John 15:4-5

15:4 Remain ¹  in me, and I will remain in you. ²  Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, ³  unless it remains ⁴  in ⁵  the vine, so neither can you unless you remain ⁶  in me.

15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains ⁷  in me – and I in him – bears ⁸  much fruit, ⁹  because apart from me you can accomplish ¹⁰  nothing.

Isaiah 26:12

26:12 O Lord, you make us secure, ¹¹ 

for even all we have accomplished, you have done for us. ¹² 

Hosea 14:8

14:8 O Ephraim, I do not want to have anything to do ¹³  with idols anymore!

I will answer him and care for him.

I am like ¹⁴  a luxuriant cypress tree; ¹⁵ 

your fruitfulness comes from me! ¹⁶ 

Hosea 14:1

Prophetic Call to Genuine Repentance

14:1 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,

for your sin has been your downfall! ¹⁷ 

Colossians 1:10

1:10 so that you may live ¹⁸  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ¹⁹  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,

Colossians 1:2

1:2 to the saints, the faithful ²⁰  brothers and sisters ²¹  in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you ²²  from God our Father! ²³ 

Colossians 1:12

1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share ²⁴  in the saints’ ²⁵  inheritance in the light.

Galatians 5:22-23

5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit ²⁶  is love, ²⁷  joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²⁸  5:23 gentleness, and ²⁹  self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 6:8

6:8 because the person who sows to his own flesh ³⁰  will reap corruption ³¹  from the flesh, ³²  but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.

Ephesians 5:9

5:9 for the fruit of the light ³³  consists in ³⁴  all goodness, righteousness, and truth –

Philippians 1:11

1:11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

Philippians 2:13

2:13 for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort – for the sake of his good pleasure – is God.

Colossians 1:29

1:29 Toward this goal ³⁵  I also labor, struggling according to his power that powerfully ³⁶  works in me.

Hebrews 13:21

13:21 equip you with every good thing to do his will, working in us ³⁷  what is pleasing before him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever. ³⁸  Amen.

Hebrews 13:1

Final Exhortations

13:1 Brotherly love must continue.

Hebrews 1:1-2

Introduction: God Has Spoken Fully and Finally in His Son

1:1 After God spoke long ago ³⁹  in various portions ⁴⁰  and in various ways ⁴¹  to our ancestors ⁴²  through the prophets, 1:2 in these last days he has spoken to us in a son, ⁴³  whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world. ⁴⁴ 

Hebrews 1:5-10

The Son Is Superior to Angels

1:5 For to which of the angels did God ⁴⁵  ever say, “You are my son! Today I have fathered you”? ⁴⁶  And in another place ⁴⁷  he says, ⁴⁸  “I will be his father and he will be my son.” ⁴⁹  1:6 But when he again brings ⁵⁰  his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all the angels of God worship him!” ⁵¹  1:7 And he says ⁵²  of the angels, “He makes ⁵³  his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire,” ⁵⁴  1:8 but of ⁵⁵  the Son he says, ⁵⁶ 

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, ⁵⁷ 

and a righteous scepter ⁵⁸  is the scepter of your kingdom.

1:9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness.

So God, your God, has anointed you over your companions ⁵⁹  with the oil of rejoicing.” ⁶⁰ 

1:10 And,

“You founded the earth in the beginning, Lord, ⁶¹ 

and the heavens are the works of your hands.

Hebrews 1:1

Introduction: God Has Spoken Fully and Finally in His Son

1:1 After God spoke long ago ⁶²  in various portions ⁶³  and in various ways ⁶⁴  to our ancestors ⁶⁵  through the prophets,

Hebrews 2:1

Warning Against Drifting Away

2:1 Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

Hebrews 4:12-13

4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart. 4:13 And no creature is hidden from God, ⁶⁶  but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.

