Joshua 9:1-27 
Context9:1 When the news reached all the kings on the west side of the Jordan 1 – in the hill country, the lowlands, 2 and all along the Mediterranean coast 3 as far as 4 Lebanon (including the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites) – 9:2 they formed an alliance to fight against Joshua and Israel. 5
9:3 When the residents of Gibeon heard what Joshua did to Jericho 6 and Ai, 9:4 they did something clever. They collected some provisions 7 and put worn-out sacks on their donkeys, along with worn-out wineskins that were ripped and patched. 9:5 They had worn-out, patched sandals on their feet and dressed in worn-out clothes. All their bread 8 was dry and hard. 9 9:6 They came to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land. Make a treaty with us.” 9:7 The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live near us. 10 So how can we make a treaty with you?” 9:8 But they said to Joshua, “We are willing to be your subjects.” 11 So Joshua said to them, “Who are you and where do you come from?” 9:9 They told him, “Your subjects 12 have come from a very distant land because of the reputation 13 of the Lord your God, for we have heard the news about all he did in Egypt 14 9:10 and all he did to the two Amorite kings on the other side of the Jordan – King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan in Ashtaroth. 9:11 Our leaders and all who live in our land told us, ‘Take provisions for your journey and go meet them. Tell them, “We are willing to be your subjects. 15 Make a treaty with us.”’ 9:12 This bread of ours was warm when we packed it in our homes the day we started out to meet you, 16 but now it is dry and hard. 17 9:13 These wineskins we filled were brand new, but look how they have ripped. Our clothes and sandals have worn out because it has been a very long journey.” 9:14 The men examined 18 some of their provisions, but they failed to ask the Lord’s advice. 19 9:15 Joshua made a peace treaty with them and agreed to let them live. The leaders of the community 20 sealed it with an oath. 21
9:16 Three days after they made the treaty with them, the Israelites found out they were from the local area and lived nearby. 22 9:17 So the Israelites set out and on the third day arrived at their cities – Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim. 9:18 The Israelites did not attack them because the leaders of the community had sworn an oath to them in the name of the Lord God of Israel. 23 The whole community criticized 24 the leaders, 9:19 but all the leaders told the whole community, “We swore an oath to them in the name of 25 the Lord God of Israel. So now we can’t hurt 26 them! 9:20 We must let them live so we can escape the curse attached to the oath we swore to them.” 27 9:21 The leaders then added, 28 “Let them live.” So they became 29 woodcutters and water carriers for the whole community, as the leaders had decided. 30
9:22 31 Joshua summoned the Gibeonites 32 and said to them, “Why did you trick 33 us by saying, ‘We live far away from you,’ when you really live nearby? 34 9:23 Now you are condemned to perpetual servitude as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.” 35 9:24 They said to Joshua, “It was carefully reported to your subjects 36 how the Lord your God commanded Moses his servant to assign you the whole land and to destroy all who live in the land from before you. Because of you we were terrified 37 we would lose our lives, so we did this thing. 9:25 So now we are in your power. 38 Do to us what you think is good and appropriate. 39 9:26 Joshua did as they said; he kept the Israelites from killing them 40 9:27 and that day made them woodcutters and water carriers for the community and for the altar of the Lord at the divinely chosen site. (They continue in that capacity to this very day.) 41
Psalms 140:1--141:10
ContextFor the music director; a psalm of David.
140:1 O Lord, rescue me from wicked men! 43
Protect me from violent men, 44
140:2 who plan ways to harm me. 45
All day long they stir up conflict. 46
140:3 Their tongues wound like a serpent; 47
a viper’s 48 venom is behind 49 their lips. (Selah)
140:4 O Lord, shelter me from the power 50 of the wicked!
Protect me from violent men,
who plan to knock me over. 51
140:5 Proud men hide a snare for me;
evil men 52 spread a net by the path;
they set traps for me. (Selah)
140:6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
O Lord, pay attention to my plea for mercy!
140:7 O sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, 53
you shield 54 my head in the day of battle.
140:8 O Lord, do not let the wicked have their way! 55
Do not allow their 56 plan to succeed when they attack! 57 (Selah)
140:9 As for the heads of those who surround me –
may the harm done by 58 their lips overwhelm them!
140:10 May he rain down 59 fiery coals upon them!
May he throw them into the fire!
