3 John, Part 6

This is a continuation of my notes on 3 John for the preaching class I’m taking. John wrote (3 John 1:11 ESV):

Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good (τὸ ἀγαθόν). Whoever does good1 is from God (ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν); whoever does evil has not seen God.

I wondered, “How does Jesus relate to ἀγαθόν (good)?”2 Someone asked Him about a good deed (ἀγαθόν) one might do to have eternal life (Matthew 19:16-21 ESV):

And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed (ἀγαθὸν) must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments” [Table]. He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your3 father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept.4 What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” [Table].

I considered the first two verses above in some detail in another essay. I won’t repeat it here except to say that, “What good might I do in order that I might have life eternal,” treats both ποιήσω, “might I do,” and σχῶ, “I might have,” as verbs in the aorist tense and subjunctive mood. I admit, however, that translating ποιήσω as an imperative, must I do, highlights the insight that this man was probably like one of those in Israel described by Paul (Romans 9:30-33 ESV):

What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law [Table]. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith (ἐκ πίστεως), but as if it were based on works (ἐξ ἔργων). They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame” [Table].5

I already began a consideration of Jesus’ question about the good; more to come on that in another essay.

He continued: εἰ δὲ θέλεις, If you would (or “But if you desire”), εἰς τὴν ζωὴν εἰσελθεῖν, enter life (or “into the life to enter”), |τήρησον| τὰς ἐντολάς, keep the commandments. The Greek word translated keep, τήρησον, is a 2nd person singular form of τηρέω in the imperative mood: “to guard, keep watch over (someone/something); to watch (in preparation for either offense or defense); to remain alert in anticipation; to watch out for danger; to watch out for the loss of (something); to inspect closely; to act and live in conformity to; to keep and not let go; to keep, hold, reserve, preserve (someone/something); to keep (from harm); to keep (from loss); to keep and protect; to keep, observe, fulfill, pay attention to.”

The man said, ποίας, Which ones? Knowing that he had great possessions,6 I have wondered if he was negotiating for the best possible price on eternal life. But Jesus didn’t treat him that way. Jesus answered him like an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit,7 a branch of the cultivated olive tree8 of which Paul wrote. Jesus clarified and focused his meaning for the man, not with ceremonial laws or cleanliness laws or dietary laws which separated Israel from other peoples, not with the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees but, with five of the ten commandments (Exodus 20) and the second of the two commandments [on which] depend all the Law and the Prophets.9

There were some notable exceptions (Exodus 20:1-7 ESV):

And God spoke all these words, saying [Table], “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery [Table]. “You shall have no other gods before me [Table]. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth [Table]. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me [Table], but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments [Table]. “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain [Table].

These resolve to, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…the great and first commandment.10 Another exception was (Exodus 20:17 ESV):

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s” [Table].

This is probably the commandment in the forefront of Paul’s mind when he wrote: Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being (σὰρξ; literally, flesh) will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.11 For he acknowledged later (Romans 7:7-13 ESV):

What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure [Table].

The man responded to the six commandments Jesus recited: |πάντα ταῦτα| ἐφύλαξα, All these I have kept. The verb ἐφύλαξα is an indicative form of φυλάσσω: “to watch, guard, defend; to guard (someone), prevent (from escaping); to guard, protect, watch over (someone); to stand guard; to keep (something from being broken); to observe (i.e., to acknowledge that something is significant and important to affect one’s behaviour); to follow; to keep, maintain.” Then the man, sensing apparently that something must be missing, asked: τί ἔτι ὑστερῶ, What do I still lack?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the translation What for the interrogative pronoun τί (a form of τίς). It is probably precisely what the man meant, especially if he was stumbling over the stumbling stone,12 pursuing righteousness as if it were based on works.13 Still, it intrigues me that τί might have been translated Who, “Who do I still lack,” for that is the question Jesus answered: “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”14

Jesus answered the man’s question about eternal life by inviting him to die the death of the upright and [have an] endlike his.15 I left the story of Balaam and Balak, asking, “Did Balak realize that he was hearing from God as Balaam prophesied to him?” Balak neither bowed down nor fell on his face.16 He did not confess, I have sinned.17 But before moving on to consider how Balak responded, there was another commandment missing from Jesus’ response to a man’s desire to enter into eternal life (Exodus 20:8-11 ESV):

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy [Table]. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work [Table], but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates [Table]. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy [Table].

I can’t simply relegate this to a ceremonial law “which separated Israel from other peoples” without comment. Jesus’ attitude was clear: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath [Table]. So the Son of Man (or “son of man”) is lord even of the Sabbath.”18 And, “it is lawful (ἔξεστιν, a form of ἔξεστι; e.g., permitted) to do good (καλῶς; e.g., beautifully) on the Sabbath.”19 (As the writer of Hebrews noted: For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well.20)

Paul wrote (Romans 14:4-6a; 7-12 ESV):

Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand [Table].

One21 person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord…22 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ23 died and lived again,24 that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God;25 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”26 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God [Table].

The writer of Hebrews likened the Sabbath in the new covenant to the promised land in the old, a daily way of life rather than a singular day of the week (Hebrews 3:12-4:10 ESV).

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said,

“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”27

For who were those who heard (Exodus 19:1-20:21) and yet rebelled (Exodus 32:1-10)? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? [Table] And with whom was he provoked for forty28 years (Numbers 13:1-14:12)? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest (Numbers 14:13-23), but to those who were disobedient (τοῖς ἀπειθήσασιν)? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief (ἀπιστίαν).

Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened (KJV: not being mixed with faith in them that heard it) [Table]. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,

“As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’”29

although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.”30 And again in this passage he said,

“They shall not enter my rest.”

Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience (ἀπείθειαν, a form of ἀπείθεια), again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,

“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” [Table].

For if Joshua (Ἰησοῦς) had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.

As Paul wrote, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure [Table].31 And I wrote in another essay:

My entering into God’s rest differs from his rest in a significant way. He rested from works that were very good: God saw all that he had made—and it was very good![14] I am eager to rest from works of evil at one extreme, hypocrisy at the other (the works of an actor playing at righteousness) or some jumbled combination of the two everywhere in between.

As John wrote: Whoever does good is from God (or “from God exists”).32 Balak did not believe that God spoke personally to him through Balaam (Numbers 23:11, 12 ESV).

And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have done nothing but bless them.” And he answered and said, “Must I not take care to speak33 what the Lord (yᵊhōvâ, יְהוָה; Septuagint: Θεὸς) puts in my mouth?”

To one who believes that the Lord (NETS: God) put a word in Balaam’s mouth, this sounds as if He is still speaking, asking an adroit question, inviting Balak to reconsider his ways. To one who does not believe, this sounds like Balaam trying rather ineffectively to deflect the king’s anger. Balak remained resolute (Numbers 23:13, 14 ESV):

And Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place, from which you may see them. You shall see only a fraction of them and shall not see them all. Then curse them for me from there.” And he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

Children are encouraged to emulate a faith and determination like Balak’s to realize their goals and achieve their full potential. Adults are praised for this kind of faith and determination as they pursue their goals and purposes. And the successful credit their success to this kind of faith and determination. Balaam continued as he had done before (Numbers 23:15-18a ESV):

Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offering, while I meet the Lord (not in the Masoretic text;34 Septuagint: τὸν Θεόν) over there.” And the Lord (yᵊhōvâ, יְהוָה; Septuagint: Θεὸς) met Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus shall you speak.” And he came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord (yᵊhōvâ, יְהוָה, corroborated by Κύριος in the Septuagint) spoken?”

Is Balak ready now to hear from the Lord (yᵊhōvâ, יְהוָה, corroborated by Κύριος in the Septuagint)?

And Balaam took up his discourse and said, “Rise, Balak, and hear; give ear to me, O son of Zippor: God (‘ēl, אֵל; Septuagint: Θεὸς) is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? [Table] Behold, I received a command to bless: he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob, nor has he seen trouble in Israel. The Lord (yᵊhōvâ, יְהוָה, corroborated by Κύριος in the Septuagint) their God (‘ĕlōhîm, אֱלֹהָיו, corroborated by Θεὸς in the Septuagint) is with them, and the shout of a king is among them.35

The Septuagint and the Masoretic text diverge here.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Numbers 23:21 (Tanakh)

Numbers 23:21 (NET)

Numbers 23:21 (NETS)

Numbers 23:21 (English Elpenor)

None hath beheld (הִבִּ֥יט) iniquity (אָ֨וֶן֙) in Jacob, neither hath one seen (רָאָ֥ה) perverseness (עָמָ֖ל) in Israel; HaShem his G-d is with him, and the shouting for the King (מֶ֖לֶךְ) is among them. He has not looked on (nāḇaṭ, הביט) iniquity (‘āven, און) in Jacob, nor has he seen (rā’â, ראה) trouble (ʿāmāl, עמל) in Israel. The Lord their God is with them; his acclamation as king (meleḵ, מלך) is among them. There shall be (ἔσται) no trouble (μόχθος) in Iakob, nor shall hardship (πόνος) be seen (ὀφθήσεται) in Israel. The Lord his God is with him; the glories of rulers (ἀρχόντων) are in him. There shall not be (ἔσται) trouble (μόχθος) in Jacob, neither shall sorrow be (πόνος) seen (ὀφθήσεται) in Israel: the Lord his God [is] with him, the glories of rulers (ἀρχόντων) [are] in him.

In the Masoretic text הִבִּ֥יט, a form of נָבַט (nāḇaṭ) followed by אָ֨וֶן֙ (āven) was translated hath beheld iniquity (Tanakh), He hathbeheld iniquity (KJV) and He haslooked on iniquity (NET). This was understood as ἔσται μόχθος in the Septuagint, There shall betrouble (NETS, English Elpenor). These statements were negated by לֹֽא (lō’) in the Masoretic text and οὐκ in the Septuagint. In the Masoretic text רָאָ֥ה (rā’â) followed by עָמָ֖ל (ʿāmāl) was translated hath one seen perverseness (Tanakh), hath he seen perverseness (KJV) and has he seen trouble (NET). This was understood as ὀφθήσεται πόνος in the Septuagint, shall hardship be seen (NETS) and shall sorrow be seen (English Elpenor). Again, these statements were negated by וְלֹֽא, a form of לֹא (lō’), in the Masoretic text and οὐδὲ in the Septuagint. Finally, מֶ֖לֶךְ (meleḵ), for the King (Tanakh), of a king (KJV) and as king (NET), was singular in the Masoretic text; ἀρχόντων, of rulers (NETS, English Elpenor), was plural in the Septuagint.

Balaam’s prophecy continued (Numbers 23:22, 23 ESV):

God brings them out of Egypt and is for them like the horns of the wild ox [Table]. For there is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel; now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel, ‘What has God wrought!’

Here, too, the Septuagint and Masoretic text diverge.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Numbers 23:23b (Tanakh)

Numbers 23:23b (NET)

Numbers 23:23b (NETS)

Numbers 23:23b (English Elpenor)

‘What hath G-d wrought (פָּעַ֖ל)!’ Look at what God has done (p̄āʿal, פעל)!’ what God shall accomplish (ἐπιτελέσει) what God shall perform (ἐπιτελέσει)

The Masoretic text looks backward to the formation of Israel, while the Septuagint looks forward in the future tense: ἐπιτελέσει, a form of ἐπιτελέω. Would those “scholars and scribes” tasked “to decipher the authentic word of God” from “many disparities of the Torah [which had] emerged as countless scribes wrote numerous scrolls,” with an “ultimate goal…to uphold the traditions of the Jewish people,”36 be more likely to look back to the Passover and the Exodus from Egypt or forward to Christ?

Balaam continued (Numbers 23:24 ESV):

Behold, a people! As a lioness it rises up and as a lion it lifts itself; it does not lie down until it has devoured the prey and drunk the blood of the slain.”

Here, too, the tense in the English translation is at issue.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Numbers 23:24 (Tanakh)

Numbers 23:24 (NET)

Numbers 23:24 (NETS)

Numbers 23:24 (English Elpenor)

Behold a people that riseth up (יָק֔וּם) as a lioness, and as a lion doth he lift himself up (יִתְנַשָּׂ֑א); he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain. Indeed, the people will rise up (qûm, יקום) like a lioness, and like a lion raises himself up (nāśā’, יתנשׁא); they will not lie down until they eat their prey, and drink the blood of the slain.” Behold, a people shall rise up (ἀναστήσεται) like a whelp and shall bear itself proudly (γαυριωθήσεται) like a lion! It will not lie down until it eats prey and will drink blood of mortally wounded.” Behold, the people shall rise up (ἀναστήσεται) as a lion’s whelp, and shall exalt himself (γαυρωθήσεται) as a lion; he shall not lie down till he have eaten the prey, and he shall drink the blood of the slain.

The Hebrew word קוּם, a form of יָק֔וּם (qûm) in the Masoretic text, was translated in the present tense in the Tanakh, that riseth up, but in the future tense in the KJV, shall rise up, and NET, will rise up. It was translated ἀναστήσεται in the future tense in the Septuagint: shall rise up (NETS, English Elpenor). The Hebrew word יִתְנַשָּׂ֑א, a form of נָשָׂא (nāśā’) in the Masoretic text, was translated in the present tense in the Tanakh, doth he lift himself up, and NET, raises himself up, but in the future tense in the KJV if I assume that shall carries through the conjunction and, [shall] lift up himself. It was translated γαυριωθήσεται in the future tense in the BLB Septuagint, shall bear itself proudly (NETS), and γαυρωθήσεται also in the future tense in the Elpenor Septuagint, shall exalt himself (English Elpenor).

With the words—it does not lie down until it has devoured the prey and drunk the blood of the slain—the Lord confirmed Balak’s fear (Numbers 23:25, 26 ESV).

And Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all, and do not bless them at all.” But Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘All that the Lord (yᵊhōvâ, יְהוָה; Septuagint: Θεός) says, that I must do’?”37

For the briefest moment it sounds as if Balak is catching on. Perhaps it is too much to hope that he would take advantage of his audience with God, and ask Balaam to intercede on behalf of his people (Exodus 32:9-14). But Balak continued in his faith with determination (Numbers 23:27 ESV):

And Balak said to Balaam, “Come now, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God (‘ĕlōhîm, הָאֱלֹהִים, corroborated by τῷ Θεῷ in the Septuagint) that you may curse them for me from there.”

