Numbers 12:3

12:3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, ¹  more so than any man on the face of the earth.)

Psalms 45:4

45:4 Appear in your majesty and be victorious! ² 

Ride forth for the sake of what is right, ³ 

on behalf of justice! ⁴ 

Then your right hand will accomplish mighty acts! ⁵ 

Psalms 138:6

138:6 Though the Lord is exalted, he takes note of the lowly,

and recognizes the proud from far away.

Proverbs 3:34

3:34 Although ⁶  he is scornful to arrogant scoffers, ⁷ 

yet ⁸  he shows favor to the humble. ⁹ 

Proverbs 16:19

16:19 It is better to be lowly in spirit ¹⁰  with the afflicted

than to share the spoils ¹¹  with the proud.

Isaiah 57:15

57:15 For this is what the high and exalted one says,

the one who rules ¹²  forever, whose name is holy:

“I dwell in an exalted and holy place,

but also with the discouraged and humiliated, ¹³ 

in order to cheer up the humiliated

and to encourage the discouraged. ¹⁴ 

Isaiah 61:1-3

The Lord Will Rejuvenate His People

61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,

because the Lord has chosen ¹⁵  me. ¹⁶ 

He has commissioned ¹⁷  me to encourage ¹⁸  the poor,

to help ¹⁹  the brokenhearted,

to decree the release of captives,

and the freeing of prisoners,

61:2 to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor,

the day when our God will seek vengeance, ²⁰ 

to console all who mourn,

61:3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,

by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,

oil symbolizing joy, ²¹  instead of mourning,

a garment symbolizing praise, ²²  instead of discouragement. ²³ 

They will be called oaks of righteousness, ²⁴ 

trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor. ²⁵ 

Zephaniah 2:3

2:3 Seek the Lord’s favor, ²⁶  all you humble people ²⁷  of the land who have obeyed his commands! ²⁸ 

Strive to do what is right! ²⁹  Strive to be humble! ³⁰ 

Maybe you will be protected ³¹  on the day of the Lord’s angry judgment.

Zechariah 9:9

9:9 Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion!

Shout, daughter of Jerusalem!

Look! Your king is coming to you:

he is legitimate ³²  and victorious, ³³ 

humble and riding on a donkey ³⁴  –

on a young donkey, the foal of a female donkey.

Matthew 5:3-5

5:3 “Blessed ³⁵  are the poor in spirit, ³⁶  for the kingdom of heaven belongs ³⁷  to them.

5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ³⁸ 

5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Matthew 11:29

11:29 Take my yoke ³⁹  on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Acts 20:19

20:19 serving the Lord with all humility ⁴⁰  and with tears, and with the trials that happened to me because of the plots ⁴¹  of the Jews.

Acts 20:1

Paul Travels Through Macedonia and Greece

20:1 After the disturbance had ended, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging ⁴²  them and saying farewell, ⁴³  he left to go to Macedonia. ⁴⁴ 

Colossians 1:4-5

1:4 since ⁴⁵  we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints. 1:5 Your faith and love have arisen ⁴⁶  from the hope laid up ⁴⁷  for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel ⁴⁸ 

Galatians 5:22-23

5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit ⁴⁹  is love, ⁵⁰  joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ⁵¹  5:23 gentleness, and ⁵²  self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Colossians 3:12-13

Exhortation to Unity and Love

3:12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, ⁵³  kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 3:13 bearing with one another and forgiving ⁵⁴  one another, if someone happens to have ⁵⁵  a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others. ⁵⁶ 

Colossians 3:1

Exhortations to Seek the Things Above

3:1 Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Colossians 1:11

1:11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of ⁵⁷  all patience and steadfastness, joyfully

Colossians 1:2

1:2 to the saints, the faithful ⁵⁸  brothers and sisters ⁵⁹  in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you ⁶⁰  from God our Father! ⁶¹ 

Colossians 2:1

2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, ⁶²  and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face. ⁶³ 

James 1:21

1:21 So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly ⁶⁴  welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls.

