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Book of Common Prayer

Daily Old and New Testament readings based on the Book of Common Prayer.

Duration: 861 days

Psalm 89

Psalm 89^[a]

A well-written song^[b] by Ethan the Ezrahite.

89 I will sing continually^[c] about the Lord’s faithful deeds;
to future generations I will proclaim your faithfulness.^[d]
²For I say, “Loyal love is permanently established;^[e]
in the skies you set up your faithfulness.”^[f]
³The Lord said,^[g]
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have made a promise on oath to David, my servant:
⁴‘I will give you an eternal dynasty^[h]
and establish your throne throughout future generations.’”^[i] (Selah)
⁵O Lord, the heavens^[j] praise your amazing deeds,
as well as your faithfulness in the angelic assembly.^[k]
⁶For who in the skies can compare to the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings,^[l]
⁷a God who is honored^[m] in the great angelic assembly,^[n]
and more awesome than^[o] all who surround him?
⁸O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies!^[p]
Who is strong like you, O Lord?
Your faithfulness surrounds you.
⁹You rule over the proud sea.^[q]
When its waves surge,^[r] you calm them.
¹⁰You crushed the Proud One^[s] and killed it;^[t]
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
¹¹The heavens belong to you, as does the earth.
You made the world and all it contains.^[u]
¹²You created the north and the south.
Tabor and Hermon^[v] rejoice in your name.
¹³Your arm is powerful,
your hand strong,
your right hand^[w] victorious.^[x]
¹⁴Equity and justice are the foundation of your throne.^[y]
Loyal love and faithfulness characterize your rule.^[z]
¹⁵How blessed are the people who worship you!^[aa]
O Lord, they experience your favor.^[ab]
¹⁶They rejoice in your name all day long,
and are vindicated^[ac] by your justice.
¹⁷For you give them splendor and strength.^[ad]
By your favor we are victorious.^[ae]
¹⁸For our shield^[af] belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.^[ag]
¹⁹Then you^[ah] spoke through a vision to your faithful followers^[ai] and said:
“I have placed a young hero^[aj] over a warrior;
I have raised up a young man^[ak] from the people.
²⁰I have discovered David, my servant.
With my holy oil I have anointed him as king.^[al]
²¹My hand will support him,^[am]
and my arm will strengthen him.
²²No enemy will be able to exact tribute^[an] from him;^[ao]
a violent oppressor will not be able to humiliate him.^[ap]
²³I will crush his enemies before him;
I will strike down those who hate him.
²⁴He will experience my faithfulness and loyal love,^[aq]
and by my name he will win victories.^[ar]
²⁵I will place his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.^[as]
²⁶He will call out to me,
‘You are my father,^[at] my God, and the protector who delivers me.’^[au]
²⁷I will appoint him to be my firstborn son,^[av]
the most exalted of the earth’s kings.
²⁸I will always extend my loyal love to him,
and my covenant with him is secure.^[aw]
²⁹I will give him an eternal dynasty,^[ax]
and make his throne as enduring as the skies above.^[ay]
³⁰If his sons reject my law
and disobey my regulations,
³¹if they break^[az] my rules
and do not keep my commandments,
³²I will punish their rebellion by beating them with a club,^[ba]
their sin by inflicting them with bruises.^[bb]
³³But I will not remove^[bc] my loyal love from him,
nor be unfaithful to my promise.^[bd]
³⁴I will not break^[be] my covenant
or go back on what I promised.^[bf]
³⁵Once and for all I have vowed by my own holiness,
I will never deceive^[bg] David.
³⁶His dynasty will last forever.^[bh]
His throne will endure before me, like the sun;^[bi]
³⁷it will remain stable, like the moon.^[bj]
His throne will endure like the skies.”^[bk] (Selah)
³⁸But you have spurned^[bl] and rejected him;
you are angry with your chosen king.^[bm]
³⁹You have repudiated^[bn] your covenant with your servant;^[bo]
you have thrown his crown to the ground.^[bp]
⁴⁰You have broken down all his^[bq] walls;
you have made his strongholds a heap of ruins.
⁴¹All who pass by^[br] have robbed him;
he has become an object of disdain to his neighbors.
⁴²You have allowed his adversaries to be victorious,^[bs]
and all his enemies to rejoice.
⁴³You turn back^[bt] his sword from the adversary,^[bu]
and have not sustained him in battle.^[bv]
⁴⁴You have brought to an end his splendor,^[bw]
and have knocked^[bx] his throne to the ground.
⁴⁵You have cut short his youth,^[by]
and have covered him with shame. (Selah)
⁴⁶How long, O Lord, will this last?
Will you remain hidden forever?^[bz]
Will your anger continue to burn like fire?
⁴⁷Take note of my brief lifespan.^[ca]
Why do you make all people so mortal?^[cb]
⁴⁸No man can live on without experiencing death,
or deliver his life from the power of Sheol.^[cc] (Selah)
⁴⁹Where are your earlier faithful deeds,^[cd] O Lord,^[ce]
the ones performed in accordance with your reliable oath to David?^[cf]
⁵⁰Take note, O Lord,^[cg] of the way your servants are taunted,^[ch]
and of how I must bear so many insults from people.^[ci]
⁵¹Your enemies, O Lord, hurl insults;
they insult your chosen king as they dog his footsteps.^[cj]
⁵²^[ck] The Lord deserves praise^[cl] forevermore!
We agree! We agree!^[cm]

