Exodus 18:9

18:9 Jethro rejoiced ¹  because of all the good that the Lord had done for Israel, whom he had delivered from the hand of Egypt.

Joshua 22:22-33

22:22 “El, God, the Lord! ²  El, God, the Lord! He knows the truth! ³  Israel must also know! If we have rebelled or disobeyed the Lord, ⁴  don’t spare us ⁵  today! 22:23 If we have built ⁶  an altar for ourselves to turn back from following the Lord by making ⁷  burnt sacrifices and grain offerings on it, or by offering ⁸  tokens of peace ⁹  on it, the Lord himself will punish us. ¹⁰  22:24 We swear we have done this because we were worried that ¹¹  in the future your descendants would say to our descendants, ‘What relationship do you have with the Lord God of Israel? ¹²  22:25 The Lord made the Jordan a boundary between us and you Reubenites and Gadites. You have no right to worship the Lord.’ ¹³  In this way your descendants might cause our descendants to stop obeying ¹⁴  the Lord. 22:26 So we decided to build this altar, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, 22:27 but as a reminder to us and you, ¹⁵  and to our descendants who follow us, that we will honor the Lord in his very presence ¹⁶  with burnt offerings, sacrifices, and tokens of peace. ¹⁷  Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to our descendants, ‘You have no right to worship the Lord.’ ¹⁸  22:28 We said, ‘If in the future they say such a thing ¹⁹  to us or to our descendants, we will reply, “See the model of the Lord’s altar that our ancestors ²⁰  made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a reminder to us and you.”’ ²¹  22:29 Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord by turning back today from following after the Lord by building an altar for burnt offerings, sacrifices, and tokens of peace ²²  aside from the altar of the Lord our God located in front of his dwelling place!” ²³ 

22:30 When Phinehas the priest and the community leaders and clan leaders who accompanied him heard the defense of the Reubenites, Gadites, and the Manassehites, ²⁴  they were satisfied. ²⁵  22:31 Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, said to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the Manassehites, ²⁶  “Today we know that the Lord is among us, because you have not disobeyed the Lord in this. ²⁷  Now ²⁸  you have rescued the Israelites from the Lord’s judgment.” ²⁹ 

22:32 Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders left the Reubenites and Gadites in the land of Gilead and reported back to the Israelites in the land of Canaan. ³⁰  22:33 The Israelites were satisfied with their report and gave thanks to God. ³¹  They said nothing more about launching an attack to destroy the land in which the Reubenites and Gadites lived. ³² 

Romans 12:9

Conduct in Love

12:9 Love must be ³³  without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good.

Romans 12:2

12:2 Do not be conformed ³⁴  to this present world, ³⁵  but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve ³⁶  what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

Colossians 1:9-16

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, ³⁷  have not ceased praying for you and asking God ³⁸  to fill ³⁹  you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 1:10 so that you may live ⁴⁰  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ⁴¹  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, 1:11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of ⁴²  all patience and steadfastness, joyfully 1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share ⁴³  in the saints’ ⁴⁴  inheritance in the light. 1:13 He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, ⁴⁵  1:14 in whom we have redemption, ⁴⁶  the forgiveness of sins.

The Supremacy of Christ

1:15 ⁴⁷ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn ⁴⁸  over all creation, ⁴⁹ 

1:16 for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him – all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, ⁵⁰  whether principalities or powers – all things were created through him and for him.

Philippians 1:4

1:4 I always pray with joy in my every prayer for all of you

Philippians 1:18

1:18 What is the result? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed, and in this I rejoice.

Yes, ⁵¹  and I will continue to rejoice,

Philippians 2:17-18

2:17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice together with all of you. 2:18 And in the same way you also should be glad and rejoice together with me.

