Acts 10:2

10:2 He ¹  was a devout, God-fearing man, ²  as was all his household; he did many acts of charity for the people ³  and prayed to God regularly.

Genesis 24:1-10

The Wife for Isaac

24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, ⁴  and the Lord had blessed him ⁵  in everything. 24:2 Abraham said to his servant, the senior one ⁶  in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh ⁷  24:3 so that I may make you solemnly promise ⁸  by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire ⁹  a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living. 24:4 You must go instead to my country and to my relatives ¹⁰  to find ¹¹  a wife for my son Isaac.”

24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me ¹²  to this land? Must I then ¹³  take your son back to the land from which you came?”

24:6 “Be careful ¹⁴  never to take my son back there!” Abraham told him. ¹⁵  24:7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my relatives, ¹⁶  promised me with a solemn oath, ¹⁷  ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ He will send his angel ¹⁸  before you so that you may find ¹⁹  a wife for my son from there. 24:8 But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, ²⁰  you will be free ²¹  from this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!” 24:9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave his solemn promise he would carry out his wishes. ²² 

24:10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all kinds of gifts from his master at his disposal. ²³  He journeyed ²⁴  to the region of Aram Naharaim ²⁵  and the city of Nahor.

Genesis 24:52

24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord.

Jude 1:10

1:10 But these men do not understand the things they slander, and they are being destroyed by the very things that, like irrational animals, they instinctively comprehend. ²⁶ 

Jude 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Jude, ²⁷  a slave ²⁸  of Jesus Christ and brother of James, ²⁹  to those who are called, wrapped in the love of ³⁰  God the Father and kept for ³¹  Jesus Christ.

Jude 1:6-7

1:6 You also know that ³²  the angels who did not keep within their proper domain ³³  but abandoned their own place of residence, he has kept ³⁴  in eternal chains ³⁵  in utter ³⁶  darkness, locked up ³⁷  for the judgment of the great Day. 1:7 So also ³⁸  Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring towns, ³⁹  since they indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire ⁴⁰  in a way similar to ⁴¹  these angels, ⁴²  are now displayed as an example by suffering the punishment of eternal fire.

Jude 1:1-2

Salutation

1:1 From Jude, ⁴³  a slave ⁴⁴  of Jesus Christ and brother of James, ⁴⁵  to those who are called, wrapped in the love of ⁴⁶  God the Father and kept for ⁴⁷  Jesus Christ. 1:2 May mercy, peace, and love be lavished on you! ⁴⁸ 

Philemon 1:16

1:16 no longer as a slave, ⁴⁹  but more than a slave, as a dear brother. He is especially so to me, and even more so to you now, both humanly speaking ⁵⁰  and in the Lord.

[10:2]  ¹ tn In the Greek text this represents a continuation of the previous sentence. Because of the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was begun here in the translation.

[10:2]  ² sn The description of Cornelius as a devout, God-fearing man probably means that he belonged to the category called “God-fearers,” Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel and in many cases kept the Mosaic law, but did not take the final step of circumcision necessary to become a proselyte to Judaism. See further K. G. Kuhn, TDNT 6:732-34, 43-44, and Sir 11:17; 27:11; 39:27.

[10:2]  ³ tn Or “gave many gifts to the poor.” This was known as “giving alms,” or acts of mercy (Sir 7:10; BDAG 315-16 s.v. ἐλεημοσύνη).

[24:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “days.”

[24:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.

[24:2]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew term זָקֵן (zaqen) may refer to the servant who is oldest in age or senior in authority (or both).

[24:2]  ⁷ sn Put your hand under my thigh. The taking of this oath had to do with the sanctity of the family and the continuation of the family line. See D. R. Freedman, “Put Your Hand Under My Thigh – the Patriarchal Oath,” BAR 2 (1976): 2-4, 42.

[24:3]  ⁸ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose.

[24:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “because you must not take.”

[24:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “for to my country and my relatives you must go.”

[24:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and take.”

[24:5]  ¹² tn Heb “to go after me.”

