Mazmur 112:9

112:9 He generously gives ¹  to the needy;

his integrity endures. ² 

He will be vindicated and honored. ³ 

Ulangan 15:7-11

The Spirit of Liberality

15:7 If a fellow Israelite ⁴  from one of your villages ⁵  in the land that the Lord your God is giving you should be poor, you must not harden your heart or be insensitive ⁶  to his impoverished condition. ⁷  15:8 Instead, you must be sure to open your hand to him and generously lend ⁸  him whatever he needs. ⁹  15:9 Be careful lest you entertain the wicked thought that the seventh year, the year of cancellation of debts, has almost arrived, and your attitude ¹⁰  be wrong toward your impoverished fellow Israelite ¹¹  and you do not lend ¹²  him anything; he will cry out to the Lord against you and you will be regarded as having sinned. ¹³  15:10 You must by all means lend ¹⁴  to him and not be upset by doing it, ¹⁵  for because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you attempt. 15:11 There will never cease to be some poor people in the land; therefore, I am commanding you to make sure you open ¹⁶  your hand to your fellow Israelites ¹⁷  who are needy and poor in your land.

Ayub 29:12-16

29:12 for I rescued the poor who cried out for help,

and the orphan who ¹⁸  had no one to assist him;

29:13 the blessing of the dying man descended on me, ¹⁹ 

and I made the widow’s heart rejoice; ²⁰ 

29:14 I put on righteousness and it clothed me, ²¹ 

my just dealing ²²  was like a robe and a turban;

29:15 I was eyes for the blind

and feet for the lame;

29:16 I was a father ²³  to the needy,

and I investigated the case of the person I did not know;

Ayub 31:16-20

31:16 If I have refused to give the poor what they desired, ²⁴ 

or caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

31:17 If I ate my morsel of bread myself,

and did not share any of it with orphans ²⁵  –

31:18 but from my youth I raised the orphan ²⁶  like a father,

and from my mother’s womb ²⁷ 

I guided the widow! ²⁸ 

31:19 If I have seen anyone about to perish for lack of clothing,

or a poor man without a coat,

31:20 whose heart did not bless me ²⁹ 

as he warmed himself with the fleece of my sheep, ³⁰ 

Amsal 14:21

14:21 The one who despises his neighbor sins,

but whoever is kind to the needy is blessed.

Amsal 19:17

19:17 The one who is gracious ³¹  to the poor lends ³²  to the Lord,

and the Lord ³³  will repay him ³⁴  for his good deed. ³⁵ 

Pengkhotbah 11:1-2

Ignorance of the Future Demands Diligence in the Present

11:1 Send ³⁶  your grain ³⁷  overseas, ³⁸ 

for after many days you will get a return. ³⁹ 

11:2 Divide your merchandise ⁴⁰  among seven or even eight ⁴¹  investments, ⁴² 

for you do not know ⁴³  what calamity ⁴⁴  may happen on earth.

Yesaya 58:7-11

58:7 I want you ⁴⁵  to share your food with the hungry

and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. ⁴⁶ 

When you see someone naked, clothe him!

Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood! ⁴⁷ 

58:8 Then your light will shine like the sunrise; ⁴⁸ 

your restoration will quickly arrive; ⁴⁹ 

your godly behavior ⁵⁰  will go before you,

and the Lord’s splendor will be your rear guard. ⁵¹ 

58:9 Then you will call out, and the Lord will respond;

you will cry out, and he will reply, ‘Here I am.’

You must ⁵²  remove the burdensome yoke from among you

and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully.

58:10 You must ⁵³  actively help the hungry

and feed the oppressed. ⁵⁴ 

Then your light will dispel the darkness, ⁵⁵ 

and your darkness will be transformed into noonday. ⁵⁶ 

58:11 The Lord will continually lead you;

he will feed you even in parched regions. ⁵⁷ 

He will give you renewed strength, ⁵⁸ 

and you will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring that continually produces water.

