Hosea 7:3-5

Political Intrigue and Conspiracy in the Palace

7:3 The royal advisers delight the king with their evil schemes,

the princes make him glad with their lies.

7:4 They are all like bakers, ¹ 

they ²  are like a smoldering oven;

they are like a baker who does not stoke the fire

until the kneaded dough is ready for baking.

7:5 At the celebration ³  of their king, ⁴ 

his princes become inflamed ⁵  with wine;

they conspire ⁶  with evildoers.

Hosea 7:1

7:1 whenever I want to heal Israel,

the sin of Ephraim is revealed,

and the evil deeds of Samaria are exposed.

For they do what is wrong;

thieves break into houses,

and gangs rob people out in the streets.

Kisah Para Rasul 14:7-16

14:7 There ⁷  they continued to proclaim ⁸  the good news.

Paul and Barnabas at Lystra

14:8 In ⁹  Lystra ¹⁰  sat a man who could not use his feet, ¹¹  lame from birth, ¹²  who had never walked. 14:9 This man was listening to Paul as he was speaking. When Paul ¹³  stared ¹⁴  intently at him and saw he had faith to be healed, 14:10 he said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” ¹⁵  And the man ¹⁶  leaped up and began walking. ¹⁷  14:11 So when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted ¹⁸  in the Lycaonian language, ¹⁹  “The gods have come down to us in human form!” ²⁰  14:12 They began to call ²¹  Barnabas Zeus ²²  and Paul Hermes, ²³  because he was the chief speaker. 14:13 The priest of the temple ²⁴  of Zeus, ²⁵  located just outside the city, brought bulls ²⁶  and garlands ²⁷  to the city gates; he and the crowds wanted to offer sacrifices to them. ²⁸  14:14 But when the apostles ²⁹  Barnabas and Paul heard about ³⁰  it, they tore ³¹  their clothes and rushed out ³²  into the crowd, shouting, ³³  14:15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We too are men, with human natures ³⁴  just like you! We are proclaiming the good news to you, so that you should turn ³⁵  from these worthless ³⁶  things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, ³⁷  the sea, and everything that is in them. 14:16 In ³⁸  past ³⁹  generations he allowed all the nations ⁴⁰  to go their own ways,

Kisah Para Rasul 21:18-22

21:18 The next day Paul went in with us to see James, and all the elders were there. ⁴¹  21:19 When Paul ⁴²  had greeted them, he began to explain ⁴³  in detail ⁴⁴  what God ⁴⁵  had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 21:20 When they heard this, they praised ⁴⁶  God. Then they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews ⁴⁷  there are who have believed, and they are all ardent observers ⁴⁸  of the law. ⁴⁹  21:21 They have been informed about you – that you teach all the Jews now living ⁵⁰  among the Gentiles to abandon ⁵¹  Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children ⁵²  or live ⁵³  according to our customs. 21:22 What then should we do? They will no doubt ⁵⁴  hear that you have come.

Kisah Para Rasul 21:2

21:2 We found ⁵⁵  a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, ⁵⁶  went aboard, ⁵⁷  and put out to sea. ⁵⁸ 

Kisah Para Rasul 21:12-15

21:12 When we heard this, both we and the local people ⁵⁹  begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 21:13 Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking ⁶⁰  my heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up, ⁶¹  but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 21:14 Because he could not be persuaded, ⁶²  we said no more except, ⁶³  “The Lord’s will be done.” ⁶⁴ 

21:15 After these days we got ready ⁶⁵  and started up ⁶⁶  to Jerusalem.

