Joshua 8:1-35 
Context8:1 The Lord told Joshua, “Don’t be afraid and don’t panic! 1 Take the whole army with you and march against Ai! 2 See, I am handing over to you 3 the king of Ai, along with his people, city, and land. 8:2 Do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho 4 and its king, except you may plunder its goods and cattle. Set an ambush behind the city!”
8:3 Joshua and the whole army marched against Ai. 5 Joshua selected thirty thousand brave warriors and sent them out at night. 8:4 He told 6 them, “Look, set an ambush behind the city. Don’t go very far from the city; all of you be ready! 8:5 I and all the troops 7 who are with me will approach the city. When they come out to fight us like before, we will retreat from them. 8:6 They will attack 8 us until we have lured them from the city, for they will say, ‘They are retreating from us like before.’ We will retreat from them. 8:7 Then you rise up from your hiding place 9 and seize 10 the city. The Lord your God will hand it over to you. 8:8 When you capture the city, set it 11 on fire. Do as the Lord says! See, I have given you orders.” 12 8:9 Joshua sent them away and they went to their hiding place 13 west of Ai, between Bethel 14 and Ai. 15 Joshua spent that night with the army. 16
8:10 Bright and early the next morning Joshua gathered 17 the army, 18 and he and the leaders 19 of Israel marched 20 at the head of it 21 to Ai. 8:11 All the troops that were with him marched up and drew near the city. 22 They camped north of Ai on the other side of the valley. 23 8:12 He took five thousand men and set an ambush west of the city between Bethel 24 and Ai. 8:13 The army was in position – the main army north of the city and the rear guard west of the city. That night Joshua went into 25 the middle of the valley.
8:14 When the king of Ai saw Israel, he and his whole army quickly got up the next day and went out to fight Israel at the meeting place near the Arabah. 26 But he did not realize 27 men were hiding behind the city. 28 8:15 Joshua and all Israel pretended to be defeated by them and they retreated along the way to the desert. 8:16 All the reinforcements 29 in Ai 30 were ordered 31 to chase them; they chased Joshua and were lured away from the city. 8:17 No men were left in Ai or Bethel; 32 they all went out after Israel. 33 They left the city wide open and chased Israel.
8:18 The Lord told Joshua, “Hold out toward Ai the curved sword in your hand, for I am handing the city 34 over to you.” So Joshua held out toward Ai the curved sword in his hand. 8:19 When he held out his hand, the men waiting in ambush rose up quickly from their place and attacked. 35 They entered the city, captured it, and immediately set it on fire. 8:20 When the men of Ai turned around, they saw 36 the smoke from the city ascending into the sky and were so shocked they were unable to flee in any direction. 37 In the meantime the men who were retreating to the desert turned against their pursuers. 8:21 When Joshua and all Israel saw that the men in ambush had captured the city and that the city was going up in smoke, 38 they turned around and struck down the men of Ai. 8:22 At the same time the men who had taken the city came out to fight, and the men of Ai were trapped in the middle. 39 The Israelites struck them down, leaving no survivors or refugees. 8:23 But they captured the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.
8:24 When Israel had finished killing all the men 40 of Ai who had chased them toward the desert 41 (they all fell by the sword), 42 all Israel returned to Ai and put the sword to it. 8:25 Twelve thousand men and women died 43 that day, including all the men of Ai. 8:26 Joshua kept holding out his curved sword until Israel had annihilated all who lived in Ai. 44 8:27 But Israel did plunder the cattle and the goods of the city, in accordance with the Lord’s orders to Joshua. 45 8:28 Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanently uninhabited mound (it remains that way to this very day). 46 8:29 He hung the king of Ai on a tree, leaving him exposed until evening. 47 At sunset Joshua ordered that his corpse be taken down from the tree. 48 They threw it down at the entrance of the city gate and erected over it a large pile of stones (it remains to this very day). 49
8:30 Then Joshua built an altar for the Lord God of Israel on Mount Ebal, 8:31 just as Moses the Lord’s servant had commanded the Israelites. As described in the law scroll of Moses, it was made with uncut stones untouched by an iron tool. 50 They offered burnt sacrifices on it and sacrificed tokens of peace. 51 8:32 There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a duplicate of the law written by Moses. 52 8:33 All the people, 53 rulers, 54 leaders, and judges were standing on either side of the ark, in front of the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord. Both resident foreigners and native Israelites were there. 55 Half the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and the other half in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the Lord’s servant had previously instructed to them to do for the formal blessing ceremony. 56 8:34 Then 57 Joshua read aloud all the words of the law, including the blessings and the curses, just as they are written in the law scroll. 8:35 Joshua read aloud every commandment Moses had given 58 before the whole assembly of Israel, including the women, children, and resident foreigners who lived among them. 59
Psalms 139:1-24
ContextFor the music director, a psalm of David.
139:1 O Lord, you examine me 61 and know.
139:2 You know when I sit down and when I get up;
even from far away you understand my motives.
139:3 You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest; 62
you are aware of everything I do. 63
139:4 Certainly 64 my tongue does not frame a word
without you, O Lord, being thoroughly aware of it. 65
139:5 You squeeze me in from behind and in front;
you place your hand on me.
139:6 Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension;
it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it. 66
139:7 Where can I go to escape your spirit?
Where can I flee to escape your presence? 67
139:8 If I were to ascend 68 to heaven, you would be there.
If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be. 69
139:9 If I were to fly away 70 on the wings of the dawn, 71
and settle down on the other side 72 of the sea,
139:10 even there your hand would guide me,
your right hand would grab hold of me.
139:11 If I were to say, “Certainly the darkness will cover me, 73
and the light will turn to night all around me,” 74
139:12 even the darkness is not too dark for you to see, 75
and the night is as bright as 76 day;
darkness and light are the same to you. 77
139:13 Certainly 78 you made my mind and heart; 79
you wove me together 80 in my mother’s womb.
