Tag Archives: 1 Peter 4:8

Son of God – 1 John, Part 3

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Dear friends, John wrote to fellow believers, let us love (ἀγαπῶμεν, a form of ἀγαπάω)[1] one another, because love (ἀγάπη)[2] is from God, and everyone who loves (ἀγαπῶν, another form of ἀγαπάω) has been fathered (γεγέννηται, a form of γεννάω)[3] by God and knows (γινώσκει, a form of γινώσκω)[4] God.[5]  John used the word ἀγαπῶμεν over and over again in his letters to describe this love (ἀγάπη).

For this is the gospel message that you have heard from the beginning: that we should love (ἵνα ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους) one another…[6]  We know that we have crossed over from death to life because we love (ὅτι ἀγαπῶμεν τοὺς ἀδελφούς) our fellow Christians.[7]  Little children, let us not love (μὴ ἀγαπῶμεν λόγῳ μηδὲ τῇ γλώσσῃ) with word or with tongue but in deed and truth.[8]  Now this is his commandment: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love (καὶ ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους) one another, just as he gave us the commandment.[9]  No one has seen God at any time.  If we love (ἐὰν ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους) one another, God resides in us, and his love (ἀγάπη) is perfected in us.[10]  We love (ἡμεῖς ἀγαπῶμεν) because he loved (ἠγάπησεν, another form of ἀγαπάω) us first.[11]  By this we know that we love (ὅτι ἀγαπῶμεν τὰ τέκνα τοῦ θεοῦ) the children of God: whenever we love (ὅταν τὸν θεὸν ἀγαπῶμεν καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ ποιῶμεν) God and obey his commandments.[12]  But now I ask you, lady (not as if I were writing a new commandment to you, but the one we have had from the beginning), that we love (ἵνα ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους)[13] one another.[14]

This love (ἀγάπη) is from God,[15] not from us.  It is the love (ἀγάπη) that does no wrong to a neighbor, and the love (ἀγάπη) that is the fulfillment of the law.[16]  It is the love (ἀγάπη) that is patient, the love (ἀγάπη) that is kind, and the love (ἀγάπη) that does not brag.[17]  It is the love (ἀγάπη) that never ends as opposed to prophecies, tongues and knowledge that will be set aside.[18]  It is one of the three that remain along with faith and hope, but the greatest of these is love (ἀγάπη).[19]  It is the love (ἀγάπη) of Christ[20] that controls (συνέχει, a form of συνέχω)[21] us,[22] and it is the love that holds the preeminent place in the fruit of his Spirit: But the fruit of the Spirit is love (ἀγάπη), joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.[23]

John emphasized, everyone who loves has been fathered (γεγέννηται, a form of γεννάω) by God and knows (γινώσκει, a form of γινώσκω) God.[24]  The person who does not love (ἀγαπῶν, another form of ἀγαπάω) me, Jesus said, does not obey (τηρεῖ, a form of τηρέω)[25] my words.  And the word you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me.[26]  And Paul wrote, the one who loves (ἀγαπῶν, another form of ἀγαπάω) his neighbor has fulfilled the law.[27]

This love is the natural (e.g., super-natural) state of those born (γεννηθῇ, another form of  γεννάω) from above,[28] born (γεννηθῇ) of water and spirit,[29] not born (ἐγεννήθησαν, another form of  γεννάω) by human parents (οὐκ ἐξ αἱμάτων, literally, “not out of blood”) or by human desire (οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος σαρκὸς, literally, “neither out from the will of the flesh”) or a husband’s decision (οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος ἀνδρὸς, literally, “neither out from the will of a husband”), but by God (ἀλλ᾿ ἐκ θεοῦ ἐγεννήθησαν, literally, “but out from God born”).[30]

If you know (εἰδῆτε, a form of εἴδω)[31] that he is righteous, John wrote, you also know (γινώσκετε, another form of γινώσκω) that everyone who practices righteousness has been fathered (γεγέννηται) by him.[32]  Everyone who has been fathered (γεγεννημένος, another form of γεννάω) by God does not practice sin, because God’s seed resides in him, and thus he is not able to sin, because he has been fathered (γεγέννηται) by God.[33]  Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been fathered (γεγέννηται, a form of γεννάω) by God…[34]

I am the good shepherd, Jesus said.  I know (γινώσκω) my own and my own know (γινώσκουσι, another form of γινώσκω) me – just as the Father knows (γινώσκει, another form of γινώσκω) me and I know (γινώσκω) the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep.[35]  And John added, The person who does not love (ἀγαπῶν, another form of ἀγαπάω) does not know (ἔγνω, another form of γινώσκω) God, because God is love (ἀγάπη).[36]  The point here is not for me to act like a hypocrite and turn Paul’s definition of  ἀγάπη into a list of rules I strive to obey to con people into believing that I have been fathered by God.  The point is for me to believe Him and receive all that He has given to me in Christ.

