Shining a light on the weekly Bible Lessons published in the Christian Science Quarterly®

Everlasting Punishment

Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.

Meanings for se dāqâ (the Hebrew noun rendered righteousness) can include justice, rectitude, and virtue. Nation (gôy) refers to non-Hebrews, or Gentiles. The writer expects Jew and Gentile alike to benefit by embracing a righteous life. A commentary explains: “Not power, not wealth, not a noble tradition, not a large population—none of these is the secret of a great nation. Only when justice and righteousness make power responsible and loyalty wise does a nation achieve a high status of nationhood.”

Verse 34 is an example of antithetical parallelism, a poetic form in which one clause is offset by its opposite. Used for emphasis, this device appears throughout scriptural poetry (see other instances in Psalms 1:6Proverbs 10:219:16Ecclesiastes 10:2).

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Resources quoted in this issue

GT: Buttrick, George Arthur, Nolan B. Harmon, et al., eds. The Interpreter’s Bible: A Commentary in Twelve Volumes. Vol. 4, Psalms, Proverbs. Nashville: Abingdon, 1951–57.

RR: New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cit. 3: Keck, Leander E., et al., eds. The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 1, Introduction to the Pentateuch. Genesis. Exodus. Leviticus. Numbers. Deuteronomy. Nashville: Abingdon, 2015.  

Cit. 6: Johnson, Thomas Floyd. New International Biblical Commentary—1, 2, and 3 John. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1993.

Cit. 21: Buttrick, George Arthur, Nolan B. Harmon, et al., eds. The Interpreter’s Bible: A Commentary in Twelve Volumes. Vol. 8, Luke, John. Nashville: Abingdon, 1951–57.

Cit. 23: Barnes, Albert. Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible. New York, 1834–85. Also available at biblehub.com/commentaries.

Cit. 24: Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary Collection. Vol. 10, Proverbs–Ecclesiastes. Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys, 2000–2016.

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