Ephesians 6:19

6:19 Pray ¹  for me also, that I may be given the message when I begin to speak ²  – that I may confidently make known ³  the mystery of the gospel,

Isaiah 58:1

The Lord Desires Genuine Devotion

58:1 “Shout loudly! Don’t be quiet!

Yell as loud as a trumpet!

Confront my people with their rebellious deeds; ⁴ 

confront Jacob’s family with their sin! ⁵ 

Jeremiah 1:7-8

1:7 The Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ But go ⁶  to whomever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 1:8 Do not be afraid of those to whom I send you, ⁷  for I will be with you to protect ⁸  you,” says the Lord.

Jeremiah 1:17

1:17 “But you, Jeremiah, ⁹  get yourself ready! ¹⁰  Go and tell these people everything I instruct you to say. Do not be terrified of them, or I will give you good reason to be terrified of them. ¹¹ 

Ezekiel 2:4-7

2:4 The people ¹²  to whom I am sending you are obstinate and hard-hearted, ¹³  and you must say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says.’ ¹⁴  2:5 And as for them, ¹⁵  whether they listen ¹⁶  or not – for they are a rebellious ¹⁷  house ¹⁸  – they will know that a prophet has been among them. 2:6 But you, son of man, do not fear them, and do not fear their words – even though briers ¹⁹  and thorns ²⁰  surround you and you live among scorpions – do not fear their words and do not be terrified of the looks they give you, ²¹  for they are a rebellious house! 2:7 You must speak my words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious.

Matthew 10:27-28

10:27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light, and what is whispered in your ear, ²²  proclaim from the housetops. ²³  10:28 Do ²⁴  not be afraid of those who kill the body ²⁵  but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁶ 

Acts 5:29

5:29 But Peter and the apostles replied, ²⁷  “We must obey ²⁸  God rather than people. ²⁹ 

Acts 28:31

28:31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ ³⁰  with complete boldness ³¹  and without restriction. ³² 

Colossians 4:4

4:4 Pray that I may make it known as I should. ³³ 

Philippians 1:20

1:20 My confident hope ³⁴  is that I will in no way be ashamed ³⁵  but that with complete boldness, even now as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether I live or die. ³⁶ 

Philippians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul ³⁷  and Timothy, slaves ³⁸  of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, ³⁹  with the overseers ⁴⁰  and deacons.

Philippians 2:2

2:2 complete my joy and be of the same mind, ⁴¹  by having the same love, being united in spirit, ⁴²  and having one purpose.

Philippians 2:1

Christian Unity and Christ’s Humility

2:1 Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, ⁴³  any affection or mercy, ⁴⁴ 

Philippians 3:16

3:16 Nevertheless, let us live up to the standard ⁴⁵  that we have already attained. ⁴⁶ 

Jude 1:3

Condemnation of the False Teachers

1:3 Dear friends, although I have been eager to write to you ⁴⁷  about our common salvation, I now feel compelled ⁴⁸  instead to write to encourage ⁴⁹  you to contend earnestly ⁵⁰  for the faith ⁵¹  that was once for all ⁵²  entrusted to the saints. ⁵³ 

[6:19]  ¹ tn To avoid a lengthy, convoluted sentence in English, the Greek sentence was broken up at this point and the verb “pray” was inserted in the English translation to pick up the participle προσευχόμενοι (proseuxomenoi, “praying”) in v. 18.

[6:19]  ² tn Grk “that a word may be given to me in the opening of my mouth.” Here “word” (λόγος, logo") is used in the sense of “message.”

[6:19]  ³ tn The infinitive γνωρίσαι (gnwrisai, “to make known”) is functioning epexegetically to further explain what the author means by the preceding phrase “that I may be given the message when I begin to speak.”

[58:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “declare to my people their rebellion.”

[58:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “and to the house of Jacob their sin.” The verb “declare” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[1:7]  ⁶ tn Or “For you must go and say.” The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) is likely adversative here after a negative statement (cf. BDB 474 s.v. כִּי 3.e). The Lord is probably not giving a rationale for the denial of Jeremiah’s objection but redirecting his focus, i.e., “do not say…but go…and say.”

[1:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “be afraid of them.” The antecedent is the “whomever” in v. 7.

[1:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “rescue.”

