Yesaya 14:6
Konteks14:6 It 1 furiously struck down nations
with unceasing blows. 2
It angrily ruled over nations,
oppressing them without restraint. 3
Yesaya 14:17
Konteks14:17 Is this the one who made the world like a desert,
who ruined its 4 cities,
and refused to free his prisoners so they could return home?”’ 5
Yesaya 47:5
Konteks47:5 “Sit silently! Go to a hiding place, 6
O daughter of the Babylonians!
Indeed, 7 you will no longer be called ‘Queen of kingdoms.’
Yesaya 49:26
Konteks49:26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh;
they will get drunk on their own blood, as if it were wine. 8
Then all humankind 9 will recognize that
I am the Lord, your deliverer,
your protector, 10 the powerful ruler of Jacob.” 11
Yesaya 51:23
Konteks51:23 I will put it into the hand of your tormentors 12
who said to you, ‘Lie down, so we can walk over you.’
You made your back like the ground,
and like the street for those who walked over you.”
Yeremia 25:9-14
Konteks25:9 So I, the Lord, affirm that 13 I will send for all the peoples of the north 14 and my servant, 15 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and all the nations that surround it. I will utterly destroy 16 this land, its inhabitants, and all the nations that surround it 17 and make them everlasting ruins. 18 I will make them objects of horror and hissing scorn. 19 25:10 I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness, to the glad celebration of brides and grooms in these lands. 20 I will put an end to the sound of people grinding meal. I will put an end to lamps shining in their houses. 21 25:11 This whole area 22 will become a desolate wasteland. These nations will be subject to the king of Babylon for seventy years.’ 23
25:12 “‘But when the seventy years are over, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation 24 for their sins. I will make the land of Babylon 25 an everlasting ruin. 26 I, the Lord, affirm it! 27 25:13 I will bring on that land everything that I said I would. I will bring on it everything that is written in this book. I will bring on it everything that Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations. 28 25:14 For many nations and great kings will make slaves of the king of Babylon and his nation 29 too. I will repay them for all they have done!’” 30
Yeremia 27:6-7
Konteks27:6 I have at this time placed all these nations of yours under the power 31 of my servant, 32 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I have even made all the wild animals subject to him. 33 27:7 All nations must serve him and his son and grandson 34 until the time comes for his own nation to fall. 35 Then many nations and great kings will in turn subjugate Babylon. 36
Yeremia 50:22-23
Konteks50:22 The noise of battle can be heard in the land of Babylonia. 37
There is the sound of great destruction.
50:23 Babylon hammered the whole world to pieces.
But see how that ‘hammer’ has been broken and shattered! 38
See what an object of horror
Babylon has become among the nations!
Yeremia 51:20-24
Konteks51:20 “Babylon, 39 you are my war club, 40
my weapon for battle.
I used you to smash nations. 41
I used you to destroy kingdoms.
51:21 I used you to smash horses and their riders. 42
I used you to smash chariots and their drivers.
51:22 I used you to smash men and women.
I used you to smash old men and young men.
I used you to smash young men and young women.
51:23 I used you to smash shepherds and their flocks.
I used you to smash farmers and their teams of oxen.
I used you to smash governors and leaders.” 43
51:24 “But I will repay Babylon
and all who live in Babylonia
for all the wicked things they did in Zion
right before the eyes of you Judeans,” 44
says the Lord. 45
Yeremia 51:34-35
Konteks51:34 “King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon
devoured me and drove my people out.
Like a monster from the deep he swallowed me.
He filled his belly with my riches.
He made me an empty dish.
He completely cleaned me out.” 46
51:35 The person who lives in Zion says,
“May Babylon pay for the violence done to me and to my relatives.”
Jerusalem says,
“May those living in Babylonia pay for the bloodshed of my people.” 47
Daniel 7:19-25
Konteks7:19 “Then I wanted to know the meaning 48 of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others. It was very dreadful, with two rows of iron teeth and bronze claws, and it devoured, crushed, and trampled anything that was left with its feet. 7:20 I also wanted to know 49 the meaning of the ten horns on its head, and of that other horn which came up and before which three others fell. This was the horn that had eyes 50 and a mouth speaking arrogant things, whose appearance was more formidable than the others. 51 7:21 While I was watching, that horn began to wage war against the holy ones and was defeating 52 them, 7:22 until the Ancient of Days arrived and judgment was rendered 53 in favor of the holy ones of the Most High. Then the time came for the holy ones to take possession of the kingdom.
7:23 “This is what he told me: 54
‘The fourth beast means that there will be a fourth kingdom on earth
that will differ from all the other kingdoms.
It will devour all the earth
and will trample and crush it.
7:24 The ten horns
mean that ten kings will arise from that kingdom.
