Hosea 14:1-3

Prophetic Call to Genuine Repentance

14:1 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,

for your sin has been your downfall! ¹ 

14:2 Return to the Lord and repent! ² 

Say to him: “Completely ³  forgive our iniquity;

accept ⁴  our penitential prayer, ⁵ 

that we may offer the praise of our lips as sacrificial bulls. ⁶ 

14:3 Assyria cannot save us;

we will not ride warhorses.

We will never again say, ‘Our gods’

to what our own hands have made.

For only you will show compassion to Orphan Israel!” ⁷ 

Imamat 26:40-42

26:40 However, when ⁸  they confess their iniquity and their ancestors’ iniquity which they committed by trespassing against me, ⁹  by which they also walked ¹⁰  in hostility against me ¹¹  26:41 (and I myself will walk in hostility against them and bring them into the land of their enemies), and ¹²  then their uncircumcised hearts become humbled and they make up for ¹³  their iniquity, 26:42 I will remember my covenant with Jacob and also my covenant with Isaac and also my covenant with Abraham, ¹⁴  and I will remember the land.

Ulangan 4:29-31

4:29 But if you seek the Lord your God from there, you will find him, if, indeed, you seek him with all your heart and soul. ¹⁵  4:30 In your distress when all these things happen to you in the latter days, ¹⁶  if you return to the Lord your God and obey him ¹⁷  4:31 (for he ¹⁸  is a merciful God), he will not let you down ¹⁹  or destroy you, for he cannot ²⁰  forget the covenant with your ancestors that he confirmed by oath to them.

Ulangan 30:1-3

The Results of Covenant Reaffirmation

30:1 “When you have experienced all these things, both the blessings and the curses ²¹  I have set before you, you will reflect upon them ²²  in all the nations where the Lord your God has banished you. 30:2 Then if you and your descendants ²³  turn to the Lord your God and obey him with your whole mind and being ²⁴  just as ²⁵  I am commanding you today, 30:3 the Lord your God will reverse your captivity and have pity on you. He will turn and gather you from all the peoples among whom he ²⁶  has scattered you.

Ulangan 30:1

The Results of Covenant Reaffirmation

30:1 “When you have experienced all these things, both the blessings and the curses ²⁷  I have set before you, you will reflect upon them ²⁸  in all the nations where the Lord your God has banished you.

Kisah Para Rasul 8:1

8:1 And Saul agreed completely with killing ²⁹  him.

Saul Begins to Persecute the Church

Now on that day a great ³⁰  persecution began ³¹  against the church in Jerusalem, ³²  and all ³³  except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions ³⁴  of Judea and Samaria.

Kisah Para Rasul 8:1-2

8:1 And Saul agreed completely with killing ³⁵  him.

Saul Begins to Persecute the Church

Now on that day a great ³⁶  persecution began ³⁷  against the church in Jerusalem, ³⁸  and all ³⁹  except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions ⁴⁰  of Judea and Samaria. 8:2 Some ⁴¹  devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation ⁴²  over him. ⁴³ 

Kisah Para Rasul 6:1

The Appointment of the First Seven Deacons

6:1 Now in those ⁴⁴  days, when the disciples were growing in number, ⁴⁵  a complaint arose on the part of the Greek-speaking Jews ⁴⁶  against the native Hebraic Jews, ⁴⁷  because their widows ⁴⁸  were being overlooked ⁴⁹  in the daily distribution of food. ⁵⁰ 

Kisah Para Rasul 6:1-2

The Appointment of the First Seven Deacons

6:1 Now in those ⁵¹  days, when the disciples were growing in number, ⁵²  a complaint arose on the part of the Greek-speaking Jews ⁵³  against the native Hebraic Jews, ⁵⁴  because their widows ⁵⁵  were being overlooked ⁵⁶  in the daily distribution of food. ⁵⁷  6:2 So the twelve ⁵⁸  called ⁵⁹  the whole group ⁶⁰  of the disciples together and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to wait on tables. ⁶¹ 

Kisah Para Rasul 7:14

7:14 So Joseph sent a message ⁶²  and invited ⁶³  his father Jacob and all his relatives to come, seventy-five people ⁶⁴  in all.

