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Deuteronomy 8:19
New English Translation
Deuteronomy 8:19
New English Translation
19 Now if you forget the Lord your God at all[a] and follow other gods, worshiping and prostrating yourselves before them, I testify to you today that you will surely be annihilated.
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- Deuteronomy 8:19 tn Heb “if forgetting, you forget.” The infinitive absolute is used for emphasis; the translation indicates this with the words “at all” (cf. KJV).
Isaiah 59:18
New English Translation
Isaiah 59:18
New English Translation
18 He repays them for what they have done,
dispensing angry judgment to his adversaries
and punishing his enemies.[a]
He repays the coastlands.[b]
Footnotes
- Isaiah 59:18 tn Heb “in accordance with deeds, so he repays, anger to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies.”
- Isaiah 59:18 tn Or “islands” (KJV, NIV).
Jeremiah 21:14
New English Translation
Jeremiah 21:14
New English Translation
14 But I will punish you as your deeds deserve,’
says the Lord.[a]
‘I will set fire to your palace;
it will burn up everything around it.’”[b]
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 21:14 tn Heb “oracle of the Lord.”
- Jeremiah 21:14 tn Heb “I will set fire in its forest, and it will devour its surroundings.” The pronouns are actually third feminine singular, going back to the participle “you who sit enthroned above the valley.” However, this is another example of those rapid shifts in pronouns typical of the biblical Hebrew style but uncommon in English. They have regularly been leveled to the same person throughout in the translation to avoid possible confusion for the English reader.
Matthew 18:34-35
New English Translation
Matthew 18:34-35
New English Translation
34 And in anger his lord turned him over to the prison guards to torture him[a] until he repaid all he owed. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you does not forgive your[b] brother[c] from your heart.”
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- Matthew 18:34 tn Grk “handed him over to the torturers,” referring specifically to guards whose job was to torture prisoners who were being questioned. According to L&N 37.126, it is difficult to know for certain in this instance whether the term actually envisions torture as a part of the punishment or is simply a hyperbole. However, in light of the following verse and Jesus’ other warning statements in Matthew about “fiery hell,” “the outer darkness,” etc., it is best not to dismiss this as mere imagery.
- Matthew 18:35 tn Grk “his.” The pronoun has been translated to follow English idiom (the last pronoun of the verse [“from your heart”] is second person plural in the original).
- Matthew 18:35 tn Here the term “brother” means “fellow believer” or “fellow Christian” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a), whether male or female. Concerning the familial connotations, see also the note on the first occurrence of this term in v. 15.
Matthew 25:28-30
New English Translation
Matthew 25:28-30
New English Translation
28 Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten.[a] 29 For the one who has will be given more,[b] and he will have more than enough. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.[c] 30 And throw that worthless slave into the outer darkness,[d] where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
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- Matthew 25:28 tn Grk “the ten talents.”
- Matthew 25:29 tn Grk “to everyone who has, he will be given more.”sn The one who has will be given more. Faithfulness yields great reward (see Matt 13:12; also Mark 4:25; Luke 8:18; 19:26).
- Matthew 25:29 sn The one who has nothing has even what he seems to have taken from him, ending up with no reward at all (see also Luke 8:18). The exact force of this is left ambiguous, but there is no comfort here for those who are pictured by the third slave as being totally unmoved by the master. Though not an outright enemy, there is no relationship to the master either.
- Matthew 25:30 tn The Greek term translated “darkness” (σκότος) is associated with Tartarus in Aeschylus, Eumenides 72; other references to the darkness of death and the underworld can be found throughout the classical literature as far back as Homer. BDAG 932 s.v. σκότος 1 states: “Of the darkness of the place of punishment far removed fr. the heavenly kingdom (Philo, Exsecr. 152 βαθὺ σκότος. Cf. Wsd 17:20; PsSol 14:9.—σκ. κ. βόρβορος ‘gloom and muck’ await those who are untrue to the Eleusinian Mysteries, Ael. Aristid. 22, 10 K.=19 p. 421 D. Of the darkness of death and the underworld in Hom. and the Trag. As the domain of evil spirits PGM 36, 138; Theoph. Ant. 2, 7 [p. 110, 5]) τὸ σκ. τὸ ἐξώτερον the darkness outside Mt 8:12; 22:13; 25:30.”
Exodus 12:12
New English Translation
Exodus 12:12
New English Translation
12 ‘I will pass through[a] the land of Egypt in the same[b] night, and I will attack[c] all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both of humans and of animals,[d] and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment.[e] I am the Lord.
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- Exodus 12:12 tn The verb וְעָבַרְתִּי (veʿavarti) is a Qal perfect with vav (ו) consecutive, announcing the future action of God in bringing judgment on the land. The word means “pass over, across, through.” This verb provides a contextual motive for the name “Passover.”
