Deuteronomy 2:1-37 
Context2:1 Then we turned and set out toward the desert land on the way to the Red Sea 1 just as the Lord told me to do, detouring around Mount Seir for a long time. 2:2 At this point the Lord said to me, 2:3 “You have circled around this mountain long enough; now turn north. 2:4 Instruct 2 these people as follows: ‘You are about to cross the border of your relatives 3 the descendants of Esau, 4 who inhabit Seir. They will be afraid of you, so watch yourselves carefully. 2:5 Do not be hostile toward them, because I am not giving you any of their land, not even a footprint, for I have given Mount Seir 5 as an inheritance for Esau. 2:6 You may purchase 6 food to eat and water to drink from them. 2:7 All along the way I, the Lord your God, 7 have blessed your every effort. 8 I have 9 been attentive to 10 your travels through this great wasteland. These forty years I have 11 been with you; you have lacked for nothing.’”
2:8 So we turned away from our relatives 12 the descendants of Esau, the inhabitants of Seir, turning from the desert route, 13 from Elat 14 and Ezion Geber, 15 and traveling the way of the Moab wastelands. 2:9 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not harass Moab and provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land as your territory. This is because I have given Ar 16 to the descendants of Lot 17 as their possession. 2:10 (The Emites 18 used to live there, a people as powerful, numerous, and tall as the Anakites. 2:11 These people, as well as the Anakites, are also considered Rephaites; 19 the Moabites call them Emites. 2:12 Previously the Horites 20 lived in Seir but the descendants of Esau dispossessed and destroyed them and settled in their place, just as Israel did to the land it came to possess, the land the Lord gave them.) 21 2:13 Now, get up and cross the Wadi Zered.” 22 So we did so. 23 2:14 Now the length of time it took for us to go from Kadesh Barnea to the crossing of Wadi Zered was thirty-eight years, time for all the military men of that generation to die, just as the Lord had vowed to them. 2:15 Indeed, it was the very hand of the Lord that eliminated them from within 24 the camp until they were all gone.
2:16 So it was that after all the military men had been eliminated from the community, 25 2:17 the Lord said to me, 2:18 “Today you are going to cross the border of Moab, that is, of Ar. 26 2:19 But when you come close to the Ammonites, do not harass or provoke them because I am not giving you any of the Ammonites’ land as your possession; I have already given it to Lot’s descendants 27 as their possession.
2:20 (That also is considered to be a land of the Rephaites. 28 The Rephaites lived there originally; the Ammonites call them Zamzummites. 29 2:21 They are a people as powerful, numerous, and tall as the Anakites. But the Lord destroyed the Rephaites 30 in advance of the Ammonites, 31 so they dispossessed them and settled down in their place. 2:22 This is exactly what he did for the descendants of Esau who lived in Seir when he destroyed the Horites before them so that they could dispossess them and settle in their area to this very day. 2:23 As for the Avvites 32 who lived in settlements as far west as Gaza, Caphtorites 33 who came from Crete 34 destroyed them and settled down in their place.)
2:24 Get up, make your way across Wadi Arnon. Look! I have already delivered over to you Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, 35 and his land. Go ahead! Take it! Engage him in war! 2:25 This very day I will begin to fill all the people of the earth 36 with dread and to terrify them when they hear about you. They will shiver and shake in anticipation of your approach.” 37
2:26 Then I sent messengers from the Kedemoth 38 Desert to King Sihon of Heshbon with an offer of peace: 2:27 “Let me pass through your land; I will keep strictly to the roadway. 39 I will not turn aside to the right or the left. 2:28 Sell me food for cash 40 so that I can eat and sell me water to drink. 41 Just allow me to go through on foot, 2:29 just as the descendants of Esau who live at Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I cross the Jordan to the land the Lord our God is giving us.” 2:30 But King Sihon of Heshbon was unwilling to allow us to pass near him because the Lord our 42 God had made him obstinate 43 and stubborn 44 so that he might deliver him over to you 45 this very day. 2:31 The Lord said to me, “Look! I have already begun to give over Sihon and his land to you. Start right now to take his land as your possession.” 2:32 When Sihon and all his troops 46 emerged to encounter us in battle at Jahaz, 47 2:33 the Lord our God delivered him over to us and we struck him down, along with his sons 48 and everyone else. 49 2:34 At that time we seized all his cities and put every one of them 50 under divine judgment, 51 including even the women and children; we left no survivors. 2:35 We kept only the livestock and plunder from the cities for ourselves. 2:36 From Aroer, 52 which is at the edge of Wadi Arnon (it is the city in the wadi), 53 all the way to Gilead there was not a town able to resist us – the Lord our God gave them all to us. 2:37 However, you did not approach the land of the Ammonites, the Wadi Jabbok, 54 the cities of the hill country, or any place else forbidden by the Lord our God.
Psalms 83:1--84:12
ContextA song, a psalm of Asaph.
83:1 O God, do not be silent!
Do not ignore us! 56 Do not be inactive, O God!
83:2 For look, your enemies are making a commotion;
those who hate you are hostile. 57
83:3 They carefully plot 58 against your people,
and make plans to harm 59 the ones you cherish. 60
83:4 They say, “Come on, let’s annihilate them so they are no longer a nation! 61
Then the name of Israel will be remembered no more.”
83:5 Yes, 62 they devise a unified strategy; 63
they form an alliance 64 against you.
