Acts 2:22

2:22 “Men of Israel, ¹  listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man clearly attested to you by God with powerful deeds, ²  wonders, and miraculous signs ³  that God performed among you through him, just as you yourselves know –

Acts 4:27

4:27 “For indeed both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembled together in this city against ⁴  your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, ⁵ 

Psalms 2:2

2:2 The kings of the earth ⁶  form a united front; ⁷ 

the rulers collaborate ⁸ 

against the Lord and his anointed king. ⁹ 

Psalms 2:6

2:6 “I myself ¹⁰  have installed ¹¹  my king

on Zion, my holy hill.”

Psalms 45:7

45:7 You love ¹²  justice and hate evil. ¹³ 

For this reason God, your God ¹⁴  has anointed you ¹⁵ 

with the oil of joy, ¹⁶  elevating you above your companions. ¹⁷ 

Isaiah 11:2

11:2 The Lord’s spirit will rest on him ¹⁸  –

a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom, ¹⁹ 

a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans, ²⁰ 

a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord. ²¹ 

Isaiah 42:1

The Lord Commissions His Special Servant

42:1 ²² “Here is my servant whom I support,

my chosen one in whom I take pleasure.

I have placed my spirit on him;

he will make just decrees ²³  for the nations. ²⁴ 

Isaiah 61:1-3

The Lord Will Rejuvenate His People

61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,

because the Lord has chosen ²⁵  me. ²⁶ 

He has commissioned ²⁷  me to encourage ²⁸  the poor,

to help ²⁹  the brokenhearted,

to decree the release of captives,

and the freeing of prisoners,

61:2 to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor,

the day when our God will seek vengeance, ³⁰ 

to console all who mourn,

61:3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,

by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,

oil symbolizing joy, ³¹  instead of mourning,

a garment symbolizing praise, ³²  instead of discouragement. ³³ 

They will be called oaks of righteousness, ³⁴ 

trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor. ³⁵ 

Matthew 12:28

12:28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God ³⁶  has already overtaken ³⁷  you.

Luke 3:22

3:22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. ³⁸  And a voice came from heaven, “You are my one dear Son; ³⁹  in you I take great delight.” ⁴⁰ 

Luke 4:18

4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed ⁴¹  me to proclaim good news ⁴²  to the poor. ⁴³ 

He has sent me ⁴⁴  to proclaim release ⁴⁵  to the captives

and the regaining of sight ⁴⁶  to the blind,

to set free ⁴⁷  those who are oppressed, ⁴⁸ 

John 3:34

3:34 For the one whom God has sent ⁴⁹  speaks the words of God, for he does not give the Spirit sparingly. ⁵⁰ 

John 6:27

6:27 Do not work for the food that disappears, ⁵¹  but for the food that remains to eternal life – the food ⁵²  which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has put his seal of approval on him.” ⁵³ 

John 10:36-38

10:36 do you say about the one whom the Father set apart ⁵⁴  and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 10:37 If I do not perform ⁵⁵  the deeds ⁵⁶  of my Father, do not believe me. 10:38 But if I do them, even if you do not believe me, believe the deeds, ⁵⁷  so that you may come to know ⁵⁸  and understand that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.”

Hebrews 1:9

1:9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness.

So God, your God, has anointed you over your companions ⁵⁹  with the oil of rejoicing.” ⁶⁰ 

[2:22]  ¹ tn Or “Israelite men,” although this is less natural English. The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, it is conceivable that this is a generic usage, although it can also be argued that Peter’s remarks were addressed primarily to the men present, even if women were there.

[2:22]  ² tn Or “miraculous deeds.”

[2:22]  ³ tn Again, the context indicates the miraculous nature of these signs, and this is specified in the translation.

[4:27]  ⁴ sn The application of Ps 2:1-2 is that Jews and Gentiles are opposing Jesus. The surprise of the application is that Jews are now found among the enemies of God’s plan.

[4:27]  ⁵ sn A wordplay on “Christ,” v. 26, which means “one who has been anointed.”

[2:2]  ⁶ sn The expression kings of the earth refers somewhat hyperbolically to the kings who had been conquered by and were subject to the Davidic king.

[2:2]  ⁷ tn Or “take their stand.” The Hebrew imperfect verbal form describes their action as underway.

[2:2]  ⁸ tn Or “conspire together.” The verbal form is a Niphal from יָסַד (yasad). BDB 413-14 s.v. יָסַד defines the verb as “establish, found,” but HALOT 417 s.v. II יסד proposes a homonym meaning “get together, conspire” (an alternate form of סוּד, sud).