[24:5]  ¹³ tn In the Hebrew text the construction is emphatic; the infinitive absolute precedes the imperfect. However, it is difficult to reflect this emphasis in an English translation.

[24:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “guard yourself.”

[24:6]  ¹⁵ tn The introductory clause “And Abraham said to him” has been moved to the end of the opening sentence of direct discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:7]  ¹⁶ tn Or “the land of my birth.”

[24:7]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying.”

[24:7]  ¹⁸ tn Or “his messenger.”

[24:7]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “before you and you will take.”

[24:8]  ²⁰ tn Heb “ to go after you.”

[24:8]  ²¹ sn You will be free. If the prospective bride was not willing to accompany the servant back to Canaan, the servant would be released from his oath to Abraham.

[24:9]  ²² tn Heb “and he swore to him concerning this matter.”

[24:10]  ²³ tn Heb “and every good thing of his master was in his hand.” The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, explaining that he took all kinds of gifts to be used at his discretion.

[24:10]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and he arose and went.”

[24:10]  ²⁵ tn The words “the region of” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[1:10]  ²⁶ tn Or “they should naturally comprehend.” The present tense in this context may have a conative force.

[1:1]  ²⁷ tn Grk “Judas,” traditionally “Jude” in English versions to distinguish him from the one who betrayed Jesus. The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ²⁸ tn 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.). At the same time, perhaps “servant” is apt in that the δοῦλος of Jesus Christ took on that role voluntarily, unlike a slave. 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]  ²⁹ sn Although Jude was half-brother of Jesus, he humbly associates himself with James, his full brother. By first calling himself a slave of Jesus Christ, it is evident that he wants no one to place stock in his physical connections. At the same time, he must identify himself further: Since Jude was a common name in the 1st century (two of Jesus’ disciples were so named, including his betrayer), more information was needed, that is to say, brother of James.

[1:1]  ³⁰ tn Grk “loved in.” The perfect passive participle suggests that the audience’s relationship to God is not recent; the preposition ἐν (en) before πατρί (patri) could be taken as sphere or instrument (agency is unlikely, however). Another possible translation would be “dear to God.”

[1:1]  ³¹ tn Or “by.” Datives of agency are quite rare in the NT (and other ancient Greek), almost always found with a perfect verb. Although this text qualifies, in light of the well-worn idiom of τηρέω (threw) in eschatological contexts, in which God or Christ keeps the believer safe until the parousia (cf. 1 Thess 5:23; 1 Pet 1:4; Rev 3:10; other terms meaning “to guard,” “to keep” are also found in similar eschatological contexts [cf. 2 Thess 3:3; 2 Tim 1:12; 1 Pet 1:5; Jude 24]), it is probably better to understand this verse as having such an eschatological tinge. It is at the same time possible that Jude’s language was intentionally ambiguous, implying both ideas (“kept by Jesus Christ [so that they might be] kept for Jesus Christ”). Elsewhere he displays a certain fondness for wordplays; this may be a hint of things to come.

[1:6]  ³² tn Grk “and.” Verse 6 is a continuation of the same sentence begun in v. 5. Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:6]  ³³ tn Grk “who did not keep their own domain.”

[1:6]  ³⁴ sn There is an interesting play on words used in this verse. Because the angels did not keep their proper place, Jesus has kept them chained up in another place. The same verb keep is used in v. 1 to describe believers’ status before God and Christ.

[1:6]  ³⁵ sn In 2 Pet 2:4 a less common word for chains is used.

[1:6]  ³⁶ tn The word ζόφος (zofos, “utter, deepest darkness”) is used only five times in the NT: two in 2 Peter, two in Jude, and one in Hebrews. Jude 6 parallels 2 Pet 2:4; Jude 13 parallels 2 Pet 2:17.

[1:6]  ³⁷ tn The words “locked up” are not in Greek, but is expressed in English as a resumptive point after the double prepositional phrase (“in eternal chains in utter darkness”).

[1:7]  ³⁸ tn Grk “as.”

[1:7]  ³⁹ tn Grk “the towns [or cities] surrounding them.”