Hebrews 4:15-16

4:15 For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. 4:16 Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help. ⁶⁷ 

Revelation 3:1-2

To the Church in Sardis

3:1 “To ⁶⁸  the angel of the church in Sardis write the following: ⁶⁹ 

“This is the solemn pronouncement of ⁷⁰  the one who holds ⁷¹  the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a reputation ⁷²  that you are alive, but ⁷³  in reality ⁷⁴  you are dead. 3:2 Wake up then, and strengthen what remains that was about ⁷⁵  to die, because I have not found your deeds complete ⁷⁶  in the sight ⁷⁷  of my God.

Revelation 3:15

3:15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. ⁷⁸  I wish you were either cold or hot!

[15:4]  ¹ tn Or “Reside.”

[15:4]  ² tn Grk “and I in you.” The verb has been repeated for clarity and to conform to contemporary English style, which typically allows fewer ellipses (omitted or understood words) than Greek.

[15:4]  ³ sn The branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it remains connected to the vine, from which its life and sustenance flows. As far as the disciples were concerned, they would produce no fruit from themselves if they did not remain in their relationship to Jesus, because the eternal life which a disciple must possess in order to bear fruit originates with Jesus; he is the source of all life and productivity for the disciple.

[15:4]  ⁴ tn Or “resides.”

[15:4]  ⁵ tn While it would be more natural to say “on the vine” (so NAB), the English preposition “in” has been retained here to emphasize the parallelism with the following clause “unless you remain in me.” To speak of remaining “in” a person is not natural English either, but is nevertheless a biblical concept (cf. “in Christ” in Eph 1:3, 4, 6, 7, 11).

[15:4]  ⁶ tn Or “you reside.”

[15:5]  ⁷ tn Or “resides.”

[15:5]  ⁸ tn Or “yields.”

[15:5]  ⁹ tn Grk “in him, this one bears much fruit.” The pronoun “this one” has been omitted from the translation because it is redundant according to contemporary English style.

[15:5]  ¹⁰ tn Or “do.”

[26:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “O Lord, you establish peace for us.”

[26:12]  ¹² tc Some suggest emending גַּם כָּל (gam kol, “even all”) to כִּגְמֻל (kigmul, “according to the deed[s] of”) One might then translate “for according to what our deeds deserve, you have acted on our behalf.” Nevertheless, accepting the MT as it stands, the prophet affirms that Yahweh deserved all the credit for anything Israel had accomplished.

[14:8]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew expression מַה־לִּי עוֹד (mah-li ’od) is a formula of repudiation/emphatic denial that God has anything in common with idols: “I want to have nothing to do with […] any more!” Cf., e.g., Judg 11:12; 2 Sam 16:10; 19:23; 1 Kgs 17:18; 2 Kgs 3:13; 2 Chr 35:21; Jer 2:18; Ps 50:16; BDB 553 s.v. מָה 1.d.(c).

[14:8]  ¹⁴ tn The term “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity, as in the majority of English versions (including KJV).

[14:8]  ¹⁵ tn Cf. KJV “a green fir tree”; NIV, NCV “a green pine tree”; NRSV “an evergreen cypress.”

[14:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “your fruit is found in me”; NRSV “your faithfulness comes from me.”

[14:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “For you have stumbled in your iniquity”; NASB, NRSV “because of your iniquity.”

[1:10]  ¹⁸ tn The infinitive περιπατῆσαι (peripathsai, “to walk, to live, to live one’s life”) is best taken as an infinitive of purpose related to “praying” (προσευχόμενοι, proseucomenoi) and “asking” (αἰτούμενοι, aitoumenoi) in v. 9 and is thus translated as “that you may live.”

[1:10]  ¹⁹ tn BDAG 129 s.v. ἀρεσκεία states that ἀρεσκείαν (areskeian) refers to a “desire to please εἰς πᾶσαν ἀ. to please (the Lord) in all respects Col 1:10.”

[1:2]  ²⁰ tn Grk “and faithful.” The construction in Greek (as well as Paul’s style) suggests that the saints are identical to the faithful; hence, the καί (kai) is best left untranslated (cf. Eph 1:1). See ExSyn 281-82.

