Genesis 3:15

3:15 And I will put hostility ¹  between you and the woman

and between your offspring and her offspring; ² 

her offspring will attack ³  your head,

and ⁴  you ⁵  will attack her offspring’s heel.” ⁶ 

Psalms 2:6-12

2:6 “I myself ⁷  have installed ⁸  my king

on Zion, my holy hill.”

2:7 The king says, ⁹  “I will announce the Lord’s decree. He said to me: ¹⁰ 

‘You are my son! ¹¹  This very day I have become your father!

2:8 Ask me,

and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, ¹² 

the ends of the earth as your personal property.

2:9 You will break them ¹³  with an iron scepter; ¹⁴ 

you will smash them like a potter’s jar!’” ¹⁵ 

2:10 So now, you kings, do what is wise; ¹⁶ 

you rulers of the earth, submit to correction! ¹⁷ 

2:11 Serve ¹⁸  the Lord in fear!

Repent in terror! ¹⁹ 

2:12 Give sincere homage! ²⁰ 

Otherwise he ²¹  will be angry, ²² 

and you will die because of your behavior, ²³ 

when his anger quickly ignites. ²⁴ 

How blessed ²⁵  are all who take shelter in him! ²⁶ 

Psalms 8:5-8

8:5 and make them a little less than the heavenly beings? ²⁷ 

You grant mankind ²⁸  honor and majesty; ²⁹ 

8:6 you appoint them to rule over your creation; ³⁰ 

you have placed ³¹  everything under their authority, ³² 

8:7 including all the sheep and cattle,

as well as the wild animals, ³³ 

8:8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea

and everything that moves through the currents ³⁴  of the seas.

Psalms 45:6-7

45:6 Your throne, ³⁵  O God, is permanent. ³⁶ 

The scepter ³⁷  of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.

45:7 You love ³⁸  justice and hate evil. ³⁹ 

For this reason God, your God ⁴⁰  has anointed you ⁴¹ 

with the oil of joy, ⁴²  elevating you above your companions. ⁴³ 

Psalms 69:29-30

69:29 I am oppressed and suffering!

O God, deliver and protect me! ⁴⁴ 

69:30 I will sing praises to God’s name! ⁴⁵ 

I will magnify him as I give him thanks! ⁴⁶ 

Psalms 72:17-19

72:17 May his fame endure! ⁴⁷ 

May his dynasty last as long as the sun remains in the sky! ⁴⁸ 

May they use his name when they formulate their blessings! ⁴⁹ 

May all nations consider him to be favored by God! ⁵⁰ 

72:18 The Lord God, the God of Israel, deserves praise! ⁵¹ 

He alone accomplishes amazing things! ⁵² 

72:19 His glorious name deserves praise ⁵³  forevermore!

May his majestic splendor ⁵⁴  fill the whole earth!

We agree! We agree! ⁵⁵ 

Psalms 91:14

91:14 The Lord says, ⁵⁶ 

“Because he is devoted to me, I will deliver him;

I will protect him ⁵⁷  because he is loyal to me. ⁵⁸ 

Psalms 110:1

Psalm 110 ⁵⁹ 

A psalm of David.

110:1 Here is the Lord’s proclamation ⁶⁰  to my lord: ⁶¹ 

“Sit down at my right hand ⁶²  until I make your enemies your footstool!” ⁶³ 

Psalms 110:5

110:5 O sovereign Lord, ⁶⁴  at your right hand

he strikes down ⁶⁵  kings in the day he unleashes his anger. ⁶⁶ 

Isaiah 9:7

9:7 His dominion will be vast ⁶⁷ 

and he will bring immeasurable prosperity. ⁶⁸ 

He will rule on David’s throne

and over David’s kingdom, ⁶⁹ 

establishing it ⁷⁰  and strengthening it

by promoting justice and fairness, ⁷¹ 

from this time forward and forevermore.

The Lord’s intense devotion to his people ⁷²  will accomplish this.

Isaiah 49:6-8

49:6 he says, “Is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant,

to reestablish the tribes of Jacob,

and restore the remnant ⁷³  of Israel? ⁷⁴ 

I will make you a light to the nations, ⁷⁵ 

so you can bring ⁷⁶  my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth.”

49:7 This is what the Lord,

the protector ⁷⁷  of Israel, their Holy One, ⁷⁸  says

to the one who is despised ⁷⁹  and rejected ⁸⁰  by nations, ⁸¹ 

a servant of rulers:

“Kings will see and rise in respect, ⁸² 

princes will bow down,

because of the faithful Lord,

the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.”

49:8 This is what the Lord says:

“At the time I decide to show my favor, I will respond to you;

in the day of deliverance I will help you;

I will protect you ⁸³  and make you a covenant mediator for people, ⁸⁴ 

to rebuild ⁸⁵  the land ⁸⁶ 

and to reassign the desolate property.

Isaiah 52:13

The Lord Will Vindicate His Servant

52:13 “Look, my servant will succeed! ⁸⁷ 

He will be elevated, lifted high, and greatly exalted ⁸⁸  –

Isaiah 53:12

53:12 So I will assign him a portion with the multitudes, ⁸⁹ 

he will divide the spoils of victory with the powerful, ⁹⁰ 

because he willingly submitted ⁹¹  to death

and was numbered with the rebels,

when he lifted up the sin of many

and intervened ⁹²  on behalf of the rebels.”

Daniel 2:44-45

2:44 In the days of those kings the God of heaven will raise up an everlasting kingdom that will not be destroyed and a kingdom that will not be left to another people. It will break in pieces and bring about the demise of all these kingdoms. But it will stand forever. 2:45 You saw that a stone was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands; it smashed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold into pieces. The great God has made known to the king what will occur in the future. ⁹³  The dream is certain, and its interpretation is reliable.”

Daniel 7:14

7:14 To him was given ruling authority, honor, and sovereignty.

All peoples, nations, and language groups were serving ⁹⁴  him.

His authority is eternal and will not pass away. ⁹⁵ 

His kingdom will not be destroyed. ⁹⁶ 

Matthew 11:27

11:27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father. ⁹⁷  No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son decides ⁹⁸  to reveal him.

