1Sa 2:2-8 | KD | STEP | 2 None is holy as the Lord; for there is none beside Thee; And no rock is as our God. 3 Speak ye not much lofty, lofty; Let (not) insolence go out of thy mouth! For the Lord is an omniscient God, And with Him deeds are weighed. God manifests himself as holy in the government of the kingdom of His grace by His guidance of the righteous to salvation (see at ). But holiness is simply the moral reflection of the glory of the one absolute God. This explains the reason given for His holiness, viz., “there is not one (a God) beside thee” (cf. ). As the holy and only One, God is the rock (vid., , ; ) in which the righteous can always trust. The wicked therefore should tremble before His holiness, and not talk in their pride of the lofty things which they have accomplished or intend to perform. גּבהה is defined more precisely in the following clause, which is also dependent upon אל by the word עתק, as insolent words spoken by the wicked against the righteous (see ). For Jehovah hears such words; He is “ a God of knowledge ” ( Deus scientiarum ), a God who sees and knows every single thing. The plural דּעות has an intensive signification. עללות נתכּנוּ לא might be rendered “deeds are not weighed, or equal” (cf. ; ). But this would only apply to the actions of men; for the acts of God are always just, or weighed. But an assertion respecting the actions of men does not suit the context. Hence this clause is reckoned in the Masora as one of the passages in which לא stands for לו (see at ). “ To Him (with Him) deeds are weighed :” that is to say, the acts of God are weighed, i.e., equal or just. This is the real meaning according to the passages in Ezekiel, and not “the actions of men are weighed by Him” (De Wette, Maurer, Ewald , etc.): for God weighs the minds and hearts of men ( ; ; ), not their actions. This expression never occurs. The weighed or righteous acts of God are described in in great and general traits, as displayed in the government of His kingdom through the marvellous changes which occur in the circumstances connected with the lives of the righteous and the wicked.

‏ 1 Samuel 2:2-8

2 None is holy as the Lord; for there is none beside Thee;

And no rock is as our God.

3 Speak ye not much lofty, lofty;

Let (not) insolence go out of thy mouth!

For the Lord is an omniscient God,

And with Him deeds are weighed.

God manifests himself as holy in the government of the kingdom of His grace by His guidance of the righteous to salvation (see at Exo 19:6). But holiness is simply the moral reflection of the glory of the one absolute God. This explains the reason given for His holiness, viz., “there is not one (a God) beside thee” (cf. 2Sa 22:32). As the holy and only One, God is the rock (vid., Deu 32:4, Deu 32:15; Psa 18:3) in which the righteous can always trust. The wicked therefore should tremble before His holiness, and not talk in their pride of the lofty things which they have accomplished or intend to perform. גּבהה is defined more precisely in the following clause, which is also dependent upon אל by the word עתק, as insolent words spoken by the wicked against the righteous (see Psa 31:19). For Jehovah hears such words; He is “a God of knowledge” (Deus scientiarum), a God who sees and knows every single thing. The plural דּעות has an intensive signification. עללות נתכּנוּ לא might be rendered “deeds are not weighed, or equal” (cf. Eze 18:25-26; Eze 33:17). But this would only apply to the actions of men; for the acts of God are always just, or weighed. But an assertion respecting the actions of men does not suit the context. Hence this clause is reckoned in the Masora as one of the passages in which לא stands for לו (see at Exo 21:8). “To Him (with Him) deeds are weighed:” that is to say, the acts of God are weighed, i.e., equal or just. This is the real meaning according to the passages in Ezekiel, and not “the actions of men are weighed by Him” (De Wette, Maurer, Ewald, etc.): for God weighs the minds and hearts of men (Pro 16:2; Pro 21:2; Pro 24:12), not their actions. This expression never occurs. The weighed or righteous acts of God are described in 1Sa 2:4-8 in great and general traits, as displayed in the government of His kingdom through the marvellous changes which occur in the circumstances connected with the lives of the righteous and the wicked. 1Sa 2:4-8 4 Bow-heroes are confounded,

And stumbling ones gird themselves with strength; 5 Full ones hire themselves out for bread,

And hungry ones cease to be.

Yea, the barren beareth seven (children),

And she that is rich in children pines away. 6 The Lord kills and makes alive;

Leads down into hell, and leads up. 7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich,

Humbles and also exalts. 8 He raises mean ones out of the dust,

He lifts up poor ones out of the dunghill,

To set them beside the noble;

And He apportions to them the seat of glory:

For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's,

And He sets the earth upon them.

In 1Sa 2:4, the predicate חתּים is construed with the nomen rectum גּבּרים, not with the nomen regens קשׁת, because the former is the leading term (vid., Ges. §148, 1, and Ewald, §317, d.). The thought to be expressed is, not that the bow itself is to be broken, but that the heroes who carry the bow are to be confounded or broken inwardly. “Bows of the heroes” stands for heroes carrying bows. For this reason the verb is to be taken in the sense of confounded, not broken, especially as, apart from Jer 51:56, חתת is not used to denote the breaking of outward things, but the breaking of men.