Kejadian 13:10-13

13:10 Lot looked up and saw ¹  the whole region ²  of the Jordan. He noticed ³  that all of it was well-watered (before the Lord obliterated ⁴  Sodom and Gomorrah) ⁵  like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, ⁶  all the way to Zoar. 13:11 Lot chose for himself the whole region of the Jordan and traveled ⁷  toward the east.

So the relatives separated from each other. ⁸  13:12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled among the cities of the Jordan plain ⁹  and pitched his tents next to Sodom. 13:13 (Now ¹⁰  the people ¹¹  of Sodom were extremely wicked rebels against the Lord.) ¹² 

Bilangan 22:17-19

22:17 For I will honor you greatly, ¹³  and whatever you tell me I will do. So come, put a curse on this nation for me.’”

22:18 Balaam replied ¹⁴  to the servants of Balak, “Even if Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I could not transgress the commandment ¹⁵  of the Lord my God ¹⁶  to do less or more. 22:19 Now therefore, please stay ¹⁷  the night here also, that I may know what more the Lord might say to me.” ¹⁸ 

Yosua 7:11

7:11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenantal commandment! ¹⁹  They have taken some of the riches; ²⁰  they have stolen them and deceitfully put them among their own possessions. ²¹ 

Yosua 7:2

7:2 Joshua sent men from Jericho ²²  to Ai (which is located near Beth Aven, east of Bethel ²³ ) and instructed them, “Go up and spy on the land.” So the men went up and spied on Ai.

Kisah Para Rasul 5:20-27

5:20 “Go and stand in the temple courts ²⁴  and proclaim ²⁵  to the people all the words of this life.” 5:21 When they heard this, they entered the temple courts ²⁶  at daybreak and began teaching. ²⁷ 

Now when the high priest and those who were with him arrived, they summoned the Sanhedrin ²⁸  – that is, the whole high council ²⁹  of the Israelites ³⁰  – and sent to the jail to have the apostles ³¹  brought before them. ³²  5:22 But the officers ³³  who came for them ³⁴  did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, ³⁵  5:23 “We found the jail locked securely and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them, ³⁶  we found no one inside.” 5:24 Now when the commander ³⁷  of the temple guard ³⁸  and the chief priests heard this report, ³⁹  they were greatly puzzled concerning it, ⁴⁰  wondering what this could ⁴¹  be. 5:25 But someone came and reported to them, “Look! The men you put in prison are standing in the temple courts ⁴²  and teaching ⁴³  the people!” 5:26 Then the commander ⁴⁴  of the temple guard ⁴⁵  went with the officers ⁴⁶  and brought the apostles ⁴⁷  without the use of force ⁴⁸  (for they were afraid of being stoned by the people). ⁴⁹ 

5:27 When they had brought them, they stood them before the council, ⁵⁰  and the high priest questioned ⁵¹  them,

Amsal 15:27

15:27 The one who is greedy for gain ⁵²  troubles ⁵³  his household, ⁵⁴ 

but whoever hates bribes ⁵⁵  will live.

Amsal 20:21

20:21 An inheritance gained easily ⁵⁶  in the beginning

will not be blessed ⁵⁷  in the end. ⁵⁸ 

Amsal 21:6

21:6 Making a fortune ⁵⁹  by a lying tongue is like ⁶⁰  a vapor driven back and forth; ⁶¹ 

they seek death. ⁶² 

Amsal 22:16

22:16 The one who oppresses the poor to increase his own gain

and the one who gives to the rich ⁶³  – both end up only in poverty.

Amsal 28:20-22

28:20 A faithful person ⁶⁴  will have an abundance of blessings,

but the one who hastens ⁶⁵  to gain riches will not go unpunished.

28:21 To show partiality ⁶⁶  is terrible, ⁶⁷ 

for a person will transgress over the smallest piece of bread. ⁶⁸ 

28:22 The stingy person ⁶⁹  hastens after riches

and does not know that poverty will overtake him. ⁷⁰ 

Yesaya 5:8

Disaster is Coming

5:8 Those who accumulate houses are as good as dead, ⁷¹ 

those who also accumulate landed property ⁷² 

until there is no land left, ⁷³ 

and you are the only landowners remaining within the land. ⁷⁴ 

Hosea 12:7-8

The Lord Refutes Israel’s False Claim of Innocence

12:7 The businessmen love to cheat; ⁷⁵ 

they use dishonest scales. ⁷⁶ 

12:8 Ephraim boasts, ⁷⁷  “I am very rich!

