Leviticus 27:1-34 
Context27:1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 27:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When a man makes a special votive offering 1 based on the conversion value of persons to the Lord, 2 27:3 the conversion value of the male 3 from twenty years old up to sixty years old 4 is fifty shekels by the standard of the sanctuary shekel. 5 27:4 If the person is a female, the conversion value is thirty shekels. 27:5 If the person is from five years old up to twenty years old, the conversion value of the male is twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 27:6 If the person is one month old up to five years old, the conversion value of the male is five shekels of silver, 6 and for the female the conversion value is three shekels of silver. 27:7 If the person is from sixty years old and older, if he is a male the conversion value is fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 27:8 If he is too poor to pay the conversion value, he must stand the person before the priest and the priest will establish his conversion value; 7 according to what the man who made the vow can afford, 8 the priest will establish his conversion value.
27:9 “‘If what is vowed is a kind of animal from which an offering may be presented 9 to the Lord, anything which he gives to the Lord from this kind of animal 10 will be holy. 27:10 He must not replace or exchange it, good for bad or bad for good, and if he does indeed exchange one animal for another animal, then both the original animal 11 and its substitute will be holy. 27:11 If what is vowed is an unclean animal from which an offering must not be presented to the Lord, then he must stand the animal before the priest, 27:12 and the priest will establish its conversion value, 12 whether good or bad. According to the assessed conversion value of the priest, thus it will be. 27:13 If, however, the person who made the vow redeems the animal, 13 he must add one fifth to 14 its conversion value.
27:14 “‘If a man consecrates his house as holy to the Lord, the priest will establish its conversion value, whether good or bad. Just as the priest establishes its conversion value, thus it will stand. 15 27:15 If the one who consecrates it redeems his house, he must add to it one fifth of its conversion value in silver, and it will belong to him. 16
27:16 “‘If a man consecrates to the Lord some of his own landed property, the conversion value must be calculated in accordance with the amount of seed needed to sow it, 17 a homer of barley seed being priced at fifty shekels of silver. 18 27:17 If he consecrates his field in the jubilee year, 19 the conversion value will stand, 27:18 but if 20 he consecrates his field after the jubilee, the priest will calculate the price 21 for him according to the years that are left until the next jubilee year, and it will be deducted from the conversion value. 27:19 If, however, the one who consecrated the field redeems it, 22 he must add to it one fifth of the conversion price 23 and it will belong to him. 24 27:20 If he does not redeem the field, but sells 25 the field to someone else, he may never redeem it. 27:21 When it reverts 26 in the jubilee, the field will be holy to the Lord like a permanently dedicated field; 27 it will become the priest’s property. 28
27:22 “‘If he consecrates to the Lord a field he has purchased, 29 which is not part of his own landed property, 27:23 the priest will calculate for him the amount of its conversion value until the jubilee year, and he must pay 30 the conversion value on that jubilee day as something that is holy to the Lord. 27:24 In the jubilee year the field will return to the one from whom he bought it, the one to whom it belongs as landed property. 27:25 Every conversion value must be calculated by the standard of the sanctuary shekel; 31 twenty gerahs to the shekel.
27:26 “‘Surely no man may consecrate a firstborn that already belongs to the Lord as a firstborn among the animals; whether it is an ox or a sheep, it belongs to the Lord. 32 27:27 If, however, 33 it is among the unclean animals, he may ransom it according to 34 its conversion value and must add one fifth to it, but if it is not redeemed it must be sold according to its conversion value.
27:28 “‘Surely anything which a man permanently dedicates to the Lord 35 from all that belongs to him, whether from people, animals, or his landed property, must be neither sold nor redeemed; anything permanently dedicated is most holy to the Lord. 27:29 Any human being who is permanently dedicated 36 must not be ransomed; such a person must be put to death.
27:30 “‘Any tithe 37 of the land, from the grain of the land or from the fruit of the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. 27:31 If a man redeems 38 part of his tithe, however, he must add one fifth to it. 39 27:32 All the tithe of herd or flock, everything which passes under the rod, the tenth one will be holy to the Lord. 40 27:33 The owner 41 must not examine the animals to distinguish between good and bad, and he must not exchange it. If, however, he does exchange it, 42 both the original animal 43 and its substitute will be holy. 44 It must not be redeemed.’”
27:34 These are the commandments which the Lord commanded Moses to tell the Israelites 45 at Mount Sinai.
Psalms 34:1-22
ContextWritten by David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, causing the king to send him away. 47
34:1 I will praise 48 the Lord at all times;
my mouth will continually praise him. 49
34:2 I will boast 50 in the Lord;
let the oppressed hear and rejoice! 51
34:3 Magnify the Lord with me!
Let’s praise 52 his name together!
34:4 I sought the Lord’s help 53 and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
34:5 Those who look to him for help are happy;
their faces are not ashamed. 54
34:6 This oppressed man cried out and the Lord heard;
he saved him 55 from all his troubles.
34:7 The Lord’s angel camps around
the Lord’s 56 loyal followers 57 and delivers them. 58
34:8 Taste 59 and see that the Lord is good!