[1:7]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “strange flesh.” This phrase has been variously interpreted. It could refer to flesh of another species (such as angels lusting after human flesh). This would aptly describe the sin of the angels, but not easily explain the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. It could refer to the homosexual practices of the Sodomites, but a difficulty arises from the use of ἕτερος ({etero"; “strange,” “other”). When this is to be distinguished from ἄλλος (allos, “another”) it suggests “another of a different kind.” If so, would that properly describe homosexual behavior? In response, the language could easily be compact: “pursued flesh other than what was normally pursued.” However, would this find an analogy in the lust of angels (such would imply that angels normally had sexual relations of some sort, but cf. Matt 22:30)? Another alternative is that the focus of the parallel is on the activity of the surrounding cities and the activity of the angels. This is especially plausible since the participles ἐκπορνεύσασαι (ekporneusasai, “having indulged in sexual immorality”) and ἀπελθοῦσαι (apelqousai, “having pursued”) have concord with “cities” (πόλεις, poleis), a feminine plural noun, rather than with Sodom and Gomorrah (both masculine nouns). If so, then their sin would not necessarily have to be homosexuality. However, most likely the feminine participles are used because of constructio ad sensum (construction according to sense). That is, since both Sodom and Gomorrah are cities, the feminine is used to imply that all the cities are involved. The connection with angels thus seems to be somewhat loose: Both angels and Sodom and Gomorrah indulged in heinous sexual immorality. Thus, whether the false teachers indulge in homosexual activity is not the point; mere sexual immorality is enough to condemn them.

[1:7]  ⁴¹ tn Or “in the same way as.”

[1:7]  ⁴² tn “Angels” is not in the Greek text; but the masculine demonstrative pronoun most likely refers back to the angels of v. 6.

[1:1]  ⁴³ tn Grk “Judas,” traditionally “Jude” in English versions to distinguish him from the one who betrayed Jesus. The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ⁴⁴ tn 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.). At the same time, perhaps “servant” is apt in that the δοῦλος of Jesus Christ took on that role voluntarily, unlike a slave. 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]  ⁴⁵ sn Although Jude was half-brother of Jesus, he humbly associates himself with James, his full brother. By first calling himself a slave of Jesus Christ, it is evident that he wants no one to place stock in his physical connections. At the same time, he must identify himself further: Since Jude was a common name in the 1st century (two of Jesus’ disciples were so named, including his betrayer), more information was needed, that is to say, brother of James.

[1:1]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “loved in.” The perfect passive participle suggests that the audience’s relationship to God is not recent; the preposition ἐν (en) before πατρί (patri) could be taken as sphere or instrument (agency is unlikely, however). Another possible translation would be “dear to God.”

[1:1]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “by.” Datives of agency are quite rare in the NT (and other ancient Greek), almost always found with a perfect verb. Although this text qualifies, in light of the well-worn idiom of τηρέω (threw) in eschatological contexts, in which God or Christ keeps the believer safe until the parousia (cf. 1 Thess 5:23; 1 Pet 1:4; Rev 3:10; other terms meaning “to guard,” “to keep” are also found in similar eschatological contexts [cf. 2 Thess 3:3; 2 Tim 1:12; 1 Pet 1:5; Jude 24]), it is probably better to understand this verse as having such an eschatological tinge. It is at the same time possible that Jude’s language was intentionally ambiguous, implying both ideas (“kept by Jesus Christ [so that they might be] kept for Jesus Christ”). Elsewhere he displays a certain fondness for wordplays; this may be a hint of things to come.

[1:2]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “may mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.”

[1:16]  ⁴⁹ tn Although the Greek word δοῦλος (doulos) is sometimes translated “servant” here (so KJV), the word “slave” is a much more candid and realistic picture of the relationship between Philemon and Onesimus. In the Greco-Roman world of the 1st century the slave was considered a “living tool” of the master. The slave was “property” in every sense of the word. This understanding heightens the tense scenario that is in view here. It is likely that Onesimus may have even feared for his life upon returning to Colossae. Undoubtedly Paul has asked this runaway slave to return to what could amount to a potentially severe and life-endangering situation.

[1:16]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “in the flesh.”