Deuteronomy 29:1-29 
Context29:1 (28:69) 1 These are the words of the covenant that the Lord commanded Moses to make with the people of Israel in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb. 2
29:2 Moses proclaimed to all Israel as follows: “You have seen all that the Lord did 3 in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, all his servants, and his land. 29:3 Your eyes have seen the great judgments, 4 those signs and mighty wonders. 29:4 But to this very day the Lord has not given you an understanding mind, perceptive eyes, or discerning ears! 5 29:5 I have led you through the desert for forty years. Your clothing has not worn out 6 nor have your sandals 7 deteriorated. 29:6 You have eaten no bread and drunk no wine or beer – all so that you might know that I 8 am the Lord your God! 29:7 When you came to this place King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan came out to make war and we defeated them. 29:8 Then we took their land and gave it as an inheritance to Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh.
29:9 “Therefore, keep the terms 9 of this covenant and obey them so that you may be successful in everything you do. 29:10 You are standing today, all of you, before the Lord your God – the heads of your tribes, 10 your elders, your officials, every Israelite man, 29:11 your infants, your wives, and the 11 foreigners living in your encampment, those who chop wood and those who carry water – 29:12 so that you may enter by oath into the covenant the Lord your God is making with you today. 12 29:13 Today he will affirm that you are his people and that he is your God, 13 just as he promised you and as he swore by oath to your ancestors 14 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 29:14 It is not with you alone that I am making this covenant by oath, 29:15 but with whoever stands with us here today before the Lord our God as well as those not with us here today. 15
29:16 “(For you know how we lived in the land of Egypt and how we crossed through the nations as we traveled. 29:17 You have seen their detestable things 16 and idols of wood, stone, silver, and gold.) 17 29:18 Beware that the heart of no man, woman, clan, or tribe among you turns away from the Lord our God today to pursue and serve the gods of those nations; beware that there is among you no root producing poisonous and bitter fruit. 18 29:19 When such a person 19 hears the words of this oath he secretly 20 blesses himself 21 and says, “I will have peace though I continue to walk with a stubborn spirit.” 22 This will destroy 23 the watered ground with the parched. 24 29:20 The Lord will be unwilling to forgive him, and his intense anger 25 will rage 26 against that man; all the curses 27 written in this scroll will fall upon him 28 and the Lord will obliterate his name from memory. 29 29:21 The Lord will single him out 30 for judgment 31 from all the tribes of Israel according to all the curses of the covenant written in this scroll of the law. 29:22 The generation to come – your descendants who will rise up after you, as well as the foreigner who will come from distant places – will see 32 the afflictions of that land and the illnesses that the Lord has brought on it. 29:23 The whole land will be covered with brimstone, salt, and burning debris; it will not be planted nor will it sprout or produce grass. It will resemble the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord destroyed in his intense anger. 33 29:24 Then all the nations will ask, “Why has the Lord done all this to this land? What is this fierce, heated display of anger 34 all about?” 29:25 Then people will say, “Because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 29:26 They went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods they did not know and that he did not permit them to worship. 35 29:27 That is why the Lord’s anger erupted against this land, bringing on it all the curses 36 written in this scroll. 29:28 So the Lord has uprooted them from their land in anger, wrath, and great rage and has deported them to another land, as is clear today.” 29:29 Secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those that are revealed belong to us and our descendants 37 forever, so that we might obey all the words of this law.
Psalms 119:49-72
Contextז (Zayin)
119:49 Remember your word to your servant,
for you have given me hope.
119:50 This 38 is what comforts me in my trouble,
for your promise revives me. 39
119:51 Arrogant people do nothing but scoff at me. 40
Yet I do not turn aside from your law.
119:52 I remember your ancient regulations, 41
O Lord, and console myself. 42
119:53 Rage takes hold of me because of the wicked,
those who reject your law.
119:54 Your statutes have been my songs 43
in the house where I live. 44
119:55 I remember your name during the night, O Lord,
and I will keep 45 your law.
119:56 This 46 has been my practice,
for I observe your precepts.
ח (Khet)
119:57 The Lord is my source of security. 47
I have determined 48 to follow your instructions. 49
119:58 I seek your favor 50 with all my heart.
Have mercy on me as you promised! 51
119:59 I consider my actions 52
and follow 53 your rules.
119:60 I keep your commands
eagerly and without delay. 54
119:61 The ropes of the wicked tighten around 55 me,
but I do not forget your law.
119:62 In the middle of the night I arise 56 to thank you
for your just regulations.
119:63 I am a friend to all your loyal followers, 57
and to those who keep your precepts.
119:64 O Lord, your loyal love fills the earth.
