Yesaya 45:19

45:19 I have not spoken in secret,

in some hidden place. ¹ 

I did not tell Jacob’s descendants,

‘Seek me in vain!’ ² 

I am the Lord,

the one who speaks honestly,

who makes reliable announcements. ³ 

Yesaya 45:1

45:1 This is what the Lord says to his chosen ⁴  one,

to Cyrus, whose right hand I hold ⁵ 

in order to subdue nations before him,

and disarm kings, ⁶ 

to open doors before him,

so gates remain unclosed:

Yesaya 28:9

28:9 Who is the Lord ⁷  trying to teach?

To whom is he explaining a message? ⁸ 

Those just weaned from milk!

Those just taken from their mother’s breast! ⁹ 

Yesaya 28:2

28:2 Look, the sovereign master ¹⁰  sends a strong, powerful one. ¹¹ 

With the force of a hailstorm or a destructive windstorm, ¹² 

with the might of a driving, torrential rainstorm, ¹³ 

he will knock that crown ¹⁴  to the ground with his hand. ¹⁵ 

Yesaya 19:3

19:3 The Egyptians will panic, ¹⁶ 

and I will confuse their strategy. ¹⁷ 

They will seek guidance from the idols and from the spirits of the dead,

from the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, and from the magicians. ¹⁸ 

Ayub 8:5

8:5 But ¹⁹  if you will look ²⁰  to God,

and make your supplication ²¹  to the Almighty,

Mazmur 14:2

14:2 The Lord looks down from heaven ²²  at the human race, ²³ 

to see if there is anyone who is wise ²⁴  and seeks God. ²⁵ 

Mazmur 27:8

27:8 My heart tells me to pray to you, ²⁶ 

and I do pray to you, O Lord. ²⁷ 

Mazmur 32:6

32:6 For this reason every one of your faithful followers ²⁸  should pray to you

while there is a window of opportunity. ²⁹ 

Certainly ³⁰  when the surging water ³¹  rises,

it will not reach them. ³² 

Mazmur 95:7

95:7 For he is our God;

we are the people of his pasture,

the sheep he owns. ³³ 

Today, if only you would obey him! ³⁴ 

Yeremia 29:12-14

29:12 When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, ³⁵  I will hear your prayers. ³⁶  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, ³⁷  29:14 I will make myself available to you,’ ³⁸  says the Lord. ³⁹  ‘Then I will reverse your plight ⁴⁰  and will regather you from all the nations and all the places where I have exiled you,’ says the Lord. ⁴¹  ‘I will bring you back to the place from which I exiled you.’

Amos 5:6

5:6 Seek the Lord so you can live!

Otherwise he will break out ⁴²  like fire against Joseph’s ⁴³  family; ⁴⁴ 

the fire ⁴⁵  will consume

and no one will be able to quench it and save Bethel. ⁴⁶ 

Matius 5:25

5:25 Reach agreement ⁴⁷  quickly with your accuser while on the way to court, ⁴⁸  or he ⁴⁹  may hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the warden, and you will be thrown into prison.

Matius 7:7-8

Ask, Seek, Knock

7:7 “Ask ⁵⁰  and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door ⁵¹  will be opened for you. 7:8 For everyone who asks ⁵²  receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Matius 25:11-12

25:11 Later, ⁵³  the other virgins came too, saying, ‘Lord, lord! Let us in!’ ⁵⁴  25:12 But he replied, ⁵⁵  ‘I tell you the truth, ⁵⁶  I do not know you!’

Lukas 13:25

13:25 Once ⁵⁷  the head of the house ⁵⁸  gets up ⁵⁹  and shuts the door, then you will stand outside and start to knock on the door and beg him, ‘Lord, ⁶⁰  let us in!’ ⁶¹  But he will answer you, ⁶²  ‘I don’t know where you come from.’ ⁶³ 

Yohanes 7:33-34

7:33 Then Jesus said, “I will be with you for only a little while longer, ⁶⁴  and then ⁶⁵  I am going to the one who sent me. 7:34 You will look for me ⁶⁶  but will not find me, and where I am you cannot come.”

