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

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Psalm 87

Psalm 87^[a]

Written by the Korahites; a psalm, a song.

87 The Lord’s city is in the holy hills.^[b]
²The Lord loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
³People say wonderful things about you,^[c]
O city of God. (Selah)
⁴I mention Rahab^[d] and Babylon to my followers.^[e]
Here are^[f] Philistia and Tyre, along with Ethiopia.^[g]
It is said of them, “This one was born there.”^[h]
⁵But it is said of Zion’s residents,^[i]
“Each one of these^[j] was born in her,
and the Most High^[k] makes her secure.”
⁶The Lord writes in the census book of the nations,^[l]
“This one was born there.”^[m] (Selah)
⁷As for the singers, as well as the pipers—
all of them sing within your walls.^[n]

Footnotes

Psalm 87:1 sn Psalm 87. The psalmist celebrates the Lord’s presence in Zion and the special status of its citizens.
Psalm 87:1 tn Heb “his foundation [is] in the hills of holiness.” The expression “his foundation” refers here by metonymy to the Lord’s dwelling place in Zion. The “hills” are the ones surrounding Zion (see Pss 125:2; 133:3).
Psalm 87:3 tn Heb “glorious things are spoken about you.” The translation assumes this is a general reference to compliments paid to Zion by those who live within her walls and by those who live in the surrounding areas and lands. Another option is that this refers to a prophetic oracle about the city’s glorious future. In this case one could translate, “wonderful things are announced concerning you.”
Psalm 87:4 sn “Rahab,” which means “proud one,” is used here as a title for Egypt (see Isa 30:7).
Psalm 87:4 tn Heb “to those who know me” (see Ps 36:10). Apparently the Lord speaks here. The verbal construction (the Hiphil of זָכַר, zakhar, “remember” followed by the preposition ל [lamed] with a substantive) is rare, but the prepositional phrase is best understood as indicating the recipient of the announcement (see Jer 4:16). Some take the preposition in the sense of “among” and translate, “among those who know me” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). In this case these foreigners are viewed as the Lord’s people and the psalm is interpreted as anticipating a time when all nations will worship the Lord (see Ps 86:9) and be considered citizens of Zion.
Psalm 87:4 tn Heb “Look.”
Psalm 87:4 tn Heb “Cush.”
Psalm 87:4 tn Heb “and this one was born there.” The words “It is said of them” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarification and stylistic purposes (see v. 5). Those advocating the universalistic interpretation understand “there” as referring to Zion, but it seems more likely that the adverb refers to the nations just mentioned. The foreigners are identified by their native lands.
Psalm 87:5 tn Heb “and of Zion it is said.” Another option is to translate, “and to Zion it is said.” In collocation with the Niphal of אָמַר (ʾamar), the preposition ל (lamed) can introduce the recipient of the statement (see Josh 2:2; Jer 4:11; Hos 1:10; Zeph 3:16), carry the nuance “concerning, of” (see Num 23:23), or mean “be named” (see Isa 4:3; 62:4).
Psalm 87:5 tn Heb “a man and a man.” The idiom also appears in Esth 1:8. The translation assumes that the phrase refers to each of Zion’s residents, in contrast to the foreigners mentioned in v. 4. Those advocating the universalistic interpretation understand this as a reference to each of the nations, including those mentioned in v. 4.
Psalm 87:5 sn The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן ʿelyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.
Psalm 87:6 tn Heb “the Lord records in the writing of the nations.”
Psalm 87:6 tn As noted in v. 4, the translation assumes a contrast between “there” (the various foreign lands) and “in her” (Zion). In contrast to foreigners, the citizens of Zion have special status because of their birthplace (v. 5). In this case vv. 4 and 6 form a structural frame around v. 5.
Psalm 87:7 tc Heb “and singers, like pipers, all my springs [are] in you.” The participial form חֹלְלִים (khol^elim) appears to be from a denominative verb meaning “play the pipe,” though some derive the form from חוּל (khul, “dance”). In this case the duplicated ל (lamed) requires an emendation to מְחֹלְלִים (m^ekhol^elim, “a Polel form). The words are addressed to Zion. As it stands, the Hebrew text makes little, if any, sense. “Springs” are often taken here as a symbol of divine blessing and life”), but this reading does not relate to the preceding line in any apparent way. The present translation assumes an emendation of כָּל־מַעְיָנַי (kol maʿyanay, “all my springs”) to כֻּלָּם עָנוּ (kullam ʿanu, “all of them sing,” with the form עָנוּ being derived from עָנָה, ʿanah, “sing”).

