Hebrews 10:26-29

10:26 For if we deliberately keep on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins is left for us, ¹  10:27 but only a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fury ²  of fire that will consume God’s enemies. ³  10:28 Someone who rejected the law of Moses was put to death ⁴  without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ⁵  10:29 How much greater punishment do you think that person deserves who has contempt for ⁶  the Son of God, and profanes ⁷  the blood of the covenant that made him holy, ⁸  and insults the Spirit of grace?

Hebrews 12:15-17

12:15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God, that no one be like a bitter root springing up ⁹  and causing trouble, and through him many become defiled. 12:16 And see to it that no one becomes ¹⁰  an immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. ¹¹  12:17 For you know that ¹²  later when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no opportunity for repentance, although he sought the blessing ¹³  with tears.

Matthew 5:13

Salt and Light

5:13 “You are the salt ¹⁴  of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, ¹⁵  how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by people.

Matthew 12:31-32

12:31 For this reason I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, ¹⁶  but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 12:32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven. ¹⁷  But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, ¹⁸  either in this age or in the age to come.

Matthew 12:45

12:45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so ¹⁹  the last state of that person is worse than the first. It will be that way for this evil generation as well!”

Luke 11:24-26

Response to Jesus’ Work

11:24 “When an unclean spirit ²⁰  goes out of a person, ²¹  it passes through waterless places ²²  looking for rest but ²³  not finding any. Then ²⁴  it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’ ²⁵  11:25 When it returns, ²⁶  it finds the house ²⁷  swept clean and put in order. ²⁸  11:26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so ²⁹  the last state of that person ³⁰  is worse than the first.” ³¹ 

John 15:6

15:6 If anyone does not remain ³²  in me, he is thrown out like a branch, and dries up; and such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, ³³  and are burned up. ³⁴ 

John 15:2

15:2 He takes away ³⁵  every branch that does not bear ³⁶  fruit in me. He ³⁷  prunes ³⁸  every branch that bears ³⁹  fruit so that it will bear more fruit.

John 2:25

2:25 He did not need anyone to testify about man, ⁴⁰  for he knew what was in man. ⁴¹ 

John 4:14

4:14 But whoever drinks some of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again, ⁴²  but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain ⁴³  of water springing up ⁴⁴  to eternal life.”

John 4:2

4:2 (although Jesus himself was not baptizing, but his disciples were), ⁴⁵ 

John 2:20-22

2:20 Then the Jewish leaders ⁴⁶  said to him, “This temple has been under construction ⁴⁷  for forty-six years, ⁴⁸  and are you going to raise it up in three days?” 2:21 But Jesus ⁴⁹  was speaking about the temple of his body. ⁵⁰  2:22 So after he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture ⁵¹  and the saying ⁵²  that Jesus had spoken.

John 2:1

Turning Water into Wine

2:1 Now on the third day there was a wedding at Cana ⁵³  in Galilee. ⁵⁴  Jesus’ mother ⁵⁵  was there,

John 5:16

Responding to Jewish Leaders

5:16 Now because Jesus was doing these things ⁵⁶  on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders ⁵⁷  began persecuting ⁵⁸  him.

[10:26]  ¹ tn Grk “is left,” with “for us” implied by the first half of the verse.

[10:27]  ² tn Grk “zeal,” recalling God’s jealous protection of his holiness and honor (cf. Exod 20:5).

[10:27]  ³ tn Grk “the enemies.”

[10:28]  ⁴ tn Grk “dies.”

[10:28]  ⁵ sn An allusion to Deut 17:6.

[10:29]  ⁶ tn Grk “tramples under foot.”

[10:29]  ⁷ tn Grk “regarded as common.”

[10:29]  ⁸ tn Grk “by which he was made holy.”

[12:15]  ⁹ tn Grk “that there not be any root of bitterness,” but referring figuratively to a person who causes trouble (as in Deut 29:17 [LXX] from which this is quoted).

[12:16]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “that there not be any,” continuing from v. 15.

[12:16]  ¹¹ sn An allusion to Gen 27:34-41.

[12:17]  ¹² tn Or a command: “for understand that.”

[12:17]  ¹³ tn Grk “it,” referring either to the repentance or the blessing. But the account in Gen 27:34-41 (which the author appeals to here) makes it clear that the blessing is what Esau sought. Thus in the translation the referent (the blessing) is specified for clarity.

