1 Corinthians 2:7

2:7 Instead we speak the wisdom of God, hidden in a mystery, that God determined before the ages for our glory.

1 Corinthians 2:10

2:10 God has revealed these to us by the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

1 Corinthians 13:2

13:2 And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

1 Corinthians 15:51

15:51 Listen, ¹  I will tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, ²  but we will all be changed –

Psalms 49:3-4

49:3 I will declare a wise saying; ³ 

I will share my profound thoughts. ⁴ 

49:4 I will learn a song that imparts wisdom;

I will then sing my insightful song to the accompaniment of a harp. ⁵ 

Psalms 78:2

78:2 I will sing a song that imparts wisdom;

I will make insightful observations about the past. ⁶ 

Matthew 13:11

13:11 He replied, ⁷  “You have been given ⁸  the opportunity to know ⁹  the secrets ¹⁰  of the kingdom of heaven, but they have not.

Mark 4:11

4:11 He said to them, “The secret ¹¹  of the kingdom of God has been given ¹²  to you. But to those outside, everything is in parables,

Romans 16:25

16:25 ¹³ Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that had been kept secret for long ages,

Ephesians 3:3-9

3:3 that ¹⁴  by revelation the divine secret ¹⁵  was made known to me, as I wrote before briefly. ¹⁶  3:4 When reading this, ¹⁷  you will be able to ¹⁸  understand my insight into this secret ¹⁹  of Christ. 3:5 Now this secret ²⁰  was not disclosed to people ²¹  in former ²²  generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by ²³  the Spirit, 3:6 namely, that through the gospel ²⁴  the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members ²⁵  of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. 3:7 I became a servant of this gospel ²⁶  according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by ²⁷  the exercise of his power. ²⁸  3:8 To me – less than the least of all the saints ²⁹  – this grace was given, ³⁰  to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ 3:9 and to enlighten ³¹  everyone about God’s secret plan ³²  – a secret that has been hidden for ages ³³  in God ³⁴  who has created all things.

Ephesians 6:19

6:19 Pray ³⁵  for me also, that I may be given the message when I begin to speak ³⁶  – that I may confidently make known ³⁷  the mystery of the gospel,

Colossians 1:26-27

1:26 that is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints. 1:27 God wanted to make known to them the glorious ³⁸  riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Colossians 2:2

2:2 My goal is that ³⁹  their hearts, having been knit together ⁴⁰  in love, may be encouraged, and that ⁴¹  they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ, ⁴² 

Colossians 2:1

2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, ⁴³  and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face. ⁴⁴ 

Colossians 3:9

3:9 Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with its practices

Colossians 3:16

3:16 Let the word of Christ ⁴⁵  dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with grace ⁴⁶  in your hearts to God.

Revelation 10:7

10:7 But in the days ⁴⁷  when the seventh angel is about to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God is completed, ⁴⁸  just as he has ⁴⁹  proclaimed to his servants ⁵⁰  the prophets.”

[15:51]  ¹ tn Grk “Behold.”

[15:51]  ² tc The manuscripts are grouped into four basic readings here: (1) א C 0243* 33 1739 have “we all will sleep, but we will not all be changed” (πάντες κοιμηθησόμεθα, οὐ πάντες δὲ ἀλλαγησόμεθα); (2) Ì⁴⁶ A^c (F G) have “we will not all sleep, but we will not all be changed” (πάντες οὐ κοιμηθησόμεθα, οὐ πάντες δὲ ἀλλαγησόμεθα); (3) D* lat Tert Ambst Spec read “we will all rise, but we will not all be changed.” (4) The wording πάντες οὐ κοιμηθησόμεθα, πάντες δὲ ἀλλαγησόμεθα (“we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed”) is found in B D² Ψ 075 0243^c 1881 Ï sy co. How shall we interpret such data? In light of the fact that Paul and his generation did in fact die, early scribes may have felt some embarrassment over the bald statement, “We will not all sleep” (πάντες οὐ κοιμηθησόμεθα). This could account for the first variant. Although the second variant could be viewed as a conflation of (1) and (4) (so TCGNT 502; G. D. Fee, First Corinthians [NICNT], 796), it could also have arisen consciously, to guard against the notion that all whom Paul was addressing should regard themselves as true believers. The third variant, prominent in the Western witnesses, may have arisen to counter those who would deny the final resurrection (so TCGNT 502). In any event, since the fourth reading has the best credentials externally and best explains the rise of the others it should be adopted as the authentic wording here.

[49:3]  ³ tn Heb “my mouth will speak wisdom.” According to BDB 315 s.v. חָכְמָה the plural חָכְמוֹת (khokhmot, “wisdom”) indicates degree or emphasis here.

[49:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “and the meditation of my heart [i.e., mind] is understanding.” The Hebrew term הָגוּת (hagut, “meditation”), derived from הָגָה (hagah, “to recite quietly; to meditate”), here refers to thoughts that are verbalized (see the preceding line). The plural form תְבוּנוֹת (tÿvunot, “understanding”) indicates degree or emphasis (see GKC 397-98 §124.e).

