Tag Archives: Genesis 6:6

A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 5

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Another statement of the law of the Sabbath in Exodus reads as follows:

Masoretic Text

 Septuagint
Exodus 23:12 (Tanakh) Exodus 23:12 (NET) Exodus 23:12 (NETS)

Exodus 23:12 (English Elpenor)
Six days thou shalt do thy work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest (תִּשְׁבֹּ֑ת); that thine ox and thine ass may have rest (יָנ֗וּחַ), and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed. For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease (shâbath, תשבת), in order that your ox and your donkey may rest (nûach, ינוח) and that your female servant’s son and the resident foreigner may refresh themselves. Six days you shall do your tasks, but on the seventh day you shall rest (ἀνάπαυσις) in order that your ox and your draft animal might rest (ἀναπαύσηται) and that the son of your female servant and the guest might be refreshed. Six days shalt thou do thy works, and on the seventh day there shall be rest (ἀνάπαυσις), that thine ox and thine ass may rest (ἀναπαύσηται), and that the son of thy maid-servant and the stranger may be refreshed.

All of these translations pass the test—The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath[1]—in my opinion.  Here rest was תִּשְׁבֹּ֑ת (shâbath) in the clause but on the seventh day thou shalt rest in the Masoretic text, and ἀνάπαυσις in the Septuagint.  The Hebrew root is the same in and He rested (shâbath, וַיִּשְׁבֹּת֙) on the seventh day from all His work which He had made.[2]  The Greek root is the same in Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (ἀνάπαυσιν, a form of ἀνάπαυσις) for your souls.[3]

The second rest—that thine ox and thine ass may have rest—was יָנ֗וּחַ (nûach) in the Masoretic text and ἀναπαύσηται (a form of ἀναπαύω) in the Septuagint.   The Hebrew root is the same in the ten commandments: in six days HaShem made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested (nûach, וַיָּ֖נַח) on the seventh day.[4]  The Greek root is the same in Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (ἀναπαύσω, a form of ἀναπαύω).[5]

I looked up may be refreshed out of curiosity: It was וְיִנָּפֵ֥שׁ (nâphash) in the Masoretic text and ἀναψύξῃ (a form of ἀναψύχω) in the Septuagint.  There is only one occurrence of a form of ἀναψύχω in the New Testament (2 Timothy 1:16-18 NET):

May the Lord grant mercy to the family of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed (ἀνέψυξεν a form of ἀναψύχω) me and was not ashamed[6] of my imprisonment.  But when he arrived in Rome, he eagerly[7] searched for me and found me.  May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day!  And you know very well all the ways he served me in Ephesus.

I was about to return to Exodus when a question came to mind: Did Paul consider Onesiphorus a fellow believer?  May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day!  Is that the way he would write about a fellow believer?  I won’t argue yea or nay here.  But it sent me back to Jesus’ teaching as it shed some light on something I had heard the night before.  I’ll try to put all this back into perspicuous form.

I don’t listen to Todd Friel often.  He is a bit snarky for my taste.  (Perhaps, I should say that his snarkiness appeals way too much to my flesh.)  Apparently, he did stand-up comedy[8] in another life.  The night before I began this study a YouTube video titled, “The #1 reason there are so many FALSE Christian converts,” was the clickbait I needed to deviate from my usual course.  Mr. Friel explained:

The problem is they aren’t presenting the gospel…God will pull the rug out from under anybody to get their attention.  But it’s not that He wants them to come to him so the rug can be replaced.  He wants to get their attention so that they recognize: You’re at the end of your rope because I hold the rope, and one day I’m going to pull your rope in and I am going to judge you for every thought, word and deed.  And if you are not hidden in the cleft of the rock, My Son the Lord Jesus Christ, I will grind you to powder.

The next morning Paul’s prayer for Onesiphorus—May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day—sent me back to Jesus’ description of that day (Matthew 25:31-40 NET):

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.  All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats [Table].  He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.  Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited[12] me.’  Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you?  When did we see you sick[13] or in prison and visit you?’  And the king will answer them, ‘I tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.’

The Greek word translated brothers or sisters was ἀδελφῶν (a form of ἀδελφός).  Paul wrote believers in Rome (Romans 8:28-30 NET):

And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose, because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters (ἀδελφοῖς, another form of ἀδελφός).  And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.

Those who were accursed demonstrated no care or concern (Matthew 25:42-45) for Jesus’ brothers and sisters: “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels!’[14]  And these will depart into eternal punishment, but the righteous (e.g., those who demonstrated some level of care or concern for Jesus’ brothers and sisters) into eternal life.”[15]

For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, Jesus taught his disciples, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes (John 5:21-24 NET).

Furthermore, the Father does not judge anyone, but has assigned all judgment to the Son, so that all people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him [Table].

