Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
Apparent injustice » Sometimes attributed to God
O Yahweh, how long shall I cry for help and you will not listen? [How long] will I cry out to you, "Violence!" and you will not save?
[The] tents of [the] destroyers are at peace, and [there is] security for those who provoke God, [for those] whom God brings into his hand.
"Why do [the] wicked live, grow old, even grow mighty [in] power?
And I have been plagued all day and rebuked {every morning}.
I have seen all these things in my vain life: Sometimes a righteous man perishes in [spite of] his righteousness, and sometimes a wicked man lives a long life in [spite of] his evil.
The same fate [comes] to everyone: to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good and to the wicked, to the clean and to the unclean, to those who sacrifice and to those who do not sacrifice. As [with] the good [man], so also to the sinner; [as with] those who swear an oath, so [also] those who fear oaths.
You [will be] in the right, Yahweh, when I complain to you. Even so, let me speak [my] claims with you. Why does [the] way of [the] wicked succeed? All those who deal treacherously with treachery are at ease.
"Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not fair!' Listen, now, house of Israel, is my way not fair? [Is it] not your ways [that] are not fair?
saying, 'These last [people] worked one hour and you made them equal to us who have endured the burden of the day and the burning heat!'
What then shall we say? [There is] no injustice with God, [is there]? May it never be!
Injustice » Sometimes attributed to God
O Yahweh, how long shall I cry for help and you will not listen? [How long] will I cry out to you, "Violence!" and you will not save?
[The] tents of [the] destroyers are at peace, and [there is] security for those who provoke God, [for those] whom God brings into his hand.
"Why do [the] wicked live, grow old, even grow mighty [in] power?
And I have been plagued all day and rebuked {every morning}.
I have seen all these things in my vain life: Sometimes a righteous man perishes in [spite of] his righteousness, and sometimes a wicked man lives a long life in [spite of] his evil.
The same fate [comes] to everyone: to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good and to the wicked, to the clean and to the unclean, to those who sacrifice and to those who do not sacrifice. As [with] the good [man], so also to the sinner; [as with] those who swear an oath, so [also] those who fear oaths.
You [will be] in the right, Yahweh, when I complain to you. Even so, let me speak [my] claims with you. Why does [the] way of [the] wicked succeed? All those who deal treacherously with treachery are at ease.
"Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not fair!' Listen, now, house of Israel, is my way not fair? [Is it] not your ways [that] are not fair?
saying, 'These last [people] worked one hour and you made them equal to us who have endured the burden of the day and the burning heat!'
What then shall we say? [There is] no injustice with God, [is there]? May it never be!
Partiality » Sometimes attributed to God
O Yahweh, how long shall I cry for help and you will not listen? [How long] will I cry out to you, "Violence!" and you will not save?
[The] tents of [the] destroyers are at peace, and [there is] security for those who provoke God, [for those] whom God brings into his hand.
"Why do [the] wicked live, grow old, even grow mighty [in] power?
And I have been plagued all day and rebuked {every morning}.
I have seen all these things in my vain life: Sometimes a righteous man perishes in [spite of] his righteousness, and sometimes a wicked man lives a long life in [spite of] his evil.
The same fate [comes] to everyone: to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good and to the wicked, to the clean and to the unclean, to those who sacrifice and to those who do not sacrifice. As [with] the good [man], so also to the sinner; [as with] those who swear an oath, so [also] those who fear oaths.
You [will be] in the right, Yahweh, when I complain to you. Even so, let me speak [my] claims with you. Why does [the] way of [the] wicked succeed? All those who deal treacherously with treachery are at ease.
"Yet you say, 'The way of the Lord is not fair!' Listen, now, house of Israel, is my way not fair? [Is it] not your ways [that] are not fair?
saying, 'These last [people] worked one hour and you made them equal to us who have endured the burden of the day and the burning heat!'
What then shall we say? [There is] no injustice with God, [is there]? May it never be!