[1:2]  ²¹ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[1:2]  ²² tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:2]  ²³ tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (א A C F G I [P] 075 Ï it bo), read “and the Lord Jesus Christ” at the end of this verse, no doubt to conform the wording to the typical Pauline salutation. However, excellent and early witnesses (B D K L Ψ 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 al sa) lack this phrase. Since the omission is inexplicable as arising from the longer reading (otherwise, these mss would surely have deleted the phrase in the rest of the corpus Paulinum), it is surely authentic.

[1:12]  ²⁴ tn BDAG 473 s.v. ἱκανόω states, “τινὰ εἴς τι someone for someth. Col 1:12.” The point of the text is that God has qualified the saints for a “share” or “portion” in the inheritance of the saints.

[1:12]  ²⁵ tn Grk “the inheritance of the saints.” The genitive noun τῶν ἁγίων (twn Jagiwn) is a possessive genitive: “the saints’ inheritance.”

[5:22]  ²⁶ tn That is, the fruit the Spirit produces.

[5:22]  ²⁷ sn Another way to punctuate this is “love” followed by a colon (love: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control). It is thus possible to read the eight characteristics following “love” as defining love.

[5:22]  ²⁸ tn Or “reliability”; see BDAG 818 s.v. πίστις 1.a.

[5:23]  ²⁹ tn “And” is supplied here as a matter of English style, which normally inserts “and” between the last two elements of a list or series.

[6:8]  ³⁰ tn BDAG 915 s.v. σάρξ 2.c.α states: “In Paul’s thought esp., all parts of the body constitute a totality known as σ. or flesh, which is dominated by sin to such a degree that wherever flesh is, all forms of sin are likew. present, and no good thing can live in the σάρξ…Gal 5:13, 24;…Opp. τὸ πνεῦμα…Gal 3:3; 5:16, 17ab; 6:8ab.”

[6:8]  ³¹ tn Or “destruction.”

[6:8]  ³² tn See the note on the previous occurrence of the word “flesh” in this verse.

[5:9]  ³³ tc Several mss (Ì⁴⁶ D² Ψ Ï) have πνεύματος (pneumatos, “Spirit”) instead of φωτός (fwtos, “light”). Although most today regard φωτός as obviously original (UBS⁴ gives it an “A” rating), a case could be made that πνεύματος is what the author wrote. First, although this is largely a Byzantine reading (D² often, if not normally, assimilates to the Byzantine text), Ì⁴⁶ gives the reading much greater credibility. Internally, the φωτός at the end of v. 8 could have lined up above the πνεύματος in v. 9 in a scribe’s exemplar, thus occasioning dittography. (It is interesting to note that in both Ì⁴⁹ and א the two instances of φωτός line up.) However, written in a contracted form, as a nomen sacrum (pMnMs) – a practice found even in the earliest mss – πνεύματος would not have been easily confused with fwtos (there being only the last letter to occasion homoioteleuton rather than the last three). Further, the external evidence for φωτός is quite compelling (Ì⁴⁹ א A B D* F G P 33 81 1739 1881 2464 pc latt co); it is rather doubtful that the early and widespread witnesses all mistook πνεύματος for φωτός. In addition, πνεύματος can be readily explained as harking back to Gal 5:22 (“the fruit of the Spirit”). Thus, on balance, φωτός appears to be original, giving rise to the reading πνεύματος.

[5:9]  ³⁴ tn Grk “in.” The idea is that the fruit of the light is “expressed in” or “consists of.”

[1:29]  ³⁵ tn The Greek phrase εἴς ὅ (eis Jo, “toward which”) implies “movement toward a goal” and has been rendered by the English phrase “Toward this goal.”

[1:29]  ³⁶ tn The prepositional phrase ἐν δυνάμει (en dunamei) seems to be functioning adverbially, related to the participle, and has therefore been translated “powerfully.”

