Zechariah 4:14

4:14 So he said, “These are the two anointed ones ¹  who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

Psalms 85:9-11

85:9 Certainly his loyal followers will soon experience his deliverance; ² 

then his splendor will again appear in our land. ³ 

85:10 Loyal love and faithfulness meet; ⁴ 

deliverance and peace greet each other with a kiss. ⁵ 

85:11 Faithfulness grows from the ground,

and deliverance looks down from the sky. ⁶ 

Isaiah 54:10

54:10 Even if the mountains are removed

and the hills displaced,

my devotion will not be removed from you,

nor will my covenant of friendship ⁷  be displaced,”

says the Lord, the one who has compassion on you.

Daniel 9:25-27

9:25 So know and understand:

From the issuing of the command ⁸  to restore and rebuild

Jerusalem ⁹  until an anointed one, a prince arrives, ¹⁰ 

there will be a period of seven weeks ¹¹  and sixty-two weeks.

It will again be built, ¹²  with plaza and moat,

but in distressful times.

9:26 Now after the sixty-two weeks,

an anointed one will be cut off and have nothing. ¹³ 

As for the city and the sanctuary,

the people of the coming prince will destroy ¹⁴  them.

But his end will come speedily ¹⁵  like a flood. ¹⁶ 

Until the end of the war that has been decreed

there will be destruction.

9:27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one week. ¹⁷ 

But in the middle of that week

he will bring sacrifices and offerings to a halt.

On the wing ¹⁸  of abominations will come ¹⁹  one who destroys,

until the decreed end is poured out on the one who destroys.”

Micah 5:4

5:4 He will assume his post ²⁰  and shepherd the people ²¹  by the Lord’s strength,

by the sovereign authority of the Lord his God. ²² 

They will live securely, ²³  for at that time he will be honored ²⁴ 

even in the distant regions of ²⁵  the earth.

Acts 10:36-43

10:36 You know ²⁶  the message ²⁷  he sent to the people ²⁸  of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace ²⁹  through ³⁰  Jesus Christ ³¹  (he is Lord ³²  of all) – 10:37 you know what happened throughout Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John announced: ³³  10:38 with respect to Jesus from Nazareth, ³⁴  that ³⁵  God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power. He ³⁶  went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, ³⁷  because God was with him. ³⁸  10:39 We ³⁹  are witnesses of all the things he did both in Judea ⁴⁰  and in Jerusalem. ⁴¹  They ⁴²  killed him by hanging him on a tree, ⁴³  10:40 but ⁴⁴  God raised him up on the third day and caused him to be seen, ⁴⁵  10:41 not by all the people, but by us, the witnesses God had already chosen, ⁴⁶  who ate and drank ⁴⁷  with him after he rose from the dead. 10:42 He ⁴⁸  commanded us to preach to the people and to warn ⁴⁹  them ⁵⁰  that he is the one ⁵¹  appointed ⁵²  by God as judge ⁵³  of the living and the dead. 10:43 About him all the prophets testify, ⁵⁴  that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins ⁵⁵  through his name.”

Romans 5:1

The Expectation of Justification

5:1 ⁵⁶ Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have ⁵⁷  peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Ephesians 2:13-18

2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who used to be far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ⁵⁸  2:14 For he is our peace, the one who made both groups into one ⁵⁹  and who destroyed the middle wall of partition, the hostility, 2:15 when he nullified ⁶⁰  in his flesh the law of commandments in decrees. He did this to create in himself one new man ⁶¹  out of two, ⁶²  thus making peace, 2:16 and to reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by which the hostility has been killed. ⁶³  2:17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, 2:18 so that ⁶⁴  through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

Colossians 1:2

1:2 to the saints, the faithful ⁶⁵  brothers and sisters ⁶⁶  in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you ⁶⁷  from God our Father! ⁶⁸ 

Colossians 1:18-20

1:18 He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn ⁶⁹  from among the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things. ⁷⁰ 

1:19 For God ⁷¹  was pleased to have all his ⁷²  fullness dwell ⁷³  in the Son ⁷⁴ 

1:20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross – through him, ⁷⁵  whether things on earth or things in heaven.

