Genesis 5:3

5:3 When ¹  Adam had lived 130 years he fathered a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and he named him Seth.

Genesis 6:5

6:5 But the Lord saw ²  that the wickedness of humankind had become great on the earth. Every inclination ³  of the thoughts ⁴  of their minds ⁵  was only evil ⁶  all the time. ⁷ 

Genesis 8:21

8:21 And the Lord smelled the soothing aroma ⁸  and said ⁹  to himself, ¹⁰  “I will never again curse ¹¹  the ground because of humankind, even though ¹²  the inclination of their minds ¹³  is evil from childhood on. ¹⁴  I will never again destroy everything that lives, as I have just done.

Job 14:4

14:4 Who can make ¹⁵  a clean thing come from an unclean? ¹⁶ 

No one!

Job 15:14-16

15:14 What is man that he should be pure,

or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?

15:15 If God places no trust in his holy ones, ¹⁷ 

if even the heavens ¹⁸  are not pure in his eyes,

15:16 how much less man, who is abominable and corrupt, ¹⁹ 

who drinks in evil like water! ²⁰ 

Job 25:4

25:4 How then can a human being be righteous before God?

How can one born of a woman be pure? ²¹ 

Psalms 51:5

51:5 Look, I was guilty of sin from birth,

a sinner the moment my mother conceived me. ²² 

Mark 7:21-22

7:21 For from within, out of the human heart, come evil ideas, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 7:22 adultery, greed, evil, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, and folly.

John 3:1-6

Conversation with Nicodemus

3:1 Now a certain man, a Pharisee ²³  named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council, ²⁴  3:2 came to Jesus ²⁵  at night ²⁶  and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs ²⁷  that you do unless God is with him.” 3:3 Jesus replied, ²⁸  “I tell you the solemn truth, ²⁹  unless a person is born from above, ³⁰  he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ³¹  3:4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time, can he?” ³² 

3:5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the solemn truth, ³³  unless a person is born of water and spirit, ³⁴  he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 3:6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, ³⁵  and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Romans 5:12-19

The Amplification of Justification

5:12 So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people ³⁶  because ³⁷  all sinned – 5:13 for before the law was given, ³⁸  sin was in the world, but there is no accounting for sin ³⁹  when there is no law. 5:14 Yet death reigned from Adam until Moses even over those who did not sin in the same way that Adam (who is a type ⁴⁰  of the coming one) transgressed. ⁴¹  5:15 But the gracious gift is not like the transgression. ⁴²  For if the many died through the transgression of the one man, ⁴³  how much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ multiply to the many! 5:16 And the gift is not like the one who sinned. ⁴⁴  For judgment, resulting from the one transgression, ⁴⁵  led to condemnation, but ⁴⁶  the gracious gift from the many failures ⁴⁷  led to justification. 5:17 For if, by the transgression of the one man, ⁴⁸  death reigned through the one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ!

5:18 Consequently, ⁴⁹  just as condemnation ⁵⁰  for all people ⁵¹  came ⁵²  through one transgression, ⁵³  so too through the one righteous act ⁵⁴  came righteousness leading to life ⁵⁵  for all people. 5:19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man ⁵⁶  many ⁵⁷  were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man ⁵⁸  many ⁵⁹  will be made righteous.

Romans 7:18

7:18 For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do the good, but I cannot do it. ⁶⁰ 

Galatians 2:15-16

Jews and Gentiles are Justified by Faith

2:15 We are Jews by birth ⁶¹  and not Gentile sinners, ⁶²  2:16 yet we know ⁶³  that no one ⁶⁴  is justified by the works of the law ⁶⁵  but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. ⁶⁶  And ⁶⁷  we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ ⁶⁸  and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one ⁶⁹  will be justified.

[5:3]  ¹ tn Heb “and Adam lived 130 years.” In the translation the verb is subordinated to the following verb, “and he fathered,” and rendered as a temporal clause.

[6:5]  ² sn The Hebrew verb translated “saw” (רָאָה, ra’ah), used here of God’s evaluation of humankind’s evil deeds, contrasts with God’s evaluation of creative work in Gen 1, when he observed that everything was good.

