Acts 10:33

10:33 Therefore I sent for you at once, and you were kind enough to come. ¹  So now we are all here in the presence of God ²  to listen ³  to everything the Lord has commanded you to say to us.” ⁴ 

Acts 17:11

17:11 These Jews ⁵  were more open-minded ⁶  than those in Thessalonica, ⁷  for they eagerly ⁸  received ⁹  the message, examining ¹⁰  the scriptures carefully every day ¹¹  to see if these things were so.

James 1:19

Living Out the Message

1:19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! ¹²  Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.

James 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From James, ¹³  a slave ¹⁴  of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. ¹⁵  Greetings!

James 2:1-2

Prejudice and the Law of Love

2:1 My brothers and sisters, ¹⁶  do not show prejudice ¹⁷  if you possess faith ¹⁸  in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁹  2:2 For if someone ²⁰  comes into your assembly ²¹  wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes,

[10:33]  ¹ tn Grk “you have done well by coming.” The idiom καλῶς ποιεῖν (kalw" poiein) is translated “be kind enough to do someth.” by BDAG 505-6 s.v. καλῶς 4.a. The participle παραγενόμενος (paragenomeno") has been translated as an English infinitive due to the nature of the English idiom (“kind enough to” + infinitive).

[10:33]  ² tn The translation “we are here in the presence of God” for ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ πάρεσμεν (enwpion tou qeou paresmen) is given by BDAG 773 s.v. πάρειμι 1.a.

[10:33]  ³ tn Or “to hear everything.”

[10:33]  ⁴ tn The words “to say to us” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Cornelius knows Peter is God’s representative, bringing God’s message.

[17:11]  ⁵ tn Grk “These”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue at Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:11]  ⁶ tn Or “more willing to learn.” L&N 27.48 and BDAG 404 s.v. εὐγενής 2 both use the term “open-minded” here. The point is that they were more receptive to Paul’s message.

[17:11]  ⁷ sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).

[17:11]  ⁸ tn Or “willingly,” “readily”; Grk “with all eagerness.”

[17:11]  ⁹ tn Grk “who received.” Here the relative pronoun (“who”) has been translated as a pronoun (“they”) preceded by a semicolon, which is less awkward in contemporary English than a relative clause at this point.

[17:11]  ¹⁰ tn This verb (BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω 1) refers to careful examination.

[17:11]  ¹¹ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[1:19]  ¹² tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[1:1]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ 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.

[2:1]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[2:1]  ¹⁷ tn Or “partiality.”

[2:1]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “do not have faith with personal prejudice,” with emphasis on the last phrase.

[2:1]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “our Lord Jesus Christ of glory.” Here δόξης (doxhs) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[2:2]  ²⁰ tn The word for “man” or “individual” here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But as BDAG 79 s.v. 2 says, “equivalent to τὶς someone.”

[2:2]  ²¹ tn Grk “synagogue.” Usually συναγωγή refers to Jewish places of worship (e.g., Matt 4:23, Mark 1:21, Luke 4:15, John 6:59). The word can be used generally to refer to a place of assembly, and here it refers specifically to a Christian assembly (BDAG 963 s.v. 2.b.).