Another king will arise after them,
but he will be different from the earlier ones.
He will humiliate 55 three kings.
7:25 He will speak words against the Most High.
He will harass 56 the holy ones of the Most High continually.
His intention 57 will be to change times established by law. 58
They will be delivered into his hand
For a time, times, 59 and half a time.
Habakuk 1:2-10
Konteks1:2 How long, Lord, must I cry for help?
But you do not listen!
I call out to you, “Violence!”
But you do not intervene! 60
1:3 Why do you force me to witness injustice? 61
Why do you put up with wrongdoing? 62
Destruction and violence confront 63 me;
conflict is present and one must endure strife. 64
1:4 For this reason the law lacks power, 65
and justice is never carried out. 66
Indeed, 67 the wicked intimidate 68 the innocent. 69
For this reason justice is perverted. 70
1:5 “Look at the nations and pay attention! 71
You will be shocked and amazed! 72
For I will do something in your lifetime 73
that you will not believe even though you are forewarned. 74
1:6 Look, I am about to empower 75 the Babylonians,
that ruthless 76 and greedy 77 nation.
They sweep across the surface 78 of the earth,
seizing dwelling places that do not belong to them.
1:7 They are frightening and terrifying;
they decide for themselves what is right. 79
1:8 Their horses are faster than leopards
and more alert 80 than wolves in the desert. 81
their horses come a great distance;
like a vulture 84 they swoop down quickly to devour their prey. 85
1:9 All of them intend 86 to do violence;
every face is determined. 87
They take prisoners as easily as one scoops up sand. 88
1:10 They mock kings
and laugh at rulers.
They laugh at every fortified city;
they build siege ramps 89 and capture them.
Habakuk 2:6-12
Konteks2:6 “But all these nations will someday taunt him 90
and ridicule him with proverbial sayings: 91
‘The one who accumulates what does not belong to him is as good as dead 92
(How long will this go on?) 93 –
he who gets rich by extortion!’ 94
2:7 Your creditors will suddenly attack; 95
those who terrify you will spring into action, 96
and they will rob you. 97
2:8 Because you robbed many countries, 98
all who are left among the nations 99 will rob you.
You have shed human blood
and committed violent acts against lands, cities, 100 and those who live in them.
2:9 The one who builds his house by unjust gain is as good as dead. 101
He does this so he can build his nest way up high
and escape the clutches of disaster. 102
2:10 Your schemes will bring shame to your house.
Because you destroyed many nations, you will self-destruct. 103
2:11 For the stones in the walls will cry out,
and the wooden rafters will answer back. 104
2:12 The one who builds a city by bloodshed is as good as dead 105 –
he who starts 106 a town by unjust deeds.
Habakuk 2:17
Konteks2:17 For you will pay in full for your violent acts against Lebanon; 107
terrifying judgment will come upon you because of the way you destroyed the wild animals living there. 108
You have shed human blood
and committed violent acts against lands, cities, and those who live in them.
Wahyu 13:15-17
Konteks13:15 The second beast 109 was empowered 110 to give life 111 to the image of the first beast 112 so that it could speak, and could cause all those who did not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 13:16 He also caused 113 everyone (small and great, rich and poor, free and slave 114 ) to obtain a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. 13:17 Thus no one was allowed to buy 115 or sell things 116 unless he bore 117 the mark of the beast – that is, his name or his number. 118
Wahyu 16:5-6
Konteks16:5 Now 119 I heard the angel of the waters saying:
“You are just 120 – the one who is and who was,
the Holy One – because you have passed these judgments, 121
16:6 because they poured out the blood of your saints and prophets,
so 122 you have given them blood to drink. They got what they deserved!” 123
Wahyu 17:6
Konteks17:6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of those who testified to Jesus. 124 I 125 was greatly astounded 126 when I saw her.
Wahyu 18:5-8
Konteks18:5 because her sins have piled 127 up all the way to heaven 128 and God has remembered 129 her crimes. 130 18:6 Repay her the same way she repaid others; 131 pay her back double 132 corresponding to her deeds. In the cup she mixed, mix double the amount for her. 18:7 As much as 133 she exalted herself and lived in sensual luxury, 134 to this extent give her torment and grief because she said to herself, 135 ‘I rule as queen and am no widow; I will never experience grief!’ 18:8 For this reason, she will experience her plagues 136 in a single day: disease, 137 mourning, 138 and famine, and she will be burned down 139 with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is powerful!”
Wahyu 18:20
Konteks18:20 (Rejoice over her, O heaven,
and you saints and apostles and prophets,
for God has pronounced judgment 140 against her on your behalf!) 141
[14:6] 1 tn Or perhaps, “he” (cf. KJV; NCV “the king of Babylon”). The present translation understands the referent of the pronoun (“it”) to be the “club/scepter” of the preceding line.
