Yeremia 31:4

31:4 I will rebuild you, my dear children Israel, ¹ 

so that you will once again be built up.

Once again you will take up the tambourine

and join in the happy throng of dancers. ² 

Yeremia 31:12-13

31:12 They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion.

They will be radiant with joy ³  over the good things the Lord provides,

the grain, the fresh wine, the olive oil,

the young sheep and calves he has given to them.

They will be like a well-watered garden

and will not grow faint or weary any more.

31:13 The Lord says, ⁴  “At that time young women will dance and be glad.

Young men and old men will rejoice. ⁵ 

I will turn their grief into gladness.

I will give them comfort and joy in place of their sorrow.

Yeremia 33:10-11

33:10 “I, the Lord, say: ⁶  ‘You and your people are saying ⁷  about this place, “It lies in ruins. There are no people or animals in it.” That is true. The towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem ⁸  will soon be desolate, uninhabited either by people or by animals. But happy sounds will again be heard in these places. 33:11 Once again there will be sounds ⁹  of joy and gladness and the glad celebrations of brides and grooms. ¹⁰  Once again people will bring their thank offerings to the temple of the Lord and will say, “Give thanks to the Lord who rules over all. For the Lord is good and his unfailing love lasts forever.” ¹¹  For I, the Lord, affirm ¹²  that I will restore the land to what it was ¹³  in days of old.’ ¹⁴ 

Ezra 3:10-13

3:10 When the builders established the Lord’s temple, the priests, ceremonially attired and with their clarions, ¹⁵  and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with their cymbals, stood to praise the Lord according to the instructions left by ¹⁶  King David of Israel. ¹⁷  3:11 With antiphonal response they sang, ¹⁸  praising and glorifying the Lord:

“For he is good;

his loyal love toward Israel is forever.”

All the people gave a loud ¹⁹  shout as they praised the Lord when the temple of the Lord was established. 3:12 Many of the priests, the Levites, and the leaders ²⁰  – older people who had seen with their own eyes the former temple while it was still established ²¹  – were weeping loudly, ²²  and many others raised their voice in a joyous shout. 3:13 People were unable to tell the difference between the sound of joyous shouting and the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people were shouting so loudly ²³  that the sound was heard a long way off.

Ezra 6:22

6:22 They observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with joy, for the Lord had given them joy and had changed the opinion ²⁴  of the king of Assyria ²⁵  toward them, so that he assisted ²⁶  them in the work on the temple of God, the God of Israel.

Nehemia 8:12

8:12 So all the people departed to eat and drink and to share their food ²⁷  with others ²⁸  and to enjoy tremendous joy, ²⁹  for they had gained insight in the matters that had been made known to them.

Nehemia 8:17

8:17 So all the assembly which had returned from the exile constructed temporary shelters and lived in them. The Israelites had not done so from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day. Everyone experienced very great joy. ³⁰ 

Nehemia 12:43-46

12:43 And on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard from far away.

12:44 On that day men were appointed over the storerooms for the contributions, first fruits, and tithes, to gather into them from ³¹  the fields of the cities the portions prescribed by the law for the priests and the Levites, for the people of Judah ³²  took delight in the priests and Levites who were ministering. ³³  12:45 They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, along with the singers and gatekeepers, according to the commandment of David and ³⁴  his son Solomon. 12:46 For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there had been directors ³⁵  for the singers and for the songs of praise and thanks to God.

Mazmur 53:6

53:6 I wish the deliverance ³⁶  of Israel would come from Zion!

When God restores the well-being of his people, ³⁷ 

may Jacob rejoice, ³⁸ 

may Israel be happy! ³⁹ 

Mazmur 126:1-2

Psalm 126 ⁴⁰ 

A song of ascents. ⁴¹ 

126:1 When the Lord restored the well-being of Zion, ⁴² 

we thought we were dreaming. ⁴³ 

126:2 At that time we laughed loudly

and shouted for joy. ⁴⁴ 

At that time the nations said, ⁴⁵ 

“The Lord has accomplished great things for these people.”

Yesaya 12:1

12:1 At that time ⁴⁶  you will say:

“I praise you, O Lord,

for even though you were angry with me,

your anger subsided, and you consoled me.

Yesaya 35:10

35:10 those whom the Lord has ransomed will return that way. ⁴⁷ 

They will enter Zion with a happy shout.

Unending joy will crown them, ⁴⁸ 

happiness and joy will overwhelm ⁴⁹  them;

grief and suffering will disappear. ⁵⁰ 

Yesaya 51:11

51:11 Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return;

they will enter Zion with a happy shout.

