¹ tc The Old Greek translation includes the following words at the beginning of ch. 8: “It so happened that when Solomon finished building the Lord’s temple and his own house, after twenty years.”

² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

³ tn Heb “Then Solomon convened the elders of Israel, the heads of the tribes, the chiefs of the fathers belonging to the sons of Israel to King Solomon [in] Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the city of David (it is Zion).”

⁴ sn The festival. This was the Feast of Tabernacles, see Lev 23:34.

⁵ sn The month Ethanim. This would be September-October in modern reckoning.

⁶ tn Heb “the tent of assembly.”

sn The tent of meeting. See Exod 33:7-11.

⁷ tn Heb “and they carried the ark of the Lord…. The priests and the Levites carried them.”

⁸ tn Heb “And King Solomon and all the assembly of Israel, those who had been gathered to him, [were] before the ark, sacrificing sheep and cattle which could not be counted or numbered because of the abundance.”

⁹ tn The word “assigned” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

¹⁰ sn And its poles. These poles were used to carry the ark. See Exod 25:13-15.

¹¹ tn Heb “they could not be seen outside.”

¹² sn Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai.

¹³ tn Heb “in Horeb where.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “were not able to stand to serve.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “the house of the Lord.”

¹⁶ tn The words “O Lord” do not appear in the original text, but they are supplied for clarification; Solomon addresses the Lord in prayer at this point.

¹⁷ tn Heb “turned his face.”

¹⁸ tn Heb “and he blessed all the assembly of Israel, and all the assembly of Israel was standing.”

¹⁹ tn The Hebrew text reads, “by his hand.”

²⁰ tn The Hebrew text reads, “by his mouth.”

²¹ tn Heb “saying.”

²² tn Heb “to build a house for my name to be there.”

sn To build a temple in which to live (Heb “to build a house for my name to be there”). In the OT, the word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.

²³ tn Heb “and it was with the heart of David my father.”

²⁴ tn Heb “to build a house for the name of the Lord God of Israel.” The word “name” in the OT sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.

²⁵ tn Heb “Because it was with your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was with your heart.”

²⁶ tn Heb “your son, the one who came out of your body, he will build the temple for my name.”

²⁷ tn Heb “his word that he spoke.”

²⁸ tn Heb “name.”

²⁹ tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 34, 40, 48, 53, 57, 58).

³⁰ tn Or “heaven.”

³¹ tn Heb “said.”

³² tn Heb “one who keeps the covenant and the loyal love.” The expression is a hendiadys.

³³ tn Heb “who walk before you with all their heart.”

³⁴ tn Heb “[you] who kept to your servant David my father that which you spoke to him.”

³⁵ tn Heb “you spoke by your mouth and by your hand you fulfilled, as this day.”

³⁶ tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from before me sitting on the throne of Israel.”

³⁷ tn Heb “guard their way by walking before me as you have walked before me.”

³⁸ tn Heb “the words that you spoke.”

³⁹ tn Or “prove to be reliable.”

⁴⁰ tn Heb “Indeed, can God really live on the earth?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course not,” the force of which the translation above seeks to reflect.

⁴¹ tn Heb “turn to.”

⁴² tn Heb “by listening to.”

⁴³ tn Heb “the loud cry and the prayer.”

⁴⁴ tn Heb “praying before you.”

⁴⁵ tn Heb “so your eyes might be open toward this house night and day, toward the place about which you said, ‘My name will be there.’”

⁴⁶ tn Heb “by listening to the prayer which your servant is praying concerning this place.”

⁴⁷ tn Heb “listen to the request of your servant and your people Israel which they are praying concerning this place.”

⁴⁸ tn Heb “and you, hear inside your dwelling place, inside heaven.” The precise nuance of the preposition אֶל (’el), used here with the verb “hear,” is unclear. One expects the preposition “from,” which appears in the parallel text in 2 Chr 6:21. The nuance “inside; among” is attested for אֶל (see Gen 23:19; 1 Sam 10:22; Jer 4:3), but in each case a verb of motion is employed with the preposition, unlike 1 Kgs 8:30. The translation above (“from inside”) is based on the demands of the immediate context rather than attested usage elsewhere.

⁴⁹ tn Heb “hear and forgive.”

⁵⁰ tn Heb “and forgive the man who sins against his neighbor when one takes up against him a curse to curse him and the curse comes before your altar in this house.” In the Hebrew text the words “and forgive” conclude v. 30, but the accusative sign at the beginning of v. 31 suggests the verb actually goes with what follows in v. 31. The parallel text in 2 Chr 6:22 begins with “and if,” rather than the accusative sign. In this case “forgive” must be taken with what precedes, and v. 31 must be taken as the protasis (“if” clause) of a conditional sentence, with v. 32 being the apodosis (“then” clause) that completes the sentence.

sn Be willing to forgive the accused if the accusation is false. At first it appears that Solomon is asking God to forgive the guilty party. But in v. 32 Solomon asks the Lord to discern who is guilty and innocent, so v. 31 must refer to a situation where an accusation has been made, but not yet proven. The very periphrastic translation reflects this interpretation.

⁵¹ tn Heb “and you, hear [from] heaven and act and judge your servants by declaring the guilty to be guilty, to give his way on his head, and to declare the innocent to be innocent, to give to him according to his innocence.”

⁵² tn Heb “when.” In the Hebrew text vv. 33-34 actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided into two sentences for stylistic reasons.

