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Numbers 9-10
New English Translation

Passover Regulations

9 [a] The Lord spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out[b] of the land of Egypt:

2 “The Israelites are to observe[c] the Passover[d] at its appointed time.[e] 3 In the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight,[f] you are to observe it at its appointed time; you must keep[g] it in accordance with all its statutes and all its customs.”[h] 4 So Moses instructed[i] the Israelites to observe[j] the Passover. 5 And they observed the Passover[k] on the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight in the desert of Sinai; in accordance with all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the Israelites did.

6 It happened that some men[l] who were ceremonially defiled[m] by the dead body of a man[n] could not keep[o] the Passover on that day, so they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day. 7 And those men said to Moses,[p] “We are ceremonially defiled by the dead body of a man; why are we kept back from offering the Lord’s offering at its appointed time among the Israelites?” 8 So Moses said to them, “Remain[q] here and I will hear[r] what the Lord will command concerning you.”

9 The Lord spoke to Moses: 10 “Tell the Israelites, ‘If any[s] of you or of your posterity become ceremonially defiled by touching a dead body, or are on a journey far away, then he may[t] observe the Passover to the Lord. 11 They may observe it on the fourteenth day of the second month[u] at twilight; they are to eat it with bread made without yeast and with bitter herbs. 12 They must not leave any of it until morning, nor break any of its bones; they must observe it in accordance with every statute of the Passover.

13 “‘But[v] the man who is ceremonially clean, and was not on a journey, and fails[w] to keep the Passover, that person must be cut off from his people.[x] Because he did not bring the Lord’s offering at its appointed time, that man must bear his sin.[y] 14 If a resident foreigner lives[z] among you and wants to keep[aa] the Passover to the Lord, he must do so according to the statute of the Passover, and according to its custom. You must have[ab] the same[ac] statute for the resident foreigner[ad] and for the one who was born in the land.’”

The Lord Leads the Israelites by the Cloud

15 [ae] On[af] the day that the tabernacle was set up,[ag] the cloud[ah] covered the tabernacle—the tent of the testimony[ai]—and from evening until morning there was[aj] a fiery appearance[ak] over the tabernacle. 16 This is the way it used to be continually: The cloud would cover it by day,[al] and there was a fiery appearance by night. 17 Whenever the cloud was taken up[am] from the tabernacle, then after that the Israelites would begin their journey; and in whatever place[an] the cloud settled, there the Israelites would make camp. 18 At the commandment[ao] of the Lord the Israelites would begin their journey, and at the commandment of the Lord they would make camp; as long as[ap] the cloud remained settled over the tabernacle they would camp. 19 When the cloud remained over the tabernacle many days, then the Israelites obeyed the instructions[aq] of the Lord and did not journey.

20 When[ar] the cloud remained over the tabernacle a number of days,[as] they remained camped according to the Lord’s commandment,[at] and according to the Lord’s commandment they would journey. 21 And when[au] the cloud remained only[av] from evening until morning, when the cloud was taken up[aw] the following morning, then they traveled on. Whether by day or by night, when the cloud was taken up they traveled. 22 Whether it was for two days, or a month, or a year[ax] that the cloud prolonged its stay[ay] over the tabernacle, the Israelites remained camped without traveling;[az] but when it was taken up, they traveled on. 23 At the commandment of the Lord they camped, and at the commandment of the Lord they traveled on; they kept the instructions of the Lord according to the commandment of the Lord, by the authority[ba] of Moses.

The Blowing of Trumpets

10 [bb] The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Make[bc] two trumpets of silver; you are to make[bd] them from a single hammered piece.[be] You will use them[bf] for assembling the community and for directing the traveling of the camps. 3 When[bg] they blow[bh] them both, all the community must come[bi] to you to the entrance of the tent of meeting.

4 “But if they blow with one trumpet, then the leaders, the heads of the thousands of Israel, must come to you.[bj] 5 When you blow an alarm,[bk] then the camps that are located[bl] on the east side must begin to travel.[bm] 6 And when you blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that are located on the south side must begin to travel.[bn] An alarm must be sounded[bo] for their journeys. 7 But when you assemble the community,[bp] you must blow the trumpets,[bq] but you must not sound an alarm.[br] 8 The sons of Aaron, the priests, must blow the trumpets, and they will be to you for an eternal ordinance throughout your generations. 9 If you go to war in your land against an adversary who opposes[bs] you, then you must sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the Lord your God, and you will be saved[bt] from your enemies.

10 “Also, in the time when you rejoice, such as[bu] on your appointed festivals or[bv] at the beginnings of your months, you must blow with your trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings, so that they may[bw] become[bx] a memorial for you before your God: I am the Lord your God.”

The Journey From Sinai to Kadesh

11 [by] On the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle of the testimony.[bz] 12 So the Israelites set out[ca] on their journeys from the desert[cb] of Sinai; and the cloud settled in the wilderness of Paran.

Judah Begins the Journey

13 This was the first time they set out on their journey according to the commandment[cc] of the Lord, by the authority[cd] of Moses.

14 The standard[ce] of the camp of the Judahites set out first according to their companies, and over his company was Nahshon son of Amminadab.

15 Over the company of the tribe of Issacharites was Nathanel son of Zuar, 16 and over the company of the tribe of the Zebulunites was Eliab son of Helon. 17 Then the tabernacle was dismantled, and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set out, carrying the tabernacle.

Journey Arrangements for the Tribes

18 The standard of the camp of Reuben set out according to their companies; over his company was Elizur son of Shedeur. 19 Over the company of the tribe of the Simeonites was Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, 20 and over the company of the tribe of the Gadites was Eliasaph son of Deuel. 21 And the Kohathites set out, carrying the articles for the sanctuary;[cf] the tabernacle was to be set up[cg] before they arrived.[ch] 22 And the standard of the camp of the Ephraimites set out according to their companies; over his company was Elishama son of Ammihud. 23 Over the company of the tribe of the Manassehites was Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, 24 and over the company of the tribe of Benjaminites was Abidan son of Gideoni.

25 The standard of the camp of the Danites set out, which was the rear guard[ci] of all the camps by their companies; over his company was Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. 26 Over the company of the tribe of the Asherites was Pagiel son of Ocran, 27 and over the company of the tribe of the Naphtalites was Ahira son of Enan. 28 These were the traveling arrangements[cj] of the Israelites according to their companies when they traveled.[ck]

The Appeal to Hobab

29 [cl] Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel, the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law,[cm] “We are journeying to the place about which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us and we will treat you well,[cn] for the Lord has promised good things[co] for Israel.” 30 But Hobab[cp] said to him, “I will not go, but I will go instead to my own land and to my kindred.” 31 Moses[cq] said, “Do not leave us,[cr] because you know places for us to camp in the wilderness, and you could be our guide.[cs] 32 And if you come with us, it is certain[ct] that whatever good things the Lord will favor us with, we will share with you as well.”

33 So they traveled from the mountain of the Lord three days’ journey;[cu] and the ark of the covenant of the Lord was traveling before them during the three days’ journey, to find a resting place for them. 34 [cv] And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day, when they traveled[cw] from the camp. 35 And when the ark traveled, Moses would say, “Rise up, O Lord! May your enemies be scattered, and may those who hate you flee before you!” 36 And when it came to rest he would say, “Return, O Lord, to the many thousands of Israel!”[cx]