Hebrews 7:1-3

The Nature of Melchizedek’s Priesthood

7:1 Now this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, met Abraham as he was returning from defeating the kings and blessed him. ⁷⁶  7:2 To him ⁷⁷  also Abraham apportioned a tithe ⁷⁸  of everything. ⁷⁹  His name first means ⁸⁰  king of righteousness, then king of Salem, that is, king of peace. 7:3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, he has neither beginning of days nor end of life but is like the son of God, and he remains a priest for all time.

[4:14]  ¹ tn The usual word for “anointed (one),” מָשִׁיַח (mashiakh), is not used here but rather בְנֵי־הַיִּצְהָר (vÿne-hayyitshar), literally, “sons of fresh oil.” This is to maintain consistency with the imagery of olive trees. In the immediate context these two olive trees should be identified with Joshua and Zerubbabel, the priest and the governor. Only the high priest and king were anointed for office in the OT and these two were respectively the descendants of Aaron and David.

[85:9]  ² tn Heb “certainly his deliverance [is] near to those who fear him.”

[85:9]  ³ tn Heb “to dwell, glory, in our land.” “Glory” is the subject of the infinitive. The infinitive with -לְ (lÿ), “to dwell,” probably indicates result here (“then”). When God delivers his people and renews his relationship with them, he will once more reveal his royal splendor in the land.

[85:10]  ⁴ tn The psalmist probably uses the perfect verbal forms in v. 10 in a dramatic or rhetorical manner, describing what he anticipates as if it were already occurring or had already occurred.

[85:10]  ⁵ sn Deliverance and peace greet each other with a kiss. The psalmist personifies these abstract qualities to emphasize that God’s loyal love and faithfulness will yield deliverance and peace for his people.

[85:11]  ⁶ sn The psalmist already sees undeniable signs of God’s faithfulness and expects deliverance to arrive soon.

[54:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “peace” (so many English versions); NLT “of blessing.”

[9:25]  ⁸ tn Or “decree” (NASB, NIV); or “word” (NAB, NRSV).

[9:25]  ⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[9:25]  ¹⁰ tn The word “arrives” is added in the translation for clarification.

[9:25]  ¹¹ tn Heb “sevens” (also later in this line and in v. 26).

[9:25]  ¹² tn Heb “it will return and be built.” The expression is a verbal hendiadys.

[9:26]  ¹³ sn The expression have nothing is difficult. Presumably it refers to an absence of support or assistance for the anointed one at the time of his “cutting off.” The KJV rendering “but not for himself,” apparently suggesting a vicarious death, cannot be defended.

[9:26]  ¹⁴ tc Some witnesses (e.g., the Syriac) understand a passive verb and the preposition עִם (’im, “with) rather than the noun עַם (’am, “people”), thus reading “the city and the sanctuary will be destroyed with the coming prince.”

[9:26]  ¹⁵ tn The words “will come speedily” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.

[9:26]  ¹⁶ sn Flood here is a metaphor for sudden destruction.

[9:27]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “one seven” (also later in this line).

[9:27]  ¹⁸ tn The referent of the Hebrew word כְּנַף (kÿnaf, “wing”) is unclear here. The LXX and Theodotion have “the temple.” Some English versions (e.g., NAB, NIV) take this to mean “a wing of the temple,” but this is not clear.

[9:27]  ¹⁹ tn The Hebrew text does not have this verb, but it has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[5:4]  ²⁰ tn Heb “stand up”; NAB “stand firm”; NASB “will arise.”

[5:4]  ²¹ tn The words “the people” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:4]  ²² tn Heb “by the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.”

