Introduction

Posted on October 28, 2024 by admin

I heard a sermon recently that transported me back to the fourth quarter of my seventeenth year. Actually, I heard it twice, but it didn’t click the first time. The sermon was from Genesis 19.

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah receded into the fiery background of the source of sorrow: Even the righteous stray from God’s righteousness. Don’t compromise with the world, was the application. And the empowering grace was: I can trust God to punish me for my sins—eventually. The fear factor,¹ which was probably also intended as motivation, was that even though Lot was saved, he lost everything, particularly his wealth.

To any who would strive to become the righteousness of God² by obeying applications, “Don’t compromise with the world,” offers the vaguest direction possible and the widest possible latitude for those who would police others. This sermon confronted me with my church and my own religious beliefs at seventeen.

Though the text wasn’t mentioned explicitly, the empowering grace reminded me of the Lord’s words to Moses (Exodus 34:6a, 7b ESV).

The Lord passed before [Moses] and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord [Table]…who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation” [Table].

My actual experience at that time helps now to clarify the empowering grace that I misunderstood then: You can’t trust God to punish you for your sins in the near term, because He is (Exodus 34:6b, 7a ESV):

…a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness [Table], keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin [Table]…

I don’t recall being led to Exodus 34:6, 7 at seventeen. I may have received it then as more evidence that “God’ll getcha if you don’t watch out!”³ As my last hope for God’s existence—my faith that God would punish me for my sin in the near term—proved false (and after a very brief last ditch effort to retain some faith in Him as evil), I became an atheist.

Now, fifty-three years later, I’ll look more closely at the Scripture He brought to mind in response to this sermon.

Exodus 34:6, 7 (Tanakh)	Exodus 34:6, 7 (NET)	Exodus 34:6, 7 (NETS)	Exodus 34:6, 7 (English Elpenor)
And HaShem passed by before [Moses], and proclaimed: ‘The HaShem, HaShem, G-d, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth [Table];	The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed: “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness,	And the Lord passed by before his face, and he called, “The Lord, the Lord God is compassionate and merciful, patient and very merciful and truthful [Table]	And the Lord passed by before his face, and proclaimed, The Lord God, pitiful and merciful, longsuffering and very compassionate, and true,
keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means (יְנַקֶּ֔ה) clear (וְנַקֵּה֙) the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and unto the fourth generation’ [Table]	keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means (nāqâ, ינקה) leaves the guilty unpunished (nāqâ, ונקה), responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.”	and preserving righteousness and doing mercy for thousands, taking away acts of lawlessness and of injustice and sins, and he will not acquit (καθαριεῗ) the guilty person (τὸν ἔνοχον), bringing lawless acts of fathers upon children and upon children of children, upon the third and fourth generation” [Table].	and keeping justice and mercy for thousands, taking away iniquity, and unrighteousness, and sins; and he will not clear (καθαριεῖ) the guilty (τὸν ἔνοχον); bringing the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and to the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.

In the Tanakh on chabad.org the Hebrew verbs וְנַקֵּה֙ (nāqâ) and יְנַקֶּ֔ה (nāqâ) separated by a negative particle לֹ֣א (lō’) were translated, He does not completely clear [of sin]. The explanation of that clause is a bit clearer as well: He visits the iniquity of parents on children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generations.⁴ This characterizes the main point of this sermon as well as anything I heard in it: One’s sins show up again in one’s children—whether those children are actual biological descendants or not, I’ll add from my own experience.

I wouldn’t have recognized this as filling the position of empowering grace in this sermon apart from Brian Chapell’s book⁵ and the gentleness of the preacher. At seventeen, I had no children. I couldn’t imagine how seeing their own sins revisited in their children might impact parents, especially if they knew God through Exodus 34:6, 7. But being brought back, after so many years, to the final moments before I became an atheist has focused my attention on the time and the many trials and errors that have led me to this current moment. It prompts a question:

Is there anything I can do to help others shave a few years off that time, anything that might mitigate or eliminate the necessity of enduring some of those same trials or errors?

I hope to explore that possibility in future essays.

Exploration, Part 1

¹ The “fear factor” was not taught in the preaching course I’ve been taking. It is something I’ve noticed in some sermons. This particular fear factor is of questionable value since Job (Job 1-2) lost everything for a time, too.

² 2 Corinthians 5:21b (ESV) Table

³ Torture, Part 4

⁴ Exodus 34:7b (Tanakh)

⁵ Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon, 3rd Edition by Bryan Chapell

The Day of the Lord, Part 8

Posted on April 22, 2024 by admin

This is the conclusion of my consideration whether my assumption that Jesus called Judas Iscariot ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας (NET: the one destined for destruction) is like Jesus’ disciples’ discussion about having no bread¹ after He said: “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod!”² I’ll begin with a request John recorded that Jesus’ made of his Father (John 17:15 NET):

I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them safe from the evil one.

John 17:15 Detail
Greek	English
οὐκ ἐρωτῶ	I am not asking
ἵνα	“that”
ἄρῃς αὐτοὺς	you…take them
ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου	out of the world
ἀλλ᾿ ἵνα	but that
τηρήσῃς αὐτοὺς	you keep them…
ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ	from the evil…

John also recorded God’s answer to Jesus’ request (1 John 5:18 LSV):

We have known that everyone who has been begotten of God does not sin, but He who was begotten of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him;

1 John 5:18 Detail [Table]
Greek	English
Οἴδαμεν ὅτι	We have known (“and continue to know” Perfect Tense) that
πᾶς	everyone
ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ	who has been begotten (“and continues to be” Perfect Tense) of God
οὐχ ἁμαρτάνει	does not sin,
ἀλλ᾿	but
ὁ γεννηθεὶς ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ	He who was begotten of God
τηρεῖ αὐτόν ³	keeps him

I’ll pause here a moment to address the NET translators’ objection (NET note 50) to ὁ γεννηθεὶς ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ as a reference to Jesus.

The One fathered by God [Jesus] protects him [the Christian].” This is a popular interpretation, and is certainly possible grammatically. Yet the introduction of a reference to Jesus in this context is sudden; to be unambiguous the author could have mentioned the “Son of God” here, or used the pronoun ἐκεῖνος (ekeinos) as a reference to Jesus as he consistently does elsewhere in 1 John. This interpretation, while possible, seems in context highly unlikely.

As I mentioned in another essay, the NET translators’ confused everyone who has been begotten of God does not sin with “the Christian.” Listen to how differently John addressed “the Christian” (1 John 1:8-2:2 ESV):

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

John had very high expectations for My little children (Τεκνία μου): ἵνα μὴ ἁμάρτητε (that you may not sin) is a purpose clause in the subjunctive mood. But this expectation is different from the positive affirmation: We have known that everyone who has been begotten of God does not sin.⁴ For this reason I would amend the NET translators’ first statement: “The One fathered by God [Jesus] protects him [the new man].” So, their main objection that “the introduction of a reference to Jesus in this context is sudden” and therefore “highly unlikely” rests solely on a desire for John “to be unambiguous.”

Did John or the Holy Spirit intend “to be unambiguous” or, rather, did they intend to highlight the strong connection between πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ (everyone who has been begotten of God) and ὁ γεννηθεὶς ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ (He who was begotten of God)? Listen to another related request that Jesus made of his Father in the very same prayer (John 17:20, 21 LSV):

And I do not ask in regard to these alone, but also in regard to those who will be believing in Me through their word, that they all may be one, as You Father [are] in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one⁵ in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

So, to conclude God’s answer to Jesus’ previous request that his Father keep them:

1 John 5:18 Detail Continued [Table]
Greek	English
καὶ ὁ πονηρὸς	and the evil one
οὐχ ἅπτεται	does not touch
αὐτοῦ	him

As I mentioned in another essay, the translators’ understood autou as a personal pronoun in the genitive case: “The genitive case has more uses than most other cases, but in general a noun in the genitive case helps to limit the scope of another noun by indicating its ‘kind’ or ‘class’.” None of the English translations I found understood autou as an adverb. There are probably more uses of the genitive case than I can glean from these short definitions, but this seems to ignore the genitive case and treat autou as if it were in the accusative case. I’ve begun a new thread surveying the New Testament usage of αὐτοῦ and ἑαυτοῦ so I won’t belabor that here.

My point here is the focus and concern of Jesus’ prayer as He is no longer in the world (John 17:6-12 LSV):

I revealed Your Name to the men whom You have given to Me out of the world; they were Yours, and⁶ You have given them to Me, and they have kept Your word [Table]; now they have known that all things, as many as You have given to Me, are from You, because the sayings that You have given to Me, I have given to them, and they themselves received, and have known truly, that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me [Table]. I ask in regard to them; I do not ask in regard to the world, but in regard to those whom You have given to Me, because they are Yours, and all Mine are Yours, and Yours [are] Mine, and I have been glorified in them; and I am no longer in the world, and these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your Name, whom You have given to Me, that they may be one as We [are one]; when I was with them in the world, I was keeping them in Your Name; I guarded those whom You have given to Me, and none of them were destroyed, except the son of the destruction, that the Writing may be fulfilled [Table].

At the beginning of this passage I think it’s safe to say that Jesus prayed specifically for those to whom He had ministered personally: I revealed Your Name to the men whom You have given to Me out of the world; they were Yours, and You have given them to Me, and they have kept Your word.⁷ But then his gaze broadened: I ask in regard to them; I do not ask in regard to the world, but in regard to those whom You have given to Me, because they are Yours, and all Mine are Yours, and Yours [are] Mine, and I have been glorified in them.⁸

I say that Jesus’ gaze broadened here because John also recorded who Jesus would consider Mine, and therefore those whom You have given to Me, if he was crucified (John 12:27-33 LSV):

Now My soul has been troubled; and what will I say—Father, save Me from this hour? But because of this (John 12:20-26) I came to this hour; Father, glorify Your Name.” Therefore there came a voice out of Heaven, “I both glorified, and again I will glorify [it]”; the multitude, therefore, having stood and heard, were saying that there has been thunder; others said, “A messenger has spoken to Him.” Jesus⁹ answered and said, “This voice has not come because of Me, but because of you; now is a judgment of this world, now will the ruler of this world be cast forth; and I, if I may be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” And this He said signifying by what death He was about to die [Table];

John 17:12 Detail [Table]
Stephanus Textus Receptus	LSV	NET Parallel Greek	NET
οτε ημην μετ αυτων	when I was with them	ὅτε ἤμην μετ᾿ αὐτῶν	When I was with them
εν τω κοσμω	in the world
εγω ετηρουν αυτους	I was keeping them	ἐγὼ ἐτήρουν αὐτοὺς	I kept them safe
εν τω ονοματι σου	in Your Name	ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι σου	in your name
ους δεδωκας μοι	those whom You have given to Me	ᾧ δέδωκας μοι	that you have given me
εφυλαξα	I guarded	καὶ ἐφύλαξα	and watched over them
και ουδεις εξ αυτων	and none of them	καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐξ αὐτῶν	Not one of them
απωλετο	were destroyed	ἀπώλετο	was lost
ει μη	except	εἰ μὴ	except
ο υιος	the son	ὁ υἱὸς	the one destined
της απωλειας	of the destruction	τῆς ἀπωλείας	for destruction
ινα	that	ἵνα	so that
η γραφη πληρωθη	the Writing may be fulfilled	ἡ γραφὴ πληρωθῇ	the scripture could be fulfilled

The Greek phrase ουδεις εξ αυτων seems like a strange construction for none of them (LSV) and Not one of them (NET). Why not simply ουδεις αυτων? And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, yet none of them (οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν) was cleansed except (εἰ μὴ) Naaman¹⁰ the Syrian.¹¹ But John used ουδεις εξ three times.

Was he less proficient in Greek than Luke? I wondered. If John’s Gospel were written by a twenty-something John, I might accept that, but every indication is that it was written by the elder John who not only spent his youth with Jesus but enjoyed a lifetime with the indwelling Holy Spirit, making sense of those years. And what of the Holy Spirit? I decided to look deeper than mere occurrence.

Hasn’t Moses¹² given you the law? Yet not one of you (οὐδεὶς ἐξ ὑμῶν) keeps the law! Why do you want to kill me?¹³ The Greek word translated keeps was actually ποιεῖ (a form of ποιέω) rather than τήρει (a form of τηρέω) or φύλασσε (a form of φυλάσσω). So Jesus said to Jewish leaders¹⁴ (οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι), “not one of you does the law”? That sounds ridiculous on the face of it.

Jewish leaders were all about doing the law. Of course, one of the more salient features of the Gospels is that Jewish leaders were “all about doing the law” in much the same way I was all about doing compliance, to minimize my experience of being screamed at, to maximize my experience of being thought of and spoken of well, all for my praise and my glory. And Jesus was never all about looking at things “on the face of it” but on the heart.

It was past time to take ἐξ more seriously: Jesus said to Jewish leaders, “nothing out of you” or “from within you does the law.” In other words, nothing out of them or from within them loved God or their neighbor with the love God supplies through his own indwelling Holy Spirit (Mark 12:28-31 NET).

Now one of the experts in the law came and heard them debating. When he saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is: ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one [Table]. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength’ [Table]. The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” [Table].

The Jewish leaders (and I) were like actors pretending to love like God by our own skill and in our own strength (weakened through the flesh). Only John recorded the disturbing words Jesus spoke to those Judeans who had believed (“and continued to believe”; Perfect Tense) him¹⁵ (πρὸς τοὺς πεπιστευκότας αὐτῷ Ἰουδαίους): You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires.¹⁶ It may not have been the best way to win friends and influence people, but it was perhaps the only way to tell his followers the truth about the evil within them, that evil Paul would later describe as the old man (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον) who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires.¹⁷

John also recorded Jesus saying (John 16:4b-6 NET):

I did not tell you these things (John 15:1-16:4a) from the beginning because I was with you [Table]. But now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you (οὐδεὶς ἐξ ὑμῶν) is asking me, ‘Where are you going?’ Instead your hearts are filled with sadness because I have said these things to you.

Though Jesus’ word and his presence had already created in his disciples what Paul would later describe as the new man (τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον) who has been created in God’s image—in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth,¹⁸ it was weak compared to the old man apart from Jesus’ own indwelling Spirit. “Nothing out of you” or “from within you is asking me” the most obvious question, Jesus marveled. They were focused instead on their own feelings.

So now, when I come to—Not one of them (οὐδεὶς ἐξ αὐτῶν) was lost except the one destined for destruction¹⁹—it is much easier to hear: “Nothing out of” or “from within them was lost (LSV: destroyed) except the one destined for destruction” (KJV: the son of perdition), e.g., the old man (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον) who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires.²⁰

I wondered for a moment or two at ἀπώλετο, translated was lost (NET), is lost (KJV) and were destroyed (LSV), a form of ἀπόλλυμι, ἀπόλλω, ἀπολλύω in the 2^nd aorist tense and indicative mood. But Bill Mounce answered my concern in his article, “The Aorist is so much more than a past tense”:

I like Con Campbell’s word picture of the aorist. You are in a helicopter over the parade, looking at the parade as a whole. Buist Fanning talks about seeing the action from the outside as a whole rather than from inside the action (i.e., being part of the parade).

Because this is the basic genius of the aorist, it can have a phenomenally wide range of usage. You can be looking at the action as a whole but paying special attention to the beginning (“ingressive”) or to the end (“consummative”). It can describes [sic] something that simply is regardless of any time reference (“gnomic”).

But my favorite is to [sic] proleptic (futuristic) use of the aorist. Because time is secondary, the aorist can describe a future event and emphasize the certainty of the action. It is not a common usage, but it does show how we need to keep the idea of “time” in its proper place.

So, Jesus did not refer to Judas Iscariot any more or any less than He referred to me or anyone or everyone else. What Scripture, what Writing did this fulfill once and for all? Nothing less than the Name of God:

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Exodus 34:6, 7a (Tanakh)	Exodus 34:6, 7a (NET)	Exodus 34:6, 7a (NETS)	Exodus 34:6, 7a (English Elpenor)
And HaShem passed by before [Moses], and proclaimed: ‘The HaShem, HaShem, G-d, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth [Table];	The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed: “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness,	And the Lord passed by before his face, and he called, “The Lord, the Lord God is compassionate and merciful, patient and very merciful and truthful [Table]	And the Lord passed by before his face, and proclaimed, The Lord God, pitiful and merciful, longsuffering and very compassionate, and true,
keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty [Table];	keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished,”	and preserving righteousness and doing mercy for thousands, taking away acts of lawlessness and of injustice and sins, and he will not acquit the guilty person [Table],	and keeping justice and mercy for thousands, taking away iniquity, and unrighteousness, and sins; and he will not clear the guilty;

According to a note (62) in the NET Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 6:4, 5 and Joshua 22:5. A table comparing the Greek of his quotation in Mark 12:29b, 30 to that of the Septuagint follows.

Mark 12:29b, 30 (NET Parallel Greek)	Deuteronomy 6:4b, 5; Joshua 22:5b (Septuagint BLB)	Deuteronomy 6:4b, 5; Joshua 22:5b (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἄκουε, Ἰσραήλ, κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν κύριος εἷς ἐστιν, καὶ ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης \|τῆς\| καρδίας σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ἰσχύος σου	ἄκουε Ισραηλ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν κύριος εἷς ἐστιν καὶ ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς δυνάμεώς σου [Table] ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας	Ακουε, ᾿Ισραήλ· Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν Κύριος εἷς ἐστι καὶ ἀγαπήσεις Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς δυνάμεώς σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας
Mark 12:29b, 30 (NET)	Deuteronomy 6:4b, 5; Joshua 22:5b (NETS)	Deuteronomy 6:4b, 5; Joshua 22:5b (English Elpenor)
Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.	Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord. And you shall love the Lord your God with the whole of your mind and with the whole of your soul and with the whole of your power. …with all your mind…	Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy mind, and with all thy soul, and all thy strength. …with all your mind…

According to a note (63) in the NET Jesus quoted from Leviticus 19:18. A table comparing the Greek of his quotation in Mark 12:31a to that of the Septuagint follows.

Mark 12:31a (NET Parallel Greek)	Leviticus 19:18b (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 19:18b (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν	ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν [Table]	ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν
Mark 12:31a (NET)	Leviticus 19:18b (NETS)	Leviticus 19:18b (English Elpenor)
Love your neighbor as yourself	you shall love your neighbor as yourself	thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself

Tables comparing Deuteronomy 6:4 and Joshua 22:5 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and tables comparing the Greek of Deuteronomy 6:4 and Joshua 22:5 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables comparing John 17:21; 12:30; Luke 4:27 and John 7:19 in the KJV and NET follow.

