Psalms 86:16

86:16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me!

Give your servant your strength!

Deliver your slave! ¹ 

Psalms 119:125

119:125 I am your servant. Give me insight,

so that I can understand ²  your rules.

Psalms 143:12

143:12 As a demonstration of your loyal love, ³  destroy my enemies!

Annihilate ⁴  all who threaten my life, ⁵ 

for I am your servant.

John 12:26

12:26 If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow ⁶  me, and where I am, my servant will be too. ⁷  If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

Acts 27:23

27:23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong ⁸  and whom I serve ⁹  came to me ¹⁰ 

James 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From James, ¹¹  a slave ¹²  of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. ¹³  Greetings!

[86:16]  ¹ tn Heb “the son of your female servant.” The phrase “son of a female servant” (see also Ps 116:16) is used of a son born to a secondary wife or concubine (Exod 23:12). In some cases the child’s father is the master of the house (see Gen 21:10, 13; Judg 9:18). The use of the expression here certainly does not imply that the Lord has such a secondary wife or concubine! It is used metaphorically and idiomatically to emphasize the psalmist’s humility before the Lord and his status as the Lord’s servant.

[119:125]  ² tn or “know.” The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.

[143:12]  ³ tn Heb “in [or “by”] your faithfulness.”

[143:12]  ⁴ tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive carries on the mood of the preceding imperfect.

[143:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “all the enemies of my life.”

[12:26]  ⁶ tn As a third person imperative in Greek, ἀκολουθείτω (akolouqeitw) is usually translated “let him follow me.” This could be understood by the modern English reader as merely permissive, however (“he may follow me if he wishes”). In this context there is no permissive sense, but rather a command, so the translation “he must follow me” is preferred.

[12:26]  ⁷ tn Grk “where I am, there my servant will be too.”

[27:23]  ⁸ tn Grk “of whom I am.” The relative clause with its possessive was translated following L&N 15.86 s.v. παρίσταμαι.

[27:23]  ⁹ tn Or “worship.”

[27:23]  ¹⁰ tn Or “stood by me.” BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 2.a.α states, “approach, come τινί (to) someone…Ac 9:39; 27:23.”

[1:1]  ¹¹ tn Grk “James.” The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ¹² tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” 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]  ¹³ tn Grk “to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora.” The Greek term διασπορά (diaspora, “dispersion”) refers to Jews not living in Palestine but “dispersed” or scattered among the Gentiles.