[5:4]  ²³ tn The words “in peace” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Perhaps וְיָשָׁבוּ (vÿyashavu, “and they will live”) should be emended to וְשָׁבוּ (vÿshavu, “and they will return”).

[5:4]  ²⁴ tn Heb “be great.”

[5:4]  ²⁵ tn Or “to the ends of.”

[10:36]  ²⁶ tn The subject and verb (“you know”) do not actually occur until the following verse, but have been repeated here because of the requirements of English word order.

[10:36]  ²⁷ tn Grk “the word.”

[10:36]  ²⁸ tn Grk “to the sons.”

[10:36]  ²⁹ sn Peace is a key OT concept: Isa 52:7; Nah 1:15; also for Luke: Luke 1:79; 2:14; Acts 9:31. See also the similar phrase in Eph 2:17.

[10:36]  ³⁰ tn Or “by.”

[10:36]  ³¹ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[10:36]  ³² sn He is Lord of all. Though a parenthetical remark, this is the theological key to the speech. Jesus is Lord of all, so the gospel can go to all. The rest of the speech proclaims Jesus’ authority.

[10:37]  ³³ tn Or “proclaimed.”

[10:38]  ³⁴ sn The somewhat awkward naming of Jesus as from Nazareth here is actually emphatic. He is the key subject of these key events.

[10:38]  ³⁵ tn Or “how.” The use of ὡς (Jws) as an equivalent to ὅτι (Joti) to introduce indirect or even direct discourse is well documented. BDAG 1105 s.v. ὡς 5 lists Acts 10:28 in this category.

[10:38]  ³⁶ tn Grk “power, who.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “he,” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.

[10:38]  ³⁷ tn The translation “healing all who were oppressed by the devil” is given in L&N 22.22.

[10:38]  ³⁸ sn See Acts 7:9.

[10:39]  ³⁹ tn Grk “And we.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[10:39]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “the land of the Jews,” but this is similar to the phrase used as the name of the province of Judea in 1 Macc 8:3 (see BDAG 1093-94 s.v. χώρα 2.b).

[10:39]  ⁴¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[10:39]  ⁴² tn Grk “in Jerusalem, whom they killed.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “him” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.

[10:39]  ⁴³ tn Or “by crucifying him” (“hang on a tree” is by the time of the 1st century an idiom for crucifixion). The allusion is to the judgment against Jesus as a rebellious figure, appealing to the language of Deut 21:23. The Jewish leadership has badly “misjudged” Jesus.

[10:40]  ⁴⁴ tn The conjunction “but” is not in the Greek text, but the contrast is clearly implied in the context. This is technically asyndeton, or lack of a connective, in Greek.

[10:40]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “and granted that he should become visible.” The literal Greek idiom is somewhat awkward in English. L&N 24.22 offers the translation “caused him to be seen” for this verse.

[10:41]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “the witnesses God had previously chosen.” See Acts 1:8.

[10:41]  ⁴⁷ sn Ate and drank. See Luke 24:35-49.

[10:42]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “and he.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[10:42]  ⁴⁹ tn The verb διαμαρτύρομαι (diamarturomai) can mean “warn,” and such a meaning is highly probable in this context where a reference to the judgment of both the living and the dead is present. The more general meaning “to testify solemnly” does not capture this nuance.

[10:42]  ⁵⁰ tn The word “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[10:42]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “that this one is the one,” but this is awkward in English and has been simplified to “that he is the one.”

[10:42]  ⁵² tn Or “designated.” BDAG 723 s.v. ὁρίζω 2.b has “the one appointed by God as judge” for this phrase.

[10:42]  ⁵³ sn Jesus has divine authority as judge over the living and the dead: Acts 17:26-31; Rom 14:9; 1 Thess 5:9-10; 1 Tim 4:1; 1 Pet 4:5.

