Exodus 33:1-23 
Context33:1 The Lord said to Moses, “Go up 1 from here, you and the people whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land I promised on oath 2 to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ 3 33:2 I will send an angel 4 before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 5 33:3 Go up 6 to a land flowing with milk and honey. But 7 I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, and I might destroy you 8 on the way.”
33:4 When the people heard this troubling word 9 they mourned; 10 no one put on his ornaments. 33:5 For 11 the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I went up among you for a moment, 12 I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments, 13 that I may know 14 what I should do to you.’” 15 33:6 So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments by Mount Horeb.
33:7 16 Moses took 17 the tent 18 and pitched it outside the camp, at a good distance 19 from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. Anyone 20 seeking 21 the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting that was outside the camp.
33:8 And when Moses went out 22 to the tent, all the people would get up 23 and stand at the entrance to their tents 24 and watch 25 Moses until he entered the tent. 26 33:9 And 27 whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord 28 would speak with Moses. 29 33:10 When all the people would see the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people, each one at the entrance of his own tent, would rise and worship. 30 33:11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, 31 the way a person speaks 32 to a friend. Then Moses 33 would return to the camp, but his servant, Joshua son of Nun, a young man, did not leave the tent. 34
33:12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have been saying to me, ‘Bring this people up,’ 35 but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. But you said, ‘I know you by name, 36 and also you have found favor in my sight.’ 33:13 Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me 37 your way, that I may know you, 38 that I may continue to find 39 favor in your sight. And see 40 that this nation is your people.”
33:14 And the Lord 41 said, “My presence 42 will go with you, 43 and I will give you rest.” 44
33:15 And Moses 45 said to him, “If your presence does not go 46 with us, 47 do not take us up from here. 48 33:16 For how will it be known then that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not by your going with us, so that we will be distinguished, I and your people, from all the people who are on the face of the earth?” 49
33:17 The Lord said to Moses, “I will do this thing also that you have requested, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know 50 you by name.”
33:18 And Moses 51 said, “Show me your glory.” 52
33:19 And the Lord 53 said, “I will make all my goodness 54 pass before your face, and I will proclaim the Lord by name 55 before you; I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.” 56 33:20 But he added, “You cannot see my face, for no one can 57 see me and live.” 58 33:21 The Lord said, “Here 59 is a place by me; you will station yourself 60 on a rock. 33:22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and will cover 61 you with my hand 62 while I pass by. 63 33:23 Then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back, 64 but my face must not be seen.” 65
John 12:1-50
Context12:1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom he 66 had raised from the dead. 12:2 So they prepared a dinner for Jesus 67 there. Martha 68 was serving, and Lazarus was among those present at the table 69 with him. 12:3 Then Mary took three quarters of a pound 70 of expensive aromatic oil from pure nard 71 and anointed the feet of Jesus. She 72 then wiped his feet dry with her hair. (Now the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfumed oil.) 73 12:4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was going to betray him) 74 said, 12:5 “Why wasn’t this oil sold for three hundred silver coins 75 and the money 76 given to the poor?” 12:6 (Now Judas 77 said this not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money box, 78 he used to steal what was put into it.) 79 12:7 So Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She has kept it for the day of my burial. 80 12:8 For you will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me!” 81
12:9 Now a large crowd of Judeans 82 learned 83 that Jesus 84 was there, and so they came not only because of him 85 but also to see Lazarus whom he had raised from the dead. 12:10 So the chief priests planned to kill Lazarus too, 86 12:11 for on account of him many of the Jewish people from Jerusalem 87 were going away and believing in Jesus.
12:12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 88 12:13 So they took branches of palm trees 89 and went out to meet him. They began to shout, 90 “Hosanna! 91 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! 92 Blessed is 93 the king of Israel!” 12:14 Jesus found a young donkey 94 and sat on it, just as it is written, 12:15 “Do not be afraid, people of Zion; 95 look, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt!” 96 12:16 (His disciples did not understand these things when they first happened, 97 but when Jesus was glorified, 98 then they remembered that these things were written about him and that these things had happened 99 to him.) 100
12:17 So the crowd who had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead were continuing to testify about it. 101 12:18 Because they had heard that Jesus 102 had performed this miraculous sign, the crowd went out to meet him. 12:19 Thus the Pharisees 103 said to one another, “You see that you can do nothing. Look, the world has run off after him!”
12:20 Now some Greeks 104 were among those who had gone up to worship at the feast. 12:21 So these approached Philip, 105 who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested, 106 “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” 12:22 Philip went and told Andrew, and they both 107 went and told Jesus. 12:23 Jesus replied, 108 “The time 109 has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 110 12:24 I tell you the solemn truth, 111 unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself alone. 112 But if it dies, it produces 113 much grain. 114 12:25 The one who loves his life 115 destroys 116 it, and the one who hates his life in this world guards 117 it for eternal life. 12:26 If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow 118 me, and where I am, my servant will be too. 119 If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
12:27 “Now my soul is greatly distressed. And what should I say? ‘Father, deliver me 120 from this hour’? 121 No, but for this very reason I have come to this hour. 122 12:28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, 123 “I have glorified it, 124 and I will glorify it 125 again.” 12:29 The crowd that stood there and heard the voice 126 said that it had thundered. Others said that an angel had spoken to him. 127 12:30 Jesus said, 128 “This voice has not come for my benefit 129 but for yours. 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world 130 will be driven out. 131 12:32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people 132 to myself.” 12:33 (Now he said this to indicate clearly what kind of death he was going to die.) 133
12:34 Then the crowd responded, 134 “We have heard from the law that the Christ 135 will remain forever. 136 How 137 can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?” 12:35 Jesus replied, 138 “The light is with you for a little while longer. 139 Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. 140 The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 12:36 While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become sons of light.” 141 When Jesus had said these things, he went away and hid himself from them.
12:37 Although Jesus 142 had performed 143 so many miraculous signs before them, they still refused to believe in him, 12:38 so that the word 144 of Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled. He said, 145 “Lord, who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord 146 been revealed?” 147 12:39 For this reason they could not believe, 148 because again Isaiah said,
12:40 “He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their heart, 149
so that they would not see with their eyes
and understand with their heart, 150
and turn to me, 151 and I would heal them.” 152
12:41 Isaiah said these things because he saw Christ’s 153 glory, and spoke about him.
12:42 Nevertheless, even among the rulers 154 many believed in him, but because of the Pharisees 155 they would not confess Jesus to be the Christ, 156 so that they would not be put out of 157 the synagogue. 158 12:43 For they loved praise 159 from men more than praise 160 from God.
