Isaiah 11:10

Israel is Reclaimed and Reunited

11:10 At that time ¹  a root from Jesse ²  will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, ³  and his residence will be majestic.

Ruth 4:17

4:17 The neighbor women named him, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. ⁴  Now he became the father of Jesse – David’s father!

Ruth 4:1

Boaz Settles the Matter

4:1 Now Boaz went up ⁵  to the village gate and sat there. Then along came the guardian ⁶  whom Boaz had mentioned to Ruth! ⁷  Boaz said, “Come ⁸  here and sit down, ‘John Doe’!” ⁹  So he came ¹⁰  and sat down.

Ruth 1:1

A Family Tragedy: Famine and Death

1:1 During the time of the judges ¹¹  there was a famine in the land of Judah. ¹²  So a man from Bethlehem ¹³  in Judah went to live as a resident foreigner ¹⁴  in the region of Moab, along with his wife and two sons. ¹⁵ 

Matthew 1:6-16

1:6 and Jesse the father of David the king.

David was the father of Solomon (by the wife of Uriah ¹⁶ ), 1:7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, ¹⁷  1:8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah, 1:9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 1:10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, ¹⁸  Amon the father of Josiah, 1:11 and Josiah ¹⁹  the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

1:12 After ²⁰  the deportation to Babylon, Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, ²¹  Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 1:13 Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 1:14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, 1:15 Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 1:16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, by whom ²²  Jesus was born, who is called Christ. ²³ 

Luke 2:23-32

2:23 (just as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male ²⁴  will be set apart to the Lord” ²⁵ ), 2:24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is specified in the law of the Lord, a pair of doves ²⁶  or two young pigeons. ²⁷ 

The Prophecy of Simeon

2:25 Now ²⁸  there was a man in Jerusalem ²⁹  named Simeon who was righteous ³⁰  and devout, looking for the restoration ³¹  of Israel, and the Holy Spirit ³²  was upon him. 2:26 It ³³  had been revealed ³⁴  to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die ³⁵  before ³⁶  he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ³⁷  2:27 So ³⁸  Simeon, ³⁹  directed by the Spirit, ⁴⁰  came into the temple courts, ⁴¹  and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what was customary according to the law, ⁴²  2:28 Simeon ⁴³  took him in his arms and blessed God, saying, ⁴⁴ 

2:29 “Now, according to your word, ⁴⁵  Sovereign Lord, ⁴⁶  permit ⁴⁷  your servant ⁴⁸  to depart ⁴⁹  in peace.

2:30 For my eyes have seen your salvation ⁵⁰ 

2:31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples: ⁵¹ 

2:32 a light, ⁵² 

for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory ⁵³  to your people Israel.”

Acts 13:22-23

13:22 After removing him, God ⁵⁴  raised up ⁵⁵  David their king. He testified about him: ⁵⁶  ‘I have found David ⁵⁷  the son of Jesse to be a man after my heart, ⁵⁸  who will accomplish everything I want him to do.’ ⁵⁹  13:23 From the descendants ⁶⁰  of this man ⁶¹  God brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, just as he promised. ⁶² 

Romans 15:12

15:12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, and the one who rises to rule over the Gentiles, in him will the Gentiles hope.” ⁶³ 

[11:10]  ¹ tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[11:10]  ² sn See the note at v. 1.

[11:10]  ³ tn Heb “ a root from Jesse, which stands for a signal flag of the nations, of him nations will inquire” [or “seek”].

[4:17]  ⁴ tn The name “Obed” means “one who serves,” perhaps anticipating how he would help Naomi (see v. 15).

[4:1]  ⁵ tn The disjunctive clause structure (note the pattern vav [ו] + subject + verb) here signals the beginning of a new scene.

[4:1]  ⁶ tn Sometimes translated “redeemer.” See the note on the phrase “guardian of the family interests” in 3:9.

[4:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “look, the guardian was passing by of whom Boaz had spoken.”

[4:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “turn aside” (so KJV, NASB); NIV, TEV, NLT “Come over here.”

[4:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “a certain one”; KJV, ASV “such a one.” The expression פְלֹנִי אַלְמֹנִי (pÿloni ’almoni) is not the name of the nearest relative, but an idiom which literally means “such and such” or “a certain one” (BDB 811-12 s.v. פְלֹנִי), which is used when one wishes to be ambiguous (1 Sam 21:3; 2 Kgs 6:8). Certainly Boaz would have known his relative’s name, especially in such a small village, and would have uttered his actual name. However the narrator refuses to record his name in a form of poetic justice because he refused to preserve Mahlon’s “name” (lineage) by marrying his widow (see 4:5, 9-10). This close relative, who is a literary foil for Boaz, refuses to fulfill the role of family guardian. Because he does nothing memorable, he remains anonymous in a chapter otherwise filled with names. His anonymity contrasts sharply with Boaz’s prominence in the story and the fame he attains through the child born to Ruth. Because the actual name of this relative is not recorded, the translation of this expression is difficult since contemporary English style expects either a name or title. This is usually supplied in modern translations: “friend” (NASB, NIV, RSV, NRSV, NLT), “so-and-so” (JPS, NJPS). Perhaps “Mr. So-And-So!” or “Mr. No-Name!” makes the point. For discussion see Adele Berlin, Poetics and Interpretation of Biblical Narrative, 99-101; R. L. Hubbard, Jr., Ruth (NICOT), 233-35; F. W. Bush, Ruth, Esther (WBC), 196-97. In the present translation “John Doe” is used since it is a standard designation for someone who is a party to legal proceedings whose true name is unknown.