[10:43]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “All the prophets testify about him.” Although modern English translations tend to place “about him” after “testify” (so NIV, NRSV) the phrase “about him” has been left at the beginning of v. 43 for emphatic reasons.

[10:43]  ⁵⁵ sn Forgiveness of sins. See Luke 24:47; also Acts 14:23; 19:4; 9:42; 11:17; 16:31. The gospel is present in the prophetic promise, Rom 1:1-7. The message is in continuity with the ancient hope.

[5:1]  ⁵⁶ sn Many interpreters see Rom 5:1 as beginning the second major division of the letter.

[5:1]  ⁵⁷ tc A number of important witnesses have the subjunctive ἔχωμεν (ecwmen, “let us have”) instead of ἔχομεν (ecomen, “we have”) in v. 1. Included in the subjunctive’s support are א* A B* C D K L 33 81 630 1175 1739* pm lat bo. But the indicative is not without its supporters: א¹ B² F G P Ψ 0220^vid 104 365 1241 1505 1506 1739^c 1881 2464 pm. If the problem were to be solved on an external basis only, the subjunctive would be preferred. Because of this, the “A” rating on behalf of the indicative in the UBS⁴ appears overly confident. Nevertheless, the indicative is probably correct. First, the earliest witness to Rom 5:1 has the indicative (0220^vid, third century). Second, the first set of correctors is sometimes, if not often, of equal importance with the original hand. Hence, א¹ might be given equal value with א*. Third, there is a good cross-section of witnesses for the indicative: Alexandrian (in 0220^vid, probably א¹ 1241 1506 1881 al), Western (in F G), and Byzantine (noted in NA²⁷ as pm). Thus, although the external evidence is strongly in favor of the subjunctive, the indicative is represented well enough that its ancestry could easily go back to the original. Turning to the internal evidence, the indicative gains much ground. (1) The variant may have been produced via an error of hearing (since omicron and omega were pronounced alike in ancient Greek). This, of course, does not indicate which reading was original – just that an error of hearing may have produced one of them. In light of the indecisiveness of the transcriptional evidence, intrinsic evidence could play a much larger role. This is indeed the case here. (2) The indicative fits well with the overall argument of the book to this point. Up until now, Paul has been establishing the “indicatives of the faith.” There is only one imperative (used rhetorically) and only one hortatory subjunctive (and this in a quotation within a diatribe) up till this point, while from ch. 6 on there are sixty-one imperatives and seven hortatory subjunctives. Clearly, an exhortation would be out of place in ch. 5. (3) Paul presupposes that the audience has peace with God (via reconciliation) in 5:10. This seems to assume the indicative in v. 1. (4) As C. E. B. Cranfield notes, “it would surely be strange for Paul, in such a carefully argued writing as this, to exhort his readers to enjoy or to guard a peace which he has not yet explicitly shown to be possessed by them” (Romans [ICC], 1:257). (5) The notion that εἰρήνην ἔχωμεν (eirhnhn ecwmen) can even naturally mean “enjoy peace” is problematic (ExSyn 464), yet those who embrace the subjunctive have to give the verb some such force. Thus, although the external evidence is stronger in support of the subjunctive, the internal evidence points to the indicative. Although a decision is difficult, ἔχομεν appears to be the authentic reading.

[2:13]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “have come near in the blood of Christ.”

[2:14]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “who made the both one.”

[2:15]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “rendered inoperative.” This is a difficult text to translate because it is not easy to find an English term which communicates well the essence of the author’s meaning, especially since legal terminology is involved. Many other translations use the term “abolish” (so NRSV, NASB, NIV), but this term implies complete destruction which is not the author’s meaning here. The verb καταργέω (katargew) can readily have the meaning “to cause someth. to lose its power or effectiveness” (BDAG 525 s.v. 2, where this passage is listed), and this meaning fits quite naturally here within the author’s legal mindset. A proper English term which communicates this well is “nullify” since this word carries the denotation of “making something legally null and void.” This is not, however, a common English word. An alternate term like “rendered inoperative [or ineffective]” is also accurate but fairly inelegant. For this reason, the translation retains the term “nullify”; it is the best choice of the available options, despite its problems.

