Luke 8:22-56

This passage was assigned in the preaching course I’m taking. It is extra to any assignment in the book:

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

It’s preface is Jesus’ response to those who informed Him that his mother and brothers desired to see Him: “My mother and my brothers are those who hear (ἀκούοντες, a present participle of ἀκούω) the word of God and do (ποιοῦντες, a present participle of ποιέω) it.”1

One2 day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke3 and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is4 your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”

Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes,5 which is opposite6 Galilee. When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him7 a man from the city who had8 demons. For a long time9 he had worn no clothes,10 and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound11 with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon12 into the desert.) Jesus then asked him,13 “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,”14 for many demons had entered him. And they begged15 him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of pigs was feeding16 there on the hillside, and they begged17 him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered18 the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

When the herdsmen saw what had happened,19 they fled and20 told it in the city and in the country. Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone,21 sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes22 asked23 him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged24 that he might be with him, but Jesus25 sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

Now26 when Jesus returned,27 the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him [Table]. And there came a man named Jairus,28 who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus’ feet, he implored him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.

As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians,29 she could not be healed by30 anyone. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter31 said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!”32 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out33 from me.” And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared34 in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, “Daughter,35 your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler’s house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.”36 But Jesus on hearing this answered him,37 “Do not fear; only believe,38 and she will be well.” And when he came39 to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him,40 except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not41 dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But42 taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.”43 And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.44

The assignment this time was to determine the Source of Sorrow (SOS), Empowering Grace (EMP), Call to Action (CTA) and Road to Christ (RTC) for each story. And then determine the same for the entire passage by the overlap of the individual stories.

On a Boat in a Storm

Jesus’ question—Where (ποῦ) is your faith?45—hints at the Source of Sorrow here. The verb εστιν (is) does not occur in the NET parallel Greek text or NA28, the critical text, but only in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text, the received text. As I considered the phrase without a verb its tone changed from an accusation—“where did your faith go”—to a gentle reminder—“where your faith? in your own seamanship or in God?”

Luke seems to have described a different storm at a later time than that described by Matthew. I’m assuming here that Matthew and Levi were the same person:

Matthew 9:9-13 (ESV)

Mark 2:13-17 (ESV)

Luke 5:27-32 (ESV)

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew46 sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said47 to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he48 heard it, he said,49 “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy,50 and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but51 sinners.”52

He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

And as53 he reclined at table54 in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed55 him. And the scribes of the Pharisees,56 when they saw that he was eating57 with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why58 does he eat59 with tax collectors and sinners?” And when Jesus heard it, he said to them,60 “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”61

After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything,62 he rose and followed63 him.

And Levi64 made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors65 and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but66 those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

The similarities are striking but the differences are also telling. Only Luke recorded that Levi (Matthew) was leaving everything67 (καταλιπὼν πάντα). And only Matthew recorded Jesus’ command to his and Matthew’s accusers: Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’68 These nuances make me quite comfortable with the idea that Matthew/Levi was Matthew the apostle and the author of the Gospel according to Matthew.

Matthew 10:1-4 (ESV)

Mark 3:13-19 (ESV)

Luke 6:12-16 (ESV)

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew69 the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;70 Simon the Zealot,71 and Judas Iscariot,72 who betrayed him.

And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles73) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority74 to cast out demons. He appointed the twelve:75 Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew,76 and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot,77 and Judas Iscariot,78 who betrayed him.

In these days he went out79 to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and80 James and John, and81 Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew,82 and Thomas, and83 James the son84 of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, and85 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot,86 who87 became a traitor.

Only Matthew differentiated himself as the tax collector88 ( τελώνης). A table outlining these events follows.

Matthew

Mark

Luke

Stilling of a Storm (8:23-27)
Healing the Gadarene Demoniacs (8:28-34)
The Call of Matthew (9:9-13) The Call of Levi (2:13-17) The Call of Levi (5:27-32)
Sending Out the 12 Apostles (10:1-4) Appointing the 12 Apostles (3:13-19) Choosing the 12 Apostles (6:12-16)
Stilling of a Storm (4:35-41) Stilling of a Storm (8:22-25)
Healing of a Demoniac (5:1-20) Healing of a Demoniac (8:26-39)

The storm described in Luke was clearly after these events, while the storm described by Matthew occurred before them. This has become considerably more important to me than completing this assignment. Why?

In an expository sermon, the homiletical outline is worded in principles derived from and supported by features of the text in its context. The preacher demonstrates how the text supports these principles and then applies them to the contemporary context of the listeners.89

…the finest expositors begin preparing each sermon by asking themselves the following question: What may I, with the authority of God’s Word, require of you as a result of what we discern this text means?90

I don’t do this for myself studying God’s Word. I won’t do it to anyone else. I’ve already acknowledged that at my best I receive the 2nd person imperatives of Scripture—you must—“as fair warnings: what God who works in [me], both to will and to work for his good pleasure91 is doing,”92 because of who He is in his faithfulness. At my best I recognize that I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.93 So, I’ll consider the advantages for knowing the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom [He has] sent94 implicit in understanding the storms recorded by Matthew and Luke as two separate events.

The disciples began hearing and doing Jesus’ word: “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out.95 The storm caused them some question or doubt. It reminds me of Jesus’ parable (Mark 4:3-9 ESV):

Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.96 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds97 came and devoured it. Other98 seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately99 it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose,100 it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other101 seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing102 and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And he said,103 “He who has104 ears to hear, let him hear.”

Jesus explained the parable to his disciples (Mark 4:14-20 ESV):

The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them [Table]. And these are the ones105 sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately106 receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately107 they fall away. And others108 are the ones sown among thorns. They are109 those who hear the word, but the cares of the110 world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold [Table].

I only recall hearing this preached in one of two ways: Either as a fait accompli, too bad, so sad, most people spend eternity in the lake of fire. Or, with an implicit application that the soil, those who hear the word, should improve themselves somehow. The latter isn’t completely off the mark if one understands that God’s soil enrichment program is Himself, through faith in Jesus Christ, in the person of his own indwelling Holy Spirit. I don’t recall ever hearing that said in a sermon, but I have an exceptionally strong religious bias against sitting down with God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit and following Him through the Bible.

Whether I see the impact of these storms as tribulation or persecution, or the cares of the world, one advantage to understanding them as two separate events is that I see Jesus working to improve the soil that is his disciples. I might even see some development in the contrast between the storm Matthew recounted and the one here in Luke’s Gospel account. A gentle reminder—“where your faith?”—is not the same as Why are you “timid, fearful, cowardly, fainthearted; miserable, wretched, worthless; deserving pity, deserving contempt?”111 And they were afraid, Luke wrote, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey (ὑπακούουσιν, a form of ὑπακούω) him?”112

Luke and the Holy Spirit chose some interesting words here. The Greek word translated they were afraid was φοβηθέντες, a participle of φοβέω. It was the same word the rabbis chose to describe the people at Sinai (Exodus 20) in the Septuagint.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Exodus 20:15 (Tanakh)

Exodus 20:18 (NET)

Exodus 20:18 (NETS)

Exodus 20:18 (Elpenor English)

And all the people perceived the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the voice of the horn, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled (וַיָּנֻ֔עוּ), and stood afar off. All the people were seeing the thundering and the lightning, and heard the sound of the horn, and saw the mountain smoking—and when the people saw it they trembled with fear (nûaʿ, וינעו) and kept their distance. And the people were perceiving the sound and the flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking. Now all the people were afraid (φοβηθέντες) and stood at a distance. And all the people perceived the thundering, and the flashes, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and all the people feared (φοβηθέντες) and stood afar off,

The Greek word translated they marveled was ἐθαύμασαν, a 3rd person plural form of θαυμάζω. It was the same word the rabbis chose to describe the kings who encountered God as defender of Zion.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Psalm 48:2-5 (Tanakh/KJV)

Psalm 48:2-5 (NET)

Psalm 47:3-6 (NETS)

Psalm 47:3-6 (Elpenor English)

Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. It is lofty and pleasing to look at, a source of joy to the whole earth. Mount Zion resembles the peaks of Zaphon; it is the city of the great king. since he planted it well, for the enjoyment of the whole earth, Mountains of Sion, the slopes of the north, the city of the great King— The city of the great King is well planted [on] the mountains of Sion, with the joy of the whole earth, [on] the sides of the north.
God is known in her palaces for a refuge. God is in its fortresses; he reveals himself as its defender. within its bastions God is known, when he supports it, God is known in her palaces, when he undertakes to help her.
For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together. For look, the kings assemble; they advance together. because, look, the kings assembled; they came together. For, behold the kings of the earth were assembled, they came together.
They saw it, and so they marvelled (תָּמָ֑הוּ); they were troubled, and hasted away. As soon as they see, they are shocked (tāmah, תמהו); they are terrified, they quickly retreat. They, when they saw it so, were astounded (ἐθαύμασαν); they were troubled; they were shaken; They saw, and so they wondered (ἐθαύμασαν): they were troubled, they were moved.

Though Jesus’ disciples may not have been ready intellectually to acknowledge Him as God in human flesh, they had already begun to respond to Him as others in the past had responded to their encounters with the living God, according to Luke’s and the Holy Spirit’s word choices. And still, I admit, I’m not exactly sure what Jesus expected from his disciples. What does faith look like when one encounters a life-threatening circumstance following the Lord?

Luke was apparently a fellow passenger and eye-witness to Paul’s faith in the storm they encountered on their way to Rome (Acts 27:21-26 ESV).

Since113 they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me (Acts 27:9, 10) and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. Yet now114 I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood before me115 an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. But we must run aground on some island.”

The most likely Scriptural precedent for the disciples’ peril in the storms was the story of Jonah fleeing from the Lord.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Jonah 1:4-6 (Tanakh)

Jonah 1:4-6 (NET)

Jonah 1:4-6 (NETS)

Jonah 1:4-6 (Elpenor English)

But HaShem hurled a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. But the Lord hurled a powerful wind on the sea. Such a violent tempest arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break up! And the Lord aroused a wind in the sea, and a great surge came upon the sea, and the ship was in danger of breaking up. And the Lord raised up a wind on the sea; and there was a great storm on the sea, and the ship was in danger of being broken.
And the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god; and they cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it unto them. But Jonah was gone down into the innermost parts of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. The sailors were so afraid that each cried out to his own god and they flung the ship’s cargo overboard to make the ship lighter. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold below deck, had lain down, and was sound asleep. And the mariners were afraid and cried out, each to their god. And they heaved the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to be lightened from them. But Jonas went down into the hold of the ship and was sleeping and snoring. And the sailors were alarmed, and cried every one to his god, and cast out the wares that were in the ship into the sea, that it might be lightened of them. But Jonas was gone down into the hold of the ship, and was asleep, and snored.
So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him: ‘What meanest thou that thou sleepest? arise, call upon thy G-d, if so be that G-d will think upon us, that we perish not.’ The ship’s captain approached him and said, “What are you doing asleep? Get up! Cry out to your god! Perhaps your god might take notice of us so that we might not die!” And the captain came to him and said to him, “Why are you snoring? Get up, invoke your god in order that the god might deliver us and we not perish.” And the shipmaster came to him, and said to him, Why snorest thou? arise, and call upon thy God, that God may save us, and we perish not.

Mark seems to have patterned his retelling of a story of Jesus’ disciples in a storm after the story of Jonah, recasting Jonah as Jesus and the shipmaster as Jesus’ frightened disciples (Mark 4:38 ESV):

But [Jesus] was in116 the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke117 him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

The sequencing of events seems to place Mark’s account of a storm at roughly the same time as Luke’s account rather than Matthew’s, but Jesus’ responses recorded in Mark seem to collapse the two (or more) events into one (Mark 4:40 ESV):

He said to them, “Why are you so118 afraid? Have you still no119 faith?”

A table comparing these responses in Greek and English translation follows:

Mark 4:40 (NET Parallel Greek)

Matthew 8:26 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 4:40 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:25 (NET Parallel Greek)

τί δειλοί ἐστε τί δειλοί ἐστε οὔπω ἔχετε πίστιν ποῦ πίστις ὑμῶν

Mark 4:40 (ESV)

Matthew 8:26 (ESV)

Mark 4:40 (ESV)

Luke 8:25 (ESV)

Why are you so afraid? Why are you afraid Have you still no faith? Where is your faith?

The development I think I see in Luke’s account compared to Matthew’s vanishes in Mark’s account. And the point is well-taken. I’m a fan now. I want Jesus’ disciples to improve. I don’t want the Lord’s time and effort patiently teaching them to be wasted. But I also know that self-improvement fades to insignificance in the face of death and resurrection. I know that the main difference between Paul in Acts and Peter or John in Matthew or Luke is God Himself, through faith in Jesus Christ, in the person of his own indwelling Holy Spirit. Paul confessed (Galatians 2:19-21 NET):

For through…law (διὰ νόμου) I died to the law so that I may live to God. 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. I do not set aside God’s grace, because if righteousness could come through…law (εἰ γὰρ διὰ νόμου δικαιοσύνη), then Christ died for nothing!

Plundering the Strong Man’s Goods

Accepting Matthew’s and Luke’s accounts of a storm as two separate events helps me see that Jesus, led by the Spirit, set out across the Sea of Galilee on two separate occasions to rescue men possessed by demons, and then He left again back across the sea.

Matthew 8:28 (ESV)

Luke 8:26, 27 (ESV)

And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way [Table].

Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs.

Matthew 9:1 (ESV)

Luke 8:40 (ESV)

And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city [Table].

Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him [Table].

Freeing demon-possessed men doesn’t exhaust the meaning of plundering a strong man’s goods. All of us need his rescue from our father the devil. It does, however, present a vivid and dramatic demonstration.

Matthew 12:28, 29 (ESV)

Mark 3:27 (ESV)

Luke 11:20-22 (ESV)

But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder120 his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house [Table].

But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house [Table].

But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you [Table]. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil [Table].

And it leads me to the conclusion that there was more to these storms than, “The collision of warm water and moist warm air with cooler air, leading to condensation and storm clouds.”121 Satan was able to conjure a windstorm to kill Job’s children (Job 1:18b, 19 ESV):

“Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house [Table], and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you” [Table].

But Satan did nothing to Job without the Lord’s permission (Job 1:12 ESV [Table]):

And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that [Job] has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Given that, the words recorded in Jonah are also true of the storms endured by Jesus’ disciples (Jonah 1:4a ESV):

But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea…

What about the storm Luke and Paul encountered on their way to Rome? What about the storm named Helene? I worked at a conference in Orlando last week, but my own experience of Helene is scarcely worth mentioning.

On the last day of the conference I was drenched in a brief downpour as we loaded the company van so one of the owners could get ahead of the storm on her way to Philadelphia. Being drenched, working in the heat in Orlando, is probably best described as a refreshing shower. I changed into shorts but wore the same shirt I was drenched in to dinner that evening. And being drenched caused my employer to tell me to take everyone back to the hotel in an Uber on the company card.

The next morning I flew out of Orlando about four hours earlier than originally planned, landed uneventfully in St. Louis, met briefly with friends and then drove home to Desloge under partly cloudy conditions. For the next day or so I studied Luke’s Gospel account with a gentle rain pattering on the porch outside my open sliding door. Others had different experiences. Many died.

“Here’s how Hurricane Helene brought ‘biblical devastation’ to western North Carolina in a near ‘worst-case scenario’” a CBS News headline online read.122 “CBS News has confirmed that at least 162 people across several states were killed by Helene. Buncombe County alone has reported more than 50 deaths, including a 7-year-old who was swept away by floodwaters with his grandparents.” Li Cohen, the credited author, explained the words “biblical devastation” in her headline.

In Buncombe County, home to Asheville, Emergency Services Assistant Director Ryan Cole told the Citizen-Times that “catastrophic devastation” didn’t accurately describe the impact the deluge had.
“It would go a little bit further and say we have biblical devastation through the county,” Cole said. “We’ve had biblical flooding here and it has been extremely significant.”

CBS News is a commercial enterprise. It makes sense, I suppose, that the implicit application in Ms. Cohen’s article, for those who have ears to hear, is to buy electric vehicles. And I suppose that I, flying to and from Orlando and driving to and from my home in an ordinary vehicle, am one of those to blame for the death of “a 7-year-old who was swept away by floodwaters with his grandparents,” according to Ms. Cohen’s informant

As unprecedented as Helene’s impact on the region was, there is a chance it won’t be the last.

“The rapid intensification of Helene over the Gulf, the amount of moisture available in its surrounding environment, and its manifestation as locally heavy — and in some cases, historically unheard of — rainfall amounts are all known side effects of a warmer atmosphere,” the [North Carolina State climate] office said.

Last year was already the warmest humans had ever recorded and 2024 has seen countless heat records. The continued use of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases that are trapping heat within the atmosphere, increasing average temperatures that fuel extreme weather events like Helene.

As I sit here now grappling with my own reactions to our different experiences of Helene, the first explanation that comes to mind is geographical. Missouri wasn’t particularly harmed by this storm. I was never in any real danger in Orlando. I suspected that while I was still there. Having lived in Kissimmee I told my sister, alarmed for my safety by news reports, that “most hurricanes in the Orlando area are windy rainstorms with a really good press agent.”

As I consider that “7-year-old who was swept away by floodwaters with his grandparents,” I hear my religious beliefs screaming like some angry child: “If those dead people didn’t go to the right church, or do the right things, or believe or say the right things about Jesus, they will burn in the lake of fire for all eternity!” But even in the midst of that cacophany, I hear Jesus’ calm voice (Luke 20:38 ESV):

Now (δὲ) he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.

These were not just words Jesus spoke. This is the confidence Jesus lived. Consider his response to those mourning Jairus’ dead daughter (Luke 8:52-55 ESV):

And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” And her spirit returned, and she got up at once.

It is the same calm voice who said (Matthew 11:27-30 ESV):

All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses (βούληται, a form of βούλομαι) to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls [Table]. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Again, these are more than mere words. His welcome was apparent in almost everything He did (Luke 8:40-42a ESV).

Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him [Table]. And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus’ feet, he implored him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.

The very next words in Luke’s Gospel account are: As Jesus went123 And that same calm voice said (John 6:44, 45 ESV):

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day [Table]. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me[Table]

This is the backstory as it were, what was actually going on within the woman who was healed by touching Jesus’ garment, and how she was drawn to Jesus (Luke 8:42b-44 ESV).

As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased.

Jesus was aware that something had happened between God and someone—for I perceive that power has gone out from me124—but He seems to have been uncertain who that someone was until she confessed (Luke 8:47, 48 ESV).

And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well (σέσωκεν, a form of σώζω); go in peace.”

Mark elaborated some about this woman (Mark 5:27, 28 ESV):

She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If125 I touch even his garments, I will be made well (σωθήσομαι, another form of σώζω).”

But this elaboration seems to focus my attention too much on the circumstance of her faith—She had heard the reports about Jesus—and its content—If I touch even his garments—rather than the object and source of her faith; namely, Jesus Christ and the only true God who, according to Jesus, drew her to Him. This drawing leads me back again to that same calm voice (John 12:31, 32 ESV):

Now (νῦν) is the judgment of this world; now (νῦν) will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.

Hearing his calm voice, with his steady hand on the tiller of my life, I have hope that though I didn’t know that “7-year-old who was swept away by floodwaters” or “his grandparents,” there is yet a time when we may meet (not because I know their faith but because I know the faithfulness of my God) and we will share a common story much like Paul outlined for Titus (Titus 3:3-7 ESV).

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved (ἔσωσεν, another form of σώζω) us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit [Table], whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life [Table].

The postscript to Luke 8:22-56 is (Luke 9:1, 2 ESV):

And he called the twelve together126 and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.127

According to a note (32) in the NET, Jesus quoted from Hosea 6:6 in Matthew 9:13. A table comparing the Greek of Jesus’ quotation with that of the Septuagint follows.

Matthew 9:13b (NET Parallel Greek)

Hosea 6:6a (Septuagint BLB) Table

Hosea 6:6a (Septuagint Elpenor)

ἔλεος θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν ἔλεος θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν ἔλεος θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν

Matthew 9:13b (NET)

Hosea 6:6a (NETS)

Hosea 6:6a (English Elpenor)

I want mercy and not sacrifice I want mercy and not sacrifice I will [have] mercy rather than sacrifice

Tables comparing Exodus 20:18 (20:15); Psalm 48:2; 48:3; 48:4; 48:5; Jonah 1:4; 1:5 and 1:6 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and comparing the Greek of Exodus 20:18; Psalm 48:2 (47:3); 48:3 (47:4); 48:4 (47:5); 48:5 (47:6); Jonah 1:4; 1:5 and 1:6 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables comparing Luke 8:22; 8:24-27; 8:29-35; 8:37, 38; 8:41; 8:43; 8:45-52; 8:54; Matthew 9:9; 9:11-13; Mark 2:15-17; Luke 5:28-31; Matthew 10:3, 4; Mark 3:14-16; 3:18, 19; Luke 6:12; 6:14-16; Mark 4:3-6; 4:8-9; 4:16-19; Acts 27:21-23; Mark 4:38; 4:40; 5:28 and Luke 9:1, 2 in the KJV and NET follow.

Exodus 20:15 (Tanakh)

Exodus 20:18 (KJV)

Exodus 20:18 (NET)

And all the people perceived the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the voice of the horn, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled, and stood afar off. And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. All the people were seeing the thundering and the lightning, and heard the sound of the horn, and saw the mountain smoking—and when the people saw it they trembled with fear and kept their distance.

Exodus 20:18 (BLB Septuagint)

Exodus 20:18 (Elpenor Septuagint)

καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἑώρα τὴν φωνὴν καὶ τὰς λαμπάδας καὶ τὴν φωνὴν τῆς σάλπιγγος καὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸ καπνίζον φοβηθέντες δὲ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἔστησαν μακρόθεν Καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἑώρα τὴν φωνὴν καὶ τὰς λαμπάδας καὶ τὴν φωνὴν τῆς σάλπιγγος καὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸ καπνίζον· φοβηθέντες δὲ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἔστησαν μακρόθεν

Exodus 20:18 (NETS)

Exodus 20:18 (Elpenor English)

And the people were perceiving the sound and the flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking. Now all the people were afraid and stood at a distance. And all the people perceived the thundering, and the flashes, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and all the people feared and stood afar off,

Psalm 48:2 (Tanakh)

Psalm 48:2 (KJV)

Psalm 48:2 (NET)

Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. It is lofty and pleasing to look at, a source of joy to the whole earth. Mount Zion resembles the peaks of Zaphon; it is the city of the great king.

Psalm 48:2 (BLB Septuagint)

Psalm 47:3 (Elpenor Septuagint)

εὖ ῥιζῶν ἀγαλλιάματι πάσης τῆς γῆς ὄρη Σιων τὰ πλευρὰ τοῦ βορρᾶ ἡ πόλις τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ μεγάλου εὐρίζῳ ἀγαλλιάματι πάσης τῆς γῆς. ὄρη Σιών, τὰ πλευρὰ τοῦ Βορρᾶ, ἡ πόλις τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ μεγάλου

Psalm 47:3 (NETS)

Psalm 47:3 (Elpenor English)

since he planted it well, for the enjoyment of the whole earth, Mountains of Sion, the slopes of the north, the city of the great King— The city of the great King is well planted [on] the mountains of Sion, with the joy of the whole earth, [on] the sides of the north.

Psalm 48:3 (Tanakh)

Psalm 48:3 (KJV)

Psalm 48:3 (NET)

God is known in her palaces for a refuge. God is known in her palaces for a refuge. God is in its fortresses; he reveals himself as its defender.

Psalm 48:3 (BLB Septuagint)

Psalm 47:4 (Elpenor Septuagint)

ὁ θεὸς ἐν ταῖς βάρεσιν αὐτῆς γινώσκεται ὅταν ἀντιλαμβάνηται αὐτῆς ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τοῖς βάρεσιν αὐτῆς γινώσκεται, ὅταν ἀντιλαμβάνηται αὐτῆς

Psalm 47:4 (NETS)

47:4 (Elpenor English)

within its bastions God is known, when he supports it, God is known in her palaces, when he undertakes to help her.

Psalm 48:4 (Tanakh)

Psalm 48:4 (KJV)

Psalm 48:4 (NET)

For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together. For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together. For look, the kings assemble; they advance together.

Psalm 48:4 (BLB Septuagint)

Psalm 47:5 (Elpenor Septuagint)

ὅτι ἰδοὺ οἱ βασιλεῖς συνήχθησαν ἤλθοσαν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό ὅτι ἰδοὺ οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς συνήχθησαν, ἤλθοσαν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό

Psalm 47:5 (NETS)

Psalm 47:5 (Elpenor English)

because, look, the kings assembled; they came together. For, behold the kings of the earth were assembled, they came together.

Psalm 48:5 (Tanakh)

Psalm 48:5 (KJV)

Psalm 48:5 (NET)

They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away. They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away. As soon as they see, they are shocked; they are terrified, they quickly retreat.

Psalm 48:5 (BLB Septuagint)

Psalm 47:6 (Elpenor Septuagint)

αὐτοὶ ἰδόντες οὕτως ἐθαύμασαν ἐταράχθησαν ἐσαλεύθησαν αὐτοὶ ἰδόντες οὕτως ἐθαύμασαν, ἐταράχθησαν, ἐσαλεύθησαν

Psalm 47:6 (NETS)

Psalm 47:6 (Elpenor English)

They, when they saw it so, were astounded; they were troubled; they were shaken; They saw, and so they wondered: they were troubled, they were moved.

Jonah 1:4 (Tanakh)

Jonah 1:4 (KJV)

Jonah 1:4 (NET)

But HaShem hurled a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. But the Lord hurled a powerful wind on the sea. Such a violent tempest arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break up!

Jonah 1:4 (BLB Septuagint)

Jonah 1:4 (Elpenor Septuagint)

καὶ κύριος ἐξήγειρεν πνεῦμα εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ ἐγένετο κλύδων μέγας ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ τὸ πλοῖον ἐκινδύνευεν συντριβῆναι καὶ Κύριος ἐξήγειρε πνεῦμα μέγα εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ ἐγένετο κλύδων μέγας ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, καὶ τὸ πλοῖον ἐκινδύνευε τοῦ συντριβῆναι

Jonah 1:4 (NETS)

Jonah 1:4 (Elpenor English)

And the Lord aroused a wind in the sea, and a great surge came upon the sea, and the ship was in danger of breaking up. And the Lord raised up a wind on the sea; and there was a great storm on the sea, and the ship was in danger of being broken.

