Isaiah 25:1

25:1 O Lord, you are my God! ¹ 

I will exalt you in praise, I will extol your fame. ² 

For you have done extraordinary things,

and executed plans made long ago exactly as you decreed. ³ 

Hosea 2:20

2:20 I will commit myself to you in faithfulness;

then ⁴  you will acknowledge ⁵  the Lord.” ⁶ 

Hebrews 2:17

2:17 Therefore he had ⁷  to be made like his brothers and sisters ⁸  in every respect, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, to make atonement ⁹  for the sins of the people.

Hebrews 2:1

Warning Against Drifting Away

2:1 Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

Hebrews 1:9

1:9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness.

So God, your God, has anointed you over your companions ¹⁰  with the oil of rejoicing.” ¹¹ 

Revelation 3:14

To the Church in Laodicea

3:14 “To ¹²  the angel of the church in Laodicea write the following: ¹³ 

“This is the solemn pronouncement of ¹⁴  the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator ¹⁵  of God’s creation:

[25:1]  ¹ sn The prophet speaks here as one who has observed the coming judgment of the proud.

[25:1]  ² tn Heb “name.” See the note at 24:15.

[25:1]  ³ tn Heb “plans from long ago [in] faithfulness, trustworthiness.” The feminine noun אֱמוּנָה (’emunah, “faithfulness”) and masculine noun אֹמֶן (’omen, “trustworthiness”), both of which are derived from the root אָמַן (’aman), are juxtaposed to emphasize the basic idea conveyed by the synonyms. Here they describe the absolute reliability of the divine plans.

[2:20]  ⁴ tn The vav consecutive on the suffix conjugation verb וְיָדַעַתְּ (véyada’at, “then you will know”) introduces a result clause (cf. NASB, CEV).

[2:20]  ⁵ tn Or “know.” The term יָדַע (yada’, “know, acknowledge”) is often used in covenant contexts. It can refer to the suzerain’s acknowledgment of his covenant obligations to his vassal or to the vassal’s acknowledgment of his covenant obligations to his suzerain. When used in reference to a vassal, the verb “know” is metonymical (cause for effect) for “obey.” See H. Huffmann, “The Treaty Background of Hebrew ya„daà,” BASOR 181 (1966): 31-37.

[2:20]  ⁶ tc The MT reads יְהוָה (yÿhvah, “the Lord”); however, many Hebrew mss read כִּי אָנִי (ki ’ani, “that it is I”), as also reflected in the Latin Vulgate (cf. CEV “know who I am”).

[2:17]  ⁷ tn Or “he was obligated.”

[2:17]  ⁸ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.

[2:17]  ⁹ tn Or “propitiation.”

[1:9]  ¹⁰ sn God…has anointed you over your companions. God’s anointing gives the son a superior position and authority over his fellows.

[1:9]  ¹¹ sn A quotation from Ps 45:6-7.

[3:14]  ¹² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated due to differences between Greek and English style.

[3:14]  ¹³ tn The phrase “the following” after “write” is supplied to clarify that what follows is the content of what is to be written.

[3:14]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “These things says [the One]…” See the note on the phrase “this is the solemn pronouncement of” in 2:1.

[3:14]  ¹⁵ tn Or “the beginning of God’s creation”; or “the ruler of God’s creation.” From a linguistic standpoint all three meanings for ἀρχή (arch) are possible. The term is well attested in both LXX (Gen 40:13, 21; 41:13) and intertestamental Jewish literature (2 Macc 4:10, 50) as meaning “ruler, authority” (BDAG 138 s.v. 6). Some have connected this passage to Paul’s statements in Col 1:15, 18 which describe Christ as ἀρχή and πρωτότοκος (prwtotoko"; e.g., see R. H. Mounce, Revelation [NICNT], 124) but the term ἀρχή has been understood as either “beginning” or “ruler” in that passage as well. The most compelling connection is to be found in the prologue to John’s Gospel (1:2-4) where the λόγος (logos) is said to be “in the beginning (ἀρχή) with God,” a temporal reference connected with creation, and then v. 3 states that “all things were made through him.” The connection with the original creation suggests the meaning “originator” for ἀρχή here. BDAG 138 s.v. 3 gives the meaning “the first cause” for the word in Rev 3:14, a term that is too philosophical for the general reader, so the translation “originator” was used instead. BDAG also notes, “but the mng. beginning = ‘first created’ is linguistically probable (s. above 1b and Job 40:19; also CBurney, Christ as the ᾿Αρχή of Creation: JTS 27, 1926, 160-77).” Such a meaning is unlikely here, however, since the connections described above are much more probable.