Exodus 15:20

15:20 Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a hand-drum in her hand, and all the women went out after her with hand-drums and with dances. ¹ 

Jude 1:4

1:4 For certain men ²  have secretly slipped in among you ³  – men who long ago ⁴  were marked out ⁵  for the condemnation I am about to describe ⁶  – ungodly men who have turned the grace of our God into a license for evil ⁷  and who deny our only Master ⁸  and Lord, ⁹  Jesus Christ.

Micah 6:4

6:4 In fact, I brought you up from the land of Egypt,

I delivered you from that place of slavery.

I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead you. ¹⁰ 

Luke 1:41-56

1:41 When ¹¹  Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped ¹²  in her ¹³  womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ¹⁴  1:42 She ¹⁵  exclaimed with a loud voice, ¹⁶  “Blessed are you among women, ¹⁷  and blessed is the child ¹⁸  in your womb! 1:43 And who am I ¹⁹  that the mother of my Lord should come and visit me? 1:44 For the instant ²⁰  the sound of your greeting reached my ears, ²¹  the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ²²  1:45 And blessed ²³  is she who believed that ²⁴  what was spoken to her by ²⁵  the Lord would be fulfilled.” ²⁶ 

Mary’s Hymn of Praise

1:46 And Mary ²⁷  said, ²⁸ 

“My soul exalts ²⁹  the Lord, ³⁰ 

1:47 and my spirit has begun to rejoice ³¹  in God my Savior,

1:48 because he has looked upon the humble state of his servant. ³² 

For ³³  from now on ³⁴  all generations will call me blessed, ³⁵ 

1:49 because he who is mighty ³⁶  has done great things for me, and holy is his name;

1:50 from ³⁷  generation to generation he is merciful ³⁸  to those who fear ³⁹  him.

1:51 He has demonstrated power ⁴⁰  with his arm; he has scattered those whose pride wells up from the sheer arrogance ⁴¹  of their hearts.

1:52 He has brought down the mighty ⁴²  from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position; ⁴³ 

1:53 he has filled the hungry with good things, ⁴⁴  and has sent the rich away empty. ⁴⁵ 

1:54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering ⁴⁶  his mercy, ⁴⁷ 

1:55 as he promised ⁴⁸  to our ancestors, ⁴⁹  to Abraham and to his descendants ⁵⁰  forever.”

1:56 So ⁵¹  Mary stayed with Elizabeth ⁵²  about three months ⁵³  and then returned to her home.

Luke 2:36

The Testimony of Anna

2:36 There was also a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, ⁵⁴  having been married to her husband for seven years until his death.

Acts 21:9

21:9 (He had four unmarried ⁵⁵  daughters who prophesied.) ⁵⁶ 

Acts 21:1

Paul’s Journey to Jerusalem

21:1 After ⁵⁷  we ⁵⁸  tore ourselves away ⁵⁹  from them, we put out to sea, ⁶⁰  and sailing a straight course, ⁶¹  we came to Cos, ⁶²  on the next day to Rhodes, ⁶³  and from there to Patara. ⁶⁴ 

Colossians 1:5

1:5 Your faith and love have arisen ⁶⁵  from the hope laid up ⁶⁶  for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel ⁶⁷ 

[15:20]  ¹ sn See J. N. Easton, “Dancing in the Old Testament,” ExpTim 86 (1975): 136-40.

[1:4]  ² tn Grk “people.” However, if Jude is indeed arguing that Peter’s prophecy about false teachers has come true, these are most likely men in the original historical and cultural setting. See discussion of this point in the note on the phrase “these men” in 2 Pet 2:12.

[1:4]  ³ tn “Among you” is not in the Greek text, but is obviously implied.

[1:4]  ⁴ tn Or “in the past.” The adverb πάλαι (palai) can refer to either, though the meaning “long ago” is more common.

[1:4]  ⁵ tn Grk “written about.”

[1:4]  ⁶ tn Grk “for this condemnation.” τοῦτο (touto) is almost surely a kataphoric demonstrative pronoun, pointing to what follows in vv. 5-18. Otherwise, the condemnation is only implied (in v. 3b) or is merely a statement of their sinfulness (“ungodly” in v. 4b), not a judgment of it.

[1:4]  ⁷ tn Grk “debauchery.” This is the same word Peter uses to predict what the false teachers will be like (2 Pet 2:2, 7, 18).

