◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Psalm 89:20-37 (God’s steadfast love); 1 Chronicles 11:15-19 (Water from Bethlehem’s well); Colossians 1:15-23 (God reconciles all things through Christ) (New English Translation)

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July 18, 2024

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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 89:20-37

²⁰I have discovered David, my servant.
With my holy oil I have anointed him as king.^[a]
²¹My hand will support him,^[b]
and my arm will strengthen him.
²²No enemy will be able to exact tribute^[c] from him;^[d]
a violent oppressor will not be able to humiliate him.^[e]
²³I will crush his enemies before him;
I will strike down those who hate him.
²⁴He will experience my faithfulness and loyal love,^[f]
and by my name he will win victories.^[g]
²⁵I will place his hand over the sea,
his right hand over the rivers.^[h]
²⁶He will call out to me,
‘You are my father,^[i] my God, and the protector who delivers me.’^[j]
²⁷I will appoint him to be my firstborn son,^[k]
the most exalted of the earth’s kings.
²⁸I will always extend my loyal love to him,
and my covenant with him is secure.^[l]
²⁹I will give him an eternal dynasty,^[m]
and make his throne as enduring as the skies above.^[n]
³⁰If his sons reject my law
and disobey my regulations,
³¹if they break^[o] my rules
and do not keep my commandments,
³²I will punish their rebellion by beating them with a club,^[p]
their sin by inflicting them with bruises.^[q]
³³But I will not remove^[r] my loyal love from him,
nor be unfaithful to my promise.^[s]
³⁴I will not break^[t] my covenant
or go back on what I promised.^[u]
³⁵Once and for all I have vowed by my own holiness,
I will never deceive^[v] David.
³⁶His dynasty will last forever.^[w]
His throne will endure before me, like the sun;^[x]
³⁷it will remain stable, like the moon.^[y]
His throne will endure like the skies.”^[z] (Selah)

Footnotes

Psalm 89:20 tn The words “as king” are supplied in the translation for clarification, indicating that a royal anointing is in view.
Psalm 89:21 tn Heb “with whom my hand will be firm.”
Psalm 89:22 tn Heb “an enemy will not exact tribute.” The imperfect is understood in a modal sense, indicating capability or potential.
Psalm 89:22 tn The translation understands the Hiphil of נָשַׁא (nashaʾ) in the sense of “act as a creditor.” This may allude to the practice of a conqueror forcing his subjects to pay tribute in exchange for “protection.” Another option is to take the verb from a homonymic verbal root meaning “to deceive,” “to trick.” Still another option is to emend the form to יִשָּׂא (yissaʾ), a Qal imperfect from נָאַשׂ (naʾas, “rise up”) and to translate “an enemy will not rise up against him” (see M. Dahood, Psalms [AB], 2:317).
Psalm 89:22 tn Heb “and a son of violence will not oppress him.” The imperfect is understood in a modal sense, indicating capability or potential. The reference to a “son of violence” echoes the language of God’s promise to David in 2 Sam 7:10 (see also 1 Chr 17:9).
Psalm 89:24 tn Heb “and my faithfulness and my loyal love [will be] with him.”
Psalm 89:24 tn Heb “and by my name his horn will be lifted up.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 92:10; Lam 2:17).
Psalm 89:25 tn Some identify “the sea” as the Mediterranean and “the rivers” as the Euphrates and its tributaries. However, it is more likely that “the sea” and “the rivers” are symbols for hostile powers that oppose God and the king (see v. 9, as well as Ps 93:3-4).
Psalm 89:26 sn You are my father. The Davidic king was viewed as God’s “son” (see 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 2:7). The idiom reflects ancient Near Eastern adoption language associated with covenants of grant, by which a lord would reward a faithful subject by elevating him to special status, referred to as “sonship.” Like a son, the faithful subject received an “inheritance,” viewed as an unconditional, eternal gift. Such gifts usually took the form of land and/or an enduring dynasty. See M. Weinfeld, “The Covenant of Grant in the Old Testament and in the Ancient Near East,” JAOS 90 (1970): 184-203, for general discussion and some striking extra-biblical parallels.
Psalm 89:26 tn Heb “the rocky summit of my deliverance.”
Psalm 89:27 sn The firstborn son typically had special status and received special privileges.
Psalm 89:28 tn Heb “forever I will keep for him my loyal love and will make my covenant secure for him.”
Psalm 89:29 tn Heb “and I will set in place forever his offspring.”
Psalm 89:29 tn Heb “and his throne like the days of the heavens.”
Psalm 89:31 tn Or “desecrate.”
Psalm 89:32 tn Heb “I will punish with a club their rebellion.”sn Despite the harsh image of beating…with a club, the language reflects a father-son relationship (see v. 30; 2 Sam 7:14). According to Proverbs, a שֵׁבֶט (shevet, “club”) was sometimes utilized to administer corporal punishment to rebellious children (see Prov 13:24; 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15).
Psalm 89:32 tn Heb “with blows their sin.”
Psalm 89:33 tn Heb “break”; “make ineffectual.” Some prefer to emend אָפִיר (ʾafir; the Hiphil of פָּרַר, parar, “to break”) to אָסִיר (ʾasir; the Hiphil of סוּר, sur, “to turn aside”), a verb that appears in 2 Sam 7:15.
Psalm 89:33 tn Heb “and I will not deal falsely with my faithfulness.”
Psalm 89:34 tn Or “desecrate.”
Psalm 89:34 tn Heb “and what proceeds out of my lips I will not alter.”
Psalm 89:35 tn Or “lie to.”
Psalm 89:36 tn Heb “his offspring forever will be.”
Psalm 89:36 tn Heb “and his throne like the sun before me.”
Psalm 89:37 tn Heb “like the moon it will be established forever.”
Psalm 89:37 tn Heb “and a witness in the sky, secure.” Scholars have offered a variety of opinions as to the identity of the “witness” referred to here, none of which is very convincing. It is preferable to join וְעֵד (v^eʿed) to עוֹלָם (ʿolam) in the preceding line and translate the commonly attested phrase עוֹלָם וְעֵד (“forever”). In this case one may translate the second line, “[it] will be secure like the skies.” Another option (the one reflected in the present translation) is to take עד as a rare noun meaning “throne” or “dais.” This noun is attested in Ugaritic; see, for example, CTA 16 vi 22-23, where ksi (= כִּסֵּא, kisseʾ, “throne”) and ʿd (= עד, “dais”) appear as synonyms in the poetic parallelism (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 91). Emending בַּשַּׁחַק (bashakhaq, “in the heavens”) to כַּשַׁחַק (kashakhaq, “like the heavens”)—bet/kaf (כ/ב) confusion is widely attested—one can then read “[his] throne like the heavens [is] firm/stable.” Verse 29 refers to the enduring nature of the heavens, while Job 37:18 speaks of God spreading out the heavens (שְׁחָקִים, sh^ekhaqim) and compares their strength to a bronze mirror. Ps 89:29 uses the term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim, “skies”) which frequently appears in parallelism to שְׁחָקִים.