- Exodus 12:12 tn Heb “this night.”
- Exodus 12:12 tn The verb נָכָה (nakhah) means “to strike, smite, attack”; it does not always mean “to kill,” but that is obviously its outcome in this context. This is also its use in 2:12, describing how Moses killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand.
- Exodus 12:12 tn Heb “from man and to beast.”
- Exodus 12:12 tn The phrase אֶעֱשֶׂה שְׁפָטִים (ʾeʿeseh shefatim) is “I will do judgments.” The statement clearly includes what had begun in Exod 6:1. But the statement that God would judge the gods of Egypt is appropriately introduced here (see also Num 33:4) because with the judgment on Pharaoh and the deliverance from bondage, Yahweh would truly show himself to be the one true God. Thus, “I am Yahweh” is fitting here (see B. Jacob, Exodus, 312).
Numbers 32:13
New English Translation
Numbers 32:13
New English Translation
13 So the Lord’s anger was kindled against the Israelites, and he made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until all that generation that had done wickedly before[a] the Lord was finished.[b]
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- Numbers 32:13 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
- Numbers 32:13 tn The verb is difficult to translate, since it has the idea of “complete, finish” (תָּמָם, tamam). It could be translated “consumed” in this passage (so KJV, ASV); NASB “was destroyed.”
Joshua 7:25-26
New English Translation
Joshua 7:25-26
New English Translation
25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought disaster on[a] us? The Lord will bring disaster on you today!” All Israel stoned him to death. (They also stoned and burned the others.)[b] 26 Then they erected over him a large pile of stones (it remains to this very day[c]) and the Lord’s anger subsided. So that place is called the Valley of Disaster to this very day.
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- Joshua 7:25 tn Or “trouble on.” The word is “achor” in Hebrew (also in the following clause).
- Joshua 7:25 tc Heb “and they burned them with fire and they stoned them with stones.” These words are somewhat parenthetical in nature and are omitted in the LXX; they may represent a later scribal addition.
- Joshua 7:26 tc Heb “to this day.” The phrase “to this day” is omitted in the LXX and may represent a later scribal addition.
Isaiah 13:9-13
New English Translation
Isaiah 13:9-13
New English Translation
9 Look, the Lord’s day of judgment[a] is coming;
it is a day of cruelty and savage, raging anger,[b]
destroying[c] the earth[d]
and annihilating its sinners.
10 Indeed the stars in the sky and their constellations
no longer give out their light;[e]
the sun is darkened as soon as it rises,
and the moon does not shine.[f]
11 [g] I will punish the world for its evil,[h]
and wicked people for their sin.
I will put an end to the pride of the insolent,
I will bring down the arrogance of tyrants.[i]
12 I will make human beings more scarce than pure gold,
and people more scarce[j] than gold from Ophir.
13 So I will shake the heavens,[k]
and the earth will shake loose from its foundation,[l]
because of the fury of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
in the day he vents his raging anger.[m]
Footnotes
- Isaiah 13:9 tn Heb “the day of the Lord.”
- Isaiah 13:9 tn Heb “[with] cruelty, and fury, and rage of anger.” Three synonyms for “anger” are piled up at the end of the line to emphasize the extraordinary degree of divine anger that will be exhibited in this judgment.
- Isaiah 13:9 tn Heb “making desolate.”
- Isaiah 13:9 tn Or “land” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NLT).
- Isaiah 13:10 tn Heb “do not flash forth their light.”
- Isaiah 13:10 tn Heb “does not shed forth its light.”
- Isaiah 13:11 sn The Lord is definitely speaking (again?) at this point. See the note at v. 4.
- Isaiah 13:11 tn Or “I will bring disaster on the world.” Hebrew רָעָה (raʿah) could refer to the judgment (i.e., disaster, calamity) or to the evil that prompts it. The structure of the parallel line favors the latter interpretation.
- Isaiah 13:11 tn Or perhaps, “the violent”; cf. NASB, NIV “the ruthless.”
- Isaiah 13:12 tn The verb is supplied in the translation from the first line. The verb in the first line (“I will make scarce”) does double duty in the parallel structure of the verse.
- Isaiah 13:13 tn Or “the sky.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
- Isaiah 13:13 tn Heb “from its place” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV).
- Isaiah 13:13 tn Heb “and in the day of the raging of his anger.”
Daniel 5:30
New English Translation
Daniel 5:30
New English Translation
30 And that very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king,[a] was killed.[b]
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- Daniel 5:30 tn Aram “king of the Chaldeans.”
