Deuteronomy 33:9

33:9 He said to his father and mother, “I have not seen him,” ¹ 

and he did not acknowledge his own brothers

or know his own children,

for they kept your word,

and guarded your covenant.

Deuteronomy 33:1

Introduction to the Blessing of Moses

33:1 This is the blessing Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death.

Deuteronomy 2:29

2:29 just as the descendants of Esau who live at Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I cross the Jordan to the land the Lord our God is giving us.”

Matthew 10:37

10:37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Matthew 12:48-50

12:48 To the one who had said this, Jesus ²  replied, ³  “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” 12:49 And pointing ⁴  toward his disciples he said, “Here ⁵  are my mother and my brothers! 12:50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is ⁶  my brother and sister and mother.”

Mark 3:31-35

Jesus’ True Family

3:31 Then ⁷  Jesus’ ⁸  mother and his brothers ⁹  came. Standing ¹⁰  outside, they sent word to him, to summon him. 3:32 A crowd was sitting around him and they said to him, “Look, your mother and your brothers ¹¹  are outside looking for you.” 3:33 He answered them and said, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” ¹²  3:34 And looking at those who were sitting around him in a circle, he said, “Here ¹³  are my mother and my brothers! 3:35 For whoever does the will of God is ¹⁴  my brother and sister and mother.”

John 2:4

2:4 Jesus replied, ¹⁵  “Woman, ¹⁶  why are you saying this to me? ¹⁷  My time ¹⁸  has not yet come.”

John 15:14

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

Galatians 2:5-6

2:5 But ²⁰  we did not surrender to them ²¹  even for a moment, ²²  in order that the truth of the gospel would remain with you. ²³ 

2:6 But from those who were influential ²⁴  (whatever they were makes no difference to me; God shows no favoritism between people ²⁵ ) – those influential leaders ²⁶  added ²⁷  nothing to my message. ²⁸ 

Galatians 5:6

5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision carries any weight – the only thing that matters is faith working through love. ²⁹ 

Philippians 3:7-8

3:7 But these assets I have come to regard as liabilities because of Christ. 3:8 More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things – indeed, I regard them as dung! ³⁰  – that I may gain Christ,

Colossians 3:11

3:11 Here there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave ³¹  or free, but Christ is all and in all.

Colossians 3:1

Exhortations to Seek the Things Above

3:1 Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Colossians 1:21-22

Paul’s Goal in Ministry

1:21 And you were at one time strangers and enemies in your ³²  minds ³³  as expressed through ³⁴  your evil deeds, 1:22 but now he has reconciled you ³⁵  by his physical body through death to present you holy, without blemish, and blameless before him –

James 2:1-4

Prejudice and the Law of Love

2:1 My brothers and sisters, ³⁶  do not show prejudice ³⁷  if you possess faith ³⁸  in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. ³⁹  2:2 For if someone ⁴⁰  comes into your assembly ⁴¹  wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes, 2:3 do you pay attention to the one who is finely dressed and say, ⁴²  “You sit here in a good place,” ⁴³  and to the poor person, “You stand over there,” or “Sit on the floor”? ⁴⁴  2:4 If so, have you not made distinctions ⁴⁵  among yourselves and become judges with evil motives? ⁴⁶ 

James 3:17

3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, ⁴⁷  full of mercy and good fruit, ⁴⁸  impartial, and not hypocritical. ⁴⁹ 

[33:9]  ¹ sn This statement no doubt alludes to the Levites’ destruction of their own fellow tribesmen following the golden calf incident (Exod 32:25-29).

[12:48]  ² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:48]  ³ tn Grk “And answering, he said to the one who had said this.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) at the beginning of the clause has not been translated.

[12:49]  ⁴ tn Grk “extending his hand.”

[12:49]  ⁵ tn Grk “Behold my mother and my brothers.”

[12:50]  ⁶ tn The pleonastic pronoun αὐτός (autos, “he”) which precedes this verb has not been translated.

[3:31]  ⁷ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[3:31]  ⁸ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:31]  ⁹ sn The issue of whether Jesus had brothers (siblings) has had a long history in the church. Epiphanius, in the 4th century, argued that Mary was a perpetual virgin and had no offspring other than Jesus. Others argued that these brothers were really cousins. Nothing in the text suggests any of this. See also John 7:3.