Footnotes

Psalm 89:1 sn Psalm 89. The psalmist praises God as the sovereign creator of the world. He recalls God’s covenant with David, but then laments that the promises of the covenant remain unrealized. The covenant promised the Davidic king military victories, but the king has now been subjected to humiliating defeat.
Psalm 89:1 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 88.
Psalm 89:1 tn Or “forever.”
Psalm 89:1 tn Heb “to a generation and a generation I will make known your faithfulness with my mouth.”
Psalm 89:2 tn Heb “built.”
Psalm 89:2 sn You set up your faithfulness. This may allude to the Lord’s heavenly throne, which symbolizes his just rule and from which the Lord decrees his unconditional promises (see vv. 8, 14).
Psalm 89:3 tn The words “the Lord said” are supplied in the translation for clarification. It is clear that the words of vv. 3-4 are spoken by the Lord, in contrast to vv. 1-2, which are spoken by the psalmist.
Psalm 89:4 tn Heb “forever I will establish your offspring.”
Psalm 89:4 tn Heb “and I will build to a generation and a generation your throne.”
Psalm 89:5 tn As the following context makes clear, the personified “heavens” here stand by metonymy for the angelic beings that surround God’s heavenly throne.
Psalm 89:5 tn Heb “in the assembly of the holy ones.” The phrase “holy ones” sometimes refers to God’s people (Ps 34:9) or to their priestly leaders (2 Chr 35:3), but here it refers to God’s heavenly assembly and the angels that surround his throne (see vv. 6-7).
Psalm 89:6 tn Heb “sons of gods”; or “sons of God.” Though אֵלִים (ʾelim) is vocalized as a plural form (“gods”) in the Hebrew text, it is likely that the final mem (ם) is actually enclitic rather than a plural marker. In this case one may read “God.” Some, following a Qumran text and the LXX, also propose the phrase occurred in the original text of Deut 32:8. The phrase בְנֵי אֵלִים (v^ene ʾelim, “sons of gods” or “sons of God”) occurs only here and in Ps 29:1. Since the “sons of gods/God” are here associated with “the assembly of the holy ones” and “council of the holy ones,” the heavenly assembly (comprised of so-called “angels” and other supernatural beings) appears to be in view. See Job 5:1; 15:15 and Zech 14:5, where these supernatural beings are referred to as “holy ones.” In Canaanite mythological texts the divine council of the high god El is called “the sons of El.” The OT apparently uses the Canaanite phrase, applying it to the supernatural beings that surround the Lord’s heavenly throne.
Psalm 89:7 tn Heb “feared.”
Psalm 89:7 tn Heb “in the great assembly of the holy ones.”
Psalm 89:7 tn Or perhaps “feared by.”
Psalm 89:8 tn Traditionally “God of hosts.” The title here pictures the Lord as enthroned in the midst of the angelic hosts of heaven.
Psalm 89:9 tn Heb “the majesty of the sea.”
Psalm 89:9 tn Heb “rise up.”
Psalm 89:10 tn Heb “Rahab.” The name “Rahab” means “proud one.” Since it is sometimes used of Egypt (see Ps 87:4; Isa 30:7), the passage may allude to the exodus. However, the name is also used of the sea (or the mythological sea creature) which symbolizes the disruptive forces of the world that seek to replace order with chaos (see Job 9:13; 26:12). Isa 51:9 appears to combine the mythological and historical referents. The association of Rahab with the sea in Ps 89 (see v. 9) suggests that the name carries symbolic force in this context. In this case the passage may allude to creation (see vv. 11-12), when God overcame the great deep and brought order out of chaos.
Psalm 89:10 tn Heb “like one fatally wounded.”
Psalm 89:11 tn Heb “the world and its fullness, you established them.”
Psalm 89:12 sn Tabor and Hermon were two of the most prominent mountains in Palestine.
Psalm 89:13 sn The Lord’s arm, hand, and right hand all symbolize his activities, especially his exploits in war.
Psalm 89:13 tn Heb “is lifted up.” The idiom “the right hand is lifted up” refers to victorious military deeds (see Pss 89:42; 118:16).
Psalm 89:14 sn The Lord’s throne symbolizes his kingship.
Psalm 89:14 tn Heb “are in front of your face.” The idiom can mean “confront” (Ps 17:13) or “meet, enter the presence of” (Ps 95:2).
Psalm 89:15 tn Heb “who know the shout.” “Shout” here refers to the shouts of the Lord’s worshipers (see Pss 27:6; 33:3; 47:5).
Psalm 89:15 tn Heb “in the light of your face they walk.” The idiom “light of your face” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 44:3; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; Dan 9:17).
Psalm 89:16 tn Heb “are lifted up.”
Psalm 89:17 tn Heb “for the splendor of their strength [is] you.”
Psalm 89:17 tn Heb “you lift up our horn,” or if one follows the marginal reading (Qere), “our horn is lifted up.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:24; 92:10; Lam 2:17).
Psalm 89:18 tn The phrase “our shield” refers metaphorically to the Davidic king, who, as God’s vice-regent, was the human protector of the people. Note the parallelism with “our king” here and with “your anointed one” in Ps 84:9.
Psalm 89:18 sn The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” The Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. This expression is a common title for the Lord in the book of Isaiah.
Psalm 89:19 tn The pronoun “you” refers to the Lord, who is addressed here. The quotation that follows further develops the announcement of vv. 3-4.
Psalm 89:19 tc Many medieval mss read the singular here, “your faithful follower.” In this case the statement refers directly to Nathan’s oracle to David (see 2 Sam 7:17).
Psalm 89:19 tc The MT reads עֵזֶר (ʿezer, “help, strength”), thus “I have placed help on a warrior,” which might effectively mean “I have strengthened a warrior.” The BHS note suggests reading נֵזֶר (nezer, “crown”), similar to the sentiment of anointing in the next verse. HALOT suggests reading עֹזֶר (ʿozer, “hero”) based on an Ugaritic cognate which means “young man, hero, warrior” (HALOT 811 s.v. II עזר). Craigie treats it similarly, taking עזר as “lad/boy/stripling,” parallel to “young man” in the next line, and seeing either David and Saul or David and Goliath as the historical referent (P. C. Craigie, Psalms [WBC], 19:410).
Psalm 89:19 tn Or perhaps “a chosen one.”
Psalm 89:20 tn The words “as king” are supplied in the translation for clarification, indicating that a royal anointing is in view.
Psalm 89:21 tn Heb “with whom my hand will be firm.”
Psalm 89:22 tn Heb “an enemy will not exact tribute.” The imperfect is understood in a modal sense, indicating capability or potential.
Psalm 89:22 tn The translation understands the Hiphil of נָשַׁא (nashaʾ) in the sense of “act as a creditor.” This may allude to the practice of a conqueror forcing his subjects to pay tribute in exchange for “protection.” Another option is to take the verb from a homonymic verbal root meaning “to deceive,” “to trick.” Still another option is to emend the form to יִשָּׂא (yissaʾ), a Qal imperfect from נָאַשׂ (naʾas, “rise up”) and to translate “an enemy will not rise up against him” (see M. Dahood, Psalms [AB], 2:317).
Psalm 89:22 tn Heb “and a son of violence will not oppress him.” The imperfect is understood in a modal sense, indicating capability or potential. The reference to a “son of violence” echoes the language of God’s promise to David in 2 Sam 7:10 (see also 1 Chr 17:9).
Psalm 89:24 tn Heb “and my faithfulness and my loyal love [will be] with him.”
Psalm 89:24 tn Heb “and by my name his horn will be lifted up.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 92:10; Lam 2:17).
Psalm 89:25 tn Some identify “the sea” as the Mediterranean and “the rivers” as the Euphrates and its tributaries. However, it is more likely that “the sea” and “the rivers” are symbols for hostile powers that oppose God and the king (see v. 9, as well as Ps 93:3-4).