By this the love (ἀγάπη) of God is revealed in us: that God has sent his one and only Son into the world so that we may live through him.  In this is love (ἀγάπη): not that we have loved (ἠγαπήκαμεν, another form of ἀγαπάω) God, but that he loved (ἠγάπησεν, another form of ἀγαπάω) us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.[37]

Dear friends (Ἀγαπητοί, a form of ἀγαπητός),[38] John continued, if God so loved (ἠγάπησεν, another form of ἀγαπάω) us, then we also ought to love (ἀγαπᾶν, another form of ἀγαπάω) one another.  No one has seen God at any time.  If we love (ἀγαπῶμεν, another form of ἀγαπάω) one another, God resides in us, and his love (ἀγάπη) is perfected in us.[39]  Once again, lest I stray into hypocrisy believing that this ἀγάπη originates with me so that I may prove that God resides in me, John made it plain.  By this we know (γινώσκομεν, another form of γινώσκω) that we reside in God and he in us: in that he has given us of his Spirit,[40] both gifts and fruit.  And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world,[41] i.e., through his ἀγάπη (God has sent his one and only Son into the world so that we may live through him).

Then John connected knowing and believing this ἀγάπη with confessing that Jesus is the Son of God:  If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God resides in him and he in God.  And we have come to know (ἐγνώκαμεν, another form of γινώσκω) and to believe (πεπιστεύκαμεν, a form of πιστεύω)[42] the love (ἀγάπην, another form of ἀγάπη) that God has in us [Table].[43]  I began this study of the Son of God because I was curious[44] how Peter, James and John followed through on Jesus’ command to tell (after his resurrection)[45] about the vision when a voice from the cloud said, “This is my one dear Son, in whom I take great delight.  Listen to him!”[46]

Peter obeyed Jesus’ command to the letter.  He recounted the story of the transfiguration.[47]  But John wrote more in the spirit of Jesus’ command about the Son of God and all that meant.  From the very beginning of his ministry Paul proclaimed that Jesus was the Son of God: For several days [Paul][48] was with the disciples in Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “This man is the Son of God.”[49]  And the writings of John and Paul most vividly portray the truth, And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has in us.  I can’t say much about Peter’s knowledge or faith, but his writing did not convey this same knowledge and faith in God’s love.

You have not seen him, Peter wrote, but you love (ἀγαπᾶτε, a form of ἀγαπάω) him.  You do not see him now but you believe in him, and so you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, because you are attaining the goal of your faith – the salvation of your souls.[50]  This sounds like my feeling for Jesus rather than his ἀγάπη in us.  You have purified your souls by obeying the truth, Peter continued, in order to show sincere mutual love (φιλαδελφίαν, a form of φιλαδελφία).  So love (ἀγαπήσατε, a form of ἀγαπάω) one another earnestly from a pure heart.[51]  This sounds like our love for each other.  Perhaps brotherly affection and ἀγάπη were essentially interchangeable in the Greek language when Peter wrote.  But this usage doesn’t indicate any appreciation for the meaning that Paul ascribed to the ἀγάπη from God, or that John carried forward in his Gospel and letters.

Peter continued to make brotherly affection equivalent to ἀγάπη.  Honor all people, love (ἀγαπᾶτε, a form of ἀγαπάω) the family of believers, fear God, honor the king.[52]  Above all keep your love (ἀγάπην, a form of ἀγάπη) for one another fervent, because love (ἀγάπη) covers a multitude of sins.[53]  The love in this quotation of Proverbs 10:12 was φιλία[54] in the Septuagint not ἀγάπη.  And Peter used ἀγάπη to describe a religious rite: Greet one another with a loving (ἀγάπης, a form of ἀγάπη) kiss.[55]

He did grant some ascendency to ἀγάπη over φιλαδελφίᾳ (brotherly affection) when he wrote, make every effort to add to your faith excellence, to excellence, knowledge; to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness; to godliness, brotherly affection (φιλαδελφίαν, a form of φιλαδελφίᾳ); to brotherly affection (φιλαδελφίᾳ), unselfish love (ἀγάπην, a form of ἀγάπη).[56]  But while I was busy adding all of these things to my faith I failed to understand that God’s divine power has bestowed on us everything necessary for life and godliness through the rich knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence.[57]  Or I thought the rich knowledge of the one who called us and the key to this life and godliness was the law.  