⁵³ tn Or “are struck down before an enemy.”

⁵⁴ tn Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”

⁵⁵ tn Heb “and they pray and ask for help.”

⁵⁶ tn Heb “when.” In the Hebrew text vv. 35-36a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided into two sentences for stylistic reasons.

⁵⁷ tn Heb “they”; the referent (your people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁵⁸ tn Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”

⁵⁹ tn The Hebrew text has “because you answer them,” as if the verb is from עָנָה (’anah, “to answer”). However, this reference to a divine answer is premature, since the next verse asks for God to intervene in mercy. It is better to revocalize the consonantal text as תְעַנֵּם (tÿ’annem, “you afflict them”), a Piel verb form from the homonym עָנָה (“to afflict”).

⁶⁰ tn The translation understands כִּי (ki) in an emphatic or asseverative sense.

⁶¹ tn Heb “the good way in which they should walk.”

⁶² tn Or “for an inheritance.”

⁶³ tn Actually two Hebrew terms appear here, both of which are usually taken as referring to locusts. Perhaps different stages of growth or different varieties are in view.

⁶⁴ tn Heb “in the land, his gates.”

⁶⁵ tn Heb “every prayer, every request for help which will be to all the people, to all your people Israel.”

⁶⁶ tn Heb “which they know, each the pain of his heart.”

⁶⁷ tn The words “their sin” are added for clarification.

⁶⁸ tn Heb “and act and give to each one according to all his ways because you know his heart.” In the Hebrew text vv. 37-39a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided up for stylistic reasons.

⁶⁹ tn Heb “Indeed you know, you alone, the heart of all the sons of mankind.”

⁷⁰ tn Heb “fear.”

⁷¹ tn Heb “all the days [in] which.”

⁷² tn Heb “your name.” In the OT the word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor. The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.

⁷³ tn Heb “your great name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in the previous verse.

⁷⁴ tn Heb “and your strong hand and your outstretched arm.”

⁷⁵ tn Heb “and do all which the foreigner calls to [i.e., “requests of”] you.”

⁷⁶ tn Heb “your name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in v. 41.

⁷⁷ tn Heb “fear.”

⁷⁸ tn Heb “that your name is called over this house which I built.” The Hebrew idiom “to call the name over” indicates ownership. See 2 Sam 12:28.

⁷⁹ tn Heb “When your people go out for battle against their enemies in the way which you send them.”

⁸⁰ tn Or perhaps “to you, O Lord.” See 2 Chr 6:34.

⁸¹ tn Heb “your name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in v. 41.

⁸² tn Heb “their prayer and their request for help.”

⁸³ tn Heb “and accomplish their justice.”

⁸⁴ tn Heb “they”; the referent (your people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸⁵ tn Heb “the land of the enemy.”

⁸⁶ tn Heb “they”; the referent (your people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸⁷ tn Or “stop and reflect”; Heb “bring back to their heart.”

⁸⁸ tn Or “done wrong.”

⁸⁹ tn Or “soul.”

⁹⁰ tn Heb “in the land of their enemies.”

⁹¹ tn Heb “your name.” See the note on the word “reputation” in v. 41.

⁹² tn Heb “their prayer and their request for help.”

⁹³ tn Heb “and accomplish their justice.”

⁹⁴ tn Heb “and forgive your people who have sinned against you, [forgive] all their rebellious acts by which they rebelled against you, and grant them mercy before their captors so they will show them mercy.”

⁹⁵ tn Or “for.”

⁹⁶ tn Heb “inheritance.”

⁹⁷ tn The Hebrew term כּוּר (kur, “furnace,” cf. Akkadian ku„ru) is a metaphor for the intense heat of purification. A כּוּר was not a source of heat but a crucible (“iron-smelting furnace”) in which precious metals were melted down and their impurities burned away (see I. Cornelius, NIDOTTE 2:618-19). Thus Egypt served not as a place of punishment for the Israelites, but as a place of refinement to bring Israel to a place of submission to divine sovereignty.

sn From the middle of the iron-smelting furnace. The metaphor of a furnace suggests fire and heat and is an apt image to remind the people of the suffering they endured while slaves in Egypt.

⁹⁸ tn Heb “May your eyes be open.”

⁹⁹ tn Heb “to listen to them in all their calling out to you.”

¹⁰⁰ tn Or “For.”

¹⁰¹ tn Heb “your inheritance.”

¹⁰² tn Or “toward heaven.”

¹⁰³ tn Heb “he has given a resting place to his people Israel.”

¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “not one word from his entire good word he spoke by Moses his servant has fallen.”

¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “to bend our hearts toward him.” The infinitive is subordinate to the initial prayer, “may the Lord our God be with us.” The Hebrew term לֵבָב (levav, “heart”) here refers to the people’s volition and will.

¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “to walk in all his ways.”

¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “keep.”

¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “May these words of mine, which I have requested before the Lord, be near the Lord our God day and night.”

¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “accomplish the justice of.”

¹¹⁰ tn Heb “so that.”

¹¹¹ tn Heb “the Lord, he is the God, there is no other.”

¹¹² tn Heb “may your hearts be complete with the Lord our God.”

¹¹³ tn Heb “walking in.”

¹¹⁴ tn Heb “keeping.”

¹¹⁵ tn Heb “as this day.”

¹¹⁶ tn Or “tokens of peace”; NIV, TEV “fellowship offerings.”

