... lies on the object of the speaker’s trust: To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. What the first three verses clearly seek to avoid is shame (three times). Yahweh is thus being implored to vindicate—publicly—the trust placed in him. The phrase, whose hope is in you, is more literally, “who wait for you” (so also in vv. 5, 21). This posture thus emphasizes dependence on God for any change in the speaker’s circumstances. In the midst of my enemies who would triumph over me are petitions for direction ...
... of 42:9, except this time, in view of threatening enemies, appeal is made to God as my stronghold. After the petitions have been voiced, the psalm draws to a close with a variant of the vow of praise. This one shows that it will be a fulfillment of his hope of going (Hb. bwʾ, cf. 42:2) to the temple, of praising God (cf. 42:5, 11), and of renewing his joy of worship (cf. 42:4) and his bond with my God (cf. 42:6, 11). Closing the psalm is the repeated refrain, which is not merely repeated but ...
... the smoldering wick refer to those who have been worn down by the difficulties of life. Jesus comes as a gentle Messiah (cf. 11:29). He will continue “until the time when he crowns his judgment with victory” (Knox), and in him the nations of the world will rest their hopes. Matthew’s universal hope for the gospel is nowhere seen more clearly than here.
... , specifically that he must go to Jerusalem and be put to death (cf. v. 21). If his own disciples did not yet understand fully what messiahship entailed, how quickly would others of the Jewish faith rush to make him the fulfillment of their nationalistic hopes and dreams? Ill-informed action like this would make his role that much more difficult. Better to keep silent for now. Additional Notes 16:13ff. For a history of the interpretation of this passage, see Cullmann, Peter, pp. 158–69. 16:18 Church: Gk ...
... Streams in the Negev refer to the wadis, or seasonal streams, of the south, which flow with the winter rains but are dry in the summer. Implicit in the second image, Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy, is a call for both hope and patience. Hope is as certain as reaping follows sowing. But as one must wait for crops to germinate and grow, so one must recognize that sorrow may remain for a time. It follows that weeping in itself cannot be taken as an indication that God ignores our sorrow (cf ...
... Jacob (vv. 5–9)? (Cf. 33:16–17; 118:8–9.) The injunction Do not put your trust in princes may reflect the exilic disillusionment with the Davidic monarchy and the postexilic hopes of its revival. Human political power will fail because their plans die with them. This is a sober warning, that we should never put too much hope in human institutions, even if they be instituted originally by God. 146:5–9 Formally, verse 5 is a pronouncement of blessing, but it also acts as instruction, for it identifies ...
... author of Daniel apparently was pronouncing judgment on Epiphanes for desecrating the temple and for persecuting the Jews, speaking in hope that God would destroy the kingdom of the Seleucids and establish his everlasting kingdom in that time. Therefore, we ... everlasting kingdom of righteousness (Dan. 2; 7; 11; 12; according to Matt. 24:36, God has predetermined a particular day and hour). It engenders hope to read that in the future God has a plan to raise the dead (Dan. 12:2). We need to be reminded that ...
... p. 303). Some of the wise will stumble, that is, be martyred, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end (11:35). This may hint at a concern for “individual salvation” (Collins, Daniel, p. 386), or it may express hope for the resurrection (12:1–3; see Lacocque, Daniel, pp. 230–31). It can also be read in such a way that “they” refers to the survivors, not the martyrs. In that case it means that although some will be killed, their deaths will have the effect ...
... for God to “rend the heavens and come down,” in a passage appealing for divine salvation for the people of Israel (64:1–12). The point of the allusion would be that Jesus’ calling by God is to be seen as the fulfillment of the prayer and hope for God’s new deliverance and revelation that Isaiah 64 reflects. The descent of the Spirit of God upon Jesus like a dove shows that Jesus is commissioned by God. This reminds the reader of Isaiah 61:1, where God’s servant describes his calling as involving ...
... make this passage somewhat distinctive. The question put by James and John (vv. 35–37) gives us the first explicit indication of the kind of messianic expectation that the disciples held. What emerges is, on the one hand, both an understandable human ambition and a hope that is consonant with what we know of ancient Jewish expectation about the rule of the Messiah. On the other hand, we can see a dream that is seriously out of keeping with what the reader knows now to be Jesus’ immediate fate and his ...
... and Jacob have passed into oblivion (as the Sadducees believed happened to all the dead), then God’s description of himself as the God of these patriarchs of old conveys nothing about his power to save his people, and indeed this title is a mockery of any hope that God deserves the trust of his followers. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were given God’s promise in a “covenant” (an agreement like a treaty or a contract) that he would bless them and be their savior and provider (see, e.g., Gen. 12:1–3; 15 ...
... . 9:6–7; 16:5; Jer. 23:5; 30:8–9; Ezek. 34:23–24; 37:24; Hos. 3:5; Amos 9:11). In Jesus’ time this hope for a king like David was a well-known feature of Jewish religious life and involved the vision of Israel vindicated over its foes, free from the ... purely as a military leader or national hero, nevertheless, it is correct that his appearance was very much connected with the hope for a deliverance of the nation from the hands of oppressors and wicked men. In the present passage, Jesus’ question ...
... fear of the Jewish authorities. Luke 23:50–51 calls him “a good and upright man,” and supports Mark’s description of him as waiting for the kingdom of God, which is simply to say that he (with many pious Jews of the time) held to the hope for the salvation of Israel and the appearance of the messianic age. Whatever his exact attitude toward Jesus, it is striking that the Gospel tradition agrees that he, and not a member of Jesus’ family or of the Twelve, went to obtain Jesus’ body. Ordinarily, a ...
