16:14 The Pharisees 1 (who loved money) heard all this and ridiculed 2 him. 16:15 But 3 Jesus 4 said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in men’s eyes, 5 but God knows your hearts. For what is highly prized 6 among men is utterly detestable 7 in God’s sight.
12:33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad 40 and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is known by its fruit. 12:34 Offspring of vipers! How are you able to say anything good, since you are evil? For the mouth speaks from what fills the heart. 12:35 The good person 41 brings good things out of his 42 good treasury, 43 and the evil person brings evil things out of his evil treasury.
Now on that day a great 79 persecution began 80 against the church in Jerusalem, 81 and all 82 except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions 83 of Judea and Samaria.
1:19 For God 84 was pleased to have all his 85 fullness dwell 86 in the Son 87
1:1 From Paul, 88 an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
1 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
2 tn A figurative extension of the literal meaning “to turn one’s nose up at someone”; here “ridicule, sneer at, show contempt for” (L&N 33.409).
3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
4 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 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.
6 tn Or “exalted.” This refers to the pride that often comes with money and position.
7 tn Or “is an abomination,” “is abhorrent” (L&N 25.187).
8 tn Heb “the
9 tn Or “wilderness” (so KJV, NRSV, NLT); likewise in v. 15.
10 tn Grk “against” (κατά [kata] + genitive). English usage is satisfied with “on” at this point, but the parallel is lost in the translation to some degree, for the end of v. 15 says that this judgment is meted out on these sinners because they spoke against him (κατά + genitive).
11 tn Or “soul.”
12 tn Grk “of all their works of ungodliness.” The adverb “thoroughly” is part of the following verb “have committed.” See note on verb “committed” later in this verse.
13 tn The verb in Greek does not simply mean “have committed,” but “have committed in an ungodly way.” The verb ἀσεβέω (asebew) is cognate to the noun ἀσέβεια (asebeia, “ungodliness”). There is no easy way to express this in English, since English does not have a single word that means the same thing. Nevertheless, the tenor of v. 15 is plainly seen, regardless of the translation.
14 sn An apparent quotation from 1 En. 1:9. There is some doubt as to whether Jude is actually quoting from the text of 1 Enoch; the text here in Jude differs in some respects from the extant text of this pseudepigraphic book. It is sometimes suggested that Jude may instead have been quoting from oral tradition which had roots older than the written text.
15 tn “And” is not in Greek, but is supplied for the sake of English style.
16 tn Or “going.” Though the participle is anarthrous, so also is the subject. Thus, the participle could be either adverbial or adjectival.
17 tn Grk “(who go/going) according to their own lusts.”
18 tn Grk “and their mouth speaks bombastic things.”
19 sn Enchanting folks (Grk “awing faces”) refers to the fact that the speeches of these false teachers are powerful and seductive.
20 tn Or “to their own advantage.”
21 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
22 tn Grk “except by Beelzebul.”
23 tn Or “prince.”
24 tc The majority of
25 sn Jesus here demonstrated the absurdity of the thinking of the religious leaders who maintained that he was in league with Satan and that he actually derived his power from the devil. He first teaches (vv. 25-28) that if he casts out demons by the ruler of the demons, then in reality Satan is fighting against himself, with the result that his kingdom has come to an end. He then teaches (v. 29) about tying up the strong man to prove that he does not need to align himself with the devil because he is more powerful. Jesus defeated Satan at his temptation (4:1-11) and by his exorcisms he clearly demonstrated himself to be stronger than the devil. The passage reveals the desperate condition of the religious leaders, who in their hatred for Jesus end up attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan (a position for which they will be held accountable, 12:31-32).
26 tn Or “is left in ruins.”
27 tn This first class condition, the first of three “if” clauses in the following verses, presents the example vividly as if it were so. In fact, all three conditions in these verses are first class. The examples are made totally parallel. The expected answer is that Satan’s kingdom will not stand, so the suggestion makes no sense. Satan would not seek to heal.
28 sn Most read your sons as a reference to Jewish exorcists (cf. “your followers,” L&N 9.4), but more likely this is a reference to the disciples of Jesus themselves, who are also Jewish and have been healing as well (R. J. Shirock, “Whose Exorcists are they? The Referents of οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν at Matthew 12:27/Luke 11:19,” JSNT 46 [1992]: 41-51). If this is a reference to the disciples, then Jesus’ point is that it is not only him, but those associated with him whose power the hearers must assess. The following reference to judging also favors this reading.
29 tn The pronoun “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
30 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong.
31 tn The phrase ἔφθασεν ἐφ᾿ ὑμᾶς (efqasen ef’ Juma") is quite important. Does it mean merely “approach” (which would be reflected in a translation like “has come near to you”) or actually “come upon” (as in the translation given above, “has already overtaken you,” which has the added connotation of suddenness)? Is the arrival of the kingdom merely anticipated or already in process? Two factors favor arrival over anticipation here. First, the prepositional phrase ἐφ᾿ ὑμᾶς (ef’ Jumas, “upon you”) in the Greek text suggests arrival (Dan 4:24, 28 Theodotion). Second, the following illustration in v. 29 looks at the healing as portraying Satan being overrun. So the presence of God’s authority has arrived. See also L&N 13.123 for the translation of φθάνω (fqanw) as “to happen to already, to come upon, to come upon already.”
32 tn Grk “Or how can.”
33 sn The strong man here pictures Satan.
34 sn Some see the imagery here as similar to Eph 4:7-10, although no opponents are explicitly named in that passage. Jesus has the victory over Satan. Jesus’ acts of healing mean that the war is being won and the kingdom is coming.
