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The Daily Audio Bible

This reading plan is provided by Brian Hardin from Daily Audio Bible.

Duration: 731 days

Nehemiah 5:14-7:73

¹⁴From the day that I was appointed^[a] governor^[b] in the land of Judah, that is, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes—twelve years in all—neither I nor my relatives^[c] ate the food allotted to the governor.^[d] ¹⁵But the former governors who preceded me had burdened the people and had taken food and wine from them, in addition to^[e] forty shekels of silver. Their associates were also domineering over the people. But I did not behave in this way, due to my fear of God. ¹⁶I gave myself to the work on this wall, without even purchasing^[f] a field. All my associates were gathered there for the work.

¹⁷There were 150 Jews and officials who dined with me routinely,^[g] in addition to those who came to us from the nations^[h] all around us. ¹⁸Every day one ox, six select sheep, and some birds were prepared for me, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Despite all this I did not require the food allotted to the governor, for the work was demanding on this people.

¹⁹Please remember me for good, O my God, for all that I have done for this people.

Opposition to the Rebuilding Efforts Continues

6 When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and no breach remained in it (even though up to that time I had not positioned doors in the gates), ²Sanballat and Geshem sent word to me saying, “Come on! Let’s set up a time to meet together at Kephirim^[i] in the plain of Ono.” Now they intended to do me harm.

³So I sent messengers to them saying, “I am engaged in^[j] an important work, and I am unable to come down. Why should the work come to a halt when I leave it to come down to you?” ⁴They contacted^[k] me four times in this way, and I responded the same way each time.^[l]

⁵The fifth time that Sanballat sent his assistant to me in this way, he had an open letter in his hand. ⁶Written in it were the following words:

“Among the nations it is rumored^[m] (and Geshem^[n] has substantiated^[o] this) that you and the Jews have intentions of revolting, and for this reason you are building the wall. Furthermore, according to these rumors^[p] you are going to become their king. ⁷You have also established prophets to announce^[q] in Jerusalem on your behalf, ‘We have a king in Judah!’ Now the king is going to hear about these rumors. So come on, let’s talk about this.”^[r]

⁸I sent word back to him, “We are not engaged in these activities you are describing.^[s] All of this is a figment of your imagination.”^[t]

⁹All of them were wanting^[u] to scare us, supposing, “Their hands will grow slack from the work, and it won’t get done.”

So now, strengthen my hands!^[v]

¹⁰Then I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel. He was confined to his home.^[w] He said, “Let’s set up a time to meet in the house of God, within the temple. Let’s close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. It will surely be at night that they will come to kill you.”

¹¹But I replied, “Should a man like me run away? Would someone like me flee to the temple in order to save his life?^[x] I will not go!” ¹²I recognized the fact that God had not sent him, for he had spoken the prophecy against me as a hired agent of Tobiah and Sanballat.^[y] ¹³He had been hired to scare me so that I would do this and thereby sin. They would thus bring reproach on me and I^[z] would be discredited.^[aa]

¹⁴Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat in light of these actions of theirs—also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who have been trying to scare me!

The Rebuilding of the Wall Is Finally Completed

¹⁵So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth day of Elul,^[ab] in just fifty-two days. ¹⁶When all our enemies heard and all the nations who were around us saw^[ac] this, they were greatly disheartened.^[ad] They knew that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.

¹⁷In those days the aristocrats of Judah repeatedly sent letters to Tobiah, and responses from Tobiah were repeatedly coming to them. ¹⁸For many in Judah had sworn allegiance to him,^[ae] because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah son of Arah. His son Jonathan had married the daughter of Meshullam son of Berechiah. ¹⁹They were telling me about his good deeds and then taking back to him the things I said.^[af] Tobiah, on the other hand, sent letters in order to scare^[ag] me.

