John 12:25-26

12:25 The one who loves his life ¹  destroys ²  it, and the one who hates his life in this world guards ³  it for eternal life. 12:26 If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow ⁴  me, and where I am, my servant will be too. ⁵  If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

John 16:4

16:4 But I have told you these things ⁶  so that when their time ⁷  comes, you will remember that I told you about them. ⁸ 

“I did not tell you these things from the beginning because I was with you. ⁹ 

Luke 14:26-33

14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate ¹⁰  his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, ¹¹  he cannot be my disciple. 14:27 Whoever does not carry his own cross ¹²  and follow ¹³  me cannot be my disciple. 14:28 For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t sit down ¹⁴  first and compute the cost ¹⁵  to see if he has enough money to complete it? 14:29 Otherwise, ¹⁶  when he has laid ¹⁷  a foundation and is not able to finish the tower, ¹⁸  all who see it ¹⁹  will begin to make fun of ²⁰  him. 14:30 They will say, ²¹  ‘This man ²²  began to build and was not able to finish!’ ²³  14:31 Or what king, going out to confront another king in battle, will not sit down ²⁴  first and determine whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose ²⁵  the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 14:32 If he cannot succeed, ²⁶  he will send a representative ²⁷  while the other is still a long way off and ask for terms of peace. ²⁸  14:33 In the same way therefore not one of you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his own possessions. ²⁹ 

Acts 9:16

9:16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” ³⁰ 

Acts 9:1

The Conversion of Saul

9:1 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing out threats ³¹  to murder ³²  the Lord’s disciples, went to the high priest

Acts 3:3-4

3:3 When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple courts, ³³  he asked them for money. ³⁴  3:4 Peter looked directly ³⁵  at him (as did John) and said, “Look at us!”

Acts 5:9

5:9 Peter then told her, “Why have you agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out!”

Acts 5:2

5:2 He ³⁶  kept back for himself part of the proceeds with his wife’s knowledge; he brought ³⁷  only part of it and placed it at the apostles’ feet.

Acts 1:4-10

1:4 While he was with them, ³⁸  he declared, ³⁹  “Do not leave Jerusalem, ⁴⁰  but wait there ⁴¹  for what my ⁴²  Father promised, ⁴³  which you heard about from me. ⁴⁴  1:5 For ⁴⁵  John baptized with water, but you ⁴⁶  will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

1:6 So when they had gathered together, they began to ask him, ⁴⁷  “Lord, is this the time when you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 1:7 He told them, “You are not permitted to know ⁴⁸  the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts ⁴⁹  of the earth.” 1:9 After ⁵⁰  he had said this, while they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud hid him from their sight. 1:10 As ⁵¹  they were still staring into the sky while he was going, suddenly ⁵²  two men in white clothing stood near them

Titus 1:2

1:2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the ages began. ⁵³ 

Revelation 1:5

1:5 and from Jesus Christ – the faithful ⁵⁴  witness, ⁵⁵  the firstborn from among the dead, the ruler over the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has set us free ⁵⁶  from our sins at the cost of ⁵⁷  his own blood

[12:25]  ¹ tn Or “soul.”

[12:25]  ² tn Or “loses.” Although the traditional English translation of ἀπολλύει (apolluei) in John 12:25 is “loses,” the contrast with φυλάξει (fulaxei, “keeps” or “guards”) in the second half of the verse favors the meaning “destroy” here.

[12:25]  ³ tn Or “keeps.”

[12:26]  ⁴ tn As a third person imperative in Greek, ἀκολουθείτω (akolouqeitw) is usually translated “let him follow me.” This could be understood by the modern English reader as merely permissive, however (“he may follow me if he wishes”). In this context there is no permissive sense, but rather a command, so the translation “he must follow me” is preferred.

[12:26]  ⁵ tn Grk “where I am, there my servant will be too.”

[16:4]  ⁷ tn The first half of v. 4 resumes the statement of 16:1, ταῦτα λελάληκα ὑμῖν (tauta lelalhka Jumin), in a somewhat more positive fashion, omitting the reference to the disciples being caused to stumble.

[16:4]  ⁸ tn Grk “their hour.”