12:44 But Jesus shouted out, 161 “The one who believes in me does not believe in me, but in the one who sent me, 162 12:45 and the one who sees me sees the one who sent me. 163 12:46 I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in darkness. 12:47 If anyone 164 hears my words and does not obey them, 165 I do not judge him. For I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 166 12:48 The one who rejects me and does not accept 167 my words has a judge; 168 the word 169 I have spoken will judge him at the last day. 12:49 For I have not spoken from my own authority, 170 but the Father himself who sent me has commanded me 171 what I should say and what I should speak. 12:50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. 172 Thus the things I say, I say just as the Father has told me.” 173
Proverbs 9:1-18
Context9:1 Wisdom has built her house;
she has carved out its seven pillars. 175
9:2 She has prepared her meat, 176 she has mixed her wine;
she also has arranged her table. 177
9:3 She has sent out her female servants;
she calls out on the highest places 178 of the city.
9:4 “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,”
she says 179 to those 180 who lack understanding. 181
9:5 “Come, eat 182 some of my food,
and drink some of the wine I have mixed. 183
9:6 Abandon your foolish ways 184 so that you may live, 185
and proceed 186 in the way of understanding.”
9:7 Whoever corrects 187 a mocker is asking for 188 insult; 189
whoever reproves a wicked person receives 190 abuse.
9:8 Do not reprove 191 a mocker or 192 he will hate you;
reprove a wise person and he will love you.
9:9 Give instruction 193 to a wise person, 194 and he will become wiser still;
teach 195 a righteous person and he will add to his 196 learning.
9:10 The beginning 197 of wisdom is to fear the Lord, 198
and acknowledging 199 the Holy One 200 is understanding.
9:11 For because 201 of me your days will be many,
and years will be added 202 to your life.
9:12 If you are wise, you are wise to your own advantage, 203
but if you are a mocker, 204 you alone must 205 bear it. 206
9:13 The woman called Folly 207 is brash, 208
she is naive 209 and does not know 210 anything. 211
9:14 So she sits at the door of her house,
on a seat at the highest point of the city,
9:15 calling out 212 to those who are passing by her 213 in the way, 214
who go straight 215 on their way.
9:16 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here,”
she says to those who lack understanding. 216
9:17 “Stolen waters 217 are sweet,
and food obtained in secret 218 is pleasant!”
9:18 But they do not realize 219 that the dead 220 are there,
that her guests are in the depths of the grave. 221
Ephesians 2:1-22
Context2:1 And although you were 222 dead 223 in your transgressions and sins, 2:2 in which 224 you formerly lived 225 according to this world’s present path, 226 according to the ruler of the kingdom 227 of the air, the ruler of 228 the spirit 229 that is now energizing 230 the sons of disobedience, 231 2:3 among whom 232 all of us 233 also 234 formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath 235 even as the rest… 236
2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, 2:5 even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you are saved! 237 – 2:6 and he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 2:7 to demonstrate in the coming ages 238 the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward 239 us in Christ Jesus. 2:8 For by grace you are saved 240 through faith, 241 and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 2:9 it is not from 242 works, so that no one can boast. 243 2:10 For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them. 244
2:11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh – who are called “uncircumcision” by the so-called “circumcision” that is performed on the body 245 by human hands – 2:12 that you were at that time without the Messiah, 246 alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, 247 having no hope and without God in the world. 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who used to be far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 248 2:14 For he is our peace, the one who made both groups into one 249 and who destroyed the middle wall of partition, the hostility, 2:15 when he nullified 250 in his flesh the law of commandments in decrees. He did this to create in himself one new man 251 out of two, 252 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. 253 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 254 through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 2:19 So then you are no longer foreigners and noncitizens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, 2:20 because you have been built 255 on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, 256 with Christ Jesus himself as 257 the cornerstone. 258 2:21 In him 259 the whole building, 260 being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 2:22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
1 tn The two imperatives underscore the immediacy of the demand: “go, go up,” meaning “get going up” or “be on your way.”
2 tn Or “the land which I swore.”
3 tn Heb “seed.”
4 sn This seems not to be the same as the Angel of the Presence introduced before.
5 sn See T. Ishida, “The Structure and Historical Implications of Lists of Pre-Israelite Nations,” Bib (1979): 461-90.
6 tn This verse seems to be a continuation of the command to “go up” since it begins with “to a land….” The intervening clauses are therefore parenthetical or relative. But the translation is made simpler by supplying the verb.
7 tn This is a strong adversative here, “but.”
8 tn The clause is “lest I consume you.” It would go with the decision not to accompany them: “I will not go up with you…lest I consume (destroy) you in the way.” The verse is saying that because of the people’s bent to rebellion, Yahweh would not remain in their midst as he had formerly said he would do. Their lives would be at risk if he did.
9 tn Or “bad news” (NAB, NCV).
10 sn The people would rather have risked divine discipline than to go without Yahweh in their midst. So they mourned, and they took off the ornaments. Such had been used in making the golden calf, and so because of their association with all of that they were to be removed as a sign of remorse.
11 tn The verse simply begins “And Yahweh said.” But it is clearly meant to be explanatory for the preceding action of the people.
12 tn The construction is formed with a simple imperfect in the first half and a perfect tense with vav (ו) in the second half. Heb “[in] one moment I will go up in your midst and I will destroy you.” The verse is certainly not intended to say that God was about to destroy them. That, plus the fact that he has announced he will not go in their midst, leads most commentators to take this as a conditional clause: “If I were to do such and such, then….”
13 tn The Hebrew text also has “from on you.”
14 tn The form is the cohortative with a vav (ו) following the imperative; it therefore expresses the purpose or result: “strip off…that I may know.” The call to remove the ornaments must have been perceived as a call to show true repentance for what had happened. If they repented, then God would know how to deal with them.
15 tn This last clause begins with the interrogative “what,” but it is used here as an indirect interrogative. It introduces a noun clause, the object of the verb “know.”
16 sn This unit of the book could actually include all of chap. 33, starting with the point of the
17 tn Heb “and Moses took.”
18 sn A widespread contemporary view is that this section represents a source that thought the tent of meeting was already erected (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 359). But the better view is that this is a temporary tent used for meeting the
19 tn The infinitive absolute is used here as an adverb (see GKC 341 §113.h).
20 tn The clause begins with “and it was,” the perfect tense with the vav conjunction. The imperfect tenses in this section are customary, describing what used to happen (others describe the verbs as frequentative). See GKC 315 §107.e.
21 tn The form is the Piel participle. The seeking here would indicate seeking an oracle from Yahweh or seeking to find a resolution for some difficulty (as in 2 Sam 21:1) or even perhaps coming with a sacrifice. B. Jacob notes that the tent was even here a place of prayer, for the benefit of the people (Exodus, 961). It is not known how long this location was used.
