Discovery BoxJoshua 22:11-34
Context22:11 The Israelites received this report: 1 “Look, the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the entrance to 2 the land of Canaan, at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side.” 22:12 When the Israelites heard this, the entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh to launch an attack against them. 3
22:13 The Israelites sent Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 22:14 He was accompanied by ten leaders, one from each of the Israelite tribes, each one a family leader among the Israelite clans. 4 22:15 They went to the land of Gilead to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and said to them: 22:16 “The entire community of the Lord says, ‘Why have you disobeyed the God of Israel by turning back today from following the Lord? You built an altar for yourselves and have rebelled today against the Lord. 5 22:17 The sin we committed at Peor was bad enough. To this very day we have not purified ourselves; it even brought a plague on the community of the Lord. 6 22:18 Now today you dare to turn back 7 from following the Lord! You are rebelling today against the Lord; tomorrow he may break out in anger against 8 the entire community of Israel. 22:19 But if your own land 9 is impure, 10 cross over to the Lord’s own land, 11 where the Lord himself lives, 12 and settle down among us. 13 But don’t rebel against the Lord or us 14 by building for yourselves an altar aside from the altar of the Lord our God. 22:20 When Achan son of Zerah disobeyed the command about the city’s riches, the entire Israelite community was judged, 15 though only one man had sinned. He most certainly died for his sin!’” 16
22:21 The Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders 17 of the Israelite clans: 22:22 “El, God, the Lord! 18 El, God, the Lord! He knows the truth! 19 Israel must also know! If we have rebelled or disobeyed the Lord, 20 don’t spare us 21 today! 22:23 If we have built 22 an altar for ourselves to turn back from following the Lord by making 23 burnt sacrifices and grain offerings on it, or by offering 24 tokens of peace 25 on it, the Lord himself will punish us. 26 22:24 We swear we have done this because we were worried that 27 in the future your descendants would say to our descendants, ‘What relationship do you have with the Lord God of Israel? 28 22:25 The Lord made the Jordan a boundary between us and you Reubenites and Gadites. You have no right to worship the Lord.’ 29 In this way your descendants might cause our descendants to stop obeying 30 the Lord. 22:26 So we decided to build this altar, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, 22:27 but as a reminder to us and you, 31 and to our descendants who follow us, that we will honor the Lord in his very presence 32 with burnt offerings, sacrifices, and tokens of peace. 33 Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to our descendants, ‘You have no right to worship the Lord.’ 34 22:28 We said, ‘If in the future they say such a thing 35 to us or to our descendants, we will reply, “See the model of the Lord’s altar that our ancestors 36 made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a reminder to us and you.”’ 37 22:29 Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord by turning back today from following after the Lord by building an altar for burnt offerings, sacrifices, and tokens of peace 38 aside from the altar of the Lord our God located in front of his dwelling place!” 39
22:30 When Phinehas the priest and the community leaders and clan leaders who accompanied him heard the defense of the Reubenites, Gadites, and the Manassehites, 40 they were satisfied. 41 22:31 Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, said to the Reubenites, Gadites, and the Manassehites, 42 “Today we know that the Lord is among us, because you have not disobeyed the Lord in this. 43 Now 44 you have rescued the Israelites from the Lord’s judgment.” 45
22:32 Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders left the Reubenites and Gadites in the land of Gilead and reported back to the Israelites in the land of Canaan. 46 22:33 The Israelites were satisfied with their report and gave thanks to God. 47 They said nothing more about launching an attack to destroy the land in which the Reubenites and Gadites lived. 48 22:34 The Reubenites and Gadites named the altar, “Surely it is a Reminder to us 49 that the Lord is God.”
Jude 1:1-17
Context1:1 From Jude, 50 a slave 51 of Jesus Christ and brother of James, 52 to those who are called, wrapped in the love of 53 God the Father and kept for 54 Jesus Christ. 1:2 May mercy, peace, and love be lavished on you! 55
1:3 Dear friends, although I have been eager to write to you 56 about our common salvation, I now feel compelled 57 instead to write to encourage 58 you to contend earnestly 59 for the faith 60 that was once for all 61 entrusted to the saints. 62 1:4 For certain men 63 have secretly slipped in among you 64 – men who long ago 65 were marked out 66 for the condemnation I am about to describe 67 – ungodly men who have turned the grace of our God into a license for evil 68 and who deny our only Master 69 and Lord, 70 Jesus Christ.