I have become wealthy! ⁷⁸ 

In all that I have done to gain my wealth, ⁷⁹ 

no one can accuse me of any offense ⁸⁰  that is actually sinful.” ⁸¹ 

Amos 8:4-6

8:4 Listen to this, you who trample ⁸²  the needy,

and do away with ⁸³  the destitute in the land.

8:5 You say,

“When will the new moon festival ⁸⁴  be over, ⁸⁵  so we can sell grain?

When will the Sabbath end, ⁸⁶  so we can open up the grain bins? ⁸⁷ 

We’re eager ⁸⁸  to sell less for a higher price, ⁸⁹ 

and to cheat the buyer with rigged scales! ⁹⁰ 

8:6 We’re eager to trade silver for the poor, ⁹¹ 

a pair of sandals ⁹²  for the needy!

We want to mix in some chaff with the grain!” ⁹³ 

Zakharia 11:5

11:5 Those who buy them ⁹⁴  slaughter them and are not held guilty; those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich.’ Their own shepherds have no compassion for them.

Matius 13:22

13:22 The ⁹⁵  seed sown among thorns is the person who hears the word, but worldly cares and the seductiveness of wealth ⁹⁶  choke the word, ⁹⁷  so it produces nothing.

Matius 19:22

19:22 But when the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he was very rich. ⁹⁸ 

Matius 26:15

26:15 and said, “What will you give me to betray him into your hands?” ⁹⁹  So they set out thirty silver coins for him.

Yakobus 5:1-4

Warning to the Rich

5:1 Come now, you rich! Weep and cry aloud ¹⁰⁰  over the miseries that are coming on you. 5:2 Your riches have rotted and your clothing has become moth-eaten. 5:3 Your gold and silver have rusted and their rust will be a witness against you. It will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have hoarded treasure! ¹⁰¹  5:4 Look, the pay you have held back from the workers who mowed your fields cries out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

Yakobus 5:2

5:2 Your riches have rotted and your clothing has become moth-eaten.

Pengkhotbah 2:15-16

2:15 So I thought to myself, “The fate of the fool will happen even to me! ¹⁰² 

Then what did I gain by becoming so excessively ¹⁰³  wise?” ¹⁰⁴ 

So I lamented to myself, ¹⁰⁵ 

“The benefits of wisdom ¹⁰⁶  are ultimately ¹⁰⁷  meaningless!”

2:16 For the wise man, like ¹⁰⁸  the fool, will not be remembered for very long, ¹⁰⁹ 

because ¹¹⁰  in the days to come, both will already have been forgotten. ¹¹¹ 

Alas, ¹¹²  the wise man dies – just like ¹¹³  the fool!

Yudas 1:11

1:11 Woe to them! For they have traveled down Cain’s path, ¹¹⁴  and because of greed ¹¹⁵  have abandoned themselves ¹¹⁶  to ¹¹⁷  Balaam’s error; hence, ¹¹⁸  they will certainly perish ¹¹⁹  in Korah’s rebellion.

[13:10]  ¹ tn Heb “lifted up his eyes and saw.” The expression draws attention to the act of looking, indicating that Lot took a good look. It also calls attention to the importance of what was seen.

[13:10]  ² tn Or “plain”; Heb “circle.”

[13:10]  ³ tn The words “he noticed” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[13:10]  ⁴ sn Obliterated. The use of the term “destroy” (שַׁחֵת, shakhet) is reminiscent of the Noahic flood (Gen 6:13). Both at the flood and in Sodom the place was obliterated by catastrophe and only one family survived (see C. Westermann, Genesis, 2:178).

[13:10]  ⁵ tn This short temporal clause (preposition + Piel infinitive construct + subjective genitive + direct object) is strategically placed in the middle of the lavish descriptions to sound an ominous note. The entire clause is parenthetical in nature. Most English translations place the clause at the end of v. 10 for stylistic reasons.