7 When the wall had been rebuilt and I had positioned the doors, and the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, ²I then put in charge over Jerusalem my brother Hanani and Hananiah^[ah] the chief of the citadel, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many do. ³I^[ai] said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem must not be opened in the early morning,^[aj] until those who are standing guard close the doors and lock them.^[ak] Position residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their guard stations and some near their homes.” ⁴Now the city was spread out^[al] and large, and there were not a lot of people in it.^[am] At that time houses had not been rebuilt. ⁵My God placed it on my heart to gather the leaders,^[an] the officials, and the ordinary people so they could be enrolled on the basis of genealogy. I found the genealogical records^[ao] of those who had formerly returned. Here is what I found written in that record:^[ap]

⁶These are the people^[aq] of the province who returned^[ar] from the captivity of the exiles, whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had forced into exile.^[as] They returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, each to his own city. ⁷They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.

The number of Israelite men^[at] was as follows:

⁸the descendants^[au] of Parosh: 2,172;

⁹the descendants of Shephatiah: 372;

¹⁰the descendants of Arah: 652;

¹¹the descendants of Pahath Moab (from the line^[av] of Jeshua and Joab): 2,818;

¹²the descendants of Elam: 1,254;

¹³the descendants of Zattu: 845;

¹⁴the descendants of Zaccai: 760;

¹⁵the descendants of Binnui: 648;

¹⁶the descendants of Bebai: 628;

¹⁷the descendants of Azgad: 2,322;

¹⁸the descendants of Adonikam: 667;

¹⁹the descendants of Bigvai: 2,067;

²⁰the descendants of Adin: 655;

²¹the descendants of Ater (through Hezekiah): 98;

²²the descendants of Hashum: 328;

²³the descendants of Bezai: 324;

²⁴the descendants of Harif: 112;

²⁵the descendants of Gibeon: 95;

²⁶The men of Bethlehem and Netophah: 188;

²⁷the men of Anathoth: 128;

²⁸the men of the family^[aw] of Azmaveth: 42;

²⁹the men of Kiriath Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth: 743;

³⁰the men of Ramah and Geba: 621;

³¹the men of Micmash: 122;

³²the men of Bethel and Ai: 123;

³³the men of the other Nebo: 52;

³⁴the descendants of the other Elam: 1,254;

³⁵the descendants of Harim: 320;

³⁶the descendants of Jericho: 345;

³⁷the descendants of Lod, Hadid, and Ono: 721;

³⁸the descendants of Senaah: 3,930;

³⁹The priests: the descendants of Jedaiah (through the family^[ax] of Jeshua): 973;

⁴⁰the descendants of Immer: 1,052;

⁴¹the descendants of Pashhur: 1,247;

⁴²the descendants of Harim: 1,017.

⁴³The Levites: the descendants of Jeshua (through Kadmiel, through the line of Hodaviah): 74.

⁴⁴The singers: the descendants of Asaph: 148.

⁴⁵The gatekeepers: the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, and the descendants of Shobai: 138.

⁴⁶The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha, the descendants of Tabbaoth, ⁴⁷the descendants of Keros, the descendants of Sia, the descendants of Padon, ⁴⁸the descendants of Lebanah, the descendants of Hagabah, the descendants of Shalmai, ⁴⁹the descendants of Hanan, the descendants of Giddel, the descendants of Gahar, ⁵⁰the descendants of Reaiah, the descendants of Rezin, the descendants of Nekoda, ⁵¹the descendants of Gazzam, the descendants of Uzzah, the descendants of Paseah, ⁵²the descendants of Besai, the descendants of Meunim, the descendants of Nephussim, ⁵³the descendants of Bakbuk, the descendants of Hakupha, the descendants of Harhur, ⁵⁴the descendants of Bazluth, the descendants of Mehida, the descendants of Harsha, ⁵⁵the descendants of Barkos, the descendants of Sisera, the descendants of Temah, ⁵⁶the descendants of Neziah, the descendants of Hatipha.

⁵⁷The descendants of the servants of Solomon: the descendants of Sotai, the descendants of Sophereth, the descendants of Perida, ⁵⁸the descendants of Jaala, the descendants of Darkon, the descendants of Giddel, ⁵⁹the descendants of Shephatiah, the descendants of Hattil, the descendants of Pokereth Hazzebaim, and the descendants of Amon.

