Acts 8:21

8:21 You have no share or part ¹  in this matter ²  because your heart is not right before God!

Psalms 78:35-37

78:35 They remembered that God was their protector, ³ 

and that the sovereign God was their deliverer. ⁴ 

78:36 But they deceived him with their words, ⁵ 

and lied to him. ⁶ 

78:37 They were not really committed to him, ⁷ 

and they were unfaithful to his covenant.

Psalms 106:12-13

106:12 They believed his promises; ⁸ 

they sang praises to him.

106:13 They quickly forgot what he had done; ⁹ 

they did not wait for his instructions. ¹⁰ 

Luke 8:13

8:13 Those ¹¹  on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, ¹²  but ¹³  in a time of testing ¹⁴  fall away. ¹⁵ 

John 2:23-25

Jesus at the Passover Feast

2:23 Now while Jesus ¹⁶  was in Jerusalem ¹⁷  at the feast of the Passover, many people believed in his name because they saw the miraculous signs he was doing. ¹⁸  2:24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people. ¹⁹  2:25 He did not need anyone to testify about man, ²⁰  for he knew what was in man. ²¹ 

John 8:30-31

8:30 While he was saying these things, many people ²²  believed in him.

Abraham’s Children and the Devil’s Children

8:31 Then Jesus said to those Judeans ²³  who had believed him, “If you continue to follow my teaching, ²⁴  you are really ²⁵  my disciples

James 2:19-26

2:19 You believe that God is one; well and good. ²⁶  Even the demons believe that – and tremble with fear. ²⁷ 

2:20 But would you like evidence, ²⁸  you empty fellow, ²⁹  that faith without works is useless? ³⁰  2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 2:22 You see that his faith was working together with his works and his faith was perfected by works. 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Now Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness,” ³¹  and he was called God’s friend. ³²  2:24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 2:25 And similarly, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another way? 2:26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

[8:21]  ¹ tn The translation “share or part” is given by L&N 63.13.

[8:21]  ² tn Since the semantic range for λόγος (logos) is so broad, a number of different translations could be given for the prepositional phrase here. Something along the lines of “in this thing” would work well, but is too colloquial for the present translation.

[78:35]  ³ tn Heb “my high rocky summit.”

[78:35]  ⁴ tn Heb “and [that] God Most High [was] their redeemer.”

[78:36]  ⁵ tn Heb “with their mouth.”

[78:36]  ⁶ tn Heb “and with their tongue they lied to him.”

[78:37]  ⁷ tn Heb “and their heart was not firm with him.”

[106:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “his words.”

[106:13]  ⁹ tn Heb “his works.”

[106:13]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “his counsel.”

[8:13]  ¹¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[8:13]  ¹² sn This time of temporary faith represented by the description believe for a while is presented rather tragically in the passage. The seed does not get a chance to do all it can.

[8:13]  ¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[8:13]  ¹⁴ tn Traditionally, “temptation.” Such a translation puts the emphasis on temptation to sin rather than testing of faith, which is what the context seems to indicate.

[8:13]  ¹⁵ sn Fall away. On the idea of falling away and the warnings against it, see 2 Tim 3:1; Heb 3:12; Jer 3:14; Dan 9:9.

[2:23]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:23]  ¹⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:23]  ¹⁸ sn Because they saw the miraculous signs he was doing. The issue here is not whether their faith was genuine or not, but what its object was. These individuals, after seeing the miracles, believed Jesus to be the Messiah. They most likely saw in him a political-eschatological figure of some sort. That does not, however, mean that their concept of “Messiah” was the same as Jesus’ own, or the author’s.

[2:24]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “all.” The word “people” has been supplied for clarity, since the Greek word πάντας (pantas) is masculine plural (thus indicating people rather than things).

[2:25]  ²⁰ tn The masculine form has been retained here in the translation to maintain the connection with “a man of the Pharisees” in 3:1, with the understanding that the reference is to people of both genders.

[2:25]  ²¹ tn See previous note on “man” in this verse.

[8:30]  ²² tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity and smoothness in the translation.

[8:31]  ²³ tn Grk “to the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory (i.e., “Judeans”), the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9; also BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e.) Here the phrase refers to the Jewish people in Jerusalem who had been listening to Jesus’ teaching in the temple and had believed his claim to be the Messiah, hence, “those Judeans who had believed him.” The term “Judeans” is preferred here to the more general “people” because the debate concerns descent from Abraham (v. 33).

[8:31]  ²⁴ tn Grk “If you continue in my word.”

[8:31]  ²⁵ tn Or “truly.”

[2:19]  ²⁶ tn Grk “you do well.”

[2:19]  ²⁷ tn Grk “believe and tremble.” The words “with fear” are implied.

[2:20]  ²⁸ tn Grk “do you want to know.”

[2:20]  ²⁹ tn Grk “O empty man.” Here the singular vocative ἄνθρωπε (anqrwpe, “man”) means “person” or even “fellow.” Cf. BDAG 82 s.v. ἄνθρωπος 8 which views this as an instance of rhetorical address in a letter; the pejorative sense is also discussed under the previous heading (7).

[2:20]  ³⁰ tc Most witnesses, including several important ones (א A C² P Ψ 33 Ï sy bo), have νεκρά (nekra, “dead”) here, while Ì⁷⁴ reads κενή (kenh, “empty”). Both variants are most likely secondary, derived from ἀργή (argh, “useless”). The reading of the majority is probably an assimilation to the statements in vv. 17 and 26, while Ì⁷⁴’s reading picks up on κενέ (kene) earlier in the verse. The external evidence (B C* 323 945 1739 sa) for ἀργή is sufficient for authenticity; coupled with the strong internal evidence for the reading (if νεκρά were original, how would ἀργή have arisen here and not in vv. 17 or 26?), it is strongly preferred.

[2:23]  ³¹ sn A quotation from Gen 15:6.

[2:23]  ³² sn An allusion to 2 Chr 20:7; Isa 41:8; 51:2; Dan 3:35 (LXX), in which Abraham is called God’s “beloved.”