83:6 It includes 65 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites, 66
83:7 Gebal, 67 Ammon, and Amalek,
Philistia and the inhabitants of Tyre. 68
83:8 Even Assyria has allied with them,
lending its strength to the descendants of Lot. 69 (Selah)
83:9 Do to them as you did to Midian 70 –
as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River! 71
83:10 They were destroyed at Endor; 72
their corpses were like manure 73 on the ground.
83:11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, 74
and all their rulers like Zebah and Zalmunna, 75
83:12 who said, 76 “Let’s take over 77 the pastures of God!”
83:13 O my God, make them like dead thistles, 78
like dead weeds blown away by 79 the wind!
83:14 Like the fire that burns down the forest,
or the flames that consume the mountainsides, 80
83:15 chase them with your gale winds,
and terrify 81 them with your windstorm.
83:16 Cover 82 their faces with shame,
so they might seek 83 you, 84 O Lord.
83:17 May they be humiliated and continually terrified! 85
May they die in shame! 86
83:18 Then they will know 87 that you alone are the Lord, 88
the sovereign king 89 over all the earth.
For the music director; according to the gittith style; 91 written by the Korahites, a psalm.
84:1 How lovely is the place where you live, 92
O Lord who rules over all! 93
84:2 I desperately want to be 94
in the courts of the Lord’s temple. 95
My heart and my entire being 96 shout for joy
to the living God.
84:3 Even the birds find a home there,
and the swallow 97 builds a nest,
where she can protect her young 98
near your altars, O Lord who rules over all,
my king and my God.
84:4 How blessed 99 are those who live in your temple
and praise you continually! (Selah)
84:5 How blessed are those who 100 find their strength in you,
and long to travel the roads that lead to your temple! 101
84:6 As they pass through the Baca Valley, 102
he provides a spring for them. 103
The rain 104 even covers it with pools of water. 105
84:7 They are sustained as they travel along; 106
each one appears 107 before God in Zion.
84:8 O Lord, sovereign God, 108
hear my prayer!
Listen, O God of Jacob! (Selah)
84:9 O God, take notice of our shield! 109
Show concern for your chosen king! 110
84:10 Certainly 111 spending just one day in your temple courts is better
than spending a thousand elsewhere. 112
I would rather stand at the entrance 113 to the temple of my God
than live 114 in the tents of the wicked.
84:11 For the Lord God is our sovereign protector. 115
The Lord bestows favor 116 and honor;
he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity. 117
84:12 O Lord who rules over all, 118
how blessed are those who trust in you! 119
Isaiah 30:1-33
Context30:1 “The rebellious 120 children are as good as dead,” 121 says the Lord,
“those who make plans without consulting me, 122
who form alliances without consulting my Spirit, 123
and thereby compound their sin. 124
30:2 They travel down to Egypt
without seeking my will, 125
seeking Pharaoh’s protection,
and looking for safety in Egypt’s protective shade. 126
30:3 But Pharaoh’s protection will bring you nothing but shame,
and the safety of Egypt’s protective shade nothing but humiliation.
30:4 Though his 127 officials are in Zoan
and his messengers arrive at Hanes, 128
30:5 all will be put to shame 129
because of a nation that cannot help them,
who cannot give them aid or help,
but only shame and disgrace.”
30:6 This is a message 130 about the animals in the Negev:
Through a land of distress and danger,
inhabited by lionesses and roaring lions, 131
by snakes and darting adders, 132
they transport 133 their wealth on the backs of donkeys,
their riches on the humps of camels,
to a nation that cannot help them. 134
30:7 Egypt is totally incapable of helping. 135
For this reason I call her
‘Proud one 136 who is silenced.’” 137
30:8 Now go, write it 138 down on a tablet in their presence, 139
inscribe it on a scroll,
so that it might be preserved for a future time
as an enduring witness. 140
30:9 For these are rebellious people –
they are lying children,
children unwilling to obey the Lord’s law. 141
30:10 They 142 say to the visionaries, “See no more visions!”
and to the seers, “Don’t relate messages to us about what is right! 143
Tell us nice things,
relate deceptive messages. 144
30:11 Turn aside from the way,
stray off the path. 145
Remove from our presence the Holy One of Israel.” 146
30:12 For this reason this is what the Holy One of Israel says:
“You have rejected this message; 147
you trust instead in your ability to oppress and trick, 148
and rely on that kind of behavior. 149
30:13 So this sin will become your downfall.
You will be like a high wall
that bulges and cracks and is ready to collapse;
it crumbles suddenly, in a flash. 150
30:14 It shatters in pieces like a clay jar,
so shattered to bits that none of it can be salvaged. 151
Among its fragments one cannot find a shard large enough 152
to scoop a hot coal from a fire 153
or to skim off water from a cistern.” 154
30:15 For this is what the master, the Lord, the Holy One of Israel says:
“If you repented and patiently waited for me, you would be delivered; 155
if you calmly trusted in me you would find strength, 156
but you are unwilling.
30:16 You say, ‘No, we will flee on horses,’
so you will indeed flee.
You say, ‘We will ride on fast horses,’
so your pursuers will be fast.
30:17 One thousand will scurry at the battle cry of one enemy soldier; 157
at the battle cry of five enemy soldiers you will all run away, 158
until the remaining few are as isolated 159
as a flagpole on a mountaintop
or a signal flag on a hill.”
