Philippians 3:6

3:6 In my zeal for God I persecuted the church. According to the righteousness stipulated in the law I was blameless.

Philippians 3:1

True and False Righteousness

3:1 Finally, my brothers and sisters, ¹  rejoice in the Lord! To write this again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.

Philippians 1:1-2

Salutation

1:1 From Paul ²  and Timothy, slaves ³  of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, ⁴  with the overseers ⁵  and deacons. 1:2 Grace and peace to you ⁶  from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Philippians 1:25

1:25 And since I am sure of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for the sake of your progress ⁷  and joy in the faith, ⁸ 

Philippians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul ⁹  and Timothy, slaves ¹⁰  of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, ¹¹  with the overseers ¹²  and deacons.

Job 9:28-31

9:28 I dread ¹³  all my sufferings, ¹⁴ 

for ¹⁵  I know that you do not hold me blameless. ¹⁶ 

9:29 If I am guilty, ¹⁷ 

why then ¹⁸  weary myself ¹⁹  in vain? ²⁰ 

9:30 If I wash myself with snow water, ²¹ 

and make my hands clean with lye, ²² 

9:31 then you plunge me into a slimy pit ²³ 

and my own clothes abhor me.

Job 10:14-15

10:14 If I sinned, then you would watch me

and you would not acquit me of my iniquity.

10:15 If I am guilty, ²⁴  woe ²⁵  to me,

and if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head; ²⁶ 

I am full of shame, ²⁷ 

and satiated with my affliction. ²⁸ 

Job 15:14-16

15:14 What is man that he should be pure,

or one born of woman, that he should be righteous?

15:15 If God places no trust in his holy ones, ²⁹ 

if even the heavens ³⁰  are not pure in his eyes,

15:16 how much less man, who is abominable and corrupt, ³¹ 

who drinks in evil like water! ³² 

Job 42:5-6

42:5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,

but now my eye has seen you. ³³ 

42:6 Therefore I despise myself, ³⁴ 

and I repent in dust and ashes!

Psalms 14:3

14:3 Everyone rejects God; ³⁵ 

they are all morally corrupt. ³⁶ 

None of them does what is right, ³⁷ 

not even one!

Psalms 19:12

19:12 Who can know all his errors? ³⁸ 

Please do not punish me for sins I am unaware of. ³⁹ 

Psalms 130:3-4

130:3 If you, O Lord, were to keep track of ⁴⁰  sins,

O Lord, who could stand before you? ⁴¹ 

130:4 But ⁴²  you are willing to forgive, ⁴³ 

so that you might ⁴⁴  be honored. ⁴⁵ 

Psalms 143:2

143:2 Do not sit in judgment on ⁴⁶  your servant,

for no one alive is innocent before you. ⁴⁷ 

Ecclesiastes 7:20

7:20 For ⁴⁸  there is not one truly ⁴⁹  righteous person on the earth

who continually does good and never sins.

Isaiah 6:5

6:5 I said, “Too bad for me! I am destroyed, ⁵⁰  for my lips are contaminated by sin, ⁵¹  and I live among people whose lips are contaminated by sin. ⁵²  My eyes have seen the king, the Lord who commands armies.” ⁵³ 

Isaiah 53:6

53:6 All of us had wandered off like sheep;

each of us had strayed off on his own path,

but the Lord caused the sin of all of us to attack him. ⁵⁴ 

Isaiah 64:5-6

64:5 You assist ⁵⁵  those who delight in doing what is right, ⁵⁶ 

who observe your commandments. ⁵⁷ 

Look, you were angry because we violated them continually.

How then can we be saved? ⁵⁸ 

64:6 We are all like one who is unclean,

all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in your sight. ⁵⁹ 

We all wither like a leaf;

our sins carry us away like the wind.

