Philippians 4:17

4:17 I do not say this because I am seeking a gift. ¹  Rather, I seek the credit that abounds to your account.

Psalms 1:3

1:3 He is like ²  a tree planted by flowing streams; ³ 

it ⁴  yields ⁵  its fruit at the proper time, ⁶ 

and its leaves never fall off. ⁷ 

He succeeds in everything he attempts. ⁸ 

Psalms 92:12-14

92:12 The godly ⁹  grow like a palm tree;

they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon. ¹⁰ 

92:13 Planted in the Lord’s house,

they grow in the courts of our God.

92:14 They bear fruit even when they are old;

they are filled with vitality and have many leaves. ¹¹ 

Isaiah 5:2

5:2 He built a hedge around it, ¹²  removed its stones,

and planted a vine.

He built a tower in the middle of it,

and constructed a winepress.

He waited for it to produce edible grapes,

but it produced sour ones instead. ¹³ 

Luke 13:6-9

Warning to Israel to Bear Fruit

13:6 Then ¹⁴  Jesus ¹⁵  told this parable: “A man had a fig tree ¹⁶  planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 13:7 So ¹⁷  he said to the worker who tended the vineyard, ‘For ¹⁸  three years ¹⁹  now, I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and each time I inspect it ²⁰  I find none. Cut ²¹  it down! Why ²²  should it continue to deplete ²³  the soil?’ 13:8 But the worker ²⁴  answered him, ‘Sir, leave it alone this year too, until I dig around it and put fertilizer ²⁵  on it. 13:9 Then if ²⁶  it bears fruit next year, ²⁷  very well, ²⁸  but if ²⁹  not, you can cut it down.’”

John 15:2

15:2 He takes away ³⁰  every branch that does not bear ³¹  fruit in me. He ³²  prunes ³³  every branch that bears ³⁴  fruit so that it will bear more fruit.

John 15:8

15:8 My Father is honored ³⁵  by this, that ³⁶  you bear ³⁷  much fruit and show that you are ³⁸  my disciples.

John 15:16

15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you ³⁹  and appointed you to go and bear ⁴⁰  fruit, fruit that remains, ⁴¹  so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.

Romans 6:22

6:22 But now, freed ⁴²  from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit ⁴³  leading to sanctification, and the end is eternal life.

Romans 15:28

15:28 Therefore after I have completed this and have safely delivered this bounty to them, ⁴⁴  I will set out for Spain by way of you,

Romans 15:2

15:2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up.

Colossians 1:10

1:10 so that you may live ⁴⁵  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ⁴⁶  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,

Galatians 5:22-23

5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit ⁴⁷  is love, ⁴⁸  joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ⁴⁹  5:23 gentleness, and ⁵⁰  self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Ephesians 5:9

5:9 for the fruit of the light ⁵¹  consists in ⁵²  all goodness, righteousness, and truth –

Colossians 1:6

1:6 that has come to you. Just as in the entire world this gospel ⁵³  is bearing fruit and growing, so it has also been bearing fruit and growing ⁵⁴  among you from the first day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.

Colossians 1:10

1:10 so that you may live ⁵⁵  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ⁵⁶  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,

Hebrews 12:11

12:11 Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful. ⁵⁷  But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness ⁵⁸  for those trained by it.

James 3:17-18

3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, ⁵⁹  full of mercy and good fruit, ⁶⁰  impartial, and not hypocritical. ⁶¹  3:18 And the fruit that consists of righteousness ⁶²  is planted ⁶³  in peace among ⁶⁴  those who make peace.

[4:17]  ¹ tn Grk “Not that I am seeking the gift.” The phrase “I do not say this…” has been supplied in the translation to complete the thought for the modern reader.

[1:3]  ² tn The Hebrew perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the same characteristic force as the imperfect in the preceding verse. According to the psalmist, the one who studies and obeys God’s commands typically prospers.

[1:3]  ³ tn Heb “channels of water.”

[1:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “which.”

[1:3]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in v. 3 draw attention to the typical nature of the actions/states they describe.

