Isaiah 51:2
Context51:2 Look at Abraham, your father,
and Sarah, who gave you birth. 1
When I summoned him, he was a lone individual, 2
but I blessed him 3 and gave him numerous descendants. 4
Matthew 3:9
Context3:9 and don’t think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones!
Luke 3:8
Context3:8 Therefore produce 5 fruit 6 that proves your repentance, and don’t begin to say 7 to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ 8 For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! 9
Luke 16:24-25
Context16:24 So 10 he called out, 11 ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus 12 to dip the tip of his finger 13 in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish 14 in this fire.’ 15 16:25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, 16 remember that in your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus likewise bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish. 17
Luke 16:29-31
Context16:29 But Abraham said, 18 ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they must respond to 19 them.’ 16:30 Then 20 the rich man 21 said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead 22 goes to them, they will repent.’ 16:31 He 23 replied to him, ‘If they do not respond to 24 Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” 25
John 8:33
Context8:33 “We are descendants 26 of Abraham,” they replied, 27 “and have never been anyone’s slaves! How can you say, 28 ‘You will become free’?”
John 8:37-41
Context8:37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. 29 But you want 30 to kill me, because my teaching 31 makes no progress among you. 32 8:38 I am telling you the things I have seen while with the 33 Father; 34 as for you, 35 practice the things you have heard from the 36 Father!”
8:39 They answered him, 37 “Abraham is our father!” 38 Jesus replied, 39 “If you are 40 Abraham’s children, you would be doing 41 the deeds of Abraham. 8:40 But now you are trying 42 to kill me, a man who has told you 43 the truth I heard from God. Abraham did not do this! 44 8:41 You people 45 are doing the deeds of your father.”
Then 46 they said to Jesus, 47 “We were not born as a result of immorality! 48 We have only one Father, God himself.”
John 8:53
Context8:53 You aren’t greater than our father Abraham who died, are you? 49 And the prophets died too! Who do you claim to be?”
John 8:56
Context8:56 Your father Abraham was overjoyed 50 to see my day, and he saw it and was glad.” 51
Acts 13:26
Context13:26 Brothers, 52 descendants 53 of Abraham’s family, 54 and those Gentiles among you who fear God, 55 the message 56 of this salvation has been sent to us.
Acts 13:2
Context13:2 While they were serving 57 the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart 58 for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Colossians 1:22
Context1:22 but now he has reconciled you 59 by his physical body through death to present you holy, without blemish, and blameless before him –
[51:2] 1 sn Although Abraham and Sarah are distant ancestors of the people the prophet is addressing, they are spoken of as the immediate parents.
[51:2] 2 tn Heb “one”; NLT “was alone”; TEV “was childless.”
[51:2] 3 tn “Bless” may here carry the sense of “endue with potency, reproductive power.” See Gen 1:28.
[51:2] 4 tn Heb “and I made him numerous.”
[3:8] 5 tn The verb here is ποιέω (poiew; see v. 4).
[3:8] 6 tn Grk “fruits.” The plural Greek term καρπούς has been translated with the collective singular “fruit” (so NIV; cf. Matt 3:8 where the singular καρπός is found). Some other translations render the plural καρπούς as “fruits” (e.g., NRSV, NASB, NAB, NKJV).
[3:8] 7 tn In other words, “do not even begin to think this.”
[3:8] 8 sn We have Abraham as our father. John’s warning to the crowds really assumes two things: (1) A number of John’s listeners apparently believed that simply by their physical descent from Abraham, they were certain heirs of the promises made to the patriarch, and (2) God would never judge his covenant people lest he inadvertently place the fulfillment of his promises in jeopardy. In light of this, John tells these people two things: (1) they need to repent and produce fruit in keeping with repentance, for only that saves from the coming wrath, and (2) God will raise up “children for Abraham from these stones” if he wants to. Their disobedience will not threaten the realization of God’s sovereign purposes.
[3:8] 9 sn The point of the statement God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham is that ancestry or association with a tradition tied to the great founder of the Jewish nation is not an automatic source of salvation.