James 3:15-18

3:15 Such ⁶⁵  wisdom does not come ⁶⁶  from above but is earthly, natural, ⁶⁷  demonic. 3:16 For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is disorder and every evil practice. 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, ⁶⁸  full of mercy and good fruit, ⁶⁹  impartial, and not hypocritical. ⁷⁰  3:18 And the fruit that consists of righteousness ⁷¹  is planted ⁷²  in peace among ⁷³  those who make peace.

James 3:1

The Power of the Tongue

3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, ⁷⁴  because you know that we will be judged more strictly. ⁷⁵ 

James 3:15

3:15 Such ⁷⁶  wisdom does not come ⁷⁷  from above but is earthly, natural, ⁷⁸  demonic.

[12:3]  ¹ tc The spelling of the word is a Kethib-Qere reading with only a slight difference between the two.

[45:4]  ² tn Heb “and your majesty, be successful.” The syntax is awkward. The phrase “and your majesty” at the beginning of the verse may be accidentally repeated (dittography); it appears at the end of v. 3.

[45:4]  ³ tn Or “for the sake of truth.”

[45:4]  ⁴ tc The precise meaning of the MT is uncertain. The form עַנְוָה (’anvah) occurs only here. One could emend the text to עֲנָוָה וְצֶדֶק (’anavah vÿtsedeq, “[for the sake of truth], humility, and justice”). In this case “humility” would perhaps allude to the king’s responsibility to “serve” his people by promoting justice (cf. NIV “in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness”). The present translation assumes an emendation to יַעַן (ya’an, “because; on account of”) which would form a suitable parallel to עַל־דְּבַר (’al-dÿvar, “because; for the sake of”) in the preceding line.

[45:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “and your right hand will teach you mighty acts”; or “and may your right hand teach you mighty acts.” After the imperatives in the first half of the verse, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive likely indicates purpose (“so that your right hand might teach you mighty acts”) or result (see the present translation). The “right hand” here symbolizes the king’s military strength. His right hand will “teach” him mighty acts by performing them and thereby causing him to experience their magnificence.

[3:34]  ⁶ tn The particle אִם (’im, “though”) introduces a concessive clause: “though….”

[3:34]  ⁷ tn Heb “he mocks those who mock.” The repetition of the root לִיץ (lits, “to scorn; to mock”) connotes poetic justice; the punishment fits the crime. Scoffers are characterized by arrogant pride (e.g., Prov 21:24), as the antithetical parallelism with “the humble” here emphasizes.

[3:34]  ⁸ tn The prefixed vav (ו) introduces the apodosis to the concessive clause: “Though … yet …”

[3:34]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew is structured chiastically (AB:BA): “he scorns / arrogant scoffers // but to the humble / he gives grace.” The word order in the translation is reversed for the sake of smoothness and readability.

[16:19]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “low of spirit”; KJV “of an humble spirit.” This expression describes the person who is humble and submissive before the Lord and therefore inoffensive. It is always necessary to have a humble spirit, whether there is wealth or not.

[16:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “than to divide plunder.” The word “plunder” implies that the wealth taken by the proud was taken violently and wrongfully – spoils are usually taken in warfare. R. N. Whybray translates it with “loot” (Proverbs [CBC], 95). The proud are in rebellion against God, overbearing and oppressive. One should never share the “loot” with them.

[57:15]  ¹² tn Heb “the one who dwells forever.” שֹׁכֵן עַד (shokhen ’ad) is sometimes translated “the one who lives forever,” and understood as a reference to God’s eternal existence. However, the immediately preceding and following descriptions (“high and exalted” and “holy”) emphasize his sovereign rule. In the next line, he declares, “I dwell in an exalted and holy [place],” which refers to the place from which he rules. Therefore it is more likely that שֹׁכֵן עַד (shokhen ’ad) means “I dwell [in my lofty palace] forever” and refers to God’s eternal kingship.

[57:15]  ¹³ tn Heb “and also with the crushed and lowly of spirit.” This may refer to the repentant who have humbled themselves (see 66:2) or more generally to the exiles who have experienced discouragement and humiliation.

