Revelation 2:9

2:9 ‘I know the distress you are suffering ¹  and your poverty (but you are rich). I also know ²  the slander against you ³  by those who call themselves Jews and really are not, but are a synagogue ⁴  of Satan.

Proverbs 13:7

13:7 There is one who pretends to be rich ⁵  and yet has nothing;

another pretends to be poor ⁶  and yet possesses great wealth. ⁷ 

Hosea 12:8

12:8 Ephraim boasts, ⁸  “I am very rich!

I have become wealthy! ⁹ 

In all that I have done to gain my wealth, ¹⁰ 

no one can accuse me of any offense ¹¹  that is actually sinful.” ¹² 

Zechariah 11:5

11:5 Those who buy them ¹³  slaughter them and are not held guilty; those who sell them say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich.’ Their own shepherds have no compassion for them.

Luke 1:53

1:53 he has filled the hungry with good things, ¹⁴  and has sent the rich away empty. ¹⁵ 

Luke 6:24

6:24 “But woe ¹⁶  to you who are rich, for you have received ¹⁷  your comfort ¹⁸  already.

Luke 18:11-12

18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself like this: ¹⁹  ‘God, I thank ²⁰  you that I am not like other people: ²¹  extortionists, ²²  unrighteous people, ²³  adulterers – or even like this tax collector. ²⁴  18:12 I fast twice ²⁵  a week; I give a tenth ²⁶  of everything I get.’

Romans 11:20

11:20 Granted! ²⁷  They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but fear!

Romans 11:25

11:25 For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, ²⁸  so that you may not be conceited: A partial hardening has happened to Israel ²⁹  until the full number ³⁰  of the Gentiles has come in.

Romans 12:3

Conduct in Humility

12:3 For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you ³¹  a measure of faith. ³² 

Romans 12:1

Consecration of the Believer’s Life

12:1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, ³³  by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God ³⁴  – which is your reasonable service.

Colossians 4:8-10

4:8 I sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are doing ³⁵  and that he may encourage your hearts. 4:9 I sent him ³⁶  with Onesimus, the faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. ³⁷  They will tell ³⁸  you about everything here.

4:10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him).

[2:9]  ¹ tn Or “know your suffering.” This could refer to suffering or distress caused by persecution (see L&N 22.2).

[2:9]  ² tn Because of the length and complexity of this Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the phrase “I also know” to link this English sentence back to “I know” at the beginning of the verse.

[2:9]  ³ tn The words “against you” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[2:9]  ⁴ sn A synagogue was a place for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (e.g., Mt 4:23, Mk 1:21, Lk 4:15, Jn 6:59).

[13:7]  ⁵ tn The Hitpael of עָשַׁר (’ashar, “to be rich”) means “to pretend to be rich” (BDB 799 s.v. עָשַׁר Hithp); this is the so-called “Hollywood Hitpael” function which involves “acting” or pretending to be something one is not.

[13:7]  ⁶ tn The Hitpolel of רוּשׁ (rush, “to be poor”) means “to pretend to be poor” (BDB 930 s.v. Hithpolel); this is another example of the “Hollywood Hitpael” – the Hitpolel forms of hollow root verbs are the equivalent of Hitpael stem forms.

[13:7]  ⁷ sn The proverb seems to be a general observation on certain people in life, but it is saying more. Although there are times when such pretending may not be wrong, the proverb is instructing people to be honest. An empty pretentious display or a concealing of wealth can come to no good.

[12:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “says” (so NAB).

[12:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “I have found wealth for myself.” The verb מָצַא (matsa’, “to find”) is repeated in 12:8 to create a wordplay that is difficult to reproduce in translation. The Israelites have “found” (מָצַא) wealth for themselves (i.e., become wealthy; v. 8a) through dishonest business practices (v. 7). Nevertheless, they claim that no guilt can be “found” (מָצַא) in anything they have done in gaining their wealth (v. 8b).

[12:8]  ¹⁰ tc The MT reads the 1st person common singular suffix on the noun יְגִיעַי (yÿgi’ay, “my labors/gains”; masculine plural noun + 1st person common singular suffix). The LXX’s οἱ πόνοι αὐτοῦ ({oi ponoi autou, “his labors”) assumes a 3rd person masculine singular suffix on the noun יְגִיעַיו (yÿgi’av, “his labors/gains”; masculine plural noun + 3rd person masculine singular suffix). The BHS editors suggest adopting the LXX reading. The textual decision is based upon whether or not this line continues the speech of Ephraim (1st person common singular suffix) or whether these are the words of the prophet (3rd person masculine singular suffix). See the following translator’s note for the two rival lexical meanings which in turn lead to the textual options for the line as a whole.

[12:8]  ¹¹ tn The phrase מָצָאתִי אוֹן לִי (matsa’ti ’on li, “I have found wealth for myself” = I have become wealthy) forms a wordplay with לֹא יִמְצְאוּ לִי עָוֹן (lo’ yimtsÿ’u li ’avon, “they will not find guilt in me”). The repetition of מָצָא לִי (matsa’ li) is enhanced by the paronomasia between the similar sounding nouns עוֹן (’on, “guilt”) and אוֹן (’on, “wealth”). The wordplay emphasizes that Israel’s acquisition of wealth cannot be divorced from his guilt in dishonest business practices. Israel has difficulty in protesting his innocence that he is not guilty (עוֹן) of the dishonest acquisition of wealth (אוֹן).

