Tag Archives: 1 Corinthians 13:8

The Lost Son of Perdition, Part 3

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Then [Jesus] dipped the piece of bread in the dish and gave it to Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son [Table].  And after Judas took the piece of bread, Satan entered into him.  Jesus said to him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.”[1]

Jesus’ instruction sounds so strange.  Alexander MacLaren wrote of his words, “I hear in them, first, the voice of despairing love abandoning the conflict.”[2]

If I have rightly construed the meaning of the incident, this is the plain meaning of it. And you will observe that the Revised Version, more accurately and closely rendering the words of our text, begins with a ‘Therefore.’ ‘Therefore said Jesus unto him,’ because the die was cast; because the will of Judas had conclusively welcomed Satan, and conclusively rejected Christ; therefore, knowing that remonstrance was vain, knowing that the deed was, in effect, done, Jesus Christ, that Incarnate Charity which ‘believeth all things, and hopeth all things,’ abandoned the man to himself, and said, ‘There, then, if thou wilt thou must. I have done all I can; my last arrow is shot, and it has missed the target. That then doest, do quickly.’

I, too, want more emotional conflict in this scene.  But John’s Gospel narrative continued (John 13:28, 29 NET):

Now none of those present at the table understood why Jesus said this to Judas.  Some thought that because Judas had the money box, Jesus was telling him to buy whatever they needed for the feast, or to give something to the poor.

Nothing of the high drama Mr. MacLaren and I crave was evident to others present at the time.  In fact, John, who was privy (John 13:23-26) to this exchange, didn’t write any drama into the scene, certainly not that Jesus had lost a contest of wills to Judas Iscariot or Satan and was abandoning the field.  On the contrary, the Greek word translated do in the phrase do quickly was ποίησον, an imperative form of ποιέω.  In John’s Gospel narrative Jesus commanded Judas Iscariot, What you are about to do, do quickly, and Judas (and Satan apparently) obeyed Him (John 13:30a NET):

Judas took the piece of bread and went out immediately.[3]

Did Jesus just absolve Judas Iscariot of his betrayal?  Mr. MacLaren’s description of Jesus as the “Incarnate Charity” caught my ear.  Should he have paid more heed to the fact that Charity never faileth (NET: ends)?[4]

David’s son Absalom hated his half brother Amnon ever since Amnon had raped Absalom’s sister (2 Samuel 13:1-22).  Two years later…Absalom instructed his servants, “Look!  When Amnon is drunk and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ kill him then and there.  Don’t fear!  Is it not I who have given you these instructions?  Be strong and courageous!”  So Absalom’s servants did to Amnon exactly what Absalom had instructed.[5]  It is taken for granted here that Absalom killed Amnon rather than the unnamed servants who carried out his command.

When David got the clever idea to kill Uriah the Hittite by commanding Joab to station him at the front in the thick of the battle and then withdraw from him so he will be cut down and killed,[6] יהוה (Yehovah) sent Nathan the Prophet to David (2 Samuel 12:1a), not to Joab who had carried out the command.  Nathan said to David (2 Samuel 12:9 NET [Table]):

Why have you shown contempt for the Lord’s (Yehovah, יהוה) decrees by doing evil in my sight?  You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and you have taken his wife to be your own wife!  You have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.

Jesus was intent on fulfilling the Scriptures.  It shouldn’t surprise me that He would take ultimate responsibility for Judas’ betrayal.  I think the tendency to judge Judas before the time, to condemn him prematurely to an eternity in the lake of fire, makes it more difficult to see or believe Jesus’ intervention here.

So I’ll begin the longer task of studying the Greek words, starting with ἀπώλετο (a form of ἀπόλλυμι, ἀπόλλω, ἀπολλύω), translated lost in Jesus’ prayer:  Not one of them was lost except the one destined for destruction, so that the scripture could be fulfilled.[7]

The first two occurrences of ἀπώλετο in the Septuagint are found in the book of Job.  I had planned to skip them because this book is tricky.  For the most part the advice Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar gave Job seemed alright to my religious mind.  Yehovah disagreed.

Masoretic Text

 Septuagint
Job 42:7b (Tanakh) Job 42:7b (NET) Job 42:7b (NETS)

Job 42:7b (Elpenor English)
the LORD (יְהֹוָה֜) said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. he (Yehovah, יהוה) said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My anger is stirred up against you and your two friends, because you have not spoken about me what is right, as my servant Job has. the Lord said to Eliphaz the Thaimanite, “You have sinned, and your two friends, for you have spoken nothing true in my presence, as has my attendant Iob. the Lord said to Eliphaz the Thaemanite, Thou hast sinned, and thy two friends: for ye have not said anything true before me, as my servant Job [has].

In one day Job heard that his five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred female donkeys had been stolen.  The servants who attended them were killed (Job 1:13-15).  His seven thousand sheep and their attendants were burned up in a lightning strike (Job 1:16).  His three thousand camels were stolen and their attendants were also killed (Job 1:17).  His seven sons and three daughters, eating and drinking together in one house, died when a windstorm brought the house down on them (Job 1:18, 19).  Later Job was afflicted with oozing sores (Job 2:7, 8).

Eliphaz, one of the three who came to comfort Job (Job 2:11-13), after seven days and seven nights of sitting silently with him, spoke in answer to Job’s longing for death (Job 3).

Masoretic Text

 Septuagint
Job 4:7 (Tanakh) Job 4:7 (NET) Job 4:7 (NETS)

Job 4:7 (Elpenor English)
Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished (אָבָ֑ד), being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off (נִכְחָֽדוּ)? Call to mind now: Who, being innocent, ever perished (ʼâbad, אבד)?  And where were upright people ever destroyed (kâchad, נכחדו)? “Think now, who, being pure, perished (ἀπώλετο), or when did the true perish (ἀπώλοντο) root and all? Remember then who has perished (ἀπώλετο), being pure? or when were the true-hearted utterly destroyed (ἀπώλοντο)?

His words seem fairly typical of the way the religious mind rationalizes the misfortune of others.  To say them out loud to Job’s face is less typical but not unheard of.  Though the first half of Job 4:12 is missing from the Masoretic text, the Septuagint puts a fine point on the thrust of Eliphaz’s discourse: But if there had been any truth in thy words, none of these evils would have befallen thee.[8]  The reader of the book of Job knows, however, that all of these evils fell upon Job precisely because he was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.[9]

Job was not dead.  He was not burning in a lake of fire for all eternity.  He had lost his family, his servants, his possessions, his health and his desire to live.  The Hebrew word translated perished was אָבָ֑ד (ʼâbad).

The definition from Strong’s Concordance reads: “to wander away, i.e. lose oneself; by implication to perish (causative, destroy).”  The Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon reads: “to be lost, to lose oneself, to wander…especially used of a lost and wandering sheep…”  This helps considerably.

This word describes the one who wanders away from God, not away from the flock necessarily.  A herd mentality is portrayed as a negative example in Scripture.  The Bible is a collection of stories about clans and entire nations that wandered away from God interspersed with stories of individuals who pursued Him and followed where He led.  The first occurrence of אָבַד (ʼâbad) follows here.

Masoretic Text

 Septuagint
Exodus 10:7 (Tanakh) Exodus 10:7 (NET) Exodus 10:7 (NETS)

Exodus 10:7 (Elpenor English)
And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him: ‘How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve HaShem their G-d, knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed (אָֽבְדָ֖ה)?’ Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long will this man be a menace to us?  Release the people so that they may serve the Lord their God.  Do you not know that Egypt is destroyed (ʼâbad, אבדה)?” Then the attendants of Pharao say to him, “For how long will this be a stumbling-block for us?  Send away the people so that they may serve the Lord their God.  Or do you wish to know that Egypt lies in ruins (ἀπόλωλεν)?” And the servants of Pharao say to him, How long shall this be a snare to us? send away the men, that they may serve their God; wilt thou know that Egypt is destroyed (ἀπόλωλεν)?

