Discovery BoxColossians 3:5
Context3:5 So put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth: 1 sexual immorality, impurity, shameful passion, 2 evil desire, and greed which is idolatry.
Psalms 49:11-17
Context49:11 Their grave becomes their permanent residence,
their eternal dwelling place. 3
They name their lands after themselves, 4
49:12 but, despite their wealth, people do not last, 5
they are like animals 6 that perish. 7
49:13 This is the destiny of fools, 8
and of those who approve of their philosophy. 9 (Selah)
49:14 They will travel to Sheol like sheep, 10
with death as their shepherd. 11
The godly will rule 12 over them when the day of vindication dawns; 13
Sheol will consume their bodies and they will no longer live in impressive houses. 14
49:15 But 15 God will rescue 16 my life 17 from the power 18 of Sheol;
certainly 19 he will pull me to safety. 20 (Selah)
49:16 Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich 21
and his wealth multiplies! 22
49:17 For he will take nothing with him when he dies;
his wealth will not follow him down into the grave. 23
Matthew 6:19
Context6:19 “Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth 24 and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.
Luke 12:15
Context12:15 Then 25 he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourself from 26 all types of greed, 27 because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Luke 16:8-9
Context16:8 The 28 master commended the dishonest 29 manager because he acted shrewdly. 30 For the people 31 of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their contemporaries 32 than the people 33 of light. 16:9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth, 34 so that when it runs out you will be welcomed 35 into the eternal homes. 36
Luke 16:11
Context16:11 If then you haven’t been trustworthy 37 in handling worldly wealth, 38 who will entrust you with the true riches? 39
Luke 16:19-25
Context16:19 “There was a rich man who dressed in purple 40 and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously 41 every day. 16:20 But at his gate lay 42 a poor man named Lazarus 43 whose body was covered with sores, 44 16:21 who longed to eat 45 what fell from the rich man’s table. In addition, the dogs 46 came and licked 47 his sores.
16:22 “Now 48 the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. 49 The 50 rich man also died and was buried. 51 16:23 And in hell, 52 as he was in torment, 53 he looked up 54 and saw Abraham far off with Lazarus at his side. 55 16:24 So 56 he called out, 57 ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus 58 to dip the tip of his finger 59 in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish 60 in this fire.’ 61 16:25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, 62 remember that in your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus likewise bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish. 63
Philippians 3:19
Context3:19 Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, they exult in their shame, and they think about earthly things. 64
Philippians 3:1
Context3:1 Finally, my brothers and sisters, 65 rejoice in the Lord! To write this again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.
Philippians 2:15
Context2:15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without blemish though you live in a crooked and perverse society, in which you shine as lights in the world 66
[3:5] 1 tn Grk “the members which are on the earth.” See BDAG 628 s.v. μέλος 1, “put to death whatever in you is worldly.”
[49:11] 3 tc Heb “their inward part [is] their houses [are] permanent, their dwelling places for a generation and a generation.” If one follows the MT, then קֶרֶב (qerev, “inward part”) must refer to the seat of these people’s thoughts (for other examples of this use of the term, see BDB 899 s.v., though BDB prefers an emendation in this passage). In this case all three lines of v. 11 expose these people’s arrogant assumption that they will last forever, which then stands in sharp contrast to reality as summarized in v. 12. In this case one might translate the first two lines, “they think that their houses are permanent and that their dwelling places will last forever” (cf. NASB). Following the lead of several ancient versions, the present translation assumes an emendation of קִרְבָּם (qirbam, “their inward part”) to קְבָרִים (qÿvarim, “graves”). This assumes that the letters bet (ב) and resh (ר) were accidentally transposed in the MT. In this case the first two lines support the point made in v. 10, while the third line of v. 11 stands in contrast to v. 12. The phrase בֵּית עוֹלָם (bet ’olam, “permanent house”) is used of a tomb in Eccl 12:5 (as well as in Phoenician tomb inscriptions, see DNWSI 1:160 for a list of texts) and מִשְׁכָּן (mishkan, “dwelling place”) refers to a tomb in Isa 22:16. Cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV.
[49:11] 4 sn Naming their lands after themselves is a claim of possession.
[49:12] 5 tn Heb “but mankind in honor does not remain.” The construction vav (ו) + noun at the beginning of the verse can be taken as contrastive in relation to what precedes. The Hebrew term יְקָר (yÿqar, “honor”) probably refers here to the wealth mentioned in the preceding context. The imperfect verbal form draws attention to what is characteristically true. Some scholars emend יָלִין (yalin, “remains”) to יָבִין (yavin, “understands”) but this is an unnecessary accommodation to the wording of v. 20.
[49:12] 7 tn The verb is derived from דָּמָה (damah, “cease; destroy”; BDB 198 s.v.). Another option is to derive the verb from דָּמָה (“be silent”; see HALOT 225 s.v. II דמה, which sees two homonymic roots [דָּמָה, “be silent,” and דָּמָה, “destroy”] rather than a single root) and translate, “they are like dumb beasts.” This makes particularly good sense in v. 20, where the preceding line focuses on mankind’s lack of understanding.
