Kejadian 42:1-38

Joseph’s Brothers in Egypt

42:1 When Jacob heard ¹  there was grain in Egypt, he ²  said to his sons, “Why are you looking at each other?” ³  42:2 He then said, “Look, I hear that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us ⁴  so that we may live ⁵  and not die.” ⁶ 

42:3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 42:4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, ⁷  for he said, ⁸  “What if some accident ⁹  happens ¹⁰  to him?” 42:5 So Israel’s sons came to buy grain among the other travelers, ¹¹  for the famine was severe in the land of Canaan.

42:6 Now Joseph was the ruler of the country, the one who sold grain to all the people of the country. ¹²  Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down ¹³  before him with ¹⁴  their faces to the ground. 42:7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger ¹⁵  to them and spoke to them harshly. He asked, “Where do you come from?” They answered, ¹⁶  “From the land of Canaan, to buy grain for food.” ¹⁷ 

42:8 Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 42:9 Then Joseph remembered ¹⁸  the dreams he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see if our land is vulnerable!” ¹⁹ 

42:10 But they exclaimed, ²⁰  “No, my lord! Your servants have come to buy grain for food! 42:11 We are all the sons of one man; we are honest men! Your servants are not spies.”

42:12 “No,” he insisted, “but you have come to see if our land is vulnerable.” ²¹  42:13 They replied, “Your servants are from a family of twelve brothers. ²²  We are the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is with our father at this time, ²³  and one is no longer alive.” ²⁴ 

42:14 But Joseph told them, “It is just as I said to you: ²⁵  You are spies! 42:15 You will be tested in this way: As surely as Pharaoh lives, ²⁶  you will not depart from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 42:16 One of you must go and get ²⁷  your brother, while ²⁸  the rest of you remain in prison. ²⁹  In this way your words may be tested to see if ³⁰  you are telling the truth. ³¹  If not, then, as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” 42:17 He imprisoned ³²  them all for three days. 42:18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do as I say ³³  and you will live, ³⁴  for I fear God. ³⁵  42:19 If you are honest men, leave one of your brothers confined here in prison ³⁶  while the rest of you go ³⁷  and take grain back for your hungry families. ³⁸  42:20 But you must bring ³⁹  your youngest brother to me. Then ⁴⁰  your words will be verified ⁴¹  and you will not die.” They did as he said. ⁴² 

42:21 They said to one other, ⁴³  “Surely we’re being punished ⁴⁴  because of our brother, because we saw how distressed he was ⁴⁵  when he cried to us for mercy, but we refused to listen. That is why this distress ⁴⁶  has come on us!” 42:22 Reuben said to them, “Didn’t I say to you, ‘Don’t sin against the boy,’ but you wouldn’t listen? So now we must pay for shedding his blood!” ⁴⁷  42:23 (Now ⁴⁸  they did not know that Joseph could understand them, ⁴⁹  for he was speaking through an interpreter.) ⁵⁰  42:24 He turned away from them and wept. When he turned around and spoke to them again, ⁵¹  he had Simeon taken ⁵²  from them and tied up ⁵³  before their eyes.

42:25 Then Joseph gave orders to fill ⁵⁴  their bags with grain, to return each man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. His orders were carried out. ⁵⁵  42:26 So they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left. ⁵⁶ 

42:27 When one of them ⁵⁷  opened his sack to get feed for his donkey at their resting place, ⁵⁸  he saw his money in the mouth of his sack. ⁵⁹  42:28 He said to his brothers, “My money was returned! Here it is in my sack!” They were dismayed; ⁶⁰  they turned trembling one to another ⁶¹  and said, “What in the world has God done to us?” ⁶² 

42:29 They returned to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan and told him all the things that had happened to them, saying, 42:30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly to us and treated us ⁶³  as if we were ⁶⁴  spying on the land. 42:31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies! 42:32 We are from a family of twelve brothers; we are the sons of one father. ⁶⁵  One is no longer alive, ⁶⁶  and the youngest is with our father at this time ⁶⁷  in the land of Canaan.’

42:33 “Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘This is how I will find out if you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain ⁶⁸  for your hungry households and go. 42:34 But bring your youngest brother back to me so I will know ⁶⁹  that you are honest men and not spies. ⁷⁰  Then I will give your brother back to you and you may move about freely in the land.’” ⁷¹ 

42:35 When they were emptying their sacks, there was each man’s bag of money in his sack! When they and their father saw the bags of money, they were afraid. 42:36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You are making me childless! Joseph is gone. ⁷²  Simeon is gone. ⁷³  And now you want to take ⁷⁴  Benjamin! Everything is against me.”