139:14 I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing. 81
You knew me thoroughly; 82
139:15 my bones were not hidden from you,
when 83 I was made in secret
and sewed together in the depths of the earth. 84
139:16 Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb. 85
All the days ordained for me
were recorded in your scroll
before one of them came into existence. 86
139:17 How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts about me, O God! 87
How vast is their sum total! 88
139:18 If I tried to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
Even if I finished counting them,
I would still have to contend with you. 89
139:19 If only 90 you would kill the wicked, O God!
Get away from me, you violent men! 91
139:20 They 92 rebel against you 93 and act deceitfully; 94
your enemies lie. 95
139:21 O Lord, do I not hate those who hate you,
and despise those who oppose you? 96
139:22 I absolutely hate them, 97
they have become my enemies!
139:23 Examine me, and probe my thoughts! 98
Test me, and know my concerns! 99
139:24 See if there is any idolatrous tendency 100 in me,
and lead me in the reliable ancient path! 101
Jeremiah 2:1-37
Context2:1 The Lord spoke to me. He said: 2:2 “Go and declare in the hearing of the people of Jerusalem: 102 ‘This is what the Lord says: “I have fond memories of you, 103 how devoted you were to me in your early years. 104 I remember how you loved me like a new bride; you followed me through the wilderness, through a land that had never been planted. 2:3 Israel was set apart to the Lord; they were like the first fruits of a harvest to him. 105 All who tried to devour them were punished; disaster came upon them,” says the Lord.’”
2:4 Now listen to what the Lord has to say, you descendants 106 of Jacob,
all you family groups from the nation 107 of Israel.
2:5 This is what the Lord says:
“What fault could your ancestors 108 have possibly found in me
that they strayed so far from me? 109
They paid allegiance to 110 worthless idols, and so became worthless to me. 111
2:6 They did not ask:
‘Where is the Lord who delivered us out of Egypt,
who brought us through the wilderness,
through a land of desert sands and rift valleys,
through a land of drought and deep darkness, 112
through a land in which no one travels,
and where no one lives?’ 113
2:7 I brought you 114 into a fertile land
so you could enjoy 115 its fruits and its rich bounty.
But when you entered my land, you defiled it; 116
you made the land I call my own 117 loathsome to me.
2:8 Your priests 118 did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’ 119
Those responsible for teaching my law 120 did not really know me. 121
Your rulers rebelled against me.
Your prophets prophesied in the name of the god Baal. 122
They all worshiped idols that could not help them. 123
2:9 “So, once more I will state my case 124 against you,” says the Lord.
“I will also state it against your children and grandchildren. 125
2:10 Go west 126 across the sea to the coasts of Cyprus 127 and see.
Send someone east to Kedar 128 and have them look carefully.
See if such a thing as this has ever happened:
2:11 Has a nation ever changed its gods
(even though they are not really gods at all)?
But my people have exchanged me, their glorious God, 129
for a god that cannot help them at all! 130
2:12 Be amazed at this, O heavens! 131
Be shocked and utterly dumbfounded,”
says the Lord.
2:13 “Do so because my people have committed a double wrong:
they have rejected me,
the fountain of life-giving water, 132
and they have dug cisterns for themselves,
cracked cisterns which cannot even hold water.”
2:14 “Israel is not a slave, is he?
He was not born into slavery, was he? 133
If not, why then is he being carried off?
2:15 Like lions his enemies roar victoriously over him;
they raise their voices in triumph. 134
They have laid his land waste;
his cities have been burned down and deserted. 135
2:16 Even the soldiers 136 from Memphis and Tahpanhes
have cracked your skulls, people of Israel. 137
2:17 You have brought all this on yourself, Israel, 138
by deserting the Lord your God when he was leading you along the right path. 139
2:18 What good will it do you 140 then 141 to go down to Egypt
to seek help from the Egyptians? 142
What good will it do you 143 to go over to Assyria
to seek help from the Assyrians? 144
2:19 Your own wickedness will bring about your punishment.
Your unfaithful acts will bring down discipline on you. 145
Know, then, and realize how utterly harmful 146
it was for you to reject me, the Lord your God, 147
to show no respect for me,” 148
says the Lord God who rules over all. 149
2:20 “Indeed, 150 long ago you threw off my authority
and refused to be subject to me. 151
You said, ‘I will not serve you.’ 152
Instead, you gave yourself to other gods on every high hill
and under every green tree,
like a prostitute sprawls out before her lovers. 153
2:21 I planted you in the land
like a special vine of the very best stock.
Why in the world have you turned into something like a wild vine
that produces rotten, foul-smelling grapes? 154
2:22 You can try to wash away your guilt with a strong detergent.
You can use as much soap as you want.
But the stain of your guilt is still there for me to see,” 155
says the Lord God. 156
2:23 “How can you say, ‘I have not made myself unclean.
I have not paid allegiance to 157 the gods called Baal.’
Just look at the way you have behaved in the Valley of Hinnom! 158
Think about the things you have done there!
You are like a flighty, young female camel
that rushes here and there, crisscrossing its path. 159
2:24 You are like a wild female donkey brought up in the wilderness.
In her lust she sniffs the wind to get the scent of a male. 160
No one can hold her back when she is in heat.
None of the males need wear themselves out chasing after her.
At mating time she is easy to find. 161
2:25 Do not chase after other gods until your shoes wear out
and your throats become dry. 162
But you say, ‘It is useless for you to try and stop me
because I love those foreign gods 163 and want to pursue them!’
2:26 Just as a thief has to suffer dishonor when he is caught,
so the people of Israel 164 will suffer dishonor for what they have done. 165
So will their kings and officials,
their priests and their prophets.
2:27 They say to a wooden idol, 166 ‘You are my father.’