[4:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and he turned aside” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “And he went over.”

[1:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in the days of the judging of the judges.” The LXX simply reads “when the judges judged,” and Syriac has “in the days of the judges.” Cf. NASB “in the days when the judges governed (ruled NRSV).”

[1:1]  ¹² tn Heb “in the land.” The phrase “of Judah” is supplied in the translation to clarify the referent.

[1:1]  ¹³ sn The name Bethlehem (בֵּית לֶחֶם, bet lekhem) is from “house, place” (בֵּית) and “bread, food” (לֶחֶם), so the name literally means “House of Bread” or “Place of Food.” Perhaps there is irony here: One would not expect a severe famine in such a location. This would not necessarily indicate that Bethlehem was under divine discipline, but merely that the famine was very severe, explaining the reason for the family’s departure.

[1:1]  ¹⁴ tn Or “to live temporarily.” The verb גּוּר (gur, “sojourn”) may refer to (1) temporary dwelling in a location (Deut 18:6; Judg 17:7) or (2) permanent dwelling in a location (Judg 5:17; Ps 33:8). When used of a foreign land, it can refer to (1) temporary dwelling as a visiting foreigner (Gen 12:10; 20:1; 21:34; 2 Kgs 8:1-2; Jer 44:14) or (2) permanent dwelling as a resident foreigner (Gen 47:4; Exod 6:4; Num 15:14; Deut 26:5; 2 Sam 4:3; Jer 49:18,33; 50:40; Ezek 47:22-23). Although Naomi eventually returned to Judah, there is some ambiguity whether or not Elimelech intended the move to make them permanent resident foreigners. Cf. NASB “to sojourn” and NIV “to live for a while,” both of which imply the move was temporary, while “to live” (NCV, NRSV, NLT) is more neutral about the permanence of the relocation.

[1:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “he and his wife and his two sons.” The LXX omits “two.”

[1:6]  ¹⁶ sn By the wife of Uriah, i.e., Bathsheba (cf. 2 Sam 11:3).

[1:7]  ¹⁷ tc The reading ᾿Ασάφ (Asaf), a variant spelling on ᾿Ασά (Asa), is found in the earliest and most widespread witnesses (Ì^1vid א B C [D^luc] Ë^1,13 700 pc it co). Although Asaph was a psalmist and Asa was a king, it is doubtful that the author mistook one for the other since other ancient documents have variant spellings on the king’s name (such as “Asab,” “Asanos,” and “Asaph”). Thus the spelling ᾿Ασάφ that is almost surely found in the original of Matt 1:7-8 has been translated as “Asa” in keeping with the more common spelling of the king’s name.

[1:10]  ¹⁸ tc ᾿Αμώς (Amws) is the reading found in the earliest and best witnesses (א B C [D^luc] γ δ θ ˹ 33 pc it sa bo), and as such is most likely original, but this is a variant spelling of the name ᾿Αμών (Amwn). The translation uses the more well-known spelling “Amon” found in the Hebrew MT and the majority of LXX mss. See also the textual discussion of “Asa” versus “Asaph” (vv. 7-8); the situation is similar.

[1:11]  ¹⁹ sn Before the mention of Jeconiah, several medieval mss add Jehoiakim, in conformity with the genealogy in 1 Chr 3:15-16. But this alters the count of fourteen generations (v. 17). It is evident that the author is selective in his genealogy for a theological purpose.

[1:12]  ²⁰ tn Because of the difference between Greek style, which usually begins a sentence with a conjunction, and English style, which generally does not, the conjunction δέ (de) has not been translated here.

[1:12]  ²¹ sn The Greek text and the KJV read Salathiel. Most modern English translations use the OT form of the name (cf. Ezra 3:2).

[1:16]  ²² tc There are three significant variant readings at this point in the text. Some mss and versional witnesses (Θ Ë¹³ it) read, “Joseph, to whom the virgin Mary, being betrothed, bore Jesus, who is called Christ.” This reading makes even more explicit than the feminine pronoun (see sn below) the virginal conception of Jesus and as such seems to be a motivated reading. The Sinaitic Syriac ms alone indicates that Joseph was the father of Jesus (“Joseph, to whom was betrothed Mary the virgin, fathered Jesus who is called the Christ”). Although much discussed, this reading has not been found in any Greek witnesses. B. M. Metzger suggests that it was produced by a careless scribe who simply reproduced the set formula of the preceding lines in the genealogy (TCGNT 6). In all likelihood, the two competing variants were thus produced by intentional and unintentional scribal alterations respectively. The reading adopted in the translation has overwhelming support from a variety of witnesses (̹ א B C L W [˹] 33 Ï co), and therefore should be regarded as authentic. For a detailed discussion of this textual problem, see TCGNT 2-6.