Here, Balak’s faith and determination became a stubborn rebellion; he completely ignored the Lord’s word: God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? [Table] Behold, I received a command to bless: he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it.38 John wrote, whoever does evil has not seen (ἑώρακεν, a form of ὁράω) God.39

This sounds strange on its surface: No one has ever seen (ἑώρακεν, a form of ὁράω) God; God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.40 The key here is ἐξηγήσατο (a form of ἐξηγέομαι), translated has made him known. Forms of ὁράω mean more than “to see (with the eyes)” in the literal sense: “to consider (i.e., look at mentally); to arrive at a conclusion by observation; to experience, witness; to notice, recognize, understand; to realize, comprehend.” It is in this sense that Balak, though confronted by the word of God through a prophet, did not consider God, arrive at a conclusion in favor of God by observation, experience, witness, notice, recognize, understand, realize or comprehend God, though he had called Him by name, without understanding.

I’ll pick this up in another essay. According to a note (22) in the NET Matthew 19:18b, 19a is a quotation from Exodus 20:12-16 and Deuteronomy 5:16-20. The following tables compare the Greek of that quotation with the Septuagint.

Matthew 19:18b (NET Parallel Greek)

Exodus 20:13 (Septuagint BLB) Table

Exodus 20:15 (Septuagint Elpenor)

οὐ φονεύσεις οὐ φονεύσεις οὐ φονεύσεις

Matthew 19:18b (NET)

Exodus 20:15 (NETS)

Exodus 20:15 (English Elpenor)

Do not murder You shall not murder. Thou shalt not kill.

Matthew 19:18b (NET Parallel Greek)

Exodus 20:14 (Septuagint BLB) Table

Exodus 20:13 (Septuagint Elpenor)

οὐ μοιχεύσεις οὐ μοιχεύσεις οὐ μοιχεύσεις

Matthew 19:18b (NET)

Exodus 20:13 (NETS)

Exodus 20:13 (English Elpenor)

do not commit adultery You shall not commit adultery. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Matthew 19:18b (NET Parallel Greek)

Exodus 20:15 (Septuagint BLB) Table

Exodus 20:14 (Septuagint Elpenor)

οὐ κλέψεις οὐ κλέψεις οὐ κλέψεις

Matthew 19:18b (NET)

Exodus 20:14 (NETS)

Exodus 20:14 (English Elpenor)

do not steal You shall not steal. Thou shalt not steal.

Matthew 19:18b (NET Parallel Greek)

Exodus 20:16a (Septuagint BLB) Table

Exodus 20:16a (Septuagint Elpenor)

οὐ ψευδομαρτυρήσεις οὐ ψευδομαρτυρήσεις οὐ ψευδομαρτυρήσεις

Matthew 19:18b (NET)

Exodus 20:16a (NETS)

Exodus 20:16a (English Elpenor)

do not give false testimony You shall not testify falsely Thou shalt not bear false witness

Matthew 19:19a (NET Parallel Greek)

Exodus 20:12a (Septuagint BLB) Table

Exodus 20:12a (Septuagint Elpenor)

τίμα τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὴν μητέρα τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα σου

Matthew 19:19a (NET)

Exodus 20:12a (NETS)

Exodus 20:12a (English Elpenor)

honor your father and mother Honor your father and your mother Honour thy father and thy mother

Matthew 19:18b (NET Parallel Greek)

Deuteronomy 5:17 (Septuagint BLB)

Deuteronomy 5:17 (Septuagint Elpenor)

οὐ φονεύσεις οὐ φονεύσεις οὐ φονεύσεις

Matthew 19:18b (NET)

Deuteronomy 5:18 (NETS)

Deuteronomy 5:17 (English Elpenor)

Do not murder You shall not murder. Thou shalt not commit murder.

Matthew 19:18b (NET Parallel Greek)

Deuteronomy 5:18 (Septuagint BLB) Table

Deuteronomy 5:18 (Septuagint Elpenor)

οὐ μοιχεύσεις οὐ μοιχεύσεις οὐ μοιχεύσεις

Matthew 19:18b (NET)

Deuteronomy 5:17 (NETS)

Deuteronomy 5:18 (English Elpenor)

do not commit adultery You shall not commit adultery. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Matthew 19:18b (NET Parallel Greek)

Deuteronomy 5:19 (Septuagint BLB)

Deuteronomy 5:19 (Septuagint Elpenor)

οὐ κλέψεις οὐ κλέψεις οὐ κλέψεις

Matthew 19:18b (NET)

Deuteronomy 5:19 (NETS)

Deuteronomy 5:19 (English Elpenor)

do not steal You shall not steal. Thou shalt not steal.

Matthew 19:18b (NET Parallel Greek)

Deuteronomy 5:20a (Septuagint BLB)

Deuteronomy 5:20a (Septuagint Elpenor)

οὐ ψευδομαρτυρήσεις οὐ ψευδομαρτυρήσεις οὐ ψευδομαρτυρήσεις

Matthew 19:18b (NET)

Deuteronomy 5:20a (NETS)

Deuteronomy 5:20a (English Elpenor)

do not give false testimony You shall not testify falsely Thou shalt not bear false witness

Matthew 19:19a (NET Parallel Greek)

Deuteronomy 5:16a (Septuagint BLB) Table

Deuteronomy 5:16a (Septuagint Elpenor)

τίμα τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὴν μητέρα τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα σου τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα σου

Matthew 19:19a (NET)

Deuteronomy 5:16a (NETS)

Deuteronomy 5:16a (English Elpenor)

honor your father and mother Honor your father and your mother Honour thy father and thy mother

According to a note (23) in the NET Matthew 19:19b is a quotation from Leviticus 19:18. The following table compares the Greek of that quotation with the Septuagint.

Matthew 19:19b (NET Parallel Greek)

Leviticus 19:18c (Septuagint BLB) Table

Leviticus 19:18c (Septuagint Elpenor)

ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν

Matthew 19:19b (NET)

Leviticus 19:18c (NETS)

Leviticus 19:18c (English Elpenor)

love your neighbor as yourself you shall love your neighbor as yourself thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself

Tables comparing Deuteronomy 5:17; 5:19 (5:17); 5:20 (5:17); Numbers 23:11; 23:12; 23:13; 23:14; 23:15; 23:16; 23:17; 23:18; 23:20; 23:21; 23:23; 23:24; 23:25; 23:26 and 23:27 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and comparing the Greek of Deuteronomy 5:17 (5:18); 5:19; 5:20; Numbers 23:11; 23:12; 23:13; 23:14; 23:15; 23:16; 23:17; 23:18; 23:20; 23:21; 23:23; 23:24; 23:25; 23:26 and 23:27 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables comparing Matthew 9:19, 20; Romans 14:5, 6; 14:9, 10 and Hebrews 3:17 in the KJV and NET follow.

Deuteronomy 5:17 (Tanakh)

Deuteronomy 5:17 (KJV)

Deuteronomy 5:17 (NET)

Thou shalt not murder. Thou shalt not kill. “You must not murder.

Deuteronomy 5:17 (Septuagint BLB)

Deuteronomy 5:17 (Septuagint Elpenor)

οὐ φονεύσεις οὐ φονεύσεις

Deuteronomy 5:18 (NETS)

Deuteronomy 5:17 (English Elpenor)

You shall not murder. Thou shalt not commit murder.

Deuteronomy 5:17 (Tanakh)

Deuteronomy 5:19 (KJV)

Deuteronomy 5:19 (NET)

Thou shalt not murder. Neither shalt thou commit adultery. Neither shalt thou steal. Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour. Neither shalt thou steal. “You must not steal.

Deuteronomy 5:19 (Septuagint BLB)

Deuteronomy 5:19 (Septuagint Elpenor)

οὐ κλέψεις οὐ κλέψεις

Deuteronomy 5:19 (NETS)

Deuteronomy 5:19 (English Elpenor)

You shall not steal. Thou shalt not steal.

Deuteronomy 5:17 (Tanakh)

Deuteronomy 5:20 (KJV)

Deuteronomy 5:20 (NET)

Thou shalt not murder. Neither shalt thou commit adultery. Neither shalt thou steal. Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour. Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour. “You must not offer false testimony against another.

Deuteronomy 5:20 (Septuagint BLB)

Deuteronomy 5:20 (Septuagint Elpenor)

οὐ ψευδομαρτυρήσεις κατὰ τοῦ πλησίον σου μαρτυρίαν ψευδῆ οὐ ψευδομαρτυρήσεις κατὰ τοῦ πλησίον σου μαρτυρίαν ψευδῆ

Deuteronomy 5:20 (NETS)

Deuteronomy 5:20 (English Elpenor)

You shall not testify falsely against your neighbor with a false testimony. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Numbers 23:11 (Tanakh)

Numbers 23:11 (KJV)

Numbers 23:11 (NET)

And Balak said unto Balaam: ‘What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.’ And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but on the contrary you have only blessed them!”

Numbers 23:11 (Septuagint BLB)

Numbers 23:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ εἶπεν Βαλακ πρὸς Βαλααμ τί πεποίηκάς μοι εἰς κατάρασιν ἐχθρῶν μου κέκληκά σε καὶ ἰδοὺ εὐλόγηκας εὐλογίαν καὶ εἶπε Βαλὰκ πρὸς Βαλαάμ· τί πεποίηκάς μοι; εἰς κατάρασιν ἐχθρῶν μου κέκληκά σε, καὶ ἰδοὺ εὐλόγηκας εὐλογίαν

Numbers 23:11 (NETS)

Numbers 23:11 (English Elpenor)

And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? For cursing my enemies have I called you—and, behold, you have blessed them with a blessing.” And Balac said to Balaam, What hast thou done to me? I called thee to curse my enemies, and behold thou hast greatly blessed [them].

Numbers 23:12 (Tanakh)

Numbers 23:12 (KJV)

Numbers 23:12 (NET)

And he answered and said: ‘Must I not take heed to speak that which HaShem putteth in my mouth?’ And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth? Balaam replied, “Must I not be careful to speak what the Lord has put in my mouth?”

Numbers 23:12 (Septuagint BLB)

Numbers 23:12 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ εἶπεν Βαλααμ πρὸς Βαλακ οὐχὶ ὅσα ἐὰν ἐμβάλῃ ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὸ στόμα μου τοῦτο φυλάξω λαλῆσαι καὶ εἶπε Βαλαὰμ πρὸς Βαλάκ· οὐχὶ ὅσα ἂν ἐμβάλῃ ὁ Θεὸς εἰς τὸ στόμα μου, τοῦτο φυλάξω λαλῆσαι

Numbers 23:12 (NETS)

Numbers 23:12 (English Elpenor)

And Balaam said to Balak, “No, as much as God puts into my mouth, shall I beware of speaking it?” And Balaam said to Balac, Whatsoever the Lord shall put into my mouth, shall I not take heed to speak this?

Numbers 23:13 (Tanakh)

Numbers 23:13 (KJV)

Numbers 23:13 (NET)

And Balak said unto him: ‘Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them; thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all; and curse me them from thence.’ And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence. Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from which you can observe them. You will see only a part of them, but you will not see all of them. Curse them for me from there.”

Numbers 23:13 (Septuagint BLB)

Numbers 23:13 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτὸν Βαλακ δεῦρο ἔτι μετ᾽ ἐμοῦ εἰς τόπον ἄλλον ἐξ ὧν οὐκ ὄψῃ αὐτὸν ἐκεῖθεν ἀλλ᾽ ἢ μέρος τι αὐτοῦ ὄψῃ πάντας δὲ οὐ μὴ ἴδῃς καὶ κατάρασαί μοι αὐτὸν ἐκεῖθεν Καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτὸν Βαλάκ· δεῦρο ἔτι μετ’ ἐμοῦ εἰς τόπον ἄλλον, ἐξ οὗ οὐκ ὄψει αὐτὸν ἐκεῖθεν, ἀλλ’ ἢ μέρος τι αὐτοῦ ὄψει, πάντας δὲ οὐ μὴ ἴδῃς, καὶ κατάρασαί μοι αὐτὸν ἐκεῖθεν

Numbers 23:13 (NETS)

Numbers 23:13 (English Elpenor)

And Balak said to him, “Come yet with me to another place, from there where you shall not see it; rather some part of it you shall see, but all you shall not see. And curse if for me from there.” And Balac said to him, Come yet with me to another place where thou shalt not see the people, but only thou shalt see a part of them, and shalt not see them all; and curse me them from thence.

Numbers 23:14 (Tanakh)

Numbers 23:14 (KJV)

Numbers 23:14 (NET)

And he took him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar. And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar. So Balak brought Balaam to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, where he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

Numbers 23:14 (Septuagint BLB)

Numbers 23:14 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ παρέλαβεν αὐτὸν εἰς ἀγροῦ σκοπιὰν ἐπὶ κορυφὴν λελαξευμένου καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν ἐκεῖ ἑπτὰ βωμοὺς καὶ ἀνεβίβασεν μόσχον καὶ κριὸν ἐπὶ τὸν βωμόν καὶ παρέλαβεν αὐτὸν εἰς ἀγροῦ σκοπιὰν ἐπὶ κορυφὴν λελαξευμένου καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν ἐκεῖ ἑπτὰ βωμοὺς καὶ ἀνεβίβασε μόσχον καὶ κριὸν ἐπὶ τὸν βωμόν

Numbers 23:14 (NETS)

Numbers 23:14 (English Elpenor)

And he took him to a lookout place of a field, on the top of Hewn. And he built there seven altars and brought a calf and a ram on the altar. And he took him to a high place of the field to the top of the quarried [rock], and he built there seven altars, and offered a calf and a ram on [every] altar.

Numbers 23:15 (Tanakh)

Numbers 23:15 (KJV)

Numbers 23:15 (NET)

And he said unto Balak: ‘Stand here by thy burnt-offering, while I go toward a meeting yonder.’ And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the LORD yonder. And Balaam said to Balak, “Station yourself here by your burnt offering, while I meet the Lord there.”

Numbers 23:15 (Septuagint BLB)

Numbers 23:15 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ εἶπεν Βαλααμ πρὸς Βαλακ παράστηθι ἐπὶ τῆς θυσίας σου ἐγὼ δὲ πορεύσομαι ἐπερωτῆσαι τὸν θεόν καὶ εἶπε Βαλαὰμ πρός Βαλάκ· παράστηθι ἐπὶ τῆς θυσίας σου, ἐγὼ δὲ πορεύσομαι ἐπερωτῆσαι τὸν Θεόν

Numbers 23:15 (NETS)

Numbers 23:15 (English Elpenor)

And Balaam said to Balak, “Stand beside your sacrifice, but I will go to inquire of God.” And Balaam said to Balac, Stand by thy sacrifice, and I will go to enquire of God.