Again, though אָֽבְדָ֖ה (ʼâbad) was translated is destroyed the narrative clearly explained what the Egyptians had lost.  They lost readily accessible fresh water and fish for seven days when the waters were turned to blood (Exodus 7:14-25).  They lost their comfort and peace to an invasion of frogs for a time (Exodus 8:1-15), then to gnats (Exodus 8:16-19) and finally to swarms of flies (Exodus 8:20-32).  They lost livestock, horses, donkeys, camels, herds and flocks to disease (Exodus 9:1-7), people’s health and comfort to boils (Exodus 9:8-12) and then some lost people, livestock, barley and flax to hail damage (Exodus 9:18-32).  Others saved their people and livestock.

This distinction among the Egyptians was stated explicitly (Exodus 9:20, 21 NET):

Those of Pharaoh’s servants who feared the Lord’s message hurried to bring their servants and livestock into the houses, but those who did not take the Lord’s message seriously left their servants and their cattle in the field.

Though it seems a bit odd to think of Egyptians as having wandered away from יהוה (Yehovah), He has an entirely different perspective than my history teachers had.

Masoretic Text

 Septuagint
Exodus 9:14-16 (Tanakh) [Tableb] Exodus 9:14-16 (NET) Exodus 9:14-16 (NETS)

Exodus 9:14-16 (Elpenor English)
For I will this time send all My plagues upon thy person, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like Me in all the earth. For this time I will send all my plagues on your very self and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. For at the present time I am sending out all my encounters into the heart of you and your attendants and your people so that you may know that there is no other like me in all the land. For this time I will send all my plagues on your very self and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.
Surely now I had put forth My hand, and smitten thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou hadst been cut off (וַתִּכָּחֵ֖ד) from the earth. For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with plague, and you would have been destroyed (kachad, ותכחד) from the earth. For if now I sent my hand, I would strike you and your people with death, and you would be destroyed (ἐκτριβήσῃ) from the land. For now I will stretch forth my hand and smite thee and kill thy people, and thou shalt be consumed (ἐκτριβήσῃ) from off the earth.
But in very deed for this cause have I made thee to stand, to show thee My power, and that My name may be declared throughout all the earth. But for this purpose I have caused you to stand: to show you my strength, and so that my name may be declared in all the earth. And for this reason you have been spared in order that I might display in you my power and in order that my name might be proclaimed in all the land. And for this purpose hast thou been preserved, that I might display in thee my strength, and that my name might be published in all the earth.

Here the possibility of a more complete destruction was וַתִּכָּחֵ֖ד (kachad) in Hebrew and the rabbis chose ἐκτριβήσῃ (a form of ἐκτρίβω) in the Septuagint.  In the table above נִכְחָֽדוּ (kachad) occurred in Eliphaz’s second rhetorical question: or where were the righteous cut off?  Here the rabbis chose ὁλόρριζοι ἀπώλοντο.  Though ἀπώλοντο is another form of ἀπόλλυμι, ἀπόλλω, ἀπολλύω, it is telling to me that they felt the need to add ὁλόρριζοι (a form ὁλόρριζος; NETS: “root and all”) to match the intensity of נִכְחָֽדוּ (kachad).

The second occurrence of ἀπώλετο in the Septuagint is found in Job’s lament.  Actually, I can’t tell if Job was lamenting his loss of social status, confessing (if not repenting of) his treatment of those he considered of lower social or moral status, or justifying himself.  A skillful actor would have a field day with the emotional depth of this monologue.  It bears mentioning that this is a glimpse into the mores of wealthy men, not the families of Job’s dead servants, for instance, lamenting their loss.

Masoretic Text

 Septuagint
Job 30:1-3 (Tanakh) Job 30:1-3 (NET) Job 30:1-3 (NETS)

Job 30:1-3 (Elpenor English)
But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock. “But now they mock me, those who are younger than I, whose fathers I disdained too much to put with my sheep dogs. “But now they have laughed me to scorn; now the least of them reprove me in turn—[whose fathers I used to disdain] whom I did not deem worthy of my shepherd dogs! But now the youngest have laughed me to scorn, now they reprove me in [their] turn, whose fathers I set at nought; whom I did not deem worthy [to be with] my shepherd dogs.
Yea, whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom old age was perished (אָ֣בַד)? Moreover, the strength of their hands—what use was it to me?  Those whose strength had perished (ʼâbad, אבד), indeed, the strength of their hands—what is it to me?  Completion perished (ἀπώλετο) upon them. Yea, why had I the strength of their hands? for them the full term [of life] was lost (ἀπώλετο).
For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste. gaunt with want and hunger, they would roam the parched land, by night a desolate waste. In want and hunger, he was childless, those who yesterday were fleeing in an arid place, dismay and misery, [One is] childless in want and famine, [such as] they that fled but lately the distress and misery of drought.

Here, the fathers Job disdained are said to have lost old age, the strength to complete the full term of life from want and hunger.

Tables comparing 2 Samuel 13:28; 13:29; 11:15; Job 42:7; 4:7; 4:12; 1:1; Exodus 10:7; 9:20; 9:21; 9:14; 9:15; 9:16; Job 30:1; 30:2 and 30:3 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and 2 Samuel (Reigns, Kings) 13:28; 13:29; 11:15; Job 42:7; 4:7; 4:12; 1:1; Exodus 10:7; 9:20; 9:21; 9:14; 9:15; 9:16; Job 30:1; 30:2 and 30:3 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor) follow.  A table comparing John 13:30 in the NET and KJV follows those.

2 Samuel 13:28 (Tanakh)

 2 Samuel 13:28 (KJV)

2 Samuel 13:28 (NET)
And Absalom commanded his servants, saying: ‘Mark ye now, when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine; and when I say unto you: Smite Amnon, then kill him, fear not; have not I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant.’ Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon; then kill him, fear not: have not I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant. Absalom instructed his servants, “Look! When Amnon is drunk and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ kill him then and there.  Don’t fear!  Is it not I who have given you these instructions?  Be strong and courageous!”

2 Samuel 13:28 (Septuagint BLB)

2 Kings 13:28 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐνετείλατο Αβεσσαλωμ τοῗς παιδαρίοις αὐτοῦ λέγων ἴδετε ὡς ἂν ἀγαθυνθῇ ἡ καρδία Αμνων ἐν τῷ οἴνῳ καὶ εἴπω πρὸς ὑμᾶς πατάξατε τὸν Αμνων καὶ θανατώσατε αὐτόν μὴ φοβηθῆτε ὅτι οὐχὶ ἐγώ εἰμι ἐντέλλομαι ὑμῗν ἀνδρίζεσθε καὶ γίνεσθε εἰς υἱοὺς δυνάμεως καὶ ἐνετείλατο ᾿Αβεσσαλὼμ τοῖς παιδαρίοις αὐτοῦ λέγων· ἴδετε ὡς ἂν ἀγαθυνθῇ ἡ καρδία ᾿Αμνὼν ἐν τῷ οἴνῳ καὶ εἴπω πρὸς ὑμᾶς· πατάξατε τὸν ᾿Αμνών, καὶ θανατώσατε αὐτόν· μὴ φοβηθῆτε, ὅτι οὐχὶ ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἐντελλόμενος ὑμῖν; ἀνδρίζεσθε καὶ γίνεσθε εἰς υἱοὺς δυνάμεως

2 Reigns 13:28 (NETS)

2 Kings 13:28 (English Elpenor)
And Abessalom commanded his lads, saying, “Watch, when the heart of Amnon is made good with wine, and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon, and put him to death.’  Don’t be afraid, for I am—I am commanding you, am I not?  Act like men and be sons of power.” And Abessalom charged his servants, saying, Mark when the heart of Amnon shall be merry with wine, and I shall say to you, Smite Amnon, and slay him: fear not; for is it not I that command you?  Be courageous, and be valiant.

2 Samuel 13:29 (Tanakh)

 2 Samuel 13:29 (KJV)

2 Samuel 13:29 (NET)
And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded.  Then all the king’s sons arose, and every man got him up upon his mule, and fled. And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded.  Then all the king’s sons arose, and every man gat him up upon his mule, and fled. So Absalom’s servants did to Amnon exactly what Absalom had instructed.  Then all the king’s sons got up; each one rode away on his mule and fled.