Deuteronomy 6:4 (Tanakh)	Deuteronomy 6:4 (KJV)	Deuteronomy 6:4 (NET)
HEAR, O ISRAEL: THE HaShem OUR GOD, THE HaShem IS ONE.	Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:	Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!

Deuteronomy 6:4 (Septuagint BLB)	Deuteronomy 6:3b, 4 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ταῦτα τὰ δικαιώματα καὶ τὰ κρίματα ὅσα ἐνετείλατο κύριος τοῖς υἱοῖς Ισραηλ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἐξελθόντων αὐτῶν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου ἄκουε Ισραηλ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν κύριος εἷς ἐστιν	Tκαὶ ταῦτα τὰ δικαιώματα καὶ τὰ κρίματα, ὅσα ἐνετείλατο Κύριος τοῖς υἱοῖς ᾿Ισραὴλ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, ἐξελθόντων αὐτῶν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου. (4) ῎Ακουε, ᾿Ισραήλ· Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν Κύριος εἷς ἐστι
Deuteronomy 6:4 (NETS)	Deuteronomy 6:3b, 4 (English Elpenor)
And these are the statutes and the judgments, which the Lord commanded to the sons of Israel in the wilderness as they were coming out from the land of Egypt. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.	and these [are] the ordinances, and the judgments, which the Lord commanded the children of Israel in the wilderness, when they had gone forth from the land of Egypt. (4) Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord.

Joshua 22:5 (Tanakh)	Joshua 22:5 (KJV)	Joshua 22:5 (NET)
But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.	But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.	But carefully obey the commands and instructions Moses the Lord’s servant gave you. Love the Lord your God, follow all his instructions, obey his commands, be loyal to him, and serve him with all your heart and being!”

Joshua 22:5 (Septuagint BLB)	Joshua 22:5 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἀλλὰ φυλάξασθε ποιεῖν σφόδρα τὰς ἐντολὰς καὶ τὸν νόμον ὃν ἐνετείλατο ἡμῖν ποιεῖν Μωυσῆς ὁ παῖς κυρίου ἀγαπᾶν κύριον τὸν θεὸν ὑμῶν πορεύεσθαι πάσαις ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτοῦ φυλάξασθαι τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ καὶ προσκεῖσθαι αὐτῷ καὶ λατρεύειν αὐτῷ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας ὑμῶν καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς ὑμῶν	ἀλλὰ φυλάξασθε σφόδρα ποιεῖν τὰς ἐντολὰς καὶ τὸν νόμον, ὃν ἐνετείλατο ἡμῖν ποιεῖν Μωυσῆς ὁ παῖς Κυρίου, ἀγαπᾶν Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν, πορεύεσθαι πάσαις ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτοῦ, φυλάξασθαι τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ καὶ προσκεῖσθαι αὐτῷ καὶ λατρεύειν αὐτῷ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας ὑμῶν καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς ὑμῶν
Joshua 22:5 (NETS)	Joshua 22:5 (English Elpenor)
But take great care to do the ordinances and the law that Moyses the servant of the Lord commanded you to do: to love the Lord your God, to walk by all his ways, to keep his ordinances and to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your mind and with all your soul.”	But take great heed to do the commands and the law, which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you to do; to love the Lord our God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commands, and to cleave to him, and serve him with all your mind, and with all your soul.

John 17:21 (NET)	John 17:21 (KJV)
that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me.	That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

John 17:21 (NET Parallel Greek)	John 17:21 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	John 17:21 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ἵνα πάντες ἓν ὦσιν, καθὼς σύ, \|πάτερ\|, ἐν ἐμοὶ καγὼ ἐν σοί, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐν ἡμῖν ὦσιν, ἵνα ὁ κόσμος πιστεύῃ ὅτι σύ με ἀπέστειλας	ινα παντες εν ωσιν καθως συ πατερ εν εμοι καγω εν σοι ινα και αυτοι εν ημιν εν ωσιν ινα ο κοσμος πιστευση οτι συ με απεστειλας	ινα παντες εν ωσιν καθως συ πατερ εν εμοι καγω εν σοι ινα και αυτοι εν ημιν εν ωσιν ινα ο κοσμος πιστευση οτι συ με απεστειλας

John 12:30 (NET)	John 12:30 (KJV)
Jesus said, “This voice has not come for my benefit but for yours.	Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.

John 12:30 (NET Parallel Greek)	John 12:30 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	John 12:30 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ἀπεκρίθη \|Ἰησοῦς\| καὶ εἶπεν · οὐ δι᾿ ἐμὲ ἡ φωνὴ αὕτη γέγονεν ἀλλὰ δι᾿ ὑμᾶς	απεκριθη ο ιησους και ειπεν ου δι εμε αυτη η φωνη γεγονεν αλλα δι υμας	απεκριθη ο ιησους και ειπεν ου δι εμε αυτη η φωνη γεγονεν αλλα δι υμας

Luke 4:27 (NET)	Luke 4:27 (KJV)
And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, yet none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”	And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.

Luke 4:27 (NET Parallel Greek)	Luke 4:27 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Luke 4:27 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καὶ πολλοὶ λεπροὶ ἦσαν ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπὶ Ἐλισαίου τοῦ προφήτου, καὶ οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν ἐκαθαρίσθη εἰ μὴ Ναιμὰν ὁ Σύρος	και πολλοι λεπροι ησαν επι ελισσαιου του προφητου εν τω ισραηλ και ουδεις αυτων εκαθαρισθη ει μη νεεμαν ο συρος	και πολλοι λεπροι ησαν επι ελισσαιου του προφητου εν τω ισραηλ και ουδεις αυτων εκαθαρισθη ει μη νεεμαν ο συρος

John 7:19 (NET)	John 7:19 (KJV)
Hasn’t Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law! Why do you want to kill me?”	Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?

John 7:19 (NET Parallel Greek)	John 7:19 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	John 7:19 (Byzantine Majority Text)
Οὐ Μωϋσῆς \|δέδωκεν\| ὑμῖν τὸν νόμον; καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐξ ὑμῶν ποιεῖ τὸν νόμον. τί με ζητεῖτε ἀποκτεῖναι	ου μωσης δεδωκεν υμιν τον νομον και ουδεις εξ υμων ποιει τον νομον τι με ζητειτε αποκτειναι	ου μωσης δεδωκεν υμιν τον νομον και ουδεις εξ υμων ποιει τον νομον τι με ζητειτε αποκτειναι

Back to Romans, Part 27

Back to Christ-Centered Preaching, Chapter 3

Back to Christ-Centered Preaching, Chapter 4, Part 1

Back to Luke 8:22-56

¹ Mark 8:16b (NET) Table

² Mark 8:15b (NET)

³ The Stehanus Textus Receptus, Byzantine Majority Text and NA²⁸ had ἑαυτὸν (KJV: himself) here. In other words, Jesus protects Himself (including those who are his).

⁴ 1 John 5:18a (LSV)

⁵ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εν (KJV: one) here. The Net parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

⁶ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had καμοὶ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και εμοι (KJV: and…me).

⁷ John 17:6 (LSV) Table

⁸ John 17:9, 10 (LSV)

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

¹⁰ In the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ Naaman was spelled Ναιμὰν, and νεεμαν in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

¹¹ Luke 4:27 (NET)

¹² In the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ Moses was spelled Μωϋσῆς, and μωσης in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

¹³ John 7:19 (NET)

¹⁴ John 7:15 (NET); see NET note 32

¹⁵ John 8:31a (NET)

¹⁶ John 8:44a (NET) Table

¹⁷ Ephesians 4:22b (NET)

¹⁸ Ephesians 4:24b (NET)

¹⁹ John 17:12b (NET) Table

²⁰ Ephesians 4:22b (NET)

Christianity, Part 3

Posted on December 14, 2022 by admin

In another essay in this series, I wrote, “Any rational argument against [And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people (πάντας, a form of πᾶς) to myself¹] must explain: 1) how Jesus was wrong and 2) when He changed his mind.” I want to consider some arguments against it to see how that observation holds up.

A blog post titled “What Did Jesus Mean When He Said That he will ‘Draw All Men [and Women] to Myself’?” on the Christian Publishing House Blog stated:

The Greek expressions rendered “all” in John 12:32 is an inflected form of the word pas. In Koine Greek “all” does not always mean “all.” Many times in the biblical Greek “all” is used in a hyperbolic sense and does not necessarily always mean “all.”

If I assume that Jesus knew this esoteric rule of Koine Greek, I can shoehorn this argument into item #2 of my understanding of a rational argument: Jesus changed his mind even before He spoke. He wasn’t wrong (item #1) because He never said that He will draw all to Himself. I misunderstand Him taking Him at his word.

I’m not convinced that this is an esoteric rule of Koine Greek. The author² cites no Greek grammar but lets it stand on his own authority. I’m not sure how I would apply such a rule if it existed. Much of what Jesus or Paul said or wrote seemed hyperbolic to me when I began to study the Bible. I suspect that forms of πᾶς (pas) much like all in English mean “every, all, the whole, always, complete, entire, utter,” unless explicitly limited in the text. “It is the context that will make clear the author’s intention.”³

According to the Greek Concordance on biblehub.com there are 90 occurrences of πάντας (the Greek word translated all people in John 12:32) in the New Testament. I’ll look at all of them eventually. I’ve surveyed the first nine in Matthew [see Table below].

All nine occur in narrative passages and are clearly limited in scope. The first occurrence follows (Matthew 2:1-4 ESV):

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all (πᾶσα, another form of πᾶς) Jerusalem with him; and assembling all (πάντας, a form of πᾶς) the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

Here πάντας was clearly limited to all the chief priests and scribes of the people. It is completely fair to further limit this to all the chief priests and scribes of the people in Jerusalem, since wise men from the east came to Jerusalem. I’d be willing to limit it further to all the chief priests and scribes of the people living in Jerusalem at this time.

Though I’m not searching occurrences of πᾶσα (another form of πᾶς) deliberately, this one came up in context: all Jerusalem was troubled with Herod. I see no problem limiting this occurrence of a form of πᾶς to all Jerusalem who heard with Herod was troubled.

Another example follows (Matthew 2:16 ESV):

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all (πάντας, a form of πᾶς) the male children in Bethlehem and in all⁴ (πᾶσι[ν], another form of πᾶς) that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.

Here πάντας was limited to the male children in Bethlehem and in πᾶσι(ν) that region who were two years old or under. Since this order was carried out by men it wouldn’t surprise me if the results were less than perfect. We are told explicitly that they missed their intended target completely (Matthew 2:13-15a ESV):

Now when [the wise men] 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.

One more example follows (Matthew 21:12 ESV):

And Jesus⁵ entered the temple⁶ and drove out all (πάντας, a form of πᾶς) who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons.

Here πάντας was limited by who sold and bought in the temple. It was further limited by the stated location of the temple: And when [Jesus] entered Jerusalem, the whole (πᾶσα, another form of πᾶς) city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”⁷ Here, too, πᾶσα was limited by the…city of Jerusalem.

So, do these nine examples of πάντας, along with two examples of πᾶσα and one of πᾶσι(ν), persuade me that Jesus intended to limit πάντας in some way when He said, And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people (πάντας, a form of πᾶς) to myself⁸? No. Matthew was careful to alert his reader by the words which immediately followed it that πάντας was limited. Jesus, by comparison, seems far too cavalier if He intended any such limitation.

There is a book ad preceding the blog post I quoted:

Jesus told the leaders of his day that he “will draw all men [and women] to myself.” You too can experience the joy of drawing “all men” [and women] to the “good news” by Reaching Hearts with the Art of Persuasion.⁹

I never expected with a few clicks of a mouse in under two minutes to find one document that effectively explained one reason I thought Jesus spoke in the exaggerated language of a salesman was the inherent logic of my Christianity. I had a philosophical bent to my mind at a very young age.

I’ve considered the four occurrences of πάντας in Mark’s Gospel [see Table below], but first it seems necessary to address something else. For me the grammatical arguments are most compelling: What did Jesus say? The author of this blog post seems to be arguing something else. He paraphrased D. A. Carson: Jesus “means ‘all people without distinction, Jews and Gentiles alike’, not all individuals without exception, since the surrounding context has just established judgment as a major theme (v. 31)…”

If Jesus draws me to Himself, does that preclude Him from judging the sin condemned in my flesh? No, of course not. I return to what I called the long name¹⁰ of God (Exodus 34:6, 7 ESV):

The Lord passed before [Moses] and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Since I mentioned this alternative argument, I should probably address it directly. One of the things I like to do is to put alternatives into the text to see how they feel:

Alternate Explanations
And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself without distinction, Jews and Gentiles alike.	And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all individuals to myself without exception.

I’m not subtle enough to hear much difference between these two statements, but I’m not thick. I understand what the author of the blog post wanted Jesus to say:

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw from all peoples to myself, from Jews and Gentiles alike without distinction. I will not draw all individuals without exception.

If I take this to the judgment seat of Christ, what is my account if He asks why I believed it? I read a blog post from a Christian bookseller paraphrasing the president of the Evangelical Theological Society? “But what did I say, Dan,” is all He has to say to bring me to my senses. He said, And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all…to myself.

Three of the four occurrences of πάντας in Mark’s Gospel are more like the occurrence in John 12:32 than any in Matthew’s Gospel, and they are clearly limited. One example follows (Mark 2:1-5a, 11, 12 ESV):

And when [Jesus] returned¹¹ to Capernaum¹² after some days,¹³ it was reported that he was at home.¹⁴ And¹⁵ many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near¹⁶ him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down¹⁷ the bed¹⁸ on which¹⁹ the paralytic lay. And²⁰ when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic…“I say to you, rise,²¹ pick up your bed,²² and go home.” And he rose and immediately²³ picked up his bed²⁴ and went out before²⁵ them all (πάντων, another form of πᾶς), so that they were all (πάντας, a form of πᾶς) amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Here πάντας was not limited by the words immediately following it. Instead, it was flanked by two infinitives in the present tense: ἐξίστασθαι (a form of ἐξίστημι) and δοξάζειν (a form of δοξάζω), translated: they were all amazed and glorified God in the ESV. Likewise, πάντων was not limited by the words immediately preceding it: (he) went out before them all. (It seems to me that them was added by the translators.) Both are limited by their context, a house in Capernaum at a specific time: And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door.

So, should I assume that πάντας in John 12:32 was limited to all who heard Jesus at that particular moment in Jerusalem? That doesn’t feel right, and I’ve never heard anyone argue that point. My feelings and potentially poor scholarship aside, I want to look more closely at Jesus’ words (John 12:31-33 ESV):

Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die [Table].

Here is the mind of Christ. I do like to put this in a little more perspicuous form.

The Mind of Christ

Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth (He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die), will draw all people (πάντας) to myself.”

That Jesus will draw πάντας to Himself is either the judgment of this world or something so intimately associated with the judgment of this world that it is one of the next things that came to his mind. Now I admit, my religious mind has had many other ideas about the judgment of this world. Most, if not all, of them can be summed up with some negation of Jesus’ saying I…will draw all…to myself: I will not draw all to Myself; I will draw not all to Myself; I will draw some to Myself but not all.

I will draw all to Myself, is such a shock to my religious mind that if it followed directly after, Now is the judgment of this world, this might have been a speculative essay about how and when a negative particle was removed from the Greek of John 12:32. It is entirely possible, perhaps even likely, that Jesus will say, Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels,²⁶ to my religious mind.

I will draw all to Myself, does not follow Now is the judgment of this world. [N]ow will the ruler of this world be cast out, falls between them. So again, that Jesus will draw πάντας to Himself is either the means by which the ruler of this world [will] be cast out or something so intimately associated with the means by which the ruler of this world [will] be cast out that it is the very next thought that came to his mind. And again, I admit, my religious mind has had many other ideas about how the ruler of this world [will] be cast out.

Though my religious mind never recognized any connection between now will the ruler of this world be cast out and I...will draw all…to myself, once I hear it from the mind of Christ it is difficult to conceive of any better way to cast out the ruler of this world than to plunder all of his possessions, rather than some or a few of them. And that little taste of freedom from the domination of my religious mind serves as a bridge back to Now is the judgment of this world.

Suddenly, that Jesus will draw πάντας to Himself, that He will cause all to be born again (ἄνωθεν; NET: from above) by his own indwelling Holy Spirit sounds like the most scathing judgment of this world I could ever imagine. And this thought battles mightily against my religious mind’s tendency to demand that infinite mercy and infinite judgment be two entirely different things.

The irony here is that the carnal or fleshly mind hears the judgment in Jesus’ saying, You must be born again,²⁷ and rejects it as hate speech. So, the carnal/fleshly mind rejects the mercy in Jesus’ judgment while my religious mind rejects the judgment in Jesus’ mercy, his promise to draw all to Himself.

In the Introduction to this blog I speculated that “the religious mind may be nothing more than a subspecies of the carnal mind (KJV) or the outlook of the flesh (NET).” Here they seem opposed to one another. What binds them together, however, and betrays their common origin is their design by the ruler of this world to keep us from abiding in Christ and to keep his words from abiding in us. Both are evidence of the ruler of this world’s domination over our hearts and minds.

It is perfectly just that Jesus say, Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels,²⁸ to my religious mind. Only the mind of Christ endures. Paul wrote (1 Corinthians 2:6-16 ESV):

Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,

nor the heart of man imagined,

what God has prepared for those who love him”—²⁹

these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God [Table]. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual [Table].

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things,³⁰ but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

To the extent that Christianity is a product of the religious mind, it is idolatry serving neither Christ nor those who would abide in Him.

According to a note (26) in the NET Matthew quoted from Hosea 11:1. The table below compares the relevant portions of the Greek of Matthew 2:15b to Hosea 11:1b in the Septuagint.

Matthew 2:15b (NET Parallel Greek)	Hosea 11:1b (Septuagint BLB) Table	Hosea 11:1b (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐξ Ἀιγύπτου ἐκάλεσα τὸν υἱόν μου	ἐξ Αἰγύπτου μετεκάλεσα τὰ τέκνα αὐτοῦ	ἐξ Αἰγύπτου μετεκάλεσα τὰ τέκνα αὐτοῦ
Matthew 2:15b (NET)	Hosea 11:1b (NETS)	Hosea 11:1b (English Elpenor)
I called my Son out of Egypt.	out of Egypt I recalled his children	out of Egypt have I called his children

It appears that Matthew made his own translation from Hebrew rather than quoting the Septuagint directly.

