Exodus 23:21

23:21 Take heed because of him, and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for my name ¹  is in him.

Exodus 23:1

Justice

23:1 ² “You must not give ³  a false report. ⁴  Do not make common cause ⁵  with the wicked ⁶  to be a malicious ⁷  witness.

Exodus 29:11-12

29:11 You are to kill the bull before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting 29:12 and take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar ⁸  with your finger; all the rest of ⁹  the blood you are to pour out at the base of the altar.

Psalms 45:3-6

45:3 Strap your sword to your thigh, O warrior! ¹⁰ 

Appear in your majestic splendor! ¹¹ 

45:4 Appear in your majesty and be victorious! ¹² 

Ride forth for the sake of what is right, ¹³ 

on behalf of justice! ¹⁴ 

Then your right hand will accomplish mighty acts! ¹⁵ 

45:5 Your arrows are sharp

and penetrate the hearts of the king’s enemies.

Nations fall at your feet. ¹⁶ 

45:6 Your throne, ¹⁷  O God, is permanent. ¹⁸ 

The scepter ¹⁹  of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.

Psalms 72:19

72:19 His glorious name deserves praise ²⁰  forevermore!

May his majestic splendor ²¹  fill the whole earth!

We agree! We agree! ²² 

Psalms 93:1

Psalm 93 ²³ 

93:1 The Lord reigns!

He is robed in majesty,

the Lord is robed,

he wears strength around his waist. ²⁴ 

Indeed, the world is established, it cannot be moved.

Psalms 145:12

145:12 so that mankind ²⁵  might acknowledge your mighty acts,

and the majestic splendor of your kingdom.

Matthew 25:31

The Judgment

25:31 “When ²⁶  the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.

John 5:22-29

5:22 Furthermore, the Father does not judge ²⁷  anyone, but has assigned ²⁸  all judgment to the Son, 5:23 so that all people ²⁹  will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.

5:24 “I tell you the solemn truth, ³⁰  the one who hears ³¹  my message ³²  and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, ³³  but has crossed over from death to life. 5:25 I tell you the solemn truth, ³⁴  a time ³⁵  is coming – and is now here – when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 5:26 For just as the Father has life in himself, thus he has granted the Son to have life in himself, 5:27 and he has granted the Son ³⁶  authority to execute judgment, ³⁷  because he is the Son of Man.

5:28 “Do not be amazed at this, because a time ³⁸  is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 5:29 and will come out – the ones who have done what is good to the resurrection resulting in life, and the ones who have done what is evil to the resurrection resulting in condemnation. ³⁹ 

John 10:38

10:38 But if I do them, even if you do not believe me, believe the deeds, ⁴⁰  so that you may come to know ⁴¹  and understand that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.”

John 14:9-11

14:9 Jesus replied, ⁴²  “Have I been with you for so long, and you have not known ⁴³  me, Philip? The person who has seen me has seen the Father! How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? ⁴⁴  The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own initiative, ⁴⁵  but the Father residing in me performs ⁴⁶  his miraculous deeds. ⁴⁷  14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me, but if you do not believe me, ⁴⁸  believe because of the miraculous deeds ⁴⁹  themselves.

Revelation 1:13-18

1:13 and in the midst of the lampstands was one like a son of man. ⁵⁰  He was dressed in a robe extending down to his feet and he wore a wide golden belt ⁵¹  around his chest. 1:14 His ⁵²  head and hair were as white as wool, even as white as snow, ⁵³  and his eyes were like a fiery ⁵⁴  flame. 1:15 His feet were like polished bronze ⁵⁵  refined ⁵⁶  in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar ⁵⁷  of many waters. 1:16 He held ⁵⁸  seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword extended out of his mouth. His ⁵⁹  face shone like the sun shining at full strength. 1:17 When ⁶⁰  I saw him I fell down at his feet as though I were dead, but ⁶¹  he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid! I am the first and the last, 1:18 and the one who lives! I ⁶²  was dead, but look, now I am alive – forever and ever – and I hold the keys of death and of Hades! ⁶³ 

[23:21]  ¹ sn This means “the manifestation of my being” is in him (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 247). Driver quotes McNeile as saying, “The ‘angel’ is Jehovah Himself ‘in a temporary descent to visibility for a special purpose.’” Others take the “name” to represent Yahweh’s “power” (NCV) or “authority” (NAB, CEV).