[57:15]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to restore the lowly of spirit and to restore the heart of the crushed.”

[61:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.

[61:1]  ¹⁶ sn The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1-4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).

[61:1]  ¹⁷ tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”

[61:1]  ¹⁸ tn Or “proclaim good news to.”

[61:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”

[61:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “to announce the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance.

[61:3]  ²¹ tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”

[61:3]  ²² tn Heb “garment of praise.”

[61:3]  ²³ tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”

[61:3]  ²⁴ tn Rather than referring to the character of the people, צֶדֶק (tsedeq) may carry the nuance “vindication” here, suggesting that God’s restored people are a testimony to his justice. See v. 2, which alludes to the fact that God will take vengeance against the enemies of his people. Cf. NAB “oaks of justice.”

[61:3]  ²⁵ tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”

[2:3]  ²⁶ tn Heb “seek the Lord,” but “favor” seems to be implied from the final line of the verse.

[2:3]  ²⁷ tn Or “poor.” The precise referent of this Hebrew term is unclear. The word may refer to the economically poor or to the spiritually humble.

[2:3]  ²⁸ tn The present translation assumes the Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) here refers to God’s covenantal requirements and is a synonym for the Law. The word can mean “justice” and could refer more specifically to the principles of justice contained in the Law. In this case the phrase could be translated, “who have promoted the justice God demands.”

[2:3]  ²⁹ tn Heb “Seek what is right.”

[2:3]  ³⁰ tn Heb “Seek humility.”

[2:3]  ³¹ tn Heb “hidden.” Cf. NEB “it may be that you will find shelter”; NRSV “perhaps you may be hidden.”

[9:9]  ³² tn The Hebrew term צַדִּיק (tsadiq) ordinarily translated “righteous,” frequently occurs, as here, with the idea of conforming to a standard or meeting certain criteria. The Messianic king riding into Jerusalem is fully qualified to take the Davidic throne (cf. 1 Sam 23:3; Isa 9:5-6; 11:4; 16:5; Jer 22:1-5; 23:5-6).

[9:9]  ³³ tn The Hebrew term נוֹשָׁע (nosha’) a Niphal participle of יָשַׁע (yasha’, “to save”) could mean “one delivered” or, if viewed as active, “one bringing salvation” (similar KJV, NIV, NKJV). It is preferable to take the normal passive use of the Niphal and understand that the king, having been delivered, is as a result “victorious” (so also NRSV, TEV, NLT).

[9:9]  ³⁴ sn The NT understands this verse to be a prophecy of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and properly so (cf. Matt 21:5; John 12:15), but reference to the universal rule of the king in v. 10 reveals that this is a “split prophecy,” that is, it has a two-stage fulfillment. Verse 9 was fulfilled in Jesus’ earthly ministry but v. 10 awaits a millennial consummation (cf. Rev 19:11-16).

[5:3]  ³⁵ sn The term Blessed introduces the first of several beatitudes promising blessing to those whom God cares for. They serve as an invitation to come into the grace God offers.

[5:3]  ³⁶ sn The poor in spirit is a reference to the “pious poor” for whom God especially cares. See Ps 14:6; 22:24; 25:16; 34:6; 40:17; 69:29.

[5:3]  ³⁷ sn The present tense (belongs) here is significant. Jesus makes the kingdom and its blessings currently available. This phrase is unlike the others in the list with the possessive pronoun being emphasized.

[5:4]  ³⁸ sn The promise they will be comforted is the first of several “reversals” noted in these promises. The beatitudes and the reversals that accompany them serve in the sermon as an invitation to enter into God’s care, because one can know God cares for those who turn to him.

[11:29]  ³⁹ sn A yoke is a wooden bar or frame that joins two animals like oxen or horses so that they can pull a wagon, plow, etc. together. Here it is used figuratively of the restrictions that a teacher or rabbi would place on his followers.

[20:19]  ⁴⁰ sn On humility see 2 Cor 10:1; 11:7; 1 Thess 2:6; Col 3:12; Eph 4:2; Phil 2:3-11.

