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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

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

Duration: 1245 days

Psalm 44

Psalm 44^[a]

For the music director, by the Korahites; a well-written song.^[b]

44 O God, we have clearly heard;^[c]
our ancestors^[d] have told us
what you did^[e] in their days,
in ancient times.^[f]
²You, by your power,^[g] defeated nations and settled our fathers on their land;^[h]
you crushed^[i] the people living there^[j] and enabled our ancestors to occupy it.^[k]
³For they did not conquer^[l] the land by their swords,
and they did not prevail by their strength,^[m]
but rather by your power,^[n] strength,^[o] and good favor,^[p]
for you were partial to^[q] them.
⁴You are my^[r] king, O God.
Decree^[s] Jacob’s^[t] deliverance.
⁵By your power^[u] we will drive back^[v] our enemies;
by your strength^[w] we will trample down^[x] our foes.^[y]
⁶For I do not trust in my bow,
and I do not prevail by my sword.
⁷For you deliver^[z] us from our enemies;
you humiliate^[aa] those who hate us.
⁸In God we boast all day long,
and we will continually give thanks to your name. (Selah)
⁹But^[ab] you rejected and embarrassed us.
You did not go into battle with our armies.^[ac]
¹⁰You made us retreat^[ad] from the enemy.
Those who hate us take whatever they want from us.^[ae]
¹¹You handed us^[af] over like sheep to be eaten;
you scattered us among the nations.
¹²You sold^[ag] your people for a pittance;^[ah]
you did not ask a high price for them.^[ai]
¹³You made us^[aj] an object of disdain to our neighbors;
those who live on our borders taunt and insult us.^[ak]
¹⁴You made us^[al] an object of ridicule^[am] among the nations;
foreigners treat us with contempt.^[an]
¹⁵All day long I feel humiliated^[ao]
and am overwhelmed with shame,^[ap]
¹⁶before the vindictive enemy
who ridicules and insults me.^[aq]
¹⁷All this has happened to us, even though we have not rejected you^[ar]
or violated your covenant with us.^[as]
¹⁸We have not been unfaithful,^[at]
nor have we disobeyed your commands.^[au]
¹⁹Yet you have battered us, leaving us a heap of ruins overrun by wild dogs;^[av]
you have covered us with darkness.^[aw]
²⁰If we had rejected our God,^[ax]
and spread out our hands in prayer to another god,^[ay]
²¹would not God discover it,
for he knows^[az] a person’s secret thoughts?^[ba]
²²Yet because of you^[bb] we are killed all day long;
we are treated like^[bc] sheep at the slaughtering block.^[bd]
²³Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord?
Wake up!^[be] Do not reject us forever.
²⁴Why do you look the other way,^[bf]
and ignore^[bg] the way we are oppressed and mistreated?^[bh]
²⁵For we lie in the dirt,
with our bellies pressed to the ground.^[bi]
²⁶Rise up and help us.
Rescue us^[bj] because of your loyal love.

