Luke 6:25

6:25 “Woe to you who are well satisfied with food ¹  now, for you will be hungry.

“Woe to you ²  who laugh ³  now, for you will mourn and weep.

Psalms 6:6-8

6:6 I am exhausted as I groan;

all night long I drench my bed in tears; ⁴ 

my tears saturate the cushion beneath me. ⁵ 

6:7 My eyes ⁶  grow dim ⁷  from suffering;

they grow weak ⁸  because of all my enemies. ⁹ 

6:8 Turn back from me, all you who behave wickedly, ¹⁰ 

for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping! ¹¹ 

Psalms 42:3

42:3 I cannot eat, I weep day and night; ¹² 

all day long they say to me, ¹³  “Where is your God?”

Psalms 119:136

119:136 Tears stream down from my eyes, ¹⁴ 

because people ¹⁵  do not keep your law.

Psalms 126:5-6

126:5 Those who shed tears as they plant

will shout for joy when they reap the harvest. ¹⁶ 

126:6 The one who weeps as he walks along, carrying his bag ¹⁷  of seed,

will certainly come in with a shout of joy, carrying his sheaves of grain. ¹⁸ 

Ecclesiastes 7:2-3

7:2 It is better to go to a funeral ¹⁹ 

than a feast. ²⁰ 

For death ²¹  is the destiny ²²  of every person, ²³ 

and the living should ²⁴  take this ²⁵  to heart.

7:3 Sorrow ²⁶  is better than laughter,

because sober reflection ²⁷  is good for the heart. ²⁸ 

Isaiah 30:19

30:19 For people will live in Zion;

in Jerusalem ²⁹  you will weep no more. ³⁰ 

When he hears your cry of despair, he will indeed show you mercy;

when he hears it, he will respond to you. ³¹ 

Isaiah 57:17-18

57:17 I was angry because of their sinful greed;

I attacked them and angrily rejected them, ³² 

yet they remained disobedient and stubborn. ³³ 

57:18 I have seen their behavior, ³⁴ 

but I will heal them and give them rest,

and I will once again console those who mourn. ³⁵ 

Isaiah 61:1-3

The Lord Will Rejuvenate His People

61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,

because the Lord has chosen ³⁶  me. ³⁷ 

He has commissioned ³⁸  me to encourage ³⁹  the poor,

to help ⁴⁰  the brokenhearted,

to decree the release of captives,

and the freeing of prisoners,

61:2 to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor,

the day when our God will seek vengeance, ⁴¹ 

to console all who mourn,

61:3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,

by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,

oil symbolizing joy, ⁴²  instead of mourning,

a garment symbolizing praise, ⁴³  instead of discouragement. ⁴⁴ 

They will be called oaks of righteousness, ⁴⁵ 

trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor. ⁴⁶ 

Jeremiah 9:1

9:1 (8:23) ⁴⁷  I wish that my head were a well full of water ⁴⁸ 

and my eyes were a fountain full of tears!

If they were, I could cry day and night

for those of my dear people ⁴⁹  who have been killed.

Jeremiah 13:17

13:17 But if you will not pay attention to this warning, ⁵⁰ 

I will weep alone because of your arrogant pride.

I will weep bitterly and my eyes will overflow with tears ⁵¹ 

because you, the Lord’s flock, ⁵²  will be carried ⁵³  into exile.”

Jeremiah 31:9

31:9 They will come back shedding tears of contrition.

I will bring them back praying prayers of repentance. ⁵⁴ 

I will lead them besides streams of water,

along smooth paths where they will never stumble. ⁵⁵ 

I will do this because I am Israel’s father;

Ephraim ⁵⁶  is my firstborn son.’”

Jeremiah 31:13

31:13 The Lord says, ⁵⁷  “At that time young women will dance and be glad.

Young men and old men will rejoice. ⁵⁸ 

I will turn their grief into gladness.

I will give them comfort and joy in place of their sorrow.