Matthew 28:18

28:18 Then Jesus came up and said to them, ⁹⁹  “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Luke 10:22

10:22 All things have been given to me by my Father. ¹⁰⁰  No one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son decides ¹⁰¹  to reveal him.”

John 3:35-36

3:35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all things under his authority. ¹⁰²  3:36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejects ¹⁰³  the Son will not see life, but God’s wrath ¹⁰⁴  remains ¹⁰⁵  on him.

John 5:22-27

5:22 Furthermore, the Father does not judge ¹⁰⁶  anyone, but has assigned ¹⁰⁷  all judgment to the Son, 5:23 so that all people ¹⁰⁸  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, ¹⁰⁹  the one who hears ¹¹⁰  my message ¹¹¹  and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, ¹¹²  but has crossed over from death to life. 5:25 I tell you the solemn truth, ¹¹³  a time ¹¹⁴  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 ¹¹⁵  authority to execute judgment, ¹¹⁶  because he is the Son of Man.

John 13:3

13:3 Because Jesus ¹¹⁷  knew that the Father had handed all things over to him, ¹¹⁸  and that he had come from God and was going back to God,

John 17:1-3

Jesus Prays for the Father to Glorify Him

17:1 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he looked upward ¹¹⁹  to heaven ¹²⁰  and said, “Father, the time ¹²¹  has come. Glorify your Son, so that your ¹²²  Son may glorify you – 17:2 just as you have given him authority over all humanity, ¹²³  so that he may give eternal life to everyone you have given him. ¹²⁴  17:3 Now this ¹²⁵  is eternal life ¹²⁶  – that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, ¹²⁷  whom you sent.

John 17:5

17:5 And now, Father, glorify me at your side ¹²⁸  with the glory I had with you before the world was created. ¹²⁹ 

Acts 2:32-36

2:32 This Jesus God raised up, and we are all witnesses of it. ¹³⁰  2:33 So then, exalted ¹³¹  to the right hand ¹³²  of God, and having received ¹³³  the promise of the Holy Spirit ¹³⁴  from the Father, he has poured out ¹³⁵  what you both see and hear. 2:34 For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says,

‘The Lord said to my lord,

“Sit ¹³⁶  at my right hand

2:35 until I make your enemies a footstool ¹³⁷  for your feet.”’ ¹³⁸ 

2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt ¹³⁹  that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified ¹⁴⁰  both Lord ¹⁴¹  and Christ.” ¹⁴² 

Acts 5:31

5:31 God exalted him ¹⁴³  to his right hand as Leader ¹⁴⁴  and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. ¹⁴⁵ 

Romans 14:9-11

14:9 For this reason Christ died and returned to life, so that he may be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

14:10 But you who eat vegetables only – why do you judge your brother or sister? ¹⁴⁶  And you who eat everything – why do you despise your brother or sister? ¹⁴⁷  For we will all stand before the judgment seat ¹⁴⁸  of God. 14:11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God.” ¹⁴⁹ 

Romans 14:1

Exhortation to Mutual Forbearance

14:1 Now receive the one who is weak in the faith, and do not have disputes over differing opinions. ¹⁵⁰ 

Colossians 1:24-27

1:24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my physical body – for the sake of his body, the church – what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ. 1:25 I became a servant of the church according to the stewardship ¹⁵¹  from God – given to me for you – in order to complete ¹⁵²  the word of God, 1:26 that is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints. 1:27 God wanted to make known to them the glorious ¹⁵³  riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Hebrews 2:9

2:9 but we see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, ¹⁵⁴  now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, ¹⁵⁵  so that by God’s grace he would experience ¹⁵⁶  death on behalf of everyone.

Hebrews 12:2

12:2 keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. ¹⁵⁷ 

Hebrews 12:2

12:2 keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. ¹⁵⁸ 

Hebrews 1:1

Introduction: God Has Spoken Fully and Finally in His Son

1:1 After God spoke long ago ¹⁵⁹  in various portions ¹⁶⁰  and in various ways ¹⁶¹  to our ancestors ¹⁶²  through the prophets,

Revelation 1:5

1:5 and from Jesus Christ – the faithful ¹⁶³  witness, ¹⁶⁴  the firstborn from among the dead, the ruler over the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has set us free ¹⁶⁵  from our sins at the cost of ¹⁶⁶  his own blood

Revelation 3:21

3:21 I will grant the one ¹⁶⁷  who conquers ¹⁶⁸  permission ¹⁶⁹  to sit with me on my throne, just as I too conquered ¹⁷⁰  and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Revelation 5:12

5:12 all of whom ¹⁷¹  were singing ¹⁷²  in a loud voice:

“Worthy is the lamb who was killed ¹⁷³ 

to receive power and wealth

and wisdom and might

and honor and glory and praise!”

Revelation 11:15

The Seventh Trumpet

11:15 Then ¹⁷⁴  the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying:

“The kingdom of the world

has become the kingdom of our Lord

and of his Christ, ¹⁷⁵ 

and he will reign for ever and ever.”

Revelation 19:16

19:16 He has a name written on his clothing and on his thigh: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”

[3:15]  ¹ tn The Hebrew word translated “hostility” is derived from the root אֵיב (’ev, “to be hostile, to be an adversary [or enemy]”). The curse announces that there will be continuing hostility between the serpent and the woman. The serpent will now live in a “battle zone,” as it were.

[3:15]  ² sn The Hebrew word translated “offspring” is a collective singular. The text anticipates the ongoing struggle between human beings (the woman’s offspring) and deadly poisonous snakes (the serpent’s offspring). An ancient Jewish interpretation of the passage states: “He made the serpent, cause of the deceit, press the earth with belly and flank, having bitterly driven him out. He aroused a dire enmity between them. The one guards his head to save it, the other his heel, for death is at hand in the proximity of men and malignant poisonous snakes.” See Sib. Or. 1:59-64. For a similar interpretation see Josephus, Ant. 1.1.4 (1.50-51).