From bottomless pits they will not escape. 60
140:11 A slanderer 61 will not endure on 62 the earth;
calamity will hunt down a violent man and strike him down. 63
140:12 I know 64 that the Lord defends the cause of the oppressed
and vindicates the poor. 65
140:13 Certainly the godly will give thanks to your name;
the morally upright will live in your presence.
A psalm of David.
141:1 O Lord, I cry out to you. Come quickly to me!
Pay attention to me when I cry out to you!
141:2 May you accept my prayer like incense,
my uplifted hands like the evening offering! 67
141:3 O Lord, place a guard on my mouth!
Protect the opening 68 of my lips! 69
141:4 Do not let me have evil desires, 70
or participate in sinful activities
with men who behave wickedly. 71
I will not eat their delicacies. 72
141:5 May the godly strike me in love and correct me!
May my head not refuse 73 choice oil! 74
Indeed, my prayer is a witness against their evil deeds. 75
141:6 They will be thrown down the side of a cliff by their judges. 76
They 77 will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.
141:7 As when one plows and breaks up the soil, 78
so our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
141:8 Surely I am looking to you, 79 O sovereign Lord.
In you I take shelter.
Do not expose me to danger! 80
141:9 Protect me from the snare they have laid for me,
and the traps the evildoers have set. 81
141:10 Let the wicked fall 82 into their 83 own nets,
while I escape. 84
Jeremiah 3:1-25
Context3:1 “If a man divorces his wife
and she leaves him and becomes another man’s wife,
he may not take her back again. 85
Doing that would utterly defile the land. 86
But you, Israel, have given yourself as a prostitute to many gods. 87
So what makes you think you can return to me?” 88
says the Lord.
3:2 “Look up at the hilltops and consider this. 89
You have had sex with other gods on every one of them. 90
You waited for those gods like a thief lying in wait in the desert. 91
You defiled the land by your wicked prostitution to other gods. 92
3:3 That is why the rains have been withheld,
and the spring rains have not come.
Yet in spite of this you are obstinate as a prostitute. 93
You refuse to be ashamed of what you have done.
3:4 Even now you say to me, ‘You are my father! 94
You have been my faithful companion ever since I was young.
3:5 You will not always be angry with me, will you?
You will not be mad at me forever, will you?’ 95
That is what you say,
but you continually do all the evil that you can.” 96
3:6 When Josiah was king of Judah, the Lord said to me, “Jeremiah, you have no doubt seen what wayward Israel has done. 97 You have seen how she went up to every high hill and under every green tree to give herself like a prostitute to other gods. 98 3:7 Yet even after she had done all that, I thought that she might come back to me. 99 But she did not. Her sister, unfaithful Judah, saw what she did. 100 3:8 She also saw 101 that I gave wayward Israel her divorce papers and sent her away because of her adulterous worship of other gods. 102 Even after her unfaithful sister Judah had seen this, 103 she still was not afraid, and she too went and gave herself like a prostitute to other gods. 104 3:9 Because she took her prostitution so lightly, she defiled the land 105 through her adulterous worship of gods made of wood and stone. 106 3:10 In spite of all this, 107 Israel’s sister, unfaithful Judah, has not turned back to me with any sincerity; she has only pretended to do so,” 108 says the Lord. 3:11 Then the Lord said to me, “Under the circumstances, wayward Israel could even be considered less guilty than unfaithful Judah. 109
3:12 “Go and shout this message to my people in the countries in the north. 110 Tell them,
‘Come back to me, wayward Israel,’ says the Lord.
‘I will not continue to look on you with displeasure. 111
For I am merciful,’ says the Lord.
‘I will not be angry with you forever.
3:13 However, you must confess that you have done wrong, 112
and that you have rebelled against the Lord your God.
You must confess 113 that you have given yourself to 114 foreign gods under every green tree,
and have not obeyed my commands,’ says the Lord.
