Discovery BoxGenesis 18:23-25
Context18:23 Abraham approached and said, “Will you sweep away the godly along with the wicked? 18:24 What if there are fifty godly people in the city? Will you really wipe it out and not spare 1 the place for the sake of the fifty godly people who are in it? 18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the godly with the wicked, treating the godly and the wicked alike! Far be it from you! Will not the judge 2 of the whole earth do what is right?” 3
Genesis 18:32
Context18:32 Finally Abraham 4 said, “May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”
Joshua 7:1-26
Context7:1 But the Israelites disobeyed the command about the city’s riches. 5 Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, 6 son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, stole some of the riches. 7 The Lord was furious with the Israelites. 8
7:2 Joshua sent men from Jericho 9 to Ai (which is located near Beth Aven, east of Bethel 10 ) and instructed them, “Go up and spy on the land.” So the men went up and spied on Ai. 7:3 They returned and reported to Joshua, 11 “Don’t send the whole army. 12 About two or three thousand men are adequate to defeat Ai. 13 Don’t tire out the whole army, for Ai is small.” 14
7:4 So about three thousand men went up, but they fled from the men of Ai. 7:5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them and chased them from in front of the city gate all the way to the fissures 15 and defeated them on the steep slope. 16 The people’s 17 courage melted away like water. 18
7:6 Joshua tore his clothes; 19 he and the leaders 20 of Israel lay face down on the ground before the ark of the Lord until evening 21 and threw dirt on their heads. 22 7:7 Joshua prayed, 23 “O, Master, Lord! Why did you bring these people across the Jordan to hand us over to the Amorites so they could destroy us? 7:8 If only we had been satisfied to live on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say now that Israel has retreated 24 before its enemies? 7:9 When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will turn against us and destroy the very memory of us 25 from the earth. What will you do to protect your great reputation?” 26
7:10 The Lord responded 27 to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying there face down? 28 7:11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenantal commandment! 29 They have taken some of the riches; 30 they have stolen them and deceitfully put them among their own possessions. 31 7:12 The Israelites are unable to stand before their enemies; they retreat because they have become subject to annihilation. 32 I will no longer be with you, 33 unless you destroy what has contaminated you. 34 7:13 Get up! Ritually consecrate the people and tell them this: ‘Ritually consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, because the Lord God of Israel says, “You are contaminated, 35 O Israel! You will not be able to stand before your enemies until you remove what is contaminating you.” 36 7:14 In the morning you must approach in tribal order. 37 The tribe the Lord selects 38 must approach by clans. The clan the Lord selects must approach by families. 39 The family the Lord selects must approach man by man. 40 7:15 The one caught with the riches 41 must be burned up 42 along with all who belong to him, because he violated the Lord’s covenant and did such a disgraceful thing in Israel.’”
7:16 Bright and early the next morning Joshua made Israel approach in tribal order 43 and the tribe of Judah was selected. 7:17 He then made the clans of Judah approach and the clan of the Zerahites was selected. He made the clan of the Zerahites approach and Zabdi 44 was selected. 45 7:18 He then made Zabdi’s 46 family approach man by man 47 and Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, was selected. 7:19 So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, honor 48 the Lord God of Israel and give him praise! Tell me what you did; don’t hide anything from me!” 7:20 Achan told Joshua, “It is true. I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel in this way: 49 7:21 I saw among the goods we seized a nice robe from Babylon, 50 two hundred silver pieces, 51 and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels. I wanted them, so I took them. They are hidden in the ground right in the middle of my tent with the silver underneath.”