They say to a stone image, ‘You gave birth to me.’ 167
Yes, they have turned away from me instead of turning to me. 168
Yet when they are in trouble, they say, ‘Come and save us!’
2:28 But where are the gods you made for yourselves?
Let them save you when you are in trouble.
The sad fact is that 169 you have as many gods
as you have towns, Judah.
2:29 “Why do you try to refute me? 170
All of you have rebelled against me,”
says the Lord.
2:30 “It did no good for me to punish your people.
They did not respond to such correction.
You slaughtered your prophets
like a voracious lion.” 171
2:31 You people of this generation,
listen to what the Lord says.
“Have I been like a wilderness to you, Israel?
Have I been like a dark and dangerous land to you? 172
Why then do you 173 say, ‘We are free to wander. 174
We will not come to you any more?’
2:32 Does a young woman forget to put on her jewels?
Does a bride forget to put on her bridal attire?
But my people have forgotten me
for more days than can even be counted.
2:33 “My, how good you have become
at chasing after your lovers! 175
Why, you could even teach prostitutes a thing or two! 176
2:34 Even your clothes are stained with
the lifeblood of the poor who had not done anything wrong;
you did not catch them breaking into your homes. 177
Yet, in spite of all these things you have done, 178
2:35 you say, ‘I have not done anything wrong,
so the Lord cannot really be angry with me any more.’
But, watch out! 179 I will bring down judgment on you
because you say, ‘I have not committed any sin.’
2:36 Why do you constantly go about
changing your political allegiances? 180
You will get no help from Egypt
just as you got no help from Assyria. 181
2:37 Moreover, you will come away from Egypt
with your hands covering your faces in sorrow and shame 182
because the Lord will not allow your reliance on them to be successful
and you will not gain any help from them. 183
Matthew 16:1-28
Context16:1 Now when the Pharisees 184 and Sadducees 185 came to test Jesus, 186 they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 187 16:2 He 188 said, “When evening comes you say, ‘It will be fair weather, because the sky is red,’ 16:3 and in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, because the sky is red and darkening.’ 189 You know how to judge correctly the appearance of the sky, 190 but you cannot evaluate the signs of the times. 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then 191 he left them and went away.
16:5 When the disciples went to the other side, they forgot to take bread. 16:6 “Watch out,” Jesus said to them, “beware of the yeast of the Pharisees 192 and Sadducees.” 193 16:7 So 194 they began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “It is because we brought no bread.” 16:8 When Jesus learned of this, 195 he said, “You who have such little faith! 196 Why are you arguing 197 among yourselves about having no bread? 16:9 Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up? 16:10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many baskets you took up? 16:11 How could you not understand that I was not speaking to you about bread? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” 16:12 Then they understood that he had not told them to be on guard against the yeast in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
16:13 When 198 Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, 199 he asked his disciples, 200 “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 16:14 They answered, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, 201 and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 16:15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16:16 Simon Peter answered, 202 “You are the Christ, 203 the Son of the living God.” 16:17 And Jesus answered him, 204 “You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood 205 did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven! 16:18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades 206 will not overpower it. 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.” 16:20 Then he instructed his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. 207
16:21 From that time on 208 Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem 209 and suffer 210 many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, 211 and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 16:22 So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him: 212 “God forbid, 213 Lord! This must not happen to you!” 16:23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s.” 214 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to become my follower, 215 he must deny 216 himself, take up his cross, 217 and follow me. 16:25 For whoever wants to save his life 218 will lose it, 219 but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 16:26 For what does it benefit a person 220 if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or what can a person give in exchange for his life? 16:27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. 221 16:28 I tell you the truth, 222 there are some standing here who will not 223 experience 224 death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” 225
1 tn Or perhaps “and don’t get discouraged!”
2 tn Heb “Take with you all the people of war and arise, go up against Ai!”
3 tn Heb “I have given into our hand.” The verbal form, a perfect, is probably best understood as a perfect of certitude, indicating the certainty of the action.
4 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
5 tn “And Joshua and all the people of war arose to go up [against] Ai.”
6 tn Or “commanded, ordered.”
7 tn Heb “the people.”
8 tn Heb “come out after.”
9 tn Heb “from the ambush.”
10 tn Heb “take possession of.”
11 tn Heb “the city.”
12 tn Heb “I have commanded you.”
13 tn Or “the place of ambush.”
14 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
15 tn Heb “and they stayed between Bethel and Ai, west of Ai.”
16 tn Heb “in the midst of the people.”
17 tn Or “summoned, mustered.”
18 tn Heb “the people.”
19 tn Or “elders.”
20 tn Heb “went up.”
21 tn Heb “them” (referring to “the people” in the previous clause, which requires a plural pronoun). Since the translation used “army” in the previous clause, a singular pronoun (“it”) is required in English.
22 tn Heb “All the people of war who were with him went up and approached and came opposite the city.”
23 tn Heb “and the valley [was] between them and Ai.”
24 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
25 tn Some Hebrew
26 tn Heb “When the king of Ai saw, the men of Ai hurried and rose early and went out to meet Israel for battle, he and all his people at the meeting place before the Arabah.”
27 tn Or “know.”
28 tn Heb “that (there was) an ambush for him behind the city.”
29 tn Heb “All the people.”
30 tc Some textual witnesses read “the city.”
31 tn Or “were summoned”; or “were mustered.”
32 tc The LXX omits the words “or Bethel.”
map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
33 tn Heb “who did not go out after Israel.”
34 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the city of Ai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
35 tn Heb “and ran.”
36 tn Heb “and they saw, and look.” The Hebrew term הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) draws attention to the scene and invites the audience to view the events from the perspective of the men of Ai.
37 tn Heb “and there was not in them hands to flee here or there.” The Hebrew term יָדַיִם (yadayim, “hands”) is idiomatic for “strength.”
