Mazmur 35:6

35:6 May their path be ¹  dark and slippery,

as the Lord’s angel chases them!

Mazmur 78:49

78:49 His raging anger lashed out against them, ² 

He sent fury, rage, and trouble

as messengers who bring disaster. ³ 

Mazmur 105:28

105:28 He made it dark; ⁴ 

they did not disobey his orders. ⁵ 

Amsal 4:19

4:19 The way of the wicked is like gloomy darkness; ⁶ 

they do not know what causes them to stumble. ⁷ 

Pengkhotbah 2:14

2:14 The wise man can see where he is going, ⁸  but the fool walks in darkness.

Yet I also realized that the same fate ⁹  happens to them both. ¹⁰ 

Pengkhotbah 6:4

6:4 Though the stillborn child ¹¹  came into the world ¹²  for no reason ¹³  and departed into darkness,

though its name is shrouded in darkness, ¹⁴ 

Yesaya 8:21-22

8:21 They will pass through the land ¹⁵  destitute and starving. Their hunger will make them angry, ¹⁶  and they will curse their king and their God ¹⁷  as they look upward. 8:22 When one looks out over the land, he sees ¹⁸  distress and darkness, gloom ¹⁹  and anxiety, darkness and people forced from the land. ²⁰ 

Matius 27:45

Jesus’ Death

27:45 Now from noon until three, ²¹  darkness came over all the land. ²² 

Markus 15:33

Jesus’ Death

15:33 Now ²³  when it was noon, ²⁴  darkness came over the whole land ²⁵  until three in the afternoon. ²⁶ 

Lukas 23:44

23:44 It was now ²⁷  about noon, ²⁸  and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, ²⁹ 

Lukas 23:2

23:2 They ³⁰  began to accuse ³¹  him, saying, “We found this man subverting ³²  our nation, forbidding ³³  us to pay the tribute tax ³⁴  to Caesar ³⁵  and claiming that he himself is Christ, ³⁶  a king.”

Pengkhotbah 2:4

Futility of Materialism

2:4 I increased my possessions: ³⁷ 

I built houses for myself; ³⁸ 

I planted vineyards for myself.

Pengkhotbah 2:17

2:17 So I loathed ³⁹  life ⁴⁰  because what

happens ⁴¹  on earth ⁴²  seems awful to me;

for all the benefits of wisdom ⁴³  are futile – like chasing the wind.

Yudas 1:6

1:6 You also know that ⁴⁴  the angels who did not keep within their proper domain ⁴⁵  but abandoned their own place of residence, he has kept ⁴⁶  in eternal chains ⁴⁷  in utter ⁴⁸  darkness, locked up ⁴⁹  for the judgment of the great Day.

Yudas 1:13

1:13 wild sea waves, ⁵⁰  spewing out the foam of ⁵¹  their shame; ⁵²  wayward stars ⁵³  for whom the utter depths of eternal darkness ⁵⁴  have been reserved.

Wahyu 16:10-11

16:10 Then ⁵⁵  the fifth angel ⁵⁶  poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast so that ⁵⁷  darkness covered his kingdom, ⁵⁸  and people ⁵⁹  began to bite ⁶⁰  their tongues because ⁶¹  of their pain. 16:11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their sufferings ⁶²  and because of their sores, ⁶³  but nevertheless ⁶⁴  they still refused to repent ⁶⁵  of their deeds.

[35:6]  ¹ tn The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive, indicating this is a prayer.

[78:49]  ² tn Heb “he sent against them the rage of his anger.” The phrase “rage of his anger” employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971): 17-81.

[78:49]  ³ tn Heb “fury and indignation and trouble, a sending of messengers of disaster.”

[105:28]  ⁴ tn Heb “he sent darkness and made it dark.”

[105:28]  sn He made it dark. The psalmist begins with the ninth plague (see Exod 10:21-29).

[105:28]  ⁵ tn Heb “they did not rebel against his words.” Apparently this refers to Moses and Aaron, who obediently carried out God’s orders.

[4:19]  ⁶ sn The simile describes ignorance or spiritual blindness, sinfulness, calamity, despair.

[4:19]  ⁷ tn Heb “in what they stumble.”

[2:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “has his eyes in his head.” The term עַיִן (’ayin, “eye”) is used figuratively in reference to mental and spiritual faculties (BDB 744 s.v. עַיִן 3.a). The term “eye” is a metonymy of cause (eye) for effect (sight and perception).