[16:4]  ⁹ tn The words “about them” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[16:4]  ¹⁰ sn This verse serves as a transition between the preceding discussion of the persecutions the disciples will face in the world after the departure of Jesus, and the following discussion concerning the departure of Jesus and the coming of the Spirit-Paraclete. Jesus had not told the disciples these things from the beginning because he was with them.

[14:26]  ¹⁰ tn This figurative use operates on a relative scale. God is to be loved more than family or self.

[14:26]  ¹¹ tn Grk “his own soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.

[14:27]  ¹³ sn It was customary practice in a Roman crucifixion for the prisoner to be made to carry his own cross. Jesus is speaking figuratively here in the context of rejection. If the priority is not one’s allegiance to Jesus, then one will not follow him in the face of possible rejection; see Luke 9:23.

[14:27]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “and come after.” In combination with the verb ἔρχομαι (ercomai) the improper preposition ὀπίσω (opisw) means “follow.”

[14:28]  ¹⁶ tn The participle καθίσας (kaqisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[14:28]  ¹⁷ tn The first illustration involves checking to see if enough funds exist to build a watchtower. Both ψηφίζω (yhfizw, “compute”) and δαπάνη (dapanh, “cost”) are economic terms.

[14:29]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “to complete it, lest.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation and ἵνα μήποτε ({ina mhpote, “lest”) has been translated as “Otherwise.”

[14:29]  ²⁰ tn The participle θέντος (qentos) has been taken temporally.

[14:29]  ²¹ tn The words “the tower” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[14:29]  ²² tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[14:29]  ²³ tn Or “mock,” “ridicule.” The person who did not plan ahead becomes an object of joking and ridicule.

[14:30]  ²² tn Grk “make fun of him, saying.”

[14:30]  ²³ sn The phrase this man is often used in Luke in a derogatory sense; see “this one” and expressions like it in Luke 5:21; 7:39; 13:32; 23:4, 14, 22, 35.

[14:30]  ²⁴ sn The failure to finish the building project leads to embarrassment (in a culture where avoiding public shame was extremely important). The half completed tower testified to poor preparation and planning.

[14:31]  ²⁵ tn The participle καθίσας (kaqisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[14:31]  ²⁶ tn On the meaning of this verb see also L&N 55.3, “to meet in battle, to face in battle.”

[14:32]  ²⁸ tn Grk “And if not.” Here δέ (de) has not been translated; “succeed” is implied and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[14:32]  ²⁹ tn Grk “a messenger.”

[14:32]  ³⁰ sn This image is slightly different from the former one about the tower (vv. 28-30). The first part of the illustration (sit down first and determine) deals with preparation. The second part of the illustration (ask for terms of peace) has to do with recognizing who is stronger. This could well suggest thinking about what refusing the “stronger one” (God) might mean, and thus constitutes a warning. Achieving peace with God, the more powerful king, is the point of the illustration.

[14:33]  ³¹ tn Grk “Likewise therefore every one of you who does not renounce all his own possessions cannot be my disciple.” The complex double negation is potentially confusing to the modern reader and has been simplified in the translation. See L&N 57.70.

[9:16]  ³⁴ tn Or “because of my name.” BDAG 1031 s.v. ὑπέρ 2 lists Acts 9:16 as an example of ὑπέρ (Juper) used to indicate “the moving cause or reason, because of, for the sake of, for.”

[9:1]  ³⁷ tn Or “Saul, making dire threats.”

[9:1]  ³⁸ tn The expression “breathing out threats and murder” is an idiomatic expression for “making threats to murder” (see L&N 33.293). Although the two terms “threats” and “murder” are syntactically coordinate, the second is semantically subordinate to the first. In other words, the content of the threats is to murder the disciples.

[3:3]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[3:3]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “alms.” See the note on the word “money” in the previous verse.

[3:4]  ⁴³ tn Grk “Peter, looking directly at him, as did John, said.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[5:2]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “And he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[5:2]  ⁴⁷ tn The participle ἐνέγκας (enenka") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[1:4]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “While he was assembling with them,” or “while he was sharing a meal with them.” There are three basic options for translating the verb συναλίζω (sunalizw): (1) “Eat (salt) with, share a meal with”; (2) “bring together, assemble”; (3) “spend the night with, stay with” (see BDAG 964 s.v.). The difficulty with the first option is that it does not fit the context, and this meaning is not found elsewhere. The second option is difficult because of the singular number and the present tense. The third option is based on a spelling variation of συναυλιζόμενος (sunaulizomeno"), which some minuscules actually read here. The difference in meaning between (2) and (3) is not great, but (3) seems to fit the context somewhat better here.