Numbers 23:16 (Tanakh)

Numbers 23:16 (KJV)

Numbers 23:16 (NET)

And HaShem met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said: ‘Return unto Balak, and thus shalt thou speak.’ And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus. Then the Lord met Balaam and put a message in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and speak what I tell you.”

Numbers 23:16 (Septuagint BLB)

Numbers 23:16 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ συνήντησεν ὁ θεὸς τῷ Βαλααμ καὶ ἐνέβαλεν ῥῆμα εἰς τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν ἀποστράφητι πρὸς Βαλακ καὶ τάδε λαλήσεις καὶ συνήντησεν ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Βαλαὰμ καὶ ἐνέβαλε ρῆμα εἰς τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν· ἀποστράφηθι πρὸς Βαλὰκ καὶ τάδε λαλήσεις

Numbers 23:16 (NETS)

Numbers 23:16 (English Elpenor)

And God met with Balaam, and he put a word into his mouth and said, “Turn back to Balak, and this is what you shall speak.” And God met Balaam, and put a word into his mouth, and said, return to Balac, and thus shalt thou speak.

Numbers 23:17 (Tanakh)

Numbers 23:17 (KJV)

Numbers 23:17 (NET)

And he came to him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt-offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him: ‘What hath HaShem spoken?’ And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the LORD spoken? When Balaam came to him, he was still standing by his burnt offering, along with the princes of Moab. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?”

Numbers 23:17 (Septuagint BLB)

Numbers 23:17 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ ἀπεστράφη πρὸς αὐτόν καὶ ὅδε ἐφειστήκει ἐπὶ τῆς ὁλοκαυτώσεως αὐτοῦ καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄρχοντες Μωαβ μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Βαλακ τί ἐλάλησεν κύριος καὶ ἀπεστράφη πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ ὅδε ἐφειστήκει ἐπὶ τῆς ὁλοκαυτώσεως αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄρχοντες Μωὰβ μετ’ αὐτοῦ. καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Βαλάκ· τί ἐλάλησε Κύριος

Numbers 23:17 (NETS)

Numbers 23:17 (English Elpenor)

And he turned back to hum, and the latter stood beside his whole burnt offering, and all the rulers of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What did the Lord speak?” And he returned to him: and he also as standing by his whole-burnt-sacrifice, and all the princes of Moab with him; and Balac said to him, What has the Lord spoken?

Numbers 23:18 (Tanakh)

Numbers 23:18 (KJV)

Numbers 23:18 (NET)

And he took up his parable, and said: Arise, Balak, and hear; give ear unto me, thou son of Zippor: And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor: Balaam uttered his oracle, and said, “Rise up, Balak, and hear; Listen to me, son of Zippor:

Numbers 23:18 (Septuagint BLB)

Numbers 23:18 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ ἀναλαβὼν τὴν παραβολὴν αὐτοῦ εἶπεν ἀνάστηθι Βαλακ καὶ ἄκουε ἐνώτισαι μάρτυς υἱὸς Σεπφωρ καὶ ἀναλαβὼν τὴν παραβολὴν αὐτοῦ εἶπεν· ἀνάστηθι Βαλάκ, καὶ ἄκουε· ἐνώτισαι μάρτυς, υἱὸς Σεπφώρ

Numbers 23:18 (NETS)

Numbers 23:18 (English Elpenor)

And he took up this parable and said, “Rise up, Balak, and hear; give ear as a witness, O son of Sepphor: And he took up his parable, and said, rise up, Balac, and hear; hearken as a witness, thou son of Sepphor.

Numbers 23:20 (Tanakh)

Numbers 23:20 (KJV)

Numbers 23:20 (NET)

Behold, I am bidden to bless; and when He hath blessed, I cannot call it back. Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it. Indeed, I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.

Numbers 23:20 (Septuagint BLB)

Numbers 23:20 (Septuagint Elpenor)

ἰδοὺ εὐλογεῖν παρείλημμαι εὐλογήσω καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀποστρέψω ἰδοὺ εὐλογεῖν παρείλημμαι· εὐλογήσω καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀποστρέψω

Numbers 23:20 (NETS)

Numbers 23:20 (English Elpenor)

Behold, I have been taken hold of to bless; I will bless, and I will not turn away. Behold, I have received [commandment] to bless: I will bless, and not turn back.

Numbers 23:21 (Tanakh)

Numbers 23:21 (KJV)

Numbers 23:21 (NET)

None hath beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath one seen perverseness in Israel; HaShem his G-d is with him, and the shouting for the King is among them. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them. He has not looked on iniquity in Jacob, nor has he seen trouble in Israel. The Lord their God is with them; his acclamation as king is among them.

Numbers 23:21 (Septuagint BLB)

Numbers 23:21 (Septuagint Elpenor)

οὐκ ἔσται μόχθος ἐν Ιακωβ οὐδὲ ὀφθήσεται πόνος ἐν Ισραηλ κύριος ὁ θεὸς αὐτοῦ μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔνδοξα ἀρχόντων ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔσται μόχθος ἐν ᾿Ιακώβ, οὐδὲ ὀφθήσεται πόνος ἐν ᾿Ισραήλ· Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς αὐτοῦ μετ’ αὐτοῦ, τὰ ἔνδοξα ἀρχόντων ἐν αὐτῷ

Numbers 23:21 (NETS)

Numbers 23:21 (English Elpenor)

There shall be no trouble in Iakob, nor shall hardship be seen in Israel. The Lord his God is with him; the glories of rulers are in him. There shall not be trouble in Jacob, neither shall sorrow be seen in Israel: the Lord his God [is] with him, the glories of rulers [are] in him.

Numbers 23:23 (Tanakh)

Numbers 23:23 (KJV)

Numbers 23:23 (NET)

For there is no enchantment with Jacob, neither is there any divination with Israel; now is it said of Jacob and of Israel: ‘What hath G-d wrought!’ Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought! For there is no spell against Jacob, nor is there any divination against Israel. At this time it must be said of Jacob and of Israel, ‘Look at what God has done!’

Numbers 23:23 (Septuagint BLB)

Numbers 23:23 (Septuagint Elpenor)

οὐ γάρ ἐστιν οἰωνισμὸς ἐν Ιακωβ οὐδὲ μαντεία ἐν Ισραηλ κατὰ καιρὸν ῥηθήσεται Ιακωβ καὶ τῷ Ισραηλ τί ἐπιτελέσει ὁ θεός οὐ γάρ ἐστιν οἰωνισμὸς ἐν ᾿Ιακώβ, οὐδὲ μαντεία ἐν ᾿Ισραήλ· κατὰ καιρὸν ρηθήσεται ᾿Ιακὼβ καὶ τῷ ᾿Ισραήλ, τί ἐπιτελέσει ὁ Θεός

Numbers 23:23 (NETS)

Numbers 23:23 (English Elpenor)

For there is no omen in Iakob nor divination in Israel; opportunely it shall be told to Iakob and to Israel what God shall accomplish. For there is no divination in Jacob, nor enchantment in Israel; in season it shall be told to Jacob and Israel what God shall perform.

Numbers 23:24 (Tanakh)

Numbers 23:24 (KJV)

Numbers 23:24 (NET)

Behold a people that riseth up as a lioness, and as a lion doth he lift himself up; he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain. Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain. Indeed, the people will rise up like a lioness, and like a lion raises himself up; they will not lie down until they eat their prey, and drink the blood of the slain.”

Numbers 23:24 (Septuagint BLB)

Numbers 23:24 (Septuagint Elpenor)

ἰδοὺ λαὸς ὡς σκύμνος ἀναστήσεται καὶ ὡς λέων γαυριωθήσεται οὐ κοιμηθήσεται ἕως φάγῃ θήραν καὶ αἷμα τραυματιῶν πίεται ἰδοὺ λαὸς ὡς σκύμνος ἀναστήσεται καὶ ὡς λέων γαυρωθήσεται· οὐ κοιμηθήσεται, ἕως φάγῃ θήραν, καὶ αἷμα τραυματιῶν πίεται

Numbers 23:24 (NETS)

Numbers 23:24 (English Elpenor)

Behold, a people shall rise up like a whelp and shall bear itself proudly like a lion! It will not lie down until it eats prey and will drink blood of mortally wounded.” Behold, the people shall rise up as a lion’s whelp, and shall exalt himself as a lion; he shall not lie down till he have eaten the prey, and he shall drink the blood of the slain.

Numbers 23:25 (Tanakh)

Numbers 23:25 (KJV)

Numbers 23:25 (NET)

And Balak said unto Balaam: ‘Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.’ And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all. Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”

Numbers 23:25 (Septuagint BLB)

Numbers 23:25 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ εἶπεν Βαλακ πρὸς Βαλααμ οὔτε κατάραις καταράσῃ μοι αὐτὸν οὔτε εὐλογῶν μὴ εὐλογήσῃς αὐτόν καὶ εἶπε Βαλὰκ πρὸς Βαλαάμ· οὔτε κατάραις καταράσῃ μοι αὐτὸν οὔτε εὐλογῶν μὴ εὐλογήσῃς αὐτόν

Numbers 23:25 (NETS)

Numbers 23:25 (English Elpenor)

And Balak said to Balaam, “You shall neither curse them with curses for me, nor, when blessing, shall you bless them.” Behold, the people shall rise up as a lion’s whelp, and shall exalt himself as a lion; he shall not lie down till he have eaten the prey, and he shall drink the blood of the slain.

Numbers 23:26 (Tanakh)

Numbers 23:26 (KJV)

Numbers 23:26 (NET)

But Balaam answered and said unto Balak: ‘Told not I thee, saying: All that HaShem speaketh, that I must do?’ But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do? But Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘All that the Lord speaks, I must do’?”

Numbers 23:26 (Septuagint BLB)

Numbers 23:26 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς Βαλααμ εἶπεν τῷ Βαλακ οὐκ ἐλάλησά σοι λέγων τὸ ῥῆμα ὃ ἐὰν λαλήσῃ ὁ θεός τοῦτο ποιήσω καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς Βαλαὰμ εἶπε τῷ Βαλάκ· οὐκ ἐλάλησά σοι λέγων, τὸ ρῆμα, ὃ ἐὰν λαλήσῃ ὁ Θεός, τοῦτο ποιήσω

Numbers 23:26 (NETS)

Numbers 23:26 (English Elpenor)

And Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘The word that God speaks, this I shall do’?” And Balaam answered and said to Balac, Spoke I not to thee, saying, Whatsoever thing God shall speak to me, that will I do?

Numbers 23:27 (Tanakh)

Numbers 23:27 (KJV)

Numbers 23:27 (NET)

And Balak said unto Balaam: ‘Come now, I will take thee unto another place; peradventure it will please G-d that thou mayest curse me them from thence.’ And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence. Balak said to Balaam, “Come, please; I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me from there.”

Numbers 23:27 (Septuagint BLB)

Numbers 23:27 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ εἶπεν Βαλακ πρὸς Βαλααμ δεῦρο παραλάβω σε εἰς τόπον ἄλλον εἰ ἀρέσει τῷ θεῷ καὶ καταρᾶσαί μοι αὐτὸν ἐκεῖθεν Καὶ εἶπε Βαλὰκ πρὸς Βαλαάμ· δεῦρο παραλάβω σε εἰς τόπον ἄλλον, εἰ ἀρέσει τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ κατάρασαί μοι αὐτὸν ἐκεῖθεν

Numbers 23:27 (NETS)

Numbers 23:27 (English Elpenor)

And Balak said to Balaam, “Come, let me take you to another place, if it shall please God, and curse it for me from there.” And Balac said to Balaam, Come [and] I will remove thee to another place, if it shall please God, and curse me them from thence.

Matthew 19:19, 20 (NET)

Matthew 19:19, 20 (KJV)

honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Matthew 19:19 (NET Parallel Greek)

Matthew 19:19 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Matthew 19:19 (Byzantine Majority Text)

τίμα τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὴν μητέρα, καί ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν τιμα τον πατερα σου και την μητερα και αγαπησεις τον πλησιον σου ως σεαυτον τιμα τον πατερα και την μητερα και αγαπησεις τον πλησιον σου ως σεαυτον
The young man said to him, “I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws. What do I still lack?” The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

Matthew 19:20 (NET Parallel Greek)

Matthew 19:20 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Matthew 19:20 (Byzantine Majority Text)

λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ νεανίσκος· |πάντα ταῦτα| ἐφύλαξα· τί ἔτι ὑστερῶ λεγει αυτω ο νεανισκος παντα ταυτα εφυλαξαμην εκ νεοτητος μου τι ετι υστερω λεγει αυτω ο νεανισκος παντα ταυτα εφυλαξαμην εκ νεοτητος μου τι ετι υστερω

Romans 14:5, 6 (NET)

Romans 14:5, 6 (KJV)

One person regards one day holier than other days, and another regards them all alike. Each must be fully convinced in his own mind. One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

Romans 14:5 (NET Parallel Greek)

Romans 14:5 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Romans 14:5 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Ὂς μὲν [γὰρ] κρίνει ἡμέραν παρ᾿ ἡμέραν, ὃς δὲ κρίνει πᾶσαν ἡμέραν· ἕκαστος ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ νοὶ_ πληροφορείσθω ος μεν κρινει ημεραν παρ ημεραν ος δε κρινει πασαν ημεραν εκαστος εν τω ιδιω νοι πληροφορεισθω ος μεν κρινει ημεραν παρ ημεραν ος δε κρινει πασαν ημεραν εκαστος εν τω ιδιω νοι πληροφορεισθω
The one who observes the day does it for the Lord. The one who eats, eats for the Lord because he gives thanks to God, and the one who abstains from eating abstains for the Lord, and he gives thanks to God. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

Romans 14:6 (NET Parallel Greek)

Romans 14:6 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Romans 14:6 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ὁ φρονῶν τὴν ἡμέραν κυρίῳ φρονεῖ· καὶ ὁ ἐσθίων κυρίῳ ἐσθίει, εὐχαριστεῖ γὰρ τῷ θεῷ· καὶ ὁ μὴ ἐσθίων κυρίῳ οὐκ ἐσθίει καὶ εὐχαριστεῖ τῷ θεῷ ο φρονων την ημεραν κυριω φρονει και ο μη φρονων την ημεραν κυριω ου φρονει ο εσθιων κυριω εσθιει ευχαριστει γαρ τω θεω και ο μη εσθιων κυριω ουκ εσθιει και ευχαριστει τω θεω ο φρονων την ημεραν κυριω φρονει και ο μη φρονων την ημεραν κυριω ου φρονει και ο εσθιων κυριω εσθιει ευχαριστει γαρ τω θεω και ο μη εσθιων κυριω ουκ εσθιει και ευχαριστει τω θεω

Romans 14:9, 10 (NET)

Romans 14:9, 10 (KJV)

For this reason Christ died and returned to life, so that he may be the Lord of both the dead and the living. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

Romans 14:9 (NET Parallel Greek)

Romans 14:9 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Romans 14:9 (Byzantine Majority Text)

εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν καὶ ἔζησεν, ἵνα καὶ νεκρῶν καὶ ζώντων κυριεύσῃ εις τουτο γαρ χριστος και απεθανεν και ανεστη και ανεζησεν ινα και νεκρων και ζωντων κυριευση εις τουτο γαρ χριστος και απεθανεν και ανεστη και εζησεν ινα και νεκρων και ζωντων κυριευση
But you who eat vegetables only—why do you judge your brother or sister? And you who eat everything—why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Romans 14:10 (NET Parallel Greek)

Romans 14:10 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Romans 14:10 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Σὺ δὲ τί κρίνεις τὸν ἀδελφόν σου; ἢ καὶ σὺ τί ἐξουθενεῖς τὸν ἀδελφόν σου; πάντες γὰρ παραστησόμεθα τῷ βήματι τοῦ θεοῦ συ δε τι κρινεις τον αδελφον σου η και συ τι εξουθενεις τον αδελφον σου παντες γαρ παραστησομεθα τω βηματι του χριστου συ δε τι κρινεις τον αδελφον σου η και συ τι εξουθενεις τον αδελφον σου παντες γαρ παραστησομεθα τω βηματι του χριστου

Hebrews 3:17 (NET)

Hebrews 3:17 (KJV)

And against whom was God provoked for forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness? But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?