Jonah 1:5 (Tanakh)

Jonah 1:5 (KJV)

Jonah 1:5 (NET)

And the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god; and they cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it unto them. But Jonah was gone down into the innermost parts of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. The sailors were so afraid that each cried out to his own god and they flung the ship’s cargo overboard to make the ship lighter. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold below deck, had lain down, and was sound asleep.

Jonah 1:5 (BLB Septuagint)

Jonah 1:5 (Elpenor Septuagint)

καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν οἱ ναυτικοὶ καὶ ἀνεβόων ἕκαστος πρὸς τὸν θεὸν αὐτῶν καὶ ἐκβολὴν ἐποιήσαντο τῶν σκευῶν τῶν ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τοῦ κουφισθῆναι ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν Ιωνας δὲ κατέβη εἰς τὴν κοίλην τοῦ πλοίου καὶ ἐκάθευδεν καὶ ἔρρεγχεν καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν οἱ ναυτικοὶ καὶ ἀνεβόησαν ἕκαστος πρὸς τὸν θεὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκβολὴν ἐποιήσαντο τῶν σκευῶν τῶν ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τοῦ κουφισθῆναι ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν. ᾿Ιωνᾶς δὲ κατέβη εἰς τὴν κοίλην τοῦ πλοίου καὶ ἐκάθευδε καὶ ἔρρεγχε

Jonah 1:5 (NETS)

Jonah 1:5 (Elpenor English)

And the mariners were afraid and cried out, each to their god. And they heaved the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to be lightened from them. But Jonas went down into the hold of the ship and was sleeping and snoring. And the sailors were alarmed, and cried every one to his god, and cast out the wares that were in the ship into the sea, that it might be lightened of them. But Jonas was gone down into the hold of the ship, and was asleep, and snored.

Jonah 1:6 (Tanakh)

Jonah 1:6 (KJV)

Jonah 1:6 (NET)

So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him: ‘What meanest thou that thou sleepest? arise, call upon thy G-d, if so be that G-d will think upon us, that we perish not.’ So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. The ship’s captain approached him and said, “What are you doing asleep? Get up! Cry out to your god! Perhaps your god might take notice of us so that we might not die!”

Jonah 1:6 (BLB Septuagint)

Jonah 1:6 (Elpenor Septuagint)

καὶ προσῆλθεν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ πρωρεὺς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ τί σὺ ῥέγχεις ἀνάστα καὶ ἐπικαλοῦ τὸν θεόν σου ὅπως διασώσῃ ὁ θεὸς ἡμᾶς καὶ μὴ ἀπολώμεθα καὶ προσῆλθε πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ πρωρεὺς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· τί σὺ ῥέγχεις; ἀνάστα καὶ ἐπικαλοῦ τὸν Θεόν σου, ὅπως διασώσῃ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμᾶς καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀπολώμεθα

Jonah 1:6 (NETS)

Jonah 1:6 (Elpenor English)

And the captain came to him and said to him, “Why are you snoring? Get up, invoke your god in order that the god might deliver us and we not perish.” And the shipmaster came to him, and said to him, Why snorest οὐ thou? arise, and call upon thy God, that God may save us, and we perish not.

Luke 8:22 (NET)

Luke 8:22 (KJV)

One day Jesus got into a boat with his disciples and said to them, “Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.

Luke 8:22 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:22 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:22 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν μιᾷ τῶν ἡμερῶν καὶ αὐτὸς ἐνέβη εἰς πλοῖον καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· διέλθωμεν εἰς τὸ πέραν τῆς λίμνης, καὶ ἀνήχθησαν και εγενετο εν μια των ημερων και αυτος ενεβη εις πλοιον και οι μαθηται αυτου και ειπεν προς αυτους διελθωμεν εις το περαν της λιμνης και ανηχθησαν και εγενετο εν μια των ημερων και αυτος ενεβη εις πλοιον και οι μαθηται αυτου και ειπεν προς αυτους διελθωμεν εις το περαν της λιμνης και ανηχθησαν

Luke 8:24-27 (NET)

Luke 8:24-27 (KJV)

They came and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are about to die!” So he got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they died down, and it was calm. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.

Luke 8:24 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:24 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:24 (Byzantine Majority Text)

προσελθόντες δὲ διήγειραν αὐτὸν λέγοντες· ἐπιστάτα ἐπιστάτα, ἀπολλύμεθα. ὁ δὲ διεγερθεὶς ἐπετίμησεν τῷ ἀνέμῳ καὶ τῷ κλύδωνι τοῦ ὕδατος· καὶ ἐπαύσαντο καὶ ἐγένετο γαλήνη προσελθοντες δε διηγειραν αυτον λεγοντες επιστατα επιστατα απολλυμεθα ο δε εγερθεις επετιμησεν τω ανεμω και τω κλυδωνι του υδατος και επαυσαντο και εγενετο γαληνη προσελθοντες δε διηγειραν αυτον λεγοντες επιστατα επιστατα απολλυμεθα ο δε εγερθεις επετιμησεν τω ανεμω και τω κλυδωνι του υδατος και επαυσαντο και εγενετο γαληνη
Then he said to them, “Where is your faith?” But they were afraid and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him!” And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.

Luke 8:25 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:25 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:25 (Byzantine Majority Text)

εἶπεν δὲ αὐτοῖς· ποῦ ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν; φοβηθέντες δὲ ἐθαύμασαν λέγοντες πρὸς ἀλλήλους· τίς ἄρα οὗτος ἐστιν ὅτι καὶ τοῖς ἀνέμοις ἐπιτάσσει καὶ τῷ ὕδατι, καὶ ὑπακούουσιν αὐτῷ ειπεν δε αυτοις που εστιν η πιστις υμων φοβηθεντες δε εθαυμασαν λεγοντες προς αλληλους τις αρα ουτος εστιν οτι και τοις ανεμοις επιτασσει και τω υδατι και υπακουουσιν αυτω ειπεν δε αυτοις που εστιν η πιστις υμων φοβηθεντες δε εθαυμασαν λεγοντες προς αλληλους τις αρα ουτος εστιν οτι και τοις ανεμοις επιτασσει και τω υδατι και υπακουουσιν αυτω
So they sailed over to the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee.

Luke 8:26 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:26 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:26 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Καὶ κατέπλευσαν εἰς τὴν χώραν τῶν Γερασηνῶν, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἀντιπέρα τῆς Γαλιλαίας και κατεπλευσαν εις την χωραν των γαδαρηνων ητις εστιν αντιπεραν της γαλιλαιας και κατεπλευσαν εις την χωραν των γαδαρηνων ητις εστιν αντιπεραν της γαλιλαιας
As Jesus stepped ashore, a certain man from the town met him who was possessed by demons. For a long time this man had worn no clothes and had not lived in a house, but among the tombs. And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.

Luke 8:27 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:27 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:27 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἐξελθόντι δὲ αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ὑπήντησεν ἀνήρ τις ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἔχων δαιμόνια καὶ χρόνῳ ἱκανῷ οὐκ ἐνεδύσατο ἱμάτιον καὶ ἐν οἰκίᾳ οὐκ ἔμενεν ἀλλ᾿ ἐν τοῖς μνήμασιν εξελθοντι δε αυτω επι την γην υπηντησεν αυτω ανηρ τις εκ της πολεως ος ειχεν δαιμονια εκ χρονων ικανων και ιματιον ουκ ενεδιδυσκετο και εν οικια ουκ εμενεν αλλ εν τοις μνημασιν εξελθοντι δε αυτω επι την γην υπηντησεν αυτω ανηρ τις εκ της πολεως ος ειχεν δαιμονια εκ χρονων ικανων και ιματιον ουκ ενεδιδυσκετο και εν οικια ουκ εμενεν αλλ εν τοις μνημασιν

Luke 8:29-35 (NET)

Luke 8:29-35 (KJV)

For Jesus had started commanding the evil spirit to come out of the man. (For it had seized him many times, so he would be bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard. But he would break the restraints and be driven by the demon into deserted places.) (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)

Luke 8:29 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:29 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:29 (Byzantine Majority Text)

|παρήγγελλεν| γὰρ τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἀκαθάρτῳ ἐξελθεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. (πολλοῖς γὰρ χρόνοις συνηρπάκει αὐτὸν καὶ ἐδεσμεύετο ἁλύσεσιν καὶ πέδαις φυλασσόμενος καὶ διαρρήσσων τὰ δεσμὰ ἠλαύνετο |ὑπὸ| τοῦ δαιμονίου εἰς τὰς ἐρήμους) παρηγγελλεν γαρ τω πνευματι τω ακαθαρτω εξελθειν απο του ανθρωπου πολλοις γαρ χρονοις συνηρπακει αυτον και εδεσμειτο αλυσεσιν και πεδαις φυλασσομενος και διαρρησσων τα δεσμα ηλαυνετο υπο του δαιμονος εις τας ερημους παρηγγειλεν γαρ τω πνευματι τω ακαθαρτω εξελθειν απο του ανθρωπου πολλοις γαρ χρονοις συνηρπακει αυτον και εδεσμειτο αλυσεσιν και πεδαις φυλασσομενος και διαρρησσων τα δεσμα ηλαυνετο υπο του δαιμονος εις τας ερημους
Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him.

Luke 8:30 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:30 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:30 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἐπηρώτησεν δὲ αὐτὸν ὁ Ἰησοῦς· τί σοι ὄνομα ἐστιν; ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· λεγιών, ὅτι εἰσῆλθεν δαιμόνια πολλὰ εἰς αὐτόν επηρωτησεν δε αυτον ο ιησους λεγων τι σοι εστιν ονομα ο δε ειπεν λεγεων οτι δαιμονια πολλα εισηλθεν εις αυτον επηρωτησεν δε αυτον ο ιησους λεγων τι σοι εστιν ονομα ο δε ειπεν λεγεων οτι δαιμονια πολλα εισηλθεν εις αυτον
And they began to beg him not to order them to depart into the abyss. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep.

Luke 8:31 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:31 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:31 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ παρεκάλουν αὐτὸν ἵνα μὴ ἐπιτάξῃ αὐτοῖς εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον ἀπελθεῖν και παρεκαλει αυτον ινα μη επιταξη αυτοις εις την αβυσσον απελθειν και παρεκαλει αυτον ινα μη επιταξη αυτοις εις την αβυσσον απελθειν
Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and the demonic spirits begged Jesus to let them go into them. He gave them permission. And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them.

Luke 8:32 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:32 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:32 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἦν δὲ ἐκεῖ ἀγέλη χοίρων ἱκανῶν βοσκομένη ἐν τῷ ὄρει· καὶ παρεκάλεσαν αὐτὸν ἵνα ἐπιτρέψῃ αὐτοῖς εἰς ἐκείνους εἰσελθεῖν· καὶ ἐπέτρεψεν αὐτοῖς ην δε εκει αγελη χοιρων ικανων βοσκομενων εν τω ορει και παρεκαλουν αυτον ινα επιτρεψη αυτοις εις εκεινους εισελθειν και επετρεψεν αυτοις ην δε εκει αγελη χοιρων ικανων βοσκομενων εν τω ορει και παρεκαλουν αυτον ινα επιτρεψη αυτοις εις εκεινους εισελθειν και επετρεψεν αυτοις
So the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd of pigs rushed down the steep slope into the lake and drowned. Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked.

Luke 8:33 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:33 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:33 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἐξελθόντα δὲ τὰ δαιμόνια ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰσῆλθον εἰς τοὺς χοίρους, καὶ ὥρμησεν ἡ ἀγέλη κατὰ τοῦ κρημνοῦ εἰς τὴν λίμνην καὶ ἀπεπνίγη εξελθοντα δε τα δαιμονια απο του ανθρωπου εισηλθεν εις τους χοιρους και ωρμησεν η αγελη κατα του κρημνου εις την λιμνην και απεπνιγη εξελθοντα δε τα δαιμονια απο του ανθρωπου εισηλθον εις τους χοιρους και ωρμησεν η αγελη κατα του κρημνου εις την λιμνην και απεπνιγη
When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran off and spread the news in the town and countryside. When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country.

Luke 8:34 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:34 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:34 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἰδόντες δὲ οἱ βόσκοντες τὸ γεγονὸς ἔφυγον καὶ ἀπήγγειλαν εἰς τὴν πόλιν καὶ εἰς τοὺς ἀγρούς ιδοντες δε οι βοσκοντες το γεγενημενον εφυγον και απελθοντες απηγγειλαν εις την πολιν και εις τους αγρους ιδοντες δε οι βοσκοντες το γεγενημενον εφυγον και απηγγειλαν εις την πολιν και εις τους αγρους
So the people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus. They found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

Luke 8:35 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:35 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:35 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἐξῆλθον δὲ ἰδεῖν τὸ γεγονὸς καὶ ἦλθον πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν καὶ εὗρον καθήμενον τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀφ᾿ οὗ τὰ δαιμόνια ἐξῆλθεν ἱματισμένον καὶ σωφρονοῦντα παρὰ τοὺς πόδας |τοῦ| Ἰησοῦ, καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν εξηλθον δε ιδειν το γεγονος και ηλθον προς τον ιησουν και ευρον καθημενον τον ανθρωπον αφ ου τα δαιμονια εξεληλυθει ιματισμενον και σωφρονουντα παρα τους ποδας του ιησου και εφοβηθησαν εξηλθον δε ιδειν το γεγονος και ηλθον προς τον ιησουν και ευρον καθημενον τον ανθρωπον αφ ου τα δαιμονια εξεληλυθει ιματισμενον και σωφρονουντα παρα τους ποδας του ιησου και εφοβηθησαν

Luke 8:37, 38 (NET)

Luke 8:37, 38 (KJV)

Then all the people of the Gerasenes and the surrounding region asked Jesus to leave them alone, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and left. Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again.

Luke 8:37 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:37 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:37 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ ἠρώτησεν αὐτὸν ἅπαν τὸ πλῆθος τῆς περιχώρου τῶν Γερασηνῶν ἀπελθεῖν ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν, ὅτι φόβῳ μεγάλῳ συνείχοντο· αὐτὸς δὲ ἐμβὰς εἰς πλοῖον ὑπέστρεψεν και ηρωτησαν αυτον απαν το πληθος της περιχωρου των γαδαρηνων απελθειν απ αυτων οτι φοβω μεγαλω συνειχοντο αυτος δε εμβας εις το πλοιον υπεστρεψεν και ηρωτησαν αυτον απαν το πληθος της περιχωρου των γαδαρηνων απελθειν απ αυτων οτι φοβω μεγαλω συνειχοντο αυτος δε εμβας εις το πλοιον υπεστρεψεν
The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying,

Luke 8:38 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:38 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:38 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἐδεῖτο δὲ αὐτοῦ ὁ ἀνὴρ ἀφ᾿ οὗ ἐξεληλύθει τὰ δαιμόνια εἶναι σὺν αὐτῷ· ἀπέλυσεν δὲ αὐτὸν λέγων εδεετο δε αυτου ο ανηρ αφ ου εξεληλυθει τα δαιμονια ειναι συν αυτω απελυσεν δε αυτον ο ιησους λεγων εδεετο δε αυτου ο ανηρ αφ ου εξεληλυθει τα δαιμονια ειναι συν αυτω απελυσεν δε αυτον ο ιησους λεγων

Luke 8:41 (NET)

Luke 8:41 (KJV)

Then a man named Jairus, who was a leader of the synagogue, came up. Falling at Jesus’ feet, he pleaded with him to come to his house, And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus’ feet, and besought him that he would come into his house:

Luke 8:41 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:41 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:41 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ ἰδοὺ ἦλθεν ἀνὴρ ᾧ ὄνομα Ἰάϊρος καὶ οὗτος ἄρχων τῆς συναγωγῆς ὑπῆρχεν, καὶ πεσὼν παρὰ τοὺς πόδας [τοῦ] Ἰησοῦ παρεκάλει αὐτὸν εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ και ιδου ηλθεν ανηρ ω ονομα ιαειρος και αυτος αρχων της συναγωγης υπηρχεν και πεσων παρα τους ποδας του ιησου παρεκαλει αυτον εισελθειν εις τον οικον αυτου και ιδου ηλθεν ανηρ ω ονομα ιαειρος και αυτος αρχων της συναγωγης υπηρχεν και πεσων παρα τους ποδας του ιησου παρεκαλει αυτον εισελθειν εις τον οικον αυτου

Luke 8:43 (NET)

Luke 8:43 (KJV)

Now a woman was there who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years but could not be healed by anyone. And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,

Luke 8:43 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:43 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:43 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Καὶ γυνὴ οὖσα ἐν ρύσει αἵματος ἀπὸ ἐτῶν δώδεκα, ἥτις οὐκ ἴσχυσεν ἀπ᾿ οὐδενὸς θεραπευθῆναι και γυνη ουσα εν ρυσει αιματος απο ετων δωδεκα ητις εις ιατρους προσαναλωσασα ολον τον βιον ουκ ισχυσεν υπ ουδενος θεραπευθηναι και γυνη ουσα εν ρυσει αιματος απο ετων δωδεκα ητις ιατροις προσαναλωσασα ολον τον βιον ουκ ισχυσεν υπ ουδενος θεραπευθηναι

Luke 8:45-52 (NET)

Luke 8:45-52 (KJV)

Then Jesus asked, “Who was it who touched me?” When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds are surrounding you and pressing against you!” And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

Luke 8:45 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:45 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:45 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς· τίς ὁ ἁψάμενος μου; ἀρνουμένων δὲ πάντων εἶπεν ὁ Πέτρος· ἐπιστάτα, οἱ ὄχλοι συνέχουσιν σε καὶ ἀποθλίβουσιν και ειπεν ο ιησους τις ο αψαμενος μου αρνουμενων δε παντων ειπεν ο πετρος και οι μετ αυτου επιστατα οι οχλοι συνεχουσιν σε και αποθλιβουσιν και λεγεις τις ο αψαμενος μου και ειπεν ο ιησους τις ο αψαμενος μου αρνουμενων δε παντων ειπεν ο πετρος και οι μετ αυτου επιστατα οι οχλοι συνεχουσιν σε και αποθλιβουσιν και λεγεις τις ο αψαμενος μου
But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I know that power has gone out from me.” And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.

Luke 8:46 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:46 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:46 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν· ἥψατο μού τις, ἐγὼ γὰρ ἔγνων δύναμιν ἐξεληλυθυῖαν ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ ο δε ιησους ειπεν ηψατο μου τις εγω γαρ εγνων δυναμιν εξελθουσαν απ εμου ο δε ιησους ειπεν ηψατο μου τις εγω γαρ εγνων δυναμιν εξελθουσαν απ εμου
When the woman saw that she could not escape notice, she came trembling and fell down before him. In the presence of all the people, she explained why she had touched him and how she had been immediately healed. And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.

Luke 8:47 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:47 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:47 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἰδοῦσα δὲ ἡ γυνὴ ὅτι οὐκ ἔλαθεν, τρέμουσα ἦλθεν καὶ προσπεσοῦσα αὐτῷ δι᾿ ἣν αἰτίαν ἥψατο αὐτοῦ ἀπήγγειλεν ἐνώπιον παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ ὡς ἰάθη παραχρῆμα ιδουσα δε η γυνη οτι ουκ ελαθεν τρεμουσα ηλθεν και προσπεσουσα αυτω δι ην αιτιαν ηψατο αυτου απηγγειλεν αυτω ενωπιον παντος του λαου και ως ιαθη παραχρημα ιδουσα δε η γυνη οτι ουκ ελαθεν τρεμουσα ηλθεν και προσπεσουσα αυτω δι ην αιτιαν ηψατο αυτου απηγγειλεν αυτω ενωπιον παντος του λαου και ως ιαθη παραχρημα
Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

Luke 8:48 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:48 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:48 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτῇ· θυγάτηρ, ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκεν σε· πορεύου εἰς εἰρήνην ο δε ειπεν αυτη θαρσει θυγατερ η πιστις σου σεσωκεν σε πορευου εις ειρηνην ο δε ειπεν αυτη θαρσει θυγατερ η πιστις σου σεσωκεν σε πορευου εις ειρηνην
While he was still speaking, someone from the synagogue leader’s house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the teacher any longer.” While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master.

Luke 8:49 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:49 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:49 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Ἔτι αὐτοῦ λαλοῦντος ἔρχεται τις παρὰ τοῦ ἀρχισυναγώγου λέγων ὅτι τέθνηκεν ἡ θυγάτηρ σου· μηκέτι σκύλλε τὸν διδάσκαλον ετι αυτου λαλουντος ερχεται τις παρα του αρχισυναγωγου λεγων αυτω οτι τεθνηκεν η θυγατηρ σου μη σκυλλε τον διδασκαλον ετι αυτου λαλουντος ερχεται τις παρα του αρχισυναγωγου λεγων αυτω οτι τεθνηκεν η θυγατηρ σου μη σκυλλε τον διδασκαλον
But when Jesus heard this, he told him, “Do not be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.

Luke 8:50 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:50 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:50 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἀκούσας ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ· μὴ φοβοῦ, μόνον πίστευσον, καὶ σωθήσεται ο δε ιησους ακουσας απεκριθη αυτω λεγων μη φοβου μονον πιστευε και σωθησεται ο δε ιησους ακουσας απεκριθη αυτω λεγων μη φοβου μονον πιστευε και σωθησεται
Now when he came to the house, Jesus did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John, and James, and the child’s father and mother. And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden.

Luke 8:51 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:51 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:51 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἐλθὼν δὲ εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν οὐκ ἀφῆκεν εἰσελθεῖν τινα σὺν αὐτῷ εἰ μὴ Πέτρον καὶ Ἰωάννην καὶ Ἰάκωβον καὶ τὸν πατέρα τῆς παιδὸς καὶ τὴν μητέρα εισελθων δε εις την οικιαν ουκ αφηκεν εισελθειν ουδενα ει μη πετρον και ιακωβον και ιωαννην και τον πατερα της παιδος και την μητερα ελθων δε εις την οικιαν ουκ αφηκεν εισελθειν ουδενα ει μη πετρον και ιωαννην και ιακωβον και τον πατερα της παιδος και την μητερα
Now they were all wailing and mourning for her, but he said, “Stop your weeping; she is not dead but asleep!” And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth.

Luke 8:52 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:52 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:52 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἔκλαιον δὲ πάντες καὶ ἐκόπτοντο αὐτήν. ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· μὴ κλαίετε, οὐ γὰρ ἀπέθανεν ἀλλὰ καθεύδει εκλαιον δε παντες και εκοπτοντο αυτην ο δε ειπεν μη κλαιετε ουκ απεθανεν αλλα καθευδει εκλαιον δε παντες και εκοπτοντο αυτην ο δε ειπεν μη κλαιετε ουκ απεθανεν αλλα καθευδει

Luke 8:54 (NET)

Luke 8:54 (KJV)

But Jesus gently took her by the hand and said, “Child, get up.” And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise.

Luke 8:54 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 8:54 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 8:54 (Byzantine Majority Text)

αὐτὸς δὲ κρατήσας τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῆς ἐφώνησεν λέγων· ἡ παῖς, ἔγειρε αυτος δε εκβαλων εξω παντας και κρατησας της χειρος αυτης εφωνησεν λεγων η παις εγειρου αυτος δε εκβαλων εξω παντας και κρατησας της χειρος αυτης εφωνησεν λεγων η παις εγειρου

Matthew 9:9 (NET)

Matthew 9:9 (KJV)

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. “Follow me,” he said to him. So he got up and followed him. And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.

Matthew 9:9 (NET Parallel Greek)

Matthew 9:9 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Matthew 9:9 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Καὶ παράγων ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐκεῖθεν εἶδεν ἄνθρωπον καθήμενον ἐπὶ τὸ τελώνιον, Μαθθαῖον λεγόμενον, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· ἀκολούθει μοι. καὶ ἀναστὰς ἠκολούθησεν αὐτῷ και παραγων ο ιησους εκειθεν ειδεν ανθρωπον καθημενον επι το τελωνιον ματθαιον λεγομενον και λεγει αυτω ακολουθει μοι και αναστας ηκολουθησεν αυτω και παραγων ο ιησους εκειθεν ειδεν ανθρωπον καθημενον επι το τελωνιον ματθαιον λεγομενον και λεγει αυτω ακολουθει μοι και αναστας ηκολουθησεν αυτω

Matthew 9:11-13 (NET)

Matthew 9:11-13 (KJV)

When the Pharisees saw this they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?

Matthew 9:11 (NET Parallel Greek)

Matthew 9:11 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Matthew 9:11 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ ἰδόντες οἱ Φαρισαῖοι ἔλεγον τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ· διὰ τί μετὰ τῶν τελωνῶν καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν ἐσθίει ὁ διδάσκαλος ὑμῶν και ιδοντες οι φαρισαιοι ειπον τοις μαθηταις αυτου δια τι μετα των τελωνων και αμαρτωλων εσθιει ο διδασκαλος υμων και ιδοντες οι φαρισαιοι ειπον τοις μαθηταις αυτου δια τι μετα των τελωνων και αμαρτωλων εσθιει ο διδασκαλος υμων
When Jesus heard this he said, “Those who are healthy don’t need a physician, but those who are sick do. But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

Matthew 9:12 (NET Parallel Greek)

Matthew 9:12 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Matthew 9:12 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ὁ δὲ ἀκούσας εἶπεν· οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ ἀλλ᾿ οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες ο δε ιησους ακουσας ειπεν αυτοις ου χρειαν εχουσιν οι ισχυοντες ιατρου αλλ οι κακως εχοντες ο δε ιησους ακουσας ειπεν αυτοις ου χρειαν εχουσιν οι ισχυοντες ιατρου αλλ οι κακως εχοντες
Go and learn what this saying means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Matthew 9:13 (NET Parallel Greek)

Matthew 9:13 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Matthew 9:13 (Byzantine Majority Text)

πορευθέντες δὲ μάθετε τί ἐστιν· ἔλεος θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν· οὐ γὰρ ἦλθον καλέσαι δικαίους ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλούς πορευθεντες δε μαθετε τι εστιν ελεον θελω και ου θυσιαν ου γαρ ηλθον καλεσαι δικαιους αλλ αμαρτωλους εις μετανοιαν πορευθεντες δε μαθετε τι εστιν ελεον θελω και ου θυσιαν ου γαρ ηλθον καλεσαι δικαιους αλλα αμαρτωλους εις μετανοιαν

Mark 2:15-17 (NET)

Mark 2:15-17 (KJV)

As Jesus was having a meal in Levi’s home, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.