[13:10]  ⁶ sn The narrative places emphasis on what Lot saw so that the reader can appreciate how it aroused his desire for the best land. It makes allusion to the garden of the Lord and to the land of Egypt for comparison. Just as the tree in the garden of Eden had awakened Eve’s desire, so the fertile valley attracted Lot. And just as certain memories of Egypt would cause the Israelites to want to turn back and abandon the trek to the promised land, so Lot headed for the good life.

[13:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “Lot traveled.” The proper name has not been repeated in the translation at this point for stylistic reasons.

[13:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “a man from upon his brother.”

[13:11]  sn Separated from each other. For a discussion of the significance of this event, see L. R. Helyer, “The Separation of Abram and Lot: Its Significance in the Patriarchal Narratives,” JSOT 26 (1983): 77-88.

[13:12]  ⁹ tn Or “the cities of the plain”; Heb “[the cities of] the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.

[13:13]  ¹⁰ tn Here is another significant parenthetical clause in the story, signaled by the vav (וו) disjunctive (translated “now”) on the noun at the beginning of the clause.

[13:13]  ¹¹ tn Heb “men.” However, this is generic in sense; it is unlikely that only the male residents of Sodom were sinners.

[13:13]  ¹² tn Heb “wicked and sinners against the Lord exceedingly.” The description of the sinfulness of the Sodomites is very emphatic. First, two nouns are used to form a hendiadys: “wicked and sinners” means “wicked sinners,” the first word becoming adjectival. The text is saying these were no ordinary sinners; they were wicked sinners, the type that cause pain for others. Then to this phrase is added “against the Lord,” stressing their violation of the laws of heaven and their culpability. Finally, to this is added מְאֹד (mÿ’od, “exceedingly,” translated here as “extremely”).

[22:17]  ¹³ tn The construction uses the Piel infinitive כַּבֵּד (kabbed) to intensify the verb, which is the Piel imperfect/cohortative אֲכַבֶּדְךָ (’akhabbedkha). The great honor could have been wealth, prestige, or position.

[22:18]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “answered and said.”

[22:18]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “mouth.”

[22:18]  ¹⁶ sn In the light of subsequent events one should not take too seriously that Balaam referred to Yahweh as his God. He is referring properly to the deity for which he is acting as the agent.

[22:19]  ¹⁷ tn In this case “lodge” is not used, but “remain, reside” (שְׁבוּ, shÿvu).

[22:19]  ¹⁸ tn This clause is also a verbal hendiadys: “what the Lord might add to speak,” meaning, “what more the Lord might say.”

[7:11]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “They have violated my covenant which I commanded them.”

[7:11]  ²⁰ tn Heb “what was set apart [to the Lord].”

[7:11]  ²¹ tn Heb “and also they have stolen, and also they have lied, and also they have placed [them] among their items.”

[7:2]  ²² map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[7:2]  ²³ map For the location of Bethel see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[5:20]  ²⁴ tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[5:20]  ²⁵ tn Or “speak.”

[5:21]  ²⁶ tn Grk “the temple.” See the note on the same phrase in the preceding verse.

[5:21]  ²⁷ tn The imperfect verb ἐδίδασκον (edidaskon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[5:21]  ²⁸ tn Or “the council” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[5:21]  ²⁹ tn A hendiadys (two different terms referring to a single thing) is likely here (a reference to a single legislative body rather than two separate ones) because the term γερουσίαν (gerousian) is used in both 1 Macc 12:6 and Josephus, Ant. 13.5.8 (13.166) to refer to the Sanhedrin.

[5:21]  ³⁰ tn Grk “sons of Israel.”

[5:21]  ³¹ tn Grk “have them”; the referent (the apostles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:21]  ³² tn The words “before them” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[5:22]  ³³ tn The Greek term ὑπηρέτης (Juphreth") generally means “servant,” but in the NT is used for many different types of servants, like attendants to a king, the officers of the Sanhedrin (as here), assistants to magistrates, and (especially in the Gospel of John) Jewish guards in the Jerusalem temple (see L&N 35.20).

