Luke 15:4-5

15:4 “Which one ¹  of you, if he has a hundred ²  sheep and loses one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture ³  and go look for ⁴  the one that is lost until he finds it? ⁵  15:5 Then ⁶  when he has found it, he places it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

Luke 15:20-24

15:20 So ⁷  he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way from home ⁸  his father saw him, and his heart went out to him; ⁹  he ran and hugged ¹⁰  his son ¹¹  and kissed him. 15:21 Then ¹²  his son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven ¹³  and against you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ ¹⁴  15:22 But the father said to his slaves, ¹⁵  ‘Hurry! Bring the best robe, ¹⁶  and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger ¹⁷  and sandals ¹⁸  on his feet! 15:23 Bring ¹⁹  the fattened calf ²⁰  and kill it! Let us eat ²¹  and celebrate, 15:24 because this son of mine was dead, and is alive again – he was lost and is found!’ ²²  So ²³  they began to celebrate.

Luke 19:10

19:10 For the Son of Man came ²⁴  to seek and to save the lost.”

Job 33:27-30

33:27 That person sings ²⁵  to others, ²⁶  saying:

‘I have sinned and falsified what is right,

but I was not punished according to what I deserved. ²⁷ 

33:28 He redeemed my life ²⁸ 

from going down to the place of corruption,

and my life sees the light!’

Elihu’s Appeal to Job ²⁹ 

33:29 “Indeed, God does all these things,

twice, three times, in his dealings ³⁰  with a person,

33:30 to turn back his life from the place of corruption,

that he may be enlightened with the light of life.

Psalms 32:5

32:5 Then I confessed my sin;

I no longer covered up my wrongdoing.

I said, “I will confess ³¹  my rebellious acts to the Lord.”

And then you forgave my sins. ³²  (Selah)

Psalms 50:15

50:15 Pray to me when you are in trouble! ³³ 

I will deliver you, and you will honor me!” ³⁴ 

Isaiah 1:18-19

1:18 ³⁵ Come, let’s consider your options,” ³⁶  says the Lord.

“Though your sins have stained you like the color red,

you can become ³⁷  white like snow;

though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet,

you can become ³⁸  white like wool. ³⁹ 

1:19 If you have a willing attitude and obey, ⁴⁰ 

then you will again eat the good crops of the land.

Isaiah 53:11

53:11 Having suffered, he will reflect on his work,

he will be satisfied when he understands what he has done. ⁴¹ 

“My servant ⁴²  will acquit many, ⁴³ 

for he carried their sins. ⁴⁴ 

Isaiah 55:6-9

55:6 Seek the Lord while he makes himself available; ⁴⁵ 

call to him while he is nearby!

55:7 The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle ⁴⁶ 

and sinful people their plans. ⁴⁷ 

They should return ⁴⁸  to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them, ⁴⁹ 

and to their God, for he will freely forgive them. ⁵⁰ 

55:8 “Indeed, ⁵¹  my plans ⁵²  are not like ⁵³  your plans,

and my deeds ⁵⁴  are not like ⁵⁵  your deeds,

55:9 for just as the sky ⁵⁶  is higher than the earth,

so my deeds ⁵⁷  are superior to ⁵⁸  your deeds

and my plans ⁵⁹  superior to your plans.

Isaiah 65:24

65:24 Before they even call out, ⁶⁰  I will respond;

while they are still speaking, I will hear.

Micah 7:18

7:18 There is no other God like you! ⁶¹ 

You ⁶²  forgive sin

and pardon ⁶³  the rebellion

of those who remain among your people. ⁶⁴ 

You do not remain angry forever, ⁶⁵ 

but delight in showing loyal love.

Matthew 20:15-16

20:15 Am I not ⁶⁶  permitted to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ ⁶⁷  20:16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”

Romans 5:20-21

5:20 Now the law came in ⁶⁸  so that the transgression ⁶⁹  may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more, 5:21 so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:1

The Expectation of Justification

5:1 ⁷⁰ Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have ⁷¹  peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Romans 1:15-16

1:15 Thus I am eager ⁷²  also to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome. ⁷³ 

The Power of the Gospel

1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ⁷⁴ 

Hebrews 7:25

7:25 So he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

[15:4]  ¹ tn Grk “What man.” The Greek word ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a somewhat generic sense.

