2 Chronicles 6:12-42
Context6:12 He stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. 6:13 Solomon had made a bronze platform and had placed it in the middle of the enclosure. It was seven and one-half feet 1 long, seven and one-half feet 2 wide, and four and one-half feet 3 high. He stood on it and then got down on his knees in front of the entire assembly of Israel. He spread out his hands toward the sky, 6:14 and prayed: 4 “O Lord God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven or on earth! You maintain covenantal loyalty 5 to your servants who obey you with sincerity. 6 6:15 You have kept your word to your servant, my father David; 7 this very day you have fulfilled what you promised. 8 6:16 Now, O Lord God of Israel, keep the promise you made to your servant, my father David, when you said, ‘You will never fail to have a successor ruling before me on the throne of Israel, 9 provided that your descendants watch their step and obey my law as you have done.’ 10 6:17 Now, O Lord God of Israel, may the promise you made to your servant David be realized. 11
6:18 “God does not really live with humankind on the earth! 12 Look, if the sky and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this temple I have built! 6:19 But respond favorably to 13 your servant’s prayer and his request for help, O Lord my God. Answer 14 the desperate prayer 15 your servant is presenting to you. 16 6:20 Night and day may you watch over this temple, the place where you promised you would live. 17 May you answer your servant’s prayer for this place. 18 6:21 Respond to the requests of your servant and your people Israel for this place. 19 Hear from your heavenly dwelling place and respond favorably and forgive. 20
6:22 “When someone is accused of sinning against his neighbor and the latter pronounces a curse on the alleged offender before your altar in this temple, 21 6:23 listen from heaven and make a just decision about your servants’ claims. Condemn the guilty party, declare the other innocent, and give both of them what they deserve. 22
6:24 “If your people Israel are defeated by an enemy 23 because they sinned against you, then if they come back to you, renew their allegiance to you, 24 and pray for your help 25 before you in this temple, 6:25 then listen from heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land you gave to them and their ancestors. 26
6:26 “The time will come when 27 the skies 28 are shut up tightly and no rain falls because your people 29 sinned against you. When they direct their prayers toward this place, renew their allegiance to you, 30 and turn away from their sin because you punish 31 them, 6:27 then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Certainly 32 you will then teach them the right way to live 33 and send rain on your land that you have given your people to possess. 34
6:28 “The time will come when the land suffers from a famine, a plague, blight, and disease, or a locust 35 invasion, or when their enemy lays siege to the cities of the land, 36 or when some other type of plague or epidemic occurs. 6:29 When all your people Israel pray and ask for help, 37 as they acknowledge their intense pain 38 and spread out their hands toward this temple, 6:30 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place, forgive their sin, 39 and act favorably toward each one based on your evaluation of their motives. 40 (Indeed you are the only one who can correctly evaluate the motives of all people.) 41 6:31 Then they will honor 42 you by obeying you 43 throughout their lifetimes as 44 they live on the land you gave to our ancestors.
6:32 “Foreigners, who do not belong to your people Israel, will come from a distant land because of your great reputation 45 and your ability to accomplish mighty deeds; 46 they will come and direct their prayers toward this temple. 6:33 Then listen from your heavenly dwelling place and answer all the prayers of the foreigners. 47 Then all the nations of the earth will acknowledge your reputation, 48 obey 49 you like your people Israel do, and recognize that this temple I built belongs to you. 50
6:34 “When you direct your people to march out and fight their enemies, 51 and they direct their prayers to you toward this chosen city and this temple I built for your honor, 52 6:35 then listen from heaven to their prayers for help 53 and vindicate them. 54
6:36 “The time will come when your people 55 will sin against you (for there is no one who is sinless!) and you will be angry at them and deliver them over to their enemies, who will take them as prisoners to their land, whether far away or close by. 6:37 When your people 56 come to their senses 57 in the land where they are held prisoner, they will repent and beg for your mercy in the land of their imprisonment, admitting, ‘We have sinned and gone astray 58 , we have done evil!’ 6:38 When they return to you with all their heart and being 59 in the land where they are held prisoner and direct their prayers toward the land you gave to their ancestors, your chosen city, and the temple I built for your honor, 60 6:39 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place to their prayers for help, 61 vindicate them, 62 and forgive your sinful people.
6:40 “Now, my God, may you be attentive and responsive to the prayers offered in this place. 63 6:41 Now ascend, O Lord God, to your resting place, you and the ark of your strength! May your priests, O Lord God, experience your deliverance! 64 May your loyal followers rejoice in the prosperity you give! 65 6:42 O Lord God, do not reject your chosen ones! 66 Remember the faithful promises you made to your servant David!”
1 John 5:1-21
Context5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ 67 has been fathered 68 by God, and everyone who loves the father 69 loves the child fathered by him. 70 5:2 By this 71 we know that we love the children of God: whenever we love God and obey his commandments. 5:3 For 72 this is the love of God: 73 that we keep his commandments. 74 And his commandments do not weigh us down, 5:4 because 75 everyone 76 who has been fathered by God 77 conquers 78 the world. 79
This 80 is the conquering power 81 that has conquered 82 the world: our faith. 5:5 Now who is the person who has conquered the world except the one who believes that 83 Jesus is the Son of God? 5:6 Jesus Christ is the one who came by water and blood – not by the water only, but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because 84 the Spirit is the truth. 5:7 For 85 there are three that testify, 86 5:8 the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three are in agreement.
5:9 If we accept the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, because 87 this 88 is the testimony of God that 89 he has testified concerning his Son. 5:10 (The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has testified concerning his Son.) 90 5:11 And this is the testimony: God 91 has given us eternal life, 92 and this life is in his Son. 5:12 The one who has the Son 93 has this 94 eternal 95 life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have this 96 eternal 97 life.
5:13 I have written these things 98 to you who believe 99 in the name of the Son of God so that 100 you may know that you have eternal life.
5:14 And this is the confidence that we have before him: that 101 whenever 102 we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 5:15 And if we know 103 that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, then we know that we have the requests that we have asked from him. 5:16 If 104 anyone sees his fellow Christian 105 committing a sin not resulting in death, 106 he should ask, and God 107 will grant 108 life to the person who commits a sin not resulting in death. 109 There is a sin resulting in death. 110 I do not say that he should ask about that. 5:17 All unrighteousness 111 is sin, but there is sin not resulting in death. 112
5:18 We know that everyone fathered 113 by God does not sin, but God 114 protects 115 the one he has fathered, and the evil one cannot touch him. 5:19 We know that we are from God, 116 and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us insight to know 117 him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This one 118 is the true God and eternal life. 5:21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols. 119
Habakkuk 1:1-17
Context1:1 The following is the message 120 which God revealed to Habakkuk the prophet: 121
1:2 How long, Lord, must I cry for help?
But you do not listen!
I call out to you, “Violence!”
But you do not intervene! 122
1:3 Why do you force me to witness injustice? 123
Why do you put up with wrongdoing? 124
Destruction and violence confront 125 me;
conflict is present and one must endure strife. 126
1:4 For this reason the law lacks power, 127
and justice is never carried out. 128
Indeed, 129 the wicked intimidate 130 the innocent. 131
For this reason justice is perverted. 132
1:5 “Look at the nations and pay attention! 133
You will be shocked and amazed! 134
For I will do something in your lifetime 135
that you will not believe even though you are forewarned. 136
1:6 Look, I am about to empower 137 the Babylonians,
that ruthless 138 and greedy 139 nation.
They sweep across the surface 140 of the earth,
seizing dwelling places that do not belong to them.
1:7 They are frightening and terrifying;
they decide for themselves what is right. 141
1:8 Their horses are faster than leopards
and more alert 142 than wolves in the desert. 143
their horses come a great distance;
like a vulture 146 they swoop down quickly to devour their prey. 147
1:9 All of them intend 148 to do violence;
every face is determined. 149
They take prisoners as easily as one scoops up sand. 150
1:10 They mock kings
and laugh at rulers.
They laugh at every fortified city;
they build siege ramps 151 and capture them.
