1 Samuel 22:7-9

22:7 Saul said to his servants who were stationed around him, “Listen up, you Benjaminites! Is Jesse’s son giving fields and vineyards to all of you? Or is he making all of you ¹  commanders and officers? ²  22:8 For all of you have conspired against me! No one informs me ³  when my own son makes an agreement with this son of Jesse! Not one of you feels sorry for me or informs me that my own son has commissioned my own servant to hide in ambush against me, as is the case today!”

22:9 But Doeg the Edomite, who had stationed himself with the servants of Saul, replied, “I saw this son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob.

Ezra 4:12-19

4:12 Now ⁴  let the king be aware that the Jews who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and odious city. ⁵  They are completing its walls and repairing its foundations. 4:13 Let the king also be aware that if this city is built and its walls are completed, no more tax, custom, or toll will be paid, and the royal treasury ⁶  will suffer loss. 4:14 In light of the fact that we are loyal to the king, ⁷  and since it does not seem appropriate to us that the king should sustain damage, ⁸  we are sending the king this information ⁹  4:15 so that he may initiate a search of the records ¹⁰  of his predecessors ¹¹  and discover in those records ¹²  that this city is rebellious ¹³  and injurious to both kings and provinces, producing internal revolts ¹⁴  from long ago. ¹⁵  It is for this very reason that this city was destroyed. 4:16 We therefore are informing the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are completed, you will not retain control ¹⁶  of this portion of Trans-Euphrates.”

4:17 The king sent the following response:

“To Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues who live in Samaria and other parts of Trans-Euphrates: Greetings! ¹⁷  4:18 The letter you sent to us has been translated and read in my presence. 4:19 So I gave orders, ¹⁸  and it was determined ¹⁹  that this city from long ago has been engaging in insurrection against kings. It has continually engaged in ²⁰  rebellion and revolt.

Nehemia 6:5-8

6:5 The fifth time that Sanballat sent his assistant to me in this way, he had an open letter in his hand. 6:6 Written in it were the following words:

“Among the nations it is rumored ²¹  (and Geshem ²²  has substantiated ²³  this) that you and the Jews have intentions of revolting, and for this reason you are building the wall. Furthermore, according to these rumors ²⁴  you are going to become their king. 6:7 You have also established prophets to announce ²⁵  in Jerusalem ²⁶  on your behalf, ‘We have a king in Judah!’ Now the king is going to hear about these rumors. So come on! Let’s talk about this.” ²⁷ 

6:8 I sent word back to him, “We are not engaged in these activities you are describing. ²⁸  All of this is a figment of your imagination.” ²⁹ 

Ester 3:8

3:8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a particular people ³⁰  that is dispersed and spread among the inhabitants ³¹  throughout all the provinces of your kingdom whose laws differ from those of all other peoples. Furthermore, they do not observe the king’s laws. It is not appropriate for the king to provide a haven for them. ³² 

Lukas 23:2

23:2 They ³³  began to accuse ³⁴  him, saying, “We found this man subverting ³⁵  our nation, forbidding ³⁶  us to pay the tribute tax ³⁷  to Caesar ³⁸  and claiming that he himself is Christ, ³⁹  a king.”

Lukas 23:5

23:5 But they persisted ⁴⁰  in saying, “He incites ⁴¹  the people by teaching throughout all Judea. It started in Galilee and ended up here!” ⁴² 

Lukas 23:19

23:19 (This ⁴³  was a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection ⁴⁴  started in the city, and for murder.) ⁴⁵ 

Lukas 23:25

23:25 He released the man they asked for, who had been thrown in prison for insurrection and murder. But he handed Jesus over ⁴⁶  to their will. ⁴⁷ 

Lukas 23:1

Jesus Brought Before Pilate

23:1 Then ⁴⁸  the whole group of them rose up and brought Jesus ⁴⁹  before Pilate. ⁵⁰ 

Pengkhotbah 2:12-15

Wisdom is Better than Folly

2:12 Next, I decided to consider ⁵¹  wisdom, as well as foolish behavior and ideas. ⁵² 

For what more can the king’s successor do than what the king ⁵³  has already done?