Teach me your statutes!
ט (Tet)
119:65 You are good 58 to your servant,
O Lord, just as you promised. 59
119:66 Teach me proper discernment 60 and understanding!
For I consider your commands to be reliable. 61
119:67 Before I was afflicted I used to stray off, 62
but now I keep your instructions. 63
119:68 You are good and you do good.
Teach me your statutes!
119:69 Arrogant people smear my reputation with lies, 64
but I observe your precepts with all my heart.
119:70 Their hearts are calloused, 65
but I find delight in your law.
119:71 It was good for me to suffer,
so that I might learn your statutes.
119:72 The law you have revealed is more important to me
than thousands of pieces of gold and silver. 66
Isaiah 56:1-12
Context56:1 This is what the Lord says,
“Promote 67 justice! Do what is right!
For I am ready to deliver you;
I am ready to vindicate you openly. 68
56:2 The people who do this will be blessed, 69
the people who commit themselves to obedience, 70
who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it,
who refrain from doing anything that is wrong. 71
56:3 No foreigner who becomes a follower of 72 the Lord should say,
‘The Lord will certainly 73 exclude me from his people.’
The eunuch should not say,
‘Look, I am like a dried-up tree.’”
56:4 For this is what the Lord says:
“For the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths
and choose what pleases me
and are faithful to 74 my covenant,
56:5 I will set up within my temple and my walls a monument 75
that will be better than sons and daughters.
I will set up a permanent monument 76 for them that will remain.
56:6 As for foreigners who become followers of 77 the Lord and serve him,
who love the name of the Lord and want to be his servants –
all who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it,
and who are faithful to 78 my covenant –
56:7 I will bring them to my holy mountain;
I will make them happy in the temple where people pray to me. 79
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar,
for my temple will be known as a temple where all nations may pray.” 80
56:8 The sovereign Lord says this,
the one who gathers the dispersed of Israel:
“I will still gather them up.” 81
56:9 All you wild animals in the fields, come and devour,
all you wild animals in the forest!
56:10 All their watchmen 82 are blind,
they are unaware. 83
All of them are like mute dogs,
unable to bark.
They pant, 84 lie down,
and love to snooze.
56:11 The dogs have big appetites;
they are never full. 85
They are shepherds who have no understanding;
they all go their own way,
each one looking for monetary gain. 86
‘Come on, I’ll get some wine!
Let’s guzzle some beer!
Tomorrow will be just like today!
We’ll have everything we want!’ 88
Matthew 4:1-25
Context4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness 89 to be tempted by the devil. 4:2 After he fasted forty days and forty nights he was famished. 90 4:3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” 91 4:4 But he answered, 92 “It is written, ‘Man 93 does not live 94 by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 95 4:5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, 96 had him stand 97 on the highest point 98 of the temple, 4:6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you’ 99 and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” 100 4:7 Jesus said to him, “Once again it is written: ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’” 101 4:8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their grandeur. 102 4:9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you throw yourself to the ground and worship 103 me.” 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, 104 Satan! For it is written: ‘You are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” 105 4:11 Then the devil left him, and angels 106 came and began ministering to his needs.
4:12 Now when Jesus 107 heard that John had been imprisoned, 108 he went into Galilee. 4:13 While in Galilee, he moved from Nazareth 109 to make his home in Capernaum 110 by the sea, 111 in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, 4:14 so that what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled: 112
4:15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way by the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles –
4:16 the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
and on those who sit in the region and shadow of death a light has dawned.” 113
4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach this message: 114 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
4:18 As 115 he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen). 116 4:19 He said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people.” 117 4:20 They 118 left their nets immediately and followed him. 119 4:21 Going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in a boat 120 with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. Then 121 he called them. 4:22 They 122 immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.
4:23 Jesus 123 went throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, 124 preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of disease and sickness among the people. 4:24 So a report about him spread throughout Syria. People 125 brought to him all who suffered with various illnesses and afflictions, those who had seizures, 126 paralytics, and those possessed by demons, 127 and he healed them. 4:25 And large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, 128 Jerusalem, 129 Judea, and beyond the Jordan River. 130
1 sn Beginning with 29:1, the verse numbers through 29:29 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 29:1 ET = 28:69 HT, 29:2 ET = 29:1 HT, 29:3 ET = 29:2 HT, etc., through 29:29 ET = 29:28 HT. With 30:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
2 sn Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai (which some English versions substitute here for clarity, cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).
3 tn The Hebrew text includes “to your eyes,” but this is redundant in English style (cf. the preceding “you have seen”) and is omitted in the translation.
4 tn Heb “testings.” This is a reference to the plagues; see note at 4:34.
