◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Psalm 119:105-112 (Your word is a lamp to my feet); Deuteronomy 32:1-10 (Jacob personification of Israel); Romans 15:14-21 (Sanctified by the Holy Spirit) (New English Translation)

Prev Day

July 14, 2023

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

July 2023
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 119:105-112

נ (Nun)

¹⁰⁵Your word^[a] is a lamp to walk by,
and a light to illumine my path.^[b]
¹⁰⁶I have vowed and solemnly sworn
to keep your just regulations.
¹⁰⁷I am suffering terribly.
O Lord, revive me with your word.^[c]
¹⁰⁸O Lord, please accept the freewill offerings of my praise.^[d]
Teach me your regulations.
¹⁰⁹My life is in continual danger,^[e]
but I do not forget your law.
¹¹⁰The wicked lay a trap for me,
but I do not wander from your precepts.
¹¹¹I claim your rules as my permanent possession,
for they give me joy.^[f]
¹¹²I am determined to obey^[g] your statutes
at all times, to the very end.

Deuteronomy 32:1-10

Invocation of Witnesses

32 Listen, O heavens, and I will speak;
hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
²My teaching will drop like the rain,
my sayings will drip like the dew,^[a]
as rain drops upon the grass,
and showers upon new growth.
³For I will proclaim the name^[b] of the Lord;
you must acknowledge the greatness of our God.
⁴As for the Rock,^[c] his work is perfect,
for all his ways are just.
He is a reliable God who is never unjust,
he is fair^[d] and upright.
⁵His people have been unfaithful^[e] to him;
they have not acted like his children^[f]—this is their sin.^[g]
They are a perverse^[h] and deceitful generation.
⁶Is this how you repay^[i] the Lord,
you foolish, unwise people?
Is he not your father, your Creator?
He has made you and established you.
⁷Remember the ancient days;
bear in mind^[j] the years of past generations.^[k]
Ask your father and he will inform you,
your elders, and they will tell you.
⁸When the Most High^[l] gave the nations their inheritance,
when he divided up humankind,^[m]
he set the boundaries of the peoples,
according to the number of the heavenly assembly.^[n]
⁹For the Lord’s allotment is his people,
Jacob is his special possession.^[o]
¹⁰The Lord^[p] found him^[q] in a desolate land,^[r]
in an empty wasteland where animals howl.^[s]
He continually guarded him^[t] and taught him;^[u]
he continually protected him^[v] like the pupil^[w] of his eye.

