Malachi 4:1

4:1 (3:19) ¹  “For indeed the day ²  is coming, burning like a furnace, and all the arrogant evildoers will be chaff. The coming day will burn them up,” says the Lord who rules over all. “It ³  will not leave even a root or branch.

Amos 5:18-20

The Lord Demands Justice

5:18 Woe ⁴  to those who wish for the day of the Lord!

Why do you want the Lord’s day of judgment to come?

It will bring darkness, not light.

5:19 Disaster will be inescapable, ⁵ 

as if a man ran from a lion only to meet a bear,

then escaped ⁶  into a house,

leaned his hand against the wall,

and was bitten by a poisonous snake.

5:20 Don’t you realize the Lord’s day of judgment will bring ⁷  darkness, not light –

gloomy blackness, not bright light?

Matthew 3:7-12

3:7 But when he saw many Pharisees ⁸  and Sadducees ⁹  coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 3:8 Therefore produce fruit ¹⁰  that proves your ¹¹  repentance, 3:9 and don’t think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! 3:10 Even now the ax is laid at ¹²  the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

3:11 “I baptize you with water, for repentance, but the one coming after me is more powerful than I am – I am not worthy ¹³  to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁴  3:12 His winnowing fork ¹⁵  is in his hand, and he will clean out his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the storehouse, ¹⁶  but the chaff he will burn up with inextinguishable fire.” ¹⁷ 

Matthew 21:31-44

21:31 Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first.” ¹⁸  Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, ¹⁹  tax collectors ²⁰  and prostitutes will go ahead of you into the kingdom of God! 21:32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe. Although ²¹  you saw this, you did not later change your minds ²²  and believe him.

The Parable of the Tenants

21:33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner ²³  who planted a vineyard. ²⁴  He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then ²⁵  he leased it to tenant farmers ²⁶  and went on a journey. 21:34 When the harvest time was near, he sent his slaves ²⁷  to the tenants to collect his portion of the crop. ²⁸  21:35 But the tenants seized his slaves, beat one, ²⁹  killed another, and stoned another. 21:36 Again he sent other slaves, more than the first, and they treated them the same way. 21:37 Finally he sent his son to them, ³⁰  saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 21:38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and get his inheritance!’ 21:39 So ³¹  they seized him, ³²  threw him out of the vineyard, ³³  and killed him. 21:40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 21:41 They said to him, “He will utterly destroy those evil men! Then he will lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his portion at the harvest.”

21:42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:

‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. ³⁴ 

This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? ³⁵ 

21:43 For this reason I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people ³⁶  who will produce its fruit. 21:44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and the one on whom it falls will be crushed.” ³⁷ 

Matthew 23:13-35

23:13 “But woe to you, experts in the law ³⁸  and you Pharisees, hypocrites! ³⁹  You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! ⁴⁰  For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in.

23:14 [[EMPTY]] ⁴¹ 

23:15 “Woe to you, experts in the law ⁴²  and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You cross land and sea to make one convert, ⁴³  and when you get one, ⁴⁴  you make him twice as much a child of hell ⁴⁵  as yourselves!

23:16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing. ⁴⁶  But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the oath.’ 23:17 Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 23:18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing. ⁴⁷  But if anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.’ 23:19 You are blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 23:20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 23:21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and the one who dwells in it. 23:22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and the one who sits on it.

23:23 “Woe to you, experts in the law ⁴⁸  and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth ⁴⁹  of mint, dill, and cumin, ⁵⁰  yet you neglect what is more important in the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You ⁵¹  should have done these things without neglecting the others. 23:24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel! ⁵² 

23:25 “Woe to you, experts in the law ⁵³  and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 23:26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, ⁵⁴  so that the outside may become clean too!

23:27 “Woe to you, experts in the law ⁵⁵  and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean. ⁵⁶  23:28 In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

23:29 “Woe to you, experts in the law ⁵⁷  and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You ⁵⁸  build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves ⁵⁹  of the righteous. 23:30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, ⁶⁰  we would not have participated with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 23:31 By saying this you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 23:32 Fill up then the measure of your ancestors! 23:33 You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? ⁶¹ 

23:34 “For this reason I ⁶²  am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law, ⁶³  some of whom you will kill and crucify, ⁶⁴  and some you will flog ⁶⁵  in your synagogues ⁶⁶  and pursue from town to town, 23:35 so that on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, ⁶⁷  whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

Matthew 25:10

25:10 But while they had gone to buy it, the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went inside with him to the wedding banquet. Then ⁶⁸  the door was shut.

Luke 2:34

2:34 Then ⁶⁹  Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “Listen carefully: ⁷⁰  This child ⁷¹  is destined to be the cause of the falling and rising ⁷²  of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be rejected. ⁷³ 

Luke 3:9

3:9 Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, ⁷⁴  and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be ⁷⁵  cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Luke 3:17

3:17 His winnowing fork ⁷⁶  is in his hand to clean out his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his storehouse, ⁷⁷  but the chaff he will burn up with inextinguishable fire.” ⁷⁸ 

Luke 7:23

7:23 Blessed is anyone ⁷⁹  who takes no offense at me.”

Luke 11:37-47

Rebuking the Pharisees and Experts in the Law

11:37 As he spoke, ⁸⁰  a Pharisee ⁸¹  invited Jesus ⁸²  to have a meal with him, so he went in and took his place at the table. ⁸³  11:38 The ⁸⁴  Pharisee was astonished when he saw that Jesus ⁸⁵  did not first wash his hands ⁸⁶  before the meal. 11:39 But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean ⁸⁷  the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. ⁸⁸  11:40 You fools! ⁸⁹  Didn’t the one who made the outside make the inside as well? ⁹⁰  11:41 But give from your heart to those in need, ⁹¹  and ⁹²  then everything will be clean for you. ⁹³ 

11:42 “But woe to you Pharisees! ⁹⁴  You give a tenth ⁹⁵  of your mint, ⁹⁶  rue, ⁹⁷  and every herb, yet you neglect justice ⁹⁸  and love for God! But you should have done these things without neglecting the others. ⁹⁹  11:43 Woe to you Pharisees! You love the best seats ¹⁰⁰  in the synagogues ¹⁰¹  and elaborate greetings ¹⁰²  in the marketplaces! 11:44 Woe to you! ¹⁰³  You are like unmarked graves, and people ¹⁰⁴  walk over them without realizing it!” ¹⁰⁵ 

11:45 One of the experts in religious law ¹⁰⁶  answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things you insult ¹⁰⁷  us too.” 11:46 But Jesus ¹⁰⁸  replied, ¹⁰⁹  “Woe to you experts in religious law as well! ¹¹⁰  You load people ¹¹¹  down with burdens difficult to bear, yet you yourselves refuse to touch ¹¹²  the burdens with even one of your fingers! 11:47 Woe to you! You build ¹¹³  the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors ¹¹⁴  killed.

