Proverbs 10:15

10:15 The wealth of a rich person is like ¹  a fortified city, ² 

but the poor are brought to ruin ³  by ⁴  their poverty.

Mark 6:2-3

6:2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue. ⁵  Many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did he get these ideas? ⁶  And what is this wisdom that has been given to him? What are these miracles that are done through his hands? 6:3 Isn’t this the carpenter, the son ⁷  of Mary ⁸  and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And aren’t his sisters here with us?” And so they took offense at him.

John 7:47-49

7:47 Then the Pharisees answered, ⁹  “You haven’t been deceived too, have you? ¹⁰  7:48 None of the rulers ¹¹  or the Pharisees have believed in him, have they? ¹²  7:49 But this rabble ¹³  who do not know the law are accursed!”

John 9:24-34

9:24 Then they summoned ¹⁴  the man who used to be blind ¹⁵  a second time and said to him, “Promise before God to tell the truth. ¹⁶  We know that this man ¹⁷  is a sinner.” 9:25 He replied, ¹⁸  “I do not know whether he is a sinner. I do know one thing – that although I was blind, now I can see.” 9:26 Then they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he cause you to see?” ¹⁹  9:27 He answered, ²⁰  “I told you already and you didn’t listen. ²¹  Why do you want to hear it ²²  again? You people ²³  don’t want to become his disciples too, do you?”

9:28 They ²⁴  heaped insults ²⁵  on him, saying, ²⁶  “You are his disciple! ²⁷  We are disciples of Moses! 9:29 We know that God has spoken to Moses! We do not know where this man ²⁸  comes from!” 9:30 The man replied, ²⁹  “This is a remarkable thing, ³⁰  that you don’t know where he comes from, and yet he caused me to see! ³¹  9:31 We know that God doesn’t listen to ³²  sinners, but if anyone is devout ³³  and does his will, God ³⁴  listens to ³⁵  him. ³⁶  9:32 Never before ³⁷  has anyone heard of someone causing a man born blind to see. ³⁸  9:33 If this man ³⁹  were not from God, he could do nothing.” 9:34 They replied, ⁴⁰  “You were born completely in sinfulness, ⁴¹  and yet you presume to teach us?” ⁴²  So they threw him out.

John 9:1

Healing a Man Born Blind

9:1 Now as Jesus was passing by, ⁴³  he saw a man who had been blind from birth.

Colossians 1:26-29

1:26 that is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints. 1:27 God wanted to make known to them the glorious ⁴⁴  riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 1:28 We proclaim him by instructing ⁴⁵  and teaching ⁴⁶  all people ⁴⁷  with all wisdom so that we may present every person mature ⁴⁸  in Christ. 1:29 Toward this goal ⁴⁹  I also labor, struggling according to his power that powerfully ⁵⁰  works in me.

James 2:2-6

2:2 For if someone ⁵¹  comes into your assembly ⁵²  wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes, 2:3 do you pay attention to the one who is finely dressed and say, ⁵³  “You sit here in a good place,” ⁵⁴  and to the poor person, “You stand over there,” or “Sit on the floor”? ⁵⁵  2:4 If so, have you not made distinctions ⁵⁶  among yourselves and become judges with evil motives? ⁵⁷  2:5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! ⁵⁸  Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him? 2:6 But you have dishonored the poor! ⁵⁹  Are not the rich oppressing you and dragging you into the courts?

[10:15]  ¹ tn Heb “is.” This expression, “a rich man’s wealth is his strong city,” is a metaphor. The comparative particle “like” is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.

[10:15]  ² tn Heb “a city of his strength.” The genitive עֹז (’oz, “strength”) functions as an attributive genitive: “strong city” = “fortified city.” This phrase is a metaphor; wealth protects its possessions against adversity like a fortified city. Such wealth must be attained by diligence and righteous means (e.g., 13:8; 18:23; 22:7).

[10:15]  ³ tn Heb “the ruin of the poor.” The term דַּלִּים (dalim, “of the poor”) functions as an objective genitive. Poverty leads to the ruin of the poor. The term “ruin” includes the shambles in which the person lives. This provides no security but only the fear of ruin. This proverb is an observation on life.

[10:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “is their poverty.”

[6:2]  ⁵ sn See the note on synagogue in 1:21. Jesus undoubtedly took the opportunity on this occasion to speak about his person and mission, and the relation of both to OT fulfillment.

[6:2]  ⁶ tn Or “this teaching”; Grk “these things.” The response of the people centers upon the content of Jesus’ teaching, so the phrase “these ideas” was supplied in the text to make this clear.

[6:3]  ⁷ tc Evidently because of the possible offensiveness of designating Jesus a carpenter, several mss ([Ì^45vid] ˹³ 33^vid [565 579] 700 [2542] pc it vg^mss) harmonize the words “carpenter, the son” to the parallel passage in Matt 13:55, “the son of the carpenter.” Almost all the rest of the mss read “the carpenter, the son.” Since the explicit designation of Jesus as a carpenter is the more difficult reading, and is much better attested, it is most likely correct.

[6:3]  ⁸ sn The reference to Jesus as the carpenter is probably derogatory, indicating that they knew Jesus only as a common laborer like themselves. The reference to him as the son of Mary (even though Jesus’ father was probably dead by this point) appears to be somewhat derogatory, for a man was not regarded as his mother’s son in Jewish usage unless an insult was intended (cf. Judg 11:1-2; John 6:42; 8:41; 9:29).

[7:47]  ⁹ tn Grk “answered them.”

[7:47]  ¹⁰ tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “have you?”).

