Kejadian 12:10

The Promised Blessing Jeopardized

12:10 There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt ¹  to stay for a while ²  because the famine was severe. ³ 

Kejadian 26:1

Isaac and Abimelech

26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred ⁴  in the days of Abraham. ⁵  Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.

Kejadian 43:1

The Second Journey to Egypt

43:1 Now the famine was severe in the land. ⁶ 

Imamat 26:19

26:19 I will break your strong pride and make your sky like iron and your land like bronze.

Ulangan 28:23-24

28:23 The ⁷  sky ⁸  above your heads will be bronze and the earth beneath you iron. 28:24 The Lord will make the rain of your land powder and dust; it will come down on you from the sky until you are destroyed.

Ulangan 28:38

The Curse of Reversed Status

28:38 “You will take much seed to the field but gather little harvest, because locusts will consume it.

Ulangan 28:2

28:2 All these blessings will come to you in abundance ⁹  if you obey the Lord your God:

1 Samuel 21:1

21:1 (21:2) David went to Ahimelech the priest in Nob. Ahimelech was shaking with fear when he met ¹⁰  David, and said to him, “Why are you by yourself with no one accompanying you?”

1 Samuel 21:1

21:1 (21:2) David went to Ahimelech the priest in Nob. Ahimelech was shaking with fear when he met ¹¹  David, and said to him, “Why are you by yourself with no one accompanying you?”

Kisah Para Rasul 17:1-12

Paul and Silas at Thessalonica

17:1 After they traveled through ¹²  Amphipolis ¹³  and Apollonia, ¹⁴  they came to Thessalonica, ¹⁵  where there was a Jewish synagogue. ¹⁶  17:2 Paul went to the Jews in the synagogue, ¹⁷  as he customarily did, and on three Sabbath days he addressed ¹⁸  them from the scriptures, 17:3 explaining and demonstrating ¹⁹  that the Christ ²⁰  had to suffer and to rise from the dead, ²¹  saying, ²²  “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.” ²³  17:4 Some of them were persuaded ²⁴  and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large group ²⁵  of God-fearing Greeks ²⁶  and quite a few ²⁷  prominent women. 17:5 But the Jews became jealous, ²⁸  and gathering together some worthless men from the rabble in the marketplace, ²⁹  they formed a mob ³⁰  and set the city in an uproar. ³¹  They attacked Jason’s house, ³²  trying to find Paul and Silas ³³  to bring them out to the assembly. ³⁴  17:6 When they did not find them, they dragged ³⁵  Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, ³⁶  screaming, “These people who have stirred up trouble ³⁷  throughout the world ³⁸  have come here too, 17:7 and ³⁹  Jason has welcomed them as guests! They ⁴⁰  are all acting against Caesar’s ⁴¹  decrees, saying there is another king named ⁴²  Jesus!” ⁴³  17:8 They caused confusion among ⁴⁴  the crowd and the city officials ⁴⁵  who heard these things. 17:9 After ⁴⁶  the city officials ⁴⁷  had received bail ⁴⁸  from Jason and the others, they released them.

Paul and Silas at Berea

17:10 The brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea ⁴⁹  at once, during the night. When they arrived, ⁵⁰  they went to the Jewish synagogue. ⁵¹  17:11 These Jews ⁵²  were more open-minded ⁵³  than those in Thessalonica, ⁵⁴  for they eagerly ⁵⁵  received ⁵⁶  the message, examining ⁵⁷  the scriptures carefully every day ⁵⁸  to see if these things were so. 17:12 Therefore many of them believed, along with quite a few ⁵⁹  prominent ⁶⁰  Greek women and men.