22 tn The clause is introduced again with “and it was.” The perfect tense here with the vav (ו) is used to continue the sequence of actions that were done repeatedly in the past (see GKC 331-32 §112.e). The temporal clause is then formed with the infinitive construct of יָצָא (yatsa’), with “Moses” as the subjective genitive: “and it was according to the going out of Moses.”
23 tn Or “rise up.”
24 tn The subject of this verb is specified with the individualizing use of “man”: “and all Israel would station themselves, each person (man) at the entrance to his tent.”
25 tn The perfect tense with the vav (ו) continues the sequence of the customary imperfect. The people “would gaze” (after) Moses until he entered the tent.
26 tn This is a temporal clause using an infinitive construct with a suffixed subject.
27 tn Heb “and it was when.”
28 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the
29 tn Both verbs, “stand” and “speak,” are perfect tenses with vav (ו) consecutive.
30 tn All the main verbs in this verse are perfect tenses continuing the customary sequence (see GKC 337 §112.kk). The idea is that the people would get up (rise) when the cloud was there and then worship, meaning in part bow down. When the cloud was not there, there was access to seek God.
31 tn “Face to face” is circumstantial to the action of the verb, explaining how they spoke (see GKC 489-90 §156.c). The point of this note of friendly relationship with Moses is that Moses was “at home” in this tent speaking with God. Moses would derive courage from this when he interceded for the people (B. Jacob, Exodus, 966).
32 tn The verb in this clause is a progressive imperfect.
33 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
34 sn Moses did not live in the tent. But Joshua remained there most of the time to guard the tent, it seems, lest any of the people approach it out of curiosity.
35 tn The Hiphil imperative is from the same verb that has been used before for bringing the people up from Egypt and leading them to Canaan.
36 tn That is, “chosen you.”
37 tn The prayer uses the Hiphil imperative of the verb “to know.” “Cause me to know” is “show me, reveal to me, teach or inform me.” Moses wanted to know more of God’s dealings with people, especially after all that has happened in the preceding chapter.
38 tn The imperfect tense of the verb “to know” with the vav follows the imperative of this root, and so this indicates the purpose clause (final imperfect): “in order that I may know you.” S. R. Driver summarizes it this way: that I may understand what your nature and character is, and shape my petitions accordingly, so that I may find grace in your sight, and my future prayers may be answered (Exodus, 361).
39 tn The purpose clause simply uses the imperfect, “that I may find.” But since he already has found favor in God’s eyes, he is clearly praying that it be so in the future as well as now.
40 tn The verb “see” (an imperative) is a request for God to acknowledge Israel as his people by providing the divine leadership needed. So his main appeal will be for the people and not himself. To underscore this, he repeats “see” the way the section opened.
41 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (the
42 sn Heb “my face.” This represents the presence of Yahweh going with the people (see 2 Sam 17:11 for an illustration). The “presence” probably refers to the angel of the presence or some similar manifestation of God’s leading and caring for his people.
43 tn The phrase “with you” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.
44 sn The expression certainly refers to the peace of mind and security of knowing that God was with them. But the expression came to mean “settle them in the land of promise” and give them rest and peace from their enemies. U. Cassuto (Exodus, 434) observes how in 32:10 God had told Moses, “Leave me alone” (“give me rest”), but now he promises to give them rest. The parallelism underscores the great transition through intercession.
45 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (
46 tn The construction uses the active participle to stress the continual going of the presence: if there is not your face going.
47 tn “with us” has been supplied.
48 tn Heb “from this.”
49 sn See W. Brueggemann, “The Crisis and Promise of Presence in Israel,” HBT 1 (1979): 47-86; and N. M. Waldman, “God’s Ways – A Comparative Note,” JQR 70 (1979): 67-70.
50 tn The verb in this place is a preterite with the vav (ו) consecutive, judging from the pointing. It then follows in sequence the verb “you have found favor,” meaning you stand in that favor, and so it means “I have known you” and still do (equal to the present perfect). The emphasis, however, is on the results of the action, and so “I know you.”
51 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (
52 sn Moses now wanted to see the glory of Yahweh, more than what he had already seen and experienced. He wanted to see God in all his majesty. The LXX chose to translate this without a word for “glory” or “honor”; instead they used the pronoun seautou, “yourself” – show me the real You. God tells him that he cannot see it fully, but in part. It will be enough for Moses to disclose to him the reality of the divine presence as well as God’s moral nature. It would be impossible for Moses to comprehend all of the nature of God, for there is a boundary between God and man. But God would let him see his goodness, the sum of his nature, pass by in a flash. B. Jacob (Exodus, 972) says that the glory refers to God’s majesty, might, and glory, as manifested in nature, in his providence, his laws, and his judgments. He adds that this glory should and would be made visible to man – that was its purpose in the world.
53 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (the
54 sn The word “goodness” refers to the divine appearance in summary fashion.
55 tn The expression “make proclamation in the name of Yahweh” (here a perfect tense with vav [ו] consecutive for future) means to declare, reveal, or otherwise make proclamation of who Yahweh is. The “name of Yahweh” (rendered “the name of the
56 sn God declares his mercy and grace in similar terms to his earlier self-revelation (“I am that I am”): “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious.” In other words, the grace and mercy of God are bound up in his own will. Obviously, in this passage the recipients of that favor are the penitent Israelites who were forgiven through Moses’ intercession. The two words are at the heart of God’s dealings with people. The first is חָנַן (khanan, “to be gracious, show favor”). It means to grant favor or grace to someone, grace meaning unmerited favor. All of God’s dealings are gracious, but especially in forgiving sins and granting salvation it is critical. Parallel to this is רָחַם (rakham), a word that means “show compassion, tender mercy.” It is a word that is related to the noun “womb,” the connection being in providing care and protection for that which is helpless and dependent – a motherly quality. In both of these constructions the verbs simply express what God will do, without explaining why. See further, J. R. Lundbom, “God’s Use of the Idem per idem to Terminate Debate,” HTR 71 (1978): 193-201; and J. Piper, “Prolegomena to Understanding Romans 9:14-15: An Interpretation of Exodus 33:19,” JETS 22 (1979): 203-16.
57 tn In view of the use of the verb “can, be able to” in the first clause, this imperfect tense is given a potential nuance.
58 tn Gesenius notes that sometimes a negative statement takes the place of a conditional clause; here it is equal to “if a man sees me he does not live” (GKC 498 §159.gg). The other passages that teach this are Gen 32:30; Deut 4:33, 5:24, 26; Judg 6:22, 13:22, and Isa 6:5.
59 tn The deictic particle is used here simply to call attention to a place of God’s knowing and choosing.
60 tn Heb “and you will,” or interpretively, “where you will.”
61 sn Note the use in Exod 40:3, “and you will screen the ark with the curtain.” The glory is covered, veiled from being seen.
