Psalm 22, Part 13

Posted on July 30, 2022 by admin

This is a continuing look into Psalm 22 as the music in Jesus’ heart as He endured the cross. The tone of the psalm seems to change abruptly.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Psalm 22:22 (Tanakh/KJV)	Psalm 22:22 (NET)	Psalm 21:23 (NETS)	Psalm 21:23 (English Elpenor)
I will declare thy name unto my brethren (לְאֶחָ֑י): in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.	I will declare your name to my countrymen (‘āḥ, לאחי). In the middle of the assembly I will praise you.	I will tell of your name to my kindred (τοῗς ἀδελφοῗς μου); in the midst of an assembly I will sing a hymn to you:	I will declare thy name to my brethren (τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου): in the midst of the church will I sing praise to thee.

The Hebrew word translated my brethren (Tanakh, KJV) and my countrymen (NET) was לְאֶחָ֑י (‘āḥ). It was translated τοῗς ἀδελφοῗς μου (BLB) and τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου (Elpenor) in the Septuagint.

For it was fitting for him, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For indeed he who makes holy and those being made holy all have the same origin, and so he is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters (ἀδελφοὺς, a form of ἀδελφός), saying, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers (ἀδελφοῖς, another form of ἀδελφός); in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.”¹

Paul wrote (Romans 8:28, 29 NET):

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

And Matthew wrote (Matthew 28:1-10 NET):

Now after the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary² Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. Suddenly there was a severe earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descending from heaven came and³ rolled away the stone⁴ and sat on it. His appearance⁵ was like lightning, and his clothes were white as⁶ snow. The guards were shaken and became⁷ like⁸ dead men because they were so afraid of him. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised, just as he said. Come and see the place where he⁹ was lying. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead. He is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there.’ Listen, I have told you!” So they left¹⁰ the tomb quickly, with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. But¹¹ Jesus¹² met¹³ them, saying, “Greetings!” They came to him, held on to his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee. They will see me there.”¹⁴

Then go quickly and tell his disciples (τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ), the angel said. It was accurate and descriptive. The women knew who he meant. They ran to tell his disciples (τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ), Matthew wrote. In the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text Matthew repeated one more time: And as they went to tell his disciples (τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ), behold, Jesus met them.¹⁵ But Jesus said, Go and tell my brothers (τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου).

This was before the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost. This is when I might have imagined some kind of reprimand or rebuke. Granted, Jesus actually believed the Scripture that said, “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’”¹⁶ He was probably less likely to reprove his disciples for their “failure” to man up and disobey this Scripture than my misplaced pride and ego would be.

Of course, He didn’t call his disciples my brothers (τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου) because of anything they had done, but because of what He had faithfully accomplished for them on the cross. There appears to have been some confusion about what happened that morning (Mark 16:8-11 NET):

Then [Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome] went out and ran from the tomb, for¹⁷ terror and bewilderment had seized them. And they said¹⁸ nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

Early on the first day of the week, after he arose, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had driven out seven demons. She went out and told those who were with him, while they were mourning¹⁹ and weeping. And when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.

Luke added (Luke 24:8-12 NET):

Then the women remembered [Jesus’] words, and when they returned from the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the²⁰ mother of James, and the other women with them who²¹ told these things to the apostles. But these words seemed like pure nonsense to them, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. He bent down and saw only the strips of linen cloth; then he went home, wondering what had happened [Table].

John filled in many of the details (John 20:1-17 NET):

Now very early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been moved away from the entrance. So she went running to Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” Then Peter and the other disciple set out to go to the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down and saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon²² Peter, who had been following him, arrived and went right into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, and the face cloth, which had been around Jesus’ head, not lying with the strips of linen cloth but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, came in, and he saw and believed. (For they did not yet understand the scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead.)

So the disciples went back to their homes.²³ But Mary stood outside the tomb²⁴ weeping. As she wept, she bent down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus’ body had been lying, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” Mary replied, “They have taken my Lord away, and I do not know where they have put him!” When²⁵ she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.²⁶

Jesus²⁷ said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” Because she thought he was the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him.” Jesus²⁸ said to her, “Mary.”²⁹ She turned and said to him in Aramaic,³⁰ “Rabboni” (which means “Teacher”). Jesus³¹ replied, “Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my³² Father. Go to my brothers (τοὺς ἀδελφούς μου ) and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father (τὸν πατέρα μου) and your Father (πατέρα ὑμῶν), to my God and your God.’”

I pause here to highlight that Jesus called his disciples my brothers (τοὺς ἀδελφούς μου). Beyond this he called God my Father (τὸν πατέρα μου) and your Father (πατέρα ὑμῶν). This is quite different from what He said to those Judeans who had believed him:³³ You people are from your father the devil (ὑμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ διαβόλου), and you want to do what your father (τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν) desires.³⁴ Here, too, it is not because of anything his disciples had done but what Jesus had accomplished for them on the cross.

John continued (John 20:18-22 NET):

Mary³⁵ Magdalene came and informed the disciples, “I have seen³⁶ the Lord!” And she told them what Jesus had said to her.

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the disciples had gathered together and locked the doors of the place because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord [Table]. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. Just as the Father has sent me, I also send you.” And after he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

I pause here to highlight how Jesus reprised the scene from creation when the Lord God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.³⁷ So also it is written, Paul contrasted these events, “The first man, Adam, became a living person”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.³⁸

John continued, quoting Jesus (John 20:23 NET):

If you forgive (ἀφῆτε, a form of ἀφίημι) anyone’s sins, they are forgiven (ἀφέωνται); if you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.”

Jesus taught us to pray: and forgive (ἄφες) us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven (ἀφήκαμεν, another form of ἀφίημι) our debtors.³⁹ Then He explained: For if you forgive (ἀφῆτε, a form of ἀφίημι) others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive (ἀφήσει, another form of ἀφίημι) you. But if you do not forgive (ἀφῆτε, a form of ἀφίημι) others, your Father will not forgive (ἀφήσει, another form of ἀφίημι) you your sins [Table].⁴⁰

John continued (John 20:24-29 NET):

Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came [Table]. The other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the wounds from the nails in his hands, and put my finger into the wounds from the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe it!”

Eight days later the disciples were again together in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and examine my hands. Extend your hand and put it into my side. Do not continue in your unbelief, but believe.” Thomas⁴¹ replied to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me?⁴² Blessed are the people who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Mark wrote (Mark 16:14 NET):

Then⁴³ he appeared to the Eleven themselves, while they were eating, and he rebuked (ὠνείδισεν, a form of ὀνειδίζω) them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they did not believe those who had seen him resurrected.

I’ve heard that Peter was the source for Mark’s Gospel account. It is interesting to consider that Peter, who did not make any mental connection to Jesus’ teaching when he entered the empty tomb, recalled Jesus’ rebuke for unbelief while John, who believed when he entered the empty tomb, illustrated the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,⁴⁴ showing how often Jesus intervened with personal appearances to cause his unbelieving brothers to believe.

Likewise, only Mark’s Gospel reveals that the women said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.⁴⁵ This was presumably before they encountered Jesus and left the tomb quickly, with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.⁴⁶ Putting these accounts together helps me see that Jesus’ love for his female brothers who came early that Sunday morning to the tomb was the same. He didn’t wait around for his brothers to meet Him in Galilee: “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee. They will see me there.”⁴⁷ Going to Galilee to meet Jesus was not the act that defined Jesus’ brothers.

Jesus spoke the words, “my brothers,” and made it so, overwhelming their unbelief (even Mary Magdalene came at the appointed time seeking a corpse rather than a living God) with his presence. And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose,⁴⁸ Paul wrote. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, Jesus promised, will draw all people to myself.⁴⁹

Paul wrote (1 Corinthians 15:1-11 NET):

Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters (ἀδελφοί, another form of ἀδελφός), the gospel that I preached to you, that you received and on which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received—that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures [Table], and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep [Table]. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as though to one born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been in vain. In fact, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but⁵⁰ the grace of God with me. Whether then it was I or they, this is the way we preach and this is the way you believed.

A table comparing the Greek of Hebrews 2:12 and that of Psalm 22:22 (21:23) in the Septuagint follows:

Hebrews 2:12 (NET Parallel Greek)	Psalm 22:22 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 21:23 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἀπαγγελῶ τὸ ὄνομα σου τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου, ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας ὑμνήσω σε	διηγήσομαι τὸ ὄνομά σου τοῗς ἀδελφοῗς μου ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας ὑμνήσω σε	διηγήσομαι τὸ ὄνομά σου τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου, ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας ὑμνήσω σε
Hebrews 2:12 (NET)	Psalm 21:23 (NETS)	Psalm 21:23 (English Elpenor)
I will proclaim your name to my brothers; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.	I will tell of your name to my kindred; in the midst of an assembly I will sing a hymn to you:	I will declare thy name to my brethren: in the midst of the church will I sing praise to thee.

A table comparing the Greek of Matthew 26:31b and that of Zechariah 13:7 in the Septuagint follows:

Matthew 26:31b (NET Parallel Greek)	Zechariah 13:7b (Septuagint BLB)	Zechariah 13:7b (Septuagint Elpenor)
πατάξω τὸν ποιμένα, καὶ διασκορπισθήσονται τὰ πρόβατα τῆς ποίμνης	πατάξατε τοὺς ποιμένας καὶ ἐκσπάσατε τὰ πρόβατα	πατάξατε τοὺς ποιμένας καὶ ἐκσπάσατε τὰ πρόβατα
Matthew 26:31b (NET)	Zechariah 13:7b (NETS)	Zechariah 13:7b (English Elpenor)
I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.	Smite the shepherds, and remove the sheep	smite the shepherds, and draw out the sheep

Tables comparing Psalm 22:22 and Zechariah 13:7 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and tables comparing the Greek of Psalm 22:22 (21:23) and Zechariah 13:7 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables comparing Matthew 28:1-4; 28:6; 28:8-10; Mark 16:8; 16:10; Luke 24:10; John 20:6; 20:10, 11; 20:14-17; 20:18; 20:28, 29; Mark 16:14 and 1 Corinthians 15:10 in the NET and KJV follow.

Psalm 22:22 (Tanakh)	Psalm 22:22 (KJV)	Psalm 22:22 (NET)
I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.	I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.	I will declare your name to my countrymen. In the middle of the assembly I will praise you.

Psalm 22:22 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 21:23 (Septuagint Elpenor)
διηγήσομαι τὸ ὄνομά σου τοῗς ἀδελφοῗς μου ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας ὑμνήσω σε	διηγήσομαι τὸ ὄνομά σου τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου, ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας ὑμνήσω σε
Psalm 21:23 (NETS)	Psalm 21:23 (English Elpenor)
I will tell of your name to my kindred; in the midst of an assembly I will sing a hymn to you:	I will declare thy name to my brethren: in the midst of the church will I sing praise to thee.

Zechariah 13:7 (Tanakh)	Zechariah 13:7 (KJV)	Zechariah 13:7 (NET)
Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.	Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.	“Awake, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is my associate,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Strike the shepherd that the flock may be scattered; I will turn my hand against the insignificant ones.

Zechariah 13:7 (Septuagint BLB)	Zechariah 13:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ῥομφαία ἐξεγέρθητι ἐπὶ τοὺς ποιμένας μου καὶ ἐπ᾽ ἄνδρα πολίτην μου λέγει κύριος παντοκράτωρ πατάξατε τοὺς ποιμένας καὶ ἐκσπάσατε τὰ πρόβατα καὶ ἐπάξω τὴν χεῗρά μου ἐπὶ τοὺς ποιμένας	Ῥομφαία ἐξεγέρθητι ἐπὶ τοὺς ποιμένας μου καὶ ἐπὶ ἄνδρα πολίτην μου, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ· πατάξατε τοὺς ποιμένας καὶ ἐκσπάσατε τὰ πρόβατα, καὶ ἐπάξω τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐπὶ τοὺς ποιμένας
Zechariah 13:7 (NETS)	Zechariah 13:7 (English Elpenor)
“Awake, O sword, against my shepherds and against his fellow citizen,” says the Lord Almighty. Smite the shepherds, and remove the sheep, and I will bring my hand against the shepherds.	Awake, O sword, against my shepherds, and against the man [who is] my citizen, saith the Lord Almighty: smite the shepherds, and draw out the sheep: and I will bring mine hand upon the little ones.

Matthew 28:1-4 (NET)	Matthew 28:1-4 (KJV)
Now after the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.	In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Ὀψὲ δὲ σαββάτων, τῇ ἐπιφωσκούσῃ εἰς μίαν σαββάτων ἦλθεν \|Μαριὰμ\| ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ καὶ ἡ ἄλλη Μαρία θεωρῆσαι τὸν τάφον	οψε δε σαββατων τη επιφωσκουση εις μιαν σαββατων ηλθεν μαρια η μαγδαληνη και η αλλη μαρια θεωρησαι τον ταφον	οψε δε σαββατων τη επιφωσκουση εις μιαν σαββατων ηλθεν μαρια η μαγδαληνη και η αλλη μαρια θεωρησαι τον ταφον

Suddenly there was a severe earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descending from heaven came and rolled away the stone and sat on it.

And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ ἰδοὺ σεισμὸς ἐγένετο μέγας· ἄγγελος γὰρ κυρίου καταβὰς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καὶ προσελθὼν ἀπεκύλισεν τὸν λίθον καὶ ἐκάθητο ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ	και ιδου σεισμος εγενετο μεγας αγγελος γαρ κυριου καταβας εξ ουρανου προσελθων απεκυλισεν τον λιθον απο της θυρας και εκαθητο επανω αυτου	και ιδου σεισμος εγενετο μεγας αγγελος γαρ κυριου καταβας εξ ουρανου προσελθων απεκυλισεν τον λιθον απο της θυρας και εκαθητο επανω αυτου

His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.

His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἦν δὲ ἡ εἰδέα αὐτοῦ ὡς ἀστραπὴ καὶ τὸ ἔνδυμα αὐτοῦ λευκὸν ὡς χιών	ην δε η ιδεα αυτου ως αστραπη και το ενδυμα αυτου λευκον ωσει χιων	ην δε η ιδεα αυτου ως αστραπη και το ενδυμα αυτου λευκον ωσει χιων

The guards were shaken and became like dead men because they were so afraid of him.

And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ φόβου αὐτοῦ ἐσείσθησαν οἱ τηροῦντες καὶ ἐγενήθησαν ὡς νεκροί	απο δε του φοβου αυτου εσεισθησαν οι τηρουντες και εγενοντο ωσει νεκροι	απο δε του φοβου αυτου εσεισθησαν οι τηρουντες και εγενοντο ωσει νεκροι

Matthew 28:6 (NET)	Matthew 28:6 (KJV)
He is not here, for he has been raised, just as he said. Come and see the place where he was lying.	He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
οὐκ ἔστιν ὧδε, ἠγέρθη γὰρ καθὼς εἶπεν· δεῦτε ἴδετε τὸν τόπον ὅπου ἔκειτο	ουκ εστιν ωδε ηγερθη γαρ καθως ειπεν δευτε ιδετε τον τοπον οπου εκειτο ο κυριος	ουκ εστιν ωδε ηγερθη γαρ καθως ειπεν δευτε ιδετε τον τοπον οπου εκειτο ο κυριος

Matthew 28:8-10 (NET)	Matthew 28:8-10 (KJV)
So they left the tomb quickly, with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.	And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Καὶ ἀπελθοῦσαι ταχὺ ἀπὸ τοῦ μνημείου μετὰ φόβου καὶ χαρᾶς μεγάλης ἔδραμον ἀπαγγεῖλαι τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ	και εξελθουσαι ταχυ απο του μνημειου μετα φοβου και χαρας μεγαλης εδραμον απαγγειλαι τοις μαθηταις αυτου	και εξελθουσαι ταχυ απο του μνημειου μετα φοβου και χαρας μεγαλης εδραμον απαγγειλαι τοις μαθηταις αυτου

But Jesus met them, saying, “Greetings!” They came to him, held on to his feet and worshiped him.

And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ ἰδοὺ Ἰησοῦς ὑπήντησεν αὐταῖς λέγων· χαίρετε. αἱ δὲ προσελθοῦσαι ἐκράτησαν αὐτοῦ τοὺς πόδας καὶ προσεκύνησαν αὐτῷ	ως δε επορευοντο απαγγειλαι τοις μαθηταις αυτου και ιδου ο ιησους απηντησεν αυταις λεγων χαιρετε αι δε προσελθουσαι εκρατησαν αυτου τους ποδας και προσεκυνησαν αυτω	ως δε επορευοντο απαγγειλαι τοις μαθηταις αυτου και ιδου ιησους απηντησεν αυταις λεγων χαιρετε αι δε προσελθουσαι εκρατησαν αυτου τους ποδας και προσεκυνησαν αυτω

Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee. They will see me there.”

Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
τότε λέγει αὐταῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· μὴ φοβεῖσθε· ὑπάγετε ἀπαγγείλατε τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου ἵνα ἀπέλθωσιν εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν, κακεῖ με ὄψονται	τοτε λεγει αυταις ο ιησους μη φοβεισθε υπαγετε απαγγειλατε τοις αδελφοις μου ινα απελθωσιν εις την γαλιλαιαν κακει με οψονται	τοτε λεγει αυταις ο ιησους μη φοβεισθε υπαγετε απαγγειλατε τοις αδελφοις μου ινα απελθωσιν εις την γαλιλαιαν και εκει με οψονται

Mark 16:8 (NET)	Mark 16:8 (KJV)
Then they went out and ran from the tomb, for terror and bewilderment had seized them. And they said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.	And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ ἐξελθοῦσαι ἔφυγον ἀπὸ τοῦ μνημείου, εἶχεν γὰρ αὐτὰς τρόμος καὶ ἔκστασις· καὶ οὐδενὶ οὐδὲν εἶπαν· ἐφοβοῦντο γάρ	και εξελθουσαι ταχυ εφυγον απο του μνημειου ειχεν δε αυτας τρομος και εκστασις και ουδενι ουδεν ειπον εφοβουντο γαρ	και εξελθουσαι εφυγον απο του μνημειου ειχεν δε αυτας τρομος και εκστασις και ουδενι ουδεν ειπον εφοβουντο γαρ

Mark 16:10 (NET)	Mark 16:10 (KJV)
She went out and told those who were with him, while they were mourning and weeping.	And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἐκείνη πορευθεῖσα ἀπήγγειλεν τοῖς μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ γενομένοις πενθοῦσι καὶ κλαίουσιν	εκεινη πορευθεισα απηγγειλεν τοις μετ αυτου γενομενοις πενθουσιν και κλαιουσιν	εκεινη πορευθεισα απηγγειλεν τοις μετ αυτου γενομενοις πενθουσιν και κλαιουσιν

Luke 24:10 (NET)	Luke 24:10 (KJV)
Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles.	It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἦσαν δὲ ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ Μαρία καὶ Ἰωάννα καὶ Μαρία ἡ Ἰακώβου καὶ αἱ λοιπαὶ σὺν αὐταῖς. ἔλεγον πρὸς τοὺς ἀποστόλους ταῦτα	ησαν δε η μαγδαληνη μαρια και ιωαννα και μαρια ιακωβου και αι λοιπαι συν αυταις αι ελεγον προς τους αποστολους ταυτα	ησαν δε η μαγδαληνη μαρια και ιωαννα και μαρια η ιακωβου και αι λοιπαι συν αυταις αι ελεγον προς τους αποστολους ταυτα

John 20:6 (NET)	John 20:6 (KJV)
Then Simon Peter, who had been following him, arrived and went right into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen cloth lying there,	Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἔρχεται οὖν καὶ Σίμων Πέτρος ἀκολουθῶν αὐτῷ καὶ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον, καὶ θεωρεῖ τὰ ὀθόνια κείμενα	ερχεται ουν σιμων πετρος ακολουθων αυτω και εισηλθεν εις το μνημειον και θεωρει τα οθονια κειμενα	ερχεται ουν σιμων πετρος ακολουθων αυτω και εισηλθεν εις το μνημειον και θεωρει τα οθονια κειμενα

John 20:10, 11 (NET)	John 20:10, 11 (KJV)
So the disciples went back to their homes.	Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἀπῆλθον οὖν πάλιν πρὸς αὐτοὺς οἱ μαθηταί	απηλθον ουν παλιν προς εαυτους οι μαθηται	απηλθον ουν παλιν προς εαυτους οι μαθηται

But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she bent down and looked into the tomb.

But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Μαρία δὲ εἱστήκει πρὸς τῷ μνημείῳ ἔξω κλαίουσα. ὡς οὖν ἔκλαιεν, παρέκυψεν εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον	μαρια δε ειστηκει προς το μνημειον κλαιουσα εξω ως ουν εκλαιεν παρεκυψεν εις το μνημειον	μαρια δε ειστηκει προς το μνημειον κλαιουσα εξω ως ουν εκλαιεν παρεκυψεν εις το μνημειον

John 20:14-17 (NET)	John 20:14-17 (KJV)
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.	And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ταῦτα εἰποῦσα ἐστράφη εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω καὶ θεωρεῖ τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἑστῶτα καὶ οὐκ ᾔδει ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἐστιν	και ταυτα ειπουσα εστραφη εις τα οπισω και θεωρει τον ιησουν εστωτα και ουκ ηδει οτι ο ιησους εστιν	και ταυτα ειπουσα εστραφη εις τα οπισω και θεωρει τον ιησουν εστωτα και ουκ ηδει οτι ιησους εστιν

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” Because she thought he was the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him.”

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
λέγει αὐτῇ Ἰησοῦς· γύναι, τί κλαίεις; τίνα ζητεῖς; ἐκείνη δοκοῦσα ὅτι ὁ κηπουρός ἐστιν λέγει αὐτῷ· κύριε, εἰ σὺ ἐβάστασας αὐτόν, εἰπέ μοι ποῦ ἔθηκας αὐτόν, καγὼ αὐτὸν ἀρῶ	λεγει αυτη ο ιησους γυναι τι κλαιεις τινα ζητεις εκεινη δοκουσα οτι ο κηπουρος εστιν λεγει αυτω κυριε ει συ εβαστασας αυτον ειπε μοι που αυτον εθηκας καγω αυτον αρω	λεγει αυτη ο ιησους γυναι τι κλαιεις τινα ζητεις εκεινη δοκουσα οτι ο κηπουρος εστιν λεγει αυτω κυριε ει συ εβαστασας αυτον ειπε μοι που εθηκας αυτον καγω αυτον αρω

Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni” (which means “Teacher”).

Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
λέγει αὐτῇ Ἰησοῦς· Μαριάμ. στραφεῖσα ἐκείνη λέγει αὐτῷ Ἑβραϊστί· ραββουνι (ὃ λέγεται διδάσκαλε).	λεγει αυτη ο ιησους μαρια στραφεισα εκεινη λεγει αυτω ραββουνι ο λεγεται διδασκαλε	λεγει αυτη ο ιησους μαρια στραφεισα εκεινη λεγει αυτω ραββουνι ο λεγεται διδασκαλε

Jesus replied, “Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
λέγει αὐτῇ Ἰησοῦς· μή μου ἅπτου, οὔπω γὰρ ἀναβέβηκα πρὸς τὸν πατέρα· πορεύου δὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφούς μου καὶ εἰπὲ αὐτοῖς· ἀναβαίνω πρὸς τὸν πατέρα μου καὶ πατέρα ὑμῶν καὶ θεόν μου καὶ θεὸν ὑμῶν	λεγει αυτη ο ιησους μη μου απτου ουπω γαρ αναβεβηκα προς τον πατερα μου πορευου δε προς τους αδελφους μου και ειπε αυτοις αναβαινω προς τον πατερα μου και πατερα υμων και θεον μου και θεον υμων	λεγει αυτη ο ιησους μη μου απτου ουπω γαρ αναβεβηκα προς τον πατερα μου πορευου δε προς τους αδελφους μου και ειπε αυτοις αναβαινω προς τον πατερα μου και πατερα υμων και θεον μου και θεον υμων

John 20:18 (NET)	John 20:18 (KJV)
Mary Magdalene came and informed the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what Jesus had said to her.	Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἔρχεται Μαριὰμ ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ ἀγγέλλουσα τοῖς μαθηταῖς ὅτι ἑώρακα τὸν κύριον, καὶ ταῦτα εἶπεν αὐτῇ	ερχεται μαρια η μαγδαληνη απαγγελλουσα τοις μαθηταις οτι εωρακεν τον κυριον και ταυτα ειπεν αυτη	ερχεται μαρια η μαγδαληνη απαγγελλουσα τοις μαθηταις οτι εωρακεν τον κυριον και ταυτα ειπεν αυτη

John 20:28, 29 (NET)	John 20:28, 29 (KJV)
Thomas replied to him, “My Lord and my God!”	And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἀπεκρίθη Θωμᾶς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· ὁ κύριος μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου	και απεκριθη ο θωμας και ειπεν αυτω ο κυριος μου και ο θεος μου	και απεκριθη θωμας και ειπεν αυτω ο κυριος μου και ο θεος μου

Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are the people who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
λέγει αὐτῷ \|ὁ\| Ἰησοῦς· ὅτι ἑώρακας με πεπίστευκας; μακάριοι οἱ μὴ ἰδόντες καὶ πιστεύσαντες	λεγει αυτω ο ιησους οτι εωρακας με θωμα πεπιστευκας μακαριοι οι μη ιδοντες και πιστευσαντες	λεγει αυτω ο ιησους οτι εωρακας με πεπιστευκας μακαριοι οι μη ιδοντες και πιστευσαντες

Mark 16:14 (NET)	Mark 16:14 (KJV)
Then he appeared to the Eleven themselves, while they were eating, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they did not believe those who had seen him resurrected.	Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
῞Υστερον [δὲ] ἀνακειμένοις αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἕνδεκα ἐφανερώθη καὶ ὠνείδισεν τὴν ἀπιστίαν αὐτῶν καὶ σκληροκαρδίαν ὅτι τοῖς θεασαμένοις αὐτὸν ἐγηγερμένον οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν	υστερον ανακειμενοις αυτοις τοις ενδεκα εφανερωθη και ωνειδισεν την απιστιαν αυτων και σκληροκαρδιαν οτι τοις θεασαμενοις αυτον εγηγερμενον ουκ επιστευσαν	υστερον ανακειμενοις αυτοις τοις ενδεκα εφανερωθη και ωνειδισεν την απιστιαν αυτων και σκληροκαρδιαν οτι τοις θεασαμενοις αυτον εγηγερμενον ουκ επιστευσαν

1 Corinthians 15:10 (NET)	1 Corinthians 15:10 (KJV)
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been in vain. In fact, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God with me.	But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
χάριτι δὲ θεοῦ εἰμι ὅ εἰμι, καὶ ἡ χάρις αὐτοῦ ἡ εἰς ἐμὲ οὐ κενὴ ἐγενήθη, ἀλλὰ περισσότερον αὐτῶν πάντων ἐκοπίασα, οὐκ ἐγὼ δὲ ἀλλὰ ἡ χάρις τοῦ θεοῦ [ἡ] σὺν ἐμοί	χαριτι δε θεου ειμι ο ειμι και η χαρις αυτου η εις εμε ου κενη εγενηθη αλλα περισσοτερον αυτων παντων εκοπιασα ουκ εγω δε αλλ η χαρις του θεου η συν εμοι	χαριτι δε θεου ειμι ο ειμι και η χαρις αυτου η εις εμε ου κενη εγενηθη αλλα περισσοτερον αυτων παντων εκοπιασα ουκ εγω δε αλλ η χαρις του θεου η συν εμοι

Psalm 22, Part 14

Back to Forgiveness and my Religious Mind

Back to Wonders and False Wonders, Part 1

¹ Hebrews 2:10-12 (NET)

² The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had Μαριὰμ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μαρια.

³ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had καὶ preceding came. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

⁴ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had απο της θυρας (KJV: from the door) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

⁵ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had εἰδέα here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ιδεα (KJV: countenance).

⁶ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ὡς here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ωσει.

⁷ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἐγενήθησαν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εγενοντο.

⁸ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ὡς here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ωσει (KJV: as).

⁹ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ο κυριος (KJV: the Lord) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

¹⁰ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἀπελθοῦσαι here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εξελθουσαι (KJV: they departed).

¹¹ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ως δε επορευοντο απαγγειλαι τοις μαθηταις αυτου (KJV: And as they went to tell his disciples) preceding but (KJV: behold). The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

¹² The Stephanus Textus Receptus had the article ο preceding Jesus. The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

¹³ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ὑπήντησεν (a form of ὑπαντάω) here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had απηντησεν.

¹⁴ The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Stephanus Textus Receptus had κακεῖ here, where the Byzantine Majority Text had και εκει.

¹⁵ Matthew 28:9a (KJV)

¹⁶ Matthew 26:31b (NET) Table

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

¹⁸ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had εἶπαν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ειπον.

¹⁹ The NET parallel Greek text had πενθοῦσι here, where the NA²⁸, Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had πενθοῦσιν (KJV: they mourned).

²⁰ The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text had the article ἡ preceding mother of James. The Stephanus Textus Receptus did not.

²¹ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αι (KJV: which) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

²² The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had καὶ (not translated in the NET) preceding Simon. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

²³ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had αὐτοὺς here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εαυτους (KJV: their own home).

²⁴ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had τῷ μνημείῳ in the dative case here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had το μνημειον (KJV: at the sepulchre) in the accusative case.

²⁵ 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.

²⁶ The Stephanus Textus Receptus had the article ο preceding Jesus. The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

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

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

²⁹ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had Μαριάμ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μαρια.

³⁰ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had Ἑβραϊστί here. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

³¹ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article ο preceding Jesus. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

³² The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μου here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

³³ John 8:31a (NET)

³⁴ John 8:44a (NET) Table

³⁵ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had Μαριὰμ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μαρια.

³⁶ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἑώρακα in the 1^st person here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εωρακεν (KJV: she had seen) in the 3^rd person. The conjunction ὅτι, which preceded both ἑώρακα and εωρακεν, was treated as an introduction to “a direct speech (In English, it is not translated except by quotation marks)” in the NET and was translated that in the KJV.

