Ephesians 2:12

2:12 that you were at that time without the Messiah, ¹  alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, ²  having no hope and without God in the world.

Ephesians 2:17

2:17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near,

Ephesians 2:19-22

2:19 So then you are no longer foreigners and noncitizens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, 2:20 because you have been built ³  on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, ⁴  with Christ Jesus himself as ⁵  the cornerstone. ⁶  2:21 In him ⁷  the whole building, ⁸  being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 2:22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Ephesians 3:5-8

3:5 Now this secret ⁹  was not disclosed to people ¹⁰  in former ¹¹  generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by ¹²  the Spirit, 3:6 namely, that through the gospel ¹³  the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members ¹⁴  of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. 3:7 I became a servant of this gospel ¹⁵  according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by ¹⁶  the exercise of his power. ¹⁷  3:8 To me – less than the least of all the saints ¹⁸  – this grace was given, ¹⁹  to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ

Psalms 22:7

22:7 All who see me taunt ²⁰  me;

they mock me ²¹  and shake their heads. ²² 

Psalms 73:27

73:27 Yes, ²³  look! Those far from you ²⁴  die;

you destroy everyone who is unfaithful to you. ²⁵ 

Isaiah 11:10

Israel is Reclaimed and Reunited

11:10 At that time ²⁶  a root from Jesse ²⁷  will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, ²⁸  and his residence will be majestic.

Isaiah 24:15-16

24:15 So in the east ²⁹  extol the Lord,

along the seacoasts extol ³⁰  the fame ³¹  of the Lord God of Israel.

24:16 From the ends of the earth we ³²  hear songs –

the Just One is majestic. ³³ 

But I ³⁴  say, “I’m wasting away! I’m wasting away! I’m doomed!

Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!” ³⁵ 

Isaiah 43:6

43:6 I will say to the north, ‘Hand them over!’

and to the south, ‘Don’t hold any back!’

Bring my sons from distant lands,

and my daughters from the remote regions of the earth,

Isaiah 49:12

49:12 Look, they come from far away!

Look, some come from the north and west,

and others from the land of Sinim! ³⁶ 

Isaiah 57:19

57:19 I am the one who gives them reason to celebrate. ³⁷ 

Complete prosperity ³⁸  is available both to those who are far away and those who are nearby,”

says the Lord, “and I will heal them.

Isaiah 60:4

60:4 Look all around you! ³⁹ 

They all gather and come to you –

your sons come from far away

and your daughters are escorted by guardians.

Isaiah 60:9

60:9 Indeed, the coastlands ⁴⁰  look eagerly for me,

the large ships ⁴¹  are in the lead,

bringing your sons from far away,

along with their silver and gold,

to honor the Lord your God, ⁴² 

the Holy One of Israel, ⁴³  for he has bestowed honor on you.

Isaiah 66:19

66:19 I will perform a mighty act among them ⁴⁴  and then send some of those who remain to the nations – to Tarshish, Pul, ⁴⁵  Lud ⁴⁶  (known for its archers ⁴⁷ ), Tubal, Javan, ⁴⁸  and to the distant coastlands ⁴⁹  that have not heard about me or seen my splendor. They will tell the nations of my splendor.

Jeremiah 16:19

16:19 Then I said, ⁵⁰ 

“Lord, you give me strength and protect me.

You are the one I can run to for safety when I am in trouble. ⁵¹ 

Nations from all over the earth

will come to you and say,

‘Our ancestors had nothing but false gods –

worthless idols that could not help them at all. ⁵² 

Acts 2:39

2:39 For the promise ⁵³  is for you and your children, and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.”

Acts 15:14

15:14 Simeon ⁵⁴  has explained ⁵⁵  how God first concerned himself ⁵⁶  to select ⁵⁷  from among the Gentiles ⁵⁸  a people for his name.

Acts 22:21

22:21 Then ⁵⁹  he said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

Acts 26:18

26:18 to open their eyes so that they turn ⁶⁰  from darkness to light and from the power ⁶¹  of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share ⁶²  among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Romans 15:8-12

15:8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised ⁶³  on behalf of God’s truth to confirm the promises made to the fathers, ⁶⁴  15:9 and thus the Gentiles glorify God for his mercy. ⁶⁵  As it is written, “Because of this I will confess you among the Gentiles, and I will sing praises to your name.” ⁶⁶  15:10 And again it says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” ⁶⁷  15:11 And again, “Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him.” ⁶⁸  15:12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, and the one who rises to rule over the Gentiles, in him will the Gentiles hope.” ⁶⁹ 

[2:12]  ¹ tn Or “without Christ.” Both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.” Because the context refers to ancient Israel’s messianic expectation, “Messiah” was employed in the translation at this point rather than “Christ.”

[2:12]  ² tn Or “covenants of the promise.”

[2:20]  ³ tn Grk “having been built.”

