Exodus 19:12

19:12 You must set boundaries ¹  for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heed ²  to yourselves not to go up on the mountain nor touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain will surely be put to death!

Exodus 19:21

19:21 The Lord said to Moses, “Go down and solemnly warn ³  the people, lest they force their way through to the Lord to look, and many of them perish. ⁴ 

Matthew 11:12

11:12 From ⁵  the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it. ⁶ 

Luke 13:24

13:24 “Exert every effort ⁷  to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.

Luke 16:16

16:16 “The law and the prophets were in force ⁸  until John; ⁹  since then, ¹⁰  the good news of the kingdom of God ¹¹  has been proclaimed, and everyone is urged to enter it. ¹² 

John 1:17

1:17 For the law was given through Moses, but ¹³  grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 4:16

4:16 Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help. ¹⁴ 

Hebrews 10:19-22

Drawing Near to God in Enduring Faith

10:19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, ¹⁵  since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 10:20 by the fresh and living way that he inaugurated for us ¹⁶  through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ¹⁷  10:21 and since we have a great priest ¹⁸  over the house of God, 10:22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings, ¹⁹  because we have had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience ²⁰  and our bodies washed in pure water.

Hebrews 12:18-25

12:18 For you have not come to something that can be touched, ²¹  to a burning fire and darkness and gloom and a whirlwind 12:19 and the blast of a trumpet and a voice uttering words ²²  such that those who heard begged to hear no more. ²³  12:20 For they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.” ²⁴  12:21 In fact, the scene ²⁵  was so terrifying that Moses said, “I shudder with fear.” ²⁶  12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion, the city ²⁷  of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly 12:23 and congregation of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous, who have been made perfect, 12:24 and to Jesus, the mediator ²⁸  of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks of something better than Abel’s does. ²⁹ 

12:25 Take care not to refuse the one who is speaking! For if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less shall we, if we reject the one who warns from heaven?

Hebrews 12:29

12:29 For our God is indeed a devouring fire. ³⁰ 

[19:12]  ¹ tn The verb is a Hiphil perfect (“make borders”) with vav (ו) consecutive, following the sequence of instructions.

[19:12]  ² tn The Niphal imperative (“guard yourselves, take heed to yourselves”) is followed by two infinitives construct that provide the description of what is to be avoided – going up or touching the mountain.

[19:21]  ³ tn The imperative הָעֵד (ha’ed) means “charge” them – put them under oath, or solemnly warn them. God wished to ensure that the people would not force their way past the barriers that had been set out.

[19:21]  ⁴ tn Heb “and fall”; NAB “be struck down.”

[11:12]  ⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[11:12]  ⁶ tn Or “the kingdom of heaven is forcibly entered and violent people take hold of it.” For a somewhat different interpretation of this passage, see the note on the phrase “urged to enter in” in Luke 16:16.

[13:24]  ⁷ tn Or “Make every effort” (L&N 68.74; cf. NIV); “Do your best” (TEV); “Work hard” (NLT); Grk “Struggle.” The idea is to exert one’s maximum effort (cf. BDAG 17 s.v. ἀγωνίζομαι 2.b, “strain every nerve to enter”) because of the supreme importance of attaining entry into the kingdom of God.

[16:16]  ⁸ tn There is no verb in the Greek text; one must be supplied. Some translations (NASB, NIV) supply “proclaimed” based on the parallelism with the proclamation of the kingdom. The transitional nature of this verse, however, seems to call for something more like “in effect” (NRSV) or, as used here, “in force.” Further, Greek generally can omit one of two kinds of verbs – either the equative verb or one that is already mentioned in the preceding context (ExSyn 39).

[16:16]  ⁹ sn John refers to John the Baptist.

[16:16]  ¹⁰ sn Until John; since then. This verse indicates a shift in era, from law to kingdom.

[16:16]  ¹¹ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

[16:16]  ¹² tn Many translations have “entereth violently into it” (ASV) or “is forcing his way into it” (NASB, NIV). This is not true of everyone. It is better to read the verb here as passive rather than middle, and in a softened sense of “be urged.” See Gen 33:11; Judg 13:15-16; 19:7; 2 Sam 3:25, 27 in the LXX. This fits the context well because it agrees with Jesus’ attempt to persuade his opponents to respond morally. For further discussion and details, see D. L. Bock, Luke (BECNT), 2:1352-53.

[1:17]  ¹³ tn “But” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the implied contrast between the Mosaic law and grace through Jesus Christ. John 1:17 seems to indicate clearly that the Old Covenant (Sinai) was being contrasted with the New. In Jewish sources the Law was regarded as a gift from God (Josephus, Ant. 3.8.10 [3.223]; Pirqe Avot 1.1; Sifre Deut 31:4 §305). Further information can be found in T. F. Glasson, Moses in the Fourth Gospel (SBT).

[4:16]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “for timely help.”

[10:19]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.

[10:20]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “that he inaugurated for us as a fresh and living way,” referring to the entrance mentioned in v. 19.

[10:20]  ¹⁷ sn Through his flesh. In a bold shift the writer changes from a spatial phrase (Christ opened the way through the curtain into the inner sanctuary) to an instrumental phrase (he did this through [by means of] his flesh in his sacrifice of himself), associating the two in an allusion to the splitting of the curtain in the temple from top to bottom (Matt 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). Just as the curtain was split, so Christ’s body was broken for us, to give us access into God’s presence.

[10:21]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “and a great priest,” continuing the construction begun in v. 19.

[10:22]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “in assurance of faith.”

[10:22]  ²⁰ sn The phrase our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience combines the OT imagery of the sprinkling with blood to give ritual purity with the emphasis on the interior cleansing provided by the new covenant: It is the heart that is cleansed and the conscience made perfect (cf. Heb 8:10; 9:9, 14; 10:2, 16).

[12:18]  ²¹ tn This describes the nation of Israel approaching God on Mt. Sinai (Exod 19). There is a clear contrast with the reference to Mount Zion in v. 22, so this could be translated “a mountain that can be touched.” But the word “mountain” does not occur here and the more vague description seems to be deliberate.

[12:19]  ²² tn Grk “a voice of words.”

[12:19]  ²³ tn Grk “a voice…from which those who heard begged that a word not be added to them.”

[12:20]  ²⁴ sn A quotation from Exod 19:12-13.

[12:21]  ²⁵ tn Grk “that which appeared.”

[12:21]  ²⁶ tn Grk “I am terrified and trembling.”

[12:22]  ²⁷ tn Grk “and the city”; the conjunction is omitted in translation since it seems to be functioning epexegetically – that is, explaining further what is meant by “Mount Zion.”

[12:24]  ²⁸ tn The Greek word μεσίτης (mesith", “mediator”) in this context does not imply that Jesus was a mediator in the contemporary sense of the word, i.e., he worked for compromise between opposing parties. Here the term describes his function as the one who was used by God to enact a new covenant which established a new relationship between God and his people, but entirely on God’s terms.

[12:24]  ²⁹ sn Abel’s shed blood cried out to the Lord for justice and judgment, but Jesus’ blood speaks of redemption and forgiveness, something better than Abel’s does (Gen 4:10; Heb 9:11-14; 11:4).

[12:29]  ³⁰ sn A quotation from Deut 4:24; 9:3.