Jeremiah 31:18-20

31:18 I have indeed ⁵⁹  heard the people of Israel ⁶⁰  say mournfully,

‘We were like a calf untrained to the yoke. ⁶¹ 

You disciplined us and we learned from it. ⁶² 

Let us come back to you and we will do so, ⁶³ 

for you are the Lord our God.

31:19 For after we turned away from you we repented.

After we came to our senses ⁶⁴  we beat our breasts in sorrow. ⁶⁵ 

We are ashamed and humiliated

because of the disgraceful things we did previously.’ ⁶⁶ 

31:20 Indeed, the people of Israel are my dear children.

They are the children I take delight in. ⁶⁷ 

For even though I must often rebuke them,

I still remember them with fondness.

So I am deeply moved with pity for them ⁶⁸ 

and will surely have compassion on them.

I, the Lord, affirm it! ⁶⁹ 

Ezekiel 7:16

7:16 Their survivors will escape to the mountains and become like doves of the valleys; all of them will moan – each one for his iniquity.

Ezekiel 9:4

9:4 The Lord said to him, “Go through the city of Jerusalem ⁷⁰  and put a mark ⁷¹  on the foreheads of the people who moan and groan over all the abominations practiced in it.”

Matthew 5:4

5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ⁷² 

John 11:35

11:35 Jesus wept. ⁷³ 

John 16:20-21

16:20 I tell you the solemn truth, ⁷⁴  you will weep ⁷⁵  and wail, ⁷⁶  but the world will rejoice; you will be sad, ⁷⁷  but your sadness will turn into ⁷⁸  joy. 16:21 When a woman gives birth, she has distress ⁷⁹  because her time ⁸⁰  has come, but when her child is born, she no longer remembers the suffering because of her joy that a human being ⁸¹  has been born into the world. ⁸² 

Romans 9:1-3

Israel’s Rejection Considered

9:1 ⁸³ I am telling the truth in Christ (I am not lying!), for my conscience assures me ⁸⁴  in the Holy Spirit – 9:2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ⁸⁵  9:3 For I could wish ⁸⁶  that I myself were accursed – cut off from Christ – for the sake of my people, ⁸⁷  my fellow countrymen, ⁸⁸ 

Romans 9:2

9:2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ⁸⁹ 

Colossians 1:4-6

1:4 since ⁹⁰  we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints. 1:5 Your faith and love have arisen ⁹¹  from the hope laid up ⁹²  for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel ⁹³  1:6 that has come to you. Just as in the entire world this gospel ⁹⁴  is bearing fruit and growing, so it has also been bearing fruit and growing ⁹⁵  among you from the first day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.

Colossians 1:10

1:10 so that you may live ⁹⁶  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ⁹⁷  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,

Colossians 1:10-11

1:10 so that you may live ⁹⁸  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ⁹⁹  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, 1:11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of ¹⁰⁰  all patience and steadfastness, joyfully

James 1:2-4

Joy in Trials

1:2 My brothers and sisters, ¹⁰¹  consider it nothing but joy ¹⁰²  when you fall into all sorts of trials, 1:3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 1:4 And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything.

James 1:12

1:12 Happy is the one ¹⁰³  who endures testing, because when he has proven to be genuine, he will receive the crown of life that God ¹⁰⁴  promised to those who love him.

James 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From James, ¹⁰⁵  a slave ¹⁰⁶  of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. ¹⁰⁷  Greetings!

James 1:6-8

1:6 But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by the wind. 1:7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, 1:8 since he is a double-minded individual, ¹⁰⁸  unstable in all his ways.

Revelation 21:3

21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Look! The residence ¹⁰⁹  of God is among human beings. ¹¹⁰  He ¹¹¹  will live among them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them. ¹¹² 

[6:25]  ¹ tn Grk “who are filled.” See L&N 23.18 for the translation “well satisfied with food.”