1:11 They sweep by like the wind and pass on. 152
But the one who considers himself a god will be held guilty.” 153
1:12 Lord, you have been active from ancient times; 154
my sovereign God, 155 you are immortal. 156
Lord, you have made them 157 your instrument of judgment. 158
Protector, 159 you have appointed them as your instrument of punishment. 160
1:13 You are too just 161 to tolerate 162 evil;
you are unable to condone 163 wrongdoing.
So why do you put up with such treacherous people? 164
Why do you say nothing when the wicked devour 165 those more righteous than they are? 166
1:14 You made people like fish in the sea,
like animals in the sea 167 that have no ruler.
1:15 The Babylonian tyrant 168 pulls them all up with a fishhook;
he hauls them in with his throw net. 169
When he catches 170 them in his dragnet,
he is very happy. 171
1:16 Because of his success 172 he offers sacrifices to his throw net
and burns incense to his dragnet; 173
for because of them he has plenty of food, 174
and more than enough to eat. 175
1:17 Will he then 176 continue to fill and empty his throw net? 177
Will he always 178 destroy 179 nations and spare none? 180
Luke 20:1-47
Context20:1 Now one 181 day, as Jesus 182 was teaching the people in the temple courts 183 and proclaiming 184 the gospel, the chief priests and the experts in the law 185 with the elders came up 186 20:2 and said to him, 187 “Tell us: By what authority 188 are you doing these things? 189 Or who it is who gave you this authority?” 20:3 He answered them, 190 “I will also ask you a question, and you tell me: 20:4 John’s baptism 191 – was it from heaven or from people?” 192 20:5 So 193 they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ 20:6 But if we say, ‘From people,’ all the people will stone us, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.” 20:7 So 194 they replied that they did not know 195 where it came from. 20:8 Then 196 Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you 197 by whose authority 198 I do these things.”
20:9 Then 199 he began to tell the people this parable: “A man 200 planted a vineyard, 201 leased it to tenant farmers, 202 and went on a journey for a long time. 20:10 When harvest time came, he sent a slave 203 to the tenants so that they would give 204 him his portion of the crop. 205 However, the tenants beat his slave 206 and sent him away empty-handed. 20:11 So 207 he sent another slave. They beat this one too, treated him outrageously, and sent him away empty-handed. 208 20:12 So 209 he sent still a third. They even wounded this one, and threw him out. 20:13 Then 210 the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my one dear son; 211 perhaps they will respect him.’ 20:14 But when the tenants saw him, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir; let’s kill him so the inheritance will be ours!’ 20:15 So 212 they threw him out of the vineyard and killed 213 him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 20:16 He will come and destroy 214 those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” 215 When the people 216 heard this, they said, “May this never happen!” 217 20:17 But Jesus 218 looked straight at them and said, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? 219 20:18 Everyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, 220 and the one on whom it falls will be crushed.” 221 20:19 Then 222 the experts in the law 223 and the chief priests wanted to arrest 224 him that very hour, because they realized he had told this parable against them. But 225 they were afraid of the people.
20:20 Then 226 they watched him carefully and sent spies who pretended to be sincere. 227 They wanted to take advantage of what he might say 228 so that they could deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction 229 of the governor. 20:21 Thus 230 they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach correctly, 231 and show no partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 232 20:22 Is it right 233 for us to pay the tribute tax 234 to Caesar 235 or not?” 20:23 But Jesus 236 perceived their deceit 237 and said to them, 20:24 “Show me a denarius. 238 Whose image 239 and inscription are on it?” 240 They said, “Caesar’s.” 20:25 So 241 he said to them, “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 242 20:26 Thus 243 they were unable in the presence of the people to trap 244 him with his own words. 245 And stunned 246 by his answer, they fell silent.
20:27 Now some Sadducees 247 (who contend that there is no resurrection) 248 came to him. 20:28 They asked him, 249 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies leaving a wife but no children, that man 250 must marry 251 the widow and father children 252 for his brother. 253 20:29 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman 254 and died without children. 20:30 The second 255 20:31 and then the third married her, and in this same way all seven died, leaving no children. 20:32 Finally the woman died too. 20:33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? 256 For all seven had married her.” 257
20:34 So 258 Jesus said to them, “The people of this age 259 marry and are given in marriage. 20:35 But those who are regarded as worthy to share in 260 that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. 261 20:36 In fact, they can no longer die, because they are equal to angels 262 and are sons of God, since they are 263 sons 264 of the resurrection. 20:37 But even Moses revealed that the dead are raised 265 in the passage about the bush, 266 where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 267 20:38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, 268 for all live before him.” 269 20:39 Then 270 some of the experts in the law 271 answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well!” 272 20:40 For they did not dare any longer to ask 273 him anything.
20:41 But 274 he said to them, “How is it that they say that the Christ 275 is David’s son? 276 20:42 For David himself says in the book of Psalms,
‘The Lord said to my 277 lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
20:43 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’ 278
20:44 If David then calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” 279
20:45 As 280 all the people were listening, Jesus 281 said to his disciples, 20:46 “Beware 282 of the experts in the law. 283 They 284 like walking around in long robes, and they love elaborate greetings 285 in the marketplaces and the best seats 286 in the synagogues 287 and the places of honor at banquets. 20:47 They 288 devour 289 widows’ property, 290 and as a show make long prayers. They will receive a more severe punishment.”
1 tn Heb “five cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the length would have been 7.5 feet (2.25 m).
2 tn Heb “five cubits.”
3 tn Heb “three cubits.” Assuming a cubit of 18 inches (45 cm), the height would have been 4.5 feet (1.35 m).
4 tn Heb “said.”
5 tn Heb “one who keeps the covenant and the loyal love.”
6 tn Heb “who walk before you with all their heart.”
7 tn Heb “[you] who kept to your servant David my father that which you spoke to him.”
8 tn Heb “you spoke by your mouth and by your hand you fulfilled, as this day.”
9 tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from before me sitting on the throne of Israel.”
10 tn Heb “guard their way by walking in my law as you have walked before me.”
11 tn Or “prove to be reliable.”
12 tn Heb “Indeed, can God really live with mankind on the earth?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course not,” the force of which is reflected in the translation “God does not really live with mankind on the earth.”
13 tn Heb “turn to.”
14 tn Heb “by listening to.”
15 tn Heb “the loud cry and the prayer.”
16 tn Heb “praying before you.”
17 tn Heb “so your eyes might be open toward this house night and day, toward the place about which you said, ‘My name will be there.’”
18 tn Heb “by listening to the prayer which your servant is praying concerning this place.”
19 tn Heb “listen to the requests of your servant and your people Israel which they are praying concerning this place.”
20 tn Heb “hear and forgive.”
21 tn Heb “and if the man who sins against his neighbor when one takes up against him a curse to curse him and the curse comes before your altar in this house.”
22 tn Heb “and you, hear [from] heaven and act and judge your servants by repaying the guilty, to give his way on his head, and to declare the innocent to be innocent, to give to him according to his innocence.”
23 tn Or “are struck down before an enemy.”
24 tn Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”
25 tn Heb “and they pray and ask for help.”
26 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 31, 38).
27 tn Heb “when.” In the Hebrew text vv. 26-27a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
28 tn Or “heavens” (also in v. 12). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
29 tn Heb “they.”
30 tn Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”
31 tn The Hebrew text reads “because you answer them,” as if the verb is from עָנָה (’anah, “answer”). However, this reference to a divine answer is premature, since the next verse asks for God to intervene in mercy. It is better to revocalize the consonantal text as תְעַנֵּם (tÿ’annem, “you afflict them”), a Piel verb form from the homonym עָנָה (“afflict”).
32 tn The present translation understands כִּי (ki) in an emphatic or asseverative sense (“Certainly”). Other translation have “indeed” (NASB), “when” (NRSV), “so” (NEB), or leave the word untranslated (NIV).
33 tn Heb “the good way in which they should walk.”
34 tn Or “for an inheritance.”
35 tn Actually two Hebrew words appear here, both of which are usually (but not always) taken as referring to locusts. Perhaps different stages of growth or different varieties are in view, but this is uncertain. NEB has “locusts new-sloughed or fully grown”; NASB has “locust or grasshopper”; NIV has “locusts or grasshoppers”; NRSV has “locust, or caterpillar.”
36 tn Heb “in the land, his gates.”