1:5 Now I desire to remind you (even though you have been fully informed of these facts 71 once for all 72 ) that Jesus, 73 having saved the 74 people out of the land of Egypt, later 75 destroyed those who did not believe. 1:6 You also know that 76 the angels who did not keep within their proper domain 77 but abandoned their own place of residence, he has kept 78 in eternal chains 79 in utter 80 darkness, locked up 81 for the judgment of the great Day. 1:7 So also 82 Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring towns, 83 since they indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire 84 in a way similar to 85 these angels, 86 are now displayed as an example by suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
1:8 Yet these men, 87 as a result of their dreams, 88 defile the flesh, reject authority, 89 and insult 90 the glorious ones. 91 1:9 But even 92 when Michael the archangel 93 was arguing with the devil and debating with him 94 concerning Moses’ body, he did not dare to bring a slanderous judgment, but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!” 1:10 But these men do not understand the things they slander, and they are being destroyed by the very things that, like irrational animals, they instinctively comprehend. 95 1:11 Woe to them! For they have traveled down Cain’s path, 96 and because of greed 97 have abandoned themselves 98 to 99 Balaam’s error; hence, 100 they will certainly perish 101 in Korah’s rebellion. 1:12 These men are 102 dangerous reefs 103 at your love feasts, 104 feasting without reverence, 105 feeding only themselves. 106 They are 107 waterless 108 clouds, carried along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit 109 – twice dead, 110 uprooted; 1:13 wild sea waves, 111 spewing out the foam of 112 their shame; 113 wayward stars 114 for whom the utter depths of eternal darkness 115 have been reserved.
1:14 Now Enoch, the seventh in descent beginning with Adam, 116 even prophesied of them, 117 saying, “Look! The Lord is coming 118 with thousands and thousands 119 of his holy ones, 1:15 to execute judgment on 120 all, and to convict every person 121 of all their thoroughly ungodly deeds 122 that they have committed, 123 and of all the harsh words that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 124 1:16 These people are grumblers and 125 fault-finders who go 126 wherever their desires lead them, 127 and they give bombastic speeches, 128 enchanting folks 129 for their own gain. 130
1:17 But you, dear friends – recall the predictions 131 foretold by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 132
[22:11] 1 tn Heb “the sons of Israel heard, saying.”
[22:11] 2 tn Heb “toward the front of.”
[22:12] 3 tn Heb “to go up against them for battle.”
[22:14] 4 tn Heb “ten leaders with him, one leader, one leader for a paternal house, for all the tribes of Israel, and each a head of the house of their father, they belong to the clans of Israel.”
[22:16] 5 tn Heb “What is this unfaithfulness with which you have been unfaithful against the God of Israel, turning today from after the
[22:17] 6 tn Heb “Was the sin of Peor too insignificant for us, from which we have not made purification to this day? And there was a plague in the assembly of the
[22:18] 7 tn Heb “you are turning back.”
[22:18] 8 tn Or “he will be angry with.”
[22:19] 9 tn Heb “the land of your possession.”
[22:19] 10 sn The western tribes here imagine a possible motive for the action of the eastern tribes. T. C. Butler explains the significance of the land’s “impurity”: “East Jordan is impure because it is not Yahweh’s possession. Rather it is simply ‘your possession.’ That means it is land where Yahweh does not live, land which his presence has not sanctified and purified” (Joshua [WBC], 247).
[22:19] 11 tn Heb “the land of the possession of the
[22:19] 12 tn Heb “where the dwelling place of the
[22:19] 13 tn Heb “and take for yourselves in our midst.”
