Psalms 71:15-16

71:15 I will tell about your justice,

and all day long proclaim your salvation, ¹ 

though I cannot fathom its full extent. ² 

71:16 I will come and tell about ³  the mighty acts of the sovereign Lord.

I will proclaim your justice – yours alone.

Isaiah 45:24-25

45:24 they will say about me,

“Yes, the Lord is a powerful deliverer.”’” ⁴ 

All who are angry at him will cower before him. ⁵ 

45:25 All the descendants of Israel will be vindicated by the Lord

and will boast in him. ⁶ 

Isaiah 54:17

54:17 No weapon forged to be used against you will succeed;

you will refute everyone who tries to accuse you. ⁷ 

This is what the Lord will do for his servants –

I will vindicate them,” ⁸ 

says the Lord.

Jeremiah 23:5-6

23:5 “I, the Lord, promise ⁹  that a new time will certainly come ¹⁰ 

when I will raise up for them a righteous branch, ¹¹  a descendant of David.

He will rule over them with wisdom and understanding ¹² 

and will do what is just and right in the land. ¹³ 

23:6 Under his rule ¹⁴  Judah will enjoy safety ¹⁵ 

and Israel will live in security. ¹⁶ 

This is the name he will go by:

‘The Lord has provided us with justice.’ ¹⁷ 

Jeremiah 33:16

33:16 Under his rule Judah will enjoy safety ¹⁸  and Jerusalem ¹⁹  will live in security. At that time Jerusalem will be called “The Lord has provided us with justice.” ²⁰ 

Daniel 9:24

9:24 “Seventy weeks ²¹  have been determined

concerning your people and your holy city

to put an end to ²²  rebellion,

to bring sin ²³  to completion, ²⁴ 

to atone for iniquity,

to bring in perpetual ²⁵  righteousness,

to seal up ²⁶  the prophetic vision, ²⁷ 

and to anoint a most holy place. ²⁸ 

Romans 1:17

1:17 For the righteousness ²⁹  of God is revealed in the gospel ³⁰  from faith to faith, ³¹  just as it is written, “The righteous by faith will live.” ³² 

Romans 3:21-24

3:21 But now ³³  apart from the law the righteousness of God (which is attested by the law and the prophets) ³⁴  has been disclosed – 3:22 namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ ³⁵  for all who believe. For there is no distinction, 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 3:24 But they are justified ³⁶  freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Romans 4:6

4:6 So even David himself speaks regarding the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

Romans 4:25

4:25 He ³⁷  was given over ³⁸  because of our transgressions and was raised for the sake of ³⁹  our justification. ⁴⁰ 

Romans 5:19

5:19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man ⁴¹  many ⁴²  were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man ⁴³  many ⁴⁴  will be made righteous.

Romans 5:21

5:21 so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:2

5:2 through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice ⁴⁵  in the hope of God’s glory.

Colossians 1:21

Paul’s Goal in Ministry

1:21 And you were at one time strangers and enemies in your ⁴⁶  minds ⁴⁷  as expressed through ⁴⁸  your evil deeds,

Philippians 3:9

3:9 and be found in him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but because I have the righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness ⁴⁹  – a righteousness from God that is in fact ⁵⁰  based on Christ’s ⁵¹  faithfulness. ⁵² 

Philippians 3:2

3:2 Beware of the dogs, ⁵³  beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh! ⁵⁴ 

Philippians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul ⁵⁵  and Timothy, slaves ⁵⁶  of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, ⁵⁷  with the overseers ⁵⁸  and deacons.

[71:15]  ¹ tn Heb “my mouth declares your vindication, all the day your deliverance.”

[71:15]  ² tn Heb “though I do not know [the] numbers,” that is, the tally of God’s just and saving acts. HALOT 768 s.v. סְפֹרוֹת understands the plural noun to mean “the art of writing.”

[71:16]  ³ tn Heb “I will come with.”

