Genesis 42:1-38 
Context42:1 When Jacob heard 1 there was grain in Egypt, he 2 said to his sons, “Why are you looking at each other?” 3 42:2 He then said, “Look, I hear that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us 4 so that we may live 5 and not die.” 6
42:3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 42:4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, 7 for he said, 8 “What if some accident 9 happens 10 to him?” 42:5 So Israel’s sons came to buy grain among the other travelers, 11 for the famine was severe in the land of Canaan.
42:6 Now Joseph was the ruler of the country, the one who sold grain to all the people of the country. 12 Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down 13 before him with 14 their faces to the ground. 42:7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger 15 to them and spoke to them harshly. He asked, “Where do you come from?” They answered, 16 “From the land of Canaan, to buy grain for food.” 17
42:8 Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 42:9 Then Joseph remembered 18 the dreams he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see if our land is vulnerable!” 19
42:10 But they exclaimed, 20 “No, my lord! Your servants have come to buy grain for food! 42:11 We are all the sons of one man; we are honest men! Your servants are not spies.”
42:12 “No,” he insisted, “but you have come to see if our land is vulnerable.” 21 42:13 They replied, “Your servants are from a family of twelve brothers. 22 We are the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is with our father at this time, 23 and one is no longer alive.” 24
42:14 But Joseph told them, “It is just as I said to you: 25 You are spies! 42:15 You will be tested in this way: As surely as Pharaoh lives, 26 you will not depart from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 42:16 One of you must go and get 27 your brother, while 28 the rest of you remain in prison. 29 In this way your words may be tested to see if 30 you are telling the truth. 31 If not, then, as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” 42:17 He imprisoned 32 them all for three days. 42:18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do as I say 33 and you will live, 34 for I fear God. 35 42:19 If you are honest men, leave one of your brothers confined here in prison 36 while the rest of you go 37 and take grain back for your hungry families. 38 42:20 But you must bring 39 your youngest brother to me. Then 40 your words will be verified 41 and you will not die.” They did as he said. 42
42:21 They said to one other, 43 “Surely we’re being punished 44 because of our brother, because we saw how distressed he was 45 when he cried to us for mercy, but we refused to listen. That is why this distress 46 has come on us!” 42:22 Reuben said to them, “Didn’t I say to you, ‘Don’t sin against the boy,’ but you wouldn’t listen? So now we must pay for shedding his blood!” 47 42:23 (Now 48 they did not know that Joseph could understand them, 49 for he was speaking through an interpreter.) 50 42:24 He turned away from them and wept. When he turned around and spoke to them again, 51 he had Simeon taken 52 from them and tied up 53 before their eyes.
42:25 Then Joseph gave orders to fill 54 their bags with grain, to return each man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. His orders were carried out. 55 42:26 So they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left. 56
42:27 When one of them 57 opened his sack to get feed for his donkey at their resting place, 58 he saw his money in the mouth of his sack. 59 42:28 He said to his brothers, “My money was returned! Here it is in my sack!” They were dismayed; 60 they turned trembling one to another 61 and said, “What in the world has God done to us?” 62
42:29 They returned to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan and told him all the things that had happened to them, saying, 42:30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly to us and treated us 63 as if we were 64 spying on the land. 42:31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies! 42:32 We are from a family of twelve brothers; we are the sons of one father. 65 One is no longer alive, 66 and the youngest is with our father at this time 67 in the land of Canaan.’
42:33 “Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘This is how I will find out if you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain 68 for your hungry households and go. 42:34 But bring your youngest brother back to me so I will know 69 that you are honest men and not spies. 70 Then I will give your brother back to you and you may move about freely in the land.’” 71
42:35 When they were emptying their sacks, there was each man’s bag of money in his sack! When they and their father saw the bags of money, they were afraid. 42:36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You are making me childless! Joseph is gone. 72 Simeon is gone. 73 And now you want to take 74 Benjamin! Everything is against me.”
42:37 Then Reuben said to his father, “You may 75 put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my care 76 and I will bring him back to you.” 42:38 But Jacob 77 replied, “My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead and he alone is left. 78 If an accident happens to him on the journey you have to make, then you will bring down my gray hair 79 in sorrow to the grave.” 80
Mark 12:1-44
Context12:1 Then 81 he began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. 82 He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then 83 he leased it to tenant farmers 84 and went on a journey. 12:2 At harvest time he sent a slave 85 to the tenants to collect from them 86 his portion of the crop. 87 12:3 But 88 those tenants 89 seized his slave, 90 beat him, 91 and sent him away empty-handed. 92 12:4 So 93 he sent another slave to them again. This one they struck on the head and treated outrageously. 12:5 He sent another, and that one they killed. This happened to many others, some of whom were beaten, others killed. 12:6 He had one left, his one dear son. 94 Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 12:7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and the inheritance will be ours!’ 12:8 So 95 they seized him, 96 killed him, and threw his body 97 out of the vineyard. 98 12:9 What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy 99 those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 100 12:10 Have you not read this scripture:
‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 101
12:11 This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” 102
12:12 Now 103 they wanted to arrest him (but they feared the crowd), because they realized that he told this parable against them. So 104 they left him and went away. 105
12:13 Then 106 they sent some of the Pharisees 107 and Herodians 108 to trap him with his own words. 109 12:14 When they came they said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and do not court anyone’s favor, because you show no partiality 110 but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 111 Is it right 112 to pay taxes 113 to Caesar 114 or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?” 12:15 But he saw through their hypocrisy and said 115 to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius 116 and let me look at it.” 12:16 So 117 they brought one, and he said to them, “Whose image 118 is this, and whose inscription?” They replied, 119 “Caesar’s.” 12:17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 120 And they were utterly amazed at him.
12:18 Sadducees 121 (who say there is no resurrection) 122 also came to him and asked him, 123 12:19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us: ‘If a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, that man 124 must marry 125 the widow and father children 126 for his brother.’ 127 12:20 There were seven brothers. The first one married, 128 and when he died he had no children. 12:21 The second married her and died without any children, and likewise the third. 12:22 None of the seven had children. Finally, the woman died too. 12:23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, 129 whose wife will she be? For all seven had married her.” 130 12:24 Jesus said to them, “Aren’t you deceived 131 for this reason, because you don’t know the scriptures or the power of God? 12:25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels 132 in heaven. 12:26 Now as for the dead being raised, 133 have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, 134 how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the 135 God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 136 12:27 He is not the God of the dead but of the living. 137 You are badly mistaken!”