[5:22]  ³⁴ tn The words “for them” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[5:22]  ³⁵ tn Grk “reported, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[5:23]  ³⁶ tn The word “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[5:24]  ³⁷ tn Or “captain.”

[5:24]  ³⁸ tn Grk “the official of the temple,” a title for the commander of the Jewish soldiers guarding the temple (thus the translation, “the commander of the temple guard”). See L&N 37.91.

[5:24]  ³⁹ tn Grk “heard these words.”

[5:24]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “concerning them,” agreeing with the plural antecedent “these words.” Since the phrase “these words” was translated as the singular “this report,” the singular “concerning it” is used here.

[5:24]  ⁴¹ tn The optative verb here expresses confused uncertainty.

[5:25]  ⁴² tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[5:25]  ⁴³ sn Obeying God (see v. 29), the apostles were teaching again (4:18-20; 5:20). They did so despite the risk.

[5:26]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “captain.”

[5:26]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “the official [of the temple],” a title for the commander of the Jewish soldiers guarding the temple (thus the translation, “the commander of the temple guard”). See L&N 37.91.

[5:26]  ⁴⁶ tn The Greek term ὑπηρέτης (Juphreth") generally means “servant,” but in the NT is used for many different types of servants. See the note on the word “officers” in v. 22.

[5:26]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “brought them”; the referent (the apostles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:26]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “without violence.” It is clear, as well, that the apostles did not resist arrest.

[5:26]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “for they feared lest they be stoned by the people.” The translation uses a less awkward English equivalent. This is an explanatory note by the author.

[5:27]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[5:27]  ⁵¹ tn Or “interrogated,” “asked.”

[15:27]  ⁵² tn Heb “the one who gains.” The phrase בּוֹצֵעַ בָּצַע (botseakh batsa’) is a participle followed by its cognate accusative. This refers to a person who is always making the big deal, getting the larger cut, or in a hurry to get rich. The verb, though, makes it clear that the gaining of a profit is by violence and usually unjust, since the root has the idea of “cut off; break off; gain by violence.” The line is contrasted with hating bribes, and so the gain in this line may be through bribery.

[15:27]  ⁵³ sn The participle “troubles” (עֹכֵר, ’okher) can have the connotation of making things difficult for the family, or completely ruining the family (cf. NAB). In Josh 7:1 Achan took some of the “banned things” and was put to death: Because he “troubled Israel,” the Lord would “trouble” him (take his life, Josh 7:25).

[15:27]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “his house.”

[15:27]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “gifts” (so KJV). Gifts can be harmless enough, but in a setting like this the idea is that the “gift” is in exchange for some “profit [or, gain].” Therefore they are bribes (cf. ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT), and to be hated or rejected. Abram, for example, would not take anything that the king of Sodom had to offer, “lest [he] say, “I have made Abram rich” (Gen 14:22-24).

[20:21]  ⁵⁶ tc The Kethib reads מְבֻחֶלֶת (mÿbukhelet), “gotten by greed” (based on a cognate Syriac verb, “to be greedy”); but the Qere is מְבֹהֶלֶת (mÿvohelet), “gotten hastily [or, quickly].” A large number of mss and the ancient versions read with the Qere (cf. KJV, ASV “gotten hastily”; NAB “gained hastily”; NIV “quickly gained”; NRSV “quickly acquired”).

[20:21]  sn If the inheritance is obtained quickly, it could mean prematurely (e.g., Luke 15:12) or cruelly (Prov 19:26). The inheritance is gained without labor or without preparation.

[20:21]  ⁵⁷ tn The form is the Pual imperfect, “will not be blessed,” suggesting that divine justice is at work.

[20:21]  sn The Hebrew verb means “enriched, made fruitful, prospered.” Whatever the inheritance was, it will not reach its full potential or even remain permanent.

[20:21]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “in its end”; KJV, ASV “the end thereof.”

[21:6]  ⁵⁹ tn The first word of the verse is the noun meaning “doing, deed, work.” The BHS editors suggest reading with the LXX an active participle – “the one who makes” (cf. NAB “He who makes”). The second word means “treasure,” from the verb “lay up, store up.” It is an objective genitive here.

[21:6]  ⁶⁰ tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity.

