translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: MIC

label: NET translator note

text: Heb “woe to me!” In light of the image that follows, perhaps one could translate, “I am disappointed.”


text: Or “have perished”; “have been destroyed.”


text: Heb “and an upright one among men there is not.”


text: Heb “for bloodshed” (so NASB); TEV “for a chance to commit murder.”


text: Heb “upon evil [are their] hands to do [it] well.”


text: Heb “the official asks – and the judge – for a bribe.”


text: More literally, “the great one announces what his appetite desires and they weave it together.” Apparently this means that subordinates plot and maneuver to make sure the prominent man’s desires materialize.


text: Heb “[the] godly from a row of thorn bushes.” The preposition מִן ( min ) is comparative and the comparative element (perhaps “sharper” is the idea) is omitted. See BDB 582 s.v. 6 and GKC 431 §133. e .


text: Heb “the day of your watchmen, your appointed [time], is coming.” The present translation takes “watchmen” to refer to actual sentries. However, the “watchmen” could refer figuratively to the prophets who had warned Judah of approaching judgment. In this case one could translate, “The day your prophets warned about – your appointed time of punishment – is on the way.”


text: Heb “and now will be their confusion.”


text: Heb “from the one who lies in your arms, guard the doors of your mouth.”


text: Heb “rises up against.”


text: Heb “the enemies of a man are the men of his house.”


text: The singular form is understood as collective.


text: Or “rejoice” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NCV “don’t laugh at me.”


text: Heb “lift, bear.”


text: Heb “until.”


text: Or “plead my case” (NASB and NIV both similar); NRSV “until he takes my side.”


text: Heb “see.”


text: Heb “who say.” A new sentence was begun here in the translation for stylistic reasons.


text: Heb “My eyes will look on them.”


text: Heb “a trampled-down place.”


text: Heb “they.” The referent has been specified as “people,” referring either to the nations (coming to God with their tribute) or to the exiles of Israel (returning to the Lord ).


text: The masculine pronominal suffix suggests the Lord is addressed. Some emend to a feminine form and take Jerusalem as the addressee.


label: NET textual note

text: The MT reads וְעָרֵי ( vÿ ’ arey , “and the cities [of Egypt]”), but the parallel line indicates this is a corruption of וְעַד ( vÿ ’ ad , “even to”).


text: Heb “the River,” referring to the Euphrates River. This has been specified in the translation for clarity (so also NASB, NIV).


text: Heb “and sea from sea.” Many prefer to emend this to מִיָּם עַד יָם ( miyyam ’ ad yam , “from sea to sea”).


text: Heb “and mountain of the mountain.” Many prefer to emend this to וּמֵהַר עַד הַר ( umehar ’ ad har , “and mountain to mountain”).


text: Or “will be ruined.”


text: Or “with your scepter” (the Hebrew term can mean either “rod” or “scepter”).


text: Heb “the flock of your inheritance.”


text: Or “in the midst of Carmel.” The Hebrew term translated “pastureland” may be a place name. 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.


text: Heb “as in the days of antiquity.”


text: Heb “him.” This probably refers to Israel in a collective sense. Because the switch from direct address to the third person is awkward, some prefer to emend the suffix to a second person form. In any case, it is necessary to employ a second person pronoun in the translation to maintain the connection for the English reader.


text: Or “be ashamed of.”


text: Heb “and their ears will be deaf.” Apparently this means the opposing nations will be left dumbfounded by the Lord ’s power. Their inability to respond will make them appear to be deaf mutes.


text: Heb “like crawling things on the ground.” The parallelism suggests snakes are in view.


text: Thetranslationassumesthatthe phrase אֶל־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ (’ el-yÿhvah ’ elohenu , “to the Lord our God”) goes with what precedes. Another option is to take the phrase with the following verb, in which case one could translate, “to the Lord our God they will turn in dread.”


text: Heb “they will be in dread and afraid.”


text: The Lord is addressed directly using the second person.


text: Heb “Who is a God like you?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No one!”


text: Heb “one who.” The prayer moves from direct address (second person) in v. 18 a to a descriptive (third person) style in vv. 18 b-19a and then back to direct address (second person) in vv. 19 b-20. Due to considerations of English style and the unfamiliarity of the modern reader with alternation of persons in Hebrew poetry, the entire section has been rendered as direct address (second person) in the translation.


text: Heb “pass over.”


text: Heb “of the remnant of his inheritance.”


text: The verb יָשׁוּב ( yashuv , “he will return”) is here used adverbially in relation to the following verb, indicating that the Lord will again show mercy.


text: Some prefer to read יִכְבֹּס ( yikhbos , “he will cleanse”; see HALOT 459 s.v. כבס pi). If the MT is taken as it stands, sin is personified as an enemy that the Lord subdues.


text: Heb “their sins,” but the final mem ( ם ) may be enclitic rather than a pronominal suffix. In this case the suffix from the preceding line (“our”) may be understood as doing double duty.


text: More literally, “You will extend loyalty to Jacob, and loyal love to Abraham.


text: Heb “our fathers.” The Hebrew term refers here to more distant ancestors, not immediate parents.


text: Heb “which you swore [or, “pledged”] to our fathers from days of old.”