1 Chronicles 11:15-19

¹⁵Three of the thirty leaders went down to David at the rocky cliff at the cave of Adullam, while a Philistine force was camped in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁶David was in the stronghold at the time, while a Philistine garrison was in Bethlehem. ¹⁷David was thirsty and said, “How I wish someone would give me some water to drink^[a] from the cistern in Bethlehem near the city gate!” ¹⁸So the three elite warriors^[b] broke through the Philistine forces and drew some water from the cistern in Bethlehem near the city gate. They carried it back to David, but David refused to drink it. He poured it out as a drink offering to the Lord ¹⁹and said, “God forbid that I should do this!^[c] Should I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives?”^[d] Because they risked their lives to bring it to him, he refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of the three elite warriors.^[e]

Colossians 1:15-23

The Supremacy of Christ

¹⁵^[a] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn^[b] over all creation,^[c]
¹⁶for all things in heaven and on earth were created in him—all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions,^[d] whether principalities or powers—all things were created through him and for him.
¹⁷He himself is before all things and all things are held together^[e] in him.
¹⁸He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn^[f] from the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things.^[g]
¹⁹For God^[h] was pleased to have all his^[i] fullness dwell^[j] in the Son^[k]
²⁰and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross—through him,^[l] whether things on earth or things in heaven.

Paul’s Goal in Ministry

²¹And you were at one time strangers and enemies in your^[m] minds^[n] as expressed through^[o] your evil deeds, ²²but now he has reconciled you^[p] by his physical body through death to present you holy, without blemish, and blameless before him— ²³if indeed you remain in the faith, established and firm,^[q] without shifting^[r] from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has also been preached in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become its servant.

