Category Archives: Section Four

Father, Son and Holy Spirit – Part 4

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This is a continuation of my intent to become much more familiar with the Greek translation of יְהֹוָ֨ה (Yᵊhōvâ) and יֱהֹוִה֙ (yᵊhōvâ) in the Septuagint.  There were no occurrences of either in Genesis 1:1-19.

I did find forms of אֱלֹהִים (‘ĕlōhîm) translated with forms of θεός, both translated God (G-d) in English.[1]  I also discovered וְר֣וּחַ (rûaḥ) אֱלֹהִ֔ים (‘ĕlōhîm), translated πνεῦμα θεοῦ (a form of θεός) in the Septuagint and the spirit of G-d (Tanakh), the Spirit of God (NET, English Elpenor) or a divine wind (NETS) in English.[2]

I began this thread thinking I lacked the language to describe the relationship of יְהֹוָ֨ה (Yᵊhōvâ), יֱהֹוִה֙ (yᵊhōvâ) and וְר֣וּחַ (rûaḥ) אֱלֹהִ֔ים (‘ĕlōhîm) to אֱלֹהִים (‘ĕlōhîm).  But Paul described the relationship of וְר֣וּחַ (rûaḥ) אֱלֹהִ֔ים (‘ĕlōhîm) to אֱלֹהִים (‘ĕlōhîm) with the following analogy (1 Corinthians 2:9-11 NET):

But just as it is written, “Things that no eye has seen, or ear heard, or mind imagined, are the things God (θεὸς) has prepared for those who love him.”  God (θεὸς) has revealed these to us by the[3] Spirit (πνεύματος, a form of πνεῦμα).  For the Spirit (πνεῦμα) searches[4] all things, even the deep things of God (θεοῦ, a form of θεὸς).  For who among men knows the things of a man except the man’s spirit (πνεῦμα) within him?  So too, no one knows[5] the things of God (θεοῦ, a form of θεὸς) except the Spirit (πνεῦμα) of God (θεοῦ, a form of θεὸς).

According to a note (7) in the NET, Paul quoted Isaiah 64:4.  A table comparing Paul’s Greek to that of the Septuagint follows.

1 Corinthians 2:9b (NET Parallel Greek)

 Isaiah 64:4 (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 64:4 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, |ἃ| ἡτοίμασεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος οὐκ ἠκούσαμεν οὐδὲ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν εἶδον θεὸν πλὴν σοῦ καὶ τὰ ἔργα σου ἃ ποιήσεις τοῗς ὑπομένουσιν ἔλεον ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος οὐκ ἠκούσαμεν, οὐδὲ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν εἶδον Θεὸν πλὴν σοῦ καὶ τὰ ἔργα σου, ἃ ποιήσεις τοῖς ὑπομένουσιν ἔλεον

1 Corinthians 2:9b (NET)

 Isaiah 64:4 (NETS)

Isaiah 64:4 (English Elpenor)
Things that no eye has seen, or ear heard, or mind imagined, are the things God has prepared for those who love him. From ages past we have not heard, nor have our eyes seen any God besides you, and your works, which will do to those who wait for mercy. From of old we have not heard, neither have our eyes seen a God beside thee, and thy works which thou wilt perform to them that wait for mercy.

I’m more inclined to consider this an allusion to, even Paul’s amplification of, Isaiah 64:4.

Masoretic Text

 Septuagint
Isaiah 64:4 (Tanakh) Isaiah 64:4 (NET) Isaiah 64:4 (NETS)

Isaiah 64:4 (English Elpenor)
For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God (אֱלֹהִים֙), beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. Since ancient times no one has heard or perceived, no eye has seen any God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) besides you, who intervenes for those who wait for him. From ages past we have not heard, nor have our eyes seen any God (θεὸν) besides you, and your works, which will do to those who wait for mercy. From of old we have not heard, neither have our eyes seen a God (Θεὸν) beside thee, and thy works which thou wilt perform to them that wait for mercy.

New Testament Greek – 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NET)
But just as it is written, “Things that no eye has seen, or ear heard, or mind imagined, are the things God (ὁ θεὸς) has prepared for those who love him.”

The English translation of the Tanakh on Chabad.org reads: And whereof no one had ever heard, had ever perceived by ear, no eye had ever seen a god besides You perform for him who hoped for him.[6]  While the equation of those who wait for him (NET), those who wait for mercy (NETS) or who hoped for him (Chabad.org) with those who love him (NET) is intriguing, I’ll content myself here with the equation of אֱלֹהִים֙ (‘ĕlōhîm), Θεὸν (a form of Θεός) and ὁ θεὸς.  Paul also commented on the relationship of the Holy Spirit to believers (Romans 8:26, 27 NET).

In the same way, the Spirit (τὸ πνεῦμα) helps us in our weakness,[7] for we do not know how we should pray,[8] but[9] the Spirit (τὸ πνεῦμα) himself intercedes for us[10] with inexpressible groanings.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit (τοῦ πνεύματος), because the Spirit intercedes on behalf of the saints according to God’s (θεὸν, a form of θεός) will.

Jesus said (John 3:6-8 NET):

What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit (τοῦ πνεύματος) is spirit (πνεῦμα).  Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must all be born from above.’  The wind (τὸ πνεῦμα) 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 (τοῦ πνεύματος).

I’ll continue in Genesis with the fifth day of creation.

Masoretic Text Septuagint
Genesis 1:20, 21 (Tanakh) Genesis 1:20, 21 (NET) Genesis 1:20, 21 (NETS) Genesis 1:20, 21 (English Elpenor)
And G-d (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) said: ‘Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let fowl fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven’. God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) said, “Let the water swarm with swarms of living creatures and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” And God (ὁ θεός) said, “Let the waters bring forth creeping things among living creatures and birds flying on the earth against the firmament of the sky.”  And it became so. And God (ὁ Θεός) said, Let the waters bring forth reptiles having life, and winged creatures flying above the earth in the firmament of heaven, and it was so.
And G-d (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) created the great sea-monsters, and every living creature that creepeth, wherewith the waters swarmed, after its kind, and every winged fowl after its kind; and G-d (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) saw that it was good. God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) created the great sea creatures and every living and moving thing with which the water swarmed, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind.  God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) saw that it was good. And God (ὁ θεὸς) made the great sea monsters and every creature among creeping animals, which the waters brought forth according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to kind.  And God (ὁ θεὸς) saw that they were good. And God (ὁ Θεὸς) made great whales, and every living reptile, which the waters brought forth according to their kinds, and every creature that flies with wings according to its kind, and God (ὁ Θεός) saw that they were good.

This is another example of the truth of God’s word: He does what He says and makes it so.  And here again טֽוֹב (ṭôḇ), translated καλά (a form of καλός) in the Septuagint and good in English, serves in my opinion as an innate and self-imposed limit on God’s absolute power and authority.  It is worth a moment to consider the definitions of καλός in the Koine Greek Lexicon: “beautiful (in appearance), fair; good and pleasing in appearance, beautiful; good, useful; conducive to pleasure and enjoyment; advantageous, beneficial, desirable; free from defects, fine, precious; morally good, honest, noble, praiseworthy, contributing to salvation; blameless, excellent, unobjectionable; free from defects, fine, precious; pleasant, desirable, advantageous.”

Masoretic Text Septuagint
Genesis 1:22-23 (Tanakh) Genesis 1:22-23 (NET) Genesis 1:22-23 (NETS) Genesis 1:22-23 (English Elpenor)
And G-d (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) blessed them, saying: ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth’ [Table]. God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” And God (ὁ θεὸς) blessed them, saying, “Increase, and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth [Table]. And God (ὁ Θεός) blessed them saying, Increase and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let the creatures that fly be multiplied on the earth.
And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. There was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day. And it came to be evening, and it came to be morning, a fifth day. And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

God blessed them.  The Hebrew word translated blessed was וַיְבָ֧רֶךְ (bāraḵ), which was translated ηὐλόγησεν and εὐλόγησεν (both forms of εὐλογέω) in the Septuagint.  God gives the gifts He deems appropriate to whomever He chooses to give them.  His word is gracious.

Masoretic Text Septuagint
Genesis 1:24, 25 (Tanakh) Genesis 1:24, 25 (NET) Genesis 1:24, 25 (NETS) Genesis 1:24, 25 (English Elpenor)
And G-d (אֱלֹהִ֗ים) said: ‘Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind’ And it was so. God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals, each according to its kind.”  It was so. And God (ὁ θεός) said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to kind: quadrapeds and creeping things and wild animals of the earth according to kind.”  And it became so. And God (ὁ Θεός) said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind, quadrupeds and reptiles and wild beasts of the earth according to their kind, and it was so.
And G-d (אֱלֹהִים֩) made the beast of the earth after its kind, and the cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the ground after its kind; and G-d (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) saw that it was good. God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) made the wild animals according to their kinds, the cattle according to their kinds, and all the creatures that creep along the ground according to their kinds.  God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) saw that it was good. And God (ὁ θεὸς) made the wild animals of the earth according to kind and the cattle according to kind and all the creeping things of the earth according to their kind.  And God (ὁ θεὸς) saw that they were good. And God (ὁ Θεὸς) made the wild beasts of the earth according to their kind, and cattle according to their kind, and all the reptiles of the earth according to their kind, and God (ὁ Θεός) saw that they were good.

Here is yet another example of the truth of God’s word.  He does what He says and makes it so.  And again the qualifier טֽוֹב (ṭôḇ), translated καλά (a form of καλός) in the Septuagint and good in English occurs in the text.

Masoretic Text Septuagint
Genesis 1:26, 27 (Tanakh) Genesis 1:26, 27 (NET) Genesis 1:26, 27 (NETS) Genesis 1:26, 27 (English Elpenor)
And G-d (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) said: ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth’. Then God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.” Then God (ὁ θεός) said, “Let us make humankind according to our image and according to likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky and the cattle and all the earth and all the creeping things that creep upon the earth.” And God (ὁ Θεός) said, Let us make man according to our image and likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the flying creatures of heaven, and over the cattle and all the earth, and over all the reptiles that creep on the earth.
And G-d (אֱלֹהִ֤ים) created man in His own image, in the image of G-d (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) created He him; male and female created He them [Table]. God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) created humankind in his own image, in the image of God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) he created them, male and female he created them. And God (ὁ θεὸς) made humankind; according to divine (θεοῦ) image he made it; male and female he made them [Table]. And God (ὁ Θεὸς) made man, according to the image of God (Θεοῦ) he made him, male and female he made them.

Here is another example of the truth of God’s word.  He does what He says and makes it so.  There were no occurrences of either יְהֹוָ֨ה (Yᵊhōvâ) or יֱהֹוִה֙ (yᵊhōvâ) in Genesis 1:20-27.  I’ll pick this up in another essay.

Tables comparing Isaiah 64:4; Genesis 1:20; 1:21; 1:23; 1:24; 1:25 and 1:26 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET; and tables comparing the Greek of Isaiah 64:4; Genesis 1:20; 1:21; 1:23; 1:24; 1:25 and 1:26 in the BLB and Elpenor versions of the Septuagint, and tables comparing 1 Corinthians 2:10, 11 and Romans 8:26 in the NET and KJV follow.

Isaiah 64:4 (Tanakh) Isaiah 64:4 (KJV) Isaiah 64:4 (NET)
For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. Since ancient times no one has heard or perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who intervenes for those who wait for him.
Isaiah 64:4 (Septuagint BLB) Isaiah 64:4 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος οὐκ ἠκούσαμεν οὐδὲ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν εἶδον θεὸν πλὴν σοῦ καὶ τὰ ἔργα σου ἃ ποιήσεις τοῗς ὑπομένουσιν ἔλεον ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος οὐκ ἠκούσαμεν, οὐδὲ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν εἶδον Θεὸν πλὴν σοῦ καὶ τὰ ἔργα σου, ἃ ποιήσεις τοῖς ὑπομένουσιν ἔλεον
Isaiah 64:4 (NETS) Isaiah 64:4 (English Elpenor)
From ages past we have not heard, nor have our eyes seen any God besides you, and your works, which will do to those who wait for mercy. From of old we have not heard, neither have our eyes seen a God beside thee, and thy works which thou wilt perform to them that wait for mercy.
Genesis 1:20 (Tanakh) Genesis 1:20 (KJV) Genesis 1:20 (NET)
And G-d said: ‘Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let fowl fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven’. And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. God said, “Let the water swarm with swarms of living creatures and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”
Genesis 1:20 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 1:20 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεός ἐξαγαγέτω τὰ ὕδατα ἑρπετὰ ψυχῶν ζωσῶν καὶ πετεινὰ πετόμενα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κατὰ τὸ στερέωμα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· ἐξαγαγέτω τὰ ὕδατα ἑρπετὰ ψυχῶν ζωσῶν καὶ πετεινὰ πετόμενα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κατὰ τὸ στερέωμα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως
Genesis 1:20 (NETS) Genesis 1:20 (English Elpenor)
And God said, “Let the waters bring forth creeping things among living creatures and birds flying on the earth against the firmament of the sky.”  And it became so. And God said, Let the waters bring forth reptiles having life, and winged creatures flying above the earth in the firmament of heaven, and it was so.
Genesis 1:21 (Tanakh) Genesis 1:21 (KJV) Genesis 1:21 (NET)
And G-d created the great sea-monsters, and every living creature that creepeth, wherewith the waters swarmed, after its kind, and every winged fowl after its kind; and G-d saw that it was good. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. God created the great sea creatures and every living and moving thing with which the water swarmed, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind.  God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:21 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 1:21 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὰ κήτη τὰ μεγάλα καὶ πᾶσαν ψυχὴν ζῴων ἑρπετῶν ἃ ἐξήγαγεν τὰ ὕδατα κατὰ γένη αὐτῶν καὶ πᾶν πετεινὸν πτερωτὸν κατὰ γένος καὶ εἶδεν ὁ θεὸς ὅτι καλά καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὰ κήτη τὰ μεγάλα καὶ πᾶσαν ψυχὴν ζῴων ἑρπετῶν, ἃ ἐξήγαγε τὰ ὕδατα κατὰ γένη αὐτῶν, καὶ πᾶν πετεινὸν πτερωτὸν κατὰ γένος. καὶ εἶδεν ὁ Θεός, ὅτι καλά
Genesis 1:21 (NETS) Genesis 1:21 (English Elpenor)
And God made the great sea monsters and every creature among creeping animals, which the waters brought forth according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to kind.  And God saw that they were good. And God made great whales, and every living reptile, which the waters brought forth according to their kinds, and every creature that flies with wings according to its kind, and God saw that they were good.
Genesis 1:23 (Tanakh) Genesis 1:23 (KJV) Genesis 1:23 (NET)
And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. There was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day.
Genesis 1:23 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 1:23 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐγένετο ἑσπέρα καὶ ἐγένετο πρωί ἡμέρα πέμπτη καὶ ἐγένετο ἑσπέρα καὶ ἐγένετο πρωΐ, ἡμέρα πέμπτη
Genesis 1:23 (NETS) Genesis 1:23 (English Elpenor)
And it came to be evening, and it came to be morning, a fifth day. And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
Genesis 1:24 (Tanakh) Genesis 1:24 (KJV) Genesis 1:24 (NET)
And G-d said: ‘Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind’ And it was so. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals, each according to its kind.”  It was so.
Genesis 1:24 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 1:24 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεός ἐξαγαγέτω ἡ γῆ ψυχὴν ζῶσαν κατὰ γένος τετράποδα καὶ ἑρπετὰ καὶ θηρία τῆς γῆς κατὰ γένος καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· ἐξαγαγέτω ἡ γῆ ψυχὴν ζῶσαν κατὰ γένος, τετράποδα καὶ ἑρπετὰ καὶ θηρία τῆς γῆς κατὰ γένος. καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως
Genesis 1:24 (NETS) Genesis 1:24 (English Elpenor)
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to kind: quadrapeds and creeping things and wild animals of the earth according to kind.”  And it became so. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind, quadrupeds and reptiles and wild beasts of the earth according to their kind, and it was so.
Genesis 1:25 (Tanakh) Genesis 1:25 (KJV) Genesis 1:25 (NET)
And G-d made the beast of the earth after its kind, and the cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the ground after its kind; and G-d saw that it was good. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the cattle according to their kinds, and all the creatures that creep along the ground according to their kinds.  God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:25 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 1:25 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὰ θηρία τῆς γῆς κατὰ γένος καὶ τὰ κτήνη κατὰ γένος καὶ πάντα τὰ ἑρπετὰ τῆς γῆς κατὰ γένος αὐτῶν καὶ εἶδεν ὁ θεὸς ὅτι καλά καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὰ θηρία τῆς γῆς κατὰ γένος, καὶ τὰ κτήνη κατὰ γένος αὐτῶν καὶ πάντα τὰ ἑρπετὰ τῆς γῆς κατὰ γένος αὐτῶν. καὶ εἶδεν ὁ Θεός, ὅτι καλά
Genesis 1:25 (NETS) Genesis 1:25 (English Elpenor)
And God made the wild animals of the earth according to kind and the cattle according to kind and all the creeping things of the earth according to their kind.  And God saw that they were good. And God made the wild beasts of the earth according to their kind, and cattle according to their kind, and all the reptiles of the earth according to their kind, and God saw that they were good.
Genesis 1:26 (Tanakh) Genesis 1:26 (KJV) Genesis 1:26 (NET)
And G-d said: ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth’. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.”
Genesis 1:26 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 1:26 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεός ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατ᾽ εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν καὶ καθ᾽ ὁμοίωσιν καὶ ἀρχέτωσαν τῶν ἰχθύων τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ τῶν πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῶν κτηνῶν καὶ πάσης τῆς γῆς καὶ πάντων τῶν ἑρπετῶν τῶν ἑρπόντων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατ᾿ εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν καὶ καθ᾿ ὁμοίωσιν, καὶ ἀρχέτωσαν τῶν ἰχθύων τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ τῶν πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῶν κτηνῶν καὶ πάσης τῆς γῆς καὶ πάντων τῶν ἑρπετῶν τῶν ἑρπόντων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς
Genesis 1:26 (NETS) Genesis 1:26 (English Elpenor)
Then God said, “Let us make humankind according to our image and according to likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky and the cattle and all the earth and all the creeping things that creep upon the earth.” And God said, Let us make man according to our image and likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the flying creatures of heaven, and over the cattle and all the earth, and over all the reptiles that creep on the earth.
1 Corinthians 2:10, 11 (NET) 1 Corinthians 2:10, 11 (KJV)
God has revealed these to us by the Spirit.  For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ἡμῖν |δὲ| ἀπεκάλυψεν ὁ θεὸς διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος· τὸ γὰρ πνεῦμα πάντα ἐραυνᾷ, καὶ τὰ βάθη τοῦ θεοῦ ημιν δε ο θεος απεκαλυψεν δια του πνευματος αυτου το γαρ πνευμα παντα ερευνα και τα βαθη του θεου ημιν δε ο θεος απεκαλυψεν δια του πνευματος αυτου το γαρ πνευμα παντα ερευνα και τα βαθη του θεου
For who among men knows the things of a man except the man’s spirit within him?  So too, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
τίς γὰρ οἶδεν ἀνθρώπων τὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ; οὕτως καὶ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐδεὶς ἔγνωκεν εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ τις γαρ οιδεν ανθρωπων τα του ανθρωπου ει μη το πνευμα του ανθρωπου το εν αυτω ουτως και τα του θεου ουδεις οιδεν ει μη το πνευμα του θεου τις γαρ οιδεν ανθρωπων τα του ανθρωπου ει μη το πνευμα του ανθρωπου το εν αυτω ουτως και τα του θεου ουδεις οιδεν ει μη το πνευμα του θεου
Romans 8:26 (NET) Romans 8:26 (KJV)
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
Ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα συναντιλαμβάνεται τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ ἡμῶν· τὸ γὰρ τί προσευξώμεθα καθὸ δεῖ οὐκ οἴδαμεν, ἀλλὰ αὐτὸ τὸ πνεῦμα ὑπερεντυγχάνει στεναγμοῖς ἀλαλήτοις ωσαυτως δε και το πνευμα συναντιλαμβανεται ταις ασθενειαις ημων το γαρ τι προσευξωμεθα καθο δει ουκ οιδαμεν αλλ αυτο το πνευμα υπερεντυγχανει υπερ ημων στεναγμοις αλαλητοις ωσαυτως δε και το πνευμα συναντιλαμβανεται ταις ασθενειαις ημων το γαρ τι προσευξομεθα καθο δει ουκ οιδαμεν αλλ αυτο το πνευμα υπερεντυγχανει υπερ ημων στεναγμοις αλαλητοις

[1] Table: Genesis 1:1, 2; Table: Genesis 1:3-5; Table: Genesis 1:6-8; Table: Genesis 1:9-10; Table: Genesis 1:11-13; Table: Genesis 1:14-19

[2] Table: Genesis 1:1, 2

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

[4] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἐραυνᾷ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ερευνα (KJV: searcheth).

[5] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἔγνωκεν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had οιδεν (KJV: knoweth).

[6] Isaiah 64:3 (Tanakh chabad.org)

[7] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had the singular τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the plural ταις ασθενειαις (KJV: infirmities).

[8] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Stephanus Textus Receptus had προσευξώμεθα here, where the Byzantine Majority Text had προσευξομεθα.

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

[10] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had υπερ ημων (KJV: for us) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

To Make Holy, Part 9

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The next form of ἁγιάζω I want to consider is found in Jesus’ prayer to his Father: Set them apart (ἁγίασον, a form of ἁγιάζω) in the truth; your word is truth.[1]  But I’m making a slow pilgrimage through his prayer because I believe I can know his holiness here.  In another essay I considered your word (τὸν λόγον σου) from the continuation of Jesus’ prayer (John 17:14, 15 NET):

I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.  I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them safe from the evil one.

Here I want to begin to consider world (κόσμος).  Jesus told a parable (Matthew 13:24b-30 NET):

“The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed[2] good seed in his field.  But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed[3] darnel among the wheat and went away.  When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the darnel also appeared.  So the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field?  Then where did the darnel come from?’  He said, ‘An enemy has done this!’  So the slaves replied, ‘Do you want us to go and gather it?’ [Table]  But he said,[4] ‘No, since in gathering the darnel you may uproot the wheat along with it [Table].  Let both grow together until[5] the harvest.  At harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burned, but then gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

Jesus explained the parable (Matthew 13:37b-39 NET):

The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world (κόσμος) and the good seed are the people of the kingdom.  The poisonous weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil.  The harvest is the end of age, and the reapers are angels [Table].

This is probably not exactly what Jesus meant when He prayed καὶ ὁ κόσμος ἐμίσησεν αὐτούς (and the world has hated them).  It does provide a sense of his worldview as background: This world is populated currently (assuming the end of the age has not yet come) by the people of the kingdom and the people of the evil one.  This is probably just about what Jesus’ audience heard:

people of the kingdom

people of the evil one
The descendants of Israel in good standing more or less… Everyone else, with the possible exception of those Gentiles who made some move toward Israel’s religion and/or the law of Moses…

But is that what Jesus meant?  You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires,[6] He said to his hearers in Israel.  It highlights the fact that the word translated people in people of the kingdom and people of the evil one is actually υἱοὶ (a plural form of υἱός) in Greek—children, sons.  So we tend to think:

children of the kingdom

children of the evil one
Those who believe in Jesus, good standing may or may not be essential… Everyone else, with the possible exception of children…

But who did Jesus address as children of the devil?  Then Jesus said to those Judeans who had believed him, “If you continue to follow my teaching, you are really my disciples and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”[7]  Were the children of the kingdom (υἱοὶ τῆς βασιλείας) synonymous in Jesus’ mind with the sons of God (υἱοὶ θεοῦ)?  For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.[8]

We tend to analyze Jesus’ sayings according to our own perceptions of the world.  Let’s add another perspective of his worldview: And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.[9]  For the moment, it matters very little whether I believe this or not.  He does, and its his view of the world (κόσμος) I seek to understand.

Despite all He has taught me about being led by the Spirit, I am not 100% led by the Spirit 100% of the time.[10]  The slightest deviations from my routine can throw me out of kilter.  Other times it seems the monotony of my routine does it.  I appreciated the study on free will.[11]  It helped me realize how often I still have a knee-jerk reaction that God is punishing me or has forsaken or abandoned me when things aren’t going according to my will.  Recalling Jesus’ prayer—not what I will, but what you will[12]—has helped to alleviate some unnecessary concern.

Paul wrote (Ephesians 4:22-24 NET):

You were taught with reference to your former way of life to lay aside the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new man who has been created in God’s image—in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth.

I will ask the Father, Jesus said, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world (κόσμος) cannot accept because it does not see him or know him.  But you know him because he resides with you and will be in you.[13]

This may be more like the world (κόσμος) that has hated Jesus’ disciples: the world (κόσμος) of the old man (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον) who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires and cannot (οὐ δύναται, a form of δύναμαι) accept (λαβεῖν, a form of λαμβάνω) the Spirit of truth.  For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, Paul wrote, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each other, so that you cannot do what you want.[14]

And this may be more like the opposition Jesus had in mind in the world (κόσμος) of his parable: that opposition of the old human and the new, the flesh and the Spirit, within everyone being drawn to Jesus.  I’m taking my clue from the landowner’s response to his slaves’ question: Do you want us to go and gather it?

No, since in gathering the darnel you may uproot the wheat along with it.  Let both grow together until the harvest.

It would be easy enough for Jews to kill Gentiles or Christians to kill those who refuse to confess Christ if that is what Jesus had in mind.  It is much more difficult to uproot the sin in one’s own flesh, not to mention someone else’s flesh, without doing damage to the good seed, the new man (τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον), that Christ has sown.  Of course, at any given place at any given moment before all have been drawn to Jesus people somewhat to mostly led by the Holy Spirit might be confronted by people following their own flesh.

Jesus had elaborated some on this topic previously (John 15:18-27 NET):

“If the world (κόσμος) hates you, be aware that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world (κόσμου, a form of κόσμος), the world (κόσμος) would love you as its own.  However, because you do not belong to the world (κόσμου, a form of κόσμος), but I chose you out of the world (κόσμου, a form of κόσμος), for this reason the world (κόσμος) hates you.  Remember what I told you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’  If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they obeyed my word, they will obey yours too.  But they will do all these things to you[15] on account of my name because they do not know the one who sent me.  If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty[16] of sin.  But they no longer have any excuse for their sin.  The one who hates me hates my Father too.  If I had not performed among them the miraculous deeds that no one else did,[17] they would not be guilty[18] of sin.  But now they have seen the deeds and have hated both me and my Father.  Now this happened to fulfill the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without reason.’  When[19] the Advocate comes, whom I will send you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me, and you also will testify because you have been with me from the beginning.

This has me thinking a little differently about a very familiar passage: For God so loved the world (κόσμον, another form of κόσμος), that He left it exactly as it is, might be the silent hope of the old human following after the flesh.  It is not what the Holy Spirit said through the inspired apostle: For God so loved the world, that hated Him, hated Jesus and his apostles, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.[20]

Jesus elaborated how the old human following after the flesh will be separated from the new human led by the Holy Spirit at the end of the [KJV: this] age (Matthew 13:40-43 NET):

As the poisonous weeds are collected and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age [Table].  The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes sin as well as all lawbreakers.  They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  The one who has ears[21] had better listen!

Paul wrote something similar to those who consider themselves God’s coworkers (συνεργοί, a form of συνεργός) in contrast to those who consider themselves God’s field (γεώργιον), God’s building (οἰκοδομή) (1 Corinthians 3:10-17 NET):

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master-builder I laid[22] a foundation, but someone else builds on it.  And each one must be careful how he builds.  For no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is Jesus Christ.[23]  If anyone builds on the[24] foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, each builder’s work will be plainly seen, for the Day will make it clear, because it will be revealed by fire.  And the fire will test what kind of work each has done.  If what someone has built[25] survives, he will receive[26] a reward.  If someone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss.  He himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?  If someone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him.  For God’s temple is holy, which is what you are.

If someone’s work, as a coworker with God building God’s temple, is burned up (κατακαήσεται, a form of κατακαίω), he will suffer loss (ζημιωθήσεται, a form of ζημιόω).  While ζημιωθήσεται might have been translated he will be punished, the argument in the note (16) in the NET seems sound to me:

The translation “[will] be punished” is given here by BDAG 428 s.v. ζημιόω 2. But the next clause says “he will be delivered” and so “suffering loss” is more likely to refer to the destruction of the “work” by fire or the loss of the reward that could have been gained.

This reasoning should be carried forward into an understanding of the “destruction” Paul reiterated thereafter.  I assume the coworkers building with wood, hay or straw worked in their own strength according to the flesh at cross-purposes with the Holy Spirit.  When their work is tested by fire and burns up, they suffer loss.  God will destroy (φθερεῖ, a form of φθείρω) the one who destroys (φθείρει, a form of φθείρω), ruins, spoils, ravages, disfigures, damages, disables, seduces, corrupts or cheats God’s field, God’s buiding, God’s temple: he will suffer loss.  He himself will be saved (σωθήσεται, a form of σώζω), but only as through fire.

Peter addressed God’s field, God’s building, God’s temple somewhat less ambiguously (2 Peter 3:10-13 NET):

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes, the heavens will disappear with a horrific noise, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze, and the earth and every deed done on it will be laid bare.  Since all these things are to melt away in this manner, what sort of people must you be, conducting your lives in holiness and godliness [Table], while waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God?  Because of this day, the heavens will be burned up and dissolve, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze!  But, according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness truly resides.

I’ll pick this up in another essay.

Note 67 in the NET claimed that Jesus quoted Psalm 35:19.  A table comparing the Greek of Jesus’ quotation to the Septuagint follows.

John 15:25b (NET Parallel Greek) Psalm 35:19b (Septuagint BLB) Psalm 34:19b (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐμίσησαν με δωρεάν οἱ μισοῦντές με δωρεὰν οἱ μισοῦντες με δωρεὰν
John 15:25b (NET) Psalm 34:19b (NETS) Psalm 34:19b (English Elpenor)
They hated me without reason those who hate me without cause who hate me for nothing

It is interesting to hear this as Jesus’ prayer:

Masoretic Text Septuagint
Psalm 35:19 (Tanakh) Psalm 35:19 (NET) Psalm 34:19 (NETS) Psalm 34:19 (English Elpenor)
Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause. Do not let those who are my enemies for no reason gloat over me.  Do not let those who hate me without cause carry out their wicked schemes. May those who unjustly are my enemies not be happy over me, those who hate me without cause and wink with the eyes, Let not them that are mine enemies without a cause rejoice against me; who hate me for nothing, and wink with their eyes.

Note 67 in the NET also claimed that Jesus quoted Psalm 69:4.  A table comparing the Greek of Jesus’ quotation to the Septuagint follows.

John 15:25b (NET Parallel Greek) Psalm 69:4b (Septuagint BLB) Psalm 68:5b (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐμίσησαν με δωρεάν οἱ μισοῦντές με δωρεάν οἱ μισοῦντές με δωρεάν
John 15:25b (NET) Psalm 68:5b (NETS) Psalm 68:5b (English Elpenor)
They hated me without reason those who hate me without cause They that hate me without a cause

If He did quote the Septuagint I find it interesting that He changed the present tense μισοῦντές (a form of μισέω), which was certainly true, to the aorist tense ἐμίσησαν (another form of μισέω).  “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.”[27]  Has Jesus used Greek grammar to prophesy another point-in-time when this hatred will no longer be true?

Gary Gagliardi on Christ’s Words — The Mysteries of Jesus’s Greek Revealed online took a different tack.  He heard Jesus quoting from the Hebrew of Psalm 109:3.  The Greek verb is quite different.

John 15:25b (NET Parallel Greek) Psalm 109:3b (Septuagint BLB) Psalm 108:3b (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐμίσησαν με δωρεάν καὶ ἐπολέμησάν με δωρεάν καὶ ἐπολέμησάν με δωρεάν
John 15:25b (NET) Psalm 108:3b (NETS) Psalm 108:3b (English Elpenor)
They hated me without reason and made war on me without cause and fought against me without a cause

Though ἐπολέμησάν (a form of πολεμέω) is different from ἐμίσησαν, it is in the aorist tense.  And I do take Mr. Gagliardi’s point to heart—“Jesus often seems much more light-hearted in the Greek.”  Jesus doesn’t seem as whiny about being hated or polemicized against as I have heard in my own mind reading any of these Psalms.

Note 64 in the NET claimed that Jesus quoted Daniel 3:6.  A table comparing the Greek of Jesus’ quotation to the Septuagint follows.

Matthew 13:42a (NET Parallel Greek) Daniel 3:6 (Septuagint BLB) Daniel 3:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)
βαλοῦσιν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρός ἐμβληθήσεται εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρὸς τὴν καιομένην ἐμβληθήσεται εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρὸς τὴν καιομένην
Matthew 13:42a (NET) Daniel 3:6 (NETS) Daniel 3:6 (English Elpenor)
They will throw them into the fiery furnace will be thrown into the furnace blazing with fire he shall be cast into the burning fiery furnace

At first this seemed so startling I searched the Septuagint for another possibility.  But as I considered the entire story (Daniel 3:1-4:3) it began to seem like Jesus’ wink to those in the know.  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3:12) refused to honor the king’s edict out of respect for the one true living God:

Masoretic Text Septuagint
Daniel 3:17, 18 (Tanakh) Daniel 3:17, 18 (NET) Daniel 3:17, 18 (NETS) Daniel 3:17, 18 (English Elpenor)
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. If our God whom we are serving exists, he is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he will rescue us, O king, from your power as well. for there is a god whom we serve, able to deliver us from the furnace blazing with fire, and out of your hands, O king, he will rescue us. For our God whom we serve is in the heavens, able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will rescue us from thy hands, O king.
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. But if he does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we don’t serve your gods, and we will not pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected.” And if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, and we will not do obeisance to the image, which you have set up.” But if not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the image which thou hast set up.

Their insolence had the intended effect.  Enraged, the king ordered that the fire be made seven times hotter.  It was so hot it killed the men who threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into it, yet they were unharmed by its flames.