12:28 Now 138 one of the experts in the law 139 came and heard them debating. When he saw that Jesus 140 answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 12:29 Jesus answered, “The most important is: ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 12:30 Love 141 the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 142 12:31 The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 143 There is no other commandment greater than these.” 12:32 The expert in the law said to him, “That is true, Teacher; you are right to say that he is one, and there is no one else besides him. 144 12:33 And to love him with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength 145 and to love your neighbor as yourself 146 is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 12:34 When Jesus saw that he had answered thoughtfully, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Then no one dared any longer to question him.
12:35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he said, “How is it that the experts in the law 147 say that the Christ 148 is David’s son? 149 12:36 David himself, by the Holy Spirit, said,
‘The Lord said to my lord, 150
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ 151
12:37 If David himself calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” 152 And the large crowd was listening to him with delight.
12:38 In his teaching Jesus 153 also said, “Watch out for the experts in the law. 154 They like walking 155 around in long robes and elaborate greetings 156 in the marketplaces, 12:39 and the best seats in the synagogues 157 and the places of honor at banquets. 12:40 They 158 devour widows’ property, 159 and as a show make long prayers. These men will receive a more severe punishment.”
12:41 Then 160 he 161 sat down opposite the offering box, 162 and watched the crowd putting coins into it. Many rich people were throwing in large amounts. 12:42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, 163 worth less than a penny. 12:43 He called his disciples and said to them, “I tell you the truth, 164 this poor widow has put more into the offering box 165 than all the others. 166 12:44 For they all gave out of their wealth. 167 But she, out of her poverty, put in what she had to live on, everything she had.” 168
Job 8:1-22
Context8:1 Then Bildad the Shuhite spoke up and said:
8:2 “How long will you speak these things, 170
seeing 171 that the words of your mouth
are like a great 172 wind? 173
8:3 Does God pervert 174 justice? 175
Or does the Almighty pervert 176 what is right?
8:4 If 177 your children sinned against him,
he gave them over 178 to the penalty 179 of their sin.
8:5 But 180 if you will look 181 to God,
and make your supplication 182 to the Almighty,
8:6 if you become 183 pure 184 and upright, 185
even now he will rouse himself 186 for you,
and will restore 187 your righteous abode. 188
8:7 Your beginning 189 will seem so small,
since your future will flourish. 190
8:8 “For inquire now of the former 191 generation,
and pay attention 192 to the findings 193
of their ancestors; 194
8:9 For we were born yesterday 195 and do not have knowledge,
since our days on earth are but a shadow. 196
8:10 Will they not 197 instruct you and 198 speak to you,
and bring forth words 199
from their understanding? 200
8:11 Can the papyrus plant grow tall 201 where there is no marsh?
Can reeds flourish 202 without water?
8:12 While they are still beginning to flower 203
and not ripe for cutting, 204
they can wither away 205
faster 206 than any grass! 207
8:13 Such is the destiny 208 of all who forget God;
the hope of the godless 209 perishes,
8:14 whose 210 trust 211 is in something futile, 212
whose security is a spider’s web. 213
8:15 He leans against his house but it does not hold up, 214
he takes hold 215 of it but it does not stand.
8:16 He is a well-watered plant 216 in 217 the sun,
its shoots spread 218 over its garden. 219
8:17 It wraps its roots around a heap 220 of stones 221
and it looks 222 for a place among stones. 223
8:18 If he is uprooted 224 from his place,
then that place 225 will disown him, saying, 226
‘I have never seen you!’
8:19 Indeed, this is the joy of his way, 227
and out of the earth 228 others spring up. 229
8:20 “Surely, God does not reject a blameless man, 230
nor does he grasp the hand 231
of the evildoers.
8:21 He will yet 232 fill your mouth with laughter, 233
and your lips with gladness.
8:22 Those who hate you 234 will be clothed with shame, 235
and the tent of the wicked will be no more.”
Romans 12:1-21
Context12:1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, 236 by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God 237 – which is your reasonable service. 12:2 Do not be conformed 238 to this present world, 239 but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve 240 what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.
12:3 For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you 241 a measure of faith. 242 12:4 For just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members serve the same function, 12:5 so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another. 12:6 And we have different gifts 243 according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith. 12:7 If it is service, he must serve; if it is teaching, he must teach; 12:8 if it is exhortation, he must exhort; if it is contributing, he must do so with sincerity; if it is leadership, he must do so with diligence; if it is showing mercy, he must do so with cheerfulness.
12:9 Love must be 244 without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good. 12:10 Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another. 12:11 Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord. 12:12 Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer. 12:13 Contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality. 12:14 Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 12:16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. 245 Do not be conceited. 246 12:17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil; consider what is good before all people. 247 12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people. 248 12:19 Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, 249 for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” 250 says the Lord. 12:20 Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head. 251 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
1 tn Heb “saw.”
2 tn Heb “Jacob.” Here the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
3 sn Why are you looking at each other? The point of Jacob’s question is that his sons should be going to get grain rather than sitting around doing nothing. Jacob, as the patriarch, still makes the decisions for the whole clan.
4 tn Heb “and buy for us from there.” The word “grain,” the direct object of “buy,” has been supplied for clarity, and the words “from there” have been omitted in the translation for stylistic reasons.
5 tn Following the imperatives, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav expresses purpose of result.
6 tn The imperfect tense continues the nuance of the verb before it.
7 tn Heb “But Benjamin, the brother of Joseph, Jacob did not send with his brothers.” The disjunctive clause highlights the contrast between Benjamin and the other ten.
8 tn The Hebrew verb אָמַר (’amar, “to say”) could also be translated “thought” (i.e., “he said to himself”) here, giving Jacob’s reasoning rather than spoken words.
9 tn The Hebrew noun אָסוֹן (’ason) is a rare word meaning “accident, harm.” Apart from its use in these passages it occurs in Exodus 21:22-23 of an accident to a pregnant woman. The term is a rather general one, but Jacob was no doubt thinking of his loss of Joseph.
10 tn Heb “encounters.”
11 tn Heb “in the midst of the coming ones.”
12 tn The disjunctive clause either introduces a new episode in the unfolding drama or provides the reader with supplemental information necessary to understanding the story.