Psalm 89:26 sn You are my father. The Davidic king was viewed as God’s “son” (see 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 2:7). The idiom reflects ancient Near Eastern adoption language associated with covenants of grant, by which a lord would reward a faithful subject by elevating him to special status, referred to as “sonship.” Like a son, the faithful subject received an “inheritance,” viewed as an unconditional, eternal gift. Such gifts usually took the form of land and/or an enduring dynasty. See M. Weinfeld, “The Covenant of Grant in the Old Testament and in the Ancient Near East,” JAOS 90 (1970): 184-203, for general discussion and some striking extra-biblical parallels.
Psalm 89:26 tn Heb “the rocky summit of my deliverance.”
Psalm 89:27 sn The firstborn son typically had special status and received special privileges.
Psalm 89:28 tn Heb “forever I will keep for him my loyal love and will make my covenant secure for him.”
Psalm 89:29 tn Heb “and I will set in place forever his offspring.”
Psalm 89:29 tn Heb “and his throne like the days of the heavens.”
Psalm 89:31 tn Or “desecrate.”
Psalm 89:32 tn Heb “I will punish with a club their rebellion.”sn Despite the harsh image of beating…with a club, the language reflects a father-son relationship (see v. 30; 2 Sam 7:14). According to Proverbs, a שֵׁבֶט (shevet, “club”) was sometimes utilized to administer corporal punishment to rebellious children (see Prov 13:24; 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15).
Psalm 89:32 tn Heb “with blows their sin.”
Psalm 89:33 tn Heb “break”; “make ineffectual.” Some prefer to emend אָפִיר (ʾafir; the Hiphil of פָּרַר, parar, “to break”) to אָסִיר (ʾasir; the Hiphil of סוּר, sur, “to turn aside”), a verb that appears in 2 Sam 7:15.
Psalm 89:33 tn Heb “and I will not deal falsely with my faithfulness.”
Psalm 89:34 tn Or “desecrate.”
Psalm 89:34 tn Heb “and what proceeds out of my lips I will not alter.”
Psalm 89:35 tn Or “lie to.”
Psalm 89:36 tn Heb “his offspring forever will be.”
Psalm 89:36 tn Heb “and his throne like the sun before me.”
Psalm 89:37 tn Heb “like the moon it will be established forever.”
Psalm 89:37 tn Heb “and a witness in the sky, secure.” Scholars have offered a variety of opinions as to the identity of the “witness” referred to here, none of which is very convincing. It is preferable to join וְעֵד (v^eʿed) to עוֹלָם (ʿolam) in the preceding line and translate the commonly attested phrase עוֹלָם וְעֵד (“forever”). In this case one may translate the second line, “[it] will be secure like the skies.” Another option (the one reflected in the present translation) is to take עד as a rare noun meaning “throne” or “dais.” This noun is attested in Ugaritic; see, for example, CTA 16 vi 22-23, where ksi (= כִּסֵּא, kisseʾ, “throne”) and ʿd (= עד, “dais”) appear as synonyms in the poetic parallelism (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 91). Emending בַּשַּׁחַק (bashakhaq, “in the heavens”) to כַּשַׁחַק (kashakhaq, “like the heavens”)—bet/kaf (כ/ב) confusion is widely attested—one can then read “[his] throne like the heavens [is] firm/stable.” Verse 29 refers to the enduring nature of the heavens, while Job 37:18 speaks of God spreading out the heavens (שְׁחָקִים, sh^ekhaqim) and compares their strength to a bronze mirror. Ps 89:29 uses the term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim, “skies”) which frequently appears in parallelism to שְׁחָקִים.
Psalm 89:38 tn The Hebrew construction (conjunction + pronoun, followed by the verb) draws attention to the contrast between what follows and what precedes.
Psalm 89:38 tn Heb “your anointed one.” The Hebrew phrase מְשִׁיחֶךָ (m^eshikhekha, “your anointed one”) refers here to the Davidic king (see Pss 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 28:8; 84:9; 132:10, 17).
Psalm 89:39 tn The Hebrew verb appears only here and in Lam 2:7.
Psalm 89:39 tn Heb “the covenant of your servant.”
Psalm 89:39 tn Heb “you dishonor [or “desecrate”] on the ground his crown.”
Psalm 89:40 tn The king here represents the land and cities over which he rules.
Psalm 89:41 tn Heb “all the passersby on the road.”
Psalm 89:42 tn Heb “you have lifted up the right hand of his adversaries.” The idiom “the right hand is lifted up” refers to victorious military deeds (see Pss 89:13; 118:16).
Psalm 89:43 tn The perfect verbal form predominates in vv. 38-45. The use of the imperfect in this one instance may be for rhetorical effect. The psalmist briefly lapses into dramatic mode, describing the king’s military defeat as if it were happening before his very eyes.
Psalm 89:43 tc Heb “you turn back, rocky summit, his sword.” The Hebrew term צוּר (tsur, “rocky summit”) makes no sense here, unless it is a divine title understood as vocative, “you turn back, O Rocky Summit, his sword.” Some emend the form to צֹר (tsor, “flint”) on the basis of Josh 5:2, which uses the phrase חַרְבוֹת צֻרִים (kharvot tsurim, “flint knives”). The noun צֹר (tsor, “flint”) can then be taken as “flint-like edge,” indicating the sharpness of the sword. Others emend the form to אָחוֹר (ʾakhor, “backward”) or to מִצַּר (mitsar, “from the adversary”). The present translation reflects the latter, assuming an original reading תָּשִׁיב מִצָּר חַרְבּוֹ (tashiv mitsar kharbo), which was changed to תָּשִׁיב צָר חַרְבּוֹ (tashiv tsar kharbo) by virtual haplography (confusion of bet/mem is well-attested) with צָר (tsar, “adversary”) then being misinterpreted as צוּר in the later tradition.
Psalm 89:43 tn Heb “and you have not caused him to stand in the battle.”
Psalm 89:44 tc Rather than the MT’s מִטְּהָרוֹ (mitt^eharo, “from his splendor”), the text should be read without the dagesh as מִטְהָרוֹ (mitharo, “his splendor”) or possibly as מַטֵּה טְהָרוֹ (matteh t^eharo, “the staff of his splendor”).
Psalm 89:44 tn The Hebrew verb מָגַר (magar) occurs only here and perhaps in Ezek 21:17.
Psalm 89:45 tn Heb “the days of his youth” (see as well Job 33:25).
Psalm 89:46 tn Heb “How long, O Lord, will hide yourself forever?”
Psalm 89:47 tn Heb “remember me, what is [my] lifespan.” The Hebrew term חֶלֶד (kheled) is also used of one’s lifespan in Ps 39:5. Because the Hebrew text is so awkward here, some prefer to emend it to read מֶה חָדֵל אָנִי (meh khadel ʾani, “[remember] how transient [that is, “short-lived”] I am”; see Ps 39:4).
Psalm 89:47 tn Heb “For what emptiness do you create all the sons of mankind?” In this context the term שָׁוְא (shavʾ) refers to mankind’s mortal nature and the brevity of life (see vv. 45, 48).
Psalm 89:48 tn Heb “Who [is] the man [who] can live and not see death, [who] can deliver his life from the hand of Sheol?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “No one!”
Psalm 89:49 sn The Lord’s faithful deeds are also mentioned in Pss 17:7 and 25:6.
Psalm 89:49 tc Many medieval Hebrew mss read here יְהוָה (yehvah, “the Lord”).
Psalm 89:49 tn Heb “[which] you swore on oath to David by your faithfulness.”
Psalm 89:50 tc Many medieval Hebrew mss read here יְהוָה (yehvah, “the Lord”).
Psalm 89:50 tn Heb “remember, O Lord, the taunt against your servants.” Many medieval Hebrew mss read the singular here, “your servant” (that is, the psalmist).
Psalm 89:50 tn Heb “my lifting up in my arms [or “against my chest”] all of the many, peoples.” The term רַבִּים (rabbim, “many”) makes no apparent sense here. For this reason some emend the text to רִבֵי (rive, “attacks by”), a defectively written plural construct form of רִיב (riv, “dispute; quarrel”).
Psalm 89:51 tn Heb “[by] which your enemies, O Lord, taunt, [by] which they taunt [at] the heels of your anointed one.”
Psalm 89:52 sn The final verse of Ps 89, v. 52, is a conclusion to this third “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the first, second and fourth “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 41:13; 72:18-19; 106:48, respectively).
Psalm 89:52 tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.
Psalm 89:52 tn Heb “surely and surely” (אָמֵן וְאָמֵן [ʾamen v^eʾamen], i.e., “Amen and amen”). This is probably a congregational response to the immediately preceding statement about the propriety of praising God; thus it has been translated “We agree! We agree!”

