Ephesians 5:5

5:5 For you can be confident of this one thing: ¹  that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Exodus 18:21

18:21 But you choose ²  from the people capable men, ³  God-fearing, ⁴  men of truth, ⁵  those who hate bribes, ⁶  and put them over the people ⁷  as rulers ⁸  of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

Exodus 20:17

20:17 “You shall not covet ⁹  your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.” ¹⁰ 

Joshua 7:21

7:21 I saw among the goods we seized a nice robe from Babylon, ¹¹  two hundred silver pieces, ¹²  and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels. I wanted them, so I took them. They are hidden in the ground right in the middle of my tent with the silver underneath.”

Joshua 7:1

Achan Sins and is Punished

7:1 But the Israelites disobeyed the command about the city’s riches. ¹³  Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, ¹⁴  son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, stole some of the riches. ¹⁵  The Lord was furious with the Israelites. ¹⁶ 

Joshua 8:3

8:3 Joshua and the whole army marched against Ai. ¹⁷  Joshua selected thirty thousand brave warriors and sent them out at night.

Psalms 10:3

10:3 Yes, ¹⁸  the wicked man ¹⁹  boasts because he gets what he wants; ²⁰ 

the one who robs others ²¹  curses ²²  and ²³  rejects the Lord. ²⁴ 

Psalms 119:36

119:36 Give me a desire for your rules, ²⁵ 

rather than for wealth gained unjustly. ²⁶ 

Proverbs 28:16

28:16 The prince who is a great oppressor lacks wisdom, ²⁷ 

but the one who hates ²⁸  unjust gain will prolong his days.

Jeremiah 6:13

6:13 “That is because, from the least important to the most important of them,

all of them are greedy for dishonest gain.

Prophets and priests alike,

all of them practice deceit.

Jeremiah 8:10

8:10 ²⁹ So I will give their wives to other men

and their fields to new owners.

For from the least important to the most important of them,

all of them are greedy for dishonest gain.

Prophets and priests alike,

all practice deceit.

Jeremiah 22:17

22:17 But you are always thinking and looking

for ways to increase your wealth by dishonest means.

Your eyes and your heart are set

on killing some innocent person

and committing fraud and oppression. ³⁰ 

Ezekiel 33:31

33:31 They come to you in crowds, ³¹  and they sit in front of you as ³²  my people. They hear your words, but do not obey ³³  them. For they talk lustfully, ³⁴  and their heart is set on ³⁵  their own advantage. ³⁶ 

Micah 2:2

2:2 They confiscate the fields they desire,

and seize the houses they want. ³⁷ 

They defraud people of their homes, ³⁸ 

and deprive people of the land they have inherited. ³⁹ 

Mark 7:22

7:22 adultery, greed, evil, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, and folly.

Luke 12:15

12:15 Then ⁴⁰  he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourself from ⁴¹  all types of greed, ⁴²  because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Luke 16:14

More Warnings about the Pharisees

16:14 The Pharisees ⁴³  (who loved money) heard all this and ridiculed ⁴⁴  him.

Acts 20:33

20:33 I have desired ⁴⁵  no one’s silver or gold or clothing.

Acts 20:1

Paul Travels Through Macedonia and Greece

20:1 After the disturbance had ended, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging ⁴⁶  them and saying farewell, ⁴⁷  he left to go to Macedonia. ⁴⁸ 

Colossians 1:10

1:10 so that you may live ⁴⁹  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ⁵⁰  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,

Colossians 3:5

3:5 So put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth: ⁵¹  sexual immorality, impurity, shameful passion, ⁵²  evil desire, and greed which is idolatry.

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 3:3

3:3 for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Colossians 1:10

1:10 so that you may live ⁵³  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ⁵⁴  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,

Colossians 1:2

1:2 to the saints, the faithful ⁵⁵  brothers and sisters ⁵⁶  in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you ⁵⁷  from God our Father! ⁵⁸ 

Colossians 3:2

3:2 Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth,

Titus 1:7

1:7 For the overseer ⁵⁹  must be blameless as one entrusted with God’s work, ⁶⁰  not arrogant, not prone to anger, not a drunkard, not violent, not greedy for gain.