13 sn Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him. Here is the beginning of the fulfillment of Joseph’s dreams (see Gen 37). But it is not the complete fulfillment, since all his brothers and his parents must come. The point of the dream, of course, was not simply to get the family to bow to Joseph, but that Joseph would be placed in a position of rule and authority to save the family and the world (41:57).
14 tn The word “faces” is an adverbial accusative, so the preposition has been supplied in the translation.
15 sn But pretended to be a stranger. Joseph intends to test his brothers to see if they have changed and have the integrity to be patriarchs of the tribes of Israel. He will do this by putting them in the same situations that they and he were in before. The first test will be to awaken their conscience.
16 tn Heb “said.”
17 tn The verb is denominative, meaning “to buy grain”; the word “food” could simply be the direct object, but may also be an adverbial accusative.
18 sn You are spies. Joseph wanted to see how his brothers would react if they were accused of spying.
19 tn Heb “to see the nakedness of the land you have come.”
20 tn Heb “and they said to him.” In context this is best understood as an exclamation.
21 tn Heb “and he said, ‘No, for the nakedness of the land you have come to see.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for clarity.
22 tn Heb “twelve [were] your servants, brothers [are] we.”
23 tn Heb “today.”
24 tn Heb “and the one is not.”
25 tn Heb “to you, saying.”
26 tn Heb “[By] the life of Pharaoh.”
sn As surely as Pharaoh lives. Joseph uses an oath formula to let the brothers know the certainty of what he said. There is some discussion in the commentaries on swearing by the life of Pharaoh, but since the formulation here reflects the Hebrew practice, it would be hard to connect the ideas exactly to Egyptian practices. Joseph did this to make the point in a way that his Hebrew brothers would understand. See M. R. Lehmann, “Biblical Oaths,” ZAW 81 (1969): 74-92.
27 tn Heb “send from you one and let him take.” After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose.
28 tn The disjunctive clause is here circumstantial-temporal.
29 tn Heb “bound.”
30 tn The words “to see” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
31 tn Heb “the truth [is] with you.”
32 sn The same Hebrew word is used for Joseph’s imprisonment in 40:3, 4, 7. There is some mirroring going on in the narrative. The Hebrew word used here (אָסַף, ’asaf, “to gather”) is not normally used in a context like this (for placing someone in prison), but it forms a wordplay on the name Joseph (יוֹסֵף, yosoef) and keeps the comparison working.
33 tn Heb “Do this.”
34 tn After the preceding imperative, the imperative with vav (ו) can, as here, indicate logical sequence.
35 sn For I fear God. Joseph brings God into the picture to awaken his brothers’ consciences. The godly person cares about the welfare of people, whether they live or die. So he will send grain back, but keep one of them in Egypt. This action contrasts with their crime of selling their brother into slavery.
36 tn Heb “bound in the house of your prison.”
37 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial-temporal.
38 tn Heb “[for] the hunger of your households.”
39 tn The imperfect here has an injunctive force.
40 tn After the injunctive imperfect, this imperfect with vav indicates purpose or result.
41 tn The Niphal form of the verb has the sense of “to be faithful; to be sure; to be reliable.” Joseph will test his brothers to see if their words are true.
42 tn Heb “and they did so.”
43 tn Heb “a man to his neighbor.”
44 tn Or “we are guilty”; the Hebrew word can also refer to the effect of being guilty, i.e., “we are being punished for guilt.”
45 tn Heb “the distress of his soul.”
46 sn The repetition of the Hebrew noun translated distress draws attention to the fact that they regard their present distress as appropriate punishment for their refusal to ignore their brother when he was in distress.
47 tn Heb “and also his blood, look, it is required.” God requires compensation, as it were, from those who shed innocent blood (see Gen 9:6). In other words, God exacts punishment for the crime of murder.
48 tn The disjunctive clause provides supplemental information that is important to the story.
49 tn “was listening.” The brothers were not aware that Joseph could understand them as they spoke the preceding words in their native language.
50 tn Heb “for [there was] an interpreter between them.” On the meaning of the word here translated “interpreter” see HALOT 590 s.v. מֵלִיץ and M. A. Canney, “The Hebrew melis (Prov IX 12; Gen XLII 2-3),” AJSL 40 (1923/24): 135-37.
51 tn Heb “and he turned to them and spoke to them.”
52 tn Heb “took Simeon.” This was probably done at Joseph’s command, however; the grand vizier of Egypt would not have personally seized a prisoner.
53 tn Heb “and he bound him.” See the note on the preceding verb “taken.”
54 tn Heb “and they filled.” The clause appears to be elliptical; one expects “Joseph gave orders to fill…and they filled.” See GKC 386 §120.f.
55 tn Heb “and he did for them so.” Joseph would appear to be the subject of the singular verb. If the text is retained, the statement seems to be a summary of the preceding, more detailed statement. However, some read the verb as plural, “and they did for them so.” In this case the statement indicates that Joseph’s subordinates carried out his orders. Another alternative is to read the singular verb as passive (with unspecified subject), “and this was done for them so” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).
56 tn Heb “and they went from there.”
57 tn Heb “and the one.” The article indicates that the individual is vivid in the mind of the narrator, yet it is not important to identify him by name.
58 tn Heb “at the lodging place.”
59 tn Heb “and look, it [was] in the mouth of his sack.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to look through the eyes of the character and thereby draws attention to the money.
60 tn Heb “and their heart went out.” Since this expression is used only here, the exact meaning is unclear. The following statement suggests that it may refer to a sudden loss of emotional strength, so “They were dismayed” adequately conveys the meaning (cf. NRSV); NIV has “Their hearts sank.”
61 tn Heb “and they trembled, a man to his neighbor.”
62 tn Heb “What is this God has done to us?” The demonstrative pronoun (“this”) adds emphasis to the question.
63 tn Heb “made us.”
64 tn The words “if we were” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
65 tn Heb “twelve [were] we, brothers, sons of our father [are] we.”
66 tn Heb “the one is not.”
67 tn Heb “today.”
68 tn The word “grain” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
69 tn After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed vav indicates purpose/result.
70 tn Heb “that you are not spies, that you are honest men.”
71 sn Joseph’s brothers soften the news considerably, making it sound like Simeon was a guest of Joseph (Leave one of your brothers with me) instead of being bound in prison. They do not mention the threat of death and do not at this time speak of the money in the one sack.
72 tn Heb “is not.”
73 tn Heb “is not.”
74 tn The nuance of the imperfect verbal form is desiderative here.