Yohanes 8:21

Where Jesus Came From and Where He is Going

8:21 Then Jesus ⁶⁷  said to them again, ⁶⁸  “I am going away, and you will look for me ⁶⁹  but will die in your sin. ⁷⁰  Where I am going you cannot come.”

Yohanes 12:35-36

12:35 Jesus replied, ⁷¹  “The light is with you for a little while longer. ⁷²  Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. ⁷³  The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 12:36 While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become sons of light.” ⁷⁴  When Jesus had said these things, he went away and hid himself from them.

Yohanes 12:2

12:2 So they prepared a dinner for Jesus ⁷⁵  there. Martha ⁷⁶  was serving, and Lazarus was among those present at the table ⁷⁷  with him.

Kolose 1:1-2

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁷⁸  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 1:2 to the saints, the faithful ⁷⁹  brothers and sisters ⁸⁰  in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you ⁸¹  from God our Father! ⁸² 

Ibrani 2:3

2:3 how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first communicated through the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard him,

Ibrani 3:13

3:13 But exhort one another each day, as long as it is called “Today,” that none of you may become hardened by sin’s deception.

[45:19]  ¹ tn Heb “in a place of a land of darkness” (ASV similar); NASB “in some dark land.”

[45:19]  ² tn “In vain” translates תֹהוּ (tohu), used here as an adverbial accusative: “for nothing.”

[45:19]  ³ tn The translation above assumes that צֶדֶק (tsedeq) and מֵישָׁרִים (mesharim) are adverbial accusatives (see 33:15). If they are taken as direct objects, indicating the content of what is spoken, one might translate, “who proclaims deliverance, who announces justice.”

[45:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “anointed” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NCV “his appointed king.”

[45:1]  ⁵ sn The “right hand” is a symbol of activity and strength; the Lord directs Cyrus’ activities and assures his success.

[45:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “and the belts of kings I will loosen”; NRSV “strip kings of their robes”; NIV “strip kings of their armor.”

[28:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “Who is he teaching knowledge? For whom is he explaining a message?” The translation assumes that the Lord is the subject of the verbs “teaching” and “explaining,” and that the prophet is asking the questions. See v. 12. According to some vv. 9-10 record the people’s sarcastic response to the Lord’s message through Isaiah.

[28:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “from the breasts.” The words “their mother’s” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The translation assumes that this is the prophet’s answer to the questions asked in the first half of the verse. The Lord is trying to instruct people who are “infants” morally and ethically.

[28:2]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 16, 22 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[28:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Look, a strong and powerful [one] belongs to the Lord.”

[28:2]  ¹² tn Heb “like a rainstorm of hail, a wind of destruction.”

[28:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “like a rainstorm of mighty, overflowing waters.”

[28:2]  ¹⁴ tn The words “that crown” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The object of the verb is unexpressed in the Hebrew text.

[28:2]  ¹⁵ tn Or “by [his] power.”

[19:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and the spirit of Egypt will be laid waste in its midst.”

[19:3]  ¹⁷ tn The verb בָּלַע (bala’, “confuse”) is a homonym of the more common בָּלַע (bala’, “swallow”); see HALOT 135 s.v. I בלע.

[19:3]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “they will inquire of the idols and of the spirits of the dead and of the ritual pits and of the magicians.” Hebrew אוֹב (’ov, “ritual pit”) refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. See the note on “incantations” in 8:19.

[8:5]  ¹⁹ tn “But” is supplied to show the contrast between this verse and the preceding line.

[8:5]  ²⁰ tn The verb שִׁחַר (shikhar) means “to seek; to seek earnestly” (see 7:21). With the preposition אֶל (’el) the verb may carry the nuance of “to address; to have recourse to” (see E. Dhorme, Job, 114). The LXX connected it etymologically to “early” and read, “Be early in prayer to the Lord Almighty.”