[2:14]  ⁹ sn The common fate to which Qoheleth refers is death.

[2:14]  ¹⁰ tn The term כֻּלָּם (kullam, “all of them”) denotes “both of them.” This is an example of synecdoche of general (“all of them”) for the specific (“both of them,” that is, both the wise man and the fool).

[6:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (“the stillborn child”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:4]  ¹² tn The phrase “into the world” does not appear in Hebrew, but is added in the translation for clarity.

[6:4]  ¹³ sn The birth of the stillborn was in vain – it did it no good to be born.

[6:4]  ¹⁴ sn The name of the stillborn is forgotten.

[8:21]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “he will pass through it.” The subject of the collective singular verb is the nation. (See the preceding note.) The immediately preceding context supplies no antecedent for “it” (a third feminine singular suffix in the Hebrew text); the suffix may refer to the land, which would be a reasonable referent with a verb of motion. Note also that אֶרֶץ (’erets, “land”) does appear at the beginning of the next verse.

[8:21]  ¹⁶ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[8:21]  ¹⁷ tn Or “gods” (NAB, NRSV, CEV).

[8:22]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and behold” (so KJV, ASV, NASB).

[8:22]  ¹⁹ tn The precise meaning of מְעוּף (mÿ’uf) is uncertain; the word occurs only here. See BDB 734 s.v. מָעוּף.

[8:22]  ²⁰ tn Heb “ and darkness, pushed.” The word מְנֻדָּח (mÿnudakh) appears to be a Pual participle from נדח (“push”), but the Piel is unattested for this verb and the Pual occurs only here.

[27:45]  ²¹ tn Grk “from the sixth hour to the ninth hour.”

[27:45]  ²² sn This imagery has parallels to the Day of the Lord: Joel 2:10; Amos 8:9; Zeph 1:15.

[15:33]  ²³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[15:33]  ²⁴ tn Grk “When the sixth hour had come.”

[15:33]  ²⁵ sn This imagery has parallels to the Day of the Lord: Joel 2:10; Amos 8:9; Zeph 1:15.

[15:33]  ²⁶ tn Grk “until the ninth hour.”

[23:44]  ²⁷ tn Grk “And it was.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[23:44]  ²⁸ tn Grk “the sixth hour.”

[23:44]  ²⁹ tn Grk “until the ninth hour.”

[23:2]  ³⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[23:2]  ³¹ sn They began to accuse him. There were three charges: (1) disturbing Jewish peace; (2) fomenting rebellion through advocating not paying taxes (a lie – 20:20-26); and (3) claiming to be a political threat to Rome, by claiming to be a king, an allusion to Jesus’ messianic claims. The second and third charges were a direct challenge to Roman authority. Pilate would be forced to do something about them.

[23:2]  ³² tn On the use of the term διαστρέφω (diastrefw) here, see L&N 31.71 and 88.264.

[23:2]  sn Subverting our nation was a summary charge, as Jesus “subverted” the nation by making false claims of a political nature, as the next two detailed charges show.

[23:2]  ³³ tn Grk “and forbidding.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated to suggest to the English reader that this and the following charge are specifics, while the previous charge was a summary one. See the note on the word “misleading” earlier in this verse.

[23:2]  ³⁴ tn This was a “poll tax.” L&N 57.182 states this was “a payment made by the people of one nation to another, with the implication that this is a symbol of submission and dependence – ‘tribute tax.’”

[23:2]  ³⁵ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[23:2]  ³⁶ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[23:2]  sn See the note on Christ in 2:11.

[2:4]  ³⁷ tn Or “my works”; or “my accomplishments.” The term מַעֲשָׂי (ma’asay, “my works”) has been handled in two basic ways: (1) great works or projects, and (2) possessions. The latter assumes a metonymy, one’s effort standing for the possessions it produces. Both interpretations are reflected in the major English translations: “works” (KJV, NEB, NAB, ASV, NASB, MLB, RSV, Douay, Moffatt), “projects” (NIV), and “possessions” (NJPS).

[2:4]  sn This section (2:4-11) is unified and bracketed by the repetition of the verb גָּדַל (gadal, “to increase”) which occurs at the beginning (2:4) and end (2:9), and by the repetition of the root עשה (noun: “works” and verb: “to do, make, acquire”) which occurs throughout the section (2:4, 5, 6, 8, 11).

[2:4]  ³⁸ sn The expression for myself is repeated eight times in 2:4-8 to emphasize that Qoheleth did not deny himself any acquisition. He indulged himself in acquiring everything he desired. His vast resources as king allowed him the unlimited opportunity to indulge himself. He could have anything his heart desired, and he did.