Markus 14:7

14:7 For you will always have the poor with you, and you can do good for them whenever you want. But you will not always have me! ⁵⁹ 

Lukas 14:13-14

14:13 But when you host an elaborate meal, ⁶⁰  invite the poor, the crippled, ⁶¹  the lame, and ⁶²  the blind. ⁶³  14:14 Then ⁶⁴  you will be blessed, ⁶⁵  because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid ⁶⁶  at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Lukas 14:2

14:2 There ⁶⁷  right ⁶⁸  in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. ⁶⁹ 

Kolose 1:8-14

1:8 who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, ⁷⁰  have not ceased praying for you and asking God ⁷¹  to fill ⁷²  you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 1:10 so that you may live ⁷³  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ⁷⁴  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, 1:11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of ⁷⁵  all patience and steadfastness, joyfully 1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share ⁷⁶  in the saints’ ⁷⁷  inheritance in the light. 1:13 He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, ⁷⁸  1:14 in whom we have redemption, ⁷⁹  the forgiveness of sins.

Galatia 2:10

2:10 They requested ⁸⁰  only that we remember the poor, the very thing I also was eager to do.

[112:9]  ¹ tn Heb “he scatters, he gives.”

[112:9]  ² tn Heb “stands forever.”

[112:9]  ³ tn Heb “his horn will be lifted up in honor.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17).

[15:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “one of your brothers” (so NASB); NAB “one of your kinsmen”; NRSV “a member of your community.” See the note at v. 2.

[15:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “gates.”

[15:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “withdraw your hand.” Cf. NIV “hardhearted or tightfisted” (NRSV and NLT similar).

[15:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “from your needy brother.”

[15:8]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute before both verbs. The translation indicates the emphasis with the words “be sure to” and “generously,” respectively.

[15:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “whatever his need that he needs for himself.” This redundant expression has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[15:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “your eye.”

[15:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “your needy brother.”

[15:9]  ¹² tn Heb “give” (likewise in v. 10).

[15:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “it will be a sin to you.”

[15:10]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “by all means.”

[15:10]  ¹⁵ tc Heb “your heart must not be grieved in giving to him.” The LXX and Orig add, “you shall surely lend to him sufficient for his need,” a suggestion based on the same basic idea in v. 8. Such slavish adherence to stock phrases is without warrant in most cases, and certainly here.

[15:11]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “make sure.”

[15:11]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “your brother.”

[29:12]  ¹⁸ tn The negative introduces a clause that serves as a negative attribute; literally the following clause says, “and had no helper” (see GKC 482 §152.u).

[29:13]  ¹⁹ tn The verb is simply בּוֹא (bo’, “to come; to enter”). With the preposition עַל (’al, “upon”) it could mean “came to me,” or “came upon me,” i.e., descended (see R. Gordis, Job, 320).

[29:13]  ²⁰ tn The verb אַרְנִן (’arnin) is from רָנַן (ranan, “to give a ringing cry”) but here “cause to give a ringing cry,” i.e., shout of joy. The rejoicing envisioned in this word is far greater than what the words “sing” or “rejoice” suggest.

[29:14]  ²¹ tn Both verbs in this first half-verse are from לָבַשׁ (lavash, “to clothe; to put on clothing”). P. Joüon changed the vowels to get a verb “it adorned me” instead of “it clothed me” (Bib 11 [1930]: 324). The figure of clothing is used for the character of the person: to wear righteousness is to be righteous.

[29:14]  ²² tn The word מִשְׁפָּטִי (mishpati) is simply “my justice” or “my judgment.” It refers to the decisions he made in settling issues, how he dealt with other people justly.

[29:16]  ²³ sn The word “father” does not have a wide range of meanings in the OT. But there are places that it is metaphorical, especially in a legal setting like this where the poor need aid.

[31:16]  ²⁴ tn Heb “kept the poor from [their] desire.”

[31:17]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and an orphan did not eat from it.”

[31:18]  ²⁶ tn Heb “he grew up with me.” Several commentators have decided to change the pronoun to “I,” and make it causative.