Nehemia 1:8-9

1:8 Please recall the word you commanded your servant Moses: ‘If you act unfaithfully, I will scatter you among the nations. ⁶⁵  1:9 But if you repent ⁶⁶  and obey ⁶⁷  my commandments and do them, then even if your dispersed people are in the most remote location, ⁶⁸  I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen for my name to reside.’

Ayub 33:27

33:27 That person sings ⁶⁹  to others, ⁷⁰  saying:

‘I have sinned and falsified what is right,

but I was not punished according to what I deserved. ⁷¹ 

Yesaya 64:5-9

64:5 You assist ⁷²  those who delight in doing what is right, ⁷³ 

who observe your commandments. ⁷⁴ 

Look, you were angry because we violated them continually.

How then can we be saved? ⁷⁵ 

64:6 We are all like one who is unclean,

all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in your sight. ⁷⁶ 

We all wither like a leaf;

our sins carry us away like the wind.

64:7 No one invokes ⁷⁷  your name,

or makes an effort ⁷⁸  to take hold of you.

For you have rejected us ⁷⁹ 

and handed us over to our own sins. ⁸⁰ 

64:8 Yet, ⁸¹  Lord, you are our father.

We are the clay, and you are our potter;

we are all the product of your labor. ⁸² 

64:9 Lord, do not be too angry!

Do not hold our sins against us continually! ⁸³ 

Take a good look at your people, at all of us! ⁸⁴ 

Yeremia 3:13

3:13 However, you must confess that you have done wrong, ⁸⁵ 

and that you have rebelled against the Lord your God.

You must confess ⁸⁶  that you have given yourself to ⁸⁷  foreign gods under every green tree,

and have not obeyed my commands,’ says the Lord.

Yeremia 29:12-14

29:12 When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, ⁸⁸  I will hear your prayers. ⁸⁹  29:13 When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you. If you seek me with all your heart and soul, ⁹⁰  29:14 I will make myself available to you,’ ⁹¹  says the Lord. ⁹²  ‘Then I will reverse your plight ⁹³  and will regather you from all the nations and all the places where I have exiled you,’ says the Lord. ⁹⁴  ‘I will bring you back to the place from which I exiled you.’

Yeremia 31:18-20

31:18 I have indeed ⁹⁵  heard the people of Israel ⁹⁶  say mournfully,

‘We were like a calf untrained to the yoke. ⁹⁷ 

You disciplined us and we learned from it. ⁹⁸ 

Let us come back to you and we will do so, ⁹⁹ 

for you are the Lord our God.

31:19 For after we turned away from you we repented.

After we came to our senses ¹⁰⁰  we beat our breasts in sorrow. ¹⁰¹ 

We are ashamed and humiliated

because of the disgraceful things we did previously.’ ¹⁰² 

31:20 Indeed, the people of Israel are my dear children.

They are the children I take delight in. ¹⁰³ 

For even though I must often rebuke them,

I still remember them with fondness.

So I am deeply moved with pity for them ¹⁰⁴ 

and will surely have compassion on them.

I, the Lord, affirm it! ¹⁰⁵ 

Yehezkiel 6:9

6:9 Then your survivors will remember me among the nations where they are exiled. They will realize ¹⁰⁶  how I was crushed by their unfaithful ¹⁰⁷  heart which turned from me and by their eyes which lusted after their idols. They will loathe themselves ¹⁰⁸  because of the evil they have done and because of all their abominable practices.

Yehezkiel 20:43

20:43 And there you will remember your conduct ¹⁰⁹  and all your deeds by which you defiled yourselves. You will despise yourselves ¹¹⁰  because of all the evil deeds you have done.

