Mazmur 50:21

50:21 When you did these things, I was silent, ¹ 

so you thought I was exactly like you. ² 

But now I will condemn ³  you

and state my case against you! ⁴ 

Yesaya 3:13-14

3:13 The Lord takes his position to judge;

he stands up to pass sentence on his people. ⁵ 

3:14 The Lord comes to pronounce judgment

on the leaders of his people and their officials.

He says, ⁶  “It is you ⁷  who have ruined ⁸  the vineyard! ⁹ 

You have stashed in your houses what you have stolen from the poor. ¹⁰ 

[50:21]  ¹ tn Heb “these things you did and I was silent.” Some interpret the second clause (“and I was silent”) as a rhetorical question expecting a negative answer, “[When you do these things], should I keep silent?” (cf. NEB). See GKC 335 §112.cc.

[50:21]  sn The Lord was silent in the sense that he delayed punishment. Of course, God’s patience toward sinners eventually runs out. The divine “silence” is only temporary (see v. 3, where the psalmist, having described God’s arrival, observes that “he is not silent”).

[50:21]  ² tn The Hebrew infinitive construct (הֱיוֹת, heyot) appears to function like the infinitive absolute here, adding emphasis to the following finite verbal form (אֶהְיֶה, ’ehyeh). See GKC 339-40 §113.a. Some prefer to emend הֱיוֹת (heyot) to the infinitive absolute form הָיוֹ (hayo).

[50:21]  ³ tn Or “rebuke” (see v. 8).

[50:21]  ⁴ tn Heb “and I will set in order [my case against you] to your eyes.” The cohortative form expresses the Lord’s resolve to accuse and judge the wicked.

[3:13]  ⁵ tc The Hebrew text has “nations,” but the preceding and following contexts make it clear that the Lord is judging his covenant people. עָמִים (’amim) should be changed (with support from the LXX) to עמו. The final mem (ם) on the form in the Hebrew is either dittographic or enclitic. When the mem was added or read as a plural ending, the vav (ו) was then misread as a yod (י).

[3:14]  ⁶ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[3:14]  ⁷ tn The pronominal element is masculine plural; the leaders are addressed.

[3:14]  ⁸ tn The verb בָּעַר (ba’ar, “graze, ruin”; HALOT 146 s.v. II בער) is a homonym of the more common בָּעַר (ba’ar, “burn”; see HALOT 145 s.v. I בער).

[3:14]  ⁹ sn The vineyard is a metaphor for the nation here. See 5:1-7.

[3:14]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the plunder of the poor [is] in your houses” (so NASB).