² sn The metaphor is intended to depict Israel’s irrepressible desire to worship other gods.

¹ sn Perhaps the worship of underworld deities or dead spirits is in view.

⁴ tn That is, who seeks to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him.

¹ tn Or “bowed before the Lord.” The posture of bowing often represents the act of worshiping.

⁴ tn The words “by worshiping it” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Regarding Molech and Molech worship see the note on Lev 18:21.

¹ sn Based on the revelation of the holy sovereign God, this pericope instructs Israel on the form of proper worship of such a God. It focuses on the altar, the centerpiece of worship. The point of the section is this: those who worship this holy God must preserve holiness in the way they worship—they worship where he permits, in the manner he prescribes, and with the blessings he promises. This paragraph is said to open the Book of the Covenant, which specifically rules on matters of life and worship.

¹ tn Grk “those that by nature…” with the word “beings” implied. BDAG 1070 s.v. φύσις 2 sees this as referring to pagan worship: “Polytheists worship…beings that are by nature no gods at all Gal 4:8.”

¹ sn This is not to preclude the Canaanite (or anyone else) from worship; the point is that in the messianic age all such ethnic and religious distinctions will be erased and all people will be eligible to worship the Lord.

² sn To worship at Beer Sheba, northern worshipers had to journey down (i.e., cross the border) between Israel and Judah. Apparently, the popular religion of Israel for some included pilgrimage to holy sites in the South.

¹ sn Abraham built an altar there. The theme of Abraham’s altar building culminates here. He has been a faithful worshiper. Will he continue to worship when called upon to make such a radical sacrifice?

² sn Zeus was the chief Greek deity, worshiped throughout the Greco-Roman world (known to the Romans as Jupiter).

² tc The reference to worship is lacking in the Western ms D, its last major omission in this Gospel.

² sn The statements about Anna worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day make her extreme piety clear.

⁴ tn Heb “and all the coastlands of the nations will worship [or, “bow down”] to him, each from his own place.”

¹ tn Heb “[is] his memorial name” (so ASV); cf. TEV “the name by which he is to be worshipped.”

³ tn Or “Israel has become corrupt”; cf. NCV “has made itself unclean,” and TEV “are unfit to worship me.”

² tn Or “they worshiped” (NCV, TEV, CEV); Heb “their eyes were on” or “were after” (cf. v. 16).

⁵ sn The worship of astral entities may have begun during the reign of Manasseh (2 Kgs 21:5).

¹ tn The Hebrew text has simply, “forget.” The words “about worshiping at” are supplied in the translation for clarification.