Yeremia 13:18

13:18 The Lord told me, ⁶⁷ 

“Tell the king and the queen mother,

‘Surrender your thrones, ⁶⁸ 

for your glorious crowns

will be removed ⁶⁹  from your heads. ⁷⁰ 

Yeremia 22:1-9

22:1 The Lord told me, ⁷¹  “Go down ⁷²  to the palace of the king of Judah. Give him a message from me there. ⁷³  22:2 Say: ‘Listen, O king of Judah who follows in David’s succession. ⁷⁴  You, your officials, and your subjects who pass through the gates of this palace must listen to what the Lord says. ⁷⁵  22:3 The Lord says, “Do what is just and right. Deliver those who have been robbed from those ⁷⁶  who oppress them. Do not exploit or mistreat foreigners who live in your land, children who have no fathers, or widows. ⁷⁷  Do not kill innocent people ⁷⁸  in this land. 22:4 If you are careful to ⁷⁹  obey these commands, then the kings who follow in David’s succession and ride in chariots or on horses will continue to come through the gates of this palace, as will their officials and their subjects. ⁸⁰  22:5 But, if you do not obey these commands, I solemnly swear ⁸¹  that this palace will become a pile of rubble. I, the Lord, affirm it!” ⁸² 

22:6 “‘For the Lord says concerning the palace of the king of Judah,

“This place looks like a veritable forest of Gilead to me.

It is like the wooded heights of Lebanon in my eyes.

But I swear that I will make it like a wilderness

whose towns have all been deserted. ⁸³ 

22:7 I will send men against it to destroy it ⁸⁴ 

with their axes and hatchets.

They will hack up its fine cedar panels and columns

and throw them into the fire.

22:8 “‘People from other nations will pass by this city. They will ask one another, “Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?” 22:9 The answer will come back, “It is because they broke their covenant with the Lord their God and worshiped and served other gods.”

Amos 7:9

7:9 Isaac’s centers of worship ⁸⁵  will become desolate;

Israel’s holy places will be in ruins.

I will attack Jeroboam’s dynasty with the sword.” ⁸⁶ 

Mikha 3:1

God Will Judge Judah’s Sinful Leaders

3:1 I said,

“Listen, you leaders ⁸⁷  of Jacob,

you rulers of the nation ⁸⁸  of Israel!

You ought to know what is just, ⁸⁹ 

Mikha 3:9

3:9 Listen to this, you leaders of the family ⁹⁰  of Jacob,

you rulers of the nation ⁹¹  of Israel!

You ⁹²  hate justice

and pervert all that is right.

[7:4]  ¹ tc The MT reads מְנָאֲפִים (mÿna’afim, “adulterers”; Piel participle masculine plural from נָאַף, na’af, “to commit adultery”), which does not seem to fit the context. The original reading was probably אוֹפִים (’ofim, “bakers”; Qal participle masculine plural from אָפַה, ’afah, “to bake”), which harmonizes well with the baker/oven/fire motif in 7:4-7. The textual deviation was caused by: (1) confusion of נ (nun) and ו (vav), (2) metathesis of נ/ו (nun/vav) and א (alef), and (3) dittography of מ (mem) from the preceding word. Original כֻּלָּם אוֹפִים (kullam ’ofim, “all of them are bakers”) was confused for כֻּלָּם מְנָאֲפִים (“all of them are adulterers”). In spite of this most English versions follow the reading of the MT here.

[7:4]  ² tc The MT preserves the enigmatic כְּמוֹ תַנּוּר בֹּעֵרָה מֵ (kÿmo tannur bo’erah me, “Like a burning oven, from…?”). The adjectival participle בֹּעֵרָה (“burning”) is feminine while the noun תַנּוּר (tannur, “oven”) that it modifies is masculine. The BHS editors solve this problem by simply redividing the words: כְּמוֹ תַנּוּר בֹּעֵר הֵם (cÿmo tannur bo’er hem, “they are like a burning oven”). This solution is followed by many English versions (e.g., NCV, NRSV, NLT).

[7:5]  ³ tn Heb “the day of” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “On the day of the festival of our king”; NLT “On royal holidays.”

[7:5]  ⁴ tc The MT preserves the awkward 1st person common plural suffix reading מַלְכֵּנוּ (malakenu, “our king”). The BHS editors suggest reading the 3rd person masculine plural suffix מַלְכָּם (malkam, “their king”; so CEV), as reflected in the Aramaic Targum.

[7:5]  ⁵ tc The MT vocalizes the consonants החלו as הֶחֱלוּ a Hiphil perfect 3rd person common plural from I חָלָה (“to become sick”). However, this is syntactically awkward. The BHS editors suggest revocalizing it as Hiphil infinitive construct + 3rd person masculine singular suffix from חָלַל (khalal, “to begin”) or Hiphil perfect 3rd person common plural from חָלַל. For a discussion of this textual problem, see D. Barthélemy, ed., Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 5:240.

