the Lord is depicted as being the husband of two wives. The OT law prohibited a man from marrying sisters (Lev 18:18), but the practice is attested in the OT (cf. Jacob). The metaphor is utilized here for illustrative purposes and does not mean that the Lord condoned such a practice or bigamy in general.
64 tn Heb “while she was under me.” The expression indicates that Oholah is viewed as the Lord’s wife. See Num 5:19-20, 29.
sn Played the harlot refers to alliances with pagan nations in this context. In Ezek 16 harlotry described the sin of idolatry.
65 tn Heb “Assyria.”
66 tn The term apparently refers to Assyrian military officers; it is better construed with the description that follows. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:738.
67 tn Heb “lusted after.”
68 tn Heb “and poured out their harlotry on her.”
69 tn Heb “I gave her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the sons of Assyria.”
70 tn Heb “name.”
71 tn The word “this” is not in the original text.
72 tn The only other occurrence of the Hebrew term is in Jer 22:14.
73 tn Heb “the sons of Babel.”
74 tn Heb “at the appearance of her eyes.”
75 sn The Chaldeans were prominent tribal groups of Babylonia. The imagery is reminiscent of events in the reigns of Hezekiah (2 Kgs 20:12-15) and Jehoiakim (2 Kgs 23:34-24:1).
76 tn Heb “The sons of Babel came to her on a bed of love.”
77 tn Heb “her soul.”
78 tn Heb “She exposed her harlotry and she exposed her nakedness.”
79 tn Heb “my soul.”
80 tn Heb “my soul.”
81 tn Heb “She lusted after their concubines (?) whose flesh was the flesh of donkeys.” The phrase “their concubines” is extremely problematic here. The pronoun is masculine plural, suggesting that the Egyptian men are in view, but how concubines would fit into the picture envisioned here is not clear. Some suggest that Ezekiel uses the term in an idiomatic sense of “paramour,” but this still fails to explain how the pronoun relates to the noun. It is more likely that the term refers here to the Egyptians’ genitals. The relative pronoun that follows introduces a more specific description of their genitals.
82 tn Or “you took note of.” The Hebrew verb פָּקַד (paqad) in the Qal implies evaluating something and then acting in light of that judgment; here the prophet depicts Judah as approving of her youthful unfaithfulness and then magnifying it at the present time. Some translations assume the verb should be repointed as a Niphal, rendering “you missed” or by extension “you longed for,” but such an extension of the Niphal “to be missing” is otherwise unattested.
83 tn Heb “when (they) did,” but the verb makes no sense here and is better emended to “when (they) fondled,” a verb used in vv. 3 and 8. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:43.
84 tn Heb “for the sake of,” but the expression is awkward and is better emended to read “to squeeze.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:43.
85 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
86 sn Pekod was the name of an Aramean tribe (known as Puqudu in Mesopotamian texts) that lived in the region of the Tigris River.
87 sn Shoa was the name of a nomadic people (the Sutu) that lived in Mesopotamia.
88 sn Koa was the name of another Mesopotamian people group (the Qutu).
89 tn Heb “come against.”
90 tn This is the only occurrence of this term in the OT. The precise meaning is uncertain.
91 tn Heb “an assembly of peoples.”
92 tn Heb “I will place before them judgment.”
93 tn Heb “give.”
94 tn Heb “they will remove.”
sn This method of punishment is attested among ancient Egyptian and Hittite civilizations. See W. Zimmerli, Ezekiel (Hermeneia), 1:489.
95 tn Heb “fall.”
96 tn Heb “I will cause your obscene conduct to cease from you and your harlotry from the land of Egypt.”
97 tn Heb “lift your eyes to them.”
98 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
99 tn Heb “I am giving you into the hand of.”
100 tn The Hebrew term means “labor,” but by extension it can also refer to that for which one works.
101 tn Heb “The nakedness of your prostitution will be exposed, and your obscene conduct and your harlotry.”
102 tn The infinitive absolute continues the sequence begun in v. 28: “Look here, I am about to deliver you.” See Joüon 2:430 §123.w.
103 tn Heb “her cup.” A cup of intoxicating strong drink is used, here and elsewhere, as a metaphor for judgment because both leave one confused and reeling. (See Jer 25:15, 17, 28; Hab 2:16.) The cup of wrath is a theme also found in the NT (Mark 14:36).
104 sn The image of a deep and wide cup suggests the degree of punishment; it will be extensive and leave the victim helpless.
105 tn Heb “filled with.”
106 tn Heb “You will drink it and drain (it).”