Philosophy » Philosophical inductions and deductions relating to God and his providence
"But I myself will seek God, and to God I would commit my cause. [He] is doing great and {unsearchable} things, marvelous things {without number}-- the one who is giving rain on [the] {surface of} [the] earth and is sending water on [the] {surface of} [the] fields, read more.
to set [the] lowly on high, and [those] mourning are lifted to safety. [He] is frustrating [the] devices of [the] crafty, and their hands do not achieve success. [He] is capturing [the] wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are rushed. In the daytime they meet [with] darkness, and they grope at noon as [in] the night. And he saves from the sword of their mouth, {even} [the] poor from the hand of the strong. So there is hope for the powerless, and wickedness shuts its mouth. "Look, happy [is the] human being whom God reproves; and you must not despise the discipline of Shaddai, for he himself wounds, but he binds up; he strikes, but his hands heal. {From} six troubles he will deliver you, and in seven evil shall not touch you. In famine he will redeem you from death, and in war from [the] {power of} [the] sword.
to set [the] lowly on high, and [those] mourning are lifted to safety. [He] is frustrating [the] devices of [the] crafty, and their hands do not achieve success. [He] is capturing [the] wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are rushed. In the daytime they meet [with] darkness, and they grope at noon as [in] the night. And he saves from the sword of their mouth, {even} [the] poor from the hand of the strong. So there is hope for the powerless, and wickedness shuts its mouth. "Look, happy [is the] human being whom God reproves; and you must not despise the discipline of Shaddai, for he himself wounds, but he binds up; he strikes, but his hands heal. {From} six troubles he will deliver you, and in seven evil shall not touch you. In famine he will redeem you from death, and in war from [the] {power of} [the] sword.
I will say to God, 'You should not condemn me; let me know why you contend [against] me. Is it good for you that you oppress, that you despise the labor of your hands, and you smile over the schemes of [the] wicked? {Do you have eyes of flesh}? Or {do you see as human beings see}? read more.
[Are] your days as the days of human beings, or your years as the days of man, that you seek out my iniquity, and you search for my sin because of your knowledge that I am not guilty, and there is no escaping from your hand? Your hands fashioned me and made me {altogether}, then you destroyed me. Please remember that you made me like clay, but you turn me into dust [again]? Did you not pour me out like milk and {curdle me} like cheese? You clothed me [with] skin and flesh, and you knit me together with bones and sinews. You have granted me life and loyal love, and your care has preserved my spirit. " 'Yet you hid these [things] in your heart; I know that this {was your purpose}. If I had sinned, then you would be watching me, and you would not acquit me of my guilt. If I am guilty, woe to me! But if I am righteous, I dare not lift my head; [I am] filled [with] shame, and [just] look [at] my misery! And [if my head] grows bold, you would hunt me as the lion in its prime; {and you repeat your exploits against me}. You renew your witnesses against me, and you increase your vexation against me; {relief forces} [are] against me. So why did you bring me forth from the womb? I should have passed away, {and no eye should have seen me}. I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been brought from [the] womb to the grave. [Are] not my days few? Let him leave [me] alone; let him turn from me, and let me rejoice a little. Before I go--and I will not return-- to [the] land of darkness and deep shadow,
[Are] your days as the days of human beings, or your years as the days of man, that you seek out my iniquity, and you search for my sin because of your knowledge that I am not guilty, and there is no escaping from your hand? Your hands fashioned me and made me {altogether}, then you destroyed me. Please remember that you made me like clay, but you turn me into dust [again]? Did you not pour me out like milk and {curdle me} like cheese? You clothed me [with] skin and flesh, and you knit me together with bones and sinews. You have granted me life and loyal love, and your care has preserved my spirit. " 'Yet you hid these [things] in your heart; I know that this {was your purpose}. If I had sinned, then you would be watching me, and you would not acquit me of my guilt. If I am guilty, woe to me! But if I am righteous, I dare not lift my head; [I am] filled [with] shame, and [just] look [at] my misery! And [if my head] grows bold, you would hunt me as the lion in its prime; {and you repeat your exploits against me}. You renew your witnesses against me, and you increase your vexation against me; {relief forces} [are] against me. So why did you bring me forth from the womb? I should have passed away, {and no eye should have seen me}. I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been brought from [the] womb to the grave. [Are] not my days few? Let him leave [me] alone; let him turn from me, and let me rejoice a little. Before I go--and I will not return-- to [the] land of darkness and deep shadow,
[The] tents of [the] destroyers are at peace, and [there is] security for those who provoke God, [for those] whom God brings into his hand. "But ask [the] animals, and they will teach you, and the birds of the heaven, and they will tell you; or ask the earth, and it will teach you, and the fishes of the sea will declare to you. read more.