Mark 2:15 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 2:15 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 2:15 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Καὶ γίνεται κατακεῖσθαι αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ πολλοὶ τελῶναι καὶ ἁμαρτωλοὶ συνανέκειντο τῷ Ἰησοῦ καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ· ἦσαν γὰρ πολλοὶ καὶ ἠκολούθουν αὐτῷ και εγενετο εν τω κατακεισθαι αυτον εν τη οικια αυτου και πολλοι τελωναι και αμαρτωλοι συνανεκειντο τω ιησου και τοις μαθηταις αυτου ησαν γαρ πολλοι και ηκολουθησαν αυτω και εγενετο εν τω κατακεισθαι αυτον εν τη οικια αυτου και πολλοι τελωναι και αμαρτωλοι συνανεκειντο τω ιησου και τοις μαθηταις αυτου ησαν γαρ πολλοι και ηκολουθησαν αυτω
When the experts in the law and the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?

Mark 2:16 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 2:16 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 2:16 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς τῶν Φαρισαίων ἰδόντες ὅτι ἐσθίει μετὰ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν καὶ τελωνῶν ἔλεγον τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ· ὅτι μετὰ τῶν τελωνῶν καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν ἐσθίει και οι γραμματεις και οι φαρισαιοι ιδοντες αυτον εσθιοντα μετα των τελωνων και αμαρτωλων ελεγον τοις μαθηταις αυτου τι οτι μετα των τελωνων και αμαρτωλων εσθιει και πινει και οι γραμματεις και οι φαρισαιοι ιδοντες αυτον εσθιοντα μετα των τελωνων και αμαρτωλων ελεγον τοις μαθηταις αυτου τι οτι μετα των τελωνων και αμαρτωλων εσθιει και πινει
When Jesus heard this he said to them, “Those who are healthy don’t need a physician, but those who are sick do. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Mark 2:17 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 2:17 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 2:17 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ ἀκούσας ὁ Ἰησοῦς λέγει αὐτοῖς [ὅτι] οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ἰσχύοντες ἰατροῦ ἀλλ᾿ οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες· οὐκ ἦλθον καλέσαι δικαίους ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλούς και ακουσας ο ιησους λεγει αυτοις ου χρειαν εχουσιν οι ισχυοντες ιατρου αλλ οι κακως εχοντες ουκ ηλθον καλεσαι δικαιους αλλα αμαρτωλους εις μετανοιαν και ακουσας ο ιησους λεγει αυτοις ου χρειαν εχουσιν οι ισχυοντες ιατρου αλλ οι κακως εχοντες ουκ ηλθον καλεσαι δικαιους αλλα αμαρτωλους εις μετανοιαν

Luke 5:28-31 (NET)

Luke 5:28-31 (KJV)

And he got up and followed him, leaving everything behind. And he left all, rose up, and followed him.

Luke 5:28 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 5:28 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 5:28 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ καταλιπὼν πάντα ἀναστὰς ἠκολούθει αὐτῷ και καταλιπων απαντα αναστας ηκολουθησεν αυτω και καταλιπων απαντα αναστας ηκολουθησεν αυτω
Then Levi gave a great banquet in his house for Jesus, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others sitting at the table with them. And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.

Luke 5:29 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 5:29 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 5:29 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Καὶ ἐποίησεν δοχὴν μεγάλην Λευὶς αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἦν ὄχλος πολὺς τελωνῶν καὶ ἄλλων οἳ ἦσαν μετ᾿ αὐτῶν κατακείμενοι και εποιησεν δοχην μεγαλην ο λευις αυτω εν τη οικια αυτου και ην οχλος τελωνων πολυς και αλλων οι ησαν μετ αυτων κατακειμενοι και εποιησεν δοχην μεγαλην λευις αυτω εν τη οικια αυτου και ην οχλος τελωνων πολυς και αλλων οι ησαν μετ αυτων κατακειμενοι
But the Pharisees and their experts in the law complained to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?

Luke 5:30 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 5:30 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 5:30 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ ἐγόγγυζον οἱ Φαρισαῖοι καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς αὐτῶν πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ λέγοντες· διὰ τί μετὰ τῶν τελωνῶν καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν ἐσθίετε καὶ πίνετε και εγογγυζον οι γραμματεις αυτων και οι φαρισαιοι προς τους μαθητας αυτου λεγοντες δια τι μετα τελωνων και αμαρτωλων εσθιετε και πινετε και εγογγυζον οι γραμματεις αυτων και οι φαρισαιοι προς τους μαθητας αυτου λεγοντες δια τι μετα των τελωνων και αμαρτωλων εσθιετε και πινετε
Jesus answered them, “Those who are well don’t need a physician, but those who are sick do. And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.

Luke 5:31 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 5:31 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 5:31 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς |ὁ| Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ὑγιαίνοντες ἰατροῦ ἀλλὰ οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες και αποκριθεις ο ιησους ειπεν προς αυτους ου χρειαν εχουσιν οι υγιαινοντες ιατρου αλλ οι κακως εχοντες και αποκριθεις ο ιησους ειπεν προς αυτους ου χρειαν εχουσιν οι υγιαινοντες ιατρου αλλ οι κακως εχοντες

Matthew 10:3, 4 (NET)

Matthew 10:3, 4 (KJV)

Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;

Matthew 10:3 (NET Parallel Greek)

Matthew 10:3 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Matthew 10:3 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Φίλιππος καὶ Βαρθολομαῖος, Θωμᾶς καὶ Μαθθαῖος ὁ τελώνης, Ἰάκωβος ὁ τοῦ Ἁλφαίου καὶ Θαδδαῖος φιλιππος και βαρθολομαιος θωμας και ματθαιος ο τελωνης ιακωβος ο του αλφαιου και λεββαιος ο επικληθεις θαδδαιος φιλιππος και βαρθολομαιος θωμας και ματθαιος ο τελωνης ιακωβος ο του αλφαιου και λεββαιος ο επικληθεις θαδδαιος
Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

Matthew 10:4 (NET Parallel Greek)

Matthew 10:4 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Matthew 10:4 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Σίμων ὁ Καναναῖος καὶ Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης ὁ καὶ παραδοὺς αὐτόν σιμων ο κανανιτης και ιουδας ισκαριωτης ο και παραδους αυτον σιμων ο κανανιτης και ιουδας ισκαριωτης ο και παραδους αυτον

Mark 3:14-16 (NET)

Mark 3:14-16 (KJV)

He appointed 12 so that they would be with him and he could send them to preach And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,

Mark 3:14 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 3:14 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 3:14 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ ἐποίησεν δώδεκα ([οὓς καὶ ἀποστόλους ὠνόμασεν]), ἵνα ὦσιν μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἵνα ἀποστέλλῃ αὐτοὺς κηρύσσειν και εποιησεν δωδεκα ινα ωσιν μετ αυτου και ινα αποστελλη αυτους κηρυσσειν και εποιησεν δωδεκα ινα ωσιν μετ αυτου και ινα αποστελλη αυτους κηρυσσειν
and to have authority to cast out demons. And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:

Mark 3:15 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 3:15 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 3:15 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ ἔχειν ἐξουσίαν ἐκβάλλειν τὰ δαιμόνια και εχειν εξουσιαν θεραπευειν τας νοσους και εκβαλλειν τα δαιμονια και εχειν εξουσιαν θεραπευειν τας νοσους και εκβαλλειν τα δαιμονια
To Simon he gave the name Peter; And Simon he surnamed Peter;

Mark 3:16 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 3:16 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 3:16 (Byzantine Majority Text)

[καὶ ἐποίησεν τοὺς δώδεκα,] καὶ ἐπέθηκεν ὄνομα τῷ Σίμωνι Πέτρον και επεθηκεν τω σιμωνι ονομα πετρον και επεθηκεν τω σιμωνι ονομα πετρον

Mark 3:18, 19 (NET)

Mark 3:18, 19 (KJV)

and Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,

Mark 3:18 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 3:18 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 3:18 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ Ἀνδρέαν καὶ Φίλιππον καὶ Βαρθολομαῖον καὶ Μαθθαῖον καὶ Θωμᾶν καὶ Ἰάκωβον τὸν τοῦ Ἁλφαίου καὶ Θαδδαῖον καὶ Σίμωνα τὸν Καναναῖον και ανδρεαν και φιλιππον και βαρθολομαιον και ματθαιον και θωμαν και ιακωβον τον του αλφαιου και θαδδαιον και σιμωνα τον κανανιτην και ανδρεαν και φιλιππον και βαρθολομαιον και ματθαιον και θωμαν και ιακωβον τον του αλφαιου και θαδδαιον και σιμωνα τον κανανιτην
and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. (20a) Now Jesus went home And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.

Mark 3:19, 20a (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 3:19 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 3:19 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ Ἰούδαν Ἰσκαριώθ, ὃς καὶ παρέδωκεν αὐτόν (20a) Καὶ ἔρχεται εἰς οἶκον· και ιουδαν ισκαριωτην ος και παρεδωκεν αυτον και ερχονται εις οικον και ιουδαν ισκαριωτην ος και παρεδωκεν αυτον και ερχονται εις οικον

Luke 6:12 (NET)

Luke 6:12 (KJV)

Now it was during this time that Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and he spent all night in prayer to God. And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

Luke 6:12 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 6:12 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 6:12 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις ἐξελθεῖν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ ὄρος προσεύξασθαι, καὶ ἦν διανυκτερεύων ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ τοῦ θεοῦ εγενετο δε εν ταις ημεραις ταυταις εξηλθεν εις το ορος προσευξασθαι και ην διανυκτερευων εν τη προσευχη του θεου εγενετο δε εν ταις ημεραις ταυταις εξηλθεν εις το ορος προσευξασθαι και ην διανυκτερευων εν τη προσευχη του θεου

Luke 6:14-16 (NET)

Luke 6:14-16 (KJV)

Simon (whom he named Peter), and his brother Andrew; and James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,

Luke 6:14 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 6:14 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 6:14 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Σίμωνα (ὃν καὶ ὠνόμασεν Πέτρον), καὶ Ἀνδρέαν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ Ἰάκωβον καὶ Ἰωάννην καὶ Φίλιππον καὶ Βαρθολομαῖον σιμωνα ον και ωνομασεν πετρον και ανδρεαν τον αδελφον αυτου ιακωβον και ιωαννην φιλιππον και βαρθολομαιον σιμωνα ον και ωνομασεν πετρον και ανδρεαν τον αδελφον αυτου ιακωβον και ιωαννην φιλιππον και βαρθολομαιον
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes,

Luke 6:15 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 6:15 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 6:15 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ Μαθθαῖον καὶ Θωμᾶν |καὶ| Ἰάκωβον Ἁλφαίου καὶ Σίμωνα τὸν καλούμενον ζηλωτὴν ματθαιον και θωμαν ιακωβον τον του αλφαιου και σιμωνα τον καλουμενον ζηλωτην ματθαιον και θωμαν ιακωβον τον του αλφαιου και σιμωνα τον καλουμενον ζηλωτην
Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.

Luke 6:16 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 6:16 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 6:16 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ Ἰούδαν Ἰακώβου καὶ Ἰούδαν Ἰσκαριώθ, ὃς ἐγένετο προδότης ιουδαν ιακωβου και ιουδαν ισκαριωτην ος και εγενετο προδοτης ιουδαν ιακωβου και ιουδαν ισκαριωτην ος και εγενετο προδοτης

Mark 4:3-6 (NET)

Mark 4:3-6 (KJV)

“Listen! A sower went out to sow. Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:

Mark 4:3 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 4:3 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 4:3 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Ἀκούετε. ἰδοὺ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων σπεῖραι ακουετε ιδου εξηλθεν ο σπειρων του σπειραι ακουετε ιδου εξηλθεν ο σπειρων του σπειραι
And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

Mark 4:4 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 4:4 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 4:4 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ σπείρειν ὃ μὲν ἔπεσεν παρὰ τὴν ὁδόν, καὶ ἦλθεν τὰ πετεινὰ καὶ κατέφαγεν αὐτό και εγενετο εν τω σπειρειν ο μεν επεσεν παρα την οδον και ηλθεν τα πετεινα του ουρανου και κατεφαγεν αυτο και εγενετο εν τω σπειρειν ο μεν επεσεν παρα την οδον και ηλθεν τα πετεινα και κατεφαγεν αυτο
Other seed fell on rocky ground where it did not have much soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:

Mark 4:5 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 4:5 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 4:5 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ ἄλλο ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὸ πετρῶδες ὅπου οὐκ εἶχεν γῆν πολλήν, καὶ εὐθὺς ἐξανέτειλεν διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν βάθος γῆς αλλο δε επεσεν επι το πετρωδες οπου ουκ ειχεν γην πολλην και ευθεως εξανετειλεν δια το μη εχειν βαθος γης αλλο δε επεσεν επι το πετρωδες οπου ουκ ειχεν γην πολλην και ευθεως εξανετειλεν δια το μη εχειν βαθος γης
When the sun came up it was scorched, and because it did not have sufficient root, it withered. But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

Mark 4:6 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 4:6 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 4:6 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ ὅτε ἀνέτειλεν ἥλιος ἐκαυματίσθη καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν ρίζαν ἐξηράνθη ηλιου δε ανατειλαντος εκαυματισθη και δια το μη εχειν ριζαν εξηρανθη ηλιου δε ανατειλαντος εκαυματισθη και δια το μη εχειν ριζαν εξηρανθη

Mark 4:8, 9 (NET)

Mark 4:8, 9 (KJV)

But other seed fell on good soil and produced grain, sprouting and growing; some yielded thirty times as much, some sixty, and some a hundred times.” And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.

Mark 4:8 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 4:8 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 4:8 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ ἄλλα ἔπεσεν εἰς τὴν γῆν τὴν καλὴν καὶ ἐδίδου καρπὸν ἀναβαίνοντα καὶ αὐξανόμενα καὶ ἔφερεν |ἓν| τριάκοντα καὶ ἓν ἑξήκοντα καὶ ἓν ἑκατόν και αλλο επεσεν εις την γην την καλην και εδιδου καρπον αναβαινοντα και αυξανοντα και εφερεν εν τριακοντα και εν εξηκοντα και εν εκατον και αλλο επεσεν εις την γην την καλην και εδιδου καρπον αναβαινοντα και αυξανοντα και εφερεν εν τριακοντα και εν εξηκοντα και εν εκατον
And he said, “Whoever has ears to hear had better listen!” And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Mark 4:9 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 4:9 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 4:9 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ ἔλεγεν· ὃς ἔχει ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω και ελεγεν αυτοις ο εχων ωτα ακουειν ακουετω και ελεγεν ο εχων ωτα ακουειν ακουετω

Mark 4:16-19 (NET)

Mark 4:16-19 (KJV)

These are the ones sown on rocky ground: As soon as they hear the word, they receive it with joy. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

Mark 4:16 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 4:16 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 4:16 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ οὗτοι εἰσιν οἱ ἐπὶ τὰ πετρώδη σπειρόμενοι, οἳ ὅταν ἀκούσωσιν τὸν λόγον εὐθὺς μετὰ χαρᾶς λαμβάνουσιν αὐτόν και ουτοι εισιν ομοιως οι επι τα πετρωδη σπειρομενοι οι οταν ακουσωσιν τον λογον ευθεως μετα χαρας λαμβανουσιν αυτον και ουτοι εισιν ομοιως οι επι τα πετρωδη σπειρομενοι οι οταν ακουσωσιν τον λογον ευθεως μετα χαρας λαμβανουσιν αυτον
But they have no root in themselves and do not endure. Then, when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they fall away. And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.

Mark 4:17 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 4:17 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 4:17 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ οὐκ ἔχουσιν ρίζαν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἀλλὰ πρόσκαιροι εἰσιν, εἶτα γενομένης θλίψεως ἢ διωγμοῦ διὰ τὸν λόγον εὐθὺς σκανδαλίζονται και ουκ εχουσιν ριζαν εν εαυτοις αλλα προσκαιροι εισιν ειτα γενομενης θλιψεως η διωγμου δια τον λογον ευθεως σκανδαλιζονται και ουκ εχουσιν ριζαν εν εαυτοις αλλα προσκαιροι εισιν ειτα γενομενης θλιψεως η διωγμου δια τον λογον ευθεως σκανδαλιζονται
Others are the ones sown among thorns: They are those who hear the word, And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,

Mark 4:18 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 4:18 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 4:18 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ ἄλλοι εἰσὶν οἱ εἰς τὰς ἀκάνθας σπειρόμενοι· οὗτοι εἰσιν οἱ τὸν λόγον ἀκούσαντες και ουτοι εισιν οι εις τας ακανθας σπειρομενοι ουτοι εισιν οι τον λογον ακουοντες και ουτοι εισιν οι εις τας ακανθας σπειρομενοι οι τον λογον ακουοντες
but worldly cares, the seductiveness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it produces nothing. And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

Mark 4:19 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 4:19 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 4:19 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ αἱ μέριμναι τοῦ αἰῶνος καὶ ἡ ἀπάτη τοῦ πλούτου καὶ αἱ περὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἐπιθυμίαι εἰσπορευόμεναι συμπνίγουσιν τὸν λόγον καὶ ἄκαρπος γίνεται και αι μεριμναι του αιωνος τουτου και η απατη του πλουτου και αι περι τα λοιπα επιθυμιαι εισπορευομεναι συμπνιγουσιν τον λογον και ακαρπος γινεται και αι μεριμναι του αιωνος τουτου και η απατη του πλουτου και αι περι τα λοιπα επιθυμιαι εισπορευομεναι συμπνιγουσιν τον λογον και ακαρπος γινεται

Acts 27:21-23 (NET)

Acts 27:21-23 (KJV)

Since many of them had no desire to eat, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not put out to sea from Crete, thus avoiding this damage and loss. But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.

Acts 27:21 (NET Parallel Greek)

Acts 27:21 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Acts 27:21 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Πολλῆς τε ἀσιτίας ὑπαρχούσης τότε σταθεὶς ὁ Παῦλος ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν εἶπεν· ἔδει μέν, ὦ ἄνδρες, πειθαρχήσαντας μοι μὴ ἀνάγεσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς Κρήτης κερδῆσαι τε τὴν ὕβριν ταύτην καὶ τὴν ζημίαν πολλης δε ασιτιας υπαρχουσης τοτε σταθεις ο παυλος εν μεσω αυτων ειπεν εδει μεν ω ανδρες πειθαρχησαντας μοι μη αναγεσθαι απο της κρητης κερδησαι τε την υβριν ταυτην και την ζημιαν πολλης δε ασιτιας υπαρχουσης τοτε σταθεις ο παυλος εν μεσω αυτων ειπεν εδει μεν ω ανδρες πειθαρχησαντας μοι μη αναγεσθαι απο της κρητης κερδησαι τε την υβριν ταυτην και την ζημιαν
And now I advise you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship will be lost. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.

Acts 27:22 (NET Parallel Greek)

Acts 27:22 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Acts 27:22 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ τὰ νῦν παραινῶ ὑμᾶς εὐθυμεῖν· ἀποβολὴ γὰρ ψυχῆς οὐδεμία ἔσται ἐξ ὑμῶν πλὴν τοῦ πλοίου και τανυν παραινω υμας ευθυμειν αποβολη γαρ ψυχης ουδεμια εσται εξ υμων πλην του πλοιου και τα νυν παραινω υμας ευθυμειν αποβολη γαρ ψυχης ουδεμια εσται εξ υμων πλην του πλοιου
For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve came to me For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

Acts 27:23 (NET Parallel Greek)

Acts 27:23 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Acts 27:23 (Byzantine Majority Text)

παρέστη γάρ μοι ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ τοῦ θεοῦ, οὗ εἰμι [ἐγώ] ᾧ καὶ λατρεύω, ἄγγελος παρεστη γαρ μοι τη νυκτι ταυτη αγγελος του θεου ου ειμι ω και λατρευω παρεστη γαρ μοι ταυτη τη νυκτι αγγελος του θεου ου ειμι ω και λατρευω

Mark 4:38 (NET)

Mark 4:38 (KJV)

But he was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. They woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?” And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

Mark 4:38 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 4:38 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 4:38 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν ἐν τῇ πρύμνῃ ἐπὶ τὸ προσκεφάλαιον καθεύδων. καὶ ἐγείρουσιν αὐτὸν καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· διδάσκαλε, οὐ μέλει σοι ὅτι ἀπολλύμεθα και ην αυτος επι τη πρυμνη επι το προσκεφαλαιον καθευδων και διεγειρουσιν αυτον και λεγουσιν αυτω διδασκαλε ου μελει σοι οτι απολλυμεθα και ην αυτος επι τη πρυμνη επι το προσκεφαλαιον καθευδων και διεγειρουσιν αυτον και λεγουσιν αυτω διδασκαλε ου μελει σοι οτι απολλυμεθα

Mark 4:40 (NET)

Mark 4:40 (KJV)

And he said to them, “Why are you cowardly? Do you still not have faith?” And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

Mark 4:40 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 4:40 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 4:40 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· τί δειλοί ἐστε; οὔπω ἔχετε πίστιν και ειπεν αυτοις τι δειλοι εστε ουτως πως ουκ εχετε πιστιν και ειπεν αυτοις τι δειλοι εστε ουτως πως ουκ εχετε πιστιν

Mark 5:28 (NET)

Mark 5:28 (KJV)

for she kept saying, “If only I touch his clothes, I will be healed.” For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

Mark 5:28 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 5:28 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 5:28 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἔλεγεν γὰρ ὅτι ἐὰν ἅψωμαι κὰν τῶν ἱματίων αὐτοῦ σωθήσομαι ελεγεν γαρ οτι καν των ιματιων αυτου αψωμαι σωθησομαι ελεγεν γαρ οτι καν των ιματιων αυτου αψωμαι σωθησομαι

Luke 9:1, 2 (NET)

Luke 9:1, 2 (KJV)

After Jesus called the twelve together, he gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.

Luke 9:1 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 9:1 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 9:1 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Συγκαλεσάμενος δὲ τοὺς δώδεκα ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς δύναμιν καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ δαιμόνια καὶ νόσους θεραπεύειν συγκαλεσαμενος δε τους δωδεκα μαθητας αυτου εδωκεν αυτοις δυναμιν και εξουσιαν επι παντα τα δαιμονια και νοσους θεραπευειν συγκαλεσαμενος δε τους δωδεκα εδωκεν αυτοις δυναμιν και εξουσιαν επι παντα τα δαιμονια και νοσους θεραπευειν
and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

Luke 9:2 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 9:2 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 9:2 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ ἀπέστειλεν αὐτοὺς κηρύσσειν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἰᾶσθαι [τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς] και απεστειλεν αυτους κηρυσσειν την βασιλειαν του θεου και ιασθαι τους ασθενουντας και απεστειλεν αυτους κηρυσσειν την βασιλειαν του θεου και ιασθαι τους ασθενουντας

1 Luke 8:21b (ESV) Table

2 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και (KJV: Now) at the beginning of this clause, where the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had δὲ.

3 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had διεγερθεὶς, a participle of διεγείρω here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εγερθεις (KJV: he arose), a participle of ἐγείρω.

6 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἀντιπέρα, a form of the adverb ἀντιπέραν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αντιπεραν (KJV: over against).

7 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτω following there met. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

8 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ος ειχεν (KJV: which had), a 3rd person singular form of ἔχω in the imperfect tense here, where the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had a present participle ἔχων.

9 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had καὶ here followed by χρόνῳ ἱκανῷ in the dative case, which the translators treated like the beginning of a new clause. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εκ here followed by χρονων ικανων in the genitive case, which the translators treated like a modifier of the previous clause (KJV: which had devils long time).

10 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had καὶ here followed by ιματιον ουκ ενεδιδυσκετο, a form of ἐνδιδύσκω in the imperfect tense, which the translators treated like the beginning of a new clause (KJV: and ware no clothes). The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had οὐκ ἐνεδύσατο ἱμάτιον; ἐνεδύσατο is a form of ἐνδύω in the middle voice and aorist tense.

13 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had λεγων (KJV: saying) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

15 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had παρεκάλουν here, a 3rd person plural form of παρακαλέω, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the singular form παρεκαλει (KJV: they besought).

16 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had βοσκομένη here, a singular participle of βόσκω in the nominative case, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the plural participle βοσκομενων in the genitive case.

18 The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had εἰσῆλθον here, a 3rd person plural form of εἰσέρχομαι, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had the singular εισηλθεν.

19 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had γεγονὸς here, a neuter participle of γίνομαι in the active voice, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the masculine γεγενημενον (KJV: was done) in the middle or passive voice.

20 The Stephanus Textus Receptus had απελθοντες (KJV: went) following fled and. The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

23 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἠρώτησεν here, a singular form of ἐρωτάω, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the plural ηρωτησαν (KJV: besought).

24 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἐδεῖτο here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εδεετο (KJV: besought). These appear to be alternate spellings of the same part of speech.

25 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ο ιησους (KJV: Jesus) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

26 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εγενετο (KJV: it came to pass) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

27 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ὑποστρέφειν here, an infinitive form of ὑποστρέφω in the present tense, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had υποστρεψαι (KJV: was returned) in the aorist tense.

30 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἀπ᾿ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had υπ (KJV: of).

31 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και οι μετ αυτου (KJV: and they that were with him) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

32 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και λεγεις τις ο αψαμενος μου (KJV: and sayest thou, Who touched me) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

34 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτω (KJV: unto him) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

35 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had θαρσει (KJV: be of good comfort) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

36 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had μηκέτι here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had simply μη (KJV: not).