2 Samuel 13:23-39

Absalom Has Amnon Put to Death

²³Two years later Absalom’s sheepshearers were in Baal Hazor, near Ephraim. Absalom invited all the king’s sons. ²⁴Then Absalom went to the king and said, “My shearers have begun their work.^[a] Let the king and his servants go with me.”

²⁵But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son. We shouldn’t all go. We shouldn’t burden you in that way.” Though Absalom^[b] pressed^[c] him, the king^[d] was not willing to go. Instead, David^[e] blessed him.

²⁶Then Absalom said, “If you will not go,^[f] then let my brother Amnon go with us.” The king replied to him, “Why should he go with you?” ²⁷But when Absalom pressed him, he sent Amnon and all the king’s sons along with him.

²⁸Absalom instructed his servants, “Look! When Amnon is drunk^[g] and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ kill him then and there. Don’t fear! Is it not I who have given you these instructions? Be strong and courageous!”^[h] ²⁹So Absalom’s servants did to Amnon exactly what Absalom had instructed. Then all the king’s sons got up; each one rode away on his mule and fled.

³⁰While they were still on their way, the following report reached David: “Absalom has killed all the king’s sons; not one of them is left!” ³¹Then the king stood up and tore his garments and lay down on the ground. All his servants were standing there with torn garments as well.

³²Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah, said, “My lord should not say, ‘They have killed all the young men who are the king’s sons.’ For only Amnon is dead. This is what Absalom has talked about^[i] from the day that Amnon^[j] humiliated his sister Tamar. ³³Now don’t let my lord the king be concerned about the report that has come saying, ‘All the king’s sons are dead.’ It is only Amnon who is dead.”

³⁴In the meantime Absalom fled. When the servant who was the watchman looked up, he saw many people coming from the west^[k] on a road beside the hill. ³⁵Jonadab said to the king, “Look! The king’s sons have come! It’s just as I said.”