[15:4]  ² sn This individual with a hundred sheep is a shepherd of modest means, as flocks often had up to two hundred head of sheep.

[15:4]  ³ tn Or “desert,” but here such a translation might suggest neglect of the 99 sheep left behind.

[15:4]  ⁴ tn Grk “go after,” but in contemporary English the idiom “to look for” is used to express this.

[15:4]  ⁵ sn Until he finds it. The parable pictures God’s pursuit of the sinner. On the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, see John 10:1-18.

[15:5]  ⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[15:20]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the son’s decision to return home. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.

[15:20]  ⁸ tn Grk “a long way off from [home].” The word “home” is implied (L&N 85.16).

[15:20]  ⁹ tn Or “felt great affection for him,” “felt great pity for him.”

[15:20]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “he fell on his neck,” an idiom for showing special affection for someone by throwing one’s arms around them. The picture is of the father hanging on the son’s neck in welcome.

[15:20]  ¹¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (the son) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:21]  ¹² tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[15:21]  ¹³ sn The phrase against heaven is a circumlocution for God. 1st century Judaism tended to minimize use of the divine name out of reverence.

[15:21]  ¹⁴ sn The younger son launches into his confession just as he had planned. See vv. 18-19.

[15:22]  ¹⁵ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.

[15:22]  ¹⁶ sn With the instructions Hurry! Bring the best robe, there is a total acceptance of the younger son back into the home.

[15:22]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “hand”; but χείρ (ceir) can refer to either the whole hand or any relevant part of it (L&N 8.30).

[15:22]  ¹⁸ sn The need for sandals underlines the younger son’s previous destitution, because he was barefoot.

[15:23]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “And bring.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[15:23]  ²⁰ tn Or “the prize calf” (L&N 65.8). See also L&N 44.2, “grain-fattened.” Such a calf was usually reserved for religious celebrations.

[15:23]  ²¹ tn The participle φαγόντες (fagontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[15:24]  ²² sn This statement links the parable to the theme of 15:6, 9.

[15:24]  ²³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the father’s remarks in the preceding verses.

[19:10]  ²⁴ sn The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost is Jesus’ mission succinctly defined. See Luke 15:1-32.

[33:27]  ²⁵ tc The verb יָשֹׁר (yashor) is unusual. The typical view is to change it to יָשִׁיר (yashir, “he sings”), but that may seem out of harmony with a confession. Dhorme suggests a root שׁוּר (shur, “to repeat”), but this is a doubtful root. J. Reider reads it יָשֵׁיר (yasher) and links it to an Arabic word “confesses” (ZAW 24 [1953]: 275).

[33:27]  ²⁶ tn Heb “to men.”

[33:27]  ²⁷ tn The verb שָׁוָה (shavah) has the impersonal meaning here, “it has not been requited to me.” The meaning is that the sinner has not been treated in accordance with his deeds: “I was not punished according to what I deserved.”

[33:28]  ²⁸ sn See note on “him” in v. 24.

[33:29]  ²⁹ sn Elihu will repeat these instructions for Job to listen, over and over in painful repetition. See note on the heading to 32:1.

[33:29]  ³⁰ tn The phrase “in his dealings” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[32:5]  ³¹ tn The Hiphil of ידה normally means “give thanks, praise,” but here, as in Prov 28:13, it means “confess.”

[32:5]  ³² tn Heb “the wrongdoing of my sin.” By joining synonyms for “sin” in this way, the psalmist may be emphasizing the degree of his wrongdoing.

[50:15]  ³³ tn Heb “call [to] me in a day of trouble.”

[50:15]  ³⁴ sn In vv. 7-15 the Lord makes it clear that he was not rebuking Israel because they had failed to offer sacrifices (v. 8a). On the contrary, they had been faithful in doing so (v. 8b). However, their understanding of the essence of their relationship with God was confused. Apparently they believed that he needed/desired such sacrifices and that offering them would ensure their prosperity. But the Lord owns all the animals of the world and did not need Israel’s meager sacrifices (vv. 9-13). Other aspects of the relationship were more important to the Lord. He desired Israel to be thankful for his blessings (v. 14a), to demonstrate gratitude for his intervention by repaying the vows they made to him (v. 14b), and to acknowledge their absolute dependence on him (v. 15a). Rather than viewing their sacrifices as somehow essential to God’s well-being, they needed to understand their dependence on him.

