Proverbs 11:24-25

11:24 One person is generous ¹  and yet grows more wealthy, ² 

but another withholds more than he should ³  and comes to poverty. ⁴ 

11:25 A generous person ⁵  will be enriched, ⁶ 

and the one who provides water ⁷  for others ⁸  will himself be satisfied. ⁹ 

Proverbs 28:27

28:27 The one who gives to the poor will not lack, ¹⁰ 

but whoever shuts his eyes to them ¹¹  will receive ¹²  many curses. ¹³ 

Deuteronomy 15:7-14

The Spirit of Liberality

15:7 If a fellow Israelite ¹⁴  from one of your villages ¹⁵  in the land that the Lord your God is giving you should be poor, you must not harden your heart or be insensitive ¹⁶  to his impoverished condition. ¹⁷  15:8 Instead, you must be sure to open your hand to him and generously lend ¹⁸  him whatever he needs. ¹⁹  15:9 Be careful lest you entertain the wicked thought that the seventh year, the year of cancellation of debts, has almost arrived, and your attitude ²⁰  be wrong toward your impoverished fellow Israelite ²¹  and you do not lend ²²  him anything; he will cry out to the Lord against you and you will be regarded as having sinned. ²³  15:10 You must by all means lend ²⁴  to him and not be upset by doing it, ²⁵  for because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you attempt. 15:11 There will never cease to be some poor people in the land; therefore, I am commanding you to make sure you open ²⁶  your hand to your fellow Israelites ²⁷  who are needy and poor in your land.

Release of Debt Slaves

15:12 If your fellow Hebrew ²⁸  – whether male or female ²⁹  – is sold to you and serves you for six years, then in the seventh year you must let that servant ³⁰  go free. ³¹  15:13 If you set them free, you must not send them away empty-handed. 15:14 You must supply them generously ³²  from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress – as the Lord your God has blessed you, you must give to them.

Isaiah 58:7-11

58:7 I want you ³³  to share your food with the hungry

and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. ³⁴ 

When you see someone naked, clothe him!

Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood! ³⁵ 

58:8 Then your light will shine like the sunrise; ³⁶ 

your restoration will quickly arrive; ³⁷ 

your godly behavior ³⁸  will go before you,

and the Lord’s splendor will be your rear guard. ³⁹ 

58:9 Then you will call out, and the Lord will respond;

you will cry out, and he will reply, ‘Here I am.’

You must ⁴⁰  remove the burdensome yoke from among you

and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully.

58:10 You must ⁴¹  actively help the hungry

and feed the oppressed. ⁴² 

Then your light will dispel the darkness, ⁴³ 

and your darkness will be transformed into noonday. ⁴⁴ 

58:11 The Lord will continually lead you;

he will feed you even in parched regions. ⁴⁵ 

He will give you renewed strength, ⁴⁶ 

and you will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring that continually produces water.

Matthew 10:41-42

10:41 Whoever receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. Whoever ⁴⁷  receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 10:42 And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple, I tell you the truth, ⁴⁸  he will never lose his reward.”

Matthew 25:40

25:40 And the king will answer them, ⁴⁹  ‘I tell you the truth, ⁵⁰  just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters ⁵¹  of mine, you did it for me.’

Matthew 25:2

25:2 Five ⁵²  of the virgins ⁵³  were foolish, and five were wise.

Colossians 1:6-8

1:6 that has come to you. Just as in the entire world this gospel ⁵⁴  is bearing fruit and growing, so it has also been bearing fruit and growing ⁵⁵  among you from the first day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth. 1:7 You learned the gospel ⁵⁶  from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave ⁵⁷  – a ⁵⁸  faithful minister of Christ on our ⁵⁹  behalf – 1:8 who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

Philippians 4:17

4:17 I do not say this because I am seeking a gift. ⁶⁰  Rather, I seek the credit that abounds to your account.

Hebrews 6:10

6:10 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name, in having served and continuing to serve the saints.

[11:24]  ¹ tn Heb “There is one who scatters.” The participle מְפַזֵּר (mÿfazzer, “one who scatters”) refers to charity rather than farming or investments (and is thus a hypocatastasis). Cf. CEV “become rich by being generous”).

[11:24]  ² tn Heb “increases.” The verb means that he grows even more wealthy. This is a paradox: Generosity determines prosperity in God’s economy.