- Daniel 5:30 sn The year was 539 b.c. At this time Daniel would have been approximately eighty-one years old. The relevant extra-biblical records describing the fall of Babylon include portions of Herodotus, Xenophon, Berossus (cited in Josephus), the Cyrus Cylinder, and the Babylonian Chronicle.
Acts 5:5
New English Translation
Acts 5:5
New English Translation
5 When Ananias heard these words he collapsed and died, and great fear gripped[a] all who heard about it.
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- Acts 5:5 tn Or “fear came on,” “fear seized”; Grk “fear happened to.”
Acts 5:10
New English Translation
Acts 5:10
New English Translation
10 At once[a] she collapsed at his feet and died. So when the young men came in, they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
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- Acts 5:10 tn Grk “And at once.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
1 Kings 14:15
New English Translation
1 Kings 14:15
New English Translation
15 The Lord will attack Israel, making it like a reed that sways in the water.[a] He will remove Israel from this good land he gave to their ancestors[b] and scatter them beyond the Euphrates River,[c] because they angered the Lord by making Asherah poles.[d]
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- 1 Kings 14:15 tn The elliptical Hebrew text reads literally “and the Lord will strike Israel as a reed sways in the water.”
- 1 Kings 14:15 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 22, 31).
- 1 Kings 14:15 tn Heb “the River.” In biblical Hebrew this is a typical reference to the Euphrates River. The name “Euphrates” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
- 1 Kings 14:15 tn Heb “because they made their Asherah poles that anger the Lord”; or “their images of Asherah”; ASV, NASB “their Asherim”; NCV “they set up idols to worship Asherah.”sn Asherah was a leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles. These were to be burned or cut down (Deut 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4).
Jeremiah 15:13-14
New English Translation
Jeremiah 15:13-14
New English Translation
13 I will give away your wealth and your treasures as plunder.
I will give it away free of charge for the sins you have committed throughout your land.
14 I will make you serve your enemies[a] in a land that you know nothing about.
For my anger is like a fire that will burn against you.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 15:14 tc This reading follows the Greek and Syriac versions and several Hebrew mss. Other Hebrew mss read, “I will cause the enemy to pass through a land.” The difference in the reading is between one Hebrew letter, a dalet (ד) and a resh (ר).
Jeremiah 25:7-11
New English Translation
Jeremiah 25:7-11
New English Translation
7 So, now the Lord says,[a] ‘You have not listened to me. But[b] you have made me angry by the things that you have done.[c] Thus you have brought harm on yourselves.’
8 “Therefore, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies[d] says, ‘You have not listened to what I said.[e] 9 So I, the Lord, affirm that[f] I will send for all the peoples of the north[g] and my servant,[h] King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and all the nations that surround it. I will utterly destroy[i] the land, its inhabitants, and all the surrounding nations[j] and make them everlasting ruins.[k] I will make them objects of horror and hissing scorn.[l] 10 I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and the glad celebration of brides and grooms in these lands.[m] I will put an end to the sound of people grinding meal. I will put an end to lamps shining in their houses.[n] 11 This whole area[o] will become a desolate wasteland. These nations will be subject to the king of Babylon for seventy years.’[p]
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- Jeremiah 25:7 tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”
- Jeremiah 25:7 tn This is a rather clear case where the Hebrew particle לְמַעַן (lemaʿan) introduces a consequence and not a purpose, contrary to the dictum of BDB 775 s.v. מַעַן note 1. They have failed to listen to him not in order to make him angry but with the result that they have made him angry by going their own way. Jeremiah appears to use this particle for result rather than purpose on several other occasions (see, e.g., 7:18, 19; 27:10, 15; 32:29).
- Jeremiah 25:7 tn Heb “make me angry with the work of your hands.” The phrase “work of your own hands” is often interpreted as a reference to idolatry, as is clearly the case in Isa 2:8 and 37:19. However, the parallelism in 25:14 and the context in 32:30 show that it is more general and refers to what they have done. That is likely the meaning here as well.
- Jeremiah 25:8 tn Heb “Yahweh of Armies.” sn See the study note on 2:19 for an explanation of this title.
- Jeremiah 25:8 tn Heb “You have not listened to my words.”
- Jeremiah 25:9 tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”
- Jeremiah 25:9 sn The many allusions to trouble coming from the north are now clarified: it is the armies of Babylon, which included within them contingents from many nations. See 1:14, 15; 4:6; 6:1, 22; 10:22; and 13:20 for earlier allusions.
- Jeremiah 25:9 sn Nebuchadnezzar is called the Lord’s servant also in Jer 27:6 and 43:10. He was the Lord’s servant in that he was the agent used by the Lord to punish his disobedient people. Assyria was earlier referred to as the Lord’s “rod” (Isa 10:5-6), and Cyrus is called his “shepherd” and his “anointed” (Isa 44:28; 45:1). P. C. Craigie, P. H. Kelley, and J. F. Drinkard (Jeremiah 1-25 [WBC], 364) make the interesting observation that the terms here are very similar to the terms in v. 4. The people of Judah ignored the servants, the prophets, he sent to turn them away from evil. So he will send other servants whom they cannot ignore.