2:13 I realized that wisdom is preferable to folly, ⁵⁴ 

just as light is preferable to darkness:

2:14 The wise man can see where he is going, ⁵⁵  but the fool walks in darkness.

Yet I also realized that the same fate ⁵⁶  happens to them both. ⁵⁷ 

2:15 So I thought to myself, “The fate of the fool will happen even to me! ⁵⁸ 

Then what did I gain by becoming so excessively ⁵⁹  wise?” ⁶⁰ 

So I lamented to myself, ⁶¹ 

“The benefits of wisdom ⁶²  are ultimately ⁶³  meaningless!”

Pengkhotbah 2:19

2:19 Who knows if he will be a wise man or a fool?

Yet ⁶⁴  he will be master over all the fruit of ⁶⁵  my labor ⁶⁶ 

for which I worked so wisely ⁶⁷  on earth! ⁶⁸ 

This also is futile!

[22:7]  ¹ tc The MT has “to all of you.” If this reading is correct, we have here an example of a prepositional phrase functioning as the equivalent of a dative of advantage, which is not impossible from a grammatical point of view. However, the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate all have “and.” A conjunction rather than a preposition should probably be read on the front of this phrase.

[22:7]  ² tn Heb “officers of a thousand and officers of a hundred.”

[22:8]  ³ tn Heb “uncovers my ear.”

[4:12]  ⁴ tn The MT takes this word with the latter part of v. 11, but in English style it fits better with v. 12.

[4:12]  ⁵ sn Management of the provinces that were distantly removed from the capital was difficult, and insurrection in such places was a perennial problem. The language used in this report about Jerusalem (i.e., “rebellious,” “odious”) is intentionally inflammatory. It is calculated to draw immediate attention to the perceived problem.

[4:13]  ⁶ tn Aram “the treasury of kings.” The plural “kings” is Hebrew, not Aramaic. If the plural is intended in a numerical sense the reference is not just to Artaxerxes but to his successors as well. Some scholars understand this to be the plural of majesty, referring to Artaxerxes. See F. C. Fensham, Ezra and Nehemiah (NICOT), 74.

[4:14]  ⁷ tn Aram “we eat the salt of the palace.”

[4:14]  ⁸ tn Aram “the dishonor of the king is not fitting for us to see.”

[4:14]  ⁹ tn Aram “and we have made known.”

[4:15]  ¹⁰ tn Aram “the book of the minutes.”

[4:15]  ¹¹ tn Aram “of your fathers.”

[4:15]  ¹² tn Aram “discover…and learn.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a single concept.

[4:15]  ¹³ tn Aram “is a rebellious city.”

[4:15]  ¹⁴ tn Aram “revolts they are making in its midst.”

[4:15]  ¹⁵ tn Aram “from olden days.” So also in v. 19.

[4:16]  ¹⁶ tn Aram “will not be to you.”

[4:17]  ¹⁷ tn Aram “peace.”

[4:19]  ¹⁸ tn Aram “from me was placed a decree.”

[4:19]  ¹⁹ tn Aram “and they searched and found.”

[4:19]  ²⁰ tn Aram “are being done.”

[6:6]  ²¹ tn Heb “heard.”

[6:6]  ²² tn Heb “Gashmu”; in Neh 2:19 this name appears as Geshem. Since it is important for the modern reader to recognize that this is the same individual, the form of the name used here in the translation is the same as that in v. 19.

[6:6]  ²³ tn Heb “is saying.”

[6:6]  ²⁴ tn Heb “words.” So also in v. 7.

[6:7]  ²⁵ tn Heb “call.”

[6:7]  ²⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[6:7]  ²⁷ tn Heb “Let us consult together.”

[6:8]  ²⁸ tn Heb “We are not according to these matters that you are saying.”

[6:8]  ²⁹ tn Heb “For from your heart you are inventing them.”

[3:8]  ³⁰ tn Heb “one people.” Note the subtle absence at this point of a specific mention of the Jewish people by name.