[3:15]  ³ tn Heb “he will attack [or “bruise”] you [on] the head.” The singular pronoun and verb agree grammatically with the collective singular noun “offspring.” For other examples of singular verb and pronominal forms being used with the collective singular “offspring,” see Gen 16:10; 22:17; 24:60. The word “head” is an adverbial accusative, locating the blow. A crushing blow to the head would be potentially fatal.

[3:15]  ⁴ tn Or “but you will…”; or “as they attack your head, you will attack their heel.” The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) is understood as contrastive. Both clauses place the subject before the verb, a construction that is sometimes used to indicate synchronic action (see Judg 15:14).

[3:15]  ⁵ sn You will attack her offspring’s heel. Though the conflict will actually involve the serpent’s offspring (snakes) and the woman’s offspring (human beings), v. 15b for rhetorical effect depicts the conflict as being between the serpent and the woman’s offspring, as if the serpent will outlive the woman. The statement is personalized for the sake of the addressee (the serpent) and reflects the ancient Semitic concept of corporate solidarity, which emphasizes the close relationship between a progenitor and his offspring. Note Gen 28:14, where the Lord says to Jacob, “Your offspring will be like the dust of the earth, and you [second masculine singular] will spread out in all directions.” Jacob will “spread out” in all directions through his offspring, but the text states the matter as if this will happen to him personally.

[3:15]  ⁶ tn Heb “you will attack him [on] the heel.” The verb (translated “attack”) is repeated here, a fact that is obscured by some translations (e.g., NIV “crush…strike”). The singular pronoun agrees grammatically with the collective singular noun “offspring.” For other examples of singular verb and pronominal forms being used with the collective singular “offspring,” see Gen 16:10; 22:17; 24:60. The word “heel” is an adverbial accusative, locating the blow. A bite on the heel from a poisonous serpent is potentially fatal.

[2:6]  ⁷ tn The first person pronoun appears before the first person verbal form for emphasis, reflected in the translation by “myself.”

[2:6]  ⁸ tn Or perhaps “consecrated.”

[2:7]  ⁹ tn The words “the king says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The speaker is the Lord’s chosen king.

[2:7]  ¹⁰ tn Or “I will relate the decree. The Lord said to me” (in accordance with the Masoretic accentuation).

[2:7]  ¹¹ sn ‘You are my son!’ The Davidic king was viewed as God’s “son” (see 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 89:26-27). The idiom reflects ancient Near Eastern adoption language associated with covenants of grant, by which a lord would reward a faithful subject by elevating him to special status, referred to as “sonship.” Like a son, the faithful subject received an “inheritance,” viewed as an unconditional, eternal gift. Such gifts usually took the form of land and/or an enduring dynasty. See M. Weinfeld, “The Covenant of Grant in the Old Testament and in the Ancient Near East,” JAOS 90 (1970): 184-203, for general discussion and some striking extra-biblical parallels.

[2:8]  ¹² sn I will give you the nations. The Lord promises the Davidic king universal dominion.

[2:9]  ¹³ tc The LXX reads “you will shepherd them.” This reading, quoted in the Greek text of the NT in Rev 2:27; 12:5; 19:15, assumes a different vocalization of the consonantal Hebrew text and understands the verb as רָעָה (ra’ah, “to shepherd”) rather than רָעָע (ra’a’, “to break”). But the presence of נָפַץ (nafats, “to smash”) in the next line strongly favors the MT vocalization.

[2:9]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew term שֵׁבֶט (shevet) can refer to a “staff” or “rod,” but here it probably refers to the Davidic king’s royal scepter, symbolizing his sovereignty.

[2:9]  ¹⁵ sn Like a potter’s jar. Before the Davidic king’s awesome power, the rebellious nations are like fragile pottery.

[2:10]  ¹⁶ sn The speaker here is either the psalmist or the Davidic king, who now addresses the rebellious kings.

[2:10]  ¹⁷ tn The Niphal has here a tolerative nuance; the kings are urged to submit themselves to the advice being offered.

[2:11]  ¹⁸ tn The Hebrew verb translated “serve” refers here to submitting to the Lord’s sovereignty as expressed through the rule of the Davidic king. Such “service” would involve maintaining allegiance to the Davidic king by paying tribute on a regular basis.

[2:11]  ¹⁹ tn Traditionally, “rejoice with trembling” (KJV). The verb גִּיל (gil) normally means “rejoice,” but this meaning does not fit well here in conjunction with “in trembling.” Some try to understand “trembling” (and the parallel יִרְאָה, yir’ah, “fear”) in the sense of “reverential awe” and then take the verbs “serve” and “rejoice” in the sense of “worship” (cf. NASB). But רְעָדָה (rÿ’adah, “trembling”) and its related terms consistently refer to utter terror and fear (see Exod 15:15; Job 4:14; Pss 48:6; 55:5; 104:32; Isa 33:14; Dan 10:11) or at least great emotional distress (Ezra 10:9). It seems more likely here that גִּיל carries its polarized meaning “mourn, lament,” as in Hos 10:5. “Mourn, lament” would then be metonymic in this context for “repent” (referring to one’s rebellious ways). On the meaning of the verb in Hos 10:5, see F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman, Hosea (AB), 556-57.

[2:12]  ²⁰ tn Traditionally, “kiss the son” (KJV). But בַּר (bar) is the Aramaic word for “son,” not the Hebrew. For this reason many regard the reading as suspect. Some propose emendations of vv. 11b-12a. One of the more popular proposals is to read בִּרְעָדָה נַשְּׁקוּ לְרַגְלָיו (bir’adah nashÿqu lÿraslayv, “in trembling kiss his feet”). It makes better sense to understand בַּר (bar) as an adjective meaning “pure” (see Pss 24:4; 73:1 and BDB 141 s.v. בַּר 3) functioning here in an adverbial sense. If read this way, then the syntactical structure of exhortation (imperative followed by adverbial modifier) corresponds to the two preceding lines (see v. 11). The verb נָשַׁק (nashaq, “kiss”) refers metonymically to showing homage (see 1 Sam 10:1; Hos 13:2). The exhortation in v. 12a advocates a genuine expression of allegiance and warns against insincerity. When swearing allegiance, vassal kings would sometimes do so insincerely, with the intent of rebelling when the time was right. The so-called “Vassal Treaties of Esarhaddon” also warn against such an attitude. In this treaty the vassal is told: “If you, as you stand on the soil where this oath [is sworn], swear the oath with your words and lips [only], do not swear with your entire heart, do not transmit it to your sons who will live after this treaty, if you take this curse upon yourselves but do not plan to keep the treaty of Esarhaddon…may your sons and grandsons because of this fear in the future” (see J. B. Pritchard, ed., The Ancient Near East, 2:62).

