Revelation 22:7

22:7 (Look! I am coming soon!

Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy expressed in this book.) ¹ 

Psalms 106:3-5

106:3 How blessed are those who promote justice,

and do what is right all the time!

106:4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people!

Pay attention to me, when you deliver,

106:5 so I may see the prosperity ²  of your chosen ones,

rejoice along with your nation, ³ 

and boast along with the people who belong to you. ⁴ 

Psalms 112:1

Psalm 112 ⁵ 

112:1 Praise the Lord!

How blessed is the one ⁶  who obeys ⁷  the Lord,

who takes great delight in keeping his commands. ⁸ 

Psalms 119:1-6

Psalm 119 ⁹ 

א (Alef)

119:1 How blessed are those whose actions are blameless, ¹⁰ 

who obey ¹¹  the law of the Lord.

119:2 How blessed are those who observe his rules,

and seek him with all their heart,

119:3 who, moreover, do no wrong,

but follow in his footsteps. ¹² 

119:4 You demand that your precepts

be carefully kept. ¹³ 

119:5 If only I were predisposed ¹⁴ 

to keep your statutes!

119:6 Then I would not be ashamed,

if ¹⁵  I were focused on ¹⁶  all your commands.

Isaiah 56:1-2

The Lord Invites Outsiders to Enter

56:1 This is what the Lord says,

“Promote ¹⁷  justice! Do what is right!

For I am ready to deliver you;

I am ready to vindicate you openly. ¹⁸ 

56:2 The people who do this will be blessed, ¹⁹ 

the people who commit themselves to obedience, ²⁰ 

who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it,

who refrain from doing anything that is wrong. ²¹ 

Daniel 12:12

12:12 Blessed is the one who waits and attains to the 1,335 days.

Matthew 7:21-27

Judgment of Pretenders

7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ ²²  will enter into the kingdom of heaven – only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 7:22 On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do ²³  many powerful deeds?’ 7:23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!’ ²⁴ 

Hearing and Doing

7:24 “Everyone ²⁵  who hears these words of mine and does them is like ²⁶  a wise man ²⁷  who built his house on rock. 7:25 The rain fell, the flood ²⁸  came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because it had been founded on rock. 7:26 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 7:27 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed; it was utterly destroyed!” ²⁹ 

Luke 12:37-38

12:37 Blessed are those slaves ³⁰  whom their master finds alert ³¹  when he returns! I tell you the truth, ³²  he will dress himself to serve, ³³  have them take their place at the table, ³⁴  and will come ³⁵  and wait on them! ³⁶  12:38 Even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night ³⁷  and finds them alert, ³⁸  blessed are those slaves! ³⁹ 

John 14:15

Teaching on the Holy Spirit

14:15 “If you love me, you will obey ⁴⁰  my commandments. ⁴¹ 

John 14:21-23

14:21 The person who has my commandments and obeys ⁴²  them is the one who loves me. ⁴³  The one ⁴⁴  who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal ⁴⁵  myself to him.”

14:22 “Lord,” Judas (not Judas Iscariot) ⁴⁶  said, ⁴⁷  “what has happened that you are going to reveal ⁴⁸  yourself to us and not to the world?” 14:23 Jesus replied, ⁴⁹  “If anyone loves me, he will obey ⁵⁰  my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him. ⁵¹ 

John 15:10-14

15:10 If you obey ⁵²  my commandments, you will remain ⁵³  in my love, just as I have obeyed ⁵⁴  my Father’s commandments and remain ⁵⁵  in his love. 15:11 I have told you these things ⁵⁶  so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete. 15:12 My commandment is this – to love one another just as I have loved you. ⁵⁷  15:13 No one has greater love than this – that one lays down his life ⁵⁸  for his friends. 15:14 You are my friends ⁵⁹  if you do what I command you.

John 15:1

The Vine and the Branches

15:1 “I am the true vine ⁶⁰  and my Father is the gardener. ⁶¹ 

Colossians 1:19

1:19 For God ⁶²  was pleased to have all his ⁶³  fullness dwell ⁶⁴  in the Son ⁶⁵ 

Galatians 5:6

5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision carries any weight – the only thing that matters is faith working through love. ⁶⁶ 

Galatians 5:1

Freedom of the Believer

5:1 For freedom ⁶⁷  Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke ⁶⁸  of slavery.