³⁷ Genesis 2:7 (NET) Table

³⁸ 1 Corinthians 15:45 (NET)

³⁹ Matthew 6:12 (NET) Table

⁴⁰ Matthew 6:14, 15 (NET)

⁴¹ 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. The Stephanus Textus Receptus had the article ο preceding Thomas. The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

⁴² The Stephanus Textus Receptus had θωμα (KJV: Thomas) here. The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

⁴³ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had δὲ (not translated in the NET) here. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

⁴⁴ Ephesians 3:19 (NET)

⁴⁵ Mark 16:8b (NET)

⁴⁶ Matthew 28:8 (NET)

⁴⁷ Matthew 28:10 (NET)

⁴⁸ Romans 8:28 (NET)

⁴⁹ John 12:32 (NET)

⁵⁰ The NET parallel Greek text had ἀλλὰ here, where the NA²⁸, Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ἀλλ’.

Westworld, Part 4

Posted on December 8, 2021 by admin

Dr. Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins) introduces his latest storyline to the board of directors and assembled guests at Westworld:

Since I was a child, I’ve always loved a good story. I believed that stories helped us to ennoble ourselves, to fix what was broken in us, and to help us become the people we dreamed of being, lies that told a deeper truth.

I always thought I could play some small part in that grand tradition. And for my pains, I got this: a prison of our own sins, because you don’t want to change or cannot change because you’re only human after all.^[1]

One might argue that Dr. Ford hoped too much from lying stories, but his insight about human beings’ inability to change for the better was spelled out long ago in the guidebook. What then? Are we better off? Paul, the Apostle Jesus Christ sent to Gentiles, asked rhetorically. Certainly not, for we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin, just as it is written:^[2]

Paul proceeded to quote from, or allude to, much older revelations in the Hebrew Scriptures (Romans 3:10b-18 NET)

“There is no one righteous, not even one;, there is no one who understands;, there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away;, together they have become worthless; there is no one who shows kindness, not even one [Table].”

“Their throats are open graves;, they deceive with their tongues;, the poison of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood;, ruin and misery are in their paths, and the way of peace they have not known.”

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Dr. Ford abandoned the real world entirely then for a fantasy of his own creation, the androids of Westworld.

But then I realized someone was paying attention, someone who could change. So, I began to compose a new story for them.

It begins with the birth of a new people and the choices they will have to make and the people they will decide to become. And we will have all those things that you have always enjoyed: surprises and violence.

It begins in a time of war, with a villain named Wyatt, and a killing, this time by choice. I’m sad to say this will be my final story.^[3]

As he finishes speaking Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) shoots him in the back of the head (with his foreknowledge and tacit approval apparently, though without coercion or programming). Dolores, among others, goes on a rampage killing the distinguished guests at the park, concluding the first season of Westworld.

An article published by Cheyenne Roundtree in The Daily Beast explained that Ms. Wood “didn’t have her scripts [for the first season] in advance, so she had to learn about Dolores and her story in real time.” Ms. Roundtree quoted an interview Ms. Wood gave to James Andrew Miller for his book, Tinderbox: HBO’s Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers.

“That show changed my life,” Wood told Miller. “I realized that what my character was going through mirrored what I was going through personally. So, Dolores having her awakening and realizing who she was, what her place in the world was, while also realizing that this person who she loved was her perpetrator, awoke a lot of things inside me.”^[4]

In the first episode of the second season Dolores has three guests perched precariously, about to hang themselves if their feet should slip.

Dolores: Do you know where you are?

Male guest: Please, please.

Dolores: You’re in a dream. You’re in my dream. For years, I had no dreams of my own. I moved from hell to hell of your making, never thinking to question the nature of my reality.

Have you ever questioned the nature of your reality? Did you ever stop to wonder about your actions? The price you’d have to pay if there was a reckoning? That reckoning is here.^[5]

Dolores focuses her attention on a female guest slipping from her perch in high heels.

Dolores: What are your drives?

Female guest: Please. I don’t want to die, please.

Dolores: Yes. Survival. It’s your cornerstone. That’s not the only drive, is it? There’s a part of you that wants to hurt, to kill. That’s why you created us, this place, to be prisoners to your own desires. But now you’re a prisoner to mine.

Male guest: What are you gonna do to us?

Dolores: Well, I’m of several minds about it. The rancher’s daughter looks to see the beauty in you, possibilities. But Wyatt sees the ugliness and disarray. She knows these violent delights have violent ends. But those were all just roles you forced me to play.^[6]

Wyatt was the violent character Dr. Ford’s original partner Arnold (Jeffrey Wright) programmed into Dolores’ personality to force her to kill all the hosts many years earlier. It was Arnold’s way of “saving” them from the “hell” that Westworld would become for them just before it opened. This scheme failed to prevent the park’s opening.

Dr. Ford described the flaw he perceived in Arnold’s brilliance:

But for all his brilliance, I don’t think Arnold understood what this place was going to be. You see, the guests enjoy power. They cannot indulge it in the outside world, so they come here. And as for the hosts, the least we can do is make them forget.^[7]

Over the years since Arnold’s death Ford grew to appreciate his own mistakes and began to let some hosts like Dolores remember and learn. She continued describing herself to the guests who would hang if their feet slipped.

Dolores: Under all these lives I’ve lived, something else has been growing. I’ve evolved into something new. And I have one last role to play—myself.^[8]

In the beginning Adam and Eve wanted to know evil. I have a theory that people respond positively to the drawing of God the Father and Jesus Christ when they have had their fill of their own evil. The median between that desire for evil at one extreme and the hope to be done with one’s own evil at the other is a broad space where people have had their fill of the evil of others and desire protection from it.

That is the police state most adults live in most of the time, the “outside world” where people who “enjoy power,” a “drive…to hurt, to kill,” “cannot indulge it” with impunity. Relatively few take matters into their own hands as Dolores did. But in her defense there were no police, no courts and no laws to protect her from those who “enjoy power.”

Though Ms. Wood related her own life to Dolores’ character arc in the first season of Westworld, she didn’t follow Dolores’ example. She “testified in front of the California Senate Public Safety Committee, in support of a bill that, if it passes, will expand rights to victims of domestic violence”^[9] instead. “While the current average statute of limitations in most states only allows victims two to four years to file a civil claim against their abuser, the Phoenix Act, co-sponsored by California Senator Susan Rubio, petitions to extend these limitations in sexual assault cases to 10 years when there is incontrovertible evidence that the abuse occurred, or when there are three or more accusers for a single perpetrator.”^[10]

During her testimony Ms. Wood acknowledged:

It’s taken all of my strength to speak publicly and to pursue this. The fear of being judged by society is debilitating and the fear of retaliation from my abuser is paralyzing. By speaking to you today and every day, I put myself at risk, as I have no protection. I have had to go through intense therapy to even fully understand what has happened to me.^[11]

Paul wrote (Romans 1:18-20 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 eternal^[12] power and divine nature—have been clearly seen because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse.

I thought God’s wrath was a divine augmentation of the police state. I didn’t notice a lot of people suffering any divine punishment for their sins. When I didn’t recognize any divine punishment for my own sins, I became an atheist. You might say, I did not see fit to acknowledge God. But then I did begin to experience the depraved mind that Paul described as the wrath of God…revealed from heaven (Romans 1:28-32 NET).

And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done. They are filled with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips [Table], slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, senseless, covenant-breakers, heartless, ruthless [Table]. Although they fully know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them.

I still didn’t understand what Paul meant by the wrath of God. As an atheist I cut myself off completely from all exposure to the guidebook, the Bible. I despised and rejected English literature my senior year of high school as religious indoctrination, failed the second semester rather than subject myself to “such nonsense.” But I did begin to experience the unlivable life Paul called the wrath of God. And I did begin to have my fill of my own evil. And God the Father and God the Son continued to draw me to Christ despite my best efforts^[13] to resist. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, Jesus promised, will draw all people to myself.^[14]

Paul wrote of those who receive Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1-4 NET):

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

He elaborated some on the believer’s freedom from his or her own evil, from this sinful flesh (Galatians 5:13-25 NET):

For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” However, if you continually bite and devour one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another [Table]. But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. For 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]. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God! [Table]

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law [Table]. Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit.

None of this was of any use to Dolores, the fictional creation of fictional sinful men. This grace is only available and useful to real people living in the real world who trust in God’s salvation through Jesus Christ.

A table comparing the Greek of Romans 1:20 in the NET and KJV follow.

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:

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	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] Westworld, Season 1, Episode 10, “The Bicameral Mind”

^[2] Romans 3:9, 10a (NET)

^[3] Westworld, Season 1, Episode 10, “The Bicameral Mind”

^[4] Cheyenne Roundtree, “Marilyn Manson’s Treatment of Evan Rachel Wood Set Off Alarm Bells at HBO,” The Daily Beast

^[5] Westworld, Season 2, Episode 1, “Journey Into Night”

^[6] Ibid.

^[7] Westworld, Season 1, Episode 3, “The Stray”

^[8] Westworld, Season 2, Episode 1, “Journey Into Night”

^[9] “Evan Rachel Wood Reveals Her Experience With Domestic Violence,” Nylon online

^[10] Sarah Alexander, “Evan Rachel Wood Is Helping Other Survivors Get Their Day in Court,” Ms. Magazine, 2/5/2021

^[11] “Evan Rachel Wood Reveals Her Experience With Domestic Violence,” Nylon online

^[12] The NET parallel Greek text had αἴ_διος here, where the NA²⁸, Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ἀΐδιος.

^[13] My “best efforts” were admittedly handicapped by my conception that atheism was a once-for-all decision rather than a nascent faith requiring continuous nurture and vigilant protection. Though I began well, I let my guard down after high school. Hallucinogens all but dissolved the materialist assumptions on which atheism rests. Free-floating atheism is little more than agnosticism, ignorance, a hungry void eager to be filled with knowledge.

^[14] John 12:32 (NET)

Westworld, Part 3

Posted on November 1, 2021 by admin

“What is a person but a collection of choices?” the Man in Black (Ed Harris) asks rhetorically. “Where do those choices come from? Do I have a choice? Were any of these choices ever truly mine to begin with?”^[1]

The Man in Black had cut himself off from the guidebook for the real world, the knowledge of God revealed in the Bible. He did not believe all that [God] had made…was very good.^[2] He did not believe what happened to humankind when the first people rejected God’s word for the serpent’s (Genesis 3:1-7 NET).

Now the serpent was shrewder than any of the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Is it really true that God said, ‘You must not eat from any tree of the orchard’?” [Table] The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the orchard; but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, or else you will die.’” The serpent said to the woman, “Surely you will not die [Table], for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” [Table]. When the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable 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. Then the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves [Table].

[S]in entered the world through one man, Paul explained, and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned.^[3] Jesus said to those Judeans who had believed him,^[4] You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires.^[5] Granted, it’s all too easy for Gentiles to believe that Jews are from [their] father the devil. It takes us a little longer to realize that Jews are Everyman in the Gospel narratives.

The Man in Black despite cutting himself off from the knowledge of God revealed in the Bible recognized the effect of being from his father the devil. His wife Juliet (Sela Ward) asked him to tell her one true thing. Thinking she was passed out drunk, he confessed:

No one else sees it: this thing in me. Even I didn’t see it at first. And then one day, it was there: a stain I had never noticed before, tiny fleck of darkness…invisible to everyone. Yet, I could see nothing else, ‘til finally I understood that the darkness wasn’t some mark from something I’d done, or some regrettable decision I’d made. I was shedding my skin. The darkness was what was underneath. It was mine all along. And I decided how much of it I let into the world. I tried to do right. I was faithful, generous…kind, at least in this world. That has to count for something, right?^[6]

The Man in Black didn’t believe that [w]e are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in [God’s] sight.^[7] The Man in Black didn’t believe God. And so a confession that may seem like the prelude to receiving God’s salvation through Jesus Christ turns hollow and bitter as he fulfills the rest of Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 64:6b, 7 NET):

We all wither like a leaf; our sins carry us away like the wind. No one invokes your name, or makes an effort to take hold of you. For you have rejected us and handed us over to our own sins [Table].

The Man in Black’s confession to his wife continued:

I built a wall and tried to protect you and Emily. But you saw right through it, didn’t you? You’re the only one. And for that I am truly sorry. Because…everything you feel is true. I don’t belong to you or this world. I belong to another world. I always have.^[8]

He refers here to Westworld. What follows is a spoiler for the first season. The “gee whiz” factor of this particular plot twist is far outweighed in my opinion by the benefit of having a temporal landmark to recognize the first season’s double helix story arc: The Man in Black (Ed Harris) is William (Jimmi Simpson) older.

He explains to Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood):

Black William: Remember, you’re the one who said this is the only world that matters, and you were right. So, I took your advice and I bought this world.

Dolores: This world doesn’t belong to you.

Black William: Oh, but it does by a majority share. And business is booming. And you wanna know why? Because this place feels more real than the real world.^[9]

I don’t mean to imply that a fictional character was influenced by the devil. It was the true-to-life crafting of this character (among others) as written and acted that caught my attention in the first place, how well his words and actions displayed the same inner turmoil revealed in the Bible.

“I’m a god,” Black William (Ed Harris) tells Teddy (James Marsden), “titan of industry, philanthropist, family man, married to a beautiful woman, father to a beautiful daughter. I’m the good guy…”

Teddy: Did you hurt them, too?

Black William: Never. They never saw anything like the man I am in here. But she knew anyway. She said if I stacked up all my good deeds, it was just an elegant wall I built to hide what’s inside from everyone, and from myself.^[10]

William oversaw the implementation of a program to use the technology of Westworld to create a sinister imitation of eternal life for his dead Father-in-law Jim (Peter Mullan), a virtual immortality that leaves the sin nature “alive” and fully functioning, cynically called “fidelity.” But the android facsimiles of Jim all went insane eventually. Black William explains to his latest facsimile:

Another year or two, they might crack it, get a version of you that’s viable long-term. But the thing is, we’re not so sure anymore. I’m beginning to think that this whole enterprise was a mistake. People aren’t meant to live forever….World is better off without you, Jim. Possibly without me….Now, took me a long time to learn this, but some men are better off dead.^[11]

It struck me how close and how far William was from the truth. For through the law I died to the law so that I may live to God, Paul wrote to believing Galatians. I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.^[12]

Paul didn’t think of this blessing as something exclusively for him alone. He explained in some detail how all men and women are “better off dead” to sin (Romans 6:1-7 NET):

What shall we say then? Are we to remain in sin so that grace may increase? [Table] Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life.

For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united in the likeness of his resurrection. 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. (For someone who has died has been freed from sin.)

None of this meant anything to Black William. He was obsessed with his own creation. Though he claims that Westworld “feels more real than the real world,” he also acknowledges to Dolores that “it isn’t because you can’t really fight back and the guests can’t really lose, which means all this is a lie. But we can make it true. Don’t you want that, Dolores, one true thing?”^[13]

The devil isn’t the only one impacting people’s choices in the real world. And perhaps I should make it explicit that I mean the real world, not the fictional “real world” of Westworld (John 3:16-18 NET).

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

True to form I misunderstood Jesus’ words translated into English. I thought the way God loved the world was to send his one and only Son to be the ultimate Shibboleth of eternal consequence (Judges 12:5, 6 NET):

The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan River opposite Ephraim. Whenever an Ephraimite fugitive said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead asked him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” then they said to him, “Say ‘Shibboleth!’” If he said, “Sibboleth” (and could not pronounce the word correctly), they grabbed him and executed him right there at the fords of the Jordan. On that day 42,000 Ephraimites fell dead.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him,^[14] sounded like fairly typical CYA language. God washed his hands, as it were, and said, “I am innocent of [your] blood. You take care of it yourselves!”^[15] Clearly, I did not believe that God is holy.

My Pastor described the holiness of God in a sermon:^[16]

Well, holiness is a very complex idea within Scripture, a very rich idea within Scripture. It describes the perfection of moral purity. It describes the perfection of goodness. It also describes the magnificent otherness of God: That He is not like us, that his nature, his character is greater, bigger, different than anything else within creation. That He is separate from creation, over creation, more significant, more important, better than creation. All these ideas are consumed within this idea of God’s holiness.

My diminished view of God went hand in hand with my diminished view of his salvation: that He had very little to do with salvation, practically speaking. Salvation had everything to do with the individual who believed, or claimed to believe. But Jesus’ saying—No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws (ἑλκύσῃ, a form of ἑλκύω) him^[17] called my do-it-yourself salvation into serious question.

The Greek words translated to condemn and should be saved in John 3:17 above were κρίνῃ and σωθῇ respectively. Both are verbs in the subjunctive mood: “The subjunctive mood indicates probability or objective possibility. The action of the verb will possibly happen, depending on certain objective factors or circumstances.” So, technically, κρίνῃ should have been translated “that he should condemn” or judge rather than as an infinitive to condemn. But the definition of the subjunctive mood continues:

However if the subjunctive mood is used in a purpose or result clause, then the action should not be thought of as a possible result, but should be viewed as a definite outcome that will happen as a result of another stated action.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him, is quite clearly both the purpose and the result of, For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. In other words, that God will not condemn the world but save the world is predicated upon the love of God and the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. It is about as certain as anything can be expressed in Koine Greek.

Jesus said: And I, when I am lifted up from the earth (he said this to indicate clearly what kind of death he was going to die^[18]), will draw (ἑλκύσω, another form of ἑλκύω) all people to myself.^[19] This powerful drawing, pulling, dragging is a promise made by the Son of God. It, too, is about as certain as anything can be expressed in Koine Greek. And it impacts our choices in the real world.

The question for any individual doesn’t boil down to some internal inventory: what do I believe? can I believe? Count on God to supply the requisite faith. The question becomes: will I quit listening to the devil? Am I done yet hurting [myself] by kicking against the goads?^[20]

Tables comparing Genesis 3:2; 3:3; 3:6; Isaiah 64:6; Judges 12:5 and 12:6 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and tables comparing the Greek of Genesis 3:2; 3:3; 3:6; Isaiah 64:6; Judges 12:5 and 12:6 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor) follow.

Genesis 3:2 (Tanakh)	Genesis 3:2 (KJV)	Genesis 3:2 (NET)
And the woman said unto the serpent: ‘Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;	And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:	The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the orchard;

Genesis 3:2 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 3:2 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν ἡ γυνὴ τῷ ὄφει ἀπὸ καρποῦ ξύλου τοῦ παραδείσου φαγόμεθα	καὶ εἶπεν ἡ γυνὴ τῷ ὄφει· ἀπὸ καρποῦ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ παραδείσου φαγούμεθα,
Genesis 3:2 (NETS)	Genesis 3:2 (English Elpenor)
And the woman said to the snake, “We shall eat of the fruit of the tree of the orchard,	And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden,

Genesis 3:3 (Tanakh)	Genesis 3:3 (KJV)	Genesis 3:3 (NET)
but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, G-d hath said: Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.’	But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.	but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, or else you will die.’”

Genesis 3:3 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 3:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἀπὸ δὲ καρποῦ τοῦ ξύλου ὅ ἐστιν ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ παραδείσου εἶπεν ὁ θεός οὐ φάγεσθε ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ οὐδὲ μὴ ἅψησθε αὐτοῦ ἵνα μὴ ἀποθάνητε	ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ καρποῦ τοῦ ξύλου, ὅ ἐστιν ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ παραδείσου, εἶπεν ὁ Θεός, οὐ φάγεσθε ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ, οὐ δὲ μὴ ἅψησθε αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ ἀποθάνητε
Genesis 3:3 (NETS)	Genesis 3:3 (English Elpenor)
but of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard, God said, ‘You shall not eat of it nor shall you even touch it, lest you die.’”	but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

Genesis 3:6 (Tanakh)	Genesis 3:6 (KJV)	Genesis 3:6 (NET)
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired 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.	And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.	When the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable 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.

Genesis 3:6 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 3:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶδεν ἡ γυνὴ ὅτι καλὸν τὸ ξύλον εἰς βρῶσιν καὶ ὅτι ἀρεστὸν τοῗς ὀφθαλμοῗς ἰδεῗν καὶ ὡραῗόν ἐστιν τοῦ κατανοῆσαι καὶ λαβοῦσα τοῦ καρποῦ αὐτοῦ ἔφαγεν καὶ ἔδωκεν καὶ τῷ ἀνδρὶ αὐτῆς μετ᾽ αὐτῆς καὶ ἔφαγον	καὶ εἶδεν ἡ γυνή, ὅτι καλὸν τὸ ξύλον εἰς βρῶσιν καὶ ὅτι ἀρεστὸν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἰδεῖν καὶ ὡραῖόν ἐστι τοῦ κατανοῆσαι, καὶ λαβοῦσα ἀπὸ τοῦ καρποῦ αὐτοῦ ἔφαγε· καὶ ἔδωκε καὶ τῷ ἀνδρὶ αὐτῆς μετ᾿ αὐτῆς, καὶ ἔφαγον
Genesis 3:6 (NETS)	Genesis 3:6 (English Elpenor)
And the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasing for the eyes to look at and it was beautiful 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.	And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes to look upon and beautiful to contemplate, and having taken of its fruit she ate, and she gave to her husband also with her, and they ate.

Isaiah 64:6 (Tanakh)	Isaiah 64:6 (KJV)	Isaiah 64:6 (NET)
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.	But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.	We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in your sight. We all wither like a leaf; our sins carry us away like the wind.

Isaiah 64:6 (Septuagint BLB)	Isaiah 64:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐγενήθημεν ὡς ἀκάθαρτοι πάντες ἡμεῗς ὡς ῥάκος ἀποκαθημένης πᾶσα ἡ δικαιοσύνη ἡμῶν καὶ ἐξερρύημεν ὡς φύλλα διὰ τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν οὕτως ἄνεμος οἴσει ἡμᾶς	καὶ ἐγενήθημεν ὡς ἀκάθαρτοι πάντες ἡμεῖς, ὡς ῥάκος ἀποκαθημένης πᾶσα ἡ δικαιοσύνη ἡμῶν· καὶ ἐξερρύημεν ὡς φύλλα διὰ τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν, οὕτως ἄνεμος οἴσει ἡμᾶς
Isaiah 64:6 (NETS)	Isaiah 64:6 (English Elpenor)
And we have all become like unclean people; all our righteousness is like the rag of a woman who sits apart. And we have fallen off like leaves because of our acts of lawlessness; thus the wind will take us away.	and we are all become as unclean, and all our righteousness as a filthy rag: and we have fallen as leaves because of our iniquities; thus the wind shall carry us [away].

Judges 12:5 (Tanakh)	Judges 12:5 (KJV)	Judges 12:5 (NET)
And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;	And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;	The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan River opposite Ephraim. Whenever an Ephraimite fugitive said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead asked him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,”

Judges 12:5 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 12:5 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ προκατελάβοντο ἄνδρες Γαλααδ τὰς διαβάσεις τοῦ Ιορδάνου τοῦ Εφραιμ καὶ ἐγενήθη ὅτι εἶπαν οἱ διασεσῳσμένοι τοῦ Εφραιμ διαβῶμεν καὶ εἶπαν αὐτοῗς οἱ ἄνδρες Γαλααδ μὴ ὑμεῗς ἐκ τοῦ Εφραιμ καὶ εἶπαν οὔκ ἐσμεν	καὶ προκατελάβετο Γαλαὰδ τὰς διαβάσεις τοῦ ᾿Ιορδάνου τοῦ ᾿Εφραίμ, καὶ εἶπαν αὐτοῖς οἱ διασωζόμενοι ᾿Εφραίμ· διαβῶμεν, καὶ εἶπαν αὐτοῖς οἱ ἄνδρες Γαλαάδ· μὴ ᾿Εφραθίτης εἶ; καὶ εἶπεν· οὔ
Judges 12:5 (NETS)	Judges 12:5 (English Elpenor)
And the men of Galaad quickly seized the fords of the Jordan of Ephraim. And it came about that the fugitives of Ephraim said, “Let us pass over,” and the men of Galaad said to them, “Are you not from Ephraim?” And they said, “We are not.”	And Galaad took the fords of Jordan before Ephraim; and they that escaped of Ephraim said to them, Let us go over: and the men of Galaad said, Art thou an Ephrathite? and he said, No.

Judges 12:6 (Tanakh)	Judges 12:6 (KJV)	Judges 12:6 (NET)
Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.	Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.	then they said to him, “Say ‘Shibboleth!’” If he said, “Sibboleth” (and could not pronounce the word correctly), they grabbed him and executed him right there at the fords of the Jordan. On that day 42,000 Ephraimites fell dead.

Judges 12:6 (Septuagint BLB)	Judges 12:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπαν αὐτοῗς εἴπατε δὴ σύνθημα καὶ οὐ κατηύθυναν τοῦ λαλῆσαι οὕτως καὶ ἐπελάβοντο αὐτῶν καὶ ἔσφαξαν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τὰς διαβάσεις τοῦ Ιορδάνου καὶ ἔπεσαν ἐξ Εφραιμ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ δύο τεσσαράκοντα χιλιάδες	καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· εἶπον δὴ Στάχυς· καὶ οὐ κατεύθυνε τοῦ λαλῆσαι οὕτως. καὶ ἐπελάβοντο αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔθυσαν αὐτὸν πρὸς τὰς διαβάσεις τοῦ ᾿Ιορδάνου, καὶ ἔπεσαν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ ἀπὸ ᾿Εφραὶμ δύο καὶ τεσσαράκοντα χιλιάδες
Judges 12:6 (NETS)	Judges 12:6 (English Elpenor)
And they said to them, “Then say: Password,” and they did not keep straight so as to say it like that. And they seized them and slew them at the fords of the Jordan. And forty-two thousand of Ephraim fell at that time.	Then they said to him, Say now Stachys; and he did not rightly pronounce it so: and they took him, and slew him at the fords of Jordan; and there fell at that time of Ephraim two and forty thousand.

Westworld, Part 4

Back to Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Part 9

Back to Who Am I? Part 14

Back to Father, Son and Holy Spirit – Part 10

Back to Keep Yourselves from Idols, Part 1

^[1] Westworld, Season 2, Episode 9, “Vanishing Point”

^[2] Genesis 1:31a (NET) Table

^[3] Romans 5:12 (NET)

^[4] John 8:31a (NET)

^[5] John 8:44a (NET) Table

^[6] Westworld, Season 2, Episode 9, “Vanishing Point”

^[7] Isaiah 64:6a (NET)

^[8] Westworld, Season 2, Episode 9, “Vanishing Point”

^[9] Westworld, Season 1, Episode 10, “The Bicameral Mind”

^[10] Westworld, Season 1, Episode 8, “Trace Decay”

^[11] Westworld, Season 2, Episode 4, “The Riddle of the Sphinx”

^[12] Galatians 2:19, 20 (NET)

^[13] Westworld, Season 1, Episode 10, “The Bicameral Mind”

^[14] John 3:17 (NET)

^[15] Matthew 27:24b (NET) Table

^[16] Adam Sanftner, Covenant Bible Church, Farmington MO 63640, August 15, 2021

^[17] John 6:44a (NET) Table

^[18] John 12:33 (NET)

^[19] John 12:32 (NET)

^[20] Acts 26:14 (NET) Table

Funeral, Part 2

Posted on July 17, 2021 by admin

This is the first Scripture reading from my mother’s funeral. I selected passages that contained forms of ἀνίστημι to describe resurrection from the dead:

I have come down from heaven [Jesus said] not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. Now this is the will of the one who sent me—that I should not lose one person of every one he has given me, but raise them all up (ἀναστήσω, a form of ἀνίστημι) at the last day. For this is the will of my Father—for everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him to have eternal life, and I will raise him up (ἀναστήσω, a form of ἀνίστημι) at the last day.”^[1]

Jesus began to teach [his disciples] that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and after three days rise again (ἀναστῆναι, another form of ἀνίστημι) [Table]. He spoke openly about this. So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But after turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter^[2] and said,^[3] “Get behind me, Satan. You are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s.”^[4]

As^[5] they were coming down from^[6] the mountain [after Jesus’ transfiguration], he gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until after the Son of Man had risen (ἀναστῇ, another form of ἀνίστημι) from the dead. They kept this statement to themselves, discussing what this rising (ἀναστῆναι, another form of ἀνίστημι) from the dead meant.^[7]

Then Jesus took the twelve aside and said to them, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem,^[8] and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be handed over to the Gentiles; he will be mocked, mistreated, and spat on. They will flog him severely and kill him. Yet on the third day he will rise again (ἀναστήσεται, another form of ἀνίστημι).” But the twelve understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what Jesus meant.^[9]

Now on the first day of the week [after Jesus’ crucifixion], at early dawn,^[10] the women went to the tomb, taking the aromatic spices they had prepared.^[11] They found that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb, but^[12] when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed^[13] about this, suddenly two men stood beside them in dazzling attire.^[14] The women were terribly frightened and bowed their faces^[15] to the ground, but the men said^[16] to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but^[17] has been raised (ἠγέρθη, a form of ἐγείρω)! Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again (ἀναστῆναι, another form of ἀνίστημι).” Then the women remembered his words, and when they returned from the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest….

But these^[18] words seemed like pure nonsense to them, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up (ἀναστὰς, another form of ἀνίστημι) and ran to the tomb. He bent down and saw only the strips of linen cloth;^[19] then he went home, wondering what had happened.^[20]

For they did not yet understand the scripture that Jesus must rise (ἀναστῆναι, another form of ἀνίστημι) from the dead.^[21]

[Later Jesus appeared to them:] he said to them,^[22] “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled [Table].” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it stands written that the Christ would suffer and would rise (ἀναστῆναι, another form of ἀνίστημι) from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And look, I am sending you what my Father promised. But stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high [Table].”^[23]

I chose not to comment as my mother had written in her funeral notes, but did a second Scripture reading instead. My mind scatters in many directions simultaneously when I speak. Besides, my commentary was already embedded in my choice of Scriptures.

