Genesis 3:15
Context3:15 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 68:18
Contextyou have taken many captives. 8
You receive tribute 9 from 10 men,
including even sinful rebels.
Indeed the Lord God lives there! 11
Isaiah 49:24-25
Context49:24 Can spoils be taken from a warrior,
or captives be rescued from a conqueror? 12
49:25 Indeed,” says the Lord,
“captives will be taken from a warrior;
spoils will be rescued from a conqueror.
I will oppose your adversary
and I will rescue your children.
Isaiah 53:12
Context53:12 So I will assign him a portion with the multitudes, 13
he will divide the spoils of victory with the powerful, 14
because he willingly submitted 15 to death
and was numbered with the rebels,
when he lifted up the sin of many
and intervened 16 on behalf of the rebels.”
Matthew 12:29
Context12:29 How 17 else can someone enter a strong man’s 18 house and steal his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can thoroughly plunder the house. 19
Luke 10:18
Context10:18 So 20 he said to them, “I saw 21 Satan fall 22 like lightning 23 from heaven.
Luke 11:22
Context11:22 But 24 when a stronger man 25 attacks 26 and conquers him, he takes away the first man’s 27 armor on which the man relied 28 and divides up 29 his plunder. 30
John 12:31
Context12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world 31 will be driven out. 32
John 16:11
Context16:11 and concerning judgment, 33 because 34 the ruler of this world 35 has been condemned. 36
Ephesians 4:8
Context4:8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he captured 37 captives; he gave gifts to men.” 38
Hebrews 2:14
Context2:14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he likewise shared in 39 their humanity, 40 so that through death he could destroy 41 the one who holds the power of death (that is, the devil),
Revelation 12:9
Context12:9 So 42 that huge dragon – the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world – was thrown down to the earth, and his angels along with him.
Revelation 20:2-3
Context20:2 He 43 seized the dragon – the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan – and tied him up for a thousand years. 20:3 The angel 44 then 45 threw him into the abyss and locked 46 and sealed it so that he could not deceive the nations until the one thousand years were finished. (After these things he must be released for a brief period of time.)
Revelation 20:10
Context20:10 And the devil who deceived 47 them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, 48 where the beast and the false prophet are 49 too, and they will be tormented there day and night forever and ever.
[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
[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.
[68:18] 7 tn Heb “to the elevated place”; or “on high.” This probably refers to the Lord’s throne on Mount Zion.
[68:18] 8 tn Heb “you have taken captives captive.”
[68:18] 11 tn Heb “so that the
[49:24] 12 tc The Hebrew text has צָדִיק (tsadiq, “a righteous [one]”), but this makes no sense in the parallelism. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa reads correctly עריץ (“violent [one], tyrant”; see v. 25).
[53:12] 13 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] 14 sn The servant is compared here to a warrior who will be richly rewarded for his effort and success in battle.
[53:12] 15 tn Heb “because he laid bare his life”; traditionally, ASV “because he (+ hath KJV) poured out his soul (life NIV) unto death.”
[53:12] 16 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.
[12:29] 17 tn Grk “Or how can.”
[12:29] 18 sn The strong man here pictures Satan.
[12:29] 19 sn Some see the imagery here as similar to Eph 4:7-10, although no opponents are explicitly named in that passage. Jesus has the victory over Satan. Jesus’ acts of healing mean that the war is being won and the kingdom is coming.
[10:18] 20 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Jesus’ reply in vv. 18-20 follows from the positive report of the messengers in v. 17.
[10:18] 21 tn This is an imperfect tense verb.
[10:18] 22 tn In Greek, this is a participle and comes at the end of the verse, making it somewhat emphatic.
[10:18] 23 tn This is probably best taken as allusion to Isa 14:12; the phrase in common is ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ (ek tou ouranou). These exorcisms in Jesus’ name are a picture of Satan’s greater defeat at Jesus’ hands (D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 2:1006-7).
[11:22] 24 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[11:22] 25 tn The referent of the expression “a stronger man” is Jesus.
[11:22] 26 tn Grk “stronger man than he attacks.”
[11:22] 27 tn Grk “his”; the referent (the first man mentioned) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:22] 28 tn Grk “on which he relied.”
[11:22] 29 tn Or “and distributes.”
[11:22] 30 sn Some see the imagery here as similar to Eph 4:7-10, although no opponents are explicitly named in that passage. Jesus has the victory over Satan. Jesus’ acts of healing mean that the war is being won and the kingdom is coming.
[12:31] 31 sn The ruler of this world is a reference to Satan.
[12:31] 32 tn Or “will be thrown out.” This translation regards the future passive ἐκβληθήσεται (ekblhqhsetai) as referring to an event future to the time of speaking.
[16:11] 33 sn The world is proven wrong concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. Jesus’ righteousness before the Father, as proven by his return to the Father, his glorification, constitutes a judgment against Satan. This is parallel to the judgment of the world which Jesus provokes in 3:19-21: Jesus’ presence in the world as the Light of the world provokes the judgment of those in the world, because as they respond to the light (either coming to Jesus or rejecting him) so are they judged. That judgment is in a sense already realized. So it is here, where the judgment of Satan is already realized in Jesus’ glorification. This does not mean that Satan does not continue to be active in the world, and to exercise some power over it, just as in 3:19-21 the people in the world who have rejected Jesus and thus incurred judgment continue on in their opposition to Jesus for a time. In both cases the judgment is not immediately executed. But it is certain.
[16:11] 35 sn The ruler of this world is a reference to Satan.
[4:8] 37 tn Grk “he led captive captivity.”
[4:8] 38 sn A quotation which is perhaps ultimately derived from Ps 68:18. However, the wording here differs from that of Ps 68 in both the Hebrew text and the LXX in a few places, the most significant of which is reading “gave gifts to” in place of “received gifts from” as in HT and LXX. It has sometimes been suggested that the author of Ephesians modified the text he was citing in order to better support what he wanted to say here. Such modifications are sometimes found in rabbinic exegesis from this and later periods, but it is also possible that the author was simply citing a variant of Ps 68 known to him but which has not survived outside its quotation here (W. H. Harris, The Descent of Christ [AGJU 32], 104). Another possibility is that the words here, which strongly resemble Ps 68:19 HT and LXX (68:18 ET), are actually part of an early Christian hymn quoted by the author.
[2:14] 39 tn Or “partook of” (this is a different word than the one in v. 14a).
[2:14] 41 tn Or “break the power of,” “reduce to nothing.”
[12:9] 42 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the war in heaven.
[20:2] 43 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[20:3] 44 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel introduced in v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:3] 45 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[20:3] 46 tn Or “and shut.” While the lexical force of the term is closer to “shut,” it is acceptable to render the verb ἔκλεισεν (ekleisen) as “locked” here in view of the mention of the key in the previous verse.
[20:10] 48 tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”
[20:10] 49 tn The verb in this clause is elided. In keeping with the previous past tenses some translations supply a past tense verb here (“were”), but in view of the future tense that follows (“they will be tormented”), a present tense verb was used to provide a transition from the previous past tense to the future tense that follows.