[22:19] 14 tc Heb “and us to you rebel.” The reading of the MT, the accusative sign with suffix (וְאֹתָנוּ, vÿ’otanu), is problematic with the verb “rebel” (מָרַד, marad). Many Hebrew
[22:20] 15 tn Heb “Is it not [true that] Achan son of Zerah was unfaithful with unfaithfulness concerning what was set apart [to the
[22:20] 16 tn The second half of the verse reads literally, “and he [was] one man, he did not die for his sin.” There are at least two possible ways to explain this statement: (1) One might interpret the statement to mean that Achan was not the only person who died for his sin. In this case it could be translated, “and he was not the only one to die because of his sin.” (2) Another option, the one reflected in the translation, is to take the words וְהוּא אִישׁ אֶחָד (vÿhu’ ’ish ’ekhad, “and he [was] one man”) as a concessive clause and join it with what precedes. The remaining words (לֹא גָוַע בַּעֲוֹנוֹ, lo’ gava’ ba’avono) must then be taken as a rhetorical question (“Did he not die for his sin?”). Taking the last sentence as interrogative is consistent with the first part of the verse, a rhetorical question introduced with the interrogative particle. The present translation has converted these rhetorical questions into affirmative statements to bring out more clearly the points they are emphasizing. For further discussion, see T. C. Butler, Joshua (WBC), 240.
[22:21] 17 tn Heb “answered and spoke to the heads of.”
[22:22] 18 sn Israel’s God is here identified with three names: (1) אֵל (’el), “El” (or “God”); (2) אֱלֹהִים (’elohim), “Elohim” (or “God”), and (3) יְהוָה (yÿhvah), “Yahweh” (or “the
[22:22] 20 tn Heb “if in rebellion or if in unfaithfulness against the
[22:22] 21 tn Heb “do not save us.” The verb form is singular, being addressed to either collective Israel or the Lord himself. The LXX translates in the third person.
[22:23] 22 tn Heb “by building.” The prepositional phrase may be subordinated to what precedes, “if in unfaithfulness…by building.”
[22:23] 23 tn Heb “or if to offer up.”
[22:23] 24 tn Heb “or if to make.”
[22:23] 25 tn Or “peace offerings.”
[22:23] 26 tn Heb “the
[22:24] 27 tn Heb “Surely, from worry concerning a matter we have done this, saying.”
[22:24] 28 tn Heb “What is there to you and to the
[22:25] 29 tn Heb “You have no portion in the
[22:27] 31 tn Heb “but it is a witness between us and you.”
[22:27] 32 tn Heb “to do the service of the
[22:27] 33 tn Or “peace offerings.”
[22:27] 34 tn Heb “You have no portion in the
[22:28] 35 tn The words “such a thing” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[22:28] 37 tn Heb “but it is a witness between us and you.”
[22:29] 38 tn Or “peace offerings.”
[22:29] 39 sn The Lord’s dwelling place here refers to the tabernacle.
[22:30] 40 tn Heb “the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the sons of Manasseh.”
[22:30] 41 tn Heb “it was good in their eyes.”
[22:31] 42 tn Heb “the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the sons of Manasseh.”
[22:31] 43 tn Heb “because you were not unfaithful with this unfaithfulness against the
[22:31] 44 tn On the use of אָז in a logical sense, see Waltke-O’Connor, Hebrew Syntax, 667.
[22:31] 45 tn Heb “the hand (i.e., power) of the
[22:32] 46 tn Heb “and Phinehas…returned from the sons of Reuben and from the sons of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the sons of Israel. And they brought back to them a word.”
[22:33] 47 tn Heb “and the word was good in the eyes of the sons of Israel and the sons of Israel blessed God.”
[22:33] 48 tn Heb “and they did not speak about going up against them for battle to destroy the land in which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad were living.”
[22:34] 49 tn Heb “a witness between us.”
[1:1] 50 tn Grk “Judas,” traditionally “Jude” in English versions to distinguish him from the one who betrayed Jesus. The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
[1:1] 51 tn Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). At the same time, perhaps “servant” is apt in that the δοῦλος of Jesus Christ took on that role voluntarily, unlike a slave. The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.
[1:1] 52 sn Although Jude was half-brother of Jesus, he humbly associates himself with James, his full brother. By first calling himself a slave of Jesus Christ, it is evident that he wants no one to place stock in his physical connections. At the same time, he must identify himself further: Since Jude was a common name in the 1st century (two of Jesus’ disciples were so named, including his betrayer), more information was needed, that is to say, brother of James.
