Discovery BoxJoshua 24:2
Context24:2 Joshua told all the people, “Here is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘In the distant past your ancestors 1 lived beyond the Euphrates River, 2 including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor. They worshiped 3 other gods,
Joshua 24:15
Context24:15 If you have no desire 4 to worship 5 the Lord, choose today whom you will worship, 6 whether it be the gods whom your ancestors 7 worshiped 8 beyond the Euphrates, 9 or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But I and my family 10 will worship 11 the Lord!”
Psalms 115:4-8
Context115:4 Their 12 idols are made of silver and gold –
they are man-made. 13
115:5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see,
115:6 ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell,
115:7 hands, but cannot touch,
feet, but cannot walk.
They cannot even clear their throats. 14
115:8 Those who make them will end up 15 like them,
as will everyone who trusts in them.
Psalms 135:15-18
Context135:15 The nations’ idols are made of silver and gold,
they are man-made. 16
135:16 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see,
135:17 and ears, but cannot hear.
Indeed, they cannot breathe. 17
135:18 Those who make them will end up 18 like them,
as will everyone who trusts in them.
Isaiah 44:9-20
Context44:9 All who form idols are nothing;
the things in which they delight are worthless.
Their witnesses cannot see;
they recognize nothing, so they are put to shame.
44:10 Who forms a god and casts an idol
that will prove worthless? 19
44:11 Look, all his associates 20 will be put to shame;
the craftsmen are mere humans. 21
Let them all assemble and take their stand!
They will panic and be put to shame.
44:12 A blacksmith works with his tool 22
and forges metal over the coals.
He forms it 23 with hammers;
he makes it with his strong arm.
He gets hungry and loses his energy; 24
he drinks no water and gets tired.
44:13 A carpenter takes measurements; 25
he marks out an outline of its form; 26
he scrapes 27 it with chisels,
and marks it with a compass.
He patterns it after the human form, 28
like a well-built human being,
and puts it in a shrine. 29
44:14 He cuts down cedars
and acquires a cypress 30 or an oak.
He gets 31 trees from the forest;
he plants a cedar 32 and the rain makes it grow.
44:15 A man uses it to make a fire; 33
he takes some of it and warms himself.
Yes, he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
Then he makes a god and worships it;
he makes an idol and bows down to it. 34
44:16 Half of it he burns in the fire –
over that half he cooks 35 meat;
he roasts a meal and fills himself.
Yes, he warms himself and says,
‘Ah! I am warm as I look at the fire.’
44:17 With the rest of it he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships it.
He prays to it, saying,
‘Rescue me, for you are my god!’
44:18 They do not comprehend or understand,
for their eyes are blind and cannot see;
their minds do not discern. 36
44:19 No one thinks to himself,
nor do they comprehend or understand and say to themselves:
‘I burned half of it in the fire –
yes, I baked bread over the coals;
I roasted meat and ate it.
With the rest of it should I make a disgusting idol?
Should I bow down to dry wood?’ 37
his deceived mind misleads him.
He cannot rescue himself,
nor does he say, ‘Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?’ 39
Jeremiah 10:3-16
Context10:3 For the religion 40 of these people is worthless.
They cut down a tree in the forest,
and a craftsman makes it into an idol with his tools. 41
10:4 He decorates it with overlays of silver and gold.
He uses hammer and nails to fasten it 42 together
so that it will not fall over.
10:5 Such idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field.
They cannot talk.
They must be carried
because they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of them
because they cannot hurt you.
And they do not have any power to help you.” 43
“There is no one like you, Lord. 45
You are great.
And you are renowned for your power. 46
10:7 Everyone should revere you, O King of all nations, 47
because you deserve to be revered. 48
For there is no one like you
among any of the wise people of the nations nor among any of their kings. 49
10:8 The people of those nations 50 are both stupid and foolish.