Masoretic Text Septuagint
Daniel 3:26, 27 (Tanakh) Daniel 3:26, 27 (NET) Daniel 3:93, 94 (NETS) Daniel 3:26, 27 (English Elpenor)
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither.  Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire.  He called out, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the most high God, come out!  Come here!”  Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego emerged from the fire. Then Nabouchodonosor approached the door of the furnace blazing with fire and said, “Sedrach, Misach, Abdenago, slaves of the Most High God, come out and come here!”  And Sedrach, Misach, Abdenago came out from the middle of the fire. Then Nabuchodonosor drew near to the door of the burning fiery furnace, and said, Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago, ye servants of the most high God, proceed forth, and come hither.  So Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago, came forth out of the midst of the fire.
And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. Once the satraps, prefects, governors, and ministers of the king had gathered around, they saw that those men were physically unharmed by the fire.  The hair of their heads was not singed, nor were their trousers damaged.  Not even the smell of fire was to be found on them! And the satraps and the generals and the local rulers and the dynasts of the king gathered together and looked at the men, that the fire had not had any power over their body; the hair of their heads was not singed, and their trousers were not changed, and a smell of fire was not on them. Then were assembled the satraps, and captains, and heads of provinces, and the royal princes; and they saw the men, and perceived that the fire had not had power against their bodies, and the hair of their head was not burnt, and their coats were not scorched, nor was the smell of fire upon them.

Note 65 in the NET claimed that Jesus alluded to Daniel 12:3.  A table comparing the Greek of Jesus’ allusion to the Septuagint follows.

Matthew 13:43a (NET Parallel Greek) Daniel 12:3 (Septuagint BLB) Daniel 12:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
οἱ δίκαιοι ἐκλάμψουσιν ὡς ὁ ἥλιος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῶν οἱ συνιέντες ἐκλάμψουσιν ὡς ἡ λαμπρότης τοῦ στερεώματος καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν δικαίων τῶν πολλῶν ὡς οἱ ἀστέρες εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας καὶ ἔτι οἱ συνιέντες ἐκλάμψουσιν ὡς ἡ λαμπρότης τοῦ στερεώματος καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν δικαίων τῶν πολλῶν ὡς οἱ ἀστέρες εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας καὶ ἔτι
Matthew 13:43a (NET) Daniel 12:3 (NETS) Daniel 12:3 (English Elpenor)
the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father those who are intelligent will shine like the splendor of the firmament, and some of the many righteous, like the stars forever and anon. the wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and [some] of the many righteous as the stars for ever and ever.

Tables comparing Psalm 35:19; 69:4; 109:3; Daniel 3:6; 3:17; 3:18; 3:26; 3:27 and 12:3 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and tables comparing Psalm 35:19 (34:19); 69:4 (68:5); 109:3 (108:3); Daniel 3:6; 3:17; 3:18; 3:26 (3:93); 3:27 (3:94) and 12:3 the Greek of in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables comparing Matthew 13:24, 25; 13:30; 13:37; John 15:21, 22; 15:24; 15:26; Matthew 13:43; 1 Corinthians 3:10-12 and 3:14 in the NET and KJV follow.

Psalm 35:19 (Tanakh) Psalm 35:19 (KJV) Psalm 35:19 (NET)
Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause. Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause. Do not let those who are my enemies for no reason gloat over me.  Do not let those who hate me without cause carry out their wicked schemes.
Psalm 35:19 (Septuagint BLB) Psalm 34:19 (Septuagint Elpenor)
μὴ ἐπιχαρείησάν μοι οἱ ἐχθραίνοντές μοι ἀδίκως οἱ μισοῦντές με δωρεὰν καὶ διανεύοντες ὀφθαλμοῗς μὴ ἐπιχαρείησάν μοι οἱ ἐχθραίνοντές μοι ἀδίκως, οἱ μισοῦντες με δωρεὰν καὶ διανεύοντες ὀφθαλμοῖς
Psalm 34:19 (NETS) Psalm 34:19 (English Elpenor)
May those who unjustly are my enemies not be happy over me, those who hate me without cause and wink with the eyes, Let not them that are mine enemies without a cause rejoice against me; who hate me for nothing, and wink with their eyes.
Psalm 69:4 (Tanakh) Psalm 69:4 (KJV) Psalm 69:4 (NET)
They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away. They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away. Those who hate me without cause are more numerous than the hairs of my head.  Those who want to destroy me, my enemies for no reason, outnumber me.  They make me repay what I did not steal.
Psalm 69:4 (Septuagint BLB) Psalm 68:5 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐπληθύνθησαν ὑπὲρ τὰς τρίχας τῆς κεφαλῆς μου οἱ μισοῦντές με δωρεάν ἐκραταιώθησαν οἱ ἐχθροί μου οἱ ἐκδιώκοντές με ἀδίκως ἃ οὐχ ἥρπασα τότε ἀπετίννυον ἐπληθύνθησαν ὑπὲρ τὰς τρίχας τῆς κεφαλῆς μου οἱ μισοῦντές με δωρεάν, ἐκραταιώθησαν οἱ ἐχθροί μου οἱ ἐκδιώκοντές με ἀδίκως· ἃ οὐχ ἥρπαζον, τότε ἀπετίννυον
Psalm 68:5 (NETS) Psalm 68:5 (English Elpenor)
They multiplied beyond the hairs of my head, those who hate me without cause; my enemies who persecuted me unjustly became strong.  What I did not seize I would then repay. They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head: my enemies that persecute me unrighteously are strengthened: then I restored that which I took not away.
Psalm 109:3 (Tanakh) Psalm 109:3 (KJV) Psalm 109:3 (NET)
They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause. They surround me and say hateful things; they attack me for no reason.
Psalm 109:3 (Septuagint BLB) Psalm 108:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ λόγοις μίσους ἐκύκλωσάν με καὶ ἐπολέμησάν με δωρεάν καὶ λόγοις μίσους ἐκύκλωσάν με καὶ ἐπολέμησάν με δωρεάν
Psalm 108:3 (NETS) Psalm 108:3 (English Elpenor)
And they surrounded me with words of hate and made war on me without cause. And they have compassed me with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.
Daniel 3:6 (Tanakh) Daniel 3:6 (KJV) Daniel 3:6 (NET)
And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. Whoever does not bow down and pay homage will immediately be thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire!”
Daniel 3:6 (Septuagint BLB) Daniel 3:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ὃς ἂν μὴ πεσὼν προσκυνήσῃ αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ ἐμβληθήσεται εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρὸς τὴν καιομένην καὶ ὃς ἂν μὴ πεσὼν προσκυνήσῃ, αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ ἐμβληθήσεται εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρὸς τὴν καιομένην
Daniel 3:6 (NETS) Daniel 3:6 (English Elpenor)
And whoever does not fall down and do obeisance, at that very hour will be thrown into the furnace blazing with fire.” And whosoever shall not fall down and worship, in the same hour he shall be cast into the burning fiery furnace.
Daniel 3:17 (Tanakh) Daniel 3:17 (KJV) Daniel 3:17 (NET)
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. If our God whom we are serving exists, he is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he will rescue us, O king, from your power as well.
Daniel 3:17 (Septuagint BLB) Daniel 3:17 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἔστιν γὰρ θεός ᾧ ἡμεῗς λατρεύομεν δυνατὸς ἐξελέσθαι ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς καμίνου τοῦ πυρὸς τῆς καιομένης καὶ ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν σου βασιλεῦ ῥύσεται ἡμᾶς ἔστι γὰρ Θεὸς ἡμῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς, ᾧ ἡμεῖς λατρεύομεν, δυνατὸς ἐξελέσθαι ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς καμίνου τοῦ πυρὸς τῆς καιομένης, καὶ ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν σου, βασιλεῦ, ρύσεται ἡμᾶς
Daniel 3:17 (NETS) Daniel 3:17 (English Elpenor)
for there is a god whom we serve, able to deliver us from the furnace blazing with fire, and out of your hands, O king, he will rescue us. For our God whom we serve is in the heavens, able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will rescue us from thy hands, O king.

Daniel 3:18 (Tanakh)

 Daniel 3:18 (KJV)

Daniel 3:18 (NET)
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. But if he does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we don’t serve your gods, and we will not pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected.”

Daniel 3:18 (Septuagint BLB)

Daniel 3:18 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐὰν μή γνωστὸν ἔστω σοι βασιλεῦ ὅτι τοῗς θεοῗς σου οὐ λατρεύομεν καὶ τῇ εἰκόνι τῇ χρυσῇ ᾗ ἔστησας οὐ προσκυνοῦμεν καὶ ἐὰν μή, γνωστὸν ἔστω σοι, βασιλεῦ, ὅτι τοῖς θεοῖς σου οὐ λατρεύομεν καὶ τῇ εἰκόνι, ᾗ ἔστησας, οὐ προσκυνοῦμεν

Daniel 3:18 (NETS)

Daniel 3:18 (English Elpenor)
And if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, and we will not do obeisance to the image, which you have set up.” But if not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the image which thou hast set up.
Daniel 3:26 (Tanakh) Daniel 3:26 (KJV) Daniel 3:26 (NET)
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither.  Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire.  He called out, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the most high God, come out!  Come here!”  Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego emerged from the fire.
Daniel 3:26 (Septuagint BLB) Daniel 3:26 (Septuagint Elpenor)
τότε προσῆλθεν Ναβουχοδονοσορ πρὸς τὴν θύραν τῆς καμίνου τοῦ πυρὸς τῆς καιομένης καὶ εἶπεν Σεδραχ Μισαχ Αβδεναγω οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου ἐξέλθετε καὶ δεῦτε καὶ ἐξῆλθον Σεδραχ Μισαχ Αβδεναγω ἐκ μέσου τοῦ πυρός τότε προσῆλθε Ναβουχοδονόσορ πρὸς τὴν θύραν τῆς καμίνου τοῦ πυρὸς τῆς καιομένης καὶ εἶπε· Σεδράχ, Μισάχ, ᾿Αβδεναγώ, οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ῾Υψίστου, ἐξέλθετε καὶ δεῦτε. καὶ ἐξῆλθον Σεδράχ, Μισάχ, ᾿Αβδεναγὼ ἐκ μέσου τοῦ πυρός
Daniel 3:93 (NETS) Daniel 3:26 (English Elpenor)
Then Nabouchodonosor approached the door of the furnace blazing with fire and said, “Sedrach, Misach, Abdenago, slaves of the Most High God, come out and come here!”  And Sedrach, Misach, Abdenago came out from the middle of the fire. Then Nabuchodonosor drew near to the door of the burning fiery furnace, and said, Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago, ye servants of the most high God, proceed forth, and come hither.  So Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago, came forth out of the midst of the fire.
Daniel 3:27 (Tanakh) Daniel 3:27 (KJV) Daniel 3:27 (NET)
And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. Once the satraps, prefects, governors, and ministers of the king had gathered around, they saw that those men were physically unharmed by the fire.  The hair of their heads was not singed, nor were their trousers damaged.  Not even the smell of fire was to be found on them!
Daniel 3:27 (Septuagint BLB) Daniel 3:27 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ συνάγονται οἱ σατράπαι καὶ οἱ στρατηγοὶ καὶ οἱ τοπάρχαι καὶ οἱ δυνάσται τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἐθεώρουν τοὺς ἄνδρας ὅτι οὐκ ἐκυρίευσεν τὸ πῦρ τοῦ σώματος αὐτῶν καὶ ἡ θρὶξ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐφλογίσθη καὶ τὰ σαράβαρα αὐτῶν οὐκ ἠλλοιώθη καὶ ὀσμὴ πυρὸς οὐκ ἦν ἐν αὐτοῗς καὶ συνάγονται οἱ σατράπαι καὶ οἱ στρατηγοὶ καὶ οἱ τοπάρχαι καὶ οἱ δυνάσται τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἐθεώρουν τοὺς ἄνδρας ὅτι οὐκ ἐκυρίευσε τὸ πῦρ τοῦ σώματος αὐτῶν, καὶ ἡ θρὶξ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐφλογίσθη, καὶ τὰ σαράβαρα αὐτῶν οὐκ ἠλλοιώθη, καὶ ὀσμὴ πυρὸς οὐκ ἦν ἐν αὐτοῖς
Daniel 3:94 (NETS) Daniel 3:27 (English Elpenor)
And the satraps and the generals and the local rulers and the dynasts of the king gathered together and looked at the men, that the fire had not had any power over their body; the hair of their heads was not singed, and their trousers were not changed, and a smell of fire was not on them. Then were assembled the satraps, and captains, and heads of provinces, and the royal princes; and they saw the men, and perceived that the fire had not had power against their bodies, and the hair of their head was not burnt, and their coats were not scorched, nor was the smell of fire upon them.
Daniel 12:3 (Tanakh) Daniel 12:3 (KJV) Daniel 12:3 (NET)
And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. But the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavenly expanse.  And those bringing many to righteousness will be like the stars forever and ever.
Daniel 12:3 (Septuagint BLB) Daniel 12:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ οἱ συνιέντες ἐκλάμψουσιν ὡς ἡ λαμπρότης τοῦ στερεώματος καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν δικαίων τῶν πολλῶν ὡς οἱ ἀστέρες εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας καὶ ἔτι καὶ οἱ συνιέντες ἐκλάμψουσιν ὡς ἡ λαμπρότης τοῦ στερεώματος καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν δικαίων τῶν πολλῶν ὡς οἱ ἀστέρες εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας καὶ ἔτι
Daniel 12:3 (NETS) Daniel 12:3 (English Elpenor)
And those who are intelligent will shine like the splendor of the firmament, and some of the many righteous, like the stars forever and anon. And the wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and [some] of the many righteous as the stars for ever and ever.
Matthew 13:24, 25 (NET) Matthew 13:24, 25 (KJV)
He presented them with another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field. Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
῎Αλλην παραβολὴν παρέθηκεν αὐτοῖς λέγων· ὡμοιώθη ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ σπείραντι καλὸν σπέρμα ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ αὐτοῦ αλλην παραβολην παρεθηκεν αυτοις λεγων ωμοιωθη η βασιλεια των ουρανων ανθρωπω σπειροντι καλον σπερμα εν τω αγρω αυτου αλλην παραβολην παρεθηκεν αυτοις λεγων ωμοιωθη η βασιλεια των ουρανων ανθρωπω σπειροντι καλον σπερμα εν τω αγρω αυτου
But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed darnel among the wheat and went away. But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ἐν δὲ τῷ καθεύδειν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἦλθεν αὐτοῦ ὁ ἐχθρὸς καὶ ἐπέσπειρεν ζιζάνια ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σίτου καὶ ἀπῆλθεν εν δε τω καθευδειν τους ανθρωπους ηλθεν αυτου ο εχθρος και εσπειρεν ζιζανια ανα μεσον του σιτου και απηλθεν εν δε τω καθευδειν τους ανθρωπους ηλθεν αυτου ο εχθρος και εσπειρεν ζιζανια ανα μεσον του σιτου και απηλθεν
Matthew 13:30 (NET) Matthew 13:30 (KJV)
Let both grow together until the harvest.  At harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burned, but then gather the wheat into my barn.”’” Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ἄφετε συναυξάνεσθαι ἀμφότερα ἕως τοῦ θερισμοῦ, καὶ ἐν καιρῷ τοῦ θερισμοῦ ἐρῶ τοῖς θερισταῖς· συλλέξατε πρῶτον τὰ ζιζάνια καὶ δήσατε αὐτὰ |εἰς| δέσμας πρὸς τὸ κατακαῦσαι αὐτά, τὸν δὲ σῖτον |συναγάγετε| εἰς τὴν ἀποθήκην μου αφετε συναυξανεσθαι αμφοτερα μεχρι του θερισμου και εν τω καιρω του θερισμου ερω τοις θερισταις συλλεξατε πρωτον τα ζιζανια και δησατε αυτα εις δεσμας προς το κατακαυσαι αυτα τον δε σιτον συναγαγετε εις την αποθηκην μου αφετε συναυξανεσθαι αμφοτερα μεχρι του θερισμου και εν καιρω του θερισμου ερω τοις θερισταις συλλεξατε πρωτον τα ζιζανια και δησατε αυτα εις δεσμας προς το κατακαυσαι αυτα τον δε σιτον συναγαγετε εις την αποθηκην μου
Matthew 13:37 (NET) Matthew 13:37 (KJV)
He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· ὁ σπείρων τὸ καλὸν σπέρμα ἐστὶν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ο δε αποκριθεις ειπεν αυτοις ο σπειρων το καλον σπερμα εστιν ο υιος του ανθρωπου ο δε αποκριθεις ειπεν αυτοις ο σπειρων το καλον σπερμα εστιν ο υιος του ανθρωπου
John 15:21, 22 (NET) John 15:21, 22 (KJV)
But they will do all these things to you on account of my name because they do not know the one who sent me. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πάντα ποιήσουσιν εἰς ὑμᾶς διὰ τὸ ὄνομα μου, ὅτι οὐκ οἴδασιν τὸν πέμψαντα με αλλα ταυτα παντα ποιησουσιν υμιν δια το ονομα μου οτι ουκ οιδασιν τον πεμψαντα με αλλα ταυτα παντα ποιησουσιν υμιν δια το ονομα μου οτι ουκ οιδασιν τον πεμψαντα με
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin.  But they no longer have any excuse for their sin. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
εἰ μὴ ἦλθον καὶ ἐλάλησα αὐτοῖς, ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ εἴχοσαν· νῦν δὲ πρόφασιν οὐκ ἔχουσιν περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν ει μη ηλθον και ελαλησα αυτοις αμαρτιαν ουκ ειχον νυν δε προφασιν ουκ εχουσιν περι της αμαρτιας αυτων ει μη ηλθον και ελαλησα αυτοις αμαρτιαν ουκ ειχον νυν δε προφασιν ουκ εχουσιν περι της αμαρτιας αυτων
John 15:24 (NET) John 15:24 (KJV)
If I had not performed among them the miraculous deeds that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin.  But now they have seen the deeds and have hated both me and my Father. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
εἰ τὰ ἔργα μὴ ἐποίησα ἐν αὐτοῖς ἃ οὐδεὶς ἄλλος ἐποίησεν, ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ εἴχοσαν· νῦν δὲ καὶ ἑωράκασιν καὶ μεμισήκασιν καὶ ἐμὲ καὶ τὸν πατέρα μου. ει τα εργα μη εποιησα εν αυτοις α ουδεις αλλος πεποιηκεν αμαρτιαν ουκ ειχον νυν δε και εωρακασιν και μεμισηκασιν και εμε και τον πατερα μου ει τα εργα μη εποιησα εν αυτοις α ουδεις αλλος πεποιηκεν αμαρτιαν ουκ ειχον νυν δε και εωρακασιν και μεμισηκασιν και εμε και τον πατερα μου
John 15:26 (NET) John 15:26 (KJV)
When the Advocate comes, whom I will send you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me, But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
Ὅταν ἔλθῃ ὁ παράκλητος ὃν ἐγὼ πέμψω ὑμῖν παρὰ τοῦ πατρός, τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας ὃ παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκπορεύεται, ἐκεῖνος μαρτυρήσει περὶ ἐμοῦ οταν δε ελθη ο παρακλητος ον εγω πεμψω υμιν παρα του πατρος το πνευμα της αληθειας ο παρα του πατρος εκπορευεται εκεινος μαρτυρησει περι εμου οταν δε ελθη ο παρακλητος ον εγω πεμψω υμιν παρα του πατρος το πνευμα της αληθειας ο παρα του πατρος εκπορευεται εκεινος μαρτυρησει περι εμου

Matthew 13:43 (NET)

Matthew 13:43 (KJV)
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  The one who has ears had better listen! Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
τότε οἱ δίκαιοι ἐκλάμψουσιν ὡς ὁ ἥλιος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῶν. ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκουέτω τοτε οι δικαιοι εκλαμψουσιν ως ο ηλιος εν τη βασιλεια του πατρος αυτων ο εχων ωτα ακουειν ακουετω τοτε οι δικαιοι εκλαμψουσιν ως ο ηλιος εν τη βασιλεια του πατρος αυτων ο εχων ωτα ακουειν ακουετω
1 Corinthians 3:10-12 (NET) 1 Corinthians 3:10-12 (KJV)
According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master-builder I laid a foundation, but someone else builds on it.  And each one must be careful how he builds. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon.  But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
Κατὰ τὴν χάριν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν δοθεῖσαν μοι ὡς σοφὸς ἀρχιτέκτων θεμέλιον ἔθηκα, ἄλλος δὲ ἐποικοδομεῖ. ἕκαστος δὲ βλεπέτω πῶς ἐποικοδομεῖ κατα την χαριν του θεου την δοθεισαν μοι ως σοφος αρχιτεκτων θεμελιον τεθεικα αλλος δε εποικοδομει εκαστος δε βλεπετω πως εποικοδομει κατα την χαριν του θεου την δοθεισαν μοι ως σοφος αρχιτεκτων θεμελιον τεθεικα αλλος δε εποικοδομει εκαστος δε βλεπετω πως εποικοδομει
For no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is Jesus Christ. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
θεμέλιον γὰρ ἄλλον οὐδεὶς δύναται θεῖναι παρὰ τὸν κείμενον, ὅς ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός θεμελιον γαρ αλλον ουδεις δυναται θειναι παρα τον κειμενον ος εστιν ιησους ο χριστος θεμελιον γαρ αλλον ουδεις δυναται θειναι παρα τον κειμενον ος εστιν ιησους χριστος
If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
εἰ δέ τις ἐποικοδομεῖ ἐπὶ τὸν θεμέλιον |χρυσόν, ἄργυρον|, λίθους τιμίους, ξύλα, χόρτον, καλάμην, ει δε τις εποικοδομει επι τον θεμελιον τουτον χρυσον αργυρον λιθους τιμιους ξυλα χορτον καλαμην ει δε τις εποικοδομει επι τον θεμελιον τουτον χρυσον αργυρον λιθους τιμιους ξυλα χορτον καλαμην
1 Corinthians 3:14 (NET) 1 Corinthians 3:14 (KJV)
If what someone has built survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
εἴ τινος τὸ ἔργον μενεῖ ὃ ἐποικοδόμησεν, μισθὸν λήμψεται ει τινος το εργον μενει ο επωκοδομησεν μισθον ληψεται ει τινος το εργον μενει ο εποικοδομησεν μισθον ληψεται

 

[1] John 17:17 (NET)

[2] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had σπείραντι here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had σπειροντι (KJV: which sowed).

[3] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἐπέσπειρεν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εσπειρεν.

[4] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had φησιν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εφη.

[5] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἕως here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μεχρι.

[6] John 8:44a (NET) Table

[7] John 8:31, 32 (NET)

[8] Romans 8:14 (NET)

[9] John 12:32 (NET)

[10] I’m thinking here of live by the Spirit and you will not carry out (τελέσητε, a form of τελέω) the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).  Apart from my petty outbursts of anger, I recall a more troubling lapse.  It began as a thought, then I spoke it aloud: “It may be time to take out Antifa and BLM while they’re still bringing ball bats to a gunfight.”  They were idle words.  I didn’t follow through to carry out the desire to shoot members of Antifa and BLM with a gun I don’t even have.  And if that’s the best I can hope for this side of the fire, I’ll take it!  But I still want to be more loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self-controlled than that.

[11] Who Am I? Part 11 ; Who Am I? Part 12 ; Who Am I? Part 13

[12] Matthew 26:39b (NET)

[13] John 14:16, 17 (NET) Table

[14] Galatians 5:17 (NET) Table

[15] The NET parallel Geek text and NA28 had εἰς ὑμᾶς here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had υμιν (KJV: unto them).

[16] The NET parallel Geek text and NA28 had εἴχοσαν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ειχον (KJV: they had…had).

[17] The NET parallel Geek text and NA28 had ἐποίησεν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had πεποιηκεν.

[18] The NET parallel Geek text and NA28 had εἴχοσαν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ειχον (KJV: had).

[19] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε (KJV: But) here.  The NET parallel Geek text and NA28 did not.

[20] John 3:16 (KJV) Table

[21] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ακουειν (KJV: to hear) following ears.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[22] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἔθηκα here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τεθεικα (KJV: I have laid).

[23] The Stephanus Textus Receptus had the article ο preceding Christ.  The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[24] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τουτον (KJV: this) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[25] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had ἐποικοδόμησεν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had επωκοδομησεν (KJV: he hath built).

[26] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had λήμψεται here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ληψεται (KJV: he shall receive).

[27] Verb Tenses, Greek Verbs (Shorter Definitions), Resources for Learning New Testament Greek

Father, Son and Holy Spirit – Part 3

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I intend to become much more familiar with the Greek translation of יְהֹוָ֨ה (yehôvâh) and יֱהֹוִה֙ (yehôvih) in the Septuagint.  To do that I decided to start at the beginning, noting all divine references.

Masoretic Text

 Septuagint
Genesis 1:1, 2 (Tanakh) Genesis 1:1, 2 (NET) Genesis 1:1, 2 (NETS)

Genesis 1:1, 2 (English Elpenor)
IN THE beginning G-d (אֱלֹהִ֑ים) created the heaven and the earth. In the beginning God (‘elohiym, אלהים) created the heavens and the earth. In the beginning God (θεὸς) made the sky and the earth. IN the beginning God (Θεὸς) made the heaven and the earth.
Now the earth was unformed and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit (וְר֣וּחַ) of G-d (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) hovered over the face of the waters. Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the watery deep, but the Spirit (ruwach, ורוח) of God (‘elohiym, אלהים) was moving over the surface of the water. Yet the earth was invisible and unformed, and darkness was over the abyss, and a divine (θεοῦ) wind (πνεῦμα) was being carried along the water. But the earth was unsightly and unfurnished, and darkness was over the deep, and the Spirit (πνεῦμα) of God (Θεοῦ) moved over the water.

Thus far I have the plural אֱלֹהִ֑ים (‘elohiym, translated Θεὸς, God) and וְר֣וּחַ (ruwach, translated πνεῦμα, spirit, wind) אֱלֹהִ֔ים (‘elohiym, translated Θεοῦ, of God, divine).  I was raised on an abbreviated version of Lord Acton’s maxim:

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority, still more when you superadd the tendency or the certainty of corruption by authority.

It’s difficult to say now if I would’ve learned more from this fuller treatment or rebelled more against it.  Still, I find myself searching almost instinctively for a limit on the power and authority of אֱלֹהִ֔ים (‘elohiym).

Masoretic Text

 Septuagint
Genesis 1:3-5 (Tanakh) Genesis 1:3-5 (NET) Genesis 1:3-5 (NETS)

Genesis 1:3-5 (English Elpenor)
And G-d (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) said: ‘Let there be light’ And there was light. God (‘elohiym, אלהים) said, “Let there be light.”  And there was light! And God (θεός) said, “Let light come into being.”  And light came into being. And God (Θεός) said, Let there be light, and there was light.
And G-d (אֱלֹהִ֛ים) saw the light, that it was good; and G-d (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) divided the light from the darkness. God (‘elohiym, אלהים) saw that the light was good, so God (‘elohiym, אלהים) separated the light from the darkness. And God (θεὸς) saw the light, that it was good.  And God (θεὸς) separated between the light and between the darkness. And God (Θεὸς) saw the light that it was good, and God (Θεὸς) divided between the light and the darkness.
And G-d (אֱלֹהִ֤ים) called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night And there was evening and there was morning, one day. God (‘elohiym, אלהים) called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”  There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day. And God (θεὸς) called the light Day and the darkness he called Night.  And it came to be evening, and it came to be morning, day one. And God (Θεὸς) called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night, and there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

The Hebrew word translated good was ט֑וֹב (towb).  It was translated καλόν (a form of καλός) in the Septuagint.  This beautiful good could be the limit I seek on the power and authority of אֱלֹהִ֔ים (‘elohiym).  Granted, its meaning is his own.  But I’ll take what I can get in the face of such fearful power and authority.

Years ago, studying this opening chapter, I realized it wasn’t instructional in the sense that I could read it and then go out and create the heaven and the earth.  Encouraged by Paul’s instruction to Timothy—Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness [Table], that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good (ἀγαθὸν, a form of ἀγαθός) work[1]—I was casting about for some useful instruction here.  It dawned on me finally that this chapter describes the word of God (before sin entered the world through one man and death through sin[2]).

And G-d said: ‘Let there be light’ And there was light.[3]  God’s word is powerful: He spoke and it happened as He said.

Masoretic Text

 Septuagint
Genesis 1:6-8 (Tanakh) Genesis 1:6-8 (NET) Genesis 1:6-8 (NETS)

Genesis 1:6-8 (English Elpenor)
And G-d (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) said: ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters’. God (‘elohiym, אלהים) said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters and let it separate water from water.” And God (θεός) said, “Let a firmament come into being in the midst of the water, and let it be a separator between water and water.” And God (Θεός) said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and let it be a division between water and water, and it was so.
And G-d (אֱלֹהִים֘) made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. So God (‘elohiym, אלהים) made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it.  It was so. And God (θεὸς) made the firmament, and God (θεὸς) separated between the water that was under the firmament and between the water that was above the firmament. And God (Θεὸς) made the firmament, and God (Θεὸς) divided between the water which was under the firmament and the water which was above the firmament.
And G-d (אֱלֹהִ֛ים) called the firmament Heaven And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. God (‘elohiym, אלהים) called the expanse “sky.”  There was evening, and there was morning, a second day. And God (θεὸς) called the firmament Sky.  And God (θεὸς) saw that it was good.  And it came to be evening, and it came to be morning, a second day. And God (Θεὸς) called the firmament Heaven, and God (Θεὸς) saw that it was good, and there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

The word good (καλόν, a form of καλός) is repeated here in the Septuagint, though not in the Masoretic text.  And G-d said: ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters’.  And G-d made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.[4]  God’s word is true: He did what He said and made it so.

Masoretic Text

 Septuagint
Genesis 1:9, 10 (Tanakh) Genesis 1:9, 10 (NET) Genesis 1:9, 10 (NETS)

Genesis 1:9, 10 (English Elpenor)
And G-d (אֱלֹהִ֗ים) said: ‘Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear’ And it was so. God (‘elohiym, אלהים) said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place and let dry ground appear.”  It was so. And God (θεός) said, “Let the water that is under the sky be gathered into one gathering, and let the dry land appear.”  And it became so.  And the water that was under the sky was gathered into their gatherings, and the dry land appeared. And God (Θεός) said, Let the water which is under the heaven be collected into one place, and let the dry land appear, and it was so.  And the water which was under the heaven was collected into its places, and the dry land appeared.
And G-d (אֱלֹהִ֤ים) called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas; and G-d (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) saw that it was good. God (‘elohiym, אלהים) called the dry ground “land” and the gathered waters he called “seas.”  God (‘elohiym, אלהים) saw that it was good. And God (θεὸς) called the dry land Earth, and the systems of the waters he called Seas.  And God (θεὸς) saw that it was good. And God (Θεὸς) called the dry land Earth, and the gatherings of the waters he called Seas, and God (Θεὸς) saw that it was good.

Here both the Masoretic text and Septuagint reiterated the qualifier good (towb, טֽוֹב; καλόν, a form of καλός) and the power of God’s word: And G-d said: ‘Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear’ And it was so.[5]  His power and authority (Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25) were described vividly in the Septuagint: And the water which was under the heaven was collected into its places, and the dry land appeared.[6]

Masoretic Text

 Septuagint
Genesis 1:11-13 (Tanakh) Genesis 1:11-13 (NET) Genesis 1:11-13 (NETS)

Genesis 1:11-13 (English Elpenor)
And G-d (אֱלֹהִ֗ים) said: ‘Let the earth put forth grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit-tree bearing fruit after its kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth’ And it was so. God (‘elohiym, אלהים) said, “Let the land produce vegetation: plants yielding seeds and trees on the land bearing fruit with seed in it, according to their kinds.”  It was so. And God (θεός) said, “Let the earth put forth herbaceous vegetation, seeding seed according to kind and according to likeness, and a fruit-bearing tree producing fruit of which its seed is in it according to kind, on the earth.”  And it became so. And God (Θεός) said, Let the earth bring forth the herb of grass bearing seed according to its kind and according to its likeness, and the fruit-tree bearing fruit whose seed is in it, according to its kind on the earth, and it was so.
And the earth brought forth grass, herb yielding seed after its kind, and tree bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after its kind; and G-d (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) saw that it was good. The land produced vegetation—plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.  God (‘elohiym, אלהים) saw that it was good. And the earth brought forth herbaceous vegetation, seeding seed according to kind and according to likeness, and a fruit-bearing tree producing fruit of which its seed is in it according to kind, on the earth.  And God (θεὸς) saw that it was good. And the earth brought forth the herb of grass bearing seed according to its kind and according to its likeness, and the fruit tree bearing fruit whose seed is in it, according to its kind on the earth, and God (Θεός) saw that it was good.
And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. There was evening, and there was morning, a third day. And it came to be evening, and it came to be morning, a third day. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

Again, both the Masoretic text and Septuagint reiterated the qualifier good (towb, טֽוֹב; καλόν, a form of καλός).  And G-d said: ‘Let the earth put forth grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit-tree bearing fruit after its kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth’ And it was so.  And the earth brought forth grass, herb yielding seed after its kind, and tree bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after its kind; and G-d saw that it was good.[7]  God’s word is authoritative: He spoke and the earth obeyed Him.