... . 7:14 – “he will be my son”…Luke 1:32 – “son of the Most High” 2 Sam. 7:16 – “your house and your kingdom”…Luke 1:33 – “king over the house of Jacob forever” These parallels indicate that Luke sees in the birth of Jesus the fulfillment of the hope that a descendant of David would some day arise, as promised in Gen. 49:10; 2 Sam. 7:9–16; Isa. 9:1–7; 11:1–3. Although there was no uniform concept of the Messiah, or Christ (see commentary on 2:11), with some believing that he ...
... on.” Having said this, they ask Jesus if it is lawful (according to the law of Moses) to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Popular Jewish sentiment was strongly opposed to Roman taxation. Revolts from time to time had broken out. No doubt Jesus’ opponents hoped that Jesus would answer their question by declaring that God’s people were not to pay taxes to the Roman Empire. (In 23:2 he would, in fact, be accused of taking this very position.) Since, according to 20:20, his opponents were trying to build ...
... Galilee, who happened to be in Jerusalem at that time. This pleased Herod greatly, not only because he had heard about Jesus and had hoped to see him perform some miracle, but also because Pilate’s action was a political courtesy which would likely have been the real ... friendship (v. 12). Herod had been wanting to see Jesus since the days of his Galilean ministry (9:9). Now he hopes that Jesus will perform a miracle. Herod’s questions were probably requests to perform miracles, as well as questions about ...
... 1:19. While the power of John’s christophany is sufficient to compel him to obey the commission to write what you have seen (i.e., the christophany), the commission also includes what is now and what will take place later, thus indicating a profoundly hopeful perspective toward the visions John has not yet received. The Living One who gives the vision and then commissions John to write it down is the exalted Lord who confidently promises God’s people that they too will follow in his destiny from death ...
... of the phrase in concluding this interlude is to convince the unbelieving or unfaithful reader of Revelation that repentance is made all the more urgent by the imminence of the history’s end and evil’s destruction. Further, the second effect is to give hope to the faithful that the sufferings of the third woe, which envisions the present age, will conclude at any moment in the collapse of the world order and in the transformation of God’s people. Finally, 11:14 marks a transition between the first ...
... of believers confronts the evils of the present age not only with the confidence that the risen Lamb’s death has already “purchased (a people) for God … and has made them to be a kingdom and priests” (5:9–10); but with the hope that in the imminent future the returning Lamb will dispense eschatological blessings to those invited to his wedding feast (19:9). The first heavenly chorus sounds like the roar of a great multitude, no doubt angelic (contra Mounce, Revelation, p. 337). Their concluding ...
... accounts of the first two oracles follow a set pattern (1-26), the elements seem to increase in intensity in this third account, and some of the repetitiveness breaks down. Balak has almost become a comical figure now. Here he searches for yet another location, hoping to coax from the prophet a curse on the enemy. Now the location is the top of Peor, overlooking the wasteland—the desert on the eastern side of the Jordan. Here, overlooking the plains of Moab, Balak again at Balaam’s command builds seven ...
... , lives it, reenacts it, and so brings it into the present. The people thus can see that God is still the one who delivers and guides. They are reminded to structure their lives on that basis and to advance into the future with hope. The worship event brings past, present, and future together to enliven the community’s common functioning. The texts on worship also pass this exodus story to future generations in ancient Israel—a kind of intentional religious education in the liturgy. Chapter 23 describes ...
... have raised suspicions. 21:10–15 David’s next step was to leave Israelite territory and seek sanctuary with Achish king of Gath. Verse 11 implies that David hoped to work as a mercenary soldier and that his being recognized by one of Achish’s servants was an unfortunate accident. (Given that he was carrying Goliath’s sword, his hopes for anonymity were unrealistic.) Achish had heard of David’s reputation and was wary of his intentions. David feared for his life but managed, by feigning madness, to ...
... have raised suspicions. 21:10–15 David’s next step was to leave Israelite territory and seek sanctuary with Achish king of Gath. Verse 11 implies that David hoped to work as a mercenary soldier and that his being recognized by one of Achish’s servants was an unfortunate accident. (Given that he was carrying Goliath’s sword, his hopes for anonymity were unrealistic.) Achish had heard of David’s reputation and was wary of his intentions. David feared for his life but managed, by feigning madness, to ...
... in public life was bound to lead to trouble. Geshur was a small state, but while he was there Absalom could have had some hopes of taking over from his grandfather or at least of working toward that end. His summons to return must have given him the impression ... like of their ignorance of Absalom’s schemes. As they would be likely to be condemned as traitors anyway, their only hope lay with Absalom’s success. David’s own counselor, Ahithophel, had apparently been aware of Absalom’s plans and supported ...
... of a whole family. Such things occur in the book of Acts (16:15, 33–34; 18:8; cf. 11:14) and at the end of this very journey in John’s Gospel when Jesus reaches Galilee (4:53), but in Samaria it is not to be. Perhaps in the hope of receiving the living water immediately, the woman tells Jesus that she has no husband. Jesus ironically commends her for telling the truth (vv. 17, 18) and so exposes her adultery (cf. Mark 10:12). The change of subject is not so abrupt as it appears. The narrative assumes a ...