[13:21]  ³⁷ tc Some mss (C P Ψ 6 629* 630 1505 pm latt sy^h) read ὑμῖν (Jumin, “in you”) here, but ἡμῖν (Jhmin) has stronger external support (Ì⁴⁶ א A D^vid K 0243 0285 33 81 104 326 365 629^c 1175 1739 1881 pm sy^p co). It is also more likely that ἡμῖν would have been changed to ὑμῖν in light of the “you” which occurs at the beginning of the verse than vice versa.

[13:21]  ³⁸ tc ‡ Most mss (א A [C*] 0243 0285 33 1739 1881 Ï latt) include the words “and ever” here, but the shorter reading (supported by Ì⁴⁶ C³ D Ψ 6 104 365 1505 al) is preferred on internal grounds. It seemed more likely that scribes would assimilate the wording to the common NT doxological expression “for ever and ever,” found especially in the Apocalypse (cf., e.g., 1 Tim 1:17; 2 Tim 4:18; Rev 4:9; 22:5) than to the “forever” of Heb 13:8. Nevertheless, a decision is difficult here. NA²⁷ places the phrase in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[1:1]  ³⁹ tn Or “spoke formerly.”

[1:1]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “parts.” The idea is that God’s previous revelation came in many parts and was therefore fragmentary or partial (L&N 63.19), in comparison with the final and complete revelation contained in God’s Son. However, some interpret πολυμερῶς (polumerw") in Heb 1:1 to mean “on many different occasions” and would thus translate “many times” (L&N 67.11). This is the option followed by the NIV: “at many times and in various ways.” Finally, this word is also understood to refer to the different manners in which something may be done, and would then be translated “in many different ways” (L&N 89.81). In this last case, the two words πολυμερῶς and πολυτρόπως (polutropw") mutually reinforce one another (“in many and various ways,” NRSV).

[1:1]  ⁴¹ tn These two phrases are emphasized in Greek by being placed at the beginning of the sentence and by alliteration.

[1:1]  ⁴² tn Grk “to the fathers.”

[1:2]  ⁴³ tn The Greek puts an emphasis on the quality of God’s final revelation. As such, it is more than an indefinite notion (“a son”) though less than a definite one (“the son”), for this final revelation is not just through any son of God, nor is the emphasis specifically on the person himself. Rather, the focus here is on the nature of the vehicle of God’s revelation: He is no mere spokesman (or prophet) for God, nor is he merely a heavenly messenger (or angel); instead, this final revelation comes through one who is intimately acquainted with the heavenly Father in a way that only a family member could be. There is, however, no exact equivalent in English (“in son” is hardly good English style).

[1:2]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “the ages.” The temporal (ages) came to be used of the spatial (what exists in those time periods). See Heb 11:3 for the same usage.

[1:5]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:5]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “I have begotten you.”

[1:5]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “And again,” quoting another OT passage.

[1:5]  ⁴⁸ tn The words “he says” are not in the Greek text but are supplied to make a complete English sentence. In the Greek text this is a continuation of the previous sentence, but English does not normally employ such long and complex sentences.

[1:5]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to me.”

[1:6]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “And again when he brings.” The translation adopted in the text looks forward to Christ’s second coming to earth. Some take “again” to introduce the quotation (as in 1:5) and understand this as Christ’s first coming, but this view does not fit well with Heb 2:7. Others understand it as his exaltation/ascension to heaven, but this takes the phrase “into the world” in an unlikely way.

[1:6]  ⁵¹ sn A quotation combining themes from Deut 32:43 and Ps 97:7.

[1:7]  ⁵² sn The Greek correlative conjunctions μέν and δέ (men and de) emphasize the contrastive parallelism of vs. 7 (what God says about the angels) over against vv. 8-9 and vv. 10-12 (what God says about the son).

[1:7]  ⁵³ tn Grk “He who makes.”

[1:7]  ⁵⁴ sn A quotation from Ps 104:4.

[1:8]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “to.”

[1:8]  ⁵⁶ tn The verb “he says” (λέγει, legei) is implied from the λέγει of v. 7.