Footnotes

Psalm 44:1 sn Psalm 44. The speakers in this psalm (the worshiping community within the nation Israel) were disappointed with God. The psalm begins on a positive note, praising God for leading Israel to past military victories. Verses 1-8 appear to be a song of confidence and petition which the people recited prior to battle. But suddenly the mood changes as the nation laments a recent defeat. The stark contrast between the present and the past only heightens the nation’s confusion. Israel trusted in God for victory, but the Lord rejected them and allowed them to be humiliated in battle. If Israel had been unfaithful to God, their defeat would make sense, but the nation was loyal to the Lord. Comparing the Lord to a careless shepherd, the nation urges God to wake up and to extend his compassion to his suffering people.
Psalm 44:1 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the superscription of Ps 42.
Psalm 44:1 tn Heb “with our ears we have heard.”
Psalm 44:1 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 2; the same Hebrew word may be translated either “fathers” or “ancestors” depending on the context.
Psalm 44:1 tn Heb “the work you worked.”
Psalm 44:1 tn Heb “in the days of old.” This refers specifically to the days of Joshua, during Israel’s conquest of the land, as vv. 2-3 indicate.
Psalm 44:2 tn Heb “you, your hand.”
Psalm 44:2 tn Heb “dispossessed nations and planted them.” The third masculine plural pronoun “them” refers to the fathers (v. 1). See Ps 80:8, 15.
Psalm 44:2 tn The verb form in the Hebrew text is a Hiphil preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive) from רָעַע (raʿaʿ, “be evil; be bad”). If retained it apparently means, “you injured; harmed.” Some prefer to derive the verb from רָעַע (“break”; cf. NEB “breaking up the peoples”), in which case the form must be revocalized as Qal (since this verb is unattested in the Hiphil).
Psalm 44:2 tn Or “peoples.”
Psalm 44:2 tn Heb “and you sent them out.” The translation assumes that the third masculine plural pronoun “them” refers to the fathers (v. 1), as in the preceding parallel line. See Ps 80:11, where Israel, likened to a vine, “spreads out” its tendrils to the west and east. Another option is to take the “peoples” as the referent of the pronoun and translate, “and you sent them away,” though this does not provide as tight a parallel with the corresponding line.
Psalm 44:3 tn Or “take possession of.”
Psalm 44:3 tn Heb “and their arm did not save them.” The “arm” here symbolizes military strength.
Psalm 44:3 tn Heb “your right hand.” The Lord’s “right hand” here symbolizes his power to protect and deliver (see Pss 17:7; 20:6; 21:8).
Psalm 44:3 tn Heb “your arm.”
Psalm 44:3 tn Heb “light of your face.” The idiom “light of your face” probably refers to a smile (see Eccl 8:1), which in turn suggests favor and blessing (see Num 6:25; Pss 4:6; 31:16; 67:1; 80:3, 7, 19; 89:15; Dan 9:17).
Psalm 44:3 tn Or “favorable toward.”
Psalm 44:4 sn The speaker changes here to an individual, perhaps the worship leader or the king. The oscillation between singular (vv. 4, 6) and plural (vv. 1-3, 5, 7-8) in vv. 1-8 may reflect an antiphonal ceremony.
Psalm 44:4 tc The LXX assumes a participle here (מְצַוֶּה [m^etsavveh], “the one who commands/decrees”) which would stand in apposition to “my God.” It is possible that the MT, which has the imperative (צַוֵּה, tsavveh) form, has suffered haplography of the letter mem (ם). Note that the preceding word (אֱלֹהִים, ʾelohim) ends in mem. Another option is that the MT is divided in the wrong place; perhaps one could move the final mem from אֱלֹהִים to the beginning of the next word and read מְצַוֶּה אֱלֹהָי (ʾelohay m^etsavveh, “[You are my king,] my God, the one who decrees”).tn Or “command.” This may be the Israelites’ petition prior to the battle. See the introductory note to the psalm.
Psalm 44:4 tn That is, Israel. See Pss 14:7; 22:23.
Psalm 44:5 tn Heb “by you.”
Psalm 44:5 tn Heb “gore” (like an ox). If this portion of the psalm contains the song of confidence/petition the Israelites recited prior to battle, then the imperfects here and in the next line may express their expectation of victory. Another option is that the imperfects function in an emphatic generalizing manner. In this case one might translate, “you [always] drive back…you [always] trample down.”sn The Hebrew verb translated “drive back” is literally “gore”; the imagery is that of a powerful wild ox that “gores” its enemies and tramples them underfoot.
Psalm 44:5 tn Heb “in your name.” The Lord’s “name” refers here to his revealed character or personal presence. Specifically in this context his ability to deliver, protect, and energize for battle is in view (see Ps 54:1).
Psalm 44:5 sn The image of the powerful wild ox continues; see the note on the phrase “drive back” in the preceding line.
Psalm 44:5 tn Heb “those who rise up [against] us.”
Psalm 44:7 tn Or “have delivered,” if past successes are in view. Another option is to take the perfect as rhetorical, emphasizing that victory is certain (note the use of the imperfect in vv. 5-6).
Psalm 44:7 tn Or “have humiliated,” if past successes are in view. Another option is to take the perfect as rhetorical, emphasizing that victory is certain (note the use of the imperfect in vv. 5-6).