Who among all of these does not know that Yahweh's hand has done this? In whose hand [is] the life of all living things and {the breath of every human being}? Does not [the] ear test words and [the] palate taste food for itself? Wisdom [is] with [the] aged, and understanding [is in] length of days. "With him [are] wisdom and powerful deeds, and to him [belong] counsel and understanding. If he tears down, then it will not be rebuilt; if he shuts a man in, then he cannot be freed. Look, [if] he withholds the water, then they dry up; and [if] he sends them out, then they overwhelm [the] land. "Strength and sound wisdom [are] with him; [the] deceived and [the] deceiver [are] his. He leads counselors away stripped, and he makes fools of judges. He loosens [the] fetters of kings, and he binds a loincloth on their loins. He leads priests away stripped, and he overthrows {the members of ancient families}. He deprives [the] trustworthy of speech, and he takes away [the] discretion of elders. He pours contempt on noblemen, and he loosens [the] girdle of [the] mighty. "He uncovers mysteries out of darkness, and he brings deep shadow to the light. He makes the nations great, then he destroys them; he expands the nations, then he guides them. He strips [away] the insight of the heads of the earth's people, and he makes them wander in {a pathless wasteland}.
Who among all of these does not know that Yahweh's hand has done this? In whose hand [is] the life of all living things and {the breath of every human being}? Does not [the] ear test words and [the] palate taste food for itself? Wisdom [is] with [the] aged, and understanding [is in] length of days. "With him [are] wisdom and powerful deeds, and to him [belong] counsel and understanding. If he tears down, then it will not be rebuilt; if he shuts a man in, then he cannot be freed. Look, [if] he withholds the water, then they dry up; and [if] he sends them out, then they overwhelm [the] land. "Strength and sound wisdom [are] with him; [the] deceived and [the] deceiver [are] his. He leads counselors away stripped, and he makes fools of judges. He loosens [the] fetters of kings, and he binds a loincloth on their loins. He leads priests away stripped, and he overthrows {the members of ancient families}. He deprives [the] trustworthy of speech, and he takes away [the] discretion of elders. He pours contempt on noblemen, and he loosens [the] girdle of [the] mighty. "He uncovers mysteries out of darkness, and he brings deep shadow to the light. He makes the nations great, then he destroys them; he expands the nations, then he guides them. He strips [away] the insight of the heads of the earth's people, and he makes them wander in {a pathless wasteland}.
"Look, [in] this you are not right--I will answer you: Indeed, God is greater than a human being. Why do you contend against him, that he will not answer all a person's words? Indeed, God speaks in one [way], even in two, [yet] [someone] does not perceive it. read more.
"In a dream, a vision of [the] night, when a deep sleep falls on men slumbering on [their] bed, then he opens [the] ear of men, and {he frightens them with a warning} to turn human beings aside [from their] deeds, and he keeps man from pride. He spares his life from [the] pit and his life from passing over the river [of death]. "And he is reproved with pain on his bed, even [with] the strife of his bones continually, {so that} his life loathes bread, and his inner self [loathes] {appetizing food}. His flesh is wasted away from sight, and his bones, [which] are invisible, are bared. And {he} draws near to the pit and his life to the killers. "If there is a messenger beside him, a mediator, one of a thousand, to declare to a human being his uprightness {so that} he is gracious [to] him, and he says, 'Deliver him from descending into [the] pit; I have found a ransom.' His flesh is renewed with [his] youth; he returns to [the] days of his youthful strength. He prays to God, then he accepts him, and he sees his face with a shout of joy, and he repays to the human being his righteousness. "He will sing to men, and he will say, 'I have sinned and have perverted [what is] right, and it was not paid back to me. He redeemed my life from going down into the pit, so {I will enjoy the light}.' Look, God does all these [things] twice, three times with a person to bring his life back from [the] pit {so that he may enjoy the light of life}.
"In a dream, a vision of [the] night, when a deep sleep falls on men slumbering on [their] bed, then he opens [the] ear of men, and {he frightens them with a warning} to turn human beings aside [from their] deeds, and he keeps man from pride. He spares his life from [the] pit and his life from passing over the river [of death]. "And he is reproved with pain on his bed, even [with] the strife of his bones continually, {so that} his life loathes bread, and his inner self [loathes] {appetizing food}. His flesh is wasted away from sight, and his bones, [which] are invisible, are bared. And {he} draws near to the pit and his life to the killers. "If there is a messenger beside him, a mediator, one of a thousand, to declare to a human being his uprightness {so that} he is gracious [to] him, and he says, 'Deliver him from descending into [the] pit; I have found a ransom.' His flesh is renewed with [his] youth; he returns to [the] days of his youthful strength. He prays to God, then he accepts him, and he sees his face with a shout of joy, and he repays to the human being his righteousness. "He will sing to men, and he will say, 'I have sinned and have perverted [what is] right, and it was not paid back to me. He redeemed my life from going down into the pit, so {I will enjoy the light}.' Look, God does all these [things] twice, three times with a person to bring his life back from [the] pit {so that he may enjoy the light of life}.