[45:24]  ⁴ tn Heb “‘Yes, in the Lord,’ one says about me, ‘is deliverance and strength.’”

[45:24]  ⁵ tn Heb “will come to him and be ashamed.”

[45:25]  ⁶ tn Heb “In the Lord all the offspring of Israel will be vindicated and boast.”

[54:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “and every tongue that rises up for judgment with you will prove to be guilty.”

[54:17]  ⁸ tn Heb “this is the inheritance of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication from me.”

[23:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[23:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Behold the days are coming.”

[23:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “a righteous sprig to David” or “a righteous shoot” (NAB).

[23:5]  ¹² tn Heb “he will reign as king and act wisely.” This is another example of the use of two verbs joined by “and” where one becomes the adverbial modifier of the other (hendiadys). For the nuance of the verb “act wisely” rather than “prosper” see Amos 5:13; Ps 2:10 (cf. BDB 968 s.v. שָׂכַל Hiph.5).

[23:5]  ¹³ sn This has been the constant emphasis in this section. See 22:3 for the demand, 22:15 for its fulfillment, and 22:13 for its abuse. The ideal king would follow in the footsteps of his illustrious ancestor David (2 Sam 8:15) who set this forth as an ideal for his dynasty (2 Sam 23:3) and prayed for it to be true of his son Solomon (Ps 72:1-2).

[23:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “In his days [= during the time he rules].”

[23:6]  ¹⁵ tn Parallelism and context (cf. v. 4) suggest this nuance for the word often translated “be saved.” For this nuance elsewhere see Ps 119:117; Prov 28:18 for the verb (יָשַׁע [yasha’] in the Niphal); and Ps 12:6; Job 5:4, 11 for the related noun (יֶשַׁע, yesha’).

[23:6]  ¹⁶ sn It should be noted that this brief oracle of deliverance implies the reunification of Israel and Judah under the future Davidic ruler. Jeremiah has already spoken about this reunification earlier in 3:18 and will have more to say about it in 30:3; 31:27, 31. This same ideal was espoused in the prophecies of Hosea (1:10-11 [2:1-2 HT]), Isaiah (11:1-4, 10-12), and Ezekiel (37:15-28) all of which have messianic and eschatological significance.

[23:6]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “his name will be called ‘The Lord our righteousness’.”

[33:16]  ¹⁸ tn For the translation of this term in this context see the parallel context in 23:6 and consult the translator’s note there.

[33:16]  ¹⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[33:16]  ²⁰ tn Heb “And this is what will be called to it: ‘The Lord our righteousness.’”

[9:24]  ²¹ tn Heb “sevens.” Elsewhere the term is used of a literal week (a period of seven days), cf. Gen 29:27-28; Exod 34:22; Lev 12:5; Num 28:26; Deut 16:9-10; 2 Chr 8:13; Jer 5:24; Dan 10:2-3. Gabriel unfolds the future as if it were a calendar of successive weeks. Most understand the reference here as periods of seventy “sevens” of years, or a total of 490 years.

[9:24]  ²² tc Or “to finish.” The present translation reads the Qere (from the root תָּמַם, tamam) with many witnesses. The Kethib has “to seal up” (from the root הָתַם, hatam), a confusion with a reference later in the verse to sealing up the vision.

[9:24]  ²³ tc The present translation reads the Qere (singular), rather than the Kethib (plural).

[9:24]  ²⁴ tn The Hebrew phrase לְכַלֵּא (lÿkhalle’) is apparently an alternative (metaplastic) spelling of the root כָּלָה (kalah, “to complete, finish”), rather than a form of כָּלָא (kala’, “to shut up, restrain”), as has sometimes been supposed.

[9:24]  ²⁵ tn Or “everlasting.”

[9:24]  ²⁶ sn The act of sealing in the OT is a sign of authentication. Cf. 1 Kgs 21:8; Jer 32:10, 11, 44.

[9:24]  ²⁷ tn Heb “vision and prophecy.” The expression is a hendiadys.

