Matthew 5:19

5:19 So anyone who breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others ¹  to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever obeys them and teaches others to do so will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Isaiah 30:26

30:26 The light of the full moon will be like the sun’s glare

and the sun’s glare will be seven times brighter,

like the light of seven days, ² 

when the Lord binds up his people’s fractured bones ³ 

and heals their severe wound. ⁴ 

Zechariah 12:8

12:8 On that day the Lord himself will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the weakest among them will be like mighty David, and the dynasty of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them. ⁵ 

Luke 9:48

9:48 and said to them, “Whoever welcomes ⁶  this child ⁷  in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, for the one who is least among you all is the one who is great.” ⁸ 

John 1:15

1:15 John ⁹  testified ¹⁰  about him and shouted out, ¹¹  “This one was the one about whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is greater than I am, ¹²  because he existed before me.’”

John 1:27

1:27 who is coming after me. I am not worthy ¹³  to untie the strap ¹⁴  of his sandal!”

John 3:30

3:30 He must become more important while I become less important.” ¹⁵ 

John 3:1

Conversation with Nicodemus

3:1 Now a certain man, a Pharisee ¹⁶  named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council, ¹⁷ 

Colossians 1:4

1:4 since ¹⁸  we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints.

Colossians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ¹⁹  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Colossians 1:9

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, ²⁰  have not ceased praying for you and asking God ²¹  to fill ²²  you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

Ephesians 3:8

3:8 To me – less than the least of all the saints ²³  – this grace was given, ²⁴  to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ

[5:19]  ¹ tn Grk “teaches men” ( in a generic sense, people).

[30:26]  ² sn Light here symbolizes restoration of divine blessing and prosperity. The number “seven” is used symbolically to indicate intensity. The exact meaning of the phrase “the light of seven days” is uncertain; it probably means “seven times brighter” (see the parallel line).

[30:26]  ³ tn Heb “the fracture of his people” (so NASB).

[30:26]  ⁴ tn Heb “the injury of his wound.” The joining of synonyms emphasizes the severity of the wound. Another option is to translate, “the wound of his blow.” In this case the pronominal suffix might refer to the Lord, not the people, yielding the translation, “the wound which he inflicted.”

[12:8]  ⁵ sn The statement the dynasty of David will be like God is hyperbole to show the remarkable enhancements that will accompany the inauguration of the millennial age.

[9:48]  ⁶ tn This verb, δέχομαι (decomai), is a term of hospitality (L&N 34.53).

[9:48]  ⁷ sn Children were very insignificant in ancient culture, so this child would be the perfect object lesson to counter the disciples’ selfish ambitions.

[9:48]  ⁸ tn Grk “among you all, this one is great.” The absence of a comparative term here makes the point that comparison should not be done.

[1:15]  ⁹ sn John refers to John the Baptist.

[1:15]  ¹⁰ tn Or “bore witness.”

[1:15]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and shouted out saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant is English and has not been translated.

[1:15]  ¹² tn Or “has a higher rank than I.”

[1:27]  ¹³ tn Grk “of whom I am not worthy.”

[1:27]  ¹⁴ tn The term refers to the leather strap or thong used to bind a sandal. This is often viewed as a collective singular and translated as a plural, “the straps of his sandals,” but it may be more emphatic to retain the singular here.

[3:30]  ¹⁵ sn Some interpreters extend the quotation of John the Baptist’s words through v. 36.

[3:1]  ¹⁶ sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.

[3:1]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “a ruler of the Jews” (denoting a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[1:4]  ¹⁸ tn The adverbial participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") is understood to be temporal and translated with “since.” A causal idea may also be in the apostle’s mind, but the context emphasizes temporal ideas, e.g., “from the day” (v. 6).

[1:1]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:9]  ²⁰ 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]  ²¹ 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]  ²² 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.

[3:8]  ²³ sn In Pauline writings saints means any true believer. Thus for Paul to view himself as less than the least of all the saints is to view himself as the most unworthy object of Christ’s redemption.

[3:8]  ²⁴ sn The parallel phrases to proclaim and to enlighten which follow indicate why God’s grace was manifested to Paul. Grace was not something just to be received, but to be shared with others (cf. Acts 13:47).