37 tn Heb “every prayer, every request for help which will be to all the people, to all your people Israel.”
38 tn Heb “which they know, each his pain and his affliction.”
39 tn The words “their sin” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarification.
40 tn Heb “and act and give to each one according to all his ways because you know his heart.” In the Hebrew text vv. 28-30a actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided up for stylistic reasons.
41 tn Heb “Indeed you know, you alone, the heart of all the sons of mankind.”
42 tn Heb “fear.”
43 tn Heb “by walking in your ways.”
44 tn Heb “all the days [in] which.”
45 tn Heb “your great name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “your great reputation
46 tn Heb “and your strong hand and your outstretched arm.”
47 tn Heb “and do all which the foreigner calls to [i.e., “requests of”] you.”
48 tn Heb “name.” See the note on “reputation” in v. 32.
49 tn Heb “fear.”
50 tn Heb “that your name is called over this house which I built.” The Hebrew idiom “call the name over” indicates ownership. See 2 Sam 12:28.
51 tn Heb “When your people go out for battle against their enemies in the way which you send them.”
52 tn Heb “toward this city which you have chosen and the house which I built for your name.”
53 tn Heb “their prayer and their request for help.”
54 tn Heb “and accomplish their justice.”
55 tn Heb “they”; the referent (God’s people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
56 tn Heb “they”; the referent (God’s people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
57 tn Or “stop and reflect”; Heb “bring back to their heart.”
58 tn Or “done wrong.”
59 tn Or “soul.”
60 tn Heb “your name.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “your honor
61 tn Heb “their prayer and their requests for help.”
62 tn Heb “and accomplish their justice.”
63 tn Heb “May your eyes be open and your ears attentive to the prayer of this place.”
64 tn Heb “be clothed with deliverance.”
65 tn Heb “and may your loyal ones rejoice in good.”
66 tc Heb “do not turn away the face of your anointed ones.” Many medieval Hebrew
67 tn Or “the Messiah.”
68 tn The verb γεννάω (gennaw) here means to be fathered by God and thus a child of God. The imagery in 1 John is that of the male parent who fathers children. See the note on “fathered” in 2:29 for further discussion of this imagery.
69 tc ‡ Most witnesses ([א] A P 1739 Ï sy) have καί (kai, “also”) before the article τόν (ton). But the external evidence for the shorter reading is significant (B Ψ 048vid 33 pc sa), and the conjunction looks to be a motivated reading in which scribes emulated the wording of 4:21 (ἀγαπᾷ καὶ τόν, agapa kai ton). NA27 places the conjunction in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
70 sn Also loves the child fathered by him. Is the meaning of 5:1b a general observation or a specific statement about God and Christians? There are three ways in which the second half of 5:1 has been understood: (1) as a general statement, proverbial in nature, applying to any parent: “everyone who loves the father also loves the child fathered by him.” (2) This has also been understood as a statement that is particularly true of one’s own parent: “everyone who loves his own father also loves the (other) children fathered by him (i.e., one’s own brothers and sisters).” (3) This could be understood as a statement which refers particularly to God, in light of the context (5:1a): “everyone who loves God who fathered Christians also loves the Christians who are fathered by God.” Without doubt options (2) and (3) are implications of the statement in its present context, but it seems most probable that the meaning of the statement is more general and proverbial in nature (option 1). This is likely because of the way in which it is introduced by the author with πᾶς ὁ (pas Jo) + participle. The author could have been more explicit and said something like, “everyone who loves God also loves God’s children” had he intended option (3) without ambiguity. Yet that, in context, is the ultimate application of the statement, because it ultimately refers to the true Christian who, because he loves God, also loves the brethren, those who are God’s offspring. This is the opposite of 4:20, where the author asserted that the opponents, who profess to love God but do not love the brethren, cannot really love God because they do not love the brethren.
71 tn Once more there is the familiar difficulty of determining whether the phrase refers (1) to what precedes or (2) to what follows. Here, because ἐν τούτῳ (en toutw) is followed by a clause introduced by ὅταν (Jotan) which appears to be related, it is best to understand ἐν τούτῳ as referring to what follows. The following ὅταν clause is epexegetical to ἐν τούτῳ, explaining how we know that we love God’s children: “by this we know that we love God’s children, whenever we love God and keep his commandments.”
72 tn The force of the γάρ (gar) at the beginning of 5:3 is similar to another introductory formula used by the author of 1 John, καὶ αὕτη ἐστίν (kai Jauth estin; used in 1:5; 5:4, 11, and 14). The γάρ draws an inference based on the preceding statements, particularly the one in 5:2b, regarding the love of God. If in 5:2 loving God and keeping his commandments is the key to knowing that we love God’s children, it is important to define what the love of God involves, and this is what the author is doing in 5:3. In fact, as the following ἵνα (Jina) clause makes clear, loving God consists in keeping his commandments.
73 tn Once again the genitive could be understood as (1) objective, (2) subjective, or (3) both. Here an objective sense is more likely (believers’ love for God) because in the previous verse it is clear that God is the object of believers’ love.
74 tn Contrary to the punctuation of NA27 and UBS4, it is best to place a full stop (period) following τηρῶμεν (thrwmen) in 5:3. The subordinate clause introduced by ὅτι (Joti) at the beginning of 5:4 is related to the second half of 5:3 which begins with καί (kai). Καί is commonly used by the author to begin a new sentence, probably by analogy with the Hebrew vav consecutive.
75 tn The explicit reason the commandments of God are not burdensome to the believer is given by the ὅτι (Joti) clause at the beginning of 5:4. It is because “everyone who is begotten by God conquers the world.”
76 tn The masculine might have been expected here rather than the neuter πᾶν τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ (pan to gegennhmenon ek tou qeou) to refer to the person who is fathered by God. However, BDF §138.1 explains that “the neuter is sometimes used with respect to persons if it is not the individuals but a generic quality that is to be emphasized”; this seems to be the case here, where a collective aspect is in view: As a group, all those who have been begotten by God, that is, all true believers, overcome the world.
77 sn The author is once more looking at the situation antithetically (in ‘either/or’ terms) as he sees the readers on the one hand as true believers (everyone who is fathered by God) who have overcome the world through their faith, and the opponents on the other as those who have claimed to have a relationship with God but really do not; they belong to the world in spite of their claims.
78 tn Or “overcomes.”
79 sn Conquers the world. Once again, the author’s language is far from clear at this point, and so is his meaning, but the author has used the verb conquers (νικάω, nikaw) previously to describe the believer’s victory over the enemy, the evil one himself, in 2:13-14, and over the secessionist opponents, described as “false prophets” in 4:4. This suggests that what the author has in mind here is a victory over the opponents, who now belong to the world and speak its language (cf. 4:5). In the face of the opponents’ attempts through their false teaching to confuse the readers (true believers) about who it is they are supposed to love, the author assures the readers that loving God and keeping his commandments assures us that we really do love God’s children, and because we have already achieved victory over the world through our faith, keeping God’s commandments is not a difficult matter.
80 tn Grk “And this.”
81 tn The standard English translation for ἡ νίκη (Jh nikh) is “victory” (BDAG 673 s.v.) but this does not preserve the relationship with the cognate verb νικάω (nikaw; used in 2:13,14 and present in this context in participial form in 5:4b and 5:5). One alternative would be “conquest,” although R. E. Brown (Epistles of John [AB], 570) suggests “conquering power” as a translation for ἡ νίκη since here it is a metonymy for the means of victory or the power that gives victory, referring to believers’ faith.
82 tn The use of the aorist participle (ἡ νικήσασα, Jh nikhsasa) to refer to faith as the conquering power that “has conquered the world” in 5:4b is problematic. Debate here centers over the temporal value of the aorist participle: (1) It may indicate an action contemporaneous with the (present tense) main verb, in which case the alternation between aorist participle in 5:4b and present participle in 5:5 is one more example of the author’s love of stylistic variation with no difference in meaning. (2) Nevertheless, an aorist participle with a present tense main verb would normally indicate an action antecedent to that of the main verb, so that the aorist participle would describe a past action. That is the most probable here. Thus the aorist participle stresses that the conquest of the world is something that has already been accomplished.