[14:6] 2 tn Heb “it was striking down nations in fury [with] a blow without ceasing.” The participle (“striking down”) suggests repeated or continuous action in past time.
[14:6] 3 tn Heb “it was ruling in anger nations [with] oppression without restraint.” The participle (“ruling”) suggests repeated or continuous action in past time.
[14:17] 4 tc The pronominal suffix is masculine, even though its antecedent appears to be the grammatically feminine noun “world.” Some have suggested that the form עָרָיו (’arayv, plural noun with third masculine singular suffix) should be emended to עָרֶיהָ (’areha, plural noun with third feminine singular suffix). This emendation may be unnecessary in light of other examples of lack of agreement a suffix and its antecedent noun.
[14:17] 5 tn Heb “and his prisoners did not let loose to [their] homes.” This really means, “he did not let loose his prisoners and send them back to their homes.’ On the elliptical style, see GKC 366 §117.o.
[47:5] 6 tn Heb “darkness,” which may indicate a place of hiding where a fugitive would seek shelter and protection.
[47:5] 7 tn Or “For” (NASB, NRSV).
[49:26] 8 sn Verse 26a depicts siege warfare and bloody defeat. The besieged enemy will be so starved they will their own flesh. The bloodstained bodies lying on the blood-soaked battle site will look as if they collapsed in drunkenness.
[49:26] 9 tn Heb “flesh” (so KJV, NASB).
[49:26] 10 tn Heb “your redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
[49:26] 11 tn Heb “the powerful [one] of Jacob.” See 1:24.
[51:23] 12 tn That is, to make them drink it.
[25:9] 13 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[25:9] 14 sn The many allusions to trouble coming from the north are now clarified: it is the armies of Babylon which included within it contingents from many nations. See 1:14, 15; 4:6; 6:1, 22; 10:22; 13:20 for earlier allusions.
[25:9] 15 sn Nebuchadnezzar is called the
[25:9] 16 tn The word used here was used in the early years of Israel’s conquest for the action of killing all the men, women, and children in the cities of Canaan, destroying all their livestock, and burning their cities down. This policy was intended to prevent Israel from being corrupted by paganism (Deut 7:2; 20:17-18; Josh 6:18, 21). It was to be extended to any city that led Israel away from worshiping God (Deut 13:15) and any Israelite who brought an idol into his house (Deut 7:26). Here the policy is being directed against Judah as well as against her neighbors because of her persistent failure to heed God’s warnings through the prophets. For further usage of this term in application to foreign nations in the book of Jeremiah see 50:21, 26; 51:3.
[25:9] 17 tn Heb “will utterly destroy them.” The referent (this land, its inhabitants, and the nations surrounding it) has been specified in the translation for clarity, since the previous “them” referred to Nebuchadnezzar and his armies.
[25:9] sn This is essentially the introduction to the “judgment on the nations” in vv. 15-29 which begins with Jerusalem and Judah (v. 18) and ultimately ends with Babylon itself (“Sheshach” in v. 26; see note there for explanation of the term).
[25:9] 18 sn The Hebrew word translated “everlasting” is the word often translated “eternal.” However, it sometimes has a more limited time reference. For example it refers to the lifetime of a person who became a “lasting slave” to another person (see Exod 21:6; Deut 15:17). It is also used to refer to the long life wished for a king (1 Kgs 1:31; Neh 2:3). The time frame here is to be qualified at least with reference to Judah and Jerusalem as seventy years (see 29:10-14 and compare v. 12).
[25:9] 19 tn Heb “I will make them an object of horror and a hissing and everlasting ruins.” The sentence has been broken up to separate the last object from the first two which are of slightly different connotation, i.e., they denote the reaction to the latter.
[25:9] sn Compare Jer 18:16 and 19:8 and the study note at 18:16.
[25:10] 20 sn Compare Jer 7:24 and 16:9 for this same dire prediction limited to Judah and Jerusalem.
[25:10] 21 sn The sound of people grinding meal and the presence of lamps shining in their houses were signs of everyday life. The
[25:11] 22 tn Heb “All this land.”
[25:11] 23 sn It should be noted that the text says that the nations will be subject to the king of Babylon for seventy years, not that they will lie desolate for seventy years. Though several proposals have been made for dating this period, many ignore this fact. This most likely refers to the period beginning with Nebuchadnezzar’s defeat of Pharaoh Necho at Carchemish in 605
[25:12] 24 tn Heb “that nation.”
[25:12] 25 tn Heb “the land of the Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for the use of the term “Chaldeans.”
