Mazmur 143:5

143:5 I recall the old days; ¹ 

I meditate on all you have done;

I reflect on your accomplishments. ² 

Yesaya 63:11

63:11 His people remembered the ancient times. ³ 

Where is the one who brought them up out of the sea,

along with the shepherd of ⁴  his flock?

Where is the one who placed his holy Spirit among them, ⁵ 

Yeremia 46:26

46:26 I will hand them over to Nebuchadnezzar and his troops, who want to kill them. But later on, people will live in Egypt again as they did in former times. I, the Lord, affirm it!” ⁶ 

Ratapan 5:21

5:21 Bring us back to yourself, O Lord, so that we may return ⁷  to you;

renew our life ⁸  as in days before, ⁹ 

Yehezkiel 36:11

36:11 I will increase the number of people and animals on you; they will increase and be fruitful. ¹⁰  I will cause you to be inhabited as in ancient times, and will do more good for you than at the beginning of your history. ¹¹  Then you will know that I am the Lord.

Mikha 7:14

7:14 Shepherd your people with your shepherd’s rod, ¹² 

the flock that belongs to you, ¹³ 

the one that lives alone in a thicket,

in the midst of a pastureland. ¹⁴ 

Allow them to graze in Bashan and Gilead, ¹⁵ 

as they did in the old days. ¹⁶ 

[143:5]  ¹ tn Or “ancient times”; Heb “days from before.”

[143:5]  ² tn Heb “the work of your hands.”

[63:11]  ³ tn Heb “and he remembered the days of antiquity, Moses, his people.” The syntax of the statement is unclear. The translation assumes that “his people” is the subject of the verb “remembered.” If original, “Moses” is in apposition to “the days of antiquity,” more precisely identifying the time period referred to. However, the syntactical awkwardness suggests that “Moses” may have been an early marginal note (perhaps identifying “the shepherd of his flock” two lines later) that has worked its way into the text.

[63:11]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew text has a plural form, which if retained and taken as a numerical plural, would probably refer to Moses, Aaron, and the Israelite tribal leaders at the time of the Exodus. Most prefer to emend the form to the singular (רָעָה, ra’ah) and understand this as a reference just to Moses.

[63:11]  ⁵ sn See the note at v. 10.

[46:26]  ⁶ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[5:21]  ⁷ tc The Kethib is וְנָשׁוּב (vÿnashuv, “and we will return,” ו [vav] conjunction + Qal imperfect 1st person common plural from שׁוּב [shuv, “to return”]). The Qere is וְנָשׁוּבָה (vÿnashuvah, “and let us return,” ו [vav] conjunction + Qal cohortative 1st person common plural from שׁוּב [shuv, “to return”]).

[5:21]  tn The cohortative after a volitive indicates purpose (“so that”). There is a wordplay in Hebrew between “Bring us back” (Hiphil imperative of שׁוּב [shuv, “to return”]) and “let us return” (Qal imperfect of שׁוּב [shuv, “to return”]). This repetition of the root שׁוּב (shuv) is significant; it depicts a reciprocal relationship between God’s willingness to allow the nation to return to him on one hand and its national repentance on the other.

[5:21]  ⁸ tn Heb “our days.” The term “days” is a synecdoche of time (= days) for what is experienced within that time span (= life) (e.g., Gen 5:4, 8, 11; 6:3; 9:29; 11:32; 25:7; 47:8, 9; Deut 22:19, 29; 23:7; Josh 24:31; Judg 2:7, 18; 2 Sam 19:35; Job 7:1, 16, 18; Pss 8:9; 39:5, 6; 90:9, 10, 12, 14; 103:15; Prov 31:12; Eccl 2:3; 5:17, 19; 6:3).

[5:21]  ⁹ tn Heb “as of old.”

[36:11]  ¹⁰ sn These verbs occur together in Gen 1:22, 28; 9:1.

[36:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “your beginning.”

[7:14]  ¹² tn Or “with your scepter” (the Hebrew term can mean either “rod” or “scepter”).

[7:14]  ¹³ tn Heb “the flock of your inheritance.”

[7:14]  ¹⁴ tn Or “in the midst of Carmel.” The Hebrew term translated “pastureland” may be a place name.

[7:14]  sn The point seems to be that Israel is in a vulnerable position, like sheep in a thicket populated by predators, while rich pastureland (their homeland and God’s blessings) is in view.

[7:14]  ¹⁵ sn The regions of Bashan and Gilead, located in Transjordan, were noted for their rich grazing lands.

[7:14]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “as in the days of antiquity.”