42:37 Then Reuben said to his father, “You may ⁷⁵  put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my care ⁷⁶  and I will bring him back to you.” 42:38 But Jacob ⁷⁷  replied, “My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead and he alone is left. ⁷⁸  If an accident happens to him on the journey you have to make, then you will bring down my gray hair ⁷⁹  in sorrow to the grave.” ⁸⁰ 

Kejadian 25:27

25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled ⁸¹  hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents. ⁸² 

Nahum 1:8-9

1:8 But with an overwhelming flood ⁸³ 

he will make a complete end of Nineveh; ⁸⁴ 

he will drive ⁸⁵  his enemies into darkness.

Denunciation and Destruction of Nineveh

1:9 Whatever ⁸⁶  you plot ⁸⁷  against the Lord, he will completely destroy! ⁸⁸ 

Distress ⁸⁹  will not arise ⁹⁰  a second time.

Wahyu 14:8

14:8 A ⁹¹  second ⁹²  angel ⁹³  followed the first, ⁹⁴  declaring: ⁹⁵  “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great city! ⁹⁶  She made all the nations ⁹⁷  drink of the wine of her immoral passion.” ⁹⁸ 

Wahyu 18:2

18:2 He ⁹⁹  shouted with a powerful voice:

“Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the great!

She ¹⁰⁰  has become a lair for demons,

a haunt ¹⁰¹  for every unclean spirit,

a haunt for every unclean bird,

a haunt for every unclean and detested beast. ¹⁰² 

Wahyu 18:21

18:21 Then ¹⁰³  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 ¹⁰⁴ 

Babylon the great city will be thrown down ¹⁰⁵ 

and it will never be found again!

[42:1]  ¹ tn Heb “saw.”

[42:1]  ² tn Heb “Jacob.” Here the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[42:1]  ³ sn Why are you looking at each other? The point of Jacob’s question is that his sons should be going to get grain rather than sitting around doing nothing. Jacob, as the patriarch, still makes the decisions for the whole clan.

[42:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “and buy for us from there.” The word “grain,” the direct object of “buy,” has been supplied for clarity, and the words “from there” have been omitted in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[42:2]  ⁵ tn Following the imperatives, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav expresses purpose of result.

[42:2]  ⁶ tn The imperfect tense continues the nuance of the verb before it.

[42:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “But Benjamin, the brother of Joseph, Jacob did not send with his brothers.” The disjunctive clause highlights the contrast between Benjamin and the other ten.

[42:4]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew verb אָמַר (’amar, “to say”) could also be translated “thought” (i.e., “he said to himself”) here, giving Jacob’s reasoning rather than spoken words.

[42:4]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew noun אָסוֹן (’ason) is a rare word meaning “accident, harm.” Apart from its use in these passages it occurs in Exodus 21:22-23 of an accident to a pregnant woman. The term is a rather general one, but Jacob was no doubt thinking of his loss of Joseph.

[42:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “encounters.”

[42:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in the midst of the coming ones.”

[42:6]  ¹² tn The disjunctive clause either introduces a new episode in the unfolding drama or provides the reader with supplemental information necessary to understanding the story.

[42:6]  ¹³ sn Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him. Here is the beginning of the fulfillment of Joseph’s dreams (see Gen 37). But it is not the complete fulfillment, since all his brothers and his parents must come. The point of the dream, of course, was not simply to get the family to bow to Joseph, but that Joseph would be placed in a position of rule and authority to save the family and the world (41:57).

[42:6]  ¹⁴ tn The word “faces” is an adverbial accusative, so the preposition has been supplied in the translation.

[42:7]  ¹⁵ sn But pretended to be a stranger. Joseph intends to test his brothers to see if they have changed and have the integrity to be patriarchs of the tribes of Israel. He will do this by putting them in the same situations that they and he were in before. The first test will be to awaken their conscience.

[42:7]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “said.”

[42:7]  ¹⁷ tn The verb is denominative, meaning “to buy grain”; the word “food” could simply be the direct object, but may also be an adverbial accusative.

[42:9]  ¹⁸ sn You are spies. Joseph wanted to see how his brothers would react if they were accused of spying.

[42:9]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “to see the nakedness of the land you have come.”

[42:10]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and they said to him.” In context this is best understood as an exclamation.

[42:12]  ²¹ tn Heb “and he said, ‘No, for the nakedness of the land you have come to see.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for clarity.