Psalm 44:9 tn The particle אַף (ʾaf, “but”) is used here as a strong adversative contrasting the following statement with what precedes.
Psalm 44:9 tn Heb “you did not go out with our armies.” The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).
Psalm 44:10 tn Heb “you caused us to turn backward.”
Psalm 44:10 tn Heb “plunder for themselves.” The prepositional phrase לָמוֹ (lamo, “for themselves”) here has the nuance “at their will” or “as they please” (see Ps 80:6).
Psalm 44:11 tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).
Psalm 44:12 tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).
Psalm 44:12 tn Heb “for what is not wealth.”
Psalm 44:12 tn Heb “you did not multiply their purchase prices.”
Psalm 44:13 tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).
Psalm 44:13 tn Heb “an [object of] taunting and [of] mockery to those around us.”
Psalm 44:14 tn The prefixed verbal form is a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive).
Psalm 44:14 tn Heb “a proverb,” or “[the subject of] a mocking song.”
Psalm 44:14 tn Heb “a shaking of the head among the peoples.” Shaking the head was a derisive gesture (see Jer 18:16; Lam 2:15).
Psalm 44:15 tn Heb “all the day my humiliation [is] in front of me.”
Psalm 44:15 tn Heb “and the shame of my face covers me.”
Psalm 44:16 tn Heb “from the voice of one who ridicules and insults, from the face of an enemy and an avenger.” See Ps 8:2.
Psalm 44:17 tn Heb “we have not forgotten you.” To “forget” God refers here to worshiping false gods and thereby refusing to recognize his sovereignty (see v. 20, as well as Deut 8:19; Judg 3:7; 1 Sam 12:9; Isa 17:10; Jer 3:21; Ps 9:17).Thus the translation “we have not rejected you” has been used.
Psalm 44:17 tn Heb “and we did not deal falsely with your covenant.”
Psalm 44:18 tn Heb “our heart did not turn backward.” Cf. Ps 78:57.
Psalm 44:18 tn Heb “and our steps did [not] turn aside from your path.” The negative particle is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line). God’s “path” refers to his commands, i.e., the moral pathway he has prescribed for the psalmist. See Pss 17:5; 25:4.
Psalm 44:19 tn Heb “yet you have battered us in a place of jackals.”
Psalm 44:19 tn The Hebrew term צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun meaning “shadow of death” (מָוֶת + צֵל [tsel + mavet]; see BDB 853 s.v. צַלְמָוֶת; cf. NASB). Other scholars prefer to vocalize the form צַלְמוּת (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root צלם) meaning “darkness” (cf. NIV, NRSV). An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. In Ps 44:19 darkness symbolizes defeat and humiliation.
Psalm 44:20 tn Heb “If we had forgotten the name of our God.” To “forget the name” here refers to rejecting the Lord’s authority (see Jer 23:27) and abandoning him as an object of prayer and worship (see the next line).
Psalm 44:20 tn Heb “and spread out your hands to another god.” Spreading out the hands was a prayer gesture (see Exod 9:29, 33; 1 Kgs 8:22, 38; 2 Chr 6:12-13, 29; Ezra 9:15; Job 11:13; Isa 1:15). In its most fundamental sense זָר (zar, “another; foreign; strange”) refers to something that is outside one’s circle, often making association with it inappropriate. A “strange” god is an alien deity, an “outside god” (see L. A. Snijders, TDOT 4:54-55).
Psalm 44:21 tn The active participle describes what is characteristically true.
Psalm 44:21 tn Heb “would not God search out this, for he knows the hidden things of [the] heart?” The expression “search out” is used metonymically here, referring to discovery, the intended effect of a search. The “heart” (i.e., mind) is here viewed as the seat of one’s thoughts. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course he would!” The point seems to be this: There is no way the Israelites who are the speakers in the psalm would reject God and turn to another god, for the omniscient God would easily discover such a sin.
Psalm 44:22 tn The statement “because of you” (1) may simply indicate that God is the cause of the Israelites’ defeat (see vv. 9-14, where the nation’s situation is attributed directly to God’s activity, and cf. NEB, NRSV), or (2) it may suggest they suffer because of their allegiance to God (see Ps 69:7 and Jer 15:15). In this case one should translate, “for your sake” (cf. NASB, NIV). The citation of this verse in Rom 8:36 follows the LXX (Ps 43:23 LXX), where the Greek term ἕνεκεν (heneken; LXX ἕνεκα) may likewise mean “because of” or “for the sake of” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἕνεκα 1).
Psalm 44:22 tn Or “regarded as.”
Psalm 44:22 tn Heb “like sheep of slaughtering,” that is, sheep destined for slaughter.
Psalm 44:23 sn Wake up! See Ps 35:23.
Psalm 44:24 tn Heb “Why do you hide your face?” The idiom “hide the face” can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).
Psalm 44:24 tn Or “forget.”
Psalm 44:24 tn Heb “our oppression and our affliction.”
Psalm 44:25 tn Heb “for our being/life sinks down to the dirt, our belly clings to the earth.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being, life”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
Psalm 44:26 tn Or “redeem us.” See Pss 25:22; 26:11; 69:18; 119:134.