30:18 For this reason the Lord is ready to show you mercy;
he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. 160
Indeed, the Lord is a just God;
all who wait for him in faith will be blessed. 161
30:19 For people will live in Zion;
in Jerusalem 162 you will weep no more. 163
When he hears your cry of despair, he will indeed show you mercy;
when he hears it, he will respond to you. 164
30:20 The sovereign master 165 will give you distress to eat
and suffering to drink; 166
but your teachers will no longer be hidden;
your eyes will see them. 167
30:21 You 168 will hear a word spoken behind you, saying,
“This is the correct 169 way, walk in it,”
whether you are heading to the right or the left.
30:22 You will desecrate your silver-plated idols 170
and your gold-plated images. 171
You will throw them away as if they were a menstrual rag,
saying to them, “Get out!”
30:23 He will water the seed you plant in the ground,
and the ground will produce crops in abundance. 172
At that time 173 your cattle will graze in wide pastures.
30:24 The oxen and donkeys used in plowing 174
will eat seasoned feed winnowed with a shovel and pitchfork. 175
30:25 On every high mountain
and every high hill
there will be streams flowing with water,
at the time of 176 great slaughter when the fortified towers collapse.
30:26 The light of the full moon will be like the sun’s glare
and the sun’s glare will be seven times brighter,
like the light of seven days, 177
when the Lord binds up his people’s fractured bones 178
and heals their severe wound. 179
30:27 Look, the name 180 of the Lord comes from a distant place
in raging anger and awesome splendor. 181
He speaks angrily
and his word is like destructive fire. 182
30:28 His battle cry overwhelms like a flooding river 183
that reaches one’s neck.
He shakes the nations in a sieve that isolates the chaff; 184
he puts a bit into the mouth of the nations and leads them to destruction. 185
30:29 You will sing
as you do in the evening when you are celebrating a festival.
You will be happy like one who plays a flute
as he goes to the mountain of the Lord, the Rock who shelters Israel. 186
30:30 The Lord will give a mighty shout 187
and intervene in power, 188
with furious anger and flaming, destructive fire, 189
with a driving rainstorm and hailstones.
30:31 Indeed, the Lord’s shout will shatter Assyria; 190
he will beat them with a club.
30:32 Every blow from his punishing cudgel, 191
with which the Lord will beat them, 192
will be accompanied by music from the 193 tambourine and harp,
and he will attack them with his weapons. 194
30:33 For 195 the burial place is already prepared; 196
it has been made deep and wide for the king. 197
The firewood is piled high on it. 198
The Lord’s breath, like a stream flowing with brimstone,
will ignite it.
1 tn Heb “Reed Sea.” See note on the term “Red Sea” in Deut 1:40.
2 tn Heb “command” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “charge the people as follows.”
3 tn Heb “brothers”; NAB “your kinsmen.”
4 sn The descendants of Esau (Heb “sons of Esau”; the phrase also occurs in 2:8, 12, 22, 29). These are the inhabitants of the land otherwise known as Edom, south and east of the Dead Sea. Jacob’s brother Esau had settled there after his bitter strife with Jacob (Gen 36:1-8). “Edom” means “reddish,” probably because of the red sandstone of the region, but also by popular etymology because Esau, at birth, was reddish (Gen 25:25).
5 sn Mount Seir is synonymous with Edom.
6 tn Heb includes “with silver.”
7 tn The Hebrew text does not have the first person pronoun; it has been supplied for purposes of English style (the Lord is speaking here).
8 tn Heb “all the work of your hands.”
9 tn Heb “he has.” This has been converted to first person in the translation in keeping with English style.
10 tn Heb “known” (so ASV, NASB); NAB “been concerned about.”
11 tn Heb “the
12 tn Or “brothers”; NRSV “our kin.”
13 tn Heb “the way of the Arabah” (so ASV); NASB, NIV “the Arabah road.”
14 sn Elat was a port city at the head of the eastern arm of the Red Sea, that is, the Gulf of Aqaba (or Gulf of Eilat). Solomon (1 Kgs 9:28), Uzziah (2 Kgs 14:22), and Ahaz (2 Kgs 16:5-6) used it as a port but eventually it became permanently part of Edom. It may be what is known today as Tell el-Kheleifeh. Modern Eilat is located further west along the northern coast. See G. Pratico, “Nelson Glueck’s 1938-1940 Excavations at Tell el-Kheleifeh: A Reappraisal,” BASOR 259 (1985): 1-32.
15 sn Ezion Geber. A place near the Gulf of Aqaba, Ezion-geber must be distinguished from Elat (cf. 1 Kgs 9:26-28; 2 Chr 8:17-18). It was, however, also a port city (1 Kgs 22:48-49). It may be the same as the modern site Gezirat al-Fauran, 15 mi (24 km) south-southwest from Tell el-Kheleifah.
16 sn Ar was a Moabite city on the Arnon River east of the Dead Sea. It is mentioned elsewhere in the “Book of the Wars of Yahweh” (Num 21:15; cf. 21:28; Isa 15:1). Here it is synonymous with the whole land of Moab.
17 sn The descendants of Lot. Following the destruction of the cities of the plain, Sodom and Gomorrah, as God’s judgment, Lot fathered two sons by his two daughters, namely, Moab and Ammon (Gen 19:30-38). Thus, these descendants of Lot in and around Ar were the Moabites.
