Exploration, Part 1

Posted on November 2, 2024 by admin

Love is punishment. That’s the lesson I learned quite well from my elders. As I grew I began to recognize that they were consoling one another and exhorting one another not to compromise with the world around them, a psychological world that was preaching a different gospel. It’s difficult to believe that I never heard 1 Corinthians 13 as a child, but I don’t recall it. I know Paul’s distinction shocked me as an adult (1 Corinthians 4:21 ESV [Table]).

What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love (ἐν ἀγάπῃ) in a spirit of gentleness?

Though I realized that he probably used the phrase ἐν ράβδῳ, with a rod, hyperbolically for stern or even harsh words, I wouldn’t have distinguished those from love, because love is punishment (though I probably thought that love was a feeling that provoked one to punish the objects of one’s love).

In the introduction to these exploratory essays I simply declared “Don’t compromise with the world” a vague and open-ended application, difficult both to obey or to defend against the virtually unlimited latitude those who police such things could assume. Here, I’ll offer an example:

In my grandmother’s day, no decent Christian woman would wear lipstick. In my mother’s day, young stay-at-home housewives and mothers put on lipstick, sitting in the pew in church. In my day, young stay-at-home housewives and mothers were trained by professional make-up artists at church women’s groups how to apply their “warpaint” more effectively, because they competed deliberately and directly with their husbands’ female coworkers and secretaries.

I have no idea what goes on now. I no longer attend an upwardly mobile middle class American church. And I don’t write this to criticize three generations of women I have loved. All of us need more grace than the faith that God will punish us for our sins eventually, and more timely and pertinent direction than “Don’t compromise with the world.”

Paul wrote, what seems at first blush to be, about circumcision, a very specific compromise with the religious world of old covenant Judaism. I want to begin first with the laws of circumcision to highlight this jarring discontinuity between old and new covenants.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Genesis 17:9-14 (Tanakh)	Genesis 17:9-14 (NET)	Genesis 17:9-14 (NETS)	Genesis 17:9-14 (Elpenor English)
And G-d said unto Abraham: ‘And as for thee, thou shalt keep My covenant, thou, and thy seed after thee throughout their generations.	Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep the covenantal requirement I am imposing on you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.	And God said to Abraam, “Now as for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations.	And God said to Abraam, Thou also shalt fully keep my covenant, thou and thy seed after thee for their generations.
This is My covenant, which ye shall keep, between Me and you and thy seed after thee: every male among you shall be circumcised.	This is my requirement that you and your descendants after you must keep: Every male among you must be circumcised.	And this is the covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and between your offspring after you throughout their generations: Every male of yours shall be circumcised,	And this [is] the covenant which thou shalt fully keep between me and you, and between thy seed after thee for their generations; every male of you shall be circumcised.
And ye shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of a covenant betwixt Me and you.	You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a reminder of the covenant between me and you.	And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall exist as a covenant sign between me and you.	And ye shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between me and you.
And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any foreigner, that is not of thy seed.	Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not one of your descendants.	And a youngster of eight days shall be circumcised among you—every male—throughout your generations, the homebred of your household and the one bought with money from any son of a foreigner, who is not of your offspring.	And the child of eight days [old] shall be circumcised by you, every male throughout your generations, and [the servant] born in the house and he that is bought with money, of every son of a stranger, who is not of thy seed.
He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised; and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.	They must indeed be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenant will be visible in your flesh as a permanent reminder.	The homebred of your household and the one bought with money shall be circumcised with circumcision, and my covenant shall be on your flesh for an everlasting covenant.	He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with money shall be surely circumcised, and my covenant shall be on your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken My covenant.’	Any uncircumcised male who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off from his people—he has failed to carry out my requirement.”	And as for an uncircumcised male who shall not be circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin on the eighth day, that soul shall be destroyed from his kin, for he has scattered my covenant.”	And the uncircumcised male, who shall not be circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin on the eighth day, that soul shall be utterly destroyed from its family, for he has broken my covenant.

Circumcision was a prerequisite for eating the Passover.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Exodus 12:43-49 (Tanakh)	Exodus 12:43-49 (NET)	Exodus 12:43-49 (NETS)	Exodus 12:43-49 (Elpenor English)
And HaShem said unto Moses and Aaron: ‘This is the ordinance of the passover: there shall no alien eat thereof;	The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover. No foreigner may share in eating it.	Then the Lord said to Moyses and Aaron, saying: This is the law of the pascha. No alien shall eat of it.	And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, This is the law of the passover: no stranger shall eat of it.
but every man’s servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.	But everyone’s servant who is bought for money, after you have circumcised him, may eat it.	And any domestic of anyone or purchased slave you shall circumcise him, and then he shall eat of it.	And every slave or servant bought with money– him thou shalt circumcise, and then shall he eat of it.
A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat thereof.	A foreigner and a hired worker must not eat it.	A resident alien or hired person shall not eat of it.	A sojourner or hireling shall not eat of it.
In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth aught of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.	It must be eaten in one house; you must not bring any of the meat outside the house, and you must not break a bone of it.	In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not take any meat outside of the house, and you shall not break a bone of it.	In one house shall it be eaten, and ye shall not carry of the flesh out from the house; and a bone of it ye shall not break.
All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.	The whole community of Israel must observe it.	The entire congregation of the sons of Israel shall do this.	All the congregation of the children of Israel shall keep it.
And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to HaShem, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land; but no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.	“When a resident foreigner lives with you and wants to observe the Passover to the Lord, all his males must be circumcised, and then he may approach and observe it, and he will be like one who is born in the land—but no uncircumcised person may eat of it.	But if any guest should draw near to you to keep the pascha to the Lord, you shall circumcise every male of his, and then he shall draw near to keep it, and he shall be like a native of the land. No uncircumcised person shall eat of it.	And if any proselyte shall come to you to keep the passover to the Lord, thou shalt circumcise every male of him, and then shall he approach to sacrifice it, and he shall be even as the original inhabitant of the land; no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.
One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.’	The same law will apply to the person who is native-born and to the resident foreigner who lives among you.”	There shall be one law for the local inhabitant and for the guest among you who has drawn near.	There shall be one law to the native, and to the proselyte coming among you.

Even a woman’s purification ritual after childbirth was synchronized to accommodate her son’s circumcision.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Leviticus 12:1-4 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 12:1-4 (NET)	Leviticus 12:1-4 (NETS)	Leviticus 12:1-4 (Elpenor English)
And HaShem spoke unto Moses, saying:	The Lord spoke to Moses:	And the Lord spoke to Moyses, saying:	And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: If a woman be delivered, and bear a man-child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of the impurity of her sickness shall she be unclean.	“Tell the Israelites, ‘When a woman produces offspring and bears a male child, she will be unclean seven days, as she is unclean during the days of her menstruation.	Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: Any woman, if she is fertilized and bears a male child, shall also be unclean seven days, as at the days of the separation of her period, she shall be unclean.	Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, Whatsoever woman shall have conceived and born a male child shall be unclean seven days, she shall be unclean according to the days of separation for her monthly courses.
And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised [Table].	On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin must be circumcised.	And on the eighth day she shall circumcise the flesh of his foreskin [Table].	And on the eighth day she shall circumcise the flesh of his foreskin.
And she shall continue in the blood of purification three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification be fulfilled.	Then she will remain thirty-three days in blood purity. She must not touch anything holy, and she must not enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled.	And thirty-three days shall she remain in her unclean blood; she shall not touch anything holy or come into the holy place until the days of her purification are completed.	And for thirty-three days she shall continue in her unclean blood; she shall touch nothing holy, and shall not enter the sanctuary, until the days of her purification be fulfilled.

With that as background, I’ll turn to the new covenant, one of the things our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him¹…that are hard to understand² (Galatians 5:1-5 ESV).

For freedom Christ³ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace [Table]. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.

The Greek word translated freedom in the phrase For freedom was ἐλευθερίᾳ, a form of ἐλευθερία in the dative case. A translator’s note (1) in the NET reads:

Translating the dative [Τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ] as “For freedom” shows the purpose for Christ setting us free; however, it is also possible to take the phrase in the sense of means or instrument (“with [or by] freedom”), referring to the freedom mentioned in 4:31 and implied throughout the letter.

So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.⁴ The slave (παιδίσκης, a form of παιδίσκη) and the free woman (τῆς ἐλευθέρας, a form of ἐλεύθερος) were Hagar and Sarah, understood allegorically as the old covenant and the new respectively (Galatians 4:21-26 ESV).

Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children [Table]. But the Jerusalem above is free (ἐλευθέρα, another form of ἐλεύθερος), and she is our⁵ mother.

Jesus had referred to this same allegory, except that from his lips it sounds less like an allegory and more like the truth; truth which explains why He called Hagar back (Genesis 16) to endure Sarai’s harsh treatment, only to be sent away with her son Ishmael at the appropriate time (Genesis 21), in order that the story Moses recorded in the Torah could be read by Paul in the Spirit, understood allegorically (ἀλληγορούμενα, a participle of ἀλληγορέω) and explained to the Galatians to accomplish the Lord’s intended purpose (John 8:31b-36 ESV):

“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” [Table]
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free (ἐλευθερώσῃ, a form of ἐλευθερόω), you will be free (ἐλεύθεροι, another form of ἐλεύθερος) indeed.”

It’s probably a good idea to pause and reflect on what has been gained here regarding the freedom of which Paul wrote: He likened it to being born of a free woman, Sarah rather than Hagar. He interpreted these women allegorically as two covenants. Hagar represented the law, the old covenant and the present Jerusalem, which is in slavery with her children. Sarah represented the Jerusalem above (ἄνω), which is free: What is born of the flesh is flesh, Jesus said to Nicodemus, 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 (ἄνωθεν).’⁶

Jesus offered more detail concerning the slavery of the present Jerusalem and her children: everyone who practices (ποιῶν, a form of ποιέω) sin is a slave to sin. The [free of sin] son remains forever. So if the [free of sin] Son sets you free (ἐλευθερώσῃ, a form of ἐλευθερόω) [of sin], you will be free (ἐλεύθεροι, another form of ἐλεύθερος) [of sin] indeed. And Paul wrote: For freedom Christ has set us free.⁷

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (ἐλευθερία).⁸

Christ has set us free, Paul continued in his letter to the Galatians according to the ESV translation. The word order in the critical text (NET parallel Greek and NA²⁸) is: Τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ ἡμᾶς Χριστὸς ἠλευθέρωσεν; literally, “For freedom us Christ has set free.” The placement of ἡμᾶς adds an emphasis with a flavor nearer to “For our freedom Christ has set free.” But Paul and the Holy Spirit didn’t choose ἡμῶν in the genitive case. It’s not wrong to associate the accusative pronoun ἡμᾶς with the verb ἠλευθέρωσεν, as it is found in the received text (Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text), following χριστος and preceding ἠλευθέρωσεν; literally, “Christ us has set free.”

The Greek verb translated has set…free was ἠλευθέρωσεν, another form of ἐλευθερόω. Paul described that freedom to which Christ in his Spirit has set us free elsewhere (Romans 8:2 ESV [Table]):

For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free (ἠλευθέρωσεν, another form of ἐλευθερόω) in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

Paul continued in his letter to the Galatians: stand firm therefore. The ESV translators understood the verb στήκετε as a 2^nd person plural imperative form of στήκω. It is a grammatically permissible way to understand στήκετε according to the Koine Greek Lexicon. It even makes some sense, if one assumes that Paul’s purpose was to supply those who were not standing firm with a Scriptural application to obey.

My argument is that Paul’s entire discourse in Galatians 5 calls that very assumption into question. There is another grammatically permissible way to understand στήκετε according to the Koine Greek Lexicon: as a 2^nd person plural form of στήκω in the indicative mood. In other words, Paul stated a fact about those whom Christ has set free—“you stand firm”—further illustrating the nature of that freedom of which he wrote.

Paul continued: and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. The Greek verb ἐνέχεσθε is an imperative form of ἐνέχω according to the Koine Greek Lexicon. But the ESV translation do…submit sounds a bit too much like the active voice. Again, this makes some sense if one assumes that Paul’s purpose was to supply those who were submitting to a yoke of slavery with a Scriptural application to obey: do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. But ἐνέχεσθε is in the middle/passive voice: “subject yourselves to, load yourselves down with, hold yourselves in” or “entangle yourselves” or “involve yourselves in.”

I’ve begun to pay more attention to Greek word order as a way to grasp an author’s tone: καὶ μὴ πάλιν ζυγῷ δουλείας ἐνέχεσθε, “and not (or, cannot) again to a yoke of slavery entangle yourselves.” The phrase καὶ πάλιν means “again and again.” So, if I consider καὶ μὴ πάλιν as the phrase καὶ πάλιν split by the negative particle μὴ, I get, “you cannot again and again to a yoke of slavery entangle yourselves.” Why? Those whom Christ has set free for freedom stand firm and do not obey a yoke of slavery.

Paul chose the Greek word translated slavery—δουλείας, a form of δουλεία—elsewhere (Romans 8:15 ESV):

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery (δουλείας, a form of δουλεία) to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

And (Romans 8:20, 21 ESV):

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope [Table] that the creation itself will be set free (ελευθερωθησεται, another form of ἐλευθερόω) from its bondage (δουλείας, a form of δουλεία) to corruption and obtain the freedom (ἐλευθερίαν, another form of ἐλευθερία) of the glory of the children of God.

Look: I, Paul, say to you, he continued, that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.⁹ The Greek words translated if you accept circumcision were ἐὰν περιτέμνησθε, a middle/passive form of the verb περιτέμνω. The translation you accept circumcision demonstrates how the ESV translators handled a middle/passive verb without any particular agenda. The Greek word translated advantage was ὠφελήσει, a form of ὠφελέω in the future tense.

Paul used another form of ὠφελέω elsewhere in a similar context (Romans 2:25 ESV).

For circumcision indeed is of value (ὠφελεῖ, another form of ὠφελέω in the present tense) if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision.

In all my years in locker rooms growing up, I only saw one uncircumcised male. And I didn’t grow up in a Jewish neighborhood. My mother explained that circumcision was performed today for cleanliness. In other words, a young mother can keep her infant son’s penis clean without fondling it overmuch, peeling back his tiny foreskin. My circumcision has become uncircumcision. And I’m glad. It would be terrible if Christ were of no advantage to me forever.

I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision, Paul continued, that he is obligated to keep the whole law.¹⁰ Here the Greek word translated who accepts circumcision was περιτεμνομένῳ, a middle/passive participle of the verb περιτέμνω. Paul and the Holy Spirit are giving us a good primer on middle/passive verbs in Koine Greek.

Then Paul’s discourse turned a corner as it were. His main concern was not circumcision as an act in itself. The apostle was actually concerned with the more intimate and pervasive issues of how one believes and how one obeys (Galatians 5:4 ESV [Table]).

You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.

I shared this essay with a brother who objected to You are severed as a translation of κατηργήθητε, a passive form of καταργέω in the aorist tense. The Koine Greek Lexicon online lists three options for the passive voice: “to be released from, to be severed from, to be removed from.” But since he brought it up, I hear You are severed as present or perfect tense, yet I’m hard-pressed to come up with a better option that would be strictly aorist. And my brother softened some as he saw ἀπὸ (from) explicitly in the text.

We know that our old self was crucified with him, Paul wrote elsewhere, in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing (καταργηθῇ, another passive form of καταργέω, “might be released, might be severed, might be removed”), so that we would no longer be enslaved (δουλεύειν, a form of δουλεύω) to sin.¹¹ Do we then overthrow (καταργοῦμεν, another form of καταργέω in the active voice) the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.¹²

For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void (κατήργηται, another middle/passive form of καταργέω).¹³ For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released (κατήργηται, another middle/passive form of καταργέω) from the law of marriage.¹⁴ But now we are released (κατηργήθημεν, another passive form of καταργέω) from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.¹⁵

Who are they who are severed (“released, removed”) from Christ¹⁶ and all that union with Christ entails? The circumcised? No, you who would be justified by the law: οἵτινες ἐν νόμῳ δικαιοῦσθε. The phrase would be justified is the ESV translation of δικαιοῦσθε, a middle/passive form of the verb δικαιόω. I’m tempted to strengthen the middle voice and forego the passive voice altogether here because of my own experience: “would justify yourselves.” But I must admit that would be justified is a clever word choice for δικαιοῦσθε, honoring the passive voice even as it highlights the self-righteousness of the action. So, our education in middle/passive verbs continues.

For by works of the law no human being will be justified (δικαιωθήσεται, another passive form of δικαιόω) in his sight, Paul wrote elsewhere, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.¹⁷ We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified (δικαιοῦται, another middle/passive form of δικαιόω) by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified (δικαιωθῶμεν, another passive form of δικαιόω) by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified (δικαιωθήσεται, another passive form of δικαιόω) [Table].¹⁸

In the clause you who would be justified by the law, Paul surely referred to the law delivered by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. But in Greek ἐν νόμῳ, translated by the law in the ESV, points clearly to more than the law. In Paul’s letters ἐν νόμῳ describes an alternative path to ἐν Χριστῷ; ἐν νόμῳ indicates a different way of doing righteousness from the righteousness of God ἐν Χριστῷ, that is, in Christ. [Y]ou have fallen away from grace, he wrote to any who would be justified by the law¹⁹ (Galatians 5:5 ESV).

For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.

The assumption that Paul’s intent was to write Scriptural applications, principles—let’s be clear—rules for obedience like some new covenant Moses, informs not only expository preaching but Bible translation as well.

Galatians 5:1
Old Covenant (ESV)	New Covenant
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.	For freedom us Christ has set free; you stand firm, therefore you cannot again and again to a yoke of slavery entangle yourselves.

In the first example on the left, there is the grace of God in Jesus Christ—For freedom Christ has set us free—and two rules to obey—stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. In the second example on the right, there is the grace of God in Jesus Christ—“For freedom us Christ has set free”—and two Gospel truths to believe, two better promises—“you stand firm” [e.g., in Christ (ἐν Χριστῷ)], “therefore you cannot again and again to a yoke of slavery entangle yourselves.” The NIV translation sounds closer to this in its translation of ἐνέχεσθε: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.²⁰ The verbatim translation on the right above, recast in better English, might read: “For our freedom Christ has us set free; therefore you stand firm and cannot entangle yourselves in a yoke of slavery again.”

Each of us must choose, I suppose, what translation sounds more like (Galatians 1:1-5 ESV):

Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—and all the brothers who are with me,
To the churches of Galatia:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father [Table], to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Here is a question intended to help one choose wisely:

Does my obedience demonstrate my goodness for my glory, or does my obedience demonstrate God’s goodness to me, working in and through me for his glory?

Here are two bonus hints from Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 7:18 ESV; Galatians 2:19-21 NET).

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out [Table].
For through the law I died to the law so that I may live to God. 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 (διὰ νόμου), then Christ died for nothing!

And finally here is one extra special bonus hint from Jesus the Christ (Mark 10:17, 18 ESV).

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.

I’ll pick this up in another essay.

Tables comparing Genesis 17:9; 17:10; 17:11; 17:12; 17:13; 17:14; Exodus 12:43; 12:44; 12:45; 12:46; 12:47; 12:48; 12:49; Leviticus 12:1; 12:2 and 12:4 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and comparing the Greek of Genesis 17:9; 17:10; 17:11; 17:12; 17:13; 17:14; Exodus 12:43; 12:44; 12:45; 12:46; 12:47; 12:48; 12:49; Leviticus 12:1; 12:2 and 12:4 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables comparing Galatians 5:1 and 4:26 in the KJV and NET follow.

Genesis 17:9 (Tanakh)	Genesis 17:9 (KJV)	Genesis 17:9 (NET)
And G-d said unto Abraham: ‘And as for thee, thou shalt keep My covenant, thou, and thy seed after thee throughout their generations.	And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.	Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep the covenantal requirement I am imposing on you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

Genesis 17:9 (BLB Septuagint)	Genesis 17:9 (Elpenor Septuagint)
καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸς Αβρααμ σὺ δὲ τὴν διαθήκην μου διατηρήσεις σὺ καὶ τὸ σπέρμα σου μετὰ σὲ εἰς τὰς γενεὰς αὐτῶν	καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς ῾Αβραάμ· σὺ δὲ τὴν διαθήκην μου διατηρήσεις, σὺ καὶ τὸ σπέρμα σου μετὰ σὲ εἰς τὰς γενεὰς αὐτῶν
Genesis 17:9 (NETS)	Genesis 17:9 (Elpenor English)
And God said to Abraam, “Now as for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations.	And God said to Abraam, Thou also shalt fully keep my covenant, thou and thy seed after thee for their generations.

Genesis 17:10 (Tanakh)	Genesis 17:10 (KJV)	Genesis 17:10 (NET)
This is My covenant, which ye shall keep, between Me and you and thy seed after thee: every male among you shall be circumcised.	This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.	This is my requirement that you and your descendants after you must keep: Every male among you must be circumcised.

Genesis 17:10 (BLB Septuagint)	Genesis 17:10 (Elpenor Septuagint)
καὶ αὕτη ἡ διαθήκη ἣν διατηρήσεις ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ ὑμῶν καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σπέρματός σου μετὰ σὲ εἰς τὰς γενεὰς αὐτῶν περιτμηθήσεται ὑμῶν πᾶν ἀρσενικόν	καὶ αὕτη ἡ διαθήκη, ἣν διατηρήσεις, ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ ὑμῶν καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σπέρματός σου μετὰ σὲ εἰς τὰς γενεὰς αὐτῶν· περιτμηθήσεται ὑμῶν πᾶν ἀρσενικόν
Genesis 17:10 (NETS)	Genesis 17:10 (Elpenor English)
And this is the covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and between your offspring after you throughout their generations: Every male of yours shall be circumcised,	And this [is] the covenant which thou shalt fully keep between me and you, and between thy seed after thee for their generations; every male of you shall be circumcised.

