Ulangan 11:18

11:18 Fix these words of mine into your mind and being, ¹  and tie them as a reminder on your hands and let them be symbols ²  on your forehead.

Ulangan 32:46

32:46 he said to them, “Keep in mind all the words I am solemnly proclaiming to you today; you must command your children to observe carefully all the words of this law.

Mazmur 37:31

37:31 The law of their God controls their thinking; ³ 

their ⁴  feet do not slip.

Mazmur 40:8

40:8 I want to do what pleases you, ⁵  my God.

Your law dominates my thoughts.” ⁶ 

Mazmur 119:11

119:11 In my heart I store up ⁷  your words, ⁸ 

so I might not sin against you.

Mazmur 119:98

119:98 Your commandments ⁹  make me wiser than my enemies,

for I am always aware of them.

Amsal 2:10-11

2:10 For wisdom will enter your heart, ¹⁰ 

and moral knowledge ¹¹  will be attractive ¹²  to you. ¹³ 

2:11 Discretion ¹⁴  will protect you, ¹⁵ 

understanding will guard you,

Amsal 3:1-3

Exhortations to Seek Wisdom and Walk with the Lord ¹⁶ 

3:1 My child, ¹⁷  do not forget my teaching,

but let your heart keep ¹⁸  my commandments,

3:2 for they will provide ¹⁹  a long and full life, ²⁰ 

and they will add well-being ²¹  to you.

3:3 Do not let truth and mercy ²²  leave you;

bind them around your neck,

write them on the tablet of your heart. ²³ 

Amsal 3:5

3:5 Trust ²⁴  in the Lord with all your heart, ²⁵ 

and do not rely ²⁶  on your own understanding. ²⁷ 

Amsal 7:3

7:3 Bind them on your forearm; ²⁸ 

write them on the tablet of your heart. ²⁹ 

Yesaya 51:7

51:7 Listen to me, you who know what is right,

you people who are aware of my law! ³⁰ 

Don’t be afraid of the insults of men;

don’t be discouraged because of their abuse!

Yeremia 31:33

31:33 “But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel ³¹  after I plant them back in the land,” ³²  says the Lord. ³³  “I will ³⁴  put my law within them ³⁵  and write it on their hearts and minds. ³⁶  I will be their God and they will be my people. ³⁷ 

Lukas 2:51

2:51 Then ³⁸  he went down with them and came to Nazareth, ³⁹  and was obedient ⁴⁰  to them. But ⁴¹  his mother kept all these things ⁴²  in her heart. ⁴³ 

Lukas 8:15

8:15 But as for the seed that landed on good soil, these are the ones who, after hearing ⁴⁴  the word, cling to it ⁴⁵  with an honest and good ⁴⁶  heart, and bear fruit with steadfast endurance. ⁴⁷ 

Lukas 8:2

8:2 and also some women ⁴⁸  who had been healed of evil spirits and disabilities: ⁴⁹  Mary ⁵⁰  (called Magdalene), from whom seven demons had gone out,

Kolose 3:3

3:3 for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Kolose 3:16

3:16 Let the word of Christ ⁵¹  dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with grace ⁵²  in your hearts to God.

Kolose 3:2

3:2 Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth,

Yohanes 1:2

1:2 The Word ⁵³  was with God in the beginning.

[11:18]  ¹ tn Heb “heart and soul” or “heart and being.” See note on the word “being” in Deut 6:5.

[11:18]  ² tn On the Hebrew term טוֹטָפֹת (totafot, “reminders”), cf. Deut 6:4-9.

[37:31]  ³ tn Heb “the law of his God [is] in his heart.” The “heart” is here the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.

[37:31]  ⁴ tn Heb “his.” The pronoun has been translated as plural to agree with the representative or typical “godly” in v. 30.

[40:8]  ⁵ tn Or “your will.”

[40:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “your law [is] in the midst of my inner parts.” The “inner parts” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s thought life and moral decision making.

[119:11]  ⁷ tn Or “hide.”

[119:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “your word.” Some medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural, “your words.”

[119:98]  ⁹ tn The plural form needs to be revocalized as a singular in order to agree with the preceding singular verb and the singular pronoun in the next line. The Lord’s “command” refers here to the law (see Ps 19:8).

[2:10]  ¹⁰ tn The noun לֵב (lev, “heart”) functions as a metonymy of association for “mind” and “thoughts” (BDB 524 s.v. 3). It represents the center of the inner life where the volition and emotions join to bring about actions. It is used here in parallelism with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul”), for which see note.

[2:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “knowledge.” For the noun דַּעַת (da’at), see the note on 1:7.

[2:10]  ¹² tn Heb “pleasant.” The verb יִנְעָם (yin’am, “to be pleasant”) describes what is attractive. It is used of being physically attracted to one’s lover (Song 7:7) or to a close friendship (2 Sam 1:26). Here wisdom becomes attractive to the righteous, that is, the righteous desires to acquire it.

