Ezekiel 36:26

36:26 I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove the heart of stone ¹  from your body and give you a heart of flesh. ² 

Ezekiel 36:2

36:2 This is what the sovereign Lord says: The enemy has spoken against you, saying “Aha!” and, “The ancient heights ³  have become our property!”’

Colossians 1:17

1:17 He himself is before all things and all things are held together ⁴  in him.

Galatians 2:4

2:4 Now this matter arose ⁵  because of the false brothers with false pretenses ⁶  who slipped in unnoticed to spy on ⁷  our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, to make us slaves. ⁸ 

Galatians 2:12-14

2:12 Until ⁹  certain people came from James, he had been eating with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he stopped doing this ¹⁰  and separated himself ¹¹  because he was afraid of those who were pro-circumcision. ¹²  2:13 And the rest of the Jews also joined with him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray with them ¹³  by their hypocrisy. 2:14 But when I saw that they were not behaving consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas ¹⁴  in front of them all, “If you, although you are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you try to force ¹⁵  the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Galatians 4:9-11

4:9 But now that you have come to know God (or rather to be known by God), how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless ¹⁶  basic forces? ¹⁷  Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? ¹⁸  4:10 You are observing religious ¹⁹  days and months and seasons and years. 4:11 I fear for you that my work for you may have been in vain.

Galatians 5:1-6

Freedom of the Believer

5:1 For freedom ²⁰  Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke ²¹  of slavery. 5:2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you at all! 5:3 And I testify again to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey ²²  the whole law. 5:4 You who are trying to be declared righteous ²³  by the law have been alienated ²⁴  from Christ; you have fallen away from grace! 5:5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we wait expectantly for the hope of righteousness. 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision carries any weight – the only thing that matters is faith working through love. ²⁵ 

Galatians 6:13-14

6:13 For those who are circumcised do not obey the law themselves, but they want you to be circumcised so that they can boast about your flesh. ²⁶  6:14 But may I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which ²⁷  the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Philippians 3:5-7

3:5 I was circumcised on the eighth day, from the people of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. I lived according to the law as a Pharisee. ²⁸  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.

Colossians 2:19-23

2:19 He has not held fast ²⁹  to the head from whom the whole body, supported ³⁰  and knit together through its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God. ³¹ 

2:20 If you have died with Christ to the elemental spirits ³²  of the world, why do you submit to them as though you lived in the world? 2:21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” 2:22 These are all destined to perish with use, founded as they are ³³  on human commands and teachings. ³⁴  2:23 Even though they have the appearance of wisdom ³⁵  with their self-imposed worship and false humility ³⁶  achieved by an ³⁷  unsparing treatment of the body – a wisdom with no true value – they in reality result in fleshly indulgence. ³⁸ 

Colossians 2:1

2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, ³⁹  and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face. ⁴⁰ 

Colossians 4:8

4:8 I sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are doing ⁴¹  and that he may encourage your hearts.

Hebrews 8:8-13

8:8 But ⁴²  showing its fault, ⁴³  God ⁴⁴  says to them, ⁴⁵ 

“Look, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will complete a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.

8:9 “It will not be like the covenant ⁴⁶  that I made with their fathers, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant and I had no regard for them, says the Lord.

8:10 “For this is the covenant that I will establish with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put ⁴⁷  my laws in their minds ⁴⁸  and I will inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God and they will be my people. ⁴⁹ 

8:11 “And there will be no need at all ⁵⁰  for each one to teach his countryman or each one to teach his brother saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ since they will all know me, from the least to the greatest. ⁵¹ 

8:12 “For I will be merciful toward their evil deeds, and their sins I will remember no longer.” ⁵² 

8:13 When he speaks of a new covenant, ⁵³  he makes the first obsolete. Now what is growing obsolete and aging is about to disappear. ⁵⁴ 

Hebrews 13:9-10

13:9 Do not be carried away by all sorts of strange teachings. ⁵⁵  For it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not ritual meals, ⁵⁶  which have never benefited those who participated in them. 13:10 We have an altar that those who serve in the tabernacle have no right to eat from.

Revelation 21:5

21:5 And the one seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new!” Then ⁵⁷  he said to me, “Write it down, ⁵⁸  because these words are reliable ⁵⁹  and true.”

[36:26]  ¹ sn That is, a heart which symbolizes a will that is stubborn and unresponsive (see 1 Sam 25:37). In Rabbinic literature a “stone” was associated with an evil inclination (b. Sukkah 52a).

[36:26]  ² sn That is, a heart which symbolizes a will that is responsive and obedient to God.

