Kejadian 14:1-24
Konteks14:1 At that time 1 Amraphel king of Shinar, 2 Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations 3 14:2 went to war 4 against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 5 14:3 These last five kings 6 joined forces 7 in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). 8 14:4 For twelve years 9 they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year 10 they rebelled. 11 14:5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and defeated 12 the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 14:6 and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is near the desert. 13 14:7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again, 14 and they conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar.
14:8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and prepared for battle. In the Valley of Siddim they met 15 14:9 Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, 16 Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought against 17 five. 14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. 18 When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, 19 but some survivors 20 fled to the hills. 21 14:11 The four victorious kings 22 took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left. 14:12 They also took Abram’s nephew 23 Lot and his possessions when 24 they left, for Lot 25 was living in Sodom. 26
14:13 A fugitive 27 came and told Abram the Hebrew. 28 Now Abram was living by the oaks 29 of Mamre the Amorite, the brother 30 of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty 31 with Abram.) 32 14:14 When Abram heard that his nephew 33 had been taken captive, he mobilized 34 his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders 35 as far as Dan. 36 14:15 Then, during the night, 37 Abram 38 divided his forces 39 against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north 40 of Damascus. 14:16 He retrieved all the stolen property. 41 He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the rest of 42 the people.
14:17 After Abram 43 returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram 44 in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). 45 14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem 46 brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) 47 14:19 He blessed Abram, saying,
“Blessed be Abram by 48 the Most High God,
Creator 49 of heaven and earth. 50
14:20 Worthy of praise is 51 the Most High God,
who delivered 52 your enemies into your hand.”
Abram gave Melchizedek 53 a tenth of everything.
14:21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and take the possessions for yourself.” 14:22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I raise my hand 54 to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow 55 14:23 that I will take nothing 56 belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I 57 who made Abram rich.’ 14:24 I will take nothing 58 except compensation for what the young men have eaten. 59 As for the share of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre – let them take their share.”
Kejadian 50:1-26
Konteks50:1 Then Joseph hugged his father’s face. 60 He wept over him and kissed him. 50:2 Joseph instructed the physicians in his service 61 to embalm his father, so the physicians embalmed Israel. 50:3 They took forty days, for that is the full time needed for embalming. 62 The Egyptians mourned 63 for him seventy days. 64
50:4 When the days of mourning 65 had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s royal court, 66 “If I have found favor in your sight, please say to Pharaoh, 67 50:5 ‘My father made me swear an oath. He said, 68 “I am about to die. Bury me 69 in my tomb that I dug for myself there in the land of Canaan.” Now let me go and bury my father; then I will return.’” 50:6 So Pharaoh said, “Go and bury your father, just as he made you swear to do.” 70
50:7 So Joseph went up to bury his father; all Pharaoh’s officials went with him – the senior courtiers 71 of his household, all the senior officials of the land of Egypt, 50:8 all Joseph’s household, his brothers, and his father’s household. But they left their little children and their flocks and herds in the land of Goshen. 50:9 Chariots and horsemen also went up with him, so it was a very large entourage. 72
50:10 When they came to the threshing floor of Atad 73 on the other side of the Jordan, they mourned there with very great and bitter sorrow. 74 There Joseph observed a seven day period of mourning for his father. 50:11 When the Canaanites who lived in the land saw them mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a very sad occasion 75 for the Egyptians.” That is why its name was called 76 Abel Mizraim, 77 which is beyond the Jordan.
50:12 So the sons of Jacob did for him just as he had instructed them. 50:13 His sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, near Mamre. This is the field Abraham purchased as a burial plot from Ephron the Hittite. 50:14 After he buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, along with his brothers and all who had accompanied him to bury his father.
50:15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge and wants to repay 78 us in full 79 for all the harm 80 we did to him?” 50:16 So they sent word 81 to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave these instructions before he died: 50:17 ‘Tell Joseph this: Please forgive the sin of your brothers and the wrong they did when they treated you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sin of the servants of the God of your father.” When this message was reported to him, Joseph wept. 82 50:18 Then his brothers also came and threw themselves down before him; they said, “Here we are; we are your slaves.” 50:19 But Joseph answered them, “Don’t be afraid. Am 83 I in the place of God? 50:20 As for you, you meant to harm me, 84 but God intended it for a good purpose, so he could preserve the lives of many people, as you can see this day. 85 50:21 So now, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your little children.” Then he consoled them and spoke kindly 86 to them.
50:22 Joseph lived in Egypt, along with his father’s family. 87 Joseph lived 110 years. 50:23 Joseph saw the descendants of Ephraim to the third generation. 88 He also saw the children of Makir the son of Manasseh; they were given special inheritance rights by Joseph. 89
50:24 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to you 90 and lead you up from this land to the land he swore on oath to give 91 to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” 50:25 Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He said, “God will surely come to you. Then you must carry my bones up from this place.” 50:26 So Joseph died at the age of 110. 92 After they embalmed him, his body 93 was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
Kejadian 50:1
Konteks50:1 Then Joseph hugged his father’s face. 94 He wept over him and kissed him.
Ulangan 32:35-42
Konteks32:35 I will get revenge and pay them back
at the time their foot slips;
for the day of their disaster is near,
and the impending judgment 95 is rushing upon them!”
32:36 The Lord will judge his people,
and will change his plans concerning 96 his servants;
when he sees that their power has disappeared,
and that no one is left, whether confined or set free.
32:37 He will say, “Where are their gods,
the rock in whom they sought security,
32:38 who ate the best of their sacrifices,
and drank the wine of their drink offerings?
Let them rise and help you;
let them be your refuge!
32:39 “See now that I, indeed I, am he!” says the Lord, 97
“and there is no other god besides me.
I kill and give life,
I smash and I heal,
and none can resist 98 my power.
32:40 For I raise up my hand to heaven,
and say, ‘As surely as I live forever,
32:41 I will sharpen my lightning-like sword,
and my hand will grasp hold of the weapon of judgment; 99
I will execute vengeance on my foes,
and repay those who hate me! 100
32:42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood,
and my sword will devour flesh –
the blood of the slaughtered and captured,
the chief 101 of the enemy’s leaders!’”
Yesaya 13:1--14:32
Konteks13:1 102 This is a message about Babylon that God revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz: 103
13:2 104 On a bare hill raise a signal flag,
shout to them,
wave your hand,
so they might enter the gates of the princes!
13:3 I have given orders to my chosen soldiers; 105
I have summoned the warriors through whom I will vent my anger, 106
my boasting, arrogant ones. 107
13:4 108 There is a loud noise on the mountains –
it sounds like a large army! 109
There is great commotion among the kingdoms 110 –
nations are being assembled!
The Lord who commands armies is mustering
forces for battle.
13:5 They come from a distant land,
from the horizon. 111
It is the Lord with his instruments of judgment, 112
coming to destroy the whole earth. 113
13:6 Wail, for the Lord’s day of judgment 114 is near;
it comes with all the destructive power of the sovereign judge. 115
13:7 For this reason all hands hang limp, 116
every human heart loses its courage. 117
13:8 They panic –
cramps and pain seize hold of them
like those of a woman who is straining to give birth.
They look at one another in astonishment;
their faces are flushed red. 118
13:9 Look, the Lord’s day of judgment 119 is coming;
it is a day of cruelty and savage, raging anger, 120
and annihilating its sinners.
13:10 Indeed the stars in the sky and their constellations
no longer give out their light; 123
the sun is darkened as soon as it rises,
and the moon does not shine. 124
13:11 125 I will punish the world for its evil, 126
and wicked people for their sin.
I will put an end to the pride of the insolent,
I will bring down the arrogance of tyrants. 127
13:12 I will make human beings more scarce than pure gold,
and people more scarce 128 than gold from Ophir.
13:13 So I will shake the heavens, 129
and the earth will shake loose from its foundation, 130
because of the fury of the Lord who commands armies,
in the day he vents his raging anger. 131
13:14 Like a frightened gazelle 132
or a sheep with no shepherd,
each will turn toward home, 133
each will run to his homeland.
13:15 Everyone who is caught will be stabbed;
everyone who is seized 134 will die 135 by the sword.
13:16 Their children will be smashed to pieces before their very eyes;
their houses will be looted
and their wives raped.
13:17 Look, I am stirring up the Medes to attack them; 136
they are not concerned about silver,
nor are they interested in gold. 137
13:18 Their arrows will cut young men to ribbons; 138
they have no compassion on a person’s offspring, 139
they will not 140 look with pity on children.
13:19 Babylon, the most admired 141 of kingdoms,
the Chaldeans’ source of honor and pride, 142
will be destroyed by God
just as Sodom and Gomorrah were. 143
13:20 No one will live there again;
no one will ever reside there again. 144
No bedouin 145 will camp 146 there,
no shepherds will rest their flocks 147 there.
13:21 Wild animals will rest there,
the ruined 148 houses will be full of hyenas. 149
Ostriches will live there,
wild goats will skip among the ruins. 150
13:22 Wild dogs will yip in her ruined fortresses,
jackals will yelp in the once-splendid palaces. 151
Her time is almost up, 152
her days will not be prolonged. 153
14:1 The Lord will certainly have compassion on Jacob; 154 he will again choose Israel as his special people 155 and restore 156 them to their land. Resident foreigners will join them and unite with the family 157 of Jacob. 14:2 Nations will take them and bring them back to their own place. Then the family of Jacob will make foreigners their servants as they settle in the Lord’s land. 158 They will make their captors captives and rule over the ones who oppressed them. 14:3 When the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and anxiety, 159 and from the hard labor which you were made to perform, 14:4 you will taunt the king of Babylon with these words: 160
“Look how the oppressor has met his end!
Hostility 161 has ceased!
14:5 The Lord has broken the club of the wicked,
the scepter of rulers.
14:6 It 162 furiously struck down nations
with unceasing blows. 163
It angrily ruled over nations,
oppressing them without restraint. 164
14:7 The whole earth rests and is quiet;
they break into song.
14:8 The evergreens also rejoice over your demise, 165
as do the cedars of Lebanon, singing, 166
‘Since you fell asleep, 167
no woodsman comes up to chop us down!’ 168
14:9 Sheol 169 below is stirred up about you,
ready to meet you when you arrive.
It rouses 170 the spirits of the dead for you,
all the former leaders of the earth; 171
it makes all the former kings of the nations
rise from their thrones. 172
14:10 All of them respond to you, saying:
‘You too have become weak like us!
You have become just like us!
14:11 Your splendor 173 has been brought down to Sheol,
as well as the sound of your stringed instruments. 174
You lie on a bed of maggots,
with a blanket of worms over you. 175
14:12 Look how you have fallen from the sky,
O shining one, son of the dawn! 176
You have been cut down to the ground,
O conqueror 177 of the nations! 178
14:13 You said to yourself, 179
“I will climb up to the sky.
Above the stars of El 180
I will set up my throne.
I will rule on the mountain of assembly
on the remote slopes of Zaphon. 181
14:14 I will climb up to the tops 182 of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High!” 183
14:15 But you were brought down 184 to Sheol,
to the remote slopes of the pit. 185
14:16 Those who see you stare at you,
they look at you carefully, thinking: 186
“Is this the man who shook the earth,
the one who made kingdoms tremble?
14:17 Is this the one who made the world like a desert,
who ruined its 187 cities,
and refused to free his prisoners so they could return home?”’ 188
14:18 189 As for all the kings of the nations,
all of them 190 lie down in splendor, 191
each in his own tomb. 192
14:19 But you have been thrown out of your grave
like a shoot that is thrown away. 193
You lie among 194 the slain,
among those who have been slashed by the sword,
among those headed for 195 the stones of the pit, 196
as if you were a mangled corpse. 197
14:20 You will not be buried with them, 198
because you destroyed your land
and killed your people.
The offspring of the wicked
will never be mentioned again.
14:21 Prepare to execute 199 his sons
for the sins their ancestors have committed. 200
They must not rise up and take possession of the earth,
or fill the surface of the world with cities.” 201
14:22 “I will rise up against them,”
says the Lord who commands armies.
“I will blot out all remembrance of Babylon and destroy all her people, 202
including the offspring she produces,” 203
says the Lord.
14:23 “I will turn her into a place that is overrun with wild animals 204
and covered with pools of stagnant water.
I will get rid of her, just as one sweeps away dirt with a broom,” 205
says the Lord who commands armies.
14:24 206 The Lord who commands armies makes this solemn vow:
“Be sure of this:
Just as I have intended, so it will be;
just as I have planned, it will happen.
14:25 I will break Assyria 207 in my land,
I will trample them 208 underfoot on my hills.
Their yoke will be removed from my people,
the burden will be lifted from their shoulders. 209
14:26 This is the plan I have devised for the whole earth;
my hand is ready to strike all the nations.” 210
14:27 Indeed, 211 the Lord who commands armies has a plan,
and who can possibly frustrate it?
His hand is ready to strike,
and who can possibly stop it? 212
14:28 In the year King Ahaz died, 213 this message was revealed: 214
14:29 Don’t be so happy, all you Philistines,
just because the club that beat you has been broken! 215
For a viper will grow out of the serpent’s root,
and its fruit will be a darting adder. 216
14:30 The poor will graze in my pastures; 217
the needy will rest securely.
But I will kill your root by famine;
it will put to death all your survivors. 218
14:31 Wail, O city gate!
Cry out, O city!
Melt with fear, 219 all you Philistines!
For out of the north comes a cloud of smoke,
and there are no stragglers in its ranks. 220
14:32 How will they respond to the messengers of this nation? 221
Indeed, the Lord has made Zion secure;
the oppressed among his people will find safety in her.