[25:12] 26 tn Heb “I will visit upon the king of Babylon and upon that nation, oracle of the
[25:12] sn Compare Isa 13:19-22 and Jer 50:39-40.
[25:12] 27 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[25:13] 28 tn Or “I will bring upon it everything that is to be written in this book. I will bring upon it everything that Jeremiah is going to prophesy concerning all the nations.” The reference to “this book” and “what Jeremiah has prophesied against the nations” raises issues about the editorial process underlying the current form of the book of Jeremiah. As the book now stands there is no earlier reference to any judgments against Babylon or any book (really “scroll”; books were a development of the first or second century
[25:14] 29 tn Heb “make slaves of them.” The verb form here indicates that the action is as good as done (the Hebrew prophetic perfect). For the use of the verb rendered “makes slaves” see parallel usage in Lev 25:39, 46 (cf. BDB 713 s.v. עָבַד 3).
[25:14] 30 tn Heb “according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.” The two phrases are synonymous; it would be hard to represent them both in translation without being redundant. The translation attempts to represent them by the qualifier “all” before the first phrase.
[27:6] 31 tn Heb “have given…into the hand of.”
[27:6] 32 sn See the study note on 25:9 for the significance of the application of this term to Nebuchadnezzar.
[27:6] 33 tn Heb “I have given…to him to serve him.” The verb “give” in this syntactical situation is functioning like the Hiphil stem, i.e., as a causative. See Dan 1:9 for parallel usage. For the usage of “serve” meaning “be subject to” compare 2 Sam 22:44 and BDB 713 s.v. עָבַד 3.
[27:6] sn This statement is rhetorical, emphasizing the totality of Nebuchadnezzar’s dominion. Neither here nor in Dan 2:38 is it to be understood literally.
[27:7] 34 sn This is a figure that emphasizes that they will serve for a long time but not for an unlimited duration. The kingdom of Babylon lasted a relatively short time by ancient standards. It lasted from 605
[27:7] 35 tn Heb “until the time of his land, even his, comes.” The independent pronoun is placed here for emphasis on the possessive pronoun. The word “time” is used by substitution for the things that are done in it (compare in the NT John 2:4; 7:30; 8:20 “his hour had not yet come”).
[27:7] sn See Jer 25:12-14, 16.
[27:7] 36 tn Heb “him.” This is a good example of the figure of substitution where the person is put for his descendants or the nation or subject he rules. (See Gen 28:13-14 for another good example and Acts 22:7 in the NT.)
[50:22] 37 tn The words “of Babylonia” are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They have been supplied in the translation to clarify the referent.
[50:22] sn The verbs in vv. 22-25 are all descriptive of the present, but all of this is really to take place in the future. Hebrew poetry has a way of rendering future actions as though they were already accomplished. The poetry of this section makes it difficult, however, to render the verbs as future, as has been done regularly in the present translation.
[50:23] 38 tn Heb “How broken and shattered is the hammer of all the earth!” The “hammer” is a metaphor for Babylon who was God’s war club to shatter the nations and destroy kingdoms just like Assyria is represented in Isa 10:5 as a rod and a war club. Some readers, however, might not pick up on the metaphor or identify the referent, so the translation has incorporated an identification of the metaphor and the referent within it. “See how” and “See what” are an attempt to capture the nuance of the Hebrew particle אֵיךְ (’ekh) which here expresses an exclamation of satisfaction in a taunt song (cf. BDB 32 s.v. אֵיךְ 2 and compare usage in Isa 14:4, 12; Jer 50:23).
[51:20] 39 tn Or “Media.” The referent is not identified in the text; the text merely says “you are my war club.” Commentators in general identify the referent as Babylon because Babylon has been referred to as a hammer in 50:23 and Babylon is referred to in v. 25 as a “destroying mountain” (compare v. 20d). However, S. R. Driver, Jeremiah, 317, n. c maintains that v. 24 speaks against this. It does seem a little inconsistent to render the vav consecutive perfect at the beginning of v. 24 as future while rendering those in vv. 20b-23 as customary past. However, change in person from second masculine singular (vv. 20b-23) to the second masculine plural in “before your very eyes” and its position at the end of the verse after “which they did in Zion” argue that a change in address occurs there. Driver has to ignore the change in person and take “before your eyes” with the verb “repay” at the beginning to maintain the kind of consistency he seeks. The vav (ו) consecutive imperfect can be used for either the customary past (GKC 335-36 §112.dd with cross reference back to GKC 331-32 §112.e) or the future (GKC 334 §112.x). Hence the present translation has followed the majority of commentaries (and English versions like TEV, NCV, CEV, NIrV) in understanding the referent as Babylon and v. 24 being a transition to vv. 25-26 (cf., e.g., J. Bright, Jeremiah [AB], 356-57, and J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah [NICOT], 756-57). If the referent is understood as Media then the verbs in vv. 20-23 should all be translated as futures. See also the translator’s note on v. 24.
