◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Psalm 45:6-17 (A marriage song); Hosea 14:1-9 (A plea for repentance); 2 Corinthians 11:1-15 (Christians a chaste bride to Christ) (New English Translation)

Prev Day

May 30, 1967

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

May 1967
Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	31

Return to today's reading

Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with sequential stories told across multiple weeks.

Duration: 1245 days

Psalm 45:6-17

⁶Your throne,^[a] O God, is permanent.^[b]
The scepter^[c] of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.
⁷You love^[d] justice and hate evil.^[e]
For this reason God, your God,^[f] has anointed you^[g]
with the oil of joy,^[h] elevating you above your companions.^[i]
⁸All your garments are perfumed with^[j] myrrh, aloes, and cassia.
From the luxurious palaces^[k] comes the music of stringed instruments that makes you happy.^[l]
⁹Princesses^[m] are among your honored women.^[n]
Your bride^[o] stands at your right hand, wearing jewelry made with gold from Ophir.^[p]
¹⁰Listen, O princess.^[q]
Observe and pay attention!^[r]
Forget your homeland^[s] and your family.^[t]
¹¹Then^[u] the king will be attracted by^[v] your beauty.
After all, he is your master. Submit^[w] to him.^[x]
¹²Rich people from Tyre
will seek your favor by bringing a gift.^[y]
¹³The princess^[z] looks absolutely magnificent,^[aa]
decked out in pearls and clothed in a brocade trimmed with gold.^[ab]
¹⁴In embroidered robes she is escorted to the king.
Her attendants, the maidens of honor who follow her,
are led before you.^[ac]
¹⁵They are bubbling with joy as they walk in procession
and enter the royal palace.^[ad]
¹⁶Your^[ae] sons will carry on^[af] the dynasty of your ancestors;^[ag]
you will make them princes throughout the land.
¹⁷I will proclaim your greatness through the coming years,^[ah]
then the nations will praise you^[ai] forever.

