◀ All Reading Plans / M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan / Family: Leviticus 11–12; Psalms 13–14. Secret: Proverbs 26; 1 Thessalonians 5. (New English Translation)

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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The classic M'Cheyne plan--read the Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalms or Gospels every day.

Duration: 365 days

Leviticus 11-12

Clean and Unclean Land Creatures

11 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, ²“Tell the Israelites: ‘This is the kind of creature you may eat from among all the animals^[a] that are on the land. ³You may eat any among the animals that has a divided hoof (the hooves are completely split in two^[b]) and that also chews the cud.^[c] ⁴However, you must not eat these^[d] from among those that chew the cud and have divided hooves: The camel is unclean to you^[e] because it chews the cud^[f] even though its hoof is not divided.^[g] ⁵The rock badger^[h] is unclean to you because it chews the cud even though its hoof is not divided. ⁶The hare is unclean to you because it chews the cud even though its hoof is not divided. ⁷The pig is unclean to you because its hoof is divided (the hoof is completely split in two^[i]) , even though it does not chew the cud.^[j] ⁸You must not eat from their meat and you must not touch their carcasses;^[k] they are unclean to you.

Clean and Unclean Water Creatures

⁹“‘These you can eat from all creatures that are in the water: Any creatures in the water that have both fins and scales,^[l] whether in the seas or in the streams,^[m] you may eat. ¹⁰But any creatures that do not have both fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the streams, from all the swarming things of the water and from all the living creatures that are in the water, are detestable to you. ¹¹Since they are detestable to you, you must not eat their meat and their carcass you must detest. ¹²Any creature in the water that does not have both fins and scales is detestable to you.

Clean and Unclean Birds

¹³“‘These you are to detest from among the birds—they must not be eaten, because they are detestable:^[n] the griffon vulture, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, ¹⁴the kite, the buzzard of any kind,^[o] ¹⁵every kind of crow,^[p] ¹⁶the eagle owl,^[q] the short-eared owl, the long-eared owl, the hawk of any kind, ¹⁷the little owl, the cormorant, the screech owl, ¹⁸the white owl, the scops owl, the osprey, ¹⁹the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.

Clean and Unclean Insects

²⁰“‘Every winged swarming thing that walks on all fours^[r] is detestable to you. ²¹However, this you may eat from all the winged swarming things that walk on all fours, which have jointed legs^[s] to hop with on the land. ²²These you may eat from them:^[t] the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, the grasshopper of any kind. ²³But any other winged swarming thing that has four legs is detestable to you.

Carcass Uncleanness

²⁴“‘By these^[u] you defile yourselves—anyone who touches their carcass will be unclean until the evening, ²⁵and anyone who carries their carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until the evening.

Inedible Land Quadrupeds

²⁶“‘All^[v] animals that divide the hoof, but it is not completely split in two,^[w] and do not chew the cud^[x] are unclean to you; anyone who touches them becomes unclean.^[y] ²⁷All that walk on their paws among all the creatures that walk on all fours^[z] are unclean to you. Anyone who touches their carcass will be unclean until the evening, ²⁸and the one who carries their carcass must wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you.

Creatures that Swarm on the Land

²⁹“‘Now this is what is unclean to you among the swarming things that swarm on the land:^[aa] the rat, the mouse, the large lizard of any kind, ³⁰the Mediterranean gecko, the spotted lizard, the wall gecko, the skink, and the chameleon. ³¹These are the ones that are unclean to you among all the swarming things. Anyone who touches these creatures^[ab] when they die will be unclean until evening. ³²Also, anything they fall on^[ac] when they die will become unclean—any wood vessel or garment or article of leather or sackcloth. Any such vessel with which work is done must be immersed in water^[ad] and will be unclean until the evening. Then it will become clean. ³³As for any clay vessel they fall into,^[ae] everything in it^[af] will become unclean and you must break it. ³⁴Any food that may be eaten which becomes soaked with water^[ag] will become unclean. Anything drinkable^[ah] in any such vessel will become unclean.^[ai] ³⁵Anything their carcass may fall on will become unclean. An oven or small stove must be smashed to pieces; they are unclean, and they will stay unclean^[aj] to you. ³⁶However, a spring or a cistern which collects water^[ak] will be clean, but one who touches the creature’s carcass will be unclean. ³⁷Now, if such a carcass falls on any sowing seed which is to be sown,^[al] it is clean, ³⁸but if water is put on the seed and such a carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

Edible Land Animals

³⁹“‘Now if an animal^[am] that you may eat dies,^[an] whoever touches its carcass will be unclean until the evening. ⁴⁰One who eats from its carcass must wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening, and whoever carries its carcass must wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. ⁴¹Every swarming thing that swarms on the land is detestable; it must not be eaten. ⁴²You must not eat anything that crawls^[ao] on its belly or anything that walks on all fours or on any number of legs^[ap] of all the swarming things that swarm on the land, because they are detestable. ⁴³Do not make yourselves detestable by any of the swarming things.^[aq] You must not defile yourselves by them and become unclean by them, ⁴⁴for I am the Lord your God and you are to sanctify yourselves and be holy because I am holy. You must not defile yourselves by any of the swarming things that creep on the ground, ⁴⁵for I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God,^[ar] and you are to be holy because I am holy. ⁴⁶This is the law^[as] of the land animals, the birds, all the living creatures that move in the water, and all the creatures^[at] that swarm on the land, ⁴⁷to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between the living creatures that may be eaten and the living creatures that must not be eaten.’”

Purification of a Woman after Childbirth

12 The Lord spoke to Moses: ²“Tell the Israelites, ‘When a woman produces offspring^[au] and bears a male child,^[av] she will be unclean seven days, as she is unclean during the days of her menstruation.^[aw] ³On^[ax] the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin^[ay] must be circumcised. ⁴Then she will remain^[az] thirty-three days in blood purity.^[ba] She must not touch anything holy and she must not enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled.^[bb] ⁵If she bears a female child, she will be impure fourteen days as during her menstrual flow, and she will remain sixty-six days in^[bc] blood purity.^[bd]

⁶“‘When^[be] the days of her purification are completed for a son or for a daughter, she must bring a one-year-old lamb^[bf] for a burnt offering^[bg] and a young pigeon or turtledove for a sin offering^[bh] to the entrance of the Meeting Tent, to the priest. ⁷The priest^[bi] is to present it before the Lord and make atonement^[bj] on her behalf, and she will be clean^[bk] from her flow of blood.^[bl] This is the law of the one who bears a child, for the male or the female child. ⁸If she cannot afford a sheep,^[bm] then she must take two turtledoves or two young pigeons,^[bn] one for a burnt offering and one for a sin offering, and the priest is to make atonement on her behalf, and she will be clean.’”^[bo]