Psalm 90

Book 4 (Psalms 90-106)

Psalm 90^[a]

A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

90 O Lord, you have been our protector^[b] through all generations.
²Even before the mountains came into existence,^[c]
or you brought the world into being,^[d]
you were the eternal God.^[e]
³You make mankind return^[f] to the dust,^[g]
and say, “Return, O people.”
⁴Yes,^[h] in your eyes a thousand years
are like yesterday that quickly passes,
or like one of the divisions of the nighttime.^[i]
⁵You bring their lives to an end and they “fall asleep.”^[j]
In the morning they are like the grass that sprouts up:
⁶In the morning it glistens^[k] and sprouts up;
at evening time it withers^[l] and dries up.
⁷Yes,^[m] we are consumed by your anger;
we are terrified by your wrath.
⁸You are aware of our sins;^[n]
you even know about our hidden sins.^[o]
⁹Yes,^[p] throughout all our days we experience your raging fury;^[q]
the years of our lives pass quickly, like a sigh.^[r]
¹⁰The days of our lives add up to seventy years,^[s]
or eighty, if one is especially strong.^[t]
But even one’s best years are marred by trouble and oppression.^[u]
Yes,^[v] they pass quickly^[w] and we fly away.^[x]
¹¹Who can really fathom the intensity of your anger?^[y]
Your raging fury causes people to fear you.^[z]
¹²So teach us to consider our mortality,^[aa]
so that we might live wisely.^[ab]
¹³Turn back toward us, O Lord.
How long must this suffering last?^[ac]
Have pity on your servants.^[ad]
¹⁴Satisfy us in the morning^[ae] with your loyal love.
Then we will shout for joy and be happy^[af] all our days.
¹⁵Make us happy in proportion to the days you have afflicted us,
in proportion to the years we have experienced^[ag] trouble.
¹⁶May your servants see your work.^[ah]
May their sons see your majesty.^[ai]
¹⁷May our Sovereign God extend his favor to us.^[aj]
Make our endeavors successful.
Yes, make them successful.^[ak]

