◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Psalm 78:1-4 12-16 (Recounting God’s power); Numbers 20:1-13 (Another story of water from the rock); Acts 13:32-41 (Through Jesus forgiveness is proclaimed) (New English Translation)

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September 29, 2023

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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 78:1-4

Psalm 78^[a]

A well-written song^[b] by Asaph.

78 Pay attention, my people, to my instruction.
Listen to the words I speak.^[c]
²I will sing a song that imparts wisdom;
I will make insightful observations about the past.^[d]
³What we have heard and learned^[e]—
that which our ancestors^[f] have told us—
⁴we will not hide from their^[g] descendants.
We will tell the next generation
about the Lord’s praiseworthy acts,^[h]
about his strength and the amazing things he has done.

Psalm 78:12-16

¹²He did amazing things in the sight of their ancestors,
in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.^[a]
¹³He divided the sea and led them across it;
he made the water stand in a heap.
¹⁴He led them with a cloud by day,
and with the light of a fire all night long.
¹⁵He broke open rocks in the wilderness,
and gave them enough water to fill the depths of the sea.^[b]
¹⁶He caused streams to flow from the rock,
and made the water flow like rivers.

Numbers 20:1-13

The Israelites Complain Again

20 ^[a] Then the entire community of Israel^[b] entered the wilderness of Zin in the first month,^[c] and the people stayed in Kadesh.^[d] Miriam died and was buried there.^[e]

²And there was no water for the community, and so they gathered themselves together against Moses and Aaron. ³The people contended^[f] with Moses, saying,^[g] “If only^[h] we had died when our brothers died before the Lord! ⁴Why^[i] have you brought up the Lord’s community into this wilderness? So that^[j] we and our cattle should die here? ⁵Why^[k] have you brought us up from Egypt only to bring^[l] us to this dreadful place? It is no place for grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink!”

Moses Responds

⁶So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting. They then threw themselves down with their faces to the ground, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. ⁷Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ⁸“Take the staff and assemble the community, you and Aaron your brother, and then speak^[m] to the rock before their eyes. It will pour forth^[n] its water, and you will bring water out of the rock for them, and so you will give the community and their beasts water to drink.”

⁹So Moses took the staff from before the Lord, just as he commanded him. ¹⁰Then Moses and Aaron gathered the community together in front of the rock, and he said to them, “Listen, you rebels,^[o] must we bring^[p] water out of this rock for you?” ¹¹Then Moses raised his hand, and struck the rock twice with his staff. And water came out abundantly. So the community drank, and their beasts drank too.

The Lord’s Judgment

¹²Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough^[q] to show me as holy^[r] before^[s] the Israelites, therefore you will not bring this community into the land I have given them.”^[t]

¹³These are the waters of Meribah, because the Israelites contended with the Lord, and his holiness was maintained^[u] among them.

