Genesis 14:19-20

14:19 He blessed Abram, saying,

“Blessed be Abram by ¹  the Most High God,

Creator ²  of heaven and earth. ³ 

14:20 Worthy of praise is ⁴  the Most High God,

who delivered ⁵  your enemies into your hand.”

Abram gave Melchizedek ⁶  a tenth of everything.

Genesis 24:60

24:60 They blessed Rebekah with these words: ⁷ 

“Our sister, may you become the mother ⁸  of thousands of ten thousands!

May your descendants possess the strongholds ⁹  of their enemies.”

Genesis 27:27-29

27:27 So Jacob ¹⁰  went over and kissed him. When Isaac caught the scent ¹¹  of his clothing, he blessed him, saying,

“Yes, ¹²  my son smells

like the scent of an open field

which the Lord has blessed.

27:28 May God give you

the dew of the sky ¹³ 

and the richness ¹⁴  of the earth,

and plenty of grain and new wine.

27:29 May peoples serve you

and nations bow down to you.

You will be ¹⁵  lord ¹⁶  over your brothers,

and the sons of your mother will bow down to you. ¹⁷ 

May those who curse you be cursed,

and those who bless you be blessed.”

Genesis 28:3-4

28:3 May the sovereign God ¹⁸  bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants! ¹⁹  Then you will become ²⁰  a large nation. ²¹  28:4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing he gave to Abraham ²²  so that you may possess the land ²³  God gave to Abraham, the land where you have been living as a temporary resident.” ²⁴ 

Genesis 47:7

47:7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and presented him ²⁵  before Pharaoh. Jacob blessed ²⁶  Pharaoh.

Genesis 47:10

47:10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence. ²⁷ 

Genesis 48:20

48:20 So he blessed them that day, saying,

“By you ²⁸  will Israel bless, ²⁹  saying,

‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”

So he put Ephraim before Manasseh. ³⁰ 

Leviticus 9:22-23

9:22 Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them and descended from making the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering. 9:23 Moses and Aaron then entered into the Meeting Tent. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.

Deuteronomy 10:8

10:8 At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi ³¹  to carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, to stand before the Lord to serve him, and to formulate blessings ³²  in his name, as they do to this very day.

Deuteronomy 21:5

21:5 Then the Levitical priests ³³  will approach (for the Lord your God has chosen them to serve him and to pronounce blessings in his name, ³⁴  and to decide ³⁵  every judicial verdict ³⁶ )

Deuteronomy 33:1

Introduction to the Blessing of Moses

33:1 This is the blessing Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death.

Joshua 8:33

8:33 All the people, ³⁷  rulers, ³⁸  leaders, and judges were standing on either side of the ark, in front of the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord. Both resident foreigners and native Israelites were there. ³⁹  Half the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and the other half in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the Lord’s servant had previously instructed to them to do for the formal blessing ceremony. ⁴⁰ 

Joshua 8:1

Israel Conquers Ai

8:1 The Lord told Joshua, “Don’t be afraid and don’t panic! ⁴¹  Take the whole army with you and march against Ai! ⁴²  See, I am handing over to you ⁴³  the king of Ai, along with his people, city, and land.

Joshua 23:13

23:13 know for certain that the Lord our God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. They will trap and ensnare you; ⁴⁴  they will be a whip that tears ⁴⁵  your sides and thorns that blind ⁴⁶  your eyes until you disappear ⁴⁷  from this good land the Lord your God gave you.