Titus 1:11

1:11 who must be silenced because they mislead whole families by teaching for dishonest gain what ought not to be taught.

Hebrews 13:5

13:5 Your conduct must be free from the love of money and you must be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you and I will never abandon you.” ⁶¹ 

Hebrews 13:1

Final Exhortations

13:1 Brotherly love must continue.

Hebrews 5:2

5:2 He is able to deal compassionately with those who are ignorant and erring, since he also is subject to weakness,

Hebrews 5:2

5:2 He is able to deal compassionately with those who are ignorant and erring, since he also is subject to weakness,

Hebrews 2:3

2:3 how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first communicated through the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard him,

Hebrews 2:14

2:14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he likewise shared in ⁶²  their humanity, ⁶³  so that through death he could destroy ⁶⁴  the one who holds the power of death (that is, the devil),

[5:5]  ¹ tn Grk “be knowing this.” See also 2 Pet 1:20 for a similar phrase: τοῦτο πρῶτον γινώσκοντες (touto prwton ginwskonte").

[18:21]  ² tn The construction uses the independent pronoun for emphasis, and then the imperfect tense “see” (חָזָה, khazah) – “and you will see from all….” Both in Hebrew and Ugaritic expressions of “seeing” are used in the sense of choosing (Gen 41:33). See U. Cassuto, Exodus, 220.

[18:21]  ³ tn The expression is אַנְשֵׁי־חַיִל (’anshe khayil, “capable men”). The attributive genitive is the word used in expressions like “mighty man of valor.” The word describes these men as respected, influential, powerful people, those looked up to by the community as leaders, and those who will have the needs of the community in mind.

[18:21]  ⁴ tn The description “fearers of God” uses an objective genitive. It describes them as devout, worshipful, obedient servants of God.

[18:21]  ⁵ tn The expression “men of truth” (אַנְשֵׁי אֱמֶת, ’anshe ’emet) indicates that these men must be seekers of truth, who know that the task of a judge is to give true judgment (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 220). The word “truth” includes the ideas of faithfulness or reliability, as well as factuality itself. It could be understood to mean “truthful men,” men whose word is reliable and true.

[18:21]  ⁶ tn Heb “haters of bribes.” Here is another objective genitive, one that refers to unjust gain. To hate unjust gain is to reject and refuse it. Their decisions will not be swayed by greed.

[18:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “over them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:21]  ⁸ sn It is not clear how this structure would work in a judicial setting. The language of “captains of thousands,” etc., is used more for military ranks. There must have been more detailed instruction involved here, for each Israelite would have come under four leaders with this arrangement, and perhaps difficult cases would be sent to the next level. But since the task of these men would also involve instruction and guidance, the breakdown would be very useful. Deut 1:9, 13 suggest that the choice of these people was not simply Moses’ alone.

[20:17]  ⁹ tn The verb חָמַד (khamad) focuses not on an external act but on an internal mental activity behind the act, the motivation for it. The word can be used in a very good sense (Ps 19:10; 68:16), but it has a bad connotation in contexts where the object desired is off limits. This command is aimed at curtailing the greedy desire for something belonging to a neighbor, a desire that leads to the taking of it or the attempt to take it. It was used in the story of the Garden of Eden for the tree that was desired.

[20:17]  ¹⁰ sn See further G. Wittenburg, “The Tenth Commandment in the Old Testament,” Journal for Theology in South Africa 21 (1978): 3-17: and E. W. Nicholson, “The Decalogue as the Direct Address of God,” VT 27 (1977): 422-33.

[7:21]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Shinar,” a reference to Babylon (cf. Gen 10:10; 11:2; 14:1). Many modern translations retain the Hebrew name “Shinar” (cf. NEB, NRSV) but some use the more familiar “Babylon” (cf. NIV, NLT).

[7:21]  ¹² tn Heb “shekels.”

[7:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “But the sons of Israel were unfaithful with unfaithfulness concerning what was set apart [to the Lord].”

[7:1]  ¹⁴ tn 1 Chr 2:6 lists a “Zimri” (but no Zabdi) as one of the five sons of Zerah (cf. also 1 Chr 7:17, 18).

[7:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “took from what was set apart [to the Lord].”

