Matthew 21:30

21:30 The father ¹  went to the other son and said the same thing. This boy answered, ²  ‘I will, sir,’ but did not go.

Psalms 50:16-20

50:16 God says this to the evildoer: ³ 

“How can you declare my commands,

and talk about my covenant? ⁴ 

50:17 For you hate instruction

and reject my words. ⁵ 

50:18 When you see a thief, you join him; ⁶ 

you associate with men who are unfaithful to their wives. ⁷ 

50:19 You do damage with words, ⁸ 

and use your tongue to deceive. ⁹ 

50:20 You plot against your brother; ¹⁰ 

you slander your own brother. ¹¹ 

Romans 2:19-24

2:19 and if you are convinced ¹²  that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 2:20 an educator of the senseless, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the essential features of knowledge and of the truth – 2:21 therefore ¹³  you who teach someone else, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 2:22 You who tell others not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor ¹⁴  idols, do you rob temples? 2:23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by transgressing the law! 2:24 For just as it is written, “the name of God is being blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” ¹⁵ 

Romans 2:2

2:2 Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth ¹⁶  against those who practice such things.

Romans 3:5

3:5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates ¹⁷  the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is he? ¹⁸  (I am speaking in human terms.) ¹⁹ 

Titus 1:16

1:16 They profess to know God but with their deeds they deny him, since they are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.

¹ tn “And he”; here δέ (de) has not been translated.

² tn Grk “And answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated. Here the referent (“this boy”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Heb “evil [one].” The singular adjective is used here in a representative sense; it refers to those within the larger covenant community who have blatantly violated the Lord’s commandments. In the psalms the “wicked” (רְשָׁעִים, rÿsha’im) are typically proud, practical atheists (Ps 10:2, 4, 11) who hate God’s commands, commit sinful deeds, speak lies and slander, and cheat others (Ps 37:21).

⁴ tn Heb “What to you to declare my commands and lift up my covenant upon your mouth?” The rhetorical question expresses sarcastic amazement. The Lord is shocked that such evildoers would give lip-service to his covenantal demands, for their lifestyle is completely opposed to his standards (see vv. 18-20).

⁵ tn Heb “and throw my words behind you.”

⁶ tn Heb “you run with him.”

⁷ tn Heb “and with adulterers [is] your portion.”

⁸ tn Heb “your mouth you send with evil.”

⁹ tn Heb “and your tongue binds together [i.e., “frames”] deceit.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “you sit, against your brother you speak.” To “sit” and “speak” against someone implies plotting against that person (see Ps 119:23).

¹¹ tn Heb “against the son of your mother you give a fault.”

¹² tn This verb is parallel to the verbs in vv. 17-18a, so it shares the conditional meaning even though the word “if” is not repeated.

¹³ tn The structure of vv. 21-24 is difficult. Some take these verses as the apodosis of the conditional clauses (protases) in vv. 17-20; others see vv. 17-20 as an instance of anacoluthon (a broken off or incomplete construction).

¹⁴ tn Or “detest.”

¹⁵ sn A quotation from Isa 52:5.

¹⁶ tn Or “based on truth.”

¹⁷ tn Or “shows clearly.”

¹⁸ tn Grk “That God is not unjust to inflict wrath, is he?”

¹⁹ sn The same expression occurs in Gal 3:15, and similar phrases in Rom 6:19 and 1 Cor 9:8.