Yesaya 21:1-17
Konteks21:1 Here is a message about the Desert by the Sea: 222
Like strong winds blowing in the south, 223
one invades from the desert,
from a land that is feared.
21:2 I have received a distressing message: 224
“The deceiver deceives,
the destroyer destroys.
Attack, you Elamites!
Lay siege, you Medes!
I will put an end to all the groaning!” 225
21:3 For this reason my stomach churns; 226
cramps overwhelm me
like the contractions of a woman in labor.
I am disturbed 227 by what I hear,
horrified by what I see.
I shake in fear; 229
the twilight I desired
has brought me terror.
21:5 Arrange the table,
lay out 230 the carpet,
eat and drink! 231
Get up, you officers,
smear oil on the shields! 232
21:6 For this is what the sovereign master 233 has told me:
“Go, post a guard!
He must report what he sees.
21:7 When he sees chariots,
teams of horses, 234
riders on donkeys,
riders on camels,
he must be alert,
very alert.”
21:8 Then the guard 235 cries out:
“On the watchtower, O sovereign master, 236
I stand all day long;
at my post
I am stationed every night.
21:9 Look what’s coming!
A charioteer,
a team of horses.” 237
When questioned, he replies, 238
“Babylon has fallen, fallen!
All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!”
21:10 O my downtrodden people, crushed like stalks on the threshing floor, 239
what I have heard
from the Lord who commands armies,
the God of Israel,
I have reported to you.
21:11 Here is a message about Dumah: 240
Someone calls to me from Seir, 241
“Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night?” 242
21:12 The watchman replies,
“Morning is coming, but then night. 243
If you want to ask, ask;
come back again.” 244
21:13 Here is a message about Arabia:
In the thicket of Arabia you spend the night,
you Dedanite caravans.
21:14 Bring out some water for the thirsty.
You who live in the land of Tema,
bring some food for the fugitives.
21:15 For they flee from the swords –
from the drawn sword
and from the battle-ready bow
and from the severity of the battle.
21:16 For this is what the sovereign master 245 has told me: “Within exactly one year 246 all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. 21:17 Just a handful of archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be left.” 247 Indeed, 248 the Lord God of Israel has spoken.
Yesaya 46:1--47:15
KonteksNebo 250 bends low.
Their images weigh down animals and beasts. 251
Your heavy images are burdensome to tired animals. 252
46:2 Together they bend low and kneel down;
they are unable to rescue the images; 253
they themselves 254 head off into captivity. 255
46:3 “Listen to me, O family of Jacob, 256
all you who are left from the family of Israel, 257
you who have been carried from birth, 258
you who have been supported from the time you left the womb. 259
46:4 Even when you are old, I will take care of you, 260
even when you have gray hair, I will carry you.
I made you and I will support you;
I will carry you and rescue you. 261
46:5 To whom can you compare and liken me?
Tell me whom you think I resemble, so we can be compared!
46:6 Those who empty out gold from a purse
and weigh out silver on the scale 262
hire a metalsmith, who makes it into a god.
They then bow down and worship it.
46:7 They put it on their shoulder and carry it;
they put it in its place and it just stands there;
it does not 263 move from its place.
Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply;
it does not deliver him from his distress.
46:8 Remember this, so you can be brave! 264
Think about it, you rebels! 265
46:9 Remember what I accomplished in antiquity! 266
Truly I am God, I have no peer; 267
I am God, and there is none like me,
46:10 who announces the end from the beginning
and reveals beforehand 268 what has not yet occurred,
who says, ‘My plan will be realized,
I will accomplish what I desire,’
46:11 who summons an eagle 269 from the east,
from a distant land, one who carries out my plan.
Yes, I have decreed, 270
yes, I will bring it to pass;
I have formulated a plan,
yes, I will carry it out.
46:12 Listen to me, you stubborn people, 271
you who distance yourself from doing what is right. 272
46:13 I am bringing my deliverance near, it is not far away;
I am bringing my salvation near, 273 it does not wait.
I will save Zion; 274
I will adorn Israel with my splendor.” 275
47:1 “Fall down! Sit in the dirt,
O virgin 276 daughter Babylon!
Sit on the ground, not on a throne,
O daughter of the Babylonians!
Indeed, 277 you will no longer be called delicate and pampered.
47:2 Pick up millstones and grind flour!
Remove your veil,
strip off your skirt,
expose your legs,
cross the streams!
47:3 Let your private parts be exposed!
Your genitals will be on display! 278
I will get revenge;
I will not have pity on anyone,” 279
47:4 says our protector –
the Lord who commands armies is his name,
the Holy One of Israel. 280
47:5 “Sit silently! Go to a hiding place, 281
O daughter of the Babylonians!
Indeed, 282 you will no longer be called ‘Queen of kingdoms.’
47:6 I was angry at my people;
I defiled my special possession
and handed them over to you.
You showed them no mercy; 283
you even placed a very heavy burden on old people. 284
47:7 You said,
‘I will rule forever as permanent queen!’ 285
You did not think about these things; 286
you did not consider how it would turn out. 287
47:8 So now, listen to this,
O one who lives so lavishly, 288
who lives securely,
who says to herself, 289
‘I am unique! No one can compare to me! 290
I will never have to live as a widow;
I will never lose my children.’ 291
47:9 Both of these will come upon you
suddenly, in one day!
You will lose your children and be widowed. 292
You will be overwhelmed by these tragedies, 293
despite 294 your many incantations
and your numerous amulets. 295
47:10 You were complacent in your evil deeds; 296
you thought, 297 ‘No one sees me.’
Your self-professed 298 wisdom and knowledge lead you astray,
when you say, ‘I am unique! No one can compare to me!’ 299
47:11 Disaster will overtake you;
you will not know how to charm it away. 300
Destruction will fall on you;
you will not be able to appease it.
Calamity will strike you suddenly,
before you recognize it. 301
47:12 Persist 302 in trusting 303 your amulets
and your many incantations,
which you have faithfully recited 304 since your youth!
Maybe you will be successful 305 –
maybe you will scare away disaster. 306
47:13 You are tired out from listening to so much advice. 307
Let them take their stand –
the ones who see omens in the sky,
who gaze at the stars,
who make monthly predictions –
let them rescue you from the disaster that is about to overtake you! 308
47:14 Look, they are like straw,
which the fire burns up;
they cannot rescue themselves
from the heat 309 of the flames.
There are no coals to warm them,
no firelight to enjoy. 310
47:15 They will disappoint you, 311
those you have so faithfully dealt with since your youth. 312
Each strays off in his own direction, 313
leaving no one to rescue you.”
Daniel 5:1-31
Konteks5:1 King Belshazzar 314 prepared a great banquet 315 for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in front of 316 them all. 317 5:2 While under the influence 318 of the wine, Belshazzar issued an order to bring in the gold and silver vessels – the ones that Nebuchadnezzar his father 319 had confiscated 320 from the temple in Jerusalem 321 – so that the king and his nobles, together with his wives and his concubines, could drink from them. 322 5:3 So they brought the gold and silver 323 vessels that had been confiscated from the temple, the house of God 324 in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, together with his wives and concubines, drank from them. 5:4 As they drank wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
5:5 At that very moment the fingers of a human hand appeared 325 and wrote on the plaster of the royal palace wall, opposite the lampstand. 326 The king was watching the back 327 of the hand that was writing. 5:6 Then all the color drained from the king’s face 328 and he became alarmed. 329 The joints of his hips gave way, 330 and his knees began knocking together. 5:7 The king called out loudly 331 to summon 332 the astrologers, wise men, and diviners. The king proclaimed 333 to the wise men of Babylon that anyone who could read this inscription and disclose its interpretation would be clothed in purple 334 and have a golden collar 335 placed on his neck and be third ruler in the kingdom.
5:8 So all the king’s wise men came in, but they were unable to read the writing or to make known its 336 interpretation to the king. 5:9 Then King Belshazzar was very terrified, and he was visibly shaken. 337 His nobles were completely dumbfounded.
5:10 Due to the noise 338 caused by the king and his nobles, the queen mother 339 then entered the banquet room. She 340 said, “O king, live forever! Don’t be alarmed! Don’t be shaken! 5:11 There is a man in your kingdom who has within him a spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, he proved to have 341 insight, discernment, and wisdom like that 342 of the gods. 343 King Nebuchadnezzar your father appointed him chief of the magicians, astrologers, wise men, and diviners. 344 5:12 Thus there was found in this man Daniel, whom the king renamed Belteshazzar, an extraordinary spirit, knowledge, and skill to interpret 345 dreams, solve riddles, and decipher knotty problems. 346 Now summon 347 Daniel, and he will disclose the interpretation.”
5:13 So Daniel was brought in before the king. The king said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives of Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? 5:14 I have heard about you, how there is a spirit of the gods in you, and how you have 348 insight, discernment, and extraordinary wisdom. 5:15 Now the wise men and 349 astrologers were brought before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation. But they were unable to disclose the interpretation of the message. 5:16 However, I have heard 350 that you are able to provide interpretations and to decipher knotty problems. Now if you are able to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, you will wear purple and have a golden collar around your neck and be third 351 ruler in the kingdom.”
5:17 But Daniel replied to the king, “Keep your gifts, and give your rewards to someone else! However, I will read the writing for the king and make known its 352 interpretation. 5:18 As for you, O king, the most high God bestowed on your father Nebuchadnezzar a kingdom, greatness, honor, and majesty. 353 5:19 Due to the greatness that he bestowed on him, all peoples, nations, and language groups were trembling with fear 354 before him. He killed whom he wished, he spared 355 whom he wished, he exalted whom he wished, and he brought low whom he wished. 5:20 And when his mind 356 became arrogant 357 and his spirit filled with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and his honor was removed from him. 5:21 He was driven from human society, his mind 358 was changed to that of an animal, he lived 359 with the wild donkeys, he was fed grass like oxen, and his body became damp with the dew of the sky, until he came to understand that the most high God rules over human kingdoms, and he appoints over them whomever he wishes.
5:22 “But you, his son 360 Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, 361 although you knew all this. 5:23 Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. You brought before you the vessels from his temple, and you and your nobles, together with your wives and concubines, drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone – gods 362 that cannot see or hear or comprehend! But you have not glorified the God who has in his control 363 your very breath and all your ways! 5:24 Therefore the palm of a hand was sent from him, and this writing was inscribed.
5:25 “This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, 364 TEQEL, and PHARSIN. 365 5:26 This is the interpretation of the words: 366 As for mene 367 – God has numbered your kingdom’s days and brought it to an end. 5:27 As for teqel – you are weighed on the balances and found to be lacking. 5:28 As for peres 368 – your kingdom is divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”
5:29 Then, on Belshazzar’s orders, 369 Daniel was clothed in purple, a golden collar was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed third ruler in the kingdom. 5:30 And in that very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, 370 was killed. 371 5:31 (6:1) 372 So Darius the Mede took control of the kingdom when he was about sixty-two years old.
Habakuk 2:1-20
Konteks2:1 I will stand at my watch post;
I will remain stationed on the city wall. 373
I will keep watching, so I can see what he says to me
and can know 374 how I should answer
when he counters my argument. 375
“Write down this message! 377 Record it legibly on tablets,
so the one who announces 378 it may read it easily. 379
2:3 For the message is a witness to what is decreed; 380
it gives reliable testimony about how matters will turn out. 381
Even if the message 382 is not fulfilled right away, wait patiently; 383
for it will certainly come to pass – it will not arrive late.
2:4 Look, the one whose desires are not upright will faint from exhaustion, 384
but the person of integrity 385 will live 386 because of his faithfulness. 387
2:5 Indeed, wine will betray the proud, restless man! 388
His appetite 389 is as big as Sheol’s; 390
like death, he is never satisfied.
He gathers 391 all the nations;
he seizes 392 all peoples.
2:6 “But all these nations will someday taunt him 393
and ridicule him with proverbial sayings: 394
‘The one who accumulates what does not belong to him is as good as dead 395
(How long will this go on?) 396 –
he who gets rich by extortion!’ 397
2:7 Your creditors will suddenly attack; 398
those who terrify you will spring into action, 399
and they will rob you. 400
2:8 Because you robbed many countries, 401
all who are left among the nations 402 will rob you.
You have shed human blood
and committed violent acts against lands, cities, 403 and those who live in them.
2:9 The one who builds his house by unjust gain is as good as dead. 404
He does this so he can build his nest way up high
and escape the clutches of disaster. 405
2:10 Your schemes will bring shame to your house.
Because you destroyed many nations, you will self-destruct. 406
2:11 For the stones in the walls will cry out,
and the wooden rafters will answer back. 407
2:12 The one who builds a city by bloodshed is as good as dead 408 –
he who starts 409 a town by unjust deeds.
2:13 Be sure of this! The Lord who commands armies has decreed:
The nations’ efforts will go up in smoke;
their exhausting work will be for nothing. 410
2:14 For recognition of the Lord’s sovereign majesty will fill the earth
just as the waters fill up the sea. 411
2:15 “You who force your neighbor to drink wine 412 are as good as dead 413 –
you who make others intoxicated by forcing them to drink from the bowl of your furious anger, 414
so you can look at their genitals. 415
2:16 But you will become drunk 416 with shame, not majesty. 417
Now it is your turn to drink and expose your uncircumcised foreskin! 418
The cup of wine in the Lord’s right hand 419 is coming to you,
and disgrace will replace your majestic glory!