Yehezkiel 36:31

36:31 Then you will remember your evil behavior ¹¹¹  and your deeds which were not good; you will loathe yourselves on account of your sins and your abominable deeds.

Daniel 9:4-12

9:4 I prayed to the LORD my God, confessing in this way:

“O Lord, ¹¹²  great and awesome God who is faithful to his covenant ¹¹³  with those who love him and keep his commandments, 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 ¹¹⁴  to our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors, ¹¹⁵  and to all the inhabitants ¹¹⁶  of the land as well.

9:7 “You are righteous, ¹¹⁷  O Lord, but we are humiliated this day ¹¹⁸  – the people ¹¹⁹  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 ¹²⁰  – our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors – because we have sinned against you. 9:9 Yet the Lord our God is compassionate and forgiving, ¹²¹  even though we have rebelled against him. 9:10 We have not obeyed ¹²²  the LORD our God by living according to ¹²³  his laws ¹²⁴  that he set before us through his servants the prophets.

9:11 “All Israel has broken ¹²⁵  your law and turned away by not obeying you. ¹²⁶  Therefore you have poured out on us the judgment solemnly threatened ¹²⁷  in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against you. ¹²⁸  9:12 He has carried out his threats ¹²⁹  against us and our rulers ¹³⁰  who were over ¹³¹  us by bringing great calamity on us – what has happened to Jerusalem has never been equaled under all heaven!

[14:1]  ¹ tn Heb “For you have stumbled in your iniquity”; NASB, NRSV “because of your iniquity.”

[14:2]  ² tn Heb “Take words with you and return to the Lord” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[14:2]  ³ tn The word order כָּל־תִּשָּׂא עָוֹן (kol-tisa’ ’avon) is syntactically awkward. The BHS editors suggest rearranging the word order: תִּשָּׂא כָּל־עוֹן (“Forgive all [our] iniquity!”). However, Gesenius suggests that כָּל (“all”) does not function as the construct in the genitive phrase כָּל־עוֹן (“all [our] iniquity”); it functions adverbially modifying the verb תִּשָּׂא (“Completely forgive!”; see GKC 415 §128.e).

[14:2]  ⁴ sn The repetition of the root לָקַח (laqakh) creates a striking wordplay in 14:2. If Israel will bring (לָקַח) its confession to God, he will accept (לָקַח) repentant Israel and completely forgive its sin.

[14:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “and accept [our] speech.” The word טוֹב (tov) is often confused with the common homonymic root I טוֹב (tov, “good”; BDB 373 s.v. I טוֹב). However, this is probably IV טוֹב (tov, “word, speech”; HALOT 372 s.v. IV טוֹב), a hapax legomenon that is related to the verb טבב (“to speak”; HALOT 367 s.v. טבב) and the noun טִבָּה (tibbah, “rumor”; HALOT 367 s.v. טִבָּה). The term טוֹב (“word; speech”) refers to the repentant prayer mentioned in 14:1-3. Most translations relate it to I טוֹב and treat it as (1) accusative direct object: “accept that which is good” (RSV, NJPS), “Accept our good sacrifices” (CEV), or (2) adverbial accusative of manner: “receive [us] graciously” (KJV, NASB, NIV). Note TEV, however, which follows the suggestion made here: “accept our prayer.”

[14:2]  ⁶ tc The MT reads פָרִים (farim, “bulls”), but the LXX reflects פְּרִי (pÿri, “fruit”), a reading followed by NASB, NIV, NRSV: “that we may offer the fruit of [our] lips [as sacrifices to you].” Although the Greek expression in Heb 13:15 (καρπὸν χειλέων, karpon xeilewn, “the fruit of lips”) reflects this LXX phrase, the MT makes good sense as it stands; NT usage of the LXX should not be considered decisive in resolving OT textual problems. The noun פָרִים (parim, “bulls”) functions as an adverbial accusative of state.