[1:17]  ⁹ tn The name “Jeremiah” is not in the text. The use of the personal pronoun followed by the proper name is an attempt to reflect the correlative emphasis between Jeremiah’s responsibility noted here and the Lord’s promise noted in the next verse. The emphasis in the Hebrew text is marked by the presence of the subject pronouns at the beginning of each of the two verses.

[1:17]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “gird up your loins.” For the literal use of this idiom to refer to preparation for action see 2 Kgs 4:29; 9:1. For the idiomatic use to refer to spiritual and emotional preparation as here, see Job 38:3, 40:7, and 1 Pet 1:13 in the NT.

[1:17]  ¹¹ tn Heb “I will make you terrified in front of them.” There is a play on words here involving two different forms of the same Hebrew verb and two different but related prepositional phrases, “from before/of,” a preposition introducing the object of a verb of fearing, and “before, in front of,” a preposition introducing a spatial location.

[2:4]  ¹² tn Heb “sons.” The word choice may reflect treaty idiom, where the relationship between an overlord and his subjects can be described as that of father and son.

[2:4]  ¹³ tc Heb “stern of face and hard of heart.” The phrases “stern of face” and “hard of heart” are lacking in the LXX.

[2:4]  ¹⁴ tn The phrase “thus says [the Lord]” occurs 129 times in Ezekiel; the announcement is identical to the way messengers often introduced their messages (Gen 32:5; 45:9; Exod 5:10; Num 20:14; Judg 11:15).

[2:5]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “they”; the phrase “And as for them” has been used in the translation for clarity.

[2:5]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew word implies obedience rather than mere hearing or paying attention.

[2:5]  ¹⁷ tn This Hebrew adjective is also used to describe the Israelites in Num 17:25 and Isa 30:9.

[2:5]  ¹⁸ sn The book of Ezekiel frequently refers to the Israelites as a rebellious house (Ezek 2:5, 6, 8; 3:9, 26-27; 12:2-3, 9, 25; 17:12; 24:3).

[2:6]  ¹⁹ tn The Hebrew term occurs only here in the OT.

[2:6]  ²⁰ tn The Hebrew term is found elsewhere in the OT only in Ezek 28:24.

[2:6]  ²¹ tn Heb “of their faces.”

[10:27]  ²² tn Grk “what you hear in the ear,” an idiom.

[10:27]  ²³ tn The expression “proclaim from the housetops” is an idiom for proclaiming something publicly (L&N 7.51). Roofs of many first century Jewish houses in Judea and Galilee were flat and had access either from outside or from within the house. Something shouted from atop a house would be heard by everyone in the street below.

[10:28]  ²⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[10:28]  ²⁵ sn Judaism had a similar exhortation in 4 Macc 13:14-15.

[10:28]  ²⁶ sn See the note on the word hell in 5:22.

[5:29]  ²⁷ tn Grk “apostles answered and said.”

[5:29]  ²⁸ sn Obey. See 4:19. This response has Jewish roots (Dan 3:16-18; 2 Macc 7:2; Josephus, Ant. 17.6.3 [17.159].

[5:29]  ²⁹ tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).

[28:31]  ³⁰ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[28:31]  ³¹ tn Or “openness.”

[28:31]  ³² sn Proclaiming…with complete boldness and without restriction. Once again Paul’s imprisonment is on benevolent terms. The word of God is proclaimed triumphantly and boldly in Rome. Acts ends with this note: Despite all the attempts to stop it, the message goes forth.

[4:4]  ³³ tn The phrase begins with the ἵνα (Jina) clause and is subordinate to the imperative προσκαρτερεῖτε (proskartereite) in v. 2. The reference to the idea that Paul must make it known indicates that this clause is probably best viewed as purpose and not content, like the ἵνα of v. 3. It is the second purpose stated in the context; the first is expressed through the infinitive λαλῆσαι (lalhsai) in v. 3. The term “pray” at the beginning of the sentence is intended to pick up the imperative of v. 3.

[1:20]  ³⁴ tn Grk “according to my eager expectation and hope.” The κατά (kata) phrase is taken as governing the following ὅτι (Joti) clause (“that I will not be ashamed…”); the idea could be expressed more verbally as “I confidently hope that I will not be ashamed…”

[1:20]  ³⁵ tn Or possibly, “be intimidated, be put to shame.”

[1:20]  ³⁶ tn Grk “whether by life or by death.”