How blessed 60 is the one 61 who takes shelter in him! 62
34:9 Remain loyal to 63 the Lord, you chosen people of his, 64
for his loyal followers 65 lack nothing!
34:10 Even young lions sometimes lack food and are hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
34:11 Come children! Listen to me!
I will teach you what it means to fear the Lord. 66
34:12 Do you want to really live? 67
Would you love to live a long, happy life? 68
34:13 Then make sure you don’t speak evil words 69
or use deceptive speech! 70
34:14 Turn away from evil and do what is right! 71
Strive for peace and promote it! 72
34:15 The Lord pays attention to the godly
and hears their cry for help. 73
34:16 But the Lord opposes evildoers
and wipes out all memory of them from the earth. 74
34:17 The godly 75 cry out and the Lord hears;
he saves them from all their troubles. 76
34:18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
he delivers 77 those who are discouraged. 78
34:19 The godly 79 face many dangers, 80
but the Lord saves 81 them 82 from each one of them.
34:20 He protects 83 all his bones; 84
not one of them is broken. 85
34:21 Evil people self-destruct; 86
those who hate the godly are punished. 87
34:22 The Lord rescues his servants; 88
all who take shelter in him escape punishment. 89
Ecclesiastes 10:1-20
Context10:1 One dead fly 90 makes the perfumer’s ointment give off a rancid stench, 91
so a little folly can outweigh 92 much wisdom. 93
10:2 A wise person’s good sense protects him, 94
but a fool’s lack of sense leaves him vulnerable. 95
10:3 Even when a fool walks along the road he lacks sense, 96
and shows 97 everyone what a fool he is. 98
10:4 If the anger 99 of the ruler flares up 100 against you, do not resign 101 from your position, 102
for a calm 103 response 104 can undo 105 great offenses.
10:5 I have seen another 106 misfortune 107 on the earth: 108
It is an error a ruler makes. 109
10:6 Fools 110 are placed in many positions of authority, 111
while wealthy men sit in lowly positions.
10:7 I have seen slaves 112 on horseback
and princes walking on foot 113 like slaves.
10:8 One who digs a pit may 114 fall into it,
and one who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake. 115
10:9 One who quarries stones may be injured by them;
one who splits logs may be endangered by them.
10:10 If an iron axhead 116 is blunt and a workman 117 does not sharpen 118 its edge, 119
he must exert a great deal of effort; 120
so wisdom has the advantage of giving success.
10:11 If the snake should bite before it is charmed, 121
the snake charmer 122 is in trouble. 123
10:12 The words of a wise person 124 win him 125 favor, 126
but the words 127 of a fool are self-destructive. 128
10:13 At the beginning his words 129 are foolish
and at the end 130 his talk 131 is wicked madness, 132
10:14 yet a fool keeps on babbling. 133
No one knows what will happen;
who can tell him what will happen in the future? 134
10:15 The toil of a stupid fool 135 wears him out, 136
because he does not even know the way to the city. 137
10:16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is childish, 138
and your princes feast in the morning!
10:17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobility, 139
and your princes feast at the proper time 140 – with self-control and not in drunkenness. 141
10:18 Because of laziness the roof 142 caves in,
and because of idle hands 143 the house leaks.
10:19 Feasts 144 are made 145 for laughter,
and wine makes life merry, 146
but money is the answer 147 for everything.
10:20 Do not curse a king even in your thoughts,
and do not curse the rich 148 while in your bedroom; 149
for a bird 150 might report what you are thinking, 151
or some winged creature 152 might repeat your 153 words. 154
Titus 2:1-15
Context2:1 But as for you, communicate the behavior that goes with 155 sound teaching. 2:2 Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, 156 sound in faith, in love, and in endurance. 157 2:3 Older women likewise are to exhibit behavior fitting for those who are holy, not slandering, not slaves to excessive drinking, but teaching what is good. 2:4 In this way 158 they will train 159 the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children, 2:5 to be self-controlled, 160 pure, fulfilling their duties at home, 161 kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the message 162 of God may not be discredited. 163 2:6 Encourage younger men likewise to be self-controlled, 164 2:7 showing yourself to be an example of good works in every way. In your teaching show integrity, dignity, 2:8 and a sound message that cannot be criticized, so that any opponent will be at a loss, 165 because he has nothing evil to say about us. 2:9 Slaves 166 are to be subject to their own masters in everything, 167 to do what is wanted and not talk back, 2:10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith, 168 in order to bring credit to 169 the teaching of God our Savior in everything.
2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. 170 2:12 It trains us 171 to reject godless ways 172 and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 2:13 as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing 173 of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 174 2:14 He 175 gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are truly his, 176 who are eager to do good. 177 2:15 So communicate these things with the sort of exhortation or rebuke 178 that carries full authority. 179 Don’t let anyone look down 180 on you.