Galatians 3:3

3:3 Are you so foolish? Although you began ⁶⁹  with ⁷⁰  the Spirit, are you now trying to finish ⁷¹  by human effort? ⁷² 

Galatians 3:23-24

Sons of God Are Heirs of Promise

3:23 Now before faith ⁷³  came we were held in custody under the law, being kept as prisoners ⁷⁴  until the coming faith would be revealed. 3:24 Thus the law had become our guardian ⁷⁵  until Christ, so that we could be declared righteous ⁷⁶  by faith.

Galatians 5:3

5:3 And I testify again to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey ⁷⁷  the whole law.

[22:7]  ¹ sn These lines are parenthetical, forming an aside to the narrative. The speaker here is the Lord Jesus Christ himself rather than the narrator.

[106:5]  ² tn Heb “good.”

[106:5]  ³ tn Heb “in order that [I may] rejoice with the rejoicing of your nation.”

[106:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “with your inheritance.”

[112:1]  ⁵ sn Psalm 112. This wisdom psalm lists some of the benefits of living a godly life. The psalm is an acrostic. After the introductory call to praise, every poetic line (twenty-two in all) begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

[112:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The individual is representative of a larger group, called the “godly” in vv. 3-4. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender specific “man” with the more neutral “one.” The generic masculine pronoun is used in the following verses.

[112:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “fears.”

[112:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “in his commands he delights very much.” The words “in keeping” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Taking delight in the law is metonymic here for obeying God’s moral will. See Ps 1:2.

[119:1]  ⁹ sn Psalm 119. The psalmist celebrates God’s law and the guidance it provides his people. He expresses his desire to know God’s law thoroughly so that he might experience the blessings that come to those who obey it. This lengthy psalm exhibits an elaborate acrostic pattern. The psalm is divided into twenty-two sections (corresponding to the letters of the Hebrew alphabet), each of which is comprised of eight verses. Each of the verses in the first section (vv. 1-8) begins with the letter alef (א), the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This pattern continues throughout the psalm as each new section highlights a successive letter of the alphabet. Each verse in section two (vv. 9-16) begins with the second letter of the alphabet, each verse in section three (vv. 17-24) with the third letter, etc. This rigid pattern creates a sense of order and completeness and may have facilitated memorization.

[119:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “[Oh] the happiness of those who are blameless of way.”

[119:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “walk in.”

[119:3]  ¹² tn Heb “walk in his ways.”

[119:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “you, you commanded your precepts, to keep, very much.”

[119:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “if only my ways were established.”

[119:6]  ¹⁵ tn Or “when.”

[119:6]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “I gaze at.”

[56:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “guard”; KJV “Keep”; NAB “Observe”; NASB “Preserve”; NIV, NRSV “Maintain.”

[56:1]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “for near is my deliverance to enter, and my vindication [or “righteousness”] to be revealed.”

[56:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “blessed is the man who does this.”

[56:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “the son of mankind who takes hold of it.”

[56:2]  ²¹ tn Heb and who keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

[7:21]  ²² sn The double use of the vocative is normally used in situations of high emotion or emphasis. Even an emphatic confession without action means little.

[7:22]  ²³ tn Grk “and in your name do.” This phrase was not repeated here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[7:23]  ²⁴ tn Grk “workers of lawlessness.”

[7:24]  ²⁵ tn Grk “Therefore everyone.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated.

[7:24]  ²⁶ tn Grk “will be like.” The same phrase occurs in v. 26.

[7:24]  ²⁷ tn Here and in v. 26 the Greek text reads ἀνήρ (anhr), while the parallel account in Luke 6:47-49 uses ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") in vv. 48 and 49.

[7:25]  ²⁸ tn Grk “the rivers.”

[7:27]  ²⁹ tn Grk “and great was its fall.”

[12:37]  ³⁰ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.

[12:37]  ³¹ tn Or “watching”; Grk “awake,” but in context this is not just being awake but alert and looking out.

[12:37]  ³² tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[12:37]  ³³ tn See v. 35 (same verb).

[12:37]  ³⁴ tn Grk “have them recline at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.

[12:37]  ³⁵ tn The participle παρελθών (parelqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[12:37]  ³⁶ sn He…will come and wait on them is a reversal of expectation, but shows that what Jesus asks for he is willing to do as well; see John 13:5 and 15:18-27, although those instances merely foreshadow what is in view here.

[12:38]  ³⁷ sn The second or third watch of the night would be between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. on a Roman schedule and 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. on a Jewish schedule. Luke uses the four-watch schedule of the Romans in Acts 12:4, so that is more probable here. Regardless of the precise times of the watches, however, it is clear that the late-night watches when a person is least alert are in view here.