[6:25]  ² tc The wording “to you” (ὑμῖν, Jumin) is lacking in several witnesses (א B K L T W Θ Ξ 0147 Ë^1,13 579 700 892 1241 2542 al), though found in most (Ì⁷⁵ A D Q Ψ 33 Ï lat co). The longer reading looks to be a clarifying addition; nevertheless, “to you” is included in the translation because of English requirements.

[6:25]  ³ sn That is, laugh with happiness and joy.

[6:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “I cause to swim through all the night my bed.”

[6:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “with my tears my bed I flood/melt.”

[6:7]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew text has the singular “eye” here.

[6:7]  ⁷ tn Or perhaps, “are swollen.”

[6:7]  ⁸ tn Or perhaps, “grow old.”

[6:7]  ⁹ sn In his weakened condition the psalmist is vulnerable to the taunts and threats of his enemies.

[6:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “all [you] workers of wickedness.” See Ps 5:5.

[6:8]  ¹¹ sn The Lord has heard. The psalmist’s mood abruptly changes because the Lord responded positively to the lament and petition of vv. 1-7 and promised him deliverance.

[42:3]  ¹² tn Heb “My tears have become my food day and night.”

[42:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “when [they] say to me all the day.” The suffixed third masculine plural pronoun may have been accidentally omitted from the infinitive בֶּאֱמֹר (be’ÿmor, “when [they] say”). Note the term בְּאָמְרָם (bÿ’omram, “when they say”) in v. 10.

[119:136]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “[with] flowing streams my eyes go down.”

[119:136]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “they”; even though somewhat generic, the referent (people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[126:5]  ¹⁶ sn O. Borowski says regarding this passage: “The dependence on rain for watering plants, the uncertainty of the quantity and timing of the rains, and the possibility of crop failure due to pests and diseases appear to have kept the farmer in a gloomy mood during sowing” (Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 54). Perhaps the people were experiencing a literal drought, the effects of which cause them to lament their plight as they plant their seed in hopes that the rain would come. However, most take the language as metaphorical. Like a farmer sowing his seed, the covenant community was enduring hardship as they waited for a new outpouring of divine blessing. Yet they are confident that a time of restoration will come and relieve their anxiety, just as the harvest brings relief and joy to the farmer.

[126:6]  ¹⁷ tn The noun occurs only here and in Job 28:18 in the OT. See HALOT 646 s.v. I מֶשֶׁךְ which gives “leather pouch” as the meaning.

[126:6]  ¹⁸ tn The Hebrew noun אֲלֻמָּה (’alummah, “sheaf”) occurs only here and in Gen 37:7 in the OT.

[7:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “house of mourning.” The phrase refers to a funeral where the deceased is mourned.

[7:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “house of drinking”; or “house of feasting.” The Hebrew noun מִשְׁתֶּה (mishteh) can denote (1) “feast; banquet,” occasion for drinking-bouts (1 Sam 25:36; Isa 5:12; Jer 51:39; Job 1:5; Esth 2:18; 5:14; 8:17; 9:19) or (2) “drink” (exilic/postexilic – Ezra 3:7; Dan 1:5, 8, 16); see HALOT 653 s.v. מִשְׁתֶּה 4; BDB 1059 s.v. שָׁתַה.

[7:2]  ²¹ tn Heb “it”; the referent (“death”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:2]  ²² tn Heb “the end.” The noun סוֹף (sof) literally means “end; conclusion” (HALOT 747 s.v. סוֹף 1; BDB 693 s.v. סוֹף). It is used in this context in reference to death, as the preceding phrase “house of mourning” (i.e., funeral) suggests.

[7:2]  ²³ tn Heb “all men” or “every man.”

[7:2]  ²⁴ tn The imperfect tense verb יִתֵּן, yitten (from נָתָן, natan, “to give”) functions in a modal sense, denoting obligation, that is, the subject’s obligatory or necessary conduct: “should” or “ought to” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 31-32, §172; IBHS 508-9 §31.4g).