75 tn The nuance of the imperfect verbal form is permissive here.
76 tn Heb “my hand.”
77 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
78 sn The expression he alone is left meant that (so far as Jacob knew) Benjamin was the only surviving child of his mother Rachel.
79 sn The expression bring down my gray hair is figurative, using a part for the whole – they would put Jacob in the grave. But the gray head signifies a long life of worry and trouble.
80 tn Heb “to Sheol,” the dwelling place of the dead.
81 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
82 sn The vineyard is a figure for Israel in the OT (Isa 5:1-7). The nation and its leaders are the tenants, so the vineyard here may well refer to the promise that resides within the nation. The imagery is like that in Rom 11:11-24.
83 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
84 sn The leasing of land to tenant farmers was common in this period.
85 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 10:44.
sn This slave (along with the others) represent the prophets God sent to the nation, who were mistreated and rejected.
86 tn Grk “from the tenants,” but this is redundant in English, so the pronoun (“them”) was used in the translation.
87 tn Grk “from the fruits of the vineyard.”
88 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
89 tn Grk “But they”; the referent (the tenants, v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
90 tn Grk “seizing him, they beat and sent away empty-handed.” The referent of the direct object of “seizing” (the slave sent by the owner) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The objects of the verbs “beat” and “sent away” have been supplied in the translation to conform to English style. Greek often omits direct objects when they are clear from the context.
91 sn The image of the tenants beating up the owner’s slave pictures the nation’s rejection of the prophets and their message.
92 sn The slaves being sent empty-handed suggests that the vineyard was not producing any fruit – and thus neither was the nation of Israel.
93 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the tenants’ mistreatment of the first slave.
94 tn Grk “one beloved son.” See comment at Mark 1:11.
sn The owner’s decision to send his one dear son represents God sending Jesus.
95 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
96 tn Grk “seizing him.” The participle λαβόντες (labontes) has been translated as attendant circumstance.
97 tn Grk “him.”
98 sn Throwing the heir’s body out of the vineyard pictures Jesus’ death outside of Jerusalem.
99 sn The statement that the owner will come and destroy those tenants is a promise of judgment; see Luke 13:34-35; 19:41-44.
100 sn The warning that the owner would give the vineyard to others suggests that the care of the promise and the nation’s hope would be passed to others. This eventually looks to Gentile inclusion; see Eph 2:11-22.
101 tn Or “capstone,” “keystone.” Although these meanings are lexically possible, the imagery in Eph 2:20-22 and 1 Cor 3:11 indicates that the term κεφαλὴ γωνίας (kefalh gwnia") refers to a cornerstone, not a capstone.
sn The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The use of Ps 118:22-23 and the “stone imagery” as a reference to Christ and his suffering and exaltation is common in the NT (see also Matt 21:42; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; 1 Pet 2:6-8; cf. also Eph 2:20). The irony in the use of Ps 118:22-23 in Mark 12:10-11 is that in the OT, Israel was the one rejected (or perhaps her king) by the Gentiles, but in the NT it is Jesus who is rejected by Israel.
102 sn A quotation from Ps 118:22-23.
103 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to introduce a somewhat parenthetical remark by the author.
104 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
105 sn The point of the parable in Mark 12:1-12 is that the leaders of the nation have been rejected by God and the vineyard (v. 9, referring to the nation and its privileged status) will be taken from them and given to others (an allusion to the Gentiles).
106 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
107 sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.
108 sn Pharisees and Herodians made a very interesting alliance. W. W. Wessel (“Mark,” EBC 8:733) comments: “The Herodians were as obnoxious to the Pharisees on political grounds as the Sadducees were on theological grounds. Yet the two groups united in their opposition to Jesus. Collaboration in wickedness, as well as goodness, has great power. Their purpose was to trip Jesus up in his words so that he would lose the support of the people, leaving the way open for them to destroy him.” See also the note on “Herodians” in Mark 3:6.
109 tn Grk “trap him in word.”
110 tn Grk “and it is not a concern to you about anyone because you do not see the face of men.”
111 sn Teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Very few comments are as deceitful as this one; they did not really believe this at all. The question of the Pharisees and Herodians was specifically designed to trap Jesus.
112 tn Or “lawful,” that is, in accordance with God’s divine law. On the syntax of ἔξεστιν (exestin) with an infinitive and accusative, see BDF §409.3.
113 tn According to L&N 57.180 the term κῆνσος (khnso") was borrowed from Latin and referred to a poll tax, a tax paid by each adult male to the Roman government.
sn This question concerning taxes was specifically designed to trap Jesus. If he answered yes, then his opponents could publicly discredit him as a sympathizer with Rome. If he answered no, then they could go to the Roman governor and accuse Jesus of rebellion.
114 tn Or “the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).
115 tn Grk “Aware of their hypocrisy he said.”
116 tn Here the specific name of the coin was retained in the translation, because not all coins in circulation in Palestine at the time carried the image of Caesar. In other places δηνάριον (dhnarion) has been translated simply as “silver coin” with an explanatory note.
sn A denarius was a silver coin stamped with the image of the emperor and worth approximately one day’s wage for a laborer.
117 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate their response to Jesus’ request for a coin.
118 tn Or “whose likeness.”
sn In this passage Jesus points to the image (Grk εἰκών, eikwn) of Caesar on the coin. This same Greek word is used in Gen 1:26 (LXX) to state that humanity is made in the “image” of God. Jesus is making a subtle yet powerful contrast: Caesar’s image is on the denarius, so he can lay claim to money through taxation, but God’s image is on humanity, so he can lay claim to each individual life.
119 tn Grk “they said to him.”
120 sn Jesus’ answer to give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s was a both/and, not the questioners’ either/or. So he slipped out of their trap.
121 sn The Sadducees controlled the official political structures of Judaism at this time, being the majority members of the Sanhedrin. They were known as extremely strict on law and order issues (Josephus, J. W. 2.8.2 [2.119], 2.8.14 [2.164-166]; Ant. 13.5.9 [13.171-173], 13.10.6 [13.293-298], 18.1.2 [18.11], 18.1.4 [18.16-17], 20.9.1 [20.199]; Life 2 [10-11]). They also did not believe in resurrection or in angels, an important detail in v. 25. See also Matt 3:7, 16:1-12, 22:23-34; Luke 20:27-38; Acts 4:1, 5:17, 23:6-8.
122 sn This remark is best regarded as a parenthetical note by the author.
