65:1 “I made myself available to those who did not ask for me; 1
I appeared to those who did not look for me. 2
I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’
to a nation that did not invoke 3 my name.
9:12 As a result they 4 will conquer those left in Edom 5
and all the nations subject to my rule.” 6
The Lord, who is about to do this, is speaking!
15:17 so that the rest of humanity 7 may seek the Lord,
namely, 8 all the Gentiles 9 I have called to be my own,’ 10 says the Lord, 11 who makes these things
1 tn Heb “I allowed myself to be sought by those who did not ask.”
2 tn Heb “I allowed myself to be found by those who did not seek.”
3 tn Heb “call out in”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “call on.”
4 sn They probably refers to the Israelites or to the Davidic rulers of the future.
5 tn Heb “take possession of the remnant of Edom”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “possess the remnant of Edom.”
6 tn Heb “nations over whom my name is proclaimed.” The Hebrew idiom indicates ownership, sometimes as a result of conquest. See 2 Sam 12:28.
sn This verse envisions a new era of Israelite rule, perhaps patterned after David’s imperialistic successes (see 2 Sam 8-10). At the same time, however, the verse does not specify how this rule is to be accomplished. Note that the book ends with a description of peace and abundance, and its final reference to God (v. 15) does not include the epithet “the Lord who commands armies,” which has militaristic overtones. This is quite a different scene than what the book began with: nations at war and standing under the judgment of God.
7 tn Or “so that all other people.” The use of this term follows Amos 9:11 LXX.
8 tn Here καί (kai) introduces an explanatory clause that explains the preceding phrase “the rest of humanity.” The clause introduced by καί (kai) could also be punctuated in English as a parenthesis.
9 tn Or “all the nations” (in Greek the word for “nation” and “Gentile” is the same).
sn Note the linkage back to v. 14 through the mention of Gentiles. What Simeon explained is what the OT text says would happen.
10 tn Grk “all the Gentiles on whom my name has been called.” Based on well-attested OT usage, the passive of ἐπικαλέω (epikalew) here indicates God’s ownership (“all the Gentiles who belong to me”) or calling (“all the Gentiles whom I have called to be my own”). See L&N 11.28.
11 sn A quotation from Amos 9:11-12 LXX. James demonstrated a high degree of cultural sensitivity when he cited a version of the text (the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament) that Gentiles would use.