Luke 24:50-51

Jesus’ Departure

24:50 Then ⁴⁸  Jesus ⁴⁹  led them out as far as Bethany, ⁵⁰  and lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 24:51 Now ⁵¹  during the blessing ⁵²  he departed ⁵³  and was taken up into heaven. ⁵⁴ 

Romans 1:7

1:7 To all those loved by God in Rome, ⁵⁵  called to be saints: ⁵⁶  Grace and peace to you ⁵⁷  from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Romans 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁵⁸  a slave ⁵⁹  of Christ Jesus, ⁶⁰  called to be an apostle, ⁶¹  set apart for the gospel of God. ⁶² 

Colossians 1:3

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Church

1:3 We always ⁶³  give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

Colossians 1:2

1:2 to the saints, the faithful ⁶⁴  brothers and sisters ⁶⁵  in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you ⁶⁶  from God our Father! ⁶⁷ 

Colossians 1:14

1:14 in whom we have redemption, ⁶⁸  the forgiveness of sins.

Hebrews 7:1

The Nature of Melchizedek’s Priesthood

7:1 Now this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, met Abraham as he was returning from defeating the kings and blessed him. ⁶⁹ 

Hebrews 7:7

7:7 Now without dispute the inferior is blessed by the superior,

Hebrews 11:20-21

11:20 By faith also Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future. 11:21 By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped as he leaned on his staff. ⁷⁰ 

Hebrews 11:1

People Commended for Their Faith

11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see.

Hebrews 1:2

1:2 in these last days he has spoken to us in a son, ⁷¹  whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world. ⁷² 

Hebrews 1:2

1:2 in these last days he has spoken to us in a son, ⁷³  whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world. ⁷⁴ 

Hebrews 1:2-3

1:2 in these last days he has spoken to us in a son, ⁷⁵  whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world. ⁷⁶  1:3 The Son is ⁷⁷  the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word, ⁷⁸  and so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. ⁷⁹ 

Hebrews 1:2-3

1:2 in these last days he has spoken to us in a son, ⁸⁰  whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world. ⁸¹  1:3 The Son is ⁸²  the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word, ⁸³  and so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. ⁸⁴ 

[14:19]  ¹ tn The preposition לְ (lamed) introduces the agent after the passive participle.

[14:19]  ² tn Some translate “possessor of heaven and earth” (cf. NASB). But cognate evidence from Ugaritic indicates that there were two homonymic roots ָקנָה (qanah), one meaning “to create” (as in Gen 4:1) and the other “to obtain, to acquire, to possess.” While “possessor” would fit here, “creator” is the more likely due to the collocation with “heaven and earth.”

[14:19]  ³ tn The terms translated “heaven” and “earth” are both objective genitives after the participle in construct.

[14:20]  ⁴ tn Heb “blessed be.” For God to be “blessed” means that is praised. His reputation is enriched in the world as his name is praised.

[14:20]  ⁵ sn Who delivered. The Hebrew verb מִגֵּן (miggen, “delivered”) foreshadows the statement by God to Abram in Gen 15:1, “I am your shield” (מָגֵן, magen). Melchizedek provided a theological interpretation of Abram’s military victory.

[14:20]  ⁶ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Melchizedek) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:60]  ⁷ tn Heb “and said to her.”

[24:60]  ⁸ tn Heb “become thousands of ten thousands.”

[24:60]  ⁹ tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”). A similar phrase occurs in Gen 22:17.

[27:27]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:27]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and he smelled the smell”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:27]  ¹² tn Heb “see.”

[27:28]  ¹³ tn Heb “and from the dew of the sky.”

[27:28]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and from the fatness.”

[27:29]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and be.” The verb is an imperative, which is used rhetorically in this oracle of blessing. It is an invitation to exercise authority his brothers and indicates that he is granted such authority by the patriarch of the family. Furthermore, the blessing enables the recipient to accomplish this.

[27:29]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew word is גְבִיר (gevir, “lord, mighty one”). The one being blessed will be stronger and therefore more powerful than his brother. See Gen 25:23. The feminine form of this rare noun means “mistress” or “queen-mother.”

[27:29]  ¹⁷ tn Following the imperative, the prefixed verbal form (which is either an imperfect or a jussive) with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[28:3]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “El Shaddai.” See the extended note on the phrase “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.