[12:8]  ¹² tc The MT reads “[in] all my gains, they will not find guilt in me which would be sin.” The LXX reflects a Hebrew Vorlage which would be translated “in all his labors, he cannot offset his guilt which is sin.” Some translations follow the LXX: “but all his riches can never offset the guilt he has incurred” (RSV); “None of his gains shall atone for the guilt of his sins” (NEB); “All his gain shall not suffice him for the guilt of his sin” (NAB). Most follow the MT: “In all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin” (KJV); “In all my labors they will find in me no iniquity, which would be sin” (NASB); “With all my wealth they will not find in me any iniquity or sin” (NIV); “All my gains do not amount to an offense which is real guilt” (NJPS); “No one can accuse us [sic] of getting rich dishonestly” (TEV); “I earned it all on my own, without committing a sin” (CEV). See D. Barthélemy, ed., Preliminary and Interim Report on the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, 5:262-63.

[11:5]  ¹³ sn The expression those who buy them appears to be a reference to the foreign nations to whom Israel’s own kings “sold” their subjects. Far from being good shepherds, then, they were evil and profiteering. The whole section (vv. 4-14) refers to the past when the Lord, the Good Shepherd, had in vain tried to lead his people to salvation and life.

[1:53]  ¹⁴ sn Good things refers not merely to material blessings, but blessings that come from knowing God.

[1:53]  ¹⁵ sn Another fundamental contrast of Luke’s is between the hungry and the rich (Luke 6:20-26).

[6:24]  ¹⁶ sn Jesus promises condemnation (woe) to those who are callous of others, looking only to their own comforts. On Luke and the rich see 1:53; 12:16; 14:12; 16:1, 21-22; 18:23; 19:2; 21:1. These woes are unique to Luke.

[6:24]  ¹⁷ sn Ironically the language of reward shows that what the rich have received is all they will get. This result looks at a current situation, just as the start of the beatitudes did. The rest of the conclusions to the woes look to the future at the time of judgment.

[6:24]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “your consolation.”

[18:11]  ¹⁹ tn Or “stood by himself and prayed like this.” The prepositional phrase πρὸς ἑαυτόν (pros eauton, “to/about himself”) could go with either the aorist participle σταθείς (staqeis, “stood”) or with the imperfect verb προσηύχετο (proshuceto, “he prayed”). If taken with the participle, then the meaning would seem at first glance to be: “stood ‘by himself’,” or “stood ‘alone’.” Now it is true that πρός can mean “by” or “with” when used with intransitive verbs such as ἵστημι ({isthmi, “I stand”; cf. BDAG 874 s.v. πρός 2.a), but πρὸς ἑαυτόν together never means “by himself” or “alone” in biblical Greek. On the other hand, if πρὸς ἑαυτόν is taken with the verb, then two different nuances emerge, both of which highlight in different ways the principal point Jesus seems to be making about the arrogance of this religious leader: (1) “prayed to himself,” but not necessarily silently, or (2) “prayed about himself,” with the connotation that he prayed out loud, for all to hear. Since his prayer is really a review of his moral résumé, directed both at advertising his own righteousness and exposing the perversion of the tax collector, whom he actually mentions in his prayer, the latter option seems preferable. If this is the case, then the Pharisee’s mention of God is really nothing more than a formality.

[18:11]  ²⁰ sn The Pharisee’s prayer started out as a thanksgiving psalm to God, but the praise ended up not being about God.

[18:11]  ²¹ tn Here the plural Greek term ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) is used as a generic and can refer to both men and women (NASB, NRSV, “people”; NLT, “everyone else”; NAB, “the rest of humanity”).

[18:11]  ²² tn Or “swindlers” (BDAG 134 s.v. ἅρπαξ 2); see also Isa 10:2; Josephus, J. W. 6.3.4 [6.203].

[18:11]  ²³ sn A general category for “sinners” (1 Cor 6:9; Lev 19:3).

[18:11]  ²⁴ sn Note what the Pharisee assumes about the righteousness of this tax collector by grouping him with extortionists, unrighteous people, and adulterers.

[18:12]  ²⁵ sn The law only required fasting on the Day of Atonement. Such voluntary fasting as this practiced twice a week by the Pharisee normally took place on Monday and Thursday.

[18:12]  ²⁶ tn Or “I tithe.”

[11:20]  ²⁷ tn Grk “well!”, an adverb used to affirm a statement. It means “very well,” “you are correct.”

[11:25]  ²⁸ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

[11:25]  ²⁹ tn Or “Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.”

[11:25]  ³⁰ tn Grk “fullness.”

[12:3]  ³¹ tn The words “of you” have been supplied for clarity.

[12:3]  ³² tn Or “to each as God has distributed a measure of faith.”

[12:1]  ³³ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

[12:1]  ³⁴ tn The participle and two adjectives “alive, holy, and pleasing to God” are taken as predicates in relation to “sacrifice,” making the exhortation more emphatic. See ExSyn 618-19.

[4:8]  ³⁵ tn Grk “the things concerning us.”

[4:9]  ³⁶ tn The Greek sentence continues v. 9 with the phrase “with Onesimus,” but this is awkward in English, so the verb “I sent” was inserted and a new sentence started at the beginning of v. 9 in the translation.

[4:9]  ³⁷ tn Grk “is of you.”

[4:9]  ³⁸ tn Grk “will make known to you.” This has been simplified in the translation to “will tell.”