7:22 Joshua sent messengers who ran to the tent. The things were hidden right in his tent, with the silver underneath. 52 7:23 They took it all from the middle of the tent, brought it to Joshua and all the Israelites, and placed 53 it before the Lord. 7:24 Then Joshua and all Israel took Achan, son of Zerah, along with the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons, daughters, ox, donkey, sheep, tent, and all that belonged to him and brought them up to the Valley of Disaster. 54 7:25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought disaster 55 on us? The Lord will bring disaster on you today!” All Israel stoned him to death. (They also stoned and burned the others.) 56 7:26 Then they erected over him a large pile of stones (it remains to this very day 57 ) and the Lord’s anger subsided. So that place is called the Valley of Disaster to this very day.
Joshua 7:2
Context7:2 Joshua sent men from Jericho 58 to Ai (which is located near Beth Aven, east of Bethel 59 ) and instructed them, “Go up and spy on the land.” So the men went up and spied on Ai.
Joshua 24:1
Context24:1 Joshua assembled all the Israelite tribes at Shechem. He summoned Israel’s elders, rulers, judges, and leaders, and they appeared before God.
Joshua 24:17
Context24:17 For the Lord our God took us and our fathers out of slavery 60 in the land of Egypt 61 and performed these awesome miracles 62 before our very eyes. He continually protected us as we traveled and when we passed through nations. 63
Romans 5:18
Context5:18 Consequently, 64 just as condemnation 65 for all people 66 came 67 through one transgression, 68 so too through the one righteous act 69 came righteousness leading to life 70 for all people.
Romans 5:1
Context5:1 71 Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have 72 peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Colossians 1:7
Context1:7 You learned the gospel 73 from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave 74 – a 75 faithful minister of Christ on our 76 behalf –
[18:24] 1 tn Heb “lift up,” perhaps in the sense of “bear with” (cf. NRSV “forgive”).
[18:25] 3 sn Will not the judge of the whole earth do what is right? For discussion of this text see J. L. Crenshaw, “Popular Questioning of the Justice of God in Ancient Israel,” ZAW 82 (1970): 380-95, and C. S. Rodd, “Shall Not the Judge of All the Earth Do What Is Just?” ExpTim 83 (1972): 137-39.
[18:32] 4 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:1] 5 tn Heb “But the sons of Israel were unfaithful with unfaithfulness concerning what was set apart [to the
[7:1] 6 tn 1 Chr 2:6 lists a “Zimri” (but no Zabdi) as one of the five sons of Zerah (cf. also 1 Chr 7:17, 18).
[7:1] 7 tn Heb “took from what was set apart [to the
[7:1] 8 tn Heb “the anger of the
[7:2] 9 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[7:2] 10 map For the location of Bethel see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[7:3] 11 tn Heb “and they returned to Joshua and said to him.”
[7:3] 12 tn Heb “Don’t let all the people go up.”
[7:3] 13 tn Heb “Let about two thousand men or about three thousand men go up to defeat Ai.”
[7:3] 14 tn Heb “all the people for they are small.”
[7:5] 15 tn The meaning and correct translation of the Hebrew word שְׁבָרִים (shÿvarim) is uncertain. The translation “fissures” is based on usage of the plural form of the noun in Ps 60:4 HT (60:2 ET), where it appears to refer to cracks in the earth caused by an earthquake. Perhaps deep ravines or gorges are in view, or the word is a proper noun (“all the way to Shebarim”).
[7:5] 16 sn The precise geographical location of the Israelite defeat at this “steep slope” is uncertain.
[7:5] 18 tn Heb “and the heart of the people melted and became water.”
[7:6] 19 sn Tearing one’s clothes was an outward expression of extreme sorrow (see Gen 37:34; 44:13).
[7:6] 21 tn Heb “and fell on his face to the ground before the ark of the
[7:6] 22 sn Throwing dirt on one’s head was an outward expression of extreme sorrow (see Lam 2:10; Ezek 27:30).
[7:8] 24 tn Heb “turned [the] back.”
[7:9] 25 tn Heb “and cut off our name.”
[7:9] 26 tn Heb “What will you do for your great name?”
[7:10] 28 tn Heb “Why are you falling on your face?”