83 tn After a verb of perception (the participle ὁ πιστεύων [Jo pisteuwn]) the ὅτι (Joti) in 5:5 introduces indirect discourse, a declarative or recitative clause giving the content of what the person named by the participle (ὁ πιστεύων) believes: “that Jesus is the Son of God.” As in 4:15, such a confession constitutes a problem for the author’s opponents but not for his readers who are genuine believers.
84 tn This ὅτι (Joti) is best understood (1) as causal. Some have taken it (2) as declarative, giving the content of the Spirit’s testimony: “and the Spirit is the One who testifies that the Spirit is the truth.” This is certainly possible, since a ὅτι clause following the cognate verb μαρτυρέω (marturevw) often gives the content of the testimony (cf. John 1:34; 3:28; 4:39, 44). But in the Gospel of John the Spirit never bears witness on his own behalf, but always on behalf of Jesus (John 15:26, 16:13). There are, in fact, some instances in the Gospel of John where a ὅτι clause following μαρτυρέω is causal (8:14, 15:27), and that is more likely here: “and the Spirit is the One who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.”
85 tn A second causal ὅτι (Joti) clause (after the one at the end of the preceding verse) is somewhat awkward, especially since the reasons offered in each are somewhat different. The content of the second ὅτι clause (the one in question here) goes somewhat beyond the content of the first. The first ὅτι clause, the one at the end of 5:6, stated the reason why the Spirit is the witness: because the Spirit is the truth. The second ὅτι clause, here, states that there are three witnesses, of which the Spirit is one. It is probably best, therefore, to understand this second ὅτι as indicating a somewhat looser connection than the first, not strictly causal but inferential in sense (the English translation “for” captures this inferential sense). See BDF §456.1 for a discussion of this ‘looser’ use of ὅτι.
86 tc Before τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ τὸ αἷμα (to pneuma kai to {udwr kai to |aima), the Textus Receptus (TR) reads ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ὁ πατήρ, ὁ λόγος, καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, καὶ οὗτοι οἱ τρεῖς ἕν εἰσι. 5:8 καὶ τρεῖς εἰσιν οἱ μαρτυροῦντες ἐν τῇ γῇ (“in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. 5:8 And there are three that testify on earth”). This reading, the infamous Comma Johanneum, has been known in the English-speaking world through the King James translation. However, the evidence – both external and internal – is decidedly against its authenticity. For a detailed discussion, see TCGNT 647-49. Our discussion will briefly address the external evidence. This longer reading is found only in nine late
87 tn This ὅτι (Joti) almost certainly introduces a causal clause, giving the reason why the “testimony of God” is greater than the “testimony of men”: “because this is God’s testimony that he has testified concerning his Son.”
88 tn The problem with αὕτη (jJauth) in 5:9 lies in determining whether it refers (1) to what precedes or (2) to what follows. A few interpreters would see this as referring to the preceding verses (5:7-8), but the analogy with the author’s other uses of αὕτη (1:5; 3:11, 23) suggests a reference to what follows. In all of the other instances of αὕτη ἐστιν ({auth estin, 1:5; 3:11, 23) the phrase is followed by an epexegetical (explanatory) clause giving the referent (ὅτι [Joti] in 1:5, ἵνα [Jina] in 3:11 and 23). The ὅτι clause which follows the αὕτη in 5:9 does not explain the testimony, but should be understood as an adjectival relative clause which qualifies the testimony further. The ὅτι clause which explains the testimony of 5:9 (to which the αὕτη in 5:9 refers) is found in 5:11, where the phrase αὕτη ἐστιν is repeated. Thus the second use of αὕτη ἐστιν in 5:11 is resumptive, and the ὅτι clause which follows the αὕτη in 5:11 is the epexegetical (explanatory) clause which explains both it and the αὕτη in 5:9 which it resumes.
89 tn The second ὅτι (Joti) in 5:9 may be understood in three different ways. (1) It may be causal, in which case it gives the reason why the testimony just mentioned is God’s testimony: “because he has testified concerning his Son.” This is extremely awkward because of the preceding ὅτι clause which is almost certainly causal (although the second ὅτι could perhaps be resumptive in force, continuing the first). (2) The second ὅτι could be understood as epexegetical (explanatory), in which case it explains what the testimony of God mentioned in the preceding clause consists of: “because this is the testimony of God, [namely,] that he has testified concerning his Son.” This is much smoother grammatically, but encounters the logical problem that “the testimony of God” is defined in 5:11 (“And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life”) and the two definitions of what the testimony of God consists of are not identical (some would say that they are not even close). Thus (3) the smoothest way to understand the second ὅτι logically is to read it as a relative pronoun: “because this is the testimony of God that he has testified concerning his Son.” In this case it is exactly parallel to the relative clause which occurs in 5:10b: “because he has not believed the testimony that (ἣν, Jhn) God has testified concerning his Son.” (There is in fact a textual problem with the second ὅτι in 5:9: The Byzantine tradition, along with ms P, reads a relative pronoun [ἣν] in place of the second ὅτι in 5:9 identical to the relative pronoun in 5:10b. This represents an obvious effort on the part of scribes to smooth out the reading of the text.) In an effort to derive a similar sense from the second ὅτι in 5:9 it has been suggested that the conjunction ὅτι should be read as an indefinite relative pronoun ὅτι (sometimes written ὅ τι). The problem with this suggestion is the use of the neuter relative pronoun to refer to a feminine antecedent (ἡ μαρτυρία, Jh marturia). It is not without precedent for a neuter relative pronoun to refer to an antecedent of differing gender, especially as some forms tended to become fixed in usage and were used without regard to agreement. But in this particular context it is difficult to see why the author would use a neuter indefinite relative pronoun here in 5:9b and then use the normal feminine relative pronoun (ἣν) in the next verse. (Perhaps this strains at the limits of even the notorious Johannine preference for stylistic variation, although it is impossible to say what the author might or might not have been capable of doing.) Because of the simplicity and logical smoothness which results from reading ὅτι as equivalent to a relative pronoun, the third option is preferred, although it is not without its difficulties (as are all three options).
90 sn This verse is a parenthesis in John’s argument.
91 tn The ὅτι (Joti) clause in 5:11 is epexegetical (explanatory) to the phrase καὶ αὕτη ἐστίν (kai Jauth estin) at the beginning of the verse and gives the content of the testimony for the first time: “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”
92 sn In understanding how “God’s testimony” (added to the three witnesses of 5:8) can consist of eternal life it is important to remember the debate between the author and the opponents. It is not the reality of eternal life (whether it exists at all or not) that is being debated here, but rather which side in the debate (the author and his readers or the opponents) possesses it (this is a key point). The letter began with a testimony that “the eternal life” has been revealed (1:2), and it is consummated here with the reception or acknowledgment of that eternal life as the final testimony. This testimony (which is God’s testimony) consists in eternal life itself, which the author and the readers possess, but the opponents do not. This, for the author, constitutes the final apologetic in his case against the opponents.
93 sn The one who has the Son. The expression “to have the Son” in 5:12 means to “possess” him in the sense that he is present in the individual’s life (see 1 John 2:23 for the use of the Greek verb “to have” to indicate possession of a divine reality). From the parallel statement in 5:10a it is clear that believing in the Son and thus having God’s testimony in one’s self is the same as “having” the Son here in 5:12a. This is essentially identical to John 3:16: “that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” In contrast, the negative statement in 5:12b reflects the author’s evaluation of the opponents: “the one who does not have the Son does not have (eternal) life.” The opponents, in spite of their claims to know God, do not possess (nor have they at any time possessed, cf. 2:19) eternal life.
94 tn “This” is a translation of the Greek anaphoric article.
95 tn The word “eternal” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity, since the anaphoric article in Greek points back to the previous mention of eternal life in 5:11.
96 tn “This” is a translation of the Greek anaphoric article.
97 tn The word “eternal” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity, since the anaphoric article in Greek points back to the previous mention of eternal life in 5:11.
