Matthew 11:19

11:19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him, ¹  a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors ²  and sinners!’ ³  But wisdom is vindicated ⁴  by her deeds.” ⁵ 

Isaiah 65:5

65:5 They say, ‘Keep to yourself!

Don’t get near me, for I am holier than you!’

These people are like smoke in my nostrils,

like a fire that keeps burning all day long.

Luke 5:30

5:30 But ⁶  the Pharisees ⁷  and their experts in the law ⁸  complained ⁹  to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹⁰ 

Luke 15:1-2

The Parable of the Lost Sheep and Coin

15:1 Now all the tax collectors ¹¹  and sinners were coming ¹²  to hear him. 15:2 But ¹³  the Pharisees ¹⁴  and the experts in the law ¹⁵  were complaining, ¹⁶  “This man welcomes ¹⁷  sinners and eats with them.”

Luke 19:7

19:7 And when the people ¹⁸  saw it, they all complained, ¹⁹  “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” ²⁰ 

Luke 19:1

Jesus and Zacchaeus

19:1 Jesus ²¹  entered Jericho ²²  and was passing through it.

Colossians 1:9-11

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, ²³  have not ceased praying for you and asking God ²⁴  to fill ²⁵  you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 1:10 so that you may live ²⁶  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ²⁷  – 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 ²⁸  all patience and steadfastness, joyfully

Galatians 2:15

Jews and Gentiles are Justified by Faith

2:15 We are Jews by birth ²⁹  and not Gentile sinners, ³⁰ 

Hebrews 5:2

5:2 He is able to deal compassionately with those who are ignorant and erring, since he also is subject to weakness,

Hebrews 5:2

5:2 He is able to deal compassionately with those who are ignorant and erring, since he also is subject to weakness,

Hebrews 1:10

1:10 And,

“You founded the earth in the beginning, Lord, ³¹ 

and the heavens are the works of your hands.

[11:19]  ¹ tn Grk “Behold a man.”

[11:19]  ² sn See the note on tax collectors in 5:46.

[11:19]  ³ sn Neither were they happy with Jesus (the Son of Man), even though he was the opposite of John and associated freely with people like tax collectors and sinners. Either way, God’s messengers were subject to complaint.

[11:19]  ⁴ tn Or “shown to be right.”

[11:19]  ⁵ tc Most witnesses (B² C D L Θ Ë¹ 33 Ï lat) have “children” (τέκνων, teknwn) here instead of “deeds” (ἔργων, ergwn), but since “children” is the reading of the parallel in Luke 7:35, scribes would be motivated to convert the less colorful “deeds” into more animate offspring of wisdom. Further, ἔργων enjoys support from א B* W (˹³) as well as early versional and patristic support.

[5:30]  ⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the implied contrast present in this context.

[5:30]  ⁷ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[5:30]  ⁸ tn Or “and their scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

[5:30]  ⁹ tn Or “grumbled”; a term often used in the OT for inappropriate grumbling: Exod 15:24; 16:7-8; Num 14:2, 26-35; 16:11.

[5:30]  ¹⁰ sn The issue here is inappropriate associations (eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners) and the accusation comes not against Jesus, but his disciples.

[15:1]  ¹¹ sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.

[15:1]  ¹² tn Grk “were drawing near.”

[15:2]  ¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[15:2]  ¹⁴ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[15:2]  ¹⁵ tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

[15:2]  ¹⁶ tn Or “grumbling”; Grk “were complaining, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[15:2]  ¹⁷ tn Or “accepts,” “receives.” This is not the first time this issue has been raised: Luke 5:27-32; 7:37-50.

[19:7]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “they”; the referent is unspecified but is probably the crowd in general, who would have no great love for a man like Zacchaeus who had enriched himself many times over at their expense.

[19:7]  ¹⁹ tn This term is used only twice in the NT, both times in Luke (here and 15:2) and has negative connotations both times (BDAG 227 s.v. διαγογγύζω). The participle λέγοντες (legonte") is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[19:7]  ²⁰ sn Being the guest of a man who is a sinner was a common complaint about Jesus: Luke 5:31-32; 7:37-50; 15:1-2.

[19:1]  ²¹ tn Grk “And entering, he passed through”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[19:1]  ²² map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[1:9]  ²³ tn Or “heard about it”; Grk “heard.” There is no direct object stated in the Greek (direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context). A direct object is expected by an English reader, however, so most translations supply one. Here, however, it is not entirely clear what the author “heard”: a number of translations supply “it” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV; NAB “this”), but this could refer back either to (1) “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8, or (2) “your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints” (v. 4). In light of this uncertainty, other translations supply “about you” (TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). This is preferred by the present translation since, while it does not resolve the ambiguity entirely, it does make it less easy for the English reader to limit the reference only to “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8.

[1:9]  ²⁴ tn The term “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but the following reference to “the knowledge of his will” makes it clear that “God” is in view as the object of the “praying and asking,” and should therefore be included in the English translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ²⁵ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated as substantival, indicating the content of the prayer and asking. The idea of purpose may also be present in this clause.

[1:10]  ²⁶ 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]  ²⁷ 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]  ²⁸ 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.

[2:15]  ²⁹ tn Grk “by nature.”

[2:15]  ³⁰ tn Grk “and not sinners from among the Gentiles.”

[1:10]  ³¹ sn You founded the earth…your years will never run out. In its original setting Ps 102:25-27 refers to the work of God in creation, but here in Hebrews 1:10-12 the writer employs it in reference to Christ, the Lord, making a strong argument for the essential deity of the Son.