[1:1]  ³⁷ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ³⁸ tn Traditionally, “servants” or “bondservants.” 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]  ³⁹ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[1:1]  ⁴⁰ sn The overseers (or “church leaders,” L&N 53.71) is another term for the same official position of leadership as the “elder.” This is seen in the interchange of the two terms in Titus 1:6-7 and in Acts 20:17, 28, as well as in the parallels between Titus 1:6-7 and 1 Tim 3:1-7.

[2:2]  ⁴¹ tn Or “and feel the same way,” “and think the same thoughts.” The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated “and be of the same mind” to reflect its epexegetical force to the imperative “complete my joy.”

[2:2]  ⁴² tn The Greek word here is σύμψυχοι (sumyucoi, literally “fellow souled”).

[2:1]  ⁴³ tn Or “spiritual fellowship” if πνεύματος (pneumato") is an attributive genitive; or “fellowship brought about by the Spirit” if πνεύματος is a genitive of source or production.

[2:1]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “and any affection and mercy.” The Greek idea, however, is best expressed by “or” in English.

[3:16]  ⁴⁵ tc Although κανόνι (kanoni, “standard, rule”) is found in most witnesses, though in various locations in this verse (א² D² Ψ 075 Ï), it is almost surely a motivated reading, for it clarifies the cryptic τῷ αὐτῷ (tw autw, “the same”). Both the fact that the word floats, and that there are other variants which accomplish greater clarity by other means, strongly suggests the secondary nature of any of the longer readings here. Further, the shortest text has excellent and early support in Ì^16,46 א* A B I^vid 6 33 1739 co, rendering it decidedly the preferred reading. The translation adds “standard” because of English requirements, not because of textual basis.

[3:16]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “Nevertheless, to what we have attained, to the same hold fast.”

[1:3]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “while being quite diligent to write to you,” or “while making all haste to write to you.” Two issues are at stake: (1) whether σπουδή (spoudh) here means diligence, eagerness, or haste; (2) whether ποιούμενος γράφειν (poioumeno" grafein) is to be taken conatively (“I was about to write”) or progressively (“I was writing”). Without knowing more of the background, it is difficult to tell which option is to be preferred.

[1:3]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “I had the necessity.” The term ἀνάγκη (anankh, “necessity”) often connotes urgency or distress. In this context, Jude is indicating that the more comprehensive treatment about the faith shared between himself and his readers was not nearly as urgent as the letter he found it now necessary to write.

[1:3]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “encouraging.” Παρακαλῶν (parakalwn) is most likely a telic participle. In keeping with other participles of purpose, it is present tense and occurs after the main verb.

[1:3]  ⁵⁰ tn the verb ἐπαγωνίζομαι (epagwnizomai) is an intensive form of ἀγωνίζομαι (agwnizomai). As such, the notion of struggling, fighting, contending, etc. is heightened.

[1:3]  ⁵¹ tn Τῇ πίστει (th pistei) here is taken as a dative of advantage (“on behalf of the faith”). Though rare (see BDAG 820 s.v. 3), it is not unexampled and must have this meaning here.

[1:3]  ⁵² sn The adverb once for all (ἅπαξ, Japax) seems to indicate that the doctrinal convictions of the early church had been substantially codified. That is to say, Jude could appeal to written documents of the Christian faith in his arguments with the false teachers. Most likely, these documents were the letters of Paul and perhaps one or more gospels. First and Second Peter may also have been among the documents Jude has in mind (see also the note on the phrase entrusted to the saints in this verse).

[1:3]  ⁵³ sn I now feel compelled instead…saints. Apparently news of some crisis has reached Jude, prompting him to write a different letter than what he had originally planned. A plausible scenario (assuming authenticity of 2 Peter or at least that there are authentic Petrine snippets in it) is that after Peter’s death, Jude intended to write to the same Gentile readers that Peter had written to (essentially, Paul’s churches). Jude starts by affirming that the gospel the Gentiles had received from Paul was the same as the one the Jewish Christians had received from the other apostles (our common salvation). But in the midst of writing this letter, Jude felt that the present crisis deserved another, shorter piece. The crisis, as the letter reveals, is that the false teachers whom Peter prophesied have now infiltrated the church. The letter of Jude is thus an ad hoc letter, intended to confirm the truth of Peter’s letter and encourage the saints to ground their faith in the written documents of the nascent church, rather than listen to the twisted gospel of the false teachers. In large measure, the letter of Jude illustrates the necessity of clinging to the authority of scripture as opposed to those who claim to be prophets.