“I tell you the solemn truth, the one who hears my message and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, but has crossed over from death to life.

Jesus defined eternal life for us in a prayer to his Father: Now this is eternal life—that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent.[16]  And the Holy Spirit reminded me of more knowledge of the Judge the Father appointed, who He is, how He judges.  Jesus taught his disciples (Matthew 10:40-42 NET):

Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.  Whoever receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive[17] a prophet’s reward.  Whoever receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive[18] a righteous person’s reward.  And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple, I tell you the truth, he will never lose his reward.

I received a gospel similar to the one presented by Mr. Friel: Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ or burn in hell for all eternity.  I was five.  I don’t recall any of the emotional baggage that would be so offensive to adults.  It was simply another fact, like cross at the crosswalk with the light, or a bus will run you down.  But there was always an undercurrent, and since I wasn’t availing myself of the word of God as a precision diagnostic and surgical instrument, I didn’t recognize that undercurrent as the flesh or the old man.

That undercurrent became progressively more vociferous throughout my young life:

I wanted to save myself from an eternity in a lake of fire.  And now, lo and behold, I find that I have become—inadvertently—a Christian!  Not a day goes by that I don’t discover yet another restriction in an endless list of prohibitions to which I must conform because I am a Christian!  On top of that there is another endless list of things I must do because I am a Christian, chief among these is to rope my friends into a way of life I would not wish on my worst enemy.

If that undercurrent sounds a little like Joe Pesci in the movie My Cousin Vinny, well, that’s a bit of literary license.  As a hilariously triumphant example of all things working together for good, even that undercurrent has become a strong motivation to rest in the fruit of the Holy Spirit—once I began to recognize that the voice of that undercurrent wasn’t mine.

I was one of the most false converts to Christ.  But God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit hasn’t given up on me yet.  Mr. Friel also mentioned substitutionary atonement as something important to the Gospel: For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received—that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.[19]  For the wages of sin is death.[20]

Clearly substitutionary atonement is of first importance.  Given my history, however, I’m wary whenever the doctrine of substitutionary atonement substitutes faith in punishment for faith in Jesus Christ.  David Instone-Brewer in his essay, “Did God Punish Jesus on the Cross?,” offers a better introduction to this concern than I have done or am doing here.

None of this is to discourage anyone from answering the call of God in Jesus Christ, just a reminder that God is not the enemy here.  Sin is the enemy.  For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received—that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures[21] because this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him.[22] I will not speak with you much longer, Jesus told his disciples, for the ruler of this world[23] is coming.  He has no power over me, but I am doing just what the Father commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.[24]

When Joeseph considered divorcing Mary because she was already pregnant, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit [Table].  She will give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”[25]  He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we may cease from sinning and live for righteousness.  By his wounds you were healed.[26]  John Piper preached a sermon—Christ Died for Our Sins That We Might Die to Sin—that is clearer than anything I’ve written.

It is true that there was wrath in the past.  The Grand Canyon in Arizona is a visible memorial to a time when The Lord regretted that he had made humankind on the earth, and he was highly offended.[27]  There is a time of wrath and revelation of Jesus Christ yet to come.  Now, dear friends, Peter wrote, do not let this one thing escape your notice, that a single day is like a thousand years with the Lord and a thousand years are like a single day.  The[28] Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you,[29] because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.[30]

Different believers estimate the strength of μακροθυμεῖ (a form of μακροθυμέω; NET: patient; KJV: longsuffering) and βουλόμενος (a form of βούλομαι) in different ways.  The NET translators, for instance, chose wish for βουλόμενος where the KJV translators chose longsuffering.  The Koine Greek Lexicon online indicates that forms of βούλομαι with a negative, as it is here (μὴ βουλόμενος), mean “to refuse, not to consent.”  Likewise, I may have a different experience of God’s patience than one who has never strayed far from Christian faith.

To end this excursion where it began: the man who marveled at Jesus’ definition of eternal life in my musical composition not only alerted me to how illiterate I had actually become, caring more for the sounds of words than their meaning, he also provided me with a handy tool—this is—to begin to understand the Bible better.  This Jew who found philosophical comfort in Buddhism, who thought that salvation by faith was too non-human to be true the last time I had any contact with him, was a great help to me in my journey to know the only true God and Jesus Christ.  May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day.

Tables comparing Exodus 23:12 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and Exodus 23:12 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor) follow.  Following those are tables comparing 2 Timothy 1:16, 17; 25:36; 25:39; 10:41; John 14:30 and 2 Peter 3:9 in the NET and KJV.