38 tn Heb “and that the smoke of the city ascended.”
39 tn Heb “and these went out from the city to meet them and they were for Israel in the middle, some on this side, and others on the other side.”
40 tn Heb “residents.”
41 tn Heb “in the field, in the desert in which they chased them.”
42 tc Heb “and all of them fell by the edge of the sword until they were destroyed.” The LXX omits the words, “and all of them fell by the edge of the sword.” They may represent a later scribal addition.
43 tn Heb “fell.”
44 tn Heb “Joshua did not draw back his hand which held out the curved sword until he had annihilated all the residents of Ai.”
45 tn Heb “according to the word of the
46 tn Heb “and made it a permanent mound, a desolation, to this day.”
47 tn Heb “on a tree until evening.” The words “leaving him exposed” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
48 sn For the legal background of this action, see Deut 21:22-23.
49 tn Heb “to this day.”
50 tn Heb “as it is written in the scroll of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones on which no one had wielded iron.” The expression “whole stones” refers to stones in their natural condition, i.e., not carved or shaped artificially with tools (“wielded iron”).
51 tn Or “peace offerings.”
52 tn Heb “and he wrote there on the stones a duplicate of the law of Moses which he wrote before the sons of Israel.”
53 tn Heb “All Israel.”
54 tn Or “elders.”
55 tn Heb “like the resident alien, like the citizen.” The language is idiomatic, meaning that both groups were treated the same, at least in this instance.
56 tn Heb “as Moses, the
sn Moses’ earlier instructions are found in Deut 11:29.
57 tn Or “afterward.”
58 tn Heb “There was not a word from all which Moses commanded that Joshua did not read aloud.”
59 tn Heb “walked in their midst.”
60 sn Psalm 139. The psalmist acknowledges that God, who created him, is aware of his every action and thought. He invites God to examine his motives, for he is confident they are pure.
61 tn The statement is understood as generalizing – the psalmist describes what God typically does.
62 tn Heb “my traveling and my lying down you measure.” The verb זָרָה (zarah, “to measure”) is probably here a denominative from זָרָת (zarat, “a span; a measure”), though some derive it from זָרָה (zarat, “to winnow; to sift”; see BDB 279-80 s.v. זָרָה).
63 tn Heb “all my ways.”
64 tn Or “for.”
65 tn Heb “look, O
66 tn Heb “too amazing [is this] knowledge for me, it is elevated, I cannot attain to it.”
67 tn Heb “Where can I go from your spirit, and where from your face can I flee?” God’s “spirit” may refer here (1) to his presence (note the parallel term, “your face,” and see Ps 104:29-30, where God’s “face” is his presence and his “spirit” is the life-giving breath he imparts) or (2) to his personal Spirit (see Ps 51:10).
68 tn The Hebrew verb סָלַק (salaq, “to ascend”) occurs only here in the OT, but the word is well-attested in Aramaic literature from different time periods and displays a wide semantic range (see DNWSI 2:788-90).
69 tn Heb “look, you.”
70 tn Heb “rise up.”
71 sn On the wings of the dawn. This personification of the “dawn” may find its roots in mythological traditions about the god Shachar, whose birth is described in an Ugaritic myth (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 126) and who is mentioned in Isa 14:12 as the father of Helel.
72 tn Heb “at the end.”
73 tn The Hebrew verb שׁוּף (shuf), which means “to crush; to wound,” in Gen 3:15 and Job 9:17, is problematic here. For a discussion of attempts to relate the verb to Arabic roots, see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 251. Many emend the form to יְשׂוּכֵּנִי (yesukkeniy), from the root שׂכך (“to cover,” an alternate form of סכך), a reading assumed in the present translation.
74 tn Heb “and night, light, around me.”
75 tn The words “to see” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
76 tn Heb “shines like.”
77 tn Heb “like darkness, like light.”
78 tn Or “for.”
79 tn Heb “my kidneys.” The kidneys were sometimes viewed as the seat of one’s emotions and moral character (cf. Pss 7:9; 26:2). A number of translations, recognizing that “kidneys” does not communicate this idea to the modern reader, have generalized the concept: “inmost being” (NAB, NIV); “inward parts” (NASB, NRSV); “the delicate, inner parts of my body” (NLT). In the last instance, the focus is almost entirely on the physical body rather than the emotions or moral character. The present translation, by using a hendiadys (one concept expressed through two terms), links the concepts of emotion (heart) and moral character (mind).
80 tn The Hebrew verb סָכַךְ (sakhakh, “to weave together”) is an alternate form of שָׂכַךְ (sakhakh, “to weave”) used in Job 10:11.
81 tc Heb “because awesome things, I am distinct, amazing [are] your works.” The text as it stands is syntactically problematic and makes little, if any, sense. The Niphal of פָּלָה (pala’) occurs elsewhere only in Exod 33:16. Many take the form from פָלָא (pala’; see GKC 216 §75.qq), which in the Niphal perfect means “to be amazing” (see 2 Sam 1:26; Ps 118:23; Prov 30:18). Some, following the LXX and some other ancient witnesses, also prefer to emend the verb from first to second person, “you are amazing” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 249, 251). The present translation assumes the text conflates two variants: נפלאים, the otherwise unattested masculine plural participle of פָלָא, and נִפְלָאוֹת (nifla’ot), the usual (feminine) plural form of the Niphal participle. The latter has been changed to a verb by later scribes in an attempt to accommodate it syntactically. The original text likely read, נוראות נפלאותים מעשׂיך (“your works [are] awesome [and] amazing”).
82 tc Heb “and my being knows very much.” Better parallelism is achieved (see v. 15a) if one emends יֹדַעַת (yoda’at), a Qal active participle, feminine singular form, to יָדַעְתָּ (yada’ta), a Qal perfect second masculine singular perfect. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 252.