[1:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “in its season.”

[1:3]  ⁷ tn Or “fade”; “wither.”

[1:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “and all which he does prospers”; or “and all which he does he causes to prosper.” (The simile of the tree does not extend to this line.) It is not certain if the Hiphil verbal form (יַצְלִיחַ, yatsliakh) is intransitive-exhibitive (“prospers”) or causative (“causes to prosper”) here. If the verb is intransitive, then כֹּל (kol, “all, everything”) is the subject. If the verb is causative, then the godly individual or the Lord himself is the subject and כֹּל is the object. The wording is reminiscent of Josh 1:8, where the Lord tells Joshua: “This law scroll must not leave your lips! You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper (literally, “cause your way to prosper”) and be successful.”

[92:12]  ⁹ tn The singular is used in a representative sense, with the typical godly person being in view.

[92:12]  ¹⁰ sn The cedars of the Lebanon forest were well-known in ancient Israel for their immense size.

[92:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “they are juicy and fresh.”

[5:2]  ¹² tn Or, “dug it up” (so NIV); KJV “fenced it.’ See HALOT 810 s.v. עזק.

[5:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “wild grapes,” i.e., sour ones (also in v. 4).

[13:6]  ¹⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[13:6]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:6]  ¹⁶ sn The fig tree is a variation on the picture of a vine as representing the nation; see Isa 5:1-7.

[13:7]  ¹⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the man’s response as a result of the lack of figs in the preceding clause.

[13:7]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “Behold, for.”

[13:7]  ¹⁹ sn The elapsed time could be six years total since planting, since often a fig was given three years before one even started to look for fruit. The point in any case is that enough time had been given to expect fruit.

[13:7]  ²⁰ tn The phrase “each time I inspect it” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied to indicate the customary nature of the man’s search for fruit.

[13:7]  ²¹ tc ‡ Several witnesses (Ì⁷⁵ A L Θ Ψ 070 ˹³ 33 579 892 al lat co) have “therefore” (οὖν, oun) here. This conjunction has the effect of strengthening the logical connection with the preceding statement but also of reducing the rhetorical power and urgency of the imperative. In light of the slightly greater internal probability of adding a conjunction to an otherwise asyndetic sentence, as well as significant external support for the omission (א B D W ˹ Ï), the shorter reading appears to be more likely as the original wording here. NA²⁷ puts the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.

[13:7]  ²² tn Grk “Why indeed.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[13:7]  ²³ sn Such fig trees would deplete the soil, robbing it of nutrients needed by other trees and plants.

[13:8]  ²⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the worker who tended the vineyard) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:8]  ²⁵ tn Grk “toss manure [on it].” This is a reference to manure used as fertilizer.

[13:9]  ²⁶ tn This is a third class condition in the Greek text. The conjunction καί (kai, a component of κάν [kan]) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[13:9]  ²⁷ tn Grk “the coming [season].”

[13:9]  ²⁸ tn The phrase “very well” is supplied in the translation to complete the elided idea, but its absence is telling.

[13:9]  ²⁹ tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text, showing which of the options is assumed.

[15:2]  ³⁰ tn Or “He cuts off.”

[15:2]  ³¹ tn Or “does not yield.”

[15:2]  ³² tn Grk “And he”; the conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has been omitted in the translation in keeping with the tendency in contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[15:2]  ³³ tn Or “trims”; Grk “cleanses” (a wordplay with “clean” in v. 3). Καθαίρει (kaqairei) is not the word one would have expected here, but it provides the transition from the vine imagery to the disciples – there is a wordplay (not reproducible in English) between αἴρει (airei) and καθαίρει in this verse. While the purpose of the Father in cleansing his people is clear, the precise means by which he does so is not immediately obvious. This will become clearer, however, in the following verse.

[15:2]  ³⁴ tn Or “that yields.”

[15:8]  ³⁵ tn Grk “glorified.”