¹¹⁷ tn Heb “to hold the burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings.”

¹¹⁸ tn Or “the Wadi of Egypt” (NAB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “the Egyptian Gorge.”

¹¹⁹ tn Heb “Solomon held at that time the festival, and all Israel was with him, a great assembly from Lebo Hamath to the Brook of Egypt, before the Lord our God for seven days and seven days, fourteen days.”

¹²⁰ tn Heb “on the eighth day” (that is, the day after the second seven-day sequence).

¹²¹ tn Heb “they blessed the king.”

¹²² tn Heb “good of heart.”

¹²³ tn Or “become.”

¹²⁴ tn Grk “walk.” The NT writers often used the verb “walk” (περιπατέω, peripatew) to refer to ethical conduct (cf. Rom 8:4; Gal 5:16; Col 4:5).

¹²⁵ tc A number of important witnesses have ὑμᾶς (Jumas, “you”; e.g., א* A B P 0159 81 1175 al it co as well as several fathers). Other, equally important witnesses read ἡμᾶς (Jhmas, “us”; Ì⁴⁶ א² D F G Ψ 0278 33 1739 1881 al lat sy). It is possible that ἡμᾶς was accidentally introduced via homoioarcton with the previous word (ἠγάπησεν, hgaphsen). On the other hand, ὑμᾶς may have been motivated by the preceding ὑμῖν (Jumin) in 4:32 and second person verbs in 5:1, 2. Further, the flow of argument seems to require the first person pronoun. A decision is difficult to make, but the first person pronoun has a slightly greater probability of being original.

¹²⁶ tn Grk “an offering and sacrifice to God as a smell of fragrance.” The first expression, προσφορὰν καὶ θυσίαν (prosforan kai qusian), is probably a hendiadys and has been translated such that “sacrificial” modifies “offering.” The second expression, εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας (ei" osmhn euwdia", “as a smell of fragrance”) has been translated as “a fragrant offering”; see BDAG 728-29 s.v. ὀσμή 2. Putting these two together in a clear fashion in English yields the translation: “a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.”

¹²⁷ tn The term “But” translates the δέ (de) in a contrastive way in light of the perfect obedience of Jesus in vv. 1-2 and the vices mentioned in v. 3.

¹²⁸ tn Grk “all impurity.”

¹²⁹ tn Grk “just as is fitting for saints.” The καθώς (kaqws) was rendered with “as” and the sense is causal, i.e., “for” or “because.” The negative particle “not” (“for these are not proper for the saints”) in this clause was supplied in English so as to make the sense very clear, i.e., that these vices are not befitting of those who name the name of Christ.

¹³⁰ tn Grk “be knowing this.” See also 2 Pet 1:20 for a similar phrase: τοῦτο πρῶτον γινώσκοντες (touto prwton ginwskonte").

¹³¹ sn The expression sons of disobedience is a Semitic idiom that means “people characterized by disobedience.” In this context it refers to “all those who are disobedient.” Cf. Eph 2:2-3.

¹³² tn The genitive αὐτῶν (autwn) has been translated as a genitive of association because of its use with συμμέτοχοι (summetocoi) – a verb which implies association in the σύν- (sun-) prefix.

¹³³ tn The verb “you are” is implied in the Greek text, but is supplied in the English translation to make it clear.

¹³⁴ tc Several mss (Ì⁴⁶ D² Ψ Ï) have πνεύματος (pneumatos, “Spirit”) instead of φωτός (fwtos, “light”). Although most today regard φωτός as obviously original (UBS⁴ gives it an “A” rating), a case could be made that πνεύματος is what the author wrote. First, although this is largely a Byzantine reading (D² often, if not normally, assimilates to the Byzantine text), Ì⁴⁶ gives the reading much greater credibility. Internally, the φωτός at the end of v. 8 could have lined up above the πνεύματος in v. 9 in a scribe’s exemplar, thus occasioning dittography. (It is interesting to note that in both Ì⁴⁹ and א the two instances of φωτός line up.) However, written in a contracted form, as a nomen sacrum (pMnMs) – a practice found even in the earliest mss – πνεύματος would not have been easily confused with fwtos (there being only the last letter to occasion homoioteleuton rather than the last three). Further, the external evidence for φωτός is quite compelling (Ì⁴⁹ א A B D* F G P 33 81 1739 1881 2464 pc latt co); it is rather doubtful that the early and widespread witnesses all mistook πνεύματος for φωτός. In addition, πνεύματος can be readily explained as harking back to Gal 5:22 (“the fruit of the Spirit”). Thus, on balance, φωτός appears to be original, giving rise to the reading πνεύματος.

¹³⁵ tn Grk “in.” The idea is that the fruit of the light is “expressed in” or “consists of.”

¹³⁶ tn BDAG 255 s.v. δοκιμάζω 1 translates δοκιμάζοντες (dokimazonte") in Eph 5:10 as “try to learn.”

¹³⁷ tn The Greek conjunction καὶ (kai) seems to be functioning here ascensively, (i.e., “even”), but is difficult to render in this context using good English. It may read something like: “but rather even expose them!”

¹³⁸ tn Grk “rather even expose.”

¹³⁹ tn The participle τὰ…γινόμενα (ta…ginomena) usually refers to “things happening” or “things which are,” but with the following genitive phrase ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν (Jup’ autwn), which indicates agency, the idea seems to be “things being done.” This passive construction was translated as an active one to simplify the English style.