2 Samuel 13:29 (Septuagint BLB)

2 Kings 13:29 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐποίησαν τὰ παιδάρια Αβεσσαλωμ τῷ Αμνων καθὰ ἐνετείλατο αὐτοῗς Αβεσσαλωμ καὶ ἀνέστησαν πάντες οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἐπεκάθισαν ἀνὴρ ἐπὶ τὴν ἡμίονον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔφυγαν καί ἐποίησαν τὰ παιδάρια ᾿Αβεσσαλὼμ τῷ ᾿Αμνὼν καθὰ ἐνετείλατο αὐτοῖς ᾿Αβεσσαλώμ. καὶ ἀνέστησαν πάντες οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἐπεκάθισαν ἀνὴρ ἐπὶ τὴν ἡμίονον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔφυγαν

2 Reigns 13:29 (NETS)

2 Kings 13:29 (English Elpenor)
And the lads of Abessalom did to Amnon just as Abessalom had commanded them.   And all the sons of the king rose, and they sat, a man upon his mule, and fled. And the servants of Abessalom did to Amnon as Abessalom commanded them: and all the sons of the king rose up, and they mounted every man his mule, and fled.

2 Samuel 11:15 (Tanakh)

 2 Samuel 11:15 (KJV)

2 Samuel 11:15 (NET)
And he wrote in the letter, saying: ‘Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.’ And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die. In the letter he wrote: “Station Uriah at the front in the thick of the battle and then withdraw from him so he will be cut down and killed.”

2 Samuel 11:15 (Septuagint BLB)

2 Kings 11:15 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἔγραψεν ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ λέγων εἰσάγαγε τὸν Ουριαν ἐξ ἐναντίας τοῦ πολέμου τοῦ κραταιοῦ καὶ ἀποστραφήσεσθε ἀπὸ ὄπισθεν αὐτοῦ καὶ πληγήσεται καὶ ἀποθανεῗται καὶ ἔγραψεν ἐν βιβλίῳ λέγων· εἰσάγαγε τὸν Οὐρίαν ἐξ ἐναντίας τοῦ πολέμου τοῦ κραταιοῦ, καὶ ἀποστραφήσεσθε ἀπὸ ὄπισθεν αὐτοῦ, καὶ πληγήσεται ἀπὸ ὄπισθεν αὐτοῦ, καὶ πληγήσεται καὶ ἀποθανεῖται

2 Reigns 11:15 (NETS)

2 Kings 11:15 (English Elpenor)
And he wrote in the document, saying, “Lead Ourias opposite the hardest fighting, and you shall draw back from behind him, and he will be struck and will die.” And he wrote in the letter, saying, Station Urias in front of the severe [part] of the fight, and retreat from behind him, so shall he be wounded and die.

Job 42:7 (Tanakh)

 Job 42:7 (KJV)

Job 42:7 (NET)
And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. After the Lord had spoken these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My anger is stirred up against you and your two friends, because you have not spoken about me what is right, as my servant Job has.

Job 42:7 (Septuagint BLB)

Job 42:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐγένετο δὲ μετὰ τὸ λαλῆσαι τὸν κύριον πάντα τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα τῷ Ιωβ εἶπεν ὁ κύριος Ελιφας τῷ Θαιμανίτῃ ἥμαρτες σὺ καὶ οἱ δύο φίλοι σου οὐ γὰρ ἐλαλήσατε ἐνώπιόν μου ἀληθὲς οὐδὲν ὥσπερ ὁ θεράπων μου Ιωβ ἐγένετο δὲ μετὰ τὸ λαλῆσαι τὸν Κύριον πάντα τὰ ρήματα ταῦτα τῷ ᾿Ιώβ, εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος ᾿Ελιφὰζ τῷ Θαιμανίτῃ· ἥμαρτες σὺ καὶ οἱ δύο φίλοι σου· οὐ γὰρ ἐλαλήσατε ἐνώπιόν μου ἀληθὲς οὐδὲν ὥσπερ ὁ θεράπων μου ᾿Ιώβ

Job 42:7 (NETS)

Job 42:7 (English Elpenor)
Now it happened after the Lord spoke all these words to Iob, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Thaimanite, “You have sinned, and your two friends, for you have spoken nothing true in my presence, as has my attendant Iob. And it came to pass after the Lord had spoken all these words to Job, [that] the Lord said to Eliphaz the Thaemanite, Thou hast sinned, and thy two friends: for ye have not said anything true before me, as my servant Job [has].

Job 4:7 (Tanakh)

 Job 4:7 (KJV)

Job 4:7 (NET)
Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off? Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off? Call to mind now: Who, being innocent, ever perished?  And where were upright people ever destroyed?

Job 4:7 (Septuagint BLB)

Job 4:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)
μνήσθητι οὖν τίς καθαρὸς ὢν ἀπώλετο ἢ πότε ἀληθινοὶ ὁλόρριζοι ἀπώλοντο μνήσθητι οὖν, τίς καθαρὸς ὢν ἀπώλετο ἢ πότε ἀληθινοὶ ὁλόρριζοι ἀπώλοντο

Job 4:7 (NETS)

Job 4:7 (English Elpenor)
“Think now, who, being pure, perished, or when did the true perish root and all? Remember then who has perished, being pure? or when were the true-hearted utterly destroyed?

Job 4:12 (Tanakh)

 Job 4:12 (KJV)

Job 4:12 (NET)
Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof. Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof. “Now a word was stealthily brought to me, and my ear caught a whisper of it.

Job 4:12 (Septuagint BLB)

Job 4:12 (Septuagint Elpenor)
εἰ δέ τι ῥῆμα ἀληθινὸν ἐγεγόνει ἐν λόγοις σου οὐθὲν ἄν σοι τούτων κακὸν ἀπήντησεν πότερον οὐ δέξεταί μου τὸ οὖς ἐξαίσια παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ εἰ δέ τι ρῆμα ἀληθινὸν ἐγεγόνει ἐν λόγοις σου, οὐθὲν ἄν σοι τούτων κακὸν ἀπήντησε. πότερον οὐ δέξεταί μου τὸ οὖς ἐξαίσια παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ

Job 4:12 (NETS)

Job 4:12 (English Elpenor)
But if there had been anything truthful in your words, nothing bad in them would have met you.  “Will my ear not receive remarkable things from him? But if there had been any truth in thy words, none of these evils would have befallen thee.  Shall not mine ear receive excellent [revelations] from him?

Job 1:1 (Tanakh)

 Job 1:1 (KJV)

Job 1:1 (NET)
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job.  And that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil

Job 1:1 (Septuagint BLB)

Job 1:1 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἄνθρωπός τις ἦν ἐν χώρᾳ τῇ Αυσίτιδι ᾧ ὄνομα Ιωβ καὶ ἦν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῗνος ἀληθινός ἄμεμπτος δίκαιος θεοσεβής ἀπεχόμενος ἀπὸ παντὸς πονηροῦ πράγματος ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΣ τις ἦν ἐν χώρᾳ τῇ Αὐσίτιδι, ᾧ ὄνομα ᾿Ιώβ, καὶ ἦν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖνος ἀληθινός, ἄμεμπτος, δίκαιος, θεοσεβής, ἀπεχόμενος ἀπὸ παντὸς πονηροῦ πράγματος

Job 1:1 (NETS)

Job 1:1 (English Elpenor)
There was a certain man in the land of Ausitis, whose name was Iob, and that man was genuine, blameless, righteous, religious, staying away from every evil thing. There was a certain man in the land of Ausis, whose name [was] Job; and that man was true, blameless, righteous, [and] godly, abstaining from everything evil.

Exodus 10:7 (Tanakh)

 Exodus 10:7 (KJV)

Exodus 10:7 (NET)
And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him: ‘How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve HaShem their G-d, knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?’ And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed? Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long will this man be a menace to us?  Release the people so that they may serve the Lord their God.  Do you not know that Egypt is destroyed?”