Hosea 2:14-3:5

Future Repentance and Restoration of Israel

¹⁴“However, in the future I will allure her;^[a]
I will lead^[b] her back into the wilderness,
and speak tenderly to her.
¹⁵From there I will give back her vineyards to her,
and turn the ‘Valley of Trouble’^[c] into an ‘Opportunity^[d] for Hope.’
There she will sing as she did when she was young,^[e]
when^[f] she came up from the land of Egypt.
¹⁶At that time,”^[g] declares the Lord,
“you will call,^[h] ‘My husband’;^[i]
you will never again call me,^[j] ‘My master.’^[k]
¹⁷For^[l] I will remove the names of the Baal idols^[m] from your lips,^[n]
so that you will never again utter their names!^[o]

New Covenant Relationship with Repentant Israel

¹⁸“At that time^[p] I will make a covenant for them with the wild animals,
the birds of the air, and the creatures that crawl on the ground.
I will abolish^[q] the warrior’s bow and sword—
that is, every weapon of warfare^[r]—from the land,
and I will allow them to live securely.^[s]
¹⁹I will commit myself to you^[t] forever;
I will commit myself to you in^[u] righteousness and justice,
in steadfast love and tender compassion.
²⁰I will commit myself to you in faithfulness;
then^[v] you will acknowledge^[w] the Lord.^[x]

Agricultural Fertility Restored to the Repentant Nation

²¹“At that time,^[y] I will willingly respond,”^[z] declares the Lord.
“I will respond to the sky,
and the sky^[aa] will respond to the ground;
²²then the ground will respond to the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil;
and they will respond to ‘God Plants’ (Jezreel)!^[ab]
²³Then I will plant her as my own^[ac] in the land.
I will have pity on ‘No Pity’ (Lo-Ruhamah).
I will say to ‘Not My People’ (Lo-Ammi), ‘You are my people!’
And he^[ad] will say, ‘You are^[ae] my God!’”

An Illustration of God’s Love for Idolatrous Israel

3 The Lord said to me, “Go, show love to^[af] your wife^[ag] again, even though she loves^[ah] another man^[ai] and continually commits adultery.^[aj] Likewise, the Lord loves^[ak] the Israelites^[al] although they turn to other gods and love to offer raisin cakes to idols.”^[am] ²So I paid fifteen shekels of silver and about seven bushels of barley^[an] to purchase her. ³Then I told her, “You must live with me many days; you must not commit adultery or become joined to another man,^[ao] and I also will wait for you.”^[ap] ⁴For the Israelites^[aq] must live many days without a king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred fertility pillar, without ephod or idols. ⁵Afterward, the Israelites will turn and seek the Lord their God and their Davidic king.^[ar] Then they will submit to the Lord in fear and receive his blessings^[as] in future days.^[at]