[1:4]  ⁸ tc Most later witnesses (P Ψ Ï sy) have θεόν (qeon, “God”) after δεσπότην (despothn, “master”), which appears to be a motivated reading in that it explicitly links “Master” to “God” in keeping with the normal NT pattern (see Luke 2:29; Acts 4:24; 2 Tim 2:21; Rev 6:10). In patristic Greek, δεσπότης (despoth") was used especially of God (cf. BDAG 220 s.v. 1.b.). The earlier and better witnesses (Ì^72,78 א A B C 0251 33 81 323 1241 1739 al co) lack θεόν; the shorter reading is thus preferred on both internal and external grounds.

[1:4]  ⁹ tn The terms “Master and Lord” both refer to the same person. The construction in Greek is known as the Granville Sharp rule, named after the English philanthropist-linguist who first clearly articulated the rule in 1798. Sharp pointed out that in the construction article-noun-καί-noun (where καί [kai] = “and”), when two nouns are singular, personal, and common (i.e., not proper names), they always had the same referent. Illustrations such as “the friend and brother,” “the God and Father,” etc. abound in the NT to prove Sharp’s point. For more discussion see ExSyn 270-78. See also Titus 2:13 and 2 Pet 1:1

[6:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “before you.”

[1:41]  ¹¹ tn Grk “And it happened that.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here either.

[1:41]  ¹² sn When the baby leaped John gave his first testimony about Jesus, a fulfillment of 1:15.

[1:41]  ¹³ tn The antecedent of “her” is Elizabeth.

[1:41]  ¹⁴ sn The passage makes clear that Elizabeth spoke her commentary with prophetic enablement, filled with the Holy Spirit.

[1:42]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “and she.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[1:42]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “and she exclaimed with a great cry and said.” The verb εἶπεν (eipen, “said”) has not been included in the translation since it is redundant in contemporary English.

[1:42]  ¹⁷ sn The commendation Blessed are you among women means that Mary has a unique privilege to be the mother of the promised one of God.

[1:42]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “fruit,” which is figurative here for the child she would give birth to.

[1:43]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “From where this to me?” The translation suggests the note of humility and surprise that Elizabeth feels in being a part of these events. The ἵνα (Jina) clause which follows explains what “this” is. A literal translation would read “From where this to me, that is, that the mother of my Lord comes to visit me?”

[1:44]  ²⁰ tn Grk “for behold.”

[1:44]  ²¹ tn Grk “when the sound of your greeting [reached] my ears.”

[1:44]  ²² sn On the statement the baby in my womb leaped for joy see both 1:14 and 1:47. This notes a fulfillment of God’s promised word.

[1:45]  ²³ sn Again the note of being blessed makes the key point of the passage about believing God.

[1:45]  ²⁴ tn This ὅτι (Joti) clause, technically indirect discourse after πιστεύω (pisteuw), explains the content of the faith, a belief in God’s promise coming to pass.

[1:45]  ²⁵ tn That is, “what was said to her (by the angel) at the Lord’s command” (BDAG 756 s.v. παρά A.2).

[1:45]  ²⁶ tn Grk “that there would be a fulfillment of what was said to her from the Lord.”

[1:46]  ²⁷ tc A few witnesses, especially Latin mss, (a b l* Ir^arm Or^lat mss Nic) read “Elizabeth” here, since she was just speaking, but the ms evidence overwhelmingly supports “Mary” as the speaker.

[1:46]  ²⁸ sn The following passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.

[1:46]  ²⁹ tn Or “lifts up the Lord in praise.”

[1:46]  ³⁰ sn This psalm (vv. 46-55) is one of the few praise psalms in the NT. Mary praises God and then tells why both in terms of his care for her (vv. 46-49) and for others, including Israel (vv. 50-55). Its traditional name, the “Magnificat,” comes from the Latin for the phrase My soul magnifies the Lord at the hymn’s start.

[1:47]  ³¹ tn Or “rejoices.” The translation renders this aorist, which stands in contrast to the previous line’s present tense, as ingressive, which highlights Mary’s joyous reaction to the announcement. A comprehensive aorist is also possible here.

[1:48]  ³² tn See the note on the word “servant” in v. 38.

[1:48]  ³³ tn Grk “for behold.”

[1:48]  ³⁴ sn From now on is a favorite phrase of Luke’s, showing how God’s acts change things from this point on (5:10; 12:52; 22:18, 69; Acts 18:6).

[1:48]  ³⁵ sn Mary is seen here as an example of an object of God’s grace (blessed) for all generations.