[2:15]  ⁶¹ tn In this context the author is not referring to a new individual, but instead to a new corporate entity united in Christ (cf. BDAG 497 s.v. καινός 3.b: “All the Christians together appear as κ. ἄνθρωπος Eph 2:15”). This is clear from the comparison made between the Gentiles and Israel in the immediately preceding verses and the assertion in v. 14 that Christ “made both groups into one.” This is a different metaphor than the “new man” of Eph 4:24; in that passage the “new man” refers to the new life a believer has through a relationship to Christ.

[2:15]  ⁶² tn Grk “in order to create the two into one new man.” Eph 2:14-16 is one sentence in Greek. A new sentence was started here in the translation for clarity since contemporary English is less tolerant of extended sentences.

[2:16]  ⁶³ tn Grk “by killing the hostility in himself.”

[2:18]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “for.” BDAG gives the consecutive ὅτι (Joti) as a possible category of NT usage (BDAG 732 s.v. 5.c).

[1:2]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “and faithful.” The construction in Greek (as well as Paul’s style) suggests that the saints are identical to the faithful; hence, the καί (kai) is best left untranslated (cf. Eph 1:1). See ExSyn 281-82.

[1:2]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[1:2]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:2]  ⁶⁸ tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (א A C F G I [P] 075 Ï it bo), read “and the Lord Jesus Christ” at the end of this verse, no doubt to conform the wording to the typical Pauline salutation. However, excellent and early witnesses (B D K L Ψ 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 al sa) lack this phrase. Since the omission is inexplicable as arising from the longer reading (otherwise, these mss would surely have deleted the phrase in the rest of the corpus Paulinum), it is surely authentic.

[1:18]  ⁶⁹ tn See the note on the term “firstborn” in 1:15. Here the reference to Jesus as the “firstborn from among the dead” seems to be arguing for a chronological priority, i.e., Jesus was the first to rise from the dead.

[1:18]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “in order that he may become in all things, himself, first.”

[1:19]  ⁷¹ 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]  ⁷² 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]  ⁷³ 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]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “him”; the referent (the Son; see v. 13) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:20]  ⁷⁵ tc The presence or absence of the second occurrence of the phrase δι᾿ αὐτοῦ (di’ autou, “through him”) is a difficult textual problem to solve. External evidence is fairly evenly divided. Many ancient and excellent witnesses lack the phrase (B D* F G I 0278 81 1175 1739 1881 2464 al latt sa), but equally important witnesses have it (Ì⁴⁶ א A C D¹ Ψ 048^vid 33 Ï). Both readings have strong Alexandrian support, which makes the problem difficult to decide on external evidence alone. Internal evidence points to the inclusion of the phrase as original. The word immediately preceding the phrase is the masculine pronoun αὐτοῦ (autou); thus the possibility of omission through homoioteleuton in various witnesses is likely. Scribes might have deleted the phrase because of perceived redundancy or awkwardness in the sense: The shorter reading is smoother and more elegant, so scribes would be prone to correct the text in that direction. As far as style is concerned, repetition of key words and phrases for emphasis is not foreign to the corpus Paulinum (see, e.g., Rom 8:23, Eph 1:13, 2 Cor 12:7). In short, it is easier to account for the shorter reading arising from the longer reading than vice versa, so the longer reading is more likely original.

[7:1]  ⁷⁶ sn A series of quotations from Gen 14:17-19.

[7:2]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “to whom,” continuing the description of Melchizedek. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[7:2]  ⁷⁸ tn Or “a tenth part.”

[7:2]  ⁷⁹ sn A quotation from Gen 14:20.

[7:2]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “first being interpreted,” describing Melchizedek.