[28:3]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and make you fruitful and multiply you.” See Gen 17:6, 20 for similar terminology.

[28:3]  ²⁰ tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here indicates consequence. The collocation הָיָה + preposition לְ (hayah + lÿ) means “become.”

[28:3]  ²¹ tn Heb “an assembly of peoples.”

[28:4]  ²² tn Heb “and may he give to you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your offspring with you.” The name “Abraham” is an objective genitive here; this refers to the blessing that God gave to Abraham.

[28:4]  ²³ tn The words “the land” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[28:4]  ²⁴ tn Heb “the land of your sojournings,” that is, the land where Jacob had been living as a resident alien, as his future descendants would after him.

[47:7]  ²⁵ tn Heb “caused him to stand.”

[47:7]  ²⁶ sn The precise meaning of the Hebrew verb translated “blessed” is difficult in this passage, because the content of Jacob’s blessing is not given. The expression could simply mean that he greeted Pharaoh, but that seems insufficient in this setting. Jacob probably praised Pharaoh, for the verb is used this way for praising God. It is also possible that he pronounced a formal prayer of blessing, asking God to reward Pharaoh for his kindness.

[47:10]  ²⁷ tn Heb “from before Pharaoh.”

[48:20]  ²⁸ tn The pronoun is singular in the Hebrew text, apparently elevating Ephraim as the more prominent of the two. Note, however, that both are named in the blessing formula that follows.

[48:20]  ²⁹ tn Or “pronounce a blessing.”

[48:20]  ³⁰ sn On the elevation of Ephraim over Manasseh see E. C. Kingsbury, “He Set Ephraim Before Manasseh,” HUCA 38 (1967): 129-36; H. Mowvley, “The Concept and Content of ‘Blessing’ in the Old Testament,” BT 16 (1965): 74-80; and I. Mendelsohn, “On the Preferential Status of the Eldest Son,” BASOR 156 (1959): 38-40.

[10:8]  ³¹ sn The Lord set apart the tribe of Levi. This was not the initial commissioning of the tribe of Levi to this ministry (cf. Num 3:11-13; 8:12-26), but with Aaron’s death it seemed appropriate to Moses to reiterate Levi’s responsibilities. There is no reference in the Book of Numbers to this having been done, but the account of Eleazar’s succession to the priesthood there (Num 20:25-28) would provide a setting for this to have occurred.

[10:8]  ³² sn To formulate blessings. The most famous example of this is the priestly “blessing formula” of Num 6:24-26.

[21:5]  ³³ tn Heb “the priests, the sons of Levi.”

[21:5]  ³⁴ tn Heb “in the name of the Lord.” See note on Deut 10:8. The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[21:5]  ³⁵ tn Heb “by their mouth.”

[21:5]  ³⁶ tn Heb “every controversy and every blow.”

[8:33]  ³⁷ tn Heb “All Israel.”

[8:33]  ³⁸ tn Or “elders.”

[8:33]  ³⁹ tn Heb “like the resident alien, like the citizen.” The language is idiomatic, meaning that both groups were treated the same, at least in this instance.

[8:33]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “as Moses, the Lord’s servant, commanded to bless the people, Israel, formerly.”

[8:1]  ⁴¹ tn Or perhaps “and don’t get discouraged!”

[8:1]  ⁴² tn Heb “Take with you all the people of war and arise, go up against Ai!”

[8:1]  ⁴³ tn Heb “I have given into our hand.” The verbal form, a perfect, is probably best understood as a perfect of certitude, indicating the certainty of the action.

[23:13]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “be a trap and a snare to you.”

[23:13]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “in.”

[23:13]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “thorns in your eyes.”

[23:13]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “perish.”

[24:50]  ⁴⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[24:50]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:50]  ⁵⁰ sn Bethany was village on the Mount of Olives about 2 mi (3 km) from Jerusalem; see John 11:1, 18.

[24:51]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “And it happened that while.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[24:51]  ⁵² tn Grk “while he blessed them.”

