14:19 So then, let us pursue what makes for peace and for building up one another.
14:1 Now receive the one who is weak in the faith, and do not have disputes over differing opinions. 9
12:14 Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness, 14 for without it no one will see the Lord.
3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, 21 because you know that we will be judged more strictly. 22
1 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Heb “of his brothers.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun “them.”
3 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Heb “speak to him for peace.”
5 tn Heb “do not be stirred up in the way.” The verb means “stir up.” Some understand the Hebrew verb רָגָז (ragaz, “to stir up”) as a reference to quarreling (see Prov 29:9, where it has this connotation), but in Exod 15:14 and other passages it means “to fear.” This might refer to a fear of robbers, but more likely it is an assuring word that they need not be fearful about returning to Egypt. They might have thought that once Jacob was in Egypt, Joseph would take his revenge on them.
9 sn Salt was used as seasoning or fertilizer (BDAG 41 s.v. ἅλας a), or as a preservative. If salt ceased to be useful, it was thrown away. With this illustration Jesus warned about a disciple who ceased to follow him.
10 sn The difficulty of this saying is understanding how salt could lose its saltiness since its chemical properties cannot change. It is thus often assumed that Jesus was referring to chemically impure salt, perhaps a natural salt which, when exposed to the elements, had all the genuine salt leached out, leaving only the sediment or impurities behind. Others have suggested the background of the saying is the use of salt blocks by Arab bakers to line the floor of their ovens: Under the intense heat these blocks would eventually crystallize and undergo a change in chemical composition, finally being thrown out as unserviceable. A saying in the Talmud (b. Bekhorot 8b) attributed to R. Joshua ben Chananja (ca.
13 tn Here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic and refers to both men and women.
17 tn Grk “over opinions.” The qualifier “differing” has been supplied to clarify the meaning.
21 tn Grk “for before the law.”
22 tn Or “sin is not reckoned.”
25 tn Or “exult, boast.”
29 tn Or “detest.”
33 sn The references to peace and holiness show the close connection between this paragraph and the previous one. The pathway toward “holiness” and the need for it is cited in Heb 12:10 and 14. More importantly Prov 4:26-27 sets up the transition from one paragraph to the next: It urges people to stay on godly paths (Prov 4:26, quoted here in v. 13) and promises that God will lead them in peace if they do so (Prov 4:27 [LXX], quoted in v. 14).
37 tn Or “willing to yield,” “open to persuasion.”
38 tn Grk “fruits.” The plural Greek term καρπούς has been translated with the collective singular “fruit.”
39 tn Or “sincere.”
41 tn Grk “the fruit of righteousness,” meaning righteous living as a fruit, as the thing produced.
42 tn Grk “is sown.”
43 tn Or “for,” or possibly “by.”
45 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
46 tn Grk “will receive a greater judgment.”