Yesaya 16:1

16:1 Send rams as tribute to the ruler of the land, ¹ 

from Sela in the desert ² 

to the hill of Daughter Zion.

Yesaya 23:17-18

23:17 At the end of seventy years ³  the Lord will revive ⁴  Tyre. She will start making money again by selling her services to all the earth’s kingdoms. ⁵  23:18 Her profits and earnings will be set apart for the Lord. They will not be stored up or accumulated, for her profits will be given to those who live in the Lord’s presence and will be used to purchase large quantities of food and beautiful clothes. ⁶ 

Yesaya 45:14

The Lord is the Nations’ Only Hope

45:14 This is what the Lord says:

“The profit ⁷  of Egypt and the revenue ⁸  of Ethiopia,

along with the Sabeans, those tall men,

will be brought to you ⁹  and become yours.

They will walk behind you, coming along in chains. ¹⁰ 

They will bow down to you

and pray to you: ¹¹ 

‘Truly God is with ¹²  you; he has no peer; ¹³ 

there is no other God!’”

Yesaya 45:2

45:2 “I will go before you

and level mountains. ¹⁴ 

Bronze doors I will shatter

and iron bars ¹⁵  I will hack through.

Yesaya 32:1

Justice and Wisdom Will Prevail

32:1 Look, a king will promote fairness; ¹⁶ 

officials will promote justice. ¹⁷ 

Mazmur 68:29-31

68:29 as you come out of your temple in Jerusalem! ¹⁸ 

Kings bring tribute to you.

68:30 Sound your battle cry ¹⁹  against the wild beast of the reeds, ²⁰ 

and the nations that assemble like a herd of calves led by bulls! ²¹ 

They humble themselves ²²  and offer gold and silver as tribute. ²³ 

God ²⁴  scatters ²⁵  the nations that like to do battle.

68:31 They come with red cloth ²⁶  from Egypt,

Ethiopia ²⁷  voluntarily offers tribute ²⁸  to God.

Mazmur 72:9-15

72:9 Before him the coastlands ²⁹  will bow down,

and his enemies will lick the dust. ³⁰ 

72:10 The kings of Tarshish ³¹  and the coastlands will offer gifts;

the kings of Sheba ³²  and Seba ³³  will bring tribute.

72:11 All kings will bow down to him;

all nations will serve him.

72:12 For he will rescue the needy ³⁴  when they cry out for help,

and the oppressed ³⁵  who have no defender.

72:13 He will take pity ³⁶  on the poor and needy;

the lives of the needy he will save.

72:14 From harm and violence he will defend them; ³⁷ 

he will value their lives. ³⁸ 

72:15 May he live! ³⁹  May they offer him gold from Sheba! ⁴⁰ 

May they continually pray for him!

May they pronounce blessings on him all day long! ⁴¹ 

Zefanya 3:10

3:10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, ⁴² 

those who pray to me ⁴³  will bring me tribute.

Maleakhi 1:11

1:11 For from the east to the west my name will be great among the nations. Incense and pure offerings will be offered in my name everywhere, for my name will be great among the nations,” ⁴⁴  says the Lord who rules over all.

Matius 2:11

2:11 As they came into the house and saw the child with Mary his mother, they bowed down ⁴⁵  and worshiped him. They opened their treasure boxes and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, ⁴⁶  and myrrh. ⁴⁷ 

Kisah Para Rasul 8:27-28

8:27 So ⁴⁸  he got up ⁴⁹  and went. There ⁵⁰  he met ⁵¹  an Ethiopian eunuch, ⁵²  a court official of Candace, ⁵³  queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasury. He ⁵⁴  had come to Jerusalem to worship, ⁵⁵  8:28 and was returning home, sitting ⁵⁶  in his chariot, reading ⁵⁷  the prophet Isaiah.

[16:1]  ¹ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “Send [a plural imperatival form is used] a ram [to] the ruler of the land.” The term כַּר (kar, “ram”) should be emended to the plural כָּרִים (karim). The singular form in the text is probably the result of haplography; note that the next word begins with a mem (מ).

[16:1]  ² tn The Hebrew text has “toward [across?] the desert.”

[23:17]  ³ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[23:17]  ⁴ tn Heb “visit [with favor]” (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “will deal with.”

[23:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “and she will return to her [prostitute’s] wages and engage in prostitution with all the kingdoms of the earth on the face of the earth.”

[23:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “for eating to fullness and for beautiful covering[s].”

[23:18]  sn The point of this verse, which in its blatant nationalism comes precariously close to comparing the Lord to one who controls or manages a prostitute, is that Tyre will become a subject of Israel and her God. Tyre’s commercial profits will be used to enrich the Lord’s people.