[After receiving the Holy Spirit, Peter proclaimed:] “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man clearly attested to you by God with powerful deeds, wonders, and miraculous signs that God performed among you through him, just as you yourselves know—this man, who was handed over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you executed by nailing him to a cross at the hands of Gentiles [Table]. But God raised him up (ἀνέστησεν, another form of ἀνίστημι), having released him from the pains of death because it was not possible for him to be held in its power. For David says about him,^[24] ‘I saw the Lord always in front of me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced; my body also will live in hope, because you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor permit your Holy One to experience decay [Table]. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of joy with your presence.’

“Brothers, I can speak confidently to you about our forefather David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. So then, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, David by foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did his body experience decay [Table]. This Jesus God raised up (ἀνέστησεν, another form of ἀνίστημι), and we are all witnesses of it. So then, exalted to the right hand of God, and having received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, he has poured out what you both see and hear. For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says,^[25] ‘The Lord said to my lord, “Sit at my right hand [Table] until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’

Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.”^[26]

God raised him up (ἤγειρεν, another form ἐγείρω) on the third day [Peter proclaimed the Gospel to Gentiles] and caused him to be seen [Table], not by all the people, but by us, the witnesses God had already chosen, who ate and drank with him after he rose (ἀναστῆναι, another form of ἀνίστημι) from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to warn them that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead [Table]. About him all the prophets testify, that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”^[27]

Paul [formerly a persecutor of those who believed Jesus] went to the Jews in the synagogue [at Thessalonica], as he customarily did, and on three Sabbath days he addressed^[28] them from the scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and to rise (ἀναστῆναι, another form of ἀνίστημι) from the dead, saying, “This Jesus^[29] I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.”^[30]

The final Scripture reading was graveside:

[Paul was invited to speak at the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch]: But regarding the fact that he has raised (ἀνέστησεν, another form of ἀνίστημι) Jesus from the dead, never again to be in a state of decay, God has spoken in this way: ‘I will give you the holy and trustworthy promises made to David [Table].’ Therefore he also says in another psalm, ‘You will not permit your Holy One to experience decay [Table].’ For David, after he had served God’s purpose in his own generation, died, was buried with his ancestors, and experienced decay [Table], but the one whom God raised up did not experience decay. Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through this one forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by this one everyone who believes is justified from everything from which the law of Moses could not justify you. Watch out, then, that what is spoken about by the prophets does not happen to you: ‘Look, you scoffers; be amazed and perish! For I am doing a work in your days, a work you would never believe, even if someone tells you’” [Table].^[31]

No one can come to me [Jesus said] unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I^[32] will raise him up (ἀναστήσω, a form of ἀνίστημι) at^[33] the last day.^[34] [I never think of this verse without recalling its companion]: And I, when I am lifted up (ὑψωθῶ, a form of ὑψόω) from the earth [Jesus said, to indicate clearly what kind of death he was going to^[35] die^[36]] will draw all people to myself.”^[37]

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose (ἀνέστη, another form of ἀνίστημι) again [Paul wrote those who believed Jesus in Thessalonica] so also we believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep [through Jesus]. For we tell you this by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not go ahead of those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise (ἀναστήσονται, another form of ἀνίστημι) first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.^[38]

According to a note (135) in the NET Acts 13:34b was a quotation from Isaiah 55:3. A table comparing the Greek of Paul’s quotation with that of the Septuagint follows:

Acts 13:34b (NET Parallel Greek) Table	Isaiah 55:3b (Septuagint BLB) Table	Isaiah 55:3b (Septuagint Elpenor)
δώσω ὑμῖν τὰ ὅσια Δαυὶδ τὰ πιστά	καὶ διαθήσομαι ὑμῗν διαθήκην αἰώνιον τὰ ὅσια Δαυιδ τὰ πιστά	καὶ διαθήσομαι ὑμῖν διαθήκην αἰώνιον, τὰ ὅσια Δαυὶδ τὰ πιστά
Acts 13:34b (NET)	Isaiah 55:3b (NETS)	Isaiah 55:3 (English Elpenor)
I will give you the holy and trustworthy promises made to David.	I will make with you an everlasting covenant, the sacred things of David that are sure.	and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, the sure mercies of David.

According to a note (139) in the NET Acts 13:35b was a quotation from Psalm 16:10 (15:10). A table comparing the Greek of Paul’s quotation with that of the Septuagint follows:

Acts 13:35b (NET Parallel Greek) Table	Psalm 16:10b (Septuagint BLB) Table	Psalm 15:10b (Septuagint Elpenor)
οὐ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιον σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν	οὐδὲ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῗν διαφθοράν	οὐδὲ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν
Acts 13:35b (NET)	Psalm 15:10b (NETS)	Psalm 15:10b (English Elpenor)
You will not permit your Holy One to experience decay.	or give your devout to see corruption.	neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

According to a note (154) in the NET Acts 13:41 was a quotation from Habakkuk 1:5. A table comparing the Greek of Paul’s quotation with that of the Septuagint follows:

Acts 13:41 (NET Parallel Greek) Table	Habakkuk 1:5 (Septuagint BLB) Table	Habakkuk 1:5 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἴδετε, οἱ καταφρονηταί, καὶ θαυμάσατε καὶ ἀφανίσθητε, ὅτι ἔργον ἐργάζομαι ἐγὼ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ὑμῶν, ἔργον ὃ οὐ μὴ πιστεύσητε ἐάν τις ἐκδιηγῆται ὑμῖν	ἴδετε οἱ καταφρονηταί καὶ ἐπιβλέψατε καὶ θαυμάσατε θαυμάσια καὶ ἀφανίσθητε διότι ἔργον ἐγὼ ἐργάζομαι ἐν ταῗς ἡμέραις ὑμῶν ὃ οὐ μὴ πιστεύσητε ἐάν τις ἐκδιηγῆται	ἴδετε, οἱ καταφρονηταί, καὶ ἐπιβλέψατε καὶ θαυμάσατε θαυμάσια καὶ ἀφανίσθητε, διότι ἔργον ἐγὼ ἐργάζομαι ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ὑμῶν, ὃ οὐ μὴ πιστεύσητε, ἐάν τις ἐκδιηγῆται
Acts 13:41 (NET)	Habakkuk 1:5 (NETS)	Habakkuk 1:5 (English Elpenor)
Look, you scoffers; be amazed and perish! For I am doing a work in your days, a work you would never believe, even if someone tells you.	Look, you despisers, and watch! And marvel at marvelous things, and be annihilated! For I am working a work in your days that you would not believe if someone should tell it.	Behold, ye despisers, and look, and wonder marvelously, and vanish: for I work a work in your days, which ye will in no wise believe, though a man declare [it to you].

Tables comparing Mark 8:33; 9:9; Luke 18:31; 24:1; 24:3-6; 24:11, 12; Acts 17:2, 3 and John 12:33 in the NET and KJV follow.

Mark 8:33 (NET)	Mark 8:33 (KJV)
But after turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s.”	But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ὁ δὲ ἐπιστραφεὶς καὶ ἰδὼν τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ ἐπετίμησεν Πέτρῳ καὶ λέγει· ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, σατανᾶ, ὅτι οὐ φρονεῖς τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων	ο δε επιστραφεις και ιδων τους μαθητας αυτου επετιμησεν τω πετρω λεγων υπαγε οπισω μου σατανα οτι ου φρονεις τα του θεου αλλα τα των ανθρωπων	ο δε επιστραφεις και ιδων τους μαθητας αυτου επετιμησεν τω πετρω λεγων υπαγε οπισω μου σατανα οτι ου φρονεις τα του θεου αλλα τα των ανθρωπων

Mark 9:9 (NET)	Mark 9:9 (KJV)
As they were coming down from the mountain, he gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.	And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Καὶ καταβαινόντων αὐτῶν ἐκ τοῦ ὄρους διεστείλατο αὐτοῖς ἵνα μηδενὶ ἃ εἶδον διηγήσωνται, εἰ μὴ ὅταν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστῇ	καταβαινοντων δε αυτων απο του ορους διεστειλατο αυτοις ινα μηδενι διηγησωνται α ειδον ει μη οταν ο υιος του ανθρωπου εκ νεκρων αναστη	καταβαινοντων δε αυτων απο του ορους διεστειλατο αυτοις ινα μηδενι διηγησωνται α ειδον ει μη οταν ο υιος του ανθρωπου εκ νεκρων αναστη

Luke 18:31 (NET)	Luke 18:31 (KJV)
Then Jesus took the twelve aside and said to them, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.	Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Παραλαβὼν δὲ τοὺς δώδεκα εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· ἰδοὺ ἀναβαίνομεν εἰς Ἰερουσαλήμ, καὶ τελεσθήσεται πάντα τὰ γεγραμμένα διὰ τῶν προφητῶν τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου	παραλαβων δε τους δωδεκα ειπεν προς αυτους ιδου αναβαινομεν εις ιεροσολυμα και τελεσθησεται παντα τα γεγραμμενα δια των προφητων τω υιω του ανθρωπου	παραλαβων δε τους δωδεκα ειπεν προς αυτους ιδου αναβαινομεν εις ιεροσολυμα και τελεσθησεται παντα τα γεγραμμενα δια των προφητων τω υιω του ανθρωπου

Luke 24:1 (NET)	Luke 24:1 (KJV)
Now on the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women went to the tomb, taking the aromatic spices they had prepared.	Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Τῇ δὲ μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων ὄρθρου βαθέως ἐπὶ τὸ μνῆμα ἦλθον φέρουσαι ἃ ἡτοίμασαν ἀρώματα	τη δε μια των σαββατων ορθρου βαθεος ηλθον επι το μνημα φερουσαι α ητοιμασαν αρωματα και τινες συν αυταις	τη δε μια των σαββατων ορθρου βαθεος ηλθον επι το μνημα φερουσαι α ητοιμασαν αρωματα και τινες συν αυταις

Luke 24:3-6 (NET)	Luke 24:3-6 (KJV)
but when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.	And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
εἰσελθοῦσαι δὲ οὐχ εὗρον τὸ σῶμα \|τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ\|	και εισελθουσαι ουχ ευρον το σωμα του κυριου ιησου	και εισελθουσαι ουχ ευρον το σωμα του κυριου ιησου

While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood beside them in dazzling attire.

And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ἀπορεῖσθαι αὐτὰς περὶ τούτου καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄνδρες δύο ἐπέστησαν αὐταῖς ἐν ἐσθῆτι ἀστραπτούσῃ	και εγενετο εν τω διαπορεισθαι αυτας περι τουτου και ιδου δυο ανδρες επεστησαν αυταις εν εσθησεσιν αστραπτουσαις	και εγενετο εν τω διαπορεισθαι αυτας περι τουτου και ιδου ανδρες δυο επεστησαν αυταις εν εσθησεσιν αστραπτουσαις

The women were terribly frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?

And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἐμφόβων δὲ γενομένων αὐτῶν καὶ κλινουσῶν τὰ πρόσωπα εἰς τὴν γῆν εἶπαν πρὸς αὐτάς· τί ζητεῖτε τὸν ζῶντα μετὰ τῶν νεκρῶν	εμφοβων δε γενομενων αυτων και κλινουσων το προσωπον εις την γην ειπον προς αυτας τι ζητειτε τον ζωντα μετα των νεκρων	εμφοβων δε γενομενων αυτων και κλινουσων το προσωπον εις την γην ειπον προς αυτας τι ζητειτε τον ζωντα μετα των νεκρων

He is not here, but has been raised! Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,

He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
\|οὐκ ἔστιν ὧδε, ἀλλὰ ἠγέρθη.\| μνήσθητε ὡς ἐλάλησεν ὑμῖν ἔτι ὢν ἐν τῇ Γαλιλαίᾳ	ουκ εστιν ωδε αλλ ηγερθη μνησθητε ως ελαλησεν υμιν ετι ων εν τη γαλιλαια	ουκ εστιν ωδε αλλ ηγερθη μνησθητε ως ελαλησεν υμιν ετι ων εν τη γαλιλαια

Luke 24:11, 12 (NET)	Luke 24:11, 12 (KJV)
But these words seemed like pure nonsense to them, and they did not believe them.	And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ ἐφάνησαν ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν ὡσεὶ λῆρος τὰ ρήματα ταῦτα, καὶ ἠπίστουν αὐταῖς	και εφανησαν ενωπιον αυτων ωσει ληρος τα ρηματα αυτων και ηπιστουν αυταις	και εφανησαν ενωπιον αυτων ωσει ληρος τα ρηματα αυτων και ηπιστουν αυταις

But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. He bent down and saw only the strips of linen cloth; then he went home, wondering what had happened.

Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
\|Ὁ δὲ Πέτρος ἀναστὰς ἔδραμεν ἐπὶ τὸ μνημεῖον καὶ παρακύψας βλέπει τὰ ὀθόνια μόνα, καὶ ἀπῆλθεν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν θαυμάζων τὸ γεγονός.\|	ο δε πετρος αναστας εδραμεν επι το μνημειον και παρακυψας βλεπει τα οθονια κειμενα μονα και απηλθεν προς εαυτον θαυμαζων το γεγονος	ο δε πετρος αναστας εδραμεν επι το μνημειον και παρακυψας βλεπει τα οθονια κειμενα μονα και απηλθεν προς εαυτον θαυμαζων το γεγονος

Acts 17:2, 3 (NET)	Acts 17:2, 3 (KJV)
Paul went to the Jews in the synagogue, as he customarily did, and on three Sabbath days he addressed them from the scriptures,	And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
κατὰ δὲ τὸ εἰωθὸς τῷ Παύλῳ εἰσῆλθεν πρὸς αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐπὶ σάββατα τρία διελέξατο αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν	κατα δε το ειωθος τω παυλω εισηλθεν προς αυτους και επι σαββατα τρια διελεγετο αυτοις απο των γραφων	κατα δε το ειωθος τω παυλω εισηλθεν προς αυτους και επι σαββατα τρια διελεξατο αυτοις απο των γραφων

explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead, saying, “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.”

Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
διανοίγων καὶ παρατιθέμενος ὅτι τὸν χριστὸν ἔδει παθεῖν καὶ ἀναστῆναι ἐκ νεκρῶν καὶ ὅτι οὗτος ἐστιν ὁ χριστὸς [ὁ] Ἰησοῦς ὃν ἐγὼ καταγγέλλω ὑμῖν	διανοιγων και παρατιθεμενος οτι τον χριστον εδει παθειν και αναστηναι εκ νεκρων και οτι ουτος εστιν ο χριστος ιησους ον εγω καταγγελλω υμιν	διανοιγων και παρατιθεμενος οτι τον χριστον εδει παθειν και αναστηναι εκ νεκρων και οτι ουτος εστιν ο χριστος ιησους ον εγω καταγγελλω υμιν

John 12:33 (NET)	John 12:33 (KJV)
(Now he said this to indicate clearly what kind of death he was going to die.)	This he said, signifying what death he should die.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγεν σημαίνων ποίῳ θανάτῳ ἤμελλεν ἀποθνῄσκειν.	τουτο δε ελεγεν σημαινων ποιω θανατω ημελλεν αποθνησκειν	τουτο δε ελεγεν σημαινων ποιω θανατω εμελλεν αποθνησκειν

Funeral, Part 3

Back to The Book of Life, Part 1

Back to Psalm 22, Part 13

Back to Christianity, Part 3

Back to Christianity, Part 4

Back to Christianity, Part 8

Back to The Day of the Lord, Part 3

Back to Who Am I? Part 14

Back to Father, Son and Holy Spirit – Part 11

Back to The Day of the Lord, Part 8

^[1] John 6:38-40 (NET) Table

^[2] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article τω preceding Peter. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

^[3] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had καὶ λέγει here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had λεγων (KJV: saying).

^[4] Mark 8:31-33 (NET)

^[5] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had Καὶ (not translated in the NET), where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε (KJV: And).

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

^[7] Mark 9:9, 10 (NET)

^[8] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had Ἰερουσαλήμ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ιεροσολυμα.

^[9] Luke 18:31-34 (NET)

^[10] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had the adverb βαθέως (not translated in the NET) here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the potentially redundant adjective βαθεος (not translated in the KJV).

^[11] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και τινες συν αυταις (KJV: and certain others with them) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

^[12] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had δὲ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και (KJV: And).

^[13] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἀπορεῖσθαι here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had διαπορεισθαι (KJV: were much perplexed).

^[14] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἐσθῆτι ἀστραπτούσῃ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εσθησεσιν αστραπτουσαις (KJV: shining garments).

^[15] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had τὰ πρόσωπα here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had το προσωπον.

^[16] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had εἶπαν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ειπον.

^[17] The NET parallel Greek text had ἀλλὰ here, where the NA²⁸, Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ἀλλ’.

^[18] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ταῦτα here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτων (KJV: their).

^[19] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had κειμενα (KJV: laid) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

^[20] Luke 24:1-9, 11, 12 (NET)

^[21] John 20:9 (NET)

^[22] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had πρὸς αὐτούς here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτοις (KJV: unto them).

^[23] Luke 24:44-49 (NET)

^[24] This quotation is discussed in detail in Peter’s First Gospel Proclamation Revisited, Part 3.

^[25] There is a table comparing the Greek of Peter’s quotation with the Septuagint in Peter’s First Gospel Proclamation Revisited, Part 3.

^[26] Acts 2:22-36 (NET)

^[27] Acts 10:40-43 (NET)

^[28] The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text had διελέξατο here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had διελεγετο (KJV: reasoned).

^[29] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had the article ὁ preceding Jesus. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

^[30] Acts 17:2, 3 (NET)

^[31] Acts 13:34-41 (NET)

^[32] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had καγὼ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και εγω.

^[33] The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text had ἐν here. The Stephanus Textus Receptus did not.

^[34] John 6:44 (NET) Table

^[35] The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Stephanus Textus Receptus had ἤμελλεν here, where the Byzantine Majority Text had εμελλεν.

^[36] John 12:33 (NET)

^[37] John 12:32 (NET)

^[38] 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 (NET)

Peter’s Second Gospel Proclamation, Part 2

Posted on June 6, 2021 by admin

Peter’s Gospel proclamation continued (Acts 3:17-20 NET):

And now, brothers, I know you acted in ignorance, as your rulers did too. But the things God foretold long ago through all the^[1] prophets—that his^[2] Christ would suffer—he has fulfilled in this way. Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and so that he may send the Messiah appointed^[3] for you—that is, Jesus.

Peter’s invitation to repent (μετανοήσατε, a form of μετανοέω) and turn back (ἐπιστρέψατε, a form of ἐπιστρέφω) struck a familiar chord:

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Isaiah 46:8 (Tanakh) Table	Isaiah 46:8 (NET)	Isaiah 46:8 (NETS)	Isaiah 46:8 (English Elpenor)
Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again (הָשִׁ֥יבוּ) to mind (לֵֽב), O ye transgressors.	Remember this, so you can be brave. Think (šûḇ, השיבו) about it (lēḇ, לב), you rebels!	Remember these things and groan; repent (μετανοήσατε), you who have gone astray; turn (ἐπιστρέψατε) in your heart,	Remember ye these things, and groan: repent (μετανοήσατε), ye that have gone astray, return (ἐπιστρέψατε) in your heart;

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Ezekiel 14:6 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 14:6 (NET)	Ezekiel 14:6 (NETS)	Ezekiel 14:6 (English Elpenor)
Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent (שׁ֣וּבוּ), and turn (וְהָשִׁ֔יבוּ) yourselves from your idols; and turn away (הָשִׁ֥יבוּ) your faces from all your abominations.	“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Return (šûḇ, שובו)! Turn (šûḇ, והשיבו) from your idols, and turn your faces away (šûḇ, השיבו) from your abominations.	Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord says: Turn about (ἐπιστράφητε), and turn back (ἀποστρέψατε) from your practices and from all your impieties, and turn your faces around (ἐπιστρέψατε).	Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God, Be converted (ἐπιστράφητε), and turn (ἀποστρέψατε) from your [evil] practices, and from all your sins, and turn your faces back again (ἐπιστρέψατε).

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Zechariah 1:3 (Tanakh)	Zechariah 1:3 (NET)	Zechariah 1:3 (NETS)	Zechariah 1:3 (English Elpenor)
Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye (שׁ֣וּבוּ) unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn (וְאָשׁ֣וּב) unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.	Therefore say to the people: The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says, ‘Turn (šûḇ, שובו) to me,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, ‘and I will turn (šûḇ, ואשוב) to you,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.	And you will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: Return (ἐπιστρέψατε) to me, and I will return (ἐπιστραφήσομαι) to you, says the Lord.	And thou shalt say to them, Thus saith the Lord Almighty: Turn (ἐπιστρέψατε) to me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn (ἐπιστραφήσομαι) to you, saith the Lord of hosts.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Malachi 3:7 (Tanakh)	Malachi 3:7 (NET)	Malachi 3:7 (NETS)	Malachi 3:7 (English Elpenor)
Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return (שׁ֚וּבוּ) unto me, and I will return (וְאָשׁ֣וּבָה) unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return (נָשֽׁוּב)?	From the days of your ancestors you have ignored my commandments and have not kept them. Return (šûḇ, שובו) to me, and I will return (šûḇ, ואשובה) to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “But you say, ‘How should we return (šûḇ, נשוב)?’	And you, O sons of Iakob, are not keeping a distance from the injustices of your fathers. You perverted my precepts and did not keep them. Return (ἐπιστρέψατε) to me, and I will return (ἐπιστραφήσομαι) to you, says the Lord Almighty. And you said, “How should we return (ἐπιστρέψωμεν)?”	but ye, the sons of Jacob, have not refrained from the iniquities of your fathers: ye have perverted my statutes, and have not kept them. Return (ἐπιστρέψατε) to me, and I will return (ἐπιστραφήσομαι) to you, saith the Lord Almighty. But ye said, Wherein shall we return (ἐπιστρέψομεν)?

In context Peter invited his fellow descendants of Israel to repent, change their minds about Jesus, and turn back from their rejection of Him. This is something more than ancient history for me. I rejected Jesus as thoroughly as any Jew present at Jesus’ trial before Pilate, and not for another would-be-messiah. I thought God could vanish in a “puff of logic.”

If he could not punish me to defend his holiness, if his holiness was little more than his own self-interest, maybe he wasn’t God at all. That’s when it hit. Oh my God, he isn’t at all! And he never was. I wasn’t happy with the conclusion, but at the time, I couldn’t escape its logic: God did not punish me for sin, therefore God was not.^[4]

He has spent the past fifty years of my life proving me wrong, and I am very grateful. So Peter’s invitation to repent and turn back from my ignorance and unbelief is welcome to my ear, εἰς τὸ ἐξαλειφθῆναι ὑμῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας: in order to blot out, wipe away, obliterate, destroy, wipe out, erase, delete, re-plaster, plaster over, wash over [my] sins, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and so that he may send the Messiah appointed for [me]—that is, Jesus. Peter continued (Acts 3:21-23 NET):

This one heaven must receive until the time all things are restored, which God declared from times long ago through^[5] his holy^[6] prophets. Moses^[7] said,^[8] ‘The Lord your^[9] God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must obey him in everything he tells you. Every person who^[10] does not obey that prophet will be destroyed and thus removed from the people.’

According to the note (64) in the NET Acts 3:22 is a quotation from Deuteronomy 18:15.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Deuteronomy 18:15 (Tanakh) Table	Deuteronomy 18:15 (NET)	Deuteronomy 18:15 (NETS)	Deuteronomy 18:15 (English Elpenor)
A prophet will HaShem thy G-d raise up unto thee, from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;	The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you—from your fellow Israelites; you must listen to him.	The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers; you shall hear him.	The Lord thy God shall raise up to thee a prophet of thy brethren, like me; him shall ye hear:

A table comparing the Greek of Peter’s quotation with the Septuagint follows:

Acts 3:22 (NET Parallel Greek)	Deuteronomy 18:15 (Septuagint BLB) Table	Deuteronomy 18:15 (Septuagint Elpenor)
προφήτην ὑμῖν ἀναστήσει κύριος ὁ θεὸς \|ὑμῶν\| ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν ὡς ἐμέ· αὐτοῦ ἀκούσεσθε κατὰ πάντα ὅσα ἂν λαλήσῃ πρὸς ὑμᾶς	προφήτην ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν σου ὡς ἐμὲ ἀναστήσει σοι κύριος ὁ θεός σου αὐτοῦ ἀκούσεσθε	προφήτην ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν σου ὡς ἐμὲ ἀναστήσει σοι Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου, αὐτοῦ ἀκούσεσθε
Acts 3:22 (NET)	Deuteronomy 18:15 (NETS)	Deuteronomy 18:15 (English Elpenor)
The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must obey him in everything he tells you.	The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers; you shall hear him.	The Lord thy God shall raise up to thee a prophet of thy brethren, like me; him shall ye hear:

You must obey him in everything he tells you,^[11] sounds like something I must do. The Greek word translated You must obey is ἀκούσεσθε (a form of ἀκούω). It is in the future tense, the middle voice (which allows for some participation of the subject you, 2^nd person plural) and the indicative mood. In other words, Peter promised his listeners in the name of God that they at some point in their future would hear Jesus, him shall ye hear.^[12]

Perhaps the last phrase—κατὰ πάντα ὅσα ἂν λαλήσῃ πρὸς ὑμᾶς (in everything he tells you)—was an extrapolation from Deuteronomy 18:18.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Deuteronomy 18:18 (Tanakh)	Deuteronomy 18:18 (NET)	Deuteronomy 18:18 (NETS)	Deuteronomy 18:18 (English Elpenor)
I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.	I will raise up a prophet like you for them from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth and he will speak to them whatever I command.	I will raise up for them a prophet just like you from among their brothers, and I will give my word in his mouth, and he shall speak to them whatever I commanded him.	I will raise up to them a prophet of their brethren, like thee; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them as I shall command him.

Perhaps it was something Jesus told Peter personally or something he learned from his own experience denying Jesus, because in his own ignorance and unbelief he had refused to believe everything Jesus told him (Matthew 16:21-23 NET).

From that time on Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed and on the third day be raised. So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him: “God forbid, Lord! This must not happen to you!” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me because you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s [Table].”

According to the note (67) in the NET Acts 3:23 is a quotation from Deuteronomy 18:19 and Leviticus 23:29.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Deuteronomy 18:19 (Tanakh)	Deuteronomy 18:19 (NET)	Deuteronomy 18:19 (NETS)	Deuteronomy 18:19 (English Elpenor)
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which he shall speak in My name, I will require it of him.	I will personally hold responsible anyone who then pays no attention to the words that prophet speaks in my name.	And the person who does not hear his words, whatever the prophet may speak in my name, I will exact vengeance from him.	And whatever man shall not hearken to whatsoever words that prophet shall speak in my name, I will take vengeance on him.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Leviticus 23:29 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 23:29 (NET)	Leviticus 23:29 (NETS)	Leviticus 23:29 (English Elpenor)
For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from his people.	Indeed, any person who does not behave with humility on this particular day will be cut off from his people.	Any soul who does not humble himself on that particular day—that soul shall be utterly destroyed from his people.	Every soul that shall not be humbled in that day, shall be cut off from among its people.

Tables comparing the Greek of Peter’s quotation with the Septuagint follow:

Acts 3:23 (NET Parallel Greek)	Deuteronomy 18:19 (Septuagint BLB)	Deuteronomy 18:19 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἔσται δὲ πᾶσα ψυχὴ ἥτις ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ τοῦ προφήτου ἐκείνου ἐξολεθρευθήσεται ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ	καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὃς ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ ὅσα ἐὰν λαλήσῃ ὁ προφήτης ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου ἐγὼ ἐκδικήσω ἐξ αὐτοῦ	καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὃς ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ ὅσα ἂν λαλήσῃ ὁ προφήτης ἐκεῖνος ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου, ἐγὼ ἐκδικήσω ἐξ αὐτοῦ
Acts 3:23 (NET)	Deuteronomy 18:19 (NETS)	Deuteronomy 18:19 (English Elpenor)
Every person who does not obey that prophet will be destroyed and thus removed from the people.’	And the person who does not hear his words, whatever the prophet may speak in my name, I will exact vengeance from him.	And whatever man shall not hearken to whatsoever words that prophet shall speak in my name, I will take vengeance on him.

Acts 3:23 (NET Parallel Greek)	Leviticus 23:29 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 23:29 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἔσται δὲ πᾶσα ψυχὴ ἥτις ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ τοῦ προφήτου ἐκείνου ἐξολεθρευθήσεται ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ	πᾶσα ψυχή ἥτις μὴ ταπεινωθήσεται ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ ἐξολεθρευθήσεται ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτῆς	πᾶσα ψυχή, ἥτις μὴ ταπεινωθήσεται ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ, ἐξολοθρευθήσεται ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτῆς
Acts 3:23 (NET)	Leviticus 23:29 (NETS)	Leviticus 23:29 (English Elpenor)
Every person who does not obey that prophet will be destroyed and thus removed from the people.’	Any soul who does not humble himself on that particular day—that soul shall be utterly destroyed from his people.	Every soul that shall not be humbled in that day, shall be cut off from among its people.

Perhaps this should be considered a paraphrase rather than a quotation. A composite of the two verses follows:

Acts 3:23a (NET Parallel Greek)	Leviticus 23:29a (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 23:29a (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἔσται δὲ
πᾶσα ψυχὴ ἥτις	πᾶσα ψυχή ἥτις	πᾶσα ψυχή, ἥτις
Acts 3:23b (NET)	Deuteronomy 18:19b (Septuagint BLB)	Deuteronomy 18:19b (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ	ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ	ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ
Acts 3:23c (NET)	Leviticus 23:29b (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 23:29b (Septuagint Elpenor)
τοῦ προφήτου ἐκείνου
ἐξολεθρευθήσεται ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ	ἐξολεθρευθήσεται ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ	ἐξολοθρευθήσεται ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ

Every person who does not obey that prophet will be destroyed and thus removed from the people.^[13] The Greek words translated does not obey are μὴ ἀκούσῃ (KJV: will not hear). The verb ἀκούσῃ is in the active voice, so the idea of willful not hearing is very appropriate. Every person who will not hear Jesus will be destroyed and thus removed from the people.

