4:18 I, Paul, write this greeting by my own hand. 17 Remember my chains. 18 Grace be with you. 19
10:6 “I (says the Lord) will strengthen the kingdom 20 of Judah and deliver the people of Joseph 21 and will bring them back 22 because of my compassion for them. They will be as though I had never rejected them, for I am the Lord their God and therefore I will hear them.
1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” because of the contrast implicit in the context.
2 tn Or “is sufficient.”
3 tc The majority of later
4 tn Or “my power comes to full strength.”
5 tn “Most gladly,” a comparative form used with superlative meaning and translated as such.
6 tn Or “may rest on.”
7 tn Or “I take delight in.”
8 tn Or “calamities.”
13 tn Grk “that.” In Greek v. 16 is a subordinate clause to vv. 14-15.
19 tn The Greek word translated “all things” is in emphatic position at the beginning of the Greek sentence.
20 tc Although some excellent witnesses lack explicit reference to the one strengthening Paul (so א* A B D* I 33 1739 lat co Cl), the majority of witnesses (א2 D2 [F G] Ψ 075 1881 Ï sy) add Χριστῷ (Cristw) here (thus, “through Christ who strengthens me”). But this kind of reading is patently secondary, and is a predictable variant. Further, the shorter reading is much harder, for it leaves the agent unspecified.
25 tn The expression “for the display of” is an attempt to convey in English the force of the Greek preposition εἰς (eis) in this context.
31 tn Grk “and faithful.” The construction in Greek (as well as Paul’s style) suggests that the saints are identical to the faithful; hence, the καί (kai) is best left untranslated (cf. Eph 1:1). See ExSyn 281-82.
32 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).
33 tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”
34 tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (א A C F G I [P] 075 Ï it bo), read “and the Lord Jesus Christ” at the end of this verse, no doubt to conform the wording to the typical Pauline salutation. However, excellent and early witnesses (B D K L Ψ 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 al sa) lack this phrase. Since the omission is inexplicable as arising from the longer reading (otherwise, these
37 tn Grk “the greeting by my hand, of Paul.”
38 tn Or “my imprisonment.”
39 tc Most witnesses, including a few important ones (א2 D Ψ 075 0278 Ï lat sy), conclude this letter with ἀμήν (amhn, “amen”). Such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant. Further, the external evidence for the omission is quite compelling (א* A B C F G 048 6 33 81 1739* 1881 sa). The strongly preferred reading is therefore the omission of ἀμήν.
43 tn Heb “the house.”
44 tn Or “the kingdom of Israel”; Heb “the house of Joseph.”
45 tc The anomalous MT reading וְחוֹשְׁבוֹתִים (vÿkhoshÿvotim) should probably be וַהֲשִׁי בוֹתִם (vahashi votim), the Hiphil perfect consecutive of שׁוּב (shuv), “return” (cf. Jer 12:15).
49 tc Heb “I will strengthen them in the
50 tc The LXX and Syriac presuppose יִתְהַלָּלוּ (yithallalu, “they will glory”) for יִתְהַלְּכוּ (yithallÿkhu, “they will walk about”). Since walking about is a common idiom in Zechariah (cf. 1:10, 11; 6:7 [3x]) to speak of dominion, and dominion is a major theme of the present passage, there is no reason to reject the MT reading, which is followed by most modern English versions.