[7:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the anger of the Lord burned against the sons of Israel.”

[8:3]  ¹⁷ tn “And Joshua and all the people of war arose to go up [against] Ai.”

[10:3]  ¹⁸ tn The translation assumes כִּי (ki) is asseverative: “indeed, certainly.” Another option is to translate “for,” understanding v. 3 as giving the reason why the wicked so arrogantly seek to destroy the helpless (so NASB, NRSV).

[10:3]  ¹⁹ tn The representative or typical evildoer is described in vv. 3-11, 13, 15. Since the singular form predominates in these verses, it has been retained in the translation.

[10:3]  ²⁰ tn Heb “the wicked [one] boasts on account of the desire of his appetite.” The translation assumes that the preposition עַל (’al) introduces the reason why the wicked boasts (cf. this use of עַל with הָלַל (halal) in Ps 119:164 and Ezra 3:11). In this case, the “desire of his appetite” refers by metonymy to the object desired and acquired.

[10:3]  ²¹ tn The translation assumes the active participle is substantival, referring to the wicked man mentioned in the preceding line. The substantival participle is then understood as the subject of the following verbs. For other examples of the participle of בָּצַע (batsar) used of those who desire and/or acquire wealth through dishonest and/or violent means, see Prov 1:19; 15:27; Jer 6:13; 8:10; Hab 2:9.

[10:3]  ²² tn The verb בָּרַךְ (barakh) normally means “to bless,” but in a few cases it exhibits the polarized meaning “to curse” (1 Kgs 21:10, 13; Job 1:5-11; 2:5-9). (Some regard this use of בָּרַךְ as a mere euphemism.) The verb refers to the act of pronouncing or calling down a formal curse upon the object of one’s anger.

[10:3]  ²³ tn The conjunction “and” is supplied in the translation; it does not appear in the Hebrew text.

[10:3]  ²⁴ tn Another option is to translate, “he blesses one who robs others, [but] he curses the Lord.” In this case the subject of the verbs is “the wicked man” mentioned in the previous line, and “the one who robs others” is the object of the verb בָּרַךְ (barakh), which is understood in its usual sense of “bless.”

[119:36]  ²⁵ tn Heb “turn my heart to your rules.”

[119:36]  ²⁶ tn Heb “and not unjust gain.”

[28:16]  ²⁷ tn Heb “A prince lacking of understanding [is] also a great oppressor” (both KJV, ASV similar) The last clause, “and a great oppressor,” appears to modify “the prince.” There is little difference in meaning, only in emphasis. The LXX has “lacks income” (reading תְּבוּאוֹת [tÿvu’ot] instead of תְּבוּנוֹת [tÿvunot]). C. H. Toy (Proverbs [ICC], 501) suggests deleting the word for “prince” altogether, but this emendation is gratuitous.

[28:16]  ²⁸ tc This follows the Qere reading of the participle which is singular (as opposed to the plural). The implication is that this one is also a ruler, paralleling the first half. But since he “hates” (= rejects) unjust gain he will extend [his] days, meaning he will enjoy a long and happy life (cf. NIV, NRSV, CEV).

[8:10]  ²⁹ sn See Jer 6:12-15 for parallels to 8:10-12. The words of Jeremiah to the people may have been repeated on more than one occasion or have been found appropriate to more than one of his collection of messages in written and edited form. See Jer 36:4 and Jer 36:28 for reference to at least two of these collections.

[22:17]  ³⁰ tn Heb “Your eyes and your heart do not exist except for dishonest gain and for innocent blood to shed [it] and for fraud and for oppression to do [them].” The sentence has been broken up to conform more to English style and the significance of “eyes” and “heart” explained before they are introduced into the translation.

[33:31]  ³¹ tn Heb “as people come.” Apparently this is an idiom indicating that they come in crowds. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:264.

[33:31]  ³² tn The word “as” is supplied in the translation.

[33:31]  ³³ tn Heb “do.”

[33:31]  ³⁴ tn Heb “They do lust with their mouths.”

[33:31]  ³⁵ tn Heb “goes after.”

[33:31]  ³⁶ tn The present translation understands the term often used for “unjust gain” in a wider sense, following M. Greenberg, who also notes that the LXX uses a term which can describe either sexual or ritual pollution. See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:687.