[36:2]  ³ tn Or “high places.”

[1:17]  ⁴ tn BDAG 973 s.v. συνίστημι B.3 suggests “continue, endure, exist, hold together” here.

[2:4]  ⁵ tn No subject and verb are expressed in vv. 4-5, but the phrase “Now this matter arose,” implied from v. 3, was supplied to make a complete English sentence.

[2:4]  ⁶ tn The adjective παρεισάκτους (pareisaktou"), which relates to someone joining a group with false motives or false pretenses, applies to the “false brothers.” Although the expression “false brothers with false pretenses” is somewhat redundant, it captures the emphatic force of Paul’s expression, which labels both these “brothers” as false (ψευδαδέλφους, yeudadelfou") as well as their motives. See L&N 34.29 for more information.

[2:4]  ⁷ tn The verb translated here as “spy on” (κατασκοπέω, kataskopew) can have a neutral nuance, but here the connotation is certainly negative (so F. F. Bruce, Galatians [NIGTC], 112-13, and E. Burton, Galatians [ICC], 83).

[2:4]  ⁸ tn Grk “in order that they might enslave us.” The ἵνα (Jina) clause with the subjunctive verb καταδουλώσουσιν (katadoulwsousin) has been translated as an English infinitival clause.

[2:12]  ⁹ tn The conjunction γάρ has not been translated here.

[2:12]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “he drew back.” If ἑαυτόν (Jeauton) goes with both ὑπέστελλεν (Jupestellen) and ἀφώριζεν (afwrizen) rather than only the latter, the meaning would be “he drew himself back” (see BDAG 1041 s.v. ὑποστέλλω 1.a).

[2:12]  ¹¹ tn Or “and held himself aloof.”

[2:12]  ¹² tn Grk “the [ones] of the circumcision,” that is, the group of Jewish Christians who insisted on circumcision of Gentiles before they could become Christians.

[2:13]  ¹³ tn The words “with them” are a reflection of the σύν- (sun-) prefix on the verb συναπήχθη (sunaphcqh; see L&N 31.76).

[2:14]  ¹⁴ sn Cephas. This individual is generally identified with the Apostle Peter (L&N 93.211).

[2:14]  ¹⁵ tn Here ἀναγκάζεις (anankazei") has been translated as a conative present (see ExSyn 534).

[4:9]  ¹⁶ tn Or “useless.” See L&N 65.16.

[4:9]  ¹⁷ tn See the note on the phrase “basic forces” in 4:3.

[4:9]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “basic forces, to which you want to be enslaved…” Verse 9 is a single sentence in the Greek text, but has been divided into two in the translation because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence.

[4:10]  ¹⁹ tn The adjective “religious” has been supplied in the translation to make clear that the problem concerns observing certain days, etc. in a religious sense (cf. NIV, NRSV “special days”). In light of the polemic in this letter against the Judaizers (those who tried to force observance of the Mosaic law on Gentile converts to Christianity) this may well be a reference to the observance of Jewish Sabbaths, feasts, and other religious days.

[5:1]  ²⁰ tn Translating the dative as “For freedom” shows the purpose for Christ setting us free; however, it is also possible to take the phrase in the sense of means or instrument (“with [or by] freedom”), referring to the freedom mentioned in 4:31 and implied throughout the letter.

[5:1]  ²¹ sn Here the yoke figuratively represents the burdensome nature of slavery.

[5:3]  ²² tn Or “keep”; or “carry out”; Grk “do.”

[5:4]  ²³ tn Or “trying to be justified.” The verb δικαιοῦσθε (dikaiousqe) has been translated as a conative present (see ExSyn 534).

[5:4]  ²⁴ tn Or “estranged”; BDAG 526 s.v. καταργέω 4 states, “Of those who aspire to righteousness through the law κ. ἀπὸ Χριστοῦ be estranged from Christ Gal 5:4.”

[5:6]  ²⁵ tn Grk “but faith working through love.”

[6:13]  ²⁶ tn Or “boast about you in external matters,” “in the outward rite” (cf. v. 12).

[6:14]  ²⁷ tn Or perhaps, “through whom,” referring to the Lord Jesus Christ rather than the cross.

[3:5]  ²⁸ sn A Pharisee was a member of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.

[2:19]  ²⁹ tn The Greek participle κρατῶν (kratwn) was translated as a finite verb to avoid an unusually long and pedantic sentence structure in English.

[2:19]  ³⁰ tn See BDAG 387 s.v. ἐπιχορηγέω 3.