Luke 11:52-54

11:52 Woe to you experts in religious law! You have taken away ¹¹⁵  the key to knowledge! You did not go in yourselves, and you hindered ¹¹⁶  those who were going in.”

11:53 When he went out from there, the experts in the law ¹¹⁷  and the Pharisees began to oppose him bitterly, ¹¹⁸  and to ask him hostile questions ¹¹⁹  about many things, 11:54 plotting against ¹²⁰  him, to catch ¹²¹  him in something he might say.

Luke 21:36

21:36 But stay alert at all times, ¹²²  praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that must ¹²³  happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

John 6:42-44

6:42 and they said, “Isn’t this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 6:43 Jesus replied, ¹²⁴  “Do not complain about me to one another. ¹²⁵  6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, ¹²⁶  and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 8:41-48

8:41 You people ¹²⁷  are doing the deeds of your father.”

Then ¹²⁸  they said to Jesus, ¹²⁹  “We were not born as a result of immorality! ¹³⁰  We have only one Father, God himself.” 8:42 Jesus replied, ¹³¹  “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come from God and am now here. ¹³²  I ¹³³  have not come on my own initiative, ¹³⁴  but he ¹³⁵  sent me. 8:43 Why don’t you understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot accept ¹³⁶  my teaching. ¹³⁷  8:44 You people ¹³⁸  are from ¹³⁹  your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. ¹⁴⁰  He ¹⁴¹  was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, ¹⁴²  because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, ¹⁴³  he speaks according to his own nature, ¹⁴⁴  because he is a liar and the father of lies. ¹⁴⁵  8:45 But because I am telling you ¹⁴⁶  the truth, you do not believe me. 8:46 Who among you can prove me guilty ¹⁴⁷  of any sin? ¹⁴⁸  If I am telling you ¹⁴⁹  the truth, why don’t you believe me? 8:47 The one who belongs to ¹⁵⁰  God listens and responds ¹⁵¹  to God’s words. You don’t listen and respond, ¹⁵²  because you don’t belong to God.” ¹⁵³ 

8:48 The Judeans ¹⁵⁴  replied, ¹⁵⁵  “Aren’t we correct in saying ¹⁵⁶  that you are a Samaritan and are possessed by a demon?” ¹⁵⁷ 

John 8:55

8:55 Yet ¹⁵⁸  you do not know him, but I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, ¹⁵⁹  I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I obey ¹⁶⁰  his teaching. ¹⁶¹ 

John 9:39-41

9:39 Jesus ¹⁶²  said,] ¹⁶³  “For judgment I have come into this world, so that those who do not see may gain their sight, ¹⁶⁴  and the ones who see may become blind.”

9:40 Some of the Pharisees ¹⁶⁵  who were with him heard this ¹⁶⁶  and asked him, ¹⁶⁷  “We are not blind too, are we?” ¹⁶⁸  9:41 Jesus replied, ¹⁶⁹  “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin, ¹⁷⁰  but now because you claim that you can see, ¹⁷¹  your guilt ¹⁷²  remains.” ¹⁷³ 

John 15:22-24

15:22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. ¹⁷⁴  But they no longer have any excuse for their sin. 15:23 The one who hates me hates my Father too. 15:24 If I had not performed ¹⁷⁵  among them the miraculous deeds ¹⁷⁶  that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. ¹⁷⁷  But now they have seen the deeds ¹⁷⁸  and have hated both me and my Father. ¹⁷⁹ 

Acts 7:52-54

7:52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors ¹⁸⁰  not persecute? ¹⁸¹  They ¹⁸²  killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, ¹⁸³  whose betrayers and murderers you have now become! ¹⁸⁴  7:53 You ¹⁸⁵  received the law by decrees given by angels, ¹⁸⁶  but you did not obey ¹⁸⁷  it.” ¹⁸⁸ 

Stephen is Killed

7:54 When they heard these things, they became furious ¹⁸⁹  and ground their teeth ¹⁹⁰  at him.

Romans 9:31-33

9:31 but Israel even though pursuing ¹⁹¹  a law of righteousness ¹⁹²  did not attain it. ¹⁹³  9:32 Why not? Because they pursued ¹⁹⁴  it not by faith but (as if it were possible) by works. ¹⁹⁵  They stumbled over the stumbling stone, ¹⁹⁶  9:33 just as it is written,

“Look, I am laying in Zion a stone that will cause people to stumble

and a rock that will make them fall, ¹⁹⁷ 

yet the one who believes in him will not be put to shame.” ¹⁹⁸ 

Romans 11:5-10

11:5 So in the same way at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 11:6 And if it is by grace, it is no longer by works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace. 11:7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was diligently seeking, but the elect obtained it. The ¹⁹⁹  rest were hardened, 11:8 as it is written,

“God gave them a spirit of stupor,

eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear,

to this very day.” ²⁰⁰ 

11:9 And David says,

“Let their table become a snare and trap,

a stumbling block and a retribution for them;

11:10 let their eyes be darkened so that they may not see,

and make their backs bend continually.” ²⁰¹ 

Hebrews 10:28-29

10:28 Someone who rejected the law of Moses was put to death ²⁰²  without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁰³  10:29 How much greater punishment do you think that person deserves who has contempt for ²⁰⁴  the Son of God, and profanes ²⁰⁵  the blood of the covenant that made him holy, ²⁰⁶  and insults the Spirit of grace?

Hebrews 12:25

12:25 Take care not to refuse the one who is speaking! For if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less shall we, if we reject the one who warns from heaven?

