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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with thematically matched Old and New Testament readings.

Duration: 1245 days

Psalm 41

Psalm 41^[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

41 How blessed^[b] is the one who treats the poor properly.^[c]
When trouble comes,^[d] may^[e] the Lord deliver him.^[f]
²May the Lord protect him and save his life.^[g]
May he be blessed^[h] in the land.
Do not turn him over^[i] to his enemies.^[j]
³The Lord supports^[k] him on his sickbed;
you have healed him from his illness.^[l]
⁴As for me, I said:^[m]
“O Lord, have mercy on me!
Heal me, for I have sinned against you.
⁵My enemies ask this cruel question about me,^[n]
‘When will he finally die and be forgotten?’^[o]
⁶When someone comes to visit,^[p] he pretends to be friendly;^[q]
he thinks of ways to defame me,^[r]
and when he leaves he slanders me.^[s]
⁷All who hate me whisper insults about me to one another;^[t]
they plan ways to harm me.
⁸They say,^[u]
‘An awful disease^[v] overwhelms him,^[w]
and now that he is bedridden he will never recover.’^[x]
⁹Even my close friend^[y] whom I trusted,
he who shared meals with me, has turned against me.^[z]
¹⁰As for you, O Lord, have mercy on me and raise me up,
so I can pay them back!”^[aa]
¹¹By this^[ab] I know that you are pleased with me,
for my enemy does^[ac] not triumph^[ad] over me.
¹²As for me, you uphold^[ae] me because of my integrity;^[af]
you allow^[ag] me permanent access to your presence.^[ah]
¹³The Lord God of Israel deserves praise^[ai]
in the future and forevermore.^[aj]
We agree! We agree!^[ak]