[12:38]  ³⁸ tn Grk “finds (them) thus”; but this has been clarified in the translation by referring to the status (“alert”) mentioned in v. 37.

[12:38]  ³⁹ tn Grk “blessed are they”; the referent (the watchful slaves, v. 37) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:15]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “will keep.”

[14:15]  ⁴¹ sn Jesus’ statement If you love me, you will obey my commandments provides the transition between the promises of answered prayer which Jesus makes to his disciples in vv. 13-14 and the promise of the Holy Spirit which is introduced in v. 16. Obedience is the proof of genuine love.

[14:21]  ⁴² tn Or “keeps.”

[14:21]  ⁴³ tn Grk “obeys them, that one is the one who loves me.”

[14:21]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “And the one.” Here the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated to improve the English style.

[14:21]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “will disclose.”

[14:22]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “(not Iscariot).” The proper noun (Judas) has been repeated for clarity and smoothness in English style.

[14:22]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “said to him.”

[14:22]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “disclose.”

[14:23]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “answered and said to him.”

[14:23]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “will keep.”

[14:23]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “we will come to him and will make our dwelling place with him.” The context here is individual rather than corporate indwelling, so the masculine singular pronoun has been retained throughout v. 23. It is important to note, however, that the pronoun is used generically here and refers equally to men, women, and children.

[15:10]  ⁵² tn Or “keep.”

[15:10]  ⁵³ tn Or “reside.”

[15:10]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “kept.”

[15:10]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “reside.”

[15:11]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “These things I have spoken to you.”

[15:12]  ⁵⁷ sn Now the reference to the commandments (plural) in 15:10 have been reduced to a singular commandment: The disciples are to love one another, just as Jesus has loved them. This is the ‘new commandment’ of John 13:34, and it is repeated in 15:17. The disciples’ love for one another is compared to Jesus’ love for them. How has Jesus shown his love for the disciples? This was illustrated in 13:1-20 in the washing of the disciples’ feet, introduced by the statement in 13:1 that Jesus loved them “to the end.” In context this constitutes a reference to Jesus’ self-sacrificial death on the cross on their behalf; the love they are to have for one another is so great that it must include a self-sacrificial willingness to die for one another if necessary. This is exactly what Jesus is discussing here, because he introduces the theme of his sacrificial death in the following verse. In John 10:18 and 14:31 Jesus spoke of his death on the cross as a commandment he had received from his Father, which also links the idea of commandment and love as they are linked here. One final note: It is not just the degree or intensity of the disciples’ love for one another that Jesus is referring to when he introduces by comparison his own death on the cross (that they must love one another enough to die for one another) but the very means of expressing that love: It is to express itself in self-sacrifice for one another, sacrifice up to the point of death, which is what Jesus himself did on the cross (cf. 1 John 3:16).

[15:13]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “one dies willingly.”

[15:14]  ⁵⁹ sn This verse really explains John 15:10 in another way. Those who keep Jesus’ commandments are called his friends, those friends for whom he lays down his life (v. 13). It is possible to understand this verse as referring to a smaller group within Christianity as a whole, perhaps only the apostles who were present when Jesus spoke these words. Some have supported this by comparing it to the small group of associates and advisers to the Roman Emperor who were called “Friends of the Emperor.” Others would see these words as addressed only to those Christians who as disciples were obedient to Jesus. In either case the result would be to create a sort of “inner circle” of Christians who are more privileged than mere “believers” or average Christians. In context, it seems clear that Jesus’ words must be addressed to all true Christians, not just some narrower category of believers, because Jesus’ sacrificial death, which is his act of love toward his friends (v. 13) applies to all Christians equally (cf. John 13:1).