Footnotes

Hosea 2:14 tn The participle מְפַתֶּיהָ (m^efatteha, Piel participle masculine singular + third feminine singular suffix from פָּתָה, patah, “to allure”) following the deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “Now!”) describes an event that will occur in the immediate or near future.
Hosea 2:14 tn Following the future-time-referent participle (מְפַתֶּיהָ, méfatteha), there is a string of perfects introduced by vav consecutive that refer to future events.
Hosea 2:15 tn Heb “Valley of Achor,” so named because of the unfortunate incident recorded in Josh 7:1-26 (the name is explained in v. 26; the Hebrew term Achor means “disaster” or “trouble” [cf. TEV, CEV “Trouble Valley”]).
Hosea 2:15 tn Heb “door” or “doorway”; cf. NLT “gateway.” Unlike the days of Joshua, when Achan’s sin jeopardized Israel’s mission and cast a dark shadow over the nation, Israel’s future return to the land will be marked by renewed hope.
Hosea 2:15 tn Heb “as in the days of her youth” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).
Hosea 2:15 tn Heb “as in the day when” (so KJV, NASB).
Hosea 2:16 tn Heb “And in that day”; cf. NLT “In that coming day.”
Hosea 2:16 tc The MT reads תִּקְרְאִי (tiqr^eʾi, “you will call”; Qal imperfect second person feminine singular). The versions (LXX, Syriac, Vulgate) all reflect an alternate Vorlage of תִּקְרָא לִי (tiqraʾ li, “she will call me”; Qal imperfect third person feminine singular followed by preposition לְ, lamed, + first person common singular pronominal suffix). This textual variant undoubtedly arose under the influence of לִי תִּקְרְאִי (tiqr^eʾi li), which follows. Most English versions follow the reading of the MT (KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT, CEV), but some follow the ancient versions and read the third person (“she”; so NAB, NCV, TEV).
Hosea 2:16 tn There are wordplays on the terms אִישׁ (ʾish) and בַּעַל (baʿal) here. The term אִישִׁי (ʾishi, “my man, husband”) is a title of affection (Gen 2:23; 3:6, 16) as the counterpart to אִשָּׁה (ʾishah, “woman, wife”). The term בַּעְלִי (baʿli, “my lord”) emphasizes the husband’s legal position (Exod 21:3; Deut 22:22; 24:4). The relationship will no longer be conditioned on the outward legal commitment but on a new inward bond of mutual affection and love.
Hosea 2:16 tc The MT reads תִקְרְאִי לִי (tiqr^eʾi li, “you will call me”; Qal imperfect second person feminine singular followed by preposition לְ, lamed, + first person common singular pronominal suffix). The versions (LXX, Syriac, Vulgate) all reflect an alternate Vorlage of תִקְרְא לִי (tiqr^eʾ li, “she will call me”; Qal imperfect third person feminine singular followed by preposition לְ + first person common singular pronominal suffix). This textual variant is related to the preceding textual issue (see preceding tc note).
Hosea 2:16 sn There is a wordplay on the terms בַּעְלִי (baʿli, “my master”) and הַבְּעָלִים (habb^eʿalim, “the Baals”), which are derived from the root בַּעַל (baʿal, “master; lord”). This wordplay is especially effective because the term בַּעַל can refer to one’s husband and is also the name of the Canaanite storm god, Baal. Referring to a spouse, the term normally means “husband; master.” It was a common, ordinary, nonpejorative term that was frequently used in an interchangeable manner with אִישׁ (ʾish, “husband; man”). Due to its identity in sound with the abhorrent Canaanite fertility god Baal, the repentant Israelites would be so spiritually sensitive that they would refrain from even uttering this neutral term for fear of recalling their former idolatry. The purpose of the exile is to end Israel’s worship of Baal and to remove syncretism.
Hosea 2:17 tn The vav consecutive prefixed to וַהֲסִרֹתִי (vahasiroti) “I will remove” (vav consecutive + Hiphil perfect first person common singular) introduces an explanatory clause.
Hosea 2:17 tn Heb “the Baals.” The singular term בַּעַל (baʿal) refers to the Canaanite god Baal himself, while the plural form הַבְּעָלִים (habb^eʿalim) refers to the manifestations of the god (i.e., idols; BDB 127 s.v. בַּעַל-I II.1).
Hosea 2:17 tn Heb “from her mouth.” In the translation this is rendered as second person for consistency.