Exodus 10:7 (Septuagint BLB)

Exodus 10:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ λέγουσιν οἱ θεράποντες Φαραω πρὸς αὐτόν ἕως τίνος ἔσται τοῦτο ἡμῗν σκῶλον ἐξαπόστειλον τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὅπως λατρεύσωσιν τῷ θεῷ αὐτῶν ἢ εἰδέναι βούλει ὅτι ἀπόλωλεν Αἴγυπτος καὶ λέγουσιν οἱ θεράποντες Φαραὼ πρὸς αὐτόν· ἕως τίνος ἔσται τοῦτο ἡμῖν σκῶλον; ἐξαπόστειλον τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ὅπως λατρεύσωσι τῷ Θεῷ αὐτῶν· ἢ εἰδέναι βούλῃ ὅτι ἀπόλωλεν Αἴγυπτος

Exodus 10:7 (NETS)

Exodus 10:7 (English Elpenor)
Then the attendants of Pharao say to him, “For how long will this be a stumbling-block for us?  Send away the people so that they may serve the Lord their God.  Or do you wish to know that Egypt lies in ruins?” And the servants of Pharao say to him, How long shall this be a snare to us? send away the men, that they may serve their God; wilt thou know that Egypt is destroyed?

Exodus 9:20 (Tanakh)

 Exodus 9:20 (KJV)

Exodus 9:20 (NET)
He that feared the word of HaShem among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses; He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses: Those of Pharaoh’s servants who feared the Lord’s message hurried to bring their servants and livestock into the houses,

Exodus 9:20 (Septuagint BLB)

Exodus 9:20 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὁ φοβούμενος τὸ ῥῆμα κυρίου τῶν θεραπόντων Φαραω συνήγαγεν τὰ κτήνη αὐτοῦ εἰς τοὺς οἴκους ὁ φοβούμενος τὸ ρῆμα Κυρίου τῶν θεραπόντων Φαραὼ συνήγαγε τὰ κτήνη αὐτοῦ εἰς τοὺς οἴκους

Exodus 9:20 (NETS)

Exodus 9:20 (English Elpenor)
The one among Pharao’s attendants who feared the word of the Lord gathered his animals into dwellings. He of the servants of Pharao that feared the word of the Lord, gathered his cattle into the houses.

Exodus 9:21 (Tanakh)

 Exodus 9:21 (KJV)

Exodus 9:21 (NET)
and he that regarded not the word of HaShem left his servants and his cattle in the field. And he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field. but those who did not take the Lord’s message seriously left their servants and their cattle in the field.

Exodus 9:21 (Septuagint BLB)

Exodus 9:21 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὃς δὲ μὴ προσέσχεν τῇ διανοίᾳ εἰς τὸ ῥῆμα κυρίου ἀφῆκεν τὰ κτήνη ἐν τοῗς πεδίοις ὃς δὲ μὴ προσέσχε τῇ διανοίᾳ εἰς τὸ ρῆμα Κυρίου, ἀφῆκε τὰ κτήνη ἐν τοῖς πεδίοις

Exodus 9:21 (NETS)

Exodus 9:21 (English Elpenor)
But whoever did not pay attention with his mind to the word of the Lord left the animals on the plain. And he that did not attend in his mind to the word of the Lord, left the cattle in the fields.

Exodus 9:14 (Tanakh)

 Exodus 9:14 (KJV)

Exodus 9:14 (NET)
For I will this time send all My plagues upon thy person, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like Me in all the earth. For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. For this time I will send all my plagues on your very self and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.

Exodus 9:14 (Septuagint BLB)

Exodus 9:14 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐν τῷ γὰρ νῦν καιρῷ ἐγὼ ἐξαποστέλλω πάντα τὰ συναντήματά μου εἰς τὴν καρδίαν σου καὶ τῶν θεραπόντων σου καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ σου ἵν᾽ εἰδῇς ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ὡς ἐγὼ ἄλλος ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ ἐν τῷ γὰρ νῦν καιρῷ ἐγὼ ἐξαποστέλλω πάντα τὰ συναντήματά μου εἰς τὴν καρδίαν σου καὶ τῶν θεραπόντων σου καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ σου, ἵνα εἰδῇς ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ὡς ἐγὼ ἄλλος ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ

Exodus 9:14 (NETS)

Exodus 9:14 (English Elpenor)
For at the present time I am sending out all my encounters into the heart of you and your attendants and your people so that you may know that there is no other like me in all the land. For at this present time do I send forth all my plagues into thine heart, and the heart of thy servants and of thy people; that thou mayest know that there is not another such as I in all the earth.

Exodus 9:15 (Tanakh)

 Exodus 9:15 (KJV)

Exodus 9:15 (NET)
Surely now I had put forth My hand, and smitten thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou hadst been cut off from the earth. For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with plague, and you would have been destroyed from the earth.

Exodus 9:15 (Septuagint BLB)

Exodus 9:15 (Septuagint Elpenor)
νῦν γὰρ ἀποστείλας τὴν χεῗρα πατάξω σε καὶ τὸν λαόν σου θανάτῳ καὶ ἐκτριβήσῃ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς νῦν γὰρ ἀποστείλας τὴν χεῖρα πατάξω σε, καὶ τὸν λαόν σου θανατώσω, καὶ ἐκτριβήσῃ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς

Exodus 9:15 (NETS)

Exodus 9:15 (English Elpenor)
For if now I sent my hand, I would strike you and your people with death, and you would be destroyed from the land. For now I will stretch forth my hand and smite thee and kill thy people, and thou shalt be consumed from off the earth.

Exodus 9:16 (Tanakh)

 Exodus 9:16 (KJV)

Exodus 9:16 (NET)
But in very deed for this cause have I made thee to stand, to show thee My power, and that My name may be declared throughout all the earth. And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. But for this purpose I have caused you to stand: to show you my strength, and so that my name may be declared in all the earth.

Exodus 9:16 (Septuagint BLB)

Exodus 9:16 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἕνεκεν τούτου διετηρήθης ἵνα ἐνδείξωμαι ἐν σοὶ τὴν ἰσχύν μου καὶ ὅπως διαγγελῇ τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ καὶ ἕνεκεν τούτου διετηρήθης, ἵνα ἐνδείξωμαι ἐν σοὶ τὴν ἰσχύν μου, καὶ ὅπως διαγγελῇ τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ

Exodus 9:16 (NETS)

Exodus 9:16 (English Elpenor)
And for this reason you have been spared in order that I might display in you my power and in order that my name might be proclaimed in all the land. And for this purpose hast thou been preserved, that I might display in thee my strength, and that my name might be published in all the earth.

Job 30:1 (Tanakh)

 Job 30:1 (KJV)

Job 30:1 (NET)
But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock. But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock. “But now they mock me, those who are younger than I, whose fathers I disdained too much to put with my sheep dogs.

Job 30:1 (Septuagint BLB)

Job 30:1 (Septuagint Elpenor)
νυνὶ δὲ κατεγέλασάν μου ἐλάχιστοι νῦν νουθετοῦσίν με ἐν μέρει ὧν ἐξουδένουν πατέρας αὐτῶν οὓς οὐχ ἡγησάμην εἶναι ἀξίους κυνῶν τῶν ἐμῶν νομάδων ΝΥΝΙ δὲ κατεγέλασάν μου ἐλάχιστοι, νῦν νουθετοῦσί με ἐν μέρει ὧν ἐξουδένουν τοὺς πατέρας αὐτῶν, οὓς οὐχ ἡγησάμην ἀξίους κυνῶν τῶν ἐμῶν νομάδων

Job 30:1 (NETS)

Job 30:1 (English Elpenor)
“But now they have laughed me to scorn; now the least of them reprove me in turn—[whose fathers I used to disdain] whom I did not deem worthy of my shepherd dogs! But now the youngest have laughed me to scorn, now they reprove me in [their] turn, whose fathers I set at nought; whom I did not deem worthy [to be with] my shepherd dogs.

Job 30:2 (Tanakh)

 Job 30:2 (KJV)

Job 30:2 (NET)
Yea, whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom old age was perished? Yea, whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom old age was perished? Moreover, the strength of their hands—what use was it to me? Those whose strength had perished,

Job 30:2 (Septuagint BLB)

Job 30:2 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καί γε ἰσχὺς χειρῶν αὐτῶν ἵνα τί μοι ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς ἀπώλετο συντέλεια καί γε ἰσχὺς χειρῶν αὐτῶν ἱνατί μοι; ἐπ᾿ αὐτοὺς ἀπώλετο συντέλεια

Job 30:2 (NETS)

Job 30:2 (English Elpenor)
indeed, the strength of their hands—what is it to me?  Completion perished upon them. Yea, why had I the strength of their hands? for them the full term [of life] was lost.