[15:1]  ⁶⁰ sn I am the true vine. There are numerous OT passages which refer to Israel as a vine: Ps 80:8-16, Isa 5:1-7, Jer 2:21, Ezek 15:1-8, 17:5-10, 19:10-14, and Hos 10:1. The vine became symbolic of Israel, and even appeared on some coins issued by the Maccabees. The OT passages which use this symbol appear to regard Israel as faithless to Yahweh (typically rendered as “Lord” in the OT) and/or the object of severe punishment. Ezek 15:1-8 in particular talks about the worthlessness of wood from a vine (in relation to disobedient Judah). A branch cut from a vine is worthless except to be burned as fuel. This fits more with the statements about the disciples (John 15:6) than with Jesus’ description of himself as the vine. Ezek 17:5-10 contains vine imagery which refers to a king of the house of David, Zedekiah, who was set up as king in Judah by Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah allied himself to Egypt and broke his covenant with Nebuchadnezzar (and therefore also with God), which would ultimately result in his downfall (17:20-21). Ezek 17:22-24 then describes the planting of a cedar sprig which grows into a lofty tree, a figurative description of Messiah. But it is significant that Messiah himself is not described in Ezek 17 as a vine, but as a cedar tree. The vine imagery here applies to Zedekiah’s disobedience. Jesus’ description of himself as the true vine in John 15:1 ff. is to be seen against this background, but it differs significantly from the imagery surveyed above. It represents new imagery which differs significantly from OT concepts; it appears to be original with Jesus. The imagery of the vine underscores the importance of fruitfulness in the Christian life and the truth that this results not from human achievement, but from one’s position in Christ. Jesus is not just giving some comforting advice, but portraying to the disciples the difficult path of faithful service. To some degree the figure is similar to the head-body metaphor used by Paul, with Christ as head and believers as members of the body. Both metaphors bring out the vital and necessary connection which exists between Christ and believers.

[15:1]  ⁶¹ tn Or “the farmer.”

[1:19]  ⁶² tn The noun “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but since God is the one who reconciles the world to himself (cf. 2 Cor 5:19), he is clearly the subject of εὐδόκησεν (eudokhsen).

[1:19]  ⁶³ tn The Greek article τό (to), insofar as it relates to God, may be translated as a possessive pronoun, i.e., “his.” BDAG 404 s.v. εὐδοκέω 1 translates the phrase as “all the fullness willed to dwell in him” thus leaving the referent as impersonal. Insofar as Paul is alluding to the so-called emanations from God this is acceptable. But the fact that “the fullness” dwells in a person (i.e., “in him”) seems to argue for the translation “his fullness” where “his” refers to God.

[1:19]  ⁶⁴ tn The aorist verb κατοικῆσαι (katoikhsai) could be taken as an ingressive, in which case it refers to the incarnation and may be translated as “begin to dwell, to take up residence.” It is perhaps better, though, to take it as a constative aorist and simply a reference to the fact that the fullness of God dwells in Jesus Christ. This is a permanent dwelling, though, not a temporary one, as the present tense in 2:9 makes clear.

[1:19]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (the Son; see v. 13) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:6]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “but faith working through love.”

[5:1]  ⁶⁷ tn Translating the dative as “For freedom” shows the purpose for Christ setting us free; however, it is also possible to take the phrase in the sense of means or instrument (“with [or by] freedom”), referring to the freedom mentioned in 4:31 and implied throughout the letter.

[5:1]  ⁶⁸ sn Here the yoke figuratively represents the burdensome nature of slavery.

[3:3]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “Having begun”; the participle ἐναρξάμενοι (enarxamenoi) has been translated concessively.

[3:3]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “by the Spirit.”

[3:3]  ⁷¹ tn The verb ἐπιτελεῖσθε (epiteleisqe) has been translated as a conative present (see ExSyn 534). This is something the Galatians were attempting to do, but could not accomplish successfully.

[3:3]  ⁷² tn Grk “in/by [the] flesh.”

[3:23]  ⁷³ tn Or “the faithfulness [of Christ] came.”

[3:23]  ⁷⁴ tc Instead of the present participle συγκλειόμενοι (sunkleiomenoi; found in Ì⁴⁶ א A B D* F G P Ψ 33 1739 al), C D¹ 0176 0278 Ï have the perfect συγκεκλεισμένοι (sunkekleismenoi). The syntactical implication of the perfect is that the cause or the means of being held in custody was confinement (“we were held in custody [by/because of] being confined”). The present participle of course allows for such options, but also allows for contemporaneous time (“while being confined”) and result (“with the result that we were confined”). Externally, the perfect participle has little to commend it, being restricted for the most part to later and Byzantine witnesses.

[3:24]  ⁷⁵ tn Or “disciplinarian,” “custodian,” or “guide.” According to BDAG 748 s.v. παιδαγωγός, “the man, usu. a slave…whose duty it was to conduct a boy or youth…to and from school and to superintend his conduct gener.; he was not a ‘teacher’ (despite the present mng. of the derivative ‘pedagogue’…When the young man became of age, the π. was no longer needed.” L&N 36.5 gives “guardian, leader, guide” here.

[3:24]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “be justified.”

[5:3]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “keep”; or “carry out”; Grk “do.”