[3:31]  ¹⁰ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[3:32]  ¹¹ tc ‡ Many mss read “and your sisters” here after “your brothers” (A D Γ 700 pm it). However, the pedigree of several of the mss which lack this phrase is considerable (א B C K L W Δ Θ Ë^1,13 28 33 565 892 1241 1424 2542 pm lat sy). It seems likely that this phrase was added by an early Western scribe to harmonize this statement with Jesus’ response in v. 35. NA²⁷ has the words in brackets, indicating some doubt as to their authenticity.

[3:33]  ¹² tn Grk “Who is my mother and my brothers?” The use of the singular verb ἐστιν (estin) here singles out Mary above Jesus’ brothers, giving her special prominence (see ExSyn 401-2). This is slightly unnatural in English since the predicate nominative is plural, though, so a plural verb was used in the translation.

[3:34]  ¹³ tn Grk “Behold my mother and my brothers.”

[3:35]  ¹⁴ tn The pleonastic pronoun οὗτος (Jouto", “this one”) which precedes this verb has not been translated.

[2:4]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “and Jesus said to her.”

[2:4]  ¹⁶ sn The term Woman is Jesus’ normal, polite way of addressing women (Matt 15:28, Luke 13:12; John 4:21; 8:10; 19:26; 20:15). But it is unusual for a son to address his mother with this term. The custom in both Hebrew (or Aramaic) and Greek would be for a son to use a qualifying adjective or title. Is there significance in Jesus’ use here? It probably indicates that a new relationship existed between Jesus and his mother once he had embarked on his public ministry. He was no longer or primarily only her son, but the “Son of Man.” This is also suggested by the use of the same term in 19:26 in the scene at the cross, where the beloved disciple is “given” to Mary as her “new” son.

[2:4]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “Woman, what to me and to you?” (an idiom). The phrase τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί, γύναι (ti emoi kai soi, gunai) is Semitic in origin. The equivalent Hebrew expression in the Old Testament had two basic meanings: (1) When one person was unjustly bothering another, the injured party could say “What to me and to you?” meaning, “What have I done to you that you should do this to me?” (Judg 11:12, 2 Chr 35:21, 1 Kgs 17:18). (2) When someone was asked to get involved in a matter he felt was no business of his, he could say to the one asking him, “What to me and to you?” meaning, “That is your business, how am I involved?” (2 Kgs 3:13, Hos 14:8). Option (1) implies hostility, while option (2) implies merely disengagement. Mere disengagement is almost certainly to be understood here as better fitting the context (although some of the Greek Fathers took the remark as a rebuke to Mary, such a rebuke is unlikely).

[2:4]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “my hour” (referring to the time of Jesus’ crucifixion and return to the Father).

[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).

[2:5]  ²⁰ tn Grk “slaves, nor did we…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, οὐδέ (oude) was translated as “But…even” and a new sentence started in the translation at the beginning of v. 5.

[2:5]  ²¹ tn Or “we did not cave in to their demands.”

[2:5]  ²² tn Grk “even for an hour” (an idiom for a very short period of time).

[2:5]  ²³ sn In order that the truth of the gospel would remain with you. Paul evidently viewed the demands of the so-called “false brothers” as a departure from the truth contained in the gospel he preached. This was a very serious charge (see Gal 1:8).

[2:6]  ²⁴ tn Or “influential leaders.” BDAG 255 s.v. δοκέω 2.a.β has “the influential men Gal 2:2, 6b. A fuller expr. w. the same mng., w. inf. added…vss. 6a, 9.” This refers to the leadership of the Jerusalem church.

[2:6]  ²⁵ tn Grk “God does not receive the face of man,” an idiom for showing favoritism or partiality (BDAG 887-88 s.v. πρόσωπον 1.b.α; L&N 88.238).

[2:6]  ²⁶ tn Or “influential people”; here “leaders” was used rather than “people” for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy with the word “people” in the previous parenthetical remark. See also the note on the word “influential” at the beginning of this verse.

[2:6]  ²⁷ tn Or “contributed.” This is the same word translated “go to ask advice from” in 1:16, but it has a different meaning here; see L&N 59.72.