3:14 “Come back to me, my wayward sons,” says the Lord, “for I am your true master. 115 If you do, 116 I will take one of you from each town and two of you from each family group, and I will bring you back to Zion. 3:15 I will give you leaders 117 who will be faithful to me. 118 They will lead you with knowledge and insight. 3:16 In those days, your population will greatly increase 119 in the land. At that time,” says the Lord, “people will no longer talk about having the ark 120 that contains the Lord’s covenant with us. 121 They will not call it to mind, remember it, or miss it. No, that will not be done any more! 122 3:17 At that time the city of Jerusalem 123 will be called the Lord’s throne. All nations will gather there in Jerusalem to honor the Lord’s name. 124 They will no longer follow the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts. 125 3:18 At that time 126 the nation of Judah and the nation of Israel will be reunited. 127 Together they will come back from a land in the north to the land that I gave to your ancestors as a permanent possession. ” 128
3:19 “I thought to myself, 129
‘Oh what a joy it would be for me to treat you like a son! 130
What a joy it would be for me to give 131 you a pleasant land,
the most beautiful piece of property there is in all the world!’ 132
I thought you would call me, ‘Father’ 133
and would never cease being loyal to me. 134
3:20 But, you have been unfaithful to me, nation of Israel, 135
like an unfaithful wife who has left her husband,” 136
says the Lord.
3:21 “A noise is heard on the hilltops.
It is the sound of the people of Israel crying and pleading to their gods.
Indeed they have followed sinful ways; 137
they have forgotten to be true to the Lord their God. 138
3:22 Come back to me, you wayward people.
I want to cure your waywardness. 139
Say, 140 ‘Here we are. We come to you
because you are the Lord our God.
3:23 We know our noisy worship of false gods
on the hills and mountains did not help us. 141
We know that the Lord our God
is the only one who can deliver Israel. 142
3:24 From earliest times our worship of that shameful god, Baal,
has taken away 143 all that our ancestors 144 worked for.
It has taken away our flocks and our herds,
and even our sons and daughters.
3:25 Let us acknowledge 145 our shame.
Let us bear the disgrace that we deserve. 146
For we have sinned against the Lord our God,
both we and our ancestors.
From earliest times to this very day
we have not obeyed the Lord our God.’
Matthew 17:1-27
Context17:1 Six days later 147 Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, 148 and led them privately up a high mountain. 17:2 And he was transfigured before them. 149 His 150 face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 17:3 Then Moses 151 and Elijah 152 also appeared before them, talking with him. 17:4 So 153 Peter said 154 to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, I will make 155 three shelters 156 – one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 17:5 While he was still speaking, a 157 bright cloud 158 overshadowed 159 them, and a voice from the cloud said, 160 “This is my one dear Son, 161 in whom I take great delight. Listen to him!” 162 17:6 When the disciples heard this, they were overwhelmed with fear and threw themselves down with their faces to the ground. 163 17:7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Do not be afraid.” 17:8 When 164 they looked up, all they saw was Jesus alone.
17:9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, 165 “Do not tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 17:10 The disciples asked him, 166 “Why then do the experts in the law 167 say that Elijah must come first?” 17:11 He 168 answered, “Elijah does indeed come first and will restore all things. 17:12 And I tell you that Elijah has already come. Yet they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted. In 169 the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.” 17:13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.
17:14 When 170 they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, 17:15 and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, because he has seizures 171 and suffers terribly, for he often falls into the fire and into the water. 17:16 I brought him to your disciples, but 172 they were not able to heal him.” 17:17 Jesus answered, 173 “You 174 unbelieving 175 and perverse generation! How much longer 176 must I be with you? How much longer must I endure 177 you? 178 Bring him here to me.” 17:18 Then 179 Jesus rebuked 180 the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was healed from that moment. 17:19 Then the disciples came 181 to Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we cast it out?” 17:20 He told them, “It was because of your little faith. I tell you the truth, 182 if you have faith the size of 183 a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; nothing 184 will be impossible for you.”
17:21 [[EMPTY]] 18517:22 When 186 they gathered together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. 187 17:23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised.” And they became greatly distressed.
17:24 After 188 they arrived in Capernaum, 189 the collectors of the temple tax 190 came to Peter and said, “Your teacher pays the double drachma tax, doesn’t he?” 17:25 He said, “Yes.” When Peter came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, 191 “What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly kings collect tolls or taxes – from their sons 192 or from foreigners?” 17:26 After he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons 193 are free. 17:27 But so that we don’t offend them, go to the lake and throw out a hook. Take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth, you will find a four drachma coin. 194 Take that and give it to them for me and you.”
1 tn Heb “When all the kings who were beyond the Jordan heard.”
2 tn Or “foothills”; Heb “the Shephelah.”
3 tn Heb “all the coast of the Great Sea.” The “Great Sea” was the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.
4 tn Heb “in front of.”
5 tn Heb “they gathered together to fight against Joshua and Israel [with] one mouth.”
