Yehezkiel 36:19

36:19 I scattered them among the nations; they were dispersed throughout foreign countries. In accordance with their behavior and their deeds I judged them.

Imamat 26:24

26:24 I myself will also walk in hostility against you and strike you ¹  seven times on account of your sins.

Imamat 26:2

26:2 You must keep my Sabbaths and reverence ²  my sanctuary. I am the Lord.

Kisah Para Rasul 17:7-23

17:7 and ³  Jason has welcomed them as guests! They ⁴  are all acting against Caesar’s ⁵  decrees, saying there is another king named ⁶  Jesus!” ⁷  17:8 They caused confusion among ⁸  the crowd and the city officials ⁹  who heard these things. 17:9 After ¹⁰  the city officials ¹¹  had received bail ¹²  from Jason and the others, they released them.

Paul and Silas at Berea

17:10 The brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea ¹³  at once, during the night. When they arrived, ¹⁴  they went to the Jewish synagogue. ¹⁵  17:11 These Jews ¹⁶  were more open-minded ¹⁷  than those in Thessalonica, ¹⁸  for they eagerly ¹⁹  received ²⁰  the message, examining ²¹  the scriptures carefully every day ²²  to see if these things were so. 17:12 Therefore many of them believed, along with quite a few ²³  prominent ²⁴  Greek women and men. 17:13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica ²⁵  heard that Paul had also proclaimed the word of God ²⁶  in Berea, ²⁷  they came there too, inciting ²⁸  and disturbing ²⁹  the crowds. 17:14 Then the brothers sent Paul away to the coast ³⁰  at once, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. ³¹  17:15 Those who accompanied Paul escorted him as far as Athens, ³²  and after receiving an order for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left. ³³ 

Paul at Athens

17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, ³⁴  his spirit was greatly upset ³⁵  because he saw ³⁶  the city was full of idols. 17:17 So he was addressing ³⁷  the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles ³⁸  in the synagogue, ³⁹  and in the marketplace every day ⁴⁰  those who happened to be there. 17:18 Also some of the Epicurean ⁴¹  and Stoic ⁴²  philosophers were conversing ⁴³  with him, and some were asking, ⁴⁴  “What does this foolish babbler ⁴⁵  want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods.” ⁴⁶  (They said this because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) ⁴⁷  17:19 So they took Paul and ⁴⁸  brought him to the Areopagus, ⁴⁹  saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are proclaiming? 17:20 For you are bringing some surprising things ⁵⁰  to our ears, so we want to know what they ⁵¹  mean.” 17:21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there used to spend their time ⁵²  in nothing else than telling ⁵³  or listening to something new.) ⁵⁴ 

17:22 So Paul stood ⁵⁵  before the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious ⁵⁶  in all respects. ⁵⁷  17:23 For as I went around and observed closely your objects of worship, ⁵⁸  I even found an altar with this inscription: ⁵⁹  ‘To an unknown god.’ Therefore what you worship without knowing it, ⁶⁰  this I proclaim to you.

Yesaya 1:20

1:20 But if you refuse and rebel,

you will be devoured ⁶¹  by the sword.”

Know for certain that the Lord has spoken. ⁶² 

Yesaya 3:11

3:11 Too bad for the wicked sinners!

For they will get exactly what they deserve. ⁶³ 

Yesaya 59:17-18

59:17 He wears his desire for justice ⁶⁴  like body armor, ⁶⁵ 

and his desire to deliver is like a helmet on his head. ⁶⁶ 

He puts on the garments of vengeance ⁶⁷ 

and wears zeal like a robe.

59:18 He repays them for what they have done,

dispensing angry judgment to his adversaries

and punishing his enemies. ⁶⁸ 

He repays the coastlands. ⁶⁹ 

Yeremia 2:17

2:17 You have brought all this on yourself, Israel, ⁷⁰ 

by deserting the Lord your God when he was leading you along the right path. ⁷¹ 

Yeremia 2:19

2:19 Your own wickedness will bring about your punishment.

Your unfaithful acts will bring down discipline on you. ⁷² 

Know, then, and realize how utterly harmful ⁷³ 

it was for you to reject me, the Lord your God, ⁷⁴ 

to show no respect for me,” ⁷⁵ 

says the Lord God who rules over all. ⁷⁶ 

Yeremia 4:18

4:18 “The way you have lived and the things you have done ⁷⁷ 

will bring this on you.