2:17 For you will pay in full for your violent acts against Lebanon; 420
terrifying judgment will come upon you because of the way you destroyed the wild animals living there. 421
You have shed human blood
and committed violent acts against lands, cities, and those who live in them.
2:18 What good 422 is an idol? Why would a craftsman make it? 423
What good is a metal image that gives misleading oracles? 424
Why would its creator place his trust in it 425
and make 426 such mute, worthless things?
2:19 The one who says to wood, ‘Wake up!’ is as good as dead 427 –
he who says 428 to speechless stone, ‘Awake!’
Can it give reliable guidance? 429
It is overlaid with gold and silver;
it has no life’s breath inside it.
2:20 But the Lord is in his majestic palace. 430
The whole earth is speechless in his presence!” 431
Wahyu 18:1-24
Konteks18:1 After these things I saw another angel, who possessed great authority, coming down out of heaven, and the earth was lit up by his radiance. 432 18:2 He 433 shouted with a powerful voice:
“Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the great!
She 434 has become a lair for demons,
a haunt 435 for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detested beast. 436
18:3 For all the nations 437 have fallen 438 from
the wine of her immoral passion, 439
and the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth have gotten rich from the power of her sensual behavior.” 440
18:4 Then 441 I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, so you will not take part in her sins and so you will not receive her plagues, 18:5 because her sins have piled 442 up all the way to heaven 443 and God has remembered 444 her crimes. 445 18:6 Repay her the same way she repaid others; 446 pay her back double 447 corresponding to her deeds. In the cup she mixed, mix double the amount for her. 18:7 As much as 448 she exalted herself and lived in sensual luxury, 449 to this extent give her torment and grief because she said to herself, 450 ‘I rule as queen and am no widow; I will never experience grief!’ 18:8 For this reason, she will experience her plagues 451 in a single day: disease, 452 mourning, 453 and famine, and she will be burned down 454 with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is powerful!”
18:9 Then 455 the kings of the earth who committed immoral acts with her and lived in sensual luxury 456 with her will weep and wail for her when they see the smoke from the fire that burns her up. 457 18:10 They will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment, and will say,
“Woe, woe, O great city,
Babylon the powerful city!
For in a single hour your doom 458 has come!”
18:11 Then 459 the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn for her because no one buys their cargo 460 any longer – 18:12 cargo such as gold, silver, 461 precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, 462 scarlet cloth, 463 all sorts of things made of citron wood, 464 all sorts of objects made of ivory, all sorts of things made of expensive wood, bronze, iron and marble, 18:13 cinnamon, spice, 465 incense, perfumed ointment, 466 frankincense, 467 wine, olive oil and costly flour, 468 wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and four-wheeled carriages, 469 slaves and human lives. 470
18:14 (The ripe fruit 471 you greatly desired 472
has gone from you,
and all your luxury 473 and splendor 474
have gone from you –
they will never ever be found again!) 475
18:15 The merchants who sold 476 these things, who got rich from her, will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment. They will weep 477 and mourn, 18:16 saying,
“Woe, woe, O great city –
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet clothing, 478
and adorned with gold, 479 precious stones, and pearls –
18:17 because in a single hour such great wealth has been destroyed!” 480
And every ship’s captain, 481 and all who sail along the coast 482 – seamen, and all who 483 make their living from the sea, stood a long way off 18:18 and began to shout 484 when they saw the smoke from the fire that burned her up, 485 “Who is like the great city?” 18:19 And they threw dust on their heads and were shouting with weeping and mourning, 486
“Woe, Woe, O great city –
in which all those who had ships on the sea got rich from her wealth –
because in a single hour she has been destroyed!” 487
18:20 (Rejoice over her, O heaven,
and you saints and apostles and prophets,
for God has pronounced judgment 488 against her on your behalf!) 489
18:21 Then 490 one powerful angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone, threw it into the sea, and said,
“With this kind of sudden violent force 491
Babylon the great city will be thrown down 492
and it will never be found again!
18:22 And the sound of the harpists, musicians,
flute players, and trumpeters
will never be heard in you 493 again.
No 494 craftsman 495 who practices any trade
will ever be found in you again;
the noise of a mill 496 will never be heard in you again.
18:23 Even the light from a lamp
will never shine in you again!
The voices of the bridegroom and his bride
will never be heard in you again.
For your merchants were the tycoons of the world,
because all the nations 497 were deceived by your magic spells! 498
18:24 The 499 blood of the saints and prophets was found in her, 500
along with the blood 501 of all those who had been killed on the earth.”
[14:1] 1 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) followed by “in the days of.”
[14:1] 2 sn Shinar (also in v. 9) is the region of Babylonia.
[14:1] 3 tn Or “king of Goyim.” The Hebrew term גּוֹיִם (goyim) means “nations,” but a number of modern translations merely transliterate the Hebrew (cf. NEB “Goyim”; NIV, NRSV “Goiim”).
[14:2] sn Went to war. The conflict here reflects international warfare in the Early and Middle Bronze periods. The countries operated with overlords and vassals. Kings ruled over city states, or sometimes a number of city states (i.e., nations). Due to their treaties, when one went to war, those confederate with him joined him in battle. It appears here that it is Kedorlaomer’s war, because the western city states have rebelled against him (meaning they did not send products as tribute to keep him from invading them).
[14:2] 5 sn On the geographical background of vv. 1-2 see J. P. Harland, “Sodom and Gomorrah,” The Biblical Archaeologist Reader, 1:41-75; and D. N. Freedman, “The Real Story of the Ebla Tablets, Ebla and the Cities of the Plain,” BA 41 (1978): 143-64.
[14:3] 6 tn Heb “all these,” referring only to the last five kings named. The referent has been specified as “these last five kings” in the translation for clarity.
[14:3] 7 tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to join together; to unite; to be allied.” It stresses close associations, especially of friendships, marriages, or treaties.
[14:3] 8 sn The Salt Sea is the older name for the Dead Sea.
[14:4] 9 tn The sentence simply begins with “twelve years”; it serves as an adverbial accusative giving the duration of their bondage.
[14:4] 10 tn This is another adverbial accusative of time.
[14:4] 11 sn The story serves as a foreshadowing of the plight of the kingdom of Israel later. Eastern powers came and forced the western kingdoms into submission. Each year, then, they would send tribute east – to keep them away. Here, in the thirteenth year, they refused to send the tribute (just as later Hezekiah rebelled against Assyria). And so in the fourteenth year the eastern powers came to put them down again. This account from Abram’s life taught future generations that God can give victory over such threats – that people did not have to live in servitude to tyrants from the east.
[14:5] 12 tn The Hebrew verb נָכָה (nakhah) means “to attack, to strike, to smite.” In this context it appears that the strike was successful, and so a translation of “defeated” is preferable.
[14:6] 13 sn The line of attack ran down the eastern side of the Jordan Valley into the desert, and then turned and came up the valley to the cities of the plain.
[14:7] 14 tn Heb “they returned and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh).” The two verbs together form a verbal hendiadys, the first serving as the adverb: “they returned and came” means “they came again.” Most English translations do not treat this as a hendiadys, but translate “they turned back” or something similar. Since in the context, however, “came again to” does not simply refer to travel but an assault against the place, the present translation expresses this as “attacked…again.”
[14:9] 16 tn Or “Goyim.” See the note on the word “nations” in 14:1.
[14:9] 17 tn The Hebrew text has simply “against.” The word “fought” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[14:10] 18 tn Heb “Now the Valley of Siddim [was] pits, pits of tar.” This parenthetical disjunctive clause emphasizes the abundance of tar pits in the area through repetition of the noun “pits.”
[14:10] sn The word for “tar” (or “bitumen”) occurs earlier in the story of the building of the tower in Babylon (see Gen 11:3).
[14:10] 19 tn Or “they were defeated there.” After a verb of motion the Hebrew particle שָׁם (sham) with the directional heh (שָׁמָּה, shammah) can mean “into it, therein” (BDB 1027 s.v. שָׁם).
[14:10] 21 sn The reference to the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah must mean the kings along with their armies. Most of them were defeated in the valley, but some of them escaped to the hills.
[14:11] 22 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the four victorious kings, see v. 9) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[14:12] 23 tn Heb “Lot the son of his brother.”
[14:12] 25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:12] 26 tn This disjunctive clause is circumstantial/causal, explaining that Lot was captured because he was living in Sodom at the time.
[14:13] 27 tn Heb “the fugitive.” The article carries a generic force or indicates that this fugitive is definite in the mind of the speaker.
[14:13] 28 sn E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103) suggests that part of this chapter came from an outside source since it refers to Abram the Hebrew. That is not impossible, given that the narrator likely utilized traditions and genealogies that had been collected and transmitted over the years. The meaning of the word “Hebrew” has proved elusive. It may be related to the verb “to cross over,” perhaps meaning “immigrant.” Or it might be derived from the name of Abram’s ancestor Eber (see Gen 11:14-16).
[14:13] 29 tn Or “terebinths.”
[14:13] 30 tn Or “a brother”; or “a relative”; or perhaps “an ally.”
[14:13] 31 tn Heb “possessors of a treaty with.” Since it is likely that the qualifying statement refers to all three (Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner) the words “all these” have been supplied in the translation to make this clear.
[14:13] 32 tn This parenthetical disjunctive clause explains how Abram came to be living in their territory, but it also explains why they must go to war with Abram.
[14:14] 33 tn Heb “his brother,” by extension, “relative.” Here and in v. 16 the more specific term “nephew” has been used in the translation for clarity. Lot was the son of Haran, Abram’s brother (Gen 11:27).
[14:14] 34 tn The verb וַיָּרֶק (vayyareq) is a rare form, probably related to the word רֵיק (req, “to be empty”). If so, it would be a very figurative use: “he emptied out” (or perhaps “unsheathed”) his men. The LXX has “mustered” (cf. NEB). E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103-4) suggests reading with the Samaritan Pentateuch a verb diq, cognate with Akkadian deku, “to mobilize” troops. If this view is accepted, one must assume that a confusion of the Hebrew letters ד (dalet) and ר (resh) led to the error in the traditional Hebrew text. These two letters are easily confused in all phases of ancient Hebrew script development. The present translation is based on this view.
[14:14] 35 tn The words “the invaders” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:14] 36 sn The use of the name Dan reflects a later perspective. The Danites did not migrate to this northern territory until centuries later (see Judg 18:29). Furthermore Dan was not even born until much later. By inserting this name a scribe has clarified the location of the region.
[14:15] 37 tn The Hebrew text simply has “night” as an adverbial accusative.
[14:15] 38 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:15] 39 tn Heb “he divided himself…he and his servants.”
[14:15] 40 tn Heb “left.” Directions in ancient Israel were given in relation to the east rather than the north.
[14:16] 41 tn The word “stolen” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:16] 42 tn The phrase “the rest of “ has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:17] 43 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:17] 44 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:17] 45 sn The King’s Valley is possibly a reference to what came to be known later as the Kidron Valley.
[14:18] 46 sn Salem is traditionally identified as the Jebusite stronghold of old Jerusalem. Accordingly, there has been much speculation about its king. Though some have identified him with the preincarnate Christ or with Noah’s son Shem, it is far more likely that Melchizedek was a Canaanite royal priest whom God used to renew the promise of the blessing to Abram, perhaps because Abram considered Melchizedek his spiritual superior. But Melchizedek remains an enigma. In a book filled with genealogical records he appears on the scene without a genealogy and then disappears from the narrative. In Psalm 110 the
[14:18] 47 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause significantly identifies Melchizedek as a priest as well as a king.
[14:18] sn It is his royal priestly status that makes Melchizedek a type of Christ: He was identified with Jerusalem, superior to the ancestor of Israel, and both a king and a priest. Unlike the normal Canaanites, this man served “God Most High” (אֵל עֶלְיוֹן, ’el ’elyon) – one sovereign God, who was the creator of all the universe. Abram had in him a spiritual brother.
[14:19] 48 tn The preposition לְ (lamed) introduces the agent after the passive participle.
[14:19] 49 tn Some translate “possessor of heaven and earth” (cf. NASB). But cognate evidence from Ugaritic indicates that there were two homonymic roots ָקנָה (qanah), one meaning “to create” (as in Gen 4:1) and the other “to obtain, to acquire, to possess.” While “possessor” would fit here, “creator” is the more likely due to the collocation with “heaven and earth.”
[14:19] 50 tn The terms translated “heaven” and “earth” are both objective genitives after the participle in construct.
[14:20] 51 tn Heb “blessed be.” For God to be “blessed” means that is praised. His reputation is enriched in the world as his name is praised.
[14:20] 52 sn Who delivered. The Hebrew verb מִגֵּן (miggen, “delivered”) foreshadows the statement by God to Abram in Gen 15:1, “I am your shield” (מָגֵן, magen). Melchizedek provided a theological interpretation of Abram’s military victory.
[14:20] 53 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Melchizedek) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:22] 54 tn Abram takes an oath, raising his hand as a solemn gesture. The translation understands the perfect tense as having an instantaneous nuance: “Here and now I raise my hand.”
[14:22] 55 tn The words “and vow” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:23] 56 tn The oath formula is elliptical, reading simply: “…if I take.” It is as if Abram says, “[May the
[14:23] 57 tn The Hebrew text adds the independent pronoun (“I”) to the verb form for emphasis.
[14:24] 58 tn The words “I will take nothing” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[14:24] 59 tn Heb “except only what the young men have eaten.”
[50:1] 60 tn Heb “fell on.” The expression describes Joseph’s unrestrained sorrow over Jacob’s death; he probably threw himself across the body and embraced his father.
