Acts 17:11-12

17:11 These Jews ¹  were more open-minded ²  than those in Thessalonica, ³  for they eagerly ⁴  received ⁵  the message, examining ⁶  the scriptures carefully every day ⁷  to see if these things were so. 17:12 Therefore many of them believed, along with quite a few ⁸  prominent ⁹  Greek women and men.

Acts 28:28

28:28 “Therefore be advised ¹⁰  that this salvation from God ¹¹  has been sent to the Gentiles; ¹²  they ¹³  will listen!”

Deuteronomy 5:25-29

5:25 But now, why should we die, because this intense fire will consume us! If we keep hearing the voice of the Lord our God we will die! 5:26 Who is there from the entire human race ¹⁴  who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the middle of the fire as we have, and has lived? 5:27 You go near so that you can hear everything the Lord our God is saying and then you can tell us whatever he ¹⁵  says to you; then we will pay attention and do it.” 5:28 When the Lord heard you speaking to me, he ¹⁶  said to me, “I have heard what these people have said to you – they have spoken well. 5:29 If only it would really be their desire to fear me and obey ¹⁷  all my commandments in the future, so that it may go well with them and their descendants forever.

Deuteronomy 5:2

5:2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.

Deuteronomy 30:12

30:12 It is not in heaven, as though one must say, “Who will go up to heaven to get it for us and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”

Proverbs 1:5

1:5 (Let the wise also ¹⁸  hear ¹⁹  and gain ²⁰  instruction,

and let the discerning ²¹  acquire ²²  guidance! ²³ )

Proverbs 9:9-10

9:9 Give instruction ²⁴  to a wise person, ²⁵  and he will become wiser still;

teach ²⁶  a righteous person and he will add to his ²⁷  learning.

9:10 The beginning ²⁸  of wisdom is to fear the Lord, ²⁹ 

and acknowledging ³⁰  the Holy One ³¹  is understanding.

Proverbs 18:15

18:15 The discerning person ³²  acquires knowledge,

and the wise person ³³  seeks ³⁴  knowledge.

Proverbs 25:12

25:12 Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold, ³⁵ 

so is a wise reprover to the ear of the one who listens. ³⁶ 

Matthew 18:4

18:4 Whoever then humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 19:30

19:30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Mark 10:15

10:15 I tell you the truth, ³⁷  whoever does not receive ³⁸  the kingdom of God like a child ³⁹  will never ⁴⁰  enter it.”

Mark 10:1

Divorce

10:1 Then ⁴¹  Jesus ⁴²  left that place and went to the region of Judea and ⁴³  beyond the Jordan River. ⁴⁴  Again crowds gathered to him, and again, as was his custom, he taught them.

Colossians 3:18

Exhortation to Households

3:18 Wives, submit to your ⁴⁵  husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

Galatians 4:14

4:14 and though my physical condition put you to the test, you did not despise or reject me. ⁴⁶  Instead, you welcomed me as though I were an angel of God, ⁴⁷  as though I were Christ Jesus himself! ⁴⁸ 

Galatians 4:1

4:1 Now I mean that the heir, as long as he is a minor, ⁴⁹  is no different from a slave, though he is the owner ⁵⁰  of everything.

Galatians 2:13

2:13 And the rest of the Jews also joined with him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray with them ⁵¹  by their hypocrisy.

James 1:19

Living Out the Message

1:19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! ⁵²  Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.

James 1:21

1:21 So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly ⁵³  welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls.

James 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From James, ⁵⁴  a slave ⁵⁵  of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. ⁵⁶  Greetings!

James 2:1-2

Prejudice and the Law of Love

2:1 My brothers and sisters, ⁵⁷  do not show prejudice ⁵⁸  if you possess faith ⁵⁹  in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. ⁶⁰  2:2 For if someone ⁶¹  comes into your assembly ⁶²  wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes,

[17:11]  ¹ tn Grk “These”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue at Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:11]  ² 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]  ³ sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).

[17:11]  ⁴ tn Or “willingly,” “readily”; Grk “with all eagerness.”