[7:11] 29 tn Heb “They have violated my covenant which I commanded them.”
[7:11] 30 tn Heb “what was set apart [to the
[7:11] 31 tn Heb “and also they have stolen, and also they have lied, and also they have placed [them] among their items.”
[7:12] 32 tn Heb “they turn [the] back before their enemies because they are set apart [to destruction by the
[7:12] 33 tn The second person pronoun is plural in Hebrew, indicating these words are addressed to the entire nation.
[7:12] 34 tn Heb “what is set apart [to destruction by the
[7:13] 35 tn Heb “what is set apart [to destruction by the
[7:13] 36 tn Heb “remove what is set apart [i.e., to destruction by the
[7:14] 37 tn Heb “by your tribes.”
[7:14] 38 tn Heb “takes forcefully, seizes.”
[7:15] 41 tn Heb “with what was set apart [to the
[7:15] 42 tn Heb “burned with fire.”
[7:17] 44 tn See the note on “Zabdi” in 1 Chr 7:1.
[7:17] 45 tn Heb “and he selected Zabdi.” The
[7:18] 46 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Zabdi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:19] 48 tn Heb “give glory to.”
[7:20] 49 tn Heb “like this and like this I did.”
[7:21] 50 tn Heb “Shinar,” a reference to Babylon (cf. Gen 10:10; 11:2; 14:1). Many modern translations retain the Hebrew name “Shinar” (cf. NEB, NRSV) but some use the more familiar “Babylon” (cf. NIV, NLT).
[7:22] 52 tn Heb “Look, [it was] hidden in his tent, and the silver was beneath it.”
[7:23] 53 tn Heb “poured out,” probably referring to the way the silver pieces poured out of their container.
[7:24] 54 tn Or “Trouble” The name is “Achor” in Hebrew, which means “disaster” or “trouble” (also in v. 26).
[7:25] 55 tn Or “trouble.” The word is “achor” in Hebrew (also in the following clause).
[7:25] 56 tc Heb “and they burned them with fire and they stoned them with stones.” These words are somewhat parenthetical in nature and are omitted in the LXX; they may represent a later scribal addition.
[7:26] 57 tc Heb “to this day.” The phrase “to this day” is omitted in the LXX and may represent a later scribal addition.
[7:2] 58 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[7:2] 59 map For the location of Bethel see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[24:17] 60 tn Heb “of the house of slavery.”
[24:17] 61 tn Heb “for the
[24:17] 62 tn Or “great signs.”
[24:17] 63 tn Heb “and he guarded us in all the way in which we walked and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed.”
[5:18] 64 tn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.
[5:18] 65 tn Grk “[it is] unto condemnation for all people.”
[5:18] 66 tn Here ἀνθρώπους (anqrwpou") has been translated as a generic (“people”) since both men and women are clearly intended in this context.
[5:18] 67 tn There are no verbs in the Greek text of v. 18, forcing translators to supply phrases like “came through one transgression,” “resulted from one transgression,” etc.
[5:18] 68 sn One transgression refers to the sin of Adam in Gen 3:1-24.
[5:18] 69 sn The one righteous act refers to Jesus’ death on the cross.
[5:18] 70 tn Grk “righteousness of life.”
[5:1] 71 sn Many interpreters see Rom 5:1 as beginning the second major division of the letter.