[7:48]  ¹¹ sn The chief priests and Pharisees (John 7:45) is a comprehensive term for the groups represented in the ruling council (the Sanhedrin) as in John 7:45; 18:3; Acts 5:22, 26. Likewise the term ruler here denotes a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews. Note the same word (“ruler”) is used to describe Nicodemus in John 3:1, and Nicodemus also speaks up in this episode (John 7:50).

[7:48]  ¹² tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “have they?”).

[7:49]  ¹³ tn Grk “crowd.” “Rabble” is a good translation here because the remark by the Pharisees is so derogatory.

[9:24]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “they called.”

[9:24]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “who was blind.”

[9:24]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “Give glory to God” (an idiomatic formula used in placing someone under oath to tell the truth).

[9:24]  ¹⁷ tn The phrase “this man” is a reference to Jesus.

[9:25]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “Then that one answered.”

[9:26]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “open your eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).

[9:27]  ²⁰ tn Grk “He answered them.” The indirect object αὐτοῖς (autois) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.

[9:27]  ²¹ tn Grk “you did not hear.”

[9:27]  ²² tn “It” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when they were clearly implied in the context.

[9:27]  ²³ tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.

[9:28]  ²⁴ tn Grk “And they.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[9:28]  ²⁵ tn The Greek word means “to insult strongly” or “slander.”

[9:28]  ²⁶ tn Grk “and said.”

[9:28]  ²⁷ tn Grk “You are that one’s disciple.”

[9:29]  ²⁸ tn Grk “where this one.”

[9:30]  ²⁹ tn Grk “The man answered and said to them.” This has been simplified in the translation to “The man replied.”

[9:30]  ³⁰ tn Grk “For in this is a remarkable thing.”

[9:30]  ³¹ tn Grk “and he opened my eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).

[9:31]  ³² tn Grk “God does not hear.”

[9:31]  ³³ tn Or “godly.”

[9:31]  ³⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:31]  ³⁵ tn Or “hears.”

[9:31]  ³⁶ tn Grk “this one.”

[9:32]  ³⁷ tn Or “Never from the beginning of time,” Grk “From eternity.”

[9:32]  ³⁸ tn Grk “someone opening the eyes of a man born blind” (“opening the eyes” is an idiom referring to restoration of sight).

[9:33]  ³⁹ tn Grk “this one.”

[9:34]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “They answered and said to him.” This has been simplified in the translation to “They replied.”

[9:34]  ⁴¹ tn Or “From birth you have been evil.” The implication of this insult, in the context of John 9, is that the man whom Jesus caused to see had not previously adhered rigorously to all the conventional requirements of the OT law as interpreted by the Pharisees. Thus he had no right to instruct them about who Jesus was.

[9:34]  ⁴² tn Grk “and are you teaching us?”

[9:1]  ⁴³ tn Or “going along.” The opening words of chap. 9, καὶ παράγων (kai paragwn), convey only the vaguest indication of the circumstances.

[1:27]  ⁴⁴ tn The genitive noun τῆς δόξης (ths doxhs) is an attributive genitive and has therefore been translated as “glorious riches.”

[1:28]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “admonishing,” or “warning.” BDAG 679 s.v. νουθετέω states, “to counsel about avoidance or cessation of an improper course of conduct,, admonish, warn, instruct.” After the participle νουθετοῦντες (nouqetounte", “instructing”) the words πάντα ἄνθρωπον (panta anqrwpon, “all men”) occur in the Greek text, but since the same phrase appears again after διδάσκοντες (didaskontes) it was omitted in translation to avoid redundancy in English.

[1:28]  ⁴⁶ tn The two participles “instructing” (νουθετοῦντες, nouqetounte") and “teaching” (διδάσκοντες, didaskonte") are translated as participles of means (“by”) related to the finite verb “we proclaim” (καταγγέλλομεν, katangellomen).

[1:28]  ⁴⁷ tn Here ἄνθρωπον (anqrwpon) is twice translated as a generic (“people” and “person”) since both men and women are clearly intended in this context.

[1:28]  ⁴⁸ tn Since Paul’s focus is on the present experience of the Colossians, “mature” is a better translation of τέλειον (teleion) than “perfect,” since the latter implies a future, eschatological focus.

[1:29]  ⁴⁹ tn The Greek phrase εἴς ὅ (eis Jo, “toward which”) implies “movement toward a goal” and has been rendered by the English phrase “Toward this goal.”

[1:29]  ⁵⁰ tn The prepositional phrase ἐν δυνάμει (en dunamei) seems to be functioning adverbially, related to the participle, and has therefore been translated “powerfully.”

[2:2]  ⁵¹ tn The word for “man” or “individual” here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But as BDAG 79 s.v. 2 says, “equivalent to τὶς someone.”

[2:2]  ⁵² tn Grk “synagogue.” Usually συναγωγή refers to Jewish places of worship (e.g., Matt 4:23, Mark 1:21, Luke 4:15, John 6:59). The word can be used generally to refer to a place of assembly, and here it refers specifically to a Christian assembly (BDAG 963 s.v. 2.b.).

[2:3]  ⁵³ tn Grk “and you pay attention…and say,” continuing the “if” clauses from v. 2. In the Greek text, vv. 2-4 form one long sentence.

[2:3]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “sit here, please.”

[2:3]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “sit under my footstool.” The words “on the floor” have been supplied in the translation to clarify for the modern reader the undesirability of this seating arrangement (so also TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). Another option followed by a number of translations is to replace “under my footstool” with “at my feet” (NAB, NIV, NRSV).

[2:4]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “have you not made distinctions” (as the conclusion to the series of “if” clauses in vv. 2-3).

[2:4]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “judges of evil reasonings.”

[2:5]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[2:6]  ⁵⁹ tn This is singular: “the poor person,” perhaps referring to the hypothetical one described in vv. 2-3.