[31:18]  ²⁷ tn The expression “from my mother’s womb” is obviously hyperbolic. It is a way of saying “all his life.”

[31:18]  ²⁸ tn Heb “I guided her,” referring to the widow mentioned in v. 16.

[31:20]  ²⁹ tn The MT has simply “if his loins did not bless me.” In the conditional clause this is another protasis. It means, “if I saw someone dying and if he did not thank me for clothing them.” It is Job’s way of saying that whenever he saw a need he met it, and he received his share of thanks – which prove his kindness. G. R. Driver has it “without his loins having blessed me,” taking “If…not” as an Aramaism, meaning “except” (AJSL 52 [1935/36]: 164f.).

[31:20]  ³⁰ tn This clause is interpreted here as a subordinate clause to the first half of the verse. It could also be a separate clause: “was he not warmed…?”

[19:17]  ³¹ sn The participle חוֹנֵן (khonen, “shows favor to”) is related to the word for “grace.” The activity here is the kind favor shown poor people for no particular reason and with no hope of repayment. It is literally an act of grace.

[19:17]  ³² tn The form מַלְוֵה (malveh) is the Hiphil participle from לָוָה (lavah) in construct; it means “to cause to borrow; to lend.” The expression here is “lender of the Lord.” The person who helps the poor becomes the creditor of God.

[19:17]  ³³ tn Heb “he.” The referent of the 3rd person masculine singular pronoun is “the Lord” in the preceding line, which has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.

[19:17]  ³⁴ sn The promise of reward does not necessarily mean that the person who gives to the poor will get money back; the rewards in the book of Proverbs involve life and prosperity in general.

[19:17]  ³⁵ tn Heb “and his good deed will repay him.” The word גְּמֻלוֹ (gÿmulo) could be (1) the subject or (2) part of a double accusative of the verb. Understanding it as part of the double accusative makes better sense, for then the subject of the verb is God. How “his deed” could repay him is not immediately obvious.

[11:1]  ³⁶ tn The verb שָׁלַח (shalakh, “to send; to cast”) refers to the action of sending something to someone (e.g., Neh 8:12; HALOT 1995 s.v. שׁלח). The term is traditionally rendered here as “cast” (KJV, NAB, RES, ASV, NASB, NIV); however, some render it “send” (NJPS, NRSV, NEB). LXX uses ἀπόστειλον (aposteilon, “send”).

[11:1]  ³⁷ tn Heb “your bread.” The term לֶחֶם (lekhem) is traditionally rendered “bread” (KJV, NAB, RSV, NRSV, ASV, NASB, NIV, NJPS). However, 11:1-2 seems to deal with exporting goods overseas (D. R. Glenn, “Ecclesiastes,” BKCOT, 1002-3). It is better to take לֶחֶם (“bread”) as a metonymy of product, standing for the grain and wheat from which bread is produced (e.g., Gen 41:54-55; 47:13, 15, 17, 19; 49:20; Num 15:19; 2 Kgs 18:32; Isa 28:28; 30:23; 36:17; 55:10; Jer 5:17; Ezek 48:18; Job 28:5; Ps 104:14; Prov 28:3); see HALOT 526 s.v. 1; BDB 537 s.v. 1.b. It is taken this way by several translations: “grain” (NEB) and “goods” (Moffatt). Qoheleth encouraged the export of grain products overseas in international trade.

[11:1]  ³⁸ tn Heb “upon the surface of the waters.” This is traditionally viewed as extolling generosity from which a reward will be reaped. On the other hand, some scholars suggest that the imagery deals with commercial business through maritime trade. M. Jastrow took this verse as advice to take risks in business by trusting one’s goods or ships that will after many days return with a profit (A. Cohen, The Five Megilloth [SoBB], 181). Sea trade was risky in the ancient Near East, but it brought big returns to its investors (e.g., 1 Kgs 9:26-28; 10:22; Ps 107:23); see D. R. Glenn, “Ecclesiastes,” BKCOT, 1002-3. The verse is rendered thus: “Send your grain across the seas, and in time you will get a return” (NEB); or “Trust your goods far and wide at sea, till you get a good return after a while” (Moffatt).

