2 Chronicles 6:36

6:36 “The time will come when your people ¹  will sin against you (for there is no one who is sinless!) and you will be angry at them and deliver them over to their enemies, who will take them as prisoners to their land, whether far away or close by.

Job 14:4

14:4 Who can make ²  a clean thing come from an unclean? ³ 

No one!

Job 15:14-16

15:14 What is man that he should be pure,

or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?

15:15 If God places no trust in his holy ones, ⁴ 

if even the heavens ⁵  are not pure in his eyes,

15:16 how much less man, who is abominable and corrupt, ⁶ 

who drinks in evil like water! ⁷ 

Psalms 19:12

19:12 Who can know all his errors? ⁸ 

Please do not punish me for sins I am unaware of. ⁹ 

Psalms 130:3

130:3 If you, O Lord, were to keep track of ¹⁰  sins,

O Lord, who could stand before you? ¹¹ 

Psalms 143:2

143:2 Do not sit in judgment on ¹²  your servant,

for no one alive is innocent before you. ¹³ 

Proverbs 20:9

20:9 Who can say, ¹⁴  “I have kept my heart clean; ¹⁵ 

I am pure ¹⁶  from my sin”?

Ecclesiastes 7:20

7:20 For ¹⁷  there is not one truly ¹⁸  righteous person on the earth

who continually does good and never sins.

Isaiah 53:6

53:6 All of us had wandered off like sheep;

each of us had strayed off on his own path,

but the Lord caused the sin of all of us to attack him. ¹⁹ 

Isaiah 64:6

64:6 We are all like one who is unclean,

all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in your sight. ²⁰ 

We all wither like a leaf;

our sins carry us away like the wind.

Romans 3:19

3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under ²¹  the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God.

Galatians 3:22

3:22 But the scripture imprisoned ²²  everything and everyone ²³  under sin so that the promise could be given – because of the faithfulness ²⁴  of Jesus Christ – to those who believe.

James 3:2

3:2 For we all stumble ²⁵  in many ways. If someone does not stumble ²⁶  in what he says, ²⁷  he is a perfect individual, ²⁸  able to control the entire body as well.

James 3:1

The Power of the Tongue

3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, ²⁹  because you know that we will be judged more strictly. ³⁰ 

James 1:8-10

1:8 since he is a double-minded individual, ³¹  unstable in all his ways.

1:9 Now the believer ³²  of humble means ³³  should take pride ³⁴  in his high position. ³⁵  1:10 But the rich person’s pride should be in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a wildflower in the meadow. ³⁶ 

[6:36]  ¹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (God’s people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:4]  ² tn The expression is מִי־יִתֵּן (mi-yitten, “who will give”; see GKC 477 §151.b). Some commentators (H. H. Rowley and A. B. Davidson) wish to take this as the optative formula: “O that a clean might come out of an unclean!” But that does not fit the verse very well, and still requires the addition of a verb. The exclamation here simply implies something impossible – man is unable to attain purity.

[14:4]  ³ sn The point being made is that the entire human race is contaminated by sin, and therefore cannot produce something pure. In this context, since man is born of woman, it is saying that the woman and the man who is brought forth from her are impure. See Ps 51:5; Isa 6:5; and Gen 6:5.

[15:15]  ⁴ tn Eliphaz here reiterates the point made in Job 4:18.

[15:15]  ⁵ sn The question here is whether the reference is to material “heavens” (as in Exod 24:10 and Job 25:5), or to heavenly beings. The latter seems preferable in this context.

[15:16]  ⁶ tn The two descriptions here used are “abominable,” meaning “disgusting” (a Niphal participle with the value of a Latin participle [see GKC 356-57 §116.e]), and “corrupt” (a Niphal participle which occurs only in Pss 14:3 and 53:4), always in a moral sense. On the significance of the first description, see P. Humbert, “Le substantif toáe„ba„ et le verbe táb dans l’Ancien Testament,” ZAW 72 [1960]: 217ff.). On the second word, G. R. Driver suggests from Arabic, “debauched with luxury, corrupt” (“Some Hebrew Words,” JTS 29 [1927/28]: 390-96).

[15:16]  ⁷ sn Man commits evil with the same ease and facility as he drinks in water – freely and in large quantities.

[19:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “Errors who can discern?” This rhetorical question makes the point that perfect moral discernment is impossible to achieve. Consequently it is inevitable that even those with good intentions will sin on occasion.

[19:12]  ⁹ tn Heb “declare me innocent from hidden [things],” i.e., sins. In this context (see the preceding line) “hidden” sins are not sins committed in secret, but sins which are not recognized as such by the psalmist.

[130:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “observe.”

[130:3]  ¹¹ tn The words “before you” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The psalmist must be referring to standing before God’s judgment seat. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No one.”

[143:2]  ¹² tn Heb “do not enter into judgment with.”

[143:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “for no one living is innocent before you.”

[20:9]  ¹⁴ sn The verse is a rhetorical question; it is affirming that no one can say this because no one is pure and free of sin.

[20:9]  ¹⁵ tn The verb form זִכִּיתִי (zikkiti) is the Piel perfect of זָכָה (zakhah, “to be clear; to be clean; to be pure”). The verb has the idea of “be clear, justified, acquitted.” In this stem it is causative: “I have made my heart clean” (so NRSV) or “kept my heart pure” (so NIV). This would be claiming that all decisions and motives were faultless.

