Matthew 15:14

15:14 Leave them! They are blind guides. ¹  If someone who is blind leads another who is blind, ²  both will fall into a pit.”

Matthew 23:19

23:19 You are blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?

Matthew 23:24

23:24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel! ³ 

John 8:55

8:55 Yet ⁴  you do not know him, but I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, ⁵  I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I obey ⁶  his teaching. ⁷ 

Acts 14:16

14:16 In ⁸  past ⁹  generations he allowed all the nations ¹⁰  to go their own ways,

Acts 17:23

17:23 For as I went around and observed closely your objects of worship, ¹¹  I even found an altar with this inscription: ¹²  ‘To an unknown god.’ Therefore what you worship without knowing it, ¹³  this I proclaim to you.

Acts 17:30-31

17:30 Therefore, although God has overlooked ¹⁴  such times of ignorance, ¹⁵  he now commands all people ¹⁶  everywhere to repent, ¹⁷  17:31 because he has set ¹⁸  a day on which he is going to judge the world ¹⁹  in righteousness, by a man whom he designated, ²⁰  having provided proof to everyone by raising ²¹  him from the dead.”

Acts 26:18

26:18 to open their eyes so that they turn ²²  from darkness to light and from the power ²³  of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share ²⁴  among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Romans 1:21-32

1:21 For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts ²⁵  were darkened. 1:22 Although they claimed ²⁶  to be wise, they became fools 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings ²⁷  or birds or four-footed animals ²⁸  or reptiles.

1:24 Therefore God gave them over ²⁹  in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor ³⁰  their bodies among themselves. ³¹  1:25 They ³²  exchanged the truth of God for a lie ³³  and worshiped and served the creation ³⁴  rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

1:26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged the natural sexual relations for unnatural ones, ³⁵  1:27 and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women ³⁶  and were inflamed in their passions ³⁷  for one another. Men ³⁸  committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

1:28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, ³⁹  God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done. ⁴⁰  1:29 They are filled ⁴¹  with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with ⁴²  envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips, 1:30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, 1:31 senseless, covenant-breakers, ⁴³  heartless, ruthless. 1:32 Although they fully know ⁴⁴  God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, ⁴⁵  they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them. ⁴⁶ 

Ephesians 4:17-20

Live in Holiness

4:17 So I say this, and insist ⁴⁷  in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility ⁴⁸  of their thinking. ⁴⁹  4:18 They are darkened in their understanding, ⁵⁰  being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts. 4:19 Because they are callous, they have given themselves over to indecency for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. ⁵¹  4:20 But you did not learn about Christ like this,

Ephesians 4:1

Live in Unity

4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, ⁵²  urge you to live ⁵³  worthily of the calling with which you have been called, ⁵⁴ 

Ephesians 2:9

2:9 it is not from ⁵⁵  works, so that no one can boast. ⁵⁶ 

[15:14]  ¹ tc ‡ Most mss, some of which are significant, read “They are blind guides of the blind” (א¹ C L W Z Θ Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat). The shorter reading is read by א*^,2 B D 0237 Epiph. There is a distinct possibility of omission due to homoioarcton in א*; this manuscript has a word order variation which puts the word τυφλοί (tufloi, “blind”) right before the word τυφλῶν (tuflwn, “of the blind”). This does not explain the shorter reading, however, in the other witnesses, of which B and D are quite weighty. Internal considerations suggest that the shorter reading is original: “of the blind” was likely added by scribes to balance this phrase with Jesus’ following statement about the blind leading the blind, which clearly has two groups in view. A decision is difficult, but internal considerations here along with the strength of the witnesses argue that the shorter reading is more likely original. NA²⁷ places τυφλῶν in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[15:14]  ² tn Grk “If blind leads blind.”

[23:24]  ³ tn Grk “Blind guides who strain out a gnat yet who swallow a camel!”

[8:55]  ⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Yet” to indicate the contrast present in the context.

[8:55]  ⁵ tn Grk “If I say, ‘I do not know him.’”

[8:55]  ⁶ tn Grk “I keep.”

[8:55]  ⁷ tn Grk “his word.”

[14:16]  ⁸ tn Grk “them, who in.” The relative pronoun (“who”) was replaced by the pronoun “he” (“In past generations he”) and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek and the awkwardness of two relative clauses (“who made the heaven” and “who in past generations”) following one another.

[14:16]  ⁹ tn On this term see BDAG 780 s.v. παροίχομαι. The word is a NT hapax legomenon.

[14:16]  ¹⁰ tn Or “all the Gentiles” (in Greek the word for “nation” and “Gentile” is the same). The plural here alludes to the variety of false religions in the pagan world.

[17:23]  ¹¹ tn Or “your sanctuaries.” L&N 53.54 gives “sanctuary” (place of worship) as an alternate meaning for the word σεβάσματα (sebasmata).

[17:23]  ¹² tn Grk “on which was written,” but since it would have been carved in stone, it is more common to speak of an “inscription” in English. To simplify the English the relative construction with a passive verb (“on which was inscribed”) was translated as a prepositional phrase with a substantive (“inscription”).

[17:23]  ¹³ tn BDAG 13 s.v. ἀγνοέω 1.b has “Abs. ὅ ἀγνοοῦντες εὐσεβεῖτε what you worship without knowing it (on the subject matter Maximus Tyr. 11, 5e: all sorts of philosophers ἴσασιν οὐκ ἑκόντες καὶ λέγουσιν ἄκοντες sc. τὸ θεῖον = they know and name God without intending to do so) Ac 17:23.” Paul, in typical Jewish Christian style, informs them of the true God, of whom their idols are an ignorant reflection.

