5:15 Men will be humiliated,
they will be brought low;
the proud will be brought low. 1
5:16 The Lord who commands armies will be exalted 2 when he punishes, 3
the sovereign God’s authority will be recognized when he judges. 4
1 tn Heb “men are brought down, men are brought low, the eyes of pride are brought low.”
2 tn Or “elevated”; TEV “the Lord Almighty shows his greatness.”
3 tn Heb “by judgment/justice.” When God justly punishes the evildoers denounced in the preceding verses, he will be recognized as a mighty warrior.
4 tn Heb “The holy God will be set apart by fairness.” In this context God’s holiness is his sovereign royal authority, which implies a commitment to justice (see the note on the phrase “the sovereign king of Israel” in 1:4). When God judges evildoers as they deserve, his sovereignty will be acknowledged.
sn The appearance of מִשְׁפָט (mishpat, “justice”) and צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “fairness”) here is rhetorically significant, when one recalls v. 7. There God denounces his people for failing to produce a society where “justice” and “fairness” are valued and maintained. God will judge his people for their failure, taking “justice” and “fairness” into his own hands.