1:1 From Paul 4 and Timothy, slaves 5 of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, 6 with the overseers 7 and deacons.
107:18 They lost their appetite for all food, 8
and they drew near the gates of death.
9:1 So I reflected on all this, 9 attempting to clear 10 it all up.
I concluded that 11 the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God;
whether a person will be loved or hated 12 –
no one knows what lies ahead. 13
9:2 Everyone shares the same fate 14 –
the righteous and the wicked,
the good and the bad, 15
the ceremonially clean and unclean,
those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.
What happens to the good person, also happens to the sinner; 16
what happens to those who make vows, also happens to those who are afraid to make vows.
1 tn Grk “make up for your lack of service to me.”
2 tn Or “and feel the same way,” “and think the same thoughts.” The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated “and be of the same mind” to reflect its epexegetical force to the imperative “complete my joy.”
3 tn The Greek word here is σύμψυχοι (sumyucoi, literally “fellow souled”).
4 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
5 tn Traditionally, “servants” or “bondservants.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.
6 map For location see JP1-C1; JP2-C1; JP3-C1; JP4-C1.
7 sn The overseers (or “church leaders,” L&N 53.71) is another term for the same official position of leadership as the “elder.” This is seen in the interchange of the two terms in Titus 1:6-7 and in Acts 20:17, 28, as well as in the parallels between Titus 1:6-7 and 1 Tim 3:1-7.
8 tn Heb “all food their appetite loathed.”
9 tn Heb “I laid all this to my heart.”
10 tn The term וְלָבוּר (velavur, conjunction + Qal infinitive construct from בּוּר, bur, “to make clear”) denotes “to examine; to make clear; to clear up; to explain” (HALOT 116 s.v. בור; BDB 101 s.v. בּוּר). The term is related to Arabic baraw “to examine” (G. R. Driver, “Supposed Arabisms in the Old Testament,” JBL 55 [1936]: 108). This verb is related to the Hebrew noun בֹּר (bor, “cleanness”) and adjective בַּר (bar, “clean”). The term is used in the OT only in Ecclesiastes (1:13; 2:3; 7:25; 9:1). This use of the infinitive has a connotative sense (“attempting to”), and functions in a complementary sense, relative to the main verb.
11 tn The words “I concluded that” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
12 tn Heb “whether love or hatred.”
13 tn Heb “man does not know anything before them.”
14 tn Heb “all things just as to everyone, one fate.”
15 tc The MT reads simply “the good,” but the Greek versions read “the good and the bad.” In contrast to the other four pairs in v. 2 (“the righteous and the wicked,” “those who sacrifice, and those who do not sacrifice,” “the good man…the sinner,” and “those who make vows…those who are afraid to make vows”), the MT has a triad in the second line: לַטּוֹב וְלַטָּהוֹר וְלַטָּמֵא (lattov vÿlattahor vÿlattame’, “the good, and the clean, and the unclean”). This reading in the Leningrad Codex (ca.
16 tn Heb “As is the good (man), so is the sinner.”
17 tn The phrase “a message” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from context.
18 tn Grk “to him, saying”; the referent (Jesus) is specified in the translation for clarity.
19 tn Grk “This sickness is not to death.”
20 tn Or “to God’s praise.”
21 sn So that the Son of God may be glorified through it. These statements are highly ironic: For Lazarus, the sickness did not end in his death, because he was restored to life. But for Jesus himself, the miraculous sign he performed led to his own death, because it confirmed the authorities in their plan to kill Jesus (11:47-53). In the Gospel of John, Jesus’ death is consistently portrayed as his ‘glorification’ through which he accomplishes his return to the Father.
22 tn Grk “It happened that in those days.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
23 tn Grk “becoming sick, she died.” The participle ἀσθενήσασαν (asqenhsasan) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
24 tn The participle λούσαντες (lousante") is taken temporally.
25 tn Grk “washed her,” but the reference is to her corpse.