Masoretic Text

 Septuagint
Genesis 1:14-19 (Tanakh) Genesis 1:14-19 (NET) Genesis 1:14-19 (NETS)

Genesis 1:14-19 (English Elpenor)
And G-d (אֱלֹהִ֗ים) said: ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years; God (‘elohiym, אלהים) said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs to indicate seasons and days and years, And God (θεός) said, “Let luminaries come into being in the firmament of the sky for illumination of the earth, to separate between the day and between the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and for years, And God (Θεός) said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, to divide between day and night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and for years.
and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth’ And it was so. and let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.”  It was so. and let them be for illumination in the firmament of the sky so as to give light upon the earth.  And it became so. And let them be for light in the firmament of the heaven, so as to shine upon the earth, and it was so.
And G-d (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; and the stars. God (‘elohiym, אלהים) made two great lights—the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night.  He made the stars also. And God (θεὸς) made the two great luminaries, the great luminary for rulership of the day and the lesser luminary for rulership of the night, and the stars. And God (Θεὸς) made the two great lights, the greater light for regulating the day and the lesser light for regulating the night, the stars also.
And G-d (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, God (‘elohiym, אלהים) placed the lights in the expanse of the sky to shine on the earth, And God (θεὸς) set them in the firmament of the sky so as to give light upon the earth And God (Θεὸς) placed them in the firmament of the heaven, so as to shine upon the earth,
and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness; and G-d (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) saw that it was good. And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God (‘elohiym, אלהים) saw that it was good. and to rule the day and the night and to separate between the light and between the darkness.  And God (θεὸς) saw that it was good. and to regulate day and night, and to divide between the light and the darkness.  And God (Θεός) saw that it was good.
And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. There was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day. And it came to be evening, and it came to be morning, a fourth day. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

Here is another example of the truth of God’s word: He did what He said and made it so.  And good occurs in both the Masoretic text (towb, טֽוֹב) and Septuagint (καλόν, a form of καλός).  Jesus gave the following insight how the beautiful goodness of the works of אֱלֹהִ֖ים (‘elohiym) serves to limit the abuses of power and authority one expects of human rule (Matthew 5:43-48 NET):

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you [Table], so that you may be like your Father in heaven,[8] since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?  Even the tax collectors do the same, don’t they?  And if you only greet your brothers, what more do you do?  Even the Gentiles[9] do the same, don’t they?  So then, be perfect (τέλειοι, a form of τέλειος), as[10] your heavenly[11] Father is perfect (τέλειος).

The origin and development stories[12] of the socially constructed reality I inhabit deny the truth, power and authority of the word of אֱלֹהִ֔ים (‘elohiym).  Though the work of creation scientists has helped me break through this intellectual barrier to faith, these days I find it is quicker to imagine standing before the judgment seat of Christ and using any aspect[13] of these stories as an excuse for having disbelieved Him.  To paraphrase Paul (Galatians 3:1-5): Did I receive the Spirit—and a continuous infusion of God’s own love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—by socially constructed origin and development stories or by believing what I heard in Christ?

I’ll pick this up in another essay.

Tables comparing Genesis 1:1; 1:2; 1:3; 1:4; 1:5; 1:6; 1:7; 1:8; 1:9; 1:10; 1:11; 1:12; 1:13; 1:14; 1:15; 1:16; 1:17; 1:18 and 1:19 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET; and tables comparing Genesis 1:1; 1:2; 1:3; 1:4; 1:5; 1:6; 1:7; 1:8; 1:9; 1:10; 1:11; 1:12; 1:13; 1:14; 1:15; 1:16; 1:17; 1:18 and 1:19 in the BLB and Elpenor versions of the Septuagint with the English translations from Hebrew and Greek follow.  Following these are tables comparing Matthew 5:45 and 5:47, 48 in the NET and KJV.

Genesis 1:1 (Tanakh)

 Genesis 1:1 (KJV)

Genesis 1:1 (NET)
IN THE beginning G-d created the heaven and the earth. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 1:1 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν ΕΝ ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν

Genesis 1:1 (NETS)

Genesis 1:1 (English Elpenor)
In the beginning God made the sky and the earth. IN the beginning God made the heaven and the earth.

Genesis 1:2 (Tanakh)

 Genesis 1:2 (KJV)

Genesis 1:2 (NET)
Now the earth was unformed and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of G-d hovered over the face of the waters. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water.

Genesis 1:2 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 1:2 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἡ δὲ γῆ ἦν ἀόρατος καὶ ἀκατασκεύαστος καὶ σκότος ἐπάνω τῆς ἀβύσσου καὶ πνεῦμα θεοῦ ἐπεφέρετο ἐπάνω τοῦ ὕδατος ἡ δὲ γῆ ἦν ἀόρατος καὶ ἀκατασκεύαστος, καὶ σκότος ἐπάνω τῆς ἀβύσσου, καὶ πνεῦμα Θεοῦ ἐπεφέρετο ἐπάνω τοῦ ὕδατος

Genesis 1:2 (NETS)

Genesis 1:2 (English Elpenor)
Yet the earth was invisible and unformed, and darkness was over the abyss, and a divine wind was being carried along the water. But the earth was unsightly and unfurnished, and darkness was over the deep, and the Spirit of God moved over the water.

Genesis 1:3 (Tanakh)

 Genesis 1:3 (KJV)

Genesis 1:3 (NET)
And G-d said: ‘Let there be light’ And there was light. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. God said, “Let there be light.”  And there was light!

Genesis 1:3 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 1:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεός γενηθήτω φῶς καὶ ἐγένετο φῶς καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· γενηθήτω φῶς· καὶ ἐγένετο φῶς

Genesis 1:3 (NETS)

Genesis 1:3 (English Elpenor)
And God said, “Let light come into being.”  And light came into being. And God said, Let there be light, and there was light.

Genesis 1:4 (Tanakh)

 Genesis 1:4 (KJV)

Genesis 1:4 (NET)
And G-d saw the light, that it was good; and G-d divided the light from the darkness. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. God saw that the light was good, so God separated the light from the darkness.

Genesis 1:4 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 1:4 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶδεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ φῶς ὅτι καλόν καὶ διεχώρισεν ὁ θεὸς ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ φωτὸς καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σκότους καὶ εἶδεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ φῶς, ὅτι καλόν· καὶ διεχώρισεν ὁ Θεὸς ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ φωτὸς καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σκότους

Genesis 1:4 (NETS)

Genesis 1:4 (English Elpenor)
And God saw the light, that it was good.  And God separated between the light and between the darkness. And God saw the light that it was good, and God divided between the light and the darkness.

Genesis 1:5 (Tanakh)

 Genesis 1:5 (KJV)

Genesis 1:5 (NET)
And G-d called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night And there was evening and there was morning, one day. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”  There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day.

Genesis 1:5 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 1:5 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ φῶς ἡμέραν καὶ τὸ σκότος ἐκάλεσεν νύκτα καὶ ἐγένετο ἑσπέρα καὶ ἐγένετο πρωί ἡμέρα μία καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ φῶς ἡμέραν καὶ τὸ σκότος ἐκάλεσε νύκτα. καὶ ἐγένετο ἑσπέρα καὶ ἐγένετο πρωΐ, ἡμέρα μία

Genesis 1:5 (NETS)

Genesis 1:5 (English Elpenor)
And God called the light Day and the darkness he called Night.   And it came to be evening, and it came to be morning, day one. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night, and there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Genesis 1:6 (Tanakh)

 Genesis 1:6 (KJV)

Genesis 1:6 (NET)
And G-d said: ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters’. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters and let it separate water from water.”

Genesis 1:6 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 1:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεός γενηθήτω στερέωμα ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ὕδατος καὶ ἔστω διαχωρίζον ἀνὰ μέσον ὕδατος καὶ ὕδατος καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· γενηθήτω στερέωμα ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ὕδατος καὶ ἔστω διαχωρίζον ἀνὰ μέσον ὕδατος καὶ ὕδατος. καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως

Genesis 1:6 (NETS)

Genesis 1:6 (English Elpenor)
And God said, “Let a firmament come into being in the midst of the water, and let it be a separator between water and water.” And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and let it be a division between water and water, and it was so.

Genesis 1:7 (Tanakh)

 Genesis 1:7 (KJV)

Genesis 1:7 (NET)
And G-d made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it.  It was so.

Genesis 1:7 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 1:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ στερέωμα καὶ διεχώρισεν ὁ θεὸς ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ ὕδατος ὃ ἦν ὑποκάτω τοῦ στερεώματος καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ ἐπάνω τοῦ στερεώματος καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ στερέωμα, καὶ διεχώρισεν ὁ Θεὸς ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ ὕδατος, ὃ ἦν ὑποκάτω τοῦ στερεώματος, καὶ ἀναμέσον τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ ἐπάνω τοῦ στερεώματος.

Genesis 1:7 (NETS)

Genesis 1:7 (English Elpenor)
And God made the firmament, and God separated between the water that was under the firmament and between the water that was above the firmament. And God made the firmament, and God divided between the water which was under the firmament and the water which was above the firmament.

Genesis 1:8 (Tanakh)

 Genesis 1:8 (KJV)

Genesis 1:8 (NET)
And G-d called the firmament Heaven And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. And God called the firmament Heaven.  And the evening and the morning were the second day. God called the expanse “sky.”  There was evening, and there was morning, a second day.

Genesis 1:8 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 1:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ στερέωμα οὐρανόν καὶ εἶδεν ὁ θεὸς ὅτι καλόν καὶ ἐγένετο ἑσπέρα καὶ ἐγένετο πρωί ἡμέρα δευτέρα καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ στερέωμα οὐρανόν. καὶ εἶδεν ὁ Θεός, ὅτι καλόν, καὶ ἐγένετο ἑσπέρα καὶ ἐγένετο πρωΐ, ἡμέρα δευτέρα

Genesis 1:8 (NETS)

Genesis 1:8 (English Elpenor)
And God called the firmament Sky.  And God saw that it was good.  And it came to be evening, and it came to be morning, a second day. And God called the firmament Heaven, and God saw that it was good, and there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

Genesis 1:9 (Tanakh)

 Genesis 1:9 (KJV)

Genesis 1:9 (NET)
And G-d said: ‘Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear’ And it was so. And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place and let dry ground appear.”  It was so.

Genesis 1:9 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 1:9 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεός συναχθήτω τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ὑποκάτω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ εἰς συναγωγὴν μίαν καὶ ὀφθήτω ἡ ξηρά καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως καὶ συνήχθη τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ὑποκάτω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ εἰς τὰς συναγωγὰς αὐτῶν καὶ ὤφθη ἡ ξηρά Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· συναχθήτω τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ὑποκάτω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ εἰς συναγωγὴν μίαν, καὶ ὀφθήτω ἡ ξηρά. καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως. καὶ συνήχθη τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ὑποκάτω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ εἰς τὰς συναγωγὰς αὐτῶν, καὶ ὤφθη ἡ ξηρά

Genesis 1:9 (NETS)

Genesis 1:9 (English Elpenor)
And God said, “Let the water that is under the sky be gathered into one gathering, and let the dry land appear.”  And it became so.  And the water that was under the sky was gathered into their gatherings, and the dry land appeared. And God said, Let the water which is under the heaven be collected into one place, and let the dry land appear, and it was so.  And the water which was under the heaven was collected into its places, and the dry land appeared.

Genesis 1:10 (Tanakh)

 Genesis 1:10 (KJV)

Genesis 1:10 (NET)
And G-d called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas; and G-d saw that it was good. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. God called the dry ground “land” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:10 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 1:10 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ὁ θεὸς τὴν ξηρὰν γῆν καὶ τὰ συστήματα τῶν ὑδάτων ἐκάλεσεν θαλάσσας καὶ εἶδεν ὁ θεὸς ὅτι καλόν καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν ξηρὰν γῆν καὶ τὰ συστήματα τῶν ὑδάτων ἐκάλεσε θαλάσσας. καὶ εἶδεν ὁ Θεός, ὅτι καλόν

Genesis 1:10 (NETS)

Genesis 1:10 (English Elpenor)
And God called the dry land Earth, and the systems of the waters he called Seas.  And God saw that it was good. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gatherings of the waters he called Seas, and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:11 (Tanakh)

 Genesis 1:11 (KJV)

Genesis 1:11 (NET)
And G-d said: ‘Let the earth put forth grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit-tree bearing fruit after its kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth’ And it was so. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: plants yielding seeds and trees on the land bearing fruit with seed in it, according to their kinds.”  It was so.

Genesis 1:11 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 1:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεός βλαστησάτω ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου σπεῗρον σπέρμα κατὰ γένος καὶ καθ᾽ ὁμοιότητα καὶ ξύλον κάρπιμον ποιοῦν καρπόν οὗ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ κατὰ γένος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· βλαστησάτω ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου σπεῖρον σπέρμα κατὰ γένος καὶ καθ᾿ ὁμοιότητα, καὶ ξύλον κάρπιμον ποιοῦν καρπόν, οὗ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ κατὰ γένος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως

Genesis 1:11 (NETS)

Genesis 1:11 (English Elpenor)
And God said, “Let the earth put forth herbaceous vegetation, seeding seed according to kind and according to likeness, and a fruit-bearing tree producing fruit of which its seed is in it according to kind, on the earth.”  And it became so. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the herb of grass bearing seed according to its kind and according to its likeness, and the fruit-tree bearing fruit whose seed is in it, according to its kind on the earth, and it was so.

Genesis 1:12 (Tanakh)

 Genesis 1:12 (KJV)

Genesis 1:12 (NET)
And the earth brought forth grass, herb yielding seed after its kind, and tree bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after its kind; and G-d saw that it was good. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. The land produced vegetation—plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.  God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:12 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 1:12, 13a (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐξήνεγκεν ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου σπεῗρον σπέρμα κατὰ γένος καὶ καθ᾽ ὁμοιότητα καὶ ξύλον κάρπιμον ποιοῦν καρπόν οὗ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ κατὰ γένος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ εἶδεν ὁ θεὸς ὅτι καλόν καὶ ἐξήνεγκεν ἡ γῆ βοτάνην χόρτου σπεῖρον σπέρμα κατὰ γένος καὶ καθ᾿ ὁμοιότητα, καὶ ξύλον κάρπιμον ποιοῦν καρπόν, οὗ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ κατὰ γένος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς (13) καὶ εἶδεν ὁ Θεός, ὅτι καλόν

Genesis 1:12 (NETS)

Genesis 1:12 (English Elpenor)
And the earth brought forth herbaceous vegetation, seeding seed according to kind and according to likeness, and a fruit-bearing tree producing fruit of which its seed is in it according to kind, on the earth.  And God saw that it was good. And the earth brought forth the herb of grass bearing seed according to its kind and according to its likeness, and the fruit tree bearing fruit whose seed is in it, according to its kind on the earth, and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:13 (Tanakh)

 Genesis 1:13 (KJV)

Genesis 1:13 (NET)
And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. And the evening and the morning were the third day. There was evening, and there was morning, a third day.

Genesis 1:13 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 1:13b (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐγένετο ἑσπέρα καὶ ἐγένετο πρωί ἡμέρα τρίτη καὶ ἐγένετο ἑσπέρα καὶ ἐγένετο πρωΐ, ἡμέρα τρίτη

Genesis 1:13 (NETS)

Genesis 1:13 (English Elpenor)
And it came to be evening, and it came to be morning, a third day. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

Genesis 1:14 (Tanakh)

 Genesis 1:14 (KJV)

Genesis 1:14 (NET)
And G-d said: ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years; And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs to indicate seasons and days and years,

Genesis 1:14 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 1:14 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεός γενηθήτωσαν φωστῆρες ἐν τῷ στερεώματι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ εἰς φαῦσιν τῆς γῆς τοῦ διαχωρίζειν ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς νυκτὸς καὶ ἔστωσαν εἰς σημεῗα καὶ εἰς καιροὺς καὶ εἰς ἡμέρας καὶ εἰς ἐνιαυτοὺς Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· γενηθήτωσαν φωστῆρες ἐν τῷ στερεώματι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ εἰς φαῦσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, τοῦ διαχωρίζειν ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς νυκτός· καὶ ἔστωσαν εἰς σημεῖα καὶ εἰς καιροὺς καὶ εἰς ἡμέρας καὶ εἰς ἐνιαυτούς

Genesis 1:14 (NETS)

Genesis 1:14 (English Elpenor)
And God said, “Let luminaries come into being in the firmament of the sky for illumination of the earth, to separate between the day and between the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and for years, And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, to divide between day and night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and for years.

Genesis 1:15 (Tanakh)

Genesis 1:15 (KJV)

Genesis 1:15 (NET)
and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth’ And it was so. And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. and let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.”  It was so.

Genesis 1:15 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 1:15 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἔστωσαν εἰς φαῦσιν ἐν τῷ στερεώματι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὥστε φαίνειν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως καὶ ἔστωσαν εἰς φαῦσιν ἐν τῷ στερεώματι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὥστε φαίνειν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως

Genesis 1:15 (NETS)

Genesis 1:15 (English Elpenor)
and let them be for illumination in the firmament of the sky so as to give light upon the earth.  And it became so. And let them be for light in the firmament of the heaven, so as to shine upon the earth, and it was so.

Genesis 1:16 (Tanakh)

 Genesis 1:16 (KJV)

Genesis 1:16 (NET)
And G-d made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; and the stars. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. God made two great lights—the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night.  He made the stars also.

Genesis 1:16 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 1:16 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τοὺς δύο φωστῆρας τοὺς μεγάλους τὸν φωστῆρα τὸν μέγαν εἰς ἀρχὰς τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τὸν φωστῆρα τὸν ἐλάσσω εἰς ἀρχὰς τῆς νυκτός καὶ τοὺς ἀστέρας καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς δύο φωστῆρας τοὺς μεγάλους, τὸν φωστῆρα τὸν μέγαν εἰς ἀρχὰς τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τὸν φωστῆρα τὸν ἐλάσσω εἰς ἀρχὰς τῆς νυκτός, καὶ τοὺς ἀστέρας

Genesis 1:16 (NETS)

Genesis 1:16 (English Elpenor)
And God made the two great luminaries, the great luminary for rulership of the day and the lesser luminary for rulership of the night, and the stars. And God made the two great lights, the greater light for regulating the day and the lesser light for regulating the night, the stars also.

Genesis 1:17 (Tanakh)

 Genesis 1:17 (KJV)

Genesis 1:17 (NET)
And G-d set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, God placed the lights in the expanse of the sky to shine on the earth,

Genesis 1:17 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 1:17 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἔθετο αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς ἐν τῷ στερεώματι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὥστε φαίνειν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἔθετο αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τῷ στερεώματι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὥστε φαίνειν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς

Genesis 1:17 (NETS)

Genesis 1:17 (English Elpenor)
And God set them in the firmament of the sky so as to give light upon the earth And God placed them in the firmament of the heaven, so as to shine upon the earth,

Genesis 1:18 (Tanakh)

 Genesis 1:18 (KJV)

Genesis 1:18 (NET)
and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness; and G-d saw that it was good. And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:18 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 1:18 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἄρχειν τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς καὶ διαχωρίζειν ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ φωτὸς καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σκότους καὶ εἶδεν ὁ θεὸς ὅτι καλόν καὶ ἄρχειν τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς καὶ διαχωρίζειν ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ φωτὸς καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σκότους. καὶ εἶδεν ὁ Θεός, ὅτι καλόν

Genesis 1:18 (NETS)

Genesis 1:18 (English Elpenor)
and to rule the day and the night and to separate between the light and between the darkness.  And God saw that it was good. and to regulate day and night, and to divide between the light and the darkness.  And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:19 (Tanakh)

 Genesis 1:19 (KJV)

Genesis 1:19 (NET)
And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. There was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day.

Genesis 1:19 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 1:19 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐγένετο ἑσπέρα καὶ ἐγένετο πρωί ἡμέρα τετάρτη καὶ ἐγένετο ἑσπέρα καὶ ἐγένετο πρωΐ, ἡμέρα τετάρτη

Genesis 1:19 (NETS)

Genesis 1:19 (English Elpenor)
And it came to be evening, and it came to be morning, a fourth day. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

Matthew 5:45 (NET)

Matthew 5:45 (KJV)
so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
ὅπως γένησθε υἱοὶ τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς, ὅτι τὸν ἥλιον αὐτοῦ ἀνατέλλει ἐπὶ πονηροὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς καὶ βρέχει ἐπὶ δικαίους καὶ ἀδίκους οπως γενησθε υιοι του πατρος υμων του εν ουρανοις οτι τον ηλιον αυτου ανατελλει επι πονηρους και αγαθους και βρεχει επι δικαιους και αδικους οπως γενησθε υιοι του πατρος υμων του εν τοις ουρανοις οτι τον ηλιον αυτου ανατελλει επι πονηρους και αγαθους και βρεχει επι δικαιους και αδικους

Matthew 5:47, 48 (NET)

Matthew 5:47, 48 (KJV)
And if you only greet your brothers, what more do you do?  Even the Gentiles do the same, don’t they? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ ἐὰν ἀσπάσησθε τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ὑμῶν μόνον, τί περισσὸν ποιεῖτε; οὐχὶ καὶ οἱ ἐθνικοὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ποιοῦσιν και εαν ασπασησθε τους αδελφους υμων μονον τι περισσον ποιειτε ουχι και οι τελωναι ουτως ποιουσιν και εαν ασπασησθε τους φιλους υμων μονον τι περισσον ποιειτε ουχι και οι τελωναι ουτως ποιουσιν
So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
ἔσεσθε οὖν ὑμεῖς τέλειοι ὡς ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος τέλειος ἐστιν εσεσθε ουν υμεις τελειοι ωσπερ ο πατηρ υμων ο εν τοις ουρανοις τελειος εστιν εσεσθε ουν υμεις τελειοι ωσπερ ο πατηρ υμων ο εν τοις ουρανοις τελειος εστιν

[1] 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 (NET)

[2] Romans 5:12a (NET)

[3] Genesis 1:3 (Tanakh)

[4] Genesis 1:6, 7 (Tanakh)

[5] Genesis 1:9 (Tanakh)

[6] Genesis 1:9b (Elpenor)

[7] Genesis 1:11, 12 (Tanakh)

[8] The Byzantine Majority Text had the article τοις preceding heaven.  The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Stephanus Textus Receptus did not.

[9] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἐθνικοὶ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τελωναι (KJV: publicans).

[10] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ὡς here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ωσπερ (KJV: even as).

[11] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εν τοις (KJV: in) preceding heaven(ly).  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[12] From: The Social Construction of Reality, Introduction, by Peter L Berger and Thomas Luckmann, pp. 20, 21: “It is safe to say when sociologists today think of the sociology of knowledge, pro or con, they usually do so in terms of Mann­heim’s formulation of it…Mannheim’s understanding of the sociology of knowledge was much more far-reaching than Scheler’s, possibly because the confrontation with Marxism was more prominent in his work.  Society was here seen as determining not only the appearance but also the content of human ideation, with the exception of mathematics and at least parts of the natural sciences.”

Mannheim’s “exception” sounds like pandering to me.  The natural sciences are the most obvious examples of the social construction of reality, the very things the man in the street takes for granted.  “The man in the street does not ordinarily trouble himself about what is ‘real’ to him and about what he ‘knows’ unless he is stopped short by some sort of problem.  He takes his ‘reality’ and his ‘knowledge’ for granted” (ibid. p.14).

A woman, her reason clearly tormented by personal loss and grief, wrote an obituary blaming the chief law enforcement officers of her state and nation for not enforcing current medical opinion as stringently as she deemed appropriate.  She also judged, and hoped for the condemnation of, any who had not complied with that opinion. Did those who voted for these men truly expect them to use the power of their offices to enforce medical opinion as law?

I didn’t stumble across the obituary this woman wrote for her husband on my own.  It was presented to me as pamphleteering for the U.S. election in November.

And in mathematics: -7(-7) = 7(7) is true.

[13] One of the skills I learned from creation scientists was to actually listen to scientists, not as a student seeking “correct” answers to potential test questions but in a more open (and ultimately more critical) way.  Here are links to two short videos: Dr. Becky Smethurst explains the history of the social construction of reality of the wave-particle duality and speed of light.

To Make Holy, Part 8

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The next form of ἁγιάζω I want to consider is found in Jesus’ prayer to his Father: Set them apart (ἁγίασον, a form of ἁγιάζω) in the truth; your word is truth.[1]  But I’m making a slow pilgrimage through his prayer because I believe I can know his holiness here.  Jesus prayer continued (John 17:14, 15 NET):

I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.  I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them safe from the evil one.

The Greek words translated your word were τὸν λόγον σου.  Jesus had spoken to a Samaritan woman (John 4:39-42 NET):

Now many Samaritans[2] from that town believed in him because of the report of the woman who testified, “He told me everything I ever[3] did.”  So when the Samaritans[4] came to him, they began asking him to stay with them.  He stayed there two days, and because of his word many more believed.  They said to the woman, “No longer do we believe because of your words, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this one really is the Savior of the world.”[5]

The Greek words translated the report of the woman were τὸν λόγον τῆς γυναικὸς.  So I have the word of the woman to contrast with the word of Jesus’ father: Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did, the woman told her friends.  Surely he can’t be the Messiah (ὁ χριστός), can he?[6]  Her friends believed her enough to obey her: So[7] they left the town and began coming to him.[8]  I should back up to point out that the woman’s word which her friends obeyed was a relatively tentative presentation of Jesus’ word (John 4:25, 26 NET):

The woman said to [Jesus], “I know that Messiah[9] is coming” (the one called Christ); “whenever he comes, he will tell us everything.”[10]  Jesus said to her, “I, the one speaking to you, am he.”

The woman’s friends also demonstrated their faith in her word, a relatively tentative presentation of Jesus’ word, by asking Jesus to stay with them.  The Greek word translated to stay was μεῖναι (a form of μένω).  Other forms of μένω occur in Jesus’ teaching to his disciples (John 15:4 NET):

Remain (μείνατε, another form of μένω) in me, and I will remain in you.  Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains[11] (μένῃ, another form of μένω) in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain[12] (μένητε, another form of μένω) in me.

Jesus stayed (ἔμεινεν, another form of μένω) there two days, and because of his word (τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ) many more believed.  After two days these Samaritans had acquired two important concepts: 1) They had learned to value Jesus’ word above that of the woman.  This is my daily prayer: “Please let any who read these essays hear your voice instead of mine.”  And, 2) they knew Jesus as the Savior of the world (ο σωτηρ του κοσμου).

These Samaritans didn’t know Jesus as a conqueror who would overthrow the Romans and bring the whole world into submission to the descendants of Israel.  They knew Him as the Savior of the world at a time when his own hand-picked disciples were chomping at the bit for Him to get down to the serious messianic business of overthrowing the Romans and restoring the kingdom to Israel.  And lest I suppose that these were just ignorant Samaritans, their knowledge agreed with the the word of God through Jesus and a much more spiritually mature John, one of the original twelve disciples: For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him (σωθῇ ὁ κόσμος δι᾿ αὐτοῦ).[13]

Here is the next occurrence of λόγον in John’s Gospel narrative (John 5:24-30 NET):

“I tell you the solemn truth, the one who hears my message and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned (κρίσιν, a form of κρίσις), but has crossed over from death to life.  I tell you the solemn truth, a time is coming—and is now here—when the dead will hear[14] the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.  For just as the Father has life in himself, thus he has granted the Son to have life in himself, and he has granted the Son authority to execute judgment (κρίσιν, a form of κρίσις), because he is the Son of Man.

“Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear[15] his voice and will come out—the ones who have done what is good (ἀγαθὰ, a form of ἀγαθός) to the resurrection resulting in life, and the ones who have done what is evil (φαῦλα, a form of φαῦλος) to the resurrection resulting in condemnation (κρίσεως, another form of κρίσις).  I can do nothing on my own initiative.  Just as I hear, I judge (κρίνω), and my judgment (κρίσις) is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the one[16] who sent me.

The Greek words translated my message were τὸν λόγον μου.  I assume that the dead, in the dead (νεκροὶ, a form of νεκρός) will hear the voice of the Son of God, referred to something more like what Paul meant when he wrote to believers in Ephesus: you were dead (νεκροὺς, another form of νεκρός) in your offenses and sins[17] (Ephesians 2:1-10).  And all who are in the tombs will hear his voice seems fairly obvious in its reference to something more like Matthew’s Gospel account (Matthew 27:50-53).  The implication is consistent that to hear Jesus’ word is a divinely facilitated activity: So then faith comes by hearing (ἀκοῆς, a form of ἀκοή), and hearing (ἀκοὴ) by the word (ρήματος, a form of ῥῆμα) of God.[18]

The human part in hearing is to sit and listen, or read and study as the case may be, rather than to hold one’s ears and flee in terror.  And if one is as slow and stupid as I have been, hearing may take longer relative to another less prone to argument.  One of my best teachers in college had been a mediocre student.  It made him very aware as a teacher of the information that had confused him as a student.

The dead will hear the voice of the Son of God who has been granted authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.  I can do nothing on my own initiative, the Judge proclaimed.  Just as I hear (ἀκούω), I judge (κρίνω), and my judgment (κρίσις) is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the one who sent me…not…to condemn (κρίνῃ, a form of κρίνω) the world, but that the world should be saved through [me].  The words are important.

The Judge whom God sent that the world should be saved through him continued (John 5:36-40 NET):

I have a testimony greater than that from John (John 5:33-35; 1:6-8; 1:19-37; 3:22-36).  For the deeds that the Father has assigned me to complete—the deeds I[19] am now doing—testify about me that the Father has sent me.  And the Father who sent me has himself[20] testified about me.  You people have never heard (ἀκηκόατε, a form of ἀκούω) his voice nor seen his form at any time, nor do you have his word residing in you, because you do not believe the one whom he sent.  You study[21] the scriptures thoroughly because you think in them you possess eternal life (ζωὴν αἰώνιον), and it is these same scriptures that testify about me, but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.

The Greek words translated his word were τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ, and residing was μενοντα (another form of μένω).  When I studied the Bible searching for rules to obey I wasn’t consciously seeking to know…the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He] sent,[22] ἡ αἰώνιος ζωὴ, eternal life according to Jesus in prayer to his Father.   So despite my best efforts to curry favor with God by finding more and more rules to (dis-)obey, I did begin to know Him.  And it was a little frustrating to me that He showed mercy far too often rather than meting out the punishment the law required.

Why don’t you understand what I am saying? Jesus continued (John 8:43-47 NET):

It is because you cannot accept (ἀκούειν, another form of ἀκούω) my teaching.  You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him.  Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies [Table].  But because I am telling you the truth, you do not believe me.  Who among you can prove me guilty of any sin?  If[23] I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me?  The one who belongs to God listens and responds to (ἀκούει, another form of ἀκούω) God’s words (ρήματα, another form of ῥῆμα).  You don’t listen and respond (ἀκούετε, another form of ἀκούω), because you don’t belong to God.”

The Greek words translated my teaching were τὸν λόγον τὸν ἐμόν.  Jesus spoke to those Judeans who had believed him, but this truth applies to all human beings not yet born from above.  And I would encourage those born from above to take it to heart as well.  I’ve heard some claim freedom from all residue of sin and the old nature, but it’s not my experience.  I agree with Paul that when I want to do good (καλόν, a form of καλός), evil (κακὸν, a form of κακός) is present with me.[24]  Evil doesn’t always win out, in the sense that it is what comes out of me, yet it is always an option but for the grace of God, the fruit of his Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16-23).

I am not trying to get (ζητῶ, a form of ζητέω) praise for myself, Jesus continued (John 8:50-56 NET).

There is one who demands (ζητῶν, another form of ζητέω) it, and he also judges (κρίνων, a form of κρίνω).  I tell you the solemn truth, if anyone obeys (τηρήσῃ, a form of τηρέω) my teaching,[25] he will never see death.”[26]

Then[27] the Judeans responded, “Now we know you’re possessed by a demon!  Both Abraham and the prophets died, and yet you say, ‘If anyone obeys (τηρήσῃ, a form of τηρέω) my teaching, he will never experience death.’[28]  You aren’t greater than our father Abraham who died, are you?  And the prophets died too!  Who do you claim to be?” [Table]  Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worthless.  The one who glorifies[29] me is my Father, about whom you people say, ‘He is our[30] God.’  Yet you do not know him, but I know him.  If[31] I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you.[32]  But[33] I do know him, and I obey (τηρῶ, another form of τηρέω) his teaching.  Your father Abraham was overjoyed to see my day, and he saw it and was glad.”

The Greek words translated my teaching were τὸν ἐμὸν λόγον and τὸν λόγον μου respectively, and his teaching was τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ.  Jesus continued (John 14:23-26 NET):

“If anyone loves me, he will obey (τηρήσει, another form of τηρέω) my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him [Table].  The person who does not love me does not obey (τηρεῖ, another form of τηρέω) my words.  And the word you hear (ἀκούετε, another form of ἀκούω) is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me.

“I have spoken these things while staying (μένων, another form of μένω) with you.  But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and will cause you to remember everything I said to you [Table].

The Greek words translated my word were τὸν λόγον μου and my words were τοὺς λόγους μου.  When Jesus speaks, however, the word (ὁ λόγος) you hear is not mine (οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμὸς), but the Father’s who sent me.  He continued (John 15:1-4 NET):

I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener.  He takes away every branch that does not bear fruit in me.  He prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it will bear more fruit.  You are clean already because of the word that I have spoken to you.  Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.

I think it’s prudent here to highlight all of the meanings of the Greek word translated takes away (αἴρει, a form of αἴρω): “to lift up, take up, pick up; to look up (in prayer); to move upward, raise vertically; to raise to a higher level; to take up and carry along; to lift up and carry away, remove; to take away, remove (no suggestion of lifting up); to bear with, endure; to carry, transport; to bear and uphold; to be dressed as an office-bearer; to cause to emerge.”  If one fears punishment for a failure to do good works then takes away may be an appropriate understanding of αἴρει.  And I have accepted this understanding uncritically until this very moment.

I plan to do a thorough word study of forms of αἴρω in another essay.  Here I’ll propose that if one has begun to know the love of God through Jesus Christ, There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment (κόλασιν, a form of κόλασις).[34]  In that light I’m willing to consider some of the other meanings of αἴρει that may describe the Father’s activity in my life better: “to lift up, take up, pick up; to move upward, raise vertically; to raise to a higher level; to take up and carry along; to bear with, endure; to carry, transport; to bear and uphold; to cause to emerge.”

The Greek words translated the word were τὸν λόγον.  The Greek word translated He prunes was καθαίρει (a form of καθαίρω), which means: “to make clean, purge, cleanse; to remove impurities and things undesirable; to sift, winnow (grain).”  It is essentially the verb form of the noun translated clean (καθαροί, a form of καθαρός), which means: “clear; pure, containing no foreign mixture (e.g., pure gold); morally pure, religiously pure; clean, free from dirt; released from the power of (an oath); free from guilt, innocent.”

Remember what I told you, Jesus continued, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’  If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.  If they obeyed (ἐτήρησαν, another form of τηρέω) my word, they will obey (τηρήσουσιν, another form of τηρέω) yours too.[35]  The Greek words translated my word were τὸν λόγον μου.