[1:8]  ⁵⁷ tn Or possibly, “Your throne is God forever and ever.” This translation is quite doubtful, however, since (1) in the context the Son is being contrasted to the angels and is presented as far better than they. The imagery of God being the Son’s throne would seem to be of God being his authority. If so, in what sense could this not be said of the angels? In what sense is the Son thus contrasted with the angels? (2) The μέν…δέ (men…de) construction that connects v. 7 with v. 8 clearly lays out this contrast: “On the one hand, he says of the angels…on the other hand, he says of the Son.” Thus, although it is grammatically possible that θεός (qeos) in v. 8 should be taken as a predicate nominative, the context and the correlative conjunctions are decidedly against it. Hebrews 1:8 is thus a strong affirmation of the deity of Christ.

[1:8]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “the righteous scepter,” but used generically.

[1:9]  ⁵⁹ sn God…has anointed you over your companions. God’s anointing gives the son a superior position and authority over his fellows.

[1:9]  ⁶⁰ sn A quotation from Ps 45:6-7.

[1:10]  ⁶¹ sn You founded the earth…your years will never run out. In its original setting Ps 102:25-27 refers to the work of God in creation, but here in Hebrews 1:10-12 the writer employs it in reference to Christ, the Lord, making a strong argument for the essential deity of the Son.

[1:1]  ⁶² tn Or “spoke formerly.”

[1:1]  ⁶³ tn Or “parts.” The idea is that God’s previous revelation came in many parts and was therefore fragmentary or partial (L&N 63.19), in comparison with the final and complete revelation contained in God’s Son. However, some interpret πολυμερῶς (polumerw") in Heb 1:1 to mean “on many different occasions” and would thus translate “many times” (L&N 67.11). This is the option followed by the NIV: “at many times and in various ways.” Finally, this word is also understood to refer to the different manners in which something may be done, and would then be translated “in many different ways” (L&N 89.81). In this last case, the two words πολυμερῶς and πολυτρόπως (polutropw") mutually reinforce one another (“in many and various ways,” NRSV).

[1:1]  ⁶⁴ tn These two phrases are emphasized in Greek by being placed at the beginning of the sentence and by alliteration.

[1:1]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “to the fathers.”

[4:13]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “him”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:16]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “for timely help.”

[3:1]  ⁶⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated due to differences between Greek and English style.

[3:1]  ⁶⁹ tn The phrase “the following” after “write” is supplied to clarify that what follows is the content of what is to be written.

[3:1]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “These things says [the One]…” See the note on the phrase “this is the solemn pronouncement of” in 2:1.

[3:1]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “who has” (cf. 1:16).

[3:1]  ⁷² tn Grk “a name.”

[3:1]  ⁷³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[3:1]  ⁷⁴ tn The prepositional phrase “in reality” is supplied in the translation to make explicit the idea that their being alive was only an illusion.

[3:2]  ⁷⁵ tn The verb ἔμελλον (emellon) is in the imperfect tense.

[3:2]  ⁷⁶ tn The perfect passive participle has been translated as an intensive (resultative) perfect here.

[3:2]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “in the judgment.” BDAG 342 s.v. ἐνώπιον 3 states, “in the opinion/judgment of…As a rule…of θεός or κύριος; so after…πεπληρωμένος Rv 3:2.”

[3:15]  ⁷⁸ sn Laodicea was near two other towns, each of which had a unique water source. To the north was Hierapolis which had a natural hot spring, often used for medicinal purposes. To the east was Colossae which had cold, pure waters. In contrast to these towns, Laodicea had no permanent supply of good water. Efforts to pipe water to the city from nearby springs were successful, but it would arrive lukewarm. The metaphor in the text is not meant to relate spiritual fervor to temperature. This would mean that Laodicea would be commended for being spiritually cold, but it is unlikely that Jesus would commend this. Instead, the metaphor condemns Laodicea for not providing spiritual healing (being hot) or spiritual refreshment (being cold) to those around them. It is a condemnation of their lack of works and lack of witness.