[17:11]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn This verb (BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω 1) refers to careful examination.

[17:11]  ⁷ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[17:12]  ⁸ tn Grk “not a few”; this use of negation could be misleading to the modern English reader, however, and so has been translated as “quite a few” (which is the actual meaning of the expression).

[17:12]  ⁹ tn Or “respected.”

[28:28]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “Therefore let it be known to you.”

[28:28]  ¹¹ tn Or “of God.”

[28:28]  ¹² sn The term Gentiles is in emphatic position in the Greek text of this clause. Once again there is the pattern: Jewish rejection of the gospel leads to an emphasis on Gentile inclusion (Acts 13:44-47).

[28:28]  ¹³ tn Grk “they also.”

[5:26]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “who is there of all flesh.”

[5:27]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the Lord our God.” See note on “He” in 5:3.

[5:28]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “He” in 5:3.

[5:29]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “keep” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[1:5]  ¹⁸ tn The term “also” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.

[1:5]  ¹⁹ tn The verb יִשְׁמַע (yishma’) functions as a jussive of advice or counsel (“Let him hear!”) rather than a customary imperfect (“he will hear”). The jussive is supported by the parallelism with the following Hiphil jussive וְיוֹסֶף (vÿyosef, “Let him add!”).

[1:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “add.”

[1:5]  ²¹ tn The Niphal substantival participle נָבוֹן (navon, “discerning”), rather than the noun, is used to describe a person who is habitually characterized by discernment. 1:5 forms a striking contrast to 1:4 – there was the simpleton and the youth, here the wise and discerning. Both need this book.

[1:5]  ²² tn The Hiphil verb וְיוֹסֶף (vÿyosef) is a jussive rather than an imperfect as the final short vowel (segol) and accent on the first syllable shows (BDB 415 s.v. יָסַף Hiph).

[1:5]  ²³ tn The noun תַּחְבֻּלָה (takhbulah, “direction; counsel”) refers to moral guidance (BDB 287 s.v.). It is related to חֹבֵל (khovel, “sailor”), חִבֵּל (khibel, “mast”) and חֶבֶל (khevel, “rope; cord”), so BDB suggests it originally meant directing a ship by pulling ropes on the mast. It is used in a concrete sense of God directing the path of clouds (Job 37:12) and in a figurative sense of moral guidance (Prov 11:14; 20:18; 24:6). Here it refers to the ability to steer a right course through life (A. Cohen, Proverbs, 2).

[9:9]  ²⁴ tn The noun “instruction” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation.

[9:9]  ²⁵ sn The parallelism shows what Proverbs will repeatedly stress, that the wise person is the righteous person.

[9:9]  ²⁶ tn The Hiphil verb normally means “to cause to know, make known”; but here the context suggests “to teach” (so many English versions).

[9:9]  ²⁷ tn The term “his” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for the sake of smoothness and clarity.

[9:10]  ²⁸ sn The difference between תְּחִלַּת (tÿkhillat) here and רֵאשִׁית (re’shit) of 1:7, if there is any substantial difference, is that this term refers to the starting point of wisdom, and the earlier one indicates the primary place of wisdom (K&D 16:202).

[9:10]  ²⁹ tn Heb “fear of the Lord.”

[9:10]  ³⁰ tn Heb “knowledge of the Holy One” (so ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[9:10]  ³¹ tn The word is in the plural in the Hebrew (literally “holy ones”; KJV “the holy”). It was translated “holy men” in Tg. Prov 9:10. But it probably was meant to signify the majestic nature of the Lord. As J. H. Greenstone says, he is “all-holy” (Proverbs, 94). This is an example of the plural of majesty, one of the honorific uses of the plural (see IBHS 122-23 §7.4.3b).

[18:15]  ³² tn Heb “discerning heart.” The term “heart” is a synecdoche of part (= heart) for the whole (= person); cf. TEV, NLT “intelligent people.” By paralleling “heart” and “ear” the proverb stresses the full acquisition of knowledge. The “ear” listens to instruction, and the heart considers what is heard to acquire knowledge.