And finally Jesus prayed (John 17:6-8 NET):

I have revealed your name to the men you gave me out of the world.  They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have obeyed (τετήρηκαν, another form of τηρέω) your word [Table].  Now they understand that everything you have given me comes[36] from you, because I have given them the words you have given[37] me.  They accepted them and really understand that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.

The Greek words translated your word were τὸν λόγον σου.  And with this I’ve completed a fairly thorough examination of what Jesus meant by I have given them your word[38] (ἐγὼ δέδωκα αὐτοῖς τὸν λόγον σου) according to John’s Gospel narrative.  I want to return to examine other words in John 17:14 and 15 in more detail in other essays.

Tables comparing John 4:39, 40; 4:42; 4:30; 4:25; 15:4; 5:25; 5:28; 5:30; 5:36, 37; 8:46; 8:51, 52; 8:54, 55 and 17:7, 8 in the NET and KJV follow.

John 4:39, 40 (NET) John 4:39, 40 (KJV)
Now many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the report of the woman who testified, “He told me everything I ever did.” And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
Ἐκ δὲ τῆς πόλεως ἐκείνης πολλοὶ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτὸν τῶν Σαμαριτῶν διὰ τὸν λόγον τῆς γυναικὸς μαρτυρούσης ὅτι εἶπεν μοι πάντα ἃ ἐποίησα εκ δε της πολεως εκεινης πολλοι επιστευσαν εις αυτον των σαμαρειτων δια τον λογον της γυναικος μαρτυρουσης οτι ειπεν μοι παντα οσα εποιησα εκ δε της πολεως εκεινης πολλοι επιστευσαν εις αυτον των σαμαρειτων δια τον λογον της γυναικος μαρτυρουσης οτι ειπεν μοι παντα οσα εποιησα
So when the Samaritans came to him, they began asking him to stay with them.  He stayed there two days, So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ὡς οὖν ἦλθον πρὸς αὐτὸν οἱ Σαμαρῖται, ἠρώτων αὐτὸν μεῖναι παρ᾿ αὐτοῖς· καὶ ἔμεινεν ἐκεῖ δύο ἡμέρας ως ουν ηλθον προς αυτον οι σαμαρειται ηρωτων αυτον μειναι παρ αυτοις και εμεινεν εκει δυο ημερας ως ουν ηλθον προς αυτον οι σαμαρειται ηρωτων αυτον μειναι παρ αυτοις και εμεινεν εκει δυο ημερας
John 4:42 (NET) John 4:42 (KJV)
They said to the woman, “No longer do we believe because of your words, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this one really is the Savior of the world.” And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
τῇ τε γυναικὶ ἔλεγον |ὅτι| οὐκέτι διὰ τὴν σὴν λαλιὰν πιστεύομεν, αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἀκηκόαμεν καὶ οἴδαμεν ὅτι οὗτος ἐστιν ἀληθῶς ὁ σωτὴρ τοῦ κόσμου τη τε γυναικι ελεγον οτι ουκετι δια την σην λαλιαν πιστευομεν αυτοι γαρ ακηκοαμεν και οιδαμεν οτι ουτος εστιν αληθως ο σωτηρ του κοσμου ο χριστος τη τε γυναικι ελεγον οτι ουκετι δια την σην λαλιαν πιστευομεν αυτοι γαρ ακηκοαμεν και οιδαμεν οτι ουτος εστιν αληθως ο σωτηρ του κοσμου ο χριστος
John 4:30 (NET) John 4:30 (KJV)
So they left the town and began coming to him. Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ἐξῆλθον ἐκ τῆς πόλεως καὶ ἤρχοντο πρὸς αὐτόν εξηλθον ουν εκ της πολεως και ηρχοντο προς αυτον εξηλθον εκ της πολεως και ηρχοντο προς αυτον
John 4:25 (NET) John 4:25 (KJV)
The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (the one called Christ); “whenever he comes, he will tell us everything.” The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
λέγει αὐτῷ ἡ γυνή· οἶδα ὅτι Μεσσίας ἔρχεται (ὁ λεγόμενος χριστός)· ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἐκεῖνος, ἀναγγελεῖ ἡμῖν ἅπαντα λεγει αυτω η γυνη οιδα οτι μεσσιας ερχεται ο λεγομενος χριστος οταν ελθη εκεινος αναγγελει ημιν παντα λεγει αυτω η γυνη οιδα οτι μεσιας ερχεται ο λεγομενος χριστος οταν ελθη εκεινος αναγγελει ημιν παντα
John 15:4 (NET) John 15:4 (KJV)
Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
μείνατε ἐν ἐμοί, καγὼ ἐν ὑμῖν. καθὼς τὸ κλῆμα οὐ δύναται καρπὸν φέρειν ἀφ᾿ ἑαυτοῦ ἐὰν μὴ μένῃ ἐν τῇ ἀμπέλῳ, οὕτως οὐδὲ ὑμεῖς ἐὰν μὴ ἐν ἐμοὶ μένητε μεινατε εν εμοι καγω εν υμιν καθως το κλημα ου δυναται καρπον φερειν αφ εαυτου εαν μη μεινη εν τη αμπελω ουτως ουδε υμεις εαν μη εν εμοι μεινητε μεινατε εν εμοι καγω εν υμιν καθως το κλημα ου δυναται καρπον φερειν αφ εαυτου εαν μη μεινη εν τη αμπελω ουτως ουδε υμεις εαν μη εν εμοι μεινητε
John 5:25 (NET) John 5:25 (KJV)
I tell you the solemn truth, a time is coming—and is now here—when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ἔρχεται ὥρα καὶ νῦν ἐστιν ὅτε οἱ νεκροὶ ἀκούσουσιν τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ οἱ ἀκούσαντες ζήσουσιν αμην αμην λεγω υμιν οτι ερχεται ωρα και νυν εστιν οτε οι νεκροι ακουσονται της φωνης του υιου του θεου και οι ακουσαντες ζησονται αμην αμην λεγω υμιν οτι ερχεται ωρα και νυν εστιν οτε οι νεκροι ακουσονται της φωνης του υιου του θεου και οι ακουσαντες ζησονται
John 5:28 (NET) John 5:28 (KJV)
“Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
μὴ θαυμάζετε τοῦτο, ὅτι ἔρχεται ὥρα ἐν ᾗ πάντες οἱ ἐν τοῖς μνημείοις ἀκούσουσιν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ μη θαυμαζετε τουτο οτι ερχεται ωρα εν η παντες οι εν τοις μνημειοις ακουσονται της φωνης αυτου μη θαυμαζετε τουτο οτι ερχεται ωρα εν η παντες οι εν τοις μνημειοις ακουσονται της φωνης αυτου
John 5:30 (NET) John 5:30 (KJV)
I can do nothing on my own initiative.  Just as I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the one who sent me. I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
Οὐ δύναμαι ἐγὼ ποιεῖν ἀπ᾿ ἐμαυτοῦ οὐδέν· καθὼς ἀκούω κρίνω, καὶ ἡ κρίσις ἡ ἐμὴ δικαία ἐστίν, ὅτι οὐ ζητῶ τὸ θέλημα τὸ ἐμὸν ἀλλὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντος με ου δυναμαι εγω ποιειν απ εμαυτου ουδεν καθως ακουω κρινω και η κρισις η εμη δικαια εστιν οτι ου ζητω το θελημα το εμον αλλα το θελημα του πεμψαντος με πατρος ου δυναμαι εγω ποιειν απ εμαυτου ουδεν καθως ακουω κρινω και η κρισις η εμη δικαια εστιν οτι ου ζητω το θελημα το εμον αλλα το θελημα του πεμψαντος με πατρος
John 5:36, 37 (NET) John 5:36, 37 (KJV)
I have a testimony greater than that from John.  For the deeds that the Father has assigned me to complete—the deeds I am now doing—testify about me that the Father has sent me. But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
Ἐγὼ δὲ ἔχω τὴν μαρτυρίαν μείζω τοῦ Ἰωάννου· τὰ γὰρ ἔργα ἃ δέδωκεν μοι ὁ πατὴρ ἵνα τελειώσω αὐτά, αὐτὰ τὰ ἔργα ἃ ποιῶ μαρτυρεῖ περὶ ἐμοῦ ὅτι ὁ πατήρ με ἀπέσταλκεν εγω δε εχω την μαρτυριαν μειζω του ιωαννου τα γαρ εργα α εδωκεν μοι ο πατηρ ινα τελειωσω αυτα αυτα τα εργα α εγω ποιω μαρτυρει περι εμου οτι ο πατηρ με απεσταλκεν εγω δε εχω την μαρτυριαν μειζω του ιωαννου τα γαρ εργα α εδωκεν μοι ο πατηρ ινα τελειωσω αυτα αυτα τα εργα α εγω ποιω μαρτυρει περι εμου οτι ο πατηρ με απεσταλκεν
And the Father who sent me has himself testified about me.  You people have never heard his voice nor seen his form at any time, And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me.  Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ ὁ πέμψας με πατὴρ ἐκεῖνος μεμαρτύρηκεν περὶ ἐμοῦ. οὔτε φωνὴν αὐτοῦ πώποτε ἀκηκόατε οὔτε εἶδος αὐτοῦ ἑωράκατε και ο πεμψας με πατηρ αυτος μεμαρτυρηκεν περι εμου ουτε φωνην αυτου ακηκοατε πωποτε ουτε ειδος αυτου εωρακατε και ο πεμψας με πατηρ αυτος μεμαρτυρηκεν περι εμου ουτε φωνην αυτου ακηκοατε πωποτε ουτε ειδος αυτου εωρακατε
John 8:46 (NET) John 8:46 (KJV)
Who among you can prove me guilty of any sin?  If I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me? Which of you convinceth me of sin?  And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
τίς ἐξ ὑμῶν ἐλέγχει με περὶ ἁμαρτίας; εἰ ἀλήθειαν λέγω, διὰ τί ὑμεῖς οὐ πιστεύετε μοι τις εξ υμων ελεγχει με περι αμαρτιας ει δε αληθειαν λεγω δια τι υμεις ου πιστευετε μοι τις εξ υμων ελεγχει με περι αμαρτιας ει δε αληθειαν λεγω δια τι υμεις ου πιστευετε μοι
John 8:51, 52 (NET) John 8:51, 52 (KJV)
I tell you the solemn truth, if anyone obeys my teaching, he will never see death.” Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐάν τις τὸν ἐμὸν λόγον τηρήσῃ, θάνατον οὐ μὴ θεωρήσῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα αμην αμην λεγω υμιν εαν τις τον λογον τον εμον τηρηση θανατον ου μη θεωρηση εις τον αιωνα αμην αμην λεγω υμιν εαν τις τον λογον τον εμον τηρηση θανατον ου μη θεωρηση εις τον αιωνα
Then the Judeans responded, “Now we know you’re possessed by a demon!  Both Abraham and the prophets died, and yet you say, ‘If anyone obeys my teaching, he will never experience death.’ Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil.  Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
εἶπον αὐτῷ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι· νῦν ἐγνώκαμεν ὅτι δαιμόνιον ἔχεις. Ἀβραὰμ ἀπέθανεν καὶ οἱ προφῆται, καὶ σὺ λέγεις· ἐάν τις τὸν λόγον μου τηρήσῃ, οὐ μὴ γεύσηται θανάτου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ειπον ουν αυτω οι ιουδαιοι νυν εγνωκαμεν οτι δαιμονιον εχεις αβρααμ απεθανεν και οι προφηται και συ λεγεις εαν τις τον λογον μου τηρηση ου μη γευσεται θανατου εις τον αιωνα ειπον ουν αυτω οι ιουδαιοι νυν εγνωκαμεν οτι δαιμονιον εχεις αβρααμ απεθανεν και οι προφηται και συ λεγεις εαν τις τον λογον μου τηρηση ου μη γευσηται θανατου εις τον αιωνα
John 8:54, 55 (NET) John 8:54, 55 (KJV)
Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worthless.  The one who glorifies me is my Father, about whom you people say, ‘He is our God.’ Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς· ἐὰν ἐγὼ δοξάσω ἐμαυτόν, ἡ δόξα μου οὐδέν ἐστιν· ἔστιν ὁ πατήρ μου ὁ δοξάζων με, ὃν ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι θεὸς |ἡμῶν| ἐστιν απεκριθη ιησους εαν εγω δοξαζω εμαυτον η δοξα μου ουδεν εστιν εστιν ο πατηρ μου ο δοξαζων με ον υμεις λεγετε οτι θεος υμων εστιν απεκριθη ιησους εαν εγω δοξαζω εμαυτον η δοξα μου ουδεν εστιν εστιν ο πατηρ μου ο δοξαζων με ον υμεις λεγετε οτι θεος ημων εστιν
Yet you do not know him, but I know him.  If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you.  But I do know him, and I obey his teaching. Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ οὐκ ἐγνώκατε αὐτόν, ἐγὼ δὲ οἶδα αὐτόν. κὰν εἴπω ὅτι οὐκ οἶδα αὐτόν, ἔσομαι ὅμοιος ὑμῖν ψεύστης· ἀλλὰ οἶδα αὐτὸν καὶ τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ τηρῶ και ουκ εγνωκατε αυτον εγω δε οιδα αυτον και εαν ειπω οτι ουκ οιδα αυτον εσομαι ομοιος υμων ψευστης αλλ οιδα αυτον και τον λογον αυτου τηρω και ουκ εγνωκατε αυτον εγω δε οιδα αυτον και εαν ειπω οτι ουκ οιδα αυτον εσομαι ομοιος υμων ψευστης αλλ οιδα αυτον και τον λογον αυτου τηρω
John 17:7, 8 (NET) John 17:7, 8 (KJV)
Now they understand that everything you have given me comes from you, Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
νῦν ἔγνωκαν ὅτι πάντα ὅσα |δέδωκας| μοι παρὰ σοῦ εἰσιν νυν εγνωκαν οτι παντα οσα δεδωκας μοι παρα σου εστιν νυν εγνωκαν οτι παντα οσα δεδωκας μοι παρα σου εστιν
because I have given them the words you have given me.  They accepted them and really understand that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ὅτι τὰ ρήματα ἃ ἔδωκας μοι δέδωκα αὐτοῖς, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἔλαβον καὶ ἔγνωσαν ἀληθῶς ὅτι παρὰ σοῦ ἐξῆλθον, καὶ ἐπίστευσαν ὅτι σύ με ἀπέστειλας οτι τα ρηματα α δεδωκας μοι δεδωκα αυτοις και αυτοι ελαβον και εγνωσαν αληθως οτι παρα σου εξηλθον και επιστευσαν οτι συ με απεστειλας οτι τα ρηματα α δεδωκας μοι δεδωκα αυτοις και αυτοι ελαβον και εγνωσαν αληθως οτι παρα σου εξηλθον και επιστευσαν οτι συ με απεστειλας

[1] John 17:17 (NET)

[2] In the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 Samaritans was spelled Σαμαριτῶν, and σαμαρειτων in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

[3] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἃ, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had οσα (KJV: that ever).

[4] In the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 Samaritans was spelled Σαμαρῖται, and σαμαρειται in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

[5] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ο χριστος (KJV: the Christ) following world.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[6] John 4:29 (NET)

[7] The Stephanus Textus Receptus had ουν (KJV: Then) here.  The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[8] John 4:30 (NET)

[9] In the NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Stephanus Textus Receptus Messiah was spelled Μεσσίας, and μεσιας in the Byzantine Majority Text.

[10] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἅπαντα here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had παντα (KJV: all things).

[11] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had μένῃ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μεινη (KJV: abide).

[12] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had μένητε here, where the the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μεινητε (KJV: abide).

[13] John 3:17 (NET) Table

[14] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἀκούσουσιν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ακουσονται (KJV: shall hear).  “THE MIDDLE VOICE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT,” by George J. Cline, Grace Theological Seminary, 1983

[15] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἀκούσουσιν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ακουσονται (KJV: shall hear).

[16] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had πατρος (KJV: Father) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[17] Ephesians 2:1 (NET) Table

[18] Romans 10:17 (NKJV) Table

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

[20] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἐκεῖνος here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτος.

[21] Though the NET parallel Greek text, NA28, Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text all had ἐραυνᾶτε here, the KJV translators treated it like the imperative ἐρευνήσατε (KJV: Search the scriptures), transforming Jesus’ observation into a command, a rule to obey.  A sign of the Protestant times circa 1611 or an early example of product placement advertising?  Addendum: July 14, 2020 – Somehow I missed that the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ερευνατε here.

[22] John 17:3b (NET)

[23] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε (KJV: And) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[24] Romans 7:21 (NET)

[25] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article τον preceding teaching and my.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had τον preceding my only.

[26] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28, Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα (not translated in NET or KJV) here.  A note (134) in the NET translated it forever (2 Corinthians 5:1-10).

[27] The Stephanus Textus Receptus, Byzantine Majority Text and NA28 had ουν here.  The NET parallel Greek text did not.

[28] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28, Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα (not translated in NET or KJV) here.  A note (143) in the NET translated it forever (2 Corinthians 5:1-10).

[29] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had δοξάσω here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δοξαζων (KJV: honoureth).

[30] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had ἡμῶν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had υμων (KJV: your).

[31] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had κὰν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και εαν (KJV: and if).

[32] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ὑμῖν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had υμων (KJV: unto you).

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

[34] 1 John 4:18 (NET)

[35] John 15:20 (NET)

[36] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had εἰσιν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εστιν (KJV: are).

[37] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἔδωκας here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δεδωκας (KJV: thou gavest).

[38] John 17:14a (NET)

Father, Forgive Them – Part 6

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Three things stand out to me (Luke 23:32-34a Table; John 12:32, 33; Matthew 22:41-46):

Two other criminals were also led away to be executed with [Jesus].  So when they came to the place that is called “The Skull,” they crucified him there, along with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.  [But Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”]

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw[1] all people to myself.”  (Now [Jesus] said this to indicate clearly what kind of death he was going to die.)

While the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus asked them a question: “What do you think about the Christ?  Whose son is he?”  They said, “The son of David.”[2]  He said to them, “How then does David[3] by the Spirit call him ‘Lord,’ saying, ‘The Lord said to my lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’ [Table]?  If David[4] then calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?”  No one was able to answer him a word,[5] and from that day on no one dared to question him any longer.

A fourth thing is like the other three: And when he comes, Jesus promised concerning the Advocate, the Spirit of truth, he will prove the world wrong concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.[6]

So I have Jesus’ righteous prayer from the cross, his promise to draw all to Himself, our Father’s promise to put Jesus’ enemies under his feet and the promise that the Holy Spirit will prove wrong or reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.[7]  This sketch outlines the work of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit for salvation, work which precedes my faith that (Romans 3:23-26 KJV):

all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus [Table].

It adequately explains why Paul didn’t celebrate my faith as a worthy personal achievement: For by grace you are saved through faith,[8] and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. [9]

I’m aware of the argument that this (τοῦτο) cannot refer to faith (πίστεως) because τοῦτο is neuter and πίστεως is feminine.  I’m not qualified to engage that argument so I’ll defer to Matthew Olliffe, “Is ‘Faith’ the ‘Gift of God’? Reading Ephesians 2:8-10 with the Ancients,” from The Gospel Coalition online.  An alternative view is presented by René A. López, “IS FAITH A GIFT FROM GOD OR A HUMAN EXERCISE?,” from Dallas Theological Seminary online.  The only thing I feel qualified to comment on here was a rhetorical question: “Who would accuse a beggar of working by holding out his hand to receive a dollar bill?  No one!”[10]

I have disengaged from conversation with a person seeking alms by saying, “I’ll let you get back to work.”  The difference between us is that when I go to work my pay is guaranteed by law.  No matter how many hours the person seeking alms spends in the heat, the cold or the wet, there is no guarantee but the grace of God.  And more often than not I’ve been blessed in his name by those dependent upon Him for their next meal.

Whether the momentary faith that brings one into a relationship with Jesus Christ is ultimately “a gift from God or a human exercise,” faith (πίστις) is an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23 NET Table):

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness (πίστις), gentleness, and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.

The believer seeks to rely on the Holy Spirit’s faithfulness, as opposed to one’s own, as soon as possible: For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.[11]  (Perhaps a new believer relies instinctively on the Holy Spirit’s faithfulness, until the religious mind leads one astray.)  Mr. López didn’t confine his objections to initial saving faith.  He continued with some discussion of sanctification, quoting Gary Nebeker: [12]

“An infused idea of faith engenders a less-than-balanced view of sanctification, i.e., victory in the spiritual life is viewed as a virtual guarantee.  If God gives believers faith to live the Christian life, then the difficult aspects of progressive holiness commanded in Scripture tend to be softpedaled.”66

If faith is a gift, then many commands in Scripture that exhort, command, prompt, and warn believers to live obediently become superfluous because the ultimate end of infused faith guarantees the sanctification of believers without their involvement.  Followed to its logical conclusion the gift-of-faith view lessens the urgency of putting forth effort to obey scriptural exhortations.

I may be more susceptible to a works religion than some, but “putting forth effort to obey scriptural exhortations” sounds to me like trying to have my own righteousness derived, if not from the law, from the exhortations, commands, prompts and warnings of the New Testament perceived as rules to be obeyed.  That does not sound like the one who practices the truth [who] comes to the light, so that it may be plainly evident that his deeds have been done in God.[13]  Nor does it sound like the one who has entered God’s rest (Hebrews 4:10-13):

For the one who enters God’s rest (κατάπαυσιν, a form of κατάπαυσις) has also rested (κατέπαυσεν, a form of καταπαύω) from his works, just as God did from his own works.  Thus we must make every effort to enter that rest (κατάπαυσιν), so that no one may fall by following the same pattern of disobedience (Numbers 13-14).  For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul[14] from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart.  And no creature is hidden from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.

It seems pertinent here to point out that we must make every effort (KJV: Let us labour) was Σπουδάσωμεν in Greek, a form of Σπουδάζω: “to hasten, hurry, use speed, act with speed; to be zealous, eager, diligent; to be busy; to become mentally unsettled.”  They [e.g., those who were influential] requested only that we remember the poor, Paul wrote believers in Galatia, the very thing I also was eager (ἐσπούδασα, another form of σπουδάζω) to do.[15]  I’ll suggest that being eager to enter God’s rest might be a better understanding than effort or labour.

Mr. López’s argument that “the ultimate end of infused faith guarantees the sanctification of believers without their involvement”[16] seems like a diabolical red herring to me since my primary “involvement” in my sanctification was to take charge and try to accomplish it myself by obeying rules.  If he referred instead to Bible study, I can’t say that any consideration of how faith is produced—whether as an outright gift or by other means of God’s grace—ever diminished my appetite for Bible study.

My life divides into two parts: 1) From reciting the sinner’s prayer to atheism (about 5 years of age to 17); and 2) asking to know the Lord if He was there to be known to the present (about 22 years of age to 66 currently).  In part one of my life I had a distaste for the Bible, almost nothing could compel me to regular study.  In part two, I’ve had such a hunger that almost nothing could dissuade me from regular Bible study; nothing except, sadly, marriage and family.  I was too busy then being promoted at work to my level of incompetence and at home trying to please my wife (another “promotion” to my level of incompetence).  But I consider this appetite for the Bible God’s answer to my prayer rather than a personal achievement.

“If God gives believers faith to live the Christian life, then the difficult aspects of progressive holiness commanded in Scripture tend to be softpedaled.”  Which of the two regimes Jesus contrasted does this Gary Nebeker quote sound most like?

Matthew 23:2-7 (NET) Matthew 11:25b-30 (NET)
The experts in the law and the Pharisees sit on Moses’[17] seat.  Therefore pay attention to what[18] they tell you[19] and do[20] it.  But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they teach.  They tie up[21] heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on men’s shoulders, but they[22] themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them.  They do all their deeds to be seen by people, for[23] they make their phylacteries wide and their tassels long.[24]  They love[25] the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues and elaborate greetings in the marketplaces, and to have people call them ‘Rabbi.’[26] I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden[27] these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to little children.  Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will.  All things have been handed over to me by my Father.  No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son decides to reveal him.  Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (ἀναπαύσω, a form of ἀναπαύω).  Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle[28] and humble in heart, and you will find rest (ἀνάπαυσιν, a form of ἀνάπαυσις) for your souls.  For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry.

To my ear “the difficult aspects of progressive holiness” being “softpedaled” leans more toward heavy loads, hard to carry and an unwillingness even to lift a finger to move them, as it leans away from a yoke that is easy to bear and a load that is not hard to carry.

Mr. López considered, “true believers will never fail to live godly lives…because God, having infused them with faith, guarantees their sanctification throughout their lives,” a view that “diminishes the seriousness of the commands of Scripture for believers to pursue holiness.”[29]  Does God infusing me with his love through his Holy Spirit diminish the command You shall not murder?[30] Or is it the way He fulfills his command?  “[M]ost Christians do not understand,” an article titled Sanctification on The Alliance website acknowledged, “the fullness of the Holy Spirit in their lives.”[31]  The uncertainty expressed concerning sanctification in Mr. López’s article seems too accommodating to that majority.

Though my knowledge of Koine Greek syntax is insufficient to argue that—For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—means that faith is not a gift from God, I have experienced by simple trial and error the difference between relying on my faith and resting in God’s own πίστις (NET: faithfulness), a fountain of water springing up to eternal life[32] as Jesus promised.  The writer of Hebrews encourages believers to enter this rest (Hebrews 3:12-14 NET):

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has an evil, unbelieving heart that forsakes the living God.  But exhort one another each day, as long as it is called “Today,” that none of you may become hardened by sin’s deception.  For we have become partners with Christ, if in fact we hold our initial confidence (ὑποστάσεως, a form of ὑπόστασις) firm until the end.

It seems obvious to me now, this requires the continuous infusion of the faithfulness that is an aspect of the fruit of God’s Holy Spirit (not to mention his love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-contol), rather than something I might conjure on my own (Ephesians 3:14-21 NET).

For this reason I kneel before the Father, [Table] from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.  I pray that according to the wealth of his glory he will grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person, [Table] that Christ will dwell in your hearts through faith, so that, because you have been rooted and grounded in love,[33] you will be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you will be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Now to him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.  Amen [Table].

A table comparing Exodus 20:13 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET; and another comparing Exodus 20:13 (20:15) in the BLB and Elpenor versions of the Septuagint with the English translations from Hebrew and Greek follow.  Tables comparing Matthew 22:42, 43; 22:45; Ephesians 2:8; Hebrews 4:12; Matthew 23:2-7; 11:25; 11:29 and Ephesians 3:18 in the NET and KJV follow those.

Exodus 20:13 (Tanakh) Exodus 20:13 (KJV) Exodus 20:13 (NET)
Thou shalt not murder; Thou shalt not commit adultery; Thou shalt not steal; Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou shalt not kill. “You shall not murder.
Exodus 20:13 (Septuagint BLB) Exodus 20:15 (Septuagint Elpenor)
οὐ φονεύσεις οὐ φονεύσεις
Exodus 20:15 (NETS) Exodus 20:15 (English Elpenor)
You shall not murder. Thou shalt not kill.
Matthew 22:42, 43 (NET) Matthew 22:42, 43 (KJV)
“What do you think about the Christ?  Whose son is he?”  They said, “The son of David.” Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he?  They say unto him, The son of David.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
λέγων· τί ὑμῖν δοκεῖ περὶ τοῦ χριστοῦ; τίνος υἱός ἐστιν; λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· τοῦ Δαυίδ λεγων τι υμιν δοκει περι του χριστου τινος υιος εστιν λεγουσιν αυτω του δαβιδ λεγων τι υμιν δοκει περι του χριστου τινος υιος εστιν λεγουσιν αυτω του δαυιδ
He said to them, “How then does David by the Spirit call him ‘Lord,’ saying, He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
λέγει αὐτοῖς· πῶς οὖν Δαυὶδ ἐν πνεύματι καλεῖ αὐτὸν κύριον λέγων λεγει αυτοις πως ουν δαβιδ εν πνευματι κυριον αυτον καλει λεγων λεγει αυτοις πως ουν δαυιδ εν πνευματι κυριον αυτον καλει λεγων
Matthew 22:45 (NET) Matthew 22:45 (KJV)
If David then calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
εἰ οὖν Δαυὶδ καλεῖ αὐτὸν κύριον, πῶς υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ει ουν δαβιδ καλει αυτον κυριον πως υιος αυτου εστιν ει ουν δαυιδ καλει αυτον κυριον πως υιος αυτου εστιν
Ephesians 2:8 (NET) Ephesians 2:8 (KJV)
For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God;
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
Τῇ γὰρ χάριτι ἐστε σεσῳσμένοι διὰ πίστεως· καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ ὑμῶν, θεοῦ τὸ δῶρον τη γαρ χαριτι εστε σεσωσμενοι δια της πιστεως και τουτο ουκ εξ υμων θεου το δωρον τη γαρ χαριτι εστε σεσωσμενοι δια της πιστεως και τουτο ουκ εξ υμων θεου το δωρον
Hebrews 4:12 (NET) Hebrews 4:12 (KJV)
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
Ζῶν γὰρ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐνεργὴς καὶ τομώτερος ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαιραν δίστομον καὶ διϊκνούμενος ἄχρι μερισμοῦ ψυχῆς καὶ πνεύματος, ἁρμῶν τε καὶ μυελῶν, καὶ κριτικὸς ἐνθυμήσεων καὶ ἐννοιῶν καρδίας ζων γαρ ο λογος του θεου και ενεργης και τομωτερος υπερ πασαν μαχαιραν διστομον και διικνουμενος αχρι μερισμου ψυχης τε και πνευματος αρμων τε και μυελων και κριτικος ενθυμησεων και εννοιων καρδιας ζων γαρ ο λογος του θεου και ενεργης και τομωτερος υπερ πασαν μαχαιραν διστομον και διικνουμενος αχρι μερισμου ψυχης τε και πνευματος αρμων τε και μυελων και κριτικος ενθυμησεων και εννοιων καρδιας
Matthew 23:2-7 (NET) Matthew 23:2-7 (KJV)
The experts in the law and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat. Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
λέγων· ἐπὶ τῆς Μωϋσέως καθέδρας ἐκάθισαν οἱ γραμματεῖς καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι λεγων επι της μωσεως καθεδρας εκαθισαν οι γραμματεις και οι φαρισαιοι λεγων επι της μωσεως καθεδρας εκαθισαν οι γραμματεις και οι φαρισαιοι
Therefore pay attention to what they tell you and do it.  But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they teach. All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
πάντα οὖν ὅσα ἐὰν εἴπωσιν ὑμῖν ποιήσατε καὶ τηρεῖτε, κατὰ δὲ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν μὴ ποιεῖτε· λέγουσιν γὰρ καὶ οὐ ποιοῦσιν παντα ουν οσα αν ειπωσιν υμιν τηρειν τηρειτε και ποιειτε κατα δε τα εργα αυτων μη ποιειτε λεγουσιν γαρ και ου ποιουσιν παντα ουν οσα εαν ειπωσιν υμιν τηρειν τηρειτε και ποιειτε κατα δε τα εργα αυτων μη ποιειτε λεγουσιν γαρ και ου ποιουσιν
They tie up heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
δεσμεύουσιν δὲ φορτία βαρέα [καὶ δυσβάστακτα] καὶ ἐπιτιθέασιν ἐπὶ τοὺς ὤμους τῶν ἀνθρώπων, αὐτοὶ δὲ τῷ δακτύλῳ αὐτῶν οὐ θέλουσιν κινῆσαι αὐτά δεσμευουσιν γαρ φορτια βαρεα και δυσβαστακτα και επιτιθεασιν επι τους ωμους των ανθρωπων τω δε δακτυλω αυτων ου θελουσιν κινησαι αυτα δεσμευουσιν γαρ φορτια βαρεα και δυσβαστακτα και επιτιθεασιν επι τους ωμους των ανθρωπων τω δε δακτυλω αυτων ου θελουσιν κινησαι αυτα
They do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries wide and their tassels long. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
πάντα δὲ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν ποιοῦσιν πρὸς τὸ θεαθῆναι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· πλατύνουσιν γὰρ τὰ φυλακτήρια αὐτῶν καὶ μεγαλύνουσιν τὰ κράσπεδα παντα δε τα εργα αυτων ποιουσιν προς το θεαθηναι τοις ανθρωποις πλατυνουσιν δε τα φυλακτηρια αυτων και μεγαλυνουσιν τα κρασπεδα των ιματιων αυτων παντα δε τα εργα αυτων ποιουσιν προς το θεαθηναι τοις ανθρωποις πλατυνουσιν δε τα φυλακτηρια αυτων και μεγαλυνουσιν τα κρασπεδα των ιματιων αυτων
They love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
φιλοῦσιν δὲ τὴν πρωτοκλισίαν ἐν τοῖς δείπνοις καὶ τὰς πρωτοκαθεδρίας ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς φιλουσιν τε την πρωτοκλισιαν εν τοις δειπνοις και τας πρωτοκαθεδριας εν ταις συναγωγαις φιλουσιν τε την πρωτοκλισιαν εν τοις δειπνοις και τας πρωτοκαθεδριας εν ταις συναγωγαις
and elaborate greetings in the marketplaces, and to have people call them ‘Rabbi.’ And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ τοὺς ἀσπασμοὺς ἐν ταῖς ἀγοραῖς καὶ καλεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ραββί και τους ασπασμους εν ταις αγοραις και καλεισθαι υπο των ανθρωπων ραββι ραββι και τους ασπασμους εν ταις αγοραις και καλεισθαι υπο των ανθρωπων ραββι ραββι
Matthew 11:25 (NET) Matthew 11:25 (KJV)
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to little children. At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
Ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ καιρῷ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν· ἐξομολογοῦμαι σοι, πάτερ, κύριε τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅτι ἔκρυψας ταῦτα ἀπὸ σοφῶν καὶ συνετῶν καὶ ἀπεκάλυψας αὐτὰ νηπίοις εν εκεινω τω καιρω αποκριθεις ο ιησους ειπεν εξομολογουμαι σοι πατερ κυριε του ουρανου και της γης οτι απεκρυψας ταυτα απο σοφων και συνετων και απεκαλυψας αυτα νηπιοις εν εκεινω τω καιρω αποκριθεις ο ιησους ειπεν εξομολογουμαι σοι πατερ κυριε του ουρανου και της γης οτι απεκρυψας ταυτα απο σοφων και συνετων και απεκαλυψας αυτα νηπιοις
Matthew 11:29 (NET) Matthew 11:29 (KJV)
Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ἄρατε τὸν ζυγόν μου ἐφ᾿ ὑμᾶς καὶ μάθετε ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πραΰς εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ εὑρήσετε ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν αρατε τον ζυγον μου εφ υμας και μαθετε απ εμου οτι πραος ειμι και ταπεινος τη καρδια και ευρησετε αναπαυσιν ταις ψυχαις υμων αρατε τον ζυγον μου εφ υμας και μαθετε απ εμου οτι πραος ειμι και ταπεινος τη καρδια και ευρησετε αναπαυσιν ταις ψυχαις υμων
Ephesians 3:18 (NET) Ephesians 3:18 (KJV)
you will be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ἵνα ἐξισχύσητε καταλαβέσθαι σὺν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἁγίοις τί τὸ πλάτος καὶ μῆκος καὶ ὕψος καὶ βάθος, εν αγαπη ερριζωμενοι και τεθεμελιωμενοι ινα εξισχυσητε καταλαβεσθαι συν πασιν τοις αγιοις τι το πλατος και μηκος και βαθος και υψος εν αγαπη ερριζωμενοι και τεθεμελιωμενοι ινα εξισχυσητε καταλαβεσθαι συν πασιν τοις αγιοις τι το πλατος και μηκος και βαθος και υψος

[1] Condemnation or Judgment? – Part 8

[2] In the NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text David was spelled Δαυίδ, and δαβιδ in the Stephanus Textus Receptus.