Instruction from a wooden idol is worthless! 51
10:9 Hammered-out silver is brought from Tarshish 52
and gold is brought from Uphaz 53 to cover those idols. 54
They are the handiwork of carpenters and goldsmiths. 55
They are clothed in blue and purple clothes. 56
They are all made by skillful workers. 57
10:10 The Lord is the only true God.
He is the living God and the everlasting King.
When he shows his anger the earth shakes.
None of the nations can stand up to his fury.
10:11 You people of Israel should tell those nations this:
‘These gods did not make heaven and earth.
They will disappear 58 from the earth and from under the heavens.’ 59
10:12 The Lord is the one who 60 by his power made the earth.
He is the one who by his wisdom established the world.
And by his understanding he spread out the skies.
10:13 When his voice thunders, 61 the heavenly ocean roars.
He makes the clouds rise from the far-off horizons. 62
He makes the lightning flash out in the midst of the rain.
He unleashes the wind from the places where he stores it. 63
10:14 All these idolaters 64 will prove to be stupid and ignorant.
Every goldsmith will be disgraced by the idol he made.
For the image he forges is merely a sham. 65
There is no breath in any of those idols. 66
10:15 They are worthless, mere objects to be mocked. 67
When the time comes to punish them, they will be destroyed.
10:16 The Lord, who is the inheritance 68 of Jacob’s descendants, 69 is not like them.
He is the one who created everything.
And the people of Israel are those he claims as his own. 70
He is known as the Lord who rules over all.” 71
Acts 14:12
Context14:12 They began to call 72 Barnabas Zeus 73 and Paul Hermes, 74 because he was the chief speaker.
Acts 17:29
Context17:29 So since we are God’s offspring, we should not think the deity 75 is like gold or silver or stone, an image 76 made by human 77 skill 78 and imagination. 79
Romans 1:23
Context1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings 80 or birds or four-footed animals 81 or reptiles.
Romans 1:1
Context1:1 From Paul, 82 a slave 83 of Christ Jesus, 84 called to be an apostle, 85 set apart for the gospel of God. 86
Colossians 1:4
Context1:4 since 87 we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints.
Colossians 1:19-20
Context1:19 For God 88 was pleased to have all his 89 fullness dwell 90 in the Son 91
1:20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross – through him, 92 whether things on earth or things in heaven.
Colossians 1:2
Context1:2 to the saints, the faithful 93 brothers and sisters 94 in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you 95 from God our Father! 96
Colossians 1:1
Context1:1 From Paul, 97 an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
Colossians 1:9
Context1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, 98 have not ceased praying for you and asking God 99 to fill 100 you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
Colossians 1:1
Context1:1 From Paul, 101 an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
Colossians 4:3
Context4:3 At the same time pray 102 for us too, that 103 God may open a door for the message 104 so that we may proclaim 105 the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 106
[24:2] 1 tn Heb “your fathers.”
[24:2] 2 tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:15] 4 tn Heb “if it is bad in your eyes.”
[24:15] 7 tn Heb “your fathers.”
[24:15] 9 tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity; see v. 3.
[24:15] 11 tn Or “will serve.”
[115:4] 12 tn The referent of the pronominal suffix is “the nations” (v. 2).
[115:4] 13 tn Heb “the work of the hands of man.”
[115:7] 14 tn Heb “they cannot mutter in their throats.” Verse 5a refers to speaking, v. 7c to inarticulate sounds made in the throat (see M. Dahood, Psalms [AB], 3:140-41).
[115:8] 15 tn Heb “will be.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a prayer, “may those who make them end up like them.”
[135:15] 16 tn Heb “the work of the hands of man.”
[135:17] 17 tn Heb “indeed, there is not breath in their mouth.” For the collocation אַף אֵין (’af ’en, “indeed, there is not”) see Isa 41:26. Another option is to take אַף as “nose” (see Ps 115:6), in which case one might translate, “a nose, [but] they have no breath in their mouths.”