37 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had λεγων (KJV: saying). The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

38 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had πίστευσον here, an imperative form of πιστεύω in the aorist tense, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had πιστευε in the present tense.

42 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εκβαλων εξω παντας και (KJV: put them all out, and) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

44 Luke 8:22-56 (ESV)

45 Luke 8:25a (ESV)

48 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ιησους (KJV: Jesus) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

49 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτοις (KJV: unto them) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

50 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had the neuter ἔλεος here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the masculine ελεον.

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

52 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εις μετανοιαν (KJV: to repentance) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

53 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had γίνεται here, a form of γίνομαι in the present tense, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εγενετο (KJV: it came to pass) in the 2nd aorist tense.

54 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εν τω preceding reclined at table (KJV: sat at meat). The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

57 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ὅτι ἐσθίει here, a 3rd person singular form of ἐσθίω in the present tense, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτον εσθιοντα (KJV: him eat), a present participle.

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

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

60 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ὅτι (“that”) here. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

61 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εις μετανοιαν (KJV: to repentance) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

62 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had πάντα here, a form of πᾶς, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had απαντα (KJV: all), a form of ἅπας.

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

65 The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had the article τῶν preceding tax collectors. The Stephanus Textus Receptus did not.

67 Luke 5:28a (ESV)

68 Matthew 9:13b (ESV)

70 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had λεββαιος ο επικληθεις (KJV: Lebbaeus, whose surname was) preceding Thaddeus. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

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

74 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had θεραπευειν τας νοσους και (KJV: to heal sicknesses, and) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

84 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τον του preceding of Aphaeus. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

87 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had καὶ (KJV: also) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

88 Matthew 10:3 (ESV)

89 The Path of Preparation: Four Necessary Steps, #4 Organize: Sequence and Order p. 101; Christ-Centered Preaching, Chapter 5

90 The Balance: A Generic Framework pp. 74, 75; Christ-Centered Preaching, Chapter 4, Part 1

91 Philippians 2:13 (ESV)

93 Romans 7:18b (ESV) Table

94 John 17:3b (ESV)

95 Luke 8:22b (ESV)

96 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article του preceding to sow. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

97 The Stephanus Textus Receptus had του ουρανου (KJV: of the air) here. The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

98 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had καὶ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε (KJV: And).

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

101 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had the plural adjective ἄλλα here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the singular αλλο.

102 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had αὐξανόμενα here, a participle of αὐξάνω in the passive voice, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυξανοντα (KJV: increased) in the active voice.

103 The Stephanus Textus Receptus had αυτοις (KJV: unto them) here. The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

104 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ὃς ἔχει here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ο εχων (KJV: He that hath).

105 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ομοιως (KJV: likewise). The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

108 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἄλλοι here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ουτοι (KJV: these).

112 Luke 8:25b (ESV)

113 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had τε here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε (KJV: But).

118 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ουτως (KJV: so) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

119 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had οὔπω ἔχετε here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had πως ουκ εχετε (KJV: how is it that ye have no).

121 Bullet point #4 in answer to my question: what causes storms to form?

123 Luke 8:42b (ESV)

124 Luke 8:46b (ESV)

126 The Stephanus Textus Receptus had μαθητας αυτου (KJV: his twelve disciples) following twelve. The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

127 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had [τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς] (NET: the sick), a form of the adjective ἀσθενής following to heal, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τους ασθενουντας (KJV: the sick), a participle of the verb ἀσθενέω.

Christ-Centered Preaching, Chapter 3

These are my notes from a preaching course I’m taking. Unless otherwise indicated all quotations are from the book:

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

Before beginning I want to look in depth at Psalm 62 for a different but related assignment:

Psalm 62:1-4 (ESV)

Psalm 62:5-8 (ESV)

Psalm 62:9-12 (ESV)

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.
He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them.
How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God,
They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work.

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. (Psalm 62:1 ESV)

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Psalm 62:1 (Tanakh/KJV)

Psalm 62:1 (NET)

Psalm 61:2 (NETS)

Psalm 61:2 (English Elpenor)

Truly my soul waiteth (דֽוּמִיָּ֣ה) upon God: from him cometh my salvation (יְשֽׁוּעָתִֽי). For God alone I patiently wait (dûmîyâ, דומיה); he is the one who delivers me (yᵊšûʿâ, ישועתי). Shall not my soul be subject (ὑποταγήσεται) to God? For from him is my deliverance (σωτήριόν μου). Shall not my soul be subjected (ὑποταγήσεται) to God? for of him is my salvation (σωτήριόν μου).

The Hebrew word דֽוּמִיָּ֣ה (dûmîyâ), waits in silence (ESV), waiteth (Tanakh, KJV), patiently wait (NET) was translated ὑποταγήσεται, a passive form of ὑποτάσσω, in the Septuagint: be subject (NETS), be subjected (English Elpenor). I have said these things to you, Jesus told his disciples, that in me you may have1 peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.2 These two verses seem not merely to complement one another, but to expound on one another in ways that exceed the sum of their parts.

He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. (Psalm 62:2 ESV)

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Psalm 62:2 (Tanakh/KJV)

Psalm 62:2 (NET)

Psalm 61:3 (NETS)

Psalm 61:3 (English Elpenor)

He only is my rock (צ֖וּרִי) and my salvation (וִישֽׁוּעָתִ֑י); he is my defence (מִ֜שְׂגַּבִּ֗י); I shall not be greatly moved. He alone is my protector (ṣûr, צורי) and deliverer (yᵊšûʿâ, וישועתי). He is my refuge (miśgāḇ, משׁגבי); I will not be upended. Indeed, he is my God (θεός μου) and my Savior (καὶ σωτήρ μου), my supporter (ἀντιλήμπτωρ μου); I shall be shaken no more. For he is my God (Θεός μου), and my saviour (καὶ σωτήρ μου); my helper (καὶ ἀντιλήπτωρ μου), I shall not be moved very much.

Was צ֖וּרִי (ṣûr) not the word found in the Hebrew text the rabbis translated into Greek? Or did they have reasons for not wanting to translate צ֖וּרִי (ṣûr) with some form of πέτρα in this particular context?

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Exodus 17:5, 6 (Tanakh)

Exodus 17:5, 6 (NET)

Exodus 17:5, 6 (NETS)

Exodus 17:5, 6 (English Elpenor)

And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֜ה) said unto Moses: ‘Pass on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thy hand, and go. The Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) said to Moses, “Go over before the people; take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile and go. And the Lord (κύριος) said to Moyses, “Go on ahead of this people, but take with you some of the elders of the people and the rod with which you struck the river take in your hand, and go. And the Lord (Κύριος) said to Moses, Go before this people, and take to thyself of the elders of the people; and the rod with which thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and thou shalt go.
Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock (הַצּוּר֘) in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock (בַצּ֗וּר), and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.’ And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. I will be standing before you there on the rock (ṣûr, הצור) in Horeb, and you will strike the rock (ṣûr, בצור), and water will come out of it so that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in plain view of the elders of Israel. I here have taken my stand, before you came, on the rock (τῆς πέτρας) at Choreb. And you shall strike the rock (τὴν πέτραν), and water will come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moyses did so before the sons of Israel. Behold, I stand there before thou [come], on the rock (τῆς πέτρας) in Choreb, and thou shalt smite the rock (τὴν πέτραν), and water shall come out from it, and the people shall drink. And Moses did so before the sons of Israel.

I can imagine that Jewish rabbis wishing not to confuse their Gentile audience thought it better to lose the connection to this passage than to associate יְהֹוָ֜ה (Yᵊhōvâ) too closely with the rock at Horeb. But Paul and the Holy Spirit had no such scruples: For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.3

How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? (Psalm 62:3 ESV)

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Psalm 62:3 (Tanakh/KJV)

Psalm 62:3 (NET)

Psalm 61:4 (NETS)

Psalm 61:4 (English Elpenor)

How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain (כֻ֫לְּכֶ֥ם) all of you (כְּקִ֥יר): as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence. How long will you threaten a man like me? All of you (kōl, כלכם) are murderers (rāṣaḥ, תרצחו), as dangerous as a leaning wall or an unstable fence. How long do you assail against a person? You commit murder (φονεύετε), all of you (πάντες), as by means of a wall that leans and a fence that slants. How long will ye assault a man? ye are all (πάντες) slaughtering (φονεύετε) as with a bowed wall and a broken hedge.

The translators have different understandings of this verse. Apparently, the translators of the ESV understood כֻ֫לְּכֶ֥ם (rāṣaḥ)—ye shall be slain (Tanakh, KJV), [you] are murderers (NET), You commit murder (NETS), ye are…slaughtering (English Elpenor)—as to batter him.

They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah (Psalm 62:4 ESV)

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Psalm 62:4 (Tanakh/KJV)

Psalm 62:4 (NET)

Psalm 61:5 (NETS)

Psalm 61:5 (English Elpenor)

They only consult to cast him down from his excellency (מִשְּׂאֵת֨וֹ): they delight in lies (כָ֫זָ֥ב): they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah. They spend all their time planning how to bring their victim down (śᵊ’ēṯ, משׁאתו). They love to use deceit (kāzāḇ, כזב); they pronounce blessings with their mouths, but inwardly they utter curses. (Selah) But they planned to impugn my honor (τὴν τιμήν μου). They ran with a lie (ψεύδει); with their mouth they would bless and curse with their heart. Interlude on strings They only took counsel to set at nought mine honour (τὴν τιμήν μου): I ran in thirst (δίψει): with their mouth they blessed, but with their heart they cursed. Pause.

The Greek verb ἔδραμον, They ran (NETS), I ran (English Elpenor), can be either a 3rd person plural or a 1st person singular form of τρέχω.

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. (Psalm 62:5 ESV)

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Psalm 62:5 (Tanakh/KJV)

Psalm 62:5 (NET)

Psalm 61:6 (NETS)

Psalm 61:6 (English Elpenor)

My soul, wait thou (דֹּ֣מִּי) only upon God; for my expectation (תִּקְוָתִֽי) is from him. Patiently wait (dāmam, דומי) for God alone, my soul! For he is the one who gives me hope (tiqvâ, תקותי). But to God be subject (ὑποτάγηθι), O my soul, because from him is my endurance ( ὑπομονή μου). Nevertheless do thou, my soul, be subjected (ὑποτάγηθι) to God; for of him [is] my patient hope ( ὑπομονή μου).

He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. (Psalm 62:6 ESV)

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Psalm 62:6 (Tanakh/KJV)

Psalm 62:6 (NET)

Psalm 61:7 (NETS)

Psalm 61:7 (English Elpenor)

He only is my rock (צ֖וּרִי) and my salvation (וִישֽׁוּעָתִ֑י): he is my defence (מִ֜שְׂגַּבִּ֗י); I shall not be moved. He alone is my protector (ṣûr, צורי) and deliverer (yᵊšûʿâ, וישועתי). He is my refuge (miśgāḇ, משׁגבי); I will not be shaken. Because he is my God (θεός μου) and my Savior (καὶ σωτήρ μου), my supporter (ἀντιλήμπτωρ μου), I shall never be a fugitive. For he [is] my God (Θεός μου) and my Saviour (καὶ σωτήρ μου); my helper (ἀντιλήπτωρ μου), I shall not be moved.

On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. (Psalm 62:7 ESV)

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Psalm 62:7 (Tanakh/KJV)

Psalm 62:7 (NET)

Psalm 61:8 (NETS)

Psalm 61:8 (English Elpenor)

In God is my salvation (יִשְׁעִ֣י) and my glory (וּכְבוֹדִ֑י): the rock (צוּר) of my strength (עֻזִּ֥י), and my refuge (מַ֜חְסִ֗י), is in God. God delivers me (yēšaʿ, ישעי) and exalts me (kāḇôḏ, וכבודי); God is my strong (ʿōz, עזי) protector (ṣûr, צור) and my shelter (maḥăsê, מחסי). With God is my deliverance (τὸ σωτήριόν μου) and my glory (καὶ δόξα μου); O God ( θεὸς) of my help (τῆς βοηθείας μου)—and my hope (καὶ ἐλπίς μου) is with God. In God [is] my salvation (τὸ σωτήριόν μου) and my glory (καὶ δόξα μου): [he is] the God ( Θεὸς) of my help (τῆς βοηθείας μου), and my hope (καὶ ἐλπίς μου) is in God.

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah (Psalm 62:8 ESV)

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Psalm 62:8 (Tanakh/KJV)

Psalm 62:8 (NET)

Psalm 61:9 (NETS)

Psalm 61:9 (English Elpenor)

Trust (בִּטְחוּ) in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge (מַֽחֲסֶה) for us. Selah. Trust (bāṭaḥ, בטחו) in him at all times, you people! Pour out your hearts before him. God is our shelter (maḥăsê, מחסה). (Selah) Hope (ἐλπίσατε) in him, all you congregation of people; pour out your hearts before him; God is our helper (βοηθὸς ἡμῶν). Interlude on Strings Hope (ἐλπίσατε) in him, all ye congregation of the people; pour out your hearts before him, for God is our helper (βοηθὸς ἡμῶν). Pause.

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope (ἐλπίσατε, a form of ἐλπίζω) fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.4

Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath. (Psalm 62:9 ESV)

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Psalm 62:9 (Tanakh/KJV)

Psalm 62:9 (NET)

Psalm 61:10 (NETS)

Psalm 61:10 (English Elpenor)

Surely men of low degree are vanity (הֶ֥בֶל), and men of high degree are a lie (כָּזָ֪ב): to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity (מֵהֶ֥בֶל). Men are nothing but a mere breath (heḇel, הבל); human beings are unreliable (kāzāḇ, כזב). When they are weighed in the scales, all of them together are lighter than air (heḇel, מהבל). But the sons of men are vain (μάταιοι); false (ψευδεῖς) are the sons of men, to do wrong with balances; they together are from vanity (ματαιότητος). But the sons of men are vain (μάταιοι); the sons of men are false (ψευδεῖς), so as to be deceitful in the balances; they are all alike [formed] out of vanity (ματαιότητος).

Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them. (Psalm 62:10 ESV)

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Psalm 62:10 (Tanakh/KJV)

Psalm 62:10 (NET)

Psalm 61:11 (NETS)

Psalm 61:11 (English Elpenor)

Trust (תִּבְטְח֣וּ) not in oppression, and become not vain (תֶּ֫הְבָּ֥לוּ) in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them. Do not trust (bāṭaḥ, תבטחו) in what you can gain by oppression. Do not put false confidence (hāḇal, תהבלו) in what you can gain by robbery. If wealth increases, do not become attached to it. Put no hope (ἐλπίζετε) in wrong, and do not long (ἐπιποθεῖτε) for what is robbed; wealth, if it flows, do not add heart. Trust (ἐλπίζετε) not in unrighteousness, and lust (ἐπιποθεῖτε) not after robberies: if wealth should flow in, set not your heart upon it.

Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, (Psalm 62:11 ESV)

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Psalm 62:11 (Tanakh/KJV)

Psalm 62:11 (NET)

Psalm 61:12, 13a (NETS)

Psalm 61:12 (English Elpenor)

God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power (עֹ֜֗ז) belongeth unto God. God has declared one principle; two principles I have heard: God is strong (ʿōz, עז), Once God spoke; these two things I heard: (13a) that might (τὸ κράτος) is God’s, God has spoken once, [and] I have heard these two things, that power (τὸ κράτος) is of God;

and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work. (Psalm 62:12 ESV)

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Psalm 62:12 (Tanakh/KJV)

Psalm 62:12 (NET)

Psalm 61:13b (NETS)

Psalm 61:13 (English Elpenor)

Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy (חָ֑סֶד): for thou renderest (תְשַׁלֵּ֖ם) to every man according to his work [Table]. and you, O Lord, demonstrate loyal love (ḥeseḏ, חסד). For you repay (šālam, תשלם) men for what they do. and to you, O Lord, belongs mercy (τὸ ἔλεος), because you will repay (ἀποδώσεις) to each according to his works [Table]. and mercy (τὸ ἔλεος) is thine, O Lord; for thou wilt recompense (ἀποδώσεις) every one according to his works.

Questions for Review and Discussion

  1. What are the benefits and the liabilities of selecting texts for preaching that address personal or congregational concerns?

Preaching on passages that are of a particular meaning or interest to you is a great way to learn to expound texts. What excites or moves you is much more likely to elicit the passion from you that will enthuse and move others…

However, preachers who choose texts to address their personal concerns need to be cautioned in at least two ways. First, make sure you do not impose your concern on the text. Solid exposition should demonstrate that the passage really speaks to the issue you want to address and that your passion to address a particular subject has not abused the original author’s intent. Second, be aware that a ministry that too frequently addresses the preacher’s personal concerns can become too narrow in focus for the broader needs of a congregation. The pastor may end up riding hobby horses or unconsciously concentrating on personal struggles, thereby neglecting other important truths needed for a fully mature congregation.

Considerations for Selecting a Passage: Concerns p. 45

Congregational concerns should also influence what pastors choose to preach. Preachers will be regarded as out of touch or insensitive if they press forward with their sermon programs while ignoring a community’s employment dilemma, the death of a pillar in the church, a national tragedy, a local disaster, a building program, a young person’s decision to enter the mission field, moral issues that the young encounter, health concerns that the elderly face, or a host of similar matters of significance in the life of the church. The world should not set the agenda for our preaching, but ministry that ignores the world that a congregation confronts is a sanctimonious sham.

Considerations for Selecting a Passage: Concerns pp. 45, 46

A ministry can be as warped by lending too much of an ear to what people want to hear as it can by giving too much weight to what the preacher wants to preach (2 Tim 4:3).

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions [Table], and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (2 Timothy 4:3, 4 ESV)

Considerations for Selecting a Passage: Concerns pp. 46, 47

Different church traditions have used various means to round out the emphasis of preaching in a local setting…Reformed churches and others from “free church” traditions have typically rejected lectionary usage for a variety of reasons: (1) the principle of sola Scriptura, which some take to include the idea that Scripture alone should dictate what is preached; (2) the practice of lectio continua as opposed to lectio selecta, that is, presenting lessons from text in consecutive sequence (e.g., preaching through a book in a series, also known as “consecutive preaching”)12 instead of choosing diverse selections week to week, since this was felt to lead to inappropriate human emphases; (3) the tradition of holding no day above another in reaction to Roman Catholic holy day observances that were seen as integral to sacramentalism; and (4) the regard given to the autonomy of the local pulpit on the assumption that the Holy Spirit will grant a local preacher unction (i.e., spiritual power) and insight for the task at hand.

Considerations for Selecting a Passage: Concerns p. 47

The Holy Spirit. No catalyst for selecting a text is more important than sensitivity to the leading of God’s Spirit. Prayer with godly concern for the good of others and the glory of Christ should lead you through the choices you must make among the catalysts for selecting a sermon’s focus.20 Preaching in the power of the Spirit is the culmination of a process that has been Spirit-led.

Catalysts: Contexts pp. 51, 52

  1. What are benefits and cautions associated with preaching a series?

…significant benefits for a pastor preaching in sequence through a chapter or a book…

Matters in the text…address a greater number than…personal interest or experience.

Sensitive matters can be addressed without the appearance of pointing a finger…matters simply appear next in the text sequence…

Much mental energy [and time] can be saved…deciding what to preach…the next section of the text is the obvious choice.

Much research time can be saved…of the book’s or the passage’s author, background, context, and cause.

The congregation will learn to see the organizing themes and schemes of the Bible…

The congregation and the pastor can monitor the progress of both their journey through a book and their exposure to important biblical and doctrinal topics.

Considerations for Selecting a Passage: Catalysts: Series p. 47, 48

Series preaching shows its greatest liabilities when preachers fail to make adequate or appropriate progress…

Series also cause problems if a preacher makes each sermon dependent on previous messages…

Series greatly aid a pastor’s preparation and subject scope. Still, series generally work best when their duration is reasonable, their sermons are not too dependent on one another, and their subjects or approaches differ from those of recent series.

Considerations for Selecting a Passage: Catalysts: Series p. 48, 49

  1. What cautions does a preacher need to observe when approaching spurious texts?

Do not use spurious texts. Concern for what a congregation needs to hear should never lead a pastor to proclaim as authoritative any words or texts that the Holy Spirit did not inspire. Scribal comments and errors that have mistakenly been included in some translations should not be presented as the Word of God.21 Where there is the rare question about whether a particular passage is spurious, it is wise to see if that same truth can be preached from a more certain passage or to provide the congregation with your reasons for using the text (since the marginal notes in the most trustworthy translations in the laps or smartphones of listeners will question the passage’s authenticity).

Cautions p. 53

While this sounds like wise advice for pastors it plays right into the hands of those who would remove passages from the Bible. Those passages deemed “spurious” are possibly, if not probably, soon to be removed, even from the Greek text of the New Testament. Who decided they were spurious? For what reasons?

A brief video online, “Was the Original Bible Corrupted and Restored? | The Critical Text of the New Testament Explained,” offers an interesting introduction to answering these questions. The first 30 seconds or so is designed to make anyone who would question the processes of modern Bible scholarship feel like a rabid conspiracy theorist. But this kind of rhetoric only alerts and heightens my awareness to become even more critical of those processes. The Cross Bible Timeline mentioned in the video may prove to be a useful resource.

Psalm 62:9 (ESV)

Psalm 61:10 (English Elpenor)

Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.

But the sons of men are vain; the sons of men are false, so as to be deceitful in the balances; they are all alike [formed] out of vanity.

On the left is a translation from the Masoretic text, edited by those who rejected Jesus as Messiah “between the 7th and 10th centuries of the Common Era (CE).” On the right is a translation of the same verse from the Septuagint, “the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Hebrew…Biblical scholars agree that the first five books of the Hebrew Bible were translated from Biblical Hebrew into Koine Greek by Jews living in the Ptolemaic Kingdom, probably in the early or middle part of the third century BCE.[8] The remaining books were presumably translated in the 2nd century BCE.”

Men edit and translate the Bible. I like to compare the Masoretic text to the Septuagint, and NA27 and NA28 to the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text. There are other texts and translations available to consider if necessary.

Matthew 6:13 (NET) Table

Matthew 6:13 (NET Parallel Greek)

Matthew 6:13 (NA28)

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ρῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ

καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ

Matthew 6:13 (KJV)

Matthew 6:13 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Matthew 6:13 (Byzantine Majority Text)

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

και μη εισενεγκης ημας εις πειρασμον αλλα ρυσαι ημας απο του πονηρου οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα εις τους αιωνας αμην

και μη εισενεγκης ημας εις πειρασμον αλλα ρυσαι ημας απο του πονηρου οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα εις τους αιωνας αμην

Faith that the Holy Spirit knew what he was doing when he inspired the Word without the spurious texts will keep us confident of Scripture’s sufficiency. We can help the people to whom we preach remain confident of the Bible’s authority by reminding them how rare such questions are when they do arise in the ordinary course of preaching. Bible-believing scholars question the textual validity of less than one word in a thousand in our best translations.22 As a result, there is little question concerning what statements appeared in the original manuscripts. The evangelical debate with modern theologies rarely concentrates on what Scripture actually says, but rather on whether to believe and obey what it says. The Holy Spirit’s inspiration and providential preservation of Scripture are continuing miracles of God’s supernatural care for our souls.23 A good study Bible prepared by scholars who accept the Bible’s full authority will give us ample warning of a questionable text and will grant us confidence that we are preaching in accord with the Spirit’s imprimatur.24

Cautions pp. 53, 54

The note (20) from the NET on Matthew 6:13 follows:

Most mss (L W Δ Θ 0233 ƒ 33 565 579 700 1241 1424 M sy sa Didache) read (though some with slight variation) ὅτι σοῦ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία καὶ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ἀμήν (“for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, amen”) here. The reading without this sentence, though, is attested by generally better witnesses (א B D Z 0170 ƒ lat mae Or). The phrase was probably composed for the liturgy of the early church and most likely was based on 1 Chr 29:11-13; a scribe probably added the phrase at this point in the text for use in public scripture reading (see TCGNT 13-14). Both external and internal evidence argue for the shorter reading.

In other words, “Trust us.” There is no mention of an extant manuscript with these missing words in the margin, just a lot of speculation. And I know the benefit of praying them daily. Keep a watchful eye on Bible editors. We live in the golden age of home Bible study online: “The Holy Spirit’s inspiration and providential preservation of Scripture are continuing miracles of God’s supernatural care for our souls.”

  1. Why should a preacher be cautious about turning to a commentary as a first step in sermon preparation?

The expertise that commentaries bring to bear on a particular passage is at one moment their greatest benefit and their greatest danger. The mixed blessing is in the two types of pastors who will never make great preachers: the first will not listen to what others say; the other will say only what others say. A preacher who refuses to pay attention to what gifted scholars have discovered mistakes personal arrogance for erudition. God does not give all his insights to any one person. At the same time, a preacher who only repeats what commentators say is trying to preach by proxy.

You must think through what Scripture says in order to be able to share the significance of commentary information…

Commentaries are better used as a check than as a guide32

Let the Holy Spirit work in your heart and mind to develop a message a commentator would approve, not design. Concern for precision should not so overwhelm you as to deny you or your listeners the insights God will grant you in his Word.

Tools for Interpreting a Passage pp. 57, 58

  1. How does an allegorical method of interpretation differ from an expository method?

Expository preaching solemnly binds a preacher to the task of representing the precise meaning of a text as intended by the original author or as illuminated by another inspired source within the Bible. As matter-of-fact as such a rubric may seem, homiletical history indicates how slippery such a standard is and how carefully it must be guarded.

Early church and medieval escapades into allegorical interpretations led ancient preachers to the conviction that the “literal interpretation” of a text was the least rewarding to preach.35

Principles for Interpreting a Passage pp. 59

Then one5 of them, named6 Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to7 Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” And they said8 to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this,9 it is now10 the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning,11 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself [Table]. (Luke 24:18-27 ESV)

This was as often as not an allegorical method of interpretation, for that is how we see Jesus in the Old Testament most of the time. But the reaction of those first exposed to this method of interpretation reinforces the author’s point (Luke 24:32 ESV):

They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” [Table]

I am hard-pressed to think of another verse in the Bible more frustrating than this one. I’ve yelled at them for this response: “Who cares how you felt?! Tell me what He said!” So my argument with the author here is mostly over the word “escapades” applied to the early church.