Exodus 23:12 (Tanakh)

 Exodus 23:12 (KJV)

Exodus 23:12 (NET)
Six days thou shalt do thy work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest; that thine ox and thine ass may have rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed. Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed. For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease, in order that your ox and your donkey may rest and that your female servant’s son and the resident foreigner may refresh themselves.

Exodus 23:12 (Septuagint BLB)

Exodus 23:12 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἓξ ἡμέρας ποιήσεις τὰ ἔργα σου τῇ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ ἀνάπαυσις ἵνα ἀναπαύσηται ὁ βοῦς σου καὶ τὸ ὑποζύγιόν σου καὶ ἵνα ἀναψύξῃ ὁ υἱὸς τῆς παιδίσκης σου καὶ ὁ προσήλυτος ἓξ ἡμέρας ποιήσεις τὰ ἔργα σου, τῇ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ ἀνάπαυσις, ἵνα ἀναπαύσηται ὁ βοῦς σου καὶ τὸ ὑποζύγιόν σου, καὶ ἵνα ἀναψύξῃ ὁ υἱὸς τῆς παιδίσκης σου καὶ ὁ προσήλυτος

Exodus 23:12 (NETS)

Exodus 23:12 (English Elpenor)
Six days you shall do your tasks, but on the seventh day you shall rest in order that your ox and your draft animal might rest and that the son of your female servant and the guest might be refreshed. Six days shalt thou do thy works, and on the seventh day there shall be rest, that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and that the son of thy maid-servant and the stranger may be refreshed.

2 Timothy 1:16, 17 (NET)

2 Timothy 1:16, 17 (KJV)
May the Lord grant mercy to the family of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my imprisonment. The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain:

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
δῴη ἔλεος ὁ κύριος τῷ Ὀνησιφόρου οἴκῳ, ὅτι πολλάκις με ἀνέψυξεν καὶ τὴν ἅλυσιν μου οὐκ ἐπαισχύνθη δωη ελεος ο κυριος τω ονησιφορου οικω οτι πολλακις με ανεψυξεν και την αλυσιν μου ουκ επησχυνθη δωη ελεος ο κυριος τω ονησιφορου οικω οτι πολλακις με ανεψυξεν και την αλυσιν μου ουκ επαισχυνθη
But when he arrived in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me. But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
ἀλλὰ γενόμενος ἐν Ῥώμῃ σπουδαίως ἐζήτησεν με καὶ εὗρεν αλλα γενομενος εν ρωμη σπουδαιοτερον εζητησεν με και ευρεν αλλα γενομενος εν ρωμη σπουδαιοτερον εζητησεν με και ευρεν

Matthew 25:36 (NET)

Matthew 25:36 (KJV)
I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
γυμνὸς καὶ περιεβάλετε με, ἠσθένησα καὶ ἐπεσκέψασθε με, ἐν φυλακῇ ἤμην καὶ ἤλθατε πρός με γυμνος και περιεβαλετε με ησθενησα και επεσκεψασθε με εν φυλακη ημην και ηλθετε προς με γυμνος και περιεβαλετε με ησθενησα και επεσκεψασθε με εν φυλακη ημην και ηλθετε προς με

Matthew 25:39 (NET)

Matthew 25:39 (KJV)
When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
πότε δέ σε εἴδομεν ἀσθενοῦντα ἢ ἐν φυλακῇ καὶ ἤλθομεν πρός σε ποτε δε σε ειδομεν ασθενη η εν φυλακη και ηλθομεν προς σε ποτε δε σε ειδομεν ασθενη η εν φυλακη και ηλθομεν προς σε

Matthew 10:41 (NET)

Matthew 10:41 (KJV)
Whoever receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward.  Whoever receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
ὁ δεχόμενος προφήτην εἰς ὄνομα προφήτου μισθὸν προφήτου λήμψεται, καὶ ὁ δεχόμενος δίκαιον εἰς ὄνομα δικαίου μισθὸν δικαίου λήμψεται ο δεχομενος προφητην εις ονομα προφητου μισθον προφητου ληψεται και ο δεχομενος δικαιον εις ονομα δικαιου μισθον δικαιου ληψεται ο δεχομενος προφητην εις ονομα προφητου μισθον προφητου ληψεται και ο δεχομενος δικαιον εις ονομα δικαιου μισθον δικαιου ληψεται

John 14:30 (NET)

John 14:30 (KJV)
I will not speak with you much longer, for the ruler of this world is coming.  He has no power over me, Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
οὐκέτι πολλὰ λαλήσω μεθ᾿ ὑμῶν, ἔρχεται γὰρ ὁ τοῦ κόσμου ἄρχων· καὶ ἐν ἐμοὶ οὐκ ἔχει οὐδέν ουκ ετι πολλα λαλησω μεθ υμων ερχεται γαρ ο του κοσμου τουτου αρχων και εν εμοι ουκ εχει ουδεν ουκετι πολλα λαλησω μεθ υμων ερχεται γαρ ο του κοσμου αρχων και εν εμοι ουκ εχει ουδεν