Hebrews 3:17 (NET Parallel Greek)

Hebrews 3:17 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Hebrews 3:17 (Byzantine Majority Text)

τίσιν δὲ προσώχθισεν τεσσεράκοντα ἔτη; οὐχὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήσασιν, ὧν τὰ κῶλα ἔπεσεν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τισιν δε προσωχθισεν τεσσαρακοντα ετη ουχι τοις αμαρτησασιν ων τα κωλα επεσεν εν τη ερημω τισιν δε προσωχθισεν τεσσαρακοντα ετη ουχι τοις αμαρτησασιν ων τα κωλα επεσεν εν τη ερημω

4 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἐφύλαξα here, a form of φυλάσσω in the active voice, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εφυλαξαμην (KJV: have I kept) in the middle voice. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εκ νεοτητος μου (KJV: from my youth up) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

5 See Exploration, Part 3 for tables comparing the Greek of Paul’s quotation to that of the Septuagint.

6 Matthew 19:22b (ESV)

7 John 1:47b (ESV)

8 Romans 11:24 (ESV)

9 Matthew 22:40 (ESV) Table

10 Matthew 22:37b, 38 (ESV) Table

11 Romans 3:19, 20 (ESV)

12 Romans 9:32b (ESV) Table

13 Ibid.

14 Matthew 19:21 (ESV) Table For those with ears to hear, this is where the commandments concerning coveting and loving the Lord your God come to bear in this discourse.

15 Numbers 23:10b (The Complete Jewish Bible)

16 Numbers 22:31b (ESV) Table

17 Numbers 22:34b (ESV) Table

18 Mark 2:27, 28 (ESV)

19 Matthew 12:12b (ESV)

20 Hebrews 7:12 (ESV)

21 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had the conjunction γὰρ (“for”) here. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

22 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ο μη φρονων την ημεραν κυριω ου φρονει (KJV: he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

23 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και (KJV: both) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

25 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had θεοῦ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had χριστου (KJV: Christ).

26 See Wonders and False Wonders, Part 2 for tables comparing the Greek of Paul’s quotation to that of the Septuagint.

27 See A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 4 for tables comparing the Greek of this quotation to that of the Septuagint.

28 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had τεσσεράκοντα here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τεσσαρακοντα. These seem to be alternate spellings of the same word.

29 See A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 4 for tables comparing the Greek of this quotation to that of the Septuagint.

30 See A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 4 for tables comparing the Greek of this quotation to that of the Septuagint.

31 Philippians 2:12b, 13 (ESV)

32 3 John 1:11b (ESV) Table

33 The Septuagint had τοῦτο φυλάξω λαλῆσαι, shall I beware of speaking it (NETS) and shall I not take heed to speak this (English Elpenor), in the indicative mood rather than the imperative.

34 He said to Balak, “Stand here next to your burnt offering and I will be chanced on here (The Complete Jewish Bible).

35 Numbers 23:18-21 (ESV)

37 The Septuagint has τοῦτο ποιήσω: this I shall do (NETS) and that will I do (English Elpenor), translated as a verb in the future tense and indicative mood, rather than the aorist tense and subjunctive mood.

38 Numbers 23:19, 20 (ESV)

39 3 John 1:11b (ESV) Table

40 John 1:18 (ESV) Table

Keep Yourselves From Idols, Part 1

I don’t worship statues, I thought, when I first encountered the end of John’s letter: Little children, keep yourselves1 from idols.2 It might be easier if I did, not necessarily the keeping part: Prostrating myself before some statue in some temple on a cold stone floor, naked, sounds kinky. I like it. But it would be easier to recognize when I was doing it.

I’ve been home a lot recently, able to attend church and Bible study. The Pastor’s sermon series was on Genesis and the Bible study was an in depth look and discussion. I became increasingly uncomfortable with where my mind was going, especially in the 3rd chapter of Genesis. I had stopped treating it like the word of God and had begun to treat it like a Delphic Oracle that I could or should outsmart somehow.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 2:16, 17 (Tanakh)

Genesis 2:16, 17 (NET)

Genesis 2:16, 17 (NETS)

Genesis 2:16, 17 (English Elpenor)

And HaShem G-d commanded the man (הָֽאָדָ֖ם), saying: ‘Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; [Table] Then the Lord God commanded the man (‘āḏām, האדם), “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard, And the Lord God commanded Adam (τῷ Αδαμ), saying, “You shall eat for food of every tree that is in the orchard, [Table] And the Lord God gave a charge to Adam (τῷ ᾿Αδὰμ), saying, Of every tree which is in the garden thou mayest freely eat,
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die’ [Table]. but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.” but of the tree for knowing good and evil, of it you shall not eat; on the day that you eat of it, you shall die by death” [Table]. but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil– of it ye shall not eat, but in whatsoever day ye eat of it, ye shall surely die.

Genesis 3:6 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:6 (NET)

Genesis 3:6 (NETS)

Genesis 3:6 (English Elpenor)

And when the woman (הָֽאִשָּׁ֡ה) saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight (תַֽאֲוָה) to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired (וְנֶחְמָ֤ד) to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat [Table]. When the woman (‘iššâ, האשה) saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive (ta’ăvâ, תאוה) to the eye, and was desirable (ḥāmaḏ, ונחמד) for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. And the woman ( γυνὴ) saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasing (ἀρεστὸν) for the eyes to look at and it was beautiful (ὡραῗόν) to contemplate, and when she had taken of its fruit she ate, and she also gave some to her husband with her, and they ate [Table]. And the woman ( γυνή) saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant (ἀρεστὸν) to the eyes to look upon and beautiful (ὡραῖόν) to contemplate, and having taken of its fruit she ate, and she gave to her husband also with her, and they ate.

I focused on the woman because that was where the text gives the most hope for understanding why this happened. The man’s motivations were more inscrutable or inanely mundane: “This is the food my wife gave me, so I ate it.”3 There are two different words for desire in the Masoretic text leading to the moment the woman took of its fruit and ate.4 A note (18) in the NET translated the Hebrew: “that good was the tree for food, and that desirable it was to the eyes, and desirable was the tree to make one wise.”

The rabbis who translated the Septuagint didn’t choose any forms of θέλω or θέλημα for these words. Rather, they chose ἀρεστὸν (a form of ἀρεστός) for תַֽאֲוָה (ta’ăvâ), and ὡραῖόν (a form of ὡραῖος) for וְנֶחְמָ֤ד (ḥāmaḏ). But who cares about the Septuagint? Let’s just go with it. This happened because the woman exercised her free will, even if the man just followed her lead.

Let me get naked and prostrate myself before free will to see if I can recognize that I am naked and prostrate before a man-made idol: The first thing that occurs to me is that free will must be evil, since it caused the woman to disobey God’s command. Well, I don’t like being naked and prostrate before something evil, so the first thing I’ll do is add free will to God’s word.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 1:27, 28 (Tanakh)

Genesis 1:27, 28 (NET)

Genesis 1:27, 28 (NETS)

Genesis 1:27, 28 (English Elpenor)

And G-d created man (הָֽאָדָם֙) in His own image, in the image of G-d created He him; male (זָכָ֥ר) and female (וּנְקֵבָ֖ה) created He them [Table]. God created humankind (‘āḏām, האדם) in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male (zāḵār, זכר) and female (nᵊqēḇâ, ונקבה) he created them. And God made humankind (τὸν ἄνθρωπον); according to divine image he made it; male (ἄρσεν) and female (καὶ θῆλυ) he made them [Table]. And God made man (τὸν ἄνθρωπον), according to the image of God he made him, male (ἄρσεν) and female (καὶ θῆλυ) he made them.
And G-d blessed them; [and gave them free will] and G-d said unto them: ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creepeth upon the earth’ [Table]. God blessed them [and gave them free will] and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.” And God blessed them [and gave them free will], saying, “Increase, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky and all the cattle and all the earth and all the creeping things that creep upon the earth” [Table]. And God blessed them [and gave them free will], saying, Increase and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the seas and flying creatures of heaven, and all the cattle and all the earth, and all the reptiles that creep on the earth.

Now that free will has been given by God, it needs some power and purpose. Otherwise, why would I prostrate myself naked before it? Just kinky fun? No, it was not just that free will prompted the woman to disobey God, she might have obeyed God of her own free will. There’s no evidence for that in the text, but what good is free will if it is incapable of obedience?

So now, I can use my idol to judge God: If the woman’s God-given free will lacked the power, authority, whatever, to make it possible for her to have obeyed God, then God was unfair, vindictive, evil in a word. God is not evil. Therefore by free will human beings may choose righteousness and obedience. The woman might have rewritten the whole story if she had directed her free will toward righteousness and obedience rather than sin and disobedience.

About this time I recognized that I’d been here before.5

God promised Solomon a wise and discerning mind superior to that of anyone who has preceded or will succeed you1—in the dream. But Solomon broke every law God gave the kings of Israel while wide-awake. Surely Solomon’s alleged wisdom was grossly overstated!

Okay, enough of this self-righteous snit. You notice what just happened. I’m all up in arms because the wise and discerning mind God allegedly gave Solomon was neither wise enough nor discerning enough to protect Solomon from falling afoul of the laws God gave the kings of Israel. I reasoned that God-given discernment at a minimum should have made the king wise enough to follow God’s rules for kings, or God-given discernment can’t be discernment given by God. It must have been only a dream.

There is a significant difference between the wise and discerning mind God gave to Solomon and the woman’s free will. The wise and discerning mind is stated explicitly:

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

1 Kings 3:11, 12 (Tanakh)

1 Kings 3:11, 12 (NET)

3 Reigns 3:11, 12 (NETS)

3 Kings 3:11, 12 (English Elpenor)

And God said unto [Solomon], Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; [Table] God said to him, “Because you asked for the ability to make wise judicial decisions, and not for long life, or riches, or vengeance on your enemies, And the Lord said to him, “Because you requested this thing from me and did not request for yourself many days and did not request riches and did not request lives of your enemies but requested for yourself understanding to listen to judgment, [Table] And the Lord said to him, Because thou hast asked this thing of me, and hast not asked for thyself long life, and hast not asked wealth, nor hast asked the lives of thine enemies, but hast asked for thyself understanding to hear judgment;
Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise (חָכָ֣ם) and an understanding (וְנָב֔וֹן) heart (לֵב); so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee [Table]. I grant your request and give you a wise (ḥāḵām, חכם) and discerning (bîn, ונבון) mind (lēḇ, לב) superior to that of anyone who has preceded or will succeed you. behold, I have done according to your word; behold, I have given you a prudent (φρονίμην) and wise (καὶ σοφήν) heart (καρδίαν); like you there has not been before you, and after you there shall not arise similar to you [Table]. behold, I have done according to thy word: behold, I have given thee an understanding (φρονίμην) and wise (καὶ σοφήν) heart (καρδίαν): there has not been [any one] like thee before thee, and after thee there shall not arise one like thee.

On the other hand, the woman’s free will was an inference derived from two Hebrew words that can mean desire. Eventually, I had to come to terms with Solomon’s wealth and his God-given wise and discerning mind.6

[Solomon’s wealth] which is at least possible to measure, has been coupled in a promise with a wise and discerning mind1 which is difficult to measure. Solomon’s wealth is hard to deny (whether I argue with the superlative degree of it or not)…

Is it possible that a wise and discerning mind given by God, would not be wise or discerning enough to prevent Solomon’s disobedience to God’s laws? That’s what the Bible seems to be saying here. And Solomon’s wealth is sort of the kicker to make that point.

God judged his creation very good.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 1:31a (Tanakh)

Genesis 1:31a (NET)

Genesis 1:31a (NETS)

Genesis 1:31a (English Elpenor)

And G-d saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very (מְאֹ֑ד) good (ט֖וֹב) [Table]. God saw all that he had made—and it was very (mᵊ’ōḏ, מאד) good (ṭôḇ, טוב)! And God saw all the things that he had made, and see, they were exceedingly good (καλὰ λίαν) [Table]. And God saw all the things that he had made, and, behold, they were very good (καλὰ λίαν).

Is it possible that a creation (including the woman, the man and the serpent) judged very good (Tanakh, KJV, NET, English Elpenor) or exceedingly good (NETS) by God would not be good enough to prevent the woman’s, the man’s or the serpent’s disobedience to God’s one commandment? That’s what the Bible seems to be saying here.

We imagine that the woman, the man and the serpent knew God better than we do, that they saw Him as they conversed with Him. The Hebrew word מִפְּנֵי֙ (pānîm) does occur in the text, translated ἀπὸ προσώπου (Septuagint), from the presence (Tanakh, KJV, NETS), from (NET) and from the face (English Elpenor).