This is the punishment you deserve, and it will be painful indeed. ⁷⁸ 

The pain will be so bad it will pierce your heart.” ⁷⁹ 

Yeremia 5:25

5:25 Your misdeeds have stopped these things from coming. ⁸⁰ 

Your sins have deprived you of my bounty.’ ⁸¹ 

Daniel 9:5-10

9:5 we have sinned! We have done what is wrong and wicked; we have rebelled by turning away from your commandments and standards. 9:6 We have not paid attention to your servants the prophets, who spoke by your authority ⁸²  to our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors, ⁸³  and to all the inhabitants ⁸⁴  of the land as well.

9:7 “You are righteous, ⁸⁵  O Lord, but we are humiliated this day ⁸⁶  – the people ⁸⁷  of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far away in all the countries in which you have scattered them, because they have behaved unfaithfully toward you. 9:8 O LORD, we have been humiliated ⁸⁸  – our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors – because we have sinned against you. 9:9 Yet the Lord our God is compassionate and forgiving, ⁸⁹  even though we have rebelled against him. 9:10 We have not obeyed ⁹⁰  the LORD our God by living according to ⁹¹  his laws ⁹²  that he set before us through his servants the prophets.

[26:24]  ¹ tn Heb “and I myself will also strike you.”

[26:2]  ² tn Heb “and my sanctuary you shall fear.” Cf. NCV “respect”; CEV “honor.”

[17:7]  ³ tn Grk “whom.” Because of the awkwardness in English of having two relative clauses follow one another (“who have stirred up trouble…whom Jason has welcomed”) the relative pronoun here (“whom”) has been replaced by the conjunction “and,” creating a clause that is grammatically coordinate but logically subordinate in the translation.

[17:7]  ⁴ tn Grk “and they.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[17:7]  ⁵ tn Or “the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[17:7]  ⁶ tn The word “named” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity.

[17:7]  ⁷ sn Acting…saying…Jesus. The charges are serious, involving sedition (Luke 23:2). If the political charges were true, Rome would have to react.

[17:8]  ⁸ tn Grk “They troubled the crowd and the city officials”; but this could be understood to mean “they bothered” or “they annoyed.” In reality the Jewish instigators managed to instill doubt and confusion into both the mob and the officials by their false charges of treason. Verse 8 suggests the charges raised again Paul, Silas, Jason, and the others were false.

[17:8]  ⁹ tn L&N 37.93 defines πολιτάρχης (politarch") as “a public official responsible for administrative matters within a town or city and a member of the ruling council of such a political unit – ‘city official.’”

[17:9]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “And after.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[17:9]  ¹¹ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the city officials) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:9]  ¹² tn That is, “a payment” or “a pledge of security” (BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 1) for which “bail” is the most common contemporary English equivalent.

[17:10]  ¹³ sn Berea (alternate spelling in NRSV Beroea; Greek Beroia) was a very old city in Macedonia on the river Astraeus about 45 mi (75 km) west of Thessalonica.

[17:10]  map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[17:10]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “who arriving there, went to.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (οἵτινες, Joitine") has been left untranslated and a new English sentence begun. The participle παραγενόμενοι (paragenomenoi) has been taken temporally.

[17:10]  ¹⁵ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:11]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “These”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue at Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:11]  ¹⁷ tn Or “more willing to learn.” L&N 27.48 and BDAG 404 s.v. εὐγενής 2 both use the term “open-minded” here. The point is that they were more receptive to Paul’s message.

[17:11]  ¹⁸ sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).

[17:11]  map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[17:11]  ¹⁹ tn Or “willingly,” “readily”; Grk “with all eagerness.”

[17:11]  ²⁰ tn Grk “who received.” Here the relative pronoun (“who”) has been translated as a pronoun (“they”) preceded by a semicolon, which is less awkward in contemporary English than a relative clause at this point.

[17:11]  ²¹ tn This verb (BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω 1) refers to careful examination.

[17:11]  ²² tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[17:12]  ²³ tn Grk “not a few”; this use of negation could be misleading to the modern English reader, however, and so has been translated as “quite a few” (which is the actual meaning of the expression).

[17:12]  ²⁴ tn Or “respected.”

[17:13]  ²⁵ sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).