[51:20] 40 tn This Hebrew word (מַפֵּץ, mappets) only occurs here in the Hebrew Bible, but its meaning is assured from the use of the verbs that follow which are from the same root (נָפַץ, nafats) and there is a cognate noun מַפָּץ (mappats) that occurs in Ezek 9:2 in the sense of weapon of “smashing.”
[51:20] 41 tn Heb “I smash nations with you.” This same structure is repeated throughout the series in vv. 20c-23.
[51:21] 42 tn Heb “horse and its rider.” However, the terms are meant as generic or collective singulars (cf. GKC 395 §123.b) and are thus translated by the plural. The same thing is true of all the terms in vv. 21-23b. The terms in vv. 20c-d, 23c are plural.
[51:23] 43 tn These two words are Akkadian loan words into Hebrew which often occur in this pairing (cf. Ezek 23:6, 12, 23; Jer 51:23, 28, 57). BDB 688 s.v. סָגָן (sagan) gives “prefect, ruler” as the basic definition for the second term but neither works very well in a modern translation because “prefect” would be unknown to most readers and “ruler” would suggest someone along the lines of a king, which these officials were not. The present translation has chosen “leaders” by default, assuming there is no other term that would be any more appropriate in light of the defects noted in “prefect” and “ruler.”
[51:24] 44 tn Or “Media, you are my war club…I will use you to smash…leaders. So before your very eyes I will repay…for all the wicked things they did in Zion.” For explanation see the translator’s note on v. 20. The position of the phrase “before your eyes” at the end of the verse after “which they did in Zion” and the change in person from second masculine singular in vv. 20b-23 (“I used you to smite”) to second masculine plural in “before your eyes” argue that a change in referent/addressee occurs in this verse. To maintain that the referent in vv. 20-23 is Media/Cyrus requires that this position and change in person be ignored; “before your eyes” then is attached to “I will repay.” The present translation follows J. A. Thompson (Jeremiah [NICOT], 757) and F. B. Huey (Jeremiah, Lamentations [NAC], 423) in seeing the referent as the Judeans who had witnessed the destruction of Zion/Jerusalem. The word “Judean” has been supplied for the sake of identifying the referent for the modern reader.
[51:24] 45 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[51:34] 46 tn This verse is extremely difficult to translate because of the shifting imagery, the confusion over the meaning of one of the verbs, and the apparent inconsistency of the pronominal suffixes here with those in the following verse which everyone agrees is connected with it. The pronominal suffixes are first common plural but the versions all read them as first common singular which the Masoretes also do in the Qere. That reading has been followed here for consistency with the next verse which identifies the speaker as the person living in Zion and the personified city of Jerusalem. The Hebrew text reads: “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon devoured me [cf. 50:7, 17] and threw me into confusion. He set me down an empty dish. He swallowed me like a monster from the deep [cf. BDB 1072 s.v. תַּנִּין 3 and compare usage in Isa 27:1; Ezek 29:3; 32:2]. He filled his belly with my dainties. He rinsed me out [cf. BDB s.v. דּוּח Hiph.2 and compare the usage in Isa 4:4].” The verb “throw into confusion” has proved troublesome because its normal meaning does not seem appropriate. Hence various proposals have been made to understand it in a different sense. The present translation has followed W. L. Holladay (Jeremiah [Hermeneia], 2:428) in understanding the verb to mean “disperse” or “route” (see NAB). The last line has seemed out of place and has often been emended to read “he has spewed me out” (so NIV, NRSV, a reading that presupposes הִדִּיחָנִי [hiddikhani] for הֱדִיחָנִי [hedikhani]). The reading of the MT is not inappropriate if it is combined with the imagery of an empty jar and hence is retained here (see F. B. Huey, Jeremiah, Lamentations [NAC], 425, n. 59; H. Freedman, Jeremiah [SoBB], 344; NJPS). The lines have been combined to keep the imagery together.
[51:34] sn The speaker in this verse and the next is the personified city of Jerusalem. She laments her fate at the hands of the king of Babylon and calls down a curse on Babylon and the people who live in Babylonia. Here Nebuchadnezzar is depicted as a monster of the deep who has devoured Jerusalem, swallowed her down, and filled its belly with her riches, leaving her an empty dish, which has been rinsed clean.