Footnotes

Numbers 20:1 sn This chapter is the account of how Moses struck the rock in disobedience to the Lord, and thereby was prohibited from entering the land. For additional literature on this part, see E. Arden, “How Moses Failed God,” JBL 76 (1957): 50-52; J. Gray, “The Desert Sojourn of the Hebrews and the Sinai Horeb Tradition,” VT 4 (1954): 148-54; T. W. Mann, “Theological Reflections on the Denial of Moses,” JBL 98 (1979): 481-94; and J. R. Porter, “The Role of Kadesh Barnea in the Narrative of the Exodus,” JTS 44 (1943): 130-43.
Numbers 20:1 tn The Hebrew text stresses this idea by use of apposition: “the Israelites entered, the entire community, the wilderness.”
Numbers 20:1 sn The text does not indicate here what year this was, but from comparing the other passages about the itinerary, this is probably the end of the wanderings, the fortieth year, for Aaron died some forty years after the exodus. So in that year the people come through the wilderness of Zin and prepare for a journey through the Moabite plains.
Numbers 20:1 sn The Israelites stayed in Kadesh for some time during the wandering; here the stop at Kadesh Barnea may have lasted several months. See the commentaries for the general itinerary.
Numbers 20:1 sn The death of Miriam is recorded without any qualifications or epitaph. In her older age she had been self-willed and rebellious, and so no doubt humbled by the vivid rebuke from God. But she had made her contribution from the beginning.
Numbers 20:3 tn The verb is רִיב (riv); it is often used in the Bible for a legal complaint, a law suit, at least in form. But it can also describe a quarrel, or strife, like that between Abram’s men and Lot’s men in Genesis 13. It will be the main verb behind the commemorative name Meribah, the place where the people strove with God. It is a far more serious thing than grumbling—it is directed, intentional, and well-argued. For further discussion, see J. Limburg, “The Root ‘rib’ and the Prophetic Lawsuit Speeches,” JBL 88 (1969): 291-304.
Numbers 20:3 tn Heb “and they said, saying.”
Numbers 20:3 tn The particle לוּ (lu) indicates the optative nuance of the line—the wishing or longing for death. It is certainly an absurdity to want to have died, but God took them at their word and they died in the wilderness.
Numbers 20:4 tn Heb “and why….” The conjunction seems to be recording another thing that the people said in their complaint against Moses.
Numbers 20:4 tn The clause uses the infinitive construct with the preposition ל (lamed) preposition. The clause would be a result clause in this sentence: “Why have you brought us here…with the result that we will all die?”
Numbers 20:5 tn Heb “and why.”
Numbers 20:5 tn Here also the infinitive construct (Hiphil) forms the subordinate clause of the preceding interrogative clause.
Numbers 20:8 tn The verb is the Piel perfect with vav (ו) consecutive, following the two imperatives in the verse. Here is the focus of the instruction for Moses.
Numbers 20:8 tn Heb “give.” The verb is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive, as are the next two in the verse. These are not now equal to the imperatives, but imperfects, showing the results of speaking to the rock: “speak…and it will…and so you will….”
Numbers 20:10 tn The word is הַמֹּרִים (hammorim, “the rebels”), but here as a vocative: “you rebels.” It was a harsh address, although well-earned.
Numbers 20:10 tn The word order and the emphasis of the tense are important to this passage. The word order is “from this rock must we bring out to you water?” The emphasis is clearly on “from this rock!” The verb is the imperfect tense; it has one of the modal nuances here, probably obligatory—“must we do this?”
Numbers 20:12 tn Or “to sanctify me.”sn The verb is the main word for “believe, trust.” It is the verb that describes the faith in the Word of the Lord that leads to an appropriate action. Here God says that Moses did not believe him, meaning that what he did showed more of Moses than of what God said. Moses had taken a hostile stance toward the people, and then hit the rock twice. This showed that Moses was not satisfied with what God said, but made it more forceful and terrifying, thus giving the wrong picture of God to the people. By doing this the full power and might of the Lord was not displayed to the people. It was a momentary lack of faith, but it had to be dealt with.
Numbers 20:12 sn Using the basic meaning of the word קָדַשׁ (qadash, “to be separate, distinct, set apart”), we can understand better what Moses failed to do. He was supposed to have acted in a way that would have shown God to be distinct, different, holy. Instead, he gave the impression that God was capricious and hostile—very human. The leader has to be aware of what image he is conveying to the people.
Numbers 20:12 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
Numbers 20:12 tn There is debate as to exactly what the sin of Moses was. Some interpreters think that the real sin might have been that he refused to do this at first, but that fact has been suppressed from the text. Some think the text was deliberately vague to explain why they could not enter the land without demeaning them. Others simply, and more likely, note that in Moses there was unbelief, pride, anger, impatience—disobedience.
Numbers 20:13 tn The form is unusual—it is the Niphal preterite, and not the normal use of the Piel/Pual stem for “sanctify/sanctified.” The basic idea of “he was holy” has to be the main idea, but in this context it refers to the fact that through judging Moses God was making sure people ensured his holiness among them. The word also forms a wordplay on the name Kadesh.

Acts 13:32-41

³²And we proclaim to you the good news about the promise to our ancestors,^[a] ³³that this promise^[b] God has fulfilled to us, their children, by raising^[c] Jesus, as also it is written in the second psalm, ‘You are my Son;^[d] today I have fathered you.’^[e] ³⁴But regarding the fact that he has raised Jesus^[f] from the dead, never^[g] again to be^[h] in a state of decay, God^[i] has spoken in this way: ‘I will give you^[j] the holy and trustworthy promises^[k] made to David.’^[l] ³⁵Therefore he also says in another psalm,^[m] ‘You will not permit your Holy One^[n] to experience^[o] decay.’^[p] ³⁶For David, after he had served^[q] God’s purpose in his own generation, died,^[r] was buried with his ancestors,^[s] and experienced^[t] decay, ³⁷but the one^[u] whom God raised up did not experience^[v] decay. ³⁸Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through this one^[w] forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, ³⁹and by this one^[x] everyone who believes is justified^[y] from everything from which the law of Moses could not justify^[z] you.^[aa] ⁴⁰Watch out,^[ab] then, that what is spoken about by^[ac] the prophets does not happen to you:

⁴¹‘Look, you scoffers; be amazed and perish!^[ad]
For I am doing a work in your days,
a work you would never believe, even if someone tells you.’”^[ae]