[2:19]  ³¹ tn The genitive τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou) has been translated as a genitive of source, “from God.”

[2:20]  ³² tn See the note on the phrase “elemental spirits” in 2:8.

[2:22]  ³³ tn The expression “founded as they are” brings out the force of the Greek preposition κατά (kata).

[2:22]  ³⁴ tn Grk “The commands and teachings of men.”

[2:23]  ³⁵ tn Grk “having a word of wisdom.”

[2:23]  ³⁶ tn Though the apostle uses the term ταπεινοφροσύνῃ (tapeinofrosunh) elsewhere in a positive sense (cf. 3:12), here the sense is negative and reflects the misguided thinking of Paul’s opponents.

[2:23]  ³⁷ tc ‡ The vast bulk of witnesses, including some important ones (א A C D F G H Ψ 075 0278 33 1881 Ï lat sy), have καί (kai) here, but the shorter reading is supported by some early and important witnesses (Ì⁴⁶ B 1739 b m Hil Ambst Spec). The καί looks to be a motivated reading in that it makes ἀφειδία (afeidia) “the third in a series of datives after ἐν, rather than an instrumental dative qualifying the previous prepositional phrase” (TCGNT 556). At the same time, the omission of καί could possibly have been unintentional. A decision is difficult, but the shorter reading is slightly preferred. NA²⁷ puts καί in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[2:23]  ³⁸ tn The translation understands this verse to contain a concessive subordinate clause within the main clause. The Greek particle μέν (men) is the second word of the embedded subordinate clause. The phrase οὐκ ἐν τιμῇ τινι (ouk en timh tini) modifies the subordinate clause, and the main clause resumes with the preposition πρός (pros). The translation has placed the subordinate clause first in order for clarity instead of retaining its embedded location. For a detailed discussion of this grammatical construction, see B. Hollenbach, “Col 2:23: Which Things Lead to the Fulfillment of the Flesh,” NTS 25 (1979): 254-61.

[2:1]  ³⁹ tn Or “I want you to know how hard I am working for you…”

[2:1]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.”

[4:8]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “the things concerning us.”

[8:8]  ⁴² tn Grk “for,” but providing an explanation of the God-intended limitation of the first covenant from v. 7.

[8:8]  ⁴³ sn The “fault” or limitation in the first covenant was not in its inherent righteousness, but in its design from God himself. It was never intended to be his final revelation or provision for mankind; it was provisional, always pointing toward the fulfillment to come in Christ.

[8:8]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:8]  ⁴⁵ tc ‡ Several witnesses (א* A D* I K P Ψ 33 81 326 365 1505 2464 al latt co Cyr) have αὐτούς (autous) here, “[in finding fault with] them, [he says],” alluding to Israel’s failings mentioned in v. 9b. (The verb μέμφομαι [memfomai, “to find fault with”] can take an accusative or dative direct object.) The reading behind the text above (αὐτοίς, autoi"), supported by Ì⁴⁶ א² B D² 0278 1739 1881 Ï, is perhaps a harder reading theologically, and is more ambiguous in meaning. If αὐτοίς goes with μεμφόμενος (memfomeno", here translated “showing its fault”), the clause could be translated “in finding fault with them” or “in showing [its] faults to them.” If αὐτοίς goes with the following λέγει (legei, “he says”), the clause is best translated, “in finding/showing [its] faults, he says to them.” The accusative pronoun suffers no such ambiguity, for it must be the object of μεμφόμενος rather than λέγει. Although a decision is difficult, the dative form of the pronoun best explains the rise of the other reading and is thus more likely to be original.

[8:9]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “not like the covenant,” continuing the description of v. 8b.

[8:10]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “putting…I will inscribe.”

[8:10]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “mind.”

[8:10]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “I will be to them for a God and they will be to me for a people,” following the Hebrew constructions of Jer 31.

[8:11]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “they will not teach, each one his fellow citizen…” The Greek makes this negation emphatic: “they will certainly not teach.”

[8:11]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “from the small to the great.”

[8:12]  ⁵² sn A quotation from Jer 31:31-34.

[8:13]  ⁵³ tn Grk “when he says, ‘new,’” (referring to the covenant).

[8:13]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “near to disappearing.”

[13:9]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “by diverse and strange teachings.”

[13:9]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “foods,” referring to the meals associated with the OT sacrifices (see the contrast with the next verse; also 9:9-10; 10:1, 4, 11).

[21:5]  ⁵⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[21:5]  ⁵⁸ tn The words “it down” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[21:5]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “faithful.”