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I have no special credentials to pursue this, except that I'm not on any religion's payroll. I have no formal religious training. I have no visions or dreams to speak of. I have a kind of compulsion to study the Bible. I blame it on my father. Over and over he quoted Proverbs 4:7 to me as I grew up: Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; Yea, with all thy getting get understanding. I didn't always listen to my father when I was young. But now that I am old I am apparently incapable of not running his programing.

Who is a Christian? Part 1

Posted on June 26, 2026 by admin

In this thread I want to begin to consider the meaning of χριστιανός, Christian, forms of which occur only three times in the New Testament. The first occurrence of the plural form χριστιανούς corresponds to the first time the disciples (τοὺς μαθητὰς, a form of μαθητής) were called Christians (Acts 11:19-26 Berean Literal Bible):

Therefore, indeed, those having been scattered by the tribulation having taken place over Stephen passed through to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews only. But some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, having come into Antioch, were speaking also to the Hellenists, proclaiming the gospel—the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number, having believed, turned to the Lord [Table].
Now the report was heard in the ears of the church being in Jerusalem concerning them, and they sent forth Barnabas to go as far as Antioch [Table]—who, having come and having seen the grace of God, rejoiced and was exhorting all to abide in the Lord with resolute purpose of heart [Table]. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great multitude was added to the Lord.
And he went out to Tarsus to seek Saul, and having found him, he brought him to Antioch. And it came to pass that they also gathered together a whole year in the church and taught a great multitude. And in Antioch the disciples were first¹ called Christians [Table].

Christian is another name for a disciple (Acts 11:25, 26a Berean Literal Bible):

And [Barnabas] went out to Tarsus to seek Saul, and having found him, he brought him to Antioch. And it came to pass that they also gathered together a whole year in the church and taught a great multitude [Table].

A strictly literal reading of this passage alone leads one to the objectively true but spiritually erroneous conclusion that those first called Christians were disciples of Barnabas and Saul (also known as Paul). But Paul assured us elsewhere that what is objectively true in Acts 11:25-26a is not the truth spiritually (2 Corinthians 4:5 Berean Literal Bible):

For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants on account of Jesus.

As the old human (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον), born only of the flesh of Adam, we are taught to value what is objectively true, what we see with our eyes: “Look both ways before you step out into the street; that bus can kill you.” Those born of the Spirit, born again, born from above by the will of God pay attention to the spiritual truth as well, which often supersedes what is objectively true: For we walk by faith, not by sight.² For the things being seen are temporary, but the things not being seen are eternal.³

It seems important for knowing God and ourselves and for understanding the Scriptures to belabor this point a bit more. Paul wrote (1 Corinthians 1:10-17; 3:3b-9 Berean Literal Bible):

Now I exhort you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you may speak the same thing and there may be no divisions among you, but you may be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it was revealed to me concerning you, my brothers, by those of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am indeed of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.”
Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptized⁴ into my name. Now also I baptized the household of Stephanas; as to the rest, I do not know if I baptized any other. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but⁵ to preach the gospel, not in wisdom of word, so that the cross of the Christ should not be made void…
For where jealousy and strife are among you, are you not fleshly and walking according to man? For when one may say, “I am indeed of Paul,” and another, “I of Apollos,” are you not men?
Who then is Apollos? And who is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was giving growth [Table]. So neither the one planting nor the one watering is anything (ἐστίν τι; or “is someone” or “is anyone”), but only God, the One giving growth. Now the one planting and the one watering are one, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Ultimately, Christians are disciples of Christ Jesus (Matthew 28:16-20 Berean Literal Bible):

And the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus assigned them. And having seen Him, they worshiped;⁶ but some doubted.
And having come near, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on the earth was given to Me [Table]. Therefore, having gone, disciple all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit [Table], teaching them to observe all things, as much as I commanded (ἐνετειλάμην, a form of ἐντέλλω) you. And behold, I am with you all the days, until the consummation of the age” [Table].

So while it is objectively true that the disciples (τοὺς μαθητὰς) who were first called Christians at Antioch were disciples of Barnabas and Saul, we can assume that the content Barnabas and Saul taught (διδάξαι, a form of διδάσκω) a great multitude was related to Jesus’ command: teaching (διδάσκοντες, a present participle of διδάσκω) them to observe (τηρεῖν, an infinitive form of τηρέω) all things, as much as I commanded you.⁷ We can assume that their goal was to disciple (μαθητεύσατε, an imperative form of μαθητεύω) all the nations to God the Father through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, Paul wrote, as though God is appealing through us. We implore on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God. He made the One not having known sin to be sin for us, so that (ἵνα) we might become (γενώμεθα or γινώμεθα; e.g., a subjunctive verb in a purpose or result clause) the righteousness of God in Him (ἐν αὐτῷ; e.g., “by means of Him”)⁸ [Table].⁹

The Greek word translated having gone in Matthew 28:19 is πορευθέντες, a passive participle of πορεύομαι in the aorist tense. The translations go (NET) and go ye (KJV) sound more like imperative forms in the present tense. But Jesus didn’t expect his disciples to go immediately to disciple all the nations (Acts 1:4b, 5 Berean Literal Bible):

He instructed (παρήγγειλεν, a form of παραγγέλλω) them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to await the promise of the Father: “That which you heard of Me; for John indeed baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days after these.”

Jesus, before his crucifixion, had described the Holy Spirit to them as the Spirit of truth, whom the world is not able to receive, because it does not see Him, nor does it know Him. But you know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.¹⁰ And many examples of the behavior of Jesus’ disciples in the four Gospel accounts and Acts provide a beautiful contrast of the difference between with you (παρ᾿ ὑμῖν) and in you (ἐν ὑμῖν).

And in the arriving of the day of Pentecost, they were all together at the same place [Table]. And suddenly a sound like a violent rushing of wind came out of heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them dividing tongues as of fire, and they sat upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit was giving to them to declare forth [Table].¹¹

Paul’s first question, having found certain disciples in Ephesus, was “Did you receive the Holy Spirit, having believed?”¹² Barnabas was described as a good (ἀγαθὸς) man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith (πίστεως, a form of πίστις).¹³ Paul explained that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness (ἀγαθωσύνη), faithfulness (πίστις), gentleness, self-control [Table].¹⁴ Though the certain disciples, Paul encountered in Ephesus proved to be disciples of John the Baptist rather than disciples of Christ, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit, having believed?” remains the relevant question.

Did you receive sounds rather passive in contemporary American English. The Greek verb ἐλάβετε is actually a 2nd person plural form of λαμβάνω in the active voice: “to take, take hold of, grasp, seize; to take away, remove; to take by violence, seize, carry off as plunder; to pick up, choose; to seize (by fever, illness); to take advantage of; to fetch; to cause to come or go; to carry; to catch (someone), overtake, come upon; to capture, conquer, take control of, overpower; to find out, detect, catch (in the act); to take (as a partner); to take (a woman) in marriage; to assume possession of, avail oneself of; to consider and assess; to initiate (an action); to pronounce, utter; to become pregnant, conceive; to receive; to seize with the mind, understand, apprehend, comprehend; to undertake (an action); to accept, collect (i.e., collect taxes, tithes, a share); to choose, select; to get, gain, win, attain, obtain, procure (through purchase); to receive (in marriage); to receive (punishment, suffering); to make one’s own.”

This was admittedly quite surprising. I can rationalize it with the question, “Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?” Here, take would be equivalent to ἐλάβετε, or more precisely the singular ἔλαβες. I chose the question addressed to the bride as an example because I am clearly the weaker vessel¹⁵ relative to the Holy Spirit, though probably not like “fine China” as I have heard a preacher describe the weaker vessel (ἀσθενεστέρῳ σκεύει).

I hadn’t thought of “taking” the Holy Spirit as an active voice verb. It felt more like a passive acquiescence in the face of my persistent failure to live righteously by my own efforts. And it causes me to rethink my whole life: Has He been mine since I said a sinner’s prayer at five-years-old? Have I refused to receive Him in any active way until I prayed “If you’re really out there, I really want to know you” in my early twenties? My own perception is that since that prayer He has steadily and patiently (and more and more successfully) wrestled my old self (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον; “the old human”) for control of my daily life. But I’m tougher now, too. Was He gentler with a five- or ten- or fifteen-year-old than I was willing or able to perceive as real, as anything other than my own imagination?

On the other hand, if He had asserted the kind of control I perceive now when I was a five- or fifteen- or even a twenty-five-year-old, would I know Him at all? Or would I simply mistake Him for ME?

After I had copied and pasted the definition of λαμβάνω into this essay, I texted my Pastor: “I’m 72.5 years old and this is the first time I looked up ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ and discovered that the Greek verb translated ‘you receive’ is in the active voice: ‘to seize.’” Then I left to meet a friend in the city. On the drive I called my brother with the same lament. We talked about it awhile. His parting words were, “I heard that a long time ago, but I forgot.”

It helped to normalize my own experience. To receive the Holy Spirit doesn’t seem all that active a verb once He is my love, my joy, my peace, my patience, my kindness, my goodness, my faithfulness, my gentleness and my self-control. The verb ἐλάβετε is in the 2nd aorist tense:

The aorist is said to be “simple occurrence” or “summary occurrence”, without regard for the amount of time taken to accomplish the action. This tense is also often referred to as the ‘punctiliar’ tense. ‘Punctiliar’ in this sense means ‘viewed as a single, collective whole,’ a “one-point-in-time” action, although it may actually take place over a period of time. In the indicative mood the aorist tense denotes action that occurred in the past time, often translated like the English simple past tense.¹⁶

How often does a woman consider her wedding vow when her marriage is going well?

An interesting moment in the movie “Six Days, Seven Nights” comes to mind. It’s a story about two strangers on a deserted island after a plane crash. Quinn (Harrison Ford), the pilot, and his passenger, Robin (Anne Heche), “a New York fashion magazine editor,” share little in common but their growing enmity for one another. Still, their situation and dependence on one another blossoms into sexual attraction, an attraction they resist since she is engaged to another man. Though she has slept in the damaged plane and he on the beach every other night since they crashed, as they bed down together for the night (on the run from pirates who know they have witnessed a murder), Robin nestles into Quinn’s arms, saying, “This feels good—and safe.”

I’ve wondered over the years about that line. Does Robin feel “safe” because she is absolutely convinced that Quinn is so self-controlled he won’t “take” her during the night? Or does she feel safe because the thought of Quinn taking her during the night is no longer so contrary to her own desire. In other words, she has already received him (in the active voice) in her heart and in her mind. The verb ἐλάβετε is in the indicative mood (which in “the aorist tense denotes action that occurred in the past time”): “If you’re really out there, I really want to know you,” I had prayed, receiving Him without reservation or condition other than his own existence.

When I got back from the city, I had a text response to my lament over ἐλάβετε from my Pastor: “That’s interesting. I’m looking a lot [at] that word in Hebrew this week.” He was preparing a sermon on Genesis 34.

Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the women of the land [Table]. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humiliated her [Table]. And his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her [Table].

The Hebrew word translated he seized was וַיִּקַּח, a Qal sequential imperfect form of לָקַח (lāqaḥ), which was translated λαβὼν, an active participle of λαμβάνω in the Septuagint: seizing (NETS), took (English Elpenor). Self-control is an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit, unlike the old human (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον) which is being corrupted according to the desires of deceit,¹⁷ does not force Himself upon anyone: Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone should hear My voice and should open the door, then¹⁸ I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.¹⁹

So, a Christian is a disciple of Christ Jesus who has actively received the Holy Spirit at some time in the past, even if that action is simply a change of heart and mind toward Him. I’ll pick this up in another essay. There is more to glean from this occurrence of χριστιανούς.

Tables comparing 1 Corinthians 1:15; 1:17; 3:8; Matthew 28:17; 1 Peter 3:7 and Revelation 3:20 in the KJV and NET follow.

1 Corinthians 1:15 (NET)	1 Corinthians 1:15 (KJV)
so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name!	Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.

1 Corinthians 1:15 (NET Parallel Greek)	1 Corinthians 1:15 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	1 Corinthians 1:15 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ἵνα μή τις εἴπῃ ὅτι εἰς τὸ ἐμὸν ὄνομα ἐβαπτίσθητε	ινα μη τις ειπη οτι εις το εμον ονομα εβαπτισα	ινα μη τις ειπη οτι εις το εμον ονομα εβαπτισα

1 Corinthians 1:17 (NET)	1 Corinthians 1:17 (KJV)
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—and not with clever speech, so that the cross of Christ would not become useless.	For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

1 Corinthians 1:17 (NET Parallel Greek)	1 Corinthians 1:17 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	1 Corinthians 1:17 (Byzantine Majority Text)
οὐ γὰρ ἀπέστειλεν με Χριστὸς βαπτίζειν ἀλλὰ εὐαγγελίζεσθαι, οὐκ ἐν σοφίᾳ λόγου, ἵνα μὴ κενωθῇ ὁ σταυρὸς τοῦ Χριστοῦ	ου γαρ απεστειλεν με χριστος βαπτιζειν αλλ ευαγγελιζεσθαι ουκ εν σοφια λογου ινα μη κενωθη ο σταυρος του χριστου ου γαρ απεστειλεν με χρισ	τος βαπτιζειν αλλ ευαγγελιζεσθαι ουκ εν σοφια λογου ινα μη κενωθη ο σταυρος του χριστου

1 Corinthians 3:8 (NET)	1 Corinthians 3:8 (KJV)
The one who plants and the one who waters work as one, but each will receive his reward according to his work.	Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

1 Corinthians 3:8 (NET Parallel Greek)	1 Corinthians 3:8 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	1 Corinthians 3:8 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ὁ φυτεύων δὲ καὶ ὁ ποτίζων ἕν εἰσιν, ἕκαστος δὲ τὸν ἴδιον μισθὸν λήμψεται κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον κόπον	ο φυτευων δε και ο ποτιζων εν εισιν εκαστος δε τον ιδιον μισθον ληψεται κατα τον ιδιον κοπον	ο φυτευων δε και ο ποτιζων εν εισιν εκαστος δε τον ιδιον μισθον ληψεται κατα τον ιδιον κοπον

Matthew 28:17 (NET)	Matthew 28:17 (KJV)
When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted.	And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

Matthew 28:17 (NET Parallel Greek)	Matthew 28:17 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Matthew 28:17 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καὶ ἰδόντες αὐτὸν προσεκύνησαν, οἱ δὲ ἐδίστασαν	και ιδοντες αυτον προσεκυνησαν αυτω οι δε εδιστασαν	και ιδοντες αυτον προσεκυνησαν αυτω οι δε εδιστασαν

1 Peter 3:7 (NET)	1 Peter 3:7 (KJV)
Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as the weaker partners and show them honor as fellow heirs of the grace of life. In this way nothing will hinder your prayers.	Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

1 Peter 3:7 (NET Parallel Greek)	1 Peter 3:7 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	1 Peter 3:7 (Byzantine Majority Text)
Οἱ ἄνδρες ὁμοίως, συνοικοῦντες κατὰ γνῶσιν ὡς ἀσθενεστέρῳ σκεύει τῷ γυναικείῳ, ἀπονέμοντες τιμὴν ὡς καὶ \|συγκληρονόμοις\| χάριτος ζωῆς εἰς τὸ μὴ ἐγκόπτεσθαι τὰς προσευχὰς ὑμῶν	οι ανδρες ομοιως συνοικουντες κατα γνωσιν ως ασθενεστερω σκευει τω γυναικειω απονεμοντες τιμην ως και συγκληρονομοι χαριτος ζωης εις το μη εκκοπτεσθαι τας προσευχας υμων	οι ανδρες ομοιως συνοικουντες κατα γνωσιν ως ασθενεστερω σκευει τω γυναικειω απονεμοντες τιμην ως και συγκληρονομοι χαριτος ζωης εις το μη εγκοπτεσθαι τας προσευχας υμων

Revelation 3:20 (NET)	Revelation 3:20 (KJV)
Listen! I am standing at the door and knocking! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come into his home and share a meal with him, and he with me.	Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Revelation 3:20 (NET Parallel Greek)	Revelation 3:20 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Revelation 3:20 (Byzantine Majority Text)
Ἰδοὺ ἕστηκα ἐπὶ τὴν θύραν καὶ κρούω· ἐάν τις ἀκούσῃ τῆς φωνῆς μου καὶ ἀνοίξῃ τὴν θύραν, [καὶ] εἰσελεύσομαι πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ δειπνήσω μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ	ιδου εστηκα επι την θυραν και κρουω εαν τις ακουση της φωνης μου και ανοιξη την θυραν εισελευσομαι προς αυτον και δειπνησω μετ αυτου και αυτος μετ εμου	ιδου εστηκα επι την θυραν και κρουω εαν τις ακουση της φωνης μου και ανοιξη την θυραν και εισελευσομαι προς αυτον και δειπνησω μετ αυτου και αυτος μετ εμου

¹ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had the adverb πρώτως here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had πρωτον.

² 2 Corinthians 5:7 (Berean Literal Bible)

³ 2 Corinthians 4:18b (Berean Literal Bible)

⁴ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἐβαπτίσθητε here, a 2^nd person plural form of βαπτίζω, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εβαπτισα (KJV: I had baptized), a 1^st person singular form.

⁵ The Stephanus Textus Receptus, Byzantine Majority Text and NA²⁸ had ἀλλ’ here, where the NET parallel Greek text had ἀλλὰ.

⁶ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτω (NET, KJV: him) here in the dative case (“by means of Him”). The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

⁷ Matthew 28:20a (Berean Literal Bible)

⁸ The personal pronoun αὐτῷ is in the dative case: “The dative is the case of the indirect object, or may also indicate the means by which something is done.” From “Noun Cases:Dative Case”, GREEK NOUNS (Shorter Definitions), on Resources for Learning New Testament Greek online.

⁹ 2 Corinthians 5:20, 21 (Berean Literal Bible)

¹⁰ John 14:17 (Berean Literal Bible) Table

¹¹ Acts 2:1-4 (Berean Literal Bible)

¹² Acts 19:1b, 2b (Berean Literal Bible) Table

¹³ Acts 11:24 (Berean Literal Bible)

¹⁴ Galatians 5:22, 23a (Berean Literal Bible)

¹⁵ 1 Peter 3:7 (Berean Literal Bible)

¹⁶ From “Verb Tenses: Aorist Tense,” Greek Verbs (Shorter Definitions) on Resources for Learning New Testament Greek online.

¹⁷ Ephesians 4:22b (Berean Literal Bible)

¹⁸ The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text had the conjunction καὶ here. The Stephanus Textus Receptus did not.

¹⁹ Revelation 3:20 (Berean Literal Bible)

Antichrist, Part 6

Posted on June 9, 2026 by admin

I’ve been working slowly through older essays, upgrading footnotes and hyperlinks, making sure tables or links to tables are up-to-date. I discovered an unpublished addition to these essays. It wasn’t published earlier, I assume, because it doesn’t really deal with the movie Antichrist directly or John’s discussion of antichrists¹ or even the popular imagination of a future Antichrist. It simply recounts events that followed my own reaction in the previous essay in this thread to Lars von Trier’s film.

It does, however, contain an interesting musing regarding the religious mind of a serial killer which helps bridge the gap to the old human (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον). So, I prefer to have it in my notes and will include it here as an unpublished quotation to differentiate it from more current thoughts.

After I wrote about the women who socialized me in the preceding essay I had the opportunity to work two days doing location sound for interviews slated to be part of a television show about a serial rapist and murderer. It was a new experience. Usually the sex and violence are simulated. That doesn’t mean I’m never emotionally affected by it.

I remember working on the investment teaser for a film about a serial killer: I sat on the ground on a sound blanket behind a car monitoring audio while a young woman lying on another sound blanket in front of the car begged for her life. It brought tears to my eyes. But after several takes of her demise we all stood up and walked off to the next setup on the shot list, along with the “dead” woman. It was a performance. We were happy it was a good one.

The interviews we shot with police detectives, criminologists and a prosecuting attorney didn’t attempt to simulate sex or violence. They were cold, factual descriptions of real events. The locations weren’t movie sets but the actual places where women were raped and murdered. A surviving rape victim was our last interview before wrapping the shoot. We packed our equipment silently. I got in my truck and began the three hundred mile drive home—thinking about what I’d heard.

The rapist stalked his victims in shopping center parking lots. He picked them because he “liked their look.” He followed them home. He determined that they lived alone. He came back days, or a week or two later and broke into their homes while they were out. When a woman came home he was there—waiting.

It’s not something I ever worry about personally. If I did, I would still assume that the perpetrator would be a man rather than a woman. It was easy to understand why women with the opportunity to socialize a boy would want him to be something other than a serial rapist and murderer. And maybe it was a little easier to understand why women would consider themselves morally superior to men.

This particular man was a serial killer by definition but a rapist at heart. A prison mentor counseled him never to leave a witness alive. Prior to his first incarceration he had often apologized to his victims after the fact, even paid a few of them. But after his release from prison, though he obeyed his mentor’s rule at times, it lacked the power to perfect obedience. The rapist killed his victims haphazardly.

Once he was caught and sentenced again, he acknowledged his mentor’s rule in the interviews that were part of his plea bargain to avoid the death penalty, but couldn’t explain why he had killed some women and left others alive. His mentor’s guidance was like my use and understanding of the term religious: It was a religious rule, obeyed religiously, which is to say haphazardly, unlike the rapes that flowed from deep inside his being and out into the world.

The next night I was up late in a hotel room setting up equipment to wheel out for another recording assignment the following morning. A movie was playing on TV. When it ended, a new show about sex toys began, hosted by a pretty young woman wearing only a pair of heels. Most of the women who socialized me would have preferred that I had stood up and switched off the TV in disgust. But I was busy troubleshooting a problem with the recording equipment and, frankly, a pretty young woman comfortable in her skin doesn’t disgust me. She reminds me of Eve before Adam ate the forbidden fruit: The man and his wife were both naked, but they were not ashamed.²

No one had to teach me that a naked woman was beautiful. Well, actually, I had to grow up into the “woman” part of that. As a boy I stared at a picture of a painting of a nude woman in a 3-D Viewmaster. I assume that the artist painted her because he thought she was beautiful, but I wasn’t so sure then. I decided that the most beautiful human being I could imagine was a naked girl about my age. She was smooth and sleek, without all the dangling stuff that I had between her legs, or those floppy things on her chest like the woman in the painting.

Apparently, I stared into the Viewmaster too long. My mother took it from me, looked into it, and said, “Shame on you!”

Another belief the women who socialized me attempted to cultivate was that if I saw a pretty woman naked I would want to fuck her. Men (also socialized by women, by the way) joined in on this one, too. So it was taken for granted that Bathsheba’s nudity was the “cause” of David’s sin (2 Samuel 11:2, 3 NET):

One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of his palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. Now this woman was very attractive. So David sent someone to inquire about the woman. The messenger said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”

My mother broke ranks with the common wisdom on that one, however. She was an artist. All her figure sketches started nude. “An artist has to know what the body looks like to drape clothes on it,” she told me. Though she didn’t approve of bikinis or scantily clad women in general she would not blame Bathsheba for bathing at night.

One of the first things the Lord did to break my allegiance to the belief that I wanted to fuck every woman I saw naked was to make me understand that the world was filled with beautiful women I would never fuck. I grieved over that for a time. Eventually I began to realize that if I was free from the obligation to fuck every beautiful woman I saw (whether naked or otherwise), I was also free to enjoy women in other ways—their beauty, for instance. “Why did you make them so pretty?” I complained to Him in the midst of this transition of faith and allegiance. “Shall I make them all ugly?” He said. For a split second I believed He actually would if I asked Him. “No,” I said, “no, change me instead.”

None of this is to say that I don’t have my own innate drive toward fucking. I do, and have since I was young.

But I have the Lord Jesus Christ. Or, more to the point, He has me:

By means of Christ I have been crucified, but I live hereafter not I but He lives within me, Christ, so who now I live within flesh, by faithfulness I live by means of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.³

I’m no longer left to the mercilessness of my old self (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον; the old human), which belongs to [my] former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,⁴ but live the Lord’s new self (τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον; the new human), created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.⁵ This new human is continuously filled by the Lord’s own love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control [Table],⁶ his own righteousness, in a word, which transforms my mind and actions:

One morning I walked to a coffee shop to study the Bible with the Lord on my laptop as I ate breakfast. After an hour or so I went to the clubhouse at my apartment complex to study some more. The most direct route back to my apartment was through the walled-in pool area, but if people were swimming there, I walked around it instead. As I left the clubhouse that afternoon, the pool area seemed empty, so I took the shortcut. Halfway through I noticed a young woman sun-bathing in the corner. She had undone her top and wore only a thong as she lay on her stomach. I thanked the Lord as I walked on to my apartment: for her beauty, for my opportunity to see her beauty, and that I lived in a place where she was comfortable to sunbathe in nothing but a thong.

And as far as I know, no one raped or harassed or punished her for doing so.

Tables comparing 2 Samuel 11:2 and 11:3 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and comparing the Greek of 2 Samuel (2 Reigns, 2 Kings) 11:2 and 11:3 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor) follow.

2 Samuel 11:2 (Tanakh)	2 Samuel 11:2 (KJV)	2 Samuel 11:2 (NET)
And it came to pass at eventide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house; and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.	And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.	One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of his palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. Now this woman was very attractive.

2 Samuel 11:2 (Septuagint BLB)	2 Kings 11:2 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐγένετο πρὸς ἑσπέραν καὶ ἀνέστη Δαυιδ ἀπὸ τῆς κοίτης αὐτοῦ καὶ περιεπάτει ἐπὶ τοῦ δώματος τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ εἶδεν γυναῖκα λουομένην ἀπὸ τοῦ δώματος καὶ ἡ γυνὴ καλὴ τῷ εἴδει σφόδρα	καὶ ἐγένετο πρὸς ἑσπέραν καὶ ἀνέστη Δαυὶδ ἀπὸ τῆς κοίτης αὐτοῦ καὶ περιεπάτει ἐπὶ τοῦ δώματος τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ εἶδε γυναῖκα λουομένην ἀπὸ τοῦ δώματος, καὶ ἡ γυνὴ καλὴ τῷ εἴδει σφόδρα
2 Reigns 11:2 (NETS)	2 Kings 11:2 (English Elpenor)
And it happened towards evening, that Dauid rose from his bed and was walking about on the roof of the house of the king, and he saw a woman bathing from the roof, and the woman was very beautiful in appearance.	And it came to pass toward evening, that David arose off his couch, and walked on the roof of the king’s house, and saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.

2 Samuel 11:3 (Tanakh)	2 Samuel 11:3 (KJV)	2 Samuel 11:3 (NET)
And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said: ‘Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?’	And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?	So David sent someone to inquire about the woman. The messenger said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”

2 Samuel 11:3 (Septuagint BLB)	2 Kings 11:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἀπέστειλεν Δαυιδ καὶ ἐζήτησεν τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ εἶπεν οὐχὶ αὕτη Βηρσαβεε θυγάτηρ Ελιαβ γυνὴ Ουριου τοῦ Χετταίου	καὶ ἀπέστειλε Δαυὶδ καὶ ἐζήτησε τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ εἶπεν· οὐχὶ αὕτη Βηρσαβεὲ θυγάτηρ ᾿Ελιὰβ γυνὴ Οὐρίου τοῦ Χετταίου
2 Reigns 11:3 (NETS)	2 Kings 11:3 (English Elpenor)
And Dauid sent and inquired into the woman. And he said, “Is this not Bersabee daughter of Eliab, wife of Ourias the Chettite?”	And David sent and enquired about the woman: and [one] said, [Is] not this Bersabee the daughter of Eliab, the wife of Urias the Chettite?

¹ 1 John 2:18-27; 1 John 4:1-6; 2 John 1:1-11

² Genesis 2:25 (NET) Table

³ Galatians 2:20 (EXP11)

⁴ Ephesians 4:22b (ESV)

⁵ Ephesians 4:24b (ESV)

⁶ Galatians 5:22b, 23a (ESV)

Exploration, Part 20

Posted on June 1, 2026 by admin

I want to continue hearing with faith¹ the truth of the Gospel in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. But first, a quick review follows:

By reason of this grace I, Paul, the captive of Christ Jesus for your sake, the nations—assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you (and by means of me unto you), how by revelation was made known to me the mystery, as I have written briefly [Table], (which this you can read to perceive my insight into the mystery), which to other generations was not made known to the sons of men as now has been revealed by means of his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit—to become the nations, fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of the promise by means of Christ Jesus through the gospel [Table].²

Of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given me by the working of his power. To me, less than the least of all saints, was given this grace to announce good news to the Gentiles: the unsearchable riches of Christ and to bring to light for everyone why the stewardship, or the fellowship, of the mystery hidden from the ages by means of God, who the whole created [Table], so that now may be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places through the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the purpose of the ages that he has accomplished by means of Christ Jesus, by means of whom we have boldness and access with confidence through his faithfulness [Table]. So I ask you not to lose heart by means of what I am suffering for you, which is your glory [Table].³

Paul continued (Ephesians 3:14-19 ESV):

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father [Table], from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being [Table], so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth [Table], and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

The Greek is: Τούτου χάριν, For this reason. Here again, most translators understood χάριν as an adverb: “in favour of; on account of.” And here again, the translators of the Catholic Public Domain Version chose, By reason of this grace. As I wrote before, “Paul’s Greek readers would have recognized χάριν as both an adverb and a form of the noun χάρις in the accusative case.”⁴ This was immediately preceded by Paul’s request: I ask you not to lose heart by means of what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

What good is it,⁵ James asked, If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food [Table], and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?⁶ Paul followed up his request with the concrete action that would cause his readers not to lose heart: κάμπτω τὰ γόνατα μου, I bow my knees, πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, before the Father (or “to the Father”). It may be worth acknowledging that the received texts (Stephanus Textus Receptus, Byzantine Majority Text) had του κυριου ημων ιησου χριστου (KJV: of our Lord Jesus Christ) following Father.