Genesis 17:11 (Tanakh)	Genesis 17:11 (KJV)	Genesis 17:11 (NET)
And ye shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of a covenant betwixt Me and you.	And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.	You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a reminder of the covenant between me and you.

Genesis 17:11 (BLB Septuagint)	Genesis 17:11 (Elpenor Septuagint)
καὶ περιτμηθήσεσθε τὴν σάρκα τῆς ἀκροβυστίας ὑμῶν καὶ ἔσται ἐν σημείῳ διαθήκης ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ ὑμῶν	καὶ περιτμηθήσεσθε τὴν σάρκα τῆς ἀκροβυστίας ὑμῶν, καὶ ἔσται εἰς σημεῖον διαθήκης ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ ὑμῶν
Genesis 17:11 (NETS)	Genesis 17:11 (Elpenor English)
And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall exist as a covenant sign between me and you.	And ye shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between me and you.

Genesis 17:12 (Tanakh)	Genesis 17:12 (KJV)	Genesis 17:12 (NET)
And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any foreigner, that is not of thy seed.	And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.	Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not one of your descendants.

Genesis 17:12 (BLB Septuagint)	Genesis 17:12 (Elpenor Septuagint)
καὶ παιδίον ὀκτὼ ἡμερῶν περιτμηθήσεται ὑμῖν πᾶν ἀρσενικὸν εἰς τὰς γενεὰς ὑμῶν ὁ οἰκογενὴς τῆς οἰκίας σου καὶ ὁ ἀργυρώνητος ἀπὸ παντὸς υἱοῦ ἀλλοτρίου ὃς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματός σου	καὶ παιδίον ὀκτὼ ἡμερῶν περιτμηθήσεται ὑμῖν, πᾶν ἀρσενικὸν εἰς τὰς γενεὰς ὑμῶν, ὁ οἰκογενὴς καὶ ὁ ἀργυρώνητος, ἀπὸ παντὸς υἱοῦ ἀλλοτρίου, ὃς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματός σου
Genesis 17:12 (NETS)	Genesis 17:12 (Elpenor English)
And a youngster of eight days shall be circumcised among you—every male—throughout your generations, the homebred of your household and the one bought with money from any son of a foreigner, who is not of your offspring.	And the child of eight days [old] shall be circumcised by you, every male throughout your generations, and [the servant] born in the house and he that is bought with money, of every son of a stranger, who is not of thy seed.

Genesis 17:13 (Tanakh)	Genesis 17:13 (KJV)	Genesis 17:13 (NET)
He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised; and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.	He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.	They must indeed be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenant will be visible in your flesh as a permanent reminder.

Genesis 17:13 (BLB Septuagint)	Genesis 17:13 (Elpenor Septuagint)
περιτομῇ περιτμηθήσεται ὁ οἰκογενὴς τῆς οἰκίας σου καὶ ὁ ἀργυρώνητος καὶ ἔσται ἡ διαθήκη μου ἐπὶ τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν εἰς διαθήκην αἰώνιον	περιτομῇ περιτμηθήσεται ὁ οἰκογενὴς τῆς οἰκίας σου καὶ ὁ ἀργυρώνητος, καὶ ἔσται ἡ διαθήκη μου ἐπὶ τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν εἰς διαθήκην αἰώνιον
Genesis 17:13 (NETS)	Genesis 17:13 (Elpenor English)
The homebred of your household and the one bought with money shall be circumcised with circumcision, and my covenant shall be on your flesh for an everlasting covenant.	He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with money shall be surely circumcised, and my covenant shall be on your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

Genesis 17:14 (Tanakh)	Genesis 17:14 (KJV)	Genesis 17:14 (NET)
And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken My covenant.’	And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.	Any uncircumcised male who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off from his people—he has failed to carry out my requirement.”

Genesis 17:14 (BLB Septuagint)	Genesis 17:14 (Elpenor Septuagint)
καὶ ἀπερίτμητος ἄρσην ὃς οὐ περιτμηθήσεται τὴν σάρκα τῆς ἀκροβυστίας αὐτοῦ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ὀγδόῃ ἐξολεθρευθήσεται ἡ ψυχὴ ἐκείνη ἐκ τοῦ γένους αὐτῆς ὅτι τὴν διαθήκην μου διεσκέδασεν	καὶ ἀπερίτμητος ἄρσην, ὃς οὐ περιτμηθήσεται τὴν σάρκα τῆς ἀκροβυστίας αὐτοῦ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ὀγδόῃ, ἐξολοθρευθήσεται ἡ ψυχὴ ἐκείνη ἐκ τοῦ γένους αὐτῆς, ὅτι τὴν διαθήκην μου διεσκέδασε
Genesis 17:14 (NETS)	Genesis 17:14 (Elpenor English)
And as for an uncircumcised male who shall not be circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin on the eighth day, that soul shall be destroyed from his kin, for he has scattered my covenant.”	And the uncircumcised male, who shall not be circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin on the eighth day, that soul shall be utterly destroyed from its family, for he has broken my covenant.

Exodus 12:43 (Tanakh)	Exodus 12:43 (KJV)	Exodus 12:43 (NET)
And HaShem said unto Moses and Aaron: ‘This is the ordinance of the passover: there shall no alien eat thereof;	And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:	The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover. No foreigner may share in eating it.

Exodus 12:43 (BLB Septuagint)	Exodus 12:43 (Elpenor Septuagint)
εἶπεν δὲ κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν καὶ Ααρων λέγων οὗτος ὁ νόμος τοῦ πασχα πᾶς ἀλλογενὴς οὐκ ἔδεται ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ	Εἶπε δὲ Κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν καὶ ᾿Ααρών· οὗτος ὁ νόμος τοῦ πάσχα· πᾶς ἀλλογενὴς οὐκ ἔδεται ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ
Exodus 12:43 (NETS)	Exodus 12:43 (Elpenor English)
Then the Lord said to Moyses and Aaron, saying: This is the law of the pascha. No alien shall eat of it.	And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, This is the law of the passover: no stranger shall eat of it.

Exodus 12:44 (Tanakh)	Exodus 12:44 (KJV)	Exodus 12:44 (NET)
but every man’s servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.	But every man’s servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.	But everyone’s servant who is bought for money, after you have circumcised him, may eat it.

Exodus 12:44 (BLB Septuagint)	Exodus 12:44 (Elpenor Septuagint)
καὶ πᾶν οἰκέτην τινὸς ἢ ἀργυρώνητον περιτεμεῖς αὐτόν καὶ τότε φάγεται ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ	καὶ πάντα οἰκέτην ἢ ἀργυρώνητον περιτεμεῖς αὐτόν, καὶ τότε φάγεται ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ
Exodus 12:44 (NETS)	Exodus 12:44 (Elpenor English)
And any domestic of anyone or purchased slave you shall circumcise him, and then he shall eat of it.	And every slave or servant bought with money– him thou shalt circumcise, and then shall he eat of it.

Exodus 12:45 (Tanakh)	Exodus 12:45 (KJV)	Exodus 12:45 (NET)
A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat thereof.	A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.	A foreigner and a hired worker must not eat it.

Exodus 12:45 (BLB Septuagint)	Exodus 12:45 (Elpenor Septuagint)
πάροικος ἢ μισθωτὸς οὐκ ἔδεται ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ	πάροικος ἢ μισθωτὸς οὐκ ἔδεται ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ
Exodus 12:45 (NETS)	Exodus 12:45 (Elpenor English)
A resident alien or hired person shall not eat of it.	A sojourner or hireling shall not eat of it.

Exodus 12:46 (Tanakh)	Exodus 12:46 (KJV)	Exodus 12:46 (NET)
In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth aught of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.	In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.	It must be eaten in one house; you must not bring any of the meat outside the house, and you must not break a bone of it.

Exodus 12:46 (BLB Septuagint)	Exodus 12:46 (Elpenor Septuagint)
ἐν οἰκίᾳ μιᾷ βρωθήσεται καὶ οὐκ ἐξοίσετε ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας τῶν κρεῶν ἔξω καὶ ὀστοῦν οὐ συντρίψετε ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ	ἐν οἰκίᾳ μιᾷ βρωθήσεται, καὶ οὐκ ἐξοίσετε ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας τῶν κρεῶν ἔξω· καὶ ὀστοῦν οὐ συντρίψετε ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ
Exodus 12:46 (NETS)	Exodus 12:46 (Elpenor English)
In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not take any meat outside of the house, and you shall not break a bone of it.	In one house shall it be eaten, and ye shall not carry of the flesh out from the house; and a bone of it ye shall not break.

Exodus 12:47 (Tanakh)	Exodus 12:47 (KJV)	Exodus 12:47 (NET)
All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.	All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.	The whole community of Israel must observe it.

Exodus 12:47 (BLB Septuagint)	Exodus 12:47 (Elpenor Septuagint)
πᾶσα συναγωγὴ υἱῶν Ισραηλ ποιήσει αὐτό	πᾶσα συναγωγὴ υἱῶν ᾿Ισραὴλ ποιήσει αὐτό
Exodus 12:47 (NETS)	Exodus 12:47 (Elpenor English)
The entire congregation of the sons of Israel shall do this.	All the congregation of the children of Israel shall keep it.

Exodus 12:48 (Tanakh)	Exodus 12:48 (KJV)	Exodus 12:48 (NET)
And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to HaShem, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land; but no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.	And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.	“When a resident foreigner lives with you and wants to observe the Passover to the Lord, all his males must be circumcised, and then he may approach and observe it, and he will be like one who is born in the land—but no uncircumcised person may eat of it.

Exodus 12:48 (BLB Septuagint)	Exodus 12:48 (Elpenor Septuagint)
ἐὰν δέ τις προσέλθῃ πρὸς ὑμᾶς προσήλυτος ποιῆσαι τὸ πασχα κυρίῳ περιτεμεῖς αὐτοῦ πᾶν ἀρσενικόν καὶ τότε προσελεύσεται ποιῆσαι αὐτὸ καὶ ἔσται ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ αὐτόχθων τῆς γῆς πᾶς ἀπερίτμητος οὐκ ἔδεται ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ	ἐὰν δέ τις προσέλθῃ πρὸς ὑμᾶς προσήλυτος ποιῆσαι τὸ πάσχα Κυρίῳ, περιτεμεῖς αὐτοῦ πᾶν ἀρσενικόν, καὶ τότε προσελεύσεται ποιῆσαι αὐτὸ καὶ ἔσται ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ αὐτόχθων τῆς γῆς· πᾶς ἀπερίτμητος οὐκ ἔδεται ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ
Exodus 12:48 (NETS)	Exodus 12:48 (Elpenor English)
But if any guest should draw near to you to keep the pascha to the Lord, you shall circumcise every male of his, and then he shall draw near to keep it, and he shall be like a native of the land. No uncircumcised person shall eat of it.	And if any proselyte shall come to you to keep the passover to the Lord, thou shalt circumcise every male of him, and then shall he approach to sacrifice it, and he shall be even as the original inhabitant of the land; no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.

Exodus 12:49 (Tanakh)	Exodus 12:49 (KJV)	Exodus 12:49 (NET)
One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.’	One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.	The same law will apply to the person who is native-born and to the resident foreigner who lives among you.”

Exodus 12:49 (BLB Septuagint)	Exodus 12:49 (Elpenor Septuagint)
νόμος εἷς ἔσται τῷ ἐγχωρίῳ καὶ τῷ προσελθόντι προσηλύτῳ ἐν ὑμῖν	νόμος εἷς ἔσται τῷ ἐγχωρίῳ καὶ τῷ προσελθόντι προσηλύτῳ ἐν ὑμῖν
Exodus 12:49 (NETS)	Exodus 12:49 (Elpenor English)
There shall be one law for the local inhabitant and for the guest among you who has drawn near.	There shall be one law to the native, and to the proselyte coming among you.

Leviticus 12:1 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 12:1 (KJV)	Leviticus 12:1 (NET)
And HaShem spoke unto Moses, saying:	And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,	The Lord spoke to Moses:

Leviticus 12:1 (BLB Septuagint)	Leviticus 12:1 (Elpenor Septuagint)
καὶ ἐλάλησεν κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν λέγων	ΚΑΙ ἐλάλησε Κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν λέγων
Leviticus 12:1 (NETS)	Leviticus 12:1 (Elpenor Engish)
And the Lord spoke to Moyses, saying:	And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

Leviticus 12:2 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 12:2 (KJV)	Leviticus 12:2 (NET)
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: If a woman be delivered, and bear a man-child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of the impurity of her sickness shall she be unclean.	Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean.	“Tell the Israelites, ‘When a woman produces offspring and bears a male child, she will be unclean seven days, as she is unclean during the days of her menstruation.

Leviticus 12:2 (BLB Septuagint)	Leviticus 12:2 (Elpenor Septuagint)
λάλησον τοῖς υἱοῖς Ισραηλ καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς γυνή ἥτις ἐὰν σπερματισθῇ καὶ τέκῃ ἄρσεν καὶ ἀκάθαρτος ἔσται ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ χωρισμοῦ τῆς ἀφέδρου αὐτῆς ἀκάθαρτος ἔσται	λάλησον τοῖς υἱοῖς ᾿Ισραὴλ καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς· γυνή, ἥτις ἐὰν σπερματισθῇ καὶ τέκῃ ἄρσεν, καὶ ἀκάθαρτος ἔσται ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας, κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ χωρισμοῦ τῆς ἀφέδρου αὐτῆς, ἀκάθαρτος ἔσται
Leviticus 12:2 (NETS)	Leviticus 12:2 (Elpenor Engish)
Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: Any woman, if she is fertilized and bears a male child, shall also be unclean seven days, as at the days of the separation of her period, she shall be unclean.	Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, Whatsoever woman shall have conceived and born a male child shall be unclean seven days, she shall be unclean according to the days of separation for her monthly courses.

Leviticus 12:4 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 12:4 (KJV)	Leviticus 12:4 (NET)
And she shall continue in the blood of purification three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification be fulfilled.	And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled.	Then she will remain thirty-three days in blood purity. She must not touch anything holy, and she must not enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled.

Leviticus 12:4 (BLB Septuagint)	Leviticus 12:4 (Elpenor Septuagint)
καὶ τριάκοντα ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς καθήσεται ἐν αἵματι ἀκαθάρτῳ αὐτῆς παντὸς ἁγίου οὐχ ἅψεται καὶ εἰς τὸ ἁγιαστήριον οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται ἕως ἂν πληρωθῶσιν αἱ ἡμέραι καθάρσεως αὐτῆς	καὶ τριάκοντα καὶ τρεῖς ἡμέρας καθήσεται ἐν αἵματι ἀκαθάρτῳ αὐτῆς, παντὸς ἁγίου οὐχ ἅψεται καὶ εἰς τὸ ἁγιαστήριον οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται, ἕως ἂν πληρωθῶσιν αἱ ἡμέραι καθάρσεως αὐτῆς
Leviticus 12:4 (NETS)	Leviticus 12:4 (Elpenor Engish)
And thirty-three days shall she remain in her unclean blood; she shall not touch anything holy or come into the holy place until the days of her purification are completed.	And for thirty-three days she shall continue in her unclean blood; she shall touch nothing holy, and shall not enter the sanctuary, until the days of her purification be fulfilled.

Galatians 5:1 (NET)	Galatians 5:1 (KJV)
For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery.	Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Galatians 5:1 (NET Parallel Greek)	Galatians 5:1 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Galatians 5:1 (Byzantine Majority Text)
Τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ ἡμᾶς Χριστὸς ἠλευθέρωσεν· στήκετε οὖν καὶ μὴ πάλιν ζυγῷ δουλείας ἐνέχεσθε	τη ελευθερια ουν η χριστος ημας ηλευθερωσεν στηκετε και μη παλιν ζυγω δουλειας ενεχεσθε	τη ελευθερια ουν η χριστος ημας ηλευθερωσεν στηκετε και μη παλιν ζυγω δουλειας ενεχεσθε

Galatians 4:26 (NET)	Galatians 4:26 (KJV)
But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.	But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Galatians 4:26 (NET Parallel Greek)	Galatians 4:26 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Galatians 4:26 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ἡ δὲ ἄνω Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἐλευθέρα ἐστίν, ἥτις ἐστὶν μήτηρ ἡμῶν	η δε ανω ιερουσαλημ ελευθερα εστιν ητις εστιν μητηρ παντων ημων	η δε ανω ιερουσαλημ ελευθερα εστιν ητις εστιν μητηρ παντων ημων

Exploration, Part 2

¹ 2 Peter 3:15b (ESV)

² 2 Peter 3:16b (ESV) Table

³ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the relative pronoun η (KJV: wherewith) preceding Christ. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

⁴ Galatians 4:31 (ESV)

⁵ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μητηρ παντων ημων (KJV: mother of us all) here, where the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had μήτηρ ἡμῶν.

⁶ John 3:6, 7 (NET)

⁷ Galatians 5:1 (ESV)

⁸ 2 Corinthians 3:17 (ESV) Table

⁹ Galatians 5:2 (ESV)

¹⁰ Galatians 5:3 (ESV)

¹¹ Romans 6:6 (ESV)

¹² Romans 3:31 (ESV) Table

¹³ Romans 4:14 (ESV)

¹⁴ Romans 7:2 (ESV)

¹⁵ Romans 7:6 (ESV)

¹⁶ I’m thinking that You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law (Galatians 5:4a ESV) is a fairly self-conscious bookend to And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people (Genesis 17:14a Tanakh).

¹⁷ Romans 3:20 (ESV)

¹⁸ Galatians 2:15, 16 (ESV)

¹⁹ Galatians 5:4b (ESV) Table

²⁰ Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

Christ-Centered Preaching, Chapter 3

Posted on July 8, 2024 by admin

These are my notes from a preaching course I’m taking. Unless otherwise indicated all quotations are from the book:

Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon, 3^rd Edition by Bryan Chapell

Before beginning I want to look in depth at Psalm 62 for a different but related assignment:

Psalm 62:1-4 (ESV)	Psalm 62:5-8 (ESV)	Psalm 62:9-12 (ESV)
For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.	For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.	Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.	He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.	Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them.
How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?	On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.	Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God,
They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah	Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah	and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work.

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. (Psalm 62:1 ESV)

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Psalm 62:1 (Tanakh/KJV)	Psalm 62:1 (NET)	Psalm 61:2 (NETS)	Psalm 61:2 (English Elpenor)
Truly my soul waiteth (דֽוּמִיָּ֣ה) upon God: from him cometh my salvation (יְשֽׁוּעָתִֽי).	For God alone I patiently wait (dûmîyâ, דומיה); he is the one who delivers me (yᵊšûʿâ, ישועתי).	Shall not my soul be subject (ὑποταγήσεται) to God? For from him is my deliverance (σωτήριόν μου).	Shall not my soul be subjected (ὑποταγήσεται) to God? for of him is my salvation (σωτήριόν μου).

The Hebrew word דֽוּמִיָּ֣ה (dûmîyâ), waits in silence (ESV), waiteth (Tanakh, KJV), patiently wait (NET) was translated ὑποταγήσεται, a passive form of ὑποτάσσω, in the Septuagint: be subject (NETS), be subjected (English Elpenor). I have said these things to you, Jesus told his disciples, that in me you may have¹ peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.² These two verses seem not merely to complement one another, but to expound on one another in ways that exceed the sum of their parts.

He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. (Psalm 62:2 ESV)

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Psalm 62:2 (Tanakh/KJV)	Psalm 62:2 (NET)	Psalm 61:3 (NETS)	Psalm 61:3 (English Elpenor)
He only is my rock (צ֖וּרִי) and my salvation (וִישֽׁוּעָתִ֑י); he is my defence (מִ֜שְׂגַּבִּ֗י); I shall not be greatly moved.	He alone is my protector (ṣûr, צורי) and deliverer (yᵊšûʿâ, וישועתי). He is my refuge (miśgāḇ, משׁגבי); I will not be upended.	Indeed, he is my God (θεός μου) and my Savior (καὶ σωτήρ μου), my supporter (ἀντιλήμπτωρ μου); I shall be shaken no more.	For he is my God (Θεός μου), and my saviour (καὶ σωτήρ μου); my helper (καὶ ἀντιλήπτωρ μου), I shall not be moved very much.

Was צ֖וּרִי (ṣûr) not the word found in the Hebrew text the rabbis translated into Greek? Or did they have reasons for not wanting to translate צ֖וּרִי (ṣûr) with some form of πέτρα in this particular context?

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Exodus 17:5, 6 (Tanakh)	Exodus 17:5, 6 (NET)	Exodus 17:5, 6 (NETS)	Exodus 17:5, 6 (English Elpenor)
And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֜ה) said unto Moses: ‘Pass on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thy hand, and go.	The Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) said to Moses, “Go over before the people; take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile and go.	And the Lord (κύριος) said to Moyses, “Go on ahead of this people, but take with you some of the elders of the people and the rod with which you struck the river take in your hand, and go.	And the Lord (Κύριος) said to Moses, Go before this people, and take to thyself of the elders of the people; and the rod with which thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and thou shalt go.
Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock (הַצּוּר֘) in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock (בַצּ֗וּר), and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.’ And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.	I will be standing before you there on the rock (ṣûr, הצור) in Horeb, and you will strike the rock (ṣûr, בצור), and water will come out of it so that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in plain view of the elders of Israel.	I here have taken my stand, before you came, on the rock (τῆς πέτρας) at Choreb. And you shall strike the rock (τὴν πέτραν), and water will come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moyses did so before the sons of Israel.	Behold, I stand there before thou [come], on the rock (τῆς πέτρας) in Choreb, and thou shalt smite the rock (τὴν πέτραν), and water shall come out from it, and the people shall drink. And Moses did so before the sons of Israel.