5 tn Heb “a heart to know, eyes to see and ears to hear” (NASB similar); NAB, NRSV “a mind to understand, or eyes to see, or ears to hear.”
6 tn The Hebrew text includes “on you.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
7 tn The Hebrew text includes “from on your feet.”
8 tc The LXX reads “that he is the
9 tn Heb “words.”
10 tc Heb “your heads, your tribes.” The Syriac presupposes either “heads of your tribes” or “your heads, your judges,” etc. (reading שֹׁפְטֵכֶם [shofÿtekhem] for שִׁבְטֵיכֶם [shivtekhem]). Its comparative difficulty favors the originality of the MT reading. Cf. KJV “your captains of your tribes”; NRSV “the leaders of your tribes”; NLT “your tribal leaders.”
11 tn Heb “your.”
12 tn Heb “for you to pass on into the covenant of the Lord your God and into his oath, which the Lord your God is cutting with you today.”
13 tn Heb “in order to establish you today to him for a people and he will be to you for God.” Verses 10-13 are one long sentence in Hebrew. The translation divides this into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
14 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 25).
15 tn This is interpreted by some English versions as a reference to generations not yet born (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT).
16 tn The Hebrew term שִׁקּוּץ (shiquts) refers to anything out of keeping with the nature and character of Yahweh and therefore to be avoided by his people Israel. It is commonly used with or as a synonym for תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, “detestable, abhorrent”; 2 Kgs 23:13; Jer 16:18; Ezek 5:11; 7:20; 11:18, 21; see note on the term “abhorrent” in Deut 7:25). See M. Grisanti, NIDOTTE 4:243-46.
17 tn The Hebrew text includes “which were with them.” Verses 16-17 constitute a parenthetical comment.
18 tn Heb “yielding fruit poisonous and wormwood.” The Hebrew noun לַעֲנָה (la’anah) literally means “wormwood” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB), but is used figuratively for anything extremely bitter, thus here “fruit poisonous and bitter.”
19 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the subject of the warning in v. 18) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
20 tn Heb “in his heart.”
21 tn Or “invokes a blessing on himself.” A formalized word of blessing is in view, the content of which appears later in the verse.
22 tn Heb “heart.”
23 tn Heb “thus destroying.” For stylistic reasons the translation begins a new sentence here.
24 tn Heb “the watered with the parched.” The word “ground” is implied. The exact meaning of the phrase is uncertain although it appears to be figurative. This appears to be a proverbial observation employing a figure of speech (a merism) suggesting totality. That is, the Israelite who violates the letter and even spirit of the covenant will harm not only himself but everything he touches – “the watered and the parched.” Cf. CEV “you will cause the rest of Israel to be punished along with you.”
25 tn Heb “the wrath of the
26 tn Heb “smoke,” or “smolder.”
27 tn Heb “the entire oath.”
28 tn Or “will lie in wait against him.”
29 tn Heb “blot out his name from under the sky.”
30 tn Heb “set him apart.”
31 tn Heb “for evil”; NAB “for doom”; NASB “for adversity”; NIV “for disaster”; NRSV “for calamity.”
32 tn Heb “will say and see.” One expects a quotation to appear, but it seems to be omitted. To avoid confusion in the translation, the verb “will say” is omitted.
33 tn Heb “the anger and the wrath.” This construction is a hendiadys intended to intensify the emotion.
34 tn Heb “this great burning of anger”; KJV “the heat of this great anger.”
35 tn Heb “did not assign to them”; NASB, NRSV “had not allotted to them.”
36 tn Heb “the entire curse.”
37 tn Heb “sons” (so NASB); KJV, ASV, NIV, NRSV “children.”
38 tn The demonstrative “this” refers back to the hope just mentioned or forward to the statement in the second line concerning the promise’s power to revive. See the note on the word “me” at the end of the verse for further discussion.
39 tn The hope generated by the promise (see v. 49b) brings comfort because (note “for” at the beginning of the line) the promise revives the psalmist’s spirits. Another option is to take כִּי (ki) at the beginning of the second line in the sense of “that,” in which case “this” refers to the promise’s power to revive.
40 tn Heb “scoff at me to excess.”
41 tn Heb “I remember your regulations from of old.” The prepositional phrase “from of old” apparently modifies “your regulations,” alluding to the fact that God revealed them to Israel in the distant past. Another option is to understand the prepositional phrase as modifying the verb, in which case one might translate, “I have long remembered your regulations.”
42 tn Or “find comfort.”
43 tn Heb “songs were your statutes to me.”