Job 30:3 (Tanakh)

 Job 30:3 (KJV)

Job 30:3 (NET)
For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste. For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste. gaunt with want and hunger, they would roam the parched land, by night a desolate waste.

Job 30:3 (Septuagint BLB)

Job 30:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐν ἐνδείᾳ καὶ λιμῷ ἄγονος οἱ φεύγοντες ἄνυδρον ἐχθὲς συνοχὴν καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν ἐν ἐνδείᾳ καὶ λιμῷ ἄγονος· οἱ φεύγοντες ἄνυδρον ἐχθὲς συνοχὴν καὶ ταλαιπωρίαν,

Job 30:3 (NETS)

Job 30:3 (English Elpenor)
In want and hunger, he was childless, those who yesterday were fleeing in an arid place, dismay and misery, [One is] childless in want and famine, [such as] they that fled but lately the distress and misery of drought.

John 13:30 (NET)

John 13:30 (KJV)
Judas took the piece of bread and went out immediately. (Now it was night.) He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
λαβὼν οὖν τὸ ψωμίον ἐκεῖνος ἐξῆλθεν εὐθύς. (ἦν δὲ νύξ.) λαβων ουν το ψωμιον εκεινος ευθεως εξηλθεν ην δε νυξ λαβων ουν το ψωμιον εκεινος ευθεως εξηλθεν ην δε νυξ

Romans, Part 50

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Love must be without hypocrisy,[1] Paul continued.  Actually, he wrote, Ἡ ἀγάπη ἀνυπόκριτος.  Paul wrote a lot about ἀγάπη.[2]  Love (ἀγάπη) does no wrong to a neighbor.  Therefore love (ἀγάπη) is the fulfillment of the law.[3]  What do you want? He asked the Corinthians.  Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline or with love (ἀγάπῃ) and a spirit of gentleness?[4] He not only contrasted ἀγάπῃ to a rod of discipline but to knowledge: Knowledge puffs up (φυσιοῖ, a form of φυσιόω),[5] but love (ἀγάπη) builds up.[6]

Love (ἀγάπη) is patient, love (ἀγάπη) is kind, it is not envious.  Love does not brag, it is not puffed up (φυσιοῦται, a form of φυσιόω).  It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful.  It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth.  It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures (ὑπομένει, a form of ὑπομένω)[7] all things.[8]  Love (ἀγάπη) never ends.[9]  And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love (ἀγάπη).  But the greatest of these is love (ἀγάπη).[10]  Everything you do should be done in love (ἀγάπῃ).[11]

For the love (ἀγάπη) of Christ controls us, he continued to believers in Corinth, since we have concluded this, that Christ died for all; therefore all have died.  And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised.[12]  One of the ways Paul and his associates commended themselves was by genuine love (2 Corinthians 6:3-10 NET):

We do not give anyone an occasion for taking an offense in anything, so that no fault may be found with our ministry.  But as God’s servants, we have commended ourselves in every way, with great endurance, in persecutions, in difficulties, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, in troubles, in sleepless nights, in hunger, by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by benevolence, by the Holy Spirit, by genuine (ἀνυποκρίτῳ, a form of ἀνυπόκριτος)[13] love (ἀγάπῃ), by truthful teaching, by the power of God, with weapons of righteousness both for the right hand and for the left, through glory and dishonor, through slander and praise; regarded as impostors, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well-known; as dying and yet – see! – we continue to live; as those who are scourged and yet not executed; as sorrowful, but always rejoicing, as poor, but making many rich, as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

God’s love (ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ) was part of Paul’s benediction to the Corinthians: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God (καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ; literally, “and this love of God’s”) and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.[14]  God’s love comes to me as the fruit of his Spirit: the fruit (καρπὸς)[15] of the Spirit is love (ἀγάπη), joy (χαρὰ),[16] peace (εἰρήνη),[17] patience (μακροθυμία),[18] kindness, goodness, faithfulness (πίστις),[19] gentleness (πραΰτης),[20] and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.[21]  Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ.  For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight in love (ἀγάπῃ).[22]

Paul prayed for the Ephesians that according to the wealth of his glory [the Father] may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith (πίστεως, a form of πίστις), so that, because you have been rooted and grounded in love (ἀγάπῃ), you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and thus to know the love (ἀγάπην, a form of ἀγάπη) of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.[23]  I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live worthily of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness (πραΰτητος, a form of πραΰτης), with patience (μακροθυμίας, a form of μακροθυμία), bearing with one another in love (ἀγάπῃ), making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (εἰρήνης, a form of εἰρήνη).[24]

So we are no longer to be children, Paul concluded for the Ephesians, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes.  But practicing the truth in love (ἀγάπῃ), we will in all things grow up into Christ, who is the head.  From him the whole body grows, fitted and held together through every supporting ligament.  As each one does its part, the body grows in love (ἀγάπῃ).[25]  Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved (ἀγαπητὰ, a form of ἀγαπητός)[26] children and live in love (ἀγάπῃ), just as Christ also loved (ἠγάπησεν, a form of ἀγαπάω) us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.[27]  Peace (Εἰρήνη) to the brothers and sisters, and love (ἀγάπη) with faith (πίστεως, a form of πίστις), from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.[28]

And I pray this, Paul wrote the Philippians, that your love (ἀγάπη) may abound even more and more in knowledge and every kind of insight so that you can decide what is best, and thus be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit (καρπὸν, a form of καρπός) of righteousness [love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control] that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.[29]  My goal, he wrote the Colossians, is that their hearts, having been knit together in love (ἀγάπῃ), may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.[30]

To the church at Thessalonica Paul wrote: And may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love (ἀγάπῃ) for one another and for all, just as we do for you, so that your hearts are strengthened in holiness to be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.[31]  We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith (πίστις) flourishes more and more and the love (ἀγάπη) of each one of you all for one another is ever greater.  As a result we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your perseverance and faith (πίστεως, a form of πίστις) in all the persecutions and afflictions you are enduring.[32]

But the aim of our instruction, Paul wrote Timothy, is love (ἀγάπη) that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere (ἀνυποκρίτου, a form of ἀνυπόκριτος) faith (πίστεως, a form of πίστις).[33]  I recall your sincere (ἀνυποκρίτου, a form of ἀνυπόκριτος) faith (πίστεως, a form of πίστις) that was alive first in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and I am sure is in you.[34]  This sincere faith (πίστεως ἀνυποκρίτου, ἀνυποκρίτου πίστεως), as opposed to a hypocritical faith, comes from God in Christ through the fruit of the Holy Spirit, not from myself.  This love without hypocrisy (Ἡ ἀγάπη ἀνυπόκριτος) shares the same origin, the same path and delivery method.

Let no one look down on you because you are young, Paul admonished Timothy, but set an example for the believers in your speech, conduct, love (ἀγάπῃ), faithfulness (πίστει, a form of πίστις), and purity.[35]  Hold to the standard of sound (ὑγιαινόντων, a form of ὑγιαίνω)[36] words that you heard from me and do so with the faith (πίστει, a form of πίστις) and love (ἀγάπῃ) that are in Christ Jesus.  Protect that good thing entrusted to you, through the Holy Spirit who lives within us.[37]

Jesus warned us what was coming: Then they will hand you over to be persecuted and will kill you.  You will be hated by all the nations because of my name.  Then many will be led into sin, and they will betray one another and hate one another.  And many false prophets will appear and deceive many, and because lawlessness will increase so much, the love (ἀγάπη) of many will grow cold.  But the person who endures (ὑπομείνας, a form of ὑπομένω) to the end will be saved.[38]  This love without hypocrisy bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures (ὑπομένει, a form of ὑπομένω) all things.[39]