Unending joy will crown them, ⁵¹ 

happiness and joy will overwhelm ⁵²  them;

grief and suffering will disappear. ⁵³ 

Yesaya 52:9

52:9 In unison give a joyful shout,

O ruins of Jerusalem!

For the Lord consoles his people;

he protects ⁵⁴  Jerusalem.

Zefanya 3:14-20

3:14 Shout for joy, Daughter Zion! ⁵⁵ 

Shout out, Israel!

Be happy and boast with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem!

3:15 The Lord has removed the judgment against you; ⁵⁶ 

he has turned back your enemy.

Israel’s king, the Lord, is in your midst!

You no longer need to fear disaster.

3:16 On that day they will say ⁵⁷  to Jerusalem,

“Don’t be afraid, Zion!

Your hands must not be paralyzed from panic! ⁵⁸ 

3:17 The Lord your God is in your midst;

he is a warrior who can deliver.

He takes great delight in you; ⁵⁹ 

he renews you by his love; ⁶⁰ 

he shouts for joy over you.” ⁶¹ 

3:18 “As for those who grieve because they cannot attend the festivals –

I took them away from you;

they became tribute and were a source of shame to you. ⁶² 

3:19 Look, at that time I will deal with those who mistreated you.

I will rescue the lame sheep ⁶³ 

and gather together the scattered sheep.

I will take away their humiliation

and make the whole earth admire and respect them. ⁶⁴ 

3:20 At that time I will lead you –

at the time I gather you together. ⁶⁵ 

Be sure of this! ⁶⁶  I will make all the nations of the earth respect and admire you ⁶⁷ 

when you see me restore you,” ⁶⁸  says the Lord.

Zakharia 8:19

8:19 “The Lord who rules over all says, ‘The fast of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth ⁶⁹  months will become joyful and happy, pleasant feasts for the house of Judah, so love truth and peace.’

[31:4]  ¹ tn Heb “Virgin Israel.”

[31:4]  sn For the significance of this metaphor see the note on Jer 14:17. Here the emphasis appears on his special love and care for his people and the hint (further developed in vv. 21-22) that, though guilty of sin, he considers them like an innocent young virgin.

[31:4]  ² sn Contrast Jer 7:34 and 25:10.

[31:12]  ³ tn Reading a Qal perfect from the root II נָהַר (nahar; so KBL 509 s.v. and HALOT 639 s.v.) rather than I נָהַר (so BDB 625 s.v.).

[31:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.” This phrase has been brought up to the beginning of v. 13 from the end of v. 14 to introduce the transition from third person description by Jeremiah to first person address by the Lord.

[31:13]  ⁵ tc The translation follows the reading of the LXX (Greek version). The Hebrew reads “will dance and be glad, young men and old men together.” The Greek version presupposes a Qal imperfect of a rare verb (יַחְדּוּ [yakhdu] from the verb חָדָה [khadah]; see BDB 292 s.v. II חָדָה Qal) as opposed to the Hebrew text which reads a common adverb יַחְדָּו (yakhdav). The consonantal text is the same but the vocalization is different. There are no other examples of the syntax of the adverb used this way (i.e., of a compound subject added to a third subject) and the vocalization of the Hebrew text can be explained on the basis of a scribe misvocalizing the text based on his greater familiarity with the adverb.

[33:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “Thus says the Lord.” For the first person rendering see the translator’s note at the end of v. 2.

[33:10]  sn The phrase here is parallel to that in v. 4 and introduces a further amplification of the “great and mysterious things” of v. 3.

[33:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “You.” However, the pronoun is plural as in 32:36, 43. See the translator’s note on 32:36.

[33:10]  ⁸ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[33:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “33:10 Thus says the Lord, ‘There will again be heard in this place of which you are saying [masc. pl.], “It is a ruin without people and without animals,” [that is] in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem which are desolate without people and without inhabitants and without animals 33:11 the sound of….” The long run-on sentence in Hebrew has been broken down to better conform with contemporary English style.

[33:11]  ¹⁰ sn What is predicted here is a reversal of the decimation caused by the Babylonian conquest that had been threatened in 7:34; 16:9; 25:10.

[33:11]  ¹¹ sn This is a common hymnic introduction to both individual songs of thanksgiving (e.g., Ps 118:1) and communal songs of thanksgiving (e.g., Ps 136 where it is a liturgical refrain accompanying a recital of Israel’s early history and of the Lord’s continuing providence).

[33:11]  ¹² tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[33:11]  ¹³ tn Or “I will restore the fortunes of the land.”

[33:11]  sn See the study note on Jer 29:18 and compare 29:14; 30:3, 18; 31:23; 32:44; 33:7 for the meaning and usage of this idiom. The promise here repeats that in 33:7.