Footnotes

Psalm 90:1 sn Psalm 90. In this communal lament the worship leader affirms that the eternal God and creator of the world has always been Israel’s protector. But God also causes men, who are as transient as grass, to die, and in his fierce anger he decimates his covenant community, whose brief lives are filled with suffering and end in weakness. The community asks for wisdom, the restoration of God’s favor, a fresh revelation of his power, and his blessing upon their labors.
Psalm 90:1 tn Or “place of safety.” See Ps 71:3.
Psalm 90:2 tn Heb “were born.”
Psalm 90:2 tn Heb “and you gave birth to the earth and world.” The Polel verbal form in the Hebrew text pictures God giving birth to the world. The LXX and some other ancient textual witnesses assume a Polal (passive) verbal form here. In this case the earth becomes the subject of the verb and the verb is understood as third feminine singular rather than second masculine singular.
Psalm 90:2 tn Heb “and from everlasting to everlasting you [are] God.” Instead of אֵל (ʾel, “God”) the LXX reads אַל (ʾal, “not”) and joins the negative particle to the following verse, making the verb תָּשֵׁב (tashev) a jussive. In this case v. 3a reads as a prayer, “do not turn man back to a low place.” However, taking תָּשֵׁב as a jussive is problematic in light of the following wayyiqtol form וַתֹּאמֶר (vatoʾmer, “and you said/say”), unless one reads the form as a simple vav plus imperfect as indicated by Aquila and Jerome.
Psalm 90:3 tn In this context the shortened prefix form does not function as a preterite, but indicates what is typical of the world.
Psalm 90:3 tn The Hebrew term דַּכָּא (dakaʾ) carries the basic sense of “crushed.” Elsewhere it refers to those who are “crushed” in spirit or contrite of heart (see Ps 34:18; Isa 57:15). If one understands this nuance here, then v. 3 is observing that God leads mankind to repentance (the term שׁוּב, shuv, “return,” which appears twice in this verse, is sometimes used of repentance.) However, the following context laments mankind’s mortality and the brevity of life, so it is doubtful if v. 3 should be understood so positively. It is more likely that דַּכָּא here refers to “crushed matter,” that is, the dust that fills the grave (see HALOT 221 s.v. s.v. I דַּכָּא; BDB 194 s.v. דַּכָּא). In this case one may hear an echo of Gen 3:19.
Psalm 90:4 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 90:4 sn The divisions of the nighttime. The ancient Israelites divided the night into distinct periods, or “watches.”
Psalm 90:5 tn Heb “you bring them to an end [with] sleep.” The Hebrew verb זָרַם (zaram) has traditionally been taken to mean “flood” or “overwhelm” (note the Polel form of a root זרם in Ps 77:17, where the verb is used of the clouds pouring down rain). However, the verb form here is Qal, not Polel, and is better understood as a homonym meaning “to make an end [of life].” The term שֵׁנָה (shenah, “sleep”) can be taken as an adverbial accusative; it is a euphemism here for death (see Ps 76:5-6).
Psalm 90:6 tn Or “flourishes.” The verb is used of a crown shining in Ps 132:18. Perhaps here in Ps 90:6 it refers to the glistening of the grass in the morning dew.
Psalm 90:6 tn The Polel form of this verb occurs only here. Perhaps the form should be emended to a Qal (which necessitates eliminating the final ל [lamed] as dittographic). See Ps 37:2.
Psalm 90:7 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 90:8 tn Heb “you set our sins in front of you.”
Psalm 90:8 tn Heb “what we have hidden to the light of your face.” God’s face is compared to a light or lamp that exposes the darkness around it.
Psalm 90:9 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 90:9 tn Heb “all our days pass by in your anger.”
Psalm 90:9 tn Heb “we finish our years like a sigh.” In Ezek 2:10 the word הֶגֶה (hegeh) elsewhere refers to a grumbling or moaning sound. Here a brief sigh or moan is probably in view. If so, the simile pictures one’s lifetime as transient. Another option is that the simile alludes to the weakness that characteristically overtakes a person at the end of one’s lifetime. In this case the phrase could be translated, “we end our lives with a painful moan.”
Psalm 90:10 tn Heb “the days of our years, in them [are] seventy years.”
Psalm 90:10 tn Heb “or if [there is] strength, eighty years.”
Psalm 90:10 tn Heb “and their pride [is] destruction and wickedness.” The Hebrew noun רֹהַב (rohav) occurs only here. BDB 923 s.v. assigns the meaning “pride,” deriving the noun from the verbal root רָהַב (rahav, “to act stormily [boisterously, arrogantly]”). Here the “pride” of one’s days (see v. 9) probably refers to one’s most productive years in the prime of life. The words translated “destruction and wickedness” are also paired in Ps 10:7. They also appear in proximity in Pss 7:14 and 55:10. The oppressive and abusive actions of evil men are probably in view (see Job 4:8; 5:6; 15:35; Isa 10:1; 59:4).
Psalm 90:10 tn or “for.”
Psalm 90:10 tn Heb “it passes quickly.” The subject of the verb is probably “their pride” (see the preceding line). The verb גּוּז (guz) means “to pass” here; it occurs only here and in Num 11:31.
Psalm 90:10 sn We fly away. The psalmist compares life to a bird that quickly flies off (see Job 20:8).
Psalm 90:11 tn Heb “Who knows the strength of your anger?”
Psalm 90:11 tc Heb “and like your fear [is] your raging fury.” Perhaps one should emend וּכְיִרְאָתְךָ (ukh^eyirʾat^ekha, “and like your fear”) to יִרְאָתְךְ (yirʾat^ekha, “your fear”), removing the כ (kaf) as dittography of the kaf ending the previous word. In this case the psalmist asserts “your fear [is] your raging fury,” that is, your raging fury is what causes others to fear you. The suffix on “fear” is understood as objective.
Psalm 90:12 tn Heb “to number our days,” that is, to be aware of how few they really are.
Psalm 90:12 tn Heb “and we will bring a heart of wisdom.” After the imperative of the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form with the conjunction indicates purpose/result. The Hebrew term “heart” here refers to the center of one’s thoughts, volition, and moral character.
Psalm 90:13 tn Heb “Return, O Lord. How long?”
Psalm 90:13 tn Elsewhere the Niphal of נָחַם (nakham) + the preposition עַל (ʿal) + a personal object has the nuance “be comforted concerning [the personal object’s death]” (see 2 Sam 13:39; Jer 31:15). However, here the context seems to demand “feel sorrow for,” “have pity on.” In Deut 32:36 and Ps 135:14, where “servants” is also the object of the preposition, this idea is expressed with the Hitpael form of the verb.
Psalm 90:14 sn Morning is used metaphorically for a time of renewed joy after affliction (see Pss 30:5; 46:5; 49:14; 59:16; 143:8).
Psalm 90:14 tn After the imperative (see the preceding line) the cohortatives with the prefixed conjunction indicate purpose/result.
Psalm 90:15 tn Heb “have seen.”
Psalm 90:16 tn Heb “may your work be revealed to your servants.” In this context (note v. 17) the verb form יֵרָאֶה (yeraʾeh) is best understood as an unshortened jussive (see Gen 1:9; Isa 47:3).
Psalm 90:16 tn Heb “and your majesty to their sons.” The verb “be revealed” is understood by ellipsis in the second line.
Psalm 90:17 tn Heb “and may the delight of the Master, our God, be on us.” The Hebrew term נֹעַם (noʿam, “delight”) is used in Ps 27:4 of the Lord’s “beauty,” but here it seems to refer to his favor (see BDB 653 s.v.) or kindness (HALOT 706 s.v.).
Psalm 90:17 tn Heb “and the work of our hands establish over us, and the work of our hands, establish it.”