[5:1] 72 tc A number of important witnesses have the subjunctive ἔχωμεν (ecwmen, “let us have”) instead of ἔχομεν (ecomen, “we have”) in v. 1. Included in the subjunctive’s support are א* A B* C D K L 33 81 630 1175 1739* pm lat bo. But the indicative is not without its supporters: א1 B2 F G P Ψ 0220vid 104 365 1241 1505 1506 1739c 1881 2464 pm. If the problem were to be solved on an external basis only, the subjunctive would be preferred. Because of this, the “A” rating on behalf of the indicative in the UBS4 appears overly confident. Nevertheless, the indicative is probably correct. First, the earliest witness to Rom 5:1 has the indicative (0220vid, third century). Second, the first set of correctors is sometimes, if not often, of equal importance with the original hand. Hence, א1 might be given equal value with א*. Third, there is a good cross-section of witnesses for the indicative: Alexandrian (in 0220vid, probably א1 1241 1506 1881 al), Western (in F G), and Byzantine (noted in NA27 as pm). Thus, although the external evidence is strongly in favor of the subjunctive, the indicative is represented well enough that its ancestry could easily go back to the original. Turning to the internal evidence, the indicative gains much ground. (1) The variant may have been produced via an error of hearing (since omicron and omega were pronounced alike in ancient Greek). This, of course, does not indicate which reading was original – just that an error of hearing may have produced one of them. In light of the indecisiveness of the transcriptional evidence, intrinsic evidence could play a much larger role. This is indeed the case here. (2) The indicative fits well with the overall argument of the book to this point. Up until now, Paul has been establishing the “indicatives of the faith.” There is only one imperative (used rhetorically) and only one hortatory subjunctive (and this in a quotation within a diatribe) up till this point, while from ch. 6 on there are sixty-one imperatives and seven hortatory subjunctives. Clearly, an exhortation would be out of place in ch. 5. (3) Paul presupposes that the audience has peace with God (via reconciliation) in 5:10. This seems to assume the indicative in v. 1. (4) As C. E. B. Cranfield notes, “it would surely be strange for Paul, in such a carefully argued writing as this, to exhort his readers to enjoy or to guard a peace which he has not yet explicitly shown to be possessed by them” (Romans [ICC], 1:257). (5) The notion that εἰρήνην ἔχωμεν (eirhnhn ecwmen) can even naturally mean “enjoy peace” is problematic (ExSyn 464), yet those who embrace the subjunctive have to give the verb some such force. Thus, although the external evidence is stronger in support of the subjunctive, the internal evidence points to the indicative. Although a decision is difficult, ἔχομεν appears to be the authentic reading.
[1:7] 73 tn Or “learned it.” The Greek text simply has “you learned” without the reference to “the gospel,” but “the gospel” is supplied to clarify the sense of the clause. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[1:7] 74 tn The Greek word translated “fellow slave” is σύνδουλος (sundoulo"); the σύν- prefix here denotes association. Though δοῦλος 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.
[1:7] 75 tn The Greek text has “who (ὅς, Jos) is a faithful minister.” The above translation conveys the antecedent of the relative pronoun quite well and avoids the redundancy with the following substantival participle of v. 8, namely, “who told” (ὁ δηλώσας, Jo dhlwsa").
[1:7] 76 tc ‡ Judging by the superior witnesses for the first person pronoun ἡμῶν (Jhmwn, “us”; Ì46 א* A B D* F G 326* 1505 al) vs. the second person pronoun ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “you”; found in א2 C D1 Ψ 075 33 1739 1881 Ï lat sy co), ἡμῶν should be regarded as original. Although it is possible that ἡμῶν was an early alteration of ὑμῶν (either unintentionally, as dittography, since it comes seventeen letters after the previous ἡμῶν; or intentionally, to conform to the surrounding first person pronouns), this supposition is difficult to maintain in light of the varied and valuable witnesses for this reading. Further, the second person is both embedded in the verb ἐμάθετε (emaqete) and is explicit in v. 8 (ὑμῶν). Hence, the motivation to change to the first person pronoun is counterbalanced by such evidence. The second person pronoun may have been introduced unintentionally via homoioarcton with the ὑπέρ (Juper) that immediately precedes it. As well, the second person reading is somewhat harder for it seems to address Epaphras’ role only in relation to Paul and his colleagues, rather than in relation to the Colossians. Nevertheless, the decision must be based ultimately on external evidence (because the internal evidence can be variously interpreted), and this strongly supports ἡμῶν.