I can imagine that Jewish rabbis wishing not to confuse their Gentile audience thought it better to lose the connection to this passage than to associate יְהֹוָ֜ה (Yᵊhōvâ) too closely with the rock at Horeb. But Paul and the Holy Spirit had no such scruples: For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.³

How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? (Psalm 62:3 ESV)

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Psalm 62:3 (Tanakh/KJV)	Psalm 62:3 (NET)	Psalm 61:4 (NETS)	Psalm 61:4 (English Elpenor)
How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain (כֻ֫לְּכֶ֥ם) all of you (כְּקִ֥יר): as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence.	How long will you threaten a man like me? All of you (kōl, כלכם) are murderers (rāṣaḥ, תרצחו), as dangerous as a leaning wall or an unstable fence.	How long do you assail against a person? You commit murder (φονεύετε), all of you (πάντες), as by means of a wall that leans and a fence that slants.	How long will ye assault a man? ye are all (πάντες) slaughtering (φονεύετε) as with a bowed wall and a broken hedge.

The translators have different understandings of this verse. Apparently, the translators of the ESV understood כֻ֫לְּכֶ֥ם (rāṣaḥ)—ye shall be slain (Tanakh, KJV), [you] are murderers (NET), You commit murder (NETS), ye are…slaughtering (English Elpenor)—as to batter him.

They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah (Psalm 62:4 ESV)

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Psalm 62:4 (Tanakh/KJV)	Psalm 62:4 (NET)	Psalm 61:5 (NETS)	Psalm 61:5 (English Elpenor)
They only consult to cast him down from his excellency (מִשְּׂאֵת֨וֹ): they delight in lies (כָ֫זָ֥ב): they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.	They spend all their time planning how to bring their victim down (śᵊ’ēṯ, משׁאתו). They love to use deceit (kāzāḇ, כזב); they pronounce blessings with their mouths, but inwardly they utter curses. (Selah)	But they planned to impugn my honor (τὴν τιμήν μου). They ran with a lie (ψεύδει); with their mouth they would bless and curse with their heart. Interlude on strings	They only took counsel to set at nought mine honour (τὴν τιμήν μου): I ran in thirst (δίψει): with their mouth they blessed, but with their heart they cursed. Pause.

The Greek verb ἔδραμον, They ran (NETS), I ran (English Elpenor), can be either a 3^rd person plural or a 1^st person singular form of τρέχω.

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. (Psalm 62:5 ESV)

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Psalm 62:5 (Tanakh/KJV)	Psalm 62:5 (NET)	Psalm 61:6 (NETS)	Psalm 61:6 (English Elpenor)
My soul, wait thou (דֹּ֣מִּי) only upon God; for my expectation (תִּקְוָתִֽי) is from him.	Patiently wait (dāmam, דומי) for God alone, my soul! For he is the one who gives me hope (tiqvâ, תקותי).	But to God be subject (ὑποτάγηθι), O my soul, because from him is my endurance (ἡ ὑπομονή μου).	Nevertheless do thou, my soul, be subjected (ὑποτάγηθι) to God; for of him [is] my patient hope (ἡ ὑπομονή μου).

He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. (Psalm 62:6 ESV)

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Psalm 62:6 (Tanakh/KJV)	Psalm 62:6 (NET)	Psalm 61:7 (NETS)	Psalm 61:7 (English Elpenor)
He only is my rock (צ֖וּרִי) and my salvation (וִישֽׁוּעָתִ֑י): he is my defence (מִ֜שְׂגַּבִּ֗י); I shall not be moved.	He alone is my protector (ṣûr, צורי) and deliverer (yᵊšûʿâ, וישועתי). He is my refuge (miśgāḇ, משׁגבי); I will not be shaken.	Because he is my God (θεός μου) and my Savior (καὶ σωτήρ μου), my supporter (ἀντιλήμπτωρ μου), I shall never be a fugitive.	For he [is] my God (Θεός μου) and my Saviour (καὶ σωτήρ μου); my helper (ἀντιλήπτωρ μου), I shall not be moved.

On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. (Psalm 62:7 ESV)

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Psalm 62:7 (Tanakh/KJV)	Psalm 62:7 (NET)	Psalm 61:8 (NETS)	Psalm 61:8 (English Elpenor)
In God is my salvation (יִשְׁעִ֣י) and my glory (וּכְבוֹדִ֑י): the rock (צוּר) of my strength (עֻזִּ֥י), and my refuge (מַ֜חְסִ֗י), is in God.	God delivers me (yēšaʿ, ישעי) and exalts me (kāḇôḏ, וכבודי); God is my strong (ʿōz, עזי) protector (ṣûr, צור) and my shelter (maḥăsê, מחסי).	With God is my deliverance (τὸ σωτήριόν μου) and my glory (καὶ ἡ δόξα μου); O God (ὁ θεὸς) of my help (τῆς βοηθείας μου)—and my hope (καὶ ἡ ἐλπίς μου) is with God.	In God [is] my salvation (τὸ σωτήριόν μου) and my glory (καὶ ἡ δόξα μου): [he is] the God (ὁ Θεὸς) of my help (τῆς βοηθείας μου), and my hope (καὶ ἡ ἐλπίς μου) is in God.

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah (Psalm 62:8 ESV)

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Psalm 62:8 (Tanakh/KJV)	Psalm 62:8 (NET)	Psalm 61:9 (NETS)	Psalm 61:9 (English Elpenor)
Trust (בִּטְחוּ) in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge (מַֽחֲסֶה) for us. Selah.	Trust (bāṭaḥ, בטחו) in him at all times, you people! Pour out your hearts before him. God is our shelter (maḥăsê, מחסה). (Selah)	Hope (ἐλπίσατε) in him, all you congregation of people; pour out your hearts before him; God is our helper (βοηθὸς ἡμῶν). Interlude on Strings	Hope (ἐλπίσατε) in him, all ye congregation of the people; pour out your hearts before him, for God is our helper (βοηθὸς ἡμῶν). Pause.

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope (ἐλπίσατε, a form of ἐλπίζω) fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.⁴

Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath. (Psalm 62:9 ESV)

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Psalm 62:9 (Tanakh/KJV)	Psalm 62:9 (NET)	Psalm 61:10 (NETS)	Psalm 61:10 (English Elpenor)
Surely men of low degree are vanity (הֶ֥בֶל), and men of high degree are a lie (כָּזָ֪ב): to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity (מֵהֶ֥בֶל).	Men are nothing but a mere breath (heḇel, הבל); human beings are unreliable (kāzāḇ, כזב). When they are weighed in the scales, all of them together are lighter than air (heḇel, מהבל).	But the sons of men are vain (μάταιοι); false (ψευδεῖς) are the sons of men, to do wrong with balances; they together are from vanity (ματαιότητος).	But the sons of men are vain (μάταιοι); the sons of men are false (ψευδεῖς), so as to be deceitful in the balances; they are all alike [formed] out of vanity (ματαιότητος).

Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them. (Psalm 62:10 ESV)

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Psalm 62:10 (Tanakh/KJV)	Psalm 62:10 (NET)	Psalm 61:11 (NETS)	Psalm 61:11 (English Elpenor)
Trust (תִּבְטְח֣וּ) not in oppression, and become not vain (תֶּ֫הְבָּ֥לוּ) in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.	Do not trust (bāṭaḥ, תבטחו) in what you can gain by oppression. Do not put false confidence (hāḇal, תהבלו) in what you can gain by robbery. If wealth increases, do not become attached to it.	Put no hope (ἐλπίζετε) in wrong, and do not long (ἐπιποθεῖτε) for what is robbed; wealth, if it flows, do not add heart.	Trust (ἐλπίζετε) not in unrighteousness, and lust (ἐπιποθεῖτε) not after robberies: if wealth should flow in, set not your heart upon it.

Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, (Psalm 62:11 ESV)

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Psalm 62:11 (Tanakh/KJV)	Psalm 62:11 (NET)	Psalm 61:12, 13a (NETS)	Psalm 61:12 (English Elpenor)
God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power (עֹ֜֗ז) belongeth unto God.	God has declared one principle; two principles I have heard: God is strong (ʿōz, עז),	Once God spoke; these two things I heard: (13a) that might (τὸ κράτος) is God’s,	God has spoken once, [and] I have heard these two things, that power (τὸ κράτος) is of God;

and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work. (Psalm 62:12 ESV)

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Psalm 62:12 (Tanakh/KJV)	Psalm 62:12 (NET)	Psalm 61:13b (NETS)	Psalm 61:13 (English Elpenor)
Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy (חָ֑סֶד): for thou renderest (תְשַׁלֵּ֖ם) to every man according to his work [Table].	and you, O Lord, demonstrate loyal love (ḥeseḏ, חסד). For you repay (šālam, תשלם) men for what they do.	and to you, O Lord, belongs mercy (τὸ ἔλεος), because you will repay (ἀποδώσεις) to each according to his works [Table].	and mercy (τὸ ἔλεος) is thine, O Lord; for thou wilt recompense (ἀποδώσεις) every one according to his works.

Questions for Review and Discussion

What are the benefits and the liabilities of selecting texts for preaching that address personal or congregational concerns?

Preaching on passages that are of a particular meaning or interest to you is a great way to learn to expound texts. What excites or moves you is much more likely to elicit the passion from you that will enthuse and move others…

However, preachers who choose texts to address their personal concerns need to be cautioned in at least two ways. First, make sure you do not impose your concern on the text. Solid exposition should demonstrate that the passage really speaks to the issue you want to address and that your passion to address a particular subject has not abused the original author’s intent. Second, be aware that a ministry that too frequently addresses the preacher’s personal concerns can become too narrow in focus for the broader needs of a congregation. The pastor may end up riding hobby horses or unconsciously concentrating on personal struggles, thereby neglecting other important truths needed for a fully mature congregation.

Considerations for Selecting a Passage: Concerns p. 45

Congregational concerns should also influence what pastors choose to preach. Preachers will be regarded as out of touch or insensitive if they press forward with their sermon programs while ignoring a community’s employment dilemma, the death of a pillar in the church, a national tragedy, a local disaster, a building program, a young person’s decision to enter the mission field, moral issues that the young encounter, health concerns that the elderly face, or a host of similar matters of significance in the life of the church. The world should not set the agenda for our preaching, but ministry that ignores the world that a congregation confronts is a sanctimonious sham.

Considerations for Selecting a Passage: Concerns pp. 45, 46

A ministry can be as warped by lending too much of an ear to what people want to hear as it can by giving too much weight to what the preacher wants to preach (2 Tim 4:3).

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions [Table], and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (2 Timothy 4:3, 4 ESV)

Considerations for Selecting a Passage: Concerns pp. 46, 47

Different church traditions have used various means to round out the emphasis of preaching in a local setting…Reformed churches and others from “free church” traditions have typically rejected lectionary usage for a variety of reasons: (1) the principle of sola Scriptura, which some take to include the idea that Scripture alone should dictate what is preached; (2) the practice of lectio continua as opposed to lectio selecta, that is, presenting lessons from text in consecutive sequence (e.g., preaching through a book in a series, also known as “consecutive preaching”)¹² instead of choosing diverse selections week to week, since this was felt to lead to inappropriate human emphases; (3) the tradition of holding no day above another in reaction to Roman Catholic holy day observances that were seen as integral to sacramentalism; and (4) the regard given to the autonomy of the local pulpit on the assumption that the Holy Spirit will grant a local preacher unction (i.e., spiritual power) and insight for the task at hand.

Considerations for Selecting a Passage: Concerns p. 47

The Holy Spirit. No catalyst for selecting a text is more important than sensitivity to the leading of God’s Spirit. Prayer with godly concern for the good of others and the glory of Christ should lead you through the choices you must make among the catalysts for selecting a sermon’s focus.²⁰ Preaching in the power of the Spirit is the culmination of a process that has been Spirit-led.

Catalysts: Contexts pp. 51, 52

What are benefits and cautions associated with preaching a series?

…significant benefits for a pastor preaching in sequence through a chapter or a book…

Matters in the text…address a greater number than…personal interest or experience.

Sensitive matters can be addressed without the appearance of pointing a finger…matters simply appear next in the text sequence…

Much mental energy [and time] can be saved…deciding what to preach…the next section of the text is the obvious choice.

Much research time can be saved…of the book’s or the passage’s author, background, context, and cause.

The congregation will learn to see the organizing themes and schemes of the Bible…

The congregation and the pastor can monitor the progress of both their journey through a book and their exposure to important biblical and doctrinal topics.

Considerations for Selecting a Passage: Catalysts: Series p. 47, 48

Series preaching shows its greatest liabilities when preachers fail to make adequate or appropriate progress…

Series also cause problems if a preacher makes each sermon dependent on previous messages…

Series greatly aid a pastor’s preparation and subject scope. Still, series generally work best when their duration is reasonable, their sermons are not too dependent on one another, and their subjects or approaches differ from those of recent series.

Considerations for Selecting a Passage: Catalysts: Series p. 48, 49

What cautions does a preacher need to observe when approaching spurious texts?

Do not use spurious texts. Concern for what a congregation needs to hear should never lead a pastor to proclaim as authoritative any words or texts that the Holy Spirit did not inspire. Scribal comments and errors that have mistakenly been included in some translations should not be presented as the Word of God.²¹ Where there is the rare question about whether a particular passage is spurious, it is wise to see if that same truth can be preached from a more certain passage or to provide the congregation with your reasons for using the text (since the marginal notes in the most trustworthy translations in the laps or smartphones of listeners will question the passage’s authenticity).

Cautions p. 53

While this sounds like wise advice for pastors it plays right into the hands of those who would remove passages from the Bible. Those passages deemed “spurious” are possibly, if not probably, soon to be removed, even from the Greek text of the New Testament. Who decided they were spurious? For what reasons?

A brief video online, “Was the Original Bible Corrupted and Restored? | The Critical Text of the New Testament Explained,” offers an interesting introduction to answering these questions. The first 30 seconds or so is designed to make anyone who would question the processes of modern Bible scholarship feel like a rabid conspiracy theorist. But this kind of rhetoric only alerts and heightens my awareness to become even more critical of those processes. The Cross Bible Timeline mentioned in the video may prove to be a useful resource.

Psalm 62:9 (ESV)	Psalm 61:10 (English Elpenor)
Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.	But the sons of men are vain; the sons of men are false, so as to be deceitful in the balances; they are all alike [formed] out of vanity.

On the left is a translation from the Masoretic text, edited by those who rejected Jesus as Messiah “between the 7th and 10th centuries of the Common Era (CE).” On the right is a translation of the same verse from the Septuagint, “the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Hebrew…Biblical scholars agree that the first five books of the Hebrew Bible were translated from Biblical Hebrew into Koine Greek by Jews living in the Ptolemaic Kingdom, probably in the early or middle part of the third century BCE.^[8] The remaining books were presumably translated in the 2nd century BCE.”

Men edit and translate the Bible. I like to compare the Masoretic text to the Septuagint, and NA²⁷ and NA²⁸ to the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text. There are other texts and translations available to consider if necessary.

Matthew 6:13 (NET) Table	Matthew 6:13 (NET Parallel Greek)	Matthew 6:13 (NA²⁸)
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.	καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ρῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ	καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ
Matthew 6:13 (KJV)	Matthew 6:13 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Matthew 6:13 (Byzantine Majority Text)
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.	και μη εισενεγκης ημας εις πειρασμον αλλα ρυσαι ημας απο του πονηρου οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα εις τους αιωνας αμην	και μη εισενεγκης ημας εις πειρασμον αλλα ρυσαι ημας απο του πονηρου οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα εις τους αιωνας αμην

Faith that the Holy Spirit knew what he was doing when he inspired the Word without the spurious texts will keep us confident of Scripture’s sufficiency. We can help the people to whom we preach remain confident of the Bible’s authority by reminding them how rare such questions are when they do arise in the ordinary course of preaching. Bible-believing scholars question the textual validity of less than one word in a thousand in our best translations.²² As a result, there is little question concerning what statements appeared in the original manuscripts. The evangelical debate with modern theologies rarely concentrates on what Scripture actually says, but rather on whether to believe and obey what it says. The Holy Spirit’s inspiration and providential preservation of Scripture are continuing miracles of God’s supernatural care for our souls.²³ A good study Bible prepared by scholars who accept the Bible’s full authority will give us ample warning of a questionable text and will grant us confidence that we are preaching in accord with the Spirit’s imprimatur.²⁴

Cautions pp. 53, 54

The note (20) from the NET on Matthew 6:13 follows:

Most mss (L W Δ Θ 0233 ƒ 33 565 579 700 1241 1424 M sy sa Didache) read (though some with slight variation) ὅτι σοῦ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία καὶ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ἀμήν (“for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, amen”) here. The reading without this sentence, though, is attested by generally better witnesses (א B D Z 0170 ƒ lat mae Or). The phrase was probably composed for the liturgy of the early church and most likely was based on 1 Chr 29:11-13; a scribe probably added the phrase at this point in the text for use in public scripture reading (see TCGNT 13-14). Both external and internal evidence argue for the shorter reading.

In other words, “Trust us.” There is no mention of an extant manuscript with these missing words in the margin, just a lot of speculation. And I know the benefit of praying them daily. Keep a watchful eye on Bible editors. We live in the golden age of home Bible study online: “The Holy Spirit’s inspiration and providential preservation of Scripture are continuing miracles of God’s supernatural care for our souls.”

Why should a preacher be cautious about turning to a commentary as a first step in sermon preparation?

The expertise that commentaries bring to bear on a particular passage is at one moment their greatest benefit and their greatest danger. The mixed blessing is in the two types of pastors who will never make great preachers: the first will not listen to what others say; the other will say only what others say. A preacher who refuses to pay attention to what gifted scholars have discovered mistakes personal arrogance for erudition. God does not give all his insights to any one person. At the same time, a preacher who only repeats what commentators say is trying to preach by proxy.

You must think through what Scripture says in order to be able to share the significance of commentary information…

Commentaries are better used as a check than as a guide³²…

Let the Holy Spirit work in your heart and mind to develop a message a commentator would approve, not design. Concern for precision should not so overwhelm you as to deny you or your listeners the insights God will grant you in his Word.

Tools for Interpreting a Passage pp. 57, 58

How does an allegorical method of interpretation differ from an expository method?

Expository preaching solemnly binds a preacher to the task of representing the precise meaning of a text as intended by the original author or as illuminated by another inspired source within the Bible. As matter-of-fact as such a rubric may seem, homiletical history indicates how slippery such a standard is and how carefully it must be guarded.

Early church and medieval escapades into allegorical interpretations led ancient preachers to the conviction that the “literal interpretation” of a text was the least rewarding to preach.³⁵

Principles for Interpreting a Passage pp. 59

Then one⁵ of them, named⁶ Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to⁷ Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” And they said⁸ to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this,⁹ it is now¹⁰ the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning,¹¹ and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself [Table]. (Luke 24:18-27 ESV)

This was as often as not an allegorical method of interpretation, for that is how we see Jesus in the Old Testament most of the time. But the reaction of those first exposed to this method of interpretation reinforces the author’s point (Luke 24:32 ESV):

They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” [Table]

I am hard-pressed to think of another verse in the Bible more frustrating than this one. I’ve yelled at them for this response: “Who cares how you felt?! Tell me what He said!” So my argument with the author here is mostly over the word “escapades” applied to the early church.

Up to this moment the Pharisees with their own grammatical-historical method had carefully exegeted the principles by which they hoped to keep the faithful in Israel from offending their God: “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”¹² That was expository preaching until Jesus came, saying: You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me [Table], yet you refuse to come to me that you may have¹³ life.¹⁴

I can be a little charitable if the early church found the Pharisees’ expository method to be more like the letter and Jesus’ more allegorical method to be more of the Spirit: For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.¹⁵

Modern resurrections of the allegorical method regularly occur when preachers assume that the Holy Spirit will enable them to discern in a text something more than was meant by the human author (or than the divine Author made evident within the canon of Scripture).³⁶ Preachers’ interpretations remain consistent with Scripture when they follow long-honored and proven interpretive procedures that expose the Bible’s original intent. That intent is not always limited to the human author’s knowledge of all that the Holy Spirit was revealing through his inspiration, but it is not broader than the Holy Spirit’s intention that is revealed within the patterns of Scripture as well as in the propositional statements of the human writers (cf. Matt. 2:15; 1 Pet. 1:10).³⁷

Principles for Interpreting a Passage pp. 59, 60

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”¹⁶ (Matthew 2:13-15 ESV)

Though you have not seen¹⁷ [Jesus], you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully [Table], inquiring¹⁸ what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look [Table]. (1 Peter 1:8-12 ESV)

But nothing other than what the patterns or propositions of Scripture make evident through the processes of logical discernment should be declared as God’s will for his people.

These interpretive principles require that preachers consider the context that frames the meaning of our expository unit. Context is part of the text, as it relates to our exposition. Context limits and imparts an author’s intended meaning. We cannot maintain the integrity of any biblical statement without considering its surroundings. The reason that “every heretic has his verse” is that he takes it out of context. Our first task as expositors is to use the best tools available to determine what a biblical author’s statements mean in their context.³⁸

Principles for Interpreting a Passage p. 60

In a recent sermon my Pastor (the facilitator of this course and a former student of the author) gave a vivid demonstration of the interplay between the allegorical and expository methods. His text was Genesis 12:1-3. As a climax to an otherwise expository sermon, he simply reread the text as God the Father speaking to God the Son: “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you [Table]. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing [Table]. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” [Table].

It was an allegorical reading of Genesis 12:1-3, and it was an electrically charged in the heavenlies moment, the spiritual equivalent of a dose of psychedelics. Who wouldn’t want more of that? Well, it is the spiritual equivalent of a dose of psychedelics.