[21:6]  ⁶¹ tn The Hebrew הֶבֶל נִדָּף (hevel nidaf) is properly “a driven vapor” (“driven” = the Niphal participle). The point of the metaphor is that the ill-gotten gains will vanish into thin air. The LXX has “pursues” (as if reading רֹדֵף, rodef); cf. NAB “chasing a bubble over deadly snares.”

[21:6]  ⁶² tn The Hebrew has “seekers of death,” meaning “[they that seek them] are seekers of death,” or that the fortune is “a fleeting vapor for those who seek death.” The sense is not readily apparent. The Greek and the Latin versions have “snares of death”; the form מוֹקְשֵׁי (moqÿshe) was read instead of מְבַקְשֵׁי (mÿvaqshe). This reading does not make a more credible metaphor, and one must explain the loss of the letter ב (bet) in the textual variant. It is, however, slightly easier to interpret in the verse, and is followed by a number of English versions (e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). But whether the easier reading is the correct one in this case would be difficult to prove.

[22:16]  ⁶³ tn Heb “oppressing the poor, it is gain; giving to the rich, it is loss.” The Hebrew is cryptic, but two sins are mentioned here that will be punished by poverty: extortion and bribery. Perhaps the proverb is simply saying it is easy to oppress the poor for gain, but it is a waste of money to try to buy or bribe a patron (D. Kidner, Proverbs [TOTC], 149).

[28:20]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “a man of faithfulness,” although the context does not indicate this should be limited only to males.

[28:20]  sn The text does not qualify the nature of the faithfulness. While this would certainly have implications for the person’s righteous acts, its primary meaning may be his diligence and reliability in his work. His faithful work will bring the returns.

[28:20]  ⁶⁵ sn The proverb is not rebuking diligent labor. One who is eager to get rich quickly is the opposite of the faithful person. The first person is faithful to God and to the covenant community; the second is trying to get rich as quickly as possible, at the least without doing an honest day’s work and at the worst dishonestly. In a hurry to gain wealth, he falls into various schemes and will pay for it. Tg. Prov 28:20 interprets this to say he hastens through deceit and wrongdoing.

[28:21]  ⁶⁶ tn The construction uses the Hiphil infinitive הַכֵּר (hakken) as the subject of the sentence: “to have respect for [or, recognize] persons is not good” (e.g., 24:23; 18:5; Deut 1:17; Lev 19:15). Such favoritism is “not good”; instead, it is a miscarriage of justice and is to be avoided.

[28:21]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “not good.” This is a figure of speech known as tapeinosis – a deliberate understatement to emphasize a worst-case scenario: “it is terrible!”

[28:21]  ⁶⁸ tn The meaning and connection of the line is not readily clear. It could be taken in one of two ways: (1) a person can steal even a small piece of bread if hungry, and so the court should show some compassion, or it should show no partiality even in such a pathetic case; (2) a person could be bribed for a very small price (a small piece of bread being the figure representing this). This second view harmonizes best with the law.

[28:22]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “a man with an evil eye” (as opposed to the generous man who has a “good” eye). This individual is selfish, unkind, unsympathetic to others. He looks only to his own gain. Cf. NAB “The avaricious man”; NLT “A greedy person.”

[28:22]  ⁷⁰ sn The one who is hasty to gain wealth is involved in sin in some way, for which he will be punished by poverty. The idea of “hastening” after riches suggests a dishonest approach to acquiring wealth.

[5:8]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who make a house touch a house.” The exclamation הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) was used in funeral laments (see 1 Kgs 13:30; Jer 22:18; 34:5) and carries the connotation of death.

[5:8]  ⁷² tn Heb “[who] bring a field near a field.”

[5:8]  sn This verse does not condemn real estate endeavors per se, but refers to the way in which the rich bureaucrats of Judah accumulated property by exploiting the poor, in violation of the covenantal principle that the land belonged to God and that every family was to have its own portion of land. See the note at 1:23.

[5:8]  ⁷³ tn Heb “until the end of the place”; NASB “until there is no more room.”

[5:8]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land.”