[2:12]  ²¹ tn Throughout the translation of this verse the third person masculine pronouns refer to the Lord (cf. v. 11).

[2:12]  ²² tn The implied subject of the verb is the Lord, mentioned in v. 11. Elsewhere the subject of this verb is consistently the Lord, suggesting it may be a technical term for divine anger. Anger is here used metonymically for judgment, as the following statement makes clear. A Moabite cognate occurs in the Mesha inscription, where it is used of the Moabite god Chemosh’s anger at his people (see J. B. Pritchard, ed., The Ancient Near East, 1:209).

[2:12]  ²³ tn Heb “and you will perish [in the] way.” The Hebrew word דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) here refers to their rebellious behavior (not to a pathway, as often understood). It functions syntactically as an adverbial accusative in relation to the verb “perish.”

[2:12]  ²⁴ tn Or “burns.” The Lord’s anger is compared here to fire, the most destructive force known in ancient Israel.

[2:12]  ²⁵ tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).

[2:12]  ²⁶ sn Who take shelter in him. “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear, and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).

[8:5]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and you make him lack a little from [the] gods [or “God”].” The Piel form of חָסַר (khasar, “to decrease, to be devoid”) is used only here and in Eccl 4:8, where it means “to deprive, to cause to be lacking.” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive either carries on the characteristic nuance of the imperfect in v. 5b or indicates a consequence (“so that you make him…”) of the preceding statement (see GKC 328 §111.m). Some prefer to make this an independent clause and translate it as a new sentence, “You made him….” In this case the statement might refer specifically to the creation of the first human couple, Adam and Eve (cf. Gen 1:26-27). The psalmist does appear to allude to Gen 1:26-27, where mankind is created in the image of God and his angelic assembly (note “let us make man in our image” in Gen 1:26). However, the psalmist’s statement need not be limited in its focus to that historical event, for all mankind shares the image imparted to the first human couple. Consequently the psalmist can speak in general terms of the exalted nature of mankind. The referent of אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “God” or “the heavenly beings”) is unclear. Some understand this as a reference to God alone, but the allusion to Gen 1:26-27 suggests a broader referent, including God and the other heavenly beings (known in other texts as “angels”). The term אֱלֹהִים is also used in this way in Gen 3:5, where the serpent says to the woman, “you will be like the heavenly beings who know good and evil.” (Note Gen 3:22, where God says, “the man has become like one of us.”) Also אֱלֹהִים may refer to the members of the heavenly assembly in Ps 82:1, 6. The LXX (the ancient Greek translation of the OT) reads “angels” in Ps 8:5 (this is the source of the quotation of Ps 8:5 in Heb 2:7).

[8:5]  ²⁸ tn Heb “you crown him [with].” The imperfect verbal forms in this and the next line describe God’s characteristic activity.

[8:5]  ²⁹ sn Honor and majesty. These terms allude to mankind’s royal status as God’s vice-regents (cf. v. 6 and Gen 1:26-30).

[8:6]  ³⁰ tn Heb “you cause [i.e., “permit, allow”] him to rule over the works of your hands.”

[8:6]  ³¹ tn The perfect verbal form probably has a present perfect nuance here. It refers to the continuing effects of God’s original mandate (see Gen 1:26-30).

[8:6]  ³² tn Heb “under his feet.”

[8:7]  ³³ tn Heb “and also the beasts of the field.”

[8:8]  ³⁴ tn Heb “paths.”

[45:6]  ³⁵ sn The king’s throne here symbolizes his rule.

[45:6]  ³⁶ tn Or “forever and ever.”

[45:6]  ³⁷ sn The king’s scepter symbolizes his royal authority.

[45:7]  ³⁸ sn To love justice means to actively promote it.

[45:7]  ³⁹ sn To hate evil means to actively oppose it.

[45:7]  ⁴⁰ tn For other examples of the repetition of Elohim, “God,” see Pss 43:4; 48:8, 14; 50:7; 51:14; 67:7. Because the name Yahweh (“Lord”) is relatively rare in Pss 42-83, where the name Elohim (“God”) predominates, this compounding of Elohim may be an alternative form of the compound name “the Lord my/your/our God.”

[45:7]  ⁴¹ sn Anointed you. When read in the light of the preceding context, the anointing is most naturally taken as referring to the king’s coronation. However, the following context (vv. 8-9) focuses on the wedding ceremony, so some prefer to see this anointing as part of the king’s preparations for the wedding celebration. Perhaps the reference to his anointing at his coronation facilitates the transition to the description of the wedding, for the king was also anointed on this occasion.

[45:7]  ⁴² sn The phrase oil of joy alludes to the fact that the coronation of the king, which was ritually accomplished by anointing his head with olive oil, was a time of great celebration and renewed hope. (If one understands the anointing in conjunction with the wedding ceremony, the “joy” would be that associated with the marriage.) The phrase “oil of joy” also appears in Isa 61:3, where mourners are granted “oil of joy” in conjunction with their deliverance from oppression.

[45:7]  ⁴³ tn Heb “from your companions.” The “companions” are most naturally understood as others in the royal family or, more generally, as the king’s countrymen.

[69:29]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “your deliverance, O God, may it protect me.”

[69:30]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “I will praise the name of God with a song.”

[69:30]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “I will magnify him with thanks.”

[72:17]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “may his name [be] permanent.” The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect.

