³ tn Heb “For instruction will not perish from priest, nor counsel from wise man, nor word from prophet.”

⁴ tn The verb is once again in the form of “as good as done” (the Hebrew prophetic perfect).

¹ tn Heb “The priests…the ones who grasp my law…the shepherds…the prophets…they…”

¹ sn The “watchmen” are probably spiritual leaders, most likely prophets and priests, responsible for giving the people moral direction.

¹ tn Heb “the word of his servant.” The following context indicates that the Lord’s prophets are in view.

¹ sn The imagery refers to the way or path of truth, as revealed by God to the prophet.

³ sn The prophet seems to contradict what he hears the group saying. Their words are premature because more destruction is coming.

² tn The word נְאֻם (n^eʾum) is used frequently in the OT of a formal divine announcement through a prophet.

² tn Heb “a psalm by David, when Nathan the prophet came to him when he had gone to Bathsheba.”

³ sn Daughter Zion is an idiomatic title for Jerusalem. It appears frequently in the prophets, but only here in the psalms.

¹ tn Heb “and now, all the prophets of Baal, all his servants and all his priests summon to me.”

² tn Heb “Look now, here, two servants came to me from the Ephraimite hill country, from the sons of the prophets.”

² tn Heb “and the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho, [who were standing] opposite, saw him and said.”

¹ tn Heb “a man, a prophet.” Hebrew idiom sometimes puts a generic term before a more specific designation.

¹ tn The Hebrew verb translated “asked” (שָׁאַל, shaʾal) refers here to consulting the Lord through a prophetic oracle; cf. NAB “consulted.”

² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet mentioned in v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² sn For a discussion of the term prophet see N. Walker, “What is a Nabhi?” ZAW 73 (1961): 99-100.

³ sn Recording the message will enable the prophet to use it in the future as evidence that God warned his people of impending judgment and clearly spelled out the nation’s guilt. An official record of the message will also serve as proof of the prophet’s authority as God’s spokesman.

² tn Heb “seal [the] instruction among my followers.” The “instruction” probably refers to the prophet’s exhortations and warnings. When the people are judged for the sins, the prophet can produce these earlier messages and essentially say, “I told you so.” In this way he can authenticate his ministry and impress upon the people the reality of God’s authority over them.

¹ tn It is uncertain if the prophet or the Lord is speaking in vv. 19-22. If the latter, then vv. 19-22 resume the speech recorded in vv. 12-15, after the prophet’s response in vv. 16-18.