Psalm 136

Psalm 136^[a]

136 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his loyal love endures.^[b]
²Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his loyal love endures.
³Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his loyal love endures,
⁴to the one who performs magnificent, amazing deeds all by himself,
for his loyal love endures,
⁵to the one who used wisdom to make the heavens,
for his loyal love endures,
⁶to the one who spread out the earth over the water,
for his loyal love endures,
⁷to the one who made the great lights,
for his loyal love endures,
⁸the sun to rule by day,
for his loyal love endures,
⁹the moon and stars to rule by night,
for his loyal love endures,
¹⁰to the one who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
for his loyal love endures,
¹¹and led Israel out from their midst,
for his loyal love endures,
¹²with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his loyal love endures,
¹³to the one who divided^[c] the Red Sea^[d] in two,^[e]
for his loyal love endures,
¹⁴and led Israel through its midst,
for his loyal love endures,
¹⁵and tossed^[f] Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea,
for his loyal love endures,
¹⁶to the one who led his people through the wilderness,
for his loyal love endures,
¹⁷to the one who struck down great kings,
for his loyal love endures,
¹⁸and killed powerful kings,
for his loyal love endures,
¹⁹Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his loyal love endures,
²⁰Og, king of Bashan,
for his loyal love endures,
²¹and gave their land as an inheritance,
for his loyal love endures,
²²as an inheritance to Israel his servant,
for his loyal love endures,
²³to the one who remembered us when we were down,^[g]
for his loyal love endures,
²⁴and snatched us away from our enemies,
for his loyal love endures,
²⁵to the one who gives food to all living things,^[h]
for his loyal love endures.
²⁶Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his loyal love endures!

Jeremiah 13:1-11

An Object Lesson from Ruined Linen Shorts

13 The Lord said to me, “Go and buy some linen shorts^[a] and put them on.^[b] Do not put them in water.”^[c] ²So I bought the shorts in keeping with the Lord’s instructions^[d] and put them on.^[e] ³Then the Lord’s message came to me again, ⁴“Take the shorts that you bought and are wearing^[f] and go at once^[g] to Perath.^[h] Bury the shorts there^[i] in a crack in the rocks.” ⁵So I went and buried them at Perath^[j] as the Lord had ordered me to do. ⁶Many days later the Lord said to me, “Go at once to Perath and get^[k] the shorts I ordered you to bury there.” ⁷So I went to Perath and dug up^[l] the shorts from the place where I had buried them. I found^[m] that they were ruined; they were good for nothing.

⁸Then the Lord’s message came to me, ⁹“I, the Lord, say:^[n] ‘This shows how^[o] I will ruin the highly exalted position^[p] in which Judah and Jerusalem take pride. ¹⁰These wicked people refuse to obey what I have said.^[q] They follow the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts and pay allegiance^[r] to other gods by worshiping and serving them. So^[s] they will become just like these linen shorts that are good for nothing. ¹¹For,’ I say,^[t] ‘just as shorts cling tightly to a person’s body, so I bound the whole nation of Israel and the whole nation of Judah^[u] tightly^[v] to me.’ I intended for them to be my special people and to bring me fame, honor, and praise.^[w] But they would not obey me.