[17:13]  ²⁶ tn Grk “that the word of God had also been proclaimed by Paul.” This passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[17:13]  ²⁷ sn Berea (alternate spelling in NRSV Beroea; Greek Beroia) was a very old city in Macedonia on the river Astraeus about 45 mi (75 km) from Thessalonica.

[17:13]  ²⁸ tn BDAG 911 s.v. σαλεύω 2 has “incite” for σαλεύοντες (saleuonte") in Acts 17:13.

[17:13]  sn Inciting. Ironically, it was the Jews who were disturbing the peace, not the Christians.

[17:13]  ²⁹ tn Or “stirring up” (BDAG 990-91 s.v. ταράσσω 2). The point is the agitation of the crowds.

[17:14]  ³⁰ tn Grk “to the sea.” Here ἕως ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν ({ew" epi thn qalassan) must mean “to the edge of the sea,” that is, “to the coast.” Since there is no mention of Paul taking a ship to Athens, he presumably traveled overland. The journey would have been about 340 mi (550 km).

[17:14]  ³¹ tn Grk “remained there”; the referent (Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:15]  ³² map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[17:15]  ³³ sn They left. See 1 Thess 3:1-2, which shows they went from here to Thessalonica.

[17:16]  ³⁴ map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.

[17:16]  ³⁵ tn Grk “greatly upset within him,” but the words “within him” were not included in the translation because they are redundant in English. See L&N 88.189. The term could also be rendered “infuriated.”

[17:16]  sn His spirit was greatly upset. See Rom 1:18-32 for Paul’s feelings about idolatry. Yet he addressed both Jews and Gentiles with tact and reserve.

[17:16]  ³⁶ tn Or “when he saw.” The participle θεωροῦντος (qewrounto") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle; it could also be translated as temporal.

[17:17]  ³⁷ tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 17:17. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.

[17:17]  ³⁸ tn Or “and the devout,” but this is practically a technical term for the category called God-fearers, Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel and in many cases kept the Mosaic law, but did not take the final step of circumcision necessary to become a proselyte to Judaism. See further K. G. Kuhn, TDNT 6:732-34, 743-44, and the note on the phrase “God-fearing Greeks” in 17:4.

[17:17]  ³⁹ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[17:17]  ⁴⁰ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[17:18]  ⁴¹ sn An Epicurean was a follower of the philosophy of Epicurus, who founded a school in Athens about 300 b.c. Although the Epicureans saw the aim of life as pleasure, they were not strictly hedonists, because they defined pleasure as the absence of pain. Along with this, they desired the avoidance of trouble and freedom from annoyances. They saw organized religion as evil, especially the belief that the gods punished evildoers in an afterlife. In keeping with this, they were unable to accept Paul’s teaching about the resurrection.

[17:18]  ⁴² sn A Stoic was a follower of the philosophy founded by Zeno (342-270 b.c.), a Phoenician who came to Athens and modified the philosophical system of the Cynics he found there. The Stoics rejected the Epicurean ideal of pleasure, stressing virtue instead. The Stoics emphasized responsibility for voluntary actions and believed risks were worth taking, but thought the actual attainment of virtue was difficult. They also believed in providence.

[17:18]  ⁴³ tn BDAG 956 s.v. συμβάλλω 1 has “converse, confer” here.

[17:18]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “saying.”

[17:18]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “ignorant show-off.” The traditional English translation of σπερμολόγος (spermologo") is given in L&N 33.381 as “foolish babbler.” However, an alternate view is presented in L&N 27.19, “(a figurative extension of meaning of a term based on the practice of birds in picking up seeds) one who acquires bits and pieces of relatively extraneous information and proceeds to pass them off with pretense and show – ‘ignorant show-off, charlatan.’” A similar view is given in BDAG 937 s.v. σπερμολόγος: “in pejorative imagery of persons whose communication lacks sophistication and seems to pick up scraps of information here and there scrapmonger, scavenger…Engl. synonyms include ‘gossip’, ‘babbler’, chatterer’; but these terms miss the imagery of unsystematic gathering.”

[17:18]  ⁴⁶ tn The meaning of this phrase is not clear. Literally it reads “strange deities” (see BDAG 210 s.v. δαιμόνιον 1). The note of not being customary is important. In the ancient world what was new was suspicious. The plural δαιμονίων (daimoniwn, “deities”) shows the audience grappling with Paul’s teaching that God was working through Jesus.

