Discovery BoxPsalms 89:19
Context89:19 Then you 1 spoke through a vision to your faithful followers 2 and said:
“I have energized a warrior; 3
I have raised up a young man 4 from the people.
Isaiah 42:1
Context42:1 5 “Here is my servant whom I support,
my chosen one in whom I take pleasure.
I have placed my spirit on him;
he will make just decrees 6 for the nations. 7
Matthew 12:18
Context12:18 “Here is 8 my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I take great delight. 9
I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
Luke 23:35
Context23:35 The people also stood there watching, but the rulers ridiculed 10 him, saying, “He saved others. Let him save 11 himself if 12 he is the Christ 13 of God, his chosen one!”
Ephesians 1:4
Context1:4 For 14 he chose us in Christ 15 before the foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished 16 in his sight 17 in love. 18
[89:19] 1 tn The pronoun “you” refers to the
[89:19] 2 tc Many medieval
[89:19] 3 tn Heb “I have placed help upon a warrior.”
[89:19] 4 tn Or perhaps “a chosen one.”
[42:1] 5 sn Verses 1-7 contain the first of Isaiah’s “servant songs,” which describe the ministry of a special, ideal servant who accomplishes God’s purposes for Israel and the nations. This song depicts the servant as a just king who brings justice to the earth and relief for the oppressed. The other songs appear in 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12.
[42:1] 6 tn Heb “he will bring out justice” (cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV).
[42:1] 7 sn Like the ideal king portrayed in Isa 11:1-9, the servant is energized by the divine spirit and establishes justice on the earth.
[12:18] 8 tn Grk “Behold my servant.”
[12:18] 9 tn Grk “in whom my soul is well pleased.”
[23:35] 10 tn A figurative extension of the literal meaning “to turn one’s nose up at someone”; here “ridicule, sneer at, show contempt for” (L&N 33.409).
[23:35] 11 sn The irony in the statement Let him save himself is that salvation did come, but later, not while on the cross.
[23:35] 12 tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text.
[23:35] 13 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[1:4] 14 tn Grk “just as.” Eph 1:3-14 are one long sentence in Greek that must be broken up in English translation. Verse 4 expresses the reason why God the Father is blessed (cf. BDAG 494 s.v. καθώς 3).
[1:4] 16 sn The Greek word translated unblemished (ἀμώμους, amwmous) is often used of an acceptable paschal lamb. Christ, as our paschal lamb, is also said to be unblemished (Heb 9:14; 1 Pet 1:19). Since believers are in Christ, God views them positionally and will make them ultimately without blemish as well (Jude 24; Eph 5:27; Col 1:22).
[1:4] 18 tn The prepositional phrase ἐν ἀγάπῃ (en agaph, “in love”) may modify one of three words or phrases: (1) “chose,” (2) “holy and unblemished,” both in v. 4, or (3) “by predestining” in v. 5. If it modifies “chose,” it refers to God’s motivation in that election, but this option is unlikely because of the placement of the prepositional phrase far away from the verb. The other two options are more likely. If it modifies “holy and unblemished,” it specifies that our holiness cannot be divorced from love. This view is in keeping with the author’s use of ἀγάπη to refer often to human love in Ephesians, but the placement of the prepositional phrase not immediately following the words it modifies would be slightly awkward. If it modifies “by predestining” (v. 5), again the motivation of God’s choice is love. This would fit the focus of the passage on God’s gracious actions toward believers, but it could be considered slightly redundant in that God’s predestination itself proves his love.