[2:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “your soul.” The term נַפְשְׁךָ (nafshÿkha, “your soul”) functions as a synecdoche of part (= soul) for the whole person (= you); see BDB 660 s.v. 4.a.2. It also might function as a metonymy of association for emotions and passions (BDB 660 s.v. 6) or mental cognition (BDB 660 s.v. 7).

[2:11]  ¹⁴ tn The word מְזִמָּה (mÿzimmah, “discretion”) is the ability to know the best course of action for achieving one’s goal. It is knowledge and understanding with a purpose. This kind of knowledge enables one to make the right choices that will protect him from blunders and their consequences (cf. NLT “wise planning”; CEV “sound judgment”).

[2:11]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “will watch over you.”

[3:1]  ¹⁶ sn The chapter begins with an introductory exhortation (1-4), followed by an admonition to be faithful to the Lord (5-12). Wisdom is commended as the most valuable possession (13-18), essential to creation (19-20), and the way to a long and safe life (21-26). There then follows a warning to avoid unneighborliness (27-30) and emulating the wicked (31-35).

[3:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “my son” (likewise in vv. 11, 21).

[3:1]  ¹⁸ tn The verb יִצֹּר (yitsor) is a Qal jussive and the noun לִבֶּךָ (libbekha, “your heart”) functions as the subject: “let your heart keep my commandments.”

[3:2]  ¹⁹ tn The phrase “they will provide” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.

[3:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “length of days and years of life” (so NASB, NRSV). The idiom “length of days” refers to a prolonged life and “years of life” signifies a long time full of life, a life worth living (T. T. Perowne, Proverbs, 51). The term “life” refers to earthly felicity combined with spiritual blessedness (BDB 313 s.v. חַיִּים).

[3:2]  ²¹ tn The noun שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) here means “welfare, health, prosperity” (BDB 1022 s.v. 3). It can be used of physical health and personal well-being. It is the experience of positive blessing and freedom from negative harm and catastrophe.

[3:3]  ²² tn The two words חֶסֶד וֶאֶמֶת (khesed ve’emet, “mercy and truth”) form a nominal hendiadys, the second word becoming an adjective: “faithful covenant love” or “loyal [covenant] love and faithfulness.”

[3:3]  ²³ sn This involves two implied comparisons (hypocatastasis). One is a comparison of living out the duties and responsibilities taught with binding a chain around the neck, and the other is a comparison of the inward appropriation of the teachings with writing them on a tablet. So the teachings are not only to become the lifestyle of the disciple but his very nature.

[3:5]  ²⁴ sn The word בְּטַח (bÿtakh, “trust”) is used in the OT in (1) literal physical sense: to physically lean upon something for support and (2) figurative sense: to rely upon someone or something for help or protection (BDB 105 s.v. I בְּטַח; HALOT 120 s.v. I בטח). The verb is often used with false securities, people trusting in things that prove to be worthless. But here the object of the secure trust is the Lord who is a reliable object of confidence.

[3:5]  ²⁵ sn The “heart” functions as a metonymy of subject encompassing mind, emotions and will (BDB 524 s.v. לֵב 2).

[3:5]  ²⁶ tn Heb “do not lean.” The verb שָׁעַן (sha’an, “to lean; to rely”) is used in (1) literal physical sense of leaning upon something for support and (2) figurative sense of relying upon someone or something for help or protection (BDB 1043 s.v.). Here it functions figuratively (hypocatastasis: implied comparison); relying on one’s own understanding is compared to leaning on something that is unreliable for support (e.g., Isa 10:20).

[3:5]  ²⁷ tn Heb “your understanding.” The term בִּינָה (binah, “understanding”) is used elsewhere in this book of insight given by God from the instructions in Proverbs (Prov 2:3; 7:4; 8:14; 9:6, 10; 23:23). Here it refers to inherent human understanding that functions in relative ignorance unless supplemented by divine wisdom (Job 28:12-28; 39:26). The reflexive pronoun “own” is supplied in the translation to clarify this point. It is dangerous for a person to rely upon mere human wisdom (Prov 14:12; 16:25).

[7:3]  ²⁸ tn Heb “fingers” (so KJV and many other English versions). In light of Deut 6:8, “fingers” appears to be a metonymy for the lower part of the arm.

[7:3]  ²⁹ sn This is an allusion to Deut 6:8. Binding the teachings on the fingers and writing them on the tablets here are implied comparisons for preserving the teaching in memory so that it can be recalled and used with ease.

[51:7]  ³⁰ tn Heb “people (who have) my law in their heart.”

[31:33]  ³¹ tn Heb “with the house of Israel.” All commentators agree that the term here refers to both the whole nation which was divided into the house of Israel and the house of Judah in v. 30.