Footnotes

Psalm 41:1 sn Psalm 41. The psalmist is confident (vv. 11-12) that the Lord has heard his request to be healed (vv. 4-10), and he anticipates the joy he will experience when the Lord intervenes (vv. 1-3). One must assume that the psalmist is responding to a divine oracle of assurance (see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 319-20). The final verse is a fitting conclusion to this psalm, but it is also serves as a fitting conclusion to the first “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the second, third, and fourth “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 72:19; 89:52, and 106:48 respectively).
Psalm 41:1 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; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
Psalm 41:1 sn One who treats the poor properly. The psalmist is characterizing himself as such an individual and supplying a reason why God has responded favorably to his prayer. The Lord’s attitude toward the merciful mirrors their treatment of the poor.
Psalm 41:1 tn Heb “in the day of trouble” (see Ps 27:5).
Psalm 41:1 tn The prefixed verb יְמַלְּטֵהוּ (y^emall^etehu) has the form of the pronominal suffix typical of the jussive not the imperfect (יְמַלְּטֶנּוּ, y^emall^etennu). The jussive form continues throughout the next verse. The principle that begins v. 1 is the basis for the petition in vv. 1b-2. Verse 3 transitions to a statement of confidence and testimony.
Psalm 41:1 tn That is, the one who has been kind to the poor.
Psalm 41:2 tn The prefixed verbal forms are taken as jussives in the translation because of the form of the pronominal suffix (-ehu rather than -ennu) and because the jussive is clearly used in the final line of the verse.
Psalm 41:2 tc The translation follows the consonantal Hebrew text (Kethib), which has a Pual (passive) prefixed form, regarded here as a jussive. The Pual of the verb אָשַׁר (ʾashar) also appears in Prov 3:18. The marginal reading (Qere) assumes a vav (ו) consecutive and Pual perfect. Some, with the support of the LXX, change the verb to a Piel (active) form with an objective pronominal suffix, “and may he bless him,” or “and he will bless him” (cf. NIV).
Psalm 41:2 tn The negative particle אַל (ʾal) before the prefixed verbal form indicates the verb is a jussive and the statement a prayer. Those who want to take v. 2 as a statement of confidence suggest emending the negative particle to לֹא (loʾ), which is used with the imperfect. See the earlier note on the verbal forms in line one of this verse. According to GKC 322 §109.e, this is a case where the jussive is used rhetorically to “express that something cannot or should not happen.” In this case one might translate, “you will not turn him over to his enemies,” and take the preceding verbal forms as indicative in mood. However, none of the examples offered in GKC for this use of the jussive are compelling.
Psalm 41:2 tn Heb “do not give him over to the desire of his enemies” (see Ps 27:12).
Psalm 41:3 tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as jussive, continuing the prayer of v. 2, but the parallel line in v. 3b employs the perfect, suggesting that the psalmist is again speaking in the indicative mood (see v. 1b). The imperfect can be understood as future or as generalizing (see v. 1).
Psalm 41:3 tn Heb “all his bed you have changed in his illness.” The perfect verb may indicate a testimony of what God has done in the past as part of the statement of confidence.
Psalm 41:4 sn In vv. 4-10 the psalmist recites the prayer of petition and lament he offered to the Lord.
Psalm 41:5 tn Heb “my enemies speak evil concerning me.”
Psalm 41:5 tn Heb “and his name perish.”
Psalm 41:6 tn Heb “to see.”
Psalm 41:6 tn Heb “he speaks deceitfully.”
Psalm 41:6 tn Heb “his heart gathers sin to itself.”
Psalm 41:6 tn Heb “he goes outside and speaks.”
Psalm 41:7 tn Heb “together against me they whisper, all those who hate me.” The Hitpael of לָחַשׁ (lakhash) refers here to whispering to one another (see 2 Sam 12:19).
Psalm 41:8 tn The words “they say” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation to make it clear that v. 8 contains a quotation of what the psalmist’s enemies say about him (see v. 7a).
Psalm 41:8 tn Heb “thing of worthlessness.” In Ps 101:3 the phrase refers to evil deeds in general, but here it appears to refer more specifically to the illness that plagues the psalmist.
Psalm 41:8 tn Heb “is poured out on him.” The passive participle of יָצַק (yatsaq) is used.
Psalm 41:8 tn Heb “and he who lies down will not again arise.”
Psalm 41:9 tn Heb “man of my peace.” The phrase here refers to one’s trusted friend (see Jer 38:22; Obad 7).
Psalm 41:9 tn Heb “has made a heel great against me.” The precise meaning of this phrase, which appears only here, is uncertain.sn The language of this verse is applied to Judas Iscariot in John 13:18.
Psalm 41:10 tn The cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) here indicates purpose or result (“Then I will repay them”) after the preceding imperatives.
Psalm 41:11 sn By this. Having recalled his former lament and petition, the psalmist returns to the confident mood of vv. 1-3. The basis for his confidence may be a divine oracle of deliverance, assuring him that God would intervene and vindicate him. The demonstrative pronoun “this” may refer to such an oracle, which is assumed here, though its contents are not included. See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 319, 321.
Psalm 41:11 tn Or “will.” One may translate the imperfect verbal form as descriptive (present, cf. NIV) or as anticipatory (future, cf. NEB).
Psalm 41:11 tn Heb “shout.”
Psalm 41:12 tn Or “have upheld.” The perfect verbal form can be taken as generalizing/descriptive (present) or as a present perfect.
Psalm 41:12 sn Because of my integrity. See Pss 7:8; 25:21; 26:1, 11.
Psalm 41:12 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive has the same aspectual function as the preceding perfect. It is either generalizing/descriptive (present) or has a present perfect nuance (“you have allowed”).
Psalm 41:12 tn Heb “and you cause me to stand before you permanently.”
Psalm 41:13 tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.
Psalm 41:13 tn Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.” See 1 Chr 16:36; Neh 9:5; Pss 90:2; 106:48.
Psalm 41:13 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.