Footnotes

Leviticus 11:2 tn Heb “the animal,” but as a collective plural, and so throughout this chapter.
Leviticus 11:3 tn Heb “every divider of hoof and cleaver of the cleft of hooves”; KJV, ASV “parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted.”
Leviticus 11:3 tn Heb “bringer up of the cud” (a few of the ancient versions include the conjunction “and,” but it does not appear in the MT). The following verses make it clear that both dividing the hoof and chewing the cud were required; one of these conditions would not be enough to make the animal suitable for eating without the other.
Leviticus 11:4 tn Heb “this,” but as a collective plural (see the following context).
Leviticus 11:4 sn Regarding “clean” versus “unclean,” see the note on Lev 10:10.
Leviticus 11:4 tn Heb “because a chewer of the cud it is” (see also vv. 5 and 6).
Leviticus 11:4 tn Heb “and hoof there is not dividing” (see also vv. 5 and 6).
Leviticus 11:5 sn A small animal generally understood to be Hyrax syriacus; KJV, ASV, NIV “coney”; NKJV “rock hyrax.”
Leviticus 11:7 tn See the note on Lev 11:3.
Leviticus 11:7 tn The meaning and basic rendering of this clause is quite certain, but the verb for “chewing” the cud here is not the same as the preceding verses, where the expression is “to bring up the cud” (see the note on v. 3 above). It appears to be a cognate verb for the noun “cud” (גֵּרָה, gerah) and could mean either “to drag up” (i.e., from the Hebrew Qal of גָרָר [garar] meaning “to drag,” referring to the dragging the cud up and down between the stomach and mouth of the ruminant animal; so J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:647, 653) or “to chew” (i.e., from the Hebrew Niphal [or Qal B] of גָרָר used in a reciprocal sense; so J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 149, and compare BDB 176 s.v. גָרַר, “to chew,” with HALOT 204 s.v. גרר qal. B, “to ruminate”).
Leviticus 11:8 sn The regulations against touching the carcasses of dead unclean animals (contrast the restriction against eating their flesh) is treated in more detail in Lev 11:24-28 (cf. also vv. 29-40). For the time being, this chapter continues to develop the issue of what can and cannot be eaten.
Leviticus 11:9 tn Heb “all which have fin and scale” (see also vv. 10 and 12).
Leviticus 11:9 tn Heb “in the water, in the seas and in the streams” (see also vv. 10 and 12).
Leviticus 11:13 tn For zoological remarks on the following list of birds see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:662-64; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 159-60.
Leviticus 11:14 tn Heb “and the buzzard to its kind” (see also vv. 16 and 19 for the same expression “of any kind”).
Leviticus 11:15 tn Heb “every crow to its kind.” Many English versions (e.g., KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) render this as “raven.”
Leviticus 11:16 tn Literally, “the daughter of the wasteland.” Various proposals for the species of bird referred to here include “owl” (KJV), “horned owl” (NIV, NCV), and “ostrich” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT).
Leviticus 11:20 tn Heb “the one walking on four” (cf. vv. 21-23 and 27-28).
Leviticus 11:21 tn Heb “which to it are lower legs from above to its feet” (reading the Qere “to it” rather than the Kethib “not”).
Leviticus 11:22 tn For entomological remarks on the following list of insects see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:665-66; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 160-61.
Leviticus 11:24 tn Heb “and to these.”
Leviticus 11:26 tn Heb “to all” (cf. the note on v. 24). This and the following verses develop more fully the categories of uncleanness set forth in principle in vv. 24-25.
Leviticus 11:26 tn Heb “divides hoof and cleft it does not cleave”; KJV “divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted”; NLT “divided but unsplit hooves.”
Leviticus 11:26 tn See the note on Lev 11:3.
Leviticus 11:26 sn Compare the regulations in Lev 11:2-8.
Leviticus 11:27 tn Heb “the one walking on four.” Cf. Lev 11:20-23.
Leviticus 11:29 tn For zoological analyses of the list of creatures in vv. 29-30, see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:671-72; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 161-62.
Leviticus 11:31 tn Heb “touches them.”
Leviticus 11:32 tn Heb “And all which it shall fall on it from them.”
Leviticus 11:32 tn Heb “in water it shall be brought.”
Leviticus 11:33 tn Heb “And any earthenware vessel which shall fall from them into its midst.”
Leviticus 11:33 tn Heb “all which is in its midst.”
Leviticus 11:34 tn Heb “which water comes on it.”
Leviticus 11:34 tn Heb “any drink which may be drunk”; NASB “any liquid which may be drunk”; NLT “any beverage that is in such an unclean container.”
Leviticus 11:34 tn This half of the verse assumes that the unclean carcass has fallen into the food or drink (cf. v. 33 and also vv. 35-38).
Leviticus 11:35 tn Heb “be unclean.”
Leviticus 11:36 tn Heb “a spring and a cistern collection of water”; NAB, NIV “for collecting water.”
Leviticus 11:37 tn Heb “And if there falls from their carcass on any seed of sowing which shall be sown.”
Leviticus 11:39 tn This word for “animal” refers to land animal quadrupeds, not just any beast that dwells on the land (cf. 11:2).
Leviticus 11:39 tn Heb “which is food for you” or “which is for you to eat.”
Leviticus 11:42 tn Heb “goes” (KJV, ASV “goeth”); NIV “moves about”; NLT “slither along.” The same Hebrew term is translated “walks” in the following clause.
Leviticus 11:42 tn Heb “until all multiplying of legs.”
Leviticus 11:43 tn Heb “by any of the swarming things that swarm.”
Leviticus 11:45 tn Heb “to be to you for a God.”
Leviticus 11:46 sn The Hebrew term translated “law” (תּוֹרָה, torah) introduces here a summary or colophon for all of Lev 11. Similar summaries are found in Lev 7:37-38; 13:59; 14:54-57; and 15:32-33.
Leviticus 11:46 tn Heb “for all the creatures.”
Leviticus 12:2 tn Heb “produces seed” (Hiphil of זָרַע, zaraʿ; used only elsewhere in Gen 1:11-12 for plants “producing” their own “seed”), referring to the process of childbearing as a whole, from conception to the time of birth (H. D. Preuss, TDOT 4:144; cf. J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 164-65; and J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:742-43). Smr and LXX have Niphal “be impregnated” (see, e.g., Num 5:28); note KJV “If a woman have conceived seed” (cf. ASV, NAB, NRSV; also NIV, NLT “becomes pregnant”).
Leviticus 12:2 sn The regulations for the “male child” in vv. 2-4 contrast with those for the “female child” in v. 5 (see the note there).
Leviticus 12:2 tn Heb “as the days of the menstrual flow [nom.] of her menstruating [q. inf.] she shall be unclean” (R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 1:925-26; the verb appears only in this verse in the OT). Cf. NASB “as in the days of her menstruation”; NLT “during her menstrual period”; NIV “during her monthly period.”sn See Lev 15:19-24 for the standard purity regulations for a woman’s menstrual period.
Leviticus 12:3 tn Heb “and in….”
Leviticus 12:3 tn This rendering, “the flesh of his foreskin,” is literal. Based on Lev 15:2-3, one could argue that the Hebrew word for “flesh” here (בָּשָׂר, basar) is euphemistic for the male genitals and therefore translate “the foreskin of his member” (see, e.g., J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:748). A number of English versions omit this reference to the foreskin and mention only circumcision, presumably for euphemistic reasons (cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).
Leviticus 12:4 tn Heb “sit, dwell” (יָשָׁב, yashav) normally means “to sit, to dwell”), but here it means “to remain, to stay” in the same condition for a period of time (cf., e.g., Gen 24:55).
Leviticus 12:4 tn Heb “in bloods of purification” or “purifying” or “purity”; NASB “in the blood of her purification”; NRSV “her time of blood purification.” See the following note.
Leviticus 12:4 tn The initial seven days after the birth of a son were days of blood impurity for the woman as if she were having her menstrual period. Her impurity was contagious during this period, so no one should touch her or even furniture on which she has sat or reclined (Lev 15:19-23), lest they too become impure. Even her husband would become impure for seven days if he had sexual intercourse with her during this time (Lev 15:24; cf. 18:19). The next thirty-three days were either “days of purification, purifying” or “days of purity,” depending on how one understands the abstract noun טֹהֳרָה (toharah, “purification, purity”) in this context. During this time the woman could not touch anything holy or enter the sanctuary, but she was no longer contagious like she had been during the first seven days. She could engage in normal everyday life, including sexual intercourse, without fear of contaminating anyone else (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 73-74; cf. J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:749-50). Thus, in a sense, the thirty-three days were a time of blood “purity” (cf. the present translation) as compared to the previous seven days of blood “impurity,” but they were also a time of blood “purification” (or “purifying”) as compared to the time after the thirty-three days, when the blood atonement had been made and she was pronounced “clean” by the priest (see vv. 6-8 below). In other words, the thirty-three day period was a time of “blood” (flow), but this was “pure blood,” as opposed to the blood of the first seven days.
Leviticus 12:5 tn Heb “on purity blood.” The preposition here is עַל (ʿal) rather than ב (bet, as it is in the middle of v. 4), but no doubt the same meaning is intended.
Leviticus 12:5 tn For clarification of the translation here, see the notes on vv. 2-4 above. sn The doubling of the time after the birth of a female child is puzzling (see the remarks in J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:750-51; and G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 188). Some have argued, for example, that it derives from the relative status of the sexes, or a supposed longer blood flow for the birth of a woman, or even to compensate for the future menstrual periods of the female just born. Perhaps there is a better explanation. First, a male child must be circumcised on the eighth day, so the impurity of the mother could not last beyond the first seven days lest it interfere with the circumcision rite. A female child, of course, was not circumcised, so the impurity of the mother would not interfere and the length of the impure time could be extended further. Second, it would be natural to expect that the increased severity of the blood flow after childbirth, as compared to that of a woman’s menstrual period, would call for a longer period of impurity than the normal seven days of the menstrual period impurity (compare Lev 15:19 with 15:25-30). Third, this suggests that the fourteen day impurity period for the female child would have been more appropriate, and the impurity period for the birth of a male child had to be shortened. Fourth, not only the principle of multiples of seven but also multiples of forty applies to this reckoning. Since the woman’s blood discharge after bearing a child continues for more than seven days, her discharge keeps her from contact with sacred things for a longer period of time in order to avoid contaminating the tabernacle (note Lev 15:31). This ended up totaling forty days for the birth of a male child (seven plus thirty-three) and a corresponding doubling of the second set of days for the woman (fourteen plus sixty-six). See R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:368-70. The fact that the offerings were the same for either a male or a female infant (vv. 6-8) suggests that the other differences in the regulations are not due to the notion that a male child had greater intrinsic value than a female child (J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 169).
Leviticus 12:6 tn Heb “And when” (so KJV, NASB). Many recent English versions leave the conjunction untranslated.
Leviticus 12:6 tn Heb “a lamb the son of his year”; KJV “a lamb of the first year” (NRSV “in its first year”); NAB “a yearling lamb.”
Leviticus 12:6 sn See the note on Lev 1:3 regarding the “burnt offering.”
Leviticus 12:6 sn See the note on Lev 4:3 regarding the term “sin offering.”
Leviticus 12:7 tn Heb “and he” (i.e., the priest mentioned at the end of v. 6). The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Leviticus 12:7 sn See the note on Lev 1:4 “make atonement.” The purpose of sin offering “atonement,” in particular, was to purge impurities from the tabernacle (see Lev 15:31 and 16:5-19, 29-34), whether they were caused by physical uncleannesses or by sins and iniquities. In this case, the woman has not “sinned” morally by having a child. Even Mary brought such offerings for giving birth to Jesus (Luke 2:22-24), though she certainly did not “sin” in giving birth to him. Note that the result of bringing this “sin offering” was “she will be clean,” not “she will be forgiven” (cf. Lev 4:20, 26, 31, 35; 5:10, 13). The impurity of the blood flow has caused the need for this “sin offering,” not some moral or relational infringement of the law (contrast Lev 4:2, “When a person sins by straying unintentionally from any of the commandments of the Lord”).
Leviticus 12:7 tn Or “she will be[come] pure.”
Leviticus 12:7 tn Heb “from her source [i.e., spring] of blood,” possibly referring to the female genital area, not just the “flow of blood” itself (as suggested by J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:761). Cf. ASV “from the fountain of her blood.”
Leviticus 12:8 tn Heb “If her hand cannot find the sufficiency of a sheep.” Many English versions render this as “lamb.”
Leviticus 12:8 tn Heb “from the sons of the pigeon,” referring either to “young pigeons” or “various species of pigeon” (contrast J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB], 1:168, with J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 14; cf. Lev 1:14 and esp. 5:7-10).
Leviticus 12:8 tn Or “she will be[come] pure.”