[5:13]  ¹⁴ sn Salt was used as seasoning or fertilizer (BDAG 41 s.v. ἅλας a), or as a preservative. If salt ceased to be useful, it was thrown away. With this illustration Jesus warned about a disciple who ceased to follow him.

[5:13]  ¹⁵ sn The difficulty of this saying is understanding how salt could lose its flavor since its chemical properties cannot change. It is thus often assumed that Jesus was referring to chemically impure salt, perhaps a natural salt which, when exposed to the elements, had all the genuine salt leached out, leaving only the sediment or impurities behind. Others have suggested that the background of the saying is the use of salt blocks by Arab bakers to line the floor of their ovens; under the intense heat these blocks would eventually crystallize and undergo a change in chemical composition, finally being thrown out as unserviceable. A saying in the Talmud (b. Bekhorot 8b) attributed to R. Joshua ben Chananja (ca. a.d. 90), when asked the question “When salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again?” is said to have replied, “By salting it with the afterbirth of a mule.” He was then asked, “Then does the mule (being sterile) bear young?” to which he replied: “Can salt lose its flavor?” The point appears to be that both are impossible. The saying, while admittedly late, suggests that culturally the loss of flavor by salt was regarded as an impossibility. Genuine salt can never lose its flavor. In this case the saying by Jesus here may be similar to Matt 19:24, where it is likewise impossible for the camel to go through the eye of a sewing needle.

[12:31]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men.”

[12:32]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “it will be forgiven him.”

[12:32]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “it will not be forgiven him.”

[12:45]  ¹⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding point of the story.

[11:24]  ²⁰ sn This is a reference to an evil spirit. See Luke 4:33.

[11:24]  ²¹ tn Grk “man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.

[11:24]  ²² sn The background for the reference to waterless places is not entirely clear, though some Jewish texts suggest spirits must have a place to dwell, but not with water (Luke 8:29-31; Tob 8:3). Some suggest that the image of the desert or deserted cities as the places demons dwell is where this idea started (Isa 13:21; 34:14).

[11:24]  ²³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[11:24]  ²⁴ tc ‡ Most mss, including a few early and important ones (Ì⁴⁵ א* A C D W Ψ Ë^1,13 Ï lat), lack τότε (tote, “then”). Other mss, including some early and important ones (Ì⁷⁵ א² B L Θ Ξ 070 33 579 892 1241 pc co), have the adverb. Although the external evidence better supports the longer reading, the internal evidence is on the side of the shorter, for conjunctions and adverbs were frequently added by copyists to remove asyndeton and to add clarification. The shorter reading is thus preferred. The translation, however, adds “Then” because of English stylistic requirements. NA²⁷ has τότε in brackets indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[11:24]  ²⁵ tn Grk “I will return to my house from which I came.”

[11:25]  ²⁶ tn Grk “comes.”

[11:25]  ²⁷ tn The words “the house” are not in Greek but are implied.

[11:25]  ²⁸ sn The image of the house swept clean and put in order refers to the life of the person from whom the demon departed. The key to the example appears to be that no one else has been invited in to dwell. If an exorcism occurs and there is no response to God, then the way is free for the demon to return. Some see the reference to exorcism as more symbolic; thus the story’s only point is about responding to Jesus. This is possible and certainly is an application of the passage.

[11:26]  ²⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding point of the story.

[11:26]  ³⁰ tn Grk “man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.

[11:26]  ³¹ sn The point of the story is that to fail to respond is to risk a worse fate than when one started.

[15:6]  ³² tn Or “reside.”

[15:6]  ³³ sn Such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire. The author does not tell who it is who does the gathering and throwing into the fire. Although some claim that realized eschatology is so prevalent in the Fourth Gospel that no references to final eschatology appear at all, the fate of these branches seems to point to the opposite. The imagery is almost certainly that of eschatological judgment, and recalls some of the OT vine imagery which involves divine rejection and judgment of disobedient Israel (Ezek 15:4-6, 19:12).

[15:6]  ³⁴ tn Grk “they gather them up and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”

[15:2]  ³⁵ tn Or “He cuts off.”

[15:2]  ³⁶ tn Or “does not yield.”

