John 14:30

14:30 I will not speak with you much longer, ¹  for the ruler of this world is coming. ²  He has no power over me, ³ 

John 17:14-15

17:14 I have given them your word, ⁴  and the world has hated them, because they do not belong to the world, ⁵  just as I do not belong to the world. ⁶  17:15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them safe ⁷  from the evil one. ⁸ 

Romans 12:2

12:2 Do not be conformed ⁹  to this present world, ¹⁰  but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve ¹¹  what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

Galatians 1:4

1:4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father,

Ephesians 2:2

2:2 in which ¹²  you formerly lived ¹³  according to this world’s present path, ¹⁴  according to the ruler of the kingdom ¹⁵  of the air, the ruler of ¹⁶  the spirit ¹⁷  that is now energizing ¹⁸  the sons of disobedience, ¹⁹ 

Ephesians 2:2

2:2 in which ²⁰  you formerly lived ²¹  according to this world’s present path, ²²  according to the ruler of the kingdom ²³  of the air, the ruler of ²⁴  the spirit ²⁵  that is now energizing ²⁶  the sons of disobedience, ²⁷ 

Ephesians 4:10

4:10 He, the very one ²⁸  who descended, is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.

Ephesians 4:1

Live in Unity

4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, ²⁹  urge you to live ³⁰  worthily of the calling with which you have been called, ³¹ 

Ephesians 5:19

5:19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music ³²  in ³³  your hearts to the Lord,

[14:30]  ¹ tn Grk “I will no longer speak many things with you.”

[14:30]  ² sn The ruler of this world is a reference to Satan.

[14:30]  ³ tn Grk “in me he has nothing.”

[17:14]  ⁴ tn Or “your message.”

[17:14]  ⁵ tn Grk “because they are not of the world.”

[17:14]  ⁶ tn Grk “just as I am not of the world.”

[17:15]  ⁷ tn Or “that you protect them”; Grk “that you keep them.”

[17:15]  ⁸ tn The phrase “the evil one” is a reference to Satan. The genitive noun τοῦ πονηροῦ (tou ponhrou) is ambiguous with regard to gender: It may represent the neuter τὸ πονηρόν (to ponhron), “that which is evil,” or the masculine ὁ πονηρός (Jo ponhro"), “the evil one,” i.e., Satan. In view of the frequent use of the masculine in 1 John 2:13-14, 3:12, and 5:18-19 it seems much more probable that the masculine is to be understood here, and that Jesus is praying for his disciples to be protected from Satan. Cf. BDAG 851 s.v. πονηρός 1.b.β and 1.b.γ.

[12:2]  ⁹ tn Although συσχηματίζεσθε (suschmatizesqe) could be either a passive or middle, the passive is more likely since it would otherwise have to be a direct middle (“conform yourselves”) and, as such, would be quite rare for NT Greek. It is very telling that being “conformed” to the present world is viewed as a passive notion, for it may suggest that it happens, in part, subconsciously. At the same time, the passive could well be a “permissive passive,” suggesting that there may be some consciousness of the conformity taking place. Most likely, it is a combination of both.

[12:2]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “to this age.”

[12:2]  ¹¹ sn The verb translated test and approve (δοκιμάζω, dokimazw) carries the sense of “test with a positive outcome,” “test so as to approve.”

[2:2]  ¹² sn The relative pronoun which is feminine as is sins, indicating that sins is the antecedent.

[2:2]  ¹³ tn Grk “walked.”

[2:2]  ¹⁴ tn Or possibly “Aeon.”

[2:2]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “domain, [place of] authority.”

[2:2]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “of” (but see the note on the word “spirit” later in this verse).

[2:2]  ¹⁷ sn The ruler of the kingdom of the air is also the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience. Although several translations regard the ruler to be the same as the spirit, this is unlikely since the cases in Greek are different (ruler is accusative and spirit is genitive). To get around this, some have suggested that the genitive for spirit is a genitive of apposition. However, the semantics of the genitive of apposition are against such an interpretation (cf. ExSyn 100).

[2:2]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “working in.”

[2:2]  ¹⁹ sn Sons of disobedience is a Semitic idiom that means “people characterized by disobedience.” However, it also contains a subtle allusion to vv. 4-10: Some of those sons of disobedience have become sons of God.

[2:2]  ²⁰ sn The relative pronoun which is feminine as is sins, indicating that sins is the antecedent.

[2:2]  ²¹ tn Grk “walked.”

[2:2]  ²² tn Or possibly “Aeon.”

[2:2]  ²³ tn Grk “domain, [place of] authority.”

[2:2]  ²⁴ tn Grk “of” (but see the note on the word “spirit” later in this verse).

[2:2]  ²⁵ sn The ruler of the kingdom of the air is also the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience. Although several translations regard the ruler to be the same as the spirit, this is unlikely since the cases in Greek are different (ruler is accusative and spirit is genitive). To get around this, some have suggested that the genitive for spirit is a genitive of apposition. However, the semantics of the genitive of apposition are against such an interpretation (cf. ExSyn 100).

[2:2]  ²⁶ tn Grk “working in.”

[2:2]  ²⁷ sn Sons of disobedience is a Semitic idiom that means “people characterized by disobedience.” However, it also contains a subtle allusion to vv. 4-10: Some of those sons of disobedience have become sons of God.

[4:10]  ²⁸ tn The Greek text lays specific emphasis on “He” through the use of the intensive pronoun, αὐτός (autos). This is reflected in the English translation through the use of “the very one.”

[4:1]  ²⁹ tn Grk “prisoner in the Lord.”

[4:1]  ³⁰ tn Grk “walk.” The verb “walk” in the NT letters refers to the conduct of one’s life, not to physical walking.

[4:1]  ³¹ sn With which you have been called. The calling refers to the Holy Spirit’s prompting that caused them to believe. The author is thus urging his readers to live a life that conforms to their saved status before God.

[5:19]  ³² tn See BDAG 1096 s.v. ψάλλω.

[5:19]  ³³ tn Or “with.”