[14:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “For the orphan is shown compassion by you.” The present translation takes “orphan” as a figurative reference to Israel, which is specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:40]  ⁸ tn Heb “And.” Many English versions take this to be a conditional clause (“if…”) though there is no conditional particle (see, e.g., NASB, NIV, NRSV; but see the very different rendering in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 190). The temporal translation offered here (“when”) takes into account the particle אָז (’az, “then”), which occurs twice in v. 41. The obvious contextual contrast between vv. 39 and 40 is expressed by “however” in the translation.

[26:40]  ⁹ tn Heb “in their trespassing which they trespassed in me.” See the note on Lev 5:15, although the term is used in a more technical sense there in relation to the “guilt offering.”

[26:40]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and also which they walked.”

[26:40]  ¹¹ tn Heb “with me.”

[26:41]  ¹² tn Heb “or then,” although the LXX has “then” and the Syriac “and then.”

[26:41]  ¹³ tn Heb “and then they make up for.” On the verb “make up for” see the note on v. 34 above.

[26:42]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “my covenant with Abraham I will remember.” The phrase “I will remember” has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[4:29]  ¹⁵ tn Or “mind and being.” See Deut 6:5.

[4:30]  ¹⁶ sn The phrase is not used here in a technical sense for the eschaton, but rather refers to a future time when Israel will be punished for its sin and experience exile. See Deut 31:29.

[4:30]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “hear his voice.” The expression is an idiom meaning “obey,” occurring in Deut 8:20; 9:23; 13:18; 21:18, 20; 26:14, 17; 27:10; 28:1-2, 15, 45, 62; 30:2, 8, 10, 20.

[4:31]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 4:3.

[4:31]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “he will not drop you,” i.e., “will not abandon you” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[4:31]  ²⁰ tn Or “will not.” The translation understands the imperfect verbal form to have an added nuance of capability here.

[30:1]  ²¹ tn Heb “the blessing and the curse.”

[30:1]  ²² tn Heb “and you bring (them) back to your heart.”

[30:2]  ²³ tn Heb “sons” (so NASB); KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “children.”

[30:2]  ²⁴ tn Or “heart and soul” (also in vv. 6, 10).

[30:2]  ²⁵ tn Heb “according to all.”

[30:3]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[30:1]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the blessing and the curse.”

[30:1]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and you bring (them) back to your heart.”

[8:1]  ²⁹ tn The term ἀναίρεσις (anairesi") can refer to murder (BDAG 64 s.v.; 2 Macc 5:13; Josephus, Ant. 5.2.12 [5.165]).

[8:1]  ³⁰ tn Or “severe.”

[8:1]  ³¹ tn Grk “Now there happened on that day a great persecution.” It is less awkward to say in English “Now on that day a great persecution began.”

[8:1]  ³² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[8:1]  ³³ sn All. Given that the Jerusalem church is still active after this and that the Hellenists are the focus of Acts 6-8, it is possible to argue that only the Hellenistic Christians were forced to scatter.

[8:1]  ³⁴ tn Or “countryside.”

[8:1]  ³⁵ tn The term ἀναίρεσις (anairesi") can refer to murder (BDAG 64 s.v.; 2 Macc 5:13; Josephus, Ant. 5.2.12 [5.165]).

[8:1]  ³⁶ tn Or “severe.”

[8:1]  ³⁷ tn Grk “Now there happened on that day a great persecution.” It is less awkward to say in English “Now on that day a great persecution began.”

[8:1]  ³⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[8:1]  ³⁹ sn All. Given that the Jerusalem church is still active after this and that the Hellenists are the focus of Acts 6-8, it is possible to argue that only the Hellenistic Christians were forced to scatter.

[8:1]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “countryside.”

