Proverbs 3:17

3:17 Her ways are very pleasant, ¹ 

and all her paths are peaceful.

Micah 6:8

6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good,

and what the Lord really wants from you: ² 

He wants you to ³  promote ⁴  justice, to be faithful, ⁵ 

and to live obediently before ⁶  your God.

Acts 15:10

15:10 So now why are you putting God to the test ⁷  by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke ⁸  that neither our ancestors ⁹  nor we have been able to bear?

Acts 15:28

15:28 For it seemed best to the Holy Spirit and to us ¹⁰  not to place any greater burden on you than these necessary rules: ¹¹ 

Galatians 5:1

Freedom of the Believer

5:1 For freedom ¹²  Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke ¹³  of slavery.

Galatians 5:18

5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Galatians 5:1

Freedom of the Believer

5:1 For freedom ¹⁴  Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke ¹⁵  of slavery.

Galatians 5:3

5:3 And I testify again to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey ¹⁶  the whole law.

[3:17]  ¹ tn Heb “her ways are ways of pleasantness” (so KJV, NRSV). The present translation contracts this expression for the sake of smoothness. The plural of דֶרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) is repeated for emphasis. The noun נֹעַם (no’am, “pleasantness”) functions as an attributive genitive: “pleasant ways.”

[6:8]  ² sn What the Lord really wants from you. Now the prophet switches roles and answers the hypothetical worshiper’s question. He makes it clear that the Lord desires proper attitudes more than ritual and sacrifice.

[6:8]  ³ tn Heb “except.” This statement is actually linked with what precedes, “What does he want from you except….”

[6:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “to do,” in the sense of “promote.”

[6:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “to love faithfulness.”

[6:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “to walk humbly [or perhaps, “carefully”] with.”

[15:10]  ⁷ tn According to BDAG 793 s.v. πειράζω 2.c, “In Ac 15:10 the πειράζειν τὸν θεόν consists in the fact that after God’s will has been clearly made known through granting of the Spirit to the Gentiles (v. 8), some doubt and make trial to see whether God’s will really becomes operative.” All testing of God in Luke is negative: Luke 4:2; 11:16.

[15:10]  ⁸ 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 restriction that some in the early church wanted to place on Gentile converts to Christianity of observing the law of Moses and having males circumcised. The yoke is a decidedly negative image: Matt 23:4, but cf. Matt 11:29-30.

[15:10]  ⁹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[15:28]  ¹⁰ tn This is the same expression translated “decided” in Acts 15:22, 25. BDAG 255 s.v. δοκέω 2.b.β lists “decide” as a possible gloss for this verse, and this translation would be consistent with the translation of the same expression in Acts 15:22, 25. However, the unusually awkward “the Holy Spirit and we have decided” would result. Given this approach, it would be more natural in English to say “We and the Holy Spirit have decided,” but changing the order removes the emphasis the Greek text gives to the Holy Spirit. Thus, although the similarity to the phrases in 15:22, 25 is obscured, it is better to use the alternate translation “it seems best to me” (also given by BDAG): “it seemed best to the Holy Spirit and to us.” Again the scope of agreement is highlighted.

[15:28]  ¹¹ tn L&N 71.39 translates “indispensable (rules)” while BDAG 358 s.v. ἐπάναγκες has “the necessary things.”

[5:1]  ¹² tn Translating the dative as “For freedom” shows the purpose for Christ setting us free; however, it is also possible to take the phrase in the sense of means or instrument (“with [or by] freedom”), referring to the freedom mentioned in 4:31 and implied throughout the letter.

[5:1]  ¹³ sn Here the yoke figuratively represents the burdensome nature of slavery.

[5:1]  ¹⁴ tn Translating the dative as “For freedom” shows the purpose for Christ setting us free; however, it is also possible to take the phrase in the sense of means or instrument (“with [or by] freedom”), referring to the freedom mentioned in 4:31 and implied throughout the letter.

[5:1]  ¹⁵ sn Here the yoke figuratively represents the burdensome nature of slavery.

[5:3]  ¹⁶ tn Or “keep”; or “carry out”; Grk “do.”