[42:13]  ²² tn Heb “twelve [were] your servants, brothers [are] we.”

[42:13]  ²³ tn Heb “today.”

[42:13]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and the one is not.”

[42:14]  ²⁵ tn Heb “to you, saying.”

[42:15]  ²⁶ tn Heb “[By] the life of Pharaoh.”

[42:15]  sn As surely as Pharaoh lives. Joseph uses an oath formula to let the brothers know the certainty of what he said. There is some discussion in the commentaries on swearing by the life of Pharaoh, but since the formulation here reflects the Hebrew practice, it would be hard to connect the ideas exactly to Egyptian practices. Joseph did this to make the point in a way that his Hebrew brothers would understand. See M. R. Lehmann, “Biblical Oaths,” ZAW 81 (1969): 74-92.

[42:16]  ²⁷ tn Heb “send from you one and let him take.” After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose.

[42:16]  ²⁸ tn The disjunctive clause is here circumstantial-temporal.

[42:16]  ²⁹ tn Heb “bound.”

[42:16]  ³⁰ tn The words “to see” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[42:16]  ³¹ tn Heb “the truth [is] with you.”

[42:17]  ³² sn The same Hebrew word is used for Joseph’s imprisonment in 40:3, 4, 7. There is some mirroring going on in the narrative. The Hebrew word used here (אָסַף, ’asaf, “to gather”) is not normally used in a context like this (for placing someone in prison), but it forms a wordplay on the name Joseph (יוֹסֵף, yosoef) and keeps the comparison working.

[42:18]  ³³ tn Heb “Do this.”

[42:18]  ³⁴ tn After the preceding imperative, the imperative with vav (ו) can, as here, indicate logical sequence.

[42:18]  ³⁵ sn For I fear God. Joseph brings God into the picture to awaken his brothers’ consciences. The godly person cares about the welfare of people, whether they live or die. So he will send grain back, but keep one of them in Egypt. This action contrasts with their crime of selling their brother into slavery.

[42:19]  ³⁶ tn Heb “bound in the house of your prison.”

[42:19]  ³⁷ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial-temporal.

[42:19]  ³⁸ tn Heb “[for] the hunger of your households.”

[42:20]  ³⁹ tn The imperfect here has an injunctive force.

[42:20]  ⁴⁰ tn After the injunctive imperfect, this imperfect with vav indicates purpose or result.

[42:20]  ⁴¹ tn The Niphal form of the verb has the sense of “to be faithful; to be sure; to be reliable.” Joseph will test his brothers to see if their words are true.

[42:20]  ⁴² tn Heb “and they did so.”

[42:21]  ⁴³ tn Heb “a man to his neighbor.”

[42:21]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “we are guilty”; the Hebrew word can also refer to the effect of being guilty, i.e., “we are being punished for guilt.”

[42:21]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “the distress of his soul.”

[42:21]  ⁴⁶ sn The repetition of the Hebrew noun translated distress draws attention to the fact that they regard their present distress as appropriate punishment for their refusal to ignore their brother when he was in distress.

[42:22]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “and also his blood, look, it is required.” God requires compensation, as it were, from those who shed innocent blood (see Gen 9:6). In other words, God exacts punishment for the crime of murder.

[42:23]  ⁴⁸ tn The disjunctive clause provides supplemental information that is important to the story.

[42:23]  ⁴⁹ tn “was listening.” The brothers were not aware that Joseph could understand them as they spoke the preceding words in their native language.

[42:23]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “for [there was] an interpreter between them.” On the meaning of the word here translated “interpreter” see HALOT 590 s.v. מֵלִיץ and M. A. Canney, “The Hebrew melis (Prov IX 12; Gen XLII 2-3),” AJSL 40 (1923/24): 135-37.

[42:24]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “and he turned to them and spoke to them.”

[42:24]  ⁵² tn Heb “took Simeon.” This was probably done at Joseph’s command, however; the grand vizier of Egypt would not have personally seized a prisoner.

[42:24]  ⁵³ tn Heb “and he bound him.” See the note on the preceding verb “taken.”

[42:25]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “and they filled.” The clause appears to be elliptical; one expects “Joseph gave orders to fill…and they filled.” See GKC 386 §120.f.

[42:25]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “and he did for them so.” Joseph would appear to be the subject of the singular verb. If the text is retained, the statement seems to be a summary of the preceding, more detailed statement. However, some read the verb as plural, “and they did for them so.” In this case the statement indicates that Joseph’s subordinates carried out his orders. Another alternative is to read the singular verb as passive (with unspecified subject), “and this was done for them so” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).

