1 John 5:6

5:6 Jesus Christ is the one who came by water and blood – not by the water only, but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because ¹  the Spirit is the truth.

Matthew 3:16

3:16 After ²  Jesus was baptized, just as he was coming up out of the water, the ³  heavens ⁴  opened ⁵  and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove ⁶  and coming on him.

John 1:33

1:33 And I did not recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining – this is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’

Acts 2:33

2:33 So then, exalted ⁷  to the right hand ⁸  of God, and having received ⁹  the promise of the Holy Spirit ¹⁰  from the Father, he has poured out ¹¹  what you both see and hear.

Acts 5:32

5:32 And we are witnesses of these events, ¹²  and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey ¹³  him.”

Hebrews 2:3-4

2:3 how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first communicated through the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard him, 2:4 while God confirmed their witness ¹⁴  with signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed ¹⁵  according to his will.

¹ tn This ὅτι (Joti) is best understood (1) as causal. Some have taken it (2) as declarative, giving the content of the Spirit’s testimony: “and the Spirit is the One who testifies that the Spirit is the truth.” This is certainly possible, since a ὅτι clause following the cognate verb μαρτυρέω (marturevw) often gives the content of the testimony (cf. John 1:34; 3:28; 4:39, 44). But in the Gospel of John the Spirit never bears witness on his own behalf, but always on behalf of Jesus (John 15:26, 16:13). There are, in fact, some instances in the Gospel of John where a ὅτι clause following μαρτυρέω is causal (8:14, 15:27), and that is more likely here: “and the Spirit is the One who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.”

² tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

³ tn Grk “behold the heavens.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

⁴ tn Or “sky.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ourano") may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The same word is used in v. 17.

⁵ tc ‡ αὐτῷ (autw, “to/before him”) is found in the majority of witnesses (א¹ C D^s L W 0233 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat), perhaps added as a point of clarification or emphasis. NA²⁷ includes the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

⁶ sn The phrase like a dove is a descriptive comparison. The Spirit is not a dove, but descended like one in some sort of bodily representation.

⁷ tn The aorist participle ὑψωθείς (Juywqei") could be taken temporally: “So then, after he was exalted…” In the translation the more neutral “exalted” (a shorter form of “having been exalted”) was used to preserve the ambiguity of the original Greek.

⁸ sn The expression the right hand of God represents supreme power and authority. Its use here sets up the quotation of Ps 110:1 in v. 34.

⁹ tn The aorist participle λαβών (labwn) could be taken temporally: “So then, after he was exalted…and received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit.” In the translation the more neutral “having received” was used to preserve the ambiguity of the original Greek.

¹⁰ tn Here the genitive τοῦ πνεύματος (tou pneumato") is a genitive of apposition; the promise consists of the Holy Spirit.

¹¹ sn The use of the verb poured out looks back to 2:17-18, where the same verb occurs twice.

¹² tn Or “things.” They are preaching these things even to the hostile leadership.

¹³ sn Those who obey. The implication, of course, is that the leadership is disobeying God.

¹⁴ tn Grk “God bearing witness together” (the phrase “with them” is implied).

¹⁵ tn Grk “and distributions of the Holy Spirit.”