According to a note (12) in the NET Paul quoted from Isaiah 40:13. The table below compares the Greek of 1 Corinthians 2:16a to Isaiah 40:13 in the Septuagint.

1 Corinthians 2:16a (NET Parallel Greek)	Isaiah 40:13 (Septuagint BLB) Table	Isaiah 40:13 (Septuagint Elpenor)
τίς γὰρ ἔγνω νοῦν κυρίου, ὃς συμβιβάσει αὐτόν	τίς ἔγνω νοῦν κυρίου καὶ τίς αὐτοῦ σύμβουλος ἐγένετο ὃς συμβιβᾷ αὐτόν	τίς ἔγνω νοῦν Κυρίου, καὶ τίς αὐτοῦ σύμβουλος ἐγένετο, ὃς συμβιβᾷ αὐτόν
1 Corinthians 2:16a (NET)	Isaiah 40:13 (NETS)	Isaiah 40:13 (English Elpenor)
For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to advise him?	Who has known the mind of the Lord, and who has been his counselor to instruct him?	Who has known the mind of the Lord? and who has been his counsellor, to instruct him?

The tables mentioned above follow.

Occurrences of πάντας in Matthew
Reference	NET Parallel Greek	ESV
Matthew 2:4	πάντας τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ γραμματεῖς τοῦ λαοῦ	all the chief priests and scribes of the people
	This was further limited by:
	(v. 1) παρεγένοντο εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα	(v. 1) [they] came to Jerusalem
Matthew 2:16	πάντας τοὺς παῖδας τοὺς ἐν Βηθλέεμ καὶ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ὁρίοις αὐτῆς ἀπὸ διετοῦς καὶ κατωτέρω	all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under
Matthew 4:24	πάντας τοὺς κακῶς ἔχοντας ποικίλαις νόσοις καὶ βασάνοις συνεχομένους [καὶ] δαιμονιζομένους καὶ σεληνιαζομένους καὶ παραλυτικούς	all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics
	This was further limited by:
	ἀπῆλθεν ἡ ἀκοὴ αὐτοῦ εἰς ὅλην τὴν Συρίαν	his fame spread throughout all Syria
Matthew 8:16	πάντας τοὺς κακῶς ἔχοντας	all who were sick
	This was further limited by:
	προσήνεγκαν αὐτῷ (v. 14) εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν Πέτρου	they brought to him (v. 14) [into] Peter’s house
Matthew 12:15	ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ [ὄχλοι] πολλοί, καὶ ἐθεράπευσεν αὐτοὺς πάντας	many followed him, and he healed them all
Matthew 14:35	προσήνεγκαν αὐτῷ πάντας τοὺς κακῶς ἔχοντας	they…brought to him all who were sick
	This was further limited by:
	(v. 34) ἦλθον ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν εἰς Γεννησαρέτ (v. 35) ἀπέστειλαν εἰς ὅλην τὴν περίχωρον	(v. 34) they came to land at Gennesaret (v. 35) they sent around to all that region
Matthew 21:12	ἐξέβαλεν πάντας τοὺς πωλοῦντας καὶ ἀγοράζοντας ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ	[he] drove out all who sold and bought in the temple
	This was further limited by:
	(v. 10) εἰσελθόντος αὐτοῦ εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα	(v. 10) he entered Jerusalem
Matthew 22:10	συνήγαγον πάντας οὓς εὗρον	[they] gathered all whom they found
	This was further limited by:
	(v. 9) πορεύεσθε οὖν ἐπὶ τὰς διεξόδους τῶν ὁδῶν	(v. 9) Go therefore to the main roads
Matthew 26:1	πάντας τοὺς λόγους τούτους	all these sayings
	This was further limited by (Matthew 24:3-25:46):
	(v. 24:3) Καθημένου δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὄρους τῶν ἐλαιῶν	As he sat on the Mount of Olives

Occurrences of πάντας in Mark
Reference	NET Parallel Greek	ESV
Mark 1:32	ἔφερον πρὸς αὐτὸν πάντας τοὺς κακῶς ἔχοντας καὶ τοὺς δαιμονιζομένους	they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons
	This was further limited by:
	(v. 29) ἦλθον εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν Σίμωνος καὶ Ἀνδρέου (v. 21) εἰσπορεύονται εἰς Καφαρναούμ	(v. 29) he…entered the house of Simon and Andrew (v. 21) they went into Capernaum
Mark 2:12	ἐξίστασθαι πάντας	they were all amazed
	This was limited by:
	(v. 1a) εἰσελθὼν πάλιν εἰς Καφαρναοὺμ (v. 1b) ἐν οἴκῳ ἐστίν	(v. 1a) he returned to Capernaum (v. 1b) he was at home
Mark 5:40	ἐκβαλὼν πάντας παραλαμβάνει	he put them all outside
	This was limited by:
	κατεγέλων αὐτοῦ (v. 38) ἔρχονται εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ ἀρχισυναγώγου	they laughed at him (v. 38) They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue
Mark 6:39	ἐπέταξεν αὐτοῖς \|ἀνακλῖναι\| πάντας συμπόσια συμπόσια ἐπὶ τῷ χλωρῷ χόρτῳ	he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass
	This was limited by:
	(v. 32) ἀπῆλθον…εἰς ἔρημον τόπον (v. 33) πεζῇ ἀπὸ πασῶν τῶν πόλεων	(v. 32) they went away…to a desolate place (v. 33) they ran there on foot from all the towns

Tables comparing Hosea 11:1; Exodus 34:6; 34:7 and Isaiah 40:13 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and comparing Hosea 11:1; Exodus 34:6; 34:7 and Isaiah 40:13 in the BLB and Elpenor versions of the Septuagint with the English translations from Hebrew and Greek, and tables comparing the Greek of Matthew 2:16; 21:12; Mark 2:1, 2; 2:4, 5; 2:11, 12 and 1 Corinthians 2:15 in the NET and KJV follow.

Hosea 11:1 (Tanakh)	Hosea 11:1 (KJV)	Hosea 11:1 (NET)
When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.	When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.	“When Israel was a young man, I loved him like a son, and I summoned my son out of Egypt.

Hosea 11:1 (Septuagint BLB)	Hosea 11:1 (Septuagint Elpenor)
(10:15b) ὄρθρου ἀπερρίφησαν ἀπερρίφη βασιλεὺς Ισραηλ (11:1) διότι νήπιος Ισραηλ καὶ ἐγὼ ἠγάπησα αὐτὸν καὶ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου μετεκάλεσα τὰ τέκνα αὐτοῦ	ΟΡΘΡΟΥ ἀπερρίφησαν, ἀπερρίφη βασιλεὺς ᾿Ισραήλ· ὅτι νήπιος ᾿Ισραήλ, καὶ ἐγὼ ἠγάπησα αὐτὸν καὶ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου μετεκάλεσα τὰ τέκνα αὐτοῦ
Hosea 11:1 (NETS)	Hosea 11:1 (English Elpenor)
At dawn they were cast out; Israel’s king was cast out. For Israel was an infant, and I loved him, and out of Egypt I recalled his children.	Early in the morning were they cast off, the king of Israel has been cast off: for Israel is a child, and I loved him, and out of Egypt have I called his children.

Exodus 34:6 (Tanakh)	Exodus 34:6 (KJV)	Exodus 34:6 (NET)
And HaShem passed by before him, and proclaimed: ‘The HaShem, HaShem, G-d, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth;	And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,	The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed: “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness,

Exodus 34:6 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 34:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ παρῆλθεν κύριος πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκάλεσεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς οἰκτίρμων καὶ ἐλεήμων μακρόθυμος καὶ πολυέλεος καὶ ἀληθινὸς	καὶ παρῆλθε Κύριος πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκάλεσε· Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς οἰκτίρμων καὶ ἐλεήμων, μακρόθυμος καὶ πολυέλεος καὶ ἀληθινός
Exodus 34:6 (NETS)	Exodus 34:6 (English Elpenor)
And the Lord passed by before his face, and he called, “The Lord, the Lord God is compassionate and merciful, patient and very merciful and truthful	And the Lord passed by before his face, and proclaimed, The Lord God, pitiful and merciful, longsuffering and very compassionate, and true,

Exodus 34:7 (Tanakh)	Exodus 34:7 (KJV)	Exodus 34:7 (NET)
keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and unto the fourth generation.’	Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.	keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.”

Exodus 34:7 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 34:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ δικαιοσύνην διατηρῶν καὶ ποιῶν ἔλεος εἰς χιλιάδας ἀφαιρῶν ἀνομίας καὶ ἀδικίας καὶ ἁμαρτίας καὶ οὐ καθαριεῗ τὸν ἔνοχον ἐπάγων ἀνομίας πατέρων ἐπὶ τέκνα καὶ ἐπὶ τέκνα τέκνων ἐπὶ τρίτην καὶ τετάρτην γενεάν	καὶ δικαιοσύνην διατηρῶν καὶ ἔλεος εἰς χιλιάδας, ἀφαιρῶν ἀνομίας καὶ ἀδικίας καὶ ἁμαρτίας, καὶ οὐ καθαριεῖ τὸν ἔνοχον, ἐπάγων ἀνομίας πατέρων ἐπὶ τέκνα καὶ ἐπὶ τέκνα τέκνων, ἐπὶ τρίτην καὶ τετάρτην γενεάν
Exodus 34:7 (NETS)	Exodus 34:7 (English Elpenor)
and preserving righteousness and doing mercy for thousands, taking away acts of lawlessness and of injustice and sins, and he will not acquit the guilty person, bringing lawless acts of fathers upon children and upon children of children, upon the third and fourth generation.”	and keeping justice and mercy for thousands, taking away iniquity, and unrighteousness, and sins; and he will not clear the guilty; bringing the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and to the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.

Isaiah 40:13 (Tanakh)	Isaiah 40:13 (KJV)	Isaiah 40:13 (NET)
Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?	Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?	Who comprehends the mind of the Lord, or gives him instruction as his counselor?

Isaiah 40:13 (Septuagint BLB)	Isaiah 40:13 (Septuagint Elpenor)
τίς ἔγνω νοῦν κυρίου καὶ τίς αὐτοῦ σύμβουλος ἐγένετο ὃς συμβιβᾷ αὐτόν	τίς ἔγνω νοῦν Κυρίου, καὶ τίς αὐτοῦ σύμβουλος ἐγένετο, ὃς συμβιβᾷ αὐτόν
Isaiah 40:13 (NETS)	Isaiah 40:13 (English Elpenor)
Who has known the mind of the Lord, and who has been his counselor to instruct him?	Who has known the mind of the Lord? and who has been his counsellor, to instruct him?

Matthew 2:16 (NET)	Matthew 2:16 (KJV)
When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he became enraged. He sent men to kill all the children in Bethlehem and throughout the surrounding region from the age of two and under, according to the time he had learned from the wise men.	Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.

Matthew 2:16 (NET Parallel Greek)	Matthew 2:16 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Matthew 2:16 (Byzantine Majority Text)
Τότε Ἡρῴδης ἰδὼν ὅτι ἐνεπαίχθη ὑπὸ τῶν μάγων ἐθυμώθη λίαν, καὶ ἀποστείλας ἀνεῖλεν πάντας τοὺς παῖδας τοὺς ἐν Βηθλέεμ καὶ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ὁρίοις αὐτῆς ἀπὸ διετοῦς καὶ κατωτέρω, κατὰ τὸν χρόνον ὃν ἠκρίβωσεν παρὰ τῶν μάγων	τοτε ηρωδης ιδων οτι ενεπαιχθη υπο των μαγων εθυμωθη λιαν και αποστειλας ανειλεν παντας τους παιδας τους εν βηθλεεμ και εν πασιν τοις οριοις αυτης απο διετους και κατωτερω κατα τον χρονον ον ηκριβωσεν παρα των μαγων	τοτε ηρωδης ιδων οτι ενεπαιχθη υπο των μαγων εθυμωθη λιαν και αποστειλας ανειλεν παντας τους παιδας τους εν βηθλεεμ και εν πασιν τοις οριοις αυτης απο διετους και κατωτερω κατα τον χρονον ον ηκριβωσεν παρα των μαγων

Matthew 21:12 (NET)	Matthew 21:12 (KJV)
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.	And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

Matthew 21:12 (NET Parallel Greek)	Matthew 21:12 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Matthew 21:12 (Byzantine Majority Text)
Καὶ εἰσῆλθεν Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν καὶ ἐξέβαλεν πάντας τοὺς πωλοῦντας καὶ ἀγοράζοντας ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ, καὶ τὰς τραπέζας τῶν κολλυβιστῶν κατέστρεψεν καὶ τὰς καθέδρας τῶν πωλούντων τὰς περιστεράς	και εισηλθεν ο ιησους εις το ιερον του θεου και εξεβαλεν παντας τους πωλουντας και αγοραζοντας εν τω ιερω και τας τραπεζας των κολλυβιστων κατεστρεψεν και τας καθεδρας των πωλουντων τας περιστερας	και εισηλθεν ο ιησους εις το ιερον του θεου και εξεβαλεν παντας τους πωλουντας και αγοραζοντας εν τω ιερω και τας τραπεζας των κολλυβιστων κατεστρεψεν και τας καθεδρας των πωλουντων τας περιστερας

Mark 2:1, 2 (NET)	Mark 2:1, 2 (KJV)
Now after some days, when he returned to Capernaum, the news spread that he was at home.	And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.

Mark 2:1 (NET Parallel Greek)	Mark 2:1 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Mark 2:1 (Byzantine Majority Text)
Καὶ εἰσελθὼν πάλιν εἰς Καφαρναοὺμ δι᾿ ἡμερῶν ἠκούσθη ὅτι ἐν οἴκῳ ἐστίν	και παλιν εισηλθεν εις καπερναουμ δι ημερων και ηκουσθη οτι εις οικον εστιν	και εισηλθεν παλιν εις καπερναουμ δι ημερων και ηκουσθη οτι εις οικον εστιν

So many gathered that there was no longer any room, not even by the door, and he preached the word to them.

And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.

Mark 2:2 (NET Parallel Greek)	Mark 2:2 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Mark 2:2 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καὶ συνήχθησαν πολλοὶ ὥστε μηκέτι χωρεῖν μηδὲ τὰ πρὸς τὴν θύραν, καὶ ἐλάλει αὐτοῖς τὸν λόγον	και ευθεως συνηχθησαν πολλοι ωστε μηκετι χωρειν μηδε τα προς την θυραν και ελαλει αυτοις τον λογον	και ευθεως συνηχθησαν πολλοι ωστε μηκετι χωρειν μηδε τα προς την θυραν και ελαλει αυτοις τον λογον

Mark 2:4, 5 (NET)	Mark 2:4, 5 (KJV)
When they were not able to bring him in because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Jesus. Then, after tearing it out, they lowered the stretcher the paralytic was lying on.	And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.

Mark 2:4 (NET Parallel Greek)	Mark 2:4 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Mark 2:4 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καὶ μὴ δυνάμενοι προσενέγκαι αὐτῷ διὰ τὸν ὄχλον ἀπεστέγασαν τὴν στέγην ὅπου ἦν, καὶ ἐξορύξαντες χαλῶσι τὸν κράβαττον ὅπου ὁ παραλυτικὸς κατέκειτο	και μη δυναμενοι προσεγγισαι αυτω δια τον οχλον απεστεγασαν την στεγην οπου ην και εξορυξαντες χαλωσιν τον κραββατον εφ ω ο παραλυτικος κατεκειτο	και μη δυναμενοι προσεγγισαι αυτω δια τον οχλον απεστεγασαν την στεγην οπου ην και εξορυξαντες χαλωσιν τον κραββατον εφ ω ο παραλυτικος κατεκειτο

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

Mark 2:5 (NET Parallel Greek)	Mark 2:5 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Mark 2:5 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καὶ ἰδὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὴν πίστιν αὐτῶν λέγει τῷ παραλυτικῷ· τέκνον, ἀφίενται σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι	ιδων δε ο ιησους την πιστιν αυτων λεγει τω παραλυτικω τεκνον αφεωνται σοι αι αμαρτιαι σου	ιδων δε ο ιησους την πιστιν αυτων λεγει τω παραλυτικω τεκνον αφεωνται σοι αι αμαρτιαι σου

Mark 2:11, 12 (NET)	Mark 2:11, 12 (KJV)
“I tell you, stand up, take your stretcher, and go home.”	I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.

Mark 2:11 (NET Parallel Greek)	Mark 2:11 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Mark 2:11 (Byzantine Majority Text)
σοὶ λέγω, ἔγειρε ἆρον τὸν κράβαττον σου καὶ ὕπαγε εἰς τὸν οἶκον σου	σοι λεγω εγειραι και αρον τον κραββατον σου και υπαγε εις τον οικον σου	σοι λεγω εγειραι και αρον τον κραββατον σου και υπαγε εις τον οικον σου

And immediately the man stood up, took his stretcher, and went out in front of them all. They were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

Mark 2:12 (NET Parallel Greek)	Mark 2:12 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Mark 2:12 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καὶ ἠγέρθη καὶ εὐθὺς ἄρας τὸν κράβαττον ἐξῆλθεν ἔμπροσθεν πάντων, ὥστε ἐξίστασθαι πάντας καὶ δοξάζειν τὸν θεὸν \|λέγοντας\| ὅτι οὕτως οὐδέποτε εἴδομεν	και ηγερθη ευθεως και αρας τον κραββατον εξηλθεν εναντιον παντων ωστε εξιστασθαι παντας και δοξαζειν τον θεον λεγοντας οτι ουδεποτε ουτως ειδομεν	και ηγερθη ευθεως και αρας τον κραββατον εξηλθεν εναντιον παντων ωστε εξιστασθαι παντας και δοξαζειν τον θεον λεγοντας οτι ουδεποτε ουτως ειδομεν

1 Corinthians 2:15 (NET)	1 Corinthians 2:15 (KJV)
The one who is spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is understood by no one.	But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

1 Corinthians 2:15 (NET Parallel Greek)	1 Corinthians 2:15 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	1 Corinthians 2:15 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ὁ δὲ πνευματικὸς ἀνακρίνει [τὰ] πάντα, αὐτὸς δὲ ὑπ᾿ οὐδενὸς ἀνακρίνεται	ο δε πνευματικος ανακρινει μεν παντα αυτος δε υπ ουδενος ανακρινεται	ο δε πνευματικος ανακρινει μεν παντα αυτος δε υπ ουδενος ανακρινεται

Christianity, Part 4

Back to Christianity, Part 8

Back to Nothing True, Part 1

Back to The Day of the Lord, Part 1

Back to The Day of the Lord, Part 3

Back to The Day of the Lord, Part 6

Back to The Day of the Lord, Part 8

Back to Introduction-Section Seven

¹ John 12:32 (ESV)

² Possibly: “Edward D. Andrews (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored ninety-five books. Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).”