[2:20]  ⁴ sn Apostles and prophets. Because the prophets appear after the mention of the apostles and because they are linked together in 3:5 as recipients of revelation about the church, they are to be regarded not as Old Testament prophets, but as New Testament prophets.

[2:20]  ⁵ tn Grk “while Christ Jesus himself is” or “Christ Jesus himself being.”

[2:20]  ⁶ tn Or perhaps “capstone” (NAB). The meaning of ἀκρογωνιαῖος (akrogwniaio") is greatly debated. The meaning “capstone” is proposed by J. Jeremias (TDNT 1:792), but the most important text for this meaning (T. Sol. 22:7-23:4) is late and possibly not even an appropriate parallel. The only place ἀκρογωνιαῖος is used in the LXX is Isa 28:16, and there it clearly refers to a cornerstone that is part of a foundation. Furthermore, the imagery in this context has the building growing off the cornerstone upward, whereas if Christ were the capstone, he would not assume his position until the building was finished, which vv. 21-22 argue against.

[2:21]  ⁷ tn Grk “in whom” (v. 21 is a relative clause, subordinate to v. 20).

[2:21]  ⁸ tc Although several important witnesses (א¹ A C P 6 81 326 1739^c 1881) have πᾶσα ἡ οἰκοδομή (pasa Jh oikodomh), instead of πᾶσα οἰκοδομή (the reading of א* B D F G Ψ 33 1739* Ï), the article is almost surely a scribal addition intended to clarify the meaning of the text, for with the article the meaning is unambiguously “the whole building.”

[3:5]  ⁹ tn Grk “which.” Verse 5 is technically a relative clause, subordinate to the thought of v. 4.

[3:5]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “the sons of men” (a Semitic idiom referring to human beings, hence, “people”).

[3:5]  ¹¹ tn Grk “other.”

[3:5]  ¹² tn Or “in.”

[3:6]  ¹³ sn The phrase through the gospel is placed last in the sentence in Greek for emphasis. It has been moved forward for clarity.

[3:6]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “and fellow members.”

[3:7]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “of which I was made a minister,” “of which I became a servant.”

[3:7]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “according to.”

[3:7]  ¹⁷ sn On the exercise of his power see 1:19-20.

[3:8]  ¹⁸ sn In Pauline writings saints means any true believer. Thus for Paul to view himself as less than the least of all the saints is to view himself as the most unworthy object of Christ’s redemption.

[3:8]  ¹⁹ sn The parallel phrases to proclaim and to enlighten which follow indicate why God’s grace was manifested to Paul. Grace was not something just to be received, but to be shared with others (cf. Acts 13:47).

[22:7]  ²⁰ tn Or “scoff at, deride, mock.”

[22:7]  ²¹ tn Heb “they separate with a lip.” Apparently this refers to their verbal taunting.

[22:7]  ²² sn Shake their heads. Apparently this refers to a taunting gesture. See also Job 16:4; Ps 109:25; Lam 2:15.

[73:27]  ²³ tn Or “for.”

[73:27]  ²⁴ sn The following line defines the phrase far from you in a spiritual sense. Those “far” from God are those who are unfaithful and disloyal to him.

[73:27]  ²⁵ tn Heb “everyone who commits adultery from you.”

[11:10]  ²⁶ tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[11:10]  ²⁷ sn See the note at v. 1.

[11:10]  ²⁸ tn Heb “ a root from Jesse, which stands for a signal flag of the nations, of him nations will inquire” [or “seek”].

[24:15]  ²⁹ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “in the lights,” interpreted by some to mean “in the region of light,” referring to the east. Some scholars have suggested the emendation of בָּאֻרִים (ba’urim) to בְּאִיֵּי הַיָּם (bÿ’iyyey hayyam, “along the seacoasts”), a phrase that is repeated in the next line. In this case, the two lines form synonymous parallelism. If one retains the MT reading (as above), “in the east” and “along the seacoasts” depict the two ends of the earth to refer to all the earth (as a merism).

[24:15]  ³⁰ tn The word “extol” is supplied in the translation; the verb in the first line does double duty in the parallelism.

[24:15]  ³¹ tn Heb “name,” which here stands for God’s reputation achieved by his mighty deeds.

[24:16]  ³² sn The identity of the subject is unclear. Apparently in vv. 15-16a an unidentified group responds to the praise they hear in the west by exhorting others to participate.

[24:16]  ³³ tn Heb “Beauty belongs to the just one.” These words may summarize the main theme of the songs mentioned in the preceding line.

[24:16]  ³⁴ sn The prophet seems to contradict what he hears the group saying. Their words are premature because more destruction is coming.

[24:16]  ³⁵ tn Heb “and [with] deception deceivers deceive.”

[49:12]  ³⁶ tc The MT reads “Sinim” here; the Dead Sea Scrolls read “Syene,” a location in Egypt associated with modern Aswan. A number of recent translations adopt this reading: “Syene” (NAB, NRSV); “Aswan” (NIV); “Egypt” (NLT).