[8:5]  ²¹ tn The verb תִּתְחַנָּן (titkhannan) means “to make supplication; to seek favor; to seek grace” (from חָנַן, khanan). Bildad is saying that there is only one way for Job to escape the same fate as his children – he must implore God’s mercy. Job’s speech had spoken about God’s seeking him and not finding him; but Bildad is speaking of the importance of Job’s seeking God.

[14:2]  ²² sn The picture of the Lord looking down from heaven draws attention to his sovereignty over the world.

[14:2]  ²³ tn Heb “upon the sons of man.”

[14:2]  ²⁴ tn Or “acts wisely.” The Hiphil is exhibitive.

[14:2]  ²⁵ sn Anyone who is wise and seeks God refers to the person who seeks to have a relationship with God by obeying and worshiping him.

[27:8]  ²⁶ tc Heb “concerning you my heart says, ‘Seek my face.’” The verb form “seek” is plural, but this makes no sense here, for the psalmist is addressed. The verb should be emended to a singular form. The first person pronominal suffix on “face” also makes little sense, unless it is the voice of the Lord he hears. His “heart” is viewed as speaking, however, so it is better to emend the form to פָּנָיו (panayv, “his face”).

[27:8]  ²⁷ tn Heb “your face, O Lord, I seek.” To “seek the Lord’s face” means to seek his favor through prayer (see 2 Sam 21:1; Pss 24:6; 105:4).

[32:6]  ²⁸ tn A “faithful follower” (חָסִיד, khasid) is one who does what is right in God’s eyes and remains faithful to God (see Pss 4:3; 12:1; 18:25; 31:23; 37:28; 86:2; 97:10).

[32:6]  ²⁹ tn Heb “at a time of finding.” This may mean, “while there is time to ‘find’ [the Lord]” and seek his forgiveness (cf. NIV). Some emend the text by combining מְצֹא (mÿtso’, “finding”) with the following term רַק (raq, “only, surely”) and read either ר[וֹ]מָצ (matsor, “distress”; see Ps 31:22) or ק[וֹ]מָצ (matsoq, “hardship”; see Ps 119:143). In this case, one may translate “in a time of distress/hardship” (cf. NEB, NRSV).

[32:6]  ³⁰ tn The Hebrew term רַק (raq) occasionally has an asseverative force.

[32:6]  ³¹ sn The surging water is here a metaphor for trouble that endangers one’s life.

[32:6]  ³² tn Heb “him.” The translation uses the plural “them” to agree with the plural “every one of your faithful followers” in the first line of v. 6.

[95:7]  ³³ tn Heb “of his hand.”

[95:7]  ³⁴ tn Heb “if only you would listen to his voice.” The Hebrew particle אִם (’im, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (cf. Ps 81:8). Note that the apodosis (the “then” clause of the conditional sentence) is suppressed.

[29:12]  ³⁵ 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]  ³⁶ 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]  ³⁷ 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]  ³⁸ 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]  ³⁹ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[29:14]  ⁴⁰ 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]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[5:6]  ⁴² tn Heb “rush.” The verb depicts swift movement.

[5:6]  ⁴³ sn Here Joseph (= Ephraim and Manasseh), as the most prominent of the Israelite tribes, represents the entire northern kingdom.

[5:6]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “house.”

[5:6]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the fire mentioned in the previous line) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[5:6]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “to/for Bethel.” The translation assumes that the preposition indicates advantage, “on behalf of.” Another option is to take the preposition as vocative, “O Bethel.”

[5:25]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “Make friends.”

[5:25]  ⁴⁸ tn The words “to court” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[5:25]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “the accuser.”

[7:7]  ⁵⁰ sn The three present imperatives in this verse (Ask…seek…knock) are probably intended to call for a repeated or continual approach before God.

[7:7]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “it”; the referent (a door) is implied by the context and has been specified in the translation here and in v. 8 for clarity.

[7:8]  ⁵² sn The actions of asking, seeking, and knocking are repeated here from v. 7 with the encouragement that God does respond.

[25:11]  ⁵³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[25:11]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “Open to us.”

[25:12]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “But answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.