³ “What Did Jesus Mean When He Said That he will ‘Draw All Men [and Women] to Myself’?” Christian Publishing House Blog

⁴ The NET parallel Greek text had πᾶσι here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus, Byzantine Majority Text and NA²⁸ had πᾶσιν.

⁵ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article ο preceding Jesus. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

⁶ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had του θεου (KJV: of God) following temple. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

⁷ Matthew 21:10 (ESV)

⁸ John 12:32 (ESV)

⁹ “What Did Jesus Mean When He Said That he will ‘Draw All Men [and Women] to Myself’?” Christian Publishing House Blog

¹⁰ Fear -Exodus, Part 6; Condemnation or Judgment? – Part 14

¹¹ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had εἰσελθὼν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εισηλθεν (KJV: he entered).

¹² In the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ Capernaum was spelled Καφαρναοὺμ, and καπερναουμ in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

¹³ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the conjunction και joining these clauses. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

¹⁴ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had the verb οἴκῳ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the noun οικον (KJV: in the house).

¹⁵ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the adverb ευθεως (KJV: straightway) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

¹⁶ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had προσενέγκαι here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had προσεγγισαι (KJV: come nigh).

¹⁷ The NET parallel Greek text had χαλῶσι here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus, Byzantine Majority Text and NA²⁸ had χαλῶσιν.

¹⁸ In the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ stretcher (KJV: bed) was spelled κράβαττον, and κραββατον in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

¹⁹ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ὅπου here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εφ ω (KJV: wherein).

²⁰ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had καὶ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε.

²¹ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἔγειρε here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εγειραι καὶ (KJV: Arise, and).

²² In the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ stretcher (KJV: bed) was spelled κράβαττον, and κραββατον in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

²³ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had εὐθὺς here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ευθεως.

²⁴ In the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ stretcher (KJV: bed) was spelled κράβαττον, and κραββατον in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

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

²⁶ Matthew 25:41b (ESV)

²⁷ John 3:7b (ESV)

²⁸ Matthew 25:41b (ESV)

²⁹ See Table

³⁰ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had the article τὰ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μεν (not translated in the KJV).

Atonement, Part 4

Posted on August 26, 2018 by admin

I’ll continue to consider 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] The atonement of Aaron and his sons continued:

Exodus 29:10-14 (NET)	Leviticus 8:14-17 (NET)
You are to present the bull at the front of the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons are to put their hands on the head of the bull.	Then [Moses] brought near the sin offering (chaṭṭâʼâh, החטאת; Septuagint: ἁμαρτίας, a form of ἁμαρτία) bull and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the sin offering (chaṭṭâʼâh, החטאת; Septuagint: ἁμαρτίας, a form of ἁμαρτία) bull,
You are to kill the bull before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting	and he slaughtered it. Moses then took the blood and put it all around on the horns of the altar with his finger and decontaminated the altar, and he poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar and so consecrated (qâdash, ויקדשהו; Septuagint: ἡγίασεν, another form of ἁγιάζω) it to make atonement (kâphar, לכפר; Septuagint: ἐξιλάσασθαι, a form of ἐξιλάσκομαι) on it.
and take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; all the rest of the blood you are to pour out at the base of the altar.
You are to take all the fat that covers the entrails, and the lobe that is above the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar.	Then he took all the fat on the entrails, the protruding lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat, and Moses offered it all up in smoke on the altar,
But the meat of the bull, its skin, and its dung you are to burn up outside the camp. It is the purification offering (chaṭṭâʼâh, חטאת; Septuagint: ἁμαρτίας, a form of ἁμαρτία).	but the rest of the bull – its hide, its flesh, and its dung – he completely burned up outside the camp just as the Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) had commanded Moses.

The sin offering bull was eaten by no one. The Hebrew word translated holy in the clause for they are holy was קדש (qôdesh). In the Septuagint קדש (qôdesh) was translated ἅγια (a form of ἅγιος).

But now Christ has come as the high priest of the good things to come.^[3] He passed through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, and he entered once for all into the most holy place (ἅγια, a form of ἅγιος) not by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood, and so he himself secured eternal redemption.^[4]

The Greek word translated more perfect was τελειοτέρας (a form of τέλειος). Later in the same chapter the author located that more perfect tent beyond the phrase not of this creation (Hebrews 9:24-28 NET):

For Christ did not enter a sanctuary (ἅγια, a form of ἅγιος) made with hands – the representation of the true sanctuary – but into heaven itself, and he appears now in God’s presence for us. And he did not enter to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the sanctuary (ἅγια, a form of ἅγιος) year after year with blood that is not his own, for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the consummation of the ages to put away sin by his sacrifice. And just as people are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment, so also, after Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many, to those who eagerly await him he will appear a second time, not to bear sin but to bring salvation.

I got a little obsessed (See Table1 below) convincing myself that πολλῶν ἀνενεγκεῖν ἁμαρτίας (to bear the sins of many) was the referent of χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας, but did eventually come to the conclusion that not to bear sin was a better translation of χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας than the more literal without sin (KJV).^[5] The phrase to bear (ἀνενεγκεῖν, a form of ἀναφέρω) the sins of many was an allusion to Isaiah’s prophecy.

Isaiah 53:12 (NET)	Hebrews 9:28 (NET Parallel Greek)	Isaiah 53:12 (Septuagint)	Isaiah 53:12 (Tanakh)
…he lifted up the sin of many…	πολλῶν ἀνενεγκεῖν^[6] ἁμαρτίας	ἁμαρτίας πολλῶν ἀνήνεγκεν^[7]	…he bare the sin of many…

The Hebrew word translated ἀνήνεγκεν in the Septuagint was נשׁא (nâśâʼ), which brought me back to the long name of God: And HaShem passed by before him, and proclaimed: ‘The HaShem, HaShem, G-d, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth; keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving (nâśâʼ, נשׁא; Septuagint: ἀφαιρῶν, a form of ἀφαιρέω) iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and unto the fourth generation.’^[8] The author of Hebrews concluded (Hebrews 10:15-18 NET):

And the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us, for after saying,^[9] “This is the covenant that I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws on their hearts and I will inscribe them on their minds,”^[10] then he says, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember^[11] no longer.” Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Dear friends, we are God’s children now, John wrote, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know^[12] that whenever it is revealed we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is. And everyone who has this hope focused on him purifies himself, just as Jesus is pure.^[13] The Greek word translated purifies was ἁγνίζει (a form of ἁγνίζω). It had a very specific meaning. Now the Jewish feast of Passover was near, and many people went up to Jerusalem from the rural areas before the Passover to cleanse (ἁγνίσωσιν, another form of ἁγνίζω) themselves ritually.^[14]

There were rituals to perform. We have four men who have taken a vow, the brothers in Jerusalem instructed Paul, take them and purify (ἁγνίσθητι, another form of ἁγνίζω) yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may have their heads shaved.^[15] Then Paul took the men the next day, and after he had purified (ἁγνισθείς, another form of ἁγνίζω) himself along with them, he went to the temple and gave notice of the completion of the days of purification (ἁγνισμοῦ, a form of ἁγνισμός), when the sacrifice would be offered for each of them.^[16] But I will strongly suggest that those rituals relate only tangentially to John’s use of ἁγνίζει above.

You have purified (ἡγνικότες, another form of ἁγνίζω) your souls by obeying (ὑπακοῇ, a form of ὑπακοή) the truth,^[17] Peter wrote. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and the Byzantine Majority Text had δια πνευματος here as well, translated through the Spirit (KJV). The clue John left that he meant something other than established ritual was καθώς ἐστιν (literally, “just as he is”), translated just as Jesus is pure. To walk just as Jesus walked is to be led by the Holy Spirit. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.^[18] But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.^[19]

John described a new covenant purification ritual, if you will, previously (1 John 1:8-2:2 NET):

If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us. (My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.) But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous One, and he himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world.

Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness, John continued, indeed, sin is lawlessness. And you know that Jesus was revealed to take away sins,^[20] and in him there is no sin. Everyone who resides in him does not sin; everyone who sins has neither seen him nor known him. Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Jesus is righteous.^[21] The Greek words translated practices above were not forms of πράσσω but forms of ποιέω. The one who [does] (ποιῶν, a form of ποιέω) righteousness is righteous, just as Jesus is righteous.

The One who does righteousness is the Holy Spirit. He fills the new human born of God from above with God’s own love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness^[22] and self-control.^[23] By his will we have been made holy^[24] through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.^[25] And the second point is like it: The “God of peace…will in fact do (ποιήσει, another form of ποιέω) this”:^[26] make you completely holy and [keep] your spirit and soul and body…entirely blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ^[27] because He is trustworthy (πιστὸς, a form of πιστός). I want to be one who [does] (ποιῶν, a form of ποιέω) the truth [who] comes to the light, so that it may be plainly evident that [my] deeds have been done in God.^[28]

The one who practices sin is of the devil, John continued, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil. Everyone who has been fathered by God does not practice (ποιεῖ, another form of ποιέω) sin, because God’s seed resides in him, and thus he is not able to sin, because he has been fathered by God.^[29]

The one who [does] (ποιεῖ, another form of ποιέω) sin is of the devil. This is the old human: You were taught with reference to your former way of life to lay aside the old (παλαιὸν, a form of παλαιός) [human] (ἄνθρωπον, a form of ἄνθρωπος) who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new (καινὸν, a form of καινός) [human] (ἄνθρωπον, a form of ἄνθρωπος) who has been created in God’s image – in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth.^[30] So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.^[31]

Though the new human is not able to sin, because he has been fathered by God, at any given moment one born from above might revert to walking according to the flesh, the old human, sin personified (Romans 7:14-23; 8:1-4 NET):

For we know that the law is spiritual – but I am unspiritual, sold into slavery to sin. For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I do not do what I want – instead, I do what I hate. But if I do what I don’t want, I agree that the law is good. But now it is no longer me doing it, but sin that lives in me. For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do the good, but I cannot^[32] do it. For I do not do the good I want, but I do the very evil I do not want! Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer me doing it but sin that lives in me.

So, I find the law that when I want to do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God in my inner being. But I see a different law in my members waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to^[33] the law of sin that is in my members…

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.^[34] For the law of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. For God achieved what the law could not do because it was weakened through the flesh. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Endure your suffering as discipline,^[35] the author of Hebrews wrote. Actually, your suffering was added by the translators. The NET parallel Greek text and the Byzantine Majority Text began with εἰς. A more literal translation would be “Into (or, unto) discipline endure.” (The Stephanus Textus Receptus began with ει, translated If ye endure chastening.) What one endures unto discipline was clearer a few verses prior (Hebrews 12:3 NET):

Think of him who endured such opposition against himself^[36] by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up.

When I think of Jesus I think of others in opposition to Him, the sin in his own flesh was so marvelously controlled. The old human has been the most obvious, nearest and dearest sinner whose opposition has been mine to endure.

A table of the occurrences of χωρὶς in the New Testament and its translation in the NET and KJV, and nine tables comparing Hebrews 9:24-28; 1 John 3:2-9; Galatians 5:22-23; Hebrews 10:10; Romans 7:25; Romans 7:14-23; Romans 8:1-4; Hebrews 12:7 and 12:3 in the NET and KJV follow. I broke the latter tables when the NET parallel Greek text differed from the Stephanus Textus Receptus or the Byzantine Majority Text.

χωρὶς in the New Testament
Reference	Greek	NET	KJV
Matthew 13:34	χωρὶς παραβολῆς	without a parable	without a parable
Matthew 14:21	χωρὶς γυναικῶν	Not counting women	beside women
Matthew 15:38	χωρὶς παιδίων (NET) / χωρις γυναικων (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Not counting children	beside women
Mark 4:34	χωρὶς δὲ παραβολῆς	without a parable	without a parable
Luke 6:49	χωρὶς θεμελίου	without a foundation	without a foundation
John 1:3	χωρὶς αὐτοῦ	apart from him	without him
John 15:5	χωρὶς ἐμοῦ	apart from me	without me
John 20:7	χωρὶς	by itself	by itself
Romans 3:21	χωρὶς νόμου	apart from the law	without the law
Romans 3:28	χωρὶς ἔργων νόμου	apart from the works of the law	without the deeds of the law
Romans 4:6	χωρὶς ἔργων	apart from works	without works
Romans 7:8	χωρὶς γὰρ νόμου	For apart from the law	For without the law
Romans 7:9	χωρὶς νόμου	apart from the law	without the law
Romans 10:14	χωρὶς κηρύσσοντος	without someone preaching	without a preacher
1 Corinthians 4:8	χωρὶς ἡμῶν	without us	without us
1 Corinthians 11:11	χωρὶς ἀνδρὸς (NET) / χωρὶς γυναικὸς (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	independent of man	without the woman
1 Corinthians 11:11	χωρὶς γυναικὸς (NET) / χωρὶς ἀνδρὸς (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	independent of woman	without the man
2 Corinthians 11:28	χωρὶς τῶν παρεκτὸς	Apart from other things	Beside those things that are without
2 Corinthians 12:3	χωρὶς τοῦ σώματος (NET) / εκτος του σωματος (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	apart from the body	out of the body
Ephesians 2:12	χωρὶς Χριστοῦ	without the Messiah	without Christ
Philippians 2:14	χωρὶς γογγυσμῶν	without grumbling	without murmurings
1 Timothy 2:8	χωρὶς ὀργῆς	without anger	without wrath
1 Timothy 5:21	χωρὶς προκρίματος	without prejudice	without preferring one before another
Philemon 1:14	χωρὶς δὲ τῆς σῆς γνώμης	However, without your consent	But without thy mind
Hebrews 4:15	χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας	yet without sin	yet without sin
Hebrews 7:7	χωρὶς δὲ πάσης ἀντιλογίας	Now without dispute	And without all contradiction
Hebrews 7:20	χωρὶς ὁρκωμοσίας^[37]	done without a sworn affirmation	without an oath
Hebrews 7:20	χωρὶς ὁρκωμοσίας^[37]	without a sworn affirmation	without an oath (verse 21)
Hebrews 9:7	χωρὶς αἵματος	without blood	without blood
Hebrews 9:18	οὐδὲ…χωρὶς αἵματος / ουδ…χωρις αιματος (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	with blood	neither…without blood
Hebrews 9:22	χωρὶς αἱματεκχυσίας	without the shedding of blood	without shedding of blood
Hebrews 9:28	χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας	not to bear sin	without sin
Hebrews 10:28	χωρὶς οἰκτιρμῶν	without mercy	without mercy
Hebrews 11:6	χωρὶς δὲ πίστεως	Now without faith	But without faith
Hebrews 11:40	μὴ χωρὶς ἡμῶν	together with us	without us…not
Hebrews 12:8	χωρίς ἐστε παιδείας	you do not experience discipline	be without chastisement
Hebrews 12:14	οὗ χωρὶς	for without it	without which
James 2:18	χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων	without works	without thy works
James 2:20	χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων	without works	without works
James 2:26	χωρὶς πνεύματος	without the spirit	without the spirit
James 2:26	χωρὶς ἔργων / χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	without works	without works

Hebrews 9:24-28 (NET)	Hebrews 9:24-28 (KJV)
For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands – the representation of the true sanctuary – but into heaven itself, and he appears now in God’s presence for us.	For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
οὐ γὰρ εἰς χειροποίητα εἰσῆλθεν ἅγια Χριστός, ἀντίτυπα τῶν ἀληθινῶν, ἀλλ᾿ εἰς αὐτὸν τὸν οὐρανόν, νῦν ἐμφανισθῆναι τῷ προσώπῳ τοῦ θεοῦ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν	ου γαρ εις χειροποιητα αγια εισηλθεν ο χριστος αντιτυπα των αληθινων αλλ εις αυτον τον ουρανον νυν εμφανισθηναι τω προσωπω του θεου υπερ ημων	ου γαρ εις χειροποιητα αγια εισηλθεν ο χριστος αντιτυπα των αληθινων αλλ εις αυτον τον ουρανον νυν εμφανισθηναι τω προσωπω του θεου υπερ ημων

And he did not enter to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the sanctuary year after year with blood that is not his own,	Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the consummation of the ages to put away sin by his sacrifice.	For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἐπεὶ ἔδει αὐτὸν πολλάκις παθεῖν ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου· νυνὶ δὲ ἅπαξ ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων εἰς ἀθέτησιν [τῆς] ἁμαρτίας διὰ τῆς θυσίας αὐτοῦ πεφανέρωται	επει εδει αυτον πολλακις παθειν απο καταβολης κοσμου νυν δε απαξ επι συντελεια των αιωνων εις αθετησιν αμαρτιας δια της θυσιας αυτου πεφανερωται	επει εδει αυτον πολλακις παθειν απο καταβολης κοσμου νυν δε απαξ επι συντελεια των αιωνων εις αθετησιν αμαρτιας δια της θυσιας αυτου πεφανερωται

And just as people are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment,	And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
so also, after Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many, to those who eagerly await him he will appear a second time, not to bear sin but to bring salvation.	So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
οὕτως καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἅπαξ προσενεχθεὶς εἰς τὸ πολλῶν ἀνενεγκεῖν ἁμαρτίας ἐκ δευτέρου χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας ὀφθήσεται τοῖς αὐτὸν ἀπεκδεχομένοις εἰς σωτηρίαν.	ουτως ο χριστος απαξ προσενεχθεις εις το πολλων ανενεγκειν αμαρτιας εκ δευτερου χωρις αμαρτιας οφθησεται τοις αυτον απεκδεχομενοις εις σωτηριαν	ουτως και ο χριστος απαξ προσενεχθεις εις το πολλων ανενεγκειν αμαρτιας εκ δευτερου χωρις αμαρτιας οφθησεται τοις αυτον απεκδεχομενοις εις σωτηριαν