2 Peter 3:9 (NET)

2 Peter 3:9 (KJV)
The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
οὐ βραδύνει κύριος τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, ὥς τινες βραδύτητα ἡγοῦνται, ἀλλὰ μακροθυμεῖ εἰς ὑμᾶς, μὴ βουλόμενος τινας ἀπολέσθαι ἀλλὰ πάντας εἰς μετάνοιαν χωρῆσαι ου βραδυνει ο κυριος της επαγγελιας ως τινες βραδυτητα ηγουνται αλλα μακροθυμει εις ημας μη βουλομενος τινας απολεσθαι αλλα παντας εις μετανοιαν χωρησαι ου βραδυνει ο κυριος της επαγγελιας ως τινες βραδυτητα ηγουνται αλλα μακροθυμει εις ημας μη βουλομενος τινας απολεσθαι αλλα παντας εις μετανοιαν χωρησαι

[1] Mark 2:27 (NET) Table

[2] Genesis 2:2b (Tanakh) Table

[3] Matthew 11:29 (NET) Table

[4] Exodus 20:11a (Tanakh) Table

[5] Matthew 11:28 (NET)

[6] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had ἐπαισχύνθη here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had επησχυνθη.

[7] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had σπουδαίως here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had σπουδαιοτερον (KJV: very diligently).

[8] The online ad for one of his books describes the author this way: “Todd Friel studied to be a pastor for four years but neglected to actually get saved.  He abandoned church ministry plans and did secular TV, radio and stand-up comedy for 6 years.  Gratefully, God saved Todd (from hell and stand-up comedy).”

[12] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἤλθατε here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ηλθετε (KJV: ye came).

[13] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἀσθενοῦντα here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ασθενη.

[14] Matthew 25:41 (NET)

[15] Matthew 25:46 (NET)

[16] John 17:3 (NET)

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

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

[19] 1 Corinthians 15:3 (NET)

[20] Romans 6:23a (KJV)

[21] 1 Corinthians 15:3b, 4 (NET) Table

[22] John 3:16, 17 (NET) Table

[23] The Stephanus Textus Receptus had τουτου following world and preceding ruler. The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

[24] John 14:30, 31 (NET)

[25] Matthew 1:20, 21 (NET)

[26] 1 Peter 2:24 (NET) Table

[27] Genesis 6:6 (NET) Table

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

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

[30] 2 Peter 3:8, 9 (NET)

A Door of Hope, Part 1

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The essay Jedidiah, Part 1 was written days before I began to compare Old Testament quotations in the New Testament to the Septuagint, and years before I checked all of the Masoretic text against the Septuagint.  I thought of Achan’s confession as the door or opportunity of/for hope promised in Hosea, and related it to John’s letter (1 John 1:5-2:2 NET Table):

Now this is the gospel (NET note 13) message (NET note 14) we have heard from him and announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.  If we say we have fellowship with him and yet keep on walking in the darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth.  But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.  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 (ὁμολογῶμεν, a form of ὁμολογέω) 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.

Revisiting the essay to make Old Testament comparison tables I discovered that the Septuagint was a bit different.

Masoretic Text

 Septuagint
Hosea 2:15 (Tanakh) Hosea 2:15 (NET) Hosea 2:15 (NETS)

Hosea 2:17 (Elpenor English)
And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. From there I will give back her vineyards to her, and turn the “Valley of Trouble” into an “Opportunity for Hope.”  There she will sing as she did when she was young, when she came up from the land of Egypt. And from there I will give her her estates and the valley of Achor, to open up her understanding.  And there she will be brought low as in the days of her infancy and as in the days of her coming up out of the land of Egypt. And I will give her possessions from thence, and the valley of Achor to open her understanding: and she shall be afflicted there according to the days of her infancy, and according to the days of her coming up out of the land of Egypt.

As I began the word studies for this essay I heard a sermon (Hebrews 6:4-6 NET):

For it is impossible (Ἀδύνατον, a form of ἀδύνατος) in the case of those who have once been enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, become partakers of the Holy Spirit, tasted the good word of God and the miracles of the coming age, and then have committed apostasy, to renew them again to repentance, since they are crucifying the Son of God for themselves all over again and holding him up to contempt.

The preacher wanted to comfort his hearers, persuading them they were not of this kind.  He described the kind of person the writer intended.  It was a fairly accurate description of my life, except that I can’t recall having tasted…the miracles of the coming age before I became an atheist.  I realized, especially in retrospect, that the Holy Spirit wanted to focus my attention on the fact that I had been renewed again to repentance, but I began to wonder if that renewal might be suspect.