Hosea 2:17 tn Heb “they will no longer be mentioned by their name.”
Hosea 2:18 tn Heb “And in that day” (so KJV, ASV).
Hosea 2:18 tn Heb “I will break”; cf. NAB “I will destroy”; NCV “I will smash”; NLT “I will remove.”
Hosea 2:18 tn Heb “bow and sword and warfare.” The first two terms in the triad וְקֶשֶׁת וְחֶרֶב וּמִלְחָמָה (v^eqeshet v^ekherev umilkhamah, “and bow and sword and warfare”) are examples of synecdoche of specific (bow and sword) for general (weapons of war; so CEV). However, they might be examples of metonymy (bow and sword) of association (warfare).
Hosea 2:18 tn Heb “and I will cause them to lie down in safety.” The causative nuance (“will make them”) is retained in several English versions (e.g., KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).
Hosea 2:19 tn Heb “I will betroth you to me” (so NIV) here and in the following lines (cf. NRSV “I will take you for my wife forever”).
Hosea 2:19 tn The preposition בְּ (bet), which is repeated throughout 2:19-20 [21-22], denotes price paid (BDB 90 s.v. בְּ III.3; e.g., Ezek 3:14). The text contains an allusion to the payment of bridal gifts. The Lord will impute the moral character to Israel that will be necessary for a successful covenant relationship (contra 4:1).
Hosea 2:20 tn The vav consecutive on the suffix conjugation verb וְיָדַעַתְּ (v^eyadaʿat, “then you will know”) introduces a result clause (cf. NASB, CEV).
Hosea 2:20 tn Or “know.” The term יָדַע (yadaʿ, “know, acknowledge”) is often used in covenant contexts. It can refer to the suzerain’s acknowledgment of his covenant obligations to his vassal or to the vassal’s acknowledgment of his covenant obligations to his suzerain. When used in reference to a vassal, the verb “know” is metonymical (cause for effect) for “obey.” See H. Huffmann, “The Treaty Background of Hebrew yādaʿ,” BASOR 181 (1966): 31-37.
Hosea 2:20 tc The MT has יְהוָה (y^ehvah, “the Lord”); however, many Hebrew mss have כִּי אָנִי (ki ʾani, “that it is I”), as also reflected in the Latin Vulgate (cf. CEV “know who I am”).
Hosea 2:21 tn Heb “And in that day”; cf. NAB, NRSV “On that day.”
Hosea 2:21 tn The verb עָנָה, (ʿanah) which is used throughout 2:23-24, is related to the root I עָנָה (ʿanah), “to answer, listen attentively, react willingly” (BDB 772 s.v. 1.b; HALOT 852 s.v. ענה 3.b).
Hosea 2:21 tn Heb “and they.” In the Hebrew text the plural pronoun is used because it refers back to the term translated “sky,” which is a dual form in Hebrew. Many English versions (e.g., NAB, NASB, NRSV) use the plural term “heavens” here, which agrees with a plural pronoun (cf. also NIV, NCV “skies”).
Hosea 2:22 tn Heb “Jezreel.” The use of the name יִזְרְעֶאל (yizr^eʿeʾl, “Jezreel”) creates a powerful threefold wordplay: (1) The proper name יִזְרְעֶאל (“Jezreel”) is a phonetic wordplay on the similar sounding name יִשְׂרָאֵל (yisraʾel, “Israel”): God will answer Israel, that is, Jezreel. (2) The name יִזְרְעֶאל (“Jezreel”) plays on the verb זָרַע (zaraʿ, “to sow, plant”), the immediately following word: וּזְרַעְתִּיהָ (uz^eraʿtiha, vav + Qal perfect first person common singular + third person feminine singular suffix: “I will sow/plant her”). This wordplay creates a popular etymology for יִזְרְעֶאל meaning, “God sows/plants,” which fits well into the agricultural fertility imagery in 2:21-23 [2:23-25]. (3) This positive connotation of יִזְרְעֶאל (“Jezreel”) in 2:21-23 [23-25] reverses the negative connotation of יִזְרְעֶאל (“Jezreel”) in 1:4-5 (bloodshed of Jehu in the Jezreel Valley).
Hosea 2:23 tn Heb “for myself.”
Hosea 2:23 tn The Hebrew text, carrying out the reference to the son born in 1:8-9, uses the third person masculine singular pronoun here; some English translations use third person plural (“they,” so KJV, NASB, NIV, CEV) in keeping with the immediate context, which refers to reestablished Israel.
Hosea 2:23 tn The words “You are” do not appear in the Hebrew text but are implied. It is necessary to supply the phrase in the translation to prevent the reader from understanding the predicate “my God” as an exclamation (cf. NAB).
Hosea 3:1 tn Heb “Go again! Love!” Cf. NAB “Give your love to.”