[7:2]  ²⁵ tn The word “this” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.

[7:3]  ²⁶ tn NEB suggests “grief”; NJPS, “vexation.”

[7:3]  ²⁷ tn Heb “in sadness of face there is good for the heart.”

[7:3]  ²⁸ tn Or possibly “Though the face is sad, the heart may be glad.”

[30:19]  ²⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[30:19]  ³⁰ tn Heb “For people in Zion will live, in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.” The phrase “in Jerusalem” could be taken with what precedes. Some prefer to emend יֵשֵׁב (yeshev, “will live,” a Qal imperfect) to יֹשֵׁב (yoshev, a Qal active participle) and translate “For [you] people in Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.”

[30:19]  ³¹ tn Heb “he will indeed show you mercy at the sound of your crying out; when he hears, he will answer you.”

[57:17]  ³² tn Heb “and I struck him, hiding, and I was angry.” פָּנַיִם (panayim, “face”) is the implied object of “hiding.”

[57:17]  ³³ tn Heb “and he walked [as an] apostate in the way of his heart.”

[57:18]  ³⁴ tn Heb “his ways” (so KJV, NASB, NIV); TEV “how they acted.”

[57:18]  ³⁵ tn Heb “and I will restore consolation to him, to his mourners.”

[61:1]  ³⁶ tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.

[61:1]  ³⁷ sn The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1-4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).

[61:1]  ³⁸ tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”

[61:1]  ³⁹ tn Or “proclaim good news to.”

[61:1]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”

[61:2]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “to announce the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance.

[61:3]  ⁴² tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”

[61:3]  ⁴³ tn Heb “garment of praise.”

[61:3]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”

[61:3]  ⁴⁵ tn Rather than referring to the character of the people, צֶדֶק (tsedeq) may carry the nuance “vindication” here, suggesting that God’s restored people are a testimony to his justice. See v. 2, which alludes to the fact that God will take vengeance against the enemies of his people. Cf. NAB “oaks of justice.”

[61:3]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”

[9:1]  ⁴⁷ sn Beginning with 9:1, the verse numbers through 9:26 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 9:1 ET = 8:23 HT, 9:2 ET = 9:1 HT, 9:3 ET = 9:2 HT, etc., through 9:26 ET = 9:25 HT. Beginning with 10:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.

[9:1]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “I wish that my head were water.”

[9:1]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “daughter of my people.” For the translation given here see 4:11 and the note on the phrase “dear people” there.

[13:17]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “If you will not listen to it.” For the use of the feminine singular pronoun to refer to the idea(s) expressed in the preceding verse(s), see GKC 440-41 §135.p.

[13:17]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “Tearing [my eye] will tear and my eye will run down [= flow] with tears.”

[13:17]  ⁵² tn Heb “because the Lord’s flock will…” The pronoun “you” is supplied in the translation to avoid the shift in English from the second person address at the beginning to the third person affirmation at the end. It also helps explain the metaphor of the people of Israel as God’s flock for some readers who may be unfamiliar with that metaphor.

[13:17]  ⁵³ tn The verb is once again in the form of “as good as done” (the Hebrew prophetic perfect).

[31:9]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “They will come with weeping; I will bring them with supplication.” The ideas of contrition and repentance are implicit from the context (cf. vv. 18-19) and are supplied for clarity.

[31:9]  ⁵⁵ sn Jer 31:8-9 are reminiscent of the “New Exodus” motif of Isa 40-66 which has already been referred to in Jer 16:14-15; 23:7-8. See especially Isa 35:3-10; 40:3-5, 11; 41:17-20; 42:14-17; 43:16-21; 49:9-13. As there, the New Exodus will so outstrip the old that the old will pale in comparison and be almost forgotten (see Jer 23:7-8).