1 tn Cf. the note on Lev 22:21. Some take this as an expression for fulfilling a vow, “to fulfill a vow” (e.g., HALOT 927-28 s.v. פלא piel and NASB; cf. NRSV “in fulfillment of a vow”) or, alternatively, “to make a vow” or “for making a vow” (HALOT 928 s.v. פלא piel [II פלא]). Perhaps it refers to the making a special vow, from the verb פָלָא (pala’, “to be wonderful; to be remarkable”), cf. Milgrom, Numbers [JPSTC], 44. B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 151 and 193, suggests that this is a special term for “setting aside a votive offering” (related to פָלָה, palah, “to set aside”). In general, the point of the expression seems to be that this sacrifice is a special gift to God that arose out of special circumstances in the life of the worshiper.
2 tn Heb “in your valuation, persons to the
3 tn Heb “your conversion value shall be [for] the male.”
4 tn Heb “from a son of twenty years and until a son of sixty years.”
5 tn See the note on Lev 5:15.
6 tn Heb “five shekels silver.”
7 tn Heb “and the priest shall cause him to be valued.”
8 tn Heb “on the mouth which the hand of the one who vowed reaches.”
9 tn Heb “which they may present from it an offering.” The plural active verb is sometimes best rendered in the passive (GKC 460 §144.f, g). Some medieval Hebrew
10 tn Heb “from it.” The masculine suffix “it” here is used for the feminine in the MT, but one medieval Hebrew
11 tn Heb “it and its substitute.” The referent (the original animal offered) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12 tn Heb “and the priest shall cause it to be valued.” See the note on v. 8 above.
13 tn Heb “And if redeeming [infinitive absolute] he redeems it [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p. The referent of “he” (the person who made the vow) and “it” (the animal) have both been specified in the translation for clarity.
14 tn Heb “on,” meaning “on top of, in addition to” (likewise in v. 15).
15 tn The expression “it shall stand” may be a technical term for “it shall be legally valid”; cf. NLT “assessment will be final.”
16 tn Heb “and it shall be to him.”
17 tn Heb “a conversion value shall be to the mouth of its seed.”
18 tn Heb “seed of a homer of barley in fifty shekels of silver.”
19 tn Heb “from the year of the jubilee.” For the meaning of “jubilee,” see the note on Lev 25:10 above.
20 tn Heb “And if.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have adversative force here.
21 tn Heb “the silver.”
22 tn Heb “And if redeeming [infinitive absolute] he redeems [finite verb] the field, the one who consecrated it.” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.
23 tn Heb “the silver of the conversion value.”
24 tn Heb “and it shall rise to him.” See HALOT 1087 s.v. קום 7 for the rendering offered here, but see also the note on the end of v. 14 above (cf. J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 476, 478).
25 tn Heb “and if he sells.”
26 tn Heb “When it goes out” (cf. Lev 25:25-34).
27 tn Heb “like the field of the permanent dedication.” The Hebrew word חֵרֶם (kherem) is a much discussed term. In this and the following verses it refers in a general way to the fact that something is permanently devoted to the
28 tn Heb “to the priest it shall be his property.”
29 tn Heb “his field of purchase,” which is to be distinguished from his own ancestral “landed property” (cf. v. 16 above).
30 tn Heb “give” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NLT).
31 tn See the note on Lev 5:15.
32 tn Heb “to the
33 tn Heb “And if.”
34 tn Heb “in” or “by.”
35 tn Heb “Surely, any permanently dedicated [thing] which a man shall permanently dedicate to the
36 tn Heb “permanently dedicated from among men.”
37 tn On the “tithe” system in Israel, see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:1035-55 and esp. pp. 1041-42 on Lev 27:30-33.
38 tn Heb “And if redeeming [infinitive absolute] a man redeems [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.
39 tn Heb “its one fifth on it.”
40 sn The tithed animal was the tenth one that passed under the shepherd’s rod or staff as they were being counted (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 485, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 200).
41 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the owner of the animal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
42 tn Heb “And if exchanging [infinitive absolute] he exchanges it [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.
43 tn Heb “it and its substitute.” The referent (the original animal offered) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
44 tn Heb “it shall be and its substitute shall be holy.”
45 tn Most of the commentaries and English versions translate, “which the
46 sn Psalm 34. In this song of thanksgiving the psalmist praises God for delivering him from distress. He encourages others to be loyal to the Lord, tells them how to please God, and assures them that the Lord protects his servants. The psalm is an acrostic; vv. 1-21 begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. (Verse 6 begins with the letter he (ה) and v. 7 with the letter zayin (ז). The letter vav (ו), which comes between ה and ז, seems to be omitted, although it does appear at the beginning of v. 6b. The final verse of the psalm, which begins with the letter pe (פ), is outside the acrostic scheme.
47 tn Heb “By David, when he changed his sense before Abimelech and he drove him away and he went.”
sn Pretended to be insane. The psalm heading appears to refer to the account in 1 Sam 21:10-15 which tells how David, fearful that King Achish of Gath might kill him, pretended to be insane in hopes that the king would simply send him away. The psalm heading names the king Abimelech, not Achish, suggesting that the tradition is confused on this point. However, perhaps “Abimelech” was a royal title, rather than a proper name. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 278.
48 tn Heb “bless.”
49 tn Heb “continually [will] his praise [be] in my mouth.”