[11:1]  ³⁹ tn Heb “find it.”

[11:2]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “give a portion.”

[11:2]  ⁴¹ tn The phrase “seven or eight” is a graded numerical saying depicting an indefinite plurality: “The collocation of a numeral with the next above it is a rhetorical device employed in numerical sayings to express a number, which need not, or cannot, be more exactly specified. It must be gathered from the context whether such formulae are intended to denote only an insignificant number (e.g., Is 17:6 “two” or at the most “three”) or a considerable number (e.g., Mi 5:4). Sometimes, however, this juxtaposition serves to express merely an indefinite total, without the collateral idea of intensifying the lower by means of the higher number” (GKC 437 §134.s). Examples: “one” or “two” (Deut 32:30; Jer 3:14; Job 33:14; 40:5; Ps 62:12); “two” or “three” (2 Kgs 9:32; Isa 17:6; Hos 6:2; Amos 4:8; Sir 23:16; 26:28; 50:25); “three” or “four” (Jer 36:23; Amos 1:3-11; Prov 21:19; 30:15, 18; Sir 26:5); “four” or “five” (Isa 17:6); “six” or “seven” (Job 5:19; Prov 6:16); “seven” or “eight” (Mic 5:4; Eccl 11:2).

[11:2]  ⁴² tn The word “investments” is not in the Hebrew text; it is added here for clarity. This line is traditionally understood as an exhortation to be generous to a multitude of people (KJV, NAB, ASV, NASB, RSV, NRSV, NIV, NJPS); however, it is better taken as shrewd advice to not commit all one’s possessions to a single venture (A. Cohen, The Five Megilloth [SoBB], 181). D. R. Glenn (“Ecclesiastes,” BKCOT, 1003) writes: “In view of the possibility of disaster, a person should make prudent investments in numerous ventures rather than put all his ‘eggs in one basket’ (e.g., Gen 32:7-8 for a practical example of this advice).” Several translations reflect this: “Divide your merchandise among seven ventures, eight maybe” (NEB); “Take shares in several ventures” (Moffatt).

[11:2]  ⁴³ sn The phrase you do not know is repeated throughout this section (11:2, 5-6). Human beings are ignorant of the future. This should motivate a person to invest their financial resources wisely (11:1-3) and to work diligently (11:4-6).

[11:2]  ⁴⁴ tn The term רעה (lit. “evil”) refers to calamity (e.g., Eccl 5:13; 7:14; 9:12).

[58:7]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “Is it not?” The rhetorical question here expects a positive answer, “It is!”

[58:7]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “and afflicted [ones], homeless [ones] you should bring [into] a house.” On the meaning of מְרוּדִים (mÿrudim, “homeless”) see HALOT 633 s.v. *מָרוּד.

[58:7]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “and from your flesh do not hide yourself.”

[58:8]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “will burst out like the dawn.”

[58:8]  sn Light here symbolizes God’s favor and restored blessing, as the immediately following context makes clear.

[58:8]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “prosper”; KJV “spring forth speedily.”

[58:8]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “righteousness.” Their godly behavior will be on display for all to see.

[58:8]  ⁵¹ sn The nation will experience God’s protective presence.

[58:9]  ⁵² tn Heb “if you.” In the Hebrew text vv. 9b-10 are one long conditional sentence. The protasis (“if” clauses appear in vv. 9b-10a), with the apodosis (“then” clause) appearing in v. 10b.

[58:10]  ⁵³ tn Heb “if you.” See the note on “you must” in v. 9b.

[58:10]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “If you furnish for the hungry [with] your being, and the appetite of the oppressed you satisfy.”

[58:10]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “will rise in the darkness.”

[58:10]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “and your darkness [will be] like noonday.”

[58:11]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “he will satisfy in parched regions your appetite.”

[58:11]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “and your bones he will strengthen.”

[14:7]  ⁵⁹ tn In the Greek text of this clause, “me” is in emphatic position (the first word in the clause). To convey some impression of the emphasis, an exclamation point is used in the translation.