⁶⁰All the temple servants and the descendants of the servants of Solomon, 392.

⁶¹These are the ones who came up from Tel Melah, Tel Harsha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer (although they were unable to certify^[ay] their family connection^[az] or their ancestry,^[ba] as to whether they were really from Israel):

⁶²the descendants of Delaiah, the descendants of Tobiah, and the descendants of Nekoda, 642.

⁶³And from among the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai (who had married a woman from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name). ⁶⁴They searched for their records in the genealogical materials, but none were found. They were therefore excluded^[bb] from the priesthood. ⁶⁵The governor^[bc] instructed them not to eat any of the sacred food until there was a priest who could consult^[bd] the Urim and Thummim.

⁶⁶The entire group numbered 42,360— ⁶⁷not counting their 7,337 male and female servants. They also had 245 male and female singers. ⁶⁸They had 736 horses, 245 mules, ⁶⁹(7:68)^[be] 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys. ⁷⁰Some of the family leaders^[bf] contributed to the work. The governor contributed to the treasury 1,000 gold drachmas,^[bg] 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments. ⁷¹Some of the family leaders gave to the project treasury 20,000 gold drachmas and 2,200 silver minas. ⁷²What the rest of the people gave amounted to 20,000 gold drachmas, 2,000 silver minas, and 67 priestly garments.

⁷³The priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the temple servants, and all the rest of Israel lived in their cities.

The People Respond to the Reading of the Law

When the seventh month arrived and the Israelites^[bh] were settled in their towns,^[bi]