Footnotes

Psalm 45:6 sn The king’s throne here symbolizes his rule.
Psalm 45:6 tn Or “forever and ever.”sn O God. The king is clearly the addressee here, as in vv. 2-5 and 7-9. Rather than taking the statement at face value, many prefer to emend the text because the concept of deifying the earthly king is foreign to ancient Israelite thinking (cf. NEB “your throne is like God’s throne, eternal”). However, it is preferable to retain the text and take this statement as another instance of the royal hyperbole that permeates the royal psalms. Because the Davidic king is God’s vice-regent on earth, the psalmist addresses him as if he were God incarnate. God energizes the king for battle and accomplishes justice through him. A similar use of hyperbole appears in Isa 9:6, where the ideal Davidic king of the eschaton is given the title “Mighty God” (see the note on this phrase there). Ancient Near Eastern art and literature picture gods training kings for battle, bestowing special weapons, and intervening in battle. According to Egyptian propaganda, the Hittites described Rameses II as follows: “No man is he who is among us, It is Seth great-of-strength, Baal in person; Not deeds of man are these his doings, They are of one who is unique” (see Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, 2:67). Ps 45:6 and Isa 9:6 probably envision a similar kind of response when friends and foes alike look at the Davidic king in full battle regalia. When the king’s enemies oppose him on the battlefield, they are, as it were, fighting against God himself.
Psalm 45:6 sn The king’s scepter symbolizes his royal authority.
Psalm 45:7 sn To love justice means to actively promote it.
Psalm 45:7 sn To hate evil means to actively oppose it.
Psalm 45:7 tn For other examples of the repetition of Elohim, “God,” see Pss 43:4; 48:8, 14; 50:7; 51:14; 67:7. Because the name Yahweh (“Lord”) is relatively rare in Pss 42-83, where the name Elohim (“God”) predominates, this compounding of Elohim may be an alternative form of the compound name “the Lord my/your/our God.”
Psalm 45:7 sn Anointed you. When read in the light of the preceding context, the anointing is most naturally taken as referring to the king’s coronation. However, the following context (vv. 8-9) focuses on the wedding ceremony, so some prefer to see this anointing as part of the king’s preparations for the wedding celebration. Perhaps the reference to his anointing at his coronation facilitates the transition to the description of the wedding, for the king was also anointed on this occasion.
Psalm 45:7 sn The phrase oil of joy alludes to the fact that the coronation of the king, which was ritually accomplished by anointing his head with olive oil, was a time of great celebration and renewed hope. (If one understands the anointing in conjunction with the wedding ceremony, the “joy” would be that associated with the marriage.) The phrase “oil of joy” also appears in Isa 61:3, where mourners are granted “oil of joy” in conjunction with their deliverance from oppression.
Psalm 45:7 tn Heb “from your companions.” The “companions” are most naturally understood as others in the royal family or, more generally, as the king’s countrymen.sn Verses 6-7 are quoted in Heb 1:8-9, where they are applied to Jesus.
Psalm 45:8 tn The words “perfumed with” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
Psalm 45:8 tn Heb “the palaces of ivory.” The phrase “palaces of ivory” refers to palaces that had ivory panels and furniture decorated with ivory inlays. Such decoration with ivory was characteristic of a high level of luxury. See 1 Kgs 22:39 and Amos 3:15.
Psalm 45:8 tn Heb “from the palaces of ivory stringed instrument[s] make you happy.”
Psalm 45:9 tn Heb “daughters of kings.”
Psalm 45:9 tn Heb “valuable ones.” The form is feminine plural.
Psalm 45:9 tn This rare Hebrew noun apparently refers to the king’s bride, who will soon be queen (see Neh 2:6). The Aramaic cognate is used of royal wives in Dan 5:2-3, 23.
Psalm 45:9 tn Heb “a consort stands at your right hand, gold of Ophir.”sn Gold from Ophir is also mentioned in Isa 13:12 and Job 28:16. The precise location of Ophir is uncertain; Arabia, India, East Africa, and South Africa have all been suggested as options.
Psalm 45:10 tn Heb “daughter.” The Hebrew noun בַּת (bat, “daughter”) can sometimes refer to a young woman in a general sense (see H. Haag, TDOT 2:334).sn Listen, O princess. The poet now addresses the bride.
Psalm 45:10 tn Heb “see and turn your ear.” The verb רָאָה (raʾah, “see”) is used here of mental observation.
Psalm 45:10 tn Heb “your people.” This reference to the “people” of the princess suggests she was a foreigner. Perhaps the marriage was arranged as part of a political alliance between Israel (or Judah) and a neighboring state. The translation “your homeland” reflects such a situation.
Psalm 45:10 tn Heb “and the house of your father.”
Psalm 45:11 tn After the preceding imperatives, the jussive verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive is best understood as introducing a purpose (“so that the king might desire your beauty”) or result clause (see the present translation and cf. also NASB). The point seems to be this: The bride might tend to be homesick, which in turn might cause her to mourn and diminish her attractiveness. She needs to overcome this temptation to unhappiness and enter into the marriage with joy. Then the king will be drawn to her natural beauty.
Psalm 45:11 tn Or “desire.”
Psalm 45:11 tn Or “bow down.”
Psalm 45:11 sn Submit to him. The poet here makes the point that the young bride is obligated to bring pleasure to her new husband. Though a foreign concept to modern western culture, this was accepted as the cultural norm in the psalmist’s day.
Psalm 45:12 tn Heb “and a daughter of Tyre with a gift, your face they will appease, the rich of people.” The phrase “daughter of Tyre” occurs only here in the OT. It could be understood as addressed to the bride, indicating she was a Phoenician (cf. NEB). However, often in the OT the word “daughter,” when collocated with the name of a city or country, is used to personify the referent (see, for example, “Daughter Zion” in Ps 9:14, and “Daughter Babylon” in Ps 137:8). If that is the case here, then “Daughter Tyre” identifies the city-state of Tyre as the place from which the rich people come (cf. NRSV). The idiom “appease the face” refers to seeking one’s favor (see Exod 32:11; 1 Sam 13:12; 1 Kgs 13:6; 2 Kgs 13:4; 2 Chr 33:12; Job 11:19; Ps 119:58; Prov 19:6; Jer 26:19; Dan 9:13; Zech 7:2; 8:21-22; Mal 1:9).
Psalm 45:13 tn Heb “[the] daughter of a king.”
Psalm 45:13 tn Heb “[is] completely glorious.”
Psalm 45:13 tc Heb “within, from settings of gold, her clothing.” The Hebrew term פְּנִימָה (p^enimah, “within”), if retained, would go with the preceding line and perhaps refer to the bride being “within” the palace or her bridal chamber (cf. NIV, NRSV). Since the next two lines refer to her attire (see also v. 9b), it is preferable to emend the form to פְּנִינִיהָּ (p^eniniha, “her pearls”) or to פְּנִינִים (p^eninim, “pearls”). The mem (מ) prefixed to “settings” is probably dittographic.
Psalm 45:14 tn Heb “virgins after her, her companions, are led to you.” Some emend לָךְ (lakh, “to you”) to לָהּ (lah, “to her,” i.e., the princess), because the princess is now being spoken of in the third person (vv. 13-14a), rather than being addressed directly (as in vv. 10-12). However, the ambiguous suffixed form לָךְ need not be taken as second feminine singular. The suffix can be understood as a pausal second masculine singular form, addressed to the king. The translation assumes this to be the case; note that the king is addressed once more in vv. 16-17, where the second person pronouns are masculine.
Psalm 45:15 tn Heb “they are led with joy and happiness, they enter the house of the king.”
Psalm 45:16 tn The pronoun is second masculine singular, indicating the king is being addressed from this point to the end of the psalm.
Psalm 45:16 tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as jussive and the statement interpreted as a prayer, “May your sons carry on the dynasty of your ancestors!” The next line could then be taken as a relative clause, “[your sons] whom you will make princes throughout the land.”
Psalm 45:16 tn Heb “in place of your fathers will be your sons.”
Psalm 45:17 tn Heb “I will cause your name to be remembered in every generation and generation.” The cohortative verbal form expresses the poet’s resolve. The king’s “name” stands here for his reputation and character, which the poet praised in vv. 2-7.
Psalm 45:17 sn The nations will praise you. As God’s vice-regent on earth, the king is deserving of such honor and praise.