[11:24]  ³ tn Heb “more than what is right.” This one is not giving enough, but saving for himself.

[11:24]  ⁴ tn Heb “comes to lack.” The person who withholds will come to the diminishing of his wealth. The verse uses hyperbole to teach that giving to charity does not make anyone poor, and neither does refusal to give ensure prosperity.

[11:25]  ⁵ tn Heb “the soul of blessing.” The genitive functions attributively. “Blessing” refers to a gift (Gen 33:11) or a special favor (Josh 15:19). The term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul”) functions as a synecdoche of part (= soul) for the whole (= person); see BDB 660 s.v. 4.

[11:25]  ⁶ tn Heb “will grow fat.” Drawing on the standard comparison of fatness and abundance (Deut 32:15), the term means “become rich, prosperous.”

[11:25]  ⁷ tn The verb מַרְוֶה (marveh, “to be saturated; to drink one’s fill”) draws a comparison between providing water for others with providing for those in need (e.g., Jer 31:25; Lam 3:15). The kind act will be reciprocated.

[11:25]  ⁸ tn The phrase “for others” does not appear in the Hebrew but is implied by the causative Hiphil verb which normally takes a direct object; it is elided in the Hebrew for the sake of emphasis. It is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.

[11:25]  ⁹ tn This verb also means “to pour water,” and so continues the theme of the preceding participle: The one who gives refreshment to others will be refreshed. BDB 924 s.v. רָוָה lists the form יוֹרֶא (yore’) as a Hophal imperfect of רָוָה (ravah, the only occurrence) and translates it “will himself also be watered” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB). But the verb looks very much like a Hiphil of the root יָרָא (yara’, “to shoot; to pour”). So the editors of BHS suggest יוּאָר (yu’ar).

[28:27]  ⁹ sn The generous individual will be rewarded. He will not lack nor miss what he has given away to the poor.

[28:27]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “hides his eyes”; “to them” is supplied in the translation to indicate the link with the poor in the preceding line. Hiding or closing the eyes is a metonymy of cause or of adjunct, indicating a decision not to look on and thereby help the poor. It could also be taken as an implied comparison, i.e., not helping the poor is like closing the eyes to them.

[28:27]  ¹¹ tn The term “receives” is not in the Hebrew text but is implied, and is supplied in the translation.

[28:27]  ¹² sn The text does not specify the nature or the source of the curses. It is natural to think that they would be given by the poor who are being mistreated and ignored. Far from being praised for their contributions to society, selfish, stingy people will be reviled for their heartless indifference.

[15:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “one of your brothers” (so NASB); NAB “one of your kinsmen”; NRSV “a member of your community.” See the note at v. 2.

[15:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “gates.”

[15:7]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “withdraw your hand.” Cf. NIV “hardhearted or tightfisted” (NRSV and NLT similar).

[15:7]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “from your needy brother.”

[15:8]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute before both verbs. The translation indicates the emphasis with the words “be sure to” and “generously,” respectively.

[15:8]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “whatever his need that he needs for himself.” This redundant expression has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[15:9]  ²¹ tn Heb “your eye.”

[15:9]  ²² tn Heb “your needy brother.”

[15:9]  ²³ tn Heb “give” (likewise in v. 10).

[15:9]  ²⁴ tn Heb “it will be a sin to you.”

[15:10]  ²⁵ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “by all means.”

[15:10]  ²⁶ tc Heb “your heart must not be grieved in giving to him.” The LXX and Orig add, “you shall surely lend to him sufficient for his need,” a suggestion based on the same basic idea in v. 8. Such slavish adherence to stock phrases is without warrant in most cases, and certainly here.

[15:11]  ²⁹ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “make sure.”

[15:11]  ³⁰ tn Heb “your brother.”

[15:12]  ³³ sn Elsewhere in the OT, the Israelites are called “Hebrews” (עִבְרִי, ’ivriy) by outsiders, rarely by themselves (cf. Gen 14:13; 39:14, 17; 41:12; Exod 1:15, 16, 19; 2:6, 7, 11, 13; 1 Sam 4:6; Jonah 1:9). Thus, here and in the parallel passage in Exod 21:2-6 the term עִבְרִי may designate non-Israelites, specifically a people well-known throughout the ancient Near East as ’apiru or habiru. They lived a rather vagabond lifestyle, frequently hiring themselves out as laborers or mercenary soldiers. While accounting nicely for the surprising use of the term here in an Israelite law code, the suggestion has against it the unlikelihood that a set of laws would address such a marginal people so specifically (as opposed to simply calling them aliens or the like). More likely עִבְרִי is chosen as a term to remind Israel that when they were “Hebrews,” that is, when they were in Egypt, they were slaves. Now that they are free they must not keep their fellow Israelites in economic bondage. See v. 15.