Prosperity » Of the wicked, general references to
[The] tents of [the] destroyers are at peace, and [there is] security for those who provoke God, [for those] whom God brings into his hand.
You [will be] in the right, Yahweh, when I complain to you. Even so, let me speak [my] claims with you. Why does [the] way of [the] wicked succeed? All those who deal treacherously with treachery are at ease.
They have grown fat, they have grown sleek, also, {their evil deeds have no limit}. They do not judge [with] justice, [the] legal cause of [the] orphan, or allow it to succeed, and [the] legal case of [the] poor, they do not defend.
because I envied the boastful [when] I saw [the] well-being of [the] wicked.
I have seen [the] wicked acting violently and spreading himself out like a luxuriant native tree.
See, these [are the] wicked, and they increase wealth, ever carefree.
Tents » Called » Tabernacles
[The] tents of [the] destroyers are at peace, and [there is] security for those who provoke God, [for those] whom God brings into his hand.
By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise.
Theft » The wicked » May, for a season, prosper in
[The] tents of [the] destroyers are at peace, and [there is] security for those who provoke God, [for those] whom God brings into his hand.
Wicked people » Prosperity of
Do not fret because of evildoers; do not be envious of doers of wickedness.
[The] tents of [the] destroyers are at peace, and [there is] security for those who provoke God, [for those] whom God brings into his hand.
Sounds of terror [are] in his ears; in prosperity [the] destroyer will come [against] him.
that [the] rejoicing of [the] wicked [is] {short}, and the joy of [the] godless {lasts only a moment}?
Although the sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I also know that it will be good for those who fear God--because they fear {his presence}. But it will not go well with the wicked, and they will not prolong [their] days, like the shadow; because there is no fearing {God's presence}.
I have seen [the] wicked acting violently and spreading himself out like a luxuriant native tree. Then he passed on and behold, he was not. And I sought him, but he could not be found.
And now we [are] calling [the] arrogant blessed! Not only do those who do wickedness prosper; they also test God and they escape!'"
Why do you cause me to see evil [while] you look at trouble? Destruction and violence happen before me; contention and strife arise. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice does not go forth perpetually. For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore justice goes forth perverted.
I have seen a fool taking root, but suddenly I cursed his dwelling. His children are far from deliverance, and they are crushed in the gate, and there is no deliverer-- whose harvest [the] hungry eats, and he takes it {from behind} [the] thorns; and [the] thirsty pants after their wealth.
"He is wandering for bread, [saying], 'Where [is it]?' He knows that a day of darkness [is] ready {at hand}.
He will not become rich, and his wealth will not endure, and their possessions will not stretch across the earth.
In the fullness of his excess {he will be in distress}; all of misery's power will come [upon] him.
"Why do [the] wicked live, grow old, even grow mighty [in] power? With them their offspring [are] established {before them}, and their descendants before their eyes. Their houses [are] safe without fear, and the rod of God [is] not upon them. read more.
His bull breeds and does not fail; his cow calves and does not miscarry. They send out their little ones like the flock, and their children dance around. They {sing} to [the] tambourine and lyre, and they rejoice to [the] sound of [the] long flute. They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol.
His bull breeds and does not fail; his cow calves and does not miscarry. They send out their little ones like the flock, and their children dance around. They {sing} to [the] tambourine and lyre, and they rejoice to [the] sound of [the] long flute. They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol.
For he sees [that] the wise die, together [with the] fool and brute they perish, and leave their wealth to the next [generation]. Within them [they think] their houses [are] forever, their dwelling places from generation to generation. They {name} [their] lands by their [own] names. But man cannot continue in [his] pomp. He is like the beasts [that] perish. read more.
This [is] the journey [of those who] have foolish [confidence], and those after them [who] accept their sayings. Selah Like sheep they are destined to Sheol; death will shepherd them. But the upright will rule over them in the morning, and their forms [will be for] Sheol to consume, [far from] his lofty abode. Surely God will ransom my life from the {power} of Sheol, because he will receive me. Selah
This [is] the journey [of those who] have foolish [confidence], and those after them [who] accept their sayings. Selah Like sheep they are destined to Sheol; death will shepherd them. But the upright will rule over them in the morning, and their forms [will be for] Sheol to consume, [far from] his lofty abode. Surely God will ransom my life from the {power} of Sheol, because he will receive me. Selah
because I envied the boastful [when] I saw [the] well-being of [the] wicked. For there are no pains up to their death, and their bodies [are] {healthy}. They do not have {ordinary trouble}, and they are not plagued as [other] people. read more.