6 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
7 tc Heb “and they went and [?].” The root and meaning of the verb form יִצְטַיָּרוּ (yitstayyaru) are uncertain. The form is most likely a corruption of יִצְטַיָּדוּ (yitstayyadu), read by some Hebrew
8 tn Heb “all the bread of their provisions.”
9 tn Or “moldy.”
10 tn Heb “in our midst.”
11 tn Heb “we are your servants.”
12 tn Or “servants.”
13 tn Heb “name.”
14 tn Heb “the report about him, all that he did in Egypt.”
15 tn Heb “your servants.”
16 tn Heb “in the day we went out to come to you.”
17 tn Or “moldy.”
18 tn Heb “took.” This probably means they tasted some of the food to make sure it was stale.
19 tn Heb “but they did not ask the mouth of the
20 tn Or “assembly.”
21 tn Heb “Joshua made peace with them and made a treaty with them to let them live, and the leaders of the community swore an oath to them.”
22 tn Heb “At the end of three days, after they made the treaty with them, they heard that they were neighbors to them and in their midst they were living.”
23 tn Heb “by the
24 tn Or “grumbled against.”
25 tn Heb “to them by….”
26 tn Or “touch.”
27 tn Heb “This is what we will do to them, keeping them alive so there will not be upon us anger concerning the oath which we swore to them.”
28 tc Heb “and the leaders said to them.” The LXX omits the words “and the leaders said to them.”
29 tn The vav (ו) consecutive construction in the Hebrew text suggests that the narrative resumes at this point. The LXX reads here, “and they will be,” understanding what follows to be a continuation of the leaders’ words rather than a comment by the narrator.
30 tn Heb “as the leaders said to them.”
31 sn Verses 22-27 appear to elaborate on v. 21b.
32 tn Heb “them.”
33 tn Or “deceive.”
34 tn Heb “live in our midst?”
35 tn Heb “Now you are cursed and a servant will not be cut off from you, woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”
36 tn Heb “your servants.”
37 tn Or “we were very afraid.”
38 tn Heb “so now, look, we are in your hand.”
39 tn Heb “according to what is good and according to what is upright in your eyes to do us, do.”
40 tn Heb “And he did to them so and he rescued them from the hand of the sons of Israel and they did not kill them.”
41 tn Heb “and Joshua made them in that day woodcutters and water carriers for the community, and for the altar of the
42 sn Psalm 140. The psalmist asks God to deliver him from his deadly enemies, calls judgment down upon them, and affirms his confidence in God’s justice.
43 tn Heb “from a wicked man.” The Hebrew uses the singular in a representative or collective sense (note the plural verbs in v. 2).
44 tn Heb “a man of violent acts.” The Hebrew uses the singular in a representative or collective sense (note the plural verbs in v. 2).
45 tn Heb “they devise wicked [plans] in [their] mind.”
46 tc Heb “they attack [for] war.” Some revocalize the verb (which is a Qal imperfect from גּוּר, gur, “to attack”) as יְגָרוּ (yÿgaru), a Piel imperfect from גָרָה (garah, “stir up strife”). This is followed in the present translation.
47 tn Heb “they sharpen their tongue like a serpent.” Ps 64:3 reads, “they sharpen their tongues like sword.” Perhaps Ps 140:3 uses a mixed metaphor, the point being that “they sharpen their tongues [like a sword],” as it were, so that when they speak, their words wound like a serpent’s bite. Another option is that the language refers to the pointed or forked nature of a serpent’s tongue, which is viewed metaphorically as “sharpened.”
48 tn The Hebrew term is used only here in the OT.
49 tn Heb “under.”
50 tn Heb “hands.”
51 tn Heb “to push down my steps.”
52 tn Heb “and ropes,” but many prefer to revocalize the noun as a participle (חֹבְלִים, khovÿlim) from the verb חָבַל (khaval, “act corruptly”).
53 tn Heb “the strength of my deliverance.”
54 tn Heb “cover.”
55 tn Heb “do not grant the desires of the wicked.”
56 tn Heb “his.” The singular is used in a representative sense (see v. 1).
57 tn Heb “his plot do not promote, they rise up.” The translation understands the final verb as being an unmarked temporal clause. Another option is to revocalize the verb as a Hiphil and take the verb with the next verse, “those who surround me lift up [their] head,” which could refer to their proud attitude as they anticipate victory (see Ps 27:6).
58 tn Heb “harm of their lips.” The genitive here indicates the source or agent of the harm.