[1:1] 53 tn Grk “loved in.” The perfect passive participle suggests that the audience’s relationship to God is not recent; the preposition ἐν (en) before πατρί (patri) could be taken as sphere or instrument (agency is unlikely, however). Another possible translation would be “dear to God.”
[1:1] 54 tn Or “by.” Datives of agency are quite rare in the NT (and other ancient Greek), almost always found with a perfect verb. Although this text qualifies, in light of the well-worn idiom of τηρέω (threw) in eschatological contexts, in which God or Christ keeps the believer safe until the parousia (cf. 1 Thess 5:23; 1 Pet 1:4; Rev 3:10; other terms meaning “to guard,” “to keep” are also found in similar eschatological contexts [cf. 2 Thess 3:3; 2 Tim 1:12; 1 Pet 1:5; Jude 24]), it is probably better to understand this verse as having such an eschatological tinge. It is at the same time possible that Jude’s language was intentionally ambiguous, implying both ideas (“kept by Jesus Christ [so that they might be] kept for Jesus Christ”). Elsewhere he displays a certain fondness for wordplays; this may be a hint of things to come.
[1:2] 55 tn Grk “may mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.”
[1:3] 56 tn Grk “while being quite diligent to write to you,” or “while making all haste to write to you.” Two issues are at stake: (1) whether σπουδή (spoudh) here means diligence, eagerness, or haste; (2) whether ποιούμενος γράφειν (poioumeno" grafein) is to be taken conatively (“I was about to write”) or progressively (“I was writing”). Without knowing more of the background, it is difficult to tell which option is to be preferred.
[1:3] 57 tn Grk “I had the necessity.” The term ἀνάγκη (anankh, “necessity”) often connotes urgency or distress. In this context, Jude is indicating that the more comprehensive treatment about the faith shared between himself and his readers was not nearly as urgent as the letter he found it now necessary to write.
[1:3] 58 tn Grk “encouraging.” Παρακαλῶν (parakalwn) is most likely a telic participle. In keeping with other participles of purpose, it is present tense and occurs after the main verb.
[1:3] 59 tn the verb ἐπαγωνίζομαι (epagwnizomai) is an intensive form of ἀγωνίζομαι (agwnizomai). As such, the notion of struggling, fighting, contending, etc. is heightened.
[1:3] 60 tn Τῇ πίστει (th pistei) here is taken as a dative of advantage (“on behalf of the faith”). Though rare (see BDAG 820 s.v. 3), it is not unexampled and must have this meaning here.
[1:3] 61 sn The adverb once for all (ἅπαξ, Japax) seems to indicate that the doctrinal convictions of the early church had been substantially codified. That is to say, Jude could appeal to written documents of the Christian faith in his arguments with the false teachers. Most likely, these documents were the letters of Paul and perhaps one or more gospels. First and Second Peter may also have been among the documents Jude has in mind (see also the note on the phrase entrusted to the saints in this verse).
[1:3] 62 sn I now feel compelled instead…saints. Apparently news of some crisis has reached Jude, prompting him to write a different letter than what he had originally planned. A plausible scenario (assuming authenticity of 2 Peter or at least that there are authentic Petrine snippets in it) is that after Peter’s death, Jude intended to write to the same Gentile readers that Peter had written to (essentially, Paul’s churches). Jude starts by affirming that the gospel the Gentiles had received from Paul was the same as the one the Jewish Christians had received from the other apostles (our common salvation). But in the midst of writing this letter, Jude felt that the present crisis deserved another, shorter piece. The crisis, as the letter reveals, is that the false teachers whom Peter prophesied have now infiltrated the church. The letter of Jude is thus an ad hoc letter, intended to confirm the truth of Peter’s letter and encourage the saints to ground their faith in the written documents of the nascent church, rather than listen to the twisted gospel of the false teachers. In large measure, the letter of Jude illustrates the necessity of clinging to the authority of scripture as opposed to those who claim to be prophets.
[1:4] 63 tn Grk “people.” However, if Jude is indeed arguing that Peter’s prophecy about false teachers has come true, these are most likely men in the original historical and cultural setting. See discussion of this point in the note on the phrase “these men” in 2 Pet 2:12.
[1:4] 64 tn “Among you” is not in the Greek text, but is obviously implied.