[23:1]  ² sn People who claim to worship and serve the righteous judge of the universe must preserve equity and justice in their dealings with others. These verses teach that God’s people must be honest witnesses (1-3); God’s people must be righteous even with enemies (4-5); and God’s people must be fair in dispensing justice (6-9).

[23:1]  ³ tn Heb “take up, lift, carry” (נָשָׂא, nasa’). This verb was also used in the prohibition against taking “the name of Yahweh in vain.” Sometimes the object of this verb is physical, as in Jonah 1:12 and 15. Used in this prohibition involving speech, it covers both originating and repeating a lie.

[23:1]  ⁴ tn Or “a groundless report” (see Exod 20:7 for the word שָׁוְא, shav’).

[23:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “do not put your hand” (cf. KJV, ASV); NASB “join your hand.”

[23:1]  ⁶ tn The word “wicked” (רָשָׁע, rasha’) refers to the guilty criminal, the person who is doing something wrong. In the religious setting it describes the person who is not a member of the covenant and may be involved in all kinds of sin, even though there is the appearance of moral and spiritual stability.

[23:1]  ⁷ tn The word חָמָס (khamas) often means “violence” in the sense of social injustices done to other people, usually the poor and needy. A “malicious” witness would do great harm to others. See J. W. McKay, “Exodus 23:1-43, 6-8: A Decalogue for Administration of Justice in the City Gate,” VT 21 (1971): 311-25.

[29:12]  ⁸ sn This act seems to have signified the efficacious nature of the blood, since the horns represented power. This is part of the ritual of the sin offering for laity, because before the priests become priests they are treated as laity. The offering is better described as a purification offering rather than a sin offering, because it was offered, according to Leviticus, for both sins and impurities. Moreover, it was offered primarily to purify the sanctuary so that the once-defiled or sinful person could enter (see J. Milgrom, Leviticus [AB]).

[29:12]  ⁹ tn The phrase “rest of” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[45:3]  ¹⁰ tn Or “mighty one.”

[45:3]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew text has simply, “your majesty and your splendor,” which probably refers to the king’s majestic splendor when he appears in full royal battle regalia.

[45:4]  ¹² tn Heb “and your majesty, be successful.” The syntax is awkward. The phrase “and your majesty” at the beginning of the verse may be accidentally repeated (dittography); it appears at the end of v. 3.

[45:4]  ¹³ tn Or “for the sake of truth.”

[45:4]  ¹⁴ tc The precise meaning of the MT is uncertain. The form עַנְוָה (’anvah) occurs only here. One could emend the text to עֲנָוָה וְצֶדֶק (’anavah vÿtsedeq, “[for the sake of truth], humility, and justice”). In this case “humility” would perhaps allude to the king’s responsibility to “serve” his people by promoting justice (cf. NIV “in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness”). The present translation assumes an emendation to יַעַן (ya’an, “because; on account of”) which would form a suitable parallel to עַל־דְּבַר (’al-dÿvar, “because; for the sake of”) in the preceding line.

[45:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and your right hand will teach you mighty acts”; or “and may your right hand teach you mighty acts.” After the imperatives in the first half of the verse, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive likely indicates purpose (“so that your right hand might teach you mighty acts”) or result (see the present translation). The “right hand” here symbolizes the king’s military strength. His right hand will “teach” him mighty acts by performing them and thereby causing him to experience their magnificence.

[45:5]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “your arrows are sharp – peoples beneath you fall – in the heart of the enemies of the king.” The choppy style reflects the poet’s excitement.

[45:6]  ¹⁷ sn The king’s throne here symbolizes his rule.

[45:6]  ¹⁸ tn Or “forever and ever.”

