Psalms 31:19

31:19 How great is your favor, ¹ 

which you store up for your loyal followers! ² 

In plain sight of everyone you bestow it on those who take shelter ³  in you. ⁴ 

Psalms 36:7

36:7 How precious ⁵  is your loyal love, O God!

The human race finds shelter under your wings. ⁶ 

Psalms 86:5

86:5 Certainly ⁷  O Lord, you are kind ⁸  and forgiving,

and show great faithfulness to all who cry out to you.

Psalms 86:15

86:15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and merciful God.

You are patient ⁹  and demonstrate great loyal love and faithfulness. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 145:7

145:7 They will talk about the fame of your great kindness, ¹¹ 

and sing about your justice. ¹² 

Isaiah 63:7

A Prayer for Divine Intervention

63:7 I will tell of the faithful acts of the Lord,

of the Lord’s praiseworthy deeds.

I will tell about all ¹³  the Lord did for us,

the many good things he did for the family of Israel, ¹⁴ 

because of ¹⁵  his compassion and great faithfulness.

Isaiah 63:15

63:15 Look down from heaven and take notice,

from your holy, majestic palace!

Where are your zeal ¹⁶  and power?

Do not hold back your tender compassion! ¹⁷ 

John 3:16

3:16 For this is the way ¹⁸  God loved the world: He gave his one and only ¹⁹  Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish ²⁰  but have eternal life. ²¹ 

Romans 5:8

5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:20

5:20 Now the law came in ²²  so that the transgression ²³  may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more,

Ephesians 1:7-8

1:7 In him ²⁴  we have redemption through his blood, ²⁵  the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 1:8 that he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight.

Ephesians 2:4-5

2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, 2:5 even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you are saved! ²⁶  –

Ephesians 3:18-19

3:18 you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ²⁷  3:19 and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled up to ²⁸  all the fullness of God.

Titus 3:4-7

3:4 ²⁹  But “when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, 3:5 he saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, 3:6 whom he poured out on us in full measure ³⁰  through Jesus Christ our Savior. 3:7 And so, ³¹  since we have been justified by his grace, we become heirs with the confident expectation of eternal life.” ³² 

Titus 3:1

Conduct Toward Those Outside the Church

3:1 Remind them to be subject to rulers and ³³  authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work.

Titus 1:8-11

1:8 Instead he must be hospitable, devoted to what is good, sensible, upright, devout, and self-controlled. 1:9 He must hold firmly to the faithful message as it has been taught, ³⁴  so that he will be able to give exhortation in such healthy teaching ³⁵  and correct those who speak against it.

1:10 For there are many ³⁶  rebellious people, idle talkers, and deceivers, especially those with Jewish connections, ³⁷  1:11 who must be silenced because they mislead whole families by teaching for dishonest gain what ought not to be taught.

[31:19]  ¹ tn Or “How abundant are your blessings!”

[31:19]  ² tn Heb “for those who fear you.”

[31:19]  ³ tn “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear, and serve the Lord (Pss 2:12; 5:11-12; 34:21-22).

[31:19]  ⁴ tn Heb “you work [your favor] for the ones seeking shelter in you before the sons of men.”

[36:7]  ⁵ tn Or “valuable.”

[36:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “and the sons of man in the shadow of your wings find shelter.” The preservation of physical life is in view, as the next verse makes clear.

[86:5]  ⁷ tn Or “for.”

[86:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “good.”

[86:15]  ⁹ tn Heb “slow to anger.”

[86:15]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and great of loyal love and faithfulness.”

[145:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the fame of the greatness of your goodness.”

[145:7]  ¹² tn The prefixed verbal forms in v. 7 are understood as imperfects, indicating how the psalmist expects his audience to respond to his praise. Another option is to take the forms as jussives, indicating the psalmist’s wish, “may they talk…and sing.”

[63:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “according to all which.”

[63:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “greatness of goodness to the house of Israel which he did for them.”

[63:7]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “according to.”

[63:15]  ¹⁶ tn This probably refers to his zeal for his people, which motivates him to angrily strike out against their enemies.

[63:15]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “the agitation of your intestines and your compassion to me they are held back.” The phrase “agitation of your intestines” is metonymic, referring to the way in which one’s nervous system reacts when one feels pity and compassion toward another. אֵלַי (’elay, “to me”) is awkward in this context, where the speaker represents the nation and, following the introduction (see v. 7), utilizes first person plural forms. The translation assumes an emendation to the negative particle אַל (’al). This also necessitates emending the following verb form (which is a plural perfect) to a singular jussive (תִתְאַפָּק, tit’appaq). The Hitpael of אָפַק (’afaq) also occurs in 42:14.