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 3:8, 10 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:8, 10 (NET)

Genesis 3:8, 10 (NETS)

Genesis 3:8, 10 (English Elpenor)

And they heard (וַיִּשְׁמְע֞וּ) the voice (ק֨וֹל) of HaShem G-d walking (מִתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ) in the garden (בַּגָּ֖ן) toward the cool (לְר֣וּחַ) of the day (הַיּ֑וֹם); and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence (מִפְּנֵי֙) of HaShem G-d amongst the trees of the garden [Table]. Then the man and his wife heard (šāmaʿ, וישמעו) the sound (qôl, קול) of the Lord God moving about (hālaḵ, מתהלך) in the orchard (gan, בגן) at the breezy time (rûaḥ, לרוח) of the day (yôm, היום), and they hid from (pānîm, מפני) the Lord God among the trees of the orchard. And they heard (καὶ ἤκουσαν) the sound (τὴν φωνὴν) of the Lord God walking about (περιπατοῦντος) in the orchard (ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ) in the evening (τὸ δειλινόν), and both Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence (ἀπὸ προσώπου) of the Lord God in the midst of the timber of the orchard [Table]. And they heard (Καὶ ἤκουσαν) the voice (τῆς φωνῆς) of the Lord God walking (περιπατοῦντος) in the garden (ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ) in the afternoon (τὸ δειλινόν); and both Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face (ἀπὸ προσώπου) of the Lord God in the midst of the trees of the garden.
And [Adam] said: ‘I heard (שָׁמַ֖עְתִּי) Thy voice (קֹֽלְךָ֥) in the garden (בַּגָּ֑ן), and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself’ [Table]. The man replied, “I heard (šāmaʿ, שמעתי) you moving about (qôl, קלך) in the orchard (gan, בגן), and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” And he said to him, “I heard (ἤκουσα) the sound of you (τὴν φωνήν σου) walking about (περιπατοῦντος) in the orchard (ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ), and I was afraid, because I am naked, and I hid myself” [Table]. And he said to him, I heard (ἤκουσα) thy voice (τῆς φωνῆς σου) as thou walkedst (περιπατοῦντος) in the garden (ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ), and I feared because I was naked and I hid myself.

A quick survey of the occurrences of מפני (pānîm) in the early chapters of Genesis, which I won’t undertake here, makes it difficult to believe that it was meant to imply that the woman, the man or the serpent literally saw God’s face. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.7 So, we imagine that they saw Jesus. Nude? The woman doesn’t strike me as one who would need to eat forbidden fruit to realize she was naked if she had already seen Jesus in shiny white clothes. All the text says is that they heard his words and knew that He responded to their words.

The Lord God’s voicewalking in the garden (Tanakh/KJV/English Elpenor) is a curious turn of phrase. I suppose it could be understood as “the voice of the Lord God, walking in the garden.” But it seems to explain the alternative translations: the sound of the Lord God moving about in the orchard (NET) and the sound of the Lord God walking about in the orchard (NETS).

The Hebrew words לְר֣וּחַ (rûaḥ) הַיּ֑וֹם (yôm), which I suppose would literally translate, “in” or “toward the spirit of the day,” were translated various ways: toward the cool of the day (Tanakh), in the cool of the day (KJV), at the breezy time of the day (NET), in the evening (NETS) and in the afternoon (English Elpenor). In the Tanakh on chabad.org it was understood as the direction the Lord’s voice walked: to the direction of the sun.8 And despite the fact that the rabbis who translated the Septuagint chose no form of πνεῦμα for לְר֣וּחַ (rûaḥ) here, I’m reminded of Jesus’ words to Nicodemus (John 3:5-8 ESV):

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit (πνεύματος), he cannot enter the kingdom of God [Table]. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit (πνεύματος) is spirit (πνεῦμα). Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind (πνεῦμα) blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound (τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ), but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit (πνεύματος).”

Jesus’ comfort level with the interplay of spirit and wind calms me and encourages me to think that the woman, the man and the serpent communed with a voice in the wind or a voice in the Spirit. I assume then that the face or presence of the Lord was their perception of proximity to that voice. But the NET translation of לְר֣וּחַ (rûaḥ), at the breezy time, seems to be more of a hedge translation, taking no sides as it were whether God came to them calmly or furiously:

The expression is traditionally rendered “cool of the day,” because the Hebrew word רוּחַ (ruakh) can mean “wind.” U. Cassuto (Genesis: From Adam to Noah, 152-54) concludes after lengthy discussion that the expression refers to afternoon when it became hot and the sun was beginning to decline. J. J. Niehaus (God at Sinai [SOTBT], 155-57) offers a different interpretation of the phrase, relating יוֹם (yom, usually understood as “day”) to an Akkadian cognate umu (“storm”) and translates the phrase “in the wind of the storm.” If Niehaus is correct, then God is not pictured as taking an afternoon stroll through the orchard, but as coming in a powerful windstorm to confront the man and woman with their rebellion. In this case קוֹל יְהוָה (qol yehvah, “sound of the Lord”) may refer to God’s thunderous roar, which typically accompanies his appearance in the storm to do battle or render judgment (e.g., see Ps 29).

Though they knew Him in some sense, knowing God means more than hearing his voice and disobeying Him.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Psalm 9:10 (Tanakh/KJV)

Psalm 9:10 (NET)

Psalm 9:11 (NETS)

Psalm 9:11 (English Elpenor)

And they that know (יֽוֹדְעֵ֣י) thy name (שְׁמֶ֑ךָ) will put their trust (וְיִבְטְח֣וּ) in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. Your loyal followers trust in you, [NET note 21: Heb “and the ones who know (yāḏaʿ, יודעי) your name (šēm, שמך) trust (bāṭaḥ, ויבטחו) in you”] for you, Lord, do not abandon those who seek your help. And let those who know (γινώσκοντες) your name (τὸ ὄνομά σου) hope (ἐλπισάτωσαν) in you, because you did not forsake those who seek you, O Lord. And let them that know (γινώσκοντες) thy name (τὸ ὄνομά σου) hope (ἐλπισάτωσαν) in thee: for thou, O Lord, hast not failed them that diligently seek thee.

The Hebrew word שְׁמֶ֑ךָ (šēm), translated thy name (Tanakh, KJV) and your name (NET), might have been translated your reputation, your fame or your glory. The Greek translation of שְׁמֶ֑ךָ (šēm) τὸ ὄνομά σουyour name (NETS) and thy name (English Elpenor)—might have been translated your reputation, your fame or news of you. The Hebrew word וְיִבְטְח֣וּ (bāṭaḥ), will put their trust (Tanakh, KJV) and trust (NET), was translated ἐλπισάτωσαν in the Septuagint, hope (BLB, Elpenor). But ἐλπισάτωσαν might have been translated have confident assurance, be confident or put trust.

A note on the root word ἐλπίζω in the Koine Greek Lexicon online reads:

Does not mean “to hope” in the sense of “longing for” or “wishing”; but of “confident assurance.”

The serpent trusted (Genesis 3:4, 5) his own partially true knowledge rather than God’s command. The woman trusted (Genesis 3:6) the serpent’s knowledge and her own desires rather than God’s command. The man trusted (Genesis 3:6) his wife rather than God’s command. Though I hadn’t seen it before, Paul may have written the best summation of what transpired in the garden (Romans 1:18-21 NET).

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness, because what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes—his eternal9 power and divine nature—have been clearly seen because they are understood through what has been made (Genesis 1-2). So people are without excuse. For although they knew (γνόντες, a form of γινώσκω) God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts, and their senseless hearts were darkened [Table].

Paul also wrote (1 Corinthians 8:2, 3 NET):

If10 someone thinks he knows11 something, he does not yet12 know13 to the degree that he needs to know (γνῶναι, another form of γινώσκω). But if someone loves (ἀγαπᾷ, a form of ἀγαπάω) God, he is known (ἔγνωσται, another form of γινώσκω) by God.

Rather than inventing a category free will along with a lot of convoluted arguments, it seems to make more sense to stick with desire: the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit.14 The Greek word translated the desires was ἐπιθυμεῖ, an indicative form of the verb ἐπιθυμέω in the active voice and present tense. In other words, “the flesh desires against the Spirit.” Accepting the truth of this statement, even in the garden where everything was very good, cuts through a lot of unnecessary intellectual clutter.

So, the flesh desiring against the Spirit of God was the cause of sin, rather than its result, as James wrote (James 1:13-15 ESV):

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,”15 for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire (τῆς ἰδίας ἐπιθυμίας). Then desire ( ἐπιθυμία) when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. 

God cannot be tempted with evil. I take that to heart, for I can imagine an argument that God didn’t need to give free will to human beings in any explicit way, it was simply bequeathed as a part of his image. But if God cannot be tempted by evil, He doesn’t possess free will in any sense that is most meaningful to human beings. Apart from the ability to be tempted with evil, free will loses all its explanatory power, and most of its appeal, for human beings.

It is written in the prophets, Jesus said, ‘And they will all be taught (διδακτοὶ, a form of διδακτός) by God.’ Everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to me.16 And that’s what God continued to do for the woman and the man in their time, and continues to do for any who read his words in the Bible any time. Paradise may be lost, but the Garden of Eden was only a shadow of the good things to come.17

Tables comparing Psalm 9:10 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and the Greek of Psalm 9:10 (9:11) in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables comparing 1 John 5:21; Romans 1:20; 1 Corinthians 8:2 and James 1:13 in the NET and KJV follow.

Psalm 9:10 (Tanakh)

Psalm 9:10 (KJV)

Psalm 9:10 (NET)

And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. Your loyal followers trust in you, for you, Lord, do not abandon those who seek your help.

Psalm 9:10 (Septuagint BLB)

Psalm 9:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ ἐλπισάτωσαν ἐπὶ σὲ οἱ γινώσκοντες τὸ ὄνομά σου ὅτι οὐκ ἐγκατέλιπες τοὺς ἐκζητοῦντάς σε κύριε καὶ ἐλπισάτωσαν ἐπὶ σοὶ οἱ γινώσκοντες τὸ ὄνομά σου, ὅτι οὐκ ἐγκατέλιπες τοὺς ἐκζητοῦντάς σε, Κύριε

Psalm 9:11 (NETS)

Psalm 9:11 (English Elpenor)

And let those who know your name hope in you, because you did not forsake those who seek you, O Lord. And let them that know thy name hope in thee: for thou, O Lord, hast not failed them that diligently seek thee.

1 John 5:21 (NET)

1 John 5:21 (KJV)

Little children, guard yourselves from idols. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

1 John 5:21 (NET Parallel Greek)

1 John 5:21 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

1 John 5:21 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Τεκνία, φυλάξατε ἑαυτὰ ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων τεκνια φυλαξατε εαυτους απο των ειδωλων αμην τεκνια φυλαξατε εαυτα απο των ειδωλων αμην

Romans 1:20 (NET)

Romans 1:20 (KJV)

For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Romans 1:20 (NET Parallel Greek)

Romans 1:20 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Romans 1:20 (Byzantine Majority Text)

τὰ γὰρ ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου τοῖς ποιήμασιν νοούμενα καθορᾶται, ἥ τε αἴ_διος αὐτοῦ δύναμις καὶ θειότης, εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἀναπολογήτους τα γαρ αορατα αυτου απο κτισεως κοσμου τοις ποιημασιν νοουμενα καθοραται η τε αιδιος αυτου δυναμις και θειοτης εις το ειναι αυτους αναπολογητους τα γαρ αορατα αυτου απο κτισεως κοσμου τοις ποιημασιν νοουμενα καθοραται η τε αιδιος αυτου δυναμις και θειοτης εις το ειναι αυτους αναπολογητους

1 Corinthians 8:2 (NET)

1 Corinthians 8:2 (KJV)

If someone thinks he knows something, he does not yet know to the degree that he needs to know. And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.

1 Corinthians 8:2 (NET Parallel Greek)

1 Corinthians 8:2 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

1 Corinthians 8:2 (Byzantine Majority Text)

εἴ τις δοκεῖ ἐγνωκέναι τι, οὔπω ἔγνω καθὼς δεῖ γνῶναι ει δε τις δοκει ειδεναι τι ουδεπω ουδεν εγνωκεν καθως δει γνωναι ει δε τις δοκει ειδεναι τι ουδεπω ουδεν εγνωκεν καθως δει γνωναι

James 1:13 (NET)

James 1:13 (KJV)

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

James 1:13 (NET Parallel Greek)

James 1:13 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

James 1:13 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Μηδεὶς πειραζόμενος λεγέτω ὅτι ἀπο θεοῦ πειράζομαι· ὁ γὰρ θεὸς ἀπείραστος ἐστιν κακῶν, πειράζει δὲ αὐτὸς οὐδένα μηδεις πειραζομενος λεγετω οτι απο του θεου πειραζομαι ο γαρ θεος απειραστος εστιν κακων πειραζει δε αυτος ουδενα μηδεις πειραζομενος λεγετω οτι απο θεου πειραζομαι ο γαρ θεος απειραστος εστιν κακων πειραζει δε αυτος ουδενα

1 The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had the neuter reflexive pronoun ἑαυτὰ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had the masculine εαυτους. A note in the Koine Greek Lexicon explained: “Although it is technically used of the 3rd person, it is also used for the 1st and 2nd person…”

2 1 John 5:21 (ESV) The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αμην (KJV: Amen) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

4 Genesis 3:6b (ESV) Table

7 John 1:18 (ESV) Table

8 Rashi’s commentary reads: “to the direction of the sun: To that direction in which the sun sets, and this is the west, for toward evening, the sun is in the west, and they sinned in the tenth [hour]. — [from Gen. Rabbah 19:8, Sanh. 38B].”

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

11 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἐγνωκέναι here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ειδεναι (KJV: that he knoweth).

12 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had οὔπω here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ουδεπω ουδεν (KJV: nothing yet).

13 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἔγνω here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εγνωκεν (KJV: he knoweth).