50 tn Heb “my soul will boast”; or better, “let my soul boast.” Following the cohortative form in v. 1, it is likely that the prefixed verbal form here is jussive.
51 tn The two prefixed verbal forms in this verse are best taken as jussives, for the psalmist is calling his audience to worship (see v. 3).
52 tn Or “exalt.”
53 tn Heb “I sought the
54 tc Heb “they look to him and are radiant and their faces are not ashamed.” The third person plural subject (“they”) is unidentified; there is no antecedent in the Hebrew text. For this reason some prefer to take the perfect verbal forms in the first line as imperatives, “look to him and be radiant” (cf. NEB, NRSV). Some medieval Hebrew
55 tn The pronoun refers back to “this oppressed man,” namely, the psalmist.
56 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the
57 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
58 tn The prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the same generalizing force as the active participle in the first line. See GKC 329 §111.u.
59 tn This verb is normally used of tasting or savoring food. The metaphor here appears to compare the
60 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
61 tn Heb “man.” The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the more neutral “one.”
62 tn “Taking shelter” in the
63 tn Heb “fear.”
64 tn Heb “O holy ones of his.”
65 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
66 tn Heb “the fear of the
67 tn Heb “Who is the man who desires life?” The rhetorical question is used to grab the audience’s attention. “Life” probably refers here to quality of life, not just physical existence or even duration of life. See the following line.
68 tn Heb “[Who] loves days to see good?”
69 tn Heb “guard your tongue from evil.”
70 tn Heb “and your lips from speaking deception.”
71 tn Or “do good.”
72 tn Heb “seek peace and pursue it.”
73 tn Heb “the eyes of the
74 tn Heb “the face of the
75 tn Heb “they” (i.e., the godly mentioned in v. 15).
76 tn The three perfect verbal forms are taken in a generalizing sense in v. 17 and translated with the present tense (note the generalizing mood of vv. 18-22).
77 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the
78 tn Heb “the crushed in spirit.”
79 tn The Hebrew text uses the singular form; the representative or typical godly person is envisioned.
80 tn Or “trials.”
81 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the
82 tn Heb “him,” agreeing with the singular form in the preceding line.
83 tn The Hebrew participial form suggests such protection is characteristic.
84 tn That is, he protects the godly from physical harm.
85 sn Not one of them is broken. The author of the Gospel of John saw a fulfillment of these words in Jesus’ experience on the cross (see John 19:31-37), for the Roman soldiers, when they saw that Jesus was already dead, did not break his legs as was customarily done to speed the death of crucified individuals. John’s use of the psalm seems strange, for the statement in its original context suggests that the Lord protects the godly from physical harm. Jesus’ legs may have remained unbroken, but he was brutally and unjustly executed by his enemies. John seems to give the statement a literal sense that is foreign to its original literary context by applying a promise of divine protection to a man who was seemingly not saved by God. However, John saw in this incident a foreshadowing of Jesus’ ultimate deliverance and vindication. His unbroken bones were a reminder of God’s commitment to the godly and a sign of things to come. Jesus’ death on the cross was not the end of the story; God vindicated him, as John goes on to explain in the following context (John 19:38-20:18).
86 tn Heb “evil kills the wicked [one].” The singular form is representative; the typical evil person is envisioned. The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action.
87 tn Heb “are guilty,” but the verb is sometimes used metonymically with the meaning “to suffer the consequences of guilt,” the effect being substituted for the cause.
88 tn Heb “redeems the life of his servants.” The Hebrew participial form suggests such deliverance is characteristic.
89 tn “Taking shelter” in the
90 tn Heb “flies of death.” The plural form of “flies” (זְבוּבֵי, zÿvuve) may be taken as a plural of number (“dead flies”) or a distributive plural referring to one little fly (“one dead fly”). The singular form of the following verb and the parallelism support the latter: “one little fly…so a little folly.”
91 tn The verb בָּאַשׁ (ba’ash) means “to cause to stink; to turn rancid; to emit a stinking odor” (e.g., Exod 16:24; Ps 38:6; Eccl 10:1); see HALOT 107 s.v. באשׁ 1; BDB 93 s.v. בָּאַשׁ. It is related to the noun בְּאשׁ (bÿ’osh, “stench”; Isa 34:3; Joel 2:20; Amos 4:10); cf. HALOT 107 s.v. באשׁ; BDB 93 s.v. בְּאשׁ. The verbal root נבע means “to ferment” or “to emit; to pour out; to bubble; to belch forth; to cause to gush forth” (HALOT 665 s.v. נבע; BDB 615 s.v. נָבַע). The two terms יַבְאִישׁ יַבִּיעַ (yav’ish yabbia’, “to stink” and “to ferment”) create a hendiadys: a figurative expression in which two terms are used to connote one idea: “makes a rancid stench.” Several versions treat this as a hendiadys (Old Greek, Symmachus, Targum, Vulgate); however, the Syriac treats them as separate verbs. Most translations treat these as a hendiadys: “Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor” (KJV); “Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil stink” (NASB); “dead flies give perfume a bad smell” (NIV); “Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off an evil odor” (RSV); Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a foul odor” (NRSV); “Dead flies cause a perfumer’s perfume to send forth a stink” (YLT); “Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a foul odor” (NRSV). Others render both separately: “Dead flies make the perfumer’s sweet ointment rancid and ferment” (NEB); “Dead flies turn the perfumer’s ointment fetid and putrid” (NJPS).