[24:51]  ⁵³ tn Grk “he departed from them.”

[24:51]  ⁵⁴ tc The reference to the ascension (“and was taken up into heaven”) is lacking in א* D it sy^s, but it is found in Ì⁷⁵ and the rest of the ms tradition. The authenticity of the statement here seems to be presupposed in Acts 1:2, for otherwise it is difficult to account for Luke’s reference to the ascension there. For a helpful discussion, see TCGNT 162-63.

[1:7]  ⁵⁵ map For location see JP4 A1.

[1:7]  ⁵⁶ tn Although the first part of v. 7 is not a complete English sentence, it maintains the “From…to” pattern used in all the Pauline letters to indicate the sender and the recipients. Here, however, there are several intervening verses (vv. 2-6), which makes the first half of v. 7 appear as an isolated sentence fragment.

[1:7]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:1]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ⁵⁹ tn Traditionally, “servant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  ⁶⁰ tc Many important mss, as well as several others (̲⁶ א A G Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï), have a reversed order of these words and read “Jesus Christ” rather than “Christ Jesus” (̹⁰ B 81 pc). The meaning is not affected in either case, but the reading “Christ Jesus” is preferred as slightly more difficult and thus more likely the original (a scribe who found it would be prone to change it to the more common expression). At the same time, Paul is fond of the order “Christ Jesus,” especially in certain letters such as Romans, Galatians, and Philippians. As well, the later Pauline letters almost uniformly use this order in the salutations. A decision is difficult, but “Christ Jesus” is slightly preferred.

[1:1]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “a called apostle.”

[1:1]  ⁶² tn The genitive in the phrase εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ (euangelion qeou, “the gospel of God”) could be translated as (1) a subjective genitive (“the gospel which God brings”) or (2) an objective genitive (“the gospel about God”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, an interplay between the two concepts is intended: The gospel which God brings is in fact the gospel about himself. However, in view of God’s action in v. 2 concerning this gospel, a subjective genitive notion (“the gospel which God brings”) is slightly preferred.

[1:3]  ⁶³ tn The adverb πάντοτε (pantote) is understood to modify the indicative εὐχαριστοῦμεν (eucaristoumen) because it precedes περὶ ὑμῶν (peri Jumwn) which probably modifies the indicative and not the participle προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi). But see 1:9 where the same expression occurs and περὶ ὑμῶν modifies the participle “praying” (προσευχόμενοι).

[1:2]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “and faithful.” The construction in Greek (as well as Paul’s style) suggests that the saints are identical to the faithful; hence, the καί (kai) is best left untranslated (cf. Eph 1:1). See ExSyn 281-82.

[1:2]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[1:2]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:2]  ⁶⁷ tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (א A C F G I [P] 075 Ï it bo), read “and the Lord Jesus Christ” at the end of this verse, no doubt to conform the wording to the typical Pauline salutation. However, excellent and early witnesses (B D K L Ψ 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 al sa) lack this phrase. Since the omission is inexplicable as arising from the longer reading (otherwise, these mss would surely have deleted the phrase in the rest of the corpus Paulinum), it is surely authentic.

[1:14]  ⁶⁸ tc διὰ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ (dia tou {aimato" autou, “through his blood”) is read at this juncture by several minuscule mss (614 630 1505 2464 al) as well as a few, mostly secondary, versional and patristic witnesses. But the reading was prompted by the parallel in Eph 1:7 where the wording is solid. If these words had been in the original of Colossians, why would scribes omit them here but not in Eph 1:7? Further, the testimony on behalf of the shorter reading is quite overwhelming: {א A B C D F G Ψ 075 0150 6 33 1739 1881 Ï latt co as well as several other versions and fathers}. The conviction that “through his blood” is not authentic in Col 1:14 is as strong as the conviction that these words are authentic in Eph 1:7.

[7:1]  ⁶⁹ sn A series of quotations from Gen 14:17-19.