¹⁴⁰ sn The following passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.

¹⁴¹ tn Grk “Rise up.”

¹⁴² tn The articular nominative participle ὁ καθεύδων (Jo kaqeudwn) is probably functioning as a nominative for vocative. Thus, it has been translated as “O sleeper.”

¹⁴³ sn A composite quotation, possibly from Isa 26:19, 51:17, 52:1, and 60:1.

¹⁴⁴ tn “become wise by understanding”; Grk “understanding.” The imperative “be wise” is apparently implied by the construction of vv. 15-21. See the following text-critical note for discussion.

¹⁴⁵ tc ‡ The best witnesses read the imperative here (so Ì⁴⁶ א A B P 0278 33 81 1739 pc). The participle is found primarily in the Western and Byzantine texttypes (D² Ψ 1881 Ï latt [D* F G are slightly different, but support the participial reading]). But the participle is superior on internal grounds: The structure of v. 17 almost requires an imperative after ἀλλά (alla), for this gives balance to the clause: “Do not become foolish, but understand…” If the participle is original, it may be imperatival (and thus should be translated just like an imperative), but such is quite rare in the NT. More likely, there is an implied imperative as follows: “Do not become foolish, but become wise, understanding what the will of the Lord is.” Either way, the participle is the harder reading and ought therefore to be considered original. It is significant that seeing an implied imperative in this verse affords a certain symmetry to the author’s thought in vv. 15-21: There are three main sections (vv. 15-16, v. 17, vv. 18-21), each of which provides a negative injunction, followed by a positive injunction, followed by a present adverbial participle. If συνίετε (suniete) is original, this symmetry is lost. Thus, even though the external evidence for συνιέντες (sunientes) is not nearly as weighty as for the imperative, both the transcriptional and intrinsic evidence support it.

¹⁴⁶ tn Grk “in which.”

¹⁴⁷ tn Or “dissipation.” See BDAG 148 s.v. ἀσωτία.

¹⁴⁸ tn Many have taken ἐν πνεύματι (en pneumati) as indicating content, i.e., one is to be filled with the Spirit. ExSyn 375 states, “There are no other examples in biblical Greek in which ἐν + the dative after πληρόω indicates content. Further, the parallel with οἴνῳ as well as the common grammatical category of means suggest that the idea intended is that believers are to be filled by means of the [Holy] Spirit. If so there seems to be an unnamed agent. The meaning of this text can only be fully appreciated in light of the πληρόω language in Ephesians. Always the term is used in connection with a member of the Trinity. Three considerations seem to be key: (1) In Eph 3:19 the ‘hinge’ prayer introducing the last half of the letter makes a request that the believers ‘be filled with all the fullness of God’ (πληρωθῆτε εἰς πᾶν πλήρωμα τοῦ θεοῦ). The explicit content of πληρόω is thus God’s fullness (probably a reference to his moral attributes). (2) In 4:10 Christ is said to be the agent of filling (with v. 11 adding the specifics of his giving spiritual gifts). (3) The author then brings his argument to a crescendo in 5:18: Believers are to be filled by Christ by means of the Spirit with the content of the fullness of God.”

¹⁴⁹ tn See BDAG 1096 s.v. ψάλλω.

¹⁵⁰ tn Or “with.”

¹⁵¹ tn Grk “for all.” The form “all” can be either neuter or masculine.

¹⁵² sn Eph 5:19-21. In Eph 5:18 the author gives the command to be filled by means of the Holy Spirit. In 5:19-21 there follows five participles: (1) speaking; (2) singing; (3) making music; (4) giving thanks; (5) submitting. These participles have been variously interpreted, but perhaps the two most likely interpretations are (1) the participles indicate the means by which one is filled by the Spirit; (2) the participles indicate the result of being filled by the Spirit. The fact that the participles are present tense and follow the command (i.e., “be filled”) would tend to support both of these options. But it seems out of Paul’s character to reduce the filling of the Spirit to a formula of some kind. To the extent that this is true, it is unlikely then that the author is here stating the means for being filled by the Spirit. Because it is in keeping with Pauline theology and has good grammatical support, it is better to take the participles as indicating certain results of being filled by the Spirit. See ExSyn 639.

¹⁵³ tn Many scholars regard Eph 5:21 as the verse which introduces this section, rather than 5:22. This is due in part to the lack of a main verb in this verse (see tc note which follows). This connection is not likely, however, because it requires the participle ὑποτασσόμενοι (Jupotassomenoi, “submitting”) in 5:21 to act as the main verb of the section, and this participle more likely is linked to the command “be filled by the Spirit” in 5:18 as a participle of result (see sn above). In any case, 5:21 does form a strong link between 5:18-21 and what follows, so the paragraph division which has been placed between 5:21 and 22 should not be viewed as a complete break in the author’s thought.

¹⁵⁴ tc The witnesses for the shorter reading (in which the verb “submit” is only implied) are minimal (Ì⁴⁶ B Cl Hier^mss), but significant and early. The rest of the witnesses add one of two verb forms as required by the sense of the passage (picking up the verb from v. 21). Several of these witnesses have ὑποτασσέσθωσαν (Jupotassesqwsan), the third person imperative (so א A I P Ψ 0278 33 81 1175 1739 1881 al lat co), while other witnesses, especially the later Byzantine cursives, read ὑποτάσσεσθε (Jupotassesqe), the second person imperative (D F G Ï sy). The text virtually begs for one of these two verb forms, but the often cryptic style of Paul’s letters argues for the shorter reading. The chronology of development seems to have been no verb – third person imperative – second person imperative. It is not insignificant that early lectionaries began a new day’s reading with v. 22; these most likely caused copyists to add the verb at this juncture.