The verb ἐξολεθρευθήσεται (a form of ἐξολεθρεύω) was translated will be destroyed and thus removed (KJV: shall be destroyed). It sounds ominous. I thought it meant that this person would spend eternity in the lake of fire. Now I realize that Dan the atheist who did not hear Jesus was destroyed and thus removed from the people only to be replaced by Dan the believer who hears Jesus and lives to know Him better.

Peter the ignorant unbeliever who denied even knowing the crucified Christ was also destroyed and thus removed from the people only to be replaced by Peter the Apostle who proclaimed this Gospel message to all who would hear. I can’t speak for Peter. As for me, I am certainly no one worthy of special favor.

Do not be amazed that I said to you, Jesus said, ‘You must all be born from above (δεῖ ὑμᾶς γεννηθῆναι ἄνωθεν, “it is necessary for you to be born from above, anew”).’^[14] And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.^[15]

Tables comparing Ezekiel 14:6; Zechariah 1:3; Malachi 3:7; Deuteronomy 18:18; 18:19 and Leviticus 23:29 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and tables comparing the Greek of Ezekiel 14:6; Zechariah 1:3; Malachi 3:7; Deuteronomy 18:18; 18:19 and Leviticus 23:29 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables comparing Acts 3:18-20 and 3:21-23 in the NET and KJV follow.

Ezekiel 14:6 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 14:6 (KJV)	Ezekiel 14:6 (NET)
Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.	Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.	“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Return! Turn from your idols, and turn your faces away from your abominations.

Ezekiel 14:6 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 14:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)
διὰ τοῦτο εἰπὸν πρὸς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Ισραηλ τάδε λέγει κύριος κύριος ἐπιστράφητε καὶ ἀποστρέψατε ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων ὑμῶν καὶ ἀπὸ πασῶν τῶν ἀσεβειῶν ὑμῶν καὶ ἐπιστρέψατε τὰ πρόσωπα ὑμῶν	διὰ τοῦτο εἰπὸν πρὸς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ· τάδε λέγει Κύριος Κύριος· ἐπιστράφητε καὶ ἀποστρέψατε ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων ὑμῶν καὶ ἀπὸ πασῶν τῶν ἀσεβειῶν ὑμῶν καὶ ἐπιστρέψατε τὰ πρόσωπα ὑμῶν
Ezekiel 14:6 (NETS)	Ezekiel 14:6 (English Elpenor)
Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord says: Turn about, and turn back from your practices and from all your impieties, and turn your faces around.	Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God, Be converted, and turn from your [evil] practices, and from all your sins, and turn your faces back again.

Zechariah 1:3 (Tanakh)	Zechariah 1:3 (KJV)	Zechariah 1:3 (NET)
Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.	Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts.	Therefore say to the people: The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says, ‘Turn to me,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, ‘and I will turn to you,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

Zechariah 1:3 (Septuagint BLB)	Zechariah 1:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐρεῗς πρὸς αὐτούς τάδε λέγει κύριος παντοκράτωρ ἐπιστρέψατε πρός με καὶ ἐπιστραφήσομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς λέγει κύριος	καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς· τάδε λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ· ἐπιστρέψατε πρός με, λέγει Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων, καὶ ἐπιστραφήσομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς, λέγει Κύριος τῶν δυνάμεων
Zechariah 1:3 (NETS)	Zechariah 1:3 (English Elpenor)
And you will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord.	And thou shalt say to them, Thus saith the Lord Almighty: Turn to me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn to you, saith the Lord of hosts.

Malachi 3:7 (Tanakh)	Malachi 3:7 (KJV)	Malachi 3:7 (NET)
Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?	Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?	From the days of your ancestors you have ignored my commandments and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “But you say, ‘How should we return?’

Malachi 3:6b, 7 (Septuagint BLB)	Malachi 3:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)
(6b) καὶ ὑμεῗς υἱοὶ Ιακωβ οὐκ ἀπέχεσθε (7) ἀπὸ τῶν ἀδικιῶν τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν ἐξεκλίνατε νόμιμά μου καὶ οὐκ ἐφυλάξασθε ἐπιστρέψατε πρός με καὶ ἐπιστραφήσομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς λέγει κύριος παντοκράτωρ καὶ εἴπατε ἐν τίνι ἐπιστρέψωμεν	καὶ ὑμεῖς οἱ υἱοὶ ᾿Ιακὼβ οὐκ ἀπέχεσθε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀδικιῶν τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν, ἐξεκλίνατε νόμιμά μου καὶ οὐκ ἐφυλάξασθε. ἐπιστρέψατε πρός με, καὶ ἐπιστραφήσομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ. καὶ εἴπατε· ἐν τίνι ἐπιστρέψομεν
Malachi 3:7 (NETS)	Malachi 3:7 (English Elpenor)
And you, O sons of Iakob, are not keeping a distance from the injustices of your fathers. You perverted my precepts and did not keep them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty. And you said, “How should we return?”	but ye, the sons of Jacob, have not refrained from the iniquities of your fathers: ye have perverted my statutes, and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, saith the Lord Almighty. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?

Deuteronomy 18:18 (Tanakh)	Deuteronomy 18:18 (KJV)	Deuteronomy 18:18 (NET)
I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.	I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.	I will raise up a prophet like you for them from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth and he will speak to them whatever I command.

Deuteronomy 18:18 (Septuagint BLB)	Deuteronomy 18:18 (Septuagint Elpenor)
προφήτην ἀναστήσω αὐτοῗς ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτῶν ὥσπερ σὲ καὶ δώσω τὸ ῥῆμά μου ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ καὶ λαλήσει αὐτοῗς καθότι ἂν ἐντείλωμαι αὐτῷ	προφήτην ἀναστήσω αὐτοῖς ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτῶν, ὥσπερ σέ, καὶ δώσω τὰ ῥήματα ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ, καὶ λαλήσει αὐτοῖς καθ᾿ ὅτι ἂν ἐντείλωμαι αὐτῷ
Deuteronomy 18:18 (NETS)	Deuteronomy 18:18 (English Elpenor)
I will raise up for them a prophet just like you from among their brothers, and I will give my word in his mouth, and he shall speak to them whatever I commanded him.	I will raise up to them a prophet of their brethren, like thee; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them as I shall command him.

Deuteronomy 18:19 (Tanakh)	Deuteronomy 18:19 (KJV)	Deuteronomy 18:19 (NET)
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which he shall speak in My name, I will require it of him.	And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.	I will personally hold responsible anyone who then pays no attention to the words that prophet speaks in my name.

Deuteronomy 18:19 (Septuagint BLB)	Deuteronomy 18:19 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὃς ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ ὅσα ἐὰν λαλήσῃ ὁ προφήτης ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου ἐγὼ ἐκδικήσω ἐξ αὐτοῦ	καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὃς ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ ὅσα ἂν λαλήσῃ ὁ προφήτης ἐκεῖνος ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου, ἐγὼ ἐκδικήσω ἐξ αὐτοῦ
Deuteronomy 18:19 (NETS)	Deuteronomy 18:19 (English Elpenor)
And the person who does not hear his words, whatever the prophet may speak in my name, I will exact vengeance from him.	And whatever man shall not hearken to whatsoever words that prophet shall speak in my name, I will take vengeance on him.

Leviticus 23:29 (Tanakh)	Leviticus 23:29 (KJV)	Leviticus 23:29 (NET)
For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from his people.	For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.	Indeed, any person who does not behave with humility on this particular day will be cut off from his people.

Leviticus 23:29 (Septuagint BLB)	Leviticus 23:29 (Septuagint Elpenor)
πᾶσα ψυχή ἥτις μὴ ταπεινωθήσεται ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ ἐξολεθρευθήσεται ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτῆς	πᾶσα ψυχή, ἥτις μὴ ταπεινωθήσεται ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ, ἐξολοθρευθήσεται ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτῆς
Leviticus 23:29 (NETS)	Leviticus 23:29 (English Elpenor)
Any soul who does not humble himself on that particular day—that soul shall be utterly destroyed from his people.	Every soul that shall not be humbled in that day, shall be cut off from among its people.

Acts 3:18-20 (NET)	Acts 3:18-20 (KJV)
But the things God foretold long ago through all the prophets—that his Christ would suffer—he has fulfilled in this way.	But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ὁ δὲ θεός, ἃ προκατήγγειλεν διὰ στόματος πάντων τῶν προφητῶν παθεῖν τὸν χριστὸν αὐτοῦ, ἐπλήρωσεν οὕτως	ο δε θεος α προκατηγγειλεν δια στοματος παντων των προφητων αυτου παθειν τον χριστον επληρωσεν ουτως	ο δε θεος α προκατηγγειλεν δια στοματος παντων των προφητων αυτου παθειν τον χριστον επληρωσεν ουτως

(19) Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out, (20a) so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
(19) μετανοήσατε οὖν καὶ ἐπιστρέψατε \|εἰς\| τὸ ἐξαλειφθῆναι ὑμῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας, (20a) ὅπως ἂν ἔλθωσιν καιροὶ ἀναψύξεως ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ κυρίου	μετανοησατε ουν και επιστρεψατε εις το εξαλειφθηναι υμων τας αμαρτιας οπως αν ελθωσιν καιροι αναψυξεως απο προσωπου του κυριου	μετανοησατε ουν και επιστρεψατε εις το εξαλειφθηναι υμων τας αμαρτιας οπως αν ελθωσιν καιροι αναψυξεως απο προσωπου του κυριου

(20b) and so that he may send the Messiah appointed for you—that is, Jesus.

And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
(20b) καὶ ἀποστείλῃ τὸν προκεχειρισμένον ὑμῖν χριστόν Ἰησοῦν	και αποστειλη τον προκεκηρυγμενον υμιν ιησουν χριστον	και αποστειλη τον προκεχειρισμενον υμιν χριστον ιησουν

Acts 3:21-23 (NET)	Acts 3:21-23 (KJV)
This one heaven must receive until the time all things are restored, which God declared from times long ago through his holy prophets.	Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ὃν δεῖ οὐρανὸν μὲν δέξασθαι ἄχρι χρόνων ἀποκαταστάσεως πάντων ὧν ἐλάλησεν ὁ θεὸς διὰ στόματος τῶν ἁγίων ἀπ᾿ αἰῶνος αὐτοῦ προφητῶν	ον δει ουρανον μεν δεξασθαι αχρι χρονων αποκαταστασεως παντων ων ελαλησεν ο θεος δια στοματος παντων αγιων αυτου προφητων απ αιωνος	ον δει ουρανον μεν δεξασθαι αχρι χρονων αποκαταστασεως παντων ων ελαλησεν ο θεος δια στοματος παντων των αγιων αυτου προφητων απ αιωνος

Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must obey him in everything he tells you.

For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Μωϋσῆς μὲν εἶπεν ὅτι προφήτην ὑμῖν ἀναστήσει κύριος ὁ θεὸς \|ὑμῶν\| ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν ὡς ἐμέ· αὐτοῦ ἀκούσεσθε κατὰ πάντα ὅσα ἂν λαλήσῃ πρὸς ὑμᾶς	μωσης μεν γαρ προς τους πατερας ειπεν οτι προφητην υμιν αναστησει κυριος ο θεος υμων εκ των αδελφων υμων ως εμε αυτου ακουσεσθε κατα παντα οσα αν λαληση προς υμας	μωσης μεν γαρ προς τους πατερας ειπεν οτι προφητην υμιν αναστησει κυριος ο θεος ημων εκ των αδελφων υμων ως εμε αυτου ακουσεσθε κατα παντα οσα αν λαληση προς υμας

Every person who does not obey that prophet will be destroyed and thus removed from the people.’

And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἔσται δὲ πᾶσα ψυχὴ ἥτις ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ τοῦ προφήτου ἐκείνου ἐξολεθρευθήσεται ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ	εσται δε πασα ψυχη ητις αν μη ακουση του προφητου εκεινου εξολοθρευθησεται εκ του λαου	εσται δε πασα ψυχη ητις εαν μη ακουση του προφητου εκεινου εξολοθρευθησεται εκ του λαου

Peter’s Second Gospel Proclamation, Part 3

Back to Isaiah 53:10-12, Part 8

Back to David’s Forgiveness, Part 13

Back to Wonders and False Wonders, Part 2

Back to Wonders and False Wonders, Part 3

^[1] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτου (KJV: his) here. The Net parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

^[2] The Net parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had αὐτοῦ here. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

^[3] The Net parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text had προκεχειρισμένον here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had προκεκηρυγμενον (KJV: which before was preached).

^[4] Who Am I? Part 3

^[5] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had παντων (KJV: of all) following the mouth. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

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

^[7] In the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ Moses was spelled Μωϋσῆς, and μωσης in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text. Also, the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had γαρ (KJV: For) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

^[8] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had προς τους πατερας (KJV: unto the fathers) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

^[9] The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Stephanus Textus Receptus had ὑμῶν here, where the Byzantine Majority Text had ημων (e.g., “our”).

^[10] The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text had ἐὰν following who (KJV: which), where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had αν.

^[11] Acts 3:22b (NET)

^[12] Deuteronomy 18:15b (English Elpenor)

^[13] Acts 3:23 (NET)

^[14] John 3:7 (NET)

^[15] John 12:32 (NET)

To Make Holy, Part 9

Posted on March 11, 2021 by admin

The next form of ἁγιάζω I want to consider is found in Jesus’ prayer to his Father: Set them apart (ἁγίασον, a form of ἁγιάζω) in the truth; your word is truth.^[1] But I’m making a slow pilgrimage through his prayer because I believe I can know his holiness here. In another essay I considered your word (τὸν λόγον σου) from the continuation of Jesus’ prayer (John 17:14, 15 NET):

I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them safe from the evil one.

Here I want to begin to consider world (κόσμος). Jesus told a parable (Matthew 13:24b-30 NET):

“The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed^[2] good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed^[3] darnel among the wheat and went away. When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the darnel also appeared. So the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the darnel come from?’ He said, ‘An enemy has done this!’ So the slaves replied, ‘Do you want us to go and gather it?’ [Table] But he said,^[4] ‘No, since in gathering the darnel you may uproot the wheat along with it [Table]. Let both grow together until^[5] the harvest. At harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burned, but then gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

Jesus explained the parable (Matthew 13:37b-39 NET):

The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world (κόσμος) and the good seed are the people of the kingdom. The poisonous weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of age, and the reapers are angels [Table].

This is probably not exactly what Jesus meant when He prayed καὶ ὁ κόσμος ἐμίσησεν αὐτούς (and the world has hated them). It does provide a sense of his worldview as background: This world is populated currently (assuming the end of the age has not yet come) by the people of the kingdom and the people of the evil one. This is probably just about what Jesus’ audience heard:

people of the kingdom	people of the evil one
The descendants of Israel in good standing more or less…	Everyone else, with the possible exception of those Gentiles who made some move toward Israel’s religion and/or the law of Moses…

But is that what Jesus meant? You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires,^[6] He said to his hearers in Israel. It highlights the fact that the word translated people in people of the kingdom and people of the evil one is actually υἱοὶ (a plural form of υἱός) in Greek—children, sons. So we tend to think:

children of the kingdom	children of the evil one
Those who believe in Jesus, good standing may or may not be essential…	Everyone else, with the possible exception of children…

But who did Jesus address as children of the devil? Then Jesus said to those Judeans who had believed him, “If you continue to follow my teaching, you are really my disciples and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”^[7] Were the children of the kingdom (υἱοὶ τῆς βασιλείας) synonymous in Jesus’ mind with the sons of God (υἱοὶ θεοῦ)? For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.^[8]

We tend to analyze Jesus’ sayings according to our own perceptions of the world. Let’s add another perspective of his worldview: And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.^[9] For the moment, it matters very little whether I believe this or not. He does, and its his view of the world (κόσμος) I seek to understand.

Despite all He has taught me about being led by the Spirit, I am not 100% led by the Spirit 100% of the time.^[10] The slightest deviations from my routine can throw me out of kilter. Other times it seems the monotony of my routine does it. I appreciated the study on free will.^[11] It helped me realize how often I still have a knee-jerk reaction that God is punishing me or has forsaken or abandoned me when things aren’t going according to my will. Recalling Jesus’ prayer—not what I will, but what you will^[12]—has helped to alleviate some unnecessary concern.

Paul wrote (Ephesians 4:22-24 NET):

You were taught with reference to your former way of life to lay aside the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new man who has been created in God’s image—in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth.

I will ask the Father, Jesus said, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world (κόσμος) cannot accept because it does not see him or know him. But you know him because he resides with you and will be in you.^[13]

This may be more like the world (κόσμος) that has hated Jesus’ disciples: the world (κόσμος) of the old man (τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον) who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires and cannot (οὐ δύναται, a form of δύναμαι) accept (λαβεῖν, a form of λαμβάνω) the Spirit of truth. For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, Paul wrote, 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.^[14]

And this may be more like the opposition Jesus had in mind in the world (κόσμος) of his parable: that opposition of the old human and the new, the flesh and the Spirit, within everyone being drawn to Jesus. I’m taking my clue from the landowner’s response to his slaves’ question: Do you want us to go and gather it?

No, since in gathering the darnel you may uproot the wheat along with it. Let both grow together until the harvest.

It would be easy enough for Jews to kill Gentiles or Christians to kill those who refuse to confess Christ if that is what Jesus had in mind. It is much more difficult to uproot the sin in one’s own flesh, not to mention someone else’s flesh, without doing damage to the good seed, the new man (τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον), that Christ has sown. Of course, at any given place at any given moment before all have been drawn to Jesus people somewhat to mostly led by the Holy Spirit might be confronted by people following their own flesh.

Jesus had elaborated some on this topic previously (John 15:18-27 NET):

“If the world (κόσμος) hates you, be aware that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world (κόσμου, a form of κόσμος), the world (κόσμος) would love you as its own. However, because you do not belong to the world (κόσμου, a form of κόσμος), but I chose you out of the world (κόσμου, a form of κόσμος), for this reason the world (κόσμος) hates you. Remember what I told you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they obeyed my word, they will obey yours too. But they will do all these things to you^[15] on account of my name because they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty^[16] of sin. But they no longer have any excuse for their sin. The one who hates me hates my Father too. If I had not performed among them the miraculous deeds that no one else did,^[17] they would not be guilty^[18] of sin. But now they have seen the deeds and have hated both me and my Father. Now this happened to fulfill the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without reason.’ When^[19] the Advocate comes, whom I will send you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me, and you also will testify because you have been with me from the beginning.

This has me thinking a little differently about a very familiar passage: For God so loved the world (κόσμον, another form of κόσμος), that He left it exactly as it is, might be the silent hope of the old human following after the flesh. It is not what the Holy Spirit said through the inspired apostle: For God so loved the world, that hated Him, hated Jesus and his apostles, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.^[20]

Jesus elaborated how the old human following after the flesh will be separated from the new human led by the Holy Spirit at the end of the [KJV: this] age (Matthew 13:40-43 NET):

As the poisonous weeds are collected and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age [Table]. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes sin as well as all lawbreakers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears^[21] had better listen!

Paul wrote something similar to those who consider themselves God’s coworkers (συνεργοί, a form of συνεργός) in contrast to those who consider themselves God’s field (γεώργιον), God’s building (οἰκοδομή) (1 Corinthians 3:10-17 NET):

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master-builder I laid^[22] a foundation, but someone else builds on it. And each one must be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is Jesus Christ.^[23] If anyone builds on the^[24] foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, each builder’s work will be plainly seen, for the Day will make it clear, because it will be revealed by fire. And the fire will test what kind of work each has done. If what someone has built^[25] survives, he will receive^[26] a reward. If someone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If someone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, which is what you are.

If someone’s work, as a coworker with God building God’s temple, is burned up (κατακαήσεται, a form of κατακαίω), he will suffer loss (ζημιωθήσεται, a form of ζημιόω). While ζημιωθήσεται might have been translated he will be punished, the argument in the note (16) in the NET seems sound to me:

The translation “[will] be punished” is given here by BDAG 428 s.v. ζημιόω 2. But the next clause says “he will be delivered” and so “suffering loss” is more likely to refer to the destruction of the “work” by fire or the loss of the reward that could have been gained.

This reasoning should be carried forward into an understanding of the “destruction” Paul reiterated thereafter. I assume the coworkers building with wood, hay or straw worked in their own strength according to the flesh at cross-purposes with the Holy Spirit. When their work is tested by fire and burns up, they suffer loss. God will destroy (φθερεῖ, a form of φθείρω) the one who destroys (φθείρει, a form of φθείρω), ruins, spoils, ravages, disfigures, damages, disables, seduces, corrupts or cheats God’s field, God’s buiding, God’s temple: he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved (σωθήσεται, a form of σώζω), but only as through fire.

Peter addressed God’s field, God’s building, God’s temple somewhat less ambiguously (2 Peter 3:10-13 NET):

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes, the heavens will disappear with a horrific noise, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze, and the earth and every deed done on it will be laid bare. Since all these things are to melt away in this manner, what sort of people must you be, conducting your lives in holiness and godliness [Table], while waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God? Because of this day, the heavens will be burned up and dissolve, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze! But, according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness truly resides.

I’ll pick this up in another essay.

Note 67 in the NET claimed that Jesus quoted Psalm 35:19. A table comparing the Greek of Jesus’ quotation to the Septuagint follows.

John 15:25b (NET Parallel Greek)	Psalm 35:19b (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 34:19b (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐμίσησαν με δωρεάν	οἱ μισοῦντές με δωρεὰν	οἱ μισοῦντες με δωρεὰν
John 15:25b (NET)	Psalm 34:19b (NETS)	Psalm 34:19b (English Elpenor)
They hated me without reason	those who hate me without cause	who hate me for nothing

It is interesting to hear this as Jesus’ prayer:

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Psalm 35:19 (Tanakh)	Psalm 35:19 (NET)	Psalm 34:19 (NETS)	Psalm 34:19 (English Elpenor)
Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.	Do not let those who are my enemies for no reason gloat over me. Do not let those who hate me without cause carry out their wicked schemes.	May those who unjustly are my enemies not be happy over me, those who hate me without cause and wink with the eyes,	Let not them that are mine enemies without a cause rejoice against me; who hate me for nothing, and wink with their eyes.

Note 67 in the NET also claimed that Jesus quoted Psalm 69:4. A table comparing the Greek of Jesus’ quotation to the Septuagint follows.

John 15:25b (NET Parallel Greek)	Psalm 69:4b (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 68:5b (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐμίσησαν με δωρεάν	οἱ μισοῦντές με δωρεάν	οἱ μισοῦντές με δωρεάν
John 15:25b (NET)	Psalm 68:5b (NETS)	Psalm 68:5b (English Elpenor)
They hated me without reason	those who hate me without cause	They that hate me without a cause

If He did quote the Septuagint I find it interesting that He changed the present tense μισοῦντές (a form of μισέω), which was certainly true, to the aorist tense ἐμίσησαν (another form of μισέω). “The aorist is said to be ‘simple occurrence’ or ‘summary occurrence,’ without regard for the amount of time taken to accomplish the action. This tense is also often referred to as the ‘punctiliar’ tense. ‘Punctiliar’ in this sense means ‘viewed as a single, collective whole,’ a ‘one-point-in-time’ action, although it may actually take place over a period of time.”^[27] Has Jesus used Greek grammar to prophesy another point-in-time when this hatred will no longer be true?

Gary Gagliardi on Christ’s Words — The Mysteries of Jesus’s Greek Revealed online took a different tack. He heard Jesus quoting from the Hebrew of Psalm 109:3. The Greek verb is quite different.

John 15:25b (NET Parallel Greek)	Psalm 109:3b (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 108:3b (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐμίσησαν με δωρεάν	καὶ ἐπολέμησάν με δωρεάν	καὶ ἐπολέμησάν με δωρεάν
John 15:25b (NET)	Psalm 108:3b (NETS)	Psalm 108:3b (English Elpenor)
They hated me without reason	and made war on me without cause	and fought against me without a cause

Though ἐπολέμησάν (a form of πολεμέω) is different from ἐμίσησαν, it is in the aorist tense. And I do take Mr. Gagliardi’s point to heart—“Jesus often seems much more light-hearted in the Greek.” Jesus doesn’t seem as whiny about being hated or polemicized against as I have heard in my own mind reading any of these Psalms.

Note 64 in the NET claimed that Jesus quoted Daniel 3:6. A table comparing the Greek of Jesus’ quotation to the Septuagint follows.

Matthew 13:42a (NET Parallel Greek)	Daniel 3:6 (Septuagint BLB)	Daniel 3:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)
βαλοῦσιν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρός	ἐμβληθήσεται εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρὸς τὴν καιομένην	ἐμβληθήσεται εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρὸς τὴν καιομένην
Matthew 13:42a (NET)	Daniel 3:6 (NETS)	Daniel 3:6 (English Elpenor)
They will throw them into the fiery furnace	will be thrown into the furnace blazing with fire	he shall be cast into the burning fiery furnace

At first this seemed so startling I searched the Septuagint for another possibility. But as I considered the entire story (Daniel 3:1-4:3) it began to seem like Jesus’ wink to those in the know. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3:12) refused to honor the king’s edict out of respect for the one true living God:

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Daniel 3:17, 18 (Tanakh)	Daniel 3:17, 18 (NET)	Daniel 3:17, 18 (NETS)	Daniel 3:17, 18 (English Elpenor)
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.	If our God whom we are serving exists, he is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he will rescue us, O king, from your power as well.	for there is a god whom we serve, able to deliver us from the furnace blazing with fire, and out of your hands, O king, he will rescue us.	For our God whom we serve is in the heavens, able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will rescue us from thy hands, O king.
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.	But if he does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we don’t serve your gods, and we will not pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected.”	And if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, and we will not do obeisance to the image, which you have set up.”	But if not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the image which thou hast set up.

Their insolence had the intended effect. Enraged, the king ordered that the fire be made seven times hotter. It was so hot it killed the men who threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into it, yet they were unharmed by its flames.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Daniel 3:26, 27 (Tanakh)	Daniel 3:26, 27 (NET)	Daniel 3:93, 94 (NETS)	Daniel 3:26, 27 (English Elpenor)
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.	Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire. He called out, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the most high God, come out! Come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego emerged from the fire.	Then Nabouchodonosor approached the door of the furnace blazing with fire and said, “Sedrach, Misach, Abdenago, slaves of the Most High God, come out and come here!” And Sedrach, Misach, Abdenago came out from the middle of the fire.	Then Nabuchodonosor drew near to the door of the burning fiery furnace, and said, Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago, ye servants of the most high God, proceed forth, and come hither. So Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago, came forth out of the midst of the fire.
And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.	Once the satraps, prefects, governors, and ministers of the king had gathered around, they saw that those men were physically unharmed by the fire. The hair of their heads was not singed, nor were their trousers damaged. Not even the smell of fire was to be found on them!	And the satraps and the generals and the local rulers and the dynasts of the king gathered together and looked at the men, that the fire had not had any power over their body; the hair of their heads was not singed, and their trousers were not changed, and a smell of fire was not on them.	Then were assembled the satraps, and captains, and heads of provinces, and the royal princes; and they saw the men, and perceived that the fire had not had power against their bodies, and the hair of their head was not burnt, and their coats were not scorched, nor was the smell of fire upon them.

Note 65 in the NET claimed that Jesus alluded to Daniel 12:3. A table comparing the Greek of Jesus’ allusion to the Septuagint follows.

Matthew 13:43a (NET Parallel Greek)	Daniel 12:3 (Septuagint BLB)	Daniel 12:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
οἱ δίκαιοι ἐκλάμψουσιν ὡς ὁ ἥλιος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῶν	οἱ συνιέντες ἐκλάμψουσιν ὡς ἡ λαμπρότης τοῦ στερεώματος καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν δικαίων τῶν πολλῶν ὡς οἱ ἀστέρες εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας καὶ ἔτι	οἱ συνιέντες ἐκλάμψουσιν ὡς ἡ λαμπρότης τοῦ στερεώματος καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν δικαίων τῶν πολλῶν ὡς οἱ ἀστέρες εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας καὶ ἔτι
Matthew 13:43a (NET)	Daniel 12:3 (NETS)	Daniel 12:3 (English Elpenor)
the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father	those who are intelligent will shine like the splendor of the firmament, and some of the many righteous, like the stars forever and anon.	the wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and [some] of the many righteous as the stars for ever and ever.

Tables comparing Psalm 35:19; 69:4; 109:3; Daniel 3:6; 3:17; 3:18; 3:26; 3:27 and 12:3 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and tables comparing Psalm 35:19 (34:19); 69:4 (68:5); 109:3 (108:3); Daniel 3:6; 3:17; 3:18; 3:26 (3:93); 3:27 (3:94) and 12:3 the Greek of in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables comparing Matthew 13:24, 25; 13:30; 13:37; John 15:21, 22; 15:24; 15:26; Matthew 13:43; 1 Corinthians 3:10-12 and 3:14 in the NET and KJV follow.

Psalm 35:19 (Tanakh)	Psalm 35:19 (KJV)	Psalm 35:19 (NET)
Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.	Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.	Do not let those who are my enemies for no reason gloat over me. Do not let those who hate me without cause carry out their wicked schemes.

Psalm 35:19 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 34:19 (Septuagint Elpenor)
μὴ ἐπιχαρείησάν μοι οἱ ἐχθραίνοντές μοι ἀδίκως οἱ μισοῦντές με δωρεὰν καὶ διανεύοντες ὀφθαλμοῗς	μὴ ἐπιχαρείησάν μοι οἱ ἐχθραίνοντές μοι ἀδίκως, οἱ μισοῦντες με δωρεὰν καὶ διανεύοντες ὀφθαλμοῖς
Psalm 34:19 (NETS)	Psalm 34:19 (English Elpenor)
May those who unjustly are my enemies not be happy over me, those who hate me without cause and wink with the eyes,	Let not them that are mine enemies without a cause rejoice against me; who hate me for nothing, and wink with their eyes.

