1:17 But you, dear friends – recall the predictions 13 foretold by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 14 1:18 For they said to you, “In the end time there will come 15 scoffers, propelled by their own ungodly desires.” 16 1:19 These people are divisive, 17 worldly, 18 devoid of the Spirit. 19 1:20 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith, by praying in the Holy Spirit, 20 1:21 maintain 21 yourselves in the love of God, while anticipating 22 the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that brings eternal life. 23 1:22 And have mercy on those who waver;
1 sn Anakites. See note on this term in Deut 1:28.
2 tn Heb “great and tall.” Many English versions understand this to refer to physical size or strength rather than numbers (cf. “strong,” NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT).
3 tn Or “dispossessed.”
4 tn Or “they should naturally comprehend.” The present tense in this context may have a conative force.
5 tn The participles in v. 20 have been variously interpreted. Some treat them imperativally or as attendant circumstance to the imperative in v. 21 (“maintain”): “build yourselves up…pray.” But they do not follow the normal contours of either the imperatival or attendant circumstance participles, rendering this unlikely. A better option is to treat them as the means by which the readers are to maintain themselves in the love of God. This both makes eminently good sense and fits the structural patterns of instrumental participles elsewhere.
6 tn Grk “may mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.”
7 tn “And” is not in Greek, but is supplied for the sake of English style.
8 tn Or “going.” Though the participle is anarthrous, so also is the subject. Thus, the participle could be either adverbial or adjectival.
9 tn Grk “(who go/going) according to their own lusts.”
10 tn Grk “and their mouth speaks bombastic things.”
11 sn Enchanting folks (Grk “awing faces”) refers to the fact that the speeches of these false teachers are powerful and seductive.
12 tn Or “to their own advantage.”
13 tn Grk “words.” In conjunction with προεῖπον (proeipon), however, the meaning of the construction is that the apostles uttered prophecies.
14 sn This verse parallels 2 Pet 3:2 both conceptually and in much of the verbiage. There is one important difference, however: In 2 Pet 3:2 the prophets and apostles speak; here, just the apostles speak. This makes good sense if Jude is using 2 Peter as his main source and is urging his readers to go back to the authoritative writings, both OT and now especially NT.
15 tn Grk “be.”
16 tn Grk “going according to their own desires of ungodliness.”
17 tn Grk “these are the ones who cause divisions.”
18 tn Or “natural,” that is, living on the level of instincts, not on a spiritual level (the same word occurs in 1 Cor 2:14 as a description of nonbelievers).
19 tn Grk “not having [the] Spirit.”
20 tn The participles in v. 20 have been variously interpreted. Some treat them imperativally or as attendant circumstance to the imperative in v. 21 (“maintain”): “build yourselves up…pray.” But they do not follow the normal contours of either the imperatival or attendant circumstance participles, rendering this unlikely. A better option is to treat them as the means by which the readers are to maintain themselves in the love of God. This both makes eminently good sense and fits the structural patterns of instrumental participles elsewhere.
21 tn Or “keep.”
22 tn Or “waiting for.”
23 tn Grk “unto eternal life.”