18 sn Emites. These giant people, like the Anakites (Deut 1:28), were also known as Rephaites (v. 11). They appear elsewhere in the narrative of the invasion of the kings of the east where they are said to have lived around Shaveh Kiriathaim, perhaps 9 to 11 mi (15 to 18 km) east of the north end of the Dead Sea (Gen 14:5).
19 sn Rephaites. The earliest reference to this infamous giant race is, again, in the story of the invasion of the eastern kings (Gen 14:5). They lived around Ashteroth Karnaim, probably modern Tell Ashtarah (cf. Deut 1:4), in the Bashan plateau east of the Sea of Galilee. Og, king of Bashan, was a Rephaite (Deut 3:11; Josh 12:4; 13:12). Other texts speak of them or their kinfolk in both Transjordan (Deut 2:20; 3:13) and Canaan (Josh 11:21-22; 14:12, 15; 15:13-14; Judg 1:20; 1 Sam 17:4; 1 Chr 20:4-8). They also appear in extra-biblical literature, especially in connection with the city state of Ugarit. See C. L’Heureux, “Ugaritic and Biblical Rephaim,” HTR 67 (1974): 265-74.
20 sn Horites. Most likely these are the same as the well-known people of ancient Near Eastern texts described as Hurrians. They were geographically widespread and probably non-Semitic. Genesis speaks of them as the indigenous peoples of Edom that Esau expelled (Gen 36:8-19, 31-43) and also as among those who confronted the kings of the east (Gen 14:6).
21 tn Most modern English versions, beginning with the ASV (1901), regard vv. 10-12 as parenthetical to the narrative.
22 sn Wadi Zered. Now known as Wadi el-H£esa, this valley marked the boundary between Moab to the north and Edom to the south.
23 tn Heb “we crossed the Wadi Zered.” This has been translated as “we did so” for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.
24 tn Heb “from the middle of.” Although many recent English versions leave this expression untranslated, the point seems to be that these soldiers did not die in battle but “within the camp.”
25 tn Heb “and it was when they were eliminated, all the men of war, to die from the midst of the people.”
26 sn Ar. See note on this word in Deut 2:9.
27 sn Lot’s descendants. See note on this phrase in Deut 2:9.
28 sn Rephaites. See note on this word in Deut 2:11.
29 sn Zamzummites. Just as the Moabites called Rephaites by the name Emites, the Ammonites called them Zamzummites (or Zazites; Gen 14:5).
30 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the Rephaites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
31 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the Ammonites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
32 sn Avvites. Otherwise unknown, these people were probably also Anakite (or Rephaite) giants who lived in the lower Mediterranean coastal plain until they were expelled by the Caphtorites.
33 sn Caphtorites. These peoples are familiar from both the OT (Gen 10:14; 1 Chr 1:12; Jer 47:4; Amos 9:7) and ancient Near Eastern texts (Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, 2:37-38; ANET 138). They originated in Crete (OT “Caphtor”) and are identified as the ancestors of the Philistines (Gen 10:14; Jer 47:4).
34 tn Heb “Caphtor”; the modern name of the island of Crete is used in the translation for clarity (cf. NCV, TEV, NLT).
35 sn Heshbon is the name of a prominent site (now Tell Hesba„n, about 7.5 mi [12 km] south southwest of Amman, Jordan). Sihon made it his capital after having driven Moab from the area and forced them south to the Arnon (Num 21:26-30). Heshbon is also mentioned in Deut 1:4.
36 tn Heb “under heaven” (so NIV, NRSV).
37 tn Heb “from before you.”
38 sn Kedemoth. This is probably Aleiyan, about 8 mi (13 km) north of the Arnon and between Dibon and Mattanah.
39 tn Heb “in the way in the way” (בַּדֶּרֶךְ בַּדֶּרֶךְ, baderekh baderekh). The repetition lays great stress on the idea of resolute determination to stick to the path. IBHS 116 §7.2.3c.
40 tn Heb “silver.”
41 tn Heb “and water for silver give to me so that I may drink.”
42 tc The translation follows the LXX in reading the first person pronoun. The MT, followed by many English versions, has a second person masculine singular pronoun, “your.”
43 tn Heb “hardened his spirit” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV “made his spirit stubborn.”
44 tn Heb “made his heart obstinate” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “made his heart defiant.”
45 tn Heb “into your hand.”
46 tn Heb “people.”
47 sn Jahaz. This is probably Khirbet el-Medeiyineh. See J. Dearman, “The Levitical Cities of Reuben and Moabite Toponymy,” BASOR 276 (1984): 55-57.
48 tc The translation follows the Qere or marginal reading; the Kethib (consonantal text) has the singular, “his son.”
49 tn Heb “all his people.”
50 tn Heb “every city of men.” This apparently identifies the cities as inhabited.
51 tn Heb “under the ban” (נַחֲרֵם, nakharem). The verb employed is חָרַם (kharam, usually in the Hiphil) and the associated noun is חֵרֶם (kherem). See J. Naudé, NIDOTTE, 2:276-77, and, for a more thorough discussion, Susan Niditch, War in the Hebrew Bible, 28-77.
sn Divine judgment refers to God’s designation of certain persons, places, and things as objects of his special wrath and judgment because, in his omniscience, he knows them to be impure and hopelessly unrepentant.