The grounding of the expository method is absolutely essential to keep the consciousness-altering high of such an allegorical reading from spinning off into flights of fancy. It also helps to keep one’s hunger and thirst—to know…the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom [He has] sent¹⁹ through Bible study—a more balanced and healthy addiction than a junkie’s quest for ever higher highs. The expository method also provides a more solid foundation, like a launching pad for the allegorical method’s flight, as well as a navigational system guiding its trajectory. How sad it would have been if my Pastor’s allegorical reading had been a dud, a misfire, failed to lift-off and carry me aloft with it. And it’s not too hard to imagine that a steady diet of allegorical readings of the Old Testament, seeing Jesus, only Jesus, always Jesus all the time, apart from the grounding of solid exposition could have a dulling effect on the beauty and the wonder. It could become just so much “blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.”

In what ways can context (cultural, historical, literary, and redemptive) affect the interpretation of a text?

Our task as preachers is to discern what the original writers meant by analyzing the background and grammatical features of what they said. Using grammar and history to discern a text’s original meaning is called the “grammatical-historical” method.⁴⁰ This method allows Scripture to speak for itself instead of letting the interpreter’s context (or perspective) determine the meaning of a text. Sometimes the interpreter’s perspective does not seem like a problem if that person is committed to the historical truths of biblical faith. In such cases, we may hardly blink when told that the water from the rock Moses struck represents the water of baptism or that the worm at which Jonah railed is the sin that eats at a believer’s heart. Despite the absence of biblical evidence confirming these interpretations, they sound reasonable because they reflect biblical imagery and truths appearing elsewhere.

Use the Grammatical-Historical Method p. 61

For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized (|ἐβαπτίσαντο|, a form of βαπτίζω) into Moses in the cloud and in the sea [Table], and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:1-4 ESV)

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit [Table], in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ [Table], who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. (1 Peter 3:18-22 ESV)

However, if anything in Scripture can mean whatever our imaginations suggest rather than what Scripture affirms, then our opinions become as authoritative as the statements of God and we can make the Bible say anything we want…

Occasionally, there may be a thin line between “it means” and “it may mean,” but biblically bound preachers must recognize the difference…

Nothing but what Scripture itself attests should ground the instruction of our preaching. Expository preachers determine the biblical truths intended for the people addressed by a text and then identify similarities in our present conditions that require the application of the same truths. This means applications may vary, but interpretations of a text’s core principles should not.

The meaning of a text may be significant in many ways, but this does not deny that the writer was teaching a definite principle for our understanding and application.

Use the Grammatical-Historical Method p. 61, 62

Accurate interpretations require us not only to determine what particular words say but also to see how they function in their broader contexts. Scripture can be twisted to say almost anything if interpreters ignore contexts. Attention to historical and cultural contexts help to explain the “offense” of the cross (Gal. 5:11) and the reason healed lepers went to the temple before they went home (Luke 17:14).

But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense (σκάνδαλον) of the cross has been removed. I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves! (Galatians 5:11, 12 ESV)

We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified [Table]. (Galatians 2:15, 16 ESV)

When [Jesus] saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. (Luke 17:14 ESV)

And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses²⁰ commanded, for a proof to them.” (Luke 5:14 ESV)

We determine literary contexts both by analyzing the concepts that surround a biblical statement and by identifying the type of literature in which the statement occurs.

Preachers should examine what chapters and verses surrounding a passage say in order to determine what a biblical writer intended to communicate through particular words.

Observe the Historical, Cultural, and Literary Context p. 62

Study of a passage’s context also requires preachers to identify the genre, or type of literature, in which a biblical statement occurs. Many an error has been made by interpreting proverbs as promises, prophecy as history, parables as facts, and poetry as science.

For example, proverbs are truisms, statements so tending to be true that the wise take them to heart…statements tend to be true, but neither is always true. Proverbs are prescriptive, not predictive. God requires his people to heed his proverbs, not to interpret them as promises of what will always happen.

Observe the Historical, Cultural, and Literary Context pp. 62, 63

Preachers determine the meaning of a passage by seeing not only how words are used in the context of a book or its passages but also how the passage functions in the entire scope of Scripture. An accurate interpretation requires preachers to ask, How does this text help disclose the meaning or need of redemption? Failure to ask and to answer such questions leads to preaching that is highly moralistic or legalistic because it focuses on the behaviors or beliefs a particular passage teaches without disclosing how the biblical writer was relating them to God’s ongoing work of rescuing his people from their broken lives and world.⁴²

Determine the Redemptive Context p. 63

Regard for context requires preachers to consider a text in the light of its purpose in the redemptive message that unfolds throughout all of Scripture…

We want to make sure that focusing on the particulars of a specific text does not cause us to neglect the redemptive context of God’s entire Word.

Determine the Redemptive Context p. 64

Exercises

Use research tools to determine what Greek word John and James use for “believe” in John 3:16 and James 2:19. Indicate the various ways in which they use the word.

Although John and James both use the word believe, contexts indicate that they are communicating quite different concepts with that word (cf. John 3:16; James 2:19).

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes (πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων, a form of πιστεύω) in him (εἰς αὐτὸν) should not perish but have eternal life [Table]. (John 3:16 ESV)

You believe (πιστεύεις, another form of πιστεύω) that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe (πιστεύουσιν, another form of πιστεύω)—and shudder! (James 2:19 ESV)

Observe the Historical, Cultural, and Literary Context p. 62

I can’t see these as “different concepts” of πιστεύω. James wrote about believing an Old Testament fact about God: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.²¹ To believe in a fact cannot be expected to have the same impact as to believe “into” or “unto” the Person of the Savior God sent. Granted, someone might think that other things James wrote could shade his use of πιστεύω. My own current belief is that he simply qualified the nature of πιστεύω into Jesus Christ. Believing in the fact of Jesus Christ may not have the same impact as believing into Him, except (John 1:12, 13 ESV):

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right (αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν, a form of ἐξουσία) to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

The phrase τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, who believed in his name (ESV), could be giving the Lord the widest possible latitude and discretion, even as it excludes James or me from judging his mercy or his grace.

Use your understanding of a proverb to explain Proverbs 15:1 and Proverbs 26:4-5.

Though the Bible says that a gentle word turns away wrath (Prov. 15:1), God does not promise that people will never get angry at us if we always speak softly. He indicates that it is usually not wise for peacefully inclined people to answer fire with fire, but he does not promise that soft answers are guaranteed to extinguish the rage of others (see Matt. 26:62-68). Great damage is done to the intent of Scripture as well as to the consciences of Christians when preachers confuse these distinctions between promises and proverbs.

Observe the Historical, Cultural, and Literary Context pp. 63

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1 ESV)

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Proverbs 15:1 (Tanakh/KJV)	Proverbs 15:1 (NET)	Proverbs 15:1 (NETS)	Proverbs 15:1 (English Elpenor)
A soft (רַ֖ךְ) answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.	A gentle (raḵ, רך) response turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath.	Anger destroys even the prudent; yet a submissive (ὑποπίπτουσα) answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.	Anger slays even wise men; yet a submissive (ὑποπίπτουσα) answer turns away wrath: but a grievous word stirs up anger.

The Septuagint adds some context to this proverb: Anger slays even wise men.²² It reminds me of David and Abigail. Perhaps, more to the point, one might consider it when facing the anger of God. The Hebrew word in the Masoretic text translated soft (Tanakh, KJV) and gentle (NET) was רַ֖ךְ (raḵ). The rabbis who translated the Septuagint understood it as ὑποπίπτουσα, a participle of ὑποπίπτω: “to fall; to occur, materialize, arise; to fall defeated; to fall under (a category); to fall within (a classification); to belong to; to cringe; to happen to, befall; to come to the notice of.” Abigail seems to have done all of this in her response to David’s threat (1 Samuel 25:14-38).

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Proverbs 26:4, 5 (Tanakh/KJV)	Proverbs 26:4, 5 (NET)	Proverbs 26:4, 5 (NETS)	Proverbs 26:4, 5 (English Elpenor)
Answer not a fool (כְּ֖סִיל) according to his folly (כְּאִוַּלְתּ֑וֹ), lest thou also be like unto him.	Do not answer a fool (kᵊsîl, כסיל) according to his folly (‘iûeleṯ, כאולתו), lest you yourself also be like him.	Do not answer a fool (ἄφρονι) in accordance with (πρὸς) his folly (ἀφροσύνην), lest you become like him.	Answer not a fool (ἄφρονι) according to (πρὸς) his folly (ἀφροσύνην), lest thou become like him.
Answer a fool (כְ֖סִיל) according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.	Answer a fool (kᵊsîl, כסיל) according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own opinion.	But answer a fool (ἄφρονι) according to (κατὰ) his folly, lest he appear to be wise to himself.	Yet answer a fool (ἄφρονι) according to (κατὰ) his folly, lest he seem wise in his own conceit.

The rabbis who translated the Septuagint used a different preposition in each verse: πρὸς, in accordance with (NETS), according to (English Elpenor); κατὰ, according to (NETS, English Elpenor). It was a subtilty all but lost in English translation. Still, the second clause can give us understanding: lest thou also be like unto him (Tanakh, KJV), lest you yourself also be like him (NET), lest you become like him (NETS, English Elpenor).

The words translated folly were כְּאִוַּלְתּ֑וֹ (‘iûeleṯ) in the Masoretic text and ἀφροσύνην (a form of ἀφροσύνη) in the Septuagint. Jesus listed ἀφροσύνη as one of the things that defile a person (Mark 7:20-23 ESV):

And [Jesus] said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness (ἀφροσύνη) [Table]. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

In other words, if I answer a fool according to his folly simply to defend myself from his foolish accusations, I’m likely to become like him, defiling myself verbalizing my own foolishness. Here is another proverb about a fool and his foolishness.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Proverbs 26:11 (Tanakh/KJV)	Proverbs 26:11 (NET)	Proverbs 26:11 (NETS)	Proverbs 26:11 (English Elpenor)
As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool (כְּ֜סִ֗יל) returneth to his folly (בְאִוַּלְתּֽוֹ).	Like a dog that returns to its vomit, so a fool (kᵊsîl, כסיל) repeats his folly (‘iûeleṯ, באולתו).	Like a dog, when he returns to his vomit, also becomes the more hated, so is a fool (ἄφρων), when by his own wickedness, he returns to his own sin (ἁμαρτίαν).	As when a dog goes to his own vomit, and becomes abominable, so is fool (ἄφρων) who returns in his wickedness to his own sin (ἁμαρτίαν).

If my intent were to show compassion to a fool trapped in his folly, his own sin, then I would answer him, but how?

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Proverbs 26:3 (Tanakh/KJV)	Proverbs 26:3 (NET)	Proverbs 26:3 (NETS)	Proverbs 26:3 (English Elpenor)
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod (וְ֜שֵׁ֗בֶט) for the fool’s (כְּסִילִֽים) back.	A whip for the horse and a bridle for the donkey, and a rod (šēḇeṭ, ושבט) for the backs of fools (kᵊsîl, כסילים)!	Like a whip for a horse and a goad for a donkey, so is the rod (ῥάβδος) for a lawless (παρανόμῳ) nation (ἔθνει).	As a whip for a horse, and a goad for an ass, so [is] a rod (ῥάβδος) for a simple (παρανόμῳ) nation (ἔθνει).

I was shocked the first time I heard Paul distinguish between a rod and love: What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod (ράβδῳ, a form of ῥάβδος), or with love (ἐν ἀγάπῃ) in a spirit of gentleness?²³ But Peter wrote about a different way to answer fools: For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish (ἀφρόνων, another form of ἄφρων) people.²⁴

Whether beaten with a rod or silenced by followers of Jesus doing good, the Elpenor version of the Septuagint held out some hope for the foolish.

Proverbs 26:11a (Septuagint Elpenor)	Proverbs 26:11a (NETS)	Proverbs 26:11a (English Elpenor)
ἔστιν αἰσχύνη ἐπάγουσα ἁμαρτίαν, καί ἐστιν αἰσχύνη δόξα καὶ χάρις	There is a sense of shame that leads to sin, and there is a sense of shame that is glory and grace.	There is a shame that brings sin: and there is a shame [that is] glory and grace.

These words are absent from the Masoretic text and the BLB Septuagint.

Use context to determine who the “weak” are in Romans 15.

Without reading Romans 14 for its conceptual context, you are likely to determine that those called “weak” in Romans 15 are precisely the opposite of what Paul intended.

Observe the Historical, Cultural, and Literary Context p. 62

As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and²⁵ let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand [Table]. (Romans 14:1-4 ESV)

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself,²⁶ but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For²⁷ if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus²⁸ serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.²⁹ The faith that you have, keep between yourself³⁰ and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. (Romans 14:13-23 ESV)

Tables comparing Psalm 62:1; 62:2; Exodus 17:5; 17:6; Psalm 62:3; 62:4; 62:5; 62:6; 62:7; 62:8; 62:9; 62:10; 62:11; Proverbs 15:1; 26:4; 26:5; 26:11 and 26:3 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and tables comparing the Greek of Psalm 62:1 (61:2); 62:2 (61:3); Exodus 17:5; 17:6; Psalm 62:3 (61:4); 62:4 (61:5); 62:5 (61:6); 62:6 (61:7); 62:7 (61:8); 62:8 (61:9); 62:9 (61:10); 62:10 (61:11); 62:11 (61:12); Proverbs 15:1; 26:4; 26:5; 26:11 and 26:3 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables comparing Luke 24:18, 19; 24:21, 22; 1 Peter 1:8; 1:11; Romans 14:3; 14:14, 15; 14:18 and 14:21, 22 in the KJV and NET follow.

Psalm 62:1 (Tanakh)	Psalm 62:1 (KJV)	Psalm 62:1 (NET)
Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.	Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.	For God alone I patiently wait; he is the one who delivers me.

Psalm 62:1 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 61:2 (Septuagint Elpenor)
οὐχὶ τῷ θεῷ ὑποταγήσεται ἡ ψυχή μου παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ γὰρ τὸ σωτήριόν μου	ΟΥΧΙ τῷ Θεῷ ὑποταγήσεται ἡ ψυχή μου; παρ᾿ αὐτῷ γὰρ τὸ σωτήριόν μου
Psalm 61:2 (NETS)	Psalm 61:2 (English Elpenor)
Shall not my soul be subject to God? For from him is my deliverance.	Shall not my soul be subjected to God? for of him is my salvation.

Psalm 62:2 (Tanakh)	Psalm 62:2 (KJV)	Psalm 62:2 (NET)
He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.	He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.	He alone is my protector and deliverer. He is my refuge; I will not be upended.

Psalm 62:2 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 61:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς θεός μου καὶ σωτήρ μου ἀντιλήμπτωρ μου οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ ἐπὶ πλεῖον	καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς Θεός μου καὶ σωτήρ μου, καὶ ἀντιλήπτωρ μου, οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ ἐπὶ πλεῖον
Psalm 61:3 (NETS)	Psalm 61:3 (English Elpenor)
Indeed, he is my God and my Savior, my supporter; I shall be shaken no more.	For he is my God, and my saviour; my helper, I shall not be moved very much.

Exodus 17:5 (Tanakh)	Exodus 17:5 (KJV)	Exodus 17:5 (NET)
And HaShem said unto Moses: ‘Pass on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thy hand, and go.	And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.	The Lord said to Moses, “Go over before the people; take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile and go.

Exodus 17:5 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 17:5 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν προπορεύου τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου λαβὲ δὲ μετὰ σεαυτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ τὴν ῥάβδον ἐν ᾗ ἐπάταξας τὸν ποταμόν λαβὲ ἐν τῇ χειρί σου καὶ πορεύσῃ	καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν· προπορεύου τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου, λαβὲ δὲ σεαυτῷ ἀπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τοῦ λαοῦ· καὶ τὴν ράβδον, ἐν ᾗ ἐπάταξας τὸν ποταμόν, λαβὲ ἐν τῇ χειρί σου καὶ πορεύσῃ
Exodus 17:5 (NETS)	Exodus 17:5 (English Elpenor)
And the Lord said to Moyses, “Go on ahead of this people, but take with you some of the elders of the people and the rod with which you struck the river take in your hand, and go.	And the Lord said to Moses, Go before this people, and take to thyself of the elders of the people; and the rod with which thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and thou shalt go.

Exodus 17:6 (Tanakh)	Exodus 17:6 (KJV)	Exodus 17:6 (NET)
Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.’ And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.	Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.	I will be standing before you there on the rock (τῆς πέτρας) in Horeb, and you will strike the rock, and water will come out of it so that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in plain view of the elders of Israel.

Exodus 17:6 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 17:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὅδε ἐγὼ ἕστηκα πρὸ τοῦ σὲ ἐκεῖ ἐπὶ τῆς πέτρας ἐν Χωρηβ καὶ πατάξεις τὴν πέτραν καὶ ἐξελεύσεται ἐξ αὐτῆς ὕδωρ καὶ πίεται ὁ λαός μου ἐποίησεν δὲ Μωυσῆς οὕτως ἐναντίον τῶν υἱῶν Ισραηλ	ὅδε ἐγὼ ἕστηκα ἐκεῖ πρὸ τοῦ σε ἐπὶ τῆς πέτρας ἐν Χωρήβ· καὶ πατάξεις τὴν πέτραν, καὶ ἐξελεύσεται ἐξ αὐτῆς ὕδωρ, καὶ πίεται ὁ λαός. ἐποίησε δὲ Μωυσῆς οὕτως ἐναντίον τῶν υἱῶν ᾿Ισραήλ
Exodus 17:6 (NETS)	Exodus 17:6 (English Elpenor)
I here have taken my stand, before you came, on the rock at Choreb. And you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moyses did so before the sons of Israel.	Behold, I stand there before thou [come], on the rock in Choreb, and thou shalt smite the rock, and water shall come out from it, and the people shall drink. And Moses did so before the sons of Israel.

Psalm 62:3 (Tanakh)	Psalm 62:3 (KJV)	Psalm 62:3 (NET)
How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence.	How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence.	How long will you threaten a man like me? All of you are murderers, as dangerous as a leaning wall or an unstable fence.

Psalm 62:3 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 61:4 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἕως πότε ἐπιτίθεσθε ἐπ᾽ ἄνθρωπον φονεύετε πάντες ὡς τοίχῳ κεκλιμένῳ καὶ φραγμῷ ὠσμένῳ	ἕως πότε ἐπιτίθεσθε ἐπ᾿ ἄνθρωπον; φονεύετε πάντες ὡς τοίχῳ κεκλιμένῳ καὶ φραγμῷ ὠσμένῳ
Psalm 61:4 (NETS)	Psalm 61:4 (English Elpenor)
How long do you assail against a person? You commit murder, all of you, as by means of a wall that leans and a fence that slants.	How long will ye assault a man? ye are all slaughtering as with a bowed wall and a broken hedge.

Psalm 62:4 (Tanakh)	Psalm 62:4 (KJV)	Psalm 62:4 (NET)
They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.	They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.	They spend all their time planning how to bring their victim down. They love to use deceit; they pronounce blessings with their mouths, but inwardly they utter curses. (Selah)

Psalm 62:4 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 61:5 (Septuagint Elpenor)
πλὴν τὴν τιμήν μου ἐβουλεύσαντο ἀπώσασθαι ἔδραμον ἐν ψεύδει τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν εὐλογοῦσαν καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν κατηρῶντο διάψαλμα	πλὴν τὴν τιμήν μου ἐβουλεύσαντο ἀπώσασθαι, ἔδραμον ἐν δίψει, τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν εὐλόγουν καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν κατηρῶντο. (διάψαλμα).
Psalm 61:5 (NETS)	Psalm 61:5 (English Elpenor)
But they planned to impugn my honor. They ran with a lie; with their mouth they would bless and curse with their heart. Interlude on strings	They only took counsel to set at nought mine honour: I ran in thirst: with their mouth they blessed, but with their heart they cursed. Pause.

Psalm 62:5 (Tanakh)	Psalm 62:5 (KJV)	Psalm 62:5 (NET)
My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.	My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.	Patiently wait for God alone, my soul! For he is the one who gives me hope.

Psalm 62:5 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 61:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)
πλὴν τῷ θεῷ ὑποτάγηθι ἡ ψυχή μου ὅτι παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἡ ὑπομονή μου	πλὴν τῷ Θεῷ ὑποτάγηθι, ἡ ψυχή μου, ὅτι παρ᾿ αὐτῷ ἡ ὑπομονή μου
Psalm 61:6 (NETS)	Psalm 61:6 (English Elpenor)
But to God be subject, O my soul, because from him is my endurance.	Nevertheless do thou, my soul, be subjected to God; for of him [is] my patient hope.

Psalm 62:6 (Tanakh)	Psalm 62:6 (KJV)	Psalm 62:6 (NET)
He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.	He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.	He alone is my protector and deliverer. He is my refuge; I will not be shaken.

Psalm 62:6 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 61:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὅτι αὐτὸς θεός μου καὶ σωτήρ μου ἀντιλήμπτωρ μου οὐ μὴ μεταναστεύσω	ὅτι αὐτὸς Θεός μου καὶ σωτήρ μου, ἀντιλήπτωρ μου, οὐ μὴ μεταναστεύσω
Psalm 61:7 (NETS)	Psalm 61:7 (English Elpenor)
Because he is my God and my Savior, my supporter, I shall never be a fugitive.	For he [is] my God and my Saviour; my helper, I shall not be moved.

Psalm 62:7 (Tanakh)	Psalm 62:7 (KJV)	Psalm 62:7 (NET)
In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.	In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.	God delivers me and exalts me; God is my strong protector and my shelter.

Psalm 62:7 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 61:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐπὶ τῷ θεῷ τὸ σωτήριόν μου καὶ ἡ δόξα μου ὁ θεὸς τῆς βοηθείας μου καὶ ἡ ἐλπίς μου ἐπὶ τῷ θεῷ	ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ τὸ σωτήριόν μου καὶ ἡ δόξα μου· ὁ Θεὸς τῆς βοηθείας μου, καὶ ἡ ἐλπίς μου ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ
Psalm 61:8 (NETS)	Psalm 61:8 (English Elpenor)
With God is my deliverance and my glory; O God of my help—and my hope is with God.	In God [is] my salvation and my glory: [he is] the God of my help, and my hope is in God.