[72:17]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “before the sun may his name increase.” The Kethib (consonantal text) assumes יָנִין (yanin; a Hiphil of the verbal root נִין, nin) or יְנַיֵן (yÿnayen; a Piel form), while the Qere (marginal reading) assumes יִנּוֹן (yinnon; a Niphal form). The verb נִין occurs only here, though a derived noun, meaning “offspring,” appears elsewhere (see Isa 14:22). The verb appears to mean “propagate, increase” (BDB 630 s.v. נוּן, נִין) or “produce shoots, get descendants” (HALOT 696 s.v. נין). In this context this appears to be a prayer for a lasting dynasty that will keep the king’s name and memory alive.

[72:17]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “may they bless one another by him,” that is, use the king’s name in their blessing formulae because he is a prime example of one blessed by God (for examples of such blessing formulae, see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11). There is some debate on whether the Hitpael form of בָּרַךְ (barakh, “bless”) is reflexive-reciprocal (as assumed in the present translation) or passive. The Hitpael of בָּרַךְ occurs in five other passages, including the hotly debated Gen 22:18 and 26:4. In these two texts one could understand the verb form as passive and translate, “all the nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring,” or one could take the Hitpael as reflexive or reciprocal and translate, “all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings [i.e., on themselves or one another] by your offspring.” In the first instance Abraham’s (or Isaac’s) offspring are viewed as a channel of divine blessing. In the second instance they are viewed as a prime example of blessing that will appear as part of the nations’ blessing formulae, but not necessarily as a channel of blessing to the nations. In Deut 29:18 one reads: “When one hears the words of this covenant [or “oath”] and invokes a blessing on himself (Hitpael of בָּרַךְ) in his heart, saying: ‘I will have peace, even though I walk with a rebellious heart.’” In this case the Hitpael is clearly reflexive, as the phrases “in his heart” and “I will have peace” indicate. The Hitpael of בָּרַךְ appears twice in Isaiah 65:16: “The one who invokes a blessing on himself (see Deut 9:18) in the land will invoke that blessing by the God of truth; and the one who makes an oath in the land will make that oath by the God of truth.” A passive nuance does not fit here. The parallel line, which mentions making an oath, suggests that the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ refers here to invoking a blessing. Both pronouncements of blessing and oaths will appeal to God as the one who rewards and judges, respectively. Jer 4:2 states: “If you swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ with truth, integrity, and honesty, then the nations will pronounce blessings by him and boast in him.” A passive nuance might work (“the nations will be blessed”), but the context refers to verbal pronouncements (swearing an oath, boasting), suggesting that the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ refers here to invoking a blessing. The logic of the verse seems to be as follows: If Israel conducts its affairs with integrity, the nation will be favored by the Lord, which will in turn attract the surrounding nations to Israel’s God. To summarize, while the evidence might leave the door open for a passive interpretation, there is no clear cut passive use. Usage favors a reflexive or reciprocal understanding of the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ. In Ps 72:17 the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ is followed by the prepositional phrase בוֹ (vo, “by him”). The verb could theoretically be taken as passive, “may all the nations be blessed through him” (cf. NIV, NRSV), because the preceding context describes the positive effects of this king’s rule on the inhabitants of the earth. But the parallel line, which employs the Piel of אָשַׁר (’ashar) in a factitive/declarative sense, “regard as happy, fortunate,” suggests a reflexive or reciprocal nuance for the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ here. If the nations regard the ideal king as a prime example of one who is fortunate or blessed, it is understandable that they would use his name in their pronouncements of blessing.

[72:17]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “all the nations, may they regard him as happy.” The Piel is used here in a delocutive sense (“regard as”).

[72:18]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21; 41:13.

[72:18]  ⁵² tn Heb “[the] one who does amazing things by himself.”

[72:19]  ⁵³ tn Heb “[be] blessed.”

[72:19]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “glory.”

[72:19]  ⁵⁵ 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.

[91:14]  ⁵⁶ tn The words “the Lord says” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the words which follow are the Lord’s oracle of assurance.

[91:14]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “make him secure” (Heb “set him on high”).

[91:14]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “because he knows my name” (see Ps 9:10).

[110:1]  ⁵⁹ sn Psalm 110. In this royal psalm the psalmist announces God’s oracle to the Davidic king. The first part of the oracle appears in v. 1, the second in v. 4. In vv. 2-3 the psalmist addresses the king, while in vv. 5-7 he appears to address God.

[110:1]  ⁶⁰ tn The word נְאֻם (nÿ’um) is used frequently in the OT of a formal divine announcement through a prophet.

[110:1]  ⁶¹ sn My lord. In the psalm’s original context the speaker is an unidentified prophetic voice in the royal court. In the course of time the psalm is applied to each successive king in the dynasty and ultimately to the ideal Davidic king. NT references to the psalm understand David to be speaking about his “lord,” the Messiah. (See Matt 22:43-45; Mark 12:36-37; Luke 20:42-44; Acts 2:34-35).

[110:1]  ⁶² tn To sit at the “right hand” of the king was an honor (see 1 Kgs 2:19). In Ugaritic myth (CTA 4 v. 108-10) the artisan god Kothar-and Khasis is described as sitting at the right hand of the storm god Baal. See G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 61-62.

[110:1]  ⁶³ sn When the Lord made his covenant with David, he promised to subdue the king’s enemies (see 2 Sam 7:9-11; Ps 89:22-23).

[110:5]  ⁶⁴ tn As pointed in the Hebrew text, this title refers to God (many medieval Hebrew mss read יְהוָה, yehveh, “Lord” here). The present translation assumes that the psalmist here addresses the Lord as he celebrates what the king is able to accomplish while positioned at God’s “right hand.” According to this view the king is the subject of the third person verb forms in vv. 5b-7. (2) Another option is to understand the king as the addressee (as in vv. 2-3). In this case “the Lord” is the subject of the third person verbs throughout vv. 5-7 and is depicted as a warrior in a very anthropomorphic manner. In this case the Lord is pictured as being at the psalmist’s right hand (just the opposite of v. 1). See Pss 16:8; 121:5. (3) A third option is to revocalize אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “Lord”) as אֲדֹנִי (’adoniy, “my lord”; see v. 1). In this case one may translate, “My lord, at his [God’s] right hand, strikes down.” In this case the king is the subject of the third person verbs in vv. 5b-7.