[6:5]  ³ tn The noun יֵצֶר (yetser) is related to the verb יָצָר (yatsar, “to form, to fashion [with a design]”). Here it refers to human plans or intentions (see Gen 8:21; 1 Chr 28:9; 29:18). People had taken their God-given capacities and used them to devise evil. The word יֵצֶר (yetser) became a significant theological term in Rabbinic literature for what might be called the sin nature – the evil inclination (see also R. E. Murphy, “Yeser in the Qumran Literature,” Bib 39 [1958]: 334-44).

[6:5]  ⁴ tn The related verb הָשָׁב (hashav) means “to think, to devise, to reckon.” The noun (here) refers to thoughts or considerations.

[6:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “his heart” (referring to collective “humankind”). The Hebrew term לֵב (lev, “heart”) frequently refers to the seat of one’s thoughts (see BDB 524 s.v. לֵב). In contemporary English this is typically referred to as the “mind.”

[6:5]  ⁶ sn Every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil. There is hardly a stronger statement of the wickedness of the human race than this. Here is the result of falling into the “knowledge of good and evil”: Evil becomes dominant, and the good is ruined by the evil.

[6:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “all the day.”

[8:21]  ⁸ tn The Lord “smelled” (וַיָּרַח, vayyarakh) a “soothing smell” (רֵיחַ הַנִּיהֹחַ, reakh hannihoakh). The object forms a cognate accusative with the verb. The language is anthropomorphic. The offering had a sweet aroma that pleased or soothed. The expression in Lev 1 signifies that God accepts the offering with pleasure, and in accepting the offering he accepts the worshiper.

[8:21]  ⁹ tn Heb “and the Lord said.”

[8:21]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “in his heart.”

[8:21]  ¹¹ tn Here the Hebrew word translated “curse” is קָלָל (qalal), used in the Piel verbal stem.

[8:21]  ¹² tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) can be used in a concessive sense (see BDB 473 s.v. כִּי), which makes good sense in this context. Its normal causal sense (“for”) does not fit the context here very well.

[8:21]  ¹³ tn Heb “the inclination of the heart of humankind.”

[8:21]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “from his youth.”

[14:4]  ¹⁵ tn The expression is מִי־יִתֵּן (mi-yitten, “who will give”; see GKC 477 §151.b). Some commentators (H. H. Rowley and A. B. Davidson) wish to take this as the optative formula: “O that a clean might come out of an unclean!” But that does not fit the verse very well, and still requires the addition of a verb. The exclamation here simply implies something impossible – man is unable to attain purity.

[14:4]  ¹⁶ sn The point being made is that the entire human race is contaminated by sin, and therefore cannot produce something pure. In this context, since man is born of woman, it is saying that the woman and the man who is brought forth from her are impure. See Ps 51:5; Isa 6:5; and Gen 6:5.

[15:15]  ¹⁷ tn Eliphaz here reiterates the point made in Job 4:18.

[15:15]  ¹⁸ sn The question here is whether the reference is to material “heavens” (as in Exod 24:10 and Job 25:5), or to heavenly beings. The latter seems preferable in this context.

[15:16]  ¹⁹ tn The two descriptions here used are “abominable,” meaning “disgusting” (a Niphal participle with the value of a Latin participle [see GKC 356-57 §116.e]), and “corrupt” (a Niphal participle which occurs only in Pss 14:3 and 53:4), always in a moral sense. On the significance of the first description, see P. Humbert, “Le substantif toáe„ba„ et le verbe táb dans l’Ancien Testament,” ZAW 72 [1960]: 217ff.). On the second word, G. R. Driver suggests from Arabic, “debauched with luxury, corrupt” (“Some Hebrew Words,” JTS 29 [1927/28]: 390-96).

[15:16]  ²⁰ sn Man commits evil with the same ease and facility as he drinks in water – freely and in large quantities.

[25:4]  ²¹ sn Bildad here does not come up with new expressions; rather, he simply uses what Eliphaz had said (see Job 4:17-19 and 15:14-16).

