² tn Heb “fury and indignation and trouble, a sending of messengers of disaster.”

⁵ tn The pleonasms in the verse emphasize the emotional excitement of the messenger.

¹ tn Heb “they”; the implied referent (messengers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Heb “sent a man from before him, before the messenger came to him.”

¹ tn The word “messengers” is supplied in the translation both here and in v. 20 for clarification.

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the messenger) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the messengers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹ tn The word could be rendered “angel” or “messenger.” Some ambiguity may be intended in this report.

¹ sn The response to these messengers determines how God’s blessing is bestowed—if the messengers are not welcomed, their blessing will return to them. Jesus shows just how important their mission is by this remark.

³ sn Those bent on rebellion will meet with retribution. The messenger could very well be a merciless messenger from the king, but the expression could also figuratively describe something God sends—storms, pestilence, or any other misfortune.

¹ sn The narrative is elliptical and telescoped here. The account of Elijah encountering the messengers and delivering the Lord’s message is omitted; we only hear of it as the messengers report what happened to the king.

⁴ tn The prepositional phrase “in your name” indicates the sphere of authority for the messengers’ work of exorcism.

¹ tn Heb “to whom a messenger was sent, and look, they came.” Foreign alliances are in view here.

² tn Heb “messengers of peace,” apparently those responsible for negotiating the agreements that have been broken (see v. 8).

¹ sn The verse is describing the way God can preserve someone from dying by sending a messenger (translated here as “angel”), who could be human or angelic. This messenger will interpret/mediate God’s will. By “one…out of a thousand” Elihu could have meant either that one of the thousands of messengers at God’s disposal might be sent or that the messenger would be unique (see Eccl 7:28; Job 9:3).

³ sn This messenger of the covenant may be equated with my messenger (that is, Elijah) mentioned earlier in the verse, or with the Lord himself. In either case the messenger functions as an enforcer of the covenant. Note the following verses, which depict purifying judgment on a people that has violated the Lord’s covenant.

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.”

³ sn Hermes was a Greek god who (according to Greek mythology) was the messenger of the gods and the god of oratory (equivalent to the Roman god Mercury).

³ sn As Peter puzzled over the meaning of the vision, the messengers from Cornelius approached the gate. God’s direction here had a sense of explanatory timing.

¹ sn Fitting the pattern emphasized earlier with Stephen and his speech in Acts 7, some Jews plotted to kill God’s messenger (cf. Luke 11:53-54).