Kisah Para Rasul 18:2

18:2 There he ⁶¹  found ⁶²  a Jew named Aquila, ⁶³  a native of Pontus, ⁶⁴  who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius ⁶⁵  had ordered all the Jews to depart from ⁶⁶  Rome. ⁶⁷  Paul approached ⁶⁸  them,

Kisah Para Rasul 18:2

18:2 There he ⁶⁹  found ⁷⁰  a Jew named Aquila, ⁷¹  a native of Pontus, ⁷²  who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius ⁷³  had ordered all the Jews to depart from ⁷⁴  Rome. ⁷⁵  Paul approached ⁷⁶  them,

Kisah Para Rasul 8:1-2

8:1 And Saul agreed completely with killing ⁷⁷  him.

Saul Begins to Persecute the Church

Now on that day a great ⁷⁸  persecution began ⁷⁹  against the church in Jerusalem, ⁸⁰  and all ⁸¹  except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions ⁸²  of Judea and Samaria. 8:2 Some ⁸³  devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation ⁸⁴  over him. ⁸⁵ 

Mazmur 105:16

105:16 He called down a famine upon the earth;

he cut off all the food supply. ⁸⁶ 

Mazmur 107:34

107:34 and a fruitful land into a barren place, ⁸⁷ 

because of the sin of its inhabitants.

Yeremia 14:1

A Lament over the Ravages of Drought ⁸⁸ 

14:1 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah ⁸⁹  about the drought. ⁹⁰ 

Yehezkiel 14:13

14:13 “Son of man, suppose a country sins against me by being unfaithful, and I stretch out my hand against it, cut off its bread supply, ⁹¹  cause famine to come on it, and kill both people and animals.

Yehezkiel 14:21

14:21 “For this is what the sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send my four terrible judgments – sword, famine, wild animals, and plague – to Jerusalem ⁹²  to kill both people and animals!

Yoel 1:10-11

1:10 The crops of the fields ⁹³  have been destroyed. ⁹⁴ 

The ground is in mourning because the grain has perished.

The fresh wine has dried up;

the olive oil languishes.

1:11 Be distressed, ⁹⁵  farmers;

wail, vinedressers, over the wheat and the barley.

For the harvest of the field has perished.

Yoel 1:16-20

1:16 Our food has been cut off right before our eyes! ⁹⁶ 

There is no longer any joy or gladness in the temple of our God! ⁹⁷ 

1:17 The grains of seed ⁹⁸  have shriveled beneath their shovels. ⁹⁹ 

Storehouses have been decimated

and granaries have been torn down, for the grain has dried up.

1:18 Listen to the cattle groan! ¹⁰⁰ 

The herds of livestock wander around in confusion ¹⁰¹ 

because they have no pasture.

Even the flocks of sheep are suffering.

1:19 To you, O Lord, I call out for help, ¹⁰² 

for fire ¹⁰³  has burned up ¹⁰⁴  the grassy pastures, ¹⁰⁵ 

flames have razed ¹⁰⁶  all the trees in the fields.

1:20 Even the wild animals ¹⁰⁷  cry out to you; ¹⁰⁸ 

for the river beds ¹⁰⁹  have dried up;

fire has destroyed ¹¹⁰  the grassy pastures. ¹¹¹ 

Amos 4:6

4:6 “But surely I gave ¹¹²  you no food to eat in any of your cities;

you lacked food everywhere you live. ¹¹³ 

Still you did not come back to me.”

The Lord is speaking!

[12:10]  ¹ sn Abram went down to Egypt. The Abrahamic narrative foreshadows some of the events in the life of the nation of Israel. This sojourn in Egypt is typological of Israel’s bondage there. In both stories there is a famine that forces the family to Egypt, death is a danger to the males while the females are preserved alive, great plagues bring about their departure, there is a summons to stand before Pharaoh, and there is a return to the land of Canaan with great wealth.

[12:10]  ² tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” means “to stay for a while.” The “stranger” (traditionally “sojourner”) is one who is a temporary resident, a visitor, one who is passing through. Abram had no intention of settling down in Egypt or owning property. He was only there to wait out the famine.

