Matthew 2:15

2:15 He stayed there until Herod ¹  died. In this way what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet was fulfilled: “I called my Son out of Egypt.” ² 

Matthew 2:23

2:23 He came to a town called Nazareth ³  and lived there. Then what had been spoken by the prophets was fulfilled, that Jesus ⁴  would be called a Nazarene. ⁵ 

Matthew 5:17

Fulfillment of the Law and Prophets

5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfill them. ⁶ 

Matthew 8:17

8:17 In this way what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet was fulfilled: ⁷ 

“He took our weaknesses and carried our diseases.” ⁸ 

Matthew 12:17

12:17 This fulfilled what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet: ⁹ 

Matthew 13:35

13:35 This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet: ¹⁰ 

“I will open my mouth in parables,

I will announce what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.” ¹¹ 

Matthew 13:21

13:21 But he has no root in himself and does not endure; ¹²  when ¹³  trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away.

Matthew 13:1

The Parable of the Sower

13:1 On that day after Jesus went out of the house, he sat by the lake.

Matthew 8:15

8:15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then ¹⁴  she got up and began to serve them.

Matthew 8:24

8:24 And a great storm developed on the sea so that the waves began to swamp the boat. But he was asleep.

Ezra 1:1

The Decree of Cyrus

1:1 ¹⁵ In the first ¹⁶  year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the Lord’s message ¹⁷  spoken through ¹⁸  Jeremiah, ¹⁹  the Lord stirred the mind ²⁰  of King Cyrus of Persia. He disseminated ²¹  a proclamation ²²  throughout his entire kingdom, announcing in a written edict ²³  the following: ²⁴ 

Luke 21:22

21:22 because these are days of vengeance, ²⁵  to fulfill ²⁶  all that is written.

Luke 24:44

Jesus’ Final Commission

24:44 Then ²⁷  he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me ²⁸  in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms ²⁹  must be fulfilled.”

John 10:35

10:35 If those people to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’ (and the scripture cannot be broken), ³⁰ 

John 12:38-40

12:38 so that the word ³¹  of Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled. He said, ³²  “Lord, who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord ³³  been revealed?” ³⁴  12:39 For this reason they could not believe, ³⁵  because again Isaiah said,

12:40 “He has blinded their eyes

and hardened their heart, ³⁶ 

so that they would not see with their eyes

and understand with their heart, ³⁷ 

and turn to me, ³⁸  and I would heal them.” ³⁹ 

John 15:25

15:25 Now this happened ⁴⁰  to fulfill the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without reason.’ ⁴¹ 

John 17:12

17:12 When I was with them I kept them safe ⁴²  and watched over them ⁴³  in your name ⁴⁴  that you have given me. Not one ⁴⁵  of them was lost except the one destined for destruction, ⁴⁶  so that the scripture could be fulfilled. ⁴⁷ 

John 18:9

18:9 He said this ⁴⁸  to fulfill the word he had spoken, ⁴⁹  “I have not lost a single one of those whom you gave me.” ⁵⁰ 

John 19:36-37

19:36 For these things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled, “Not a bone of his will be broken.” ⁵¹  19:37 And again another scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.” ⁵² 

Acts 3:18

3:18 But the things God foretold ⁵³  long ago through ⁵⁴  all the prophets – that his Christ ⁵⁵  would suffer – he has fulfilled in this way.

Acts 13:27-29

13:27 For the people who live in Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize ⁵⁶  him, ⁵⁷  and they fulfilled the sayings ⁵⁸  of the prophets that are read every Sabbath by condemning ⁵⁹  him. ⁶⁰  13:28 Though ⁶¹  they found ⁶²  no basis ⁶³  for a death sentence, ⁶⁴  they asked Pilate to have him executed. 13:29 When they had accomplished ⁶⁵  everything that was written ⁶⁶  about him, they took him down ⁶⁷  from the cross ⁶⁸  and placed him ⁶⁹  in a tomb.

Revelation 17:17

17:17 For God has put into their minds ⁷⁰  to carry out his purpose ⁷¹  by making ⁷²  a decision ⁷³  to give their royal power ⁷⁴  to the beast until the words of God are fulfilled. ⁷⁵ 

[2:15]  ¹ sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1.

[2:15]  ² sn A quotation from Hos 11:1.

[2:23]  ³ sn Nazareth was a very small village in the region of Galilee (Galilee lay north of Samaria and Judea). The town was located about 15 mi (25 km) west of the southern edge of the Sea of Galilee. According to Luke 1:26, Mary was living in Nazareth when the birth of Jesus was announced to her.