98 tn Theoretically the pronoun ταῦτα (tauta) could refer (1) to what precedes or (2) to what follows. Since it is followed by a ἵνα (Jina) clause which gives the purpose for the writing, and a new subject is introduced in 5:14 (ἡ παρρησία, Jh parrhsia), it seems almost certain that the ταῦτα in 5:13 refers to preceding material. Even at this, some would limit the referent of ταῦτα (1) only to 5:1-12 or even 5:12, but more likely ταῦτα in 5:13 refers (2) to the entirety of the letter, for two reasons: (a) based on the structural analogy with the Gospel of John, where the conclusion refers to all that has preceded, it is probable that the conclusion to 1 John refers likewise to all that has preceded; and (b) the statement ταῦτα ἔγραψα ὑμῖν (tauta egraya Jumin) in 5:13 forms an inclusion with the statement καὶ ταῦτα γράφομεν ἡμεῖς (kai tauta grafomen Jhmei") at the end of the prologue (1:4) and encompasses the entire body of the letter.
99 tn The dative participle πιστεύουσιν (pisteuousin) in 5:13 is in simple apposition to the indirect object of ἔγραψα (egraya), ὑμῖν (Jumin), and could be translated, “These things I have written to you, namely, to the ones who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know.” There is an exact parallel to this structure in John 1:12, where the pronoun is αὐτοῖς (autois) and the participle is τοῖς πιστεύουσιν (toi" pisteuousin) as here.
100 tn This ἵνα (Jina) introduces a clause giving the author’s purpose for writing “these things” (ταῦτα, tauta), which refers to the entirety of the preceding material. The two other Johannine statements about writing, 1 John 1:4 and John 20:31, are both followed by purpose clauses introduced by ἵνα, as here.
101 tn For the third time in 5:9-14 the author uses the construction αὕτη ἐστίν ({auth estin; 5:9, 11, 14). As in the previous instance (5:11) the ὅτι (Joti) clause which follows is epexegetical (explanatory) to the pronoun αὕτη and explains what the “confidence” (παρρησία, parrhsia) consists of (technically the subject is ἡ παρρησία, the predicate nominative is the pronoun αὕτη, and the ὅτι clause explains the predicate nominative): “And the confidence which we have before him is this, namely, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”
102 tn A third-class condition is introduced by ἐάν (ean) + present subjunctive. Because the apodosis also contains a present tense verb (ἀκούει, akouei) this belongs in a subcategory of third-class conditional sentences known as present general. In the Koine period ἐάν can mean “when” or “whenever” and is virtually the equivalent of ὅταν (Jotan; see BDAG 268 s.v. ἐάν 2). Thus the meaning here is, “whenever (i.e., if) we ask anything according to his will, then he hears us.”
103 tn This use of ἐάν (ean) with the indicative mood rather than the subjunctive constitutes an anomalous usage. Here ἐάν is used instead of ἐι (ei) to introduce a first-class condition: “if we know (οἴδαμεν, oidamen) that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, then we know that we have the requests which we have asked from him.” The reality of the condition (protasis) is assumed for the sake of argument; given the protasis, the apodosis follows. The use of ἐάν for ἐι is rare but not without precedent; see M. Zerwick (Biblical Greek §§330-31).
104 tn Again ἐάν (ean) in 5:16 introduces (as in 5:14) a third-class condition, but this time, with the future indicative (αἰτήσει, aithsei) in the apodosis, the condition is known as “more probable future.” As BDF §371.4 points out, such a condition describes what is to be expected under certain circumstances. If a person sees his Christian brother committing a sin not to death, it is expected that he will make intercession for the sinning brother (“he should ask…”), and that life will be granted to the sinner in answer to the request. The author has already pointed out in 5:14-15 that if believers make requests of God in accordance with his will they may have confidence that they will receive the requests they have asked for, and this is a specific instance.
105 tn See note on the phrase “fellow Christian” in 2:9.
106 tn Grk “a sin not to death.”
107 tn Grk “he” (see the note on the word “grant” later in this verse for discussion).
108 tn The referent of the (understood) third person subject of δώσει (dwsei) in 5:16 is difficult to determine. Once again the author’s meaning is obscure. Several possibilities have been suggested for the referent of the subject of this verb: (1) From a grammatical and syntactical standpoint, it would be easiest to understand the subject of δώσει in 5:16 as the person who makes the request, since this person is the subject of the preceding verb αἰτήσει (aithsei) and the following verb ἐρωτήσῃ (erwthsh). From a theological standpoint this is extremely difficult, however, since it would make the person who prays for the sinner the giver of life, and it is questionable whether the author (for whom God is the ultimate source of life) would say that one believer could ‘give’ life to another. In this case the meaning would be: “he [the petitioner] should ask, and he [the petitioner] will grant life to him [the sinner], namely, to those who sin not to death.” (2) Another option is to see God as the subject of δώσει in 5:16 and the Giver of life to the sinner. This is far more consistent theologically with the author’s perspective on God as the Giver of life everywhere else, but it is awkward grammatically (as explained in reference to the previous position above) because it involves a shift in subjects for the three third-person verbs in the context from the person who makes the request (αἰτήσει) to God (δώσει) and back to the person who makes the request (ἐρωτήσῃ). In this case the meaning would be: “he [the petitioner] should ask, and he [God] will grant life to him [the sinner], namely, to those who sin not to death.” (3) A third possibility is to see God as the subject of δώσει in 5:16, but the person who makes the request (rather than the sinner) as the referent of the indirect object αὐτῷ (autw) in 5:16. This is possible because the indirect object αὐτῷ is singular, while the dative substantival participle τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν (toi" Jamartanousin) which follows (which clearly refers to those who sin) is plural. Thus the meaning would be: “he [the petitioner] should ask, and he [God] will grant life to him [the petitioner], with reference to [his praying for] those who sin not to death.” Although this is a difficult and awkward construction no matter what solution one takes, on the whole the second alternative seems most probable. Even if option (1) is preferred it must be acknowledged that God is ultimately the source of life, although it is given as a result of the petitioner’s intercessory prayer and the petitioner becomes, in a sense, the intermediate agent. But in the preceding context (5:11) the author has emphasized that God is the Giver of life, and in spite of the awkwardness in the change of subjects, that would seem to be the most likely meaning here, so option (2) is preferred. Option (3) is improbable because it seems clear that it should be the sinner for whom intercession is made, rather than the petitioner, who is the recipient of life. The petitioner would be assumed to possess life already or he could not be making a request which God would hear. In this case the change from the singular dative indirect object (αὐτῷ) to the plural dative substantival participle (τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν) is merely a loose construction (which by this time should come as no surprise from the author).
109 tn Grk “a sin not to death.”
110 tn Grk “a sin to death.”
111 tn The meaning of ἀδικία (adikia) here is “unrighteousness” (BDAG 20 s.v. 2). It refers to the opposite of that which is δίκαιος (dikaios, “right, just, righteous”) which is used by the author to describe both God and Jesus Christ (1 John 1:9; 2:2, 29). Here, having implied that sins committed by believers (sins “not to death”) may be prayed for and forgiven, the author does not want to leave the impression that such sin is insignificant, because this could be viewed as a concession to the views of the opponents (who as moral indifferentists have downplayed the significance of sin in the Christian’s life).
112 tn Grk “a sin not to death.”
113 tn The concept represented by the verb γεννάω (gennaw) here means to be fathered by God and thus a child of God. The imagery in 1 John is that of the male parent who fathers children (see 2:29).
114 tn Grk “he”; see the note on the following word “protects.”
115 tn The meaning of the phrase ὁ γεννηθεὶς ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ τηρεῖ αὐτόν (Jo gennhqeis ek tou qeou threi auton) in 5:18 is extraordinarily difficult. Again the author’s capacity for making obscure statements results in several possible meanings for this phrase: (1) “The fathering by God protects him [the Christian].” Here a textual variant for ὁ γεννηθείς (ἡ γέννησις, Jh gennhsi") has suggested to some that the passive participle should be understood as a noun (“fathering” or perhaps “birth”), but the ms evidence is extremely slight (1505 1852 2138 latt [syh] bo). This almost certainly represents a scribal attempt to clarify an obscure phrase. (2) “The One fathered by God [Jesus] protects him [the Christian].” This is a popular interpretation, and is certainly possible grammatically. Yet the introduction of a reference to Jesus in this context is sudden; to be unambiguous the author could have mentioned the “Son of God” here, or used the pronoun ἐκεῖνος (ekeinos) as a reference to Jesus as he consistently does elsewhere in 1 John. This interpretation, while possible, seems in context highly unlikely. (3) “The one fathered by God [the Christian] protects himself.” Again a textual problem is behind this alternative, since a number of
116 tn The preposition ἐκ (ek) here indicates both source and possession: Christians are “from” God in the sense that they are begotten by him, and they belong to him. For a similar use of the preposition compare the phrases ἐκ τοῦ πατρός (ek tou patro") and ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου (ek tou kosmou) in 1 John 2:16.