[3:8]  ³¹ tn Heb “peoples” (so NASB, NIV); NAB “nations”

[3:8]  ³² tn Heb “to cause them to rest”; NASB “to let them remain”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “to tolerate them.”

[23:2]  ³³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[23:2]  ³⁴ sn They began to accuse him. There were three charges: (1) disturbing Jewish peace; (2) fomenting rebellion through advocating not paying taxes (a lie – 20:20-26); and (3) claiming to be a political threat to Rome, by claiming to be a king, an allusion to Jesus’ messianic claims. The second and third charges were a direct challenge to Roman authority. Pilate would be forced to do something about them.

[23:2]  ³⁵ tn On the use of the term διαστρέφω (diastrefw) here, see L&N 31.71 and 88.264.

[23:2]  sn Subverting our nation was a summary charge, as Jesus “subverted” the nation by making false claims of a political nature, as the next two detailed charges show.

[23:2]  ³⁶ tn Grk “and forbidding.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated to suggest to the English reader that this and the following charge are specifics, while the previous charge was a summary one. See the note on the word “misleading” earlier in this verse.

[23:2]  ³⁷ tn This was a “poll tax.” L&N 57.182 states this was “a payment made by the people of one nation to another, with the implication that this is a symbol of submission and dependence – ‘tribute tax.’”

[23:2]  ³⁸ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[23:2]  ³⁹ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[23:2]  sn See the note on Christ in 2:11.

[23:5]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “were adamant.” For “persisted in saying,” see L&N 68.71.

[23:5]  ⁴¹ sn He incites the people. The Jewish leadership claimed that Jesus was a political threat and had to be stopped. By reiterating this charge of stirring up rebellion, they pressured Pilate to act, or be accused of overlooking political threats to Rome.

[23:5]  ⁴² tn Grk “beginning from Galilee until here.”

[23:19]  ⁴³ tn Grk “who” (a continuation of the previous sentence).

[23:19]  ⁴⁴ sn Ironically, what Jesus was alleged to have done, started an insurrection, this man really did.

[23:19]  ⁴⁵ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[23:25]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “delivered up.”

[23:25]  ⁴⁷ sn He handed Jesus over to their will. Here is where Luke places the major blame for Jesus’ death. It lies with the Jewish nation, especially the leadership, though in Acts 4:24-27 he will bring in the opposition of Herod, Pilate, and all people.

[23:1]  ⁴⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[23:1]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:1]  ⁵⁰ sn Pilate was the Roman prefect (procurator) in charge of collecting taxes and keeping the peace. His immediate superior was the Roman governor (proconsul) of Syria, although the exact nature of this administrative relationship is unknown. Pilate’s relations with the Jews had been rocky (v. 12). Here he is especially sensitive to them.

[2:12]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “and I turned to see.”

[2:12]  ⁵² sn See 1:17 for the same expression. Throughout 2:1-11, Qoheleth evaluated the merits of merrymaking (2:1-3), accomplishing grand things (2:4-6), amassing great wealth (2:7-8), and secular acquisitions and accomplishments (2:9-10). Now, he reflects on the benefit in life in living wisely and not giving oneself over to frivolous self-indulgence.

[2:12]  ⁵³ tc The Hebrew text reads עָשׂוּהוּ (’asuhu, “they have done it”; Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural from עָשַׂה [’asah] + 3rd person masculine singular suffix). However, many medieval Hebrew mss read עָשָׂהוּ (’asahu, “he has done”; Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular from עָשַׂה), reflected in the LXX and Syriac. The error was caused by dittography (ו, vav, written twice) or by orthographic confusion between ו and ה (hey) in הוו (confused as והוו) at the end of 2:12 and beginning of 2:13. The 3rd person masculine singular referent of עָשׂוּהוּ “what he has done” is the king, that is, Qoheleth himself. The referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:13]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “and I saw that there is profit for wisdom more than folly.”