[45:6]  ¹⁹ sn The king’s scepter symbolizes his royal authority.

[72:19]  ²⁰ tn Heb “[be] blessed.”

[72:19]  ²¹ tn Or “glory.”

[72:19]  ²² tn Heb “surely and surely” (אָמֵן וְאָמֵן [’amen vÿ’amen], i.e., “Amen and amen”). This is probably a congregational response of agreement to the immediately preceding statement about the propriety of praising God.

[93:1]  ²³ sn Psalm 93. The psalmist affirms that the Lord is the king of the universe who preserves order and suppresses the destructive forces in the world.

[93:1]  ²⁴ sn Strength is compared here to a belt that one wears for support. The Lord’s power undergirds his rule.

[145:12]  ²⁵ tn Heb “the sons of man.”

[25:31]  ²⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[5:22]  ²⁷ tn Or “condemn.”

[5:22]  ²⁸ tn Or “given,” or “handed over.”

[5:23]  ²⁹ tn Grk “all.” The word “people” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for stylistic reasons and for clarity (cf. KJV “all men”).

[5:24]  ³⁰ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[5:24]  ³¹ tn Or “obeys.”

[5:24]  ³² tn Or “word.”

[5:24]  ³³ tn Grk “and does not come into judgment.”

[5:25]  ³⁴ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[5:25]  ³⁵ tn Grk “an hour.”

[5:27]  ³⁶ tn Grk “him.”

[5:27]  ³⁷ tn Grk “authority to judge.”

[5:28]  ³⁸ tn Grk “an hour.”

[5:29]  ³⁹ tn Or “a resurrection resulting in judgment.”

[10:38]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “works.”

[10:38]  ⁴¹ tn Or “so that you may learn.”

[14:9]  ⁴² tn Grk “Jesus said to him.”

[14:9]  ⁴³ tn Or “recognized.”

[14:10]  ⁴⁴ tn The mutual interrelationship of the Father and the Son (ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ πατρὶ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοί ἐστιν, egw en tw patri kai Jo pathr en emoi estin) is something that Jesus expected even his opponents to recognize (cf. John 10:38). The question Jesus asks of Philip (οὐ πιστεύεις, ou pisteuei") expects the answer “yes.” Note that the following statement is addressed to all the disciples, however, because the plural pronoun (ὑμῖν, Jumin) is used. Jesus says that his teaching (the words he spoke to them all) did not originate from himself, but the Father, who permanently remains (μένων, menwn) in relationship with Jesus, performs his works. One would have expected “speaks his words” here rather than “performs his works”; many of the church fathers (e.g., Augustine and Chrysostom) identified the two by saying that Jesus’ words were works. But there is an implicit contrast in the next verse between words and works, and v. 12 seems to demand that the works are real works, not just words. It is probably best to see the two terms as related but not identical; there is a progression in the idea here. Both Jesus’ words (recall the Samaritans’ response in John 4:42) and Jesus’ works are revelatory of who he is, but as the next verse indicates, works have greater confirmatory power than words.

[14:10]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “I do not speak from myself.”

[14:10]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “does.”

[14:10]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “his mighty acts”; Grk “his works.”

[14:11]  ⁴⁸ tn The phrase “but if you do not believe me” contains an ellipsis; the Greek text reads Grk “but if not.” The ellipsis has been filled out (“but if [you do] not [believe me]…”) for the benefit of the modern English reader.

[14:11]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “because of the works.”

[1:13]  ⁵⁰ tn This phrase constitutes an allusion to Dan 7:13. Concerning υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (Juio" tou anqrwpou), BDAG 1026 s.v. υἱός 2.d.γ says: “ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου lit. ‘the son of the man’…‘the human being, the human one, the man’…On Israelite thought contemporary w. Jesus and alleged knowledge of a heavenly being looked upon as a ‘Son of Man’ or ‘Man’, who exercises Messianic functions such as judging the world (metaph., pictorial passages in En 46-48; 4 Esdr 13:3, 51f)…Outside the gospels: Ac 7:56…Rv 1:13; 14:14 (both after Da 7:13…).” The term “son” here in this expression is anarthrous and as such lacks specificity. Some commentators and translations take the expression as an allusion to Daniel 7:13 and not to “the son of man” found in gospel traditions (e.g., Mark 8:31; 9:12; cf. D. E. Aune, Revelation [WBC], 2:800-801; cf. also NIV). Other commentators and versions, however, take the phrase “son of man” as definite, involving allusions to Dan 7:13 and “the son of man” gospel traditions (see G. K. Beale, Revelation [NIGTC], 771-72; NRSV).