Paul continued: ἐξ οὗ, from whom, πᾶσα πατριὰ, every family, ἐν οὐρανοῖς, in heaven (literally “in heavens”), καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς, and on earth, ὀνομάζεται, is named (or “is known”), ἵνα δῷ ὑμῖν, that he may grant you. The verb δῷ (ESV: he may grant) is an aorist form of δίδωμι in the subjunctive mood. It is in a purpose or result clause, which is indicated by the conjunction ἵνα (ESV: that) at its beginning.

The subjunctive mood indicates probability or objective possibility. The action of the verb will possibly happen, depending on certain objective factors or circumstances…However if the subjunctive mood is used in a purpose or result clause, then the action should not be thought of as a possible result, but should be viewed as a definite outcome that will happen as a result of another stated action.⁷

At the word level δῷ is translated he may grant as an English representation of the Greek verb δίδωμι in the subjunctive mood indicating “probability or objective possibility,” an action that “will possibly happen, depending on certain objective factors or circumstances.” At the level of the clause, however, the subjunctive mood “in a purpose or result clause…should be viewed as a definite outcome that will happen [at some unspecified time⁸] as a result” of “the Father from whom every family in heavens and on earth is known,” and incidentally from Paul’s submission to Him. These concepts are not communicated very well in English translation, apart from a footnote or prior familiarity with this knowledge of the Greek subjunctive mood. I’ll use grant here to avoid confusion.

The received texts (Stephanus Textus Receptus, Byzantine Majority Text) had δωη here, which begs the question: Is it δῴη in the optative mood or δώῃ in the subjunctive mood?

The optative is the mood of possibility, removed even further than the subjunctive mood from something conceived of as actual. Often it is used to convey a wish or hope for a certain action to occur.⁹

And to add to this confusion, the verb is specified as δῴη on Blue Letter Bible online, but described as “subjunctive” in the bubble at the far right of the table row labeled “he would grant.”

The implicit argument of the critical text is that δῷ is the more original verb here. The obscene reality of the critical text is that it will be continuously revised by current scholarly research and opinion. That δῷ occurs in both the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ implies some stability in scholarly opinion from NA²⁷ and δωη in the received texts (e.g., the critical texts of another place and time) may also be understood in the subjunctive mood. In other words, do you trust “the Father from whom every family in heavens and on earth is known” to grant you what follows?

Paul continued: κατὰ τὸ πλοῦτος, according to the riches. The received texts had τον πλουτον here. Since the definite article τὸ is both nominative and accusative it appears to do double duty, introducing the nominative noun πλοῦτος even as it follows κατὰ as an accusative article, rendering the meaning of κατὰ the same as is accomplished by the fully accusative τον πλουτον.

Paul continued: τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ, of his glory, δυνάμει, with power (or “by means of power”), κραταιωθῆναι, to be strengthened, διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ, through his Spirit, εἰς τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον, in your inner being (literally “into the inside human”). To review so far: “By reason of this grace I bow my knees to the Father from whom every family in heavens and on earth is known, that he grant you, according to the riches of his glory by means of power, to be strengthened through his Spirit into the inside human” κατοικῆσαι τὸν Χριστὸν, so that Christ may dwell.

Apparently, the ESV translators understood κατοικῆσαι (ESV: may dwell) as a form of the verb κατοικέω in the optative mood, even as they reiterated its inclusion under the conjunction ἵνα (ESV: so that), which occurred at the beginning of verse 16. This interpretation would be more convincing if the words translated Christ were ὁ χριστός in the nominative case, the subject of the verb κατοικῆσαι rather than τὸν Χριστὸν in the accusative case, its direct object. The verb κατοικῆσαι was also translated may dwell on Blue Letter Bible, yet described as an “Infinitive” in the bubble at the far right of that table row.

It seems more straightforward to regard κατοικῆσαι as an infinitive form, “to settle the Christ” at some unspecified time (the aorist tense again), διὰ τῆς πίστεως, through the faith, ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν, in your hearts (or “by means of your hearts”), ἐν ἀγάπῃ, in love (or “by means of love”), ἐρριζωμένοι καὶ τεθεμελιωμένοι, being rooted and grounded (or “being rooted and established”), ἵνα, “so that,” ἐξισχύσητε, you may have strength.

Here again, ἐξισχύσητε is a form of ἐξισχύω in the aorist tense and subjunctive mood in a purpose or result clause. It is “a definite outcome that will happen”¹⁰ at some unspecified time “as a result of”¹¹ the indwelling Christ “through the faith by means of your hearts by means of love being rooted and established.” I’ll go with you are in a position because of the infinitive verb which follows. The truth to be hearing with faith¹² so far is:

“By reason of this grace I bow my knees to the Father from whom every family in heavens and on earth is known, that he grant you, according to the riches of his glory by means of power, to be strengthened through his Spirit into the inside human to settle the Christ” (or “to be strengthened through his Spirit to settle the Christ into the inside human”) “through the faith by means of your hearts by means of love being rooted and established, so that you are in a position”¹³ καταλαβέσθαι, to comprehend (literally “to seize”), σὺν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἁγίοις, with all the saints, τί, what is, τὸ πλάτος, the breadth, καὶ μῆκος, and length, καὶ ὕψος, and height, καὶ βάθος, and depth, γνῶναι τε, and to know, τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν τῆς γνώσεως, that surpasses knowledge (literally “the surpassing of knowledge”), ἀγάπην τοῦ Χριστοῦ, the love of Christ (or “Christ’s love”).

It’s easy to see why the translators chose to comprehend for καταλαβέσθαι, since it is followed by γνῶναι τε, and to know. It just feels a little weak to me. And though “Christ’s love” never excludes his love for me, I’m more often overcome by his love for you that springs up within me from the fruit of his Spirit. Paul concluded: ἵνα πληρωθῆτε, that you may be filled. This is another aorist subjective verb in a purpose or result clause: “that you are filled” at some unspecified time by all that has preceded here, εἰς πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ θεοῦ, with all the fullness of God (or “unto all of God’s fullness,” e.g., the Christ that was settled into the inside human through the faith by means of your hearts by means of love being rooted and established).

The truth to be hearing with faith¹⁴ is (Ephesians 3:14-19 EXP20):

By reason of this grace I bow my knees to the Father from whom every family in heavens and on earth is known, that he grant you, according to the riches of his glory by means of power, to be strengthened through his Spirit to settle the Christ into the inside human through the faith by means of your hearts by means of love being rooted and established, so that you are in a position to seize with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the surpassing of knowledge—Christ’s love—that you are filled unto all of God’s fullness.

This is my own daily prayer for all of us, for in this way the One new human (ἕνα καινὸν ἄνθρωπον), Jesus the Christ, becomes the new human (τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον) in us all: the new self, created (κτισθέντα, a form of κτίζω) after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.¹⁵ As Jesus said (John 12:23b, 24 ESV):

The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified [Table]. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Paul continued (Ephesians 3:20, 21 ESV):

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us [Table], to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen [Table].

The Greek is: Τῷ δὲ δυναμένῳ, Now to him who is able, ὑπὲρ πάντα ποιῆσαι ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ, to do far more abundantly than all, ὧν αἰτούμεθα, that we ask, ἢ νοοῦμεν, or think, κατὰ τὴν δύναμιν, according to the power, τὴν ἐνεργουμένην ἐν ἡμῖν, at work within us (or “working within us” or “working by means of us”: e.g., the indwelling Christ unto all of God’s fullness), αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα, to him be glory (or “to Him the glory”), ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, in the church (or “by means of the church”), καὶ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, and in Christ Jesus (or “and by means of Christ Jesus”), εἰς πάσας τὰς γενεὰς, throughout all generations (or “unto all the generations”), τοῦ αἰῶνος τῶν αἰώνων, forever and ever, ἀμήν, Amen.

Now to him, who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think according to the power working by means of us, to Him the glory by means of the church and by means of Christ Jesus unto all the generations forever and ever, Amen.¹⁶

The conjunction καὶ (and) isn’t inserted between the church and Christ Jesus in the received texts.

Now to him, who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think according to the power working by means of us, to Him the glory by means of the church by means of Christ Jesus unto all the generations forever and ever, Amen.

John described the following scene from the Lord Jesus’ vision of the throne of God (Revelation 4:9-11 ESV):

And whenever the living creatures give¹⁷ glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne,¹⁸ who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four¹⁹ elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,²⁰
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created (ἔκτισας, another form of κτίζω) all things,
and by your will they existed²¹ and were created” (ἐκτίσθησαν, another form of κτίζω).

Tables comparing Revelation 4:9-11 in the KJV and NET follow.

Revelation 4:9-11 (NET)	Revelation 4:9-11 (KJV)
And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever,	And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,

Revelation 4:9 (NET Parallel Greek)	Revelation 4:9 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Revelation 4:9 (Byzantine Majority Text)
Καὶ ὅταν δώσουσιν τὰ ζῷα δόξαν καὶ τιμὴν καὶ εὐχαριστίαν τῷ καθημένῳ ἐπὶ \|τῷ θρονῷ\| τῷ ζῶντι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων	και οταν δωσουσιν τα ζωα δοξαν και τιμην και ευχαριστιαν τω καθημενω επι του θρονου τω ζωντι εις τους αιωνας των αιωνων	και οταν δωσιν τα ζωα δοξαν και τιμην και ευχαριστιαν τω καθημενω επι του θρονου τω ζωντι εις τους αιωνας των αιωνων

the twenty-four elders throw themselves to the ground before the one who sits on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever, and they offer their crowns before his throne, saying:

The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

Revelation 4:10 (NET Parallel Greek)	Revelation 4:10 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Revelation 4:10 (Byzantine Majority Text)
πεσοῦνται οἱ εἴκοσι τέσσαρες πρεσβύτεροι ἐνώπιον τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν τῷ ζῶντι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων καὶ βαλοῦσιν τοὺς στεφάνους αὐτῶν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου λέγοντες·	πεσουνται οι εικοσι και τεσσαρες πρεσβυτεροι ενωπιον του καθημενου επι του θρονου και προσκυνουσιν τω ζωντι εις τους αιωνας των αιωνων και βαλλουσιν τους στεφανους αυτων ενωπιον του θρονου λεγοντες	πεσουνται οι κδ πρεσβυτεροι ενωπιον του καθημενου επι του θρονου και προσκυνησουσιν τω ζωντι εις τους αιωνας των αιωνων και βαλουσιν τους στεφανους αυτων ενωπιον του θρονου λεγοντες

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, since you created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created!”

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Revelation 4:11 (NET Parallel Greek)	Revelation 4:11 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Revelation 4:11 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ἄξιος εἶ, ὁ κύριος καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, λαβεῖν τὴν δόξαν καὶ τὴν τιμὴν καὶ τὴν δύναμιν, ὅτι σὺ ἔκτισας τὰ πάντα καὶ διὰ τὸ θέλημα σου ἦσαν καὶ ἐκτίσθησαν	αξιος ει κυριε λαβειν την δοξαν και την τιμην και την δυναμιν οτι συ εκτισας τα παντα και δια το θελημα σου εισιν και εκτισθησαν	αξιος ει ο κυριος και ο θεος ημων ο αγιος λαβειν την δοξαν και την τιμην και την δυναμιν οτι συ εκτισας τα παντα και δια το θελημα σου εισιν και εκτισθησαν

Back to Antichrist, Part 6

Back to Who is a Christian? Part 1

¹ Galatians 3:2b (ESV)

² Ephesians 3:1-6 (EXP18)

³ Ephesians 3:7-13 (EXP19)

⁴ Exploration, Part 18

⁵ James 2:14a (ESV)

⁶ James 2:15, 16 (ESV)

⁷ From “Verbal Moods: Subjunctive Mood,” Greek Verbs (Shorter Definitions) on Resources for Learning New Testament Greek online.

⁸ “The aorist is said to be ‘simple occurrence’ or ‘summary occurrence’, without regard for the amount of time taken to accomplish the action. This tense is also often referred to as the ‘punctiliar’ tense. ‘Punctiliar’ in this sense means ‘viewed as a single, collective whole,’ a ‘one-point-in-time’ action, although it may actually take place over a period of time.” From “Verb Tenses: Aorist Tense,” Greek Verbs (Shorter Definitions) on Resources for Learning New Testament Greek online.

⁹ From “Verbal Moods: Optative Mood,” Greek Verbs (Shorter Definitions) on Resources for Learning New Testament Greek online.

¹⁰ From “Verbal Moods: Subjunctive Mood,” Greek Verbs (Shorter Definitions) on Resources for Learning New Testament Greek online.

¹¹ Ibid.

¹² Galatians 3:2b (ESV)

¹³ Ephesians 3:14-18a (EXP20)

¹⁴ Galatians 3:2b (ESV)

¹⁵ Ephesians 4:24b (ESV)

¹⁶ Ephesians 3:20, 21 (EXP20)

¹⁷ The Byzantine Majority Text had δωσιν here, a form of δίδωμι in the 2^nd aorist tense and subjunctive mood, where the NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Stephanus Textus Receptus had δώσουσιν in the future tense and indicative mood.

¹⁸ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had τῷ θρονῷ in the dative case here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had του θρονου in the genitive case.

¹⁹ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had εἴκοσι τέσσαρες here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had εικοσι και τεσσαρες (KJV: four and twenty) and the Byzantine Majority Text had κδ (24 in “Ancient Greek Numeral Systems”).

²⁰ The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text had ὁ κύριος καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had the vocative κυριε (KJV: O Lord). The Byzantine Majority Text also had ο αγιος (e.g., “the holy” or “the Holy One”) following our Lord and God.

²¹ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἦσαν here, a form of εἰμί in the imperfect tense, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εισιν (KJV: are) in the present tense, which becomes interesting to consider when one includes the new human (τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον) among the creations of God through Jesus Christ.

Balaam, Balak and the 24,000, Part 5

Posted on May 20, 2026 by admin

This is a continuation of my review of the Lord’s patience with the 24,000 killed by Moses, Phineas and the judges or tribes of Israel after joining themselves to Baal of Peor. The old human (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον)—your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires¹—never learns very much from its experience with the Lord (Exodus 17:1-3a ESV).

All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” [Table] But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses…

The old human wasn’t learning that The Lord is at hand² but was ruled by its own anxiety instead, unable and unwilling in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving [to] let [its] requests be made known to God.³ The truth seemed harsh when Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him,⁴ You are of your father the devil, and your will (θέλετε, a form of θέλω) is to do your father’s desires (ἐπιθυμίας, a form of ἐπιθυμία).⁵ But hear the words of the old human:

Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?⁶

Who but the devil wishes this for the nation in whom all the families of the earth [shall] be blessed?⁷ So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.”⁸ But again, the Lord had a different plan (Exodus 17:5-7 ESV).

And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go [Table]. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel [Table]. And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Jesus, the One new human, said, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?⁹ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all [Table]. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you [Table].¹⁰But, how?

How does one seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness? “If anyone would come after me,” Jesus told his disciples, “let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”¹¹ I didn’t read the ESV in the early years. So, I’ll go back in time: If any man will (θέλει, a form of θέλω) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.¹² I knew I couldn’t wander around after Jesus like Peter, James and John did, so I figured following Him had something to do with reading about Him in the Bible.

The stories in the Gospel narratives describing what Jesus did and said as an adult always began with the story of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1-12 ESV):

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by¹³ the prophet Isaiah when he said,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”

Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river¹⁴ Jordan, confessing their sins.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance [Table]. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire [Table].
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire [Table]. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat (τὸν σῖτον αὐτοῦ) into the barn, but the chaff (τὸ δὲ ἄχυρον) he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

An article, “Ancient Jewish History: Pharisees, Sadducees & Essenes,” on Jewish Virtual Library online describes the “factions” mentioned above:

Of the various factions that emerged under Hasmonean rule, three are of particular interest: the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes.

The Pharisees
The most important of the three were the Pharisees because they are the spiritual fathers of modern Judaism. Their main distinguishing characteristic was a belief in an Oral Law that God gave to Moses at Sinai along with the Torah. The Torah, or Written Law, was akin to the U.S. Constitution in the sense that it set down a series of laws that were open to interpretation. The Pharisees believed that God also gave Moses the knowledge of what these laws meant and how they should be applied. This oral tradition was codified and written down roughly three centuries later¹⁵ in what is known as the Talmud.
The Pharisees also maintained that an after-life existed, and that God punished the wicked and rewarded the righteous in the world to come. They also believed in a messiah who would herald an era of world peace.
Pharisees were in a sense blue-collar Jews who adhered to the tenets developed after the destruction of the Temple; that is, such things as individual prayer and assembly in synagogues.

The Sadducees
The Sadducees were elitists who wanted to maintain the priestly caste, but they were also liberal in their willingness to incorporate Hellenism into their lives, something the Pharisees opposed. The Sadducees rejected the idea of the Oral Law and insisted on a literal interpretation of the Written Law; consequently, they did not believe in an afterlife, since it is not mentioned in the Torah. The focus of Sadducee life was rituals associated with the Temple.
The Sadducees disappeared around 70 A.D., after the destruction of the Second Temple. None of the writings of the Sadducees has survived, so the little we know about them comes from their Pharisaic opponents.

These two “parties” served in the Great Sanhedrin, a kind of Jewish Supreme Court made up of 71 members whose responsibility was to interpret civil and religious laws.

My search on Jewish Virtual Library for “John the Baptist” found nothing of consequence. But an article, “John the Baptist – A Jewish Preacher Recast as the Herald of Jesus” on The Torah online reads:

The historical John, יוחנן, was a thoroughly Jewish religious preacher, who had little if any relation to Jesus and his movement…
Yohannan’s [John’s] use of immersion in water (“baptism”) as a symbol of purification of sins occurs in the sectarian literature found in the caves around Qumran…
John the Baptist and the Dead Sea sectarians share the use of water immersion for purification of the spirit. John may have been a member of the sect who went off on his own;^[8] alternately, John may never have been part of the Essenes community, and this idea of spiritual purification through immersion was more widely known among Judeans during the late Second Temple period.

The article, “Ancient Jewish History: Pharisees, Sadducees & Essenes,” on Jewish Virtual Library online had the following to say about the Essenes:

A third faction, the Essenes, emerged out of disgust with the other two. This sect believed the others had corrupted the city and the Temple. They moved out of Jerusalem and lived a monastic life in the desert, adopting strict dietary laws and a commitment to celibacy.
The Essenes are particularly interesting to scholars because they are believed to be an offshoot of the group that lived in Qumran, near the Dead Sea. In 1947, a Bedouin shepherd stumbled into a cave containing various ancient artifacts and jars containing manuscripts describing the beliefs of the sect and events of the time.
The most important documents, often only parchment fragments that had to be meticulously restored, were the earliest known copies of the Old Testament. The similarity of the substance of the material found in the scrolls to that in the modern scriptures has confirmed the authenticity of the Bible used today.

I have already considered what happened next in Exodus in another context, but want to repeat it here as another example of the Lord’s patience with the old human as well as the limits of that patience (Exodus 17:8-13 ESV).

Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand” [Table]. So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill [Table]. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed [Table]. But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun [Table]. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword [Table].

I am willing these days to assume that if I had the Lord’s written record of his interactions with Amalek, it would show a similar pattern of patience with the old human of Amelak to that shown to the old human of Israel. I wonder, however, if there was anyone like Moses in Amalek or if that grace was reserved for the nation in whom all the families of the earth [shall] be blessed?¹⁶ When the old human of Amalek attacked the old human of Israel that the Lord had chosen, the Lord’s patience toward the old human of Amalek was diminished. (Exodus 17:14-16 ESV):

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

The story of Jesus as an adult continues (Matthew 3:13-17 ESV):

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” [Table] But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him [Table]; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

So, as I attempted to follow Jesus by reading about Him, I got baptized without knowing why. Eventually, however, I came to a story about Paul in Ephesus (Acts 19:1-6 ESV).

And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came¹⁷ to Ephesus. There he found¹⁸ some disciples. And¹⁹ he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said,²⁰ “No, we have not even²¹ heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said,²² “Into John’s baptism.” And Paul said,²³ “John²⁴ baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.”²⁵ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came²⁶ on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.

This was Moses’ desire for all the Lord’s people²⁷ when he became overwhelmed, feeling alone, caring for the old human of Israel (Numbers 11:16, 17 ESV).

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone.

The Complete Jewish Bible on Chabad.org online renders this giving of the spirit, and I will increase the spirit that is upon you and bestow it upon them. Rashi explained:

and I will increase. Heb. וְאָצַלְתִּי, as the Targum renders it: וַאִרַבֵּי, and I will increase, as in “But against the nobles of (אֲצִילֵי) the children of Israel” (Exod. 24:11).
and bestow it upon them. What did Moses resemble at that time? A candle placed upon a candelabrum; everyone lights from it, yet its brightness is not diminished. — [Sifrei Beha’alothecha 1:42:17, Midrash Tanchuma Beha’alothecha 12]

And the Lord did as He promised Moses (Numbers 11:24-29 ESV):

So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it²⁸ on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.
Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”

According to a note (4) in the NET Matthew quoted Isaiah 40:3 in Matthew 3:3. The following table compares the Greek of that quotation with the Septuagint.

Matthew 3:3b (NET Parallel Greek)	Isaiah 40:3 (Septuagint BLB)	Isaiah 40:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου, εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ	φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν	φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου. εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν
Matthew 3:3b (NET)	Isaiah 40:3 (NETS)	Isaiah 40:3 (English Elpenor)
The voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight.’	A voice of one crying out in the wilderness; “Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight the paths of our God.	The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God.

Tables comparing Exodus 17:1; 17:3; 17:4; 17:7; 17:8; 17:14; 17:15; 17:16; Numbers 11:29; 11:16; 11:17; 11:24; 11:25; 11:26; 11:27; 11:28 and Isaiah 40:3 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and comparing the Greek of Exodus 17:1; 17:3; 17:4; 17:7; 17:8; 17:14; 17:15; 17:16; Numbers 11:29; 11:16; 11:17; 11:24; 11:25; 11:26; 11:27; 11:28 and Isaiah 40:3 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables comparing Matthew 3:3; 3:6; Acts 19:1-4 and 19:6 in the NET and KJV follow.

Exodus 17:1 (Tanakh)	Exodus 17:1 (KJV)	Exodus 17:1 (NET)
And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, by their stages, according to the commandment of HaShem, and encamped in Rephidim; and there was no water for the people to drink.	And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.	The whole community of the Israelites traveled on their journey from the wilderness of Sin according to the Lord’s instruction, and they pitched camp in Rephidim. Now there was no water for the people to drink.

Exodus 17:1 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 17:1 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἀπῆρεν πᾶσα συναγωγὴ υἱῶν Ισραηλ ἐκ τῆς ἐρήμου Σιν κατὰ παρεμβολὰς αὐτῶν διὰ ῥήματος κυρίου καὶ παρενεβάλοσαν ἐν Ραφιδιν οὐκ ἦν δὲ ὕδωρ τῷ λαῷ πιεῖν	ΚΑΙ ἀπῇρε πᾶσα συναγωγὴ υἱῶν ᾿Ισραὴλ ἐκ τῆς ἐρήμου Σὶν κατὰ παρεμβολὰς αὐτῶν διά ῥήματος Κυρίου καὶ παρενεβάλοσαν ἐν Ῥαφιδείν· οὐκ ἦν δὲ ὕδωρ τῷ λαῷ πιεῖν
Exodus 17:1 (NETS)	Exodus 17:1 (English Elpenor)
And the entire congregation of the sons of Israel set out from the wilderness of Sin according to their encampments by the word of the Lord, and they camped at Raphidin. But there was no water for the people to drink.	And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the wilderness of Sin, according to their encampments, by the word of the Lord; and they encamped in Raphidin: and there was no water for the people to drink.

Exodus 17:3 (Tanakh)	Exodus 17:3 (KJV)	Exodus 17:3 (NET)
And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said: ‘Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?’	And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?	But the people were very thirsty there for water, and they murmured against Moses and said, “Why in the world did you bring us up from Egypt—to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?”

Exodus 17:3 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 17:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐδίψησεν δὲ ἐκεῖ ὁ λαὸς ὕδατι καὶ ἐγόγγυζεν ἐκεῖ ὁ λαὸς πρὸς Μωυσῆν λέγοντες ἵνα τί τοῦτο ἀνεβίβασας ἡμᾶς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἀποκτεῖναι ἡμᾶς καὶ τὰ τέκνα ἡμῶν καὶ τὰ κτήνη τῷ δίψει	ἐδίψησε δὲ ἐκεῖ ὁ λαὸς ὕδατι, καὶ διεγόγγυζεν ἐκεῖ ὁ λαὸς πρὸς Μωυσῆν λέγοντες· ἱνατί τοῦτο; ἀνεβίβασας ἡμᾶς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἀποκτεῖναι ἡμᾶς καὶ τὰ τέκνα ἡμῶν καὶ τὰ κτήνη τῷ δίψει
Exodus 17:3 (NETS)	Exodus 17:3 (English Elpenor)
But the people thirsted there for water, and the people kept complaining against Moyses, saying, “Why is it that you brought us up from Egypt to kill us and our children and animals with thirst?”	And the people thirsted there for water, and there the people murmured against Moses, saying, Why is this? hast thou brought us up out of Egypt to slay us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

Exodus 17:4 (Tanakh)	Exodus 17:4 (KJV)	Exodus 17:4 (NET)
And Moses cried unto HaShem, saying: ‘What shall I do unto this people? they are almost ready to stone me.’	And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.	Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What will I do with this people?—a little more and they will stone me!”

Exodus 17:4 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 17:4 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐβόησεν δὲ Μωυσῆς πρὸς κύριον λέγων τί ποιήσω τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ ἔτι μικρὸν καὶ καταλιθοβολήσουσίν με	ἐβόησε δὲ Μωυσῆς πρὸς Κύριον λέγων· τί ποιήσω τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ; ἔτι μικρὸν καὶ καταλιθοβολήσουσί με
Exodus 17:4 (NETS)	Exodus 17:4 (English Elpenor)
Then Moyses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do with this people? A little while yet and they will stone me!”	And Moses cried to the Lord, saying, What shall I do to this people? yet a little while and they will stone me.

Exodus 17:7 (Tanakh)	Exodus 17:7 (KJV)	Exodus 17:7 (NET)
And the name of the place was called Massah, and Meribah, because of the striving of the children of Israel, and because they tried HaShem, saying: ‘Is HaShem among us, or not?’	And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?	He called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contending of the Israelites and because of their testing the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Exodus 17:7 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 17:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐπωνόμασεν τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου πειρασμὸς καὶ λοιδόρησις διὰ τὴν λοιδορίαν τῶν υἱῶν Ισραηλ καὶ διὰ τὸ πειράζειν κύριον λέγοντας εἰ ἔστιν κύριος ἐν ἡμῖν ἢ οὔ	καὶ ἐπωνόμασε τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου Πειρασμὸς καὶ Λοιδόρησις, διὰ τὴν λοιδορίαν τῶν υἱῶν ᾿Ισραὴλ καὶ διὰ τὸ πειράζειν Κύριον λέγοντας· εἰ ἔστι Κύριος ἐν ἡμῖν ἢ οὔ
Exodus 17:7 (NETS)	Exodus 17:7 (English Elpenor)
And he called the name of that place Testing and Raillery because of the railing of the sons of Israel and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”	And he called the name of that place, Temptation, and Reviling, because of the reviling of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us or not?

Exodus 17:8 (Tanakh)	Exodus 17:8 (KJV)	Exodus 17:8 (NET)
Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.	Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.	Amalek came and attacked Israel in Rephidim.

Exodus 17:8 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 17:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἦλθεν δὲ Αμαληκ καὶ ἐπολέμει Ισραηλ ἐν Ραφιδιν	῏Ηλθε δὲ ᾿Αμαλὴκ καὶ ἐπολέμει ᾿Ισραὴλ ἐν Ῥαφιδείν
Exodus 17:8 (NETS)	Exodus 17:8 (English Elpenor)
Then Amalek came and was fighting Israel at Raphidin.	And Amalec came and fought with Israel in Raphidin.

Exodus 17:14 (Tanakh)	Exodus 17:14 (KJV)	Exodus 17:14 (NET)
And HaShem said unto Moses: ‘Write this for a memorial in the book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.’	And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.	The Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in the book, and rehearse it in Joshua’s hearing; for I will surely wipe out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.”

Exodus 17:14 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 17:14 (Septuagint Elpenor)
εἶπεν δὲ κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν κατάγραψον τοῦτο εἰς μνημόσυνον ἐν βιβλίῳ καὶ δὸς εἰς τὰ ὦτα Ἰησοῖ ὅτι ἀλοιφῇ ἐξαλείψω τὸ μνημόσυνον Αμαληκ ἐκ τῆς ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν	εἶπε δὲ Κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν· κατάγραψον τοῦτο εἰς μνημόσυνονἐν [probably μνημόσυνον ἐν] βιβλίῳ καὶ δὸς εἰς τὰ ὦτα ᾿Ιησοῦ, ὅτι ἀλοιφῇ ἐξαλείψω τὸ μνημόσυνον ᾿Αμαλὴκ ἐκ τῆς ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν
Exodus 17:14 (NETS)	Exodus 17:14 (English Elpenor)
Then the Lord said to Moyses, “Write this down for a memorial in a book, and put into the ears of Iesous that with a wipe out I will wipe out the memorial of Amalek from what is beneath heaven.	And the Lord said to Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and speak [this] in the ears of Joshua; for I will utterly blot out the memorial of Amalec from under heaven.

