Yeremia 17:10

17:10 I, the Lord, probe into people’s minds.

I examine people’s hearts. ¹ 

I deal with each person according to how he has behaved.

I give them what they deserve based on what they have done.

Yeremia 20:12

20:12 O Lord who rules over all, ²  you test and prove the righteous.

You see into people’s hearts and minds. ³ 

Pay them back for what they have done

because I trust you to vindicate my cause.

Yeremia 20:1

Jeremiah is Flogged and Put in A Cell

20:1 Now Pashhur son of Immer heard Jeremiah prophesy these things. He was the priest who was chief of security ⁴  in the Lord’s temple.

1 Samuel 16:7

16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t be impressed by ⁵  his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way men do. ⁶  People look on the outward appearance, ⁷  but the Lord looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:1

Samuel Anoints David as King

16:1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long do you intend to mourn for Saul? I have rejected him as king over Israel. ⁸  Fill your horn with olive oil and go! I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem, ⁹  for I have selected a king for myself from among his sons.” ¹⁰ 

1 Samuel 28:9

28:9 But the woman said to him, “Look, you are aware of what Saul has done; he has removed ¹¹  the mediums and magicians ¹²  from the land! Why are you trapping me ¹³  so you can put me to death?”

1 Samuel 29:1

David Is Rejected by the Philistine Leaders

29:1 The Philistines assembled all their troops ¹⁴  at Aphek, while Israel camped at the spring that is in Jezreel.

Mazmur 7:9

7:9 May the evil deeds of the wicked ¹⁵  come to an end! ¹⁶ 

But make the innocent ¹⁷  secure, ¹⁸ 

O righteous God,

you who examine ¹⁹  inner thoughts and motives! ²⁰ 

Wahyu 2:23

2:23 Furthermore, I will strike her followers ²¹  with a deadly disease, ²²  and then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts. I will repay ²³  each one of you ²⁴  what your deeds deserve. ²⁵ 

[17:10]  ¹ tn The term rendered “mind” here and in the previous verse is actually the Hebrew word for “heart.” However, in combination with the word rendered “heart” in the next line, which is the Hebrew for “kidneys,” it is best rendered “mind” because the “heart” was considered the center of intellect, conscience, and will and the “kidneys” the center of emotions.

[17:10]  sn For an earlier reference to this motif see Jer 11:20. For a later reference see Jer 20:12. See also Ps 17:2-3.

[20:12]  ² tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”

[20:12]  sn See the study note on 2:19 for explanation of this title for God.

[20:12]  ³ tn Heb “Lord of armies, the one who tests the righteous, who sees kidneys and heart.” The sentence has been broken up to avoid a long and complex English sentence. The translation is more in keeping with contemporary English style.

[20:12]  sn This verse is almost an exact duplication of the petition in one of Jeremiah’s earlier prayers and complaints. See Jer 11:20 and notes there for explanation of the Hebrew psychology underlying the use of “kidneys and heart” here. For the thoughts expressed here see Ps 17.

[20:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “chief overseer/officer.” The translation follows the suggestion of P. C. Craigie, P. H. Kelley, J. F. Drinkard, Jeremiah 1-25 (WBC), 267, based on the parallel passage in 29:26-27 where this official appears to have been in charge of maintaining order in the temple.

[20:1]  sn Judging from a comparison of this passage with Jer 29:26-27 and that passage in turn with 2 Kgs 25:18, Pashhur held an office second in rank only to the high priest. He was in charge of keeping order in the temple and took offense at what he heard Jeremiah saying.

[16:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “don’t look toward.”

[16:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “for not that which the man sees.” The translation follows the LXX, which reads, “for not as man sees does God see.” The MT has suffered from homoioteleuton or homoioarcton. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 274.

[16:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “to the eyes.”

[16:1]  ⁸ tc The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek translation includes the following words: “And the Lord said to Samuel.”

[16:1]  ⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[16:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “for I have seen among his sons for me a king.”

[28:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “how he has cut off.”

[28:9]  ¹² tn See the note at v. 3.

[28:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “my life.”

[29:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “camps.”

[7:9]  ¹⁵ tn In the psalms the Hebrew term רְשָׁעִים (rÿsha’im, “wicked”) describes people who are proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander (Ps 50:16-20), and cheat others (Ps 37:21). They oppose God and his people.

[7:9]  ¹⁶ tn The prefixed verbal form is a jussive, expressing an imprecation here.

[7:9]  ¹⁷ tn Or “the godly” (see Ps 5:12). The singular form is collective (see the plural “upright in heart” in v. 10), though it may reflect the personal focus of the psalmist in this context.

[7:9]  ¹⁸ tn The prefixed verbal form expresses the psalmist’s prayer or wish.

[7:9]  ¹⁹ tn For other uses of the verb in this sense, see Job 7:18; Pss 11:4; 26:2; 139:23.

[7:9]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and [the one who] tests hearts and kidneys, just God.” The translation inverts the word order to improve the English style. The heart and kidneys were viewed as the seat of one’s volition, conscience, and moral character.

[2:23]  ²¹ tn Grk “her children,” but in this context a reference to this woman’s followers or disciples is more likely meant.

[2:23]  ²² tn Grk “I will kill with death.” θάνατος (qanatos) can in particular contexts refer to a manner of death, specifically a contagious disease (see BDAG 443 s.v. 3; L&N 23.158).

[2:23]  ²³ tn Grk “I will give.” The sense of δίδωμι (didwmi) in this context is more “repay” than “give.”

[2:23]  ²⁴ sn This pronoun and the following one are plural in the Greek text.

[2:23]  ²⁵ tn Grk “each one of you according to your works.”