Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
8 I will listen to what God the Lord says.[a]
For he will make[b] peace with his people, his faithful followers.[c]
Yet they must not[d] return to their foolish ways.
9 Certainly his loyal followers will soon experience his deliverance;[e]
then his splendor will again appear in our land.[f]
10 Loyal love and faithfulness meet;[g]
deliverance and peace greet each other with a kiss.[h]
11 Faithfulness grows from the ground,
and deliverance looks down from the sky.[i]
12 Yes, the Lord will bestow his good blessings,[j]
and our land will yield[k] its crops.
13 Deliverance goes[l] before him,
and prepares[m] a pathway for him.[n]
Footnotes
- Psalm 85:8 sn I will listen. Having asked for the Lord’s favor, the psalmist (who here represents the nation) anticipates a divine word of assurance.
- Psalm 85:8 tn Heb “speak.” The idiom “speak peace” refers to establishing or maintaining peaceful relations with someone (see Gen 37:4; Zech 9:10; cf. Ps 122:8).
- Psalm 85:8 tn Heb “to his people and to his faithful followers.” The translation assumes that “his people” and “his faithful followers” are viewed as identical here.
- Psalm 85:8 tn Or “yet let them not.” After the negative particle אֵל (ʾel), the prefixed verbal form is jussive, indicating the speaker’s desire or wish.
- Psalm 85:9 tn Heb “certainly his deliverance [is] near to those who fear him.”
- Psalm 85:9 tn Heb “to dwell, glory, in our land.” “Glory” is the subject of the infinitive. The infinitive with ל (lamed), “to dwell,” probably indicates result here (“then”). When God delivers his people and renews his relationship with them, he will once more reveal his royal splendor in the land.
- Psalm 85:10 tn The psalmist probably uses the perfect verbal forms in v. 10 in a dramatic or rhetorical manner, describing what he anticipates as if it were already occurring or had already occurred.
- Psalm 85:10 sn Deliverance and peace greet each other with a kiss. The psalmist personifies these abstract qualities to emphasize that God’s loyal love and faithfulness will yield deliverance and peace for his people.
- Psalm 85:11 sn The psalmist already sees undeniable signs of God’s faithfulness and expects deliverance to arrive soon.
- Psalm 85:12 tn Heb “what is good.”
- Psalm 85:12 tn Both “bestow” and “yield” translate the same Hebrew verb (נָתַן, natan). The repetition of the word emphasizes that agricultural prosperity is the direct result of divine blessing.
- Psalm 85:13 tn Or “will go.”
- Psalm 85:13 tn Or “will prepare.”
- Psalm 85:13 tn Heb “and it prepares for a way his footsteps.” Some suggest emending וְיָשֵׂם (veyasem, “and prepares”) to וְשָׁלוֹם (veshalom, “and peace”) since “deliverance” and “peace” are closely related earlier in v. 13. This could be translated, “and peace [goes ahead, making] a pathway for his footsteps” (cf. NEB).
17 When Ahab saw Elijah, he[a] said to him, “Is it really you, the one who brings disaster on[b] Israel?” 18 Elijah[c] replied, “I have not brought disaster on[d] Israel. But you and your father’s dynasty have, by abandoning the Lord’s commandments and following the Baals. 19 Now send out messengers[e] and assemble all Israel before me at Mount Carmel, as well as the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah whom Jezebel supports.”[f]
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 18:17 tn Heb “Ahab.”
- 1 Kings 18:17 tn Or “brings trouble on.”
- 1 Kings 18:18 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- 1 Kings 18:18 tn Or “brought trouble on.”
- 1 Kings 18:19 tn The word “messengers” is supplied in the translation both here and in v. 20 for clarification.
- 1 Kings 18:19 tn Heb “who eat at the table of Jezebel.”
30 Elijah then told all the people, “Approach me.” So all the people approached him. He repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down.[a] 31 Then Elijah took twelve stones, corresponding to the number of tribes that descended from Jacob, to whom the Lord’s message had come, “Israel will be your name.”[b] 32 With the stones he constructed an altar for the Lord.[c] Around the altar he made a trench large enough to contain two seahs[d] of seed. 33 He arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. Then he said, “Fill four water jars and pour the water on the offering and the wood.” 34 When they had done so,[e] he said, “Do it again.” So they did it again. Then he said, “Do it a third time.” So they did it a third time. 35 The water flowed down all sides of the altar and filled the trench. 36 When it was time for the evening offering,[f] Elijah the prophet approached the altar[g] and prayed: “O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, prove[h] today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are the true God[i] and that you are winning back their allegiance.”[j] 38 Then fire from the Lord fell from the sky.[k] It consumed the offering, the wood, the stones, and the dirt, and licked up the water in the trench. 39 When all the people saw this, they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and said, “The Lord is the true God![l] The Lord is the true God!” 40 Elijah told them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Don’t let even one of them escape!” So they seized them, and Elijah led them down to the Kishon Valley and executed[m] them there.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 18:30 sn Torn down. The condition of the altar symbolizes the spiritual state of the people.
- 1 Kings 18:31 sn Israel will be your name. See Gen 32:28; 35:10.