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, ⁵²  any affection or mercy, ⁵³ 

Philippians 3:6-10

3:6 In my zeal for God I persecuted the church. According to the righteousness stipulated in the law I was blameless. 3:7 But these assets I have come to regard as liabilities because of Christ. 3:8 More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things – indeed, I regard them as dung! ⁵⁴  – that I may gain Christ, 3:9 and be found in him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but because I have the righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness ⁵⁵  – a righteousness from God that is in fact ⁵⁶  based on Christ’s ⁵⁷  faithfulness. ⁵⁸  3:10 My aim is to know him, ⁵⁹  to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, ⁶⁰  and to be like him in his death,

Philippians 3:2

3:2 Beware of the dogs, ⁶¹  beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh! ⁶² 

Philippians 1:4

1:4 I always pray with joy in my every prayer for all of you

Philippians 1:3

Prayer for the Church

1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁶³ 

Philippians 1:3

Prayer for the Church

1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁶⁴ 

[18:9]  ¹ tn The word חָדָה (khada) is rare, occurring only in Job 3:6 and Ps 21:6, although it is common in Aramaic. The LXX translated it “he shuddered.” U. Cassuto suggests that that rendering was based on the midrashic interpretation in b. Sanhedrin 94b, “he felt cuts in his body” – a wordplay on the verb (Exodus, 215-16).

[22:22]  ² sn Israel’s God is here identified with three names: (1) אֵל (’el), “El” (or “God”); (2) אֱלֹהִים (’elohim), “Elohim” (or “God”), and (3) יְהוָה (yÿhvah), “Yahweh” (or “the Lord”). The name אֵל (’el, “El”) is often compounded with titles, for example, El Elyon, “God Most High.”

[22:22]  ³ tn Heb “he knows.”

[22:22]  ⁴ tn Heb “if in rebellion or if in unfaithfulness against the Lord.”

[22:22]  ⁵ tn Heb “do not save us.” The verb form is singular, being addressed to either collective Israel or the Lord himself. The LXX translates in the third person.

[22:23]  ⁶ tn Heb “by building.” The prepositional phrase may be subordinated to what precedes, “if in unfaithfulness…by building.”

[22:23]  ⁷ tn Heb “or if to offer up.”

[22:23]  ⁸ tn Heb “or if to make.”

[22:23]  ⁹ tn Or “peace offerings.”

[22:23]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the Lord, he will seek.” Perhaps this is a self-imprecation in an oath, “may the Lord himself punish us.”

[22:24]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Surely, from worry concerning a matter we have done this, saying.”

[22:24]  ¹² tn Heb “What is there to you and to the Lord God of Israel?” The rhetorical question is sarcastic in tone and anticipates a response, “Absolutely none!”

[22:25]  ¹³ tn Heb “You have no portion in the Lord.”

[22:25]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “fearing.”

[22:27]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “but it is a witness between us and you.”

[22:27]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “to do the service of the Lord before him.”

[22:27]  ¹⁷ tn Or “peace offerings.”

[22:27]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “You have no portion in the Lord.”

[22:28]  ¹⁹ tn The words “such a thing” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[22:28]  ²⁰ tn Heb “fathers.”

[22:28]  ²¹ tn Heb “but it is a witness between us and you.”

[22:29]  ²² tn Or “peace offerings.”

[22:29]  ²³ sn The Lord’s dwelling place here refers to the tabernacle.

[22:30]  ²⁴ tn Heb “the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the sons of Manasseh.”

[22:30]  ²⁵ tn Heb “it was good in their eyes.”

[22:31]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the sons of Manasseh.”

[22:31]  ²⁷ tn Heb “because you were not unfaithful with this unfaithfulness against the Lord.”

[22:31]  ²⁸ tn On the use of אָז in a logical sense, see Waltke-O’Connor, Hebrew Syntax, 667.

[22:31]  ²⁹ tn Heb “the hand (i.e., power) of the Lord.”

[22:32]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and Phinehas…returned from the sons of Reuben and from the sons of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the sons of Israel. And they brought back to them a word.”

[22:33]  ³¹ tn Heb “and the word was good in the eyes of the sons of Israel and the sons of Israel blessed God.”

[22:33]  ³² tn Heb “and they did not speak about going up against them for battle to destroy the land in which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad were living.”

[12:9]  ³³ tn The verb “must be” is understood in the Greek text.