I imagined standing before Jesus.  He determined that for the sake of the veracity of Hebrews 6:4-6 it would be best if I spent eternity in the lake of fire.  I was disappointed but willing that his word be true: Let God be proven true, and every human being shown up as a liar, just as it is written: “so that you will be justified in your words and will prevail[1] when you are judged.”[2]  That reaction, so uncharacteristic of the old human (παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον; Ephesians 4:22-24), calmed my suspicions about my renewed repentance for the moment.  I also recalled, but didn’t study, for God all things are possible.  I will consider it more thoroughly here (Matthew 19:23-26 NET):

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven!  Again I say, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.”  The[3] disciples were greatly astonished when they heard this and said, “Then who can be saved?”  Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible (ἀδύνατον, a form of ἀδύνατος) for mere humans, but for God all things are[4] possible (δυνατά, a form of δυνατός).”

And again (Mark 10:27 NET):

Jesus[5] looked at them and replied, “This is impossible (ἀδύνατον, a form of ἀδύνατος) for mere humans, but not for God;[6] all things are[7] possible (δυνατὰ, a form of δυνατός) for God.”

Though my main concern is the contrast between human ἀδύνατον and God’s δυνατὰ, I’ll consider the context here a moment.  My Dad told me the story of a small night gate in Jerusalem called “The Needle’s Eye,” but he never showed me any pictures of it.  The NET note (32) explained:

The eye of a needle refers to a sewing needle. (Although the story of a small gate in Jerusalem known as “The Needle’s Eye” has been widely circulated and may go back as far as the middle ages, there is no evidence that such a gate ever existed.) Jesus was saying rhetorically that it is impossible for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom, unless God (v. 26) intervenes.

The difficulty a camel would have passing through The Needle’s Eye—“stooped and…its baggage removed”—reinforces Jesus’ point about divesting oneself of (excess?) possessions (ὑπάρχοντα), while the fantastical image of a camel passing through the eye of a sewing needle distracts the rich (and anyone else) from taking Him seriously.  Others disagree.  But no one of means wants to hear, If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the[8] poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.[9]  Then come, follow me.[10]

Anyway, I left on a road trip without studying the problem that nagged at me directly.  As I drove I began to think about the preacher who taught on Hebrews 6:4-6.  In another sermon he had made a fairly serious interpretation mistake, making his own point rather than that of the Scripture.  My mind began to argue against his right to confront me with Hebrews 6:4-6.  I turned on the radio to drown out my thoughts.  Aside from being unloving and unkind, ad hominem arguments aren’t an effective bolster to faith.

What little time I had for study I devoted to לפתח (pethach), translated διανοῖξαι (a form of διανοίγω) in the Septuagint (Table2 below).  I was a little embarrassed that it had just occurred to me to search forms of διανοίγω in the Septuagint to see what Hebrew words they translated in the Masoretic text.  I wanted to finish the table and move on.  The unattended challenge of Hebrews 6:4-6 continued to fester.

While the idea of spending eternity in the lake of fire was unpleasant, it was made bearable if I could face it with Jesus, sustained by his love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  But I define the lake of fire as the place where the omnipresent God is not.  If Jesus ripped his Holy Spirit from me, though I wouldn’t be left with anything I care very much about, I realized in a long sleepless night that I really didn’t want to spend eternity there.  I began to question the nature and validity of my renewed repentance again.

In the morning it all seemed like a trick to get me frustrated or angry so I would run off, abandon Jesus and live in sin.  Heaven or hell aside, I want to be done with sin.  It’s not good for me or anyone around me.  I began to wonder if my renewed repentance was part of God’s eternal punishment for crucifying the Son of God for [myself] all over again and holding him up to contempt: He gave me this brief taste of eternal life only to snatch his Spirit away at the most inopportune moment.

I deserve it, no question about that, but it doesn’t sound like God to me (John 3:16-18 NET):

For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his[11] one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his[12] Son into the world to condemn (κρίνῃ, a form of κρίνω) the world, but that the world should be saved through him.  The one who believes in him is not condemned (κρίνεται, another form of κρίνω).  The one who does not believe has been condemned (κέκριται, another form of κρίνω) already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

To think of God’s love (ἠγάπησεν, a form of ἀγαπάω) as primarily a feeling,[13] a kind of affection for the world, confuses the Scripture.  God’s feeling for the world is very clear from the beginning, in the Masoretic text (Table3 below) at least:[14] The Lord regretted that he had made humankind on the earth, and he was highly offended.[15]  Unlike the Billy Joel song God doesn’t pretend to “want you just the way you are.”[16]

