2 Corinthians 6:4
6:4 But as God’s servants,
1 we have commended ourselves in every way,
2 with great endurance, in persecutions,
3 in difficulties, in distresses,
2 Corinthians 9:12
9:12 because the service of this ministry is not only providing for
4 the needs of the saints but is also overflowing with many thanks to God.
Philippians 2:25
2:25 But for now 5 I have considered it necessary to send Epaphroditus to you. For he is my brother, 6 coworker and fellow soldier, and your messenger 7 and minister 8 to me in my need. 9
Philippians 4:11-14
4:11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content in any circumstance.
4:12 I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment,
10 whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing.
4:13 I am able to do all things
11 through the one
12 who strengthens me.
4:14 Nevertheless, you did well to share with me in my trouble.
Hebrews 11:37
11:37 They were stoned, sawed apart,
13 murdered with the sword; they went about in sheepskins and goatskins; they were destitute, afflicted, ill-treated
1 tn Or “ministers.”
2 tn Or “we have commended ourselves by all things.”
3 tn Or “in trouble and suffering.”
4 tn Or “not only supplying.”
5 tn Grk “But.” The temporal notion (“for now”) is implied in the epistolary aorist (“I have considered”), for Epaphroditus was dispatched with this letter to the Philippians.
6 tn Grk “my brother” instead of “For he is my brother.” Verse 25 constitutes one sentence in Greek, with “my brother…” functioning appositionally to “Epaphroditus.”
7 tn Grk “apostle.”
8 tn The Greek word translated “minister” here is λειτουργός (leitourgo").
9 tn Grk “servant of my need.”
10 tn The words “of contentment” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by Paul’s remarks at the end of v. 11.
11 tn The Greek word translated “all things” is in emphatic position at the beginning of the Greek sentence.
12 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.
13 tc The reading ἐπρίσθησαν (ejprisqhsan, “they were sawed apart”) is found in some important witnesses (Ì46 [D* twice reads ἐπίρσθησαν, “they were burned”?] pc syp sa Orpt Eus). Other mss have ἐπειράσθησαν (ejpeirasqhsan, “they were tempted”), either before “sawed apart” ([א] L P [048] 33 81 326 1505 pc syh), after “sawed apart” (Ì13vid A D1 Ψ 1739 1881 Ï lat bo Orpt), or altogether in place of “sawed apart” (0150 vgmss Cl). Since the two words ἐπρίσθησαν and ἐπειράσθησαν are so much alike in sight and sound, and since the position of “they were tempted” varies in the mss, it seems best to say that ἐπειράσθησαν is an accidental corruption of ἐπρίσθησαν or an intentional change to a more common word (the root of ἐπρίσθησαν [πρίζω, prizw] occurs only here in the NT, while the root of ἐπειράσθησαν [πειράζω, peirazw] occurs 38 times). The best reading here seems to be “sawed apart” without any addition before or after. (See TCGNT 603-4, for a discussion of emendations that scholars have proposed for this difficult problem.)