Hosea 3:1 tn Heb “a woman.” The probable referent is Gomer. Some English translations (e.g., NIV, NLT) specify the referent as “your wife.”
Hosea 3:1 tc The MT vocalizes אֲהֻבַת (ʾahuvat) as a construct form of the Qal passive participle and takes רֵעַ (reaʿ) as a genitive of agent: “who is loved by רֵעַ.” However, the ancient versions (LXX, Syriac, Vulgate) all vocalize אֲהֻבַת as an absolute form of the Qal active participle, and take רֵעַ as the accusative direct object: “who loves רֵעַ.” The English translations consistently follow the MT. The editors of BHS suggest the revocalization but with some reservation. For discussion of the vocalization, see D. Barthélemy, ed., Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 5:230.tn Heb “a woman who is loved by a companion” (אִשָּׁה אֲהֻבַת רֵעַ, ʾishah ʾahuvat reaʿ). The substantival participle אֲהֻבַת (“one who is loved”) is in apposition to אִשָּׁה (“a woman”). The genitive noun רֵעַ (“companion”) functions as the agent of the preceding construct noun: “who is loved by a companion” (אֲהֻבַת רֵעַ). Cf. NAB “a woman beloved of a paramour,” and NRSV “a woman who has a lover.”
Hosea 3:1 tn The meaning of the noun רֵעַ (reaʿ) is debated because it has a broad range of meanings: (1) “friend,” (2) “lover,” (3) “companion,” (4) “neighbor,” and (5) “another” (HALOT 1253-55 s.v. II רֵעַ; BDB 945-46 s.v. II רֵעַ). The Hebrew lexicons favor the nuance “lover; paramour” here (HALOT 1255 s.v. 2; BDB 946 s.v. 1). Most scholars adopt the same approach; however, a few suggest that רֵעַ does not refer to another man, but to her husband (Hosea). Both approaches are reflected in English translations. NASB has “a woman who is loved by her husband”; NIV, “though she is loved by another”; NAB, “a woman beloved of a paramour”; KJV, “a woman beloved of her friend”; NJPS, “a woman who, while befriended by a companion”; TEV, “a woman who is committing adultery with a lover”; and CEV, “an unfaithful woman who has a lover.”
Hosea 3:1 tn Heb “love a woman who is loved of a lover and is an adulteress.”
Hosea 3:1 tn Heb “like the love of the Lord.” The genitive after the construct functions as a subjective genitive.
Hosea 3:1 tn Heb “sons of Israel” (so NASB); cf. KJV “children of Israel,” and NAB “people of Israel.”
Hosea 3:1 tn Heb “they are lovers of cakes of raisins.” A number of English translations render this literally (e.g., ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
Hosea 3:2 tc The LXX reads, “a homer of barley and a measure of wine,” a reading followed by some English translations (e.g., NRSV, NLT).tn Heb “a homer of barley and a lethech of barley.” A homer was about 5 bushels (180 liters) and a lethech about 2.5 bushels (90 liters).
Hosea 3:3 tn Heb “and you will not be for” or “you will not come to belong to”; cf. NIV “be intimate with.” This is an uncommon and roundabout way of referring to sexual relations and perhaps refers to moving in with another man. “Another” is supplied from context, since she is clearly to live with Hosea. If it means she should not be intimate with any man, including Hosea, that could also picture the many days without a king mentioned in the next verse.
Hosea 3:3 tn Heb “and also I toward you.”
Hosea 3:4 tn Heb “sons of Israel” (so NASB); cf. KJV “children of Israel,” and NAB “people of Israel” (likewise in the following verse).
Hosea 3:5 tn Heb “David their king”; cf. NCV “the king from David’s family”; TEV “a descendant of David their king”; NLT “David’s descendant, their king.” sn It is not clear whether Hosea was predicting a restoration of Davidic kingship over Israel and Judah (e.g. Jer 17:25; 22:2) or referring to the ultimate Davidic king, namely, the Messiah, who will fulfill the conditions of the Davidic covenant and inaugurate/fulfill the blessings of the Davidic covenant for Israel. The Messiah is frequently pictured as the “new David” because he will fulfill the ideals of the Davidic covenant and be everything that David and his descendants were commissioned to be (e.g., Isa 9:7 [6]; 16:5; Jer 23:5-6; 30:9; 33:15-16; Ezek 34:23-24; 37:24-25).
Hosea 3:5 tn Heb “his goodness”; cf. NLT “his good gifts.”
Hosea 3:5 tn NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV, and NLT have “in the last days.” But see the note at Gen 49:1.