Just as the Father has loved (ἠγάπησεν, a form of ἀγαπάω)[40] me, Jesus said, I have also loved (ἠγάπησα, another form of ἀγαπάω) you; remain in my love (ἀγάπῃ).  If you obey my commandments (ἐντολάς, a form of ἐντολή),[41] you will remain in my love (ἀγάπῃ), just as I have obeyed my Father’s commandments (ἐντολάς, a form of ἐντολή) and remain in his love (ἀγάπῃ).  I have told you these things so that my joy (χαρὰ) may be in you, and your joy (χαρὰ) may be complete.  My commandment (ἐντολὴ) is this – to love (ἀγαπᾶτε, a form of ἀγαπάω) one another just as I have loved (ἠγάπησα, a form of ἀγαπάω) you.[42]

As I’ve written before it is axiomatic to me that the way Jesus loved us was through that same love He received from the Holy Spirit that descended like a dove from heaven, and…remained on him.[43]  He prayed as much to his Father if one has ears to hear: I made known your name to them, and I will continue to make it known, so that the love (ἀγάπη) you have loved (ἠγάπησας, a form of ἀγαπάω) me with may be in them, and I may be in them.[44]

Writing to the Corinthians about giving, Paul mentioned something about ἀγάπῃ which troubled the NET translators: But as you excel in everything – in faith (πίστει, a form of πίστις), in speech, in knowledge, and in all eagerness and in the love (ἀγάπῃ) from us that is in you – make sure that you excel in this act of kindness too.[45]  The note in the NET reads:

“The reading ‘the love from us that is in you’ is very difficult in this context, for Paul is here enumerating the Corinthians’ attributes: How is it possible for them to excel ‘in the love from us that is in you’?  Most likely, because of this difficulty, several early scribes, as well as most later ones…altered the text to read “your love for us” (so NIV; Grk ἐξ ὑμῶν ἐν ἡμῖν ἀγάπῃ).  The reading ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐν ὑμῖν ἀγάπῃ is found, however, in excellent and early witnesses….As the harder reading it explains the rise of the other reading.  What, then, is the force of ‘in the love from us that is in you’?  Most likely, Paul is commending the Corinthians for excelling in deriving some inspiration from the apostles’ love for them.”

Now, I don’t think Paul was suddenly taking credit for the fruit of the Spirit—the love from us that is in you.  I believe he meant the love from God that he taught them. You, however, have followed my teaching, he wrote Timothy, my way of life, my purpose, my faith (πίστει, a form of πίστις), my patience (μακροθυμίᾳ), my love (ἀγάπῃ), my endurance, as well as the persecutions and sufferings that happened to me in Antioch, in Iconium, and in Lystra.[46]  It seems to me a more literal translation of the Greek here would have been: “You, however, have followed [this] teaching [of mine], [this] way of life, [this] purpose, [this] faith, [this] patience, [this] love, [this] endurance…”  And this love from Paul’s teaching was in them because they believed.

And that is the key for us, too.  Now without faith (πίστεως, a form of πίστις) it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists…[47]  To come to know and to believe the love (ἀγάπην, a form of ἀγάπη) that God has in us[48] we must first believe that it is there for us.  It’s a little like learning to float.  I had to learn to trust the water, that it would bear me up.  And I had to reject the testimony of those who claimed otherwise.

[1] Romans 12:9a (NET)

[3] Romans 13:10 (NET)

[4] 1 Corinthians 4:21 (NET)

[6] 1 Corinthians 8:1b (NET)

[8] 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NET)

[9] 1 Corinthians 13:8a (NET)

[10] 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NET)

[11] 1 Corinthians 16:14 (NET)

[12] 2 Corinthians 5:14, 15 (NET)

[14] 2 Corinthians 13:13 (NET)

[21] Galatians 5:22, 23 (NET)

[22] Ephesians 1:3, 4 (NET)

[23] Ephesians 3:16-19 (NET)

[24] Ephesians 4:1-3 (NET)

[25] Ephesians 4:14-16 (NET)

[27] Ephesians 5:1, 2 (NET)

[28] Ephesians 6:23 (NET)

[29] Philippians 1:9-11 (NET)

[30] Colossians 2:2, 3 (NET)

[31] 1 Thessalonians 3:12, 13 (NET)

[32] 2 Thessalonians 1:3, 4 (NET)

[33] 1 Timothy 1:5 (NET)

[34] 2 Timothy 1:5 (NET)

[35] 1 Timothy 4:12 (NET)

[37] 2 Timothy 1:13, 14 (NET)

[38] Matthew 24:9-12 (NET)

[39] 1 Corinthians 13:7 (NET)

[42] John 15:9-12 (NET)

[43] John 1:32 (NET)

[44] John17:26 (NET)

[45] 2 Corinthians 8:7 (NET)

[46] 2 Timothy 3:10, 11a (NET)

[47] Hebrews 11:6 (NET)

[48] 1 John 4:16a (NET) Table

Romans, Part 45

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For by the grace (χάριτος, a form of χάρις)[1] given to me, Paul continued describing the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect,[2] I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you a measure of faith.[3]  To offset my own tendency to think that sober discernment is necessary because God has distributed a niggardly measure of faith (μέτρον[4] πίστεως[5]) to me, I want to look at two other occurrences of χάριτος.  The first described the words Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4:18, 19 NET):

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and the regaining of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

After Jesus returned the scroll to the attendant and sat down, he added, Today this scripture has been fulfilled even as you heard it being read.[6]  Luke wrote, All were speaking well of him, and were amazed at the gracious (χάριτος, a form of χάρις) words coming out of his mouth.[7]  So proclaiming 1) good news to the poor, 2) release to the captives, 3) the regaining of sight to the blind, 4) setting free those who are oppressed, and 5) the year of the Lord’s favor were called gracious (χάριτος) words.[8]  There was nothing niggardly about it.

For if, by the transgression of the one man, Paul wrote the first time he used χάριτος in his letter to the Romans, death reigned through the one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace (χάριτος, a form of χάρις) and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ![9]  Sober discernment entails all of these facts without implying a niggardly measure of faith, but the realization that any of the recipients of this χάριτος is one person among many.  For just as in (ἐν)[10] one (ἑνὶ, a form of εἷς)[11] body we have many members, Paul continued, and not all the members serve the same function, so we who are many are one (ἓν, another form of εἷς) body in (ἐν) Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one (εἷς) another.[12]

I think sober discernment was equivalent for Paul to walking worthily of the calling with which [we] have been called, as he wrote the Ephesians, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.[13]  For here, too, a description of oneness followed (Ephesians 4:4-7 NET).

There is one (῞Εν) body and one (ἓν) Spirit, just as you too were called to (ἐν) the one (μιᾷ, yet another form of εἷς) hope of your calling, one (εἷς) Lord, one (μία)[14] faith, one (ἓν) baptism, one (εἷς) God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in (ἐν) all.  But to each one (Ἑνὶ, still another form of εἷς) of us grace (χάρις) was given according to the measure (μέτρον) of the gift of Christ.

And we have different gifts (χαρίσματα, a form of χάρισμα)[15] according to the grace given to us, Paul continued to describe the diversity of this oneness in Romans, a theme he revisited often:

The Diversity of Oneness
And we have different gifts (χαρίσματα) according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy (προφητείαν, a form of προφητεία),[16] that individual must use it in proportion to his faith.  If it is service, he must serve; if it is teaching, he must teach; if it is exhortation, he must exhort; if it is contributing, he must do so with sincerity; if it is leadership, he must do so with diligence; if it is showing mercy, he must do so with cheerfulness.

Romans 12:6-8 (NET)

 It was he who gave some as apostles, some as prophets (προφήτας, a form of προφήτης),[17] some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God – a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ’s full stature.

Ephesians 4:11-13 (NET)

 Now there are different gifts (χαρισμάτων, another form of χάρισμα), but the same Spirit.  And there are different ministries, but the same Lord.  And there are different results, but the same God who produces all of them in everyone.  To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit of all.  For one person is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, and another the message of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts (χαρίσματα) of healing by the one Spirit, to another performance of miracles, to another prophecy (προφητεία), and to another discernment of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.  It is one and the same Spirit, distributing as he decides to each person, who produces all these things.

1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (NET)

I want to consider these different[18] gifts (χαρίσματα) individually.   If the gift is prophecy (προφητείαν), that individual must use it in proportion to his faith.[19]  I am assuming that in proportion (ἀναλογίαν, a form of ἀναλογία)[20] to his faith relates back to that measure (μέτρον) of faith God has distributed to each.  In the law the Lord said to Moses (Deuteronomy 18:18-20 NET):

I will raise up a prophet like you for them from among their fellow Israelites.  I will put my words in his mouth and he will speak to them whatever I command.  I will personally hold responsible anyone who then pays no attention to the words that prophet speaks in my name.  But if any prophet presumes to speak anything in my name that I have not authorized him to speak, or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die.