Hosea 14

Prophetic Call to Genuine Repentance

14 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
for your sin has been your downfall!^[a]
²Return to the Lord and repent!^[b]
Say to him: “Completely^[c] forgive our iniquity;
accept^[d] our penitential prayer,^[e]
that we may offer the praise of our lips as sacrificial bulls.^[f]
³Assyria cannot save us;
we will not ride warhorses.
We will never again say, ‘Our gods,’
to what our own hands have made.
For only you will show compassion to Orphan Israel!”^[g]

Divine Promise to Relent from Judgment and to Restore Blessings

⁴“I will heal their waywardness^[h]
and love them freely,^[i]
for my anger will turn away^[j] from them.
⁵I will be like the dew to Israel;
he will blossom like a lily,
he will send down his roots like a cedar of^[k] Lebanon.
⁶His young shoots will grow;
his splendor will be like an olive tree,
his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.
⁷People will reside again^[l] in his shade;
they will plant and harvest grain in abundance.^[m]
They will blossom like a vine,
and his fame will be like the wine from Lebanon.
⁸O Ephraim, I do not want to have anything to do^[n] with idols anymore!
I will answer him and care for him.
I am like^[o] a luxuriant cypress tree;^[p]
your fruitfulness comes from me!”^[q]

Concluding Exhortation

⁹Who is wise?
Let him discern^[r] these things!
Who is discerning?
Let him understand them!
For the ways of the Lord are right;
the godly walk in them,
but in them the rebellious stumble.