Matthew 9:13

9:13 Go and learn what this saying means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’ ⁶⁰  For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Romans 9:31-32

9:31 but Israel even though pursuing ⁶¹  a law of righteousness ⁶²  did not attain it. ⁶³  9:32 Why not? Because they pursued ⁶⁴  it not by faith but (as if it were possible) by works. ⁶⁵  They stumbled over the stumbling stone, ⁶⁶ 

Romans 10:1-3

10:1 Brothers and sisters, ⁶⁷  my heart’s desire and prayer to God on behalf of my fellow Israelites ⁶⁸  is for their salvation. 10:2 For I can testify that they are zealous for God, ⁶⁹  but their zeal is not in line with the truth. ⁷⁰  10:3 For ignoring the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking instead to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.

Romans 10:5

10:5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is by the law: “The one who does these things will live by them.” ⁷¹ 

Romans 10:2

10:2 For I can testify that they are zealous for God, ⁷²  but their zeal is not in line with the truth. ⁷³ 

Romans 1:9

1:9 For God, whom I serve in my spirit by preaching the gospel ⁷⁴  of his Son, is my witness that ⁷⁵  I continually remember you

Titus 3:5

3:5 he saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit,

James 3:2

3:2 For we all stumble ⁷⁶  in many ways. If someone does not stumble ⁷⁷  in what he says, ⁷⁸  he is a perfect individual, ⁷⁹  able to control the entire body as well.

James 3:1

The Power of the Tongue

3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, ⁸⁰  because you know that we will be judged more strictly. ⁸¹ 

James 1:8-10

1:8 since he is a double-minded individual, ⁸²  unstable in all his ways.

1:9 Now the believer ⁸³  of humble means ⁸⁴  should take pride ⁸⁵  in his high position. ⁸⁶  1:10 But the rich person’s pride should be in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a wildflower in the meadow. ⁸⁷ 

[3:1]  ¹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

[1:1]  ² tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ³ tn Traditionally, “servants” or “bondservants.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  ⁴ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[1:1]  ⁵ sn The overseers (or “church leaders,” L&N 53.71) is another term for the same official position of leadership as the “elder.” This is seen in the interchange of the two terms in Titus 1:6-7 and in Acts 20:17, 28, as well as in the parallels between Titus 1:6-7 and 1 Tim 3:1-7.

[1:2]  ⁶ tn Grk “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:25]  ⁷ tn Grk “for your progress.”

[1:25]  ⁸ sn Paul’s confidence in his release from prison (I know that I will remain and continue with all of you) implies that this Roman imprisonment did not end in his death. Hence, there is the likelihood that he experienced a second Roman imprisonment later on (since the belief of the early church was that Paul died under Nero in Rome). If so, then the pastoral letters (1-2 Tim, Titus) could well fit into a life of Paul that goes beyond any descriptions in the book of Acts (which ends with Paul’s first Roman imprisonment). Some have argued that the pastorals cannot be genuine because they cannot fit into the history of Acts. But this view presupposes that Paul’s first Roman imprisonment was also his last.

[1:1]  ⁹ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ¹⁰ tn Traditionally, “servants” or “bondservants.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  ¹¹ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[1:1]  ¹² sn The overseers (or “church leaders,” L&N 53.71) is another term for the same official position of leadership as the “elder.” This is seen in the interchange of the two terms in Titus 1:6-7 and in Acts 20:17, 28, as well as in the parallels between Titus 1:6-7 and 1 Tim 3:1-7.

[9:28]  ¹³ tn The word was used in Job 3:25; it has the idea of “dread, fear, tremble at.” The point here is that even if Job changes his appearance, he still dreads the sufferings, because he knows that God is treating him as a criminal.

[9:28]  ¹⁴ sn See Job 7:15; see also the translation by G. Perles, “I tremble in every nerve” (“The Fourteenth Edition of Gesenius-Buhl’s Dictionary,” JQR 18 [1905/06]: 383-90).

[9:28]  ¹⁵ tn The conjunction “for” is supplied in the translation.

[9:28]  ¹⁶ sn A. B. Davidson (Job, 73) appropriately notes that Job’s afflictions were the proof of his guilt in the estimation of God. If God held him innocent, he would remove the afflictions.

