1 Corinthians 6:1

Lawsuits

6:1 When any of you has a legal dispute with another, does he dare go to court before the unrighteous rather than before the saints?

1 Corinthians 6:7

6:7 The fact that you have lawsuits among yourselves demonstrates that you have already been defeated. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?

Genesis 13:7-9

13:7 So there were quarrels ¹  between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. ²  (Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.) ³ 

13:8 Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no quarreling between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are close relatives. ⁴  13:9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself now from me. If you go ⁵  to the left, then I’ll go to the right, but if you go to the right, then I’ll go to the left.”

Genesis 45:24

45:24 Then he sent his brothers on their way and they left. He said to them, “As you travel don’t be overcome with fear.” ⁶ 

Nehemiah 5:8-9

5:8 I said to them, “To the extent possible we have bought back our fellow Jews ⁷  who had been sold to the Gentiles. But now you yourselves want to sell your own countrymen, ⁸  so that we can then buy them back!” They were utterly silent, and could find nothing to say.

5:9 Then I ⁹  said, “The thing that you are doing is wrong! ¹⁰  Should you not conduct yourselves ¹¹  in the fear of our God in order to avoid the reproach of the Gentiles who are our enemies?

Psalms 133:1-3

Psalm 133 ¹² 

A song of ascents, ¹³  by David.

133:1 Look! How good and how pleasant it is

when brothers live together! ¹⁴ 

133:2 It is like fine oil poured on the head

which flows down the beard ¹⁵  –

Aaron’s beard,

and then flows down his garments. ¹⁶ 

133:3 It is like the dew of Hermon, ¹⁷ 

which flows down upon the hills of Zion. ¹⁸ 

Indeed ¹⁹  that is where the Lord has decreed

a blessing will be available – eternal life. ²⁰ 

Acts 7:26

7:26 The next day Moses ²¹  saw two men ²²  fighting, and tried to make peace between ²³  them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why are you hurting one another?’

Philippians 2:14-15

2:14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 2:15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without blemish though you live in a crooked and perverse society, in which you shine as lights in the world ²⁴ 

Philippians 2:1

Christian Unity and Christ’s Humility

2:1 Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, ²⁵  any affection or mercy, ²⁶ 

Philippians 2:9-11

2:9 As a result God exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name,

2:10 so that at the name of Jesus

every knee will bow

– in heaven and on earth and under the earth –

2:11 and every tongue confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord

to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 3:11-15

3:11 and so, somehow, ²⁷  to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Keep Going Forward

3:12 Not that I have already attained this – that is, I have not already been perfected – but I strive to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me. ²⁸  3:13 Brothers and sisters, ²⁹  I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: ³⁰  Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, 3:14 with this goal in mind, ³¹  I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God ³²  in Christ Jesus. 3:15 Therefore let those of us who are “perfect” embrace this point of view. ³³  If you think otherwise, God will reveal to you the error of your ways. ³⁴ 

[13:7]  ¹ tn The Hebrew term רִיב (riv) means “strife, conflict, quarreling.” In later texts it has the meaning of “legal controversy, dispute.” See B. Gemser, “The rîb – or Controversy – Pattern in Hebrew Mentality,” Wisdom in Israel and in the Ancient Near East [VTSup], 120-37.

[13:7]  ² sn Since the quarreling was between the herdsmen, the dispute was no doubt over water and vegetation for the animals.

[13:7]  ³ tn This parenthetical clause, introduced with the vav (ו) disjunctive (translated “now”), again provides critical information. It tells in part why the land cannot sustain these two bedouins, and it also hints of the danger of weakening the family by inner strife.

[13:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “men, brothers [are] we.” Here “brothers” describes the closeness of the relationship, but could be misunderstood if taken literally, since Abram was Lot’s uncle.

[13:9]  ⁵ tn The words “you go” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons both times in this verse.