[1:13]  ⁵¹ tn Or “a wide golden sash,” but this would not be diagonal, as some modern sashes are, but horizontal. The Greek term can refer to a wide band of cloth or leather worn on the outside of one’s clothing (L&N 6.178).

[1:14]  ⁵² tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[1:14]  ⁵³ tn The clause, “even as white as snow” seems to heighten the preceding clause and is so understood in this ascensive sense (“even”) in the translation.

[1:14]  ⁵⁴ tn The genitive noun πυρός (puros) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[1:15]  ⁵⁵ tn The precise meaning of the term translated “polished bronze” (χαλκολιβάνῳ, calkolibanw), which appears nowhere else in Greek literature outside of the book of Revelation (see 2:18), is uncertain. Without question it is some sort of metal. BDAG 1076 s.v. χαλκολίβανον suggests “fine brass/bronze.” L&N 2.57 takes the word to refer to particularly valuable or fine bronze, but notes that the emphasis here and in Rev 2:18 is more on the lustrous quality of the metal.

[1:15]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “that has been heated in a furnace until it glows.”

[1:15]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “sound,” but the idea is closer to the roar of a waterfall or rapids.

[1:16]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “and having.” In the Greek text this is a continuation of the previous sentence, but because contemporary English style employs much shorter sentences, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronoun “he.”

[1:16]  ⁵⁹ tn This is a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text, but a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:17]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “And when.” 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.

[1:17]  ⁶¹ tn Here the Greek conjunction καί (kai) has been translated as a contrastive (“but”) due to the contrast between the two clauses.

[1:18]  ⁶² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[1:18]  ⁶³ tn Concerning “Hades” BDAG 19 s.v. ᾅδης 1 and 2 states: “Orig. proper noun, god of the nether world, ‘Hades’, then the nether world, Hades as place of the dead, Ac 2:27, 31 (Ps 15:10; Eccl 9:10; PGM 1, 179; 16, 8; Philo, Mos. 1, 195; Jos., Bell. 1, 596, Ant. 6, 332). Of Jonah’s fish ἐκ τοῦ κατωτάτου ᾅδου. In the depths, contrasted w. heaven ἕως (τοῦ) ᾅδου Mt 11:23; Lk 10:15 (PsSol 15:10; cp.; Is 14:11, 15); ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ 16:23; ἐν ῝Αιδου ApcPt Rainer. Accessible by gates (but the pl. is also used [e.g. Hom., X., Ael. Aristid. 47, 20 K.=23 p. 450 D.] when only one gate is meant), hence πύλαι ᾅδου (Il. 5, 646; Is 38:10; Wsd 16:13; 3 Macc 5:51; Pss. Sol. 16:2. – Lucian, Menipp. 6 the magicians can open τοῦ ῝Αιδου τὰς πύλας and conduct people in and out safely) Mt 16:18…locked ἔχω τὰς κλεῖς τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τοῦ ᾅδου Rv 1:18 (the genitives are either obj. [Ps.-Apollod. 3, 12, 6, 10 Aeacus, the son of Zeus holds the κλεῖς τοῦ ῝Αιδου; SEG VIII, 574, 3 (III ad) τῷ τὰς κλεῖδας ἔχοντι τῶν καθ᾿ ῝Αιδου (restored)] or possess.; in the latter case death and Hades are personif.; s. 2)…Hades personif.…w. θάνατος (cp. Is 28:15; Job 38:17…) Rv 6:8; 20:13f.”