107 tn D. I. Block compares this to the idiom of “licking the plate” (Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:754, n. 137). The text is difficult as the word translated “gnaw” is rare. The noun is used of the shattered pieces of pottery and so could envision a broken cup. But the Piel verb form is used in only one other place (Num 24:8), where it is a denominative from the noun “bone” and seems to mean to “break (bones).” Why it would be collocated with “sherds” is not clear. For this reason some emend the phrase to read “consume its dregs” (see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [WBC], 2:44) or emend the verb to read “swallow,” as if the intoxicated Oholibah breaks the cup and then eats the very sherds in an effort to get every last drop of the beverage that dampens them.
108 sn The severe action is more extreme than beating the breasts in anguish (Isa 32:12; Nah 2:7). It is also ironic for these are the very breasts she so blatantly offered to her lovers (vv. 3, 21).
109 tn Heb “and you cast me behind your back.” The expression pictures her rejection of the Lord (see 1 Kgs 14:9).
110 tn The word “punishment” is not in the Hebrew text but is demanded by the context.
111 tn Heb “will you judge.” Here the imperfect form of the verb is probably used with a desiderative nuance. Addressed to the prophet, “judge” means to warn of or pronounce God’s impending judgment. See 20:4; 22:2.
112 sn The Lord speaks here in the role of the husband of the sisters.
113 tn Heb “they have passed to them for food.” The verb is commonly taken to refer to passing children through fire, especially as an offering to the pagan god Molech. See Jer 32:35.
114 tn Heb “in that day.”
115 tn Heb “to whom a messenger was sent, and look, they came.” Foreign alliances are in view here.
116 tn The Hebrew verb form is feminine singular, indicating that Oholibah (Judah) is specifically addressed here. This address continues through verse 42a (note “her”), but then both sisters are described in verse 42b, where the feminine pronouns are again plural.
117 tn Heb “(was) in her.”
118 tn Heb “and men from the multitude of mankind.”
119 tn An alternate reading is “drunkards.” Sheba is located in the area of modern day Yemen.
120 tn Heb “they”; the referents (the sisters) have been specified in the translation for the sake of clarity.
121 tn Heb “and they came to her.”
122 tn Heb “and upright men will judge them (with) the judgment of adulteresses and the judgment of those who shed blood.”
123 tn Heb “assembly.”
124 tn Heb “give them to.”
125 tn The Hebrew text adds “with fire.”
126 tn Heb “and the sins of your idols you will bear.” By extension it can mean the punishment for the sins.
127 sn Psalm 70. This psalm is almost identical to Ps 40:13-17. The psalmist asks for God’s help and for divine retribution against his enemies.
128 tn Heb “to cause to remember.” The same form, a Hiphil infinitive of זָכַר (zakhar, “remember”), also appears in the superscription of Ps 38. Some understand this in the sense of “for the memorial offering,” but it may carry the idea of bringing one’s plight to God’s attention (see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 303).
129 tn Heb “O God, to rescue me.” A main verb is obviously missing. The verb רָצָה (ratsah, “be willing”) should be supplied (see Ps 40:13). Ps 40:13 uses the divine name “
130 tn Heb “hurry to my help.” See Pss 22:19; 38:22.
131 tn Heb “may they be embarrassed and ashamed, the ones seeking my life.” Ps 40:14 has “together” after “ashamed,” and “to snatch it away” after “my life.”
132 tn The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist is calling judgment down on his enemies.
sn See Ps 35:4 for a similar prayer.
133 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive in this imprecation.
134 tn Heb “May they be turned back according to their shame, those who say, ‘Aha! Aha!’” Ps 40:15 has the verb “humiliated” instead of “turned back” and adds “to me” after “say.”
135 tn Heb “those who love,” which stands metonymically for its cause, the experience of being delivered by God.
136 tn The three prefixed verbal forms prior to the quotation are understood as jussives. The psalmist balances out his imprecation against his enemies with a prayer of blessing on the godly.
137 tn Ps 40:16 uses the divine name “
138 tn The prefixed verbal form is taken as a jussive, “may the
139 sn See Pss 35:10; 37:14.
140 tn Ps 40:17 has “may the Lord pay attention to me.”
141 tn Ps 40:17 has “my God” instead of “
142 sn Psalm 71. The psalmist prays for divine intervention and expresses his confidence that God will protect and vindicate him. The first three verses are very similar to Ps 31:1-3a.
143 tn Heb “in your vindication rescue me and deliver me.” Ps 31:1 omits “and deliver me.”