Psalm 62:8 (Tanakh)	Psalm 62:8 (KJV)	Psalm 62:8 (NET)
Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.	Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.	Trust in him at all times, you people! Pour out your hearts before him. God is our shelter. (Selah)

Psalm 62:8 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 61:9 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐλπίσατε ἐπ᾽ αὐτόν πᾶσα συναγωγὴ λαοῦ ἐκχέετε ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὁ θεὸς βοηθὸς ἡμῶν διάψαλμα	ἐλπίσατε ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν πᾶσα συναγωγὴ λαοῦ· ἐκχέετε ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς βοηθὸς ἡμῶν (διάψαλμα)
Psalm 61:9 (NETS)	Psalm 61:9 (English Elpenor)
Hope in him, all you congregation of people; pour out your hearts before him; God is our helper. Interlude on Strings	Hope in him, all ye congregation of the people; pour out your hearts before him, for God is our helper. Pause.

Psalm 62:9 (Tanakh)	Psalm 62:9 (KJV)	Psalm 62:9 (NET)
Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.	Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.	Men are nothing but a mere breath; human beings are unreliable. When they are weighed in the scales, all of them together are lighter than air.

Psalm 62:9 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 61:10 (Septuagint Elpenor)
πλὴν μάταιοι οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ψευδεῖς οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν ζυγοῖς τοῦ ἀδικῆσαι αὐτοὶ ἐκ ματαιότητος ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό	πλὴν μάταιοι οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ψευδεῖς οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν ζυγοῖς τοῦ ἀδικῆσαι αὐτοὶ ἐκ ματαιότητος ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό
Psalm 61:10 (NETS)	Psalm 61:10 (English Elpenor)
But the sons of men are vain; false are the sons of men, to do wrong with balances; they together are from vanity.	But the sons of men are vain; the sons of men are false, so as to be deceitful in the balances; they are all alike [formed] out of vanity.

Psalm 62:10 (Tanakh)	Psalm 62:10 (KJV)	Psalm 62:10 (NET)
Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.	Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.	Do not trust in what you can gain by oppression. Do not put false confidence in what you can gain by robbery. If wealth increases, do not become attached to it.

Psalm 62:10 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 61:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)
μὴ ἐλπίζετε ἐπὶ ἀδικίαν καὶ ἐπὶ ἅρπαγμα μὴ ἐπιποθεῖτε πλοῦτος ἐὰν ῥέῃ μὴ προστίθεσθε καρδίαν	μὴ ἐλπίζετε ἐπ᾿ ἀδικίαν καὶ ἐπὶ ἁρπάγματα μὴ ἐπιποθεῖτε· πλοῦτος ἐὰν ῥέῃ, μὴ προστίθεσθε καρδίαν
Psalm 61:11 (NETS)	Psalm 61:11 (English Elpenor)
Put no hope in wrong, and do not long for what is robbed; wealth, if it flows, do not add heart.	Trust not in unrighteousness, and lust not after robberies: if wealth should flow in, set not your heart upon it.

Psalm 62:11 (Tanakh)	Psalm 62:11 (KJV)	Psalm 62:11 (NET)
God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.	God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.	God has declared one principle; two principles I have heard: God is strong,

Psalm 62:11, 12a (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 61:12 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἅπαξ ἐλάλησεν ὁ θεός δύο ταῦτα ἤκουσα (12) ὅτι τὸ κράτος τοῦ θεοῦ	ἅπαξ ἐλάλησεν ὁ Θεός, δύο ταῦτα ἤκουσα, ὅτι τὸ κράτος τοῦ Θεοῦ,
Psalm 61:12, 13a (NETS)	Psalm 61:12 (English Elpenor)
Once God spoke; these two things I heard: (13) that might is God’s,	God has spoken once, [and] I have heard these two things, that power is of God;

Proverbs 15:1 (Tanakh)	Proverbs 15:1 (KJV)	Proverbs 15:1 (NET)
A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.	A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.	A gentle response turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath.

Proverbs 15:1 (Septuagint BLB)	Proverbs 15:1 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὀργὴ ἀπόλλυσιν καὶ φρονίμους ἀπόκρισις δὲ ὑποπίπτουσα ἀποστρέφει θυμόν λόγος δὲ λυπηρὸς ἐγείρει ὀργάς	ΟΡΓΗ ἀπόλλυσι καὶ φρονίμους, ἀπόκρισις δὲ ὑποπίπτουσα ἀποστρέφει θυμόν, λόγος δὲ λυπηρὸς ἐγείρει ὀργάς
Proverbs 15:1 (NETS)	Proverbs 15:1 (English Elpenor)
Anger destroys even the prudent; yet a submissive answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.	Anger slays even wise men; yet a submissive answer turns away wrath: but a grievous word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 26:4 (Tanakh)	Proverbs 26:4 (KJV)	Proverbs 26:4 (NET)
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.	Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.	Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you yourself also be like him.

Proverbs 26:4 (Septuagint BLB)	Proverbs 26:4 (Septuagint Elpenor)
μὴ ἀποκρίνου ἄφρονι πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνου ἀφροσύνην ἵνα μὴ ὅμοιος γένῃ αὐτῷ	μὴ ἀποκρίνου ἄφρονι πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνου ἀφροσύνην, ἵνα μὴ ὅμοιος γένῃ αὐτῷ
Proverbs 26:4 (NETS)	Proverbs 26:4 (English Elpenor)
Do not answer a fool in accordance with his folly, lest you become like him.	Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou become like him.

Proverbs 26:5 (Tanakh)	Proverbs 26:5 (KJV)	Proverbs 26:5 (NET)
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.	Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.	Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own opinion.

Proverbs 26:5 (Septuagint BLB)	Proverbs 26:5 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἀλλὰ ἀποκρίνου ἄφρονι κατὰ τὴν ἀφροσύνην αὐτοῦ ἵνα μὴ φαίνηται σοφὸς παρ᾽ ἑαυτῷ	ἀλλὰ ἀποκρίνου ἄφρονι κατὰ τὴν ἀφροσύνην αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ φαίνηται σοφός παρ᾿ ἑαυτῷ
Proverbs 26:5 (NETS)	Proverbs 26:5 (English Elpenor)
But answer a fool according to his folly, lest he appear to be wise to himself.	Yet answer a fool according to his folly, lest he seem wise in his own conceit.

Proverbs 26:11 (Tanakh)	Proverbs 26:11 (KJV)	Proverbs 26:11 (NET)
As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.	As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.	Like a dog that returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.

Proverbs 26:11 (Septuagint BLB)	Proverbs 26:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὥσπερ κύων ὅταν ἐπέλθῃ ἐπὶ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἔμετον καὶ μισητὸς γένηται οὕτως ἄφρων τῇ ἑαυτοῦ κακίᾳ ἀναστρέψας ἐπὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἁμαρτίαν	ὥσπερ κύων ὅταν ἐπέλθῃ ἐπὶ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἔμετον καὶ μισητὸς γένηται, οὕτως ἄφρων τῇ ἑαυτοῦ κακίᾳ ἀναστρέψας ἐπὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἁμαρτίαν
Proverbs 26:11 (NETS)	Proverbs 26:11 (English Elpenor)
Like a dog, when he returns to his vomit, also becomes the more hated, so is a fool, when by his own wickedness, he returns to his own sin.	As when a dog goes to his own vomit, and becomes abominable, so is fool who returns in his wickedness to his own sin.

Proverbs 26:3 (Tanakh)	Proverbs 26:3 (KJV)	Proverbs 26:3 (NET)
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back.	A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back.	A whip for the horse and a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools!

Proverbs 26:3 (Septuagint BLB)	Proverbs 26:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὥσπερ μάστιξ ἵππῳ καὶ κέντρον ὄνῳ οὕτως ῥάβδος ἔθνει παρανόμῳ	ὥσπερ μάστιξ ἵππῳ καὶ κέντρον ὄνῳ, οὕτως ῥάβδος ἔθνει παρανόμῳ
Proverbs 26:3 (NETS)	Proverbs 26:3 (English Elpenor)
Like a whip for a horse and a goad for a donkey, so is the rod for a lawless nation.	As a whip for a horse, and a goad for an ass, so [is] a rod for a simple nation.

Luke 24:18, 19 (NET)	Luke 24:18, 19 (KJV)
Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have happened there in these days?”	And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?

Luke 24:18 (NET Parallel Greek)	Luke 24:18 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Luke 24:18 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ εἷς ὀνόματι Κλεοπᾶς εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτόν· σὺ μόνος παροικεῖς Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ οὐκ ἔγνως τὰ γενόμενα ἐν αὐτῇ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις	αποκριθεις δε ο εις ω ονομα κλεοπας ειπεν προς αυτον συ μονος παροικεις εν ιερουσαλημ και ουκ εγνως τα γενομενα εν αυτη εν ταις ημεραις ταυταις	αποκριθεις δε ο εις ω ονομα κλεοπας ειπεν προς αυτον συ μονος παροικεις ιερουσαλημ και ουκ εγνως τα γενομενα εν αυτη εν ταις ημεραις ταυταις

He said to them, “What things?” “The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied, “a man who, with his powerful deeds and words, proved to be a prophet before God and all the people;

And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:

Luke 24:19 (NET Parallel Greek)	Luke 24:19 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Luke 24:19 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· ποῖα; οἱ δὲ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· τὰ περὶ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναζαρηνοῦ, ὃς ἐγένετο ἀνὴρ προφήτης δυνατὸς ἐν ἔργῳ καὶ λόγῳ ἐναντίον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ	και ειπεν αυτοις ποια οι δε ειπον αυτω τα περι ιησου του ναζωραιου ος εγενετο ανηρ προφητης δυνατος εν εργω και λογω εναντιον του θεου και παντος του λαου	και ειπεν αυτοις ποια οι δε ειπον αυτω τα περι ιησου του ναζωραιου ος εγενετο ανηρ προφητης δυνατος εν εργω και λογω εναντιον του θεου και παντος του λαου

Luke 24:21, 22 (NET)	Luke 24:21, 22 (KJV)
But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. Not only this, but it is now the third day since these things happened.	But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.

Luke 24:21 (NET Parallel Greek)	Luke 24:21 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Luke 24:21 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ἡμεῖς δὲ ἠλπίζομεν ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ μέλλων λυτροῦσθαι τὸν Ἰσραήλ· ἀλλά γε καὶ σὺν πᾶσιν τούτοις τρίτην ταύτην ἡμέραν ἄγει ἀφ᾿ οὗ ταῦτα ἐγένετο	ημεις δε ηλπιζομεν οτι αυτος εστιν ο μελλων λυτρουσθαι τον ισραηλ αλλα γε συν πασιν τουτοις τριτην ταυτην ημεραν αγει σημερον αφ ου ταυτα εγενετο	ημεις δε ηλπιζομεν οτι αυτος εστιν ο μελλων λυτρουσθαι τον ισραηλ αλλα γε συν πασιν τουτοις τριτην ταυτην ημεραν αγει σημερον αφ ου ταυτα εγενετο

Furthermore, some women of our group amazed us. They were at the tomb early this morning,

Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;

Luke 24:22 (NET Parallel Greek)	Luke 24:22 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Luke 24:22 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναῖκες τινες ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐξέστησαν ἡμᾶς, γενόμεναι ὀρθριναὶ ἐπὶ τὸ μνημεῖον	αλλα και γυναικες τινες εξ ημων εξεστησαν ημας γενομεναι ορθριαι επι το μνημειον	αλλα και γυναικες τινες εξ ημων εξεστησαν ημας γενομεναι ορθριαι επι το μνημειον

1 Peter 1:8 (NET)	1 Peter 1:8 (KJV)
You have not seen him, but you love him. You do not see him now but you believe in him, and so you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,	Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

1 Peter 1:8 (NET Parallel Greek)	1 Peter 1:8 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	1 Peter 1:8 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ὃν οὐκ ἰδόντες ἀγαπᾶτε, εἰς ὃν ἄρτι μὴ ὁρῶντες πιστεύοντες δὲ \|ἀγαλλιᾶσθε\| χαρᾷ ἀνεκλαλήτῳ καὶ δεδοξασμένῃ	ον ουκ ειδοτες αγαπατε εις ον αρτι μη ορωντες πιστευοντες δε αγαλλιασθε χαρα ανεκλαλητω και δεδοξασμενη	ον ουκ ειδοτες αγαπατε εις ον αρτι μη ορωντες πιστευοντες δε αγαλλιασθε χαρα ανεκλαλητω και δεδοξασμενη

1 Peter 1:11 (NET)	1 Peter 1:11 (KJV)
They probed into what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified beforehand about the sufferings appointed for Christ and his subsequent glory.	Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

1 Peter 1:11 (NET Parallel Greek)	1 Peter 1:11 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	1 Peter 1:11 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ἐραυνῶντες εἰς τίνα ἢ ποῖον καιρὸν ἐδήλου τὸ ἐν αὐτοῖς πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ προμαρτυρόμενον τὰ εἰς Χριστὸν παθήματα καὶ τὰς μετὰ ταῦτα δόξας	ερευνωντες εις τινα η ποιον καιρον εδηλου το εν αυτοις πνευμα χριστου προμαρτυρομενον τα εις χριστον παθηματα και τας μετα ταυτα δοξας	ερευνωντες εις τινα η ποιον καιρον εδηλου το εν αυτοις πνευμα χριστου προμαρτυρομενον τα εις χριστον παθηματα και τας μετα ταυτα δοξας

Romans 14:3 (NET)	Romans 14:3 (KJV)
The one who eats everything must not despise the one who does not, and the one who abstains must not judge the one who eats everything, for God has accepted him.	Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.

Romans 14:3 (NET Parallel Greek)	Romans 14:3 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Romans 14:3 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ὁ ἐσθίων τὸν μὴ ἐσθίοντα μὴ ἐξουθενείτω, ὁ δὲ μὴ ἐσθίων τὸν ἐσθίοντα μὴ κρινέτω, ὁ θεὸς γὰρ αὐτὸν προσελάβετο	ο εσθιων τον μη εσθιοντα μη εξουθενειτω και ο μη εσθιων τον εσθιοντα μη κρινετω ο θεος γαρ αυτον προσελαβετο	ο εσθιων τον μη εσθιοντα μη εξουθενειτω και ο μη εσθιων τον εσθιοντα μη κρινετω ο θεος γαρ αυτον προσελαβετο

Romans 14:14, 15 (NET)	Romans 14:14, 15 (KJV)
I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean in itself; still, it is unclean to the one who considers it unclean.	I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

Romans 14:14 (NET Parallel Greek)	Romans 14:14 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Romans 14:14 (Byzantine Majority Text)
οἶδα καὶ πέπεισμαι ἐν κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ ὅτι οὐδὲν κοινὸν δι᾿ ἑαυτοῦ, εἰ μὴ τῷ λογιζομένῳ τι κοινὸν εἶναι, ἐκείνῳ κοινόν	οιδα και πεπεισμαι εν κυριω ιησου οτι ουδεν κοινον δι εαυτου ει μη τω λογιζομενω τι κοινον ειναι εκεινω κοινον	οιδα και πεπεισμαι εν κυριω ιησου οτι ουδεν κοινον δι αυτου ει μη τω λογιζομενω τι κοινον ειναι εκεινω κοινον

For if your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy by your food someone for whom Christ died.

But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.

Romans 14:15 (NET Parallel Greek)	Romans 14:15 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Romans 14:15 (Byzantine Majority Text)
εἰ γὰρ διὰ βρῶμα ὁ ἀδελφός σου λυπεῖται, οὐκέτι κατὰ ἀγάπην περιπατεῖς· μὴ τῷ βρώματι σου ἐκεῖνον ἀπόλλυε ὑπὲρ οὗ Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν	ει δε δια βρωμα ο αδελφος σου λυπειται ουκετι κατα αγαπην περιπατεις μη τω βρωματι σου εκεινον απολλυε υπερ ου χριστος απεθανεν	ει δε δια βρωμα ο αδελφος σου λυπειται ουκετι κατα αγαπην περιπατεις μη τω βρωματι σου εκεινον απολλυε υπερ ου χριστος απεθανεν

Romans 14:18 (NET)	Romans 14:18 (KJV)
For the one who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by people.	For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

Romans 14:18 (NET Parallel Greek)	Romans 14:18 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Romans 14:18 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ὁ γὰρ ἐν τούτῳ δουλεύων τῷ Χριστῷ εὐάρεστος τῷ θεῷ καὶ δόκιμος τοῖς ἀνθρώποις	ο γαρ εν τουτοις δουλευων τω χριστω ευαρεστος τω θεω και δοκιμος τοις ανθρωποις	ο γαρ εν τουτοις δουλευων τω χριστω ευαρεστος τω θεω και δοκιμος τοις ανθρωποις

Romans 14:21, 22 (NET)	Romans 14:21, 22 (KJV)
It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything that causes your brother to stumble.	It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

Romans 14:21 (NET Parallel Greek)	Romans 14:21 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Romans 14:21 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καλὸν τὸ μὴ φαγεῖν κρέα μηδὲ πιεῖν οἶνον μηδὲ ἐν ᾧ ὁ ἀδελφός σου προσκόπτει	καλον το μη φαγειν κρεα μηδε πιειν οινον μηδε εν ω ο αδελφος σου προσκοπτει η σκανδαλιζεται η ασθενει	καλον το μη φαγειν κρεα μηδε πιειν οινον μηδε εν ω ο αδελφος σου προσκοπτει η σκανδαλιζεται η ασθενει

The faith you have, keep to yourself before God. Blessed is the one who does not judge himself by what he approves.

Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.

Romans 14:22 (NET Parallel Greek)	Romans 14:22 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Romans 14:22 (Byzantine Majority Text)
σὺ πίστιν ἔχεις κατὰ σεαυτὸν ἔχε ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ. μακάριος ὁ μὴ κρίνων ἑαυτὸν ἐν ᾧ δοκιμάζει	συ πιστιν εχεις κατα σαυτον εχε ενωπιον του θεου μακαριος ο μη κρινων εαυτον εν ω δοκιμαζει	συ πιστιν εχεις κατα σεαυτον εχε ενωπιον του θεου μακαριος ο μη κρινων εαυτον εν ω δοκιμαζει

Christ-Centered Preaching, Chapter 4, Part 1

¹ The Greek word translated you may have was ἔχητε, an active form of ἔχω in the present tense and subjunctive mood. The Greek word translated that was the conjunction ἵνα. In other words, ἔχητε is a subjunctive verb in a purpose or result clause here and means: “in me you have peace because of these things I have said to you.”

² John 16:33 (ESV)

³ 1 Corinthians 10:4b (ESV)

⁴ 1 Peter 1:13 (ESV)

⁵ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article ο (KJV: the) preceding one here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

⁶ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ὀνόματι here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ω ονομα (KJV: whose name).

⁷ The Stephanus Textus Receptus had εν (KJV: in) preceding Jerusalem. The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

⁸ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had εἶπαν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ειπον.

⁹ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἀλλά γε καὶ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αλλα γε (KJV: and beside).

¹⁰ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had σημερον (KJV: to day) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

¹¹ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ὀρθριναὶ, a form of ὀρθρινός here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ορθριαι (KJV: early), a form of ὄρθριος.

¹² Luke 13:14b (ESV) Table

¹³ The Greek word translated you may have was ἔχητε, a form of ἔχω in the subjunctive mood: “The subjunctive mood indicates probability or objective possibility. The action of the verb will possibly happen, depending on certain objective factors or circumstances.” The whole clause is ἵνα ζωὴν ἔχητε (ESV: that you may have life). The conjunction ἵνα designates this as a purpose or result clause. The subjunctive mood “is oftentimes used in conditional statements (i.e. ‘If…then…’ clauses) or in purpose clauses.” In other words, the “objective factors or circumstances” that make the action of the verb ἔχητε “happen” are explicitly stated: ἐλθεῖν πρός με (ESV: to come to me). “[I]f the subjunctive mood is used in a purpose or result clause, then the action should not be thought of as a possible result, but should be viewed as a definite outcome that will happen as a result of another stated action.” In other words, “If you come to me, then you will have life” is implicit in this statement.

¹⁴ John 5:39, 40 (ESV)

¹⁵ 2 Corinthians 3:6b (ESV) Table

¹⁶ For a comparison of the Greek of this quotation to that of the Septuagint see: Christianity, Part 3.

¹⁷ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἰδόντες, a participle of εἴδω in the 2^nd aorist tense here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ειδοτες (KJV: having…seen) in the perfect tense.

¹⁸ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἐραυνῶντες, a participle of ἐρευνάω here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ερευνωντες (KJV: Searching). These seem to be alternate spellings of the same part of speech.

¹⁹ John 17:3b (ESV)

²⁰ In the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ Moses was spelled Μωϋσῆς, and μωσης in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

²¹ Deuteronomy 6:4 (ESV) Table

²² Proverbs 15:1a (English Elpenor)

²³ 1 Corinthians 4:21 (ESV) Table

²⁴ 1 Peter 2:15 (ESV)

²⁵ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had δὲ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και.

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

²⁷ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had γὰρ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε (KJV: But).

²⁸ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had the singular pronoun τούτῳ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the plural τουτοις (KJV: these things).

²⁹ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had η σκανδαλιζεται η ασθενει (KJV: or is offended, or is made weak) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

³⁰ The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text had σεαυτὸν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had the contracted form σαυτον (KJV: thyself).

Atonement, Part 11

Posted on November 12, 2018 by admin

This is a continuation of y^ehôvâh’s (יהוה) instruction to Moses: They^[1] are to eat those things by which atonement (kâphar, כפר; Septuagint: ἡγιάσθησαν, a form of ἁγιάζω) was made to consecrate and to set them apart, but no one else may eat them, for they are holy.^[2] I’ll continue to consider forms of χρίω in the New Testament.

