Psalms 39:2

39:2 I was stone silent; ¹ 

I held back the urge to speak. ² 

My frustration grew; ³ 

Psalms 39:9

39:9 I am silent and cannot open my mouth

because of what you have done. ⁴ 

Matthew 26:62-63

26:62 So ⁵  the high priest stood up and said to him, “Have you no answer? What is this that they are testifying against you?” 26:63 But Jesus was silent. The ⁶  high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, ⁷  the Son of God.”

Luke 23:34

23:34 [But Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”] ⁸  Then ⁹  they threw dice ¹⁰  to divide his clothes. ¹¹ 

John 18:9-11

18:9 He said this ¹²  to fulfill the word he had spoken, ¹³  “I have not lost a single one of those whom you gave me.” ¹⁴ 

18:10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, pulled it out and struck the high priest’s slave, ¹⁵  cutting off his right ear. ¹⁶  (Now the slave’s name was Malchus.) ¹⁷  18:11 But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath! Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?” ¹⁸ 

¹ tn Heb “I was mute [with] silence.”

² tn Heb “I was quiet from good.” He kept quiet, resisting the urge to find emotional release and satisfaction by voicing his lament.

³ tn Heb “and my pain was stirred up.” Emotional pain is in view here.

⁴ tn Heb “because you acted.” The psalmist has in mind God’s disciplinary measures (see vv. 10-13).

⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the false testimony.

⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

⁷ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

⁸ tc Many important mss (Ì⁷⁵ א¹ B D* W Θ 070 579 1241 pc sy^s sa) lack v. 34a. It is included in א*^,2 (A) C D² L Ψ 0250 Ë^1,(13) 33 Ï lat sy^c,p,h. It also fits a major Lukan theme of forgiving the enemies (6:27-36), and it has a parallel in Stephen’s response in Acts 7:60. The lack of parallels in the other Gospels argues also for inclusion here. On the other hand, the fact of the parallel in Acts 7:60 may well have prompted early scribes to insert the saying in Luke’s Gospel alone. Further, there is the great difficulty of explaining why early and diverse witnesses lack the saying. A decision is difficult, but even those who regard the verse as inauthentic literarily often consider it to be authentic historically. For this reason it has been placed in single brackets in the translation.

⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

¹⁰ tn Grk “cast lots” (probably by using marked pebbles or broken pieces of pottery). A modern equivalent “threw dice” was chosen here because of its association with gambling.

¹¹ sn An allusion to Ps 22:18, which identifies Jesus as the suffering innocent one.

¹² tn The words “He said this” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. There is an ellipsis in the Greek text that must be supplied for the modern English reader at this point.

¹³ sn This expression is similar to John 6:39 and John 17:12.

¹⁴ tn Grk “Of the ones whom you gave me, I did not lose one of them.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged to reflect contemporary English style.

¹⁵ tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.

¹⁶ sn The account of the attack on the high priest’s slave contains details which suggest eyewitness testimony. It is also mentioned in all three synoptic gospels, but only John records that the disciple involved was Peter, whose impulsive behavior has already been alluded to (John 13:37). Likewise only John gives the name of the victim, Malchus, who is described as the high priest’s slave. John and Mark (14:47) both use the word ὠτάριον (wtarion, a double diminutive) to describe what was cut off, and this may indicate only part of the right ear (for example, the earlobe).

¹⁷ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

¹⁸ tn Grk “The cup that the Father has given me to drink, shall I not drink it?” The order of the clauses has been rearranged to reflect contemporary English style.