In other words I mistook the knowledge of sin[58] for the knowledge of God,[59] that intimate form of knowing alluded to in Romans 7:4, God is ἀγάπη,[60] ἀγάπη is from God,[61] and ἀγάπη is the fulfillment (πλήρωμα;[62] fulfilling KJV) of the law.[63]  Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets, Jesus said.  I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfill (πληρῶσαι, a form of πληρόω)[64] them.[65]  Apart from Paul’s and John’s writings I never would have understood that this ἀγάπη from God was the fruit of the Spirit, and, in a word, the credited righteousness of God.

God is love, John wrote, and the one who resides in love resides in God, and God resides in him [Table].  By this love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because just as Jesus is, so also are we in this world.  There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears punishment has not been perfected in love.  We love because he loved us first.[66]  For this is the love of God: that we keep his commandments.  And his commandments do not weigh us down, because everyone who has been fathered by God conquers the world.  This is the conquering power that has conquered the world: our faith [i.e., in Him, yes, and in this love (ἀγάπην, another form of ἀγάπη) that God has in us].  Now who is the person who has conquered the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?[67]

If we accept the testimony of men, John continued, the testimony of God is greater [referring, I think, to the vision of the transfiguration], because this is the testimony of God that he has testified concerning his Son.  (The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has testified concerning his Son.)[68]  And this is the testimony… And here, I think, John made the ἀγάπη from God functionally equivalent[69] to the life that is eternal (Love never ends).[70]  God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  The one who has the Son has this eternal life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have this eternal life.  I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.[71]

And finally having received this ἀγάπη from God (Give us today our daily bread[72]):  We know that everyone fathered by God does not sin, but God protects the one he has fathered, and the evil one (πονηρὸς, a form of πονηρός)[73] cannot touch him.  [And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one (πονηροῦ, another form of πονηρός).[74]]  We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one (πονηρῷ, another form of πονηρός).  And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us insight to know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ.  This one is the true God and eternal life.  Little children, guard yourselves from idols.[75]

It takes a religious mind to be in close proximity to this ἀγάπη from God and yet reject it for the self-aggrandizing vindication of religious works.  For ignoring the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking instead to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.[76]  I’ve been there, and I’ve done that.

I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things – indeed, I regard them as dung! – that I may gain Christ,  and be found in him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but because I have the righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness – a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ’s faithfulness.  My aim is to know him, to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.[77]

[5] 1 John 4:7 (NET)

[6] 1 John 3:11 (NET)

[7] 1 John 3:14 (NET)

[8] 1 John 3:18 (NET)

[9] 1 John 3:23 (NET)

[10] 1 John 4:12 (NET)

[11] 1 John 4:19 (NET)

[12] 1 John 5:2 (NET)

[13] Why was “should” inserted into 1 John 3:11 (NET)? …that we should love one another… (ἵνα ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους).  1 John 4:19 (NET) We love because he loved us first (ἡμεῖς ἀγαπῶμεν, ὅτι αὐτὸς πρῶτος ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς).  1 John 5:2 (NET) By this we know that we love the children of God: whenever we love God and obey his commandments (ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν ὅτι ἀγαπῶμεν τὰ τέκνα τοῦ θεοῦ, ὅταν τὸν θεὸν ἀγαπῶμεν καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ ποιῶμεν).

[14] 2 John 1:5 (NET)

[15] 1 John 4:7 (NET)

[16] Romans 13:10 (NET)

[17] 1 Corinthians 13:4 (NET)

[18] 1 Corinthians 13:8 (NET)

[19] 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NET)

[20] NET note: “The phrase ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Χριστοῦ (Jh agaph tou Cristou, “the love of Christ”) could be translated as either objective genitive (‘our love for Christ’) or subjective genitive (‘Christ’s love for us’). Either is grammatically possible, but with the reference to Christ’s death for all in the following clauses, a subjective genitive (‘Christ’s love for us’) is more likely.”