Footnotes

Colossians 1:15 sn This passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.
Colossians 1:15 tn The Greek term πρωτότοκος (prōtotokos) could refer either to first in order of time, such as a first born child, or it could refer to one who is preeminent in rank. M. J. Harris, Colossians and Philemon (EGGNT), 43, expresses the meaning of the word well: “The ‘firstborn’ was either the eldest child in a family or a person of preeminent rank. The use of this term to describe the Davidic king in Ps 88:28 LXX (=Ps 89:27 EVV), ‘I will also appoint him my firstborn (πρωτότοκον), the most exalted of the kings of the earth,’ indicates that it can denote supremacy in rank as well as priority in time. But whether the πρωτό- element in the word denotes time, rank, or both, the significance of the -τοκος element as indicating birth or origin (from τίκτω, give birth to) has been virtually lost except in ref. to lit. birth.” In Col 1:15 the emphasis is on the priority of Jesus’ rank as over and above creation (cf. 1:16 and the “for” clause referring to Jesus as Creator).
Colossians 1:15 tn The genitive construction πάσης κτίσεως (pasēs ktiseōs) is a genitive of subordination and is therefore translated as “over all creation.” See ExSyn 103-4.
Colossians 1:16 tn BDAG 579 s.v. κυριότης 3 suggests “bearers of the ruling powers, dominions” here.
Colossians 1:17 tn BDAG 973 s.v. συνίστημι B.3 suggests “continue, endure, exist, hold together” here.
Colossians 1:18 tn See the note on the term “firstborn” in 1:15. Here the reference to Jesus as the “firstborn from the dead” seems to be arguing for a chronological priority, i.e., Jesus was the first to rise from the dead.
Colossians 1:18 tn Grk “in order that he may become in all things, himself, first.”
Colossians 1:19 tn The noun “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but the similar phrase “all the fullness of deity” in 2:9 lends credence to God as the subject of εὐδόκησεν (eudokēsen).
Colossians 1:19 tn The Greek article τό (to), insofar as it relates to God, may be translated as a possessive pronoun, i.e., “his.” BDAG 404 s.v. εὐδοκέω 1 translates the phrase as “all the fullness willed to dwell in him” thus leaving the referent as impersonal. Insofar as Paul is alluding to the so-called emanations from God this is acceptable. But the fact that “the fullness” dwells in a person (i.e., “in him”) seems to argue for the translation “his fullness” where “his” refers to God.
Colossians 1:19 tn The aorist verb κατοικῆσαι (katoikēsai) could be taken as an ingressive, in which case it refers to the incarnation and may be translated as “begin to dwell, to take up residence.” It is perhaps better, though, to take it as a constative aorist and simply a reference to the fact that the fullness of God dwells in Jesus Christ. This is a permanent dwelling, though, not a temporary one, as the present tense in 2:9 makes clear.
Colossians 1:19 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the Son; see v. 13) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Colossians 1:20 tc The presence or absence of the second occurrence of the phrase δι᾿ αὐτοῦ (di’ autou, “through him”) is a difficult textual problem to solve. External evidence is fairly evenly divided. Many ancient and excellent witnesses lack the phrase (B D* F G I 0278 81 1175 1739 1881 2464 al latt sa), but equally significant witnesses have it (P⁴⁶ א A C D¹ Ψ 048^vid 33 M al sy bo). Both readings have strong Alexandrian support, which makes the problem difficult to decide on external evidence alone. The phrase, however, has stronger evidence geographically. Internal evidence points to the inclusion of the phrase as autographic. The word immediately preceding the phrase is the masculine pronoun αὐτοῦ (autou); thus the possibility of omission through homoioteleuton in various witnesses is likely. Scribes might have deleted the phrase because of perceived redundancy or awkwardness in the sense: The shorter reading is smoother and more elegant, so scribes would be prone to correct the text in that direction. As far as style is concerned, repetition of key words and phrases for emphasis is not foreign to the corpus Paulinum (see, e.g., Rom 8:23, Eph 1:13, 2 Cor 12:7). In sum, it is easier to account for the shorter reading arising from the longer reading than vice versa, so the longer reading is more likely original, though a decision is not easy. The NA²⁸ prints the prepositional phrase in brackets indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.
Colossians 1:21 tn The article τῇ (tē) has been translated as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
Colossians 1:21 tn Although διανοία (dianoia) is singular in Greek, the previous plural noun ἐχθρούς (echthrous) indicates that all those from Colossae are in view here.
Colossians 1:21 tn The dative ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς πονηροῖς (en tois ergois tois ponērois) is taken as means, indicating the avenue through which hostility in the mind is revealed and made known.
Colossians 1:22 tc Some of the better representatives of the Alexandrian and Western groups have a passive verb here instead of the active ἀποκατήλλαξεν (apokatēllaxen, “he has reconciled”): ἀποκατηλλάγητε (apokatēllagēte) in P⁴⁶ B, ἀποκατήλλακται [sic] (apokatēllaktai) in 33, and ἀποκαταλλαγέντες (apokatallagentes) in D* F G. Yet the active verb is strongly supported by א A C D² Ψ 048 075 0278 1175 1505 1739 1881 2464 M al lat sy. Internally, the passive creates an anacoluthon in that it looks back to the accusative ὑμᾶς (humas, “you”) of v. 21 and leaves the following παραστῆσαι (parastēsai) dangling (“you were reconciled…to present you”). The passive reading is certainly the harder reading. As such, it may well explain the rise of the others. At the same time, it is possible that the passive was produced by scribes who wanted some symmetry between the ποτε (pote, “at one time”) of v. 21 and the νυνὶ δέ (nuni de, “but now”) of v. 22: Since a passive periphrastic participle is used in v. 21, there may have been a temptation to produce a corresponding passive form in v. 22, so that the ὑμᾶς of v. 21 functioned as subject by way of constructio ad sensum. Since παραστῆσαι occurs ten words later, it may not have been considered in this scribal modification. Further, the Western reading (ἀποκαταλλαγέντες) hardly seems to have arisen from ἀποκατηλλάγητε (contra TCGNT 555). As difficult as this decision is, the preferred reading is the active form because it is superior externally and seems to explain the rise of all forms of the passive readings.tn The direct object is omitted in the Greek text, but it is clear from context that “you” (ὑμᾶς, humas) is implied.
Colossians 1:23 tn BDAG 276 s.v. ἑδραῖος suggests “firm, steadfast.”
Colossians 1:23 tn BDAG 639 s.v. μετακινέω suggests “without shifting from the hope” here.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Footnotes

Footnotes

The Supremacy of Christ

Paul’s Goal in Ministry

Footnotes