[9:24]  ²⁸ tn Or “the most holy place” (NASB, NLT); or “a most holy one”; or “the most holy one,” though the expression is used of places or objects elsewhere, not people.

[1:17]  ²⁹ tn The nature of the “righteousness” described here and the force of the genitive θεοῦ (“of God”) which follows have been much debated. (1) Some (e.g. C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans [ICC], 1:98) understand “righteousness” to refer to the righteous status given to believers as a result of God’s justifying activity, and see the genitive “of God” as a genitive of source (= “from God”). (2) Others see the “righteousness” as God’s act or declaration that makes righteous (i.e., justifies) those who turn to him in faith, taking the genitive “of God” as a subjective genitive (see E. Käsemann, Romans, 25-30). (3) Still others see the “righteousness of God” mentioned here as the attribute of God himself, understanding the genitive “of God” as a possessive genitive (“God’s righteousness”).

[1:17]  ³⁰ tn Grk “in it”; the referent (the gospel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:17]  ³¹ tn Or “by faith for faith,” or “by faith to faith.” There are many interpretations of the phrase ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν (ek pistew" ei" pistin). It may have the idea that this righteousness is obtained by faith (ἐκ πίστεως) because it was designed for faith (εἰς πίστιν). For a summary see J. Murray, Romans (NICNT), 1:363-74.

[1:17]  ³² sn A quotation from Hab 2:4.

[3:21]  ³³ tn Νυνὶ δέ (Nuni de, “But now”) could be understood as either (1) logical or (2) temporal in force, but most recent interpreters take it as temporal, referring to a new phase in salvation history.

[3:21]  ³⁴ tn Grk “being witnessed by the law and the prophets,” a remark which is virtually parenthetical to Paul’s argument.

[3:22]  ³⁵ tn Or “faith in Christ.” A decision is difficult here. Though traditionally translated “faith in Jesus Christ,” an increasing number of NT scholars are arguing that πίστις Χριστοῦ (pisti" Cristou) and similar phrases in Paul (here and in v. 26; Gal 2:16, 20; 3:22; Eph 3:12; Phil 3:9) involve a subjective genitive and mean “Christ’s faith” or “Christ’s faithfulness” (cf., e.g., G. Howard, “The ‘Faith of Christ’,” ExpTim 85 [1974]: 212-15; R. B. Hays, The Faith of Jesus Christ [SBLDS]; Morna D. Hooker, “Πίστις Χριστοῦ,” NTS 35 [1989]: 321-42). Noteworthy among the arguments for the subjective genitive view is that when πίστις takes a personal genitive it is almost never an objective genitive (cf. Matt 9:2, 22, 29; Mark 2:5; 5:34; 10:52; Luke 5:20; 7:50; 8:25, 48; 17:19; 18:42; 22:32; Rom 1:8; 12; 3:3; 4:5, 12, 16; 1 Cor 2:5; 15:14, 17; 2 Cor 10:15; Phil 2:17; Col 1:4; 2:5; 1 Thess 1:8; 3:2, 5, 10; 2 Thess 1:3; Titus 1:1; Phlm 6; 1 Pet 1:9, 21; 2 Pet 1:5). On the other hand, the objective genitive view has its adherents: A. Hultgren, “The Pistis Christou Formulations in Paul,” NovT 22 (1980): 248-63; J. D. G. Dunn, “Once More, ΠΙΣΤΙΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ,” SBL Seminar Papers, 1991, 730-44. Most commentaries on Romans and Galatians usually side with the objective view.

[3:24]  ³⁶ tn Or “declared righteous.” Grk “being justified,” as a continuation of the preceding clause. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[4:25]  ³⁷ tn Grk “who,” referring to Jesus. The relative pronoun was converted to a personal pronoun and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[4:25]  ³⁸ tn Or “handed over.”