52 sn Aroer. Now known as àAraáir on the northern edge of the Arnon river, Aroer marked the southern limit of Moab and, later, of the allotment of the tribe of Reuben (Josh 13:9, 16).
53 tn Heb “the city in the wadi.” This enigmatic reference may refer to Ar or, more likely, to Aroer itself. Epexegetically the text might read, “From Aroer…, that is, the city in the wadi.” See D. L. Christensen, Deuteronomy 1–11 (WBC), 49.
54 sn Wadi Jabbok. Now known as the Zerqa River, this is a major tributary of the Jordan that normally served as a boundary between Ammon and Gad (Deut 3:16).
55 sn Psalm 83. The psalmist asks God to deliver Israel from the attacks of foreign nations. Recalling how God defeated Israel’s enemies in the days of Deborah and Gideon, he prays that the hostile nations would be humiliated.
56 tn Heb “do not be deaf.”
57 tn Heb “lift up [their] head[s].” The phrase “lift up [the] head” here means “to threaten; to be hostile,” as in Judg 8:28.
58 tn Heb “they make crafty a plot.”
59 tn Heb “and consult together against.”
60 tn The passive participle of the Hebrew verb צָפַן (tsafan, “to hide”) is used here in the sense of “treasured; cherished.”
61 tn Heb “we will cause them to disappear from [being] a nation.”
62 tn Or “for.”
63 tn Heb “they consult [with] a heart together.”
64 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
65 tn The words “it includes” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
66 sn The Hagrites are also mentioned in 1 Chr 5:10, 19-20.
67 sn Some identify Gebal with the Phoenician coastal city of Byblos (see Ezek 27:9, where the name is spelled differently), though others locate this site south of the Dead Sea (see BDB 148 s.v. גְּבַל; HALOT 174 s.v. גְּבַל).
68 map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
69 tn Heb “they are an arm for the sons of Lot.” The “arm” is here a symbol of military might.
sn The descendants of Lot were the Moabites and Ammonites.
70 tn Heb “do to them like Midian.”
71 sn The psalmist alludes here to Gideon’s victory over the Midianites (see Judg 7-8) and to Barak’s victory over Jabin’s army, which was led by his general Sisera (Judg 4-5).
72 sn Endor is not mentioned in the accounts of Gideon’s or Barak’s victories, but both battles took place in the general vicinity of the town. (See Y. Aharoni and M. Avi-Yonah, The Macmillan Bible Atlas, 46, 54.) Because Sisera and Jabin are mentioned in v. 9b, many understand them to be the subject of the verbs in v. 10, though they relate v. 10 to Gideon’s victory, which is referred to in v. 9a, 11. (See, for example, Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, 263.)
73 tn Heb “they were manure.” In addition to this passage, corpses are compared to manure in 2 Kgs 9:37; Jer 8:2; 9:21; 16:4; 25:33.
74 sn Oreb and Zeeb were the generals of the Midianite army that was defeated by Gideon. The Ephraimites captured and executed both of them and sent their heads to Gideon (Judg 7:24-25).
75 sn Zebah and Zalmunna were the Midianite kings. Gideon captured them and executed them (Judg 8:1-21).
76 tn The translation assumes that “Zebah and Zalmunna” are the antecedents of the relative pronoun (“who [said]”). Another option is to take “their nobles…all their rulers” as the antecedent and to translate, “those who say.”
77 tn Heb “let’s take possession for ourselves.”
78 tn Or “tumbleweed.” The Hebrew noun גַּלְגַּל (galgal) refers to a “wheel” or, metaphorically, to a whirling wind (see Ps 77:18). If taken in the latter sense here, one could understand the term as a metonymical reference to dust blown by a whirlwind (cf. NRSV “like whirling dust”). However, HALOT 190 s.v. II גַּלְגַּל understands the noun as a homonym referring to a “dead thistle” here and in Isa 17:13. The parallel line, which refers to קַשׁ (qash, “chaff”), favors this interpretation.
79 tn Heb “before.”
80 sn The imagery of fire and flames suggests unrelenting, destructive judgment.
81 tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 15 express the psalmist’s wish or prayer.
82 tn Heb “fill.”
83 tn After the preceding imperative, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose or result (“then they will seek”).
84 tn Heb “your name,” which stands here for God’s person.
85 tn Heb “and may they be terrified to perpetuity.” The Hebrew expression עֲדֵי־עַד (’adey-’ad, “to perpetuity”) can mean “forevermore” (see Pss 92:7; 132:12, 14), but here it may be used hyperbolically, for the psalmist asks that the experience of judgment might lead the nations to recognize (v. 18) and even to seek (v. 16) God.
86 tn Heb “may they be ashamed and perish.” The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist concludes his prayer with an imprecation, calling severe judgment down on his enemies. The strong language of the imprecation seems to run contrary to the positive outcome of divine judgment envisioned in v. 16b. Perhaps the language of v. 17 is overstated for effect. Another option is that v. 16b expresses an ideal, while the strong imprecation of vv. 17-18 anticipates reality. It would be nice if the defeated nations actually pursued a relationship with God, but if judgment does not bring them to that point, the psalmist asks that they be annihilated so that they might at least be forced to acknowledge God’s power.
87 tn After the preceding jussives (v. 17), the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose (“so that they may know”) or result.
88 tn Heb “that you, your name [is] the
89 tn Traditionally “the Most High.”
90 sn Psalm 84. The psalmist expresses his desire to be in God’s presence in the Jerusalem temple, for the Lord is the protector of his people.