[1:18]  ³⁵ sn The Lord concludes his case against Israel by offering them the opportunity to be forgiven and by setting before them the alternatives of renewed blessing (as a reward for repentance) and final judgment (as punishment for persistence in sin).

[1:18]  ³⁶ tn Traditionally, “let us reason together,” but the context suggests a judicial nuance. The Lord is giving the nation its options for the future.

[1:18]  ³⁷ tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.

[1:18]  ³⁸ tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.

[1:18]  ³⁹ tn Heb “though your sins are like red, they will become white like snow; though they are red like scarlet, they will be like wool.” The point is not that the sins will be covered up, though still retained. The metaphorical language must be allowed some flexibility and should not be pressed into a rigid literalistic mold. The people’s sins will be removed and replaced by ethical purity. The sins that are now as obvious as the color red will be washed away and the ones who are sinful will be transformed.

[1:19]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “listen”; KJV “obedient”; NASB “If you consent and obey.”

[53:11]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “he will be satisfied by his knowledge,” i.e., “when he knows.” The preposition is understood as temporal and the suffix as a subjective genitive. Some take בְּדַעְתּוֹ (bÿda’to, “by his knowledge”) with what follows and translate “by knowledge of him,” understanding the preposition as instrumental and the suffix as objective.

[53:11]  ⁴² sn The song ends as it began (cf. 52:13-15), with the Lord announcing the servant’s vindication and exaltation.

[53:11]  ⁴³ tn Heb “he will acquit, a righteous one, my servant, many.” צַדִּיק (tsadiq) may refer to the servant, but more likely it is dittographic (note the preceding verb יַצְדִּיק, yatsdiq). The precise meaning of the verb (the Hiphil of צָדַק, tsadaq) is debated. Elsewhere the Hiphil is used at least six times in the sense of “make righteous” in a legal sense, i.e., “pronounce innocent, acquit” (see Exod 23:7; Deut 25:1; 1 Kgs 8:32 = 2 Chr 6:23; Prov 17:15; Isa 5:23). It can also mean “render justice” (as a royal function, see 2 Sam 15:4; Ps 82:3), “concede” (Job 27:5), “vindicate” (Isa 50:8), and “lead to righteousness” (by teaching and example, Dan 12:3). The preceding context and the next line suggest a legal sense here. Because of his willingness to carry the people’s sins, the servant is able to “acquit” them.

[53:11]  ⁴⁴ tn The circumstantial clause (note the vav [ו] + object + subject + verb pattern) is understood as causal here. The prefixed verb form is either a preterite or an imperfect used in a customary manner.

[55:6]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “while he allows himself to be found.” The Niphal form has a tolerative force here.

[55:7]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “Let the wicked one abandon his way.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “and the man of evil his thoughts.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “let him return.” The singular is collective, meaning “let them.”

[55:7]  ⁴⁹ tn The imperfect with vav (ו) conjunctive after the jussive indicates purpose/result.

[55:7]  ⁵⁰ sn The appeal and promise of vv. 6-7 echoes the language of Deut 4:25-31; 30:1-10; and 1 Kgs 8:46-53, all of which anticipate the exile and speak of the prerequisites for restoration.

[55:8]  ⁵¹ tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV).

[55:8]  ⁵² tn Or “thoughts” (so many English versions).

[55:8]  ⁵³ tn Heb “are not.” “Like” is interpretive, but v. 9 indicates that a comparison is in view.

[55:8]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “ways” (so many English versions).

[55:8]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “are not.” “Like” is interpretive, but v. 9 indicates that a comparison is in view.

[55:9]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[55:9]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “ways” (so many English versions).

[55:9]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “are higher than.”

[55:9]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “thoughts” (so many English versions).

[65:24]  ⁶⁰ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[7:18]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “Who is a God like you?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No one!”

[7:18]  ⁶² tn Heb “one who.” The prayer moves from direct address (second person) in v. 18a to a descriptive (third person) style in vv. 18b-19a and then back to direct address (second person) in vv. 19b-20. Due to considerations of English style and the unfamiliarity of the modern reader with alternation of persons in Hebrew poetry, the entire section has been rendered as direct address (second person) in the translation.