[12:10]  ³ tn Heb “heavy in the land.” The words “in the land,” which also occur at the beginning of the verse in the Hebrew text, have not been repeated here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[26:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”

[26:1]  ⁵ sn This account is parallel to two similar stories about Abraham (see Gen 12:10-20; 20:1-18). Many scholars do not believe there were three similar incidents, only one that got borrowed and duplicated. Many regard the account about Isaac as the original, which then was attached to the more important person, Abraham, with supernatural elements being added. For a critique of such an approach, see R. Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, 47-62. It is more likely that the story illustrates the proverb “like father, like son” (see T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 53). In typical human fashion the son follows his father’s example of lying to avoid problems. The appearance of similar events reported in a similar way underscores the fact that the blessing has now passed to Isaac, even if he fails as his father did.

[43:1]  ⁶ tn The disjunctive clause gives supplemental information that is important to the storyline.

[28:23]  ⁷ tc The MT reads “Your.” The LXX reads “Heaven will be to you.”

[28:23]  ⁸ tn Or “heavens” (also in the following verse). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.

[28:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “come upon you and overtake you” (so NASB, NRSV); NIV “come upon you and accompany you.”

[21:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “trembled to meet.”

[21:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “trembled to meet.”

[17:1]  ¹² tn BDAG 250 s.v. διοδεύω 1 has “go, travel through” for this verse.

[17:1]  ¹³ sn Amphipolis. The capital city of the southeastern district of Macedonia (BDAG 55 s.v. ᾿Αμφίπολις). It was a military post. From Philippi this was about 33 mi (53 km).

[17:1]  ¹⁴ sn Apollonia was a city in Macedonia about 27 mi (43 km) west southwest of Amphipolis.

[17:1]  ¹⁵ sn Thessalonica (modern Salonica) was a city in Macedonia about 33 mi (53 km) west of Apollonia. It was the capital of Macedonia. The road they traveled over was called the Via Egnatia. It is likely they rode horses, given their condition in Philippi. The implication of v. 1 is that the two previously mentioned cities lacked a synagogue.

[17:1]  map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[17:1]  ¹⁶ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:2]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “he went in to them”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:2]  ¹⁸ tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 17:2. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.

[17:3]  ¹⁹ tn BDAG 772 s.v. παρατίθημι 2.b has “demonstrate, point out” here.

[17:3]  ²⁰ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[17:3]  sn See the note on Christ in 2:31.

[17:3]  ²¹ sn The Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead. These two points (suffering and resurrection) would have been among the more controversial aspects of Paul’s messianic preaching. The term translated “had to” (δεῖ, dei) shows how divine design and scripture corresponded here.

[17:3]  ²² tn The Greek words used here (καὶ ὅτι, kai {oti, “and that”) mark the switch from indirect to direct discourse. Contemporary English requires the use of an introductory verb of speaking or saying to make this transition.

[17:3]  ²³ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[17:3]  sn See the note on Christ in 2:31. The identification of the Messiah with Jesus indicates Paul was proclaiming the fulfillment of messianic promise.

[17:4]  ²⁴ tn Or “convinced.”

[17:4]  ²⁵ tn Or “a large crowd.”

[17:4]  ²⁶ tn Or “of devout Greeks,” but this is practically a technical term for the category called God-fearers, Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel and in many cases kept the Mosaic law, but did not take the final step of circumcision necessary to become a proselyte to Judaism. See further K. G. Kuhn, TDNT 6:732-34, 743-44. Luke frequently mentions such people (Acts 13:43, 50; 16:14; 17:17; 18:7).

[17:4]  ²⁷ tn Grk “not a few”; this use of negation could be misleading to the modern English reader, however, and so has been translated as “quite a few” (which is the actual meaning of the expression).

[17:5]  ²⁸ tn Grk “becoming jealous.” The participle ζηλώσαντες (zhlwsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. So elsewhere in Acts (5:17; 7:9; 13:45).

[17:5]  ²⁹ tn Literally ἀγοραῖος (agoraio") refers to the crowd in the marketplace, although BDAG 14-15 s.v. ἀγοραῖος 1 gives the meaning, by extension, as “rabble.” Such a description is certainly appropriate in this context. L&N 15.127 translates the phrase “worthless men from the streets.”