[2:23]  ⁴ tn There is no expressed subject of the third person singular verb here; the pronoun “he” is implied. Instead of this pronoun the referent “Jesus” has been supplied in the text to clarify to whom this statement refers.

[2:23]  ⁵ tn The Greek could be indirect discourse (as in the text), or direct discourse (“he will be called a Nazarene”). Judging by the difficulty of finding OT quotations (as implied in the plural “prophets”) to match the wording here, it appears that the author was using a current expression of scorn that conceptually (but not verbally) found its roots in the OT.

[5:17]  ⁶ tn Grk “not come to abolish but to fulfill.” Direct objects (“these things,” “them”) were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but have been supplied here to conform to contemporary English style.

[8:17]  ⁷ tn Grk “was fulfilled, saying.” The participle λέγοντος (legontos) is redundant and has not been translated.

[8:17]  ⁸ sn A quotation from Isa 53:4.

[12:17]  ⁹ tn Grk “so that what was said by Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled, saying.” This final clause, however, is part of one sentence in Greek (vv. 15b-17) and is thus not related only to v. 16. The participle λέγοντος (legontos) is redundant and has not been translated.

[13:35]  ¹⁰ tc A few important mss (א* Θ Ë^1,13 33) identify the prophet as Isaiah, a reading that is significantly harder than the generic “prophet” because the source of this prophecy is not Isaiah but Asaph in Ps 78. Jerome mentioned some mss that had “Asaph” here, though none are known to exist today. This problem is difficult because of the temptation for scribes to delete the reference to Isaiah in order to clear up a discrepancy. Indeed, the vast majority of witnesses have only “the prophet” here (א¹ B C D L W 0233 0242 Ï lat sy co). However, as B. M. Metzger points out, “if no prophet were originally named, more than one scribe might have been prompted to insert the name of the best known prophet – something which has, in fact, happened elsewhere more than once” (TCGNT 27). In light of the paucity of evidence for the reading ᾿Ησαΐου, as well as the proclivity of scribes to add his name, it is probably best to consider the shorter reading as authentic.

[13:35]  ¹¹ sn A quotation from Ps 78:2.

[13:21]  ¹² tn Grk “is temporary.”

[13:21]  ¹³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[8:15]  ¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then.”

[1:1]  ¹⁵ sn In addition to the canonical books of Ezra and Nehemiah, there are two deuterocanonical books that are also called “Ezra.” Exactly how these books are designated varies in ancient literature. In the Septuagint (LXX) canonical Ezra is called Second Esdras, but in the Latin Vulgate it is called First Esdras. Our Nehemiah is called Third Esdras in some manuscripts of the LXX, but it is known as Second Esdras in the Latin Vulgate. (In the earliest LXX manuscripts Ezra and Nehemiah were regarded as one book, as they were in some Hebrew manuscripts.) The deuterocanonical books of Ezra are called First and Fourth Esdras in the LXX, but Third and Fourth Esdras in the Latin Vulgate. The titles for the so-called books of Ezra are thus rather confusing, a fact that one must keep in mind when consulting this material.

[1:1]  ¹⁶ sn The first year of Cyrus would be ca. 539 B.C. Cyrus reigned in Persia from ca. 539-530 B.C.

[1:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the word of the Lord.”

[1:1]  ¹⁸ tc The MT reads מִפִּי (mippi, “from the mouth of”), but this should probably be emended to בְּפִי (bÿfi, “by the mouth of”), which is the way the parallel passage in 2 Chr 36:22 reads. This is also reflected in the LXX, which is either reflecting an alternate textual tradition of בְּפִי or is attempting to harmonize Ezra 1:1 in light of 2 Chronicles.

[1:1]  ¹⁹ sn Cf. Jer 29:10; 25:11-14. Jeremiah had prophesied that after a time of seventy years the Jews would return “to this place.” How these seventy years are to be reckoned is a matter of debate among scholars. Some understand the period to refer to the approximate length of Babylon’s ascendancy as a world power, beginning either with the fall of Nineveh (612 b.c.) or with Nebuchadnezzar’s coronation (605 b.c.) and continuing till the fall of Babylon to the Persians in 539 b.c. Others take the seventy years to refer to the period from the destruction of the temple in 586 b.c. till its rebuilding in 516 b.c.