[42:26]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “and they went from there.”

[42:27]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “and the one.” The article indicates that the individual is vivid in the mind of the narrator, yet it is not important to identify him by name.

[42:27]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “at the lodging place.”

[42:27]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “and look, it [was] in the mouth of his sack.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to look through the eyes of the character and thereby draws attention to the money.

[42:28]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “and their heart went out.” Since this expression is used only here, the exact meaning is unclear. The following statement suggests that it may refer to a sudden loss of emotional strength, so “They were dismayed” adequately conveys the meaning (cf. NRSV); NIV has “Their hearts sank.”

[42:28]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “and they trembled, a man to his neighbor.”

[42:28]  ⁶² tn Heb “What is this God has done to us?” The demonstrative pronoun (“this”) adds emphasis to the question.

[42:30]  ⁶³ tn Heb “made us.”

[42:30]  ⁶⁴ tn The words “if we were” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[42:32]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “twelve [were] we, brothers, sons of our father [are] we.”

[42:32]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “the one is not.”

[42:32]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “today.”

[42:33]  ⁶⁸ tn The word “grain” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[42:34]  ⁶⁹ tn After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed vav indicates purpose/result.

[42:34]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “that you are not spies, that you are honest men.”

[42:34]  ⁷¹ sn Joseph’s brothers soften the news considerably, making it sound like Simeon was a guest of Joseph (Leave one of your brothers with me) instead of being bound in prison. They do not mention the threat of death and do not at this time speak of the money in the one sack.

[42:36]  ⁷² tn Heb “is not.”

[42:36]  ⁷³ tn Heb “is not.”

[42:36]  ⁷⁴ tn The nuance of the imperfect verbal form is desiderative here.

[42:37]  ⁷⁵ tn The nuance of the imperfect verbal form is permissive here.

[42:37]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “my hand.”

[42:38]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[42:38]  ⁷⁸ sn The expression he alone is left meant that (so far as Jacob knew) Benjamin was the only surviving child of his mother Rachel.

[42:38]  ⁷⁹ sn The expression bring down my gray hair is figurative, using a part for the whole – they would put Jacob in the grave. But the gray head signifies a long life of worry and trouble.

[42:38]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “to Sheol,” the dwelling place of the dead.

[25:27]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “knowing.”

[25:27]  ⁸² tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Jacob with Esau and draws attention to the striking contrasts. In contrast to Esau, a man of the field, Jacob was civilized, as the phrase “living in tents” signifies. Whereas Esau was a skillful hunter, Jacob was calm and even-tempered (תָּם, tam), which normally has the idea of “blameless.”

[1:8]  ⁸³ tn Some scholars connect “in an overwhelming flood” (וּבְשֶׁטֶף עֹבֵר, uvÿshetef ’over) with the preceding line: “he protects those who trust him in an overwhelming flood.” However, others connect it with the following line: “But with an overwhelming flood he will make a complete end of its [Nineveh’s] site.” D. T. Tsumura (“Janus Parallelism in Nah 1:8,” JBL 102 [1983]: 109-11) suggests that it does double duty and should be read with both lines: “he knows those who trust him in an overwhelming flood, / but with an overwhelming flood he will make a complete end of its [Nineveh’s] site.” Connecting it with the preceding line creates a tight parallelism and a balanced 5+5 metrical count. Connecting it with the following line harmonizes with Nah 2:9 [8], which describes the walls of Nineveh being destroyed by flood waters, and with historical evidence (Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica, 2.27.1-3; Xenophon, Anabasis, 3.4.12) and modern archaeological evidence (A. T. Olmstead, History of Assyria, 637). This might be an example of intentional ambiguity: God will protect his people from the very calamity that he will use to destroy his enemies.

