Kejadian 18:25

18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the godly with the wicked, treating the godly and the wicked alike! Far be it from you! Will not the judge ¹  of the whole earth do what is right?” ² 

Ulangan 32:4

32:4 As for the Rock, ³  his work is perfect,

for all his ways are just.

He is a reliable God who is never unjust,

he is fair ⁴  and upright.

Ayub 34:10-12

God is Not Unjust

34:10 “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. ⁵ 

Far be it from ⁶  God to do wickedness,

from the Almighty to do evil.

34:11 For he repays a person for his work, ⁷ 

and according to the conduct of a person,

he causes the consequences to find him. ⁸ 

34:12 Indeed, in truth, God does not act wickedly,

and the Almighty does not pervert justice.

Ayub 34:18-19

34:18 who says to a king, ⁹  ‘Worthless man’ ¹⁰ 

and to nobles, ‘Wicked men,’

34:19 who shows no partiality to princes,

and does not take note of ¹¹  the rich more than the poor,

because all of them are the work of his hands?

Mazmur 19:7-8

19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect

and preserves one’s life. ¹² 

The rules set down by the Lord ¹³  are reliable ¹⁴ 

and impart wisdom to the inexperienced. ¹⁵ 

19:8 The Lord’s precepts are fair ¹⁶ 

and make one joyful. ¹⁷ 

The Lord’s commands ¹⁸  are pure ¹⁹ 

and give insight for life. ²⁰ 

Mazmur 119:75

119:75 I know, Lord, that your regulations ²¹  are just.

You disciplined me because of your faithful devotion to me. ²² 

Mazmur 119:128

119:128 For this reason I carefully follow all your precepts. ²³ 

I hate all deceitful actions. ²⁴ 

Yehezkiel 18:25

18:25 “Yet you say, ‘The Lord’s conduct ²⁵  is unjust!’ Hear, O house of Israel: Is my conduct unjust? Is it not your conduct that is unjust?

Yehezkiel 33:17-20

33:17 “Yet your people ²⁶  say, ‘The behavior ²⁷  of the Lord is not right,’ ²⁸  when it is their behavior that is not right. 33:18 When a righteous man turns from his godliness and commits iniquity, he will die for it. 33:19 When the wicked turns from his sin and does what is just and right, he will live because of it. 33:20 Yet you say, ‘The behavior of the Lord is not right.’ House of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his behavior.” ²⁹ 

Zefanya 3:5

3:5 The just Lord resides ³⁰  within her;

he commits no unjust acts. ³¹ 

Every morning he reveals ³²  his justice.

At dawn he appears without fail. ³³ 

Yet the unjust know no shame.

Roma 7:12

7:12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.

[18:25]  ¹ tn Or “ruler.”

[18:25]  ² sn Will not the judge of the whole earth do what is right? For discussion of this text see J. L. Crenshaw, “Popular Questioning of the Justice of God in Ancient Israel,” ZAW 82 (1970): 380-95, and C. S. Rodd, “Shall Not the Judge of All the Earth Do What Is Just?” ExpTim 83 (1972): 137-39.

[32:4]  ³ tc The LXX reads Θεός (qeos, “God”) for the MT’s “Rock.”

[32:4]  sn The Hebrew term depicts God as a rocky summit where one may find safety and protection. Within a covenantal context it serves as a reminder to the people that their God has committed himself to their protection in return for their allegiance.

[32:4]  ⁴ tn Or “just” (KJV, NAB, NRSV, NLT) or “righteous” (NASB).

[34:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “men of heart.” The “heart” is used for the capacity to understand and make the proper choice. It is often translated “mind.”

[34:10]  ⁶ tn For this construction, see Job 27:5.

[34:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “for the work of man, he [= God] repays him.”

[34:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “he causes it to find him.” The text means that God will cause a man to find (or receive) the consequences of his actions.

[34:18]  ⁹ tc Heb “Does one say,” although some smooth it out to say “Is it fit to say?” For the reading “who says,” the form has to be repointed to הַאֹמֵר (ha’omer) meaning, “who is the one saying.” This reading is supported by the LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac. Also it seems to flow better with the following verse. It would be saying that God is over the rulers and can rebuke them. The former view is saying that no one rebukes kings, much less Job rebuking God.

[34:18]  ¹⁰ tn The word בְּלִיָּעַל (bÿliyya’al) means both “worthless” and “wicked.” It is common in proverbial literature, and in later writings it became a description of Satan. It is usually found with “son of.”

[34:19]  ¹¹ tn The verb means “to give recognition; to take note of” and in this passage with לִפְנֵי (lifne, “before”) it means to show preferential treatment to the rich before the poor. The word for “rich” here is an unusual word, found parallel to “noble” (Isa 32:2). P. Joüon thinks it is a term of social distinction (Bib 18 [1937]: 207-8).

[19:7]  ¹² tn Heb “[it] restores life.” Elsewhere the Hiphil of שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) when used with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “life”) as object, means to “rescue or preserve one’s life” (Job 33:30; Ps 35:17) or to “revive one’s strength” (emotionally or physically; cf. Ruth 4:15; Lam 1:11, 16, 19). Here the point seems to be that the law preserves the life of the one who studies it by making known God’s will. Those who know God’s will know how to please him and can avoid offending him. See v. 11a.

[19:7]  ¹³ tn Traditionally, “the testimony of the Lord.” The noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to the demands of God’s covenant law.

[19:7]  ¹⁴ tn God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.

[19:7]  ¹⁵ tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly.

[19:8]  ¹⁶ tn Or “just.” Perhaps the idea is that they impart a knowledge of what is just and right.

[19:8]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “[they] make happy [the] heart.” Perhaps the point is that they bring a sense of joyful satisfaction to the one who knows and keeps them, for those who obey God’s law are richly rewarded. See v. 11b.

[19:8]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “command.” The singular here refers to the law as a whole.

[19:8]  ¹⁹ tn Because they reflect God’s character, his commands provide a code of moral and ethical purity.

[19:8]  ²⁰ tn Heb [they] enlighten [the] eyes.

[119:75]  ²¹ tn In this context (note the second line) the Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpatim), which so often refers to the regulations of God’s law elsewhere in this psalm, may refer instead to his decisions or disciplinary judgment.

[119:75]  ²² tn Heb “and [in] faithfulness you afflicted me.”

[119:128]  ²³ tn Heb “for this reason all the precepts of everything I regard as right.” The phrase “precepts of everything” is odd. It is preferable to take the kaf (כ) on כֹּל (kol, “everything) with the preceding form as a pronominal suffix, “your precepts,” and the lamed (ל) with the following verb as an emphatic particle. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 138.

[119:128]  ²⁴ tn Heb “every false path.”

[18:25]  ²⁵ tn Heb “way.”

[33:17]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the sons of your people.”

[33:17]  ²⁷ tn Heb “way.”

[33:17]  ²⁸ tn The Hebrew verb translated “is (not) right” has the basic meaning of “to measure.” For a similar concept, see Ezek 18:25, 29.

[33:20]  ²⁹ tn Heb “ways.”

[3:5]  ³⁰ tn The word “resides” is supplied for clarification.

[3:5]  ³¹ tn Or “he does no injustice.”

[3:5]  ³² tn Heb “gives”; or “dispenses.”

[3:5]  ³³ tn Heb “at the light he is not missing.” Note that NASB (which capitalizes pronouns referring to Deity) has divided the lines differently: “Every morning He brings His justice to light; // He does not fail.”