[3] In the NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text David was spelled Δαυίδ, and δαβιδ in the Stephanus Textus Receptus.

[4] In the NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text David was spelled Δαυίδ, and δαβιδ in the Stephanus Textus Receptus.

[5] Since I’ve considered this recently it seems pertinent to note that the Pharisees did not answer Jesus’ quizzical allusion to his own incarnation by saying, “Oh, well, David was just being respectful to the future Messiah, calling him ‘sir’.”

[6] John 16:8 (NET)

[7] John 16:8b (KJV)

[8] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article της preceding faith.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.  A note (20) in the NET indicates that this difference might actually be significant.

[9] Ephesians 2:8 NET

[10] René A. López, “IS FAITH A GIFT FROM GOD OR A HUMAN EXERCISE?,” IS FAITH CONSIDERED A WORK?, BIBLIOTHECA SACRA / July–September 2007, p266, from Dallas Theological Seminary

[11] Romans 8:14 (NET)

[12] René A. López, “IS FAITH A GIFT FROM GOD OR A HUMAN EXERCISE?” THE CONFLICT: IF FAITH IS A GIFT, BIBLIOTHECA SACRA / July–September 2007, p. 275, from Dallas Theological Seminary

[13] John 3:21 (NET)

[14] The StephanusTextus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τε και (KJV: and) following soul, where the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had simply καὶ.

[15] Galatians 2:10 (NET)

[16] René A. López, “IS FAITH A GIFT FROM GOD OR A HUMAN EXERCISE?” THE CONFLICT: IF FAITH IS A GIFT, BIBLIOTHECA SACRA / July–September 2007, p. 275, from Dallas Theological Seminary

[17] In the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 Moses was spelled Μωϋσέως, and μωσεως in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

[18] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had ὅσα ἐὰν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had οσα αν (KJV: whatsoever).

[19] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τηρειν (KJV: observe) following tell you (KJV: bid you).  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[20] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ποιήσατε here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ποιειτε.

[21] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had δὲ (not translated in the NET) following tie up, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had γαρ (KJV: For).

[22] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had αὐτοὶ here.  The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[23] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had γαρ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δὲ (KJV: But).

[24] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had των ιματιων αυτων (KJV: of their garments) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[25] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had δὲ (not translated in the NET) following they love, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τε (KJV: And).

[26] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had a second ραββι (KJV: Rabbi) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[27] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἔκρυψας here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had απεκρυψας (KJV: had hid).

[28] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had πραΰς here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had πραος (KJV: meek).

[29] René A. López, “IS FAITH A GIFT FROM GOD OR A HUMAN EXERCISE?” THE CONFLICT: IF FAITH IS A GIFT, BIBLIOTHECA SACRA / July–September 2007, p. 275, from Dallas Theological Seminary

[30] Exodus 20:13 (NET)

[31] Here is a link to a table comparing Presbyterian, Baptist and Christian & Missionary Alliance views of sanctification according to their own websites.

[32] John 4:14 (NET)

[33] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εν αγαπη ερριζωμενοι και τεθεμελιωμενοι (“in love rooted and grounded”) at the beginning of verse 18, where the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had it (ἐν ἀγάπῃ ἐρριζωμένοι καὶ τεθεμελιωμένοι) at the end of verse 17.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit – Part 2

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Masoretic Text Septuagint
Psalm 110:1 (Tanakh) Psalm 110:1 (NET) Psalm 109:1 (NETS) Psalm 109:1 (English Elpenor)
The LORD (יְהֹוָ֨ה) said unto my Lord (לַֽאדֹנִ֗י), Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. A psalm of David.  Here is the Lord’s (yehôvâh, יהוה) proclamation to my lord (ʼâdôn, לאדני): “Sit down at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.” Pertaining to Dauid.  A Psalm.  The Lord (κύριος) said to my lord (κυρίῳ), “Sit on my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” [A Psalm of David.]  The Lord (Κύριος) said to my Lord (Κυρίῳ), Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

This verse has compelled me to consider something more like trinitarianism to continue to believe that Jesus is יְהֹוָ֨ה (yehôvâh) come in human flesh.  A table comparing the two Hebrew words translated Lord in Morfix follows.  My procedure was the same: if I got no result using vowel points I used the word from the NET parallel Hebrew text without vowel points.

Psalm 110:1
Hebrew Tanakh Homographs English Definitions
יְהֹוָ֨ה יהוה The LORD יְהֹוָה (biblical) Jehovah, God, the Lord
הִוָּה to constitute
לַֽאדֹנִ֗י לאדני my Lord אֶדֶן windowsill; railway sleeper; (flowery) base, foundation
אֲדֹנָי God, the Lord

It seems odd to list אֶדֶן and אֲדֹנָי as homographs since they are so distinctly different, but אָדֹן occurred in Strong’s concordance as well.  I don’t know Hebrew well enough to do much more than report at this point.  Apparently this is not the only homograph of אֲדֹנָי.

Masoretic Text Septuagint
Genesis 15:1, 2 (Tanakh) Genesis 15:1, 2 (NET) Genesis 15:1, 2 (NETS) Genesis 15:1, 2 (English Elpenor)
After these things the word of HaShem (יְהֹוָה֙) came unto Abram in a vision, saying: ‘Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield, thy reward shall be exceeding great.’ After these things the Lord’s  (yehôvâh, יהוה) message came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram!  I am your shield and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” Now after these matters the Lord’s (κυρίου) word came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram; I am shielding you; your reward shall be very great.” AND after these things the word of the Lord (Κυρίου) came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I shield thee, thy reward shall be very great.
And Abram said: ‘O L-rd (אֲדֹנָ֤י) GOD (יֱהֹוִה֙), what wilt Thou give me, seeing I go hence childless, and he that shall be possessor of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ But Abram said, “O Sovereign (ʼădônây, אדני) Lord (yehôvih, יהוה), what will you give me since I continue to be childless, and my heir is Eliezer of Damascus?” But Abram was saying, “O Master (δέσποτα), what will you give me?  And I, I am going away childless; as for the son of Masek, my female homebred, he is Damascus Eliezer.” And Abram said, Master (δέσποτα) [and] Lord (Κύριε), what wilt thou give me? whereas I am departing without a child, but the son of Masek my home-born female slave, this Eliezer of Damascus [is mine heir.]

Morfix didn’t recognize any difference between the homographs אֲדֹנָֽי (ʼâdôn) and אֲדֹנָ֣י (ʼădônây), but I only got a result when I used the NET parallel Hebrew אדני without vowel points.

Psalm 110:1
Hebrew Tanakh Homographs English Definitions
לַֽאדֹנִ֗י לאדני my Lord אֶדֶן windowsill; railway sleeper; (flowery) base, foundation
אֲדֹנָי God, the Lord
Genesis 15:2
אֲדֹנָ֤י אדני L-rd אֶדֶן windowsill; railway sleeper; (flowery) base, foundation
אֲדֹנָי God, the Lord

The rabbis chose δέσποτα a form of δεσπότης, “lord, master, despot; owner of a ship; one who wields absolute authority and control,” for אֲדֹנָ֤י (ʼădônây).  In Psalm 110:1 they had chosen Κυρίῳ (Table2 below) a form of κύριος, “Lord, master, Sir, God; owner, someone who owns and controls (possessions); someone addressed as being of a higher social standing; someone who exercises absolute authority over someone else or something,” for לַֽאדֹנִ֗י (ʼâdôn).  The words are synonyms.  The rabbis’ choice of δέσποτα here avoided the awkward Κύριε Κύριε (Table6 below) and in the following example (Table12 below).

Masoretic Text Septuagint
Genesis 15:6-8 (Tanakh) Genesis 15: 6-8 (NET) Genesis 15: 6-8 (NETS) Genesis 15: 6-8 (English Elpenor)
And he believed in HaShem (בַּֽיהֹוָ֑ה); and He counted it to him for righteousness. Abram believed the Lord (yehôvâh, ביהוה), and the Lord credited it as righteousness to him. And Abraham believed God (θεῷ), and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. And Abram believed God (Θεῷ), and it was counted to him for righteousness.
And He said unto him: ‘I am HaShem (יְהֹוָ֗ה) that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.’ The Lord said to him, “I am the Lord (yehôvâh, יהוה) who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” Then he said to him, “I am the God (θεὸς) who brought you out of the country of the Chaldeans so as to give you this land to possess.” And he said to him, I am God (Θεὸς) that brought thee out of the land of the Chaldeans, so as to give thee this land to inherit.
And he said: ‘O L-rd (אֲדֹנָ֣י) GOD (יֱהֹוִ֔ה), whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?’ But Abram said, “O Sovereign (ʼădônây, אדני) Lord (yehôvih, יהוה), by what can I know that I am to possess it?” But he said, “O Master (δέσποτα), Lord (κύριε), how shall I know that I shall possess it?” And he said, Master (Δέσποτα) [and] Lord (Κύριε), how shall I know that I shall inherit it?

The next occurrence of אֲדֹנָ֗י (ʼădônây) was not immediately followed by יֱהֹוִ֔ה (yehôvih); the rabbis chose κύριε rather than δέσποτα.

Masoretic Text Septuagint
Genesis 18:1-3 (Tanakh) Genesis 18:1-3 (NET) Genesis 18:1-3 (NETS) Genesis 18:1-3 (English Elpenor)
And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֔ה) appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; The Lord (yehôvâh, יהוה) appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest time of the day. AND God (θεὸς) appeared to him by the oak of Mambre, as he sat by the door of his tent at noon. AND God (Θεὸς) appeared to him by the oak of Mambre, as he sat by the door of his tent at noon.
and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood over against him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed down to the earth, Abraham looked up and saw three men standing across from him.  When he saw them he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. And looking up with his eyes he saw, and see, three men stood over him.  And when he saw them, he ran forward from his tent door to meet them and did obeisance upon the ground And he lifted up his eyes and beheld, and lo! three men stood before him; and having seen them he ran to meet them from the door of his tent, and did obeisance to the ground.
and said: ‘My lord (אֲדֹנָ֗י), if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant. He said, “My lord (ʼădônây, אדני), if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. and said, “Lord (κύριε), if perchance I have found favor before you, do not pass by your servant. And he said, Lord (κύριε), if indeed I have found grace in thy sight, pass not by thy servant.

In the next occurrence יְהֹוָ֔ה (yehôvâh) was translated Κύριος and אֲדֹנָ֔י (ʼădônây) Κύριόν (another form of κύριος).

Masoretic Text Septuagint
Genesis 18:26, 27 (Tanakh) Genesis 18:26, 27 (NET) Genesis 18:26, 27 (NETS) Genesis 18:26, 27 (English Elpenor)
And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֔ה) said: ‘If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will forgive all the place for their sake.’ So the Lord (yehôvâh, יהוה) replied, “If I find in the city of Sodom fifty godly people, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” Then the Lord (κύριος) said, “If I find in Sodoma fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake.” And the Lord (Κύριος) said, If there should be in Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole city, and the whole place for their sakes.
And Abraham answered and said: ‘Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the L-rd (אֲדֹנָ֔י), who am but dust and ashes. Then Abraham asked, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord [ʼădônây, אדני] (although I am but dust and ashes), And Abraam said in reply, “Now I have begun to speak to the Lord (κύριον), though I am earth and ashes. And Abraam answered and said, Now I have begun to speak to my Lord (Κύριόν), and I am earth and ashes.

In the next example two occurrences of לַֽאדֹנָי֙ (ʼădônây) were translated κύριε (another form of κύριος) and אֲדֹנָ֔י (ʼădônây) κύριον, while the lone instance of יְהֹוָ֔ה (yehôvâh) was translated Κύριος.

Masoretic Text Septuagint
Genesis 18:30-33 (Tanakh) Genesis 18:30-33 (NET) Genesis 18:30-33 (NETS) Genesis 18:30-33 (English Elpenor)
And he said: ‘Oh, let not the L-rd (לַֽאדֹנָי֙) be angry, and I will speak.  Peradventure there shall thirty be found there.’  And He said: ‘I will not do it, if I find thirty there.’ Then Abraham said, “May the Lord (ʼădônây, לאדני) not be angry so that I may speak!  What if thirty are found there?”  He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” And he said, “Pardon, Lord (κύριε), if I should speak.  But if thirty should be found there?”  And he said, “I will not destroy it, if I find thirty there.” And he said, Will there be anything [against me], Lord (κύριε), if I shall speak? but if there be found there thirty?  And he said, I will not destroy it for the thirty’s sake.
And he said: ‘Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the L-rd (אֲדֹנָ֔י).  Peradventure there shall be twenty found there.’  And He said: ‘I will not destroy it for the twenty’s sake.’ Abraham said, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord (ʼădônây, אדני), what if only twenty are found there?”  He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.” And he said, “Since I am compelled to speak to the Lord (κύριον)—and if twenty should be found there?”  And he said, “On account of the twenty I will not destroy it.” And he said, Since I am able to speak to the Lord (κύριον), what if there should be found there twenty?  And he said, I will not destroy it, if I should find there twenty.
And he said: ‘Oh, let not the L-rd (לַֽאדֹנָי֙) be angry, and I will speak yet but this once.  Peradventure ten shall be found there.’  And He said: ‘I will not destroy it for the ten’s sake.’ Finally Abraham said, “May the Lord (ʼădônây, לאדני) not be angry so that I may speak just once more.  What if ten are found there?”  He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.” And he said, “Pardon, Lord (κύριε), if I should speak once more.  But if ten should be found there?”  And he said, “On account of the ten I will not destroy it.” And he said, Will there be anything [against me], Lord (κύριε), if I speak yet once? but if there should be found there ten?  And he said, I will not destroy it for the ten’s sake.
And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֔ה) went His way, as soon as He had left off speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned unto his place. The Lord (yehôvâh, יהוה) went on his way when he had finished speaking to Abraham.  Then Abraham returned home. Then the Lord (κύριος) went away, when he had left off speaking to Abraam, and Abraam returned to his place. And the Lord (Κύριος) departed, when he left off speaking to Abraam, and Abraam returned to his place.

The next occurrence of אֲדֹנַ֗י (ʼâdôn) was translated κύριοι (another form of κύριος).

Masoretic Text Septuagint
Genesis 19:1, 2 (Tanakh) Genesis 19:1, 2 (NET) Genesis 19:1, 2 (NETS) Genesis 19:1, 2 (English Elpenor)
And the two angels came to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom; and Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them; and he fell down on his face to the earth; The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway.  When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face toward the ground. Now the two angels came to Sodoma at evening, and Lot was sitting beside the gate of Sodoma.  And when Lot saw them he rose to meet them and did obeisance with his face upon the ground AND the two angels came to Sodom at evening.  And Lot sat by the gate of Sodom, and Lot having seen them, rose up to meet them, and he worshipped with his face to the ground, and said,
and he said: ‘Behold now, my lords (אֲדֹנַ֗י), turn aside, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your way.’  And they said: ‘Nay; but we will abide in the broad place all night.’ He said, “Here, my lords (ʼâdôn, אדני), please turn aside to your servant’s house.  Stay the night and wash your feet.  Then you can be on your way early in the morning.”  “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” and said, “Here, lords (κύριοι), turn aside to your servant’s house, and find lodging, and wash your feet, and when you have risen early you will depart on your way.”  They, however, said, “No, but we will find lodging in the street.” Lo! [my] lords (κύριοι), turn aside to the house of your servant, and rest from your journey, and wash your feet, and having risen early in the morning ye shall depart on your journey.  And they said, Nay, but we will lodge in the street.

In the next example אֲדֹנָֽי (ʼâdôn) was translated κύριε (another form of κύριος).

Masoretic Text Septuagint
Genesis 19:16-18 (Tanakh) Genesis 19: 16-18 (NET) Genesis 19: 16-18 (NETS) Genesis 19: 16-18 (English Elpenor)
But he lingered; and the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; HaShem (יְהֹוָ֖ה) being merciful unto him.  And they brought him forth, and set him without the city. When Lot hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord (yehôvâh, יהוה) had compassion on them.  They led them away and placed them outside the city. And they were confounded, and the angels seized his hand and his wife’s hand and his daughters’ hands, as the Lord (κύριον) spared him. And they were troubled, and the angels laid hold on his hand, and the hand of his wife, and the hands of his two daughters, in that the Lord (Κύριον) spared him.
And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said: ‘Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the Plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be swept away.’ When they had brought them outside, they said, “Run for your lives!  Don’t look behind you or stop anywhere in the valley!  Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!” And it came about when they had brought them outside, that then they said, “In saving, save your own soul; do not look around backwards or stop in the whole region round about; get safely to the mountain, that you not be included.” And it came to pass when they brought them out, that they said, Save thine own life by all means; look not round to that which is behind, nor stay in all the country round about, escape to the mountain, lest perhaps thou be overtaken together with them.
And Lot said unto them: ‘Oh, not so, my lord (אֲדֹנָֽי); But Lot said to them, “No, please, Lord (ʼâdôn, אדני)! But Lot said to them, “I pray, Lord (κύριε), And Lot said to them, I pray, Lord (κύριε),

The distinction between the homographs אֲדֹנָ֣י (ʼădônây) and אֲדֹנָֽי (ʼâdôn) seems to be a matter of vowel points and context.  I can understand why a religious mind might wish to make this distinction.  I was highly offended that my third grade spelling book presented God as a spelling word.  I still wanted a good grade, so I compromised.  Every time I practiced spelling God (and on the spelling test itself) I drew lines radiating out from His name, like rays of sunlight.  The rabbis who translated the Septuagint don’t seem to have recognized any distinction between אֲדֹנָ֣י (ʼădônây) and אֲדֹנָֽי (ʼâdôn).  So far most occurrences were translated with forms of Κύριος.

Reference Chabad.org NET Strong’s BLB Elpenor
Psalm 110:1 לַֽאדֹנִ֗י לאדני ʼâdôn κυρίῳ Κυρίῳ
Genesis 18:3 אֲדֹנָ֗י אדני ʼădônây κύριε κύριε
Genesis 18:27 אֲדֹנָ֔י אדני ʼădônây κύριον Κύριόν
Genesis 18:30 לַֽאדֹנָי֙ לאדני ʼădônây κύριε κύριε
Genesis 18:31 אֲדֹנָ֔י אדני ʼădônây κύριον κύριον
Genesis 18:32 לַֽאדֹנָי֙ לאדני ʼădônây κύριος Κύριος
Genesis 19:2 אֲדֹנַ֗י אדני ʼâdôn κύριοι κύριοι
Genesis 19:18 אֲדֹנָֽי אדני ʼâdôn κύριε κύριε

The two exceptions occurred when the honorific אֲדֹנָ֤י (ʼădônây) was followed immediately by a form of the Name (יֱהֹוִה֙).

Reference Chabad.org NET Strong’s BLB Elpenor
Genesis 15:2 אֲדֹנָ֤י אדני ʼădônây δέσποτα δέσποτα
Genesis 15:8 אֲדֹנָ֣י אדני ʼădônây δέσποτα Δέσποτα

If this pattern of translation holds I’ll assume that the distinction between אֲדֹנָ֣י (ʼădônây) and אֲדֹנָֽי (ʼâdôn) originated sometime after the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew into Greek.  This study highlights another issue for me.  The superstition regarding the Name (יְהֹוָ֨ה) predates the Greek translation of the Old Testament.  The rabbis didn’t transliterate יְהֹוָ֨ה (yehôvâh) and יֱהֹוִה֙ (yehôvih) into Greek[1] but chose a form of Κύριος more often than not.

Reference Chabad.org NET Strong’s BLB Elpenor
Psalm 110:1 יְהֹוָ֨ה יהוה yehôvâh κύριος Κύριος
Genesis 15:1 יְהֹוָה֙ יהוה yehôvâh κυρίου Κυρίου
Genesis 15:2 יֱהֹוִה֙ יהוה yehôvih -na- Κύριε
Genesis 15:8 יֱהֹוִ֔ה יהוה yehôvih κύριε Κύριε
Genesis 18:26 יְהֹוָ֔ה יהוה yehôvâh κύριος Κύριος
Genesis 18:33 יְהֹוָ֔ה יהוה yehôvâh κύριος Κύριος
Genesis 19:16 יְהֹוָ֖ה יהוה yehôvâh κύριον Κύριον

There were three exceptions:

Reference Chabad.org NET Strong’s BLB Elpenor
Genesis 15:6 בַּֽיהֹוָ֑ה ביהוה yehôvâh θεῷ Θεῷ
Genesis 15:7 יְהֹוָ֗ה יהוה yehôvâh θεὸς Θεὸς
Genesis 18:1 יְהֹוָ֔ה יהוה yehôvâh θεὸς Θεὸς

I intend to become much more familiar with the Greek translation of יְהֹוָ֨ה (yehôvâh) and יֱהֹוִה֙ (yehôvih) in subsequent essays.

Tables comparing Psalm 110:1; Genesis 15:1; 15:2; 15:6; 15:7; 15:8; 18:1; 18:2; 18:3; 18:26; 18:27; 18:30; 18:31; 18:32; 18:33; 19:1; 19:2; 19:16; 19:17 and 19:18 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET; and tables comparing Psalm 110:1 (109:1); Genesis 15:1; 15:2; 15:6; 15:7; 15:8; 18:1; 18:2; 18:3; 18:26; 18:27; 18:30; 18:31; 18:32; 18:33; 19:1; 19:2; 19:16; 19:17 and 19:18 in the BLB and Elpenor versions of the Septuagint follow.

Psalm 110:1 (Tanakh) Psalm 110:1 (KJV) Psalm 110:1 (NET)
The LORD (יְהֹוָ֨ה) said unto my Lord (לַֽאדֹנִ֗י), Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. A Psalm of David.  The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. A psalm of David.  Here is the Lord’s (יהוה) proclamation to my lord (לאדני): “Sit down at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.”
Psalm 110:1 (Septuagint BLB) Psalm 109:1 (Septuagint Elpenor)
τῷ Δαυιδ ψαλμός εἶπεν ὁ κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου Ψαλμὸς τῷ Δαυΐδ. – ΕΙΠΕΝ ὁ Κύριος τῷ Κυρίῳ μου· κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου
Psalm 109:1 (NETS) Psalm 109:1 (English Elpenor)
Pertaining to Dauid.  A Psalm.  The Lord said to my lord, “Sit on my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” [A Psalm of David.]  The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Genesis 15:1 (Tanakh) Genesis 15:1 (KJV) Genesis 15:1 (NET)
After these things the word of HaShem came unto Abram in a vision, saying: ‘Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield, thy reward shall be exceeding great.’ After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. After these things the Lord’s message came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram!  I am your shield and the one who will reward you in great abundance.”
Genesis 15:1 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 15:1 (Septuagint Elpenor)
μετὰ δὲ τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα ἐγενήθη ῥῆμα κυρίου πρὸς Αβραμ ἐν ὁράματι λέγων μὴ φοβοῦ Αβραμ ἐγὼ ὑπερασπίζω σου ὁ μισθός σου πολὺς ἔσται σφόδρα ΜΕΤΑ δὲ τὰ ρήματα ταῦτα ἐγενήθη ρῆμα Κυρίου πρὸς ῞Αβραμ ἐν ὁράματι, λέγων· μὴ φοβοῦ ῞Αβραμ, ἐγὼ ὑπερασπίζω σου· ὁ μισθός σου πολὺς ἔσται σφόδρα
Genesis 15:1 (NETS) Genesis 15:1 (English Elpenor)
Now after these matters the Lord’s word came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram; I am shielding you; your reward shall be very great.” AND after these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I shield thee, thy reward shall be very great.
Genesis 15:2 (Tanakh) Genesis 15:2 (KJV) Genesis 15:2 (NET)
And Abram said: ‘O L-rd GOD, what wilt Thou give me, seeing I go hence childless, and he that shall be possessor of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? But Abram said, “O Sovereign Lord, what will you give me since I continue to be childless, and my heir is Eliezer of Damascus?”
Genesis 15:2 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 15:2 (Septuagint Elpenor)
λέγει δὲ Αβραμ δέσποτα τί μοι δώσεις ἐγὼ δὲ ἀπολύομαι ἄτεκνος ὁ δὲ υἱὸς Μασεκ τῆς οἰκογενοῦς μου οὗτος Δαμασκὸς Ελιεζερ λέγει δὲ ῞Αβραμ· δέσποτα Κύριε, τί μοι δώσεις; ἐγὼ δὲ ἀπολύομαι ἄτεκνος· ὁ δὲ υἱὸς Μασὲκ τῆς οἰκογενοῦς μου, οὗτος Δαμασκὸς ᾿Ελιέζερ
Genesis 15:2 (NETS) Genesis 15:2 (English Elpenor)
But Abram was saying, “O Master, what will you give me?  And I, I am going away childless; as for the son of Masek, my female homebred, he is Damascus Eliezer.” And Abram said, Master [and] Lord, what wilt thou give me? whereas I am departing without a child, but the son of Masek my home-born female slave, this Eliezer of Damascus [is mine heir.]
Genesis 15:6 (Tanakh) Genesis 15:6 (KJV) Genesis 15:6 (NET)
And he believed in HaShem; and He counted it to him for righteousness. And he believed in Jehovah; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness. Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord credited it as righteousness to him.
Genesis 15:6 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 15:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐπίστευσεν Αβραμ τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἐπίστευσεν ῞Αβραμ τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην
Genesis 15:6 (NETS) Genesis 15:6 (English Elpenor)
And Abram believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. And Abram believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.
Genesis 15:7 (Tanakh) Genesis 15:7 (KJV) Genesis 15:7 (NET)
And He said unto him: ‘I am HaShem that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.’ And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. The Lord said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
Genesis 15:7 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 15:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)
εἶπεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτόν ἐγὼ ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἐξαγαγών σε ἐκ χώρας Χαλδαίων ὥστε δοῦναί σοι τὴν γῆν ταύτην κληρονομῆσαι εἶπε δὲ πρὸς αὐτόν· ἐγὼ ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ἐξαγαγών σε ἐκ χώρας Χαλδαίων, ὥστε δοῦναί σοι τὴν γῆν ταύτην κληρονομῆσαι
Genesis 15:7 (NETS) Genesis 15:7 (English Elpenor)
Then he said to him, “I am the God who brought you out of the country of the Chaldeans so as to give you this land to possess.” And he said to him, I am God that brought thee out of the land of the Chaldeans, so as to give thee this land to inherit.
Genesis 15:8 (Tanakh) Genesis 15:8 (KJV) Genesis 15:8 (NET)
And he said: ‘O L-rd GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?’ And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? But Abram said, “O Sovereign Lord, by what can I know that I am to possess it?”
Genesis 15:8 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 15:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)
εἶπεν δέ δέσποτα κύριε κατὰ τί γνώσομαι ὅτι κληρονομήσω αὐτήν εἶπε δέ, Δέσποτα Κύριε, κατὰ τί γνώσομαι ὅτι κληρονομήσω αὐτήν
Genesis 15:8 (NETS) Genesis 15:8 (English Elpenor)
But he said, “O Master, Lord, how shall I know that I shall possess it?” And he said, Master [and] Lord, how shall I know that I shall inherit it?
Genesis 18:1 (Tanakh) Genesis 18:1 (KJV) Genesis 18:1 (NET)
And HaShem appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest time of the day.
Genesis 18:1 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 18:1 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὤφθη δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς πρὸς τῇ δρυὶ τῇ Μαμβρη καθημένου αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς θύρας τῆς σκηνῆς αὐτοῦ μεσημβρίας ΩΦΘΗ δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς τῇ δρυΐ τῇ Μαμβρῇ, καθημένου αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς θύρας τῆς σκηνῆς αὐτοῦ μεσημβρίας
Genesis 18:1 (NETS) Genesis 18:1 (English Elpenor)
Now God appeared to him near the oak of Mambre, while he was sitting at the door of his tent midday. AND God appeared to him by the oak of Mambre, as he sat by the door of his tent at noon.
Genesis 18:2 (Tanakh) Genesis 18:2 (KJV) Genesis 18:2 (NET)
and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood over against him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed down to the earth, And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, Abraham looked up and saw three men standing across from him. When he saw them he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
Genesis 18:2 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 18:2 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἀναβλέψας δὲ τοῗς ὀφθαλμοῗς αὐτοῦ εἶδεν καὶ ἰδοὺ τρεῗς ἄνδρες εἱστήκεισαν ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ καὶ ἰδὼν προσέδραμεν εἰς συνάντησιν αὐτοῗς ἀπὸ τῆς θύρας τῆς σκηνῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ προσεκύνησεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἀναβλέψας δὲ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ εἶδε, καὶ ἰδοὺ τρεῖς ἄνδρες εἱστήκεισαν ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἰδὼν προσέδραμεν εἰς συνάντησιν αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς θύρας τῆς σκηνῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ προσεκύνησεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν
Genesis 18:2 (NETS) Genesis 18:2 (English Elpenor)
And looking up with his eyes he saw, and see, three men stood over him.  And when he saw them, he ran forward from his tent door to meet them and did obeisance upon the ground And he lifted up his eyes and beheld, and lo! three men stood before him; and having seen them he ran to meet them from the door of his tent, and did obeisance to the ground.
Genesis 18:3 (Tanakh) Genesis 18:3 (KJV) Genesis 18:3 (NET)
and said: ‘My lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant. And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: He said, “My lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant.
Genesis 18:3 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 18:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν κύριε εἰ ἄρα εὗρον χάριν ἐναντίον σου μὴ παρέλθῃς τὸν παῗδά σου καὶ εἶπε· κύριε, εἰ ἄρα εὗρον χάριν ἐναντίον σου, μὴ παρέλθῃς τὸν παῖδά σου
Genesis 18:3 (NETS) Genesis 18:3 (English Elpenor)
and said, “Lord, if perchance have found favor before you, do not pass by your servant. And he said, Lord, if indeed I have found grace in thy sight, pass not by thy servant.
Genesis 18:26 (Tanakh) Genesis 18:26 (KJV) Genesis 18:26 (NET)
And HaShem said: ‘If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will forgive all the place for their sake.’ And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. So the Lord replied, “If I find in the city of Sodom fifty godly people, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
Genesis 18:26 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 18:26 (Septuagint Elpenor)
εἶπεν δὲ κύριος ἐὰν εὕρω ἐν Σοδομοις πεντήκοντα δικαίους ἐν τῇ πόλει ἀφήσω πάντα τὸν τόπον δι᾽ αὐτούς εἶπε δὲ Κύριος· ἐὰν ὦσιν ἐν Σοδόμοις πεντήκοντα δίκαιοι ἐν τῇ πόλει, ἀφήσω ὅλην τὴν πόλιν καὶ πάντα τὸν τόπον δι᾿ αὐτούς
Genesis 18:26 (NETS) Genesis 18:26 (English Elpenor)
Then the Lord said, “If I find in Sodoma fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake.” And the Lord said, If there should be in Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole city, and the whole place for their sakes.
Genesis 18:27 (Tanakh) Genesis 18:27 (KJV) Genesis 18:27 (NET)
And Abraham answered and said: ‘Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the L-rd, who am but dust and ashes. And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: Then Abraham asked, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord (although I am but dust and ashes),
Genesis 18:27 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 18:27 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς Αβρααμ εἶπεν νῦν ἠρξάμην λαλῆσαι πρὸς τὸν κύριον ἐγὼ δέ εἰμι γῆ καὶ σποδός καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ῾Αβραὰμ εἶπε· νῦν ἠρξάμην λαλῆσαι πρὸς τὸν Κύριόν μου, ἐγὼ δέ εἰμι γῆ καὶ σποδός
Genesis 18:27 (NETS) Genesis 18:27 (English Elpenor)
And Abraam said in reply, “Now I have begun to speak to the Lord, though I am earth and ashes. And Abraam answered and said, Now I have begun to speak to my Lord, and I am earth and ashes.
Genesis 18:30 (Tanakh) Genesis 18:30 (KJV) Genesis 18:30 (NET)
And he said: ‘Oh, let not the L-rd be angry, and I will speak.  Peradventure there shall thirty be found there.’  And He said: ‘I will not do it, if I find thirty there.’ And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there.  And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. Then Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak! What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
Genesis 18:30 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 18:30 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν μή τι κύριε ἐὰν λαλήσω ἐὰν δὲ εὑρεθῶσιν ἐκεῗ τριάκοντα καὶ εἶπεν οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσω ἐὰν εὕρω ἐκεῗ τριάκοντα καὶ εἶπε· μή τι κύριε, ἐὰν λαλήσω; ἐὰν δὲ εὑρεθῶσιν ἐκεῖ τριάκοντα; καὶ εἶπεν· οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσω ἕνεκεν τῶν τριάκοντα
Genesis 18:30 (NETS) Genesis 18:30 (English Elpenor)
And he said, “Pardon, Lord, if I should speak.  But if thirty should be found there?”  And he said, “I will not destroy it, if I find thirty there.” And he said, Will there be anything [against me], Lord, if I shall speak? but if there be found there thirty?  And he said, I will not destroy it for the thirty’s sake.
Genesis 18:31 (Tanakh) Genesis 18:31 (KJV) Genesis 18:31 (NET)
And he said: ‘Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the L-rd.  Peradventure there shall be twenty found there.’  And He said: ‘I will not destroy it for the twenty’s sake.’ And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there.  And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake. Abraham said, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty are found there?”  He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”
Genesis 18:31 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 18:31 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν ἐπειδὴ ἔχω λαλῆσαι πρὸς τὸν κύριον ἐὰν δὲ εὑρεθῶσιν ἐκεῗ εἴκοσι καὶ εἶπεν οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσω ἕνεκεν τῶν εἴκοσι καὶ εἶπεν· ἐπειδὴ ἔχω λαλῆσαι πρὸς τὸν κύριον· ἐὰν δὲ εὑρεθῶσιν ἐκεῖ εἴκοσι; καὶ εἶπεν· οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσω, ἐὰν εὕρω ἐκεῖ εἴκοσι
Genesis 18:31 (NETS) Genesis 18:31 (English Elpenor)
And he said, “Since I am compelled to speak to the Lord—and if twenty should be found there?”  And he said, “On account of the twenty I will not destroy it.” And he said, Since I am able to speak to the Lord, what if there should be found there twenty?  And he said, I will not destroy it, if I should find there twenty.
Genesis 18:32 (Tanakh) Genesis 18:32 (KJV) Genesis 18:32 (NET)
And he said: ‘Oh, let not the L-rd be angry, and I will speak yet but this once.  Peradventure ten shall be found there.’  And He said: ‘I will not destroy it for the ten’s sake.’ And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there.  And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. Finally Abraham said, “May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak just once more.  What if ten are found there?”  He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”
Genesis 18:32 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 18:32 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν μή τι κύριε ἐὰν λαλήσω ἔτι ἅπαξ ἐὰν δὲ εὑρεθῶσιν ἐκεῗ δέκα καὶ εἶπεν οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσω ἕνεκεν τῶν δέκα καὶ εἶπε· μήτι κύριε, ἐὰν λαλήσω ἔτι ἅπαξ· ἐὰν δὲ εὑρεθῶσιν ἐκεῖ δέκα; καὶ εἶπεν· οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσω ἕνεκεν τῶν δέκα
Genesis 18:32 (NETS) Genesis 18:32 (English Elpenor)
And he said, “Pardon, Lord, if I should speak once more.  But if ten should be found there?”  And he said, “On account of the ten I will not destroy it.” And he said, Will there be anything [against me], Lord, if I speak yet once? but if there should be found there ten?  And he said, I will not destroy it for the ten’s sake.
Genesis 18:33 (Tanakh) Genesis 18:33 (KJV) Genesis 18:33 (NET)
And HaShem went His way, as soon as He had left off speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned unto his place. And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place. The Lord went on his way when he had finished speaking to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home.
Genesis 18:33 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 18:33 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἀπῆλθεν δὲ κύριος ὡς ἐπαύσατο λαλῶν τῷ Αβρααμ καὶ Αβρααμ ἀπέστρεψεν εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ ἀπῆλθε δὲ ὁ Κύριος, ὡς ἐπαύσατο λαλῶν τῷ ῾Αβραάμ, καὶ ῾Αβραὰμ ἀπέστρεψεν εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ
Genesis 18:33 (NETS) Genesis 18:33 (English Elpenor)
Then the Lord went away, when he had left off speaking to Abraam, and Abraam returned to his place. And the Lord departed, when he left off speaking to Abraam, and Abraam returned to his place.
Genesis 19:1 (Tanakh) Genesis 19:1 (KJV) Genesis 19:1 (NET)
And the two angels came to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom; and Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them; and he fell down on his face to the earth; And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway.  When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face toward the ground.
Genesis 19:1 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 19:1 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἦλθον δὲ οἱ δύο ἄγγελοι εἰς Σοδομα ἑσπέρας Λωτ δὲ ἐκάθητο παρὰ τὴν πύλην Σοδομων ἰδὼν δὲ Λωτ ἐξανέστη εἰς συνάντησιν αὐτοῗς καὶ προσεκύνησεν τῷ προσώπῳ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ΗΛΘΟΝ δὲ οἱ δύο ἄγγελοι εἰς Σόδομα ἑσπέρας· Λὼτ δὲ ἐκάθητο παρὰ τὴν πύλην Σοδόμων. ἰδὼν δὲ Λώτ, ἐξανέστη εἰς συνάντησιν αὐτοῖς καὶ προσεκύνησε τῷ προσώπῳ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν
Genesis 19:1 (NETS) Genesis 19:1 (English Elpenor)
Now the two angels came to Sodoma at evening, and Lot was sitting beside the gate of Sodoma.  And when Lot saw them he rose to meet them and did obeisance with his face upon the ground AND the two angels came to Sodom at evening.  And Lot sat by the gate of Sodom, and Lot having seen them, rose up to meet them, and he worshipped with his face to the ground, and said,
Genesis 19:2 (Tanakh) Genesis 19:2 (KJV) Genesis 19:2 (NET)
and he said: ‘Behold now, my lords, turn aside, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your way.’  And they said: ‘Nay; but we will abide in the broad place all night.’ And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways.  And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. He said, “Here, my lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house. Stay the night and wash your feet.  Then you can be on your way early in the morning.”  “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.”
Genesis 19:2 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 19:2 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν ἰδού κύριοι ἐκκλίνατε εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ παιδὸς ὑμῶν καὶ καταλύσατε καὶ νίψασθε τοὺς πόδας ὑμῶν καὶ ὀρθρίσαντες ἀπελεύσεσθε εἰς τὴν ὁδὸν ὑμῶν εἶπαν δέ οὐχί ἀλλ᾽ ἐν τῇ πλατείᾳ καταλύσομεν καὶ εἶπεν· ἰδοὺ κύριοι, ἐκκλίνατε εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ παιδὸς ὑμῶν καὶ καταλύσατε καὶ νίψασθε τοὺς πόδας ὑμῶν, καὶ ὀρθρίσαντες ἀπελεύσεσθε εἰς τὴν ὁδὸν ὑμῶν. καὶ εἶπαν· οὐχί, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν τῇ πλατείᾳ καταλύσομεν
Genesis 19:2 (NETS) Genesis 19:1b, 2 (English Elpenor)
and said, “Here, lords, turn aside to your servant’s house, and find lodging, and wash your feet, and when you have risen early you will depart on your way.”  They, however, said, “No, but we will find lodging in the street.” and said, (2) Lo! [my] lords, turn aside to the house of your servant, and rest from your journey, and wash your feet, and having risen early in the morning ye shall depart on your journey.  And they said, Nay, but we will lodge in the street.
Genesis 19:16 (Tanakh) Genesis 19:16 (KJV) Genesis 19:16 (NET)
But he lingered; and the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; HaShem being merciful unto him.  And they brought him forth, and set him without the city. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. When Lot hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord had compassion on them.  They led them away and placed them outside the city.
Genesis 19:16 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 19:16 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐταράχθησαν καὶ ἐκράτησαν οἱ ἄγγελοι τῆς χειρὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς χειρὸς τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν χειρῶν τῶν δύο θυγατέρων αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ φείσασθαι κύριον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐταράχθησαν· καὶ ἐκράτησαν οἱ ἄγγελοι τῆς χειρὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς χειρὸς τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν χειρῶν τῶν δύο θυγατέρων αὐτοῦ, ἐν τῷ φείσασθαι Κύριον αὐτοῦ
Genesis 19:16 (NETS) Genesis 19:16 (English Elpenor)
And they were confounded, and the angels seized his hand and his wife’s hand and his daughters’ hands, as the Lord spared him. And they were troubled, and the angels laid hold on his hand, and the hand of his wife, and the hands of his two daughters, in that the Lord spared him.
Genesis 19:17 (Tanakh) Genesis 19:17 (KJV) Genesis 19:17 (NET)
And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said: ‘Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the Plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be swept away.’ And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. When they had brought them outside, they said, “Run for your lives!  Don’t look behind you or stop anywhere in the valley!  Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!”
Genesis 19:17 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 19:17 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐγένετο ἡνίκα ἐξήγαγον αὐτοὺς ἔξω καὶ εἶπαν σῴζων σῷζε τὴν σεαυτοῦ ψυχήν μὴ περιβλέψῃς εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω μηδὲ στῇς ἐν πάσῃ τῇ περιχώρῳ εἰς τὸ ὄρος σῴζου μήποτε συμπαραλημφθῇς καὶ ἐγένετο, ἡνίκα ἐξήγαγον αὐτοὺς ἔξω καὶ εἶπαν· σῴζων σῷζε τὴν σεαυτοῦ ψυχήν· μὴ περιβλέψῃ εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, μηδὲ στῇς ἐν πάσῃ τῇ περιχώρῳ· εἰς τὸ ὄρος σῴζου, μήποτε συμπαραληφθῇς
Genesis 19:17 (NETS) Genesis 19:17 (English Elpenor)
And it came about when they had brought them outside, that then they said, “In saving, save your own soul; do not look around backwards or stop in the whole region round about; get safely to the mountain, that you not be included.” And it came to pass when they brought them out, that they said, Save thine own life by all means; look not round to that which is behind, nor stay in all the country round about, escape to the mountain, lest perhaps thou be overtaken together with them.
Genesis 19:18 (Tanakh) Genesis 19:18 (KJV) Genesis 19:18 (NET)
And Lot said unto them: ‘Oh, not so, my lord; And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: But Lot said to them, “No, please, Lord!
Genesis 19:18 (Septuagint BLB) Genesis 19:18 (Septuagint Elpenor)
εἶπεν δὲ Λωτ πρὸς αὐτούς δέομαι κύριε εἶπε δὲ Λὼτ πρὸς αὐτούς· δέομαι κύριε
Genesis 19:18 (NETS) Genesis 19:18 (English Elpenor)
But Lot said to them, “I pray, Lord, And Lot said to them, I pray, Lord,