[16:24] 10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous actions in the narrative.
[16:24] 11 tn Grk “calling out he said”; this is redundant in contemporary English style and has been simplified to “he called out.”
[16:24] 12 sn The rich man had not helped Lazarus before, when he lay outside his gate (v. 2), but he knew him well enough to know his name. This is why the use of the name Lazarus in the parable is significant. (The rich man’s name, on the other hand, is not mentioned, because it is not significant for the point of the story.)
[16:24] 13 sn The dipping of the tip of his finger in water is evocative of thirst. The thirsty are in need of God’s presence (Ps 42:1-2; Isa 5:13). The imagery suggests the rich man is now separated from the presence of God.
[16:24] 14 tn Or “in terrible pain” (L&N 24.92).
[16:24] 15 sn Fire in this context is OT imagery; see Isa 66:24.
[16:25] 16 tn The Greek term here is τέκνον (teknon), which could be understood as a term of endearment.
[16:25] 17 tn Or “in terrible pain” (L&N 24.92). Here is the reversal Jesus mentioned in Luke 6:20-26.
[16:29] 18 tn Grk “says.” This is one of the few times Luke uses the historical present.
[16:29] 19 tn Or “obey”; Grk “hear.” This recalls the many OT texts calling for a righteous heart to respond to people in need (Deut 14:28-29; Isa 3:14-15; Amos 2:6-8; Mic 2:1-2; Zech 7:9-10).
[16:30] 20 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[16:30] 21 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the rich man, v. 19) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:30] 22 sn If someone from the dead goes to them. The irony and joy of the story is that what is denied the rich man’s brothers, a word of warning from beyond the grave, is given to the reader of the Gospel in this exchange.
[16:31] 23 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[16:31] 24 tn Or “obey”; Grk “hear.” See the note on the phrase “respond to” in v. 29.
[16:31] 25 sn The concluding statement of the parable, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead, provides a hint that even Jesus’ resurrection will not help some to respond. The message of God should be good enough. Scripture is the sign to be heeded.
[8:33] 26 tn Grk “We are the seed” (an idiom).
[8:33] 27 tn Grk “They answered to him.”
[8:33] 28 tn Or “How is it that you say.”
[8:37] 29 tn Grk “seed” (an idiom).
[8:37] 30 tn Grk “you are seeking.”
[8:37] 32 tn Or “finds no place in you.” The basic idea seems to be something (in this case Jesus’ teaching) making headway or progress where resistance is involved. See BDAG 1094 s.v. χωρέω 2.
[8:38] 33 tc The first person pronoun μου (mou, “my”) may be implied, especially if ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “your”) follows the second mention of “father” in this verse (as it does in the majority of
[8:38] 34 tn Grk “The things which I have seen with the Father I speak about.”
[8:38] 36 tc A few significant witnesses lack ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “your”) here (Ì66,75 B L W 070 pc), while the majority have the pronoun (א C D Θ Ψ 0250 Ë1,13 33 565 892 Ï al lat sy). However, these
[8:39] 37 tn Grk “They answered and said to him.”
[8:39] 38 tn Or “Our father is Abraham.”
[8:39] 39 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
[8:39] 40 tc Although most
[8:39] 41 tc Some important
[8:40] 43 tn Grk “has spoken to you.”
[8:40] 44 tn The Greek word order is emphatic: “This Abraham did not do.” The emphasis is indicated in the translation by an exclamation point.
[8:41] 45 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
[8:41] 46 tc ‡ Important and early witnesses (א B L W 070 it sys,p co) lack the conjunction here, while the earliest witnesses along with many others read οὖν (oun, “therefore”; Ì66,75 C D Θ Ψ 0250 Ë13 33 Ï). This conjunction occurs in John some 200 times, far more than in any other NT book. Even though the combined testimony of two early papyri for the conjunction is impressive, the reading seems to be a predictable scribal emendation. In particular, οὖν is frequently used with the plural of εἶπον (eipon, “they said”) in John (in this chapter alone, note vv. 13, 39, 48, 57, and possibly 52). On balance, it is probably best to consider the shorter reading as authentic, even though “Then” is virtually required in translation for English stylistic reasons. NA27 has the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.