- Jeremiah 25:9 tn The word used here was used in the early years of Israel’s conquest for the action of killing all the men, women, and children in the cities of Canaan, destroying all their livestock, and burning their cities down. This policy was intended to prevent Israel from being corrupted by paganism (Deut 7:2; 20:17-18; Josh 6:18, 21). It was to be extended to any city that led Israel away from worshiping God (Deut 13:15) and any Israelite who brought an idol into his house (Deut 7:26). Here the policy is being directed against Judah as well as against her neighbors because of her persistent failure to heed God’s warnings through the prophets. For further usage of this term in application to foreign nations in the book of Jeremiah, see 50:21, 26 and 51:3.
- Jeremiah 25:9 tn Heb “will utterly destroy them.” The referent (the land, its inhabitants, and the surrounding nations) has been specified in the translation for clarity, since the previous “them” referred to Nebuchadnezzar and his armies.sn This is essentially the introduction to the “judgment on the nations” in vv. 15-29, which begins with Jerusalem and Judah (v. 18) and ultimately ends with Babylon itself (“Sheshach” in v. 26; see note there for explanation of the term).
- Jeremiah 25:9 sn The Hebrew word translated “everlasting” is the word often translated “eternal.” However, it sometimes has a more limited time reference. For example, it refers to the lifetime of a person who became a “lasting slave” to another person (see Exod 21:6; Deut 15:17). It is also used to refer to the long life wished for a king (1 Kgs 1:31; Neh 2:3). The time frame here is to be qualified, at least with reference to Judah and Jerusalem, as seventy years (see 29:10-14 and compare v. 12).
- Jeremiah 25:9 tn Heb “I will make them an object of horror and a hissing and everlasting ruins.” The sentence has been broken up to separate the last object from the first two, which are of slightly different connotation, i.e., they denote the reaction to the third.sn Cf. Jer 18:16; 19:8; and the study note at 18:16.
- Jeremiah 25:10 sn Cf. Jer 7:24 and 16:9 for this same dire prediction limited to Judah and Jerusalem.
- Jeremiah 25:10 sn The sound of people grinding meal and the presence of lamps shining in their houses were signs of everyday life. The Lord is going to make these lands desolate (v. 11), destroying all signs of life. (The statement is, of course, hyperbolic or poetic exaggeration; even after the destruction of Jerusalem many people were left in the land.) For these same descriptions of everyday life applying to the end of life, see the allegory in Eccl 12:3-6.
- Jeremiah 25:11 tn Heb “All this land.”
- Jeremiah 25:11 sn It should be noted that the text says that the nations will be subject to the king of Babylon for seventy years, not that they will lie desolate for seventy years. Though several proposals have been made for dating this period, many ignore this fact. This most likely refers to the period beginning with Nebuchadnezzar’s defeat of Pharaoh Necho at Carchemish in 605 b.c. and the beginning of his rule over Babylon. At this time Babylon became the dominant force in the area and continued to be so until the fall of Babylon in 538 b.c. More particularly Judah became a vassal state (cf. Jer 46:2; 2 Kgs 24:1) in 605 b.c. and was allowed to return to her homeland in 538 when Cyrus issued his edict allowing all the nations exiled by Babylon to return to their homelands. (See 2 Chr 36:21 and Ezra 1:2-4; the application there is made to Judah, but the decree of Cyrus was broader.)
Lamentations 2:1-9
New English Translation
Lamentations 2:1-9
New English Translation
א (Alef)
The Prophet Speaks
2 Alas![a] The Lord[b] has covered
Daughter Zion[c] with his anger.[d]
He has thrown down the splendor of Israel
from heaven to earth;
he did not protect[e] his temple[f]
when he displayed his anger.[g]
ב (Bet)
2 The Lord[h] destroyed[i] mercilessly[j]
all the homes of Jacob’s descendants.[k]
In his anger he tore down
the fortified cities[l] of Daughter Judah.
He knocked to the ground and humiliated
the kingdom and its rulers.[m]
ג (Gimel)
3 In fierce anger[n] he destroyed[o]
the whole army[p] of Israel.
He withdrew his right hand[q]
as the enemy attacked.[r]
He was like a raging fire in the land of Jacob;[s]
it consumed everything around it.[t]
ד (Dalet)
4 He prepared his bow[u] like an enemy;
his right hand was ready to shoot.[v]
Like a foe he killed everyone,
even our strong young men;[w]
he has poured out his anger like fire
on the tent[x] of Daughter Zion.
