Proverbs 23:23

23:23 Acquire ¹  truth and do not sell it –

wisdom, and discipline, and understanding.

Proverbs 23:1

23:1 When you sit down to eat with a ruler,

consider carefully ²  what ³  is before you,

Colossians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁴  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Colossians 1:13

1:13 He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, ⁵ 

Ephesians 6:14

6:14 Stand firm therefore, by fastening ⁶  the belt of truth around your waist, ⁷  by putting on the breastplate of righteousness,

Philippians 1:27

1:27 Only conduct yourselves ⁸  in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that – whether I come and see you or whether I remain absent – I should hear that ⁹  you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, by contending side by side for the faith of the gospel, ¹⁰ 

Philippians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul ¹¹  and Timothy, slaves ¹²  of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, ¹³  with the overseers ¹⁴  and deacons.

Philippians 3:8

3:8 More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things – indeed, I regard them as dung! ¹⁵  – that I may gain Christ,

Philippians 3:2

3:2 Beware of the dogs, ¹⁶  beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh! ¹⁷ 

Philippians 2:15

2:15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without blemish though you live in a crooked and perverse society, in which you shine as lights in the world ¹⁸ 

Hebrews 3:6

3:6 But Christ ¹⁹  is faithful as a son over God’s ²⁰  house. We are of his house, ²¹  if in fact we hold firmly ²²  to our confidence and the hope we take pride in. ²³ 

Hebrews 3:14

3:14 For we have become partners with Christ, if in fact we hold our initial confidence ²⁴  firm until the end.

Hebrews 4:14

Jesus Our Compassionate High Priest

4:14 Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.

Hebrews 10:23

10:23 And let us hold unwaveringly to the hope that we confess, for the one who made the promise is trustworthy.

Hebrews 10:35-39

10:35 So do not throw away your confidence, because it ²⁵  has great reward. 10:36 For you need endurance in order to do God’s will and so receive what is promised. ²⁶  10:37 For just a little longer ²⁷  and he who is coming will arrive and not delay. ²⁸  10:38 But my righteous one will live by faith, and if he shrinks back, I ²⁹  take no pleasure in him. ³⁰  10:39 But we are not among those who shrink back and thus perish, but are among those who have faith and preserve their souls. ³¹ 

Jude 1:3

Condemnation of the False Teachers

1:3 Dear friends, although I have been eager to write to you ³²  about our common salvation, I now feel compelled ³³  instead to write to encourage ³⁴  you to contend earnestly ³⁵  for the faith ³⁶  that was once for all ³⁷  entrusted to the saints. ³⁸ 

Jude 1:20-21

1:20 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith, by praying in the Holy Spirit, ³⁹  1:21 maintain ⁴⁰  yourselves in the love of God, while anticipating ⁴¹  the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that brings eternal life. ⁴² 

Revelation 2:25

2:25 However, hold on to what you have until I come.

Revelation 3:3

3:3 Therefore, remember what you received and heard, ⁴³  and obey it, ⁴⁴  and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will never ⁴⁵  know at what hour I will come against ⁴⁶  you.

[23:23]  ¹ tn Heb “buy” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT); CEV “Invest in truth.”

[23:1]  ² tn The construction uses the imperfect tense of instruction with the infinitive absolute to emphasize the careful discernment required on such occasions. Cf. NIV “note well”; NLT “pay attention.”

[23:1]  ³ tn Or “who,” referring to the ruler (so ASV, NAB, TEV).

[1:1]  ⁴ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:13]  ⁵ tn Here αὐτοῦ (autou) has been translated as a subjective genitive (“he loves”).

[6:14]  ⁶ sn The four participles fastening… putting on…fitting…taking up… indicate the means by which believers can take their stand against the devil and his schemes. The imperative take in v. 17 communicates another means by which to accomplish the standing, i.e., by the word of God.

[6:14]  ⁷ tn Grk “girding your waist with truth.” In this entire section the author is painting a metaphor for his readers based on the attire of a Roman soldier prepared for battle and its similarity to the Christian prepared to do battle against spiritually evil forces. Behind the expression “with truth” is probably the genitive idea “belt of truth.” Since this is an appositional genitive (i.e., belt which is truth), the author simply left unsaid the idea of the belt and mentioned only his real focus, namely, the truth. (The analogy would have been completely understandable to his 1st century readers.) The idea of the belt is supplied in the translation to clarify the sense in English.

[1:27]  ⁸ tn Grk “live as citizens.” The verb πολιτεύεσθε (politeuesqe) connotes the life of a freeman in a free Roman colony.

[1:27]  ⁹ tn Grk “the things concerning you, [namely,] that.” The ὅτι (Joti) clause is appositional to τὰ περὶ ὑμῶν (ta peri Jumwn) and therefore “the things concerning you” was not translated.

[1:27]  ¹⁰ tn The phrase “the faith of the gospel” could mean one of three things: “the faith that is the gospel” (genitive of apposition), “the faith that originates from the gospel” (genitive of source), or “faith in the gospel” (objective genitive).

[1:1]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[1:1]  ¹⁴ 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.

[3:8]  ¹⁵ tn The word here translated “dung” was often used in Greek as a vulgar term for fecal matter. As such it would most likely have had a certain shock value for the readers. This may well be Paul’s meaning here, especially since the context is about what the flesh produces.

[3:2]  ¹⁶ sn Dogs is a figurative reference to false teachers whom Paul regards as just as filthy as dogs.

[3:2]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “beware of the mutilation.”

[2:15]  ¹⁸ tn Or “as stars in the universe.”

[3:6]  ¹⁹ sn The Greek makes the contrast between v. 5 and v. 6a more emphatic and explicit than is easily done in English.