[8:2]  ⁴¹ tn “Some” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[8:2]  ⁴² sn Made loud lamentation. For someone who was stoned to death, lamentation was normally not allowed (m. Sanhedrin 6:6). The remark points to an unjust death.

[8:2]  ⁴³ tn Or “mourned greatly for him.”

[6:1]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “these.” The translation uses “those” for stylistic reasons.

[6:1]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “were multiplying.”

[6:1]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “the Hellenists,” but this descriptive term is largely unknown to the modern English reader. The translation “Greek-speaking Jews” attempts to convey something of who these were, but it was more than a matter of language spoken; it involved a degree of adoption of Greek culture as well.

[6:1]  sn The Greek-speaking Jews were the Hellenists, Jews who to a greater or lesser extent had adopted Greek thought, customs, and lifestyle, as well as the Greek language. The city of Alexandria in Egypt was a focal point for them, but they were scattered throughout the Roman Empire.

[6:1]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “against the Hebrews,” but as with “Hellenists” this needs further explanation for the modern reader.

[6:1]  ⁴⁸ sn The care of widows is a major biblical theme: Deut 10:18; 16:11, 14; 24:17, 19-21; 26:12-13; 27:19; Isa 1:17-23; Jer 7:6; Mal 3:5.

[6:1]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “neglected.”

[6:1]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “in the daily serving.”

[6:1]  sn The daily distribution of food. The early church saw it as a responsibility to meet the basic needs of people in their group.

[6:1]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “these.” The translation uses “those” for stylistic reasons.

[6:1]  ⁵² tn Grk “were multiplying.”

[6:1]  ⁵³ tn Grk “the Hellenists,” but this descriptive term is largely unknown to the modern English reader. The translation “Greek-speaking Jews” attempts to convey something of who these were, but it was more than a matter of language spoken; it involved a degree of adoption of Greek culture as well.

[6:1]  sn The Greek-speaking Jews were the Hellenists, Jews who to a greater or lesser extent had adopted Greek thought, customs, and lifestyle, as well as the Greek language. The city of Alexandria in Egypt was a focal point for them, but they were scattered throughout the Roman Empire.

[6:1]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “against the Hebrews,” but as with “Hellenists” this needs further explanation for the modern reader.

[6:1]  ⁵⁵ sn The care of widows is a major biblical theme: Deut 10:18; 16:11, 14; 24:17, 19-21; 26:12-13; 27:19; Isa 1:17-23; Jer 7:6; Mal 3:5.

[6:1]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “neglected.”

[6:1]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “in the daily serving.”

[6:1]  sn The daily distribution of food. The early church saw it as a responsibility to meet the basic needs of people in their group.

[6:2]  ⁵⁸ sn The twelve refers to the twelve apostles.

[6:2]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “calling the whole group…together, said.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενοι (proskalesamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[6:2]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “the multitude.”

[6:2]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “to serve tables.”

[7:14]  ⁶² tn The words “a message” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[7:14]  ⁶³ tn Or “Joseph had his father summoned” (BDAG 121 s.v. ἀποστέλλω 2.b).

[7:14]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “souls” (here an idiom for the whole person).

[1:8]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “peoples.”

[1:9]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “turn to me.”

[1:9]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “keep.” See the note on the word “obey” in Neh 1:5.

[1:9]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “at the end of the heavens.”

[33:27]  ⁶⁹ tc The verb יָשֹׁר (yashor) is unusual. The typical view is to change it to יָשִׁיר (yashir, “he sings”), but that may seem out of harmony with a confession. Dhorme suggests a root שׁוּר (shur, “to repeat”), but this is a doubtful root. J. Reider reads it יָשֵׁיר (yasher) and links it to an Arabic word “confesses” (ZAW 24 [1953]: 275).

[33:27]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “to men.”

[33:27]  ⁷¹ tn The verb שָׁוָה (shavah) has the impersonal meaning here, “it has not been requited to me.” The meaning is that the sinner has not been treated in accordance with his deeds: “I was not punished according to what I deserved.”