ה (He)
5 The Lord,[y] like an enemy,
destroyed[z] Israel.
He destroyed[aa] all her palaces;
he ruined her[ab] fortified cities.
He made everyone in Daughter Judah
mourn and lament.[ac]
ו (Vav)
6 He destroyed his temple[ad] as if it were a vineyard;[ae]
he destroyed his appointed meeting place.
The Lord has made those in Zion forget
both the festivals and the Sabbaths.[af]
In his fierce anger[ag] he has spurned[ah]
both king and priest.
ז (Zayin)
7 The Lord[ai] rejected[aj] his altar
and abhorred his temple.[ak]
He handed over to the enemy[al]
Jerusalem’s palace walls;
the enemy[am] shouted[an] in the Lord’s temple
as if it were a feast day.[ao]
ח (Khet)
8 The Lord was determined to tear down
Daughter Zion’s wall.
He prepared to knock it down;[ap]
he did not withdraw his hand from destroying.[aq]
He made the ramparts and fortified walls lament;
together they mourned their ruin.[ar]
ט (Tet)
9 Her city gates have fallen[as] to the ground;
he smashed to bits[at] the bars that lock her gates.[au]
Her king and princes were taken into exile;[av]
there is no more guidance available.[aw]
As for her prophets,
they no longer receive[ax] a vision from the Lord.
Footnotes
- Lamentations 2:1 tn See the note at 1:1.
- Lamentations 2:1 tc The MT reads אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay, “the Lord”) here rather than יהוה (YHWH, “the Lord”). See the tc note at 1:14.
- Lamentations 2:1 sn Chapter 2 continues the use of feminine epithets (e.g., “Daughter Zion”) despite initially portraying Jerusalem as an object destroyed by the angered enemy, God.
- Lamentations 2:1 tn The verb יָעִיב (yaʿiv) is a hapax legomenon (a term that appears only once in the Hebrew OT). Most lexicons take it as a denominative verb from the noun עָב (ʿov, “cloud,” HALOT 773 s.v. II עָב; BDB 728 s.v. עוּב): Hiphil imperfect third person masculine singular from עוֹב (’ov), meaning “cover with a cloud, make dark” (HALOT 794 s.v. עוב) or “becloud” (BDB 728 s.v.): “the Lord has covered Daughter Zion with the cloud of His anger.” This approach is followed by many English versions (KJV, RSV, NASB, NIV). However, a few scholars relate it to a cognate Arabic verb denoting “blame, revile” (Ehrlich, Rudolph, Hillers): “the Lord has shamed Daughter Zion in His anger.” Several English versions adopt this (NRSV, NJPS, CEV). The picture of cloud and wrath concurs with the stanza’s connection to “day of the Lord” imagery.
- Lamentations 2:1 tn The common gloss for זָכַר (zakhar) is “remember.” זָכַר (zakhar) entails “bearing something in mind” in a broader sense than the English gloss “remember.” When God “bears someone in mind,” the consequences are beneficial for them. The implication of not regarding his footstool is to not esteem and so not care for or protect it.
- Lamentations 2:1 tn Heb “the footstool of His feet.” The noun הֲדֹם (hadom, “footstool”), always joined with רַגְלַיִם (raglayim, “feet”), is used figuratively in reference to the dwelling place of God (BDB 213 s.v. הֲדֹם), either of the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem (Isa 60:13; Lam 2:1) or of the ark as the place above which the Lord is enthroned (Pss 99:5; 132:7; 1 Chr 28:2). Once it refers to God’s enemies (Ps 110:1).
- Lamentations 2:1 tn Heb “in the day of His anger.” As a temporal reference this phrase means “when he displayed his anger.” The Hebrew term “day,” associated with the “day of the Lord” or “day of his wrath,” also functions as a title in a technical sense.
- Lamentations 2:2 tc The MT reads אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay, “the Lord”) here rather than יהוה (YHWH, “the Lord”). See the tc note at 1:14.
- Lamentations 2:2 tn Heb “has swallowed up.”
- Lamentations 2:2 tc The Kethib is written לֹא חָמַל (loʾ khamal, “without mercy”), while the Qere reads וְלֹא חָמַל (veloʾ khamal, “and he has shown no mercy”). The Kethib is followed by the LXX, while the Qere is reflected in many Hebrew mss and the ancient versions (Syriac Peshitta, Aramaic Targum, Latin Vulgate). The English versions are split between the Kethib (“The Lord swallowed all the dwellings of Jacob without mercy”; cf. RSV, NRSV, NIV, TEV, NJPS) and the Qere (“The Lord swallowed all the dwellings of Jacob and has shown no mercy”; cf. KJV, NASB, CEV). As these words occur between a verb and its object (חָמַל [khamal] is not otherwise followed by אֵת [ʾet, direct object marker]), an adverbial reading is the most natural, although interrupting the sentence with an insertion is possible. Cf. 2:17, 21; 3:43. In contexts of harming, to show mercy often means to spare from harm.