[17:18]  ⁴⁷ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[17:19]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:19]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “to the council of the Areopagus.” See also the term in v. 22.

[17:19]  sn The Areopagus has been traditionally understood as reference to a rocky hill near the Acropolis in Athens, although this place may well have been located in the marketplace at the foot of the hill (L&N 93.412; BDAG 129 s.v. ῎Αρειος πάγος). This term does not refer so much to the place, however, as to the advisory council of Athens known as the Areopagus, which dealt with ethical, cultural, and religious matters, including the supervision of education and controlling the many visiting lecturers. Thus it could be translated the council of the Areopagus. See also the term in v. 22.

[17:20]  ⁵⁰ tn BDAG 684 s.v. ξενίζω 2 translates the substantival participle ξενίζοντα (xenizonta) as “astonishing things Ac 17:20.”

[17:20]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “these things”; but since the referent (“surprising things”) is so close, the repetition of “these things” sounds redundant in English, so the pronoun “they” was substituted in the translation.

[17:21]  ⁵² tn The imperfect verb ηὐκαίρουν (hukairoun) has been translated as a customary or habitual imperfect.

[17:21]  ⁵³ tn BDAG 406-7 s.v. εὐκαιρέω has “used to spend their time in nothing else than telling Ac 17:21.”

[17:21]  ⁵⁴ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. The reference to newness may be pejorative.

[17:22]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “standing…said.” The participle ζηλώσαντες (zhlwsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[17:22]  ⁵⁶ tn The term δεισιδαιμονεστέρους (deisidaimonesterou") is difficult. On the one hand it can have the positive sense of “devout,” but on the other hand it can have the negative sense of “superstitious” (BDAG 216 s.v. δεισιδαίμων). As part of a laudatory introduction (the technical rhetorical term for this introduction was capatatio), the term is probably positive here. It may well be a “backhanded” compliment, playing on the ambiguity.

[17:22]  ⁵⁷ tn BDAG 513 s.v. κατά B.6 translates the phrase κατὰ πάντα (kata panta) as “in all respects.”

[17:23]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “your sanctuaries.” L&N 53.54 gives “sanctuary” (place of worship) as an alternate meaning for the word σεβάσματα (sebasmata).

[17:23]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “on which was written,” but since it would have been carved in stone, it is more common to speak of an “inscription” in English. To simplify the English the relative construction with a passive verb (“on which was inscribed”) was translated as a prepositional phrase with a substantive (“inscription”).

[17:23]  ⁶⁰ tn BDAG 13 s.v. ἀγνοέω 1.b has “Abs. ὅ ἀγνοοῦντες εὐσεβεῖτε what you worship without knowing it (on the subject matter Maximus Tyr. 11, 5e: all sorts of philosophers ἴσασιν οὐκ ἑκόντες καὶ λέγουσιν ἄκοντες sc. τὸ θεῖον = they know and name God without intending to do so) Ac 17:23.” Paul, in typical Jewish Christian style, informs them of the true God, of whom their idols are an ignorant reflection.

[1:20]  ⁶¹ sn The wordplay in the Hebrew draws attention to the options. The people can obey, in which case they will “eat” v. 19 (תֹּאכֵלוּ [to’khelu], Qal active participle of אָכַל) God’s blessing, or they can disobey, in which case they will be devoured (Heb “eaten,” תְּאֻכְּלוּ, [tÿ’ukkÿlu], Qal passive/Pual of אָכַל) by God’s judgment.

[1:20]  ⁶² tn Heb “for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” The introductory כִּי (ki) may be asseverative (as reflected in the translation) or causal/explanatory, explaining why the option chosen by the people will become reality (it is guaranteed by the divine word).

[3:11]  ⁶³ tn Heb “for the work of his hands will be done to him.”

[59:17]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “righteousness” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NCV “goodness.”

[59:17]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “a breastplate” (traditional; so many English versions); TEV “a coat of armour.”

[59:17]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “and [as] a helmet deliverance on his head.”

[59:17]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “and he puts on the clothes of vengeance [as] a garment.”

[59:18]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “in accordance with deeds, so he repays, anger to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies.”

[59:18]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “islands” (KJV, NIV).