[3:6]  ²⁰ tn Grk “his”; in the translation the referent (God) has been specified for clarity.

[3:6]  ²¹ tn Grk “whose house we are,” continuing the previous sentence.

[3:6]  ²² tc The reading adopted by the translation is found in Ì^13,46 B sa, while the vast majority of mss (א A C D Ψ 0243 0278 33 1739 1881 Ï latt) add μέχρι τέλους βεβαίαν (mecri telou" bebaian, “secure until the end”). The external evidence for the omission, though minimal, has excellent credentials. Considering the internal factors, B. M. Metzger (TCGNT 595) finds it surprising that the feminine adjective βεβαίαν should modify the neuter noun καύχημα (kauchma, here translated “we take pride”), a fact that suggests that even the form of the word was borrowed from another place. Since the same phrase occurs at Heb 3:14, it is likely that later scribes added it here at Heb 3:6 in anticipation of Heb 3:14. While these words belong at 3:14, they seem foreign to 3:6.

[3:6]  ²³ tn Grk “the pride of our hope.”

[3:14]  ²⁴ tn Grk “the beginning of the confidence.”

[10:35]  ²⁵ tn Grk “which,” but showing the reason.

[10:36]  ²⁶ tn Grk “the promise,” referring to the thing God promised, not to the pledge itself.

[10:37]  ²⁷ sn A quotation from Isa 26:20.

[10:37]  ²⁸ sn A quotation from Hab 2:3.

[10:38]  ²⁹ tn Grk “my soul.”

[10:38]  ³⁰ sn A quotation from Hab 2:4.

[10:39]  ³¹ tn Grk “not…of shrinking back to perdition but of faith to the preservation of the soul.”

[1:3]  ³² tn Grk “while being quite diligent to write to you,” or “while making all haste to write to you.” Two issues are at stake: (1) whether σπουδή (spoudh) here means diligence, eagerness, or haste; (2) whether ποιούμενος γράφειν (poioumeno" grafein) is to be taken conatively (“I was about to write”) or progressively (“I was writing”). Without knowing more of the background, it is difficult to tell which option is to be preferred.

[1:3]  ³³ tn Grk “I had the necessity.” The term ἀνάγκη (anankh, “necessity”) often connotes urgency or distress. In this context, Jude is indicating that the more comprehensive treatment about the faith shared between himself and his readers was not nearly as urgent as the letter he found it now necessary to write.

[1:3]  ³⁴ tn Grk “encouraging.” Παρακαλῶν (parakalwn) is most likely a telic participle. In keeping with other participles of purpose, it is present tense and occurs after the main verb.

[1:3]  ³⁵ tn the verb ἐπαγωνίζομαι (epagwnizomai) is an intensive form of ἀγωνίζομαι (agwnizomai). As such, the notion of struggling, fighting, contending, etc. is heightened.

[1:3]  ³⁶ tn Τῇ πίστει (th pistei) here is taken as a dative of advantage (“on behalf of the faith”). Though rare (see BDAG 820 s.v. 3), it is not unexampled and must have this meaning here.

[1:3]  ³⁷ sn The adverb once for all (ἅπαξ, Japax) seems to indicate that the doctrinal convictions of the early church had been substantially codified. That is to say, Jude could appeal to written documents of the Christian faith in his arguments with the false teachers. Most likely, these documents were the letters of Paul and perhaps one or more gospels. First and Second Peter may also have been among the documents Jude has in mind (see also the note on the phrase entrusted to the saints in this verse).

[1:3]  ³⁸ sn I now feel compelled instead…saints. Apparently news of some crisis has reached Jude, prompting him to write a different letter than what he had originally planned. A plausible scenario (assuming authenticity of 2 Peter or at least that there are authentic Petrine snippets in it) is that after Peter’s death, Jude intended to write to the same Gentile readers that Peter had written to (essentially, Paul’s churches). Jude starts by affirming that the gospel the Gentiles had received from Paul was the same as the one the Jewish Christians had received from the other apostles (our common salvation). But in the midst of writing this letter, Jude felt that the present crisis deserved another, shorter piece. The crisis, as the letter reveals, is that the false teachers whom Peter prophesied have now infiltrated the church. The letter of Jude is thus an ad hoc letter, intended to confirm the truth of Peter’s letter and encourage the saints to ground their faith in the written documents of the nascent church, rather than listen to the twisted gospel of the false teachers. In large measure, the letter of Jude illustrates the necessity of clinging to the authority of scripture as opposed to those who claim to be prophets.

[1:20]  ³⁹ tn The participles in v. 20 have been variously interpreted. Some treat them imperativally or as attendant circumstance to the imperative in v. 21 (“maintain”): “build yourselves up…pray.” But they do not follow the normal contours of either the imperatival or attendant circumstance participles, rendering this unlikely. A better option is to treat them as the means by which the readers are to maintain themselves in the love of God. This both makes eminently good sense and fits the structural patterns of instrumental participles elsewhere.

[1:21]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “keep.”

[1:21]  ⁴¹ tn Or “waiting for.”

[1:21]  ⁴² tn Grk “unto eternal life.”

[3:3]  ⁴³ tn The expression πῶς εἴληφας καὶ ἤκουσας (pw" eilhfa" kai hkousa") probably refers to the initial instruction in the Christian life they had received and been taught; this included doctrine and ethical teaching.

[3:3]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “keep it,” in the sense of obeying what they had initially been taught.

[3:3]  ⁴⁵ tn The negation here is with οὐ μή (ou mh, the strongest possible form of negation in Koine Greek).

[3:3]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “come on.”