Isaiah 30:8

30:8 Now go, write it ¹  down on a tablet in their presence, ² 

inscribe it on a scroll,

so that it might be preserved for a future time

as an enduring witness. ³ 

Deuteronomy 31:21

31:21 Then when ⁴  many disasters and distresses overcome them ⁵  this song will testify against them, ⁶  for their ⁷  descendants will not forget it. ⁸  I know the ⁹  intentions they have in mind ¹⁰  today, even before I bring them ¹¹  to the land I have promised.”

Joshua 1:8

1:8 This law scroll must not leave your lips! ¹²  You must memorize it ¹³  day and night so you can carefully obey ¹⁴  all that is written in it. Then you will prosper ¹⁵  and be successful. ¹⁶ 

Proverbs 23:12

23:12 Apply ¹⁷  your heart to instruction

and your ears to the words of knowledge.

Daniel 10:21

10:21 However, I will first tell you what is written in a dependable book. ¹⁸  (There is no one who strengthens me against these princes, ¹⁹  except Michael your ²⁰  prince.

Amos 3:7

3:7 Certainly the sovereign Lord does nothing without first revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.

Malachi 3:16

3:16 Then those who respected ²¹  the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord took notice. ²²  A scroll ²³  was prepared before him in which were recorded the names of those who respected the Lord and honored his name.

John 5:39

5:39 You study the scriptures thoroughly ²⁴  because you think in them you possess eternal life, ²⁵  and it is these same scriptures ²⁶  that testify about me,

John 10:35

10:35 If those people to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’ (and the scripture cannot be broken), ²⁷ 

John 10:2

10:2 The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

John 1:19

The Testimony of John the Baptist

1:19 Now ²⁸  this was ²⁹  John’s ³⁰  testimony ³¹  when the Jewish leaders ³²  sent ³³  priests and Levites from Jerusalem ³⁴  to ask him, “Who are you?” ³⁵ 

Matthew 5:18

5:18 I ³⁶  tell you the truth, ³⁷  until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter ³⁸  will pass from the law until everything takes place.

Luke 21:33

21:33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. ³⁹ 

[30:8]  ¹ tn The referent of the third feminine singular pronominal suffix is uncertain. Perhaps it refers to the preceding message, which accuses the people of rejecting the Lord’s help in favor of an alliance with Egypt.

[30:8]  ² tn Heb “with them.” On the use of the preposition here, see BDB 86 s.v. II אֵת.

[30:8]  ³ sn Recording the message will enable the prophet to use it in the future as evidence that God warned his people of impending judgment and clearly spelled out the nation’s guilt. An official record of the message will also serve as proof of the prophet’s authority as God’s spokesman.

[31:21]  ⁴ tn Heb “Then it will come to pass that.”

[31:21]  ⁵ tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:21]  ⁶ tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “his.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “their.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:21]  ⁸ tn Heb “it will not be forgotten from the mouth of his seed.”

[31:21]  ⁹ tn Heb “his.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “their.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:21]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “which he is doing.”

[31:21]  ¹¹ tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[1:8]  ¹² tn Heb “mouth.”

[1:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “read it in undertones,” or “recite it quietly” (see HALOT 1:237).

[1:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “be careful to do.”

[1:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “you will make your way prosperous.”

[1:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and be wise,” but the word can mean “be successful” by metonymy.

[23:12]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “bring.” The Hiphil imperative “come; enter” means “to apply the heart,” to use the heart or mind in the process. The same would be true in the second half: “to bring the ears” would mean to listen very carefully. Cf. TEV “Pay attention.”

[10:21]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “a book of truth.” Several English versions treat this as a title of some sort (cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT), although the NAB’s rendering “the truthful book” regards “truth” as an attributive adjective, as does the present translation.

[10:21]  ¹⁹ tn The word “princes” is supplied for clarity.

[10:21]  ²⁰ tn The pronoun is plural in Hebrew, suggesting that Michael is the angelic prince of Daniel and his people.

[3:16]  ²¹ tn Or “fear” (so NAB); NRSV “revered”; NCV “honored.”