Exodus 17:15 (Tanakh)	Exodus 17:15 (KJV)	Exodus 17:15 (NET)
And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Adonai-nissi.	And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:	Moses built an altar, and he called it “The Lord is my Banner,”

Exodus 17:15 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 17:15 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν Μωυσῆς θυσιαστήριον κυρίῳ καὶ ἐπωνόμασεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ κύριός μου καταφυγή	καὶ ᾠκοδόμησε Μωυσῆς θυσιαστήριον Κυρίῳ καὶ ἐπωνόμασε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Κύριος καταφυγή μου
Exodus 17:15 (NETS)	Exodus 17:15 (English Elpenor)
And Moyses built an altar to the Lord and called its name “The Lord is my refuge,”	And Moses built an altar to the Lord, and called the name of it, The Lord my Refuge.

Exodus 17:16 (Tanakh)	Exodus 17:16 (KJV)	Exodus 17:16 (NET)
And he said: ‘The hand upon the throne of HaShem: HaShem will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.’	For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.	for he said, “For a hand was lifted up to the throne of the Lord—that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

Exodus 17:16 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 17:16 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὅτι ἐν χειρὶ κρυφαίᾳ πολεμεῖ κύριος ἐπὶ Αμαληκ ἀπὸ γενεῶν εἰς γενεάς	ὅτι ἐν χειρὶ κρυφαίᾳ πολεμεῖ Κύριος ἐπὶ ᾿Αμαλὴκ ἀπὸ γενεῶν εἰς γενεᾶς
Exodus 17:16 (NETS)	Exodus 17:16 (English Elpenor)
because by a secret hand the Lord fights against Amalek from generations to generations.	For with a secret hand the Lord wages war upon Amalec to all generations.

Numbers 11:29 (Tanakh)	Numbers 11:29 (KJV)	Numbers 11:29 (NET)
And Moses said unto him: ‘Art thou jealous for my sake? would that all HaShem’S people were prophets, that HaShem would put His spirit upon them!’	And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!	Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for me? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”

Numbers 11:29 (Septuagint BLB)	Numbers 11:29 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Μωυσῆς μὴ ζηλοῖς σύ μοι καὶ τίς δῴη πάντα τὸν λαὸν κυρίου προφήτας ὅταν δῷ κύριος τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ ἐπ᾽ αὐτούς	καὶ εἶπε Μωυσῆς αὐτῷ· μὴ ζηλοῖς ἐμέ; καὶ τίς δῴη πάντα τὸν λαὸν Κυρίου προφήτας, ὅταν δῷ Κύριος τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ ἐπ’ αὐτούς
Numbers 11:29 (NETS)	Numbers 11:29 (English Elpenor)
And Moyses said to him, “Are you really jealous for me? And who might grant that all the Lord’s people be prophets, when the Lord grants his spirit upon them?”	And Moses said to him, Art thou jealous on my account? and would that all the Lord’s people were prophets; whenever the Lord shall put his spirit upon them.

Numbers 11:16 (Tanakh)	Numbers 11:16 (KJV)	Numbers 11:16 (NET)
And HaShem said unto Moses: ‘Gather unto Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with thee.	And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.	The Lord said to Moses, “Gather to me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know are elders of the people and officials over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting; let them take their position there with you.

Numbers 11:16 (Septuagint BLB)	Numbers 11:16 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν συνάγαγέ μοι ἑβδομήκοντα ἄνδρας ἀπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων Ισραηλ οὓς αὐτὸς σὺ οἶδας ὅτι οὗτοί εἰσιν πρεσβύτεροι τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ γραμματεῖς αὐτῶν καὶ ἄξεις αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ μαρτυρίου καὶ στήσονται ἐκεῖ μετὰ σοῦ	καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν· συνάγαγέ μοι ἑβδομήκοντα ἄνδρας ἀπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ᾿Ισραήλ, οὓς αὐτὸς σὺ οἶδας, ὅτι οὗτοί εἰσι πρεσβύτεροι τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ γραμματεῖς αὐτῶν. καὶ ἄξεις αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ μαρτυρίου, καὶ στήσονται ἐκεῖ μετὰ σοῦ
Numbers 11:16 (NETS)	Numbers 11:16 (English Elpenor)
And the Lord said to Moyses, “Gather for me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you personally know that they are elders of the people and are their scribes, and you shall lead them to the tent of witness, and they shall stand there with you.	And the Lord said to Moses, Gather me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom thou thyself knowest that they are the elders of the people, and their scribes; and thou shalt bring them to the tabernacle of witness, and they shall stand there with thee.

Numbers 11:17 (Tanakh)	Numbers 11:17 (KJV)	Numbers 11:17 (NET)
And I will come down and speak with thee there; and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.	And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.	Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take part of the Spirit that is on you, and will put it on them, and they will bear some of the burden of the people with you, so that you do not bear it all by yourself.

Numbers 11:17 (Septuagint BLB)	Numbers 11:17 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ καταβήσομαι καὶ λαλήσω ἐκεῖ μετὰ σοῦ καὶ ἀφελῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἐπὶ σοὶ καὶ ἐπιθήσω ἐπ᾽ αὐτούς καὶ συναντιλήμψονται μετὰ σοῦ τὴν ὁρμὴν τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ οὐκ οἴσεις αὐτοὺς σὺ μόνος	καὶ καταβήσομαι καὶ λαλήσω ἐκεῖ μετὰ σοῦ καὶ ἀφελῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἐπὶ σοὶ καὶ ἐπιθήσω ἐπ’ αὐτούς, καὶ συναντιλήψονται μετὰ σοῦ τὴν ὁρμὴν τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ οὐκ οἴσεις αὐτοὺς σὺ μόνος
Numbers 11:17 (NETS)	Numbers 11:17 (English Elpenor)
And I will come down and speak there with you, and I will remove some of the spirit that is upon you, and I will place it upon them, and they shall assist you with the onslaught of the people, and you will not bear them alone.	And I will go down, and speak there with thee; and I will take of the spirit that is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear together with thee the burden of the people, and thou shalt not bear them alone.

Numbers 11:24 (Tanakh)	Numbers 11:24 (KJV)	Numbers 11:24 (NET)
And Moses went out, and told the people the words of HaShem; and he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the Tent.	And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the LORD, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle.	So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. He then gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and had them stand around the tabernacle.

Numbers 11:24 (Septuagint BLB)	Numbers 11:24 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐξῆλθεν Μωυσῆς καὶ ἐλάλησεν πρὸς τὸν λαὸν τὰ ῥήματα κυρίου καὶ συνήγαγεν ἑβδομήκοντα ἄνδρας ἀπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ ἔστησεν αὐτοὺς κύκλῳ τῆς σκηνῆς	καὶ ἐξῆλθε Μωυσῆς καὶ ἐλάλησε πρὸς τὸν λαὸν τὰ ρήματα Κυρίου καὶ συνήγαγεν ἑβδομήκοντα ἄνδρας ἀπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ ἔστησεν αὐτοὺς κύκλῳ τῆς σκηνῆς
Numbers 11:24 (NETS)	Numbers 11:24 (English Elpenor)
And Moyses went out and spoke to the people the words of the Lord, and he gathered seventy men from the elders of the people, and he placed them around the tent.	And Moses went out, and spoke the words of the Lord to the people; and he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and he set them round about the tabernacle.

Numbers 11:25 (Tanakh)	Numbers 11:25 (KJV)	Numbers 11:25 (NET)
And HaShem came down in the cloud, and spoke unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy elders; and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, but they did so no more.	And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.	And the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to them, and he took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but did not do so again.

Numbers 11:25 (Septuagint BLB)	Numbers 11:25 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ κατέβη κύριος ἐν νεφέλῃ καὶ ἐλάλησεν πρὸς αὐτόν καὶ παρείλατο ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ καὶ ἐπέθηκεν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἑβδομήκοντα ἄνδρας τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους ὡς δὲ ἐπανεπαύσατο τὸ πνεῦμα ἐπ᾽ αὐτούς καὶ ἐπροφήτευσαν καὶ οὐκέτι προσέθεντο	καὶ κατέβη Κύριος ἐν νεφέλῃ καὶ ἐλάλησε πρὸς αὐτόν· καὶ παρείλατο ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἐπ’ αὐτῷ καὶ ἐπέθηκεν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἑβδομήκοντα ἄνδρας τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους· ὡς δὲ ἐπανεπαύσατο πνεῦμα ἐπ’ αὐτούς, καὶ ἐπροφήτευσαν καὶ οὐκ ἔτι προσέθεντο
Numbers 11:25 (NETS)	Numbers 11:25 (English Elpenor)
And the Lord came down in a cloud and spoke to him and took away some of the spirit that was upon him and put it upon the seventy men who were elders. Now as the spirit rested upon them, they also prophesied, and they no longer added.	And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy men that were elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied and ceased.

Numbers 11:26 (Tanakh)	Numbers 11:26 (KJV)	Numbers 11:26 (NET)
But there remained two men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad; and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were recorded, but had not gone out unto the Tent; and they prophesied in the camp.	But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp.	But two men remained in the camp; one’s name was Eldad, and the other’s name was Medad. And the Spirit rested on them. (Now they were among those in the registration, but had not gone to the tabernacle.) So they prophesied in the camp.

Numbers 11:26 (Septuagint BLB)	Numbers 11:26 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ κατελείφθησαν δύο ἄνδρες ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ ὄνομα τῷ ἑνὶ Ελδαδ καὶ ὄνομα τῷ δευτέρῳ Μωδαδ καὶ ἐπανεπαύσατο ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ οὗτοι ἦσαν τῶν καταγεγραμμένων καὶ οὐκ ἦλθον πρὸς τὴν σκηνήν καὶ ἐπροφήτευσαν ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ	καὶ κατελείφθησαν δύο ἄνδρες ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ, ὄνομα τῷ ἑνὶ ῾Ελδὰδ καὶ ὄνομα τῷ δευτέρῳ Μωδάδ, καὶ ἐπανεπαύσατο ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς πνεῦμα· καὶ οὗτοι ἦσαν τῶν καταγεγραμμένων καὶ οὐκ ἦλθον πρὸς τὴν σκηνήν· καὶ ἐπροφήτευσαν ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ
Numbers 11:26 (NETS)	Numbers 11:26 (English Elpenor)
And two men were left in the camp, the name of the one Eldad and the name of the second Modad, and the spirit rested upon them. And these are among the ones who had been registered, and they did not go to the tent, and they prophesied in the camp.	And there were two men left in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Modad; and the spirit rested upon them, and these were of the number of them that were enrolled, but they did not come to the tabernacle; and they prophesied in the camp.

Numbers 11:27 (Tanakh)	Numbers 11:27 (KJV)	Numbers 11:27 (NET)
And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said: ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’	And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.	And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!”

Numbers 11:27 (Septuagint BLB)	Numbers 11:27 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ προσδραμὼν ὁ νεανίσκος ἀπήγγειλεν Μωυσῇ καὶ εἶπεν λέγων Ελδαδ καὶ Μωδαδ προφητεύουσιν ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ	καὶ προσδραμὼν ὁ νεανίσκος ἀπήγγειλε Μωυσῇ καὶ εἶπε λέγων· ῾Ελδὰδ καὶ Μωδὰδ προφητεύουσιν ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ
Numbers 11:27 (NETS)	Numbers 11:27 (English Elpenor)
And the young man ran out and reported to Moyses and spoke, saying, “Eldad and Modad are prophesying in the camp.”	And a young man ran and told Moses, and spoke, saying, Eldad and Modad prophesy in the camp.

Numbers 11:28 (Tanakh)	Numbers 11:28 (KJV)	Numbers 11:28 (NET)
And Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses from his youth up, answered and said: ‘My lord Moses, shut them in.’	And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.	Joshua son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his choice young men, said, “My lord Moses, stop them!”

Numbers 11:28 (Septuagint BLB)	Numbers 11:28 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς Ἰησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ναυη ὁ παρεστηκὼς Μωυσῇ ὁ ἐκελεκτὸς εἶπεν κύριε Μωυσῆ κώλυσον αὐτούς	καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ᾿Ιησοῦς ὁ τοῦ Ναυὴ ὁ παρεστηκὼς Μωυσῇ, ὁ ἐκλεκτός, εἶπε· κύριε Μωυσῆ, κώλυσον αὐτούς
Numbers 11:28 (NETS)	Numbers 11:28 (English Elpenor)
And Iesous the son of Naue, the one who stood by Moyses, the chosen one, said, “O Sir Moyses—stop them!”	And a young man ran and told Moses, and spoke, saying, Eldad and Modad prophesy in the camp.

Isaiah 40:3 (Tanakh)	Isaiah 40:3 (KJV)	Isaiah 40:3 (NET)
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.	The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.	A voice cries out, “In the wilderness clear a way for the Lord; build a level road through the rift valley for our God.

Isaiah 40:3 (Septuagint BLB)	Isaiah 40:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν	φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν Κυρίου. εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν
Isaiah 40:3 (NETS)	Isaiah 40:3 (English Elpenor)
A voice of one crying out in the wilderness; “Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight the paths of our God.	The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God.

Matthew 3:3 (NET)	Matthew 3:3 (KJV)
For he is the one about whom the prophet Isaiah had spoken: “The voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make his paths straight.’”	For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

Matthew 3:3 (NET Parallel Greek)	Matthew 3:3 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Matthew 3:3 (Byzantine Majority Text)
οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ρηθεὶς διὰ Ἠσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου, εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ	ουτος γαρ εστιν ο ρηθεις υπο ησαιου του προφητου λεγοντος φωνη βοωντος εν τη ερημω ετοιμασατε την οδον κυριου ευθειας ποιειτε τας τριβους αυτου	ουτος γαρ εστιν ο ρηθεις υπο ησαιου του προφητου λεγοντος φωνη βοωντος εν τη ερημω ετοιμασατε την οδον κυριου ευθειας ποιειτε τας τριβους αυτου

Matthew 3:6 (NET)	Matthew 3:6 (KJV)
and he was baptizing them in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.	And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

Matthew 3:6 (NET Parallel Greek)	Matthew 3:6 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Matthew 3:6 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καὶ ἐβαπτίζοντο ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ ποταμῷ ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἐξομολογούμενοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν	και εβαπτιζοντο εν τω ιορδανη υπ αυτου εξομολογουμενοι τας αμαρτιας αυτων	και εβαπτιζοντο εν τω ιορδανη υπ αυτου εξομολογουμενοι τας αμαρτιας αυτων

Acts 19:1-4 (NET)	Acts 19:1-4 (KJV)
While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul went through the inland regions and came to Ephesus.	And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

Acts 19:1 (NET Parallel Greek)	Acts 19:1 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Acts 19:1 (Byzantine Majority Text)
Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ τὸν Ἀπολλῶ εἶναι ἐν Κορίνθῳ Παῦλον διελθόντα τὰ ἀνωτερικὰ μέρη [κατ]ελθεῖν εἰς Ἔφεσον καὶ εὑρεῖν τινας μαθητὰς	εγενετο δε εν τω τον απολλω ειναι εν κορινθω παυλον διελθοντα τα ανωτερικα μερη ελθειν εις εφεσον και ευρων τινας μαθητας	εγενετο δε εν τω τον απολλω ειναι εν κορινθω παυλον διελθοντα τα ανωτερικα μερη ελθειν εις εφεσον και ευρων τινας μαθητας

and said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

Acts 19:2 (NET Parallel Greek)	Acts 19:2 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Acts 19:2 (Byzantine Majority Text)
εἶπεν τε πρὸς αὐτούς· εἰ πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐλάβετε πιστεύσαντες; οἱ δὲ πρὸς αὐτόν· ἀλλ᾿ οὐδ᾿ εἰ πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἔστιν ἠκούσαμεν	ειπεν προς αυτους ει πνευμα αγιον ελαβετε πιστευσαντες οι δε ειπον προς αυτον αλλ ουδε ει πνευμα αγιον εστιν ηκουσαμεν	ειπεν προς αυτους ει πνευμα αγιον ελαβετε πιστευσαντες οι δε ειπον προς αυτον αλλ ουδε ει πνευμα αγιον εστιν ηκουσαμεν

So Paul said, “Into what then were you baptized?” “Into John’s baptism,” they replied.

And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.

Acts 19:3 (NET Parallel Greek)	Acts 19:3 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Acts 19:3 (Byzantine Majority Text)
εἶπεν τε· εἰς τί οὖν ἐβαπτίσθητε; οἱ δὲ εἶπαν· εἰς τὸ Ἰωάννου βάπτισμα	ειπεν τε προς αυτους εις τι ουν εβαπτισθητε οι δε ειπον εις το ιωαννου βαπτισμα	ειπεν τε προς αυτους εις τι ουν εβαπτισθητε οι δε ειπον εις το ιωαννου βαπτισμα

Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.”

Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

Acts 19:4 (NET Parallel Greek)	Acts 19:4 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Acts 19:4 (Byzantine Majority Text)
εἶπεν δὲ Παῦλος· Ἰωάννης ἐβάπτισεν βάπτισμα μετανοίας τῷ λαῷ λέγων εἰς τὸν ἐρχόμενον μετ᾿ αὐτὸν ἵνα πιστεύσωσιν, τοῦτ᾿ ἔστιν εἰς τὸν Ἰησοῦν	ειπεν δε παυλος ιωαννης μεν εβαπτισεν βαπτισμα μετανοιας τω λαω λεγων εις τον ερχομενον μετ αυτον ινα πιστευσωσιν τουτ εστιν εις τον χριστον ιησουν	ειπεν δε παυλος ιωαννης μεν εβαπτισεν βαπτισμα μετανοιας τω λαω λεγων εις τον ερχομενον μετ αυτον ινα πιστευσωσιν τουτ εστιν εις τον χριστον ιησουν

Acts 19:6 (NET)	Acts 19:6 (KJV)
and when Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy.	And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

Acts 19:6 (NET Parallel Greek)	Acts 19:6 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Acts 19:6 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καὶ ἐπιθέντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ Παύλου [τὰς] χεῖρας ἦλθε τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐπ᾿ αὐτούς, ἐλάλουν τε γλώσσαις καὶ ἐπροφήτευον	και επιθεντος αυτοις του παυλου τας χειρας ηλθεν το πνευμα το αγιον επ αυτους ελαλουν τε γλωσσαις και προεφητευον	και επιθεντος αυτοις του παυλου τας χειρας ηλθεν το πνευμα το αγιον επ αυτους ελαλουν τε γλωσσαις και προεφητευον

Back to Exploration, Part 20

Back to Who is a Christian? Part 1

¹ Ephesians 4:22b (ESV)

² Philippians 4:5b (ESV)

³ Philippians 4:6b (ESV)

⁴ John 8:31a (ESV)

⁵ John 8:44a (ESV) Table

⁶ Exodus 17:3b (ESV)

⁷ Genesis 28:14b (ESV) Table

⁸ Exodus 17:4 (ESV)

⁹ Matthew 6:25 (ESV) Table

¹⁰ Matthew 6:32, 33 (ESV)

¹¹ Matthew 16:24 (ESV)

¹² Matthew 16:24 (KJV)

¹³ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had διὰ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had υπο.

¹⁴ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ποταμῷ here, a form of the noun ποταμός. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

¹⁵ “In the 3rd century CE, Rabbenu Hakadosh realized that because of growing hardships and persecutions the Jews might not be able to retain by memory all these traditional laws, so he decided to record them.” From “The Oral Law: Mishnah” on Chabad.org online.

¹⁶ Genesis 28:14b (ESV) Table

¹⁷ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had κατελθεῖν here, an infinitive form of κατέρχομαι, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ελθειν, an infinitive form of ἔρχομαι.

¹⁸ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had εὑρεῖν here, an infinitive form of εὑρίσκω, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ευρων (KJV: finding), a nominative participle.

¹⁹ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had τε here. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

²⁰ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ειπον (KJV: they said) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

²¹ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had οὐδ᾿ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ουδε (KJV: not so much as).

²² The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had εἶπαν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ειπον.

²³ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had προς αυτους (KJV: unto them) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

²⁴ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μεν (KJV: verily) following John. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

²⁵ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had χριστον (KJV: Christ) preceding Jesus. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

²⁶ The NET parallel Greek text had ἦλθε here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus, Byzantine Majority Text and NA²⁸ had ἦλθεν.

²⁷ Numbers 11:29 (ESV)

²⁸ …and He increased some of the spirit that was on him and bestowed it… Numbers 11:25 (The Complete Jewish Bible)

Justice and Mercy Revisited, Part 5

Posted on May 9, 2026 by admin

This is a continuation of a consideration of “Matthew’s and the Holy Spirit’s word choices”¹ in Matthew 12:18-21. I’ll continue to mine the rich vein of רָצָה (rāṣâ) encountered in another essay in its Qal perfect 3^rd person feminine form רָצְתָה (ESV: delights): Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights.² Matthew wrote: Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased,³ which I want to keep in mind for comparison and contrast: the new human (Jesus) to the old (Jacob/Israel).

Jesus (Matthew 12:15 ESV)	Jacob/Israel (Isaiah 42:1 English Elpenor)
The One New Man (Luke 1:34-35; Ephesians 2:15b ESV)	The one born of the flesh (Genesis 25:24-26 ESV), chosen by God (Genesis 28:13-15)
Matthew 12:18a ESV	Isaiah 42:1a ESV
Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased	Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights

The first occurrence of the verb translated and it shall be accepted (ESV), referring to an acceptable animal for sacrifice in Leviticus 1:4, was וְנִרְצָה, a Niphal sequential perfect form of רָצָה (rāṣâ). The Lord described an acceptable offering for the priests and all the people of Israel. An acceptable offering is male (Leviticus 22:17-19 ESV):

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of the house of Israel or of the sojourners in Israel presents a burnt offering as his offering, for any of their vows or freewill offerings that they offer to the Lord, if it is to be accepted for you it shall be a male without blemish, of the bulls or the sheep or the goats.

The Hebrew noun translated if it is to be accepted for you was לִרְצֹנְכֶם, a 2^nd person plural masculine form of רָצוֹן (rāṣôn), and δεκτὰ, these shall be acceptable (NETS) or free-will-offerings (English Elpenor), in the Septuagint. This divergence in the English translations of the Septuagint is reflected in the English translation of the Masoretic text as well: Ye shall offer at your own will (KJV). While the noun לִרְצֹנְכֶם, this form of רָצוֹן (rāṣôn), includes will as a potential translation—“pleasure, delight, favour, goodwill, acceptance, will”—δεκτὰ, a form of δεκτός, does not—“acceptable, favourable, convenient; appropriate, convenient; received, accepted, welcomed, approved.”

A note (39) in the NET translates לִרְצֹנְכֶם, this form of רָצוֹן (rāṣôn), “for your acceptance” and directs one back to Leviticus 1:3, 4 (ESV):

If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted (לִרְצֹנוֹ, another form of רָצוֹן, rāṣôn; Septuagint: δεκτὸν) before the Lord [Table]. He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted (וְנִרְצָה, a form of רָצָה, rāṣâ; Septuagint: δεκτὸν) for him to make atonement for him [Table].

Here the noun לִרְצֹנוֹ, this form of רָצוֹן (rāṣôn), was immediately related to the verb וְנִרְצָה, this form of רָצָה (rāṣâ). And here again, the noun was translated of his own voluntary will in the KJV. But in the Septuagint δεκτὸν, another form of δεκτός, was translated acceptable (NETS) and as acceptable (English Elpenor) [Table].

An acceptable offering must be perfect (Leviticus 22:20, 21a ESV).

You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable (לְרָצוֹן, another form of רָצוֹן, rāṣôn; Septuagint: δεκτὸν) for you. And when anyone offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the herd or from the flock, to be accepted (לְרָצוֹן, another form of רָצוֹן, rāṣôn; BLB Septuagint: εἰς δεκτὸν; Elpenor Septuagint: εἰσδεκτόν) it must be perfect…

The Hebrew adjective translated perfect was תָּמִים (tāmîm). Though the translation must be leads me to expect an imperative verb of being, יִהְיֶה, this form of הָיָה (hāyâ), is listed as a Qal imperfect verb translated ἔσται in the Septuagint, a form of εἰμί in the future tense and middle voice and the indicative mood (a statement of fact and a promise).

The Lord defined the adjective תָּמִים (tāmîm) as it pertained to a sacrificial animal (Leviticus 22:21b-25 ESV).

…there shall be no blemish in it. Animals blind or disabled or mutilated or having a discharge or an itch or scabs you shall not offer to the Lord or give them to the Lord as a food offering on the altar. You may present a bull or a lamb that has a part too long or too short for a freewill offering, but for a vow offering it cannot be accepted (יֵרָצֶה, a Niphal form of רָצָה, rāṣâ; Septuagint: δεχθήσεται). Any animal that has its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut you shall not offer to the Lord; you shall not do it within your land, neither shall you offer as the bread of your God any such animals gotten from a foreigner. Since there is a blemish in them, because of their mutilation, they will not be accepted (יֵרָצוּ, a Niphal form of רָצָה, rāṣâ; Septuagint: δεχθήσεται) for you.”

I notice that this perfection was a matter of birth and preservation from mutilation by disease, accident or deliberate acts of men. I also notice that the translators of the Septuagint took the first descriptive phrase—no blemish (μῶμος) in it⁴—and the last—a blemish (μῶμος) in them⁵—and translated תָּמִים (tāmîm), perfect (ESV, Tanakh, KJV), as the opposite of μῶμος: ἄμωμον, an accusative form of ἄμωμος, without blemish (NETS, English Elpenor).

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Leviticus 22:21b (Tanakh)	Leviticus 22:21b (NET)	Leviticus 22:21b (NETS)	Leviticus 22:21b (English Elpenor)
it shall be perfect (תָּמִ֤ים)	it must be flawless (tāmîm, תמים)	it shall be without blemish (ἄμωμον)	it shall be without blemish (ἄμωμον)

The English translators of The Complete Jewish Bible did something similar: it shall be unblemished.⁶ This is unremarkable in isolation, but it prompts me to consider some other translations of the adjective תָּמִים (tāmîm) in other verses. The first occurrence describes Noah (Genesis 6:9 ESV):

These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless (תָּמִים, tāmîm) in his generation. Noah walked with God [Table].

A table follows for comparison:

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 6:9 (Tanakh) Table	Genesis 6:9 (NET)	Genesis 6:9 (NETS) Table	Genesis 6:9 (English Elpenor)
These are the generations of Noah. Noah was (הָיָ֖ה) in his generations a man righteous and wholehearted (תָּמִ֥ים); Noah walked with G-d.	This is the account of Noah. Noah was a godly man; he was (hāyâ, היה) blameless (tāmîm, תמים) among his contemporaries. He walked with God.	Now these are the generations of Noe. Noe was a righteous man, being (ὢν) perfect (τέλειος) in his era; Noe was well-pleasing to God.	And these [are] the generations of Noe. Noe was a just man; being (ὢν) perfect (τέλειος) in his generation, Noe was well-pleasing to God.

In the Septuagint תָּמִים (tāmîm) was translated τέλειος and the Qal perfect verb הָיָ֖ה (hāyâ) was translated ὢν, a nominative present participle of εἰμί. Both the KJV and The Complete Jewish Bible rendered תָּמִים (tāmîm) perfect here.

Genesis 6:9 (KJV)	Genesis 6:9 (The Complete Jewish Bible)
These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.	These are the generations of Noah, Noah was a righteous man he was perfect in his generations; Noah walked with God.

The next occurrence of the adjective תָּמִים (tāmîm) was a command to Abram (Genesis 17:1 ESV):

When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless (תָמִים, tāmîm)…

Another table follows for comparison:

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 17:1 (Tanakh)	Genesis 17:1 (NET)	Genesis 17:1 (NETS)	Genesis 17:1 (English Elpenor)
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, HaShem appeared to Abram, and said unto him: ‘I am G-d Almighty; walk before Me, and be thou (וֶֽהְיֵ֥ה) wholehearted (תָמִֽים).	When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the Sovereign God. Walk before me and be (hāyâ, והיה) blameless (tāmîm, תמים).	Now Abram came to be ninety-nine years of age, and the Lord appeared to Abram and said go him, “I am your God; be well-pleasing before me, and become (γίνου) blameless (ἄμεμπτος),	AND Abram was ninety-nine years old, and the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, I am thy God, be well-pleasing before me, and be (γίνου) blameless (ἄμεμπτος).

In the Septuagint תָמִים, this form of תָּמִים (tāmîm) was translated ἄμεμπτος, the opposite of μεμπτός (e.g., “blameworthy”). The verb וֶֽהְיֵ֥ה, this Qal imperative form of הָיָה (hāyâ), was translated γίνου, an imperative form of γίνομαι in the middle or passive voice: “to happen, occur, take place, come on, be; to come into being, come into existence, emerge; to be born; to be, exist, be located; to be present, be situated (at a place); to come to; to become something, come to be, acquire the character of, be transformed into; to turn into; to become something that it is not, to be artificial; to be produced, acquire; to come into a certain state; to arise (as a case for debate); to join with, be allied with someone; to set out doing something.”