1 John 3:2-9 (NET)	1 John 3:2-9 (KJV)
Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that whenever it is revealed we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is.	Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἀγαπητοί, νῦν τέκνα θεοῦ ἐσμεν, καὶ οὔπω ἐφανερώθη τί ἐσόμεθα. οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἐὰν φανερωθῇ, ὅμοιοι αὐτῷ ἐσόμεθα, ὅτι ὀψόμεθα αὐτὸν καθώς ἐστιν	αγαπητοι νυν τεκνα θεου εσμεν και ουπω εφανερωθη τι εσομεθα οιδαμεν δε οτι εαν φανερωθη ομοιοι αυτω εσομεθα οτι οψομεθα αυτον καθως εστιν	αγαπητοι νυν τεκνα θεου εσμεν και ουπω εφανερωθη τι εσομεθα οιδαμεν δε οτι εαν φανερωθη ομοιοι αυτω εσομεθα οτι οψομεθα αυτον καθως εστιν

And everyone who has this hope focused on him purifies himself, just as Jesus is pure.	And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; indeed, sin is lawlessness.	Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
And you know that Jesus was revealed to take away (ἄρῃ, a form of αἴρω) sins, and in him there is no sin.	And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ οἴδατε ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ἐφανερώθη, ἵνα τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἄρῃ, καὶ ἁμαρτία ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν	και οιδατε οτι εκεινος εφανερωθη ινα τας αμαρτιας ημων αρη και αμαρτια εν αυτω ουκ εστιν	και οιδατε οτι εκεινος εφανερωθη ινα τας αμαρτιας ημων αρη και αμαρτια εν αυτω ουκ εστιν

Everyone who resides in him does not sin; everyone who sins has neither seen him nor known him.	Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Jesus is righteous.	Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil.	He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Everyone who has been fathered 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 by God.	Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

Galatians 5:22, 23 (NET)	Galatians 5:22, 23 (KJV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,	But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.	Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
πραΰτης ἐγκράτεια· κατὰ τῶν τοιούτων οὐκ ἔστιν νόμος	πραοτης εγκρατεια κατα των τοιουτων ουκ εστιν νομος	πραοτης εγκρατεια κατα των τοιουτων ουκ εστιν νομος

Hebrews 10:10 (NET)	Hebrews 10:10 (KJV)
By his will we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.	By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἐν ᾧ θελήματι ἡγιασμένοι ἐσμὲν διὰ τῆς προσφορᾶς τοῦ σώματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐφάπαξ	εν ω θεληματι ηγιασμενοι εσμεν οι δια της προσφορας του σωματος του ιησου χριστου εφαπαξ	εν ω θεληματι ηγιασμενοι εσμεν οι δια της προσφορας του σωματος ιησου χριστου εφαπαξ

Romans 7:25 (NET)	Romans 7:25 (KJV)
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.	I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
χάρις τῷ θεῷ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν. ῎Αρα οὖν αὐτὸς ἐγὼ τῷ μὲν νοὶ_ δουλεύω νόμῳ θεοῦ τῇ δὲ σαρκὶ νόμῳ ἁμαρτίας.	ευχαριστω τω θεω δια ιησου χριστου του κυριου ημων αρα ουν αυτος εγω τω μεν νοι δουλευω νομω θεου τη δε σαρκι νομω αμαρτιας	ευχαριστω τω θεω δια ιησου χριστου του κυριου ημων αρα ουν αυτος εγω τω μεν νοι δουλευω νομω θεου τη δε σαρκι νομω αμαρτιας

Romans 7:14-23 (NET)	Romans 7:14-23 (KJV)
For we know that the law is spiritual – but I am unspiritual, sold into slavery to sin.	For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I do not do what I want – instead, I do what I hate.	For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
But if I do what I don’t want, I agree that the law is good.	If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
But now it is no longer me doing it, but sin that lives in me.	Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do the good, but I cannot do it.	For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Οἶδα γὰρ ὅτι οὐκ οἰκεῖ ἐν ἐμοί, τοῦτ᾿ ἔστιν ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου, ἀγαθόν· τὸ γὰρ θέλειν παράκειται μοι, τὸ δὲ κατεργάζεσθαι τὸ καλὸν οὔ	οιδα γαρ οτι ουκ οικει εν εμοι τουτ εστιν εν τη σαρκι μου αγαθον το γαρ θελειν παρακειται μοι το δε κατεργαζεσθαι το καλον ουχ ευρισκω	οιδα γαρ οτι ουκ οικει εν εμοι τουτ εστιν εν τη σαρκι μου αγαθον το γαρ θελειν παρακειται μοι το δε κατεργαζεσθαι το καλον ουχ ευρισκω

For I do not do the good I want, but I do the very evil I do not want!	For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer me doing it but sin that lives in me.	Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
So, I find the law that when I want to do good, evil is present with me.	I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
For I delight in the law of God in my inner being.	For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
But I see a different law in my members waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that is in my members.	But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
βλέπω δὲ ἕτερον νόμον ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν μου ἀντιστρατευόμενον τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ νοός μου καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζοντα με \|ἐν\| τῷ νόμῳ τῆς ἁμαρτίας τῷ ὄντι ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν μου	βλεπω δε ετερον νομον εν τοις μελεσιν μου αντιστρατευομενον τω νομω του νοος μου και αιχμαλωτιζοντα με τω νομω της αμαρτιας τω οντι εν τοις μελεσιν μου	βλεπω δε ετερον νομον εν τοις μελεσιν μου αντιστρατευομενον τω νομω του νοος μου και αιχμαλωτιζοντα με εν τω νομω της αμαρτιας τω οντι εν τοις μελεσιν μου

Romans 8:1-4 (NET)	Romans 8:1-4 (KJV)
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.	There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Οὐδὲν ἄρα νῦν κατάκριμα τοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ	ουδεν αρα νυν κατακριμα τοις εν χριστω ιησου μη κατα σαρκα περιπατουσιν αλλα κατα πνευμα	ουδεν αρα νυν κατακριμα τοις εν χριστω ιησου μη κατα σαρκα περιπατουσιν αλλα κατα πνευμα

For the law of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.	For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
For God achieved what the law could not do because it was weakened through the flesh. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,	For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
so that the righteous requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.	That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Hebrews 12:7 (NET)	Hebrews 12:7 (KJV)
Endure your suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline?	If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
εἰς παιδείαν ὑπομένετε, ὡς υἱοῖς ὑμῖν προσφέρεται ὁ θεός. τίς γὰρ υἱὸς ὃν οὐ παιδεύει πατήρ	ει παιδειαν υπομενετε ως υιοις υμιν προσφερεται ο θεος τις γαρ εστιν υιος ον ου παιδευει πατηρ	εις παιδειαν υπομενετε ως υιοις υμιν προσφερεται ο θεος τις γαρ υιος εστιν ον ου παιδευει πατηρ

Hebrews 12:3 (NET)	Hebrews 12:3 (KJV)
Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up.	For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἀναλογίσασθε γὰρ τὸν τοιαύτην ὑπομεμενηκότα ὑπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν εἰς \|ἑαυτὸν\| ἀντιλογίαν, ἵνα μὴ κάμητε ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν ἐκλυόμενοι	αναλογισασθε γαρ τον τοιαυτην υπομεμενηκοτα υπο των αμαρτωλων εις αυτον αντιλογιαν ινα μη καμητε ταις ψυχαις υμων εκλυομενοι	αναλογισασθε γαρ τον τοιαυτην υπομεμενηκοτα υπο των αμαρτωλων εις αυτον αντιλογιαν ινα μη καμητε ταις ψυχαις υμων εκλυομενοι

Atonement, Part 5

Back to Atonement, Part 6

Back to Atonement, Part 7

Back to Atonement, Part 8

Back to Atonement, Part 11

Back to Romans, Part 91

Back to Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 13

Back to A Monotonous Cycle Revisited, Part 2

Back to Who Am I? Part 9

Back to Hannah’s Prayer, Part 1

Back to Is Sin Less Than Sin? Part 2

Back to A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 1

Back to A Door of Hope, Part 1

Back to Romans, Part 92

Back to To Make Holy, Part 7

Back to Jedidiah, Part 5

Back to Father, Forgive Them – Part 6

Back to A Door of Hope, Part 2

Back to A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 2

Back to A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 4

Back to He Takes Away, Part 3

Back to A Monotonous Cycle Revisited, Part 4

Back to Isaiah 53:10-12, Part 1

Back to Patterns of Evidence: Exodus

Back to A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 7

Back to The New Covenant, Part 2

Back to The Book of Life, Part 1

Back to Christianity, Part 1

Back to Christianity, Part 2

Back to A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 9

Back to The Day of the Lord, Part 7

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

^[2] Exodus 29:33 (NET)

^[3] The Greek word translated to come in the NET parallel Greek text was γενομένων (a form of γίνομαι). In the Stephanus Textus Receptus and the Byzantine Majority texts it was μελλοντων (a form of μέλλω). Table

^[4] Hebrews 9:11,12 (NET)

^[5] NET note (34): “Grk ‘without sin,’ but in context this does not refer to Christ’s sinlessness (as in Heb 4:15) but to the fact that sin is already dealt with by his first coming.” My actual question was whether χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας (without sin) referred to those who eagerly await him. I didn’t discover anything that would allow me to propose that argument in the face of those who know Greek syntax better than I do.

^[6] A 2^nd aorist active infinitive form of the verb ἀναφέρω

^[7] An aorist active indicative 3^rd person singular form of the verb ἀναφέρω

^[8] Exodus 34:6, 7 (Tanakh)

^[9] The NET parallel Greek text had εἰρηκέναι here, a perfect active infinitive form of ῥέω according to the Koine Greek Lexicon (a form of ἐρέω according to BibleHub). The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had προειρηκεναι, a perfect active infinitive form of προερέω.

^[10] The NET parallel Greek text had διάνοιαν here, an accusative singular feminine form of διάνοια. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had διανοιων, a genitive plural feminine form of διάνοια according to the Koine Greek Lexicon.

^[11] The NET parallel Greek text had μνησθήσομαι here, a form of μιμνήσκω in the indicative mood (though the word “μνησθήσομαι” in the parallel Greek text of the NET for Hebrews 10:17 highlights as, and links to, μνάομαι). The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μνησθω, another form of μιμνήσκω in the subjunctive mood, the same as the Septuagint and the full quotation in Hebrews 8:11, 12.
In the Septuagint and the full quotation this is not an issue: “if the subjunctive mood is used in a purpose or result clause, then the action should not be thought of as a possible result, but should be viewed as a definite outcome that will happen as a result of another stated action” (from Subjunctive Mood). Isolated as it is in verse 17, however, μὴ μνησθω ἔτι would mean something like “I might remember no longer” while μὴ μνησθήσομαι ἔτι would translate “I will remember no longer.”

^[12] In the Stephanus Textus Receptus and the Byzantine Majority Text this clause began with δε (KJV: but). It is absent in the NET parallel Greek text.

^[13] 1 John 3:2, 3 (NET)

^[14] John 11:55 (NET)

^[15] Acts 21:23b, 24a (NET)

^[16] Acts 21:26 (NET)

^[17] 1 Peter 1:22a (NET)

^[18] Romans 8:14 (NET)

^[19] Galatians 5:16 (NET)

^[20] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αμαρτιας ημων here (KJV: our sins). The NET parallel Greek text had simply αμαρτιας.

^[21] 1 John 3:4-7 (NET)

^[22] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had πραΰτης here, which was also spelled πραοτης in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

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

^[24] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had οι here, which was absent from the NET parallel Greek text.

^[25] Hebrews 10:10 (NET)

^[26] 1 Thessalonians 5:24 (NET)

^[27] 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NET)

^[28] John 3:21 (NET)

^[29] 1 John 3:8, 9 (NET)

^[30] Ephesians 4:22-24 (NET)

^[31] Romans 7:25b (NET)

^[32] The NET parallel Greek text had οὔ here where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ουχ ευρισκω.

^[33] The NET parallel Greek text and Byzantine Majority Text had ἐν here where the Stephanus Textus Receptus did not.

^[34] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μη κατα σαρκα περιπατουσιν αλλα κατα πνευμα (KJV: who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit) while the NET parallel Greek text did not.

^[35] Hebrews 12:7a (NET)

^[36] The NET parallel Greek text had ἑαυτὸν here where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτον.

^[37] The second occurrence of χωρὶς ὁρκωμοσίας was in verse 21 of the Stephanus Textus Receptus and King James translation, while both were in verse 20 in the NET parallel Greek text and Byzantine Majority Text.

Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 9

Posted on October 9, 2017 by admin

I’ll continue to look at y^ehôvâh’s fearful pronouncement: I punish the sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons for the sin of the fathers who reject me…^[1] Two tables comparing/contrasting four partial verses follow. In the center columns the Hebrew words read from top to bottom, beside them are my best effort at a word-for-word translation, and then the NET translations are in the outer columns.

Exodus 20:5b Table			Deuteronomy 5:9b
…responding (פקד) to the transgression (עון) of fathers by dealing with children to the third and fourth generations of those who reject (לשׁנאי) me… Exodus 20:5b (NET)	visiting	פקד	פקד	visiting	…I punish (פקד) the sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons for the sin (עון) of the fathers who reject (לשׁנאי) me… Deuteronomy 5:9b (NET)
	the iniquity	עון	עון	the iniquity
	of fathers	אבת	אבות	of the fathers
	upon	על	על	upon
	sons	בנים	בנים	sons
	upon	על	ועל	and upon
	the third	שלשים	שלשים	the third
	and upon	ועל	ועל	and upon
	the fourth	רבעים	רבעים	the fourth
	who hate	לשׁנאי	לשׁנאי	who hate

Exodus 34:7b			Numbers 14:18b
…responding (פקד) to the transgression (עון) of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation. Exodus 34:7b (NET)	visiting	פקד	פקד	visiting	…visiting (פקד) the iniquity (עון) of the fathers on the children until the third and fourth generations. Numbers 14:18b (NET)
	the iniquity	עון	עון	the iniquity
	of the fathers	אבות	אבות	of the fathers
	upon	על	על	upon
	sons	בנים	בנים	sons
	and upon	ועל	על	upon
	sons(’)	בני
	sons	בנים
	upon	על
	the third	שלשים	שלשים	the third
	and upon	ועל	ועל	and upon
	the fourth	רבעים	רבעים	the fourth

There doesn’t seem to be anything about the Hebrew words themselves that would compel anyone to translate פקד (pâqad) I punish or עון (ʽâvôn) for the sin.^[2] In fact, forms of pâqad were only translated punish or punishment three other times in the NET prior to Deuteronomy 5:9. Two occur after Israel worshipped the golden calf. Moses said (Exodus 32:30-35 NET):

“You have committed a very serious sin, but now I will go up to the Lord – perhaps I can make atonement on behalf of your sin.”

So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, this people has committed a very serious sin, and they have made for themselves gods of gold [Table]. But now, if you will forgive (nâsâh, תשׁא) their sin…, but if not, wipe me out from your book that you have written” [Table]. The Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me – that person I will wipe out of my book. So now go, lead the people to the place I have spoken to you about. See, my angel will go before you. But on the day that I punish (pâqad, פקדי; Tanakh: I visit), I will indeed punish (pâqad, ופקדתי; Tanakh: I will visit) them for their sin.”

And the Lord sent a plague (nâgaph, ויגף) on the people because they had made the calf – the one Aaron made.

I don’t have any quarrel with describing this plague^[3] as punishment, but it occurs in a particular context. Though Moses offered—wipe me out from your book that you have written—y^ehôvâh said, Whoever has sinned against me – that person I will wipe out of my book. Later in his address recorded in Deuteronomy Moses said: Fathers must not be put to death for what their children do, nor children for what their fathers do; each must be put to death for his own sin.^[4]

Rabbi Dr. Zev Farber in his article “Punishing Children for the Sins of their Parents,” on TheTorah online wrote about “the surprising claim” from Rabbi Yossi bar Chanina in the Babylonian Talmud “that in four cases the prophets overturned a decree Moses makes in the Torah.” Apparently Rabbi Yossi bar Chanina held that not only Deuteronomy 5:9 but Exodus 20:5 “makes a clear and strong claim that in at least one case—worshipping other gods or idols—God punishes the descendants of the sinner until the fourth generation.” Rabbi Farber took issue with one of the “four cases”:^[5]

The prophet Ezekiel, who was exiled to Babylon in 597, offers a torrent of arguments and rhetoric against the concept of punishing children for the sins of the parents. He does not frame it as an argument against the Torah…but rather he frames it as a response to a popular notion (Ezek 18).

Rabbi Yossi bar Chanina apparently did not accept that “God punishes the descendants of the sinner until the fourth generation” was an erroneous popular notion and so he pit Ezekiel against Moses and even y^ehôvâh Himself. This tenacious aspect of the religious mind to justify itself should be familiar to us. How many generations of English speaking followers of Jesus have believed that ἄνωθεν meant again, Nicodemus’ misunderstanding of Jesus’ words? How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time, can he?^[6] Jesus^[7] answered (John 3:5-8 NET):

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

I want to simplify the world to consider pâqad in the context of Adam and two of his sons Cain and Abel. First, for background, consider Paul’s understanding of their situation (Romans 5:12-14 NET Table):

So then, just as sin entered the world through one man [e.g., Adam] and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned – for before the law was given, sin was in the world, but there is no accounting for sin when there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam until Moses even over those who did not sin in the same way that Adam (who is a type of the coming one) transgressed.

And the Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) was pleased with Abel and his offering…^[8] But when Cain killed Abel it is apparently possible to argue by the Hebrew words of Deuteronomy 5:9 that y^ehôvâh punished Abel for Adam’s sin. It’s not an argument I want to make before the judgment seat of Christ. Then the Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה) said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”^[9] Cain lacked David’s knowledge of y^ehôvâh (Psalm 139:1-12 NET):

O Lord, you examine me and know. You know when I sit down and when I get up; even from far away you understand my motives. You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest; you are aware of everything I do. Certainly my tongue does not frame a word without you, O Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה), being thoroughly aware of it. You squeeze me in from behind and in front; you place your hand on me. Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension; it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it.

Where can I go to escape your spirit? Where can I flee to escape your presence? If I were to ascend to heaven, you would be there. If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be. If I were to fly away on the wings of the dawn, and settle down on the other side of the sea, even there your hand would guide me, your right hand would grab hold of me. If I were to say, “Certainly the darkness will cover me, and the light will turn to night all around me,” even the darkness is not too dark for you to see, and the night is as bright as day; darkness and light are the same to you.