³⁶Just as he finished speaking, the king’s sons arrived, wailing and weeping.^[l] The king and all his servants wept loudly^[m] as well. ³⁷But Absalom fled and went to King Talmai son of Ammihud of Geshur. And David^[n] grieved over his son every day.

³⁸After Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he remained there for three years. ³⁹The king longed^[o] to go to Absalom, for he had since been consoled over the death of Amnon.^[p]

Footnotes

2 Samuel 13:24 tn Heb “your servant has sheepshearers.” The phrase “your servant” also occurs at the end of the verse and is translated as "me".
2 Samuel 13:25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 Samuel 13:25 tc Here and in v. 27 the translation follows 4QSam^a ויפצר (vayyiftsar, “and he pressed”) rather than the MT וַיִּפְרָץ (vayyifrats, “and he broke through”). This emended reading seems also to underlie the translations of the LXX (καὶ ἐβιάσατο, kai ebiasato), the Syriac Peshitta (weʾalseh), and Vulgate (cogeret eum).
2 Samuel 13:25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 Samuel 13:25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 Samuel 13:26 tn Heb “and not.”
2 Samuel 13:28 tn Heb “when good is the heart of Amnon with wine.”
2 Samuel 13:28 tn Heb “and become sons of valor.”
2 Samuel 13:32 tn Heb “it was placed on the mouth of Absalom.”
2 Samuel 13:32 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Amnon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 Samuel 13:34 tn Heb “behind him.”
2 Samuel 13:36 tn Heb “and they lifted their voice and wept.”
2 Samuel 13:36 tn Heb “with a great weeping.”
2 Samuel 13:37 tc The Hebrew text leaves the word “David” to be inferred. The Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate add the word “David.” Most of the Greek tradition includes the words “King David” here.
2 Samuel 13:39 tc The translation follows 4QSam^a in reading רוּחַ הַמֶּלֶךְ (ruakh hammelekh, “the spirit of the king”) rather than the MT דָּוִד הַמֶּלֶךְ (david hammelekh, “David the king”). The understanding reflected in the translation above is that David, though alienated during this time from his son Absalom, still had an abiding love and concern for him. He longed for reconciliation with him. A rather different interpretation of the verse supposes that David’s interest in taking military action against Absalom grew slack with the passing of time, and this in turn enabled David’s advisers to encourage him toward reconciliation with Absalom. For the latter view, see P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (AB), 344, and cf. CEV.
2 Samuel 13:39 tn Heb “was consoled over Amnon, because he was dead.”

Acts 20:17-38

¹⁷From Miletus^[a] he sent a message^[b] to Ephesus, telling the elders of the church to come to him.^[c]

¹⁸When they arrived, he said to them, “You yourselves know how I lived^[d] the whole time I was with you, from the first day I set foot^[e] in the province of Asia,^[f] ¹⁹serving the Lord with all humility^[g] and with tears, and with the trials that happened to me because of the plots^[h] of the Jews. ²⁰You know that I did not hold back from proclaiming^[i] to you anything that would be helpful,^[j] and from teaching you publicly^[k] and from house to house, ²¹testifying^[l] to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus.^[m] ²²And now,^[n] compelled^[o] by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem^[p] without knowing what will happen to me there,^[q] ²³except^[r] that the Holy Spirit warns^[s] me in town after town^[t] that^[u] imprisonment^[v] and persecutions^[w] are waiting for me. ²⁴But I do not consider my life^[x] worth anything^[y] to myself, so that^[z] I may finish my task^[aa] and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news^[ab] of God’s grace.

²⁵“And now^[ac] I know that none^[ad] of you among whom I went around proclaiming the kingdom^[ae] will see me^[af] again. ²⁶Therefore I declare^[ag] to you today that I am innocent^[ah] of the blood of you all.^[ai] ²⁷For I did not hold back from^[aj] announcing^[ak] to you the whole purpose^[al] of God. ²⁸Watch out for^[am] yourselves and for all the flock of which^[an] the Holy Spirit has made you overseers,^[ao] to shepherd the church of God^[ap] that he obtained^[aq] with the blood of his own Son.^[ar] ²⁹I know that after I am gone^[as] fierce wolves^[at] will come in among you, not sparing the flock. ³⁰Even from among your own group^[au] men^[av] will arise, teaching perversions of the truth^[aw] to draw the disciples away after them. ³¹Therefore be alert,^[ax] remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning^[ay] each one of you with tears. ³²And now I entrust^[az] you to God and to the message^[ba] of his grace. This message^[bb] is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ³³I have desired^[bc] no one’s silver or gold or clothing. ³⁴You yourselves know that these hands of mine^[bd] provided for my needs and the needs of those who were with me. ³⁵By all these things,^[be] I have shown you that by working in this way we must help^[bf] the weak,^[bg] and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”^[bh]

³⁶When^[bi] he had said these things, he knelt down^[bj] with them all and prayed. ³⁷They all began to weep loudly,^[bk] and hugged^[bl] Paul and kissed him,^[bm] ³⁸especially saddened^[bn] by what^[bo] he had said, that they were not going to see him^[bp] again. Then they accompanied^[bq] him to the ship.