[1] Two examples of יֱהֹוִה֙ (yehôvih) translated Κύριε cannot establish a meaningful pattern that יֱהֹוִה֙ (yehôvih) was not recognized as distinctly different from יְהֹוָ֨ה (yehôvâh) by the rabbis who translated the Old Testament, but neither do they invalidate that assumption.

To Make Holy, Part 7

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The next form of ἁγιάζω I want to consider is found in Jesus’ prayer to his Father: Set them apart (ἁγίασον, a form of ἁγιάζω) in the truth; your word is truth.[1]  But I’m making a slow pilgrimage through his prayer because I believe I can know his holiness here.  Jesus prayed (John 17:9 NET):

I am praying on behalf of them.  I am not praying on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those you have given me, because they belong to you.

Translating ἐρωτῶ pray (KJV) at a time when I pray thee was a more natural way to make a request sounds different to my ear than I am praying today.  But now I ask (ἐρωτῶ, a form of ἐρωτάω) you, lady (not as if I were writing[2] a new commandment to you, but the one we have had from the beginning), that we love one another.[3]  Yes,[4] I say (ἐρωτῶ, a form of ἐρωτάω) also to you, true companion, help them.  They have struggled together in the gospel ministry along with me and Clement and my other coworkers, whose names are in the book of life.[5]  So the rich man said, ‘Then I beg (ἐρωτῶ, a form of ἐρωτάω) you, father—send Lazarus to my father’s house.[6]

Jesus’ request was made on behalf of those you have given me, those who understood and had actively received the words He gave them.  They were further designated here as belonging to the Father.  No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, Jesus had said, and I will raise him up at the last day.[7]

Growing up it seemed natural for me to assume that these people (τοῖς ἀνθρώποις) were given to Jesus because God knew they would believe that He had sent Him, they would accept the words He gave to them and really understand that Jesus came from the Father.  And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose, because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.[8]

Now it seems just as natural to assume that they believed that God had sent Jesus, accepted the words He gave to them and really understood that He came from the Father because God predestined them to be conformed to the image of his Son.  And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.[9]  This new assumption became natural as I heard Paul’s answer to his own rhetorical question: You will say to me then, “Why[10] does he still find fault?  For who has ever resisted his will (βουλήματι, a form of βούλημα)?”[11]

At first, I was so certain that Paul would (or should) mount a spirited defense of human desire and exertion, human faith and human obedience predicated on human willpower (θέλοντος, a form of θέλω), that I misunderstood his answer (Romans 9:20, 21 NET):

But who indeed are you—a mere human being—to talk back to God?  Does what is molded say to the molder, “Why have you made me like this?”  Has the potter no right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special use and another for ordinary use?

Pastor J.D. Farag told a story about a woman who approached him at a conference:

She thanked me for the ABC’s of salvation.  She said, “I led my friend to Christ using the ABC’s of salvation.” 

And by the way, it’s not the only way.  It’s just a simple way.  If I can do it, you can do it.  It’s a simple way to share how to be saved. 

So she shares with me how that she was able to lead this friend to Christ.  And then after she got saved she went to church with her on a Sunday.  The very next day her husband murdered her and then killed himself. 

She’s with the Lord.  Maybe I’m just saying I’m never going to stop sharing the gospel and the ABC’s of salvation, because you just don’t know.

Though we called the “ABC’s of salvation” the “four spiritual laws,”[12] this story reminded me of my understanding growing up in church.  The woman’s faith in Christ made her a vessel for special use (KJV: vessel unto honour).  Her husband sealed his own fate as a vessel for ordinary use (KJV: unto dishonour) by murdering his wife and then killing himself.  (Had he lived he, too, may have repented and believed the four spiritual laws or the ABC’s of salvation.)  But behind these human desires and exertions[13] was another: the first woman’s decision to share the ABC’s of salvation with her friend and the nagging regret that she didn’t do so with her friend’s husband.  Though Pastor Farag didn’t go there, I remember fearing that one would answer for this failure and this lost soul at the judgment seat of Christ: Woe[14] to me if I do not preach the gospel![15]

With these beliefs Paul’s description of God as a potter with the right (ἐξουσίαν, a form of ἐξουσία) to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special use and another for ordinary use seemed mostly irrelevant, if not altogether cruel or evil.  Paul continued (Romans 9:22-24 NET):

But what if God, willing to demonstrate his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the objects of wrath prepared for destruction?[16]  And what if he is willing to make known the wealth of his glory on the objects of mercy that he has prepared beforehand for glory—even us, whom he has called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

Before I could appreciate the consistency of Paul’s answer I needed to be persuaded that salvation was wholly a work of God—Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever[17]—not of human effort so that no one can boast.[18]  To perceive the wisdom of the Holy Spirit’s answer to Paul’s rhetorical question I needed much more persuasion that the righteousness revealed in the gospel, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ,[19] was a gift to be received, not a curse to endure as I mourned the lost “joys” and past “glories” of sin, or chafed at those around me who still “enjoyed” their sins.

Let’s face it, I needed a radical renewing of my mind before I could appreciate how God’s right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel (σκεῦος) for special use and another for ordinary use (ἀτιμίαν, a form of ἀτιμία) is the rationale for a salvation that begins with the temporary housing of an entirely new creation within sinful condemned flesh (2 Corinthians 5:17; 4:7; 1 Corinthians 15:42b-44a).

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come![20]

But we have this treasure in clay jars (σκεύεσιν, another form of σκεῦος), so that the extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.

What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor (ἀτιμίᾳ), it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

It bears mentioning that though the NET translators seemed to distinguish between a vessel for special use, objects of wrath or mercy and clay jars, all are forms of σκεῦος.

Reference NET KJV Greek
Romans 9:21 one vessel for special use one vessel unto honour σκεῦος
Romans 9:22 objects of wrath vessels of wrath σκεύη, a form of σκεῦος
Romans 9:23 objects of mercy vessels of mercy σκεύη, a form of σκεῦος
2 Corinthians 4:7 clay jars earthen vessels σκεύεσιν, another form of σκεῦος

Everything I have belongs to you, and everything you have belongs to me, Jesus’ prayer continued, and I have been glorified by them.[21]  The KJV reads: And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified (δεδόξασμαι, a form of δοξάζω) in them.[22]  I’m reasonably convinced that the translators of the KJV assumed that Jesus referred still to the men you gave[23] me out of the world.[24]  Before I studied σκεῦος I was less sure that was the NET translators’ assumption.  The addition of the word thing (Everything) reminded me of a song we sang when I was young:

He owns the cattle on a thousand hills,

The wealth in every mine;

He owns the rivers and the rocks and rills,

The sun and stars that shine.

Wonderful riches, more than tongue can tell –

He is my Father so they’re mine as well;

He owns the cattle on a thousand hills –

I know that He will care for me.

Now I can see that this listing of wealth was intended as a demonstration of God’s ability to care for me.  I didn’t understand it that way then.  As a child of the King I thought I was supposed to believe that He would express his care for me as a share of that wealth.  I can’t say how often I actually believed that versus how often I thought it was just wishful thinking.  It did set the tone, what I thought I should believe, if and when I tried to be a “true” believer.  He worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator[25] may be a fair characterization of my religious youth.

Paul amplified how Jesus could be glorified by or in those who “really understand that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me”[26] (2 Corinthians 3:1b-3 NET):

We[27] don’t need letters of recommendation to you or from you as some other people do, do we?[28]  You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone, revealing that you are a letter of Christ, delivered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets but on tablets of human hearts.

Paul contrasted the glory of the ministry of the law to that of the ministry of the Spirit (διακονία τοῦ πνεύματος), describing the former as the ministry that produced death (διακονία τοῦ θανάτου; KJV: ministration of death) or the ministry that produced condemnation (διακονίᾳ τῆς κατακρίσεως; KJV: ministration of condemnation), and the latter as the ministry that produces righteousness (διακονία τῆς δικαιοσύνης; KJV: ministration of righteousness):

But if the ministry that produced death—carved in letters on stone tablets—came with glory (δόξῃ, a form of δόξα), so that the Israelites could not keep their eyes fixed on the face of Moses[29] because of the glory (δόξαν, another form of δόξα) of his face (a glory which was made ineffective), how much more glorious (δόξῃ, a form of δόξα) will the ministry of the Spirit be?  For if there was glory (δόξα) in the[30] ministry that produced condemnation, how much more does the ministry that produces righteousness excel in[31] glory (δόξῃ, a form of δόξα)!  For indeed, what had been glorious (δεδοξασμένον, another form of δοξάζω) now has no[32] glory (δεδόξασται, another form of δοξάζω) because of[33] the tremendously greater glory (δόξης, another form of δόξα) of what replaced it.  For if what was made ineffective came with glory (δόξης, another form of δόξα), how much more has what remains come in glory (δόξῃ, a form of δόξα)![34]

I am no longer in the world, Jesus continued, but they[35] are in the world, and I am coming to you.  Holy Father, keep them safe in your name that[36] you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one.[37]  The KJV reads: keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me.  These appear to be the extremes of translating the same Greek text in the former verse to keep consistent with the differences in the next verse:

John 17:12 (NET)

John 17:12 (KJV)
When I was with them I kept them safe and[38] watched over them in your name that[39] you have given me.  Not one of them was lost except the one destined for destruction, so that the scripture could be fulfilled. While I was with them in the world,[40] I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

The singular pronoun ᾧ (NET: that) was rendered that you have given me and was assumed to refer to your name, where the plural pronoun ους (KJV: those) was translated those that thou gavest me and was assumed to refer to the people God gave to Jesus.  I’ll begin to consider the lost son of perdition in another essay.  The point here as far as I’m concerned was that Jesus asked his Father to give the Holy Spirit to those who accepted Jesus’ words (John 17:13 NET):

But now I am coming to you, and I am saying these things in the world, so they may experience my joy completed in themselves.

Jesus’ joy was χαρὰν (a form of χαρά) in Greek.  But the fruit of the Spirit is…joy (χαρὰ).[41]  The oneness He asked for those who believed that God had sent Jesus, accepted the words He gave to them and really understood that He came from the Father because God predestined them to be conformed to the image of his Son, comes through this same indwelling Holy Spirit, as each is led to acknowledge (Galatians 2:20, 21 NET):

I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.  So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  I do not set aside God’s grace, because if righteousness could come through the law, then Christ died for nothing!

A note (39) in the NET indicated that Romans 9:20b was a quote from Isaiah 29:16 and 45:9.  Tables comparing the English translations from the Masoretic text and Septuagint follow:

Masoretic Text

 Septuagint
Isaiah 29:16 (Tanakh) Isaiah 29:16 (NET) Isaiah 29:16 (NETS)

Isaiah 29:16 (Elpenor English)
Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? Your thinking is perverse!  Should the potter be regarded as clay?  Should the thing made say about its maker, “He didn’t make me”?  Or should the pottery say about the potter, “He doesn’t understand”? Shall you not be regarded as the potter’s clay?  Shall the thing formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not form me,” or the thing made to the one who made it, “You made me with no understanding”? Shall ye not be counted as clay of the potter? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Thou didst not form me? or the work to the maker, Thou hast not made me wisely?

Masoretic Text

 Septuagint
Isaiah 45:9 (Tanakh) Isaiah 45:9 (NET) Isaiah 45:9 (NETS)

Isaiah 45:9 (Elpenor English)
Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker!  Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth.  Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? One who argues with his Creator is in grave danger, one who is like a mere shard among the other shards on the ground!  The clay should not say to the potter, “What in the world are you doing?  Your work lacks skill!” What better thing have I formed like potter’s clay?  Shall the plowman plow the earth?  Shall the clay say to the potter, “What are you doing, since you are not working, nor do you have hands”? What excellent thing have I prepared as clay of the potter? Will the ploughman plough the earth all say? shall the clay say to the potter, What art thou doing that thou dost not work, nor hast hands? shall the thing formed answer him that formed it?

I compared the Greek of Romans 9:20b to Isaiah 29:16b below:

Romans 9:20b (NET Parallel Greek)

 Isaiah 29:16b (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 29:16b (Septuagint Elpenor)
μὴ ἐρεῖ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι· τί με ἐποίησας οὕτως μὴ ἐρεῗ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι οὐ σύ με ἔπλασας ἢ τὸ ποίημα τῷ ποιήσαντι οὐ συνετῶς με ἐποίησας μὴ ἐρεῖ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι αὐτό· οὐ σύ με ἔπλασας; ἢ τὸ ποίημα τῷ ποιήσαντι· οὐ συνετῶς με ἐποίησας

Romans 9:20b (NET)

 Isaiah 29:16b (NETS)

Isaiah 29:16b (English Elpenor)
Does what is molded say to the molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Shall the thing formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not form me,” or the thing made to the one who made it, “You made me with no understanding”? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Thou didst not form me? or the work to the maker, Thou hast not made me wisely?

Tables comparing Isaiah 29:16 and 45:9 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and tables comparing the Greek of Isaiah 29:16 and 45:9 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables of 2 John 1:5; Philippians 4:3; Romans 9:19; 1 Corinthians 9:16; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 3:1; 3:7; 3:9, 10 and John 17:11, 12 comparing the NET and KJV follow.

Isaiah 29:16 (Tanakh)

 Isaiah 29:16 (KJV)

Isaiah 29:16 (NET)
Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? Your thinking is perverse!  Should the potter be regarded as clay?  Should the thing made say about its maker, “He didn’t make me”?  Or should the pottery say about the potter, “He doesn’t understand”?

Isaiah 29:16 (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 29:16 (Septuagint Elpenor)
οὐχ ὡς ὁ πηλὸς τοῦ κεραμέως λογισθήσεσθε μὴ ἐρεῗ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι οὐ σύ με ἔπλασας ἢ τὸ ποίημα τῷ ποιήσαντι οὐ συνετῶς με ἐποίησας οὐχ ὡς ὁ πηλὸς τοῦ κεραμέως λογισθήσεσθε; μὴ ἐρεῖ τὸ πλάσμα τῷ πλάσαντι αὐτό· οὐ σύ με ἔπλασας; ἢ τὸ ποίημα τῷ ποιήσαντι· οὐ συνετῶς με ἐποίησας

Isaiah 29:16 (NETS)

Isaiah 29:16 (English Elpenor)
Shall you not be regarded as the potter’s clay?  Shall the thing formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not form me,” or the thing made to the one who made it, “You made me with no understanding”? Shall ye not be counted as clay of the potter? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Thou didst not form me? or the work to the maker, Thou hast not made me wisely?

Isaiah 45:9 (Tanakh)

 Isaiah 45:9 (KJV)

Isaiah 45:9 (NET)
Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker!  Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth.  Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker!  Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth.  Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? One who argues with his Creator is in grave danger, one who is like a mere shard among the other shards on the ground!  The clay should not say to the potter, “What in the world are you doing?  Your work lacks skill!”

Isaiah 45:9 (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 45:9, 10a (Septuagint Elpenor)
ποῗον βέλτιον κατεσκεύασα ὡς πηλὸν κεραμέως μὴ ὁ ἀροτριῶν ἀροτριάσει τὴν γῆν ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν μὴ ἐρεῗ ὁ πηλὸς τῷ κεραμεῗ τί ποιεῗς ὅτι οὐκ ἐργάζῃ οὐδὲ ἔχεις χεῗρας Ποῖον βέλτιον κατεσκεύασα ὡς πηλὸν κεραμέως; μὴ ὁ ἀροτριῶν ἀροτριάσει τὴν γῆν ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν; μὴ ἐρεῖ ὁ πηλὸς τῷ κεραμεῖ· τί ποιεῖς, ὅτι οὐκ ἐργάζῃ οὐδὲ ἔχεις χεῖρας μὴ ἀποκριθήσεται τὸ πλάσμα πρὸς τὸν πλάσαντα αὐτό

Isaiah 45:9 (NETS)

Isaiah 45:9 (English Elpenor)
What better thing have I formed like potter’s clay?  Shall the plowman plow the earth?  Shall the clay say to the potter, “What are you doing, since you are not working, nor do you have hands”? What excellent thing have I prepared as clay of the potter? Will the ploughman plough the earth all say? shall the clay say to the potter, What art thou doing that thou dost not work, nor hast hands? shall the thing formed answer him that formed it?

2 John 1:5 (NET)

2 John 1:5 (KJV)
But now I ask you, lady (not as if I were writing a new commandment to you, but the one we have had from the beginning), that we love one another. And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ νῦν ἐρωτῶ σε, κυρία (οὐχ ὡς ἐντολὴν |καινὴν| γράφων σοι  ἀλλὰ ἣν εἴχομεν ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς), ἵνα ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους και νυν ερωτω σε κυρια ουχ ως εντολην γραφω σοι καινην αλλα ην ειχομεν απ αρχης ινα αγαπωμεν αλληλους και νυν ερωτω σε κυρια ουχ ως εντολην γραφων σοι καινην αλλα ην ειχομεν απ αρχης ινα αγαπωμεν αλληλους

Philippians 4:3 (NET)

Philippians 4:3 (KJV)
Yes, I say also to you, true companion, help them.  They have struggled together in the gospel ministry along with me and Clement and my other coworkers, whose names are in the book of life. And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
ναὶ ἐρωτῶ καὶ σέ, γνήσιε σύζυγε, συλλαμβάνου αὐταῖς, αἵτινες ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ συνήθλησαν μοι μετὰ καὶ Κλήμεντος καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν συνεργῶν μου, ὧν τὰ ὀνόματα ἐν βίβλῳ ζωῆς. και ερωτω και σε συζυγε γνησιε συλλαμβανου αυταις αιτινες εν τω ευαγγελιω συνηθλησαν μοι μετα και κλημεντος και των λοιπων συνεργων μου ων τα ονοματα εν βιβλω ζωης ναι ερωτω και σε συζυγε γνησιε συλλαμβανου αυταις αιτινες εν τω ευαγγελιω συνηθλησαν μοι μετα και κλημεντος και των λοιπων συνεργων μου ων τα ονοματα εν βιβλω ζωης

Romans 9:19 (NET)

Romans 9:19 (KJV)
You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault?  For who has ever resisted his will?” Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault?  For who hath resisted his will?

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
Ἐρεῖς μοι οὖν τί [οὖν] ἔτι μέμφεται; τῷ γὰρ βουλήματι αὐτοῦ τίς ἀνθέστηκεν ερεις ουν μοι τι ετι μεμφεται τω γαρ βουληματι αυτου τις ανθεστηκεν ερεις ουν μοι τι ετι μεμφεται τω γαρ βουληματι αυτου τις ανθεστηκεν

1 Corinthians 9:16 (NET)

1 Corinthians 9:16 (KJV)
For if I preach the gospel, I have no reason for boasting, because I am compelled to do this.  Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
ἐὰν γὰρ εὐαγγελίζωμαι, οὐκ ἔστιν μοι καύχημα· ἀνάγκη γάρ μοι ἐπίκειται· οὐαὶ γάρ μοί ἐστιν ἐὰν μὴ εὐαγγελίσωμαι εαν γαρ ευαγγελιζωμαι ουκ εστιν μοι καυχημα αναγκη γαρ μοι επικειται ουαι δε μοι εστιν εαν μη ευαγγελιζωμαι εαν γαρ ευαγγελιζωμαι ουκ εστιν μοι καυχημα αναγκη γαρ μοι επικειται ουαι δε μοι εστιν εαν μη ευαγγελιζωμαι

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NET)

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)
So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come! Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
ὥστε εἴ τις ἐν Χριστῷ, καινὴ κτίσις· τὰ ἀρχαῖα παρῆλθεν, ἰδοὺ γέγονεν καινά ωστε ει τις εν χριστω καινη κτισις τα αρχαια παρηλθεν ιδου γεγονεν καινα τα παντα ωστε ει τις εν χριστω καινη κτισις τα αρχαια παρηλθεν ιδου γεγονεν καινα τα παντα

2 Corinthians 3:1 (NET)

2 Corinthians 3:1 (KJV)
Are we beginning to commend ourselves again?  We don’t need letters of recommendation to you or from you as some other people do, do we? Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
Ἀρχόμεθα πάλιν ἑαυτοὺς συνιστάνειν; ἢ μὴ χρῄζομεν ὥς τινες συστατικῶν ἐπιστολῶν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἢ ἐξ ὑμῶν αρχομεθα παλιν εαυτους συνιστανειν ει μη χρηζομεν ως τινες συστατικων επιστολων προς υμας η εξ υμων συστατικων αρχομεθα παλιν εαυτους συνιστανειν ει μη χρηζομεν ως τινες συστατικων επιστολων προς υμας η εξ υμων συστατικων

2 Corinthians 3:7 (NET)

2 Corinthians 3:7 (KJV)
But if the ministry that produced death—carved in letters on stone tablets—came with glory, so that the Israelites could not keep their eyes fixed on the face of Moses because of the glory of his face (a glory which was made ineffective), But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
Εἰ δὲ ἡ διακονία τοῦ θανάτου ἐν γράμμασιν ἐντετυπωμένη λίθοις ἐγενήθη ἐν δόξῃ, ὥστε μὴ δύνασθαι ἀτενίσαι τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον Μωϋσέως διὰ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ τὴν καταργουμένην ει δε η διακονια του θανατου εν γραμμασιν εντετυπωμενη εν λιθοις εγενηθη εν δοξη ωστε μη δυνασθαι ατενισαι τους υιους ισραηλ εις το προσωπον μωσεως δια την δοξαν του προσωπου αυτου την καταργουμενην ει δε η διακονια του θανατου εν γραμμασιν εντετυπωμενη εν λιθοις εγενηθη εν δοξη ωστε μη δυνασθαι ατενισαι τους υιους ισραηλ εις το προσωπον μωυσεως δια την δοξαν του προσωπου αυτου την καταργουμενην

2 Corinthians 3:9, 10 (NET)

2 Corinthians 3:9, 10 (KJV)
For if there was glory in the ministry that produced condemnation, how much more does the ministry that produces righteousness excel in glory! For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
εἰ γὰρ |τῇ| διακονίᾳ τῆς κατακρίσεως δόξα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον περισσεύει ἡ διακονία τῆς δικαιοσύνης δόξῃ ει γαρ η διακονια της κατακρισεως δοξα πολλω μαλλον περισσευει η διακονια της δικαιοσυνης εν δοξη ει γαρ η διακονια της κατακρισεως δοξα πολλω μαλλον περισσευει η διακονια της δικαιοσυνης εν δοξη
For indeed, what had been glorious now has no glory because of the tremendously greater glory of what replaced it. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ γὰρ οὐ δεδόξασται τὸ δεδοξασμένον ἐν τούτῳ τῷ μέρει εἵνεκεν τῆς ὑπερβαλλούσης δόξης και γαρ ουδε δεδοξασται το δεδοξασμενον εν τουτω τω μερει ενεκεν της υπερβαλλουσης δοξης και γαρ ου δεδοξασται το δεδοξασμενον εν τουτω τω μερει ενεκεν της υπερβαλλουσης δοξης

John 17:11, 12 (NET)

John 17:11, 12 (KJV)
I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you.  Holy Father, keep them safe in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee.  Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ οὐκέτι εἰμὶ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ εἰσίν, καγὼ πρὸς σὲ ἔρχομαι. πάτερ ἅγιε, τήρησον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι σου ᾧ δέδωκας μοι, ἵνα ὦσιν ἓν καθὼς ἡμεῖς και ουκ ετι ειμι εν τω κοσμω και ουτοι εν τω κοσμω εισιν και εγω προς σε ερχομαι πατερ αγιε τηρησον αυτους εν τω ονοματι σου ους δεδωκας μοι ινα ωσιν εν καθως ημεις και ουκετι ειμι εν τω κοσμω και ουτοι εν τω κοσμω εισιν και εγω προς σε ερχομαι πατερ αγιε τηρησον αυτους εν τω ονοματι σου ω δεδωκας μοι ινα ωσιν εν καθως ημεις
When I was with them I kept them safe and watched over them in your name that you have given me.  Not one of them was lost except the one destined for destruction, so that the scripture could be fulfilled. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
ὅτε ἤμην μετ᾿ αὐτῶν ἐγὼ ἐτήρουν αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι σου ᾧ δέδωκας μοι, καὶ ἐφύλαξα, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀπώλετο εἰ μὴ ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας, ἵνα ἡ γραφὴ πληρωθῇ οτε ημην μετ αυτων εν τω κοσμω εγω ετηρουν αυτους εν τω ονοματι σου ους δεδωκας μοι εφυλαξα και ουδεις εξ αυτων απωλετο ει μη ο υιος της απωλειας ινα η γραφη πληρωθη οτε ημην μετ αυτων εν τω κοσμω εγω ετηρουν αυτους εν τω ονοματι σου ους δεδωκας μοι εφυλαξα και ουδεις εξ αυτων απωλετο ει μη ο υιος της απωλειας ινα η γραφη πληρωθη

[1] John 17:17 (NET)

[2] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had γράφων here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had γραφω (KJV: wrote).

