Matthew 11:25

Jesus’ Invitation

11:25 At that time Jesus said, ¹  “I praise ²  you, Father, Lord ³  of heaven and earth, because ⁴  you have hidden these things from the wise ⁵  and intelligent, and revealed them to little children.

Exodus 33:19

33:19 And the Lord ⁶  said, “I will make all my goodness ⁷  pass before your face, and I will proclaim the Lord by name ⁸  before you; I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.” ⁹ 

Deuteronomy 7:6-8

7:6 For you are a people holy ¹⁰  to the Lord your God. He ¹¹  has chosen you to be his people, prized ¹²  above all others on the face of the earth.

The Basis of Israel’s Election

7:7 It is not because you were more numerous than all the other peoples that the Lord favored and chose you – for in fact you were the least numerous of all peoples. 7:8 Rather it is because of his ¹³  love ¹⁴  for you and his faithfulness to the promise ¹⁵  he solemnly vowed ¹⁶  to your ancestors ¹⁷  that the Lord brought you out with great power, ¹⁸  redeeming ¹⁹  you from the place of slavery, from the power ²⁰  of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 7:1

The Dispossession of Nonvassals

7:1 When the Lord your God brings you to the land that you are going to occupy and forces out many nations before you – Hittites, ²¹  Girgashites, ²²  Amorites, ²³  Canaanites, ²⁴  Perizzites, ²⁵  Hivites, ²⁶  and Jebusites, ²⁷  seven ²⁸  nations more numerous and powerful than you –

Deuteronomy 28:4-5

28:4 Your children ²⁹  will be blessed, as well as the produce of your soil, the offspring of your livestock, the calves of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks. 28:5 Your basket and your mixing bowl will be blessed.

Jeremiah 27:5-7

27:5 “I made the earth and the people and animals on it by my mighty power and great strength, ³⁰  and I give it to whomever I see fit. ³¹  27:6 I have at this time placed all these nations of yours under the power ³²  of my servant, ³³  King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I have even made all the wild animals subject to him. ³⁴  27:7 All nations must serve him and his son and grandson ³⁵  until the time comes for his own nation to fall. ³⁶  Then many nations and great kings will in turn subjugate Babylon. ³⁷ 

John 17:2

17:2 just as you have given him authority over all humanity, ³⁸  so that he may give eternal life to everyone you have given him. ³⁹ 

Romans 9:15-24

9:15 For he says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” ⁴⁰  9:16 So then, ⁴¹  it does not depend on human desire or exertion, ⁴²  but on God who shows mercy. 9:17 For the scripture says to Pharaoh: ⁴³  “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may demonstrate my power in you, and that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” ⁴⁴  9:18 So then, ⁴⁵  God ⁴⁶  has mercy on whom he chooses to have mercy, and he hardens whom he chooses to harden. ⁴⁷ 

9:19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who has ever resisted his will?” 9:20 But who indeed are you – a mere human being ⁴⁸  – to talk back to God? ⁴⁹  Does what is molded say to the molder, “Why have you made me like this?” ⁵⁰  9:21 Has the potter no right to make from the same lump of clay ⁵¹  one vessel for special use and another for ordinary use? ⁵²  9:22 But what if God, willing to demonstrate his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the objects ⁵³  of wrath ⁵⁴  prepared for destruction? ⁵⁵  9:23 And what if he is willing to make known the wealth of his glory on the objects ⁵⁶  of mercy that he has prepared beforehand for glory – 9:24 even us, whom he has called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

Romans 11:5-6

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.

Romans 11:1

Israel’s Rejection not Complete nor Final

11:1 So I ask, God has not rejected his people, has he? Absolutely not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.