92 tn Heb “carries more weight than”; or “is more precious than.” The adjective יָקָר (yaqar) denotes “precious; valuable; costly” (HALOT 432 s.v. יָקָר 2) or “weighty; influential” (BDB 430 s.v. יָקָר 4). The related verb denotes “to carry weight,” that is, to be influential (HALOT 432 s.v. יָקָר 2). The idea is not that a little folly is more valuable than much wisdom; but that a little folly can have more influence than great wisdom. It only takes one little mistake to ruin a life of great wisdom. The English versions understand it this way: “so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor” (NASB); “so a little folly outweighs massive wisdom” (NJPS); “so a little folly outweighs an abundance of wisdom” (MLB); “so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor” (RSV, NRSV, NIV); “so can a little folly make wisdom lose its worth” (NEB); “so a little folly annuls great wisdom” (ASV); “a single slip can ruin much that is good” (NAB); “so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor” (KJV). The LXX rendered the line rather freely: τιμιον ὀλιγον σοφιἀ ὑπερ δοξαν ἀφροσυνης μεγαλην (“a little wisdom is more precious than great glory of folly”). This does not accurately represent the Hebrew syntax.
sn Qoheleth creates a wordplay by using two Hebrew words for social honor or influence: “weighty” = honorable (יָקָר, yaqar) and “heavy” = honor (כָּבוֹד, cavod).
93 tn The MT reads מֵחָכְמָה מִכָּבוֹד (mekhokhmah mikkavod, “more than wisdom, more than honor”), but several medieval Hebrew
94 tn Heb “a wise man’s heart is at his right hand.” The phrase “right hand” is a Hebrew idiom for the place of protection (e.g., Pss 16:8; 110:5; 121:5). In ancient warfare, the shield of the warrior on one’s right-hand side protected one’s right hand. Qoheleth’s point is that wisdom provides protection (e.g., Eccl 7:12).
95 tn Heb “and the heart of a fool is at his left hand.” The fool lacks the protection of wisdom which is at the right-hand side of the wise man (see note on “right hand” in the previous line). The wise man’s heart (i.e., good sense) protects him, but the fool is always getting into trouble.
96 tn Heb “he lacks his heart.”
97 tn Heb “he tells everyone.”
98 sn A fool’s lack of wisdom is obvious to everyone, even when he is engaged in the simple, ordinary actions of life.
99 tn Heb “spirit.”
100 tn Heb “rises up.”
101 tn Heb “Do not leave.”
102 tn Heb “your place.” The term מָקוֹם (maqom, “place”) denotes a position, post or office (1 Kgs 20:24; Eccl 8:3; 10:4; BDB 879 s.v. מָקוֹם 1.c).
103 tn The noun II מַרְפֵּא (marpe’, “calmness”) is used in reference to keeping one’s composure with a peaceful heart (Prov 14:30) and responding to criticism with a gentle tongue (Prov 15:4); cf. HALOT 637 s.v. II מַרְפֵּא. It is used in reference to keeping one’s composure in an emotionally charged situation (BDB 951 s.v. מַרְפֵּא 2). The term “calmness” is used here as a metonymy of association, meaning “calm response.”
104 tn The term “response” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification (see preceding note on the word “calm”).
105 tn The verbal root נוח means “to leave behind; to leave untouched” (HALOT 680 s.v. I נוח 2) in general, and in this passage, “to undo” or “to allay” offenses (HALOT 680 s.v. I נוח 3; BDB 629 s.v. נוּחַ 5) or “to avoid” offenses (BDB 629 נוּחַ 5). The point is either that (1) a composed response can calm or appease the anger of the ruler, or (2) a calm heart will help one avoid great sins that would offend the king. The root נוח (“to rest”) is repeated, creating a wordplay: “Do not leave” (אַל־תַּנַּח, ’al-tannakh) and “to avoid; to allay” (יַנִּיחַ, yanniakh). Rather than resigning (i.e., leaving), composure can appease a king (i.e., cause the anger of the king to leave).
106 tn The term “another” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation to indicate that this is not the first “misfortune” described by the Teacher. See 5:13, 16; 6:1-2.
107 tn Heb “an evil.”
108 tn Heb “under the sun.”
109 tn Heb “like an error that comes forth from the presence of a ruler.”
110 tn Heb “folly.”
111 tn Heb “high places.”
112 tn Or “servants,” so KJV, ASV, NCV, NLT (also in the following line).
113 tn Heb “upon the earth.”
114 tn The four imperfect verbs in vv. 8-9 may be nuanced as indicatives (“will…”) or in a modal sense denoting possibility (“may…”). The LXX rendered them with indicatives, as do many English translations (KJV, RSV, NRSV, ASV, MLB, YLT, NJPS). However, it is better to take them in a modal sense (NEB, NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV, CEV, NLT). One who digs a pit does not necessarily fall into it, but he may under the right conditions.