[1:49]  ³⁶ tn Traditionally, “the Mighty One.”

[1:50]  ³⁷ tn Grk “and from.” Here καί (kai) has been translated by a semicolon to improve the English style.

[1:50]  ³⁸ sn God’s mercy refers to his “loyal love” or “steadfast love,” expressed in faithful actions, as the rest of the psalm illustrates.

[1:50]  ³⁹ tn That is, “who revere.” This refers to those who show God a reverential respect for his sovereignty.

[1:51]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “shown strength,” “performed powerful deeds.” The verbs here switch to aorist tense through 1:55. This is how God will act in general for his people as they look to his ultimate deliverance.

[1:51]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “in the imaginations of their hearts.” The psalm rebukes the arrogance of the proud, who think that power is their sovereign right. Here διανοίᾳ (dianoia) can be understood as a dative of sphere or reference/respect.

[1:52]  ⁴² tn Or “rulers.”

[1:52]  ⁴³ tn Or “those of humble position”

[1:53]  ⁴⁴ sn Good things refers not merely to material blessings, but blessings that come from knowing God.

[1:53]  ⁴⁵ sn Another fundamental contrast of Luke’s is between the hungry and the rich (Luke 6:20-26).

[1:54]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “because he remembered mercy,” understanding the infinitive as causal.

[1:54]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “his [God’s] loyal love.”

[1:55]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “as he spoke.” Since this is a reference to the covenant to Abraham, ἐλάλησεν (elalhsen) can be translated in context “as he promised.” God keeps his word.

[1:55]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “fathers.”

[1:55]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “his seed” (an idiom for offspring or descendants).

[1:56]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “And.” Here (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the conclusion of the topic.

[1:56]  ⁵² tn Grk “her”; the referent (Elizabeth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:56]  ⁵³ sn As is typical with Luke the timing is approximate (about three months), not specific.

[2:36]  ⁵⁴ tn Her age is emphasized by the Greek phrase here, “she was very old in her many days.”

[21:9]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “virgin.” While the term παρθένος (parqeno") can refer to a woman who has never had sexual relations, the emphasis in this context seems to be on the fact that Philip’s daughters were not married (L&N 9.39).

[21:9]  ⁵⁶ sn This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author. Luke again noted women who were gifted in the early church (see Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.31; 3.39).

[21:1]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “It happened that when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Since the action described by the participle ἀποσπασθέντας (apospasqenta", “tearing ourselves away”) is prior to the departure of the ship, it has been translated as antecedent action (“after”).

[21:1]  ⁵⁸ sn This marks the beginning of another “we” section in Acts. These have been traditionally understood to mean that Luke was in the company of Paul for this part of the journey.

[21:1]  ⁵⁹ tn BDAG 120 s.v. ἀποσπάω 2.b has “pass. in mid. sense ἀ. ἀπό τινος tear oneself away Ac 21:1”; LSJ 218 gives several illustrations of this verb meaning “to tear or drag away from.”

[21:1]  ⁶⁰ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[21:1]  ⁶¹ tn BDAG 406 s.v. εὐθυδρομέω has “of a ship run a straight course”; L&N 54.3 has “to sail a straight course, sail straight to.”

[21:1]  ⁶² sn Cos was an island in the Aegean Sea.

[21:1]  ⁶³ sn Rhodes was an island off the southwestern coast of Asia Minor.

[21:1]  ⁶⁴ sn Patara was a city in Lycia on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor. The entire journey was about 185 mi (295 km).

[1:5]  ⁶⁵ tn Col 1:3-8 form one long sentence in the Greek text and have been divided at the end of v. 4 and v. 6 and within v. 6 for clarity, in keeping with the tendency in contemporary English toward shorter sentences. Thus the phrase “Your faith and love have arisen from the hope” is literally “because of the hope.” The perfect tense “have arisen” was chosen in the English to reflect the fact that the recipients of the letter had acquired this hope at conversion in the past, but that it still remains and motivates them to trust in Christ and to love one another.

[1:5]  ⁶⁶ tn BDAG 113 s.v. ἀπόκειμαι 2 renders ἀποκειμένην (apokeimenhn) with the expression “reserved” in this verse.

[1:5]  ⁶⁷ tn The term “the gospel” (τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, tou euangeliou) is in apposition to “the word of truth” (τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ἀληθείας, tw logw th" alhqeia") as indicated in the translation.