[57:19]  ³⁷ tc The Hebrew text has literally, “one who creates fruit of lips.” Perhaps the pronoun אֲנִי (’ani) should be inserted after the participle; it may have been accidentally omitted by haplography: נוּב שְׂפָתָיִם[אֲנִי] בּוֹרֵא (bore’ [’ani] nuv sÿfatayim). “Fruit of the lips” is often understood as a metonymy for praise; perhaps it refers more generally to joyful shouts (see v. 18).

[57:19]  ³⁸ tn Heb “Peace, peace.” The repetition of the noun emphasizes degree.

[60:4]  ³⁹ tn Heb “Lift up around your eyes and see!”

[60:9]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”

[60:9]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” See the note at 2:16.

[60:9]  ⁴² tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”

[60:9]  ⁴³ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[66:19]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “and I will set a sign among them.” The precise meaning of this statement is unclear. Elsewhere “to set a sign” means “perform a mighty act” (Ps 78:43; Jer 32:20), “make [someone] an object lesson” (Ezek 14:8), and “erect a [literal] standard” (Ps 74:4).

[66:19]  ⁴⁵ tn Some prefer to read “Put” (i.e., Libya).

[66:19]  ⁴⁶ sn That is, Lydia (in Asia Minor).

[66:19]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “drawers of the bow” (KJV and ASV both similar).

[66:19]  ⁴⁸ sn Javan is generally identified today as Greece (so NIV, NCV, NLT).

[66:19]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “islands” (NIV).

[16:19]  ⁵⁰ tn The words “Then I said” are not in the text. They are supplied in the translation to show the shift from God, who has been speaking to Jeremiah, to Jeremiah, who here addresses God.

[16:19]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “O Lord, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of trouble. The literal which piles up attributes is of course more forceful than the predications. However, piling up poetic metaphors like this adds to the length of the English sentence and risks lack of understanding on the part of some readers. Some rhetorical force has been sacrificed for the sake of clarity.

[16:19]  ⁵² tn Once again the translation has sacrificed some of the rhetorical force for the sake of clarity and English style: Heb “Only falsehood did our ancestors possess, vanity and [things in which?] there was no one profiting in them.”

[2:39]  ⁵³ sn The promise refers to the promise of the Holy Spirit that Jesus received from the Father in 2:33 and which he now pours out on others. The promise consists of the Holy Spirit (see note in 2:33). Jesus is the active mediator of God’s blessing.

[15:14]  ⁵⁴ sn Simeon is a form of the apostle Peter’s Aramaic name. James uses Peter’s “Jewish” name here.

[15:14]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “reported,” “described.”

[15:14]  ⁵⁶ tn BDAG 378 s.v. ἐπισκέπτομαι 3 translates this phrase in Acts 15:14, “God concerned himself about winning a people fr. among the nations.”

[15:14]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “to take,” but in the sense of selecting or choosing (accompanied by the preposition ἐκ [ek] plus a genitive specifying the group selected from) see Heb 5:1; also BDAG 584 s.v. λαμβάνω 6.

[15:14]  ⁵⁸ sn In the Greek text the expression “from among the Gentiles” is in emphatic position.

[22:21]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “And.” Since this represents a response to Paul’s reply in v. 19, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[26:18]  ⁶⁰ sn To open their eyes so that they turn… Here is Luke’s most comprehensive report of Paul’s divine calling. His role was to call humanity to change their position before God and experience God’s forgiveness as a part of God’s family. The image of turning is a key one in the NT: Luke 1:79; Rom 2:19; 13:12; 2 Cor 4:6; 6:14; Eph 5:8; Col 1:12; 1 Thess 5:5. See also Luke 1:77-79; 3:3; 24:47.

[26:18]  ⁶¹ tn BDAG 352-53 s.v. ἐξουσία 2 states, “Also of Satan’s power Ac 26:18.” It is also possible to translate this “the domain of Satan” (cf. BDAG 353 s.v. 6)

[26:18]  ⁶² tn Or “and an inheritance.”

[15:8]  ⁶³ tn Grk “of the circumcision”; that is, the Jews.

[15:8]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “to the patriarchs.”

[15:9]  ⁶⁵ tn There are two major syntactical alternatives which are both awkward: (1) One could make “glorify” dependent on “Christ has become a minister” and coordinate with “to confirm” and the result would be rendered “Christ has become a minister of circumcision to confirm the promises…and so that the Gentiles might glorify God.” (2) One could make “glorify” dependent on “I tell you” and coordinate with “Christ has become a minister” and the result would be rendered “I tell you that Christ has become a minister of circumcision…and that the Gentiles glorify God.” The second rendering is preferred.

[15:9]  ⁶⁶ sn A quotation from Ps 18:49.

[15:10]  ⁶⁷ sn A quotation from Deut 32:43.

[15:11]  ⁶⁸ sn A quotation from Ps 117:1.

[15:12]  ⁶⁹ sn A quotation from Isa 11:10.