[50:2] 61 tn Heb “his servants the physicians.”
[50:3] 62 tn Heb “and forty days were fulfilled for him, for thus are fulfilled the days of embalming.”
[50:3] 64 sn Seventy days. This probably refers to a time of national mourning.
[50:4] 66 tn Heb “the house of Pharaoh.”
[50:4] 67 tn Heb “in the ears of Pharaoh.”
[50:5] 69 tn The imperfect verbal form here has the force of a command.
[50:6] 70 tn Heb “he made you swear on oath.”
[50:7] 71 tn Or “dignitaries”; Heb “elders.”
[50:10] 73 sn The location of the threshing floor of Atad is not certain. The expression the other side of the Jordan could refer to the eastern or western bank, depending on one’s perspective. However, it is commonly used in the OT for Transjordan. This would suggest that the entourage came up the Jordan Valley and crossed into the land at Jericho, just as the Israelites would in the time of Joshua.
[50:10] 74 tn Heb “and they mourned there [with] very great and heavy mourning.” The cognate accusative, as well as the two adjectives and the adverb, emphasize the degree of their sorrow.
[50:11] 75 tn Heb “this is heavy mourning for Egypt.”
[50:11] 76 tn The verb has no expressed subject and so it may be translated as passive.
[50:11] 77 sn The name Abel Mizraim means “the mourning of Egypt.”
[50:15] 78 tn The imperfect tense could be a simple future; it could also have a desiderative nuance.
[50:15] 79 tn The infinitive absolute makes the statement emphatic, “repay in full.”
[50:16] 81 tn The verb means “command,” but they would hardly be commanding him. It probably means they sent their father’s instructions to Joseph.
[50:17] 82 tn Heb “and Joseph wept when they spoke to him.”
[50:20] 84 tn Heb “you devised against me evil.”
[50:20] 85 tn Heb “God devised it for good in order to do, like this day, to preserve alive a great nation.”
[50:21] 86 tn Heb “spoke to their heart.”
[50:22] 87 tn Heb “he and the house of his father.”
[50:23] 88 tn Heb “saw Ephraim, the children of the third.”
[50:23] 89 tn Heb “they were born on the knees of Joseph.” This expression implies their adoption by Joseph, which meant that they received an inheritance from him.
[50:24] 90 tn The verb פָּקַד (paqad) means “to visit,” i.e., to intervene for blessing or cursing; here Joseph announces that God would come to fulfill the promises by delivering them from Egypt. The statement is emphasized by the use of the infinitive absolute with the verb: “God will surely visit you.”
[50:24] 91 tn The words “to give” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[50:26] 92 tn Heb “son of a hundred and ten years.”
[50:1] 94 tn Heb “fell on.” The expression describes Joseph’s unrestrained sorrow over Jacob’s death; he probably threw himself across the body and embraced his father.
[32:35] 95 tn Heb “prepared things,” “impending things.” See BDB 800 s.v. עָתִיד.
[32:36] 96 tn The translation understands the verb in the sense of “be grieved, relent” (cf. HALOT 689 s.v. נחם hitp 2); cf. KJV, ASV “repent himself”; NLT “will change his mind.” Another option is to translate “will show compassion to” (see BDB 637 s.v. נחם); cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV.
[32:39] 97 tn Verses 39-42 appear to be a quotation of the
[32:39] 98 tn Heb “deliver from” (so NRSV, NLT).
[32:41] 99 tn Heb “judgment.” This is a metonymy, a figure of speech in which the effect (judgment) is employed as an instrument (sword, spear, or the like), the means, by which it is brought about.
[32:41] 100 tn The Hebrew term שָׂנֵא (sane’, “hate”) in this covenant context speaks of those who reject Yahweh’s covenant overtures, that is, who disobey its stipulations (see note on the word “rejecting” in Deut 5:9; also see Deut 7:10; 2 Chr 19:2; Ps 81:15; 139:20-21).
[32:42] 101 tn Or “head” (the same Hebrew word can mean “head” in the sense of “leader, chieftain” or “head” in the sense of body part).
[13:1] 102 sn Isa 13-23 contains a series of judgment oracles against various nations. It is likely that Israel, not the nations mentioned, actually heard these oracles. The oracles probably had a twofold purpose. For those leaders who insisted on getting embroiled in international politics, these oracles were a reminder that Judah need not fear foreign nations or seek international alliances for security reasons. For the righteous remnant within the nation, these oracles were a reminder that Israel’s God was indeed the sovereign ruler of the earth, worthy of his people’s trust.
[13:1] 103 tn Heb “The message [traditionally, “burden”] [about] Babylon which Isaiah son of Amoz saw.”
[13:2] 104 sn The Lord is speaking here (see v. 3).
[13:3] 105 tn Heb “my consecrated ones,” i.e., those who have been set apart by God for the special task of carrying out his judgment.
[13:3] 106 tn Heb “my warriors with respect to my anger.”
[13:3] 107 tn Heb “the boasting ones of my pride”; cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV “my proudly exulting ones.”
[13:4] 108 sn In vv. 4-10 the prophet appears to be speaking, since the Lord is referred to in the third person. However, since the Lord refers to himself in the third person later in this chapter (see v. 13), it is possible that he speaks throughout the chapter.
[13:4] 109 tn Heb “a sound, a roar [is] on the mountains, like many people.”
[13:4] 110 tn Heb “a sound, tumult of kingdoms.”
[13:5] 111 tn Heb “from the end of the sky.”
[13:5] 112 tn Or “anger”; cf. KJV, ASV “the weapons of his indignation.”
[13:5] 113 tn Or perhaps, “land” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NLT). Even though the heading and subsequent context (see v. 17) indicate Babylon’s judgment is in view, the chapter has a cosmic flavor that suggests that the coming judgment is universal in scope. Perhaps Babylon’s downfall occurs in conjunction with a wider judgment, or the cosmic style is poetic hyperbole used to emphasize the magnitude and importance of the coming event.
[13:6] 114 tn Heb “the day of the Lord” (so KJV, NAB).
[13:6] 115 tn Heb “like destruction from the sovereign judge it comes.” The comparative preposition (כְּ, kÿ) has here the rhetorical nuance, “in every way like.” The point is that the destruction unleashed will have all the earmarks of divine judgment. One could paraphrase, “it comes as only destructive divine judgment can.” On this use of the preposition in general, see GKC 376 §118.x.
[13:6] sn The divine name used here is שַׁדַּי (shaddai, “Shaddai”). Shaddai (or El Shaddai) is the sovereign king/judge of the world who grants life/blesses and kills/judges. In Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name is uncertain (see discussion below) its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. In Gen 17:1-8 he appears to Abram, introduces himself as El Shaddai, and announces his intention to make the patriarch fruitful. In the role of El Shaddai God repeats these words (now elevated to the status of a decree) to Jacob (35:11). Earlier Isaac had pronounced a blessing upon Jacob in which he asked El Shaddai to make Jacob fruitful (28:3). Jacob later prays that his sons will be treated with mercy when they return to Egypt with Benjamin (43:14). The fertility theme is not as apparent here, though one must remember that Jacob viewed Benjamin as the sole remaining son of the favored and once-barren Rachel (cf. 29:31; 30:22-24; 35:16-18). It is quite natural that he would appeal to El Shaddai to preserve Benjamin’s life, for it was El Shaddai’s miraculous power which made it possible for Rachel to give him sons in the first place. In 48:3 Jacob, prior to blessing Joseph’s sons, tells him how El Shaddai appeared to him at Bethel (cf. chapter 28) and promised to make him fruitful. When blessing Joseph on his deathbed Jacob refers to Shaddai (we should probably read “El Shaddai,” along with a few Hebrew
[13:7] 116 tn Heb “drop”; KJV “be faint”; ASV “be feeble”; NAB “fall helpless.”
[13:7] 117 tn Heb “melts” (so NAB).
[13:8] 118 tn Heb “their faces are faces of flames.” Their faces are flushed with fear and embarrassment.
[13:9] 119 tn Heb “the day of the Lord.”
[13:9] 120 tn Heb “[with] cruelty, and fury, and rage of anger.” Three synonyms for “anger” are piled up at the end of the line to emphasize the extraordinary degree of divine anger that will be exhibited in this judgment.
[13:9] 121 tn Heb “making desolate.”
[13:9] 122 tn Or “land” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NLT).
[13:10] 123 tn Heb “do not flash forth their light.”
[13:10] 124 tn Heb “does not shed forth its light.”
[13:11] 125 sn The Lord is definitely speaking (again?) at this point. See the note at v. 4.
[13:11] 126 tn Or “I will bring disaster on the world.” Hebrew רָעָה (ra’ah) could refer to the judgment (i.e., disaster, calamity) or to the evil that prompts it. The structure of the parallel line favors the latter interpretation.
[13:11] 127 tn Or perhaps, “the violent”; cf. NASB, NIV “the ruthless.”
[13:12] 128 tn The verb is supplied in the translation from the first line. The verb in the first line (“I will make scarce”) does double duty in the parallel structure of the verse.
[13:13] 129 tn Or “the sky.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
[13:13] 130 tn Heb “from its place” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV).
[13:13] 131 tn Heb “and in the day of the raging of his anger.”
[13:14] 132 tn Or “like a gazelle being chased.” The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[13:14] 133 tn Heb “his people” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or “his nation” (cf. TEV “their own countries”).
[13:15] 134 tn Heb “carried off,” i.e., grabbed from the fleeing crowd. See HALOT 764 s.v. ספה.
[13:15] 135 tn Heb “will fall” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NLT “will be run through with a sword.”
[13:17] 136 tn Heb “against them”; NLT “against Babylon.”
[13:17] 137 sn They cannot be bought off, for they have a lust for bloodshed.
[13:18] 138 tn Heb “and bows cut to bits young men.” “Bows” stands by metonymy for arrows.
[13:18] 139 tn Heb “the fruit of the womb.”
[13:18] 140 tn Heb “their eye does not.” Here “eye” is a metonymy for the whole person.
[13:19] 141 tn Or “most beautiful” (NCV, TEV).
[13:19] 142 tn Heb “the beauty of the pride of the Chaldeans.”
[13:19] sn The Chaldeans were a group of tribes who lived in southern Mesopotamia. The established the so-called neo-Babylonian empire in the late seventh century
[13:19] 143 tn Heb “and Babylon…will be like the overthrow by God of Sodom and Gomorrah.” On מַהְפֵּכַת (mahpekhat, “overthrow”) see the note on the word “destruction” in 1:7.
[13:20] 144 tn Heb “she will not be inhabited forever, and she will not be dwelt in to generation and generation (i.e., forever).” The Lord declares that Babylon, personified as a woman, will not be inhabited. In other words, her people will be destroyed and the Chaldean empire will come to a permanent end.
[13:20] 145 tn Or “Arab” (NAB, NASB, NIV); cf. CEV, NLT “nomads.”
[13:20] 146 tn יַהֵל (yahel) is probably a corrupted form of יֶאֱהַל (ye’ehal). See GKC 186 §68.k.
[13:20] 147 tn The words “their flocks” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Hebrew text does not supply the object here, but see Jer 33:12.
[13:21] 148 tn The word “ruined” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[13:21] 149 tn The precise referent of this word in uncertain. See HALOT 29 s.v. *אֹחַ. Various English versions translate as “owls” (e.g., NAB, NASB), “wild dogs” (NCV); “jackals” (NIV); “howling creatures” (NRSV, NLT).
[13:21] 150 tn Heb “will skip there.”
[13:22] 151 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “wild dogs will yip among his widows, and jackals in the palaces of pleasure.” The verb “yip” is supplied in the second line; it does double duty in the parallel structure. “His widows” makes little sense in this context; many emend the form (אַלְמנוֹתָיו, ’almnotayv) to the graphically similar אַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ (’armÿnoteha, “her fortresses”), a reading that is assumed in the present translation. The use of “widows” may represent an intentional wordplay on “fortresses,” indicating that the fortresses are like dejected widows (J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:308, n. 1).
[13:22] 152 tn Heb “near to come is her time.”
[13:22] 153 sn When was the prophecy of Babylon’s fall fulfilled? Some argue that the prophecy was fulfilled in 689
[14:1] 154 tn The sentence begins with כִּי (ki), which is understood as asseverative (“certainly”) in the translation. Another option is to translate, “For the Lord will have compassion.” In this case one of the reasons for Babylon’s coming demise (13:22b) is the Lord’s desire to restore his people.
[14:1] 155 tn The words “as his special people” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:1] 156 tn Or “settle” (NASB, NIV, NCV, NLT).
[14:2] 158 tn Heb “and the house of Jacob will take possession of them [i.e., the nations], on the land of the Lord, as male servants and female servants.”
[14:3] 159 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[14:4] 160 tn Heb “you will lift up this taunt over the king of Babylon, saying.”
[14:4] 161 tc The word in the Hebrew text (מַדְהֵבָה, madhevah) is unattested elsewhere and of uncertain meaning. Many (following the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa) assume a dalet-resh (ד-ר) confusion and emend the form to מַרְהֵבָה (marhevah, “onslaught”). See HALOT 548 s.v. II *מִדָּה and HALOT 633 s.v. *מַרְהֵבָה.
[14:6] 162 tn Or perhaps, “he” (cf. KJV; NCV “the king of Babylon”). The present translation understands the referent of the pronoun (“it”) to be the “club/scepter” of the preceding line.
[14:6] 163 tn Heb “it was striking down nations in fury [with] a blow without ceasing.” The participle (“striking down”) suggests repeated or continuous action in past time.
