Exodus 23:2

23:2 “You must not follow a crowd ¹  in doing evil things; ²  in a lawsuit you must not offer testimony that agrees with a crowd so as to pervert justice, ³ 

Leviticus 18:29-30

18:29 For if anyone does any of these abominations, the persons who do them will be cut off from the midst of their people. ⁴  18:30 You must obey my charge to not practice any of the abominable statutes ⁵  that have been done before you, so that you do not ⁶  defile yourselves by them. I am the Lord your God.’”

Deuteronomy 18:9-14

Provision for Prophetism

18:9 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, you must not learn the abhorrent practices of those nations. 18:10 There must never be found among you anyone who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, ⁷  anyone who practices divination, ⁸  an omen reader, ⁹  a soothsayer, ¹⁰  a sorcerer, ¹¹  18:11 one who casts spells, ¹²  one who conjures up spirits, ¹³  a practitioner of the occult, ¹⁴  or a necromancer. ¹⁵  18:12 Whoever does these things is abhorrent to the Lord and because of these detestable things ¹⁶  the Lord your God is about to drive them out ¹⁷  from before you. 18:13 You must be blameless before the Lord your God. 18:14 Those nations that you are about to dispossess listen to omen readers and diviners, but the Lord your God has not given you permission to do such things.

John 7:7

7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me, because I am testifying about it that its deeds are evil.

John 14:30

14:30 I will not speak with you much longer, ¹⁸  for the ruler of this world is coming. ¹⁹  He has no power over me, ²⁰ 

John 15:19

15:19 If you belonged to the world, ²¹  the world would love you as its own. ²²  However, because you do not belong to the world, ²³  but I chose you out of the world, for this reason ²⁴  the world hates you. ²⁵ 

John 17:14

17:14 I have given them your word, ²⁶  and the world has hated them, because they do not belong to the world, ²⁷  just as I do not belong to the world. ²⁸ 

John 17:1

Jesus Prays for the Father to Glorify Him

17:1 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he looked upward ²⁹  to heaven ³⁰  and said, “Father, the time ³¹  has come. Glorify your Son, so that your ³²  Son may glorify you –

Colossians 3:19

3:19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.

Colossians 3:2

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

Colossians 4:4

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

Colossians 1:14-17

1:14 in whom we have redemption, ³⁴  the forgiveness of sins.

The Supremacy of Christ

1:15 ³⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn ³⁶  over all creation, ³⁷ 

1:16 for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him – all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, ³⁸  whether principalities or powers – all things were created through him and for him.

1:17 He himself is before all things and all things are held together ³⁹  in him.

Galatians 1:4

1:4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father,

Ephesians 2:2

2:2 in which ⁴⁰  you formerly lived ⁴¹  according to this world’s present path, ⁴²  according to the ruler of the kingdom ⁴³  of the air, the ruler of ⁴⁴  the spirit ⁴⁵  that is now energizing ⁴⁶  the sons of disobedience, ⁴⁷ 

Ephesians 4:17-20

Live in Holiness

4:17 So I say this, and insist ⁴⁸  in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility ⁴⁹  of their thinking. ⁵⁰  4:18 They are darkened in their understanding, ⁵¹  being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts. 4:19 Because they are callous, they have given themselves over to indecency for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. ⁵²  4:20 But you did not learn about Christ like this,

James 1:27

1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before ⁵³  God the Father ⁵⁴  is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

James 4:4

4:4 Adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God? ⁵⁵  So whoever decides to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy.

James 4:1

Passions and Pride

4:1 Where do the conflicts and where ⁵⁶  do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, ⁵⁷  from your passions that battle inside you? ⁵⁸ 

James 1:14

1:14 But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires.

James 1:18

1:18 By his sovereign plan he gave us birth ⁵⁹  through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

James 4:2

4:2 You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask;

James 4:2

4:2 You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask;

James 1:4

1:4 And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything.

James 2:20

2:20 But would you like evidence, ⁶⁰  you empty fellow, ⁶¹  that faith without works is useless? ⁶² 

James 2:1

Prejudice and the Law of Love

2:1 My brothers and sisters, ⁶³  do not show prejudice ⁶⁴  if you possess faith ⁶⁵  in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. ⁶⁶ 

James 2:15-17

2:15 If a brother or sister ⁶⁷  is poorly clothed and lacks daily food, 2:16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm and eat well,” but you do not give them what the body needs, ⁶⁸  what good is it? 2:17 So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead being by itself.