[9:29]  ¹⁷ tn The clause simply has “I am guilty.” It is the same type of construction found in v. 24. It is also the opposite of that in v. 20. GKC 317 §107.n lists this as an example of the use of the imperfect to express an obligation or necessity according to the judgment of others; it would therefore mean “if I am to be guilty.”

[9:29]  ¹⁸ tn The demonstrative pronoun is included to bring particular emphasis to the question, as if to say, “Why in the world…” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).

[9:29]  ¹⁹ tn The verb means “tire oneself”; see 3:17.

[9:29]  ²⁰ tn Here הֶבֶל (hevel, “breath, vapor, vanity”) is used as an adverb (adverbial accusative).

[9:30]  ²¹ tn The Syriac and Targum Job read with the Qere “with water of [בְמֵי, bÿme] snow.” The Kethib simply has “in [בְמוֹ, bÿmo] snow.” In Ps 51:9 and Isa 1:18 snow forms a simile for purification. Some protest that snow water is not necessarily clean; but if fresh melting snow is meant, then the runoff would be very clear. The image would work well here. Nevertheless, others have followed the later Hebrew meaning for שֶׁלֶג (sheleg) – “soap” (so NIV, NRSV, NLT). Even though that makes a nice parallelism, it is uncertain whether that meaning was in use at the time this text was written.

[9:30]  ²² tn The word בֹּר (bor, “lye, potash”) does not refer to purity (Syriac, KJV, ASV), but refers to the ingredient used to make the hands pure or clean. It has the same meaning as בֹּרִית (borit), the alkali or soda made from the ashes of certain plants.

[9:31]  ²³ tn The pointing in the MT gives the meaning “pit” or “ditch.” A number of expositors change the pointing to שֻׁחוֹת (shukhot) to obtain the equivalent of שֻׂחוֹת (sukhot) / סֻחוֹת (sukhot): “filth” (Isa 5:25). This would make the contrast vivid – Job has just washed with pure water and soap, and now God plunges him into filth. M. H. Pope argues convincingly that the word “pit” in the MT includes the idea of “filth,” making the emendation unnecessary (“The Word sahat in Job 9:31,” JBL 83 [1964]: 269-78).

[10:15]  ²⁴ sn The verbs “guilty” and “innocent” are actually the verbs “I am wicked,” and “I am righteous.”

[10:15]  ²⁵ tn The exclamation occurs only here and in Mic 7:1.

[10:15]  ²⁶ sn The action of lifting up the head is a symbol of pride and honor and self-respect (Judg 8:28) – like “hold your head high.” In 11:15 the one who is at peace with God lifts his head (face).

[10:15]  ²⁷ tn The expression שְׂבַע קָלוֹן (sÿva’ qalon) may be translated “full of shame.” The expression literally means “sated of ignominy” (or contempt [קַלַל, qalal]).

[10:15]  ²⁸ tn The last clause is difficult to fit into the verse. It translates easily enough: “and see my affliction.” Many commentators follow the suggestion of Geiger to read רְוֶה (rÿveh, “watered with”) instead of רְאֵה (rÿ’eh, “see”). This could then be interpreted adjectivally and parallel to the preceding line: “steeped/saturated with affliction.” This would also delete the final yod as dittography (E. Dhorme, Job, 152). But D. J. A. Clines notes more recent interpretations that suggest the form in the text is an orthographic variant of raweh meaning “satiated.” This makes any emendation unnecessary (and in fact that idea of “steeped” was not helpful any way because it indicated imbibing rather than soaking). The NIV renders it “and drowned in my affliction” although footnoting the other possibility from the MT, “aware of my affliction” (assuming the form could be adjectival). The LXX omits the last line.

[15:15]  ²⁹ tn Eliphaz here reiterates the point made in Job 4:18.

[15:15]  ³⁰ sn The question here is whether the reference is to material “heavens” (as in Exod 24:10 and Job 25:5), or to heavenly beings. The latter seems preferable in this context.

