◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Psalm 19 (The commandments give light to the eyes); Exodus 19:16-25 (Preparation for the giving of the commandments); Mark 9:2-8 (Moses with Elijah and Jesus on a mountain) (New English Translation)

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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 19

Psalm 19^[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

19 The heavens declare the glory of God;^[b]
the sky displays his handiwork.^[c]
²Day after day it speaks out;^[d]
night after night it reveals his greatness.^[e]
³There is no actual speech or word,
nor is its^[f] voice literally heard.
⁴Yet its voice^[g] echoes^[h] throughout the earth;
its^[i] words carry^[j] to the distant horizon.^[k]
In the sky^[l] he has pitched a tent for the sun.^[m]
⁵Like a bridegroom it emerges^[n] from its chamber;^[o]
like a strong man it enjoys^[p] running its course.^[q]
⁶It emerges from the distant horizon,^[r]
and goes from one end of the sky to the other;^[s]
nothing can escape^[t] its heat.
⁷The law of the Lord is perfect
and preserves one’s life.^[u]
The rules set down by the Lord^[v] are reliable^[w]
and impart wisdom to the inexperienced.^[x]
⁸The Lord’s precepts are fair^[y]
and make one joyful.^[z]
The Lord’s commands^[aa] are pure^[ab]
and give insight for life.^[ac]
⁹The commands to fear the Lord are right^[ad]
and endure forever.^[ae]
The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy
and absolutely just.^[af]
¹⁰They are of greater value^[ag] than gold,
than even a great amount of pure gold;
they bring greater delight^[ah] than honey,
than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb.
¹¹Yes, your servant finds moral guidance there;^[ai]
those who obey them receive a rich reward.^[aj]
¹²Who can know all his errors?^[ak]
Please do not punish me for sins I am unaware of.^[al]
¹³Moreover, keep me from committing flagrant sins;^[am]
do not allow such sins to control me.^[an]
Then I will be blameless,
and innocent of blatant^[ao] rebellion.
¹⁴May my words and my thoughts
be acceptable in your sight,^[ap]
O Lord, my sheltering rock^[aq] and my redeemer.^[ar]