2 Chronicles 7:12-22

¹²the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him: “I have answered^[a] your prayer and chosen this place to be my temple where sacrifices are to be made.^[b] ¹³When^[c] I close up the sky^[d] so that it doesn’t rain, or command locusts to devour the land’s vegetation,^[e] or send a plague among my people, ¹⁴if my people, who belong to me,^[f] humble themselves, pray, seek to please me,^[g] and repudiate their sinful practices,^[h] then I will respond^[i] from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.^[j] ¹⁵Now I will be attentive and responsive to the prayers offered in this place.^[k] ¹⁶Now I have chosen and consecrated this temple by making it my permanent home;^[l] I will be constantly present there.^[m] ¹⁷You must serve me as your father David did. Do everything I commanded and obey my rules and regulations.^[n] ¹⁸Then I will establish your dynasty,^[o] just as I promised your father David, ‘You will not fail to have a successor ruling over Israel.’^[p]

¹⁹“But if you people^[q] ever turn away from me, fail to obey the regulations and rules I instructed you to keep,^[r] and decide to serve and worship other gods,^[s] ²⁰then I will remove you^[t] from my land I have given you,^[u] I will abandon this temple I have consecrated with my presence,^[v] and I will make you^[w] an object of mockery and ridicule^[x] among all the nations. ²¹As for this temple, which was once majestic,^[y] everyone who passes by it will be shocked and say, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?’ ²²Others will then answer,^[z] ‘Because they abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors,^[aa] who led them out of Egypt. They embraced other gods whom they worshiped and served.^[ab] That is why he brought all this disaster down on them.’”

Footnotes

2 Chronicles 7:12 tn Heb “I have heard.”
2 Chronicles 7:12 tn Heb “temple of sacrifice.” This means the Lord designated the temple as the place for making sacrifices, and this has been clarified in the translation.
2 Chronicles 7:13 tn Or “if.”
2 Chronicles 7:13 tn Or “heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
2 Chronicles 7:13 tn Heb “the land,” which stands here by metonymy for the vegetation growing in it.
2 Chronicles 7:14 tn Heb “over whom my name is called.” The Hebrew idiom “call the name over” indicates ownership. See 2 Sam 12:28.
2 Chronicles 7:14 tn Heb “seek my face,” where “my face” is figurative for God’s presence and acceptance.
2 Chronicles 7:14 tn Heb “and turn from their sinful ways.”
2 Chronicles 7:14 tn Heb “hear.”
2 Chronicles 7:14 sn Here the phrase heal their land means restore the damage done by the drought, locusts and plague mentioned in v. 13.
2 Chronicles 7:15 tn Heb “my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer of this place.” Note Solomon’s request in 6:40.
2 Chronicles 7:16 tn Heb “for my name to be there perpetually [or perhaps, “forever”].”
2 Chronicles 7:16 tn Heb “and my eyes and my heart will be there all the days.”
2 Chronicles 7:17 tn Heb “As for you, if you walk before me, as David your father walked, by doing all which I commanded you, [and] you keep my rules and my regulations.”sn Verse 17 is actually a lengthy protasis (“if” section) of a conditional sentence, the apodosis (“then” section) of which appears in v. 18.
2 Chronicles 7:18 tn Heb “I will establish the throne of your kingdom.”
2 Chronicles 7:18 tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man ruling over Israel.”
2 Chronicles 7:19 tn The Hebrew pronoun is plural, suggesting that Solomon and all Israel (or perhaps Solomon and his successors) are in view. To convey this to the English reader, the translation “you people” has been employed.
2 Chronicles 7:19 tn Heb “which I placed before you.”
2 Chronicles 7:19 tn Heb “and walk and serve other gods and bow down to them.”
2 Chronicles 7:20 tn Heb “them.” The switch from the second to the third person pronoun is rhetorically effective, for it mirrors God’s rejection of his people—he has stopped addressing them as “you” and begun addressing them as “them.” However, the switch is awkward and confusing in English, so the translation maintains the direct address style.
2 Chronicles 7:20 tn Heb “them.” See the note on “you” earlier in this verse.
2 Chronicles 7:20 tc Instead of “I will throw away,” the parallel text in 1 Kgs 9:7 has “I will send away.” The two verbs sound very similar in Hebrew, so the discrepancy is likely due to an oral transmissional error.tn Heb “and this temple which I consecrated for my name I will throw away from before my face.”
2 Chronicles 7:20 tn Heb “him,” which appears in context to refer to Israel (i.e., “you” in direct address). Many translations understand the direct object of the verb “make” to be the temple (NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “it”).
2 Chronicles 7:20 tn Heb “and I will make him [i.e., Israel] a proverb and a taunt,” that is, a proverbial example of destruction and an object of reproach.
2 Chronicles 7:21 tn Heb “and this house which was high/elevated.” The statement makes little sense in this context, which predicts the desolation that judgment will bring. Some treat the clause as concessive, “Even though this temple is lofty [now].” Others, following the lead of several ancient versions, emend the text to, “this temple will become a heap of ruins.”
2 Chronicles 7:22 tn Heb “and they will say.”
2 Chronicles 7:22 tn Heb “fathers.”
2 Chronicles 7:22 tn Heb “and they took hold of other gods and bowed down to them and served them.”