Footnotes

Deuteronomy 32:2 tn Or “mist,” “light drizzle.” In some contexts the term appears to refer to light rain, rather than dew.
Deuteronomy 32:3 tc Smr and Tg read “in the name.”
Deuteronomy 32:4 tc The LXX reads Θεός (theos, “God”) for the MT’s “Rock.”sn The Hebrew term depicts God as a rocky summit where one may find safety and protection. Within a covenantal context it serves as a reminder to the people that their God has committed himself to their protection in return for their allegiance.
Deuteronomy 32:4 tn Or “just” (KJV, NAB, NRSV, NLT) or “righteous” (NASB).
Deuteronomy 32:5 tc The third person masculine singular שָׁחַת (shakhat) is rendered as third person masculine plural by Smr, a reading supported by the plural suffix on מוּם (mum, “defect”) as well as the plural of בֵּן (ben, “sons”).tn Heb “have acted corruptly” (so NASB, NIV, NLT); NRSV “have dealt falsely.”
Deuteronomy 32:5 tn Heb “(they are) not his sons.”
Deuteronomy 32:5 tn Heb “defect” (so NASB). This highly elliptical line suggests that Israel’s major fault was its failure to act like God’s people; in fact, they acted quite the contrary.
Deuteronomy 32:5 tn Heb “twisted,” “crooked.” See Ps 18:26.
Deuteronomy 32:6 tn Or “treat” (TEV).
Deuteronomy 32:7 tc The Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate read second person masculine singular whereas the MT has second person masculine plural. The former is preferred, the latter perhaps being a misreading (בִּינוּ [binu] for בִּינָה [binah]). Both the preceding (“remember”) and following (“ask”) imperatives are singular forms in the Hebrew text.
Deuteronomy 32:7 tn Heb “generation and generation.” The repetition of the singular noun here singles out each of the successive past generations. See IBHS 116 §7.2.3b.
Deuteronomy 32:8 tn The Hebrew term עֶלְיוֹן (ʿelyon) is an abbreviated form of the divine name El Elyon, frequently translated “God Most High” (so here NCV, CEV) or something similar. This full name (or epithet) occurs only in Gen 14, though the two elements are parallel in Pss 73:11; 107:11; etc. Here it is clear that Elyon has to do with the nations in general whereas in v. 9, by contrast, Yahweh relates specifically to Israel. See T. Fretheim, NIDOTTE 1:400-401. The title depicts God as the sovereign ruler of the world, who is enthroned high above his dominion.
Deuteronomy 32:8 tn Heb “the sons of man” (so NASB); or “the sons of Adam” (so KJV).
Deuteronomy 32:8 tc Heb “the sons of Israel.” The idea, perhaps, is that Israel was central to Yahweh’s purposes and all other nations were arranged and distributed according to how they related to Israel. See S. R. Driver, Deuteronomy (ICC), 355-56. For the MT יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּנֵי (b^ene yisraʾel, “sons of Israel”) a Qumran fragment has “sons of God,” while the LXX reads ἀγγέλων θεοῦ (angelōn theou, “angels of God”), presupposing בְּנֵי אֵל (b^ene ʾel) or בְּנֵי אֵלִים (bene ʾelim). “Sons of God” is undoubtedly the original reading; the MT and LXX have each interpreted it differently. MT assumes that the expression “sons of God” refers to Israel (cf. Hos. 1:10), while LXX has assumed that the phrase refers to the angelic heavenly assembly (Pss 29:1; 89:6; cf. as well Ps 82). The phrase is also attested in Ugaritic, where it refers to the high god El’s divine assembly. According to the latter view, which is reflected in the translation, the Lord delegated jurisdiction over the nations to his angelic host (cf. Dan. 10:13-21), while reserving for himself Israel, over whom he rules directly. For a defense of the view taken here, see M. S. Heiser, “Deuteronomy 32:8 and the Sons of God,” BSac 158 (2001): 52-74.
Deuteronomy 32:9 tc Heb “the portion of his inheritance.” The LXX and Smr add “Israel” and BHS suggests the reconstruction: “The Lord’s allotment is Jacob, the portion of his inheritance is Israel” (cf. NAB). While providing good parallelism, it destroys a fine chiastic structure: “allotment” (a), “his people” (b), “Jacob (b’), and “inheritance” (a’).
Deuteronomy 32:10 tn Heb “he.” The referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Deuteronomy 32:10 tn The reference is to “his people/Jacob” (cf. v. 9), that is, Israel (using a collective singular). The singular pronouns are replaced by plural ones throughout vv. 10-14 by some English versions as an aid to the modern reader (cf. NAB, NCV, TEV, NLT).
Deuteronomy 32:10 tn Heb “a land of wilderness.” A מִדְבָּר (midbar, “wilderness”) refers to a dry region which is characterized as receiving less than twelve inches of rain per year. It therefore cannot support trees and may or may not have sparse vegetation (if receiving less than six inches of rain). The point of the poetic image is that it is desolate.
Deuteronomy 32:10 tn Heb “in an empty, howling wasteland.” The word “howling” is derived from a verbal root that typically refers to the wailing of mourners. Here it likely refers to the howling of desert animals, or perhaps to the howling wind, in which case one may translate, “in an empty, windy wasteland.”
Deuteronomy 32:10 tn Heb “was surrounding him.” The distinctive form of the suffix on this verb form indicates that the verb is an imperfect, not a preterite. As such it draws attention to God’s continuing care during the period in view. See A. F. Rainey, “The Ancient Hebrew Prefix Conjugation in the Light of Amarnah Canaanite,” Hebrew Studies 27 (1986): 15-16.
Deuteronomy 32:10 tn Heb “he gave him understanding.” The form of the suffix on this verb form indicates that the verb is a preterite, not an imperfect. As such it simply states the action factually. See A. F. Rainey, “The Ancient Hebrew Prefix Conjugation in the Light of Amarnah Canaanite,” Hebrew Studies 27 (1986): 15-16.
Deuteronomy 32:10 tn The distinctive form of the suffix on this verb form indicates that the verb is an imperfect, not a preterite. As such it draws attention to God’s continuing protection during the period in view. See A. F. Rainey, “The Ancient Hebrew Prefix Conjugation in the Light of Amarnah Canaanite,” Hebrew Studies 27 (1986): 15-16.
Deuteronomy 32:10 tn Heb “the little man.” The term אִישׁוֹן (ʾishon) means literally “little man,” perhaps because when one looks into another’s eyes he sees himself reflected there in miniature. See A. Harman, NIDOTTE 1:391.