¹⁵⁵ tn The Greek article has been translated as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

¹⁵⁶ tn The direct object “her” is implied, but not found in the Greek text. It has been supplied in the English translation to clarify the sense of the passage.

¹⁵⁷ tn The use of the pronoun αὐτός (autos) is intensive and focuses attention on Christ as the one who has made the church glorious.

¹⁵⁸ tn Grk “but in order that it may be holy and blameless.”

¹⁵⁹ tn Grk “So also.”

¹⁶⁰ tn Grk “flesh.”

¹⁶¹ tc Most Western witnesses, as well as the majority of Byzantine mss and a few others (א² D F G Ψ 0278 0285^vid Ï lat), add the following words to the end of the verse: ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὀστέων αὐτοῦ (ek th" sarko" autou kai ek twn ostewn autou, “of his body and of his bones”). This is a (slightly modified) quotation from Gen 2:23a (LXX). The Alexandrian text is solidly behind the shorter reading (Ì⁴⁶ א* A B 048 33 81 1739* 1881 pc). Although it is possible that an early scribe’s eye skipped over the final αὐτοῦ, there is a much greater likelihood that a scribe added the Genesis quotation in order to fill out and make explicit the author’s incomplete reference to Gen 2:23. Further, on intrinsic grounds, it seems unlikely that the author would refer to the physical nature of creation when speaking of the “body of Christ” which is spiritual or mystical. Hence, as is often the case with OT quotations, the scribal clarification missed the point the author was making; the shorter reading stands as original.

¹⁶² tn Grk “the two shall be as one flesh.”

¹⁶³ sn A quotation from Gen 2:24.

¹⁶⁴ tn The term “actually” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in the English translation to bring out the heightened sense of the statement.

¹⁶⁵ tn The translation of πλήν (plhn) is somewhat difficult in this context, though the overall thrust of the argument is clear. It could be an adversative idea such as “but,” “nevertheless,” or “however” (see NIV, NASB, NRSV), or it could simply be intended to round out and bring to conclusion the author’s discussion. In this latter case it could be translated with the use of “now” (so A. T. Lincoln, Ephesians [WBC], 384).

¹⁶⁶ tn Grk “Nevertheless, you also, one by one, each his own wife so let him love as himself.” This statement is cumbersome and was cleaned up to reflect better English style.

¹⁶⁷ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause was taken as imperatival, i.e., “let the wife respect….”

¹⁶⁸ tn The Greek verb φοβέομαι (fobeomai) here has been translated “respect” and the noun form of the word, i.e., φόβος (fobos), has been translated as “reverence” in 5:21.

¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “set your face against.”

¹⁷⁰ sn This may refer to a Lydian king in western Asia Minor in the seventh century b.c. Apart from Ezek 38-39, the only other biblical reference to this king/nation is in Rev 20:8. For a study of the names appearing in this verse, see E. Yamauchi, Foes From the Northern Frontier, 19-27.

¹⁷¹ sn One of the sons of Japheth according to Gen 10:2; 1 Chr 1:5.

¹⁷² tn Heb “the prince, the chief of Meshech and Tubal.” Some translate “the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal,” but it is more likely that the Hebrew noun in question is a common noun in apposition to “prince,” rather than a proper name. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:434-35. As Block demonstrates, attempts by some popular writers to identify these proper names with later geographical sites in Russia are anachronistic. See as well E. Yamauchi, Foes From the Northern Frontier, 19-27.

sn Meshech and Tubal were two nations in Cappadocia of Asia Minor. They were also sons of Japheth (Gen 10:2; 1 Chr 1:5).

¹⁷³ tn Or “I challenge you.” The phrase “I am against you” may be a formula for challenging someone to combat or a duel. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:201-2, and P. Humbert, “Die Herausforderungsformel ‘h!nn#n' ?l?K>,’” ZAW 45 (1933): 101-8.

¹⁷⁴ sn The Hebrew text mentions two different types of shields here.

¹⁷⁵ tn D. I. Block prefers to see the Hebrew word as referring here to a western ally of Egypt or as an alternative spelling for Pathros, that is, Upper Egypt. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:439-40.

¹⁷⁶ sn That is, Lydia.

¹⁷⁷ tn The words “they are joined by” are added in the translation for purposes of English style.

¹⁷⁸ sn The seven-nation coalition represents the north (Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, Beth-Togarmah), the south/west (Ethiopia, Put) and the east (Persia). The use of the sevenfold list suggests completeness. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:441.

¹⁷⁹ tn The second person singular verbal and pronominal forms in the Hebrew text indicate that Gog is addressed here.

¹⁸⁰ tn Heb “from the sword.”

¹⁸¹ tn Heb “it.”

¹⁸² tn Heb “go up.”

¹⁸³ tn Heb “words will go up upon your heart.”

¹⁸⁴ tn Heb “go up against.”

¹⁸⁵ tn Heb “come (to).”

¹⁸⁶ tn Heb “to turn your hand against.”

¹⁸⁷ tn The Hebrew term occurs elsewhere only in Judg 9:37. Perhaps it means “high point, top.”