59 tn The verb form in the Kethib (consonantal Hebrew text) appears to be a Hiphil imperfect from the root מוּט (mut, “to sway”), but the Hiphil occurs only here and in Ps 55:3, where it is preferable to read יַמְטִירוּ (yamtiru, “they rain down”). In Ps 140:10 the form יַמְטֵר (yamter, “let him rain down”) should probably be read.
60 tn Heb “into bottomless pits, they will not arise.” The translation assumes that the preposition -בְּ (bet) has the nuance “from” here. Another option is to connect the line with what precedes, take the final clause as an asyndetic relative clause, and translate, “into bottomless pits [from which] they cannot arise.” The Hebrew noun מַהֲמֹרָה (mahamorah, “bottomless pit”) occurs only here in the OT.
61 tn Heb “a man of a tongue.”
62 tn Heb “be established in.”
63 tn Heb “for blows.” The Hebrew noun מַדְחֵפֹה (madkhefoh, “blow”) occurs only here in the OT.
64 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew
65 tn Heb “and the just cause of the poor.”
66 sn Psalm 141. The psalmist asks God to protect him from sin and from sinful men.
67 tn Heb “may my prayer be established [like] incense before you, the uplifting of my hands [like] an evening offering.”
68 tn Heb “door.” The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT.
69 sn My mouth…my lips. The psalmist asks God to protect him from speaking inappropriately or sinfully.
70 tn Heb “do not turn my heart toward an evil thing.”
71 tn Heb “to act sinfully in practices in wickedness with men, doers of evil.”
72 sn Their delicacies. This probably refers to the enjoyment that a sinful lifestyle appears to offer.
73 tn The form יָנִי (yaniy) appears to be derived from the verbal root נוּא (nu’). Another option is to emend the form to יְנָא (yÿna’), a Piel from נָאָה (na’ah), and translate “may choice oil not adorn my head” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 271). In this case, choice oil, like delicacies in v. 4, symbolize the pleasures of sin.
74 sn May my head not refuse choice oil. The psalmist compares the constructive criticism of the godly (see the previous line) to having refreshing olive oil poured over one’s head.
75 tc Heb “for still, and my prayer [is] against their evil deeds.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult; the sequence -כִּי־עוֹד וּ (kiy-’od u-, “for still and”) occurs only here. The translation assumes an emendation to כִּי עֵד תְפלָּתִי (“indeed a witness [is] my prayer”). The psalmist’s lament about the evil actions of sinful men (see v. 4) testifies against the wicked in the divine court.
76 tn Heb “they are thrown down by the hands of a cliff, their judges.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult and the meaning uncertain. The perfect verbal form is understood as rhetorical; the psalmist describes the anticipated downfall of the wicked as if it had already occurred. “Their judges” could be taken as the subject of the verb, but this makes little, if any, sense. The translation assumes the judges are the agents and that the wicked, mentioned earlier in the psalm, are the subjects of the verb.
77 tn It is unclear how this statement relates to the preceding sentence. Perhaps the judges are the referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) of the verb “will listen,” and “my words” are the referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) of the phrase “are pleasant.” The psalmist may be affirming here his confidence that he will be vindicated when he presents his case before the judges, while the wicked will be punished.
78 tn Heb “like splitting and breaking open in the earth.” The meaning of the statement and the point of the comparison are not entirely clear. Perhaps the psalmist is suggesting that he and other godly individuals are as good as dead; their bones are scattered about like dirt that is dug up and tossed aside.
79 tn Heb “my eyes [are] toward you.”
80 tn Heb “do not lay bare my life.” Only here is the Piel form of the verb collocated with the term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “life”). In Isa 53:12 the Lord’s servant “lays bare (the Hiphil form of the verb is used) his life to death.”
81 tn Heb “and the traps of the doers of evil.”
82 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer. Another option is to translate, “the wicked will fall.”
83 tn Heb “his.”
84 tn Heb “at the same [that] I, until I pass by.” Another option is to take יַחַד (yakhad) with the preceding line, “let the wicked fall together into their own nets.”
85 tn Heb “May he go back to her again?” The question is rhetorical and expects a negative answer.
sn For the legal background for the illustration that is used here see Deut 24:1-4.
86 tn Heb “Would the land not be utterly defiled?” The stative is here rendered actively to connect better with the preceding. The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer.
87 tn Heb “But you have played the prostitute with many lovers.”