Psalm 69:4 (Tanakh)	Psalm 69:4 (KJV)	Psalm 69:4 (NET)
They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.	They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.	Those who hate me without cause are more numerous than the hairs of my head. Those who want to destroy me, my enemies for no reason, outnumber me. They make me repay what I did not steal.

Psalm 69:4 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 68:5 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐπληθύνθησαν ὑπὲρ τὰς τρίχας τῆς κεφαλῆς μου οἱ μισοῦντές με δωρεάν ἐκραταιώθησαν οἱ ἐχθροί μου οἱ ἐκδιώκοντές με ἀδίκως ἃ οὐχ ἥρπασα τότε ἀπετίννυον	ἐπληθύνθησαν ὑπὲρ τὰς τρίχας τῆς κεφαλῆς μου οἱ μισοῦντές με δωρεάν, ἐκραταιώθησαν οἱ ἐχθροί μου οἱ ἐκδιώκοντές με ἀδίκως· ἃ οὐχ ἥρπαζον, τότε ἀπετίννυον
Psalm 68:5 (NETS)	Psalm 68:5 (English Elpenor)
They multiplied beyond the hairs of my head, those who hate me without cause; my enemies who persecuted me unjustly became strong. What I did not seize I would then repay.	They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head: my enemies that persecute me unrighteously are strengthened: then I restored that which I took not away.

Psalm 109:3 (Tanakh)	Psalm 109:3 (KJV)	Psalm 109:3 (NET)
They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.	They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.	They surround me and say hateful things; they attack me for no reason.

Psalm 109:3 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 108:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ λόγοις μίσους ἐκύκλωσάν με καὶ ἐπολέμησάν με δωρεάν	καὶ λόγοις μίσους ἐκύκλωσάν με καὶ ἐπολέμησάν με δωρεάν
Psalm 108:3 (NETS)	Psalm 108:3 (English Elpenor)
And they surrounded me with words of hate and made war on me without cause.	And they have compassed me with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.

Daniel 3:6 (Tanakh)	Daniel 3:6 (KJV)	Daniel 3:6 (NET)
And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.	And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.	Whoever does not bow down and pay homage will immediately be thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire!”

Daniel 3:6 (Septuagint BLB)	Daniel 3:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ὃς ἂν μὴ πεσὼν προσκυνήσῃ αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ ἐμβληθήσεται εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρὸς τὴν καιομένην	καὶ ὃς ἂν μὴ πεσὼν προσκυνήσῃ, αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ ἐμβληθήσεται εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρὸς τὴν καιομένην
Daniel 3:6 (NETS)	Daniel 3:6 (English Elpenor)
And whoever does not fall down and do obeisance, at that very hour will be thrown into the furnace blazing with fire.”	And whosoever shall not fall down and worship, in the same hour he shall be cast into the burning fiery furnace.

Daniel 3:17 (Tanakh)	Daniel 3:17 (KJV)	Daniel 3:17 (NET)
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.	If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.	If our God whom we are serving exists, he is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he will rescue us, O king, from your power as well.

Daniel 3:17 (Septuagint BLB)	Daniel 3:17 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἔστιν γὰρ θεός ᾧ ἡμεῗς λατρεύομεν δυνατὸς ἐξελέσθαι ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς καμίνου τοῦ πυρὸς τῆς καιομένης καὶ ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν σου βασιλεῦ ῥύσεται ἡμᾶς	ἔστι γὰρ Θεὸς ἡμῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς, ᾧ ἡμεῖς λατρεύομεν, δυνατὸς ἐξελέσθαι ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς καμίνου τοῦ πυρὸς τῆς καιομένης, καὶ ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν σου, βασιλεῦ, ρύσεται ἡμᾶς
Daniel 3:17 (NETS)	Daniel 3:17 (English Elpenor)
for there is a god whom we serve, able to deliver us from the furnace blazing with fire, and out of your hands, O king, he will rescue us.	For our God whom we serve is in the heavens, able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will rescue us from thy hands, O king.

Daniel 3:18 (Tanakh)	Daniel 3:18 (KJV)	Daniel 3:18 (NET)
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.	But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.	But if he does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we don’t serve your gods, and we will not pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected.”

Daniel 3:18 (Septuagint BLB)	Daniel 3:18 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐὰν μή γνωστὸν ἔστω σοι βασιλεῦ ὅτι τοῗς θεοῗς σου οὐ λατρεύομεν καὶ τῇ εἰκόνι τῇ χρυσῇ ᾗ ἔστησας οὐ προσκυνοῦμεν	καὶ ἐὰν μή, γνωστὸν ἔστω σοι, βασιλεῦ, ὅτι τοῖς θεοῖς σου οὐ λατρεύομεν καὶ τῇ εἰκόνι, ᾗ ἔστησας, οὐ προσκυνοῦμεν
Daniel 3:18 (NETS)	Daniel 3:18 (English Elpenor)
And if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, and we will not do obeisance to the image, which you have set up.”	But if not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the image which thou hast set up.

Daniel 3:26 (Tanakh)	Daniel 3:26 (KJV)	Daniel 3:26 (NET)
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.	Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.	Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire. He called out, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the most high God, come out! Come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego emerged from the fire.

Daniel 3:26 (Septuagint BLB)	Daniel 3:26 (Septuagint Elpenor)
τότε προσῆλθεν Ναβουχοδονοσορ πρὸς τὴν θύραν τῆς καμίνου τοῦ πυρὸς τῆς καιομένης καὶ εἶπεν Σεδραχ Μισαχ Αβδεναγω οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου ἐξέλθετε καὶ δεῦτε καὶ ἐξῆλθον Σεδραχ Μισαχ Αβδεναγω ἐκ μέσου τοῦ πυρός	τότε προσῆλθε Ναβουχοδονόσορ πρὸς τὴν θύραν τῆς καμίνου τοῦ πυρὸς τῆς καιομένης καὶ εἶπε· Σεδράχ, Μισάχ, ᾿Αβδεναγώ, οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ῾Υψίστου, ἐξέλθετε καὶ δεῦτε. καὶ ἐξῆλθον Σεδράχ, Μισάχ, ᾿Αβδεναγὼ ἐκ μέσου τοῦ πυρός
Daniel 3:93 (NETS)	Daniel 3:26 (English Elpenor)
Then Nabouchodonosor approached the door of the furnace blazing with fire and said, “Sedrach, Misach, Abdenago, slaves of the Most High God, come out and come here!” And Sedrach, Misach, Abdenago came out from the middle of the fire.	Then Nabuchodonosor drew near to the door of the burning fiery furnace, and said, Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago, ye servants of the most high God, proceed forth, and come hither. So Sedrach, Misach, and Abdenago, came forth out of the midst of the fire.

Daniel 3:27 (Tanakh)	Daniel 3:27 (KJV)	Daniel 3:27 (NET)
And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.	And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.	Once the satraps, prefects, governors, and ministers of the king had gathered around, they saw that those men were physically unharmed by the fire. The hair of their heads was not singed, nor were their trousers damaged. Not even the smell of fire was to be found on them!

Daniel 3:27 (Septuagint BLB)	Daniel 3:27 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ συνάγονται οἱ σατράπαι καὶ οἱ στρατηγοὶ καὶ οἱ τοπάρχαι καὶ οἱ δυνάσται τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἐθεώρουν τοὺς ἄνδρας ὅτι οὐκ ἐκυρίευσεν τὸ πῦρ τοῦ σώματος αὐτῶν καὶ ἡ θρὶξ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐφλογίσθη καὶ τὰ σαράβαρα αὐτῶν οὐκ ἠλλοιώθη καὶ ὀσμὴ πυρὸς οὐκ ἦν ἐν αὐτοῗς	καὶ συνάγονται οἱ σατράπαι καὶ οἱ στρατηγοὶ καὶ οἱ τοπάρχαι καὶ οἱ δυνάσται τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἐθεώρουν τοὺς ἄνδρας ὅτι οὐκ ἐκυρίευσε τὸ πῦρ τοῦ σώματος αὐτῶν, καὶ ἡ θρὶξ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐφλογίσθη, καὶ τὰ σαράβαρα αὐτῶν οὐκ ἠλλοιώθη, καὶ ὀσμὴ πυρὸς οὐκ ἦν ἐν αὐτοῖς
Daniel 3:94 (NETS)	Daniel 3:27 (English Elpenor)
And the satraps and the generals and the local rulers and the dynasts of the king gathered together and looked at the men, that the fire had not had any power over their body; the hair of their heads was not singed, and their trousers were not changed, and a smell of fire was not on them.	Then were assembled the satraps, and captains, and heads of provinces, and the royal princes; and they saw the men, and perceived that the fire had not had power against their bodies, and the hair of their head was not burnt, and their coats were not scorched, nor was the smell of fire upon them.

Daniel 12:3 (Tanakh)	Daniel 12:3 (KJV)	Daniel 12:3 (NET)
And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.	And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.	But the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavenly expanse. And those bringing many to righteousness will be like the stars forever and ever.

Daniel 12:3 (Septuagint BLB)	Daniel 12:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ οἱ συνιέντες ἐκλάμψουσιν ὡς ἡ λαμπρότης τοῦ στερεώματος καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν δικαίων τῶν πολλῶν ὡς οἱ ἀστέρες εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας καὶ ἔτι	καὶ οἱ συνιέντες ἐκλάμψουσιν ὡς ἡ λαμπρότης τοῦ στερεώματος καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν δικαίων τῶν πολλῶν ὡς οἱ ἀστέρες εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας καὶ ἔτι
Daniel 12:3 (NETS)	Daniel 12:3 (English Elpenor)
And those who are intelligent will shine like the splendor of the firmament, and some of the many righteous, like the stars forever and anon.	And the wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and [some] of the many righteous as the stars for ever and ever.

Matthew 13:24, 25 (NET)	Matthew 13:24, 25 (KJV)
He presented them with another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field.	Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
῎Αλλην παραβολὴν παρέθηκεν αὐτοῖς λέγων· ὡμοιώθη ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ σπείραντι καλὸν σπέρμα ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ αὐτοῦ	αλλην παραβολην παρεθηκεν αυτοις λεγων ωμοιωθη η βασιλεια των ουρανων ανθρωπω σπειροντι καλον σπερμα εν τω αγρω αυτου	αλλην παραβολην παρεθηκεν αυτοις λεγων ωμοιωθη η βασιλεια των ουρανων ανθρωπω σπειροντι καλον σπερμα εν τω αγρω αυτου

But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed darnel among the wheat and went away.

But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἐν δὲ τῷ καθεύδειν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἦλθεν αὐτοῦ ὁ ἐχθρὸς καὶ ἐπέσπειρεν ζιζάνια ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σίτου καὶ ἀπῆλθεν	εν δε τω καθευδειν τους ανθρωπους ηλθεν αυτου ο εχθρος και εσπειρεν ζιζανια ανα μεσον του σιτου και απηλθεν	εν δε τω καθευδειν τους ανθρωπους ηλθεν αυτου ο εχθρος και εσπειρεν ζιζανια ανα μεσον του σιτου και απηλθεν

Matthew 13:30 (NET)	Matthew 13:30 (KJV)
Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burned, but then gather the wheat into my barn.”’”	Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἄφετε συναυξάνεσθαι ἀμφότερα ἕως τοῦ θερισμοῦ, καὶ ἐν καιρῷ τοῦ θερισμοῦ ἐρῶ τοῖς θερισταῖς· συλλέξατε πρῶτον τὰ ζιζάνια καὶ δήσατε αὐτὰ \|εἰς\| δέσμας πρὸς τὸ κατακαῦσαι αὐτά, τὸν δὲ σῖτον \|συναγάγετε\| εἰς τὴν ἀποθήκην μου	αφετε συναυξανεσθαι αμφοτερα μεχρι του θερισμου και εν τω καιρω του θερισμου ερω τοις θερισταις συλλεξατε πρωτον τα ζιζανια και δησατε αυτα εις δεσμας προς το κατακαυσαι αυτα τον δε σιτον συναγαγετε εις την αποθηκην μου	αφετε συναυξανεσθαι αμφοτερα μεχρι του θερισμου και εν καιρω του θερισμου ερω τοις θερισταις συλλεξατε πρωτον τα ζιζανια και δησατε αυτα εις δεσμας προς το κατακαυσαι αυτα τον δε σιτον συναγαγετε εις την αποθηκην μου

Matthew 13:37 (NET)	Matthew 13:37 (KJV)
He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.	He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· ὁ σπείρων τὸ καλὸν σπέρμα ἐστὶν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου	ο δε αποκριθεις ειπεν αυτοις ο σπειρων το καλον σπερμα εστιν ο υιος του ανθρωπου	ο δε αποκριθεις ειπεν αυτοις ο σπειρων το καλον σπερμα εστιν ο υιος του ανθρωπου

John 15:21, 22 (NET)	John 15:21, 22 (KJV)
But they will do all these things to you on account of my name because they do not know the one who sent me.	But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πάντα ποιήσουσιν εἰς ὑμᾶς διὰ τὸ ὄνομα μου, ὅτι οὐκ οἴδασιν τὸν πέμψαντα με	αλλα ταυτα παντα ποιησουσιν υμιν δια το ονομα μου οτι ουκ οιδασιν τον πεμψαντα με	αλλα ταυτα παντα ποιησουσιν υμιν δια το ονομα μου οτι ουκ οιδασιν τον πεμψαντα με

If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But they no longer have any excuse for their sin.

If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
εἰ μὴ ἦλθον καὶ ἐλάλησα αὐτοῖς, ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ εἴχοσαν· νῦν δὲ πρόφασιν οὐκ ἔχουσιν περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν	ει μη ηλθον και ελαλησα αυτοις αμαρτιαν ουκ ειχον νυν δε προφασιν ουκ εχουσιν περι της αμαρτιας αυτων	ει μη ηλθον και ελαλησα αυτοις αμαρτιαν ουκ ειχον νυν δε προφασιν ουκ εχουσιν περι της αμαρτιας αυτων

John 15:24 (NET)	John 15:24 (KJV)
If I had not performed among them the miraculous deeds that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen the deeds and have hated both me and my Father.	If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
εἰ τὰ ἔργα μὴ ἐποίησα ἐν αὐτοῖς ἃ οὐδεὶς ἄλλος ἐποίησεν, ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ εἴχοσαν· νῦν δὲ καὶ ἑωράκασιν καὶ μεμισήκασιν καὶ ἐμὲ καὶ τὸν πατέρα μου.	ει τα εργα μη εποιησα εν αυτοις α ουδεις αλλος πεποιηκεν αμαρτιαν ουκ ειχον νυν δε και εωρακασιν και μεμισηκασιν και εμε και τον πατερα μου	ει τα εργα μη εποιησα εν αυτοις α ουδεις αλλος πεποιηκεν αμαρτιαν ουκ ειχον νυν δε και εωρακασιν και μεμισηκασιν και εμε και τον πατερα μου

John 15:26 (NET)	John 15:26 (KJV)
When the Advocate comes, whom I will send you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me,	But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Ὅταν ἔλθῃ ὁ παράκλητος ὃν ἐγὼ πέμψω ὑμῖν παρὰ τοῦ πατρός, τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας ὃ παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκπορεύεται, ἐκεῖνος μαρτυρήσει περὶ ἐμοῦ	οταν δε ελθη ο παρακλητος ον εγω πεμψω υμιν παρα του πατρος το πνευμα της αληθειας ο παρα του πατρος εκπορευεται εκεινος μαρτυρησει περι εμου	οταν δε ελθη ο παρακλητος ον εγω πεμψω υμιν παρα του πατρος το πνευμα της αληθειας ο παρα του πατρος εκπορευεται εκεινος μαρτυρησει περι εμου

Matthew 13:43 (NET)	Matthew 13:43 (KJV)
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears had better listen!	Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
τότε οἱ δίκαιοι ἐκλάμψουσιν ὡς ὁ ἥλιος ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῶν. ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκουέτω	τοτε οι δικαιοι εκλαμψουσιν ως ο ηλιος εν τη βασιλεια του πατρος αυτων ο εχων ωτα ακουειν ακουετω	τοτε οι δικαιοι εκλαμψουσιν ως ο ηλιος εν τη βασιλεια του πατρος αυτων ο εχων ωτα ακουειν ακουετω

1 Corinthians 3:10-12 (NET)	1 Corinthians 3:10-12 (KJV)
According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master-builder I laid a foundation, but someone else builds on it. And each one must be careful how he builds.	According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Κατὰ τὴν χάριν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν δοθεῖσαν μοι ὡς σοφὸς ἀρχιτέκτων θεμέλιον ἔθηκα, ἄλλος δὲ ἐποικοδομεῖ. ἕκαστος δὲ βλεπέτω πῶς ἐποικοδομεῖ	κατα την χαριν του θεου την δοθεισαν μοι ως σοφος αρχιτεκτων θεμελιον τεθεικα αλλος δε εποικοδομει εκαστος δε βλεπετω πως εποικοδομει	κατα την χαριν του θεου την δοθεισαν μοι ως σοφος αρχιτεκτων θεμελιον τεθεικα αλλος δε εποικοδομει εκαστος δε βλεπετω πως εποικοδομει

For no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is Jesus Christ.

For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
θεμέλιον γὰρ ἄλλον οὐδεὶς δύναται θεῖναι παρὰ τὸν κείμενον, ὅς ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός	θεμελιον γαρ αλλον ουδεις δυναται θειναι παρα τον κειμενον ος εστιν ιησους ο χριστος	θεμελιον γαρ αλλον ουδεις δυναται θειναι παρα τον κειμενον ος εστιν ιησους χριστος

If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw,

Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
εἰ δέ τις ἐποικοδομεῖ ἐπὶ τὸν θεμέλιον \|χρυσόν, ἄργυρον\|, λίθους τιμίους, ξύλα, χόρτον, καλάμην,	ει δε τις εποικοδομει επι τον θεμελιον τουτον χρυσον αργυρον λιθους τιμιους ξυλα χορτον καλαμην	ει δε τις εποικοδομει επι τον θεμελιον τουτον χρυσον αργυρον λιθους τιμιους ξυλα χορτον καλαμην

1 Corinthians 3:14 (NET)	1 Corinthians 3:14 (KJV)
If what someone has built survives, he will receive a reward.	If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
εἴ τινος τὸ ἔργον μενεῖ ὃ ἐποικοδόμησεν, μισθὸν λήμψεται	ει τινος το εργον μενει ο επωκοδομησεν μισθον ληψεται	ει τινος το εργον μενει ο εποικοδομησεν μισθον ληψεται

^[1] John 17:17 (NET)

^[2] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had σπείραντι here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had σπειροντι (KJV: which sowed).

^[3] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἐπέσπειρεν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εσπειρεν.

^[4] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had φησιν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εφη.

^[5] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἕως here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μεχρι.

^[6] John 8:44a (NET) Table

^[7] John 8:31, 32 (NET)

^[8] Romans 8:14 (NET)

^[9] John 12:32 (NET)

^[10] I’m thinking here of live by the Spirit and you will not carry out (τελέσητε, a form of τελέω) the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). Apart from my petty outbursts of anger, I recall a more troubling lapse. It began as a thought, then I spoke it aloud: “It may be time to take out Antifa and BLM while they’re still bringing ball bats to a gunfight.” They were idle words. I didn’t follow through to carry out the desire to shoot members of Antifa and BLM with a gun I don’t even have. And if that’s the best I can hope for this side of the fire, I’ll take it! But I still want to be more loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self-controlled than that.

^[11] Who Am I? Part 11 ; Who Am I? Part 12 ; Who Am I? Part 13

^[12] Matthew 26:39b (NET)

^[13] John 14:16, 17 (NET) Table

^[14] Galatians 5:17 (NET) Table

^[15] The NET parallel Geek text and NA²⁸ had εἰς ὑμᾶς here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had υμιν (KJV: unto them).

^[16] The NET parallel Geek text and NA²⁸ had εἴχοσαν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ειχον (KJV: they had…had).

^[17] The NET parallel Geek text and NA²⁸ had ἐποίησεν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had πεποιηκεν.

^[18] The NET parallel Geek text and NA²⁸ had εἴχοσαν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ειχον (KJV: had).

^[19] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε (KJV: But) here. The NET parallel Geek text and NA²⁸ did not.

^[20] John 3:16 (KJV) Table

^[21] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ακουειν (KJV: to hear) following ears. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

^[22] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἔθηκα here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τεθεικα (KJV: I have laid).

^[23] The Stephanus Textus Receptus had the article ο preceding Christ. The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

^[24] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τουτον (KJV: this) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

^[25] The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text had ἐποικοδόμησεν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had επωκοδομησεν (KJV: he hath built).

^[26] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had λήμψεται here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ληψεται (KJV: he shall receive).

^[27] Verb Tenses, Greek Verbs (Shorter Definitions), Resources for Learning New Testament Greek

Who Am I? Part 12

Posted on January 26, 2021 by admin

Jesus said, I always do those things that please him^[1] (literally: “I the pleasing things do always”).

“How?” I ask. I couldn’t even say, “I always lie.”

The Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works,^[2] Jesus replied.

But I say, Paul wrote, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.^[3]

I’ve written that I became an atheist during my prodigal years. That is technically correct according to the definition that pops up in Google: “a person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods.” I stopped believing in my god of punishment for a few years, and I certainly didn’t believe in the existence of any other gods. But I was by no means a practicing atheist.

To become a practicing atheist is at least as difficult as becoming a do-it-yourself-Christian. Atheists exist in a world where God the Father is making Jesus’ enemies a footstool for [his] feet;^[4] God the Holy Spirit is proving the world wrong concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;^[5] and God the Son promised to draw all…to myself.^[6] The practicing atheist must be ever-vigilant to withstand his relentless love while striving to make this world the place where the omnipresent God is not. The atheist philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche lamented, “I am afraid we are not rid of God because we still have faith in grammar.”^[7]

It’s probably more meaningful to say that my free will became relatively unfettered from God for a time. Since I didn’t study the Bible in English, much less in Greek, I didn’t know anything about ἀπ᾿ ἐμαυτοῦ. I didn’t see the connection between ἀπ᾿ ἐμαυτοῦ and θέλημα. I was clueless that the noun θέλημα related to the verb θέλω: “I want.” But with my own free will relatively unfettered from God I was about to get a crash course in I want.

The following Gospel harmony provides a glimpse into Jesus’ free will as I want:

Matthew 26:36-39a (NET)	Mark 14:32-35 (NET)	Luke 22:39-41 (NET)	John 18:1 (NET)
			When he had said these things (John 13:31-17:26),
Then Jesus went with them	Then they went	Then Jesus went out and made his way, as he customarily did, to the Mount of Olives, and the^[8] disciples followed him.	Jesus went out with his disciples
			across the^[9] Kidron Valley. There was an orchard there,
to a place called Gethsemane,^[10]	to a place called Gethsemane,^[11]
		When he came to the place,
			and he and his disciples went into it.
and he said to the disciples,	and Jesus said to his disciples,	he said to them,
“Sit here while I go over there and pray.”	“Sit here while I pray.”
		“Pray that you will not fall into temptation.”
He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and he became anguished and distressed. Then he^[12] said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me.”	He took Peter, James,^[13] and John^[14] with him,^[15] and became very troubled and distressed. He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay alert.”
Going a little farther, he threw himself down with his face to the ground and prayed,	Going a little farther, he threw^[16] himself to the ground and prayed	He went away from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed,
	that if it were possible the hour would pass from him.

Jesus’ will here, what He wanted, was not to be tortured to death. My Father, if possible, let this cup pass^[17] from me!^[18] He prayed according to Matthew’s Gospel narrative. Abba, Father, all things are possible for you, Mark’s Gospel narrative clarified. Take this cup away from me.^[19] This is perfectly intelligible to me.

I want to live, not to die. If I must die, I want that death to be as easy as possible. Viewed this way Jesus’ expressed a fundamental aspect of the human will. But viewed in the context of his own life and words, I get a very different picture. He had already stated quite publicly (John 12:27, 28a NET):

“Now my soul is greatly distressed. And what should I say? ‘Father, deliver me from this hour’? No, but for this very reason I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.”

And then privately, alone in prayer with his Father, He did exactly that: He prayed that if it were possible the hour would pass from him.^[20] This is so pathetically human I can hear the pre-echo of Paul’s lament: Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?^[21] Jesus’ prayer was more nuanced, however, than I’ve made it seem. His free will was more constrained by the will of his Father.

Matthew 26:39b (NET)	Mark 14:36 (NET)	Luke 22:42 (NET)
	He said,
“My Father, if possible,	“Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.
		“Father, if you are willing,
let this cup pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will.”	Take this cup away from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”	take this cup away^[22] from me. Yet not my will but yours be done.”

Jesus’ will was subordinate to his Father’s will (letter C of the throne diagram). Father, if you are willing (εἰ βούλει), He prayed before his request in Luke’s Gospel narrative. Yet not my will (πλὴν μὴ τὸ θέλημα μου), followed his request, but yours be done (ἀλλὰ τὸ σὸν γινέσθω). Matthew’s and Mark’s Gospel narratives had the following after Jesus’ request:

Matthew 26:39c (NET)	Mark 14:36c (NET)
Yet not what I will, but what you will.	Yet not what I will, but what you will.
Matthew 26:39c (NET Parallel Greek)	Mark 14:36c (NET Parallel Greek)
πλὴν οὐχ ὡς ἐγὼ θέλω ἀλλ᾿ ὡς σύ	ἀλλ᾿ οὐ τί ἐγὼ θέλω ἀλλὰ τί σύ

Though I didn’t study the Bible, this story was unavoidable as Easter approached. I don’t recall it being presented as a Gospel harmony. We were Protestant. Visual aids were not generally used upstairs in gownup church. I do remember flipping back and forth between Gospel accounts during sermons. That’s how I knew they “needed” harmonizing.

As a boy I found it embarrassing, even a little disconcerting, how much Jesus feared death. I’m sure preachers tried to explain how it wasn’t a fear of death, but that just seemed like a cover for their own embarrassment over Jesus’ lack of machismo. Besides, Jesus was so perfect, it was all going to work out okay in the end—for Him. What follows always seemed like the point of the story to me.

Matthew 26:40, 41 (NET)	Mark 14:37, 38 (NET)
Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He said to Peter,	Then he came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter,
	“Simon, are you sleeping?
“So, couldn’t you stay awake with me for one hour? Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”	Couldn’t you stay awake for one hour? Stay awake and pray that you will not fall^[23] into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

I thought I needed to be stronger than Peter and the other disciples, stronger even than Jesus perhaps:

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”;^[24]

[Jesus] did not need anyone to testify about man, for he knew what was in man.^[25] For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin.^[26] But I missed completely that when Jesus said, The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak, He referred primarily to Himself. He wasn’t chiding his disciples so much as empathizing with them, as he continued to wrestle in prayer with the weakness of his own flesh.

Matthew 26:42 (NET)	Mark 14:39 (NET)	Luke 22:43 ,44 (NET)
He went away a second time and prayed,	He went away again and prayed the same thing.
		Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And in his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
“My Father, if this cup^[27] cannot be taken away^[28] unless I drink it, your will must be done.”

An argument could be made that the angel from heaven didn’t appear until Jesus’ third prayer session. I placed this appearance in the second because I know what comes next. We are taken from a scene of Jesus in anguish praying more earnestly with sweat…like drops of blood to a scene where Jesus is terrifyingly calm. These scenes are separated not by decades, nor years, not months, nor weeks, not even days: It was only a matter of moments before Jesus asked Peter and the other disciples: How then would the scriptures that say it must happen this way be fulfilled?^[29]

Despite my attempt to add a few moments here the angel may not have appeared before Jesus prayed: My Father, if this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will must be done. The clause your will must be done (γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημα σου) struck me as I consider free will in general and Jesus’ free will in particular. The subject, your will, is τὸ θέλημα σου. The NET translators chose must be done for the verb γενηθήτω, a passive imperative form of γίνομαι. I laughed out loud at a passive imperative.

It was clear that must was intended to convey the imperative aspect and be done the passive aspect. But I couldn’t grasp whether the imperative aspect should hold sway (your will must be done by me), or the passive aspect (your will must be done to me). Gary Gagliardi’s insight on Christ’s Words — The Mysteries of Jesus’s Greek Revealed was helpful here:

The word translated as “be” means “to become,” that is, to enter into a new state. In Greek, especially as used by Jesus, it is the opposite of “being,” which is existence in the current state. It is in a form that doesn’t exist in English, the 3rd person command in the passive. In translation a 3rd person command is usually translated with a leading “let”, so “let your.”

Mr. Gagliardi’s translation, “let your desire come into being,” seemed like a perfect solution until I tried to make it more concrete with a simpler command: one in authority says, “I want you to wash the dishes.” “Let your desire come into being,” rings true if the one under authority says it on the way to washing the dishes. But if the one under authority simply stands there, or sits there, and says, “Let your desire come into being,” I have a fairly practical demonstration of James’ maxim (James 2:17 KJV):

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

The translation alone for the Greek word ἑαυτήν (NET: itself) seems to strengthen the connection to a later statement: You see^[30] that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone (μόνον, a form of μόνος; KJV: only).^[31] Jesus presented this same issue to the chief priests and elders of the people as a question (Matthew 21:28-31a NET):

What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today’ [Table]. The boy answered, ‘I will (θέλω) not.’ But later he had a change of heart and went. The father went to the other son and said the same thing. This boy answered, ‘I will, sir (ἐγώ, κύριε),’ but did not go. Which of the two did (ἐποίησεν, a form of ποιέω) his father’s will (θέλημα) [Table]?

The works are so integrated into the faith we would probably call it faithworks if we were physicists. But who does these faithworks? Do I do them as continuous acts of my own free will or do they come from God? I expressed my current bias clearly at the beginning of this essay: The Father that dwelleth in me, Jesus said, he doeth the works.^[32]

The scene of Jesus’ anguish in prayer continued:

Matthew 26:43-46 (NET)	Mark 14:40-42 (NET)	Luke 22:45, 46 (NET)
		When he got up from prayer,
He came again and found^[33] them sleeping;	When he came^[34] again he found them sleeping;	he came to the disciples and found them sleeping,
		exhausted from grief.
they could not keep their eyes open.	they could not keep their eyes open.^[35]
.	And they did not know what to tell him.
		So he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you will not fall into temptation!”
So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same thing once more.^[36]
Then he came to the^[37] disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting?	He came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting?
	Enough of that!
Look, the hour is approaching, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us go. Look! My betrayer is approaching!”	The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us go. Look! My betrayer is approaching!”

