2:1 And although you were 13 dead 14 in your transgressions and sins,
2:1 And although you were 15 dead 16 in your transgressions and sins, 2:2 in which 17 you formerly lived 18 according to this world’s present path, 19 according to the ruler of the kingdom 20 of the air, the ruler of 21 the spirit 22 that is now energizing 23 the sons of disobedience, 24
1 tn Grk “the second tent.”
2 tn Or perhaps “the unintentional sins of the people”; Grk “the ignorances of the people.” Cf. BDAG 13 s.v. ἀγνόημα, “sin committed in ignorance/unintentionally.” This term seems to be simply a synonym for “sins” (cf. Heb 5:2) and does not pick up the distinction made in Num 15:22-31 between unwitting sin and “high-handed” sin. The Day of Atonement ritual in Lev 16 covered all the sins of the people, not just the unwitting ones.
3 tn Grk “the first tent.” The literal phrase “the first tent” refers to either (1) the outer chamber of the tabernacle in the wilderness (as in vv. 2, 6) or (2) the entire tabernacle as a symbol of the OT system of approaching God. The second is more likely given the contrast that follows in vv. 11-12.
4 tn This verb occurs in the Greek middle voice, which here intensifies the role of the subject, Christ, in accomplishing the action: “he alone secured”; “he and no other secured.”
5 tn Or “prototypes,” “outlines,” referring to the earthly sanctuary. See Heb 8:5 above for the prior use of this term.
6 tn Grk “with these”; in the translation the referent (sacrifices) has been specified for clarity.
7 tn Grk “the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.”
8 tn Or “prefiguration.”
9 tn The word “sanctuary” is not in the Greek text at this point, but has been supplied for clarity.
10 tn Grk “and not that he might offer,” continuing the previous construction.
11 tn Or “exult, boast.”
12 tn Or “for.” BDAG gives the consecutive ὅτι (Joti) as a possible category of NT usage (BDAG 732 s.v. 5.c).
13 tn The adverbial participle “being” (ὄντας, ontas) is taken concessively.
14 sn Chapter 2 starts off with a participle, although you were dead, that is left dangling. The syntax in Greek for vv. 1-3 constitutes one incomplete sentence, though it seems to have been done intentionally. The dangling participle leaves the readers in suspense while they wait for the solution (in v. 4) to their spiritual dilemma.
15 tn The adverbial participle “being” (ὄντας, ontas) is taken concessively.
16 sn Chapter 2 starts off with a participle, although you were dead, that is left dangling. The syntax in Greek for vv. 1-3 constitutes one incomplete sentence, though it seems to have been done intentionally. The dangling participle leaves the readers in suspense while they wait for the solution (in v. 4) to their spiritual dilemma.
17 sn The relative pronoun which is feminine as is sins, indicating that sins is the antecedent.
18 tn Grk “walked.”
19 tn Or possibly “Aeon.”
20 tn Grk “domain, [place of] authority.”
21 tn Grk “of” (but see the note on the word “spirit” later in this verse).
22 sn The ruler of the kingdom of the air is also the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience. Although several translations regard the ruler to be the same as the spirit, this is unlikely since the cases in Greek are different (ruler is accusative and spirit is genitive). To get around this, some have suggested that the genitive for spirit is a genitive of apposition. However, the semantics of the genitive of apposition are against such an interpretation (cf. ExSyn 100).
23 tn Grk “working in.”
24 sn Sons of disobedience is a Semitic idiom that means “people characterized by disobedience.” However, it also contains a subtle allusion to vv. 4-10: Some of those sons of disobedience have become sons of God.