123 tn Grk “and asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
124 tn Grk “his brother”; but this would be redundant in English with the same phrase “his brother” at the end of the verse, so most modern translations render this phrase “the man” (so NIV, NRSV).
125 tn The use of ἵνα (Jina) with imperatival force is unusual (BDF §470.1).
126 tn Grk “raise up seed” (an idiom for fathering children).
127 sn A quotation from Deut 25:5. This practice is called levirate marriage (see also Ruth 4:1-12; Mishnah, m. Yevamot; Josephus, Ant. 4.8.23 [4.254-256]). The levirate law is described in Deut 25:5-10. The brother of a man who died without a son had an obligation to marry his brother’s widow. This served several purposes: It provided for the widow in a society where a widow with no children to care for her would be reduced to begging, and it preserved the name of the deceased, who would be regarded as the legal father of the first son produced from that marriage.
128 tn Grk “took a wife” (an idiom for marrying a woman).
129 tc The words “when they rise again” are missing from several important witnesses (א B C D L W Δ Ψ 33 579 892 2427 pc c r1 k syp co). They are included in A Θ Ë1,(13) Ï lat sys,h. The strong external pedigree of the shorter reading gives one pause. Nevertheless, the Alexandrian and other
130 tn Grk “For the seven had her as wife.”
131 tn Or “mistaken” (cf. BDAG 822 s.v. πλανάω 2.c.γ).
132 sn Angels do not die, nor do they eat according to Jewish tradition (1 En. 15:6; 51:4; Wis 5:5; 2 Bar. 51:10; 1QH 3.21-23).
133 tn Grk “Now as for the dead that they are raised.”
134 sn See Exod 3:6. Jesus used a common form of rabbinic citation here to refer to the passage in question.
135 tn Grk “and the,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
136 sn A quotation from Exod 3:6.
137 sn He is not God of the dead but of the living. Jesus’ point was that if God could identify himself as God of the three old patriarchs, then they must still be alive when God spoke to Moses; and so they must be raised.
138 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
139 tn Or “One of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.
140 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
141 tn Grk “You will love.” The future indicative is used here with imperatival force (see ExSyn 452 and 569).
142 sn A quotation from Deut 6:4-5 and Josh 22:5 (LXX). The fourfold reference to different parts of the person says, in effect, that one should love God with all one’s being.
143 sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.
144 sn A quotation from Deut 4:35.
145 sn A quotation from Deut 6:5.
146 sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.
147 tn Or “that the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.
148 tn Or “the Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
sn See the note on Christ in 8:29.
149 sn It was a common belief in Judaism that Messiah would be David’s son in that he would come from the lineage of David. On this point the Pharisees agreed and were correct. But their understanding was nonetheless incomplete, for Messiah is also David’s Lord. With this statement Jesus was affirming that, as the Messiah, he is both God and man.
150 sn The Lord said to my Lord. With David being the speaker, this indicates his respect for his descendant (referred to as my Lord). Jesus was arguing, as the ancient exposition assumed, that the passage is about the Lord’s anointed. The passage looks at an enthronement of this figure and a declaration of honor for him as he takes his place at the side of God. In Jerusalem, the king’s palace was located to the right of the temple to indicate this kind of relationship. Jesus was pressing the language here to get his opponents to reflect on how great Messiah is.
151 sn A quotation from Ps 110:1.
152 tn Grk “David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ So how is he his son?” The conditional nuance, implicit in Greek, has been made explicit in the translation (cf. Matt 22:45).
153 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
154 tn Or “for the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.
155 tn In Greek this is the only infinitive in vv. 38-39. It would be awkward in English to join an infinitive to the following noun clauses, so this has been translated as a gerund.
156 sn There is later Jewish material in the Talmud that spells out such greetings in detail. See H. Windisch, TDNT 1:498.
157 sn See the note on synagogue in 1:21.
158 tn Grk “who,” continuing the sentence begun in v. 38.
159 tn Grk “houses,” “households”; however, the term can have the force of “property” or “possessions” as well (O. Michel, TDNT 5:131; BDAG 695 s.v. οἶκια 1.a).
160 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
161 tc Most
162 tn On the term γαζοφυλάκιον (gazofulakion), often translated “treasury,” see BDAG 186 s.v., which states, “For Mk 12:41, 43; Lk 21:1 the mng. contribution box or receptacle is attractive. Acc. to Mishnah, Shekalim 6, 5 there were in the temple 13 such receptacles in the form of trumpets. But even in these passages the general sense of ‘treasury’ is prob., for the contributions would go [into] the treasury via the receptacles.” Based upon the extra-biblical evidence (see sn following), however, the translation opts to refer to the actual receptacles and not the treasury itself.
sn The offering box probably refers to the receptacles in the temple forecourt by the Court of Women used to collect freewill offerings. These are mentioned by Josephus, J. W. 5.5.2 (5.200); 6.5.2 (6.282); Ant. 19.6.1 (19.294), and in 1 Macc 14:49 and 2 Macc 3:6, 24, 28, 40 (see also Luke 21:1; John 8:20).
163 sn These two small copper coins were lepta (sing. “lepton”), the smallest and least valuable coins in circulation in Palestine, worth one-half of a quadrans or 1/128 of a denarius, or about six minutes of an average daily wage. This was next to nothing in value.
164 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
165 tn See the note on the term “offering box” in v. 41.
166 sn Has put more into the offering box than all the others. With God, giving is weighed evaluatively, not counted. The widow was praised because she gave sincerely and at some considerable cost to herself.
167 tn Grk “out of what abounded to them.”
168 sn The contrast between this passage, 12:41-44, and what has come before in 11:27-12:40 is remarkable. The woman is set in stark contrast to the religious leaders. She was a poor widow, they were rich. She was uneducated in the law, they were well educated in the law. She was a woman, they were men. But whereas they evidenced no faith and actually stole money from God and men (cf. 11:17), she evidenced great faith and gave out of her extreme poverty everything she had.
169 sn This speech of Bildad ignores Job’s attack on his friends and focuses rather on Job’s comments about God’s justice. Bildad cannot even imagine saying that God is unjust. The only conclusion open to him is that Job’s family brought this on themselves, and so the only recourse is for Job to humble himself and make supplication to God. To make his point, Bildad will appeal to the wisdom of the ancients, for his theology is traditional. The speech has three parts: vv. 2-7 form his affirmation of the justice of God; vv. 8-19 are his appeal to the wisdom of the ancients, and vv. 20-22 are his summation. See N. C. Habel, “Appeal to Ancient Tradition as a Literary Form,” ZAW 88 (1976): 253-72; W. A. Irwin, “The First Speech of Bildad,” ZAW 51 (1953): 205-16.
