10:29 But the expert, 1 wanting to justify 2 himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30:12 There is a generation who are pure in their own eyes
and yet are not washed 12 from their filthiness. 13
65:5 They say, ‘Keep to yourself!
Don’t get near me, for I am holier than you!’
These people are like smoke in my nostrils,
like a fire that keeps burning all day long.
66:5 Hear the word of the Lord,
you who respect what he has to say! 14
Your countrymen, 15 who hate you
and exclude you, supposedly for the sake of my name,
say, “May the Lord be glorified,
then we will witness your joy.” 16
But they will be put to shame.
9:28 They 17 heaped insults 18 on him, saying, 19 “You are his disciple! 20 We are disciples of Moses!
1 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (the expert in religious law, shortened here to “the expert”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Or “vindicate.”
3 tn Grk “but answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “but he answered.”
4 tn Or simply, “have served,” but in the emotional context of the older son’s outburst the translation given is closer to the point.
5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to bring out the contrast indicated by the context.
6 sn You never gave me even a goat. The older son’s complaint was that the generous treatment of the younger son was not fair: “I can’t get even a little celebration with a basic food staple like a goat!”
7 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
8 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9 tn Grk “before men.” The contrast is between outward appearance (“in people’s eyes”) and inward reality (“God knows your hearts”). Here the Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used twice in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, but “men” has been retained in the text to provide a strong verbal contrast with “God” in the second half of the verse.
10 tn Or “exalted.” This refers to the pride that often comes with money and position.
11 tn Or “is an abomination,” “is abhorrent” (L&N 25.187).
12 tn The verb רָחַץ (rakhats) means “to wash; to wash off; to wash away; to bathe.” It is used of physical washing, ceremonial washings, and hence figuratively of removing sin and guilt through confession (e.g., Isa 1:16). Here the form is the Pual perfect (unless it is a rare old Qal passive, since there is no Piel and no apparent change of meaning from the Qal).
13 sn Filthiness often refers to physical uncleanness, but here it refers to moral defilement. Zech 3:3-4 uses it metaphorically as well for the sin of the nation (e.g., Isa 36:12).
14 tn Heb “who tremble at his word.”
15 tn Heb “brothers” (so NASB, NIV); NRSV “Your own people”; NLT “Your close relatives.”
16 tn Or “so that we might witness your joy.” The point of this statement is unclear.
17 tn Grk “And they.” 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.
18 tn The Greek word means “to insult strongly” or “slander.”
19 tn Grk “and said.”
20 tn Grk “You are that one’s disciple.”
21 tn Grk “They answered and said to him.” This has been simplified in the translation to “They replied.”
22 tn Or “From birth you have been evil.” The implication of this insult, in the context of John 9, is that the man whom Jesus caused to see had not previously adhered rigorously to all the conventional requirements of the OT law as interpreted by the Pharisees. Thus he had no right to instruct them about who Jesus was.
23 tn Grk “and are you teaching us?”
24 tn Or “who pursued.” The participle could be taken adverbially or adjectivally.
25 tn Or “a legal righteousness,” that is, a righteousness based on law. This translation would treat the genitive δικαιοσύνης (dikaiosunh") as an attributed genitive (see ExSyn 89-91).
26 tn Grk “has not attained unto the law.”
27 tn Grk “Why? Because not by faith but as though by works.” The verb (“they pursued [it]”) is to be supplied from the preceding verse for the sake of English style; yet a certain literary power is seen in Paul’s laconic style.
28 tc Most
29 tn Grk “the stone of stumbling.”
30 tn Grk “though I have reason for confidence even in the flesh.”
31 tn Grk “flesh.”
32 sn A Pharisee was a member of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.