Psalms 19:7

19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect

and preserves one’s life. ¹ 

The rules set down by the Lord ²  are reliable ³ 

and impart wisdom to the inexperienced. ⁴ 

Isaiah 8:20

8:20 Then you must recall the Lord’s instructions and the prophetic testimony of what would happen. ⁵  Certainly they say such things because their minds are spiritually darkened. ⁶ 

John 15:27

15:27 and you also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

John 19:35

19:35 And the person who saw it ⁷  has testified (and his testimony is true, and he ⁸  knows that he is telling the truth), ⁹  so that you also may believe.

Ephesians 4:17

Live in Holiness

4:17 So I say this, and insist ¹⁰  in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility ¹¹  of their thinking. ¹² 

Ephesians 4:1

Live in Unity

4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, ¹³  urge you to live ¹⁴  worthily of the calling with which you have been called, ¹⁵ 

Ephesians 2:6

2:6 and he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

Ephesians 2:1

New Life Individually

2:1 And although you were ¹⁶  dead ¹⁷  in your transgressions and sins,

Ephesians 4:14

4:14 So ¹⁸  we are no longer to be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes. ¹⁹ 

Ephesians 4:1

Live in Unity

4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, ²⁰  urge you to live ²¹  worthily of the calling with which you have been called, ²² 

Ephesians 5:11-12

5:11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather ²³  expose them. ²⁴  5:12 For the things they do ²⁵  in secret are shameful even to mention.

Revelation 1:2

1:2 who then ²⁶  testified to everything that he saw concerning the word of God and the testimony about ²⁷  Jesus Christ.

Revelation 12:11

12:11 But ²⁸  they overcame him

by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony,

and they did not love their lives ²⁹  so much that they were afraid to die.

Revelation 19:10

19:10 So ³⁰  I threw myself down ³¹  at his feet to worship him, but ³²  he said, “Do not do this! ³³  I am only ³⁴  a fellow servant ³⁵  with you and your brothers ³⁶  who hold to the testimony about ³⁷  Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony about Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

[19:7]  ¹ tn Heb “[it] restores life.” Elsewhere the Hiphil of שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) when used with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “life”) as object, means to “rescue or preserve one’s life” (Job 33:30; Ps 35:17) or to “revive one’s strength” (emotionally or physically; cf. Ruth 4:15; Lam 1:11, 16, 19). Here the point seems to be that the law preserves the life of the one who studies it by making known God’s will. Those who know God’s will know how to please him and can avoid offending him. See v. 11a.

[19:7]  ² tn Traditionally, “the testimony of the Lord.” The noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to the demands of God’s covenant law.

[19:7]  ³ tn God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.

[19:7]  ⁴ tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly.

[8:20]  ⁵ tn Heb “to [the] instruction and to [the] testimony.” The words “then you must recall” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text vv. 19-20a are one long sentence, reading literally, “When they say to you…, to the instruction and to the testimony.” On the identity of the “instruction” and “testimony” see the notes at v. 16.

[8:20]  ⁶ tn Heb “If they do not speak according to this word, [it is] because it has no light of dawn.” The literal translation suggests that “this word” refers to the instruction/testimony. However, it is likely that אִם־לֹא (’im-lo’) is asseverative here, as in 5:9. In this case “this word” refers to the quotation recorded in v. 19. For a discussion of the problem see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 230, n. 9. The singular pronoun in the second half of the verse is collective, referring back to the nation (see v. 19b).

[19:35]  ⁷ tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[19:35]  ⁸ tn Grk “and that one.”

[19:35]  ⁹ sn A parenthetical note by the author.

[4:17]  ¹⁰ tn On the translation of μαρτύρομαι (marturomai) as “insist” see BDAG 619 s.v. 2.

[4:17]  ¹¹ tn On the translation of ματαιότης (mataioth") as “futility” see BDAG 621 s.v.

[4:17]  ¹² tn Or “thoughts,” “mind.”

[4:1]  ¹³ tn Grk “prisoner in the Lord.”

[4:1]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “walk.” The verb “walk” in the NT letters refers to the conduct of one’s life, not to physical walking.

[4:1]  ¹⁵ sn With which you have been called. The calling refers to the Holy Spirit’s prompting that caused them to believe. The author is thus urging his readers to live a life that conforms to their saved status before God.

[2:1]  ¹⁶ tn The adverbial participle “being” (ὄντας, ontas) is taken concessively.

[2:1]  ¹⁷ sn Chapter 2 starts off with a participle, although you were dead, that is left dangling. The syntax in Greek for vv. 1-3 constitutes one incomplete sentence, though it seems to have been done intentionally. The dangling participle leaves the readers in suspense while they wait for the solution (in v. 4) to their spiritual dilemma.

[4:14]  ¹⁸ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[4:14]  ¹⁹ tn While the sense of the passage is clear enough, translation in English is somewhat difficult. The Greek says: “by the trickery of men, by craftiness with the scheme of deceit.” The point is that the author is concerned about Christians growing into maturity. He is fearful that certain kinds of very cunning people, who are skilled at deceitful scheming, should come in and teach false doctrines which would in turn stunt the growth of the believers.

[4:1]  ²⁰ tn Grk “prisoner in the Lord.”

[4:1]  ²¹ tn Grk “walk.” The verb “walk” in the NT letters refers to the conduct of one’s life, not to physical walking.

[4:1]  ²² sn With which you have been called. The calling refers to the Holy Spirit’s prompting that caused them to believe. The author is thus urging his readers to live a life that conforms to their saved status before God.

[5:11]  ²³ tn The Greek conjunction καὶ (kai) seems to be functioning here ascensively, (i.e., “even”), but is difficult to render in this context using good English. It may read something like: “but rather even expose them!”

[5:11]  ²⁴ tn Grk “rather even expose.”

[5:12]  ²⁵ tn The participle τὰ…γινόμενα (ta…ginomena) usually refers to “things happening” or “things which are,” but with the following genitive phrase ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν (Jup’ autwn), which indicates agency, the idea seems to be “things being done.” This passive construction was translated as an active one to simplify the English style.

[1:2]  ²⁶ tn “Then” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to make the chronological succession clear in the translation.

[1:2]  ²⁷ tn The genitive phrase “about Jesus Christ” is taken as an objective genitive.

[12:11]  ²⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.

[12:11]  ²⁹ sn They did not love their lives. See Matt 16:25; Luke 17:33; John 12:25.

[19:10]  ³⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s announcement.

[19:10]  ³¹ tn Grk “I fell down at his feet.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[19:10]  ³² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[19:10]  ³³ tn On the elliptical expression ὅρα μή (Jora mh) BDAG 720 s.v. ὁράω B.2 states: “Elliptically…ὅρα μή (sc. ποιήσῃς) watch out! don’t do that! Rv 19:10; 22:9.”

[19:10]  ³⁴ tn The lowliness of a slave is emphasized in the Greek text with the emphatic position of σύνδουλος (sundoulo"). The use of “only” helps to bring this nuance out in English.

[19:10]  ³⁵ tn Grk “fellow slave.” See the note on the word “servants” in v. 2.

[19:10]  ³⁶ tn The Greek term “brother” literally refers to family relationships, but here it is used in a broader sense to connote familial relationships within the family of God (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a).

[19:10]  ³⁷ tn The genitive ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou) has been translated as an objective genitive here. A subjective genitive, also possible, would produce the meaning “who hold to what Jesus testifies.”