Colossians 4:7

Personal Greetings and Instructions

4:7 Tychicus, a dear brother, faithful minister, and fellow slave ⁵⁷  in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. ⁵⁸ 

Ephesians 1:11

1:11 In Christ ⁵⁹  we too have been claimed as God’s own possession, ⁶⁰  since we were predestined according to the one purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will

Ephesians 2:1

New Life Individually

2:1 And although you were ⁶¹  dead ⁶²  in your transgressions and sins,

Ephesians 2:5

2:5 even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you are saved! ⁶³  –

James 1:18

1:18 By his sovereign plan he gave us birth ⁶⁴  through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

[11:25]  ¹ tn Grk “At that time, answering, Jesus said.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.

[11:25]  ² tn Or “thank.”

[11:25]  ³ sn The title Lord is an important name for God, showing his sovereignty, but it is interesting that it comes next to a reference to the Father, a term indicative of God’s care. The two concepts are often related in the NT; see Eph 1:3-6.

[11:25]  ⁴ tn Or “that.”

[11:25]  ⁵ sn See 1 Cor 1:26-31.

[33:19]  ⁶ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:19]  ⁷ sn The word “goodness” refers to the divine appearance in summary fashion.

[33:19]  ⁸ tn The expression “make proclamation in the name of Yahweh” (here a perfect tense with vav [ו] consecutive for future) means to declare, reveal, or otherwise make proclamation of who Yahweh is. The “name of Yahweh” (rendered “the name of the Lord” throughout) refers to his divine attributes revealed to his people, either in word or deed. What will be focused on first will be his grace and compassion.

[33:19]  ⁹ sn God declares his mercy and grace in similar terms to his earlier self-revelation (“I am that I am”): “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious.” In other words, the grace and mercy of God are bound up in his own will. Obviously, in this passage the recipients of that favor are the penitent Israelites who were forgiven through Moses’ intercession. The two words are at the heart of God’s dealings with people. The first is חָנַן (khanan, “to be gracious, show favor”). It means to grant favor or grace to someone, grace meaning unmerited favor. All of God’s dealings are gracious, but especially in forgiving sins and granting salvation it is critical. Parallel to this is רָחַם (rakham), a word that means “show compassion, tender mercy.” It is a word that is related to the noun “womb,” the connection being in providing care and protection for that which is helpless and dependent – a motherly quality. In both of these constructions the verbs simply express what God will do, without explaining why. See further, J. R. Lundbom, “God’s Use of the Idem per idem to Terminate Debate,” HTR 71 (1978): 193-201; and J. Piper, “Prolegomena to Understanding Romans 9:14-15: An Interpretation of Exodus 33:19,” JETS 22 (1979): 203-16.

[7:6]  ¹⁰ tn That is, “set apart.”

[7:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[7:6]  ¹² tn Or “treasured” (so NIV, NRSV); NLT “his own special treasure.” The Hebrew term סְגֻלָּה (sÿgullah) describes Israel as God’s choice people, those whom he elected and who are most precious to him (cf. Exod 19:4-6; Deut 14:2; 26:18; 1 Chr 29:3; Ps 135:4; Eccl 2:8 Mal 3:17). See E. Carpenter, NIDOTTE 3:224.

[7:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “the Lord’s.” See note on “He” in 7:6.

[7:8]  ¹⁴ tn For the verb אָהַב (’ahav, “to love”) as a term of choice or election, see note on the word “loved” in Deut 4:37.

[7:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “oath.” This is a reference to the promises of the so-called “Abrahamic Covenant” (cf. Gen 15:13-16).

[7:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “swore on oath.”

[7:8]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 12, 13).

[7:8]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “by a strong hand” (NAB similar); NLT “with such amazing power.”

[7:8]  ¹⁹ sn Redeeming you from the place of slavery. The Hebrew verb translated “redeeming” (from the root פָּדָה, padah) has the idea of redemption by the payment of a ransom. The initial symbol of this was the Passover lamb, offered by Israel to the Lord as ransom in exchange for deliverance from bondage and death (Exod 12:1-14). Later, the firstborn sons of Israel, represented by the Levites, became the ransom (Num 3:11-13). These were all types of the redemption effected by the death of Christ who described his atoning work as “a ransom for many” (Matt 20:28; cf. 1 Pet 1:18).