170 sn “These things” refers to all of Job’s speech, the general drift of which seems to Bildad to question the justice of God.
171 tn The second colon of the verse simply says “and a strong wind the words of your mouth.” The simplest way to treat this is to make it an independent nominal sentence: “the words of your mouth are a strong wind.” Some have made it parallel to the first by apposition, understanding “how long” to do double duty. The line beginning with the ו (vav) can also be subordinated as a circumstantial clause, as here.
172 tn The word כַּבִּיר (kabbir, “great”) implies both abundance and greatness. Here the word modifies “wind”; the point of the analogy is that Job’s words are full of sound but without solid content.
173 tn See, however, G. R. Driver’s translation, “the breath of one who is mighty are the words of your mouth” (“Hebrew Studies,” JRAS 1948: 170).
174 tn The Piel verb יְעַוֵּת (yÿ’avvet) means “to bend; to cause to swerve from the norm; to deviate; to pervert.” The LXX renders the first colon as “will the Lord be unjust when he judges?”
175 tn The first word is מִשְׁפָּת (mishpat, “justice”). It can mean an act of judgment, place of judgment, or what is just, that is, the outcome of the decision. It basically describes an umpire’s decision. The parallel word is צֶדֶק (tsedeq, “righteousness,” or “what is right”). The basic idea here is that which conforms to the standard, what is right. See S. H. Scholnick, “The Meaning of Mishpat in the Book of Job,” JBL 101 (1982): 521-29.
176 tn Some commentators think that the second verb should be changed in order to avoid the repetition of the same word and to reflect the different words in the versions. The suggestion is to read יְעַוֵּה (yÿ’avveh) instead; this would mean “to cause someone to deviate,” for the root means “to bend.” The change is completely unwarranted; the LXX probably chose different words for stylistic reasons (see D. J. A. Clines, Job [WBC], 198). The repetition in the Hebrew text is a common type; it strengthens the enormity of the charge Job seems to be making.
177 tn The AV and RV take the protasis down to the middle of v. 6. The LXX changes the “if” at the beginning of v. 5 to “then” and makes that verse the apodosis. If the apodosis comes in the second half of v. 4, then v. 4 would be a complete sentence (H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 71; A. B. Davidson, Job, 60). The particle אִם (’im) has the sense of “since” in this section.
178 tn The verb is a Piel preterite with a vav (ו) consecutive. The ו (vav) need not be translated if the second half of the verse is the apodosis of the first – since they sinned…he did this. The verb שִׁלֵּחַ (shilleakh) means “to expel; to thrust out” normally; here the sense of “deliver up” or “deliver over” fits the sentence well. The verse is saying that sin carries its own punishment, and so God merely delivered the young people over to it.
179 tn Heb “into the hand of their rebellion.” The word “hand” often signifies “power.” The rebellious acts have the power to destroy, and so that is what happened – according to Bildad. Bildad’s point is that Job should learn from what happened to his family.
180 tn “But” is supplied to show the contrast between this verse and the preceding line.
181 tn The verb שִׁחַר (shikhar) means “to seek; to seek earnestly” (see 7:21). With the preposition אֶל (’el) the verb may carry the nuance of “to address; to have recourse to” (see E. Dhorme, Job, 114). The LXX connected it etymologically to “early” and read, “Be early in prayer to the Lord Almighty.”
182 tn The verb תִּתְחַנָּן (titkhannan) means “to make supplication; to seek favor; to seek grace” (from חָנַן, khanan). Bildad is saying that there is only one way for Job to escape the same fate as his children – he must implore God’s mercy. Job’s speech had spoken about God’s seeking him and not finding him; but Bildad is speaking of the importance of Job’s seeking God.
183 tn A verb form needs to be supplied here. Bildad is not saying to Job, “If you are pure [as you say you are].” Bildad is convinced that Job is a sinner. Therefore, “If you become pure” makes more sense here.
184 tn Or “innocent” (i.e., acquitted).
185 tn Many commentators delete this colon as a moralizing gloss on v. 5; but the phrase makes good sense, and simply serves as another condition. Besides, the expression is in the LXX.
186 tn The verb יָעִיר (ya’ir, “rouse, stir up”) is a strong anthropomorphism. The LXX has “he will answer your prayer” (which is probably only the LXX’s effort to avoid the anthropomorphism [D. J. A. Clines, Job (WBC), 198]). A reading of “watch over you” has been adopted because of parallel texts (see H. L. Ginsberg, “Two North Canaanite Letters from Ugarit,” BASOR 72 [1938]: 18-19; and H. N. Richardson, “A Ugaritic Letter of a King to His Mother,” JBL 66 [1947]: 321-24). Others suggest “his light will shine on you” or “he will bestow health on you.” But the idea of “awake” is common enough in the Bible to be retained here.
187 tn The Piel of שָׁלַם (shalam) means “to make good; to repay; to restore something to its wholeness; to reestablish.” The best understanding here would be “restore [Job] to his place.” Some take the verb in the sense of “reward [Job himself] with a righteous habitation.”
188 tn The construct נְוַת (nÿvat) is feminine; only the masculine occurs in Hebrew. But the meaning “abode of your righteousness” is clear enough. The righteousness of Job is pictured as inhabiting an estate, or it pictures the place where Job lives as a righteous man. A translation “rightful habitation” would mean “the habitation that you deserve” – if you are righteous.
189 tn The reference to “your beginning” is a reference to Job’s former estate of wealth and peace. The reference to “latter end” is a reference to conditions still in the future. What Job had before will seem so small in comparison to what lies ahead.
190 tn The verb has the idea of “to grow”; here it must mean “to flourish; to grow considerably” or the like. The statement is not so much a prophecy; rather Bildad is saying that “if Job had recourse to God, then….” This will be fulfilled, of course, at the end of the book.
191 sn Bildad is not calling for Job to trace through the learning of antiquity, but of the most recent former generation. Hebrews were fond of recalling what the “fathers” had taught, for each generation recalled what their fathers had taught.