Cain mistook y^ehôvâh’s question—Where is your brother Abel?—for ignorance of what he had done rather than as an opportunity to confess, and repent of, his rash act. We can only imagine how differently this scene might have played out if Cain had expressed his own shock and horror at what he had done in anger, anger directed primarily at y^ehôvâh’s rejection of his offering. But I don’t take that to mean that y^ehôvâh was ignorant that Cain murdered Abel: The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground!^[10] Nor do I take it to mean that David was disputing with Moses or imagining novel qualities of y^ehôvâh. I assume that y^ehôvâh is ever this knowledgeable and Cain was simply ignorant of it.

Cain wasn’t stupid. Consider his clever evasion to y^ehôvâh’s question, Where is your brother Abel: I don’t know! Am I my brother’s guardian?^[11] Apparently, he reasoned that his father had tripped himself up by being too forthright with y^ehôvâh: I heard you moving about in the orchard, Adam had answered y^ehôvâh’s question, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.^[12] As Cain understood it, the knowledge Adam let slip—I was naked—enabled y^ehôvâh to infer what his father had done: Who told you that you were naked? y^ehôvâh asked Adam. Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?^[13] But again, I don’t assume that y^ehôvâh had to infer what He already knew Adam had done simply because Cain didn’t know Him.

In a similar way I assume that the word of y^ehôvâh (יהוה) that came to Ezekiel is the same word of the same y^ehôvâh revealed to Moses and recorded in Deuteronomy 5:9. The erroneous popular notion—Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear (nâsâh, נשׁא) the iniquity (ʽâvôn, בעון) of the father?^[14]—that the son should or must die for the father’s sin (Ezekiel 18:20 Tanakh) was the misunderstanding of religious minds no matter how many famous rabbis espoused it. And so I take the translation of פקד (pâqad) as I punish in Deuteronomy 5:9 as a perpetuation of an erroneous popular notion of religious minds that was clearly corrected in Ezekiel 18.

I am not yet perfected in love. The first thing that comes to mind when things don’t go my way is that God is punishing me for something. Faith in y^ehôvâh comes from the fruit of his Spirit, along with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. If I think of verses like Deuteronomy 5:9 from the perspective of sons, grandsons and great grandsons, I will come to the same erroneous conclusion, what Rabbi Farber called Sour Grapes Theology:^[15]

The sour grapes theology paints the punishment of descendants as a harsh but necessary way of God dispensing justice. Full punishment of a sinner may include the punishment of his family.

I think it’s more productive to view Deuteronomy 5:9 from the perspective of iniquitous fathers, particularly iniquitous fathers who don’t want the horror of their iniquity visited upon their children. For [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for a little while as seemed good to them, but [God] does so for our benefit, that we may share his holiness.^[16] My children were not my biological offspring so I won’t even comment on passing on my iniquity via nature. But the iniquity I passed on to them via nurture was not merely a matter of my inept blundering.

As I think of it now I recall how often I passed on my perverse views of life, the way things “really” work. And I did so with as much or more conviction than anything I taught them about Christ and his righteousness. Add to that my own on-again-off-again righteousness—sometimes led by the Holy Spirit, sometimes not so much—and I have a truly horrifying picture of y^ehôvâh visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children,^[17] my children! And this, when I wanted what was best for them.

I find myself crying aloud with Cain’s words (if not his meaning): My iniquity (ʽâvôn, עוני) is too great to endure (nâsâh, מנשׁא)! What hope do I have but that which is to be found in the long name of y^ehôvâh? The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, keeping loyal love for thousands, [bearing] (nâsâh, נשׁא) iniquity (ʽâvôn, עון) and transgression and sin.^[18]

In a prophecy that reads so much like history unbelievers doubt its authenticity, y^ehôvâh spoke of disobedient (Leviticus 26:13-17) survivors (Leviticus 26:39, 40 Tanakh):

And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies’ lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them. And they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, in their treachery which they committed against Me, and also that they have walked contrary unto Me.

Confession of one’s own iniquity is obvious. Confession of one’s fathers’ iniquity is necessary because we are far too likely to mistake our fathers’ iniquity for the way things are done, especially if those fathers were religious leaders of some note.

In the movie The Shack in a dream within a vision during a life-threatening coma Mack (Sam Worthington) spends a weekend in a cabin at a lake with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. His wife Nan (Radha Mitchell) calls God Papa, a bit too familiar for Mack’s taste at the beginning of the film.

Papa (Octavia Spencer) appears to Mack as the neighbor woman who, looking at young Mack’s bruised face, said, “Daddies aren’t supposed to do that to their kids. It ain’t love. You understand?” Papa explains to adult Mack, “After what you been through, I didn’t think you could handle a father right now.” But once Mack has God in his hands, so to speak, he has a lifetime of blame to unleash.

“You’re the almighty God, right?” he accuses Papa. “You know everything. You’re everywhere, all at once. And you have limitless power. Yet, somehow you let my little girl die. When she needed you most, you abandoned her.” Mack’s 7-year-old daughter Missy (Amélie Eve) was abducted by a serial killer. Nothing of her was ever found but her bloodstained dress. Still, Mack’s first salvo is mostly a ruse that doesn’t quite get to the heart of his issue with God.

That first night he reads himself to sleep with the Old Testament and dreams of Missy’s abduction, a dream within a dream within a vision in a coma. Missy calls out to him for rescue. The next morning at breakfast Mack moves one step closer to the real issue.

Mack: Everybody knows you punish the people who disappoint you.

Papa: Hmm. Nope. I don’t need to punish people. Sin is its own punishment.^[19] As difficult as it is for you to accept, I’m in the middle of everything you perceive to be a mess, workin’ for your good.

Later, after a stroll across the lake with Jesus (Aviv Alush), Mack meets Wisdom (Alice Braga) in a cave beneath a waterfall. She helps him take his first steps toward obeying Jesus’ command: Do not judge so that you will not be judged.^[20] Sitting with Wisdom, Mack approaches the heart of the matter.

Mack: You know, what I don’t understand is how God can love Missy and put her through so much horror. She was innocent.

Wisdom: I know.

Mack: Did he use her to punish me? ‘Cause that’s not fair. And she didn’t deserve it. My wife and my children didn’t deserve it. Now, I might. ‘Cause you know I’m…

Mack can never bring himself to confess that he murdered his father. Later that day Mack acknowledges being overly hard on God. Papa responds: “I can work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies. But that doesn’t mean I orchestrate the tragedies.”

That evening Mack is taken to meet the abusive father he poisoned. Before he can say anything more than “Dad” his father says, “Mack, I’m so sorry for everything. I was blind and I couldn’t see you. I couldn’t see anyone.” Still, Mack can’t or won’t confess his murder, he only makes excuses. “Son, I forgive you,” his father continues. “You’ve become the father I could never be. And I’m so proud of you. Can you ever forgive me?”

In the movie Papa protested that she didn’t “orchestrate the tragedies.” Still, woven into the fabric of The Shack is a serial killer who came to a campground to abduct a little girl. His victim of opportunity was a murderer’s daughter. Papa in Mack’s dream in a vision in a coma in a movie may want to leave it to chance or fate or karma, but in Scripture visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children is as much a part of y^ehôvâh’s self-proclaimed name as forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.^[21] That’s as important in reality as it proved to be in The Shack.

The next morning Papa appears to Mack as a man (Graham Greene). “For what we have to do today you’re gonna need a father,” Papa explains. He wants Mack to forgive the man who murdered his daughter.

Mack: So, you just let him get away with it?

Papa: Nobody gets away with anything…I’m not asking you to excuse what he did. I’m asking you to trust me to do what’s right and to know what’s best.

Form of pâqad	Reference	KJV	NET
פקד	Exodus 34:7	…visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children…	…responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children…
	Exodus 38:21	…as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses…	…which was counted by the order of Moses…
	Numbers 1:44	…which Moses and Aaron numbered…	…whom Moses and Aaron numbered…
	Numbers 3:15	Number the children of Levi after the…	Number the Levites by their clans and…
	Numbers 3:39	…which Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD…	…whom Moses and Aaron numbered by the word of the Lord…
	Numbers 3:40	Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel…	Number all the firstborn males of the Israelites…
	Numbers 4:37	…which Moses and Aaron did number…	…whom Moses and Aaron numbered…
	Numbers 4:41	…whom Moses and Aaron did number…	…whom Moses and Aaron numbered…
	Numbers 4:45	…whom Moses and Aaron numbered…	…whom Moses and Aaron numbered…
	Numbers 4:46	…whom Moses and Aaron and the chief of Israel numbered…	…whom Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel numbered…
	Numbers 4:49	According to the commandment of the LORD they were numbered…	According to the word of the Lord they were numbered…
	Numbers 14:18	…visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children…	…visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children…
	Deuteronomy 5:9	…visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children…	I punish the sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons for the sin of the fathers…
יפקד	Numbers 16:29	…or if they be visited after the visitation of all men…	…or if they share the fate^[22] of all men…
יפקד	Numbers 27:16	…set a man over the congregation…	…appoint a man over the community…
פקדי	Exodus 32:34	…nevertheless in the day when I visit…	But on the day that I punish…
פקדו	Numbers 26:63	…who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab…	…who numbered the Israelites in the plains of Moab…
פקדו	Numbers 26:64	…when they numbered the children of Israel…	…when they numbered the Israelites…
פקדיו	Numbers 1:22	…those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names…	…all the males numbered of them twenty years old or older…
פקדיו	Numbers 26:54	…be given according to those that were numbered of him.	…given according to the number of people in it.
פקדיכם	Numbers 14:29	…and all that were numbered of you…	…all those of you who were numbered…
פקדיהם	Numbers 1:21	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Reuben…	Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Reuben were 46,500.
	Numbers 1:23	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Simeon…	Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Simeon were 59,300.
	Numbers 1:25	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Gad…	Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Gad were 45,650.
	Numbers 1:27	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Judah…	Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Judah were 74,600.
	Numbers 1:29	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Issachar…	Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Issachar were 54,400.
	Numbers 1:31	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Zebulun…	Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Zebulun were 57,400.
	Numbers 1:33	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Ephraim…	Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Ephraim were 40,500.
	Numbers 1:35	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh…	Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Manasseh were 32,200.
	Numbers 1:37	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Benjamin…	Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Benjamin were 35,400.
	Numbers 1:39	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan…	Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Dan were 62,700.
	Numbers 1:41	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Asher…	Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Asher were 41,500.
	Numbers 1:43	Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Naphtali…	Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Naphtali were 53,400.
	Numbers 3:22	Those that were numbered of them, according to the number…	Those of them who were numbered, counting every male…
	Numbers 3:22	…even those that were numbered of them were seven thousand and five hundred.	Not translated
	Numbers 4:36	And those that were numbered of them by their families were…	…and those of them numbered by their families were 2,750.
	Numbers 4:40	Even those that were numbered of them, throughout their families…	…those of them numbered by their families, by their clans, were 2,630.
	Numbers 4:44	Even those that were numbered of them after their families…	…those of them numbered by their families were 3,200.
	Numbers 4:48	Even those that were numbered of them, were…	…those of them numbered were 8,580.
	Numbers 26:7	…and they that were numbered of them were…	…and those numbered of them were 43,730.
	Numbers 26:62	And those that were numbered of them were…	Those of them who were numbered were 23,000…
פקודי	Exodus 38:21	This is the sum of the tabernacle…	This is the inventory of the tabernacle…
	Exodus 38:25	And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation…	The silver of those who were numbered of the community…
	Numbers 1:45	So were all those that were numbered of the children of Israel…	…who could serve in Israel’s army, were numbered…
	Numbers 2:32	These are those which were numbered of the children of Israel…	These are the Israelites, numbered according to their families.
	Numbers 2:32	…all those that were numbered of the camps…	All those numbered in the camps…
	Numbers 3:39	All that were numbered of the Levites…	All who were numbered of the Levites…
	Numbers 4:37	These were they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites…	These were those numbered from the families of the Kohathites…
	Numbers 4:41	These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon…	These were those numbered from the families of the Gershonites…
	Numbers 4:45	These be those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari…	These are those numbered from the families of the Merarites…
	Numbers 26:51	These were the numbered of the children of Israel…	These were those numbered of the Israelites, 601,730.
	Numbers 26:57	And these are they that were numbered of the Levites…	…Levites who were numbered according to their families…
	Numbers 26:63	These are they that were numbered by Moses…	These are those who were numbered by Moses…
	Numbers 31:14	…Moses was wroth with the officers of the host…	…Moses was furious with the officers of the army…
ויפקד	Numbers 3:16	Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD…	Moses numbered them according to the word of the Lord…
	Numbers 3:42	And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him…	So Moses numbered all the firstborn males among the Israelites…
	Numbers 4:34	And Moses and Aaron and the chief of the congregation numbered…	…Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the community numbered…
ופקדיו	Numbers 2:6	And his host, and those that were numbered thereof…	Those numbered in his division are 54,400.
	Numbers 2:8	And his host, and those that were numbered thereof…	Those numbered in his division are 57,400.
	Numbers 2:11	And his host, and those that were numbered thereof…	Those numbered in his division are 46,500.
	Numbers 4:49	…thus were they numbered of him…	Thus were they numbered by him…
ויפקדם	Numbers 1:19	…so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai.	And so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai.
ופקדתי	Exodus 32:34	…I will visit their sin upon them.	…I will indeed punish them for their sin.
ופקדתם	Numbers 4:27	…and ye shall appoint unto them in charge…	You will assign them all their tasks…
ופקדיהם	Numbers 2:4	And his host, and those that were numbered of them…	Those numbered in his division are 74,600.
	Numbers 2:13	And his host, and those that were numbered of them…	Those numbered in his division are 59,300.
	Numbers 2:15	And his host, and those that were numbered of them…	Those numbered in his division are 45,650.
	Numbers 2:19	And his host, and those that were numbered of them…	Those numbered in his division are 40,500.
	Numbers 2:21	And his host, and those that were numbered of them…	Those numbered in his division are 32,200.
	Numbers 2:23	And his host, and those that were numbered of them…	Those numbered in his division are 35,400.
	Numbers 2:26	And his host, and those that were numbered of them…	Those numbered in his division are 62,700.
	Numbers 2:28	And his host, and those that were numbered of them…	Those numbered in his division are 41,500.
	Numbers 2:30	And his host, and those that were numbered of them…	Those numbered in his division are 53,400.
	Numbers 3:34	And those that were numbered of them, according to the number…	Those of them who were numbered, counting every male…
	Numbers 26:34	…Manasseh, and those that were numbered of them…	…Manasseh; those numbered of them were 52,700.
	Numbers 26:41	…and they that were numbered of them were…	…and according to those numbered of them, 45,600.
	Numbers 26:50	…and they that were numbered of them were…	…and those numbered of them were 45,400.
ואפקד	Leviticus 18:25	…therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it…	…and I have brought the punishment for its iniquity upon it…
והפקדתי	Leviticus 26:16	…I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague…	…I will inflict horror on you, consumption and fever…
ופקודי	Numbers 4:38	And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon…	Those numbered from the Gershonites…
ופקודי	Numbers 4:42	And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari…	Those numbered from the families of the Merarites…
לפקדיהם	Exodus 30:12	…sum of the children of Israel after their number…	…census of the Israelites according to their number…
	Numbers 3:43	…of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand…	Not translated
	Numbers 26:18	…Gad according to those that were numbered of them…	…Gadites according to those numbered of them, 40,500.
	Numbers 26:22	…Judah according to those that were numbered of them…	…Judah according to those numbered of them, 76,500.
	Numbers 26:25	…Issachar according to those that were numbered of them…	…Issachar, according to those numbered of them, 64,300.
	Numbers 26:27	…Zebulunites according to those that were numbered of them…	…Zebulunites, according to those numbered of them, 60,500.
	Numbers 26:37	…Ephraim according to those that were numbered of them…	…Ephraimites, according to those numbered of them, 32,500.
	Numbers 26:43	…Shuhamites, according to those that were numbered of them…	…Shuhahites according to those numbered of them were 64,400.
	Numbers 26:47	…Asher according to those that were numbered of them…	…Asherites, according to those numbered of them, 53,400.
בפקד	Exodus 30:12	…ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them…	…ransom for his life to the Lord when you number them…
	Exodus 30:12	…that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them.	…there will be no plague among them when you number them.
	Numbers 31:49	…and there lacketh not one man of us.	…and not one is missing.
הפקד	Leviticus 6:4^[23]	…or that which was delivered him to keep…	…or the thing that he had held in trust…
תפקד	Numbers 1:49	…thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi…	…the tribe of Levi you must not number…
	Numbers 1:50	But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony…	But appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony…
	Numbers 3:10	And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons…	So you are to appoint Aaron and his sons…
	Numbers 4:23	…until fifty years old shalt thou number them…	You must number them from thirty years old and upward…
	Numbers 4:29	…thou shalt number them after their families…	…you are to number them by their families…
הפקדים	Exodus 30:13	…every one that passeth among them that are numbered…	Everyone who crosses over to those who are numbered…
	Exodus 30:14	Every one that passeth among them that are numbered…	Everyone who crosses over to those numbered…
	Exodus 38:26	…for every one that went to be numbered…	…for everyone who crossed over to those numbered…
	Numbers 1:44	These are those that were numbered…	These were the men…
	Numbers 1:46	Even all they that were numbered were…	And all those numbered totaled 603,550.
	Numbers 2:9	All that were numbered in the camp of…	All those numbered of the camp of Judah…
	Numbers 2:16	All that were numbered in the camp of Reuben…	All those numbered of the camp of Reuben…
	Numbers 2:24	All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim…	All those numbered of the camp of Ephraim…
	Numbers 2:31	All they that were numbered in the camp…	All those numbered of the camp of Dan…
	Numbers 4:46	All those that were numbered of the…	All who were numbered of the Levites…
	Numbers 7:2	…over them that were numbered…	…had been supervising the numbering.
תפקדו	Numbers 1:3	…thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.	You and Aaron are to number all in Israel…
תפקדו	Numbers 4:32	…and by name ye shall reckon the instruments…	You are to assign by names the items…
תפקדם	Numbers 3:15	…a month old and upward shalt thou number…	…a month old and upward you are to number.
תפקדם	Numbers 4:30	…unto fifty years old shalt thou number them…	You must number them from thirty years…
הפקדים	Numbers 31:48	And the officers which were over thousands of the host…	Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army…
התפקדו	Numbers 1:47	…were not numbered among them.	…were not numbered among them.
	Numbers 2:33	But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel…	But the Levites were not numbered among the other Israelites…
	Numbers 26:62	…they were not numbered among the children of Israel…	…they were not numbered among the Israelites…
מפקודי	Numbers 26:64	…whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered…	…a man among these who had been among those numbered by Moses…

Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 10

Back to Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 11

Back to To Make Holy, Part 4

Back to Father, Forgive Them – Part 4

Back to Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 12

Back to A Monotonous Cycle Revisited – Part 1

Back to Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 13

Back to Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 14

Back to A Monotonous Cycle Revisited, Part 3

Back to Christianity, Part 3

Back to Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Part 9

^[1] Deuteronomy 5:9b (NET)

^[2] I also notice that the qualifications לשׁנאי (translated: of those who reject me) and מצותי ולשמרי לאהבי (translated: those who love me and keep my commandments ) have vanished from occurrences after the end of the forty-day covenant. I won’t say more since they reappear in Moses’ history lesson (Deuteronomy 5:5-10).

