Ayub 4:8-11

4:8 Even as I have seen, ¹  those who plow ²  iniquity ³ 

and those who sow trouble reap the same. ⁴ 

4:9 By the breath ⁵  of God they perish, ⁶ 

and by the blast ⁷  of his anger they are consumed.

4:10 There is ⁸  the roaring of the lion ⁹ 

and the growling ¹⁰  of the young lion,

but the teeth of the young lions are broken. ¹¹ 

4:11 The mighty lion ¹²  perishes ¹³  for lack of prey,

and the cubs of the lioness ¹⁴  are scattered.

Mazmur 10:8-10

10:8 He waits in ambush near the villages; ¹⁵ 

in hidden places he kills the innocent.

His eyes look for some unfortunate victim. ¹⁶ 

10:9 He lies in ambush in a hidden place, like a lion in a thicket; ¹⁷ 

he lies in ambush, waiting to catch ¹⁸  the oppressed;

he catches the oppressed ¹⁹  by pulling in his net. ²⁰ 

10:10 His victims are crushed and beaten down;

they are trapped in his sturdy nets. ²¹ 

Amsal 28:15

28:15 Like ²²  a roaring lion or a roving bear, ²³ 

so is a wicked ruler over a poor people. ²⁴ 

Yesaya 1:23

1:23 Your officials are rebels, ²⁵ 

they associate with ²⁶  thieves.

All of them love bribery,

and look for ²⁷  payoffs. ²⁸ 

They do not take up the cause of the orphan, ²⁹ 

or defend the rights of the widow. ³⁰ 

Yeremia 22:17

22:17 But you are always thinking and looking

for ways to increase your wealth by dishonest means.

Your eyes and your heart are set

on killing some innocent person

and committing fraud and oppression. ³¹ 

Yehezkiel 22:6

22:6 “‘See how each of the princes of Israel living within you has used his authority to shed blood. ³² 

Yehezkiel 22:25-27

22:25 Her princes ³³  within her are like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they have devoured lives. They take away riches and valuable things; they have made many women widows ³⁴  within it. 22:26 Her priests abuse my law and have desecrated my holy things. They do not distinguish between the holy and the profane, ³⁵  or recognize any distinction between the unclean and the clean. They ignore ³⁶  my Sabbaths and I am profaned in their midst. 22:27 Her officials are like wolves in her midst rending their prey – shedding blood and destroying lives – so they can get dishonest profit.

Mikha 3:1-4

God Will Judge Judah’s Sinful Leaders

3:1 I said,

“Listen, you leaders ³⁷  of Jacob,

you rulers of the nation ³⁸  of Israel!

You ought to know what is just, ³⁹ 

3:2 yet you ⁴⁰  hate what is good, ⁴¹ 

and love what is evil. ⁴² 

You flay my people’s skin ⁴³ 

and rip the flesh from their bones. ⁴⁴ 

3:3 You ⁴⁵  devour my people’s flesh,

strip off their skin,

and crush their bones.

You chop them up like flesh in a pot ⁴⁶  –

like meat in a kettle.

3:4 Someday these sinners will cry to the Lord for help, ⁴⁷ 

but he will not answer them.

He will hide his face from them at that time,

because they have done such wicked deeds.”

Mikha 3:9-11

3:9 Listen to this, you leaders of the family ⁴⁸  of Jacob,

you rulers of the nation ⁴⁹  of Israel!

You ⁵⁰  hate justice

and pervert all that is right.

3:10 You ⁵¹  build Zion through bloody crimes, ⁵² 

Jerusalem ⁵³  through unjust violence.

3:11 Her ⁵⁴  leaders take bribes when they decide legal cases, ⁵⁵ 

her priests proclaim rulings for profit,

and her prophets read omens for pay.

Yet they claim to trust ⁵⁶  the Lord and say,

“The Lord is among us. ⁵⁷ 

Disaster will not overtake ⁵⁸  us!”

[4:8]  ¹ tn The perfect verb here represents the indefinite past. It has no specific sighting in mind, but refers to each time he has seen the wicked do this.

[4:8]  ² sn The figure is an implied metaphor. Plowing suggests the idea of deliberately preparing (or cultivating) life for evil. This describes those who are fundamentally wicked.

[4:8]  ³ tn The LXX renders this with a plural “barren places.”

[4:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “reap it.”

[4:9]  ⁵ tn The LXX in the place of “breath” has “word” or “command,” probably to limit the anthropomorphism. The word is מִנִּשְׁמַת (minnishmat) comprising מִן (min) + נִשְׁמַת (nishmat, the construct of נְשָׁמָה [nÿshamah]): “from/at the breath of.” The “breath of God” occurs frequently in Scripture. In Gen 2:7 it imparts life; but here it destroys it. The figure probably does indicate a divine decree from God (e.g., “depart from me”) – so the LXX may have been simply interpreting.