[31:9]  ⁵⁶ sn Ephraim was the second son of Joseph who was elevated to a place of prominence in the family of Jacob by the patriarch’s special blessing. It was the strongest tribe in northern Israel and Samaria lay in its territory. It is often used as a poetic parallel for Israel as here. The poetry is not speaking of two separate entities here; it is a way of repeating an idea for emphasis. Moreover, there is no intent to show special preference for northern Israel over Judah. All Israel is metaphorically God’s son and the object of his special care and concern (Exod 4:22; Deut 32:6).

[31:13]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.” This phrase has been brought up to the beginning of v. 13 from the end of v. 14 to introduce the transition from third person description by Jeremiah to first person address by the Lord.

[31:13]  ⁵⁸ tc The translation follows the reading of the LXX (Greek version). The Hebrew reads “will dance and be glad, young men and old men together.” The Greek version presupposes a Qal imperfect of a rare verb (יַחְדּוּ [yakhdu] from the verb חָדָה [khadah]; see BDB 292 s.v. II חָדָה Qal) as opposed to the Hebrew text which reads a common adverb יַחְדָּו (yakhdav). The consonantal text is the same but the vocalization is different. There are no other examples of the syntax of the adverb used this way (i.e., of a compound subject added to a third subject) and the vocalization of the Hebrew text can be explained on the basis of a scribe misvocalizing the text based on his greater familiarity with the adverb.

[31:18]  ⁵⁹ tn The use of “indeed” is intended to reflect the infinitive absolute which precedes the verb for emphasis (see IBHS 585-86 §35.3.1f).

[31:18]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “Ephraim.” See the study note on 31:9. The more familiar term is used, the term “people” added to it, and plural pronouns used throughout the verse to aid in understanding.

[31:18]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “like an untrained calf.” The metaphor is that of a calf who has never been broken to bear the yoke (cf. Hos 4:16; 10:11).

[31:18]  ⁶² tn The verb here is from the same root as the preceding and is probably an example of the “tolerative Niphal,” i.e., “I let myself be disciplined/I responded to it.” See IBHS 389-90 §23.4g and note the translation of some of the examples there, especially Isa 19:22; 65:1.

[31:18]  ⁶³ tn Heb “Bring me back in order that I may come back.” For the use of the plural pronouns see the marginal note at the beginning of the verse. The verb “bring back” and “come back” are from the same root in two different verbal stems and in the context express the idea of spiritual repentance and restoration of relationship not physical return to the land. (See BDB 999 s.v. שׁוּב Hiph.2.a for the first verb and 997 s.v. Qal.6.c for the second.) For the use of the cohortative to express purpose after the imperative see GKC 320 §108.d or IBHS 575 §34.5.2b.

[31:19]  ⁶⁴ tn For this meaning of the verb see HAL 374 s.v. יָדַע Nif 5 or W. L. Holladay, Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, 129. REB translates “Now that I am submissive” relating the verb to a second root meaning “be submissive.” (See HALOT 375 s.v. II יָדַע and J. Barr, Comparative Philology and the Text of the Old Testament, 19-21, for evidence for this verb. Other passages cited with this nuance are Judg 8:16; Prov 10:9; Job 20:20.)

[31:19]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “I struck my thigh.” This was a gesture of grief and anguish (cf. Ezek 21:12 [21:17 HT]). The modern equivalent is “to beat the breast.”

[31:19]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “because I bear the reproach of my youth.” For the plural referents see the note at the beginning of v. 18.

[31:20]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “Is Ephraim a dear son to me or a child of delight?” For the substitution of Israel for Ephraim and the plural pronouns for the singular see the note on v. 18. According to BDB 210 s.v. הֲ 1.c the question is rhetorical having the force of an impassioned affirmation. See 1 Sam 2:27; Job 41:9 (41:1 HT) for parallel usage.

[31:20]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “my stomach churns for him.” The parallelism shows that this refers to pity or compassion.

[31:20]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[9:4]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem.”

[9:4]  ⁷¹ tn The word translated “mark” is in Hebrew the letter ת (tav). Outside this context the only other occurrence of the word is in Job 31:35. In ancient Hebrew script this letter was written like the letter X.