Up to this moment the Pharisees with their own grammatical-historical method had carefully exegeted the principles by which they hoped to keep the faithful in Israel from offending their God: “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”12 That was expository preaching until Jesus came, saying: You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me [Table], yet you refuse to come to me that you may have13 life.14

I can be a little charitable if the early church found the Pharisees’ expository method to be more like the letter and Jesus’ more allegorical method to be more of the Spirit: For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.15

Modern resurrections of the allegorical method regularly occur when preachers assume that the Holy Spirit will enable them to discern in a text something more than was meant by the human author (or than the divine Author made evident within the canon of Scripture).36 Preachers’ interpretations remain consistent with Scripture when they follow long-honored and proven interpretive procedures that expose the Bible’s original intent. That intent is not always limited to the human author’s knowledge of all that the Holy Spirit was revealing through his inspiration, but it is not broader than the Holy Spirit’s intention that is revealed within the patterns of Scripture as well as in the propositional statements of the human writers (cf. Matt. 2:15; 1 Pet. 1:10).37

Principles for Interpreting a Passage pp. 59, 60

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”16 (Matthew 2:13-15 ESV)

Though you have not seen17 [Jesus], you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully [Table], inquiring18 what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look [Table]. (1 Peter 1:8-12 ESV)

But nothing other than what the patterns or propositions of Scripture make evident through the processes of logical discernment should be declared as God’s will for his people.

These interpretive principles require that preachers consider the context that frames the meaning of our expository unit. Context is part of the text, as it relates to our exposition. Context limits and imparts an author’s intended meaning. We cannot maintain the integrity of any biblical statement without considering its surroundings. The reason that “every heretic has his verse” is that he takes it out of context. Our first task as expositors is to use the best tools available to determine what a biblical author’s statements mean in their context.38

Principles for Interpreting a Passage p. 60

In a recent sermon my Pastor (the facilitator of this course and a former student of the author) gave a vivid demonstration of the interplay between the allegorical and expository methods. His text was Genesis 12:1-3. As a climax to an otherwise expository sermon, he simply reread the text as God the Father speaking to God the Son: “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you [Table]. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing [Table]. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” [Table].

It was an allegorical reading of Genesis 12:1-3, and it was an electrically charged in the heavenlies moment, the spiritual equivalent of a dose of psychedelics. Who wouldn’t want more of that? Well, it is the spiritual equivalent of a dose of psychedelics.

The grounding of the expository method is absolutely essential to keep the consciousness-altering high of such an allegorical reading from spinning off into flights of fancy. It also helps to keep one’s hunger and thirst—to knowthe only true God, and Jesus Christ whom [He has] sent19 through Bible study—a more balanced and healthy addiction than a junkie’s quest for ever higher highs. The expository method also provides a more solid foundation, like a launching pad for the allegorical method’s flight, as well as a navigational system guiding its trajectory. How sad it would have been if my Pastor’s allegorical reading had been a dud, a misfire, failed to lift-off and carry me aloft with it. And it’s not too hard to imagine that a steady diet of allegorical readings of the Old Testament, seeing Jesus, only Jesus, always Jesus all the time, apart from the grounding of solid exposition could have a dulling effect on the beauty and the wonder. It could become just so much “blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.”

  1. In what ways can context (cultural, historical, literary, and redemptive) affect the interpretation of a text?

Our task as preachers is to discern what the original writers meant by analyzing the background and grammatical features of what they said. Using grammar and history to discern a text’s original meaning is called the “grammatical-historical” method.40 This method allows Scripture to speak for itself instead of letting the interpreter’s context (or perspective) determine the meaning of a text. Sometimes the interpreter’s perspective does not seem like a problem if that person is committed to the historical truths of biblical faith. In such cases, we may hardly blink when told that the water from the rock Moses struck represents the water of baptism or that the worm at which Jonah railed is the sin that eats at a believer’s heart. Despite the absence of biblical evidence confirming these interpretations, they sound reasonable because they reflect biblical imagery and truths appearing elsewhere.

Use the Grammatical-Historical Method p. 61

For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized (|ἐβαπτίσαντο|, a form of βαπτίζω) into Moses in the cloud and in the sea [Table], and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:1-4 ESV)

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit [Table], in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ [Table], who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. (1 Peter 3:18-22 ESV)

However, if anything in Scripture can mean whatever our imaginations suggest rather than what Scripture affirms, then our opinions become as authoritative as the statements of God and we can make the Bible say anything we want…

Occasionally, there may be a thin line between “it means” and “it may mean,” but biblically bound preachers must recognize the difference…

Nothing but what Scripture itself attests should ground the instruction of our preaching. Expository preachers determine the biblical truths intended for the people addressed by a text and then identify similarities in our present conditions that require the application of the same truths. This means applications may vary, but interpretations of a text’s core principles should not.

The meaning of a text may be significant in many ways, but this does not deny that the writer was teaching a definite principle for our understanding and application.

Use the Grammatical-Historical Method p. 61, 62

Accurate interpretations require us not only to determine what particular words say but also to see how they function in their broader contexts. Scripture can be twisted to say almost anything if interpreters ignore contexts. Attention to historical and cultural contexts help to explain the “offense” of the cross (Gal. 5:11) and the reason healed lepers went to the temple before they went home (Luke 17:14).

But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense (σκάνδαλον) of the cross has been removed. I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves! (Galatians 5:11, 12 ESV)

We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified [Table]. (Galatians 2:15, 16 ESV)

When [Jesus] saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. (Luke 17:14 ESV)

And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses20 commanded, for a proof to them.” (Luke 5:14 ESV)

We determine literary contexts both by analyzing the concepts that surround a biblical statement and by identifying the type of literature in which the statement occurs.

Preachers should examine what chapters and verses surrounding a passage say in order to determine what a biblical writer intended to communicate through particular words.

Observe the Historical, Cultural, and Literary Context p. 62

Study of a passage’s context also requires preachers to identify the genre, or type of literature, in which a biblical statement occurs. Many an error has been made by interpreting proverbs as promises, prophecy as history, parables as facts, and poetry as science.

For example, proverbs are truisms, statements so tending to be true that the wise take them to heart…statements tend to be true, but neither is always true. Proverbs are prescriptive, not predictive. God requires his people to heed his proverbs, not to interpret them as promises of what will always happen.

Observe the Historical, Cultural, and Literary Context pp. 62, 63

Preachers determine the meaning of a passage by seeing not only how words are used in the context of a book or its passages but also how the passage functions in the entire scope of Scripture. An accurate interpretation requires preachers to ask, How does this text help disclose the meaning or need of redemption? Failure to ask and to answer such questions leads to preaching that is highly moralistic or legalistic because it focuses on the behaviors or beliefs a particular passage teaches without disclosing how the biblical writer was relating them to God’s ongoing work of rescuing his people from their broken lives and world.42

Determine the Redemptive Context p. 63

Regard for context requires preachers to consider a text in the light of its purpose in the redemptive message that unfolds throughout all of Scripture…

We want to make sure that focusing on the particulars of a specific text does not cause us to neglect the redemptive context of God’s entire Word.

Determine the Redemptive Context p. 64

Exercises

  1. Use research tools to determine what Greek word John and James use for “believe” in John 3:16 and James 2:19. Indicate the various ways in which they use the word.

Although John and James both use the word believe, contexts indicate that they are communicating quite different concepts with that word (cf. John 3:16; James 2:19).

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes (πᾶς πιστεύων, a form of πιστεύω) in him (εἰς αὐτὸν) should not perish but have eternal life [Table]. (John 3:16 ESV)

You believe (πιστεύεις, another form of πιστεύω) that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe (πιστεύουσιν, another form of πιστεύω)—and shudder! (James 2:19 ESV)

Observe the Historical, Cultural, and Literary Context p. 62

I can’t see these as “different concepts” of πιστεύω. James wrote about believing an Old Testament fact about God: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.21 To believe in a fact cannot be expected to have the same impact as to believe “into” or “unto” the Person of the Savior God sent. Granted, someone might think that other things James wrote could shade his use of πιστεύω. My own current belief is that he simply qualified the nature of πιστεύω into Jesus Christ. Believing in the fact of Jesus Christ may not have the same impact as believing into Him, except (John 1:12, 13 ESV):

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right (αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν, a form of ἐξουσία) to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

The phrase τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, who believed in his name (ESV), could be giving the Lord the widest possible latitude and discretion, even as it excludes James or me from judging his mercy or his grace.

  1. Use your understanding of a proverb to explain Proverbs 15:1 and Proverbs 26:4-5.

Though the Bible says that a gentle word turns away wrath (Prov. 15:1), God does not promise that people will never get angry at us if we always speak softly. He indicates that it is usually not wise for peacefully inclined people to answer fire with fire, but he does not promise that soft answers are guaranteed to extinguish the rage of others (see Matt. 26:62-68). Great damage is done to the intent of Scripture as well as to the consciences of Christians when preachers confuse these distinctions between promises and proverbs.

Observe the Historical, Cultural, and Literary Context pp. 63

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1 ESV)

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Proverbs 15:1 (Tanakh/KJV)

Proverbs 15:1 (NET)

Proverbs 15:1 (NETS)

Proverbs 15:1 (English Elpenor)

A soft (רַ֖ךְ) answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. A gentle (raḵ, רך) response turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath. Anger destroys even the prudent; yet a submissive (ὑποπίπτουσα) answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Anger slays even wise men; yet a submissive (ὑποπίπτουσα) answer turns away wrath: but a grievous word stirs up anger.

The Septuagint adds some context to this proverb: Anger slays even wise men.22 It reminds me of David and Abigail. Perhaps, more to the point, one might consider it when facing the anger of God. The Hebrew word in the Masoretic text translated soft (Tanakh, KJV) and gentle (NET) was רַ֖ךְ (raḵ). The rabbis who translated the Septuagint understood it as ὑποπίπτουσα, a participle of ὑποπίπτω: “to fall; to occur, materialize, arise; to fall defeated; to fall under (a category); to fall within (a classification); to belong to; to cringe; to happen to, befall; to come to the notice of.” Abigail seems to have done all of this in her response to David’s threat (1 Samuel 25:14-38).

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Proverbs 26:4, 5 (Tanakh/KJV)

Proverbs 26:4, 5 (NET)

Proverbs 26:4, 5 (NETS)

Proverbs 26:4, 5 (English Elpenor)

Answer not a fool (כְּ֖סִיל) according to his folly (כְּאִוַּלְתּ֑וֹ), lest thou also be like unto him. Do not answer a fool (kᵊsîl, כסיל) according to his folly (‘iûeleṯ, כאולתו), lest you yourself also be like him. Do not answer a fool (ἄφρονι) in accordance with (πρὸς) his folly (ἀφροσύνην), lest you become like him. Answer not a fool (ἄφρονι) according to (πρὸς) his folly (ἀφροσύνην), lest thou become like him.
Answer a fool (כְ֖סִיל) according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. Answer a fool (kᵊsîl, כסיל) according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own opinion. But answer a fool (ἄφρονι) according to (κατὰ) his folly, lest he appear to be wise to himself. Yet answer a fool (ἄφρονι) according to (κατὰ) his folly, lest he seem wise in his own conceit.

The rabbis who translated the Septuagint used a different preposition in each verse: πρὸς, in accordance with (NETS), according to (English Elpenor); κατὰ, according to (NETS, English Elpenor). It was a subtilty all but lost in English translation. Still, the second clause can give us understanding: lest thou also be like unto him (Tanakh, KJV), lest you yourself also be like him (NET), lest you become like him (NETS, English Elpenor).

The words translated folly were כְּאִוַּלְתּ֑וֹ (‘iûeleṯ) in the Masoretic text and ἀφροσύνην (a form of ἀφροσύνη) in the Septuagint. Jesus listed ἀφροσύνη as one of the things that defile a person (Mark 7:20-23 ESV):

And [Jesus] said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness (ἀφροσύνη) [Table]. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

In other words, if I answer a fool according to his folly simply to defend myself from his foolish accusations, I’m likely to become like him, defiling myself verbalizing my own foolishness. Here is another proverb about a fool and his foolishness.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Proverbs 26:11 (Tanakh/KJV)

Proverbs 26:11 (NET)

Proverbs 26:11 (NETS)

Proverbs 26:11 (English Elpenor)

As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool (כְּ֜סִ֗יל) returneth to his folly (בְאִוַּלְתּֽוֹ). Like a dog that returns to its vomit, so a fool (kᵊsîl, כסיל) repeats his folly (‘iûeleṯ, באולתו). Like a dog, when he returns to his vomit, also becomes the more hated, so is a fool (ἄφρων), when by his own wickedness, he returns to his own sin (ἁμαρτίαν). As when a dog goes to his own vomit, and becomes abominable, so is fool (ἄφρων) who returns in his wickedness to his own sin (ἁμαρτίαν).

If my intent were to show compassion to a fool trapped in his folly, his own sin, then I would answer him, but how?

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Proverbs 26:3 (Tanakh/KJV)

Proverbs 26:3 (NET)

Proverbs 26:3 (NETS)

Proverbs 26:3 (English Elpenor)

A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod (וְ֜שֵׁ֗בֶט) for the fool’s (כְּסִילִֽים) back. A whip for the horse and a bridle for the donkey, and a rod (šēḇeṭ, ושבט) for the backs of fools (kᵊsîl, כסילים)! Like a whip for a horse and a goad for a donkey, so is the rod (ῥάβδος) for a lawless (παρανόμῳ) nation (ἔθνει). As a whip for a horse, and a goad for an ass, so [is] a rod (ῥάβδος) for a simple (παρανόμῳ) nation (ἔθνει).

I was shocked the first time I heard Paul distinguish between a rod and love: What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod (ράβδῳ, a form of ῥάβδος), or with love (ἐν ἀγάπῃ) in a spirit of gentleness?23 But Peter wrote about a different way to answer fools: For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish (ἀφρόνων, another form of ἄφρων) people.24

Whether beaten with a rod or silenced by followers of Jesus doing good, the Elpenor version of the Septuagint held out some hope for the foolish.

Proverbs 26:11a (Septuagint Elpenor)

Proverbs 26:11a (NETS)

Proverbs 26:11a (English Elpenor)

ἔστιν αἰσχύνη ἐπάγουσα ἁμαρτίαν, καί ἐστιν αἰσχύνη δόξα καὶ χάρις

There is a sense of shame that leads to sin, and there is a sense of shame that is glory and grace.

There is a shame that brings sin: and there is a shame [that is] glory and grace.

These words are absent from the Masoretic text and the BLB Septuagint.

  1. Use context to determine who the “weak” are in Romans 15.

Without reading Romans 14 for its conceptual context, you are likely to determine that those called “weak” in Romans 15 are precisely the opposite of what Paul intended.

Observe the Historical, Cultural, and Literary Context p. 62

As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and25 let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand [Table]. (Romans 14:1-4 ESV)

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself,26 but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For27 if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus28 serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.29 The faith that you have, keep between yourself30 and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. (Romans 14:13-23 ESV)

Tables comparing Psalm 62:1; 62:2; Exodus 17:5; 17:6; Psalm 62:3; 62:4; 62:5; 62:6; 62:7; 62:8; 62:9; 62:10; 62:11; Proverbs 15:1; 26:4; 26:5; 26:11 and 26:3 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and tables comparing the Greek of Psalm 62:1 (61:2); 62:2 (61:3); Exodus 17:5; 17:6; Psalm 62:3 (61:4); 62:4 (61:5); 62:5 (61:6); 62:6 (61:7); 62:7 (61:8); 62:8 (61:9); 62:9 (61:10); 62:10 (61:11); 62:11 (61:12); Proverbs 15:1; 26:4; 26:5; 26:11 and 26:3 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables comparing Luke 24:18, 19; 24:21, 22; 1 Peter 1:8; 1:11; Romans 14:3; 14:14, 15; 14:18 and 14:21, 22 in the KJV and NET follow.

Psalm 62:1 (Tanakh)

Psalm 62:1 (KJV)

Psalm 62:1 (NET)

Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. For God alone I patiently wait; he is the one who delivers me.

Psalm 62:1 (Septuagint BLB)

Psalm 61:2 (Septuagint Elpenor)

οὐχὶ τῷ θεῷ ὑποταγήσεται ἡ ψυχή μου παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ γὰρ τὸ σωτήριόν μου ΟΥΧΙ τῷ Θεῷ ὑποταγήσεται ἡ ψυχή μου; παρ᾿ αὐτῷ γὰρ τὸ σωτήριόν μου

Psalm 61:2 (NETS)

Psalm 61:2 (English Elpenor)

Shall not my soul be subject to God? For from him is my deliverance. Shall not my soul be subjected to God? for of him is my salvation.

Psalm 62:2 (Tanakh)

Psalm 62:2 (KJV)

Psalm 62:2 (NET)

He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved. He alone is my protector and deliverer. He is my refuge; I will not be upended.

Psalm 62:2 (Septuagint BLB)

Psalm 61:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς θεός μου καὶ σωτήρ μου ἀντιλήμπτωρ μου οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ ἐπὶ πλεῖον καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς Θεός μου καὶ σωτήρ μου, καὶ ἀντιλήπτωρ μου, οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ ἐπὶ πλεῖον

Psalm 61:3 (NETS)

Psalm 61:3 (English Elpenor)

Indeed, he is my God and my Savior, my supporter; I shall be shaken no more. For he is my God, and my saviour; my helper, I shall not be moved very much.

Exodus 17:5 (Tanakh)

Exodus 17:5 (KJV)

Exodus 17:5 (NET)

And HaShem said unto Moses: ‘Pass on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thy hand, and go. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. The Lord said to Moses, “Go over before the people; take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile and go.

Exodus 17:5 (Septuagint BLB)

Exodus 17:5 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν προπορεύου τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου λαβὲ δὲ μετὰ σεαυτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ τὴν ῥάβδον ἐν ᾗ ἐπάταξας τὸν ποταμόν λαβὲ ἐν τῇ χειρί σου καὶ πορεύσῃ καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν· προπορεύου τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου, λαβὲ δὲ σεαυτῷ ἀπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τοῦ λαοῦ· καὶ τὴν ράβδον, ἐν ᾗ ἐπάταξας τὸν ποταμόν, λαβὲ ἐν τῇ χειρί σου καὶ πορεύσῃ

Exodus 17:5 (NETS)

Exodus 17:5 (English Elpenor)

And the Lord said to Moyses, “Go on ahead of this people, but take with you some of the elders of the people and the rod with which you struck the river take in your hand, and go. And the Lord said to Moses, Go before this people, and take to thyself of the elders of the people; and the rod with which thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and thou shalt go.

Exodus 17:6 (Tanakh)

Exodus 17:6 (KJV)

Exodus 17:6 (NET)

Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.’ And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. I will be standing before you there on the rock (τῆς πέτρας) in Horeb, and you will strike the rock, and water will come out of it so that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in plain view of the elders of Israel.

Exodus 17:6 (Septuagint BLB)

Exodus 17:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)

ὅδε ἐγὼ ἕστηκα πρὸ τοῦ σὲ ἐκεῖ ἐπὶ τῆς πέτρας ἐν Χωρηβ καὶ πατάξεις τὴν πέτραν καὶ ἐξελεύσεται ἐξ αὐτῆς ὕδωρ καὶ πίεται ὁ λαός μου ἐποίησεν δὲ Μωυσῆς οὕτως ἐναντίον τῶν υἱῶν Ισραηλ ὅδε ἐγὼ ἕστηκα ἐκεῖ πρὸ τοῦ σε ἐπὶ τῆς πέτρας ἐν Χωρήβ· καὶ πατάξεις τὴν πέτραν, καὶ ἐξελεύσεται ἐξ αὐτῆς ὕδωρ, καὶ πίεται ὁ λαός. ἐποίησε δὲ Μωυσῆς οὕτως ἐναντίον τῶν υἱῶν ᾿Ισραήλ

Exodus 17:6 (NETS)

Exodus 17:6 (English Elpenor)

I here have taken my stand, before you came, on the rock at Choreb. And you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moyses did so before the sons of Israel. Behold, I stand there before thou [come], on the rock in Choreb, and thou shalt smite the rock, and water shall come out from it, and the people shall drink. And Moses did so before the sons of Israel.

Psalm 62:3 (Tanakh)

Psalm 62:3 (KJV)

Psalm 62:3 (NET)

How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence. How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence. How long will you threaten a man like me? All of you are murderers, as dangerous as a leaning wall or an unstable fence.

Psalm 62:3 (Septuagint BLB)

Psalm 61:4 (Septuagint Elpenor)

ἕως πότε ἐπιτίθεσθε ἐπ᾽ ἄνθρωπον φονεύετε πάντες ὡς τοίχῳ κεκλιμένῳ καὶ φραγμῷ ὠσμένῳ ἕως πότε ἐπιτίθεσθε ἐπ᾿ ἄνθρωπον; φονεύετε πάντες ὡς τοίχῳ κεκλιμένῳ καὶ φραγμῷ ὠσμένῳ

Psalm 61:4 (NETS)

Psalm 61:4 (English Elpenor)

How long do you assail against a person? You commit murder, all of you, as by means of a wall that leans and a fence that slants. How long will ye assault a man? ye are all slaughtering as with a bowed wall and a broken hedge.

Psalm 62:4 (Tanakh)

Psalm 62:4 (KJV)

Psalm 62:4 (NET)

They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah. They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah. They spend all their time planning how to bring their victim down. They love to use deceit; they pronounce blessings with their mouths, but inwardly they utter curses. (Selah)

Psalm 62:4 (Septuagint BLB)

Psalm 61:5 (Septuagint Elpenor)

πλὴν τὴν τιμήν μου ἐβουλεύσαντο ἀπώσασθαι ἔδραμον ἐν ψεύδει τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν εὐλογοῦσαν καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν κατηρῶντο διάψαλμα πλὴν τὴν τιμήν μου ἐβουλεύσαντο ἀπώσασθαι, ἔδραμον ἐν δίψει, τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν εὐλόγουν καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν κατηρῶντο. (διάψαλμα).

Psalm 61:5 (NETS)

Psalm 61:5 (English Elpenor)

But they planned to impugn my honor. They ran with a lie; with their mouth they would bless and curse with their heart. Interlude on strings They only took counsel to set at nought mine honour: I ran in thirst: with their mouth they blessed, but with their heart they cursed. Pause.

Psalm 62:5 (Tanakh)

Psalm 62:5 (KJV)

Psalm 62:5 (NET)

My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. Patiently wait for God alone, my soul! For he is the one who gives me hope.

Psalm 62:5 (Septuagint BLB)

Psalm 61:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)

πλὴν τῷ θεῷ ὑποτάγηθι ἡ ψυχή μου ὅτι παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἡ ὑπομονή μου πλὴν τῷ Θεῷ ὑποτάγηθι, ἡ ψυχή μου, ὅτι παρ᾿ αὐτῷ ἡ ὑπομονή μου

Psalm 61:6 (NETS)

Psalm 61:6 (English Elpenor)

But to God be subject, O my soul, because from him is my endurance. Nevertheless do thou, my soul, be subjected to God; for of him [is] my patient hope.

Psalm 62:6 (Tanakh)

Psalm 62:6 (KJV)

Psalm 62:6 (NET)

He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. He alone is my protector and deliverer. He is my refuge; I will not be shaken.

Psalm 62:6 (Septuagint BLB)

Psalm 61:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)

ὅτι αὐτὸς θεός μου καὶ σωτήρ μου ἀντιλήμπτωρ μου οὐ μὴ μεταναστεύσω ὅτι αὐτὸς Θεός μου καὶ σωτήρ μου, ἀντιλήπτωρ μου, οὐ μὴ μεταναστεύσω

Psalm 61:7 (NETS)

Psalm 61:7 (English Elpenor)

Because he is my God and my Savior, my supporter, I shall never be a fugitive. For he [is] my God and my Saviour; my helper, I shall not be moved.

Psalm 62:7 (Tanakh)

Psalm 62:7 (KJV)

Psalm 62:7 (NET)

In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. God delivers me and exalts me; God is my strong protector and my shelter.

Psalm 62:7 (Septuagint BLB)

Psalm 61:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)

ἐπὶ τῷ θεῷ τὸ σωτήριόν μου καὶ ἡ δόξα μου ὁ θεὸς τῆς βοηθείας μου καὶ ἡ ἐλπίς μου ἐπὶ τῷ θεῷ ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ τὸ σωτήριόν μου καὶ ἡ δόξα μου· ὁ Θεὸς τῆς βοηθείας μου, καὶ ἡ ἐλπίς μου ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ

Psalm 61:8 (NETS)

Psalm 61:8 (English Elpenor)

With God is my deliverance and my glory; O God of my help—and my hope is with God. In God [is] my salvation and my glory: [he is] the God of my help, and my hope is in God.

Psalm 62:8 (Tanakh)

Psalm 62:8 (KJV)

Psalm 62:8 (NET)

Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah. Trust in him at all times, you people! Pour out your hearts before him. God is our shelter. (Selah)

Psalm 62:8 (Septuagint BLB)

Psalm 61:9 (Septuagint Elpenor)

ἐλπίσατε ἐπ᾽ αὐτόν πᾶσα συναγωγὴ λαοῦ ἐκχέετε ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὁ θεὸς βοηθὸς ἡμῶν διάψαλμα ἐλπίσατε ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν πᾶσα συναγωγὴ λαοῦ· ἐκχέετε ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς βοηθὸς ἡμῶν (διάψαλμα)

Psalm 61:9 (NETS)

Psalm 61:9 (English Elpenor)

Hope in him, all you congregation of people; pour out your hearts before him; God is our helper. Interlude on Strings Hope in him, all ye congregation of the people; pour out your hearts before him, for God is our helper. Pause.

Psalm 62:9 (Tanakh)

Psalm 62:9 (KJV)

Psalm 62:9 (NET)

Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity. Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity. Men are nothing but a mere breath; human beings are unreliable. When they are weighed in the scales, all of them together are lighter than air.