It’s worth noting that the translators of the Septuagint didn’t choose ἔσο or ἴσθι here, present imperative forms of εἰμί in the active voice, a detail which compels me to marvel at the 3^rd century BC rabbis or wonder if the translators of the Septuagint were 3^rd century BC rabbis or if γίνου was the original word choice of 3^rd century BC rabbis. But the KJV and The Complete Jewish Bible rendered תָמִים, this form of תָּמִים (tāmîm), perfect here as well.

Genesis 17:1 (KJV)	Genesis 17:1 (The Complete Jewish Bible)
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.	And Abram was ninety-nine years old, and God appeared to Abram, and He said to him, “I am the Almighty God; walk before Me and be perfect.

The final example of the adjective תָּמִים (tāmîm) I’ll consider in this essay was addressed, (by singular pronouns and verbs) presumably, to the descendants of Israel (Deuteronomy 18:13 ESV).

You shall be blameless (תָּמִים, tāmîm) before the Lord your God,

And another table for comparison follows:

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Deuteronomy 18:13 (Tanakh)	Deuteronomy 18:13 (NET)	Deuteronomy 18:13 (NETS)	Deuteronomy 18:13 (English Elpenor)
Thou shalt be (תִּֽהְיֶ֔ה) whole-hearted (תָּמִ֣ים) with HaShem thy G-d.	You must be (hāyâ, תהיה) blameless (tāmîm, תמים) before the Lord your God.	You shall be (ἔσῃ) perfect (τέλειος) before the Lord your God.	Thou shalt be (ἔσῃ) perfect (τέλειος) before the Lord thy God.

In the Septuagint the adjective תָּמִ֣ים (tāmîm) was translated τέλειος again. The verb of being תִּֽהְיֶ֔ה, another Qal imperfect form of הָיָה (hāyâ) was translated ἔσῃ, an indicative form of εἰμί in the middle voice and future tense, a statement of fact and a promise. But the KJV and The Complete Jewish Bible rendered both תָּמִים (tāmîm) and the verb תִּהְיֶה, this Qal imperfect form of הָיָה (hāyâ), differently this time.

Deuteronomy 18:13 (KJV)	Deuteronomy 18:13 (The Complete Jewish Bible)
Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.	Be wholehearted with the Lord, your God.

In these four examples it was fairly apparent that if the verb of being was imperfect—portraying “an action as incomplete, ongoing, habitual, repeated, or not yet realized”⁷—or perfect—portraying “an action as complete, whole, or viewed as a total unit”⁸—and referred to a human subject, the translators of the Septuagint chose τέλειος for the adjective תָּמִים (tāmîm). I made the following tables to see if that insight played out in any of the English translations of these four verses.

Translations of forms of the adjective תָּמִים (tāmîm)
Reference	Subject	Verb	Septuagint	Tanakh	KJV
Leviticus 22:21	Animal	Qal imperfect	ἄμωμον ἔσται	it shall be perfect	it shall be perfect
Genesis 6:9	Human	Qal perfect	τέλειος ὢν	was…wholehearted	was…perfect
Genesis 17:1	Human	Qal imperative	γίνου ἄμεμπτος	be thou wholehearted	be thou perfect
Deuteronomy 18:13	Human	Qal imperfect	τέλειος ἔσῃ	Thou shalt be whole-hearted	Thou shalt be perfect

The translators of the Tanakh in their translations of the adjective תָּמִים (tāmîm) recognized a difference between human beings (wholehearted and whole-hearted) and an animal chosen for sacrifice (perfect). The hyphenated whole-hearted was a possible nod to the imperfect verb of being, where wholehearted was the choice when the verb of being was perfect or imperative. The translators of the KJV chose perfect in all four of these examples (though not in most examples of animals chosen for sacrifice).

Translations of forms of the adjective תָּמִים (tāmîm)
Reference	Subject	Verb	Septuagint	The Complete Jewish Bible	ESV
Leviticus 22:21	Animal	Qal imperfect	ἄμωμον ἔσται	it shall be unblemished	it must be perfect
Genesis 6:9	Human	Qal perfect	τέλειος ὢν	he was perfect	was…blameless
Genesis 17:1	Human	Qal imperative	γίνου ἄμεμπτος	and be perfect	and be blameless
Deuteronomy 18:13	Human	Qal imperfect	τέλειος ἔσῃ	Be wholehearted	You shall be blameless

In their translations of the adjective תָּמִים (tāmîm) the translators of The Complete Jewish Bible recognized a difference between human beings (perfect and wholehearted) and an animal chosen for sacrifice (unblemished). But here, wholehearted was a possible nod to the imperfect verb, where perfect was their choice when the verb of being was perfect or imperative. The translators of the ESV recognized a difference between human beings (blameless) and an animal chosen for sacrifice (perfect), but the perfect, imperative and imperfect forms of the verb of being, if they referred to human beings, had no impact on their translation (blameless) of forms of the adjective תָּמִים (tāmîm).

The word choices the translators of The Complete Jewish Bible made were of particular interest. They chose perfect for two famous individuals: Noah and Abraham. They chose wholehearted for Israel addressed with singular pronouns and verbs (which is clear in the KJV translation if one is savvy to the lingo). They also translated the imperfect verb in Deuteronomy 18:13 as if it were an imperative, Be wholehearted. It intrigued me because of Jesus’ allusion to Deuteronomy 18:13 in the sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:48 Berean Literal Bible):

You shall be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

I quoted the Berean Literal Bible because there is really no question that ἔσεσθε, You shall be, is a 2^nd person plural form of the verb εἰμί in the future tense and indicative mood. It is a statement of fact and a promise. The only real question is why so many English translations treat ἔσεσθε as if it were ἔστε, a 2^nd person plural imperative in the present tense.

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.⁹

A table comparing the Greek of Matthew 5:48 with that of Deuteronomy 18:13 in the Septuagint follows:

Matthew 5:48 (NET Parallel Greek)	Deuteronomy 18:13 (Septuagint BLB)	Deuteronomy 18:13 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἔσεσθε οὖν ὑμεῖς τέλειοι	τέλειος ἔσῃ	τέλειος ἔσῃ
Matthew 5:48 (NET)	Deuteronomy 18:13 (NETS)	Deuteronomy 18:13 (English Elpenor)
So then, be perfect	You shall be perfect	Thou shalt be perfect

The verb ἔσῃ is the 2^nd person singular form of εἰμί in the future tense, middle voice and indicative mood, where ἔσεσθε is the plural form. The adjective τέλειοι is the plural form of the singular τέλειος. Jesus used the 2^nd person nominative plural pronoun ὑμεῖς to accentuate that his promise was directly addressed to his hearers on the mountain. “You shall be, therefore, you perfect,” is arguably an even more literal translation. The middle voice of the verb of being εἰμί deserves some consideration:

“The Greek middle voice shows the subject acting in his own interest or on his own behalf, or participating in the results of the verbal action. In overly simplistic terms, sometimes the middle form of the verb could be translated as ‘the performer of the action actually acting upon himself’ (reflexive action).”¹⁰

The middle voice could mean “You shall make yourself perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” I certainly believed that was necessary,¹¹ though impossible without the Lord’s help. Cooperation with the Lord is a possible meaning of the middle voice: “You shall cooperate with the Lord to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” But these days I’m more inclined to understand the middle voice in Matthew 5:48 as one’s participation in the results of the verbal action: “You shall be, therefore, you perfect” or “You shall be, therefore, a perfect you.”

What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must all¹² be born from above.’¹³
He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.¹⁴
Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”¹⁵

As Paul wrote, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure [Table].¹⁶

A note (53) in the NET in Matthew 5:48 indicates that some translators may have related τέλειοι and τέλειος, perfect (ESV, Berean Literal Bible), to forms of קָדוֹשׁ (qāḏôš), holy, in Leviticus 11:44-45 and Leviticus 19:2, rather than to תָּמִ֣ים (tāmîm)—whole-hearted, perfect, wholehearted, blameless—in Deuteronomy 18:13. Though that may be an interesting line of inquiry in some future essay, I want to get back to רָצָה (rāṣâ) in this one. So, for now I’ll satisfy myself with the most readily apparent reason for translating a future indicative verb, ἔσεσθε, as if it were a present imperative:

The Bible is a product intended for sale to a receptive audience—a market. Most of the people I know who might purchase a Bible don’t believe that You shall be perfect is a true statement vis-à-vis those who heard Jesus’ that day on the mountain. If it is not a true statement, then the Truth would not have said it, therefore Jesus did not mean what the Greek text says He said. The fact that the Berean Literal Bible is coming to market may indicate a growing interest among English-speaking peoples in what the Greek text of the New Testament actually says.

The last example of a form of רָצָה (rāṣâ) I’ll consider in this essay may add another facet to the Septuagint translators’ choice of ἄμωμον, a form of ἄμωμος, for תָּמִים (tāmîm), perfect (ESV, Tanakh, KJV) in Leviticus 22:21.

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “When an ox or sheep or goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day on it shall be acceptable (יֵרָצֶה, a Niphal form of רָצָה, rāṣâ; Septuagint: δεχθήσεται) as a food offering to the Lord.¹⁷

The Greek adjective τέλειος can mean “mature, full-grown or faultless in beliefs and practice” along with “perfect.” To Greek-speaking peoples an eight-day-old ox or sheep or goat would not be “mature, full-grown or faultless in beliefs and practice.” It could, however, be ἄμωμον, a form of ἄμωμος, without blemish.

In summary then, Moses promised the old human (Jacob/Israel) You shall be blameless before the Lord your God¹⁸ just as the One new human (Jesus) promised his hearers You shall be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.¹⁹ As Paul wrote to Timothy: we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.²⁰ And that is really good news!

I’ll pick this up in another essay: רָצָה (rāṣâ) is still a rich vein to mine.

Tables comparing Leviticus 22:17; 22:18; 22:19; 22:20; 22:21; 22:22; 22:23; 22:24; 22:25; Genesis 17:1; Deuteronomy 18:13; Leviticus 22:26 and 22:27 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and comparing the Greek of Leviticus 22:17; 22:18; 22:19; 22:20; 22:21; 22:22; 22:23; 22:24; 22:25; Genesis 17:1; Deuteronomy 18:13; Leviticus 22:26 and 22:27 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor) follow.

Leviticus 22:17 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 22:17 (KJV)	Leviticus 22:17 (NET)
And HaShem spoke unto Moses, saying:	And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,	The Lord spoke to Moses:

Leviticus 22:17 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 22:17 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐλάλησεν κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν λέγων	Καὶ ἐλάλησε Κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν λέγων
Leviticus 22:17 (NETS)	Leviticus 22:17 (English Elpenor)
And the Lord spoke to Moyses, saying:	And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

Leviticus 22:18 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 22:18 (KJV)	Leviticus 22:18 (NET)
Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them: Whosoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that bringeth his offering, whether it be any of their vows, or any of their free-will-offerings, which are brought unto HaShem for a burnt-offering;	Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whatsoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his freewill offerings, which they will offer unto the LORD for a burnt offering;	“Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them, ‘When any man from the house of Israel or from the resident foreigners in Israel presents his offering for any of the votive or freewill offerings, which they present to the Lord as a burnt offering,

Leviticus 22:18 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 22:18 (Septuagint Elpenor)
λάλησον Ααρων καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ πάσῃ συναγωγῇ Ισραηλ καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς ἄνθρωπος ἄνθρωπος ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν Ισραηλ ἢ τῶν υἱῶν τῶν προσηλύτων τῶν προσκειμένων πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐν Ισραηλ ὃς ἂν προσενέγκῃ τὰ δῶρα αὐτοῦ κατὰ πᾶσαν ὁμολογίαν αὐτῶν ἢ κατὰ πᾶσαν αἵρεσιν αὐτῶν ὅσα ἂν προσενέγκωσιν τῷ θεῷ εἰς ὁλοκαύτωμα	λάλησον ᾿Ααρὼν καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ πάσῃ συναγωγῇ ᾿Ισραὴλ καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς· ἄνθρωπος ἄνθρωπος ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν ᾿Ισραήλ, ἢ τῶν προσηλύτων τῶν προσκειμένων πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐν ᾿Ισραήλ, ὃς ἂν προσενέγκῃ τὰ δῶρα αὐτοῦ κατὰ πᾶσαν ὁμολογίαν αὐτῶν ἢ κατὰ πᾶσαν αἵρεσιν αὐτῶν, ὅσα ἂν προσενέγκωσι τῷ Θεῷ εἰς ὁλοκαύτωμα
Leviticus 22:18 (NETS)	Leviticus 22:18 (English Elpenor)
Speak to Aaron and his sons and the whole congregation of Israel, and you shall say to them: Person by person of the sons of Israel or of the guests who adhere to them in Israel, whoever presents his gifts according to any agreement of theirs or according to any choice of theirs, whatever they may bring to the Lord as a whole burnt offering,	Speak to Aaron and his sons, and to all the congregation of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, Any man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that abide among them in Israel, who shall offer his gifts according to all their confession and according to all their choice, whatsoever they may bring to the Lord for whole-burnt-offerings–

Leviticus 22:19 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 22:19 (KJV)	Leviticus 22:19 (NET)
that ye may be accepted, ye shall offer a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats.	Ye shall offer at your own will a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats.	if it is to be acceptable for your benefit, it must be a flawless male from the cattle, sheep, or goats.

Leviticus 22:19 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 22:19 (Septuagint Elpenor)
δεκτὰ ὑμῖν ἄμωμα ἄρσενα ἐκ τῶν βουκολίων καὶ ἐκ τῶν προβάτων καὶ ἐκ τῶν αἰγῶν	δεκτὰ ὑμῖν ἄμωμα ἄρσενα ἐκ τῶν βουκολίων ἢ ἐκ τῶν προβάτων καὶ ἐκ τῶν αἰγῶν
Leviticus 22:19 (NETS)	Leviticus 22:19 (English Elpenor)
these shall be acceptable to you—a male without blemish of the cattle-herds and of the sheep and of the goats.	your free-will-offerings [shall] be males without blemish of the herds, or of the sheep, or of the goats.

Leviticus 22:20 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 22:20 (KJV)	Leviticus 22:20 (NET)
But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not bring; for it shall not be acceptable for you.	But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you.	You must not present anything that has a flaw, because it will not be acceptable for your benefit.

Leviticus 22:20 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 22:20 (Septuagint Elpenor)
πάντα ὅσα ἂν ἔχῃ μῶμον ἐν αὐτῷ οὐ προσάξουσιν κυρίῳ διότι οὐ δεκτὸν ἔσται ὑμῖν	πάντα, ὅσα ἂν ἔχῃ μῶμον ἐν αὐτῷ, οὐ προσάξουσι Κυρίῳ, διότι οὐ δεκτὸν ἔσται ὑμῖν
Leviticus 22:20 (NETS)	Leviticus 22:20 (English Elpenor)
They shall not offer to the Lord anything that has on it a blemish, for it shall not be acceptable to you.	They shall not bring to the Lord anything that has a blemish in it, for it shall not be acceptable for you.

Leviticus 22:21 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 22:21 (KJV)	Leviticus 22:21 (NET)
And whosoever bringeth a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto HaShem in fulfilment of a vow clearly uttered, or for a freewill-offering, of the herd or of the flock, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.	And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.	If a man presents a peace-offering sacrifice to the Lord for a special votive offering or for a freewill offering from the herd or the flock, it must be flawless to be acceptable; it must have no flaw.

Leviticus 22:21 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 22:21 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἄνθρωπος ὃς ἂν προσενέγκῃ θυσίαν σωτηρίου τῷ κυρίῳ διαστείλας εὐχὴν κατὰ αἵρεσιν ἢ ἐν ταῖς ἑορταῖς ὑμῶν ἐκ τῶν βουκολίων ἢ ἐκ τῶν προβάτων ἄμωμον ἔσται εἰς δεκτόν πᾶς μῶμος οὐκ ἔσται ἐν αὐτῷ	καὶ ἄνθρωπος ὃς ἂν προσενέγκῃ θυσίαν σωτηρίου τῷ Κυρίῳ διαστείλας εὐχὴν ἢ κατὰ αἵρεσιν ἢ ἐν ταῖς ἑορταῖς ὑμῶν, ἐκ τῶν βουκολίων ἢ ἐκ τῶν προβάτων ἄμωμον ἔσται εἰσδεκτόν, πᾶς μῶμος οὐκ ἔσται ἐν αὐτῷ
Leviticus 22:21 (NETS)	Leviticus 22:21 (English Elpenor)
And a person who offers a sacrifice of deliverance to the Lord, expressly uttering a vow according to a choice, or at your feasts, from the cattle-herds or from the sheep, to be acceptable it shall be without blemish; there shall be no blemish in it.	And whatsoever man shall offer a peace-offering to the Lord, discharging a vow, or in the way of free-will-offering, or an offering in your feasts, of the herds or of the sheep, it shall be without blemish for acceptance: there shall be no blemish in it.

Leviticus 22:22 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 22:22 (KJV)	Leviticus 22:22 (NET)
Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scabbed, or scurvy, ye shall not offer these unto HaShem, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto HaShem.	Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the LORD.	“‘You must not present to the Lord something blind, or with a broken bone, or mutilated, or with a running sore, or with a festering eruption, or with a feverish rash. You must not give any of these as a gift on the altar to the Lord.

Leviticus 22:22 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 22:22 (Septuagint Elpenor)
τυφλὸν ἢ συντετριμμένον ἢ γλωσσότμητον ἢ μυρμηκιῶντα ἢ ψωραγριῶντα ἢ λιχῆνας ἔχοντα οὐ προσάξουσιν ταῦτα τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ εἰς κάρπωσιν οὐ δώσετε ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τῷ κυρίῳ	τυφλὸν ἢ συντετριμμένον ἢ γλωσσότμητον ἢ μυρμηκιῶντα ἢ ψωραγριῶντα ἢ λειχῆνας ἔχοντα, οὐ προσάξουσι ταῦτα τῷ Κυρίῳ. καὶ εἰς κάρπωσιν οὐ δώσετε ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τῷ Κυρίῳ
Leviticus 22:22 (NETS)	Leviticus 22:22 (English Elpenor)
Anything blind or broken-limbed or with its tongue cut or having warts or acute itching or having lichen-like growth—these you shall not offer to the Lord and you shall not give of them as an offering on the altar to the Lord.	One that is blind, or broken, or has its tongue cut out, or is troubled with warts, or has a malignant ulcer, or tetters, they shall not offer these to the Lord; neither shall ye offer any of them for a burnt-offering on the altar of the Lord.

Leviticus 22:23 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 22:23 (KJV)	Leviticus 22:23 (NET)
Either a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing too long or too short, that mayest thou offer for a freewill-offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted.	Either a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted.	As for an ox or a sheep with a limb too long or stunted, you may present it as a freewill offering, but it will not be acceptable for a votive offering.

Leviticus 22:23 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 22:23 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ μόσχον ἢ πρόβατον ὠτότμητον ἢ κολοβόκερκον σφάγια ποιήσεις αὐτὰ σεαυτῷ εἰς δὲ εὐχήν σου οὐ δεχθήσεται	καὶ μόσχον ἢ πρόβατον ὠτότμητον ἢ κολοβόκερκον σφάγια ποιήσεις αὐτὰ σεαυτῷ, εἰς δὲ εὐχήν σου οὐ δεχθήσεται
Leviticus 22:23 (NETS)	Leviticus 22:23 (English Elpenor)
And a calf or a sheep that has a cut on its ear or one with a stunted tail, you shall make a slaughtering of them for yourself, but it will not be accepted for your vow.	And a calf or a sheep with the ears cut off, or that has lost its tail, thou shalt slay them for thyself; but they shall not be accepted for thy vow.

Leviticus 22:24 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 22:24 (KJV)	Leviticus 22:24 (NET)
That which hath its stones bruised, or crushed, or torn, or cut, ye shall not offer unto HaShem; neither shall ye do thus in your land.	Ye shall not offer unto the LORD that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut; neither shall ye make any offering thereof in your land.	You must not present to the Lord something with testicles that are bruised, crushed, torn, or cut off; you must not do this in your land.

Leviticus 22:24 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 22:24 (Septuagint Elpenor)
θλαδίαν καὶ ἐκτεθλιμμένον καὶ ἐκτομίαν καὶ ἀπεσπασμένον οὐ προσάξεις αὐτὰ τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὑμῶν οὐ ποιήσετε	θλαδίαν καὶ ἐκτεθλιμμένον καὶ ἐκτομίαν καὶ ἀπεσπασμένον οὐ προσάξεις αὐτὰ τῷ Κυρίῳ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὑμῶν οὐ ποιήσετε
Leviticus 22:24 (NETS)	Leviticus 22:24 (English Elpenor)
A gelding and one bruised and one castrated and one whose testicles were torn off—you shall not offer these to the Lord, and you shall not do them in your land.	That which has broken testicles, or is crushed or gelt or mutilated,– thou shalt not offer them to the Lord, neither shall ye sacrifice them upon your land.

Leviticus 22:25 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 22:25 (KJV)	Leviticus 22:25 (NET)
Neither from the hand of a foreigner shall ye offer the bread of your G-d of any of these, because their corruption is in them, there is a blemish in them; they shall not be accepted for you.	Neither from a stranger’s hand shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption is in them, and blemishes be in them: they shall not be accepted for you.	Even from a foreigner you must not present the food of your God from such animals as these, for they are ruined and flawed; they will not be acceptable for your benefit.’”

Leviticus 22:25 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 22:25 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς ἀλλογενοῦς οὐ προσοίσετε τὰ δῶρα τοῦ θεοῦ ὑμῶν ἀπὸ πάντων τούτων ὅτι φθάρματά ἐστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς μῶμος ἐν αὐτοῖς οὐ δεχθήσεται ταῦτα ὑμῖν	καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς ἀλλογενοῦς οὐ προσοίσετε τὰ δῶρα τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑμῶν ἀπὸ πάντων τούτων, ὅτι φθάρματά ἐστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς, μῶμος ἐν αὐτοῖς, οὐ δεχθήσεται ταῦτα ὑμῖν
Leviticus 22:25 (NETS)	Leviticus 22:25 (English Elpenor)
And from an alien’s hand you shall not offer any of these gifts to your God, since there are corruptions in them; there is a blemish in them; they shall not be acceptable to you.	Neither shall ye offer the gifts of your God of all these things by the hand of a stranger, because there is corruption in them, a blemish in them: these shall not be accepted for you.

Genesis 17:1 (Tanakh)	Genesis 17:1 (KJV)	Genesis 17:1 (NET)
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, HaShem appeared to Abram, and said unto him: ‘I am G-d Almighty; walk before Me, and be thou wholehearted.	And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.	When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the Sovereign God. Walk before me and be blameless.

Genesis 17:1 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 17:1 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐγένετο δὲ Αβραμ ἐτῶν ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα καὶ ὤφθη κύριος τῷ Αβραμ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ θεός σου εὐαρέστει ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ καὶ γίνου ἄμεμπτος	ΕΓΕΝΕΤΟ δὲ ῞Αβραμ ἐτῶν ἐνενηκονταεννέα, καὶ ὤφθη Κύριος τῷ ῞Αβραμ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Θεός σου· εὐαρέστει ἐνώπιον ἐμοῦ καὶ γίνου ἄμεμπτος
Genesis 17:1 (NETS)	Genesis 17:1 (English Elpenor)
Now Abram came to be ninety-nine years of age, and the Lord appeared to Abram and said go him, “I am your God; be well-pleasing before me, and become blameless,	AND Abram was ninety-nine years old, and the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, I am thy God, be well-pleasing before me, and be blameless.

Deuteronomy 18:13 (Tanakh)	Deuteronomy 18:13 (KJV)	Deuteronomy 18:13 (NET)
Thou shalt be whole-hearted with HaShem thy G-d.	Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.	You must be blameless before the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 18:13 (Septuagint BLB)	Deuteronomy 18:13 (Septuagint Elpenor)
τέλειος ἔσῃ ἐναντίον κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ σου	τέλειος ἔσῃ ἐναντίον Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου
Deuteronomy 18:13 (NETS)	Deuteronomy 18:13 (English Elpenor)
You shall be perfect before the Lord your God.	Thou shalt be perfect before the Lord thy God.

Leviticus 22:26 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 22:26 (KJV)	Leviticus 22:26 (NET)
And HaShem spoke unto Moses, saying:	And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,	The Lord spoke to Moses:

Leviticus 22:26 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 22:26 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐλάλησεν κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν λέγων	Καὶ ἐλάλησε Κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν λέγων
Leviticus 22:26 (NETS)	Leviticus 22:26 (English Elpenor)
And the Lord spoke to Moyses, saying:	And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

Leviticus 22:27 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 22:27 (KJV)	Leviticus 22:27 (NET)
When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; but from the eighth day and thenceforth it may be accepted for an offering made by fire unto HaShem.	When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering made by fire unto the LORD.	“When an ox, lamb, or goat is born, it must be under the care of its mother seven days, but from the eighth day onward it will be acceptable as an offering gift to the Lord.

Leviticus 22:27 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 22:27 (Septuagint Elpenor)
μόσχον ἢ πρόβατον ἢ αἶγα ὡς ἂν τεχθῇ καὶ ἔσται ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας ὑπὸ τὴν μητέρα τῇ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ὀγδόῃ καὶ ἐπέκεινα δεχθήσεται εἰς δῶρα κάρπωμα κυρίῳ	μόσχον ἢ πρόβατον ἢ αἶγα, ὡς ἂν τεχθῇ, καὶ ἔσται ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας ὑπὸ τὴν μητέρα, τῇ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ὀγδόῃ καὶ ἐπέκεινα δεχθήσεται εἰς δῶρα, κάρπωμα Κυρίῳ
Leviticus 22:27 (NETS)	Leviticus 22:27 (English Elpenor)
When a calf or a sheep or a goat is born, then it shall remain seven days under its mother, but on the eighth day and beyond it shall be accepted as a gift, an offering to the Lord.	As for a calf, or a sheep, or a goat, whenever it is born, then shall it be seven days under its mother; and on the eighth day and after they shall be accepted for sacrifices, a burnt-offering to the Lord.

¹ Justice and Mercy

² Isaiah 42:1a (ESV) Table

³ Matthew 12:18a (ESV)

⁴ Leviticus 22:21b (NETS, English Elpenor)

⁵ Leviticus 22:25b (NETS, English Elpenor)

⁶ Leviticus 22:21 (The Complete Jewish Bible) The NET translation is essentially the same with flaw and flawless: it must be flawless to be acceptable; it must have no flaw.

⁷ From “Perfect and Imperfect Verbs in Biblical Hebrew: Understanding Completed and Ongoing Action: 1. Aspect vs. Tense: The Hebrew Verb System” on Biblical Hebrew online.

⁸ Ibid.

⁹ Matthew 5:48 (ESV) Table

¹⁰ From “Grammatical Voice of Verbs: Middle Voice,” Greek Verbs (Shorter Definitions) on Resources for Learning New Testament Greek online.

¹¹ Who Am I? Part 3; Who Am I? Part 4; Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 6; Romans, Part 86; Sowing to the Flesh, Part 2; Conclusion

¹² The adjective all is not actually in the Greek text: δεῖ ὑμᾶς γεννηθῆναι ἄνωθεν, “it is necessary for you to be born from above.” The adjective all was the English translators’ way of differentiating the plural accusative ὑμᾶς, you…all, from the singular dative σοι, to you, which precedes it.

¹³ John 3:6, 7 (NET)

¹⁴ John 1:10-13 (ESV)

¹⁵ John 12:31, 32 (ESV)

¹⁶ Philippians 2:12b, 13 (ESV)

¹⁷ Leviticus 22:26, 27 (ESV)

¹⁸ Deuteronomy 18:13 (ESV)

¹⁹ Matthew 5:48 (Berean Literal Bible) Table

²⁰ 1 Timothy 4:10b (ESV) Table

Exploration, Part 19

Posted on April 26, 2026 by admin

I want to continue hearing with faith¹ the truth of the Gospel in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. A quick review follows (Ephesians 3:1-6 EXP18).

By reason of this grace I, Paul, the captive of Christ Jesus for your sake, the nations—assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you (and by means of me unto you), how by revelation was made known to me the mystery, as I have written briefly, (which this you can read to perceive my insight into the mystery), which to other generations was not made known to the sons of men as now has been revealed by means of his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit—to become the nations, fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of the promise by means of Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Paul continued (Ephesians 3:7-13 ESV):

Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things [Table], so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him [Table]. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory [Table].

The Greek is: οὗ, Of this gospel (literally “Of which”), ἐγενήθην διάκονος, I was made a minister. The difference here between the critical texts (NA²⁸ / NET Parallel Greek) and received texts (Stephanus Textus Receptus / Byzantine Majority Text) may be worth pausing to mention. The critical texts had ἐγενήθην, a passive form of γίνομαι, I was made (ESV), where the received texts had ἐγενόμην in the middle voice (also translated I was made in the KJV).