[22] 2 Corinthians 5:14 (NET)

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

[24] 1 John 4:7 (NET)

[26] John 14:24 (NET)

[27] Romans 13:8 (NET)

[28] John 3:3 (NET)

[29] John 3:5 (NET)

[30] John 1:13 (NET)

[32] 1 John 2:29 (NET)

[33] 1 John 3:9 (NET)

[34] 1 John 5:1a (NET)

[35] John 10:14, 15 (NET)

[36] 1 John 4:8 (NET)

[37] 1 John 4:9, 10 (NET)

[39] 1 John 4:11, 12 (NET)

[40] 1 John 4:13 (NET)

[41] 1 John 4:14 (NET)

[43] 1 John 4:15, 16a (NET)

[46] Matthew 17:5 (NET)

[47] 2 Peter 1:16-18

[48] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ο σαυλος (KJV: Saul) nere.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[49] Acts 9:19b, 20 (NET) Table

[50] 1 Peter 1:8, 9 (NET)

[51] 1 Peter 1:22 (NET)

[52] 1 Peter 2:17 (NET)

[53] 1 Peter 4:8 (NET) Table

[55] 1 Peter 5:14a (NET)

[56] 2 Peter 1:5-7 (NET)

[57] 2 Peter 1:3 (NET)

[61] 1 John 4:7 (NET); love comes from God (CEV, GWT, ISVNT, TEV, TMSG); love has its origin in God (MSNT), Greek: ὅτι ἡ ἀγάπη ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν (“because this love [1) out of, from, by, away from] the God is”)

[65] Matthew 5:17 (NET)

[66] 1 John 4:16b-19 (NET)

[67] 1 John 5:3-5 (NET)

[68] 1 John 5:9, 10 (NET)

[71] 1 John 5:11-13 (NET)

[72] Matthew 6:11 (NET)

[74] Matthew 6:13 (NET)

[75] 1 John 5:18-21 (NET) Table (v. 18)

[76] Romans 10:3 (NET)

[77] Philippians 3:8-11 (NET)

Romans, Part 5

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I’m not homophobic in the sense that I find the idea so repugnant I can’t imagine it.  In my twenties I was homophobic in the sense that I watched the guy I was most likely to have sex with change from slightly effeminate to flaming queer in a matter of weeks.  I was afraid that might happen to me if I acted on my impulses.  Subsequently, I’ve been mistaken often enough in my assessments to know that men can be both homosexual and manly, but I haven’t revisited that youthful curiosity.  Recalling these things to write this essay I realize I was probably homophobic in another sense.  In my late teens I never even broached the subject with the guy I most wanted to have a sexual relationship with.  And he wasn’t even particularly physically attractive.  It was his mind and personality that appealed to me—to us.  My girlfriend and I talked about what it would be like to have sex with him.

As I write this, sitting in a crowded airport waiting for a flight, I realize that I may still be homophobic in the sense that I’m not entirely comfortable with people next to me looking over at my screen and seeing what’s written there.  But I want to get this written, and now is as good a time as any.  I’ve certainly gone round and round in my own mind concerned that if I acknowledged these things people might think I’m a latent homosexual.  I finally decided that even if I am it hasn’t caused any serious issues.  I’ve had my share of homoerotic fantasies, but all and all it has been relatively easy to write off those thoughts as sin in my flesh.

I was single for twenty years after my first divorce, half of my twenties, all of my thirties and the beginning of my forties.  Since I wasn’t pursuing women most people assumed I was gay or a pedophile.  Actually, I stayed single so long because soon after my first divorce I met the “only woman I would ever consider marrying again.”  She, of course, was already married—to a good friend.  So I had twenty years of intensive training in self-control.  (“Self,” by the way, has nothing to do with it.  It is ἐγκράτεια an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit.  Bible translators, I assume, are loathe to coin theological words like Holy-Spirit-control.)

So while I haven’t experienced the dilemma of homosexuality as part of my identity and self-image, I’m not completely unsympathetic either.  I began to really appreciate this dilemma through a film.  I enjoy movies as a way of experiencing things and people I may not otherwise experience.  Mostly I prefer R-rated dramas because when they deal with issues of sin and vice they tend to deal with them more honestly than PG comedies.  A PG comedy will often touch on all the same issues of sin and vice but it’s just for laughs, and everything works out in the end.  (It seems there are a lot more PG comedies with an R-rating these days.)

The movie that helped me experience the gay Christian dilemma is Save Me.  Chad Allen was one of the producers and principal actors along with Judith Light.  I first heard of Chad Allen because he played the dual role of Nate and Steve Saint, both the martyred missionary and his adult son confronted by the man who killed his father, in End of the Spear.  Searching online for others who enjoyed End of the Spear I learned that Chad Allen was a gay Christian. [December 10, 2014: I didn’t source “Christian” at the time and can’t find it now.]  The blog sites I read were full of debate, some from the filmmakers trying to justify themselves for using a gay actor in a Christian film and others from angry, indignant Christians who felt betrayed, some of whom never saw, and would never see, the movie.  When I stumbled across Save Me and recognized Chad Allen’s name I wanted to see it, even if it was his angry rebuttal and knee jerk response to the way he was treated by Christian bloggers after End of the Spear.