Footnotes

Jeremiah 13:1 tn The term here (אֵזוֹר, ʾezor) has been rendered in various ways: “girdle” (KJV, ASV), “waistband” (NASB), “waistcloth” (RSV), “sash” (NKJV), “belt” (NIV, NCV, NLT), and “loincloth” (NAB, NRSV, NJPS, REB). The latter is most accurate according to J. M. Myers, “Dress and Ornaments,” IDB 1:870, and W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:399. It was a short, skirt-like garment reaching from the waist to the knees and worn next to the body (cf. v. 9). The modern equivalent is “shorts” as in TEV/GNB, CEV.sn The linen shorts (Heb “loincloth”) were representative of Israel and the wearing of them was to illustrate the Lord’s close relation to his people (v. 11). Since the priests’ garments were to be made wholly of linen (cf. Exod 28; Ezek 44:17-18), the fact that the shorts were to be made of linen probably was to symbolize the nature of Israel’s calling: they were to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exod 19:5-6). Just as the linen garments of the priest were to give him special honor and glory (Exod 28:40), so the linen garment was to be a source of praise and glory to the Lord (v. 11).
Jeremiah 13:1 tn Heb “upon your loins.” The “loins” were the midriff of the body from the waist to the knees. For a further discussion including the figurative uses see, IDB, “Loins,” 3:149.
Jeremiah 13:1 tn Or “Do not ever put them in water,” i.e., “Do not even wash them.”sn The fact that the garment was not to be put in water is not explained. A possible explanation within the context is that it was to be worn continuously, not even taken off to wash it. That would illustrate that the close relationship that the Lord had with his people was continuous and indissoluble. Other explanations are that it was not to be gotten wet because (1) that would have begun the process of rotting (This assumes that the rotting was done by the water of the Euphrates. But it was buried in a crack in the rocks, not in the river itself); (2) that would have made it softer and easier to wear; or (3) that showed that the garment was new, clean, and fresh from the merchant. For this latter interpretation see J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah (NICOT), 64. For a fuller discussion of most of the issues connected with this acted-out parable see W. McKane, Jeremiah (ICC), 1:285-92. However, the reason is not explained in the text, and there is not enough evidence in the text to come to a firm conclusion, though the most likely possibility is that it was not to be taken off and washed but worn continuously.
Jeremiah 13:2 tn Heb “word, message.”
Jeremiah 13:2 tn Heb “on my loins.” The “loins” were the midriff of the body from the waist to the knees. For a further discussion, including the figurative uses, see R. C. Dentan, “Loins,” IDB 3:149-50.
Jeremiah 13:4 tn Heb “which are upon your loins.” See further the notes on v. 1.
Jeremiah 13:4 tn Heb “Get up and go.” The first verb is not literal but is idiomatic for the initiation of an action.
Jeremiah 13:4 tn There has been a great deal of debate about whether the place referred to here is a place (Parah [= Perath] mentioned in Josh 18:23, modern Khirbet Farah, near a spring ʿain Farah) about three-and-a-half miles from Anathoth, which was Jeremiah’s home town, or the Euphrates River. Elsewhere the word “Perath” always refers to the Euphrates, but it is either preceded by the word “river of” or there is contextual indication of reference to the Euphrates. Because a journey to the Euphrates and back would involve a journey of more than 700 miles (1,100 km) and take some months, scholars both ancient and modern have questioned whether “Perath” refers to the Euphrates here and, if it does, whether a real journey was involved. Most of the attempts to identify the place with the Euphrates involve misguided assumptions that this action was a symbolic message to Israel about exile or the corrupting influence of Assyria and Babylon. However, unlike the other symbolic acts in Jeremiah (and in Isaiah and Ezekiel), the symbolism is not part of a message to the people but to Jeremiah; the message is explained to him (vv. 9-11), not the people. In keeping with some of the wordplays that are somewhat common in Jeremiah, it is likely that the reference here is to a place, Parah, which was near Jeremiah’s hometown but whose name would naturally suggest to Jeremiah, later in the Lord’s explanation in vv. 9-11, Assyria-Babylon as a place connected with Judah’s corruption (see the notes on vv. 9-10). For further discussion the reader should consult the commentaries, especially W. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:396, and W. McKane, Jeremiah (ICC), 1:285-92, who take opposite positions on this issue.