[12:7]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “the merchant…loves to cheat.” The Hebrew has singular forms (noun and verb) which are used generically to refer to all Israelite merchants and traders in general. The singular noun II כְּנַעַן (kÿna’an, “a merchant; a trader”; BDB 488 s.v. II כְּנַעַן) is used in a generic sense to refer to the merchant class of Israel as a whole (e.g., Ezek 16:29; 17:4; Zeph 1:11).

[12:7]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “The merchant – in his hand are scales of deceit – loves to cheat.” The present translation rearranges the Hebrew line division to produce a smoother English rendering.

[12:8]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “says” (so NAB).

[12:8]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “I have found wealth for myself.” The verb מָצַא (matsa’, “to find”) is repeated in 12:8 to create a wordplay that is difficult to reproduce in translation. The Israelites have “found” (מָצַא) wealth for themselves (i.e., become wealthy; v. 8a) through dishonest business practices (v. 7). Nevertheless, they claim that no guilt can be “found” (מָצַא) in anything they have done in gaining their wealth (v. 8b).

[12:8]  ⁷⁹ tc The MT reads the 1st person common singular suffix on the noun יְגִיעַי (yÿgi’ay, “my labors/gains”; masculine plural noun + 1st person common singular suffix). The LXX’s οἱ πόνοι αὐτοῦ ({oi ponoi autou, “his labors”) assumes a 3rd person masculine singular suffix on the noun יְגִיעַיו (yÿgi’av, “his labors/gains”; masculine plural noun + 3rd person masculine singular suffix). The BHS editors suggest adopting the LXX reading. The textual decision is based upon whether or not this line continues the speech of Ephraim (1st person common singular suffix) or whether these are the words of the prophet (3rd person masculine singular suffix). See the following translator’s note for the two rival lexical meanings which in turn lead to the textual options for the line as a whole.

[12:8]  tn Heb “In all my gains/labors.” The noun יְגִיעַ (yÿgi’a) has a two-fold range of meanings: (1) “toil, labor” and (2) metonymical result of toil: “product, produce, gain, acquired property” (i.e., wealth gained by labor; BDB 388 s.v.; HALOT 385-86 s.v.). Normally, only one of the categories of meaning is present in any usage; however, it is possible that intentional semantic ambiguity is present in this usage because the context invokes both ideas: action + wealth.

[12:8]  ⁸⁰ tn The phrase מָצָאתִי אוֹן לִי (matsa’ti ’on li, “I have found wealth for myself” = I have become wealthy) forms a wordplay with לֹא יִמְצְאוּ לִי עָוֹן (lo’ yimtsÿ’u li ’avon, “they will not find guilt in me”). The repetition of מָצָא לִי (matsa’ li) is enhanced by the paronomasia between the similar sounding nouns עוֹן (’on, “guilt”) and אוֹן (’on, “wealth”). The wordplay emphasizes that Israel’s acquisition of wealth cannot be divorced from his guilt in dishonest business practices. Israel has difficulty in protesting his innocence that he is not guilty (עוֹן) of the dishonest acquisition of wealth (אוֹן).

[12:8]  ⁸¹ tc The MT reads “[in] all my gains, they will not find guilt in me which would be sin.” The LXX reflects a Hebrew Vorlage which would be translated “in all his labors, he cannot offset his guilt which is sin.” Some translations follow the LXX: “but all his riches can never offset the guilt he has incurred” (RSV); “None of his gains shall atone for the guilt of his sins” (NEB); “All his gain shall not suffice him for the guilt of his sin” (NAB). Most follow the MT: “In all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin” (KJV); “In all my labors they will find in me no iniquity, which would be sin” (NASB); “With all my wealth they will not find in me any iniquity or sin” (NIV); “All my gains do not amount to an offense which is real guilt” (NJPS); “No one can accuse us [sic] of getting rich dishonestly” (TEV); “I earned it all on my own, without committing a sin” (CEV). See D. Barthélemy, ed., Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 5:262-63.

[12:8]  tn Heb “In all my gains/labors, no one can find in me any guilt which is sin.”

[8:4]  ⁸² tn See the note on the word “trample” in 2:7.

[8:4]  ⁸³ tn Or “put an end to”; or “exterminate.”

[8:5]  ⁸⁴ sn Apparently work was prohibited during the new moon festival, just as it was on the Sabbath.