I say “stumbled across,” but I do look for out of the way films.  They are often much more interesting than blockbusters.  Don’t get me wrong.  I like blockbusters, too, and see them with my kids.  The Avengers, apart from being a comic book action adventure, is the best comedy I’ve seen all year.  But there are only so many wars between Autobots and Decepticons I can take before I need to see a movie about people.  Comparing and contrasting The Island (another Michael Bay film) and Never Let Me Go, for instance, is part of the joy of watching movies.  Part of the beauty and poignancy of the final line in Never Let Me Go, is that I expected, and maybe even hoped, that it would be more like The Island.

Still, I hesitate to recommend movies.  I come from a very conservative fundamentalist Christian background.  Some people just shouldn’t watch films; it’s like meat sacrificed to idols to them.

Frankly, I was blown away by Save Me.  What Chariots of Fire was to Christians and Jews Save Me is to gay Christians and those who aren’t so gay.  But that is not a recommendation to anyone unaccustomed to this kind of movie.  It opens with a sex scene intended to be as erotic as any heterosexual sex scene in R-rated movies.  It succeeds.  Then a few moments later the memory of that steamy sex scene is intended to ring hollow and empty and ultimately as unsatisfying to the viewer as it was to the protagonist played by Chad Allen.  Again, it succeeds.  Then the protagonist is forced into an Exodus-International-style gay rescue mission where we meet the antagonist played by Judith Light.

In a Michael Bay film with a setup like this, all movie buffs know the uppity Christian lady is about to get her comeuppance.  Not so in Save Me.  The antagonist is treated with as much respect as the protagonist.  (This is my “Spoiler Alert” for those who would find the movie ruined if they already knew the ending.)  Ultimately the protagonist is grateful for the antagonist’s love and concern that did rescue him from a life of drug and alcohol fueled promiscuity as he embarks on a new journey, hoping to love and live monogamously with a man he met at the rescue mission.  The antagonist crosses a great divide in her own heart to affirm her love for him even as she fears and regrets his choice.

The final thing the movie did for me was introduce me to the Gay Christian Network, people learning to coexist and commune with one another despite their division into “Side A,” those who believe God blesses same-sex marriages, and “Side B,” those who believe that God calls gay Christians to lifelong celibacy.

I don’t care much for arguments that attempt to justify homosexual acts by law, but I am constantly reminded of James’ enigmatic saying, My1 brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, he should know that the one who turns a sinner back from his wandering path will save that person’s2 soul from death and will cover (καλύψει, a form of καλύπτω) a multitude (πλῆθος) of sins (ἁμαρτιῶν, a form of ἁμαρτία).3  Then I am reminded of Peter’s similar saying regarding love.  Above4 all, Peter wrote, keep your love (ἀγάπην, a form of ἀγάπη) for one another fervent, because love (ἀγάπη) covers5 (καλύπτει, another form of καλύπτω) a multitude (πλῆθος) of sins (ἁμαρτιῶν, a form of ἁμαρτία).6

Will love cover the multitude of homosexual sins?  I don’t know.  Apparently there are gay Christians who are all-in, as it were, conducting that faith experiment for me.  I can certainly appreciate that to one who came out of a life of drug and alcohol fueled promiscuity, a stable, committed relationship might look like the promised land.  I certainly know that “Further” isn’t always written on my bus.  I’ve reached many plateaus in my journey.  Twenty years lusting after a married woman isn’t something I’m particularly proud of, but the Lord was always patient with me, and eventually I learned a lot.  And yes, many people attempted to dissuade me from staying there so long.  But it’s hard to give up on the “only woman I would ever consider marrying again.”

To get back to Paul’s letter to the Romans I want to jump ahead just a little and say something about the wrath (ὀργὴ) of God…revealed (Ἀποκαλύπτεται, a form of ἀποκαλύπτω) from heaven.7  Paul wrote, For while we were still8 helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  (For rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person perhaps someone might possibly dare to die.)  But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, because we have now been declared righteous (δικαιωθέντες, a form of δικαιόω) by his blood, we will be saved (σωθησόμεθα, a form of σώζω) through him from God’s wrath (ὀργῆς, another form of ὀργή).9

Had anyone else written these lines anywhere else I would assume that the writer meant some future wrath.  But Paul wrote these lines in his letter to the Romans after spending so much ink discussing the wrath of God revealed from heaven: God in his wrath gave me over to impurity, to dishonorable passions, and to a depraved mind.  Is this the wrath He intends to save me from?  It encourages me to pray again, God, be merciful to me, sinner that I am!10 and to reach up, figuratively speaking, to the destination marquee of my bus and twist the dial to “Further.”11

 

Addendum: May 21, 2020
NET note 24 indicated that Peter quoted Proverbs 10:12.   He didn’t quote the Septuagint.