[7:18]  ⁶³ tn Heb “pass over.”

[7:18]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “of the remnant of his inheritance.”

[7:18]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “he does not keep hold of his anger forever.”

[20:15]  ⁶⁶ tc ‡ Before οὐκ (ouk, “[am I] not”) a number of significant witnesses read ἤ (h, “or”; e.g., א C W 085 Ë^1,13 33 and most others). Although in later Greek the οι in σοι (oi in soi) – the last word of v. 14 – would have been pronounced like ἤ, since ἤ is lacking in early mss (B D; among later witnesses, note L Z Θ 700) and since mss were probably copied predominantly by sight rather than by sound, even into the later centuries, the omission of ἤ cannot be accounted for as easily. Thus the shorter reading is most likely original. NA²⁷ includes the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[20:15]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “Is your eye evil because I am good?”

[5:20]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “slipped in.”

[5:20]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “trespass.”

[5:1]  ⁷⁰ sn Many interpreters see Rom 5:1 as beginning the second major division of the letter.

[5:1]  ⁷¹ tc A number of important witnesses have the subjunctive ἔχωμεν (ecwmen, “let us have”) instead of ἔχομεν (ecomen, “we have”) in v. 1. Included in the subjunctive’s support are א* A B* C D K L 33 81 630 1175 1739* pm lat bo. But the indicative is not without its supporters: א¹ B² F G P Ψ 0220^vid 104 365 1241 1505 1506 1739^c 1881 2464 pm. If the problem were to be solved on an external basis only, the subjunctive would be preferred. Because of this, the “A” rating on behalf of the indicative in the UBS⁴ appears overly confident. Nevertheless, the indicative is probably correct. First, the earliest witness to Rom 5:1 has the indicative (0220^vid, third century). Second, the first set of correctors is sometimes, if not often, of equal importance with the original hand. Hence, א¹ might be given equal value with א*. Third, there is a good cross-section of witnesses for the indicative: Alexandrian (in 0220^vid, probably א¹ 1241 1506 1881 al), Western (in F G), and Byzantine (noted in NA²⁷ as pm). Thus, although the external evidence is strongly in favor of the subjunctive, the indicative is represented well enough that its ancestry could easily go back to the original. Turning to the internal evidence, the indicative gains much ground. (1) The variant may have been produced via an error of hearing (since omicron and omega were pronounced alike in ancient Greek). This, of course, does not indicate which reading was original – just that an error of hearing may have produced one of them. In light of the indecisiveness of the transcriptional evidence, intrinsic evidence could play a much larger role. This is indeed the case here. (2) The indicative fits well with the overall argument of the book to this point. Up until now, Paul has been establishing the “indicatives of the faith.” There is only one imperative (used rhetorically) and only one hortatory subjunctive (and this in a quotation within a diatribe) up till this point, while from ch. 6 on there are sixty-one imperatives and seven hortatory subjunctives. Clearly, an exhortation would be out of place in ch. 5. (3) Paul presupposes that the audience has peace with God (via reconciliation) in 5:10. This seems to assume the indicative in v. 1. (4) As C. E. B. Cranfield notes, “it would surely be strange for Paul, in such a carefully argued writing as this, to exhort his readers to enjoy or to guard a peace which he has not yet explicitly shown to be possessed by them” (Romans [ICC], 1:257). (5) The notion that εἰρήνην ἔχωμεν (eirhnhn ecwmen) can even naturally mean “enjoy peace” is problematic (ExSyn 464), yet those who embrace the subjunctive have to give the verb some such force. Thus, although the external evidence is stronger in support of the subjunctive, the internal evidence points to the indicative. Although a decision is difficult, ἔχομεν appears to be the authentic reading.

[1:15]  ⁷² tn Or “willing, ready”; Grk “so my eagerness [is] to preach…” The word πρόθυμος (proqumo", “eager, willing”) is used only elsewhere in the NT in Matt 26:41 = Mark 14:38: “the spirit indeed is willing (πρόθυμος), but the flesh is weak.”

[1:15]  ⁷³ map For location see JP4 A1.

[1:16]  ⁷⁴ sn Here the Greek refers to anyone who is not Jewish.