For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  He delivered us [who have faith in Christ Jesus] from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves (ἀγάπης, a form of ἀγάπη), in whom we have redemption,[17] the forgiveness of sins.[18]  For this is the way God loved the world: those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image (εἰκόνος, a form of εἰκών) of his Son,[19] that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.[20]  “Sit at my right hand,” He promised the Son he loves, “until I put your enemies under your feet”’?[21]  All of this is the grace of God received through faith, the faith (πίστις) that is an aspect of the fruit of his Holy Spirit; it is not from works, so that no one can boast.[22]

Jesus is the way God loved the world, not because of a positive emotion but because God is love (ἀγάπη).[23]  God (ἀγάπη) is patient, God (ἀγάπη) is kind, He is not envious.  God (ἀγάπη) does not brag, He is not puffed up.  He is not rude, He is not self-serving, He is not easily angered or resentful.  He is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth.  He bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  He (ἀγάπη) never ends.[24]  For this is the way God loved—and demonstrated his joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control[25] to—the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 

I had a week between work assignments.  It was more convenient to drive to my mother’s house than all the way back to my own home.  On the drive I began to wonder: if Jesus snatched his Spirit from me, would the new human (καινὸν ἄνθρωπον; Ephesians 4:22-24) cling to his Holy Spirit and bid the chaff of the old human godspeed and good riddance into the lake of fire?  I finally decided that this obsession with Jesus snatching his Holy Spirit from me needed to be confronted directly.  I planned to look into ἀδύνατον, the Greek word translated impossible in Hebrews 6:4, during the week I spent with my mother.

For God achieved what the law could not (ἀδύνατον, a form of ἀδύνατος) do, Paul wrote believers in Rome, because it was weakened (ἠσθένει, a form of ἀσθενέω) 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.[26]

In the same way God wanted to demonstrate more clearly to the heirs of the promise that his purpose was unchangeable, and so he intervened with an oath, so that we who have found refuge in him may find strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us through two unchangeable things, since it is impossible (ἀδύνατον, a form of ἀδύνατος) for God to lie.[27]

This proved to be the dull spot in my sword of the Spirit.  I was uncertain whether the infinitive ἀνακαινίζειν (to renew) was impossible for God as well as for human beings.  That’s why I had difficulty resting even as the Holy Spirit drew me back to the fact that I had been renewed to repentance.  But the writer of Hebrews was not shy about stating explicitly that something was impossible for God when the Holy Spirit meant that something was impossible for God.  What is impossible (ἀδύνατα, another form of ἀδύνατος) for mere humans, Jesus said according to Luke’s Gospel narrative, is possible (δυνατὰ, a form of δυνατός) for God.[28]

I’ll quote the final occurrences of ἀδύνατον for completeness: For it is impossible (ἀδύνατον, a form of ἀδύνατος) for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.[29]  Now without faith it is impossible (ἀδύνατον, a form of ἀδύνατος) to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.[30]

It would have been much easier to have taken the few moments this study required in the first place rather than face a week of nagging uncertainty.  I’ll trust that this essay will serve as a preface to the word studies to come in A Door of Hope.

Tables comparing Hosea 2:15 and Genesis 6:6 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET; and tables comparing Hosea 2:15 (2:17) and Genesis 6:6 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor) follow.  Following those are tables comparing Romans 3:4; Matthew 19:25, 26; 19:21; Mark 10:27; John 3:16, 17; Colossians 1:14 and 1 Corinthians 13:8 in the NET and KJV.

Hosea 2:15 (Tanakh)

 Hosea 2:15 (KJV)

Hosea 2:15 (NET)
And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. From there I will give back her vineyards to her, and turn the “Valley of Trouble” into an “Opportunity for Hope.”  There she will sing as she did when she was young, when she came up from the land of Egypt.

Hosea 2:15 (Septuagint BLB)

Hosea 2:17 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ δώσω αὐτῇ τὰ κτήματα αὐτῆς ἐκεῗθεν καὶ τὴν κοιλάδα Αχωρ διανοῗξαι σύνεσιν αὐτῆς καὶ ταπεινωθήσεται ἐκεῗ κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας νηπιότητος αὐτῆς καὶ κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας ἀναβάσεως αὐτῆς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου καὶ δώσω αὐτῇ τὰ κτήματα αὐτῆς ἐκεῖθεν καὶ τὴν κοιλάδα ᾿Αχὼρ διανοῖξαι σύνεσιν αὐτῆς, καὶ ταπεινωθήσεται ἐκεῖ κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας νηπιότητος αὐτῆς καὶ κατὰ τὰς ἡμέρας ἀναβάσεως αὐτῆς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου.