Passive Voice

Middle Voice

Grammatical voice indicates whether the subject is the performer of the action of the verb (active voice), or the subject is the recipient of the action (passive voice). If the subject of the sentence is being acted upon, then the verb is referred to as being in the passive voice.
For example: “Jesus … was baptized by John in the Jordan” (Mark 1:9). “Jesus” is the subject of the sentence, but in this case He is being acted upon (i.e. He is the recipient of the action), therefore the verb is said to be in the “Passive Voice”.²

The Greek middle voice shows the subject acting in his own interest or on his own behalf, or participating in the results of the verbal action. In overly simplistic terms, sometimes the middle form of the verb could be translated as “the performer of the action actually acting upon himself” (reflexive action).
For example: “I am washing myself.” “I” is the subject of the sentence (performing the action of the verb) and yet “I” am also receiving the action of the verb. This is said to be in the “Middle Voice”. Many instances in the Greek are not this obvious and cannot be translated this literally.³

I found no English translations that went full middle voice (reflexive action)—“I made myself”—but several were translated I became, including the NET (which was supposedly a translation of ἐγενήθην rather than ἐγενόμην. Paul was quite specific about how he was made or became: κατὰ τὴν δωρεὰν τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ, according to the gift of God’s grace, τῆς δοθείσης μοι, which was given me, κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν, by the working, τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ, of his power. In other words, this was God’s doing not Paul’s, regardless how offensive that may be to the old human (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον), your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires.⁴

Paul continued: Ἐμοὶ, To me, τῷ ἐλαχιστοτέρῳ, the very least (or “less than the least”), πάντων ἁγίων, of all saints, ἐδόθη, was given, ἡ χάρις αὕτη, this grace, τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, to the Gentiles, εὐαγγελίσασθαι, to preach (or “to announce good news”), τὸ ἀνεξιχνίαστον πλοῦτος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, the unsearchable riches of Christ, καὶ φωτίσαι, and to bring to light, [πάντας], for everyone… I want to pause here to review since what follows is somewhat problematic to unravel.

“Of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given me by the working of his power. To me, less than the least of all saints, was given this grace to the Gentiles to announce good news (or, to announce good news to the Gentiles): the unsearchable riches of Christ and to bring to light for everyone” τίς ἡ οἰκονομία, what is the plan. The received texts have τίς ἡ κοινωνία here, what is the fellowship (KJV). But that’s only part of the difficulty.

If κοινωνία was not original and οἰκονομία was Paul’s and the Holy Spirit’s intent, they had already used οἰκονομίαν, a form of οἰκονομία in the accusative case, translated of the stewardship in: assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you.⁵ If Paul and the Holy Spirit actually meant plan, πρόθεσις was readily available rather than a word which hearkens back to Paul’s stewardship of God’s grace.⁶ And frankly, I would prefer a translation that doesn’t force me to choose between κοινωνία (fellowship) and οἰκονομία (stewardship). Looking ahead to what follows, why, another possible translation of τίς, seems to be the question that is answered, rather than what is.

So, “to announce good news to the Gentiles: the unsearchable riches of Christ and to bring to light for everyone why the stewardship” or “why the fellowship” τοῦ μυστηρίου, of the mystery, τοῦ ἀποκεκρυμμένου ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώνων, hidden for ages (or “hidden from the ages”), ἐν τῷ θεῷ, in God (or “by means of God”), τῷ, who, τὰ πάντα κτίσαντι, created all things (or, “the whole created”), ἵνα, (e.g., this is why) so that, γνωρισθῇ νῦν, might now be made known,⁷ ταῖς ἀρχαῖς, to the rulers, καὶ ταῖς ἐξουσίαις, and authorities, ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις, in the heavenly places, διὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας, through the church, ἡ πολυποίκιλος σοφία τοῦ θεοῦ, the manifold wisdom of God.

The truth to be hearing with faith⁸ so far is (Ephesians 3:7-10 EXP19):

Of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given me by the working of his power. To me, less than the least of all saints, was given this grace to announce good news to the Gentiles: the unsearchable riches of Christ and to bring to light for everyone why the stewardship, or the fellowship, of the mystery hidden from the ages by means of God, who the whole created, so that now may be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places through the church the manifold wisdom of God.

Paul continued: κατὰ, This was according to (or “according to”), πρόθεσιν τῶν αἰώνων, the eternal purpose (or “the purpose of the ages”), ἣν, that, ἐποίησεν, he has realized (or “he has accomplished”), ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, in Christ Jesus (or “by means of Christ Jesus”), τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, our Lord, ἐν ᾧ, in whom (or “by means of whom”), ἔχομεν, we have, τὴν παρρησίαν, boldness, καὶ προσαγωγὴν ἐν πεποιθήσει, and access with confidence, διὰ τῆς πίστεως αὐτοῦ, through our faith in him.

Translating διὰ τῆς πίστεως αὐτοῦ through our faith in him, sounds like the Christian version of a works religion to me: “Our faith is the work we accomplish to achieve Christ’s salvation.”⁹ The plural possessive pronoun our is neither found nor implied in the phrase διὰ τῆς πίστεως αὐτοῦ: “through the faith of Him” or “through his faithfulness.”

Jesus corrected the misconceptions of those who chased him around the Sea of Galilee after they ate a free meal (John 6:25-29 ESV):

When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” [Table].

They asked: τί ποιῶμεν, What must we do (or “What might we do”). The verb ποιῶμεν is a form of ποιέω in the subjunctive mood. The verb was ποιοῦμεν in the indicative mood in the Stephanus Textus Receptus: “What do we do.” I’m not finding a 1^st person plural form of ποιέω in the present tense active voice and imperative mood—What must we do—but perhaps this was the ESV translators’ way of indicating a preference for the indicative ποιοῦμεν.

The Greek continues: ἵνα ἐργαζώμεθα, to be doing (or “so that we might do”), τὰ ἔργα τοῦ θεοῦ, the works of God? Jesus answered: τοῦτο ἐστιν τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ, This is the work of God, ἵνα πιστεύητε, that you believe (or “that you may believe”), εἰς ὃν, in him, ἀπέστειλεν ἐκεῖνος, whom he has sent.

Did Jesus just redefine faith as the work we must…do to be doing the works of God? The translators of the NET seem to have thought that: “This is the deed God requires—to believe in the one whom he sent.”¹⁰ But the Greek word translated to believe was not πιστεύειν, an infinitive form of πιστεύω. It was certainly not πιστεύετε, a 2^nd person plural imperative—“you must believe”—“a command or instruction given to the hearer, charging the hearer to carry out or perform a certain action.”¹¹ It is πιστεύητε in the critical texts, and πιστευσητε in the received texts. Both are in the subjunctive mood—“so that (ἵνα) you may believe in Him whom He has sent.” Both¹² are subjunctive verbs in a purpose or result clause: “the action should not be thought of as a possible result, but should be viewed as a definite outcome that will happen as a result of another stated action.”¹³ The other “stated action” is: This is the work of God, τοῦτο ἐστιν τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ (or, “This is God’s work”).

Jesus addressed those who (by and large) pursued a law that would lead to righteousness¹⁴ as if it were based on works; they did not pursue it by faith.¹⁵ This “cultivated old human” may have sinned somewhat less and done somewhat more good things than the old human (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον) who made no attempt to mitigate its corruption through deceitful desires.¹⁶ But the “cultivated old human” is not the new human (τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον), the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.¹⁷ In a similar way, turning Christian into an adjective governing what people should and should not do is just pursuing another law as if it were based on works. It is the absolute antithesis of what God has accomplished by means of Christ Jesus our Lord: Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?¹⁸ You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.¹⁹

And finally: διὸ, So, αἰτοῦμαι, I ask you, μὴ ἐγκακεῖν, not to lose heart, ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσιν μου ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, over what I am suffering for you (or “by means of what I am suffering for you”), ἥτις ἐστὶν, which is, δόξα ὑμῶν, your glory. Since I’ve questioned whether Paul was incarcerated at the time he wrote this letter, I should point out some of the other sufferings to which he may have alluded.

Paul “boasted” about his sufferings to the Corinthians. It only seems fair to quote that boasting in its own context (2 Corinthians 11:16-33 ESV):

I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do,²⁰ accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool. Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. To my shame, I must say, we were too weak²¹ for that!

But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one [Table]. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches [Table]. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the²² Lord Jesus,²³ he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order²⁴ to seize me, but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.

The truth to be hearing with faith²⁵ is:

By reason of this grace I, Paul, the captive of Christ Jesus for your sake, the nations—assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you (and by means of me unto you), how by revelation was made known to me the mystery, as I have written briefly, (which this you can read to perceive my insight into the mystery), which to other generations was not made known to the sons of men as now has been revealed by means of his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit—to become the nations, fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of the promise by means of Christ Jesus through the gospel.²⁶
Of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given me by the working of his power. To me, less than the least of all saints, was given this grace to announce good news to the Gentiles: the unsearchable riches of Christ and to bring to light for everyone why the stewardship, or the fellowship, of the mystery hidden from the ages by means of God, who the whole created, so that now may be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places through the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the purpose of the ages that he has accomplished by means of Christ Jesus, by means of whom we have boldness and access with confidence through his faithfulness. So I ask you not to lose heart by means of what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.²⁷

Tables comparing 2 Corinthians 11:16; 11:21 and 11:31, 32 in the KJV and NET follow.

2 Corinthians 11:16 (NET)	2 Corinthians 11:16 (KJV)
I say again, let no one think that I am a fool. But if you do, then at least accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little.	I say again, Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little.

2 Corinthians 11:16 (NET Parallel Greek)	2 Corinthians 11:16 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	2 Corinthians 11:16 (Byzantine Majority Text)
Πάλιν λέγω, μή τίς με δόξῃ ἄφρονα εἶναι· εἰ δὲ μή γε, κὰν ὡς ἄφρονα δέξασθε με, ἵνα καγὼ μικρόν τι καυχήσωμαι	παλιν λεγω μη τις με δοξη αφρονα ειναι ει δε μηγε καν ως αφρονα δεξασθε με ινα μικρον τι καγω καυχησωμαι	παλιν λεγω μη τις με δοξη αφρονα ειναι ει δε μηγε καν ως αφρονα δεξασθε με ινα καγω μικρον τι καυχησωμαι

2 Corinthians 11:21 (NET)	2 Corinthians 11:21 (KJV)
(To my disgrace I must say that we were too weak for that!) But whatever anyone else dares to boast about (I am speaking foolishly), I also dare to boast about the same thing.	I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also.

2 Corinthians 11:21 (NET Parallel Greek)	2 Corinthians 11:21 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	2 Corinthians 11:21 (Byzantine Majority Text)
(κατὰ ἀτιμίαν λέγω, ὡς ὅτι ἡμεῖς ἠσθενήκαμεν.) ἐν ᾧ δ᾿ ἄν τις τολμᾷ (ἐν ἀφροσύνῃ λέγω), τολμῶ καγώ	κατα ατιμιαν λεγω ως οτι ημεις ησθενησαμεν εν ω δ αν τις τολμα εν αφροσυνη λεγω τολμω καγω	κατα ατιμιαν λεγω ως οτι ημεις ησθενησαμεν εν ω δ αν τις τολμα εν αφροσυνη λεγω τολμω καγω

2 Corinthians 11:31, 32 (NET)	2 Corinthians 11:31, 32 (KJV)
The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed forever, knows I am not lying.	The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.

2 Corinthians 11:31 (NET Parallel Greek)	2 Corinthians 11:31 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	2 Corinthians 11:31 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ οἶδεν, ὁ ὢν εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ὅτι οὐ ψεύδομαι	ο θεος και πατηρ του κυριου ημων ιησου χριστου οιδεν ο ων ευλογητος εις τους αιωνας οτι ου ψευδομαι	ο θεος και πατηρ του κυριου ιησου χριστου οιδεν ο ων ευλογητος εις τους αιωνας οτι ου ψευδομαι

In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to arrest me,

In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me:

2 Corinthians 11:32 (NET Parallel Greek)	2 Corinthians 11:32 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	2 Corinthians 11:32 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ἐν Δαμασκῷ ὁ ἐθνάρχης Ἁρέτα τοῦ βασιλέως ἐφρούρει τὴν πόλιν Δαμασκηνῶν πιάσαι με	εν δαμασκω ο εθναρχης αρετα του βασιλεως εφρουρει την δαμασκηνων πολιν πιασαι με θελων	εν δαμασκω ο εθναρχης αρετα του βασιλεως εφρουρει την δαμασκηνων πολιν πιασαι με θελων

Exploration, Part 20

Back to Justice and Mercy Revisited, Part 5

¹ Galatians 3:2b (ESV)

² From “Grammatical Voice of Verbs: Passive Voice,” Greek Verbs (Shorter Definitions) on Resources for Learning New Testament Greek online.

³ From “Grammatical Voice of Verbs: Middle Voice,” Greek Verbs (Shorter Definitions) on Resources for Learning New Testament Greek online.

⁴ Ephesians 4:22b (ESV)

⁵ Ephesians 3:2 (ESV) Table

⁶ And πρόθεσιν, an accusative form of πρόθεσις, occurs later when that is what Paul and the Holy Spirit intended.

⁷ This is not as iffy in Greek as it sounds in English. It is quite clearly a purpose or result clause following the conjunction ἵνα. The verb γνωρισθῇ is a passive form of γνωρίζω in the aorist tense and subjunctive mood. It will be made known at an unspecified time in the present (νῦν): “if the subjunctive mood is used in a purpose or result clause, then the action should not be thought of as a possible result, but should be viewed as a definite outcome that will happen as a result of another stated action” (e.g., τῷ θεῷ τῷ τὰ πάντα κτίσαντι, “by means of God who the whole created”).

⁸ Galatians 3:2b (ESV)

⁹ An interesting article online, “Salvation is Reached through works, Not by Faith Alone: A Complete Path to God,” attempts to balance faith and works in a biblical way. And it begins well, though I would quibble with the statement: “but humans, created with free will, must actively cooperate through their works for this grace to bear fruit (from “The Historical Debate: From the Reformation to the Council of Trent”). Calling the corruption of deceitful desires “free will” bothers me. And “cooperation” can be misleading: for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13 ESV). One’s “cooperation” is primarily to stop kicking against the goads (Acts 26:14 ESV), if and only if one is “cooperating” by putting off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires (Ephesians 4:22 ESV), and putting on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24 ESV) through the renewing of the mind, by his word and by his indwelling Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:23). The rest of the article devolved into a “fake it ’til you make it” scheme, which may work for some. The Lord is patient with, and accommodating to, the old human. “From a Catholic perspective, salvation is an ongoing process of sanctification, where each step brings us closer to God…It is our daily lives, our decisions, and our works that shape our relationship with Him” (from “Salvation as a Path of Personal Transformation”). I never experienced “this relationship as a growth in charity, in the love that God offers,” but only as a persistent assurance that I was in charge and everything about my sanctification depended on me, which in retrospect sounds like the old human kicking and screaming against the goads.

¹⁰ John 6:29 (NET) Table

¹¹ From “Verbal Moods: Imperative Mood,” Greek Verbs (Shorter Definitions) on Resources for Learning New Testament Greek online.

¹² The difference is that πιστεύητε is in the present tense—“so that you may believe in Him whom He has sent now”—and πιστευσητε is in the aorist tense—“so that you may believe in Him whom He has sent at some unspecified time.”

¹³ From “Verbal Moods: Subjunctive Mood,” Greek Verbs (Shorter Definitions) on Resources for Learning New Testament Greek online.

¹⁴ Romans 9:31b (ESV) Table

¹⁵ Romans 9:32a (ESV) Table

¹⁶ Ephesians 4:22 (ESV)

¹⁷ Ephesians 4:24b (ESV)

¹⁸ Galatians 3:3 (ESV)

¹⁹ Galatians 5:4 (ESV) Table

²⁰ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had εἰ δὲ μή γε (NET: But if you do…at least) here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ει δε μηγε (KJV: if otherwise).

²¹ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἠσθενήκαμεν (NET: were too weak) here, a form of ἀσθενέω in the perfect tense, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ησθενησαμεν (KJV: had been weak) in the aorist tense.

²² The Stephanus Textus Receptus had ημων (KJV: our) here. The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

²³ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had χριστου (KJV: Christ) following Jesus. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

²⁴ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had θελων (KJV: desirous), a present participle of the verb θέλω, at the end of this clause. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

²⁵ Galatians 3:2b (ESV)

²⁶ Ephesians 3:1-6 (EXP18)

²⁷ Ephesians 3:7-13 EXP19

Balaam, Balak and the 24,000, Part 4

Posted on April 13, 2026 by admin

This is a continuation of my review of the Lord’s patience with the 24,000 killed by Mosesc, Phineas and the judges or tribes of Israel after joining themselves to Baal of Peor. The old human (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον)—your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires¹—never learns very much from its experience with the Lord (Exodus 16:1-3 ESV).

They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

The old human wasn’t learning that The Lord is at hand.² It was ruled by its own anxiety instead, unable and unwilling in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving [to] let [its] requests be made known to God.³ The truth seemed harsh when Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him,⁴ You are of your father the devil, and your will (θέλετε, a form of θέλω) is to do your father’s desires (ἐπιθυμίας, a form of ἐπιθυμία).⁵ But listen to the desires expressed by the words of the old human when the people’s actual desires were for meat and bread, and some sense of food security:

Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt…

Who but the devil wishes this for the nation in whom all the families of the earth [shall] be blessed?⁶ Now hear the devil’s hope for Israel:

…you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

But the Lord had different plans (Exodus 16:4-15 ESV):

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not [Table]. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily” [Table]. So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?” And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.”

Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’” And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. And the Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”

In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat [Table].

As Jesus, the One new human, grew to maturity, He learned not only from his own experience with God his Father but, like a force multiplier, from the experience of others recorded in Scripture. As an adult He shared those insights, reasoning with the old human who gathered to hear Him (Matthew 6:25-33 ESV).

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? [Table] Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin [Table], yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all [Table]. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you [Table].

But Jesus…knew all people [Table] and needed no one to bear witness about man (ἀνθρώπου, a form of ἄνθρωπος), for he himself knew what was in man (ἀνθρώπῳ, another form of ἄνθρωπος).⁷ He knew the old human would not be persuaded by his example of faith and his reasoning alone. “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you don’t understand these things?”⁸ He chided Nicodemus (John 3:5-8 NET):

“I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God [Table]. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must all be born from above.’ The wind blows wherever it will, and you hear the sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

This is Jesus’ key to understanding the Scriptures: to know what is in man as He knew what was in man, to recognize the old human (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον)—your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires⁹—in these Bible stories, and to perceive the need to be born from above, born of the Spirit, a new human (τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον)—the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.¹⁰

Moses continued (Exodus 16:16-20 ESV):

This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’” And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.” But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them [Table].

“Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.” It seems like a simple enough command to follow, but the old human (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον)—your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires¹¹—has difficulty with simple commands. It opts more often than not for its own deceitful desires. Moses was angry, but notice the Lord’s patience with the old human: He made sure that what was left over bred worms and stank (e.g., it was [not] good for food). And He made sure in some way that defies human explanation that when they measured [what they had gathered] with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack, fulfilling his command for them irrespective of their own work gathering much or little.

Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.

On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, he said to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning’” [Table]. So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it [Table]. Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field [Table]. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none” [Table].

On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none [Table].¹²

Patiently the Lord taught the old human, proving his word at every step. But his patience wasn’t limitless (Exodus 16:28-31 ESV).

And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? [Table] See! The Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day” [Table]. So the people rested on the seventh day [Table].

Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.

We are meant to assume here that God spoke to Moses, who spoke to Aaron, who spoke to the people of Israel (Exodus 4:10-17). The Hebrew verb translated will you refuse is מֵאַנְתֶּם, a plural form of מָאֵן (mā’ēn). Though the translation will you refuse might lead me to expect an imperfect verb—describing “incomplete, ongoing, or potential” action—מֵאַנְתֶּם, a 2^nd person form of מָאֵן (mā’ēn), is actually a perfect verb—describing “completed” action—translated refuse ye in the KJV. It is also a Piel stem: “an intensive or causative version of the” Qal stem מָאֵן (mā’ēn). So, the Lord asked a question and the people rested on the seventh day. Why?

If one is inclined to reply, “the fear of the Lord,” I think I’m inclined to agree, though not the kind of fear that prompts a “fight or flight response.” There is no threat, either explicit or implicit, in the Lord’s question: How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? So the people rested on the seventh day. The reasons were already apparent as were the facts—anything left over from the first five days of the week bred worms and stank while anything left over from the sixth day did not stink, and there were no worms in it—and yet some refused to keep the Lord’s commandments and laws: On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather.

The old human is notoriously unreasonable, even to its own harm. After all, the old human’s father, the devil—whose desires the old human wants to do—wants you dead. So again I ask, why did the old human hear the Lord’s question, fear the Lord in the sense of reverencing Him and obey his word?

The One new human taught (Matthew 7:7-11 ESV):

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? [Table] If you then, who are evil (πονηροὶ, a plural form of πονηρός), know how to give good (ἀγαθὰ, a plural form of ἀγαθός) gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things (ἀγαθὰ, a plural form of ἀγαθός) to those who ask him!

This seems to be the key in Exodus as well. Most of the adults the Lord addressed through Moses through Aaron with the question—How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws?—were currently, or had been, parents of young children. It is the way God created humankind to live on the earth, the desires He programmed into human hearts. Despite being the old human, parents know how to give good gifts to [their] children. They also know the frustration of children who refuse the good they intend to give them. So here, even the old human can know the heart of God because He made it so from the beginning. So the people [mostly parents] rested on the seventh day.

This is another example of the Lord’s patience with the old human, Israel and the 24,000. And here is a glimpse into what is required to get the old human to rest one day in seven if the Lord commands it. For while we were living in the flesh (e.g., controlled by the old human), our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.¹³

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh (ἐν σαρκὶ in the dative case; e.g., “by means of the flesh”) cannot please God.¹⁴

Paul called my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh¹⁵ a cultivated olive tree as distinguished from Gentiles, a wild olive tree.¹⁶ I will call them the cultivated old human for the sake of clarity in what follows. As difficult as it was to get Israel to rest one day in seven at the Lord’s command, once that command was inculcated into the cultivated old human, pursued [as] a law that would lead to righteousness¹⁷ as if it were based on works,¹⁸ even that cultivated old human still found itself at odds with Jesus, the One new human, over this very Sabbath rest (Mark 2:23-3:6 ESV).

One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on¹⁹ the Sabbath?” And he said²⁰ to them, “Have you never read what David²¹ did (1 Samuel 21:1-7), when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests²² to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath [Table]. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man with the withered²³ hand, “Come²⁴ here.” And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good²⁵ or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your²⁶ hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.²⁷ The Pharisees went out and immediately held²⁸ counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him [Table].

No achievements of religious or worldly authority defend one from the dictates of the old human (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον)—your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires.²⁹

The Pharisees were a prominent Jewish sect during the Second Temple period, known for their strict adherence to the Law of Moses and the oral traditions that they believed were equally authoritative. They were influential in the synagogues and among the common people, emphasizing purity, tithing, and Sabbath observance. The Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead, the existence of angels and spirits, and the coming of the Messiah.³⁰
The Herodians were a political group associated with the Herodian dynasty, which ruled parts of Judea under Roman authority. Unlike the Pharisees, the Herodians were more aligned with the Roman government and the Herodian rulers, who were seen as collaborators with the occupying power. Their primary interest was maintaining the political status quo and the favor of Rome.³¹

The old human united these natural enemies in common cause against the Word of God come in human flesh, the One new human. What I have called the religious mind focuses primarily on the religious aspect of this phenomenon. The old human is a much better description (though I probably won’t change the name of this site at this late date).

Tables comparing Exodus 16:1; 16:2; 16:3; 16:6; 16:7; 16:8; 16:9; 16:10; 16:11; 16:12; 16:13; 16:14; 16:16; 16:17; 16:18; 16:19; 16:21; 16:22 and 16:31 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and comparing the Greek of Exodus 16:1; 16:2; 16:3; 16:6; 16:7; 16:8; 16:9; 16:10; 16:11; 16:12; 16:13; 16:14; 16:16; 16:17; 16:18; 16:19; 16:21; 16:22 and 16:31 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables comparing Mark 2:24-26 and 3:3-5 in the NET and KJV follow.

Exodus 16:1 (Tanakh)	Exodus 16:1 (KJV)	Exodus 16:1 (NET)
And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.	And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.	When they journeyed from Elim, the entire company of Israelites came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their exodus from the land of Egypt.

Exodus 16:1 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 16:1 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἀπῆραν δὲ ἐξ Αιλιμ καὶ ἤλθοσαν πᾶσα συναγωγὴ υἱῶν Ισραηλ εἰς τὴν ἔρημον Σιν ὅ ἐστιν ἀνὰ μέσον Αιλιμ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον Σινα τῇ δὲ πεντεκαιδεκάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ τῷ μηνὶ τῷ δευτέρῳ ἐξεληλυθότων αὐτῶν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου	ΑΠῌΡΑΝ δὲ ἐξ Αἰλεὶμ καὶ ἤλθοσαν πᾶσα συναγωγὴ υἱῶν ᾿Ισραὴλ εἰς τὴν ἔρημον Σίν, ὅ ἐστιν ἀνὰ μέσον Αἰλεὶμ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον Σινά. τῇ δὲ πεντεκαιδεκάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ τῷ μηνὶ τῷ δευτέρῳ ἐξεληλυθότων αὐτῶν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου
Exodus 16:1 (NETS)	Exodus 16:1 (English Elpenor)
And they set out from Ailim, and the entire congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Ailim and between Sina. And on the fifteenth day, in the second month, after they had gone out from the land of Egypt,	And they departed from Aelim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Aelim and Sina; and on the fifteenth day, in the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt,

Exodus 16:2 (Tanakh)	Exodus 16:2 (KJV)	Exodus 16:2 (NET)
And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness;	And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:	The entire company of Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.

Exodus 16:2 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 16:2 (Septuagint Elpenor)
διεγόγγυζεν πᾶσα συναγωγὴ υἱῶν Ισραηλ ἐπὶ Μωυσῆν καὶ Ααρων	διεγόγγυζε πᾶσα συναγωγὴ υἱῶν ᾿Ισραὴλ ἐπὶ Μωυσῆν καὶ ᾿Ααρών
Exodus 16:2 (NETS)	Exodus 16:2 (English Elpenor)
the entire congregation of the sons of Israel was complaining against Moyses and Aaron,	all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron.

Exodus 16:3 (Tanakh)	Exodus 16:3 (KJV)	Exodus 16:3 (NET)
and the children of Israel said unto them: ‘Would that we had died by the hand of HaShem in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh-pots, when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’	And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.	The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger!”

Exodus 16:3 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 16:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπαν πρὸς αὐτοὺς οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ ὄφελον ἀπεθάνομεν πληγέντες ὑπὸ κυρίου ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ ὅταν ἐκαθίσαμεν ἐπὶ τῶν λεβήτων τῶν κρεῶν καὶ ἠσθίομεν ἄρτους εἰς πλησμονήν ὅτι ἐξηγάγετε ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν ἔρημον ταύτην ἀποκτεῖναι πᾶσαν τὴν συναγωγὴν ταύτην ἐν λιμῷ	καὶ εἶπαν πρὸς αὐτοὺς οἱ υἱοὶ ᾿Ισραήλ· ὄφελον ἀπεθάνομεν πληγέντες ὑπὸ Κυρίου ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ, ὅταν ἐκαθίσαμεν ἐπὶ τῶν λεβήτων τῶν κρεῶν καὶ ἠσθίομεν ἄρτους εἰς πλησμονήν· ὅτι ἐξήγαγε ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν ἔρημον ταύτην ἀποκτεῖναι πᾶσαν τὴν συναγωγὴν ταύτην ἐν λιμῷ
Exodus 16:3 (NETS)	Exodus 16:3 (English Elpenor)
and the sons of Israel said to them, “If only we had died, struck by the Lord, in the land, Egypt, when we sat at the cauldrons of meat and were eating bread to the full, because you led us out into this wilderness to kill all this congregation by famine.”	And the children of Israel said to them, Would we had died smitten by the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh-pots, and ate bread to satiety! for ye have brought us out into this wilderness, to slay all this congregation with hunger.

Exodus 16:6 (Tanakh)	Exodus 16:6 (KJV)	Exodus 16:6 (NET)
And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel: ‘At even, then ye shall know that HaShem hath brought you out from the land of Egypt;	And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt:	Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt,

Exodus 16:6 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 16:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν Μωυσῆς καὶ Ααρων πρὸς πᾶσαν συναγωγὴν υἱῶν Ισραηλ ἑσπέρας γνώσεσθε ὅτι κύριος ἐξήγαγεν ὑμᾶς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου	καὶ εἶπε Μωυσῆς καὶ ᾿Ααρὼν πρὸς πᾶσαν συναγωγὴν υἱῶν ᾿Ισραήλ· ἑσπέρας γνώσεσθε ὅτι Κύριος ἐξήγαγεν ὑμᾶς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου
Exodus 16:6 (NETS)	Exodus 16:6 (English Elpenor)
Then Moyses and Aaron said to the entire congregation of the sons of Israel, “At evening you shall know that the Lord brought you out of the land of Egypt,	And Moses and Aaron said to all the congregation of the children of Israel, At even ye shall know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt;

Exodus 16:7 (Tanakh)	Exodus 16:7 (KJV)	Exodus 16:7 (NET)
and in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of HaShem; for that He hath heard your murmurings against HaShem; and what are we, that ye murmur against us?’	And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that he heareth your murmurings against the LORD: and what are we, that ye murmur against us?	and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your murmurings against the Lord. As for us, what are we, that you should murmur against us?”

Exodus 16:7 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 16:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ πρωὶ ὄψεσθε τὴν δόξαν κυρίου ἐν τῷ εἰσακοῦσαι τὸν γογγυσμὸν ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τῷ θεῷ ἡμεῖς δὲ τί ἐσμεν ὅτι διαγογγύζετε καθ᾽ ἡμῶν	καὶ πρωΐ ὄψεσθε τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου ἐν τῷ εἰσακοῦσαι τὸν γογγυσμὸν ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ· ἡμεῖς δὲ τί ἐσμεν ὅτι διαγογγύζετε καθ᾿ ἡμῶν
Exodus 16:7 (NETS)	Exodus 16:7 (English Elpenor)
and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, when he heard your complaining against God. But we, what are we that you complain against us?”	and in the morning ye shall see the glory of the Lord, inasmuch as he hears your murmuring against God; and who are we, that ye continue to murmur against us?