88 tn Heb “Returning to me.” The form is the bare infinitive which the KJV and ASV have interpreted as an imperative “Yet, return to me!” However, it is more likely that a question is intended, expressing surprise in the light of the law alluded to and the facts cited. For the use of the infinitive absolute in the place of a finite verb, cf. GKC 346 §113.ee. For the introduction of a question without a question marker, cf. GKC 473 §150.a.
89 tn Heb “and see.”
90 tn Heb “Where have you not been ravished?” The rhetorical question expects the answer “nowhere,” which suggests she has engaged in the worship of pagan gods on every one of the hilltops.
91 tn Heb “You sat for them [the lovers, i.e., the foreign gods] beside the road like an Arab in the desert.”
92 tn Heb “by your prostitution and your wickedness.” This is probably an example of hendiadys where, when two nouns are joined by “and,” one expresses the main idea and the other qualifies it.
93 tn Heb “you have the forehead of a prostitute.”
94 tn Heb “Have you not just now called out to me, ‘[you are] my father!’?” The rhetorical question expects a positive answer.
95 tn Heb “Will he keep angry forever? Will he maintain [it] to the end?” The questions are rhetorical and expect a negative answer. The change to direct address in the English translation is intended to ease the problem of the rapid transition, common in Hebrew style (but not in English), from second person direct address in the preceding lines to third person indirect address in these two lines. See GKC 462 §144.p.
96 tn Heb “You do the evil and you are able.” This is an example of hendiadys, meaning “You do all the evil that you are able to do.”
97 tn “Have you seen…” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer.
98 tn Heb “she played the prostitute there.” This is a metaphor for Israel’s worship; she gave herself to the worship of other gods like a prostitute gives herself to her lovers. There seems no clear way to completely spell out the metaphor in the translation.
99 tn Or “I said to her, ‘Come back to me!’” The verb אָמַר (’amar) usually means “to say,” but here it means “to think,” of an assumption that turns out to be wrong (so HALOT 66.4 s.v. אמר); cf. Gen 44:28; Jer 3:19; Pss 82:6; 139:11; Job 29:18; Ruth 4:4; Lam 3:18.
sn Open theists suggest that passages such as this indicate God has limited foreknowledge; however, more traditional theologians view this passage as an extended metaphor in which God presents himself as a deserted husband, hoping against hope that his adulterous wife might return to him. The point of the metaphor is not to make an assertion about God’s foreknowledge, but to develop the theme of God’s heartbreak due to Israel’s unrepentance.
100 tn The words “what she did” are not in the text but are implicit from the context and are supplied in the translation for clarification.
101 tc Heb “she [‘her sister, unfaithful Judah’ from the preceding verse] saw” with one Hebrew
102 tn Heb “because she committed adultery.” The translation is intended to spell out the significance of the metaphor.
103 tn The words “Even after her unfaithful sister, Judah, had seen this” are not in the Hebrew text but are implicit in the connection and are supplied for clarification.
104 tn Heb “she played the prostitute there.” This is a metaphor for Israel’s worship; she gave herself to the worship of other gods like a prostitute gives herself to her lovers. There seems no clear way to completely spell out the metaphor in the translation.
105 tc The translation reads the form as a causative (Hiphil, תַּהֲנֵף, tahanef) with some of the versions in place of the simple stative (Qal, תֶּחֱנַף, tekhenaf) in the MT.
106 tn Heb “because of the lightness of her prostitution, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood.”
107 tn Heb “And even in all this.”
108 tn Heb “ has not turned back to me with all her heart but only in falsehood.”
109 tn Heb “Wayward Israel has proven herself to be more righteous than unfaithful Judah.”
sn A comparison is drawn here between the greater culpability of Judah, who has had the advantage of seeing how God disciplined her sister nation for having sinned and yet ignored the warning and committed the same sin, and the culpability of Israel who had no such advantage.
110 tn Heb “Go and proclaim these words to the north.” The translation assumes that the message is directed toward the exiles of northern Israel who have been scattered in the provinces of Assyria to the north.
111 tn Heb “I will not cause my face to fall on you.”
112 tn Heb “Only acknowledge your iniquity.”
113 tn The words “You must confess” are repeated to convey the connection. The Hebrew text has an introductory “that” in front of the second line and a coordinative “and” in front of the next two lines.