Footnotes

Psalm 19:1 sn Psalm 19. The psalmist praises God for his self-revelation in the heavens and in the Mosaic law. The psalmist concludes with a prayer, asking the Lord to keep him from sinning and to approve of his thoughts and words.
Psalm 19:1 sn God’s glory refers here to his royal majesty and power.
Psalm 19:1 tn Heb “and the work of his hands the sky declares.” The participles emphasize the ongoing testimony of the heavens/sky.
Psalm 19:2 tn Heb “it gushes forth a word.” The “sky” (see v. 1b) is the subject of the verb. Though not literally speaking (see v. 3), it clearly reveals God’s royal majesty. The sun’s splendor and its movement across the sky is in view (see vv. 4-6).
Psalm 19:2 tn Heb “it [i.e., the sky] declares knowledge,” i.e., knowledge about God’s royal majesty and power (see v. 1). This apparently refers to the splendor and movements of the stars. The imperfect verbal forms in v. 2, like the participles in the preceding verse, combine with the temporal phrases (“day after day” and “night after night”) to emphasize the ongoing testimony of the sky.
Psalm 19:3 tn Heb “their.” The antecedent of the plural pronoun is “heavens” (v. 1).
Psalm 19:4 tc The MT reads, “their measuring line” (קוּם, qum). The noun קַו (qav, “measuring line”) makes no sense in this context. The reading קוֹלָם (qolam, “their voice”) which is supported by the LXX, is preferable.
Psalm 19:4 tn Heb “goes out,” or “proceeds forth.”
Psalm 19:4 tn Heb “their” (see the note on the word “its” in v. 3).
Psalm 19:4 tn The verb is supplied in the translation. The Hebrew text has no verb; יָצָא (yatsaʾ, “goes out”) is understood by ellipsis.
Psalm 19:4 tn Heb “to the end of the world.”
Psalm 19:4 tn Heb “in them” (i.e., the heavens).
Psalm 19:4 sn He has pitched a tent for the sun. The personified sun emerges from this “tent” in order to make its daytime journey across the sky. So the “tent” must refer metaphorically to the place where the sun goes to rest during the night.
Psalm 19:5 tn The participle expresses the repeated or regular nature of the action.
Psalm 19:5 tn The Hebrew noun חֻפָּה (khufah, “chamber”) occurs elsewhere only in Isa 4:5 and Joel 2:16 (where it refers to the bedroom of a bride and groom).sn Like a bridegroom. The metaphor likens the sun to a bridegroom who rejoices on his wedding night.
Psalm 19:5 tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the regularity of the action.
Psalm 19:5 tn Heb “[on] a path.”sn Like a strong man. The metaphorical language reflects the brilliance of the sunrise, which attests to the sun’s vigor.
Psalm 19:6 tn Heb “from the end of the heavens [is] its going forth.”
Psalm 19:6 tn Heb “and its circuit [is] to their ends.”
Psalm 19:6 tn Heb “is hidden from.”
Psalm 19:7 tn Heb “[it] restores life.” Elsewhere the Hiphil of שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) when used with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “life”) as object, means to “rescue or preserve one’s life” (Job 33:30; Ps 35:17) or to “revive one’s strength” (emotionally or physically; cf. Ruth 4:15; Lam 1:11, 16, 19). Here the point seems to be that the law preserves the life of the one who studies it by making known God’s will. Those who know God’s will know how to please him and can avoid offending him. See v. 11a.
Psalm 19:7 tn Traditionally, “the testimony of the Lord.” The noun עֵדוּת (ʿedut) refers here to the demands of God’s covenant law.
Psalm 19:7 tn God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.
Psalm 19:7 tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly.
Psalm 19:8 tn Or “just.” Perhaps the idea is that they impart a knowledge of what is just and right.
Psalm 19:8 tn Heb “[they] make happy [the] heart.” Perhaps the point is that they bring a sense of joyful satisfaction to the one who knows and keeps them, for those who obey God’s law are richly rewarded. See v. 11b.
Psalm 19:8 tn Heb “command.” The singular here refers to the law as a whole.
Psalm 19:8 tn Because they reflect God’s character, his commands provide a code of moral and ethical purity.
Psalm 19:8 tn Heb [they] enlighten [the] eyes.
Psalm 19:9 tn Heb “the fear of the Lord is clean.” The phrase “fear of the Lord” probably refers here to the law, which teaches one how to demonstrate proper reverence for the Lord. See Ps 111:10 for another possible use of the phrase in this sense.
Psalm 19:9 tn Heb “[it] stands permanently.”
Psalm 19:9 sn Trustworthy and absolutely just. The Lord’s commands accurately reflect God’s moral will for his people and are an expression of his just character.
Psalm 19:10 tn Heb “more desirable.”
Psalm 19:10 tn Heb “are sweeter.” God’s law is “sweet’ in the sense that, when obeyed, it brings a great reward (see v. 11b).
Psalm 19:11 tn Heb “moreover your servant is warned by them.”
Psalm 19:11 tn Heb “in the keeping of them [there is] a great reward.”
Psalm 19:12 tn Heb “Errors who can discern?” This rhetorical question makes the point that perfect moral discernment is impossible to achieve. Consequently it is inevitable that even those with good intentions will sin on occasion.
Psalm 19:12 tn Heb “declare me innocent from hidden [things],” i.e., sins. In this context (see the preceding line) “hidden” sins are not sins committed in secret, but sins which are not recognized as such by the psalmist.
Psalm 19:13 tn Or “presumptuous sins.”
Psalm 19:13 tn Heb “let them not rule over me.”
Psalm 19:13 tn Heb “great.”
Psalm 19:14 tn Heb “may the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart be acceptable before you.” The prefixed verbal form at the beginning of the verse is understood as a jussive of prayer. Another option is to translate the form as an imperfect continuing the thought of v. 14b: “[Then] the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart will be acceptable before you.”
Psalm 19:14 tn Heb “my rocky cliff,” which is a metaphor for protection; thus the translation “sheltering rock.”
Psalm 19:14 tn Heb “and the one who redeems me.” The metaphor casts the Lord in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis.

