Genesis 31:42

31:42 If the God of my father – the God of Abraham, the one whom Isaac fears ¹  – had not been with me, you would certainly have sent me away empty-handed! But God saw how I was oppressed and how hard I worked, ²  and he rebuked you last night.”

Genesis 49:25

49:25 because of the God of your father,

who will help you, ³ 

because of the sovereign God, ⁴ 

who will bless you ⁵ 

with blessings from the sky above,

blessings from the deep that lies below,

and blessings of the breasts and womb. ⁶ 

Matthew 10:42

10:42 And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple, I tell you the truth, ⁷  he will never lose his reward.”

Matthew 25:40

25:40 And the king will answer them, ⁸  ‘I tell you the truth, ⁹  just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters ¹⁰  of mine, you did it for me.’

Mark 10:41

10:41 Now ¹¹  when the other ten ¹²  heard this, ¹³  they became angry with James and John.

Galatians 6:10

6:10 So then, ¹⁴  whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith. ¹⁵ 

Galatians 6:16

6:16 And all who will behave ¹⁶  in accordance with this rule, peace and mercy be on them, and on the Israel of God. ¹⁷ 

Philemon 1:8-20

Paul’s Request for Onesimus

1:8 So, although I have quite a lot of confidence in Christ and could command you to do what is proper, 1:9 I would rather appeal ¹⁸  to you on the basis of love – I, Paul, an old man ¹⁹  and even now a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus ²⁰  – 1:10 I am appealing ²¹  to you concerning my child, whose spiritual father I have become ²²  during my imprisonment, ²³  that is, Onesimus, 1:11 who was formerly useless to you, but is now useful to you ²⁴  and me. 1:12 I have sent ²⁵  him (who is my very heart) ²⁶  back to you. 1:13 I wanted to keep him so that he could serve me in your place ²⁷  during ²⁸  my imprisonment for the sake of the gospel. ²⁹  1:14 However, ³⁰  without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your good deed would not be out of compulsion, but from your own willingness. 1:15 For perhaps it was for this reason that he was separated from you for a little while, so that you would have him back eternally, ³¹  1:16 no longer as a slave, ³²  but more than a slave, as a dear brother. He is especially so to me, and even more so to you now, both humanly speaking ³³  and in the Lord. 1:17 Therefore if you regard me as a partner, accept him as you would me. 1:18 Now if he has defrauded you of anything or owes you anything, charge what he owes ³⁴  to me. 1:19 I, Paul, have written ³⁵  this letter ³⁶  with my own hand: ³⁷  I will repay it. I could also mention that you owe ³⁸  me your very self. 1:20 Yes, brother, let me have some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. ³⁹ 

[31:42]  ¹ tn Heb “the fear of Isaac,” that is, the one whom Isaac feared and respected. For further discussion of this title see M. Malul, “More on pahad yitschaq (Gen. 31:42,53) and the Oath by the Thigh,” VT 35 (1985): 192-200.

[31:42]  ² tn Heb “My oppression and the work of my hands God saw.”

[49:25]  ³ tn Heb “and he will help you.”

[49:25]  ⁴ tn Heb “Shaddai.” See the note on the title “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1. The preposition אֵת (’et) in the Hebrew text should probably be emended to אֵל (’el, “God”).

[49:25]  ⁵ tn Heb “and he will bless you.”

[49:25]  ⁶ sn Jacob envisions God imparting both agricultural (blessings from the sky above, blessings from the deep that lies below) and human fertility (blessings of the breasts and womb) to Joseph and his family.

[10:42]  ⁷ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[25:40]  ⁸ tn Grk “answering, the king will say to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.

[25:40]  ⁹ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[25:40]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). In this context Jesus is ultimately speaking of his “followers” (whether men or women, adults or children), but the familial connotation of “brothers and sisters” is also important to retain here.

[10:41]  ¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[10:41]  ¹² tn Grk “the ten.”

[10:41]  ¹³ tn The word “this” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[6:10]  ¹⁴ tn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what Paul has been arguing.

[6:10]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “to those who are members of the family of [the] faith.”

[6:16]  ¹⁶ tn The same Greek verb, στοιχέω (stoicew), occurs in Gal 5:25.

[6:16]  ¹⁷ tn The word “and” (καί) can be interpreted in two ways: (1) It could be rendered as “also” which would indicate that two distinct groups are in view, namely “all who will behave in accordance with this rule” and “the Israel of God.” Or (2) it could be rendered “even,” which would indicate that “all who behave in accordance with this rule” are “the Israel of God.” In other words, in this latter view, “even” = “that is.”

[1:9]  ¹⁸ tn Or “encourage.”

[1:9]  ¹⁹ tn Or perhaps “an ambassador” (so RSV, TEV), reading πρεσβευτής for πρεσβύτης (a conjecture proposed by Bentley, cf. BDAG 863 s.v. πρεσβύτης). NRSV reads “old man” and places “ambassador” in a note.

[1:9]  ²⁰ tn Grk “a prisoner of Christ Jesus.”

[1:10]  ²¹ tn Or “I am encouraging…”

[1:10]  ²² tn Grk “my child whom I have begotten.” The adjective “spiritual” has been supplied before “father” in the translation to clarify for the modern reader that Paul did not literally father a child during his imprisonment. Paul’s point is that he was instrumental in Onesimus’ conversion while in prison.

