Zechariah 4:6

4:6 Therefore he told me, “These signify the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength and not by power, but by my Spirit,’ ¹  says the Lord who rules over all.”

Zechariah 11:11

11:11 So it was annulled that very day, and then the most afflicted of the flock who kept faith with me knew that that was the word of the Lord.

Isaiah 2:11-17

2:11 Proud men will be brought low,

arrogant men will be humiliated; ² 

the Lord alone will be exalted ³ 

in that day.

2:12 Indeed, the Lord who commands armies has planned a day of judgment, ⁴ 

for ⁵  all the high and mighty,

for all who are proud – they will be humiliated;

2:13 for all the cedars of Lebanon,

that are so high and mighty,

for all the oaks of Bashan; ⁶ 

2:14 for all the tall mountains,

for all the high hills, ⁷ 

2:15 for every high tower,

for every fortified wall,

2:16 for all the large ships, ⁸ 

for all the impressive ⁹  ships. ¹⁰ 

2:17 Proud men will be humiliated,

arrogant men will be brought low; ¹¹ 

the Lord alone will be exalted ¹² 

in that day.

Isaiah 23:9

23:9 The Lord who commands armies planned it –

to dishonor the pride that comes from all her beauty, ¹³ 

to humiliate all the dignitaries of the earth.

Jeremiah 9:23-24

9:23 ¹⁴ The Lord says,

“Wise people should not boast that they are wise.

Powerful people should not boast that they are powerful. ¹⁵ 

Rich people should not boast that they are rich. ¹⁶ 

9:24 If people want to boast, they should boast about this:

They should boast that they understand and know me.

They should boast that they know and understand

that I, the Lord, act out of faithfulness, fairness, and justice in the earth

and that I desire people to do these things,” ¹⁷ 

says the Lord.

Matthew 11:25-26

Jesus’ Invitation

11:25 At that time Jesus said, ¹⁸  “I praise ¹⁹  you, Father, Lord ²⁰  of heaven and earth, because ²¹  you have hidden these things from the wise ²²  and intelligent, and revealed them to little children. 11:26 Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will. ²³ 

Luke 1:51-53

1:51 He has demonstrated power ²⁴  with his arm; he has scattered those whose pride wells up from the sheer arrogance ²⁵  of their hearts.

1:52 He has brought down the mighty ²⁶  from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position; ²⁷ 

1:53 he has filled the hungry with good things, ²⁸  and has sent the rich away empty. ²⁹ 

Luke 10:21

10:21 On that same occasion ³⁰  Jesus ³¹  rejoiced ³²  in the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise ³³  you, Father, Lord ³⁴  of heaven and earth, because ³⁵  you have hidden these things from the wise ³⁶  and intelligent, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will. ³⁷ 

John 7:47-49

7:47 Then the Pharisees answered, ³⁸  “You haven’t been deceived too, have you? ³⁹  7:48 None of the rulers ⁴⁰  or the Pharisees have believed in him, have they? ⁴¹  7:49 But this rabble ⁴²  who do not know the law are accursed!”

Romans 3:27

3:27 Where, then, is boasting? ⁴³  It is excluded! By what principle? ⁴⁴  Of works? No, but by the principle of faith!

Romans 3:1

3:1 Therefore what advantage does the Jew have, or what is the value of circumcision?

Colossians 1:26

1:26 that is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints.

Colossians 1:2

1:2 to the saints, the faithful ⁴⁵  brothers and sisters ⁴⁶  in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you ⁴⁷  from God our Father! ⁴⁸ 

Colossians 4:7-12

Personal Greetings and Instructions

4:7 Tychicus, a dear brother, faithful minister, and fellow slave ⁴⁹  in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. ⁵⁰  4:8 I sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are doing ⁵¹  and that he may encourage your hearts. 4:9 I sent him ⁵²  with Onesimus, the faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. ⁵³  They will tell ⁵⁴  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). 4:11 And Jesus who is called Justus also sends greetings. In terms of Jewish converts, ⁵⁵  these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a slave ⁵⁶  of Christ, ⁵⁷  greets you. He is always struggling in prayer on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured ⁵⁸  in all the will of God.

James 2:5

2:5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! ⁵⁹  Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?

