¹ tn Heb “and priests serving the Lord [are] the sons of Aaron and the Levites in the work.”

¹ tc The LXX reads “the report…is not good, so that the people do not serve God.”

¹ tn The name “Obed” means “one who serves,” perhaps anticipating how he would help Naomi (see v. 15).

¹ tn Heb “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves the Lord to serve him.”

¹ tn Heb “Watch yourselves lest your heart turns and you turn aside and serve other gods and bow down to them.”

¹ tn The construction uses a verbal hendiadys with the verb “to add” serving to modify the main verb.

² tn The clause begins with the infinitive construct with its preposition and suffixed subject serving to indicate the temporal clause.

¹ tn The sentence simply begins with “twelve years”; it serves as an adverbial accusative giving the duration of their bondage.

¹ tn The verb is יְשָׁרְתוּ (y^eshar^etu, “they will serve/minister”). The imperfect tense in this place, however, probably describes what the priests would do, what they used to do. The verb is in a relative clause: “which they would serve with them,” which should be changed to read “with which they would serve.”

¹ sn The statement those who have served well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves is reminiscent of Jesus’ teaching (Matt 20:26-28; Mark 10:43-45) that the one who wishes to be great must be a servant (διάκονος [diakonos], used here of deacons) of all, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve (διακονέω [diakoneō], as in 1 Tim 3:10, 13).

² tn The form is the Qal infinitive construct from עָבַד (ʿavad, “to serve, to work”); it is taken here as a verbal noun and means “by (or in) serving” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 36, §195). This explains the verb “keep [his charge].” Here too the form is followed by a cognate accusative; they will be there to “serve the service” or “work the work.”

¹ sn The word for “serve” is not the ordinary one. It means “to serve in a host,” especially in a war. It appears that women were organized into bands and served at the tent of meeting. S. R. Driver thinks that this meant “no doubt” washing, cleaning, or repairing (Exodus, 391). But there is no hint of that (see 1 Sam 2:22; and see Ps 68:11 [12 HT]). They seem to have had more to do than what Driver said.

² tn The perfect participle τεθεικώς (tetheikōs) suggests an antecedent act. More idiomatically, the idea seems to be, “because he had already appointed them to serve as an example.”

¹ tn Grk “serving it to one another.” The primary verb is a participle but it continues the sense of command from v. 7.

¹ tn Or “does Christ serve the interests of sin?”; or “is Christ an agent for sin?” See BDAG 230-31 s.v. διάκονος 2.

¹ tn BDAG 736-37 s.v. οὖν 2.b states, “οὖν serves to indicate a transition to someth. new…now, then, well…Ac 25:1.”

⁴ sn Led them out. The action by God served to vindicate the apostles. It showed that whatever court the Jewish leaders represented, they did not represent God.

¹ tn This phrase parallels a Hebrew infinitive absolute and serves to underline Jesus’ enthusiasm for holding this meal (BDF §198.6).

² tn Or simply, “have served,” but in the emotional context of the older son’s outburst the translation given is closer to the point.

¹ tn Heb “messenger” or “angel” (מַלְאָךְ, malʾakh). This being appears to serve as an interpreter to the prophet (cf. vv. 13, 14).