91 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term הַגִּתִּית (haggittit) is uncertain; it probably refers to a musical style or instrument.
92 tn Or “your dwelling place[s].” The plural form of the noun may indicate degree or quality; this is the
93 tn Traditionally, “
94 tn Heb “my soul longs, it even pines for.”
95 tn Heb “the courts of the
96 tn Heb “my flesh,” which stands for his whole person and being.
97 tn The word translated “swallow” occurs only here and in Prov 26:2.
98 tn Heb “even a bird finds a home, and a swallow a nest for herself, [in] which she places her young.”
sn The psalmist here romanticizes the temple as a place of refuge and safety. As he thinks of the birds nesting near its roof, he envisions them finding protection in God’s presence.
99 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see v. 12 and Pss 1:1; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
100 tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle stated here was 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 plural “those.” The individual referred to in v. 5a is representative of followers of God, as the use of plural forms in vv. 5b-7 indicates.
101 tn Heb “roads [are] in their heart[s].” The roads are here those that lead to Zion (see v. 7).
102 tn The translation assumes that the Hebrew phrase עֵמֶק הַבָּכָא (’emeq habbakha’) is the name of an otherwise unknown arid valley through which pilgrims to Jerusalem passed. The term בָּכָא (bakha’) may be the name of a particular type of plant or shrub that grew in this valley. O. Borowski (Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 130) suggests it is the black mulberry. Some take the phrase as purely metaphorical and relate בָּכָא to the root בָּכָה (bakhah, “to weep”). In this case one might translate, “the valley of weeping” or “the valley of affliction.”
103 tc The MT reads “a spring they make it,” but this makes little sense. Many medieval Hebrew
104 tn This rare word may refer to the early (or autumn) rains (see Joel 2:23).
105 tc The MT reads בְּרָכוֹת (bÿrakhot, “blessings”) but the preceding reference to a “spring” favors an emendation to בְּרֵכוֹת (bÿrekhot, “pools”).
sn Pools of water. Because water is so necessary for life, it makes an apt symbol for divine favor and blessing. As the pilgrims traveled to Jerusalem, God provided for their physical needs and gave them a token of his favor and of the blessings awaiting them at the temple.
106 tn Heb “they go from strength to strength.” The phrase “from strength to strength” occurs only here in the OT. With a verb of motion, the expression “from [common noun] to [same common noun]” normally suggests movement from one point to another or through successive points (see Num 36:7; 1 Chr 16:20; 17:5; Ps 105:13; Jer 25:32). Ps 84:7 may be emphasizing that the pilgrims move successively from one “place of strength” to another as they travel toward Jerusalem. All along the way they find adequate provisions and renewed energy for the trip.
107 tn The psalmist returns to the singular (see v. 5a), which he uses in either a representative or distributive (“each one” ) sense.
108 tn Heb “
109 tn The phrase “our shield” refers metaphorically to the Davidic king, who, as God’s vice-regent, was the human protector of the people. Note the parallelism with “your anointed one” here and with “our king” in Ps 89:18.
110 tn Heb “look [on] the face of your anointed one.” The Hebrew phrase מְשִׁיחֶךָ (mÿshikhekha, “your anointed one”) refers here to the Davidic king (see Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 28:8; 89:38, 51; 132:10, 17).
111 tn Or “for.”
112 tn Heb “better is a day in your courts than a thousand [spent elsewhere].”
113 tn Heb “I choose being at the entrance of the house of my God over living in the tents of the wicked.” The verb סָפַף (safaf) appears only here in the OT; it is derived from the noun סַף (saf, “threshold”). Traditionally some have interpreted this as a reference to being a doorkeeper at the temple, though some understand it to mean “lie as a beggar at the entrance to the temple” (see HALOT 765 s.v. ספף).
114 tn The verb דּוּר (dur, “to live”) occurs only here in the OT.
115 tn Heb “[is] a sun and a shield.” The epithet “sun,” though rarely used of Israel’s God in the OT, was a well-attested royal title in the ancient Near East. For several examples from Ugaritic texts, the Amarna letters, and Assyrian royal inscriptions, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 131, n. 2.
116 tn Or “grace.”
117 tn Heb “he does not withhold good to those walking in integrity.”
118 tn Traditionally “
119 tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man [who] trusts in you.” Hebrew literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle stated here 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 plural “those.” The individual referred to here is representative of all followers of God, as the use of the plural form in v. 12b indicates.
120 tn Or “stubborn” (NCV); cf. NIV “obstinate.”
121 tn Heb “Woe [to] rebellious children.”
122 tn Heb “making a plan, but not from me.”
123 tn Heb “and pouring out a libation, but not [from] my spirit.” This translation assumes that the verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “pour out,” and that the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה (massekhah) means “libation.” In this case “pouring out a libation” alludes to a ceremony that formally ratifies an alliance. Another option is to understand the verb נָסַךְ as a homonym meaning “weave,” and the cognate noun מַסֵּכָה as a homonym meaning “covering.” In this case forming an alliance is likened to weaving a garment.
124 tn Heb “consequently adding sin to sin.”
125 tn Heb “those who go to descend to Egypt, but [of] my mouth they do not inquire.”
126 tn Heb “to seek protection in the protection of Pharaoh, and to seek refuge in the shade of Egypt.”
127 sn This probably refers to Judah’s officials and messengers.
