2 Tawarikh 13:4

13:4 Abijah ascended Mount Zemaraim, in the Ephraimite hill country, and said: “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel!

2 Tawarikh 20:15

20:15 He said: “Pay attention, all you people of Judah, ¹  residents of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Don’t be afraid and don’t panic ²  because of this huge army! For the battle is not yours, but God’s.

2 Tawarikh 20:20

20:20 Early the next morning they marched out to the Desert of Tekoa. When they were ready to march, Jehoshaphat stood up and said: “Listen to me, you people of Judah ³  and residents of Jerusalem! Trust in the Lord your God and you will be safe! ⁴  Trust in the message of his prophets and you will win.”

Yudas 1:7

1:7 So also ⁵  Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring towns, ⁶  since they indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire ⁷  in a way similar to ⁸  these angels, ⁹  are now displayed as an example by suffering the punishment of eternal fire.

Mazmur 49:1-2

Psalm 49 ¹⁰ 

For the music director, a psalm by the Korahites.

49:1 Listen to this, all you nations!

Pay attention, all you inhabitants of the world! ¹¹ 

49:2 Pay attention, all you people, ¹² 

both rich and poor!

Yesaya 7:13

7:13 So Isaiah replied, ¹³  “Pay attention, ¹⁴  family ¹⁵  of David. ¹⁶  Do you consider it too insignificant to try the patience of men? Is that why you are also trying the patience of my God?

Matius 13:9

13:9 The one who has ears had better listen!” ¹⁷ 

Wahyu 2:7

2:7 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, ¹⁸  I will permit ¹⁹  him to eat from the tree of life that is ²⁰  in the paradise of God.’ ²¹ 

Wahyu 2:11

2:11 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers ²²  will in no way be harmed by the second death.’

Wahyu 2:17

2:17 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, ²³  I will give him some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white ²⁴  stone, ²⁵  and on that stone will be written a new name that no one can understand ²⁶  except the one who receives it.’

Wahyu 2:29

2:29 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Wahyu 3:6

3:6 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Wahyu 3:13

3:13 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Wahyu 3:22

3:22 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

[20:15]  ¹ tn Heb “all Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew text uses the name “Judah” by metonymy for the people of Judah. Unlike the previous instance in v. 13 where infants, wives, and children are mentioned separately, this reference appears to include them all.

[20:15]  ² tn Or perhaps “don’t get discouraged.”

[20:20]  ³ tn Heb “O Judah.” The words “you people of” are supplied in the translation for clarity. See the note on the word “Judah” in v. 15.

[20:20]  ⁴ tn There is a wordplay in the Hebrew text. The Hiphil verb form הַאֲמִינוּ (ha’aminu, “trust”) and the Niphal form תֵאָמֵנוּ (te’amenu, “you will be safe”) come from the same verbal root (אָמַן, ’aman).

[1:7]  ⁵ tn Grk “as.”

[1:7]  ⁶ tn Grk “the towns [or cities] surrounding them.”

[1:7]  ⁷ tn Grk “strange flesh.” This phrase has been variously interpreted. It could refer to flesh of another species (such as angels lusting after human flesh). This would aptly describe the sin of the angels, but not easily explain the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. It could refer to the homosexual practices of the Sodomites, but a difficulty arises from the use of ἕτερος ({etero"; “strange,” “other”). When this is to be distinguished from ἄλλος (allos, “another”) it suggests “another of a different kind.” If so, would that properly describe homosexual behavior? In response, the language could easily be compact: “pursued flesh other than what was normally pursued.” However, would this find an analogy in the lust of angels (such would imply that angels normally had sexual relations of some sort, but cf. Matt 22:30)? Another alternative is that the focus of the parallel is on the activity of the surrounding cities and the activity of the angels. This is especially plausible since the participles ἐκπορνεύσασαι (ekporneusasai, “having indulged in sexual immorality”) and ἀπελθοῦσαι (apelqousai, “having pursued”) have concord with “cities” (πόλεις, poleis), a feminine plural noun, rather than with Sodom and Gomorrah (both masculine nouns). If so, then their sin would not necessarily have to be homosexuality. However, most likely the feminine participles are used because of constructio ad sensum (construction according to sense). That is, since both Sodom and Gomorrah are cities, the feminine is used to imply that all the cities are involved. The connection with angels thus seems to be somewhat loose: Both angels and Sodom and Gomorrah indulged in heinous sexual immorality. Thus, whether the false teachers indulge in homosexual activity is not the point; mere sexual immorality is enough to condemn them.