1 Peter 4:8b (NET Parallel Greek)

 Proverbs 10:12b (Septuagint BLB)

Proverbs 10:12b (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἀγάπη καλύπτει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν πάντας δὲ τοὺς μὴ φιλονεικοῦντας καλύπτει φιλία πάντας δὲ τοὺς μὴ φιλονεικοῦντας καλύπτει φιλία

1 Peter 4:8b (NET)

 Proverbs 10:12b (NETS)

Proverbs 10:12b (English Elpenor)
love covers a multitude of sins. but friendship covers all who are not fond of strife. but affection covers all that do not love strife.

Here is a table comparing English translations of Proverbs 10:12 from the Masoretic text and Septuagint.

Masoretic Text

 Septuagint
Proverbs 10:12 (Tanakh) Proverbs 10:12 (NET) Proverbs 10:12 (NETS)

Proverbs 10:12 (Elpenor English)
Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love (אַהֲבָֽה) covereth all sins (פְּ֜שָׁעִ֗ים). Hatred stirs up dissension, but love (ʼahăbâh, אהבה) covers all transgressions (peshaʽ, פשעים). Hatred stirs up strife, but friendship (φιλία) covers all who are not fond of strife (φιλονεικοῦντας). Hatred stirs up strife; but affection (φιλία) covers all that do not love strife (φιλονεικοῦντας).

Did Peter do his own translation into Greek from Hebrew?  The Hebrew word אַהֲבָֽה (‘ahăḇâ; Tanakh: love) in the Masoretic text was the noun φιλία in the Septuagint but ἀγάπη in Peter’s letter.  The rabbis who translated the Septuagint chose the verb ἀγαπᾶν (a form of ἀγαπάω) for another form מֵאַֽהֲבַ֨ת (ʼahăbâh) in the following verse.

Masoretic Text

 Septuagint
Deuteronomy 7:8 (Tanakh) Deuteronomy 7:8 (NET) Deuteronomy 7:8 (NETS)

Deuteronomy 7:8 (Elpenor English)
but because HaShem loved (מֵאַֽהֲבַ֨ת) you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore unto your fathers, hath HaShem brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Rather it is because of his love (ʼahăbâh, מאהבת) for you and his faithfulness to the promise he solemnly vowed to your ancestors that the Lord brought you out with great power, redeeming you from the place of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Rather, because the Lord loved (ἀγαπᾶν) you, and since he was keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, the Lord brought you out with a strong hand and with a high arm and redeemed you from a house of slavery, from the hand of Pharao king of Egypt. But because the Lord loved (ἀγαπᾶν) you, and as keeping the oath which he sware to your fathers, the Lord brought you out with a strong hand, and the Lord redeemed thee from the house of bondage, out of the hand of Pharao king of Egypt.

The Hebrew word פְּ֜שָׁעִ֗ים (peshaʽ; Tanakh: sins) in the Masoretic text was φιλονεικοῦντας (a form of φιλονεικέω) and ἁμαρτιῶν (a form of ἁμαρτία) in Peter’s letter.  The rabbis chose ἁμαρτήματα (a form of ἁμάρτημα) for another לְפִשְׁעֲכֶ֖ם (peshaʽ) in the following verse.

Masoretic Text

 Septuagint
Joshua 24:19 (Tanakh) Joshua 24:19 (NET) Joshua 24:19 (NETS)

Joshua 24:19 (Elpenor English)
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions (לְפִשְׁעֲכֶ֖ם) nor your sins. Joshua warned the people, “You will not keep worshiping the Lord, for he is a holy God.  He is a jealous God who will not forgive your rebellion (peshaʽ, לפשעכם) or your sins. And Iesous said to the people, “You will not be able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy god.  And since he is jealous, he will not forgive your sins (ἁμαρτήματα) and your acts of lawlessness. And Joshua said to the people, Indeed ye will not be able to serve the Lord, for God is holy; and he being jealous will not forgive your sins (ἁμαρτήματα) and your transgressions.