[8:5]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “pass by.”

[8:5]  ⁸⁶ tn The verb, though omitted in the Hebrew text, is supplied in the translation from the parallel line.

[8:5]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “sell grain.” Here “grain” could stand by metonymy for the bins where it was stored.

[8:5]  ⁸⁸ tn Here and in v. 6 the words “we’re eager” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[8:5]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “to make small the ephah and to make great the shekel.” The “ephah” was a unit of dry measure used to determine the quantity purchased, while the “shekel” was a standard weight used to determine the purchase price. By using a smaller than standard ephah and a heavier than standard shekel, these merchants were able to increase their profit (“sell less for a higher price”) by cheating the buyer.

[8:5]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “and to cheat with deceptive scales”; NASB, NIV “dishonest scales”; NRSV “false balances.”

[8:5]  sn Rigged scales may refer to bending the crossbar or shifting the center point of the scales to make the amount weighed appear heavier than it actually was, thus cheating the buyer.

[8:6]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “to buy the poor for silver.”

[8:6]  sn The expression trade silver for the poor refers to the slave trade.

[8:6]  ⁹² tn See the note on the word “sandals” in 2:6.

[8:6]  ⁹³ tn Heb “The chaff of the grain we will sell.”

[11:5]  ⁹⁴ sn The expression those who buy them appears to be a reference to the foreign nations to whom Israel’s own kings “sold” their subjects. Far from being good shepherds, then, they were evil and profiteering. The whole section (vv. 4-14) refers to the past when the Lord, the Good Shepherd, had in vain tried to lead his people to salvation and life.

[13:22]  ⁹⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[13:22]  ⁹⁶ tn Grk “the deceitfulness of riches.” Cf. BDAG 99 s.v. ἀπάτη 1, “the seduction which comes from wealth.”

[13:22]  ⁹⁷ sn That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.

[19:22]  ⁹⁸ tn Grk “he had many possessions.” This term (κτῆμα, kthma) is often used for land as a possession.

[26:15]  ⁹⁹ tn Grk “What will you give to me, and I will betray him to you?”

[5:1]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Or “wail”; Grk “crying aloud.”

[5:3]  ¹⁰¹ tn Or “hoarded up treasure for the last days”; Grk “in the last days.”

[2:15]  ¹⁰² tn The emphatic use of the 1st person common singular personal pronoun אֲנִי (’ani, “me”) with the emphatic particle of association גַּם (gam, “even, as well as”; HALOT 195–96 s.v. גַּם) appears to emphasize the 1st person common singular suffix on יִקְרֵנִי (yiqreni) “it will befall [or “happen to”] me” (Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular + 1st person common singular suffix from קָרָה, qarah, “to befall; to happen to”); see GKC 438 §135.e. Qoheleth laments not that the fate of the wise man is the same as that of the fool, but that even he himself – the wisest man of all – would fare no better in the end than the most foolish.

[2:15]  ¹⁰³ tn The adjective יוֹתֵר (yoter) means “too much; excessive,” e.g., 7:16 “excessively righteous” (HALOT 404 s.v. יוֹתֵר 2; BDB 452 s.v. יוֹתֵר). It is derived from the root יֶתֶר (yeter, “what is left over”); see HALOT 452 s.v. I יֶתֶר. It is related to the verbal root יתר (Niphal “to be left over”; Hiphil “to have left over”); see HALOT 451–52 s.v. I יתר. The adjective is related to יִתְרוֹן (yitron, “advantage; profit”) which is a key-term in this section, creating a word-play: The wise man has a relative “advantage” (יִתְרוֹן) over the fool (2:13-14a); however, there is no ultimate advantage because both share the same fate, i.e., death (2:14b-15a). Thus, Qoheleth’s acquisition of tremendous wisdom (1:16; 2:9) was “excessive” because it exceeded its relative advantage over folly: it could not deliver him from the same fate as the fool. He had striven to obtain wisdom, yet it held no ultimate advantage.

[2:15]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “And why was I wise (to) excess?” The rhetorical question is an example of negative affirmation, expecting a negative answer: “I gained nothing!” (E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 949).

[2:15]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “So I said in my heart.”