Exodus 19:16-25

¹⁶On^[a] the third day in the morning there was thunder and lightning and a dense^[b] cloud on the mountain, and the sound of a very loud^[c] horn;^[d] all the people who were in the camp trembled. ¹⁷Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their place at the foot of the mountain. ¹⁸Now Mount Sinai was completely covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire, and its smoke went up like the smoke of a great furnace,^[e] and the whole mountain shook^[f] violently. ¹⁹When the sound of the horn grew louder and louder,^[g] Moses was speaking^[h] and God was answering him with a voice.^[i]

²⁰The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain, and the Lord summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. ²¹The Lord said to Moses, “Go down and solemnly warn^[j] the people, lest they force their way through to the Lord to look, and many of them perish.^[k] ²²Let the priests also, who approach the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break through^[l] against them.”

²³Moses said to the Lord, “The people are not able to come up to Mount Sinai, because you solemnly warned us,^[m] ‘Set boundaries for the mountain and set it apart.’”^[n] ²⁴The Lord said to him, “Go, get down, and then come up, and Aaron with you, but do not let the priests and the people force their way through to come up to the Lord, lest he break through against them.” ²⁵So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.^[o]

Footnotes

Exodus 19:16 tn Heb “and it was on.”
Exodus 19:16 tn Heb “heavy” (כָּבֵד, kaved).
Exodus 19:16 tn Literally “strong” (חָזָק, khazaq).
Exodus 19:16 tn The word here is שֹׁפָר (shofar), the normal word for “horn.” This word is used especially to announce something important in a public event (see 1 Kgs 1:34; 2 Sam 6:15). The previous word used in the context (v. 16) was יֹבֵל (yovel, “ram’s horn”).
Exodus 19:18 sn The image is that of a large kiln, as in Gen 19:28.
Exodus 19:18 tn This is the same word translated “trembled” above (v. 16).
Exodus 19:19 tn The active participle הוֹלֵךְ (holekh) is used to add the idea of “continually” to the action of the sentence; here the trumpet became very loud—continually. See GKC 344 §113.u.
Exodus 19:19 tn The two verbs here (“spoke” and “answered”) are imperfect tenses; they emphasize repeated action but in past time. The customary imperfect usually is translated “would” or “used to” do the action, but here continuous action in past time is meant. S. R. Driver translates it “kept speaking” and “kept answering” (Exodus, 172).
Exodus 19:19 tn The text simply has בְּקוֹל (b^eqol); it could mean “with a voice” or it could mean “in thunder” since “voice” was used in v. 16 for thunder. In this context it would be natural to say that the repeated thunderings were the voice of God—but how is that an answer? Deut 4:12 says that the people heard the sound of words. U. Cassuto (Exodus, 232-33) rightly comments, “He was answering him with a loud voice so that it was possible for Moses to hear His words clearly in the midst of the storm.” He then draws a parallel from Ugaritic where it tells that one of the gods was speaking in a loud voice.
Exodus 19:21 tn The imperative הָעֵד (haʿed) means “charge” them—put them under oath, or solemnly warn them. God wished to ensure that the people would not force their way past the barriers that had been set out.
Exodus 19:21 tn Heb “and fall”; NAB “be struck down.”
Exodus 19:22 tn The verb יִפְרֹץ (yifrots) is the imperfect tense from פָּרַץ (parats, “to make a breach, to break through”). The image of Yahweh breaking forth on them means “work destruction” (see 2 Sam 6:8; S. R. Driver, Exodus, 174).
Exodus 19:23 tn The construction is emphatic: “because you—you solemnly warned us.” Moses’ response to God is to ask how they would break through when God had already charged them not to. God knew them better than Moses did.
Exodus 19:23 tn Heb “sanctify it.”
Exodus 19:25 sn The passage has many themes and emphases that could be developed in exposition. It could serve for meditation, that is, the theology drawn from the three parts could be subordinated to the theme of holiness: God is holy, therefore adhere to his word for service, approach him through a mediator, and adore him in purity and fearful reverence. A developed outline for the exposition could be organized as follows: I. If the people of God will obey him, they will be privileged to serve in a unique way (vv. 1-8); II. If the people of God are to obey, they must be convinced of the divine source of their commands (v. 9); and finally, III. If the people of God are convinced of the divine approval of their mediator, and the divine source of their instructions, they must sanctify themselves before him (vv. 10-25). In sum, the manifestation of the holiness of Yahweh is the reason for sanctification and worship. The correlation is to be made through 1 Peter 2 to the church. The Church is a kingdom of priests; it is to obey the Word of God. What is the motivation for this? Their mediator is Jesus Christ; he has the approval of the Father and manifests the glory of God to his own; and he declares the purpose of their calling is to display his glory. God’s people are to abstain from sin so that pagans can see their good works and glorify God.