114 tc MT reads דְּרָכַיִךְ (dÿrakhayikh, “your ways”), but the BHS editors suggest דּוֹדַיִךְ (dodayikh, “your breasts”) as an example of orthographic confusion. While the proposal makes sense, it remains a conjectural emendation since it is not supported by any actual manuscripts or ancient versions.
tn Heb “scattered your ways with foreign [gods]” or “spread out your breasts to strangers.”
115 tn Or “I am your true husband.”
sn There is a wordplay between the term “true master” and the name of the pagan god Baal. The pronoun “I” is emphatic, creating a contrast between the
116 tn The words, “If you do” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection of the Hebrew verb with the preceding.
117 tn Heb “shepherds.”
118 tn Heb “after/according to my [own] heart.”
119 tn Heb “you will become numerous and fruitful.”
120 tn Or “chest.”
121 tn Heb “the ark of the covenant.” It is called this because it contained the tables of the law which in abbreviated form constituted their covenant obligations to the
122 tn Or “Nor will another one be made”; Heb “one will not do/make [it?] again.”
123 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
124 tn Heb “will gather to the name of the
125 tn Heb “the stubbornness of their evil hearts.”
126 tn Heb “In those days.”
127 tn Heb “the house of Judah will walk together with the house of Israel.”
128 tn Heb “the land that I gave your [fore]fathers as an inheritance.”
129 tn Heb “I, myself, said.” See note on “I thought that she might come back to me” in 3:7.
130 tn Heb “How I would place you among the sons.” Israel appears to be addressed here contextually as the
sn The imagery here appears to be that of treating the wife as an equal heir with the sons and of giving her the best piece of property.
131 tn The words “What a joy it would be for me to” are not in the Hebrew text but are implied in the parallel structure.
132 tn Heb “the most beautiful heritage among the nations.”
133 tn Heb “my father.”
134 tn Heb “turn back from [following] after me.”
135 tn Heb “house of Israel.”
136 tn Heb “a wife unfaithful from her husband.”
137 tn Heb “A sound is heard on the hilltops, the weeping of the supplication of the children of Israel because [or indeed] they have perverted their way.” At issue here is whether the supplication is made to Yahweh in repentance because of what they have done or whether it is supplication to the pagan gods which is evidence of their perverted ways. The reference in this verse to the hilltops where idolatry was practiced according to 3:2 and the reference to Israel’s unfaithfulness in the preceding verse make the latter more likely. For the asseverative use of the Hebrew particle (here rendered “indeed”) where the particle retains some of the explicative nuance; cf. BDB 472-73 s.v. כִּי 1.e and 3.c.
138 tn Heb “have forgotten the
139 tn Or “I will forgive your apostasies.” Heb “I will [or want to] heal your apostasies.” For the use of the verb “heal” (רָפָא, rafa’) to refer to spiritual healing and forgiveness see Hos 14:4.
140 tn Or “They say.” There is an obvious ellipsis of a verb of saying here since the preceding words are those of the
141 tn Heb “Truly in vain from the hills the noise/commotion [and from] the mountains.” The syntax of the Hebrew sentence is very elliptical here.
142 tn Heb “Truly in the
143 tn Heb “From our youth the shameful thing has eaten up…” The shameful thing is specifically identified as Baal in Jer 11:13. Compare also the shift in certain names such as Ishbaal (“man of Baal”) to Ishbosheth (“man of shame”).
144 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 25).
145 tn Heb “Let us lie down in….”
146 tn Heb “Let us be covered with disgrace.”
147 tn Grk “And after six days.”
148 tn Grk “John his brother” with “his” referring to James.
149 sn In 1st century Judaism and in the NT, there was the belief that the righteous get new, glorified bodies in order to enter heaven (1 Cor 15:42-49; 2 Cor 5:1-10). This transformation means the righteous will share the glory of God. One recalls the way Moses shared the Lord’s glory after his visit to the mountain in Exod 34. So the disciples saw Jesus transfigured, and they were getting a sneak preview of the great glory that Jesus would have (only his glory is more inherent to him as one who shares in the rule of the kingdom).
150 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
151 tn Grk “And behold, Moses.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
152 sn Commentators and scholars discuss why Moses and Elijah are present. The most likely explanation is that Moses represents the prophetic office (Acts 3:18-22) and Elijah pictures the presence of the last days (Mal 4:5-6), the prophet of the eschaton (the end times).
153 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that the appearance of Moses and Elijah prompted Peter’s comment.