[7:5]  tn Heb “when their king began [to reign].”

[7:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “he joined hands”; NCV “make agreements.”

[14:7]  ⁷ tn Grk “region, and there.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, καί (kai) has not been translated and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[14:7]  ⁸ tn The periphrastic construction εὐαγγελιζόμενοι ἦσαν (euangelizomenoi hsan) has been translated as a progressive imperfect.

[14:8]  ⁹ tn Grk “And in.” 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.

[14:8]  ¹⁰ sn Lystra was a city in Lycaonia about 18 mi (30 km) south of Iconium.

[14:8]  map For location see JP1 E2; JP2 E2; JP3 E2.

[14:8]  ¹¹ tn Grk “powerless in his feet,” meaning he was unable to use his feet to walk.

[14:8]  ¹² tn Grk “lame from his mother’s womb” (an idiom).

[14:8]  sn The description lame from birth makes clear how serious the condition was, and how real it was. This event is very similar to Acts 3:1-10, except here the lame man’s faith is clear from the start.

[14:9]  ¹³ tn Grk “speaking, who.” The relative pronoun has been replaced by the noun “Paul,” and a new sentence begun in the translation because an English relative clause would be very awkward here.

[14:9]  ¹⁴ tn Or “looked.”

[14:10]  ¹⁵ tn BDAG 722 s.v. ὀρθός 1.a has “stand upright on your feet.”

[14:10]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:10]  ¹⁷ tn This verb is imperfect tense in contrast to the previous verb, which is aorist. It has been translated ingressively, since the start of a sequence is in view here.

[14:11]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “they lifted up their voice” (an idiom).

[14:11]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “in Lycaonian, saying.” The word “language” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[14:11]  ²⁰ tn So BDAG 707 s.v. ὁμοιόω 1. However, L&N 64.4 takes the participle ὁμοιωθέντες (Jomoiwqente") as an adjectival participle modifying θεοί (qeoi): “the gods resembling men have come down to us.”

[14:11]  sn The gods have come down to us in human form. Greek culture spoke of “divine men.” In this region there was a story of Zeus and Hermes visiting the area (Ovid, Metamorphoses 8.611-725). The locals failed to acknowledge them, so judgment followed. The present crowd was determined not to make the mistake a second time.

[14:12]  ²¹ tn The imperfect verb ἐκάλουν (ekaloun) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[14:12]  ²² sn Zeus was the chief Greek deity, worshiped throughout the Greco-Roman world (known to the Romans as Jupiter).

[14:12]  ²³ sn Hermes was a Greek god who (according to Greek mythology) was the messenger of the gods and the god of oratory (equivalent to the Roman god Mercury).

[14:13]  ²⁴ tn The words “the temple of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. The translation “the priest of (the temple/shrine of) Zeus located before the city” is given for this phrase by BDAG 426 s.v. Ζεύς.

[14:13]  ²⁵ sn See the note on Zeus in the previous verse.

[14:13]  ²⁶ tn Or “oxen.”

[14:13]  ²⁷ tn Or “wreaths.”

[14:13]  sn Garlands were commonly wreaths of wool with leaves and flowers woven in, worn on a person’s head or woven around a staff. They were an important part of many rituals used to worship pagan gods. Although it was an erroneous reaction, the priest’s reaction shows how all acknowledged their power and access to God.

[14:13]  ²⁸ tn The words “to them” are not in the Greek text, but are clearly implied by the response of Paul and Barnabas in the following verse.

[14:14]  ²⁹ sn The apostles Barnabas and Paul. This is one of only two places where Luke calls Paul an apostle, and the description here is shared with Barnabas. This is a nontechnical use here, referring to a commissioned messenger.

[14:14]  ³⁰ tn The participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") is taken temporally.

[14:14]  ³¹ tn Grk “tearing their clothes they rushed out.” The participle διαρρήξαντες (diarrhxante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. This action is a Jewish response to blasphemy (m. Sanhedrin 7.5; Jdt 14:16-17).