62 tn The circumstantial clause is simply, “my hand [being] over you.” This protecting hand of Yahweh represents a fairly common theme in the Bible.
63 tn The construction has a preposition with an infinitive construct and a suffix: “while [or until] I pass by” (Heb “in the passing by of me”).
64 tn The plural “my backs” is according to Gesenius an extension plural (compare “face,” a dual in Hebrew). The word denotes a locality in general, but that is composed of numerous parts (see GKC 397 §124.b). W. C. Kaiser says that since God is a spirit, the meaning of this word could just as easily be rendered “after effects” of his presence (“Exodus,” EBC 2:484). As S. R. Driver says, though, while this may indicate just the “afterglow” that he leaves behind him, it was enough to suggest what the full brilliancy of his presence must be (Exodus, 363; see also Job 26:14).
65 tn The Niphal imperfect could simply be rendered “will not be seen,” but given the emphasis of the preceding verses, it is more binding than that, and so a negated obligatory imperfect fits better: “it must not be seen.” It would also be possible to render it with a potential imperfect tense: “it cannot be seen.”
66 tn Grk “whom Jesus,” but a repetition of the proper name (Jesus) here would be redundant in the English clause structure, so the pronoun (“he”) is substituted in the translation.
67 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity and to conform with contemporary English style.
68 tn Grk “And Martha.” The connective καί (kai, “and”) has been omitted in the translation because it would produce a run-on sentence in English.
69 tn Grk “reclining at the table.”
sn 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.
70 tn Or “half a liter”; Grk “a pound” (that is, a Roman pound, about 325 grams or 12 ounces).
71 tn Μύρον (muron) was usually made of myrrh (from which the English word is derived) but here it is used in the sense of ointment or perfumed oil (L&N 6.205). The adjective πιστικῆς (pistikh") is difficult with regard to its exact meaning; some have taken it to derive from πίστις (pistis) and relate to the purity of the oil of nard. More probably it is something like a brand name, “pistic nard,” the exact significance of which has not been discovered.
sn Nard or spikenard is a fragrant oil from the root and spike of the nard plant of northern India. This aromatic oil, if made of something like nard, would have been extremely expensive, costing up to a year’s pay for an average laborer.
72 tn Grk “And she.” 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.
73 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. With a note characteristic of someone who was there and remembered, the author adds that the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfumed oil. In the later rabbinic literature, Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7.1.1 states “The fragrance of good oil is diffused from the bedroom to the dining hall, but a good name is diffused from one end of the world to the other.” If such a saying was known in the 1st century, this might be the author’s way of indicating that Mary’s act of devotion would be spoken of throughout the entire world (compare the comment in Mark 14:9).
74 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
75 tn Grk “three hundred denarii.” The denarius was a silver coin worth a standard day’s wage, so the value exceeded what a laborer could earn in a year (taking into account Sabbaths and feast days when no work was done).
76 tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied (as the proceeds from the sale of the perfumed oil).
77 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
78 tn Grk “a thief, and having the money box.” Dividing the single Greek sentence improves the English style.
79 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. This is one of the indications in the gospels that Judas was of bad character before the betrayal of Jesus. John states that he was a thief and had responsibility for the finances of the group. More than being simply a derogatory note about Judas’ character, the inclusion of the note at this particular point in the narrative may be intended to link the frustrated greed of Judas here with his subsequent decision to betray Jesus for money. The parallel accounts in Matthew and Mark seem to indicate that after this incident Judas went away immediately and made his deal with the Jewish authorities to deliver up Jesus. Losing out on one source of sordid gain, he immediately went out and set up another.
80 tn Grk “Leave her alone, that for the day of my burial she may keep it.” The construction with ἵνα (Jina) is somewhat ambiguous. The simplest way to read it would be, “Leave her alone, that she may keep it for the day of my burial.” This would imply that Mary was going to use the perfumed oil on that day, while vv. 3 and 5 seem to indicate clearly that she had already used it up. Some understand the statement as elliptical: “Leave her alone; (she did this) in order to keep it for the day of my burial.” Another alternative would be an imperatival use of ἵνα with the meaning: “Leave her alone; let her keep it.” The reading of the Byzantine text, which omits the ἵνα and substitutes a perfect tense τετήρηκεν (tethrhken), while not likely to be original, probably comes close to the meaning of the text, and that has been followed in this translation.
81 tc A few isolated witnesses omit v. 8 (D sys), part of v. 8 (Ì75), or vv. 7-8 ({0250}). The latter two omissions are surely due to errors of sight, while the former can be attributed to D’s sometimes erratic behavior. The verse is secure in light of the overwhelming evidence on its behalf.
tn In the Greek text of this clause, “me” is in emphatic position (the first word in the clause). To convey some impression of the emphasis, an exclamation point is used in the translation.
82 tn Grk “of the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory (“Judeans”; cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e), the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.) Here the phrase refers to the residents of Jerusalem and the surrounding area who by this time had heard about the resurrection of Lazarus and were curious to see him.
83 tn Grk “knew.”
84 tn Grk “he”; normal English clause structure specifies the referent first and substitutes the pronoun in subsequent references to the same individual, so the referent (Jesus) has been specified here.
85 tn Grk “Jesus”; normal English clause structure specifies the referent first and substitutes the pronoun in subsequent references to the same individual, so the pronoun (“him”) has been substituted here.
86 sn According to John 11:53 the Jewish leadership had already planned to kill Jesus. This plot against Lazarus apparently never got beyond the planning stage, however, since no further mention is made of it by the author.
87 tn Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the residents of Jerusalem who had heard about the resurrection of Lazarus and as a result were embracing Jesus as Messiah. See also the note on the phrase “Judeans” in v. 9.
map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
88 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
89 sn The Mosaic law stated (Lev 23:40) that branches of palm trees were to be used to celebrate the feast of Tabernacles. Later on they came to be used to celebrate other feasts as well (1 Macc. 13:51, 2 Macc. 10:7).
90 tn Grk “And they were shouting.” An ingressive force for the imperfect tense (“they began to shout” or “they started shouting”) is natural in this sequence of events. The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) is left untranslated to improve the English style.
91 tn The expression ῾Ωσαννά (Jwsanna, literally in Hebrew, “O Lord, save”) in the quotation from Ps 118:25-26 was probably by this time a familiar liturgical expression of praise, on the order of “Hail to the king,” although both the underlying Aramaic and Hebrew expressions meant “O Lord, save us.” As in Mark 11:9 the introductory ὡσαννά is followed by the words of Ps 118:25, εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου (euloghmeno" Jo ercomeno" en onomati kuriou), although in the Fourth Gospel the author adds for good measure καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ (kai Jo basileu" tou Israhl). In words familiar to every Jew, the author is indicating that at this point every messianic expectation is now at the point of realization. It is clear from the words of the psalm shouted by the crowd that Jesus is being proclaimed as messianic king. See E. Lohse, TDNT 9:682-84.
sn Hosanna is an Aramaic expression that literally means, “help, I pray,” or “save, I pray.” By Jesus’ time it had become a strictly liturgical formula of praise, however, and was used as an exclamation of praise to God.