^[3] Leviticus 26:14-17 may give some hint what this plague may have been.

^[4] Deuteronomy 24:16 (NET)

^[5] Rabbi Dr. Zev Farber, “Punishing Children for the Sins of their Parents,” TheTorah

^[6] John 3:4 (NET)

^[7] The Stephanus Textus Receptus had the article ο preceding Jesus. The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

^[8] Genesis 4:4b (NET) Table

^[9] Genesis 4:9a (NET)

^[10] Genesis 4:10b (NET) Table

^[11] Genesis 4:9b (NET)

^[12] Genesis 3:10 (NET)

^[13] Genesis 3:11 (NET)

^[14] Ezekiel 18:19a (Tanakh)

^[15] Rabbi Dr. Zev Farber, “Punishing Children for the Sins of their Parents,” TheTorah

^[16] Hebrews 12:10 (NET)

^[17] Deuteronomy 5:9 (Tanakh)

^[18] Exodus 34:6b, 7a (NET)

^[19] “Sin is its own punishment,” is practically the definition of ʽâvôn but that will have to wait for another essay.

^[20] Matthew 7:1 (NET)

^[21] Exodus 34:7 (KJV)

^[22] p^eqûddâh

^[23] According to NET online this is piqqâdôn rather than pâqad as it is listed in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.

Condemnation or Judgment? – Part 14

Posted on May 28, 2016 by admin

In the movie Twilight Edward is a hundred-plus-year-old vampire with the emotional development of a seventeen-year-old boy. Robert Pattinson plays Edward a little bipolar, sometimes the wise or world-weary centenarian at other times the soulful or petulant teen. “You know, your mood swings are kind of giving me whiplash,” Bella (Kristen Stewart) says. Mr. Pattinson’s acting choices remind me how I thought Jesus played y^ehôvâh.

	The Long Name of God
y^ehôvâh	The Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה), the Lord (y^ehôvâh, יהוה), the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. Exodus 34:6, 7a (NET)	But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation. Exodus 34:7b (NET)
	First Advent	Second Advent
Jesus	*Here is my servant whom I have chosen the one I love, in whom I take great delight. I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets*. *He will not break a bruised reed or extinguish a smoldering wick, until he brings justice to victory.* *And in his name the Gentiles* will hope. Matthew 12:18-21 (NET)	He is dressed in clothing dipped in blood, and he is called the Word of God. The armies that are in heaven, dressed in white, clean, fine linen, were following him on white horses. 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. Revelation 19:13-15 (NET)

This understanding was part and parcel of the deal I made when I returned from atheism. I became an atheist because I could no longer believe in an angry punishing god. The idea that his wrath was deferred until the end offered me a window of opportunity to believe again. Of course, the idea that Jesus was an actor (ὑποκριτής) playing y^ehôvâh doesn’t sit so well with me these days.

The Greek word translated rule in Revelation 19:15 above is ποιμανεῖ (a form of ποιμαίνω; shepherd). After assembling all the chief priests and experts in the law, [King Herod] asked them where the Christ was to be born. “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they said, “for it is written this way by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are in no way least among the rulers (ἡγεμόσιν, a form of ἡγεμών) of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler (ἡγούμενος, a form of ἡγέομαι) who will shepherd (ποιμανεῖ, a form of ποιμαίνω) my people Israel.’”^[1] But I didn’t make too much of it at first.

I found the following more troubling: And to the one who conquers and who continues in my deeds until the end, I will give him authority over the nations – he will rule (ποιμανεῖ, a form of ποιμαίνω) them with an iron rod and like clay jars he will break them to pieces, just as I have received the right to rule from my Father – and I will give him the morning star.^[2] Who conquers the world (1 John 5:1-5 NET)?

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been fathered by God, and everyone who loves the father loves the child fathered by him. By this we know that we love the children of God: whenever we love God and obey (ποιῶμεν, a form of ποιέω) his commandments. 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 (νικᾷ, a form of νικάω) the world. This is the conquering power (νίκη, a form of νίκη) that has conquered (νικήσασα, another form of νικάω) the world: our faith. Now who is the person who has conquered (νικῶν, another form of νικάω) the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

The words, to the one who conquers, are the translation of νικῶν (another form of νικάω) in Revelation 2:26 (NET). I take continues in my deeds to mean the deeds which have been done in God, the deeds which flow from the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control of the Holy Spirit. I wondered how believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and living by the Spirit qualified someone to rule the nations and break them to pieces like clay jars. Here again, rule is shepherd in Greek.

This time I pursued it. A note in the NET (90) informs that, he will rule them with an iron rod and like clay jars he will break them to pieces, is a quotation of Psalm 2:9. Note 26 on Psalm 2:9 after the words, You will break them, reads: “The LXX reads ‘you will shepherd them.’ This reading, quoted in the Greek text of the NT in Rev 2:27; 12:5; 19:15, assumes a different vocalization of the consonantal Hebrew text and understands the verb as רָעָה (ra’ah, ‘to shepherd’) rather than רָעָע (ra’a’, ‘to break’). But the presence of נָפַץ (nafats, ‘to smash’) in the next line strongly favors the MT vocalization.”

The Hebrew words רָעָה (ra’ah H7462) and רָעָע (ra’a’ H7489) are apparently homographs in some forms, words that are spelled the same but have different meanings. We determine their meanings primarily by context: The wind blows my hair as I wind my watch. Here are some of the instances in the Psalms.

Reference	Hebrew	NET	Strong’s Number
Psalm 2:9	תרעם	break	H7489
Psalm 22:16	מרעים	evil men	H7489
Psalm 27:2	מרעים	evil men	H7489
Psalm 28:9	ורעם	Care for them like a shepherd	H7462
Psalm 37:9	מרעים	Wicked	H7489
Psalm 49:14	ירעם	as their shepherd	H7462
Psalm 64:2	מרעים	evil men	H7489
Psalm 78:72	וירעם	David cared for	H7462
Psalm 92:11	מרעים	the defeated cries of the evil foes	H7489

This is where accountability comes into play for me. I can’t stand before Jesus and tell Him (Revelation 1:12-20 NET) He quoted an erroneous translation of Psalm 2:9 in Revelation 2:27 but the Masoretes corrected his mistake. Don’t get me wrong. I thoroughly appreciate the notes in the NET. I long for more. But I can’t follow the translators on this point.

Jesus said shepherd (ποιμανεῖ, a form of ποιμαίνω). The Septuagint implies that the original Hebrew word was shepherd (ποιμανεῖς, another form of ποιμαίνω) before Israel rejected Jesus as Messiah.

NET

Parallel Greek

Septuagint

he will rule them with an iron rod

Revelation 2:27a

καὶ ποιμανεῖ αὐτοὺς ἐν ράβδῳ σιδηρᾷ

Revelation 2:27a

ποιμανεῖς αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ

Psalm 2:9a

I think the Masoretes changed the word with vowel points. Their motive^[3] seems fairly obvious, to invalidate Jesus as Messiah: Jesus did not break the Gentile nations with an iron scepter nor smash them like a potter’s jar, therefore Jesus was not the Messiah. But I’m not convinced that believing He will return to do that is the best retort. Perhaps it is the human religious mind’s last desperate hope for vindication. Granted, accepting shepherd as the correct homograph in Psalm 2:9 won’t establish that. Shepherd was used nearly as ironically in Psalm 49:14 (NET):

[Fools] will travel to Sheol like sheep, with death as their shepherd. The godly will rule over them when the day of vindication dawns; Sheol will consume their bodies and they will no longer live in impressive houses.

But it opens the door to consider other homographs for nâphats (תנפצם) since it caused the NET translators to favor the Masoretes over Jesus.

I’ll turn my attention to a more thorough consideration of ὡς τὰ σκεύη τὰ κεραμικὰ συντρίβεται (like clay jars he will break them to pieces) in Revelation. My contention is that the translation of the Greek has been shaded significantly to conform to the image of Jesus using his shepherd’s rod^[4] to shatter the nations like fired pottery in Psalm 2:9 of the Masoretic text. This shading didn’t begin with the NET translators.

The King James translators rendered it, as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers. There is a word for potter in Greek: Has the potter (κεραμεὺς) no right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special use and another for ordinary use?^[5] The translators of the NET were right to change the translation of κεραμικὰ (a form of κεραμικός) from of a potter to clay. My electronic edition of Strong’s Concordance numbers broken and to shivers as if two forms of συντρίβω followed one after the other in the Greek text. But even in the textus receptus συντρίβεται is the only instance of a form of συντρίβω in Revelation 2:27.

The Greek word σκεύη (a form of σκεῦος) with no modifier was translated property in Matthew 12:29 and Mark 3:27 (NET) and goods in Luke 17:31 (NET). All are finished products, no doubt. The other occurrences are modified in some way.

Reference	NET	Parallel Greek
Romans 9:22	objects of wrath	σκεύη ὀργῆς
Romans 9:23	objects of mercy	σκεύη ἐλέους
2 Timothy 2:20	gold and silver vessels	σκεύη χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ
Hebrews 9:21	utensils of worship	σκεύη τῆς λειτουργίας

It occurs to me to ask what the Holy Spirit would need to say beyond σκεύη τὰ κεραμικὰ (objects, vessels, utensils or jars of clay) to make us understand that these objects, vessels, utensils or jars are still malleable, made of clay? [6/11/16: In the NET it may be ἐν ὀστρακίνοις σκεύεσιν or ὀστράκινα (a form of ὀστράκινος).] In fact, isn’t it the translation—broken to shivers—which forces us to think otherwise? Why was συντρίβεται (a form of συντρίβω) translated broken to shivers (KJV) or break them to pieces (NET)? Another form was translated crush (bruise, KJV) in Paul’s letter to the Romans (16:20a NET):

The God of peace will quickly crush (συντρίψει, another form of συντρίβω) Satan under your feet.

To crush is an apt description of what a potter does as he begins to refashion a ruined vessel of clay.

Now while Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar (ἀλάβαστρον) of costly aromatic oil from pure nard. After breaking open (συντρίψασα, another form of συντρίβω) the jar (ἀλάβαστρον), she poured it on his head.^[6] Did she break the ἀλάβαστρον to pieces? Or did she take its body in one hand, its lid in the other and rub (τρίβος) them together (σύν), or twist them to break the wax seal?

The Greek word translated “alabaster box” in the KJV, as well as “flask,” “jar” and “vial” in other translations, is alabastron, which can also mean “perfume vase”….The boxes were often sealed or made fast with wax, to prevent the perfume from escaping.^[7]

A man described his son to Jesus: A spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions and causes him to foam at the mouth. It hardly ever leaves him alone, torturing (συντρῖβον, another form of συντρίβω) him severely.^[8] How the spirit crushed him isn’t readily apparent in the text, but it didn’t break him to pieces. Another form of συντρίβω (συντετριμμενους) was in the prophecy Jesus read from Isaiah in the textus receptus: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal (ιασασθαι, a form of ἰάομαι) the brokenhearted (συντετριμμενους^[9] την καρδιαν)…^[10] Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed (ἰάσατο, another form of ἰάομαι) the boy who was tortured, crushed, bruised or broken, and gave him back to his father.^[11]

But I can’t make this a slam dunk, not without the correct homograph for the Hebrew word nâphats (תנפצם). I can’t tell, for instance, if the man with the unclean spirit had broken (συντετρῖφθαι, another form of συντρίβω) the shackles in pieces (Mark 5:4 NET) or rubbed them together until he wriggled free. A form of συντρίβω was contrasted to a form of κατάγνυμι in Matthew 12:20 (NET): He will not break (κατεάξει, a form of κατάγνυμι) a bruised (συντετριμμένον, another form of συντρίβω) reed or extinguish a smoldering wick, until he brings justice to victory. But in the Septuagint συντρίψει (another form of συντρίβω) was used in place of κατεάξει and τεθλασμένον was used in place of συντετριμμένον.

That wouldn’t be particularly problematic. I’m perfectly willing to prefer the New Testament to the Septuagint. My primary interest in the Septuagint is as corroboration of the instances where the Masoretes altered the Hebrew of the Old Testament. In John 19, however, forms of κατάγνυμι were used interchangeably with a form of συντρίβω (John 19:31-33, 36 NET):

Then, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies should not stay on the crosses on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was an especially important one), the Jewish leaders asked Pilate to have the victims’ legs broken (κατεαγῶσιν, another form of κατάγνυμι) and the bodies taken down. So the soldiers came and broke (κατέαξαν, another form of κατάγνυμι) the legs of the two men who had been crucified with Jesus, first the one and then the other. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break (κατέαξαν, another form of κατάγνυμι) his legs.

For these things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled, “Not a bone of his will be broken (συντριβήσεται, another form of συντρίβω).”

Each of the Old Testament prophecies used a form of συντρίβω for broken in the Septuagint:

NET

Parallel Greek

Septuagint

Not a bone of his will be broken

John 19:36b

ὀστοῦν οὐ συντριβήσεται αὐτοῦ

John 19:36b

καὶ ὀστοῦν οὐ συντρίψετε ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ

Exodus 12:46b

καὶ ὀστοῦν οὐ συντρίψουσιν ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ

Numbers 9:12

ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐ συντριβήσεται

Psalm 34:20

I haven’t found a way to search Hebrew homographs online.^[12] I definitely need help from someone who knows Hebrew extremely well.

I’ve often quipped to friends, if there is anything left of me when I see Him face to face, my first question will be: a written language without vowels? Dr. Thomas M. Strouse, arguing for the necessity and inspiration of vowel points in an essay titled “A Review of and Observations about Peter Whitfield’s: A Dissertation on the Hebrew Vowel-Points,” gave me a glimpse into the beauty and economy of biblical Hebrew. After eliminating the options that could be disregarded by context, Dr. Strouse proposed three options for Genesis 1:26: “Did Jehovah say ‘let us make’ man, or man ‘he was made,’ or ‘we will be made’ man?”

Whether God said, let us make man or man he was made, is inconsequential to me as it pertains to meaning, though I suspect that the latter may be eliminated by context in the very next verse. But the realization that the Hebrew, without vowel points, means that God said let us make man and we will be made man in one and the same verb, is too beautiful a prophetic truth for mere words.

Condemnation or Judgment? – Part 15

Back to Romans, Part 76

Back to Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 8

Back to Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 9

Back to Atonement, Part 1

Back to Atonement, Part 6

Back to Atonement, Part 10

Back to Who Am I? Part 9

Back to A Monotonous Cycle Revisited, Part 3

Back to Paul’s OT Quotes – Romans 10:18-21

Back to Christianity, Part 3

^[1] Matthew 2:4-6 (NET)

^[2] Revelation 2:26-28 (NET)

^[3] I might do the same if I believed that Jesus was not the Christ. I was surprised to learn (though now I wonder why) that some believe the Hebrew vowel points are inspired. Thomas D. Ross in an article titled “Evidences for the Inspiration of the Hebrew Vowel Points” wrote that the Greek word κεραία meant the vowel points were already part of Scripture before Jesus’ earthly ministry: I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter (κεραία) will pass from the law until everything takes place (Matthew 5:18 NET). The “Lord Jesus,” Mr. Ross wrote, “affirmed the inspiration and preservation of all the Hebrew consonants and vowels through His statement that not the smallest of the consonants (the yod) or vowels (the chireq) would be corrupted.” Even if this is true it doesn’t account for the discrepancy between the Masoretic text of Psalm 2:9 and Jesus’ words in Revelation 2:27.

^[4] NET note 27: “The Hebrew term שֵׁבֶט (shevet) can refer to a ‘staff’ or ‘rod,’ but here it probably refers to the Davidic king’s royal scepter, symbolizing his sovereignty.”

^[5] Romans 9:21 (NET)

^[6] Mark 14:3 (NET)

^[7] “What is an alabaster box?”

^[8] Luke 9:39 (NET)

^[9] another form of συντρίβω

^[10] Luke 4:18a (KJV)

^[11] Luke 9:42b (NET)

^[12] Addendum: December 2, 2019 – I found a site called morfix. It slows down my computer if I leave it open but for a quick look it’s helpful. Copy and paste the Hebrew word into the box at the top and click “Translate.”

Condemnation or Judgment? – Part 8

Posted on July 25, 2014 by admin

To reveal my own position and velocity ^[1] it is probably past time that I at least outline my own religious background. And here, I’ll take the lazy way out. Matt Slick has done it for me in his “Doctrine Grid”^[2] online. He acknowledged that “some of these are debatable…I do not claim absolute correctness on all points–only the essentials.” I’m not going to debate his points beyond pointing out that Mr. Slick offers them as “a layout of biblical orthodoxy” and I offer them only as an outline of my religious background, both its content and tone.

Though I live among them I don’t understand my people, those of my religious background, as it pertains to the hope and promise of universal salvation in the Scriptures. I think I understand what might motivate someone like Richard Wayne Garganta to eliminate “hell talk” from the Bible. But I can’t get a handle on what might motivate someone to eliminate the hope and promise of universal salvation from the Bible. “It’s not there!” is a form of blindness.

A puff piece^[3] about Matt Chandler in the May 2014 issue of Christianity Today caught my attention as I considered these things:

For a long time, Chandler had prayed for his dad to know Christ. “I remember being confused with the idea of [Dad having] free will, but then me asking God to save him. To me those two things were incompatible.”
He found the answer in classically reformed teachings, especially those of John Piper. Chandler embraces the view that God predestines some to heaven and others to hell.^[4]

I’m not going to say much about free will except to offer my opinion that it represents the contingent choices we make—contingent choices with a really good press agent. I will look deeper into “the view that God predestines some to heaven and others to hell.” We certainly knew of that view in my religion. Our essentially fundamentalist church had separated from the Congregationalists as they embraced “modernism.”^[5] It was joined later by others separating from the Presbyterians for similar reasons, a group who held views similar to Matt Chandler’s. My family shared a more “whosoever will may come” view.