Therefore pride is their necklace; an outfit of violence covers them. Their eye bulges from fat. Imaginings overflow [their] heart. They mock and speak maliciously of oppression; they speak [as though] from on high. They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue roams the earth. Therefore his people turn there, and abundant waters are slurped up by them. And they say, "How does God know?" and, "Does the Most High have knowledge?" See, these [are the] wicked, and they increase wealth, ever carefree. Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure, and washed my hands in innocence. And I have been plagued all day and rebuked {every morning}. If I had said, "I will speak thus," behold, I would have acted treacherously against your children's generation. When I thought about [how] to understand this, it [was] troubling in my eyes until I went into the sanctuary of God. [Then] I understood their fate. Surely you set them on slippery places. You cause them to fall onto ruin. How they become a desolation in a moment! They come to a complete end by terrors. Like a dream upon awakening, when [you] wake up, O Lord, you will despise their fleeting form. When my heart was embittered and I felt stabbed in my kidneys, then I was brutish and ignorant. With you I was [like] the beasts.
Therefore pride is their necklace; an outfit of violence covers them. Their eye bulges from fat. Imaginings overflow [their] heart. They mock and speak maliciously of oppression; they speak [as though] from on high. They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue roams the earth. Therefore his people turn there, and abundant waters are slurped up by them. And they say, "How does God know?" and, "Does the Most High have knowledge?" See, these [are the] wicked, and they increase wealth, ever carefree. Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure, and washed my hands in innocence. And I have been plagued all day and rebuked {every morning}. If I had said, "I will speak thus," behold, I would have acted treacherously against your children's generation. When I thought about [how] to understand this, it [was] troubling in my eyes until I went into the sanctuary of God. [Then] I understood their fate. Surely you set them on slippery places. You cause them to fall onto ruin. How they become a desolation in a moment! They come to a complete end by terrors. Like a dream upon awakening, when [you] wake up, O Lord, you will despise their fleeting form. When my heart was embittered and I felt stabbed in my kidneys, then I was brutish and ignorant. With you I was [like] the beasts.
[The] brutish man does not know, and [the] fool cannot understand this. When the wicked flourish like grass and all [the] workers of evil blossom, [it is] so they can be destroyed forever.
You [will be] in the right, Yahweh, when I complain to you. Even so, let me speak [my] claims with you. Why does [the] way of [the] wicked succeed? All those who deal treacherously with treachery are at ease. Not only do you plant them, they take root. They grow, but also they produce fruit. You [are] near in their mouths, but far from their {inmost beings}.
Your eyes [are] too pure to see evil, and you are not able to look at wrongdoing. Why do you look at the treacherous? [Why] are you silent when the wicked swallows up [someone] more righteous than him? You make humankind like fish of the sea, like crawling creatures that have no ruler among them. He brings up all of them with a fishhook; he drags them up with a fishnet; he gathers them in his dragnet. Therefore, he rejoices and exults. read more.
Therefore he sacrifices to his fishnet and makes offerings to his dragnet, for by them {he makes a good living} and his food [is] rich. Will he therefore empty his fishnet and continually kill nations without showing mercy?
Therefore he sacrifices to his fishnet and makes offerings to his dragnet, for by them {he makes a good living} and his food [is] rich. Will he therefore empty his fishnet and continually kill nations without showing mercy?
The wicked » Causes of failure in » Prosperity of
[The] tents of [the] destroyers are at peace, and [there is] security for those who provoke God, [for those] whom God brings into his hand.
You [will be] in the right, Yahweh, when I complain to you. Even so, let me speak [my] claims with you. Why does [the] way of [the] wicked succeed? All those who deal treacherously with treachery are at ease.
They have grown fat, they have grown sleek, also, {their evil deeds have no limit}. They do not judge [with] justice, [the] legal cause of [the] orphan, or allow it to succeed, and [the] legal case of [the] poor, they do not defend.
because I envied the boastful [when] I saw [the] well-being of [the] wicked.
I have seen [the] wicked acting violently and spreading himself out like a luxuriant native tree.
See, these [are the] wicked, and they increase wealth, ever carefree.