[135:18] 18 tn Heb “will be.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a prayer, “may those who make them end up like them.”
[44:10] 19 tn The rhetorical question is sarcastic. The sense is, “Who is foolish enough…?”
[44:11] 20 tn The pronoun “his” probably refers to the one who forms/casts an idol (v. 10), in which case it refers to the craftsman’s associates in the idol-manufacturing guild.
[44:11] 21 sn The point seems to be this: If the idols are the mere products of human hands, then those who trust in them will be disappointed, for man-made gods are incapable of helping their “creators.”
[44:12] 22 tn The noun מַעֲצָד (ma’atsad), which refers to some type of tool used for cutting, occurs only here and in Jer 10:3. See HALOT 615 s.v. מַעֲצָד.
[44:12] 23 tn Some English versions take the pronoun “it” to refer to an idol being fashioned by the blacksmith (cf. NIV, NCV, CEV). NLT understands the referent to be “a sharp tool,” which is then used by the carpenter in the following verse to carve an idol from wood.
[44:12] 24 tn Heb “and there is no strength”; NASB “his strength fails.”
[44:13] 25 tn Heb “stretches out a line” (ASV similar); NIV “measures with a line.”
[44:13] 26 tn Heb “he makes an outline with the [?].” The noun שֶׂרֶד (shered) occurs only here; it apparently refers to some type of tool or marker. Cf. KJV “with a line”; ASV “with a pencil”; NAB, NRSV “with a stylus”; NASB “with red chalk”; NIV “with a marker.”
[44:13] 27 tn Heb “works” (so NASB) or “fashions” (so NRSV); NIV “he roughs it out.”
[44:13] 28 tn Heb “he makes it like the pattern of a man”; NAB “like a man in appearance.”
[44:13] 29 tn Heb “like the glory of man to sit [in] a house”; NIV “that it may dwell in a shrine.”
[44:14] 30 tn It is not certain what type of tree this otherwise unattested noun refers to. Cf. ASV “a holm-tree” (NRSV similar).
[44:14] 31 tn Heb “strengthens for himself,” i.e., “secures for himself” (see BDB 55 s.v. אָמֵץ Pi.2).
[44:14] 32 tn Some prefer to emend אֹרֶן (’oren) to אֶרֶז (’erez, “cedar”), but the otherwise unattested noun appears to have an Akkadian cognate, meaning “cedar.” See H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 44-45. HALOT 90 s.v. I אֹרֶן offers the meaning “laurel.”
[44:15] 33 tn Heb “and it becomes burning [i.e., firewood] for a man”; NAB “to serve man for fuel.”
[44:15] 34 tn Or perhaps, “them.”
[44:16] 35 tn Heb “eats” (so NASB); NAB, NRSV “roasts.”
[44:18] 36 tn Heb “for their eyes are smeared over so they cannot see, so their heart cannot be wise.”
[44:19] 37 tn There is no formal interrogative sign here, but the context seems to indicate these are rhetorical questions. See GKC 473 §150.a.
[44:20] 38 tn Or perhaps, “he eats on an ash heap.”
[44:20] 39 tn Heb “Is it not a lie in my right hand?”
[10:3] 40 tn Heb “statutes.” According to BDB 350 s.v. חֻקָּה 2.b it refers to the firmly established customs or practices of the pagan nations. Compare the usage in Lev 20:23; 2 Kgs 17:8. Here it is essentially equivalent to דֶּרֶךְ (derekh) in v. 1, which has already been translated “religious practices.”
[10:3] 41 sn This passage is dripping with sarcasm. It begins by talking about the “statutes” of the pagan peoples as a “vapor” using a singular copula and singular predicate. Then it suppresses the subject, the idol, as though it were too horrible to mention, using only the predications about it. The last two lines read literally: “[it is] a tree which one cuts down from the forest; the work of the hands of a craftsman with his chisel.”
[10:4] 42 tn The pronoun is plural in Hebrew, referring to the parts.