James 4:6

4:6 But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.” ⁶⁰ 

[4:6]  ¹ sn It is premature to understand the Spirit here as the Holy Spirit (the third Person of the Trinity), though the OT prepares the way for that NT revelation (cf. Gen 1:2; Exod 23:3; 31:3; Num 11:17-29; Judg 3:10; 6:34; 2 Kgs 2:9, 15, 16; Ezek 2:2; 3:12; 11:1, 5).

[2:11]  ² tn Heb “and the eyes of the pride of men will be brought low, and the arrogance of men will be brought down.” The repetition of the verbs שָׁפַל (shafal) and שָׁחָח (shakhakh) from v. 9 draws attention to the appropriate nature of the judgment. Those proud men who “bow low” before idols will be forced to “bow low” before God when he judges their sin.

[2:11]  ³ tn Or “elevated”; CEV “honored.”

[2:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] has a day.”

[2:12]  ⁵ tn Or “against” (NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[2:13]  ⁶ sn The cedars of Lebanon and oaks of Bashan were well-known for their size and prominence. They make apt symbols here for powerful men who think of themselves as prominent and secure.

[2:14]  ⁷ sn The high mountains and hills symbolize the apparent security of proud men, as do the high tower and fortified wall of v. 15.

[2:16]  ⁸ tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.

[2:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “desirable”; NAB, NIV “stately”; NRSV “beautiful.”

[2:16]  ¹⁰ tn On the meaning of this word, which appears only here in the Hebrew Bible, see H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 41-42.

[2:17]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and the pride of men will be brought down, and the arrogance of men will be brought low.” As in v. 11, the repetition of the verbs שָׁפַל (shafal) and שָׁחָח (shakhakh) from v. 9 draws attention to the appropriate nature of the judgment. Those proud men who “bow low” before idols will be forced to “bow low” before God when he judges their sin.

[2:17]  ¹² tn Or “elevated”; NCV “praised”; CEV “honored.”

[23:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “the pride of all the beauty.”

[9:23]  ¹⁴ sn It is not always clear why verses were placed in their present position in the editorial process of collecting Jeremiah’s sermons and the words the Lord spoke to him (see Jer 36:4, 32 for reference to two of these collections). Here it is probable that vv. 23-26 were added as a further answer to the question raised in v. 12.

[9:23]  ¹⁵ tn Or “Strong people should not brag that they are strong.”

[9:23]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “…in their wisdom…in their power…in their riches.”

[9:24]  ¹⁷ tn Or “fairness and justice, because these things give me pleasure.” Verse 24 reads in Hebrew, “But let the one who brags brag in this: understanding and knowing me that I, the Lord, do faithfulness, justice, and righteousness in the earth for/that I delight in these.” It is uncertain whether the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) before the clause “I delight in these things” is parallel to the כִּי introducing the clause “that I, the Lord, act…” or causal giving the grounds for the Lord acting the way he does. In the light of the contrasts in the passage and the emphasis that Jeremiah has placed on obedience to the covenant and ethical conduct in conjunction with real allegiance to the Lord not mere lip service, it is probable that the clauses are parallel. For the use of כִּי to introduce clauses of further definition after a direct object as here see GKC 365 §117.h and see BDB 393 s.v. יָדַע Qal.1.a. For parallels to the idea of Yahweh requiring these characteristics in people see Hos 6:6, Mic 6:8.

[11:25]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “At that time, answering, Jesus said.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.

[11:25]  ¹⁹ tn Or “thank.”

[11:25]  ²⁰ sn The title Lord is an important name for God, showing his sovereignty, but it is interesting that it comes next to a reference to the Father, a term indicative of God’s care. The two concepts are often related in the NT; see Eph 1:3-6.

[11:25]  ²¹ tn Or “that.”

[11:25]  ²² sn See 1 Cor 1:26-31.

[11:26]  ²³ tn Grk “for (to do) thus was well-pleasing before you,” BDAG 325 s.v. ἔμπροσθεν 1.b.δ; speaking of something taking place “before” God is a reverential way of avoiding direct connection of the action to him.

[1:51]  ²⁴ tn Or “shown strength,” “performed powerful deeds.” The verbs here switch to aorist tense through 1:55. This is how God will act in general for his people as they look to his ultimate deliverance.