Colossians 2:16-3:1

¹⁶Therefore do not let anyone judge you with respect to food or drink, or in the matter of a feast, new moon, or Sabbath days— ¹⁷these are only^[a] the shadow of the things to come, but the reality^[b] is Christ!^[c] ¹⁸Let no one who delights in false humility^[d] and the worship of angels pass judgment on you. That person goes on at great lengths^[e] about what he has supposedly seen, but he is puffed up with empty notions by his fleshly mind.^[f] ¹⁹He has not held fast^[g] to the head from whom the whole body, supported^[h] and knit together through its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.^[i]

²⁰If you have died with Christ to the elemental spirits^[j] of the world, why do you submit to them as though you lived in the world? ²¹“Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” ²²These are all destined to perish with use, founded as they are^[k] on human commands and teachings.^[l] ²³Even though they have the appearance of wisdom^[m] with their self-imposed worship and humility achieved by an^[n] unsparing treatment of the body—a wisdom with no true value—they in reality result in fleshly indulgence.^[o]

Exhortations to Seek the Things Above

3 Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Footnotes

Colossians 2:17 tn The word “only,” though not in the Greek text, is supplied in the English translation to bring out the contrast inherent between the two parts of the verse.
Colossians 2:17 tn Grk “but the body of Christ.” The term body here, when used in contrast to shadow (σκιά, skia) indicates the opposite meaning, i.e., the reality or substance itself.
Colossians 2:17 tn The genitive τοῦ Χριστοῦ (tou Christou) is appositional and translated as such: “the reality is Christ.”
Colossians 2:18 tn Though the apostle uses the term ταπεινοφροσύνῃ (tapeinophrosunē) elsewhere in a positive sense (cf. 3:12), here and in v. 23 the sense is negative and reflects the misguided thinking of Paul’s opponents.
Colossians 2:18 tn For the various views on the translation of ἐμβατεύων (embateuōn), see BDAG 321 s.v. ἐμβατεύω 4. The idea in this context seems to be that the individual in question loves to talk on and on about his spiritual experiences, but in reality they are only coming out of his own sinful flesh.
Colossians 2:18 tn Grk “by the mind of his flesh.” In the translation above, σαρκός (sarkos) is taken as an attributive genitive. The phrase could also be translated “by his sinful thoughts,” since it appears that Paul is using σάρξ (sarx, “flesh”) here in a morally negative way.
Colossians 2:19 tn The Greek participle κρατῶν (kratōn) was translated as a finite verb to avoid an unusually long and pedantic sentence structure in English.
Colossians 2:19 tn See BDAG 387 s.v. ἐπιχορηγέω 3.
Colossians 2:19 tn The genitive τοῦ θεοῦ (tou theou) has been translated as a genitive of source, “from God.”
Colossians 2:20 tn See the note on the phrase “elemental spirits” in 2:8.
Colossians 2:22 tn The expression “founded as they are” brings out the force of the Greek preposition κατά (kata).
Colossians 2:22 tn Grk “The commands and teachings of men.”
Colossians 2:23 tn Grk “having a word of wisdom.”
Colossians 2:23 tc ‡ The vast bulk of witnesses, including some very significant ones (א A C D F G H Ψ 075 0278 33 1175 1881 2464 M lat sy), have καί (kai) here, but the shorter reading is supported by some early and significant witnesses (P⁴⁶ B 1739 b m Hil Ambst Spec). The καί looks to be a motivated reading in that it makes ἀφειδία (apheidia) “the third in a series of datives after ἐν, rather than an instrumental dative qualifying the previous prepositional phrase” (TCGNT 556). At the same time, the omission of καί could possibly have been unintentional. A decision is difficult, but the shorter reading is slightly preferred. NA²⁸ puts καί in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
Colossians 2:23 tn The translation understands this verse to contain a concessive subordinate clause within the main clause. The Greek particle μέν (men) is the second word of the embedded subordinate clause. The phrase οὐκ ἐν τιμῇ τινι (ouk en timē tini) modifies the subordinate clause, and the main clause resumes with the preposition πρός (pros). The translation has placed the subordinate clause first in order for clarity instead of retaining its embedded location. For a detailed discussion of this grammatical construction, see B. Hollenbach, “Col 2:23: Which Things Lead to the Fulfillment of the Flesh,” NTS 25 (1979): 254-61.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 44[a]

For the music director, by the Korahites; a well-written song.[b]

Footnotes

Future Repentance and Restoration of Israel

New Covenant Relationship with Repentant Israel

Agricultural Fertility Restored to the Repentant Nation

An Illustration of God’s Love for Idolatrous Israel

Footnotes

Exhortations to Seek the Things Above

Footnotes

Psalm 44^[a]

For the music director, by the Korahites; a well-written song.^[b]