[64:5]  ⁷² tn Heb “meet [with kindness].”

[64:5]  ⁷³ tn Heb “the one who rejoices and does righteousness.”

[64:5]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “in your ways they remember you.”

[64:5]  ⁷⁵ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “look, you were angry and we sinned against them continually [or perhaps, “in ancient times”] and we were delivered.” The statement makes little sense as it stands. The first vav [ו] consecutive (“and we sinned”) must introduce an explanatory clause here (see Num 1:48 and Isa 39:1 for other examples of this relatively rare use of the vav [ו] consecutive). The final verb (if rendered positively) makes no sense in this context – God’s anger at their sin resulted in judgment, not deliverance. One of the alternatives involves an emendation to וַנִּרְשָׁע (vannirsha’, “and we were evil”; LXX, NRSV, TEV). The Vulgate and the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a support the MT reading. One can either accept an emendation or cast the statement as a question (as above).

[64:6]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “and like a garment of menstruation [are] all our righteous acts”; KJV, NIV “filthy rags”; ASV “a polluted garment.”

[64:7]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “calls out in”; NASB, NIV, NRSV “calls on.”

[64:7]  ⁷⁸ tn Or “rouses himself”; NASB “arouses himself.”

[64:7]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “for you have hidden your face from us.”

[64:7]  ⁸⁰ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and you caused us to melt in the hand of our sin.” The verb וַתְּמוּגֵנוּ (vattÿmugenu) is a Qal preterite 2nd person masculine singular with a 1st person common plural suffix from the root מוּג (mug, “melt”). However, elsewhere the Qal of this verb is intransitive. If the verbal root מוּג (mug) is retained here, the form should be emended to a Polel pattern (וַתְּמֹגְגֵנוּ, vattÿmogÿgenu). The translation assumes an emendation to וַתְּמַגְּנֵנוּ (vattÿmaggÿnenu, “and you handed us over”). This form is a Piel preterite 2nd person masculine singular with a 1st person common plural suffix from the verbal root מִגֵּן (miggen, “hand over, surrender”; see HALOT 545 s.v. מגן and BDB 171 s.v. מָגָן). The point is that God has abandoned them to their sinful ways and no longer seeks reconciliation.

[64:8]  ⁸¹ tn On the force of וְעַתָּה (vÿ’attah) here, see HALOT 902 s.v. עַתָּה.

[64:8]  ⁸² tn Heb “the work of your hand.”

[64:9]  ⁸³ tn Heb “do not remember sin continually.”

[64:9]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “Look, gaze at your people, all of us.” Another option is to translate, “Take a good look! We are all your people.”

[3:13]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “Only acknowledge your iniquity.”

[3:13]  ⁸⁶ tn The words “You must confess” are repeated to convey the connection. The Hebrew text has an introductory “that” in front of the second line and a coordinative “and” in front of the next two lines.

[3:13]  ⁸⁷ tc MT reads דְּרָכַיִךְ (dÿrakhayikh, “your ways”), but the BHS editors suggest דּוֹדַיִךְ (dodayikh, “your breasts”) as an example of orthographic confusion. While the proposal makes sense, it remains a conjectural emendation since it is not supported by any actual manuscripts or ancient versions.

[3:13]  tn Heb “scattered your ways with foreign [gods]” or “spread out your breasts to strangers.”

[29:12]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “come and pray to me.” This is an example of verbal hendiadys where two verb formally joined by “and” convey a main concept with the second verb functioning as an adverbial qualifier.

[29:12]  ⁸⁹ tn Or “You will call out to me and come to me in prayer and I will hear your prayers.” The verbs are vav consecutive perfects and can be taken either as unconditional futures or as contingent futures. See GKC 337 §112.kk and 494 §159.g and compare the usage in Gen 44:22 for the use of the vav consecutive perfects in contingent futures. The conditional clause in the middle of 29:13 and the deuteronomic theology reflected in both Deut 30:1-5 and 1 Kgs 8:46-48 suggest that the verbs are continent futures here. For the same demand for wholehearted seeking in these contexts which presuppose exile see especially Deut 30:2, 1 Kgs 8:48.