[1:51]  ²⁵ tn Grk “in the imaginations of their hearts.” The psalm rebukes the arrogance of the proud, who think that power is their sovereign right. Here διανοίᾳ (dianoia) can be understood as a dative of sphere or reference/respect.

[1:52]  ²⁶ tn Or “rulers.”

[1:52]  ²⁷ tn Or “those of humble position”

[1:53]  ²⁸ sn Good things refers not merely to material blessings, but blessings that come from knowing God.

[1:53]  ²⁹ sn Another fundamental contrast of Luke’s is between the hungry and the rich (Luke 6:20-26).

[10:21]  ³⁰ tn Grk “In that same hour” (L&N 67.1).

[10:21]  ³¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:21]  ³² sn Jesus rejoiced. The account of the mission in 10:1-24 ends with several remarks about joy.

[10:21]  ³³ tn Or “thank.”

[10:21]  ³⁴ sn The title Lord is an important name for God, showing his sovereignty, but it is interesting that it comes next to a reference to the Father, a term indicative of God’s care. The two concepts are often related in the NT; see Eph 1:3-6.

[10:21]  ³⁵ tn Or “that.”

[10:21]  ³⁶ sn See 1 Cor 1:26-31.

[10:21]  ³⁷ tn Grk “for (to do) thus was well pleasing before you,” BDAG 325 s.v. ἔμπροσθεν 1.δ; speaking of something taking place “before” God is a reverential way of avoiding direct connection of the action to him.

[7:47]  ³⁸ tn Grk “answered them.”

[7:47]  ³⁹ tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “have you?”).

[7:48]  ⁴⁰ sn The chief priests and Pharisees (John 7:45) is a comprehensive term for the groups represented in the ruling council (the Sanhedrin) as in John 7:45; 18:3; Acts 5:22, 26. Likewise the term ruler here denotes a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews. Note the same word (“ruler”) is used to describe Nicodemus in John 3:1, and Nicodemus also speaks up in this episode (John 7:50).

[7:48]  ⁴¹ tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “have they?”).

[7:49]  ⁴² tn Grk “crowd.” “Rabble” is a good translation here because the remark by the Pharisees is so derogatory.

[3:27]  ⁴³ tn Although a number of interpreters understand the “boasting” here to refer to Jewish boasting, others (e.g. C. E. B. Cranfield, “‘The Works of the Law’ in the Epistle to the Romans,” JSNT 43 [1991]: 96) take the phrase to refer to all human boasting before God.

[3:27]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “By what sort of law?”

[1:2]  ⁴⁵ 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]  ⁴⁶ 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]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:2]  ⁴⁸ 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.

[4:7]  ⁴⁹ tn See the note on “fellow slave” in 1:7.

[4:7]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “all things according to me.”

[4:8]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “the things concerning us.”

[4:9]  ⁵² 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]  ⁵³ tn Grk “is of you.”

[4:9]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “will make known to you.” This has been simplified in the translation to “will tell.”

[4:11]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “those of the circumcision.” The verse as a whole is difficult to translate because it is unclear whether Paul is saying (1) that the only people working with him are Jewish converts at the time the letter is being written or previously, or (2) that Aristarchus, Mark, and Jesus Justus were the only Jewish Christians who ever worked with him. Verses 12-14 appear to indicate that Luke and Demas, who were Gentiles, were also working currently with Paul. This is the view adopted in the translation. See M. J. Harris, Colossians and Philemon (EGGNT), 207-8.

[4:12]  ⁵⁶ tn See the note on “fellow slave” in 1:7.

[4:12]  ⁵⁷ tc ‡ Strong Alexandrian testimony, along with some other witnesses, suggests that ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou, “Jesus”) follows Χριστοῦ (Cristou, “Christ”; so א A B C I L 0278 33 81 365 629 1175 2464 al lat), but the evidence for the shorter reading is diverse (Ì⁴⁶ D F G Ψ 075 1739 1881 Ï it sy Hier), cutting across all major texttypes. There can be little motivation for omitting the name of Jesus; hence, the shorter reading is judged to be original. NA²⁷ has ᾿Ιησοῦ in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.

[4:12]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “filled.”

[2:5]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[4:6]  ⁶⁰ sn A quotation from Prov 3:34.