Hebrews 12:1

The Lord’s Discipline

12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, ²⁰⁷  we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us,

Hebrews 2:7-8

2:7 You made him lower than the angels for a little while.

You crowned him with glory and honor. ²⁰⁸ 

2:8 You put all things under his control.” ²⁰⁹ 

For when he put all things under his control, he left nothing outside of his control. At present we do not yet see all things under his control, ²¹⁰ 

Revelation 1:6-7

1:6 and has appointed ²¹¹  us as a kingdom, ²¹²  as priests ²¹³  serving his God and Father – to him be the glory and the power for ever and ever! ²¹⁴  Amen.

1:7 (Look! He is returning with the clouds, ²¹⁵ 

and every eye will see him,

even ²¹⁶  those who pierced him, ²¹⁷ 

and all the tribes ²¹⁸  on the earth will mourn because ²¹⁹  of him.

This will certainly come to pass! ²²⁰  Amen.) ²²¹ 

Revelation 6:17

6:17 because the great day of their ²²²  wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?” ²²³ 

[4:1]  ¹ sn Beginning with 4:1, the verse numbers through 4:6 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 4:1 ET = 3:19 HT, 4:2 ET = 3:20 HT, etc., through 4:6 ET = 3:24 HT. Thus the book of Malachi in the Hebrew Bible has only three chapters, with 24 verses in ch. 3.

[4:1]  ² sn This day is the well-known “day of the Lord” so pervasive in OT eschatological texts (see Joel 2:30-31; Amos 5:18; Obad 15). For the believer it is a day of grace and salvation; for the sinner, a day of judgment and destruction.

[4:1]  ³ tn Heb “so that it” (so NASB, NRSV). For stylistic reasons a new sentence was begun here in the translation.

[5:18]  ⁴ tn The term הוֹי (hoy, “woe”) was used when mourning the dead (see the note on the word “dead” in 5:16). The prophet here either engages in role playing and mourns the death of the nation in advance or sarcastically taunts those who hold to this misplaced belief.

[5:19]  ⁵ tn The words “Disaster will be inescapable” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:19]  ⁶ tn Heb “went” (so KJV, NRSV).

[5:20]  ⁷ tn Heb “Will not the day of the Lord be.”

[3:7]  ⁸ sn Pharisees were members of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.

[3:7]  ⁹ sn The Sadducees controlled the official political structures of Judaism at this time, being the majority members of the Sanhedrin. They were known as extremely strict on law and order issues (Josephus, J. W. 2.8.2 [2.119], 2.8.14 [2.164-166]; Ant. 13.5.9 [13.171-173], 13.10.6 [13.293-298], 18.1.2 [18.11], 18.1.4 [18.16-17], 20.9.1 [20.199]; Life 2 [10-11]). See also Matt 16:1-12; 22:23-34; Mark 12:18-27; Luke 20:27-38; Acts 5:17; 23:6-8.

[3:8]  ¹⁰ sn Fruit worthy of repentance refers to the deeds that indicate a change of attitude (heart) on the part of John’s hearers.

[3:8]  ¹¹ tn Grk “fruit worthy of.”

[3:10]  ¹² sn Laid at the root. That is, placed and aimed, ready to begin cutting.

[3:11]  ¹³ tn Grk “of whom I am not worthy.”

[3:11]  ¹⁴ sn With the Holy Spirit and fire. There are differing interpretations for this phrase regarding the number of baptisms and their nature. (1) Some see one baptism here, and this can be divided further into two options. (a) The baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire could refer to the cleansing, purifying work of the Spirit in the individual believer through salvation and sanctification, or (b) it could refer to two different results of Christ’s ministry: Some accept Christ and are baptized with the Holy Spirit, but some reject him and receive judgment. (2) Other interpreters see two baptisms here: The baptism of the Holy Spirit refers to the salvation Jesus brings at his first advent, in which believers receive the Holy Spirit, and the baptism of fire refers to the judgment Jesus will bring upon the world at his second coming. One must take into account both the image of fire and whether individual or corporate baptism is in view. A decision is not easy on either issue. The image of fire is used to refer to both eternal judgment (e.g., Matt 25:41) and the power of the Lord’s presence to purge and cleanse his people (e.g., Isa 4:4-5). The pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost, a fulfillment of this prophecy no matter which interpretation is taken, had both individual and corporate dimensions. It is possible that since Holy Spirit and fire are governed by a single preposition in Greek, the one-baptism view may be more likely, but this is not certain. Simply put, there is no consensus view in scholarship at this time on the best interpretation of this passage.

[3:12]  ¹⁵ sn A winnowing fork was a pitchfork-like tool used to toss threshed grain in the air so that the wind blew away the chaff, leaving the grain to fall to the ground. The note of purging is highlighted by the use of imagery involving sifting though threshed grain for the useful kernels.

[3:12]  ¹⁶ tn Or “granary,” “barn” (referring to a building used to store a farm’s produce rather than a building to house livestock).

[3:12]  ¹⁷ sn The image of fire that cannot be extinguished is from the OT: Job 20:26; Isa 34:8-10; 66:24.

[21:31]  ¹⁸ tc Verses 29-31 involve a rather complex and difficult textual problem. The variants cluster into three different groups: (1) The first son says “no” and later has a change of heart, and the second son says “yes” but does not go. The second son is called the one who does his father’s will. This reading is found in the Western mss (D it). But the reading is so hard as to be nearly impossible. One can only suspect some tampering with the text, extreme carelessness on the part of the scribe, or possibly a recognition of the importance of not shaming one’s parent in public. (Any of these reasons is not improbable with this texttype, and with codex D in particular.) The other two major variants are more difficult to assess. Essentially, the responses make sense (the son who does his father’s will is the one who changes his mind after saying “no”): (2) The first son says “no” and later has a change of heart, and the second son says “yes” but does not go. But here, the first son is called the one who does his father’s will (unlike the Western reading). This is the reading found in (א) C L W (Z) 0102 0281 ˹ 33 Ï and several versional witnesses. (3) The first son says “yes” but does not go, and the second son says “no” but later has a change of heart. This is the reading found in B Θ Ë¹³ 700 and several versional witnesses. Both of these latter two readings make good sense and have significantly better textual support than the first reading. The real question, then, is this: Is the first son or the second the obedient one? If one were to argue simply from the parabolic logic, the second son would be seen as the obedient one (hence, the third reading). The first son would represent the Pharisees (or Jews) who claim to obey God, but do not (cf. Matt 23:3). This accords well with the parable of the prodigal son (in which the oldest son represents the unbelieving Jews). Further, the chronological sequence of the second son being obedient fits well with the real scene: Gentiles and tax collectors and prostitutes were not, collectively, God’s chosen people, but they did repent and come to God, while the Jewish leaders claimed to be obedient to God but did nothing. At the same time, the external evidence is weaker for this reading (though stronger than the first reading), not as widespread, and certainly suspect because of how neatly it fits. One suspects scribal manipulation at this point. Thus the second reading looks to be superior to the other two on both external and transcriptional grounds. But what about intrinsic evidence? One can surmise that Jesus didn’t always give predictable responses. In this instance, he may well have painted a picture in which the Pharisees saw themselves as the first son, only to stun them with his application (v. 32).