[2:15]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “and also this,” referring to the relative advantage of wisdom over folly.

[2:15]  ¹⁰⁷ tn The word “ultimately” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:16]  ¹⁰⁸ tn The preposition עִם (’im, “with”) may occasionally function in a comparative sense, meaning “together with; even as; like” (e.g., Eccl 1:11; 2:16; 7:11; Job 9:26; 1 Chr 14:10: 20:6; 25:8; see HALOT 839 s.v. עִם 2). When used to describe a common lot, it connotes “together with” (Gen 18:23, 25; 1 Chr 24:5; Job 3:14, 15; 30:1; Pss 26:9; 28:3; 69:29; Isa 38:11), hence “like” (Pss 73:5; 106:6; Eccl 2:16; see BDB 767–68 s.v. עִם 1.e).

[2:16]  ¹⁰⁹ tn As HALOT 798–99 s.v. עוֹלָם and BDB 762-64 s.v. עוֹלָם note, עוֹלָם (’olam) has a wide range of meanings: (1) indefinite time: “long time; duration,” (2) unlimited time: “eternal; eternity,” (3) future time: “things to come,” and (4) past time: “a long time back,” that is, the dark age of prehistory. The context here suggests the nuance “a long time.”

[2:16]  ¹¹⁰ tn The preposition בְּ (bet) on בְּשֶׁכְּבָר (bÿshekkÿvar, the adverb כְּבָר [kÿvar,“already”] + relative pronoun שֶׁ [she] + preposition בְּ) is probably best classified as causal: “Because…already.”

[2:16]  ¹¹¹ tn The verb נִשְׁכָּח (nishkakh) is a future perfect – it describes an event that is portrayed as a past event from the perspective of the future: “they will have been forgotten.” The emphasis of the past perfect is not simply that the future generations will begin to forget him, but that he will already have been forgotten long ago in the past by the time of those future generations. This past perfect situation is brought out by the emphatic use of the temporal adverb כְּבָר (kÿvar) “already” (HALOT 459 s.v. I כְּבָר; BDB 460 s.v. I כְּבָר); see, e.g., Eccl 1:10; 2:12, 16; 3:15; 4:2; 6:10; 9:6-7.

[2:16]  ¹¹² tn The particle אֵיךְ (’ekh, “Alas!”) is an exclamation of lamentation and mourning (e.g., 2 Sam 1:19; Isa 14:4, 12; Jer 2:21; 9:18; Ezek 26:17; Mic 2:4); see HALOT 39 s.v. אֵיךְ 5; BDB 32 s.v. אֵיךְ 2; also E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 955.

[2:16]  ¹¹³ tn The preposition עִם (’im, “with”) may occasionally function in a comparative sense, meaning “together with; even as; like” (e.g., Eccl 1:11; 2:16; 7:11; Job 9:26; 1 Chr 14:10: 20:6; 25:8); see HALOT 839 s.v. עִם 2. When used to describe a common lot, it connotes “together with” (Gen 18:23, 25; 1 Chr 24:5; Job 3:14, 15; 30:1; Ps 26:9; 28:3; 69:29; Isa 38:11), hence “like” (Pss 73:5; 106:6; Eccl 2:16); see BDB 767–68 s.v. עִם 1.e.

[1:11]  ¹¹⁴ tn Or “they have gone the way of Cain.”

[1:11]  ¹¹⁵ tn Grk “for wages.”

[1:11]  ¹¹⁶ tn The verb ἐκχέω (ekcew) normally means “pour out.” Here, in the passive, it occasionally has a reflexive idea, as BDAG 312 s.v. 3. suggests (with extra-biblical examples).

[1:11]  ¹¹⁷ tn Or “in.”

[1:11]  ¹¹⁸ tn Grk “and.” See note on “perish” later in this verse.

[1:11]  ¹¹⁹ tn The three verbs in this verse are all aorist indicative (“have gone down,” “have abandoned,” “have perished”). Although the first and second could be considered constative or ingressive, the last is almost surely proleptic (referring to the certainty of their future judgment). Although it may seem odd that a proleptic aorist is so casually connected to other aorists with a different syntactical force, it is not unparalleled (cf. Rom 8:30).