117 tn The ἵνα (Jina) introduces a purpose clause which gives the purpose of the preceding affirmation: “we know that the Son of God has come and has given us insight (so that we may) know him who is true.”
118 sn The pronoun This one (οὗτος, Joutos) refers to a person, but it is far from clear whether it should be understood as a reference (1) to God the Father or (2) to Jesus Christ. R. E. Brown (Epistles of John [AB], 625) comments, “I John, which began with an example of stunning grammatical obscurity in the prologue, continues to the end to offer us examples of unclear grammar.” The nearest previous antecedent is Jesus Christ, immediately preceding, but on some occasions when this has been true the pronoun still refers to God (see 1 John 2:3). The first predicate which follows This one in 5:20, the true God, is a description of God the Father used by Jesus in John 17:3, and was used in the preceding clause of the present verse to refer to God the Father (him who is true). Yet the second predicate of This one in 5:20, eternal life, appears to refer to Jesus, because although the Father possesses “life” (John 5:26, 6:57) just as Jesus does (John 1:4, 6:57, 1 John 5:11), “life” is never predicated of the Father elsewhere, while it is predicated of Jesus in John 11:25 and 14:6 (a self-predication by Jesus). If This one in 5:20 is understood as referring to Jesus, it forms an inclusion with the prologue, which introduced the reader to “the eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us.” Thus it appears best to understand the pronoun This one in 5:20 as a reference to Jesus Christ. The christological affirmation which results is striking, but certainly not beyond the capabilities of the author (see John 1:1 and 20:28): This One [Jesus Christ] is the true God and eternal life.
119 tc Most later
sn The modern reader may wonder what all this has to do with idolatry. In the author’s mind, to follow the secessionist opponents with their false Christology would amount to idolatry, since it would involve worshiping a false god instead of the true God, Jesus Christ. Thus guard yourselves from idols means for the readers to guard themselves against the opponents and their teaching.
120 tn Heb “The burden” (so KJV, ASV). The Hebrew term מַשָּׂא (masa’), usually translated “oracle” (NAB, NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or “utterance” (BDB 672 s.v. III מַשָּׂא), in prophetic literature is a technical term introducing a message from the
121 tn Heb “The message [traditionally, “burden”] which Habakkuk the prophet saw.”
122 tn Or “deliver.”
123 tn Heb “Why do you make me see injustice?”
124 tn Heb “Why do you look at wrongdoing?”
sn Habakkuk complains that God tolerates social injustice and fails to intervene on behalf of the oppressed (put up with wrongdoing).
125 tn Heb “are before.”
126 tn Heb “and there is conflict and strife he lifts up.” The present translation takes the verb יִשָּׂא (yisa’) in the sense of “carry, bear,” and understands the subject to be indefinite (“one”).
127 tn Heb “the law is numb,” i.e., like a hand that has “fallen asleep” (see Ps 77:2). Cf. NAB “is benumbed”; NIV “is paralyzed.”
128 tn Heb “never goes out.”
129 tn Or “for.”
130 tn Heb “surround” (so NASB, NRSV).
131 tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
132 tn Heb “comes out crooked.”
133 tn Or “look among the nations and observe.” The imperatival forms in v. 5 are plural, indicating that the Lord’s message is for the whole nation, not just the prophet.
134 tn The Hebrew text combines the Hitpael and Qal imperatival forms of the verb תָּמַה (tamah, “be amazed”). A literal translation might read, “Shock yourselves and be shocked!” The repetition of sounds draws attention to the statement. The imperatives here have the force of an emphatic assertion. On this use of the imperative in Hebrew, see GKC 324 §110.c and IBHS 572-73 §34.4c.
135 tc Heb “for a work working in your days.” Following the LXX reading, some supply a first person singular pronoun with the participle פֹּעֵל (po’el). Ellipsis of a first singular pronoun before participles is relatively rare (see GKC 360 §116.s); perhaps an original אֲנֹכִי (’anoki; or אֲנִי, ’aniy) followed the initial כִּי (ki) and was omitted by homoioteleuton.
136 tn Heb “you will not believe when it is told.” In this context the force of כִּי (ki) may be “when,” “if,” or “even though.”
137 tn Heb “raise up” (so KJV, ASV).
138 tn Heb “bitter.” Other translation options for this word in this context include “fierce” (NASB, NRSV); “savage” (NEB); or “grim.”
139 tn Heb “hasty, quick.” Some translate here “impetuous” (so NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or “rash,” but in this context greed may very well be the idea. The Babylonians move quickly and recklessly ahead in their greedy quest to expand their empire.
140 tn Heb “the open spaces.”
141 tn Heb “from him his justice, even his lifting up, goes out.” In this context שְׂאֵת (sÿ’et) probably has the nuance “authority.” See R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (WEC), 150.
142 tn Heb “sharper,” in the sense of “keener” or “more alert.” Some translate “quicker” on the basis of the parallelism with the first line (see HALOT 291 s.v. חדד).
143 tn Heb “wolves of the evening,” that is, wolves that prowl at night. The present translation assumes an emendation to עֲרָבָה (’aravah, “desert”). On this phrase see also Zeph 3:3.
144 tn Or “horsemen,” “cavalry.”
145 tn The precise nuance of the rare verb פָּוַשׁ (parash) is unclear here. Elsewhere it is used of animals jumping or leaping (see Jer 50:11; Mal 4:2).
146 tn Or “eagle” (so NASB, NRSV). The term can refer to either eagles or vultures, but in this context of gruesome destruction and death “vulture” is preferred.
147 tn Heb “they fly like a vulture/an eagle quickly to devour.” The direct object “their prey” is not included in the Hebrew text but is implied, and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
148 tn Heb “come.”
149 tn Heb “The totality of their faces is to the east” (or “is forward”). The precise meaning of the Hebrew term מְגַמַּת (megammat) is unclear. For a discussion of options see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 93. NEB has “a sea of faces rolls on”; NIV “their hordes advance like a desert wind”; NRSV “with faces pressing forward.”
150 tn Heb “and he gathers like sand, prisoners.”
151 tn Heb “they heap up dirt.” This is a reference to the piling up of earthen ramps in the process of laying siege to a fortified city.
152 tn The precise meaning of v. 11a is uncertain. The present translation assumes the first line further describes the Babylonian hordes, comparing them to a destructive wind. Another option is to understand רוּחַ (ruakh) as “spirit,” rather than “wind,” and take the form וְאָשֵׁם (vÿ’ashem) with what precedes (as suggested by the scribal punctuation). Repointing this form as a geminate verb from שָׁמַם (shamam, “be astonished”), one could then translate the line, “The spirit passed on and departed, and I was astonished.” In this case the line would describe the cessation of the divine revelation which began in v. 5. For a detailed defense of this view, see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 97-100.
153 tn Heb “and guilty is the one whose strength is his god.” This assumes that אָשֵׁם (’ashem) is a predicate adjective meaning “guilty” and that it relates to what follows.
154 tn Heb “Are you not from antiquity, O
155 tn Heb “My God, my holy one.” God’s “holiness” in this context is his sovereign transcendence as the righteous judge of the world (see vv. 12b-13a), thus the translation “My sovereign God.”
156 tc The MT reads, “we will not die,” but an ancient scribal tradition has “you [i.e., God] will not die.” This is preferred as a more difficult reading that can explain the rise of the other variant. Later scribes who copied the manuscripts did not want to associate the idea of death with God in any way, so they softened the statement to refer to humanity.
157 tn Heb “him,” a collective singular referring to the Babylonians. The plural pronoun “them” has been used in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style.