[21:31]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[21:31]  ²⁰ sn See the note on tax collectors in 5:46.

[21:32]  ²¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[21:32]  ²² sn The word translated change your minds is the same verb used in v. 29 (there translated had a change of heart). Jesus is making an obvious comparison here, in which the religious leaders are viewed as the disobedient son.

[21:33]  ²³ tn The term here refers to the owner and manager of a household.

[21:33]  ²⁴ sn The vineyard is a figure for Israel in the OT (Isa 5:1-7). The nation and its leaders are the tenants, so the vineyard here may well refer to the promise that resides within the nation. The imagery is like that in Rom 11:11-24.

[21:33]  ²⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[21:33]  ²⁶ sn The leasing of land to tenant farmers was common in this period.

[21:34]  ²⁷ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.

[21:34]  ²⁸ tn Grk “to collect his fruits.”

[21:35]  ²⁹ sn The image of the tenants mistreating the owner’s slaves pictures the nation’s rejection of the prophets and their message.

[21:37]  ³⁰ sn The owner’s decision to send his son represents God sending Jesus.

[21:39]  ³¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the tenants’ decision to kill the son in v. 38.

[21:39]  ³² tn Grk “seizing him.” The participle λαβόντες (labontes) has been translated as attendant circumstance.

[21:39]  ³³ sn Throwing the heir out of the vineyard pictures Jesus’ death outside of Jerusalem.

[21:42]  ³⁴ tn Or “capstone,” “keystone.” Although these meanings are lexically possible, the imagery in Eph 2:20-22 and 1 Cor 3:11 indicates that the term κεφαλὴ γωνίας (kefalh gwnia") refers to a cornerstone, not a capstone.

[21:42]  ³⁵ sn A quotation from Ps 118:22-23.

[21:43]  ³⁶ tn Or “to a nation” (so KJV, NASB, NLT).

[21:44]  ³⁷ tc A few witnesses, especially of the Western text (D 33 it sy^s Or Eus^syr), do not contain 21:44. However, the verse is found in א B C L W Z (Θ) 0102 Ë^1,13 Ï lat sy^c,p,h co and should be included as authentic.

[23:13]  ³⁸ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:13]  ³⁹ tn Grk “Woe to you…because you…” The causal particle ὅτι (Joti) has not been translated here for rhetorical effect (and so throughout this chapter).

[23:13]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “because you are closing the kingdom of heaven before people.”

[23:14]  ⁴¹ tc The most important mss (א B D L Z Θ Ë¹ 33 892* pc and several versional witnesses) do not have 23:14 “Woe to you experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows’ property, and as a show you pray long prayers! Therefore you will receive a more severe punishment.” Part or all of the verse is contained (either after v. 12 or after v. 13) in W 0102 0107 ˹³ Ï and several versions, but it is almost certainly not original. The present translation follows NA²⁷ in omitting the verse number as well, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations. Note also that Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47 are very similar in wording and are not disputed textually.

[23:15]  ⁴² tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:15]  ⁴³ tn Or “one proselyte.”

[23:15]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “when he becomes [one].”

[23:15]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “a son of Gehenna.” Expressions constructed with υἱός (Juios) followed by a genitive of class or kind denote a person belonging to the class or kind specified by the following genitive (L&N 9.4). Thus the phrase here means “a person who belongs to hell.”

[23:16]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing.”

[23:18]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing.”

[23:23]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:23]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “you tithe mint.”

[23:23]  ⁵⁰ sn Cumin (alternately spelled cummin) was an aromatic herb native to the Mediterranean region. Its seeds were used for seasoning.

[23:23]  ⁵¹ tc ‡ Many witnesses (B C K L W Δ 0102 33 565 892 pm) have δέ (de, “but”) after ταῦτα (tauta, “these things”), while many others lack it (א D Γ Θ Ë^1,13 579 700 1241 1424 pm). Since asyndeton was relatively rare in Koine Greek, the conjunction may be an intentional alteration, and is thus omitted from the present translation. NA²⁷ includes the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[23:24]  ⁵² tn Grk “Blind guides who strain out a gnat yet who swallow a camel!”

[23:25]  ⁵³ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:26]  ⁵⁴ tc A very difficult textual problem is found here. The most important Alexandrian and Byzantine, as well as significant Western, witnesses (א B C L W 0102 0281 ˹³ 33 Ï lat co) have “and the dish” (καὶ τῆς παροψίδος, kai th" paroyido") after “cup,” while few important witnesses (D Θ Ë¹ 700 and some versional and patristic authorities) omit the phrase. On the one hand, scribes sometimes tended to eliminate redundancy; since “and the dish” is already present in v. 25, it may have been deleted in v. 26 by well-meaning scribes. On the other hand, as B. M. Metzger notes, the singular pronoun αὐτοῦ (autou, “its”) with τὸ ἐκτός (to ekto", “the outside”) in some of the same witnesses that have the longer reading (viz., B* ˹³ al) hints that their archetype lacked the words (TCGNT 50). Further, scribes would be motivated both to add the phrase from v. 25 and to change αὐτοῦ to the plural pronoun αὐτῶν (aujtwn, “their”). Although the external evidence for the shorter reading is not compelling in itself, combined with these two prongs of internal evidence, it is to be slightly preferred.