115 tn Heb “a serpent will bite him.” The clause “he who breaks through a wall” (וּפֹרֵץ גָּדֵר, uforets gader) is a nominative absolute – the casus pendens is picked up by the resumptive pronoun in the following clause “a serpent will bite him” (יִשְּׁכֶנּוּ נָחָשׁ, yishÿkhennu nakhash). This construction is used for rhetorical emphasis (see IBHS 76-77 §4.7c).
116 tn The term “ax head” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. The preceding noun “iron” functions as a metonymy of material (i.e., iron) for the object with which it is associated (i.e., ax head).
117 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the workman) is implied, and has been specified in the translation for clarity
118 tn The verb קלל in the Pilpel means “to sharpen; to make a blade sharp” (HALOT 1104 s.v. קלל 1).This denominative verb is derived from the rare noun II קָלַל “smooth; shiny” (referring to bronze; Ezek 1:7; Dan 10:6; HALOT 1105 s.v.). Sharpening the blade or head of a bronze ax will make it smooth and shiny. It is not derived from I קָלַל (qalal) “to treat light” or the noun I קְלָלָה (qÿlalah) “curse.” Nor is it related to I קָלַל “to shake” (Ezek 21:26); cf. HALOT 1104. BDB 886 s.v. קָלַל 2 erroneously relates it to I קָלַל, suggesting “to whet” or “to move quickly to and fro.”
119 tn Heb “face.”
120 tn Heb “strength.” The term וַחֲיָלִים (vakhayalim, conjunction + plural noun from חַיִל, khayil, “strength; efficiency”) is an example of a plural of intensification (GKC 397-98 §124.e). The point is that it is a waste of a great deal of strength and energy. If a person is not smart, he will have to use a lot of energy and waste his efficiency.
121 tn Heb “without charming.”
122 tn Heb “the master of the tongue.”
123 tn Heb “has no profit”; ASV, NAB, NRSV “there is no advantage.”
124 tn Heb “of a wise man’s mouth.”
125 tn The phrase “win him” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
126 tn Or “are gracious.” The antithetical parallelism suggests that חֵן (khen) does not denote “gracious character” but “[gain] favor” (e.g., Gen 39:21; Exod 3:21; 11:3; 12:36; Prov 3:4, 34; 13:15; 22:1; 28:23; Eccl 9:11); cf. HALOT 332 s.v. חֵן 2; BDB 336 s.v. חֵן 2. The LXX, on the other hand, rendered חֶן with χάρις (caris, “gracious”). The English versions are divided: “are gracious” (KJV, YLT, ASV, NASB, NIV) and “win him favor” (NEB, RSV, NRSV, NAB, MLB, NJPS, Moffatt).
127 tn Heb “lips.”
128 tn Heb “consume him”; or “engulf him.” The verb I בלע (“to swallow”) creates a striking wordplay on the homonymic root II בלע (“to speak eloquently”; HALOT 134-35 s.v בלע). Rather than speaking eloquently (II בלע, “to speak eloquently”), the fool utters words that are self-destructive (I בלע, “to swallow, engulf”).
129 tn Heb “the words of his mouth.”
130 sn The terms “beginning” and “end” form a merism, a figure of speech in which two opposites are contrasted to indicate totality (e.g., Deut 6:7; Ps 139:8; Eccl 3:2-8). The words of a fool are madness from “start to finish.”
131 tn Heb “his mouth.”
132 tn Heb “madness of evil.”
133 tn Heb “and the fool multiplies words.” This line is best taken as the third line of a tricola encompassing 10:13-14a (NASB, NRSV, NJPS, Moffatt) rather than the first line of a tricola encompassing 10:14 (KJV, NEB, RSV, NAB, ASV, NIV). Several versions capture the sense of this line well: “a fool prates on and on” (Moffatt) and “Yet the fool talks and talks!” (NJPS).
134 tn Heb “after him”; or “after he [dies].”
135 tn The plural form of הַכְּסִילִים (hakkÿsilim, from כְּסִיל, kÿsil, “fool”) denotes (1) plural of number: referring to several fools or (2) plural of habitual character or plural of intensity (referring to a single person characterized by a habitual or intense quality of foolishness). The latter is favored because the two verbs in 10:15 are both singular in form: “wearies him” (תְּיַגְּעֶנּוּ, tÿyaggÿ’ennu) and “he does [not] know” (לֹא־יָדַע, lo’-yada’); see GKC 440-41 §135.p. The article on הַכְּסִילִים is used in the generic sense.
136 tn This line may be interpreted in one of three ways: (1) “the labor of fools wearies him because he did not know enough to go to a town,” referring to the labor of the peasants who had not been able to find a place in town where life was easier; (2) “the labor of the fools so wearies everyone of them (singular pronoun taken in a distributive sense) so much that he even does not know how to go to town,” that is, he does not even know how to do the easiest thing in the world; (3) “let the labor of fools so weary him that he may not even know how to go to town,” taking the verb as a jussive, describing the foolish man described in 10:12-14. See D. Barthélemy, ed., Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 3:592–93.