Psalm 13-14

Psalm 13^[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

13 How long, Lord, will you continue to ignore me?^[b]
How long will you pay no attention to me?^[c]
²How long must I worry,^[d]
and suffer in broad daylight?^[e]
How long will my enemy gloat over me?^[f]
³Look at me!^[g] Answer me, O Lord my God!
Revive me,^[h] or else I will die.^[i]
⁴Then^[j] my enemy will say, “I have defeated him.”
Then^[k] my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
⁵But I^[l] trust in your faithfulness.
May I rejoice because of your deliverance.^[m]
⁶I will sing praises^[n] to the Lord
when he vindicates me.^[o]

Psalm 14^[p]

For the music director, by David.

14 Fools say to themselves,^[q] “There is no God.”^[r]
They sin and commit evil deeds;^[s]
none of them does what is right.^[t]
²The Lord looks down from heaven^[u] at the human race,^[v]
to see if there is anyone who is wise^[w] and seeks God.^[x]
³Everyone rejects God;^[y]
they are all morally corrupt.^[z]
None of them does what is right,^[aa]
not even one.
⁴All those who behave wickedly^[ab] do not understand—^[ac]
those who devour my people as if they were eating bread,
and do not call out to the Lord.
⁵They are absolutely terrified,^[ad]
for God defends the godly.^[ae]
⁶You want to humiliate the oppressed,^[af]
even though^[ag] the Lord is their^[ah] shelter.
⁷I wish the deliverance^[ai] of Israel would come from Zion!
When the Lord restores the well-being of his people,^[aj]
may Jacob rejoice,^[ak]
may Israel be happy!^[al]