It seemed fairer somehow. Could God be other than fair? He has given everyone on the planet an equal opportunity to choose to trust Him. Salvation, therefore, is left ultimately up to an individual’s choice. That seemed consistent enough with the Old Testament, and except for Paul’s writings and Jesus’ sayings more or less consistent with the New Testament as I understood it at the time.

So, is “God predestines some to heaven and others to hell” a fair inference from God has mercy on whom he chooses to have mercy, and he hardens whom he chooses to harden^[6]? I still don’t think so. It requires me to reject the hope and promise of universal salvation revealed in Scripture (a Christian heresy ^[7] according to Matt Slick and a host of others, my people all). Consider the context (Romans 9:17, 18 NET):

For the scripture says to Pharaoh: “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may demonstrate my power in you, and that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then, God has mercy (ἐλεεῖ, a form of ἐλεέω) on whom he chooses (θέλει, a form of θέλω) to have mercy, and he hardens whom he chooses (θέλει, a form of θέλω) to harden.

I can say with full conviction on the authority of Scripture that the chariots of Pharaoh and his army [y^ehôvâh] has thrown into the sea, and his chosen officers were drowned in the Red Sea.^[8] I can’t say with the same confidence that Pharaoh or his army will spend eternity in hell. Y^ehôvâh, as revealed by Paul, thinks differently than Matt Chandler or Matt Slick on this subject (Romans 11:30, 31 NET).

Just as you were formerly disobedient (ἠπειθήσατε, a form of ἀπείθεια), so they too have now been disobedient (ἠπείθησαν, another form of ἀπειθέω) in order that, by the mercy (ἐλέει, a form of ἔλεος) shown to you, they too may now receive mercy (ἐλεηθῶσιν, another form of ἐλεέω).

Paul referred specifically here to his own people, my fellow countrymen, who are Israelites,^[9] and all those loved by God in Rome, called to be saints.^[10] But I can’t find any compelling reason to discriminate against an ancient Pharaoh and his army: For God has consigned all people to disobedience (ἀπείθειαν, another form of ἀπείθεια) so that he may show mercy (ἐλεήσῃ, another form of ἐλεέω) to…all.^[11] So while—it does not depend on human desire (θέλοντος, another form of θέλω)or exertion, but on God who shows mercy (ἐλεῶντος, another form of ἐλεέω )^[12]—is a potent antidote to the “whosoever will may come” religious view of my youth, it is clearly coupled with the hope of universal salvation: God has consigned all people to disobedience so that he may show mercy to…all.

Jesus’ saying—No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws (ἑλκύσῃ, a form of ἑλκύω) him, and I will raise him up at the last day^[13]—is a stronger refutation of “whosoever will may come” unless one takes ἑλκύσῃ to mean “Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling.”^[14] In that case, Jesus’ promise of universal salvation—And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw (ἑλκύσω, another form of ἑλκύω) all…to myself^[15]—becomes little more than a promise of equal opportunity: And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will softly and tenderly call all people to myself. But I’m not convinced that ἑλκύσῃ and ἑλκύσω will dance to that tune.

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, called to it softly and tenderly, and it rose up out of its scabbard and struck the high priest’s slave, cutting off his right ear. The Scripture says, Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, pulled it out (εἵλκυσεν, another form of ἑλκύω) and struck the high priest’s slave, cutting off his right ear.^[16] The King James translators chose drew for εἵλκυσεν, making the connection to Jesus’ sayings clear even in English: Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear.^[17] Here any English speaking person might consider how much say the sword had regarding when, how or for what purpose it was drawn.

“Throw your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some [fish],” Jesus told his disciples. So they threw the net, and were not able to pull (ἑλκύσαι, another form of ἑλκύω) it in because of the large number of fish.^[18] Here the net resisted, because it was too heavy for the disciples to pull up out of the water and into their boat. But it was no match for Peter dragging it ashore: So Simon Peter went aboard and pulled (εἵλκυσεν, another form of ἑλκύω) the net to shore.^[19] And again, the King James translators made the comparison to Jesus’ sayings obvious: they were not able to draw it in.^[20]

Here are a few more examples of forms of ἑλκύω from Luke and James:

“Whosoever will may come”	Bible
But when her owners saw their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and softly and tenderly called them into the marketplace before the authorities.	But when her owners saw their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged (εἵλκυσαν, another form of ἑλκύω) them into the marketplace before the authorities. Acts 16:19 (NET)
The whole city was stirred up, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul and softly and tenderly called him out of the temple courts, and immediately the doors were shut.	The whole city was stirred up, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged (εἷλκον, another form of ἑλκύω) him out of the temple courts, and immediately the doors were shut. Acts 21:30 (NET)
But you have dishonored the poor! Are not the rich oppressing you and softly and tenderly calling you into the courts?	But you have dishonored the poor! Are not the rich oppressing you and dragging (ἕλκουσιν, another form of ἑλκύω) you into the courts? James 2:6 (NET)

It does not behoove the God-predestines-some-to-heaven-and-others-to-hell folk to call out the whosoever-will-may-come folk on this point. The former are as opposed to universal salvation as the latter. Still, it seems to me if I understand Jesus’ sayings correctly—No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me [drags] him and, And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will [drag] all…to myself—I get a clearer picture of the human condition and the hope and promise of God in Christ.

The only person I want to condemn to hell is my old man, not my father, but the sin in my flesh. I have had a remarkably blessed life. No one raped and murdered my mother, my sister, my daughter or my wives. Divorce is the most difficult sin I’ve been called upon to forgive. And I love the women who divorced me. I certainly wouldn’t want to see them condemned to an eternity in hell because they found living with me unendurable. But by wishing my old man condemned to hell I have condemned the whole world.

Gentle Heart suggested that final judgment could be like the judgment of wheat and chaff: “So maybe John 5:28 and 29 can be talking about all us dead being raised and our ‘old selves’ get condemned and our ‘new selves’ live eternally with the Lord.” It’s an intriguing idea that seems to satisfy the long name of God.

The Long Name of God

The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.

Exodus 34:6, 7a (NET)

But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.

Exodus 34:7b (NET)

The main objection would be the apparent need for postmortem salvation in some (or, many) cases. But that is really only an objection from the human perspective, the impossibility of believing in Jesus for salvation when one faces Him in judgment. But from the divine perspective there is no law or rule, no circumstance of life or death that prohibits God from showing mercy: I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.^[21] Salvation does not depend on human desire or exertion, but on God who shows mercy.^[22] And, God has consigned all people to disobedience so that he may show mercy to them all.^[23] In fact this is why we work hard and struggle, Paul encouraged Timothy, because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of believers.^[24]

There is a satisfying symmetry to the idea that universal salvation entails universal condemnation. But I’ve had a lifetime to identify with the new man.^[25] If God condemned the sin in my flesh to an eternity in hell, I think I could bid the old man Godspeed and good riddance. But consider one born from above by the calling of God at, or after, the final judgment.

I know how often I have oscillated between the old and new man when they were in the same geographical and space/time location. Imagine the trauma of oscillating between the more familiar old man and the relatively strange new man when one is in hell and the other is face to face with God. Still, the Holy Spirit has seen, and sees, me through my conflict and confusion. I don’t doubt that He could comfort one in the throes of that terror.

I can’t say this is the way God fulfills his desire to be merciful while He by no means leaves the guilty unpunished. I can only say, Gentle Heart, in the spirit of Jonathan Edwards’ argument for God as the Superlative Torturer, that if we can imagine this wheat and chaff solution to the dilemma of universal salvation, how many more solutions can the living God conceive and execute to satisfy the desire of his, and your, gentle heart.

Condemnation or Judgment? – Part 9

Back to Romans, Part 58

Back to Condemnation or Judgment? – Part 16

Back to Romans, Part 84

Back to Will, Areté and Troy

Back to Father, Forgive Them – Part 5

Back to A Monotonous Cycle Revisited, Part 3

Back to Peter’s First Gospel Proclamation Revisited, Part 3

Back to Patterns of Evidence: Exodus

Back to Westworld, Part 4

Back to Who Am I? Part 14

^[1] Who Am I? Part 1

^[2] Doctrine Grid

^[3] I call it a puff piece because I have no doubt that the editors will publish a hatchet job about the very same preacher if he slips financially or sexually, or strays doctrinally too far from what the editors feel they can sell as Christianity Today.

^[4] “The Joy-Stung Preacher,” Joe Maxwell, Christianity Today, May 2014, p. 39

^[5] Theological Liberalism

^[6] Romans 9:18 (NET)

^[7] Can a Christian be a universalist?

^[8] Exodus 15:4 (NET)

^[9] Romans 9:3, 4 (NET)

^[10] Romans 1:7 (NET)

^[11] Romans 11:32 (NET) A note in the NET acknowledges that “them” was added for stylistic reasons.

^[12] Romans 9:16 (NET) Table

^[13] John 6:44 (NET)

^[14] Softly and Tenderly

^[15] John 12:32 (NET) NET note: “Grk ‘all.’ The word ‘people’ is not in the Greek text but is supplied for stylistic reasons and for clarity (cf. KJV ‘all men’).” See: Colossians 1:15-20 (NET)

^[16] John 18:10a (NET) Table

^[17] John 18:10a (NKJV) Table

^[18] John 21:6 (NET)

^[19] John 21:11a (NET)

^[20] John 21:6 (NKJV)

^[21] Exodus 33:19b (NET) Table

^[22] Romans 9:16 (NET)

^[23] Romans 11:32 (NET)

^[24] 1 Timothy 4:10 (NET)

^[25] Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9, 10 (NET)

Torture, Part 4

Posted on February 19, 2014 by admin

Suspecting that my antipathy (and objections) to Jonathan Edwards’ contention that God is the Superlative Torturer are rooted in my personal history, I need to revisit the long name of God for perspective.

The Long Name of God

The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.

Exodus 34:6, 7a (NET)

But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.

Exodus 34:7b (NET)

Intellectually, I can see that the things I’ve been looking into in Revelation fall under the heading of not leaving the guilty unpunished. Rationally, I can see that this long name is an accurate description of who God is, one unified God. But I don’t know the One who by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation, not experientially. I deserve to know Him that way. I’ve earned the right, so to speak. But I don’t know Him like that. I know the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.

Asaph ^[1] apparently knew God as the One who by no means leaves the guilty unpunished. I suffer all day long, he wrote, and am punished every morning.^[2] Of course he acknowledged that he felt that way when: my feet almost slipped; my feet almost slid out from under me (Table). For I envied those who are proud, as I observed the prosperity of the wicked (Table).^[3] And I most felt like Asaph as “a philosophical and legalistic young man fighting my way back from atheism,”^[4] obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.^[5]

I don’t think I was particularly obsessed with money. I was giving money and continually amazed that I always had enough. I wanted some fame or power or prestige or position, and thought that “obeying” God by striving to keep the law, or the love that is the fulfillment of the law^[6] as if Paul’s definition were a list of laws, was a means to that end. I was “punished” constantly then. But all I really meant by God’s “punishment,” or his “blessing” for that matter, was how things worked out according to my hopes, my dreams, my plans or my schemes. When things went my way I was “blessed,” and I was “punished” when they didn’t.

This wasn’t always the case, however. Though I didn’t think in these terms then, at seventeen He who by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation was the One I worshiped and loved as much as it is possible to love such a One. Punishment is the currency of childhood. It’s how one pays for what he wants. I didn’t actually know this God in any experiential way. I believed in Him. He made sense to me. I claimed to believe in Jesus’ salvation. And I suppose I did to some degree, but that was heaven. Heaven was as far away as Disneyland. And my family couldn’t afford Disneyland either.

I don’t recall knowing the long name of God, but I knew the Ten Commandments: I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me [Table], but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments [Table].^[7] I had no clue that the ones who loved Him and kept his commandments were the ones He had shown mercy. If you had told me it does not depend on human desire or exertion, but on God who shows mercy,^[8] I wouldn’t have believed you, not by seventeen. I “knew” I didn’t love God enough or keep his commandments enough to “earn” his mercy. That’s why I trusted Jesus for a place in heaven rather than in hell. But as for the rest of it, I “knew” I would pay in punishment.

At seventeen I don’t think I knew the law that reads, If a man entices a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he shall surely pay the bride-price for her to be his wife. If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money according to the bride-price of virgins.^[9] I would be hard-pressed to confirm that anyone I knew had ever heard of this law. We believed in the sin of premarital sex. I knew the law about rape (Deuteronomy 22:28, 29 NKJV).

If a man finds a young woman who is a virgin, who is not betrothed, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are found out [Table], then the man who lay with her shall give to the young woman’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife because he has humbled her; he shall not be permitted to divorce her all his days [Table].

This law was impossible to avoid. I read it on different occasions in anti-God and antinomian polemics. I even checked the reference in the Bible to see if it was true; that is, that it was actually in the Bible as the polemicists claimed. One might argue that I should have inferred the former law from the latter. I can’t disagree. I wrote^[10] that I had a “philosophical bent of mind.” While true, it doesn’t mean that I was any good necessarily at doing philosophy. I was embarrassed and frustrated by this law. Why did God force women to marry their rapists?! But neither my embarrassment nor my frustration raised a single question in my mind regarding the validity of the sin of premarital sex. I believed in the sin of premarital sex with all my heart, the laws of God notwithstanding.

Such was the state of my “faith” when my highschool girlfriend and I fucked^[11] for the first time. I don’t use the term fucked to be insulting, demeaning or derogatory but in the hope of finding a word in English that will carry the weight of eros in Greek. Sexual intercourse is about inserting an erect penis into a vagina and thrusting and relaxing to stimulate the nerves in the head of the penis and the clitoris until an explosive pleasure sensation called an orgasm is achieved. What I mean by fuck, fucked or fucking has everything to do with sexual intercourse, and nothing to do with it except as an entry portal or an ongoing celebration of a wondrous and unimaginable relationship with another person of the opposite sex, a relationship that artists have spent their lifetimes attempting to capture, celebrate or recreate in music, dance, art, sculpture, poetry and drama.

Before we fucked, my girlfriend and I were two teenagers too shy to remove our underwear as we crawled under the covers. Afterward in the bath together a Bible verse came to mind, And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.^[12] I felt like I understood that verse for the first time. But it didn’t dissuade me that I would be punished for the sin of premarital sex.

I had some very specific punishments in mind. Pregnancy was top of that list. Obviously children were God’s primary punishment for fucking. My Dad had warned me to watch out for women who would trick me into caring for their children.^[13] Protestants were a little wishy-washy on the sin of birth control as a way to avoid God’s punishment for fucking, but Catholics were strong and on target on this issue. My girlfriend and I were well-versed in the “Brave New World”^[14] and had our Malthusian drill ^[15] down pat. We never fucked without at least one method of contraception, and often two. The idea that a couple might become so impassioned they forgot their Malthusian drill was inconceivable to us.

Venereal disease was number two on God’s list of punishments for fucking. But we were both virgins when we started fucking. I had the desire to expand this fucking relationship to others, until I actually tried to initiate it. Though I didn’t know the law about seducing virgins intellectually, I felt that law written in my heart when I attempted to fuck another virgin. “I returned to [my girlfriend] quite contrite actually, confessed my sin and asked for her hand in a much more traditional marriage.”^[16] But even that didn’t alert me that I might not be punished for the sin of premarital sex. I really don’t think I recognized my aversion to committing adultery as God’s law written in my heart anyway. I probably just thought it was my idea, or that I “loved” my first girlfriend more.

Finally, death was the punishment I thought most likely for the sin of premarital sex, given that we had outsmarted God twice before. I didn’t think God would, or maybe could, kill me outright. Miracles, God breaking the laws of science, were kind of a sketchy issue in my thinking at the time. But Vietnam was a very real possibility. And it would be quite easy for Him to kill me there. When the draft lottery all but guaranteed that I would never be drafted, I still didn’t suspect that God had no intention of punishing me for the sin of premarital sex.

One more opportunity comes to mind. Every time we fucked in my girlfriend’s bedroom she put three albums on the stereo: Every Picture Tells a Story,^[17] Rod Stewart; Who’s Next,^[18] The Who; and Aqualung,^[19] Jethro Tull. I tolerated Rod Stewart because I loved her. Secretly, I called the album “Every Picture Tells a Story Donut,” after the repeated line in the title track. Who’s Next became more important after she left me for someone else. Aqualung made a deep and immediate impression.

The song “Wind-Up” spoke particularly to me. I learned years later that the only required subject in English public schools was the Bible. That explained why British progressive rock was obsessed with biblical themes. It also made more sense to me why Ian Anderson ^[20] left school with “their God tucked underneath my arm.”^[21]

So I left there in the morning
with their God tucked underneath my arm —
their half-assed smiles and the book of rules.
So I asked this God a question
and by way of firm reply,
He said — I’m not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays.
So to my old headmaster (and to anyone who cares):
before I’m through I’d like to say my prayers —
I don’t believe you:
you had the whole damn thing all wrong —
He’s not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays.

Looking back now, I clearly had everything “all wrong.” I remember entertaining the notion that God was trying to communicate to me through the words of this song. I even went back to the Bible to see if I could find what I had gotten “all wrong.” But the Bible said the same thing to me it always said: “God’ll getcha if you don’t watch out!” I decided that there was no way anyone who looked like Ian Anderson could possibly know anything that could stand up to two thousand years of Christian theology (no matter how catchy the tune). And there was no way I was going to get out of being punished for the sin of premarital sex.

Nothing could persuade me otherwise. Even when I wasn’t punished for the sin of premarital sex, nothing clicked, no light bulbs went off. Instead, I felt rationally obligated to become an atheist because God would have punished me for the sin of premarital sex.

Torture, Part 5

Back to Solomon’s Wealth, Part 2

Back to Fear – Numbers, Part 2

Back to Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 8

Back to Who Am I? Part 8

Back to Atonement, Part 2

Back to Hannah’s Prayer, Part 1

Back to Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 14

Back to Who Am I? Part 3

Back to Fear – Deuteronomy, Part 15

Back to A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 7

Back to The Lost Son of Perdition, Part 5