[2:17]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “Are you not bringing this on yourself.” The question is rhetorical and expects a positive answer.

[2:17]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “at the time of leading you in the way.”

[2:19]  ⁷² tn Or “teach you a lesson”; Heb “rebuke/chide you.”

[2:19]  ⁷³ tn Heb “how evil and bitter.” The reference is to the consequences of their acts. This is a figure of speech (hendiadys) where two nouns or adjectives joined by “and” introduce a main concept modified by the other noun or adjective.

[2:19]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “to leave the Lord your God.” The change in person is intended to ease the problem of the rapid transition, which is common in Hebrew style but not in English, from third to first person between this line and the next.

[2:19]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “and no fear of me was on you.”

[2:19]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “the Lord Yahweh, [the God of] hosts.” For the title Lord God see the study note on 1:6. For the title “who rules over all” see the following study note. The title “the Lord who rules over all” is a way of rendering the title “Yahweh of armies.” It is an abbreviation of a longer title “Yahweh the God of armies” which occurs five times in Jeremiah (see, e.g., 44:7). The abbreviated title occurs seventy-seven times in the book of Jeremiah. On thirty-two occasions it is further qualified by the title “the God of Israel,” showing his special relation to Israel. On six occasions it is preceded by the title “Lord” (see, e.g., 46:10) and twice it is preceded by the title “the King” (see, e.g., 51:17). Both titles emphasize his sovereignty. Twice it is said that he is the maker of all things (10:16; 51:19), and once it is said that he made the earth and the people and animals on it and gives them into the control of whomever he wishes (27:4-5). On two occasions it is emphasized that he also made the heavenly elements and controls the natural elements of wind, rain, thunder, and hail (31:35; 51:14-16). All this is consistent with usage elsewhere where the “armies” over which he has charge are identified as (1) the angels which surround his throne (Isa 6:3, 5; 1 Kgs 22:19) and which he sends to protect his servants (2 Kgs 6:17), (2) the natural forces of thunder, rain, and hail (Isa 29:6; Josh 10:11; Judg 5:4, 5) through which he sends the enemy into panic and “gums” up their chariot wheels, (3) the armies of Israel (1 Sam 17:45) which he leads into battle (Num 10:34-35; Josh 5:14, 15) and for whom he fights as a mighty warrior (Exod 15:3; Isa 42:13; Ps 24:8), and even (4) the armies of the nations which he musters against his disobedient people (Isa 13:14). This title is most commonly found in the messenger formula “Thus says…” introducing both oracles of judgment (on Israel [e.g., 9:7, 15] and on the nations [e.g. 46:19; 50:18]; and see in general 25:29-32). It emphasizes his sovereignty as the king and creator, the lord of creation and of history, and the just judge who sees and knows all (11:20; 20:12) and judges each person and nation according to their actions (Jer 32:18-19). In the first instance (in the most dominant usage) this will involve the punishment of his own people through the agency of the Babylonians (cf., e.g., 25:8-9). But it will also include the punishment of all nations, including Babylon itself (cf. Jer 25:17-26, 32-38), and will ultimately result in the restoration of his people and a new relation with them (30:8; 31:35-37).

[4:18]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “Your way and your deeds.”

[4:18]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “How bitter!”

[4:18]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “Indeed, it reaches to your heart.” The subject must be the pain alluded to in the last half of the preceding line; the verb is masculine, agreeing with the adjective translated “painful.” The only other possible antecedent “punishment” is feminine.

[5:25]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “have turned these things away.”

[5:25]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “have withheld the good from you.”

[9:6]  ⁸² tn Heb “in your name.” Another option is to translate, “as your representatives.”

[9:6]  ⁸³ tn Heb “our fathers” (also in vv. 8, 16). The Hebrew term translated “father” can refer to more distant relationships such as grandfathers or ancestors.

[9:6]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “people.”

[9:7]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “to you (belongs) righteousness.”

[9:7]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “and to us (belongs) shame of face like this day.”

[9:7]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “men.”

[9:8]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “to us (belongs) shame of face.”

[9:9]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “to the Lord our God (belong) compassion and forgiveness.”

[9:10]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “paid attention to the voice of,” which is an idiomatic expression for obedience (cf. NASB “nor have we obeyed the voice of”).

[9:10]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “to walk in.”

[9:10]  ⁹² tc The LXX and Vulgate have the singular.