[14:6] 164 tn Heb “it was ruling in anger nations [with] oppression without restraint.” The participle (“ruling”) suggests repeated or continuous action in past time.
[14:8] 165 tn Heb “concerning you.”
[14:8] 166 tn The word “singing” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. Note that the personified trees speak in the second half of the verse.
[14:8] 167 tn Heb “lay down” (in death); cf. NAB “laid to rest.”
[14:8] 168 tn Heb “the [wood]cutter does not come up against us.”
[14:9] 169 sn Sheol is the proper name of the subterranean world which was regarded as the land of the dead.
[14:9] 170 tn Heb “arousing.” The form is probably a Polel infinitive absolute, rather than a third masculine singular perfect, for Sheol is grammatically feminine (note “stirred up”). See GKC 466 §145.t.
[14:9] 171 tn Heb “all the rams of the earth.” The animal epithet is used metaphorically here for leaders. See HALOT 903 s.v. *עַתּוּד.
[14:9] 172 tn Heb “lifting from their thrones all the kings of the nations.” הֵקִים (heqim, a Hiphil perfect third masculine singular) should be emended to an infinitive absolute (הָקֵים, haqem). See the note on “rouses” earlier in the verse.
[14:11] 173 tn Or “pride” (NCV, CEV); KJV, NIV, NRSV “pomp.”
[14:11] 174 tn Or “harps” (NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[14:11] 175 tn Heb “under you maggots are spread out, and worms are your cover.”
[14:12] 176 tn The Hebrew text has הֵילֵל בֶּן־שָׁחַר (helel ben-shakhar, “Helel son of Shachar”), which is probably a name for the morning star (Venus) or the crescent moon. See HALOT 245 s.v. הֵילֵל.
[14:12] sn What is the background for the imagery in vv. 12-15? This whole section (vv. 4b-21) is directed to the king of Babylon, who is clearly depicted as a human ruler. Other kings of the earth address him in vv. 9ff., he is called “the man” in v. 16, and, according to vv. 19-20, he possesses a physical body. Nevertheless the language of vv. 12-15 has led some to see a dual referent in the taunt song. These verses, which appear to be spoken by other pagan kings to a pagan king (cf. vv. 9-11), contain several titles and motifs that resemble those of Canaanite mythology, including references to Helel son of Shachar, the stars of El, the mountain of assembly, the recesses of Zaphon, and the divine title Most High. Apparently these verses allude to a mythological story about a minor god (Helel son of Shachar) who tried to take over Zaphon, the mountain of the gods. His attempted coup failed and he was hurled down to the underworld. The king of Babylon is taunted for having similar unrealized delusions of grandeur. Some Christians have seen an allusion to the fall of Satan here, but this seems contextually unwarranted (see J. Martin, “Isaiah,” BKCOT, 1061).
[14:12] 177 tn Some understand the verb to from חָלַשׁ (khalash, “to weaken”), but HALOT 324 s.v. II חלשׁ proposes a homonym here, meaning “to defeat.”
[14:12] 178 sn In this line the taunting kings hint at the literal identity of the king, after likening him to the god Helel and a tree. The verb גָדַע (gada’, “cut down”) is used of chopping down trees in 9:10 and 10:33.
[14:13] 179 tn Heb “you, you said in your heart.”
[14:13] 180 sn In Canaanite mythology the stars of El were astral deities under the authority of the high god El.
[14:13] 181 sn Zaphon, the Canaanite version of Olympus, was the “mountain of assembly” where the gods met.
[14:14] 182 tn Heb “the high places.” This word often refers to the high places where pagan worship was conducted, but here it probably refers to the “backs” or tops of the clouds. See HALOT 136 s.v. בָּמָה.
[14:14] 183 sn Normally in the OT the title “Most High” belongs to the God of Israel, but in this context, where the mythological overtones are so strong, it probably refers to the Canaanite high god El.
[14:15] 184 tn The prefixed verb form is taken as a preterite. Note the use of perfects in v. 12 to describe the king’s downfall.
[14:15] 185 tn The Hebrew term בּוּר (bor, “cistern”) is sometimes used metaphorically to refer to the place of the dead or the entrance to the underworld.
[14:16] 186 tn The word “thinking” is supplied in the translation in order to make it clear that the next line records their thoughts as they gaze at him.
[14:17] 187 tc The pronominal suffix is masculine, even though its antecedent appears to be the grammatically feminine noun “world.” Some have suggested that the form עָרָיו (’arayv, plural noun with third masculine singular suffix) should be emended to עָרֶיהָ (’areha, plural noun with third feminine singular suffix). This emendation may be unnecessary in light of other examples of lack of agreement a suffix and its antecedent noun.
[14:17] 188 tn Heb “and his prisoners did not let loose to [their] homes.” This really means, “he did not let loose his prisoners and send them back to their homes.’ On the elliptical style, see GKC 366 §117.o.
[14:18] 189 sn It is unclear where the quotation of the kings, begun in v. 10b, ends. However, the reference to the “kings of the nations” in v. 18 (see also v. 9) seems to indicate that the quotation has ended at this point and that Israel’s direct taunt (cf. vv. 4b-10a) has resumed. In fact the references to the “kings of the nations” may form a stylistic inclusio or frame around the quotation.
[14:18] 190 tc The phrase “all of them” does not appear in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa.
[14:18] 191 sn This refers to the typically extravagant burial of kings.
[14:18] 192 tn Heb “house” (so KJV, ASV), but in this context a tomb is in view. Note the verb “lie down” in the preceding line and the reference to a “grave” in the next line.
[14:19] 193 tn Heb “like a shoot that is abhorred.” The simile seems a bit odd; apparently it refers to a small shoot that is trimmed from a plant and tossed away. Some prefer to emend נֵצֶר (netser, “shoot”); some propose נֵפֶל (nefel, “miscarriage”). In this case one might paraphrase: “like a horrible-looking fetus that is delivered when a woman miscarries.”
[14:19] 194 tn Heb “are clothed with.”
[14:19] 195 tn Heb “those going down to.”
[14:19] 196 tn בּוֹר (bor) literally means “cistern”; cisterns were constructed from stones. On the metaphorical use of “cistern” for the underworld, see the note at v. 15.
[14:19] 197 tn Heb “like a trampled corpse.” Some take this line with what follows.
[14:20] 198 tn Heb “you will not be united with them in burial” (so NASB).
[14:21] 199 tn Or “the place of slaughter for.”
[14:21] 200 tn Heb “for the sin of their fathers.”
[14:21] 201 sn J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:320, n. 10) suggests that the garrison cities of the mighty empire are in view here.
[14:22] 202 tn Heb “I will cut off from Babylon name and remnant” (ASV, NAB, and NRSV all similar).
[14:22] 203 tn Heb “descendant and child.”
[14:23] 204 tn Heb “I will make her into a possession of wild animals.” It is uncertain what type of animal קִפֹּד (qippod) refers to. Some suggest a rodent (cf. NASB, NRSV “hedgehog”), others an owl (cf, NAB, NIV, TEV).
[14:23] 205 tn Heb “I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction.”
[14:24] 206 sn Having announced the downfall of the Chaldean empire, the Lord appends to this prophecy a solemn reminder that the Assyrians, the major Mesopotamian power of Isaiah’s day, would be annihilated, foreshadowing what would subsequently happen to Babylon and the other hostile nations.
[14:25] 207 tn Heb “to break Assyria.”
[14:25] 208 tn Heb “him.” This is a collective singular referring to the nation, or a reference to the king of Assyria who by metonymy stands for the entire nation.
[14:25] 209 tn Heb “and his [i.e., Assyria’s] yoke will be removed from them [the people?], and his [Assyria’s] burden from his [the nation’s?] shoulder will be removed.” There are no antecedents in this oracle for the suffixes in the phrases “from them” and “from his shoulder.” Since the Lord’s land and hills are referred to in the preceding line and the statement seems to echo 10:27, it is likely that God’s people are the referents of the suffixes; the translation uses “my people” to indicate this.
[14:26] 210 tn Heb “and this is the hand that is outstretched over all the nations.”
[14:27] 211 tn Or “For” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[14:27] 212 tn Heb “His hand is outstretched and who will turn it back?”
[14:28] 213 sn Perhaps 715
[14:28] 214 tn Heb “this oracle came.”
[14:29] 215 sn The identity of this “club” (also referred to as a “serpent” in the next line) is uncertain. It may refer to an Assyrian king, or to Ahaz. For discussion see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:331-32. The viper/adder referred to in the second half of the verse is his successor.
[14:29] 216 tn Heb “flying burning one.” The designation “burning one” may allude to the serpent’s appearance or the effect of its poisonous bite. (See the note at 6:2.) The qualifier “flying” probably refers to the serpent’s quick, darting movements, though one might propose a homonym here, meaning “biting.” (See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:332, n. 18.) Some might think in terms of a mythological flying, fire breathing dragon (cf. NAB “a flying saraph”; CEV “a flying fiery dragon”), but this proposal does not make good sense in 30:6, where the phrase “flying burning one” appears again in a list of desert animals.
[14:30] 217 tc The Hebrew text has, “the firstborn of the poor will graze.” “Firstborn” may be used here in an idiomatic sense to indicate the very poorest of the poor. See BDB 114 s.v. בְּכוֹר. The translation above assumes an emendation of בְּכוֹרֵי (bÿkhorey, “firstborn of”) to בְּכָרַי (bekharay, “in my pastures”).
[14:30] 218 tn Heb “your remnant” (so NAB, NRSV).
[14:31] 219 tn Or “despair” (see HALOT 555 s.v. מוג). The form נָמוֹג (namog) should be taken here as an infinitive absolute functioning as an imperative. See GKC 199-200 §72.v.
[14:31] 220 tn Heb “and there is no one going alone in his appointed places.” The meaning of this line is uncertain. בּוֹדֵד (boded) appears to be a participle from בָּדַד (badad, “be separate”; see BDB 94 s.v. בָּדַד). מוֹעָד (mo’ad) may mean “assembly” or, by extension, “multitude” (see HALOT 558 s.v. *מוֹעָד), but the referent of the third masculine pronominal suffix attached to the noun is unclear. It probably refers to the “nation” mentioned in the next line.
[14:32] 221 sn The question forces the Philistines to consider the dilemma they will face – surrender and oppression, or battle and death.
[21:1] 222 sn The phrase is quite cryptic, at least to the modern reader. Verse 9 seems to indicate that this message pertains to Babylon. Southern Mesopotamia was known as the Sealand in ancient times, because of its proximity to the Persian Gulf. Perhaps the reference to Babylon as a “desert” foreshadows the destruction that would overtake the city, making it like a desolate desert.
[21:1] 223 tn Or “in the Negev” (NASB).
[21:2] 224 tn Heb “a severe revelation has been related to me.”
[21:2] 225 sn This is often interpreted to mean “all the groaning” that Babylon has caused others.
[21:3] 226 tn Heb “my waist is filled with shaking [or “anguish”].”
[21:3] 227 tn Or perhaps, “bent over [in pain]”; cf. NRSV “I am bowed down.”
[21:4] 228 tn Heb “wanders,” perhaps here, “is confused.”
[21:4] 229 tn Heb “shuddering terrifies me.”
[21:5] 230 tn The precise meaning of the verb in this line is debated. Some prefer to derive the form from the homonymic צָפֹה (tsafoh, “keep watch”) and translate “post a guard” (cf. KJV “watch in the watchtower”; ASV “set the watch”).
[21:5] 231 tn The verbal forms in the first three lines are infinitives absolute, which are functioning here as finite verbs. It is uncertain if the forms should have an imperatival or indicative/descriptive force here.
[21:5] 232 sn Smearing the shields with oil would make them more flexible and effective in battle. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:394.
[21:6] 233 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 8, 16 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[21:7] 234 tn Or “a pair of horsemen.”
[21:8] 235 tn The Hebrew text has, “the lion,” but this makes little sense here. אַרְיֵה (’aryeh, “lion”) is probably a corruption of an original הָרֹאֶה (haro’eh, “the one who sees”), i.e., the guard mentioned previously in v. 6.
[21:8] 236 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay). Some translations take this to refer to the Lord (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV), while others take it to refer to the guard’s human master (“my lord”; cf. NIV, NLT).
[21:9] 237 tn Or “[with] teams of horses,” or perhaps, “with a pair of horsemen.”
[21:9] 238 tn Heb “and he answered and said” (so KJV, ASV).
[21:10] 239 tn Heb “My trampled one, and the son of the threshing floor.”
[21:11] 240 tn The noun דּוּמָה (dumah) means “silence,” but here it is a proper name, probably referring to a site in northern Arabia or to the nation of Edom. See BDB 189 s.v. II דּוּמָה. If Dumah was an area in northern Arabia, it would be of interest to the Edomites because of its strategic position on trade routes which they used. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:398.
[21:11] 241 sn Seir is another name for Edom. See BDB 973 s.v. שֵׂעִיר.
[21:11] 242 sn The “night” probably here symbolizes distress and difficult times. See BDB 539 s.v. לַיְלָה.
[21:12] 243 sn Dumah will experience some relief, but it will be short-lived as night returns.
[21:12] 244 sn The point of the watchman’s final instructions (“if you want to ask, ask; come again”) is unclear. Perhaps they are included to add realism to the dramatic portrayal. The watchman sends the questioner away with the words, “Feel free to come back and ask again.”
[21:16] 245 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[21:16] 246 tn Heb “in still a year, like the years of a hired worker.” See the note at 16:14.