[10:5] 43 tn Heb “And it is not in them to do good either.”
[10:6] 44 tn The words “I said” are not in the Hebrew text, but there appears to be a shift in speaker. Someone is now addressing the
[10:6] 45 tn The form that introduces this line has raised debate. The form מֵאֵין (me’en) normally means “without” and introduces a qualification of a term expressing desolation or “so that not” and introduces a negative result (cf. BDB 35 s.v. II אַיִן 6.b). Neither of these nuances fit either this verse or the occurrence in v. 7. BDB 35 s.v. II אַיִן 6.b.γ notes that some have explained this as a strengthened form of אַיִן (’ayin) which occurs in a similar phrase five other times (cf., e.g., 1 Kgs 8:23). Though many including BDB question the validity of this solution it is probably better than the suggestion that BDB gives of repointing to מֵאַיִן (me’ayin, “whence”), which scarcely fits the context of v. 7, or the solution of HALOT 41 s.v. I אַיִן, which suggests that the מ (mem) is a double writing (dittograph) of the final consonant from the preceding word. That would assume that the scribe made the same error twice or was influenced the second time by the first erroneous writing.
[10:6] 46 tn Heb “Great is your name in power.”
[10:7] 47 tn Heb “Who should not revere you…?” The question is rhetorical and expects a negative answer.
[10:7] 48 tn Heb “For it is fitting to you.”
[10:7] 49 tn Heb “their royalty/dominion.” This is a case of substitution of the abstract for the concrete “royalty, royal power” for “kings” who exercise it.
[10:8] 50 tn Or “Those wise people and kings are…” It is unclear whether the subject is the “they” of the nations in the preceding verse, or the wise people and kings referred to. The text merely has “they.”
[10:8] 51 tn Heb “The instruction of vanities [worthless idols] is wood.” The meaning of this line is a little uncertain. Various proposals have been made to make sense, most of which involve radical emendation of the text. For some examples see J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah (NICOT), 323-24, fn 6. However, this is probably a case of the bold predication that discussed in GKC 452 §141.d, some examples of which may be seen in Ps 109:4 “I am prayer,” and Ps 120:7 “I am peace.”
[10:9] 52 tc Two Qumran scrolls of Jeremiah (4QJera and 4QJerb) reflect a Hebrew text that is very different than the traditional MT from which modern Bibles have been translated. The Hebrew text in these two manuscripts is similar to that from which LXX was translated. This is true both in small details and in major aspects where the LXX differs from MT. Most notably, 4QJera, 4QJerb and LXX present a version of Jeremiah about 13% shorter than the longer version found in MT. One example of this shorter text is Jer 10:3-11 in which MT and 4QJera both have all nine verses, while LXX and 4QJerb both lack vv. 6-8 and 10, which extol the greatness of God. In addition, the latter part of v. 9 is arranged differently in LXX and 4QJerb. The translation here follows MT which is supported by 4QJera.
[10:9] 53 tn This is a place of unknown location. It is mentioned again in Dan 10:5. Many emend the word to “Ophir” following the Syriac version and the Aramaic Targum. Ophir was famous for its gold (cf. 1 Kgs 9:28; Job 28:16).
[10:9] 54 tn The words “to cover those idols” are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[10:9] 55 tn The words “They are” are not in the text. The text reads merely, “the work of the carpenter and of the hands of the goldsmith.” The words are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[10:9] 56 tn Heb “Blue and purple their clothing.”
[10:9] 57 sn There is an ironic pun in this last line. The Hebrew word translated “skillful workers” is the same word that is translated “wise people” in v. 7. The artisans do their work skillfully but they are not “wise.”
[10:11] 58 tn Aram “The gods who did not make…earth will disappear…” The sentence is broken up in the translation to avoid a long, complex English sentence in conformity with contemporary English style.
