Ayub 12:19

12:19 He leads priests away stripped ¹ 

and overthrows ²  the potentates. ³ 

Mazmur 8:5

8:5 and make them a little less than the heavenly beings? ⁴ 

You grant mankind ⁵  honor and majesty; ⁶ 

Mazmur 18:43

18:43 You rescue me from a hostile army; ⁷ 

you make me ⁸  a leader of nations;

people over whom I had no authority are now my subjects. ⁹ 

Mazmur 144:3

144:3 O Lord, of what importance is the human race, ¹⁰  that you should notice them?

Of what importance is mankind, ¹¹  that you should be concerned about them? ¹² 

Yesaya 17:13

17:13 Though these people make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves, ¹³ 

when he shouts at ¹⁴  them, they will flee to a distant land,

driven before the wind like dead weeds on the hills,

or like dead thistles ¹⁵  before a strong gale.

Yesaya 29:5

29:5 But the horde of invaders will be like fine dust,

the horde of tyrants ¹⁶  like chaff that is blown away.

It will happen suddenly, in a flash.

Yesaya 40:15

40:15 Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket;

they are regarded as dust on the scales.

He lifts ¹⁷  the coastlands ¹⁸  as if they were dust.

Yakobus 4:14

4:14 You ¹⁹  do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like? ²⁰  For you are a puff of smoke ²¹  that appears for a short time and then vanishes.

[12:19]  ¹ tn Except for “priests,” the phraseology is identical to v. 17a.

[12:19]  ² tn The verb has to be defined by its context: it can mean “falsify” (Exod 23:8), “make tortuous” (Prov 19:3), or “plunge” into misfortune (Prov 21:12). God overthrows those who seem to be solid.

[12:19]  ³ tn The original meaning of אֵיתָן (’eytan) is “perpetual.” It is usually an epithet for a torrent that is always flowing. It carries the connotations of permanence and stability; here applied to people in society, it refers to one whose power and influence does not change. These are the pillars of society.

[8:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “and you make him lack a little from [the] gods [or “God”].” The Piel form of חָסַר (khasar, “to decrease, to be devoid”) is used only here and in Eccl 4:8, where it means “to deprive, to cause to be lacking.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive either carries on the characteristic nuance of the imperfect in v. 5b or indicates a consequence (“so that you make him…”) of the preceding statement (see GKC 328 §111.m). Some prefer to make this an independent clause and translate it as a new sentence, “You made him….” In this case the statement might refer specifically to the creation of the first human couple, Adam and Eve (cf. Gen 1:26-27). The psalmist does appear to allude to Gen 1:26-27, where mankind is created in the image of God and his angelic assembly (note “let us make man in our image” in Gen 1:26). However, the psalmist’s statement need not be limited in its focus to that historical event, for all mankind shares the image imparted to the first human couple. Consequently the psalmist can speak in general terms of the exalted nature of mankind. The referent of אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “God” or “the heavenly beings”) is unclear. Some understand this as a reference to God alone, but the allusion to Gen 1:26-27 suggests a broader referent, including God and the other heavenly beings (known in other texts as “angels”). The term אֱלֹהִים is also used in this way in Gen 3:5, where the serpent says to the woman, “you will be like the heavenly beings who know good and evil.” (Note Gen 3:22, where God says, “the man has become like one of us.”) Also אֱלֹהִים may refer to the members of the heavenly assembly in Ps 82:1, 6. The LXX (the ancient Greek translation of the OT) reads “angels” in Ps 8:5 (this is the source of the quotation of Ps 8:5 in Heb 2:7).

[8:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “you crown him [with].” The imperfect verbal forms in this and the next line describe God’s characteristic activity.

[8:5]  ⁶ sn Honor and majesty. These terms allude to mankind’s royal status as God’s vice-regents (cf. v. 6 and Gen 1:26-30).

[18:43]  ⁷ tn Heb “from the strivings of a people.” In this context the Hebrew term רִיב (riv, “striving”) probably has a militaristic sense (as in Judg 12:2; Isa 41:11), and עָם (’am, “people”) probably refers more specifically to an army (for other examples, see the verses listed in BDB 766 s.v. I עַם, עָם 2.d). Some understand the phrase as referring to attacks by the psalmist’s own countrymen, the “nation” being Israel. However, foreign enemies appear to be in view; note the reference to “nations” in the following line.

[18:43]  ⁸ tn 2 Sam 22:44 reads, “you keep me.”

[18:43]  ⁹ tn Heb “a people whom I did not know serve me.” In this context “know” (יָדַע, yada’) probably refers to formal recognition by treaty. People who were once not under the psalmist’s authority now willingly submit to his rulership to avoid being conquered militarily (see vv. 44-45). The language may recall the events recorded in 2 Sam 8:9-10 and 10:19.

[144:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “What is mankind?” The singular noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) is used here in a collective sense and refers to the human race. See Ps 8:5.

[144:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and the son of man.” The phrase “son of man” is used here in a collective sense and refers to human beings. For other uses of the phrase in a collective or representative manner, see Num 23:19; Ps 146:3; Isa 51:12.

[144:3]  ¹² tn Heb “take account of him.” The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 describe God’s characteristic activity.

[17:13]  ¹³ tn Heb “the peoples are in an uproar like the uproar of mighty waters.”

[17:13]  ¹⁴ tn Or “rebukes.” The verb and related noun are used in theophanies of God’s battle cry which terrifies his enemies. See, for example, Pss 18:15; 76:7; 106:9; Isa 50:2; Nah 1:4, and A. Caquot, TDOT 3:49-53.

[17:13]  ¹⁵ tn Or perhaps “tumbleweed” (NAB, NIV, CEV); KJV “like a rolling thing.”

[29:5]  ¹⁶ tn Or “violent men”; cf. NASB “the ruthless ones.”

[40:15]  ¹⁷ tn Or “weighs” (NIV); NLT “picks up.”

[40:15]  ¹⁸ tn Or “islands” (NASB, NIV, NLT).

[4:14]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “who” (continuing the description of the people of v. 13). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[4:14]  ²⁰ tn Or “you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.”

[4:14]  ²¹ tn Or “a vapor.” The Greek word ἀτμίς (atmis) denotes a swirl of smoke arising from a fire (cf. Gen 19:28; Lev 16:13; Joel 2:30 [Acts 2:19]; Ezek 8:11).