[18:15]  ³³ tn Heb “the ear of the wise.” The term “ear” is a synecdoche of part (= ear) for the whole (= person): “wise person.”

[18:15]  ³⁴ sn This line features a mixed metaphor: The “ear” is pictured “seeking.” The “ear of the wise” actually means the wise person’s capacity to hear, and so the wise are seeking as they hear.

[25:12]  ³⁵ sn This saying is another example of emblematic parallelism; the first half is the simile, and the second half makes the point from it: A wise rebuke that is properly received is of lasting value. The rebuke in the ear of an obedient student is like ornaments of fine jewelry.

[25:12]  ³⁶ tn The “ear of the listener” refers to the obedient disciple, the one who complies with the reproof he hears. Cf. KJV, ASV, NAB “an obedient ear.”

[10:15]  ³⁷ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[10:15]  ³⁸ sn On receive see John 1:12.

[10:15]  ³⁹ sn The point of the comparison receive the kingdom of God like a child has more to do with a child’s trusting spirit and willingness to be dependent and receive from others than any inherent humility the child might possess.

[10:15]  ⁴⁰ tn The negation in Greek (οὐ μή, ou mh) is very strong here.

[10:1]  ⁴¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[10:1]  ⁴² tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:1]  ⁴³ tc Alexandrian and other witnesses (א B C* L Ψ 0274 892 2427 pc co) read καὶ πέραν (kai peran, “and beyond”), while Western and Caesarean witnesses (C² D W Δ Θ Ë^1,13 28 565 579 1241 al) read πέραν (simply “beyond”). It is difficult to decide between the Alexandrian and Western readings here, but since the parallel in Matt 19:1 omits καί the weight is slightly in favor of including it here; scribes may have omitted the word here to harmonize this passage to the Matthean passage. Because of the perceived geographical difficulties found in the earlier readings (omission of the word “and” would make it seem as though Judea is beyond the Jordan), the majority of the witnesses (A Ï) read διὰ τοῦ πέραν (dia tou peran, “through the other side”), perhaps trying to indicate the direction of Jesus’ travel.

[10:1]  ⁴⁴ tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity. The region referred to here is sometimes known as Transjordan (i.e., “across the Jordan”).

[3:18]  ⁴⁵ tn The article τοῖς (tois) with ἀνδράσιν (andrasin, “husbands”) has been translated as a possessive pronoun (“your”); see ExSyn 215.

[4:14]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “your trial in my flesh you did not despise or reject.”

[4:14]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “the angel of God.” Linguistically, “angel of God” is the same in both testaments (and thus, he is either “an angel of God” or “the angel of God” in both testaments). For arguments and implications, see ExSyn 252; M. J. Davidson, “Angels,” DJG, 9; W. G. MacDonald argues for “an angel” in both testaments: “Christology and ‘The Angel of the Lord’,” Current Issues in Biblical and Patristic Interpretation, 324-35.

[4:14]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “as an angel of God…as Christ Jesus.” This could be understood to mean either “you welcomed me like an angel of God would,” or “you welcomed me as though I were an angel of God.” In context only the second is accurate, so the translation has been phrased to indicate this.

[4:1]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “a small child.” The Greek term νήπιος (nhpios) refers to a young child, no longer a helpless infant but probably not more than three or four years old (L&N 9.43). The point in context, though, is that this child is too young to take any responsibility for the management of his assets.

[4:1]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “master” or “lord” (κύριος, kurios).

[2:13]  ⁵¹ tn The words “with them” are a reflection of the σύν- (sun-) prefix on the verb συναπήχθη (sunaphcqh; see L&N 31.76).

[1:19]  ⁵² tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[1:21]  ⁵³ tn Or “with meekness.”

[1:1]  ⁵⁴ 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]  ⁵⁵ 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]  ⁵⁶ 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]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[2:1]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “partiality.”

[2:1]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “do not have faith with personal prejudice,” with emphasis on the last phrase.

[2:1]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “our Lord Jesus Christ of glory.” Here δόξης (doxhs) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[2:2]  ⁶¹ 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]  ⁶² 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.).