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 9:1 sn The chapter has just the two sections, the observance of the Passover (vv. 1-14) and the cloud that led the Israelites in the wilderness (vv. 15-23). It must be remembered that the material in vv. 7-9 is chronologically earlier than vv. 1-6, as the notices in the text will make clear. The two main discussions here are the last major issues to be reiterated before dealing with the commencement of the journey.
  2. Numbers 9:1 tn The temporal clause is formed with the infinitive construct of יָצָא (yatsaʾ, “to go out; to leave”). This verse indicates that a full year had passed since the exodus and the original Passover; now a second ruling on the Passover is included at the beginning of the second year. This would have occurred immediately after the consecration of the tabernacle, in the month before the census at Sinai.
  3. Numbers 9:2 tn The verb is simply “to do; to make” (עָשָׂה [ʿasah] in the jussive). It must have the idea here of “to perform; to keep; to observe” the ritual of the Passover.
  4. Numbers 9:2 sn For a detailed study note on the Passover, see the discussion with the original institution in Exod 12. The word פֶּסַח (pesakh)—here in pause and with the article—has become the technical name for the spring festival of Israel. In Exod 12 the name is explained by the use of the verb “to pass over” (עָבַר, ʿavar), indicating that the angel of death would pass over the house with the blood applied. Many scholarly attempts have been made to supply the etymology of the word, but none has been compelling enough to be accepted by a large number of biblical scholars. For general literature on the Passover, see J. B. Segal, The Hebrew Passover, as well as the Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias.
  5. Numbers 9:2 tc The Greek text uses a plural here but the singular in vv. 7 and 13; the Smr uses the plural in all three places.
  6. Numbers 9:3 tn The literal Hebrew expression is “between the evenings” (so also in vv. 5, 11). Sunset is certainly one evening; the other may refer to the change in the middle of the afternoon to the late afternoon, or the beginning of dusk. The idea is probably just at twilight, or dusk (see R. B. Allen, TWOT 2:694).
  7. Numbers 9:3 tn The two verbs in this verse are identical; they are imperfects of instruction. The English translation has been modified for stylistic variation.
  8. Numbers 9:3 tn The two words in this last section are standard “Torah” words. The word חֹק (khoq) is a binding statute, something engraved and monumental. The word מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) means “judgment, decision,” but with a more general idea of “custom” at its core. The verse is making it very clear that the Passover had to follow the custom and form that was legislated in Egypt.
  9. Numbers 9:4 tn Heb “spoke to.”
  10. Numbers 9:4 tn The infinitive construct functions as the direct object of the preceding verb (a Hebrew complementary usage), answering the question of what he said.
  11. Numbers 9:5 tc The LXX omits this first clause; it also omits “at twilight.”
  12. Numbers 9:6 tn In the Hebrew text the noun has no definite article, and so it signifies “some” or “certain” men.
  13. Numbers 9:6 tn The meaning, of course, is to be ceremonially unclean, and therefore disqualified from entering the sanctuary.
  14. Numbers 9:6 tn Or “a human corpse” (so NAB, NKJV). So also in v.7; cf. v. 10.
  15. Numbers 9:6 tn This clause begins with the vav (ו) conjunction and negative before the perfect tense. Here is the main verb of the sentence: They were not able to observe the Passover. The first part of the verse provides the explanation for their problem.
  16. Numbers 9:7 tn Heb “him”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  17. Numbers 9:8 tn The verb is simply “stand,” but in the more general sense of waiting to hear the answer.
  18. Numbers 9:8 tn The cohortative may be subordinated to the imperative: “stand…[that I] may hear.”
  19. Numbers 9:10 tn This sense is conveyed by the repetition of “man”—“if a man, a man becomes unclean.”
  20. Numbers 9:10 tn The perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive functions as the equivalent of an imperfect tense. In the apodosis of this conditional sentence, the permission nuance fits well.
  21. Numbers 9:11 sn The delay of four weeks for such people would have permitted enough time for them to return from their journey, or to recover from any short termed defilement such as is mentioned here. Apart from this provision, the Passover was to be kept precisely at the proper time.
  22. Numbers 9:13 tn The disjunctive vav (ו) signals a contrastive clause here: “but the man” on the other hand….
  23. Numbers 9:13 tn The verb חָדַל (khadal) means “to cease; to leave off; to fail.” The implication here is that it is a person who simply neglects to do it. It does not indicate that he forgot, but more likely that he made the decision to leave it undone.
  24. Numbers 9:13 sn The pronouncement of such a person’s penalty is that his life will be cut off from his people. There are at least three possible interpretations for this: physical death at the hand of the community (G. B. Gray, Numbers [ICC], 84-85), physical and/or spiritual death at the hand of God (J. Milgrom, “A Prolegomenon to Lev 17:11, ” JBL 90 [1971]: 154-55), or excommunication or separation from the community (R. A. Cole, Exodus [TOTC], 109). The direct intervention of God seems to be the most likely in view of the lack of directions for the community to follow. Excommunication from the camp in the wilderness would have been tantamount to a death sentence by the community, and so there really are just two views.
  25. Numbers 9:13 tn The word for “sin” here should be interpreted to mean the consequences of his sin (so a metonymy of effect). Whoever willingly violates the Law will have to pay the consequences.
  26. Numbers 9:14 tn The words translated “resident foreigner” and “live” are from the same Hebrew root, גּוּר (gur), traditionally translated “to sojourn.” The “sojourner” who “sojourns” is a foreigner, a resident alien, who lives in the land as a temporary resident with rights of land ownership.
  27. Numbers 9:14 tn The verb is the simple perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive. It is therefore the equivalent to the imperfect that comes before it. The desiderative imperfect fits this usage well, since the alien is not required to keep the feast, but may indeed desire to do so.
  28. Numbers 9:14 tn The Hebrew text has “there will be to you,” which is the way of expressing possession in Hebrew. Since this is legal instruction, the imperfect tense must be instruction or legislation.
  29. Numbers 9:14 tn Or “you must have one statute.”
  30. Numbers 9:14 tn The conjunction is used here to specify the application of the law: “and for the resident foreigner, and for the one…” indicates “both for the resident foreigner and the one who….”
  31. Numbers 9:15 sn This section (Num 9:15-23) recapitulates the account in Exod 40:34 but also contains some additional detail about the cloud that signaled Israel’s journeys. Here again material from the book of Exodus is used to explain more of the laws for the camp in motion.
  32. Numbers 9:15 tn Heb “and/now on the day.”
  33. Numbers 9:15 tn The construction uses the temporal expression with the Hiphil infinitive construct followed by the object, the tabernacle. “On the day of the setting up of the tabernacle” leaves the subject unstated, and so the entire clause may be expressed in the passive voice.
  34. Numbers 9:15 sn The explanation and identification of this cloud has been a subject of much debate. Some commentators have concluded that it was identical with the cloud that led the Israelites away from Egypt and through the sea, but others have made a more compelling case that this is a different phenomenon (see ZPEB 4:796). A number of modern scholars see the description as a retrojection from later, perhaps Solomonic times (see G. H. Davies, IDB 3:817). Others have tried to connect it with Ugaritic terminology, but unconvincingly (see T. W. Mann, “The Pillar of Cloud in the Reed Sea Narrative,” JBL 90 [1971]: 15-30; G. E. Mendenhall, The Tenth Generation, 32-66, 209-13; and R. Good, “Cloud Messengers?” UF 10 [1978]: 436-37).
  35. Numbers 9:15 sn The cloud apparently was centered over the tent, over the spot of the ark of the covenant in the most holy place. It thereafter spread over the whole tabernacle.
  36. Numbers 9:15 tn The imperfect tense in this and the next line should be classified as a customary imperfect, stressing incomplete action but in the past time—something that used to happen, or would happen.
  37. Numbers 9:15 tn Heb “like the appearance of fire.”
  38. Numbers 9:16 tc The MT lacks the words “by day,” but a number of ancient versions have this reading (e.g., Greek, Syriac, Tg. Ps.-J., Latin Vulgate).
  39. Numbers 9:17 tn The verb in this initial temporal clause is the Niphal infinitive construct.
  40. Numbers 9:17 tn Heb “in the place where it settled there”; the relative clause modifies the noun “place,” and the resumptive adverb completes the related idea—“which it settled there” means “where it settled.”
  41. Numbers 9:18 tn Heb “at the mouth of” (so also in vv. 20, 23).
  42. Numbers 9:18 tn Heb “all the days of—that the cloud settled over the tabernacle.” “All” is the adverbial accusative of time telling how long they camped in one spot—all. The word is then qualified by the genitive of the thing measured—“all of the days”—and this in turn is qualified by a noun clause functioning as a genitive after “days of.”
  43. Numbers 9:19 tn This is the same Hebrew expression that was used earlier for the Levites “keeping their charge” or more clearly, “fulfilling their obligations” to take care of the needs of the people and the sanctuary. It is a general expression using שָׁמַר (shamar) followed by its cognate noun מִשְׁמֶרֶת (mishmeret).
  44. Numbers 9:20 tn The sentence uses וְיֵשׁ (veyesh) followed by a noun clause introduced with אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) to express an existing situation; it is best translated as an adverbial clause of time: “and it was when the cloud was….”
  45. Numbers 9:20 tn The word “number” is in apposition to the word “days” to indicate that their stay was prolonged for quite a few days.
  46. Numbers 9:20 tn Heb “mouth of the Lord.”
  47. Numbers 9:21 tn The construction is the same in the preceding verse.
  48. Numbers 9:21 tn “Only” is supplied to reflect the contrast between the two verses.
  49. Numbers 9:21 tn The construction in this half of the verse uses two vav (ו) consecutive clauses. The first is subordinated to the second as a temporal clause: “when…then….”
  50. Numbers 9:22 tn The MT has אוֹ־יָמִים (ʾo yamim). Most translators use “or a year” to interpret this expression in view of the sequence of words leading up to it, as well as in comparison with passages like Judg 17:10 and 1 Sam 1:3 and 27:7. See also the uses in Gen 40:4 and 1 Kgs 17:15. For the view that it means four months, see F. S. North, “Four Month Season of the Hebrew Bible,” VT 11 (1961): 446-48.