[51:35] 47 tn Heb “‘The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon,’ says the one living in Zion. ‘My blood be upon those living in Chaldea,’ says Jerusalem.” For the usage of the genitive here in the phrase “violence done to me and my relatives” see GKC 414 §128.a (a construct governing two objects) and IBHS 303 §16.4d (an objective genitive). For the nuance of “pay” in the sense of retribution see BDB 756 s.v. עַל 7.a(b) and compare the usage in Judg 9:24. For the use of שְׁאֵר (shÿ’er) in the sense of “relatives” see BDB 985 s.v. שְׁאֵר 2 and compare NJPS. For the use of “blood” in this idiom see BDB 197 s.v. דָּם 2.k and compare the usage in 2 Sam 4:11; Ezek 3:18, 20. The lines have been reversed for better English style.
[7:19] 48 tn Aram “to make certain.”
[7:20] 49 tn The words “I also wanted to know” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[7:20] 50 tc The conjunction in the MT before “eyes” is odd. The ancient versions do not seem to presuppose it.
[7:20] 51 tn Aram “greater than its companions.”
[7:21] 52 tn Aram “prevailing against” (KJV and ASV both similar); NASB “overpowering them”; TEV “conquered them.”
[7:22] 53 tc In the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate the verb is active, understanding “judgment” to be the object rather than the subject of the verb (i.e., “the Ancient of Days rendered judgment”). This presupposes a different vocalization of the verb ( יְהַב [yÿhav] rather than the MT יְהִב [yÿhiv]).
[7:23] 54 tn Aram “thus he said.”
[7:24] 55 tn Or “subjugate”; KJV, NASB, NIV “subdue”; ASV, NRSV “put down.”
[7:25] 56 tn Aram “wear out” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV); NASB, NLT “wear down.” The word is a hapax legomenon in biblical Aramaic, but in biblical Hebrew it especially refers to wearing out such things as garments. Here it is translated “harass…continually.”
[7:25] 57 tn Aram “he will think.”
[7:25] 58 tn Aram “times and law.” The present translation is based on the understanding that the expression is a hendiadys.
[7:25] 59 sn Although the word times is vocalized in the MT as a plural, it probably should be regarded as a dual. The Masoretes may have been influenced here by the fact that in late Aramaic (and Syriac) the dual forms fall out of use. The meaning would thus be three and a half “times.”
[1:3] 61 tn Heb “Why do you make me see injustice?”
[1:3] 62 tn Heb “Why do you look at wrongdoing?”
[1:3] sn Habakkuk complains that God tolerates social injustice and fails to intervene on behalf of the oppressed (put up with wrongdoing).
[1:3] 64 tn Heb “and there is conflict and strife he lifts up.” The present translation takes the verb יִשָּׂא (yisa’) in the sense of “carry, bear,” and understands the subject to be indefinite (“one”).
[1:4] 65 tn Heb “the law is numb,” i.e., like a hand that has “fallen asleep” (see Ps 77:2). Cf. NAB “is benumbed”; NIV “is paralyzed.”
[1:4] 66 tn Heb “never goes out.”
[1:4] 68 tn Heb “surround” (so NASB, NRSV).
[1:4] 69 tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[1:4] 70 tn Heb “comes out crooked.”
[1:5] 71 tn Or “look among the nations and observe.” The imperatival forms in v. 5 are plural, indicating that the Lord’s message is for the whole nation, not just the prophet.
[1:5] 72 tn The Hebrew text combines the Hitpael and Qal imperatival forms of the verb תָּמַה (tamah, “be amazed”). A literal translation might read, “Shock yourselves and be shocked!” The repetition of sounds draws attention to the statement. The imperatives here have the force of an emphatic assertion. On this use of the imperative in Hebrew, see GKC 324 §110.c and IBHS 572-73 §34.4c.
[1:5] 73 tc Heb “for a work working in your days.” Following the LXX reading, some supply a first person singular pronoun with the participle פֹּעֵל (po’el). Ellipsis of a first singular pronoun before participles is relatively rare (see GKC 360 §116.s); perhaps an original אֲנֹכִי (’anoki; or אֲנִי, ’aniy) followed the initial כִּי (ki) and was omitted by homoioteleuton.
[1:5] 74 tn Heb “you will not believe when it is told.” In this context the force of כִּי (ki) may be “when,” “if,” or “even though.”
[1:6] 75 tn Heb “raise up” (so KJV, ASV).
[1:6] 76 tn Heb “bitter.” Other translation options for this word in this context include “fierce” (NASB, NRSV); “savage” (NEB); or “grim.”
[1:6] 77 tn Heb “hasty, quick.” Some translate here “impetuous” (so NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or “rash,” but in this context greed may very well be the idea. The Babylonians move quickly and recklessly ahead in their greedy quest to expand their empire.
[1:6] 78 tn Heb “the open spaces.”
[1:7] 79 tn Heb “from him his justice, even his lifting up, goes out.” In this context שְׂאֵת (sÿ’et) probably has the nuance “authority.” See R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (WEC), 150.