[20:19]  ⁴¹ sn These plots are mentioned in Acts 9:24; 20:13.

[20:1]  ⁴² tn Or “exhorting.”

[20:1]  ⁴³ tn Or “and taking leave of them.”

[20:1]  ⁴⁴ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[1:4]  ⁴⁵ 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).

[1:5]  ⁴⁶ 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]  ⁴⁷ tn BDAG 113 s.v. ἀπόκειμαι 2 renders ἀποκειμένην (apokeimenhn) with the expression “reserved” in this verse.

[1:5]  ⁴⁸ 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.

[5:22]  ⁴⁹ tn That is, the fruit the Spirit produces.

[5:22]  ⁵⁰ sn Another way to punctuate this is “love” followed by a colon (love: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control). It is thus possible to read the eight characteristics following “love” as defining love.

[5:22]  ⁵¹ tn Or “reliability”; see BDAG 818 s.v. πίστις 1.a.

[5:23]  ⁵² tn “And” is supplied here as a matter of English style, which normally inserts “and” between the last two elements of a list or series.

[3:12]  ⁵³ tn If the genitive construct σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμοῦ (splancna oiktirmou) is a hendiadys then it would be “compassion” or “tenderheartedness.” See M. J. Harris, Colossians and Philemon (EGGNT), 161.

[3:13]  ⁵⁴ tn For the translation of χαριζόμενοι (carizomenoi) as “forgiving,” see BDAG 1078 s.v. χαρίζομαι 3. The two participles “bearing” (ἀνεχόμενοι, anecomenoi) and “forgiving” (χαριζόμενοι) express the means by which the action of the finite verb “clothe yourselves” is to be carried out.

[3:13]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “if someone has”; the term “happens,” though not in the Greek text, is inserted to bring out the force of the third class condition.

[3:13]  ⁵⁶ tn The expression “forgive others” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. It is included in the translation to make the sentence complete and more comprehensible to the English reader.

[1:11]  ⁵⁷ tn The expression “for the display of” is an attempt to convey in English the force of the Greek preposition εἰς (eis) in this context.

[1:2]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “and faithful.” The construction in Greek (as well as Paul’s style) suggests that the saints are identical to the faithful; hence, the καί (kai) is best left untranslated (cf. Eph 1:1). See ExSyn 281-82.

[1:2]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[1:2]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:2]  ⁶¹ tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (א A C F G I [P] 075 Ï it bo), read “and the Lord Jesus Christ” at the end of this verse, no doubt to conform the wording to the typical Pauline salutation. However, excellent and early witnesses (B D K L Ψ 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 al sa) lack this phrase. Since the omission is inexplicable as arising from the longer reading (otherwise, these mss would surely have deleted the phrase in the rest of the corpus Paulinum), it is surely authentic.

[2:1]  ⁶² tn Or “I want you to know how hard I am working for you…”

[2:1]  ⁶³ tn Grk “as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.”

[1:21]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “with meekness.”

[3:15]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “This.”

[3:15]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “come down”; “descend.”

[3:15]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “soulish,” which describes life apart from God, characteristic of earthly human life as opposed to what is spiritual. Cf. 1 Cor 2:14; 15:44-46; Jude 19.

[3:17]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “willing to yield,” “open to persuasion.”

[3:17]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “fruits.” The plural Greek term καρπούς has been translated with the collective singular “fruit.”

[3:17]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “sincere.”

[3:18]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “the fruit of righteousness,” meaning righteous living as a fruit, as the thing produced.

[3:18]  ⁷² tn Grk “is sown.”

[3:18]  ⁷³ tn Or “for,” or possibly “by.”

[3:1]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[3:1]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “will receive a greater judgment.”

[3:15]  ⁷⁶ tn Grk “This.”

[3:15]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “come down”; “descend.”

[3:15]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “soulish,” which describes life apart from God, characteristic of earthly human life as opposed to what is spiritual. Cf. 1 Cor 2:14; 15:44-46; Jude 19.