Amsal 31:1

The Words of Lemuel

31:1 The words of King Lemuel, ¹ 

an oracle ²  that his mother taught him:

Amsal 31:1

The Words of Lemuel

31:1 The words of King Lemuel, ³ 

an oracle ⁴  that his mother taught him:

Kisah Para Rasul 2:19

2:19 And I will perform wonders in the sky ⁵  above

and miraculous signs ⁶  on the earth below,

blood and fire and clouds of smoke.

Mazmur 116:16

116:16 Yes, Lord! I am indeed your servant;

I am your lowest slave. ⁷ 

You saved me from death. ⁸ 

Mazmur 116:2

116:2 and listened to me. ⁹ 

As long as I live, I will call to him when I need help. ¹⁰ 

Titus 1:5

Titus’ Task on Crete

1:5 The reason I left you in Crete was to set in order the remaining matters and to appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.

Titus 3:15

3:15 Everyone with me greets you. Greet those who love us in the faith. ¹¹  Grace be with you all. ¹² 

[31:1]  ¹ sn Nothing else is known about King Lemuel aside from this mention in the book of Proverbs. Jewish legend identifies him as Solomon, making this advice from his mother Bathsheba; but there is no evidence for that. The passage is the only direct address to a king in the book of Proverbs – something that was the norm in wisdom literature of the ancient world (Leah L. Brunner, “King and Commoner in Proverbs and Near Eastern Sources,” Dor le Dor 10 [1982]: 210-19; Brunner argues that the advice is religious and not secular).

[31:1]  ² tn Some English versions take the Hebrew noun translated “oracle” here as a place name specifying the kingdom of King Lemuel; cf. NAB “king of Massa”; CEV “King Lemuel of Massa.”

[31:1]  ³ sn Nothing else is known about King Lemuel aside from this mention in the book of Proverbs. Jewish legend identifies him as Solomon, making this advice from his mother Bathsheba; but there is no evidence for that. The passage is the only direct address to a king in the book of Proverbs – something that was the norm in wisdom literature of the ancient world (Leah L. Brunner, “King and Commoner in Proverbs and Near Eastern Sources,” Dor le Dor 10 [1982]: 210-19; Brunner argues that the advice is religious and not secular).

[31:1]  ⁴ tn Some English versions take the Hebrew noun translated “oracle” here as a place name specifying the kingdom of King Lemuel; cf. NAB “king of Massa”; CEV “King Lemuel of Massa.”

[2:19]  ⁵ tn Or “in the heaven.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven” depending on the context. Here, in contrast to “the earth below,” a reference to the sky is more likely.

[2:19]  ⁶ tn Here the context indicates the miraculous nature of the signs mentioned; this is made explicit in the translation.

[116:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “I am your servant, the son of your female servant.” The phrase “son of a female servant” (see also Ps 86:16) is used of a son born to a secondary wife or concubine (Exod 23:12). In some cases the child’s father is the master of the house (see Gen 21:10, 13; Judg 9:18). The use of the expression here certainly does not imply that the Lord has such a secondary wife or concubine! It is used metaphorically and idiomatically to emphasize the psalmist’s humility before the Lord and his status as the Lord’s servant.

[116:16]  ⁸ tn Heb “you have loosed my bonds.” In this context the imagery refers to deliverance from death (see v. 3).

[116:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “because he turned his ear to me.”

[116:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and in my days I will cry out.”

[3:15]  ¹¹ tn Or “faithfully.”

[3:15]  ¹² tc Most witnesses (א² D¹ F G H Ψ 0278 Ï lat sy bo) conclude this letter with ἀμήν (amhn, “amen”). Such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant. Further, early and excellent witnesses (א* A C D* 048 33 81 1739 1881 sa) lack the particle, rendering the omission the preferred reading.