Discovery BoxGenesis 18:17-19
Context18:17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 1 18:18 After all, Abraham 2 will surely become 3 a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 4 using his name. 18:19 I have chosen him 5 so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep 6 the way of the Lord by doing 7 what is right and just. Then the Lord will give 8 to Abraham what he promised 9 him.”
Jeremiah 13:18
Context“Tell the king and the queen mother,
‘Surrender your thrones, 11
for your glorious crowns
will be removed 12 from your heads. 13
Proverbs 3:32
Context3:32 for one who goes astray 14 is an abomination 15 to the Lord,
but he reveals 16 his intimate counsel 17 to the upright.
Matthew 13:11-12
Context13:11 He replied, 18 “You have been given 19 the opportunity to know 20 the secrets 21 of the kingdom of heaven, but they have not. 13:12 For whoever has will be given more, and will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 22
John 7:17
Context7:17 If anyone wants to do God’s will, 23 he will know about my teaching, whether it is from God or whether I speak from my own authority. 24
John 14:17
Context14:17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, 25 because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, because he resides 26 with you and will be 27 in you.
John 14:21-23
Context14:21 The person who has my commandments and obeys 28 them is the one who loves me. 29 The one 30 who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal 31 myself to him.”
14:22 “Lord,” Judas (not Judas Iscariot) 32 said, 33 “what has happened that you are going to reveal 34 yourself to us and not to the world?” 14:23 Jesus replied, 35 “If anyone loves me, he will obey 36 my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him. 37
John 15:15
Context15:15 I no longer call you slaves, 38 because the slave does not understand 39 what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because I have revealed to you everything 40 I heard 41 from my Father.
John 17:6
Context17:6 “I have revealed 42 your name to the men 43 you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, 44 and you gave them to me, and they have obeyed 45 your word.
John 17:1
Context17:1 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he looked upward 46 to heaven 47 and said, “Father, the time 48 has come. Glorify your Son, so that your 49 Son may glorify you –
Colossians 2:14
Context2:14 He has destroyed 50 what was against us, a certificate of indebtedness 51 expressed in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.
Ephesians 1:9
Context1:9 He did this when he revealed 52 to us the secret 53 of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth 54 in Christ, 55
Ephesians 1:18
Context1:18 – since the eyes of your 56 heart have been enlightened 57 – so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, 58 what is the wealth of his glorious 59 inheritance in the saints,
Colossians 3:3
Context3:3 for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Revelation 2:17
Context2:17 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, 60 I will give him some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white 61 stone, 62 and on that stone will be written a new name that no one can understand 63 except the one who receives it.’
[18:17] 1 tn The active participle here refers to an action that is imminent.
[18:18] 2 tn Heb “And Abraham.” The disjunctive clause is probably causal, giving a reason why God should not hide his intentions from Abraham. One could translate, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation?”
[18:18] 3 tn The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the finite verb that follows.
[18:18] 4 tn Theoretically the Niphal can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Abram were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in later formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless [i.e., “pronounce blessings upon”] themselves [or “one another”].” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 18:18 (like 12:2) predicts that Abraham will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.
[18:19] 5 tn Heb “For I have known him.” The verb יָדַע (yada’) here means “to recognize and treat in a special manner, to choose” (see Amos 3:2). It indicates that Abraham stood in a special covenantal relationship with the
[18:19] 6 tn Heb “and they will keep.” The perfect verbal form with vav consecutive carries on the subjective nuance of the preceding imperfect verbal form (translated “so that he may command”).
[18:19] 7 tn The infinitive construct here indicates manner, explaining how Abraham’s children and his household will keep the way of the
[18:19] 8 tn Heb “bring on.” The infinitive after לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) indicates result here.
[13:18] 10 tn The words “The
[13:18] 11 tn Or “You will come down from your thrones”; Heb “Make low! Sit!” This is a case of a construction where two forms in the same case, mood, or tense are joined in such a way that one (usually the first) is intended as an adverbial or adjectival modifier of the other (a figure called hendiadys). This is also probably a case where the imperative is used to express a distinct assurance or promise. See GKC 324 §110.b and compare the usage in Isa 37:30 and Ps 110:2.
[13:18] 12 tn Heb “have come down.” The verb here and those in the following verses are further examples of the “as good as done” form of the Hebrew verb (the prophetic perfect).