[2:2]  ³⁷ tn Heb “they desire fields and rob [them], and houses and take [them] away.”

[2:2]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and they oppress a man and his home.”

[2:2]  ³⁹ tn Heb “and a man and his inheritance.” The verb עָשַׁק (’ashaq, “to oppress”; “to wrong”) does double duty in the parallel structure and is understood by ellipsis in the second line.

[12:15]  ⁴⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[12:15]  ⁴¹ tn See L&N 13.154 for this use of the middle voice of φυλάσσω (fulassw) in this verse.

[12:15]  ⁴² tn Or “avarice,” “covetousness.” Note the warning covers more than money and gets at the root attitude – the strong desire to acquire more and more possessions and experiences.

[16:14]  ⁴³ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[16:14]  ⁴⁴ tn A figurative extension of the literal meaning “to turn one’s nose up at someone”; here “ridicule, sneer at, show contempt for” (L&N 33.409).

[20:33]  ⁴⁵ tn Traditionally, “coveted.” BDAG 371 s.v. ἐπιθυμέω 1 has “to have a strong desire to do or secure someth., desire, long for w. gen. of the thing desired…silver, gold, clothing Ac 20:33.” The traditional term “covet” is not in common usage and difficult for many modern English readers to understand. The statement affirms Paul’s integrity. He was not doing this for personal financial gain.

[20:1]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “exhorting.”

[20:1]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “and taking leave of them.”

[20:1]  ⁴⁸ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[1:10]  ⁴⁹ tn The infinitive περιπατῆσαι (peripathsai, “to walk, to live, to live one’s life”) is best taken as an infinitive of purpose related to “praying” (προσευχόμενοι, proseucomenoi) and “asking” (αἰτούμενοι, aitoumenoi) in v. 9 and is thus translated as “that you may live.”

[1:10]  ⁵⁰ tn BDAG 129 s.v. ἀρεσκεία states that ἀρεσκείαν (areskeian) refers to a “desire to please εἰς πᾶσαν ἀ. to please (the Lord) in all respects Col 1:10.”

[3:5]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “the members which are on the earth.” See BDAG 628 s.v. μέλος 1, “put to death whatever in you is worldly.”

[3:5]  ⁵² tn Or “lust.”

[1:10]  ⁵³ tn The infinitive περιπατῆσαι (peripathsai, “to walk, to live, to live one’s life”) is best taken as an infinitive of purpose related to “praying” (προσευχόμενοι, proseucomenoi) and “asking” (αἰτούμενοι, aitoumenoi) in v. 9 and is thus translated as “that you may live.”

[1:10]  ⁵⁴ tn BDAG 129 s.v. ἀρεσκεία states that ἀρεσκείαν (areskeian) refers to a “desire to please εἰς πᾶσαν ἀ. to please (the Lord) in all respects Col 1:10.”

[1:2]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “and faithful.” The construction in Greek (as well as Paul’s style) suggests that the saints are identical to the faithful; hence, the καί (kai) is best left untranslated (cf. Eph 1:1). See ExSyn 281-82.

[1:2]  ⁵⁶ 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).

[1:2]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:2]  ⁵⁸ tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (א A C F G I [P] 075 Ï it bo), read “and the Lord Jesus Christ” at the end of this verse, no doubt to conform the wording to the typical Pauline salutation. However, excellent and early witnesses (B D K L Ψ 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 al sa) lack this phrase. Since the omission is inexplicable as arising from the longer reading (otherwise, these mss would surely have deleted the phrase in the rest of the corpus Paulinum), it is surely authentic.

[1:7]  ⁵⁹ sn The overseer is another term for the same official position of leadership as the “elder.” This is seen in the interchange of the two terms in this passage and in Acts 20:17, 28, as well as in the parallels between these verses and 1 Tim 3:1-7.

[1:7]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “as God’s steward.”

[13:5]  ⁶¹ sn A quotation from Deut 31:6, 8.

[2:14]  ⁶² tn Or “partook of” (this is a different word than the one in v. 14a).

[2:14]  ⁶³ tn Grk “the same.”

[2:14]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “break the power of,” “reduce to nothing.”