Now if you say to yourselves, the Lord continued, “How can we tell that a message is not from the Lord (yehôvâh)?”[21] – whenever a prophet speaks in my name and the prediction is not fulfilled, then I have not spoken it; the prophet has presumed to speak it, so you need not fear (gûr)[22] him.[23]  But a fulfilled prediction alone was not sufficient to declare one a prophet of yehôvâh (Deuteronomy 13:1-5 NET):

Suppose a prophet or one who foretells by dreams should appear among you and show you a sign or wonder, and the sign or wonder should come to pass concerning what he said to you, namely, “Let us follow other gods” – gods whom you have not previously known – “and let us serve them.”  You must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer, for the Lord your God will be testing you to see if you love him with all your mind and being.  You must follow the Lord your God and revere only him; and you must observe his commandments, obey him, serve him, and remain loyal to him.  As for that prophet or dreamer, he must be executed because he encouraged rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you from the land of Egypt, redeeming you from that place of slavery, and because he has tried to entice you from the way the Lord your God has commanded you to go.  In this way you must purge out evil from within.

The prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah (apparently a false prophet), From earliest times, the prophets who preceded you and me invariably prophesied war, disaster, and plagues against many countries and great kingdoms.  So if a prophet prophesied peace and prosperity, it was only known that the Lord truly sent him when what he prophesied came true.[24]  In this light I can begin to appreciate the proportion of Jesus’ faith when He read those gracious words—The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor; He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and the regaining of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor—and added, Today this scripture has been fulfilled even as you heard it being read.

And so Paul wrote, If the gift is prophecy (προφητείαν), that individual must use it in proportion to his faith.  And if I have prophecy (προφητείαν), he wrote the Corinthians, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.[25]  I can’t tell if this was a hypothetical consideration to highlight the preeminence of love, or an actual concern.  It is difficult to imagine an individual who received so many of the different gifts[26] (Διαιρέσεις δὲ χαρισμάτων) of the Spirit, not shared by all (For one person is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom[27]…to another prophecy [προφητεία][28]…), and yet did not have the love that is given by the same Spirit to all believers.  If such a monstrosity is actually possible it would seem to be someone with a religious mind believing something other than the word of the Lord to quench the love that is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Love never ends, Paul continued to contrast love and prophecy in Corinthians.  But if there are prophecies (προφητεῖαι, another form of προφητεία), they will be set aside[29]…when what is perfect comes…[30]  Pursue love, he wrote, and be eager for the spiritual gifts (πνευματικά, a form of πνευματικός),[31] especially that you may prophesy (προφητεύητε, a form of προφητεύω).[32]  Then he contrasted prophesying to one speaking in a tongue.

Tongues

Prophecy
For the one speaking in a tongue does not speak to people but to God, for no one understands; he is speaking mysteries by the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 14:2 (NET)

 But the one who prophesies (προφητεύων, another form of προφητεύω) speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and consolation.

1 Corinthians 14:3 (NET)
The one who speaks in a tongue builds himself up…

1 Corinthians 14:4a (NET)

 …but the one who prophesies (προφητεύων, another form of προφητεύω) builds up the church.

1 Corinthians 14:4b (NET)
I wish you all spoke in tongues…

1 Corinthians 14:5a (NET)

 …but even more that you would prophesy (προφητεύητε, a form of προφητεύω).

1 Corinthians 14:5b (NET)
…unless he interprets so that the church may be strengthened.

1 Corinthians 14:5d (NET)

 The one who prophesies (προφητεύων, another form of προφητεύω) is greater than the one who speaks in tongues…

1 Corinthians 14:5c (NET)

Since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, Paul concluded, seek to abound in order to strengthen the church.  So then, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret.[33]  And, I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you, but in the church I want to speak five words with my mind to instruct others, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.[34]  Then he quoted the Old Testament prophecy concerning tongues: By people with strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, yet not even in this way will they listen to me…[35]  So then, tongues, he concluded, are a sign…for unbelievers.  Prophecy (προφητεία), however, is…for believers.[36]

So if the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and unbelievers or uninformed people enter, will they not say that you have lost your minds?[37]  In other words, the Old Testament prophecy holds true: unbelievers hearing strange tongues will not listen to the Lord.  Rather, they say, you have lost your minds.  But if all prophesy (προφητεύωσιν, another form of προφητεύω), and an unbeliever or uninformed person enters, he will be convicted by all, he will be called to account by all.  The secrets of his heart are disclosed…[38]  So prophecy is for believers, their rightful occupation that brings an unbeliever or uninformed person to faith and repentance, and in this way he will fall down with his face to the ground and worship God, declaring, “God is really among you.”[39]

Still, It was [Jesus] who gave…some [not all] as prophets (προφήτας, another form of προφήτης) …to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God – a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ’s full stature.[40]  And God has placed in the church…second prophets (προφήτας, another form of προφήτης)…Not all are prophets (προφῆται, another form of προφήτης), are they?[41]  No, because we have different gifts (χαρίσματα, a form of χάρισμα) according to the grace given to us.[42]  For just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members serve the same function, so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another.[43]

 

Addendum (7/18/2015): Jim Searcy has published that the Septuagint is a hoax written by Origen and Eusebius 200 hundred years after Christ.  “In fact, the Septuagint ‘quotes’ from the New Testament and not vice versa…”  His contention is that the “King James Version is the infallible Word of God.”  So, I’ll re-examine the quotations above with the KJV.

My thoughts on Luke 4:18, 19 are too long to append to this essay.  This addendum is found as Study: Luke 4:18-19.

Romans, Part 46

Back to Fear – Exodus, Part 6

Back to Son of God – 1 John, Part 3

Back to Saving Demons, Part 2

Back to Romans, Part 49

[2] Romans 12:2b (NET)

[3] Romans 12:3 (NET)

[6] Luke 4:21 (NET)

[7] Luke 4:22a (NET)

[8] Luke 4:22 (NET)

[9] Romans 5:17 (NET)

[12] Romans 12:4, 5 (NET)

[13] Ephesians 4:1-3 (NET)

[18] κατὰ τὴν χάριν τὴν δοθεῖσαν ἡμῖν διάφορα (literally, “according to the grace given to us differently”) Romans 12:6 (NET)

[19] Romans 12:6b (NET)

[22] Septuagint: ἀφέξεσθε receive in full or abstain http://lexicon.katabiblon.com/?search=ἀφέξεσθε

[23] Deuteronomy 18:21, 22 (NET)

[24] Jeremiah 28:8, 9 (NET)

[25] 1 Corinthians 13:2 (NET)

[26] 1 Corinthians 12:4 (NET)

[27] 1 Corinthians 12:8 (NET)

[28] 1 Corinthians 12:10 (NET)

[29] 1 Corinthians 13:8 (NET)

[30] 1 Corinthians 13:10 (NET)

[32] 1 Corinthians 14:1 (NET)

[33] 1 Corinthians 14:12b, 13 (NET)

[34] 1 Corinthians 14:18, 19 (NET)

[35] 1 Corinthians 14:21 (NET)

[36] 1 Corinthians 14:22 (NET)

[37] 1 Corinthians 14:23 (NET)

[38] 1 Corinthians 14:24, 25a (NET)

[39] 1 Corinthians 14:25b (NET)

[40] Ephesians 4:11-13 (NET)

[41] 1 Corinthians 12:28, 29 (NET)

[42] Romans 12:6a (NET)

[43] Romans 12:4, 5 (NET)

Romans, Part 44

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Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, Paul continued, by the mercies (οἰκτιρμῶν)[1] of God…[2]  The Greek word οἰκτιρμῶν (a form of οἰκτιρμός), translated mercies, is the noun that corresponds to the verb translated compassion in, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion (οἰκτιρήσω, a form of οἰκτείρω)[3] on whom I have compassion (οἰκτίρω, another form of οἰκτείρω).[4]  It was translated mercy again in Paul’s conclusion written to the Colossians: Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy (οἰκτιρμοῦ, another form of οἰκτιρμός), kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else.  Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others.[5]