[5:4]  ⁷² sn The promise they will be comforted is the first of several “reversals” noted in these promises. The beatitudes and the reversals that accompany them serve in the sermon as an invitation to enter into God’s care, because one can know God cares for those who turn to him.

[11:35]  ⁷³ sn Jesus wept. The Greek word used here for Jesus’ weeping (ἐδάκρυσεν, edakrusen) is different from the one used to describe the weeping of Mary and the Jews in v. 33 which indicated loud wailing and cries of lament. This word simply means “to shed tears” and has more the idea of quiet grief. But why did Jesus do this? Not out of grief for Lazarus, since he was about to be raised to life again. L. Morris (John [NICNT], 558) thinks it was grief over the misconception of those round about. But it seems that in the context the weeping is triggered by the thought of Lazarus in the tomb: This was not personal grief over the loss of a friend (since Lazarus was about to be restored to life) but grief over the effects of sin, death, and the realm of Satan. It was a natural complement to the previous emotional expression of anger (11:33). It is also possible that Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus because he knew there was also a tomb for himself ahead.

[16:20]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[16:20]  ⁷⁵ tn Or “wail,” “cry.”

[16:20]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “lament.”

[16:20]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “sorrowful.”

[16:20]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “will become.”

[16:21]  ⁷⁹ sn The same word translated distress here has been translated sadness in the previous verse (a wordplay that is not exactly reproducible in English).

[16:21]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “her hour.”

[16:21]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “that a man” (but in a generic sense, referring to a human being).

[16:21]  ⁸² sn Jesus now compares the situation of the disciples to a woman in childbirth. Just as the woman in the delivery of her child experiences real pain and anguish (has distress), so the disciples will also undergo real anguish at the crucifixion of Jesus. But once the child has been born, the mother’s anguish is turned into joy, and she forgets the past suffering. The same will be true of the disciples, who after Jesus’ resurrection and reappearance to them will forget the anguish they suffered at his death on account of their joy.

[9:1]  ⁸³ sn Rom 9:1–11:36. These three chapters are among the most difficult and disputed in Paul’s Letter to the Romans. One area of difficulty is the relationship between Israel and the church, especially concerning the nature and extent of Israel’s election. Many different models have been constructed to express this relationship. For a representative survey, see M. Barth, The People of God (JSNTSup), 22-27. The literary genre of these three chapters has been frequently identified as a diatribe, a philosophical discussion or conversation evolved by the Cynic and Stoic schools of philosophy as a means of popularizing their ideas (E. Käsemann, Romans, 261 and 267). But other recent scholars have challenged the idea that Rom 9–11 is characterized by diatribe. Scholars like R. Scroggs and E. E. Ellis have instead identified the material in question as midrash. For a summary and discussion of the rabbinic connections, see W. R. Stegner, “Romans 9.6-29 – A Midrash,” JSNT 22 (1984): 37-52.

[9:1]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “my conscience bears witness to me.”

[9:2]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “my sorrow is great and the anguish in my heart is unceasing.”

[9:3]  ⁸⁶ tn Or “For I would pray.” The implied condition is “if this could save my fellow Jews.”

[9:3]  ⁸⁷ tn Grk “brothers.” See BDAG 18-19 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.b.

[9:3]  ⁸⁸ tn Grk “my kinsmen according to the flesh.”

[9:2]  ⁸⁹ tn Grk “my sorrow is great and the anguish in my heart is unceasing.”

[1:4]  ⁹⁰ 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).

[1:5]  ⁹¹ tn Col 1:3-8 form one long sentence in the Greek text and have been divided at the end of v. 4 and v. 6 and within v. 6 for clarity, in keeping with the tendency in contemporary English toward shorter sentences. Thus the phrase “Your faith and love have arisen from the hope” is literally “because of the hope.” The perfect tense “have arisen” was chosen in the English to reflect the fact that the recipients of the letter had acquired this hope at conversion in the past, but that it still remains and motivates them to trust in Christ and to love one another.