192 tn The verb כוֹנֵן (khonen, from כּוּן, kun) normally would indicate “prepare yourself” or “fix” one’s heart on something, i.e., give attention to it. The verb with the ל (lamed) preposition after it does mean “to think on” or “to meditate” (Isa 51:13). But some commentators wish to change the כּ (kaf) to a בּ (bet) in the verb to get “to consider” (from בִּין, bin). However, M. Dahood shows a connection between כּנן (knn) and שׁאל (sh’l) in Ugaritic (“Hebrew-Ugaritic Lexicography,” Bib 46 [1965]: 329).
193 tn The Hebrew has “the search of their fathers,” but the word is probably intended to mean what that observation or search yielded (so “search” is a metonymy of cause).
194 tn Heb “fathers.”
195 tn The Hebrew has “we are of yesterday,” the adverb functioning as a predicate. Bildad’s point is that they have not had time to acquire great knowledge because they are recent.
196 tn E. Dhorme (Job, 116) observes that the shadow is the symbol of ephemeral things (14:2; 17:7; Ps 144:4). The shadow passes away quickly (116).
197 tn The sentence begins emphatically: “Is it not they.”
198 tn The “and” is not present in the line. The second clause seems to be in apposition to the first, explaining it more thoroughly: “Is it not they [who] will instruct you, [who] will speak to you.”
199 tn The noun may have been left indeterminate for the sake of emphasis (GKC 401-2 §125.c), meaning “important words.”
200 tn Heb “from their heart.”
201 sn H. H. Rowley observes the use of the words for plants that grow in Egypt and suspects that Bildad either knew Egypt or knew that much wisdom came from Egypt. The first word refers to papyrus, which grows to a height of six feet (so the verb means “to grow tall; to grow high”). The second word refers to the reed grass that grows on the banks of the river (see Gen 41:2, 18).
202 tn The two verbs, גָּאָה (ga’ah) and שָׂגָה (sagah), have almost the same meanings of “flourish, grow, become tall.”
203 tn The word has been traditionally translated “greenness” (so KJV, ASV), but some modern commentators argue for “in flower.” The word is found only in Song 6:11 (where it may be translated “blossoms”). From the same root is אָבִיב (’aviv, “fresh young ears of barley”). Here the word refers to the plant that is still in its early stages of flowering. It should not be translated to suggest the plant is flowering (cf. NRSV), but translating as if the plant is green (so NASB) is also problematic.
204 sn The idea is that as the plant begins to flower, but before it is to be cut down, there is no sign of withering or decay in it. But if the water is withdrawn, it will wither sooner than any other herb. The point Bildad will make of this is that when people rebel against God and his grace is withheld, they perish more swiftly than the water reed.
205 tn The imperfect verb here is the modal use of potential, “can wither away” if the water is not there.
206 tn Heb “before.”
207 tn The LXX interprets the line: “does not any herb wither before it has received moisture?”
208 tn The word אָרְחוֹת (’orkhot) means “ways” or “paths” in the sense of tracks of destiny or fate. The word דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way, road, path”) is used in a similar way (Isa 40:27; Ps 37:5). However, many commentators emend the text to read אַחֲרִית (’akharit, “end”) in harmony with the LXX. But Prov 1:19 (if not emended as well) confirms the primary meaning here without changing the text (see D. J. A. Clines, Job [WBC], 199).
209 tn The word חָנֵף (khanef) is often translated “hypocrite.” But the root verb means “to be profane,” and this would be done by idolatry or bloodshed. It describes an irreligious person, a godless person. In Dan 11:32 the word seems to mean “make someone pagan.” The word in this verse is parallel to “those who forget God.”
210 tn The relative pronoun introduces the verse as a relative clause, working with the “godless person” of the preceding verse. The relative pronoun is joined to the resumptive pronoun in the translation: “who + his trust” = “whose trust.”
211 tn The noun כֶּסֶל (kesel) in this half of the verse must correspond to “his security” in the second half. The meaning must be “his trust” (see 4:6). The two words will again be parallel in 31:24.
212 tn The word יָקוֹט (yaqot) is not known anywhere else; here it looks like it should be a noun to parallel “spider’s house” in the next colon. But scholars have tried to identify it as a verb, perhaps an imperfect of קוֹט (qot, BDB 876 s.v.), or related to an Arabic qatta, “to cut.” Some versions have “break in sunder” (KJV, RV); others “cut off” (RSV). Apart from verbs, some commentators follow Sa`adia’s Arabic translation “sun cords,” meaning “gossamer.” Accordingly, there are emendations like “threads,” “threads of summer,” “spider threads,” and the like. D. J. A. Clines agrees with those who conclude that emendations based on Sa`adia’s translation lack a sound philological basis. E. Dhorme “somewhat timidly” suggests יַלְקוּט (yalqut), the shepherd’s bag or scrip (1 Sam 17:40). He suggests that an empty bag would be a symbol of something unstable and futile. It seems impossible to determine exactly what the word meant. One can only conclude that it means something like “fragile” or “futile.” The LXX is of no help: “for his house shall be without inhabitants.”
213 sn The second half of the verse is very clear. What the godless person relies on for security is as fragile as a spider’s web – he may as well have nothing. The people of the Middle East view the spider’s web as the frailest of all “houses.”
214 tn The verb עָמַד (’amad, “to stand”) is almost synonymous with the parallel קוּם (qum, “to rise; to stand”). The distinction is that the former means “to remain standing” (so it is translated here “hold up”), and the latter “rise, stand up.”
215 sn The idea is that he grabs hold of the house, not to hold it up, but to hold himself up or support himself. But it cannot support him. This idea applies to both the spider’s web and the false security of the pagan.
216 tn The figure now changes to a plant that is flourishing and spreading and then suddenly cut off. The word רָטַב (ratav) means “to be moist; to be watered.” The word occurs in Arabic, Aramaic, and Akkadian, but only twice in the Bible: here as the adjective and in 24:8 as the verb.
217 tn The Hebrew is לִפְנֵי (lifne, “before”). Does this mean “in the presence of the sun,” i.e., under a sweltering sun, or “before” the sun rises? It seems more natural to take לִפְנֵי (lifne) as “in the presence of” or “under.”
218 tn Heb “its shoot goes out.”
219 tc Some have emended this phrase to obtain “over the roofs.” The LXX has “out of his corruption.” H. M. Orlinsky has shown that this reading arose from an internal LXX change, saprias having replaced prasias, “garden” (JQR 26 [1935/36]: 134-35).
