Ayub 33:27-28

33:27 That person sings ¹  to others, ²  saying:

‘I have sinned and falsified what is right,

but I was not punished according to what I deserved. ³ 

33:28 He redeemed my life ⁴ 

from going down to the place of corruption,

and my life sees the light!’

Mazmur 14:2

14:2 The Lord looks down from heaven ⁵  at the human race, ⁶ 

to see if there is anyone who is wise ⁷  and seeks God. ⁸ 

Yesaya 30:18

The Lord Will Not Abandon His People

30:18 For this reason the Lord is ready to show you mercy;

he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. ⁹ 

Indeed, the Lord is a just God;

all who wait for him in faith will be blessed. ¹⁰ 

Maleakhi 3:16

3:16 Then those who respected ¹¹  the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord took notice. ¹²  A scroll ¹³  was prepared before him in which were recorded the names of those who respected the Lord and honored his name.

Maleakhi 3:2

3:2 Who can endure the day of his coming? Who can keep standing when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire, ¹⁴  like a launderer’s soap.

Pengkhotbah 3:9

Man is Ignorant of God’s Timing

3:9 What benefit can a worker ¹⁵  gain from his toil? ¹⁶ 

[33:27]  ¹ tc The verb יָשֹׁר (yashor) is unusual. The typical view is to change it to יָשִׁיר (yashir, “he sings”), but that may seem out of harmony with a confession. Dhorme suggests a root שׁוּר (shur, “to repeat”), but this is a doubtful root. J. Reider reads it יָשֵׁיר (yasher) and links it to an Arabic word “confesses” (ZAW 24 [1953]: 275).

[33:27]  ² tn Heb “to men.”

[33:27]  ³ tn The verb שָׁוָה (shavah) has the impersonal meaning here, “it has not been requited to me.” The meaning is that the sinner has not been treated in accordance with his deeds: “I was not punished according to what I deserved.”

[33:28]  ⁴ sn See note on “him” in v. 24.

[14:2]  ⁵ sn The picture of the Lord looking down from heaven draws attention to his sovereignty over the world.

[14:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “upon the sons of man.”

[14:2]  ⁷ tn Or “acts wisely.” The Hiphil is exhibitive.

[14:2]  ⁸ sn Anyone who is wise and seeks God refers to the person who seeks to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him.

[30:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “Therefore the Lord waits to show you mercy, and therefore he is exalted to have compassion on you.” The logical connection between this verse and what precedes is problematic. The point seems to be that Judah’s impending doom does not bring God joy. Rather the prospect of their suffering stirs within him a willingness to show mercy and compassion, if they are willing to seek him on his terms.

[30:18]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Blessed are all who wait for him.”

[3:16]  ¹¹ tn Or “fear” (so NAB); NRSV “revered”; NCV “honored.”

[3:16]  ¹² tn Heb “heard and listened”; NAB “listened attentively.”

[3:16]  ¹³ sn The scroll mentioned here is a “memory book” (סֵפֶר זִכָּרוֹן, sefer zikkaron) in which the Lord keeps an ongoing record of the names of all the redeemed (see Exod 32:32; Isa 4:3; Dan 12:1; Rev 20:12-15).

[3:2]  ¹⁴ sn The refiner’s fire was used to purify metal and refine it by melting it and allowing the dross, which floated to the top, to be scooped off.

[3:9]  ¹⁵ tn The term הָעוֹשֶׂה (ha’oseh, article + Qal active participle ms from עָשַׂה, ’asah, “to do”) functions substantively (“the worker”); see BDB 794 s.v. עָשַׂה II.1. This is a figurative description of man (metonymy of association), and plays on the repetition of עָשַׂה (verb: “to do,” noun: “work”) throughout the passage. In the light of God’s orchestration of human affairs, man’s efforts cannot change anything. It refers to man in general with the article functioning in a generic sense (see IBHS 244-45 §13.5.1f; Joüon 2:511 §137.m).

[3:9]  ¹⁶ sn This rhetorical question is an example of negative affirmation, expecting a negative answer: “Man gains nothing from his toil!” (see E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 949-51). Any advantage that man might gain from his toil is nullified by his ignorance of divine providence.