[15:8]  ³⁶ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause is best taken as substantival in apposition to ἐν τούτῳ (en toutw) at the beginning of the verse. The Father is glorified when the disciples bring forth abundant fruit. Just as Jesus has done the works which he has seen his Father doing (5:19-29) so also will his disciples.

[15:8]  ³⁷ tn Or “yield.”

[15:8]  ³⁸ tc Most mss (א A Ψ Ë¹³ 33 Ï) read the future indicative γενήσεσθε (genhsesqe; perhaps best rendered as “[and show that] you will become”), while some early and good witnesses (Ì^66vid B D L Θ 0250 1 565 al) have the aorist subjunctive γένησθε (genhsqe; “[and show that] you are”). The original reading is difficult to determine because the external evidence is fairly evenly divided. On the basis of the external evidence alone the first reading has some credibility because of א and 33, but it is not enough to overthrow the Alexandrian and Western witnesses for the aorist. Some who accept the future indicative see a consecutive (or resultative) sequence between φέρητε (ferhte) in the ἵνα (Jina) clause and γενήσεσθε, so that the disciples’ bearing much fruit results in their becoming disciples. This alleviates the problem of reading a future indicative within a ἵνα clause (a grammatical solecism that is virtually unattested in Attic Greek), although such infrequently occurs in the NT, particularly in the Apocalypse (cf. Gal 2:4; Rev 3:9; 6:4, 11; 8:3; 9:4, 5, 20; 13:12; 14:13; 22:14; even here, however, the Byzantine mss, with א occasionally by their side, almost always change the future indicative to an aorist subjunctive). It seems more likely, however, that the second verb (regardless of whether it is read as aorist or future) is to be understood as coordinate in meaning with the previous verb φέρητε (So M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek §342). Thus the two actions are really one and the same: Bearing fruit and being Jesus’ disciple are not two different actions, but a single action. The first is the outward sign or proof of the second – in bearing fruit the disciples show themselves to be disciples indeed (cf. 15:5). Thus the translation followed here is, “that you bear much fruit and show that you are my disciples.” As far as the textual reading is concerned, it appears somewhat preferable to accept the aorist subjunctive reading (γένησθε) on the basis of better external testimony.

[15:16]  ³⁹ sn You did not choose me, but I chose you. If the disciples are now elevated in status from slaves to friends, they are friends who have been chosen by Jesus, rather than the opposite way round. Again this is true of all Christians, not just the twelve, and the theme that Christians are “chosen” by God appears frequently in other NT texts (e.g., Rom 8:33; Eph 1:4ff.; Col 3:12; and 1 Pet 2:4). Putting this together with the comments on 15:14 one may ask whether the author sees any special significance at all for the twelve. Jesus said in John 6:70 and 13:18 that he chose them, and 15:27 makes clear that Jesus in the immediate context is addressing those who have been with him from the beginning. In the Fourth Gospel the twelve, as the most intimate and most committed followers of Jesus, are presented as the models for all Christians, both in terms of their election and in terms of their mission.

[15:16]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “and yield.”

[15:16]  ⁴¹ sn The purpose for which the disciples were appointed (“commissioned”) is to go and bear fruit, fruit that remains. The introduction of the idea of “going” at this point suggests that the fruit is something more than just character qualities in the disciples’ own lives, but rather involves fruit in the lives of others, i.e., Christian converts. There is a mission involved (cf. John 4:36). The idea that their fruit is permanent, however, relates back to vv. 7-8, as does the reference to asking the Father in Jesus’ name. It appears that as the imagery of the vine and the branches develops, the “fruit” which the branches produce shifts in emphasis from qualities in the disciples’ own lives in John 15:2, 4, 5 to the idea of a mission which affects the lives of others in John 15:16. The point of transition would be the reference to fruit in 15:8.

[6:22]  ⁴² tn The two aorist participles translated “freed” and “enslaved” are causal in force; their full force is something like “But now, since you have become freed from sin and since you have become enslaved to God….”

[6:22]  ⁴³ tn Grk “fruit.”

[15:28]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “have sealed this fruit to them.”