14 Galatians 5:17a (ESV) Table

15 The Stephanus Textus Receptus had the article του preceding God. The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

16 John 6:45 (NET) Table

17 Hebrews 10:1a (NET)

Atonement, Part 6

This is a continuation of the previous essay which was a continuation of a consideration of yehôvâh’s (יהוה) instruction to Moses: They[1] are to eat those things by which atonement (kâphar, כפר; Septuagint: ἡγιάσθησαν, a form of ἁγιάζω) was made to consecrate and to set them apart, but no one else may eat them, for they are holy.[2]  I’ll begin with a review:

Atonement, Part 2

Now this is what you are to do for them to consecrate (qâdash, לקדש; Septuagint: ἁγιάσαι, another form of ἁγιάζω) them so that they may minister as my priests.[3]  This same word לקדש (qâdash) was translated to set them apart in Exodus 29:33 (NET) above, and ἁγιάσαι in the Septuagint.  In 1 Thessalonians 5:23 ἁγιάσαι was translated makeholy (NET) or sanctify (KJV).  There is an overview of what was required for this consecration, to set Aaron and his sons apart (Exodus 29:1b-3).

Atonement, Part 3

The Hebrew word translated to consecrate in Exodus 29:33 above was למלא (mâlêʼ).  In the Septuagint למלא (mâlêʼ) was translated τελειῶσαι τὰς χεῖρας, “validate their hands” in an English translation of the Septuagint (NETS).  And τελειῶσαι (a form of τελειόω) was translated to perfect in: For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship.[4]  Thus you are to consecrate (mâlêʼ, ומלאת; Septuagint: τελειώσεις τὰς χεῖρας; NETS: “validate their hands”) Aaron and his sons,[5] yehôvâh told Moses.  The ritual is recounted in a table of Exodus 29:4-9 and Leviticus 8:6-13.

Atonement, Part 4

The ritual of the sin offering (chaṭṭâʼâh, החטאת; Septuagint: ἁμαρτίας, a form of ἁμαρτία) bull is recounted in a table of Exodus 29:10-14 and Leviticus 8:14-17.  The sin offering bull was eaten by no one.  The Hebrew word translated holy in for they are holy in Exodus 29:33 above was קדש (qôdesh).  In the Septuagint קדש (qôdesh) was translated ἅγια (a form of ἅγιος).  Tracking ἅγια into the New Testament led to the sin offering accomplished in heaven by Jesus the Christ, the high priest of the new covenant: Hebrews 9:11, 12, 24-28.

Atonement, Part 5

The ritual of the burnt offering (ʽôlâh, העלה; Septuagint: ὁλοκαύτωμα) ram is recounted in a table of Exodus 29:15-18 and Leviticus 8:18-21.  The burnt offering ram was eaten by no one.  This led to a discussion between Jesus and one of the experts in the law (γραμματέων, a form of γραμματεύς) on the relative merits of burnt offerings (ὁλοκαυτωμάτων, a form of ὁλοκαύτωμα), recounted in a table of Mark 12:28-34a.

The other occurrences of a form of ὁλοκαύτωμα in the New Testament are found in Hebrews 10:4-9 (NET):

For the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins.  So when he came into the world, he said,

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me.

Whole burnt offerings (ὁλοκαυτώματα, another form of ὁλοκαύτωμα) and sin-offerings you took no delight in.

Then I said, Here I am: I have come – it is written of me in the scroll of the book – to do your will, O God.’”

When he says above, “Sacrifices[6] and offerings[7] and whole burnt offerings (ὁλοκαυτώματα, another form of ὁλοκαύτωμα) and sin-offerings you did not desire nor did you take delight in them” (which are offered according to the law), then he says, “Here I am: I have come to do your will.”[8]  He does away with the first to establish the second.

The words highlighted in boldface were a quotation from, or an allusion to, Psalm 40:6-8.  Below are three examples of Psalm 40:6-8 translated from contemporary Hebrew.

Psalm 40:6-8 (Tanakh) Psalm 40:6-8 (KJV)

Psalm 40:6-8 (NET)

Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened (kârâh, כרית): burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Receiving sacrifices and offerings are not your primary concern.  You make that quite clear to me!  You do not ask for burnt sacrifices and sin offerings.
Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, Then I say, “Look!  I come!  What is written in the scroll pertains to me.
I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. I want to do what pleases you, my God. Your law dominates my thoughts.”

Since the oldest extant Hebrew manuscript of the Old Testament dates from 920 – 930 and the oldest extant manuscript of the book of Hebrews in Greek dates from 175 – 225, it seems obvious that the Masoretes[9] transformed a prophecy about a body prepared for Christ into a clever insult about digging wax out of David’s ears.  The problem with that, however, is the Septuagint.  Well, it doesn’t have to be a problem, I suppose, not if I switch versions.

Hebrews 10:5b-7 (NET Parallel Greek)

Psalm 39:7-9a (Septuagint Elpenor)

θυσίαν καὶ προσφορὰν οὐκ ἠθέλησας, σῶμα δὲ κατηρτίσω μοι θυσίαν καὶ προσφορὰν οὐκ ἠθέλησας, σῶμα δὲ κατηρτίσω μοι· ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτίας οὐκ ἐζήτησας
ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτίας οὐκ εὐδόκησας
τότε εἶπον ἰδοὺ ἥκω, ἐν κεφαλίδι βιβλίου γέγραπται περὶ ἐμοῦ, τοῦ ποιῆσαι ὁ θεὸς τὸ θέλημα σου τότε εἶπον· ἰδοὺ ἥκω, ἐν κεφαλίδι βιβλίου γέγραπται περὶ ἐμοῦ
τοῦ ποιῆσαι τὸ θέλημά σου, ὁ Θεός μου

Here, both the NET parallel Greek and the Septuagint agree on the word σῶμα (body).  But the oldest extant manuscripts of the Septuagint date from 350 – 450.  So, did the rabbis read a Hebrew word and translate it σῶμα or did believers prefer σῶμα and substitute it?  In one sense I have no objection to preferring the book of Hebrews and by faith, as it were, assuming σῶμα.  But that is exactly what I’ve accused the Masoretes of doing to the Hebrew text:[10]

…raised from infancy with the belief that Jesus was not, could not possibly be, the promised Messiah, and with no knowledge of deliberate textual corruptions, the Masoretes could have done this[11] [i.e., added vowel points] in good conscience.

The Blue Letter Bible version of the Septuagint I have been using (which agrees here with the Academic Bible [See Table1 below]) compares to the NET parallel Greek as follows:

Hebrews 10:5b-7 (NET Parallel Greek)

Psalm 40:6, 7, 8a (Septuagint BLB)

θυσίαν καὶ προσφορὰν οὐκ ἠθέλησας, σῶμα δὲ κατηρτίσω μοι θυσίαν καὶ προσφορὰν οὐκ ἠθέλησας ὠτία δὲ κατηρτίσω μοι ὁλοκαύτωμα καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτίας οὐκ ᾔτησας
ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτίας οὐκ εὐδόκησας
τότε εἶπον ἰδοὺ ἥκω, ἐν κεφαλίδι βιβλίου γέγραπται περὶ ἐμοῦ, τοῦ ποιῆσαι ὁ θεὸς τὸ θέλημα σου τότε εἶπον ἰδοὺ ἥκω ἐν κεφαλίδι βιβλίου γέγραπται περὶ ἐμοῦ
τοῦ ποιῆσαι τὸ θέλημά σου ὁ θεός μου

In this version the ears (ὠτία) were there already but the “digging” (kârâh, כרית) had become κατηρτίσω (you prepared).  I found an alternative explanation online at Michael S. Heiser.com in an article titled “The Function of Paronomasia in Hebrews 10:5–7” by Karen H. Jobes.

At first the philosophical bent of my mind clashed with her poetic soul.  Her idea that some anonymous author changed ὠτία (ears) to σῶμα (body) because it sounded better to first century ears was appalling.  But I softened some as she explained the meaning of this rhetorical technique in this particular context.

The most striking feature of this quotation from Psalm 40 is that it is attributed (improperly some would say) to the incarnate Jesus Christ: “Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said … ”  It is as if Psalm 40 had never previously existed; as if these words originated in Christ’s mouth and not in the psalmist’s, some thousand years before.

The belief that all scripture is unified by divine inspiration could be used to explain this attribution.  For whatever David said in Psalms was really being said by God.  And because of the triune relationship of the God-head, whatever God says, Christ says.[12]

My own working hypothesis is that yehôvâh became Jesus: Now [yehôvâh] became flesh and took up residence among us.  We saw his glory – the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father.[13]  No one has ever seen God (e.g., the Father).[14]  And HaShem (yehôvâh, יהוה) came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the door of the Tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forth (Numbers 12:5-8 Tanakh).

And He said: ‘Hear now My words: if there be a prophet among you, I HaShem (yehôvâh, יהוה) do make Myself known unto him in a vision (marʼâh, במראה; Septuagint: ὁράματι, a form of ὅραμα), I do speak with him in a dream (chălôm, בחלום; Septuagint: ὕπνῳ, a form of ὕπνος).  My servant Moses is not so; he is trusted in all My house; with him do I speak mouth to mouth, even manifestly (marʼeh, ומראה; Septuagint: εἴδει, a form of εἶδος), and not in dark speeches; and the similitude (temûnâh, ותמנת; Septuagint: δόξαν, a form of δόξα) of HaShem (yehôvâh, יהוה) doth he behold; wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses?’

The only one,[15] himself God,[16] who is in closest fellowship with the Father, has made God known[17] (e.g., in both Old and New Testaments).  He [yehôvâh] came to what was his own, but his own people did not receive him.[18]  For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance[19] be but life from the dead?  If the first portion of the dough offered is holy (ἁγία, a form of ἅγιος), then the whole batch is holy, and if the root is holy (ἁγία, a form of ἅγιος), so too are the branches.[20]  Ms. Jobes continued:

In Hebrews 10, then, the author’s lexical choice in substituting εὐδόκησας for ᾔτησας not only achieves phonetic assonance, but also fits well with the argument made in that chapter.  Sacrifice and offering were not God’s will, burnt offering and sin offering were not God’s good pleasure.  Though God had commanded them when in the past he “spoke to our forefathers through the prophets,” these were not the means through which God would redeem his people from sin.  The past-speaking of the old sacrificial system is superseded when God’s redemptive plan is revealed in Christ.

The clause containing substitutions of σω̂μα for ὠτία and the plural ὁλοκαυτώματα for the singular form is sandwiched between the inclusio formed by ἠθέλησας and εὐδόκησας in an a-b-b’-a’ pattern…

What is the point of these contrasted clauses?  According to the MT, David had “ears” to hear the word of the Lord.  The midrash of Ps 40:7 understands this verse in light of 1 Sam 15:22, “Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?” (the verb is שׁמע, “hearing”).  The reference to David’s ears, which heard the voice of the Lord, is therefore to be understood as referring to David’s obedience to God.

W. C. Kaiser follows this midrashic understanding and also construes this idiom as referring to David’s—somewhat faltering—obedience.  Kaiser sees the substitution of σω̂μα for ὠτία as simply the whole being substituted for the part by the Greek translator in order to produce a culturally dynamic equivalent.  This would then mean that David and Christ were saying essentially the same thing.  But Christ’s obedience to God that abolished the old cultic sacrifices was not the same as David’s obedience to God as theocratic king.  It was not that Jesus lived his life in perfect obedience to God, but more specifically, it was the obedient sacrifice of his body in death that brought an end to animal sacrifice.  As the king of Israel, David could only imperfectly obey God, and his body could never be the once-for-all sacrifice for sin.  Therefore, it was uniquely appropriate for the author of Hebrews to substitute σω̂μα for ὠτία when he also put the words of Ps 40:6–8 in Christ’s mouth.

So when he came into the world, he said… may not be mystic poetry but straightforward reportage.  My own working hypothesis is that Hebrews was Jesus’ teaching between his resurrection and ascension, the teaching that caused Cleopas and his companion to exclaim, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us[21] while he was speaking with us on the road,[22] while he was explaining the scriptures to us?”[23]  I think it is entirely possible that the writer’s informants heard the resurrected Jesus explain this prophecy in exactly this way, and that his teaching was written down some time before Stephen was killed.  Ms. Jobes continued:

The displeasure of God with cultic offerings is contrasted with, “But a body you prepared for me.”  The argument of Hebrews 10 is that it was Jesus Christ’s body which was the sacrifice well-pleasing to God, not the many animal sacrifices endlessly repeated.  The lexical choice of σω̂μα δέ concurrently with the substitution of the plural form of ὁλοκαυτώματα achieves phonetic assonance and by this marked prominence the one body of Christ is contrasted with the many burnt offerings with which God was not pleased.  The rhetorical construction of paronomasia therefore reinforces the point of the argument made in Hebrews 10.

Regarding Hebrews as the teaching of the resurrected Christ, it matters less to me whether He quoted a lost manuscript of Psalm 40 or changed ὠτία (ears) to σῶμα (body) for his own teaching purposes.  Either way He has my attention focused on σῶμα.  Paul equated our old [human] (ὁ παλαιὸς ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος) with the body of sin (τὸ σῶμα τῆς ἁμαρτίας): We know that our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.[24]

And you were at one time strangers and enemies in your minds as expressed through your evil deeds, Paul wrote believers in Colossae, but now he has reconciled you by his physical body (ἐν τῷ σώματι τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ; literally, “in the body of his flesh”) through death to present you holy, without blemish, and blameless before him – if indeed you remain in the faith, established and firm, without shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard.[25]

But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of[26] sin, but the Spirit is your life because of righteousness.  Moreover if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus[27] from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ[28] from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit[29] who lives[30] in you.[31]

The body of the old human does not exhaust the meaning of the body God the Father prepared for Jesus the Christ (Philippians 3:20, 21; 1 Corinthians 15:50-53; Ephesians 1:23 NET):

But our citizenship (πολίτευμα) is in heaven – and we also await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform these humble (ταπεινώσεως, a form of ταπείνωσις) bodies (σῶμα) of ours[32] into the likeness of his glorious body (σώματι, a form of σῶμα) by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things to himself.[33]

Now this is what I am saying, brothers and sisters: Flesh and blood cannot[34] inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.  Listen, I will tell you a mystery: We[35] will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

Now the church[36] is his body (σῶμα), the fullness of him who fills all[37] in all.

This mystery (Ephesians 5:31, 32), though well worth exploring, must wait for another essay.  A table comparing Psalm 40:6-8 in the Blue Letter Bible version and Academic Bible version of the Septuagint follows.  That is followed by tables of John 1:18; Romans 11:15; Luke 24:32; Romans 8:10, 11; Philippians 3:21; 1 Corinthians 15:50, 51 and Ephesians 1:23.