  51. Numbers 9:22 tn In the Hebrew text this sentence has a temporal clause using the preposition with the Hiphil infinitive construct of אָרַךְ (ʾarakh) followed by the subjective genitive, “the cloud.” But this infinitive is followed by the infinitive construct לִשְׁכֹּן (lishkon), the two of them forming a verbal hendiadys: “the cloud made long to stay” becomes “the cloud prolonged its stay.”
  52. Numbers 9:22 tn Heb “and they would not journey”; the clause can be taken adverbially, explaining the preceding verbal clause.
  53. Numbers 9:23 tn Heb “hand.”
  54. Numbers 10:1 sn Here we have a short section (10:1-10) dealing with the regulations for blowing trumpets in times of war or in times of peace.
  55. Numbers 10:2 tn The Hebrew text uses what is called the “ethical dative”—“make [for] you two trumpets.” It need not be translated, but can simply be taken to underscore the direct imperative.
  56. Numbers 10:2 tn The imperfect tense is again instruction or legislation.
  57. Numbers 10:2 sn The instructions are not clearly spelled out here. But the trumpets were to be made of silver ingots beaten out into a sheet of silver and then bent to form a trumpet. There is archaeological evidence of silver smelting as early as 3000 b.c. Making silver trumpets would have been a fairly easy thing for the Israelites to do. The trumpet would have been straight, with a tapered form, very unlike the “ram’s horn” (שׁוֹפָר, shofar). The trumpets were used by the priests in Israel from the outset, but later were used more widely. The sound would be sharp and piercing, but limited in scope to a few notes. See further C. Sachs, The History of Musical Instruments.
  58. Numbers 10:2 tn Heb “and they shall be for you for assembling,” which is the way of expressing possession. Here the intent concerns how Moses was to use them.
  59. Numbers 10:3 tn The perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive is here subordinated as a temporal clause to the following similar verbal construction.
  60. Numbers 10:3 tn The verb תָקַע (taqaʿ) means “to strike, drive, blow a trumpet.”
  61. Numbers 10:3 tn Heb “the assembly shall assemble themselves.”
  62. Numbers 10:4 tn Heb “they shall assemble themselves.”
  63. Numbers 10:5 tn The word for an alarm is תְּרוּעָה (teruʿah). The root verb of this word means “to give a blast on the trumpet.” It may also on occasion mean “give a shout” in battle (Josh 6:10). In this passage it must refer to the sound of the trumpet.
  64. Numbers 10:5 tn Heb “the camps that are camping.”
  65. Numbers 10:5 tn The perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive functions as the equivalent of the imperfect tense. Here the emphasis is on the start of the journey.
  66. Numbers 10:6 tc The MT does not mention the departures of the northerly and westerly tribes. The Greek text completes the description by adding them, making a full schedule of the departure of the groups of tribes. The Greek is not likely to be original, however, since it carries all the signs of addition to complete the text, making a smooth, full reading. The MT is to be preferred; it apparently used two of the groups to give the idea.
  67. Numbers 10:6 tn The Hebrew text has “they shall blow an alarm”; the sentence without a formal subject should be taken as a passive idea.
  68. Numbers 10:7 tn There is no expressed subject in the initial temporal clause. It simply says, “and in the assembling the assembly.” But since the next verb is the second person of the verb, that may be taken as the intended subject here.
  69. Numbers 10:7 tn Heb “blow”; the direct object (“trumpets”) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  70. Numbers 10:7 sn The signal for moving camp was apparently different in tone and may have been sharper notes or a different sequence. It was in some way distinguishable.
  71. Numbers 10:9 tn Both the “adversary” and “opposes” come from the same root: צָרַר (tsarar), “to hem in, oppress, harass,” or basically, “be an adversary.”
  72. Numbers 10:9 tn The Niphal perfect in this passage has the passive nuance and not a reflexive idea—the Israelites would be spared because God remembered them.
  73. Numbers 10:10 tn The conjunction may be taken as explicative or epexegetical, and so rendered “namely; even; that is,” or it may be taken as emphatic conjunction, and translated “especially.”
  74. Numbers 10:10 tn The vav (ו) is taken here in its alternative use and translated “or.”
  75. Numbers 10:10 tn The form is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive. After the instruction imperfects, this form could be given the same nuance, or more likely, subordinated as a purpose or result clause.
  76. Numbers 10:10 tn The verb הָיָה (hayah, “to be”) has the meaning “to become” when followed by the preposition ל (lamed).
  77. Numbers 10:11 sn This section is somewhat mechanical: It begins with an introduction (vv. 11, 12), and then begins with Judah (vv. 13-17), followed by the rest of the tribes (vv. 18-27), and finally closes with a summary (v. 28). The last few verses (vv. 29-36) treat the departure of Hobab.
  78. Numbers 10:11 tc Smr inserts a lengthy portion from Deut 1:6-8, expressing the command for Israel to take the land from the Amorites.tn The expression is difficult; it is מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת (mishkan haʿedut). The reference is to the sacred shrine that covered the ark with the commandments inside. NEB renders the expression as “tabernacle of the Token”; NAB has “the dwelling of the commandments.”
  79. Numbers 10:12 sn The verb is the same as the noun: “they journeyed on their journeyings.” This underscores the point of their continual traveling.
  80. Numbers 10:12 tn The Hebrew term מִדְבָּר (midbar) refers to a dry region which may be characterized as receiving less than twelve inches of rain per year. It therefore cannot support trees but may have sparse vegetation if it receives at least six inches of rain. At less than six inches of rain the term “desert” is certainly appropriate, though this would not mean a sandy desert. The Sinai peninsula includes both treeless “wilderness” and “desert.” While there is some dispute about the location of Mt. Sinai, NET has chosen “desert of Sinai” as the designation for the region around Mt. Sinai. The same Hebrew term is used later in the verse in connection with Paran, but rendered as the “wilderness of Paran.”
  81. Numbers 10:13 tn Heb “mouth.”
  82. Numbers 10:13 tn Heb “hand.”
  83. Numbers 10:14 sn The “standard” (דֶּגֶל, degel) was apparently some kind of a symbol put up on a pole to signify the tribal hosts. R. de Vaux thought it simply referred to a pole or a mast, but that would not distinguish tribes (Ancient Israel, 226-27).
  84. Numbers 10:21 tn Heb “carrying the sanctuary,” a metonymy of whole for parts, representing all the holy objects that were located in the sanctuary.
  85. Numbers 10:21 tn The verb is the third person plural form; without an expressed subject it is treated as a passive.
  86. Numbers 10:21 tn Heb “against their coming.”
  87. Numbers 10:25 tn The MT uses a word that actually means “assembler,” so these three tribes made up a strong rear force recognized as the assembler of all the tribes.
  88. Numbers 10:28 tn Or “journeyings of.”
  89. Numbers 10:28 tn The verb is the preterite with vav (ו) consecutive. But in this sentence it should be subordinated as a temporal clause to the preceding statement, even though it follows it.
  90. Numbers 10:29 sn For additional bibliography for this short section, see W. F. Albright, “Jethro, Hobab, and Reuel in Early Hebrew Tradition,” CBQ 25 (1963): 1-11; G. W. Coats, “Moses in Midian,” JBL 92 (1973): 3-10; B. Mazar, “The Sanctuary of Arad and the Family of Hobab the Kenite,” JNES 24 (1965): 297-303; and T. C. Mitchell, “The Meaning of the Noun ḥtn in the Old Testament,” VT 19 (1969): 93-112.
  91. Numbers 10:29 sn There is a problem with the identity of Hobab. The MT says that he is the son of Reuel, making him the brother-in-law of Moses. But Judg 4:11 says he is the father-in-law. In Judg 1:16; 4:11 Hobab is traced to the Kenites, but in Exod 3:1 and 18:1 Jethro (Reuel) is priest of Midian. Jethro is identified with Reuel on the basis of Exod 2:18 and 3:1, and so Hobab becomes Moses’ חֹתֵן (khoten), a relative by marriage and perhaps brother-in-law. There is not enough information to decide on the identity and relationships involved here. Some suggest that there is one person with the three names (G. B. Gray, Numbers [ICC], 93); others suggest Hobab is a family name (R. F. Johnson, IDB 2:615), and some suggest that the expression “the son of Reuel the Midianite” had dropped out of the genealogy of Judges, leading to the conflict (J. Crichton, ISBE 2:1055). If Hobab is the same as Jethro, then Exod 18:27 does not make much sense, for Jethro did go home. On this basis many conclude Hobab is a brother-in-law. This would mean that after Jethro returned home, Moses conversed with Hobab, his brother-in-law. For more discussion, see the articles and the commentaries.
  92. Numbers 10:29 tn The verb is the Hiphil of the root “to be good” (יָטַב, yatav); it may be translated “treat well, deal favorably, generously with.” Here it is a perfect tense with vav (ו) following the imperative, showing a sequence in the verbal ideas.
  93. Numbers 10:29 tn The Hebrew text simply has “has spoken good” for Israel.
  94. Numbers 10:30 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Hobab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  95. Numbers 10:31 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  96. Numbers 10:31 tn The form with אַל־נָא (ʾal naʾ) is a jussive; negated it stresses a more immediate request, as if Hobab is starting to leave, or at least determined to leave.
  97. Numbers 10:31 tn In the Hebrew text the expression is more graphic: “you will be for us for eyes.” Hobab was familiar with the entire Sinai region, and he could certainly direct the people where they were to go. The text does not record Hobab’s response. But the fact that Kenites were in Canaan as allies of Judah (Judg 1:16) would indicate that he gave in and came with Moses. The first refusal may simply be the polite Semitic practice of declining first so that the appeal might be made more urgently.
  98. Numbers 10:32 tn Heb “and it shall be.”
  99. Numbers 10:33 tn The phrase “a journey of three days” is made up of the adverbial accusative qualified with the genitives.
  100. Numbers 10:34 tc The scribes sensed that there was a dislocation with vv. 34-36, and so they used the inverted letters nun (נ) as brackets to indicate this.
  101. Numbers 10:34 tn The adverbial clause of time is composed of the infinitive construct with a temporal preposition and a suffixed subjective genitive.
  102. Numbers 10:36 sn These two formulaic prayers were offered by Moses at the beginning and at the end of the journeys. They prayed for the Lord to fight ahead of the nation when it was on the move, and to protect them when they camped. The theme of the first is found in Ps 68:1. The prayers reflect the true mentality of holy war, that it was the Lord who fought for Israel and defended her. The prayers have been included in the prayer book for synagogue services.
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Numbers 8
Numbers 11
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Mark 13:32-14:16
New English Translation