[10:11] 59 tn This verse is in Aramaic. It is the only Aramaic sentence in Jeremiah. Scholars debate the appropriateness of this verse to this context. Many see it as a gloss added by a postexilic scribe which was later incorporated into the text. Both R. E. Clendenen (“Discourse Strategies in Jeremiah 10,” JBL 106 [1987]: 401-8) and W. L. Holladay (Jeremiah [Hermeneia], 1:324-25, 334-35) have given detailed arguments that the passage is not only original but the climax and center of the contrast between the
[10:12] 60 tn The words “The
[10:13] 61 tn Heb “At the voice of his giving.” The idiom “to give the voice” is often used for thunder (cf. BDB 679 s.v. נָתַן Qal.1.x).
[10:13] 62 tn Heb “from the ends of the earth.”
[10:13] 63 tn Heb “he brings out the winds from his storehouses.”
[10:14] 64 tn Heb “Every man.” But in the context this is not a reference to all people without exception but to all idolaters. The referent is made explicit for the sake of clarity.
[10:14] 65 tn Or “nothing but a phony god”; Heb “a lie/falsehood.”
[10:14] 66 tn Heb “There is no breath in them.” The referent is made explicit so that no one will mistakenly take it to refer to the idolaters or goldsmiths.
[10:15] 67 tn Or “objects of mockery.”
[10:16] 68 tn The words “The
[10:16] 69 tn Heb “The Portion of Jacob.” “Descendants” is implied, and is supplied in the translation for clarity.
[10:16] 70 tn Heb “And Israel is the tribe of his possession.”
[10:16] 71 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies is his name.”
[14:12] 72 tn The imperfect verb ἐκάλουν (ekaloun) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
[14:12] 73 sn Zeus was the chief Greek deity, worshiped throughout the Greco-Roman world (known to the Romans as Jupiter).
[14:12] 74 sn Hermes was a Greek god who (according to Greek mythology) was the messenger of the gods and the god of oratory (equivalent to the Roman god Mercury).
[17:29] 75 tn Or “the divine being.” BDAG 446 s.v. θεῖος 1.b has “divine being, divinity” here.
[17:29] 76 tn Or “a likeness.” Again idolatry is directly attacked as an affront to God and a devaluation of him.
[17:29] 77 tn Grk “by the skill and imagination of man,” but ἀνθρώπου (anqrwpou) has been translated as an attributive genitive.
[17:29] 78 tn Or “craftsmanship” (cf. BDAG 1001 s.v. τέχνη).
[17:29] 79 tn Or “thought.” BDAG 336 s.v. ἐνθύμησις has “thought, reflection, idea” as the category of meaning here, but in terms of creativity (as in the context) the imaginative faculty is in view.
[1:23] 80 tn Grk “exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God in likeness of an image of corruptible man.” Here there is a wordplay on the Greek terms ἄφθαρτος (afqarto", “immortal, imperishable, incorruptible”) and φθαρτός (fqarto", “mortal, corruptible, subject to decay”).
[1:23] 81 sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 106:19-20.
[1:1] 82 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
[1:1] 83 tn Traditionally, “servant.” 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.). 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] 84 tc Many important
[1:1] 85 tn Grk “a called apostle.”
[1:1] 86 tn The genitive in the phrase εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ (euangelion qeou, “the gospel of God”) could be translated as (1) a subjective genitive (“the gospel which God brings”) or (2) an objective genitive (“the gospel about God”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, an interplay between the two concepts is intended: The gospel which God brings is in fact the gospel about himself. However, in view of God’s action in v. 2 concerning this gospel, a subjective genitive notion (“the gospel which God brings”) is slightly preferred.
[1:4] 87 tn The adverbial participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") is understood to be temporal and translated with “since.” A causal idea may also be in the apostle’s mind, but the context emphasizes temporal ideas, e.g., “from the day” (v. 6).