Footnotes

Hosea 14:1 tn Heb “For you have stumbled in your iniquity”; cf. NASB, NRSV “because of your iniquity.”
Hosea 14:2 tn Heb “Take words with you and return to the Lord” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
Hosea 14:2 tn The word order כָּל־תִּשָּׂא עָוֹן (kol tisaʾ ʿavon) is syntactically awkward. The BHS editors suggest rearranging the word order: תִּשָּׂא כָּל־עָוֹן (“Forgive all [our] iniquity!”). However, Gesenius suggests that כָּל (“all”) does not function as the construct in the genitive phrase כָּל־עָוֹן (“all [our] iniquity”); it functions adverbially modifying the verb תִּשָּׂא (“Completely forgive!”; see GKC 415 §128.e).
Hosea 14:2 sn The repetition of the root לָקַח (laqakh) creates a striking wordplay in 14:2. If Israel will bring (לָקַח) its confession to God, he will accept (לָקַח) repentant Israel and completely forgive its sin.
Hosea 14:2 tn Heb “and accept [our] speech.” The word טוֹב (tov) is often confused with the common homonymic root I טוֹב (tov, “good”; BDB 373 s.v. I טוֹב). However, this is probably IV טוֹב (tov, “word, speech”; HALOT 372 s.v. IV טוֹב), a hapax legomenon that is related to the verb טבב (“to speak”; HALOT 367 s.v. טבב) and the noun טִבָּה (tibbah, “rumor”; HALOT 367 s.v. טִבָּה). The term טוֹב (“word; speech”) refers to the repentant prayer mentioned in 14:1-3. Most translations relate it to I טוֹב and treat it as (1) accusative direct object: “accept that which is good” (RSV, NJPS) and “Accept our good sacrifices” (CEV), or (2) adverbial accusative of manner: “receive [us] graciously” (KJV, NASB, NIV). Note TEV, however, which follows the suggestion made here: “accept our prayer.”
Hosea 14:2 tc The MT reads פָרִים (farim, “bulls”), but the LXX reflects פְּרִי (p^eri, “fruit”), a reading followed by NASB, NIV, NRSV “that we may offer the fruit of [our] lips [as sacrifices to you].” Although the Greek expression in Heb 13:15 (καρπὸν χειλέων, karpon cheileōn, “the fruit of lips”) reflects this LXX phrase, the MT makes good sense as it stands; NT usage of the LXX should not be considered decisive in resolving OT textual problems. The noun פָּרִים (parim, “bulls”) functions as an adverbial accusative of state.
Hosea 14:3 tn Heb “For the orphan is shown compassion by you.” The present translation takes “orphan” as a figurative reference to Israel, which is specified in the translation for clarity.
Hosea 14:4 sn The noun מְשׁוּבָתָה (m^eshuvatah, “waywardness”; cf. KJV “backsliding”) is from the same root as שׁוּבָה (shuvah, “return!”) in 14:1 [14:2 HT]. This repetition of שׁוּב (shuv) creates a wordplay that emphasizes reciprocity: if Israel will return (שׁוּבָה, shuvah) to the Lord, he will cure her of the tendency to turn away (מְשׁוּבָתָה) from him.
Hosea 14:4 tn The noun נְדָבָה (n^edavah, “voluntariness; free-will offering”) is an adverbial accusative of manner: “freely, voluntarily” (BDB 621 s.v. נְדָבָה 1). Cf. CEV “without limit,” TEV “with all my heart,” NLT “my love will know no bounds.”
Hosea 14:4 sn The verb שָׁב, shav, “will turn” (Qal perfect third person masculine singular from שׁוּב, shuv, “to turn”), continues the wordplay on שׁוּב in 14:1-4 [14:2-5 HT]. If Israel will “return” (שׁוּב) to the Lord, he will heal Israel’s tendency to “turn away” (מְשׁוּבָתָה, m^eshuvatah) and “turn” (שָׁב) from his anger.
Hosea 14:5 tn Heb “like Lebanon” (so KJV; also in the following verse). The phrase “a cedar of” does not appear in the Hebrew text; it is supplied in translation for clarity (cf. TEV “the trees of Lebanon,” NRSV “the forests of Lebanon”).
Hosea 14:7 tn Hosea uses the similar-sounding terms יָשֻׁבוּ יֹשְׁבֵי (yashuvu yosh^eve, “the dwellers will return”) to create a wordplay between the roots שׁוּב (shuv, “to return”) and יָשַׁב (yashav, “to dwell; to reside”).
Hosea 14:7 tn Heb “they will cause the grain to live” or “they will revive the grain.” Some English versions treat this as a comparison: “they shall revive as the corn,” (KJV) and “will flourish like the grain” (NIV).
Hosea 14:8 tn The Hebrew expression מַה־לִּי עוֹד (mah-lli ʿod) is a formula of repudiation/emphatic denial that God has anything in common with idols: “I want to have nothing to do with […] any more!” (cf., e.g., Judg 11:12; 2 Sam 16:10; 19:23; 1 Kgs 17:18; 2 Kgs 3:13; 2 Chr 35:21; Jer 2:18; Ps 50:16; BDB 553 s.v. מָה 1.d.[c]).
Hosea 14:8 tn The term “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for clarity, as in the majority of English versions (including KJV).
Hosea 14:8 tn Cf. KJV “a green fir tree,” NIV, NCV “a green pine tree,” NRSV “an evergreen cypress.”
Hosea 14:8 tn Heb “your fruit is found in me”; cf. NRSV “your faithfulness comes from me.”
Hosea 14:9 tn The shortened form of the prefix-conjugation verb וְיָבֵן (v^eyaven) indicates that it is a jussive rather than an imperfect. When a jussive comes from a superior to an inferior, it may connote exhortation and instruction or advice and counsel. For the functions of the jussive, see IBHS 568-70 §34.3.