Be Ready!

32 “But as for that day or hour no one knows it—neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son[a]—except the Father. 33 Watch out! Stay alert![b] For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey. He left his house and put his slaves[c] in charge, assigning[d] to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to stay alert. 35 Stay alert, then, because you do not know when the owner of the house will return—whether during evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or at dawn— 36 or else he might find you asleep when he returns suddenly. 37 What I say to you I say to everyone: Stay alert!”

The Plot Against Jesus

14 Two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the chief priests and the experts in the law[e] were trying to find a way[f] to arrest Jesus[g] by stealth and kill him. 2 For they said, “Not during the feast, so there won’t be a riot among the people.”[h]

Jesus’ Anointing

3 Now[i] while Jesus[j] was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper,[k] reclining at the table,[l] a woman came with an alabaster jar[m] of costly aromatic oil[n] from pure nard. After breaking open the jar, she poured it on his head. 4 But some who were present indignantly said to one another, “Why this waste of expensive[o] ointment? 5 It[p] could have been sold for more than 300 silver coins[q] and the money[r] given to the poor!” So[s] they spoke angrily to her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a good service for me. 7 For you will always have the poor with you, and you can do good for them whenever you want. But you will not always have me![t] 8 She did what she could. She anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9 I tell you the truth,[u] wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

The Plan to Betray Jesus

10 Then[v] Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus into their hands.[w] 11 When they heard this, they were delighted[x] and promised to give him money.[y] So[z] Judas[aa] began looking for an opportunity to betray him.

The Passover

12 Now[ab] on the first day of the feast of[ac] Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed,[ad] Jesus’[ae] disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?”[af] 13 He sent two of his disciples and told them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar[ag] of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 Wherever he enters, tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ 15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.” 16 So[ah] the disciples left, went[ai] into the city, and found things just as he had told them,[aj] and they prepared the Passover.

Footnotes

  1. Mark 13:32 sn The phrase nor the Son has caused a great deal of theological debate because on the surface it appears to conflict with the concept of Jesus’ deity. The straightforward meaning of the text is that the Son does not know the time of his return. If Jesus were divine, though, wouldn’t he know this information? There are other passages which similarly indicate that Jesus did not know certain things. For example, Luke 2:52 indicates that Jesus grew in wisdom; this has to mean that Jesus did not know everything all the time but learned as he grew. So Mark 13:32 is not alone in implying that Jesus did not know certain things. The best option for understanding Mark 13:32 and similar passages is to hold the two concepts in tension: The Son in his earthly life and ministry had limited knowledge of certain things, yet he was still deity.
  2. Mark 13:33 tc The vast majority of witnesses (א A C L W Θ Ψ ƒ1,13 M lat sy co) have καὶ προσεύχεσθε after ἀγρυπνεῖτε (agrupneite kai proseuchesthe, “stay alert and pray”). This may be a motivated reading, influenced by the similar command in Mark 14:38 where προσεύχεσθε is solidly attested, and more generally from the parallel in Luke 21:36 (though δέομαι [deomai, “ask”] is used there). As B. M. Metzger notes, it is a predictable variant that scribes would have been likely to produce independently of each other (TCGNT 95). The words are not found in B D a c d k. Although the external evidence for the shorter reading is slender, it probably better accounts for the longer reading than vice versa.
  3. Mark 13:34 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 10:44.
  4. Mark 13:34 tn Grk “giving.”
  5. Mark 14:1 tn Or “the chief priests and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.
  6. Mark 14:1 tn Grk “were seeking how.”
  7. Mark 14:1 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  8. Mark 14:2 sn The suggestion here is that Jesus was too popular to openly arrest him. The verb were trying is imperfect. It suggests, in this context, that they were always considering the opportunities.
  9. Mark 14:3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
  10. Mark 14:3 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  11. Mark 14:3 sn See the note on leper in Mark 1:40.
  12. Mark 14:3 sn 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.
  13. Mark 14:3 sn A jar made of alabaster stone was normally used for very precious substances like perfumes. It normally had a long neck which was sealed and had to be broken off so the contents could be used.
  14. Mark 14:3 tn Μύρον (muron) was usually made of myrrh (from which the English word is derived) but here it is used in the sense of ointment or perfumed oil (L&N 6.205). The adjective πιστικῆς (pistikēs) is difficult with regard to its exact meaning; some have taken it to derive from πίστις (pistis) and relate to the purity of the oil of nard. More probably it is something like a brand name, “pistic nard,” the exact significance of which has not been discovered.sn Nard or spikenard is a fragrant oil from the root and spike of the nard plant of northern India. This aromatic oil, if made of something like nard, would have been extremely expensive, costing up to a year’s pay for an average laborer.
  15. Mark 14:4 tn The word “expensive” is not in the Greek text but has been included to suggest a connection to the lengthy phrase “costly aromatic oil from pure nard” occurring earlier in v. 3. The author of Mark shortened this long phrase to just one word in Greek when repeated here, and the phrase “expensive ointment” used in the translation is intended as an abbreviated paraphrase.
  16. Mark 14:5 tn Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
  17. Mark 14:5 tn Grk “three hundred denarii.” One denarius was the standard day’s wage, so the value exceeded what a laborer could earn in a year (taking in to account Sabbaths and feast days when no work was done).
  18. Mark 14:5 tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied (as the proceeds from the sale of the perfumed oil).
  19. Mark 14:5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
  20. Mark 14:7 tn In the Greek text of this clause, “me” is in emphatic position (the first word in the clause). To convey some impression of the emphasis, an exclamation point is used in the translation.
  21. Mark 14:9 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amēn), I say to you.”
  22. Mark 14:10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
  23. Mark 14:10 tn Grk “betray him to them”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  24. Mark 14:11 sn The leaders were delighted when Judas contacted them about betraying Jesus, because it gave them the opportunity they had been looking for, and they could later claim that Jesus had been betrayed by one of his own disciples.
  25. Mark 14:11 sn Matt 26:15 states the amount of money they gave Judas was thirty pieces of silver (see also Matt 27:3-4; Zech 11:12-13).
  26. Mark 14:11 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
  27. Mark 14:11 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  28. Mark 14:12 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
  29. Mark 14:12 tn The words “the feast of” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied for clarity.
  30. Mark 14:12 sn Generally the feast of Unleavened Bread would refer to Nisan 15 (Friday), but the following reference to the sacrifice of the Passover lamb indicates that Nisan 14 (Thursday) was what Mark had in mind (Nisan = March 27 to April 25). The celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread lasted eight days, beginning with the Passover meal. The celebrations were so close together that at times the names of both were used interchangeably.
  31. Mark 14:12 tn Grk “his”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  32. Mark 14:12 sn This required getting a suitable lamb and finding lodging in Jerusalem where the meal could be eaten. The population of the city swelled during the feast, so lodging could be difficult to find. The Passover was celebrated each year in commemoration of the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt; thus it was a feast celebrating redemption (see Exod 12). The Passover lamb was roasted and eaten after sunset in a family group of at least ten people (m. Pesahim 7.13). People ate the meal while reclining (see the note on table in 14:18). It included, besides the lamb, unleavened bread and bitter herbs as a reminder of Israel’s bitter affliction at the hands of the Egyptians. Four cups of wine mixed with water were also used for the meal. For a further description of the meal and the significance of the wine cups, see E. Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity, 523-24.
  33. Mark 14:13 sn Since women usually carried these jars, it would have been no problem for the two disciples (Luke 22:8 states that they were Peter and John) to recognize the man Jesus was referring to.
  34. Mark 14:16 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the flow within the narrative.
  35. Mark 14:16 tn Grk “and came.”
  36. Mark 14:16 sn The author’s note that the disciples found things just as he had told them shows that Jesus’ word could be trusted.
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Mark 12
Mark 15
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Psalm 30-34
New English Translation