[15:12]  ³⁴ tn Heb “your brother, a Hebrew (male) or Hebrew (female).”

[15:12]  ³⁵ tn Heb “him.” The singular pronoun occurs throughout the passage.

[15:12]  ³⁶ tn The Hebrew text includes “from you.”

[15:14]  ³⁷ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “generously.”

[58:7]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “Is it not?” The rhetorical question here expects a positive answer, “It is!”

[58:7]  ⁴² tn Heb “and afflicted [ones], homeless [ones] you should bring [into] a house.” On the meaning of מְרוּדִים (mÿrudim, “homeless”) see HALOT 633 s.v. *מָרוּד.

[58:7]  ⁴³ tn Heb “and from your flesh do not hide yourself.”

[58:8]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “will burst out like the dawn.”

[58:8]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “prosper”; KJV “spring forth speedily.”

[58:8]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “righteousness.” Their godly behavior will be on display for all to see.

[58:8]  ⁴⁸ sn The nation will experience God’s protective presence.

[58:9]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “if you.” In the Hebrew text vv. 9b-10 are one long conditional sentence. The protasis (“if” clauses appear in vv. 9b-10a), with the apodosis (“then” clause) appearing in v. 10b.

[58:10]  ⁵³ tn Heb “if you.” See the note on “you must” in v. 9b.

[58:10]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “If you furnish for the hungry [with] your being, and the appetite of the oppressed you satisfy.”

[58:10]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “will rise in the darkness.”

[58:10]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “and your darkness [will be] like noonday.”

[58:11]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “he will satisfy in parched regions your appetite.”

[58:11]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “and your bones he will strengthen.”

[10:41]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “And whoever.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[10:42]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[25:40]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “answering, the king will say to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.

[25:40]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[25:40]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). In this context Jesus is ultimately speaking of his “followers” (whether men or women, adults or children), but the familial connotation of “brothers and sisters” is also important to retain here.

[25:2]  ⁷³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[25:2]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “Five of them.”

[1:6]  ⁷⁷ 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]  ⁷⁸ 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.

[1:7]  ⁸¹ tn Or “learned it.” The Greek text simply has “you learned” without the reference to “the gospel,” but “the gospel” is supplied to clarify the sense of the clause. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[1:7]  ⁸² tn The Greek word translated “fellow slave” is σύνδουλος (sundoulo"); the σύν- prefix here denotes association. Though δοῦλος 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.

[1:7]  ⁸³ tn The Greek text has “who (ὅς, Jos) is a faithful minister.” The above translation conveys the antecedent of the relative pronoun quite well and avoids the redundancy with the following substantival participle of v. 8, namely, “who told” (ὁ δηλώσας, Jo dhlwsa").

[1:7]  ⁸⁴ tc ‡ Judging by the superior witnesses for the first person pronoun ἡμῶν (Jhmwn, “us”; Ì⁴⁶ א* A B D* F G 326* 1505 al) vs. the second person pronoun ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “you”; found in א² C D¹ Ψ 075 33 1739 1881 Ï lat sy co), ἡμῶν should be regarded as original. Although it is possible that ἡμῶν was an early alteration of ὑμῶν (either unintentionally, as dittography, since it comes seventeen letters after the previous ἡμῶν; or intentionally, to conform to the surrounding first person pronouns), this supposition is difficult to maintain in light of the varied and valuable witnesses for this reading. Further, the second person is both embedded in the verb ἐμάθετε (emaqete) and is explicit in v. 8 (ὑμῶν). Hence, the motivation to change to the first person pronoun is counterbalanced by such evidence. The second person pronoun may have been introduced unintentionally via homoioarcton with the ὑπέρ (Juper) that immediately precedes it. As well, the second person reading is somewhat harder for it seems to address Epaphras’ role only in relation to Paul and his colleagues, rather than in relation to the Colossians. Nevertheless, the decision must be based ultimately on external evidence (because the internal evidence can be variously interpreted), and this strongly supports ἡμῶν.

[4:17]  ⁸⁵ 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.