- Lamentations 2:2 tn Heb “all the dwellings of Jacob.”
- Lamentations 2:2 tn Heb “the strongholds.”
- Lamentations 2:2 tn Heb “He brought down to the ground in disgrace the kingdom and its princes.” The verbs חִלֵּל…הִגִּיע (higgiʿ…khillel, “he has brought down…he has profaned”) function as a verbal hendiadys, as the absence of the conjunction ו (vav) suggests. The first verb retains its full verbal force, while the second functions adverbially: “he has brought down [direct object] in disgrace.”
- Lamentations 2:3 tc The MT reads אַף (ʾaf, “anger”), while the ancient versions (LXX, Syriac Peshitta, Latin Vulgate) reflect אַפּוֹ (ʾappo, “His anger”). The MT is the more difficult reading syntactically, while the ancient versions are probably smoothing out the text.
- Lamentations 2:3 tn Heb “cut off, scattered.”
- Lamentations 2:3 tn Heb “every horn of Israel.” The term “horn” (קֶרֶן, qeren) normally refers to the horn of a bull, one of the most powerful animals in ancient Israel. This term is often used figuratively as a symbol of strength, usually in reference to the military might of an army (Deut 33:17; 1 Sam 2:1, 10; 2 Sam 22:3; Pss 18:3; 75:11; 89:18, 25; 92:11; 112:9; 1 Chr 25:5; Jer 48:25; Lam 2:3, 17; Ezek 29:21) (BDB 901 s.v. 2), just as warriors are sometimes figuratively described as “bulls.” Cutting off the “horn” is a figurative expression for destroying warriors (Jer 48:25; Ps 75:10 [11 HT]).
- Lamentations 2:3 tn Heb “he caused his right hand to turn back.” The implication in such contexts is that the Lord’s right hand protects his city. This image of the right hand is consciously reversed in 2:4.
- Lamentations 2:3 tn Heb “from the presence of the enemy.” This figurative expression refers to the approach of the attacking army.
- Lamentations 2:3 tn Heb “he burned in Jacob like a flaming fire.”
- Lamentations 2:3 tn Or “He burned against Jacob as a raging fire consumes all around.”
- Lamentations 2:4 tn Heb “bent His bow.” When the verb דָּרַךְ (darakh) is used with the noun קֶשֶׁת (qeshet, “archer-bow”), it means “to bend [a bow]” to string it in preparation for shooting arrows (1 Chr 5:18; 8:40; 2 Chr 14:7; Jer 50:14, 29; 51:3). This idiom is used figuratively to describe the assaults of the wicked (Pss 11:2; 37:14) and the judgments of the Lord (Ps 7:13; Lam 2:4; 3:12) (BDB 202 s.v. דָּרַךְ 4). The translation “he prepared his bow” is the slightly more general modern English idiomatic equivalent of the ancient Hebrew idiom “he bent his bow”—both refer to preparations to get ready to shoot arrows.
- Lamentations 2:4 tn Heb “His right hand is stationed.”
- Lamentations 2:4 tn Heb “the ones who were pleasing to the eye.”
- Lamentations 2:4 tn The singular noun אֹהֶל (ʾohel, “tent”) may function as a collective, referring to all tents in Judah. A parallel expression occurs in verse 2 using the plural: “all the dwellings of Jacob” (כָּל־נְאוֹת יַעֲקֹב, kol neʾot yaʿaqov). The singular “tent” matches the image of “Daughter Zion.” On the other hand, the singular “the tent of Daughter Zion” might be a hyperbolic synecdoche of container (= tent) for contents (= inhabitants of Zion).
- Lamentations 2:5 tc The MT reads אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay, “the Lord”) here rather than יהוה (YHWH, “the Lord”). See the tc note at 1:14.
- Lamentations 2:5 tn Heb “swallowed up.”
- Lamentations 2:5 tn Heb “swallowed up.”
- Lamentations 2:5 tn Heb “his.” For consistency this has been translated as “her.”
- Lamentations 2:5 tn Heb “He increased in Daughter Judah mourning and lamentation.”
- Lamentations 2:6 tn Heb “His booth.” The noun שׂךְ (sokh, “booth,” BDB 968 s.v.) is a hapax legomenon (term that appears only once in the Hebrew OT). But it is probably an alternate spelling of the more common noun סֻכָּה (sukkah, “booth”), which is used frequently of temporary shelters and booths (e.g., Neh 8:15) (BDB 697 s.v. סֻכָּה). This is a figurative description of the temple, as the parallel term מוֹעֲדוֹ (moʿado, “his tabernacle” or “his appointed meeting place”) makes clear. Jeremiah probably chose this term to emphasize the frailty of the temple and its ease of destruction. Contrary to the expectation of Jerusalem, it was only a temporary dwelling of the Lord—its permanence cut short due to sin of the people.