Hosea 2:15 (NETS)

Hosea 2:17 (English Elpenor)
And from there I will give her her estates and the valley of Achor, to open up her understanding.  And there she will be brought low as in the days of her infancy and as in the days of her coming up out of the land of Egypt. And I will give her possessions from thence, and the valley of Achor to open her understanding: and she shall be afflicted there according to the days of her infancy, and according to the days of her coming up out of the land of Egypt.

Genesis 6:6 (Tanakh)

 Genesis 6:6 (KJV)

Genesis 6:6 (NET)
And it repented HaShem that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. The Lord regretted that he had made humankind on the earth, and he was highly offended.

Genesis 6:6 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 6:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐνεθυμήθη ὁ θεὸς ὅτι ἐποίησεν τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ διενοήθη καὶ ἐνεθυμήθη ὁ Θεὸς ὅτι ἐποίησε τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ διενοήθη

Genesis 6:6 (NETS)

Genesis 6:6 (English Elpenor)
then God considered that he had made humankind on the earth, and he thought it over. then God laid it to heart that he had made man upon the earth, and he pondered [it] deeply.

Romans 3:4 (NET)

Romans 3:4 (KJV)
Absolutely not!  Let God be proven true, and every human being shown up as a liar, just as it is written: “so that you will be justified in your words and will prevail when you are judged.” God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
μὴ γένοιτο· γινέσθω δὲ ὁ θεὸς ἀληθής, πᾶς δὲ ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης, |καθὼς| γέγραπται ὅπως ἂν δικαιωθῇς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου καὶ νικήσεις ἐν τῷ κρίνεσθαι σε μη γενοιτο γινεσθω δε ο θεος αληθης πας δε ανθρωπος ψευστης καθως γεγραπται οπως αν δικαιωθης εν τοις λογοις σου και νικησης εν τω κρινεσθαι σε μη γενοιτο γινεσθω δε ο θεος αληθης πας δε ανθρωπος ψευστης καθως γεγραπται οπως αν δικαιωθης εν τοις λογοις σου και νικησης εν τω κρινεσθαι σε

Matthew 19:25, 26 (NET)

Matthew 19:25, 26 (KJV)
The disciples were greatly astonished when they heard this and said, “Then who can be saved?” When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
ἀκούσαντες δὲ οἱ μαθηταὶ ἐξεπλήσσοντο σφόδρα λέγοντες· τίς ἄρα δύναται σωθῆναι ακουσαντες δε οι μαθηται αυτου εξεπλησσοντο σφοδρα λεγοντες τις αρα δυναται σωθηναι ακουσαντες δε οι μαθηται αυτου εξεπλησσοντο σφοδρα λεγοντες τις αρα δυναται σωθηναι
Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, but for God all things are possible.” But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
ἐμβλέψας δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· παρὰ ἀνθρώποις τοῦτο ἀδύνατον ἐστιν, παρὰ δὲ θεῷ πάντα δυνατά εμβλεψας δε ο ιησους ειπεν αυτοις παρα ανθρωποις τουτο αδυνατον εστιν παρα δε θεω παντα δυνατα εστιν εμβλεψας δε ο ιησους ειπεν αυτοις παρα ανθρωποις τουτο αδυνατον εστιν παρα δε θεω παντα δυνατα εστιν

Matthew 19:21 (NET)

Matthew 19:21 (KJV)
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.” Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
ἔφη αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· εἰ θέλεις τέλειος εἶναι, ὕπαγε πώλησον σου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα καὶ δὸς [τοῖς] πτωχοῖς, καὶ ἕξεις θησαυρὸν ἐν οὐρανοῖς, καὶ δεῦρο ἀκολούθει μοι εφη αυτω ο ιησους ει θελεις τελειος ειναι υπαγε πωλησον σου τα υπαρχοντα και δος πτωχοις και εξεις θησαυρον εν ουρανω και δευρο ακολουθει μοι εφη αυτω ο ιησους ει θελεις τελειος ειναι υπαγε πωλησον σου τα υπαρχοντα και δος πτωχοις και εξεις θησαυρον εν ουρανω και δευρο ακολουθει μοι

Mark 10:27 (NET)

Mark 10:27 (KJV)
Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, but not for God; all things are possible for God.” And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
ἐμβλέψας αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς λέγει· παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἀδύνατον, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ παρὰ θεῷ· πάντα γὰρ δυνατὰ παρὰ |τῷ| θεῷ εμβλεψας δε αυτοις ο ιησους λεγει παρα ανθρωποις αδυνατον αλλ ου παρα τω θεω παντα γαρ δυνατα εστιν παρα τω θεω εμβλεψας δε αυτοις ο ιησους λεγει παρα ανθρωποις αδυνατον αλλ ου παρα θεω παντα γαρ δυνατα εστιν παρα τω θεω

John 3:16, 17 (NET)