- 1 Kings 18:32 tn Heb “and he built the stones into an altar in the name of the Lord.”
- 1 Kings 18:32 tn A seah was a dry measure equivalent to about seven quarts.
- 1 Kings 18:34 tn The words “when they had done so” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- 1 Kings 18:36 tn Heb “at the offering up of the offering.”
- 1 Kings 18:36 tn The words “the altar” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- 1 Kings 18:36 tn Heb “let it be known.”
- 1 Kings 18:37 tn Heb “the God.”
- 1 Kings 18:37 tn Heb “that you are turning their heart[s] back.”
- 1 Kings 18:38 tn The words “from the sky” are added for stylistic reasons.
- 1 Kings 18:39 tn Heb “the God” (the phrase occurs twice in this verse).
- 1 Kings 18:40 tn Or “slaughtered.”
Apollos Begins His Ministry
24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, arrived in Ephesus. He was an eloquent speaker,[a] well-versed[b] in the scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in[c] the way of the Lord, and with great enthusiasm[d] he spoke and taught accurately the facts[e] about Jesus, although he knew[f] only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak out fearlessly[g] in the synagogue,[h] but when Priscilla and Aquila[i] heard him, they took him aside[j] and explained the way of God to him more accurately. 27 When Apollos[k] wanted to cross over to Achaia,[l] the brothers encouraged[m] him[n] and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he[o] assisted greatly those who had believed by grace, 28 for he refuted the Jews vigorously[p] in public debate,[q] demonstrating from the scriptures that the Christ[r] was Jesus.[s]
Footnotes
- Acts 18:24 tn Or “was a learned man.” In this verse λόγιος (logios) can refer to someone who was an attractive and convincing speaker, a rhetorician (L&N 33.32), or it can refer to the person who has acquired a large part of the intellectual heritage of a given culture (“learned” or “cultured,” L&N 27.20, see also BDAG 598 s.v. λόγιος which lists both meanings as possible here). The description of Apollos’ fervent speaking in the following verses, as well as implications from 1 Cor 1-4, where Paul apparently compares his style and speaking ability with that of Apollos, suggests that eloquent speaking ability or formal rhetorical skill are in view here. This clause has been moved from its order in the Greek text (Grk “a certain Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, an eloquent speaker, arrived in Ephesus, who was powerful in the scriptures”) and paired with the last element (“powerful in the scriptures”) due to the demands of clarity and contemporary English style.
- Acts 18:24 tn Grk “powerful.” BDAG 264 s.v. δυνατός 1.b has “in the Scriptures = well-versed 18:24.”
- Acts 18:25 tn Or “had been taught.”
- Acts 18:25 tn Grk “and boiling in spirit” (an idiom for great eagerness or enthusiasm; BDAG 426 s.v. ζέω).
- Acts 18:25 tn Grk “the things.”
- Acts 18:25 tn Grk “knowing”; the participle ἐπιστάμενος (epistamenos) has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.
- Acts 18:26 tn Or “boldly.” This is a frequent term in Acts (9:27-28; 13:46; 14:3; 19:8; 26:26).
- Acts 18:26 sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.
- Acts 18:26 sn Priscilla and Aquila. This key couple, of which Priscilla was an important enough figure to be mentioned by name, instructed Apollos about the most recent work of God. See also the note on Aquila in 18:2.
- Acts 18:26 tn BDAG 883 s.v. προσλαμβάνω 3 has “take aside, mid. τινά someone…So prob. also Ac 18:26: Priscilla and Aquila take Apollos aside to teach him undisturbed.”
- Acts 18:27 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Apollos) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Acts 18:27 sn To cross over to Achaia. Achaia was organized by the Romans as a separate province of Greece in 27 b.c. and was located across the Aegean Sea from Ephesus. The city of Corinth was in Achaia.
- Acts 18:27 tn Grk “encouraging [him], the brothers wrote.” The participle προτρεψάμενοι (protrepsamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. This was the typical letter of commendation from the Ephesians to the Achaeans.
- Acts 18:27 tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
- Acts 18:27 tn Grk “who, when he arrived.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was replaced with the pronoun “he” and a new sentence begun in the translation.
- Acts 18:28 tn Or “vehemently.” BDAG 414 s.v. εὐτόνως has “vigorously, vehemently…εὐ. διακατελέγχεσθαί τινι refute someone vigorously Ac 18:28.”
- Acts 18:28 tn L&N 33.442 translates the phrase τοῖς ᾿Ιουδαίοις διακατηλέγχετο δημοσίᾳ (tois Ioudaiois diakatēlencheto dēmosia) as “he defeated the Jews in public debate.” On this use of the term δημόσιος (dēmosios) see BDAG 223 s.v. 2.
- Acts 18:28 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.” Again the issue is identifying the Christ as Jesus (see 5:42; 8:5; 9:22; 18:5).sn See the note on Christ in 2:31.
- Acts 18:28 tn Although many English translations have here “that Jesus was the Christ,” in the case of two accusatives following a copulative infinitive, the first would normally be the subject and the second the predicate nominative. Additionally, the first accusative here (τὸν χριστόν, ton christon) has the article, a further indication that it should be regarded as subject of the infinitive.
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