[14:14]  ³² tn So BDAG 307 s.v. ἐκπηδάω 1, “rush (lit. ‘leap’) out…εἰς τὸν ὄχλον into the crowd Ac 14:14.”

[14:14]  ³³ tn Grk “shouting and saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes, in v. 15) has not been translated because it is redundant.

[14:14]  sn What follows is one of two speeches in Acts to a purely pagan audience (Acts 17 in Athens is the other). So Paul focused on God as Creator, a common link.

[14:15]  ³⁴ tn Grk “with the same kinds of feelings,” L&N 25.32. BDAG 706 s.v. ὁμοιοπαθής translates the phrase “with the same nature τινί as someone.” In the immediate context, the contrast is between human and divine nature, and the point is that Paul and Barnabas are mere mortals, not gods.

[14:15]  ³⁵ tn Grk “in order that you should turn,” with ἐπιστρέφειν (epistrefein) as an infinitive of purpose, but this is somewhat awkward contemporary English. To translate the infinitive construction “proclaim the good news, that you should turn,” which is much smoother English, could give the impression that the infinitive clause is actually the content of the good news, which it is not. The somewhat less formal “to get you to turn” would work, but might convey to some readers manipulativeness on the part of the apostles. Thus “proclaim the good news, so that you should turn,” is used, to convey that the purpose of the proclamation of good news is the response by the hearers. The emphasis here is like 1 Thess 1:9-10.

[14:15]  ³⁶ tn Or “useless,” “futile.” The reference is to idols and idolatry, worshiping the creation over the Creator (Rom 1:18-32). See also 1 Kgs 16:2, 13, 26; 2 Kgs 17:15; Jer 2:5; 8:19; 3 Macc 6:11.

[14:15]  ³⁷ tn Grk “and the earth, and the sea,” but καί (kai) has not been translated before “the earth” and “the sea” since contemporary English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[14:16]  ³⁸ tn Grk “them, who in.” The relative pronoun (“who”) was replaced by the pronoun “he” (“In past generations he”) and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek and the awkwardness of two relative clauses (“who made the heaven” and “who in past generations”) following one another.

[14:16]  ³⁹ tn On this term see BDAG 780 s.v. παροίχομαι. The word is a NT hapax legomenon.

[14:16]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “all the Gentiles” (in Greek the word for “nation” and “Gentile” is the same). The plural here alludes to the variety of false religions in the pagan world.

[21:18]  ⁴¹ tn BDAG 760 s.v. παραγίνομαι 1 has this use under the broad category of meaning “draw near, come, arrive, be present.”

[21:18]  sn All the elders were there. This meeting shows how the Jerusalem church still regarded Paul and his mission with favor, but also with some concerns because of the rumors circulating about his actions.

[21:19]  ⁴² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:19]  ⁴³ tn Or “to report,” “to describe.” The imperfect verb ἐξηγεῖτο (exhgeito) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[21:19]  ⁴⁴ tn BDAG 293 s.v. εἷς 5.e has “καθ᾿ ἕν one after the other (hence τὸ καθ᾿ ἕν ‘a detailed list’: PLille 11, 8 [III bc]; PTebt. 47, 34; 332, 16) J 21:25. Also καθ᾿ ἕν ἕκαστον…Ac 21:19.”

[21:19]  ⁴⁵ sn Note how Paul credited God with the success of his ministry.

[21:20]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “glorified.”

[21:20]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “how many thousands there are among the Jews.”

[21:20]  sn How many thousands of Jews. See Acts 2-5 for the accounts of their conversion, esp. 2:41 and 4:4. Estimates of the total number of Jews living in Jerusalem at the time range from 20,000 to 50,000.

[21:20]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “are all zealous for the law.” BDAG 427 s.v. ζηλωτής 1.a.β has “of thing…τοῦ νόμου an ardent observer of the law Ac 21:20.”

[21:20]  ⁴⁹ sn That is, the law of Moses. These Jewish Christians had remained close to their Jewish practices after becoming believers (1 Cor 7:18-19; Acts 16:3).