¹⁸⁸ tn Heb “young lions.”

¹⁸⁹ tn The Hebrew text is framed as a rhetorical question: “will you not take notice?”

¹⁹⁰ tn Heb “come up.”

¹⁹¹ tn Or “reveal my holiness.”

¹⁹² tn Heb “by the hand of my servants.”

¹⁹³ tn The Hebrew text adds “years” here, but this is probably a scribal gloss on the preceding phrase. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:201.

¹⁹⁴ tn Heb “goes up against.”

¹⁹⁵ sn The phrase “in the fire of my fury” occurs in Ezek 21:31; 22:21, 31.

¹⁹⁶ tn Or “shaking.”

¹⁹⁷ tn Or “tremble.”

¹⁹⁸ tn The term occurs only here and in Song of Songs 2:14.

¹⁹⁹ tn Heb “against.”

²⁰⁰ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Gog, cf. v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁰¹ sn Psalm 89. The psalmist praises God as the sovereign creator of the world. He recalls God’s covenant with David, but then laments that the promises of the covenant remain unrealized. The covenant promised the Davidic king military victories, but the king has now been subjected to humiliating defeat.

²⁰² tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 88.

²⁰³ tn Or “forever.”

²⁰⁴ tn Heb “to a generation and a generation I will make known your faithfulness with my mouth.”

²⁰⁵ tn Heb “built.”

²⁰⁶ sn You set up your faithfulness. This may allude to the Lord’s heavenly throne, which symbolizes his just rule and from which the Lord decrees his unconditional promises (see vv. 8, 14).

²⁰⁷ tn The words “the Lord said” are supplied in the translation for clarification. It is clear that the words of vv. 3-4 are spoken by the Lord, in contrast to vv. 1-2, which are spoken by the psalmist.

²⁰⁸ tn Heb “forever I will establish your offspring.”

²⁰⁹ tn Heb “and I will build to a generation and a generation your throne.”

²¹⁰ tn As the following context makes clear, the personified “heavens” here stand by metonymy for the angelic beings that surround God’s heavenly throne.

²¹¹ tn Heb “in the assembly of the holy ones.” The phrase “holy ones” sometimes refers to God’s people (Ps 34:9) or to their priestly leaders (2 Chr 35:3), but here it refers to God’s heavenly assembly and the angels that surround his throne (see vv. 6-7).

²¹² tn Heb “sons of gods”; or “sons of God.” Though אֵלִים (’elim) is vocalized as a plural form (“gods”) in the Hebrew text, it is likely that the final mem (ם) is actually enclitic rather than a plural marker. In this case one may read “God.” Some, following a Qumran text and the LXX, also propose the phrase occurred in the original text of Deut 32:8. The phrase בְנֵי אֵלִים (vÿney ’elim, “sons of gods” or “sons of God”) occurs only here and in Ps 29:1. Since the “sons of gods/God” are here associated with “the assembly of the holy ones” and “council of the holy ones,” the heavenly assembly (comprised of so-called “angels” and other supernatural beings) appears to be in view. See Job 5:1; 15:15 and Zech 14:5, where these supernatural beings are referred to as “holy ones.” In Canaanite mythological texts the divine council of the high god El is called “the sons of El.” The OT apparently uses the Canaanite phrase, applying it to the supernatural beings that surround the Lord’s heavenly throne.

²¹³ tn Heb “feared.”

²¹⁴ tn Heb “in the great assembly of the holy ones.”

²¹⁵ tn Or perhaps “feared by.”

²¹⁶ tn Traditionally “God of hosts.” The title here pictures the Lord as enthroned in the midst of the angelic hosts of heaven.

²¹⁷ tn Heb “the majesty of the sea.”

²¹⁸ tn Heb “rise up.”

²¹⁹ tn Heb “Rahab.” The name “Rahab” means “proud one.” Since it is sometimes used of Egypt (see Ps 87:4; Isa 30:7), the passage may allude to the exodus. However, the name is also used of the sea (or the mythological sea creature) which symbolizes the disruptive forces of the world that seek to replace order with chaos (see Job 9:13; 26:12). Isa 51:9 appears to combine the mythological and historical referents. The association of Rahab with the sea in Ps 89 (see v. 9) suggests that the name carries symbolic force in this context. In this case the passage may allude to creation (see vv. 11-12), when God overcame the great deep and brought order out of chaos.

²²⁰ tn Heb “like one fatally wounded.”

²²¹ tn Heb “the world and its fullness, you established them.”

²²² sn Tabor and Hermon were two of the most prominent mountains in Palestine.

²²³ sn The Lord’s arm, hand, and right hand all symbolize his activities, especially his exploits in war.

²²⁴ tn Heb “is lifted up.” The idiom “the right hand is lifted up” refers to victorious military deeds (see Pss 89:42; 118:16).

²²⁵ sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.

²²⁶ tn Heb “are in front of your face.” The idiom can mean “confront” (Ps 17:13) or “meet, enter the presence of” (Ps 95:2).

²²⁷ tn Heb “who know the shout.” “Shout” here refers to the shouts of the Lord’s worshipers (see Pss 27:6; 33:3; 47:5).

²²⁸ tn Heb “in the light of your face they walk.” The idiom “light of your face” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 44:3; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; Dan 9:17).

²²⁹ tn Heb “are lifted up.”