[23:27]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:27]  ⁵⁶ sn This was an idiom for hypocrisy – just as the wall was painted on the outside but something different on the inside, so this person was not what he appeared or pretended to be (for discussion of a similar metaphor, see L&N 88.234; BDAG 1010 s.v. τοῖχος). See Deut 28:22; Ezek 13:10-16; Acts 23:3.

[23:29]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:29]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “Because you.” Here ὅτι (Joti) has not been translated.

[23:29]  ⁵⁹ tn Or perhaps “the monuments” (see L&N 7.75-76).

[23:30]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “fathers” (so also in v. 32).

[23:33]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “the judgment of Gehenna.”

[23:34]  ⁶² tn Grk “behold I am sending.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[23:34]  ⁶³ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:34]  ⁶⁴ sn See the note on crucified in 20:19.

[23:34]  ⁶⁵ tn BDAG 620 s.v. μαστιγόω 1.a states, “of flogging as a punishment decreed by the synagogue (Dt 25:2f; s. the Mishna Tractate Sanhedrin-Makkoth, edited w. notes by SKrauss ’33) w. acc. of pers. Mt 10:17; 23:34.”

[23:34]  ⁶⁶ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.

[23:35]  ⁶⁷ sn Spelling of this name (Βαραχίου, Baraciou) varies among the English versions: “Barachiah” (RSV, NRSV); “Berechiah” (NASB); “Berachiah” (NIV).

[25:10]  ⁶⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[2:34]  ⁶⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[2:34]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “behold.”

[2:34]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “this one”; the referent (the child) is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:34]  ⁷² sn The phrase the falling and rising of many emphasizes that Jesus will bring division in the nation, as some will be judged (falling) and others blessed (rising) because of how they respond to him. The language is like Isa 8:14-15 and conceptually like Isa 28:13-16. Here is the first hint that Jesus’ coming will be accompanied with some difficulties.

[2:34]  ⁷³ tn Grk “and for a sign of contradiction.”

[3:9]  ⁷⁴ sn Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees. The imagery of an “ax already laid at the root of the trees” is vivid, connoting sudden and catastrophic judgment for the unrepentant and unfruitful. The image of “fire” serves to further heighten the intensity of the judgment referred to. It is John’s way of summoning all people to return to God with all their heart and avoid his unquenchable wrath soon to be poured out. John’s language and imagery is probably ultimately drawn from the OT where Israel is referred to as a fruitless vine (Hos 10:1-2; Jer 2:21-22) and the image of an “ax” is used to indicate God’s judgment (Ps 74:5-6; Jer 46:22).

[3:9]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “is”; the present tense (ἐκκόπτεται, ekkoptetai) has futuristic force here.

[3:17]  ⁷⁶ sn A winnowing fork is a pitchfork-like tool used to toss threshed grain in the air so that the wind blows away the chaff, leaving the grain to fall to the ground. The note of purging is highlighted by the use of imagery involving sifting though threshed grain for the useful kernels.

[3:17]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “granary,” “barn” (referring to a building used to store a farm’s produce rather than a building for housing livestock).

[3:17]  ⁷⁸ sn The image of fire that cannot be extinguished is from the OT: Job 20:26; Isa 34:8-10; 66:24.

[7:23]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “whoever.”

[11:37]  ⁸⁰ tn The use of the aorist infinitive here should probably be translated “as he spoke” rather than “while he was speaking” (see ExSyn 595). The Pharisee did not necessarily interrupt Jesus to issue the invitation.

[11:37]  ⁸¹ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[11:37]  ⁸² tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:37]  ⁸³ tn Grk “and reclined at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.

[11:38]  ⁸⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[11:38]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:38]  ⁸⁶ tn The words “his hands” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied for clarity.

[11:39]  ⁸⁷ sn The allusion to washing (clean the outside of the cup) shows Jesus knew what they were thinking and deliberately set up a contrast that charged them with hypocrisy and majoring on minors.

[11:39]  ⁸⁸ tn Or “and evil.”

[11:40]  ⁸⁹ sn You fools is a rebuke which in the OT refers to someone who is blind to God (Ps 14:1, 53:1; 92:6; Prov 6:12).

[11:40]  ⁹⁰ tn The question includes a Greek particle, οὐ (ou), that expects a positive reply. God, the maker of both, is concerned for what is both inside and outside.

[11:41]  ⁹¹ tn Grk “Give the things inside as alms.” Three different approaches have been taken to the syntax and meaning of this phrase: (1) τὰ ἐνόντα (ta enonta, “the things inside”) is an accusative of respect (“give alms with respect to the things inside”); (2) τὰ ἐνόντα is an adverbial accusative (“give alms inwardly,” i.e., from the heart); (3) the word translated “alms” represents a mistranslation of the original Aramaic term “cleanse,” so the statement urges the hearers to “cleanse the things inside.” According to D. L. Bock (Luke [BECNT], 2:1115) the latter meaning is unlikely because the present verse is independent of Matt 23:26, not parallel to it, and makes good sense as it stands.

[11:41]  ⁹² tn Grk “and behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this clause has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[11:41]  ⁹³ sn The expression everything will be clean for you refers to the agreement that should exist between the overt practice of one’s religious duties, such as almsgiving, and the inner condition of one’s heart, including true love for God and the poor; one is not only to wash the outside of the cup and plate, but the inside as well, since as Jesus said, God created the inside too. Religious duties are not to be performed hypocritically, i.e., for the applause and esteem of people, but rather they are to be done out of a deep love for God and a sensitivity to and concern for the needs of others. Then, everything will be clean, both hearts and lives.

[11:42]  ⁹⁴ tn Grk “Woe to you…because you…” The causal particle ὅτι (Joti) has not been translated here for rhetorical effect (and so to the end of this chapter).

[11:42]  ⁹⁵ tn Or “you tithe mint.”

[11:42]  ⁹⁶ sn These small herbs were tithed with great care (Mishnah, m. Demai 2:1).

[11:42]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “and rue.” Καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[11:42]  ⁹⁸ sn Justice was a major theme of OT ethics (Mic 6:8; Zech 7:8-10).

[11:42]  ⁹⁹ tn Grk “those”; but this has been translated as “the others” to clarify which are meant.