[1:7]  ⁸ tn Or “in the same way as.”

[1:7]  ⁹ tn “Angels” is not in the Greek text; but the masculine demonstrative pronoun most likely refers back to the angels of v. 6.

[49:1]  ¹⁰ sn Psalm 49. In this so-called wisdom psalm (see v. 3) the psalmist states that he will not fear the rich enemies who threaten him, for despite their wealth, they are mere men who will die like everyone else. The psalmist is confident the Lord will vindicate the godly and protect them from the attacks of their oppressors.

[49:1]  ¹¹ tn The rare noun חָלֶד (kheled, “world”) occurs in Ps 17:14 and perhaps also in Isa 38:11 (see the note on “world” there).

[49:2]  ¹² tn Heb “even the sons of mankind, even the sons of man.” Because of the parallel line, where “rich and poor” are mentioned, some treat these expressions as polar opposites, with בְּנֵי אָדָם (bÿney ’adam) referring to the lower classes and בְּנֵי אִישׁ (bÿney ’ish) to higher classes (cf. NIV, NRSV). But usage does not support such a view. The rare phrase בְּנֵי אִישׁ (“sons of man”) appears to refer to human beings in general in its other uses (see Pss 4:2; 62:9; Lam 3:33). It is better to understand “even the sons of mankind” and “even the sons of man” as synonymous expressions (cf. NEB “all mankind, every living man”). The repetition emphasizes the need for all people to pay attention, for the psalmist’s message is relevant to everyone.

[7:13]  ¹³ tn Heb “and he said.” The subject is unexpressed, but the reference to “my God” at the end of the verse indicates the prophet is speaking.

[7:13]  ¹⁴ tn The verb is second plural in form, because the prophet addresses the whole family of David. He continues to use the plural in v. 14 (with one exception, see the notes on that verse), but then switches back to the second singular (addressing Ahaz specifically) in vv. 16-17.

[7:13]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “house.” See the note at v. 2.

[7:13]  ¹⁶ sn The address to the “house of David” is designed to remind Ahaz and his royal court of the protection promised to them through the Davidic covenant. The king’s refusal to claim God’s promise magnifies his lack of faith.

[13:9]  ¹⁷ tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15, 13:43; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8, 14:35).

[2:7]  ¹⁸ tn Or “who is victorious”; traditionally, “who overcomes.” The pendent dative is allowed to stand in the English translation because it is characteristic of the author’s style in Revelation.

[2:7]  ¹⁹ tn Or “grant.”

[2:7]  ²⁰ tn Or “stands.”

[2:7]  ²¹ tc The omission of “my” (μου, mou) after “God” (θεοῦ, qeou) is well attested, supported by א A C and the Andreas of Caesarea group of Byzantine mss (Ï^A). Its addition in 1611, the Ï^K group, latt, and others, seems to be evidence of a purposeful conforming of the text to 3:2 and the four occurrences of “my God” (θεοῦ μου) in 3:12.

[2:11]  ²² tn Or “who is victorious”; traditionally, “who overcomes.”

[2:17]  ²³ tn Or “who is victorious”; traditionally, “who overcomes.” The pendent dative is allowed to stand in the English translation because it is characteristic of the author’s style in Revelation.

[2:17]  ²⁴ tn Or “bright.” The Greek term λευκός (leukos) can refer either to the color white (traditional here) or to an object that is bright or shining, either from itself or from an outside source of illumination (L&N 14.50; 79.27).

[2:17]  ²⁵ tn On the interpretation of the stone, L&N 2.27 states, “A number of different suggestions have been made as to the reference of ψῆφος in this context. Some scholars believe that the white ψῆφος indicates a vote of acquittal in court. Others contend that it is simply a magical amulet; still others, a token of Roman hospitality; and finally, some have suggested that it may represent a ticket to the gladiatorial games, that is to say, to martyrdom. The context, however, suggests clearly that this is something to be prized and a type of reward for those who have ‘won the victory.’”

[2:17]  ²⁶ tn Or “know”; for the meaning “understand” see L&N 32.4.