The author of Hebrews continued to contrast Jesus to angels: And he says of the angels, “He makes his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire”…^[3] This was a verbatim quote from the Elpenor version of the Septuagint only.

Hebrews 1:7b (NET parallel Greek)	Psalm 104:4 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 103:4 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὁ ποιῶν τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύματα καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐτοῦ πυρὸς φλόγα	ὁ ποιῶν τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύματα καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐτοῦ πῦρ φλέγον	ὁ ποιῶν τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύματα καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐτοῦ πυρὸς φλόγα

I won’t spend much time here since the psalm is not about angels but y^ehôvâh. It is interesting, however, that the NET and KJV, more importantly the three versions of the Greek New Testament I have surveyed, agree here.

Hebrews 1:7 (NET)	Hebrews 1:7 (KJV)
And he says of the angels, *“He makes his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire,”*	And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ πρὸς μὲν τοὺς ἀγγέλους λέγει ὁ ποιῶν τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύματα καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐτοῦ πυρὸς φλόγα	και προς μεν τους αγγελους λεγει ο ποιων τους αγγελους αυτου πνευματα και τους λειτουργους αυτου πυρος φλογα	και προς μεν τους αγγελους λεγει ο ποιων τους αγγελους αυτου πνευματα και τους λειτουργους αυτου πυρος φλογα

The translations from Hebrew of the Tanakh and KJV, and from Greek of the Elpenor also agree. But πῦρ φλέγον in the BLB version of the Septuagint, as opposed to πυρὸς φλόγα in the Elpenor and the New Testament, inspired a subtle shift in the translation of the NETS.

From Hebrew		From Greek
Psalm 104:4 (Tanakh)	Psalm 104:4 (KJV)	Psalm 103:4 (NETS)	Psalm 103:4 (Elpenor)
Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:	Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:	He who makes spirits his messengers, and flaming fire his ministers.	Who makes his angels spirits, and his ministers a flaming fire.

That shift continued in the NET, making it virtually impossible for an English reader to recognize any mention of angels in the Psalm: He makes the winds his messengers, and the flaming fire his attendant.^[4] This sounds more like tornadoes and hurricanes speak for God while warehouse and forest fires serve Him.

The author of Hebrews continued: but of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and^[5] a^[6] righteous scepter^[7] is the^[8] scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. So God, your God, has anointed (ἔχρισεν, a form of χρίω) you over your companions with the oil of rejoicing.”^[9] The first part of this quotation—Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and a righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom—was not verbatim from either version of the Septuagint.

Hebrews 1:8b (NET parallel Greek)	Psalm 45:6 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 44:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὁ θρόνος σου ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα \|τοῦ αἰῶνος\|, καὶ ἡ ράβδος τῆς εὐθύτητος ράβδος τῆς βασιλείας \|σου\|	ὁ θρόνος σου ὁ θεός εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος ῥάβδος εὐθύτητος ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας σου	ὁ θρόνος σου, ὁ Θεός, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος, ράβδος εὐθύτητος ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας σου

The relatively inconsequential differences—a conjunction, two additional articles and one missing article—are exactly the same differences (Table1 below) I found relative to the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text. Comparing either of them to both versions of the Septuagint yields another verbatim quote.

Hebrews 1:8b (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Psalm 45:6 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 44:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ο θρονος σου ο θεος εις τον αιωνα του αιωνος ραβδος ευθυτητος η ραβδος της βασιλειας σου	ὁ θρόνος σου ὁ θεός εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος ῥάβδος εὐθύτητος ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας σου	ὁ θρόνος σου, ὁ Θεός, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος, ράβδος εὐθύτητος ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας σου

Hebrews 1:8b (Byzantine Majority Text)	Psalm 45:6 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 44:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ο θρονος σου ο θεος εις τον αιωνα του αιωνος ραβδος ευθυτητος η ραβδος της βασιλειας σου	ὁ θρόνος σου ὁ θεός εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος ῥάβδος εὐθύτητος ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας σου	ὁ θρόνος σου, ὁ Θεός, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος, ράβδος εὐθύτητος ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας σου

I will spend some time on the first seven verses of this psalm.

Psalm 45:1 (Tanakh)	Psalm 44:2 (NETS)
My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.	My heart erupted with a goodly theme; it is I that address my works to the king; my tongue is a pen of a swift scribe.

The Hebrew word translated of the things which I have made was מעשׁי (maʽăśeh, Septuagint: ἔργα). This psalm is presumed to have been written by the Korahites. Though Korahites fought with David this psalm was not the work of sycophants flattering their king but a work of prophets revealing the One who was to come, the Son of God, the son of David (2 Samuel 7:12-16), the Rock who saved (y^eshûʽâh, ישעתו) Israel.

Psalm 45:2 (Tanakh)	Psalm 44:3 (NETS)
Thou art fairer (yâphâh, יפיפית) than the children of men: grace (chên, חן) is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.	Youthful in beauty (ὡραῖος) you are, beyond the sons of men; grace (χάρις) was poured on your lips; therefore God blessed you forever.

The Spirit is the one who gives life, Jesus said, human nature is of no help! The words that I have spoken^[10] to you are spirit and are life.^[11] If I keep this in mind I’m not thrown off by translations like fairer and youthful in beauty applied to Him, but remain focused on the Spirit and the life in his words: As it is written, “How timely (ὡραῖοι, another form of ὡραῖος) is the arrival of those who proclaim^[12] the good news.”^[13] For^[14] we have all received from his fullness one gracious gift (χάριν, a form of χάρις) after another (χάριτος, another form of χάρις). For the law was given through Moses,^[15] but grace (χάρις) and truth came about through Jesus Christ.^[16]

Psalm 45:3 (Tanakh)	Psalm 44:4 (NETS)
Gird thy sword (chereb, חרבך) upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.	Gird your sword (ῥομφαίαν, a form of ῥομφαία) on your thigh, O powerful one, in your bloom and beauty,

In John’s vision on Patmos a sharp double-edged sword (ρομφαία) extended out of [Jesus’] mouth.^[17] He identified Himself as the one who has the sharp double-edged sword (ρομφαίαν, a form of ρομφαία).^[18] Though the psalmists enjoined Him to Gird thy sword upon the thigh, in the manner of kings they knew, Jesus said He would make war against those [who follow the teaching of Balaam or the teaching of the Nicolaitans] with the sword (ρομφαίᾳ) of my mouth.^[19] Death and Hades…were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill its population with the sword (ρομφαίᾳ),^[20] but John never saw a sword in Jesus’ hand: From his mouth extends a sharp sword^[21] (ρομφαία), so that with it he can strike^[22] the nations.^[23] Jesus’ words, the sword that extended from his mouth, have the power to kill the flesh of those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image (Revelation 19:19-21 NET).

Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to do battle^[24] with the one who rode the horse and with his army. Now the beast was seized, and along with^[25] him^[26] the false prophet who had performed the signs on his behalf – signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire burning^[27] with sulfur.^[28] The others were killed by the sword (ρομφαίᾳ) that extended^[29] from the mouth of the one who rode the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves with their flesh (σαρκῶν, a form of σάρξ).

Those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image were not thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur. I’ve assumed that they will be because an angel declaring in a loud voice, presumably prior to anyone worshipping the beast or taking his mark, said (Revelation 14:9-11 NET):

If anyone worships the beast and his image, and takes the mark on his forehead or his hand, that person will also drink of the wine of God’s anger that has been mixed undiluted in the cup of his wrath, and he will be tortured (βασανισθήσεται, a form of βασανίζω) with fire and sulfur in front of the^[30] holy angels and in front of the Lamb. And the smoke from their torture (βασανισμοῦ, a form of βασανισμός) will go up forever and ever, and those who worship the beast and his image will have no rest day or night, along with anyone who receives the mark of his name.

They will be tortured with fire and sulfur in front of the holy angels and in front of the Lamb. The devil…was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet are too.^[31] Those who worship the beast and his image will have no rest day or night, along with anyone who receives the mark of his name. The devil, the beast and the false prophet will be tormented (βασανισθήσονται, another form of βασανισμός) in the lake of fire and sulfur day and night forever and ever.^[32] The smoke from their [e.g., those who worship the beast or receive his mark] torture (βασανισμοῦ, a form of βασανισμός) will go up forever and ever.

Though the words are quite evocative it is never stated explicitly that those who worship the beast or receive his mark are cast into the lake of fire and sulfur. Even when the time comes that one might expect it, the criteria for being thrown into the lake of fire has changed: If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, that person was thrown into the lake of fire.^[33] I don’t belabor this point to encourage anyone to worship the beast or take his mark, but to leave room for the mercy of God and to respect the power of Jesus’ preaching, the sharp sword that extends from his mouth. This will become clearer, perhaps, in the next verse of the psalm.

Psalm 45:4 (Tanakh)	Psalm 44:5 (NETS)
And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.	And draw, and prosper, and become king for the sake of truth and meekness and righteousness, and your right hand will guide you marvelously.

The Hebrew word translated truth was אמת (ʼemeth), ἀληθείας (a form of ἀλήθεια) in Greek in the Septuagint. We saw his glory, John testified about Jesus, the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth (ἀληθείας, a form of ἀλήθεια), who came from the Father.^[34] Set them apart in the truth^[35] (ἀληθείᾳ), Jesus prayed for his disciples, your word is truth (ἀλήθεια).^[36] And, I am the way, and the truth (ἀλήθεια), and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.^[37]

The Hebrew word translated righteousness was צדק (tsedeq), δικαιοσύνης (a form of δικαιοσύνη) in Greek in the Septuagint. Jesus was conscientious to fulfill all righteousness (δικαιοσύνην, another form of δικαιοσύνη).^[38] Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (δικαιοσύνην, another form of δικαιοσύνη), He promised his hearers, for they will be satisfied.^[39] But above all, He exhorts those with ears to hear, pursue his kingdom^[40] and righteousness (δικαιοσύνην, another form of δικαιοσύνη).^[41] For I tell you, unless your righteousness (δικαιοσύνη) goes beyond that of the experts in the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.^[42]

For no one is declared righteous (δικαιωθήσεται, a form of δικαιόω) before him by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the law the righteousness (δικαιοσύνη) of God (which is attested by the law and the prophets) has been disclosed – namely, the righteousness (δικαιοσύνη) of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all^[43] who believe.^[44] Those who believe are filled with the fruit^[45] of righteousness (δικαιοσύνης, a form of δικαιοσύνη) that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.^[46] God’s servants commend themselves to others by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by benevolence, by the Holy Spirit, by genuine love, by truthful (ἀληθείας, a form of ἀλήθεια) teaching, by the power of God, with weapons of righteousness (δικαιοσύνης, a form of δικαιοσύνη) both for the right hand and for the left.^[47] Chief among these weapons of righteousness is the sword (μάχαιραν, a form of μάχαιρα) of the Spirit, which is the word of God.^[48] John recounted his vision (Revelation 19:11-13 NET):

Then I saw heaven opened^[49] and here came a white horse! The one riding it was called “Faithful” (πιστὸς) and “True,” (ἀληθινός) and with justice (δικαιοσύνῃ) he judges and goes to war. His eyes are like a fiery flame and there are many diadem crowns on his head. He has^[50] a name written that no one knows except himself. He is dressed in clothing dipped in blood, and he is called^[51] the Word of God.

In the midst of all this martial imagery is the word meekness. It was וענוה (ʽanvâh) in Hebrew, translated πρᾳότητος (a form of πρᾳότης) in Greek in the Septuagint. It was also spelled πραΰτης. Paul wrote of the meekness^[52] (πραΰτητος, a form of πραΰτης) and gentleness of Christ.^[53] And apparently (2 Corinthians 10), the meekness and gentleness of Christ in him was so pronounced a feature of his own character in person that his letters shocked some in Corinth as being of a different character. This πραΰτης, translated gentleness, is an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of righteousness (Galatians 5:22, 23 NET):

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

I’ve quoted this often but stopped before, Against such things there is no law. No more, since I’m becoming more and more aware how eagerly the religious mind desires to be the arbiter of these things, throwing up reasons against them, debating if not outright denying, the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control rising up within me from that fountain of water springing up to eternal life.^[54] I’ve found myself unarmed and defenseless against its arguments because I haven’t drilled this truth deeply enough into my being: Against such things there is no law. Against such things there is no law.

Brothers and sisters, Paul wrote believers in Galatia, if a person is discovered in some sin, you who are spiritual restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness^[55] (πραΰτητος, a form of πραΰτης).^[56] I hear this as the Holy Spirit’s definitive answer to Paul’s rhetorical question: Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline or with love and a spirit of gentleness (πραΰτητος, a form of πραΰτης)?^[57] even as I hear Paul’s rhetorical question as definitive of what a spirit of gentleness is not.

Pay close attention to yourselves, Paul continued, so that you are not tempted too. Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill^[58] the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Let each one examine his own work. Then he can take pride in himself and not compare himself with someone else. For each one will carry his own load.^[59]

This πραΰτης is at the very heart of what it means to live worthily of the calling with which [we] have been called (Ephesians 4:1b-6 NET):

with all humility and gentleness^[60] (πραΰτητος, a form of πραΰτης), with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you too were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.^[61]

And this, not because it is one of Paul’s laws but because meekness or gentleness is the very nature of the firstborn of this new species of humanity, the one called the Word of God, Jesus our Savior. It is the work of God to instill this within us who have turned in faith to Him. And it should never be forgotten, especially in the midst of martial imagery. Though I copied and pasted וענוה (ʽanvâh) from the parallel Hebrew text of the NET online, there was a note (15) explaining why meekness or gentleness does not appear in the NET translation of Psalm 45:4.

I’ll pick this up in another essay. Tables of Hebrews 1:8; John 6:63; John 1:16, 17; Revelation 2:16; Revelation 6:8; Revelation 19:15; 19:19-21; Revelation 14:9, 10; John 17:17; Matthew 6:33; Romans 3:22; Philippians 1:11; Revelation 19:11-13; 2 Corinthians 10:1; John 4:14; Galatians 6:1, 2; 1 Corinthians 4:21; Ephesians 4:2 and 4:6 comparing the NET and KJV follow.

Hebrews 1:8 (NET)	Hebrews 1:8 (KJV)
but of the Son he says, “*Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and a righteous scepter* is the scepter of your kingdom.	But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
πρὸς δὲ τὸν υἱόν ὁ θρόνος σου ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα \|τοῦ αἰῶνος\|, καὶ ἡ ράβδος τῆς εὐθύτητος ράβδος τῆς βασιλείας \|σου\|.	προς δε τον υιον ο θρονος σου ο θεος εις τον αιωνα του αιωνος ραβδος ευθυτητος η ραβδος της βασιλειας σου	προς δε τον υιον ο θρονος σου ο θεος εις τον αιωνα του αιωνος ραβδος ευθυτητος η ραβδος της βασιλειας σου

John 6:63 (NET)	John 6:63 (KJV)
The Spirit is the one who gives life; human nature is of no help! The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.	It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
τὸ πνεῦμα ἐστιν τὸ ζῳοποιοῦν, ἡ σὰρξ οὐκ ὠφελεῖ οὐδέν· τὰ ρήματα ἃ ἐγὼ λελάληκα ὑμῖν πνεῦμα ἐστιν καὶ ζωή ἐστιν	το πνευμα εστιν το ζωοποιουν η σαρξ ουκ ωφελει ουδεν τα ρηματα α εγω λαλω υμιν πνευμα εστιν και ζωη εστιν	το πνευμα εστιν το ζωοποιουν η σαρξ ουκ ωφελει ουδεν τα ρηματα α εγω λαλω υμιν πνευμα εστιν και ζωη εστιν

John 1:16, 17 (NET)	John 1:16, 17 (KJV)
For we have all received from his fullness one gracious gift after another.	And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἐλάβομεν καὶ χάριν ἀντὶ χάριτος	και εκ του πληρωματος αυτου ημεις παντες ελαβομεν και χαριν αντι χαριτος	και εκ του πληρωματος αυτου ημεις παντες ελαβομεν και χαριν αντι χαριτος

For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ.

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ὅτι ὁ νόμος διὰ Μωϋσέως ἐδόθη, ἡ χάρις καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐγένετο	οτι ο νομος δια μωσεως εδοθη η χαρις και η αληθεια δια ιησου χριστου εγενετο	οτι ο νομος δια μωσεως εδοθη η χαρις και η αληθεια δια ιησου χριστου εγενετο

Revelation 2:16 (NET)	Revelation 2:16 (KJV)
Therefore, repent! If not, I will come against you quickly and make war against those people with the sword of my mouth.	Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
μετανόησον οὖν εἰ δὲ μή, ἔρχομαι σοι ταχὺ καὶ πολεμήσω μετ᾿ αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ ρομφαίᾳ τοῦ στόματος μου	μετανοησον ει δε μη ερχομαι σοι ταχυ και πολεμησω μετ αυτων εν τη ρομφαια του στοματος μου	μετανοησον ουν ει δε μη ερχομαι σοι ταχυ και πολεμησω μετ αυτων εν τη ρομφαια του στοματος μου

Revelation 6:8 (NET)	Revelation 6:8 (KJV)
So I looked and here came a pale green horse! The name of the one who rode it was Death, and Hades followed right behind. They were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill its population with the sword, famine, and disease, and by the wild animals of the earth.	And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἵππος χλωρός, καὶ ὁ καθήμενος ἐπάνω \|αὐτοῦ\| ὄνομα αὐτῷ [ὁ] θάνατος, καὶ ὁ ᾅδης ἠκολούθει μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἐξουσία ἐπὶ τὸ τέταρτον τῆς γῆς ἀποκτεῖναι ἐν ρομφαίᾳ καὶ ἐν λιμῷ καὶ ἐν θανάτῳ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν θηρίων τῆς γῆς	και ειδον και ιδου ιππος χλωρος και ο καθημενος επανω αυτου ονομα αυτω ο θανατος και ο αδης ακολουθει μετ αυτου και εδοθη αυτοις εξουσια αποκτειναι επι το τεταρτον της γης εν ρομφαια και εν λιμω και εν θανατω και υπο των θηριων της γης	και ιδου ιππος χλωρος και ο καθημενος επανω αυτου ονομα αυτω ο θανατος και ο αδης ηκολουθει αυτω και εδοθη αυτω εξουσια επι το τεταρτον της γης αποκτειναι εν ρομφαια και εν λιμω και εν θανατω και υπο των θηριων της γης

Revelation 19:15 (NET)	Revelation 19:15 (KJV)
From his mouth extends a sharp sword, so that with it he can strike the nations. *He will rule them with an iron rod*, and he stomps the winepress of the furious wrath of God, the All-Powerful.	And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐκπορεύεται ρομφαία ὀξεῖα, ἵνα ἐν αὐτῇ πατάξῃ τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ αὐτὸς ποιμανεῖ αὐτοὺς ἐν ράβδῳ σιδηρᾷ, καὶ αὐτὸς πατεῖ τὴν ληνὸν τοῦ οἴνου τοῦ θυμοῦ τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ παντοκράτορος	και εκ του στοματος αυτου εκπορευεται ρομφαια οξεια ινα εν αυτη πατασση τα εθνη και αυτος ποιμανει αυτους εν ραβδω σιδηρα και αυτος πατει την ληνον του οινου του θυμου και της οργης του θεου του παντοκρατορος	και εκ του στοματος αυτου εκπορευεται ρομφαια διστομος οξεια ινα εν αυτη παταξη τα εθνη και αυτος ποιμανει αυτους εν ραβδω σιδηρα και αυτος πατει την ληνον του οινου του θυμου της οργης του θεου του παντοκρατορος

Revelation 19:19-21 (NET)	Revelation 19: 19-21 (KJV)
Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to do battle with the one who rode the horse and with his army.	And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Καὶ εἶδον τὸ θηρίον καὶ τοὺς βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς καὶ τὰ στρατεύματα αὐτῶν συνηγμένα ποιῆσαι τὸν πόλεμον μετὰ τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ ἵππου καὶ μετὰ τοῦ στρατεύματος αὐτοῦ	και ειδον το θηριον και τους βασιλεις της γης και τα στρατευματα αυτων συνηγμενα ποιησαι πολεμον μετα του καθημενου επι του ιππου και μετα του στρατευματος αυτου	και ειδον το θηριον και τους βασιλεις της γης και τα στρατευματα αυτων συνηγμενα ποιησαι πολεμον μετα του καθημενου επι του ιππου και μετα του στρατευματος αυτου

Now the beast was seized, and along with him the false prophet who had performed the signs on his behalf – signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur.

And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ ἐπιάσθη τὸ θηρίον καὶ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ ὁ ψευδοπροφήτης ὁ ποιήσας τὰ σημεῖα ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, ἐν οἷς ἐπλάνησεν τοὺς λαβόντας τὸ χάραγμα τοῦ θηρίου καὶ τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας τῇ εἰκόνι αὐτοῦ· ζῶντες ἐβλήθησαν οἱ δύο εἰς τὴν λίμνην τοῦ πυρὸς τῆς καιομένης ἐν θείῳ	και επιασθη το θηριον και μετα τουτου ο ψευδοπροφητης ο ποιησας τα σημεια ενωπιον αυτου εν οις επλανησεν τους λαβοντας το χαραγμα του θηριου και τους προσκυνουντας τη εικονι αυτου ζωντες εβληθησαν οι δυο εις την λιμνην του πυρος την καιομενην εν τω θειω	και επιασθη το θηριον και ο μετ αυτου ψευδοπροφητης ο ποιησας τα σημεια ενωπιον αυτου εν οις επλανησεν τους λαβοντας το χαραγμα του θηριου και τους προσκυνουντας τη εικονι αυτου ζωντες εβληθησαν οι δυο εις την λιμνην του πυρος την καιομενην εν θειω

The others were killed by the sword that extended from the mouth of the one who rode the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves with their flesh.