2 Corinthians 11:1-15

Paul and His Opponents

11 I wish that you would be patient with me in a little foolishness, but indeed you are being patient with me! ²For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy, because I promised you in marriage to one husband,^[a] to present you as a pure^[b] virgin to Christ. ³But I am afraid that^[c] just as the serpent^[d] deceived Eve by his treachery,^[e] your minds may be led astray^[f] from a sincere and pure^[g] devotion to Christ. ⁴For if someone comes and proclaims^[h] another Jesus different from the one we proclaimed,^[i] or if you receive a different spirit than the one you received,^[j] or a different gospel than the one you accepted,^[k] you put up with it well enough!^[l] ⁵For I consider myself not at all inferior to those “super-apostles.”^[m] ⁶And even if I am unskilled^[n] in speaking, yet I am certainly not so in knowledge. Indeed, we have made this plain to you in everything in every way. ⁷Or did I commit a sin by humbling myself^[o] so that you could be exalted, because I proclaimed^[p] the gospel of God to you free of charge? ⁸I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so that I could serve you!^[q] ⁹When^[r] I was with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia fully supplied my needs.^[s] I^[t] kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. ¹⁰As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine^[u] will not be stopped^[v] in the regions of Achaia. ¹¹Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!^[w] ¹²And what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may eliminate any opportunity for those who want a chance to be regarded as our equals^[x] in the things they boast about. ¹³For such people are false apostles, deceitful^[y] workers, disguising themselves^[z] as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself^[aa] as an angel of light. ¹⁵Therefore it is not surprising his servants also disguise themselves^[ab] as servants of righteousness, whose end will correspond to their actions.^[ac]

Footnotes

2 Corinthians 11:2 tn That is, to Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:2 tn Or “chaste.”
2 Corinthians 11:3 tn Grk “I fear lest somehow.”
2 Corinthians 11:3 tn Or “the snake.”
2 Corinthians 11:3 tn Or “craftiness.”
2 Corinthians 11:3 tn Or “corrupted,” “seduced.”
2 Corinthians 11:3 tc Although most mss (א² H Ψ 0121 0243 1739 1881 M) lack “and pure” (καὶ τῆς ἁγνότητος, kai tēs hagnotētos; Grk “and purity”) several significant and early witnesses (P⁴⁶ א* B D^[2] F G 33 81 104 ar r co) retain these words. Their presence in such mss across such a wide geographical distribution argues for their authenticity. The omission from the majority of mss can be explained by haplography, since the -τητος ending of ἁγνότητος is identical to the ending of ἁπλότητος (haplotētos, “sincerity”) three words back (ἁπλότητος καὶ τῆς ἁγνότητος); further, since the meanings of “sincerity” and “purity” are similar they might seem redundant. A copyist would scarcely notice the omission because Paul’s statement still makes sense without “and from purity.”
2 Corinthians 11:4 tn Or “preaches.”
2 Corinthians 11:4 tn Grk “another Jesus whom we have not proclaimed.”
2 Corinthians 11:4 tn Grk “a different spirit which you did not receive.”
2 Corinthians 11:4 tn Grk “a different gospel which you did not accept.”
2 Corinthians 11:4 tn Or “you endure it very well.”
2 Corinthians 11:5 tn The implicit irony in Paul’s remark is brought out well by the TEV “I do not think that I am the least bit inferior to those very special so-called ‘apostles’ of yours!”sn The ‘super-apostles’ refers either (1) to the original apostles (the older interpretation) or (2) more probably, to Paul’s opponents in Corinth, in which case the designation is ironic.
2 Corinthians 11:6 sn Unskilled in speaking means not professionally trained as a rhetorician.
2 Corinthians 11:7 sn Paul is referring to humbling himself to the point of doing manual labor to support himself.
2 Corinthians 11:7 tn Or “preached.”
2 Corinthians 11:8 sn That is, serve them free of charge (cf. the end of v. 7).
2 Corinthians 11:9 tn Grk “you, and when.” A new sentence was started here in the translation.
2 Corinthians 11:9 tn If the participle ἐλθόντες (elthontes) is taken as temporal rather than adjectival, the translation would be, “for the brothers, when they came from Macedonia, fully supplied my needs” (similar to NASB).
2 Corinthians 11:9 tn Grk “needs, and I kept.” A new sentence was started here in the translation.
2 Corinthians 11:10 tn That is, that Paul offers the gospel free of charge to the Corinthians (see 2 Cor 11:7).
2 Corinthians 11:10 tn Or “silenced.”
2 Corinthians 11:11 tn Grk “God knows!” The words “I do” are supplied for clarity. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
2 Corinthians 11:12 tn Grk “an opportunity, so that they may be found just like us.”
2 Corinthians 11:13 tn Or “dishonest.”
2 Corinthians 11:13 tn Or “workers, masquerading.”
2 Corinthians 11:14 tn Or “Satan himself masquerades.”
2 Corinthians 11:15 tn Or “also masquerade.”
2 Corinthians 11:15 tn Or “their works.”

New English Translation (NET)

Prev Day

Top

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

Log in to read this devotional and:

Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Footnotes

Prophetic Call to Genuine Repentance

Divine Promise to Relent from Judgment and to Restore Blessings

Concluding Exhortation

Footnotes

Paul and His Opponents

Footnotes