Acts 10:4

10:4 Staring at him and becoming greatly afraid, Cornelius ¹  replied, ²  “What is it, Lord?” The angel ³  said to him, “Your prayers and your acts of charity ⁴  have gone up as a memorial ⁵  before God.

Acts 10:22

10:22 They said, “Cornelius the centurion, ⁶  a righteous ⁷  and God-fearing man, well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, ⁸  was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear a message ⁹  from you.”

Acts 10:31

10:31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your acts of charity ¹⁰  have been remembered before God. ¹¹ 

Acts 9:36

Peter Raises Dorcas

9:36 Now in Joppa ¹²  there was a disciple named Tabitha (which in translation means ¹³  Dorcas). ¹⁴  She was continually doing good deeds and acts of charity. ¹⁵ 

Psalms 41:1

Psalm 41 ¹⁶ 

For the music director; a psalm of David.

41:1 How blessed ¹⁷  is the one who treats the poor properly! ¹⁸ 

When trouble comes, ¹⁹  the Lord delivers him. ²⁰ 

Isaiah 58:7-8

58:7 I want you ²¹  to share your food with the hungry

and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. ²² 

When you see someone naked, clothe him!

Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood! ²³ 

58:8 Then your light will shine like the sunrise; ²⁴ 

your restoration will quickly arrive; ²⁵ 

your godly behavior ²⁶  will go before you,

and the Lord’s splendor will be your rear guard. ²⁷ 

Luke 7:4-5

7:4 When ²⁸  they came ²⁹  to Jesus, they urged ³⁰  him earnestly, ³¹  “He is worthy ³²  to have you do this for him, 7:5 because he loves our nation, ³³  and even ³⁴  built our synagogue.” ³⁵ 

Romans 15:26-27

15:26 For Macedonia and Achaia are pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. 15:27 For they were pleased to do this, and indeed they are indebted to the Jerusalem saints. ³⁶  For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are obligated also to minister to them in material things.

Romans 15:2

15:2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up.

Colossians 1:8-15

1:8 who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, ³⁷  have not ceased praying for you and asking God ³⁸  to fill ³⁹  you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 1:10 so that you may live ⁴⁰  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ⁴¹  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, 1:11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of ⁴²  all patience and steadfastness, joyfully 1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share ⁴³  in the saints’ ⁴⁴  inheritance in the light. 1:13 He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, ⁴⁵  1:14 in whom we have redemption, ⁴⁶  the forgiveness of sins.

The Supremacy of Christ

1:15 ⁴⁷ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn ⁴⁸  over all creation, ⁴⁹ 

[10:4]  ¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Cornelius) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:4]  ² tn Grk “said,” but in response to the angel’s address, “replied” is better English style.

[10:4]  ³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:4]  ⁴ tn Or “your gifts to the needy.”

[10:4]  ⁵ sn The language used in the expression gone up as a memorial before God parallels what one would say of acceptable sacrifices (Ps 141:2; Sir 35:6; 50:16).

[10:22]  ⁶ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[10:22]  ⁷ tn Or “just.”

[10:22]  ⁸ tn The phrase τοῦ ἔθνους τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων (tou eqnou" twn Ioudaiwn) is virtually a technical term for the Jewish nation (1 Macc 10:25; 11:30, 33; Josephus, Ant. 14.10.22 [14.248]). “All the Jewish people,” while another possible translation of the Greek phrase, does not convey the technical sense of a reference to the nation in English.

[10:22]  ⁹ tn Grk “hear words.”

[10:31]  ¹⁰ tn Or “your gifts to the needy.”

[10:31]  ¹¹ sn This statement is a paraphrase rather than an exact quotation of Acts 10:4.

[9:36]  ¹² sn Joppa was a seaport on the Philistine coast, in the same location as modern Jaffa. “Though Joppa never became a major seaport, it was of some importance as a logistical base and an outlet to the Mediterranean” (A. F. Rainey, ISBE 2:1118-19).

[9:36]  ¹³ tn Grk “which being translated is called.” In English this would normally be expressed “which is translated as” or “which in translation means.” The second option is given by L&N 33.145.

[9:36]  ¹⁴ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Dorcas is the Greek translation of the Aramaic name Tabitha. Dorcas in Greek means “gazelle” or “deer.”

[9:36]  ¹⁵ tn Or “and helping the poor.” Grk “She was full of good deeds and acts of charity which she was continually doing.” Since it is somewhat redundant in English to say “she was full of good deeds…which she was continually doing,” the translation has been simplified to “she was continually doing good deeds and acts of charity.” The imperfect verb ἐποίει (epoiei) has been translated as a progressive imperfect (“was continually doing”).

[41:1]  ¹⁶ sn Psalm 41. The psalmist is confident (vv. 11-12) that the Lord has heard his request to be healed (vv. 4-10), and he anticipates the joy he will experience when the Lord intervenes (vv. 1-3). One must assume that the psalmist is responding to a divine oracle of assurance (see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 319-20). The final verse is a fitting conclusion to this psalm, but it is also serves as a fitting conclusion to the first “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the second, third, and fourth “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 72:19, 89:52, and 106:48 respectively).

[41:1]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).

[41:1]  ¹⁸ sn One who treats the poor properly. The psalmist is characterizing himself as such an individual and supplying a reason why God has responded favorably to his prayer. The Lord’s attitude toward the merciful mirrors their treatment of the poor.

[41:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “in the day of trouble” (see Ps 27:5).