92 sn A quotation from Ps 118:25-26.
93 tn Grk “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” The words “Blessed is” are not repeated in the Greek text, but are repeated in the translation to avoid the awkwardness in English of the ascensive καί (kai).
94 sn The author does not repeat the detailed accounts of the finding of the donkey recorded in the synoptic gospels. He does, however, see the event as a fulfillment of scripture, which he indicates by quoting Zech 9:9.
95 tn Grk “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion” (the phrase “daughter of Zion” is an idiom for the inhabitants of Jerusalem: “people of Zion”). The idiom “daughter of Zion” has been translated as “people of Zion” because the original idiom, while firmly embedded in the Christian tradition, is not understandable to most modern English readers.
96 sn A quotation from Zech 9:9.
97 tn Or “did not understand these things at first”; Grk “formerly.”
98 sn When Jesus was glorified, that is, glorified through his resurrection, exaltation, and return to the Father. Jesus’ glorification is consistently portrayed this way in the Gospel of John.
99 tn Grk “and that they had done these things,” though the referent is probably indefinite and not referring to the disciples; as such, the best rendering is as a passive (see ExSyn 402-3; R. E. Brown, John [AB], 1:458).
100 sn The comment His disciples did not understand these things when they first happened (a parenthetical note by the author) informs the reader that Jesus’ disciples did not at first associate the prophecy from Zechariah with the events as they happened. This came with the later (postresurrection) insight which the Holy Spirit would provide after Jesus’ resurrection and return to the Father. Note the similarity with John 2:22, which follows another allusion to a prophecy in Zechariah (14:21).
101 tn The word “it” is not included in the Greek text. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.
102 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
103 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
104 sn These Greeks (῞Ελληνές τινες, {ellhne" tine") who had come up to worship at the feast were probably “God-fearers” rather than proselytes in the strict sense. Had they been true proselytes, they would probably not have been referred to as Greeks any longer. Many came to worship at the major Jewish festivals without being proselytes to Judaism, for example, the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:27, who could not have been a proselyte if he were physically a eunuch.
105 sn These Greeks approached Philip, although it is not clear why they did so. Perhaps they identified with his Greek name (although a number of Jews from border areas had Hellenistic names at this period). By see it is clear they meant “speak with,” since anyone could “see” Jesus moving through the crowd. The author does not mention what they wanted to speak with Jesus about.
106 tn Grk “and were asking him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.
107 tn Grk “Andrew and Philip”; because a repetition of the proper names would be redundant in contemporary English style, the phrase “they both” has been substituted in the translation.
108 tn Grk “Jesus answered them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.
109 tn Grk “the hour.”
110 sn Jesus’ reply, the time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified, is a bit puzzling. As far as the author’s account is concerned, Jesus totally ignores these Greeks and makes no further reference to them whatsoever. It appears that his words are addressed to Andrew and Philip, but in fact they must have had a wider audience, including possibly the Greeks who had wished to see him in the first place. The words the time has come recall all the previous references to “the hour” throughout the Fourth Gospel (see the note on time in 2:4). There is no doubt, in light of the following verse, that Jesus refers to his death here. On his pathway to glorification lies the cross, and it is just ahead.
111 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
112 tn Or “it remains only a single kernel.”
113 tn Or “bears.”
114 tn Grk “much fruit.”
115 tn Or “soul.”
116 tn Or “loses.” Although the traditional English translation of ἀπολλύει (apolluei) in John 12:25 is “loses,” the contrast with φυλάξει (fulaxei, “keeps” or “guards”) in the second half of the verse favors the meaning “destroy” here.
117 tn Or “keeps.”
118 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.
119 tn Grk “where I am, there my servant will be too.”
120 tn Or “save me.”
121 tn Or “this occasion.”
sn Father, deliver me from this hour. It is now clear that Jesus’ hour has come – the hour of his return to the Father through crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension (see 12:23). This will be reiterated in 13:1 and 17:1. Jesus states (employing words similar to those of Ps 6:4) that his soul is troubled. What shall his response to his imminent death be? A prayer to the Father to deliver him from that hour? No, because it is on account of this very hour that Jesus has come. His sacrificial death has always remained the primary purpose of his mission into the world. Now, faced with the completion of that mission, shall he ask the Father to spare him from it? The expected answer is no.
122 tn Or “this occasion.”
123 tn Or “from the sky” (see note on 1:32).
124 tn “It” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
125 tn “It” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
126 tn “The voice” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
127 tn Grk “Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” The direct discourse in the second half of v. 29 was converted to indirect discourse in the translation to maintain the parallelism with the first half of the verse, which is better in keeping with English style.
128 tn Grk “Jesus answered and said.”
129 tn Or “for my sake.”
130 sn The ruler of this world is a reference to Satan.
131 tn Or “will be thrown out.” This translation regards the future passive ἐκβληθήσεται (ekblhqhsetai) as referring to an event future to the time of speaking.
sn The phrase driven out must refer to Satan’s loss of authority over this world. This must be in principle rather than in immediate fact, since 1 John 5:19 states that the whole world (still) lies in the power of the evil one (a reference to Satan). In an absolute sense the reference is proleptic. The coming of Jesus’ hour (his crucifixion, death, resurrection, and exaltation to the Father) marks the end of Satan’s domain and brings about his defeat, even though that defeat has not been ultimately worked out in history yet and awaits the consummation of the age.
132 tn Grk “all.” The word “people” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for stylistic reasons and for clarity (cf. KJV “all men”).
133 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
134 tn Grk “Then the crowd answered him.”
135 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
sn See the note on Christ in 1:20.
136 tn Probably an allusion to Ps 89:35-37. It is difficult to pinpoint the passage in the Mosaic law to which the crowd refers. The ones most often suggested are Ps 89:36-37, Ps 110:4, Isa 9:7, Ezek 37:25, and Dan 7:14. None of these passages are in the Pentateuch per se, but “law” could in common usage refer to the entire OT (compare Jesus’ use in John 10:34). Of the passages mentioned, Ps 89:36-37 is the most likely candidate. This verse speaks of David’s “seed” remaining forever. Later in the same psalm, v. 51 speaks of the “anointed” (Messiah), and the psalm was interpreted messianically in both the NT (Acts 13:22, Rev 1:5, 3:14) and in the rabbinic literature (Genesis Rabbah 97).
137 tn Grk “And how”; the conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has been left untranslated here for improved English style.