[11:21]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “worshiped on the top of his staff,” a quotation from Gen 47:31 (LXX).

[1:2]  ⁷¹ tn The Greek puts an emphasis on the quality of God’s final revelation. As such, it is more than an indefinite notion (“a son”) though less than a definite one (“the son”), for this final revelation is not just through any son of God, nor is the emphasis specifically on the person himself. Rather, the focus here is on the nature of the vehicle of God’s revelation: He is no mere spokesman (or prophet) for God, nor is he merely a heavenly messenger (or angel); instead, this final revelation comes through one who is intimately acquainted with the heavenly Father in a way that only a family member could be. There is, however, no exact equivalent in English (“in son” is hardly good English style).

[1:2]  ⁷² tn Grk “the ages.” The temporal (ages) came to be used of the spatial (what exists in those time periods). See Heb 11:3 for the same usage.

[1:2]  ⁷³ tn The Greek puts an emphasis on the quality of God’s final revelation. As such, it is more than an indefinite notion (“a son”) though less than a definite one (“the son”), for this final revelation is not just through any son of God, nor is the emphasis specifically on the person himself. Rather, the focus here is on the nature of the vehicle of God’s revelation: He is no mere spokesman (or prophet) for God, nor is he merely a heavenly messenger (or angel); instead, this final revelation comes through one who is intimately acquainted with the heavenly Father in a way that only a family member could be. There is, however, no exact equivalent in English (“in son” is hardly good English style).

[1:2]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “the ages.” The temporal (ages) came to be used of the spatial (what exists in those time periods). See Heb 11:3 for the same usage.

[1:2]  ⁷⁵ tn The Greek puts an emphasis on the quality of God’s final revelation. As such, it is more than an indefinite notion (“a son”) though less than a definite one (“the son”), for this final revelation is not just through any son of God, nor is the emphasis specifically on the person himself. Rather, the focus here is on the nature of the vehicle of God’s revelation: He is no mere spokesman (or prophet) for God, nor is he merely a heavenly messenger (or angel); instead, this final revelation comes through one who is intimately acquainted with the heavenly Father in a way that only a family member could be. There is, however, no exact equivalent in English (“in son” is hardly good English style).

[1:2]  ⁷⁶ tn Grk “the ages.” The temporal (ages) came to be used of the spatial (what exists in those time periods). See Heb 11:3 for the same usage.

[1:3]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “who being…and sustaining.” Heb 1:1-4 form one skillfully composed sentence in Greek, but it must be broken into shorter segments to correspond to contemporary English usage, which does not allow for sentences of this length and complexity.

[1:3]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “by the word of his power.”

[1:3]  ⁷⁹ sn An allusion to Ps 110:1, quoted often in Hebrews.

[1:2]  ⁸⁰ tn The Greek puts an emphasis on the quality of God’s final revelation. As such, it is more than an indefinite notion (“a son”) though less than a definite one (“the son”), for this final revelation is not just through any son of God, nor is the emphasis specifically on the person himself. Rather, the focus here is on the nature of the vehicle of God’s revelation: He is no mere spokesman (or prophet) for God, nor is he merely a heavenly messenger (or angel); instead, this final revelation comes through one who is intimately acquainted with the heavenly Father in a way that only a family member could be. There is, however, no exact equivalent in English (“in son” is hardly good English style).

[1:2]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “the ages.” The temporal (ages) came to be used of the spatial (what exists in those time periods). See Heb 11:3 for the same usage.

[1:3]  ⁸² tn Grk “who being…and sustaining.” Heb 1:1-4 form one skillfully composed sentence in Greek, but it must be broken into shorter segments to correspond to contemporary English usage, which does not allow for sentences of this length and complexity.

[1:3]  ⁸³ tn Grk “by the word of his power.”

[1:3]  ⁸⁴ sn An allusion to Ps 110:1, quoted often in Hebrews.