158 tn Heb “for judgment.”
159 tn Heb “Rock” or “Cliff.” This divine epithet views God as a place where one can go to be safe from danger. The translation “Protector” conveys the force of the metaphor (cf. KJV, NEB “O mighty God”).
160 tn Heb “to correct, reprove.”
161 tn Heb “[you] are too pure of eyes.” God’s “eyes” here signify what he looks at with approval. His “eyes” are “pure” in that he refuses to tolerate any wrongdoing in his presence.
162 tn Heb “to see.” Here “see” is figurative for “tolerate,” “put up with.”
163 tn Heb “to look at.” Cf. NEB “who canst not countenance wrongdoing”; NASB “You can not look on wickedness with favor.”
164 tn Heb “Why do you look at treacherous ones?” The verb בָּגַד (bagad, “be treacherous”) is often used of those who are disloyal or who violate agreements. See S. Erlandsson, TDOT 1:470-73.
165 tn Or “swallow up.”
166 tn Heb “more innocent than themselves.”
167 tn The Hebrew word רֶמֶשׂ (remesh) usually refers to animals that creep, but here the referent seems to be marine animals that glide through the water (note the parallelism in the previous line). See also Ps 104:25.
168 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Babylonian tyrant) has been specified in the translation for clarity (cf. NASB “The Chaldeans”; NIV “The wicked foe”; NRSV “The enemy”). Babylonian imperialism is here compared to a professional fisherman who repeatedly brings in his catch and has plenty to eat.
169 tn Apparently two different types of fishing nets are referred to here. The חֵרֶם (kherem, “throw net”) was used by fishermen standing on the shore (see Ezek 47:10), while the מִכְמֶרֶת (mikhmeret, “dragnet”) was used by men in a boat. See R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (WEC), 165.
170 tn Heb “and he gathers.”
171 tn Heb “Therefore he is happy and rejoices.” Here two synonyms are joined for emphasis.
172 tn Heb “therefore.”
173 sn The fishing implements (throw net and dragnet) represent Babylonian military might. The prophet depicts the Babylonians as arrogantly worshiping their own power (sacrifices…burns incense, see also v. 11b).
174 tn Heb “for by them his portion is full [or, “fat”].”
175 tn Heb “and his food is plentiful [or, “fat”].”
176 tn Or “therefore.”
177 tn Heb “Will he then empty his throw net?” The words “continue to fill and” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
178 tn Or “continually.”
179 tn Heb “kill.”
180 tn Or “without showing compassion.”
181 tn Grk “Now it happened that one.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
182 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
183 tn Grk “the temple.”
184 tn Or “preaching.”
185 tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.
186 sn The chief priests and the experts in the law with the elders came up. The description is similar to Luke 19:47. The leaders are really watching Jesus at this point.
187 tn Grk “and said, saying to him.” This is redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.
188 tn On this phrase, see BDAG 844 s.v. ποῖος 2.a.γ.
189 sn The leadership is looking back to acts like the temple cleansing (19:45-48). How could a Galilean preacher do these things?
190 tn Grk “answering, he said to them.” This is redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.
191 sn John, like Jesus, was not a part of the official rabbinic order. So the question “John’s baptism – was it from heaven or from men?” draws an analogy between John the Baptist and Jesus. See Luke 3:1-20; 7:24-27. The phrase John’s baptism refers to the baptism practiced by John.
192 tn The plural Greek term ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) is used here (and in v. 6) in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NAB, NRSV, “of human origin”; TEV, “from human beings”; NLT, “merely human”).
sn The question is whether John’s ministry was of divine or human origin.
193 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Jesus’ question.
194 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the dilemma Jesus’ opponents faced.
195 sn Very few questions could have so completely revealed the wicked intentions of the religious leaders. Jesus’ question revealed the motivation of the religious leaders and exposed them for what they really were – hypocrites. They indicted themselves when they cited only two options and chose neither of them. The point of Luke 20:1-8 is that no matter what Jesus said in response to their question they were not going to believe it and would in the end use it against him.
196 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
197 sn Neither will I tell you. Though Jesus gave no answer, the analogy he used to their own question makes his view clear. His authority came from heaven.
198 tn On this phrase, see BDAG 844 s.v. ποῖος 2.a.γ. This is exactly the same phrase as in v. 2.
199 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. The parable Jesus tells here actually addresses the question put to him by the leaders.
200 tc ‡ There are several variants here, most of which involve variations in word order that do not affect translation. However, the presence or absence of τις (ti") after ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), which would be translated “a certain man,” does affect translation. The witnesses that have τις include A W Θ Ë13 1241 2542 al sy. Those that lack it include א B C D L Ψ Ë1 33 Ï it. Externally, the evidence is significantly stronger for the omission. Internally, however, there is some pause. A feature unique to Luke-Acts in the NT is to use the construction ἄνθρωπος τις (cf. 10:30; 12:16; 14:2, 16; 15:11; 16:1; 19:12; Acts 9:33). However, scribes who were familiar with this idiom may have inserted it here. In light of the overwhelming external support for the omission of τις, the shorter reading is preferred. NA27 places τις in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.
201 sn The vineyard is a figure for Israel in the OT (Isa 5:1-7). The nation and its leaders are the tenants, so the vineyard here may well refer to the promise that resides within the nation. The imagery is like that in Rom 11:11-24.
202 sn The leasing of land to tenant farmers was common in this period.
203 sn This slave (along with the next two) represent the prophets God sent to the nation, who were mistreated and rejected.
204 tc Instead of the future indicative δώσουσιν (dwsousin, “they will give”), most witnesses (C D W Θ Ψ Ë1 Ï) have the aorist subjunctive δῶσιν (dwsin, “they might give”). The aorist subjunctive is expected following ἵνα ({ina, “so that”), so it is almost surely a motivated reading. Further, early and excellent witnesses, as well as a few others (א A B Ë13 33 579 1241 2542 al), have δώσουσιν. It is thus more likely that the future indicative is authentic. For a discussion of this construction, see BDF §369.2.
205 tn Grk “from the fruit of the vineyard.”
206 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the slave sent by the owner) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
sn The image of the tenants beating up the owner’s slave pictures the nation’s rejection of the prophets and their message.
207 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the tenants’ mistreatment of the first slave.
208 sn The slaves being sent empty-handed suggests that the vineyard was not producing any fruit – and thus neither was the nation of Israel.
209 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the tenants’ mistreatment of the first two slaves.
210 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
211 tn Grk “my beloved son.” See comment at Luke 3:22.
sn The owner’s decision to send his one dear son represents God sending Jesus.
212 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the tenants’ decision to kill the son.
213 sn Throwing the heir out of the vineyard pictures Jesus’ death outside of Jerusalem.
214 sn The statement that the owner will come and destroy those tenants is a promise of judgment; see Luke 13:34-35; 19:41-44.
215 sn The warning that the owner would give the vineyard to others suggests that the care of the promise and the nation’s hope would be passed to others. This eventually looks to Gentile inclusion; see Eph 2:11-22.
216 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the people addressed in v. 9) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
217 sn May this never happen! Jesus’ audience got the point and did not want to consider a story where the nation would suffer judgment.
218 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
219 tn Or “capstone,” “keystone.” Although these meanings are lexically possible, the imagery in Eph 2:20-22 and 1 Cor 3:11 indicates that the term κεφαλὴ γωνίας (kefalh gwnia") refers to a cornerstone, not a capstone.
sn The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The use of Ps 118:22-23 and the “stone imagery” as a reference to Christ and his suffering and exaltation is common in the NT (see also Matt 21:42; Mark 12:10; Acts 4:11; 1 Pet 2:6-8; cf. also Eph 2:20). The irony in the use of Ps 118:22-23 here is that in the OT, Israel was the one rejected (or perhaps her king) by the Gentiles, but in the NT it is Jesus who is rejected by Israel.
220 tn On this term, see BDAG 972 s.v. συνθλάω.
221 tn Grk “on whomever it falls, it will crush him.”
sn This proverb basically means that the stone crushes, without regard to whether it falls on someone or someone falls on it. On the stone as a messianic image, see Isa 28:16 and Dan 2:44-45.