[13:18] 13 tc The translation follows the common emendation of a word normally meaning “place at the head” (מַרְאֲשׁוֹת [mar’ashot] plus pronoun = מַרְאֲוֹשׁתֵיכֶם [mar’aoshtekhem]) to “from your heads” (מֵרָאשֵׁיכֶם, mera’shekhem) following the ancient versions. The meaning “tiara” is nowhere else attested for this word.
[3:32] 14 tn The basic meaning of the verb לוּז (luz) is “to turn aside; to depart” (BDB 531 s.v.). The Niphal stem is always used figuratively of moral apostasy from the path of righteousness: (1) “to go astray” (Prov 2:15; 3:32; 14:2) and (2) “crookedness” in action (Isa 30:12; see HALOT 522 s.v. לוז nif; BDB 531 s.v. Niph).
[3:32] 15 tn Heb “abomination of the
[3:32] 16 tn Heb “but with the upright is his intimate counsel.” The phrase “he reveals” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness and clarity.
[3:32] 17 tn Heb “his counsel.” The noun סוֹד (sod) can refer to (1) “intimate circle” of friends and confidants, (2) “confidential discussion” among friends and confidants, or “secret counsel” revealed from one confidant to another and kept secret and (3) relationship of “intimacy” with a person (BDB 691 s.v.; HALOT 745 s.v.). God reveals his secret counsel to the heavenly assembly (Job 15:8; Jer 23:18, 22) and his prophets (Amos 3:7). God has brought the angels into his “intimate circle” (Ps 89:8). Likewise, those who fear the
[13:11] 18 tn Grk “And answering, he said to them.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[13:11] 19 tn This is an example of a “divine passive,” with God understood to be the source of the revelation (see ExSyn 437-38).
[13:11] 20 tn Grk “to you it has been given to know.” The dative pronoun occurs first, in emphatic position in the Greek text, although this position is awkward in contemporary English.
[13:11] 21 tn Grk “the mysteries.”
[13:12] 22 sn What he has will be taken from him. The meaning is that the one who accepts Jesus’ teaching concerning his person and the kingdom will receive a share in the kingdom now and even more in the future, but for the one who rejects Jesus’ words, the opportunity that that person presently possesses with respect to the kingdom will someday be taken away forever.
[7:17] 24 tn Grk “or whether I speak from myself.”
[14:17] 25 tn Or “cannot receive.”
[14:17] 26 tn Or “he remains.”
[14:17] 27 tc Some early and important witnesses (Ì66* B D* W 1 565 it) have ἐστιν (estin, “he is”) instead of ἔσται (estai, “he will be”) here, while other weighty witnesses ({Ì66c,75vid א A D1 L Θ Ψ Ë13 33vid Ï as well as several versions and fathers}), read the future tense. When one considers transcriptional evidence, ἐστιν is the more difficult reading and better explains the rise of the future tense reading, but it must be noted that both Ì66 and D were corrected from the present tense to the future. If ἐστιν were the original reading, one would expect a few manuscripts to be corrected to read the present when they originally read the future, but that is not the case. When one considers what the author would have written, the future is on much stronger ground. The immediate context (both in 14:16 and in the chapter as a whole) points to the future, and the theology of the book regards the advent of the Spirit as a decidedly future event (see, e.g., 7:39 and 16:7). The present tense could have arisen from an error of sight on the part of some scribes or more likely from an error of thought as scribes reflected upon the present role of the Spirit. Although a decision is difficult, the future tense is most likely authentic. For further discussion on this textual problem, see James M. Hamilton, Jr., “He Is with You and He Will Be in You” (Ph.D. diss., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2003), 213-20.
[14:21] 29 tn Grk “obeys them, that one is the one who loves me.”
[14:21] 30 tn Grk “And the one.” Here the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated to improve the English style.
[14:21] 31 tn Or “will disclose.”
[14:22] 32 tn Grk “(not Iscariot).” The proper noun (Judas) has been repeated for clarity and smoothness in English style.
[14:22] 33 tn Grk “said to him.”
[14:23] 35 tn Grk “answered and said to him.”
[14:23] 37 tn Grk “we will come to him and will make our dwelling place with him.” The context here is individual rather than corporate indwelling, so the masculine singular pronoun has been retained throughout v. 23. It is important to note, however, that the pronoun is used generically here and refers equally to men, women, and children.
[15:15] 38 tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.
[15:15] 39 tn Or “does not know.”
[15:15] 40 tn Grk “all things.”