[21:17] 247 tn Heb “and the remnant of the number of the bow, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, will be few.”
[21:17] 248 tn Or “for” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
[46:1] 249 sn Bel was the name of a Babylonian god. The name was originally associated with Enlil, but later was applied to Marduk. See HALOT 132 s.v. בֵּל.
[46:1] 250 sn Nebo is a variation of the name of the Babylonian god Nabu.
[46:1] 251 tn Heb “their images belong to animals and beasts”; NIV “their idols are borne by beasts of burden”; NLT “are being hauled away.”
[46:1] 252 tn Heb “your loads are carried [as] a burden by a weary [animal].”
[46:2] 253 tn Heb “[the] burden,” i.e., their images, the heavy burden carried by the animals.
[46:2] 254 tn נַפְשָׁם (nafsham, “their souls/lives”) is equivalent here to a third masculine plural suffix, but the third feminine singular verb הָלָכָה (halakhah, “they go”) agrees with the feminine noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul, life”).
[46:2] 255 sn The downfall of Babylon is depicted here. The idols are carried off by the victorious enemy; the gods are likened to defeated captives who cower before the enemy and are taken into exile.
[46:3] 256 tn Heb “house of Jacob”; TEV “descendants of Jacob.”
[46:3] 257 tn Heb “and all the remnant of the house of Israel.”
[46:3] 258 tn Heb “from the womb” (so NRSV); KJV “from the belly”; NAB “from your infancy.”
[46:3] 259 tn Heb “who have been lifted up from the womb.”
[46:4] 260 tn Heb “until old age, I am he” (NRSV similar); NLT “I will be your God throughout your lifetime.”
[46:4] 261 sn Unlike the weary idol gods, whose images must be carried by animals, the Lord carries his weary people.
[46:6] 262 tn Heb “the reed,” probably referring to the beam of a scales. See BDB 889 s.v. קָנֶה 4.c.
[46:7] 263 tn Or perhaps, “cannot,” here and in the following two lines. The imperfect forms can indicate capability.
[46:8] 264 tn The meaning of the verb אָשַׁשׁ (’ashash, which appears here in the Hitpolel stem) is uncertain. BDB 84 s.v. אשׁשׁ relates it to a root meaning “found, establish” in Arabic; HALOT 100 s.v. II אשׁשׁ gives the meaning “pluck up courage.” The imperative with vav (ו) may indicate purpose following the preceding imperative.
[46:8] 265 tn Heb “return [it], rebels, to heart”; NRSV “recall it to mind, you transgressors.”
[46:9] 266 tn Heb “remember the former things, from antiquity”; KJV, ASV “the former things of old.”
[46:9] 267 tn Heb “and there is no other” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[46:10] 268 tn Or “from long ago”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “from ancient times.”
[46:11] 269 tn Or, more generally, “a bird of prey” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV; see 18:6).
[46:11] 270 tn Heb “spoken”; KJV “I have spoken it.”
[46:12] 271 tn Heb “strong of heart [or, mind]”; KJV “stouthearted”; NAB “fainthearted”; NIV “stubborn-hearted.”
[46:12] 272 tn Heb “who are far from righteousness [or perhaps, “deliverance”].”
[46:13] 273 tn Heb “my salvation.” The verb “I am bringing near” is understood by ellipsis (note the previous line).
[46:13] 274 tn Heb “I will place in Zion salvation”; NASB “I will grant salvation in Zion.”
[46:13] 275 tn Heb “to Israel my splendor”; KJV, ASV “for Israel my glory.”
[47:1] 276 tn בְּתוּלַה (bÿtulah) often refers to a virgin, but the phrase “virgin daughter” is apparently stylized (see also 23:12; 37:22). In the extended metaphor of this chapter, where Babylon is personified as a queen (vv. 5, 7), she is depicted as being both a wife and mother (vv. 8-9).
[47:1] 277 tn Or “For” (NASB, NRSV).
[47:3] 278 tn Heb “Your shame will be seen.” In this context “shame” is a euphemism referring to the genitals.
[47:3] 279 tn Heb “I will not meet a man.” The verb פָּגַע (pagah) apparently carries the nuance “meet with kindness” here (cf. 64:5, and see BDB 803 s.v. Qal.2).
[47:4] 280 tc The Hebrew text reads, “Our redeemer – the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] is his name, the Holy One of Israel.” The ancient Greek version adds “says” before “our redeemer.” אָמַר (’amar) may have accidentally dropped from the text by virtual haplography. Note that the preceding word אָדָם (’adam) is graphically similar.
[47:4] sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[47:5] 281 tn Heb “darkness,” which may indicate a place of hiding where a fugitive would seek shelter and protection.
[47:5] 282 tn Or “For” (NASB, NRSV).
[47:6] 283 tn Or “compassion.”
[47:6] 284 tn Heb “on the old you made very heavy your yoke.”
[47:7] 285 tn Heb “Forever I [will be] permanent queen”; NIV “the eternal queen”; CEV “queen forever.”
[47:7] 286 tn Heb “you did not set these things upon your heart [or “mind”].”
[47:7] 287 tn Heb “you did not remember its outcome”; NAB “you disregarded their outcome.”
[47:8] 288 tn Or perhaps, “voluptuous one” (NAB); NAB “you sensual one”; NLT “You are a pleasure-crazy kingdom.”
[47:8] 289 tn Heb “the one who says in her heart.”
[47:8] 290 tn Heb “I [am], and besides me there is no other.” See Zeph 2:15.
[47:8] 291 tn Heb “I will not live [as] a widow, and I will not know loss of children.”
[47:9] 292 tn Heb “loss of children and widowhood.” In the Hebrew text the phrase is in apposition to “both of these” in line 1.
[47:9] 293 tn Heb “according to their fullness, they will come upon you.”
[47:9] 294 tn For other examples of the preposition bet (בְּ) having the sense of “although, despite,” see BDB 90 s.v. III.7.
[47:9] 295 sn Reference is made to incantations and amulets, both of which were important in Mesopotamian religion. They were used to ward off danger and demons.
[47:10] 296 tn Heb “you trusted in your evil”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “wickedness.”
[47:10] 297 tn Or “said”; NAB “said to yourself”’ NASB “said in your heart.”
[47:10] 298 tn The words “self-professed” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[47:10] 299 tn See the note at v. 8.
[47:11] 300 tc The Hebrew text has שַׁחְרָהּ (shakhrah), which is either a suffixed noun (“its dawning,” i.e., origin) or infinitive (“to look early for it”). Some have suggested an emendation to שַׁחֲדָהּ (shakhadah), a suffixed infinitive from שָׁחַד (shakhad, “[how] to buy it off”; see BDB 1005 s.v. שָׁחַד). This forms a nice parallel with the following couplet. The above translation is based on a different etymology of the verb in question. HALOT 1466 s.v. III שׁחר references a verbal root with these letters (שׁחד) that refers to magical activity.
[47:11] 301 tn Heb “you will not know”; NIV “you cannot foresee.”
[47:12] 302 tn Heb “stand” (so KJV, ASV); NASB, NRSV “Stand fast.”
[47:12] 303 tn The word “trusting” is supplied in the translation for clarification. See v. 9.
[47:12] 304 tn Heb “in that which you have toiled.”
[47:12] 305 tn Heb “maybe you will be able to profit.”
[47:12] 306 tn Heb “maybe you will cause to tremble.” The object “disaster” is supplied in the translation for clarification. See the note at v. 9.
[47:13] 307 tn Heb “you are tired because of the abundance of your advice.”
[47:13] 308 tn Heb “let them stand and rescue you – the ones who see omens in the sky, who gaze at the stars, who make known by months – from those things which are coming upon you.”
[47:14] 309 tn Heb “hand,” here a metaphor for the strength or power of the flames.
[47:14] 310 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “there is no coal [for?] their food, light to sit before it.” Some emend לַחְמָם (lakhmam, “their food”) to לְחֻמָּם (lÿkhummam, “to warm them”; see HALOT 328 s.v. חמם). This statement may allude to Isa 44:16, where idolaters are depicted warming themselves over a fire made from wood, part of which was used to form idols. The fire of divine judgment will be no such campfire; its flames will devour and destroy.
[47:15] 311 tn Heb “So they will be to you”; NIV “That is all they can do for you.”
[47:15] 312 tn Heb “that for which you toiled, your traders from your youth.” The omen readers and star gazers are likened to merchants with whom Babylon has had an ongoing economic relationship.
[47:15] 313 tn Heb “each to his own side, they err.”
[5:1] 314 sn As is clear from the extra-biblical records, it was actually Nabonidus (ca. 556-539
[5:1] 315 sn This scene of a Babylonian banquet calls to mind a similar grandiose event recorded in Esth 1:3-8. Persian kings were also renowned in the ancient Near Eastern world for their lavish banquets.
[5:1] 316 sn The king probably sat at an elevated head table.
[5:1] 317 tn Aram “the thousand.”
[5:2] 318 tn Or perhaps, “when he had tasted” (cf. NASB) in the sense of officially initiating the commencement of the banquet. The translation above seems preferable, however, given the clear evidence of inebriation in the context (cf. also CEV “he got drunk and ordered”).
[5:2] 319 tn Or “ancestor”; or “predecessor” (also in vv. 11, 13, 18). The Aramaic word translated “father” can on occasion denote these other relationships.
[5:2] 321 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[5:2] 322 sn Making use of sacred temple vessels for an occasion of reveling and drunkenness such as this would have been a religious affront of shocking proportions to the Jewish captives.
[5:3] 323 tc The present translation reads וְכַסְפָּא (vÿkhaspa’, “and the silver”) with Theodotion and the Vulgate. Cf. v. 2. The form was probably accidentally dropped from the Aramaic text by homoioteleuton.
[5:3] 324 tn Aram “the temple of the house of God.” The phrase seems rather awkward. The Vulgate lacks “of the house of God,” while Theodotion and the Syriac lack “the house.”
[5:5] 325 tn Aram “came forth.”
[5:5] 326 sn The mention of the lampstand in this context is of interest because it suggests that the writing was in clear view.
[5:5] 327 tn While Aramaic פַּס (pas) can mean the palm of the hand, here it seems to be the back of the hand that is intended.
[5:6] 328 tn Aram “[the king’s] brightness changed for him.”
[5:6] 329 tn Aram “his thoughts were alarming him.”
[5:6] 330 tn Aram “his loins went slack.”
[5:7] 331 tn Aram “in strength.”
[5:7] 332 tn Aram “cause to enter.”
[5:7] 333 tn Aram “answered and said.”
[5:7] 334 sn Purple was a color associated with royalty in the ancient world.
[5:7] 335 tn The term translated “golden collar” here probably refers to something more substantial than merely a gold chain (cf. NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT) or necklace (cf. NASB).
[5:8] 336 tc Read וּפִשְׁרֵהּ (ufishreh) with the Qere rather than וּפִשְׁרָא (ufishra’) of the Kethib.
[5:9] 337 tn Aram “his visage altered upon him.” So also in v. 10.
[5:10] 338 tn Aram “words of the king.”
[5:10] 339 tn Aram “the queen” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). In the following discourse this woman is able to recall things about Daniel that go back to the days of Nebuchadnezzar, things that Belshazzar does not seem to recollect. It is likely that she was the wife not of Belshazzar but of Nabonidus or perhaps even Nebuchadnezzar. In that case, “queen” here means “queen mother” (cf. NCV “the king’s mother”).
[5:10] 340 tn Aram “The queen.” The translation has used the pronoun “she” instead because repetition of the noun here would be redundant in terms of English style.
[5:11] 341 tn Aram “[there were] discovered to be in him.”
[5:11] 342 tn Aram “wisdom like the wisdom.” This would be redundant in terms of English style.
[5:11] 343 tc Theodotion lacks the phrase “and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods.”
[5:11] 344 tc The MT includes a redundant reference to “your father the king” at the end of v. 11. None of the attempts to explain this phrase as original are very convincing. The present translation deletes the phrase, following Theodotion and the Syriac.
[5:12] 345 tc The translation reads מִפְשַׁר (mifshar) rather than the MT מְפַשַּׁר (mÿfashar) and later in the verse reads וּמִשְׁרֵא (mishre’) rather than the MT וּמְשָׁרֵא (mÿshare’). The Masoretes have understood these Aramaic forms to be participles, but they are more likely to be vocalized as infinitives. As such, they have an epexegetical function in the syntax of their clause.
[5:12] 346 tn Aram “to loose knots.”
[5:12] 347 tn Aram “let [Daniel] be summoned.”
[5:14] 348 tn Aram “there has been found in you.”
[5:15] 349 tn The Aramaic text does not have “and.” The term “astrologers” is either an appositive for “wise men” (cf. KJV, NKJV, ASV, RSV, NRSV), or the construction is to be understood as asyndetic (so the translation above).
[5:16] 350 tn The Aramaic text has also the words “about you.”
[5:16] 351 tn Or perhaps “one of three rulers,” in the sense of becoming part of a triumvir. So also v. 29.
[5:18] 353 tn Or “royal greatness and majestic honor,” if the four terms are understood as a double hendiadys.
[5:19] 354 tn Aram “were trembling and fearing.” This can be treated as a hendiadys, “were trembling with fear.”
[5:19] 355 tn Aram “let live.” This Aramaic form is the aphel participle of חַיָה(khayah, “to live”). Theodotion and the Vulgate mistakenly take the form to be from מְחָא (mÿkha’, “to smite”).
[5:20] 357 sn The point of describing Nebuchadnezzar as arrogant is that he had usurped divine prerogatives, and because of his immense arrogance God had dealt decisively with him.