James 3:13

True Wisdom

3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct he should show his works done in the gentleness that wisdom brings. ⁶⁹ 

James 4:4-5

4:4 Adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God? ⁷⁰  So whoever decides to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy. 4:5 Or do you think the scripture means nothing when it says, ⁷¹  “The spirit that God ⁷²  caused ⁷³  to live within us has an envious yearning”? ⁷⁴ 

James 5:19

5:19 My brothers and sisters, ⁷⁵  if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back,

Revelation 12:9

12:9 So ⁷⁶  that huge dragon – the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world – was thrown down to the earth, and his angels along with him.

Revelation 13:8

13:8 and all those who live on the earth will worship the beast, ⁷⁷  everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world ⁷⁸  in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was killed. ⁷⁹ 

[23:2]  ¹ tn The word רָבִּים (rabbim), here rendered “crowd,” is also used infrequently to refer to the “mighty,” people of importance in society (Job 35:9; cf. Lev 19:15).

[23:2]  ² tn For any individual to join a group that is bent on acting wickedly would be a violation of the Law and would incur personal responsibility.

[23:2]  ³ tn Heb “you will not answer in a lawsuit to turn after the crowd to turn.” The form translated “agrees with” (Heb “to turn after”) is a Qal infinitive construct from נָטָה (natah); the same root is used at the end of the verse but as a Hiphil infinitive construct, “to pervert [justice].”

[18:29]  ⁴ sn Regarding the “cut off” penalty see the note on Lev 7:20.

[18:30]  ⁵ tn Heb “to not do from the statutes of the detestable acts.”

[18:30]  ⁶ tn Heb “and you will not.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.

[18:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “who passes his son or his daughter through the fire.” The expression “pass…through the fire” is probably a euphemism for human sacrifice (cf. NAB, NIV, TEV, NLT). See also Deut 12:31.

[18:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “a diviner of divination” (קֹסֵם קְסָמִים, qosem qÿsamim). This was a means employed to determine the future or the outcome of events by observation of various omens and signs (cf. Num 22:7; 23:23; Josh 13:22; 1 Sam 6:2; 15:23; 28:8; etc.). See M. Horsnell, NIDOTTE 3:945-51.

[18:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “one who causes to appear” (מְעוֹנֵן, mÿ’onen). Such a practitioner was thought to be able to conjure up spirits or apparitions (cf. Lev 19:26; Judg 9:37; 2 Kgs 21:6; Isa 2:6; 57:3; Jer 27:9; Mic 5:11).

[18:10]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “a seeker of omens” (מְנַחֵשׁ, mÿnakhesh). This is a subset of divination, one illustrated by the use of a “divining cup” in the story of Joseph (Gen 44:5).

[18:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “a doer of sorcery” (מְכַשֵּׁף, mikhashef). This has to do with magic or the casting of spells in order to manipulate the gods or the powers of nature (cf. Lev 19:26-31; 2 Kgs 17:15b-17; 21:1-7; Isa 57:3, 5; etc.). See M. Horsnell, NIDOTTE 2:735-38.

[18:11]  ¹² tn Heb “a binder of binding” (חֹבֵר חָבֶר, khover khaver). The connotation is that of immobilizing (“binding”) someone or something by the use of magical words (cf. Ps 58:6; Isa 47:9, 12).

[18:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “asker of a [dead] spirit” (שֹׁאֵל אוֹב, sho’el ’ov). This is a form of necromancy (cf. Lev 19:31; 20:6; 1 Sam 28:8, 9; Isa 8:19; 19:3; 29:4).

[18:11]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “a knowing [or “familiar”] [spirit]” (יִדְּעֹנִי, yiddÿ’oniy), i.e., one who is expert in mantic arts (cf. Lev 19:31; 20:6, 27; 1 Sam 28:3, 9; 2 Kgs 21:6; Isa 8:19; 19:3).

[18:11]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “a seeker of the dead.” This is much the same as “one who conjures up spirits” (cf. 1 Sam 28:6-7).

[18:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “these abhorrent things.” The repetition is emphatic. For stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy, the same term used earlier in the verse has been translated “detestable” here.

[18:12]  ¹⁷ tn The translation understands the Hebrew participial form as having an imminent future sense here.

