1:6 Certainly 1 the Lord guards the way of the godly, 2
but the way of the wicked ends in destruction. 3
5:5 Arrogant people cannot stand in your presence; 4
you hate 5 all who behave wickedly. 6
1:13 You are too just 7 to tolerate 8 evil;
you are unable to condone 9 wrongdoing.
So why do you put up with such treacherous people? 10
Why do you say nothing when the wicked devour 11 those more righteous than they are? 12
10:1 “I tell you the solemn truth, 34 the one who does not enter the sheepfold 35 by the door, 36 but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber.
1:3 We always 37 give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
1 tn The translation understands כי as asseverative. Another option is to translate “for,” understanding v. 6 as a theological explanation for vv. 3-5, which contrasts the respective destinies of the godly and the wicked.
2 tn Heb “the
3 tn Heb “but the way of the wicked perishes.” The “way of the wicked” may refer to their course of life (Ps 146:9; Prov 4:19; Jer 12:1) or their sinful behavior (Prov 12:26; 15:9). The Hebrew imperfect verbal form probably describes here what typically happens, though one could take the form as indicating what will happen (“will perish”).
4 tn Heb “before your eyes.”
5 sn You hate. The
6 tn Heb “all the workers of wickedness.”
7 tn Heb “[you] are too pure of eyes.” God’s “eyes” here signify what he looks at with approval. His “eyes” are “pure” in that he refuses to tolerate any wrongdoing in his presence.
8 tn Heb “to see.” Here “see” is figurative for “tolerate,” “put up with.”
9 tn Heb “to look at.” Cf. NEB “who canst not countenance wrongdoing”; NASB “You can not look on wickedness with favor.”
10 tn Heb “Why do you look at treacherous ones?” The verb בָּגַד (bagad, “be treacherous”) is often used of those who are disloyal or who violate agreements. See S. Erlandsson, TDOT 1:470-73.
11 tn Or “swallow up.”
12 tn Heb “more innocent than themselves.”
13 sn This term refers to wide streets, and thus suggests the major streets of a city.
14 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
15 tc Most
16 sn The issue is not familiarity (with Jesus’ teaching) or even shared activity (eating and drinking with him), but knowing Jesus. Those who do not know him, he will not know where they come from (i.e., will not acknowledge) at the judgment.
17 tn Grk “all you workers of iniquity.” The phrase resembles Ps 6:8.
18 sn Weeping and gnashing of teeth is a figure for remorse and trauma, which occurs here because of exclusion from God’s promise.
19 tn Grk “and Isaac and Jacob,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
20 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. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.
21 tn Or “being thrown out.” The present accusative participle, ἐκβαλλομένους (ekballomenous), related to the object ὑμᾶς (Jumas), seems to suggest that these evildoers will witness their own expulsion from the kingdom.
22 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events in the discourse.
23 tn Grk “they”; the referent (people who will come to participate in the kingdom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
24 tn Grk “and recline at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away. The word “banquet” has been supplied to clarify for the modern reader the festive nature of the imagery The banquet imagery is a way to describe the fellowship and celebration of accompanying those who are included as the people of God at the end.
25 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. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.
26 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
27 tn Grk “behold.”
28 sn Some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last. Jesus’ answer is that some who are expected to be there (many from Israel) will not be there, while others not expected to be present (from other nations) will be present. The question is not, “Will the saved be few?” (see v. 23), but “Will it be you?”
29 tn Grk “God does not hear.”
30 tn Or “godly.”
31 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
32 tn Or “hears.”
33 tn Grk “this one.”
34 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
35 sn There was more than one type of sheepfold in use in Palestine in Jesus’ day. The one here seems to be a courtyard in front of a house (the Greek word used for the sheepfold here, αὐλή [aulh] frequently refers to a courtyard), surrounded by a stone wall (often topped with briars for protection).
36 tn Or “entrance.”
37 tn The adverb πάντοτε (pantote) is understood to modify the indicative εὐχαριστοῦμεν (eucaristoumen) because it precedes περὶ ὑμῶν (peri Jumwn) which probably modifies the indicative and not the participle προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi). But see 1:9 where the same expression occurs and περὶ ὑμῶν modifies the participle “praying” (προσευχόμενοι).
38 tn Or “useless.” See L&N 65.16.
39 tn See the note on the phrase “basic forces” in 4:3.
40 tn Grk “basic forces, to which you want to be enslaved…” Verse 9 is a single sentence in the Greek text, but has been divided into two in the translation because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence.
41 tn The Greek term translated “guardians” here is ἐπίτροπος (epitropo"), whose semantic domain overlaps with that of παιδαγωγός (paidagwgo") according to L&N 36.5.
42 tn Grk “the,” but the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).