[29:13]  ⁹⁰ tn Or “If you wholeheartedly seek me”; Heb “You will seek me and find [me] because you will seek me with all your heart.” The translation attempts to reflect the theological nuances of “seeking” and “finding” and the psychological significance of “heart” which refers more to intellectual and volitional concerns in the OT than to emotional ones.

[29:14]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “I will let myself be found by you.” For this nuance of the verb see BDB 594 s.v. מָצָא Niph.1.f and compare the usage in Isa 65:1; 2 Chr 15:2. The Greek version already noted that nuance when it translated the phrase “I will manifest myself to you.”

[29:14]  ⁹² tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[29:14]  ⁹³ tn Heb “restore your fortune.” Alternately, “I will bring you back from exile.” This idiom occurs twenty-six times in the OT and in several cases it is clearly not referring to return from exile but restoration of fortunes (e.g., Job 42:10; Hos 6:11–7:1; Jer 33:11). It is often followed as here by “regather” or “bring back” (e.g., Jer 30:3; Ezek 29:14) so it is often misunderstood as “bringing back the exiles.” The versions (LXX, Vulg., Tg., Pesh.) often translate the idiom as “to go away into captivity,” deriving the noun from שְׁבִי (shÿvi, “captivity”). However, the use of this expression in Old Aramaic documents of Sefire parallels the biblical idiom: “the gods restored the fortunes of the house of my father again” (J. A. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Inscriptions of Sefire [BibOr], 100-101, 119-20). The idiom means “to turn someone's fortune, bring about change” or “to reestablish as it was” (HALOT 1386 s.v. 3.c). In Ezek 16:53 it is paralleled by the expression “to restore the situation which prevailed earlier.” This amounts to restitutio in integrum, which is applicable to the circumstances surrounding the return of the exiles.

[29:14]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[31:18]  ⁹⁵ tn The use of “indeed” is intended to reflect the infinitive absolute which precedes the verb for emphasis (see IBHS 585-86 §35.3.1f).

[31:18]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “Ephraim.” See the study note on 31:9. The more familiar term is used, the term “people” added to it, and plural pronouns used throughout the verse to aid in understanding.

[31:18]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “like an untrained calf.” The metaphor is that of a calf who has never been broken to bear the yoke (cf. Hos 4:16; 10:11).

[31:18]  sn Jer 2:20; 5:5 already referred to Israel’s refusal to bear the yoke of loyalty and obedience to the Lord’s demands. Here Israel expresses that she has learned from the discipline of exile and is ready to bear his yoke.

[31:18]  ⁹⁸ tn The verb here is from the same root as the preceding and is probably an example of the “tolerative Niphal,” i.e., “I let myself be disciplined/I responded to it.” See IBHS 389-90 §23.4g and note the translation of some of the examples there, especially Isa 19:22; 65:1.

[31:18]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “Bring me back in order that I may come back.” For the use of the plural pronouns see the marginal note at the beginning of the verse. The verb “bring back” and “come back” are from the same root in two different verbal stems and in the context express the idea of spiritual repentance and restoration of relationship not physical return to the land. (See BDB 999 s.v. שׁוּב Hiph.2.a for the first verb and 997 s.v. Qal.6.c for the second.) For the use of the cohortative to express purpose after the imperative see GKC 320 §108.d or IBHS 575 §34.5.2b.

[31:18]  sn There is a wordplay on several different nuances of the same Hebrew verb in vv. 16-19. The Hebrew verb shub refers both to their turning away from God (v. 19) and to their turning back to him (v. 18). It is also the word that is used for their return to their homeland (vv. 16-17).