Footnotes

Nehemiah 5:14 tc The BHS editors suggest reading צֻוֵּאתִי (tsuvveʾti, “and I was appointed”) rather than the reading of the MT, אֹתִי צִוָּה (tsivvah ʾoti, “he appointed me”).
Nehemiah 5:14 tc The translation reads with one medieval Hebrew ms פֶּחָה (pekhah, “governor”) rather than פֶּחָם (pekham, “their governor”) of the MT. One would expect the form with pronominal suffix to have a tav (ת) before the suffix.
Nehemiah 5:14 tn Heb “brothers.”
Nehemiah 5:14 tn Heb “the food of the governor.” Cf. v. 18.
Nehemiah 5:15 tc The Hebrew term אַחַר (ʾakhar) is difficult here. It normally means “after,” but that makes no sense here. Some scholars emend it to אַחַד (ʾakhad) and supply the word “day,” which yields the sense “daily.” Cf. TEV “40 silver coins a day for food and wine.”
Nehemiah 5:16 tn Heb “we did not purchase.”
Nehemiah 5:17 tn Heb “officials at my table.”
Nehemiah 5:17 tn Or “from the Gentiles.” The same Hebrew word can refer to “the Gentiles” or “the nations.” Cf. the phrase in 6:16.
Nehemiah 6:2 tn It is not entirely clear whether the Hebrew word כְּפִירִים (k^efirim) is a place-name not mentioned elsewhere in the OT (as indicated in the present translation; so also NAB, NASB) or whether it means “in [one of] the villages” (so, e.g., NIV, NRSV, NLT; see BDB 499 s.v.; HALOT 493 s.v.). The LXX and Vulgate understand it in the latter sense. Some scholars connect this term with the identically spelled word כפירים (“lions”) as a figurative description of princes or warriors (e.g., Pss 34:11; 35:17; 58:7; Jer 2:15; Ezek 32:2, 13; Nah 2:14 HT [2:13 ET]; see HALOT 493 s.v. כְּפִיר): “let us meet together with the leaders in the plain of Ono.”
Nehemiah 6:3 tn Heb “[am] doing.”
Nehemiah 6:4 tn Heb “sent to.”
Nehemiah 6:4 tn Heb “and I answered them according to this word.”
Nehemiah 6:6 tn Heb “heard.”
Nehemiah 6:6 tn Heb “Gashmu”; in Neh 2:19 this name appears as Geshem. Since it is important for the modern reader to recognize that this is the same individual, the form of the name used here in the translation is the same as that in v. 19.
Nehemiah 6:6 tn Heb “is saying.”
Nehemiah 6:6 tn Heb “words.” So also in v. 7.
Nehemiah 6:7 tn Heb “call.”
Nehemiah 6:7 tn Heb “Let us consult together.”
Nehemiah 6:8 tn Heb “We are not according to these matters that you are saying.”
Nehemiah 6:8 tn Heb “For from your heart you are inventing them.”
Nehemiah 6:9 tn The participle has a desiderative nuance here, describing the desire of the subject and not necessarily the actual outcome. See also v. 14.
Nehemiah 6:9 tn The statement “So now, strengthen my hands” is frequently understood as an implied prayer, but is taken differently by NAB (“But instead, I now redoubled my efforts”).
Nehemiah 6:10 tn Heb “shut in.” The reason for his confinement is not stated. BDB 783 s.v. עָצַר suggests that it had to do with the fulfillment of a vow or was related to an issue of ceremonial uncleanness.
Nehemiah 6:11 tn Heb “go into the temple and live.”
Nehemiah 6:12 tn Heb “and Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.”
Nehemiah 6:13 tc The translation reads לִי (li, “to me”) rather than the MT reading לָהֶם (lahem, “to them”).
Nehemiah 6:13 tn Heb “would have a bad name.”
Nehemiah 6:15 sn Elul was the sixth month, or August-September by modern reckoning.
Nehemiah 6:16 tc The MT understands the root here to be יָרֵא (yareʾ, “to fear”) rather than רָאָה (raʾah, “to see”).
Nehemiah 6:16 tn Heb “they greatly fell [i.e., were cast down] in their own eyes.” Some scholars suggest emending the reading of the MT, וַיִּפְּלוּ (vayyip^elu) to וַיִּפָּלֵא (vayyippaleʾ, “it was very extraordinary in their eyes”).
Nehemiah 6:18 tn Heb “were lords of oath.”
Nehemiah 6:19 tn Heb “my words.”
Nehemiah 6:19 tn Or “to intimidate” (so NIV, NRSV, NLT).
Nehemiah 7:2 tn Some have suggested that “Hananiah” is another name for Hanani, Nehemiah’s brother, so that only one individual is mentioned here. However, the third person plural in v. 3 indicates two people are in view.
Nehemiah 7:3 tc The present translation (along with most English versions) reads with the Qere, a Qumran text, and the ancient versions וָאֹמַר (vaʾomar, “and I said”) rather than the Kethib of the MT, which reads וַיֹּאמֶר (vayyoʾmer, “and he said”).
Nehemiah 7:3 tn Heb “until the heat of the sun.” The phrase probably means that the gates were to be opened only after the day had progressed a bit, not at the first sign of morning light (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, TEV, CEV). It is possible, however, that the Hebrew preposition עַד (ʿad), here translated as “until,” has a more rare sense of “during.” If so, this would mean that the gates were not to be left open and unattended during the hot part of the day when people typically would be at rest (cf. NLT).
Nehemiah 7:3 tn Presumably this would mean the gates were not to be opened until later in the morning and were to remain open until evening. Some, however, have understood Nehemiah’s instructions to mean that the gates were not to be left open during the hottest part of the day, but must be shut and locked while the guards are still on duty. See J. Barr, “Hebrew עַד, especially at Job i.18 and Neh vii.3, ” JJS 27 (1982): 177-88.
Nehemiah 7:4 tn Heb “wide of two hands.”
Nehemiah 7:4 tn Heb “the people were few in its midst.”
Nehemiah 7:5 tn Heb “nobles”; NCV “important men.”
Nehemiah 7:5 tn Heb “the book of genealogy.”
Nehemiah 7:5 tn Heb “in it”; the referent (the genealogical record) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Nehemiah 7:6 tn Heb “the sons of”; KJV, ASV “the children of”; NAB “the inhabitants of.”
Nehemiah 7:6 tn Heb “who were going up.”
Nehemiah 7:6 tc One medieval Hebrew manuscript has “to Babylon.” Cf. Ezra 2:1.
Nehemiah 7:7 tn Heb “the men of the people of Israel.” Some English versions translate as “the people from Israel” (NCV) or “the Israelite people” (NRSV), but “men” should be retained because the following numbers presumably include only adult males.
Nehemiah 7:8 tn Heb “the sons of.”
Nehemiah 7:11 tn Heb “to the sons of.”
Nehemiah 7:28 tc The translation reads בְּנֵי (b^ene, “the sons of”) rather than the MT reading אַנְשֵׁי בֵית (ʾanshe vet, “men of the house of”). Cf. Ezra 2:24.
Nehemiah 7:39 tn Heb “to the house of.”
Nehemiah 7:61 tn Heb “relate.”
Nehemiah 7:61 tn Heb “the house of their fathers.”
Nehemiah 7:61 tn Heb “their seed.”
Nehemiah 7:64 tn Heb “they were desecrated.”
Nehemiah 7:65 tn The Hebrew term תִּרְשָׁתָא (tirshataʾ; KJV “Tirshatha”) is the official title of a Persian governor in Judea. In meaning it may be similar to “excellency” (cf. NAB). See further BDB 1077 s.v.; W. L. Holladay, Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, 395; HALOT 1798 s.v.
Nehemiah 7:65 tn Heb “stood.”
Nehemiah 7:69 tc Most Hebrew mss omit 7:68 ET, which reads “They had 736 horses, 245 mules,” and thus have one less verse in chap. 7, ending the chapter at 7:72. This verse is included in the LXX and most English versions. Cf. Ezra 2:66.
Nehemiah 7:70 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”
Nehemiah 7:70 tn Heb “darics” (also in vv. 71, 72).
Nehemiah 7:73 tn Heb “the sons of Israel.” So also in vv. 14, 17; 9:1.
Nehemiah 7:73 tn The traditional understanding of the chapter and verse division here is probably incorrect. The final part of v. 73 is best understood as belonging with 8:1.