[1:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “spirit.” The Hebrew noun רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) has a broad range of meanings (see BDB 924-26 s.v.). Here, it probably refers to (1) “mind” as the seat of mental acts (e.g., Exod 28:3; Deut 34:9; Isa 29:24; 40:13; Ezek 11:5; 20:32; 1 Chr 28:12; cf. BDB 925 s.v. 6) or (2) “will” as the seat of volitional decisions (e.g., Exod 35:5, 22; Pss 51:12, 14; 57:8; 2 Chr 29:31; cf. BDB 925 s.v. 7). So also in v. 5.

[1:1]  ²¹ tn Heb “caused to pass.”

[1:1]  ²² tn Heb “a voice.” The Hebrew noun קוֹל (qol, “voice, sound”) has a broad range of meanings, including the metonymical (cause – effect) nuance “proclamation” (e.g., Exod 36:6; 2 Chr 24:9; 30:5; 36:22; Ezra 1:1; 10:7; Neh 8:15). See BDB 877 s.v. 3.a.2.

[1:1]  ²³ sn For an interesting extrabiblical parallel to this edict see the Cyrus cylinder (ANET 315-16).

[1:1]  ²⁴ tn Heb “in writing, saying.”

[21:22]  ²⁵ tn Or “of punishment.” This is a time of judgment.

[21:22]  ²⁶ tn The passive construction with the infinitive πλησθῆναι (plhsqhnai) has been translated as an active construction for simplicity, in keeping with contemporary English style.

[24:44]  ²⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[24:44]  ²⁸ sn Everything written about me. The divine plan, events, and scripture itself are seen here as being one.

[24:44]  ²⁹ sn For a similar threefold division of the OT scriptures, see the prologue to Sirach, lines 8-10, and from Qumran, the epilogue to 4QMMT, line 10.

[10:35]  ³⁰ sn The parenthetical note And the scripture cannot be broken belongs to Jesus’ words rather than the author’s. Not only does Jesus appeal to the OT to defend himself against the charge of blasphemy, but he also adds that the scripture cannot be “broken.” In this context he does not explain precisely what is meant by “broken,” but it is not too hard to determine. Jesus’ argument depended on the exact word used in the context of Ps 82:6. If any other word for “judge” had been used in the psalm, his argument would have been meaningless. Since the scriptures do use this word in Ps 82:6, the argument is binding, because they cannot be “broken” in the sense of being shown to be in error.

[12:38]  ³¹ tn Or “message.”

[12:38]  ³² tn Grk “who said.”

[12:38]  ³³ tn “The arm of the Lord” is an idiom for “God’s great power” (as exemplified through Jesus’ miraculous signs). This response of unbelief is interpreted by the author as a fulfillment of the prophetic words of Isaiah (Isa 53:1). The phrase ὁ βραχίων κυρίου (Jo braciwn kuriou) is a figurative reference to God’s activity and power which has been revealed in the sign-miracles which Jesus has performed (compare the previous verse).

[12:38]  ³⁴ sn A quotation from Isa 53:1.

[12:39]  ³⁵ sn The author explicitly states here that Jesus’ Jewish opponents could not believe, and quotes Isa 6:10 to show that God had in fact blinded their eyes and hardened their heart. This OT passage was used elsewhere in the NT to explain Jewish unbelief: Paul’s final words in Acts (28:26-27) are a quotation of this same passage, which he uses to explain why the Jewish people have not accepted the gospel he has preached. A similar passage (Isa 29:10) is quoted in a similar context in Rom 11:8.

[12:40]  ³⁶ tn Or “closed their mind.”

[12:40]  ³⁷ tn Or “their mind.”

[12:40]  ³⁸ tn One could also translate στραφῶσιν (strafwsin) as “repent” or “change their ways,” but both of these terms would be subject to misinterpretation by the modern English reader. The idea is one of turning back to God, however. The words “to me” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[12:40]  ³⁹ sn A quotation from Isa 6:10.

[15:25]  ⁴⁰ tn The words “this happened” are not in the Greek text but are supplied to complete an ellipsis.

[15:25]  ⁴¹ sn A quotation from Ps 35:19 and Ps 69:4. As a technical term law (νόμος, nomos) is usually restricted to the Pentateuch (the first five books of the OT), but here it must have a broader reference, since the quotation is from Ps 35:19 or Ps 69:4. The latter is the more likely source for the quoted words, since it is cited elsewhere in John’s Gospel (2:17 and 19:29, in both instances in contexts associated with Jesus’ suffering and death).

[17:12]  ⁴² tn Or “I protected them”; Grk “I kept them.”