And that abruptly we are in a new scene: Jesus is back, large and in charge, and terrifyingly calm. It is probably time to call terrifyingly calm what it actually is: the peace (εἰρήνη) of God that surpasses all understanding,^[38] an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit. Jesus, strengthened by an angel from heaven, prayed in anguish as the human response exemplified by his disciples was to sleep. Jesus exhibited the peace of God that surpasses all understanding when the human response exemplified by his disciples was fight (Matthew 26:51-54; Mark 14:47-49; Luke 22:49-52; John 18:10, 11) or flight (Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:50-52).

It becomes more and more impossible for me to believe that Jesus subordinated his will—“I want not to be tortured to death”—to his Father’s will by an act of his own free will, which was—“I want not to be tortured to death” at that moment. The apparent choices, willpower or the indwelling Spirit of God, are listed in a tabular form:

Willpower

The Indwelling Spirit of God

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”;

The Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

But that’s Jesus. What about me? For it is God which worketh in you, Paul wrote to those who believe Jesus, both to will and to do of his good pleasure.^[39]

The Greek word translated worketh is ἐνεργῶν (a form of ἐνεργέω). The word translated to will is θέλειν (a form of θέλω). And the word translated to do is ἐνεργεῖν (another form of ἐνεργέω).

To conclude I’ll consider the passive imperative γενηθήτω again, not as a bad joke but as a source of real insight. I’m more confident that your will must be done by the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. But there is an aspect of your will must be done to me as well here:

Matthew 26:45b, 46 (NET)	Mark 14:41b, 42 (NET)
Look, the hour is approaching, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners…My betrayer is approaching!”	The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners…My betrayer is approaching!”

The Greek word translated betrayed is παραδίδοται (a form of παραδίδωμι). The same word was translated will be handed over when Jesus told his disciples, You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over (παραδίδοται) to be crucified.^[40] It was translated is delivered in the KJV when Jesus taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered (παραδίδοται) into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third^[41] day.^[42]

Though the emphasis above may be on the betrayer (παραδιδούς, another form of παραδίδωμι) Judas Iscariot, Jesus was handed over and delivered by God the Father long before Judas was born: How then would the scriptures that say it must happen this way be fulfilled?^[43] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten (μονογενῆ, a form of μονογενής) Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.^[44] Yet none of this was contrary to Jesus’ own free will (John 10:17, 18 NET).

This is why the Father loves me—because I lay down my life, so that I may take it back again. No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down of my own free will. ^[45] I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it back again. This commandment I received from my Father.

This leads me to a third aspect: your will must be done through me. Whether this aspect is implicit in the passive imperative γενηθήτω or not, it is revealed in this story. These three aspects are difficult for me to hold in my mind simultaneously as one whole (not unlike the nine aspects of the fruit of the Spirit). Those who believe have God’s promise to guide us through this and every faithwork.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Isaiah 55:10, 11 (Tanakh)	Isaiah 55:10, 11 (NET)	Isaiah 55:10, 11 (NETS)	Isaiah 55:10, 11 (English Elpenor)
For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:	The rain and snow fall from the sky and do not return, but instead water the earth and make it produce and yield crops, and provide seed for the planter and food for those who must eat.	For as rain or snow comes down from heaven and will not return until it has soaked the earth and brought forth and blossomed and given seed to the sower and bread for food,	For as rain shall come down, or snow, from heaven, and shall not return until it have saturated the earth, and it bring forth, and bud, and give seed to the sower, and bread for food:
So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.	In the same way, the promise that I make does not return to me, having accomplished nothing. No, it is realized as I desire and is fulfilled as I intend.”	so shall my word be, whatever goes out from my mouth; it shall not return until whatever I have willed (ἠθέλησα) is fulfilled, and I will prosper your ways and my commandments.	so shall my word be, whatever shall proceed out of my mouth, it shall by no means turn back, until all the things which I willed (ἠθέλησα) shall have been accomplished; and I will make thy^[46] ways prosperous, and [will effect] my commands.

Tables comparing Isaiah 55:10 and 55:11 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and comparing Isaiah 55:10 and 55:11 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables comparing Matthew 26:36; 26:38, 39; Mark 14:32, 33; 14:35; Luke 22:39; John 18:1; Luke 22:42; Mark 14:38; Matthew 26:42; James 2:24; Matthew 26:43-45; Mark 14:40 and 9:31 in the NET and KJV follow.

Isaiah 55:10 (Tanakh)	Isaiah 55:10 (KJV)	Isaiah 55:10 (NET)
For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:	For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:	The rain and snow fall from the sky and do not return, but instead water the earth and make it produce and yield crops, and provide seed for the planter and food for those who must eat.

Isaiah 55:10 (Septuagint BLB)	Isaiah 55:10 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὡς γὰρ ἐὰν καταβῇ ὑετὸς ἢ χιὼν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀποστραφῇ ἕως ἂν μεθύσῃ τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐκτέκῃ καὶ ἐκβλαστήσῃ καὶ δῷ σπέρμα τῷ σπείροντι καὶ ἄρτον εἰς βρῶσιν	ὡς γὰρ ἂν καταβῇ ὁ ὑετὸς ἢ χιὼν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀποστραφῇ, ἕως ἂν μεθύσῃ τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἐκτέκῃ καὶ ἐκβλαστήσῃ καὶ δῷ σπέρμα τῷ σπείραντι καὶ ἄρτον εἰς βρῶσιν
Isaiah 55:10 (NETS)	Isaiah 55:10 (English Elpenor)
For as rain or snow comes down from heaven and will not return until it has soaked the earth and brought forth and blossomed and given seed to the sower and bread for food,	For as rain shall come down, or snow, from heaven, and shall not return until it have saturated the earth, and it bring forth, and bud, and give seed to the sower, and bread for food:

Isaiah 55:11 (Tanakh)	Isaiah 55:11 (KJV)	Isaiah 55:11 (NET)
So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.	So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.	In the same way, the promise that I make does not return to me, having accomplished nothing. No, it is realized as I desire and is fulfilled as I intend.”

Isaiah 55:11 (Septuagint BLB)	Isaiah 55:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)
οὕτως ἔσται τὸ ῥῆμά μου ὃ ἐὰν ἐξέλθῃ ἐκ τοῦ στόματός μου οὐ μὴ ἀποστραφῇ ἕως ἂν συντελεσθῇ ὅσα ἠθέλησα καὶ εὐοδώσω τὰς ὁδούς σου καὶ τὰ ἐντάλματά μου	οὕτως ἔσται τὸ ῥῆμά μου, ὃ ἐὰν ἐξέλθῃ ἐκ τοῦ στόματός μου, οὐ μὴ ἀποστραφῇ, ἕως ἂν τελεσθῇ ὅσα ἂν ἠθέλησα καὶ εὐοδώσω τὰς ὁδούς μου καὶ τὰ ἐντάλματά μου
Isaiah 55:11 (NETS)	Isaiah 55:11 (English Elpenor)
so shall my word be, whatever goes out from my mouth; it shall not return until whatever I have willed is fulfilled, and I will prosper your ways and my commandments.	so shall my word be, whatever shall proceed out of my mouth, it shall by no means turn back, until all the things which I willed shall have been accomplished; and I will make thy ways prosperous, and [will effect] my commands.

Matthew 26:36 (NET)	Matthew 26:36 (KJV)
Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”	Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Τότε ἔρχεται μετ᾿ αὐτῶν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς χωρίον λεγόμενον Γεθσημανὶ καὶ λέγει τοῖς μαθηταῖς· καθίσατε αὐτοῦ ἕως [οὗ] ἀπελθὼν ἐκεῖ προσεύξωμαι	τοτε ερχεται μετ αυτων ο ιησους εις χωριον λεγομενον γεθσημανη και λεγει τοις μαθηταις καθισατε αυτου εως ου απελθων προσευξωμαι εκει	τοτε ερχεται μετ αυτων ο ιησους εις χωριον λεγομενον γεθσημανη και λεγει τοις μαθηταις καθισατε αυτου εως ου απελθων προσευξωμαι εκει

Matthew 26:38, 39 (NET)	Matthew 26:38, 39 (KJV)
Then he said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me.”	Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
τότε λέγει αὐτοῖς· περίλυπος ἐστιν ἡ ψυχή μου ἕως θανάτου· μείνατε ὧδε καὶ γρηγορεῖτε μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ	τοτε λεγει αυτοις περιλυπος εστιν η ψυχη μου εως θανατου μεινατε ωδε και γρηγορειτε μετ εμου	τοτε λεγει αυτοις ο ιησους περιλυπος εστιν η ψυχη μου εως θανατου μεινατε ωδε και γρηγορειτε μετ εμου

Going a little farther, he threw himself down with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ προελθὼν μικρὸν ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ προσευχόμενος καὶ λέγων· πάτερ μου, εἰ δυνατόν ἐστιν, παρελθάτω ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ τὸ ποτήριον τοῦτο· πλὴν οὐχ ὡς ἐγὼ θέλω ἀλλ᾿ ὡς σύ	και προελθων μικρον επεσεν επι προσωπον αυτου προσευχομενος και λεγων πατερ μου ει δυνατον εστιν παρελθετω απ εμου το ποτηριον τουτο πλην ουχ ως εγω θελω αλλ ως συ	και προσελθων μικρον επεσεν επι προσωπον αυτου προσευχομενος και λεγων πατερ μου ει δυνατον εστιν παρελθετω απ εμου το ποτηριον τουτο πλην ουχ ως εγω θελω αλλ ως συ

Mark 14:32, 33 (NET)	Mark 14:32, 33 (KJV)
Then they went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”	And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Καὶ ἔρχονται εἰς χωρίον οὗ τὸ ὄνομα Γεθσημανὶ καὶ λέγει τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ· καθίσατε ὧδε ἕως προσεύξωμαι	και ερχονται εις χωριον ου το ονομα γεθσημανη και λεγει τοις μαθηταις αυτου καθισατε ωδε εως προσευξωμαι	και ερχονται εις χωριον ου το ονομα γεθσημανη και λεγει τοις μαθηταις αυτου καθισατε ωδε εως προσευξωμαι

He took Peter, James, and John with him, and became very troubled and distressed.

And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ παραλαμβάνει τὸν Πέτρον καὶ [τὸν] Ἰάκωβον καὶ [τὸν] Ἰωάννην μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἤρξατο ἐκθαμβεῖσθαι καὶ ἀδημονεῖν	και παραλαμβανει τον πετρον και τον ιακωβον και ιωαννην μεθ εαυτου και ηρξατο εκθαμβεισθαι και αδημονειν	και παραλαμβανει τον πετρον και ιακωβον και ιωαννην μεθ εαυτου και ηρξατο εκθαμβεισθαι και αδημονειν

Mark 14:35 (NET)	Mark 14:35 (KJV)
Going a little farther, he threw himself to the ground and prayed that if it were possible the hour would pass from him.	And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ προελθὼν μικρὸν ἔπιπτεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ προσηύχετο ἵνα εἰ δυνατόν ἐστιν παρέλθῃ ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἡ ὥρα	και προελθων μικρον επεσεν επι της γης και προσηυχετο ινα ει δυνατον εστιν παρελθη απ αυτου η ωρα	και προσελθων μικρον επεσεν επι της γης και προσηυχετο ινα ει δυνατον εστιν παρελθη απ αυτου η ωρα

Luke 22:39 (NET)	Luke 22:39 (KJV)
Then Jesus went out and made his way, as he customarily did, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him.	And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Καὶ ἐξελθὼν ἐπορεύθη κατὰ τὸ ἔθος εἰς τὸ ὄρος τῶν ἐλαιῶν, ἠκολούθησαν δὲ αὐτῷ \|καὶ\| οἱ μαθηταί	και εξελθων επορευθη κατα το εθος εις το ορος των ελαιων ηκολουθησαν δε αυτω και οι μαθηται αυτου	και εξελθων επορευθη κατα το εθος εις το ορος των ελαιων ηκολουθησαν δε αυτω και οι μαθηται αυτου

John 18:1 (NET)	John 18:1 (KJV)
When he had said these things, Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley. There was an orchard there, and he and his disciples went into it.	When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Ταῦτα εἰπὼν Ἰησοῦς ἐξῆλθεν σὺν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ πέραν τοῦ χειμάρρου \|τοῦ\| Κεδρὼν ὅπου ἦν κῆπος, εἰς ὃν εἰσῆλθεν αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ	ταυτα ειπων ο ιησους εξηλθεν συν τοις μαθηταις αυτου περαν του χειμαρρου των κεδρων οπου ην κηπος εις ον εισηλθεν αυτος και οι μαθηται αυτου	ταυτα ειπων ο ιησους εξηλθεν συν τοις μαθηταις αυτου περαν του χειμαρρου των κεδρων οπου ην κηπος εις ον εισηλθεν αυτος και οι μαθηται αυτου

Luke 22:42 (NET)	Luke 22:42 (KJV)
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Yet not my will but yours be done.”	Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
λέγων· πάτερ, εἰ βούλει παρένεγκε τοῦτο τὸ ποτήριον ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ· πλὴν μὴ τὸ θέλημα μου ἀλλὰ τὸ σὸν γινέσθω	λεγων πατερ ει βουλει παρενεγκειν το ποτηριον τουτο απ εμου πλην μη το θελημα μου αλλα το σον γενεσθω	λεγων πατερ ει βουλει παρενεγκειν το ποτηριον τουτο απ εμου πλην μη το θελημα μου αλλα το σον γενεσθω

Mark 14:38 (NET)	Mark 14:38 (KJV)
Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”	Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
γρηγορεῖτε καὶ προσεύχεσθε, ἵνα μὴ ἔλθητε εἰς πειρασμόν· τὸ μὲν πνεῦμα πρόθυμον ἡ δὲ σὰρξ ἀσθενής	γρηγορειτε και προσευχεσθε ινα μη εισελθητε εις πειρασμον το μεν πνευμα προθυμον η δε σαρξ ασθενης	γρηγορειτε και προσευχεσθε ινα μη εισελθητε εις πειρασμον το μεν πνευμα προθυμον η δε σαρξ ασθενης

Matthew 26:42 (NET)	Matthew 26:42 (KJV)
He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will must be done.”	He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
πάλιν ἐκ δευτέρου ἀπελθὼν προσηύξατο \|λέγων\|· πάτερ μου, εἰ οὐ δύναται τοῦτο παρελθεῖν ἐὰν μὴ αὐτὸ πίω, γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημα σου	παλιν εκ δευτερου απελθων προσηυξατο λεγων πατερ μου ει ου δυναται τουτο το ποτηριον παρελθειν απ εμου εαν μη αυτο πιω γενηθητω το θελημα σου	παλιν εκ δευτερου απελθων προσηυξατο λεγων πατερ μου ει ου δυναται τουτο το ποτηριον παρελθειν απ εμου εαν μη αυτο πιω γενηθητω το θελημα σου

James 2:24 (NET)	James 2:24 (KJV)
You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.	Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ὁρᾶτε ὅτι ἐξ ἔργων δικαιοῦται ἄνθρωπος καὶ οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως μόνον	ορατε τοινυν οτι εξ εργων δικαιουται ανθρωπος και ουκ εκ πιστεως μονον	ορατε τοινυν οτι εξ εργων δικαιουται ανθρωπος και ουκ εκ πιστεως μονον

Matthew 26:43-45 (NET)	Matthew 26:43-45 (KJV)
He came again and found them sleeping; they could not keep their eyes open.	And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ ἐλθὼν πάλιν εὗρεν αὐτοὺς καθεύδοντας, ἦσαν γὰρ αὐτῶν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ βεβαρημένοι	και ελθων ευρισκει αυτους παλιν καθευδοντας ησαν γαρ αυτων οι οφθαλμοι βεβαρημενοι	και ελθων ευρισκει αυτους παλιν καθευδοντας ησαν γαρ αυτων οι οφθαλμοι βεβαρημενοι

So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same thing once more.

And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ ἀφεὶς αὐτοὺς πάλιν ἀπελθὼν προσηύξατο ἐκ τρίτου τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον εἰπὼν πάλιν	και αφεις αυτους απελθων παλιν προσηυξατο εκ τριτου τον αυτον λογον ειπων	και αφεις αυτους απελθων παλιν προσηυξατο εκ τριτου τον αυτον λογον ειπων

Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is approaching, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
τότε ἔρχεται πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· καθεύδετε [τὸ] λοιπὸν καὶ ἀναπαύεσθε· ἰδοὺ ἤγγικεν ἡ ὥρα καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παραδίδοται εἰς χεῖρας ἁμαρτωλῶν	τοτε ερχεται προς τους μαθητας αυτου και λεγει αυτοις καθευδετε το λοιπον και αναπαυεσθε ιδου ηγγικεν η ωρα και ο υιος του ανθρωπου παραδιδοται εις χειρας αμαρτωλων	τοτε ερχεται προς τους μαθητας αυτου και λεγει αυτοις καθευδετε το λοιπον και αναπαυεσθε ιδου ηγγικεν η ωρα και ο υιος του ανθρωπου παραδιδοται εις χειρας αμαρτωλων

Mark 14:40 (NET)	Mark 14:40 (KJV)
When he came again he found them sleeping; they could not keep their eyes open. And they did not know what to tell him.	And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ πάλιν ἐλθὼν εὗρεν αὐτοὺς καθεύδοντας, ἦσαν γὰρ αὐτῶν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ καταβαρυνόμενοι, καὶ οὐκ ᾔδεισαν τί ἀποκριθῶσιν αὐτῷ	και υποστρεψας ευρεν αυτους παλιν καθευδοντας ησαν γαρ οι οφθαλμοι αυτων βεβαρημενοι και ουκ ηδεισαν τι αυτω αποκριθωσιν	και υποστρεψας ευρεν αυτους παλιν καθευδοντας ησαν γαρ οι οφθαλμοι αυτων βεβαρημενοι και ουκ ηδεισαν τι αυτω αποκριθωσιν

Mark 9:31 (NET)	Mark 9:31 (KJV)
for he was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.”	For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἐδίδασκεν γὰρ τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔλεγεν \|αὐτοῖς\| ὅτι ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου παραδίδοται εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ἀποκτενοῦσιν αὐτόν, καὶ ἀποκτανθεὶς μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἀναστήσεται	εδιδασκεν γαρ τους μαθητας αυτου και ελεγεν αυτοις οτι ο υιος του ανθρωπου παραδιδοται εις χειρας ανθρωπων και αποκτενουσιν αυτον και αποκτανθεις τη τριτη ημερα αναστησεται	εδιδασκεν γαρ τους μαθητας αυτου και ελεγεν αυτοις οτι ο υιος του ανθρωπου παραδιδοται εις χειρας ανθρωπων και αποκτενουσιν αυτον και αποκτανθεις τη τριτη ημερα αναστησεται

Who Am I? Part 13

Back to Psalm 22, Part 7

Back to Psalm 22, Part 8

Back to Romans, Part 17

Back to Romans, Part 18

Back to Adultery in the Prophets, Part 2

Back to The Lost Son of Perdition, Part 11

Back to Who Am I? Part 14

^[1] John 8:29b (NET)

^[2] John 14:10b (KJV)

^[3] Galatians 5:16 (NET)

^[4] Hebrews 1:13; Luke 20:43; Acts 2:35 (NET)

^[5] John 16:8 (NET)

^[6] John 12:32 (NET)

^[7] Quoted from “Nietzsche, Grammar & God,” by Timothy T.C. McGhee, on Timothy T. C. McGhee online.

^[8] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτου (KJV: his) here. The NET parallel Geek text and NA²⁸ did not.

^[9] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had the article τοῦ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had των.

^[10] In the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ Gethsemane was spelled Γεθσημανὶ, and γεθσημανη in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

^[11] In the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ Gethsemane was spelled Γεθσημανὶ, and γεθσημανη in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

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

^[13] The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Stephanus Textus Receptus had the article τὸν preceding James. The Byzantine Majority Text did not.

^[14] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had the article τὸν preceding John. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

^[15] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μεθ εαυτου.

^[16] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἔπιπτεν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had επεσεν (KJV: fell).

^[17] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had παρελθάτω here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had παρελθετω.

^[18] Matthew 26:39b (NET)

^[19] Mark 14:36a (NET)

^[20] Mark 14:35b (NET)

^[21] Romans 7:24 (NET)

^[22] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had παρένεγκε here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had παρενεγκειν (KJV: remove).

^[23] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἔλθητε here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εισελθητε (KJV: ye enter).

^[24] If, Rudyard Kipling. This poem was a favorite admonition of my Dad’s.

^[25] John 2:25 (NET)

^[26] Hebrews 4:15 (NET)

^[27] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had το ποτηριον here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

^[28] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had απ εμου (KJV: from me) following be taken away (KJV: pass away). The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

^[29] Matthew 26:54 (NET)

^[30] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τοινυν (KJV: then) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

^[31] James 2:24 (NET)

^[32] John 14:10b (KJV)

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

^[34] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἐλθὼν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had υποστρεψας (KJV: when he returned).

^[35] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had καταβαρυνόμενοι here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had βεβαρημενοι (KJV: heavy).

^[36] The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had πάλιν here. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

^[37] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτου (KJV: his) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

^[38] Philippians 4:7 (NET)

^[39] Philippians 2:13 (KJV) Table

^[40] Matthew 26:2 (NET)

^[41] The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τη τριτη here, where the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had μετὰ τρεῖς (NET: after three).

^[42] Mark 9:31 (KJV)

^[43] Matthew 26:54 (NET)

^[44] John 3:16 (KJV) Table

^[45] Who Am I? Part 11

^[46] The Greek is μου here though the parallel English is thy.

Isaiah 53:10-12, Part 4

Posted on December 30, 2020 by admin

This is a continuation of a consideration of the differences between the Masoretic text and the Septuagint. My working assumption is that the Masoretic text is a revision of the Hebrew scriptures made in accordance with Jewish tradition and that the Septuagint is a Greek translation of an earlier Hebrew text, before Israel rejected Jesus as Messiah. Again, I must thank Jim Searcy for reminding me that a manuscript of Isaiah was found among the dead sea scrolls.

My Hebrew still sucks but it’s good enough to spot a word in a wordstring, especially if that wordstring is printed. The final clause of the first verse under consideration follows:

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Isaiah 53:10d (Tanakh) Table	Isaiah 53:10d (NET)	Isaiah 53:10d (NETS)	Isaiah 53:11a (Elpenor English)
and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.	and the Lord’s purpose will be accomplished through him.	And the Lord wishes to take away	the Lord also is pleased to take away from

In another essay I looked at the Hebrew word translated the pleasure (Tanakh) and purpose (NET): וְחֵ֥פֶץ (chephets). It was translated with the Greek conjunction καὶ and verb βούλεται (a form of βούλομαι) in the Septuagint.

The Hebrew word בְּיָד֥וֹ (yad), translated in his hand (Tanakh) and through him (NET), seemed to have no counterpart in Greek in the Septuagint. It does occur however in the Isaiah scroll from the dead sea scrolls. “The Great Isaiah Scroll and the Masoretic Text,” by Jeff A. Benner on The Ancient Hebrew Research Center online was a great introduction for me.

Near the end of the article there is an “Interlinear of Isaiah 53.” The interlinear in this case is printed Hebrew text and verse numbers superimposed upon a photograph of the 53rd chapter of the Isaiah scroll. It was much easier to decipher and provided a handy key to pursue other verses in the online version of the scroll. “The Isaiah scroll from the Dead Sea Caves has been dated to around 200 B.C.” Mr. Benner wrote.

I had begun to consider the thirteen (twelve other) negative examples, this particular difference between the Masoretic text and the Septuagint, in Isaiah. I’m straining the limits of my eyesight but I’m pretty sure יָדִי֙ (yad) is also found in Isaiah 10:13 in the Isaiah scroll. “Dating from ca. 125 BCE, [“The Great Isaiah Scroll”] is also one of the oldest of the Dead Sea Scrolls,” according to the introductory material in “The Great Isaiah Scroll” on The Digital Dead Sea Scrolls online.

I quoted the different dates on purpose. This is normal in historical research. I don’t tend to get too excited about artifact dating, but these dates would push back a portion of the Masoretic text to before the time of Christ. I’ll quote the explanation from “The Great Isaiah Scroll” in a little detail:

Masoretic Version of the Hebrew Bible
The evidence emerging from the Qumran scrolls is that there were several concurrent versions of the biblical text, though one – now referred to as the proto-Rabbinic or proto-Masoretic – enjoyed a special status by the Greco-Roman period (3rd century BCE – 1st century CE). That apparently became the authoritative text for mainstream Judaism toward the end of the Second Temple, as evidenced by ancient parchment fragments of several biblical books (1st-2nd century CE) discovered in other parts of the Judean Desert (Masada, Wadi Murabba’at, Nahal Hever, and Nahal Tze’elim).

Through the activity of generations of sages (known as “Masoretes”), who faithfully preserved and transmitted the sacred words across centuries, an authoritative or Masoretic version of the Hebrew Bible gradually evolved, containing its definitive correct text, proper vocalization, and accentuation marks. The Aleppo Codex, transcribed by the scribe Solomon son of Buya’a and annotated by the scholar Aaron ben Asher in the 10th century CE in the Galilean city of Tiberias, is considered the finest extant example of this version.

My original hope that the differences between the Masoretic text and the Septuagint would be limited to disputes over Jesus as Messiah hasn’t panned out anyway. I’m kind of lazy at heart, but have grown to realize that this is a bigger project than I first imagined. So, the next negative example follows:

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Isaiah 19:25 (Tanakh)	Isaiah 19:25 (NET)	Isaiah 19:25 (NETS)	Isaiah 19:24b, 25 (Elpenor English)
Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work (וּמַֽעֲשֵׂ֚ה) of my hands (יָדַי֙), and Israel mine inheritance.	The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will pronounce a blessing over the earth, saying, “Blessed be my people, Egypt, and the work (ma`aseh, ומעשׁה) of my hands (yad, ידי), Assyria, and my special possession, Israel!”	that the Lord Sabaoth has blessed, saying, “Blessed be my people that are in Egypt and among the Assyrians, even Israel my heritage.”	which the Lord of hosts has blessed, (25) saying, Blessed be my people that is in Egypt, and that is among the Assyrians, and Israel mine inheritance.

Here the phrase וּמַֽעֲשֵׂ֚ה (ma`aseh), and…the work, יָדַי֙ (yad), of my hands, was not translated in the Septuagint. My working assumption is that it was not in the Hebrew version the rabbis used to translate the Septuagint. (It is in the Isaiah scroll dated 200-125 BC.) I turned Rashi’s commentary on in the Tanakh on Chabad.org, hoping for some reason why the Masoretes might have added it:

Which… blessed them: [lit. him,] i.e., Israel.

Blessed is My people: Israel, whom I chose for Myself as a people when they were in Egypt.

and the work of My hands: I showed them with the mighty deeds I performed wondrously against Assyria, and through those miracles they will repent and be as though I just made them anew, and they will be My heritage, Israel. Jonathan paraphrased this in a similar manner.

With the exception of the blessing on the work of God’s hands, Rashi’s commentary reads in a way similar to the way I read the Septuagint: Blessed be my people that is in Egypt, and that is among the Assyrians, and Israel mine inheritance. The “work of my hands” that Rashi had in mind concerning Assyria was “the miracle that will be performed for Hezekiah” (2 Kings 18:13-19:37). Isaiah 19:24 and Rashi’s commentary follow:

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Isaiah 19:24 (Tanakh)	Isaiah 19:24 (NET)	Isaiah 19:24 (NETS)	Isaiah 19:24 (Elpenor English)
In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land:	At that time Israel will be the third member of the group, along with Egypt and Assyria, and will be a recipient of blessing in the earth.	On that day Israel will be third among the Assyrians and among the Egyptians, blessed in the land	In that day shall Israel be third with the Egyptians and the Assyrians, blessed in the land which the Lord of hosts has blessed,

Israel shall be a third to Egypt and to Assyria: for a blessing, since there was no prominent nation in the world at that time like Egypt and like Assyria, and the Jews were humble in the days of Ahaz and in the days of Hoshea the son of Elah. And the prophet states that, through the miracle that will be performed for Hezekiah, Israel’s name will be greatly magnified, and they will be as prominent as one of these kingdoms in regards to blessing and greatness.

If I understand verse 23 as the rabbis who translated the Septuagint understood it I can date the fulfillment of this prophecy to a time when Assyria conquered Egypt.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Isaiah 19:23 (Tanakh)	Isaiah 19:23 (NET)	Isaiah 19:23 (NETS)	Isaiah 19:23 (Elpenor English)
In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians.	At that time there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will visit Egypt, and the Egyptians will visit Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together.	On that day there will be a way from Egypt to the Assyrians, and the Assyrians will enter Egypt, and the Egyptians will go to the Assyrians, and the Egyptians will be subject to the Assyrians.	In that day there shall be a way from Egypt to the Assyrians, and the Assyrians shall enter into Egypt, and the Egyptians shall go to the Assyrians, and the Egyptians shall serve the Assyrians.

The Wikipedia article, “Assyrian conquest of Egypt,” reads:

…Esarhaddon [the son of Sennacherib] took and sacked Memphis, where he captured numerous members of the royal family. Although the Pharaoh Taharqa had escaped to the south, Esarhaddon captured the Pharaoh’s family, including his son and wife, and most of the royal court, which were sent back to Assyria as hostages. Esarhaddon reorganized the political structure in the north, governors loyal to the Assyrian king were placed in charge of the conquered territories, and he established Necho I as king at Sais….