Psalm 62:9 (Septuagint BLB)

Psalm 61:10 (Septuagint Elpenor)

πλὴν μάταιοι οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ψευδεῖς οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν ζυγοῖς τοῦ ἀδικῆσαι αὐτοὶ ἐκ ματαιότητος ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό πλὴν μάταιοι οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ψευδεῖς οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν ζυγοῖς τοῦ ἀδικῆσαι αὐτοὶ ἐκ ματαιότητος ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό

Psalm 61:10 (NETS)

Psalm 61:10 (English Elpenor)

But the sons of men are vain; false are the sons of men, to do wrong with balances; they together are from vanity. But the sons of men are vain; the sons of men are false, so as to be deceitful in the balances; they are all alike [formed] out of vanity.

Psalm 62:10 (Tanakh)

Psalm 62:10 (KJV)

Psalm 62:10 (NET)

Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them. Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them. Do not trust in what you can gain by oppression. Do not put false confidence in what you can gain by robbery. If wealth increases, do not become attached to it.

Psalm 62:10 (Septuagint BLB)

Psalm 61:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)

μὴ ἐλπίζετε ἐπὶ ἀδικίαν καὶ ἐπὶ ἅρπαγμα μὴ ἐπιποθεῖτε πλοῦτος ἐὰν ῥέῃ μὴ προστίθεσθε καρδίαν μὴ ἐλπίζετε ἐπ᾿ ἀδικίαν καὶ ἐπὶ ἁρπάγματα μὴ ἐπιποθεῖτε· πλοῦτος ἐὰν ῥέῃ, μὴ προστίθεσθε καρδίαν

Psalm 61:11 (NETS)

Psalm 61:11 (English Elpenor)

Put no hope in wrong, and do not long for what is robbed; wealth, if it flows, do not add heart. Trust not in unrighteousness, and lust not after robberies: if wealth should flow in, set not your heart upon it.

Psalm 62:11 (Tanakh)

Psalm 62:11 (KJV)

Psalm 62:11 (NET)

God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God. God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God. God has declared one principle; two principles I have heard: God is strong,

Psalm 62:11, 12a (Septuagint BLB)

Psalm 61:12 (Septuagint Elpenor)

ἅπαξ ἐλάλησεν ὁ θεός δύο ταῦτα ἤκουσα (12) ὅτι τὸ κράτος τοῦ θεοῦ ἅπαξ ἐλάλησεν ὁ Θεός, δύο ταῦτα ἤκουσα, ὅτι τὸ κράτος τοῦ Θεοῦ,

Psalm 61:12, 13a (NETS)

Psalm 61:12 (English Elpenor)

Once God spoke; these two things I heard: (13) that might is God’s, God has spoken once, [and] I have heard these two things, that power is of God;

Proverbs 15:1 (Tanakh)

Proverbs 15:1 (KJV)

Proverbs 15:1 (NET)

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. A gentle response turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath.

Proverbs 15:1 (Septuagint BLB)

Proverbs 15:1 (Septuagint Elpenor)

ὀργὴ ἀπόλλυσιν καὶ φρονίμους ἀπόκρισις δὲ ὑποπίπτουσα ἀποστρέφει θυμόν λόγος δὲ λυπηρὸς ἐγείρει ὀργάς ΟΡΓΗ ἀπόλλυσι καὶ φρονίμους, ἀπόκρισις δὲ ὑποπίπτουσα ἀποστρέφει θυμόν, λόγος δὲ λυπηρὸς ἐγείρει ὀργάς

Proverbs 15:1 (NETS)

Proverbs 15:1 (English Elpenor)

Anger destroys even the prudent; yet a submissive answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Anger slays even wise men; yet a submissive answer turns away wrath: but a grievous word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 26:4 (Tanakh)

Proverbs 26:4 (KJV)

Proverbs 26:4 (NET)

Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you yourself also be like him.

Proverbs 26:4 (Septuagint BLB)

Proverbs 26:4 (Septuagint Elpenor)

μὴ ἀποκρίνου ἄφρονι πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνου ἀφροσύνην ἵνα μὴ ὅμοιος γένῃ αὐτῷ μὴ ἀποκρίνου ἄφρονι πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνου ἀφροσύνην, ἵνα μὴ ὅμοιος γένῃ αὐτῷ

Proverbs 26:4 (NETS)

Proverbs 26:4 (English Elpenor)

Do not answer a fool in accordance with his folly, lest you become like him. Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou become like him.

Proverbs 26:5 (Tanakh)

Proverbs 26:5 (KJV)

Proverbs 26:5 (NET)

Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own opinion.

Proverbs 26:5 (Septuagint BLB)

Proverbs 26:5 (Septuagint Elpenor)

ἀλλὰ ἀποκρίνου ἄφρονι κατὰ τὴν ἀφροσύνην αὐτοῦ ἵνα μὴ φαίνηται σοφὸς παρ᾽ ἑαυτῷ ἀλλὰ ἀποκρίνου ἄφρονι κατὰ τὴν ἀφροσύνην αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ φαίνηται σοφός παρ᾿ ἑαυτῷ

Proverbs 26:5 (NETS)

Proverbs 26:5 (English Elpenor)

But answer a fool according to his folly, lest he appear to be wise to himself. Yet answer a fool according to his folly, lest he seem wise in his own conceit.

Proverbs 26:11 (Tanakh)

Proverbs 26:11 (KJV)

Proverbs 26:11 (NET)

As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly. As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly. Like a dog that returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.

Proverbs 26:11 (Septuagint BLB)

Proverbs 26:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)

ὥσπερ κύων ὅταν ἐπέλθῃ ἐπὶ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἔμετον καὶ μισητὸς γένηται οὕτως ἄφρων τῇ ἑαυτοῦ κακίᾳ ἀναστρέψας ἐπὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἁμαρτίαν ὥσπερ κύων ὅταν ἐπέλθῃ ἐπὶ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἔμετον καὶ μισητὸς γένηται, οὕτως ἄφρων τῇ ἑαυτοῦ κακίᾳ ἀναστρέψας ἐπὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἁμαρτίαν

Proverbs 26:11 (NETS)

Proverbs 26:11 (English Elpenor)

Like a dog, when he returns to his vomit, also becomes the more hated, so is a fool, when by his own wickedness, he returns to his own sin. As when a dog goes to his own vomit, and becomes abominable, so is fool who returns in his wickedness to his own sin.

Proverbs 26:3 (Tanakh)

Proverbs 26:3 (KJV)

Proverbs 26:3 (NET)

A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back. A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back. A whip for the horse and a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools!

Proverbs 26:3 (Septuagint BLB)

Proverbs 26:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)

ὥσπερ μάστιξ ἵππῳ καὶ κέντρον ὄνῳ οὕτως ῥάβδος ἔθνει παρανόμῳ ὥσπερ μάστιξ ἵππῳ καὶ κέντρον ὄνῳ, οὕτως ῥάβδος ἔθνει παρανόμῳ

Proverbs 26:3 (NETS)

Proverbs 26:3 (English Elpenor)

Like a whip for a horse and a goad for a donkey, so is the rod for a lawless nation. As a whip for a horse, and a goad for an ass, so [is] a rod for a simple nation.

Luke 24:18, 19 (NET)

Luke 24:18, 19 (KJV)

Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have happened there in these days?” And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?

Luke 24:18 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 24:18 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 24:18 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ εἷς ὀνόματι Κλεοπᾶς εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτόν· σὺ μόνος παροικεῖς Ἰερουσαλὴμ καὶ οὐκ ἔγνως τὰ γενόμενα ἐν αὐτῇ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις αποκριθεις δε ο εις ω ονομα κλεοπας ειπεν προς αυτον συ μονος παροικεις εν ιερουσαλημ και ουκ εγνως τα γενομενα εν αυτη εν ταις ημεραις ταυταις αποκριθεις δε ο εις ω ονομα κλεοπας ειπεν προς αυτον συ μονος παροικεις ιερουσαλημ και ουκ εγνως τα γενομενα εν αυτη εν ταις ημεραις ταυταις
He said to them, “What things?” “The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied, “a man who, with his powerful deeds and words, proved to be a prophet before God and all the people; And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:

Luke 24:19 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 24:19 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 24:19 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· ποῖα; οἱ δὲ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· τὰ περὶ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναζαρηνοῦ, ὃς ἐγένετο ἀνὴρ προφήτης δυνατὸς ἐν ἔργῳ καὶ λόγῳ ἐναντίον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ και ειπεν αυτοις ποια οι δε ειπον αυτω τα περι ιησου του ναζωραιου ος εγενετο ανηρ προφητης δυνατος εν εργω και λογω εναντιον του θεου και παντος του λαου και ειπεν αυτοις ποια οι δε ειπον αυτω τα περι ιησου του ναζωραιου ος εγενετο ανηρ προφητης δυνατος εν εργω και λογω εναντιον του θεου και παντος του λαου

Luke 24:21, 22 (NET)

Luke 24:21, 22 (KJV)

But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. Not only this, but it is now the third day since these things happened. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.

Luke 24:21 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 24:21 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 24:21 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἡμεῖς δὲ ἠλπίζομεν ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ μέλλων λυτροῦσθαι τὸν Ἰσραήλ· ἀλλά γε καὶ σὺν πᾶσιν τούτοις τρίτην ταύτην ἡμέραν ἄγει ἀφ᾿ οὗ ταῦτα ἐγένετο ημεις δε ηλπιζομεν οτι αυτος εστιν ο μελλων λυτρουσθαι τον ισραηλ αλλα γε συν πασιν τουτοις τριτην ταυτην ημεραν αγει σημερον αφ ου ταυτα εγενετο ημεις δε ηλπιζομεν οτι αυτος εστιν ο μελλων λυτρουσθαι τον ισραηλ αλλα γε συν πασιν τουτοις τριτην ταυτην ημεραν αγει σημερον αφ ου ταυτα εγενετο
Furthermore, some women of our group amazed us. They were at the tomb early this morning, Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;

Luke 24:22 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 24:22 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 24:22 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναῖκες τινες ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐξέστησαν ἡμᾶς, γενόμεναι ὀρθριναὶ ἐπὶ τὸ μνημεῖον αλλα και γυναικες τινες εξ ημων εξεστησαν ημας γενομεναι ορθριαι επι το μνημειον αλλα και γυναικες τινες εξ ημων εξεστησαν ημας γενομεναι ορθριαι επι το μνημειον

1 Peter 1:8 (NET)

1 Peter 1:8 (KJV)

You have not seen him, but you love him. You do not see him now but you believe in him, and so you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

1 Peter 1:8 (NET Parallel Greek)

1 Peter 1:8 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

1 Peter 1:8 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ὃν οὐκ ἰδόντες ἀγαπᾶτε, εἰς ὃν ἄρτι μὴ ὁρῶντες πιστεύοντες δὲ |ἀγαλλιᾶσθε| χαρᾷ ἀνεκλαλήτῳ καὶ δεδοξασμένῃ ον ουκ ειδοτες αγαπατε εις ον αρτι μη ορωντες πιστευοντες δε αγαλλιασθε χαρα ανεκλαλητω και δεδοξασμενη ον ουκ ειδοτες αγαπατε εις ον αρτι μη ορωντες πιστευοντες δε αγαλλιασθε χαρα ανεκλαλητω και δεδοξασμενη

1 Peter 1:11 (NET)

1 Peter 1:11 (KJV)

They probed into what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified beforehand about the sufferings appointed for Christ and his subsequent glory. Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

1 Peter 1:11 (NET Parallel Greek)

1 Peter 1:11 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

1 Peter 1:11 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἐραυνῶντες εἰς τίνα ἢ ποῖον καιρὸν ἐδήλου τὸ ἐν αὐτοῖς πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ προμαρτυρόμενον τὰ εἰς Χριστὸν παθήματα καὶ τὰς μετὰ ταῦτα δόξας ερευνωντες εις τινα η ποιον καιρον εδηλου το εν αυτοις πνευμα χριστου προμαρτυρομενον τα εις χριστον παθηματα και τας μετα ταυτα δοξας ερευνωντες εις τινα η ποιον καιρον εδηλου το εν αυτοις πνευμα χριστου προμαρτυρομενον τα εις χριστον παθηματα και τας μετα ταυτα δοξας

Romans 14:3 (NET)

Romans 14:3 (KJV)

The one who eats everything must not despise the one who does not, and the one who abstains must not judge the one who eats everything, for God has accepted him. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.

Romans 14:3 (NET Parallel Greek)

Romans 14:3 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Romans 14:3 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ὁ ἐσθίων τὸν μὴ ἐσθίοντα μὴ ἐξουθενείτω, ὁ δὲ μὴ ἐσθίων τὸν ἐσθίοντα μὴ κρινέτω, ὁ θεὸς γὰρ αὐτὸν προσελάβετο ο εσθιων τον μη εσθιοντα μη εξουθενειτω και ο μη εσθιων τον εσθιοντα μη κρινετω ο θεος γαρ αυτον προσελαβετο ο εσθιων τον μη εσθιοντα μη εξουθενειτω και ο μη εσθιων τον εσθιοντα μη κρινετω ο θεος γαρ αυτον προσελαβετο

Romans 14:14, 15 (NET)

Romans 14:14, 15 (KJV)

I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean in itself; still, it is unclean to the one who considers it unclean. I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

Romans 14:14 (NET Parallel Greek)

Romans 14:14 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Romans 14:14 (Byzantine Majority Text)

οἶδα καὶ πέπεισμαι ἐν κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ ὅτι οὐδὲν κοινὸν δι᾿ ἑαυτοῦ, εἰ μὴ τῷ λογιζομένῳ τι κοινὸν εἶναι, ἐκείνῳ κοινόν οιδα και πεπεισμαι εν κυριω ιησου οτι ουδεν κοινον δι εαυτου ει μη τω λογιζομενω τι κοινον ειναι εκεινω κοινον οιδα και πεπεισμαι εν κυριω ιησου οτι ουδεν κοινον δι αυτου ει μη τω λογιζομενω τι κοινον ειναι εκεινω κοινον
For if your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy by your food someone for whom Christ died. But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.

Romans 14:15 (NET Parallel Greek)

Romans 14:15 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Romans 14:15 (Byzantine Majority Text)

εἰ γὰρ διὰ βρῶμα ὁ ἀδελφός σου λυπεῖται, οὐκέτι κατὰ ἀγάπην περιπατεῖς· μὴ τῷ βρώματι σου ἐκεῖνον ἀπόλλυε ὑπὲρ οὗ Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν ει δε δια βρωμα ο αδελφος σου λυπειται ουκετι κατα αγαπην περιπατεις μη τω βρωματι σου εκεινον απολλυε υπερ ου χριστος απεθανεν ει δε δια βρωμα ο αδελφος σου λυπειται ουκετι κατα αγαπην περιπατεις μη τω βρωματι σου εκεινον απολλυε υπερ ου χριστος απεθανεν

Romans 14:18 (NET)

Romans 14:18 (KJV)

For the one who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by people. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

Romans 14:18 (NET Parallel Greek)

Romans 14:18 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Romans 14:18 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ὁ γὰρ ἐν τούτῳ δουλεύων τῷ Χριστῷ εὐάρεστος τῷ θεῷ καὶ δόκιμος τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ο γαρ εν τουτοις δουλευων τω χριστω ευαρεστος τω θεω και δοκιμος τοις ανθρωποις ο γαρ εν τουτοις δουλευων τω χριστω ευαρεστος τω θεω και δοκιμος τοις ανθρωποις

Romans 14:21, 22 (NET)

Romans 14:21, 22 (KJV)

It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything that causes your brother to stumble. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

Romans 14:21 (NET Parallel Greek)

Romans 14:21 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Romans 14:21 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καλὸν τὸ μὴ φαγεῖν κρέα μηδὲ πιεῖν οἶνον μηδὲ ἐν ᾧ ὁ ἀδελφός σου προσκόπτει καλον το μη φαγειν κρεα μηδε πιειν οινον μηδε εν ω ο αδελφος σου προσκοπτει η σκανδαλιζεται η ασθενει καλον το μη φαγειν κρεα μηδε πιειν οινον μηδε εν ω ο αδελφος σου προσκοπτει η σκανδαλιζεται η ασθενει
The faith you have, keep to yourself before God. Blessed is the one who does not judge himself by what he approves. Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.

Romans 14:22 (NET Parallel Greek)

Romans 14:22 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Romans 14:22 (Byzantine Majority Text)

σὺ πίστιν ἔχεις κατὰ σεαυτὸν ἔχε ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ. μακάριος ὁ μὴ κρίνων ἑαυτὸν ἐν ᾧ δοκιμάζει συ πιστιν εχεις κατα σαυτον εχε ενωπιον του θεου μακαριος ο μη κρινων εαυτον εν ω δοκιμαζει συ πιστιν εχεις κατα σεαυτον εχε ενωπιον του θεου μακαριος ο μη κρινων εαυτον εν ω δοκιμαζει

1 The Greek word translated you may have was ἔχητε, an active form of ἔχω in the present tense and subjunctive mood. The Greek word translated that was the conjunction ἵνα. In other words, ἔχητε is a subjunctive verb in a purpose or result clause here and means: “in me you have peace because of these things I have said to you.”

2 John 16:33 (ESV)

3 1 Corinthians 10:4b (ESV)

4 1 Peter 1:13 (ESV)

5 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article ο (KJV: the) preceding one here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

6 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ὀνόματι here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ω ονομα (KJV: whose name).

7 The Stephanus Textus Receptus had εν (KJV: in) preceding Jerusalem. The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

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

12 Luke 13:14b (ESV) Table

13 The Greek word translated you may have was ἔχητε, a form of ἔχω 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.” The whole clause is ἵνα ζωὴν ἔχητε (ESV: that you may have life). The conjunction ἵνα designates this as a purpose or result clause. The subjunctive mood “is oftentimes used in conditional statements (i.e. ‘If…then…’ clauses) or in purpose clauses.” In other words, the “objective factors or circumstances” that make the action of the verb ἔχητε “happen” are explicitly stated: ἐλθεῖν πρός με (ESV: to come to me). “[I]f 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.” In other words, “If you come to me, then you will have life” is implicit in this statement.

14 John 5:39, 40 (ESV)

15 2 Corinthians 3:6b (ESV) Table

16 For a comparison of the Greek of this quotation to that of the Septuagint see: Christianity, Part 3.

17 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἰδόντες, a participle of εἴδω in the 2nd aorist tense here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ειδοτες (KJV: having…seen) in the perfect tense.

18 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἐραυνῶντες, a participle of ἐρευνάω here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ερευνωντες (KJV: Searching). These seem to be alternate spellings of the same part of speech.

19 John 17:3b (ESV)

21 Deuteronomy 6:4 (ESV) Table

22 Proverbs 15:1a (English Elpenor)

23 1 Corinthians 4:21 (ESV) Table

24 1 Peter 2:15 (ESV)

27 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had γὰρ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε (KJV: But).

28 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had the singular pronoun τούτῳ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the plural τουτοις (KJV: these things).

29 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had η σκανδαλιζεται η ασθενει (KJV: or is offended, or is made weak) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

30 The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had σεαυτὸν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had the contracted form σαυτον (KJV: thyself).

A Shadow of the Good Things, Part 10

My mother told the following story about her firstborn son:

His father worked the evening shift. Perhaps it was the only shift the young man could get. Perhaps he did it deliberately to earn more per hour. She was alone with their infant son in the afternoon in an upstairs city apartment in summer heat. She put her firstborn in a stroller and pushed him up the street to a corner dairy for a chocolate milkshake.

As they sat in the shade outside the dairy, she offered her son his first taste of chocolate milkshake. He grabbed it from her and wouldn’t let go. There wasn’t money for another. She wasn’t at all certain her husband would agree that there had been money for the first one. So, the twenty-three-year-old mother did without while her son drank too much, too soon for one so small.

I’ve heard that story many times. The time I recall most now, I was telling it myself as my sister and I reminisced after Mom’s death. Like Scrooge pleading to “sponge away the writing on this stone,”1 I tried vainly once again to repent of a deed done before I have any memory of doing it. My sister laughed and said, “She told that story because she thought it was funny. She loves you.”

I’ve reacted to that story many different ways at different times throughout my life. I don’t think it’s funny—not now. Though I don’t recall the event, I am all too familiar with that child. He is the sin that lives in me.2 He is the evilpresent with me when I want to do good.3 He is the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires.4 He is unrestrained will: “I want.”

Though I say “unrestrained,” he was constrained somewhat by his stroller and the shortened reach of his chubby little arms. Do you still think he is funny? If I shout it in German, “Ich will!” perhaps you can hear the very worst of Adolf Hitler incipient in that child’s lust, a child who wouldn’t even share a chocolate milkshake with his own mother. Grant him power and he will covet and steal; he will rape and murder; he will try to conquer the world, shrieking a damnable lie: I AM AND THERE IS NO OTHER! No one I know has caused more harm to me or the people I love. And there is no one I would rather see condemned to the lake of fire for all eternity.

In another essay I began to consider the substance or body which cast the shadow of the scape-goat (English Elpenor) or the [goat] to be sent off (NETS) in Leviticus 16:8 (KJV, Septuagint) [Table]. And in another essay I wrote:

Truthfully, my religious mind wants I am unspiritual, sold into slavery to sin (Romans 7:14b NET) to apply to the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires.3 My old man may well be the proximate cause of my unspirituality and slavery to sin, but Paul described an I, as I am seen here and now, that is comprised of both an old man and a new man who has been created in God’s image—in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth:4 For I want to do the good, he wrote, but I cannot do it.5

My sister was right: my mother loved me even before I was “comprised of both an old man and a new man who has been created in God’s image.” She didn’t grab me by the ankles and bash my brains out on the hot pavement that day. The words the only true God spoke through Isaiah the prophet to Cyrus, another old man more powerful than mine, follow:

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Isaiah 45:4-8 (Tanakh/KJV)

Isaiah 45:4-8 (NET)

Isaiah 45:4-8 (NETS)

Isaiah 45:4-8 (English Elpenor)

For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect (בְּחִירִ֑י), I have even called thee [e.g., Cyrus] by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. For the sake of my servant Jacob, Israel, my chosen one (bāḥîr, בחירי), I call you by name and give you a title of respect, even though you do not submit to me. For the sake of my servant Iakob and Israel my chosen (τοῦ ἐκλεκτοῦ μου), I will call you by name and receive you, but you did not know me, For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel mine elect (τοῦ ἐκλεκτοῦ μου), I will call thee by thy name, and accept thee: but thou hast not known me.
I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: I am the Lord, I have no peer, there is no God but me. I arm you for battle, even though you do not recognize me. because I am the Lord God, and there is no other god besides me, and you did not know me, For I am the Lord God, and there is no other God beside me; I strengthened thee, and thou hast not known me.
That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. I do this so people will recognize from east to west that there is no God but me; I am the Lord, I have no peer. so that they who are from the rising of the sun and from its going down may know that there is no one besides me; I am the Lord God, and there is no other. That they that [come] from the east and they that [come] from the west may know that there is no God but me. I am the Lord God, and there is none beside.
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. I am the one who forms light and creates darkness; the one who brings about peace and creates calamity. I am the Lord, who accomplishes all these things. I am the one who has prepared light and made darkness, who makes peace and creates evils; I am the Lord who does all these things. I am he that prepared light, and formed darkness; who make peace, and create evil; I am the Lord God, that does all these things.
Drop down, ye heavens, from above (מִמַּ֔עַל), and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it. O sky, rain down from above (maʿal, ממעל)! Let the clouds send down showers of deliverance! Let the earth absorb it so salvation may grow and deliverance may sprout up along with it. I, the Lord, create it.’” Let heaven rejoice from above (ἄνωθεν), and let the clouds shower down righteousness; let the earth bring forth mercy, and let it bring forth righteousness as well; I am the Lord who created you. Let the heaven rejoice from above (ἄνωθεν), and let the clouds rain righteousness: let the earth bring forth, and blossom [with] mercy, and bring forth righteousness likewise: I am the Lord that created thee.

Though I was born evil incarnate,5 not yet born from above (γεννηθῆναι ἄνωθεν),6 that evil dwelt by the grace of God in a cute and cuddly package. Most women by the grace of God find that cute and cuddly infant package adorable and appealing. I was born by the grace of God through an intensely intimate process that made my birth and my existence uniquely special to my mother. And so, I lived, not by any virtue of my own, but by the grace of a loving God who gave me a mother who loved me and hoped for me and named me Daniel, that I would grow to stand alone, if necessary, with God.

I’m torn here because I want to get back to studying the Bible but I know my mother would argue with my assessment of myself. It seems obligatory to address how I fooled my mother a large portion, if not most, of the time. I think it boils down to the same thing that surprises me now about the direct honesty of that evil infant. I can only rationalize it as naive ignorance. My earliest memory of my own motivation was that I wanted my mother, my father, anyone, everyone really, to think well of me, to speak well of me. I would attempt to do almost anything to hear their praise.

Trying to please all the people all of the time to win their praise was exhausting and led directly to what some call defiance. My little brother began life with that strategy. It seemed stupid and annoying to me, a waste of time when one is weak and unarmed. If you can’t please all the people all of the time and you can’t kill all the people all of the time, one must compromise: compliance rather than defiance is that compromise.

I tried to the best of my ability to comply as much as I was able with the demands of those I couldn’t kill or intimidate. Compliance can seem like obedience, even righteousness, to those who look on external appearance only. Compliance, to optimize my experience of winning the praise of others, fooled me, too. I wasn’t subtle enough to imagine any righteousness beyond compliance.

Jesus saying, Woe to you7 when all people speak well of you, for their ancestors did the same things8 to the false prophets,9 was just word salad to me. But in the right circumstances at the right time and place I could nod and “yea, verily” with the best of them, without ever hearing Jesus’ aspersion on the meaning of my life. Eventually, I was so accustomed to my strategy of maximizing praise and minimizing being screamed at by the minimal level of compliance required, even when I tried to learn from the Bible I only heard what I expected to hear.

John wrote (1 John 5:16 NET):

If anyone sees his fellow Christian (τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ) committing a sin not resulting in death, he should ask, and God will grant life to the person who commits a sin not resulting in death. There is a sin resulting in death. I do not say that he should ask about that.

The fellow Christian John described here was also an I, as I am seen here and now, an I comprised of both an old man and a new man who has been created in God’s image—in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth.10 This I is not the same as everyone fathered by God (1 John 5:18 NET [Table]):

We know that everyone fathered by God does not sin, but God protects the one he has fathered, and the evil one ( πονηρὸς) cannot touch him.

