Matthew 13:55

13:55 Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother named Mary? ¹  And aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?

Mark 6:3

6:3 Isn’t this the carpenter, the son ²  of Mary ³  and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” And so they took offense at him.

John 2:12

Cleansing the Temple

2:12 After this he went down to Capernaum ⁴  with his mother and brothers ⁵  and his disciples, and they stayed there a few days.

John 7:3

7:3 So Jesus’ brothers ⁶  advised him, “Leave here and go to Judea so your disciples may see your miracles that you are performing. ⁷ 

John 7:5

7:5 (For not even his own brothers believed in him.) ⁸ 

John 7:10

7:10 But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then Jesus ⁹  himself also went up, not openly but in secret.

Acts 1:14

1:14 All these continued together in prayer with one mind, together with the women, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. ¹⁰ 

Acts 1:1

Jesus Ascends to Heaven

1:1 I wrote ¹¹  the former ¹²  account, ¹³  Theophilus, ¹⁴  about all that Jesus began to do and teach

Colossians 1:5

1:5 Your faith and love have arisen ¹⁵  from the hope laid up ¹⁶  for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel ¹⁷ 

Galatians 1:19

1:19 But I saw none of the other apostles ¹⁸  except James the Lord’s brother.

[13:55]  ¹ sn The reference to Jesus as the carpenter’s son is probably derogatory, indicating that they knew Jesus only as a common laborer like themselves. The reference to his mother…Mary (even though Jesus’ father was probably dead by this point) appears to be somewhat derogatory, for a man was not regarded as his mother’s son in Jewish usage unless an insult was intended (cf. Judg 11:1-2; John 4:41; 8:41; 9:29).

[6:3]  ² tc Evidently because of the possible offensiveness of designating Jesus a carpenter, several mss ([Ì^45vid] ˹³ 33^vid [565 579] 700 [2542] pc it vg^mss) harmonize the words “carpenter, the son” to the parallel passage in Matt 13:55, “the son of the carpenter.” Almost all the rest of the mss read “the carpenter, the son.” Since the explicit designation of Jesus as a carpenter is the more difficult reading, and is much better attested, it is most likely correct.

[6:3]  ³ sn The reference to Jesus as the carpenter is probably derogatory, indicating that they knew Jesus only as a common laborer like themselves. The reference to him as the son of Mary (even though Jesus’ father was probably dead by this point) appears to be somewhat derogatory, for a man was not regarded as his mother’s son in Jewish usage unless an insult was intended (cf. Judg 11:1-2; John 6:42; 8:41; 9:29).

[2:12]  ⁴ sn Verse 12 is merely a transitional note in the narrative (although Capernaum does not lie on the direct route to Jerusalem from Cana). Nothing is mentioned in John’s Gospel at this point about anything Jesus said or did there (although later his teaching is mentioned, see 6:59). From the synoptics it is clear that Capernaum was a center of Jesus’ Galilean ministry and might even be called “his own town” (Matt 9:1). The royal official whose son Jesus healed (John 4:46-54) was from Capernaum. He may have heard Jesus speak there, or picked up the story about the miracle at Cana from one of Jesus’ disciples.

[2:12]  ⁵ sn With respect to Jesus’ brothers, the so-called Helvidian view is to be preferred (named after Helvidius, a 4th-century theologian). This view holds that the most natural way to understand the phrase is as a reference to children of Joseph and Mary after the birth of Jesus. Other views are that of Epiphanius (they were children of Joseph by a former marriage) or Jerome (they were cousins). The tradition of Mary’s perpetual virginity appeared in the 2nd century and is difficult to explain (as J. H. Bernard, St. John [ICC], 1:85, points out) if some of her other children were prominent members of the early church (e.g., James of Jerusalem). But this is outweighed by the natural sense of the words.

[7:3]  ⁶ tn Grk “his brothers.”

[7:3]  ⁷ tn Grk “your deeds that you are doing.”

[7:5]  ⁸ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[7:10]  ⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:14]  ¹⁰ sn Jesus’ brothers are mentioned in Matt 13:55 and John 7:3.

[1:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “produced,” Grk “made.”

[1:1]  ¹² tn Or “first.” The translation “former” is preferred because “first” could imply to the modern English reader that the author means that his previous account was the first one to be written down. The Greek term πρῶτος (prwtos) does not necessarily mean “first” in an absolute sense, but can refer to the first in a set or series. That is what is intended here – the first account (known as the Gospel of Luke) as compared to the second one (known as Acts).

[1:1]  ¹³ tn The Greek word λόγος (logos) is sometimes translated “book” (NRSV, NIV) or “treatise” (KJV). A formal, systematic treatment of a subject is implied, but the word “book” may be too specific and slightly misleading to the modern reader, so “account” has been used.

[1:1]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “O Theophilus,” but the usage of the vocative in Acts with ὦ (w) is unemphatic, following more the classical idiom (see ExSyn 69).

[1:5]  ¹⁵ tn Col 1:3-8 form one long sentence in the Greek text and have been divided at the end of v. 4 and v. 6 and within v. 6 for clarity, in keeping with the tendency in contemporary English toward shorter sentences. Thus the phrase “Your faith and love have arisen from the hope” is literally “because of the hope.” The perfect tense “have arisen” was chosen in the English to reflect the fact that the recipients of the letter had acquired this hope at conversion in the past, but that it still remains and motivates them to trust in Christ and to love one another.

[1:5]  ¹⁶ tn BDAG 113 s.v. ἀπόκειμαι 2 renders ἀποκειμένην (apokeimenhn) with the expression “reserved” in this verse.

[1:5]  ¹⁷ tn The term “the gospel” (τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, tou euangeliou) is in apposition to “the word of truth” (τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ἀληθείας, tw logw th" alhqeia") as indicated in the translation.

[1:19]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “But another of the apostles I did not see, except…” with “another” in emphatic position in the Greek text. Paul is determined to make the point that his contacts with the original twelve apostles and other leaders of the Jerusalem church were limited, thus asserting his independence from them.