Proverbs 25:14

25:14 Like cloudy skies and wind that produce no rain, ¹ 

so is the one who boasts ²  of a gift not given. ³ 

Proverbs 27:2

27:2 Let another ⁴  praise you, and not your own mouth; ⁵ 

someone else, ⁶  and not your own lips.

Matthew 6:2

6:2 Thus whenever you do charitable giving, ⁷  do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues ⁸  and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, ⁹  they have their reward.

Luke 18:8

18:8 I tell you, he will give them justice speedily. ¹⁰  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith ¹¹  on earth?”

Luke 18:11

18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself like this: ¹²  ‘God, I thank ¹³  you that I am not like other people: ¹⁴  extortionists, ¹⁵  unrighteous people, ¹⁶  adulterers – or even like this tax collector. ¹⁷ 

Luke 18:28

18:28 And Peter said, “Look, we have left everything we own ¹⁸  to follow you!” ¹⁹ 

Luke 22:33

22:33 But Peter ²⁰  said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death!” ²¹ 

Luke 22:2

22:2 The ²²  chief priests and the experts in the law ²³  were trying to find some way ²⁴  to execute ²⁵  Jesus, ²⁶  for they were afraid of the people. ²⁷ 

Colossians 1:11

1:11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of ²⁸  all patience and steadfastness, joyfully

[25:14]  ¹ sn The emblem now is one of clouds and winds that would be expected to produce rain; they gain attention and raise people’s expectations but prove to be disappointing when no rain is forthcoming, and hence could be thought of as deceitful.

[25:14]  ² tn The form מִתְהַלֵּל (mithallel) is the Hitpael participle of the well-known word for “praise”; but in this stem it means “to praise oneself” or “to boast.” The description of “windbag” seems appropriate in this context.

[25:14]  ³ tn Heb “a gift of falsehood.” This would mean that the individual brags about giving a gift, when there is no gift.

[27:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “a stranger.” This does not necessarily refer to a non-Israelite, as has been demonstrated before in the book of Proverbs, but these are people outside the familiar and accepted circles. The point is that such a person would be objective in speaking about your abilities and accomplishments.

[27:2]  ⁵ sn “Mouth” and “lips” are metonymies of cause; they mean “what is said.” People should try to avoid praising themselves. Self praise can easily become a form of pride, even if it begins with trivial things. It does not establish a reputation; reputation comes from what others think about you.

[27:2]  ⁶ tn “a foreigner”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV “a stranger.”

[6:2]  ⁷ tn Grk “give alms,” but this term is not in common use today. The giving of alms was highly regarded in the ancient world (Deut 15:7-11).

[6:2]  ⁸ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.

[6:2]  ⁹ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[18:8]  ¹⁰ tn Some argue this should be translated “suddenly.” When vindication comes it will be quick. But the more natural meaning is “soon.” God will not forget his elect and will respond to them. It may be that this verse has a prophetic perspective. In light of the eternity that comes, vindication is soon.

[18:8]  ¹¹ sn Will he find faith on earth? The Son of Man is looking for those who continue to believe in him, despite the wait.

[18:11]  ¹² tn Or “stood by himself and prayed like this.” The prepositional phrase πρὸς ἑαυτόν (pros eauton, “to/about himself”) could go with either the aorist participle σταθείς (staqeis, “stood”) or with the imperfect verb προσηύχετο (proshuceto, “he prayed”). If taken with the participle, then the meaning would seem at first glance to be: “stood ‘by himself’,” or “stood ‘alone’.” Now it is true that πρός can mean “by” or “with” when used with intransitive verbs such as ἵστημι ({isthmi, “I stand”; cf. BDAG 874 s.v. πρός 2.a), but πρὸς ἑαυτόν together never means “by himself” or “alone” in biblical Greek. On the other hand, if πρὸς ἑαυτόν is taken with the verb, then two different nuances emerge, both of which highlight in different ways the principal point Jesus seems to be making about the arrogance of this religious leader: (1) “prayed to himself,” but not necessarily silently, or (2) “prayed about himself,” with the connotation that he prayed out loud, for all to hear. Since his prayer is really a review of his moral résumé, directed both at advertising his own righteousness and exposing the perversion of the tax collector, whom he actually mentions in his prayer, the latter option seems preferable. If this is the case, then the Pharisee’s mention of God is really nothing more than a formality.

[18:11]  ¹³ sn The Pharisee’s prayer started out as a thanksgiving psalm to God, but the praise ended up not being about God.

[18:11]  ¹⁴ tn Here the plural Greek term ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) is used as a generic and can refer to both men and women (NASB, NRSV, “people”; NLT, “everyone else”; NAB, “the rest of humanity”).

[18:11]  ¹⁵ tn Or “swindlers” (BDAG 134 s.v. ἅρπαξ 2); see also Isa 10:2; Josephus, J. W. 6.3.4 [6.203].

[18:11]  ¹⁶ sn A general category for “sinners” (1 Cor 6:9; Lev 19:3).

[18:11]  ¹⁷ sn Note what the Pharisee assumes about the righteousness of this tax collector by grouping him with extortionists, unrighteous people, and adulterers.

[18:28]  ¹⁸ tn Or “left our homes,” “left our possessions”; Grk “left our own things.” The word ἴδιος (idios) can refer to one’s home (including the people and possessions in it) or to one’s property or possessions. Both options are mentioned in BDAG 467 s.v. 4.b. See also I. H. Marshall, Luke (NIGTC), 688; D. L. Bock, Luke (BECNT), 2:1488.

[18:28]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “We have left everything we own and followed you.” Koine Greek often used paratactic structure when hypotactic was implied.

[22:33]  ²⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:33]  ²¹ sn The confidence Peter has in private (Lord, I am ready…) will wilt under the pressure of the public eye.

[22:2]  ²² tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[22:2]  ²³ tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

[22:2]  ²⁴ tn Grk “were seeking how.”

[22:2]  ²⁵ tn The Greek verb here means “to get rid of by execution” (BDAG 64 s.v. ἀναιρέω 2; cf. also L&N 20.71, which states, “to get rid of someone by execution, often with legal or quasi-legal procedures”).

[22:2]  ²⁶ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:2]  ²⁷ sn The suggestion here is that Jesus was too popular to openly arrest him. The verb were trying is imperfect. It suggests, in this context, that they were always considering the opportunities.

[1:11]  ²⁸ tn The expression “for the display of” is an attempt to convey in English the force of the Greek preposition εἰς (eis) in this context.