Psalm 40:6, 7, 8a (Septuagint BLB) Psalm 39:7-9a (Septuagint Academic)
θυσίαν καὶ προσφορὰν οὐκ ἠθέλησας ὠτία δὲ κατηρτίσω μοι ὁλοκαύτωμα καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτίας οὐκ ᾔτησας θυσίαν καὶ προσφορὰν οὐκ ἠθέλησας, ὠτία δὲ κατηρτίσω μοι· ὁλοκαύτωμα καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτίας οὐκ ᾔτησας
τότε εἶπον ἰδοὺ ἥκω ἐν κεφαλίδι βιβλίου γέγραπται περὶ ἐμοῦ τότε εἶπον ᾿Ιδοὺ ἥκω, ἐν κεφαλίδι βιβλίου γέγραπται περὶ ἐμοῦ·
τοῦ ποιῆσαι τὸ θέλημά σου ὁ θεός μου τοῦ ποιῆσαι τὸ θέλημά σου, ὁ θεός μου
John 1:18 (NET) John 1:18 (KJV)
No one has ever seen God.  The only one, himself God, who is in closest fellowship with the Father, has made God known. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακεν πώποτε· μονογενὴς θεὸς[38] ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο θεον ουδεις εωρακεν πωποτε ο μονογενης υιος ο ων εις τον κολπον του πατρος εκεινος εξηγησατο θεον ουδεις εωρακεν πωποτε ο μονογενης υιος ο ων εις τον κολπον του πατρος εκεινος εξηγησατο
Romans 11:15 (NET) Romans 11:15 (KJV)
For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
εἰ γὰρ ἡ ἀποβολὴ αὐτῶν καταλλαγὴ κόσμου, τίς ἡ πρόσλημψις εἰ μὴ ζωὴ ἐκ νεκρῶν ει γαρ η αποβολη αυτων καταλλαγη κοσμου τις η προσληψις ει μη ζωη εκ νεκρων ει γαρ η αποβολη αυτων καταλλαγη κοσμου τις η προσληψις ει μη ζωη εκ νεκρων
Luke 24:32 (NET) Luke 24:32 (KJV)
They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us while he was speaking with us on the road, while he was explaining the scriptures to us?” And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ εἶπαν πρὸς ἀλλήλους· οὐχὶ ἡ καρδία ἡμῶν καιομένη ἦν  ὡς ἐλάλει ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, ὡς διήνοιγεν ἡμῖν τὰς γραφάς και ειπον προς αλληλους ουχι η καρδια ημων καιομενη ην εν ημιν ως ελαλει ημιν εν τη οδω και ως διηνοιγεν ημιν τας γραφας και ειπον προς αλληλους ουχι η καρδια ημων καιομενη ην εν ημιν ως ελαλει ημιν εν τη οδω και ως διηνοιγεν ημιν τας γραφας
Romans 8:10, 11 (NET) Romans 8:10, 11 (KJV)
But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is your life because of righteousness. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
εἰ δὲ Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν, τὸ μὲν σῶμα νεκρὸν διὰ ἁμαρτίαν τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ζωὴ διὰ δικαιοσύνην ει δε χριστος εν υμιν το μεν σωμα νεκρον δι αμαρτιαν το δε πνευμα ζωη δια δικαιοσυνην ει δε χριστος εν υμιν το μεν σωμα νεκρον δια αμαρτιαν το δε πνευμα ζωη δια δικαιοσυνην
Moreover if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who lives in you. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
εἰ δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἐγείραντος τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐκ νεκρῶν οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν, ὁ ἐγείρας |Χριστὸν| ἐκ νεκρῶν  ζῳοποιήσει |καὶ| τὰ θνητὰ σώματα ὑμῶν διὰ τοῦ ἐνοικοῦντος αὐτοῦ πνεύματος ἐν ὑμῖν ει δε το πνευμα του εγειραντος ιησουν εκ νεκρων οικει εν υμιν ο εγειρας τον χριστον εκ νεκρων ζωοποιησει και τα θνητα σωματα υμων δια το ενοικουν αυτου πνευμα εν υμιν ει δε το πνευμα του εγειραντος ιησουν εκ νεκρων οικει εν υμιν ο εγειρας τον χριστον εκ νεκρων ζωοποιησει και τα θνητα σωματα υμων δια το ενοικουν αυτου πνευμα εν υμιν
Philippians 3:21 (NET) Philippians 3:21 (KJV)
who will transform these humble bodies of ours into the likeness of his glorious body by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things to himself. Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ὃς μετασχηματίσει τὸ σῶμα τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν σύμμορφον τῷ σώματι τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τοῦ δύνασθαι αὐτὸν καὶ ὑποτάξαι αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα. ος μετασχηματισει το σωμα της ταπεινωσεως ημων εις το γενεσθαι αυτο συμμορφον τω σωματι της δοξης αυτου κατα την ενεργειαν του δυνασθαι αυτον και υποταξαι εαυτω τα παντα ος μετασχηματισει το σωμα της ταπεινωσεως ημων εις το γενεσθαι αυτο συμμορφον τω σωματι της δοξης αυτου κατα την ενεργειαν του δυνασθαι αυτον και υποταξαι εαυτω τα παντα
1 Corinthians 15:50, 51 (NET) 1 Corinthians 15:50, 51 (KJV)
Now this is what I am saying, brothers and sisters: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
Τοῦτο δέ φημι, ἀδελφοί, ὅτι σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα βασιλείαν θεοῦ κληρονομῆσαι οὐ δύναται οὐδὲ ἡ φθορὰ τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν κληρονομεῖ τουτο δε φημι αδελφοι οτι σαρξ και αιμα βασιλειαν θεου κληρονομησαι ου δυνανται ουδε η φθορα την αφθαρσιαν κληρονομει τουτο δε φημι αδελφοι οτι σαρξ και αιμα βασιλειαν θεου κληρονομησαι ου δυνανται ουδε η φθορα την αφθαρσιαν κληρονομει
Listen, I will tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ἰδοὺ μυστήριον ὑμῖν λέγω· πάντες οὐ κοιμηθησόμεθα, πάντες δὲ ἀλλαγησόμεθα ιδου μυστηριον υμιν λεγω παντες μεν ου κοιμηθησομεθα παντες δε αλλαγησομεθα ιδου μυστηριον υμιν λεγω παντες μεν ου κοιμηθησομεθα παντες δε αλλαγησομεθα
Ephesians 1:23 (NET) Ephesians 1:23 (KJV)
Now the church is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
ἥτις ἐστὶν τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ, τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν πληρουμένου ητις εστιν το σωμα αυτου το πληρωμα του παντα εν πασιν πληρουμενου ητις εστιν το σωμα αυτου το πληρωμα του τα παντα εν πασιν πληρουμενου

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

[2] Exodus 29:33 (NET)

[3] Exodus 29:1 a (NET)

[4] Hebrews 10:1 (NET)

[5] Exodus 29:9 (NET)

[6] The NET parallel Greek text had θυσίας, the plural form, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had θυσιαν, the singular form of θυσία.

[7] The NET parallel Greek text had προσφορὰς, the plural form, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had προσφοραν, the singular form of προσφορά.

[8] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ο θεος (KJV: O God) here.  The NET parallel Greek text did not.

[9] Study: Luke 4:18-19; Condemnation or Judgment? – Part 14; Forgiven or Passed Over? – Part 4

[10] Study: Luke 4:18-19

[11] Joseph Gleason, “Masoretic Text vs. Original Hebrew,” The Orthodox LifeHere is an alternative Orthodox opinion to Mr. Gleason’s view of Russia since his 2017 emigration there from Illinois.

[12] Karen H. Jobes, “The Function of Paronomasia in Hebrews 10:5–7

[13] John 1:14 (NET)

[14] John 1:18a (NET)

[15] The Stephanas Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ο preceding this, the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[16] The Stephanas Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had υιος here, where the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had θεὸς.  See NET note 45.

[17] John 1:18b (NET)

[18] John 1:11 (NET)

[19] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had πρόσλημψις here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had προσληψις.  Both are nominative singular feminine forms of πρόσληψις.

[20] Romans 11:15, 16 (NET)

[21] The NET parallel Greek text did not include εν ημιν (within us) here but added the English words “for clarity” anyway, as explained in note 88: “NA27 [Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece] includes the words in brackets, indicating doubts as to their authenticity.”  NA28 still contains the words εν ημιν in brackets.

[22] The Stephanas Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the conjunction και here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[23] Luke 24:32 (NET)

[24] Romans 6:6 (NET)

[25] Colossians 1:21-23a (NET)

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

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

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

[29] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had πνεύματος, a genitive singular neuter form of πνεῦμα here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had πνευμα, the nominative / accusative singular neuter form.

[30] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἐνοικοῦντος, a present active participle genitive active singular neuter form of ἐνοικέω here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ενοικουν, the present active participle accusative singular neuter form.

[31] Romans 8:10, 11 (NET)

[32] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εις το γενεσθαι αυτο συμμορφον (KJV: that it may be fashioned like unto) here, where the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had simply σύμμορφον (a form of συμμορφός).

[33] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had αὐτῷ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εαυτω.

[34] The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had οὐ δύναται here, a present middle / passive indicative 3rd person singular form of δύναμαι.  The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ου δυνανται, the present middle / passive indicative 3rd person plural form.

[35] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μεν at the beginning of this clause.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

[36] This is ἐκκλησίᾳ in Greek, found actually at the end of verse 22.

[37] The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had the article τὰ preceding the first all.  The Stephanas Textus Receptus did not.

[38] See NET note 45.

My Reasons and My Reason, Part 5

Late that summer before we began our senior years of high school, I asked B if she wanted to have sex for real.  “I think you already know the answer to that,” she said.  Actually, I didn’t.  That’s why I asked.  But I took her evasion for a negative answer.  When I asked C to the first football game of the season, I imagine that B felt rejected for her refusal.  But I had been biding my time all summer, waiting for the seniors who buzzed around C to leave for college.  I didn’t have the connection with B, that sense of loyalty and commitment, I had experienced with A.

A week or so after that football game C and I had sex for real for the first time, for both of us.  Everything began to change for me.  I didn’t think so concretely at the time, but if someone had tried to communicate the fruit of the Spirit to me then, I would have argued that sex with C was my source of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and, after I failed to inaugurate my water brothers scheme, faithfulness and self-control.  I had my parents’ example.

They could barely tolerate one another. I might have suspected, since I existed, that sex lacked the staying power I thought, and hoped for, at the time.  I reasoned instead that my parents didn’t do it right, and suspected that their religion inhibited and prohibited them from doing it right.  Now, I believe that the forbidden fruit was a forbidden fruit, that Adam enjoyed a blessed wedding night and a wonderful afterglow that first Sabbath with his beautiful naked wife (Proverbs 5:18, 19 NET).

May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in your young wife –a loving doe, a graceful deer; may her breasts satisfy you at all times, may you be captivated by her love always.

But at seventeen it was all too easy to assume that forbidden fruit was a religious euphemism for sex.  I didn’t recognize that new-found faithfulness and self-control as something alien to me, as something quite contrary to my own will in fact.  I assumed that I had changed my mind.  It was My love for C, after all, that filled me with joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, even faithfulness and self-control.  Isn’t that what we mean and expect of someone who loves us?  He/She is filled with joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and even self-control (as it pertains to another) in our presence?  And aches for the want of these things in our absence?

It wasn’t long before C and I discovered a mutual attraction for spanking and whipping (though I had  more affinity for dominant-submissive role-play than she did).  It became a routine part of our foreplay.  Yes, I was spanked as a child.  No, she was not.  But I’m not interested in psychological explanations.  What interests me is the wrath of Godrevealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness.[1]

Clearly, I did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but [I] became futile in [my] thoughts and [my] senseless [heart was] darkened.  Although [I] claimed to be wise, [I] became [a fool] and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings[2]

I didn’t know that Jesus was with God in the beginning.  All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.[3]  I didn’t know that Jesus was fully God.[4]  I had wondered about John’s mysterious Word, thrilled to the sound of the words that sang its praises, but hadn’t connected that Word with Jesus.

Jesus was the Son of God, less than God by definition, I thought. I believed in Jesus as a child but later (about twelve or thirteen) I put childish things away and prayed to God the Father, the true God, instead.  Jesus was the bait; God the Father was the switch.[5] 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,[6] sounded wonderful in the sales pitch.  When I learned that faith wasn’t enough, that I had to live as a child of God, the deal changed dramatically: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.[7]  And Jesus being found in fashion as a man, was the image of the good son: he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.[8]  But at the critical moment when Jesus was most obedient to God the Father’s will, God the Father abandoned Him because, Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity[9]  Or, as another story goes, rather than abandoning Jesus on the cross God the Father hurled even more secret punishments at Him, because his death alone was not sufficient to atone for sins.

I feel bad about the previous paragraph, and can’t continue without correcting it. Though the Scriptures are true, my tone was all off.  The surprise when Jesus appeared on earth as a man born of a virgin was not that Yahweh had a Son, but that He had a Father: Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth, before Abraham came into existence, I am![10] For this is the way God [the Father] loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.[11]  He gave Him in the garden of Eden, and in the burning bush, and on Mount Sinai, and at Bethlehem and on Golgotha. No one [not Adam, not Eve, not Moses] has ever seen God [the Father]. The only one, himself God, who is in closest fellowship with the Father, has made God [the Father] known.[12]

When Philip said to Jesus, Lord, show us the Father, and we will be content,[13] Jesus said: Have I been with you for so long, and you have not known me, Philip? The person who has seen me has seen the Father!  How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me?  The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own initiative, but the Father residing in me performs his miraculous deeds.[14]  To imagine secret punishments (and one must imagine them since they are not revealed in Scripture) which God the Father hurled at Jesus on the cross, is to misunderstand his salvation (Colossians 1:13-20 NET):

He [God the Father] delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him – all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers – all things were created through him and for him.  He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him.  He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things.  For God [the Father] was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross – through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

The reason Jesus’ death on a cross makes any peace or atonement is that God the Father is pleased to accept it as such. Human attempts to rationalize his salvation are rationalizations by definition. And in context Habakkuk had whined that Yahweh/Son/Jesus was too longsuffering (Habakkuk 1:13 NET):

You are too just to tolerate evil; you are unable to condone wrongdoing.  So why do you put up with such treacherous people?  Why do you say nothing when the wicked devour those more righteous than they are?

The point here is that He was putting up with such treacherous people.  It is not particularly prudent then to turn it around and use poetic language—Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity—to make a rule forbidding God the Father from drawing near to, or compelling Him to turn away from, God the Son at the moment He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God,[15] when Scripture states otherwise (Psalm 22:21b-24 NET):

You have answered me!  I will declare your name to my countrymen!  In the middle of the assembly I will praise you!  You loyal followers of the Lord, praise him!  All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!  All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him!  For he did not despise or detest the suffering of the oppressed; he did not ignore him; when he cried out to him, he responded.