154 tn Grk “Peter answering said.” This construction is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
155 tc Instead of the singular future indicative ποιήσω (poihsw, “I will make”), most witnesses (C3 D L W Θ [Φ] 0281 Ë[1],13 33 Ï lat sy co) have the plural aorist subjunctive ποιήσωμεν (poihswmen, “let us make”). But since ποιήσωμεν is the reading found in the parallel accounts in Mark and Luke, it is almost surely a motivated reading. Further, the earliest and best witnesses, as well as a few others (א B C* 700 pc) have ποιήσω. It is thus more likely that the singular verb is authentic.
156 tn Or “booths,” “dwellings” (referring to the temporary booths constructed in the celebration of the feast of Tabernacles).
sn Peter apparently wanted to celebrate the feast of Tabernacles or Booths that looked forward to the end and wanted to treat Moses, Elijah, and Jesus as equals by making three shelters (one for each). It was actually a way of expressing honor to Jesus, but the next verse makes it clear that it was not enough honor.
157 tn Grk “behold, a.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated here or in the following clause because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
158 sn This cloud is the cloud of God’s presence and the voice is his as well.
159 tn Or “surrounded.”
160 tn Grk “behold, a voice from the cloud, saying.” This is an incomplete sentence in Greek which portrays intensity and emotion. The participle λέγουσα (legousa) was translated as a finite verb in keeping with English style.
161 tn Grk “my beloved Son,” or “my Son, the beloved [one].” The force of ἀγαπητός (agaphtos) is often “pertaining to one who is the only one of his or her class, but at the same time is particularly loved and cherished” (L&N 58.53; cf. also BDAG 7 s.v. 1).
162 sn The expression listen to him comes from Deut 18:15 and makes two points: 1) Jesus is a prophet like Moses, a leader-prophet, and 2) they have much yet to learn from him.
163 tn Grk “they fell down on their faces.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”
164 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
165 tn Grk “Jesus commanded them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.
166 tn Grk “asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated.
167 tn Or “do the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
168 tn Grk “And answering, he said.” This has been simplified in the translation.
169 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
170 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
171 tn Grk “he is moonstruck,” possibly meaning “lunatic” (so NAB, NASB), although now the term is generally regarded as referring to some sort of seizure disorder such as epilepsy (L&N 23.169; BDAG 919 s.v. σεληνιάζομαι).
172 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
173 tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
174 tn Grk “O.” The marker of direct address, ὦ (w), is functionally equivalent to a vocative and is represented in the translation by “you.”
175 tn Or “faithless.”
sn The rebuke for lack of faith has OT roots: Num 14:27; Deut 32:5, 30; Isa 59:8.
176 tn Grk “how long.”
177 tn Or “put up with.” See Num 11:12; Isa 46:4.
178 sn The pronouns you…you are plural, indicating that Jesus is speaking to a group rather than an individual.
179 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then.”
180 tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).
181 tn Grk “coming, the disciples said.” The participle προσελθόντες (proselqontes) has been translated as a finite verb to make the sequence of events clear in English.
182 tn Grk “For truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
183 tn Grk “faith as,” “faith like.”
184 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
185 tc Many important
186 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
187 tn The plural Greek term ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) is considered by some to be used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NRSV “into human hands”; TEV, CEV “to people”). However, because this can be taken as a specific reference to the group responsible for Jesus’ arrest, where it is unlikely women were present (cf. Matt 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:2-12), the word “men” has been retained in the translation. There may also be a slight wordplay with “the Son of Man” earlier in the verse.
188 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
189 map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.
190 tn Grk “Collectors of the double drachma.” This is a case of metonymy, where the coin formerly used to pay the tax (the double drachma coin, or δίδραχμον [didracmon]) was put for the tax itself (cf. BDAG 241 s.v.). Even though this coin was no longer in circulation in NT times and other coins were used to pay the tax, the name for the coin was still used to refer to the tax itself.
sn The temple tax refers to the half-shekel tax paid annually by male Jews to support the temple (Exod 30:13-16).
191 tn Grk “spoke first to him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
192 sn The phrase their sons may mean “their citizens,” but the term “sons” has been retained here in order to preserve the implicit comparison between the Father and his Son, Jesus.
193 sn See the note on the phrase their sons in the previous verse.
194 sn The four drachma coin was a stater (στατήρ, stathr), a silver coin worth four drachmas. One drachma was equivalent to one denarius, the standard pay for a day’s labor (L&N 6.80).