[5:21] 359 tn Aram “his dwelling.”
[5:22] 360 tn Or “descendant”; or “successor.”
[5:22] 361 tn Aram “your heart.”
[5:23] 363 tn Aram “in whose hand [are].”
[5:25] 364 tc The Greek version of Theodotion lacks the repetition of מְנֵא (mÿne’, cf. NAB).
[5:25] 365 tc The Aramaic word is plural. Theodotion has the singular (cf. NAB “
[5:26] 366 tn Or “word” or “event.” See HALOT 1915 s.v. מִלָּה.
[5:26] 367 tn The Aramaic term מְנֵא (mÿne’) is a noun referring to a measure of weight. The linkage here to the verb “to number” (Aram. מְנָה, mÿnah) is a case of paronomasia rather than strict etymology. So also with תְּקֵל (tÿqel) and פַרְסִין (farsin). In the latter case there is an obvious wordplay with the name “Persian.”
[5:28] 368 sn Peres (פְּרֵס) is the singular form of פַרְסִין (pharsin) in v. 25.
[5:29] 369 tn Aram “Belshazzar spoke.”
[5:30] 370 tn Aram “king of the Chaldeans.”
[5:30] 371 sn The year was 539
[5:31] 372 sn Beginning with 5:31, the verse numbers through 6:28 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Aramaic text (BHS), with 5:31 ET = 6:1 AT, 6:1 ET = 6:2 AT, 6:2 ET = 6:3 AT, 6:3 ET = 6:4 AT, etc., through 6:28 ET = 6:29 AT. Beginning with 7:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Aramaic text are again the same.
[2:1] 373 sn Habakkuk compares himself to a watchman stationed on the city wall who keeps his eyes open for approaching messengers or danger.
[2:1] 374 tn The word “know” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[2:1] 375 tn Heb “concerning my correction [or, “reproof”].”
[2:2] 376 tn Heb “the
[2:2] 377 tn Heb “[the] vision.”
[2:2] 379 tn Heb “might run,” which here probably means “run [through it quickly with one’s eyes],” that is, read it easily.
[2:3] 380 tn Heb “For the vision is still for the appointed time.” The Hebrew word עוֹד (’od, “still”) is better emended to עֵד (’ed, “witness”) in light of the parallelism (see the note on the word “turn out” in the following line). The “appointed time” refers to the time when the divine judgment anticipated in vv. 6-20 will be realized.
[2:3] 381 tn Heb “and a witness to the end and it does not lie.” The Hebrew term יָפֵחַ (yafeakh) has been traditionally understood as a verb form from the root פּוּחַ (puakh, “puff, blow”; cf. NEB “it will come in breathless haste”; NASB “it hastens toward the goal”) but recent scholarship has demonstrated that it is actually a noun meaning “witness” (cf. NIV “it speaks of the end / and will not prove false”; NRSV “it speaks of the end, and does not lie”). See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 106. “The end” corresponds to “the appointed time” of the preceding line and refers to the time when the prophecy to follow will be fulfilled.
[2:3] 382 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the message) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:3] 383 tn Heb “If it should delay, wait for it.” The Hebrew word חָזוֹן (khazon, “vision, message”) is the subject of the third person verbs in v. 3 and the antecedent of the pronominal suffix in the phrase “for it.”
[2:4] 384 tn The meaning of this line is unclear, primarily because of the uncertainty surrounding the second word, עֲפְּלָה (’apÿlah). Some read this as an otherwise unattested verb עָפַל (’afal, “swell”) from which are derived nouns meaning “mound” and “hemorrhoid.” This “swelling” is then understood in an abstract sense, “swell with pride.” This would yield a translation, “As for the proud, his desires are not right within him” (cf. NASB “as for the proud one”; NIV “he is puffed up”; NRSV “Look at the proud!”). A multitude of other interpretations of this line, many of which involve emendations of the problematic form, may be found in the commentaries and periodical literature. The present translation assumes an emendation to a Pual form of the verb עָלַף (’alaf, “be faint, exhausted”). (See its use in the Pual in Isa 51:20, and in the Hitpael in Amos 8:13 and Jonah 4:8.) In the antithetical parallelism of the verse, it corresponds to חָיָה (khayah, “live”). The phrase לֹא יָשְׁרָה נַפְשׁוֹ בּוֹ (lo’ yoshrah nafsho bo), literally, “not upright his desire within him,” is taken as a substantival clause that contrasts with צַדִּיק (tsadiq, “the righteous one”) and serves as the subject of the preceding verb. Here נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is understood in the sense of “desire” (see BDB 660-61 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ for a list of passages where the word carries this sense).
[2:4] 385 tn Or “righteous.” The oppressed individuals mentioned in 1:4 are probably in view here.
[2:4] 386 tn Or “will be preserved.” In the immediate context this probably refers to physical preservation through both the present oppression and the coming judgment (see Hab 3:16-19).
[2:4] 387 tn Or “loyalty”; or “integrity.” The Hebrew word אֱמוּנָה (’emunah) has traditionally been translated “faith,” but the term nowhere else refers to “belief” as such. When used of human character and conduct it carries the notion of “honesty, integrity, reliability, faithfulness.” The antecedent of the suffix has been understood in different ways. It could refer to God’s faithfulness, but in this case one would expect a first person suffix (the original form of the LXX has “my faithfulness” here). Others understand the “vision” to be the antecedent. In this case the reliability of the prophecy is in view. For a statement of this view, see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 111-12. The present translation assumes that the preceding word “[the person of] integrity” is the antecedent. In this case the
[2:5] 388 tn Heb “Indeed wine betrays a proud man and he does not dwell.” The meaning of the last verb, “dwell,” is uncertain. Many take it as a denominative of the noun נָוָה (navah, “dwelling place”). In this case it would carry the idea, “he does not settle down,” and would picture the drunkard as restless (cf. NIV “never at rest”; NASB “does not stay at home”). Some relate the verb to an Arabic cognate and translate the phrase as “he will not succeed, reach his goal.”
[2:5] sn The Babylonian tyrant is the proud, restless man described in this line as the last line of the verse, with its reference to the conquest of the nations, makes clear. Wine is probably a metaphor for imperialistic success. The more success the Babylonians experience, the more greedy they become just as a drunkard wants more and more wine to satisfy his thirst. But eventually this greed will lead to their downfall, for God will not tolerate such imperialism and will judge the Babylonians appropriately (vv. 6-20).
[2:5] 389 tn Heb “who opens wide like Sheol his throat.” Here נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is understood in a physical sense, meaning “throat,” which in turn is figurative for the appetite. See H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 11-12.
[2:5] 390 sn Sheol is the proper name of the subterranean world which was regarded as the land of the dead. In ancient Canaanite thought Death was a powerful god whose appetite was never satisfied. In the OT Sheol/Death, though not deified, is personified as greedy and as having a voracious appetite. See Prov 30:15-16; Isa 5:14; also see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 168.
[2:5] 391 tn Heb “he gathers for himself.”
[2:5] 392 tn Heb “he collects for himself.”
[2:6] 393 tn Heb “Will not these, all of them, take up a taunt against him…?” The rhetorical question assumes the response, “Yes, they will.” The present translation brings out the rhetorical force of the question by rendering it as an affirmation.
[2:6] 394 tn Heb “and a mocking song, riddles, against him? And one will say.”
[2:6] 395 tn Heb “Woe [to] the one who increases [what is] not his.” The Hebrew term הוֹי (hoy, “woe,” “ah”) was used in funeral laments and carries the connotation of death.
[2:6] 396 tn This question is interjected parenthetically, perhaps to express rhetorically the pain and despair felt by the Babylonians’ victims.
[2:6] 397 tn Heb “and the one who makes himself heavy [i.e., wealthy] [by] debts.” Though only appearing in the first line, the term הוֹי (hoy) is to be understood as elliptical in the second line.
[2:7] 398 tn Heb “Will not your creditors suddenly rise up?” The rhetorical question assumes the response, “Yes, they will.” The present translation brings out the rhetorical force of the question by rendering it as an affirmation.
[2:7] sn Your creditors will suddenly attack. The Babylonians are addressed directly here. They have robbed and terrorized others, but now the situation will be reversed as their creditors suddenly attack them.
[2:7] 399 tn Heb “[Will not] the ones who make you tremble awake?”
[2:7] 400 tn Heb “and you will become their plunder.”
[2:8] 403 tn Heb “because of the shed blood of humankind and violence against land, city.” The singular forms אֶרֶץ (’erets, “land”) and קִרְיָה (qiryah, “city”) are collective, referring to all the lands and cities terrorized by the Babylonians.
[2:9] 404 tn Heb “Woe [to] the one who profits unjustly by evil unjust gain for his house.” On the term הוֹי (hoy) see the note on the word “dead” in v. 6.
[2:9] 405 tn Heb “to place his nest in the heights in order to escape from the hand of disaster.”
[2:9] sn Here the Babylonians are compared to a bird, perhaps an eagle, that builds its nest in an inaccessible high place where predators cannot reach it.
[2:10] 406 tn Heb “you planned shame for your house, cutting off many nations, and sinning [against] your life.”
[2:11] 407 sn The house mentioned in vv. 9-10 represents the Babylonian empire, which became great through imperialism. Here the materials of this “house” (the stones in the walls, the wooden rafters) are personified as witnesses who testify that the occupants have built the house through wealth stolen from others.
[2:12] 408 tn On the term הוֹי (hoy) see the note on the word “dead” in v. 6.
[2:12] 409 tn Or “establishes”; or “founds.”
[2:13] 410 tn Heb “Is it not, look, from the
[2:14] 411 tn Heb “for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the
[2:15] 412 tn No direct object is present after “drink” in the Hebrew text. “Wine” is implied, however, and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[2:15] 413 tn On the term הוֹי (hoy) see the note on the word “dead” in v. 6.
[2:15] 414 tc Heb “pouring out your anger and also making drunk”; or “pouring out your anger and [by] rage making drunk.” The present translation assumes that the final khet (ח) on מְסַפֵּחַ (misapeakh, “pouring”) is dittographic and that the form should actually be read מִסַּף (missaf, “from a bowl”).
[2:15] sn Forcing them to drink from the bowl of your furious anger. The Babylonian’s harsh treatment of others is compared to intoxicating wine which the Babylonians force the nations to drink so they can humiliate them. Cf. the imagery in Rev 14:10.
[2:15] 415 tn Heb “their nakedness,” a euphemism.
[2:15] sn Metaphor and reality are probably blended here. This may refer to the practice of publicly humiliating prisoners of war by stripping them naked. See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 124.
[2:16] 416 tn Heb “are filled.” The translation assumes the verbal form is a perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of Babylon’s coming judgment, which will reduce the majestic empire to shame and humiliation.
[2:16] 418 tc Heb “drink, even you, and show the foreskin.” Instead of הֵעָרֵל (he’arel, “show the foreskin”) one of the Dead Sea scrolls has הֵרָעֵל (hera’el, “stumble”). This reading also has support from several ancient versions and is followed by the NEB (“you too shall drink until you stagger”) and NRSV (“Drink, you yourself, and stagger”). For a defense of the Hebrew text, see P. D. Miller, Jr., Sin and Judgment in the Prophets, 63-64.
[2:16] 419 sn The Lord’s right hand represents his military power. He will force the Babylonians to experience the same humiliating defeat they inflicted on others.
[2:17] 420 tn Heb “for the violence against Lebanon will cover you.”
[2:17] 421 tc The Hebrew appears to read literally, “and the violence against the animals [which] he terrified.” The verb form יְחִיתַן (yÿkhitan) appears to be a Hiphil imperfect third masculine singular with third feminine plural suffix (the antecedent being the animals) from חָתַת (khatat, “be terrified”). The translation above follows the LXX and assumes a reading יְחִתֶּךָ (yÿkhittekha, “[the violence against the animals] will terrify you”; cf. NRSV “the destruction of the animals will terrify you”; NIV “and your destruction of animals will terrify you”). In this case the verb is a Hiphil imperfect third masculine singular with second masculine singular suffix (the antecedent being Babylon). This provides better symmetry with the preceding line, where Babylon’s violence is the subject of the verb “cover.”
[2:17] sn The language may anticipate Nebuchadnezzar’s utilization of trees from the Lebanon forest in building projects. Lebanon and its animals probably represent the western Palestinian states conquered by the Babylonians.
[2:18] 422 tn Or “of what value.”
[2:18] 423 tn Heb “so that the one who forms it fashions it?” Here כִּי (ki) is taken as resultative after the rhetorical question. For other examples of this use, see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 73, §450.
[2:18] 424 tn Heb “or a metal image, a teacher of lies.” The words “What good is” in the translation are supplied from the previous parallel line. “Teacher of lies” refers to the false oracles that the so-called god would deliver through a priest. See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 126.
[2:18] 425 tn Heb “so that the one who forms his image trusts in it?” As earlier in the verse, כִּי (ki) is resultative.
[2:19] 427 tn Heb “Woe [to] the one who says.” On the term הוֹי (hoy) see the note on the word “dead” in v. 6.
[2:19] 428 tn The words “he who says” in the translation are supplied from the previous parallel line.
[2:19] 429 tn Though the Hebrew text has no formal interrogative marker here, the context indicates that the statement should be taken as a rhetorical question anticipating the answer, “Of course not!” (so also NIV, NRSV).
[2:20] 430 tn Or “holy temple.” The
[2:20] 431 tn Or “Be quiet before him, all the earth!”