[3:16]  ¹⁸ tn Or “this is how much”; or “in this way.” The Greek adverb οὕτως (Joutws) can refer (1) to the degree to which God loved the world, that is, to such an extent or so much that he gave his own Son (see R. E. Brown, John [AB], 1:133-34; D. A. Carson, John, 204) or (2) simply to the manner in which God loved the world, i.e., by sending his own son (see R. H. Gundry and R. W. Howell, “The Sense and Syntax of John 3:14-17 with Special Reference to the Use of Οὕτως…ὥστε in John 3:16,” NovT 41 [1999]: 24-39). Though the term more frequently refers to the manner in which something is done (see BDAG 741-42 s.v. οὕτω/οὕτως), the following clause involving ὥστε (Jwste) plus the indicative (which stresses actual, but [usually] unexpected result) emphasizes the greatness of the gift God has given. With this in mind, then, it is likely (3) that John is emphasizing both the degree to which God loved the world as well as the manner in which He chose to express that love. This is in keeping with John’s style of using double entendre or double meaning. Thus, the focus of the Greek construction here is on the nature of God's love, addressing its mode, intensity, and extent.

[3:16]  ¹⁹ tn Although this word is often translated “only begotten,” such a translation is misleading, since in English it appears to express a metaphysical relationship. The word in Greek was used of an only child (a son [Luke 7:12, 9:38] or a daughter [Luke 8:42]). It was also used of something unique (only one of its kind) such as the mythological Phoenix (1 Clement 25:2). From here it passes easily to a description of Isaac (Heb 11:17 and Josephus, Ant. 1.13.1 [1.222]) who was not Abraham’s only son, but was one-of-a-kind because he was the child of the promise. Thus the word means “one-of-a-kind” and is reserved for Jesus in the Johannine literature of the NT. While all Christians are children of God (τέκνα θεοῦ, tekna qeou), Jesus is God’s Son in a unique, one-of-a-kind sense. The word is used in this way in all its uses in the Gospel of John (1:14, 1:18, 3:16, and 3:18).

[3:16]  ²⁰ tn In John the word ἀπόλλυμι (apollumi) can mean either (1) to be lost (2) to perish or be destroyed, depending on the context.

[3:16]  ²¹ sn The alternatives presented are only two (again, it is typical of Johannine thought for this to be presented in terms of polar opposites): perish or have eternal life.

[5:20]  ²² tn Grk “slipped in.”

[5:20]  ²³ tn Or “trespass.”

[1:7]  ²⁴ tn Grk “in whom” (the relative clause of v. 7 is subordinate to v. 6). The “him” refers to Christ.

[1:7]  ²⁵ sn In this context his blood, the blood of Jesus Christ, refers to the price paid for believers’ redemption, which is the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross.

[2:5]  ²⁶ tn Or “by grace you have been saved.” The perfect tense in Greek connotes both completed action (“you have been saved”) and continuing results (“you are saved”).

[3:18]  ²⁷ sn The object of these dimensions is not stated in the text. Interpreters have suggested a variety of referents for this unstated object, including the cross of Christ, the heavenly Jerusalem (which is then sometimes linked to the Church), God’s power, the fullness of salvation given in Christ, the Wisdom of God, and the love of Christ. Of these interpretations, the last two are the most plausible. Associations from Wisdom literature favor the Wisdom of God, but the immediate context favors the love of Christ. For detailed discussion of these interpretive options, see A. T. Lincoln, Ephesians (WBC), 207-13, who ultimately favors the love of Christ.

[3:19]  ²⁸ tn Or “with.”

[3:4]  ²⁹ tn Verses 4-7 are set as poetry in NA²⁶/NA²⁷. These verses probably constitute the referent of the expression “this saying” in v. 8.

[3:6]  ³⁰ tn Or “on us richly.”

[3:7]  ³¹ tn This is the conclusion of a single, skillfully composed sentence in Greek encompassing Titus 3:4-7. Showing the goal of God’s merciful salvation, v. 7 begins literally, “in order that, being justified…we might become heirs…”

[3:7]  ³² tn Grk “heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

[3:1]  ³³ tc Most later witnesses (D² 0278 Ï lat sy) have καί (kai, “and”) after ἀρχαῖς (arcai", “rulers”), though the earliest and best witnesses (א A C D* F G Ψ 33 104 1739 1881) lack the conjunction. Although the καί is most likely not authentic, it has been added in translation due to the requirements of English style. For more discussion, see TCGNT 586.

[1:9]  ³⁴ tn Grk “the faithful message in accordance with the teaching” (referring to apostolic teaching).

[1:9]  ³⁵ tn Grk “the healthy teaching” (referring to what was just mentioned).

[1:10]  ³⁶ tc ‡ The earliest and best mss lack καί (kai) after πολλοί (polloi; so א A C P 088 81 104 365 614 629 630 al sy co), though the conjunction is found in several significant witnesses, chiefly of the Western and Byzantine texts (D F G I Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï lat). Although it is possible that some scribes omitted the word, thinking it was superfluous, it is also possible that others added the conjunction for clarification. Judging by the pedigree of the witnesses and the inconclusiveness of the internal evidence, the shorter reading is considered to be most likely original. NA²⁷ puts the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.

[1:10]  ³⁷ tn Grk “those of the circumcision.” Some translations take this to refer to Jewish converts to Christianity (cf. NAB “Jewish Christians”; TEV “converts from Judaism”; CEV “Jewish followers”) while others are less clear (cf. NLT “those who insist on circumcision for salvation”).