- Lamentations 2:6 tc The MT reads כַּגַּן (kaggan, “like a garden”). The LXX reads ὡς ἄμπελον (hōs ampelon), which reflects כְּגֶפֶן (kegefen, “like a vineyard”). Internal evidence favors כְּגֶפֶן (kegefen) because God’s judgment is often compared to the destruction of a vineyard (e.g., Job 15:33; Isa 34:4; Ezek 15:2, 6).
- Lamentations 2:6 tn Heb “The Lord has caused to be forgotten in Zion both appointed festival and Sabbath.” The verb שִׁכַּח (shikkakh, “to make forgotten”), the only Piel form of שָׁכַח (shakhakh, “to forget”), is used figuratively. When people forget, “often the neglect of obligations is in view” (L. C. Allen, NIDOTTE 4:104). When people forget the things of God, they are in disobedience and often are indicted for ignoring God or neglecting their duties to him (Deut 4:23, 31; 6:12; 8:11, 19; 26:13; 31:21; 32:18; Judg 3:7; 1 Sam 12:9; 2 Kgs 17:38; Is 49:14; 51:13; 65:11; Jer 18:15; Ezek 23:35; Hos 4:6). The irony is that the one to whom worship is due has made it so that people must neglect it. Most English versions render the verb in a metonymical sense: “brought to an end” (RSV), “did away with” (CEV), “put an end to” (TEV), “has ended” (NJPS), “has abolished” (NRSV). Few English versions employ the gloss “forget”: “the Lord hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten” (KJV), and “the Lord has made Zion forget her appointed feasts and her sabbaths”(NIV).
- Lamentations 2:6 tn Heb “In the fury of his anger” (זַעַם־אפּוֹ, zaʿam ʾappo). The genitive noun אפּוֹ (ʾappo, “his anger”) functions as an attributed genitive with the construct noun זַעַם (zaʿam, “fury, rage”): “his furious anger.”
- Lamentations 2:6 tn The verb נָאַץ (naʾats, “to spurn, show contempt”) functions as a metonymy of cause (= to spurn king and priests) for effect (= to reject them; cf. CEV). Since spurning is the cause, this may be understood as “to reject with a negative attitude.” However, retaining “spurn” in the translation keeps the term emotionally loaded. The most frequent term for נָאַץ (naʾats) in the LXX (παροξύνω, paroxunō) also conveys emotion beyond a decision to reject.
- Lamentations 2:7 tc The MT reads אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay, “the Lord”) here rather than יהוה (YHWH, “the Lord”), which occurs near the end of this verse. See the tc note at 1:14.
- Lamentations 2:7 tn The Heb verb זָנַח (zanakh) is a rejection term often used in military contexts. Emphasizing emotion, it may mean “to spurn.” In military contexts it may be rendered “to desert.”
- Lamentations 2:7 tn Heb “His sanctuary.” The term מִקְדָּשׁוֹ (miqdasho, “His sanctuary”) refers to the temple (e.g., 1 Chr 22:19; 2 Chr 36:17; Ps 74:7; Isa 63:18; Ezek 48:21; Dan 8:11) (BDB 874 s.v. מִקְדָּשׁ).
- Lamentations 2:7 tn Heb “He delivered into the hand of the enemy.” The verb הִסְגִּיר (hisgir), Hiphil perfect third person masculine singular from סָגַר (sagar), means “to give into someone’s control: to deliver” (Deut 23:16; Josh 20:5; 1 Sam 23:11, 20; 30:15; Job 16:11; Pss 31:9; 78:48, 50, 62; Lam 2:7; Amos 1:6, 9; Obad 14).
- Lamentations 2:7 tn Heb “they.”
- Lamentations 2:7 tn Heb “they gave voice” (קוֹל נָתְנוּ, kol natenu). The verb נָתַן (natan, “to give”) with the noun קוֹל (kol, “voice, sound”) is an idiom meaning: “to utter a sound, make a noise, raise the voice” (e.g., Gen 45:2; Prov 2:3; Jer 4:16; 22:20; 48:34) (HALOT 734 s.v. נתן 12; BDB 679 s.v. נָתַן 1.x). Contextually, this describes the shout of victory by the Babylonians celebrating their conquest of Jerusalem.