[12:2]  ³⁴ tn Although συσχηματίζεσθε (suschmatizesqe) could be either a passive or middle, the passive is more likely since it would otherwise have to be a direct middle (“conform yourselves”) and, as such, would be quite rare for NT Greek. It is very telling that being “conformed” to the present world is viewed as a passive notion, for it may suggest that it happens, in part, subconsciously. At the same time, the passive could well be a “permissive passive,” suggesting that there may be some consciousness of the conformity taking place. Most likely, it is a combination of both.

[12:2]  ³⁵ tn Grk “to this age.”

[12:2]  ³⁶ sn The verb translated test and approve (δοκιμάζω, dokimazw) carries the sense of “test with a positive outcome,” “test so as to approve.”

[1:9]  ³⁷ tn Or “heard about it”; Grk “heard.” There is no direct object stated in the Greek (direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context). A direct object is expected by an English reader, however, so most translations supply one. Here, however, it is not entirely clear what the author “heard”: a number of translations supply “it” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV; NAB “this”), but this could refer back either to (1) “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8, or (2) “your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints” (v. 4). In light of this uncertainty, other translations supply “about you” (TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). This is preferred by the present translation since, while it does not resolve the ambiguity entirely, it does make it less easy for the English reader to limit the reference only to “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8.

[1:9]  ³⁸ tn The term “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but the following reference to “the knowledge of his will” makes it clear that “God” is in view as the object of the “praying and asking,” and should therefore be included in the English translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ³⁹ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated as substantival, indicating the content of the prayer and asking. The idea of purpose may also be present in this clause.

[1:10]  ⁴⁰ 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]  ⁴¹ 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.”

[1:11]  ⁴² tn The expression “for the display of” is an attempt to convey in English the force of the Greek preposition εἰς (eis) in this context.

[1:12]  ⁴³ tn BDAG 473 s.v. ἱκανόω states, “τινὰ εἴς τι someone for someth. Col 1:12.” The point of the text is that God has qualified the saints for a “share” or “portion” in the inheritance of the saints.

[1:12]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “the inheritance of the saints.” The genitive noun τῶν ἁγίων (twn Jagiwn) is a possessive genitive: “the saints’ inheritance.”

[1:13]  ⁴⁵ tn Here αὐτοῦ (autou) has been translated as a subjective genitive (“he loves”).

[1:14]  ⁴⁶ tc διὰ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ (dia tou {aimato" autou, “through his blood”) is read at this juncture by several minuscule mss (614 630 1505 2464 al) as well as a few, mostly secondary, versional and patristic witnesses. But the reading was prompted by the parallel in Eph 1:7 where the wording is solid. If these words had been in the original of Colossians, why would scribes omit them here but not in Eph 1:7? Further, the testimony on behalf of the shorter reading is quite overwhelming: {א A B C D F G Ψ 075 0150 6 33 1739 1881 Ï latt co as well as several other versions and fathers}. The conviction that “through his blood” is not authentic in Col 1:14 is as strong as the conviction that these words are authentic in Eph 1:7.

[1:15]  ⁴⁷ sn This 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.

[1:15]  ⁴⁸ tn The Greek term πρωτότοκος (prwtotokos) could refer either to first in order of time, such as a first born child, or it could refer to one who is preeminent in rank. M. J. Harris, Colossians and Philemon (EGGNT), 43, expresses the meaning of the word well: “The ‘firstborn’ was either the eldest child in a family or a person of preeminent rank. The use of this term to describe the Davidic king in Ps 88:28 LXX (=Ps 89:27 EVV), ‘I will also appoint him my firstborn (πρωτότοκον), the most exalted of the kings of the earth,’ indicates that it can denote supremacy in rank as well as priority in time. But whether the πρωτό- element in the word denotes time, rank, or both, the significance of the -τοκος element as indicating birth or origin (from τίκτω, give birth to) has been virtually lost except in ref. to lit. birth.” In Col 1:15 the emphasis is on the priority of Jesus’ rank as over and above creation (cf. 1:16 and the “for” clause referring to Jesus as Creator).