Peter’s quotation gives me confidence that the Masoretic text is closer to the original Hebrew than the Septuagint here.  In this proverb the rabbis didn’t understand אַהֲבָֽה (ʼahăbâh) as God’s love, but as human affection.  They couldn’t see then any way that human affection covers (Masoretic text: kâsâh, תְּכַסֶּ֥ה; Septuagint: καλύπτει, a form of καλύπτω; Peter’s letter: καλύπτει) all sins, only all that do not love strife.

The word all is interesting.  It was כָּל (kôl) in the Masoretic text, πάντας (a form of πᾶς) in the Septuagint, yet Peter chose πλῆθος (NET: a multitude).  Peter, after some had called the Holy Spirit Beelzebul (Matthew 12:22-32), had heard Jesus say: people will be forgiven for every (πᾶσα, another form of πᾶς) sin (ἁμαρτία) and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.12

I won’t spend any more time here trying to understand why the contemporary translation of the Masoretic text into English in the Tanakh is more like Peter’s translation than that of the rabbis who translated the Septuagint.  I’ll simply thank God for it.

Tables comparing Proverbs 10:12; Deuteronomy 7:8 and Joshua 24:19 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and comparing Proverbs 10:12; Deuteronomy 7:8 and Joshua 24:19 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor) follow.  Tables comparing James 5:19, 20; 1 Peter 4:8; Romans 5:6 and Matthew 12:31 in the NET and KJV follow those.

Proverbs 10:12 (Tanakh)

 Proverbs 10:12 (KJV)

Proverbs 10:12 (NET)
Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins. Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins. Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers all transgressions.

Proverbs 10:12 (Septuagint BLB)

Proverbs 10:12 (Septuagint Elpenor)
μῗσος ἐγείρει νεῗκος πάντας δὲ τοὺς μὴ φιλονεικοῦντας καλύπτει φιλία μῖσος ἐγείρει νεῖκος, πάντας δὲ τοὺς μὴ φιλονεικοῦντας καλύπτει φιλία

Proverbs 10:12 (NETS)

Proverbs 10:12 (English Elpenor)
Hatred stirs up strife, but friendship covers all who are not fond of strife. Hatred stirs up strife; but affection covers all that do not love strife.

Deuteronomy 7:8 (Tanakh)

 Deuteronomy 7:8 (KJV)

Deuteronomy 7:8 (NET)
but because HaShem loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore unto your fathers, hath HaShem brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Rather it is because of his love for you and his faithfulness to the promise he solemnly vowed to your ancestors that the Lord brought you out with great power, redeeming you from the place of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 7:8 (Septuagint BLB)

Deuteronomy 7:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὸ ἀγαπᾶν κύριον ὑμᾶς καὶ διατηρῶν τὸν ὅρκον ὃν ὤμοσεν τοῗς πατράσιν ὑμῶν ἐξήγαγεν κύριος ὑμᾶς ἐν χειρὶ κραταιᾷ καὶ ἐν βραχίονι ὑψηλῷ καὶ ἐλυτρώσατο ἐξ οἴκου δουλείας ἐκ χειρὸς Φαραω βασιλέως Αἰγύπτου ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὸ ἀγαπᾶν Κύριον ὑμᾶς καὶ διατηρῶν τὸν ὅρκον, ὃν ὤμοσε τοῖς πατράσιν ὑμῶν, ἐξήγαγεν ὑμᾶς Κύριος ἐν χειρὶ κραταιᾷ καὶ βραχίονι ὑψηλῷ καὶ ἐλυτρώσατό σε Κύριος ἐξ οἴκου δουλείας, ἐκ χειρὸς Φαραὼ βασιλέως Αἰγύπτου

Deuteronomy 7:8 (NETS)

Deuteronomy 7:8 (English Elpenor)
Rather, because the Lord loved you, and since he was keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, the Lord brought you out with a strong hand and with a high arm and redeemed you from a house of slavery, from the hand of Pharao king of Egypt. But because the Lord loved you, and as keeping the oath which he sware to your fathers, the Lord brought you out with a strong hand, and the Lord redeemed thee from the house of bondage, out of the hand of Pharao king of Egypt.

Joshua 24:19 (Tanakh)

 Joshua 24:19 (KJV)

Joshua 24:19 (NET)
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. Joshua warned the people, “You will not keep worshiping the Lord, for he is a holy God.  He is a jealous God who will not forgive your rebellion or your sins.

