⁷ tn Heb “and to cheat with deceptive scales”; cf. NASB, NIV “dishonest scales,” NRSV “false balances.”

¹ sn The same description of a false prophet is found in Micah 2:11.

¹ tn The two words might form a hendiadys: “falsehood and lies” being equivalent to “complete deception.” The word שָׁוְא (shavʾ) means “false; empty; vain; to a false purpose.” The second word means “word of lying,” thus “a lying word.” Taken separately they might refer to false intentions and false words.

² tn Heb “word of falsehood” or “lying word.” Cf. TEV “false information.”

² tn Heb “a witness of falsehood.” The genitive functions in an attributive sense: “false witness.”

¹ tn Heb “have acted corruptly” (so NASB, NIV84, NLT); NRSV “have dealt falsely.”

¹ tn Heb “you shall not deal falsely a man with his fellow citizen.”

² tn Heb “a word of falsehood.” The genitive “falsehood” functions as an attributive genitive. The construct noun דְּבַר (d^evar) means either “word” or “thing.” Hence, the phrase means “a false word” or “a false thing.”

⁵ sn Enchanting folks (Grk “awing faces”) refers to the fact that the speeches of these false teachers are powerful and seductive.

¹ sn Them refers to the secessionist opponents, called “false prophets” in 4:1 (compare 2:19).

¹ tn Grk “from these,” alluding to the errors and deeds of the false teachers described in vv. 14-19.

¹ sn Dogs is a figurative reference to false teachers whom Paul regards as just as filthy as dogs.

¹ tn Or “false christs”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the false testimony.

¹ tn Or “false christs”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

¹ tn The Hebrew verb is feminine plural, indicating that it is the false prophetesses who are addressed here.

⁸ sn The imagery portraying the false teachers as autumn trees without fruit has to do with their lack of productivity. Recall the statement to the same effect by Jesus in Matt 7:16-20, in which false prophets will be known by their fruits. Like waterless clouds full of false hope, these trees do not yield any harvest even though it is expected.

² tn Or “to their allegiance to false gods,” or “to their false professions of loyalty”; Heb “to deceit.” Either “to their mistaken beliefs” or “to their allegiance to false gods” would fit the preceding context. The former is more comprehensive than the latter and was chosen for that reason.

² tn The Hebrew verb translated “will perish” (יֹאבֵד, yoʾved) could mean that the false witness will die, either by the hand of God or by the community. But it also could be taken in the sense that the false testimony will be destroyed. This would mean that “false witness” would be a metonymy of cause—what he says will perish (cf. NCV “will be forgotten”).

⁶ tn Grk “debauchery.” This is the same word Peter uses to predict what the false teachers will be like (2 Pet 2:2, 7, 18).