[110:5]  ⁶⁵ tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 5-6 are understood here as descriptive-dramatic or as generalizing. Another option is to take them as rhetorical. In this case the psalmist describes anticipated events as if they had already taken place.

[110:5]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “in the day of his anger.”

[9:7]  ⁶⁷ tc The Hebrew text has לְםַרְבֵּה (lÿmarbeh), which is a corrupt reading. לם is dittographic; note the preceding word, שָׁלוֹם (shalom). The corrected text reads literally, “great is the dominion.”

[9:7]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “and to peace there will be no end” (KJV and ASV both similar). On the political and socio-economic sense of שָׁלוֹם (shalom) in this context, see the note at v. 6 on “Prince of Peace.”

[9:7]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “over the throne of David, and over his kingdom.” The referent of the pronoun “his” (i.e., David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:7]  ⁷⁰ tn The feminine singular pronominal suffix on this form and the following one (translated “it” both times) refers back to the grammatically feminine noun “kingdom.”

[9:7]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “with/by justice and fairness”; ASV “with justice and with righteousness.”

[9:7]  ⁷² tn Heb “the zeal of the Lord.” In this context the Lord’s “zeal” refers to his intense devotion to and love for his people which prompts him to vindicate them and to fulfill his promises to David and the nation.

[49:6]  ⁷³ tn Heb “the protected [or “preserved”] ones.”

[49:6]  ⁷⁴ sn The question is purely rhetorical; it does not imply that the servant was dissatisfied with his commission or that he minimized the restoration of Israel.

[49:6]  ⁷⁵ tn See the note at 42:6.

[49:6]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “be” (so KJV, ASV); CEV “you must take.”

[49:7]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[49:7]  ⁷⁸ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[49:7]  ⁷⁹ tc The Hebrew text reads literally “to [one who] despises life.” It is preferable to read with the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a לבזוי, which should be vocalized as a passive participle, לִבְזוּי (livzuy, “to the one despised with respect to life” [נֶפֶשׁ is a genitive of specification]). The consonantal sequence וי was probably misread as ה in the MT tradition. The contextual argument favors the 1QIsa^a reading. As J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 2:294) points out, the three terse phrases “convey a picture of lowliness, worthlessness, and helplessness.”

[49:7]  ⁸⁰ tn MT’s Piel participle (“to the one who rejects”) does not fit contextually. The form should be revocalized as a Pual, “to the one rejected.”

[49:7]  ⁸¹ tn Parallelism (see “rulers,” “kings,” “princes”) suggests that the singular גּוֹי (goy) be emended to a plural or understood in a collective sense (see 55:5).

[49:7]  ⁸² tn For this sense of קוּם (qum), see Gen 19:1; 23:7; 33:10; Lev 19:32; 1 Sam 20:41; 25:41; 1 Kgs 2:19; Job 29:8.

[49:8]  ⁸³ tn The translation assumes the verb is derived from the root נָצָר (natsar, “protect”). Some prefer to derive it from the root יָצָר (yatsar, “form”).

[49:8]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “a covenant of people.” A person cannot literally be a covenant; בְּרִית (bÿrit) is probably metonymic here, indicating a covenant mediator. Here עָם (’am, “people”) appears to refer to Israel. See the note at 42:6.

[49:8]  ⁸⁵ tn The Hiphil of קוּם (qum, “arise”) is probably used here in the sense of “rebuild.”

[49:8]  ⁸⁶ tn The “land” probably stands by metonymy for the ruins within it.

[52:13]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “act wisely,” which by metonymy means “succeed.”

[52:13]  ⁸⁸ tn This piling up of synonyms emphasizes the degree of the servant’s coming exaltation.

[53:12]  ⁸⁹ tn Scholars have debated the precise meaning of the term רַבִּים (rabbim) that occurs five times in this passage (Isa 52:14, 15; 53:11, 12 [2x]). Its two broad categories of translation are “much”/“many” and “great” (HALOT 1171-72 s.v. I רַב). Unlike other Hebrew terms for might or strength, this term is linked with numbers or abundance. In all sixteen uses outside of Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (articular and plural) it signifies an inclusive meaning: “the majority” or “the multitude” (J. Jeremias, TDNT 6:536-37). This term occurs in parallelism with עֲצוּמִים (’atsumim), which normally signifies “numerous” or “large” or “powerful” (through large numbers). Like רַבִּים (rabbim), it refers to greatness in numbers (cf. Deut 4:38; 7:1; 9:1; 11:34). It emphasizes the multitudes with whom the Servant will share the spoil of his victory. As J. Olley wrote: “Yahweh has won the victory and vindicates his Servant, giving to him many subservient people, together with their spoils. These numerous peoples in turn receive blessing, sharing in the “peace” resulting from Yahweh’s victory and the Servant’s suffering” (John W. Olley, “‘The Many’: How Is Isa 53,12a to Be Understood,” Bib 68 [1987]: 330-56).

[53:12]  ⁹⁰ sn The servant is compared here to a warrior who will be richly rewarded for his effort and success in battle.

[53:12]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “because he laid bare his life”; traditionally, ASV “because he (+ hath KJV) poured out his soul (life NIV) unto death.”

[53:12]  ⁹² tn The Hiphil of פָּגַע (paga’) can mean “cause to attack” (v. 6), “urge, plead verbally” (Jer 15:11; 36:25), or “intervene militarily” (Isa 59:16). Perhaps the third nuance fits best here, for military imagery is employed in the first two lines of the verse.

[2:45]  ⁹³ tn Aram “after this.”

[7:14]  ⁹⁴ tn Some take “serving” here in the sense of “worshiping.”

[7:14]  ⁹⁵ tn Aram “is an eternal authority which will not pass away.”

[7:14]  ⁹⁶ tn Aram “is one which will not be destroyed.”

[11:27]  ⁹⁷ sn This verse has been noted for its conceptual similarity to teaching in John’s Gospel (10:15; 17:2). The authority of the Son and the Father are totally intertwined.

[11:27]  ⁹⁸ tn Or “wishes”; or “intends”; or “plans” (cf. BDAG 182 s.v. βούλομαι 2.b). Here it is the Son who has sovereignty.

