49:2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
he hid me in the hollow of his hand;
he made me like a sharpened 1 arrow,
he hid me in his quiver. 2
8:11 “Now the parable means 3 this: The seed is the word of God.
4:2 Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.
20:4 Then 14 I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge. 15 I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These 16 had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They 17 came to life 18 and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
1 tn Or perhaps, “polished” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NASB “a select arrow.”
2 sn The figurative language emphasizes the servant’s importance as the Lord’s effective instrument. The servant’s mouth, which stands metonymically for his words, is compared to a sharp sword because he will be an effective spokesman on God’s behalf (see 50:4). The Lord holds his hand on the servant, ready to draw and use him at the appropriate time. The servant is like a sharpened arrow reserved in a quiver for just the right moment.
3 tn Grk “is,” but in this context it is clearly giving an explanation of the parable.
4 tn Grk “And when.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
5 sn The place where they were assembled…was shaken. This signifies that God is in their midst. See Acts 16:26; Exod 19:18; Ps 114:7; Isa 6:4.
6 tn The imperfect verb has been translated as an ingressive imperfect (“began to speak”). Logical sequencing suggests that their speaking began after they were filled with the Spirit. The prayer was answered immediately.
7 tn Or “speak God’s message.”
8 tn Or “with boldness.”
9 tn Or “greatly annoyed,” “provoked.”
10 tn Or “proclaiming.”
11 tn The word “only,” though not in the Greek text, is supplied in the English translation to bring out the force of the Greek phrase.
12 tn Grk “but the body of Christ.” The term body here, when used in contrast to shadow (σκιά, skia) indicates the opposite meaning, i.e., the reality or substance itself.
13 tn The genitive τοῦ Χριστοῦ (tou Cristou) is appositional and translated as such: “the reality is Christ.”
14 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
15 tn Grk “I saw thrones, and those seated on them, and judgment was given to them.” BDAG 567 s.v. κρίμα 3 says, “judging, judgment, the κρίμα ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς authority to judge was given to them Rv 20:4.”
16 tn Grk “God, and who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronoun “these” as subject.
17 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
18 tn On the use of the aorist ἔζησαν (ezhsan) BDAG 425 s.v. ζάω 1.a.β says, “of dead persons who return to life become alive again: of humans in general (3 Km 17:23) Mt 9:18; Ac 9:41; 20:12; Rv 20:4, 5.”