Joshua 24:19 (Septuagint BLB)

Joshua 24:19 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν Ἰησοῦς πρὸς τὸν λαόν οὐ μὴ δύνησθε λατρεύειν κυρίῳ ὅτι θεὸς ἅγιός ἐστιν καὶ ζηλώσας οὗτος οὐκ ἀνήσει ὑμῶν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα καὶ τὰ ἀνομήματα ὑμῶν καὶ εἶπεν ᾿Ιησοῦς πρὸς τὸν λαόν· οὐ μὴ δύνησθε λατρεύειν Κυρίῳ, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἅγιός ἐστι, καὶ ζηλώσας οὗτος οὐκ ἀνήσει τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ὑμῶν καὶ τὰ ἀνομήματα ὑμῶν

Joshua 24:19 (NETS)

Joshua 24:19 (English Elpenor)
And Iesous said to the people, “You will not be able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy god.  And since he is jealous, he will not forgive your sins and your acts of lawlessness. And Joshua said to the people, Indeed ye will not be able to serve the Lord, for God is holy; and he being jealous will not forgive your sins and your transgressions.

James 5:19, 20 (NET)

James 5:19, 20 (KJV)
My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
Ἀδελφοί μου, ἐάν τις ἐν ὑμῖν πλανηθῇ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ ἐπιστρέψῃ τις αὐτόν αδελφοι εαν τις εν υμιν πλανηθη απο της αληθειας και επιστρεψη τις αυτον αδελφοι εαν τις εν υμιν πλανηθη απο της αληθειας και επιστρεψη τις αυτον
he should know that the one who turns a sinner back from his wandering path will save that person’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
|γινωσκέτω| ὅτι ὁ ἐπιστρέψας ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐκ πλάνης ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ σώσει ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐκ θανάτου καὶ καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν γινωσκετω οτι ο επιστρεψας αμαρτωλον εκ πλανης οδου αυτου σωσει ψυχην εκ θανατου και καλυψει πληθος αμαρτιων γινωσκετω οτι ο επιστρεψας αμαρτωλον εκ πλανης οδου αυτου σωσει ψυχην εκ θανατου και καλυψει πληθος αμαρτιων

1 Peter 4:8 (NET)

1 Peter 4:8 (KJV)
Above all keep your love for one another fervent, because love covers a multitude of sins. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
πρὸ πάντων τὴν εἰς ἑαυτοὺς ἀγάπην ἐκτενῆ ἔχοντες, ὅτι ἀγάπη καλύπτει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν προ παντων δε την εις εαυτους αγαπην εκτενη εχοντες οτι αγαπη καλυψει πληθος αμαρτιων προ παντων δε την εις εαυτους αγαπην εκτενη εχοντες οτι αγαπη καλυψει πληθος αμαρτιων

Romans 5:6 (NET)

Romans 5:6 (KJV)
For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
| Ἔτι γὰρ| Χριστὸς ὄντων ἡμῶν ἀσθενῶν ἔτι κατὰ καιρὸν ὑπὲρ ἀσεβῶν ἀπέθανεν ετι γαρ χριστος οντων ημων ασθενων κατα καιρον υπερ ασεβων απεθανεν ετι γαρ χριστος οντων ημων ασθενων κατα καιρον υπερ ασεβων απεθανεν

Matthew 12:31 (NET)

Matthew 12:31 (KJV)
For this reason I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
Διὰ τοῦτο λέγω ὑμῖν, πᾶσα ἁμαρτία καὶ βλασφημία ἀφεθήσεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ἡ δὲ τοῦ πνεύματος βλασφημία οὐκ ἀφεθήσεται δια τουτο λεγω υμιν πασα αμαρτια και βλασφημια αφεθησεται τοις ανθρωποις η δε του πνευματος βλασφημια ουκ αφεθησεται τοις ανθρωποις δια τουτο λεγω υμιν πασα αμαρτια και βλασφημια αφεθησεται τοις ανθρωποις η δε του πνευματος βλασφημια ουκ αφεθησεται τοις ανθρωποις

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

2 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had αὐτοῦ here.  The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not (KJV: a).

3 James 5:19, 20 (NET)

4 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε (KJV: And) near the beginning of this clause.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

5 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had καλύπτει here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had καλυψει (KJV: shall cover).

6 1 Peter 4:8 (NET)

7 Romans 1:18 (NET)

8 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἔτι here and at the beginning of the clause.  The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had it only at the beginning of the clause.

9 Romans 5:6-9 (NET)

10 Luke 18:13 (NET) Table

12 Matthew 12:31 (NET)  The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τοις ανθρωποις (KJV: unto men) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.