1 Corinthians 8

Food Sacrificed to Idols

8 With regard to food sacrificed to idols, we know that “we all have knowledge.”^[a] Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. ²If someone thinks he knows something, he does not yet know to the degree that he needs to know. ³But if someone loves God, he^[b] is known by God.^[c]

⁴With regard then to eating food sacrificed to idols, we know that “an idol in this world is nothing,” and that “there is no God but one.”^[d] ⁵If after all there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), ⁶yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we live, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we live.^[e]

⁷But this knowledge is not shared by all. And some, by being accustomed to idols in former times, eat this food as an idol sacrifice, and their conscience, because it is weak, is defiled. ⁸Now food will not bring us close to God. We are no worse if we do not eat and no better if we do. ⁹But be careful that this liberty of yours does not become a hindrance to the weak. ¹⁰For if someone weak sees you who possess knowledge dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience be “strengthened”^[f] to eat food offered to idols? ¹¹So by your knowledge the weak brother or sister,^[g] for whom Christ died, is destroyed.^[h] ¹²If you sin against your brothers or sisters^[i] in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. ¹³For this reason, if food causes my brother or sister to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I may not cause one of them^[j] to sin.

Psalm 33:1-11

Psalm 33^[a]

33 You godly ones, shout for joy because of the Lord!
It is appropriate for the morally upright to offer him praise.
²Give thanks to the Lord with the harp.
Sing to him to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument.
³Sing to him a new song.^[b]
Play skillfully as you shout out your praises to him.^[c]
⁴For the Lord’s decrees^[d] are just,^[e]
and everything he does is fair.^[f]
⁵He promotes^[g] equity and justice;
the Lord’s faithfulness extends throughout the earth.^[h]
⁶By the Lord’s decree^[i] the heavens were made,
and by the breath^[j] of his mouth all the starry hosts.
⁷He piles up the water of the sea;^[k]
he puts the oceans^[l] in storehouses.
⁸Let the whole earth fear^[m] the Lord.
Let all who live in the world stand in awe of him.
⁹For he spoke, and it^[n] came into existence.
He issued the decree,^[o] and it stood firm.
¹⁰The Lord frustrates^[p] the decisions of the nations;
he nullifies the plans^[q] of the peoples.
¹¹The Lord’s decisions stand forever;
his plans abide throughout the ages.^[r]

