Isaiah 8:20

8:20 Then you must recall the Lord’s instructions and the prophetic testimony of what would happen. ¹  Certainly they say such things because their minds are spiritually darkened. ² 

Deuteronomy 4:45

4:45 These are the stipulations, statutes, and ordinances that Moses spoke to the Israelites after he had brought them out of Egypt,

Deuteronomy 4:2

4:2 Do not add a thing to what I command you nor subtract from it, so that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I am delivering to ³  you.

Deuteronomy 11:12

11:12 a land the Lord your God looks after. ⁴  He is constantly attentive to it ⁵  from the beginning to the end of the year. ⁶ 

John 3:32-33

3:32 He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 3:33 The one who has accepted his testimony has confirmed clearly that God is truthful. ⁷ 

Hebrews 3:5

3:5 Now Moses was faithful in all God’s ⁸  house ⁹  as a servant, to testify to the things that would be spoken.

Hebrews 3:1

Jesus and Moses

3:1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, ¹⁰  partners in a heavenly calling, take note of Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess, ¹¹ 

Hebrews 5:9-12

5:9 And by being perfected in this way, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 5:10 and he was designated ¹²  by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek. ¹³ 

The Need to Move on to Maturity

5:11 On this topic we have much to say ¹⁴  and it is difficult to explain, since you have become sluggish ¹⁵  in hearing. 5:12 For though you should in fact be teachers by this time, ¹⁶  you need someone to teach you the beginning elements of God’s utterances. ¹⁷  You have gone back to needing ¹⁸  milk, not ¹⁹  solid food.

Revelation 19:10

19:10 So ²⁰  I threw myself down ²¹  at his feet to worship him, but ²²  he said, “Do not do this! ²³  I am only ²⁴  a fellow servant ²⁵  with you and your brothers ²⁶  who hold to the testimony about ²⁷  Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony about Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

[8:20]  ¹ tn Heb “to [the] instruction and to [the] testimony.” The words “then you must recall” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text vv. 19-20a are one long sentence, reading literally, “When they say to you…, to the instruction and to the testimony.” On the identity of the “instruction” and “testimony” see the notes at v. 16.

[8:20]  ² tn Heb “If they do not speak according to this word, [it is] because it has no light of dawn.” The literal translation suggests that “this word” refers to the instruction/testimony. However, it is likely that אִם־לֹא (’im-lo’) is asseverative here, as in 5:9. In this case “this word” refers to the quotation recorded in v. 19. For a discussion of the problem see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 230, n. 9. The singular pronoun in the second half of the verse is collective, referring back to the nation (see v. 19b).

[4:2]  ³ tn Heb “commanding.”

[11:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “seeks.” The statement reflects the ancient belief that God (Baal in Canaanite thinking) directly controlled storms and rainfall.

[11:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it” (so NIV); NASB, NRSV “always on it.”

[11:12]  ⁶ sn From the beginning to the end of the year. This refers to the agricultural year that was marked by the onset of the heavy rains, thus the autumn. See note on the phrase “the former and the latter rains” in v. 14.

[3:33]  ⁷ tn Or “is true.”

[3:5]  ⁸ tn Grk “his”; in the translation the referent (God) has been specified for clarity.

[3:5]  ⁹ sn A quotation from Num 12:7.

[3:1]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.

[3:1]  ¹¹ tn Grk “of our confession.”

[5:10]  ¹² tn Grk “having been designated,” continuing the thought of Heb 5:9.

[5:10]  ¹³ sn The phrase in the order of Melchizedek picks up the quotation from Ps 110:4 in Heb 5:6.

[5:11]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “concerning which the message for us is great.”

[5:11]  ¹⁵ tn Or “dull.”

[5:12]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “because of the time.”

[5:12]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “the elements of the beginning of the oracles of God.”

[5:12]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “you have come to have a need for.”

[5:12]  ¹⁹ tc ‡ Most texts, including some early and important ones (א² A B* D Ψ 0122 0278 1881 Ï sy Cl), have καί (kai, “and”) immediately preceding οὐ (ou, “not”), but other equally significant witnesses (Ì⁴⁶ א* B² C 33 81 1739 lat Or Did) lack the conjunction. As it was a natural tendency for scribes to add a coordinating conjunction, the καί appears to be a motivated reading. On balance, it is probably best to regard the shorter reading as authentic. NA²⁷ has καί in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[19:10]  ²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s announcement.

[19:10]  ²¹ tn Grk “I fell down at his feet.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[19:10]  ²² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[19:10]  ²³ tn On the elliptical expression ὅρα μή (Jora mh) BDAG 720 s.v. ὁράω B.2 states: “Elliptically…ὅρα μή (sc. ποιήσῃς) watch out! don’t do that! Rv 19:10; 22:9.”

[19:10]  ²⁴ tn The lowliness of a slave is emphasized in the Greek text with the emphatic position of σύνδουλος (sundoulo"). The use of “only” helps to bring this nuance out in English.

[19:10]  ²⁵ tn Grk “fellow slave.” See the note on the word “servants” in v. 2.

[19:10]  ²⁶ tn The Greek term “brother” literally refers to family relationships, but here it is used in a broader sense to connote familial relationships within the family of God (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a).

[19:10]  ²⁷ tn The genitive ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou) has been translated as an objective genitive here. A subjective genitive, also possible, would produce the meaning “who hold to what Jesus testifies.”