1 Samuel 25:14-15

25:14 But one of the servants told Nabal’s wife Abigail, “David sent messengers from the desert to greet ¹  our lord, but he screamed at them. 25:15 These men were very good to us. They did not insult us, nor did we sustain any loss during the entire time we were together ²  in the field.

John 9:29-30

9:29 We know that God has spoken to Moses! We do not know where this man ³  comes from!” 9:30 The man replied, ⁴  “This is a remarkable thing, ⁵  that you don’t know where he comes from, and yet he caused me to see! ⁶ 

John 9:2

9:2 His disciples asked him, ⁷  “Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man ⁸  or his parents?” ⁹ 

Colossians 1:9

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, ¹⁰  have not ceased praying for you and asking God ¹¹  to fill ¹²  you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

[25:14]  ¹ tn Heb “bless.”

[25:15]  ² tn Heb “all the days we walked about with them when we were.”

[9:29]  ³ tn Grk “where this one.”

[9:30]  ⁴ tn Grk “The man answered and said to them.” This has been simplified in the translation to “The man replied.”

[9:30]  ⁵ tn Grk “For in this is a remarkable thing.”

[9:30]  ⁶ tn Grk “and he opened my eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).

[9:2]  ⁷ tn Grk “asked him, saying.”

[9:2]  ⁸ tn Grk “this one.”

[9:2]  ⁹ tn Grk “in order that he should be born blind.”

[1:9]  ¹⁰ tn Or “heard about it”; Grk “heard.” There is no direct object stated in the Greek (direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context). A direct object is expected by an English reader, however, so most translations supply one. Here, however, it is not entirely clear what the author “heard”: a number of translations supply “it” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV; NAB “this”), but this could refer back either to (1) “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8, or (2) “your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints” (v. 4). In light of this uncertainty, other translations supply “about you” (TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). This is preferred by the present translation since, while it does not resolve the ambiguity entirely, it does make it less easy for the English reader to limit the reference only to “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8.

[1:9]  ¹¹ tn The term “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but the following reference to “the knowledge of his will” makes it clear that “God” is in view as the object of the “praying and asking,” and should therefore be included in the English translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ¹² tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated as substantival, indicating the content of the prayer and asking. The idea of purpose may also be present in this clause.