Footnotes

Acts 20:17 sn Miletus was a seaport on the western coast of Asia Minor about 45 mi (72 km) south of Ephesus.
Acts 20:17 tn The words “a message” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
Acts 20:17 tn The words “to him” are not in the Greek text but are implied. L&N 33.311 has for the verb μετακαλέομαι (metakaleomai) “to summon someone, with considerable insistence and authority—‘to summon, to tell to come.’”
Acts 20:18 tn Grk “You yourselves know, from the first day I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time.” This could be understood to mean “how I stayed with you the whole time,” but the following verses make it clear that Paul’s lifestyle while with the Ephesians is in view here. Thus the translation “how I lived the whole time I was with you” makes this clear.
Acts 20:18 tn Or “I arrived.” BDAG 367 s.v. ἐπιβαίνω 2, “set foot in…εἰς τ. ᾿Ασίαν set foot in Asia Ac 20:18.” However, L&N 15.83 removes the idiom: “you know that since the first day that I came to Asia.”
Acts 20:18 tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 16.
Acts 20:19 sn On humility see 2 Cor 10:1; 11:7; 1 Thess 2:6; Col 3:12; Eph 4:2; Phil 2:3-11.
Acts 20:19 sn These plots are mentioned in Acts 9:24; 20:13.
Acts 20:20 tn Or “declaring.”
Acts 20:20 tn Or “profitable.” BDAG 960 s.v. συμφέρω 2.b.α has “τὰ συμφέροντα what advances your best interests or what is good for you Ac 20:20, ” but the broader meaning (s.v. 2, “to be advantageous, help, confer a benefit, be profitable/useful”) is equally possible in this context.
Acts 20:20 tn Or “openly.”
Acts 20:21 tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 1 has “testify of, bear witness to (orig. under oath)…of repentance to Judeans and Hellenes Ac 20:21.”
Acts 20:21 tc Several mss, including some of the more significant ones (P⁷⁴ א Α C [D] E 33 36 323 945 1175 1241 1505 1739 pm and a number of versions), read Χριστόν (Christon, “Christ”) at the end of this verse. This word is lacking in B H L P Ψ 614 pm. Although the inclusion is supported by many earlier and better mss, internal evidence is on the side of the omission: In Acts, both “Lord Jesus” and “Lord Jesus Christ” occur, though between 16:31 and the end of the book “Lord Jesus Christ” appears only in 28:31, perhaps as a kind of climactic assertion. Thus, the shorter reading is to be preferred.sn Repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus. Note the twofold description of the message. It is a turning to God involving faith in Jesus Christ.
Acts 20:22 tn Grk “And now, behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.
Acts 20:22 tn Grk “bound.”
Acts 20:22 sn This journey to Jerusalem suggests a parallel between Paul and Jesus, since the “Jerusalem journey” motif figures so prominently in Luke’s Gospel (9:51-19:44).
Acts 20:22 tn BDAG 965 s.v. συναντάω 2 has τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ συναντήσοντα ἐμοὶ μὴ εἰδώς without knowing what will happen to me there Ac 20:22.”
Acts 20:23 tn BDAG 826 s.v. πλήν 1.d has “πλὴν ὅτι except that…Ac 20:23.”
Acts 20:23 tn The verb διαμαρτύρομαι (diamarturomai) can mean “warn” (BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 2 has “solemnly urge, exhort, warn…w. dat. of pers. addressed”), and this meaning better fits the context here, although BDAG categorizes Acts 20:23 under the meaning “testify of, bear witness to” (s.v. 1).
Acts 20:23 tn The Greek text here reads κατὰ πόλιν (kata polin).
Acts 20:23 tn Grk “saying that,” but the participle λέγον (legon) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
Acts 20:23 tn Grk “bonds.”
Acts 20:23 tn Or “troubles,” “suffering.” See Acts 19:21; 21:4, 11.
Acts 20:24 tn Grk “soul.”
Acts 20:24 tn Or “I do not consider my life worth a single word.” According to BDAG 599 s.v. λόγος 1.a.α, “In the textually uncertain pass. Ac 20:24 the text as it stands in N., οὐδενὸς λόγου (v.l. λόγον) ποιοῦμαι τὴν ψυχὴν τιμίαν, may well mean: I do not consider my life worth a single word (cp. λόγου ἄξιον [ἄξιος 1a] and our ‘worth mention’).”
Acts 20:24 tn BDAG 1106 s.v. ὡς 9 describes this use as “a final particle, expressing intention/purpose, with a view to, in order to.”
Acts 20:24 tn Grk “course.” See L&N 42.26, “(a figurative extension of meaning of δρόμος ‘race’) a task or function involving continuity, serious, effort, and possibly obligation—‘task, mission’…Ac 20:24.” On this Pauline theme see also Phil 1:19-26; Col 1:24; 2 Tim 4:6-7.
Acts 20:24 tn Or “to the gospel.”
Acts 20:25 tn Grk “And now, behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.
Acts 20:25 tn Grk “all of you…will not see.” Greek handles its negation somewhat differently from English, and the translation follows English grammatical conventions.
Acts 20:25 sn Note how Paul’s usage of the expression proclaiming the kingdom is associated with (and intertwined with) his testifying to the good news of God’s grace in v. 24. For Paul the two concepts were interrelated.
Acts 20:25 tn Grk “will see my face” (an idiom for seeing someone in person).
Acts 20:26 tn Or “testify.”
Acts 20:26 tn Grk “clean, pure,” thus “guiltless” (BDAG 489 s.v. καθαρός 3.a).sn I am innocent. Paul had a clear conscience, since he had faithfully carried out his responsibility of announcing to (the Ephesians) the whole purpose of God.
Acts 20:26 tn That is, “that if any of you should be lost, I am not responsible” (an idiom). According to L&N 33.223, the meaning of the phrase “that I am innocent of the blood of all of you” is “that if any of you should be lost, I am not responsible.” However, due to the length of this phrase and its familiarity to many modern English readers, the translation was kept closer to formal equivalence in this case. The word “you” is not in the Greek text, but is implied; Paul is addressing the Ephesian congregation (in the person of its elders) in both v. 25 and 27.
Acts 20:27 tn Or “did not avoid.” BDAG 1041 s.v. ὑποστέλλω 2.b has “shrink from, avoid implying fear…οὐ γὰρ ὑπεστειλάμην τοῦ μὴ ἀναγγεῖλαι I did not shrink from proclaiming Ac 20:27”; L&N 13.160 has “to hold oneself back from doing something, with the implication of some fearful concern—‘to hold back from, to shrink from, to avoid’…‘for I have not held back from announcing to you the whole purpose of God’ Ac 20:27.”
Acts 20:27 tn Or “proclaiming,” “declaring.”
Acts 20:27 tn Or “plan.”
Acts 20:28 tn Or “Be on your guard for” (cf. v. 29). Paul completed his responsibility to the Ephesians with this warning.