[14:30]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “I will no longer speak many things with you.”

[14:30]  ¹⁹ sn The ruler of this world is a reference to Satan.

[14:30]  ²⁰ tn Grk “in me he has nothing.”

[15:19]  ²¹ tn Grk “if you were of the world.”

[15:19]  ²² tn The words “you as” are not in the original but are supplied for clarity.

[15:19]  ²³ tn Grk “because you are not of the world.”

[15:19]  ²⁴ tn Or “world, therefore.”

[15:19]  ²⁵ sn I chose you out of the world…the world hates you. Two themes are brought together here. In 8:23 Jesus had distinguished himself from the world in addressing his Jewish opponents: “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.” In 15:16 Jesus told the disciples “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you.” Now Jesus has united these two ideas as he informs the disciples that he has chosen them out of the world. While the disciples will still be “in” the world after Jesus has departed, they will not belong to it, and Jesus prays later in John 17:15-16 to the Father, “I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” The same theme also occurs in 1 John 4:5-6: “They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us.” Thus the basic reason why the world hates the disciples (as it hated Jesus before them) is because they are not of the world. They are born from above, and are not of the world. For this reason the world hates them.

[17:14]  ²⁶ tn Or “your message.”

[17:14]  ²⁷ tn Grk “because they are not of the world.”

[17:14]  ²⁸ tn Grk “just as I am not of the world.”

[17:1]  ²⁹ tn Grk “he raised his eyes” (an idiom).

[17:1]  ³⁰ tn Or “to the sky.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven” depending on the context.

[17:1]  ³¹ tn Grk “the hour.”

[17:1]  ³² tc The better witnesses (א B C* W 0109 0301) have “the Son” (ὁ υἱός, Jo Juios) here, while the majority (C³ L Ψ Ë¹³ 33 Ï) read “your Son also” (καὶ ὁ υἱὸς σου, kai Jo Juio" sou), or “your Son” (ὁ υἱὸς σου; A D Θ 0250 1 579 pc lat sy); the second corrector of C has καὶ ὁ υἱός (“the Son also”). The longer readings appear to be predictable scribal expansions and as such should be considered secondary.

[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.

[1:14]  ³⁴ 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]  ³⁵ 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]  ³⁶ 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]  ³⁷ 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]  ³⁸ tn BDAG 579 s.v. κυριότης 3 suggests “bearers of the ruling powers, dominions” here.

[1:17]  ³⁹ tn BDAG 973 s.v. συνίστημι B.3 suggests “continue, endure, exist, hold together” here.

[2:2]  ⁴⁰ sn The relative pronoun which is feminine as is sins, indicating that sins is the antecedent.

[2:2]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “walked.”

[2:2]  ⁴² tn Or possibly “Aeon.”

[2:2]  ⁴³ tn Grk “domain, [place of] authority.”

[2:2]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “of” (but see the note on the word “spirit” later in this verse).

[2:2]  ⁴⁵ sn The ruler of the kingdom of the air is also the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience. Although several translations regard the ruler to be the same as the spirit, this is unlikely since the cases in Greek are different (ruler is accusative and spirit is genitive). To get around this, some have suggested that the genitive for spirit is a genitive of apposition. However, the semantics of the genitive of apposition are against such an interpretation (cf. ExSyn 100).

[2:2]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “working in.”

[2:2]  ⁴⁷ sn Sons of disobedience is a Semitic idiom that means “people characterized by disobedience.” However, it also contains a subtle allusion to vv. 4-10: Some of those sons of disobedience have become sons of God.

[4:17]  ⁴⁸ tn On the translation of μαρτύρομαι (marturomai) as “insist” see BDAG 619 s.v. 2.

[4:17]  ⁴⁹ tn On the translation of ματαιότης (mataioth") as “futility” see BDAG 621 s.v.

[4:17]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “thoughts,” “mind.”

[4:18]  ⁵¹ tn In the Greek text this clause is actually subordinate to περιπατεῖ (peripatei) in v. 17. It was broken up in the English translation so as to avoid an unnecessarily long and cumbersome statement.

[4:19]  ⁵² sn Greediness refers to an increasing desire for more and more. The point is that sinful passions and desires are never satisfied.

[1:27]  ⁵³ tn Or “in the sight of”; Grk “with.”

[1:27]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “the God and Father.”

