¹ tn Heb “and if unpleasant (רָעָה, raʿah) in the eyes of her master.”

² tn Heb “Give them a charge for their masters, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, “Thus you shall say unto your masters…”’” The sentence is broken up in conformity with contemporary English style.

² tn Heb “From my master the king is this thing done, and you did not make known to your servants who will sit on the throne of my master the king after him?”

¹ tn Grk “But answering, his master said to him.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.

² tn The pronoun “your” is supplied in the translation for clarification (also a second time before “master” later in this verse).

² tn The referent of “their master” is unclear. The king or a pagan god may be in view.

² tn Heb “Look, my master spared this Syrian Naaman by not taking from his hand what he brought.”

¹ tn Heb “and when his master heard the words of his wife which she spoke to him, saying.”

² tn The verb means “to bow down to the ground.” It is used to describe worship and obeisance to masters.

³ tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the servant’s master, Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹ tn Heb “to my master.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

¹ 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 Lord as Israel’s true master/husband versus Baal as Israel’s illegitimate lover/master. See 2:23-25.

² tn Heb “he restores the life [or, soul] of his masters.” The idea suggests that someone who sends the messenger either entrusts his life to him or relies on the messenger to resolve some concern. A faithful messenger restores his master’s spirit and so is “refreshing.”

¹ sn The slave would not have the right or the means to acquire a wife. Thus, the idea of the master’s “giving” him a wife is clear—the master would have to pay the bride price and make the provision. In this case, the wife and the children are actually the possession of the master unless the slave were to pay the bride price—but he is a slave because he got into debt. The law assumes that the master was better able to provide for this woman than the freed slave and that it was most important to keep the children with the mother.

³ tn Most likely, the authority of the Lord is in view. This verse, then, echoes the indictment of v. 4: “they deny our Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

² sn The use of the title Master of all (δεσπότης, despotēs) emphasizes that there is a sovereign God who is directing what is taking place.

¹ tn Grk “to the master of the household,” referring to one who owns and manages the household, including family, servants, and slaves (L&N 57.14).

² tn Grk “he”; the referent (the master) has been specified in the translation for clarity. See also Luke 19:11-27.

² tn Heb “you broke your yoke…tore off your yoke ropes.” The metaphor is that of a recalcitrant ox or heifer which has broken free from its master.

¹ tn Heb “all the words of the chief adviser whom his master, the king of Assyria, sent to taunt the living God.”