9:5 The sovereign Lord who commands armies will do this. 1
He touches the earth and it dissolves; 2
all who live on it mourn.
The whole earth 3 rises like the River Nile, 4
and then grows calm 5 like the Nile in Egypt. 6
1:5 Now I desire to remind you (even though you have been fully informed of these facts 7 once for all 8 ) that Jesus, 9 having saved the 10 people out of the land of Egypt, later 11 destroyed those who did not believe.
97:5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of the whole earth.
1 tn The words “will do this” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
2 tn Or “melts.” The verb probably depicts earthquakes and landslides. See v. 5b.
3 tn Heb “all of it.”
4 tn Heb “the Nile.” The word “River” is supplied in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Or “sinks back down.”
6 sn See Amos 8:8, which is very similar to this verse.
7 tn Grk “knowing all things.” The subject of the participle “knowing” (εἰδότας, eidota") is an implied ὑμᾶς (Jumas), though several ancient witnesses actually add it. The πάντα (panta) takes on an adverbial force in this context (“fully”), intensifying how acquainted the readers are with the following points.
8 tc ‡ Some translations take ἅπαξ (Japax) with the following clause (thus, “[Jesus,] having saved the people once for all”). Such a translation presupposes that ἅπαξ is a part of the ὅτι (Joti) clause. The reading of NA27, πάντα ὅτι [ὁ] κύριος ἅπαξ (panta {oti [Jo] kurio" {apax), suggests this interpretation (though with “Lord” instead of “Jesus”). This particle is found before λαόν (laon) in the ὅτι clause in א C* Ψ 630 1241 1243 1505 1739 1846 1881 pc co. But ἅπαξ is found before the ὅτι clause in most witnesses, including several important ones (Ì72 A B C2 33 81 623 2344 Ï vg). What seems best able to explain the various placements of the adverb is that scribes were uncomfortable with ἅπαξ referring to the readers’ knowledge, feeling it was more appropriate to the theological significance of “saved” (σώσας, swsas).
9 tc ‡ The reading ᾿Ιησοῦς (Ihsous, “Jesus”) is deemed too hard by several scholars, since it involves the notion of Jesus acting in the early history of the nation Israel. However, not only does this reading enjoy the strongest support from a variety of early witnesses (e.g., A B 33 81 1241 1739 1881 2344 pc vg co Or1739mg), but the plethora of variants demonstrate that scribes were uncomfortable with it, for they seemed to exchange κύριος (kurios, “Lord”) or θεός (qeos, “God”) for ᾿Ιησοῦς (though Ì72 has the intriguing reading θεὸς Χριστός [qeos Cristos, “God Christ”] for ᾿Ιησοῦς). In addition to the evidence supplied in NA27 for this reading, note also {88 322 323 424c 665 915 2298 eth Cyr Hier Bede}. As difficult as the reading ᾿Ιησοῦς is, in light of v. 4 and in light of the progress of revelation (Jude being one of the last books in the NT to be composed), it is wholly appropriate.
10 tn Or perhaps “a,” though this is less likely.
11 tn Grk “the second time.”