138 tn Grk “Then Jesus said to them.”
139 tn Grk “Yet a little while the light is with you.”
140 sn The warning Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you operates on at least two different levels: (1) To the Jewish people in Jerusalem to whom Jesus spoke, the warning was a reminder that there was only a little time left for them to accept him as their Messiah. (2) To those later individuals to whom the Fourth Gospel was written, and to every person since, the words of Jesus are also a warning: There is a finite, limited time in which each individual has opportunity to respond to the Light of the world (i.e., Jesus); after that comes darkness. One’s response to the Light decisively determines one’s judgment for eternity.
141 tn The idiom “sons of light” means essentially “people characterized by light,” that is, “people of God.”
sn The expression sons of light refers to men and women to whom the truth of God has been revealed and who are therefore living according to that truth, thus, “people of God.”
142 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
143 tn Or “done.”
144 tn Or “message.”
145 tn Grk “who said.”
146 tn “The arm of the Lord” is an idiom for “God’s great power” (as exemplified through Jesus’ miraculous signs). This response of unbelief is interpreted by the author as a fulfillment of the prophetic words of Isaiah (Isa 53:1). The phrase ὁ βραχίων κυρίου (Jo braciwn kuriou) is a figurative reference to God’s activity and power which has been revealed in the sign-miracles which Jesus has performed (compare the previous verse).
147 sn A quotation from Isa 53:1.
148 sn The author explicitly states here that Jesus’ Jewish opponents could not believe, and quotes Isa 6:10 to show that God had in fact blinded their eyes and hardened their heart. This OT passage was used elsewhere in the NT to explain Jewish unbelief: Paul’s final words in Acts (28:26-27) are a quotation of this same passage, which he uses to explain why the Jewish people have not accepted the gospel he has preached. A similar passage (Isa 29:10) is quoted in a similar context in Rom 11:8.
149 tn Or “closed their mind.”
150 tn Or “their mind.”
151 tn One could also translate στραφῶσιν (strafwsin) as “repent” or “change their ways,” but both of these terms would be subject to misinterpretation by the modern English reader. The idea is one of turning back to God, however. The words “to me” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
152 sn A quotation from Isa 6:10.
153 tn Grk “his”; the referent (Christ) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The referent supplied here is “Christ” rather than “Jesus” because it involves what Isaiah saw. It is clear that the author presents Isaiah as having seen the preincarnate glory of Christ, which was the very revelation of the Father (see John 1:18; John 14:9).
sn Because he saw Christ’s glory. The glory which Isaiah saw in Isa 6:3 was the glory of Yahweh (typically rendered as “Lord” in the OT). Here John speaks of the prophet seeing the glory of Christ since in the next clause and spoke about him, “him” can hardly refer to Yahweh, but must refer to Christ. On the basis of statements like 1:14 in the prologue, the author probably put no great distinction between the two. Since the author presents Jesus as fully God (cf. John 1:1), it presents no problem to him to take words originally spoken by Isaiah of Yahweh himself and apply them to Jesus.
154 sn The term rulers here denotes members of the Sanhedrin, the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews. Note the same word (“ruler”) is used to describe Nicodemus in 3:1.
155 sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.
156 tn The words “Jesus to be the Christ” are not in the Greek text, but are implied (see 9:22). As is often the case in Greek, the direct object is omitted for the verb ὡμολόγουν (Jwmologoun). Some translators supply an ambiguous “it,” or derive the implied direct object from the previous clause “believed in him” so that the rulers would not confess “their faith” or “their belief.” However, when one compares John 9:22, which has many verbal parallels to this verse, it seems clear that the content of the confession would have been “Jesus is the Christ (i.e., Messiah).”
sn See the note on Christ in 1:20.
157 tn Or “be expelled from.”
158 sn Compare John 9:22. See the note on synagogue in 6:59.
159 tn Grk “the glory.”
160 tn Grk “the glory.”
161 tn Grk “shouted out and said.”
162 sn The one who sent me refers to God.
163 sn Cf. John 1:18 and 14:9.
164 tn Grk “And if anyone”; the conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has been left untranslated here for improved English style.
165 tn Or “guard them,” “keep them.”
167 tn Or “does not receive.”
168 tn Grk “has one who judges him.”
169 tn Or “message.”
170 tn Grk “I have not spoken from myself.”
171 tn Grk “has given me commandment.”
172 tn Or “his commandment results in eternal life.”
173 tn Grk “The things I speak, just as the Father has spoken to me, thus I speak.”
174 sn Chapter 9 forms the conclusion of the lengthy introduction to the book. Both wisdom and folly will make their final appeals; and both appeal to the simpletons. Wisdom offers life with no mention of pleasure; folly offers pleasure with no mention of death. The first twelve verses concern accepting wisdom: the invitation of wisdom (1-6), the description of the responses (7-11), and the consequence (12). Verses 13-18 concern accepting folly: the invitation (13-17) and the consequence (18).
175 sn Wisdom is personified as a wise woman. She has prepared a house and established it on seven pillars. This is a reference to the habitable world (e.g., 8:31). For the equation of the house and the world, e.g., 8:29; Job 38:6; and Psalm 104:5 (also G. Boström, Proverbiastudien [LUÅ], 1-14). The “seven pillars” have been variously interpreted, but since seven is a number for completeness and sacredness, the idea seems to be that wisdom produced a perfect world.
176 tn Heb “she has killed her killing.” Cf. KJV “hath killed her beasts”; NAB “has dressed her meat”; NASB “has prepared her food.”
177 sn Wisdom has prepared a sumptuous banquet in this house and sends out her maids to call the simple to come and eat (M. Lichtenstein, “The Banquet Motif in Keret and in Proverbs 9,” JANESCU 1 [1968/69]: 19-31). The figures of meat and wine represent the good teaching of wisdom that will be palatable and profitable (implied comparisons). Compare Isaiah 55:1-2 and John 6:51, 55 for similar uses of the figures. The idea of mixing wine could refer to the practice of mixing wine with spices or with water (as the LXX text assumes; e.g., Prov 23:30; Isa 5:22). Mixed wine was the most intoxicating; thus, her wisdom is attractive. All the imagery lets the simple know that what wisdom has to offer is marvelous.
178 tn The text uses two synonymous terms in construct to express the superlative degree.
179 tn Heb “lacking of heart she says to him.” The pronominal suffix is a resumptive pronoun, meaning, “she says to the lacking of heart.”
180 tn Heb “him.”
181 tn Heb “heart”; cf. NIV “to those who lack judgment.”
182 tn The construction features a cognate accusative (verb and noun from same root). The preposition בּ (bet) has the partitive use “some” (GKC 380 §119.m).
