2 Corinthians 1:15-17

1:15 And with this confidence I intended to come to you first so that you would get a second opportunity to see us, ¹  1:16 and through your help to go on into Macedonia and then from Macedonia to come back ²  to you and be helped on our way into Judea by you. 1:17 Therefore when I was planning to do this, I did not do so without thinking about what I was doing, did I? ³  Or do I make my plans ⁴  according to mere human standards ⁵  so that I would be saying ⁶  both “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time?

Acts 11:29

11:29 So the disciples, each in accordance with his financial ability, ⁷  decided ⁸  to send relief ⁹  to the brothers living in Judea.

Acts 15:2

15:2 When Paul and Barnabas had a major argument and debate ¹⁰  with them, the church ¹¹  appointed Paul and Barnabas and some others from among them to go up to meet with ¹²  the apostles and elders in Jerusalem ¹³  about this point of disagreement. ¹⁴ 

Acts 15:37

15:37 Barnabas wanted to bring John called Mark along with them too,

Acts 15:1

The Jerusalem Council

15:1 Now some men came down from Judea ¹⁵  and began to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised ¹⁶  according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

Colossians 2:2

2:2 My goal is that ¹⁷  their hearts, having been knit together ¹⁸  in love, may be encouraged, and that ¹⁹  they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ, ²⁰ 

Colossians 1:3

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Church

1:3 We always ²¹  give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

Titus 3:12

Final Instructions and Greeting

3:12 When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there.

¹ tn Grk “a second grace,” “a second favor” (used figuratively of a second visit by Paul).

² tn Grk “come again.”

³ tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative answer. This is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ question “did I?” at the end of the sentence.

⁴ tn Grk “the things that I plan, do I plan (them).”

⁵ tn Grk “according to the flesh.”

⁶ tn Grk “so that with me there should be.”

⁷ tn So BDAG 410 s.v. εὐπορέω.

⁸ tn Or “determined,” “resolved.”

⁹ tn Grk “to send [something] for a ministry,” but today it is common to speak of sending relief for victims of natural disasters.

¹⁰ tn Grk “no little argument and debate” (an idiom).

¹¹ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the church, or the rest of the believers at Antioch) has been specified to avoid confusion with the Judaizers mentioned in the preceding clause.

¹² tn Grk “go up to,” but in this context a meeting is implied.

¹³ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

¹⁴ tn Or “point of controversy.” It is unclear whether this event parallels Gal 2:1-10 or that Gal 2 fits with Acts 11:30. More than likely Gal 2:1-10 is to be related to Acts 11:30.

¹⁵ sn That is, they came down from Judea to Antioch in Syria.

¹⁶ tc Codex Bezae (D) and a few other witnesses have “and walk” here (i.e., instead of τῷ ἔθει τῷ Μωϋσέως [tw eqei tw Mwu>sew"] they read καὶ τῷ ἔθει τῷ Μωϋσέως περιπατῆτε [kai tw eqei tw Mwu>sew" peripathte]). This is a decidedly stronger focus on obedience to the Law. As well, D expands vv. 1-5 in various places with the overall effect of being “more sympathetic to the local tradition of the church at Jerusalem” while the Alexandrian witnesses are more sympathetic to Paul (TCGNT 377). Codex D is well known for having a significantly longer text in Acts, but modern scholarship is generally of the opinion that the text of D expands on the original wording of Acts, with a theological viewpoint that especially puts Peter in a more authoritarian light. The expansion in these five verses is in keeping with that motif even though Peter is not explicitly in view.

¹⁷ 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.

¹⁸ 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.

¹⁹ 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.”

²⁰ 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.

²¹ tn The adverb πάντοτε (pantote) is understood to modify the indicative εὐχαριστοῦμεν (eucaristoumen) because it precedes περὶ ὑμῶν (peri Jumwn) which probably modifies the indicative and not the participle προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi). But see 1:9 where the same expression occurs and περὶ ὑμῶν modifies the participle “praying” (προσευχόμενοι).