Jeremiah 13:4 sn The significance of this act is explained in vv. 9-10. See the notes there for explanation.
Jeremiah 13:5 tc The translation reads בִּפְרָתָה (bifratah) with 4QJer^a as noted in W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:393 instead of בִּפְרָת (bifrat) in the MT.
Jeremiah 13:6 tn Heb “Get from there.” The words “from there” are not necessary to the English sentence. They would lead to a redundancy later in the verse, i.e., “from there…bury there.”
Jeremiah 13:7 tn Heb “dug and took.”
Jeremiah 13:7 tn Heb “And behold.”
Jeremiah 13:9 tn Heb “Thus says the Lord.”
Jeremiah 13:9 tn In a sense this phrase, which is literally “according to thus” or simply “thus,” points both backward and forward: backward to the acted-out parable and forward to the explanation which follows.
Jeremiah 13:9 tn Many of the English versions have erred in rendering this word “pride” or “arrogance,” with the resultant implication that the Lord is going to destroy Israel’s pride, i.e., humble them through the punishment of exile. However, BDB 144-45 s.v. גָּאוֹן 1 is more probably correct when they classify this passage among those that deal with the “‘majesty, excellence’ of nations, their wealth, power, magnificence of buildings….” The closest parallels to the usage here are in Zech 10:11 (parallel to scepter of Egypt); Ps 47:4 (47:5 HT; parallel to “our heritage” = “our land”); Isa 14:11; and Amos 8:7. The term is further defined in v. 11, where it refers to their special relationship and calling. To translate it “pride” or “arrogance” also ruins the wordplay on “ruin” (נִשְׁחַת [nishkhat] in v. 7 and אַשְׁחִית [ʾashkhit] in v. 9).sn Scholars ancient and modern are divided over the significance of the statement I will ruin the highly exalted position in which Judah and Jerusalem take pride (Heb “I will ruin the pride of Judah and Jerusalem”). Some feel that it refers to the corrupting influence of Assyria and Babylon, and others feel that it refers to the threat of Babylonian exile. However, F. B. Huey (Jeremiah, Lamentations [NAC], 144) is correct in observing that the Babylonian exile did not lead to the rottenness of Judah; the corrupting influence of the foreign nations did. In Jeremiah’s day this came through the age-old influences of the Canaanite worship of Baal, but also through the astral worship introduced by Ahaz and Manasseh. For an example of the corrupting influence of Assyria on Judah through Ahaz’s political alliances, see 2 Kgs 16 and also compare the allegory in Ezek 23:14-21. It was while the “linen shorts” were off Jeremiah’s body and buried in the rocks that the linen shorts were ruined. So the Lord “ruined” the privileged status that resulted from Israel’s close relationship to him (cf. v. 11). For the “problem” created by the Lord ruining Israel through corrupting influence, compare the notes on Jer 4:10 and also passages like Isa 63:17 and Isa 6:10. If the parable simply emphasized ruin, though, the exile could be in view.
Jeremiah 13:10 tn Heb “to listen to my words.”
Jeremiah 13:10 tn Heb “and [they follow] after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for the idiom.
Jeremiah 13:10 tn The structure of this verse is a little unusual. It consists of a subject, “this wicked people,” qualified by several “which” clauses preceding a conjunction and a form which would normally be taken as a third person imperative (a Hebrew jussive; וִיהִי, vihi). This construction, called casus pendens by Hebrew grammarians, lays focus on the subject, here calling attention to the nature of Israel’s corruption that makes it rotten and useless to God. See GKC 458 §143.d for other examples of this construction.
Jeremiah 13:11 tn The words “I say” are “Oracle of the Lord” in Hebrew, and are located at the end of this statement in the Hebrew text rather than the beginning. However, they are rendered in the first person and placed at the beginning for smoother English style.
Jeremiah 13:11 tn Heb “all the house of Israel and all the house of Judah.”
Jeremiah 13:11 tn It would be somewhat unnatural in English to render the play on the word translated here “cling tightly” and “bound tightly” in a literal way. They are from the same root word in Hebrew (דָּבַק, davaq), a word that emphasizes the closest of personal relationships and the loyalty connected with them. It is used, for example, of the relationship of a husband and a wife and the loyalty expected of them (cf. Gen 2:24; for other similar uses see Ruth 1:14; 2 Sam 20:2; Deut 11:22).
Jeremiah 13:11 tn Heb “I bound them…in order that they might be to me for a people and for a name and for praise and for honor.” The sentence has been separated from the preceding and an equivalent idea expressed that is more in keeping with contemporary English style.