[2:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “and against his anointed one.” The Davidic king is the referent (see vv. 6-7).

[2:6]  ¹⁰ tn The first person pronoun appears before the first person verbal form for emphasis, reflected in the translation by “myself.”

[2:6]  ¹¹ tn Or perhaps “consecrated.”

[45:7]  ¹² sn To love justice means to actively promote it.

[45:7]  ¹³ sn To hate evil means to actively oppose it.

[45:7]  ¹⁴ tn For other examples of the repetition of Elohim, “God,” see Pss 43:4; 48:8, 14; 50:7; 51:14; 67:7. Because the name Yahweh (“Lord”) is relatively rare in Pss 42-83, where the name Elohim (“God”) predominates, this compounding of Elohim may be an alternative form of the compound name “the Lord my/your/our God.”

[45:7]  ¹⁵ sn Anointed you. When read in the light of the preceding context, the anointing is most naturally taken as referring to the king’s coronation. However, the following context (vv. 8-9) focuses on the wedding ceremony, so some prefer to see this anointing as part of the king’s preparations for the wedding celebration. Perhaps the reference to his anointing at his coronation facilitates the transition to the description of the wedding, for the king was also anointed on this occasion.

[45:7]  ¹⁶ sn The phrase oil of joy alludes to the fact that the coronation of the king, which was ritually accomplished by anointing his head with olive oil, was a time of great celebration and renewed hope. (If one understands the anointing in conjunction with the wedding ceremony, the “joy” would be that associated with the marriage.) The phrase “oil of joy” also appears in Isa 61:3, where mourners are granted “oil of joy” in conjunction with their deliverance from oppression.

[45:7]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “from your companions.” The “companions” are most naturally understood as others in the royal family or, more generally, as the king’s countrymen.

[11:2]  ¹⁸ sn Like David (1 Sam 16:13), this king will be energized by the Lord’s spirit.

[11:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “a spirit of wisdom and understanding.” The synonyms are joined here to emphasize the degree of wisdom he will possess. His wisdom will enable him to make just legal decisions (v. 3). A very similar phrase occurs in Eph 1:17.

[11:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “a spirit of counsel [or “strategy”] and strength.” The construction is a hendiadys; the point is that he will have the strength/ability to execute the plans/strategies he devises. This ability will enable him to suppress oppressors and implement just policies (v. 4).

[11:2]  ²¹ tn Heb “a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.” “Knowledge” is used here in its covenantal sense and refers to a recognition of God’s authority and a willingness to submit to it. See Jer 22:16. “Fear” here refers to a healthy respect for God’s authority which produces obedience. Taken together the two terms emphasize the single quality of loyalty to the Lord. This loyalty guarantees that he will make just legal decisions and implement just policies (vv. 4-5).

[42:1]  ²² sn Verses 1-7 contain the first of Isaiah’s “servant songs,” which describe the ministry of a special, ideal servant who accomplishes God’s purposes for Israel and the nations. This song depicts the servant as a just king who brings justice to the earth and relief for the oppressed. The other songs appear in 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12.

[42:1]  ²³ tn Heb “he will bring out justice” (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[42:1]  ²⁴ sn Like the ideal king portrayed in Isa 11:1-9, the servant is energized by the divine spirit and establishes justice on the earth.

[61:1]  ²⁵ tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.

[61:1]  ²⁶ sn The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1-4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).

[61:1]  ²⁷ tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”

[61:1]  ²⁸ tn Or “proclaim good news to.”

[61:1]  ²⁹ tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”

[61:2]  ³⁰ tn Heb “to announce the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance.

[61:3]  ³¹ tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”

[61:3]  ³² tn Heb “garment of praise.”

[61:3]  ³³ tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”

[61:3]  ³⁴ tn Rather than referring to the character of the people, צֶדֶק (tsedeq) may carry the nuance “vindication” here, suggesting that God’s restored people are a testimony to his justice. See v. 2, which alludes to the fact that God will take vengeance against the enemies of his people. Cf. NAB “oaks of justice.”

[61:3]  ³⁵ tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”

[12:28]  ³⁶ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong.