[28:18]  ⁹⁹ tn Grk “coming, Jesus spoke to them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn, “saying”) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[10:22]  ¹⁰⁰ sn This verse has been noted for its conceptual similarity to teaching in John’s Gospel (10:15; 17:2). The authority of the Son and the Father are totally intertwined.

[10:22]  ¹⁰¹ tn Or “wishes”; or “intends”; or “plans” (cf. BDAG 182 s.v. βούλομαι 2.b). Here it is the Son who has sovereignty.

[3:35]  ¹⁰² tn Grk “has given all things into his hand” (an idiom).

[3:36]  ¹⁰³ tn Or “refuses to believe,” or “disobeys.”

[3:36]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Or “anger because of evil,” or “punishment.”

[3:36]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Or “resides.”

[5:22]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Or “condemn.”

[5:22]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Or “given,” or “handed over.”

[5:23]  ¹⁰⁸ 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]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[5:24]  ¹¹⁰ tn Or “obeys.”

[5:24]  ¹¹¹ tn Or “word.”

[5:24]  ¹¹² tn Grk “and does not come into judgment.”

[5:25]  ¹¹³ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[5:25]  ¹¹⁴ tn Grk “an hour.”

[5:27]  ¹¹⁵ tn Grk “him.”

[5:27]  ¹¹⁶ tn Grk “authority to judge.”

[13:3]  ¹¹⁷ tn Grk “Because he knew”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:3]  ¹¹⁸ tn Grk “had given all things into his hands.”

[17:1]  ¹¹⁹ tn Grk “he raised his eyes” (an idiom).

[17:1]  ¹²⁰ tn Or “to the sky.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven” depending on the context.

[17:1]  ¹²¹ tn Grk “the hour.”

[17:1]  ¹²² 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.

[17:2]  ¹²³ tn Or “all people”; Grk “all flesh.”

[17:2]  ¹²⁴ tn Grk “so that to everyone whom you have given to him, he may give to them eternal life.”

[17:3]  ¹²⁵ tn Using αὕτη δέ (Jauth de) to introduce an explanation is typical Johannine style; it was used before in John 1:19, 3:19, and 15:12.

[17:3]  ¹²⁶ sn This is eternal life. The author here defines eternal life for the readers, although it is worked into the prayer in such a way that many interpreters do not regard it as another of the author’s parenthetical comments. It is not just unending life in the sense of prolonged duration. Rather it is a quality of life, with its quality derived from a relationship with God. Having eternal life is here defined as being in relationship with the Father, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom the Father sent. Christ (Χριστός, Cristos) is not characteristically attached to Jesus’ name in John’s Gospel; it occurs elsewhere primarily as a title and is used with Jesus’ name only in 1:17. But that is connected to its use here: The statement here in 17:3 enables us to correlate the statement made in 1:18 of the prologue, that Jesus has fully revealed what God is like, with Jesus’ statement in 10:10 that he has come that people might have life, and have it abundantly. These two purposes are really one, according to 17:3, because (abundant) eternal life is defined as knowing (being in relationship with) the Father and the Son. The only way to gain this eternal life, that is, to obtain this knowledge of the Father, is through the Son (cf. 14:6). Although some have pointed to the use of know (γινώσκω, ginwskw) here as evidence of Gnostic influence in the Fourth Gospel, there is a crucial difference: For John this knowledge is not intellectual, but relational. It involves being in relationship.

[17:3]  ¹²⁷ tn Or “and Jesus the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).

[17:5]  ¹²⁸ tn Or “in your presence”; Grk “with yourself.” The use of παρά (para) twice in this verse looks back to the assertion in John 1:1 that the Word (the Λόγος [Logos], who became Jesus of Nazareth in 1:14) was with God (πρὸς τὸν θεόν, pro" ton qeon). Whatever else may be said, the statement in 17:5 strongly asserts the preexistence of Jesus Christ.

[17:5]  ¹²⁹ tn Grk “before the world was.” The word “created” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[2:32]  ¹³⁰ tn Or “of him”; Grk “of which [or whom] we are all witnesses” (Acts 1:8).

[2:33]  ¹³¹ tn The aorist participle ὑψωθείς (Juywqei") could be taken temporally: “So then, after he was exalted…” In the translation the more neutral “exalted” (a shorter form of “having been exalted”) was used to preserve the ambiguity of the original Greek.

[2:33]  ¹³² sn The expression the right hand of God represents supreme power and authority. Its use here sets up the quotation of Ps 110:1 in v. 34.

[2:33]  ¹³³ tn The aorist participle λαβών (labwn) could be taken temporally: “So then, after he was exalted…and received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit.” In the translation the more neutral “having received” was used to preserve the ambiguity of the original Greek.

[2:33]  ¹³⁴ tn Here the genitive τοῦ πνεύματος (tou pneumato") is a genitive of apposition; the promise consists of the Holy Spirit.

[2:33]  ¹³⁵ sn The use of the verb poured out looks back to 2:17-18, where the same verb occurs twice.

[2:34]  ¹³⁶ sn Sit at my right hand. The word “sit” alludes back to the promise of “seating one on his throne” in v. 30.

[2:35]  ¹³⁷ sn The metaphor make your enemies a footstool portrays the complete subjugation of the enemies.

[2:35]  ¹³⁸ sn A quotation from Ps 110:1, one of the most often-cited OT passages in the NT, pointing to the exaltation of Jesus.

[2:36]  ¹³⁹ tn Or “know for certain.” This term is in an emphatic position in the clause.

[2:36]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Grk “has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” The clause has been simplified in the translation by replacing the pronoun “him” with the explanatory clause “this Jesus whom you crucified” which comes at the end of the sentence.

[2:36]  ¹⁴¹ sn Lord. This looks back to the quotation of Ps 110:1 and the mention of “calling on the Lord” in 2:21. Peter’s point is that the Lord on whom one calls for salvation is Jesus, because he is the one mediating God’s blessing of the Spirit as a sign of the presence of salvation and the last days.

[2:36]  ¹⁴² tn Or “and Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[5:31]  ¹⁴³ tn Grk “This one God exalted” (emphatic).