183 tn The final verb actually stands in a relative clause although the relative pronoun is not present; it modifies “wine.”
sn The expressions “eat” and “drink” carry the implied comparison forward; they mean that the simple are to appropriate the teachings of wisdom.
184 tn There are two ways to take this word: either as “fools” or as “foolish ways.” The spelling for “foolishness” in v. 13 differs from this spelling, and so some have taken that as an indicator that this should be “fools.” But this could still be an abstract plural here as in 1:22. Either the message is to forsake fools (i.e., bad company; cf. KJV, TEV) or forsake foolishness (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT).
185 tn The two imperatives are joined with vav; this is a volitive sequence in which result or consequence is expressed.
186 tn The verb means “go straight, go on, advance” or “go straight on in the way of understanding” (BDB 80 s.v. אָשַׁר).
187 tn The active participle יֹסֵר (yoser) describes one who tries to correct by means of instruction and discipline; it is paralleled by the Hiphil participle which refers to someone who rebukes or reproves another. Anyone trying this on these types of people would be inviting trouble.
188 tn Heb “receives for himself.”
189 tn The word means “dishonor” or “disgrace.” It is paralleled with מוּמוֹ (mumo), translated “abuse.” The latter term means “blemish,” although some would emend the text to read “reproach.” The MT is figurative but not impossible to interpret: Whoever tries to rebuke a wicked person will receive only insults and perhaps physical attack.
190 tn The verb “receives” is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.
191 tn In view of the expected response for reproof, the text now uses a negated jussive to advise against the attempt. This is paralleled antithetically by the imperative in the second colon. This imperative is in an understood conditional clause: “if you reprove a wise person.”
192 tn Heb “lest he hate you.” The particle פֶּן (pen, “lest”) expresses fear or precaution (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 79, §476). The antonyms “love” and “hate” suggest that the latter means “reject” and the former means “choosing and embracing.”
193 tn The noun “instruction” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation.
194 sn The parallelism shows what Proverbs will repeatedly stress, that the wise person is the righteous person.
195 tn The Hiphil verb normally means “to cause to know, make known”; but here the context suggests “to teach” (so many English versions).
196 tn The term “his” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for the sake of smoothness and clarity.
197 sn The difference between תְּחִלַּת (tÿkhillat) here and רֵאשִׁית (re’shit) of 1:7, if there is any substantial difference, is that this term refers to the starting point of wisdom, and the earlier one indicates the primary place of wisdom (K&D 16:202).
198 tn Heb “fear of the
199 tn Heb “knowledge of the Holy One” (so ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
200 tn The word is in the plural in the Hebrew (literally “holy ones”; KJV “the holy”). It was translated “holy men” in Tg. Prov 9:10. But it probably was meant to signify the majestic nature of the
201 tn The preposition בּ (bet) here may have the causal sense (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 45, §247), although it could also be means (Williams, 44, §243).
202 tn The verb וְיוֹסִיפוּ (vÿyosifu) is the Hiphil imperfect, third masculine plural; but because there is no expressed subject the verb may be taken as a passive.
203 tn The text simply has the preposition לְ (lamed) with a suffix; but this will be the use of the preposition classified as “interest,” either for advantage or disadvantage (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 48-49, §271).
204 tn The perfect tense is here in a conditional clause because of the conjunction following the first colon of the verse that begins with “if.” The perfect tense then lays down the antithetical condition – “if you mock,” or “if you are a mocker.”
205 tn The use of the imperfect tense here could be the simple future tense (cf. NASB, NRSV “you…will bear it”), but the obligatory nuance is more appropriate – “you must bear it.” These words anticipate James’ warnings that the words we speak will haunt us through life (e.g., James 3:1-12).
206 tc The LXX has an addition: “Forsake folly, that you may reign forever; and seek discretion and direct understanding in knowledge.”
207 tn Heb “a woman of foolishness.” This could be translated as “foolish woman,” taking the genitive as attributive (cf. KJV, ASV, NRSV). But in view of the contrast with the personification of wisdom, this word probably also represents a personification and so can be taken as a genitive of apposition, the woman who is folly, or “the woman, Folly” (cf. NIV). For clarity and stylistic reasons the word “called” has been supplied in the translation.
208 tn The meaning of the word comes close to “riotous.” W. McKane describes her as restless and rootless (Proverbs [OTL], 366).
209 tn The noun means “foolishness” (cf. KJV “simple”; NAB “inane”). Here it could be classified as a metonymy of adjunct, or as a predictive apposition (when a substantive is used in place of a noun; see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 15, §67).
210 tn The ignorance here in Proverbs must be moral ignorance. But see D. W. Thomas for the idea that the verb means “become still,” “be at rest,” yielding here the idea of restless (“A Note on בַל־יָדְעָה in Proverbs 913,” JTS 4 [1953]: 23-24).
211 tc The text of v. 13 has been difficult for translators. The MT has, “The foolish woman is boisterous, simplicity, and knows not what.” The LXX reads, “A foolish and impudent woman comes to lack a morsel, she who knows not shame.” The Syriac has, “a woman lacking in discretion, seductive.” Tg. Prov 9:13 translates it, “a foolish woman and a gadabout, ignorant, and she knows not good.” The Vulgate has, “a woman foolish and noisy, and full of wiles, and knowing nothing at all.”
212 tn The infinitive construct “calling out” functions epexegetically in the sentence, explaining how the previous action was accomplished.
213 tn The term “her” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for the sake of clarity and smoothness.
214 tn The noun is a genitive of location after the construct participle. Its parallel word is also an adverbial accusative of location.
215 tn The participle modifies the participle in the first colon. To describe the passers-by in this context as those “who go straight” means that they are quiet and unwary.
216 tn This expression is almost identical to v. 4, with the exception of the addition of conjunctions in the second colon: “and the lacking of understanding and she says to him.” The parallel is deliberate, of course, showing the competing appeals for those passing by.
217 sn The offer is not wine and meat (which represented wisdom), but water that is stolen. The “water” will seem sweeter than wine because it is stolen – the idea of getting away with something exciting appeals to the baser instincts. In Proverbs the water imagery was introduced earlier in 5:15-19 as sexual activity with the adulteress, which would seem at the moment more enjoyable than learning wisdom. Likewise bread will be drawn into this analogy in 30:20. So the “calling out” is similar to that of wisdom, but what is being offered is very different.
218 tn Heb “bread of secrecies.” It could mean “bread [eaten in] secret places,” a genitive of location; or it could mean “bread [gained through] secrets,” a genitive of source, the secrecies being metonymical for theft. The latter makes a better parallelism in this verse, for bread (= sexually immoral behavior) gained secretly would be like stolen water.
219 tn Heb “he does not know.”
