2 Corinthians 1:5-6

1:5 For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow toward us, so also our comfort through Christ overflows to you. 1:6 But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort that you experience in your patient endurance of the same sufferings that we also suffer.

Psalms 32:5

32:5 Then I confessed my sin;

I no longer covered up my wrongdoing.

I said, “I will confess my rebellious acts to the Lord.”

And then you forgave my sins. (Selah)

Psalms 32:7

32:7 You are my hiding place;

you protect me from distress.

You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance. (Selah)

Psalms 34:2-6

34:2 I will boast in the Lord;

let the oppressed hear and rejoice! 10 

34:3 Magnify the Lord with me!

Let’s praise 11  his name together!

34:4 I sought the Lord’s help 12  and he answered me;

he delivered me from all my fears.

34:5 Those who look to him for help are happy;

their faces are not ashamed. 13 

34:6 This oppressed man cried out and the Lord heard;

he saved him 14  from all his troubles.

Psalms 66:16

66:16 Come! Listen, all you who are loyal to God! 15 

I will declare what he has done for me.

Isaiah 40:1

The Lord Returns to Jerusalem

40:1 “Comfort, comfort my people,”

says your 16  God.

Isaiah 66:14

66:14 When you see this, you will be happy, 17 

and you will be revived. 18 

The Lord will reveal his power to his servants

and his anger to his enemies. 19 

Philippians 1:14

1:14 and most of the brothers and sisters, 20  having confidence in the Lord 21  because of my imprisonment, now more than ever 22  dare to speak the word 23  fearlessly.

Philippians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul 24  and Timothy, slaves 25  of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, 26  with the overseers 27  and deacons.

Philippians 4:18

4:18 For I have received everything, and I have plenty. I have all I need because I received from Epaphroditus what you sent – a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, very pleasing to God.

Philippians 4:1

Christian Practices

4:1 So then, my brothers and sisters, 28  dear friends whom I long to see, my joy and crown, stand in the Lord in this way, my dear friends!

Philippians 1:11

1:11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

Hebrews 12:12

12:12 Therefore, strengthen 29  your listless hands and your weak knees, 30 

tn This Greek word translated “sufferings” here (πάθημα, paqhma) is a different one than the one Paul uses for his own afflictions/persecutions (θλῖψις, qliyi") in v. 4.

tn I.e., suffering incurred by Paul as a consequence of his relationship to Christ. The genitive could be considered to have a causative nuance here.

tn Traditionally, “abound” (here and throughout this section).

tn The words “to you” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the statements in the following verse.

tn Or “are troubled.”

tn The Hiphil of ידה normally means “give thanks, praise,” but here, as in Prov 28:13, it means “confess.”

tn Heb “the wrongdoing of my sin.” By joining synonyms for “sin” in this way, the psalmist may be emphasizing the degree of his wrongdoing.

tn Heb “[with] shouts of joy of deliverance you surround me.”

tn Heb “my soul will boast”; or better, “let my soul boast.” Following the cohortative form in v. 1, it is likely that the prefixed verbal form here is jussive.

10 tn The two prefixed verbal forms in this verse are best taken as jussives, for the psalmist is calling his audience to worship (see v. 3).

11 tn Or “exalt.”

12 tn Heb “I sought the Lord.”

13 tc Heb “they look to him and are radiant and their faces are not ashamed.” The third person plural subject (“they”) is unidentified; there is no antecedent in the Hebrew text. For this reason some prefer to take the perfect verbal forms in the first line as imperatives, “look to him and be radiant” (cf. NEB, NRSV). Some medieval Hebrew mss and other ancient witnesses (Aquila, the Syriac, and Jerome) support an imperatival reading for the first verb. In the second line some (with support from the LXX and Syriac) change “their faces” to “your faces,” which allows one to retain more easily the jussive force of the verb (suggested by the preceding אַל [’al]): “do not let your faces be ashamed.” It is probable that the verbal construction in the second line is rhetorical, expressing the conviction that the action in view cannot or should not happen. See GKC 322 §109.e.

14 tn The pronoun refers back to “this oppressed man,” namely, the psalmist.

15 tn Heb “all of the fearers of God.”

16 tn The pronominal suffix is second masculine plural. The identity of the addressee is uncertain: (1) God’s people may be addressed, or (2) the unidentified heralds commanded to comfort Jerusalem.

17 tn “and you will see and your heart will be happy.”

18 tn Heb “and your bones like grass will sprout.”

19 tn Heb “and the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants, and anger to his enemies.”

20 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

21 tn Or “most of the brothers and sisters in the Lord, having confidence.”

22 tn Grk “even more so.”

23 tc A number of significant mss have “of God” after “word.” Although τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou) is amply supported in the Alexandrian and Western texts (א A B [D*] P Ψ 048vid 075 0278 33 81 1175 al lat co), the omission is difficult to explain as either an intentional deletion or unintentional oversight. To be sure, the pedigree of the witnesses is not nearly as great for the shorter reading (Ì46 D2 1739 1881 Ï), but it explains well the rise of the other reading. Further, it explains the rise of κυρίου (kuriou, “of the Lord”), the reading of F and G (for if these mss had followed a Vorlage with τοῦ θεοῦ, κυρίου would not have been expected). Further, τοῦ θεοῦ is in different locations among the mss; such dislocations are usually signs of scribal additions to the text. Thus, the Byzantine text and a few other witnesses here have the superior reading, and it should be accepted as the original.

24 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

25 tn Traditionally, “servants” or “bondservants.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

26 map For location see JP1-C1; JP2-C1; JP3-C1; JP4-C1.

27 sn The overseers (or “church leaders,” L&N 53.71) is another term for the same official position of leadership as the “elder.” This is seen in the interchange of the two terms in Titus 1:6-7 and in Acts 20:17, 28, as well as in the parallels between Titus 1:6-7 and 1 Tim 3:1-7.

28 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

29 tn Or “straighten.”

30 sn A quotation from Isa 35:3. Strengthen your listless hands and your weak knees refers to the readers’ need for renewed resolve and fresh strength in their struggles (cf. Heb 10:36-39; 12:1-3).