3 John 2-8

²Dear friend, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul.^[a] ³For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, just as you are living according to the truth.^[b]

⁴I have no greater joy than this: to hear^[c] that my children are living according to the truth.^[d]

The Charge to Gaius

⁵Dear friend,^[e] you demonstrate faithfulness^[f] by whatever you do for the brothers (even though they are strangers). ⁶They^[g] have testified to your love before the church.^[h] You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.^[i] ⁷For they have gone forth^[j] on behalf of “The Name,”^[k] accepting nothing from the pagans.^[l] ⁸Therefore we^[m] ought to support such people, so that we become coworkers in cooperation with the truth.^[n]

Footnotes

3 John 1:2 tn The noun ψυχή (psuchē) is used 10 times in the Gospel of John and 2 times in 1 John; of these 6 of the uses in John and both in 1 John refer to a person’s “life” (as something that can be laid down). In John 10:24 and 12:27 the ψυχή is that part of a person where emotions are experienced; one’s ψυχή is held in suspense or deeply troubled. This is, in other words, the immaterial part of a person as opposed to his physical existence. A close parallel is found in Philo, Heir 58 (285): “nourished with peace, he will depart, having gained a calm, unclouded life…welfare in the body, welfare in the soul (ψυχή)…health and strength…delight in virtues.”sn Just as it is well with your soul. The equivalent contemporary idiom would be to speak of “spiritual” health as opposed to physical health. The author affirms that Gaius is indeed well off spiritually, and he prays that Gaius’ physical health would match his spiritual health, i.e., that Gaius would be as well off physically as he is spiritually. It is the spiritual health which is to be the standard by which one’s physical health is measured, not the other way round.
3 John 1:3 sn Living according to the truth (Grk “walking in [the] truth”). The use of the Greek verb περιπατέω (peripateō) to refer to conduct or lifestyle is common in the NT (see 1 John 1:6, 2 John 4, as well as numerous times in Paul). Here the phrase refers to conduct that results when a person has “truth” residing within, and possibly alludes to the indwelling Spirit of Truth (see 2 John 2). In the specific context of 3 John the phrase refers to true Christians who are holding fast to an apostolic Christology in the face of the secessionist opponents’ challenge to orthodoxy.
3 John 1:4 tn Grk “that I hear”; the ἵνα (hina) clause indicates content. This is more smoothly expressed as an English infinitive.
3 John 1:4 tn Grk “walking in (the) truth” (see the note on the phrase “living according to the truth” in 3 John 3).
3 John 1:5 tn The author has already described Gaius as “dear friend” or “beloved” (τῷ ἀγαπητῷ, tō agapētō) in v. 1; he will address Gaius in the same way in vv. 5 and 11 (᾿Αγαπητέ, Agapēte). This is a term of endearment and personal warmth, much as it is when used by the author as an address in 1 John 2:7.
3 John 1:5 tn BDAG 821 s.v. πιστός 1.b offers the translation “act loyally” for this context, a usage which is not common but does fit well here. Since the author is going to ask Gaius for additional help for these missionaries in the following verse, he begins here by commending Gaius for all that he has already done in this regard.sn When the author tells Gaius “you demonstrate faithfulness by whatever you do” he is commending him for his faithful service to the traveling missionaries (the brothers). Gaius has assisted them, and they have now returned with a report of this to the author (3 John 3).
3 John 1:6 tn Grk “who” (a relative pronoun that continues the sentence begun in 3 John 5).
3 John 1:6 sn Which church does the author refer to here? The church where Gaius is, the church where the author is, a different local church where the “brothers” are, or the ‘universal’ church, the church at large? Since the suggestion in 3 John 3 is that the “brothers” have come and testified in the author’s church about what Gaius has done for them, it seems most likely that the “church” mentioned here is also the author’s church, where he is currently located. Other possibilities cannot be ruled out, but seem unnecessarily complicated.