[21:21]  ⁵⁰ tn BDAG 511 s.v. κατά B.1.a has “τοὺς κ. τὰ ἔθνη ᾿Ιουδαίους the Judeans (dispersed) throughout the nations 21:21.” The Jews in view are not those in Palestine, but those who are scattered throughout the Gentile world.

[21:21]  ⁵¹ tn Or “to forsake,” “to rebel against.” BDAG 120 s.v. ἀποστασία has “ἀποστασίαν διδάσκεις ἀπὸ Μωϋσέως you teach (Judeans) to abandon Moses Ac 21:21.”

[21:21]  sn The charge that Paul was teaching Jews in the Diaspora to abandon Moses was different from the issue faced in Acts 15, where the question was whether Gentiles needed to become like Jews first in order to become Christians. The issue also appears in Acts 24:5-6, 13-21; 25:8.

[21:21]  ⁵² sn That is, not to circumcise their male children. Biblical references to circumcision always refer to male circumcision.

[21:21]  ⁵³ tn Grk “or walk.”

[21:22]  ⁵⁴ tn L&N 71.16 has “pertaining to being in every respect certain – ‘certainly, really, doubtless, no doubt.’…‘they will no doubt hear that you have come’ Ac 21:22.”

[21:2]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “and finding.” The participle εὑρόντες (Jeuronte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun in the translation.

[21:2]  ⁵⁶ sn Phoenicia was the name of an area along the Mediterranean coast north of Palestine.

[21:2]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “going aboard, we put out to sea.” The participle ἐπιβάντες (epibante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:2]  ⁵⁸ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[21:12]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “the people there.”

[21:13]  ⁶⁰ tn The term translated “breaking” as used by Josephus (Ant. 10.10.4 [10.207]) means to break something into pieces, but in its only NT use (it is a hapax legomenon) it is used figuratively (BDAG 972 s.v. συνθρύπτω).

[21:13]  ⁶¹ tn L&N 18.13 has “to tie objects together – ‘to tie, to tie together, to tie up.’” The verb δέω (dew) is sometimes figurative for imprisonment (L&N 37.114), but it is preferable to translate it literally here in light of v. 11 where Agabus tied himself up with Paul’s belt.

[21:14]  ⁶² tn The participle πειθομένου (peiqomenou) in this genitive absolute construction has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[21:14]  ⁶³ tn Grk “we became silent, saying.”

[21:14]  ⁶⁴ sn “The Lord’s will be done.” Since no one knew exactly what would happen, the matter was left in the Lord’s hands.

[21:15]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “we made preparations.”

[21:15]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “were going up”; the imperfect verb ἀνεβαίνομεν (anebainomen) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[21:15]  sn In colloquial speech Jerusalem was always said to be “up” from any other location in Palestine. The group probably covered the 65 mi (105 km) in two days using horses. Their arrival in Jerusalem marked the end of Paul’s third missionary journey.

[13:18]  ⁶⁷ tn The words “The Lord told me” are not in the text but are implicit in the shift from second plural pronouns in vv. 15-17 to second singular in the Hebrew text of this verse. These words are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[13:18]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “You will come down from your thrones”; Heb “Make low! Sit!” This is a case of a construction where two forms in the same case, mood, or tense are joined in such a way that one (usually the first) is intended as an adverbial or adjectival modifier of the other (a figure called hendiadys). This is also probably a case where the imperative is used to express a distinct assurance or promise. See GKC 324 §110.b and compare the usage in Isa 37:30 and Ps 110:2.

[13:18]  sn The king and queen mother are generally identified as Jehoiachin and his mother who were taken into captivity with many of the leading people of Jerusalem in 597 b.c. See Jer 22:26; 29:2; 2 Kgs 24:14-16.

[13:18]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “have come down.” The verb here and those in the following verses are further examples of the “as good as done” form of the Hebrew verb (the prophetic perfect).

[13:18]  ⁷⁰ tc The translation follows the common emendation of a word normally meaning “place at the head” (מַרְאֲשׁוֹת [mar’ashot] plus pronoun = מַרְאֲוֹשׁתֵיכֶם [mar’aoshtekhem]) to “from your heads” (מֵרָאשֵׁיכֶם, mera’shekhem) following the ancient versions. The meaning “tiara” is nowhere else attested for this word.