[18:1] 432 tn Grk “glory”; but often in the sense of splendor, brightness, or radiance (see L&N 14.49).
[18:2] 433 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style
[18:2] 434 tn Or “It” (the subject is embedded in the verb in Greek; the verb only indicates that it is third person). Since the city has been personified as the great prostitute, the feminine pronoun was used in the translation.
[18:2] 435 tn Here BDAG 1067 s.v. φυλακή 3 states, “a place where guarding is done, prison…Of the nether world or its place of punishment (πνεῦμα 2 and 4c) 1 Pt 3:19 (BReicke, The Disobedient Spirits and Christian Baptism ’46, 116f). It is in a φ. in the latter sense that Satan will be rendered harmless during the millennium Rv 20:7. The fallen city of Babylon becomes a φυλακή haunt for all kinds of unclean spirits and birds 18:2ab.”
[18:2] 436 tc There are several problems in this verse. It seems that according to the ms evidence the first two phrases (i.e., “and a haunt for every unclean spirit, and a haunt for every unclean bird” [καὶ φυλακὴ παντὸς πνεύματος ἀκαθάρτου καὶ φυλακὴ παντὸς ὀρνέου ἀκαθάρτου, kai fulakh panto" pneumato" akaqartou kai fulakh panto" orneou akaqartou]) are to be regarded as authentic, though there are some ms discrepancies. The similar beginnings (καὶ φυλακὴ παντός) and endings (ἀκαθάρτου) of each phrase would easily account for some
[18:3] 437 tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
[18:3] 438 tc ‡ Several
[18:3] 439 tn See the notes on the words “passion” in Rev 14:8 and “wrath” in 16:19.
[18:3] 440 tn According to BDAG 949 s.v. στρῆνος and στρηνιάω, these terms can refer either to luxury or sensuality. In the context of Rev 18, however (as L&N 88.254 indicate) the stress is on gratification of the senses by sexual immorality, so that meaning was emphasized in the translation here.
[18:4] 441 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[18:5] 442 tn On ἐκολλήθησαν (ekollhqhsan) BDAG 556 s.v. κολλάω 2.a.β states, “fig. cling to = come in close contact with (cp. Ps 21:16; 43:26 ἐκολλήθη εἰς γῆν ἡ γαστὴρ ἡμῶν. The act.=‘bring into contact’ PGM 5, 457 κολλήσας τ. λίθον τῷ ὠτίῳ) ἐκολλήθησαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἄχρι τ. οὐρανοῦ the sins have touched the heaven = reached the sky (two exprs. are telescoped) Rv 18:5.”
[18:5] 443 tn Or “up to the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).
[18:5] 444 tn That is, remembered her sins to execute judgment on them.
[18:6] 446 tn The word “others” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[18:6] 447 tn On this term BDAG 252 s.v. διπλόω states, “to double τὰ διπλᾶ pay back double Rv 18:6.”
[18:7] 448 tn “As much as” is the translation of ὅσα (Josa).
[18:7] 449 tn On the term ἐστρηνίασεν (estrhniasen) BDAG 949 s.v. στρηνιάω states, “live in luxury, live sensually Rv 18:7. W. πορνεύειν vs. 9.”
[18:7] 450 tn Grk “said in her heart,” an idiom for saying something to oneself.
[18:8] 451 tn Grk “For this reason, her plagues will come.”
[18:8] 452 tn Grk “death.” θάνατος (qanatos) can in particular contexts refer to a manner of death, specifically a contagious disease (see BDAG 443 s.v. 3; L&N 23.158).
[18:8] 453 tn This is the same Greek word (πένθος, penqo") translated “grief” in vv. 7-8.
[18:8] 454 tn Here “burned down” was used to translate κατακαυθήσεται (katakauqhsetai) because a city is in view.
[18:9] 455 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[18:9] 456 tn On the term ἐστρηνίασεν (estrhniasen) BDAG 949 s.v. στρηνιάω states, “live in luxury, live sensually Rv 18:7. W. πορνεύειν vs. 9.”
[18:9] 457 tn Grk “from the burning of her.” For the translation “the smoke from the fire that burns her up,” see L&N 14.63.
[18:10] 458 tn Or “judgment,” condemnation,” “punishment.” BDAG 569 s.v. κρίσις 1.a.β states, “The word oft. means judgment that goes against a person, condemnation, and the sentence that follows…ἡ κ. σου your judgment Rv 18:10.”
[18:11] 459 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[18:11] 460 tn On γόμος (gomos) BDAG 205 s.v. states, “load, freight…cargo of a ship…Ac 21:3. W. gen. of the owner Rv 18:11. W. gen. of content…γ. χρυσοῦ a cargo of gold vs. 12.”
[18:12] 461 tn Grk “and silver,” but καί (kai) has not been translated before most of these terms since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more
[18:12] 462 tn On this term BDAG 924-25 s.v. σιρικός states, “per. to silk from Ser, subst. τὸ σιρικόν silk cloth or garments w. other costly materials Rv 18:12.”
[18:12] 463 tn On the translation of κόκκινον (kokkinon) as “scarlet cloth” see L&N 6.170.
[18:12] 464 tn On the phrase πᾶν ξύλον θύϊνον (pan xulon quinon) L&N 3.63 states, “pertaining to being made or consisting of citron wood (that is, from a citron tree) – ‘of citron wood.’ καὶ πᾶν ξύλον θύϊνον καὶ πᾶν σκεῦος ἐλεφάντινον ‘and all kinds of things made of citron wood and all kinds of objects made of ivory’ Re 18:12. The citron tree belongs to the citrus family of plants, and it produces a pale yellow fruit somewhat larger than a lemon, the rind of which is often candied. In Re 18:12, however, the focus is upon the fine quality of the wood.”
[18:13] 465 tn On the term ἄμωμον (amwmon) L&N 5.23 states, “a generic term for any kind of spice, though often a specific reference to amomum, an Indian type of spice – ‘spice, amomum.’ κιννάμωμον καὶ ἄμωμον καὶ θυμιάματα ‘cinnamon and spice and incense’ Re 18:13. In most translations ἄμωμον is interpreted as spice in general.”
[18:13] 466 tn Or “myrrh,” a strong aromatic ointment often used to prepare a body for burial (L&N 6.205).
[18:13] 467 tn The Greek term λίβανος (libano") refers to the aromatic resin of a certain type of tree (L&N 6.212).
[18:13] 468 tn On σεμίδαλις (semidali") L&N 5.10 states, “a fine grade of wheat flour – ‘fine flour.’ οἶνον καὶ ἔλαιον καὶ σεμίδαλιν καὶ σῖτον ‘wine and oil and fine flour and wheat’ Re 18:13. In some languages ‘fine flour’ may be best expressed as ‘expensive flour.’ Such a rendering fits well the context of Re 18:13.”
[18:13] 469 tn Or “and wagons.” On the term ῥέδη (rJedh) see L&N 6.53: “a four-wheeled carriage or wagon used for travel or the transportation of loads – ‘carriage, wagon.’ The term ῥέδη occurs only in Re 18:13 in a list of products bought and sold by merchants.”
[18:13] 470 tn Grk “and bodies and souls of men.” This could be understood (1) as a hendiadys (two things mentioned = one thing meant), referring only to slave trade; (2) it could be referring to two somewhat different concepts: slavery (bodies) and the cheapness of human life – some of the items earlier in the list of merchandise were to be obtained only at great cost of human life; or (3) a somewhat related idea, that the trade is in not just physical bodies (slavery) but human souls (people whose lives are destroyed through this trade).
[18:14] 471 tn On ὀπώρα (opwra) L&N 3.34 states, “ἡ ὀπώρα σου τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ψυχῆς ‘the ripe fruit for which you longed’ Re 18:14. In this one occurrence of ὀπώρα in the NT, ‘ripe fruit’ is to be understood in a figurative sense of ‘good things.’”
[18:14] 472 tn Grk “you desired in your soul.”
[18:14] 473 tn On λιπαρός (liparo") BDAG 597 s.v. states, “luxury Rv 18:14.”
[18:14] 474 tn On τὰ λαμπρά (ta lampra) BDAG 585 s.v. λαμπρός 4 states, “splendor…in which a rich man takes delight (cp. Jos., Ant. 12, 220 δωρεὰς δοὺς λαμπράς) Rv 18:14.”
[18:14] 475 tn Verse 14 is set in parentheses because in it the city, Babylon, is addressed directly in second person.
[18:14] sn This verse forms a parenthetical aside in the narrative.
[18:15] 476 tn Grk “the merchants [sellers] of these things.”
[18:15] 477 tn Grk “her torment, weeping.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started in the translation by supplying the words “They will” here.
[18:16] 478 tn The word “clothing” is supplied to clarify that the words “purple” and “scarlet” refer to cloth or garments rather than colors.
[18:16] 479 tn Grk “gilded with gold” (an instance of semantic reinforcement, see L&N 49.29).
[18:17] 480 tn On ἠρημώθη (hrhmwqh) L&N 20.41 states, “to suffer destruction, with the implication of being deserted and abandoned – ‘to be destroyed, to suffer destruction, to suffer desolation.’ ἐρημόομαι: μιᾷ ὥρᾳ ἠρημώθη ὁ τοσοῦτος πλοῦτος ‘such great wealth has been destroyed within a single hour’ Re 18:17.”
[18:17] 481 tn On κυβερνήτης (kubernhth") BDAG 574 s.v. 1 states, “one who is responsible for the management of a ship, shipmaster, lit. Rv 18:17.”
[18:17] 482 tn Or perhaps, “everyone who sails as a passenger.” On πλέων (plewn) BDAG 825 s.v. πλέω states, “πᾶς ὁ ἐπὶ τόπον πλέων everyone who sails to a place = seafarer, sea traveler…Rv 18:17. The vv.ll.…have led to various interpretations. Some render: everyone who sails along the coast…See EbNestle, Einführung in das Griech. NT 1909, 182; AFridrichsen, K. Hum. Vetensk.-Samf. i Upps. Årsb. ’43, 31 note ὁ ἐπίτοπον πλέων=one who sails occasionally, a passenger. – S. also IHeikel, StKr 106, ’34/’35, 317).”
[18:17] 483 tn Grk “and as many as.”
[18:18] 484 tn Here the imperfect ἔκραζον (ekrazon) has been translated ingressively.
[18:18] 485 tn Grk “from the burning of her, saying.” For the translation “the smoke from the fire that burned her up,” see L&N 14.63. Here the participle λέγοντες (legontes, “saying”) has not been translated because it is redundant in contemporary English.
[18:19] 486 tn Grk “with weeping and mourning, saying.” Here the participle λέγοντες (legontes) has not been translated because it is redundant in contemporary English.
[18:19] 487 tn On ἡρημώθη (Jhrhmwqh) L&N 20.41 states, “to suffer destruction, with the implication of being deserted and abandoned – ‘to be destroyed, to suffer destruction, to suffer desolation.’ ἐρημόομαι: μιᾷ ὥρᾳ ἠρημώθη ὁ τοσοῦτος πλοῦτος ‘such great wealth has been destroyed within a single hour’ Re 18:17.”
[18:20] 488 tn On the phrase “pronounced judgment” BDAG 567 s.v. κρίμα 4.b states, “The OT is the source of the expr. κρίνειν τὸ κρ. (cp. Zech 7:9; 8:16; Ezk 44:24) ἔκρινεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ κρίμα ὑμῶν ἐξ αὐτῆς God has pronounced judgment for you against her or God has pronounced on her the judgment she wished to impose on you (HHoltzmann, Hdb. 1893 ad loc.) Rv 18:20.”
[18:20] 489 tn Grk “God has judged a judgment of you of her.” Verse 20 is set in parentheses because in it the saints, etc. are addressed directly in the second person.
[18:20] sn This verse forms a parenthetical aside in the narrative.
[18:21] 490 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[18:21] 491 tn On ὅρμημα ({ormhma) BDAG 724 s.v. states, “violent rush, onset ὁρμήματι βληθήσεται Βαβυλών Babylon will be thrown down with violence Rv 18:21.” L&N 68.82 refers to the suddenness of the force or violence.
[18:21] 492 sn Thrown down is a play on both the words and the action. The angel’s action with the stone illustrates the kind of sudden violent force with which the city will be overthrown.
[18:22] 493 tn The shift to a second person pronoun here corresponds to the Greek text.
[18:22] 494 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[18:22] 495 tn On this term BDAG 1001 s.v. τεχνίτης states, “craftsperson, artisan, designer…Of a silversmith Ac 19:24, 25 v.l., 38….Of a potter 2 Cl 8:2 (metaph., cp. Ath. 15:2). πᾶς τεχνίτης πάσης τέχνης Rv 18:22.”
[18:22] 496 tn This is a different Greek word (μύλος, mulos) from the one for the millstone in v. 21 (μύλινος, mulinos). See L&N 7.68.
[18:23] 497 tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
[18:23] 498 tn On the term φαρμακεία (farmakeia, “magic spells”) see L&N 53.100: “the use of magic, often involving drugs and the casting of spells upon people – ‘to practice magic, to cast spells upon, to engage in sorcery, magic, sorcery.’ φαρμακεία: ἐν τῇ φαρμακείᾳ σου ἐπλανήθησαν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ‘with your magic spells you deceived all the peoples (of the world)’ Re 18:23.”
[18:24] 499 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[18:24] 500 tn The shift in pronouns from second to third person corresponds to the Greek text.
[18:24] 501 tn Grk “and of all.” The phrase “along with the blood” has been repeated from the previous clause for stylistic reasons.