[11:43]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Or “seats of honor.” The term here is plural and is not a reference only to the lead “seat of Moses” in the synagogue, but includes the front seats near the ark.

[11:43]  ¹⁰¹ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.

[11:43]  ¹⁰² tn Grk “and the greetings.”

[11:44]  ¹⁰³ tc Most mss (A [D] W Θ Ψ Ë¹³ Ï it) have “experts in the law and Pharisees, hypocrites” after “you,” but this looks like an assimilation to the parallel in Matt 23:25, 27, 29. The shorter reading has earlier attestation from a variety of reliable mss (Ì^45,75 א B C L ˹ 33 1241 2542 lat sa).

[11:44]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Grk “men.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.

[11:44]  ¹⁰⁵ sn In Judaism to come into contact with the dead or what is associated with them, even without knowing it, makes one unclean (Num 19:11-22; Lev 21:1-3; Mishnah, m. Demai 2:3). To Pharisees, who would have been so sensitive about contracting ceremonial uncleanness, it would have been quite a stinging rebuke to be told they caused it.

[11:45]  ¹⁰⁶ sn That is, an expert in the interpretation of the Mosaic law. They worked closely with the Pharisees.

[11:45]  ¹⁰⁷ tn For this term, see Matt 22;6; Luke 18:32; Acts 14:5; 1 Thess 2:2.

[11:46]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:46]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Grk “said.”

[11:46]  ¹¹⁰ tn Here “as well” is used to translate καί (kai) at the beginning of the statement.

[11:46]  ¹¹¹ tn Grk “men.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.

[11:46]  ¹¹² tn Grk “you yourselves do not touch.” This could mean one of two things: (1) Either they make others do what they themselves do not (through various technical exceptions) or (2) they make no effort to help the others fulfill what they are required to do. Considering the care these religious figures are said to have given to the law, the second option is more likely (see L&N 18.11).

[11:47]  ¹¹³ sn The effect of what the experts in the law were doing was to deny the message of the prophets and thus honor their death by supporting those who had sought their removal. The charge that this is what previous generations did shows the problem is chronic. As T. W. Manson said, the charge here is “The only prophet you honor is a dead prophet!” (The Sayings of Jesus, 101).

[11:47]  ¹¹⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[11:52]  ¹¹⁵ sn You have taken away the key to knowledge is another stinging rebuke. They had done the opposite of what they were trying to do.

[11:52]  ¹¹⁶ tn Or “you tried to prevent.”

[11:53]  ¹¹⁷ tn Or “the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

[11:53]  ¹¹⁸ tn Or “terribly.”

[11:53]  ¹¹⁹ tn For this term see L&N 33.183.

[11:54]  ¹²⁰ tn Grk “lying in ambush against,” but this is a figurative extension of that meaning.

[11:54]  ¹²¹ tn This term was often used in a hunting context (BDAG 455 s.v. θηρεύω; L&N 27.30). Later examples of this appear in Luke 20.

[21:36]  ¹²² sn The call to be alert at all times is a call to remain faithful in looking for the Lord’s return.

[21:36]  ¹²³ tn For the translation of μέλλω (mellw) as “must,” see L&N 71.36.

[6:43]  ¹²⁴ tn Grk “answered and said to them.”

[6:43]  ¹²⁵ tn Or “Do not grumble among yourselves.” The words “about me” are supplied to clarify the translation “complain to one another” (otherwise the Jewish opponents could be understood to be complaining about one another, rather than complaining to one another about Jesus).

[6:44]  ¹²⁶ tn Or “attracts him,” or “pulls him.” The word is used of pulling or dragging, often by force. It is even used once of magnetic attraction (A. Oepke, TDNT 2:503).

[8:41]  ¹²⁷ tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.

[8:41]  ¹²⁸ tc ‡ Important and early witnesses (א B L W 070 it sy^s,p co) lack the conjunction here, while the earliest witnesses along with many others read οὖν (oun, “therefore”; Ì^66,75 C D Θ Ψ 0250 ˹³ 33 Ï). This conjunction occurs in John some 200 times, far more than in any other NT book. Even though the combined testimony of two early papyri for the conjunction is impressive, the reading seems to be a predictable scribal emendation. In particular, οὖν is frequently used with the plural of εἶπον (eipon, “they said”) in John (in this chapter alone, note vv. 13, 39, 48, 57, and possibly 52). On balance, it is probably best to consider the shorter reading as authentic, even though “Then” is virtually required in translation for English stylistic reasons. NA²⁷ has the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.

[8:41]  ¹²⁹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) is specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:41]  ¹³⁰ sn We were not born as a result of immorality! is ironic, because Jesus’ opponents implied that it was not themselves but Jesus who had been born as a result of immoral behavior. This shows they did not know Jesus’ true origin and were not aware of the supernatural events surrounding his birth. The author does not even bother to refute the opponents’ suggestion but lets it stand, assuming his readers will know the true story.

[8:42]  ¹³¹ tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”

[8:42]  ¹³² tn Or “I came from God and have arrived.”

[8:42]  ¹³³ tn Grk “For I.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.

[8:42]  ¹³⁴ tn Grk “from myself.”

[8:42]  ¹³⁵ tn Grk “that one” (referring to God).

[8:43]  ¹³⁶ tn Grk “you cannot hear,” but this is not a reference to deafness, but rather hearing in the sense of listening to something and responding to it.

[8:43]  ¹³⁷ tn Grk “my word.”

[8:44]  ¹³⁸ tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to clarify that the Greek pronoun and verb are plural.

[8:44]  ¹³⁹ tn Many translations read “You are of your father the devil” (KJV, ASV, RSV, NASB) or “You belong to your father, the devil” (NIV), but the Greek preposition ἐκ (ek) emphasizes the idea of source or origin. Jesus said his opponents were the devil’s very offspring (a statement which would certainly infuriate them).

[8:44]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Grk “the desires of your father you want to do.”

[8:44]  ¹⁴¹ tn Grk “That one” (referring to the devil).

[8:44]  ¹⁴² tn Grk “he does not stand in the truth” (in the sense of maintaining, upholding, or accepting the validity of it).

[8:44]  ¹⁴³ tn Grk “Whenever he speaks the lie.”

[8:44]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Grk “he speaks from his own.”

[8:44]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Grk “because he is a liar and the father of it.”