83 tc The Hebrew term אֲשֶׁר (’asher, “which”) should probably be emended to כֲּאַשֶׁר (ka’asher, “when”). The kaf (כ) may have been lost by haplography (note the kaf at the end of the preceding form).
84 sn The phrase depths of the earth may be metaphorical (euphemistic) or it may reflect a prescientific belief about the origins of the embryo deep beneath the earth’s surface (see H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 96-97). Job 1:21 also closely associates the mother’s womb with the earth.
85 tn Heb “Your eyes saw my shapeless form.” The Hebrew noun גֹּלֶם (golem) occurs only here in the OT. In later Hebrew the word refers to “a lump, a shapeless or lifeless substance,” and to “unfinished matter, a vessel wanting finishing” (Jastrow 222 s.v. גּוֹלֶם). The translation employs the dynamic rendering “when I was inside the womb” to clarify that the speaker was still in his mother’s womb at the time he was “seen” by God.
86 tn Heb “and on your scroll all of them were written, [the] days [which] were formed, and [there was] not one among them.” This “scroll” may be the “scroll of life” mentioned in Ps 69:28 (see the note on the word “living” there).
87 tn Heb “and to me how precious are your thoughts, O God.” The Hebrew verb יָקַר (yaqar) probably has the sense of “difficult [to comprehend]” here (see HALOT 432 s.v. יקר qal.1 and note the use of Aramaic יַקִּר in Dan 2:11). Elsewhere in the immediate context the psalmist expresses his amazement at the extent of God’s knowledge about him (see vv. 1-6, 17b-18).
88 tn Heb “how vast are their heads.” Here the Hebrew word “head” is used of the “sum total” of God’s knowledge of the psalmist.
89 tc Heb “I awake and I [am] still with you.” A reference to the psalmist awaking from sleep makes little, if any, sense contextually. For this reason some propose an emendation to הֲקִצּוֹתִי (haqitsoti), a Hiphil perfect form from an otherwise unattested verb קָצַץ (qatsats) understood as a denominative of קֵץ (qets, “end”). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 252-53.
90 tn The Hebrew particle אִם (’im, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (see Pss 81:8; 95:7, as well as GKC 321 §109.b).
91 tn Heb “men of bloodshed.”
92 tn Heb “who.”
93 tc Heb “they speak [of] you.” The suffixed form of the verb אָמַר (’amar, “to speak”) is peculiar. The translation assumes an emendation to יַמְרֻךָ (yamrukha), a Hiphil form from מָרָה (marah, “to rebel”; see Ps 78:40).
94 tn Heb “by deceit.”
95 tc Heb “lifted up for emptiness, your cities.” The Hebrew text as it stands makes no sense. The form נָשֻׂא (nasu’; a Qal passive participle) should be emended to נָשְׂאוּ (nosÿu; a Qal perfect, third common plural, “[they] lift up”). Many emend עָרֶיךָ (’arekha, “your cities”) to עָלֶיךָ (’alekha, “against you”), but it is preferable to understand the noun as an Aramaism and translate “your enemies” (see Dan 4:16 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 253).
96 tc Heb “who raise themselves up against you.” The form וּבִתְקוֹמְמֶיךָ (uvitqomÿmekha) should be emended to וּבְמִתְקוֹמְמֶיךָ (uvÿmitqomÿmekha), a Hitpolel participle (the prefixed mem [מ] of the participle is accidentally omitted in the MT, though a few medieval Hebrew
97 tn Heb “[with] completeness of hatred I hate them.”
98 tn Heb “and know my heart.”
99 tn The Hebrew noun שַׂרְעַפַּי (sar’apay, “concerns”) is used of “worries” in Ps 94:19.
100 tn Many understand the Hebrew term עֹצֶב (’otsev) as a noun meaning “pain,” and translate the phrase דֶּרֶךְ עֹצֶב (derekh ’otsev) as “of pain,” but this makes little sense here. (Some interpret it to refer to actions which bring pain to others.) It is preferable to take עֹצֶב as “idol” (see HALOT 865 s.v. I עֹצֶב) and understand “way of an idol” to refer to idolatrous actions or tendency. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 253.
101 tn Heb “in the path of antiquity.” This probably refers to the moral path prescribed by the
102 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
103 tn Heb “I remember to/for you.”
104 tn Heb “the loyal love of your youth.”
sn The Hebrew word translated “how devoted you were” (חֶסֶד, khesed) refers metaphorically to the devotion of a new bride to her husband. In typical Hebraic fashion, contemporary Israel is identified with early Israel after she first entered into covenant with (= married) the
105 sn Heb “the first fruits of his harvest.” Many commentators see the figure here as having theological significance for the calling of the Gentiles. It is likely, however, that in this context the metaphor – here rendered as a simile – is intended to bring out the special relationship and inviolability that Israel had with God. As the first fruits were the special possession of the
106 tn Heb “house.”
107 tn Heb “house.”
108 tn Heb “fathers.”
109 tn Or “I did not wrong your ancestors in any way. Yet they went far astray from me.” Both translations are an attempt to render the rhetorical question which demands a negative answer.
110 tn Heb “They went/followed after.” This idiom is found most often in Deuteronomy or covenant contexts. It refers to loyalty to God and to his covenant or his commandments (e.g., 1 Kgs 14:8; 2 Chr 34:31) with the metaphor of a path or way underlying it (e.g., Deut 11:28; 28:14). To “follow other gods” was to abandon this way and this loyalty (i.e., to “abandon” or “forget” God, Judg 2:12; Hos 2:13) and to follow the customs or religious traditions of the pagan nations (e.g., 2 Kgs 17:15). The classic text on “following” God or another god is 1 Kgs 18:18, 21 where Elijah taunts the people with “halting between two opinions” whether the
111 tn The words “to me” are not in the Hebrew text but are implicit from the context: Heb “they followed after the worthless thing/things and became worthless.” There is an obvious wordplay on the verb “became worthless” and the noun “worthless thing,” which is probably to be understood collectively and to refer to idols as it does in Jer 8:19; 10:8; 14:22; Jonah 2:8.