[49:13] 8 tn Heb “this [is] their way, [there is] folly [belonging] to them.” The Hebrew term translated “this” could refer (1) back to the preceding verse[s] or (2) ahead to the subsequent statements. The translation assumes the latter, since v. 12 appears to be a refrain that concludes the psalm’s first major section and marks a structural boundary. (A similar refrain [see v. 20] concludes the second half of the psalm.) The noun דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) often refers to one’s lifestyle, but, if it relates to what follows, then here it likely refers metonymically to one’s destiny (the natural outcome of one’s lifestyle [cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV “fate”]). (See the discussion in K. Koch, TDOT 3:285.) If one prefers the more common nuance (“lifestyle”), then the term would look back to the self-confident attitude described in the earlier verses.
[49:13] 9 tn Heb “and after them, in their mouth they take delight.” The meaning of the MT is not entirely clear. “After them” is understood here as substantival, “those who come after them” or “those who follow them.” “Their mouth” is taken as a metonymy for the arrogant attitude verbalized by the rich. In the expression “take delight in,” the preposition -ב (bet) introduces the object/cause of one’s delight (see Pss 147:10; 149:4). So the idea here is that those who come after/follow the rich find the philosophy of life they verbalize and promote to be attractive and desirable.
[49:14] 10 tn Heb “like sheep to Sheol they are appointed.” The verb form שַׁתּוּ (shatu) is apparently derived from שָׁתַת (shatat), which appears to be a variant of the more common שִׁית (shiyt, “to place; to set”; BDB 1060 s.v. שָׁתַת and GKC 183 §67.ee). Some scholars emend the text to שָׁחוּ (shakhu; from the verbal root שׁוּח [shukh, “sink down”]) and read “they descend.” The present translation assumes an emendation to שָׁטוּ (shatu; from the verbal root שׁוּט [shut, “go; wander”]), “they travel, wander.” (The letter tet [ט] and tav [ת] sound similar; a scribe transcribing from dictation could easily confuse them.) The perfect verbal form is used in a rhetorical manner to speak of their destiny as if it were already realized (the so-called perfect of certitude or prophetic perfect).
[49:14] 11 tn Heb “death will shepherd them,” that is, death itself (personified here as a shepherd) will lead them like a flock of helpless, unsuspecting sheep to Sheol, the underworld, the land of the dead.
[49:14] 12 tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive carries the same force as the perfect verbal form in v. 14a. The psalmist speaks of this coming event as if it were already accomplished.
[49:14] 13 tn Heb “will rule over them in the morning.” “Morning” here is a metaphor for a time of deliverance and vindication after the dark “night” of trouble (see Pss 30:5; 46:5; 59:16; 90:14; 143:8; Isa 17:14). In this context the psalmist confidently anticipates a day of vindication when the
[49:14] 14 tn Heb “their form [will become an object] for the consuming of Sheol, from a lofty residence, to him.” The meaning of this syntactically difficult text is uncertain. The translation assumes that צוּר (tsur, “form”; this is the Qere [marginal] reading; the Kethib has צִירָם [tsiram, “their image”]) refers to their physical form or bodies. “Sheol” is taken as the subject of “consume” (on the implied “become” before the infinitive “to consume” see GKC 349 §114.k). The preposition מִן (min) prefixed to “lofty residence” is understood as privative, “away from; so as not.” The preposition -ל (lamed) is possessive, while the third person pronominal suffix is understood as a representative singular.
[49:15] 17 tn Or “me.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
[49:15] 20 tn Heb “he will take me.” To improve the poetic balance of the verse, some move the words “from the power of Sheol” to the following line. The verse would then read: “But God will rescue my life; / from the power of Sheol he will certainly deliver me” (cf. NEB).
[49:16] 21 sn When a man becomes rich. Why would people fear such a development? The acquisition of wealth makes individuals powerful and enables them to oppress others (see vv. 5-6).
[49:16] 22 tn Heb “when the glory of his house grows great.”
[49:17] 23 tn Heb “his glory will not go down after him.”
[6:19] 24 tn The term σής (shs) refers to moths in general. It is specifically the larvae of moths that destroy clothing by eating holes in it (L&N 4.49; BDAG 922 s.v.). See Jas 5:2, which mentions “moth-eaten” clothing.
[12:15] 25 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[12:15] 26 tn See L&N 13.154 for this use of the middle voice of φυλάσσω (fulassw) in this verse.
[12:15] 27 tn Or “avarice,” “covetousness.” Note the warning covers more than money and gets at the root attitude – the strong desire to acquire more and more possessions and experiences.
[16:8] 28 tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[16:8] 29 sn Is the manager dishonest because of what he just did? Or is it a reference to what he had done earlier, described in v. 1? This is a difficult question, but it seems unlikely that the master, having fired the man for prior dishonesty, would now commend those same actions. It would also be unusual for Jesus to make that point of the story the example. Thus it is more likely the reference to dishonesty goes back to the earliest events, while the commendation is for the cleverness of the former manager reflected in vv. 5-7.