²³⁰ tn Heb “for the splendor of their strength [is] you.”

²³¹ tn Heb “you lift up our horn,” or if one follows the marginal reading (Qere), “our horn is lifted up.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:24; 92:10; Lam 2:17).

²³² 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 “our king" here and with “your anointed one” in Ps 84:9.

²³³ sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. This expression is a common title for the Lord in the book of Isaiah.

²³⁴ tn The pronoun “you” refers to the Lord, who is addressed here. The quotation that follows further develops the announcement of vv. 3-4.

²³⁵ tc Many medieval mss read the singular here, “your faithful follower.” In this case the statement refers directly to Nathan’s oracle to David (see 2 Sam 7:17).

²³⁶ tn Heb “I have placed help upon a warrior.”

²³⁷ tn Or perhaps “a chosen one.”

²³⁸ tn The words “as king” are supplied in the translation for clarification, indicating that a royal anointing is in view.

²³⁹ tn Heb “with whom my hand will be firm.”

²⁴⁰ tn Heb “an enemy will not exact tribute.” The imperfect is understood in a modal sense, indicating capability or potential.

²⁴¹ tn The translation understands the Hiphil of נָשַׁא (nasha’) in the sense of “act as a creditor.” This may allude to the practice of a conqueror forcing his subjects to pay tribute in exchange for “protection.” Another option is to take the verb from a homonymic verbal root meaning “to deceive,” “to trick.” Still another option is to emend the form to יִשָּׂא (yisa’), a Qal imperfect from נָאַשׂ (na’as, “rise up”) and to translate “an enemy will not rise up against him” (see M. Dahood, Psalms [AB], 2:317).

²⁴² tn Heb “and a son of violence will not oppress him.” The imperfect is understood in a modal sense, indicating capability or potential. The reference to a “son of violence” echoes the language of God’s promise to David in 2 Sam 7:10 (see also 1 Chr 17:9).

²⁴³ tn Heb “and my faithfulness and my loyal love [will be] with him.”

²⁴⁴ tn Heb “and by my name his horn will be lifted up.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 92:10; Lam 2:17).

²⁴⁵ tn Some identify “the sea” as the Mediterranean and “the rivers” as the Euphrates and its tributaries. However, it is more likely that “the sea” and “the rivers” are symbols for hostile powers that oppose God and the king (see v. 9, as well as Ps 93:3-4).

²⁴⁶ sn You are my father. The Davidic king was viewed as God’s “son” (see 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 2:7). The idiom reflects ancient Near Eastern adoption language associated with covenants of grant, by which a lord would reward a faithful subject by elevating him to special status, referred to as “sonship.” Like a son, the faithful subject received an “inheritance,” viewed as an unconditional, eternal gift. Such gifts usually took the form of land and/or an enduring dynasty. See M. Weinfeld, “The Covenant of Grant in the Old Testament and in the Ancient Near East,” JAOS 90 (1970): 184-203, for general discussion and some striking extra-biblical parallels.

²⁴⁷ tn Heb “the rocky summit of my deliverance.”

²⁴⁸ sn The firstborn son typically had special status and received special privileges.

²⁴⁹ tn Heb “forever I will keep for him my loyal love and will make my covenant secure for him.”

²⁵⁰ tn Heb “and I will set in place forever his offspring.”

²⁵¹ tn Heb “and his throne like the days of the heavens.”

²⁵² tn Or “desecrate.”

²⁵³ tn Heb “I will punish with a club their rebellion.”

sn Despite the harsh image of beating…with a club, the language reflects a father-son relationship (see v. 30; 2 Sam 7:14). According to Proverbs, a שֵׁבֶט (shevet, “club”) was sometimes utilized to administer corporal punishment to rebellious children (see Prov 13:24; 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15).

²⁵⁴ tn Heb “with blows their sin.”

²⁵⁵ tn Heb “break”; “make ineffectual.” Some prefer to emend אָפִיר (’afir; the Hiphil of פָּרַר, parar, “to break”) to אָסִיר (’asir; the Hiphil of סוּר, sur, “to turn aside”), a verb that appears in 2 Sam 7:15.

²⁵⁶ tn Heb “and I will not deal falsely with my faithfulness.”

²⁵⁷ tn Or “desecrate.”

²⁵⁸ tn Heb “and what proceeds out of my lips I will not alter.”

²⁵⁹ tn Or “lie to.”

²⁶⁰ tn Heb “his offspring forever will be.”

²⁶¹ tn Heb “and his throne like the sun before me.”

²⁶² tn Heb “like the moon it will be established forever.”

²⁶³ tn Heb “and a witness in the sky, secure.” Scholars have offered a variety of opinions as to the identity of the “witness” referred to here, none of which is very convincing. It is preferable to join וְעֵד (vÿ’ed) to עוֹלָם (’olam) in the preceding line and translate the commonly attested phrase עוֹלָם וְעֵד (“forever”). In this case one may translate the second line, “[it] will be secure like the skies.” Another option (the one reflected in the present translation) is to take עד as a rare noun meaning “throne” or “dais.” This noun is attested in Ugaritic; see, for example, CTA 16 vi 22-23, where ksi (= כִּסֵּא, kisse’, “throne”) and ’d (= עד, “dais”) appear as synonyms in the poetic parallelism (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 91). Emending בַּשַּׁחַק (bashakhaq, “in the heavens”) to כַּשַׁחַק (kashakhaq, “like the heavens”) – bet/kaf (כ/ב) confusion is widely attested – one can then read “[his] throne like the heavens [is] firm/stable.” Verse 29 refers to the enduring nature of the heavens, while Job 37:18 speaks of God spreading out the heavens (שְׁחָקִים, shÿkhaqim) and compares their strength to a bronze mirror. Ps 89:29 uses the term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim, “skies”) which frequently appears in parallelism to שְׁחָקִים.