Jesus said, love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back.  Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to ungrateful and evil people.  Be merciful (οἰκτίρμονες, a form of οἰκτίρμων),[6] just as your Father is merciful (οἰκτίρμων).[7]  The Greek word οἰκτίρμων is essentially the adjective of the noun οἰκτιρμός and the verb οἰκτείρω.  Taken together these three passages give me some understanding of what it means to present [my body] as a sacrifice in Paul’s conclusion: Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God – which is your reasonable service.[8]

It took me some time to get here.  At first I thought the phrase by the mercies of God (διὰ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν τοῦ θεοῦ) applied only to Paul’s exhortation.  I thought that because of God’s mercies to me it was reasonable that I present my body as a sacrifice to Him.  My religion had no rite or ritual for accomplishing this, but it did have a saying: Those who attend faithfully on Sunday morning love the church; those who attend faithfully Sunday morning and Sunday evening love the Pastor; but those who attend faithfully on Sunday and Wednesday evening prayer meeting love the Lord.  I assumed that presenting my body as a sacrifice had something to do with attending church every time the doors were open and doing whatever the Pastor said: Obey your leaders and submit to them, the author of the letter to the Hebrews wrote, for they keep watch over your souls and will give an account for their work.[9]

I might have continued trying to prove how much I loved God rather than being transformed by his love.  But I continued studying the Bible and the Holy Spirit brought Scriptures to mind that disagreed with, or severely limited, the points my various Pastors made in their sermons.  It was a difficult and confusing time.  But eventually I began to see the Bible, not as a rule book, but as a way to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He] sent.[10]

The Bible changed then from a discussion of many things into a discussion of primarily one issue from many perspectives, namely, this eternal life in Jesus Christ.  In that light it was easier to recognize that the phrase by the mercies of God (διὰ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν τοῦ θεοῦ) also described how to present my body as a sacrifice: διὰ (through) the mercies of God, sharing in his compassion, clothed with [his] heart of mercy, his kindness, his humility, his gentleness, and his patience…forgiving one another…Just as the Lord has forgiven [me], being merciful just as he is merciful.

Do not be conformed to this present world,[11] Paul added more detail.  I assume that this present world is equivalent to the works of the flesh:[12] hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, and envying.[13]  I didn’t leave sexual immorality (πορνεία),[14] impurity, depravity, idolatry, sorcery and murder[15] out of this list because I think they are any less the works of the flesh.  Given my background and upbringing they are the obvious works of the flesh while hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, and envying might seem virtuous if directed against sin or sinners or heretics or people who don’t accept my interpretation of the Bible.

The word translated envying for instance is φθόνοι (a form of φθόνος).[16]  Pilate knew that [Jesus’ accusers] had handed him over because of envy[17] (φθόνον, another form of φθόνος).  If I were writing myself as a character in a movie it would make perfect sense for that character to envy Ingmar Bergman, a creative genius, a talented and successful director of both theater and film.  So much in his films seems like anti-religious agitprop.  I have never heard that he repented or showed any signs of faith in Jesus.  By all rights I, like Bess from Lars Von Trier’s “Breaking the Waves,” should say of Ingmar Bergman, “He will go to hell; everyone knows that.”

Yet when I search myself I find instead that I hope against hope for God’s mercy.  I can’t find an explanation for it apart from the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control[18] that floods into me and through me from the Holy Spirit.  I am not as creative or talented or successful as Ingmar Bergman, but I have received a superabundance of mercy and grace while he suffered unspeakably from religious minds, his own as well as those of others.  Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, Paul continued in Romans, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect (τέλειον, a form of τέλειος).[19]

Love never ends (πίπτει, a form of πίπτω),[20] Paul wrote the Corinthians.  According to the definitions listed in the NET online Bible this means that love never 1) descends from a higher place to a lower; love never 1a) falls, 1a1) is thrust down 1b) (metaph.) falls under judgment, or comes under condemnation; love never 2) descends from an erect to a prostrate position 2a) falls down 2a1) is prostrated, or falls prostrate;[21] love never 2a2) is overcome by terror or astonishment or grief or under the attack of an evil spirit or of falling dead suddenly; love never 2a3) is dismembered like a corpse by decay 2a4) prostrates itself 2a5) renders homage or worship to one 2a6) falls out, falls from, perishes or is lost; love never 2a7) falls down, or falls into ruin 2b) is cast down from a state of prosperity 2b1) falls from a state of uprightness; love never 2b2) perishes, comes to an end, disappears, ceases; love never 2b3) loses authority, or no longer has force 2b4) is removed from power by death 2b5) fails of participating in, or misses a share in [Christ’s salvation because love (ἀγάπη) is his salvation and his righteousness in a word].

This was in contrast to prophecies, that will be set aside…tongues, that will cease…and knowledge, that will be set aside.[22]  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when what is perfect (τέλειον, a form of τέλειος) comes, the partial will be set aside.[23]  Love not only transcends this coming perfection, it facilitates it according to John: whoever obeys his word, truly in this person the love of God has been perfected (τετελείωται, a form of τελειόω).[24]  By this we know that we are in him.[25]

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ,[26] Paul wrote the Ephesians.  It was he who gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God – a mature (τέλειον, a form of τέλειος) person, attaining to the measure of Christ’s full stature.[27]  I have begun to wonder: if the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers aren’t encouraging me to be perfected in God’s love, are they acting as ambassadors for Christ[28] or emissaries of the religious mind?

Paul wrote the Colossians, I became a servant of the church according to the stewardship from God – given to me for you – in order to complete (πληρῶσαι, a form of πληρόω; or, fulfill) the word of God, that is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints.  God wanted to make known to them the glorious riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.  We proclaim him by instructing and teaching all people with all wisdom so that we may present every person mature (τέλειον, a form of τέλειος; e.g., perfected in and by God’s love) in Christ.[29]

When I consider the justice of God’s mercy in and through Christ I am reminded of Friedrich Nietzsche.  Jesus said, Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.[30]  The soul cannot be killed with weaponry.  But Friedrich Nietzsche came about as close to being a soul killer as I can imagine a human being becoming.  Who can calculate his devastating impact on the souls of academics and the intelligentsia?  But if I imagine him in torment in hell for all eternity, cursing his nonexistent god, I realize that I can imagine no greater destruction of the personality I know as Friedrich Nietzsche than to find him one day clothed and in his right mind,[31] and sitting at the feet of Jesus.

[2] Romans 12:1a (NET)

[4] Romans 9:15 (NET)

[5] Colossians 3:12, 13 (NET)

[7] Luke 6:35, 36 (NET)

[8] Romans 12:1 (NET)

[9] Hebrews 13:17a (NET)

[11] Romans 12:2a (NET)

[17] Matthew 27:18 (NET)

[18] Galatians 5:22, 23 (NET)

[19] Romans 12:2 (NET)

[20] 1 Corinthians 13:8a (NET)

[21] At the end of the movie “The Lord of the Rings – The Return of the King” as the newly crowned king approached, the Hobbits—Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin—bowed.  The king said, “My friends, you bow to no one.”  Then he and all present knelt before them.  In the context of the fruit of the Spirit love certainly does not fall prostrate before rules or laws:  Against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:23b NET).  On the contrary, Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:10 NET).  The fear that I might love too much, be too joyful, too peaceful, too patient, too kind, too good, too faithful, too gentle, or too controlled by the Holy Spirit, that I should intervene and hold myself aloof from being engulfed, buoyed up and carried along by that living stream that makes glad the city of God, that I should draw back to some Aristotelian mean between the extremes, is not from God.  In this sense then I understand “Love never falls prostrate” (or never “renders homage or worship”), not that Love is god, but that God is love.

[22] 1 Corinthians 13:8b (NET)

[23] 1 Corinthians 13:9, 10 (NET)

[25] 1 John 2:5 (NET)

[26] Ephesians 4:7 (NET)

[27] Ephesians 4:11-13 (NET)

[28] 2 Corinthians 5:20 (NET)

[29] Colossians 1:25-28 (NET)

[30] Matthew 10:28a (NET)