[1:15]  ⁴⁹ tn The genitive construction πάσης κτίσεως (pash" ktisew") is a genitive of subordination and is therefore translated as “over all creation.” See ExSyn 103-4.

[1:16]  ⁵⁰ tn BDAG 579 s.v. κυριότης 3 suggests “bearers of the ruling powers, dominions” here.

[1:18]  ⁵¹ tn Or “But.” The conjunction ἀλλά (alla) may be emphatic or contrastive. If the former, the idea may be that Paul will continue rejoicing because of the proclamation of the gospel or because of his imminent release from prison (v. 19); if the latter, Paul is now turning his attention solely to this second reason to rejoice, viz., that he will soon be released from prison. In this latter view the clause should be translated, “But I will also rejoice since I know…”

[2:1]  ⁵² 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]  ⁵³ tn Grk “and any affection and mercy.” The Greek idea, however, is best expressed by “or” in English.

[3:8]  ⁵⁴ tn The word here translated “dung” was often used in Greek as a vulgar term for fecal matter. As such it would most likely have had a certain shock value for the readers. This may well be Paul’s meaning here, especially since the context is about what the flesh produces.

[3:9]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “faith in Christ.” A decision is difficult here. Though traditionally translated “faith in Jesus Christ,” an increasing number of NT scholars are arguing that πίστις Χριστοῦ (pisti" Cristou) and similar phrases in Paul (here and in Rom 3:22, 26; Gal 2:16, 20; 3:22; Eph 3:12) involve a subjective genitive and mean “Christ’s faith” or “Christ’s faithfulness” (cf., e.g., G. Howard, “The ‘Faith of Christ’,” ExpTim 85 [1974]: 212-15; R. B. Hays, The Faith of Jesus Christ [SBLDS]; Morna D. Hooker, “Πίστις Χριστοῦ,” NTS 35 [1989]: 321-42). Noteworthy among the arguments for the subjective genitive view is that when πίστις takes a personal genitive it is almost never an objective genitive (cf. Matt 9:2, 22, 29; Mark 2:5; 5:34; 10:52; Luke 5:20; 7:50; 8:25, 48; 17:19; 18:42; 22:32; Rom 1:8; 12; 3:3; 4:5, 12, 16; 1 Cor 2:5; 15:14, 17; 2 Cor 10:15; Phil 2:17; Col 1:4; 2:5; 1 Thess 1:8; 3:2, 5, 10; 2 Thess 1:3; Titus 1:1; Phlm 6; 1 Pet 1:9, 21; 2 Pet 1:5). On the other hand, the objective genitive view has its adherents: A. Hultgren, “The Pistis Christou Formulations in Paul,” NovT 22 (1980): 248-63; J. D. G. Dunn, “Once More, ΠΙΣΤΙΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ,” SBL Seminar Papers, 1991, 730-44. Most commentaries on Romans and Galatians usually side with the objective view.

[3:9]  ⁵⁶ tn The words “in fact” are supplied because of English style, picking up the force of the Greek article with πίστει (pistei). See also the following note on the word “Christ’s.”

[3:9]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “based on the faithfulness.” The article before πίστει (pistei) is taken as anaphoric, looking back to διὰ πίστεως Χριστοῦ (dia pistew" Cristou); hence, “Christ’s” is implied.

[3:9]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “based on faith.”

[3:10]  ⁵⁹ tn The articular infinitive τοῦ γνῶναι (tou gnwnai, “to know”) here expresses purpose. The words “My aim is” have been supplied in the translation to emphasize this nuance and to begin a new sentence (shorter sentences are more appropriate for English style).

[3:10]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “to know him, the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings.”

[3:2]  ⁶¹ sn Dogs is a figurative reference to false teachers whom Paul regards as just as filthy as dogs.

[3:2]  ⁶² tn Grk “beware of the mutilation.”

[1:3]  ⁶³ tn This could also be translated “for your every remembrance of me.” See discussion below.

[1:3]  ⁶⁴ tn This could also be translated “for your every remembrance of me.” See discussion below.