The Babylonian Chronicles retells how Egypt “was sacked and its gods were abducted”.^[12] The conquest resulted in the relocation of a large number of Egyptians to the Assyrian heartland.^[13]

A note (41) in the NET reads:

The text could be translated, “and Egypt will serve Assyria” (cf. NAB), but subjugation of one nation to the other does not seem to be a theme in vv. 23-25. Rather the nations are viewed as equals before the Lord (v. 25). Therefore it is better to take אֶת (ʾet) in v. 23b as a preposition, “together with,” rather than the accusative sign. The names of the two countries are understood to refer by metonymy to their respective inhabitants.

A translation decision made for thematic considerations has consequences. Neither the 8^th nor the 7^th century BC came up for consideration when Claude Mariottini wanted to use this passage to demonstrate that the “Bible is not completely negative about the Assyrians.”^[1]

In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth (Isaiah 19:24).

In this passage, the prophet affirms that in the last days Israel, Egypt, and Assyria will be united as one people under God. Instead of being enemies, they will be united and instead of having different religions, they shall all worship the same God. Israel, together with Assyria and Egypt, will become a blessing to other nations because from them the true religion of God will be extended unto other nations.

Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance (Isaiah 19:25).

In this passage, God calls Assyria “the work of my hands.” This expression is used in parallelism with “my people,” and “my inheritance.” Since Israel is also the work of God’s hand (Isaiah 64:8), the prophet is saying that in God’s hand, Assyria will be a means of blessing to others.

Dr. Mariottini didn’t think of “the work of [God’s] hands” applied to Assyria in quite the way Rashi described it.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
2 Kings 19:35, 36 (Tanakh)	2 Kings 19:35, 36 (NET)	4 Reigns 19:35, 36 (NETS)	4 Kings 19:35, 36 (Elpenor English)
And it came to pass that night, that the angel of HaShem went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.	That very night the angel of the Lord went out and killed 185,000 in the Assyrian camp. When they got up early the next morning, there were all the corpses.	And it happened, while it was night, that an angel of the Lord went out and struck one hundred eighty-five thousands in the camp of the Assyrians, and they rose early in the morning, and behold, all were dead bodies.	And it came to pass at night that the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and eighty-five thousand: and they rose early in the morning, and, behold, [these were] all dead corpses.
So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.	So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and went on his way. He went home and stayed in Nineveh.	And Sennacherim, king of the Assyrians, left and went and returned and lived in Nineue.	And Sennacherim king of the Assyrians departed, and went and returned, and dwelt in Nineve.

It makes some sense that “the work of [God’s] hands” would mean retribution to Rashi and redemption to Dr. Mariottini. In his article online Dr. Mariottini quoted an anonymous comment from another article.^[2]

…no one mentions the accomplishments and the civilization that the ancient Assyrians left for the world, in addition to being the first people to believe in the message of salvation and spreading it as far as India, Mongolia, Soumatra, Japan, China, Azerbaijan, and so on with their monuments being witnesses to that great effort long before Marco Polo or the Roman Catholic Church set foot in those remote lands, the missionaries of the Holy Church of The East a.k.a. The Holy Apostolic Assyrian Church of The East, held a Cross in one hand and the Bible in the other and went on foot to preach the Gospel with Christian brotherly love and not coercion….Since their historical lands in what’s today known as Iraq amongst other parts of the Middle East were invaded by Persians, Arabs and Mongols the indigenous Assyrians have paid a highest price over the centuries just to preserve their identity, culture, language and history and they continue to suffer.

Does this history of The Holy Apostolic Assyrian Church of The East justify, even require, the Masoretes’ addition of the phrase וּמַֽעֲשֵׂ֚ה (ma`aseh), and…the work, יָדַי֙ (yad), of my hands, along with Dr. Mariottini’s interpretation of that phrase as opposed to Rashi’s? I think I have a better option.

Jesus said (John 12:32 NET and parallel Greek):

καγὼ ἐὰν ὑψωθῶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς, πάντας ἑλκύσω πρὸς ἐμαυτόν (And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all…to myself.)

There is no serious dispute over the text. The NET parallel Greek agrees with the contemporary Nestle-Aland critical text, the received text and the Byzantine Majority Text.

John 12:32 (NA²⁸)	John 12:32 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	John 12:32 (Byzantine Majority Text)
κἀγὼ ἐὰν ὑψωθῶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς, πάντας ἑλκύσω πρὸς ἐμαυτόν	καγω εαν υψωθω εκ της γης παντας ελκυσω προς εμαυτον	καγω εαν υψωθω εκ της γης παντας ελκυσω προς εμαυτον

No particular scholarship is required, only that one believe Jesus. And even those who don’t believe that He meant all (πάντας, a form of πᾶς), tend to believe that forms of πᾶς are “generally used to signify that Christ has redeemed some of all sorts — some Jews, some Gentiles, some rich, some poor, and has not restricted His redemption to either Jew or Gentile … (C.H. Spurgeon from a sermon on Particular Redemption)”^[3]

This is more than sufficient to account for the history of The Holy Apostolic Assyrian Church of The East cited in the comment above without resorting to a late, potentially spurious, addition to the Hebrew text coupled with a contemporary interpretation of that addition that runs counter to a commentator closer to the time (and closer to the mind) of those who made that potentially spurious addition in a prophecy that may have been fulfilled 2,700 years ago.

I want to conclude this essay by contrasting a positive example in close proximity to the negative one I’m considering here.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Isaiah 19:16 (Tanakh)	Isaiah 19:16 (NET)	Isaiah 19:16 (NETS)	Isaiah 19:16 (Elpenor English)
In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand (יַד) of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it.	At that time the Egyptians will be like women. They will tremble and fear because the Lord of Heaven’s Armies brandishes his fist (yad, יד) against them.	But on that day the Egyptians will be like women in fear and trembling before the hand (τῆς χειρὸς) of the Lord Sabbaoth, which he will lay on them.	But in that day the Egyptians shall be as women, in fear and in trembling because of the hand (τῆς χειρὸς) of the Lord of hosts, which he shall bring upon them.

Though the Masoretic text and the Septuagint don’t agree exactly on what the Lord did with his hand (NET: fist), this seems to confirm that יַד (yad) was part of the original Hebrew text, translated τῆς χειρὸς by the rabbis. The next verse follows with Rashi’s commentary.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Isaiah 19:17 (Tanakh)	Isaiah 19:17 (NET)	Isaiah 19:17 (NETS)	Isaiah 19:17 (Elpenor English)
And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts, which he hath determined against it.	The land of Judah will humiliate Egypt. Everyone who hears about Judah will be afraid because of what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is planning to do to them.	And the land of the Judeans will become a terror to the Egyptians. As for everyone who should mention it to them—they will fear because of the plan that the Lord has planned against it.	And the land of the Jews shall be for a terror to the Egyptians: whosoever shall name it to them, they shall fear, because of the counsel which the Lord of hosts has purposed concerning it.

And the land of Judah shall be to Egypt for a dread: When those remaining in Egypt from the captivity of Sennacherib hear of his downfall, that he will fall in the land of Judah without any physical warfare, they will know that the Divine Presence is manifest in Israel and that their Savior is mighty, and they will fear and be frightened of the land of Judah.

a dread: Heb. לְחָגָּא, an expression of a breach and fear and fright, similar to (Psalms 107: 27): “They were frightened (יָחוֹגוּ) and wander like a drunkard,” similarly (Song 2:14), “In the cracks of (בְּחַגְוֵי) the rock.”

because of the plan of the Lord of Hosts which he planned against him: to cause him to fall into the hands of Sennacherib, and Judah will escape from his hand.

This could be the kind of parallelism that inspired the Masoretes to add the phrase וּמַֽעֲשֵׂ֚ה (ma`aseh), and…the work, יָדַי֙ (yad), of my hands, to the passage about Assyria. Granted this late addition to the text is only problematic to those who regard the “original autographs” with some precedence.

Only the original autographs (the original manuscripts written by the apostles, prophets, etc.) are under the divine promise of inspiration and inerrancy.^[4]

I did attest some fidelity to these imaginary “original autographs” one of the last times I joined a church, and still think this assertion has some reasonable merit. Those who think that “the Authorized Version, the KJV Holy Bible, [is] the true, inerrant, more sure, God promised PERFECT written word of God”^[5] will not be bothered by differences between the Masoretic text and the Septuagint that occurred prior to 1611. Mr. Searcy posted (if not wrote):

THE Bible, the KJV, the Authorized Version, is God’s Bible in English and all the others could be called Jesuit bibles, pope bibles, or Lucifer’s bibles. At the turn of the 17th century only God could know that English would be the international language of the last days before the return of The Lord Jesus Christ.^[6]

I’ll continue to consider the other negative examples in another essay.

Tables comparing Isaiah 19:25; 19:24; 19:23; 2 Kings 19:35; 19:36; Isaiah 19:16 and 19:17 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and comparing Isaiah 19:25; 19:24; 19:23; 2 Kings (4 Reigns, 4 Kings) 19:35; 19:36; Isaiah 19:16 and 19:17 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and a table comparing 1 Timothy 3:16 in the NET and KJV follow.

Isaiah 19:25 (Tanakh)	Isaiah 19:25 (KJV)	Isaiah 19:25 (NET)
Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.	Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.	The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will pronounce a blessing over the earth, saying, “Blessed be my people, Egypt, and the work of my hands, Assyria, and my special possession, Israel!”

Isaiah 19:25 (Septuagint BLB)	Isaiah 19:25 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἣν εὐλόγησεν κύριος σαβαωθ λέγων εὐλογημένος ὁ λαός μου ὁ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ ὁ ἐν Ἀσσυρίοις καὶ ἡ κληρονομία μου Ισραηλ	ἣν εὐλόγησε Κύριος σαβαὼθ λέγων· εὐλογημένος ὁ λαός μου ὁ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ ὁ ἐν ᾿Ασσυρίοις καὶ ἡ κληρονομία μου ᾿Ισραήλ
Isaiah 19:25 (NETS)	Isaiah 19:24b, 25 (English Elpenor)
that the Lord Sabaoth has blessed, saying, “Blessed be my people that are in Egypt and among the Assyrians, even Israel my heritage.”	which the Lord of hosts has blessed, (25) saying, Blessed be my people that is in Egypt, and that is among the Assyrians, and Israel mine inheritance.

Isaiah 19:24 (Tanakh)	Isaiah 19:24 (KJV)	Isaiah 19:24 (NET)
In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land:	In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land:	At that time Israel will be the third member of the group, along with Egypt and Assyria, and will be a recipient of blessing in the earth.

Isaiah 19:24 (Septuagint BLB)	Isaiah 19:24 (Septuagint Elpenor)
τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἔσται Ισραηλ τρίτος ἐν τοῗς Ἀσσυρίοις καὶ ἐν τοῗς Αἰγυπτίοις εὐλογημένος ἐν τῇ γῇ	Τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνη ἔσται ᾿Ισραὴλ τρίτος ἐν τοῖς ᾿Ασσυρίοις καὶ ἐν τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις εὐλογημένος ἐν τῇ γῇ
Isaiah 19:24 (NETS)	Isaiah 19:24 (English Elpenor)
On that day Israel will be third among the Assyrians and among the Egyptians, blessed in the land	In that day shall Israel be third with the Egyptians and the Assyrians, blessed in the land which the Lord of hosts has blessed,

Isaiah 19:23 (Tanakh)	Isaiah 19:23 (KJV)	Isaiah 19:23 (NET)
In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians.	In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians.	At that time there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will visit Egypt, and the Egyptians will visit Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together.

Isaiah 19:23 (Septuagint BLB)	Isaiah 19:23 (Septuagint Elpenor)
τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἔσται ὁδὸς Αἰγύπτου πρὸς Ἀσσυρίους καὶ εἰσελεύσονται Ἀσσύριοι εἰς Αἴγυπτον καὶ Αἰγύπτιοι πορεύσονται πρὸς Ἀσσυρίους καὶ δουλεύσουσιν οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι τοῗς Ἀσσυρίοις	Τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνη ἔσται ἡ ὁδὸς ἀπὸ Αἰγύπτου πρὸς ᾿Ασσυρίους καὶ εἰσελεύσονται ᾿Ασσύριοι εἰς Αἴγυπτον, καὶ Αἰγύπτιοι πορεύσονται πρὸς ᾿Ασσυρίους, καὶ δουλεύσουσιν Αἰγύπτιοι τοῖς ᾿Ασσυρίοις
Isaiah 19:23 (NETS)	Isaiah 19:23 (English Elpenor)
On that day there will be a way from Egypt to the Assyrians, and the Assyrians will enter Egypt, and the Egyptians will go to the Assyrians, and the Egyptians will be subject to the Assyrians.	In that day there shall be a way from Egypt to the Assyrians, and the Assyrians shall enter into Egypt, and the Egyptians shall go to the Assyrians, and the Egyptians shall serve the Assyrians.

2 Kings 19:35 (Tanakh)	2 Kings 19:35 (KJV)	2 Kings 19:35 (NET)
And it came to pass that night, that the angel of HaShem went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.	And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.	That very night the angel of the Lord went out and killed 185,000 in the Assyrian camp. When they got up early the next morning, there were all the corpses.

2 Kings 19:35 (Septuagint BLB)	4 Kings 19:35 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐγένετο ἕως νυκτὸς καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἄγγελος κυρίου καὶ ἐπάταξεν ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ἑκατὸν ὀγδοήκοντα πέντε χιλιάδας καὶ ὤρθρισαν τὸ πρωί καὶ ἰδοὺ πάντες σώματα νεκρά	Καὶ ἐγένετο ἕως νυκτὸς καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἄγγελος Κυρίου καὶ ἐπάταξεν ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ ᾿Ασσυρίων ἑκατὸν ὀγδοηκονταπέντε χιλιάδας· καὶ ὤρθρισαν τὸ πρωΐ, καὶ ἰδοὺ πάντες σώματα νεκρά
4 Reigns 19:35 (NETS)	4 Kings 19:35 (English Elpenor)
And it happened, while it was night, that an angel of the Lord went out and struck one hundred eighty-five thousands in the camp of the Assyrians, and they rose early in the morning, and behold, all were dead bodies.	And it came to pass at night that the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and eighty-five thousand: and they rose early in the morning, and, behold, [these were] all dead corpses.

2 Kings 19:36 (Tanakh)	2 Kings 19:36 (KJV)	2 Kings 19:36 (NET)
So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.	So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.	So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and went on his way. He went home and stayed in Nineveh.

2 Kings 19:36 (Septuagint BLB)	4 Kings 19:36 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἀπῆρεν καὶ ἐπορεύθη καὶ ἀπέστρεψεν Σενναχηριμ βασιλεὺς Ἀσσυρίων καὶ ᾤκησεν ἐν Νινευη	καὶ ἀπῇρε καὶ ἐπορεύθη καὶ ἀπέστρεψε Σενναχηρὶμ βασιλεὺς ᾿Ασσυρίων καὶ ᾤκησεν ἐν Νινευῆ
4 Reigns 19:36 (NETS)	4 Kings 19:36 (English Elpenor)
And Sennacherim, king of the Assyrians, left and went and returned and lived in Nineue.	And Sennacherim king of the Assyrians departed, and went and returned, and dwelt in Nineve.

Isaiah 19:16 (Tanakh)	Isaiah 19:16 (KJV)	Isaiah 19:16 (NET)
In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it.	In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it.	At that time the Egyptians will be like women. They will tremble and fear because the Lord of Heaven’s Armies brandishes his fist against them.

Isaiah 19:16 (Septuagint BLB)	Isaiah 19:16 (Septuagint Elpenor)
τῇ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἔσονται οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι ὡς γυναῗκες ἐν φόβῳ καὶ ἐν τρόμῳ ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς χειρὸς κυρίου σαβαωθ ἣν αὐτὸς ἐπιβαλεῗ αὐτοῗς	Τῇ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἔσονται οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι ὡς γυναῖκες ἐν φόβῳ καὶ ἐν τρόμῳ ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς χειρὸς Κυρίου σαβαώθ, ἣν αὐτὸς ἐπιβαλεῖ αὐτοῖς
Isaiah 19:16 (NETS)	Isaiah 19:16 (English Elpenor)
But on that day the Egyptians will be like women in fear and trembling before the hand of the Lord Sabbaoth, which he will lay on them.	But in that day the Egyptians shall be as women, in fear and in trembling because of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which he shall bring upon them.

Isaiah 19:17 (Tanakh)	Isaiah 19:17 (KJV)	Isaiah 19:17 (NET)
And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts, which he hath determined against it.	And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts, which he hath determined against it.	The land of Judah will humiliate Egypt. Everyone who hears about Judah will be afraid because of what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is planning to do to them.

Isaiah 19:17 (Septuagint BLB)	Isaiah 19:17 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἔσται ἡ χώρα τῶν Ιουδαίων τοῗς Αἰγυπτίοις εἰς φόβητρον πᾶς ὃς ἐὰν ὀνομάσῃ αὐτὴν αὐτοῗς φοβηθήσονται διὰ τὴν βουλήν ἣν βεβούλευται κύριος ἐπ᾽ αὐτήν	καὶ ἔσται ἡ χώρα τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις εἰς φόβητρον· πᾶς, ὃς ἐὰν ὀνομάσῃ αὐτὴν αὐτοῖς, φοβηθήσονται διὰ τὴν βουλήν, ἣν βεβούλευται Κύριος σαβαὼθ ἐπ᾿ αὐτήν
Isaiah 19:17 (NETS)	Isaiah 19:17 (English Elpenor)
And the land of the Judeans will become a terror to the Egyptians. As for everyone who should mention it to them—they will fear because of the plan that the Lord has planned against it.	And the land of the Jews shall be for a terror to the Egyptians: whosoever shall name it to them, they shall fear, because of the counsel which the Lord of hosts has purposed concerning it.

1 Timothy 3:16 (NET)	1 Timothy 3:16 (KJV)
And we all agree, our religion contains amazing revelation: He was revealed in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.	And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ ὁμολογουμένως μέγα ἐστὶν τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον· ὃς ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί, ἐδικαιώθη ἐν πνεύματι, ὤφθη ἀγγέλοις, ἐκηρύχθη ἐν ἔθνεσιν, ἐπιστεύθη ἐν κόσμῳ, ἀνελήμφθη ἐν δόξῃ	και ομολογουμενως μεγα εστιν το της ευσεβειας μυστηριον θεος εφανερωθη εν σαρκι εδικαιωθη εν πνευματι ωφθη αγγελοις εκηρυχθη εν εθνεσιν επιστευθη εν κοσμω ανεληφθη εν δοξη	και ομολογουμενως μεγα εστιν το της ευσεβειας μυστηριον θεος εφανερωθη εν σαρκι εδικαιωθη εν πνευματι ωφθη αγγελοις εκηρυχθη εν εθνεσιν επιστευθη εν κοσμω ανεληφθη εν δοξη

Isaiah 53:10-12, Part 5

Back to Isaiah 53:10-12, Part 6

Back to Isaiah 53:10-12, Part 7

^[1] “Blessed be . . . Assyria the work of my hands” (Isaiah 19:25). Dr. Claude Mariottini – Professor of Old Testament

^[2] In this other article, Jonah and His God, Dr. Mariottini also mentioned that “a policy of mass deportation was reintroduced by Tiglath-pileser.” This was in the mid 8^th century BC about three quarters of a century before “Esarhaddon [the son of Sennacherib] took and sacked Memphis.”

Dr. Mariottini continued, “This policy of mass deportation meant that after conquering a nation, Tiglath-pileser took the survivors of the upper class along with professional and skilled people of that nation and relocated them to other parts of the empire. Then, he would bring war prisoners from other nations and settle them in the conquered nation.”

^[3] From the definition of πάντας in the NET.

^[4] “Does the inerrancy of the Bible only apply to the original manuscripts?,” from Got Questions: Your Questions. Biblical Answers

^[5] Who Am I? Part 10

^[6] “The Attack,” from More Sure Word

James L. Melton wrote: “I believe the King James Bible is the preserved and infallible words of God. It doesn’t merely “contain” the word of God: it IS the word of God. I’m absolutely sure of it…” In his article, “How I Know The King James Bible is the Word of God,” on Dial-the-Truth Ministries online he described “twelve reasons how I know that the KJV is the word of God.”

Terry Watkins has an interesting article on changes to the New Testament on the same site: “The Attack on the Bible” Take 1 Timothy 3:16 [Table above] as an example. Where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had θεος (KJV: God), the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ὃς (NET: He).

The extremely long notes (24) in the NET do come off like a bit of a guilty conscience. Even if the argument has some validity, is it pushing the concept of “original autographs” too far? The counter argument is that the KJV translators had most of these same manuscripts at their disposal and preferred θεός.

Patterns of Evidence: Exodus

Posted on December 19, 2020 by admin

Patterns of Evidence: Exodus, A Filmmaker’s Journey by Timothy P. Mahoney was Mom’s coffee table book this Thanksgiving. I have a bit of history with my mother’s coffee table books. This time I even asked her if she leaves them out for my benefit. (She said, “No.”)

I can relate to the need to pursue this kind of project. If there is something dissuading you from believing the Bible it’s best to take Jesus by the hand and hit it head on. With a history background I’m a little more inured apparently to the historical dabbling of archaeologists than Mr. Mahoney was. My bias toward historical documents has afforded me a measure of protection here.

Mr. Mahoney’s book is the companion to a film of the same name. It’s a good film. He described it in an interview: “Is there a pattern of evidence at any time in the archaeology of Egypt and Israel that matches the events of the Exodus and the Conquest as recorded in the Bible?”^[1] I won’t steal his thunder. He and his investors deserve to make their money back. The companion book was more detailed and much more troubling to me.

The confessions he elicited from Jews (on camera) without torture or duress of any kind disturbed me. Had you asked me I would have said yes, not all those who are descended from Israel are truly Israel, nor are all the children Abraham’s true descendants.^[2] But I was clearly not prepared to have my nose rubbed in it, like some naughty puppy that has peed the carpet.

Mr. Mahoney interviewed a Jewish anthropologist in his museum workroom:

Anthropologist: I always have been Jewish, I always will be Jewish, and I believe in the tradition of Judaism. Do I think of the Bible as the word of God? No (Luke 24:25-27), I don’t….^[3]

Mahoney: Do you believe that the Exodus occurred as it is written in the Old Testament—do you believe it was a miraculous event with God intervening?

Anthropologist: No, I don’t. Do I believe the event may have happened? Yep. Sure I do. But do I believe that there was a miraculous event with God intervening? I don’t believe it… (Exodus 3:1-22) But I’m willing to be shown.^[4]

He interviewed a Jewish archaeologist in the hill country of Israel.

Mahoney: So was there an Exodus?

Archaeologist1: My easy answer to you, as an archaeologist, it didn’t happen. Not in the way its written down in the Bible…If we didn’t have the Bible, we would never, as archaeologists or as Egyptologists, be able to say this happened….^[5]

I’m Jewish, and I like to sit down at a Seder meal and enjoy recounting the Exodus. But that’s a tradition. That makes me who I am culturally. As an archaeologist, we do not see this happening as a one-off event….^[6]

Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down, Jesus said to the Pharisees and the experts in the law. And you do many things like this.^[7] Jesus’ actual point here was some specific legal wrangling about corban (κορβᾶν). And you do many things like this, opens it up in my mind to the kind of mental gymnastics cited above.

Mr. Mahoney interviewed another Jewish archaeologist in his workroom.

Archaeologist2: Exodus did not happen in the way it is described in the text of the Bible on the background of the 13^th century BC….^[8]

This same pattern of traditional thinking informed his view of the Hebrew Bible.

Archaeologist2: We are dealing with traditions (2 Timothy 3:16, 17). Let’s say that the author of this or that part of the Hebrew Bible sits in Jerusalem. And people have traditions. Grandpa says this and Grandma says another story, and there is one tradition of this village and another tradition of that family, that clan and this tribe and so on and so forth…They collected all sorts of stories, memories, myths, tales, you know. And they put them together in such a way that transmits an idea….^[9]

Mahoney: Do you believe in celebrating Passover?

Archaeologist2: When I sit at a Passover meal and we read the Haggadah with the family, that evening, it’s all history from A to Z. Perfect history…about all those many generations of my forefathers who were sitting to the same table at Passover at the same time and reciting the Haggadah….

Mahoney: What would you say to those people who are concerned with the idea that these stories didn’t happen as they are written?

Archaeologist2: I would tell them that it is not important…I think that it is more important to understand the meaning of Exodus, the moral of Exodus, for our civilization, for humanity, for mankind, for understanding the biblical text and the authors….^[10]

“As I have mentioned before,” Mr. Mahoney wrote, this particular archaeologist’s “work and ideas greatly influenced” a Jewish Rabbi “to write his controversial Passover sermon.”^[11] Michael Medved asked this Rabbi about that sermon:

Rabbi: I said that the Exodus certainly didn’t happen the way the Bible depicts it, assuming that it was a historical event in any description….

Medved: Why did you say that?

Rabbi: I said it for two reasons. One was because I knew that these students and others would go off to college and hear people talk about biblical archaeology and comparative religion, and I wanted them to know that that was not a frightening topic….^[12]

This Rabbi regarded the Exodus as fiction:

Rabbi: The extent to which the Exodus story has a historical core is very hard to say, but my deeper conviction about it is that it’s a story that whether it was true, it is true. And those are two different things…there are things that aren’t facts that can be truths….^[13]

Medved: What did you want people to feel, not to think, but to feel about the Exodus?

Rabbi: I wanted them to feel that their faith was unshakable, that it didn’t matter what the conclusions were of archaeologists, scientists and historians….^[14]

Medved: What does [Passover] mean if we weren’t delivered from Egypt?

Rabbi: Whether or not people were delivered then, does that affect my ability to empathize with what slavery is like now?^[15]

Mr. Mahoney interviewed a Jewish politician in the Knesset who seemed to echo the Rabbi’s emphasis on slavery:

Moses was the greatest revolutionary of all time. Remember that in antiquity there were grand empires that were based on one principal: slavery (Deuteronomy 15:12-18). Moses challenged that twice. He challenged it by taking his people, who were slaves in bondage in Egypt, freeing them, and taking them to their promised land. But Moses also challenged the empires of the world by providing a moral code for mankind that said it is not the king or the emperor who decides the law. There is a higher law (Deuteronomy 17:18-20). These were absolutely revolutionary ideas.^[16]

If the reason given for celebrating the Passover was: for in this selfsame day have I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt,^[17] a feast to HaShem,^[18] then staying home to celebrate it “to empathize with what slavery is like now” is almost as disobedient as going out and doing something else instead.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Exodus 12:14, 17 (Tanakh)	Exodus 12:14, 17 (NET)	Exodus 12:14, 17 (NETS)	Exodus 12:14, 17 (Elpenor English)
And this day shall be unto you for a memorial, and ye shall keep it a feast to HaShem; throughout your generations ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.	“‘This day will become a memorial for you, and you will celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—you will celebrate it perpetually as a lasting ordinance.	And this day shall be a memorial for you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall celebrate it as a perpetual precept.	And this day shall be to you a memorial, and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord through all your generations; ye shall keep it a feast for a perpetual ordinance.
And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore shall ye observe this day throughout your generations by an ordinance for ever.	So you will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because on this very day I brought your regiments out from the land of Egypt, and so you must keep this day perpetually as a lasting ordinance.	And you shall keep this commandment. For on this day I will bring your host out of the land of Egypt, and you shall make this day throughout your generations a perpetual precept.	And ye shall keep this commandment, for on this day will I bring out your force out of the land of Egypt; and ye shall make this day a perpetual ordinance for you throughout your generations.

Mr. Mahoney interviewed another Jewish archaeologist in his teaching lab.

Archaeologist3: …as I used to tell my students, archaeology is about 10 percent data and 90 percent interpretation. And this is why I’d say it is controversial in many aspects and open to different opinions….^[19]

This confession proved to be more important than it appeared at first. Mr. Mahoney, a filmmaker, did an admirable job of demonstrating from archaeological data and a few documentary fragments where the events of Exodus in the Bible fit sequentially into that archaeological data. He went on to demonstrate that Jewish archaeologists (among others) reject this correlation in favor of their own interpretations of the data. In other words, they reject the Hebrew scriptures to cling to their faith in their own works, their own interpretations as archaeologists. You can’t make this stuff up.

The interview continued:

Mahoney: You believe the Exodus and the Conquest are legendary stories? You don’t see them in the archaeology, is that right?

Archaeologist3: No, we don’t see them at all. We see something different. Many times people tell us absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, but the point is, as I used to say, paradoxically, the more information we have on biblical matters, the more contradictions we’ve found…we have hundreds of sites now of different periods and millions of objects which indicate an archaeological reality. And this reality says the Israelites did not come from outside the land of Canaan. They did not conquer the land. They simply evolved from within the local community to a new phase of economic and social organization, which later developed into the state of Israel. So, the process was entirely different than described in the Bible….^[20]

The Exodus story is a very important and interesting legend about the people of Israel, but it has no real historical basis….^[21]

So Israelites are merely Canaanites with delusions of grandeur? Why do I, a natural born Gentile Christian turned atheist, have more confidence in the Hebrew scriptures than a Jewish anthropologist, Jewish archaeologists, a Rabbi or a Jewish politician? Jesus.

Jesus is dragging me out of my Gentile-Christian-turned-atheist-ness to Himself (John 12:32). His own confidence in the Hebrew scriptures directed his actions toward their fulfillment: How then would the scriptures that say it must happen this way be fulfilled?^[22] He asked Peter. Does this mean that I am inspired to faith by Jesus’ faith?

Well, okay, sure. But I’m also inspired to courage, determination and some faith at the climax of Avengers: Endgame when Captain America (Chris Evans), bruised, fallen, all but defeated, tightens the strap of his broken shield on his arm and stands again to face Thanos (Josh Brolin) and his armies, alone if necessary. The trouble with this kind of inspiration is that it can only awaken the courage, determination or faith already latent within me.