[20:9]  ¹⁶ sn The Hebrew verb translated “I am pure” (טָהֵר, taher) is a Levitical term. To claim this purity would be to claim that moral and cultic perfection had been attained and therefore one was acceptable to God in the present condition. Of course, no one can claim this; even if one thought it true, it is impossible to know all that is in the heart as God knows it.

[7:20]  ¹⁷ tn The introductory particle כִּי (ki) is rendered variously: “for” (KJV); “indeed” (NASB); not translated (NIV); “for” (NJPS). The particle functions in an explanatory sense, explaining the need for wisdom in v. 19. Righteousness alone cannot always protect a person from calamity (7:15-16); therefore, something additional, such as wisdom, is needed. The need for wisdom as protection from calamity is particularly evident in the light of the fact that no one is truly righteous (7:19-20).

[7:20]  ¹⁸ tn The term “truly” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. Qoheleth does not deny the existence of some people who are relatively righteous.

[53:6]  ¹⁹ tn Elsewhere the Hiphil of פָגַע (paga’) means “to intercede verbally” (Jer 15:11; 36:25) or “to intervene militarily” (Isa 59:16), but neither nuance fits here. Apparently here the Hiphil is the causative of the normal Qal meaning, “encounter, meet, touch.” The Qal sometimes refers to a hostile encounter or attack; when used in this way the object is normally introduced by the preposition -בְּ (bet, see Josh 2:16; Judg 8:21; 15:12, etc.). Here the causative Hiphil has a double object – the Lord makes “sin” attack “him” (note that the object attacked is introduced by the preposition -בְּ. In their sin the group was like sheep who had wandered from God’s path. They were vulnerable to attack; the guilt of their sin was ready to attack and destroy them. But then the servant stepped in and took the full force of the attack.

[64:6]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and like a garment of menstruation [are] all our righteous acts”; KJV, NIV “filthy rags”; ASV “a polluted garment.”

[3:19]  ²¹ tn Grk “in,” “in connection with.”

[3:22]  ²² tn Or “locked up.”

[3:22]  ²³ tn Grk “imprisoned all things” but τὰ πάντα (ta panta) includes people as part of the created order. Because people are the emphasis of Paul’s argument ( “given to those who believe” at the end of this verse.), “everything and everyone” was used here.

[3:22]  ²⁴ tn Or “so that the promise could be given by faith in Jesus Christ to those who believe.” A decision is difficult here. Though traditionally translated “faith in Jesus Christ,” an increasing number of NT scholars are arguing that πίστις Χριστοῦ (pisti" Cristou) and similar phrases in Paul (here and in Rom 3:22, 26; Gal 2:16, 20; Eph 3:12; Phil 3:9) involve a subjective genitive and mean “Christ’s faith” or “Christ’s faithfulness” (cf., e.g., G. Howard, “The ‘Faith of Christ’,” ExpTim 85 [1974]: 212-15; R. B. Hays, The Faith of Jesus Christ [SBLDS]; Morna D. Hooker, “Πίστις Χριστοῦ,” NTS 35 [1989]: 321-42). Noteworthy among the arguments for the subjective genitive view is that when πίστις takes a personal genitive it is almost never an objective genitive (cf. Matt 9:2, 22, 29; Mark 2:5; 5:34; 10:52; Luke 5:20; 7:50; 8:25, 48; 17:19; 18:42; 22:32; Rom 1:8; 12; 3:3; 4:5, 12, 16; 1 Cor 2:5; 15:14, 17; 2 Cor 10:15; Phil 2:17; Col 1:4; 2:5; 1 Thess 1:8; 3:2, 5, 10; 2 Thess 1:3; Titus 1:1; Phlm 6; 1 Pet 1:9, 21; 2 Pet 1:5). On the other hand, the objective genitive view has its adherents: A. Hultgren, “The Pistis Christou Formulations in Paul,” NovT 22 (1980): 248-63; J. D. G. Dunn, “Once More, ΠΙΣΤΙΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ,” SBL Seminar Papers, 1991, 730-44. Most commentaries on Romans and Galatians usually side with the objective view.

[3:2]  ²⁵ tn Or “fail.”

[3:2]  ²⁶ tn Or “fail.”

[3:2]  ²⁷ tn Grk “in speech.”

[3:2]  ²⁸ tn The word for “man” or “individual” is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But it sometimes is used generically to mean “anyone,” “a person,” as here (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. 2).

[3:1]  ²⁹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[3:1]  ³⁰ tn Grk “will receive a greater judgment.”

[1:8]  ³¹ tn Grk “a man of two minds,” continuing the description of the person in v. 7, giving the reason that he cannot expect to receive anything. The word for “man” or “individual” is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But it sometimes is used generically to mean “anyone,” “a person,” as here (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. 2).

[1:9]  ³² tn Grk “brother.” Here the term “brother” means “fellow believer” or “fellow Christian” (cf. TEV, NLT “Christians”; CEV “God’s people”). The term broadly connotes familial relationships within the family of God (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a).

[1:9]  ³³ tn Grk “the lowly brother,” but “lowly/humble” is clarified in context by the contrast with “wealthy” in v. 10.

[1:9]  ³⁴ tn Grk “let him boast.”

[1:9]  ³⁵ tn Grk “his height,” “his exaltation.”

[1:10]  ³⁶ tn Grk “a flower of grass.”