[4:4]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “is hostility toward God.”

[4:1]  ⁵⁶ tn The word “where” is repeated in Greek for emphasis.

[4:1]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “from here.”

[4:1]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “in your members [i.e., parts of the body].”

[1:18]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “Having willed, he gave us birth.”

[2:20]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “do you want to know.”

[2:20]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “O empty man.” Here the singular vocative ἄνθρωπε (anqrwpe, “man”) means “person” or even “fellow.” Cf. BDAG 82 s.v. ἄνθρωπος 8 which views this as an instance of rhetorical address in a letter; the pejorative sense is also discussed under the previous heading (7).

[2:20]  ⁶² tc Most witnesses, including several important ones (א A C² P Ψ 33 Ï sy bo), have νεκρά (nekra, “dead”) here, while Ì⁷⁴ reads κενή (kenh, “empty”). Both variants are most likely secondary, derived from ἀργή (argh, “useless”). The reading of the majority is probably an assimilation to the statements in vv. 17 and 26, while Ì⁷⁴’s reading picks up on κενέ (kene) earlier in the verse. The external evidence (B C* 323 945 1739 sa) for ἀργή is sufficient for authenticity; coupled with the strong internal evidence for the reading (if νεκρά were original, how would ἀργή have arisen here and not in vv. 17 or 26?), it is strongly preferred.

[2:1]  ⁶³ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[2:1]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “partiality.”

[2:1]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “do not have faith with personal prejudice,” with emphasis on the last phrase.

[2:1]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “our Lord Jesus Christ of glory.” Here δόξης (doxhs) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[2:15]  ⁶⁷ tn It is important to note that the words ἀδελφός (adelfos) and ἀδελφή (adelfh) both occur in the Greek text at this point, confirming that the author intended to refer to both men and women. See the note on “someone” in 2:2.

[2:16]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “what is necessary for the body.”

[3:13]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “works in the gentleness of wisdom.”

[4:4]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “is hostility toward God.”

[4:5]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “vainly says.”

[4:5]  ⁷² tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:5]  ⁷³ tc The Byzantine text and a few other mss (P 33 Ï) have the intransitive κατῴκησεν (katwkhsen) here, which turns τὸ πνεῦμα (to pneuma) into the subject of the verb: “The spirit which lives within us.” But the more reliable and older witnesses (Ì⁷⁴ א B Ψ 049 1241 1739 al) have the causative verb, κατῴκισεν (katwkisen), which implies a different subject and τὸ πνεῦμα as the object: “The spirit that he causes to live within us.” Both because of the absence of an explicit subject and the relative scarcity of the causative κατοικίζω (katoikizw, “cause to dwell”) compared to the intransitive κατοικέω (katoikew, “live, dwell”) in biblical Greek (κατοικίζω does not occur in the NT at all, and occurs one twelfth as frequently as κατοικέω in the LXX), it is easy to see why scribes would replace κατῴκισεν with κατῴκησεν. Thus, on internal and external grounds, κατῴκισεν is the preferred reading.

[4:5]  ⁷⁴ tn Interpreters debate the referent of the word “spirit” in this verse: (1) The translation takes “spirit” to be the lustful capacity within people that produces a divided mind (1:8, 14) and inward conflicts regarding God (4:1-4). God has allowed it to be in man since the fall, and he provides his grace (v. 6) and the new birth through the gospel message (1:18-25) to counteract its evil effects. (2) On the other hand the word “spirit” may be taken positively as the Holy Spirit and the sense would be, “God yearns jealously for the Spirit he caused to live within us.” But the word for “envious” or “jealous” is generally negative in biblical usage and the context before and after seems to favor the negative interpretation.

[5:19]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[12:9]  ⁷⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the war in heaven.

[13:8]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “it”; the referent (the beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:8]  ⁷⁸ tn The prepositional phrase “since the foundation of the world” is traditionally translated as a modifier of the immediately preceding phrase in the Greek text, “the Lamb who was killed” (so also G. B. Caird, Revelation [HNTC], 168), but it is more likely that the phrase “since the foundation of the world” modifies the verb “written” (as translated above). Confirmation of this can be found in Rev 17:8 where the phrase “written in the book of life since the foundation of the world” occurs with no ambiguity.

[13:8]  ⁷⁹ tn Or “slaughtered”; traditionally, “slain.”