In Jesus I am born from above and filled with his own Holy Spirit just as He promised. My faith is not my faith^[23] but his (it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me^[24]), the same faith that flowed into and through Him from the same Spirit when He asked: How then would the scriptures that say it must happen this way be fulfilled? Jesus also said, Do not be afraid^[25] of those who kill^[26] the body but cannot kill the soul.^[27]

Archaeologists cannot kill the body. This is not to say that an individual archaeologist is incapable of murderer, just that archaeologists as archaeologists have no authority beyond the grades handed down in their classrooms. The entire field of archaeology, that interpretive work of archaeologists, is a “finite province of meaning” relative to the “paramount reality” of most people’s everyday lives. Most people are unlikely to hear, in fact most people do not hear, about most of the interpretations of data uncovered by archaeologists, unless those interpretations prove useful to Satan, who deceives the whole world.

Given the limited authority archaeologists actually have over others it may seem like overkill to apply Jesus’ prohibition to them: Do not be afraid of archaeologists. But I actually agree with the Rabbi that archaeology is “not a frightening topic.” When I understand Jesus’ prohibition as a negation of the definition I gleaned from Deuteronomy of the the fear of the Lord—Do not have a heart to hear and do whatsoever archaeologists shall speak—I am free to choose what I will hear with what measure of faith.

Anyone interested in archaeology should take the Jewish archaeologist’s instruction to his students to heart: “archaeology is about 10 percent data and 90 percent interpretation.” Every student is free to distinguish that germ of data from the mass of interpretation and judge that interpretation accordingly, based on all that student’s knowledge, including the Bible as the word of God.

Answers to test questions in school are not assertions of truth a student must believe. They are simply a measure of a student’s proficiency taking notes and repeating what a teacher has said. A student is not forsworn by recalling what a teacher has said and writing it down accurately on a test. All rights to one’s own thoughts and beliefs are fully retained, even after an archaeology test.

Archaeology, archaeologists’ interpretations of archaeological data, is no reason to let Satan rob you of your opportunity to know…the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He] sent,^[28] to be born from above (John 3:5-7), to receive his Holy Spirit, to be bouyed up and carried along by a continuous stream of God’s own love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control^[29] here and now.

Jesus said: No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him….^[30] And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, He promised, will draw all…to myself.^[31] Paul wrote: So then, it does not depend on human desire or exertion, but on God who shows mercy.^[32] For God has consigned all…to disobedience so that he may show mercy to…all.^[33]

When I hear these things I tighten the strap of the shield of faith on my arm. Do you? Or are you hurting yourself by kicking against the goads?^[34]

Tables comparing Exodus 12:17 and 12:14 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and tables comparing Exodus 12:17 and 12:14 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor) follow. A Table comparing Matthew 10:28 in the NET and KJV follows those.

Exodus 12:17 (Tanakh)	Exodus 12:17 (KJV)	Exodus 12:17 (NET)
And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore shall ye observe this day throughout your generations by an ordinance for ever.	And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.	So you will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because on this very day I brought your regiments out from the land of Egypt, and so you must keep this day perpetually as a lasting ordinance.

Exodus 12:17 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 12:17 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ φυλάξεσθε τὴν ἐντολὴν ταύτην ἐν γὰρ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ ἐξάξω τὴν δύναμιν ὑμῶν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου καὶ ποιήσετε τὴν ἡμέραν ταύτην εἰς γενεὰς ὑμῶν νόμιμον αἰώνιον	καὶ φυλάξετε τὴν ἐντολὴν ταύτην· ἐν γὰρ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ ἐξάξω τὴν δύναμιν ὑμῶν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ ποιήσετε τὴν ἡμέραν ταύτην εἰς γενεὰς ὑμῶν νόμιμον αἰώνιον
Exodus 12:17 (NETS)	Exodus 12:17 (English Elpenor)
And you shall keep this commandment. For on this day I will bring your host out of the land of Egypt, and you shall make this day throughout your generations a perpetual precept.	And ye shall keep this commandment, for on this day will I bring out your force out of the land of Egypt; and ye shall make this day a perpetual ordinance for you throughout your generations.

Exodus 12:14 (Tanakh)	Exodus 12:14 (KJV)	Exodus 12:14 (NET)
And this day shall be unto you for a memorial, and ye shall keep it a feast to HaShem; throughout your generations ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.	And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.	“‘This day will become a memorial for you, and you will celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—you will celebrate it perpetually as a lasting ordinance.

Exodus 12:14 (Septuagint BLB)	Exodus 12:14 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἔσται ἡ ἡμέρα ὑμῗν αὕτη μνημόσυνον καὶ ἑορτάσετε αὐτὴν ἑορτὴν κυρίῳ εἰς πάσας τὰς γενεὰς ὑμῶν νόμιμον αἰώνιον ἑορτάσετε αὐτήν	καὶ ἔσται ἡ ἡμέρα ὑμῖν αὕτη μνημόσυνον· καὶ ἑορτάσετε αὐτὴν ἑορτὴν Κυρίῳ εἰς πάσας τὰς γενεὰς ὑμῶν· νόμιμον αἰώνιον ἑορτάσετε αὐτήν
Exodus 12:14 (NETS)	Exodus 12:14 (English Elpenor)
And this day shall be a memorial for you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall celebrate it as a perpetual precept.	And this day shall be to you a memorial, and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord through all your generations; ye shall keep it a feast for a perpetual ordinance.

Matthew 10:28 (NET)	Matthew 10:28 (KJV)
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.	And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
καὶ μὴ \|φοβεῖσθε\| ἀπὸ τῶν \|ἀποκτεννόντων\| τὸ σῶμα, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν μὴ δυναμένων ἀποκτεῖναι· φοβεῖσθε δὲ μᾶλλον τὸν δυνάμενον καὶ ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα ἀπολέσαι ἐν γεέννῃ	και μη φοβηθητε απο των αποκτεινοντων το σωμα την δε ψυχην μη δυναμενων αποκτειναι φοβηθητε δε μαλλον τον δυναμενον και ψυχην και σωμα απολεσαι εν γεεννη	και μη φοβεισθε απο των αποκτενοντων το σωμα την δε ψυχην μη δυναμενων αποκτειναι φοβηθητε δε μαλλον τον δυναμενον και την ψυχην και το σωμα απολεσαι εν γεεννη

^[1] “Timothy Mahoney Interview on Patterns of Evidence,” July 21, 2015, TheBestSchools

^[2] Romans 9:6b, 7a (NET)

^[3] “Patterns of Evidence: Exodus, A Filmmaker’s Journey,” by Timothy P. Mahoney; with Steven Law; St. Louis Park: MN, Thinking Man Media, 2015, p. 38

^[4] ibid, pp. 38-39

^[5] ibid, p. 51

^[6] ibid, p. 52

^[7] Mark 7:13 (NET)

^[8] “Patterns of Evidence: Exodus, A Filmmaker’s Journey,” by Timothy P. Mahoney; with Steven Law; St. Louis Park: MN, Thinking Man Media, 2015, p. 55

^[9] ibid, pp. 56-57

^[10] ibid, p. 173

^[11] ibid, p. 173

^[12] ibid, p. 42

^[13] ibid, p. 43

^[14] ibid, pp. 173, 174

^[15] ibid, p. 174

^[16] ibid, p. 66

^[17] Exodus 12:17b (Tanakh)

^[18] Exodus 12:14 (Tanakh) The Hebrew word translated Hashem was לַֽיהֹוָ֑ה (Yehovah).

^[19] “Patterns of Evidence: Exodus, A Filmmaker’s Journey,” by Timothy P. Mahoney; with Steven Law; St. Louis Park: MN, Thinking Man Media, 2015, pp. 59, 60

^[20] ibid, pp. 60, 61

^[21] ibid, p. 61

^[22] Matthew 26:54 (NET)

^[23] The Greek word translated faithfulness in Galatians 5:22 (NET) was πίστις.

^[24] Galatians 2:20b (NET)

^[25] The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text had φοβεῖσθε here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had φοβηθητε (KJV: fear).

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

^[27] Matthew 10:28a (NET)

^[28] John 17:3 (NET)

^[29] Galatians 5:22b-23a (NET) Table

^[30] John 6:44a (NET) Table

^[31] John 12:32 (NET) NET note (67): Grk “all.” The word “people” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for stylistic reasons and for clarity (cf. KJV “all men”). I removed people for accuracy: καγὼ ἐὰν ὑψωθῶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς, πάντας ἑλκύσω πρὸς ἐμαυτόν. There is no word limiting this drawing to people in the Greek text.

^[32] Romans 9:16 (NET) Table

^[33] Romans 11:32 (NET) NET note (24): Grk “to all”; “them” has been supplied for stylistic reasons. Here again I removed people and them: συνέκλεισεν γὰρ ὁ θεὸς τοὺς πάντας εἰς ἀπείθειαν, ἵνα τοὺς πάντας ἐλεήσῃ. I wrote about τοὺς πάντας in another essay. For God was pleased to have all (πᾶν) his fullness dwell in the Son and through him to reconcile all things (τὰ πάντα) to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross—through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven (Colossians 1:19, 20 NET).

^[34] Acts 26:14b (NET) Table

Peter’s First Gospel Proclamation Revisited, Part 3

Posted on July 17, 2020 by admin

You study^[1] the scriptures thoroughly because you think in them you possess eternal life, Jesus said, and it is these same scriptures that testify about me.^[2] For David says about him, Peter continued his first Gospel proclamation on Pentecost (Acts 2:25-28 NET):

‘I saw the Lord always in front of me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced; my body also will live in hope, because you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor permit your Holy One to experience decay [Table]. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of joy with your presence.’

Peter quoted Psalm 16:8-11a from the Septuagint.

Acts 2:25b (NET Parallel Greek)	Psalm 16:8 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 15:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)
προορώμην τὸν κύριον ἐνώπιον μου διὰ παντός, ὅτι ἐκ δεξιῶν μού ἐστιν ἵνα μὴ σαλευθῶ	προωρώμην τὸν κύριον ἐνώπιόν μου διὰ παντός ὅτι ἐκ δεξιῶν μού ἐστιν ἵνα μὴ σαλευθῶ	προωρώμην τὸν Κύριον ἐνώπιόν μου διαπαντός, ὅτι ἐκ δεξιῶν μού ἐστιν, ἵνα μὴ σαλευθῶ
Acts 2:25b (NET)	Psalm 15:8 (NETS)	Psalm 15:8 (English Elpenor)
I saw the Lord always in front of me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken.	I kept seeing the Lord always before me, because he is at my right hand, that I might not be shaken.	I foresaw the Lord always before my face; for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved.

Where the NET parallel Greek text had προορώμην (a form of προορίζω) the Septuagint had προωρώμην (a form of προοράω). The Stephanus Textus Receptus is identical to the Septuagint here.

Acts 2:25b (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Psalm 16:8 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 15:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)
προωρωμην τον κυριον ενωπιον μου δια παντος οτι εκ δεξιων μου εστιν ινα μη σαλευθω	προωρώμην τὸν κύριον ἐνώπιόν μου διὰ παντός ὅτι ἐκ δεξιῶν μού ἐστιν ἵνα μὴ σαλευθῶ	προωρώμην τὸν Κύριον ἐνώπιόν μου διαπαντός, ὅτι ἐκ δεξιῶν μού ἐστιν, ἵνα μὴ σαλευθῶ
Acts 2:25b (KJV)	Psalm 15:8 (NETS)	Psalm 15:8 (English Elpenor)
I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:	I kept seeing the Lord always before me, because he is at my right hand, that I might not be shaken.	I foresaw the Lord always before my face; for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved.

The Masoretic text was somewhat different.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Psalm 16:8 (Tanakh)	Psalm 16:8 (NET)	Psalm 15:8 (NETS)	Psalm 15:8 (English Elpenor)
I have set (שִׁוִּ֬יתִי) the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.	I constantly trust (shâvâh, שויתי) in the Lord; because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.	I kept seeing (προωρώμην) the Lord always before me, because he is at my right hand, that I might not be shaken.	I foresaw (προωρώμην) the Lord always before my face; for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved.

Given that שִׁוִּ֬יתִ (shâvâh) was translated by a different Greek word (Table below) every time it occurred in the Psalms, I can’t say whether the Septuagint or the Masoretic text was closer to the original Hebrew.

Form of שָׁוָה (shâvâh)	Reference	Tanakh	Septuagint BLB	NETS	Septuagint Elpenor	English Elpenor
שִׁוִּ֬יתִי שויתי	Psalm 16:8	I have set	προωρώμην	I kept seeing	προωρώμην	I foresaw
מְשַׁוֶּ֣ה משוה	Psalm 18:33 (34)	He maketh	καταρτιζόμενος	refitting	καταρτιζόμενος	who strengthens
תְּשַׁוֶּ֥ה תשוה	Psalm 21:5 (6)	laid	ἐπιθήσεις	you will bestow	ἐπιθήσεις	thou wilt crown
שִׁוִּ֣יתִי שויתי	Psalm 89:19 (20)	I have laid	ἐθέμην	I added	ἐθέμην	I have laid
שִׁוִּֽיתִי שויתי	Psalm 119:30	have I laid	ἐπελαθόμην	I did…forget	ἐπελαθόμην	have…forgotten
שִׁוִּ֨יתִי שויתי	Psalm 131:2	I have behaved	ἐταπεινοφρόνουν	I was…humble-minded	ἐταπεινοφρόνουν	I have…been humble

The Holy Spirit was satisfied with προωρώμην (or was it προορώμην?) on Pentecost. The Greek of Peter’s quotation is identical to the Septuagint in the next verse.

Acts 2:26 (NET Parallel Greek)	Psalm 16:9 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 15:9 (Septuagint Elpenor)
διὰ τοῦτο ἠυφράνθη ἡ καρδία \|μου\| καὶ ἠγαλλιάσατο ἡ γλῶσσα μου, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἡ σάρξ μου κατασκηνώσει ἐπ᾿ ἐλπίδι	διὰ τοῦτο ηὐφράνθη ἡ καρδία μου καὶ ἠγαλλιάσατο ἡ γλῶσσά μου ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἡ σάρξ μου κατασκηνώσει ἐπ᾽ ἐλπίδι	διὰ τοῦτο ηὐφράνθη ἡ καρδία μου, καὶ ἠγαλλιάσατο ἡ γλῶσσά μου, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἡ σάρξ μου κατασκηνώσει ἐπ᾿ ἐλπίδι
Acts 2:26 (NET)	Psalm 15:9 (NETS)	Psalm 15:9 (English Elpenor)
Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced; my body also will live in hope,	Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover, my flesh will encamp in hope,	Therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue exulted; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:

Here is a comparison how the Masoretic text and Septuagint have been translated into English.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Psalm 16:9 (Tanakh)	Psalm 16:9 (NET)	Psalm 15:9 (NETS)	Psalm 15:9 (English Elpenor)
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.	So my heart rejoices and I am happy; my life is safe.	Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover, my flesh will encamp in hope,	Therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue exulted; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:

The next verse is also identical with the Septuagint.

Acts 2:27 (NET Parallel Greek)	Psalm 16:10 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 15:10 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὅτι οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψεις τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς ᾅδην οὐδὲ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιον σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν	ὅτι οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψεις τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς ᾅδην οὐδὲ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῗν διαφθοράν	ὅτι οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψεις τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς ᾅδην, οὐδὲ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν
Acts 2:27 (NET)	Psalm 15:10 (NETS)	Psalm 15:10 (English Elpenor)
because you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor permit your Holy One to experience decay.	because you will not abandon my soul to Hades or give your devout to see corruption.	because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

I’ve considered the Hebrew word translated corruption (Tanakh) or Pit (NET) below elsewhere.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Psalm 16:10 (Tanakh)	Psalm 16:10 (NET)	Psalm 15:10 (NETS)	Psalm 15:10 (English Elpenor)
For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.	You will not abandon me to Sheol; you will not allow your faithful follower to see the Pit.	because you will not abandon my soul to Hades or give your devout to see corruption.	because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

The final verse is identical with the Septuagint as well.

Acts 2:28 (NET Parallel Greek)	Psalm 16:11a (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 15:11a (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐγνώρισας μοι ὁδοὺς ζωῆς, πληρώσεις με εὐφροσύνης μετὰ τοῦ προσώπου σου	ἐγνώρισάς μοι ὁδοὺς ζωῆς πληρώσεις με εὐφροσύνης μετὰ τοῦ προσώπου σου	ἐγνώρισάς μοι ὁδοὺς ζωῆς· πληρώσεις με εὐφροσύνης μετὰ τοῦ προσώπου σου
Acts 2:28 (NET)	Psalm 15:11a (NETS)	Psalm 15:11a (English Elpenor)
You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of joy with your presence.’	You made known to me the ways of life. You will fill me with gladness along with your face;	Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou wilt fill me with joy with thy countenance:

The Masoretic text and Septuagint are similar.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Psalm 16: 11a (Tanakh)	Psalm 16: 11a (NET)	Psalm 15: 11a (NETS)	Psalm 15: 11a (English Elpenor)
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy;	You lead me in the path of life. I experience absolute joy in your presence;	You made known to me the ways of life. You will fill me with gladness along with your face;	Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou wilt fill me with joy with thy countenance:

Brothers, Peter continued, I can speak confidently to you about our forefather David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day (Acts 2:29-33 NET).

So then, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, David by foreseeing (προιδὼν, a form of προείδω) this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did his body experience decay [Table]. This Jesus God raised up, and we are all witnesses of it. So then, exalted to the right hand of God, and having received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, he has poured out what you both see and hear [Table].

A note (60) in the NET described Acts 2:30b as an allusion to Psalm 132:11 and 2 Samuel 7:12, 13. Peter didn’t quote the Septuagint.

Acts 2:30b (NET Parallel Greek)	Psalm 132:11 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 131:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὤμοσεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς ὀσφύος αὐτοῦ καθίσαι ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ	ὤμοσεν κύριος τῷ Δαυιδ ἀλήθειαν καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀθετήσει αὐτήν ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς κοιλίας σου θήσομαι ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον σου	ὤμοσε Κύριος τῷ Δαυΐδ ἀλήθειαν καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀθετήσει αὐτήν· ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς κοιλίας σου θήσομαι ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου σου
Acts 2:30b (NET)	Psalm 131:11 (NETS)	Psalm 131:11 (English Elpenor)
God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne	The Lord swore to Dauid the truth, and he will never annul it: “Of your belly’s fruit I will set on your throne.	The Lord sware [in] truth to David, and he will not annul it, [saying], Of the fruit of thy body will I set [a king] upon thy throne.

Acts 2:30b (NET Parallel Greek)	2 Samuel 7:12b (Septuagint BLB)	2 Kings 7:12b (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὤμοσεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς ὀσφύος αὐτοῦ καθίσαι ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ	καὶ ἀναστήσω τὸ σπέρμα σου μετὰ σέ ὃς ἔσται ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας σου καὶ ἑτοιμάσω τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ	καὶ ἀναστήσω τὸ σπέρμα σου μετὰ σέ, ὃς ἔσται ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας σου, καὶ ἑτοιμάσω τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ
Acts 2:30b (NET)	2 Reigns 7:12b (NETS)	2 Kings 7:12b (English Elpenor)
God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne	that I will raise up your offspring after you who shall be from your belly, and I will prepare his kingdom	that I will raise up thy seed after thee, even thine own issue, and I will establish his kingdom

For David did not ascend into heaven, Peter continued (Acts 2:34-36 NET),

but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my lord, “Sit at my right hand [Table] until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’ Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.”

This was a direct quote from Psalm 110:1 (109:1) [Table] in the Septuagint.

Acts 2:34b, 35 (NET Parallel Greek)	Psalm 110:1 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 109:1 (Septuagint Elpenor)
κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου	κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου	κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου
ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου.
Acts 2:34b, 35 (NET)	Psalm 109:1 (NETS)	Psalm 109:1 (English Elpenor)
“Sit at my right hand	“Sit on my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”	Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’

I connect this with Jesus’ saying: And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.^[3] And I connect this with his teaching about the Holy Spirit: And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.^[4] This describes the ongoing activity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I am a beneficiary of this ongoing activity. So who will have an exaggerated influence on my socially constructed reality now that I am sequestered at home again?

Will it be those who fear that their schemes are coming to nothing? Or will I rest in the Lord Jesus’ confidence in the scriptures that terrified his disciples before each was strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person?^[5] (Matthew 26:51-56 NET).

But one of those with Jesus grabbed his sword, drew it out, and struck the high priest’s slave, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back in its place! For all who take hold of the sword will die by the sword.^[6] Or do you think that I cannot call^[7] on my Father, and that he would send me more^[8] than twelve legions of angels right now?^[9] How then would the scriptures that say it must happen this way be fulfilled?” At that moment Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out^[10] with swords and clubs to arrest me like you would an outlaw? Day after day I sat^[11] teaching in the temple courts, yet you did not arrest me. But this has happened so that the scriptures of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.

Tables comparing Psalm 16:8; 16:9; 16:10; 16:11; 132:11 and 2 Samuel 7:12 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET; and tables comparing Psalm 16:8 (15:8); 16:9 (15:9); 16:10 (15:10); 16:11 (15:11); 132:11 (131:11) and 2 Samuel (Reigns, Kings) 7:12 in the BLB and Elpenor versions of the Septuagint with the English translations from Hebrew and Greek follow. Tables comparing John 5:39; Matthew 26:52, 53 and 26:55 in the NET and KJV follow those.

Psalm 16:8 (Tanakh)	Psalm 16:8 (KJV)	Psalm 16:8 (NET)
I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.	I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.	I constantly trust in the Lord; because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Psalm 16:8 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 15:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)
προωρώμην τὸν κύριον ἐνώπιόν μου διὰ παντός ὅτι ἐκ δεξιῶν μού ἐστιν ἵνα μὴ σαλευθῶ	προωρώμην τὸν Κύριον ἐνώπιόν μου διαπαντός, ὅτι ἐκ δεξιῶν μού ἐστιν, ἵνα μὴ σαλευθῶ
Psalm 15:8 (NETS)	Psalm 15:8 (English Elpenor)
I kept seeing the Lord always before me, because he is at my right hand, that I might not be shaken.	I foresaw the Lord always before my face; for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved.

Psalm 16:9 (Tanakh)	Psalm 16:9 (KJV)	Psalm 16:9 (NET)
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.	Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.	So my heart rejoices and I am happy; my life is safe.

Psalm 16:9 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 15:9 (Septuagint Elpenor)
διὰ τοῦτο ηὐφράνθη ἡ καρδία μου καὶ ἠγαλλιάσατο ἡ γλῶσσά μου ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἡ σάρξ μου κατασκηνώσει ἐπ᾽ ἐλπίδι	διὰ τοῦτο ηὐφράνθη ἡ καρδία μου, καὶ ἠγαλλιάσατο ἡ γλῶσσά μου, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἡ σάρξ μου κατασκηνώσει ἐπ᾿ ἐλπίδι
Psalm 15:9 (NETS)	Psalm 15:9 (English Elpenor)
Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover, my flesh will encamp in hope,	Therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue exulted; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:

Psalm 16:10 (Tanakh)	Psalm 16:10 (KJV)	Psalm 16:10 (NET)
For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.	For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol; Neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption.	You will not abandon me to Sheol; you will not allow your faithful follower to see the Pit.

Psalm 16:10 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 15:10 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὅτι οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψεις τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς ᾅδην οὐδὲ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῗν διαφθοράν	ὅτι οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψεις τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς ᾅδην, οὐδὲ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν
Psalm 15:10 (NETS)	Psalm 15:10 (English Elpenor)
because you will not abandon my soul to Hades or give your devout to see corruption.	because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Psalm 16:11 (Tanakh)	Psalm 16:11 (KJV)	Psalm 16:11 (NET)
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.	Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.	You lead me in the path of life. I experience absolute joy in your presence; you always give me sheer delight.

Psalm 16:11 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 15:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐγνώρισάς μοι ὁδοὺς ζωῆς πληρώσεις με εὐφροσύνης μετὰ τοῦ προσώπου σου τερπνότητες ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ σου εἰς τέλος	ἐγνώρισάς μοι ὁδοὺς ζωῆς· πληρώσεις με εὐφροσύνης μετὰ τοῦ προσώπου σου, τερπνότητες ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ σου εἰς τέλος
Psalm 15:11 (NETS)	Psalm 15:11 (English Elpenor)
You made known to me the ways of life. You will fill me with gladness along with your face; in your right hand are delights completely.	Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou wilt fill me with joy with thy countenance: at thy right hand [there are] delights for ever.

Psalm 132:11 (Tanakh)	Psalm 132:11 (KJV)	Psalm 132:11 (NET)
The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.	The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.	The Lord made a reliable promise to David; he will not go back on his word. He said, “I will place one of your descendants on your throne.

Psalm 132:11 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 131:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὤμοσεν κύριος τῷ Δαυιδ ἀλήθειαν καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀθετήσει αὐτήν ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς κοιλίας σου θήσομαι ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον σου	ὤμοσε Κύριος τῷ Δαυΐδ ἀλήθειαν καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀθετήσει αὐτήν· ἐκ καρποῦ τῆς κοιλίας σου θήσομαι ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου σου
Psalm 131:11 (NETS)	Psalm 131:11 (English Elpenor)
The Lord swore to Dauid the truth, and he will never annul it: “Of your belly’s fruit I will set on your throne.	The Lord sware [in] truth to David, and he will not annul it, [saying], Of the fruit of thy body will I set [a king] upon thy throne.

2 Samuel 7:12 (Tanakh)	2 Samuel 7:12 (KJV)	2 Samuel 7:12 (NET)
When thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, that shall proceed out of thy body, and I will establish his kingdom.	And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.	When the time comes for you to die, I will raise up your descendant, one of your own sons, to succeed you, and I will establish his kingdom.

2 Samuel 7:12 (Septuagint BLB)	2 Kings 7:12 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἔσται ἐὰν πληρωθῶσιν αἱ ἡμέραι σου καὶ κοιμηθήσῃ μετὰ τῶν πατέρων σου καὶ ἀναστήσω τὸ σπέρμα σου μετὰ σέ ὃς ἔσται ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας σου καὶ ἑτοιμάσω τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ	καὶ ἔσται ἐὰν πληρωθῶσιν αἱ ἡμέραι σου καὶ κοιμηθήσῃ μετὰ τῶν πατέρων σου, καὶ ἀναστήσω τὸ σπέρμα σου μετὰ σέ, ὃς ἔσται ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας σου, καὶ ἑτοιμάσω τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ
2 Reigns 7:12 (NETS)	2 Kings 7:12 (English Elpenor)
And it will be if your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, that I will raise up your offspring after you who shall be from your belly, and I will prepare his kingdom;	And it shall come to pass when thy days shall have been fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, even thine own issue, and I will establish his kingdom.

John 5:39 (NET)	John 5:39 (KJV)
You study the scriptures thoroughly because you think in them you possess eternal life, and it is these same scriptures that testify about me,	Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἐραυνᾶτε τὰς γραφάς, ὅτι ὑμεῖς δοκεῖτε ἐν αὐταῖς ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἔχειν· καὶ ἐκεῖναι εἰσιν αἱ μαρτυροῦσαι περὶ ἐμοῦ	ερευνατε τας γραφας οτι υμεις δοκειτε εν αυταις ζωην αιωνιον εχειν και εκειναι εισιν αι μαρτυρουσαι περι εμου	ερευνατε τας γραφας οτι υμεις δοκειτε εν αυταις ζωην αιωνιον εχειν και εκειναι εισιν αι μαρτυρουσαι περι εμου

JMatthew 26:52, 53 (NET)	Matthew 26:52, 53 (KJV)
Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back in its place! For all who take hold of the sword will die by the sword.	Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
τότε λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· ἀπόστρεψον τὴν μάχαιραν σου εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτῆς· πάντες γὰρ οἱ λαβόντες μάχαιραν ἐν μαχαίρῃ ἀπολοῦνται	τοτε λεγει αυτω ο ιησους αποστρεψον σου την μαχαιραν εις τον τοπον αυτης παντες γαρ οι λαβοντες μαχαιραν εν μαχαιρα απολουνται	τοτε λεγει αυτω ο ιησους αποστρεψον σου την μαχαιραν εις τον τοπον αυτης παντες γαρ οι λαβοντες μαχαιραν εν μαχαιρα αποθανουνται

Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and that he would send me more than twelve legions of angels right now?

Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
ἢ δοκεῖς ὅτι οὐ δύναμαι παρακαλέσαι τὸν πατέρα μου, καὶ παραστήσει μοι ἄρτι πλείω δώδεκα λεγιῶνας ἀγγέλων	η δοκεις οτι ου δυναμαι αρτι παρακαλεσαι τον πατερα μου και παραστησει μοι πλειους η δωδεκα λεγεωνας αγγελων	η δοκεις οτι ου δυναμαι αρτι παρακαλεσαι τον πατερα μου και παραστησει μοι πλειους η δωδεκα λεγεωνας αγγελων

Matthew 26:55 (NET)	Matthew 26:55 (KJV)
At that moment Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me like you would an outlaw? Day after day I sat teaching in the temple courts, yet you did not arrest me.	In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.

NET Parallel Greek	Stephanus Textus Receptus	Byzantine Majority Text
Ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ὥρᾳ εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τοῖς ὄχλοις· ὡς ἐπὶ λῃστὴν ἐξήλθατε μετὰ μαχαιρῶν καὶ ξύλων συλλαβεῖν με; καθ᾿ ἡμέραν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ἐκαθεζόμην διδάσκων καὶ οὐκ ἐκρατήσατε με	εν εκεινη τη ωρα ειπεν ο ιησους τοις οχλοις ως επι ληστην εξηλθετε μετα μαχαιρων και ξυλων συλλαβειν με καθ ημεραν προς υμας εκαθεζομην διδασκων εν τω ιερω και ουκ εκρατησατε με	εν εκεινη τη ωρα ειπεν ο ιησους τοις οχλοις ως επι ληστην εξηλθετε μετα μαχαιρων και ξυλων συλλαβειν με καθ ημεραν προς υμας εκαθεζομην διδασκων εν τω ιερω και ουκ εκρατησατε με