Acts 20:28 tn Grk “in which.”
Acts 20:28 tn Or “guardians.” BDAG 379-80 s.v. ἐπίσκοπος 2 states, “The term was taken over in Christian communities in ref. to one who served as overseer or supervisor, with special interest in guarding the apostolic tradition…Ac 20:28.” This functional term describes the role of the elders (see v. 17). They were to guard and shepherd the congregation.
Acts 20:28 tc The reading “of God” (τοῦ θεοῦ, tou theou) is found in א B 614 1175 1505 al vg sy; other witnesses have “of the Lord” (τοῦ κυρίου, tou kuriou) here (so P⁷⁴ A C* D E Ψ 33 1739 al co), while the majority of the later minuscule mss conflate these two into “of the Lord and God” (τοῦ κυρίου καὶ [τοῦ] θεοῦ, tou kuriou kai [tou] theou). Although the evidence is evenly balanced between the first two readings, τοῦ θεοῦ is decidedly superior on internal grounds. The final prepositional phrase of this verse, διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ ἰδίου (dia tou haimatos tou idiou), could be rendered “through his own blood” or “through the blood of his own.” In the latter translation, the object that “own” modifies must be supplied (see tn below for discussion). But this would not be entirely clear to scribes; those who supposed that ἰδίου modified αἵματος would be prone to alter “God” to “Lord” to avoid the inference that God had blood. In a similar way, later scribes would be prone to conflate the two titles, thereby affirming the deity (with the construction τοῦ κυρίου καὶ θεοῦ following the Granville Sharp rule and referring to a single person [see ExSyn 272, 276-77, 290]) and substitutionary atonement of Christ. For these reasons, τοῦ θεοῦ best explains the rise of the other readings and should be considered authentic.
Acts 20:28 tn Or “acquired.”
Acts 20:28 tn Or “with his own blood”; Grk “with the blood of his own.” The genitive construction could be taken in two ways: (1) as an attributive genitive (second attributive position) meaning “his own blood”; or (2) as a possessive genitive, “with the blood of his own.” In this case the referent is the Son, and the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. See further C. F. DeVine, “The Blood of God,” CBQ 9 (1947): 381-408.sn That he obtained with the blood of his own Son. This is one of only two explicit statements in Luke-Acts highlighting the substitutionary nature of Christ’s death (the other is in Luke 22:19).
Acts 20:29 tn Grk “after my departure.”
Acts 20:29 tn That is, people like fierce wolves. See BDAG 167-68 s.v. βαρύς 4 on the term translated “fierce.”sn The battle to follow would be a savage one. The imagery of wolves is found in intertestamental Judaism (see Pss. Sol. 8:23, 30; also 1 Enoch 89:55). For more on the sheep imagery see H. Preisker and S. Schulz, TDNT 6:690. The imagery of a flock attacked by wolves suggests violence, and serves to prepare Paul’s hearers (the elders of the Ephesian church, v. 17) for the depredations of the false teachers who would arise.
Acts 20:30 tn Grk “from among yourselves.”
Acts 20:30 tn The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anēr), which only rarely is used in a generic sense to refer to both males and females. Since Paul is speaking to the Ephesian elders at this point and there is nothing in the context to suggest women were included in that group (“from among your own group”), it is most likely Paul was not predicting that these false teachers would include women.
Acts 20:30 tn Grk “speaking crooked things”; BDAG 237 s.v. διαστρέφω 2 has “λαλεῖν διεστραμμένα teach perversions (of the truth) Ac 20:30.”sn These perversions of the truth refer to the kinds of threats that would undermine repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. v. 21). Instead these false teachers would arise from within the Ephesian congregation (cf. 1 John 2:18-19) and would seek to draw the disciples away after them.
Acts 20:31 tn Or “be watchful.”
Acts 20:31 tn Or “admonishing.”
Acts 20:32 tn Or “commend.” BDAG 772 s.v. παρατίθημι 3.b has “τινά τινι entrust someone to the care or protection of someone…Of divine protection παρέθεντο αὐτοὺς τῷ κυρίῳ Ac 14:23; cf. 20:32.”
Acts 20:32 tn Grk “word.”
Acts 20:32 tn Grk “the message of his grace, which.” The phrase τῷ δυναμένῳ οἰκοδομῆσαι… (tō dunamenō oikodomēsai…) refers to τῷ λόγω (tō logō), not τῆς χάριτος (tēs charitos); in English it could refer to either “the message” or “grace,” but in Greek, because of agreement in gender, the referent can only be “the message.” To make this clear, a new sentence was begun in the translation and the referent “the message” was repeated at the beginning of this new sentence.
Acts 20:33 tn Traditionally, “coveted.” BDAG 371 s.v. ἐπιθυμέω 1 has “to have a strong desire to do or secure someth., desire, long for w. gen. of the thing desired…silver, gold, clothing Ac 20:33.” The traditional term “covet” is not in common usage and difficult for many modern English readers to understand. The statement affirms Paul’s integrity. He was not doing this for personal financial gain.
Acts 20:34 tn The words “of mine” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to clarify whose hands Paul is referring to.
Acts 20:35 sn The expression By all these things means “In everything I did.”
Acts 20:35 tn Or “must assist.”
Acts 20:35 tn Or “the sick.” See Eph 4:28.
Acts 20:35 sn The saying is similar to Matt 10:8. Service and generosity should be abundant. Interestingly, these exact words are not found in the gospels. Paul must have known of this saying from some other source.
Acts 20:36 tn Grk “And when.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
Acts 20:36 tn Grk “kneeling down…he prayed.” The participle θείς (theis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
Acts 20:37 tn Grk “weeping a great deal,” thus “loudly” (BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός and BDAG 546 s.v. κλαυθμός).
Acts 20:37 tn Grk “fell on Paul’s neck” (an idiom, see BDAG 1014 s.v. τράχηλος).
Acts 20:37 sn The Ephesians elders kissed Paul as a sign of both affection and farewell. The entire scene shows how much interrelationship Paul had in his ministry and how much he and the Ephesians meant to each other.
Acts 20:38 tn Or “pained.”
Acts 20:38 tn Grk “by the word that he had said.”
Acts 20:38 tn Grk “to see his face” (an idiom for seeing someone in person).
Acts 20:38 tn BDAG 873 s.v. προπέμπω 1 has “they accompanied him to the ship Ac 20:38.”