112 tn This word is erroneously rendered “shadow of death” in most older English versions; that translation is based on a faulty etymology. Contextual studies and comparative Semitic linguistics have demonstrated that the word is merely another word for darkness. It is confined to poetic texts and often carries connotations of danger and distress. It is associated in poetic texts with the darkness of a prison (Ps 107:10, 14), a mine (Job 28:3), and a ravine (Ps 23:4). Here it is associated with the darkness of the wasteland and ravines of the Sinai desert.
113 sn The context suggests that the question is related to a lament where the people turn to God in their troubles, asking him for help and reminding him of his past benefactions. See for example Isa 63:11-19 and Ps 44. It is an implicit prayer for his intervention, cf. 2 Kgs 2:14.
114 sn Note how contemporary Israel is again identified with her early ancestors. See the study note on 2:2.
115 tn Heb “eat.”
116 sn I.e., made it ceremonially unclean. See Lev 18:19-30; Num 35:34; Deut 21:23.
117 tn Heb “my inheritance.” Or “the land [i.e., inheritance] I gave you,” reading the pronoun as indicating source rather than possession. The parallelism and the common use in Jeremiah of the term to refer to the land or people as the
sn The land belonged to the
118 tn Heb “The priests…the ones who grasp my law…the shepherds…the prophets…they…”
119 sn See the study note on 2:6.
120 tn Heb “those who handle my law.”
sn The reference is likely to the priests and Levites who were responsible for teaching the law (so Jer 18:18; cf. Deut 33:10). According to Jer 8:8 it could possibly refer to the scribes who copied the law.
121 tn Or “were not committed to me.” The Hebrew verb rendered “know” refers to more than mere intellectual knowledge. It carries also the ideas of emotional and volitional commitment as well intimacy. See for example its use in contexts like Hos 4:1; 6:6.
122 tn Heb “by Baal.”
123 tn Heb “and they followed after those things [the word is plural] which do not profit.” The poetic structure of the verse, four lines in which a distinct subject appears at the beginning followed by a fifth line beginning with a prepositional phrase and no distinct subject, argues that this line is climactic and refers to all four classes enumerated in the preceding lines. See W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:88-89. There may be a play or pun in the Hebrew text on the name for the god Baal (בַּעַל, ba’al) and the verb “cannot help you” (Heb “do not profit”) which is spelled יַעַל (ya’al).
124 tn Or “bring charges against you.”
sn The language used here is that of the law court. In international political contexts it was the language of a great king charging his subject with breach of covenant. See for examples in earlier prophets, Isa 1:2-20; Mic 6:1-8.
125 tn The words “your children and” are supplied in the translation to bring out the idea of corporate solidarity implicit in the passage.
sn The passage reflects the Hebrew concept of corporate solidarity: The actions of parents had consequences for their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Compare the usage in the ten commandments, Deut 5:10, and note the execution of the children of Dathan and Abiram, Deut 11:6, and of Achan, Josh 7:24-25.
126 tn Heb “For go west.”
127 tn Heb “pass over to the coasts of Kittim.” The words “west across the sea” in this line and “east of” in the next are implicit in the text and are supplied in the translation to give geographical orientation.
sn The Hebrew term translated Cyprus (“Kittim”) originally referred to the island of Cyprus but later was used for the lands in the west, including Macedonia (1 Macc 1:1; 8:5) and Rome (Dan 11:30). It is used here as part of a figure called merism to denote the lands in the west as opposed to Kedar which was in the east. The figure includes polar opposites to indicate totality, i.e., everywhere from west to east.
128 sn Kedar is the home of the Bedouin tribes in the Syro-Arabian desert. See Gen 25:18 and Jer 49:38. See also the previous note for the significance of the reference here.
129 tn Heb “have exchanged their glory [i.e., the God in whom they glory].” This is a case of a figure of speech where the attribute of a person or thing is put for the person or thing. Compare the common phrase in Isaiah, the Holy One of Israel, obviously referring to the
130 tn Heb “what cannot profit.” The verb is singular and the allusion is likely to Baal. See the translator’s note on 2:8 for the likely pun or wordplay.
131 sn In earlier literature the heavens (and the earth) were called on to witness Israel’s commitment to the covenant (Deut 30:12) and were called to serve as witnesses to Israel’s fidelity or infidelity to it (Isa 1:2; Mic 6:1).
132 tn It is difficult to decide whether to translate “fresh, running water” which the Hebrew term for “living water” often refers to (e.g., Gen 26:19; Lev 14:5), or “life-giving water” which the idiom “fountain of life” as source of life and vitality often refers to (e.g., Ps 36:9; Prov 13:14; 14:27). The contrast with cisterns, which collected and held rain water, suggests “fresh, running water,” but the reality underlying the metaphor contrasts the
133 tn Heb “Is Israel a slave? Or is he a house born slave?” The questions are rhetorical, expecting a negative answer.
sn The
134 tn Heb “Lions shout over him, they give out [raise] their voices.”
sn The reference to lions is here a metaphor for the Assyrians (and later the Babylonians, see Jer 50:17). The statement about lions roaring over their prey implies that the prey has been vanquished.
135 tn Heb “without inhabitant.”
