Ulangan 32:4

32:4 As for the Rock, ¹  his work is perfect,

for all his ways are just.

He is a reliable God who is never unjust,

he is fair ²  and upright.

Ulangan 32:1

Invocation of Witnesses

32:1 Listen, O heavens, and I will speak;

hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

1 Samuel 2:3

2:3 Don’t keep speaking so arrogantly, ³ 

letting proud talk come out of your mouth!

For the Lord is a God who knows;

he ⁴  evaluates what people do.

Mazmur 33:4-5

33:4 For ⁵  the Lord’s decrees ⁶  are just, ⁷ 

and everything he does is fair. ⁸ 

33:5 The Lord promotes ⁹  equity and justice;

the Lord’s faithfulness extends throughout the earth. ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 99:4

99:4 The king is strong;

he loves justice. ¹¹ 

You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly; ¹² 

you promote justice and equity in Jacob.

Mazmur 119:75

119:75 I know, Lord, that your regulations ¹³  are just.

You disciplined me because of your faithful devotion to me. ¹⁴ 

Mazmur 145:17-18

145:17 The Lord is just in all his actions, ¹⁵ 

and exhibits love in all he does. ¹⁶ 

145:18 The Lord is near all who cry out to him,

all who cry out to him sincerely. ¹⁷ 

Yesaya 5:16

5:16 The Lord who commands armies will be exalted ¹⁸  when he punishes, ¹⁹ 

the sovereign God’s authority will be recognized when he judges. ²⁰ 

Wahyu 15:3

15:3 They ²¹  sang the song of Moses the servant ²²  of God and the song of the Lamb: ²³ 

“Great and astounding are your deeds,

Lord God, the All-Powerful! ²⁴ 

Just ²⁵  and true are your ways,

King over the nations! ²⁶ 

Wahyu 16:7

16:7 Then ²⁷  I heard the altar reply, ²⁸  “Yes, Lord God, the All-Powerful, ²⁹  your judgments are true and just!”

Wahyu 19:1-2

19:1 After these things I heard what sounded like the loud voice of a vast throng in heaven, saying,

“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

19:2 because his judgments are true and just. ³⁰ 

For he has judged ³¹  the great prostitute

who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality,

and has avenged the blood of his servants ³²  poured out by her own hands!” ³³ 

[32:4]  ¹ tc The LXX reads Θεός (qeos, “God”) for the MT’s “Rock.”

[32:4]  sn The Hebrew term depicts God as a rocky summit where one may find safety and protection. Within a covenantal context it serves as a reminder to the people that their God has committed himself to their protection in return for their allegiance.

[32:4]  ² tn Or “just” (KJV, NAB, NRSV, NLT) or “righteous” (NASB).

[2:3]  ³ tn Heb “proudly, proudly.” If MT is original, the repetition of the word is for emphasis, stressing the arrogance of those addressed. However, a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts and some other textual witnesses do not reflect the repetition, suggesting that the Hebrew text may be dittographic.

[2:3]  ⁴ tc The MT (Qere) reads “and by him actions are weighed.” The translation assumes that reading of the Qere וְלוֹ (vÿlo, “and by him”), which is supported by many medieval Hebrew mss, is correct, rather than the reading of the Kethib וְלוֹא (vÿlo’, “and not”).

[33:4]  ⁵ sn For the Lord’s decrees are just… After the call to praise (vv. 1-3), the psalmist now gives a series of reasons why the Lord is worthy of praise.

[33:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “word.” In this context, which depicts the Lord as the sovereign creator and ruler of the world, the Lord’s “word” refers to the decrees whereby he governs his dominion.

[33:4]  ⁷ tn Or “upright.”

[33:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “and all his work [is] in faithfulness.”

[33:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the Lord’s commitment to principles of equity and justice causes him to actively promote these principles as he governs the world.

[33:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “fills the earth.”

[99:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and strength, a king, justice he loves.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult here. The translation assumes that two affirmations are made about the king, the Lord (see v. 1, and Ps 98:6). The noun עֹז (’oz, “strength”) should probably be revocalized as the adjective עַז (’az, “strong”).

[99:4]  ¹² tn Heb “you establish fairness.”

[119:75]  ¹³ tn In this context (note the second line) the Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim), which so often refers to the regulations of God’s law elsewhere in this psalm, may refer instead to his decisions or disciplinary judgment.

[119:75]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and [in] faithfulness you afflicted me.”

[145:17]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “in all his ways.”

[145:17]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and [is] loving in all his deeds.”

[145:18]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “in truth.”

[5:16]  ¹⁸ tn Or “elevated”; TEV “the Lord Almighty shows his greatness.”

[5:16]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “by judgment/justice.” When God justly punishes the evildoers denounced in the preceding verses, he will be recognized as a mighty warrior.

[5:16]  ²⁰ tn Heb “The holy God will be set apart by fairness.” In this context God’s holiness is his sovereign royal authority, which implies a commitment to justice (see the note on the phrase “the sovereign king of Israel” in 1:4). When God judges evildoers as they deserve, his sovereignty will be acknowledged.

[5:16]  sn The appearance of מִשְׁפָט (mishpat, “justice”) and צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “fairness”) here is rhetorically significant, when one recalls v. 7. There God denounces his people for failing to produce a society where “justice” and “fairness” are valued and maintained. God will judge his people for their failure, taking “justice” and “fairness” into his own hands.

[15:3]  ²¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[15:3]  ²² tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[15:3]  ²³ tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[15:3]  ²⁴ tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”

[15:3]  ²⁵ tn Or “righteous,” although the context favors justice as the theme.

[15:3]  ²⁶ tc Certain mss (Ì⁴⁷ א*^,2 C 1006 1611 1841 pc) read “ages” (αἰώνων, aiwnwn) instead of “nations” (ἐθνῶν, eqnwn), which itself is supported by several mss (א¹ A 051 Ï). The ms evidence seems to be fairly balanced, though αἰώνων has somewhat better support. The replacement of “ages” with “nations” is possibly a scribal attempt to harmonize this verse with the use of “nations” in the following verse. On the other hand, the idea of “nations” fits well with v. 4 and it may be that “ages” is a scribal attempt to assimilate this text to 1 Tim 1:17: “the king of the ages” (βασιλεὺς τῶν αἰώνων, basileu" twn aiwnwn). The decision is a difficult one since both scenarios deal well with the evidence, though the verbal parallel with 1 Tim 1:17 is exact while the parallel with v. 4 is not. The term “king” occurs 17 other times (most occurrences refer to earthly kings) in Revelation and it is not used with either “ages” or “nations” apart from this verse. Probably the reading “nations” should be considered original due to the influence of 1 Tim 1:17.

[16:7]  ²⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[16:7]  ²⁸ tn Grk “the altar saying.”

[16:7]  ²⁹ tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”

[19:2]  ³⁰ tn Compare the similar phrase in Rev 16:7.

[19:2]  ³¹ tn Or “has punished.” See BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 5.b.α, describing the OT background which involves both the vindication of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty.

[19:2]  ³² tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[19:2]  ³³ tn Grk “from her hand” (referring to her responsibility in causing the blood of God’s followers to be shed).