John 3:16, 17 (KJV)
For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε τὸν υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται ἀλλ᾿ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον ουτως γαρ ηγαπησεν ο θεος τον κοσμον ωστε τον υιον αυτου τον μονογενη εδωκεν ινα πας ο πιστευων εις αυτον μη αποληται αλλ εχη ζωην αιωνιον ουτως γαρ ηγαπησεν ο θεος τον κοσμον ωστε τον υιον αυτου τον μονογενη εδωκεν ινα πας ο πιστευων εις αυτον μη αποληται αλλ εχη ζωην αιωνιον
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
οὐ γὰρ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἵνα κρίνῃ τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ᾿ ἵνα σωθῇ ὁ κόσμος δι᾿ αὐτοῦ ου γαρ απεστειλεν ο θεος τον υιον αυτου εις τον κοσμον ινα κρινη τον κοσμον αλλ ινα σωθη ο κοσμος δι αυτου ου γαρ απεστειλεν ο θεος τον υιον αυτου εις τον κοσμον ινα κρινη τον κοσμον αλλ ινα σωθη ο κοσμος δι αυτου

Colossians 1:14 (NET)

Colossians 1:14 (KJV)
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
ἐν ᾧ ἔχομεν τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν, τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν εν ω εχομεν την απολυτρωσιν δια του αιματος αυτου την αφεσιν των αμαρτιων εν ω εχομεν την απολυτρωσιν δια του αιματος αυτου την αφεσιν των αμαρτιων

1 Corinthians 13:8 (NET)

1 Corinthians 13:8 (KJV)
Love never ends.  But if there are prophecies, they will be set aside; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be set aside. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
Ἡ ἀγάπη οὐδέποτε πίπτει· εἴτε δὲ προφητεῖαι, καταργηθήσονται· εἴτε γλῶσσαι, παύσονται· εἴτε γνῶσις, καταργηθήσεται η αγαπη ουδεποτε εκπιπτει ειτε δε προφητειαι καταργηθησονται ειτε γλωσσαι παυσονται ειτε γνωσις καταργηθησεται η αγαπη ουδεποτε εκπιπτει ειτε δε προφητειαι καταργηθησονται ειτε γλωσσαι παυσονται ειτε γνωσις καταργηθησεται

[1] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had νικήσεις in the future tense and indicative mood here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had νικησης in the aorist tense and subjunctive mood (KJV: mightest overcome).  For reference purposes all agree on δικαιωθῇς (NET: will be justified; KJV: mightest be justified) in the aorist tense and subjunctive mood.

[2] Romans 3:4 (NET)

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

[4] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εστιν (KJV: is/are) repeated here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

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

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

[7] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the verb of being εστιν here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

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

[9] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had the plural οὐρανοῖς here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the singular ουρανω.

[10] Mathew 19:21 (NET)

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

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

[13] When Jesus met Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, for the first time (Luke 7:36-50), He told his host, Therefore I tell you, her sins, which were many, are forgiven, thus she loved (ἠγάπησεν, a form of ἀγαπάω) much; but the one who is forgiven little loves (ἀγαπᾷ, another form of ἀγαπάω) little (Luke 7:47 NET).  There is no way I can look at this story and say that the meaning of ἀγαπάω excludes the complex layering of emotions Mary felt, though Jesus focused primarily on what she did to him (Luke 7:44-46).  Crying over, kissing and anointing, Jesus’ feet may have flowed directly from Mary’s emotions, though Jesus said, No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him (John 6:44a NET).

I thought my love and gratitude for Jesus’ salvation were supposed to lead to a life of obedience.  My love and gratitude weren’t up to the task.  His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, the fruit of his Holy Spirit, received by faith, is turning the tide.  His love [not my emotions] is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:10b NET).  Now the law came in so that the transgression may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more, so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 5:20, 21 NET).

[14] The Septuagint is less clear (Table4 above).

[15] Genesis 6:6 (NET)

[16] “Just the Way You Are”

[17] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δια του αιματος αυτου (KJV: through his blood) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.  NET note 26.

[18] Colossians 1:13, 14 (NET)

[19] He is the image (εἰκὼν) of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation… (Colossians 1:15 NET)

[20] Romans 8:29 (NET)

[21] Matthew 22:44b (NET) Table

[22] Ephesians 2:9 (NET)

[23] 1 John 4:8b (NET)

[24] 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a (NET)  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had πίπτει here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εκπιπτει (KJV: faileth).

[25] Galatians 5:22, 23a (NET) Table

[26] Romans 8:3, 4 (NET) Table

[27] Hebrews 6:17, 18 (NET) Table

[28] Luke 18:27 (NET)

[29] Hebrews 10:4 (NET) Table

[30] Hebrews 11:6 (NET)