[51:5]  ²² tn Heb “Look, in wrongdoing I was brought forth, and in sin my mother conceived me.” The prefixed verbal form in the second line is probably a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive), stating a simple historical fact. The psalmist is not suggesting that he was conceived through an inappropriate sexual relationship (although the verse has sometimes been understood to mean that, or even that all sexual relationships are sinful). The psalmist’s point is that he has been a sinner from the very moment his personal existence began. By going back beyond the time of birth to the moment of conception, the psalmist makes his point more emphatically in the second line than in the first.

[3:1]  ²³ sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.

[3:1]  ²⁴ tn Grk “a ruler of the Jews” (denoting a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[3:2]  ²⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:2]  ²⁶ tn Or “during the night.”

[3:2]  ²⁷ sn The reference to signs (σημεῖα, shmeia) forms a link with John 2:23-25. Those people in Jerusalem believed in Jesus because of the signs he had performed. Nicodemus had apparently seen them too. But for Nicodemus all the signs meant is that Jesus was a great teacher sent from God. His approach to Jesus was well-intentioned but theologically inadequate; he had failed to grasp the messianic implications of the miraculous signs.

[3:3]  ²⁸ tn Grk “answered and said to him.”

[3:3]  ²⁹ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[3:3]  ³⁰ tn The word ἄνωθεν (anwqen) has a double meaning, either “again” (in which case it is synonymous with παλίν [palin]) or “from above” (BDAG 92 s.v. ἄνωθεν). This is a favorite technique of the author of the Fourth Gospel, and it is lost in almost all translations at this point. John uses the word 5 times, in 3:3, 7; 3:31; 19:11 and 23. In the latter 3 cases the context makes clear that it means “from above.” Here (3:3, 7) it could mean either, but the primary meaning intended by Jesus is “from above.” Nicodemus apparently understood it the other way, which explains his reply, “How can a man be born when he is old? He can’t enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?” The author uses the technique of the “misunderstood question” often to bring out a particularly important point: Jesus says something which is misunderstood by the disciples or (as here) someone else, which then gives Jesus the opportunity to explain more fully and in more detail what he really meant.

[3:3]  ³¹ sn What does Jesus’ statement about not being able to see the kingdom of God mean within the framework of John’s Gospel? John uses the word kingdom (βασιλεία, basileia) only 5 times (3:3, 5; 18:36 [3x]). Only here is it qualified with the phrase of God. The fact that John does not stress the concept of the kingdom of God does not mean it is absent from his theology, however. Remember the messianic implications found in John 2, both the wedding and miracle at Cana and the cleansing of the temple. For Nicodemus, the term must surely have brought to mind the messianic kingdom which Messiah was supposed to bring. But Nicodemus had missed precisely this point about who Jesus was. It was the Messiah himself with whom Nicodemus was speaking. Whatever Nicodemus understood, it is clear that the point is this: He misunderstood Jesus’ words. He over-literalized them, and thought Jesus was talking about repeated physical birth, when he was in fact referring to new spiritual birth.

[3:4]  ³² tn The grammatical structure of the question in Greek presupposes a negative reply.

[3:5]  ³³ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[3:5]  ³⁴ tn Or “born of water and wind” (the same Greek word, πνεύματος [pneumatos], may be translated either “spirit/Spirit” or “wind”).

[3:6]  ³⁵ sn What is born of the flesh is flesh, i.e., what is born of physical heritage is physical. (It is interesting to compare this terminology with that of the dialogue in John 4, especially 4:23, 24.) For John the “flesh” (σάρξ, sarx) emphasizes merely the weakness and mortality of the creature – a neutral term, not necessarily sinful as in Paul. This is confirmed by the reference in John 1:14 to the Logos becoming “flesh.” The author avoids associating sinfulness with the incarnate Christ.

[5:12]  ³⁶ tn Here ἀνθρώπους (anqrwpou") has been translated as a generic (“people”) since both men and women are clearly intended in this context.

[5:12]  ³⁷ tn The translation of the phrase ἐφ᾿ ᾧ (ef Jw) has been heavily debated. For a discussion of all the possibilities, see C. E. B. Cranfield, “On Some of the Problems in the Interpretation of Romans 5.12,” SJT 22 (1969): 324-41. Only a few of the major options can be mentioned here: (1) the phrase can be taken as a relative clause in which the pronoun refers to Adam, “death spread to all people in whom [Adam] all sinned.” (2) The phrase can be taken with consecutive (resultative) force, meaning “death spread to all people with the result that all sinned.” (3) Others take the phrase as causal in force: “death spread to all people because all sinned.”