[17:5]  ³⁰ tn On this term, which is a NT hapax legomenon, see BDAG 745 s.v. ὀχλοποιέω.

[17:5]  ³¹ tn BDAG 458 s.v. θορυβέω 1 has “set the city in an uproar, start a riot in the city” for the meaning of ἐθορύβουν (eqoruboun) in this verse.

[17:5]  ³² sn The attack took place at Jason’s house because this was probably the location of the new house church.

[17:5]  ³³ tn Grk “them”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:5]  ³⁴ tn BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος 2 has “in a Hellenistic city, a convocation of citizens called together for the purpose of transacting official business, popular assembly προάγειν εἰς τὸν δ. Ac 17:5.”

[17:6]  ³⁵ tn See BDAG 977-78 s.v. σύρω on this verb. It was used in everyday speech of dragging in fish by a net, or dragging away someone’s (presumably) dead body (Paul in Acts 14:19).

[17:6]  ³⁶ tn L&N 37.93 defines πολιτάρχης (politarch") as “a public official responsible for administrative matters within a town or city and a member of the ruling council of such a political unit – ‘city official’” (see also BDAG 845 s.v.).

[17:6]  ³⁷ tn Or “rebellion.” BDAG 72 s.v. ἀναστατόω has “disturb, trouble, upset,” but in light of the references in the following verse to political insurrection, “stirred up rebellion” would also be appropriate.

[17:6]  ³⁸ tn Or “the empire.” This was a way of referring to the Roman empire (BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουμένη 2.b).

[17:6]  sn Throughout the world. Note how some of those present had knowledge of what had happened elsewhere. Word about Paul and his companions and their message was spreading.

[17:7]  ³⁹ tn Grk “whom.” Because of the awkwardness in English of having two relative clauses follow one another (“who have stirred up trouble…whom Jason has welcomed”) the relative pronoun here (“whom”) has been replaced by the conjunction “and,” creating a clause that is grammatically coordinate but logically subordinate in the translation.

[17:7]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “and they.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[17:7]  ⁴¹ tn Or “the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[17:7]  ⁴² tn The word “named” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity.

[17:7]  ⁴³ sn Acting…saying…Jesus. The charges are serious, involving sedition (Luke 23:2). If the political charges were true, Rome would have to react.

[17:8]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “They troubled the crowd and the city officials”; but this could be understood to mean “they bothered” or “they annoyed.” In reality the Jewish instigators managed to instill doubt and confusion into both the mob and the officials by their false charges of treason. Verse 8 suggests the charges raised again Paul, Silas, Jason, and the others were false.

[17:8]  ⁴⁵ tn L&N 37.93 defines πολιτάρχης (politarch") as “a public official responsible for administrative matters within a town or city and a member of the ruling council of such a political unit – ‘city official.’”

[17:9]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “And after.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[17:9]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the city officials) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:9]  ⁴⁸ tn That is, “a payment” or “a pledge of security” (BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 1) for which “bail” is the most common contemporary English equivalent.

[17:10]  ⁴⁹ sn Berea (alternate spelling in NRSV Beroea; Greek Beroia) was a very old city in Macedonia on the river Astraeus about 45 mi (75 km) west of Thessalonica.

[17:10]  map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[17:10]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “who arriving there, went to.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (οἵτινες, Joitine") has been left untranslated and a new English sentence begun. The participle παραγενόμενοι (paragenomenoi) has been taken temporally.

[17:10]  ⁵¹ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:11]  ⁵² tn Grk “These”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue at Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:11]  ⁵³ tn Or “more willing to learn.” L&N 27.48 and BDAG 404 s.v. εὐγενής 2 both use the term “open-minded” here. The point is that they were more receptive to Paul’s message.

[17:11]  ⁵⁴ sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).