[45:14]  ⁷ tn Heb “labor,” which stands metonymically for the fruits of labor, either “monetary profit,” or “products.”

[45:14]  ⁸ tn Or perhaps, “merchandise” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “the gain of Ethiopia”; CEV “the treasures of Ethiopia.”

[45:14]  ⁹ tn Heb “they will pass over to you”; NASB, NIV “will come over to you”; CEV “will belong to you.”

[45:14]  ¹⁰ sn Restored Israel is depicted here in typical ancient Near Eastern fashion as an imperial power that receives riches and slaves as tribute.

[45:14]  ¹¹ sn Israel’s vassals are portrayed as so intimidated and awed that they treat Israel as an intermediary to God or sub-deity.

[45:14]  ¹² tn Or perhaps, “among.” Cf. KJV, ASV “Surely God is in thee.”

[45:14]  ¹³ tn Heb “there is no other” (so NIV, NRSV). The same phrase occurs at the end of v. 18, in v. 21, and at the end of v. 22.

[45:2]  ¹⁴ tc The form הֲדוּרִים (hadurim) makes little, if any, sense here. It is probably a corruption of an original הָרָרִים (hararim, “mountains”), the reduplicated form of הָר (har, “mountain”).

[45:2]  ¹⁵ tn That is, on the gates. Cf. CEV “break the iron bars on bronze gates.”

[32:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “will reign according to fairness.”

[32:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “will rule according to justice.”

[68:29]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “Be strong, O God, [you] who have acted for us, from your temple in Jerusalem.”

[68:29]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[68:30]  ¹⁹ tn The Hebrew verb גָּעַר (ga’ar) is often understood to mean “rebuke.” In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts such as Ps 68 this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See A. Caquot, TDOT 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Ps 106:9 and Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 18:15; 76:6; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.

[68:30]  ²⁰ sn The wild beast of the reeds probably refers to a hippopotamus, which in turn symbolizes the nation of Egypt.

[68:30]  ²¹ tn Heb “an assembly of bulls, with calves of the nations.”

[68:30]  ²² tn Heb “humbling himself.” The verb form is a Hitpael participle from the root רָפַס (rafas, “to trample”). The Hitpael of this verb appears only here and in Prov 6:3, where it seems to mean, “humble oneself,” a nuance that fits nicely in this context. The apparent subject is “wild beast” or “assembly,” though both of these nouns are grammatically feminine, while the participle is a masculine form. Perhaps one should emend the participial form to a masculine plural (מִתְרַפִּם, mitrapim) and understand “bulls” or “calves” as the subject.

[68:30]  ²³ tc Heb “with pieces [?] of silver.” The meaning of the Hebrew term רַצֵּי (ratsey) is unclear. It is probably best to emend the text to בֶּצֶר וְכָסֶף (betser vÿkhasef, “[with] gold and silver”).

[68:30]  ²⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[68:30]  ²⁵ tn The verb בָּזַר (bazar) is an alternative form of פָּזַר (pazar, “scatter”).

[68:31]  ²⁶ tn This noun, which occurs only here in the OT, apparently means “red cloth” or “bronze articles” (see HALOT 362 s.v. חַשְׁמַן; cf. NEB “tribute”). Traditionally the word has been taken to refer to “nobles” (see BDB 365 s.v. חַשְׁמַן; cf. NIV “envoys”). Another option would be to emend the text to הַשְׁמַנִּים (hashmannim, “the robust ones,” i.e., leaders).

[68:31]  ²⁷ tn Heb “Cush.”

[68:31]  ²⁸ tn Heb “causes its hands to run,” which must mean “quickly stretches out its hands” (to present tribute).

[72:9]  ²⁹ tn Or “islands.” The term here refers metonymically to those people who dwell in these regions.

[72:9]  ³⁰ sn As they bow down before him, it will appear that his enemies are licking the dust.

[72:10]  ³¹ sn Tarshish was a distant western port, the precise location of which is uncertain.

[72:10]  ³² sn Sheba was located in Arabia.

[72:10]  ³³ sn Seba was located in Africa.

[72:12]  ³⁴ tn The singular is representative. The typical needy individual here represents the entire group.

[72:12]  ³⁵ tn The singular is representative. The typical oppressed individual here represents the entire group.

[72:13]  ³⁶ tn The prefixed verb form is best understood as a defectively written imperfect (see Deut 7:16).

[72:14]  ³⁷ tn Or “redeem their lives.” The verb “redeem” casts the Lord in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Pss 19:14; 69:18).

[72:14]  ³⁸ tn Heb “their blood will be precious in his eyes.”

