James 5:20

5:20 he should know that the one who turns a sinner back from his wandering path ¹  will save that person’s ²  soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Ezekiel 34:4

34:4 You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost, but with force and harshness ³  you have ruled over them.

Ezekiel 34:16

34:16 I will seek the lost and bring back the strays; I will bandage the injured and strengthen the sick, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them – with judgment!

Matthew 18:15

Restoring Christian Relationships

18:15 “If ⁴  your brother ⁵  sins, ⁶  go and show him his fault ⁷  when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother.

Luke 22:32

22:32 but I have prayed for you, Simon, ⁸  that your faith may not fail. ⁹  When ¹⁰  you have turned back, ¹¹  strengthen ¹²  your brothers.”

Galatians 6:1

Support One Another

6:1 Brothers and sisters, ¹³  if a person ¹⁴  is discovered in some sin, ¹⁵  you who are spiritual ¹⁶  restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness. ¹⁷  Pay close attention ¹⁸  to yourselves, so that you are not tempted too.

Hebrews 12:12-13

12:12 Therefore, strengthen ¹⁹  your listless hands and your weak knees, ²⁰  12:13 and make straight paths for your feet, ²¹  so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but be healed.

Jude 1:22-23

1:22 And have mercy on those who waver; 1:23 save ²²  others by snatching them out of the fire; have mercy ²³  on others, coupled with a fear of God, ²⁴  hating even the clothes stained ²⁵  by the flesh. ²⁶ 

[5:20]  ¹ tn Grk “from the error of his way” (using the same root as the verb “to wander, to err” in the first part of the verse).

[5:20]  ² tn Grk “his soul”; the referent (the sinner mentioned at the beginning of the verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:4]  ³ tn The term translated “harshness” is used to describe the oppression the Israelites suffered as slaves in Egypt (Exod 1:13).

[18:15]  ⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated. All the “if” clauses in this paragraph are third class conditions in Greek.

[18:15]  ⁵ tn The Greek term “brother” can mean “fellow believer” or “fellow Christian” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a) whether male or female. It can also refer to siblings, though here it is used in a broader sense to connote familial relationships within the family of God. Therefore, because of the familial connotations, “brother” has been retained in the translation here in preference to the more generic “fellow believer” (“fellow Christian” would be anachronistic in this context).

[18:15]  ⁶ tc ‡ The earliest and best witnesses lack “against you” after “if your brother sins.” It is quite possible that the shorter reading in these witnesses (א B, as well as 0281 ˹ 579 pc sa) occurred when scribes either intentionally changed the text (to make it more universal in application) or unintentionally changed the text (owing to the similar sound of the end of the verb ἁμαρτήσῃ [Jamarthsh] and the prepositional phrase εἰς σέ [eis se]). However, if the mss were normally copied by sight rather than by sound, especially in the early centuries of Christianity, such an unintentional change is not as likely for these mss. And since scribes normally added material rather than deleted it for intentional changes, on balance, the shorter reading appears to be original. NA²⁷ includes the words in brackets, indicating doubts as to their authenticity.

[18:15]  ⁷ tn Grk “go reprove him.”

[22:32]  ⁸ sn Here and in the remainder of the verse the second person pronouns are singular, so only Peter is in view. The name “Simon” has been supplied as a form of direct address to make this clear in English.

[22:32]  ⁹ sn That your faith may not fail. Note that Peter’s denials are pictured here as lapses, not as a total absence of faith.

[22:32]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[22:32]  ¹¹ tn Or “turned around.”

[22:32]  ¹² sn Strengthen your brothers refers to Peter helping to strengthen their faith. Jesus quite graciously restores Peter “in advance,” even with the knowledge of his approaching denials.

[6:1]  ¹³ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:11.

[6:1]  ¹⁴ tn Here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense, referring to both men and women.

[6:1]  ¹⁵ tn Or “some transgression” (L&N 88.297).

[6:1]  ¹⁶ sn Who are spiritual refers to people who are controlled and directed by God’s Spirit.

[6:1]  ¹⁷ tn Or “with a gentle spirit” or “gently.”

[6:1]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “taking careful notice.”

[12:12]  ¹⁹ tn Or “straighten.”

[12:12]  ²⁰ sn A quotation from Isa 35:3. Strengthen your listless hands and your weak knees refers to the readers’ need for renewed resolve and fresh strength in their struggles (cf. Heb 10:36-39; 12:1-3).

[12:13]  ²¹ sn A quotation from Prov 4:26. The phrase make straight paths for your feet is figurative for “stay on God’s paths.”

[1:23]  ²² tn Grk “and save.”

[1:23]  ²³ tn Grk “and have mercy.”

[1:23]  ²⁴ tn Grk “with fear.” But as this contrasts with ἀφόβως (afobw") in v. 12 (without reverence), the posture of the false teachers, it most likely refers to reverence for God.

[1:23]  ²⁵ sn The imagery here suggests that the things close to the sinners are contaminated by them, presumably during the process of sinning.

[1:23]  ²⁶ tn Grk “hating even the tunic spotted by the flesh.” The “flesh” in this instance could refer to the body or to the sin nature. It makes little difference in one sense: Jude is thinking primarily of sexual sins, which are borne of the sin nature and manifest themselves in inappropriate deeds done with the body. At the same time, he is not saying that the body is intrinsically bad, a view held by the opponents of Christianity. Hence, it is best to see “flesh” as referring to the sin nature here and the language as metaphorical.