[15:16]  ³¹ tn The two descriptions here used are “abominable,” meaning “disgusting” (a Niphal participle with the value of a Latin participle [see GKC 356-57 §116.e]), and “corrupt” (a Niphal participle which occurs only in Pss 14:3 and 53:4), always in a moral sense. On the significance of the first description, see P. Humbert, “Le substantif toáe„ba„ et le verbe táb dans l’Ancien Testament,” ZAW 72 [1960]: 217ff.). On the second word, G. R. Driver suggests from Arabic, “debauched with luxury, corrupt” (“Some Hebrew Words,” JTS 29 [1927/28]: 390-96).

[15:16]  ³² sn Man commits evil with the same ease and facility as he drinks in water – freely and in large quantities.

[42:5]  ³³ sn This statement does not imply there was a vision. He is simply saying that this experience of God was real and personal. In the past his knowledge of God was what he had heard – hearsay. This was real.

[42:6]  ³⁴ tn Or “despise what I said.” There is no object on the verb; Job could be despising himself or the things he said (see L. J. Kuyper, “Repentance of Job,” VT 9 [1959]: 91-94).

[14:3]  ³⁵ tn Heb “everyone turns aside.”

[14:3]  ³⁶ tn Heb “together they are corrupt.”

[14:3]  ³⁷ tn Heb “there is none that does good.”

[19:12]  ³⁸ tn Heb “Errors who can discern?” This rhetorical question makes the point that perfect moral discernment is impossible to achieve. Consequently it is inevitable that even those with good intentions will sin on occasion.

[19:12]  ³⁹ tn Heb “declare me innocent from hidden [things],” i.e., sins. In this context (see the preceding line) “hidden” sins are not sins committed in secret, but sins which are not recognized as such by the psalmist.

[130:3]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “observe.”

[130:3]  ⁴¹ tn The words “before you” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The psalmist must be referring to standing before God’s judgment seat. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No one.”

[130:4]  ⁴² tn Or “surely.”

[130:4]  ⁴³ tn Heb “for with you [there is] forgiveness.”

[130:4]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “consequently you are.”

[130:4]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “feared.”

[143:2]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “do not enter into judgment with.”

[143:2]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “for no one living is innocent before you.”

[7:20]  ⁴⁸ tn The introductory particle כִּי (ki) is rendered variously: “for” (KJV); “indeed” (NASB); not translated (NIV); “for” (NJPS). The particle functions in an explanatory sense, explaining the need for wisdom in v. 19. Righteousness alone cannot always protect a person from calamity (7:15-16); therefore, something additional, such as wisdom, is needed. The need for wisdom as protection from calamity is particularly evident in the light of the fact that no one is truly righteous (7:19-20).

[7:20]  ⁴⁹ tn The term “truly” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. Qoheleth does not deny the existence of some people who are relatively righteous.

[6:5]  ⁵⁰ tn Isaiah uses the suffixed (perfect) form of the verb for rhetorical purposes. In this way his destruction is described as occurring or as already completed. Rather than understanding the verb as derived from דָּמַה (damah, “be destroyed”), some take it from a proposed homonymic root דמה, which would mean “be silent.” In this case, one might translate, “I must be silent.”

[6:5]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “a man unclean of lips am I.” Isaiah is not qualified to praise the king. His lips (the instruments of praise) are “unclean” because he has been contaminated by sin.

[6:5]  ⁵² tn Heb “and among a nation unclean of lips I live.”

[6:5]  ⁵³ tn Perhaps in this context, the title has a less militaristic connotation and pictures the Lord as the ruler of the heavenly assembly. See the note at 1:9.

[53:6]  ⁵⁴ tn Elsewhere the Hiphil of פָגַע (paga’) means “to intercede verbally” (Jer 15:11; 36:25) or “to intervene militarily” (Isa 59:16), but neither nuance fits here. Apparently here the Hiphil is the causative of the normal Qal meaning, “encounter, meet, touch.” The Qal sometimes refers to a hostile encounter or attack; when used in this way the object is normally introduced by the preposition -בְּ (bet, see Josh 2:16; Judg 8:21; 15:12, etc.). Here the causative Hiphil has a double object – the Lord makes “sin” attack “him” (note that the object attacked is introduced by the preposition -בְּ. In their sin the group was like sheep who had wandered from God’s path. They were vulnerable to attack; the guilt of their sin was ready to attack and destroy them. But then the servant stepped in and took the full force of the attack.