[5:31]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Or “Founder” (of a movement).

[5:31]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Or “to give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.”

[14:10]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Grk “But why do you judge your brother?” The introductory phrase has been supplied in the translation to clarify whom Paul is addressing, i.e., the “weak” Christian who eats only vegetables (see vv. 2-3). The author uses the singular pronoun here to rhetorically address one person, but the plural has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:10]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Grk “Or again, why do you despise your brother?” The introductory phrase has been supplied in the translation to clarify whom Paul is addressing, i.e., the “strong” Christian who eats everything (see vv. 2-3). The author uses the singular pronoun here to rhetorically address one person, but the plural has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:10]  ¹⁴⁸ sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city.

[14:11]  ¹⁴⁹ sn A quotation from Isa 45:23.

[14:1]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Grk “over opinions.” The qualifier “differing” has been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[1:25]  ¹⁵¹ tn BDAG 697 s.v. οἰκονομία 1.b renders the term here as “divine office.”

[1:25]  ¹⁵² tn See BDAG 828 s.v. πληρόω 3. The idea here seems to be that the apostle wants to “complete the word of God” in that he wants to preach it to every person in the known world (cf. Rom 15:19). See P. T. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon (WBC), 82.

[1:27]  ¹⁵³ tn The genitive noun τῆς δόξης (ths doxhs) is an attributive genitive and has therefore been translated as “glorious riches.”

[2:9]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Or “who was made a little lower than the angels.”

[2:9]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Grk “because of the suffering of death.”

[2:9]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Grk “would taste.” Here the Greek verb does not mean “sample a small amount” (as a typical English reader might infer from the word “taste”), but “experience something cognitively or emotionally; come to know something” (cf. BDAG 195 s.v. γεύομαι 2).

[12:2]  ¹⁵⁷ sn An allusion to Ps 110:1.

[12:2]  ¹⁵⁸ sn An allusion to Ps 110:1.

[1:1]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Or “spoke formerly.”

[1:1]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Or “parts.” The idea is that God’s previous revelation came in many parts and was therefore fragmentary or partial (L&N 63.19), in comparison with the final and complete revelation contained in God’s Son. However, some interpret πολυμερῶς (polumerw") in Heb 1:1 to mean “on many different occasions” and would thus translate “many times” (L&N 67.11). This is the option followed by the NIV: “at many times and in various ways.” Finally, this word is also understood to refer to the different manners in which something may be done, and would then be translated “in many different ways” (L&N 89.81). In this last case, the two words πολυμερῶς and πολυτρόπως (polutropw") mutually reinforce one another (“in many and various ways,” NRSV).

[1:1]  ¹⁶¹ tn These two phrases are emphasized in Greek by being placed at the beginning of the sentence and by alliteration.

[1:1]  ¹⁶² tn Grk “to the fathers.”

[1:5]  ¹⁶³ tn Or “Jesus Christ – the faithful one, the witness…” Some take ὁ πιστός (Jo pistos) as a second substantive in relation to ὁ μάρτυς (Jo martus). In the present translation, however, ὁ πιστός was taken as an adjective in attributive position to ὁ μάρτυς. The idea of martyrdom and faithfulness are intimately connected. See BDAG 820 s.v. πιστός 1.a.α: “ὁ μάρτυς μου ὁ πιστός μου Rv 2:13 (μάρτυς 3); in this ‘book of martyrs’ Christ is ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστὸς (καὶ ὁ ἀληθινός) 1:5; 3:14; cp. 19:11 (the combination of ἀληθινός and πιστός in the last two passages is like 3 Macc 2:11). Cp. Rv 17:14.”

[1:5]  ¹⁶⁴ sn The Greek term translated witness can mean both “witness” and “martyr.”

[1:5]  ¹⁶⁵ tc The reading “set free” (λύσαντι, lusanti) has better ms support (̹⁸ א A C 1611 2050 2329 2351 Ï^A sy) than its rival, λούσαντι (lousanti, “washed”; found in P 1006 1841 1854 2053 2062 Ï^K lat bo). Internally, it seems that the reading “washed” could have arisen in at least one of three ways: (1) as an error of hearing (both “released” and “washed” are pronounced similarly in Greek); (2) an error of sight (both “released” and “washed” look very similar – a difference of only one letter – which could have resulted in a simple error during the copying of a ms); (3) through scribal inability to appreciate that the Hebrew preposition ב can be used with a noun to indicate the price paid for something. Since the author of Revelation is influenced significantly by a Semitic form of Greek (e.g., 13:10), and since the Hebrew preposition “in” (ב) can indicate the price paid for something, and is often translated with the preposition “in” (ἐν, en) in the LXX, the author may have tried to communicate by the use of ἐν the idea of a price paid for something. That is, John was trying to say that Christ delivered us at the price of his own blood. This whole process, however, may have been lost on a later scribe, who being unfamiliar with Hebrew, found the expression “delivered in his blood” too difficult, and noticing the obvious similarities between λύσαντι and λούσαντι, assumed an error and then proceeded to change the text to “washed in his blood” – a thought more tolerable in his mind. Both readings, of course, are true to scripture; the current question is what the author wrote in this verse.

[1:5]  ¹⁶⁶ tn The style here is somewhat Semitic, with the use of the ἐν (en) + the dative to mean “at the price of.” The addition of “own” in the English is stylistic and is an attempt to bring out the personal nature of the statement and the sacrificial aspect of Jesus’ death – a frequent refrain in the Apocalypse.

[3:21]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Grk “The one who conquers, to him I will grant.”

[3:21]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Or “who is victorious”; traditionally, “who overcomes.”

[3:21]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Grk “I will give [grant] to him.”

[3:21]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Or “have been victorious”; traditionally, “have overcome.”

[5:12]  ¹⁷¹ tn The words “all of whom” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied to indicate the resumption of the phrase “the voice of many angels” at the beginning of the verse.

[5:12]  ¹⁷² tn Grk “saying.”

[5:12]  ¹⁷³ tn Or “slaughtered”; traditionally, “slain.”

[11:15]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[11:15]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”