Footnotes

Psalm 33:1 sn Psalm 33. In this hymn the psalmist praises the Lord as the sovereign creator and just ruler of the world who protects and vindicates those who fear him.
Psalm 33:3 sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the lives of his people in fresh and exciting ways.
Psalm 33:3 tn Heb “play skillfully with a loud shout.”
Psalm 33:4 tn Heb “word.” In this context, which depicts the Lord as the sovereign creator and ruler of the world, the Lord’s “word” refers to the decrees whereby he governs his dominion.
Psalm 33:4 tn Or “upright.”
Psalm 33:4 tn Heb “and all his work [is done] with faithfulness.”
Psalm 33:5 tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the Lord’s commitment to principles of equity and justice causes him to actively promote these principles as he governs the world.
Psalm 33:5 tn Heb “fills the earth.”
Psalm 33:6 tn Heb “word.”
Psalm 33:6 tn The word רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit, wind, breath”) is used in the creation account in Gen 1:2 “the Spirit of God was moving.” Here parallel to “decree/word,” it recalls the account of God speaking in order to create (cf. Gen 1:14).
Psalm 33:7 tn Heb “[he] gathers like a pile the waters of the sea.” Some prefer to emend נֵד (ned, “heap, pile”; cf. NASB) to נֹד (nod, “bottle”; cf. NRSV; NIV “into jars”), but “pile” is used elsewhere to describe water that the Lord confines to one place (Exod 15:8; Josh 3:13, 16; Ps 78:13). This verse appears to refer to Gen 1:9, where God decrees that the watery deep be gathered to one place so that dry land might appear. If so, the participles in this and the following line depict this action with special vividness, as if the reader were present on the occasion. Another option is that the participles picture the confinement of the sea to one place as an ongoing divine activity.
Psalm 33:7 tn Or “watery depths.” The form תְּהוֹמוֹת (t^ehomot, “watery depths”) is the plural form of תְּהוֹם (t^ehom, “great deep”; see Gen 1:2).
Psalm 33:8 tn In this context “fear” probably means “to demonstrate respect for the Lord’s power and authority by worshiping him and obeying his commandments.”
Psalm 33:9 tn That is, “all the earth” in the first line of v. 8. The apparent antecedent of the masculine subject of the verbs in v. 9 (note וַיֶּהִי [vayyehiy] and וַיַּעֲמֹד [vayyaʿamod]) is “earth” or “world,” both of which are feminine nouns. However, כָּל (kol, “all”) may be the antecedent, or the apparent lack of agreement may be explained by the collective nature of the nouns involved here (see GKC 463 §145.e).
Psalm 33:9 tn Heb “he commanded.”
Psalm 33:10 tn Heb “breaks” or “destroys.” The Hebrew perfect verbal forms here and in the next line generalize about the Lord’s activity.
Psalm 33:10 tn Heb “thoughts.”
Psalm 33:11 tn Heb “the thoughts of his heart for generation to generation.” The verb “abides” is supplied in the translation. The Lord’s “decisions” and “plans” here refer to his decrees and purposes.

Proverbs 21:8-10

⁸The way of the guilty person^[a] is devious,^[b]
but as for the pure,^[c] his way is upright.
⁹It is better to live on a corner of the housetop^[d]
than to share a house^[e] with a quarrelsome wife.^[f]
¹⁰The appetite^[g] of the wicked has desired^[h] evil;
his neighbor is shown no favor^[i] in his eyes.