136 tn Heb “the sons of…”
137 tc The translation follows the reading of the Syriac version. The Hebrew text reads “have grazed [= “shaved” ?] your skulls [as a sign of disgracing them].” Note that the reference shifts from third person, “him,” to second person, “you,” which is common in Hebrew style. The words “people of Israel” have been supplied in the translation to help identify the referent and ease the switch. The reading presupposes יְרֹעוּךְ (yÿro’ukh) a Qal imperfect from the verb רָעַע (ra’a’; see BDB 949 s.v. II רָעַע Qal.1 and compare usage in Jer 15:2; Ps 2:9). The MT reads יִרְעוּךְ (yir’ukh), a Qal imperfect from the root רָעָה (ra’ah; see BDB 945 s.v. I רָעָה Qal.2.b for usage). The use of the verb in the MT is unparalleled in the sense suggested, but the resultant figure, if “graze” can mean “shave,” is paralleled in Jer 47:5; 48:37; Isa 7:20. The reading of the variant is accepted on the basis that it is the rarer root; the scribe would have been more familiar with the root “graze” even though it is unparalleled in the figurative nuance implied here. The noun “head/skull” is functioning as an accusative of further specification (see GKC 372 §117.ll and compare usage in Gen 3:8), i.e., “they crack you on the skull” or “they shave you on the skull.” The verb is a prefixed form and in this context is either a preterite without vav (ו) consecutive or an iterative imperfect denoting repeated action. Some modern English versions render the verb in the future tense, “they will break [or shave] your skull.”
138 tn Heb “Are you not bringing this on yourself.” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer.
139 tn Heb “at the time of leading you in the way.”
140 tn Heb “What to you to the way.”
141 tn The introductory particle וְעַתָּה (vÿ’attah, “and now”) carries a logical, not temporal, connotation here (cf. BDB 274 s.v. עַתָּה 2.b).
142 tn Heb “to drink water from the Shihor [a branch of the Nile].” The reference is to seeking help through political alliance with Egypt as opposed to trusting in God for help. This is an extension of the figure in 2:13.
143 tn Heb “What to you to the way.”
144 tn Heb “to drink water from the River [a common designation in biblical Hebrew for the Euphrates River].” This refers to seeking help through political alliance. See the preceding note.
145 tn Or “teach you a lesson”; Heb “rebuke/chide you.”
146 tn Heb “how evil and bitter.” The reference is to the consequences of their acts. This is a figure of speech (hendiadys) where two nouns or adjectives joined by “and” introduce a main concept modified by the other noun or adjective.
147 tn Heb “to leave the
148 tn Heb “and no fear of me was on you.”
149 tn Heb “the Lord Yahweh, [the God of] hosts.” For the title Lord
150 tn Or “For.” The Hebrew particle (כִּי, ki) here introduces the evidence that they had no respect for him.
151 tn Heb “you broke your yoke…tore off your yoke ropes.” The metaphor is that of a recalcitrant ox or heifer which has broken free from its master.
152 tc The MT of this verse has two examples of the old second feminine singular perfect, שָׁבַרְתִּי (shavarti) and נִתַּקְתִּי (nittaqti), which the Masoretes mistook for first singulars leading to the proposal to read אֶעֱבוֹר (’e’evor, “I will not transgress”) for אֶעֱבֹד (’e’evod, “I will not serve”). The latter understanding of the forms is accepted in KJV but rejected by almost all modern English versions as being less appropriate to the context than the reading accepted in the translation given here.
153 tn Heb “you sprawled as a prostitute on….” The translation reflects the meaning of the metaphor.
154 tc Heb “I planted you as a choice vine, all of it true seed. How then have you turned into a putrid thing to me, a strange [or wild] vine.” The question expresses surprise and consternation. The translation is based on a redivision of the Hebrew words סוּרֵי הַגֶּפֶן (sure haggefen) into סוֹרִיָּה גֶּפֶן (soriyyah gefen) and the recognition of a hapax legomenon סוֹרִיָּה (soriyyah) meaning “putrid, stinking thing.” See HALOT 707 s.v. סוֹרִי.
155 tn Heb “Even if you wash with natron/lye, and use much soap, your sin is a stain before me.”
156 tn Heb “Lord Yahweh.” For an explanation of this title see the study notes on 1:6.
157 tn Heb “I have not gone/followed after.” See the translator’s note on 2:5 for the meaning and usage of this idiom.
158 tn Heb “Look at your way in the valley.” The valley is an obvious reference to the Valley of Hinnom where Baal and Molech were worshiped and child sacrifice was practiced.
159 sn The metaphor is intended to depict Israel’s lack of clear direction and purpose without the
160 tn The words “to get the scent of a male” are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarification.
161 sn The metaphor is intended to depict Israel’s irrepressible desire to worship other gods.
162 tn Heb “Refrain your feet from being bare and your throat from being dry/thirsty.”
163 tn Heb “It is useless! No!” For this idiom, see Jer 18:12; NEB “No; I am desperate.”
164 tn Heb “house of Israel.”
165 tn The words “for what they have done” are implicit in the comparison and are supplied in the translation for clarification.
166 tn Heb “wood…stone…”
167 sn The reference to wood and stone is, of course, a pejorative reference to idols made by human hands. See the next verse where reference is made to “the gods you have made.”
168 tn Heb “they have turned [their] backs to me, not [their] faces.”
169 tn This is an attempt to render the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki, “for, indeed”) contextually.
170 sn This is still part of the
171 tn Heb “Your sword devoured your prophets like a destroying lion.” However, the reference to the sword in this and many similar idioms is merely idiomatic for death by violent means.
172 tn Heb “a land of the darkness of Yah [= thick or deep darkness].” The idea of danger is an added connotation of the word in this context.
173 tn Heb “my people.”
174 tn Or more freely, “free to do as we please.” There is some debate about the meaning of this verb (רוּד, rud) because its usage is rare and its meaning is debated in the few passages where it does occur. The key to its meaning may rest in the emended text (reading וְרַדְתִּי [vÿradti] for וְיָרַדְתִּי [vÿyaradti]) in Judg 11:37 where it refers to the roaming of Jephthah’s daughter on the mountains of Israel.
175 tn Heb “How good you have made your ways to seek love.”