Exodus 16:8 (Tanakh)	Exodus 16:8 (KJV)	Exodus 16:8 (NET)
And Moses said: ‘This shall be, when HaShem shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that HaShem heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against Him; and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against HaShem.’	And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.	Moses said, “You will know this when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening and bread in the morning to satisfy you, because the Lord has heard your murmurings that you are murmuring against him. As for us, what are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord.”

Exodus 16:8 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 16:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν Μωυσῆς ἐν τῷ διδόναι κύριον ὑμῖν ἑσπέρας κρέα φαγεῖν καὶ ἄρτους τὸ πρωὶ εἰς πλησμονὴν διὰ τὸ εἰσακοῦσαι κύριον τὸν γογγυσμὸν ὑμῶν ὃν ὑμεῖς διαγογγύζετε καθ᾽ ἡμῶν ἡμεῖς δὲ τί ἐσμεν οὐ γὰρ καθ᾽ ἡμῶν ὁ γογγυσμὸς ὑμῶν ἐστιν ἀλλ᾽ ἢ κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ	καὶ εἶπε Μωυσῆς· ἐν τῷ διδόναι Κύριον ὑμῖν ἑσπέρας κρέα φαγεῖν καὶ ἄρτους τὸ πρωΐ εἰς πλησμονὴν διὰ τὸ εἰσακοῦσαι Κύριον τὸν γογγυσμὸν ὑμῶν, ὃν ὑμεῖς διαγογγύζετε καθ᾿ ἡμῶν· ἡμεῖς δὲ τί ἐσμεν; οὐ γὰρ καθ᾿ ἡμῶν ἐστιν ὁ γογγυσμὸς ὑμῶν· ἀλλ᾿ ἢ κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ
Exodus 16:8 (NETS)	Exodus 16:8 (English Elpenor)
And Moyses said, “When the Lord gives you meat in the evening to eat and bread in the morning to the full, because the Lord heard your complaining which you complain against us, then we, what are we? For not against us is your complaining, but rather against God.”	And Moses said, [This shall be] when the Lord gives you in the evening flesh to eat, and bread in the morning to satiety, because the Lord has heard your murmuring, which ye murmur against us: and what are we? for your murmuring is not against us, but against God.

Exodus 16:9 (Tanakh)	Exodus 16:9 (KJV)	Exodus 16:9 (NET)
And Moses said unto Aaron: ‘Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel: Come near before HaShem; for He hath heard your murmurings.’	And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the LORD: for he hath heard your murmurings.	Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole community of the Israelites, ‘Come before the Lord, because he has heard your murmurings.’”

Exodus 16:9 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 16:9 (Septuagint Elpenor)
εἶπεν δὲ Μωυσῆς πρὸς Ααρων εἰπὸν πάσῃ συναγωγῇ υἱῶν Ισραηλ προσέλθατε ἐναντίον τοῦ θεοῦ εἰσακήκοεν γὰρ ὑμῶν τὸν γογγυσμόν	εἶπε δὲ Μωυσῆς πρὸς ᾿Ααρών· εἰπὸν πάσῃ συναγωγῇ υἱῶν ᾿Ισραήλ· προσέλθετε ἐναντίον τοῦ Θεοῦ· εἰσακήκοε γὰρ τὸν γογγυσμὸν ὑμῶν
Exodus 16:9 (NETS)	Exodus 16:9 (English Elpenor)
And Moyses said to Aaron, “Say to the entire congregation of the sons of Israel: Draw near before God. For he heard your complaining.”	And Moses said to Aaron, Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before God; for he has heard your murmuring.

Exodus 16:10 (Tanakh)	Exodus 16:10 (KJV)	Exodus 16:10 (NET)
And it came to pass, as Aaron spoke unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of HaShem appeared in the cloud.	And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.	As Aaron spoke to the whole community of the Israelites and they looked toward the wilderness, there the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud,

Exodus 16:10 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 16:10 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἡνίκα δὲ ἐλάλει Ααρων πάσῃ συναγωγῇ υἱῶν Ισραηλ καὶ ἐπεστράφησαν εἰς τὴν ἔρημον καὶ ἡ δόξα κυρίου ὤφθη ἐν νεφέλῃ	ἡνίκα δὲ ἐλάλει ᾿Ααρὼν πάσῃ συναγωγῇ υἱῶν ᾿Ισραήλ, καὶ ἐπεστράφησαν εἰς τὴν ἔρημον, καὶ ἡ δόξα Κυρίου ὤφθη ἐν νεφέλῃ
Exodus 16:10 (NETS)	Exodus 16:10 (English Elpenor)
And when Aaron was speaking to the entire congregation of the sons of Israel, they also turned about towards the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in a cloud.	And when Aaron spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and they turned toward the wilderness, then the glory of the Lord appeared in a cloud.

Exodus 16:11 (Tanakh)	Exodus 16:11 (KJV)	Exodus 16:11 (NET)
And HaShem spoke unto Moses, saying:	And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,	and the Lord spoke to Moses,

Exodus 16:11 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 16:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐλάλησεν κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν λέγων	καὶ ἐλάλησε Κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν λέγων
Exodus 16:11 (NETS)	Exodus 16:11 (English Elpenor)
And the Lord spoke to Moyses, saying,	And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

Exodus 16:12 (Tanakh)	Exodus 16:12 (KJV)	Exodus 16:12 (NET)
‘I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel. Speak unto them, saying: At dusk ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am HaShem your G-d.’	I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God.	“I have heard the murmurings of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘During the evening you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be satisfied with bread, so that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’”

Exodus 16:12 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 16:12 (Septuagint Elpenor)
εἰσακήκοα τὸν γογγυσμὸν τῶν υἱῶν Ισραηλ λάλησον πρὸς αὐτοὺς λέγων τὸ πρὸς ἑσπέραν ἔδεσθε κρέα καὶ τὸ πρωὶ πλησθήσεσθε ἄρτων καὶ γνώσεσθε ὅτι ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν	εἰσακήκοα τὸν γογγυσμὸν τῶν υἱῶν ᾿Ισραήλ· λάλησον πρὸς αὐτοὺς λέγων· τὸ πρὸς ἑσπέραν ἔδεσθε κρέα καὶ τὸ πρωΐ πλησθήσεσθε ἄρτων· καὶ γνώσεσθε ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν
Exodus 16:12 (NETS)	Exodus 16:12 (English Elpenor)
“I have heard the complaining of the sons of Israel. Speak to them saying: Towards evening you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the Lord, your God.”	I have heard the murmuring of the children of Israel: speak to them, saying, Towards evening ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be satisfied with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God.

Exodus 16:13 (Tanakh)	Exodus 16:13 (KJV)	Exodus 16:13 (NET)
And it came to pass at even, that the quails came up, and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew round about the camp.	And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host.	In the evening the quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning a layer of dew was all around the camp.

Exodus 16:13 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 16:13 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐγένετο δὲ ἑσπέρα καὶ ἀνέβη ὀρτυγομήτρα καὶ ἐκάλυψεν τὴν παρεμβολήν τὸ πρωὶ ἐγένετο καταπαυομένης τῆς δρόσου κύκλῳ τῆς παρεμβολῆς	ἐγένετο δὲ ἑσπέρα, καὶ ἀνέβη ὀρτυγομήτρα καὶ ἐκάλυψε τὴν παρεμβολήν· τὸ πρωΐ ἐγένετο καταπαυομένης τῆς δρόσου κύκλῳ τῆς παρεμβολῆς
Exodus 16:13 (NETS)	Exodus 16:13, 14a (English Elpenor)
So evening came and quail came up and covered the camp. Then morning came when the dew was lifting around the camp,	And it was evening, and quails came up and covered the camp: (14) in the morning it came to pass as the dew ceased round about the camp,

Exodus 16:14 (Tanakh)	Exodus 16:14 (KJV)	Exodus 16:14 (NET)
And when the layer of dew was gone up, behold upon the face of the wilderness a fine, scale-like thing, fine as the hoar-frost on the ground.	And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.	When the layer of dew had evaporated, there on the surface of the wilderness was a thin flaky substance, thin like frost on the earth.

Exodus 16:14 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 16:14 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐπὶ πρόσωπον τῆς ἐρήμου λεπτὸν ὡσεὶ κόριον λευκὸν ὡσεὶ πάγος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς	καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐπὶ πρόσωπον τῆς ἐρήμου λεπτὸν ὡσεὶ κόριον λευκόν, ὡσεὶ πάγος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς
Exodus 16:14 (NETS)	Exodus 16:14b (English Elpenor)
and look, upon the surface of the wilderness was something fine like coriander, white like frost on the ground.	that, behold, on the face of the wilderness [was] a small thing like white coriander seed, as frost upon the earth.

Exodus 16:16 (Tanakh)	Exodus 16:16 (KJV)	Exodus 16:16 (NET)
This is the thing which HaShem hath commanded: Gather ye of it every man according to his eating; an omer a head, according to the number of your persons, shall ye take it, every man for them that are in his tent.’	This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.	“This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Each person is to gather from it what he can eat, an omer per person according to the number of your people; each one will pick it up for whoever lives in his tent.’”

Exodus 16:16 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 16:16 (Septuagint Elpenor)
τοῦτο τὸ ῥῆμα ὃ συνέταξεν κύριος συναγάγετε ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἕκαστος εἰς τοὺς καθήκοντας γομορ κατὰ κεφαλὴν κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν ἕκαστος σὺν τοῖς συσκηνίοις ὑμῶν συλλέξατε	τοῦτο τὸ ῥῆμα ὃ συνέταξε Κύριος· συναγάγετε ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἕκαστος εἰς τοὺς καθήκοντας, γομὸρ κατὰ κεφαλὴν κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν, ἕκαστος σὺν τοῖς συσκηνίοις ὑμῶν συλλέξατε
Exodus 16:16 (NETS)	Exodus 16:16b (English Elpenor)
This is the word that the Lord instructed, ‘Each person gather from it for those appropriate; a gomor per head, according to the number of your souls, each of you with your tent mates collect’.”	This is that which the Lord has appointed: gather of it each man for his family, a homer for each person, according to the number of your souls, gather each of you with his fellow-lodgers.

Exodus 16:17 (Tanakh)	Exodus 16:17 (KJV)	Exodus 16:17 (NET)
And the children of Israel did so, and gathered some more, some less.	And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.	The Israelites did so, and they gathered—some more, some less.

Exodus 16:17 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 16:17 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐποίησαν δὲ οὕτως οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ καὶ συνέλεξαν ὁ τὸ πολὺ καὶ ὁ τὸ ἔλαττον	ἐποίησαν δὲ οὕτως οἱ υἱοὶ ᾿Ισραὴλ καὶ συνέλεξαν ὁ τὸ πολὺ καὶ ὁ τὸ ἔλαττον
Exodus 16:17 (NETS)	Exodus 16:17 (English Elpenor)
And the sons of Israel did so, and they collected, the one much and the other less.	And the children of Israel did so, and gathered some much and some less.

Exodus 16:18 (Tanakh)	Exodus 16:18 (KJV)	Exodus 16:18 (NET)
And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.	And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.	When they measured with an omer, the one who gathered much had nothing left over, and the one who gathered little lacked nothing; each one had gathered what he could eat.

Exodus 16:18 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 16:18 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ μετρήσαντες τῷ γομορ οὐκ ἐπλεόνασεν ὁ τὸ πολύ καὶ ὁ τὸ ἔλαττον οὐκ ἠλαττόνησεν ἕκαστος εἰς τοὺς καθήκοντας παρ᾽ ἑαυτῷ συνέλεξαν	καὶ μετρήσαντες γομόρ, οὐκ ἐπλεόνασεν ὁ τὸ πολύ, καὶ ὁ τὸ ἔλαττον οὐκ ἠλαττόνησεν· ἕκαστος εἰς τοὺς καθήκοντας παρ᾿ ἑαυτῷ συνέλεξαν
Exodus 16:18 (NETS)	Exodus 16:18 (English Elpenor)
And they measured by the gomor. The one with much did not have excess, and the one with less did not have too little. Each person collected for those appropriate at his own home.	And having measured the homer [full], he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that had gathered less had no lack; each gathered according to the need of those who belonged to him.

Exodus 16:19 (Tanakh)	Exodus 16:19 (KJV)	Exodus 16:19 (NET)
And Moses said unto them: ‘Let no man leave of it till the morning.’	And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning.	Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”

Exodus 16:19 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 16:19 (Septuagint Elpenor)
εἶπεν δὲ Μωυσῆς πρὸς αὐτούς μηδεὶς καταλιπέτω ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ πρωί	εἶπε δὲ Μωυσῆς πρὸς αὐτούς· μηδεὶς καταλειπέτω ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ πρωΐ
Exodus 16:19 (NETS)	Exodus 16:19 (English Elpenor)
Then Moyses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it to the morning.”	And Moses said to them, Let no man leave of it till the morning.

Exodus 16:21 (Tanakh)	Exodus 16:21 (KJV)	Exodus 16:21 (NET)
And they gathered it morning by morning, every man according to his eating; and as the sun waxed hot, it melted.	And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.	So they gathered it each morning, each person according to what he could eat, and when the sun got hot, it would melt.

Exodus 16:21 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 16:21 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ συνέλεξαν αὐτὸ πρωὶ πρωί ἕκαστος τὸ καθῆκον αὐτῷ ἡνίκα δὲ διεθέρμαινεν ὁ ἥλιος ἐτήκετο	καὶ συνέλεξαν αὐτὸ πρωΐ πρωΐ, ἕκαστος τὸ καθῆκον αὐτῷ· ἡνίκα δὲ διεθέρμαινεν ὁ ἥλιος, ἐτήκετο
Exodus 16:21 (NETS)	Exodus 16:21 (English Elpenor)
And they collected it morning by morning, each person that which was appropriate for him. But when the sun grew hot, it melted.	And they gathered it every morning, each man what he needed, and when the sun waxed hot it melted.

Exodus 16:22 (Tanakh)	Exodus 16:22 (KJV)	Exodus 16:22 (NET)
And it came to pass that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one; and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.	And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.	And on the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omers per person; and all the leaders of the community came and told Moses..

Exodus 16:22 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 16:22 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐγένετο δὲ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἕκτῃ συνέλεξαν τὰ δέοντα διπλᾶ δύο Γομορ τῷ ἑνί εἰσήλθοσαν δὲ πάντες οἱ ἄρχοντες τῆς συναγωγῆς καὶ ἀνήγγειλαν Μωυσεῖ	ἐγένετο δὲ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἕκτῃ, συνέλεξαν τὰ δέοντα διπλᾶ, δύο γομὸρ τῷ ἑνί· εἰσήλθοσαν δὲ πάντες οἱ ἄρχοντες τῆς συναγωγῆς καὶ ἀνήγγειλαν Μωυσῇ
Exodus 16:22 (NETS)	Exodus 16:22 (English Elpenor)
But it happened on the sixth day, they collected double what was required, two gomors for one person. And all the leaders of the congregation went in and reported to Moyses.	And it came to pass on the sixth day, they gathered double what was needed, two homers for one [man]; and all the chiefs of the synagogue went in and reported it to Moses.

Exodus 16:31 (Tanakh)	Exodus 16:31 (KJV)	Exodus 16:31 (NET)
And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna; and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.	And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.	The house of Israel called its name “manna.” It was like coriander seed and was white, and it tasted like wafers with honey.

Exodus 16:31 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 16:31 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐπωνόμασαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Μαν ἦν δὲ ὡς σπέρμα κορίου λευκόν τὸ δὲ γεῦμα αὐτοῦ ὡς ἐγκρὶς ἐν μέλιτι	καὶ ἐπωνόμασαν οἱ υἱοὶ ᾿Ισραὴλ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, μάν· ἦν δὲ ὡσεὶ σπέρμα κορίου λευκόν, τὸ δὲ γεῦμα αὐτοῦ ὡς ἐγκρὶς ἐν μέλιτι
Exodus 16:31 (NETS)	Exodus 16:31 (English Elpenor)
And the sons of Israel called its name Man. Now it was white like coriander seed, but its taste was like cake with honey.	And the children of Israel called the name of it Man; and it was as white coriander seed, and the taste of it as a wafer with honey.

Mark 2:24-26 (NET)	Mark 2:24-26 (KJV)
So the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is against the law on the Sabbath?”	And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?

Mark 2:24 (NET Parallel Greek)	Mark 2:24 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Mark 2:24 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι ἔλεγον αὐτῷ· ἴδε τί ποιοῦσιν τοῖς σάββασιν ὃ οὐκ ἔξεστιν	και οι φαρισαιοι ελεγον αυτω ιδε τι ποιουσιν εν τοις σαββασιν ο ουκ εξεστιν	και οι φαρισαιοι ελεγον αυτω ιδε τι ποιουσιν εν τοις σαββασιν ο ουκ εξεστιν

He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry—

And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?

Mark 2:25 (NET Parallel Greek)	Mark 2:25 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Mark 2:25 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· οὐδέποτε ἀνέγνωτε τί ἐποίησεν Δαυὶδ ὅτε χρείαν ἔσχεν καὶ ἐπείνασεν αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ	και αυτος ελεγεν αυτοις ουδεποτε ανεγνωτε τι εποιησεν δαβιδ οτε χρειαν εσχεν και επεινασεν αυτος και οι μετ αυτου	και αυτος ελεγεν αυτοις ουδεποτε ανεγνωτε τι εποιησεν δαυιδ οτε χρειαν εσχεν και επεινασεν αυτος και οι μετ αυτου

how he entered the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the sacred bread, which is against the law for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to his companions?”

How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?

Mark 2:26 (NET Parallel Greek)	Mark 2:26 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Mark 2:26 (Byzantine Majority Text)
\|πῶς\| εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπὶ Ἀβιαθὰρ ἀρχιερέως καὶ τοὺς ἄρτους τῆς προθέσεως ἔφαγεν, οὓς οὐκ ἔξεστιν φαγεῖν εἰ μὴ τοὺς ἱερεῖς, καὶ ἔδωκεν καὶ τοῖς σὺν αὐτῷ οὖσιν	πως εισηλθεν εις τον οικον του θεου επι αβιαθαρ του αρχιερεως και τους αρτους της προθεσεως εφαγεν ους ουκ εξεστιν φαγειν ει μη τοις ιερευσιν και εδωκεν και τοις συν αυτω ουσιν	πως εισηλθεν εις τον οικον του θεου επι αβιαθαρ αρχιερεως και τους αρτους της προθεσεως εφαγεν ους ουκ εξεστιν φαγειν ει μη τοις ιερευσιν και εδωκεν και τοις συν αυτω ουσιν

Mark 3:3-5 (NET)	Mark 3:3-5 (KJV)
So he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Stand up among all these people.”	And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.

Mark 3:3 (NET Parallel Greek)	Mark 3:3 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Mark 3:3 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καὶ λέγει τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ τὴν \|ξηρὰν\| χεῖρα ἔχοντι · ἔγειρε εἰς τὸ μέσον	και λεγει τω ανθρωπω τω εξηραμμενην εχοντι την χειρα εγειραι εις το μεσον	και λεγει τω ανθρωπω τω εξηραμμενην εχοντι την χειρα εγειραι εις το μεσον

Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath, or evil, to save a life or destroy it?” But they were silent.

And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.

Mark 3:4 (NET Parallel Greek)	Mark 3:4 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Mark 3:4 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· ἔξεστιν τοῖς σάββασιν \|ἀγαθὸν ποιῆσαι\| ἢ κακοποιῆσαι, ψυχὴν σῶσαι ἢ ἀποκτεῖναι; οἱ δὲ ἐσιώπων	και λεγει αυτοις εξεστιν τοις σαββασιν αγαθοποιησαι η κακοποιησαι ψυχην σωσαι η αποκτειναι οι δε εσιωπων	και λεγει αυτοις εξεστιν τοις σαββασιν αγαθοποιησαι η κακοποιησαι ψυχην σωσαι η αποκτειναι οι δε εσιωπων

After looking around at them in anger, grieved by the hardness of their hearts, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

Mark 3:5 (NET Parallel Greek)	Mark 3:5 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Mark 3:5 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καὶ περιβλεψάμενος αὐτοὺς μετ᾿ ὀργῆς, συλλυπούμενος ἐπὶ τῇ πωρώσει τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν λέγει τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ· ἔκτεινον τὴν χεῖρα . καὶ ἐξέτεινεν καὶ ἀπεκατεστάθη ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ	και περιβλεψαμενος αυτους μετ οργης συλλυπουμενος επι τη πωρωσει της καρδιας αυτων λεγει τω ανθρωπω εκτεινον την χειρα σου και εξετεινεν και αποκατεσταθη η χειρ αυτου υγιης ως η αλλη	και περιβλεψαμενος αυτους μετ οργης συλλυπουμενος επι τη πωρωσει της καρδιας αυτων λεγει τω ανθρωπω εκτεινον την χειρα σου και εξετεινεν και αποκατεσταθη η χειρ αυτου υγιης ως η αλλη

Balaam, Balak and the 24,000, Part 5

Back to Introduction

Back to Exploration, Part 19

¹ Ephesians 4:22b (ESV)

² Philippians 4:5b (ESV)

³ Philippians 4:6b (ESV)

⁴ John 8:31a (ESV)

⁵ John 8:44a (ESV) Table

⁶ Genesis 28:14b (ESV) Table

⁷ John 2:24, 25 (ESV)

⁸ John 3:10 (NET) Table

⁹ Ephesians 4:22b (ESV)

¹⁰ Ephesians 4:24b (ESV)

¹¹ Ephesians 4:22b (ESV)

¹² Exodus 16:21-27 (ESV)

¹³ Romans 7:5 (ESV)

¹⁴ Romans 8:5-8 (ESV)

¹⁵ Romans 9:3b (ESV) Table

¹⁶ Romans 11:24 (ESV)

¹⁷ Romans 9:31 (ESV) Table

¹⁸ Romans 9:32 (ESV) Table

¹⁹ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the preposition εν here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

²⁰ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had λέγει here, a 3^rd person singular form of λέγω in the present tense, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτος ελεγεν in the imperfect tense.

²¹ In the NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text David was spelled Δαυὶδ, and δαβιδ in the Stephanus Textus Receptus.

²² The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had τοὺς ἱερεῖς here in the accusative case, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τοις ιερευσιν in the dative case.

²³ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had the adjective ξηρὰν here, an accusative form of ξηρός, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εξηραμμενην, a perfect participle of the verb ξηραίνω.

²⁴ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἔγειρε here, a 2^nd person imperative form of ἐγείρω in the present tense, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had an aorist infinitive εγειραι (e.g., “to stand”).

²⁵ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἀγαθὸν ποιῆσαι here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the compound verb αγαθοποιησαι.

²⁶ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the genitive pronoun σου here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

²⁷ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἀπεκατεστάθη here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αποκατεσταθη. Both are listed as 3^rd person singular forms of ἀποκαθίστημι in the aorist tense, indicative mood and passive voice. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had υγιης ως η αλλη (KJV: whole as the other) at the end of this clause. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

²⁸ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἐδίδουν here, an imperfect form of δίδωμι, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εποιουν (KJV; took), an imperfect form of ποιέω.

²⁹ Ephesians 4:22b (ESV)

³⁰ From “The Pharisees and Herodians: Pharisees” in the Topical Encyclopedia on Bible Hub online.

³¹ From “The Pharisees and Herodians: Herodians” in the Topical Encyclopedia on Bible Hub online.

Justice and Mercy Revisited, Part 4

Posted on April 4, 2026 by admin

This is a continuation of a consideration of “Matthew’s and the Holy Spirit’s word choices”¹ in Matthew 12:18-21. I’ll continue with the comparison and contrast of Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved² to Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen.³ The former refers explicitly to Jesus. The latter was made explicit to Jacob/Israel in the Septuagint. And in this comparison and contrast I gain some insight into the new human (τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον)—the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness⁴—and the old human (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον)—your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires.⁵

Jesus (Matthew 12:15 ESV)	Jacob/Israel (Isaiah 42:1 English Elpenor)
The One New Man (Luke 1:34-35; Ephesians 2:15b ESV)	The one born of the flesh (Genesis 25:24-26 ESV), chosen by God (Genesis 28:13-15 ESV)
Matthew 12:18a ESV	Isaiah 42:1a ESV
Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved	Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen

Isaiah 42:1 is still the most fruitful starting point for locating the words of Isaiah that the Lord Jesus fulfilled.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Isaiah 42:1a (Tanakh/KJV) Table	Isaiah 42:1a (NET)	Isaiah 42:1a (NETS) Table	Isaiah 42:1a (English Elpenor)
Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul (נַפְשִׁ֑י) delighteth (רָֽצְתָ֣ה);	“Here is my servant whom I support, my chosen one in whom I (nep̄eš, נפשי) take pleasure (rāṣâ, רצתה).	Iakob is my servant; I will lay hold of him; Israel is my chosen; my soul (ἡ ψυχή μου) has accepted him (προσεδέξατο αὐτὸν);	Jacob is my servant, I will help him: Israel is my chosen, my soul (ἡ ψυχή μου) has accepted him (προσεδέξατο αὐτὸν);

Here, רָֽצְתָ֣ה, a form of רָצָה (rāṣâ), [in whom] delighteth (Tanakh, KJV), [in whom] take pleasure (NET), was translated προσεδέξατο αὐτὸν, has accepted him (NETS, English Elpenor), in the Septuagint. The Greek verb προσεδέξατο, a 3^rd person singular form of προσδέχομαι, is practically a one word synopsis of God’s patience with the old human (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον): “to take up, receive, receive hospitably, welcome; to pardon; to accept, admit; to assent; to agree, consent; to bear with, endure, pardon; to undertake, attempt; to look forward to; to expect, wait for, await, anticipate.” It is also a very good translation of the Qal perfect 3^rd person feminine singular verb רָֽצְתָ֣ה, a form of רָצָה (rāṣâ).

Another form of רָצָה (rāṣâ) is found in the legal instructions to the Levites (Leviticus 1:1-4 ESV):

The Lord called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying [Table], “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock [Table].

“If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord [Table]. He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him [Table].

The Hebrew verb translated and it shall be accepted is וְנִרְצָ֥ה, a Niphal form of רָצָה (rāṣâ), understood here as the passive voice: “The Niphal often functions as the passive counterpart to the Qal stem, describing actions performed on the subject.”⁶ It was translated δεκτὸν, a thing acceptable (NETS), as a thing acceptable (English Elpenor), in the Septuagint. The adjective δεκτὸν is a form of δεκτός: “acceptable, favourable, convenient; appropriate, convenient; received, accepted, welcomed, approved.” It complements προσδέχομαι, as a one word synopsis of God’s patience with the old human (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον).

A comparison of the Greek of Matthew 12:18a to that of Isaiah 42:1a in the Septuagint follows:

Matthew 12:18 (NET Parallel Greek)	Isaiah 42:1 (Septuagint BLB)	Isaiah 42:1 (Septuagint Elpenor)
\|εἰς\| ὃν εὐδόκησεν ἡ ψυχή μου	προσεδέξατο αὐτὸν ἡ ψυχή μου	προσεδέξατο αὐτὸν ἡ ψυχή μου
Matthew 12:18 (NET)	Isaiah 42:1 (NETS)	Isaiah 42:1 (English Elpenor)
in whom I take great delight	my soul has accepted him	my soul has accepted him

The Greek verb εὐδόκησεν is a 3^rd person singular form of εὐδοκέω (e.g., “toward whom my soul takes great delight”) in the indicative mood (a statement of fact) and the active voice: “to be well pleased, take delight; to consider good, consent, determine, resolve; to like, delight in, approve; to be willing gladly; to be favourably disposed, pleased; to be satisfied, happy; to accept favourably, accept approvingly.” Matthew’s and the Holy Spirit’s word choice seems appropriate for Jesus, the One new human (ἕνα καινὸν ἄνθρωπον)—Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased⁷—and for the new self (τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον), created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness⁸ as well.

Though I found no forms of εὐδοκέω in the Greek translation of Isaiah in the Septuagint, one is found in the very first occurrence of another Qal stem (e.g., the active voice) form of רָצָה (rāṣâ). Jacob was returning to the promised land with his family and possessions (Genesis 32:3-5 ESV):

And Jacob sent messengers (מַלְאָכִים, a form of מַלְאָךְ, mal’āḵ; Septuagint: ἀγγέλους, a form of ἄγγελος) before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, instructing them, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, ‘I have sojourned with Laban and stayed until now. I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favor in your sight.’”