Footnotes

Psalm 13:1 sn Psalm 13. The psalmist, who is close to death, desperately pleads for God’s deliverance and affirms his trust in God’s faithfulness.
Psalm 13:1 tn Heb “will you forget me continually.”
Psalm 13:1 tn Heb “will you hide your face from me.”
Psalm 13:2 tn Heb “How long will I put counsel in my being?”
Psalm 13:2 tn Heb “[with] grief in my heart by day.”
Psalm 13:2 tn Heb “be exalted over me.” Perhaps one could translate, “How long will my enemy defeat me?”
Psalm 13:3 tn Heb “see.”
Psalm 13:3 tn Heb “Give light [to] my eyes.” The Hiphil of אוּר (ʾur), when used elsewhere with “eyes” as object, refers to the law of God giving moral enlightenment (Ps 19:8), to God the creator giving literal eyesight to all people (Prov 29:13), and to God giving encouragement to his people (Ezra 9:8). Here the psalmist pictures himself as being on the verge of death. His eyes are falling shut and, if God does not intervene soon, he will “fall asleep” for good.
Psalm 13:3 tn Heb “or else I will sleep [in?] the death.” Perhaps the statement is elliptical, “I will sleep [the sleep] of death,” or “I will sleep [with the sleepers in] death.”
Psalm 13:4 tn Heb “or else.”
Psalm 13:4 tn Heb “or else.”
Psalm 13:5 tn The grammatical construction used here (conjunction with independent pronoun) highlights the contrast between the psalmist’s defeated condition envisioned in v. 4 and confident attitude he displays in v. 5.
Psalm 13:5 tn Heb “may my heart rejoice in your deliverance.” The verb form is jussive. Having expressed his trust in God’s faithful character and promises, the psalmist prays that his confidence will prove to be well-placed. “Heart” is used here of the seat of the emotions.
Psalm 13:6 tn The verb form is cohortative, indicating the psalmist’s resolve (or vow) to praise the Lord when deliverance arrives.
Psalm 13:6 tn Or “for he will have vindicated me.” The verb form indicates a future perfect here. The idiom גָמַל עַל (gamal ʿal) means “to repay,” here in a positive sense.
Psalm 14:1 sn Psalm 14. The psalmist observes that the human race is morally corrupt. Evildoers oppress God’s people, but the psalmist is confident of God’s protection and anticipates a day when God will vindicate Israel.
Psalm 14:1 tn Heb “a fool says in his heart.” The singular is used here in a collective or representative sense; the typical fool is envisioned.
Psalm 14:1 sn “There is no God.” The statement is probably not a philosophical assertion that God does not exist, but rather a confident affirmation that God is unconcerned about how men live morally and ethically (see Ps 10:4, 11).
Psalm 14:1 tn Heb “they act corruptly, they make a deed evil.” The verbs describe the typical behavior of the wicked. The subject of the plural verbs is “sons of man” (v. 2). The entire human race is characterized by sinful behavior. This practical atheism—living as if there is no God who will hold them accountable for their actions—makes them fools, for one of the earmarks of folly is to fail to anticipate the long range consequences of one’s behavior.
Psalm 14:1 tn Heb “there is none that does good.”
Psalm 14:2 sn The picture of the Lord looking down from heaven draws attention to his sovereignty over the world.
Psalm 14:2 tn Heb “upon the sons of man.”
Psalm 14:2 tn Or “acts wisely.” The Hiphil is exhibitive.
Psalm 14:2 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.
Psalm 14:3 tn Heb “everyone turns aside.”
Psalm 14:3 tn Heb “together they are corrupt.”
Psalm 14:3 tn Heb “there is none that does good.”
Psalm 14:4 tn Heb “all the workers of wickedness.” See Pss 5:5; 6:8.
Psalm 14:4 tn Heb “Do they not understand?” The rhetorical question (rendered in the translation as a positive affirmation) expresses the psalmist’s amazement at their apparent lack of understanding. This may refer to their lack of moral understanding, but it more likely refers to their failure to anticipate God’s defense of his people (see vv. 5-7).
Psalm 14:5 tn Heb “there they are afraid [with] fear.” The perfect verbal form is probably used in a rhetorical manner; the psalmist describes the future demise of the oppressors as if it were already occurring. The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) is also used here for dramatic effect, as the psalmist envisions the wicked standing in fear at a spot that is this vivid in his imagination (BDB 1027 s.v.). The cognate accusative following the verb emphasizes the degree of their terror.
Psalm 14:5 tn Heb “for God is with a godly generation.” The Hebrew noun דּוֹר (dor, “generation”) refers here to the general class of people who are characterized by godliness. See BDB 190 s.v. for other examples where “generation” refers to a class of people.
Psalm 14:6 tn Heb “the counsel of the oppressed you put to shame.” Using a second person plural verb form, the psalmist addresses the wicked. Since the context indicates their attempt to harm the godly will be thwarted, the imperfect should be taken in a subjunctive (cf. NASB, NRSV) rather than an indicative manner (cf. NIV). Here it probably expresses their desire or intent (“want to humiliate”).
Psalm 14:6 tn It is unlikely that כִּי (ki) has a causal force here. The translation assumes a concessive force; another option is to understand an asseverative use (“certainly, indeed”).
Psalm 14:6 tn Heb “his.” The antecedent of the singular pronoun is the singular form עָנִי (ʿani, “oppressed”) in the preceding line. The singular is collective or representative here (and thus translated as plural, “they”).
Psalm 14:7 sn The deliverance of Israel. This refers metonymically to God, the one who lives in Zion and provides deliverance for Israel.
Psalm 14:7 tn Heb “turns with a turning [toward] his people.” The Hebrew term שְׁבוּת (sh^evut) is apparently a cognate accusative of שׁוּב (shuv).
Psalm 14:7 tn The verb form is jussive.
Psalm 14:7 tn Because the parallel verb is jussive, this verb, which is ambiguous in form, should be taken as a jussive as well.

Proverbs 26

26 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
so honor^[a] is not fitting for a fool.^[b]
²Like a fluttering bird or like a flying swallow,
so a curse without cause^[c] does not come to rest.^[d]
³A whip for the horse and a bridle for the donkey,
and a rod for the backs of fools!^[e]
⁴Do not answer a fool according to his folly,^[f]
lest you yourself also be like him.^[g]
⁵Answer a fool according to his folly,^[h]
lest he be wise in his own opinion.^[i]
⁶Like cutting off the feet or drinking violence,^[j]
so is sending^[k] a message by the hand of a fool.^[l]
⁷Like^[m] legs dangle uselessly^[n] from the lame,
so^[o] a proverb^[p] dangles^[q] in the mouth of fools.
⁸Like tying a stone in a sling,^[r]
so is giving honor to a fool.
⁹Like^[s] a thorn^[t] has gone up into the hand of a drunkard,
so^[u] a proverb has gone up^[v] into the mouth of a fool.^[w]
¹⁰Like^[x] an archer who wounds at random,^[y]
so^[z] is the one who hires^[aa] a fool or hires any passerby.
¹¹Like a dog that returns to its vomit,^[ab]
so a fool repeats his folly.^[ac]
¹²You have seen^[ad] a man wise in his own opinion^[ae]—
there is more hope for a fool^[af] than for him.
¹³The sluggard^[ag] has said,^[ah] “There is a lion in the road!
A lion in the streets!”^[ai]
¹⁴Like^[aj] a door that turns on its hinges,^[ak]
so^[al] a sluggard turns^[am] on his bed.
¹⁵The sluggard has plunged^[an] his hand in the dish;
he is too lazy^[ao] to bring it back to his mouth.^[ap]
¹⁶The sluggard is wiser in his own opinion^[aq]
than seven people who respond with good sense.^[ar]
¹⁷Like^[as] one who grabs a wild dog by the ears,^[at]
so is the person passing by who becomes furious^[au] over a quarrel not his own.
¹⁸Like a madman^[av] who shoots
firebrands and deadly arrows,^[aw]
¹⁹so is a person^[ax] who has deceived his neighbor,
and said, “Was I not only joking?”^[ay]
²⁰Where there is no wood, a fire goes out,
and where there is no gossip,^[az] contention ceases.^[ba]
²¹Like charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire,
so is a contentious person^[bb] to kindle strife.^[bc]
²²The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
and they have gone down into a person’s innermost being.^[bd]
²³Like a coating of glaze^[be] over earthenware
are fervent^[bf] lips with an evil heart.^[bg]
²⁴The one who hates others disguises^[bh] it with his lips,
but he stores up^[bi] deceit within him.^[bj]
²⁵When^[bk] he speaks graciously,^[bl] do not believe him,^[bm]
for there are seven^[bn] abominations^[bo] within him.
²⁶Though his^[bp] hatred may be concealed^[bq] by deceit,
his evil will be uncovered^[br] in the assembly.
²⁷The one who digs a pit^[bs] will fall into it;
the one who rolls a stone—it will come back on him.
²⁸A lying tongue^[bt] hates those crushed by it,
and a flattering mouth works ruin.^[bu]

