4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, 18 whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.
1 tn Or “soul” (throughout vv. 25-26).
2 sn The point of the saying whoever wants to save his life will lose it is that if one comes to Jesus then rejection by many will certainly follow. If self-protection is a key motivation, then one will not respond to Jesus and will not be saved. One who is willing to risk rejection will respond and find true life.
3 tn Grk “a man,” but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense here to refer to both men and women.
4 tn Or “soul” (throughout vv. 35-37).
5 sn The point of the saying whoever wants to save his life will lose it is that if one comes to Jesus then rejection by many will certainly follow. If self-protection is a key motivation, then one will not respond to Jesus and will not be saved. One who is willing to risk rejection will respond and find true life.
6 tn Grk “a man,” but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense here to refer to both men and women.
7 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
8 tn Or “tries to preserve”; Grk “seeks to gain.”
9 sn Whoever loses his life. Suffering and persecution caused by the world, even to death, cannot stop God from saving (Luke 12:4-6).
10 tn Or “soul.”
11 tn Or “loses.” Although the traditional English translation of ἀπολλύει (apolluei) in John 12:25 is “loses,” the contrast with φυλάξει (fulaxei, “keeps” or “guards”) in the second half of the verse favors the meaning “destroy” here.
12 tn Or “keeps.”
13 tn Grk “according to my eager expectation and hope.” The κατά (kata) phrase is taken as governing the following ὅτι (Joti) clause (“that I will not be ashamed…”); the idea could be expressed more verbally as “I confidently hope that I will not be ashamed…”
14 tn Or possibly, “be intimidated, be put to shame.”
15 tn Grk “whether by life or by death.”
16 tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”
17 tn Grk “will guard the hearts of you and the minds of you.” To improve the English style, the second occurrence of ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “of you”) has not been translated, since it is somewhat redundant in English.
18 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.
19 tn Grk “is about to throw some of you,” but the force is causative in context.
20 tn Or “tempted.”
21 tn Or “experience persecution,” “will be in distress” (see L&N 22.2).
22 tn Grk “crown of life,” with the genitive “of life” (τῆς ζωῆς, th" zwh") functioning in apposition to “crown” (στέφανον, stefanon): “the crown that consists of life.”