Deuteronomy 5:1

The Opening Exhortation

5:1 Then Moses called all the people of Israel together and said to them: ¹  “Listen, Israel, to the statutes and ordinances that I am about to deliver to you today; learn them and be careful to keep them!

Matthew 5:19-20

5:19 So anyone who breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others ²  to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever obeys them and teaches others to do so will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 5:20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law ³  and the Pharisees, ⁴  you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 7:21

Judgment of Pretenders

7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ ⁵  will enter into the kingdom of heaven – only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

Matthew 7:24-27

Hearing and Doing

7:24 “Everyone ⁶  who hears these words of mine and does them is like ⁷  a wise man ⁸  who built his house on rock. 7:25 The rain fell, the flood ⁹  came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because it had been founded on rock. 7:26 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 7:27 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed; it was utterly destroyed!” ¹⁰ 

Luke 6:46

6:46 “Why ¹¹  do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ ¹²  and don’t do what I tell you? ¹³ 

Luke 8:21

8:21 But he replied ¹⁴  to them, “My mother and my brothers are those ¹⁵  who hear the word of God and do it.” ¹⁶ 

John 2:5

2:5 His mother told the servants, “Whatever he tells you, do it.” ¹⁷ 

John 13:17

13:17 If you understand ¹⁸  these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

John 15:14

15:14 You are my friends ¹⁹  if you do what I command you.

Acts 9:6

9:6 But stand up ²⁰  and enter the city and you will be told ²¹  what you must do.”

Acts 9:2

9:2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues ²²  in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, ²³  either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners ²⁴  to Jerusalem. ²⁵ 

Acts 3:4

3:4 Peter looked directly ²⁶  at him (as did John) and said, “Look at us!”

James 1:22

1:22 But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves.

James 1:2

Joy in Trials

1:2 My brothers and sisters, ²⁷  consider it nothing but joy ²⁸  when you fall into all sorts of trials,

James 1:10

1:10 But the rich person’s pride should be in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a wildflower in the meadow. ²⁹ 

James 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From James, ³⁰  a slave ³¹  of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. ³²  Greetings!

James 3:1

The Power of the Tongue

3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, ³³  because you know that we will be judged more strictly. ³⁴ 

[5:1]  ¹ tn Heb “and Moses called to all Israel and he said to them”; NAB, NASB, NIV “Moses summoned (convened NRSV) all Israel.”

[5:19]  ² tn Grk “teaches men” ( in a generic sense, people).

[5:20]  ³ tn Or “that of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[5:20]  ⁴ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[7:21]  ⁵ sn The double use of the vocative is normally used in situations of high emotion or emphasis. Even an emphatic confession without action means little.

[7:24]  ⁶ tn Grk “Therefore everyone.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated.

[7:24]  ⁷ tn Grk “will be like.” The same phrase occurs in v. 26.

[7:24]  ⁸ tn Here and in v. 26 the Greek text reads ἀνήρ (anhr), while the parallel account in Luke 6:47-49 uses ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") in vv. 48 and 49.

[7:25]  ⁹ tn Grk “the rivers.”

[7:27]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “and great was its fall.”

[6:46]  ¹¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[6:46]  ¹² tn The double use of the vocative is normally used in situations of high emotion or emphasis. Even an emphatic confession without action means little.

[6:46]  ¹³ sn Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do what I tell you? Respect is not a matter of mere words, but is reflected in obedient action. This short saying, which is much simpler than its more developed conceptual parallel in Matt 7:21-23, serves in this form to simply warn and issue a call to hear and obey, as the last parable also does in vv. 47-49.

[8:21]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “answering, he said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “he replied.”

[8:21]  ¹⁵ tn There is some discussion about the grammar of this verse in Greek. If “these” is the subject, then it reads, “These are my mother and brothers, those who.” If “these” is a nominative absolute, which is slightly more likely, then the verse more literally reads, “So my mother and brothers, they are those who.” The sense in either case is the same.

[8:21]  ¹⁶ sn Hearing and doing the word of God is another important NT theme: Luke 6:47-49; Jas 1:22-25.

[2:5]  ¹⁷ tn The pronoun “it” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.

[13:17]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “If you know.”

[15:14]  ¹⁹ sn This verse really explains John 15:10 in another way. Those who keep Jesus’ commandments are called his friends, those friends for whom he lays down his life (v. 13). It is possible to understand this verse as referring to a smaller group within Christianity as a whole, perhaps only the apostles who were present when Jesus spoke these words. Some have supported this by comparing it to the small group of associates and advisers to the Roman Emperor who were called “Friends of the Emperor.” Others would see these words as addressed only to those Christians who as disciples were obedient to Jesus. In either case the result would be to create a sort of “inner circle” of Christians who are more privileged than mere “believers” or average Christians. In context, it seems clear that Jesus’ words must be addressed to all true Christians, not just some narrower category of believers, because Jesus’ sacrificial death, which is his act of love toward his friends (v. 13) applies to all Christians equally (cf. John 13:1).

[9:6]  ²⁰ tn Or “But arise.”

[9:6]  ²¹ tn Literally a passive construction, “it will be told to you.” This has been converted to another form of passive construction in the translation.

[9:2]  ²² sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[9:2]  ²³ sn The expression “the way” in ancient religious literature refers at times to “the whole way of life fr. a moral and spiritual viewpoint” (BDAG 692 s.v. ὁδός 3.c), and it has been so used of Christianity and its teachings in the book of Acts (see also 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). It is a variation of Judaism’s idea of two ways, the true and the false, where “the Way” is the true one (1 En. 91:18; 2 En. 30:15).

[9:2]  ²⁴ tn Grk “bring them bound”; the translation “bring someone as prisoner” for δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά (dedemenon agein tina) is given by BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b.

[9:2]  ²⁵ sn From Damascus to Jerusalem was a six-day journey. Christianity had now expanded into Syria.

[3:4]  ²⁶ tn Grk “Peter, looking directly at him, as did John, said.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[1:2]  ²⁷ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). Where the plural term is used in direct address, as here, “brothers and sisters” is used; where the term is singular and not direct address (as in v. 9), “believer” is preferred.

[1:2]  ²⁸ tn Grk “all joy,” “full joy,” or “greatest joy.”

[1:10]  ²⁹ tn Grk “a flower of grass.”

[1:1]  ³⁰ 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]  ³¹ 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]  ³² 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.

[3:1]  ³³ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[3:1]  ³⁴ tn Grk “will receive a greater judgment.”