[8:41] 47 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) is specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:41] 48 sn We were not born as a result of immorality! is ironic, because Jesus’ opponents implied that it was not themselves but Jesus who had been born as a result of immoral behavior. This shows they did not know Jesus’ true origin and were not aware of the supernatural events surrounding his birth. The author does not even bother to refute the opponents’ suggestion but lets it stand, assuming his readers will know the true story.
[8:53] 49 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “are you?”).
[8:56] 50 tn Or “rejoiced greatly.”
[8:56] 51 tn What is the meaning of Jesus’ statement that the patriarch Abraham “saw” his day and rejoiced? The use of past tenses would seem to refer to something that occurred during the patriarch’s lifetime. Genesis Rabbah 44:25ff, (cf. 59:6) states that Rabbi Akiba, in a debate with Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai, held that Abraham had been shown not this world only but the world to come (this would include the days of the Messiah). More realistically, it is likely that Gen 22:13-15 lies behind Jesus’ words. This passage, known to rabbis as the Akedah (“Binding”), tells of Abraham finding the ram which will replace his son Isaac on the altar of sacrifice – an occasion of certain rejoicing.
[13:26] 52 tn Grk “Men brothers,” but this is both awkward and unnecessary in English.
[13:26] 55 tn Grk “and those among you who fear God,” but this is practically a technical term for the category called God-fearers, Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel and in many cases kept the Mosaic law, but did not take the final step of circumcision necessary to become a proselyte to Judaism. See further K. G. Kuhn, TDNT 6:732-34, 743-44. Note how Paul includes God-fearing Gentiles as recipients of this promise.
[13:2] 57 tn This term is frequently used in the LXX of the service performed by priests and Levites in the tabernacle (Exod 28:35, 43; 29:30; 30:20; 35:19; 39:26; Num 1:50; 3:6, 31) and the temple (2 Chr 31:2; 35:3; Joel 1:9, 13; 2:17, and many more examples). According to BDAG 591 s.v. λειτουργέω 1.b it is used “of other expression of religious devotion.” Since the previous verse described the prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch, it is probable that the term here describes two of them (Barnabas and Saul) as they were serving in that capacity. Since they were not in Jerusalem where the temple was located, general religious service is referred to here.
[1:22] 59 tc Some of the better representatives of the Alexandrian and Western texts have a passive verb here instead of the active ἀποκατήλλαξεν (apokathllaxen, “he has reconciled”): ἀποκατηλλάγητε (apokathllaghte) in (Ì46) B, ἀποκατήλλακται [sic] (apokathllaktai) in 33, and ἀποκαταλλαγέντες (apokatallagente") in D* F G. Yet the active verb is strongly supported by א A C D2 Ψ 048 075 [0278] 1739 1881 Ï lat sy. Internally, the passive creates an anacoluthon in that it looks back to the accusative ὑμᾶς (Juma", “you”) of v. 21 and leaves the following παραστῆσαι (parasthsai) dangling (“you were reconciled…to present you”). The passive reading is certainly the harder reading. As such, it may well explain the rise of the other readings. At the same time, it is possible that the passive was produced by scribes who wanted some symmetry between the ποτε (pote, “at one time”) of v. 21 and the νυνὶ δέ (nuni de, “but now”) of v. 22: Since a passive periphrastic participle is used in v. 21, there may have a temptation to produce a corresponding passive form in v. 22, handling the ὑμᾶς of v. 21 by way of constructio ad sensum. Since παραστῆσαι occurs ten words later, it may not have been considered in this scribal modification. Further, the Western reading (ἀποκαταλλαγέντες) hardly seems to have arisen from ἀποκατηλλάγητε (contra TCGNT 555). As difficult as this decision is, the preferred reading is the active form because it is superior externally and seems to explain the rise of all forms of the passive readings.