Psalm 30[a]

A psalm, a song used at the dedication of the temple;[b] by David.

30 I will praise you, O Lord, for you lifted me up,[c]
and did not allow my enemies to gloat[d] over me.
2 O Lord my God,
I cried out to you and you healed me.[e]
3 O Lord, you pulled me[f] up from Sheol;
you rescued me from among those descending into the grave.[g]
4 Sing to the Lord, you faithful followers[h] of his;
give thanks to his holy name.[i]
5 For his anger lasts only a brief moment,
and his good favor restores one’s life.[j]
One may experience sorrow during the night,
but joy arrives in the morning.[k]
6 In my self-confidence I said,
“I will never be shaken.”[l]
7 O Lord, in your good favor you made me secure.[m]
Then you rejected me[n] and I was terrified.
8 To you, O Lord, I cried out;
I begged the Lord for mercy:[o]
9 “What[p] profit is there in taking my life,[q]
in my descending into the Pit?[r]
Can the dust of the grave[s] praise you?
Can it declare your loyalty?[t]
10 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me.
O Lord, deliver me.”[u]
11 Then you turned my lament into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and covered me with joy.[v]
12 So now[w] my heart[x] will sing to you and not be silent;
O Lord my God, I will always[y] give thanks to you.

Psalm 31[z]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

31 In you, O Lord, I have taken shelter.
Never let me be humiliated.
Vindicate me by rescuing me.[aa]
2 Listen to me.[ab]
Quickly deliver me.
Be my protector and refuge,[ac]
a stronghold where I can be safe.[ad]
3 For you are my high ridge[ae] and my stronghold;
for the sake of your own reputation[af] you lead me and guide me.[ag]
4 You will free me[ah] from the net they hid for me,
for you are my place of refuge.
5 Into your hand I entrust my life;[ai]
you will rescue[aj] me, O Lord, the faithful God.
6 I hate those who serve worthless idols,[ak]
but I trust in the Lord.
7 I will be happy and rejoice in your faithfulness,
because you notice my pain
and you are aware of how distressed I am.[al]
8 You do not deliver me over to the power of the enemy;
you enable me to stand[am] in a wide open place.
9 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress!
My eyes grow dim[an] from suffering.[ao]
I have lost my strength.[ap]
10 For my life nears its end in pain;
my years draw to a close as I groan.[aq]
My strength fails me because of[ar] my sin,
and my bones become brittle.[as]
11 Because of all my enemies, people disdain me;[at]
my neighbors are appalled by my suffering[au]—
those who know me are horrified by my condition;[av]
those who see me in the street run away from me.
12 I am forgotten, like a dead man no one thinks about;[aw]
I am regarded as worthless, like a broken jar.[ax]
13 For I hear what so many are saying,[ay]
the terrifying news that comes from every direction.[az]
When they plot together against me,
they figure out how they can take my life.
14 But I trust in you, O Lord!
I declare, “You are my God!”
15 You determine my destiny.[ba]
Rescue me from the power of my enemies and those who chase me.
16 Smile[bb] on your servant.
Deliver me because of your faithfulness.
17 O Lord, do not let me be humiliated,
for I call out to you.
May evil men be humiliated.
May they go wailing to the grave.[bc]
18 May lying lips be silenced—
lips[bd] that speak defiantly against the innocent[be]
with arrogance and contempt.
19 How great is your favor,[bf]
which you store up for your loyal followers.[bg]
In plain sight of everyone you bestow it on those who take shelter[bh] in you.[bi]
20 You hide them with you, where they are safe from the attacks[bj] of men;[bk]
you conceal them in a shelter, where they are safe from slanderous attacks.[bl]
21 The Lord deserves praise[bm]
for he demonstrated his amazing faithfulness to me when I was besieged by enemies.[bn]
22 I jumped to conclusions and said,[bo]
“I am cut off from your presence!”[bp]
But you heard my plea for mercy when I cried out to you for help.
23 Love the Lord, all you faithful followers[bq] of his!
The Lord protects those who have integrity,
but he pays back in full the one who acts arrogantly.[br]
24 Be strong and confident,[bs]
all you who wait on the Lord.

Psalm 32[bt]

By David; a well-written song.[bu]

32 How blessed[bv] is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven,[bw]
whose sin is pardoned.[bx]
2 How blessed is the one[by] whose wrongdoing the Lord does not punish,[bz]
in whose spirit there is no deceit.[ca]
3 When I refused to confess my sin,[cb]
my whole body wasted away,[cc]
while I groaned in pain all day long.
4 For day and night you tormented me;[cd]
you tried to destroy me[ce] in the intense heat[cf] of summer.[cg] (Selah)
5 Then I confessed my sin;
I no longer covered up my wrongdoing.
I said, “I will confess[ch] my rebellious acts to the Lord.”
And then you forgave my sins.[ci] (Selah)
6 For this reason every one of your faithful followers[cj] should pray to you
while there is a window of opportunity.[ck]
Certainly[cl] when the surging water[cm] rises,
it will not reach them.[cn]
7 You are my hiding place;
you protect me from distress.
You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance.[co] (Selah)
8 I will instruct and teach you[cp] about how you should live.[cq]
I will advise you as I look you in the eye.[cr]
9 Do not be[cs] like an unintelligent horse or mule,[ct]
which will not obey you
unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit.[cu]
10 An evil person suffers much pain,[cv]
but the Lord’s faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him.[cw]
11 Rejoice in the Lord and be happy, you who are godly!
Shout for joy, all you who are morally upright![cx]

Psalm 33[cy]

33 You godly ones, shout for joy because of the Lord!
It is appropriate for the morally upright to offer him praise.
2 Give thanks to the Lord with the harp.
Sing to him to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument.
3 Sing to him a new song.[cz]
Play skillfully as you shout out your praises to him.[da]
4 For the Lord’s decrees[db] are just,[dc]
and everything he does is fair.[dd]
5 He promotes[de] equity and justice;
the Lord’s faithfulness extends throughout the earth.[df]
6 By the Lord’s decree[dg] the heavens were made,
and by the breath[dh] of his mouth all the starry hosts.
7 He piles up the water of the sea;[di]
he puts the oceans[dj] in storehouses.
8 Let the whole earth fear[dk] the Lord.
Let all who live in the world stand in awe of him.
9 For he spoke, and it[dl] came into existence.
He issued the decree,[dm] and it stood firm.
10 The Lord frustrates[dn] the decisions of the nations;
he nullifies the plans[do] of the peoples.
11 The Lord’s decisions stand forever;
his plans abide throughout the ages.[dp]
12 How blessed[dq] is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen to be his special possession.[dr]
13 The Lord watches[ds] from heaven;
he sees all people.[dt]
14 From the place where he lives he looks carefully
at all the earth’s inhabitants.
15 He is the one who forms every human heart,[du]
and takes note of all their actions.
16 No king is delivered by his vast army;
a warrior is not saved by his great might.
17 A horse disappoints those who trust in it for victory;[dv]
despite its great strength, it cannot deliver.
18 Look, the Lord takes notice of his loyal followers,[dw]
those who wait for him to demonstrate his faithfulness[dx]
19 by saving their lives from death[dy]
and sustaining them during times of famine.[dz]
20 We[ea] wait for the Lord;
he is our deliverer[eb] and shield.[ec]
21 For our hearts rejoice in him,
for we trust in his holy name.
22 May we experience your faithfulness, O Lord,[ed]
for[ee] we wait for you.

Psalm 34[ef]

By David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, causing the king to send him away.[eg]

34 I will praise[eh] the Lord at all times;
my mouth will continually praise him.[ei]
2 I will boast[ej] in the Lord;
let the oppressed hear and rejoice.[ek]
3 Magnify the Lord with me.
Let us praise[el] his name together.
4 I sought the Lord’s help[em] and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Look to him and be radiant;
do not let your faces be ashamed.[en]
6 This oppressed man cried out and the Lord heard;
he saved him[eo] from all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord camps around
the Lord’s[ep] loyal followers[eq] and delivers them.[er]
8 Taste[es] and see that the Lord is good.
How blessed[et] is the one[eu] who takes shelter in him.[ev]
9 Fear the Lord, you chosen people of his,[ew]
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 Even young lions sometimes lack food and are hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come children. Listen to me.
I will teach you what it means to fear the Lord.[ex]
12 Do you want to really live?[ey]
Would you love to live a long, happy life?[ez]
13 Then make sure you don’t speak evil words[fa]
or use deceptive speech.[fb]
14 Turn away from evil and do what is right.[fc]
Strive for peace and promote it.[fd]
15 The Lord pays attention to the godly
and hears their cry for help.[fe]
16 But the Lord opposes evildoers
and wipes out all memory of them from the earth.[ff]
17 The godly[fg] cry out and the Lord hears;
he saves them from all their troubles.[fh]
18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
he delivers[fi] those who are discouraged.[fj]
19 The godly[fk] face many dangers,[fl]
but the Lord saves[fm] them[fn] from each one of them.
20 He protects[fo] all his bones;[fp]
not one of them is broken.[fq]
21 Evil people self-destruct;[fr]
those who hate the godly are punished.[fs]
22 The Lord rescues his servants;[ft]
all who take shelter in him escape punishment.[fu]