144 tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”
145 tn Ps 31:2 adds “quickly” before “deliver.”
146 tc Heb “become for me a rocky summit of a dwelling place.” The Hebrew term מָעוֹן (ma’on, “dwelling place”) should probably be emended to מָעוֹז (ma’oz, “refuge”; see Ps 31:2).
147 tc Heb “to enter continually, you commanded to deliver me.” The Hebrew phrase לָבוֹא תָּמִיד צִוִּיתָ (lavo’ tamid tsivvita, “to enter continually, you commanded”) should be emended to לְבֵית מְצוּדוֹת (lÿvet mÿtsudot, “a house of strongholds”; see Ps 31:2).
148 sn You are my high ridge. This metaphor pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28.
149 tn Heb “hand.”
150 tn Heb “for you [are] my hope.”
151 tn Heb “O
152 tn Heb “from the womb.”
153 tc The form in the MT is derived from גָזָה (gazah, “to cut off”), perhaps picturing God as the one who severed the psalmist’s umbilical cord. Many interpreters and translators prefer to emend the text to גֹחִי (gokhiy), from גוּח (gukh) or גִיח, (gikh, “pull out”; see Ps 22:9; cf. the present translation) or to עוּזִּי (’uzziy, “my strength”; cf. NEB “my protector since I left my mother’s womb”).
154 tn Heb “in you [is] my praise continually.”
155 tn Heb “like a sign [i.e., portent or bad omen] I am to many.”
156 tn Heb “my mouth is filled [with] your praise, all the day [with] your splendor.”
157 tn Heb “do not cast me away at the time of old age.”
158 tn Heb “those who watch for my life consult together.”
159 tn Heb “saying.”
160 tn Heb “hurry to my help.”
161 tn Heb “those who seek my harm.”
162 tn Heb “and I add to all your praise.”
163 tn Heb “my mouth declares your vindication, all the day your deliverance.”
164 tn Heb “though I do not know [the] numbers,” that is, the tally of God’s just and saving acts. HALOT 768 s.v. סְפֹרוֹת understands the plural noun to mean “the art of writing.”
165 tn Heb “I will come with.”
166 tn Heb “and until now I am declaring.”
167 tn Heb “and even unto old age and gray hair.”
168 tn Heb “until I declare your arm to a generation, to everyone who comes your power.” God’s “arm” here is an anthropomorphism that symbolizes his great strength.
169 tn Heb “your justice, O God, [is] unto the height.” The Hebrew term מָרוֹם (marom, “height”) is here a title for the sky/heavens.
sn Extends to the skies above. Similar statements are made in Pss 36:5 and 57:10.
170 tn Heb “you who have done great things.”
171 tn Or “Who is like you?”
172 tn Heb “you who have caused me to see many harmful distresses.”
173 tn Heb “you return, you give me life.” The Hebrew term שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) is used here in an adverbial sense, indicating repetition of the action described by the following verb. The imperfects are understood here as expressing the psalmist’s prayer or wish. (Note the use of a distinctly jussive form at the beginning of v. 21.) Another option is to understand this as a statement of confidence, “you will revive me once again” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
174 tn Heb “you return, you bring me up.” The Hebrew term שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) is used here in an adverbial sense, indicating repetition of the action described by the following verb. The imperfects are understood here as expressing the psalmist’s prayer or wish. (Note the use of a distinctly jussive form at the beginning of v. 21.) Another option is to understand this as a statement of confidence, “you will bring me up once again” (cf. NIV, NRSV).
175 tn Heb “increase my greatness.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive, indicating this is a prayer or wish. The psalmist’s request for “greatness” (or “honor”) is not a boastful, self-serving prayer for prominence, but, rather, a request that God would vindicate by elevating him over those who are trying to humiliate him.
176 tn The imperfects are understood here as expressing the psalmist’s prayer or wish. (Note the use of a distinctly jussive form at the beginning of v. 21.)
177 tn The word “praising” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
178 sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The
179 tn Or “when.” The translation assumes that כִּי (ki) has an emphasizing (asseverative) function here.
180 tn Heb “and my life [or “soul”] which you will have redeemed.” The perfect verbal form functions here as a future perfect. The psalmist anticipates praising God, for God will have rescued him by that time.
181 tn Heb “those who seek my harm.”
182 tn Heb “will have become embarrassed and ashamed.” The perfect verbal forms function here as future perfects, indicating future actions which will precede chronologically the action expressed by the main verb in the preceding line.