[2:14]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “has his eyes in his head.” The term עַיִן (’ayin, “eye”) is used figuratively in reference to mental and spiritual faculties (BDB 744 s.v. עַיִן 3.a). The term “eye” is a metonymy of cause (eye) for effect (sight and perception).

[2:14]  ⁵⁶ sn The common fate to which Qoheleth refers is death.

[2:14]  ⁵⁷ tn The term כֻּלָּם (kullam, “all of them”) denotes “both of them.” This is an example of synecdoche of general (“all of them”) for the specific (“both of them,” that is, both the wise man and the fool).

[2:15]  ⁵⁸ tn The emphatic use of the 1st person common singular personal pronoun אֲנִי (’ani, “me”) with the emphatic particle of association גַּם (gam, “even, as well as”; HALOT 195–96 s.v. גַּם) appears to emphasize the 1st person common singular suffix on יִקְרֵנִי (yiqreni) “it will befall [or “happen to”] me” (Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular + 1st person common singular suffix from קָרָה, qarah, “to befall; to happen to”); see GKC 438 §135.e. Qoheleth laments not that the fate of the wise man is the same as that of the fool, but that even he himself – the wisest man of all – would fare no better in the end than the most foolish.

[2:15]  ⁵⁹ tn The adjective יוֹתֵר (yoter) means “too much; excessive,” e.g., 7:16 “excessively righteous” (HALOT 404 s.v. יוֹתֵר 2; BDB 452 s.v. יוֹתֵר). It is derived from the root יֶתֶר (yeter, “what is left over”); see HALOT 452 s.v. I יֶתֶר. It is related to the verbal root יתר (Niphal “to be left over”; Hiphil “to have left over”); see HALOT 451–52 s.v. I יתר. The adjective is related to יִתְרוֹן (yitron, “advantage; profit”) which is a key-term in this section, creating a word-play: The wise man has a relative “advantage” (יִתְרוֹן) over the fool (2:13-14a); however, there is no ultimate advantage because both share the same fate, i.e., death (2:14b-15a). Thus, Qoheleth’s acquisition of tremendous wisdom (1:16; 2:9) was “excessive” because it exceeded its relative advantage over folly: it could not deliver him from the same fate as the fool. He had striven to obtain wisdom, yet it held no ultimate advantage.

[2:15]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “And why was I wise (to) excess?” The rhetorical question is an example of negative affirmation, expecting a negative answer: “I gained nothing!” (E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 949).

[2:15]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “So I said in my heart.”

[2:15]  ⁶² tn Heb “and also this,” referring to the relative advantage of wisdom over folly.

[2:15]  ⁶³ tn The word “ultimately” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:19]  ⁶⁴ tn The vav on וְיִשְׁלַט (vÿyishlat, conjunction + Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular from שָׁלַט, shalat, “to be master”) is adversative (“yet”).

[2:19]  ⁶⁵ tn The phrase “the fruit of” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity (see the following note on the word “labor”).

[2:19]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “my labor.” As in 2:18, the term עֲמָלִי (’amali, “my labor”) is a metonymy of cause (i.e., my labor) for effect (i.e., fruit of my labor). The metonymy is recognized by several translations: “he will control all the wealth that I gained” (NJPS); “he will have control over all the fruits of my labor” (NAB); “he will have mastery over all the fruits of my labor” (NEB); “he will have control over all the fruit of my labor” (NASB); “he will be master over all my possessions” (MLB).

[2:19]  ⁶⁷ tn An internal cognate accusative construction (accusative and verb from same root) is used for emphasis: שֶׁעָמַלְתִּי עֲמָלִי (’amali she’amalti, “my toil for which I had toiled”); see IBHS 167 §10.2.1g. The two verbs שֶׁעָמַלְתִּי וְשֶׁחָכַמְתִּי (she’amalti vÿshekhakhamti, “for which I had labored and for which I had acted wisely”) form a verbal hendiadys (two separate verbs used in association to communicate one idea): “for I had labored so wisely.” The second verb is used adverbially to modify the first verb, which functions in its full verbal sense.

[2:19]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “under the sun.”