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 30:1 sn Psalm 30. The author thanks the Lord for delivering him from death and urges others to join him in praise. The psalmist experienced divine discipline for a brief time, but when he cried out for help the Lord intervened and restored his favor.
  2. Psalm 30:1 tn Heb “a song of the dedication of the house.” The referent of “house” is unclear. It is possible that David wrote this psalm for the dedication ceremony of Solomon’s temple. Another possibility is that the psalm was used on the occasion of the dedication of the second temple following the return from exile, or on the occasion of the rededication of the temple in Maccabean times.
  3. Psalm 30:1 tn Elsewhere the verb דָּלָה (dalah) is used of drawing water from a well (Exod 2:16, 19; Prov 20:5). The psalmist was trapped in the pit leading to Sheol (see v. 3), but the Lord hoisted him up. The Piel stem is used here, perhaps suggesting special exertion on the Lord’s part.
  4. Psalm 30:1 tn Or “rejoice.”
  5. Psalm 30:2 sn You healed me. Apparently the psalmist was plagued by a serious illness that threatened his life. See Ps 41.
  6. Psalm 30:3 tn Or “my life.”
  7. Psalm 30:3 tn Heb “you kept me alive from those descending into the pit.” The Hebrew noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit, cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead. The translation follows the consonantal Hebrew text (Kethib); the marginal reading (Qere) has, “you kept me alive so that I did not go down into the pit.”
  8. Psalm 30:4 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
  9. Psalm 30:4 tn Heb “to his holy remembrance.” The noun זֵכֵר (zekher, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the Lord as invoked in liturgy and praise. Cf. Pss 6:5; 97:12.The Lord’s “name” is “holy” in the sense that it is a reminder of his uniqueness and greatness.
  10. Psalm 30:5 tn Heb “for [there is] a moment in his anger, [but] life in his favor.” Because of the parallelism with “moment,” some understand חַיִּים (khayyim) in a quantitative sense: “lifetime” (cf. NIV, NRSV). However, the immediate context, which emphasizes deliverance from death (see v. 3), suggests that חַיִּים has a qualitative sense: “physical life” or even “prosperous life” (cf. NEB “in his favour there is life”).
  11. Psalm 30:5 tn Heb “in the evening weeping comes to lodge, but at morning a shout of joy.” “Weeping” is personified here as a traveler who lodges with one temporarily.
  12. Psalm 30:6 sn In my self-confidence I said… Here the psalmist begins to fill in the background of the crisis referred to in the earlier verses. He had been arrogant and self-confident, so the Lord withdrew his protection and allowed trouble to invade his life (vv. 8-11).
  13. Psalm 30:7 tn Heb “in your good favor you caused to stand for my mountain strength.” Apparently this means “you established strength for my mountain” (“mountain” in this case representing his rule, which would be centered on Mt. Zion) or “you established strength as my mountain” (“mountain” in this case being a metaphor for security).
  14. Psalm 30:7 tn Heb “you hid your face.” The idiom “hide the face” can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or, as here, carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Ps 88:14).
  15. Psalm 30:8 tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 8 are probably preterites; the psalmist recalls that he prayed in his time of crisis.
  16. Psalm 30:9 sn The following two verses (vv. 9-10) contain the prayer (or an excerpt of the prayer) that the psalmist offered to the Lord during his crisis.
  17. Psalm 30:9 tn Heb “What profit [is there] in my blood?” “Blood” here represents his life.
  18. Psalm 30:9 tn The Hebrew term שָׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 49:9; 55:24 HT [55:23 ET]; 103:4).
  19. Psalm 30:9 tn Heb “dust.” The words “of the grave” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  20. Psalm 30:9 tn The rhetorical questions anticipate the answer, “Of course not!”sn According to the OT, those who descend into the realm of death/Sheol are cut off from God’s mighty deeds and from the worshiping covenant community that experiences divine intervention (Pss 6:5; 88:10-12; Isa 38:18). In his effort to elicit a positive divine response, the psalmist reminds God that he will receive no praise or glory if he allows the psalmist to die. Dead men do not praise God!
  21. Psalm 30:10 tn Heb “be a helper to me.”
  22. Psalm 30:11 sn Covered me with joy. “Joy” probably stands metonymically for festive attire here.
  23. Psalm 30:12 tn Heb “so that”; or “in order that.”
  24. Psalm 30:12 tn Heb “glory.” Some view כָבוֹד (khavod, “glory”) here as a metonymy for man’s inner being (see BDB 459 s.v. II כָּבוֹד 5), but it is preferable to emend the form to כְּבֵדִי (kevedi, “my liver”). Like the heart, the liver is viewed as the seat of one’s emotions. See also Pss 16:9; 57:9; 108:1, as well as H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 64, and M. Dahood, Psalms (AB), 1:90. For an Ugaritic example of the heart/liver as the source of joy, see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47-48: “her [Anat’s] liver swelled with laughter, her heart was filled with joy, the liver of Anat with triumph.” “Heart” is used in the translation above for the sake of English idiom; the expression “my liver sings” would seem odd indeed to the modern reader.
  25. Psalm 30:12 tn Or “forever.”
  26. Psalm 31:1 sn Psalm 31. The psalmist confidently asks the Lord to protect him. Enemies threaten him and even his friends have abandoned him, but he looks to the Lord for vindication. In vv. 19-24, which were apparently written after the Lord answered the prayer of vv. 1-18, the psalmist thanks the Lord for delivering him.
  27. Psalm 31:1 tn Heb “in your vindication rescue me.”
  28. Psalm 31:2 tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.”
  29. Psalm 31:2 tn Heb “become for me a rocky summit of refuge.”
  30. Psalm 31:2 tn Heb “a house of strongholds to deliver me.”
  31. Psalm 31:3 sn The metaphor of the high ridge pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28.
  32. Psalm 31:3 tn Heb “name.” The Hebrew term שֵׁם (shem, “name”) refers here to the Lord’s reputation. (The English term “name” is often used the same way.)
  33. Psalm 31:3 tn The present translation assumes that the imperfect verbal forms are generalizing, “you lead me and guide me.” Other options are to take them as an expression of confidence about the future, “you will lead me and guide me” (cf. NASB), or as expressing a prayer, “lead me and guide me” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).
  34. Psalm 31:4 tn Heb “bring me out.” The translation assumes that the imperfect verbal form expresses the psalmist’s confidence about the future. Another option is to take the form as expressing a prayer, “free me.”
  35. Psalm 31:5 tn Heb “my spirit.” The noun רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) here refers to the animating spirit that gives the psalmist life.
  36. Psalm 31:5 tn Or “redeem.” The perfect verbal form is understood here as anticipatory, indicating rhetorically the psalmist’s certitude and confidence that God will intervene. The psalmist is so confident of God’s positive response to his prayer that he can describe his deliverance as if it had already happened. Another option is to take the perfect as precative, expressing a wish or request (“rescue me”; cf. NIV). See IBHS 494-95 §30.5.4c, d. However, not all grammarians are convinced that the perfect is used as a precative in biblical Hebrew.
  37. Psalm 31:6 tn Heb “the ones who observe vain things of falsehood.” See Jonah 2:9.
  38. Psalm 31:7 tn Heb “you know the distresses of my life.”
  39. Psalm 31:8 tn Heb “you cause my feet to stand.”
  40. Psalm 31:9 tn Or perhaps, “are swollen.”
  41. Psalm 31:9 tn Cf. Ps 6:7, which has a similar line.
  42. Psalm 31:9 tn Heb “my breath and my stomach [grow weak].” Apparently the verb in the previous line (“grow dim, be weakened”) is to be understood here. The Hebrew term נפשׁ can mean “life,” or, more specifically, “throat, breath.” The psalmist seems to be lamenting that his breathing is impaired because of the physical and emotional suffering he is forced to endure.
  43. Psalm 31:10 tn Heb “and my years in groaning.”
  44. Psalm 31:10 tn Heb “stumbles in.”
  45. Psalm 31:10 tn Heb “grow weak.”
  46. Psalm 31:11 tn Heb “because of all my enemies I am a reproach.”
  47. Psalm 31:11 tc Heb “and to my neighbors, exceedingly.” If the MT is retained, then these words probably go with what precedes. However the syntactical awkwardness of the text suggests a revision may be needed. P. C. Craigie (Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 258) suggests that the initial mem (מ) on מְאֹד (meʾod, “exceedingly”) be understood as an enclitic mem (ם) which was originally suffixed to the preceding form and then later misinterpreted. The resulting form אֵד (ʾed) can then be taken as a defectively written form of אֵיד (ʾed, “calamity”). If one follows this emendation, then the text reads literally, “and to my neighbors [I am one who experiences] calamity.” The noun פַחַד (fakhad, “[object of] horror”) occurs in the next line; אֵיד and פַחַד appear in parallelism elsewhere (see Prov 1:26-27).
  48. Psalm 31:11 tn Heb “and [an object of ] horror to those known by me.”
  49. Psalm 31:12 tn Heb “I am forgotten, like a dead man, from [the] heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the center of one’s thoughts.
  50. Psalm 31:12 tn Heb “I am like a broken jar.” One throws away a broken jar without a second thought because it is considered worthless and useless.
  51. Psalm 31:13 tn Heb “the report of many.”
  52. Psalm 31:13 tn Heb “the terror from all around.”
  53. Psalm 31:15 tn Heb “in your hand [are] my times.”
  54. Psalm 31:16 tn Heb “cause your face to shine.”
  55. Psalm 31:17 tn The verb יִדְּמוּ (yiddemu) is understood as a form of דָּמַם (damam, “wail, lament”). Another option is to take the verb from דָּמַם (“be quiet”; see BDB 198-99 s.v. I דָּמַם), in which case one might translate, “May they lie silent in the grave.”
  56. Psalm 31:18 tn Heb “the [ones which].”
  57. Psalm 31:18 tn Or “godly.”
  58. Psalm 31:19 tn Or “How abundant are your blessings!”
  59. Psalm 31:19 tn Heb “for those who fear you.”
  60. Psalm 31:19 tn “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear, and serve the Lord (Pss 2:12; 5:11-12; 34:21-22).
  61. Psalm 31:19 tn Heb “you work [your favor] for the ones seeking shelter in you before the sons of men.”
  62. Psalm 31:20 tn The noun רֹכֶס (rokhes) occurs only here. Its meaning is debated; some suggest “snare,” while others propose “slander” or “conspiracy.”
  63. Psalm 31:20 tn Heb “you hide them in the hiding place of your face from the attacks of man.” The imperfect verbal forms in this verse draw attention to God’s typical treatment of the faithful.
  64. Psalm 31:20 tn Heb “you conceal them in a shelter from the strife of tongues.”
  65. Psalm 31:21 tn Heb “blessed [be] the Lord.”
  66. Psalm 31:21 tn Heb “for he caused his faithfulness to be amazing to me in a besieged city.” The psalmist probably speaks figuratively here. He compares his crisis to being trapped in a besieged city, but the Lord answered his prayer for help. Verses 19-24 were apparently written after the Lord answered the prayer of vv. 1-18.
  67. Psalm 31:22 tn Heb “and I, I said in my haste.”
  68. Psalm 31:22 tn Heb “from before your eyes.”
  69. Psalm 31:23 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 16:10; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
  70. Psalm 31:23 tn The participial forms in the second and third lines characterize the Lord as one who typically protects the faithful and judges the proud.
  71. Psalm 31:24 tn Heb “be strong and let your heart[s] be confident.”
  72. Psalm 32:1 sn Psalm 32. The psalmist recalls the agony he experienced prior to confessing his sins and affirms that true happiness comes when one’s sins are forgiven. He then urges others not to be stubborn, but to turn to God while forgiveness is available, for God extends his mercy to the repentant, while the wicked experience nothing but sorrow.
  73. Psalm 32:1 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
  74. Psalm 32:1 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15). Here it refers to the relief that one experiences when one’s sins are forgiven.
  75. Psalm 32:1 tn Heb “lifted up.”
  76. Psalm 32:1 tn Heb “covered over.”
  77. Psalm 32:2 tn Heb “man.” The word choice reflects the perspective of the psalmist, who is male. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, the gender and age specific “man” has been translated with the more neutral “one.”
  78. Psalm 32:2 tn Heb “blessed [is] the man to whom the Lord does not impute wrongdoing.”
  79. Psalm 32:2 sn In whose spirit there is no deceit. The point is not that the individual is sinless and pure. In this context, which focuses on confession and forgiveness of sin, the psalmist refers to one who refuses to deny or hide his sin, but instead honestly confesses it to God.
  80. Psalm 32:3 tn Heb “when I was silent.”
  81. Psalm 32:3 tn Heb “my bones became brittle.” The psalmist pictures himself as aging and growing physically weak. Trying to cover up his sin brought severe physical consequences.
  82. Psalm 32:4 tn Heb “your hand was heavy upon me.”
  83. Psalm 32:4 tc Heb “my [?] was turned.” The meaning of the Hebrew term לְשַׁד (leshad) is uncertain. A noun לָשָׁד (lashad, “cake”) is attested in Num 11:8, but it would make no sense to understand that word in this context. It is better to emend the form to לְשֻׁדִּי (leshuddi, “to my destruction”) and understand “your hand” as the subject of the verb “was turned.” In this case the text reads, “[your hand] was turned to my destruction.” In Lam 3:3 the author laments that God’s “hand” was “turned” (הָפַךְ, hafakh) against him in a hostile sense.sn You tried to destroy me. The psalmist’s statement reflects his perspective. As far as he was concerned, it seemed as if the Lord was trying to kill him.
  84. Psalm 32:4 tn The translation assumes that the plural form indicates degree. If one understands the form as a true plural, then one might translate, “in the times of drought.”
  85. Psalm 32:4 sn Summer. Perhaps the psalmist suffered during the hot season and perceived the very weather as being an instrument of divine judgment. Another option is that he compares his time of suffering to the uncomfortable and oppressive heat of summer.
  86. Psalm 32:5 tn The Hiphil of ידה normally means “give thanks, praise,” but here, as in Prov 28:13, it means “confess.”
  87. Psalm 32:5 tn Heb “the wrongdoing of my sin.” By joining synonyms for “sin” in this way, the psalmist may be emphasizing the degree of his wrongdoing.
  88. Psalm 32:6 tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).