Mark 9:2-8

The Transfiguration

²Six days later^[a] Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John and led them alone up a high mountain privately. And he was transfigured before them,^[b] ³and his clothes became radiantly white, more so than any launderer in the world could bleach them. ⁴Then Elijah appeared before them along with Moses,^[c] and they were talking with Jesus. ⁵So^[d] Peter said to Jesus,^[e] “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three shelters^[f]—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁶(For they were afraid, and he did not know what to say.)^[g] ⁷Then^[h] a cloud^[i] overshadowed them,^[j] and a voice came from the cloud, “This is my one dear Son.^[k] Listen to him!”^[l] ⁸Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more except Jesus.

Footnotes

Mark 9:2 tn Grk “And after six days.”
Mark 9:2 sn In 1st century Judaism and in the NT, there was the belief that the righteous get new, glorified bodies in order to enter heaven (1 Cor 15:42-49; 2 Cor 5:1-10). This transformation means the righteous will share the glory of God. One recalls the way Moses shared the Lord’s glory after his visit to the mountain in Exod 34. So the disciples saw Jesus transfigured, and they were getting a sneak preview of the great glory that Jesus would have (only his glory is more inherent to him as one who shares in the rule of the kingdom).
Mark 9:4 sn Commentators and scholars discuss why Moses and Elijah are present. The most likely explanation is that Moses represents the prophetic office (Acts 3:18-22) and Elijah pictures the presence of the last days (Mal 4:5-6), the prophet of the eschaton (the end times).
Mark 9:5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Mark 9:5 tn Grk “And answering, Peter said to Jesus.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokritheis) is redundant and has not been translated.
Mark 9:5 tn Or “dwellings,” “booths” (referring to the temporary booths constructed in the celebration of the feast of Tabernacles).sn Peter apparently wanted to celebrate the feast of Tabernacles or Booths that looked forward to the end and wanted to treat Moses, Elijah, and Jesus as equals by making three shelters (one for each). It was actually a way of expressing honor to Jesus, but the next few verses make it clear that it was not enough honor.
Mark 9:6 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
Mark 9:7 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Mark 9:7 sn This cloud is the cloud of God’s presence and the voice is his as well.
Mark 9:7 tn Grk “And there came a cloud, surrounding them.”
Mark 9:7 tn Grk “my beloved Son,” or “my Son, the beloved [one].” The force of ἀγαπητός (agapētos) is often “pertaining to one who is the only one of his or her class, but at the same time is particularly loved and cherished” (L&N 58.53; cf. also BDAG 7 s.v. 1).
Mark 9:7 sn The expression listen to him comes from Deut 18:15 and makes two points: 1) Jesus is a prophet like Moses, a leader-prophet, and 2) they have much yet to learn from him.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 19[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

Footnotes

Footnotes

The Transfiguration

Footnotes

Psalm 19^[a]