[25:12]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[13:25]  ⁵⁷ tn The syntactical relationship between vv. 24-25 is disputed. The question turns on whether v. 25 is connected to v. 24 or not. A lack of a clear connective makes an independent idea more likely. However, one must then determine what the beginning of the sentence connects to. Though it makes for slightly awkward English, the translation has opted to connect it to “he will answer” so that this functions, in effect, as an apodosis. One could end the sentence after “us” and begin a new sentence with “He will answer” to make simpler sentences, although the connection between the two sentences is thereby less clear. The point of the passage, however, is clear. Once the door is shut, because one failed to come in through the narrow way, it is closed permanently. The moral: Do not be too late in deciding to respond.

[13:25]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “the master of the household.”

[13:25]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “rises,” or “stands up.”

[13:25]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “Sir.”

[13:25]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “Open to us.”

[13:25]  ⁶² tn Grk “and answering, he will say to you.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “he will answer you.”

[13:25]  ⁶³ sn For the imagery behind the statement “I do not know where you come from,” see Ps 138:6; Isa 63:16; Jer 1:5; Hos 5:3.

[7:33]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “Yet a little I am with you.”

[7:33]  ⁶⁵ tn The word “then” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[7:34]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “seek me.”

[8:21]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:21]  ⁶⁸ tn The expression οὖν πάλιν (oun palin) indicates some sort of break in the sequence of events, but it is not clear how long. The author does not mention the interval between 8:12-20 and this next recorded dialogue. The feast of Tabernacles is past, and the next reference to time is 10:22, where the feast of the Dedication is mentioned. The interval is two months, and these discussions could have taken place at any time within that interval, as long as one assumes something of a loose chronological framework. However, if the material in the Fourth Gospel is arranged theologically or thematically, such an assumption would not apply.

[8:21]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “you will seek me.”

[8:21]  ⁷⁰ tn The expression ἐν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ὑμῶν ἀποθανεῖσθε (en th Jamartia Jumwn apoqaneisqe) is similar to an expression found in the LXX at Ezek 3:18, 20 and Prov 24:9. Note the singular of ἁμαρτία (the plural occurs later in v. 24). To die with one’s sin unrepented and unatoned would be the ultimate disaster to befall a person. Jesus’ warning is stern but to the point.

[12:35]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “Then Jesus said to them.”

[12:35]  ⁷² tn Grk “Yet a little while the light is with you.”

[12:35]  ⁷³ sn The warning Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you operates on at least two different levels: (1) To the Jewish people in Jerusalem to whom Jesus spoke, the warning was a reminder that there was only a little time left for them to accept him as their Messiah. (2) To those later individuals to whom the Fourth Gospel was written, and to every person since, the words of Jesus are also a warning: There is a finite, limited time in which each individual has opportunity to respond to the Light of the world (i.e., Jesus); after that comes darkness. One’s response to the Light decisively determines one’s judgment for eternity.

[12:36]  ⁷⁴ tn The idiom “sons of light” means essentially “people characterized by light,” that is, “people of God.”

[12:36]  sn The expression sons of light refers to men and women to whom the truth of God has been revealed and who are therefore living according to that truth, thus, “people of God.”

[12:2]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity and to conform with contemporary English style.

[12:2]  ⁷⁶ tn Grk “And Martha.” The connective καί (kai, “and”) has been omitted in the translation because it would produce a run-on sentence in English.

[12:2]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “reclining at the table.”

[12:2]  sn 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.

[1:1]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:2]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “and faithful.” The construction in Greek (as well as Paul’s style) suggests that the saints are identical to the faithful; hence, the καί (kai) is best left untranslated (cf. Eph 1:1). See ExSyn 281-82.

[1:2]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[1:2]  ⁸¹ tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:2]  ⁸² tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (א A C F G I [P] 075 Ï it bo), read “and the Lord Jesus Christ” at the end of this verse, no doubt to conform the wording to the typical Pauline salutation. However, excellent and early witnesses (B D K L Ψ 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 al sa) lack this phrase. Since the omission is inexplicable as arising from the longer reading (otherwise, these mss would surely have deleted the phrase in the rest of the corpus Paulinum), it is surely authentic.