  89. Psalm 32:6 tn Heb “at a time of finding.” This may mean, “while there is time to ‘find’ [the Lord]” and seek his forgiveness (cf. NIV). Some emend the text by combining מְצֹא (metsoʾ, “finding”) with the following term רַק (raq, “only, surely”) and read either ר[וֹ]מָצ (matsor, “distress”; see Ps 31:22) or ק[וֹ]מָצ (matsoq, “hardship”; see Ps 119:143). In this case, one may translate “in a time of distress/hardship” (cf. NEB, NRSV).
  90. Psalm 32:6 tn The Hebrew term רַק (raq) occasionally has an asseverative force.
  91. Psalm 32:6 sn The surging water is here a metaphor for trouble that endangers one’s life.
  92. Psalm 32:6 tn Heb “him.” The translation uses the plural “them” to agree with the plural “every one of your faithful followers” in the first line of v. 6.
  93. Psalm 32:7 tn Heb “[with] shouts of joy of deliverance you surround me.”
  94. Psalm 32:8 tn The second person pronominal forms in this verse are singular. The psalmist addresses each member of his audience individually (see also the note on the word “eye” in the next line). A less likely option (but one which is commonly understood) is that the Lord addresses the psalmist in vv. 8-9 (cf. NASB “I will instruct you and teach you…I will counsel you with My eye upon you”).
  95. Psalm 32:8 tn Heb “I will instruct you and I will teach you in the way [in] which you should walk.”
  96. Psalm 32:8 tn Heb “I will advise, upon you my eye,” that is, “I will offer advice [with] my eye upon you.” In 2 Chr 20:12 the statement “our eye is upon you” means that the speakers are looking to the Lord for intervention. Here the expression “my eye upon you” may simply mean that the psalmist will teach his pupils directly and personally.
  97. Psalm 32:9 tn The verb form is plural (i.e., “do not all of you be”); the psalmist addresses the whole group.
  98. Psalm 32:9 tn Heb “like a horse, like a mule without understanding.”
  99. Psalm 32:9 tn Heb “with a bridle and bit, its [?] to hold, not to come near to you.” The meaning of the Hebrew noun עֲדִי (ʿadiy) is uncertain. Normally the word refers to “jewelry,” so some suggest the meaning “trappings” here (cf. NASB). Some emend the form to לְחֵיהֶם (lekhehem, “their jawbones”) but it is difficult to see how the present Hebrew text, even if defective, could have derived from this proposed original reading. P. C. Craigie (Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 265) takes the form from an Arabic root and translates “whose gallop.” Cf. also NRSV “whose temper must be curbed.”
  100. Psalm 32:10 tn Heb “many [are the] pains of evil [one].” The singular form is representative here; the typical evildoer, representative of the larger group of wicked people, is in view.
  101. Psalm 32:10 tn Heb “but the one who trusts in the Lord, faithfulness surrounds him.”
  102. Psalm 32:11 tn Heb “all [you] pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss 7:10; 11:2; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).
  103. Psalm 33:1 sn Psalm 33. In this hymn the psalmist praises the Lord as the sovereign creator and just ruler of the world who protects and vindicates those who fear him.
  104. Psalm 33:3 sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the lives of his people in fresh and exciting ways.
  105. Psalm 33:3 tn Heb “play skillfully with a loud shout.”
  106. Psalm 33:4 tn Heb “word.” In this context, which depicts the Lord as the sovereign creator and ruler of the world, the Lord’s “word” refers to the decrees whereby he governs his dominion.
  107. Psalm 33:4 tn Or “upright.”
  108. Psalm 33:4 tn Heb “and all his work [is done] with faithfulness.”
  109. Psalm 33:5 tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the Lord’s commitment to principles of equity and justice causes him to actively promote these principles as he governs the world.
  110. Psalm 33:5 tn Heb “fills the earth.”
  111. Psalm 33:6 tn Heb “word.”
  112. Psalm 33:6 tn The word רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit, wind, breath”) is used in the creation account in Gen 1:2 “the Spirit of God was moving.” Here parallel to “decree/word,” it recalls the account of God speaking in order to create (cf. Gen 1:14).
  113. Psalm 33:7 tn Heb “[he] gathers like a pile the waters of the sea.” Some prefer to emend נֵד (ned, “heap, pile”; cf. NASB) to נֹד (nod, “bottle”; cf. NRSV; NIV “into jars”), but “pile” is used elsewhere to describe water that the Lord confines to one place (Exod 15:8; Josh 3:13, 16; Ps 78:13). This verse appears to refer to Gen 1:9, where God decrees that the watery deep be gathered to one place so that dry land might appear. If so, the participles in this and the following line depict this action with special vividness, as if the reader were present on the occasion. Another option is that the participles picture the confinement of the sea to one place as an ongoing divine activity.
  114. Psalm 33:7 tn Or “watery depths.” The form תְּהוֹמוֹת (tehomot, “watery depths”) is the plural form of תְּהוֹם (tehom, “great deep”; see Gen 1:2).
  115. Psalm 33:8 tn In this context “fear” probably means “to demonstrate respect for the Lord’s power and authority by worshiping him and obeying his commandments.”
  116. Psalm 33:9 tn That is, “all the earth” in the first line of v. 8. The apparent antecedent of the masculine subject of the verbs in v. 9 (note וַיֶּהִי [vayyehiy] and וַיַּעֲמֹד [vayyaʿamod]) is “earth” or “world,” both of which are feminine nouns. However, כָּל (kol, “all”) may be the antecedent, or the apparent lack of agreement may be explained by the collective nature of the nouns involved here (see GKC 463 §145.e).
  117. Psalm 33:9 tn Heb “he commanded.”
  118. Psalm 33:10 tn Heb “breaks” or “destroys.” The Hebrew perfect verbal forms here and in the next line generalize about the Lord’s activity.
  119. Psalm 33:10 tn Heb “thoughts.”
  120. Psalm 33:11 tn Heb “the thoughts of his heart for generation to generation.” The verb “abides” is supplied in the translation. The Lord’s “decisions” and “plans” here refer to his decrees and purposes.
  121. Psalm 33:12 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
  122. Psalm 33:12 tn Heb “inheritance.”
  123. Psalm 33:13 tn The Hebrew perfect verbal forms in v. 13 state general facts.
  124. Psalm 33:13 tn Heb “all the sons of men.”
  125. Psalm 33:15 tn Heb “the one who forms together their heart[s].” “Heart” here refers to human nature, composed of intellect, emotions and will. The precise force of יָחַד (yakhad, “together”) is unclear here. The point seems to be that the Lord is the creator of every human being.
  126. Psalm 33:17 tn Heb “a lie [is] the horse for victory.”
  127. Psalm 33:18 tn Heb “look, the eye of the Lord [is] toward the ones who fear him.” The expression “the eye…[is] toward” here indicates recognition and the bestowing of favor. See Ps 34:15. The one who fears the Lord respects his sovereignty and obeys his commandments. See Ps 128:1; Prov 14:2.
  128. Psalm 33:18 tn Heb “for the ones who wait for his faithfulness.”
  129. Psalm 33:19 tn Heb “to save from death their live[s].”
  130. Psalm 33:19 tn Heb “and to keep them alive in famine.”
  131. Psalm 33:20 tn Or “our lives.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being, life”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
  132. Psalm 33:20 tn Or “[source of] help.”
  133. Psalm 33:20 tn Or “protector.”
  134. Psalm 33:22 tn Heb “let your faithfulness, O Lord, be on us.”
  135. Psalm 33:22 tn Or “just as.”
  136. Psalm 34:1 sn Psalm 34. In this song of thanksgiving the psalmist praises God for delivering him from distress. He encourages others to be loyal to the Lord, tells them how to please God, and assures them that the Lord protects his servants. The psalm is an acrostic; vv. 1-21 begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. (Verse 6 begins with the letter he (ה) and v. 7 with the letter zayin (ז). The letter vav (ו), which comes between ה and ז, seems to be omitted, although it does appear at the beginning of v. 6b. The final verse of the psalm, which begins with the letter pe (פ), is outside the acrostic scheme.
  137. Psalm 34:1 tn Heb “By David, when he changed his sense before Abimelech and he drove him away and he went.”sn Pretended to be insane. The psalm heading appears to refer to the account in 1 Sam 21:10-15 which tells how David, fearful that King Achish of Gath might kill him, pretended to be insane in hopes that the king would simply send him away. The psalm heading names the king Abimelech, not Achish, suggesting that the tradition is confused on this point. However, perhaps “Abimelech” was a royal title, rather than a proper name. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 278.
  138. Psalm 34:1 tn Heb “bless.”
  139. Psalm 34:1 tn Heb “continually [will] his praise [be] in my mouth.”
  140. Psalm 34:2 tn Heb “my soul will boast”; or better, “let my soul boast.” Following the cohortative form in v. 1, it is likely that the prefixed verbal form here is jussive.
  141. Psalm 34:2 tn The two prefixed verbal forms in this verse are best taken as jussives, for the psalmist is calling his audience to worship (see v. 3).
  142. Psalm 34:3 tn Or “exalt.”
  143. Psalm 34:4 tn Heb “I sought the Lord.”
  144. Psalm 34:5 tc The translation follows the LXX. The MT reads “they looked to him and were radiant; let their faces not be ashamed.” The MT reads the first verb as a perfect (הִבִּיטוּ, hibbitu), which would be past time, while the LXX (supported by Aquila, the Syriac, Jerome, and some medieval Hebrew mss) reads an imperative (הַבִּיטוּ, habbitu). The MT reads the second verb as a vav plus perfect, while the LXX reads it as an imperative, again a difference of the initial vowel. The third verb is a jussive preceded by אַל (ʾal), which supports reading the first two as imperatives. The second masculine plural pronoun (“your faces”) of the LXX and the Syriac, matches this understanding of the preceding verbs. The MT reading (“their faces”) is consistent with its view of the previous verbs. The reading adopted here interprets the verse as interrupting a testimony given to the congregation with an admonition based on that testimony.
  145. Psalm 34:6 tn The pronoun refers back to “this oppressed man,” namely, the psalmist.
  146. Psalm 34:7 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  147. Psalm 34:7 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
  148. Psalm 34:7 tn The prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the same generalizing force as the active participle in the first line. See GKC 329 §111.u.
  149. Psalm 34:8 tn This verb is normally used of tasting food, as in eating a little bit of food (1 Sam 14:43; Jonah 3:7) or evaluating it (Job 12:11; 34:3). The two references to the physical senses stand for invitation and realization. Even a small or beginning experience of God reveals that he is good.
  150. Psalm 34:8 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
  151. Psalm 34:8 tn Heb “man.” The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the more neutral “one.”
  152. Psalm 34:8 tn “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear, and serve the Lord (Pss 2:12; 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).
  153. Psalm 34:9 tn Heb “O holy ones of his.”
  154. Psalm 34:11 tn Heb “the fear of the Lord I will teach you.” In vv. 13-14 the psalmist explains to his audience what it means to “fear” the Lord.
  155. Psalm 34:12 tn Heb “Who is the man who desires life?” The rhetorical question is used to grab the audience’s attention. “Life” probably refers here to quality of life, not just physical existence or even duration of life. See the following line.
  156. Psalm 34:12 tn Heb “[Who] loves days to see good?”
  157. Psalm 34:13 tn Heb “guard your tongue from evil.”
  158. Psalm 34:13 tn Heb “and your lips from speaking deception.”
  159. Psalm 34:14 tn Or “do good.”
  160. Psalm 34:14 tn Heb “seek peace and pursue it.”
  161. Psalm 34:15 tn Heb “the eyes of the Lord [are] toward the godly, and his ears [are] toward their cry for help.”
  162. Psalm 34:16 tn Heb “the face of the Lord [is] against the doers of evil to cut off from the earth memory of them.”
  163. Psalm 34:17 tn Heb “they” (i.e., the godly mentioned in v. 15).
  164. Psalm 34:17 tn The three perfect verbal forms are taken in a generalizing sense in v. 17 and translated with the present tense (note the generalizing mood of vv. 18-22).
  165. Psalm 34:18 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the Lord typically delivers the oppressed and needy.
  166. Psalm 34:18 tn Heb “the crushed in spirit.”
  167. Psalm 34:19 tn The Hebrew text uses the singular form; the representative or typical godly person is envisioned.
  168. Psalm 34:19 tn Or “trials.”
  169. Psalm 34:19 tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the Lord typically delivers the godly.
  170. Psalm 34:19 tn Heb “him,” agreeing with the singular form in the preceding line.
  171. Psalm 34:20 tn The Hebrew participial form suggests such protection is characteristic.
  172. Psalm 34:20 tn That is, he protects the godly from physical harm.
  173. Psalm 34:20 sn Not one of them is broken. The author of the Gospel of John saw a fulfillment of these words in Jesus’ experience on the cross (see John 19:31-37), for the Roman soldiers, when they saw that Jesus was already dead, did not break his legs as was customarily done to speed the death of crucified individuals. John’s use of the psalm seems strange, for the statement in its original context suggests that the Lord protects the godly from physical harm. Jesus’ legs may have remained unbroken, but he was brutally and unjustly executed by his enemies. John seems to give the statement a literal sense that is foreign to its original literary context by applying a promise of divine protection to a man who was seemingly not saved by God. However, John saw in this incident a foreshadowing of Jesus’ ultimate deliverance and vindication. His unbroken bones were a reminder of God’s commitment to the godly and a sign of things to come. Jesus’ death on the cross was not the end of the story; God vindicated him, as John goes on to explain in the following context (John 19:38-20:18).
  174. Psalm 34:21 tn Heb “evil kills the wicked [one].” The singular form is representative; the typical evil person is envisioned. The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action.
  175. Psalm 34:21 tn Heb “are guilty,” but the verb is sometimes used metonymically with the meaning “to suffer the consequences of guilt,” the effect being substituted for the cause.
  176. Psalm 34:22 tn Heb “redeems the life of his servants.” The Hebrew participial form suggests such deliverance is characteristic.
  177. Psalm 34:22 tn “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear, and serve the Lord (Pss 2:12; 5:11-12; 31:19).
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Proverbs 7
New English Translation