Romans 15:14-21

Paul’s Motivation for Writing the Letter

¹⁴But I myself am fully convinced about you, my brothers and sisters,^[a] that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. ¹⁵But I have written more boldly to you on some points so as to remind you, because of the grace given to me by God ¹⁶to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. I serve^[b] the gospel of God^[c] like a priest, so that the Gentiles may become an acceptable offering,^[d] sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

¹⁷So I boast^[e] in Christ Jesus about the things that pertain to God. ¹⁸For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in order to bring about the obedience^[f] of the Gentiles, by word and deed, ¹⁹in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem even as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. ²⁰And in this way I desire to preach where Christ has not been named, so as not to build on another person’s foundation, ²¹but as it is written: “Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.”^[g]

Footnotes

Romans 15:14 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.
Romans 15:16 tn Grk “serving.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text, but in keeping with contemporary English style, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
Romans 15:16 tn The genitive in the phrase τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ θεοῦ (to euangelion tou theou, “the gospel of God”) could be translated as either a subjective genitive (“the gospel which God brings”) or an objective genitive (“the gospel about God”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, an interplay between the two concepts is intended: The gospel which God brings is in fact the gospel about himself.
Romans 15:16 tn Grk “so that the offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable.” This could be understood to refer to an offering belonging to the Gentiles (a possessive genitive) or made by the Gentiles (subjective genitive), but more likely the phrase should be understood as an appositive genitive, with the Gentiles themselves consisting of the offering (so J. D. G. Dunn, Romans [WBC 38], 2:860). The latter view is reflected in the translation “so that the Gentiles may become an acceptable offering.”
Romans 15:17 tc ‡ After οὖν (oun), several significant Alexandrian and Western mss (B C D F G 81 365) have τήν (tēn). The article is lacking in א A Ψ 33 1175 1241 1505 1739 1881 M however. P⁴⁶ supplies a relative pronoun and has a different reading entirely (“which I have [as a] boast”). Articles were frequently introduced to clarify the meaning of the text. In this instance, since the word modified (καύχησιν, kauchēsin) is third declension, a visual oversight (resulting in omission) is less likely. Hence, the shorter reading is probably earlier. The difference in translation between these first two options is negligible (“I have the boast” or “I have a boast”). NA²⁸ puts the article in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.tn Grk “Therefore I have a boast.”
Romans 15:18 tn Grk “unto obedience.”
Romans 15:21 sn A quotation from Isa 52:15.

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)

נ (Nun)

Footnotes

Invocation of Witnesses

Footnotes

Paul’s Motivation for Writing the Letter

Footnotes