Mark 9:42-50

⁴²“If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a huge millstone^[a] tied around his neck and to be thrown into the sea. ⁴³If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off! It is better for you to enter into life crippled than to have^[b] two hands and go into hell,^[c] to the unquenchable fire.^[d] ⁴⁵If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off! It is better to enter life lame than to have^[e] two feet and be thrown into hell.^[f] ⁴⁷If your eye causes you to sin, tear it out!^[g] It is better to enter into the kingdom of God^[h] with one eye than to have^[i] two eyes and be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸where their worm never dies and the fire is never quenched. ⁴⁹Everyone will be salted with fire.^[j] ⁵⁰Salt^[k] is good, but if it loses its saltiness,^[l] how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

Footnotes

Mark 9:42 tn Grk “the millstone of a donkey.” This refers to a large flat stone turned by a donkey in the process of grinding grain (BDAG 661 s.v. μύλος 2; L&N 7.68-69). The same term is used in the parallel account in Matt 18:6.sn The punishment of drowning with a heavy weight attached is extremely gruesome and reflects Jesus’ views concerning those who cause others who believe in him to sin.
Mark 9:43 tn Grk “than having.”
Mark 9:43 sn The word translated hell is “Gehenna” (γέεννα, geenna), a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew words ge hinnom (“Valley of Hinnom”). This was the valley along the south side of Jerusalem. In OT times it was used for human sacrifices to the pagan god Molech (cf. Jer 7:31; 19:5-6; 32:35), and it came to be used as a place where human excrement and rubbish were disposed of and burned. In the intertestamental period, it came to be used symbolically as the place of divine punishment (cf. 1 En. 27:2; 90:26; 4 Ezra 7:36). This Greek term also occurs in vv. 45, 47.
Mark 9:43 tc Most later mss have 9:44 here and 9:46 after v. 45: “where their worm never dies and the fire is never quenched” (identical with v. 48). Verses 44 and 46 are present in A D Θ ƒ¹³ M lat sy^p,h, but lacking in significant Alexandrian mss and several others (א B C L W Δ Ψ 0274 ƒ¹ 28 565 892 co). This appears to be a scribal addition from v. 48 and is almost certainly not an original part of the Greek text of Mark. The present translation follows NA²⁸ in omitting the verse number, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations.
Mark 9:45 tn Grk “than having.”
Mark 9:45 tc See tc note at the end of v. 43.
Mark 9:47 tn Grk “throw it out.”
Mark 9:47 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus’ teaching. The nature of the kingdom of God in the NT and in Jesus’ teaching has long been debated by interpreters and scholars, with discussion primarily centering around the nature of the kingdom (earthly, heavenly, or both) and the kingdom’s arrival (present, future, or both). An additional major issue concerns the relationship between the kingdom of God and the person and work of Jesus himself.
Mark 9:47 tn Grk “than having.”
Mark 9:49 tc The earliest mss ([א] B L [W] Δ 0274 ƒ^1,13 28* 565 700 sy^s sa) have the reading adopted by the translation. Codex Bezae (D) and several Itala read “Every sacrifice will be salted with salt.” The majority of other mss (A C Θ Ψ M lat sy^p,h) have both readings, “Everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be salted with salt.” An early scribe may have written the LXX text of Lev 2:13 (“Every sacrifice offering of yours shall be salted with salt”) in the margin of his ms. At a later stage, copyists would either replace the text with this marginal note or add the note to the text. The longer reading thus seems to be the result of the conflation of the Alexandrian reading “salted with fire” and the Western reading “salted with salt.” The reading adopted by the text enjoys the best support and explains the other readings in the ms tradition. sn The statement everyone will be salted with fire is difficult to interpret. It may be a reference to (1) unbelievers who enter hell as punishment for rejection of Jesus, indicating that just as salt preserves so they will be preserved in their punishment in hell forever; (2) Christians who experience suffering in this world because of their attachment to Christ; (3) any person who experiences suffering in a way appropriate to their relationship to Jesus. For believers this means the suffering of purification, and for unbelievers it means hell, i.e., eternal torment.
Mark 9:50 sn Salt was used as seasoning or fertilizer (BDAG 41 s.v. ἅλας a), or as a preservative. If salt ceased to be useful, it was thrown away. With this illustration Jesus warned about a disciple who ceased to follow him.
Mark 9:50 sn The difficulty of this saying is understanding how salt could lose its saltiness since its chemical properties cannot change. It is thus often assumed that Jesus was referring to chemically impure salt, perhaps a natural salt which, when exposed to the elements, had all the genuine salt leached out, leaving only the sediment or impurities behind. Others have suggested the background of the saying is the use of salt blocks by Arab bakers to line the floor of their ovens: Under the intense heat these blocks would eventually crystallize and undergo a change in chemical composition, finally being thrown out as unserviceable. A saying in the Talmud (b. Bekhorot 8b) attributed to R. Joshua ben Chananja (ca. a.d. 90), recounts how when he was asked the question “When salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again?” is said to have replied, “By salting it with the afterbirth of a mule.” He was then asked, “Then does the mule (being sterile) bear young?” to which he replied: “Can salt lose its flavor?” The point appears to be both are impossible. The saying, while admittedly late, suggests that culturally the loss of flavor by salt was regarded as an impossibility. Genuine salt can never lose its flavor. In this case the saying by Jesus here may be similar to Matt 19:24, where it is likewise impossible for the camel to go through the eye of a sewing needle.

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Book of Common Prayer

Psalm 89[a]

A well-written song[b] by Ethan the Ezrahite.

Footnotes

Absalom Has Amnon Put to Death

Footnotes

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 89^[a]

A well-written song^[b] by Ethan the Ezrahite.