[17:12]  ⁴³ tn Grk “and guarded them.”

[17:12]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “by your name.”

[17:12]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk And not one.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[17:12]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “the son of destruction” (a Semitic idiom for one appointed for destruction; here it is a reference to Judas).

[17:12]  ⁴⁷ sn A possible allusion to Ps 41:9 or Prov 24:22 LXX. The exact passage is not specified here, but in John 13:18, Ps 41:9 is explicitly quoted by Jesus with reference to the traitor, suggesting that this is the passage to which Jesus refers here. The previous mention of Ps 41:9 in John 13:18 probably explains why the author felt no need for an explanatory parenthetical note here. It is also possible that the passage referred to here is Prov 24:22 LXX, where in the Greek text the phrase “son of destruction” appears.

[18:9]  ⁴⁸ tn The words “He said this” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. There is an ellipsis in the Greek text that must be supplied for the modern English reader at this point.

[18:9]  ⁴⁹ sn This expression is similar to John 6:39 and John 17:12.

[18:9]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “Of the ones whom you gave me, I did not lose one of them.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged to reflect contemporary English style.

[19:36]  ⁵¹ sn A quotation from Exod 12:46, Num 9:12, and Ps 34:20. A number of different OT passages lie behind this quotation: Exod 12:10 LXX, Exod 12:46, Num 9:12, or Ps 34:20. Of these, the first is the closest in form to the quotation here. The first three are all more likely candidates than the last, since the first three all deal with descriptions of the Passover lamb.

[19:37]  ⁵² sn A quotation from Zech 12:10. Here a single phrase is quoted from Zech 12, but the entire context is associated with the events surrounding the crucifixion. The “Spirit of grace and of supplication” is poured out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the first part of v. 10. A few verses later in 13:1 Yahweh (typically rendered as “Lord” in the OT) says “In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity.” The blood which flowed from Jesus’ pierced side may well be what the author saw as the connection here, since as the shedding of the blood of the sacrificial victim it represents cleansing from sin. Although the Jewish authorities and Roman soldiers certainly “looked on the one whom they have pierced” as he hung on the cross, the author may also have in mind the parousia (second coming) here. The context in Zech 12-14 is certainly the second coming, so that these who crucified Jesus will look upon him in another sense when he returns in judgment.

[3:18]  ⁵³ sn God foretold. Peter’s topic is the working out of God’s plan and promise through events the scriptures also note.

[3:18]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “by the mouth of” (an idiom).

[3:18]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[13:27]  ⁵⁶ tn BDAG 12-13 s.v. ἀγνοέω 1.b gives “not to know w. acc. of pers.” as the meaning here, but “recognize” is a better translation in this context because recognition of the true identity of the one they condemned is the issue. See Acts 2:22-24; 4:26-28.

[13:27]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “this one.”

[13:27]  ⁵⁸ tn Usually φωνή (fwnh) means “voice,” but BDAG 1071-72 s.v. φωνή 2.c has “Also of sayings in scripture…Ac 13:27.”

[13:27]  ⁵⁹ tn The participle κρίναντες (krinante") is instrumental here.

[13:27]  ⁶⁰ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[13:28]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “And though.” 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.

[13:28]  ⁶² tn The participle εὑρόντες (Jeuronte") has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[13:28]  ⁶³ sn No basis. Luke insists on Jesus’ innocence again and again in Luke 23:1-25.

[13:28]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “no basis for death,” but in this context a sentence of death is clearly indicated.

[13:29]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “carried out.”

[13:29]  ⁶⁶ sn That is, everything that was written in OT scripture.

[13:29]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “taking him down from the cross, they placed him.” The participle καθελόντες (kaqelonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[13:29]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “tree,” but frequently figurative for a cross. The allusion is to Deut 21:23. See Acts 5:30; 10:39.

[13:29]  ⁶⁹ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[17:17]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “hearts.”

[17:17]  ⁷¹ tn Or “his intent.”

[17:17]  ⁷² tn The infinitive ποιῆσαι (poihsai) was translated here as giving the logical means by which God’s purpose was carried out.

[17:17]  ⁷³ tn On this term BDAG 203 s.v. γνώμη 4 states, “declaration, decision, resolution…of God Rv 17:17.”

[17:17]  ⁷⁴ tn For this translation see BDAG 168 s.v. βασιλεία 1.a, “kingship, royal power, royal rule.”

[17:17]  ⁷⁵ tn Or “completed.”