Jesus, the One new human prior to his death and resurrection, asked somewhat rhetorically: Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.⁹ He also said: Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison [Table]. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.¹⁰

Both allude to this story of Jacob’s encounter with Esau, which begs the question: Where did Jacob acquire such wisdom? And this even prior to the return of his messengers, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him.”¹¹ The most general answer is that Jacob, an old human, spent his adult life living in the Lord’s favor as his chosen one. But the opening verses of this chapter reveal an even more specific example of the very tactic he employed with Esau (Genesis 32:1, 2 ESV):

Jacob went on his way, and the angels (מַלְאֲכֵי, another form of מַלְאָךְ, mal’āḵ; Septuagint: ἄγγελοι, another form of ἄγγελος) of God met him. And when Jacob saw them he said, “This is God’s camp!” So he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

The divergence here between the Masoretic text and Septuagint deserves the following table:

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 32:2, 3 (Tanakh)	Genesis 32:1, 2 (NET)	Genesis 32:1, 2 (NETS)	Genesis 32:1, 2 (English Elpenor)
And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of G-d met him.	So Jacob went on his way and the angels of God met him.	And Iakob departed on his own way. And looking up he saw a divine camp encamped, and the angels of God met him.	AND Jacob departed for his journey; and having looked up, he saw the host of God encamped; and the angels of God met him.
And Jacob said when he saw them: ‘This is G-d’s camp (מַֽחֲנֵ֥ה).’ And he called the name of that place Mahanaim (מַֽחֲנָֽיִם).	When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed, “This is the camp (maḥănê, מחנה) of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim (maḥănayim, מחנים).	Now Iakob, when he saw them, said, “This is a divine camp (Παρεμβολὴ)!” And he called the name of that place Camps (Παρεμβολαί).	And Jacob said, when he saw them, This is the Camp (παρεμβολὴ) of God; and he called the name of that place, Encampments (Παρεμβολαί).

In other words, Jacob sent messengers to Esau, much like the Camp of God sent messengers to him. Rashi’s commentary in The Complete Jewish Bible reads:

and angels of God met him. Angels of Israel came to greet him to escort him to the land.
Mahanaim. Two camps, [one of the angels] outside the land, who came with him up to here, and [one of the angels] of Israel, who came to greet him. — [from Tanchuma Vayishlach 3]
Jacob sent angels. Heb. מַלְאָכִים, literally angels (Gen. Rabbah 75:4).

After his messengers (or angels) reported that there are four hundred men with Esau (Genesis 32:7, 8 ESV):

Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps [Table], thinking, “If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left will escape” [Table].

Rashi considered this Jacob’s preparation for war with Esau, and I see no good reason to dispute him. Then, Jacob prayed (Genesis 32:9-12 ESV):

“O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good’ [Table], I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two (לִשְׁנֵי, šᵊnayim; Septuagint: δύο) camps (מַחֲנוֹת, maḥănê; Septuagint: παρεμβολάς) [Table]. Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children [Table]. But you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude’” [Table].

And then, Jacob prepared a present (e.g., select herds of animals) for Esau. For he thought, “I may appease him with the present that goes ahead of me, and afterward I shall see his face. Perhaps he will accept me.”¹² The Hebrew word translated I may appease is אֲכַפְּרָה, a Piel form of כָּפַר (kāp̄ar).

The Piel stem is one of the most expressive and nuanced verb forms in Biblical Hebrew. It is often associated with intensive, factitive, or causative actions, making it a critical component for understanding the depth and richness of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh).¹³
The Piel often contrasts with the Qal, Hiphil, and other stems in how it expresses an action:

Qal: Describes a simple or basic action (e.g., “to break”).

Piel: Describes an intensive or causative version of the same action (e.g., “to shatter”).

Hiphil: Describes causation but typically in a straightforward sense (e.g., “to cause to break”).¹⁴

It was translated ἐξιλάσομαι, I shall propitiate (NETS), I will propitiate (English Elpenor), in the Septuagint. Jacob hoped that his brother would accept him: יִשָּׂא, an imperfect form of the Qal stem נָשָׂא (nāśā’). The rabbis translated it προσδέξεται, another form of προσδέχομαι in the future tense in the Septuagint, similar to προσεδέξατο in the aorist tense, their translation of רָֽצְתָ֣ה (a perfect form of רָצָה, rāṣâ), has accepted (NETS, English Elpenor) in Isaiah 42:1 as applied to Israel.

When the time came to meet Esau in person, Jacob himself went on before…bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.¹⁵ But God, who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,¹⁶ surprised Jacob: Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.¹⁷

After he was introduced to Jacob’s wives and children, Esau asked (Genesis 33:8 ESV):

“What do you mean by all this company that I met?” Jacob answered, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.”

The key to Esau’s question is found in Jacob’s answer; for Esau was already informed for whom the droves of animals were intended. Jacob had instructed his servants (Genesis 32:17, 18 ESV):

“When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, ‘To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And whose are these ahead of you?’ then you shall say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a present sent to my lord Esau. And moreover, he is behind us.’”

The NETS translation of the Septuagint is perhaps a bit more on point: “What are these to you, all these companies that I have met?”¹⁸ And Jacob’s answer deserves a bit more consideration.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 33:8 (Tanakh)	Genesis 33:8 (NET)	Genesis 33:8 (NETS)	Genesis 33:8 (English Elpenor)
And he said: ‘What meanest thou by all this camp (הַמַּֽחֲנֶ֥ה) which I met?’ And he said: ‘To find (לִמְצֹא) favour (חֵ֖ן) in the sight of my lord.’	Esau then asked, “What did you intend by sending all these herds (maḥănê, המחנה) to meet me?” Jacob replied, “To find (māṣā‘, למצא) favor (ḥēn, חן) in your sight, my lord.”	And he said, “What are these to you, all these companies (παρεμβολαὶ) that I have met?” And he said, “That your servant may find (εὕρῃ) favor (χάριν) before you, lord.”	And he said, What are these things to thee, all these companies (παρεμβολαί) that I have met? And he said, That thy servant might find (εὕρῃ) grace (χάριν) in thy sight, my lord.

First, I thought it was interesting that even these herds of animals were called הַמַּֽחֲנֶ֥ה, a form of מַֽחֲנֶה (maḥănê), this camp (Tanakh), these herds (NET), translated παρεμβολαί, a form of παρεμβολή, these companies (NETS, English Elpenor), in the Septuagint. But more interesting was Jacob’s attempt To find favor (Tanakh, NET)—לִמְצֹא, a form of מָצָא (māṣā) followed by חֵ֖ן (ḥēn), translated εὕρῃ χάριν, a form of χάρις, may find favor (NETS), might find grace (English Elpenor)—from Esau by offering him herds of animals.

Though he tried to purchase Esau’s favor (or grace) with a present, Esau assured Jacob that no present was required: “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.”¹⁹ And this was of the Lord to preserve his as yet unwritten word: since if it is by grace (χάριτι, a dative form of χάρις), it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace (χάρις) would no longer be grace (χάρις).²⁰

Chastened by the Lord, Jacob pivoted graciously (Genesis 33:10 ESV).

Jacob said, “No, please, if I have found favor in your sight, then accept my present from my hand. For I have seen your face, which is like seeing the face of God, and you have accepted me.

A table with more detail follows:

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 33:10 (Tanakh)	Genesis 33:10 (NET)	Genesis 33:10 (NETS)	Genesis 33:10 (English Elpenor)
And Jacob said: ‘Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found (מָצָ֤אתִי) favour (חֵן֙) in thy sight, then receive (וְלָֽקַחְתָּ֥) my present (מִנְחָתִ֖י) at my hand; forasmuch as I have seen thy face, as one seeth the face of G-d, and thou wast pleased with me (וַתִּרְצֵֽנִי).	No, please take them,” Jacob said. “If I have found (māṣā‘, מצאתי) favor (ḥēn, חן) in your sight, accept (lāqaḥ, ולקחת) my gift (minḥâ, מנחתי) from my hand. Now that I have seen your face and you have accepted me (rāṣâ, ותרצני), it is as if I have seen the face of God.	But Iakob said, “If I have found (εὕρηκα) favor (χάριν) before you, accept (δέξαι) my presents (τὰ δῶρα) through my hands; with regard to this I saw your face, as someone might see a divine face, and you will be pleased with me (καὶ εὐδοκήσεις με).	And Jacob said, If I have found (εὗρον) grace (χάριν) in thy sight, receive (δέξαι) the gifts (τὰ δῶρα) through my hands; therefore have I seen thy face, as if any one should see the face of God, and thou shalt be well-pleased with me (καὶ εὐδοκήσεις με).

The Hebrew verb וַתִּרְצֵֽנִי, an imperfect form of the verb רָצָה (rāṣâ), and thou wast pleased with me (Tanakh), and you have accepted me (NET), was translated καὶ εὐδοκήσεις με, and you will be pleased with me (NETS), and thou shalt be well-pleased with me (English Elpenor), in the Septuagint. The translators of the Tanakh and NET understood וַתִּרְצֵֽנִי as past tense while the translators of the Septuagint chose εὐδοκήσεις, a form of εὐδοκέω in the future tense.

According to an article on Biblical Hebrew online:

The core of Biblical Hebrew verbal syntax lies in the distinction between the perfect (קָטַל) and imperfect (יִקְטֹל) verb forms. These do not simply indicate past or future tenses, but rather represent different ways of viewing the nature of action: whether as completed (perfect) or incomplete, ongoing, or potential (imperfect). This article explores the morphology, aspectual logic, discourse function, and theological significance of these two essential verb forms within the framework of Biblical Hebrew grammar.

While the perfect/imperfect contrast may seem straightforward at first, deeper examination reveals a highly contextual and discourse-sensitive verbal system. This article analyzes their form, function, usage across genres, and includes clarifications for related forms such as participles, wayyiqtol, and weqatal.²¹

Unlike Indo-European languages that often focus on tense (past, present, future), Biblical Hebrew verbs are governed primarily by aspect. That is, Hebrew emphasizes how an action is viewed rather than when it occurs.

Perfect (qatal): Portrays an action as complete, whole, or viewed as a total unit.

Imperfect (yiqtol): Portrays an action as incomplete, ongoing, habitual, repeated, or not yet realized.²²

So far, it appears that the translators of the Septuagint have the upper hand. But I deliberately withheld a critical piece of information for dramatic effect. On Blue Letter Bible online, if you hover the cursor over “tools” to the left of Genesis 33:10 and select “interlinear” from the dropdown menu, a table appears with a wealth of information about the Hebrew verbs and nouns in this verse. To the far right of the table row labeled “and thou wast pleased with me.” is a green oblong bubble filled with cryptic letters and numerals: Hover the cursor over that bubble and words appear informing one that וַתִּרְצֵנִי, a form of רָצָה (rāṣâ) is not merely an imperfect verb but a sequential imperfect verb.

Wayyiqtol (Sequential Narrative Past)
This form, also called the “converted imperfect,” combines a prefixed וַ (waw consecutive) with an imperfect verb to create a narrative past chain. It is ubiquitous in Hebrew storytelling.
Genesis 22:3
וַיַּשְׁכֵּם אַבְרָהָם בַּבֹּקֶר
“And Avraham rose early in the morning…”
Weqatal (Modal/Future Continuation)
This construction (וְ + qatal) often follows imperatives, expressing expectation, command, or future result.
Deuteronomy 5:33
תֵּלֵכוּ לְמַעַן תִּחְיוּן
“You shall walk… so that you may live”
תֵּלֵכוּ and תִּחְיוּן are both imperfects. The second verb, with its unusual נון ending (nun paragogicum), reflects poetic or legal usage. This form expresses purpose and outcome in covenantal context.²³

So, the relatively modern English translators of the verb וַתִּרְצֵֽנִי, a sequential imperfect form of the verb רָצָה (rāṣâ), understood it as a Sequential Narrative Past verb, while the more ancient Greek translators understood it as something more like a Future Continuation verb:

Sequential Narrative Past
Tanakh: forasmuch as I have seen thy face…and thou wast pleased with me
NET: Now that I have seen your face and you have accepted me
Future Continuation
NETS: with regard to this I saw your face…and you will be pleased with me
English Elpenor: therefore have I seen thy face…and thou shalt be well-pleased with me

In either case Jacob’s reason for giving this present to Esau had changed from an offering of appeasement or atonement to one of praise and thanksgiving to God. And this present was a gift that keeps on giving (Genesis 32:14, 15 ESV):

two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty milking camels and their calves, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.

If I have found grace in thy sight, receive the gifts through my hands…and thou shalt be well-pleased with me²⁴ as these herds increase in the future. Please accept my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me [e.g., his brother Esau accepted him and did not attempt to kill him as Jacob had asked God in prayer], and because I have enough.”²⁵

The Hebrew verb translated accept in the phrase Please accept above is קַח, an imperative form of לָקַח (lāqaḥ), translated λαβὲ, an imperative form of λαμβάνω, in the Septuagint. The noun translated my blessing is בִּרְכָתִי, a form of בְּרָכָה (bᵊrāḵâ), translated τὰς εὐλογίας μου in the Septuagint.

The first occurrence of בְּרָכָה (bᵊrāḵâ) is found in the Lord’s promise to Abram (Genesis 12:2 ESV)

And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing (בְּרָכָה, bᵊrāḵâ) [Table].

So here, Jacob fulfills, at least in part, God’s promise to his grandfather Abraham to be a blessing for Esau: Thus he [Jacob] urged him [Esau], and he [Esau] took it.²⁶ The Hebrew verb translated and he took it is וַיִּקָּח, a sequential imperfect form of לָקַח (lāqaḥ), which was translated ἔλαβε(ν), a form of λαμβάνω in the 2^nd aorist tense. Jacob’s gift and blessing to Esau, expressed in these Hebrew and Greek words, reminds me of another greater gift and blessing, the ultimate blessing of Abraham by means of Jesus Christ (Romans 5:15-17 ESV):

But the free gift (τὸ χάρισμα) is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace (ἡ χάρις) of God and the free gift (ἡ δωρεὰ) by the grace (ἐν χάριτι) of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift (τὸ δώρημα) is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift (τὸ δὲ χάρισμα) following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive (λαμβάνοντες, a plural present participle of λαμβάνω) the abundance of grace (τῆς χάριτος) and the free gift (τῆς δωρεᾶς) of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

May we all like Esau graciously receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness that is so graciously given to us by God through Jesus Christ. I’ll pick this up in another essay: רָצָה (rāṣâ) is a rich vein to mine.

Tables comparing Genesis 32:3 (32:4); 32:4 (32:5); 32:5 (32:6); 32:6 (32:7); 32:1 (32:2); 32:2 (32:3); 32:20 (32:21); 33:3; 33:4; 33:8; 32:17 (32:18); 32:18 (32:19); 33:9; 33:10; 32:14 (32:15); 32:15 (32:16) and 33:11 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and comparing the Greek of Genesis 32:3; 32:4; 32:5; 32:6; 32:1; 32:2; 32:20; 33:3; 33:4; 33:8; 32:17; 32:18; 33:9; 33:10; 32:14; 32:15 and 33:11 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor) follow.

Genesis 32:4 (Tanakh)	Genesis 32:3 (KJV)	Genesis 32:3 (NET)
And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the field of Edom.	And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.	Jacob sent messengers on ahead to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the region of Edom.

Genesis 32:3 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 32:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἀπέστειλεν δὲ Ιακωβ ἀγγέλους ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ πρὸς Ησαυ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ εἰς γῆν Σηιρ εἰς χώραν Εδωμ	᾿Απέστειλε δὲ ᾿Ιακὼβ ἀγγέλους ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ πρὸς ῾Ησαῦ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ εἰς γῆν Σηείρ, εἰς χώραν ᾿Εδώμ
Genesis 32:3 (NETS)	Genesis 32:3 (English Elpenor)
And Iakob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir in the territory of Edom,	And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother to the land of Seir, to the country of Edom.

Genesis 32:5 (Tanakh)	Genesis 32:4 (KJV)	Genesis 32:4 (NET)
And he commanded them, saying: ‘Thus shall ye say unto my lord Esau: Thus saith thy servant Jacob: I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now.	And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:	He commanded them, “This is what you must say to my lord Esau: ‘This is what your servant Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban until now.

Genesis 32:4 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 32:4 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐνετείλατο αὐτοῖς λέγων οὕτως ἐρεῖτε τῷ κυρίῳ μου Ησαυ οὕτως λέγει ὁ παῖς σου Ιακωβ μετὰ Λαβαν παρῴκησα καὶ ἐχρόνισα ἕως τοῦ νῦν	καὶ ἐνετείλατο αὐτοῖς λέγων· οὕτως ἐρεῖτε τῷ κυρίῳ μου ῾Ησαῦ· οὕτως λέγει ὁ παῖς σου ᾿Ιακώβ· μετὰ Λάβαν παρῴκησα, καὶ ἐχρόνισα ἕως τοῦ νῦν
Genesis 32:4 (NETS)	Genesis 32:4 (English Elpenor)
and he commanded them, saying, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: ‘Thus says your servant Iakob, ‘I lived with Laban as an alien and stayed until now,	And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye say to my lord Esau: Thus saith thy servant Jacob; I have sojourned with Laban and tarried until now.

Genesis 32:6 (Tanakh)	Genesis 32:5 (KJV)	Genesis 32:5 (NET)
And I have oxen, and asses and flocks, and men-servants and maid-servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favour in thy sight.’	And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.	I have oxen, donkeys, sheep, and male and female servants. I have sent this message to inform my lord, so that I may find favor in your sight.’”

Genesis 32:5 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 32:5 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐγένοντό μοι βόες καὶ ὄνοι καὶ πρόβατα καὶ παῖδες καὶ παιδίσκαι καὶ ἀπέστειλα ἀναγγεῖλαι τῷ κυρίῳ μου Ησαυ ἵνα εὕρῃ ὁ παῖς σου χάριν ἐναντίον σου	καὶ ἐγένοντό μοι βόες καὶ ὄνοι καὶ πρόβατα καὶ παῖδες καὶ παιδίσκαι, καὶ ἀπέστειλα ἀναγγεῖλαι τῷ κυρίῳ μου ῾Ησαῦ, ἵνα εὕρῃ ὁ παῖς σου χάριν ἐναντίον σου
Genesis 32:5 (NETS)	Genesis 32:5 (English Elpenor)
and cattle and donkeys and sheep and male and female slaves have come into my possession, and I have sent to tell my Lord Esau in order that your servant may find favor before you’.”	And there were born to me oxen, and asses, and sheep, and men-servants and women-servants; and I sent to tell my lord Esau, that thy servant might find grace in thy sight.

Genesis 32:7 (Tanakh)	Genesis 32:6 (KJV)	Genesis 32:6 (NET)
And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying: ‘We came to thy brother Esau, and moreover he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.’	And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.	The messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you and has 400 men with him.”

Genesis 32:6 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 32:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἀνέστρεψαν οἱ ἄγγελοι πρὸς Ιακωβ λέγοντες ἤλθομεν πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφόν σου Ησαυ καὶ ἰδοὺ αὐτὸς ἔρχεται εἰς συνάντησίν σοι καὶ τετρακόσιοι ἄνδρες μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ	καὶ ἀνέστρεψαν οἱ ἄγγελοι πρὸς ᾿Ιακὼβ λέγοντες· ἤλθομεν πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφόν σου ῾Ησαῦ, καὶ ἰδοὺ αὐτὸς ἔρχεται εἰς συνάντησίν σοι καὶ τετρακόσιοι ἄνδρες μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ
Genesis 32:6 (NETS)	Genesis 32:6 (English Elpenor)
And the messengers returned to Iakob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”	And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and lo! he comes to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.

Genesis 32:2 (Tanakh)	Genesis 32:1 (KJV)	Genesis 32:1 (NET)
And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of G-d met him.	And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.	So Jacob went on his way and the angels of God met him.

Genesis 32:1 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 32:1 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ Ιακωβ ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ὁδόν καὶ ἀναβλέψας εἶδεν παρεμβολὴν θεοῦ παρεμβεβληκυῖαν καὶ συνήντησαν αὐτῷ οἱ ἄγγελοι τοῦ θεοῦ	ΚΑΙ ᾿Ιακὼβ ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὴν ὁδὸν ἑαυτοῦ. καὶ ἀναβλέψας εἶδε παρεμβολὴν Θεοῦ παρεμβεβληκυῖαν, καὶ συνήντησαν αὐτῷ οἱ ἄγγελοι τοῦ Θεοῦ
Genesis 32:1 (NETS)	Genesis 32:1 (English Elpenor)
And Iakob departed on his own way. And looking up he saw a divine camp encamped, and the angels of God met him.	AND Jacob departed for his journey; and having looked up, he saw the host of God encamped; and the angels of God met him.

Genesis 32:3 (Tanakh)	Genesis 32:2 (KJV)	Genesis 32:2 (NET)
And Jacob said when he saw them: ‘This is G-d’s camp.’ And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.	And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.	When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed, “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim.

Genesis 32:2 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 32:2 (Septuagint Elpenor)
εἶπεν δὲ Ιακωβ ἡνίκα εἶδεν αὐτούς Παρεμβολὴ θεοῦ αὕτη καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου Παρεμβολαί	εἶπε δὲ ᾿Ιακώβ, ἡνίκα εἶδεν αὐτούς· παρεμβολὴ Θεοῦ αὕτη· καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου Παρεμβολαί
Genesis 32:2 (NETS)	Genesis 32:2 (English Elpenor)
Now Iakob, when he saw them, said, “This is a divine camp!” And he called the name of that place Camps.	And Jacob said, when he saw them, This is the Camp of God; and he called the name of that place, Encampments.

Genesis 32:21 (Tanakh)	Genesis 32:20 (KJV)	Genesis 32:20 (NET)
and ye shall say: Moreover, behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us.’ For he said: ‘I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept me.’	And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me.	You must also say, ‘In fact your servant Jacob is behind us.’” Jacob thought, “I will first appease him by sending a gift ahead of me. After that I will meet him. Perhaps he will accept me.”

Genesis 32:20 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 32:20 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐρεῖτε ἰδοὺ ὁ παῖς σου Ιακωβ παραγίνεται ὀπίσω ἡμῶν εἶπεν γάρ ἐξιλάσομαι τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς δώροις τοῖς προπορευομένοις αὐτοῦ καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ὄψομαι τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἴσως γὰρ προσδέξεται τὸ πρόσωπόν μου	καὶ ἐρεῖτε· ἰδοὺ ὁ παῖς σου ᾿Ιακὼβ παραγίνεται ὀπίσω ἡμῶν. εἶπε γάρ· ἐξιλάσομαι τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς δώροις τοῖς προπορευομένοις αὐτοῦ, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ὄψομαι τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ· ἴσως γὰρ προσδέξεται τὸ πρόσωπόν μου
Genesis 32:20 (NETS)	Genesis 32:20 (English Elpenor)
And you shall say, “There is your servant Iakob coming behind us’.” For he said, “I shall propitiate his face with the presents that go on before him, and afterwards I shall see his face, for perhaps he will accept my face.”	and ye shall say, Behold thy servant Jacob comes after us. For he said, I will propitiate his countenance with the gifts going before his presence, and afterwards I will behold his face, for peradventure he will accept me.

Genesis 33:3 (Tanakh)	Genesis 33:3 (KJV)	Genesis 33:3 (NET)
And he himself passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.	And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.	But Jacob himself went on ahead of them, and he bowed toward the ground seven times as he approached his brother.

Genesis 33:3 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 33:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
αὐτὸς δὲ προῆλθεν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν καὶ προσεκύνησεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἑπτάκις ἕως τοῦ ἐγγίσαι τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ	αὐτὸς δὲ προῆλθεν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν καὶ προσεκύνησεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἑπτάκις ἕως τοῦ ἐγγίσαι τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ
Genesis 33:3 (NETS)	Genesis 33:3 (English Elpenor)
But he himself advanced ahead of them and did obeisance upon the ground seven times until he came near his brother.	But he advanced himself before them, and did reverence to the ground seven times, until he drew near to his brother.

Genesis 33:4 (Tanakh)	Genesis 33:4 (KJV)	Genesis 33:4 (NET)
And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him; and they wept.	And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.	But Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, hugged his neck, and kissed him. Then they both wept.

Genesis 33:4 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 33:4 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ προσέδραμεν Ησαυ εἰς συνάντησιν αὐτῷ καὶ περιλαβὼν αὐτὸν ἐφίλησεν καὶ προσέπεσεν ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔκλαυσαν ἀμφότεροι	καὶ προσέδραμεν ῾Ησαῦ εἰς συνάντησιν αὐτῷ καὶ περιλαβὼν αὐτὸν προσέπεσεν ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ καὶ κατεφίλησεν αὐτὸν καὶ ἔκλαυσαν ἀμφότεροι
Genesis 33:4 (NETS)	Genesis 33:4 (English Elpenor)
And Esau ran forward to meet him, and embracing him he kissed him and fell upon his neck, and they both wept.	And Esau ran on to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him; and they both wept.

Genesis 33:8 (Tanakh)	Genesis 33:8 (KJV)	Genesis 33:8 (NET)
And he said: ‘What meanest thou by all this camp which I met?’ And he said: ‘To find favour in the sight of my lord.’	And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord.	Esau then asked, “What did you intend by sending all these herds to meet me?” Jacob replied, “To find favor in your sight, my lord.”

Genesis 33:8 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 33:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν τί ταῦτά σοί ἐστιν πᾶσαι αἱ παρεμβολαὶ αὗται αἷς ἀπήντηκα ὁ δὲ εἶπεν ἵνα εὕρῃ ὁ παῖς σου χάριν ἐναντίον σου κύριε	καὶ εἶπε· τί ταῦτά σοι ἐστί, πᾶσαι αἱ παρεμβολαί αὗται, αἷς ἀπήντηκα; ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· ἵνα εὕρῃ ὁ παῖς σου χάριν ἐναντίον σου, κύριε
Genesis 33:8 (NETS)	Genesis 33:8 (English Elpenor)
And he said, “What are these to you, all these companies that I have met?” And he said, “That your servant may find favor before you, lord.”	And he said, What are these things to thee, all these companies that I have met? And he said, That thy servant might find grace in thy sight, my lord.

Genesis 32:18 (Tanakh)	Genesis 32:17 (KJV)	Genesis 32:17 (NET)
And he commanded the foremost, saying: ‘When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying: Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee?	And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee?	He instructed the servant leading the first herd, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong? Where are you going? Whose herds are you driving?’

Genesis 32:17 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 32:17 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐνετείλατο τῷ πρώτῳ λέγων ἐάν σοι συναντήσῃ Ησαυ ὁ ἀδελφός μου καὶ ἐρωτᾷ σε λέγων τίνος εἶ καὶ ποῦ πορεύῃ καὶ τίνος ταῦτα τὰ προπορευόμενά σου	καὶ ἐνετείλατο τῷ πρώτῳ, λέγων· ἐάν σοι συναντήσῃ ῾Ησαῦ ὁ ἀδελφός μου καὶ ἐρωτᾷ σε, λέγων· τίνος εἶ καὶ ποῦ πορεύῃ, καὶ τίνος ταῦτα τὰ προπορευόμενά σου
Genesis 32:17 (NETS)	Genesis 32:17 (English Elpenor)
And he commanded the first saying, “If Esau my brother should meet you and ask you, saying, ‘Whose are you and where are you going, and whose are these going on ahead of you?’	And he charged the first, saying, If Esau my brother meet thee, and he ask thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither wouldest thou go, and whose are these possessions advancing before thee?

Genesis 32:19 (Tanakh)	Genesis 32:18 (KJV)	Genesis 32:18 (NET)
then thou shalt say: They are thy servant Jacob’s; it is a present sent unto my lord, even unto Esau; and, behold, he also is behind us.’	Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob’s; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us.	then you must say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They have been sent as a gift to my lord Esau. In fact Jacob himself is behind us.’”

Genesis 32:18 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 32:18 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐρεῖς τοῦ παιδός σου Ιακωβ δῶρα ἀπέσταλκεν τῷ κυρίῳ μου Ησαυ καὶ ἰδοὺ αὐτὸς ὀπίσω ἡμῶν	ἐρεῖς· τοῦ παιδός σου ᾿Ιακώβ· δῶρα ἀπέσταλκε τῷ κυρίῳ μου ῾Ησαῦ, καὶ ἰδοὺ αὐτὸς ὀπίσω ἡμῶν
Genesis 32:18 (NETS)	Genesis 32:18 (English Elpenor)
you shall say, ‘Your servant Iakob’s; he has sent presents to my Lord Esau, and there he is behind us’.”	Thou shalt say, Thy servant Jacob’s; he hath sent gifts to my lord Esau, and lo! he is behind us.

Genesis 33:9 (Tanakh)	Genesis 33:9 (KJV)	Genesis 33:9 (NET)
And Esau said: ‘I have enough; my brother, let that which thou hast be thine.’	And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself.	But Esau said, “I have plenty, my brother. Keep what belongs to you.”

Genesis 33:9 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 33:9 (Septuagint Elpenor)
εἶπεν δὲ Ησαυ ἔστιν μοι πολλά ἄδελφε ἔστω σοι τὰ σά	εἶπε δὲ ῾Ησαῦ· ἔστι μοι πολλά, ἀδελφέ· ἔστω σοι τὰ σά
Genesis 33:9 (NETS)	Genesis 33:9 (English Elpenor)
But Esau said, “I have much, brother, let your property be yours.”	And Esau said, I have much, my brother; keep thine own.

Genesis 33:10 (Tanakh)	Genesis 33:10 (KJV)	Genesis 33:10 (NET)
And Jacob said: ‘Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found favour in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand; forasmuch as I have seen thy face, as one seeth the face of G-d, and thou wast pleased with me.	And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.	“No, please take them,” Jacob said. “If I have found favor in your sight, accept my gift from my hand. Now that I have seen your face and you have accepted me, it is as if I have seen the face of God.