- Lamentations 2:7 tn Heb “as on the day of an appointed time.” The term מוֹעֵד (moʿed, “appointed time”) refers to the religious festivals that were celebrated at appointed times in the Hebrew calendar (BDB 417 s.v. 1.b). In contrast to making festivals neglected (forgotten) in v 6, the enemy had a celebration that was entirely out of place.
- Lamentations 2:8 tn Heb “he stretched out a measuring line.” In Hebrew, this idiom is used (1) literally: to describe a workman’s preparation of measuring and marking stones before cutting them for building (Job 38:5; Jer 31:39; Zech 1:16), and (2) figuratively: to describe the Lord’s planning and preparation to destroy a walled city, that is, to mark off for destruction (2 Kgs 21:13; Isa 34:11; Lam 2:8). It is not completely clear how a phrase from the vocabulary of building becomes a metaphor for destruction; however, it might picture a predetermined and carefully planned measure from which God will not deviate.
- Lamentations 2:8 tn Heb “He did not return His hand from swallowing.” That is, he persisted until it was destroyed.
- Lamentations 2:8 tn Heb “they languished together.” The verbs אָבַל (ʾaval, “to lament”) and אָמַל (ʾamal, “languish, mourn”) are often used in contexts of funeral laments in secular settings. The Hebrew prophets often use these terms to describe the aftermath of the Lord’s judgment on a nation. Based on parallel terms, אָמַל (ʾamal) may describe either mourning or deterioration and so makes for a convenient play on meaning when destroyed objects are personified. Incorporating this play into the translation, however, may obscure the parallel between this line and the deterioration of the gates beginning in v. 9.
- Lamentations 2:9 tn Heb “have sunk down.” This expression, “her gates have sunk down into the ground,” is a personification picturing the city gates descending into the earth as if going down into the grave or the netherworld. Most English versions render it literally (KJV, RSV, NRSV, NASB, NIV, NJPS); however, a few paraphrases have captured the equivalent sense quite well: “Zion’s gates have fallen facedown on the ground” (CEV), and “the gates are buried in rubble” (TEV).
- Lamentations 2:9 tn Heb “he has destroyed and smashed her bars.” The two verbs אִבַּד וְשִׁבַּר (ʾibbad veshibbar) form a verbal hendiadys that emphasizes the forcefulness of the destruction of the locking bars on the gates. The first verb functions adverbially, and the second retains its full verbal sense: “he has smashed to pieces.” Several English versions render this expression literally and miss the rhetorical point: “he has ruined and broken” (RSV, NRSV), “he has destroyed and broken” (KJV, NASB), and “he has broken and destroyed” (NIV). The hendiadys has been correctly noted by others: “smashed to pieces” (TEV, CEV) and “smashed to bits” (NJPS).
- Lamentations 2:9 tn Heb “her bars.” Since the literal “bars” could be misunderstood as referring to saloons, the phrase “the bars that lock her gates” has been used in the present translation.
- Lamentations 2:9 tn Heb “are among the nations.”
- Lamentations 2:9 tn Heb “there is no torah,” or “there is no Torah” (אֵין תּוֹרָה, ʾen torah). Depending on whether תּוֹרָה (torah, “instruction, law”) is used in parallelism with the preceding or following line, it refers to (1) political guidance that the now-exiled king had formerly provided or (2) prophetic instruction that the now-ineffective prophets had formerly provided (BDB 434 s.v. תּוֹרָה 1.b). It is plausible that the three lines are arranged in an ABA chiastic structure, exploiting the semantic ambiguity of the term תּוֹרָה (torah, “instruction”). Conceivably it is an oblique reference to the priests’ duties of teaching, thus introducing a third group of the countries leaders. It is possible to hear in this a lament in reference to the destruction of Torah scrolls that may have been at the temple when it was destroyed.
- Lamentations 2:9 tn Heb “they cannot find.”
Ezekiel 38:19-21
New English Translation
Ezekiel 38:19-21
New English Translation
19 In my zeal, in the fire of my fury,[a] I declare that on that day there will be a great earthquake[b] in the land of Israel. 20 The fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the wild beasts, all the things that creep on the ground, and all people who live on the face of the earth will shake[c] at my presence. The mountains will topple, the cliffs[d] will fall, and every wall will fall to the ground. 21 I will call for a sword to attack[e] Gog[f] on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign Lord; every man’s sword will be against his brother.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ezekiel 38:19 sn The phrase “in the fire of my fury” occurs in Ezek 21:31 and 22:21, 31.
- Ezekiel 38:19 tn Or “shaking.”
- Ezekiel 38:20 tn Or “tremble.”
- Ezekiel 38:20 tn The term occurs only here and in Song of Songs 2:14.
- Ezekiel 38:21 tn Heb “against.”
- Ezekiel 38:21 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Gog, cf. v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
New English Translation (NET)
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