128 sn Zoan was located in the Egyptian delta in the north; Hanes was located somewhere in southern region of lower Egypt, south of Memphis; the exact location is debated.
129 tn The present translation follows the marginal (Qere) reading of the Hebrew text; the consonantal text (Kethib) has “made to stink, decay.”
130 tn Traditionally, “burden” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “oracle.”
131 tc Heb “[a land of] a lioness and a lion, from them.” Some emend מֵהֶם (mehem, “from them”) to מֵהֵם (mehem), an otherwise unattested Hiphil participle from הָמַם (hamam, “move noisily”). Perhaps it would be better to take the initial mem (מ) as enclitic and emend the form to הֹמֶה (homeh), a Qal active participle from הָמָה (hamah, “to make a noise”); cf. J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:542, n. 9.
132 tn Heb “flying fiery one.” See the note at 14:29.
133 tn Or “carry” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
134 sn This verse describes messengers from Judah transporting wealth to Egypt in order to buy Pharaoh’s protection through a treaty.
135 tn Heb “As for Egypt, with vanity and emptiness they help.”
136 tn Heb “Rahab” (רַהַב, rahav), which also appears as a name for Egypt in Ps 87:4. The epithet is also used in the OT for a mythical sea monster symbolic of chaos. See the note at 51:9. A number of English versions use the name “Rahab” (e.g., ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) while others attempt some sort of translation (cf. CEV “a helpless monster”; TEV, NLT “the Harmless Dragon”).
137 tn The MT reads “Rahab, they, sitting.” The translation above assumes an emendation of הֵם שָׁבֶת (hem shavet) to הַמָּשְׁבָּת (hammashbat), a Hophal participle with prefixed definite article, meaning “the one who is made to cease,” i.e., “destroyed,” or “silenced.” See HALOT 444-45 s.v. ישׁב.
138 tn The referent of the third feminine singular pronominal suffix is uncertain. Perhaps it refers to the preceding message, which accuses the people of rejecting the Lord’s help in favor of an alliance with Egypt.
139 tn Heb “with them.” On the use of the preposition here, see BDB 86 s.v. II אֵת.
140 sn Recording the message will enable the prophet to use it in the future as evidence that God warned his people of impending judgment and clearly spelled out the nation’s guilt. An official record of the message will also serve as proof of the prophet’s authority as God’s spokesman.
141 tn Or perhaps, “instruction” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); NCV, TEV “teachings.”
142 tn Heb “who” (so NASB, NRSV). A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
143 tn Heb “Do not see for us right things.”
144 tn Heb “Tell us smooth things, see deceptive things.”
145 sn The imagery refers to the way or path of truth, as revealed by God to the prophet.
146 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
147 tn The sentence actually begins with the word “because.” In the Hebrew text vv. 12-13 are one long sentence.
148 tn Heb “and you trust in oppression and cunning.”
149 tn Heb “and you lean on it”; NAB “and depend on it.”
150 tn The verse reads literally, “So this sin will become for you like a breach ready to fall, bulging on a high wall, the breaking of which comes suddenly, in a flash.” Their sin produces guilt and will result in judgment. Like a wall that collapses their fall will be swift and sudden.
151 tn Heb “Its shattering is like the shattering of a jug of [i.e., “made by”] potters, [so] shattered one cannot save [any of it].”
152 tn The words “large enough” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
153 tn Heb “to remove fire from the place of kindling.”
154 tn On the meaning of גֶבֶא (geveh, “cistern”) see HALOT 170 s.v.
155 tn Heb “in returning and in quietness you will be delivered.” Many English versions render the last phrase “shall be saved” or something similar (e.g., NAB, NASB, NRSV).
156 tn Heb “in quietness and in trust is your strength” (NASB and NRSV both similar).
157 tn Heb “One thousand from before [or “because of”] one battle cry.” גְּעָרָה (gÿ’arah) is often defined as “threat,” but in war contexts it likely refers to a shout or battle cry. See Ps 76:6.
158 tn Heb “from before [or “because of”] the battle cry of five you will flee.
159 tn Heb “until you are left” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV).
160 tn Heb “Therefore the Lord waits to show you mercy, and therefore he is exalted to have compassion on you.” The logical connection between this verse and what precedes is problematic. The point seems to be that Judah’s impending doom does not bring God joy. Rather the prospect of their suffering stirs within him a willingness to show mercy and compassion, if they are willing to seek him on his terms.
161 tn Heb “Blessed are all who wait for him.”
162 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
163 tn Heb “For people in Zion will live, in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.” The phrase “in Jerusalem” could be taken with what precedes. Some prefer to emend יֵשֵׁב (yeshev, “will live,” a Qal imperfect) to יֹשֵׁב (yoshev, a Qal active participle) and translate “For [you] people in Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.”
164 tn Heb “he will indeed show you mercy at the sound of your crying out; when he hears, he will answer you.”
165 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).
166 tn Heb “and the Master will give to you bread – distress, and water – oppression.”
167 tn Heb “but your teachers will no longer be hidden, your eyes will be seeing your teachers.” The translation assumes that the form מוֹרֶיךָ (morekha) is a plural participle, referring to spiritual leaders such as prophets and priests. Another possibility is that the form is actually singular (see GKC 273-74 §93.ss) or a plural of respect, referring to God as the master teacher. See HALOT 560-61 s.v. III מוֹרֶה. For discussion of the views, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:560.