[45:24]  ⁶ tn Heb “do not be stirred up in the way.” The verb means “stir up.” Some understand the Hebrew verb רָגָז (ragaz, “to stir up”) as a reference to quarreling (see Prov 29:9, where it has this connotation), but in Exod 15:14 and other passages it means “to fear.” This might refer to a fear of robbers, but more likely it is an assuring word that they need not be fearful about returning to Egypt. They might have thought that once Jacob was in Egypt, Joseph would take his revenge on them.

[5:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “our brothers, the Jews.”

[5:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “your brothers.”

[5:9]  ⁹ tc The translation reads with the Qere and the ancient versions וָאוֹמַר (va’omar, “and I said”) rather than the MT Kethib, וַיֹּאמֶר (vayyo’mer, “and he said”).

[5:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “not good.” The statement “The thing…is not good” is an example of tapeinosis, a figurative expression which emphasizes the intended point (“The thing…is wrong!”) by negating its opposite.

[5:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “[should you not] walk.”

[133:1]  ¹² sn Psalm 133. The psalmist affirms the benefits of family unity.

[133:1]  ¹³ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[133:1]  ¹⁴ sn This statement refers to the extended family structure of ancient Israel, where brothers would often live in proximity to one another (Deut 25:5), giving the family greater social prominence and security. However, in its later application in the Israelite cult it probably envisions unity within the covenant community. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 212-15.

[133:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “[it is] like the good oil on the head, going down on the beard.”

[133:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “which goes down in accordance with his measured things.” The Hebrew phrase מִדּוֹתָיו (middotayv, “his measured things”) refers here to the robes worn by Aaron. HALOT 546 s.v. *מַד derives the form from מַד (midah, “robe”) rather than מִדָּה (middah, “measured thing”). Ugaritic md means “robe” and is pluralized mdt.

[133:3]  ¹⁷ sn Hermon refers to Mount Hermon, located north of Israel.

[133:3]  ¹⁸ sn The hills of Zion are those surrounding Zion (see Pss 87:1; 125:2). The psalmist does not intend to suggest that the dew from Mt. Hermon in the distant north actually flows down upon Zion. His point is that the same kind of heavy dew that replenishes Hermon may also be seen on Zion’s hills. See A. Cohen, Psalms (SoBB), 439. “Dew” here symbolizes divine blessing, as the next line suggests.

[133:3]  ¹⁹ tn Or “for.”

[133:3]  ²⁰ tn Heb “there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forever.”

[7:26]  ²¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:26]  ²² tn Grk “saw them”; the context makes clear that two individuals were involved (v. 27).

[7:26]  ²³ tn Or “tried to reconcile” (BDAG 964-65 s.v. συναλλάσσω).

[2:15]  ²⁴ tn Or “as stars in the universe.”

[2:1]  ²⁵ tn Or “spiritual fellowship” if πνεύματος (pneumato") is an attributive genitive; or “fellowship brought about by the Spirit” if πνεύματος is a genitive of source or production.

[2:1]  ²⁶ tn Grk “and any affection and mercy.” The Greek idea, however, is best expressed by “or” in English.

[3:11]  ²⁷ tn On εἰ πῶς (ei pws) as “so, somehow” see BDAG 279, s.v. εἰ 6.n.

[3:12]  ²⁸ tn Grk “that for which I also was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” The passive has been translated as active in keeping with contemporary English style.

[3:13]  ²⁹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

[3:13]  ³⁰ tn Grk “But this one thing (I do).”

[3:14]  ³¹ tn Grk “according to the goal.”

[3:14]  ³² tn Grk “prize, namely, the heavenly calling of God.”

[3:15]  ³³ tn Grk “those of us who are ‘perfect’ should think this,” or possibly “those of us who are mature should think this.”

[3:15]  ³⁴ tn Grk “reveal this to you.” The referent of the pronoun “this” is the fact that the person is thinking differently than Paul does. This has been specified in the translation with the phrase “the error of your ways”; Paul is stating that God will make it known to these believers when they are not in agreement with Paul.