Footnotes

Proverbs 21:8 tn The first line of the proverb is difficult. Since וָזָר (vazar) occurs only here it has been given much attention. The translation of “guilty” is drawn from an Arabic cognate meaning “to bear a burden” and so “to be sin laden” or “guilty” (cf. NASB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT). G. R. Driver prefers to read the line as “a man crooked of ways is false [zar]” (“Problems in the Hebrew Text of Proverbs,” Bib 32 [1951]: 185). C. H. Toy adopts the meaning of “proud” (Proverbs [ICC], 400). Whatever the reading, “guilty” or “proud” or “false,” the idea is that such people are devious. Bad people are underhanded; good people are aboveboard (C. H. Toy, Proverbs [ICC], 400). Another way to analyze the line is to read it with the definition “strange, stranger”: “The way of a man and a stranger is perverse.” But this is unclear, and would form no satisfactory contrast to 8b. Another suggestion is “the way of (usual) man is changeable and strange, but the pure fellow leads a straight and even course” (J. H. Greenstone, Proverbs, 244); cf. NLT “the innocent travel a straight road.”
Proverbs 21:8 tn The form הֲפַכְפַךְ (hafakhpakh) is an adjective with an intensified meaning due to the duplication of the second and third radicals; it means “very devious; crooked” (from the verb “to overturn”).
Proverbs 21:8 tn If this translation stands, then the construction is formed with an independent nominative absolute, resumed by the suffixed noun as the formal subject. It draws attention to the “pure” or “innocent” person in contrast to the previously mentioned wicked.
Proverbs 21:9 tn English versions which translate the Hebrew term as “roof” here sometimes produce amusing images for modern readers: TEV “Better to live on the roof”; CEV “It’s better to stay outside on the roof of your house.”sn The reference is probably to a small room that would be built on the flat housetop primarily for guests (e.g., 1 Kgs 17:19; 2 Kgs 4:10). It would be cramped and lonely—but peaceful in avoiding strife.
Proverbs 21:9 tn The phrase “than a house of company” has received numerous interpretations. The word “company” or “companionship” would qualify “house” as a place to be shared. The BHS editors propose “spacious house,” which would call for a transposition of letters (cf. NAB “a roomy house”; NLT “a lovely home”). Such an emendation makes good sense, but has no external support.
Proverbs 21:9 tn Heb “a wife of contentions”; KJV “a brawling woman”; TEV, CEV “a nagging wife.” The Greek version has no reference to a quarrelsome wife, but instead mentions justice in a common house.
Proverbs 21:10 tn Heb “soul.” The Hebrew text uses נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, traditionally, “soul”) as the formal subject of the sentence—“the soul of a wicked man desires.” This term has at its core the idea of appetites, and so its use here underscores that the cravings are deep-seated (BDB 660 s.v. 5), and the translation “appetite” reflects this.
Proverbs 21:10 tn The verb אִוְּתָה (ʾivv^etah) is a Piel perfect. Categorically, Piel verbs are dynamic rather than stative, so the perfect form should be understood as past or perfective. In the Qal, some verbs for “desire” are stative and some dynamic; so semantically the question could be raised whether this is a rare, or lone, stative in the Piel. If stative, it could be understood as present tense, as rendered in most translations. But it is doubtful that more recent developments in linguistics and biblical Hebrew influenced any of the translations. However, as perfective we should understand that this is what they have set their desire on, and that is ongoing, so a present time relevance is appropriate. In this proverb the first colon provides the setting as a basis, and the second colon gives the result. We may understand it as “because [he/she] has desired evil, his/her neighbor will not be shown favor.”
Proverbs 21:10 tn The form יֻחַן (yukhan) is a Hophal imperfect from חָנַן (khanan); it means “to be shown mercy”—here negated to mean “he will not be shown mercy.” The person who lives to satisfy his own craving for evil will not be interested in meeting the needs of others.

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Opposition to the Rebuilding Efforts Continues

The Rebuilding of the Wall Is Finally Completed

The People Respond to the Reading of the Law

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Food Sacrificed to Idols

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Psalm 33[a]

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Psalm 33^[a]