Footnotes

Proverbs 26:1 sn “Honor” in this passage probably means respect, external recognition of worth, accolades, advancement to high position, etc. All of these would be out of place with a fool; so the sage is warning against elevating or acclaiming those who are worthless. See also J. A. Emerton, “Notes on Some Passages in the Book of Proverbs,” VT 15 (1965): 271-79.
Proverbs 26:1 sn The first twelve verses of this chapter, Prov 26:1-12, are sometimes called “the Book of Fools” because they deal with the actions of fools.
Proverbs 26:2 tn Heb “causeless curse” (KJV similar) describes an undeserved curse (cf. NIV, NRSV). The Hebrew word translated “causeless” is the adverb from חָנַן (khanan); it means “without cause; gratuitous.”sn This proverb is saying that a curse that is uttered will be powerless if that curse is undeserved. It was commonly believed in the ancient world that blessings and curses had power in themselves, that once spoken they were effectual. But scripture makes it clear that the power of a blessing or a curse depends on the power of the one behind it (e.g., Num 22:38; 23:8). A curse would only take effect if the one who declared it had the authority to do so, and he would only do that if the curse was deserved.
Proverbs 26:2 tc The MT has the negative with the verb “to enter; to come” to mean “will not come” (לֹא תָבֹא, loʾ tavoʾ). This is interpreted to mean “will not come to rest” or “will not come home.” Some commentators have taken the Qere reading of לוֹ (lo) instead, and read it as “will come home to him.” This is also a little difficult, but it gives the idea that an undeserved curse will come [back] to him [who gave it]. Just as a bird will fly around and eventually come home, so will the undeserved curse return on the one who gave it. This is plausible, but there is no referent for the suffix, making it syntactically difficult.
Proverbs 26:3 sn A fool must be disciplined by force like an animal—there is no reasoning. The fool is as difficult to manage as the donkey or horse.
Proverbs 26:4 sn One should not answer a fool’s foolish questions in line with the fool’s mode of reasoning (J. H. Greenstone, Proverbs, 274).
Proverbs 26:4 sn The person who descends to the level of a fool to argue with him only looks like a fool as well.
Proverbs 26:5 tc The editors of BHS suggest that the preposition in v. 5 should be ב (bet) which looks similar to the כ (kaf) in v. 4 but has a different meaning. The result would be that v. 4 says “do not answer a fool in conformity with his folly,” while the v. 5 might read “answer a fool in opposition to his folly.” In a practical sense this would mean that v. 4 speaks of not answering a fool at the level of his folly, perhaps thereby giving it validity, while v. 5 speaks of responding to a fool in opposition to his folly. Yet a similar meaning may be arrived at by maintaining כ (kaf) in each verse but reading different nuances based on the second half of each verse.sn The apparent contradiction with the last verse has troubled commentators for some time. One approach is to assume the different proverbs apply in different settings. The Rabbis solved it by saying that v. 4 referred to secular things, but v. 5 referred to sacred or religious controversies. Another view is to ignore the fool in negligible issues, but to deal with the fool in significant matters, lest credence be given to what he says (W. G. Plaut, Proverbs, 266). Another approach is that the two proverbs present principles that must be held in tension at the same time. The second half of each verse advises, by reference to outcome, what is fitting or unsuited in making a response. (See B. Waltke, The Book of Proverbs [NICOT], 348-350.) Also consider the example of Paul, who talked like a “fool” to correct the foolish ideas of the Corinthians (2 Cor 11:16-17; 12:11).
Proverbs 26:5 tn Heb “in his own eyes” (so NAB, NASB, NIV).
Proverbs 26:6 sn Sending a messenger on a mission is like having another pair of feet. But if the messenger is a fool, this proverb says, not only does the sender not have an extra pair of feet—he cuts off the pair he has. It would not be simply that the message did not get through; it would get through incorrectly and be a setback! The other simile uses “violence,” a term for violent social wrongs and injustice. The metaphorical idea of “drinking” violence means suffering violence—it is one’s portion. So sending a fool on a mission will have injurious consequences.
Proverbs 26:6 tn The participle could be taken as the subject of the sentence: “the one who sends…cuts off…and drinks.”
Proverbs 26:6 sn The consequence is given in the first line and the cause in the second. It would be better not to send a message at all than to use a fool as messenger.
Proverbs 26:7 tn The line does not start with the comparative preposition כ(kaf) “like,” but the proverb clearly invites comparison between the two lines.
Proverbs 26:7 tn Heb “thighs dangle from the lame.” The verb is דַּלְיוּ (dalyu), from דָּלָה (dalah) or דָּלַל (dalal) biforms which mean “to hang down” and possibly by extension “to let down/lower/be low” and “to draw [water]” i.e., lowering a bucket into a well and drawing it up. We might imagine paralyzed legs either as “dangling” or “pulled up” to a stable position where a person sits, both indicating the uselessness of the legs—they are there but cannot be used. Since the verb must function in both halves of the verse, “dangling” is the most likely picture. Luther gave the verse a fanciful but memorable rendering: “Like dancing to a cripple, so is a proverb in the mouth of the fool.”
Proverbs 26:7 tn Because of the analogy within the verse, indicated in translation by supplying “like,” the conjunction vav has been translated “so.”
Proverbs 26:7 sn As C. H. Toy puts it, the fool is a “proverb-monger” (Proverbs [ICC], 474); he handles an aphorism about as well as a lame man can walk. The fool does not understand, has not implemented, and cannot explain the proverb. It is useless to him even though he repeats it.
Proverbs 26:7 tn The verb has been supplied from the first colon because of the convention of ellipsis and double duty (omitting a word in one line which is understood to apply from another line).
Proverbs 26:8 tn The translation “like tying a stone in a sling” seems to make the most sense, even though the word for “sling” occurs only here. sn The point is that only someone who does not know how a sling works would do such a stupid thing (R. N. Whybray, Proverbs [CBC], 152). So to honor a fool would be absurd; it would be counterproductive, for he would still be a fool.
Proverbs 26:9 tn The line does not start with the comparative preposition כ (kaf) “like,” but the proverb clearly invites comparison between the two lines.
Proverbs 26:9 sn The picture is one of seizing a thornbush and having the thorn pierce the hand (עָלָה בְיַד־, ʿalah v^eyad). A drunk does not know how to handle a thornbush because he cannot control his movements and so gets hurt (W. McKane, Proverbs [OTL], 599). C. H. Toy suggests that this rather means a half-crazy drunken man brandishing a stick (Proverbs [ICC], 475). In this regard cf. NLT “a thornbush brandished by a drunkard.”
Proverbs 26:9 tn Because of the analogy within the verse, indicated in translation by supplying “like,” the conjunction vav has been translated “so.”
Proverbs 26:9 tn The verb has been supplied from the first colon because of the convention of ellipsis and double duty (omitting a word in one line which is understood to apply from another line).