222 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
223 tn Or “The scribes” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.
224 tn Grk “tried to lay hands on him.”
225 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
226 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
227 tn Grk “righteous,” but in this context the point is their false sincerity.
228 tn Grk “so that they might catch him in some word.”
229 tn This word is often translated “authority” in other contexts, but here, in combination with ἀρχή (arch), it refers to the domain or sphere of the governor’s rule (L&N 37.36).
230 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “thus” to indicate the implied result of the plans by the spies.
231 tn Or “precisely”; Grk “rightly.” Jesus teaches exactly, the straight and narrow.
232 sn Teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Very few comments are as deceitful as this one; they did not really believe this at all. The question was specifically designed to trap Jesus.
233 tn Or “lawful,” that is, in accordance with God’s divine law. On the syntax of ἔξεστιν (exestin) with an infinitive and accusative, see BDF §409.3.
234 tn This was a “poll tax.” L&N 57.182 states this was “a payment made by the people of one nation to another, with the implication that this is a symbol of submission and dependence – ‘tribute tax.’”
235 tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).
236 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
237 tn Or “craftiness.” The term always has negative connotations in the NT (1 Cor 3:19; 2 Cor 4:2; 11:3; Eph 4:14).
238 tn Here the specific name of the coin was retained in the translation, because not all coins in circulation in Palestine at the time carried the image of Caesar. In other places δηνάριον (dhnarion) has been translated simply as “silver coin” with an explanatory note.
sn A denarius was a silver coin worth approximately one day’s wage for a laborer. The fact that the leaders had such a coin showed that they already operated in the economic world of Rome. The denarius would have had a picture of Tiberius Caesar, the Roman emperor, on it.
239 tn Or “whose likeness.”
sn In this passage Jesus points to the image (Grk εἰκών, eikwn) of Caesar on the coin. This same Greek word is used in Gen 1:26 (LXX) to state that humanity is made in the “image” of God. Jesus is making a subtle yet powerful contrast: Caesar’s image is on the denarius, so he can lay claim to money through taxation, but God’s image is on humanity, so he can lay claim to each individual life.
240 tn Grk “whose likeness and inscription does it have?”
241 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Jesus’ pronouncement results from the opponents’ answer to his question.
242 sn Jesus’ answer to give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s was a both/and, not the questioners’ either/or. So he slipped out of their trap.
243 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “thus” to indicate the implied result of Jesus’ unexpected answer.
244 tn On this term, see BDAG 374 s.v. ἐπιλαμβάνομαι 3.
245 tn Grk “to trap him in a saying.”
246 tn Or “amazed.”
247 sn The Sadducees controlled the official political structures of Judaism at this time, being the majority members of the Sanhedrin. They were known as extremely strict on law and order issues (Josephus, J. W. 2.8.2 [2.119], 2.8.14 [2.164-166]; Ant. 13.5.9 [13.171-173], 13.10.6 [13.293-298], 18.1.2 [18.11], 18.1.4 [18.16-17], 20.9.1 [20.199]; Life 2 [10-11]). They also did not believe in resurrection or in angels, an important detail in v. 36. See also Matt 3:7, 16:1-12, 22:23-34; Mark 12:18-27; Acts 4:1, 5:17, 23:6-8.
248 sn This remark is best regarded as a parenthetical note by the author.
249 tn Grk “asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
250 tn Grk “his brother”; but this would be redundant in English with the same phrase “his brother” at the end of the verse, so most modern translations render this phrase “the man” (so NIV, NRSV).
251 tn The use of ἵνα (Jina) with imperatival force is unusual (BDF §470.1).
252 tn Grk “and raise up seed,” an idiom for procreating children (L&N 23.59).
253 sn A quotation from Deut 25:5. Because the OT quotation does not include “a wife” as the object of the verb, it has been left as normal type. This practice is called levirate marriage (see also Ruth 4:1-12; Mishnah, m. Yevamot; Josephus, Ant. 4.8.23 [4.254-256]). The levirate law is described in Deut 25:5-10. The brother of a man who died without a son had an obligation to marry his brother’s widow. This served several purposes: It provided for the widow in a society where a widow with no children to care for her would be reduced to begging, and it preserved the name of the deceased, who would be regarded as the legal father of the first son produced from that marriage.
254 tn Grk “took a wife” (an idiom for marrying a woman).
255 tc Most
256 sn The point is a dilemma. In a world arguing a person should have one wife, whose wife will she be in the afterlife? The question was designed to show that (in the opinion of the Sadducees) resurrection leads to a major problem.
257 tn Grk “For the seven had her as wife.”
258 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Jesus’ response is a result of their framing of the question.
259 tn Grk “sons of this age” (an idiom, see L&N 11.16). The following clause which refers to being “given in marriage” suggests both men and women are included in this phrase.
260 tn Grk “to attain to.”
261 sn Life in the age to come is different than life here (they neither marry nor are given in marriage). This means Jesus’ questioners had made a false assumption that life was the same both now and in the age to come.
262 sn Angels do not die, nor do they eat according to Jewish tradition (1 En. 15:6; 51:4; Wis 5:5; 2 Bar. 51:10; 1QH 3.21-23).
263 tn Grk “sons of God, being.” The participle ὄντες (ontes) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle here.
264 tn Or “people.” The noun υἱός (Juios) followed by the genitive of class or kind (“sons of…”) denotes a person of a class or kind, specified by the following genitive construction. This Semitic idiom is frequent in the NT (L&N 9.4).
265 tn Grk “But that the dead are raised even Moses revealed.”
266 sn See Exod 3:6. Jesus used a common form of rabbinic citation here to refer to the passage in question.
267 sn A quotation from Exod 3:6.
268 sn He is not God of the dead but of the living. Jesus’ point was that if God could identify himself as God of the three old patriarchs, then they must still be alive when God spoke to Moses; and so they must be raised.
269 tn On this syntax, see BDF §192. The point is that all live “to” God or “before” God.
270 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
271 tn Or “some of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.
272 sn Teacher, you have spoken well! The scribes, being Pharisees, were happy for the defense of resurrection and angels, which they (unlike the Sadducees) believed in.
273 sn The attempt to show Jesus as ignorant had left the experts silenced. At this point they did not dare any longer to ask him anything.
274 sn If the religious leaders will not dare to question Jesus any longer, then he will question them.
275 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
sn See the note on Christ in 2:11.
276 sn It was a common belief in Judaism that Messiah would be David’s son in that he would come from the lineage of David. On this point the Pharisees agreed and were correct. But their understanding was nonetheless incomplete, for Messiah is also David’s Lord. With this statement Jesus was affirming that, as the Messiah, he is both God and man.
277 sn The Lord said to my Lord. With David being the speaker, this indicates his respect for his descendant (referred to as my Lord). Jesus was arguing, as the ancient exposition assumed, that the passage is about the Lord’s anointed. The passage looks at an enthronement of this figure and a declaration of honor for him as he takes his place at the side of God. In Jerusalem, the king’s palace was located to the right of the temple to indicate this kind of relationship. Jesus was pressing the language here to get his opponents to reflect on how great Messiah is.
278 sn A quotation from Ps 110:1.
279 tn Grk “David thus calls him ‘Lord.’ So how is he his son?” The conditional nuance, implicit in Greek, has been made explicit in the translation (cf. Matt 22:45).
280 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
281 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
282 tn Or “Be on guard against.” This is a present imperative and indicates that pride is something to constantly be on the watch against.
283 tn Or “of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.
284 tn Grk “who,” continuing the sentence begun by the prior phrase.
285 sn There is later Jewish material in the Talmud that spells out such greetings in detail. See D. L. Bock, Luke (BECNT), 2:1642; H. Windisch, TDNT 1:498.
286 sn See Luke 14:1-14.
287 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.
288 tn Grk “who,” continuing the sentence begun in v. 46.
289 sn How they were able to devour widows’ houses is debated. Did they seek too much for contributions, or take too high a commission for their work, or take homes after debts failed to be paid? There is too little said here to be sure.
290 tn Grk “houses,” “households”; however, the term can have the force of “property” or “possessions” as well (O. Michel, TDNT 5:131; BDAG 695 s.v. οἶκια 1.a).