Matthew 26:51-54

26:51 But ¹  one of those with Jesus grabbed ²  his sword, drew it out, and struck the high priest’s slave, ³  cutting off his ear. 26:52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back in its place! ⁴  For all who take hold of the sword will die by the sword. 26:53 Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and that he would send me more than twelve legions ⁵  of angels right now? 26:54 How then would the scriptures that say it must happen this way be fulfilled?”

Mark 14:47

14:47 One of the bystanders drew his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, ⁶  cutting off his ear.

John 18:10-11

18:10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, pulled it out and struck the high priest’s slave, ⁷  cutting off his right ear. ⁸  (Now the slave’s name was Malchus.) ⁹  18:11 But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath! Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?” ¹⁰ 

Romans 12:19

12:19 Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, ¹¹  for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” ¹²  says the Lord.

Romans 12:2

12:2 Do not be conformed ¹³  to this present world, ¹⁴  but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve ¹⁵  what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

Colossians 1:4

1:4 since ¹⁶  we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints.

[26:51]  ¹ tn Grk “And behold one.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[26:51]  ² tn Grk “extending his hand, drew out his sword, and struck.” Because rapid motion is implied in the circumstances, the translation “grabbed” was used.

[26:51]  ³ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.

[26:52]  ⁴ tn The translation “put your sword back in its place” for this phrase is given in L&N 85.52.

[26:53]  ⁷ sn A legion was a Roman army unit of about 6,000 soldiers, so twelve legions would be 72,000.

[14:47]  ¹⁰ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 10:44.

[18:10]  ¹³ tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.

[18:10]  ¹⁴ sn The account of the attack on the high priest’s slave contains details which suggest eyewitness testimony. It is also mentioned in all three synoptic gospels, but only John records that the disciple involved was Peter, whose impulsive behavior has already been alluded to (John 13:37). Likewise only John gives the name of the victim, Malchus, who is described as the high priest’s slave. John and Mark (14:47) both use the word ὠτάριον (wtarion, a double diminutive) to describe what was cut off, and this may indicate only part of the right ear (for example, the earlobe).

[18:10]  ¹⁵ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[18:11]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “The cup that the Father has given me to drink, shall I not drink it?” The order of the clauses has been rearranged to reflect contemporary English style.

[12:19]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “the wrath,” referring to God’s wrath as the remainder of the verse shows.

[12:19]  ²⁰ sn A quotation from Deut 32:35.

[12:2]  ²² tn Although συσχηματίζεσθε (suschmatizesqe) could be either a passive or middle, the passive is more likely since it would otherwise have to be a direct middle (“conform yourselves”) and, as such, would be quite rare for NT Greek. It is very telling that being “conformed” to the present world is viewed as a passive notion, for it may suggest that it happens, in part, subconsciously. At the same time, the passive could well be a “permissive passive,” suggesting that there may be some consciousness of the conformity taking place. Most likely, it is a combination of both.

[12:2]  ²³ tn Grk “to this age.”

[12:2]  ²⁴ sn The verb translated test and approve (δοκιμάζω, dokimazw) carries the sense of “test with a positive outcome,” “test so as to approve.”

[1:4]  ²⁵ 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).