[22:1]  ⁷¹ tn The word “me “ is not in the text. It is, however, implicit and is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[22:1]  ⁷² sn The allusion here is to going down from the temple to the palace which was on a lower eminence. See 36:12 in its context.

[22:1]  ⁷³ tn Heb “And speak there this word:” The translation is intended to eliminate an awkward and lengthy sentence.

[22:2]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “who sits on David’s throne.”

[22:2]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah who sits on the throne of David, you, and your officials and your people who pass through these gates.”

[22:3]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “from the hand [or power] of.”

[22:3]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “aliens, orphans, or widows” treating the terms as generic or collective. However, the term “alien” carries faulty connotations and the term “orphan” is not totally appropriate because the Hebrew term does not necessarily mean that both parents have died.

[22:3]  sn These were classes of people who had no one to look out for their rights. The laws of Israel, however, were careful to see that their rights were guarded (cf. Deut 10:18) and that provision was made for meeting their needs (cf. Deut 24:19-21). The Lord promised to protect them (cf. Ps 146:9) and a curse was called down on any who deprived them of justice (cf. Deut 27:19).

[22:3]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “Do not shed innocent blood.”

[22:3]  sn Do not kill innocent people. For an example of one of the last kings who did this see Jer 36:20-23. Manasseh was notorious for having done this and the book of 2 Kgs attributes the ultimate destruction of Judah to this crime and his sin of worshiping false gods (2 Kgs 21:16; 24:4).

[22:4]  ⁷⁹ tn The translation here reflects the emphasizing infinitive absolute before the verb.

[22:4]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “There will come through the gates of this city the kings…riding in chariots and on horses, they and their officials…” The structure of the original text is broken up here because of the long compound subject which would make the English sentence too long. Compare 17:25 for the structure and wording of this sentence.

[22:5]  ⁸¹ sn Heb “I swear by myself.” Oaths were guaranteed by invoking the name of a god or swearing by “his life.” See Jer 12:16; 44:26. Since the Lord is incomparably great, he could swear by no higher (see Heb 6:13-16) than to swear by himself or his own great name.

[22:5]  ⁸² tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[22:6]  ⁸³ tn Heb “Gilead you are to me, the height of Lebanon, but I will surely make you a wilderness [with] cities uninhabited.” The points of comparison are made explicit in the translation for the sake of clarity. See the study note for further explanation. For the use of the preposition לְ (lamed) = “in my eyes/in my opinion” see BDB 513 s.v. לְ 5.a(d) and compare Jonah 3:3; Esth 10:3. For the use of the particles אִם לֹא (’im lo’) to introduce an emphatic oath see BDB 50 s.v. אִם 1.b(2).

[22:6]  sn Lebanon was well known for its cedars and the palace (and the temple) had used a good deal of such timber in its construction (see 1 Kgs 5:6, 8-10; 7:2-3). In this section several references are made to cedar (see vv. 7, 14, 15, 23) and allusion has also been made to the paneled and colonnade armory of the Forest of Lebanon (2:14). It appears to have been a source of pride and luxury, perhaps at the expense of justice. Gilead was also noted in antiquity for its forests as well as for its fertile pastures.

[22:7]  ⁸⁴ sn Heb “I will sanctify destroyers against it.” If this is not an attenuated use of the term “sanctify” the traditions of Israel’s holy wars are being turned against her. See also 6:4. In Israel’s early wars in the wilderness and in the conquest, the Lord fought for her against the enemies (cf., e.g., Josh 10:11, 14, 42; 24:7; Judg 5:20; 1 Sam 7:10). Now he is going to fight against them (21:5, 13) and use the enemy as his instruments of destruction. For a similar picture of destruction in the temple see the lament in Ps 74:3-7.

[7:9]  ⁸⁵ tn Traditionally, “the high places” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “pagan shrines.”

[7:9]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “And I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with a sword.”

[3:1]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “heads.”

[3:1]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “house.”

[3:1]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “Should you not know justice?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course you should!”

[3:9]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “house.”

[3:9]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “house.”

[3:9]  ⁹² tn Heb “who.” A new sentence was begun here in the translation for stylistic reasons (also at the beginning of v. 10).