176 tn Heb “so that even the wicked women you teach your ways.”
177 tn The words “for example” are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarification. This is only one example of why their death was not legitimate.
sn Killing a thief caught in the act of breaking and entering into a person’s home was pardonable under the law of Moses, cf. Exod 22:2.
178 tn KJV and ASV read this line with 2:34. The ASV makes little sense and the KJV again erroneously reads the archaic second person feminine singular perfect as first person common singular. All the modern English versions and commentaries take this line with 2:35.
179 tn This is an attempt to render the Hebrew particle often translated “behold” (הִנֵּה, hinneh) in a meaningful way in this context. See further the translator’s note on the word “really” in 1:6.
180 tn Heb “changing your way.” The translation follows the identification of the Hebrew verb here as a defective writing of a form (תֵּזְלִי [tezÿli] instead of תֵּאזְלִי [te’zÿli]) from a verb meaning “go/go about” (אָזַל [’azal]; cf. BDB 23 s.v. אָזַל). Most modern English versions, commentaries, and lexicons read it from a root meaning “to treat cheaply [or lightly]” (תָּזֵלִּי [tazelli] from the root זָלַל (zalal); cf. HALOT 261 s.v. זָלַל); hence, “Why do you consider it such a small matter to…”
181 tn Heb “You will be ashamed/disappointed by Egypt, just as you were ashamed/ disappointed by Assyria.”
182 tn Heb “with your hands on your head.” For the picture here see 2 Sam 13:19.
183 tn Heb “The
184 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
185 sn See the note on Sadducees in 3:7.
186 tn The object of the participle πειράζοντες (peirazontes) is not given in the Greek text but has been supplied here for clarity.
187 sn What exactly this sign would have been, given what Jesus was already doing, is not clear. But here is where the fence-sitters reside, refusing to commit to him.
188 tn Grk “But answering, he said to them.” The construction has been simplified in the translation and δέ (de) has not been translated.
189 tn Or “red and gloomy” (L&N 14.56).
190 tn Grk “The face of the sky you know how to discern.”
191 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
192 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
193 sn See the note on Sadducees in 3:7.
194 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Jesus’ saying about the Pharisees and Sadducees.
195 tn Or “becoming aware of it.”
196 tn Grk “Those of little faith.”
197 tn Or “discussing.”
198 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
199 map For location see Map1 C1; Map2 F4.
200 tn Grk “he asked his disciples, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has been left untranslated.
201 sn The appearance of Elijah would mean that the end time had come. According to 2 Kgs 2:11, Elijah was still alive. In Mal 4:5 it is said that Elijah would be the precursor of Messiah.
202 tn Grk “And answering, Simon Peter said.”
203 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.
204 tn Grk “answering, Jesus said to him.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant, but the syntax of this phrase has been modified for clarity.
205 tn The expression “flesh and blood” could refer to “any human being” (so TEV, NLT; cf. NIV “man”), but it could also refer to Peter himself (i.e., his own intuition; cf. CEV “You didn’t discover this on your own”). Because of the ambiguity of the referent, the phrase “flesh and blood” has been retained in the translation.
206 tn Or “and the power of death” (taking the reference to the gates of Hades as a metonymy).
sn In the OT, Hades was known as Sheol. It is the place where the unrighteous will reside (Matt 11:23; Luke 16:23; Rev 20:13-14). Some translations render this by its modern equivalent, “hell”; others see it as a reference to the power of death.
207 tc Most
tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.
208 tn Grk “From then.”
209 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
210 sn The necessity that the Son of Man suffer is the particular point that needed emphasis since for many 1st century Jews the Messiah was a glorious and powerful figure, not a suffering one.
211 tn Or “and scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
212 tn Grk “began to rebuke him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
213 tn Grk “Merciful to you.” A highly elliptical expression: “May God be merciful to you in sparing you from having to undergo [some experience]” (L&N 88.78). A contemporary English equivalent is “God forbid!”
214 tn Grk “people.”
215 tn Grk “to come after me.”
216 tn This translation better expresses the force of the Greek third person imperative than the traditional “let him deny,” which could be understood as merely permissive.
217 sn To bear the cross means to accept the rejection of the world for turning to Jesus and following him. Discipleship involves a death that is like a crucifixion; see Gal 6:14.
218 tn Or “soul” (throughout vv. 25-26).
219 sn The point of the saying whoever wants to save his life will lose it is that if one comes to Jesus then rejection by many will certainly follow. If self-protection is a key motivation, then one will not respond to Jesus and will not be saved. One who is willing to risk rejection will respond and find true life.
220 tn Grk “a man,” but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense here to refer to both men and women.
221 sn An allusion to Pss 28:4; 62:12; cf. Prov 24:12.
222 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
223 tn The Greek negative here (οὐ μή, ou mh) is the strongest possible.
224 tn Grk “will not taste.” Here the Greek verb does not mean “sample a small amount” (as a typical English reader might infer from the word “taste”), but “experience something cognitively or emotionally; come to know something” (cf. BDAG 195 s.v. γεύομαι 2).
225 sn Several suggestions have been made as to the referent for the phrase the Son of Man coming in his kingdom: (1) the transfiguration itself, which immediately follows in the narrative; (2) Jesus’ resurrection and ascension; (3) the coming of the Spirit; (4) Christ’s role in the Church; (5) the destruction of Jerusalem; (6) Jesus’ second coming and the establishment of the kingdom. The reference to six days later in 17:1 seems to indicate that Matthew had the transfiguration in mind insofar as it was a substantial prefiguring of the consummation of the kingdom (although this interpretation is not without its problems). As such, the transfiguration would be a tremendous confirmation to the disciples that even though Jesus had just finished speaking of his death (in vv. 21-23), he was nonetheless the promised Messiah and things were proceeding according to God’s plan.
