2:9a

So: The Hebrew particle w- used here introduces the result of the priests’ disobeying the LORD (2:8).

I in turn have made you despised and humiliated before all the people: This may be translated as, “I will cause all the people ⌊of Israel⌋ to despise you and regard you as being worthless.”

despised: There is an implied passive idea here. This is the same verb used in 1:6f, 1:7c and 1:12c. The priests had despised the LORD and the sacrifices which they should be making to him. In the same way, the LORD would cause them to be despised by other people.

humiliated: This is also an implied passive. The priests would be considered humiliated by other people. That is, people were going to consider the priests to be vile, to have a shameful character.

There are at least two possibilities for translating these two verbs:

• Keep the implied passive. For example:

I…have made you contemptible and vile to the whole people. (New Jerusalem Bible)

• Make the idea active with a subject like “people.” For example:

I…will make the people of Israel despise you. (Good News Translation)

Use an option which is natural in your language to express the meaning.

2:9b

because: The Hebrew expression which the Berean Standard Bible translates as because means “to the extent that.” Here it compares 2:9a with 2:9b. The LORD will cause the priests to be despised to the extent that they have not kept his ways and have shown partiality in their instruction. In this verse, the expression acts like a reason connector.

Use what would be natural in your language in this context.

you have not kept My ways: That is, you have not obeyed my instructions/laws. The same Hebrew word for ways was used in 2:8a.

2:9c

but have shown partiality in matters of the law: This part of the verse indicates that the priests were unfair to certain people in the way that they applied the law of God when they made decisions. For example, as priests, they decided whether an animal was too blemished to be acceptable for sacrifice. When they made such decisions, they treated some people better than others. Some ways to express this in English are:

You have been unfair when ⌊applying⌋ my teachings. (God’s Word)
-or-
you…have shown partiality in your interpretation of the law. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
you…show partiality in your rulings. (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

matters of the law: The Hebrew word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as matters of the law is the same word that was translated as “instruction” in 2:6a, 2:7b, 2:8b. Here it refers specifically to the way that the priests interpreted God’s law as they made decisions that affected people’s lives.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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