[4:9]  ⁶ sn The statement is saying that if some die by misfortune it is because divine retribution or anger has come upon them. This is not necessarily the case, as the NT declares (see Luke 13:1-5).

[4:9]  ⁷ tn The word רוּחַ (ruakh) is now parallel to נְשָׁמָה (nÿshamah); both can mean “breath” or “wind.” To avoid using “breath” for both lines, “blast” has been employed here. The word is followed by אַפוֹ (’afo) which could be translated “his anger” or “his nostril.” If “nostril” is retained, then it is a very bold anthropomorphism to indicate the fuming wrath of God. It is close to the picture of the hot wind coming off the desert to scorch the plants (see Hos 13:15).

[4:10]  ⁸ tn “There is” has been supplied to make a smoother translation out of the clauses.

[4:10]  ⁹ sn Eliphaz takes up a new image here to make the point that the wicked are destroyed – the breaking up and scattering of a den of lions. There are several words for “lion” used in this section. D. J. A. Clines observes that it is probably impossible to distinguish them (Job [WBC], 109, 110, which records some bibliography of those who have tried to work on the etymologies and meanings). The first is אַרְיֵה (’aryeh) the generic term for “lion.” It is followed by שַׁחַל (shakhal) which, like כְּפִיר (kÿfir), is a “young lion.” Some have thought that the שַׁחַל (shakhal) is a lion-like animal, perhaps a panther or leopard. KBL takes it by metathesis from Arabic “young one.” The LXX for this verse has “the strength of the lion, and the voice of the lioness and the exulting cry of serpents are quenched.”

[4:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “voice.”

[4:10]  ¹¹ tn The verb belongs to the subject “teeth” in this last colon; but it is used by zeugma (a figure of speech in which one word is made to refer to two or more other words, but has to be understood differently in the different contexts) of the three subjects (see H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 46-47).

[4:11]  ¹² tn The word לַיִשׁ (layish) traditionally rendered “strong lion,” occurs only here and in Prov 30:30 and Isa 30:6. It has cognates in several of the Semitic languages, and so seems to indicate lion as king of the beasts.

[4:11]  ¹³ tn The form of the verb is the Qal active participle; it stresses the characteristic action of the verb as if a standard universal truth.

[4:11]  ¹⁴ tn The text literally has “sons of the lioness.”

[10:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “he sits in the ambush of the villages.”

[10:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “his eyes for an unfortunate person lie hidden.” The language may picture a lion (see v. 9) peering out from its hiding place in anticipation that an unsuspecting victim will soon come strolling along.

[10:9]  ¹⁷ tn Or “in its den.”

[10:9]  ¹⁸ tn The verb, which also appears in the next line, occurs only here and in Judg 21:21.

[10:9]  ¹⁹ tn The singular form is collective (see v. 10) or refers to the typical or representative oppressed individual.

[10:9]  ²⁰ tn Or “when he [i.e., the wicked man] pulls in his net.”

[10:9]  sn The background of the imagery is hunting, where the hunter uses a net to entrap an unsuspecting bird or wild animal.

[10:10]  ²¹ tn Heb “he crushes, he is bowed down, and he falls into his strong [ones], [the] unfortunate [ones].” This verse presents several lexical and syntactical difficulties. The first word (יִדְכֶּה, yidekeh) is an otherwise unattested Qal form of the verb דָּכָה (dakhah, “crush”). (The Qere [marginal] form is imperfect; the consonantal text [Kethib] has the perfect with a prefixed conjunction vav [ו].) If the wicked man’s victim is the subject, which seems to be the case (note the two verbs which follow), then the form should be emended to a Niphal (יִדָּכֶה, yiddakheh). The phrase בַּעֲצוּמָיו (ba’atsumayv, “into his strong [ones]”), poses interpretive problems. The preposition -בְּ (bet) follows the verb נָפַל (nafal, “fall”), so it may very well carry the nuance “into” here, with “his strong [ones]” then referring to something into which the oppressed individual falls. Since a net is mentioned in the preceding verse as the instrument used to entrap the victim, it is possible that “strong [ones]” here refers metonymically to the wicked man’s nets or traps. Ps 35:8 refers to a man falling into a net (רֶשֶׁת, reshet), as does Ps 141:10 (where the plural of מִכְמָר [mikhmar, “net”] is used). A hunter’s net (רֶשֶׁת), is associated with snares (פַּח [pakh], מֹקְשִׁים, [moqÿshim]) and ropes (חֲבָלִים, khavalim) in Ps 140:5. The final word in the verse (חֶלְכָּאִים (khelka’im, “unfortunate [ones]”) may be an alternate form of חֵלְכָח (khelkhakh, “unfortunate [one]”; see vv. 8, 14). The Qere (marginal reading) divides the form into two words, חֵיל כָּאִים (khel ka’im, “army/host of disheartened [ones]”). The three verb forms in v. 10 are singular because the representative “oppressed” individual is the grammatical subject (see the singular עָנִי [’aniy] in v. 9).

