Mazmur 37:9

37:9 Wicked men ¹  will be wiped out, ² 

but those who rely on the Lord are the ones who will possess the land. ³ 

Mazmur 40:2

40:2 He lifted me out of the watery pit, ⁴ 

out of the slimy mud. ⁵ 

He placed my feet on a rock

and gave me secure footing. ⁶ 

Yesaya 30:18

The Lord Will Not Abandon His People

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

he sits on his throne, ready to have compassion on you. ⁷ 

Indeed, the Lord is a just God;

all who wait for him in faith will be blessed. ⁸ 

Lukas 18:1

Prayer and the Parable of the Persistent Widow

18:1 Then ⁹  Jesus ¹⁰  told them a parable to show them they should always ¹¹  pray and not lose heart. ¹² 

[37:9]  ¹ tn Heb “for evil men.” The conjunction כִּי (ki, “for”) relates to the exhortations in v. 8; there is no reason to be frustrated, for the evildoers will be punished in due time.

[37:9]  ² tn Or “cut off, removed.”

[37:9]  ³ tn Heb “and those who wait on the Lord, they will possess the land.”

[40:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “cistern of roaring.” The Hebrew noun בּוֹר (bor, “cistern, pit”) is used metaphorically here of Sheol, the place of death, which is sometimes depicted as a raging sea (see Ps 18:4, 15-16). The noun שָׁאוֹן (sha’on, “roaring”) refers elsewhere to the crashing sound of the sea’s waves (see Ps 65:7).

[40:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “from the mud of mud.” The Hebrew phrase translated “slimy mud” employs an appositional genitive. Two synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971): 17-81.

[40:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “he established my footsteps.”

[30:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “Therefore the Lord waits to show you mercy, and therefore he is exalted to have compassion on you.” The logical connection between this verse and what precedes is problematic. The point seems to be that Judah’s impending doom does not bring God joy. Rather the prospect of their suffering stirs within him a willingness to show mercy and compassion, if they are willing to seek him on his terms.

[30:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “Blessed are all who wait for him.”

[18:1]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[18:1]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “should pray at all times” (L&N 67.88).

[18:1]  ¹² sn This is one of the few parables that comes with an explanation at the start: …they should always pray and not lose heart. It is part of Luke’s goal in encouraging Theophilus (1:4).