Ephesians 2:13-14

2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who used to be far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹  2:14 For he is our peace, the one who made both groups into one ²  and who destroyed the middle wall of partition, the hostility,

Deuteronomy 4:7

4:7 In fact, what other great nation has a god so near to them like the Lord our God whenever we call on him?

Psalms 75:1

Psalm 75 ³ 

For the music director; according to the al-tashcheth style; ⁴  a psalm of Asaph; a song.

75:1 We give thanks to you, O God! We give thanks!

You reveal your presence; ⁵ 

people tell about your amazing deeds.

Psalms 76:1-2

Psalm 76 ⁶ 

For the music director; to be accompanied by stringed instruments; a psalm of Asaph, a song.

76:1 God has revealed himself in Judah; ⁷ 

in Israel his reputation ⁸  is great.

76:2 He lives in Salem; ⁹ 

he dwells in Zion. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 147:19-20

147:19 He proclaims his word to Jacob,

his statutes and regulations to Israel.

147:20 He has not done so with any other nation;

they are not aware of his regulations.

Praise the Lord!

Psalms 148:14

148:14 He has made his people victorious, ¹¹ 

and given all his loyal followers reason to praise –

the Israelites, the people who are close to him. ¹² 

Praise the Lord!

Luke 10:9-11

10:9 Heal ¹³  the sick in that town ¹⁴  and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God ¹⁵  has come upon ¹⁶  you!’ 10:10 But whenever ¹⁷  you enter a town ¹⁸  and the people ¹⁹  do not welcome ²⁰  you, go into its streets ²¹  and say, 10:11 ‘Even the dust of your town ²²  that clings to our feet we wipe off ²³  against you. ²⁴  Nevertheless know this: The kingdom of God has come.’ ²⁵ 

[2:13]  ¹ tn Or “have come near in the blood of Christ.”

[2:14]  ² tn Grk “who made the both one.”

[75:1]  ³ sn Psalm 75. The psalmist celebrates God’s just rule, which guarantees that the godly will be vindicated and the wicked destroyed.

[75:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “do not destroy.” Perhaps this refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. These words also appear in the superscription to Pss 57-59.

[75:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “and near [is] your name.”

[76:1]  ⁶ sn Psalm 76. The psalmist depicts God as a mighty warrior who destroys Israel’s enemies.

[76:1]  ⁷ tn Or “God is known in Judah.”

[76:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.

[76:2]  ⁹ sn Salem is a shorter name for Jerusalem (see Gen 14:18).

[76:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and his place of refuge is in Salem, and his lair in Zion.” God may be likened here to a lion (see v. 4).

[148:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and he lifted up a horn for his people.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (see Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Ps 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt/lift up the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 75:10; 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). Another option is to take the “horn” as a symbol for the Davidic king, through whom the Lord gives his people military victory.

[148:14]  ¹² tn “[there is] praise for all his loyal followers, to the sons of Israel, the people near him.” Here “praise” stands by metonymy for the victory that prompts it.

[10:9]  ¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[10:9]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “in it”; the referent (that town) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:9]  ¹⁵ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

[10:9]  ¹⁶ tn Or “come near to you,” suggesting the approach (but not arrival) of the kingdom. But the combination of the perfect tense of ἐγγίζω (engizw) with the preposition ἐπί (epi) most likely suggests that the sense is “has come upon” (see BDAG 270 s.v. ἐγγίζω 2; W. R. Hutton, “The Kingdom of God Has Come,” ExpTim 64 [Dec 1952]: 89-91; and D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 2:1000; cf. also NAB “is at hand for you”). These passages argue that a key element of the kingdom is its ability to overcome the power of Satan and those elements in the creation that oppose humanity. Confirmation of this understanding comes in v. 18 and in Luke 11:14-23, especially the parable of vv. 21-23.

[10:10]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “whatever town you enter,” but this is more often expressed in English as “whenever you enter a town.”

[10:10]  ¹⁸ tn Or “city.”

[10:10]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “and they”; the referent (the people who live in the town) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:10]  ²⁰ sn More discussion takes place concerning rejection (the people do not welcome you), as these verses lead into the condemnation of certain towns for their rejection of God’s kingdom.

[10:10]  ²¹ tn The term πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to the “broad street,” so this refers to the main roads of the town.

[10:11]  ²² tn Or “city.”

[10:11]  ²³ sn See Luke 9:5, where the verb is different but the meaning is the same. This was a sign of rejection.

[10:11]  ²⁴ tn Here ὑμῖν (Jumin) has been translated as a dative of disadvantage.

[10:11]  ²⁵ tn Or “has come near.” As in v. 9 (see above), the combination of ἐγγίζω (engizw) with the preposition ἐπί (epi) is decisive in showing that the sense is “has come” (see BDAG 270 s.v. ἐγγίζω 2, and W. R. Hutton, “The Kingdom of God Has Come,” ExpTim 64 [Dec 1952]: 89-91).