Hebrews 9:23-24

9:23 So it was necessary for the sketches ¹  of the things in heaven to be purified with these sacrifices, ²  but the heavenly things themselves required ³  better sacrifices than these. 9:24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands – the representation ⁴  of the true sanctuary ⁵  – but into heaven itself, and he appears now in God’s presence for us.

Acts 7:48

7:48 Yet the Most High ⁶  does not live in houses made by human hands, ⁷  as the prophet says,

Acts 17:24-25

17:24 The God who made the world and everything in it, ⁸  who is ⁹  Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by human hands, ¹⁰  17:25 nor is he served by human hands, as if he needed anything, ¹¹  because he himself gives life and breath and everything to everyone. ¹² 

Acts 17:2

17:2 Paul went to the Jews in the synagogue, ¹³  as he customarily did, and on three Sabbath days he addressed ¹⁴  them from the scriptures,

Colossians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ¹⁵  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Colossians 2:11

2:11 In him you also were circumcised – not, however, ¹⁶  with a circumcision performed by human hands, but by the removal ¹⁷  of the fleshly body, ¹⁸  that is, ¹⁹  through the circumcision done by Christ.

[9:23]  ¹ tn Or “prototypes,” “outlines,” referring to the earthly sanctuary. See Heb 8:5 above for the prior use of this term.

[9:23]  ² tn Grk “with these”; in the translation the referent (sacrifices) has been specified for clarity.

[9:23]  ³ tn Grk “the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.”

[9:24]  ⁴ tn Or “prefiguration.”

[9:24]  ⁵ tn The word “sanctuary” is not in the Greek text at this point, but has been supplied for clarity.

[7:48]  ⁶ sn The title the Most High points to God’s majesty (Heb 7:1; Luke 1:32, 35; Acts 16:7).

[7:48]  ⁷ sn The phrase made by human hands is negative in the NT: Mark 14:58; Acts 17:24; Eph 2:11; Heb 9:11, 24. It suggests “man-made” or “impermanent.” The rebuke is like parts of the Hebrew scripture where the rebuke is not of the temple, but for making too much of it (1 Kgs 8:27; Isa 57:15; 1 Chr 6:8; Jer 7:1-34).

[17:24]  ⁸ tn Grk “all the things that are in it.” The speech starts with God as Creator, like 14:15.

[17:24]  ⁹ tn Or “because he is.” The participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) could be either adjectival, modifying οὗτος (Joutos, “who is Lord…”) or adverbial of cause (“because he is Lord…”). Since the participle διδούς (didou") in v. 25 appears to be clearly causal in force, it is preferable to understand ὑπάρχων as adjectival in this context.

[17:24]  ¹⁰ sn On the statement does not live in temples made by human hands compare Acts 7:48. This has implications for idols as well. God cannot be represented by them or, as the following clause also suggests, served by human hands.

[17:25]  ¹¹ tn L&N 57.45 has “nor does he need anything more that people can supply by working for him.”

[17:25]  ¹² tn Grk “he himself gives to all [people] life and breath and all things.”

[17:2]  ¹³ tn Grk “he went in to them”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:2]  ¹⁴ tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 17:2. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.

[1:1]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[2:11]  ¹⁶ tn The terms “however” and “but” in this sentence were supplied in order to emphasize the contrast.

[2:11]  ¹⁷ tn The articular noun τῇ ἀπεκδύσει (th apekdusei) is a noun which ends in -σις (-sis) and therefore denotes action, i.e., “removal.” Since the head noun is a verbal noun, the following genitive τοῦ σώματος (tou swmatos) is understood as an objective genitive, receiving the action of the head noun.

[2:11]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “in the removal of the body of flesh.” The genitive τῆς σαρκός (th" sarko") has been translated as an attributive genitive, “fleshly body.”

[2:11]  ¹⁹ tn The second prepositional phrase beginning with ἐν τῇ περιτομῇ (en th peritomh) is parallel to the prepositional phrase ἐν τῇ ἀπεκδύσει (en th apekdusei) and gives a further explanation of it. The words “that is” were supplied to bring out this force in the translation.