Romans 6:12-23

¹²Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires, ¹³and do not present your members to sin as instruments^[a] to be used for unrighteousness,^[b] but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead and your members to God as instruments^[c] to be used for righteousness. ¹⁴For sin will have no mastery over you, because you are not under law but under grace.

The Believer’s Enslavement to God’s Righteousness

¹⁵What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not! ¹⁶Do you not know that if you present yourselves^[d] as obedient slaves,^[e] you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or obedience resulting in righteousness?^[f] ¹⁷But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you obeyed^[g] from the heart that pattern^[h] of teaching you were entrusted to, ¹⁸and having been freed from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness. ¹⁹(I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.)^[i] For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. ²⁰For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness.

²¹So what benefit^[j] did you then reap^[k] from those things that you are now ashamed of? For the end of those things is death. ²²But now, freed^[l] from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit^[m] leading to sanctification, and the end is eternal life. ²³For the payoff^[n] of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 8:47-59

⁴⁷The one who belongs to^[a] God listens and responds^[b] to God’s words. You don’t listen and respond,^[c] because you don’t belong to God.”^[d]

⁴⁸The Judeans^[e] replied,^[f] “Aren’t we correct in saying^[g] that you are a Samaritan and are possessed by a demon?”^[h] ⁴⁹Jesus answered, “I am not possessed by a demon,^[i] but I honor my Father—and yet^[j] you dishonor me. ⁵⁰I am not trying to get^[k] praise for myself.^[l] There is one who demands^[m] it, and he also judges.^[n] ⁵¹I tell you the solemn truth,^[o] if anyone obeys^[p] my teaching,^[q] he will never see death.”^[r]

⁵²Then^[s] the Judeans^[t] responded,^[u] “Now we know you’re possessed by a demon!^[v] Both Abraham and the prophets died, and yet^[w] you say, ‘If anyone obeys^[x] my teaching,^[y] he will never experience^[z] death.’^[aa] ⁵³You aren’t greater than our father Abraham who died, are you?^[ab] And the prophets died too! Who do you claim to be?” ⁵⁴Jesus replied,^[ac] “If I glorify myself, my glory is worthless.^[ad] The one who glorifies me is my Father, about whom you people^[ae] say, ‘He is our God.’ ⁵⁵Yet^[af] you do not know him, but I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him,^[ag] I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I obey^[ah] his teaching.^[ai] ⁵⁶Your father Abraham was overjoyed^[aj] to see my day, and he saw it and was glad.”^[ak]

⁵⁷Then the Judeans^[al] replied,^[am] “You are not yet fifty years old!^[an] Have^[ao] you seen Abraham?” ⁵⁸Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth,^[ap] before Abraham came into existence,^[aq] I am!”^[ar] ⁵⁹Then they picked up^[as] stones to throw at him,^[at] but Jesus was hidden from them^[au] and went out from the temple area.^[av]