[17:11]  map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[17:11]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “willingly,” “readily”; Grk “with all eagerness.”

[17:11]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “who received.” Here the relative pronoun (“who”) has been translated as a pronoun (“they”) preceded by a semicolon, which is less awkward in contemporary English than a relative clause at this point.

[17:11]  ⁵⁷ tn This verb (BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω 1) refers to careful examination.

[17:11]  ⁵⁸ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[17:12]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “not a few”; this use of negation could be misleading to the modern English reader, however, and so has been translated as “quite a few” (which is the actual meaning of the expression).

[17:12]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “respected.”

[18:2]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “And he.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here. The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[18:2]  ⁶² tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρών (Jeurwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:2]  ⁶³ sn On Aquila and his wife Priscilla see also Acts 18:18, 26; Rom 16:3-4; 1 Cor 16:19; 2 Tim 4:19. In the NT “Priscilla” and “Prisca” are the same person. This author uses the full name Priscilla, while Paul uses the diminutive form Prisca.

[18:2]  ⁶⁴ sn Pontus was a region in the northeastern part of Asia Minor. It was a Roman province.

[18:2]  ⁶⁵ sn Claudius refers to the Roman emperor Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus, known as Claudius, who ruled from a.d. 41-54. The edict expelling the Jews from Rome was issued in a.d. 49 (Suetonius, Claudius 25.4).

[18:2]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “to leave.”

[18:2]  ⁶⁷ map For location see JP4 A1.

[18:2]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “went to.”

[18:2]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “And he.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here. The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[18:2]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρών (Jeurwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:2]  ⁷¹ sn On Aquila and his wife Priscilla see also Acts 18:18, 26; Rom 16:3-4; 1 Cor 16:19; 2 Tim 4:19. In the NT “Priscilla” and “Prisca” are the same person. This author uses the full name Priscilla, while Paul uses the diminutive form Prisca.

[18:2]  ⁷² sn Pontus was a region in the northeastern part of Asia Minor. It was a Roman province.

[18:2]  ⁷³ sn Claudius refers to the Roman emperor Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus, known as Claudius, who ruled from a.d. 41-54. The edict expelling the Jews from Rome was issued in a.d. 49 (Suetonius, Claudius 25.4).

[18:2]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “to leave.”

[18:2]  ⁷⁵ map For location see JP4 A1.

[18:2]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “went to.”

[8:1]  ⁷⁷ tn The term ἀναίρεσις (anairesi") can refer to murder (BDAG 64 s.v.; 2 Macc 5:13; Josephus, Ant. 5.2.12 [5.165]).

[8:1]  ⁷⁸ tn Or “severe.”

[8:1]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “Now there happened on that day a great persecution.” It is less awkward to say in English “Now on that day a great persecution began.”

[8:1]  ⁸⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[8:1]  ⁸¹ sn All. Given that the Jerusalem church is still active after this and that the Hellenists are the focus of Acts 6-8, it is possible to argue that only the Hellenistic Christians were forced to scatter.

[8:1]  ⁸² tn Or “countryside.”

[8:2]  ⁸³ tn “Some” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[8:2]  ⁸⁴ sn Made loud lamentation. For someone who was stoned to death, lamentation was normally not allowed (m. Sanhedrin 6:6). The remark points to an unjust death.

[8:2]  ⁸⁵ tn Or “mourned greatly for him.”

[105:16]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “and every staff of food he broke.” The psalmist refers to the famine that occurred in Joseph’s time (see v. 17 and Gen 41:53-57).

[107:34]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “a salty land.”

[14:1]  ⁸⁸ sn The form of Jer 14:1–15:9 is very striking rhetorically. It consists essentially of laments and responses to them. However, what makes it so striking is its deviation from normal form (cf. 2 Chr 20:5-17 for what would normally be expected). The descriptions of the lamentable situation come from the mouth of God not the people (cf.14:1-6, 17-18). The prophet utters the petitions with statements of trust (14:7-9, 19-22) and the Lord answers not with oracles promising deliverance but promising doom (14:10; 15:1-9). In the course of giving the first oracle of doom, the Lord commands Jeremiah not to pray for the people (14:11-12) and Jeremiah tries to provide an excuse for their actions (14:13). The Lord responds to that with an oracle of doom on the false prophets (14:14-16).