[1:8]  ⁸⁴ tc Heb “her place.” Alternately, some ancient versions read “his adversaries.” The MT reads מְקוֹמָהּ (mÿqomah, “her place”). This is supported by the Dead Sea Scrolls (מקומה, “her place,” found in 4QpNah) and Symmachus (τῆς τόποῦ αὐτοῦ, th" topou autou, “her place”). The reading of the LXX (τούς ἐπεγειρουμένους, tou" epegeiroumenou", “those who rise up [against Him]”) and Aquila (ἀντισταμενω¡ν, antistamenw>n, “adversaries”) reflect מְקּוֹמיהוּ or מְקִימיהוּ or מְקִּמָיו (“his adversaries”), also reflected in the Vulgate and Targum. Some scholars suggest emending the MT in the light of the LXX to create a tight parallelism between “his adversaries” (מקומיו) and “his enemies” (וְאֹיְבָיו, vÿ’oyÿvayv) which is a parallel word pair elsewhere (Deut 28:7; 2 Sam 22:40-41, 49; Mic 7:6; Ps 59:2). Likewise, Tsumura suggests emending the MT because the text, as it stands, does not have a clear parallel word for “his enemies” (וְאֹיְבָיו) – emending the MT’s מְקוֹמָהּ (“her place”) to מקומיו (“his adversaries”) would result in a parallel word (D. T. Tsumura, “Janus Parallelism in Nah 1:8,” JBL 102 [1983]: 109-11). The BHS editors propose emending the MT in favor of the Greek tradition. The English versions reflect both textual traditions – several follow the MT with “her place” and “its site” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NKJV, NJPS), while others adopt the LXX reading and emend the Hebrew, resulting in “his adversaries” (NRSV) or “those who defy him” (NJB). The MT makes sense as it stands, but the proposed emendation is attractive and involves only the common confusion between ה and יו.

[1:8]  ⁸⁵ tc The BHS editors propose emending the Masoretic reading יְרַדֶּף (yÿraddef, Piel imperfect of רָדַּף [raddaf], “to chase”) to יֶהְדֹּף (yekhdof, Qal imperfect of הָדַף [hadaf], “to thrust away, drive away”). Although הָדַף is used with חֹשֶׁךְ (khoshekh, “darkness”) in Job 18:18 (“he is driven from light into darkness”), the MT makes good sense as it stands, and is supported by the versions. The conjectural emendation has no support and is unnecessary.

[1:9]  ⁸⁶ tn Alternately, “Why are you plotting?” or “What are you plotting?” The term מַה (mah) ordinarily functions as the interrogative pronoun “what?” (HALOT 550-51 s.v.; BDB 552-53 s.v.). It is often used in reproachful, ridiculing questions and in accusations with an insinuation of blame, reproach, or contempt; see Gen 4:10; 37:10; 44:15; Josh 22:16; Judg 8:1; 15:11; 20:12; 1 Sam 29:3; 2 Sam 9:8; 1 Kgs 9:13; 2 Kgs 9:22; 18:19). It is more disparaging than מִי (mi; HALOT 551 s.v. מַה). The LXX translates it with the interrogative pronoun τί (“what?”). R. L. Smith (Micah-Malachi [WBC], 76) takes it as the indefinite pronoun “whatever” (see also BDB 553 s.v. מָה 3; GKC 443-44 §137.c; Num 23:3; 1 Sam 19:3; 20:10; 2 Sam 18:22-23, 29; Job 13:13; Prov 25:8). W. A. Maier (Nahum, 186) takes it as the interrogative adverb “why?” (see also BDB 553 s.v. מָה 2.b; Gen 3:13; 12:18; 26:10; Exod 14:15; 17:2; 2 Kgs 6:33; 7:3; Pss 42:6, 12; 43:5; 52:3; Job 7:21; 15:12; Song 8:4). All three are represented in English versions: “What?” (KJV, NKJV), “Why?” (NRSV, NJPS), and “Whatever” (NASB, NIV).

[1:9]  ⁸⁷ tn Less likely, “[What are you] thinking about.” When used with אֶל (’el) the verb חָשַׁב (khashav) may be taken (1) in a hostile sense: “What are you plotting against the Lord?” or (2) in a nonhostile sense: “What are you thinking about the Lord?” The hostile sense is clearly intended when it is used in collocation with the direct object רָעָה (ra’ah, “evil”; Zech 7:10; 8:17; Pss 35:4; 140:3; Prov 16:9) or when it is followed by the preposition עַל (’al; Gen 50:20; 2 Sam 14:13; Jer 11:19; 18:11, 18; 29:11; 48:2; 49:30; Mic 2:3; Nah 1:11; Pss 36:5; Esth 8:3; 9:24, 25; Dan 11:25). It is also used in a hostile sense when followed by the preposition אֶל, as it is here (Jer 49:20; 50:45; Hos 7:15; Nah 1:9). The major lexicons classify this usage in a hostile sense (BDB 363 s.v. חָשַׁב; HALOT 360 s.v. חשׁב). The verb is repeated in Nah 1:11 where it is clearly used in a hostile sense.