[17:6] 42 tn Or “made known,” “disclosed.”
[17:6] 43 tn Here “men” is retained as a translation for ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") rather than the more generic “people” because in context it specifically refers to the eleven men Jesus had chosen as apostles (Judas had already departed, John 13:30). If one understands the referent here to be the broader group of Jesus’ followers that included both men and women, a translation like “to the people” should be used here instead.
[17:6] 44 tn Grk “Yours they were.”
[17:1] 46 tn Grk “he raised his eyes” (an idiom).
[17:1] 47 tn Or “to the sky.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven” depending on the context.
[17:1] 49 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.
[2:14] 50 tn The participle ἐξαλείψας (exaleiyas) is a temporal adverbial participle of contemporaneous time related to the previous verb συνεζωοποίησεν (sunezwopoihsen), but has been translated as a finite verb because of the complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences. For the meaning “destroy” see BDAG 344-45 s.v. ἐξαλείφω 2.
[2:14] 51 tn On the translation of χειρόγραφον (ceirografon), see BDAG 1083 s.v. which refers to it as “a certificate of indebtedness.”
[1:9] 52 tn Or “He did this by revealing”; Grk “making known, revealing.” Verse 9 begins with a participle dependent on “lavished” in v. 8; the adverbial participle could be understood as temporal (“when he revealed”), which would be contemporaneous to the action of the finite verb “lavished,” or as means (“by revealing”). The participle has been translated here with the temporal nuance to allow for means to also be a possible interpretation. If the translation focused instead upon means, the temporal nuance would be lost as the time frame for the action of the participle would become indistinct.
[1:9] 53 tn Or “mystery.” In the NT μυστήριον (musthrion) refers to a divine secret previously undisclosed.
[1:9] 54 tn Or “purposed,” “publicly displayed.” Cf. Rom 3:25.
[1:9] 55 tn Grk “in him”; the referent (Christ) has been specified in the translation for the sake of clarity.
[1:18] 56 tc ‡ Most witnesses, especially of the Byzantine and Western texttypes, though with a few important Alexandrian witnesses (א A D F G Ψ 0278 Ï latt sy), add ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “your”) after καρδίας (kardias, “heart”), though it is clearly implied in the shorter (Alexandrian) reading (found in Ì46 B 6 33 1175 1739 1881 pc). The longer reading thus looks to be a clarifying gloss, as is frequently found in the Byzantine and Western traditions. The translation above also uses “your” because of English requirements, not because of textual basis.
[1:18] 57 tn The perfect participle πεφωτισμένους (pefwtismenou") may either be part of the prayer (“that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened”) or part of the basis of the prayer (“since the eyes of your heart have been enlightened”). Although the participle follows the ἵνα (Jina) of v. 17, it is awkward grammatically in the clause. Further, perfect adverbial participles are usually causal in NT Greek. Finally, the context both here and throughout Ephesians seems to emphasize the motif of light as a property belonging to believers. Thus, it seems that the author is saying, “I know that you are saved, that you have had the blinders of the devil removed; because of this, I can now pray that you will fully understand and see the light of God’s glorious revelation.” Hence, the translation takes the participle to form a part of the basis for the prayer.
[1:18] 58 tn Or “the hope to which he has called you.”
[1:18] 59 tn Grk “of the glory of his inheritance.” Here “inheritance” is taken as an attributed genitive and the head noun, “glory,” is thus translated as an adjective, “glorious inheritance.”
[2:17] 60 tn Or “who is victorious”; traditionally, “who overcomes.” The pendent dative is allowed to stand in the English translation because it is characteristic of the author’s style in Revelation.
[2:17] 61 tn Or “bright.” The Greek term λευκός (leukos) can refer either to the color white (traditional here) or to an object that is bright or shining, either from itself or from an outside source of illumination (L&N 14.50; 79.27).
[2:17] 62 tn On the interpretation of the stone, L&N 2.27 states, “A number of different suggestions have been made as to the reference of ψῆφος in this context. Some scholars believe that the white ψῆφος indicates a vote of acquittal in court. Others contend that it is simply a magical amulet; still others, a token of Roman hospitality; and finally, some have suggested that it may represent a ticket to the gladiatorial games, that is to say, to martyrdom. The context, however, suggests clearly that this is something to be prized and a type of reward for those who have ‘won the victory.’”
[2:17] 63 tn Or “know”; for the meaning “understand” see L&N 32.4.