²⁶⁴ tn The Hebrew construction (conjunction + pronoun, followed by the verb) draws attention to the contrast between what follows and what precedes.

²⁶⁵ tn Heb “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; 84:9; 132:10, 17).

²⁶⁶ tn The Hebrew verb appears only here and in Lam 2:7.

²⁶⁷ tn Heb “the covenant of your servant.”

²⁶⁸ tn Heb “you dishonor [or “desecrate”] on the ground his crown.”

²⁶⁹ tn The king here represents the land and cities over which he rules.

²⁷⁰ tn Heb “all the passersby on the road.”

²⁷¹ tn Heb “you have lifted up the right hand of his adversaries.” The idiom “the right hand is lifted up” refers to victorious military deeds (see Pss 89:13; 118:16).

²⁷² tn The perfect verbal form predominates in vv. 38-45. The use of the imperfect in this one instance may be for rhetorical effect. The psalmist briefly lapses into dramatic mode, describing the king’s military defeat as if it were happening before his very eyes.

²⁷³ tc Heb “you turn back, rocky summit, his sword.” The Hebrew term צוּר (tsur, “rocky summit”) makes no sense here, unless it is a divine title understood as vocative, “you turn back, O Rocky Summit, his sword.” Some emend the form to צֹר (tsor, “flint”) on the basis of Josh 5:2, which uses the phrase חַרְבוֹת צֻרִים (kharvot tsurim, “flint knives”). The noun צֹר (tsor, “flint”) can then be taken as “flint-like edge,” indicating the sharpness of the sword. Others emend the form to אָחוֹר (’akhor, “backward”) or to מִצַּר (mitsar, “from the adversary”). The present translation reflects the latter, assuming an original reading תָּשִׁיב מִצָּר חַרְבּוֹ (tashiv mitsar kharbo), which was corrupted to תָּשִׁיב צָר חַרְבּוֹ (tashiv tsar kharbo) by virtual haplography (confusion of bet/mem is well-attested) with צָר (tsar, “adversary”) then being misinterpreted as צוּר in the later tradition.

²⁷⁴ tn Heb “and you have not caused him to stand in the battle.”

²⁷⁵ tc The Hebrew text appears to read, “you have brought to an end from his splendor,” but the form מִטְּהָרוֹ (mittÿharo) should be slightly emended (the daghesh should be removed from the tet [ת]) and read simply “his splendor” (the initial mem [מ] is not the preposition, but a nominal prefix).

²⁷⁶ tn The Hebrew verb מָגַר (magar) occurs only here and perhaps in Ezek 21:17.

²⁷⁷ tn Heb “the days of his youth” (see as well Job 33:25).

²⁷⁸ tn Heb “How long, O Lord, will hide yourself forever?”

²⁷⁹ tn Heb “remember me, what is [my] lifespan.” The Hebrew term חֶלֶד (kheled) is also used of one’s lifespan in Ps 39:5. Because the Hebrew text is so awkward here, some prefer to emend it to read מֶה חָדֵל אָנִי (meh khadel ’aniy, “[remember] how transient [that is, “short-lived”] I am”; see Ps 39:4).

²⁸⁰ tn Heb “For what emptiness do you create all the sons of mankind?” In this context the term שָׁוְא (shavah) refers to mankind’s mortal nature and the brevity of life (see vv. 45, 48).

²⁸¹ tn Heb “Who [is] the man [who] can live and not see death, [who] can deliver his life from the hand of Sheol?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”

²⁸² sn The Lord’s faithful deeds are also mentioned in Pss 17:7 and 25:6.

²⁸³ tc Many medieval Hebrew mss read here יְהוָה (yehvah, “the Lord”).

²⁸⁴ tn Heb “[which] you swore on oath to David by your faithfulness.”

²⁸⁵ tc Many medieval Hebrew mss read here יְהוָה (yehvah, “the Lord”).

²⁸⁶ tn Heb “remember, O Lord, the taunt against your servants.” Many medieval Hebrew mss read the singular here, “your servant” (that is, the psalmist).

²⁸⁷ tn Heb “my lifting up in my arms [or “against my chest”] all of the many, peoples.” The term רַבִּים (rabbim, “many”) makes no apparent sense here. For this reason some emend the text to רִבֵי (rivey, “attacks by”), a defectively written plural construct form of רִיב (riv, “dispute; quarrel”).

²⁸⁸ tn Heb “[by] which your enemies, O Lord, taunt, [by] which they taunt [at] the heels of your anointed one.”

²⁸⁹ sn The final verse of Ps 89, v. 52, is a conclusion to this third “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the first, second and fourth “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 41:13; 72:18-19; 106:48, respectively).

²⁹⁰ tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.

²⁹¹ tn Heb “surely and surely” (אָמֵן וְאָמֵן [’amen vÿ’amen], i.e., “Amen and amen”). This is probably a congregational response to the immediately preceding statement about the propriety of praising God; thus it has been translated “We agree! We agree!”