Yosua 5:14

5:14 He answered, ¹  “Truly I am the commander of the Lord’s army. ²  Now I have arrived!” ³  Joshua bowed down with his face to the ground ⁴  and asked, “What does my master want to say to his servant?”

Yosua 5:2

A New Generation is Circumcised

5:2 At that time the Lord told Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites once again.” ⁵ 

Kisah Para Rasul 6:1

The Appointment of the First Seven Deacons

6:1 Now in those ⁶  days, when the disciples were growing in number, ⁷  a complaint arose on the part of the Greek-speaking Jews ⁸  against the native Hebraic Jews, ⁹  because their widows ¹⁰  were being overlooked ¹¹  in the daily distribution of food. ¹² 

Mazmur 34:7

34:7 The Lord’s angel camps around

the Lord’s ¹³  loyal followers ¹⁴  and delivers them. ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 103:21

103:21 Praise the Lord, all you warriors of his, ¹⁶ 

you servants of his who carry out his desires! ¹⁷ 

Mazmur 148:2

148:2 Praise him, all his angels! ¹⁸ 

Praise him, all his heavenly assembly! ¹⁹ 

Daniel 10:20

10:20 He said, “Do you know why I have come to you? ²⁰  Now I am about to return to engage in battle with the prince of Persia. When I go, the prince of Greece is coming.

Lukas 2:13

2:13 Suddenly ²¹  a vast, heavenly army ²²  appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹ tc Heb “He said, “Neither.” An alternative reading is לוֹ (lo, “[He said] to him”; cf. NEB). This reading is supported by many Hebrew mss, as well as the LXX and Syriac versions. The traditional reading of the MT (לֹא, lo’, “no, neither”) is probably the product of aural confusion (the two variant readings sound the same in Hebrew). Although followed by a number of modern translations (cf. NIV, NRSV), this reading is problematic, for the commander of the Lord’s army would hardly have declared himself neutral.

² sn The Lord’s heavenly army, like an earthly army, has a commander who leads the troops. For the phrase שַׂר־צְבָא (sar-tsÿva’, “army commander”) in the human sphere, see among many other references Gen 21:22, 32; 26:26; Judg 4:2, 7; 1 Sam 12:9.

³ sn The commander’s appearance seems to be for Joshua’s encouragement. Joshua could now lead Israel into battle knowing that the Lord’s invisible army would ensure victory.

⁴ tn Heb “Joshua fell on his face to the ground and bowed down.”

⁵ tn Heb “return, circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.” The Hebrew term שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) is used here in an adverbial sense to indicate the repetition of an action.

⁶ tn Grk “these.” The translation uses “those” for stylistic reasons.

⁷ tn Grk “were multiplying.”

⁸ tn Grk “the Hellenists,” but this descriptive term is largely unknown to the modern English reader. The translation “Greek-speaking Jews” attempts to convey something of who these were, but it was more than a matter of language spoken; it involved a degree of adoption of Greek culture as well.

sn The Greek-speaking Jews were the Hellenists, Jews who to a greater or lesser extent had adopted Greek thought, customs, and lifestyle, as well as the Greek language. The city of Alexandria in Egypt was a focal point for them, but they were scattered throughout the Roman Empire.

⁹ tn Grk “against the Hebrews,” but as with “Hellenists” this needs further explanation for the modern reader.

¹⁰ sn The care of widows is a major biblical theme: Deut 10:18; 16:11, 14; 24:17, 19-21; 26:12-13; 27:19; Isa 1:17-23; Jer 7:6; Mal 3:5.

¹¹ tn Or “neglected.”

¹² tn Grk “in the daily serving.”

sn The daily distribution of food. The early church saw it as a responsibility to meet the basic needs of people in their group.

¹³ tn Heb “his”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁴ tn Heb “those who fear him.”

¹⁵ tn The prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the same generalizing force as the active participle in the first line. See GKC 329 §111.u.

¹⁶ tn Heb “all his hosts.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “his attendants, doers of his desire.”

¹⁸ tn Or “heavenly messengers.”

¹⁹ tn Heb “all his host.”

²⁰ sn The question is rhetorical, intended to encourage reflection on Daniel’s part.

²¹ tn Grk “And suddenly.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

²² tn Grk “a multitude of the armies of heaven.”