Admonition to Avoid the Wiles of the Adulteress[a]

7 My child,[b] devote yourself to my words
and store up my commands inside yourself.[c]
2 Keep my commands[d] so that you may live,[e]
and obey[f] my instruction as your most prized possession.[g]
3 Bind them on your forearm;[h]
write them on the tablet of your heart.[i]
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”[j]
and call understanding a close relative,
5 so that they may keep you from the adulterous woman,[k]
from the loose woman[l] who has flattered[m] you[n] with her words.
6 For at the window of my house
through my window lattice I looked out
7 and I saw among the naive[o]—
I discerned among the youths[p]—
a young man[q] who lacked sense.[r]
8 He was passing by the street near her corner,
making his way[s] along the road to her house[t]
9 in the twilight, the evening,[u]
in the dark of the night.[v]
10 Suddenly[w] a woman came out to meet him!
She was dressed like a prostitute[x] and with secret intent.[y]
11 (She is loud and rebellious,
she[z] does not remain[aa] at home—
12 at one time outside, at another[ab] in the wide plazas,
and by every corner she lies in wait.)
13 So she grabbed him and kissed him,
and with a bold expression[ac] she said to him,
14 “I have meat from my peace offerings at home;[ad]
today I have fulfilled my vows!
15 That is why I came out to meet you,
to look for you,[ae] and I found you!
16 I have spread my bed with elegant coverings,[af]
with richly colored fabric[ag] from Egypt.
17 I have perfumed my bed
with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink deeply[ah] of lovemaking[ai] until morning,
let’s delight ourselves[aj] with love’s pleasures.
19 For my husband[ak] is not at home;[al]
he has gone on a journey of some distance.
20 He has taken a bag of money with him;[am]
he will not return until[an] the end of the month.”[ao]
21 She turned him aside[ap] with her persuasions;[aq]
with her smooth talk[ar] she was enticing him along.[as]
22 Suddenly he was going[at] after her
like an ox that goes to the slaughter,
like a stag prancing into a trapper’s snare[au]
23 till an arrow pierces his liver[av]—
like a bird hurrying into a trap,
and he does not know that it will cost him his life.[aw]
24 So now, sons,[ax] listen to me,
and pay attention to the words I speak.[ay]
25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways—
do not wander into her pathways;
26 for she has brought down[az] many fatally wounded,
and all those she has slain are many.[ba]
27 Her house is the way to the grave,[bb]
going down to the chambers of death.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 7:1 sn The chapter begins with the important teaching of the father (1-5), then it focuses on the seduction: first the victim (6-9), then the temptress (10-12), then the persuasion (13-20), and the capitulation (21-23); the chapter concludes with the deadly results of adultery (24-27).
  2. Proverbs 7:1 tn The text again has “my son.” In this passage perhaps “son” would be the most fitting because of the warning against the adulterous woman. However, since even in this particular folly the temptation works both ways, the general address to either young men or women is retained. Similar warnings would apply to daughters to be warned of smooth-talking, seductive men.
  3. Proverbs 7:1 tn Heb “store up with yourself.” Most translations either use “store” (NIV, NRSV) or “treasure” (NASB, ESV, NKJV) and “with you” (ESV, NRSV, KJV) or “within you” (NIV, NASB, NKJV). BDB 860 s.v. צָפַן Qal.1 suggests that “within you” means “in your own keeping.” HALOT 1049 s.v. describes the verb as “to keep in one’s heart.” NIDOTTE 837 s.v. צָפַן says the verb “takes on the technical meaning of memorizing the commandments of God.” The instructions are to have these lessons stored up inside so that you can draw on them in need.sn The idea here is to study to be prepared. It is the opposite of the idea of getting in a difficult situation and then looking for something in the Bible to apply to your life. This verse is about applying your life to biblical wisdom and being prepared for situations that may come your way.
  4. Proverbs 7:2 tc Before v. 2 the LXX inserts: “My son, fear the Lord and you will be strong, and besides him, fear no other.” Although this addition has the precedent of 3:7 and 9 and harmonizes with 14:26, it does not fit here; the advice is to listen to the teacher.
  5. Proverbs 7:2 tn The construction of an imperative with the vav (ו) of sequence after another imperative denotes a logical sequence of purpose or result: “that you may live,” or “and you will live.”
  6. Proverbs 7:2 tn The term “obey” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the parallelism; it is supplied for the sake of clarity and smoothness. Some English versions, in light of the second line of v. 1, supply “guard” (e.g., NIV, NCV, NLT).
  7. Proverbs 7:2 tn The Hebrew phrase refers to the pupil of the eye, perhaps by the idiom “the little man in [the] eye.” The term אִישׁוֹן (ʾishon, “pupil”) appears to be a diminutive from אִישׁ (ʾish, “man”). The saying may have arisen because the pupil will make a small reflection of the person looking into another’s eyes. Because of the importance of protecting the eye from harm, the “pupil” of the eye “has the idea of something precious that was to be guarded jealously” (NIDOTTE 386 s.v. אִישׁוֹן). Traditionally this Hebrew idiom is translated into English as “the apple of your eye” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); a more contemporary rendering would be “as your most prized possession.” The point is that the teaching must be the central focus of the disciple’s vision and attention.
  8. Proverbs 7:3 tn Heb “fingers” (so KJV and many other English versions). In light of Deut 6:8, “fingers” appears to be a metonymy for the lower part of the arm or for the hands.
  9. Proverbs 7:3 sn This is an allusion to Deut 6:8. Binding the teachings on the fingers and writing them on the tablets here are implied comparisons for preserving the teaching in memory so that it can be recalled and used with ease.
  10. Proverbs 7:4 sn The metaphor is meant to signify that the disciple will be closely related to and familiar with wisdom and understanding, as close as to a sibling. Wisdom will be personified in the next two chapters, and so referring to it as a sister in this chapter certainly prepares for that personification.
  11. Proverbs 7:5 tn Heb “strange” (so KJV, ASV). See the note at 2:16, which is identical to this verse, except for using a synonym for the beginning verb.
  12. Proverbs 7:5 tn Heb “strange woman.” This can be interpreted as a “wayward wife” (so NIV) or an “unfaithful wife” (so NCV). As discussed earlier, the designations “strange woman” and “foreign woman” could refer to Israelites who stood outside the community in their lawlessness and loose morals—an adulteress or wayward woman. H. Ringgren and W. Zimmerli, however, suggest that she is also a promoter of a pagan cult, but that is not entirely convincing (Spruche/Prediger [ATD], 19).
  13. Proverbs 7:5 tn The Hiphil of חָלַק (khalaq, “to be smooth/slippery”) means “to use smooth words,” that is, to flatter (Pss 5:10; 36:3; Prov 2:16; 28:23; 29:5). The seductive speech of the temptress is as sweet as honey and smooth as oil (5:3).sn As the perfect verb of a dynamic root, the verb reports what she has done. She probably flatters every man who crosses her path, but this advice is given to the young man who would have on his mind what she has said to him. Part of succumbing to temptation often involves becoming narrowly focused on something perceived as pleasurable and blocking out any thought of the consequences. (Compare Eve in Gen 3.) The sage goes on to tell a story in order to make the trap and the consequences vivid.
  14. Proverbs 7:5 tn The term “you” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.
  15. Proverbs 7:7 tn Heb פֶּתִי (peti, “naive, simpleton”).sn This naive young man who lacked wisdom is one of the פֶּתִי (peti) simpletons, lacking keen judgment, one void of common sense (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT) or understanding (cf. KJV, ASV). He is young, inexperienced, featherbrained (so D. Kidner, Proverbs [TOTC], 75).
  16. Proverbs 7:7 tc Heb “sons.” The MT reads בַבָּנִים (vabbanim) “among the sons,” perhaps meaning “young men” (cf. Song 2:3; HALOT 138, s. v. I בֵּן). Based on the Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate, perhaps the text should read בַנְבָלִים (vanevalim, “among the fools”).
  17. Proverbs 7:7 tn Heb “lad” or “youth.”
  18. Proverbs 7:7 tn The term לֵב (lev, “mind, heart”) is used as a metonymy of association for what one does with the mind (thinking), and so refers to discernment, wisdom, good sense.
  19. Proverbs 7:8 tn The verb צָעַד (tsaʿad) means “to step; to march.” It suggests that the youth was intentionally making his way to her house. The verb is the imperfect tense; it stresses continual action parallel to the active participle that began the verse, but within a context that is past time.
  20. Proverbs 7:8 tn Heb “way of her house.” The term “way” is an adverbial accusative telling where he was marching. It is described by the genitive “her house” identifying where the way goes by or to.
  21. Proverbs 7:9 tn Heb “in the evening of the day.”
  22. Proverbs 7:9 tn Heb “in the middle of the night, and dark”; KJV “in the black and dark night”; NRSV “at the time of night and darkness.”
  23. Proverbs 7:10 tn The particle וְהִנֵּה (vehinneh) introduces a dramatic sense of the immediate to the narrative; it has a deictic force, “and look!—there was a woman,” or “all of a sudden this woman….”
  24. Proverbs 7:10 tn Heb “with the garment of a prostitute.” The noun שִׁית (shit, “garment”) is an adverbial accusative specifying the appearance of the woman. The words “she was” are supplied in the translation to make a complete English sentence.
  25. Proverbs 7:10 tn Heb “kept secret of heart”; cf. ASV, NRSV “wily of heart.” The verbal form is the passive participle from נָצַר (natsar) in construct. C. H. Toy lists the suggestions of the commentators: false, malicious, secret, subtle, excited, hypocritical (Proverbs [ICC], 149). The LXX has “causes the hearts of the young men to fly away.” The verb means “to guard; to watch; to keep”; to be guarded of heart means to be wily, to have secret intent—she has locked up her plans and gives nothing away (e.g., Isaiah 48:6 as well). Interestingly enough, this contrasts with her attire which gives everything away.
  26. Proverbs 7:11 tn Heb “her feet.” This is a synecdoche, a part for the whole; the point is that she never stays home, but is out and about all the time.
  27. Proverbs 7:11 tn Heb “dwell” or “settle”; NAB “her feet cannot rest.”
  28. Proverbs 7:12 tn The repetition of the noun פַּעַם (paʿam, “step, occasion”) is an idiom indicating different occasions. It could be rendered idiomatically in English as “now [here], now [there],” “once [here], then [there],” or “at one time…at another time” (BDB 822 s.v. פַּעַם 3.e).
  29. Proverbs 7:13 tn Heb “she made her face bold.” The Hiphil perfect of עָזַז (ʿazaz, “to be strong”) means she has an impudent face (cf. KJV, NAB, NRSV), a bold or brazen expression (cf. NASB, NIV, NLT).
  30. Proverbs 7:14 tn Heb “peace offerings are with me.” The peace offerings refer to the meat left over from the votive offering made at the sanctuary (e.g., Lev 7:11-21). Apparently the sacrificial worship meant little to this woman spiritually. By expressing that she has peace offerings, she could be saying that she has fresh meat for a meal at home, or that she was ceremonially clean, perhaps after her period. At any rate, it is all probably a ruse for winning a customer.
  31. Proverbs 7:15 tn Heb “to look diligently for your face.”
  32. Proverbs 7:16 tn Heb “with spreads I have spread my bed.” The rare noun is a cognate to the verb.
  33. Proverbs 7:16 tn The feminine noun means “dark-hued stuffs” (BDB 310 s.v. חֲטֻבוֹת). The form is a passive participle from a supposed root II חָטַב (khatav), which in Arabic means to be of a turbid, dusky color mixed with yellowish red. Its Aramaic cognate means “variegated”; cf. NAB “with brocaded cloths of Egyptian linen.” BDB’s translation of this colon is unsatisfactory: “with dark hued stuffs of yarn from Egypt.”
  34. Proverbs 7:18 tn The verb means “to be saturated; to drink one’s fill,” and can at times mean “to be intoxicated with.”
  35. Proverbs 7:18 tn Heb “loves.” The word דּוֹד (dod) means physical love or lovemaking. It is found frequently in the Song of Solomon for the loved one, the beloved.
  36. Proverbs 7:18 tn The form is the Hitpael cohortative of עָלַס (ʿalas), which means “to rejoice.” Cf. NIV “let’s enjoy ourselves.”
  37. Proverbs 7:19 tn Heb “the man.” The LXX interpreted it as “my husband,” taking the article to be used as a possessive. Many English versions do the same.
  38. Proverbs 7:19 tn Heb “in his house.”
  39. Proverbs 7:20 tn Heb “in his hand.”
  40. Proverbs 7:20 tn Heb “he will come back to his home at.”
  41. Proverbs 7:20 tn Heb “new moon.” Judging from the fact that the husband took a purse of money and was staying away until the next full moon, the woman implies that they would be safe in their escapade. If v. 9 and v. 20 are any clue, he could be gone for about two weeks—until the moon is full again.
  42. Proverbs 7:21 tn Heb “she turned him aside.” This expression means that she persuaded him. sn While this verb is a Hebrew perfect (and so past tense in English) the next verb is an imperfect (past progressive). The sage is taking us inside the transition in the man’s mind. He is hooked but not yet reeled in. He has turned and maybe taken a step in her direction, but not really committed yet inside. The second half of the verse points to her continuing enticement to keep him coming until he commits; she is close to closing the deal.
  43. Proverbs 7:21 sn The term לֶקַח (leqakh) was used earlier in Proverbs for wise instruction; now it is used ironically for enticement to sin (see D. W. Thomas, “Textual and Philological Notes on Some Passages in the Book of Proverbs,” VTSup 3 [1955]: 280-92).
  44. Proverbs 7:21 tn Heb “smoothness of her lips”; cf. NAB “smooth lips”; NASB “flattering lips.” The term “lips” is a metonymy of cause representing what she says. The noun חֵלֶק (kheleq) “smoothness” is the counterpart to the verb “flatter” is 7:5.
  45. Proverbs 7:21 tn The basic meaning of the verb נָדַח (nadakh) is “to go/be led astray.” In the causative Hiphil form it means “to drive away, to entice, to seduce.” As an imperfect verb in a past time setting it is progressive: she turned him aside and was leading him astray.
  46. Proverbs 7:22 tn The participle with “suddenly” gives a vivid picture. It depicts the inner change in the man. She had turned him and been enticing him along, but he was still like an ox deciding whether to really follow the call after turning in its direction. Then suddenly, like a switch has been thrown inside, he goes on under his own will power, just like the dumb ox he has become.
  47. Proverbs 7:22 tn The present translation follows R. B. Y. Scott (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes [AB], 64). This third colon of the verse would usually be rendered, “fetters to the chastening of a fool” (KJV, ASV, and NASB are all similar). But there is no support that עֶכֶס (ʿekhes) means “fetters.” It appears in Isaiah 3:16 as “anklets.” The parallelism here suggests that some animal imagery is required. Thus the ancient versions have “as a dog to the bonds.”
  48. Proverbs 7:23 sn The figure of an arrow piercing the liver (an implied comparison) may refer to the pangs of a guilty conscience that the guilty must reap along with the spiritual and physical ruin that follows (see on these expressions H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament).
  49. Proverbs 7:23 tn The expression that it is “for/about/over his life” means that it could cost him his life (e.g., Num 16:38). Alternatively, the line could refer to moral corruption and social disgrace rather than physical death—but this would not rule out physical death too.
  50. Proverbs 7:24 tn The literal translation “sons” works well here in view of the warning. Cf. KJV, NAB, NRSV “children.”
  51. Proverbs 7:24 tn Heb “the words of my mouth.”
  52. Proverbs 7:26 tn Heb “she has caused to fall.”
  53. Proverbs 7:26 tn Heb “numerous” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT) or “countless.”
  54. Proverbs 7:27 tn The noun “Sheol” in parallelism to “the chambers of death” probably means the grave. The noun is a genitive of location, indicating the goal of the road(s). Her house is not the grave; it is, however, the sure way to it. Cf. 2:18.sn Her house is the way to the grave. The young man’s life is not destroyed in one instant; it is taken from him gradually as he enters into a course of life that will leave him as another victim of the wages of sin. The point of the warning is to prevent such a course from starting. Sin can certainly be forgiven, but the more involvement in this matter the greater the alienation from the healthy community.
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