[8:45]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Or “because I tell you.”

[8:46]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Or “can convict me.”

[8:46]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Or “of having sinned”; Grk “of sin.”

[8:46]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Or “if I tell you.”

[8:47]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Grk “who is of.”

[8:47]  ¹⁵¹ tn Grk “to God hears” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).

[8:47]  ¹⁵² tn Grk “you do not hear” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).

[8:47]  ¹⁵³ tn Grk “you are not of God.”

[8:48]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Grk “the Jews.” See the note on this term in v. 31. Here the phrase refers to the Jewish people in Jerusalem (“Judeans”; cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e) who had been listening to Jesus’ teaching in the temple courts (8:20) and had initially believed his claim to be the Messiah (cf. 8:31). They had become increasingly hostile as Jesus continued to teach. Now they were ready to say that Jesus was demon-possessed.

[8:48]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Grk “answered and said to him.”

[8:48]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Grk “Do we not say rightly.”

[8:48]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Grk “and have a demon.” It is not clear what is meant by the charge Σαμαρίτης εἶ σὺ καὶ δαιμόνιον ἔχεις (Samarith" ei su kai daimonion ecei"). The meaning could be “you are a heretic and are possessed by a demon.” Note that the dual charge gets one reply (John 8:49). Perhaps the phrases were interchangeable: Simon Magus (Acts 8:14-24) and in later traditions Dositheus, the two Samaritans who claimed to be sons of God, were regarded as mad, that is, possessed by demons.

[8:55]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Yet” to indicate the contrast present in the context.

[8:55]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Grk “If I say, ‘I do not know him.’”

[8:55]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Grk “I keep.”

[8:55]  ¹⁶¹ tn Grk “his word.”

[9:39]  ¹⁶² tn Grk “And Jesus.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[9:39]  ¹⁶³ tc ‡ Some early and important witnesses (Ì⁷⁵ א* W b sa^ms ac² mf) lack the words, “He said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him. Jesus said,” (vv. 38-39a). This is weighty evidence for the omission of these words. It is difficult to overstate the value of Ì⁷⁵ here, since it is the only currently available papyrus ms extant for the text of John 9:38-39. Further, א is an important and early Alexandrian witness for the omission. The versional testimony and codex W also give strong support to the omission. Nearly all other mss, however, include these words. The omission may have been occasioned by parablepsis (both vv. 37 and 39 begin with “Jesus said to him”), though it is difficult to account for such an error across such a wide variety of witnesses. On the other hand, the longer reading appears to be motivated by liturgical concerns (so R. E. Brown, John [AB], 1:375), since the verb προσκυνέω (proskunew, “I worship”) is used in John 4:20-25 of worshiping God, and again with the same sense in 12:20. If these words were authentic here, this would be the only place in John’s Gospel where Jesus is the explicit object of προσκυνέω. Even if these words are not authentic, such an omission would nevertheless hardly diminish John’s high Christology (cf. 1:1; 5:18-23; 14:6-10; 20:28), nor the implicit worship of him by Thomas (20:28). Nevertheless, a decision is difficult, and the included words may reflect a very early tradition about the blind man’s response to Jesus.

[9:39]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Or “that those who do not see may see.”

[9:40]  ¹⁶⁵ sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.

[9:40]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Grk “heard these things.”

[9:40]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Grk “and said to him.”

[9:40]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “are we?”).

[9:41]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”

[9:41]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Grk “you would not have sin.”

[9:41]  ¹⁷¹ tn Grk “now because you say, ‘We see…’”

[9:41]  ¹⁷² tn Or “your sin.”

[9:41]  ¹⁷³ sn Because you claim that you can see, your guilt remains. The blind man received sight physically, and this led him to see spiritually as well. But the Pharisees, who claimed to possess spiritual sight, were spiritually blinded. The reader might recall Jesus’ words to Nicodemus in 3:10, “Are you the teacher of Israel and don’t understand these things?” In other words, to receive Jesus was to receive the light of the world, to reject him was to reject the light, close one’s eyes, and become blind. This is the serious sin of which Jesus had warned before (8:21-24). The blindness of such people was incurable since they had rejected the only cure that exists (cf. 12:39-41).

[15:22]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Grk “they would not have sin” (an idiom).

[15:24]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Or “If I had not done.”

[15:24]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Grk “the works.”

[15:24]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Grk “they would not have sin” (an idiom).

[15:24]  ¹⁷⁸ tn The words “the deeds” are supplied to clarify from context what was seen. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.

[15:24]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Or “But now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father.” It is possible to understand both the “seeing” and the “hating” to refer to both Jesus and the Father, but this has the world “seeing” the Father, which seems alien to the Johannine Jesus. (Some point out John 14:9 as an example, but this is addressed to the disciples, not to the world.) It is more likely that the “seeing” refers to the miraculous deeds mentioned in the first half of the verse. Such an understanding of the first “both – and” construction is apparently supported by BDF §444.3.

[7:52]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:52]  ¹⁸¹ sn Which…persecute. The rhetorical question suggests they persecuted them all.

[7:52]  ¹⁸² tn Grk “And they.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[7:52]  ¹⁸³ sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ.

[7:52]  ¹⁸⁴ sn Whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. The harsh critique has OT precedent (1 Kgs 19:10-14; Neh 9:26; 2 Chr 36:16).

[7:53]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Grk “whose betrayers and murderers you have now become, who received the law” The two consecutive relative clauses make for awkward English style, so the second was begun as a new sentence with the pronoun “You” supplied in place of the Greek relative pronoun to make a complete sentence in English.

[7:53]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Traditionally, “as ordained by angels,” but εἰς (eis) with the accusative here should be understood as instrumental (a substitute for ἐν [en]); so BDAG 291 s.v. εἰς 9, BDF §206. Thus the phrase literally means “received the law by the decrees [orders] of angels” with the genitive understood as a subjective genitive, that is, the angels gave the decrees.

[7:53]  ¹⁸⁷ tn The Greek word φυλάσσω (fulassw, traditionally translated “keep”) in this context connotes preservation of and devotion to an object as well as obedience.

[7:53]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Or “did not obey it.”

[7:54]  ¹⁸⁹ tn This verb, which also occurs in Acts 5:33, means “cut to the quick” or “deeply infuriated” (BDAG 235 s.v. διαπρίω).