Footnotes

John 8:47 tn Grk “who is of.”
John 8:47 tn Grk “to God hears” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).
John 8:47 tn Grk “you do not hear” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).
John 8:47 tn Grk “you are not of God.”
John 8:48 tn Grk “the Jews.” See the note on this term in v. 31. Here the phrase refers to the Jewish people in Jerusalem (“Judeans”; cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e) who had been listening to Jesus’ teaching in the temple courts (8:20) and had initially believed his claim to be the Messiah (cf. 8:31). They had become increasingly hostile as Jesus continued to teach. Now they were ready to say that Jesus was demon-possessed.
John 8:48 tn Grk “answered and said to him.”
John 8:48 tn Grk “Do we not say rightly.”
John 8:48 tn Grk “and have a demon.” It is not clear what is meant by the charge Σαμαρίτης εἶ σὺ καὶ δαιμόνιον ἔχεις (Samaritēs ei su kai daimonion echeis). The meaning could be “you are a heretic and are possessed by a demon.” Note that the dual charge gets one reply (John 8:49). Perhaps the phrases were interchangeable: Simon Magus (Acts 8:14-24) and in later traditions Dositheus, the two Samaritans who claimed to be sons of God, were regarded as mad, that is, possessed by demons.
John 8:49 tn Grk “I do not have a demon.”
John 8:49 tn “Yet” is supplied to show the contrastive element present in the context.
John 8:50 tn Grk “I am not seeking.”
John 8:50 tn Grk “my glory.”
John 8:50 tn Grk “who seeks.”
John 8:50 tn Or “will be the judge.”
John 8:51 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
John 8:51 tn Grk “If anyone keeps.”
John 8:51 tn Grk “my word.”
John 8:51 tn Grk “he will never see death forever.” The Greek negative here is emphatic.sn Those who keep Jesus’ words will not see death because they have already passed from death to life (cf. 5:24). In Johannine theology eternal life begins in the present rather than in the world to come.
John 8:52 tc ‡ Significant and early witnesses (P⁶⁶ א B C W Θ 579 it) lack the conjunction here, while other witnesses read οὖν (oun, “therefore”; P⁷⁵ D L Ψ 070 ƒ^1,13 33 M lat). This conjunction occurs in John some 200 times, far more than in any other NT book. Even though the most important Johannine papyrus (P⁷⁵) has the conjunction, the combination of P⁶⁶ א B for the omission is even stronger. Further, the reading seems to be a predictable scribal emendation. In particular, οὖν is frequently used with the plural of εἶπον (eipon, “they said”) in John (in this chapter alone, note vv. 13, 39, 48, 57, and possibly 41). On balance, it is probably best to consider the shorter reading as authentic, even though “Then” is virtually required in translation for English stylistic reasons. NA²⁸ has the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.
John 8:52 tn Grk “the Jews.” See the note on this term in v. 31. Here, as in vv. 31 and 48, the phrase refers to the Jewish people in Jerusalem (“Judeans”; cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e) who had been listening to Jesus’ teaching in the temple courts (8:20) and had initially believed his claim to be the Messiah (cf. 8:31).
John 8:52 tn Grk “said to him.”
John 8:52 tn Grk “you have a demon.”
John 8:52 tn “Yet” has been supplied to show the contrastive element present in the context.
John 8:52 tn Grk “If anyone keeps.”
John 8:52 tn Grk “my word.”
John 8:52 tn Grk “will never taste.” Here the Greek verb does not mean “sample a small amount” (as a typical English reader might infer from the word “taste”), but “experience something cognitively or emotionally; come to know something” (cf. BDAG 195 s.v. γεύομαι 2).
John 8:52 tn Grk “he will never taste of death forever.” The Greek negative here is emphatic.
John 8:53 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mē) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “are you?”).
John 8:54 tn Grk “Jesus answered.”
John 8:54 tn Grk “is nothing.”
John 8:54 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
John 8:55 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Yet” to indicate the contrast present in the context.
John 8:55 tn Grk “If I say, ‘I do not know him.’”
John 8:55 tn Grk “I keep.”
John 8:55 tn Grk “his word.”
John 8:56 tn Or “rejoiced greatly.”
John 8:56 tn What is the meaning of Jesus’ statement that the patriarch Abraham “saw” his day and rejoiced? The use of past tenses would seem to refer to something that occurred during the patriarch’s lifetime. Genesis Rabbah 44:25ff, (cf. 59:6) states that Rabbi Akiba, in a debate with Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai, held that Abraham had been shown not this world only but the world to come (this would include the days of the Messiah). More realistically, it is likely that Gen 22:13-15 lies behind Jesus’ words. This passage, known to rabbis as the Akedah (“Binding”), tells of Abraham finding the ram which will replace his son Isaac on the altar of sacrifice—an occasion of certain rejoicing.
John 8:57 tn Grk “Then the Jews.” See the note on this term in v. 31. Here, as in vv. 31, 48, and 52, the phrase refers to the Jewish people in Jerusalem (“Judeans”; cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e) who had been listening to Jesus’ teaching in the temple courts (8:20) and had initially believed his claim to be the Messiah (cf. 8:31). They have now become completely hostile, as John 8:59 clearly shows.
John 8:57 tn Grk “said to him.”
John 8:57 tn Grk ‘You do not yet have fifty years” (an idiom).
John 8:57 tn Grk “And have.”
John 8:58 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
John 8:58 tn Grk “before Abraham was.”
John 8:58 sn I am! is an explicit claim to deity. Although each occurrence of the phrase “I am” in the Fourth Gospel needs to be examined individually in context to see if an association with Exod 3:14 is present, it seems clear that this is the case here (as the response of the Jewish authorities in the following verse shows).
John 8:59 tn Grk “they took up.”
John 8:59 sn Jesus’ Jewish listeners understood his claim to deity, rejected it, and picked up stones to throw at him for what they considered blasphemy.
John 8:59 tn The prepositional phrase “from them” has been supplied to clarify that the passive verb “was hidden” does not mean that Jesus turned invisible, but rather that his opponents were not able to find him at that moment.
John 8:59 tc Most later witnesses (A Θ^c ƒ^1,13 M) have at the end of the verse “passing through their midst, he went away in this manner” (διελθὼν διὰ μέσου καὶ παρῆγεν οὕτως, dielthōn dia mesou kai parēgen houtōs), while many others have similar permutations (so א^1,2 C L N Ψ 070 33 579 892 1241 al). The wording is similar to two other texts: Luke 4:30 (διελθὼν διὰ μέσου; in several mss αὐτῶν ἐπορεύετο καί [autōn eporeueto kai] is found between this phrase and παρῆγεν, strengthening the parallel with Luke 4:30) and John 9:1 (παρῆγεν; cf. παράγων [paragōn] there). The effect is to signal Jesus’ departure as a miraculous cloaking. As such, the additional statement has all the earmarks of scribal amplification. Further, the best and earliest witnesses (P^66,75 א* B D W Θ* lat sa) lack these words, rendering the shorter text virtually certain.tn Grk “from the temple.”

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Book of Common Prayer

Psalm 87[a]

Written by the Korahites; a psalm, a song.

Footnotes

Book 4 (Psalms 90-106)

Psalm 90[a]

A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

Footnotes

Psalm 136[a]

Footnotes

An Object Lesson from Ruined Linen Shorts

Footnotes

The Believer’s Enslavement to God’s Righteousness

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 87^[a]

Psalm 90^[a]

Psalm 136^[a]