137 tn Heb “he does not know to go to the city.”
138 tn Or “a child”; or “a servant.” The term נַעַר (na’ar) has a wide range of meanings (HALOT 707 s.v. נַעַר; BDB 654–55 s.v. II נַעַר). Used in reference to age, it may refer to an infant (Exod 2:6; Judg 13:5; 1 Sam 1:22; 4:21; 2 Sam 12:16), a child just weaned (1 Sam 1:24), an adolescent in puberty (1 Sam 16:11), or a young man of marriageable age (Gen 34:19; 2 Sam 14:21; 18:5, 12). Its technical or titular use denotes “servant” (Num 22:22; Judg 7:10-11; 19:3; 1 Sam 3:9; 2 Sam 16:1; 2 Kgs 4:12, 25; 19:6), “retainer; attendant; follower” (Gen 14:24; 1 Sam 25:5; 2 Sam 2:14; 2 Kgs 19:6; Isa 37:6; Job 1:15-17; Neh 4:10, 17) and “soldier” (1 Kgs 20:15-16). The parallel Ugaritic term is used in reference to physical age (lad; son; youth) and in a technical sense (guild members; servitors; soldiers); see UT 19.445. The LXX rendered it with νεώτερος (newteros, “youthful”). The English versions vary: “child,” (KJV, ASV, NASB, MLB, RSV, NRSV margin, NIV margin); “childish” (NIV margin); “servant” or “slave” (NEB, NAB, ASV margin, NRSV, NIV); and “lackey” (NJPS). When used in reference to rulers, it emphasizes incompetence, naiveté, inexperience, and immaturity (Isa 3:4, 9; 1 Kgs 3:7). This use must be understood in the light of the parallel antonym: “son of freemen” (בֶּן־חוֹרִים, ben-khorim). This suggests “servant,” that is, one who was not well trained and prepared by noble birth to ascend to the throne.
139 tn Heb “son of nobles”; or “son of freemen.” The term חוֹרִים (khorim) is from חֹר (khor, “noble one; freeman”); cf. HALOT 348 s.v. I חֹר; BDB 359 s.v. I חֹר. It is related to the Aramaic noun חֲרַר (kharar, “freeman”); Sabean חר (“freeman; noble”); Old South Arabic חר and Arabic hurr (“freedom”); cf. HALOT 348 s.v. חֹר; BDB 359 s.v. חֹר.
140 tn The noun עֵת (’et, “point in time”) has a basic two-fold range of meanings: (1) “time of an event” and (2) “time for an event” (BDB 773 s.v. עֵת). The latter has four sub-categories: (a) “usual time,” (b) “the proper, suitable or appropriate time,” (c) “the appointed time,” and (d) “uncertain time.” Here it connotes “a proper, suitable time for an event” (HALOT 900 s.v. עֵת 6; BDB 773 s.v. עֵת 2.b). Examples of this use include: “it was the time for rain” (Ezra 10:13); “a time of judgment for the nations” (Ezek 30:3); “there is an appropriate time for every occasion” (Eccl 3:1); “the rain in its season” (Deut 11:14; Jer 5:24); “the time for the harvest” (Hos 2:11; Ps 1:3); “food in its season” (Ps 104:27); “the right moment” (Eccl 8:5); cf. HALOT 900 s.v. עֵת 6.
141 tn Heb “for strength and not for drunkenness”; or “as heroes and not as drunkards”; or “for nourishment and not for drunkenness.” According to HALOT 172 s.v. גְבוּרה 1.d the term גְבוּרָה (gÿvurah, “strength”) may here connote “self-control.” This tactic is adopted by a few English versions: “with self-control, and not as drunkards” (NEB) and “with restraint, not with guzzling” (NJPS). On the other hand, most English versions render בִּגְבוּרָה וְלֹא בַשְּׁתִי (bigvurah vÿlo’ vashÿti) in a woodenly literal sense, “for strength and not for drunkenness” (YLT, KJV, ASV, NASB, RSV, NRSV, NIV). However, a few attempt to express the idiom clearly: “as stalwarts and not as drunkards” (MLB); “stalwart men, not sots” (Moffatt); “for vigor and not in drinking bouts” (NAB); “for refreshment, and not for riotousness” (Douay).
142 tn Or “the rafters sink.”
143 tn Heb “lowering of hands.”
144 tn Heb “bread.” The term לֶחֶם (lekhem) is used literally of “bread” and figuratively (i.e., by metonymy) for a “feast” (BDB 536–37 s.v. לֶחֶם). BDB suggests that עֹשִׂיה לֶחֶם (’osih lekhem) in Eccl 10:19 means “make a feast” (BDB 537 s.v. לֶחֶם 1.a). This obscure line has occasioned numerous proposals: “a feast is made for laughter” (KJV, ASV, NIV); “feasts are made for laughter” (NRSV); “men feast for merrymaking” (Moffatt); “men prepare a meal for enjoyment” (NASB); “the table has its pleasures” (NEB); “they [i.e., rulers of v. 16] make a banquet for revelry” (NJPS); “people prepare a banquet for enjoyment” (MLB); “for laughter they make bread and wine, that the living may feast” (Douay); “bread is made for laughter” (RSV); “bread [and oil] call forth merriment” (NAB).