[1:4] 65 tn Or “in the past.” The adverb πάλαι (palai) can refer to either, though the meaning “long ago” is more common.
[1:4] 66 tn Grk “written about.”
[1:4] 67 tn Grk “for this condemnation.” τοῦτο (touto) is almost surely a kataphoric demonstrative pronoun, pointing to what follows in vv. 5-18. Otherwise, the condemnation is only implied (in v. 3b) or is merely a statement of their sinfulness (“ungodly” in v. 4b), not a judgment of it.
[1:4] 68 tn Grk “debauchery.” This is the same word Peter uses to predict what the false teachers will be like (2 Pet 2:2, 7, 18).
[1:4] 69 tc Most later witnesses (P Ψ Ï sy) have θεόν (qeon, “God”) after δεσπότην (despothn, “master”), which appears to be a motivated reading in that it explicitly links “Master” to “God” in keeping with the normal NT pattern (see Luke 2:29; Acts 4:24; 2 Tim 2:21; Rev 6:10). In patristic Greek, δεσπότης (despoth") was used especially of God (cf. BDAG 220 s.v. 1.b.). The earlier and better witnesses (Ì72,78 א A B C 0251 33 81 323 1241 1739 al co) lack θεόν; the shorter reading is thus preferred on both internal and external grounds.
[1:4] 70 tn The terms “Master and Lord” both refer to the same person. The construction in Greek is known as the Granville Sharp rule, named after the English philanthropist-linguist who first clearly articulated the rule in 1798. Sharp pointed out that in the construction article-noun-καί-noun (where καί [kai] = “and”), when two nouns are singular, personal, and common (i.e., not proper names), they always had the same referent. Illustrations such as “the friend and brother,” “the God and Father,” etc. abound in the NT to prove Sharp’s point. For more discussion see ExSyn 270-78. See also Titus 2:13 and 2 Pet 1:1
[1:5] 71 tn Grk “knowing all things.” The subject of the participle “knowing” (εἰδότας, eidota") is an implied ὑμᾶς (Jumas), though several ancient witnesses actually add it. The πάντα (panta) takes on an adverbial force in this context (“fully”), intensifying how acquainted the readers are with the following points.
[1:5] 72 tc ‡ Some translations take ἅπαξ (Japax) with the following clause (thus, “[Jesus,] having saved the people once for all”). Such a translation presupposes that ἅπαξ is a part of the ὅτι (Joti) clause. The reading of NA27, πάντα ὅτι [ὁ] κύριος ἅπαξ (panta {oti [Jo] kurio" {apax), suggests this interpretation (though with “Lord” instead of “Jesus”). This particle is found before λαόν (laon) in the ὅτι clause in א C* Ψ 630 1241 1243 1505 1739 1846 1881 pc co. But ἅπαξ is found before the ὅτι clause in most witnesses, including several important ones (Ì72 A B C2 33 81 623 2344 Ï vg). What seems best able to explain the various placements of the adverb is that scribes were uncomfortable with ἅπαξ referring to the readers’ knowledge, feeling it was more appropriate to the theological significance of “saved” (σώσας, swsas).
[1:5] 73 tc ‡ The reading ᾿Ιησοῦς (Ihsous, “Jesus”) is deemed too hard by several scholars, since it involves the notion of Jesus acting in the early history of the nation Israel. However, not only does this reading enjoy the strongest support from a variety of early witnesses (e.g., A B 33 81 1241 1739 1881 2344 pc vg co Or1739mg), but the plethora of variants demonstrate that scribes were uncomfortable with it, for they seemed to exchange κύριος (kurios, “Lord”) or θεός (qeos, “God”) for ᾿Ιησοῦς (though Ì72 has the intriguing reading θεὸς Χριστός [qeos Cristos, “God Christ”] for ᾿Ιησοῦς). In addition to the evidence supplied in NA27 for this reading, note also {88 322 323 424c 665 915 2298 eth Cyr Hier Bede}. As difficult as the reading ᾿Ιησοῦς is, in light of v. 4 and in light of the progress of revelation (Jude being one of the last books in the NT to be composed), it is wholly appropriate.
[1:5] 74 tn Or perhaps “a,” though this is less likely.
[1:5] 75 tn Grk “the second time.”