[12:28]  ³⁷ tn The phrase ἔφθασεν ἐφ᾿ ὑμᾶς (efqasen ef’ Juma") is quite important. Does it mean merely “approach” (which would be reflected in a translation like “has come near to you”) or actually “come upon” (as in the translation given above, “has already overtaken you,” which has the added connotation of suddenness)? Is the arrival of the kingdom merely anticipated or already in process? Two factors favor arrival over anticipation here. First, the prepositional phrase ἐφ᾿ ὑμᾶς (ef’ Jumas, “upon you”) in the Greek text suggests arrival (Dan 4:24, 28 Theodotion). Second, the following illustration in v. 29 looks at the healing as portraying Satan being overrun. So the presence of God’s authority has arrived. See also L&N 13.123 for the translation of φθάνω (fqanw) as “to happen to already, to come upon, to come upon already.”

[3:22]  ³⁸ tn This phrase is a descriptive comparison. The Spirit is not a dove, but descends like one in some type of bodily representation.

[3:22]  ³⁹ tn Grk “my beloved Son,” or “my Son, the beloved [one].” The force of ἀγαπητός (agaphtos) is often “pertaining to one who is the only one of his or her class, but at the same time is particularly loved and cherished” (L&N 58.53; cf. also BDAG 7 s.v. 1).

[3:22]  ⁴⁰ tc Instead of “You are my one dear Son; in you I take great delight,” one Greek ms and several Latin mss and church fathers (D it Ju [Cl] Meth Hil Aug) quote Ps 2:7 outright with “You are my Son; today I have fathered you.” But the weight of the ms testimony is against this reading.

[4:18]  ⁴¹ sn The phrase he has anointed me is an allusion back to Jesus’ baptism in Luke 3:21-22.

[4:18]  ⁴² tn Grk “to evangelize,” “to preach the gospel.”

[4:18]  ⁴³ sn The poor is a key term in Luke. It refers to the pious poor and indicates Jesus’ desire to reach out to those the world tends to forget or mistreat. It is like 1:52 in force and also will be echoed in 6:20 (also 1 Pet 2:11-25). Jesus is commissioned to do this.

[4:18]  ⁴⁴ tc The majority of mss, especially the later Byzantines, include the phrase “to heal the brokenhearted” at this point (A Θ Ψ 0102 ˹ Ï). The phrase is lacking in several weighty mss (א B D L W Ξ Ë¹³ 33 579 700 892* pc lat sy^s co), including representatives from both the Alexandrian and Western texttypes. From the standpoint of external evidence, the omission of the phrase is more likely original. When internal evidence is considered, the shorter reading becomes almost certain. Scribes would be much more prone to add the phrase here to align the text with Isa 61:1, the source of the quotation, than to remove it from the original.

[4:18]  ⁴⁵ sn The release in view here is comprehensive, both at a physical level and a spiritual one, as the entire ministry of Jesus makes clear (Luke 1:77-79; 7:47; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 5:31; 10:43).

[4:18]  ⁴⁶ sn Again, as with the previous phrase, regaining of sight may well mean more than simply miraculously restoring physical sight, which itself pictures a deeper reality (Luke 1:77-79; 18:35-43).

[4:18]  ⁴⁷ sn The essence of Jesus’ messianic work is expressed in the phrase to set free. This line from Isa 58 says that Jesus will do what the nation had failed to do. It makes the proclamation messianic, not merely prophetic, because Jesus doesn’t just proclaim the message – he brings the deliverance. The word translated set free is the same Greek word (ἄφεσις, afesi") translated release earlier in the verse.

[4:18]  ⁴⁸ sn Again, as with the previous phrases, oppressed may well mean more than simply political or economic oppression, but a deeper reality of oppression by sin (Luke 1:77-79; 18:35-43).

[3:34]  ⁴⁹ tn That is, Christ.

[3:34]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “for not by measure does he give the Spirit” (an idiom). Leviticus Rabbah 15:2 states: “The Holy Spirit rested on the prophets by measure.” Jesus is contrasted to this. The Spirit rests upon him without measure.

[6:27]  ⁵¹ tn Or “perishes” (this might refer to spoiling, but is more focused on the temporary nature of this kind of food).

[6:27]  ⁵² tn The referent (the food) has been specified for clarity by repeating the word “food” from the previous clause.

[6:27]  ⁵³ tn Grk “on this one.”

[10:36]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “dedicated.”

[10:37]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “do.”

[10:37]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “works.”

[10:38]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “works.”

[10:38]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “so that you may learn.”

[1:9]  ⁵⁹ sn God…has anointed you over your companions. God’s anointing gives the son a superior position and authority over his fellows.

[1:9]  ⁶⁰ sn A quotation from Ps 45:6-7.