[3:16]  ²² tn Heb “heard and listened”; NAB “listened attentively.”

[3:16]  ²³ sn The scroll mentioned here is a “memory book” (סֵפֶר זִכָּרוֹן, sefer zikkaron) in which the Lord keeps an ongoing record of the names of all the redeemed (see Exod 32:32; Isa 4:3; Dan 12:1; Rev 20:12-15).

[5:39]  ²⁴ tn Or “Study the scriptures thoroughly” (an imperative). For the meaning of the verb see G. Delling, TDNT 2:655-57.

[5:39]  ²⁵ sn In them you possess eternal life. Note the following examples from the rabbinic tractate Pirqe Avot (“The Sayings of the Fathers”): Pirqe Avot 2:8, “He who has acquired the words of the law has acquired for himself the life of the world to come”; Pirqe Avot 6:7, “Great is the law for it gives to those who practice it life in this world and in the world to come.”

[5:39]  ²⁶ tn The words “same scriptures” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to clarify the referent (“these”).

[10:35]  ²⁷ sn The parenthetical note And the scripture cannot be broken belongs to Jesus’ words rather than the author’s. Not only does Jesus appeal to the OT to defend himself against the charge of blasphemy, but he also adds that the scripture cannot be “broken.” In this context he does not explain precisely what is meant by “broken,” but it is not too hard to determine. Jesus’ argument depended on the exact word used in the context of Ps 82:6. If any other word for “judge” had been used in the psalm, his argument would have been meaningless. Since the scriptures do use this word in Ps 82:6, the argument is binding, because they cannot be “broken” in the sense of being shown to be in error.

[1:19]  ²⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.

[1:19]  ²⁹ tn Grk “is.”

[1:19]  ³⁰ sn John’s refers to John the Baptist.

[1:19]  ³¹ tn Or “witness.”

[1:19]  ³² tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Iουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. Here the author refers to the authorities or leaders in Jerusalem. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.)

[1:19]  ³³ tc ‡ Several important witnesses have πρὸς αὐτόν (pro" auton, “to him”) either here (B C* 33 892^c al it) or after “Levites” (Ì^{66c vid} A Θ Ψ Ë¹³ 579 al lat), while the earliest mss as well as the majority of mss (Ì^66*,75 א C³ L W^s ˹ Ï) lack the phrase. On the one hand, πρὸς αὐτόν could be perceived as redundant since αὐτόν is used again later in the verse, thus prompting scribes to omit the phrase. On the other hand, both the variation in placement of πρὸς αὐτόν and the fact that this phrase rather than the latter αὐτόν is lacking in certain witnesses (cf. John 11:44; 14:7; 18:31), suggests that scribes felt that the sentence needed the phrase to make the sense clearer. Although a decision is difficult, the shorter reading is slightly preferred. NA²⁷ has πρὸς αὐτόν in brackets, indicating doubt as to the phrase’s authenticity.

[1:19]  ³⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:19]  ³⁵ sn “Who are you?” No uniform Jewish expectation of a single eschatological figure existed in the 1st century. A majority expected the Messiah. But some pseudepigraphic books describe God’s intervention without mentioning the anointed Davidic king; in parts of 1 Enoch, for example, the figure of the Son of Man, not the Messiah, embodies the expectations of the author. Essenes at Qumran seem to have expected three figures: a prophet, a priestly messiah, and a royal messiah. In baptizing, John the Baptist was performing an eschatological action. It also seems to have been part of his proclamation (John 1:23, 26-27). Crowds were beginning to follow him. He was operating in an area not too far from the Essene center on the Dead Sea. No wonder the authorities were curious about who he was.

[5:18]  ³⁶ tn Grk “For I tell.” Here an explanatory γάρ (gar) has not been translated.

[5:18]  ³⁷ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[5:18]  ³⁸ tn Grk “Not one iota or one serif.”

[21:33]  ³⁹ sn The words that Jesus predicts here will never pass away. They are more stable and lasting than creation itself. For this kind of image, see Isa 40:8; 55:10-11.