[72:15]  ³⁹ tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect. Because the form has the prefixed vav (ו), some subordinate it to what precedes as a purpose/result clause. In this case the representative poor individual might be the subject of this and the following verb, “so that he may live and give to him gold of Sheba.” But the idea of the poor offering gold is incongruous. It is better to take the jussive as a prayer with the king as subject of the verb. (Perhaps the initial vav is dittographic; note the vav at the end of the last form in v. 14.) The statement is probably an abbreviated version of the formula יְחִי הַמֶּלֶךְ (yÿkhiy hammelekh, “may the king live”; see 1 Sam 10:24; 2 Sam 16:16; 1 Kgs 1:25, 34, 39; 2 Kgs 11:12).

[72:15]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “and he will give to him some gold of Sheba.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive with a grammatically indefinite subject (“and may one give”). Of course, the king’s subjects, mentioned in the preceding context, are the tribute bearers in view here.

[72:15]  ⁴¹ tn As in the preceding line, the prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives with a grammatically indefinite subject (“and may one pray…and may one bless”). Of course, the king’s subjects, mentioned in the preceding context, are in view here.

[3:10]  ⁴² tn Or “Nubia”; Heb “Cush.” “Cush” is traditionally assumed to refer to the region south of Egypt, i.e. Nubia or northern Sudan, referred to as “Ethiopia” by classical authors (not the more recent Abyssinia).

[3:10]  ⁴³ tn Heb “those who pray to me, the daughter of my dispersed ones.” The meaning of the phrase is unclear. Perhaps the text is corrupt at this point or a proper name should be understood. For a discussion of various options see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 134-35.

[3:10]  sn It is not certain if those who pray to me refers to the converted nations or to God’s exiled covenant people.

[1:11]  ⁴⁴ sn My name will be great among the nations. In what is clearly a strongly ironic shift of thought, the Lord contrasts the unbelief and virtual paganism of the postexilic community with the conversion and obedience of the nations that will one day worship the God of Israel.

[2:11]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “they fell down.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[2:11]  ⁴⁶ sn Frankincense refers to the aromatic resin of certain trees, used as a sweet-smelling incense (L&N 6.212).

[2:11]  ⁴⁷ sn Myrrh consisted of the aromatic resin of certain shrubs (L&N 6.208). It was used in preparing a corpse for burial.

[8:27]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “And,” but καί (kai) carries something of a resultative force in this context because what follows describes Philip’s response to the angel’s command.

[8:27]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “So getting up he went.” The aorist participle ἀναστάς (anastas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[8:27]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “And there.” 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.

[8:27]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “and behold.” This expression is used to portray Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian in a vivid way. In the English translation this vividness is difficult to convey; it is necessary to supply the words “he met.”

[8:27]  ⁵² sn The term eunuch normally referred to a man who had been castrated, but this was not always the case (see Gen 39:1 LXX, where Potiphar is called a eunuch). Such castrated individuals were preferred as court officials in the East, although Judaism opposed the practice. The Mosaic law excluded eunuchs from Israel (Deut 23:1), although God certainly accepted them (Isa 56:3-5; Wis 3:14). This individual was a high official, since he was said to be in charge of all her treasury. He may or may not have been a eunuch physically. He appears to be the first fully Gentile convert to Christianity, since the Samaritans mentioned previously (Acts 8:4-25) were regarded as half-breeds.

[8:27]  ⁵³ tn Or “the Candace” (the title of the queen of the Ethiopians). The term Κανδάκης (Kandakh") is much more likely a title rather than a proper name (like Pharaoh, which is a title); see L&N 37.77. A few, however, still take the word to be the name of the queen (L&N 93.209). BDAG 507 s.v. Κανδάκη, treats the term as a title and lists classical usage by Strabo (Geography 17.1.54) and others.

[8:27]  sn Candace was the title of the queen of the Ethiopians. Ethiopia refers to the kingdom of Nubia in the northern Sudan, whose capital was Meroe (not to be confused with Abyssinia, which was later called Ethiopia and converted to Christianity in the 4th century a.d.). Classical writers refer to several queens of Meroe in the 1st century b.c. and 1st century a.d. who had the title Candace (Kandake). The Candace referred to here was probably Amantitere, who ruled a.d. 25-41.

[8:27]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “who was over all her treasury, who.” The two consecutive relative clauses make for awkward English style, so the second was begun as a new sentence with the pronoun “he” supplied in place of the Greek relative pronoun to make a complete sentence in English.

[8:27]  ⁵⁵ sn Since this man had come to Jerusalem to worship, he may have been a proselyte to Judaism. This event is a precursor to Acts 10.

[8:28]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “and was sitting.” 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.

[8:28]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “and was reading.” 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.

[8:28]  sn The fact that this man was reading from a scroll (an expensive item in the first century) indicates his connection to a wealthy house.