And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἀπεκτάνθησαν ἐν τῇ ρομφαίᾳ τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ ἵππου τῇ ἐξελθούσῃ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάντα τὰ ὄρνεα ἐχορτάσθησαν ἐκ τῶν σαρκῶν αὐτῶν	και οι λοιποι απεκτανθησαν εν τη ρομφαια του καθημενου επι του ιππου τη εκπορευομενη εκ του στοματος αυτου και παντα τα ορνεα εχορτασθησαν εκ των σαρκων αυτων	και οι λοιποι απεκτανθησαν εν τη ρομφαια του καθημενου επι του ιππου τη εξελθουση εκ του στοματος αυτου και παντα τα ορνεα εχορτασθησαν εκ των σαρκων αυτων

Revelation 14:9, 10 (NET)	Revelation 14:9, 10 (KJV)
A third angel followed the first two, declaring in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and takes the mark on his forehead or his hand,	And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Καὶ ἄλλος ἄγγελος τρίτος ἠκολούθησεν αὐτοῖς λέγων ἐν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ· εἴ τις προσκυνεῖ τὸ θηρίον καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα αὐτοῦ καὶ λαμβάνει χάραγμα ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου αὐτοῦ ἢ ἐπὶ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ,	και τριτος αγγελος ηκολουθησεν αυτοις λεγων εν φωνη μεγαλη ει τις το θηριον προσκυνει και την εικονα αυτου και λαμβανει χαραγμα επι του μετωπου αυτου η επι την χειρα αυτου	και αλλος αγγελος τριτος ηκολουθησεν αυτοις λεγων εν φωνη μεγαλη ει τις προσκυνει το θηριον και την εικονα αυτου και λαμβανει χαραγμα επι του μετωπου αυτου η επι την χειρα αυτου

that person will also drink of the wine of God’s anger that has been mixed undiluted in the cup of his wrath, and he will be tortured with fire and sulfur in front of the holy angels and in front of the Lamb.

The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ αὐτὸς πίεται ἐκ τοῦ οἴνου τοῦ θυμοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ κεκερασμένου ἀκράτου ἐν τῷ ποτηρίῳ τῆς ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ βασανισθήσεται ἐν πυρὶ καὶ θείῳ ἐνώπιον ἀγγέλων ἁγίων καὶ ἐνώπιον τοῦ ἀρνίου	και αυτος πιεται εκ του οινου του θυμου του θεου του κεκερασμενου ακρατου εν τω ποτηριω της οργης αυτου και βασανισθησεται εν πυρι και θειω ενωπιον των αγιων αγγελων και ενωπιον του αρνιου	και αυτος πιεται εκ του οινου του θυμου του θεου του κεκερασμενου ακρατου εν τω ποτηριω της οργης αυτου και βασανισθησεται εν πυρι και θειω ενωπιον των αγιων αγγελων και ενωπιον του αρνιου

John 17:17 (NET)	John 17:17 (KJV)
Set them apart in the truth; your word is truth.	Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἁγίασον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ· ὁ λόγος ὁ σὸς ἀλήθεια ἐστιν	αγιασον αυτους εν τη αληθεια σου ο λογος ο σος αληθεια εστιν	αγιασον αυτους εν τη αληθεια σου ο λογος ο σος αληθεια εστιν

Matthew 6:33 (NET)	Matthew 6:33 (KJV)
But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.	But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ζητεῖτε δὲ πρῶτον τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν	ζητειτε δε πρωτον την βασιλειαν του θεου και την δικαιοσυνην αυτου και ταυτα παντα προστεθησεται υμιν	ζητειτε δε πρωτον την βασιλειαν του θεου και την δικαιοσυνην αυτου και ταυτα παντα προστεθησεται υμιν

Romans 3:22 (NET)	Romans 3:22 (KJV)
namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction,	Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
δικαιοσύνη δὲ θεοῦ διὰ πίστεως \|Ἰησοῦ\| Χριστοῦ εἰς πάντας τοὺς πιστεύοντας. οὐ γάρ ἐστιν διαστολή	δικαιοσυνη δε θεου δια πιστεως ιησου χριστου εις παντας και επι παντας τους πιστευοντας ου γαρ εστιν διαστολη	δικαιοσυνη δε θεου δια πιστεως ιησου χριστου εις παντας και επι παντας τους πιστευοντας ου γαρ εστιν διαστολη

Philippians 1:11 (NET)	Philippians 1:11 (KJV)
filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.	Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
πεπληρωμένοι καρπὸν δικαιοσύνης τὸν διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς δόξαν καὶ ἔπαινον θεοῦ	πεπληρωμενοι καρπων δικαιοσυνης των δια ιησου χριστου εις δοξαν και επαινον θεου	πεπληρωμενοι καρπων δικαιοσυνης των δια ιησου χριστου εις δοξαν και επαινον θεου

Revelation 19:11-13 (NET)	Revelation 19:11-13 (KJV)
Then I saw heaven opened and here came a white horse! The one riding it was called “Faithful” and “True,” and with justice he judges and goes to war.	And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Καὶ εἶδον τὸν οὐρανὸν ἠνεῳγμένον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἵππος λευκός καὶ ὁ καθήμενος ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν [καλούμενος] \|πιστὸς\| καὶ ἀληθινός, καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ κρίνει καὶ πολεμεῖ	και ειδον τον ουρανον ανεωγμενον και ιδου ιππος λευκος και ο καθημενος επ αυτον καλουμενος πιστος και αληθινος και εν δικαιοσυνη κρινει και πολεμει	και ειδον τον ουρανον ανεωγμενον και ιδου ιππος λευκος και ο καθημενος επ αυτον καλουμενος πιστος και αληθινος και εν δικαιοσυνη κρινει και πολεμει

His eyes are like a fiery flame and there are many diadem crowns on his head. He has a name written that no one knows except himself.

His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
οἱ δὲ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ [ὡς] φλὸξ πυρός, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ διαδήματα πολλά, ἔχων ὄνομα γεγραμμένον ὃ οὐδεὶς οἶδεν εἰ μὴ αὐτός	οι δε οφθαλμοι αυτου ως φλοξ πυρος και επι την κεφαλην αυτου διαδηματα πολλα εχων ονομα γεγραμμενον ο ουδεις οιδεν ει μη αυτος	οι δε οφθαλμοι αυτου φλοξ πυρος και επι την κεφαλην αυτου διαδηματα πολλα εχων ονοματα γεγραμμενα και ονομα γεγραμμενον ο ουδεις οιδεν ει μη αυτος

He is dressed in clothing dipped in blood, and he is called the Word of God.

And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ περιβεβλημένος ἱμάτιον \|βεβαμμένον\| αἵματι, καὶ κέκληται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ	και περιβεβλημενος ιματιον βεβαμμενον αιματι και καλειται το ονομα αυτου ο λογος του θεου	και περιβεβλημενος ιματιον βεβαμμενον αιματι και καλειται το ονομα αυτου ο λογος του θεου

2 Corinthians 10:1 (NET)	2 Corinthians 10:1 (KJV)
Now I, Paul, appeal to you personally by the meekness and gentleness of Christ (I who am meek when present among you, but am full of courage toward you when away!) –	Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Αὐτὸς δὲ ἐγὼ Παῦλος παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς διὰ τῆς πραΰτητος καὶ ἐπιεικείας τοῦ Χριστοῦ (ὃς κατὰ πρόσωπον μὲν ταπεινὸς ἐν ὑμῖν, ἀπὼν δὲ θαρρῶ εἰς ὑμᾶς)	αυτος δε εγω παυλος παρακαλω υμας δια της πραοτητος και επιεικειας του χριστου ος κατα προσωπον μεν ταπεινος εν υμιν απων δε θαρρω εις υμας	αυτος δε εγω παυλος παρακαλω υμας δια της πραοτητος και επιεικειας του χριστου ος κατα προσωπον μεν ταπεινος εν υμιν απων δε θαρρω εις υμας

John 4:14 (NET)	John 4:14 (KJV)
But whoever drinks some of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again, but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.”	But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ὃς δ᾿ ἂν πίῃ ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος οὗ ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ, οὐ μὴ διψήσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἀλλὰ τὸ ὕδωρ ὃ δώσω αὐτῷ γενήσεται ἐν αὐτῷ πηγὴ ὕδατος ἁλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον	ος δ αν πιη εκ του υδατος ου εγω δωσω αυτω ου μη διψηση εις τον αιωνα αλλα το υδωρ ο δωσω αυτω γενησεται εν αυτω πηγη υδατος αλλομενου εις ζωην αιωνιον	ος δ αν πιη εκ του υδατος ου εγω δωσω αυτω ου μη διψηση εις τον αιωνα αλλα το υδωρ ο δωσω αυτω γενησεται εν αυτω πηγη υδατος αλλομενου εις ζωην αιωνιον

Galatians 6:1, 2 (NET)	Galatians 6:1, 2 (KJV)
Brothers and sisters, if a person is discovered in some sin, you who are spiritual restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness. Pay close attention to yourselves, so that you are not tempted too.	Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Ἀδελφοί, ἐὰν καὶ προλημφθῇ ἄνθρωπος ἔν τινι παραπτώματι, ὑμεῖς οἱ πνευματικοὶ καταρτίζετε τὸν τοιοῦτον ἐν πνεύματι πραΰτητος, σκοπῶν σεαυτὸν μὴ καὶ σὺ πειρασθῇς	αδελφοι εαν και προληφθη ανθρωπος εν τινι παραπτωματι υμεις οι πνευματικοι καταρτιζετε τον τοιουτον εν πνευματι πραοτητος σκοπων σεαυτον μη και συ πειρασθης	αδελφοι εαν και προληφθη ανθρωπος εν τινι παραπτωματι υμεις οι πνευματικοι καταρτιζετε τον τοιουτον εν πνευματι πραοτητος σκοπων σεαυτον μη και συ πειρασθης

Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Ἀλλήλων τὰ βάρη βαστάζετε καὶ οὕτως \|ἀναπληρώσετε\| τὸν νόμον τοῦ Χριστοῦ	αλληλων τα βαρη βασταζετε και ουτως αναπληρωσατε τον νομον του χριστου	αλληλων τα βαρη βασταζετε και ουτως αναπληρωσατε τον νομον του χριστου

1 Corinthians 4:21 (NET)	1 Corinthians 4:21 (KJV)
What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline or with love and a spirit of gentleness?	What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
τί θέλετε; ἐν ράβδῳ ἔλθω πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἢ ἐν ἀγάπῃ πνεύματι τε πραΰτητος	τι θελετε εν ραβδω ελθω προς υμας η εν αγαπη πνευματι τε πραοτητος	τι θελετε εν ραβδω ελθω προς υμας η εν αγαπη πνευματι τε πραοτητος

Ephesians 4:2 (NET)	Ephesians 4:2 (KJV)
with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,	With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
μετὰ πάσης ταπεινοφροσύνης καὶ πραΰτητος, μετὰ μακροθυμίας, ἀνεχόμενοι ἀλλήλων ἐν ἀγάπῃ	μετα πασης ταπεινοφροσυνης και πραοτητος μετα μακροθυμιας ανεχομενοι αλληλων εν αγαπη	μετα πασης ταπεινοφροσυνης και πραοτητος μετα μακροθυμιας ανεχομενοι αλληλων εν αγαπη

Ephesians 4:6 (NET)	Ephesians 4:6 (KJV)
one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.	One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
εἷς θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ πάντων, ὁ ἐπὶ πάντων καὶ διὰ πάντων καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν	εις θεος και πατηρ παντων ο επι παντων και δια παντων και εν πασιν υμιν	εις θεος και πατηρ παντων ο επι παντων και δια παντων και εν πασιν ημιν

Back to Father, Forgive Them – Part 5

Back to Romans, Part 91

Back to A Monotonous Cycle Revisited, Part 2

Back to Is Sin Less Than Sin? Part 1

Back to Is Sin Less Than Sin? Part 2

Back to A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 1

Back to Hannah’s Prayer, Part 4

Back to Romans, Part 92

Back to Is Sin Less Than Sin? Part 4

Back to To Make Holy, Part 7

Back to A Monotonous Cycle Revisited, Part 3

Back to A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 2

Back to Romans, Part 8

Back to The Lost Son of Perdition, Part 4

Back to Psalm 22, Part 6

Back to A Monotonous Cycle Revisited, Part 6

Back to Romans, Part 15

Back to Romans, Part 16

Back to Language

Back to Romans, Part 17

Back to Romans, Part 18

Back to A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 7

Back to The Lost Son of Perdition, Part 5

Back to Christianity, Part 7

Back to The Day of the Lord, Part 2

Back to Christianity, Part 10

Back to Wonders and False Wonders, Part 1

Back to Father, Son and Holy Spirit – Part 10

Back to A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 9

Back to The Day of the Lord, Part 7

Back to Christ-Centered Preaching, Chapter 3

Back to Christ-Centered Preaching, Chapter 4, Part 2

Back to Christ-Centered Preaching, Chapter 4, Part 3

Back to Christ-Centered Preaching, Chapter 5

Back to Exploration, Part 1

^[1] Aaron and his sons (Exodus 28:43 NET)

^[2] Exodus 29:33 (NET)

^[3] Hebrews 1:7 (NET)

^[4] Psalm 104:4 (NET)

^[5] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had καὶ here. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

^[6] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had τῆς preceding righteous. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

^[7] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἡ preceding scepter. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

^[8] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ἡ preceding scepter. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

^[9] Hebrews 1:8, 9 (NET)

^[10] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had λελάληκα here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had λαλω (KJV: speak).

^[11] John 6:63 (NET)

^[12] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had των ευαγγελιζομενων ειρηνην (KJV: the gospel of peace) following proclaim. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

^[13] Romans 10:15b (NET) Table

^[14] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ὅτι here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και (KJV: And).

^[15] In the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ Moses was spelled Μωϋσέως, and μωσεως in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

^[16] John 1:16, 17 (NET)

^[17] Revelation 1:16b (NET)

^[18] Revelation 2:12b (NET)

^[19] Revelation 2:16b (NET)

^[20] Revelation 6:8b (NET)

^[21] The Byzantine Majority Text described this sword as διστομος here. The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Stephanus Textus Receptus did not.

^[22] The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text had πατάξῃ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had πατασση (KJV: should smite).

^[23] Revelation 19:15a (NET)

^[24] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had the article τὸν preceding battle. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

^[25] The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text had μετ᾿ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had μετα.

^[26] The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text had αὐτοῦ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had τουτου.

^[27] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had τῆς καιομένης here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had την καιομενην.

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

^[29] The Stephanus Textus Receptus had εκπορευομενη (KJV: proceeded) here, where the NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text had ἐξελθούσῃ.

^[30] Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article των. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

^[31] Revelation 20:10a (NET)

^[32] Revelation 20:10b (NET)

^[33] Revelation 20:15 (NET)

^[34] John 1:14b (NET)

^[35] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had σου following truth (KJV: thy truth). The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

^[36] John 17:17 (NET)

^[37] John 14:6 (NET)

^[38] Matthew 3:15 (NET) See Matthew 3:13-17

^[39] Matthew 5:6 (NET)

^[40] The Stephanus Textus Receptus, Byzantine Majority Text and NA²⁸ had τοῦ θεοῦ (KJV: of God) following kingdom. The NET parallel Greek text did not.

^[41] Matthew 6:33a (NET) See Matthew 6:25-34

^[42] Matthew 5:20 (NET)

^[43] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και επι παντας (KJV: and upon all them) following all. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

^[44] Romans 3:20-22a (NET)

^[45] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had the singular καρπὸν accompanied by the singular article τὸν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the plural καρπων (KJV: fruits) accompanied by the plural article των.

^[46] Philippians 1:11 (NET)

^[47] 2 Corinthians 6:6, 7 (NET)

^[48] Ephesians 6:17b (NET)

^[49] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἠνεῳγμένον here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ανεωγμενον.

^[50] The Byzantine Majority Text had ονοματα γεγραμμενα και (“names written and”) following He has. The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Stephanus Textus Receptus did not.

^[51] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had κέκληται here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had καλειται.

^[52] In the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ meekness was spelled πραΰτητος, and πραοτητος in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

^[53] 2 Corinthians 10:1a (NET)

^[54] John 4:14b (NET)

^[55] In the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ gentleness was spelled πραΰτητος, and πραοτητος in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

^[56] Galatians 6:1 (NET)

^[57] 1 Corinthians 4:21b (NET) In the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ gentleness was spelled πραΰτητος, and πραοτητος in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

^[58] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἀναπληρώσετε here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αναπληρωσατε (KJV: fulfil).

^[59] Galatians 6:1b-5 (NET)

^[60] In the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ gentleness was spelled πραΰτητος, and πραοτητος in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

^[61] The Stephanus Textus Receptus had υμιν following all (KJV: you all), where the Byzantine Majority Text had ημιν (us). The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had neither.

Paul’s Religious Mind Revisited, Part 1

Posted on August 23, 2016 by admin

I want to compare and contrast Paul’s teaching in his letter to the Corinthians to Jesus’ letter To the angel of the church in Thyatira^[1] under the rubrics: “Paul’s Regime” and “Jesus’ Regime.”

Paul’s Regime

Jesus’ Regime

It is actually reported that sexual immorality (πορνεία) exists among you (ὑμῖν; plural), the kind of immorality (πορνεία) that is not permitted even among the Gentiles, so that someone is cohabiting with (ἔχειν, a form of ἔχω) his father’s wife.

1 Corinthians 5:1 (NET)

But I have (ἔχω) this against you (σοῦ, a form of σύ; singular): You tolerate (ἀφεῖς, a form of ἀφίημι) that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and by her teaching deceives my servants to commit sexual immorality (πορνεῦσαι, a form of πορνεύω) and to eat food sacrificed to idols (εἰδωλόθυτα, a form of εἰδωλόθυτον).

Revelation 2:20 (NET)

I have given her time to repent, but she is not willing to repent of her sexual immorality (πορνείας, a form of πορνεία).

Revelation 2:21 (NET)

Experiencing these as two distinct regimes is new for me. As long as I assumed that Jesus’ spoke to the second person plural the two passages seemed virtually identical. And without doubt I love and respect Paul. He led me to Jesus, helped me to see Him in a different light. Apart from Paul’s writing in the New Testament I may never have learned to trust Jesus. I’ve tried to imagine that the man Paul wrote about had kidnapped his father’s wife, kept her against her will, raped her repeatedly and refused to release her. But that’s as much, or more, to ask of ἔχειν than the idea that he was pimping her for cultic purposes.

The man who had his father’s wife compares to Jezebel, who by her teaching deceives [Jesus’] servants to commit sexual immorality, as a man who walks into a congregation with a loaded gun compares to an active shooter. Jesus gave Jezebel time to repent. Paul didn’t say anything about time to repent, though I’m hard-pressed to determine what form the man’s repentance might have taken.

When I believed that πορνεία meant pre-marital sex^[2] repentance seemed fairly straightforward: The man should dump the woman, go to college, get a high-paying job, return home, settle down and marry a nice girl—one who wouldn’t cohabit with her husband’s son. That changed as I began to take the law (Exodus 22:16, 17, Deuteronomy 22:28-30) more seriously,^[3] as a way to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He] sent.^[4] Of course, the woman in this case was or had been married to the man’s father. By law both should have been condemned to death (Leviticus 20:10, 11).

Paul’s Regime

Jesus’ Regime

And you (ὑμεῖς, a form of ὑμείς) are proud (πεφυσιωμένοι, a form of φυσιόω)! Shouldn’t you have been deeply sorrowful instead and removed (ἀρθῇ, a form of αἴρω) the one who did this from among you (ὑμῶν)?

1 Corinthians 5:2 (NET) Table

Look! I am throwing her onto a bed of violent illness, and those who commit adultery (μοιχεύοντας, a form of μοιχεύω) with her into terrible suffering, unless they repent of her deeds.

Revelation 2:22 (NET)

Paul addressed everyone (ὑμεῖς is second person plural) in the church at Corinth except the man who had his father’s wife, accusing them of being proud. Of the seven occurrences of forms of φυσιόω in the New Testament, six are found in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. (It is at least his second letter.) Pride or arrogance was a consistent theme in his mind as he wrote.

Paul claimed I became your father (ἐγέννησα, a form of γεννάω) in Christ Jesus through the gospel.^[5] Actually he wrote, For though you may have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers (πατέρας, a form of πατήρ) ἐν γὰρ Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἐγὼ ὑμᾶς ἐγέννησα (literally, “for in Christ Jesus through the Gospel I gave birth to [KJV: have begotten] you”). The NET translators shaded the arrogance of that statement a bit. But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher and you are all brothers, Jesus taught his disciples. And call no one your ‘father’ (πατέρα, another form of πατήρ) on earth, for you have one Father (πατὴρ, another form of πατήρ), who is in heaven. Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one teacher, the Christ.^[6]

The grandiose claim that the Corinthian believers were born of Paul (John 1:13 NIV ἐγεννήθησαν is another form of γεννάω) was out of character with Paul’s own teaching earlier in the same letter (1 Corinthians 3:6, 7 NET):

I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused it to grow. So neither the one who plants counts for anything, nor the one who waters, but God who causes the growth.

I have applied these things to myself and Apollos, Paul wrote, because of you, brothers and sisters, so that through us you may learn “not to go beyond what is written,” so that none of you will be puffed up (φυσιοῦσθε, another form of φυσιόω) in favor of the one against the other. For who concedes you any superiority? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast (καυχᾶσαι, a form of καυχάομαι) as though you did not?^[7] Of course, then he wrote (1 Corinthians 4:18-20 NET):

Some have become arrogant (ἐφυσιώθησαν, another form of φυσιόω), as if I were not coming to you. But I will come to you soon, if the Lord is willing, and I will find out not only the talk of these arrogant (πεφυσιωμένων, another form of φυσιόω) people, but also their power. For the kingdom of God is demonstrated not in idle talk but with power.

