Acts 9:13-14

9:13 But Ananias replied, ¹  “Lord, I have heard from many people ²  about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, 9:14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison ³  all who call on your name!” ⁴ 

Acts 21:20

21:20 When they heard this, they praised ⁵  God. Then they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews ⁶  there are who have believed, and they are all ardent observers ⁷  of the law. ⁸ 

Acts 22:13

22:13 came ⁹  to me and stood beside me ¹⁰  and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ ¹¹  And at that very moment ¹²  I looked up and saw him. ¹³ 

Genesis 45:4

45:4 Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me,” so they came near. Then he said, “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.

Luke 15:30

15:30 But when this son of yours ¹⁴  came back, who has devoured ¹⁵  your assets with prostitutes, ¹⁶  you killed the fattened calf ¹⁷  for him!’

Luke 15:32

15:32 It was appropriate ¹⁸  to celebrate and be glad, for your brother ¹⁹  was dead, and is alive; he was lost and is found.’” ²⁰ 

Romans 15:7

Exhortation to Mutual Acceptance

15:7 Receive one another, then, just as Christ also received you, to God’s glory.

Philemon 1:16

1:16 no longer as a slave, ²¹  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 ²²  and in the Lord.

Philemon 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ²³  a prisoner of Christ Jesus, ²⁴  and Timothy our ²⁵  brother, to Philemon, our dear friend ²⁶  and colaborer,

Philemon 1:22-23

1:22 At the same time also, prepare a place for me to stay, for I hope that through your prayers I will be given back to you.

Concluding Greetings

1:23 Epaphras, ²⁷  my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you.

[9:13]  ¹ sn Ananias replied. Past events might have suggested to Ananias that this was not good counsel, but like Peter in Acts 10, Ananias’ intuitions were wrong.

[9:13]  ² tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[9:14]  ³ tn Grk “to bind.”

[9:14]  ⁴ sn The expression “those who call on your name” is a frequent description of believers (Acts 2:21; 1 Cor 1:2; Rom 10:13).

[21:20]  ⁵ tn Or “glorified.”

[21:20]  ⁶ tn Grk “how many thousands there are among the Jews.”

[21:20]  ⁷ tn Or “are all zealous for the law.” BDAG 427 s.v. ζηλωτής 1.a.β has “of thing…τοῦ νόμου an ardent observer of the law Ac 21:20.”

[21:20]  ⁸ sn That is, the law of Moses. These Jewish Christians had remained close to their Jewish practices after becoming believers (1 Cor 7:18-19; Acts 16:3).

[22:13]  ⁹ tn Grk “coming.” The participle ἐλθών (elqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:13]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “coming to me and standing beside [me] said to me.” The participle ἐπιστάς (epistas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:13]  ¹¹ tn Grk “Brother Saul, look up” (here an idiom for regaining one’s sight). BDAG 59 s.v. ἀναβλέπω places this usage under 1, “look up Ac 22:13a. W. εἰς αὐτόν to show the direction of the glance…22:13b; but perh. this vs. belongs under 2a.” BDAG 59 s.v. 2.a.α states, “of blind persons, who were formerly able to see, regain sight.” The problem for the translator is deciding between the literal and the idiomatic usage and at the same time attempting to retain the wordplay in Acts 22:13: “[Ananias] said to me, ‘Look up!’ and at that very moment I looked up to him.” The assumption of the command is that the effort to look up will be worth it (through the regaining of sight).

[22:13]  ¹² tn Grk “hour,” but ὥρα (Jwra) is often used for indefinite short periods of time (so BDAG 1102-3 s.v. ὥρα 2.c: “αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ at that very time, at once, instantly…Lk 2:38, 24:33; Ac 16:18; 22:13”). A comparison with the account in Acts 9:18 indicates that this is clearly the meaning here.

[22:13]  ¹³ tn Grk “I looked up to him.”

[15:30]  ¹⁴ sn Note the younger son is not “my brother” but this son of yours (an expression with a distinctly pejorative nuance).

[15:30]  ¹⁵ sn This is another graphic description. The younger son’s consumption had been like a glutton. He had both figuratively and literally devoured the assets which were given to him.

[15:30]  ¹⁶ sn The charge concerning the prostitutes is unproven, but essentially the older brother accuses the father of committing an injustice by rewarding his younger son’s unrighteous behavior.

[15:30]  ¹⁷ sn See note on the phrase “fattened calf” in v. 23.

[15:32]  ¹⁸ tn Or “necessary.”

[15:32]  ¹⁹ sn By referring to him as your brother, the father reminded the older brother that the younger brother was part of the family.

[15:32]  ²⁰ sn The theme he was lost and is found is repeated from v. 24. The conclusion is open-ended. The reader is left to ponder with the older son (who pictures the scribes and Pharisees) what the response will be. The parable does not reveal the ultimate response of the older brother. Jesus argued that sinners should be pursued and received back warmly when they returned.

[1:16]  ²¹ 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]  ²² tn Grk “in the flesh.”

[1:1]  ²³ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ²⁴ sn The phrase a prisoner of Christ Jesus implies that Paul was being held prisoner because of his testimony for Christ Jesus. Paul’s imprisonment was due to his service to Christ, in the same manner as John was exiled to the Isle of Patmos because of his testimony (Rev 1:9).

[1:1]  ²⁵ tn “our” is not present in the Greek text, but was supplied to bring out the sense in English.

[1:1]  ²⁶ tn Grk “dear.” The adjective is functioning as a substantive; i.e., “dear one” or “dear friend.”

[1:23]  ²⁷ sn Epaphras is probably a shortened form of the name Epaphroditus. This is probably the same individual whom Paul spoke of as “my brother, coworker, and fellow soldier” in Phil 2:25 (see also Phil 4:18). He is also mentioned in Col 1:7 and 4:12, where he is a founder of the church in Colossae (BDAG 360 s.v. ᾿Επαφρᾶς).