[2:6]  ²⁸ tn Or “added nothing to my authority.” Grk “added nothing to me,” with what was added (“message,” etc.) implied.

[5:6]  ²⁹ tn Grk “but faith working through love.”

[3:8]  ³⁰ tn The word here translated “dung” was often used in Greek as a vulgar term for fecal matter. As such it would most likely have had a certain shock value for the readers. This may well be Paul’s meaning here, especially since the context is about what the flesh produces.

[3:11]  ³¹ tn See the note on “fellow slave” in 1:7.

[1:21]  ³² tn The article τῇ (th) has been translated as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[1:21]  ³³ tn Although διανοία (dianoia) is singular in Greek, the previous plural noun ἐχθρούς (ecqrous) indicates that all those from Colossae are in view here.

[1:21]  ³⁴ tn The dative ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς πονηροῖς (en toi" ergoi" toi" ponhroi") is taken as means, indicating the avenue through which hostility in the mind is revealed and made known.

[1:22]  ³⁵ tc Some of the better representatives of the Alexandrian and Western texts have a passive verb here instead of the active ἀποκατήλλαξεν (apokathllaxen, “he has reconciled”): ἀποκατηλλάγητε (apokathllaghte) in (Ì⁴⁶) B, ἀποκατήλλακται [sic] (apokathllaktai) in 33, and ἀποκαταλλαγέντες (apokatallagente") in D* F G. Yet the active verb is strongly supported by א A C D² Ψ 048 075 [0278] 1739 1881 Ï lat sy. Internally, the passive creates an anacoluthon in that it looks back to the accusative ὑμᾶς (Juma", “you”) of v. 21 and leaves the following παραστῆσαι (parasthsai) dangling (“you were reconciled…to present you”). The passive reading is certainly the harder reading. As such, it may well explain the rise of the other readings. At the same time, it is possible that the passive was produced by scribes who wanted some symmetry between the ποτε (pote, “at one time”) of v. 21 and the νυνὶ δέ (nuni de, “but now”) of v. 22: Since a passive periphrastic participle is used in v. 21, there may have a temptation to produce a corresponding passive form in v. 22, handling the ὑμᾶς of v. 21 by way of constructio ad sensum. Since παραστῆσαι occurs ten words later, it may not have been considered in this scribal modification. Further, the Western reading (ἀποκαταλλαγέντες) hardly seems to have arisen from ἀποκατηλλάγητε (contra TCGNT 555). As difficult as this decision is, the preferred reading is the active form because it is superior externally and seems to explain the rise of all forms of the passive readings.

[2:1]  ³⁶ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[2:1]  ³⁷ tn Or “partiality.”

[2:1]  ³⁸ tn Grk “do not have faith with personal prejudice,” with emphasis on the last phrase.

[2:1]  ³⁹ tn Grk “our Lord Jesus Christ of glory.” Here δόξης (doxhs) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[2:2]  ⁴⁰ tn The word for “man” or “individual” here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But as BDAG 79 s.v. 2 says, “equivalent to τὶς someone.”

[2:2]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “synagogue.” Usually συναγωγή refers to Jewish places of worship (e.g., Matt 4:23, Mark 1:21, Luke 4:15, John 6:59). The word can be used generally to refer to a place of assembly, and here it refers specifically to a Christian assembly (BDAG 963 s.v. 2.b.).

[2:3]  ⁴² tn Grk “and you pay attention…and say,” continuing the “if” clauses from v. 2. In the Greek text, vv. 2-4 form one long sentence.

[2:3]  ⁴³ tn Or “sit here, please.”

[2:3]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “sit under my footstool.” The words “on the floor” have been supplied in the translation to clarify for the modern reader the undesirability of this seating arrangement (so also TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). Another option followed by a number of translations is to replace “under my footstool” with “at my feet” (NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[2:4]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “have you not made distinctions” (as the conclusion to the series of “if” clauses in vv. 2-3).

[2:4]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “judges of evil reasonings.”

[3:17]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “willing to yield,” “open to persuasion.”

[3:17]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “fruits.” The plural Greek term καρπούς has been translated with the collective singular “fruit.”

[3:17]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “sincere.”