[1:6] 76 tn Grk “and.” Verse 6 is a continuation of the same sentence begun in v. 5. Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[1:6] 77 tn Grk “who did not keep their own domain.”
[1:6] 78 sn There is an interesting play on words used in this verse. Because the angels did not keep their proper place, Jesus has kept them chained up in another place. The same verb keep is used in v. 1 to describe believers’ status before God and Christ.
[1:6] 79 sn In 2 Pet 2:4 a less common word for chains is used.
[1:6] 80 tn The word ζόφος (zofos, “utter, deepest darkness”) is used only five times in the NT: two in 2 Peter, two in Jude, and one in Hebrews. Jude 6 parallels 2 Pet 2:4; Jude 13 parallels 2 Pet 2:17.
[1:6] 81 tn The words “locked up” are not in Greek, but is expressed in English as a resumptive point after the double prepositional phrase (“in eternal chains in utter darkness”).
[1:7] 83 tn Grk “the towns [or cities] surrounding them.”
[1:7] 84 tn Grk “strange flesh.” This phrase has been variously interpreted. It could refer to flesh of another species (such as angels lusting after human flesh). This would aptly describe the sin of the angels, but not easily explain the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. It could refer to the homosexual practices of the Sodomites, but a difficulty arises from the use of ἕτερος ({etero"; “strange,” “other”). When this is to be distinguished from ἄλλος (allos, “another”) it suggests “another of a different kind.” If so, would that properly describe homosexual behavior? In response, the language could easily be compact: “pursued flesh other than what was normally pursued.” However, would this find an analogy in the lust of angels (such would imply that angels normally had sexual relations of some sort, but cf. Matt 22:30)? Another alternative is that the focus of the parallel is on the activity of the surrounding cities and the activity of the angels. This is especially plausible since the participles ἐκπορνεύσασαι (ekporneusasai, “having indulged in sexual immorality”) and ἀπελθοῦσαι (apelqousai, “having pursued”) have concord with “cities” (πόλεις, poleis), a feminine plural noun, rather than with Sodom and Gomorrah (both masculine nouns). If so, then their sin would not necessarily have to be homosexuality. However, most likely the feminine participles are used because of constructio ad sensum (construction according to sense). That is, since both Sodom and Gomorrah are cities, the feminine is used to imply that all the cities are involved. The connection with angels thus seems to be somewhat loose: Both angels and Sodom and Gomorrah indulged in heinous sexual immorality. Thus, whether the false teachers indulge in homosexual activity is not the point; mere sexual immorality is enough to condemn them.
[1:7] 85 tn Or “in the same way as.”
[1:7] 86 tn “Angels” is not in the Greek text; but the masculine demonstrative pronoun most likely refers back to the angels of v. 6.
[1:8] 87 tn The reference is now to the false teachers.
[1:8] 88 tn Grk “dreaming.” The participle ἐνυπνιαζόμενοι (enupniazomenoi, “dreaming”) is adverbial to the pronoun οὗτοι (|outoi, “these”), though the particular relationship is not clear. It could mean, “while dreaming,” “by dreaming,” or “because of dreaming.” This translation has adopted the last option as Jude’s meaning, partially for syntactical reasons (the causal participle usually precedes the main verb) and partially for contextual reasons (these false teachers must derive their authority from some source, and the dreams provide the most obvious base). The participle ἐνυπνιαζόμενοι was sometimes used of apocalyptic visions, both of true and false prophets. This seems to be the meaning here.
[1:8] 89 tn Most likely, the authority of the Lord is in view. This verse, then, echoes the indictment of v. 4: “they deny our Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”
[1:8] 90 tn The construction with the three verbs (“defile, “reject,” and “insult”) involves the particles μέν, δέ, δέ (men, de, de). A more literal (and pedantic) translation would be: “on the one hand, they defile the flesh, on the other hand, they reject authority, and on another hand, they insult the glorious ones.”
[1:8] 91 sn The glorious ones refers to angelic beings rather than mere human beings, just as in 2 Pet 2:10 (on which this passage apparently depends). Whether the angelic beings are good or evil, however, is difficult to tell (hence, the translation is left ambiguous). However, both in 2 Pet 2:11 and here, in Jude 9, the wicked angels seem to be in view (for not even Michael insults them).
