5:7 You were running well; who prevented you from obeying 3 the truth?
11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, and he went out without understanding where he was going.
11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see.
1:1 After God spoke long ago 22 in various portions 23 and in various ways 24 to our ancestors 25 through the prophets,
4:1 Therefore we must be wary 26 that, while the promise of entering his rest remains open, none of you may seem to have come short of it.
1 sn Cephas. This individual is generally identified with the Apostle Peter (L&N 93.211).
2 tn Here ἀναγκάζεις (anankazei") has been translated as a conative present (see ExSyn 534).
3 tn Or “following.” BDAG 792 s.v. πείθω 3.b states, “obey, follow w. dat. of the pers. or thing…Gal 3:1 v.l.; 5:7.”
4 tn Grk “kept on spreading”; the verb has been translated as a progressive imperfect.
5 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
6 tn Grk “a great multitude.”
7 tn This contrast is clearer and stronger in Greek than can be easily expressed in English.
8 tn Grk “those who [are] from selfish ambition.”
9 tn Grk “are persuaded by, obey.”
10 tn Grk “you were slaves of sin but you obeyed.”
11 tn Or “type, form.”
12 sn A quotation from Isa 53:1.
13 tn Grk “they have a zeal for God.”
14 tn Grk “in accord with knowledge.”
15 tn Col 1:3-8 form one long sentence in the Greek text and have been divided at the end of v. 4 and v. 6 and within v. 6 for clarity, in keeping with the tendency in contemporary English toward shorter sentences. Thus the phrase “Your faith and love have arisen from the hope” is literally “because of the hope.” The perfect tense “have arisen” was chosen in the English to reflect the fact that the recipients of the letter had acquired this hope at conversion in the past, but that it still remains and motivates them to trust in Christ and to love one another.
16 tn BDAG 113 s.v. ἀπόκειμαι 2 renders ἀποκειμένην (apokeimenhn) with the expression “reserved” in this verse.
17 tn The term “the gospel” (τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, tou euangeliou) is in apposition to “the word of truth” (τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ἀληθείας, tw logw th" alhqeia") as indicated in the translation.
18 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.
19 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).
20 tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”
21 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
22 tn Or “spoke formerly.”
23 tn Or “parts.” The idea is that God’s previous revelation came in many parts and was therefore fragmentary or partial (L&N 63.19), in comparison with the final and complete revelation contained in God’s Son. However, some interpret πολυμερῶς (polumerw") in Heb 1:1 to mean “on many different occasions” and would thus translate “many times” (L&N 67.11). This is the option followed by the NIV: “at many times and in various ways.” Finally, this word is also understood to refer to the different manners in which something may be done, and would then be translated “in many different ways” (L&N 89.81). In this last case, the two words πολυμερῶς and πολυτρόπως (polutropw") mutually reinforce one another (“in many and various ways,” NRSV).
24 tn These two phrases are emphasized in Greek by being placed at the beginning of the sentence and by alliteration.
25 tn Grk “to the fathers.”
26 tn Grk “let us fear.”