[1:9]  ⁸⁸ tn Or “The Lord will completely foil whatever you plot against him”; or “Whatever you may think about the Lord, he [always] brings everything to a conclusion.”

[1:9]  ⁸⁹ tc The MT reads צָרָה (tsarah, “distress”). This is supported by the LXX. However, the BHS editors propose emending the MT’s צָרָה (“distress”) to צָרָיו (tsarayv, “his adversaries”). Several English versions follow course (NRSV, NJPS); however, the majority of English versions follow the traditional MT reading (KJV, NASB, NIV, NKJV). The term “distress” (צָרָה, tsarah) is repeated from v. 7: God will not only protect his people in time of “distress” (צָרָה) from the Assyrians (v. 7), he will put an end to “distress” (צָרָה) by destroying the Assyrians (v. 9).

[1:9]  ⁹⁰ tn The originally unvocalized consonantal form תקום is vocalized in the MT as תָקוּם (taqum, “will arise”) from קוּם (qum, “to arise”). However, the LXX reflects a vocalization of תִקּוֹם (tiqom, “will take vengeance”) from נָקַם (naqam, “to avenge”). The Masoretic vocalization makes sense and should be retained. The LXX vocalization probably arose under the influence of the three-fold repetition of נקם in Nah 1:2.

[14:8]  ⁹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[14:8]  ⁹² tc There are several different variants comprising a textual problem involving “second” (δεύτερος, deuteros). First, several mss (A 1 2329 Ï^K) read “another, a second angel” (ἄλλος δεύτερος ἄγγελος, allo" deutero" angelo"). Second, other mss (Ì⁴⁷ א* 1006 1841 1854 pc) read just “another, a second” (ἄλλος δεύτερος). Third, the reading “another angel” (ἄλλος ἄγγελος) is supported by a few Greek mss and some versional evidence (69 pc ar vg). Fourth, several mss (א² [C reads δεύτερον instead of δεύτερος] 051 1611 2053 2344 Ï^A) support the reading “another, a second angel” (ἄλλος ἄγγελος δεύτερος). The reading that most likely gave rise to the others is the fourth. The first reading attempts to smooth out the grammar by placing the adjective in front of the noun. The second reading may have dropped out the “angel” on the basis of its similarity to “another” (ἄλλος). The third reading either intentionally or accidentally left out the word “second.” In any event, this is weakly attested and should not be given much consideration. (If, however, this reading had had good support, with “second” floating, and with “third” in the text in 14:9, one could possibly see δεύτερος as a motivated reading. But without sufficient support for the third reading, the one thing that is most certain is that δεύτερος was part of the original text here.) It is difficult to account for the rise of the other readings if “second” is not original. And the undisputed use of “third” (τρίτος, tritos) in 14:9 may be another indicator that the adjective “second” was in the original text. Finally, the fourth reading is the more difficult and therefore, in this case, to be accepted as the progenitor of the others.

[14:8]  ⁹³ tn Grk “And another angel, a second.”

[14:8]  ⁹⁴ tn The words “the first” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[14:8]  ⁹⁵ tn For the translation of λέγω (legw) as “declare,” see BDAG 590 s.v. 2.e.

[14:8]  ⁹⁶ sn The fall of Babylon the great city is described in detail in Rev 18:2-24.

[14:8]  ⁹⁷ tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[14:8]  ⁹⁸ tn Grk “of the wine of the passion of the sexual immorality of her.” Here τῆς πορνείας (th" porneia") has been translated as an attributive genitive. In an ironic twist of fate, God will make Babylon drink her own mixture, but it will become the wine of his wrath in retribution for her immoral deeds (see the note on the word “wrath” in 16:19).

[18:2]  ⁹⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style

[18:2]  ¹⁰⁰ 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]  ¹⁰¹ 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]  ¹⁰² 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 mss omitting one or the other phrase. The third phrase (“a haunt for every unclean animal” [καὶ φυλακὴ παντὸς θηρίου ἀκαθάρτου, kai fulakh panto" qhriou akaqartou]), however, is more problematic since it is missing in several important mss (א C 051 Ï). The passage as a whole, including the third phrase, seems to be an allusion to Isa 13:21 and 34:11. It seems reasonable, in such a case, to assume that since there is good ms evidence to support the third phrase (A 1611 2329 al), it probably dropped out of certain mss because of its similarity to the two preceding clauses. It is the presence of all three phrases in the original that most likely gave rise to the divergent ms evidence extant today.

[18:21]  ¹⁰³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[18:21]  ¹⁰⁴ 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]  ¹⁰⁵ 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.