35 sn Whoever is not with me is against me. The call here is to join the victor. Failure to do so means that one is being destructive. Responding to Jesus is the issue.
36 sn For the image of scattering, see Pss. Sol. 17:18.
37 tn Grk “every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men.”
38 tn Grk “it will be forgiven him.”
39 tn Grk “it will not be forgiven him.”
40 tn Grk “rotten.” The word σαπρός, modifying both “tree” and “fruit,” can also mean “diseased” (L&N 65.28).
41 tn The Greek text reads here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos). The term is generic referring to any person.
42 tn Grk “the”; the Greek article has been translated here and in the following clause (“his evil treasury”) as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
43 sn The treasury here is a metaphorical reference to a person’s heart (cf. BDAG 456 s.v. θησαυρός 1.b and the parallel passage in Luke 6:45).
44 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
45 tn Or “I came from God and have arrived.”
46 tn Grk “For I.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
47 tn Grk “from myself.”
48 tn Grk “that one” (referring to God).
49 tn Grk “you cannot hear,” but this is not a reference to deafness, but rather hearing in the sense of listening to something and responding to it.
50 tn Grk “my word.”
51 tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to clarify that the Greek pronoun and verb are plural.
52 tn Many translations read “You are of your father the devil” (KJV, ASV, RSV, NASB) or “You belong to your father, the devil” (NIV), but the Greek preposition ἐκ (ek) emphasizes the idea of source or origin. Jesus said his opponents were the devil’s very offspring (a statement which would certainly infuriate them).
53 tn Grk “the desires of your father you want to do.”
54 tn Grk “That one” (referring to the devil).
55 tn Grk “he does not stand in the truth” (in the sense of maintaining, upholding, or accepting the validity of it).
56 tn Grk “Whenever he speaks the lie.”
57 tn Grk “he speaks from his own.”
58 tn Grk “because he is a liar and the father of it.”
59 tn Or “because I tell you.”
60 tn Or “can convict me.”
61 tn Or “of having sinned”; Grk “of sin.”
62 tn Or “if I tell you.”
63 tn Grk “who is of.”
64 tn Grk “to God hears” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).
65 tn Grk “you do not hear” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).
66 tn Grk “you are not of God.”
67 tn Grk “they would not have sin” (an idiom).
68 tn Or “If I had not done.”
69 tn Grk “the works.”
70 tn Grk “they would not have sin” (an idiom).
71 tn The words “the deeds” are supplied to clarify from context what was seen. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.
72 tn Or “But now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father.” It is possible to understand both the “seeing” and the “hating” to refer to both Jesus and the Father, but this has the world “seeing” the Father, which seems alien to the Johannine Jesus. (Some point out John 14:9 as an example, but this is addressed to the disciples, not to the world.) It is more likely that the “seeing” refers to the miraculous deeds mentioned in the first half of the verse. Such an understanding of the first “both – and” construction is apparently supported by BDF §444.3.
73 tn The translation “share or part” is given by L&N 63.13.
74 tn Since the semantic range for λόγος (logos) is so broad, a number of different translations could be given for the prepositional phrase here. Something along the lines of “in this thing” would work well, but is too colloquial for the present translation.
75 tn Or “and implore the Lord.”
76 tn Grk “that if possible the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.” The passive construction is somewhat awkward in contemporary English and has thus been converted to an active construction in the translation.
77 tn Grk “in the gall of bitterness,” an idiom meaning to be particularly envious or resentful of someone. In this case Simon was jealous of the apostles’ power to bestow the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands, and wanted that power for himself. The literal phrase does not convey this to the modern reader, and in fact some modern translations have simply rendered the phrase as involving bitterness, which misses the point of the envy on Simon’s part. See L&N 88.166. The OT images come from Deut 29:17-18 and Isa 58:6.
78 tn The term ἀναίρεσις (anairesi") can refer to murder (BDAG 64 s.v.; 2 Macc 5:13; Josephus, Ant. 5.2.12 [5.165]).
79 tn Or “severe.”
80 tn Grk “Now there happened on that day a great persecution.” It is less awkward to say in English “Now on that day a great persecution began.”
81 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
82 sn All. Given that the Jerusalem church is still active after this and that the Hellenists are the focus of Acts 6-8, it is possible to argue that only the Hellenistic Christians were forced to scatter.
83 tn Or “countryside.”
84 tn The noun “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but since God is the one who reconciles the world to himself (cf. 2 Cor 5:19), he is clearly the subject of εὐδόκησεν (eudokhsen).
85 tn The Greek article τό (to), insofar as it relates to God, may be translated as a possessive pronoun, i.e., “his.” BDAG 404 s.v. εὐδοκέω 1 translates the phrase as “all the fullness willed to dwell in him” thus leaving the referent as impersonal. Insofar as Paul is alluding to the so-called emanations from God this is acceptable. But the fact that “the fullness” dwells in a person (i.e., “in him”) seems to argue for the translation “his fullness” where “his” refers to God.
86 tn The aorist verb κατοικῆσαι (katoikhsai) could be taken as an ingressive, in which case it refers to the incarnation and may be translated as “begin to dwell, to take up residence.” It is perhaps better, though, to take it as a constative aorist and simply a reference to the fact that the fullness of God dwells in Jesus Christ. This is a permanent dwelling, though, not a temporary one, as the present tense in 2:9 makes clear.
87 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the Son; see v. 13) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
88 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
89 tn The Greek participle κρατῶν (kratwn) was translated as a finite verb to avoid an unusually long and pedantic sentence structure in English.
90 tn See BDAG 387 s.v. ἐπιχορηγέω 3.
91 tn The genitive τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou) has been translated as a genitive of source, “from God.”