[1:8] 80 tn Heb “sharper,” in the sense of “keener” or “more alert.” Some translate “quicker” on the basis of the parallelism with the first line (see HALOT 291 s.v. חדד).
[1:8] 81 tn Heb “wolves of the evening,” that is, wolves that prowl at night. The present translation assumes an emendation to עֲרָבָה (’aravah, “desert”). On this phrase see also Zeph 3:3.
[1:8] 82 tn Or “horsemen,” “cavalry.”
[1:8] 83 tn The precise nuance of the rare verb פָּוַשׁ (parash) is unclear here. Elsewhere it is used of animals jumping or leaping (see Jer 50:11; Mal 4:2).
[1:8] 84 tn Or “eagle” (so NASB, NRSV). The term can refer to either eagles or vultures, but in this context of gruesome destruction and death “vulture” is preferred.
[1:8] 85 tn Heb “they fly like a vulture/an eagle quickly to devour.” The direct object “their prey” is not included in the Hebrew text but is implied, and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[1:9] 87 tn Heb “The totality of their faces is to the east” (or “is forward”). The precise meaning of the Hebrew term מְגַמַּת (megammat) is unclear. For a discussion of options see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 93. NEB has “a sea of faces rolls on”; NIV “their hordes advance like a desert wind”; NRSV “with faces pressing forward.”
[1:9] 88 tn Heb “and he gathers like sand, prisoners.”
[1:10] 89 tn Heb “they heap up dirt.” This is a reference to the piling up of earthen ramps in the process of laying siege to a fortified city.
[2:6] 90 tn Heb “Will not these, all of them, take up a taunt against him…?” The rhetorical question assumes the response, “Yes, they will.” The present translation brings out the rhetorical force of the question by rendering it as an affirmation.
[2:6] 91 tn Heb “and a mocking song, riddles, against him? And one will say.”
[2:6] 92 tn Heb “Woe [to] the one who increases [what is] not his.” The Hebrew term הוֹי (hoy, “woe,” “ah”) was used in funeral laments and carries the connotation of death.
[2:6] 93 tn This question is interjected parenthetically, perhaps to express rhetorically the pain and despair felt by the Babylonians’ victims.
[2:6] 94 tn Heb “and the one who makes himself heavy [i.e., wealthy] [by] debts.” Though only appearing in the first line, the term הוֹי (hoy) is to be understood as elliptical in the second line.
[2:7] 95 tn Heb “Will not your creditors suddenly rise up?” The rhetorical question assumes the response, “Yes, they will.” The present translation brings out the rhetorical force of the question by rendering it as an affirmation.
[2:7] sn Your creditors will suddenly attack. The Babylonians are addressed directly here. They have robbed and terrorized others, but now the situation will be reversed as their creditors suddenly attack them.
[2:7] 96 tn Heb “[Will not] the ones who make you tremble awake?”
[2:7] 97 tn Heb “and you will become their plunder.”
[2:8] 100 tn Heb “because of the shed blood of humankind and violence against land, city.” The singular forms אֶרֶץ (’erets, “land”) and קִרְיָה (qiryah, “city”) are collective, referring to all the lands and cities terrorized by the Babylonians.
[2:9] 101 tn Heb “Woe [to] the one who profits unjustly by evil unjust gain for his house.” On the term הוֹי (hoy) see the note on the word “dead” in v. 6.
[2:9] 102 tn Heb “to place his nest in the heights in order to escape from the hand of disaster.”
[2:9] sn Here the Babylonians are compared to a bird, perhaps an eagle, that builds its nest in an inaccessible high place where predators cannot reach it.
[2:10] 103 tn Heb “you planned shame for your house, cutting off many nations, and sinning [against] your life.”
[2:11] 104 sn The house mentioned in vv. 9-10 represents the Babylonian empire, which became great through imperialism. Here the materials of this “house” (the stones in the walls, the wooden rafters) are personified as witnesses who testify that the occupants have built the house through wealth stolen from others.
[2:12] 105 tn On the term הוֹי (hoy) see the note on the word “dead” in v. 6.
[2:12] 106 tn Or “establishes”; or “founds.”
[2:17] 107 tn Heb “for the violence against Lebanon will cover you.”
[2:17] 108 tc The Hebrew appears to read literally, “and the violence against the animals [which] he terrified.” The verb form יְחִיתַן (yÿkhitan) appears to be a Hiphil imperfect third masculine singular with third feminine plural suffix (the antecedent being the animals) from חָתַת (khatat, “be terrified”). The translation above follows the LXX and assumes a reading יְחִתֶּךָ (yÿkhittekha, “[the violence against the animals] will terrify you”; cf. NRSV “the destruction of the animals will terrify you”; NIV “and your destruction of animals will terrify you”). In this case the verb is a Hiphil imperfect third masculine singular with second masculine singular suffix (the antecedent being Babylon). This provides better symmetry with the preceding line, where Babylon’s violence is the subject of the verb “cover.”