[1:9] 92 tn The word “even” is not in Greek; it is implied by the height of the contrast.
[1:9] 93 sn According to Jewish intertestamental literature (such as 1 En. 20), Michael was one of seven archangels.
[1:9] 94 tn The sentence structure is a bit different in Greek. Literally it reads: “But Michael the archangel, when arguing with the devil and disputing.”
[1:10] 95 tn Or “they should naturally comprehend.” The present tense in this context may have a conative force.
[1:11] 96 tn Or “they have gone the way of Cain.”
[1:11] 98 tn The verb ἐκχέω (ekcew) normally means “pour out.” Here, in the passive, it occasionally has a reflexive idea, as BDAG 312 s.v. 3. suggests (with extra-biblical examples).
[1:11] 100 tn Grk “and.” See note on “perish” later in this verse.
[1:11] 101 tn The three verbs in this verse are all aorist indicative (“have gone down,” “have abandoned,” “have perished”). Although the first and second could be considered constative or ingressive, the last is almost surely proleptic (referring to the certainty of their future judgment). Although it may seem odd that a proleptic aorist is so casually connected to other aorists with a different syntactical force, it is not unparalleled (cf. Rom 8:30).
[1:12] 102 tn Grk “these are the men who are.”
[1:12] 103 tn Though σπιλάδες (spilades) is frequently translated “blemishes” or “stains,” such is actually a translation of the Greek word σπίλοι (spiloi). The two words are quite similar, especially in their root or lexical forms (σπιλάς [spila"] and σπίλος [spilos] respectively). Some scholars have suggested that σπιλάδες in this context means the same thing as σπίλοι. But such could be the case only by a stretch of the imagination (see BDAG 938 s.v. σπιλάς for discussion). Others suggest that Jude’s spelling was in error (which also is doubtful). One reason for the tension is that in the parallel passage, 2 Pet 2:13, the term used is indeed σπίλος. And if either Jude used 2 Peter or 2 Peter used Jude, one would expect to see the same word. Jude, however, may have changed the wording for the sake of a subtle wordplay. The word σπιλάς was often used of a mere rock, though it normally was associated with a rock along the shore or one jutting out in the water. Thus, the false teachers would appear as “rocks” – as pillars in the community (cf. Matt 16:18; Gal 2:9), when in reality if a believer got too close to them his faith would get shipwrecked. Some suggest that σπιλάδες here means “hidden rocks.” Though this meaning is attested for the word, it is inappropriate in this context, since these false teachers are anything but hidden. They are dangerous because undiscerning folks get close to them, thinking they are rocks and pillars, when they are really dangerous reefs.
[1:12] 104 tc Several witnesses (A Cvid 1243 1846 al), influenced by the parallel in 2 Pet 2:13, read ἀπάταις (apatai", “deceptions”) for ἀγάπαις (agapai", “love-feasts”) in v. 12. However, ἀγάπαις has much stronger and earlier support and should therefore be considered original.
[1:12] 105 tn Or “fearlessly.” The term in this context, however, is decidedly negative. The implication is that these false teachers ate the Lord’s Supper without regarding the sanctity of the meal. Cf. 1 Cor 11:17-22.
[1:12] 106 tn Grk “shepherding themselves.” The verb ποιμαίνω (poimainw) means “shepherd, nurture [the flock].” But these men, rather than tending to the flock of God, nurture only themselves. They thus fall under the condemnation Paul uttered when writing to the Corinthians: “For when it comes time to eat [the Lord’s Supper,] each one goes ahead with his own meal” (1 Cor 11:21). Above all, the love-feast was intended to be a shared meal in which all ate and all felt welcome.
[1:12] 107 tn “They are” is not in Greek, but resumes the thought begun at the front of v. 12. There is no period before “They are.” English usage requires breaking this into more than one sentence.
[1:12] 108 tn Cf. 2 Pet 2:17. Jude’s emphasis is slightly different (instead of waterless springs, they are waterless clouds).
[1:12] 109 sn The imagery portraying the false teachers as autumn trees without fruit has to do with their lack of productivity. Recall the statement to the same effect by Jesus in Matt 7:16-20, in which false prophets will be known by their fruits. Like waterless clouds full of false hope, these trees do not yield any harvest even though it is expected.