[31:33]  ³² tn Heb “after those days.” Commentators are generally agreed that this refers to the return from exile and the repopulation of the land referred to in vv. 27-28 and not to something subsequent to the time mentioned in v. 30. This is the sequencing that is also presupposed in other new covenant passages such as Deut 30:1-6; Ezek 11:17-20; 36:24-28.

[31:33]  ³³ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[31:33]  ³⁴ tn Heb “‘But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after these days:’ says the Lord, ‘I will….’” The sentence has been reworded and restructured to avoid the awkwardness of the original style.

[31:33]  ³⁵ tn Heb “in their inward parts.” The Hebrew word here refers to the seat of the thoughts, emotions, and decisions (Jer 9:8 [9:7 HT]). It is essentially synonymous with “heart” in Hebrew psychological terms.

[31:33]  ³⁶ tn The words “and minds” is not in the text but is supplied in the translation to bring the English psychology more into line with the Hebrew where the “heart” is the center both of knowing/thinking/reflecting and deciding/willing.

[31:33]  sn Two contexts are relevant for understanding this statement. First is the context of the first or old covenant which was characterized by a law written on stone tablets (e.g., Exod 32:15-16; 34:1, 28; Deut 4:13; 5:22; 9:10) or in a “book” or “scroll” (Deut 31:9-13) which could be lost (cf. 2 Kgs 22:8), forgotten (Hos 4:6), ignored (Jer 6:19; Amos 4:2), or altered (Jer 8:8). Second is the context of the repeated fault that Jeremiah has found with their stubborn (3:17; 7:24; 9:14; 11:8; 13:10; 16:12; 18:12; 23:17), uncircumcised (4:4; 9:26), and desperately wicked hearts (4:4; 17:9). Radical changes were necessary to get the people to obey the law from the heart and not just pay superficial or lip service to it (3:10; 12:2). Deut 30:1-6; Ezek 11:17-20; 36:24-28 speak of these radical changes. The Lord will remove the “foreskin” of their heart and give them a circumcised heart, or take away their “stony” heart and give them a new heart. With this heart they will be able to obey his laws, statutes, ordinances, and commands (Deut 30:8; Ezek 11:20; 36:27). The new covenant does not entail a new law; it is the same law that Jeremiah has repeatedly accused them of rejecting or ignoring (6:19; 9:13; 16:11; 26:4; 44:10). What does change is their inner commitment to keep it. Jeremiah has already referred to this in Jer 24:7 and will refer to it again in Jer 32:39.

[31:33]  ³⁷ sn Compare Jer 24:7; 30:22; 31:1 and see the study note on 30:2.

[2:51]  ³⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[2:51]  ³⁹ map For location see Map1 D3; Map2 C2; Map3 D5; Map4 C1; Map5 G3.

[2:51]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “was submitting.”

[2:51]  ⁴¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.

[2:51]  ⁴² tn Or “all these words.”

[2:51]  ⁴³ sn On the phrase his mother kept all these things in her heart compare Luke 2:19.

[8:15]  ⁴⁴ tn The aorist participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally, reflecting action antecedent (prior to) that of the main verb.

[8:15]  ⁴⁵ sn There is a tenacity that is a part of spiritual fruitfulness.

[8:15]  ⁴⁶ sn In an ancient context, the qualifier good described the ethical person who possessed integrity. Here it is integrity concerning God’s revelation through Jesus.

[8:15]  ⁴⁷ sn Given the pressures noted in the previous soils, bearing fruit takes time (steadfast endurance), just as it does for the farmer. See Jas 1:2-4.

[8:2]  ⁴⁸ sn There is an important respect shown to women in this text, as their contributions were often ignored in ancient society.

[8:2]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “illnesses.” The term ἀσθένεια (asqeneia) refers to the state of being ill and thus incapacitated in some way – “illness, disability, weakness.” (L&N 23.143).

[8:2]  ⁵⁰ sn This Mary is not the woman mentioned in the previous passage (as some church fathers claimed), because she is introduced as a new figure here. In addition, she is further specified by Luke with the notation called Magdalene, which seems to distinguish her from the woman at Simon the Pharisee’s house.

[3:16]  ⁵¹ tc Since “the word of Christ” occurs nowhere else in the NT, two predictable variants arose: “word of God” and “word of the Lord.” Even though some of the witnesses for these variants are impressive (κυρίου [kuriou, “of the Lord”] in א* I 1175 pc bo; θεοῦ [qeou, “of God”] in A C* 33 104 323 945 al), the reading Χριστοῦ (Cristou, “of Christ”) is read by an excellent cross-section of witnesses (Ì⁴⁶ א² B C² D F G Ψ 075 1739 1881 Ï lat sa). On both internal and external grounds, Χριστοῦ is strongly preferred.

[3:16]  ⁵² tn Grk “with grace”; “all” is supplied as it is implicitly related to all the previous instructions in the verse.

[1:2]  ⁵³ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the Word) has been specified in the translation for clarity.