[2:17] sn The language may anticipate Nebuchadnezzar’s utilization of trees from the Lebanon forest in building projects. Lebanon and its animals probably represent the western Palestinian states conquered by the Babylonians.
[13:15] 109 tn Grk “it”; the referent (the second beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:15] 110 tn Grk “it was given [permitted] to it [the second beast].”
[13:15] 111 tn Grk “breath,” but in context the point is that the image of the first beast is made to come to life and speak.
[13:15] 112 tn Grk “of the beast”; the word “first” has been supplied to specify the referent.
[13:16] 113 tn Or “forced”; Grk “makes” (ποιεῖ, poiei).
[13:16] 114 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
[13:17] 115 tn Grk “and that no one be able to buy or sell.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Although the ἵνα (Jina) is left untranslated, the English conjunction “thus” is used to indicate that this is a result clause.
[13:17] 116 tn The word “things” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context. In the context of buying and selling, food could be primarily in view, but the more general “things” was used in the translation because the context is not specific.
[13:17] 117 tn Grk “except the one who had.”
[13:17] 118 tn Grk “his name or the number of his name.”
[16:5] 119 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the somewhat parenthetical nature of the remarks that follow.
[16:5] 120 tn Or “righteous,” although the context favors justice as the theme.
[16:5] 121 tn Or “because you have judged these things.” The pronoun ταῦτα (tauta) is neuter gender.
[16:6] 122 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that this judgment is the result of what these wicked people did to the saints and prophets.
[16:6] 123 tn Grk “They are worthy”; i.e., of this kind of punishment. By extension, “they got what they deserve.”
[17:6] 124 tn Or “of the witnesses to Jesus.” Here the genitive ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou) is taken as an objective genitive; Jesus is the object of their testimony.
[17:6] 125 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[17:6] 126 tn Grk “I marveled a great marvel” (an idiom for great astonishment).
[18:5] 127 tn On ἐκολλήθησαν (ekollhqhsan) BDAG 556 s.v. κολλάω 2.a.β states, “fig. cling to = come in close contact with (cp. Ps 21:16; 43:26 ἐκολλήθη εἰς γῆν ἡ γαστὴρ ἡμῶν. The act.=‘bring into contact’ PGM 5, 457 κολλήσας τ. λίθον τῷ ὠτίῳ) ἐκολλήθησαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἄχρι τ. οὐρανοῦ the sins have touched the heaven = reached the sky (two exprs. are telescoped) Rv 18:5.”
[18:5] 128 tn Or “up to the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).
[18:5] 129 tn That is, remembered her sins to execute judgment on them.
[18:6] 131 tn The word “others” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[18:6] 132 tn On this term BDAG 252 s.v. διπλόω states, “to double τὰ διπλᾶ pay back double Rv 18:6.”
[18:7] 133 tn “As much as” is the translation of ὅσα (Josa).
[18:7] 134 tn On the term ἐστρηνίασεν (estrhniasen) BDAG 949 s.v. στρηνιάω states, “live in luxury, live sensually Rv 18:7. W. πορνεύειν vs. 9.”
[18:7] 135 tn Grk “said in her heart,” an idiom for saying something to oneself.
[18:8] 136 tn Grk “For this reason, her plagues will come.”
[18:8] 137 tn Grk “death.” θάνατος (qanatos) can in particular contexts refer to a manner of death, specifically a contagious disease (see BDAG 443 s.v. 3; L&N 23.158).
[18:8] 138 tn This is the same Greek word (πένθος, penqo") translated “grief” in vv. 7-8.
[18:8] 139 tn Here “burned down” was used to translate κατακαυθήσεται (katakauqhsetai) because a city is in view.
[18:20] 140 tn On the phrase “pronounced judgment” BDAG 567 s.v. κρίμα 4.b states, “The OT is the source of the expr. κρίνειν τὸ κρ. (cp. Zech 7:9; 8:16; Ezk 44:24) ἔκρινεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ κρίμα ὑμῶν ἐξ αὐτῆς God has pronounced judgment for you against her or God has pronounced on her the judgment she wished to impose on you (HHoltzmann, Hdb. 1893 ad loc.) Rv 18:20.”
[18:20] 141 tn Grk “God has judged a judgment of you of her.” Verse 20 is set in parentheses because in it the saints, etc. are addressed directly in the second person.
[18:20] sn This verse forms a parenthetical aside in the narrative.