[1:12] 110 tn Grk “having died twice.”
[1:13] 111 tn Grk “wild waves of the sea.”
[1:13] 112 tn Grk “foaming, causing to foam.” The verb form is intensive and causative. BDAG 360 s.v. ἐπαφρίζω suggests the meaning “to cause to splash up like froth, cause to foam,” or, in this context, “waves casting up their own shameless deeds like (dirty) foam.”
[1:13] 113 tn Grk “shames, shameful things.” It is uncertain whether shameful deeds or shameful words are in view. Either way, the picture has taken a decided turn: Though waterless clouds and fruitless trees may promise good things, but deliver nothing, wild sea-waves are portents of filth spewed forth from the belly of the sea.
[1:13] 114 sn The imagery of a star seems to fit the nautical theme that Jude is developing. Stars were of course the guides to sailors at night, just as teachers are responsible to lead the flock through a benighted world. But false teachers, as wayward stars, are not fixed and hence offer unreliable, even disastrous guidance. They are thus both the dangerous reefs on which the ships could be destroyed and the false guides, leading them into these rocks. There is a special irony that these lights will be snuffed out, reserved for the darkest depths of eternal darkness.
[1:13] 115 tn Grk “utter darkness of darkness for eternity.” See note on the word “utter” in v. 6.
[1:14] 116 tn Grk “the seventh from Adam.”
[1:14] 117 tn Grk “against them.” The dative τούτοις (toutois) is a dativus incommodi (dative of disadvantage).
[1:14] 118 tn Grk “has come,” a proleptic aorist.
[1:14] 119 tn Grk “ten thousands.” The word μυριάς (muria"), from which the English myriad is derived, means “ten thousand.” In the plural it means “ten thousands.” This would mean, minimally, 20,000 (a multiple of ten thousand). At the same time, the term was often used in apocalyptic literature to represent simply a rather large number, without any attempt to be specific.
[1:15] 120 tn Grk “against” (κατά [kata] + genitive). English usage is satisfied with “on” at this point, but the parallel is lost in the translation to some degree, for the end of v. 15 says that this judgment is meted out on these sinners because they spoke against him (κατά + genitive).
[1:15] 122 tn Grk “of all their works of ungodliness.” The adverb “thoroughly” is part of the following verb “have committed.” See note on verb “committed” later in this verse.
[1:15] 123 tn The verb in Greek does not simply mean “have committed,” but “have committed in an ungodly way.” The verb ἀσεβέω (asebew) is cognate to the noun ἀσέβεια (asebeia, “ungodliness”). There is no easy way to express this in English, since English does not have a single word that means the same thing. Nevertheless, the tenor of v. 15 is plainly seen, regardless of the translation.
[1:15] 124 sn An apparent quotation from 1 En. 1:9. There is some doubt as to whether Jude is actually quoting from the text of 1 Enoch; the text here in Jude differs in some respects from the extant text of this pseudepigraphic book. It is sometimes suggested that Jude may instead have been quoting from oral tradition which had roots older than the written text.
[1:16] 125 tn “And” is not in Greek, but is supplied for the sake of English style.
[1:16] 126 tn Or “going.” Though the participle is anarthrous, so also is the subject. Thus, the participle could be either adverbial or adjectival.
[1:16] 127 tn Grk “(who go/going) according to their own lusts.”
[1:16] 128 tn Grk “and their mouth speaks bombastic things.”
[1:16] 129 sn Enchanting folks (Grk “awing faces”) refers to the fact that the speeches of these false teachers are powerful and seductive.
[1:16] 130 tn Or “to their own advantage.”
[1:17] 131 tn Grk “words.” In conjunction with προεῖπον (proeipon), however, the meaning of the construction is that the apostles uttered prophecies.
[1:17] 132 sn This verse parallels 2 Pet 3:2 both conceptually and in much of the verbiage. There is one important difference, however: In 2 Pet 3:2 the prophets and apostles speak; here, just the apostles speak. This makes good sense if Jude is using 2 Peter as his main source and is urging his readers to go back to the authoritative writings, both OT and now especially NT.