[15:2]  ³⁷ tn Grk “And he”; the conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has been omitted in the translation in keeping with the tendency in contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[15:2]  ³⁸ tn Or “trims”; Grk “cleanses” (a wordplay with “clean” in v. 3). Καθαίρει (kaqairei) is not the word one would have expected here, but it provides the transition from the vine imagery to the disciples – there is a wordplay (not reproducible in English) between αἴρει (airei) and καθαίρει in this verse. While the purpose of the Father in cleansing his people is clear, the precise means by which he does so is not immediately obvious. This will become clearer, however, in the following verse.

[15:2]  ³⁹ tn Or “that yields.”

[2:25]  ⁴⁰ tn The masculine form has been retained here in the translation to maintain the connection with “a man of the Pharisees” in 3:1, with the understanding that the reference is to people of both genders.

[2:25]  ⁴¹ tn See previous note on “man” in this verse.

[4:14]  ⁴² tn Grk “will never be thirsty forever.” The possibility of a later thirst is emphatically denied.

[4:14]  ⁴³ tn Or “well.” “Fountain” is used as the translation for πηγή (phgh) here since the idea is that of an artesian well that flows freely, but the term “artesian well” is not common in contemporary English.

[4:14]  ⁴⁴ tn The verb ἁλλομένου (Jallomenou) is used of quick movement (like jumping) on the part of living beings. This is the only instance of its being applied to the action of water. However, in the LXX it is used to describe the “Spirit of God” as it falls on Samson and Saul. See Judg 14:6, 19; 15:14; 1 Kgdms 10:2, 10 LXX (= 1 Sam 10:6, 10 ET); and Isa 35:6 (note context).

[4:2]  ⁴⁵ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[2:20]  ⁴⁶ tn See the note on this phrase in v. 18.

[2:20]  ⁴⁷ tn A close parallel to the aorist οἰκοδομήθη (oikodomhqh) can be found in Ezra 5:16 (LXX), where it is clear from the following verb that the construction had not yet been completed. Thus the phrase has been translated “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years.” Some, however, see the term ναός (naos) here as referring only to the sanctuary and the aorist verb as consummative, so that the meaning would be “this temple was built forty-six years ago” (so ExSyn 560-61). Ultimately in context the logic of the authorities’ reply appears to fit more naturally if it compares length of time for original construction with length of time to reconstruct it.

[2:20]  ⁴⁸ sn According to Josephus (Ant. 15.11.1 [15.380]), work on this temple was begun in the 18th year of Herod the Great’s reign, which would have been ca. 19 b.c. (The reference in the Ant. is probably more accurate than the date given in J. W. 1.21.1 [1.401]). Forty-six years later would be around the Passover of a.d. 27/28.

[2:21]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “that one”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. This Greek term is frequently used as a way of referring to Jesus in the Johannine letters (cf. 1 John 2:6; 3:3, 5, 7, 16; 4:17).

[2:21]  ⁵⁰ tn The genitive “of his body” (τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ, tou swmato" autou) is a genitive of apposition, clarifying which temple Jesus was referring to. Thus, Jesus not only was referring to his physical resurrection, but also to his participation in the resurrection process. The New Testament thus records the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as all performing the miracle of Christ's resurrection.

[2:22]  ⁵¹ sn They believed the scripture is probably an anaphoric reference to Ps 69:9 (69:10 LXX), quoted in John 2:17 above. Presumably the disciples did not remember Ps 69:9 on the spot, but it was a later insight.

[2:22]  ⁵² tn Or “statement”; Grk “word.”

[2:1]  ⁵³ map For location see Map1 C3; Map2 D2; Map3 C5.

[2:1]  ⁵⁴ sn Cana in Galilee was not a very well-known place. It is mentioned only here, in 4:46, and 21:2, and nowhere else in the NT. Josephus (Life 16 [86]) says he once had his quarters there. The probable location is present day Khirbet Cana, 8 mi (14 km) north of Nazareth, or Khirbet Kenna, 4 mi (7 km) northeast of Nazareth.

[2:1]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “in Galilee, and Jesus’ mother.”

[5:16]  ⁵⁶ sn Note the plural phrase these things which seems to indicate that Jesus healed on the Sabbath more than once (cf. John 20:30). The synoptic gospels show this to be true; the incident in 5:1-15 has thus been chosen by the author as representative.

[5:16]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” See the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 10.

[5:16]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “harassing.”