[1:10]  ²³ sn During my imprisonment. Apparently Onesimus became a believer under Paul’s shepherding while he [Paul] was a prisoner in Rome.

[1:11]  ²⁴ tc ‡ A correlative καί (kai, “both you”) is found in a few witnesses (א*^,c F G 33 104 pc), perhaps either to underscore the value of Onesimus or in imitation of the νυνὶ δὲ καί (nuni de kai) in v. 9. The lack of καί is read by most witnesses, including א² A C D 0278 1739 1881 Ï it. Although a decision is difficult, the shorter reading has a slight edge in both internal and external evidence. NA²⁷ places the καί in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.

[1:12]  ²⁵ tc There are several variants at this point in the text, most of them involving the addition of προσλαβοῦ (proslabou, “receive, accept”) at various locations in the verse. But all such variants seem to be motivated by the harsh syntax of the verse without this verb. Without the verb, the meaning is that Onesimus is Paul’s “very heart,” though this is an awkward expression especially because of τουτ᾿ ἔστιν (tout’ estin, “this is, who is”) in the middle cluttering the construction. Nowhere else in the NT is σπλάγχνα (splancna, here translated “heart”) used in apposition to people. It is thus natural that scribes would want to fill out the text here, and they did so apparently with a verb that was ready at hand (borrowed from v. 17). With the verb the sentence is converted into an object-complement construction: “I have sent him back to you; accept him, that is, as my very heart.” But both the fact that some important witnesses (א* A F G 33 pc) lack the verb, and that its location floats in the various constructions that have it, suggest that the original text did not have προσλαβοῦ.

[1:12]  ²⁶ tn That is, “who means a great deal to me”; Grk “whom I have sent to you, him, this one is my heart.”

[1:13]  ²⁷ tn This is one of the clearest texts in the NT in which ὑπέρ is used for substitution. Cf. ExSyn 387.

[1:13]  ²⁸ tn Grk “in my imprisonment.” Paul seems to expect release from his imprisonment after some time (cf. v. 22), but in the meantime the assistance that Onesimus could provide would be valuable to the apostle.

[1:13]  ²⁹ tn Grk “in the chains of the gospel.” On the translation “imprisonment for the sake of the gospel,” cf. BDAG 219 s.v. δεσμός 1.a where it says: “Oft. simply in ref. to the locale where bonds or fetters are worn imprisonment, prison (Diod. S. 14, 103, 3; Lucian, Tox. 29; Jos., Ant. 13, 294; 302, Vi. 241; Just., A I, 67, 6 al.) Phil 1:7, 13f, 17; Col 4:18; Phlm 10. μέχρι δεσμῶν 2 Ti 2:9. ἐν τοῖς δ. τοῦ εὐαγγελίου in imprisonment for the gospel Phlm 13; cf. ISm 11:1; Pol 1:1.”

[1:14]  ³⁰ tn Though the Greek text does not read the term “however,” it is clearly implied and thus supplied in the English translation to accent the contrastive nature of Paul’s statement.

[1:15]  ³¹ sn So that you would have him back eternally. The notion here is not that Onesimus was to be the slave of Philemon eternally, but that their new relationship as brothers in Christ would transcend the societal structures of this age. The occasion of Onesimus’ flight to Rome would ultimately be a catalyst in the formation of a new and stronger bond between these two men.

[1:16]  ³² tn Although the Greek word δοῦλος (doulos) is sometimes translated “servant” here (so KJV), the word “slave” is a much more candid and realistic picture of the relationship between Philemon and Onesimus. In the Greco-Roman world of the 1st century the slave was considered a “living tool” of the master. The slave was “property” in every sense of the word. This understanding heightens the tense scenario that is in view here. It is likely that Onesimus may have even feared for his life upon returning to Colossae. Undoubtedly Paul has asked this runaway slave to return to what could amount to a potentially severe and life-endangering situation.

[1:16]  ³³ tn Grk “in the flesh.”

[1:18]  ³⁴ tn Grk “charge it to me.”

[1:19]  ³⁵ tn Grk “I wrote” Here ἔγραψα (egraya) is functioning as an epistolary aorist. Paul puts it in the past tense because from Philemon’s perspective when he reads the letter it will, of course, already have been written.

[1:19]  ³⁶ tn The phrase “this letter” does not appear in the Greek text, but is supplied in the English translation to clarify the meaning.

[1:19]  ³⁷ sn With my own hand. Paul may have considered this letter so delicate that he wrote the letter himself as opposed to using an amanuensis or secretary.

[1:19]  ³⁸ sn The statement you owe me your very self means that Paul was responsible for some sort of blessing in the life of Philemon; though a monetary idea may be in mind, it is perhaps better to understand Paul as referring to the spiritual truth (i.e., the gospel) he had taught Philemon.

[1:20]  ³⁹ sn Refresh my heart in Christ. Paul desired that Philemon refresh his heart in the same way that he [Philemon] had refreshed the hearts of other believers (cf. Phlm 7), that is, by forgiving and accepting Onesimus. In this way the presence and character of Jesus Christ would be vividly seen in Philemon’s attitude toward his runaway slave.