[28:15]  ²² tn The term “like” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.

[28:15]  ²³ sn The comparison uses animals that are powerful, terrifying, insensitive, and in search of prey. Because political tyrants are like this, animal imagery of this sort is also used in Dan 7:1-8 for the series of ruthless world powers.

[28:15]  ²⁴ sn A poor nation under the control of political tyrants who are dangerous and destructive is helpless. The people of that nation will crumble under them because they cannot meet their demands and are of no use to them.

[1:23]  ²⁵ tn Or “stubborn”; CEV “have rejected me.”

[1:23]  ²⁶ tn Heb “and companions of” (so KJV, NASB); CEV “friends of crooks.”

[1:23]  ²⁷ tn Heb “pursue”; NIV “chase after gifts.”

[1:23]  ²⁸ sn Isaiah may have chosen the word for gifts (שַׁלְמוֹנִים, shalmonim; a hapax legomena here), as a sarcastic pun on what these rulers should have been doing. Instead of attending to peace and wholeness (שָׁלוֹם, shalom), they sought after payoffs (שַׁלְמוֹנִים).

[1:23]  ²⁹ sn See the note at v. 17.

[1:23]  ³⁰ sn The rich oppressors referred to in Isaiah and the other eighth century prophets were not rich capitalists in the modern sense of the word. They were members of the royal military and judicial bureaucracies in Israel and Judah. As these bureaucracies grew, they acquired more and more land and gradually commandeered the economy and legal system. At various administrative levels bribery and graft become commonplace. The common people outside the urban administrative centers were vulnerable to exploitation in such a system, especially those, like widows and orphans, who had lost their family provider through death. Through confiscatory taxation, conscription, excessive interest rates, and other oppressive governmental measures and policies, they were gradually disenfranchised and lost their landed property, and with it, their rights as citizens. The socio-economic equilibrium envisioned in the law of Moses was radically disturbed.

[22:17]  ³¹ tn Heb “Your eyes and your heart do not exist except for dishonest gain and for innocent blood to shed [it] and for fraud and for oppression to do [them].” The sentence has been broken up to conform more to English style and the significance of “eyes” and “heart” explained before they are introduced into the translation.

[22:6]  ³² tn Heb “Look! The princes of Israel, each according to his arm, were in you in order to shed blood.”

[22:25]  ³³ tn Heb “a conspiracy of her prophets is in her midst.” The LXX reads “whose princes” rather than “a conspiracy of prophets.” The prophets are mentioned later in the paragraph (v. 28). If one follows the LXX in verse 25, then five distinct groups are mentioned in vv. 25-29: princes, priests, officials, prophets, and the people of the land. For a defense of the Septuagintal reading, see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:32, and D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:720, n. 4.

[22:25]  ³⁴ tn Heb “her widows they have multiplied.” The statement alludes to their murderous acts.

[22:26]  ³⁵ tn Or “between the consecrated and the common.”

[22:26]  ³⁶ tn Heb “hide their eyes from.” The idiom means to disregard or ignore something or someone (see Lev 20:4; 1 Sam 12:3; Prov 28:27; Isa 1:15).

[3:1]  ³⁷ tn Heb “heads.”

[3:1]  ³⁸ tn Heb “house.”

[3:1]  ³⁹ tn Heb “Should you not know justice?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course you should!”

[3:2]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “the ones who.”

[3:2]  ⁴¹ tn Or “good.”

[3:2]  ⁴² tn Or “evil.”

[3:2]  ⁴³ tn Heb “their skin from upon them.” The referent of the pronoun (“my people,” referring to Jacob and/or the house of Israel, with the Lord as the speaker) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:2]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “and their flesh from their bones.”

[3:2]  sn Micah compares the social injustice perpetrated by the house of Jacob/Israel to cannibalism, because it threatens the very lives of the oppressed.

[3:3]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “who.”

[3:3]  ⁴⁶ tc The MT reads “and they chop up as in a pot.” The translation assumes an emendation of כַּאֲשֶׁר (ka’asher, “as”) to כִּשְׁאֵר (kish’er, “like flesh”).

[3:4]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “then they will cry out to the Lord.” The words “Someday these sinners” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[3:9]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “house.”

[3:9]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “house.”

[3:9]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “who.” A new sentence was begun here in the translation for stylistic reasons (also at the beginning of v. 10).

[3:10]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “who.”

[3:10]  ⁵² tn Heb “bloodshed” (so NAB, NASB, NIV); NLT “murder.”

[3:10]  ⁵³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[3:11]  ⁵⁴ sn The pronoun Her refers to Jerusalem (note the previous line).

[3:11]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “judge for a bribe.”

[3:11]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “they lean upon” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV); NAB “rely on.”

[3:11]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “Is not the Lord in our midst?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course he is!”

[3:11]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “come upon” (so many English versions); NCV “happen to us”; CEV “come to us.”