Footnotes

Acts 13:32 tn Or “to our forefathers”; Grk “the fathers.”
Acts 13:33 tn Grk “that this”; the referent (the promise mentioned in the previous verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.sn This promise refers to the promise of a Savior through the seed (descendants) of David that is proclaimed as fulfilled (Rom 1:1-7).
Acts 13:33 tn Or “by resurrecting.” The participle ἀναστήσας (anastēsas) is taken as instrumental here.sn By raising (i.e., by resurrection) tells how this promise came to be realized, though again the wordplay also points to his presence in history through this event (see the note on “raised up” in v. 22).
Acts 13:33 sn You are my Son. The key to how the quotation is used is the naming of Jesus as “Son” to the Father. The language is that of kingship, as Ps 2 indicates. Here is the promise about what the ultimate Davidic heir would be.
Acts 13:33 tn Grk “I have begotten you.” The traditional translation for γεγέννηκα (gegennēka, “begotten”) is misleading to the modern English reader because it is no longer in common use. Today one speaks of “fathering” a child in much the same way speakers of English formerly spoke of “begetting a child.”sn A quotation from Ps 2:7.
Acts 13:34 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Acts 13:34 tn Although μηκέτι (mēketi) can mean “no longer” or “no more,” the latter is more appropriate here, since to translate “no longer” in this context could give the reader the impression that Jesus did experience decay before his resurrection. Since the phrase “no more again to be” is somewhat awkward in English, the simpler phrase “never again to be” was used instead.
Acts 13:34 tn The translation “to be in again” for ὑποστρέφω (hupostrephō) is given in L&N 13.24.
Acts 13:34 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Acts 13:34 tn The pronoun “you” is plural here. The promises of David are offered to the people.
Acts 13:34 tn Or “the trustworthy decrees made by God to David.” The phrase τὰ ὅσια Δαυὶδ τὰ πιστά (ta hosia Dauid ta pista) is “compressed,” that is, in a very compact or condensed form. It could be expanded in several different ways. BDAG 728 s.v. ὅσιος 3 understands it to refer to divine decrees: “I will grant you the sure decrees of God relating to David.” BDAG then states that this quotation from Isa 55:3 is intended to show that the following quotation from Ps 16:10 could not refer to David himself, but must refer to his messianic descendant (Jesus). L&N 33.290 render the phrase “I will give to you the divine promises made to David, promises that can be trusted,” although they also note that τὰ ὅσια in Acts 13:34 can mean “divine decrees” or “decrees made by God.” In contemporary English it is less awkward to translate πιστά as an adjective (“trustworthy”). The concept of “divine decrees,” not very understandable to the modern reader, has been replaced by “promises,” and since God is the implied speaker in the context, it is clear that these promises were made by God.
Acts 13:34 sn A quotation from Isa 55:3. The point of this citation is to make clear that the promise of a Davidic line and blessings are made to the people as well.
Acts 13:35 tn Grk “Therefore he also says in another”; the word “psalm” is not in the Greek text but is implied.
Acts 13:35 tn The Greek word translated “Holy One” here (ὅσιόν, hosion) is related to the use of ὅσια (hosia) in v. 34. The link is a wordplay. The Holy One, who does not die, brings the faithful holy blessings of promise to the people.
Acts 13:35 tn Grk “to see,” but the literal translation of the phrase “to see decay” could be misunderstood to mean simply “to look at decay,” while here “see decay” is really figurative for “experience decay.”
Acts 13:35 sn A quotation from Ps 16:10.
Acts 13:36 tn The participle ὑπηρετήσας (hupēretēsas) is taken temporally.
Acts 13:36 tn The verb κοιμάω (koimaō) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for the death of a believer.
Acts 13:36 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “was gathered to his fathers” (a Semitic idiom).
Acts 13:36 tn Grk “saw,” but the literal translation of the phrase “saw decay” could be misunderstood to mean simply “looked at decay,” while here “saw decay” is really figurative for “experienced decay.” This remark explains why David cannot fulfill the promise.
Acts 13:37 sn The one whom God raised up refers to Jesus.
Acts 13:37 tn Grk “see,” but the literal translation of the phrase “did not see decay” could be misunderstood to mean simply “did not look at decay,” while here “did not see decay” is really figurative for “did not experience decay.”
Acts 13:38 tn That is, Jesus. This pronoun is in emphatic position in the Greek text. Following this phrase in the Greek text is the pronoun ὑμῖν (humin, “to you”), so that the emphasis for the audience is that “through Jesus to you” these promises have come.
Acts 13:39 sn This one refers here to Jesus.
Acts 13:39 tn Or “is freed.” The translation of δικαιωθῆναι (dikaiōthēnai) and δικαιοῦται (dikaioutai) in Acts 13:38-39 is difficult. BDAG 249 s.v. δικαιόω 3 categorizes δικαιωθῆναι in 13:38 (Greek text) under the meaning “make free/pure” but categorizes δικαιοῦται in Acts 13:39 as “be found in the right, be free of charges” (BDAG 249 s.v. δικαιόω 2.b.β). In the interest of consistency both verbs are rendered as “justified” in this translation.
Acts 13:39 tn Or “could not free.”
Acts 13:39 tn Grk “from everything from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation, with “by the law of Moses” becoming the subject of the final clause. The words “from everything from which the law of Moses could not justify you” are part of v. 38 in the Greek text, but due to English style and word order must be placed in v. 39 in the translation.
Acts 13:40 sn The speech closes with a warning, “Watch out,” that also stresses culpability.
Acts 13:40 tn Or “in.”
Acts 13:41 tn Or “and die!”
Acts 13:41 sn A quotation from Hab 1:5. The irony in the phrase even if someone tells you, of course, is that Paul has now told them. So the call in the warning is to believe or else face the peril of being scoffers whom God will judge. The parallel from Habakkuk is that the nation failed to see how Babylon’s rising to power meant perilous judgment for Israel.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 78[a]

A well-written song[b] by Asaph.

Footnotes

Footnotes

The Israelites Complain Again

Moses Responds

The Lord’s Judgment

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 78^[a]

A well-written song^[b] by Asaph.