[14:13]  ⁶⁰ tn This term, δοχή (doch), is a third term for a meal (see v. 12) that could also be translated “banquet, feast.”

[14:13]  ⁶¹ sn Normally the term means crippled as a result of being maimed or mutilated (L&N 23.177).

[14:13]  ⁶² tn Here “and” has been supplied between the last two elements in the series in keeping with English style.

[14:13]  ⁶³ sn This list of needy is like Luke 7:22. See Deut 14:28-29; 16:11-14; 26:11-13.

[14:14]  ⁶⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate that this follows from the preceding action. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[14:14]  ⁶⁵ sn You will be blessed. God notes and approves of such generosity.

[14:14]  ⁶⁶ sn The passive verb will be repaid looks at God’s commendation.

[14:2]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “And there.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[14:2]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1). Here it has been translated as “right” in the phrase “right in front of him,” giving a similar effect of vividness in the translation.

[14:2]  ⁶⁹ sn The condition called dropsy involves swollen limbs resulting from the accumulation of fluid in the body’s tissues, especially the legs.

[1:9]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “heard about it”; Grk “heard.” There is no direct object stated in the Greek (direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context). A direct object is expected by an English reader, however, so most translations supply one. Here, however, it is not entirely clear what the author “heard”: a number of translations supply “it” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV; NAB “this”), but this could refer back either to (1) “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8, or (2) “your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints” (v. 4). In light of this uncertainty, other translations supply “about you” (TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). This is preferred by the present translation since, while it does not resolve the ambiguity entirely, it does make it less easy for the English reader to limit the reference only to “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8.

[1:9]  ⁷¹ tn The term “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but the following reference to “the knowledge of his will” makes it clear that “God” is in view as the object of the “praying and asking,” and should therefore be included in the English translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ⁷² tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated as substantival, indicating the content of the prayer and asking. The idea of purpose may also be present in this clause.

[1:10]  ⁷³ tn The infinitive περιπατῆσαι (peripathsai, “to walk, to live, to live one’s life”) is best taken as an infinitive of purpose related to “praying” (προσευχόμενοι, proseucomenoi) and “asking” (αἰτούμενοι, aitoumenoi) in v. 9 and is thus translated as “that you may live.”

[1:10]  ⁷⁴ tn BDAG 129 s.v. ἀρεσκεία states that ἀρεσκείαν (areskeian) refers to a “desire to please εἰς πᾶσαν ἀ. to please (the Lord) in all respects Col 1:10.”

[1:11]  ⁷⁵ tn The expression “for the display of” is an attempt to convey in English the force of the Greek preposition εἰς (eis) in this context.

[1:12]  ⁷⁶ tn BDAG 473 s.v. ἱκανόω states, “τινὰ εἴς τι someone for someth. Col 1:12.” The point of the text is that God has qualified the saints for a “share” or “portion” in the inheritance of the saints.

[1:12]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “the inheritance of the saints.” The genitive noun τῶν ἁγίων (twn Jagiwn) is a possessive genitive: “the saints’ inheritance.”

[1:13]  ⁷⁸ tn Here αὐτοῦ (autou) has been translated as a subjective genitive (“he loves”).

[1:14]  ⁷⁹ tc διὰ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ (dia tou {aimato" autou, “through his blood”) is read at this juncture by several minuscule mss (614 630 1505 2464 al) as well as a few, mostly secondary, versional and patristic witnesses. But the reading was prompted by the parallel in Eph 1:7 where the wording is solid. If these words had been in the original of Colossians, why would scribes omit them here but not in Eph 1:7? Further, the testimony on behalf of the shorter reading is quite overwhelming: {א A B C D F G Ψ 075 0150 6 33 1739 1881 Ï latt co as well as several other versions and fathers}. The conviction that “through his blood” is not authentic in Col 1:14 is as strong as the conviction that these words are authentic in Eph 1:7.

[2:10]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “only that we remember the poor”; the words “They requested” have been supplied from the context to make a complete English sentence.