This is the very Psalm Jesus quoted from the cross, when he cried out in Aramaic, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?which means,My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?[16]  Psalm 22 is a heartrendingly accurate prophecy of the death of Yahweh the Son of God from his own point of view. Whether one believes that it was a psalm of David or not, it was clearly part of the Scripture translated into Greek in the Septuagint a couple of centuries before Jesus died in Jerusalem.  It is fitting that He, who lived by every word that comes from the mouth of God,[17] died with that word in his heart and mind as well.

But even years later after I returned to faith, I strove with every Zen particle of my being to let patience have her perfect work, that [I] may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.[18]  When I read my sister’s annotated Shakespeare and realized for the first time that, “Wherefore art thou Romeo,” means, “why is your name Montague,” I got my first Bible translated in my own tongue.  I was shocked to learn that wanting nothing meant lacking in nothing (James 1:4 NASB):

And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

The King James translation had made sense to me. Nothing angered my father more than my wanting something from him.  I assumed that God the Father was the same. Wanting nothing was difficult but possible to achieve, I thought.  But lacking in nothing?  How could I achieve that through some form of meditation or patience or endurance?  It was crazy stuff.

I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again. For I am God, and not a man—the Holy One among you.[19]  I didn’t believe it at first.  I thought it was some evil introduced into a modern translation.  So I checked the Bible, you know, the King James version: I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee:[20]

In my mind to carry out fierce anger was the essence of God the Father, the Lord Jehovah.  How could He turn it around and blame it on man?  How did He dare try to distinguish God, the Holy One among you, from man with a statement like, I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again? It was nuts.

So, I was guilty. I had a man-made image of God in my mind, one much more like a man—my father[21]—than like God revealed in Scripture.  And I endeavored to worship that image, even after I prayed, if You are there I want to know You. Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor their bodies among themselves.[22]  I have connected this to, Flee sexual immorality! “Every sin a person commits is outside of the body” – but the immoral person sins against his own body.[23]  So, I have considered unfaithfulness to a spouse to be the impurity to which God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to dishonor their bodies among themselves.

In an absolute sense taking up with C may have been a matter of infidelity to B or A, but in dynamic terms I was returning to a belief in faithfulness to one woman.  Now, I credit that to the Holy Spirit trying mightily to get through to me.  At the time I thought it was my doing.  After C and before my first wife (or, second, depending on your willingness to receive the law) there were other women, not enough to brag about, just enough to be ashamed of.  Two of those women were married.  The first was separated from her husband.  The second was living with her husband, but I was beyond caring.  If this was God’s wrath revealed from heaven I can easily attest to its justice, for I recall it as a time of profound loneliness, a loneliness I have not experienced since though I have mostly been alone (without a wife).

I’ll pick this up again in the next essay.


[1] Romans 1:18 (NET)

[2] Romans 1:21-23 (NET)

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

[4] John 1:1 (NET)

[5] bait-and-switch

[6] John 3:16 (KJV)

[7] Hebrews 12:6 (KJV)

[8] Philippians 2:8 (KJV)

[9] Habakkuk 1:13a (KJV)

[10] John 8:58 (NET)

[11] John 3:16 (NET)

[12] John 1:18 (NET)

[13] John 14:8 (NET)

[14] John 14:9, 10 (NET)

[15] 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NET)

[16] Mark 15:34; Psalm 22:1 (NET)

[17] Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3 (NET)

[18] James 1:4 (KJV)

[19] Hosea 11:9 (NIV)

[20] Hosea 11:9 (KJV)

[21] Though to be fair, my father had serious reservations about, and had stopped attending, the church where I became an atheist, and to which I returned after I returned to faith.

[22] Romans 1:24 (NET) Table

[23] 1 Corinthians 6:18 (NET)

Romans, Part 29

There is therefore now no condemnation (κατάκριμα) for those who are in Christ Jesus (ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ),1 Paul continued.  I want to list some of the things that are true for those in Christ Jesus:

In Christ Jesus…

1) …born of water and spirit [Table]…What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 3:5, 6 (NET)

2) …the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each other, so that you cannot do what you want [Table].

Galatians 5:17 (NET)

3) I delight in the law of God in my inner being.

Romans 7:22 (NET)

4) I know that nothing good lives…in my flesh [Table].

Romans 7:18a (NET)

5) I want to do the good, but I cannot do it [Table].

Romans 7:18b (NET)

6) I do not do the good I want, but I do the very evil I do not want [Table]!

Romans 7:19 (NET)

7) Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer me doing it but sin that lives in me [Table].

Romans 7:20 (NET)

8) So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin [Table].

Romans 7:25b (NKJV)

9) There is therefore now no condemnation [Table]…

Romans 8:1a (NET)

For the law of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.2  All of this was achieved by God.  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 (κατέκρινεν, a form of κατακρίνω) sin in the flesh3

Only God knows how much sin is condemned in my flesh.  I have a general sense that while I’m preoccupied (and frustrated) with the opposition of the flesh that keeps me from the perfection I want (and think I should demonstrate by the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ)4 less and less of the sin (that is the desire of the flesh) sees the light of day.  It is not expressed in the world.  It is confined, trapped, condemned in dead and dying flesh.

I am the resurrection and the life, Jesus said.  The one who believes in me will live even if he dies, and the one who lives and believes in me will never die.5  This was a difficult saying for Martha to believe, many years before Paul wrote to the Romans.  Jesus asked her, Do you believe this?6  Martha’s answer was a model of tactful diplomacy, Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who comes into the world.7

Jesus knew Martha’s brother was sick, but deliberately waited two more days until he died.8  Our friend, He told his disciples, has fallen asleep.  But I am going there to awaken him.9  His disciples were not eager to return to Judea.  Rabbi, they said, the Jewish leaders were just now trying to stone you to death!  [Jesus had claimed to be Yahweh, John 8:58, 59 NETAre you going there again?10  Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.11  So Jesus told them plainly that he was dead, and said, I am glad for your sake that I was not there, so that you may believe.12

Jesus had deliberately contrived this situation as an object lesson for his disciples, but then Mary, Martha’s sister, came and fell at13 his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died:”14

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the people who had come with her weeping, he was intensely moved in spirit and greatly distressed.  He asked, “Where have you laid him?”  They replied, “Lord, come and see.”  Jesus wept.15

It was a profound moment.  Only He knows how many people He killed as Yahweh, sinners, yes, but people.  He planned the death of Martha’s and Mary’s brother.  He knew what He intended to do in the next few moments.  And yet He wept.  To say that Yahweh was not empathetic with human death would be false.  I’m particularly affected by the implications of Genesis 18, that before the omniscient, omnipresent Yahweh decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah he took physical form and walked its streets.  But there is something even more affecting about Yahweh, born of the flesh of Adam as Jesus, standing before the tomb of a friend weeping human tears from human eyes.

Take away the stone,16 Jesus said.  Martha, ever the proper hostess, protested, Lord, by this time the body will have a bad smell, because he has been buried four days.17  Jesus responded (John 11:40-44 NET):

“Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you would see18 the glory of God?”  So they took away the stone.19  Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you that you have listened to me.  I knew that you always listen to me, but I said this for the sake of the crowd standing around here, that they may believe that you sent me.”  When he had said this, he shouted in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  The20 one who had died came out, his feet and hands tied up with strips of cloth, and a cloth wrapped around his face.  Jesus said to them, “Unwrap him and let him21 go.”

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord22who will rescue me from this body of death.23  The ultimate condemnation of sin in the flesh is the death of the body.  The one who believes in me will live even if he dies,24 Jesus promised everyone born of the flesh and of the Spirit.  To those who already consider themselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus,25 who accept their new identities, with the mind [they themselves] serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin,26 Jesus promised, the one who lives and believes in me will never die.27  To them the well-deserved demise of the body of death is a welcome relief, not a cause of apprehension.

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, [Jesus] likewise shared in their humanity, so that through death he could destroy the one who holds the power of death (that is, the devil), and set free those who were held in slavery all their lives by their fear of death,28 is the way the writer of Hebrews put it.  Paul concluded, so that the righteous requirement of the law may be fulfilled (πληρωθῇ, a form of πληρόω) in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.29  The righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled by the righteousness of God [apart from the law30] through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe,31 the love that is the fulfillment (πλήρωμα) of the law,32 the fruit of the Spirit33 of God, in other words, to walk accordingto the Spirit.  As Jesus said, Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.  I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfill (πληρῶσαι, another form of πληρόω) them.34

Paul continued (Romans 8:5-11 NET):

For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped by the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their outlook shaped by the things of the Spirit.  For the outlook of the flesh is death, but the outlook of the Spirit is life and peace, because the outlook of the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to the law of God, nor is it able to do so.  Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.  You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.  Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person does not belong to him [Table].  But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is your life because of righteousness.  Moreover if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who lives in you [Table].

 

Addendum: May 15, 2024
Tables comparing John 11:32; 11:39; 11:40, 41 and 11:44 in the NET and KJV follow.

John 11:32 (NET)

John 11:32 (KJV)

Now when Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

John 11:32 (NET Parallel Greek)

John 11:32 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

John 11:32 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Ἡ οὖν Μαριὰμ ὡς ἦλθεν ὅπου ἦν Ἰησοῦς ἰδοῦσα αὐτὸν ἔπεσεν αὐτοῦ πρὸς τοὺς πόδας λέγουσα αὐτῷ· κύριε, εἰ ἦς ὧδε οὐκ ἄν μου ἀπέθανεν ὁ ἀδελφός η ουν μαρια ως ηλθεν οπου ην ο ιησους ιδουσα αυτον επεσεν εις τους ποδας αυτου λεγουσα αυτω κυριε ει ης ωδε ουκ αν απεθανεν μου ο αδελφος η ουν μαρια ως ηλθεν οπου ην ο ιησους ιδουσα αυτον επεσεν αυτου εις τους ποδας λεγουσα αυτω κυριε ει ης ωδε ουκ αν απεθανεν μου ο αδελφος

John 11:39 (NET)

John 11:39 (KJV)

Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, replied, “Lord, by this time the body will have a bad smell because he has been buried four days.” Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

John 11:39 (NET Parallel Greek)

John 11:39 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

John 11:39 (Byzantine Majority Text)

λέγει ὁ Ἰησοῦς· ἄρατε τὸν λίθον. λέγει αὐτῷ ἡ ἀδελφὴ τοῦ τετελευτηκότος Μάρθα· κύριε, ἤδη ὄζει, τεταρταῖος γάρ ἐστιν λεγει ο ιησους αρατε τον λιθον λεγει αυτω η αδελφη του τεθνηκοτος μαρθα κυριε ηδη οζει τεταρταιος γαρ εστιν λεγει ο ιησους αρατε τον λιθον λεγει αυτω η αδελφη του τεθνηκοτος μαρθα κυριε ηδη οζει τεταρταιος γαρ εστιν

John 11:40, 41 (NET)

John 11:40, 41 (KJV)

Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you would see the glory of God?” Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

John 11:40 (NET Parallel Greek)

John 11:40 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

John 11:40 (Byzantine Majority Text)

λέγει αὐτῇ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· οὐκ εἶπον σοι ὅτι ἐὰν πιστεύσῃς ὄψῃ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ λεγει αυτη ο ιησους ουκ ειπον σοι οτι εαν πιστευσης οψει την δοξαν του θεου λεγει αυτη ο ιησους ουκ ειπον σοι οτι εαν πιστευσης οψει την δοξαν του θεου
So they took away the stone. Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you that you have listened to me. Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

John 11:41 (NET Parallel Greek)

John 11:41 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

John 11:41 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἦραν οὖν τὸν λίθον. ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἦρεν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἄνω καὶ εἶπεν· πάτερ, εὐχαριστῶ σοι ὅτι ἤκουσας μου ηραν ουν τον λιθον ου ην ο τεθνηκως κειμενος ο δε ιησους ηρεν τους οφθαλμους ανω και ειπεν πατερ ευχαριστω σοι οτι ηκουσας μου ηραν ουν τον λιθον ου ην ο τεθνηκως κειμενος ο δε ιησους ηρεν τους οφθαλμους ανω και ειπεν πατερ ευχαριστω σοι οτι ηκουσας μου

John 11:44 (NET)

John 11:44 (KJV)

The one who had died came out, his feet and hands tied up with strips of cloth, and a cloth wrapped around his face. Jesus said to them, “Unwrap him and let him go.” And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

John 11:44 (NET Parallel Greek)

John 11:44 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

John 11:44 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἐξῆλθεν ὁ τεθνηκὼς δεδεμένος τοὺς πόδας καὶ τὰς χεῖρας κειρίαις καὶ ἡ ὄψις αὐτοῦ σουδαρίῳ περιεδέδετο. λέγει |αὐτοῖς| |ὁ| Ἰησοῦς · λύσατε αὐτὸν καὶ ἄφετε αὐτὸν ὑπάγειν και εξηλθεν ο τεθνηκως δεδεμενος τους ποδας και τας χειρας κειριαις και η οψις αυτου σουδαριω περιεδεδετο λεγει αυτοις ο ιησους λυσατε αυτον και αφετε υπαγειν και εξηλθεν ο τεθνηκως δεδεμενος τους ποδας και τας χειρας κειριαις και η οψις αυτου σουδαριω περιεδεδετο λεγει αυτοις ο ιησους λυσατε αυτον και αφετε υπαγειν

1 Romans 8:1 (NET) Table

2 Romans 8:2 (NET) Table

3 Romans 8:3 (NET)

5 John 11:25, 26a (NET)

6 John 11:26b (NET)

7 John 11:27 (NET)

8 John 11:6 (NET)

9 John 11:11 (NET)

10 John 11:8 (NET)

11 John 11:12 (NET) Table

12 John 11:15 (NET) Table

14 John 11:32 (NET)

15 John 11:33-35 (NET)

16 John 11:39a (NET)

17 John 11:39b (NET)

18 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ὄψῃ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had οψει (KJV: thou shouldest see).

19 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ου ην ο τεθνηκως κειμενος (KJV: from the place where the dead was laid) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

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

22 Romans 7:25a (NET) Table

23 Romans 7:24b (NET)

24 John 11:25b (NET)

26 Romans 7:25b (NET) Table

27 John 11:26a (NET)

28 Hebrews 2:14, 15 (NET)

29 Romans 8:4 (NET)

34 Matthew 5:17 (NET)