[41:1]  ²⁰ tn That is, the one who has been kind to the poor. The prefixed verbal form could be taken as jussive of prayer (“may the Lord deliver,” see v. 2), but the preceding parallel line is a declaration of fact, not a prayer per se. The imperfect can be taken here as future (“will deliver,” cf. NEB, NASB) or as generalizing (“delivers,” cf. NIV, NRSV). The parallel line, which has a generalizing tone, favors the latter. At the same time, though the psalmist uses a generalizing style here, he clearly has himself primarily in view.

[58:7]  ²¹ tn Heb “Is it not?” The rhetorical question here expects a positive answer, “It is!”

[58:7]  ²² tn Heb “and afflicted [ones], homeless [ones] you should bring [into] a house.” On the meaning of מְרוּדִים (mÿrudim, “homeless”) see HALOT 633 s.v. *מָרוּד.

[58:7]  ²³ tn Heb “and from your flesh do not hide yourself.”

[58:8]  ²⁴ tn Heb “will burst out like the dawn.”

[58:8]  ²⁵ tn Heb “prosper”; KJV “spring forth speedily.”

[58:8]  ²⁶ tn Or “righteousness.” Their godly behavior will be on display for all to see.

[58:8]  ²⁷ sn The nation will experience God’s protective presence.

[7:4]  ²⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[7:4]  ²⁹ tn Although the participle παραγενόμενοι (paragenomenoi) is preceded by the Greek article (οἱ, Joi) which would normally cause it to be regarded as an adjectival or substantival participle, most modern translations, probably as a result of the necessities of contemporary English style, render it as a temporal participle (“when they came”).

[7:4]  ³⁰ tn Or “implored.”

[7:4]  ³¹ tn Grk “urged him earnestly, saying”; the participle λέγοντες (legontes) is pleonastic (redundant) and has not been translated.

[7:4]  ³² tn Grk “Worthy is he to have you do this”; the term “worthy” comes first in the direct discourse and is emphatic.

[7:5]  ³³ tn Or “people.” The use of ἔθνος (eqnos, “nation”) here instead of “God” probably meant the man was not a full proselyte, but that he had simply been supportive of the Jews and their culture. He could have been a God-fearer. The Romans saw a stable religious community as politically helpful and often supported it (Josephus, Ant. 16.6.2 [16.162-165], 19.6.3 [19.300-311]).

[7:5]  ³⁴ tn In the Greek text, the pronoun αὐτός (autos) is included, making this emphatic. Naturally the force of this statement is causative, meaning the centurion either had the synagogue built or donated the cost of its construction.

[7:5]  ³⁵ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.

[15:27]  ³⁶ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the Jerusalem saints) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ³⁷ 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]  ³⁸ 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]  ³⁹ 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.

[1:10]  ⁴⁰ tn The infinitive περιπατῆσαι (peripathsai, “to walk, to live, to live one’s life”) is best taken as an infinitive of purpose related to “praying” (προσευχόμενοι, proseucomenoi) and “asking” (αἰτούμενοι, aitoumenoi) in v. 9 and is thus translated as “that you may live.”

[1:10]  ⁴¹ tn BDAG 129 s.v. ἀρεσκεία states that ἀρεσκείαν (areskeian) refers to a “desire to please εἰς πᾶσαν ἀ. to please (the Lord) in all respects Col 1:10.”

[1:11]  ⁴² tn The expression “for the display of” is an attempt to convey in English the force of the Greek preposition εἰς (eis) in this context.

[1:12]  ⁴³ tn BDAG 473 s.v. ἱκανόω states, “τινὰ εἴς τι someone for someth. Col 1:12.” The point of the text is that God has qualified the saints for a “share” or “portion” in the inheritance of the saints.

[1:12]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “the inheritance of the saints.” The genitive noun τῶν ἁγίων (twn Jagiwn) is a possessive genitive: “the saints’ inheritance.”

[1:13]  ⁴⁵ tn Here αὐτοῦ (autou) has been translated as a subjective genitive (“he loves”).

[1:14]  ⁴⁶ tc διὰ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ (dia tou {aimato" autou, “through his blood”) is read at this juncture by several minuscule mss (614 630 1505 2464 al) as well as a few, mostly secondary, versional and patristic witnesses. But the reading was prompted by the parallel in Eph 1:7 where the wording is solid. If these words had been in the original of Colossians, why would scribes omit them here but not in Eph 1:7? Further, the testimony on behalf of the shorter reading is quite overwhelming: {א A B C D F G Ψ 075 0150 6 33 1739 1881 Ï latt co as well as several other versions and fathers}. The conviction that “through his blood” is not authentic in Col 1:14 is as strong as the conviction that these words are authentic in Eph 1:7.

[1:15]  ⁴⁷ sn This passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.

[1:15]  ⁴⁸ tn The Greek term πρωτότοκος (prwtotokos) could refer either to first in order of time, such as a first born child, or it could refer to one who is preeminent in rank. M. J. Harris, Colossians and Philemon (EGGNT), 43, expresses the meaning of the word well: “The ‘firstborn’ was either the eldest child in a family or a person of preeminent rank. The use of this term to describe the Davidic king in Ps 88:28 LXX (=Ps 89:27 EVV), ‘I will also appoint him my firstborn (πρωτότοκον), the most exalted of the kings of the earth,’ indicates that it can denote supremacy in rank as well as priority in time. But whether the πρωτό- element in the word denotes time, rank, or both, the significance of the -τοκος element as indicating birth or origin (from τίκτω, give birth to) has been virtually lost except in ref. to lit. birth.” In Col 1:15 the emphasis is on the priority of Jesus’ rank as over and above creation (cf. 1:16 and the “for” clause referring to Jesus as Creator).

[1:15]  ⁴⁹ tn The genitive construction πάσης κτίσεως (pash" ktisew") is a genitive of subordination and is therefore translated as “over all creation.” See ExSyn 103-4.