[3] 2 John 1:5 (NET)

[4] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had ναὶ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had και (KJV: And).

[5] Philippians 4:3 (NET)

[6] Luke 16:27 (NET)

[7] John 6:44 (NET)

[8] Romans 8:28, 29 (NET)

[9] Romans 8:30 (NET)

[10] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had οὖν (not translated in the NET) following Why.  The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[11] Romans 9:19 (NET)

[12] “In 1952, [Bill Bright] wrote The Four Spiritual Laws, an evangelistic Christian tract.  In the booklet he outlines his view of the essentials of the Christian faith concerning salvation. It is summarized as four spiritual laws or principles that govern what he sees as human beings’ relationship with God.  The booklet ends with a prayer of repentance.”

[13] I think the fact that this woman attended church once before she died gave Pastor Farag the confidence to assume that she had truly Admitted she was a sinner, really Believed that Jesus is Lord and fully intended to Call (ἐπικαλέσηται, a form of ἐπικαλέω) upon Him; and so he said, “She’s with the Lord.”

So then, it does not depend on human desire (θέλοντος, a form of θέλω) or exertion (τρέχοντος, a form of τρέχω), but on God who shows mercy (Romans 9:16 NET).  [W]e must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run (τρέχωμεν, another form of τρέχω) with endurance the race set out for us, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1b, 2a NET).  [F]or the one bringing forth in you both the desire (θέλειν, another form of θέλω) and the effort (ἐνεργεῖν, a form of ἐνεργέω)—for the sake of his good pleasure—is God (Philippians 2:13 NET).

[14] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had γάρ (not translated in the NET) here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε (KJV: yea)

[15] 1 Corinthins 9:16b (NET)

[16] NET note 44: Or possibly “objects of wrath that have fit themselves for destruction.” The form of the participle could be taken either as a passive or middle (reflexive). ExSyn 417-18 argues strongly for the passive sense (which is followed in the translation), stating that “the middle view has little to commend it.” First, καταρτίζω (katartizō) is nowhere else used in the NT as a direct or reflexive middle (a usage which, in any event, is quite rare in the NT). Second, the lexical force of this verb, coupled with the perfect tense, suggests something of a “done deal” (against some commentaries that see these vessels as ready for destruction yet still able to avert disaster). Third, the potter-clay motif seems to have one point: The potter prepares the clay.

[17] Matthew 6:13b (NASB) Table

[18] Ephesians 2:9b (NET)

[19] Romans 3:22a (NET) Table

[20] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τα παντα (KJV: all things) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[21] John 17:10 (NET)

[22] John 17:10 (KJV)

[23] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἔδωκας here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δεδωκας (KJV: gavest).

[24] John 17:6a (NET) Table

[25] Romans 1:25 (NET)

[26] John 17:8b (NET)

[27] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἢ (not translated in the NET) here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ει (KJV: or).

[28] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had συστατικων (KJV: commendation) repeated here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[29] In the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 Moses was spelled Μωϋσέως, and μωσεως in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

[30] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had τῇ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had η.

[31] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εν here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[32] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had οὐ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had ουδε.

[33] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had εἵνεκεν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ενεκεν (KJV: by reason of).

[34] 2 Corinthians 3:7-11 (NET)

[35] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had αὐτοὶ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ουτοι (KJV: these).

[36] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had the singular pronoun ᾧ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had the plural ους (KJV: those).

[37] John 17:11 (NET)

[38] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had καὶ here.  The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[39] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had the singular pronoun ᾧ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the plural ους (KJV: those).

[40] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εν τω κοσμω (KJV: in the world) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[41] Galatians 5:22a (NET) Table

To Make Holy, Part 6

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The next form of ἁγιάζω I want to consider is found in Jesus’ prayer to his Father: Set them apart (ἁγίασον, a form of ἁγιάζω) in the truth; your word is truth.[1]  But I’m making a slow pilgrimage through his prayer because I believe I can know his holiness here.  Jesus prayed (John 17:7, 8 NET):

Now they understand that everything you have given me comes from you, because I have given them the words you have given me.  They accepted them and really understand that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.

The Greek words translated understand were ἔγνωκαν and ἔγνωσαν respectively, forms of γινώσκω.  None of the rulers of this age understood (ἔγνωκεν, another form of γινώσκω) [the wisdom of God], Paul wrote believers in Corinth.  If they had known (ἔγνωσαν, a form of γινώσκω) it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.[2]

Paul may have meant that—if they had understood—the demonic rulers (ἀρχόντων, a form of ἄρχων) or their human followers would not have crucified Jesus so that the scriptures that say it must happen this way[3] would have failed,[4] rather than that these rulers would have embraced Jesus as Lord (yehôvâh) and Christ (mâshı̂yach).  Still I think there is much to be gained by contrasting the disciples understanding to its negation.  Righteous Father, Jesus prayed, even if the world does not know (ἔγνω, another form of γινώσκω) you, I know (ἔγνων, another form of γινώσκω) you, and these men know (ἔγνωσαν, a form of γινώσκω) that you sent me.[5]

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard [Jesus’] parables, they realized (ἔγνωσαν, a form of γινώσκω) that he was speaking about them.[6]  But they didn’t understand that the Father had sent Jesus.  Now they wanted to arrest him (but they feared the crowd), because they realized (ἔγνωσαν, a form of γινώσκω) that he told this parable against them.  So they left him and went away.[7]  Then the experts in the law and the chief priests wanted to arrest him that very hour, because they realized (ἔγνωσαν, a form of γινώσκω) he had told this parable against them.  But they were afraid of the people.[8]

John recorded the suspicion of some of the residents of Jerusalem, who in a sense forced their rulers’ hand to prove that they did not secretly regard Jesus as the Christ: Then some of the residents of Jerusalem began to say, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?  Yet here he is, speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to him.  Do the ruling authorities really know (ἔγνωσαν, a form of γινώσκω) that this man is the Christ?[9]

The following table contrasts those who did not understand that the Father sent Jesus and those who did:

John 8:25-27 (NET) John 16:1-4a (NET)
So they said to him, “Who are you?”  Jesus[10] replied, “What I have told you from the beginning. “I have told you all these things so that you will not fall away.
I have many things to say and to judge about you, but the Father who sent me is truthful, and the things I have heard from him I speak[11] to the world.” They will put you out of the synagogue, yet a time is coming when the one who kills you will think he is offering service to God.
(They did not understand [ἔγνωσαν, a form of γινώσκω] that he was telling them about his Father.) They will do[12] these things because they have not known (ἔγνωσαν, a form of γινώσκω) the Father or me.
But I have told you these things so that when their[13] time comes, you will remember that I told you about them.

Jesus explained why his disciples’ understanding differed from that of most in Israel: I have given them the words you have given me.  Even this may become clearer with contrast (Matthew 13:10-17 NET Table):

Then the disciples came to [Jesus] and said,[14] “Why do you speak to them in parables?”  He replied, “You have been given the opportunity to know (γνῶναι, another form of γινώσκω) the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but they have not.  For whoever has will be given more, and will have an abundance.  But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.  For this reason I speak to them in parables: Although they see they do not see, and although they hear they do not hear nor do they understand (συνίουσιν, a form of συνίημι).  And concerning them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

‘You will listen carefully yet will never understand (συνῆτε, another form of συνίημι), you will look closely yet will never comprehend.  For the heart of this people has become dull; they are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes, so that they would not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand (συνῶσιν, another form of συνίημι) with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’

“But your eyes are blessed because they see, and your ears because they hear.[15]  For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see[16] it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

Jesus’ disciples were not only given the words Jesus’ Father gave to Him: They accepted them and really understand that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.  The Greek word translated accepted was ἔλαβον (a form of λαμβάνω).  John had described Jesus as follows (John 1:10-13 NET):

He was in the world, and the world was created by him, but the world did not recognize (ἔγνω, another form of γινώσκω) him.  He came to what was his own, but his own people did not receive (παρέλαβον, a form of παραλαμβάνω) him.  But to all who have received (ἔλαβον, a form of λαμβάνω) him – those who believe in his name – he has given the right to become God’s children – children not born by human parents or by human desire or a husband’s decision, but by God.

John also recorded Jesus’ description of his own death and resurrection (John 10:17, 18 NET):

This is why the Father loves me – because I lay down my life, so that I may take (λάβω, another form of λαμβάνω) it back again.  No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down of my own free will.  I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take (λαβεῖν, another form of λαμβάνω) it back again.  This commandment I received (ἔλαβον, a form of λαμβάνω) from my Father.

Though accepted and received may sound passive[17] in English, I think this translation is a matter of politeness.  All three Greek forms of λαμβάνω above (λάβω, λαβεῖν and ἔλαβον) are active verbs: So they took (ἔλαβον, a form of λαμβάνω) branches of palm trees;[18] they took (ἔλαβον, a form of λαμβάνω) his clothes and made four shares[19] and they took (ἔλαβον, a form of λαμβάνω) Jesus’ body and wrapped it, with the aromatic spices.[20]  Jesus’ disciples took the words (ρήματα, a form of ῥῆμα) He gave them and kept (τετήρηκαν, a form of τηρέω) them: and they have kept thy word (λόγον, a form of λόγος).[21]  I feel justified equating the words (ρήματα) they took with the word (λόγον) they kept because Jesus also prayed: I have given them your word (λόγον, a form of λόγος).[22]

I found two passive forms of λαμβάνω in the New Testament for contrast.  The first is admittedly subtle (1 Timothy 4:1-5 NET):

Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the later times some will desert the faith and occupy themselves with deceiving spirits and demonic teachings, influenced by the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared.  They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received[23] (μετάλημψιν) with thanksgiving by those who believe and know[24] the truth.  For every creation of God is good and no food [literally, nothing] is to be rejected if it is received (λαμβανόμενον, another form of λαμβάνω) with thanksgiving.  For it is sanctified by God’s word and by prayer.

The translations of the noun μετάλημψιν to be received and the passive verb λαμβανόμενον is received confused me some, not that I have a better translation of μετάλημψιν to offer.  Perhaps the passiveness with which this food is received is clarified by Paul’s teaching to believers in Corinth (1 Corinthians 10:25-29a NET).

Eat anything that is sold in the marketplace without questions of conscience, for the earth and its abundance are the Lord’s.  If[25] an unbeliever invites you to dinner and you want to go, eat whatever is served without asking questions of conscience.  But if someone says to you, “This is from a sacrifice,”[26] do not eat, because of the one who told you and because of conscience –[27] I do not mean yours but the other person’s.

The second example is more explicit, contrasting a passive form λαμβανόμενος directly with an active form λαμβάνει.

Hebrews 5:1 (NET) Hebrews 5:4 (NET)
For every high priest is taken (λαμβανόμενος, another form of λαμβάνω) from among the people and appointed to represent them before God, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. And no one assumes (λαμβάνει, another form of λαμβάνω; KJV: taketh) this honor on his own initiative, but only when called[28] to it by God, as in fact[29] Aaron[30] was.

Jesus’ disciples actively took the words He gave them as they were, words from the Father, and really understand, Jesus prayed, that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.  I admit I’ve wasted too much time wondering what esoteric words the Father knew and gave to Jesus and Jesus knew and gave to his disciples, blind to the fact that they are Jesus’ understanding, given by the Holy Spirit, while studying the Hebrew scriptures.  These words are what Jesus learned as He increased in[31] wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and with people.[32]  And his understanding of these words, are recorded in the Gospel narratives of the New Testament.

Tables comparing the Greek of Matthew 13:14b with Isaiah 6:9b, and Matthew 13:15 with Isaiah 6:10 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables of Luke 20:19; John 7:26; 8:25, 26; 16:3, 4; Matthew 13:10; 13:16, 17; John 12:13; 19:23; 19:40; 17:6; 1 Timothy 4:3; 1 Corinthians 10:27, 28; Hebrews 5:4 and Luke 2:52 comparing the NET and KJV follow.

Matthew 13:14b (NET Parallel Greek) Isaiah 6:9b (Septuagint BLB) Isaiah 6:9b (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε, καὶ βλέποντες βλέψετε καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε καὶ βλέποντες βλέψετε καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε καὶ βλέποντες βλέψετε καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε
Matthew 13:14b (NET) Esaias 6:9b (NETS) Isaiah 6:9 (English Elpenor)
‘You will listen carefully yet will never understand, you will look closely yet will never comprehend. ‘You will listen by listening, but you will not understand, and looking you will look, but you will not perceive.’ Ye shall hear indeed, but ye shall not understand; and ye shall see indeed, but ye shall not perceive.
Matthew 13:15 (NET Parallel Greek) Isaiah 6:10 (Septuagint BLB) Isaiah 6:10 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐπαχύνθη γὰρ ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου, καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν βαρέως ἤκουσαν καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐκάμμυσαν, μήποτε ἴδωσιν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν ἀκούσωσιν καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ συνῶσιν καὶ ἐπιστρέψωσιν καὶ ἰάσομαι αὐτούς ἐπαχύνθη γὰρ ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου καὶ τοῗς ὠσὶν αὐτῶν βαρέως ἤκουσαν καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐκάμμυσαν μήποτε ἴδωσιν τοῗς ὀφθαλμοῗς καὶ τοῗς ὠσὶν ἀκούσωσιν καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ συνῶσιν καὶ ἐπιστρέψωσιν καὶ ἰάσομαι αὐτούς ἐπαχύνθη γὰρ ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου, καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν αὐτῶν βαρέως ἤκουσαν καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐκάμμυσαν μήποτε ἴδωσι τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν ἀκούσωσι καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ συνῶσι, καὶ ἐπιστρέψωσι, καὶ ἰάσομαι αὐτούς
Matthew 13:15 (NET) Esaias 6:10 (NETS) Isaiah 6:10 (English Elpenor)
For the heart of this people has become dull; they are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes, so that they would not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ For this people’s heart has grown fat, and with their ears they have heard heavily, and they have shut their eyes so that they might not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn—and I would heal them.” For the heart of this people has become gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
Luke 20:19 (NET) Luke 20:19 (KJV)
Then the experts in the law and the chief priests wanted to arrest him that very hour, because they realized he had told this parable against them.  But they were afraid of the people. And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
Καὶ ἐζήτησαν οἱ γραμματεῖς καὶ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς ἐπιβαλεῖν ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν τὰς χεῖρας ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ, καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν τὸν λαόν, ἔγνωσαν γὰρ ὅτι πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἶπεν τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην και εζητησαν οι αρχιερεις και οι γραμματεις επιβαλειν επ αυτον τας χειρας εν αυτη τη ωρα και εφοβηθησαν τον λαον εγνωσαν γαρ οτι προς αυτους την παραβολην ταυτην ειπεν και εζητησαν οι αρχιερεις και οι γραμματεις επιβαλειν επ αυτον τας χειρας εν αυτη τη ωρα και εφοβηθησαν εγνωσαν γαρ οτι προς αυτους την παραβολην ταυτην ειπεν
John 7:26 (NET) John 7:26 (KJV)
Yet here he is, speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to him.  Do the ruling authorities really know that this man is the Christ? But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ ἴδε παρρησίᾳ λαλεῖ καὶ οὐδὲν αὐτῷ λέγουσιν. μήποτε ἀληθῶς ἔγνωσαν οἱ ἄρχοντες ὅτι οὗτος ἐστιν ὁ χριστός και ιδε παρρησια λαλει και ουδεν αυτω λεγουσιν μηποτε αληθως εγνωσαν οι αρχοντες οτι ουτος εστιν αληθως ο χριστος και ιδε παρρησια λαλει και ουδεν αυτω λεγουσιν μηποτε αληθως εγνωσαν οι αρχοντες οτι ουτος εστιν αληθως ο χριστος
John 8:25, 26 (NET) John 8:25, 26 (KJV)
So they said to him, “Who are you?”  Jesus replied, “What I have told you from the beginning. Then said they unto him, Who art thou?  And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ἔλεγον οὖν αὐτῷ· σὺ τίς εἶ; εἶπεν αὐτοῖς |ὁ| Ἰησοῦς· τὴν ἀρχὴν ὅ τι καὶ λαλῶ ὑμῖν ελεγον ουν αυτω συ τις ει και ειπεν αυτοις ο ιησους την αρχην ο τι και λαλω υμιν ελεγον ουν αυτω συ τις ει και ειπεν αυτοις ο ιησους την αρχην ο τι και λαλω υμιν
I have many things to say and to judge about you, but the Father who sent me is truthful, and the things I have heard from him I speak to the world.” I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
πολλὰ ἔχω περὶ ὑμῶν λαλεῖν καὶ κρίνειν, ἀλλ᾿ ὁ πέμψας με ἀληθής ἐστιν, καγὼ ἃ ἤκουσα παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ ταῦτα λαλῶ εἰς τὸν κόσμον πολλα εχω περι υμων λαλειν και κρινειν αλλ ο πεμψας με αληθης εστιν καγω α ηκουσα παρ αυτου ταυτα λεγω εις τον κοσμον πολλα εχω περι υμων λαλειν και κρινειν αλλ ο πεμψας με αληθης εστιν καγω α ηκουσα παρ αυτου ταυτα λεγω εις τον κοσμον
John 16:3, 4 (NET) John 16:3, 4 (KJV)
They will do these things because they have not known the Father or me. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ ταῦτα ποιήσουσιν ὅτι οὐκ ἔγνωσαν τὸν πατέρα οὐδὲ ἐμέ και ταυτα ποιησουσιν υμιν οτι ουκ εγνωσαν τον πατερα ουδε εμε και ταυτα ποιησουσιν οτι ουκ εγνωσαν τον πατερα ουδε εμε
But I have told you these things so that when their time comes, you will remember that I told you about them.

“I did not tell you these things from the beginning because I was with you.

 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them.  And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ἀλλὰ ταῦτα λελάληκα ὑμῖν ἵνα ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἡ ὥρα αὐτῶν μνημονεύητε αὐτῶν ὅτι ἐγὼ εἶπον ὑμῖν.  Ταῦτα δὲ ὑμῖν ἐξ ἀρχῆς οὐκ εἶπον, ὅτι μεθ᾿ ὑμῶν ἤμην αλλα ταυτα λελαληκα υμιν ινα οταν ελθη η ωρα μνημονευητε αυτων οτι εγω ειπον υμιν ταυτα δε υμιν εξ αρχης ουκ ειπον οτι μεθ υμων ημην αλλα ταυτα λελαληκα υμιν ινα οταν ελθη η ωρα μνημονευητε αυτων οτι εγω ειπον υμιν ταυτα δε υμιν εξ αρχης ουκ ειπον οτι μεθ υμων ημην
Matthew 13:10 (NET) Matthew 13:10 (KJV)
Then the disciples came to him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
Καὶ προσελθόντες οἱ μαθηταὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· διὰ τί ἐν παραβολαῖς λαλεῖς αὐτοῖς και προσελθοντες οι μαθηται ειπον αυτω δια τι εν παραβολαις λαλεις αυτοις και προσελθοντες οι μαθηται ειπον αυτω δια τι εν παραβολαις λαλεις αυτοις
Matthew 13:16, 17 (NET) Matthew 13:16, 17 (KJV)
“But your eyes are blessed because they see, and your ears because they hear. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ὑμῶν δὲ μακάριοι οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ὅτι βλέπουσιν καὶ τὰ ὦτα |ὑμῶν| ὅτι ἀκούουσιν υμων δε μακαριοι οι οφθαλμοι οτι βλεπουσιν και τα ωτα υμων οτι ακουει υμων δε μακαριοι οι οφθαλμοι οτι βλεπουσιν και τα ωτα υμων οτι ακουει
For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι πολλοὶ προφῆται καὶ δίκαιοι ἐπεθύμησαν ἰδεῖν ἃ βλέπετε καὶ οὐκ εἶδαν, καὶ ἀκοῦσαι ἃ ἀκούετε καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσαν αμην γαρ λεγω υμιν οτι πολλοι προφηται και δικαιοι επεθυμησαν ιδειν α βλεπετε και ουκ ειδον και ακουσαι α ακουετε και ουκ ηκουσαν αμην γαρ λεγω υμιν οτι πολλοι προφηται και δικαιοι επεθυμησαν ιδειν α βλεπετε και ουκ ειδον και ακουσαι α ακουετε και ουκ ηκουσαν
John 12:13 (NET) John 12:13 (KJV)
So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him.  They began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!” Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ἔλαβον τὰ βαΐα τῶν φοινίκων καὶ ἐξῆλθον εἰς ὑπάντησιν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐκραύγαζον ὡσαννά· εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου, [καὶ] ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ ελαβον τα βαια των φοινικων και εξηλθον εις υπαντησιν αυτω και εκραζον ωσαννα ευλογημενος ο ερχομενος εν ονοματι κυριου ο βασιλευς του ισραηλ ελαβον τα βαια των φοινικων και εξηλθον εις υπαντησιν αυτω και εκραζον ωσαννα ευλογημενος ο ερχομενος εν ονοματι κυριου βασιλευς του ισραηλ
John 19:23 (NET) John 19:23 (KJV)
Now when the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and made four shares, one for each soldier, and the tunic remained.  (Now the tunic was seamless, woven from top to bottom as a single piece.) Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
Οἱ οὖν στρατιῶται, ὅτε ἐσταύρωσαν τὸν Ἰησοῦν, ἔλαβον τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐποίησαν τέσσαρα μέρη, ἑκάστῳ στρατιώτῃ μέρος, καὶ τὸν χιτῶνα. (ἦν δὲ ὁ χιτὼν ἄραφος, ἐκ τῶν ἄνωθεν ὑφαντὸς δι᾿ ὅλου.) οι ουν στρατιωται οτε εσταυρωσαν τον ιησουν ελαβον τα ιματια αυτου και εποιησαν τεσσαρα μερη εκαστω στρατιωτη μερος και τον χιτωνα ην δε ο χιτων αρραφος εκ των ανωθεν υφαντος δι ολου οι ουν στρατιωται οτε εσταυρωσαν τον ιησουν ελαβον τα ιματια αυτου και εποιησαν τεσσαρα μερη εκαστω στρατιωτη μερος και τον χιτωνα ην δε ο χιτων αραφος εκ των ανωθεν υφαντος δι ολου
John 19:40 (NET) John 19:40 (KJV)
Then they took Jesus’ body and wrapped it, with the aromatic spices, in strips of linen cloth according to Jewish burial customs. Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ἔλαβον οὖν τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ ἔδησαν αὐτὸ ὀθονίοις μετὰ τῶν ἀρωμάτων, καθὼς ἔθος ἐστὶν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ἐνταφιάζειν ελαβον ουν το σωμα του ιησου και εδησαν αυτο οθονιοις μετα των αρωματων καθως εθος εστιν τοις ιουδαιοις ενταφιαζειν ελαβον ουν το σωμα του ιησου και εδησαν αυτο εν οθονιοις μετα των αρωματων καθως εθος εστιν τοις ιουδαιοις ενταφιαζειν
John 17:6 (NET) John 17:6 (KJV)
“I have revealed your name to the men you gave me out of the world.  They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have obeyed your word. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
Ἐφανέρωσα σου τὸ ὄνομα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις οὓς ἔδωκας μοι ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου. σοὶ ἦσαν καμοὶ αὐτοὺς ἔδωκας καὶ τὸν λόγον σου τετήρηκαν εφανερωσα σου το ονομα τοις ανθρωποις ους δεδωκας μοι εκ του κοσμου σοι ησαν και εμοι αυτους δεδωκας και τον λογον σου τετηρηκασιν εφανερωσα σου το ονομα τοις ανθρωποις ους δεδωκας μοι εκ του κοσμου σοι ησαν και εμοι αυτους δεδωκας και τον λογον σου τετηρηκασιν
1 Timothy 4:3 (NET) 1 Timothy 4:3 (KJV)
They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
κωλυόντων γαμεῖν, ἀπέχεσθαι βρωμάτων, ἃ ὁ θεὸς ἔκτισεν εἰς μετάλημψιν μετὰ εὐχαριστίας τοῖς πιστοῖς καὶ ἐπεγνωκόσι τὴν ἀλήθειαν κωλυοντων γαμειν απεχεσθαι βρωματων α ο θεος εκτισεν εις μεταληψιν μετα ευχαριστιας τοις πιστοις και επεγνωκοσιν την αληθειαν κωλυοντων γαμειν απεχεσθαι βρωματων α ο θεος εκτισεν εις μεταληψιν μετα ευχαριστιας τοις πιστοις και επεγνωκοσιν την αληθειαν
1 Corinthians 10:27, 28 (NET) 1 Corinthians 10:27, 28 (KJV)
If an unbeliever invites you to dinner and you want to go, eat whatever is served without asking questions of conscience. If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
εἴ τις καλεῖ ὑμᾶς τῶν ἀπίστων καὶ θέλετε πορεύεσθαι, πᾶν τὸ παρατιθέμενον ὑμῖν ἐσθίετε μηδὲν ἀνακρίνοντες διὰ τὴν συνείδησιν ει δε τις καλει υμας των απιστων και θελετε πορευεσθαι παν το παρατιθεμενον υμιν εσθιετε μηδεν ανακρινοντες δια την συνειδησιν ει δε τις καλει υμας των απιστων και θελετε πορευεσθαι παν το παρατιθεμενον υμιν εσθιετε μηδεν ανακρινοντες δια την συνειδησιν
But if someone says to you, “This is from a sacrifice,” do not eat, because of the one who told you and because of conscience – But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that showed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof:
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ἐὰν δέ τις ὑμῖν εἴπῃ· τοῦτο ἱερόθυτον ἐστιν, μὴ ἐσθίετε δι᾿ ἐκεῖνον τὸν μηνύσαντα καὶ τὴν συνείδησιν εαν δε τις υμιν ειπη τουτο ειδωλοθυτον εστιν μη εσθιετε δι εκεινον τον μηνυσαντα και την συνειδησιν του γαρ κυριου η γη και το πληρωμα αυτης εαν δε τις υμιν ειπη τουτο ειδωλοθυτον εστιν μη εσθιετε δι εκεινον τον μηνυσαντα και την συνειδησιν του γαρ κυριου η γη και το πληρωμα αυτης
Hebrews 5:4 (NET) Hebrews 5:4 (KJV)
And no one assumes this honor on his own initiative, but only when called to it by God, as in fact Aaron was. And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ οὐχ ἑαυτῷ τις λαμβάνει τὴν τιμὴν ἀλλὰ καλούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ καθώσπερ καὶ Ἀαρών και ουχ εαυτω τις λαμβανει την τιμην αλλα ο καλουμενος υπο του θεου καθαπερ και ο ααρων και ουχ εαυτω τις λαμβανει την τιμην αλλα καλουμενος υπο του θεου καθαπερ και ααρων
Luke 2:52 (NET) Luke 2:52 (KJV)
And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and with people. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
Καὶ Ἰησοῦς προέκοπτεν [ἐν τῇ] σοφίᾳ καὶ ἡλικίᾳ καὶ χάριτι παρὰ θεῷ καὶ ἀνθρώποις και ιησους προεκοπτεν σοφια και ηλικια και χαριτι παρα θεω και ανθρωποις και ιησους προεκοπτεν σοφια και ηλικια και χαριτι παρα θεω και ανθρωποις

[1] John 17:17 (NET)

[2] 1 Corinthians 2:8 (NET)

[3] Matthew 26:54 (NET)

[4] It occurs to me that this is another oblique reference to the partial hardening of Israel which played such an integral role in the fulfillment of the Scriptures.

[5] John 17:25 (NET)

[6] Matthew 21:45 (NET)

[7] Mark 12:12 (NET)

[8] Luke 20:19 (NET) The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Stephanus Textus Receptus had τὸν λαόν (KJV: the people) here.  The Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[9] John 7:25, 26 (NET) The Stephanus Text Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αληθως (KJV: very) preceding Christ.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[10] The Stephanus Text Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και (KJV: And) at the beginning of this clause.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[11] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had λαλῶ here, where the Stephanus Text Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had λεγω.

[12] The Stephanus Textus Receptus had υμιν following do (KJV: unto you).  The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[13] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had αὐτῶν here.  The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not (KJV: the).

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

[15] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἀκούουσιν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ακουει.

[16] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had εἶδαν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ειδον.

[17] The Greek lexicon online lists the English translations of passive forms of λαμβάνω as follows: “to assume (consequences for), to attain (distinction), to be given, to be subjected to, to receive, to receive into one’s care, to undergo, experience.”

[18] John 12:13a (NET)

[19] John 19:23b (NET)

[20] John 19:40a (NET)

[21] John 17:6b (KJV)

[22] John 17:14a (NET)

[23] The NET Parallel Greek text and NA28 had μετάλημψιν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μεταληψιν.

[24] The NET Parallel Greek text had ἐπεγνωκόσι here, where where the Stephanus Textus Receptus, Byzantine Majority Text and NA28 had ἐπεγνωκόσιν.

[25] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε (not translated in the KJV) near the beginning of this clause.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[26] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἱερόθυτον here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ειδωλοθυτον (KJV: sacrifice unto idols).

[27] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had του γαρ κυριου η γη και το πληρωμα αυτης (KJV: for the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[28] The Stephanus Textus Receptus had the article ο preceding called.  The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[29] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had καθώσπερ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had καθαπερ (KJV: as was).

[30] The Stephanus Textus Receptus had the article ο preceding Aaron.  The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[31] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἐν τῇ here.  The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[32] Luke 2:52 (NET)

Father, Forgive Them – Part 5

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Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.[1]  “That’s me,” I responded as I read that this time.  The Greek word translated enemies was ἐχθρούς (a form of ἐχθρός).  For if while we were enemies (ἐχθροὶ, another form of ἐχθρός), Paul wrote believers in Rome, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, since we have been reconciled, will we be saved by his life?[2]  But I’d never thought of it this way before.

I had vaguely assumed that making his enemies a footstool referenced Jesus as He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.[3]  As I looked at other quotations of Psalm 110:1 in the New Testament it made a little sense why I had thought that.

NET and Parallel Greek
Matthew 22:44 Mark 12:36b Luke 20:42b, 43 Acts 2:34b, 35

Hebrews 1:13b
‘The[4] Lord said to my lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under[5] your feet”’? ‘The[6] Lord said[7] to my lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under[8] your feet.”’ ‘The[9] Lord said to my lord, “Sit at my right hand, ‘The Lord said to my lord, “Sit at my right hand “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?
until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’ until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’
εἶπεν κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν σου εἶπεν κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν σου εἶπεν κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου εἶπεν [ὁ] κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου
ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου

There was another allusion to Psalm 110:1 in Hebrews 10:12, 13 (NET):

But when this priest[10] had offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, he sat down at the right hand of God, where he is now waiting until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet.

There are some differences from the Septuagint mostly related to the changes from present to past tense, and from second and first to third person:

Hebrews 10:12b (NET Parallel Greek) Psalm 110:1a (Septuagint BLB) Psalm 109:1a (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ θεοῦ κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου
Hebrews 10:13b (NET Parallel Greek) Psalm 110:1b (Septuagint BLB) Psalm 109:1b (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἕως τεθῶσιν οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτοῦ ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου

The noun ὑποπόδιον (footstool) in Hebrews 1:13, and 10:13, Acts 2:35 and Luke 20:43 was replaced by the adverb ὑποκάτω (under) in Matthew 22:44 and Mark 12:36.  The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ὑποπόδιον in both cases (Table1 and Table2) as did both versions of the Septuagint.

Matthew 22:44 (NET Parallel Greek) Psalm 110:1 (Septuagint BLB) Psalm 109:1 (Septuagint Elpenor)
εἶπεν κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν σου εἶπεν ὁ κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου ΕΙΠΕΝ ὁ Κύριος τῷ Κυρίῳ μου· κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου
Mark 12:36b (NET Parallel Greek) Psalm 110:1 (Septuagint BLB) Psalm 109:1 (Septuagint Elpenor)
εἶπεν κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν σου εἶπεν ὁ κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου ΕΙΠΕΝ ὁ Κύριος τῷ Κυρίῳ μου· κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου

The Hebrew was הדם (hădôm) and לרגליך (regel), also translated footstool in the Tanakh.

From Hebrew From Greek
Psalm 110:1 (Tanakh) Psalm 110:1 (KJV) Psalm 109:1 (NETS) Psalm 109:1 (Elpenor English)
The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord said to my lord, “Sit on my right until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

According to Strong’s Concordance הדם (hădôm) was “From an unused root meaning to stamp upon.”  Paul alluded to Psalm 8:6 (1 Corinthians 15:24-28 NET; Table):

Then comes the end, when [Jesus] hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when he has brought to an end all rule and all authority and power.  For he must reign until[11] he has put[12] all his enemies under his feet.  The last enemy to be eliminated is death.  For he has put everything in subjection under his feet.  But when it says “everything” has been put in subjection, it is clear that this does not include the one who put everything in subjection to him.  And when all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.

Though Paul used ὑπὸ here both versions of the Septuagint had ὑποκάτω.  The other differences are accounted for by switching from 2nd to 3rd person and from the genitive to the accusative case.

1 Corinthians 15:27a (NET Parallel Greek) Psalm 8:6b (Septuagint BLB) Psalm 8:7b (Septuagint Elpenor)
πάντα γὰρ ὑπέταξεν ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ σου πάντα ὑπέταξας ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ σου· πάντα ὑπέταξας ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ

Though I didn’t realize it before I did this study, the first verse of Psalm 8 in the Elpenor version of the Septuagint reads: Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ὑπὲρ τῶν ληνῶν· ψαλμὸς τῷ Δαυΐδ (“For the end, concerning the wine-presses, a Psalm of David”).  The writer of Hebrews quoted Psalm 8:6, You put all things under his control,[13] including ὑποκάτω (under).