[1:16]  ²³ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[2:23]  ²⁴ tn Grk “every male that opens the womb” (an idiom for the firstborn male).

[2:23]  ²⁵ sn An allusion to Exod 13:2, 12, 15.

[2:24]  ²⁶ sn The offering of a pair of doves or two young pigeons, instead of a lamb, speaks of the humble roots of Jesus’ family – they apparently could not afford the expense of a lamb.

[2:24]  ²⁷ sn A quotation from Lev 12:8; 5:11 (LXX).

[2:25]  ²⁸ tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[2:25]  ²⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:25]  ³⁰ tn Grk “This man was righteous.” The Greek text begins a new sentence here, but this was changed to a relative clause in the translation to avoid redundancy.

[2:25]  ³¹ tn Or “deliverance,” “consolation.”

[2:25]  ³² sn Once again, by mentioning the Holy Spirit, Luke stresses the prophetic enablement of a speaker. The Spirit has fallen on both men (Zechariah, 1:67) and women (Elizabeth, 1:41) in Luke 1–2 as they share the will of the Lord.

[2:26]  ³³ tn Grk “And it.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[2:26]  ³⁴ tn The use of the passive suggests a revelation by God, and in the OT the corresponding Hebrew term represented here by κεχρηματισμένον (kecrhmatismenon) indicated some form of direct revelation from God (Jer 25:30; 33:2; Job 40:8).

[2:26]  ³⁵ tn Grk “would not see death” (an idiom for dying).

[2:26]  ³⁶ tn On the grammar of this temporal clause, see BDF §§383.3; 395.

[2:26]  ³⁷ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[2:27]  ³⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the consequential nature of the action.

[2:27]  ³⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Simeon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:27]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “So in the Spirit” or “So by the Spirit,” but since it refers to the Spirit’s direction the expanded translation “directed by the Spirit” is used here.

[2:27]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “the temple.”

[2:27]  ⁴² tn Grk “to do for him according to the custom of the law.” See Luke 2:22-24.

[2:28]  ⁴³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Simeon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:28]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “and said.” The finite verb in Greek has been replaced with a participle in English to improve the smoothness of the translation.

[2:29]  ⁴⁵ sn The phrase according to your word again emphasizes that God will perform his promise.

[2:29]  ⁴⁶ tn The Greek word translated here by “Sovereign Lord” is δεσπότης (despoth").

[2:29]  ⁴⁷ sn This short prophetic declaration is sometimes called the Nunc dimittis, which comes from the opening phrase of the saying in Latin, “now dismiss,” a fairly literal translation of the Greek verb ἀπολύεις (apolueis, “now release”) in this verse.

[2:29]  ⁴⁸ tn Here the Greek word δοῦλος (doulos, “slave”) has been translated “servant” since it acts almost as an honorific term for one specially chosen and appointed to carry out the Lord’s tasks.

[2:29]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “now release your servant.”

[2:30]  ⁵⁰ sn To see Jesus, the Messiah, is to see God’s salvation.

[2:31]  ⁵¹ sn Is the phrase all peoples a reference to Israel alone, or to both Israel and the Gentiles? The following verse makes it clear that all peoples includes Gentiles, another key Lukan emphasis (Luke 24:47; Acts 10:34-43).

[2:32]  ⁵² tn The syntax of this verse is disputed. Most read “light” and “glory” in parallelism, so Jesus is a light for revelation to the Gentiles and is glory to the people for Israel. Others see “light” (1:78-79) as a summary, while “revelation” and “glory” are parallel, so Jesus is light for all, but is revelation for the Gentiles and glory for Israel. Both readings make good sense and either could be correct, but Luke 1:78-79 and Acts 26:22-23 slightly favor this second option.

[2:32]  ⁵³ sn In other words, Jesus is a special cause for praise and honor (“glory”) for the nation.

[13:22]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:22]  ⁵⁵ sn The expression raised up refers here to making someone king. There is a wordplay here: “raising up” refers to bringing someone onto the scene of history, but it echoes with the parallel to Jesus’ resurrection.

[13:22]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “about whom.” The relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the pronoun “him” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek. The verb εἶπεν (eipen) has not been translated (literally “he said testifying”) because it is redundant when combined with the participle μαρτυρήσας (marturhsa", “testifying”). Instead the construction of verb plus participle has been translated as a single English verb (“testified”).

[13:22]  ⁵⁷ sn A quotation from Ps 89:20.

[13:22]  ⁵⁸ sn A quotation from 1 Sam 13:14.

[13:22]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “who will perform all my will,” “who will carry out all my wishes.”

[13:23]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “From the offspring”; Grk “From the seed.”

[13:23]  ⁶¹ sn The phrase this man is in emphatic position in the Greek text.

[13:23]  ⁶² tn Grk “according to [his] promise.” The comparative clause “just as he promised” is less awkward in English.

[15:12]  ⁶³ sn A quotation from Isa 11:10.