220 tn Cheyne reads “spring” or “well” rather than “heap.” However, this does not fit the parallelism very well, and so he emends the second half as well. Nevertheless the Hebrew text needs no emending here.
221 tn The expression “of stones” is added for clarification of what the heap would be. It refers to the object around which the roots would grow. The parallelism with “house of stones” makes this reading highly probable.
222 tn The idea is that the plant grows, looking for a place to grow among the stones. Some trees grow so tightly around the rocks and stones that they are impossible to uproot. The rocky ground where it grows forms “a house of stones.” The LXX supports an emendation from יְחֱזֶה (yÿkhezeh, “it looks”) to יִחְיֶה (yikhyeh, “it lives”). Others have tried to emend the text in a variety of ways: “pushes” (Budde), “cleave” (Gordis), “was opposite” (Driver), or “run against” (NEB, probably based on G. R. Driver). If one were to make a change, the reading with the LXX would be the easiest to defend, but there is no substantial reason to do that. The meaning is about the same without such a change.
223 sn The idea seems to be that the stones around which the roots of the tree wrap themselves suggest strength and security for the tree, but uprooting comes to it nevertheless (v. 18). The point is that the wicked may appear to be living in security and flourishing, yet can be quickly destroyed (H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 74).
224 tc Ball reads אֵל (’el, “God”) instead of אִם (’im, “if”): “God destroys it” – but there is no reason for this. The idea would be implied in the context. A. B. Davidson rightly points out that who destroys it is not important, but the fact that it is destroyed.
tn The Hebrew has “if one destroys it”; the indefinite subject allows for a passive interpretation. The verb means “swallow” in the Qal, but in the Piel it means “to engulf; to destroy; to ruin” (2:3; 10:8). It could here be rendered “removed from its place” (the place where it is rooted); since the picture is that of complete destruction, “uprooted” would be a good rendering.
225 tn Heb “it”; the referent (“his place” in the preceding line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
sn The place where the plant once grew will deny ever knowing it. Such is the completeness of the uprooting that there is not a trace left.
226 tn Here “saying” is supplied in the translation.
227 tn This line is difficult. If the MT stands as it is, the expression must be ironic. It would be saying that the joy (all the security and prosperity) of its way (its life) is short-lived – that is the way its joy goes. Most commentators are not satisfied with this. Dhorme, for one, changes מְשׂוֹשׂ (mÿsos, “joy”) to מְסוֹס (mÿsos, “rotting”), and gets “behold him lie rotting on the path.” The sibilants can interchange this way. But Dhorme thinks the MT was written the way it was because the word was thought to be “joy,” when it should have been the other way. The word “way” then becomes an accusative of place. The suggestion is rather compelling and would certainly fit the context. The difficulty is that a root סוּס (sus, “to rot”) has to be proposed. E. Dhorme does this by drawing on Arabic sas, “to be eaten by moths or worms,” thus “worm-eaten; decaying; rotting.” Cf. NIV “its life withers away”; also NAB “there he lies rotting beside the road.”
228 tn Heb “dust.”
229 sn As with the tree, so with the godless man – his place will soon be taken by another.
230 sn This is the description that the book gave to Job at the outset, a description that he deserved according to God’s revelation. The theme “God will not reject the blameless man” becomes Job’s main point (see 9:20,21; 10:3).
231 sn The idiom “to grasp the hand” of someone means to support or help the person.
232 tn The word עַד (’ad, “until”) would give the reading “until he fills your mouth with laughter,” subordinating the verse to the preceding with some difficulty in interpretation. It would be saying that God will not reject the blameless man until he filled Job with joy. Almost all commentators and modern versions change the pointing to עוֹד (’od, “yet”), forming a hope for the future blessing of joy for Job.
233 sn “Laughter” (and likewise “gladness”) will here be metonymies of effect or adjunct, being put in place of the reason for the joy – restoration.
234 sn These verses show several points of similarity with the style of the Book of Psalms. “Those who hate you” and the “evil-doers” are fairly common words to describe the ungodly in the Psalms. “Those who hate you” are enemies of the righteous man because of the parallelism in the verse. By this line Bildad is showing Job that he and his friends are not among those who are his enemies, and that Job himself is really among the righteous. It is an appealing way to end the discourse. See further G. W. Anderson, “Enemies and Evil-doers in the Book of Psalms,” BJRL 48 (1965/66): 18-29.
235 tn “Shame” is compared to a garment that can be worn. The “shame” envisioned here is much more than embarrassment or disgrace – it is utter destruction. For parallels in the Psalms, see Pss 35:26; 132:18; 109:29.
236 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.
237 tn The participle and two adjectives “alive, holy, and pleasing to God” are taken as predicates in relation to “sacrifice,” making the exhortation more emphatic. See ExSyn 618-19.
sn Taken as predicate adjectives, the terms alive, holy, and pleasing are showing how unusual is the sacrifice that believers can now offer, for OT sacrifices were dead. As has often been quipped about this text, “The problem with living sacrifices is that they keep crawling off the altar.”
238 tn Although συσχηματίζεσθε (suschmatizesqe) could be either a passive or middle, the passive is more likely since it would otherwise have to be a direct middle (“conform yourselves”) and, as such, would be quite rare for NT Greek. It is very telling that being “conformed” to the present world is viewed as a passive notion, for it may suggest that it happens, in part, subconsciously. At the same time, the passive could well be a “permissive passive,” suggesting that there may be some consciousness of the conformity taking place. Most likely, it is a combination of both.
239 tn Grk “to this age.”
240 sn The verb translated test and approve (δοκιμάζω, dokimazw) carries the sense of “test with a positive outcome,” “test so as to approve.”
241 tn The words “of you” have been supplied for clarity.
242 tn Or “to each as God has distributed a measure of faith.”
243 tn This word comes from the same root as “grace” in the following clause; it means “things graciously given,” “grace-gifts.”
244 tn The verb “must be” is understood in the Greek text.
245 tn Or “but give yourselves to menial tasks.” The translation depends on whether one takes the adjective “lowly” as masculine or neuter.
246 tn Grk “Do not be wise in your thinking.”
247 tn Here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic and refers to both men and women.
248 tn Here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic and refers to both men and women.
249 tn Grk “the wrath,” referring to God’s wrath as the remainder of the verse shows.
250 sn A quotation from Deut 32:35.
251 sn A quotation from Prov 25:21-22.