This I is the new man who has been created in God’s image—in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth.11 The evil one cannot touch (οὐχ ἅπτεται) him. In other words, the old man and the new man are distinct, though both dwell together within John’s fellow Christian. The Greek word ἅπτεται (NET: touch) is a passive form of ἅπτω in the middle voice: “to fasten to, touch, grab, attach, cling; to reach, get as far as.” To my mind cannot implies οὐ δύναται in Greek: an inability, a lack of power. But this is οὐχ ἅπτεται, “does not touch.” The old man, the devil, evil does not touch the new man, period, end of statement.

Making God the subject of the clause—but God protects the one he has fathered—while not wrong exactly, is not what the Greek actually says. The subject of this clause is γεννηθεὶς (NET: the one he has fathered): “the one he has fathered protects him.” The NET translators didn’t distinguish12 between the everyone fathered by God (πᾶς γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ) who does not sin (οὐχ ἁμαρτάνει) from the fellow Christian13 (τὸν ἀδελφὸν; literally, “the brother”) who does.

I assume that γεννηθεὶς (NET: the one he has fathered) refers to Jesus and his work on the cross in union with the new man who has been created in God’s image,14 while αὐτόν15 (him) refers back to the singular πᾶς (NET: everyone) of everyone fathered by God.16

John made a similar distinction between his Dear friends (ἀγαπητοί, a form of ἀγαπητός) and the new man earlier in this same letter:

1 John 3:2 (NET)

1 John 3:6 (NET)

Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We17 know that whenever it is revealed we will be like him because we will see him just as he is. Everyone who resides in him does not sin; everyone who sins has neither seen him nor known him.

1 John 3:2 (NET Parallel Greek)

1 John 3:6 (NET Parallel Greek)

ἀγαπητοί, νῦν τέκνα θεοῦ ἐσμεν, καὶ οὔπω ἐφανερώθη τί ἐσόμεθα. οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἐὰν φανερωθῇ, ὅμοιοι αὐτῷ ἐσόμεθα, ὅτι ὀψόμεθα αὐτὸν καθώς ἐστιν πᾶς ὁ ἐν αὐτῷ μένων οὐχ ἁμαρτάνει· πᾶς ὁ ἁμαρτάνων οὐχ ἑώρακεν αὐτὸν οὐδὲ ἔγνωκεν αὐτόν

The NET translators chose whenever it is revealed for ἐὰν φανερωθῇ, where the KJV translators chose when he shall appear. Either way, we will be (ἐσόμεθα, a form of εἰμί) like him (i.e., like God, NET or like Jesus, KJV) at some future time because we will see (ὀψόμεθα, a form of ὁράω) him just as he is.18 This likeness to God or Jesus should, at a minimum, entail not sinning. And John confirmed that everyone who sins has neither seen (ἑώρακεν, another from of ὁράω) him nor known (ἔγνωκεν, a form of γινώσκω) him.19

Paul echoed and clarified this concept for John’s Dear friends (1 Corinthians 13:12 NET):

For now we see (βλέπομεν, a form of βλέπω) in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know (γινώσκω) in part, but then I will know fully (ἐπιγνώσομαι, a form of ἐπιγινώσκω), just as I have been fully known (ἐπεγνώσθην, another form of ἐπιγινώσκω).

This leads to the conclusion that John’s more absolute—has neither seen him nor known him—denoted everyone who sins (πᾶς ἁμαρτάνων) as the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires.20 Conversely, Everyone who resides in him does not sin, refers to the new man who has been created in God’s image—in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth.21

So, returning to the evil one ( πονηρὸς) cannot touch (οὐχ ἅπτεται) him (αὐτοῦ):22 the NET translators apparently understood αὐτοῦ as a personal pronoun in the genitive case. I am more inclined to understand αὐτοῦ as an adverb: “the evil one does not touch here,” or “there.” In other words, John described the new man as a holy place where God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit meets with the new man who has been created in God’s image—in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth as One.

I have lived as the old man, bereft of the new man. I am living as the new man, frustrated at times by that old man. I hope to live as the new man, separated entirely from the old man. When I began to consider the final judgment as a potential deadline for Jesus to have drawn all to Himself, I thought it was mostly for my convenience.

I have no authority or standing to tell Jesus that He can draw no one to Himself afterward, but final judgment is like an event horizon I have difficulty seeing beyond. While I am aware of no Christian theology which addresses Jesus’ drawing of all to Himself, or the impact of that drawing on the judgment of this world and the ruler of this world being driven out, I can’t now go back and pretend that I don’t hear Him saying (John 12:31, 32 NET):

Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when (ἐὰν) I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all23…to myself.

Considering the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires,24 the sin that lives in me,25 as that which cast the shadow of the scape-goat (English Elpenor) or the [goat] to be sent off (NETS) in Leviticus 16:8 (KJV, Septuagint) [Table] adds an interesting line of evidence to that convenience of my choice. Rashi’s commentary to Leviticus 16:8 reads:

And Aaron shall place lots upon the two he-goats: He would place one [he-goat] on his right and one on his left. Then, he would insert both his hands into an urn [which contained two lots, one bearing the inscription “to the Lord” and the other “to Azazel.” These lots were mixed up, and Aaron, with both hands inside the urn] took one lot in his right hand and the other in his left hand, and he would place them upon them [the he-goats]: [The one] upon which [he placed the lot] with the inscription “to the Lord,” would be for God, while the one upon which [he placed the lot] with the inscription “to Azazel,” would be sent off to Azazel. — [Yoma 39a]

Azazel: This is a strong and hard mountain, [with] a high cliff, as the Scripture says [in describing Azazel] (verse 22 below),“a precipitous land (אֶרֶץ גְּזֵרָה),” meaning a cut-off land [i.e., a sheer drop]. — [Torath Kohanim 16:28; Yoma 67b]

Assuming that Rashi was reaching back into an actual institutional memory of this ceremony, Jesus seems to have alluded to it in his description of final judgment (Matthew 25:31-33 NET):

When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people (αὐτοὺς) one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from (ἀπὸ) the goats [Table]. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

I’ll pick this up in another essay.

Tables comparing Isaiah 45:4; 45:5; 45:6; 45:7 and 45:8 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and tables comparing the Greek of Isaiah 45:4; 45:5; 45:6; 45:7 and 45:8 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables comparing Luke 6:26 and 1 John 3:2 in the NET and KJV follow.

Isaiah 45:4 (Tanakh)

Isaiah 45:4 (KJV)

Isaiah 45:4 (NET)

For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. For the sake of my servant Jacob, Israel, my chosen one, I call you by name and give you a title of respect, even though you do not submit to me.

Isaiah 45:4 (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 45:4 (Septuagint Elpenor)

ἕνεκεν Ιακωβ τοῦ παιδός μου καὶ Ισραηλ τοῦ ἐκλεκτοῦ μου ἐγὼ καλέσω σε τῷ ὀνόματί σου καὶ προσδέξομαί σε σὺ δὲ οὐκ ἔγνως με ἕνεκεν τοῦ παιδός μου ᾿Ιακὼβ καὶ ᾿Ισραὴλ τοῦ ἐκλεκτοῦ μου, ἐγὼ καλέσω σε τῷ ὀνόματί σου καὶ προσδέξομαί σε, σὺ δὲ οὐκ ἔγνως με

Isaiah 45:4 (NETS)

Isaiah 45:4 (English Elpenor)

For the sake of my servant Iakob and Israel my chosen, I will call you by name and receive you, but you did not know me, For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel mine elect, I will call thee by thy name, and accept thee: but thou hast not known me.

Isaiah 45:5 (Tanakh)

Isaiah 45:5 (KJV)

Isaiah 45:5 (NET)

I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: I am the Lord, I have no peer, there is no God but me. I arm you for battle, even though you do not recognize me.

Isaiah 45:5 (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 45:5 (Septuagint Elpenor)

ὅτι ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεός καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι πλὴν ἐμοῦ θεός καὶ οὐκ ᾔδεις με ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεός, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι πλὴν ἐμοῦ Θεός, ἐνίσχυσά σε καὶ οὐκ ᾔδεις με

Isaiah 45:5 (NETS)

Isaiah 45:5 (English Elpenor)

because I am the Lord God, and there is no other god besides me, and you did not know me, For I am the Lord God, and there is no other God beside me; I strengthened thee, and thou hast not known me.

Isaiah 45:6 (Tanakh)

Isaiah 45:6 (KJV)

Isaiah 45:6 (NET)

That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. I do this so people will recognize from east to west that there is no God but me; I am the Lord, I have no peer.

Isaiah 45:6 (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 45:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)

ἵνα γνῶσιν οἱ ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν πλὴν ἐμοῦ ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεός καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι ἵνα γνῶσι οἱ ἀπ᾿ ἀνατολῶν ἡλίου καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι Θεὸς πλὴν ἐμοῦ· ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεός, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι

Isaiah 45:6 (NETS)

Isaiah 45:6 (English Elpenor)

so that they who are from the rising of the sun and from its going down may know that there is no one besides me; I am the Lord God, and there is no other. That they that [come] from the east and they that [come] from the west may know that there is no God but me. I am the Lord God, and there is none beside.

Isaiah 45:7 (Tanakh)

Isaiah 45:7 (KJV)

Isaiah 45:7 (NET)

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. I am the one who forms light and creates darkness; the one who brings about peace and creates calamity. I am the Lord, who accomplishes all these things.

Isaiah 45:7 (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 45:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)

ἐγὼ ὁ κατασκευάσας φῶς καὶ ποιήσας σκότος ὁ ποιῶν εἰρήνην καὶ κτίζων κακά ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ ποιῶν ταῦτα πάντα ἐγὼ ὁ κατασκευάσας φῶς καὶ ποιήσας σκότος, ὁ ποιῶν εἰρήνην καὶ κτίζων κακά· ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ποιῶν πάντα ταῦτα

Isaiah 45:7 (NETS)

Isaiah 45:7 (English Elpenor)

I am the one who has prepared light and made darkness, who makes peace and creates evils; I am the Lord who does all these things. I am he that prepared light, and formed darkness; who make peace, and create evil; I am the Lord God, that does all these things.

Isaiah 45:8 (Tanakh)

Isaiah 45:8 (KJV)

Isaiah 45:8 (NET)

Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it. Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it. O sky, rain down from above! Let the clouds send down showers of deliverance! Let the earth absorb it so salvation may grow and deliverance may sprout up along with it. I, the Lord, create it.’”

Isaiah 45:8 (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 45:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)

εὐφρανθήτω ὁ οὐρανὸς ἄνωθεν καὶ αἱ νεφέλαι ῥανάτωσαν δικαιοσύνην ἀνατειλάτω ἡ γῆ ἔλεος καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἀνατειλάτω ἅμα ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος ὁ κτίσας σε εὐφρανθήτω ὁ οὐρανὸς ἄνωθεν, καὶ αἱ νεφέλαι ῥανάτωσαν δικαιοσύνην· ἀνατειλάτω ἡ γῆ καὶ βλαστησάτω ἔλεος, καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἀνατειλάτω ἅμα· ἐγώ εἰμι Κύριος ὁ κτίσας σε

Isaiah 45:8 (NETS)

Isaiah 45:8 (English Elpenor)

Let heaven rejoice from above, and let the clouds shower down righteousness; let the earth bring forth mercy, and let it bring forth righteousness as well; I am the Lord who created you. Let the heaven rejoice from above, and let the clouds rain righteousness: let the earth bring forth, and blossom [with] mercy, and bring forth righteousness likewise: I am the Lord that created thee.

Luke 6:26 (NET)

Luke 6:26 (KJV)

Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for their ancestors did the same things to the false prophets. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Luke 6:26 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 6:26 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 6:26 (Byzantine Majority Text)

οὐαὶ ὅταν ὑμᾶς |καλῶς| εἴπωσιν πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι· κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ γὰρ ἐποίουν τοῖς ψευδοπροφήταις οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν ουαι υμιν οταν καλως υμας ειπωσιν παντες οι ανθρωποι κατα ταυτα γαρ εποιουν τοις ψευδοπροφηταις οι πατερες αυτων ουαι οταν καλως υμας ειπωσιν οι ανθρωποι κατα ταυτα γαρ εποιουν τοις ψευδοπροφηταις οι πατερες αυτων

1 John 3:2 (NET)

1 John 3:2 (KJV)

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

1 John 3:2 (NET Parallel Greek)

1 John 3:2 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

1 John 3:2 (Byzantine Majority Text)

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

2 Romans 7:17b (NET) Table; Romans 7:20b (NET) Table

3 Romans 7:21 (NET)

4 Ephesians 4:22b (NET)

6 John 3:7 (NET)

7 The Stephanus Textus Receptus had υμιν (KJV: unto you) here. The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text did not (NET note 87).

9 Luke 6:26 (NET)

10 Ephesians 4:22b (NET)

11 Ephesians 4:22b (NET)

12 NET note 49

13 1 John 5:16a (NET)

14 Ephesians 4:24a (NET)

15 The NA28, Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τηρει εαυτον (KJV: keepeth himself) here. If one does not distinguish (NET note 49) between the new man and the sinning Christian, this becomes unintelligible: “the sinning Christian keepeth himself from sinning.”

16 1 John 5:18a (NET) Table

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

18 1 John 3:2b (NET)

19 1 John 3:6b (NET)

20 Ephesians 4:22b (NET)

21 Ephesians 4:24b (NET)

22 1 John 5:18b (NET)

23 I dropped the word people here, because that limitation is not in the Greek text: πάντας ἑλκύσω πρὸς ἐμαυτόν.

24 Ephesians 4:22b (NET)

25 Romans 7:20b (NET) Table

Who Am I? Part 16

This is a continuation of my consideration of “5 Bible Passages That Caused Me to Lose My Faith” by Kristi Burke. Her first Bible passage was “Romans 9…the starting point of my deconstruction journey.”1 Though she began with verse 16, I started at the beginning of the chapter to gain some context.

I’ll pick up where I left off (Romans 9:22-24 NET):

But what if God, willing (θέλων, a form of θέλω) to demonstrate (ἐνδείξασθαι, a form of ἐνδείκνυμι) his wrath (Romans 1:18-32) and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the objects of wrath prepared for destruction? And what if he is willing to make known the wealth of his glory on the objects of mercy that he has prepared beforehand for glory—even us, whom he has called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

God’s demonstration of this contrast between the wealth of his glory on the objects of mercy and his wrath on those who prepared themselves for destruction offended Ms. Burke: “I was fed one version of god who was a loving father but I’m learning about this completely different god who intentionally creates people to go to hell.”2 If I believed that the Lord’s wish…for all to come to repentance3 was subordinate to the wishes of every individual, I might be troubled by this, too. Apart from the Lord’s intervention—he has prepared beforehand (προητοίμασεν, a form of προετοιμάζω) for glory—we all share an innate propensity to prepare ourselves for destruction. But I believe that God has consigned all people to disobedience so that he may show mercy to them all4 and that Jesus will draw all to Himself.5

“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”6 the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas (Acts 16:31a NET Table):

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved…”

I can read this verse as written now, believing that I am saved primarily from my own sinfulness. When I believed what I was taught (or imagined I was being taught) in church, I believed that I was saved primarily from hell. I was explicitly instructed to add “before you die” as a condition to faith:

Believe in the Lord Jesus [before you die] and you will be saved [from hell].

I surveyed the 10 occurrences of forms of ᾅδης in the New Testament (see table below). All were translated hell in the KJV. Obviously, to be saved from KJV hell, one must trust the Lord before one dies. And there was a time I thought KJV hell was synonymous with the lake of fire of the final judgment (Revelation 20:11-15 NET).

Then I saw a large white throne and the one who was seated on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. Then books were opened, and another book was openedthe book of life. So the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds [Table]. The sea gave up the7 dead that were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the8 dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second deaththe lake of fire [Table]. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, that person was thrown into the lake of fire.

There were 66 occurrences of forms of שְׁאוֹל (šᵊ’ôl) in the Masoretic text (see table below); 31 of them were translated hell in the KJV. Most forms of שְׁאוֹל (šᵊ’ôl) in the Masoretic text were translated with forms of ᾅδης in the Septuagint. Most occurrences of forms of שְׁאוֹל (šᵊ’ôl) mirror death as we perceive it.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Ecclesiastes 9:10 (Tanakh/KJV)

Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NET)

Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NETS)

Ecclesiastes 9:10 (English Elpenor)

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave (בִּשְׁא֕וֹל), whither thou goest. Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave (šᵊ’ôl, בשאול), the place where you will eventually go. Whatever your hand finds to do, as is your might, do! For there is no work and reasoning and knowledge and wisdom in Hades (ἐν ᾅδῃ), where you are going. Whatsoever thine hand shall find to do, do with all thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Hades (ἐν ᾅδῃ) wither thou goest.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Isaiah 14:11 (Tanakh/KJV)

Isaiah 14:11 (NET)

Isaiah 14:11 (NETS)

Isaiah 14:11 (English Elpenor)

Thy pomp is brought down to the grave (שְׁא֛וֹל), and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. Your splendor has been brought down to Sheol (šᵊ’ôl, שאול), as well as the sound of your stringed instruments. You lie on a bed of maggots, with a blanket of worms over you.’ But your glory has gone down to Hades (εἰς ᾅδου)—your abundant joy; they will spread decay beneath you, and a worm will be your covering. Thy glory has come down to Hades (εἰς ᾅδου), and thy great mirth: under thee they shall spread corruption, and the worm shall be thy covering.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Isaiah 38:18 (Tanakh/KJV)

Isaiah 38:18 (NET)

Isaiah 38:18 (NETS)

Isaiah 38:18 (English Elpenor)

For the grave (שְׁא֛וֹל) cannot praise thee, death (מָ֣וֶת) can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit (ב֖וֹר) cannot hope for thy truth. Indeed Sheol (šᵊ’ôl, שאול) does not give you thanks; death (māveṯ, מות) does not praise you. Those who descend into the Pit (bôr, בור) do not anticipate your faithfulness. For those who are in Hades (ἐν ᾅδου) will not praise you, nor will the dead (οἱ ἀποθανόντες) bless you, nor will those who are in Hades (ἐν ᾅδου) hope for your mercy. For they that are in the grave (ἐν ᾅδου) shall not praise thee, neither shall the dead (οἱ ἀποθανόντες) bless thee, neither shall they that are in Hades (ἐν ᾅδου) hope for thy mercy.

This very human understanding of death corresponds to the euphemism fallen asleep (κεκοίμηται, a form of κοιμάω) as Jesus used it (John 11:11b-15a NET):

“Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep (κεκοίμηται, a form of κοιμάω). But I am going there to awaken him.” Then the disciples replied,9 “Lord, if he has fallen asleep (κεκοίμηται, a form of κοιμάω), he will recover.” (Now Jesus had been talking about his death [θανάτου, a form of θάνατος], but they thought he had been talking about real sleep [τῆς κοιμήσεως τοῦ ὕπνου].)

Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died (ἀπέθανεν, a form of ἀποθνήσκω)…

Paul used κοιμηθησόμεθα (another form of κοιμάω) in a similar way (1 Corinthians 15:51, 52 NET):

Listen, I will tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep (κοιμηθησόμεθα), but we will all be changed [Table]—in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead (νεκροὶ, a form of νεκρός) will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

Now some Sadducees (who contend that there is no resurrection)10 asked Jesus a trick question about a woman and seven brothers: “In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman11 be? For all seven had married her.”12 First, Jesus corrected their misunderstanding of the coming age (Luke 20:34, 35 NET):

So Jesus13 said to them, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage.14 But those who are regarded as worthy to share in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage.15

Then Jesus elaborated on the resurrection (Luke 20:36, 37 NET):

In fact, they can no16 longer die (ἀποθανεῖν, another form of ἀποθνήσκω) because they are equal to angels (ἰσάγγελοι, a form of ἰσάγγελος) and are sons of God,17 since they are sons of the resurrection. But even Moses revealed that the dead are raised in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob [Table].

Jesus went one step further to affirm something about God and those who have died as we perceive death (Luke 20:38 NET):

Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live before him.

The Greek word translated live was ζῶσιν, a form of ζάω in the present tense. Technically, ζῶσιν might also indicate the subjunctive mood, “for all may live before him,” but I found no English translation other18 than the indicative mood.

One occurrence (perhaps two) of שְׁאוֹל (šᵊ’ôl) in the Masoretic text conveys this idea of living (ζώντων) inhabitants.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Isaiah 14:9, 10 (Tanakh/KJV)

Isaiah 14:9, 10 (NET)

Isaiah 14:9, 10 (NETS)

Isaiah 14:9, 10 (English Elpenor)

Hell (שְׁא֗וֹל) from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. Sheol (šᵊ’ôl, שאול) below is stirred up about you, ready to meet you when you arrive. It rouses the spirits of the dead for you, all the former leaders of the earth; it makes all the former kings of the nations rise from their thrones. Hades ( ᾅδης) beneath was embittered on meeting you; all the mighty who have ruled the earth rose up together against you—those who have roused from their thrones all the kings of the nations. Hell ( ᾅδης) from beneath is provoked to meet thee: all the great ones that have ruled over the earth have risen up together against thee, they that have raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.
All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? All of them respond to you, saying: ‘You too have become weak like us! You have become just like us! All will answer and say to you: “You too were taken even as we were, and you were counted among us!” All shall answer and say to thee, Thou also hast been taken, even as we; and thou art numbered amongst us.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Ezekiel 32:21 (Tanakh/KJV)

Ezekiel 32:21 (NET)

Ezekiel 32:21 (NETS)

Ezekiel 32:21 (English Elpenor)

The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell (שְׁא֖וֹל) with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword. The bravest of the warriors will speak to him from the midst of Sheol (šᵊ’ôl, שאול) along with his allies, saying: ‘The uncircumcised have come down; they lie still, killed by the sword.’ And the giants in the depth of the hole (βόθρου) shall say to you, “You are greater than whom? Descend, and lie with the uncircumcised in the midst of those wounded by dagger.” the giants also shall say to thee, Be thou in the depth of the pit (βόθρου): to whom art thou superior? yea, go down, and lie with the uncircumcised, in the midst of them [that are] slain with the sword.

Jesus described a rich man in Hades calling out to Abraham (Luke 16:23, 24 NET):

And in Hades (τῷ ᾅδῃ), as he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far off with Lazarus at his side [Table]. So he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue because I am in anguish in this fire.’

This survey helped me to understand why eternal life wasn’t about living forever when Jesus prayed: Now this is eternal life—that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent.19 More to the point in this essay, given that even Paul wrote of those who have fallen asleep in Christ,20 waiting to rise in the resurrection at the last day,21 it focused my attention on the question: What gave anyone hope that believing in the Lord Jesus, even before one dies, might save one from KJV hell?

