Ayub 10:4

Motivations of God

10:4 “Do you have eyes of flesh, ¹ 

or do you see ²  as a human being sees? ³ 

Yesaya 55:8-9

55:8 “Indeed, ⁴  my plans ⁵  are not like ⁶  your plans,

and my deeds ⁷  are not like ⁸  your deeds,

55:9 for just as the sky ⁹  is higher than the earth,

so my deeds ¹⁰  are superior to ¹¹  your deeds

and my plans ¹²  superior to your plans.

Lukas 16:15

16:15 But ¹³  Jesus ¹⁴  said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in men’s eyes, ¹⁵  but God knows your hearts. For what is highly prized ¹⁶  among men is utterly detestable ¹⁷  in God’s sight.

Lukas 16:1

The Parable of the Clever Steward

16:1 Jesus ¹⁸  also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who was informed of accusations ¹⁹  that his manager ²⁰  was wasting ²¹  his assets.

Pengkhotbah 2:4

Futility of Materialism

2:4 I increased my possessions: ²² 

I built houses for myself; ²³ 

I planted vineyards for myself.

Pengkhotbah 3:4

3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

[10:4]  ¹ tn Here “flesh” is the sign of humanity. The expression “eyes of flesh” means essentially “human eyes,” i.e., the outlook and vision of humans.

[10:4]  ² sn The verb translated “see” could also include the figurative category of perceive as well. The answer to Job’s question is found in 1 Sam 16:7: “The Lord sees not as a man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

[10:4]  ³ sn In this verse Job asks whether or not God is liable to making mistakes or errors of judgment. He wonders if God has no more insight than his friends have. Of course, the questions are rhetorical, for he knows otherwise. But his point is that God seems to be making a big mistake here.

[55:8]  ⁴ tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV).

[55:8]  ⁵ tn Or “thoughts” (so many English versions).

[55:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “are not.” “Like” is interpretive, but v. 9 indicates that a comparison is in view.

[55:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “ways” (so many English versions).

[55:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “are not.” “Like” is interpretive, but v. 9 indicates that a comparison is in view.

[55:9]  ⁹ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[55:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “ways” (so many English versions).

[55:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “are higher than.”

[55:9]  ¹² tn Or “thoughts” (so many English versions).

[16:15]  ¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[16:15]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:15]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “before men.” The contrast is between outward appearance (“in people’s eyes”) and inward reality (“God knows your hearts”). Here the Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used twice in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, but “men” has been retained in the text to provide a strong verbal contrast with “God” in the second half of the verse.

[16:15]  ¹⁶ tn Or “exalted.” This refers to the pride that often comes with money and position.

[16:15]  ¹⁷ tn Or “is an abomination,” “is abhorrent” (L&N 25.187).

[16:1]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:1]  ¹⁹ tn These are not formal legal charges, but reports from friends, acquaintances, etc.; Grk “A certain man was rich who had a manager, and this one was reported to him as wasting his property.”

[16:1]  ²⁰ sn His manager was the steward in charge of managing the house. He could have been a slave trained for the role.

[16:1]  ²¹ tn Or “squandering.” This verb is graphic; it means to scatter (L&N 57.151).

[2:4]  ²² tn Or “my works”; or “my accomplishments.” The term מַעֲשָׂי (ma’asay, “my works”) has been handled in two basic ways: (1) great works or projects, and (2) possessions. The latter assumes a metonymy, one’s effort standing for the possessions it produces. Both interpretations are reflected in the major English translations: “works” (KJV, NEB, NAB, ASV, NASB, MLB, RSV, Douay, Moffatt), “projects” (NIV), and “possessions” (NJPS).

[2:4]  sn This section (2:4-11) is unified and bracketed by the repetition of the verb גָּדַל (gadal, “to increase”) which occurs at the beginning (2:4) and end (2:9), and by the repetition of the root עשה (noun: “works” and verb: “to do, make, acquire”) which occurs throughout the section (2:4, 5, 6, 8, 11).

[2:4]  ²³ sn The expression for myself is repeated eight times in 2:4-8 to emphasize that Qoheleth did not deny himself any acquisition. He indulged himself in acquiring everything he desired. His vast resources as king allowed him the unlimited opportunity to indulge himself. He could have anything his heart desired, and he did.