Genesis 33:10 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 33:10 (Septuagint Elpenor)
εἶπεν δὲ Ιακωβ εἰ εὕρηκα χάριν ἐναντίον σου δέξαι τὰ δῶρα διὰ τῶν ἐμῶν χειρῶν ἕνεκεν τούτου εἶδον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ὡς ἄν τις ἴδοι πρόσωπον θεοῦ καὶ εὐδοκήσεις με	εἶπε δὲ ᾿Ιακώβ· εἰ εὗρον χάριν ἐναντίον σου, δέξαι τὰ δῶρα διὰ τῶν ἐμῶν χειρῶν· ἕνεκεν τούτου εἶδον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου, ὡς ἄν τις ἴδοι πρόσωπον Θεοῦ, καὶ εὐδοκήσεις με
Genesis 33:10 (NETS)	Genesis 33:10 (English Elpenor)
But Iakob said, “If I have found favor before you, accept my presents through my hands; with regard to this I saw your face, as someone might see a divine face, and you will be pleased with me.	And Jacob said, If I have found grace in thy sight, receive the gifts through my hands; therefore have I seen thy face, as if any one should see the face of God, and thou shalt be well-pleased with me.

Genesis 32:15 (Tanakh)	Genesis 32:14 (KJV)	Genesis 32:14 (NET)
two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,	Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,	200 female goats and 20 male goats, 200 ewes and 20 rams,

Genesis 32:14 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 32:14 (Septuagint Elpenor)
αἶγας διακοσίας τράγους εἴκοσι πρόβατα διακόσια κριοὺς εἴκοσι	αἶγας διακοσίας, τράγους εἴκοσι, πρόβατα διακόσια, κριοὺς εἴκοσι
Genesis 32:14 (NETS)	Genesis 32:14 (English Elpenor)
two hundred female goats, twenty male goats, two hundred sheep, twenty rams,	two hundred she-goats, twenty he-goats, two hundred sheep, twenty rams,

Genesis 32:16 (Tanakh)	Genesis 32:15 (KJV)	Genesis 32:15 (NET)
thirty milch camels and their colts, forty kine and ten bulls, twenty she-asses and ten foals.	Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals.	30 female camels with their young, 40 cows and 10 bulls, and 20 female donkeys and 10 male donkeys.

Genesis 32:15 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 32:15 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καμήλους θηλαζούσας καὶ τὰ παιδία αὐτῶν τριάκοντα βόας τεσσαράκοντα ταύρους δέκα ὄνους εἴκοσι καὶ πώλους δέκα	καμήλους θηλαζούσας, καὶ τὰ παιδία αὐτῶν τριάκοντα, βόας τεσσαράκοντα, ταύρους δέκα, ὄνους εἴκοσι καὶ πώλους δέκα
Genesis 32:15 (NETS)	Genesis 32:15 (English Elpenor)
thirty milch camels and their young, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty donkeys and ten foals.	milch camels, and their foals, thirty, forty kine, ten bulls, twenty asses, and ten colts.

Genesis 33:11 (Tanakh)	Genesis 33:11 (KJV)	Genesis 33:11 (NET)
Take, I pray thee, my gift that is brought to thee; because G-d hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.’ And he urged him, and he took it.	Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.	Please take my present that was brought to you, for God has been generous to me and I have all I need.” When Jacob urged him, he took it.

Genesis 33:11 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 33:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)
λαβὲ τὰς εὐλογίας μου ἃς ἤνεγκά σοι ὅτι ἠλέησέν με ὁ θεὸς καὶ ἔστιν μοι πάντα καὶ ἐβιάσατο αὐτόν καὶ ἔλαβεν	λαβὲ τὰς εὐλογίας μου, ἃς ἤνεγκά σοι, ὅτι ἠλέησέ με ὁ Θεὸς καὶ ἔστι μοι πάντα. καὶ ἐβιάσατο αὐτὸν καὶ ἔλαβε
Genesis 33:11 (NETS)	Genesis 33:11 (English Elpenor)
Receive my blessings that I have brought to you, because God has shown mercy to me and I have everything.” And he urged him, and he received them.	Receive my blessings, which I have brought thee, because God has had mercy on me, and I have all things; and he constrained him, and he took [them].

Justice and Mercy Revisited, Part 5

Back to Balaam, Balak and the 24,000, Part 4

Back to Who is a Christian? Part 1

¹ Justice and Mercy

² Matthew 12:18a (ESV)

³ Isaiah 42:1a (ESV) Table

4 Ephesians 4:24b (ESV)

⁵ Ephesians 4:22b (ESV)

⁶ From “Characteristics of the Niphal Stem: 1. Passive Voice” in “Mastering the Niphal Stem in Biblical Hebrew” on Biblical Hebrew online.

⁷ Matthew 12:18a (ESV)

⁸ Ephesians 4:24b (ESV)

⁹ Luke 14:31, 32 (ESV) Table

¹⁰ Matthew 5:25, 26 (ESV)

¹¹ Genesis 32:6 (ESV)

¹² Genesis 32:20b (ESV)

¹³ From “Mastering the Piel Stem in Biblical Hebrew: What is the Piel Stem?” on Biblical Hebrew online.

¹⁴ From “Mastering the Piel Stem in Biblical Hebrew: Piel vs. Other Stems” on Biblical Hebrew online.

¹⁵ Genesis 33:3 (ESV)

¹⁶ Ephesians 3:20 (ESV) Table

¹⁷ Genesis 33:4 (ESV)

¹⁸ Genesis 33:8a (NETS)

¹⁹ Genesis 33:9 (ESV)

²⁰ Romans 11:6 (ESV) Table

²¹ From “Perfect and Imperfect Verbs in Biblical Hebrew: Understanding Completed and Ongoing Action” on Biblical Hebrew online.

²² From “Perfect and Imperfect Verbs in Biblical Hebrew: Understanding Completed and Ongoing Action: 1. Aspect vs. Tense: The Hebrew Verb System” on Biblical Hebrew online.

²³ From “Perfect and Imperfect Verbs in Biblical Hebrew: Understanding Completed and Ongoing Action: 5. Narrative and Sequential Verbs: Wayyiqtol and Weqatal” on Biblical Hebrew online.

²⁴ Genesis 33:10 (English Elpenor)

²⁵ Genesis 33:11a (ESV)

²⁶ Genesis 33:11b (ESV)

Exploration, Part 18

Posted on March 22, 2026 by admin

I want to continue hearing with faith¹ the truth of the Gospel in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians (Ephesians 3:1-6 ESV).

For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—assuming that² you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known³ to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in⁴ other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the⁵ promise in Christ⁶ Jesus⁷ through the gospel.

The Greek is: Τούτου χάριν, For this reason. The ESV translators (along with most others) understood χάριν as an adverb here: “in favour of; on account of.” I’m assuming that choice has to do with the genitive pronoun Τούτου (rather than the accusative τοῦτον), since χάριν as a form of the noun χάρις is in the accusative case. Had Paul intended Of this grace τήν χάριν τούτου or τῆς χάριτος τούτου would have accomplished that without confusion. Still, the translators of the Catholic Public Domain Version were quite diplomatic: By reason of this grace. Paul’s Greek readers would have recognized χάριν as both an adverb and a form of the noun χάρις in the accusative case.

Be that as it may, it’s necessary to review what precedes this to understand Paul’s reason or this grace (Ephesians 2:19-22 EXP17):

So then no longer are you strangers and aliens but you are fellow-citizens of the holy and members of the household of God [Table], having been built by means of the foundation of the apostles and prophets, being the cornerstone himself, Christ Jesus, by means of whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple by means of the Lord [Table]. By means of whom also you are being built together into God’s dwelling-place by means of the Spirit.

Paul continued: ἐγὼ Παῦλος, I, Paul, ὁ δέσμιος τοῦ Χριστοῦ [Ἰησοῦ], a prisoner of Christ Jesus (literally, “the prisoner of Jesus Christ”). He used a similar self-reference later: I…a prisoner for the Lord (ἐγὼ ὁ δέσμιος ἐν κυρίῳ; NET note 1, “prisoner in the Lord,” or “I the prisoner by means of⁸ the Lord”).⁹

Reading in English only I’ve assumed these statements meant that Paul was incarcerated somewhere at the time he wrote to the Ephesian church. The translation prisoner implies punishment: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment (κόλασιν, a form of κόλασις), and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.¹⁰ Another possible translation of δέσμιος is captive, a word much more attune with the language of love: I, Paul, the captive of Christ Jesus and I…the captive by means of the Lord. So, while Paul’s many incarcerations may have informed his word choice somewhat, and its usage here may even allude to those incarcerations in part, it seems prudent to keep an open mind that Paul may have intended to describe an intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; namely, as his loving and beloved captive.

Paul continued: ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν τῶν ἐθνῶν, on behalf of you Gentiles (or “for your sake, the nations”). The Lord said of Saul (aka Paul): he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel [Table]. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of (ὑπὲρ) my name.¹¹

Ephesians 3:2 continued: εἴ γε, assuming that, ἠκούσατε, you have heard. The verb ἠκούσατε is a form of ἀκούω in the indicative mood, “a statement of fact.” I’m wondering if that prompted the note (2) in the NET:

If indeed. The author is not doubting whether his audience has heard, but is rather using provocative language (if indeed) to engage his audience in thinking about the magnificence of God’s grace. However, in English translation, the apodosis (“then”-clause) does not come until v. 13, leaving the protasis (“if”-clause) dangling. Eph 3:2-7 constitute one sentence in Greek.

One might expect the verb of the protasis (“if”-clause) to be in the subjunctive mood and the apodosis (“then”-clause) to be in the indicative mood (John 12:32 ESV):

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.

Here the verb of the protasis (“if”-clause) ὑψωθῶ, I am lifted up (e.g., crucified), is a form of ὑψόω in the subjunctive mood. The conjunction ἐὰν was translated when, I assume, to keep the English reader from stumbling over whether Jesus was questioning at that moment if his crucifixion would actually take place. The verb of the apodosis (“then”-clause) ἑλκύσω, I…will draw, is a form of ἑλκύω in the future tense (e.g., something He will do after ὑψωθῶ becomes actual) and the indicative mood. This makes some sense: The apodosis (“then”-clause), consequent clause, becomes factual in a true conditional statement once the protasis (“if”-clause), antecedent, becomes actual. The logical argument goes something like this:

Jesus said: “If I am crucified, then I will draw all to Myself.” Jesus was crucified. Therefore He will draw all to Himself.

The note (2) in the NET indicated that the translators understood Paul to be saying: if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you,¹² then I ask you not to lose heart because of what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.¹³ The logical argument would go something like this:

If you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, then I ask you not to lose heart because of what I am suffering for you. You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you. Therefore I ask you not to lose heart because of what I am suffering for you.

It sounds true enough on its surface, until I consider its inverse.

If you have [not] heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, then I [do not] ask you not to lose heart because of what I am suffering for you. You have [not] heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you. Therefore I [do not] ask you not to lose heart because of what I am suffering for you.

This argument doesn’t reflect the attitude of the one who wrote: I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.¹⁴ The principle of charity practically demands assuming that, the ESV translation of εἴ γε, or something similar to keep Paul’s discourse more self-contained and less obtuse. He had a tendency, however, to use an indicative verb in the protasis (“if”-clause), antecedent, of a conditional statement (Galatians 5:15 ESV).

But if you bite (δάκνετε, a form of δάκνω in the indicative mood) and devour (κατεσθίετε, a form of κατεσθίω in the indicative mood) one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

And here the verb ἀναλωθῆτε, you are consumed, in the apodosis (“then”-clause), consequent, is a form of ἀναλίσκω in the aorist tense and the subjunctive mood. So, the rather obvious form of the conditional statement accomplishes two things simultaneously: It affirms the truism—If you bite and devour one another, then you will be consumed by one another—even as it conveys Paul’s assessment of the Galatians’ relative position within the logical flow of that conditional statement: that they are currently biting and devouring one another though they have not yet consumed one another. And that, to the original point of the note in the NET in Ephesians, probably also indicates that Paul “assumed” most, if not all of his readers, have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you.

The Greek continues: τὴν οἰκονομίαν, of the stewardship, τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ, of God’s grace, τῆς δοθείσης, that was given, μοι, to me, εἰς ὑμᾶς, for you. While it is certainly meaningful and appropriate to translate τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ τῆς δοθείσης μοι εἰς ὑμᾶς, of God’s grace that was given to me for you, I wonder, in the light of the Hiphil stem in Hebrew, especially its usage in Exodus 24:12—so that you may teach them¹⁵—whether of God’s grace that was given by means of me into (or, unto) you is also appropriate.

Paul continued: [ὅτι], how, κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν, by revelation, ἐγνωρίσθη μοι, was made known to me, τὸ μυστήριον, the mystery, καθὼς, as, προέγραψα, I have written, ἐν ὀλίγῳ, briefly. This latter clause refers back to Ephesians 2.

The Greek continues: πρὸς ὃ, which this, δύνασθε ἀναγινώσκοντες, you can read, νοῆσαι to perceive, τὴν σύνεσιν μου, my insight, ἐν τῷ μυστηρίῳ, into the mystery, τοῦ Χριστοῦ, of Christ, ὃ ἑτέραις γενεαῖς, which in other generations (or “which to other generations”), οὐκ ἐγνωρίσθη, was not made known, τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, to the sons of men, ὡς νῦν ἀπεκαλύφθη, as now has been revealed, τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀποστόλοις αὐτοῦ, to his holy apostles (or “by means of his holy apostles”), καὶ προφήταις, and prophets, ἐν πνεύματι, by the Spirit, εἶναι, This mystery is that (literally, “to become”), τὰ ἔθνη συγκληρονόμα, the Gentiles are fellow heirs (or “the nations, fellow heirs”), καὶ σύσσωμα, members of the same body (or “and of the same body”), καὶ συμμέτοχα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus (or “and partakers of the promise by means of Christ Jesus”), διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, through the gospel.

And Jesus came and said to them [the eleven disciples] after his crucifixion and resurrection (Matthew 28:18-20a ESV):

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me [Table]. Go therefore and make disciples of (μαθητεύσατε, a form of μαθητεύω) all nations (πάντα τὰ ἔθνη), baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit [Table], teaching (διδάσκοντες, a present participle of διδάσκω) them to observe all that I have commanded you [Table].

The direct object of the verb μαθητεύσατε, make disciples of, a 2^nd person plural form of μαθητεύω in the imperative mood (e.g., “you must make disciples of”) is πάντα τὰ ἔθνη (literally “all the nations”) in the accusative case. This is an ambitious project, sometimes called replacement theology: “the Christian Church has fully and permanently replaced Israel in God’s plan.” If one means that he might create in himself one new man (ἕνα καινὸν ἄνθρωπον) in place of the two, so making peace [Table], and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility¹⁶ by the term Christian Church, the idea is not without merit, apart from being a singularly catty, if not an altogether anti-Jewish, way for a former Gentile to express the revelation of this mystery.

The only true replacement theology is that your old self (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον; “the old human”), which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,¹⁷ is replaced by the new self (τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον; “the new human”), created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.¹⁸ As Paul (circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless [Table]¹⁹) wrote (Galatians 2:20 EXP11):

By means of Christ I have been crucified, but I live hereafter not I but He lives within me, Christ, so who now I live within flesh, by faithfulness I live by means of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

The truth to be hearing with faith²⁰ is ( Ephesians 3:1-6 EXP18):

By reason of this grace I, Paul, the captive of Christ Jesus for your sake, the nations—assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you (and by means of me unto you), how by revelation was made known to me the mystery, as I have written briefly, (which this you can read to perceive my insight into the mystery), which to other generations was not made known to the sons of men as now has been revealed by means of his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit—to become the nations, fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of the promise by means of Christ Jesus through the gospel.

So, I’m understanding verse 6 as the conclusion of Paul’s introduction of his purpose as the captive of Christ Jesus: By reason of this grace I, Paul, the captive of Christ Jesus for your sake, the nations, to become the nations, fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of the promise by means of Christ Jesus through the gospel. And behold, Jesus promised, I am with you always, to the end of the age.²¹

Tables comparing Ephesians 3:2, 3 and 3:5, 6 in the KJV and NET follow.

Ephesians 3:2, 3 (NET)	Ephesians 3:2, 3 (KJV)
if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you,	If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

Ephesians 3:2 (NET Parallel Greek)	Ephesians 3:2 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Ephesians 3:2 (Byzantine Majority Text)
εἴ γε ἠκούσατε τὴν οἰκονομίαν τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ τῆς δοθείσης μοι εἰς ὑμᾶς	ειγε ηκουσατε την οικονομιαν της χαριτος του θεου της δοθεισης μοι εις υμας	ειγε ηκουσατε την οικονομιαν της χαριτος του θεου της δοθεισης μοι εις υμας

that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before briefly.

How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

Ephesians 3:3 (NET Parallel Greek)	Ephesians 3:3 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Ephesians 3:3 (Byzantine Majority Text)
[ὅτι] κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν ἐγνωρίσθη μοι τὸ μυστήριον, καθὼς προέγραψα ἐν ὀλίγῳ	οτι κατα αποκαλυψιν εγνωρισεν μοι το μυστηριον καθως προεγραψα εν ολιγω	οτι κατα αποκαλυψιν εγνωρισεν μοι το μυστηριον καθως προεγραψα εν ολιγω

Ephesians 3:5, 6 (NET)	Ephesians 3:5, 6 (KJV)
(which was not disclosed to people in former generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit),	Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

Ephesians 3:5 (NET Parallel Greek)	Ephesians 3:5 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Ephesians 3:5 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ὃ ἑτέραις γενεαῖς οὐκ ἐγνωρίσθη τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὡς νῦν ἀπεκαλύφθη τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀποστόλοις αὐτοῦ καὶ προφήταις ἐν πνεύματι	ο εν ετεραις γενεαις ουκ εγνωρισθη τοις υιοις των ανθρωπων ως νυν απεκαλυφθη τοις αγιοις αποστολοις αυτου και προφηταις εν πνευματι	ο ετεραις γενεαις ουκ εγνωρισθη τοις υιοις των ανθρωπων ως νυν απεκαλυφθη τοις αγιοις αποστολοις αυτου και προφηταις εν πνευματι

namely, that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.

That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

Ephesians 3:6 (NET Parallel Greek)	Ephesians 3:6 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Ephesians 3:6 (Byzantine Majority Text)
εἶναι τὰ ἔθνη συγκληρονόμα καὶ σύσσωμα καὶ συμμέτοχα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου	ειναι τα εθνη συγκληρονομα και συσσωμα και συμμετοχα της επαγγελιας αυτου εν τω χριστω δια του ευαγγελιου	ειναι τα εθνη συγκληρονομα και συσσωμα και συμμετοχα της επαγγελιας αυτου εν τω χριστω δια του ευαγγελιου

Exploration, Part 19

Back to Exploration, Part 20

Back to Who is a Christian? Part 1

¹ Galatians 3:2b (ESV)

² The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had εἴ γε here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ειγε.

³ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἐγνωρίσθη here, a 3^rd person singular form of γνωρίζω in the passive voice, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εγνωρισεν (KJV: he made known) in the active voice.

⁴ The Stephanus Textus Receptus had εν here. The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

⁵ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτου (KJV: his) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

⁶ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article τω preceding Christ. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

⁷ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had Ἰησοῦ following Christ. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

⁸ “The dative is the case of the indirect object, or may also indicate the means by which something is done.” From Noun Cases: Dative Case, GREEK NOUNS (Shorter Definitions) on Resources for Learning New Testament Greek online. The noun κυρίῳ is a form of κύριος in the dative case.

⁹ Ephesians 4:1a (ESV)

¹⁰ 1 John 4:18 (ESV)

¹¹ Acts 9:15, 16 (ESV)

¹² Ephesians 3:2 (NET)

¹³ Ephesians 3:13b (NET) Table

¹⁴ Romans 1:14, 15 (ESV)

¹⁵ Exodus 24:12b (NET) Table

¹⁶ Ephesians 2:15b, 16 (ESV)

¹⁷ Ephesians 4:22b (ESV)

¹⁸ Ephesians 4:24b (ESV)

¹⁹ Philippians 3:5, 6 (ESV)

²⁰ Galatians 3:2b (ESV)

²¹ Matthew 28:20b (ESV) Table

Hebrews 10:1-4

Posted on March 10, 2026 by admin

This is a homily for communion for the preaching course I’m taking. We’ve backed away for a time from full sermon preparation to homilies.

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed,¹ would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder (ἀνάμνησις) of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.²

The rhetorical question, would the same sacrifices not have ceased to be offered, is a compelling argument that communion is not a sacrifice, but a reminder, a recollection, a memorial done by those who have turned in obedience to follow the Lord Jesus (Luke 22:19 ESV):

And [Jesus] took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance (ἀνάμνησιν, a form of ἀνάμνησις) of me.”

Paul wrote to the church at Corinth (1 Corinthians 11:25 ESV):

In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance (ἀνάμνησιν, a form of ἀνάμνησις) of me” [Table].

Given who we are it may be impossible to approach the Lord’s table without being reminded of our sins. Do this in remembrance of me, Jesus said and Paul reminded us. For Christ also suffered once for sins, Peter wrote, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.³

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.⁴

But how best to proclaim the Lord’s death until He returns? Shall we weep and wail over our sins, become the loudest mourners at the funeral of our dying idol, that old self, which belongs to [our] former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires?⁵ Or shall we embrace our new Lord’s sacrifice—the only sacrifice which can truly take away sins—as our own to live the righteousness of our resurrected and indwelling Savior: loving one another with his love, rejoicing together by means of his joy, true subjects of his reign of peace, not from the outside in or the top down, but from the inside out because we are crucified with Christ and we no longer live us, but Him, enduring by means of his patience, being useful to one another by his kindness, doing good to one another by his goodness today, tomorrow and every moment of everyday forever by means of his faithfulness, ever restrained from the evil we once were, the evil we sometimes fear we might become again, by his steadfast control? Amen?

The actual goal of this assignment, however, is not the written homily above, but to become so familiar with the chosen Scripture that I can read the room and ad lib by the Holy Spirit. The only way I know to become familiar with the Scripture is to slow down and go word-for-word in Greek (or Hebrew and Greek in the Old Testament).

The Greek of Hebrews 10:1 begins: Σκιὰν γὰρ, For a shadow, ἔχων ὁ νόμος, has the law. Following the Greek word order⁶ here can be confusing in English: “a shadow has the law” might sound as if “a shadow” is the subject and “the law” is the direct object of this clause. In Greek it’s clear that Σκιὰν is a form of σκιά in the accusative case, while ὁ νόμος is in the nominative case. Still, Σκιὰν, shadow, begins this clause, which I’m no longer inclined to perceive as irrelevant. The participle ἔχων is not the verb ἔχει, but a singular active participle in the present tense, nominative case and masculine gender (ὁ νόμος is masculine and Σκιὰν is feminine).

At the moment I only note the fact, without understanding why a participle was chosen rather than a verb. While I’m inclined to translate this present participle “having,” it is mostly to remind myself that it is a participle. Perhaps the combination of the conjunction γὰρ and the present participle ἔχων accounts for the ESV translation For since.

Hebrews 10:1 continues: τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν, of the good things to come. Translating the plural genitive article τῶν of the covers the genitive case, but not necessarily the plural quality of the article apart from the word things. I’ll go with “of these” for reasons which should become clearer momentarily. Translating μελλόντων, another present active participle to come, while interesting, implies the infinitive verb μέλλειν. I’ll opt for my standby “coming.” That sense of the future is a feature of the root verb μέλλω in the present tense: “to be about to, be on the point of; to be destined, inevitable; to intend, propose, have in mind; to come after that, (something) to come; to exist in the future.”

Translating ἀγαθῶν good things covers its plural quality but seems to imply either the “Substantival Meaning” of the adjective ἀγαθός (“goods, possessions, treasures, prosperity”) or limit its “Adjectival Meaning” to what is attributable to things (good action, good deed; performing well, functioning capably; fit, capable, useful, beneficial, desirable; good, well, serviceable; fine [metal]) as opposed to persons: “good, gentle, noble; good, brave; morally good and acceptable (resulting from a kind and generous character); joyful, inclined to joy.”

I prefer not to limit the meaning of ἀγαθός at this point, but am hard-pressed to find an alternative: “goods” has the same issues as good things, and “goodnesses,” while accurate, seems very awkward. “For a shadow having the law of these coming goodnesses” isn’t necessarily a better translation than For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come, but consider the reality behind these words.

Paul explained: law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient.⁷ In other words, law (Torah) was intended to put “the old human” (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον), born of Adam, fathered by the devil, your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,⁸ on a path toward righteousness. The end of that path, however, is not a reformed or rehabilitated “old human,” a shadow…of these coming goodnesses: We know that our old self (ὁ παλαιὸς ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος) was crucified with [Christ] in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.⁹

Hebrews 10:1 continues: οὐκ αὐτὴν, instead of (literally “not she,” remember the feminine shadow Σκιὰν; e.g., “she is not”), τὴν εἰκόνα, the true form, τῶν πραγμάτων, of these realities. I prefer not to dispute the true form as a translation of τὴν εἰκόνα, but feel obliged to acknowledge that εἰκόνα, a singular feminine form of εἰκών can mean: “a likeness, image, portrait; form, appearance; phantom, apparition; something made to resemble something else.” The latter option seems the most pertinent here. These “coming goodnesses” are made to resemble the last Adam…a life-giving spirit,¹⁰ our Lord Jesus Christ as the new self (τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον; e.g., the new human) created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.¹¹ In other words, the one born from above is τὴν εἰκόνα, while the highest achieving old human’s right actions are merely a Σκιὰν, an accusative form of σκιά (“shadow, shade, darkness”), however daunting and perplexing that may seem.

Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.¹²

Hebrews 10:1 continues: κατ᾿ ἐνιαυτὸν, by every year, ταῖς αὐταῖς θυσίαις, the same sacrifices, ἃς προσφέρουσιν, that are offered, εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς, continually, οὐδέποτε |δύναται|, never can, τοὺς προσερχομένους τελειῶσαι, those who draw near make perfect.

The Greek of Hebrews 10:2 is: ἐπεὶ, Otherwise, οὐκ ἂν ἐπαύσαντο, would they not have ceased, προσφερόμεναι, to be offered (or “being offered”), διὰ τὸ μηδεμίαν ἔχειν, since no longer would have, ἔτι συνείδησιν ἁμαρτιῶν, any consciousness of sins, τοὺς λατρεύοντας, the worshipers (literally, “those worshiping”), ἅπαξ κεκαθαρισμένους (or κεκαθαρμενους), once having been cleansed?

The Greek of Hebrews 10:3 is: ἀλλ᾿ ἐν αὐταῖς, But in these sacrifices (or “But by means of these”), ἀνάμνησις ἁμαρτιῶν, a reminder of sins, κατ᾿ ἐνιαυτόν, there is every year (or “by every year”).

And finally, the Greek of Hebrews 10:4 is: ἀδύνατον γὰρ αἷμα, For it is impossible for the blood (or “For impossible for blood,” or “For impossible for bloodshed”), ταύρων καὶ τράγων, of bulls and [of] goats, ἀφαιρεῖν ἁμαρτίας, to take away sins. The active infinitive verb ἀφαιρεῖν is a form of ἀφαιρέω in the present tense: “to separate, deduct, subtract; to remove, cut off, smite off; to strip off; to shift positions of; to deduct in advance and set apart (from the rest).”

A table comparing Hebrews 10:2 in the KJV and NET follows.

Hebrews 10:2 (NET)	Hebrews 10:2 (KJV)
For otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers would have been purified once for all and so have no further consciousness of sin?	For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.

Hebrews 10:2 (NET Parallel Greek)	Hebrews 10:2 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Hebrews 10:2 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἂν ἐπαύσαντο προσφερόμεναι διὰ τὸ μηδεμίαν ἔχειν ἔτι συνείδησιν ἁμαρτιῶν τοὺς λατρεύοντας ἅπαξ κεκαθαρισμένους	επει ουκ αν επαυσαντο προσφερομεναι δια το μηδεμιαν εχειν ετι συνειδησιν αμαρτιων τους λατρευοντας απαξ κεκαθαρμενους	επει ουκ αν επαυσαντο προσφερομεναι δια το μηδεμιαν εχειν ετι συνειδησιν αμαρτιων τους λατρευοντας απαξ κεκαθαρμενους

¹ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had κεκαθαρισμένους here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had κεκαθαρμενους (KJV: purged). These seem to be alternate spellings of the same participle of καθαρίζω.

² Hebrews 10:1-4 (ESV)

³ 1 Peter 3:18 (ESV) Table

⁴ 1 Corinthians 11:26 (ESV) Table

⁵ Ephesians 4:22b (ESV)

⁶ I didn’t strictly follow the Greek word order in the case of Σκιὰν γὰρ, which would be “shadow for.” But I’ve grown accustomed to this formality of Greek syntax: the conjunction γὰρ does not begin a clause.

⁷ 1 Timothy 1:9b (ESV) Table

⁸ Ephesians 4:22b (ESV)

⁹ Romans 6:6 (ESV)

¹⁰ 1 Corinthians 15:45b (ESV)

¹¹ Ephesians 4:24b (ESV)

¹² Matthew 11:11 (ESV)

The Gospel and the Religious Mind

An attempt to distinguish the mind of Christ from the ordinary religious mind.

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Who is a Christian? Part 1

Antichrist, Part 6

Exploration, Part 20

Balaam, Balak and the 24,000, Part 5

Justice and Mercy Revisited, Part 5

Exploration, Part 19

Balaam, Balak and the 24,000, Part 4

Justice and Mercy Revisited, Part 4

Exploration, Part 18

Hebrews 10:1-4