¹ tn Heb “like green vegetation.”

¹ tn Or “a desert” (meaning a deserted or desolate area with sparse vegetation).

¹ tn Or “a desert” (meaning a deserted or desolate area with sparse vegetation).

² tn That is, with rich vegetation that brings joy to those who see it.

³ tn Heb “the land,” which stands here by metonymy for the vegetation growing in it.

⁵ tn Or “in a desert” (meaning a deserted or desolate area with sparse vegetation). Here ὧδε (hōde) has not been translated.

⁶ sn Both of these areas were known for their trees and vegetation. See 2:13; 35:2.

⁵ tn Heb “its vegetation you bless.” Divine “blessing” often involves endowing an object with special power or capacity.

² sn Since the quarreling was between the herdsmen, the dispute was no doubt over water and vegetation for the animals.

¹ sn Vegetation. The Hebrew word translated “vegetation” (דֶּשֶׁא, desheʾ) normally means “grass,” but here it probably refers more generally to vegetation that includes many of the plants and trees. In the verse the plants and the trees are qualified as self-perpetuating with seeds, but not the word “vegetation,” indicating it is the general term and the other two terms are sub-categories of it. Moreover, in vv. 29 and 30 the word vegetation/grass does not appear. Smr adds an “and” before the fruit trees, indicating it saw the arrangement as bipartite (Smr tends to eliminate asyndetic constructions).

³ tn Heb “Lebanon is ashamed.” The Hiphil is exhibitive, expressing the idea, “exhibits shame.” In this context the statement alludes to the withering of vegetation.

⁵ tn Or “desert,” although for English readers this usually connotes a sandy desert like the Sahara rather than the arid wasteland of this region with its sparse vegetation.

¹ tn The Hebrew construction employs a cognate accusative, where the nominal object (“vegetation”) derives from the verbal root employed. It stresses the abundant productivity that God created.

² tn The Hebrew term מִנְחָה (minkhah, “offering”) is a general word for tribute, a gift, or an offering. It is the main word used in Lev 2 for the dedication offering. This type of offering could be comprised of vegetables. The content of the offering (vegetables, as opposed to animals) was not the critical issue, but rather the attitude of the offerer.

² tn Heb “they are plants in the field and green vegetation.” The metaphor emphasizes how short-lived these seemingly powerful cities really were. See Ps 90:5-6; Isa 40:6-8, 24.

⁵ tn The rift valley (עֲרָבָה, ʿaravah) is a geographic feature extending from Galilee to the Gulf of Aqaba. Especially in the vicinity of the Dead Sea and then ranging southward, it is very dry with little vegetation.

¹ tn The word בּוּל (bul) probably refers to food. Many take it as an abbreviated form of יְבוּל (y^evul, “produce of the field”). The vegetation that is produced on the low hills is what is meant.

² tn Heb “they are plants in the field and green vegetation.” The metaphor emphasizes how short-lived these seemingly powerful cities really were. See Ps 90:5-6; Isa 40:6-8, 24.

¹ sn The foothills (שְׁפֵלָה, sh^ephelah) are the transition region between the Judean hill country and the Mediterranean coastal plain. These are areas of eocene limestone with a distinct pattern of erosion, soil, and vegetation cover.

⁴ tn The noun refers primarily to cultivated grains. But here it seems to be the general heading for anything that grows from the ground, all vegetation and plant life, as opposed to what grows on trees.