[2:17]  ³⁹ tn Or “I hated.”

[2:17]  ⁴⁰ tn The term הַחַיִּים (hakhayyim, “life”) functions as a metonymy of association, that is, that which is associated with life, that is, the profitlessness and futility of human secular achievement.

[2:17]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “the deed that is done.” The root עָשָׂה (’asah, “to do”) is repeated in הַמַּעֲשֶׂה שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה (hamma’aseh shenna’asah, “the deed that is done”) for emphasis. Here, the term “deed” does not refer to human accomplishment, as in 2:1-11, but to the fact of death that destroys any relative advantage of wisdom over folly (2:14a-16). Qoheleth metaphorically describes death as a “deed” that is “done” to man.

[2:17]  ⁴² tn Heb “under the sun.”

[2:17]  ⁴³ tn Heb “all,” referring here to the relative advantage of wisdom.

[1:6]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “and.” Verse 6 is a continuation of the same sentence begun in v. 5. Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:6]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “who did not keep their own domain.”

[1:6]  sn The idea is that certain angels acted improperly, going outside the bounds prescribed by God (their proper domain).

[1:6]  ⁴⁶ sn There is an interesting play on words used in this verse. Because the angels did not keep their proper place, Jesus has kept them chained up in another place. The same verb keep is used in v. 1 to describe believers’ status before God and Christ.

[1:6]  ⁴⁷ sn In 2 Pet 2:4 a less common word for chains is used.

[1:6]  ⁴⁸ tn The word ζόφος (zofos, “utter, deepest darkness”) is used only five times in the NT: two in 2 Peter, two in Jude, and one in Hebrews. Jude 6 parallels 2 Pet 2:4; Jude 13 parallels 2 Pet 2:17.

[1:6]  ⁴⁹ tn The words “locked up” are not in Greek, but is expressed in English as a resumptive point after the double prepositional phrase (“in eternal chains in utter darkness”).

[1:13]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “wild waves of the sea.”

[1:13]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “foaming, causing to foam.” The verb form is intensive and causative. BDAG 360 s.v. ἐπαφρίζω suggests the meaning “to cause to splash up like froth, cause to foam,” or, in this context, “waves casting up their own shameless deeds like (dirty) foam.”

[1:13]  ⁵² tn Grk “shames, shameful things.” It is uncertain whether shameful deeds or shameful words are in view. Either way, the picture has taken a decided turn: Though waterless clouds and fruitless trees may promise good things, but deliver nothing, wild sea-waves are portents of filth spewed forth from the belly of the sea.

[1:13]  ⁵³ sn The imagery of a star seems to fit the nautical theme that Jude is developing. Stars were of course the guides to sailors at night, just as teachers are responsible to lead the flock through a benighted world. But false teachers, as wayward stars, are not fixed and hence offer unreliable, even disastrous guidance. They are thus both the dangerous reefs on which the ships could be destroyed and the false guides, leading them into these rocks. There is a special irony that these lights will be snuffed out, reserved for the darkest depths of eternal darkness.

[1:13]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “utter darkness of darkness for eternity.” See note on the word “utter” in v. 6.

[16:10]  ⁵⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[16:10]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “the fifth”; the referent (the fifth angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:10]  ⁵⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so that” to indicate the implied result of the fifth bowl being poured out.

[16:10]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “his kingdom became dark.”

[16:10]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.

[16:10]  ⁶⁰ tn On this term BDAG 620 s.v. μασάομαι states, “bite w. acc. τὰς γλώσσας bite their tongues Rv 16:10.”

[16:10]  ⁶¹ tn The preposition ἐκ (ek) has been translated here and twice in the following verse with a causal sense.

[16:11]  ⁶² tn Grk “pains” (the same term in Greek [πόνος, ponos] as the last word in v. 11, here translated “sufferings” because it is plural). BDAG 852 s.v. 2 states, “ἐκ τοῦ π. in pain…Rv 16:10; pl. (Gen 41:51; Jos., C. Ap. 2, 146; Test. Jud. 18:4) ἐκ τῶν π. …because of their sufferings vs. 11.”

[16:11]  ⁶³ tn Or “ulcerated sores” (see 16:2).

[16:11]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “and they did not repent.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but nevertheless” to express the contrast here.

[16:11]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “they did not repent” The addition of “still refused” reflects the hardness of people’s hearts in the context.