[7:8]  ²⁰ tn Heb “hand” (so KJV, NRSV), a metaphor for power or domination.

[7:1]  ²¹ sn Hittites. The center of Hittite power was in Anatolia (central modern Turkey). In the Late Bronze Age (1550-1200 b.c.) they were at their zenith, establishing outposts and colonies near and far. Some elements were obviously in Canaan at the time of the Conquest (1400-1350 b.c.).

[7:1]  ²² sn Girgashites. These cannot be ethnically identified and are unknown outside the OT. They usually appear in such lists only when the intention is to have seven groups in all (see also the note on the word “seven” later in this verse).

[7:1]  ²³ sn Amorites. Originally from the upper Euphrates region (Amurru), the Amorites appear to have migrated into Canaan beginning in 2200 b.c. or thereabouts.

[7:1]  ²⁴ sn Canaanites. These were the indigenous peoples of the land, going back to the beginning of recorded history (ca. 3000 b.c.). The OT identifies them as descendants of Ham (Gen 10:6), the only Hamites to have settled north and east of Egypt.

[7:1]  ²⁵ sn Perizzites. This is probably a subgroup of Canaanites (Gen 13:7; 34:30).

[7:1]  ²⁶ sn Hivites. These are usually thought to be the same as the Hurrians, a people well-known in ancient Near Eastern texts. They are likely identical to the Horites (see note on the term “Horites” in Deut 2:12).

[7:1]  ²⁷ sn Jebusites. These inhabited the hill country, particularly in and about Jerusalem (cf. Num 13:29; Josh 15:8; 2 Sam 5:6; 24:16).

[7:1]  ²⁸ sn Seven. This is an ideal number in the OT, one symbolizing fullness or completeness. Therefore, the intent of the text here is not to be precise and list all of Israel’s enemies but simply to state that Israel will have a full complement of foes to deal with. For other lists of Canaanites, some with fewer than seven peoples, see Exod 3:8; 13:5; 23:23, 28; 33:2; 34:11; Deut 20:17; Josh 3:10; 9:1; 24:11. Moreover, the “Table of Nations” (Gen 10:15-19) suggests that all of these (possibly excepting the Perizzites) were offspring of Canaan and therefore Canaanites.

[28:4]  ²⁹ tn Heb “the fruit of your womb” (so NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[27:5]  ³⁰ tn Heb “by my great power and my outstretched arm.” Again “arm” is symbolical for “strength.” Compare the similar expression in 21:5.

[27:5]  ³¹ sn See Dan 4:17 for a similar statement.

[27:6]  ³² tn Heb “have given…into the hand of.”

[27:6]  ³³ sn See the study note on 25:9 for the significance of the application of this term to Nebuchadnezzar.

[27:6]  ³⁴ tn Heb “I have given…to him to serve him.” The verb “give” in this syntactical situation is functioning like the Hiphil stem, i.e., as a causative. See Dan 1:9 for parallel usage. For the usage of “serve” meaning “be subject to” compare 2 Sam 22:44 and BDB 713 s.v. עָבַד 3.

[27:7]  ³⁵ sn This is a figure that emphasizes that they will serve for a long time but not for an unlimited duration. The kingdom of Babylon lasted a relatively short time by ancient standards. It lasted from 605 b.c. when Nebuchadnezzar defeated Necho at Carchemish until the fall of Babylon in 538 b.c. There were only four rulers. Nebuchadnezzar was succeeded by his son, Evil Merodach (cf. 52:31), and two other rulers who were not descended from him.

[27:7]  ³⁶ tn Heb “until the time of his land, even his, comes.” The independent pronoun is placed here for emphasis on the possessive pronoun. The word “time” is used by substitution for the things that are done in it (compare in the NT John 2:4; 7:30; 8:20 “his hour had not yet come”).