[7:54]  ¹⁹⁰ tn Or “they gnashed their teeth.” This idiom is a picture of violent rage (BDAG 184 s.v. βρύχω). See also Ps 35:16.

[9:31]  ¹⁹¹ tn Or “who pursued.” The participle could be taken adverbially or adjectivally.

[9:31]  ¹⁹² tn Or “a legal righteousness,” that is, a righteousness based on law. This translation would treat the genitive δικαιοσύνης (dikaiosunh") as an attributed genitive (see ExSyn 89-91).

[9:31]  ¹⁹³ tn Grk “has not attained unto the law.”

[9:32]  ¹⁹⁴ tn Grk “Why? Because not by faith but as though by works.” The verb (“they pursued [it]”) is to be supplied from the preceding verse for the sake of English style; yet a certain literary power is seen in Paul’s laconic style.

[9:32]  ¹⁹⁵ tc Most mss, especially the later ones (א² D Ψ 33 Ï sy), read νόμου (nomou, “of the law”) here, echoing Paul’s usage in Rom 3:20, 28 and elsewhere. The qualifying phrase is lacking in א* A B F G 6 629 630 1739 1881 pc lat co. The longer reading thus is weaker externally and internally, being motivated apparently by a need to clarify.

[9:32]  ¹⁹⁶ tn Grk “the stone of stumbling.”

[9:33]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Grk “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”

[9:33]  ¹⁹⁸ sn A quotation from Isa 28:16; 8:14.

[11:7]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[11:8]  ²⁰⁰ sn A quotation from Deut 29:4; Isa 29:10.

[11:10]  ²⁰¹ sn A quotation from Ps 69:22-23.

[10:28]  ²⁰² tn Grk “dies.”

[10:28]  ²⁰³ sn An allusion to Deut 17:6.

[10:29]  ²⁰⁴ tn Grk “tramples under foot.”

[10:29]  ²⁰⁵ tn Grk “regarded as common.”

[10:29]  ²⁰⁶ tn Grk “by which he was made holy.”

[12:1]  ²⁰⁷ tn Grk “having such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us.”

[2:7]  ²⁰⁸ tc Several witnesses, many of them early and important (א A C D* P Ψ 0243 0278 33 1739 1881 al lat co), have at the end of v 7, “You have given him dominion over the works of your hands.” Other mss, not quite as impressive in weight, lack the words (Ì⁴⁶ B D² Ï). In spite of the impressive external evidence for the longer reading, it is most likely a scribal addition to conform the text of Hebrews to Ps 8:6 (8:7 LXX). Conformity of a NT quotation of the OT to the LXX was a routine scribal activity, and can hardly be in doubt here as to the cause of the longer reading.

[2:8]  ²⁰⁹ tn Grk “you subjected all things under his feet.”

[2:8]  ²¹⁰ sn The expression all things under his control occurs three times in 2:8. The latter two occurrences are not exactly identical to the Greek text of Ps 8:6 quoted at the beginning of the verse, but have been adapted by the writer of Hebrews to fit his argument.

[1:6]  ²¹¹ tn The verb ποιέω (poiew) can indicate appointment or assignment rather than simply “make” or “do.” See Mark 3:14 (L&N 37.106).

[1:6]  ²¹² tn See BDAG 168 s.v. βασιλεία 1.a for the idea of “he made us a kingdom,” which was translated as “he appointed us (to be or function) as a kingdom” (see the note on the word “appointed” earlier in the verse).

[1:6]  ²¹³ tn Grk “a kingdom, priests.” The term ἱερεῖς (Jiereis) is either in apposition to βασιλείαν (basileian) or as a second complement to the object “us” (ἡμᾶς, Jhmas). The translation retains this ambiguity.

[1:6]  ²¹⁴ tc Both the longer reading τῶν αἰώνων (twn aiwnwn, “to the ages of the ages” or, more idiomatically, “for ever and ever”; found in א C Ï) and the shorter (“for ever”; found in ̹⁸ A P 2050 pc bo) have good ms support. The author uses the longer expression (εἰς [τοὺς] αἰῶνας [τῶν] αἰώνων, ei" [tou"] aiwna" [twn] aiwnwn) in every other instance of αἰών in Revelation, twelve passages in all (1:18; 4:9, 10; 5:13; 7:12; 10:6; 11:15; 14:11; 15:7; 19:3; 20:10; 22:5). Thus, on the one hand, the style of the author is consistent, while on the other hand, the scribes may have been familiar with such a stylistic feature, causing them to add the words here. The issues are more complex than can be presented here; the longer reading, however, is probably original (the shorter reading arising from accidental omission of the genitive phrase due to similarity with the preceding words).

[1:7]  ²¹⁵ sn An allusion to Dan 7:13.

[1:7]  ²¹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) was translated as ascensive.

[1:7]  ²¹⁷ sn An allusion to Zech 12:10.

[1:7]  ²¹⁸ tn In this context, tribes (φυλαί, fulai) could also be translated as “nations” or “peoples” (L&N 11.56).

[1:7]  ²¹⁹ tn The conjunction ἐπί (epi) is most likely causal here. The people who crucified him are those of every tribe on the earth and they will mourn because he comes as judge.

[1:7]  ²²⁰ tn Grk “Yes, Amen.” The expression “This will certainly come to pass” is an attempt to capture the force of the juxtaposition of the Greek ναί (nai) and the Hebrew ἀμήν (amhn). See L&N 69.1.

[1:7]  ²²¹ sn These lines are placed in parentheses because they form an aside to the main argument.

[6:17]  ²²² tc Most mss (A Ï bo) change the pronoun “their” to “his” (αὐτοῦ, autou) in order to bring the text in line with the mention of the one seated on the throne in the immediately preceding verse, and to remove the ambiguity about whose wrath is in view here. The reading αὐτῶν (autwn, “their”) is well supported by א C 1611 1854 2053 2329 2344 pc latt sy. On both internal and external grounds, it should be regarded as original.

[6:17]  ²²³ tn The translation “to withstand (it)” for ἵστημι (Jisthmi) is based on the imagery of holding one’s ground in a military campaign or an attack (BDAG 482 s.v. B.4).