2 Timothy 2:5

2:5 Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he will not be crowned as the winner ¹  unless he competes according to the rules. ² 

Proverbs 4:9

4:9 She will place a fair ³  garland on your head;

she will bestow ⁴  a beautiful crown ⁵  on you.”

Proverbs 4:1

Admonition to Follow Righteousness and Avoid Wickedness ⁶ 

4:1 Listen, children, ⁷  to a father’s instruction, ⁸ 

and pay attention so that ⁹  you may gain ¹⁰  discernment.

Colossians 1:25

1:25 I became a servant of the church according to the stewardship ¹¹  from God – given to me for you – in order to complete ¹²  the word of God,

James 1:12

1:12 Happy is the one ¹³  who endures testing, because when he has proven to be genuine, he will receive the crown of life that God ¹⁴  promised to those who love him.

James 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From James, ¹⁵  a slave ¹⁶  of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. ¹⁷  Greetings!

James 5:4

5:4 Look, the pay you have held back from the workers who mowed your fields cries out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

Revelation 2:10

2:10 Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer. The devil is about to have some of you thrown ¹⁸  into prison so you may be tested, ¹⁹  and you will experience suffering ²⁰  for ten days. Remain faithful even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown that is life itself. ²¹ 

Revelation 4:4

4:4 In ²²  a circle around the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on those thrones were twenty-four elders. They were ²³  dressed in white clothing and had golden crowns ²⁴  on their heads.

Revelation 4:10

4:10 the twenty-four elders throw themselves to the ground ²⁵  before the one who sits on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever, and they offer their crowns ²⁶  before his ²⁷  throne, saying:

[2:5]  ¹ tn Grk “will not be crowned,” speaking of the wreath awarded to the victor.

[2:5]  ² sn According to the rules (Grk “lawfully, by law”) referring to the rules of competition. In the ancient world these included requirements for training as well as rules for the competition itself.

[4:9]  ³ sn The personification of wisdom continues with the bestowal of a wreath for the head (e.g., 1:9). The point is that grace will be given to the individual like a wreath about the head.

[4:9]  ⁴ tn The verb מָגַן (magan) is a Piel (denominative) verb from the noun “shield.” Here it means “to bestow” (BDB 171 s.v.).

[4:9]  ⁵ sn This verse uses wedding imagery: The wife (wisdom) who is embraced by her husband (the disciple) will place the wedding crown on the head of her new bridegroom. Wisdom, like a virtuous wife, will crown the individual with honor and grace.

[4:1]  ⁶ sn The chapter includes an exhortation to acquire wisdom (1-4a), a list of the benefits of wisdom (4b-9), a call to pursue a righteous lifestyle (10-13), a warning against a wicked lifestyle (14-19), and an exhortation to righteousness (20-27).

[4:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “sons.”

[4:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “discipline.”

[4:1]  ⁹ tn The Qal infinitive construct with preposition ל (lamed) indicates the purpose/result of the preceding imperative.

[4:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “know” (so KJV, ASV).

[1:25]  ¹¹ tn BDAG 697 s.v. οἰκονομία 1.b renders the term here as “divine office.”

[1:25]  ¹² tn See BDAG 828 s.v. πληρόω 3. The idea here seems to be that the apostle wants to “complete the word of God” in that he wants to preach it to every person in the known world (cf. Rom 15:19). See P. T. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon (WBC), 82.

[1:12]  ¹³ tn The word for “man” or “individual” here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” However, as BDAG 79 s.v. 2 says, here it is “equivalent to τὶς someone, a person.”

[1:12]  ¹⁴ tc Most mss ([C] P 0246 Ï) read ὁ κύριος (Jo kurio", “the Lord”) here, while others have ὁ θεός (Jo qeo", “God”; 4 33^vid 323 945 1739 al). However, several important and early witnesses (̲³ א A B Ψ 81 co) have no explicit subject. In light of the scribal tendency toward clarification, and the fact that both κύριος and θεός are well represented, there can be no doubt that the original text had no explicit subject. The referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity, not because of textual basis.

[1:1]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “James.” The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ¹⁶ tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” 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.

[1:1]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora.” The Greek term διασπορά (diaspora, “dispersion”) refers to Jews not living in Palestine but “dispersed” or scattered among the Gentiles.

[2:10]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “is about to throw some of you,” but the force is causative in context.

[2:10]  ¹⁹ tn Or “tempted.”

[2:10]  ²⁰ tn Or “experience persecution,” “will be in distress” (see L&N 22.2).

[2:10]  ²¹ tn Grk “crown of life,” with the genitive “of life” (τῆς ζωῆς, th" zwh") functioning in apposition to “crown” (στέφανον, stefanon): “the crown that consists of life.”

[4:4]  ²² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[4:4]  ²³ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the words “They were” to indicate the connection to the preceding material.

[4:4]  ²⁴ sn See the note on the word crown in Rev 3:11.

[4:10]  ²⁵ tn Grk “the twenty-four elders fall down.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[4:10]  ²⁶ sn See the note on the word crown in Rev 3:11.

[4:10]  ²⁷ tn The pronoun “his” is understood from the demonstrative force of the article τοῦ (tou) before θρόνου (qronou).