[1:19] 88 tn The noun “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but since God is the one who reconciles the world to himself (cf. 2 Cor 5:19), he is clearly the subject of εὐδόκησεν (eudokhsen).
[1:19] 89 tn The Greek article τό (to), insofar as it relates to God, may be translated as a possessive pronoun, i.e., “his.” BDAG 404 s.v. εὐδοκέω 1 translates the phrase as “all the fullness willed to dwell in him” thus leaving the referent as impersonal. Insofar as Paul is alluding to the so-called emanations from God this is acceptable. But the fact that “the fullness” dwells in a person (i.e., “in him”) seems to argue for the translation “his fullness” where “his” refers to God.
[1:19] 90 tn The aorist verb κατοικῆσαι (katoikhsai) could be taken as an ingressive, in which case it refers to the incarnation and may be translated as “begin to dwell, to take up residence.” It is perhaps better, though, to take it as a constative aorist and simply a reference to the fact that the fullness of God dwells in Jesus Christ. This is a permanent dwelling, though, not a temporary one, as the present tense in 2:9 makes clear.
[1:19] 91 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the Son; see v. 13) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:20] 92 tc The presence or absence of the second occurrence of the phrase δι᾿ αὐτοῦ (di’ autou, “through him”) is a difficult textual problem to solve. External evidence is fairly evenly divided. Many ancient and excellent witnesses lack the phrase (B D* F G I 0278 81 1175 1739 1881 2464 al latt sa), but equally important witnesses have it (Ì46 א A C D1 Ψ 048vid 33 Ï). Both readings have strong Alexandrian support, which makes the problem difficult to decide on external evidence alone. Internal evidence points to the inclusion of the phrase as original. The word immediately preceding the phrase is the masculine pronoun αὐτοῦ (autou); thus the possibility of omission through homoioteleuton in various witnesses is likely. Scribes might have deleted the phrase because of perceived redundancy or awkwardness in the sense: The shorter reading is smoother and more elegant, so scribes would be prone to correct the text in that direction. As far as style is concerned, repetition of key words and phrases for emphasis is not foreign to the corpus Paulinum (see, e.g., Rom 8:23, Eph 1:13, 2 Cor 12:7). In short, it is easier to account for the shorter reading arising from the longer reading than vice versa, so the longer reading is more likely original.
[1:2] 93 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] 94 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] 95 tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”
[1:2] 96 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
[1:1] 97 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
[1:9] 98 tn Or “heard about it”; Grk “heard.” There is no direct object stated in the Greek (direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context). A direct object is expected by an English reader, however, so most translations supply one. Here, however, it is not entirely clear what the author “heard”: a number of translations supply “it” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV; NAB “this”), but this could refer back either to (1) “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8, or (2) “your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints” (v. 4). In light of this uncertainty, other translations supply “about you” (TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). This is preferred by the present translation since, while it does not resolve the ambiguity entirely, it does make it less easy for the English reader to limit the reference only to “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8.
[1:9] 99 tn The term “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but the following reference to “the knowledge of his will” makes it clear that “God” is in view as the object of the “praying and asking,” and should therefore be included in the English translation for clarity.
[1:9] 100 tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated as substantival, indicating the content of the prayer and asking. The idea of purpose may also be present in this clause.
[1:1] 101 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
[4:3] 102 tn Though προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi) is an adverbial participle related to the previous imperative, προσκαρτερεῖτε (proskartereite), it is here translated as an independent clause due to requirements of contemporary English style.
[4:3] 103 tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been rendered as substantival here, indicating the content of the prayer rather than the purpose for it. These two ideas are very similar and difficult to differentiate in this passage, but the conjunction ἵνα following a verb of praying is generally regarded as giving the content of the prayer.
[4:3] 104 tn Grk “that God may open for us a door of the word to speak the mystery of Christ.” The construction in Greek is somewhat awkward in this clause. The translation attempts to simplify this structure somewhat and yet communicate exactly what Paul is asking for.