[17:30]  ¹⁴ tn Or “has deliberately paid no attention to.”

[17:30]  ¹⁵ tn Or “times when people did not know.”

[17:30]  ¹⁶ tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).

[17:30]  ¹⁷ sn He now commands all people everywhere to repent. God was now asking all mankind to turn to him. No nation or race was excluded.

[17:31]  ¹⁸ tn Or “fixed.”

[17:31]  ¹⁹ sn The world refers to the whole inhabited earth.

[17:31]  ²⁰ tn Or “appointed.” BDAG 723 s.v. ὁρίζω 2.b has “of persons appoint, designate, declare: God judges the world ἐν ἀνδρὶ ᾧ ὥρισεν through a man whom he has appointed Ac 17:31.”

[17:31]  ²¹ tn The participle ἀναστήσας (anasthsa") indicates means here.

[26:18]  ²² sn To open their eyes so that they turn… Here is Luke’s most comprehensive report of Paul’s divine calling. His role was to call humanity to change their position before God and experience God’s forgiveness as a part of God’s family. The image of turning is a key one in the NT: Luke 1:79; Rom 2:19; 13:12; 2 Cor 4:6; 6:14; Eph 5:8; Col 1:12; 1 Thess 5:5. See also Luke 1:77-79; 3:3; 24:47.

[26:18]  ²³ tn BDAG 352-53 s.v. ἐξουσία 2 states, “Also of Satan’s power Ac 26:18.” It is also possible to translate this “the domain of Satan” (cf. BDAG 353 s.v. 6)

[26:18]  ²⁴ tn Or “and an inheritance.”

[1:21]  ²⁵ tn Grk “heart.”

[1:22]  ²⁶ tn The participle φάσκοντες (faskonte") is used concessively here.

[1:23]  ²⁷ tn Grk “exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God in likeness of an image of corruptible man.” Here there is a wordplay on the Greek terms ἄφθαρτος (afqarto", “immortal, imperishable, incorruptible”) and φθαρτός (fqarto", “mortal, corruptible, subject to decay”).

[1:23]  ²⁸ sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 106:19-20.

[1:24]  ²⁹ sn Possibly an allusion to Ps 81:12.

[1:24]  ³⁰ tn The genitive articular infinitive τοῦ ἀτιμάζεσθαι (tou atimazesqai, “to dishonor”) has been taken as (1) an infinitive of purpose; (2) an infinitive of result; or (3) an epexegetical (i.e., explanatory) infinitive, expanding the previous clause.

[1:24]  ³¹ tn Grk “among them.”

[1:25]  ³² tn Grk “who.” The relative pronoun was converted to a personal pronoun and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:25]  ³³ tn Grk “the lie.”

[1:25]  ³⁴ tn Or “creature, created things.”

[1:26]  ³⁵ tn Grk “for their females exchanged the natural function for that which is contrary to nature.” The term χρῆσις (crhsi") has the force of “sexual relations” here (L&N 23.65).

[1:27]  ³⁶ tn Grk “likewise so also the males abandoning the natural function of the female.”

[1:27]  ³⁷ tn Grk “burned with intense desire” (L&N 25.16).

[1:27]  ³⁸ tn Grk “another, men committing…and receiving,” continuing the description of their deeds. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:28]  ³⁹ tn Grk “and just as they did not approve to have God in knowledge.”

[1:28]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “the things that are improper.”

[1:29]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “being filled” or “having been filled,” referring to those described in v. 28. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:29]  ⁴² tn Grk “malice, full of,” continuing the description. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:31]  ⁴³ tn Or “promise-breakers.”

[1:32]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “who, knowing…, not only do them but also approve…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:32]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “are worthy of death.”

[1:32]  ⁴⁶ sn “Vice lists” like vv. 28-32 can be found elsewhere in the NT in Matt 15:19; Gal 5:19-21; 1 Tim 1:9-10; and 1 Pet 4:3. An example from the intertestamental period can be found in Wis 14:25-26.

[4:17]  ⁴⁷ tn On the translation of μαρτύρομαι (marturomai) as “insist” see BDAG 619 s.v. 2.

[4:17]  ⁴⁸ tn On the translation of ματαιότης (mataioth") as “futility” see BDAG 621 s.v.

[4:17]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “thoughts,” “mind.”

[4:18]  ⁵⁰ tn In the Greek text this clause is actually subordinate to περιπατεῖ (peripatei) in v. 17. It was broken up in the English translation so as to avoid an unnecessarily long and cumbersome statement.

[4:19]  ⁵¹ sn Greediness refers to an increasing desire for more and more. The point is that sinful passions and desires are never satisfied.

[4:1]  ⁵² tn Grk “prisoner in the Lord.”

[4:1]  ⁵³ tn Grk “walk.” The verb “walk” in the NT letters refers to the conduct of one’s life, not to physical walking.

[4:1]  ⁵⁴ sn With which you have been called. The calling refers to the Holy Spirit’s prompting that caused them to believe. The author is thus urging his readers to live a life that conforms to their saved status before God.

[2:9]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “not as a result of.”

[2:9]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “lest anyone should boast.”