Proverbs 26:9 sn A fool can read or speak a proverb but will be intellectually and spiritually unable to handle it; he will misapply it or misuse it in some way. In doing so he will reveal more of his folly. It is painful to hear fools try to use proverbs.
Proverbs 26:10 tn The line does not start with the comparative preposition כ (kaf) “like,” but the proverb clearly invites comparison between the two lines.
Proverbs 26:10 tn Or “An archer is one who wounds anyone; And the employer of a fool is (particularly) the employer of those just passing by.” This translation understands the participles substantivally rather than verbally. In a battle, archers are not initially taking aim to hit an individual bull’s eye. They shoot as a group high in the air at the approaching enemy forces, who then find themselves in a hail of dangerous arrows. The individual archer is indiscriminate. When someone hires whoever is passing by, indiscriminately, that employer is more likely to end up with an incompetent or foolish employee. The words in the line have several possible meanings, making it difficult and often considered textually defective. The first line has רַב מְחוֹלֵל־כֹּל (rav m^ekholel kol). The first word, רַב (rav), can mean “archer,” “ master,” or “much.” The verb מְחוֹלֵל (m^ekholel) can mean “to wound” or “to bring forth.” The possibilities are: “a master performs [or, produces] all,” “a master injures all,” “an archer wounds all,” or “much produces all.” The line probably should be stating something negative, so the idea of an archer injuring or wounding people [at random] is preferable. An undisciplined hireling will have the same effect as an archer shooting at anything and everything (cf. NLT “an archer who shoots recklessly”).
Proverbs 26:10 tn Because of the analogy within the verse, indicated in translation by supplying “like,” the conjunction vav has been translated “so.”
Proverbs 26:10 tn The participle שֹׂכֵר (shokher) is rendered here according to its normal meaning “hires” or “pays wages to.” Other suggestions include “one who rewards a fool” (derived from the idea of wages) and “one who stops a fool” (from a similar word).
Proverbs 26:11 sn The simile is graphic and debasing (cf. 2 Peter 2:22).
Proverbs 26:11 sn The point is clear: Fools repeat their disgusting mistakes, or to put it another way, whenever we repeat our disgusting mistakes we are fools. The proverb is affirming that no matter how many times a fool is warned, he never learns.
Proverbs 26:12 tn Most translations render the verse as a question (“Have you seen…?” so KJV, NASB, NIV, ESV, Holman) while sometimes this construction is turned into a conditional sentence. But the Hebrew has a perfect verb form (רָאִיתָ; raʾita), expecting past time, without an interrogative or conditional marker. See the note at Prov 26:16.
Proverbs 26:12 tn Heb “in his own eyes” (so ESV, NASB, NIV).
Proverbs 26:12 sn Previous passages in the book of Proverbs all but deny the possibility of hope for the fool. So this proverb is saying there is absolutely no hope for the self-conceited person, and there might be a slight hope for the fool—he may yet figure out that he really is a fool.
Proverbs 26:13 sn The Book of Fools covered vv. 1-12. This marks the beginning of what may be called the Book of Sluggards (vv. 13-16). Cf. this verse with 22:13.
Proverbs 26:13 tn The verb אָמַר (ʾamar) can mean “to say” or “to think.” The proverb uses the Hebrew perfect form of the verb for the past tense, giving the reason the sluggard is still in the house rather than out working. It is an example of the sorts of excuses he has made.
Proverbs 26:13 tn Heb “in the broad plazas”; NAB, NASB “in the square.” This proverb makes the same point as 22:13, namely, that the sluggard uses absurd excuses to get out of work. D. Kidner notes that in this situation the sluggard has probably convinced himself that he is a realist and not a lazy person (Proverbs [TOTC], 163).
Proverbs 26:14 tn The comparative “like” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied from context in the translation.
Proverbs 26:14 sn The sluggard is too lazy to get out of bed—although he would probably rationalize this by saying that he is not at his best in the morning. The humor of the verse is based on an analogy with a door—it moves back and forth on its hinges but goes nowhere. Like the door to the wall, the sluggard is “hinged” to his bed (e.g., Prov 6:9-10; 24:33).
Proverbs 26:14 tn Because of the analogy within the verse, indicated in translation by supplying “like,” the conjunction vav has been translated “so.”
Proverbs 26:14 tn The term “turns” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation from the parallelism.
Proverbs 26:15 tn Heb The verb תָּמַן (taman) means “to bury” (so many English versions) or “to hide” (so KJV). As the perfect form of a dynamic verb it should be understood as past or perfective. The proverb presents a scene where the sluggard has not just reached to the food in the dish but has buried his hand in it. The second comment reveals that this is not a frozen frame, but a continuing scene revealing the extent of his laziness.
Proverbs 26:15 tn The verb נִלְאָה (nilʾah) is a Niphal perfect of the root לָאָה (laʾah) “to be/grow weary.” The Niphal is typically reflexive, “to wear oneself out.” Since the sluggard has not worked, the choice of this verb sounds like a jest. Perhaps it should be understood that, for the sluggard, merely reaching to the bowl is such effort as to become (or feel) to weary to bring his hand back.
Proverbs 26:15 sn The proverb is stating that the sluggard is too lazy to eat; this is essentially the same point made in 19:24 (see the note there).
Proverbs 26:16 tn Heb “in his eyes.” The lazy person thinks that he has life all figured out and has chosen the wise course of action—but he is simply lazy. J. H. Greenstone says, for example, “Much anti-intellectualism may be traced to such rationalization for laziness” (Proverbs, 269).
Proverbs 26:16 tn The term means “taste; judgment.” The related verb means “to taste; to perceive,” that is, “to examine by tasting,” or examine by experiencing (e.g., Ps 34:9). Here the idea is expressed with the participle in construct, “those returners [of] good sense,” those who answer tastefully, with discretion. Cf. NIV “who (+ can NRSV) answer discreetly.”
Proverbs 26:17 tn The comparative “like” and the following “so” are not in the Hebrew text, but supplied from context in the translation. The Hebrew is a metaphor with the predicate first, rendered here as a simile to preserve the order.
Proverbs 26:17 tn Heb “grabs the ears of a dog. The word “wild” has been supplied in the translation to make clear that these were not domesticated pets. CEV, to accomplish the same point, has “a mad dog,” but there is no indication of that in context.sn Someone who did this ran a serious risk of injury or harm. Dogs were not domestic pets in the ancient Near East; they were scavengers that ran in packs like jackals.
Proverbs 26:17 tn The word מִתְעַבֵּר (mitʿabber) means “to put oneself in a fury” or “become furious” (BDB 720 s.v.). The Latin version apparently assumed the verb was עָרַב (ʿarav), for it has the sense of “meddle” (so also NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). However, the MT reading could easily fit the verse, referring to anyone passing by who gets furious over a fight that is not his.sn Perhaps the passerby who intrudes (likely not knowing all the facts of the matter) will become the target of both parties’ displeasure.