Hebrews 2:8a (NET Parallel Greek) Psalm 8:6b (Septuagint BLB) Psalm 8:7b (Septuagint Elpenor)
πάντα ὑπέταξας ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ σου πάντα ὑπέταξας ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ σου· πάντα ὑπέταξας ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ

Yet this time for some inexplicable reason as I read—Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet—the planet-sized hassock of corpses evaporated back into my imagination as I recognized that Jesus’ planet-sized footstool is made of living people, people like Mary.

Now it was Mary[14] who anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and wiped his feet dry with her hair.[15]  I imagine it was just as inexplicable to her that she, a sinner, when she learned[16] that Jesus was dining[17] at the Pharisee’s house…brought an alabaster jar of perfumed oil;[18] weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears.  She wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfumed oil.[19]

Jesus explained the inexplicable: No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…It is written in the prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by[20] God.’  Everyone[21] who hears[22] and learns from the Father comes to me.[23]  I had misunderstood this as a severe limitation to my whosoever-will-may-come belief.  But the Holy Spirit contrasted it to the difficulty those willful few had finding their own way through the rituals of old covenant religion.  How[24] narrow is the gate and difficult the way that leads to life, Jesus summarized, and there are few who find it![25]

Mary[26]…sat[27] at[28] the Lord’s[29] feet and listened to what he said.[30]  And again, Mary[31] took three quarters of a pound of expensive aromatic oil from pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus[32] about a week before his crucifixion.

I was formerly[33] a blasphemer and a persecutor, and an arrogant man, the apostle Paul confessed.  But[34] I was treated with mercy because I acted ignorantly (ἀγνοῶν, a form of ἀγνοέω) in unbelief, and our Lord’s grace was abundant, bringing faith and love in Christ Jesus.[35]  Father, forgive them, Jesus prayed, for they don’t know what they are doing.[36]  The Greek word translated know was οἴδασιν (a form of εἴδω; see).  They didn’t see what they were doing.  They acted ignorantly in unbelief (ἀπιστίᾳ).

When Jesus appeared to Paul (a.k.a. Saul) as a blinding light on the road to Damascus, He said, You are hurting (σκληρόν, a form of σκληρός) yourself by kicking against the goads.[37]  Paul’s religious mind fought so hard against that inexplicable drawing of God—denying what he was taught, heard and learned from the Father so completely—that the risen and ascended Lord Jesus was concerned about the harm he caused himself.  And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, Jesus had promised, will draw all people to myself,[38] even an angry jihadist like Saul.

This should not be forgotten though we may be more aware of what God’s abundant grace bringing faith and love in Christ Jesus made of him: for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort, Paul wrote from experience (Colossians 1:28, 29), for the sake of his good pleasure – is God.[39]

I had begun to hear—Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing—as something more than a limited and local prayer.  I regard it, in fact, as the singularly relevant prayer of a salvation that does not depend on human desire or exertion, but on God who shows mercy.[40]  But I was uncertain of God the Father’s answer to that prayer until that day I heard, Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.  His enemies made into his footstool was Jesus’ joy (Hebrews 12:2b NET):

For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat[41] at the right hand of the throne of God.

Tables comparing Matthew 22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42; 1 Corinthians 15:25; John 11:2; Luke 7:37; John 6:45; Matthew 7:14; Luke 10:39; John 12:3; 1 Timothy 1:13; Acts 26:14; Philippians 2:13 and Hebrews 12:2 in the NET and KJV follow.

Matthew 22:44 (NET) Matthew 22:44 (KJV)
‘The Lord said to my lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’? The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
εἶπεν κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν σου ειπεν ο κυριος τω κυριω μου καθου εκ δεξιων μου εως αν θω τους εχθρους σου υποποδιον των ποδων σου ειπεν ο κυριος τω κυριω μου καθου εκ δεξιων μου εως αν θω τους εχθρους σου υποποδιον των ποδων σου
Mark 12:36 (NET) Mark 12:36 (KJV)
David himself, by the Holy Spirit, said, ‘The Lord said to my lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
αὐτὸς Δαυὶδ εἶπεν ἐν τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ εἶπεν κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν σου αυτος γαρ δαβιδ ειπεν εν τω πνευματι τω αγιω ειπεν ο κυριος τω κυριω μου καθου εκ δεξιων μου εως αν θω τους εχθρους σου υποποδιον των ποδων σου αυτος γαρ δαυιδ ειπεν εν πνευματι αγιω λεγει ο κυριος τω κυριω μου καθου εκ δεξιων μου εως αν θω τους εχθρους σου υποποδιον των ποδων σου
Luke 20:42 (NET) Luke 20:42 (KJV)
For David himself says in the book of Psalms, ‘The Lord said to my lord, “Sit at my right hand, And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
αὐτὸς γὰρ Δαυὶδ λέγει ἐν βίβλῳ ψαλμῶν εἶπεν κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου και αυτος δαβιδ λεγει εν βιβλω ψαλμων ειπεν ο κυριος τω κυριω μου καθου εκ δεξιων μου και αυτος δαυιδ λεγει εν βιβλω ψαλμων ειπεν ο κυριος τω κυριω μου καθου εκ δεξιων μου
1 Corinthians 15:25 (NET) 1 Corinthians 15:25 (KJV)
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
δεῖ γὰρ αὐτὸν βασιλεύειν ἄχρι οὗ θῇ πάντας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ δει γαρ αυτον βασιλευειν αχρις ου αν θη παντας τους εχθρους υπο τους ποδας αυτου δει γαρ αυτον βασιλευειν αχρις ου αν θη παντας τους εχθρους υπο τους ποδας αυτου
John 11:2 (NET) John 11:2 (KJV)
Now it was Mary who anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and wiped his feet dry with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ἦν δὲ Μαριὰμ ἡ ἀλείψασα τὸν κύριον μύρῳ καὶ ἐκμάξασα τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ ταῖς θριξὶν αὐτῆς, ἧς ὁ ἀδελφὸς Λάζαρος ἠσθένει ην δε μαρια η αλειψασα τον κυριον μυρω και εκμαξασα τους ποδας αυτου ταις θριξιν αυτης ης ο αδελφος λαζαρος ησθενει ην δε μαρια η αλειψασα τον κυριον μυρω και εκμαξασα τους ποδας αυτου ταις θριξιν αυτης ης ο αδελφος λαζαρος ησθενει
Luke 7:37 (NET) Luke 7:37 (KJV)
Then when a woman of that town, who was a sinner, learned that Jesus was dining at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfumed oil. And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ ἰδοὺ γυνὴ ἥτις ἦν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἁμαρτωλός, καὶ ἐπιγνοῦσα ὅτι κατάκειται ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ Φαρισαίου, κομίσασα ἀλάβαστρον μύρου και ιδου γυνη εν τη πολει ητις ην αμαρτωλος επιγνουσα οτι ανακειται εν τη οικια του φαρισαιου κομισασα αλαβαστρον μυρου και ιδου γυνη εν τη πολει ητις ην αμαρτωλος και επιγνουσα οτι ανακειται εν τη οικια του φαρισαιου κομισασα αλαβαστρον μυρου
John 6:45 (NET) John 6:45 (KJV)
It is written in the prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’  Everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to me. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God.  Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ἔστιν γεγραμμένον ἐν τοῖς προφήταις· καὶ ἔσονται πάντες διδακτοὶ θεοῦ· πᾶς ὁ ἀκούσας παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ μαθὼν ἔρχεται πρὸς ἐμέ εστιν γεγραμμενον εν τοις προφηταις και εσονται παντες διδακτοι του θεου πας ουν ο ακουσας παρα του πατρος και μαθων ερχεται προς με εστιν γεγραμμενον εν τοις προφηταις και εσονται παντες διδακτοι θεου πας ουν ο ακουων παρα του πατρος και μαθων ερχεται προς με
Matthew 7:14 (NET) Matthew 7:14 (KJV)
How narrow is the gate and difficult the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it! Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
|τί| στενὴ ἡ πύλη καὶ τεθλιμμένη ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ζωὴν καὶ ὀλίγοι εἰσὶν οἱ εὑρίσκοντες αὐτήν οτι στενη η πυλη και τεθλιμμενη η οδος η απαγουσα εις την ζωην και ολιγοι εισιν οι ευρισκοντες αυτην τι στενη η πυλη και τεθλιμμενη η οδος η απαγουσα εις την ζωην και ολιγοι εισιν οι ευρισκοντες αυτην
Luke 10:39 (NET) Luke 10:39 (KJV)
She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he said. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ τῇδε ἦν ἀδελφὴ καλουμένη Μαριάμ , [ἣ] καὶ παρακαθεσθεῖσα πρὸς τοὺς πόδας τοῦ κυρίου ἤκουεν τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ και τηδε ην αδελφη καλουμενη μαρια η και παρακαθισασα παρα τους ποδας του ιησου ηκουεν τον λογον αυτου και τηδε ην αδελφη καλουμενη μαρια η και παρακαθισασα παρα τους ποδας του ιησου ηκουεν τον λογον αυτου
John 12:3 (NET) John 12:3 (KJV)
Then Mary took three quarters of a pound of expensive aromatic oil from pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus. She then wiped his feet dry with her hair.  (Now the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfumed oil.) Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
Ἡ οὖν Μαριὰμ λαβοῦσα λίτραν μύρου νάρδου πιστικῆς πολυτίμου ἤλειψεν τοὺς πόδας |τοῦ| Ἰησοῦ καὶ ἐξέμαξεν ταῖς θριξὶν αὐτῆς τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ· (ἡ δὲ οἰκία ἐπληρώθη ἐκ τῆς ὀσμῆς τοῦ μύρου.) η ουν μαρια λαβουσα λιτραν μυρου ναρδου πιστικης πολυτιμου ηλειψεν τους ποδας του ιησου και εξεμαξεν ταις θριξιν αυτης τους ποδας αυτου η δε οικια επληρωθη εκ της οσμης του μυρου η ουν μαρια λαβουσα λιτραν μυρου ναρδου πιστικης πολυτιμου ηλειψεν τους ποδας του ιησου και εξεμαξεν ταις θριξιν αυτης τους ποδας αυτου η δε οικια επληρωθη εκ της οσμης του μυρου
1 Timothy 1:13 (NET) 1 Timothy 1:13 (KJV)
even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I was treated with mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief, Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
τὸ πρότερον ὄντα βλάσφημον καὶ διώκτην καὶ ὑβριστήν, ἀλλὰ ἠλεήθην, ὅτι ἀγνοῶν ἐποίησα ἐν ἀπιστίᾳ τον προτερον οντα βλασφημον και διωκτην και υβριστην αλλ ηλεηθην οτι αγνοων εποιησα εν απιστια τον προτερον οντα βλασφημον και διωκτην και υβριστην αλλα ηλεηθην οτι αγνοων εποιησα εν απιστια
Acts 26:14 (NET) Acts 26:14 (KJV)
When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?  You are hurting yourself by kicking against the goads.’ And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
πάντων τε καταπεσόντων ἡμῶν εἰς τὴν γῆν ἤκουσα φωνὴν λέγουσαν πρός με τῇ Ἑβραΐδι διαλέκτῳ· Σαοὺλ Σαούλ, τί με διώκεις; σκληρόν σοι πρὸς κέντρα λακτίζειν παντων δε καταπεσοντων ημων εις την γην ηκουσα φωνην λαλουσαν προς με και λεγουσαν τη εβραιδι διαλεκτω σαουλ σαουλ τι με διωκεις σκληρον σοι προς κεντρα λακτιζειν παντων δε καταπεσοντων ημων εις την γην ηκουσα φωνην λαλουσαν προς με και λεγουσαν τη εβραιδι διαλεκτω σαουλ σαουλ τι με διωκεις σκληρον σοι προς κεντρα λακτιζειν
Philippians 2:13 (NET) Philippians 2:13 (KJV)
for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort – for the sake of his good pleasure – is God. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
θεὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ἐνεργῶν ἐν ὑμῖν καὶ τὸ θέλειν καὶ τὸ ἐνεργεῖν ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐδοκίας ο θεος γαρ εστιν ο ενεργων εν υμιν και το θελειν και το ενεργειν υπερ της ευδοκιας ο θεος γαρ εστιν ο ενεργων εν υμιν και το θελειν και το ενεργειν υπερ της ευδοκιας
Hebrews 12:2 (NET) Hebrews 12:2 (KJV)
keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.  For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ἀφορῶντες εἰς τὸν τῆς πίστεως ἀρχηγὸν καὶ τελειωτὴν Ἰησοῦν, ὃς ἀντὶ τῆς προκειμένης αὐτῷ χαρᾶς ὑπέμεινεν σταυρὸν αἰσχύνης καταφρονήσας ἐν δεξιᾷ τε τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ θεοῦ κεκάθικεν αφορωντες εις τον της πιστεως αρχηγον και τελειωτην ιησουν ος αντι της προκειμενης αυτω χαρας υπεμεινεν σταυρον αισχυνης καταφρονησας εν δεξια τε του θρονου του θεου εκαθισεν αφορωντες εις τον της πιστεως αρχηγον και τελειωτην ιησουν ος αντι της προκειμενης αυτω χαρας υπεμεινεν σταυρον αισχυνης καταφρονησας εν δεξια τε του θρονου του θεου κεκαθικεν

[1] Hebrews 1:13b (NET)

[2] Romans 5:10 (NET)

[3] Revelation 19:15b (NASB) Table

[4] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article ο preceding Lord.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[5] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ὑποκάτω here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had υποποδιον (KJV: footstool).

[6] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had had the article ο preceding Lord.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[7] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Stephanus Textus Receptus had εἶπεν here, where the Byzantine Majority Text had λεγει.

[8] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ὑποκάτω here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had υποποδιον (KJV: footstool).

[9] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article ο here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[10] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had οὗτος here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτος (KJV: this man).

[11] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἄχρι here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αχρις (KJV: till).

[12] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the particle αν preceding has put.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[13] Hebrews 2:8a (NET)

[14] In the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 Mary was spelled Μαριὰμ, and μαρια in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

[15] John 11:2a (NET)

[16] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had καὶ preceding learned.  The Stephanus Textus Receptus did not.

[17] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had κατάκειται here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ανακειται (KJV: sat at meat).

[18] Luke 7:37 (NET)

[19] Luke 7:38b (NET)

[20] The Stephanus Textus Receptus had the article του (KJV: of) here.  The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[21] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ουν (KJV: therefore) following Everyone.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[22] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Stephanus Textus Receptus had ἀκούσας here, where the Byzantine Majority Text had ακουων.

[23] John 6:44a, 45 (NET) The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἐμέ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had με.

[24] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had τί here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had οτι (KJV: Because).

[25] Matthew 7:14 (NET)

[26] In the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 Mary was spelled Μαριάμ, and μαρια in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

[27] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had παρακαθεσθεῖσα here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had παρακαθισασα.

[28] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had πρὸς here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had παρα.

[29] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had κυρίου here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ιησου.

[30] Luke 10:39b (NET)

[31] In the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 Mary was spelled Μαριάμ, and μαρια in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

[32] John 12:3a (NET)

[33] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had the article τὸ preceding formerly, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τον.

[34] The NET parallel Greek text and Byzantine Majority Text had ἀλλὰ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and NA28 had αλλ.

[35] 1 Timothy 1:13 (NET)

[36] Luke 23:34a (NET) Table

[37] Acts 26:14b (NET)

[38] John 12:32 (NET)

[39] Philippians 2:13 (NET) The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article ο preceding God.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[40] Romans 9:16 (NET) Table

[41] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had κεκάθικεν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had εκαθισεν (KJV: is set down).

Father, Son and Holy Spirit – Part 1

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I am more or less willing to be a polytheist.  Trinitarianism gives me a headache.  I’m not quite sure how anyone deduced monotheism from, HEAR, O ISRAEL: THE HaShem (yehôvâh, יהוה) OUR GOD (ʼĕlôhı̂ym, אלהינו), THE HaShem (yehôvâh, יהוה) IS ONE[1] anyway.  The Hebrew word אלהינו (ʼĕlôhı̂ym), as I understand it, is a plural noun treated as a singular (i.e., the Gods is).

If the oneness of the אלהינו (ʼĕlôhı̂ym) meant that they were not warring among themselves, constantly working at cross-purposes like the gods of the pagan myths, then trinitarianism would be an unnecessary complication.  But the impact the quotation of Psalm 110:1 in Hebrews had on me as I read it this time compels me to consider something much closer to trinitarianism than polytheism: The LORD (yehôvâh, יהוה) said unto my Lord (ʼâdôn, לאדני), Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.[2]

But when this priest[3] had offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, the anonymous author of Hebrews wrote, he sat down at the right hand of God, where he is now waiting until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet.[4]  This made it obvious that the resurrected and ascended Jesus was signified by לאדני (ʼâdôn) in Psalm 110:1, not יהוה (yehôvâh).  As a Bible-believing polytheist I would be forced to accept that Jesus is not יהוה (yehôvâh) according to this Psalm.

The insight that Jesus is יהוה (yehôvâh) come in human flesh has revolutionized my thinking about, not to mention my feeling for, יהוה (yehôvâh).  I won’t give it up easily.  If I can believe, for instance, that the him in Yet it pleased the LORD (yehôvâh, ויהוה) to bruise him[5] was effectively Himself, it presages Jesus’ own words: I lay down my life, so that I may take it back again.  No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down of my own free will.[6]  If, however, I must believe that him was someone else יהוה (yehôvâh) abused, an only begotten Son in fact, and He wants to treat me as a son…well, those are fighting words.

As I think of it now, for foolish Gentiles to see one like the Son of man [returning] with the clouds of heaven[7] and then follow their desperate leaders in a short-lived insurrection will require a hardening much like the hardening that fortified religious minds in Jerusalem to seek the death of a man who healed the sick and raised the dead.  So rather than be hardened by a simplistic polytheism I plan to endure the headache of something more like trinitarianism.

The first occurrence of ואדני (ʼâdôn) in Genesis was from the lips of Sarah: After I am worn out will I have pleasure, especially when my husband is old too?[8]  Husband (ʼâdôn, ואדני) was lord in the Tanakh and κύριός in the Septuagint.  Peter made much of this single occurrence of ʼâdôn (1 Peter 3:5, 6 NET):

For in the same way the holy women who hoped in[9] God[10] long ago adorned themselves by being subject to their husbands, like Sarah who obeyed Abraham, calling him lord (κύριον, a form of κύριος).  You become her children when you do what is good and have no fear in doing so.

Surely the relevant relationship in Sarah’s mind as she laughed, contemplated, probably doubted the possibility of having her first child in her old age was that of husband as the NET translators suggested.  Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.[11]

The Hebrew word translated LORD here was יהוה (yehôvâh), κύριος in Greek in the Septuagint.  The Hebrew word translated for I am married was בעלתי (bâʽal).  Like אדני (ʼâdôn) בעלתי (bâʽal) can mean master.  This is what the rabbis keyed on when they chose κατακυριεύσω (a form of κατακυριεύω) to translate בעלתי (bâʽal) into Greek.  But Jesus called them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over (κατακυριεύουσιν, another form of κατακυριεύω) them, and those in high positions use their authority over them.  It[12] must not be this way among you!”[13]  In fact, the man who beat [some Jewish exorcists] into submission[14] (κατακυριεύσας, another form of κατακυριεύω)…was possessed by [an] evil spirit,[15] not the Spirit of God.

I think the translators of the Tanakh keyed on the relevant relationship the Holy Spirit intended, for later the same passage reads: Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.[16]  Again, LORD was the translation of יהוה (yehôvâh), κύριος in the Septuagint.  The word translated husband was מרעה (rêaʽ).  It was translated συνόντα (a form of σύνειμι) by the rabbis in the Septuagint (Luke 9:18-22 NET).

Once when Jesus was praying by himself, and his disciples were nearby (συνῆσαν, another form of σύνειμι), he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”  They answered,[17] “John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others that one of the prophets of long ago has risen.”  Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”  Peter[18] answered, “The Christ of God.”  But he forcefully commanded them not to tell[19] this to anyone, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”[20]

The LORD was determined to do good (Jeremiah 3:16-18) to Israel but questioned how since they had treacherously departed from Him: But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? [21]  Jesus explained His answer—and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me[22]—to Nicodemus (John 3:5-7 NET).

I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  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.”

So, how is one born from above?  Receive Jesus.  Actually, him in to all who have received him referred back to the Word.  I was among the slowest of the slow to realize that the Word was Jesus.  Here is John’s description of Jesus as the Word of God (John 1:1-5, 10-13 NET):

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God.  The Word was with God in the beginning.  All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.  In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind.  And the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it…

He was in the world, and the world was created by him, but the world did not recognize him.  He came to what was his own, but his own people did not receive him.  But to all who have received him – those who believe in his name – he has given the right to become God’s children – children not born by human parents or by human desire or a husband’s decision, but by God.

So, how does the right (John 8:40-45) to become God’s children, the fact that Thou shalt call [Him], My father ensure that thou shalt not turn away from him?  Therefore, Peter concluded his first Gospel proclamation, let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ[23] (Acts 2:37, 38 NET).

Now when they heard this, they were acutely distressed and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “What should we do, brothers?”  Peter said to them, “Repent, and each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

We know that everyone fathered by God does not sin, John wrote those who had received Jesus, but God protects the one he has fathered, and the evil one cannot touch him.  We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.  And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us insight to know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This one is the true God and eternal life.[24]

So then, brothers and sisters, Paul wrote to those in Rome who believed that God has made this Jesus whom [they] crucified both Lord and Christ, who had repented and been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of [their] sins, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh (for if you live according to the flesh, you will die), but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live.  For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.  For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father.”[25]

This explains why the ark of the covenant of the Lord will no longer come to mind (Jeremiah 3:16-18 Tanakh):

And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.

At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.  In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:[26]

Here again, husband was בעלתי (bâʽal) and LORD was יהוה (yehôvâh) in the Hebrew (Masoretic text), but the rabbis chose ἠμέλησα (a form of ἀμελέω) in the Septuagint.  The author of Hebrews quoted it (Hebrews 8:9 NET):

It will not be like the covenant that I made with their fathers, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant and I had no regard (ἠμέλησα, a form of ἀμελέω) for them, says the Lord.

The NET parallel Greek text, Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text were identical here.

Hebrews 8:9 (NET Parallel Greek) Hebrews 8:9 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Hebrews 8:9 (Byzantine Majority Text)
οὐ κατὰ τὴν διαθήκην, ἣν ἐποίησα τοῖς πατράσιν αὐτῶν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπιλαβομένου μου τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῶν ἐξαγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐκ γῆς Ἀιγύπτου, ὅτι αὐτοὶ οὐκ ἐνέμειναν ἐν τῇ διαθήκῃ μου, καγὼ ἠμέλησα αὐτῶν, λέγει κύριος ου κατα την διαθηκην ην εποιησα τοις πατρασιν αυτων εν ημερα επιλαβομενου μου της χειρος αυτων εξαγαγειν αυτους εκ γης αιγυπτου οτι αυτοι ουκ ενεμειναν εν τη διαθηκη μου καγω ημελησα αυτων λεγει κυριος ου κατα την διαθηκην ην εποιησα τοις πατρασιν αυτων εν ημερα επιλαβομενου μου της χειρος αυτων εξαγαγειν αυτους εκ γης αιγυπτου οτι αυτοι ουκ ενεμειναν εν τη διαθηκη μου καγω ημελησα αυτων λεγει κυριος

There were three relatively insignificant differences compared to the BLB and Elpenor versions of the Septuagint.

Hebrews 8:9 (NET Parallel Greek)

 Jeremiah 31:32 (Septuagint BLB)

Jeremiah 38:32 (Septuagint Elpenor)
οὐ κατὰ τὴν διαθήκην, ἣν ἐποίησα τοῖς πατράσιν αὐτῶν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπιλαβομένου μου τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῶν ἐξαγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐκ γῆς Ἀιγύπτου, ὅτι αὐτοὶ οὐκ ἐνέμειναν ἐν τῇ διαθήκῃ μου, καγὼ ἠμέλησα αὐτῶν, λέγει κύριος οὐ κατὰ τὴν διαθήκην ἣν διεθέμην τοῖς πατράσιν αὐτῶν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπιλαβομένου μου τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῶν ἐξαγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου ὅτι αὐτοὶ οὐκ ἐνέμειναν ἐν τῇ διαθήκῃ μου καὶ ἐγὼ ἠμέλησα αὐτῶν φησὶν κύριος οὐ κατὰ τὴν διαθήκην, ἣν διεθέμην τοῖς πατράσιν αὐτῶν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐπιλαβομένου μου τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῶν ἐξαγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, ὅτι αὐτοὶ οὐκ ἐνέμειναν ἐν τῇ διαθήκῃ μου, καὶ ἐγὼ ἠμέλησα αὐτῶν, φησὶ Κύριος

If בעלתי (bâʽal) was not original in Jeremiah 31:32, it was found in Isaiah, though again it was translated κύριος (Lord) in the Septuagint (Isaiah 54:4-7 Tanakh):

Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.  For thy Maker is thine husband (bâʽal, בעליך); the LORD (yehôvâh, יהוה) of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.  For the LORD (yehôvâh, יהוה) hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.  For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.

Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.  And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.  And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD (yehôvâh, יהוה), that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali (baʽălı̂y, בעלי).  For I will take away the names of Baalim (baʽal, הבעלים) out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name.[27]

Here the Hebrew word אישי (ʼı̂ysh) was transliterated as a proper name Ishi (also in the KJV).  The rabbis translated it ἀνήρ in the Septuagint.  And the man (ʼâdâm, האדם; Septuagint: Αδαμ) said: ‘This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man (ʼı̂ysh, מאיש; Septuagint: ἀνδρὸς, a form of ἀνήρ).’  Therefore shall a man (ʼı̂ysh, איש; Septuagint: ἄνθρωπος) leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh [Table].[28]  Most English Bibles that translate rather than transliterate Ishi render it my husband, including the New English Translation of the Septuagint.

Matthew (9:15), Mark (2:19, 20) and Luke (5:34, 35) all recounted Jesus reference to Himself as the bridegroom (νυμφίος).  John (3:25-30) recalled that John the Baptist also called Jesus the bridegroom.  The prophet Hosea continued quoting yehôvâh (Hosea 2:18-23 Tanakh):

And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.  And I will betroth (ʼâraś, וארשׁתיך; Septuagint: μνηστεύσομαί, a form of μνηστεύω) thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth (ʼâraś, וארשׁתיך; Septuagint: μνηστεύσομαί, a form of μνηστεύω) thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.  I will even betroth (ʼâraś, וארשׁתיך; Septuagint: μνηστεύσομαί, a form of μνηστεύω) thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD (yehôvâh, יהוה).

And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the LORD (yehôvâh, יהוה), I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel.  And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.

Tables comparing Hebrews 10:12; 1 Peter 3:5; Matthew 20:26; Acts 19:16 and Luke 9:19-22 in the NET and KJV follow.

Hebrews 10:12 (NET)

Hebrews 10:12 (KJV)
But when this priest had offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, he sat down at the right hand of God, But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
οὗτος δὲ μίαν ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτιῶν προσενέγκας θυσίαν εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς ἐκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ θεοῦ αυτος δε μιαν υπερ αμαρτιων προσενεγκας θυσιαν εις το διηνεκες εκαθισεν εν δεξια του θεου αυτος δε μιαν υπερ αμαρτιων προσενεγκας θυσιαν εις το διηνεκες εκαθισεν εν δεξια του θεου

1 Peter 3:5 (NET)

1 Peter 3:5 (KJV)
For in the same way the holy women who hoped in God long ago adorned themselves by being subject to their husbands, For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
οὕτως γάρ ποτε καὶ αἱ ἅγιαι γυναῖκες αἱ ἐλπίζουσαι εἰς θεὸν ἐκόσμουν ἑαυτάς ὑποτασσόμεναι τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀνδράσιν ουτως γαρ ποτε και αι αγιαι γυναικες αι ελπιζουσαι επι τον θεον εκοσμουν εαυτας υποτασσομεναι τοις ιδιοις ανδρασιν ουτως γαρ ποτε και αι αγιαι γυναικες αι ελπιζουσαι επι θεον εκοσμουν εαυτας υποτασσομεναι τοις ιδιοις ανδρασιν

Matthew 20:26 (NET)

Matthew 20:26 (KJV)
It must not be this way among you!  Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
οὐχ οὕτως |ἔσται| ἐν ὑμῖν, ἀλλ᾿ ὃς |ἐὰν| θέλῃ ἐν ὑμῖν μέγας γενέσθαι ἔσται ὑμῶν διάκονος ουχ ουτως δε εσται εν υμιν αλλ ος εαν θελη εν υμιν μεγας γενεσθαι εστω υμων διακονος ουχ ουτως δε εσται εν υμιν αλλ ος εαν θελη εν υμιν μεγας γενεσθαι εσται υμων διακονος
Acts 19:16 (NET)

Acts 19:16 (KJV)
Then the man who was possessed by the evil spirit jumped on them and beat them all into submission.  He prevailed against them so that they fled from that house naked and wounded. And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ ἐφαλόμενος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐπ᾿ αὐτοὺς ἐν ᾧ ἦν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ πονηρόν, κατακυριεύσας ἀμφοτέρων ἴσχυσεν κατ᾿ αὐτῶν ὥστε γυμνοὺς καὶ τετραυματισμένους ἐκφυγεῖν ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου ἐκείνου και εφαλλομενος επ αυτους ο ανθρωπος εν ω ην το πνευμα το πονηρον και κατακυριευσας αυτων ισχυσεν κατ αυτων ωστε γυμνους και τετραυματισμενους εκφυγειν εκ του οικου εκεινου και εφαλλομενος επ αυτους ο ανθρωπος εν ω ην το πνευμα το πονηρον και κατακυριευσαν αυτων ισχυσεν κατ αυτων ωστε γυμνους και τετραυματισμενους εκφυγειν εκ του οικου εκεινου
Luke 9:19-22 (NET)

Luke 9:19-22 (KJV)
They answered, “John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others that one of the prophets of long ago has risen.” They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
οἱ δὲ ἀποκριθέντες εἶπαν Ἰωάννην τὸν βαπτιστήν, ἄλλοι δὲ Ἠλίαν, ἄλλοι δὲ ὅτι προφήτης τις τῶν ἀρχαίων ἀνέστη οι δε αποκριθεντες ειπον ιωαννην τον βαπτιστην αλλοι δε ηλιαν αλλοι δε οτι προφητης τις των αρχαιων ανεστη οι δε αποκριθεντες ειπον ιωαννην τον βαπτιστην αλλοι δε ηλιαν αλλοι δε οτι προφητης τις των αρχαιων ανεστη
Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”  Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am?  Peter answering said, The Christ of God.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
εἶπεν δὲ αὐτοῖς· ὑμεῖς δὲ τίνα με λέγετε εἶναι; Πέτρος δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· τὸν χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ειπεν δε αυτοις υμεις δε τινα με λεγετε ειναι αποκριθεις δε ο πετρος ειπεν τον χριστον του θεου ειπεν δε αυτοις υμεις δε τινα με λεγετε ειναι αποκριθεις δε ο πετρος ειπεν τον χριστον του θεου
But he forcefully commanded them not to tell this to anyone, And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing;

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
ὁ δὲ ἐπιτιμήσας αὐτοῖς παρήγγειλεν μηδενὶ λέγειν τοῦτο ο δε επιτιμησας αυτοις παρηγγειλεν μηδενι ειπειν τουτο ο δε επιτιμησας αυτοις παρηγγειλεν μηδενι ειπειν τουτο
saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
εἰπων ὅτι δεῖ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου πολλὰ παθεῖν καὶ ἀποδοκιμασθῆναι ἀπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων καὶ ἀρχιερέων καὶ γραμματέων καὶ ἀποκτανθῆναι καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἐγερθῆναι ειπων οτι δει τον υιον του ανθρωπου πολλα παθειν και αποδοκιμασθηναι απο των πρεσβυτερων και αρχιερεων και γραμματεων και αποκτανθηναι και τη τριτη ημερα εγερθηναι ειπων οτι δει τον υιον του ανθρωπου πολλα παθειν και αποδοκιμασθηναι απο των πρεσβυτερων και αρχιερεων και γραμματεων και αποκτανθηναι και τη τριτη ημερα αναστηναι

[1] Deuteronomy 6:4 (Tanakh)

[2] Psalm 110:1 (Tanakh)

[3] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had οὗτος here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτος (KJV: this man).

[4] Hebrews 10:12, 13 (NET)

[5] Isaiah 53:10a (Tanakh)

[6] John 10:17b, 18a (NET)

[7] Daniel 7:13b (Tanakh) The Greek word translated returning in Revelation 1:7 (NET) was ἔρχεται, while the Hebrew word translated came in Daniel 7:13 (Tanakh) was translated ἐρχόμενος in the Septuagint.  Both are forms of ἔρχομαι.  ἐρχόμενος: Matthew 3:11; 11:2-6; 21:6-11; 23:37-39.

[8] Genesis 18:12 (NET)

[9] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had εἰς here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had επι.

[10] The Stephanus Textus Receptus had the article τον preceding God.  The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[11] Jeremiah 3:14, 15 (Tanakh)

[12] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε (KJV: But).  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[13] Matthew 20:25, 26a (NET)

[14] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Stephanus Textus Receptus had κατακυριεύσας here, where the Byzantine Majority Text had κατακυριευσαν.

[15] Acts 19:16 (NET)

[16] Jeremiah 3:20 (Tanakh)

[17] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had εἶπαν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ειπον (KJV: said).

[18] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article ο preceding Peter.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[19] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had λέγειν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ειπειν.

[20] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Stephanus Textus Receptus had ἐγερθῆναι here, where the Byzantine Majority Text had αναστηναι.

[21] Jeremiah 3:19a (Tanakh)

[22] Jeremiah 3:19b (Tanakh)

[23] Acts 2:36 (NET)

[24] 1 John 5:18-20 (NET) Table1, Table2

[25] Romans 8:12-15 (NET)

[26] Jeremiah 31:31, 32 (Tanakh)

[27] Hosea 2:14-17 (Tanakh) Table1 Table2 Table3

[28] Genesis 2:23, 24 (Tanakh)