44 tn Heb “in the house of my dwelling place.” Some take the Hebrew noun מָגוֹר (magor) in the sense of “temporary abode,” and see this as a reference to the psalmist’s status as a resident alien (see v. 19). But the noun can refer to a dwelling place in general (see Ps 55:15).
45 tn The cohortative verbal form expresses the psalmist’s resolve to obey the law.
46 tn Heb “this has been to me.” The demonstrative “this” (1) refers back to the practices mentioned in vv. 54-55, or (2) looks forward to the statement in the second line, in which case the כִּי (ki) at the beginning of the second line should be translated “that.”
47 tn Heb “my portion [is] the
48 tn Heb “I said.”
49 tn Heb “to keep your words” (see v. 9).
50 tn Heb “I appease your face.”
51 tn Heb “according to your word.”
52 tn Heb “my ways.”
53 tn Heb “and I turn my feet toward.”
54 tn Heb “I hurry and I do not delay to keep your commands.”
55 tn Heb “surround.”
56 tn The psalmist uses an imperfect verbal form to emphasize that this is his continuing practice.
57 tn Heb “to all who fear you.”
58 tn Heb “do good.”
59 tn Heb “according to your word.”
60 tn Heb “goodness of taste.” Here “taste” refers to moral and ethical discernment.
61 tn Heb “for I believe in your commands.”
62 tn Heb “before I suffered, I was straying off.”
63 tn Heb “your word.”
64 tn Heb “smear over me a lie.”
65 tn Heb “their heart is insensitive like fat.”
66 tn Heb “better to me [is] the law of your mouth than thousands of gold and silver.”
67 tn Heb “guard”; KJV “Keep”; NAB “Observe”; NASB “Preserve”; NIV, NRSV “Maintain.”
68 tn Heb “for near is my deliverance to enter, and my vindication [or “righteousness”] to be revealed.”
69 tn Heb “blessed is the man who does this.”
70 tn Heb “the son of mankind who takes hold of it.”
71 tn Heb and who keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
72 tn Heb “who attaches himself to.”
73 tn The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
74 tn Heb “and take hold of” (so KJV); NASB “hold fast.”
75 tn Heb “a hand and a name.” For other examples where יָד (yad) refers to a monument, see HALOT 388 s.v.
76 tn Heb “name” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV).
77 tn Heb “who attach themselves to.”
78 tn Heb “and take hold of”; NAB “hold to”; NIV, NRSV “hold fast.”
79 tn Heb “in the house of my prayer.”
80 tn Heb “for my house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.”
81 tn The meaning of the statement is unclear. The text reads literally, “Still I will gather upon him to his gathered ones.” Perhaps the preposition -לְ (lamed) before “gathered ones” introduces the object of the verb, as in Jer 49:5. The third masculine singular suffix on both עָלָיו (’alayv) and נִקְבָּצָיו (niqbatsayv) probably refers to “Israel.” In this case one can translate literally, “Still I will gather to him his gathered ones.”
82 sn The “watchmen” are probably spiritual leaders, most likely prophets and priests, responsible for giving the people moral direction.
83 tn Heb “they do not know”; KJV “they are all ignorant”; NIV “they all lack knowledge.”
84 tn The Hebrew text has הֹזִים (hozim), which appears to be derived from an otherwise unattested verbal root הָזָה (hazah). On the basis of alleged cognates, BDB 223 s.v. הָזָה offers the definition “dream, rave” while HALOT 243 s.v. הזה lists “pant.” In this case the dog metaphor of the preceding lines continues. The reference to dogs at the beginning of v. 11 favors the extension of the metaphor. The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has חזים (“seers”) here. In this case the “watchmen” are directly identified as prophets and depicted as lazy.
85 sn The phrase never full alludes to the greed of the leaders.
86 tn Heb “for his gain from his end.”
87 tn The words “each one says” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
88 tn Heb “great, [in] abundance, very much,” i.e., “very great indeed.” See HALOT 452 s.v. יֶתֶר.
89 tn Or “desert.”
90 tn Grk “and having fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward he was hungry.”
91 tn Grk “say that these stones should become bread.”
92 tn Grk “answering, he said.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant, but the syntax of the phrase has been changed for clarity.
93 tn Or “a person.” Greek ὁ ἄνθρωπος (Jo anqrwpo") is used generically for humanity. The translation “man” is used because the emphasis in Jesus’ response seems to be on his dependence on God as a man.
94 tn Grk “will not live.” The verb in Greek is a future tense, but it is unclear whether it is meant to be taken as a command (also known as an imperatival future) or as a statement of reality (predictive future).
95 sn A quotation from Deut 8:3.
