Ibrani 4:16

4:16 Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help. ¹ 

Ibrani 7:19

7:19 for the law made nothing perfect. On the other hand a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.

Mazmur 73:28

73:28 But as for me, God’s presence is all I need. ² 

I have made the sovereign Lord my shelter,

as ³  I declare all the things you have done.

Yesaya 29:13

29:13 The sovereign master ⁴  says,

“These people say they are loyal to me; ⁵ 

they say wonderful things about me, ⁶ 

but they are not really loyal to me. ⁷ 

Their worship consists of

nothing but man-made ritual. ⁸ 

Yeremia 30:21

30:21 One of their own people will be their leader.

Their ruler will come from their own number. ⁹ 

I will invite him to approach me, and he will do so. ¹⁰ 

For no one would dare approach me on his own. ¹¹ 

I, the Lord, affirm it! ¹² 

Yakobus 4:8

4:8 Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts pure, you double-minded. ¹³ 

[4:16]  ¹ tn Grk “for timely help.”

[73:28]  ² tn Heb “but as for me, the nearness of God for me [is] good.”

[73:28]  ³ tn The infinitive construct with -לְ (lÿ) is understood here as indicating an attendant circumstance. Another option is to take it as indicating purpose (“so that I might declare”) or result (“with the result that I declare”).

[29:13]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).

[29:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “Because these people draw near to me with their mouth.”

[29:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “and with their lips they honor me.”

[29:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “but their heart is far from me.” The heart is viewed here as the seat of the will, from which genuine loyalty derives.

[29:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “their fear of me is a commandment of men that has been taught.”

[30:21]  ⁹ sn The statement their ruler will come from their own number accords with the regulation in Deut 17:15. They would not be ruled by a foreign leader but by one of their own people. In v. 9 he is specifically said to come from the Davidic line. See the study note there.

[30:21]  ¹⁰ sn Ordinarily this prerogative was confined to the priests and the Levites and even then under strict regulations (cf., e.g., Num 8:19; 16:10; Lev 16:10; 21:17; 22:3). Uzziah king of Judah violated this and suffered leprosy for having done so (2 Chr 26:16-20). It is clear, however, that both David and Solomon on occasion exercised priestly functions in the presence of the ark or the altar which it was normally lawful for only the priests to approach (cf., e.g., 2 Sam 6:13-14; 1 Kgs 8:22, 54-55). Here reference is probably not to the normal prerogatives of offering sacrifice or burning incense but access to God’s special presence at special times for the purpose of consultation.

[30:21]  ¹¹ tn Heb “For who is he who would pledge his heart to draw near to me.” The question is a rhetorical one expecting the answer “no one” and is a way of expressing an emphatic negative (see BDB 566 s.v. מִי f[c]). The concept of “pledging” something refers to putting up security in guarantee of payment. Here the word is used figuratively of “putting up one’s heart [i.e., his very being (cf. BDB 524 s.v. לֵב 7 and Ps 22:26)]” for the privilege of access to God. The rhetorical question denies that any one would do that if he were not bidden by God to do so.

[30:21]  ¹² tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[4:8]  ¹³ tn Or “two-minded” (the same description used in 1:8).