[31:19]  ¹⁰⁰ tn For this meaning of the verb see HAL 374 s.v. יָדַע Nif 5 or W. L. Holladay, Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, 129. REB translates “Now that I am submissive” relating the verb to a second root meaning “be submissive.” (See HALOT 375 s.v. II יָדַע and J. Barr, Comparative Philology and the Text of the Old Testament, 19-21, for evidence for this verb. Other passages cited with this nuance are Judg 8:16; Prov 10:9; Job 20:20.)

[31:19]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “I struck my thigh.” This was a gesture of grief and anguish (cf. Ezek 21:12 [21:17 HT]). The modern equivalent is “to beat the breast.”

[31:19]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “because I bear the reproach of my youth.” For the plural referents see the note at the beginning of v. 18.

[31:19]  sn The expression the disgraceful things we did in our earlier history refers to the disgrace that accompanied the sins that Israel did in her earlier years before she learned the painful lesson of submission to the Lord through the discipline of exile. For earlier references to the sins of her youth (i.e., in her earlier years as a nation) see 3:24-25; 22:21 and see also 32:29. At the time that these verses were written, neither northern Israel or Judah had expressed the kind of contrition voiced in vv. 18-19. As one commentator notes, the words here are both prophetic and instructive.

[31:20]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “Is Ephraim a dear son to me or a child of delight?” For the substitution of Israel for Ephraim and the plural pronouns for the singular see the note on v. 18. According to BDB 210 s.v. הֲ 1.c the question is rhetorical having the force of an impassioned affirmation. See 1 Sam 2:27; Job 41:9 (41:1 HT) for parallel usage.

[31:20]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “my stomach churns for him.” The parallelism shows that this refers to pity or compassion.

[31:20]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[6:9]  ¹⁰⁶ tn The words “they will realize” are not in the Hebrew text; they are added here for stylistic reasons since this clause assumes the previous verb “to remember” or “to take into account.”

[6:9]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “how I was broken by their adulterous heart.” The image of God being “broken” is startling, but perfectly natural within the metaphorical framework of God as offended husband. The idiom must refer to the intense grief that Israel’s unfaithfulness caused God. For a discussion of the syntax and semantics of the Hebrew text, see M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 1:134.

[6:9]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb adds “in their faces.”

[20:43]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “ways.”

[20:43]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “loathe yourselves in your faces.”

[36:31]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “ways.”

[9:4]  ¹¹² tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 7, 9, 15, 16, and 19 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[9:4]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “who keeps the covenant and the loyal love.” The expression is a hendiadys.

[9:6]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “in your name.” Another option is to translate, “as your representatives.”

[9:6]  ¹¹⁵ 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]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “people.”

[9:7]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “to you (belongs) righteousness.”

[9:7]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “and to us (belongs) shame of face like this day.”

[9:7]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “men.”

[9:8]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “to us (belongs) shame of face.”

[9:9]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “to the Lord our God (belong) compassion and forgiveness.”

[9:10]  ¹²² 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]  ¹²³ tn Heb “to walk in.”

[9:10]  ¹²⁴ tc The LXX and Vulgate have the singular.

[9:11]  ¹²⁵ tn Or “transgressed.” The Hebrew verb has the primary sense of crossing a boundary, in this case, God’s law.

[9:11]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “by not paying attention to your voice.”

[9:11]  ¹²⁷ tn Heb “the curse and the oath which is written.” The term “curse” refers here to the judgments threatened in the Mosaic law (see Deut 28) for rebellion. The expression “the curse and the oath” is probably a hendiadys (cf. Num 5:21; Neh 10:29) referring to the fact that the covenant with its threatened judgments was ratified by solemn oath and made legally binding upon the covenant community.

[9:11]  ¹²⁸ tn Heb “him.”

[9:12]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “he has fulfilled his word(s) which he spoke.”

[9:12]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “our judges.”

[9:12]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “who judged.”