Proverbs 26:18 tn The term כְּמִתְלַהְלֵהַּ (k^emitlahleah) is the Hitpalpel participle of the quadriliteral verbal root לִהְלֵהַּ (lihleah), which means “to amaze; to startle” (BDB 529 s.v.). Here it functions as a substantive—the object of the preposition—and has the meaning of “madman” (cf. NRSV “maniac”). This is the only occurrence of the term.
Proverbs 26:18 tn Heb “arrows and death” (so KJV, NASB). This expression can be understood as a nominal hendiadys: “deadly arrows” (so NAB, NIV).
Proverbs 26:19 tn Heb “man.”
Proverbs 26:19 sn The subject of this proverb is not simply a deceiver, but one who does so out of jest, or at least who claims he was joking afterward. (The LXX adds that he says this “whenever he is discovered.”) The participle מְשַׂחֵק (m^esakheq) has the idea of “laughing, mocking”; in this context it might convey the idea of “kidding” or “joking.” The point is that such practical joking is immature and often dangerous. To the foolish deceiver it might all seem like fun, like sport, but it can destroy people. One cannot trifle with dangerous weapons, or put them in irresponsible hands; likewise one cannot trifle with human relationships. W. G. Plaut notes, “The only worthwhile humor is that which laughs with, not at others” (Proverbs, 270).
Proverbs 26:20 sn Gossip (that is, the one who goes around whispering and slandering) fuels contention just as wood fuels a fire. The point of the proverb is to prevent contention—if one takes away the cause, contention will cease (e.g., 18:8).
Proverbs 26:20 tn Heb “becomes silent.”
Proverbs 26:21 sn Heb “a man of contentions”; NCV, NRSV, NLT “a quarrelsome person.” The expression focuses on the person who is contentious by nature. His quarreling is like piling fuel on a fire that would otherwise go out. This kind of person not only starts strife, but keeps it going.
Proverbs 26:21 tn The Pilpel infinitive construct לְחַרְחַר (l^ekharkhar) from חָרַר (kharar, “to be hot; to be scorched; to burn”) means “to kindle; to cause to flare up.”
Proverbs 26:22 tn The proverb is identical to 18:8 (see notes there); it observes how appealing gossip is.
Proverbs 26:23 tn The traditional translation of “silver dross” (so KJV, ASV, NASB) never did make much sense because the parallel idea deals with hypocrisy—“fervent lips with an evil heart.” But silver dross would not be used over earthenware—instead it is discarded. Yet the MT clearly has “silver dross” (כֶּסֶף סִיגִים, kesef sigim). Ugaritic turned up a word spsg which means “glaze,” and this found a parallel in Hittite zapzaga[y]a. H. L. Ginsberg repointed the Hebrew text to k’sapsagim, “like glaze,” and this has been adopted by many commentators and recent English versions (e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). The final ם (mem) is then classified as enclitic. See, among others, K. L. Barker, “The Value of Ugaritic for Old Testament Studies,” BSac 133 (1976): 128-29.
Proverbs 26:23 tn The word translated “fervent” actually means “burning, glowing”; the LXX has “flattering lips” (as if from חָלַק [khalaq] rather than דָּלַק [dalaq]).
Proverbs 26:23 sn The analogy fits the second line very well. Glaze makes a vessel look beautiful and certainly different from the clay that it actually is. So is one who has evil intent (“heart”) but covers it with glowing speech.
Proverbs 26:24 tn The Niphal imperfect from נָכַר (nakhar) means “to act [or, treat] as a foreigner [or, stranger]; to misconstrue; to disguise.” The direct object (“it”) is not present in the Hebrew text but is implied. In this passage it means that the hater speaks what is “foreign” to his thought; in other words, he dissembles.
Proverbs 26:24 tn Or “places; puts; lays up” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB).
Proverbs 26:24 tn Heb “within him” (so KJV, ASV) or “in his midst”; NAB “in his inmost being.” sn Hypocritical words may hide a wicked heart. The proverb makes an observation: One who in reality despises other people will often disguise that with what he says.
Proverbs 26:25 tn The particle כִּי (ki) is here interpreted with a temporal nuance. It is also possible that it could be read as concessive (so NIV, NLT “Though”).
Proverbs 26:25 tn The meaning of the rare Piel form of חָנַן (khanan) is “to make gracious; to make favorable.” The subject is קוֹלוֹ (qolo, “his voice”), a metonymy of cause for what he says. The idea is that what he says is very gracious in its content and its effect.
Proverbs 26:25 sn It may be that the placing of this proverb in this setting is designed to point out that the person speaking graciously is this wicked person who conceals an evil heart. Otherwise it may have in mind a person who has already proven untrustworthy but protests in order to conceal his plans. But even if that were not the connection, the proverb would still warn the disciple not to believe someone just because it sounded wonderful. It will take great discernment to know if there is sincerity behind the person’s words.
Proverbs 26:25 sn The number “seven” is used in scripture as the complete number. In this passage it is not intended to be literally seven; rather, the expression means that there is complete or total abomination in his heart. Cf. TEV “his heart is filled to the brim with hate.”
Proverbs 26:25 sn “Abomination” means something that is loathed. This is a description applied by the writer, for the hypocritical person would not refer to his plans this way.
Proverbs 26:26 tn The referent is apparently the individual of vv. 24-25.
Proverbs 26:26 tn The form תִּכַּסֶּה (tikkasseh) is the Hitpael imperfect (with assimilation); it is probably passive, meaning “is concealed,” although it could mean “conceals itself” (naturally). Since the proverb uses antithetical parallelism, an imperfect tense nuance of possibility (“may be concealed”) works well here (cf. NIV, NLT).
Proverbs 26:26 sn The Hebrew verb means “to uncover,” here in the sense of “to reveal; to make known; to expose.” The verse is promising that the evil the person has done will be exposed publicly. The common belief that righteousness will ultimately triumph informs this saying.
Proverbs 26:27 sn The verse is teaching talionic justice (“an eye for an eye,” etc.), and so the activities described should be interpreted as evil in their intent. “Digging a pit” would mean laying a trap for someone (the figure of speech would be a metonymy of cause for the effect of ruining someone, if an actual pit is being dug; the figure would be hypocatastasis if digging a pit is being compared to laying a trap, but no pit is being dug). Likewise, “rolling a stone” on someone means to destroy that individual.
Proverbs 26:28 tn Heb “the tongue of deception.” The subject matter of this proverb is deceptive speech. The “tongue of deception” (using a metonymy of cause with an attributive genitive) means that what is said is false. Likewise the “smooth mouth” means that what is said is smooth, flattering.
Proverbs 26:28 sn The verse makes it clear that only pain and ruin can come from deception. The statement that the lying tongue “hates those crushed by it” suggests that the sentiments of hatred help the deceiver justify what he says about people. The ruin that he brings is probably on other people, but it could also be taken to include his own ruin.