[49:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “I will turn my ear to a wise saying, I will open [i.e., “reveal; explain”] my insightful saying with a harp.” In the first line the psalmist speaks as a pupil who learns a song of wisdom from a sage. This suggests that the resulting insightful song derives from another source, perhaps God himself. Elsewhere the Hebrew word pair חִידָה/מָשָׁל (mashal/khidah) refers to a taunt song (Hab 2:6), a parable (Ezek 17:2), lessons from history (Ps 78:2), and proverbial sayings (Prov 1:6). Here it appears to refer to the insightful song that follows, which reflects on the mortality of humankind and the ultimate inability of riches to prevent the inevitable – death. Another option is that the word pair refers more specifically to the closely related proverbial sayings of vv. 12, 20 (note the use of the verb מָשָׁל, mashal, “to be like” in both verses). In this case the psalmist first hears the sayings and then explains (Heb “opens”) their significance (see vv. 5-11, 13-19).

[78:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “I will open with a wise saying my mouth, I will utter insightful sayings from long ago.” Elsewhere the Hebrew word pair חִידָה+מָשָׁל (mashal + khidah) refers to a taunt song (Hab 2:6), a parable (Ezek 17:2), proverbial sayings (Prov 1:6), and an insightful song that reflects on the mortality of humankind and the ultimate inability of riches to prevent death (Ps 49:4).

[13:11]  ⁷ tn Grk “And answering, he said to them.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[13:11]  ⁸ tn This is an example of a “divine passive,” with God understood to be the source of the revelation (see ExSyn 437-38).

[13:11]  ⁹ tn Grk “to you it has been given to know.” The dative pronoun occurs first, in emphatic position in the Greek text, although this position is awkward in contemporary English.

[13:11]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “the mysteries.”

[4:11]  ¹¹ tn Grk “the mystery.”

[4:11]  ¹² tn This is an example of a “divine passive,” with God understood to be the source of the revelation (see ExSyn 437-38).

[16:25]  ¹³ tc There is a considerable degree of difference among the mss regarding the presence and position of the doxology of 16:25-27. Five situations present themselves from the ms tradition. The doxology is found in the ancient witnesses in three separate locations: (1) here after 16:23 (Ì⁶¹ א B C D 81 365 630 1739 2464 al co), (2) after 14:23 (Ψ 0209^vid Ï), or (3) after 15:33 (Ì⁴⁶). The situation is further complicated in that some of the mss have these verses in two places: (4) after 14:23 and after 16:23 (A P 33 104 2805 pc); or (5) after 14:23 and after 15:33 (1506). The uncertain position of the doxology might suggest that it was added by later scribes. But since the mss containing the doxology are so early and widespread, it almost certainly belongs in Romans; it is only a question of where. Further, the witnesses that omit the doxology are few: F G 629 Hier^mss. (And of these, G has a blank space of several lines large enough for the doxology to belong there.) Only two positions (after chapter 14 only and at the end of the letter only) deserve particular notice because the situation of the mss showing the doxology in two places dates back to the 5th century. Later copyists, faced with the doxology in two different places in the mss they knew, may have decided to copy the doxology in both places, since they were unwilling to consciously omit any text. Because the textual disruption of the doxology is so early, TCGNT 472 suggests two possibilities: either (1) that Paul may have sent two different copies of Romans – a copy lacking chapter 16 and a copy with the full text of the epistle as we now have it, or (2) Marcion or some of his followers circulated a shortened form of the epistle that lacked chapters 15 and 16. Those mss that lacked chapters 15-16 would naturally conclude with some kind of doxology after chapter 14. On the other hand, H. Gamble (The Textual History of the Letter to the Romans [SD], 123-32) argues for the position of the doxology at 14:23, since to put the doxology at 16:25 would violate Paul’s normal pattern of a grace-benediction at the close of the letter. Gamble further argues for the inclusion of 16:24, since the mss that put the doxology after chapter 14 almost always present 16:24 as the letter’s closing, whereas most of the mss that put the doxology at its traditional position drop 16:24, perhaps because it would be redundant before 16:25-27. A decision is difficult, but the weight of external evidence, since it is both early and geographically widespread, suggests that the doxology belongs here after 16:23. For a full discussion, see TCGNT 470-73.

[3:3]  ¹⁴ tn Or “namely, that is.”

[3:3]  ¹⁵ tn Or “mystery.”

[3:3]  ¹⁶ tn Or “as I wrote above briefly.”

[3:4]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “which, when reading.”

[3:4]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “you are able to.”

[3:4]  ¹⁹ tn Or “mystery.”

[3:5]  ²⁰ tn Grk “which.” Verse 5 is technically a relative clause, subordinate to the thought of v. 4.

[3:5]  ²¹ tn Grk “the sons of men” (a Semitic idiom referring to human beings, hence, “people”).

[3:5]  ²² tn Grk “other.”

[3:5]  ²³ tn Or “in.”

[3:6]  ²⁴ sn The phrase through the gospel is placed last in the sentence in Greek for emphasis. It has been moved forward for clarity.

[3:6]  ²⁵ tn Grk “and fellow members.”