[14:1]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “That which came [as] the word of the Lord to Jeremiah.” The introductory formula here is a variation of that found in 7:1; 10:1; 11:1, i.e., “The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah.” The relative pronoun “which” (אֲשֶׁר, ’asher) actually precedes the noun it modifies. See BDB 82 s.v. אֲשֶׁר 6.a for discussion and further examples.

[14:1]  ⁹⁰ sn Drought was one of the punishments for failure to adhere to the terms of their covenant with God. See Deut 28:22-24; Lev 26:18-20.

[14:13]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “break its staff of bread.”

[14:21]  ⁹² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:10]  ⁹³ tn Heb “the field has been utterly destroyed.” The term “field,” a collective singular for “fields,” is a metonymy for crops produced by the fields.

[1:10]  ⁹⁴ tn Joel uses intentionally alliterative language in the phrases שֻׁדַּד שָׂדֶה (shuddad sadeh, “the field is destroyed”) and אֲבְלָה אֲדָמָה (’avlah ’adamah, “the ground is in mourning”).

[1:11]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “embarrassed”; or “be ashamed.”

[1:16]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “Has not the food been cut off right before our eyes?” This rhetorical question expects an affirmative answer; the question has been translated as an affirmation for the sake of clarity and emphasis.

[1:16]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “joy and gladness from the house of our God?” Verse 16b is a continuation of the rhetorical question begun in v. 16a, but has been translated as an affirmative statement to make the meaning clear. The words “There is no longer any” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[1:17]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “seed.” The phrase “the grains of” does not appear in the Hebrew, but has been supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.

[1:17]  ⁹⁹ tc This line is textually uncertain. The MT reads “the seed shrivels in their shovels/clods.” One Qumran manuscript (4QXXII^c) reads “the heifers decay in [their] s[talls].” LXX reads “the heifers leap in their stalls.”

[1:17]  tn These two lines of v. 17 comprise only four words in the Hebrew; three of the four are found only here in the OT. The translation and meaning are rather uncertain. A number of English versions render the word translated “shovels” as “clods,” referring to lumps of soil (e.g., KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[1:18]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “how the cattle groan!”

[1:18]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “the herds of cattle are confused.” The verb בּוּךְ (bukh, “be confused”) sometimes refers to wandering aimlessly in confusion (cf. Exod 14:3).

[1:19]  ¹⁰² tn The phrase “for help” does not appear in the Hebrew, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[1:19]  ¹⁰³ sn Fire here and in v. 20 is probably not to be understood in a literal sense. The locust plague, accompanied by conditions of extreme drought, has left the countryside looking as though everything has been burned up (so also in Joel 2:3).

[1:19]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “consumed.” This entire line is restated at the end of v. 20.

[1:19]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “the pastures of the wilderness.”

[1:19]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “a flame has set ablaze.” This fire was one of the effects of the drought.

[1:20]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “beasts of the field.”

[1:20]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “long for you.” Animals of course do not have religious sensibilities as such; they do not in any literal sense long for Yahweh. Rather, the language here is figurative (metonymy of cause for effect). The animals long for food and water (so BDB 788 s.v. עָרַג), the ultimate source of which is Yahweh.

[1:20]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “sources of water.”

[1:20]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “consumed.”

[1:20]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “the pastures of the wilderness.”

[4:6]  ¹¹² tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic (pronoun + verb). It underscores the stark contrast between the judgments that the Lord had been sending with the God of blessing Israel was celebrating in its worship (4:4-5).

[4:6]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “But I gave to you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of food in all your places.” The phrase “cleanness of teeth” is a vivid way of picturing the famine Israel experienced.