168 tn Heb “your ears” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
169 tn The word “correct’ is supplied in the translation for clarification.
170 tn Heb “the platings of your silver idols.”
171 tn Heb “the covering of your gold image.”
172 tn Heb “and he will give rain for your seed which you plant in the ground, and food [will be] the produce of the ground, and it will be rich and abundant.”
173 tn Or “in that day” (KJV).
174 tn Heb “the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground.”
175 sn Crops will be so abundant that even the work animals will eat well.
176 tn Or “in the day of” (KJV).
177 sn Light here symbolizes restoration of divine blessing and prosperity. The number “seven” is used symbolically to indicate intensity. The exact meaning of the phrase “the light of seven days” is uncertain; it probably means “seven times brighter” (see the parallel line).
178 tn Heb “the fracture of his people” (so NASB).
sn The Lord is here compared to a physician setting a broken bone in a bandage or cast.
179 tn Heb “the injury of his wound.” The joining of synonyms emphasizes the severity of the wound. Another option is to translate, “the wound of his blow.” In this case the pronominal suffix might refer to the Lord, not the people, yielding the translation, “the wound which he inflicted.”
180 sn The “name” of the Lord sometimes stands by metonymy for the Lord himself, see Exod 23:21; Lev 24:11; Pss 54:1 (54:3 HT); 124:8. In Isa 30:27 the point is that he reveals that aspect of his character which his name suggests – he comes as Yahweh (“he is present”), the ever present helper of his people who annihilates their enemies and delivers them. The name “Yahweh” originated in a context where God assured a fearful Moses that he would be with him as he confronted Pharaoh and delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt. See Exod 3.
181 tn Heb “his anger burns, and heaviness of elevation.” The meaning of the phrase “heaviness of elevation” is unclear, for מַשָּׂאָה (masa’ah, “elevation”) occurs only here. Some understand the term as referring to a cloud (elevated above the earth’s surface), in which case one might translate, “and in heavy clouds” (cf. NAB “with lowering clouds”). Others relate the noun to מָשָׂא (masa’, “burden”) and interpret it as a reference to judgment. In this case one might translate, “and with severe judgment.” The present translation assumes that the noun refers to his glory and that “heaviness” emphasizes its degree.
182 tn Heb “his lips are full of anger, and his tongue is like consuming fire.” The Lord’s lips and tongue are used metonymically for his word (or perhaps his battle cry; see v. 31).
183 tn Heb “his breath is like a flooding river.” This might picture the Lord breathing heavily as he runs down his enemy, but in light of the preceding verse, which mentions his lips and tongue, “breath” probably stands metonymically for the word or battle cry that he expels from his mouth as he shouts. In Isa 34:16 and Ps 33:6 the Lord’s “breath” is associated with his command.
184 tn Heb “shaking nations in a sieve of worthlessness.” It is not certain exactly how שָׁוְא (shavÿ’, “emptiness, worthlessness”) modifies “sieve.” A sieve is used to separate grain from chaff and isolate what is worthless so that it might be discarded. Perhaps the nations are likened to such chaff; God’s judgment will sift them out for destruction.
185 tn Heb “and a bit that leads astray [is] in the jaws of the peoples.” Here the nations are likened to horse that can be controlled by a bit placed in its mouth. In this case the Lord uses his sovereign control over the “horse” to lead it to its demise.
186 tn Heb “[you will have] joy of heart, like the one going with a flute to enter the mountain of the Lord to the Rock of Israel.” The image here is not a foundational rock, but a rocky cliff where people could hide for protection (for example, the fortress of Masada).
187 tn Heb “the Lord will cause the splendor of his voice to be heard.”
188 tn Heb “and reveal the lowering of his arm.”
189 tn Heb “and a flame of consuming fire.”
190 tn Heb “Indeed by the voice of the Lord Assyria will be shattered.”
191 tc The Hebrew text has “every blow from a founded [i.e., “appointed”?] cudgel.” The translation above, with support from a few medieval Hebrew
192 tn Heb “which the Lord lays on him.”
193 tn Heb “will be with” (KJV similar).
194 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “and with battles of brandishing [weapons?] he will fight against him.” Some prefer to emend וּבְמִלְחֲמוֹת (uvÿmilkhamot, “and with battles of”) to וּבִמְחֹלוֹת (uvimkholot, “and with dancing”). Note the immediately preceding references to musical instruments.
195 tn Or “indeed.”
196 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for arranged from before [or “yesterday”] is [?].” The meaning of תָּפְתֶּה (tafÿteh), which occurs only here, is unknown. The translation above (as with most English versions) assumes an emendation to תֹּפֶת (tofet, “Topheth”; cf. NASB, NIV, NLT) and places the final hey (ה) on the beginning of the next word as an interrogative particle. Topheth was a place near Jerusalem used as a burial ground (see Jer 7:32; 19:11).
197 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “Also it is made ready for the king, one makes it deep and wide.” If one takes the final hey (ה) on תָּפְתֶּה (tafÿteh) and prefixes it to גָּם (gam) as an interrogative particle (see the preceding note), one can translate, “Is it also made ready for the king?” In this case the question is rhetorical and expects an emphatic affirmative answer, “Of course it is!”
198 tn Heb “its pile of wood, fire and wood one makes abundant.”
sn Apparently this alludes to some type of funeral rite.