[16:8] 30 sn Where this parable ends is debated: Does it conclude with v. 7, after v. 8a, after v. 8b, or after v. 9? Verse 8a looks as if it is still part of the story, with its clear reference to the manager, while 8b looks like Jesus’ application, since its remarks are more general. So it is most likely the parable stops after v. 8a.
[16:8] 31 tn Grk “sons” (an idiom).
[16:8] 32 tn Grk “with their own generation.”
[16:8] 33 tn Grk “sons.” Here the phrase “sons of light” is a reference to the righteous. The point is that those of the world often think ahead about consequences better than the righteous do.
[16:9] 34 tn Grk “unrighteous mammon.” Mammon is the Aramaic term for wealth or possessions. The point is not that money is inherently evil, but that it is often misused so that it is a means of evil; see 1 Tim 6:6-10, 17-19. The call is to be generous and kind in its use. Zacchaeus becomes the example of this in Luke’s Gospel (19:1-10).
[16:9] 35 sn The passive refers to the welcome of heaven.
[16:9] 36 tn Grk “eternal tents” (as dwelling places).
[16:11] 38 tn Grk “the unrighteous mammon.” See the note on the phrase “worldly wealth” in v. 9.
[16:11] 39 sn Entrust you with the true riches is a reference to future service for God. The idea is like 1 Cor 9:11, except there the imagery is reversed.
[16:19] 40 sn Purple describes a fine, expensive dye used on luxurious clothing, and by metonymy, refers to clothing colored with that dye. It pictures someone of great wealth.
[16:19] 41 tn Or “celebrated with ostentation” (L&N 88.255), that is, with showing off. Here was the original conspicuous consumer.
[16:20] 42 tn The passive verb ἐβέβλητο (ebeblhto) does not indicate how Lazarus got there. Cf. BDAG 163 s.v. βάλλω 1.b, “he lay before the door”; Josephus, Ant. 9.10.2 (9.209).
[16:20] 43 sn This is the one time in all the gospels that a figure in a parable is mentioned by name. It will become important later in the account.
[16:20] 44 tn Or “was covered with ulcers.” The words “whose body” are implied in the context (L&N 23.180).
[16:21] 45 tn Grk “to eat his fill,” but this phrase has been simplified as “to eat” for stylistic reasons.
[16:21] 46 tn The term κύνες (kunes) refers to “wild” dogs (either “street” dogs or watchdogs), not house pets (L&N 4.34).
[16:21] 47 sn When the dogs came and licked his sores it meant that he was unclean. See the negative image of Rev 22:15 that draws on this picture.
[16:22] 48 tn Grk “Now it happened that the.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[16:22] 49 tn Grk “to Abraham’s bosom.” The phrase “carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom” describes being gathered to the fathers and is a way to refer to heaven (Gen 15:15; 47:30; Deut 31:16).
[16:22] 50 tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[16:22] 51 sn The shorter description suggests a different fate, which is confirmed in the following verses.
[16:23] 52 sn The Greek term Hades stands for the Hebrew concept of Sheol. It is what is called hell today. This is where the dead were gathered (Ps 16:10; 86:13). In the NT Hades has an additional negative force of awaiting judgment (Rev 20:13).
[16:23] 53 sn Hades is a place of torment, especially as one knows that he is separated from God.
[16:23] 54 tn Grk “he lifted up his eyes” (an idiom).
[16:23] 55 tn Grk “in his bosom,” the same phrase used in 16:22. This idiom refers to heaven and/or participation in the eschatological banquet. An appropriate modern equivalent is “at Abraham’s side.”
[16:24] 56 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous actions in the narrative.
[16:24] 57 tn Grk “calling out he said”; this is redundant in contemporary English style and has been simplified to “he called out.”
[16:24] 58 sn The rich man had not helped Lazarus before, when he lay outside his gate (v. 2), but he knew him well enough to know his name. This is why the use of the name Lazarus in the parable is significant. (The rich man’s name, on the other hand, is not mentioned, because it is not significant for the point of the story.)
[16:24] 59 sn The dipping of the tip of his finger in water is evocative of thirst. The thirsty are in need of God’s presence (Ps 42:1-2; Isa 5:13). The imagery suggests the rich man is now separated from the presence of God.
[16:24] 60 tn Or “in terrible pain” (L&N 24.92).
[16:24] 61 sn Fire in this context is OT imagery; see Isa 66:24.
[16:25] 62 tn The Greek term here is τέκνον (teknon), which could be understood as a term of endearment.
[16:25] 63 tn Or “in terrible pain” (L&N 24.92). Here is the reversal Jesus mentioned in Luke 6:20-26.
[3:19] 64 tn Grk “whose end is destruction, whose god is the belly and glory is their shame, these who think of earthly things.”
[3:1] 65 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.