3 John 1:6 sn Now the author, after commending Gaius for his faithful service to the traveling missionaries in the past (see 3 John 5), now requests additional assistance at the present time (send them on their way in a manner worthy of God). Apparently the missionaries are on their way to visit the area where Gaius’ church is located a second time. They had been there once already and had returned with a good report of how Gaius had assisted them. It is entirely possible that they themselves carry with them the present letter as a letter of introduction. Along these lines it has been suggested that Demetrius (see 3 John 12) is one of these traveling missionaries, perhaps the leader of the delegation, and the author is formally introducing him to Gaius, since when he was there the last time he was a stranger (v. 5) but Gaius assisted him anyway.
3 John 1:7 sn The verb gone forth (ἐξέρχομαι, exerchomai) almost certainly refers to some form of missionary activity. This verb is used of Paul’s travels in Acts 14:20, and of his setting out on his second missionary journey in Acts 15:40.
3 John 1:7 sn Three possibilities for the identification of “The Name” have been suggested: (1) the name of God, suggested by the unqualified noun with the Greek article. In Rabbinic literature “the Name” is a frequent substitute for the Tetragrammaton YHWH, the name of God, which was too sacred to be pronounced. This would make good logical sense in 3 John, because in the previous verse the author has instructed Gaius to send the missionaries on their way “in a manner worthy of God.” (2) Some have understood “the Name” as the self-designation of the Johannine community, or as a reference to the Christian cause at large, or as a way of designating Christians before the title “Christian” came into common usage. (3) The interpretation favored by most commentators is that this is a reference to Jesus’ name. Paul uses a similar phrase in Rom 1:5, and in 1 John 2:12 the author wrote, “your sins are forgiven on account of His (Christ’s) name.” John’s Gospel also makes reference to believing “in the name of Jesus” (John 1:12; 3:18).
3 John 1:7 tn The word ἐθνικός (ethnikos) occurs only 4 times in the NT (the other three are in Matt 5:47; 6:7; and 18:17). It is virtually synonymous here with the far more common ἔθνος (ethnos, used some 162 times in the NT). Both refer to the Gentiles (that is, pagans).sn Since the issue here is support for the traveling missionaries, and there is no indication that the author would want to forbid receiving support from Gentile converts to Christianity, the word pagans must refer to Gentile unbelievers, i.e., pagans. The traveling missionaries sent out to combat the false teaching of the secessionist opponents have been accepting nothing by way of support from non-Christians.
3 John 1:8 sn Clearly the author does not refer to himself alone by the use of the first person plural pronoun we here, since the issue is support for the traveling missionaries. It stands in contrast to the pagans mentioned in the previous verse, and is thus to be understood as inclusive of all true Christians: the author, Gaius, and all true Christians. All true Christians ought to support the endeavors of these traveling missionaries in their efforts to counteract the heretical teaching of the opponents.
3 John 1:8 tn The ἵνα (hina) clause indicates the result of such support for the traveling missionaries: The Christian who helps to support them in their efforts thus becomes a coworker in cooperation with the truth. Although the dative τῇ ἀληθείᾳ (tē alētheia) is somewhat difficult to specify, it would appear (corresponding to the σύν- [sun-] prefix of the noun modified) to indicate a sense of cooperation with “the truth” which is at work through the missionaries. There is precedent in the Johannine literature for understanding “truth” as personified (John 8:32, “the truth will make you free”; possibly also 1 John 3:19). More explicitly, 1 John 4:6 identifies the Holy Spirit as “the Spirit of Truth,” a characterization repeated in 1 John 5:6. Thus it seems likely that the “truth” at work through the missionaries here is ultimately the Holy Spirit, who works through their efforts. The Christian who supports them thus becomes a coworker with the Spirit of God himself.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 41[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

Footnotes

Footnotes

The Charge to Gaius

Footnotes

Psalm 41^[a]