[27:7]  ³⁷ tn Heb “him.” This is a good example of the figure of substitution where the person is put for his descendants or the nation or subject he rules. (See Gen 28:13-14 for another good example and Acts 22:7 in the NT.)

[17:2]  ³⁸ tn Or “all people”; Grk “all flesh.”

[17:2]  ³⁹ tn Grk “so that to everyone whom you have given to him, he may give to them eternal life.”

[9:15]  ⁴⁰ sn A quotation from Exod 33:19.

[9:16]  ⁴¹ sn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.

[9:16]  ⁴² tn Grk “So then, [it does] not [depend] on the one who desires nor on the one who runs.”

[9:17]  ⁴³ sn Paul uses a typical rabbinic formula here in which the OT scriptures are figuratively portrayed as speaking to Pharaoh. What he means is that the scripture he cites refers (or can be applied) to Pharaoh.

[9:17]  ⁴⁴ sn A quotation from Exod 9:16.

[9:18]  ⁴⁵ sn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.

[9:18]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:18]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires.”

[9:20]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “O man.”

[9:20]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “On the contrary, O man, who are you to talk back to God?”

[9:20]  ⁵⁰ sn A quotation from Isa 29:16; 45:9.

[9:21]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “Or does not the potter have authority over the clay to make from the same lump.”

[9:21]  ⁵² tn Grk “one vessel for honor and another for dishonor.”

[9:22]  ⁵³ tn Grk “vessels.” This is the same Greek word used in v. 21.

[9:22]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “vessels destined for wrath.” The genitive ὀργῆς (orghs) could be taken as a genitive of destination.

[9:22]  ⁵⁵ tn Or possibly “objects of wrath that have fit themselves for destruction.” The form of the participle could be taken either as a passive or middle (reflexive). ExSyn 417-18 argues strongly for the passive sense (which is followed in the translation), stating that “the middle view has little to commend it.” First, καταρτίζω (katartizw) is nowhere else used in the NT as a direct or reflexive middle (a usage which, in any event, is quite rare in the NT). Second, the lexical force of this verb, coupled with the perfect tense, suggests something of a “done deal” (against some commentaries that see these vessels as ready for destruction yet still able to avert disaster). Third, the potter-clay motif seems to have one point: The potter prepares the clay.

[9:23]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “vessels.” This is the same Greek word used in v. 21.

[4:7]  ⁵⁷ tn See the note on “fellow slave” in 1:7.

[4:7]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “all things according to me.”

[1:11]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “in whom,” as a continuation of the previous verse.

[1:11]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “we were appointed by lot.” The notion of the verb κληρόω (klhrow) in the OT was to “appoint a portion by lot” (the more frequent cognate verb κληρονομέω [klhronomew] meant “obtain a portion by lot”). In the passive, as here, the idea is that “we were appointed [as a portion] by lot” (BDAG 548 s.v. κληρόω 1). The words “God’s own” have been supplied in the translation to clarify this sense of the verb. An alternative interpretation is that believers receive a portion as an inheritance: “In Christ we too have been appointed a portion of the inheritance.” See H. W. Hoehner, Ephesians, 226-27, for discussion on this interpretive issue.

[2:1]  ⁶¹ tn The adverbial participle “being” (ὄντας, ontas) is taken concessively.

[2:1]  ⁶² sn Chapter 2 starts off with a participle, although you were dead, that is left dangling. The syntax in Greek for vv. 1-3 constitutes one incomplete sentence, though it seems to have been done intentionally. The dangling participle leaves the readers in suspense while they wait for the solution (in v. 4) to their spiritual dilemma.

[2:5]  ⁶³ tn Or “by grace you have been saved.” The perfect tense in Greek connotes both completed action (“you have been saved”) and continuing results (“you are saved”).

[1:18]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “Having willed, he gave us birth.”