[5:13]  ³⁸ tn Grk “for before the law.”

[5:13]  ³⁹ tn Or “sin is not reckoned.”

[5:14]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “pattern.”

[5:14]  ⁴¹ tn Or “disobeyed”; Grk “in the likeness of Adam’s transgression.”

[5:15]  ⁴² tn Grk “but not as the transgression, so also [is] the gracious gift.”

[5:15]  ⁴³ sn Here the one man refers to Adam (cf. 5:14).

[5:16]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “and not as through the one who sinned [is] the gift.”

[5:16]  ⁴⁵ tn The word “transgression” is not in the Greek text at this point, but has been supplied for clarity.

[5:16]  ⁴⁶ tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.

[5:16]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “falls, trespasses,” the same word used in vv. 15, 17, 18, 20.

[5:17]  ⁴⁸ sn Here the one man refers to Adam (cf. 5:14).

[5:18]  ⁴⁹ 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]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “[it is] unto condemnation for all people.”

[5:18]  ⁵¹ tn Here ἀνθρώπους (anqrwpou") has been translated as a generic (“people”) since both men and women are clearly intended in this context.

[5:18]  ⁵² 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]  ⁵³ sn One transgression refers to the sin of Adam in Gen 3:1-24.

[5:18]  ⁵⁴ sn The one righteous act refers to Jesus’ death on the cross.

[5:18]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “righteousness of life.”

[5:19]  ⁵⁶ sn Here the one man refers to Adam (cf. 5:14).

[5:19]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “the many.”

[5:19]  ⁵⁸ sn One man refers here to Jesus Christ.

[5:19]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “the many.”

[7:18]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “For to wish is present in/with me, but not to do it.”

[2:15]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “by nature.”

[2:15]  ⁶² tn Grk “and not sinners from among the Gentiles.”

[2:16]  ⁶³ tn Grk “yet knowing”; the participle εἰδότες (eidotes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[2:16]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “no man,” but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women.

[2:16]  ⁶⁵ sn The law is a reference to the law of Moses.

[2:16]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “faith in Jesus Christ.” A decision is difficult here. Though traditionally translated “faith in Jesus Christ,” an increasing number of NT scholars are arguing that πίστις Χριστοῦ (pisti" Cristou) and similar phrases in Paul (here and in v. 20; Rom 3:22, 26; Gal 3:22; Eph 3:12; Phil 3:9) involve a subjective genitive and mean “Christ’s faith” or “Christ’s faithfulness” (cf., e.g., G. Howard, “The ‘Faith of Christ’,” ExpTim 85 [1974]: 212-15; R. B. Hays, The Faith of Jesus Christ [SBLDS]; Morna D. Hooker, “Πίστις Χριστοῦ,” NTS 35 [1989]: 321-42). Noteworthy among the arguments for the subjective genitive view is that when πίστις takes a personal genitive it is almost never an objective genitive (cf. Matt 9:2, 22, 29; Mark 2:5; 5:34; 10:52; Luke 5:20; 7:50; 8:25, 48; 17:19; 18:42; 22:32; Rom 1:8; 12; 3:3; 4:5, 12, 16; 1 Cor 2:5; 15:14, 17; 2 Cor 10:15; Phil 2:17; Col 1:4; 2:5; 1 Thess 1:8; 3:2, 5, 10; 2 Thess 1:3; Titus 1:1; Phlm 6; 1 Pet 1:9, 21; 2 Pet 1:5). On the other hand, the objective genitive view has its adherents: A. Hultgren, “The Pistis Christou Formulations in Paul,” NovT 22 (1980): 248-63; J. D. G. Dunn, “Once More, ΠΙΣΤΙΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ,” SBL Seminar Papers, 1991, 730-44. Most commentaries on Romans and Galatians usually side with the objective view.

[2:16]  ⁶⁷ tn In Greek this is a continuation of the preceding sentence, but the construction is too long and complex for contemporary English style, so a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[2:16]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “by faith in Christ.” See comment above on “the faithfulness of Jesus Christ.”

[2:16]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “no human being”; Grk “flesh.”