[1:4]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “ordered them”; the command “Do not leave” is not in Greek but is an indirect quotation in the original (see note at end of the verse for explanation).

[1:4]  ⁵¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:4]  ⁵² tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text (direct objects in Greek were frequently omitted when clear from the context).

[1:4]  ⁵³ tn Grk “the,” with the article used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[1:4]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “for the promise of the Father.” Jesus is referring to the promised gift of the Holy Spirit (see the following verse).

[1:4]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “While he was with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for ‘what my Father promised, which you heard about from me.’” This verse moves from indirect to direct discourse. This abrupt change is very awkward, so the entire quotation has been rendered as direct discourse in the translation.

[1:5]  ⁵² tn In the Greek text v. 5 is a continuation of the previous sentence, which is long and complicated. In keeping with the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:5]  ⁵³ tn The pronoun is plural in Greek.

[1:6]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “they began to ask him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. The imperfect tense of the Greek verb ἠρώτων (hrwtwn) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[1:7]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “It is not for you to know.”

[1:8]  ⁶¹ tn Or “to the ends.”

[1:9]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “And after.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[1:10]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “And as.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[1:10]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “behold.”

[1:2]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “before eternal ages.”

[1:5]  ⁷³ tn Or “Jesus Christ – the faithful one, the witness…” Some take ὁ πιστός (Jo pistos) as a second substantive in relation to ὁ μάρτυς (Jo martus). In the present translation, however, ὁ πιστός was taken as an adjective in attributive position to ὁ μάρτυς. The idea of martyrdom and faithfulness are intimately connected. See BDAG 820 s.v. πιστός 1.a.α: “ὁ μάρτυς μου ὁ πιστός μου Rv 2:13 (μάρτυς 3); in this ‘book of martyrs’ Christ is ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστὸς (καὶ ὁ ἀληθινός) 1:5; 3:14; cp. 19:11 (the combination of ἀληθινός and πιστός in the last two passages is like 3 Macc 2:11). Cp. Rv 17:14.”

[1:5]  ⁷⁴ sn The Greek term translated witness can mean both “witness” and “martyr.”

[1:5]  ⁷⁵ tc The reading “set free” (λύσαντι, lusanti) has better ms support (̹⁸ א A C 1611 2050 2329 2351 Ï^A sy) than its rival, λούσαντι (lousanti, “washed”; found in P 1006 1841 1854 2053 2062 Ï^K lat bo). Internally, it seems that the reading “washed” could have arisen in at least one of three ways: (1) as an error of hearing (both “released” and “washed” are pronounced similarly in Greek); (2) an error of sight (both “released” and “washed” look very similar – a difference of only one letter – which could have resulted in a simple error during the copying of a ms); (3) through scribal inability to appreciate that the Hebrew preposition ב can be used with a noun to indicate the price paid for something. Since the author of Revelation is influenced significantly by a Semitic form of Greek (e.g., 13:10), and since the Hebrew preposition “in” (ב) can indicate the price paid for something, and is often translated with the preposition “in” (ἐν, en) in the LXX, the author may have tried to communicate by the use of ἐν the idea of a price paid for something. That is, John was trying to say that Christ delivered us at the price of his own blood. This whole process, however, may have been lost on a later scribe, who being unfamiliar with Hebrew, found the expression “delivered in his blood” too difficult, and noticing the obvious similarities between λύσαντι and λούσαντι, assumed an error and then proceeded to change the text to “washed in his blood” – a thought more tolerable in his mind. Both readings, of course, are true to scripture; the current question is what the author wrote in this verse.

[1:5]  ⁷⁶ tn The style here is somewhat Semitic, with the use of the ἐν (en) + the dative to mean “at the price of.” The addition of “own” in the English is stylistic and is an attempt to bring out the personal nature of the statement and the sacrificial aspect of Jesus’ death – a frequent refrain in the Apocalypse.