Colossians 4:2

Exhortation to Pray for the Success of Paul’s Mission

4:2 Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.

Luke 22:44

22:44 And in his anguish ¹  he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.] ² 

Galatians 4:19

4:19 My children – I am again undergoing birth pains until Christ is formed in you! ³ 

Hebrews 5:7

5:7 During his earthly life ⁴  Christ ⁵  offered ⁶  both requests and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death and he was heard because of his devotion.

James 5:16

5:16 So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness. ⁷ 

[22:44]  ¹ tn Grk “And being in anguish.”

[22:44]  ² tc Several important Greek mss (Ì⁷⁵ א¹ A B N T W 579 1071*) along with diverse and widespread versional witnesses lack 22:43-44. In addition, the verses are placed after Matt 26:39 by ˹³. Floating texts typically suggest both spuriousness and early scribal impulses to regard the verses as historically authentic. These verses are included in א*^,2 D L Θ Ψ 0171 ˹ Ï lat Ju Ir Hipp Eus. However, a number of mss mark the text with an asterisk or obelisk, indicating the scribe’s assessment of the verses as inauthentic. At the same time, these verses generally fit Luke’s style. Arguments can be given on both sides about whether scribes would tend to include or omit such comments about Jesus’ humanity and an angel’s help. But even if the verses are not literarily authentic, they are probably historically authentic. This is due to the fact that this text was well known in several different locales from a very early period. Since there are no synoptic parallels to this account and since there is no obvious reason for adding these words here, it is very likely that such verses recount a part of the actual suffering of our Lord. Nevertheless, because of the serious doubts as to these verses’ authenticity, they have been put in brackets. For an important discussion of this problem, see B. D. Ehrman and M. A. Plunkett, “The Angel and the Agony: The Textual Problem of Luke 22:43-44,” CBQ 45 (1983): 401-16.

[4:19]  ³ tn Grk “My children, for whom I am again undergoing birth pains until Christ is formed in you.” The relative clauses in English do not pick up the emotional force of Paul’s language here (note “tone of voice” in v. 20, indicating that he is passionately concerned for them); hence, the translation has been altered slightly to capture the connotative power of Paul’s plea.

[5:7]  ⁴ tn Grk “in the days of his flesh.”

[5:7]  ⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Christ) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:7]  ⁶ tn Grk “who…having offered,” continuing the description of Christ from Heb 5:5-6.

[5:16]  ⁷ tn Or “the fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful”; Grk “is very powerful in its working.”