[1:10]  ⁴⁵ tn The infinitive περιπατῆσαι (peripathsai, “to walk, to live, to live one’s life”) is best taken as an infinitive of purpose related to “praying” (προσευχόμενοι, proseucomenoi) and “asking” (αἰτούμενοι, aitoumenoi) in v. 9 and is thus translated as “that you may live.”

[1:10]  ⁴⁶ tn BDAG 129 s.v. ἀρεσκεία states that ἀρεσκείαν (areskeian) refers to a “desire to please εἰς πᾶσαν ἀ. to please (the Lord) in all respects Col 1:10.”

[5:22]  ⁴⁷ tn That is, the fruit the Spirit produces.

[5:22]  ⁴⁸ 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]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “reliability”; see BDAG 818 s.v. πίστις 1.a.

[5:23]  ⁵⁰ 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.

[5:9]  ⁵¹ tc Several mss (Ì⁴⁶ D² Ψ Ï) have πνεύματος (pneumatos, “Spirit”) instead of φωτός (fwtos, “light”). Although most today regard φωτός as obviously original (UBS⁴ gives it an “A” rating), a case could be made that πνεύματος is what the author wrote. First, although this is largely a Byzantine reading (D² often, if not normally, assimilates to the Byzantine text), Ì⁴⁶ gives the reading much greater credibility. Internally, the φωτός at the end of v. 8 could have lined up above the πνεύματος in v. 9 in a scribe’s exemplar, thus occasioning dittography. (It is interesting to note that in both Ì⁴⁹ and א the two instances of φωτός line up.) However, written in a contracted form, as a nomen sacrum (pMnMs) – a practice found even in the earliest mss – πνεύματος would not have been easily confused with fwtos (there being only the last letter to occasion homoioteleuton rather than the last three). Further, the external evidence for φωτός is quite compelling (Ì⁴⁹ א A B D* F G P 33 81 1739 1881 2464 pc latt co); it is rather doubtful that the early and widespread witnesses all mistook πνεύματος for φωτός. In addition, πνεύματος can be readily explained as harking back to Gal 5:22 (“the fruit of the Spirit”). Thus, on balance, φωτός appears to be original, giving rise to the reading πνεύματος.

[5:9]  ⁵² tn Grk “in.” The idea is that the fruit of the light is “expressed in” or “consists of.”

[1:6]  ⁵³ tn Grk “just as in the entire world it is bearing fruit.” The antecedent (“the gospel”) of the implied subject (“it”) of ἐστιν (estin) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:6]  ⁵⁴ tn Though the participles are periphrastic with the present tense verb ἐστίν (estin), the presence of the temporal indicator “from the day” in the next clause indicates that this is a present tense that reaches into the past and should be translated as “has been bearing fruit and growing.” For a discussion of this use of the present tense, see ExSyn 519-20.

[1:10]  ⁵⁵ tn The infinitive περιπατῆσαι (peripathsai, “to walk, to live, to live one’s life”) is best taken as an infinitive of purpose related to “praying” (προσευχόμενοι, proseucomenoi) and “asking” (αἰτούμενοι, aitoumenoi) in v. 9 and is thus translated as “that you may live.”

[1:10]  ⁵⁶ tn BDAG 129 s.v. ἀρεσκεία states that ἀρεσκείαν (areskeian) refers to a “desire to please εἰς πᾶσαν ἀ. to please (the Lord) in all respects Col 1:10.”

[12:11]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “all discipline at the time does not seem to be of joy, but of sorrow.”

[12:11]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

[3:17]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “willing to yield,” “open to persuasion.”

[3:17]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “fruits.” The plural Greek term καρπούς has been translated with the collective singular “fruit.”

[3:17]  ⁶¹ tn Or “sincere.”

[3:18]  ⁶² tn Grk “the fruit of righteousness,” meaning righteous living as a fruit, as the thing produced.

[3:18]  ⁶³ tn Grk “is sown.”

[3:18]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “for,” or possibly “by.”