[64:5]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “meet [with kindness].”

[64:5]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “the one who rejoices and does righteousness.”

[64:5]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “in your ways they remember you.”

[64:5]  ⁵⁸ tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “look, you were angry and we sinned against them continually [or perhaps, “in ancient times”] and we were delivered.” The statement makes little sense as it stands. The first vav [ו] consecutive (“and we sinned”) must introduce an explanatory clause here (see Num 1:48 and Isa 39:1 for other examples of this relatively rare use of the vav [ו] consecutive). The final verb (if rendered positively) makes no sense in this context – God’s anger at their sin resulted in judgment, not deliverance. One of the alternatives involves an emendation to וַנִּרְשָׁע (vannirsha’, “and we were evil”; LXX, NRSV, TEV). The Vulgate and the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a support the MT reading. One can either accept an emendation or cast the statement as a question (as above).

[64:6]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “and like a garment of menstruation [are] all our righteous acts”; KJV, NIV “filthy rags”; ASV “a polluted garment.”

[9:13]  ⁶⁰ sn A quotation from Hos 6:6 (see also Matt 12:7).

[9:31]  ⁶¹ tn Or “who pursued.” The participle could be taken adverbially or adjectivally.

[9:31]  ⁶² tn Or “a legal righteousness,” that is, a righteousness based on law. This translation would treat the genitive δικαιοσύνης (dikaiosunh") as an attributed genitive (see ExSyn 89-91).

[9:31]  ⁶³ tn Grk “has not attained unto the law.”

[9:32]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “Why? Because not by faith but as though by works.” The verb (“they pursued [it]”) is to be supplied from the preceding verse for the sake of English style; yet a certain literary power is seen in Paul’s laconic style.

[9:32]  ⁶⁵ tc Most mss, especially the later ones (א² D Ψ 33 Ï sy), read νόμου (nomou, “of the law”) here, echoing Paul’s usage in Rom 3:20, 28 and elsewhere. The qualifying phrase is lacking in א* A B F G 6 629 630 1739 1881 pc lat co. The longer reading thus is weaker externally and internally, being motivated apparently by a need to clarify.

[9:32]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “the stone of stumbling.”

[10:1]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

[10:1]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “on behalf of them”; the referent (Paul’s fellow Israelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:2]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “they have a zeal for God.”

[10:2]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “in accord with knowledge.”

[10:5]  ⁷¹ sn A quotation from Lev 18:5.

[10:2]  ⁷² tn Grk “they have a zeal for God.”

[10:2]  ⁷³ tn Grk “in accord with knowledge.”

[1:9]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel.”

[1:9]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “as.”

[3:2]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “fail.”

[3:2]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “fail.”

[3:2]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “in speech.”

[3:2]  ⁷⁹ tn The word for “man” or “individual” is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But it sometimes is used generically to mean “anyone,” “a person,” as here (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. 2).

[3:1]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[3:1]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “will receive a greater judgment.”

[1:8]  ⁸² tn Grk “a man of two minds,” continuing the description of the person in v. 7, giving the reason that he cannot expect to receive anything. The word for “man” or “individual” is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But it sometimes is used generically to mean “anyone,” “a person,” as here (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. 2).

[1:9]  ⁸³ tn Grk “brother.” Here the term “brother” means “fellow believer” or “fellow Christian” (cf. TEV, NLT “Christians”; CEV “God’s people”). The term broadly connotes familial relationships within the family of God (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a).

[1:9]  ⁸⁴ tn Grk “the lowly brother,” but “lowly/humble” is clarified in context by the contrast with “wealthy” in v. 10.

[1:9]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “let him boast.”

[1:9]  ⁸⁶ tn Grk “his height,” “his exaltation.”

[1:10]  ⁸⁷ tn Grk “a flower of grass.”