Though God’s power (δυνάμει, a form of δύναμις) would clearly be the truth of his final declaration, in context it doesn’t seem to be the power Paul had in mind. What do you want? he continued as if the following choice would be made by the Corinthians rather than by Paul himself. Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline (ράβδῳ, a form of ῥάβδος) or with love (ἀγάπῃ) and a spirit of gentleness (πραΰτητος, a form of πραΰτης)?^[8] (While I assume that Paul’s threat to return to Corinth to beat the arrogant with a stick was bluster, it is heartwarming to find such punishment distinguished from love in the New Testament.) In the very same letter Paul wrote (1 Corinthians 8:1b-3 NET):

Knowledge puffs up (φυσιοῖ, another form of φυσιόω), but love (ἀγάπη) builds up. If someone thinks he knows something, he does not yet know to the degree that he needs to know. But if someone loves (ἀγαπᾷ, a form of ἀγαπάω) God, he is known (ἔγνωσται, a form of γινώσκω) by God.

And (1 Corinthians 13:4-13 NET):

Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up (φυσιοῦται, another 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 all things.

Love never ends. But if there are prophecies, they will be set aside; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be set aside. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when what is perfect comes, the partial will be set aside. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became an adult, I set aside childish ways. For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Paul formed his conclusion that the Corinthians were proud (πεφυσιωμένοι, a form of φυσιόω), not by direct observation and interaction with them but, by hearsay^[9] and by the fact that they had not removed the one who did this from among [them]. Paul had asked rhetorically, Shouldn’t you have been deeply sorrowful instead and removed the one who did this from among you? The Greek word translated deeply sorrowful is ἐπενθήσατε (a form of πενθέω).

I am afraid, Paul wrote, that when I come again, my God may humiliate me before you, and I will grieve (πενθήσω, another form of πενθέω) for many of those who previously sinned and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality (πορνείᾳ), and licentiousness that they have practiced.^[10] Truly, love is not glad about injustice;^[11] it does not rejoice in iniquity.^[12] Grieve, mourn (πενθήσατε, another form of πενθέω), and weep, James wrote. Turn your laughter into mourning (πένθος) and your joy into despair. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.^[13] But I can’t help wondering if this mourning wasn’t more cultural than divinely inspired.

Granted, Jesus said: Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn (πενθήσετε, another form of πενθέω) and weep;^[14] and, The wedding guests cannot mourn (πενθεῖν, another form of πενθέω) while the bridegroom is with them, can they?^[15] He also said, Blessed are those who mourn (πενθοῦντες, another form of πενθέω), for they will be comforted.^[16] But I still remember the contrast between Ezra and Malachi:

Ezra

Malachi

While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself to the ground before the temple of God, a very large crowd of Israelites – men, women, and children alike – gathered around him. The people wept loudly [Table]. Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, from the descendants of Elam, addressed Ezra: “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the local peoples. Nonetheless, there is still hope for Israel in this regard [Table]. Therefore let us enact a covenant with our God to send away all these women and their offspring, in keeping with your counsel, my lord, and that of those who respect the commandments of our God. And let it be done according to the law [Table].”

Ezra 10:1-3 (NET)

You also do this: You cover the altar of the Lord with tears as you weep and groan, because he no longer pays any attention to the offering nor accepts it favorably from you [Table]. Yet you ask, “Why?” The Lord is testifying against you on behalf of the wife you married when you were young, to whom you have become unfaithful even though she is your companion and wife by law [Table]. No one who has even a small portion of the Spirit in him does this. What did our ancestor do when seeking a child from God? Be attentive, then, to your own spirit, for one should not be disloyal to the wife he took in his youth [Table]. “I hate divorce,” says the Lord God of Israel, “and the one who is guilty of violence,” says the Lord who rules over all. “Pay attention to your conscience, and do not be unfaithful” [Table].

Malachi 2:13-16 (NET)

As Jesus’ disciples mourned his death (or perhaps their own loss) they didn’t believe his comfort when it came to them in the form of a woman: Early on the first day of the week, after he arose, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had driven out seven demons. She went out and told those who were with him, while they were mourning (πενθοῦσι, another form of πενθέω) and weeping. And when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.^[17] So to the first part of Paul’s rhetorical question I can only give a qualified yes.

The Greek word translated removed in the second part of Paul’s rhetorical question was ἀρθῇ (a form of αἴρω). “Take this man away (αἶρε, another form of αἴρω)! Release Barabbas for us!”^[18] an angry mob before Pilate rejected Jesus. “Away (αἶρε, another form of αἴρω) with him!”^[19] a mob in Jerusalem rejected Paul. A crowd listening patiently to Paul’s defense turned ugly when he said that the Lord said to him, Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.^[20] Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Away (αἶρε, another form of αἴρω) with this man from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live!”^[21]

Here again I can’t help wondering if Paul’s reaction wasn’t more cultural than divinely inspired. But calling it cultural isn’t entirely accurate. Paul’s reaction was precisely correct for a time under law when y^ehôvâh was present among his people in a way unknown since the garden of Eden, before He gave his life as an atonement for sin. Consider Achan (Joshua 7) as a case in point.

Exile for the man who had his father’s wife (and the woman along with him, presumably) would be considered more merciful than death, but Jesus’ parable persuades me to reject the second part of Paul’s rhetorical question—Shouldn’t you have…removed the one who did this from among you? When Jesus’ slaves asked if they should uproot the weeds planted by the enemy He said, No, since in gathering the weeds you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest.^[22] This is not to say that I know whether the man who had his father’s wife was a weed planted by the enemy or a sinning saint. It is to say, if this is Jesus’ attitude toward uprooting weeds planted by the enemy I dare not risk uprooting a sinning saint.

Let’s say for the sake of argument that I’m reading too much into Jesus’ parable. Let’s say that I’m wrong about the angel of the church in Thyatira, that he was a human being rather than a higher order being. Let’s grant, for the sake of argument, that Paul as an apostle had the authority and God-given wisdom to recognize a weed and uproot it. Did he have the authority to turn the church of Jesus Christ in Corinth (and any who hear him today) from the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control of the Holy Spirit, and transform them into a paranoid police force? Rather than knowing no law against loving our neighbor as well as our enemies, does every infraction of any law call us to dam up the fruit of the Holy Spirit? Must we judge one another constantly lest we be proud for loving one another excessively? I admit I sat silently through a sermon declaring that, Do not judge so that you will not be judged,^[23] meant that we should judge and be judged.^[24]

Hear Jesus’ regime by contrast: Look! I am throwing her onto a bed of violent illness. That is Jezebel, the one who by her teaching deceives my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.^[25] Secondly, He is throwing those who commit adultery with her into terrible suffering, unless they repent of her deeds. But there is not one word to the rest of the church in Thyatira about being proud because they had not removed Jezebel and her followers from their midst. The criticism—But I have this against you—was laid directly on the angel of the church in Thyatira, whether human or a higher order being. Yes, the letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira was to be read by all the churches, but its content was directed with surgical precision.

To be fair the only reason I have the audacity to make this kind of critique of Paul’s writing in 1 Corinthians 5 is Paul’s extended treatise on love in his later writing to believers in Rome. Therefore we must not pass judgment (κρίνωμεν, a form of κρίνω) on one another, but rather determine (κρίνατε, another form of κρίνω) never to place an obstacle or a trap before a brother or sister.^[26] Actually, Paul described love this way: Μηκέτι οὖν ἀλλήλους κρίνωμεν^[27] (literally, “no longer then one another judge”).

Paul’s Religious Mind Revisited – Part 2

Back to Paul’s Religious Mind Revisited, Part 7

Back to Romans, Part 90

^[1] Revelation 2:18a (NET)

^[2] An article by Bromleigh McCleneghan, “Sex and the single Christian: Why celibacy isn’t the only option,” was interesting bait for an unsuspecting moralist. Obviously single people can have sex. That’s how they become married people in God’s sight. The rest is ceremony, celebration and government paperwork. If anyone actually believed that religious leaders knew magical rites that could transmogrify illicit sex into holy matrimony those religious leaders would be compelled by law to perform those rites equally for all in a pluralistic society. The only thing single people cannot do is fool God into thinking they are not guilty of adultery if they have sex with somebody different tomorrow night, simply because they have not signed government paperwork or had a ceremony or celebrated.

^[3] Condemnation or Judgment? – Part 12, Ezra and Divorce

^[4] John 17:3b (NET)

^[5] 1 Corinthians 4:15b (NET)

^[6] Matthew 23:8-10 (NET)

^[7] 1 Corinthians 4:6, 7 (NET)

^[8] 1 Corinthians 4:21 (NET)

^[9] My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. (1 Corinthians 1:11 NIV)

^[10] 2 Corinthians 12:21 (NET)

^[11] 1 Corinthians 13:6a (NET)

^[12] 1 Corinthians 13:6a (NKJV)

^[13] James 4:9, 10 (NET)

^[14] Luke 6:25b (NET)

^[15] Mathew 9:15a (NET)

^[16] Matthew 5:4 (NET)

^[17] Mark 16:9-11 (NET)

^[18] Luke 23:18b (NET)

^[19] Acts 21:36b (NET)

^[20] Acts 22:21b (NET)

^[21] Acts 22:22b (NET)

^[22] Matthew 13:29, 30a (NET)

^[23] Matthew 7:1 (NET)

^[24] This point of view is surprisingly common. I found the following paraphrase online: “If you don’t want your life to be scrutinized, then don’t judge others. If you can stand the scrutiny then go ahead.” I will freely admit to needing as much grace as possible. There are other voices online.

^[25] Revelation 2:20b (NET)

^[26] Romans 14:13 (NET)

^[27] Romans 14:13a

Romans, Part 59

Posted on September 3, 2015 by admin

The most obvious translation of Do not lag in zeal^[1] (τῇ σπουδῇ μὴ ὀκνηροί) is something like “this haste not slothful.” Thus we urged Titus, Paul wrote the Corinthians, that, just as he had previously begun this work, so also he should complete this act of kindness for you. But as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, and in all eagerness (σπουδῇ) and in the love from us that is in you – make sure that you excel in this act of kindness too. I am not saying this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love by comparison with the eagerness (σπουδῆς, a form of σπουδή) of others.^[2]

The translation of σπουδῇ and σπουδῆς as eagerness above is not wrong if I recognize that Paul’s concern was the timeliness of completing this act of kindness rather than an emotional affect. Certainly Paul was also interested in the Corinthians’ emotional affect, but he used a different word for that (2 Corinthians 8:10b-12 NET):

It is to your advantage, since you made a good start last year both in your giving and your desire to give, to finish what you started, so that just as you wanted to do it eagerly (προθυμία), you can also complete it according to your means. For if the eagerness (προθυμία) is present, the gift itself is acceptable according to whatever one has, not according to what he does not have.

The Greek words σπουδῇ and σπουδῆς seem to refer here to the fact that the Corinthians made a good start last year but had failed thus far to finish what [they] started. I know your eagerness (προθυμίαν, a form of προθυμία) to help,^[3] Paul assured them. The Corinthians’ προθυμία and προθυμίαν were not at issue. It was σπουδῇ and σπουδῆς they lacked or needed to address (2 Corinthians 9:2b-4 NET):

I keep boasting to the Macedonians about this eagerness of yours, that Achaia has been ready to give since last year, and your zeal (ζῆλος) to participate has stirred up most of them. But I am sending these brothers so that our boasting about you may not be empty in this case, so that you may be ready just as I kept telling them. For if any of the Macedonians should come with me and find that you are not ready to give, we would be humiliated (not to mention you) by this confidence we had in you.

As a description of love “this haste not slothful” makes a good deal of sense. A feigned or hypocritical love, the love of an actor, wearing a false face, speaking another’s lines, will tend to be too fast or too slow in action. While the Love…without hypocrisy (ἀνυπόκριτος),^[4] the fruit of the Holy Spirit, is timely, at a measured pace, this haste not slothful, full of the recognition that love unfeigned lasts a lifetime and beyond.

“This haste not slothful,” however, makes a terrible rule. Here is a listing of various English translations.

Romans 12:11a	Bible Version
Never be lacking in zeal…	New International Version
Never be lazy…	New Living Translation
Do not be slothful in zeal…	English Standard Bible
Do not become apathetic…	Berean Study Bible
not lagging in diligence…	Berean Literal Bible
not lagging behind in diligence…	New American Standard Bible, NASB 1977
Not slothful in business…	King James Bible, KJV 2000, American KJV, Webster’s Bible Translation
Do not lack diligence…	Holman Christian Standard Bible
Never be lazy in showing such devotion.	International Standard Version
Be diligent and do not be lazy…	Aramaic Bible in Plain English, GOD’S WORD Translation
not slothful in earnest care…	Jubilee Bible 2000
in diligence not slothful…	American Standard Version, English Revised Version
In carefulness not slothful.	Douay-Rheims Bible
as to diligent zealousness, not slothful…	Darby Bible Translation
Do not be indolent when zeal is required.	Weymouth New Testament
not lagging in diligence…	World English Bible
in the diligence not slothful…	Young’s Literal Translation

I won’t take issue with translating σπουδῇ (a form of σπουδή) abstractly as diligent or diligence: if it is leadership, he must do so with diligence (ὁ προϊστάμενος ἐν σπουδῇ).^[5] I do question translating it zeal or zealousness. Paul did not write ζῆλος. Matthew, Mark and John recounted two different occasions when Jesus demonstrated a godly zeal.

Matthew

Mark

John

Then Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those who were selling and buying in the temple courts, and turned over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves.

Matthew 21:12 (NET)

Then they came to Jerusalem. Jesus entered the temple area and began to drive out those who were selling and buying in the temple courts. He turned over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and he would not permit anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.

Mark 11:15, 16 (NET)

Now the Jewish feast of Passover was near, so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple courts those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting at tables. So he made a whip of cords and drove them all out of the temple courts, with the sheep and the oxen. He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.

John 2:13-15 (NET)

And he said to them, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are turning it into a den of robbers!”

Matthew 21:13 (NET)

Then he began to teach them and said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have turned it into a den of robbers!”

Mark 11:17 (NET)

To those who sold the doves he said, “Take these things away from here! Do not make my Father’s house a marketplace!”

John 2:16 (NET)

The chief priests and the experts in the law heard it and they considered how they could assassinate him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed by his teaching.

Mark 11:18 (NET)

His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal (ζῆλος) for your house will devour me.”

John 2:17 (NET)

Paul actually distinguished between this kind of zeal and love: Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline or with love (ἀγάπῃ, a form of ἀγάπη) and a spirit of gentleness?^[6] And though I have no doubt that Jesus consciously fulfilled Scripture, the incidents were also remarkable because they were uncharacteristic and atypical of Him. The religious mind is all too eager to consider hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, and envying^[7] righteous indignation or zeal for God. Paul gave no law encouraging the religious mind not to lag in this kind of zeal.

The description continues, be enthusiastic in spirit (τῷ πνεύματι ζέοντες [a form of ζέω]), literally “this spirit boils” or “this boiling spirit.” If I put it back together I have, this haste not slothful, this boiling spirit. These words make sense if applied to a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria.^[8] He was an eloquent speaker, well-versed in the scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and with great enthusiasm (ζέων, another form of ζέω) he spoke and taught accurately the facts about Jesus (KJV: the Lord), although he knew only the baptism of John.^[9]

The danger of this kind of enthusiasm wasn’t actually revealed until the next chapter of Acts: Paul found some disciples in Ephesus and said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”^[10] It gives me a different impression when Apollos began to speak out fearlessly (παρρησιάζεσθαι, a form of παῤῥησιάζομαι) in the synagogue.^[11] I contrast it to Paul and Barnabas in Iconium, παρρησιαζόμενοι ἐπὶ τῷ κυρίῳ (literally, “speaking freely upon the Lord”). Here, I think, Paul and Barnabas relied on the Lord rather than their own “fearlessness” and He testified to the message of his grace, granting miraculous signs and wonders to be performed through their hands.^[12]

Priscilla and Aquila, who had spent time with Paul,^[13] slowed Apollos’ haste (without dampening his enthusiasm): when Priscilla and Aquila heard him [speak out fearlessly in the synagogue], they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately.^[14] Apollos traveled from Ephesus to Achaia. When he arrived, he assisted greatly those who had believed by grace,^[15] the sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual partners, practicing homosexuals, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, the verbally abusive, and swindlers^[16] who had responded to Paul’s presentation of the Gospel.^[17] (No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, Jesus said, and I will raise him up at the last day.^[18]) Apollos greatly assisted them, not by browbeating them to live better lives, but by preoccupying those who might have done so: for he refuted the Jews (Ἰουδαίοις, a form of Ἰουδαῖος) vigorously in public debate, demonstrating from the scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.^[19]

This haste not slothful, this boiling spirit, serve (δουλεύοντες, a form of δουλεύω) the Lord,^[20] or serving the Lord,^[21] or “this Lord enslaved,” or “enslaved to this Lord.” Ordinarily I might think of being enslaved as a negative thing. But Paul compared the slavery of righteousness to the slavery of sin (admittedly, speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh), just as you once presented your members as slaves (δοῦλα, a form of δοῦλος) to impurity and lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves (δοῦλα, a form of δοῦλος) to righteousness leading to sanctification.^[22]

For we too were once foolish, Paul wrote to Titus, disobedient, misled, enslaved (δουλεύοντες, a form of δουλεύω) to various passions and desires, spending our lives in evil and envy, hateful and hating one another.^[23] If I think of serving (δουλεύοντες, a form of δουλεύω) the Lord or being enslaved to the Lord as something like the work I do to please my employer, I will think that I am obeying a rule: serve the Lord. If on the other hand I think of serving (δουλεύοντες, a form of δουλεύω) the Lord or being enslaved to the Lord as something more like being enslaved (δουλεύοντες, a form of δουλεύω) to various passions and desires, well, that’s more like what I did on the weekends after work.

And I think that is more like the δουλεύοντες Paul described here, the natural (super-natural) outpouring of this boiling spirit. In fact, I should work for my employer in this same way and not like I used to work before I was enslaved to the Lord. Slaves, obey (ὑπακούετε, a form of ὑπακούω) your human masters with fear and trembling, Paul wrote the Ephesians, in the sincerity (ἁπλότητι, a form of ἁπλότης) of your heart (καρδίας, a form of καρδία) as to Christ, not like those who do their work only when someone is watching – as people-pleasers – but as slaves (δοῦλοι, a form of δοῦλος) of Christ doing the will of God from the heart (ψυχῆς, a form of ψυχή). Obey with enthusiasm (εὐνοίας, a form of εὔνοια), as though serving (δουλεύοντες, a form of δουλεύω) the Lord and not people…^[24]

Part of the definition of ἁπλότητι in the NET is “free from pretence and hypocrisy,” “not self seeking.” This ἁπλότητι comes from the love that is not self-serving.^[25] All of this is accomplished as slaves (δοῦλοι, a form of δοῦλος) of Christ, not as someone in some wretched social condition but as one whose attitudes and actions are produced by the fruit of the Holy Spirit: For the love of Christ controls (συνέχει, a form of συνέχω) us…^[26] Doing the will of God from the heart^[27]…with enthusiasm (or, good will), as^[28]… serving (or, enslaved to) the Lord and not people. We have died to what controlled (κατειχόμεθα, a form of κατέχω) us, so that we may serve (δουλεύειν, a form of δουλεύω) in the new life of the Spirit and not under the old written code.^[29]

And so I have, “this haste not slothful, this boiling spirit, enslaved to the Lord.” Transforming a description of Love…without hypocrisy into three rules—Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord—may be equivalent to the παρρησιάζεσθαι of Apollos in the synagogue, but it will never rival the παρρησιαζόμενοι ἐπὶ τῷ κυρίῳ of Paul and Barnabas in Iconium. For it lacks all the power of God.

Romans, Part 60

Back to Condemnation or Judgment? – Part 11

Back to Romans, Part 87

Back to My Deeds, Part 3

^[1] Romans 12:11a (NET)

^[2] 2 Corinthians 8:6-8 (NET)

^[3] 2 Corinthians 9:2a (NET)

^[4] Romans 12:9a (NET)

^[5] Romans 12:8 (NET)

^[6] 1 Corinthians 4:21b (NET)

^[7] Galatians 5:19, 20 (NET)

^[8] Acts 18:24a (NET)

^[9] Acts 18:24b, 25 (NET) Table

^[10] Acts 19:2 (NET)

^[11] Acts 18:26a (NET)

^[12] Acts 14:3 (NET)

^[13] Acts 18:2, 3 (NET)

^[14] Acts 18:26b (NET)

^[15] Acts 18:27b (NET)

^[16] 1 Corinthians 6:9b, 10a (NET) Table

^[17] 1 Corinthians 6:11 (NET)

^[18] John 6:44 (NET)

^[19] Acts 18:28 (NET)

^[20] Romans 12:11 (NET) Table

^[21] Romans 12:11 (NAS)

^[22] Romans 6:19 (NET)

^[23] Titus 3:3 (NET)

^[24] Ephesians 6:5-7 (NET)

^[25] 1 Corinthians 13:5 (NET)

^[26] 2 Corinthians 5:14a (NET)

^[27] The NET note on obey in verse 7: “Though the verb does not appear again at this point in the passage, it is nonetheless implied and supplied in the English translation for the sake of clarity.”

^[28] I don’t see anything to translate though in the Greek. This is not something to be faked as though, but is the real righteousness of God, the love that is the fulfillment of the law..

^[29] Romans 7:6b (NET)

Romans, Part 50

Posted on February 6, 2014 by admin

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.

Romans, Part 51

Back to Condemnation or Judgment? – Part 5

Back to Romans, Part 76

Back to Romans, Part 86

Back to Who Am I? Part 6

Back to To Make Holy, Part 5

^[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

The Gospel and the Religious Mind

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

Tag Archives: 1 Corinthians 4:21