[33:11]  ¹⁴ tn This phrase simply means “as formerly” (BDB 911 s.v. רִאשׁוֹן 3.a). The reference to the “as formerly” must be established from the context. See the usage in Judg 20:32; 1 Kgs 13:6; Isa 1:26.

[33:11]  sn This refers to the reunification of Israel and Judah to the state that they were before the division after Solomon. Compare Jer 3:18; 30:3; 31:27 and see the study note on 30:3.

[3:10]  ¹⁵ sn This was a long, straight, metallic instrument used for signal calls, rather than the traditional ram’s horn (both instruments are typically translated “trumpet” by English versions).

[3:10]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “according to the hands of.”

[3:10]  ¹⁷ sn See Ps 107:1; 118:1, 29; 136:1. Cf. 2 Chr 5:13; 7:3; 20:21.

[3:11]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “they answered.”

[3:11]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “great.”

[3:12]  ²⁰ tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”

[3:12]  ²¹ sn The temple had been destroyed some fifty years earlier by the Babylonians in 586 b.c.

[3:12]  ²² tn Heb “with a great voice.”

[3:13]  ²³ tn Heb “a great shout.”

[6:22]  ²⁴ tn Heb “heart.”

[6:22]  ²⁵ sn The expression “king of Assyria” is anachronistic, since Assyria fell in 612 b.c., long before the events of this chapter. Perhaps the expression is intended subtly to contrast earlier kings of Assyria who were hostile toward Israel with this Persian king who showed them favor.

[6:22]  ²⁶ tn Heb “to strengthen their hands.”

[8:12]  ²⁷ tn Heb “to send portions.”

[8:12]  ²⁸ tn The Hebrew text does not include the phrase “with others” but it has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[8:12]  ²⁹ tn Heb “to make great joy.”

[8:17]  ³⁰ tn Heb “And there was very great joy.”

[12:44]  ³¹ tc The translation reads מִשְּׂדֶי (missÿde, “from the fields”) rather than the MT reading לִשְׂדֵי (lisdey, “to the fields”).

[12:44]  ³² tn Heb “for Judah.” The words “the people of” have been supplied in the translation for clarity, since “Judah” is a proper name as well as a place name.

[12:44]  ³³ tn Heb “standing.”

[12:45]  ³⁴ tc With many medieval Hebrew MSS and the ancient versions the translation reads the conjunction (“and”). It is absent in the Leningrad MS that forms the textual basis for BHS.

[12:46]  ³⁵ tn Heb “heads.” The translation reads with the Qere the plural רֹאשֵׁי (ro’shey, “heads”) rather than the Kethib singular רֹאשׁ (ro’sh, “head”) of the MT.

[53:6]  ³⁶ tn This refers metonymically to God, the one who lives in Zion and provides deliverance for Israel.

[53:6]  ³⁷ tn Heb “turns with a turning [toward] his people.” The Hebrew term שְׁבוּת (shÿvut) is apparently a cognate accusative of שׁוּב (shuv).

[53:6]  ³⁸ tn The verb form is jussive.

[53:6]  ³⁹ tn Because the parallel verb is jussive, this verb, which is ambiguous in form, should be taken as a jussive as well.

[126:1]  ⁴⁰ sn Psalm 126. Recalling the joy of past deliverance, God’s covenant community asks for a fresh display of God’s power and confidently anticipate their sorrow being transformed into joy.

[126:1]  ⁴¹ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[126:1]  ⁴² tn Heb “turns with a turning [toward] his people.” The Hebrew noun שִׁיבַת (shivat) occurs only here in the OT. For this reason many prefer to emend the form to the more common שְׁבִית (shevit) or שְׁבוּת (shÿvut), both of which are used as a cognate accusative of שׁוּב (shuv; see Ps 14:7). However an Aramaic cognate of שְׁבִית appears in an eighth century b.c. Old Aramaic inscription with the verb שׁוּב. This cognate noun appears to mean “return” (see J. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Treaties of Sefire [BibOr], 119-20) or “restoration” (see DNWSI 2:1125). Therefore it appears that שְׁבִית should be retained and understood as a cognate accusative of שׁוּב. In addition to Fitzmyer (119-20) see L. C. Allen, who offers the literal translation, “turn with a turning toward” (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 170). Allen takes שְׁבִית as construct and understands “Zion” as an objective genitive.