[1:5]  ⁹² tn BDAG 113 s.v. ἀπόκειμαι 2 renders ἀποκειμένην (apokeimenhn) with the expression “reserved” in this verse.

[1:5]  ⁹³ tn The term “the gospel” (τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, tou euangeliou) is in apposition to “the word of truth” (τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ἀληθείας, tw logw th" alhqeia") as indicated in the translation.

[1:6]  ⁹⁴ tn Grk “just as in the entire world it is bearing fruit.” The antecedent (“the gospel”) of the implied subject (“it”) of ἐστιν (estin) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:6]  ⁹⁵ tn Though the participles are periphrastic with the present tense verb ἐστίν (estin), the presence of the temporal indicator “from the day” in the next clause indicates that this is a present tense that reaches into the past and should be translated as “has been bearing fruit and growing.” For a discussion of this use of the present tense, see ExSyn 519-20.

[1:10]  ⁹⁶ 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]  ⁹⁷ 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.”

[1:10]  ⁹⁸ 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]  ⁹⁹ 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.”

[1:11]  ¹⁰⁰ tn The expression “for the display of” is an attempt to convey in English the force of the Greek preposition εἰς (eis) in this context.

[1:2]  ¹⁰¹ 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). Where the plural term is used in direct address, as here, “brothers and sisters” is used; where the term is singular and not direct address (as in v. 9), “believer” is preferred.

[1:2]  ¹⁰² tn Grk “all joy,” “full joy,” or “greatest joy.”

[1:12]  ¹⁰³ tn The word for “man” or “individual” here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” However, as BDAG 79 s.v. 2 says, here it is “equivalent to τὶς someone, a person.”

[1:12]  ¹⁰⁴ tc Most mss ([C] P 0246 Ï) read ὁ κύριος (Jo kurio", “the Lord”) here, while others have ὁ θεός (Jo qeo", “God”; 4 33^vid 323 945 1739 al). However, several important and early witnesses (̲³ א A B Ψ 81 co) have no explicit subject. In light of the scribal tendency toward clarification, and the fact that both κύριος and θεός are well represented, there can be no doubt that the original text had no explicit subject. The referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity, not because of textual basis.

[1:1]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Grk “James.” The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” 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]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Grk “to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora.” The Greek term διασπορά (diaspora, “dispersion”) refers to Jews not living in Palestine but “dispersed” or scattered among the Gentiles.

[1:8]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Grk “a man of two minds,” continuing the description of the person in v. 7, giving the reason that he cannot expect to receive anything. The word for “man” or “individual” is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But it sometimes is used generically to mean “anyone,” “a person,” as here (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. 2).

[21:3]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Or “dwelling place”; traditionally, “tabernacle”; literally “tent.”

[21:3]  ¹¹⁰ tn Or “people”; Grk “men” (ἀνθρώπων, anqrwpwn), a generic use of the term. In the translation “human beings” was used here because “people” occurs later in the verse and translates a different Greek word (λαοί, laoi).

[21:3]  ¹¹¹ tn Grk “men, and he.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[21:3]  ¹¹² tc ‡ Most mss (א Ï^K) do not add the words “[as] their God” (αὐτῶν θεός, autwn qeos) after “he will be with them.” The mss with these words include A 2030 2050 2329 al. The Andreas group (Ï^A) also has the words, but in a different arrangement with the preceding (ἔσται μετ᾿ αὐτῶν θεὸς αὐτῶν, estai met’ autwn qeo" autwn). Not only do the words float, but scribes may have been motivated to make a connection here more directly with Isa 7:14; 8:8; Jer 24:7; 31:33; Zech 8:8. In light of sufficient external evidence as well as the possibility that the longer reading is theologically motivated, the shorter reading is preferred. NA²⁷ places the words in brackets, indicating doubts as to their authenticity.