220 sn The “dead” are the Rephaim, the “shades” or dead persons who lead a shadowy existence in Sheol (e.g., Prov 2:18-19; Job 3:13-19; Ps 88:5; Isa 14:9-11). This approximates an “as-if” motif of wisdom literature: The ones ensnared in folly are as good as in Hell. See also Ptah-hotep’s sayings (ANET 412-414).
221 tc The LXX adds to the end of v. 18: “But turn away, linger not in the place, neither set your eye on her: for thus will you go through alien water; but abstain from alien water, drink not from an alien fountain, that you may live long, that years of life may be added to you.”
sn The text has “in the depths of Sheol” (בְּעִמְקֵי שְׁאוֹל, bÿ’imqe shÿ’ol). The parallelism stresses that those who turn to this way of life are ignorant and doomed. It may signal a literal death lying ahead in the not too distant future, but it is more likely an analogy. The point is that the life of folly, a life of undisciplined, immoral, riotous living, runs counter to God’s appeal for wisdom and leads to ruin. That is the broad way that leads to destruction.
222 tn The adverbial participle “being” (ὄντας, ontas) is taken concessively.
223 sn Chapter 2 starts off with a participle, although you were dead, that is left dangling. The syntax in Greek for vv. 1-3 constitutes one incomplete sentence, though it seems to have been done intentionally. The dangling participle leaves the readers in suspense while they wait for the solution (in v. 4) to their spiritual dilemma.
224 sn The relative pronoun which is feminine as is sins, indicating that sins is the antecedent.
225 tn Grk “walked.”
sn The Greek verb translated lived (περιπατέω, peripatew) in the NT letters refers to the conduct of one’s life, not to physical walking.
226 tn Or possibly “Aeon.”
sn The word translated present path is the same as that which has been translated [this] age in 1:21 (αἰών, aiwn).
227 tn Grk “domain, [place of] authority.”
228 tn Grk “of” (but see the note on the word “spirit” later in this verse).
229 sn The ruler of the kingdom of the air is also the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience. Although several translations regard the ruler to be the same as the spirit, this is unlikely since the cases in Greek are different (ruler is accusative and spirit is genitive). To get around this, some have suggested that the genitive for spirit is a genitive of apposition. However, the semantics of the genitive of apposition are against such an interpretation (cf. ExSyn 100).
230 tn Grk “working in.”
231 sn Sons of disobedience is a Semitic idiom that means “people characterized by disobedience.” However, it also contains a subtle allusion to vv. 4-10: Some of those sons of disobedience have become sons of God.
232 sn Among whom. The relative pronoun phrase that begins v. 3 is identical, except for gender, to the one that begins v. 2 (ἐν αἵς [en Jais], ἐν οἵς [en Jois]). By the structure, the author is building an argument for our hopeless condition: We lived in sin and we lived among sinful people. Our doom looked to be sealed as well in v. 2: Both the external environment (kingdom of the air) and our internal motivation and attitude (the spirit that is now energizing) were under the devil’s thumb (cf. 2 Cor 4:4).
233 tn Grk “we all.”
234 tn Or “even.”
235 sn Children of wrath is a Semitic idiom which may mean either “people characterized by wrath” or “people destined for wrath.”
236 sn Eph 2:1-3. The translation of vv. 1-3 is very literal, even to the point of retaining the awkward syntax of the original. See note on the word dead in 2:1.
237 tn Or “by grace you have been saved.” The perfect tense in Greek connotes both completed action (“you have been saved”) and continuing results (“you are saved”).
238 tn Or possibly “to the Aeons who are about to come.”
239 tn Or “upon.”
240 tn See note on the same expression in v. 5.
241 tc The feminine article is found before πίστεως (pistews, “faith”) in the Byzantine text as well as in A Ψ 1881 pc. Perhaps for some scribes the article was intended to imply creedal fidelity as a necessary condition of salvation (“you are saved through the faith”), although elsewhere in the corpus Paulinum the phrase διὰ τῆς πίστεως (dia th" pistew") is used for the act of believing rather than the content of faith (cf. Rom 3:30, 31; Gal 3:14; Eph 3:17; Col 2:12). On the other side, strong representatives of the Alexandrian and Western texts (א B D* F G P 0278 6 33 1739 al bo) lack the article. Hence, both text-critically and exegetically, the meaning of the text here is most likely “saved through faith” as opposed to “saved through the faith.” Regarding the textual problem, the lack of the article is the preferred reading.
242 tn Or “not as a result of.”
243 tn Grk “lest anyone should boast.”
244 tn Grk “so that we might walk in them” (or “by them”).
sn So that we may do them. Before the devil began to control our walk in sin and among sinful people, God had already planned good works for us to do.
245 tn Grk “in the flesh.”
246 tn Or “without Christ.” Both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.” Because the context refers to ancient Israel’s messianic expectation, “Messiah” was employed in the translation at this point rather than “Christ.”
247 tn Or “covenants of the promise.”
248 tn Or “have come near in the blood of Christ.”
sn See the note on “his blood” in 1:7.
249 tn Grk “who made the both one.”
250 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.
251 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.
252 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.
253 tn Grk “by killing the hostility in himself.”
254 tn Or “for.” BDAG gives the consecutive ὅτι (Joti) as a possible category of NT usage (BDAG 732 s.v. 5.c).
255 tn Grk “having been built.”
256 sn Apostles and prophets. Because the prophets appear after the mention of the apostles and because they are linked together in 3:5 as recipients of revelation about the church, they are to be regarded not as Old Testament prophets, but as New Testament prophets.
257 tn Grk “while Christ Jesus himself is” or “Christ Jesus himself being.”
258 tn Or perhaps “capstone” (NAB). The meaning of ἀκρογωνιαῖος (akrogwniaio") is greatly debated. The meaning “capstone” is proposed by J. Jeremias (TDNT 1:792), but the most important text for this meaning (T. Sol. 22:7-23:4) is late and possibly not even an appropriate parallel. The only place ἀκρογωνιαῖος is used in the LXX is Isa 28:16, and there it clearly refers to a cornerstone that is part of a foundation. Furthermore, the imagery in this context has the building growing off the cornerstone upward, whereas if Christ were the capstone, he would not assume his position until the building was finished, which vv. 21-22 argue against.
259 tn Grk “in whom” (v. 21 is a relative clause, subordinate to v. 20).
260 tc Although several important witnesses (א1 A C P 6 81 326 1739c 1881) have πᾶσα ἡ οἰκοδομή (pasa Jh oikodomh), instead of πᾶσα οἰκοδομή (the reading of א* B D F G Ψ 33 1739* Ï), the article is almost surely a scribal addition intended to clarify the meaning of the text, for with the article the meaning is unambiguously “the whole building.”
tn Or “every building.” Although “every building” is a more natural translation of the Greek, it does not fit as naturally into the context, which (with its emphasis on corporate unity) seems to stress the idea of one building.