[3:7]  ²⁶ tn Grk “of which I was made a minister,” “of which I became a servant.”

[3:7]  ²⁷ tn Grk “according to.”

[3:7]  ²⁸ sn On the exercise of his power see 1:19-20.

[3:8]  ²⁹ sn In Pauline writings saints means any true believer. Thus for Paul to view himself as less than the least of all the saints is to view himself as the most unworthy object of Christ’s redemption.

[3:8]  ³⁰ sn The parallel phrases to proclaim and to enlighten which follow indicate why God’s grace was manifested to Paul. Grace was not something just to be received, but to be shared with others (cf. Acts 13:47).

[3:9]  ³¹ tn There is a possible causative nuance in the Greek verb, but this is difficult to convey in the translation.

[3:9]  ³² tn Grk “what is the plan of the divine secret.” Earlier the author had used οἰκονομία (oikonomia; here “plan”) to refer to his own “stewardship” (v. 2). But now he is speaking about the content of this secret, not his own activity in relation to it.

[3:9]  ³³ tn Or “for eternity,” or perhaps “from the Aeons.” Cf. 2:2, 7.

[3:9]  ³⁴ tn Or “by God.” It is possible that ἐν (en) plus the dative here indicates agency, that is, that God has performed the action of hiding the secret. However, this usage of the preposition ἐν is quite rare in the NT, and even though here it does follow a perfect passive verb as in the Classical idiom, it is more likely that a different nuance is intended.

[6:19]  ³⁵ tn To avoid a lengthy, convoluted sentence in English, the Greek sentence was broken up at this point and the verb “pray” was inserted in the English translation to pick up the participle προσευχόμενοι (proseuxomenoi, “praying”) in v. 18.

[6:19]  ³⁶ tn Grk “that a word may be given to me in the opening of my mouth.” Here “word” (λόγος, logo") is used in the sense of “message.”

[6:19]  ³⁷ tn The infinitive γνωρίσαι (gnwrisai, “to make known”) is functioning epexegetically to further explain what the author means by the preceding phrase “that I may be given the message when I begin to speak.”

[1:27]  ³⁸ tn The genitive noun τῆς δόξης (ths doxhs) is an attributive genitive and has therefore been translated as “glorious riches.”

[2:2]  ³⁹ tn Verse two begins a subordinate ἵνα (Jina) clause which was divided up into two sentences for the sake of clarity in English. Thus the phrase “My goal is that” is an attempt to reflect in the translation the purpose expressed through the ἵνα clauses.

[2:2]  ⁴⁰ tn BDAG 956 s.v. συμβιβάζω 1.b reads “unite, knit together.” Some commentators take the verb as a reference to instruction, “instructed in love.” See P. T. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon (WBC), 93.

[2:2]  ⁴¹ tn The phrase “and that” translates the first εἰς (eis) clause of v. 2 and reflects the second goal of Paul’s striving and struggle for the Colossians – the first is “encouragement” and the second is “full assurance.”

[2:2]  ⁴² tc There are at least a dozen variants here, almost surely generated by the unusual wording τοῦ θεοῦ, Χριστοῦ (tou qeou, Cristou, “of God, Christ”; so Ì⁴⁶ B Hil). Scribes would be prone to conform this to more common Pauline expressions such as “of God, who is in Christ” (33), “of God, the Father of Christ” (א* A C 048^vid 1175 bo), and “of the God and Father of Christ” (א² Ψ 075 0278 365 1505 pc). Even though the external support for the wording τοῦ θεοῦ, Χριστοῦ is hardly overwhelming, it clearly best explains the rise of the other readings and should thus be regarded as authentic.

[2:1]  ⁴³ tn Or “I want you to know how hard I am working for you…”

[2:1]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.”

[3:16]  ⁴⁵ tc Since “the word of Christ” occurs nowhere else in the NT, two predictable variants arose: “word of God” and “word of the Lord.” Even though some of the witnesses for these variants are impressive (κυρίου [kuriou, “of the Lord”] in א* I 1175 pc bo; θεοῦ [qeou, “of God”] in A C* 33 104 323 945 al), the reading Χριστοῦ (Cristou, “of Christ”) is read by an excellent cross-section of witnesses (Ì⁴⁶ א² B C² D F G Ψ 075 1739 1881 Ï lat sa). On both internal and external grounds, Χριστοῦ is strongly preferred.

[3:16]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “with grace”; “all” is supplied as it is implicitly related to all the previous instructions in the verse.

[10:7]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel.”

[10:7]  ⁴⁸ tn The aorist ἐτελέσθη (etelesqh) has been translated as a proleptic (futuristic) aorist (ExSyn 564 cites this verse as an example).

[10:7]  ⁴⁹ tn The time of the action described by the aorist εὐηγγέλισεν (euhngelisen) seems to be past with respect to the aorist passive ἐτελέσθη (etelesqh). This does not require that the prophets in view here be OT prophets. They may actually refer to the martyrs in the church (so G. B. Caird, Revelation [HNTC], 129).

[10:7]  ⁵⁰ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.