[126:1]  ⁴³ tn Heb “we were like dreamers.” This could mean the speakers were so overcome with ecstatic joy (see v. 3b) that they were like those who fantasize about pleasurable experiences in their sleep (see Isa 29:7-8). Since dreams are more commonly associated in the OT with prophetic visions, the community may be comparing their experience of God’s renewed favor to a prophet’s receiving divine visions. Just as a prophetic dream sweeps the individual into a different dimension and sometimes brings one face-to-face with God himself (see Gen 28:11-15; 1 Kgs 3:5-15), so the community was aware of God’s presence in a special way in the day of Zion’s restoration. Though the MT as it stands makes good sense, some choose to understand a homonymic root here meaning “to be healthy; to be strong” (see BDB 321 s.v. I חָלַם) and translate, “we were like those restored to health.” This reading appears to have the support of several ancient translations as well as 11QPs^a. See L. C. Allen (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 170-71) for a discussion of the viewpoints.

[126:2]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with a shout.”

[126:2]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “they said among the nations.”

[12:1]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “in that day” (KJV).

[35:10]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “and the redeemed will walk, the ransomed of the Lord will return.”

[35:10]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “[will be] on their head[s].” “Joy” may be likened here to a crown (cf. 2 Sam 1:10). The statement may also be an ironic twist on the idiom “earth/dust on the head” (cf. 2 Sam 1:2; 13:19; 15:32; Job 2:12), referring to a mourning practice.

[35:10]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “will overtake” (NIV); NLT “they will be overcome with.”

[35:10]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “grief and groaning will flee”; KJV “sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

[51:11]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “[will be] on their head[s].” “Joy” may be likened here to a crown (cf. 2 Sam 1:10). The statement may also be an ironic twist on the idiom “earth/dust on the head” (cf. 2 Sam 1:2; 13:19; 15:32; Job 2:12), referring to a mourning practice.

[51:11]  ⁵² tn Heb “overtake” (so NIV); NASB “they will obtain.”

[51:11]  ⁵³ tn Heb “grief and groaning will flee.”

[52:9]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “redeems.” See the note at 41:14.

[3:14]  ⁵⁵ sn This phrase is used as an epithet for the city and the nation. “Daughter” may seem extraneous in English but consciously joins the various epithets and metaphors of Israel and Jerusalem as a woman, a device used to evoke sympathy from the reader.

[3:15]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “your judgments,” that is, “the judgments directed against you.” The translation reflects the implications of the parallelism.

[3:16]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “it will be said.” The passive construction has been translated as active for stylistic reasons.

[3:16]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “your hands must not go limp.”

[3:17]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “he rejoices over you with joy.”

[3:17]  ⁶⁰ tc The MT reads, “he is silent in his love,” but this makes no sense in light of the immediately preceding and following lines. Some take the Hiphil verb form as causative (see Job 11:3) rather than intransitive and translate, “he causes [you] to be silent by his love,” that is, “he soothes [you] by his love.” The present translation follows the LXX and assumes an original reading יְחַדֵּשׁ (yÿkhaddesh, “he renews”) with ellipsis of the object (“you”).

[3:17]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “he rejoices over you with a shout of joy.”

[3:18]  ⁶² tn Heb “The ones grieving from an assembly I gathered from you they were, tribute upon her, a reproach.” Any translation of this difficult verse must be provisional at best. The present translation assumes three things: (1) The preposition מִן (min) prefixed to “assembly” is causal (the individuals are sorrowing because of the assemblies or festivals they are no longer able to hold). (2) מַשְׂאֵת (mas’et) means “tribute” and refers to the exiled people being treated as the spoils of warfare (see R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah [WEC], 385-86). (3) The third feminine singular suffix refers to personified Jerusalem, which is addressed earlier in the verse (the pronominal suffix in “from you” is second feminine singular). For other interpretive options see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 146.

[3:19]  ⁶³ tn The word “sheep” is supplied for clarification. As in Mic 4:6-7, the exiles are here pictured as injured and scattered sheep whom the divine shepherd rescues from danger.

[3:19]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “I will make them into praise and a name, in all the earth, their shame.” The present translation assumes that “their shame” specifies “them” and that “name” stands here for a good reputation.

[3:20]  ⁶⁵ tn In this line the second person pronoun is masculine plural, indicating that the exiles are addressed.

[3:20]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “for.”

[3:20]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “I will make you into a name and praise among all the peoples of the earth.” Here the word “name” carries the nuance of “good reputation.”

[3:20]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “when I restore your fortunes to your eyes.” See the note on the phrase “restore them” in 2:7.

[8:19]  ⁶⁹ sn The fasts of the fifth and seventh months, mentioned previously (7:5), are listed here along with the observances of the fourth and tenth months. The latter commemorated the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians on January 15, 588 b.c. (2 Kgs 25:1), and the former the breach of the city walls on or about July 18, 586 b.c. (Jer 39:2-5).