[4:25]  ³⁹ tn Grk “because of.” However, in light of the unsatisfactory sense that a causal nuance would here suggest, it has been argued that the second διά (dia) is prospective rather than retrospective (D. Moo, Romans [NICNT], 288-89). The difficulty of this interpretation is the structural balance that both διά phrases provide (“given over because of our transgressions…raised because of our justification”). However the poetic structure of this verse strengthens the likelihood that the clauses each have a different force.

[4:25]  ⁴⁰ sn Many scholars regard Rom 4:25 to be poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage.

[5:19]  ⁴¹ sn Here the one man refers to Adam (cf. 5:14).

[5:19]  ⁴² tn Grk “the many.”

[5:19]  ⁴³ sn One man refers here to Jesus Christ.

[5:19]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “the many.”

[5:2]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “exult, boast.”

[1:21]  ⁴⁶ tn The article τῇ (th) has been translated as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[1:21]  ⁴⁷ tn Although διανοία (dianoia) is singular in Greek, the previous plural noun ἐχθρούς (ecqrous) indicates that all those from Colossae are in view here.

[1:21]  ⁴⁸ tn The dative ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς πονηροῖς (en toi" ergoi" toi" ponhroi") is taken as means, indicating the avenue through which hostility in the mind is revealed and made known.

[3:9]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “faith in Christ.” A decision is difficult here. Though traditionally translated “faith in Jesus Christ,” an increasing number of NT scholars are arguing that πίστις Χριστοῦ (pisti" Cristou) and similar phrases in Paul (here and in Rom 3:22, 26; Gal 2:16, 20; 3:22; Eph 3:12) involve a subjective genitive and mean “Christ’s faith” or “Christ’s faithfulness” (cf., e.g., G. Howard, “The ‘Faith of Christ’,” ExpTim 85 [1974]: 212-15; R. B. Hays, The Faith of Jesus Christ [SBLDS]; Morna D. Hooker, “Πίστις Χριστοῦ,” NTS 35 [1989]: 321-42). Noteworthy among the arguments for the subjective genitive view is that when πίστις takes a personal genitive it is almost never an objective genitive (cf. Matt 9:2, 22, 29; Mark 2:5; 5:34; 10:52; Luke 5:20; 7:50; 8:25, 48; 17:19; 18:42; 22:32; Rom 1:8; 12; 3:3; 4:5, 12, 16; 1 Cor 2:5; 15:14, 17; 2 Cor 10:15; Phil 2:17; Col 1:4; 2:5; 1 Thess 1:8; 3:2, 5, 10; 2 Thess 1:3; Titus 1:1; Phlm 6; 1 Pet 1:9, 21; 2 Pet 1:5). On the other hand, the objective genitive view has its adherents: A. Hultgren, “The Pistis Christou Formulations in Paul,” NovT 22 (1980): 248-63; J. D. G. Dunn, “Once More, ΠΙΣΤΙΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ,” SBL Seminar Papers, 1991, 730-44. Most commentaries on Romans and Galatians usually side with the objective view.

[3:9]  ⁵⁰ tn The words “in fact” are supplied because of English style, picking up the force of the Greek article with πίστει (pistei). See also the following note on the word “Christ’s.”

[3:9]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “based on the faithfulness.” The article before πίστει (pistei) is taken as anaphoric, looking back to διὰ πίστεως Χριστοῦ (dia pistew" Cristou); hence, “Christ’s” is implied.

[3:9]  ⁵² tn Or “based on faith.”

[3:2]  ⁵³ sn Dogs is a figurative reference to false teachers whom Paul regards as just as filthy as dogs.

[3:2]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “beware of the mutilation.”

[1:1]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ⁵⁶ tn Traditionally, “servants” or “bondservants.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) 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.

[1:1]  ⁵⁷ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[1:1]  ⁵⁸ sn The overseers (or “church leaders,” L&N 53.71) is another term for the same official position of leadership as the “elder.” This is seen in the interchange of the two terms in Titus 1:6-7 and in Acts 20:17, 28, as well as in the parallels between Titus 1:6-7 and 1 Tim 3:1-7.