145 tn The subject of the verb is not specified. When active verbs have an unspecified subject, they are often used in a passive sense: “Bread [feasts] are made….”
146 tn Heb “and wine gladdens life.”
147 tn Or “and [they think that] money is the answer for everything.”
148 tn Perhaps the referent is people who are in authority because of their wealth.
149 tn Heb “in chambers of your bedroom.”
150 tn Heb “a bird of the air.”
151 tn Heb “might carry the voice.” The article is used here with the force of a possessive pronoun.
152 tn The Hebrew phrase בַּעַל הַכְּנָפַיִם (ba’al hakkÿnafayim, “possessor of wings”) is an idiom for a winged creature, that is, a bird (e.g., Prov 1:17; see HALOT 143 s.v. בַּעַל A.6; BDB 127 s.v. בַּעַל 5.a). The term בַּעַל (“master; possessor”) is the construct governing the attributive genitive הַכְּנָפַיִם (“wings”); see IBHS 149-51 §9.5.3b.
153 tn The term “your” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.
154 tn Heb “tell the matter.”
155 tn Grk “say what is fitting for sound teaching” (introducing the behavior called for in this chapter.).
156 tn Or “sensible.”
157 sn Temperate…in endurance. See the same cluster of virtues in 1 Thess 1:3 and 1 Cor 13:13.
158 tn Grk “that they may train” (continuing the sentence of 2:3).
159 tn This verb, σωφρονίζω (swfronizw), denotes teaching in the sense of bringing people to their senses, showing what sound thinking is.
160 tn Or “sensible.”
161 tn Grk “domestic,” “keeping house.”
162 tn Or “word.”
163 tn Or “slandered.”
164 tn Or “sensible.”
165 tn Or “put to shame.”
166 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 1:1.
167 tn Or “to be subject to their own masters, to do what is wanted in everything.”
168 tn Or “showing that genuine faith is productive.” At issue between these two translations is the force of ἀγαθήν (agaqhn): Is it attributive (as the text has it) or predicate (as in this note)? A number of considerations point in the direction of a predicate ἀγαθήν (e.g., separation from the noun πίστιν (pistin) by the verb, the possibility that the construction is an object-complement, etc.), though is not usually seen as an option in either translations or commentaries. Cf. ExSyn 188-89, 312-13, for a discussion. Contextually, it makes an intriguing statement, for it suggests a synthetic or synonymous parallel: “‘Slaves should be wholly subject to their masters…demonstrating that all [genuine] faith is productive, with the result [ecbatic ἵνα] that they will completely adorn the doctrine of God.’ The point of the text, then, if this understanding is correct, is an exhortation to slaves to demonstrate that their faith is sincere and results in holy behavior. If taken this way, the text seems to support the idea that saving faith does not fail, but even results in good works” (ExSyn 312-13). The translation of ἀγαθήν as an attributive adjective, however, also makes good sense.
169 tn Or “adorn,” “show the beauty of.”
170 tn Grk “all men”; but ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpois) is generic here, referring to both men and women.
171 tn Grk “training us” (as a continuation of the previous clause). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 12 by translating the participle παιδεύουσα (paideuousa) as a finite verb and supplying the pronoun “it” as subject.
172 tn Grk “ungodliness.”
173 tn Grk “the blessed hope and glorious appearing.”
174 tn The terms “God and Savior” both refer to the same person, Jesus Christ. This is one of the clearest statements in the NT concerning the deity of Christ. The construction in Greek is known as the Granville Sharp rule, named after the English philanthropist-linguist who first clearly articulated the rule in 1798. Sharp pointed out that in the construction article-noun-καί-noun (where καί [kai] = “and”), when two nouns are singular, personal, and common (i.e., not proper names), they always had the same referent. Illustrations such as “the friend and brother,” “the God and Father,” etc. abound in the NT to prove Sharp’s point. The only issue is whether terms such as “God” and “Savior” could be considered common nouns as opposed to proper names. Sharp and others who followed (such as T. F. Middleton in his masterful The Doctrine of the Greek Article) demonstrated that a proper name in Greek was one that could not be pluralized. Since both “God” (θεός, qeos) and “savior” (σωτήρ, swthr) were occasionally found in the plural, they did not constitute proper names, and hence, do fit Sharp’s rule. Although there have been 200 years of attempts to dislodge Sharp’s rule, all attempts have been futile. Sharp’s rule stands vindicated after all the dust has settled. For more information on Sharp’s rule see ExSyn 270-78, esp. 276. See also 2 Pet 1:1 and Jude 4.
175 tn Grk “who” (as a continuation of the previous clause).
176 tn Or “a people who are his very own.”
177 tn Grk “for good works.”
178 tn Or “reproof,” “censure.” The Greek word ἐλέγχω (elencw) implies exposing someone’s sin in order to bring correction.
179 tn Grk “speak these things and exhort and rebuke with all authority.”
180 tn Or “let anyone despise you”; or “let anyone disregard you.”