96 sn The order of the second and third temptations differs in Luke’s account (4:5-12) from the order given in Matthew.
97 tn Grk “and he stood him.”
98 sn The highest point of the temple probably refers to the point on the temple’s southeast corner where it looms directly over a cliff some 450 ft (135 m) high. However, some have suggested the reference could be to the temple’s high gate.
99 sn A quotation from Ps 91:11. This was not so much an incorrect citation as a use in a wrong context (a misapplication of the passage).
100 sn A quotation from Ps 91:12.
101 sn A quotation from Deut 6:16.
102 tn Grk “glory.”
103 tn Grk “if, falling down, you will worship.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”
104 tc The majority of later witnesses (C2 D L Z 33 Ï) have “behind me” (ὀπίσω μου; opisw mou) after “Go away.” But since this is the wording in Matt 16:23, where the text is certain, scribes most likely added the words here to conform to the later passage. Further, the shorter reading has superior support (א B C*vid K P W Δ 0233 Ë1,13 565 579* 700 al). Thus, both externally and internally, the shorter reading is strongly preferred.
105 sn A quotation from Deut 6:13. The word “only” is an interpretive expansion not found in either the Hebrew or Greek (LXX) text of the OT.
106 tn Grk “and behold, angels.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
107 tn Grk “he.”
108 tn Or “arrested,” “taken into custody” (see L&N 37.12).
109 map For location see Map1 D3; Map2 C2; Map3 D5; Map4 C1; Map5 G3.
110 tn Grk “and leaving Nazareth, he came and took up residence in Capernaum.”
sn Capernaum was a town located on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region, and it became the hub of operations for Jesus’ Galilean ministry.
map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.
111 tn Or “by the lake.”
sn By the sea refers to the Sea of Galilee.
112 tn The redundant participle λέγοντος (legontos) has not been translated here.
113 sn A quotation from Isa 9:1.
114 tn Grk “and to say.”
115 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
116 tn The two phrases in this verse placed in parentheses are explanatory comments by the author, parenthetical in nature.
117 tn The Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, thus “people.”
sn The kind of fishing envisioned was net – not line – fishing (cf. v. 18; cf. also BDAG 55 s.v. ἀμφιβάλλω, ἀμφίβληστρον) which involved a circular net that had heavy weights around its perimeter. The occupation of fisherman was labor-intensive. The imagery of using a lure and a line (and waiting for the fish to strike) is thus foreign to this text. Rather, the imagery of a fisherman involved much strain, long hours, and often little results. Jesus’ point may have been one or more of the following: the strenuousness of evangelism, the work ethic that it required, persistence and dedication to the task (often in spite of minimal results), the infinite value of the new “catch” (viz., people), and perhaps an eschatological theme of snatching people from judgment (cf. W. L. Lane, Mark [NICNT], 67). If this last motif is in view, then catching people is the opposite of catching fish: The fish would be caught, killed, cooked, and eaten; people would be caught so as to remove them from eternal destruction and to give them new life.
118 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
119 sn The expression followed him pictures discipleship, which means that to learn from Jesus is to follow him as the guiding priority of one’s life.
120 tn Or “their boat.” The phrase ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ (en tw ploiw) can either refer to a generic boat, some boat (as it seems to do here); or it can refer to “their” boat, implying possession. Mark assumes a certain preunderstanding on the part of his readers about the first four disciples and hence the translation “their boat” is justified (cf. also v. 20 in which the “hired men” indicates that Zebedee’s family owned the boats), while Matthew does not.
121 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
122 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
123 tn Grk “And he.”
124 sn Synagogues were places for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though the origin of the synagogue is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present (see the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2).
125 tn Grk “And they”; “they” is probably an indefinite plural, referring to people in general rather than to the Syrians (cf. v. 25).
126 tn Grk “those who were moonstruck,” possibly meaning “lunatic” (so NAB), although now the term is generally regarded as referring to some sort of seizure disorder such as epilepsy (L&N 23.169; BDAG 919 s.v. σεληνιάζομαι).
127 tn The translation has adopted a different phrase order here than that in the Greek text. The Greek text reads, “People brought to him all who suffered with various illnesses and afflictions, those possessed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics.” Even though it is obvious that four separate groups of people are in view here, following the Greek word order could lead to the misconception that certain people were possessed by epileptics and paralytics. The word order adopted in the translation avoids this problem.
128 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated before each of the places in the list, since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
sn The Decapolis refers to a league of towns (originally consisting of ten; the Greek name literally means “ten towns”) whose region (except for Scythopolis) lay across the Jordan River.
129 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
130 tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity. The region referred to here is sometimes known as Transjordan (i.e., “across the Jordan”).