1 Thessalonians 5

The Day of the Lord

5 Now on the topic of times and seasons,^[a] brothers and sisters,^[b] you have no need for anything to be written to you. ²For you know quite well that the day of the Lord^[c] will come in the same way as a thief in the night.^[d] ³Now when^[e] they are saying, “There is peace and security,”^[f] then sudden destruction comes on them, like labor pains^[g] on a pregnant woman, and they will surely not escape. ⁴But you, brothers and sisters,^[h] are not in the darkness for the day to overtake you like a thief would. ⁵For you all are sons of the light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of the darkness. ⁶So then we must not sleep as the rest, but must stay alert and sober. ⁷For those who sleep, sleep at night and those who get drunk are drunk at night. ⁸But since we are of the day, we must stay sober by putting on the breastplate^[i] of faith and love and as a helmet our hope for salvation.^[j] ⁹For God did not destine us for wrath^[k] but for gaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁰He died^[l] for us so that whether we are alert or asleep^[m] we will come to life together with him. ¹¹Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, just as you are in fact doing.

Final Instructions

¹²Now we ask you, brothers and sisters,^[n] to acknowledge those who labor among you and preside over you in the Lord and admonish you, ¹³and to esteem them most highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. ¹⁴And we urge you, brothers and sisters,^[o] admonish the undisciplined, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient toward all. ¹⁵See that no one pays back evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all. ¹⁶Always rejoice, ¹⁷constantly pray, ¹⁸in everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ¹⁹Do not extinguish the Spirit. ²⁰Do not treat prophecies with contempt. ²¹But examine all things; hold fast to what is good. ²²Stay away from every form of evil.

Conclusion

²³Now may the God of peace himself make you completely holy and may your spirit and soul and body be kept entirely blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴He who calls you is trustworthy, and he will in fact do this.^[p] ²⁵Brothers and sisters,^[q] pray for us too. ²⁶Greet all the brothers and sisters^[r] with a holy kiss. ²⁷I call on you solemnly in the Lord^[s] to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.^[t] ²⁸The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.^[u]

Footnotes

1 Thessalonians 5:1 tn Grk “concerning the times and the seasons,” a reference to future periods of eschatological fulfillment (cf. Acts 1:7).
1 Thessalonians 5:1 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.
1 Thessalonians 5:2 sn The day of the Lord is the period of time in the future when the Lord will intervene in the events of this earth to consummate his redemption and his judgment (Isa 2:11-12; 13:6-13; Ezek 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:32; 3:18; Amos 5:18-20; Obad 15-17; Zeph 1:7-18; 2:2-3; Zech 14:1, 13, 20-21; Mal 4:1, 5; 1 Cor 1:8; 5:5; 2 Cor 1:14; 2 Thess 2:2; 2 Pet 3:10). It includes both blessings and curses, though the latter is emphasized here.
1 Thessalonians 5:2 sn Jesus used a thief coming at night as an illustration of the unexpected and hostile nature of the coming of God’s judgment in the future. This is repeated in various ways in v. 4; 2 Pet 3:10; Rev 3:3; 16:15.
1 Thessalonians 5:3 tc ‡ δέ (de, “now”) is found in א² B D 0226 6 1505 1739 1881 2464 al, but lacking in א* A F G 33 it. γάρ (gar, “for”) is the reading of the Byzantine text and a few other witnesses (Ψ 0278 1175 1241 M al). Although normally the shorter reading is to be preferred, the external evidence is superior for δέ (being found in the somewhat better Alexandrian and Western witnesses). What, then, is to explain the γάρ? Scribes were prone to replace δέ with γάρ, especially in sentences suggesting a causal or explanatory idea, thus making the point more explicit. Internally, the omission of δέ looks unintentional, a case of homoioarcton (otandelegwsin). Although a decision is difficult, in this instance δέ has the best credentials for authenticity.
1 Thessalonians 5:3 tn Grk “peace and security,” with “there is” understood in the Greek construction.
1 Thessalonians 5:3 tn Grk a singular “birth pain.”
1 Thessalonians 5:4 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.
1 Thessalonians 5:8 sn An allusion to Isa 59:17.
1 Thessalonians 5:8 tn Grk “hope of salvation” (“a helmet…for salvation” is an allusion to Isa 59:17).
1 Thessalonians 5:9 sn God did not destine us for wrath. In context this refers to the outpouring of God’s wrath on the earth in the day of the Lord (1 Thess 5:2-4).
1 Thessalonians 5:10 tn Grk “the one who died,” describing Jesus Christ (1 Thess 5:9). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 10 in the translation.
1 Thessalonians 5:10 sn The phrases alert or asleep may be understood (1) of moral alertness (living in faith, love, and hope as vv. 6, 8 call for, versus being unresponsive to God) or (2) of physical life and death (whether alive or dead). The first fits better with the context of 5:1-9, while the second returns to the point Paul started with in 4:13-18 (no disadvantage for the believing dead).
1 Thessalonians 5:12 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.
1 Thessalonians 5:14 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.
1 Thessalonians 5:24 tn Grk “who will also do,” with the object understood from v. 23.
1 Thessalonians 5:25 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.
1 Thessalonians 5:26 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.
1 Thessalonians 5:27 tn Grk “I adjure you by the Lord,” “I put you under oath before the Lord.”
1 Thessalonians 5:27 tc Most witnesses, including some significant ones (א² A Ψ 33 1175 1241 1505 1739 1881 2464 M ar vg sy bo), read “holy” before “brothers [and sisters]” (ἁγίοις ἀδελφοῖς, hagiois adelphois). It is possible that ἁγίοις dropped out by way of homoioteleuton (in majuscule script the words would be written agioisadelfois), but it is equally possible that the adjective was added because of the influence of ἁγίῳ (hagiō) in v. 26. Another internal consideration is that the expression ἅγιοι ἀδελφοί (hagioi adelphoi, “holy brothers”) is not found elsewhere in the corpus Paulinum, though Col 1:2 comes close. But this fact could be argued either way: It may suggest that such an expression is not Pauline; on the other hand, the unusualness of the expression could have resulted in an alteration by some scribes. At the same time, since 1 Thessalonians is one of the earliest of Paul’s letters, and written well before he addresses Christians as saints (ἅγιοι) in 1 Corinthians for the first time, one might argue that Paul’s own forms of expression were going through something of a metamorphosis. Scribes insensitive to this fact could well impute later Pauline collocations onto his earlier letters. The internal evidence seems to support, albeit slightly, the omission of ἁγίοις here. Externally, most of the better witnesses of the Alexandrian and Western families (א* B D F G 0278 it sa Ambst) offer sufficient diversity for the shorter reading. Although the rating of “A” in UBS⁴ and UBS⁵ for the omission seems too generous, this reading is still to be preferred.tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:4.
1 Thessalonians 5:28 tc Most witnesses, including a few significant ones (א A D¹ Ψ 1175 1241 1505 1739^c 2464 M lat sy bo), conclude this letter with ἀμήν (amēn, “amen”). Such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant. Further, the witnesses for the omission are sufficiently early and diffuse (B D* F G 0278 6 33 1739* 1881 it sa Ambst) to render the verdict against the particle here.

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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Clean and Unclean Land Creatures

Clean and Unclean Water Creatures

Clean and Unclean Birds

Clean and Unclean Insects

Carcass Uncleanness

Inedible Land Quadrupeds

Creatures that Swarm on the Land

Edible Land Animals

Purification of a Woman after Childbirth

Footnotes

Psalm 13[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

Psalm 14[p]

For the music director, by David.

Footnotes

Footnotes

The Day of the Lord

Final Instructions

Conclusion

Footnotes

Psalm 13^[a]

Psalm 14^[p]