Three22 Scriptures come to mind. I’ll consider those in another essay. The tables mentioned above follow:

English Translations of Forms of ᾅδης

Reference Greek KJV NET
Matthew 11:23 ᾅδου to hell to Hades
Matthew 16:18 ᾅδου of hell of Hades
Luke 10:15 ᾅδου to hell to Hades
Luke 16:23 ᾅδῃ hell Hades
Acts 2:27 ᾅδην hell Hades
Acts 2:31 ᾅδην hell Hades
Revelation 1:18 ᾅδου of hell of Hades
Revelation 6:8 ᾅδης Hell Hades
Revelation 20:13 ᾅδης hell Hades
Revelation 20:14 ᾅδης hell Hades

English Translations of Forms of שְׁאוֹל (šᵊ’ôl)

Reference Hebrew KJV NET Septuagint (BLB/Elpenor)
Genesis 37:35 שאלה into the grave to the grave εἰς ᾅδου / εἰς ᾅδου
Genesis 42:38 שאולה to the grave to the grave εἰς ᾅδου / εἰς ἅδου
Genesis 44:29 שאלה to the grave to the grave εἰς ᾅδου / εἰς ᾅδου
Genesis 44:31 שאלה to the grave to the grave εἰς ᾅδου / εἰς ᾅδου
Numbers 16:30 שאלה into the pit to the grave εἰς ᾅδου / εἰς ᾅδου
Numbers 16:33 שאלה into the pit into the pit εἰς ᾅδου / εἰς ᾅδου
Deuteronomy 32:22 שאול hell Sheol ᾅδου / ᾅδου
1 Samuel (1 Kings) 2:6 שאול to the grave to the grave εἰς ᾅδου / εἰς ᾅδου
2 Samuel (2 Kings) 22:6 שאול of hell of Sheol θανάτου / θανάτου
1 Kings (3 Kings) 2:6 שאל to the grave death εἰς ᾅδου / εἰς ᾅδου
1 Kings (3 Kings) 2:9 שאול to the grave death εἰς ᾅδου / εἰς ᾅδου
Job 7:9 שאול to the grave to the grave εἰς ᾅδην / εἰς ᾄδην
Job 11:8 משאול than hell than Sheol τῶν ἐν ᾅδου / τῶν ἐν ᾃδου
Job 14:13 בשאול in the grave in Sheol ἐν ᾅδῃ / ἐν ᾅδῃ
Job 17:13 שאול the grave the grave ᾅδης / ᾅδης
Job 17:16 שאל of the pit of death εἰς ᾅδην / εἰς ᾅδην
Job 21:13 שאול to the grave to the grave ᾅδου / ᾅδου
Job 24:19 שאול the grave the grave na / na
Job 26:6 שאול Hell The underworld ᾅδης / ᾅδης
Psalm 6:5 (6:6) בשאול in the grave In Sheol ἐν δὲ τῷ ᾅδῃ / ἐν δὲ τῷ ῞ᾼδῃ
Psalm 9:17 (9:18) לשאולה into hell sent to Sheol εἰς τὸν ᾅδην / εἰς τὸν ᾅδην
Psalm 16:10 (15:10) לשאול in hell to Sheol εἰς ᾅδην / εἰς ᾅδην
Psalm 18:5 (17:6) שאול of hell of Sheol ᾅδου / ᾅδου
Psalm 30:3 (29:4) שאול the grave Sheol ᾅδου / ᾅδου
Psalm 31:17 (30:18) לשאול in the grave to the grave εἰς ᾅδου / εἰς ᾅδου
Psalm 49:14 (48:15) לשאול in the grave to Sheol ἐν ᾅδῃ / ἐν ᾅδῃ
שאול in the grave Sheol ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ / ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ
Psalm 49:15 (48:16) שאול of the grave of Sheol ᾅδου / ᾅδου
Psalm 55:15 (54:16) שאול into hell into Sheol εἰς ᾅδου / εἰς ᾅδου
Psalm 86:13 (85:13) משאול hell of Sheol ἐξ ᾅδου / ἐξ ᾅδου
Psalm 88:3 (87:4) לשאול unto the grave Sheol τῷ ᾅδῃ / τῷ ᾅδῃ
Psalm 89:48 (88:49) שאול of the grave of Sheol ᾅδου / ᾅδου
Psalm 116:3 (114:3) שאול of hell of Sheol ᾅδου / ᾅδου
Psalm 139:9 (138:8) שאול in hell in Sheol εἰς τὸν ᾅδην / εἰς τὸν ᾅδην
Psalm 141:7 שאול grave’s of Sheol τὸν ᾅδην / τὸν ᾅδην
Proverbs 1:12 כשאול as the grave like Sheol ὥσπερ ᾅδης / ὥσπερ ᾅδης
Proverbs 5:5 שאול on hell to the grave εἰς τὸν ᾅδην / εἰς τὸν ᾅδην
Proverbs 7:27 שאול to hell to the grave ᾅδου / ᾅδου
Proverbs 9:18 שאול of hell of the grave ᾅδου / ᾅδου
Proverbs 15:11 שאול Hell Death ᾅδης / ᾅδης
Proverbs 15:24 משאול from hell to Sheol ἐκ τοῦ ᾅδου / ἐκ τοῦ ᾅδου
Proverbs 23:14 משאול from hell from death ἐκ θανάτου / ἐκ θανάτου
Proverbs 27:20 שאול Hell Death ᾅδης / ᾅδης
Proverbs 30:16 שאול The grave the grave ᾅδης / na
Ecclesiastes 9:10 בשאול in the grave in the grave ἐν ᾅδῃ / ἐν ᾅδῃ
Song of Songs 8:6 כשאול as the grave as Sheol ὡς ᾅδης / ὡς ᾅδης
Isaiah 5:14 שאול hell Death ᾅδης / ᾅδης
Isaiah 7:11 שאלה ask it as Sheol (Note 17) na / na
Isaiah 14:9 שאול Hell Sheol ᾅδης / ᾅδης
Isaiah 14:11 שאול to the grave to Sheol εἰς ᾅδου / εἰς ᾅδου
Isaiah 14:15 שאול hell Sheol ᾅδου / ᾅδην
Isaiah 28:15 שאול hell Sheol τοῦ ᾅδου / τοῦ ᾅδου
Isaiah 28:18 שאול hell Sheol τὸν ᾅδην / τὸν ᾅδην
Isaiah 38:10 שאול of the grave of Sheol ᾅδου / ᾅδου
Isaiah 38:18 שאול the grave Sheol οἱ ἐν ᾅδου / οἱ ἐν ᾅδου
Isaiah 57:9 שאול hell Sheol ᾅδου / ᾅδου
Ezekiel 31:15 שאולה to the grave to Sheol εἰς ᾅδου / εἰς ᾅδου
Ezekiel 31:16 שאולה to hell to Sheol εἰς ᾅδου / εἰς ᾅδου
Ezekiel 31:17 שאולה into hell to Sheol εἰς ᾅδου / εἰς ᾅδου
Ezekiel 32:21 שאול of hell of Sheol βόθρου / βόθρου
Ezekiel 32:27 שאול to hell to Sheol εἰς ᾅδου / εἰς ᾅδου
Hosea 13:14 שאול of the grave of Sheol ᾅδου / ᾅδου
שאול O grave O Sheol ᾅδη / ᾅδη
Amos 9:2 בשאול into hell into the netherworld εἰς ᾅδου / εἰς ᾅδου
Jonah 2:2 (2:3) שאול of hell of Sheol ᾅδου / ᾅδου
Habakkuk 2:5 כשאול as hell as Sheol’s καθὼς ᾅδης / καθὼς ᾅδης

According to a note (87) in the NET Jesus quoted from Exodus 3:6 in Luke 20:37. A table comparing the Greek of his quotation to the Septuagint follows.

Luke 20:37b (NET Parallel Greek) Table

Exodus 3:6a (Septuagint BLB) Table

Exodus 3:6a (Septuagint Elpenor)

τὸν θεὸν Ἀβραὰμ καὶ θεὸν Ἰσαὰκ καὶ θεὸν Ἰακώβ θεὸς Αβρααμ καὶ θεὸς Ισαακ καὶ θεὸς Ιακωβ Θεὸς ῾Αβραὰμ καὶ Θεὸς ᾿Ισαὰκ καὶ Θεὸς ᾿Ιακώβ

Luke 20:37b (NET)

Exodus 3:6a (NETS)

Exodus 3:6a (English Elpenor)

the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob God of Abraam and God of Isaak and God of Iakob the God of Abraam, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob

Tables comparing Ecclesiastes 9:10; Isaiah 14:11; 38:18; 14:9; 14:10 and Ezekiel 32:21 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET; and tables comparing Ecclesiastes 9:10; Isaiah 14:11; 38:18; 14:9; 14:10 and Ezekiel 32:21 in the BLB and Elpenor versions of the Septuagint with the English translations from Hebrew and Greek, and tables comparing the Greek of Revelation 20:13; John 11:12; 11:15; Luke 20:33; 20:34, 35 and Luke 20:36 the NET and KJV follow.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 (Tanakh)

Ecclesiastes 9:10 (KJV)

Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NET)

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, the place where you will eventually go.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 (Septuagint BLB)

Ecclesiastes 9:10 (Septuagint Elpenor)

πάντα ὅσα ἂν εὕρῃ ἡ χείρ σου τοῦ ποιῆσαι ὡς ἡ δύναμίς σου ποίησον ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ποίημα καὶ λογισμὸς καὶ γνῶσις καὶ σοφία ἐν ᾅδῃ ὅπου σὺ πορεύῃ ἐκεῖ πάντα, ὅσα ἂν εὕρῃ ἡ χείρ σου τοῦ ποιῆσαι, ὡς ἡ δύναμίς σου ποίησον, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι ποίημα καὶ λογισμὸς καὶ γνῶσις καὶ σοφία ἐν ᾅδῃ, ὅπου σὺ πορεύῃ ἐκεῖ

Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NETS)

Ecclesiastes 9:10 (English Elpenor)

Whatever your hand finds to do, as is your might, do! For there is no work and reasoning and knowledge and wisdom in Hades, where you are going. Whatsoever thine hand shall find to do, do with all thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Hades wither thou goest.

Isaiah 14:11 (Tanakh)

Isaiah 14:11 (KJV)

Isaiah 14:11 (NET)

Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. Your splendor has been brought down to Sheol, as well as the sound of your stringed instruments. You lie on a bed of maggots, with a blanket of worms over you.’

Isaiah 14:11 (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 14:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)

κατέβη δὲ εἰς ᾅδου ἡ δόξα σου ἡ πολλή σου εὐφροσύνη ὑποκάτω σου στρώσουσιν σῆψιν καὶ τὸ κατακάλυμμά σου σκώληξ κατέβη εἰς ᾅδου ἡ δόξα σου, ἡ πολλὴ εὐφροσύνη σου· ὑποκάτω σου στρώσουσι σῆψιν, καὶ τὸ κατακάλυμμά σου σκώληξ

Isaiah 14:11 (NETS)

Isaiah 14:11 (English Elpenor)

But your glory has gone down to Hades—your abundant joy; they will spread decay beneath you, and a worm will be your covering. Thy glory has come down to Hades, and thy great mirth: under thee they shall spread corruption, and the worm shall be thy covering.

Isaiah 38:18 (Tanakh)

Isaiah 38:18 (KJV)

Isaiah 38:18 (NET)

For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. Indeed Sheol does not give you thanks; death does not praise you. Those who descend into the Pit do not anticipate your faithfulness.

Isaiah 38:18 (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 38:18 (Septuagint Elpenor)

οὐ γὰρ οἱ ἐν ᾅδου αἰνέσουσίν σε οὐδὲ οἱ ἀποθανόντες εὐλογήσουσίν σε οὐδὲ ἐλπιοῦσιν οἱ ἐν ᾅδου τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην σου οὐ γὰρ οἱ ἐν ᾅδου αἰνέσουσί σε, οὐδὲ οἱ ἀποθανόντες εὐλογήσουσί σε, οὐδὲ ἐλπιοῦσιν οἱ ἐν ᾅδου τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην σου

Isaiah 38:18 (NETS)

Isaiah 38:18 (English Elpenor)

For those who are in Hades will not praise you, nor will the dead bless you, nor will those who are in Hades hope for your mercy. For they that are in the grave shall not praise thee, neither shall the dead bless thee, neither shall they that are in Hades hope for thy mercy.

Isaiah 14:9 (Tanakh)

Isaiah 14:9 (KJV)

Isaiah 14:9 (NET)

Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. Sheol below is stirred up about you, ready to meet you when you arrive. It rouses the spirits of the dead for you, all the former leaders of the earth; it makes all the former kings of the nations rise from their thrones.

Isaiah 14:9 (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 14:9 (Septuagint Elpenor)

ὁ ᾅδης κάτωθεν ἐπικράνθη συναντήσας σοι συνηγέρθησάν σοι πάντες οἱ γίγαντες οἱ ἄρξαντες τῆς γῆς οἱ ἐγείραντες ἐκ τῶν θρόνων αὐτῶν πάντας βασιλεῖς ἐθνῶν ὁ ᾅδης κάτωθεν ἐπικράνθη συναντήσας σοι, συνηγέρθησάν σοι πάντες οἱ γίγαντες οἱ ἄρξαντες τῆς γῆς, οἱ ἐγείραντες ἐκ τῶν θρόνων αὐτῶν πάντας βασιλεῖς ἐθνῶν

Isaiah 14:9 (NETS)

Isaiah 14:9 (English Elpenor)

Hades beneath was embittered on meeting you; all the mighty who have ruled the earth rose up together against you—those who have roused from their thrones all the kings of the nations. Hell from beneath is provoked to meet thee: all the great ones that have ruled over the earth have risen up together against thee, they that have raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

Isaiah 14:10 (Tanakh)

Isaiah 14:10 (KJV)

Isaiah 14:10 (NET)

All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? All of them respond to you, saying: ‘You too have become weak like us! You have become just like us!

Isaiah 14:10 (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 14:10 (Septuagint Elpenor)

πάντες ἀποκριθήσονται καὶ ἐροῦσίν σοι καὶ σὺ ἑάλως ὥσπερ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐν ἡμῖν δὲ κατελογίσθης πάντες ἀποκριθήσονται καὶ ἐροῦσί σοι· καὶ σὺ ἑάλως, ὥσπερ καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἐν ἡμῖν δὲ κατελογίσθης

Isaiah 14:10 (NETS)

Isaiah 14:10 (English Elpenor)

All will answer and say to you: “You too were taken even as we were, and you were counted among us!” All shall answer and say to thee, Thou also hast been taken, even as we; and thou art numbered amongst us.

Ezekiel 32:21 (Tanakh)

Ezekiel 32:21 (KJV)

Ezekiel 32:21 (NET)

The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword. The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword. The bravest of the warriors will speak to him from the midst of Sheol along with his allies, saying: ‘The uncircumcised have come down; they lie still, killed by the sword.’

Ezekiel 32:21 (Septuagint BLB)

Ezekiel 32:21 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ ἐροῦσίν σοι οἱ γίγαντες ἐν βάθει βόθρου γίνου τίνος κρείττων εἶ κατάβηθι καὶ κοιμήθητι μετὰ ἀπεριτμήτων ἐν μέσῳ τραυματιῶν μαχαίρας καὶ ἐροῦσί σοι οἱ γίγαντες· ἐν βάθει βόθρου γίνου, τίνος κρείττων εἶ; κατάβηθι καὶ κοιμήθητι μετὰ ἀπεριτμήτων ἐν μέσῳ τραυματιῶν μαχαίρας

Ezekiel 32:21 (NETS)

Ezekiel 32:21 (English Elpenor)

And the giants in the depth of the hole shall say to you, “You are greater than whom? Descend, and lie with the uncircumcised in the midst of those wounded by dagger.” the giants also shall say to thee, Be thou in the depth of the pit: to whom art thou superior? yea, go down, and lie with the uncircumcised, in the midst of them [that are] slain with the sword.

Revelation 20:13 (NET)

Revelation 20:13 (KJV)

The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

Revelation 20:13 (NET Parallel Greek)

Revelation 20:13 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Revelation 20:13 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ ἔδωκεν ἡ θάλασσα τοὺς νεκροὺς τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ καὶ ὁ θάνατος καὶ ὁ ᾅδης ἔδωκαν τοὺς νεκροὺς τοὺς ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἐκρίθησαν ἕκαστος κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν και εδωκεν η θαλασσα τους εν αυτη νεκρους και ο θανατος και ο αδης εδωκαν τους εν αυτοις νεκρους και εκριθησαν εκαστος κατα τα εργα αυτων και εδωκεν η θαλασσα τους νεκρους τους εν αυτη και ο θανατος και ο αδης εδωκαν τους νεκρους τους εν αυτοις και εκριθησαν εκαστος κατα τα εργα αυτων

John 11:12 (NET)

John 11:12 (KJV)

Then the disciples replied, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.

John 11:12 (NET Parallel Greek)

John 11:12 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

John 11:12 (Byzantine Majority Text)

εἶπαν οὖν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτῷ· κύριε, εἰ κεκοίμηται σωθήσεται ειπον ουν οι μαθηται αυτου κυριε ει κεκοιμηται σωθησεται ειπον ουν οι μαθηται αυτου κυριε ει κεκοιμηται σωθησεται

John 11:15 (NET)

John 11:15 (KJV)

and I am glad for your sake that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.

John 11:15 (NET Parallel Greek)

John 11:15 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

John 11:15 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ χαίρω δι᾿ ὑμᾶς ἵνα πιστεύσητε, ὅτι οὐκ ἤμην ἐκεῖ· ἀλλὰ ἄγωμεν πρὸς αὐτόν και χαιρω δι υμας ινα πιστευσητε οτι ουκ ημην εκει αλλ αγωμεν προς αυτον και χαιρω δι υμας ινα πιστευσητε οτι ουκ ημην εκει αλλα αγωμεν προς αυτον

Luke 20:33 (NET)

Luke 20:33 (KJV)

In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For all seven had married her.” Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife.

Luke 20:33 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 20:33 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 20:33 (Byzantine Majority Text)

γυνὴ οὖν ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει τίνος αὐτῶν γίνεται γυνή; οἱ γὰρ ἑπτὰ ἔσχον αὐτὴν γυναῖκα εν τη ουν αναστασει τινος αυτων γινεται γυνη οι γαρ επτα εσχον αυτην γυναικα εν τη ουν αναστασει τινος αυτων γινεται γυνη οι γαρ επτα εσχον αυτην γυναικα

Luke 20:34, 35 (NET)

Luke 20:34, 35 (KJV)

So Jesus said to them, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:

Luke 20:34 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 20:34 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 20:34 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου γαμοῦσιν καὶ γαμίσκονται και αποκριθεις ειπεν αυτοις ο ιησους οι υιοι του αιωνος τουτου γαμουσιν και εκγαμισκονται και αποκριθεις ειπεν αυτοις ο ιησους οι υιοι του αιωνος τουτου γαμουσιν και εκγαμισκονται
But those who are regarded as worthy to share in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:

Luke 20:35 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 20:35 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 20:35 (Byzantine Majority Text)

οἱ δὲ καταξιωθέντες τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐκείνου τυχεῖν καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν οὔτε γαμοῦσιν οὔτε γαμίζονται οι δε καταξιωθεντες του αιωνος εκεινου τυχειν και της αναστασεως της εκ νεκρων ουτε γαμουσιν ουτε εκγαμισκονται οι δε καταξιωθεντες του αιωνος εκεινου τυχειν και της αναστασεως της εκ νεκρων ουτε γαμουσιν ουτε εκγαμιζονται

Luke 20:36 (NET)

Luke 20:36 (KJV)

In fact, they can no longer die because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, since they are sons of the resurrection. Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

Luke 20:36 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 20:36 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 20:36 (Byzantine Majority Text)

οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀποθανεῖν ἔτι δύνανται, ἰσάγγελοι γάρ εἰσιν καὶ υἱοί εἰσιν θεοῦ τῆς ἀναστάσεως υἱοὶ ὄντες ουτε γαρ αποθανειν ετι δυνανται ισαγγελοι γαρ εισιν και υιοι εισιν του θεου της αναστασεως υιοι οντες ουτε γαρ αποθανειν ετι δυνανται ισαγγελοι γαρ εισιν και υιοι εισιν του θεου της αναστασεως υιοι οντες

2 Ibid.

3 2 Peter 3:9b (NET) Table

4 Romans 11:32 (NET)

6 Acts 16:30b (NET)

7 The Net parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had the article τοὺς preceding dead. The Stephanus Textus Receptus did not.

8 The Net parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had the article τοὺς preceding dead. The Stephanus Textus Receptus did not.

9 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had εἶπαν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ειπον (KJV: said).

10 Luke 20:27a (NET)

11 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had γυνὴ at the beginning of this clause. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

12 Luke 20:33 (NET)

13 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αποκριθεις (KJV: answering) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

16 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had οὐδὲ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ουτε (KJV: Neither).

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

18 The Aramaic Bible in Plain English treats both ἔστιν and ζῶσιν as if they were not in the present tense, but both are still in the indicative mood: “But he was not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all of them were alive to him.”

According to Rev. Glenn David Bauscher in the introduction to his translation of the Aramaic New Testament: “Aramaic was the language of Jesus of Nazareth (‘Yeshua Netsari’ in Aramaic) and of his twelve disciples. The Peshitta New Testament is the only complete Aramaic New Testament known today which is held by a significant Christian denomination to be the original text written by the Apostles. The Church of The East has always held to this text as the original writing of the Apostles, preserved with word for word accuracy by its Scribes for nearly two thousand years with meticulous care and reverence.”

In an article titled “Be one of the few who has a copy of the Original New Testament!” Rev. Bauscher contends: “While the apostle Paul was carrying the gospel message to the West — ‘first to the Jew, then to the Gentile’ — Thomas was doing the same, except going in the opposite direction . . . to the East. The Church of the East became the largest Christian church of the middle ages, spreading the gospel message and building churches as far away as India and China, with 100 million members. The Muslim conquests and massacres of the 7th – 11th centuries, as well as the Mongol’s destruction of Christians and churches, left very few members of that great church remaining. This is history unknown to most in the West, but eastern Christians have not forgotten.”

19 John 17:3 (NET)

20 1 Corinthians 15:18a (NET)

21 John 11:24b (NET) Table

αὐτοῦ and ἑαυτοῦ, Part 1

In another essay I understood τὴν παρθένον αὐτοῦ (ESV: his betrothed)1 differently from τὴν ἑαυτοῦ παρθένον (ESV: her as his betrothed and his betrothed).2 My decision was based primarily on Paul’s argument, but it isn’t the customary way these phrases have been translated into English. I want to do a survey of the occurrences of αὐτοῦ and ἑαυτοῦ in the New Testament, particularly when associated with an article and noun in the accusative case.

According to the Englishman’s Concordance on Bible Hub there are 1,428 occurrences of αὐτοῦ and 47 occurrences of ἑαυτοῦ [see Table below]. If I’ve counted and recognized the accusative case correctly, there are only 21 occurrences of ἑαυτοῦ flanked by an article and a noun in the accusative case [see Table below].

Matthew

With the caveats above regarding counting and my ability to recognize the accusative case in Greek, I found 267 occurrences of αὐτοῦ in the Gospel of Matthew. Only 90 of them were associated with an accusative phrase. There were 2 occurrences of ἑαυτοῦ, but neither were associated with an accusative phrase. In most occurrences αὐτοῦ followed the accusative phrase. There were 4 exceptions:

In Matthew 2:2 his star (ESV) was αὐτοῦ τὸν ἀστέρα. In Matthew 7:24 and 7:26 his house (ESV) was αὐτοῦ τὴν οἰκίαν. And in Matthew 26:51 his ear (ESV) was αὐτοῦ τὸ ὠτίον.

In 7 occurrences αὐτοῦ wasn’t translated (i.e., his usually) in the ESV: Matthew 3:4 εἶχεν τὸ ἔνδυμα αὐτοῦ was wore a garment. In Matthew 9:7 ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ was and went home. In Matthew 9:16 τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτοῦ was the patch. In Matthew 22:24 τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ was the widow. In Matthew 24:51 καὶ τὸ μέρος αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ὑποκριτῶν θήσει was …and put him with the hypocrites. In that place… In Matthew 27:30 τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ was the head. And in Matthew 27:37 ἐπέθηκαν ἐπάνω τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ τὴν αἰτίαν αὐτοῦ was translated over his head they put the charge against him.

There were no occurrences of παρθένον in Matthew, so I latched onto τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ as a proxy. The phrase was translated his wife (ESV) in Matthew 1:24, 5:31, 5:32 [Table], 19:9 [Table] and 22:25. It was translated one’s wife (ESV) in Matthew 19:3 [Table] and (as mentioned above) the widow (ESV) in Matthew 22:24.

Both occurrences of ἑαυτοῦ are found in Jesus’ description of a wandering unclean spirit (Matthew 12:43-45 ESV):

When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it (ἑαυτοῦ) seven other spirits more evil than itself (ἑαυτοῦ), and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.

Here ἑαυτοῦ was translated it (KJV: himself) and itself (KJV: himself), rather than his own like most occurrences of ἑαυτοῦ associated with an accusative phrase [see Table below]. As a matter of interest, τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ in Matthew 27:31 was translated his own clothes (ESV).

Mark

I found 163 occurrences of αὐτοῦ in the Gospel of Mark. Only 46 of them were associated with an accusative phrase. There were no occurrences of ἑαυτοῦ. In most occurrences αὐτοῦ followed the accusative phrase. There were 4 exceptions:

In Mark 7:19 his heart (ESV) was αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν καρδίαν. In Mark 14:47 his ear (ESV) was αὐτοῦ τὸ ὠτάριον. In Mark 14:65 his face (ESV) was αὐτοῦ τὸ πρόσωπον. And in Mark 15:19 his head (ESV) was αὐτοῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν.

Only 1 occurrence of αὐτοῦ wasn’t translated (i.e., his usually) in the ESV: Mark 13:34 ἀφεὶς τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ was when he leaves home. There were no occurrences of παρθένον in Mark, so again I used τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ as a proxy. The phrase was translated his wife (ESV) in Mark 10:11.

Luke

I found 249 occurrences of αὐτοῦ in the Gospel of Luke. Only 72 of them were associated with an accusative phrase. In all of those occurrences αὐτοῦ followed the accusative phrase. There were 5 occurrences where αὐτοῦ was not translated (i.e., his usually) in the ESV:

In Luke 1:58 ὅτι ἐμεγάλυνεν κύριος τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ μετ᾿ αὐτῆς was that the Lord had shown great mercy to her. In Luke 2:21 καὶ ἐκλήθη τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦς was he was called Jesus. In Luke 5:25 ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ δοξάζων τὸν θεόν was and went home, glorifying God. In Luke 12:46 καὶ τὸ μέρος αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἀπίστων θήσει was and put him with the unfaithful. And in Luke 15:20 καὶ δραμὼν ἐπέπεσεν ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ was translated and ran and embraced him.

There were 12 occurrences of ἑαυτοῦ, 7 of which were associated with an accusative phrase [see Table below]. The first occurrence follows (Luke 2:1, 3-5 ESV).

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered…And all went to be registered, each to his own3 (ἑαυτοῦ) town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth,4 to Judea, to the city of David,5 which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,6 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed7 (τῇ ἐμνηστευμένῃ αὐτῷ), who was with child.

Here, the Greek word translated his own was ἑαυτοῦ (NET Parallel Greek and NA28) or ιδιαν (Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text). It is fairly clear why Luke chose τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πόλιν (or, την ιδιαν πολιν) rather than τὴν πόλιν αὐτοῦ. The latter implies current residence, i.e., the town of Nazareth. The words ἑαυτοῦ or ιδιαν alert the reader that Joseph had a different relationship to this particular town: because [Joseph] was of the house and lineage of David he went to be registered to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem.

The next occurrence is similar, though more subtle (Luke 11:21, 22 ESV).

When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own (ἑαυτοῦ) palace, his goods are safe; but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil [Table].

Here again, the Greek word translated his own was ἑαυτοῦ: his goods (τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ) are safe When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace (τὴν ἑαυτοῦ αὐλήν). Why did Luke choose τὴν ἑαυτοῦ αὐλήν rather than τὴν αὐλήν αὐτοῦ? Matthew and Mark chose τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ (a strong man’s house)8 until someone bound the strongman. Then it became τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ (his house).9

I think Luke’s choice highlights that his palace, before it was taken from him, was not merely the current residence of the strong man, but in some sense it shared his identity, like Joseph’s relationship to Bethlehem. It was “the of himself palace” or “the palace of himself” in ways that his goods (τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ), his armor (τὴν πανοπλίαν αὐτοῦ) and his spoil (τὰ σκῦλα αὐτοῦ) were not.

This is borne out in the next occurrence, where ἑαυτοῦ, when not part of an accusative phrase, is simply “oneself” in the genitive case (Luke 11:26 ESV):

Then [the unclean spirit]10 goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself (ἑαυτοῦ), and they enter11 and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.

The next occurrence of ἑαυτοῦ was a little more difficult to grasp (Luke 13:18, 19 ESV):

He said therefore,12 “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his (ἑαυτοῦ) garden, and it grew and became a tree,13 and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”

The Greek words translated his garden were κῆπον ἑαυτοῦ: literally, “garden of himself.” Neither Matthew’s nor Mark’s Gospel account seemed particularly helpful at first (Matthew 13:31, 32 ESV):

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants (τῶν λαχάνων) and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

In Matthew’s account Jesus’ parable described βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν (The kingdom of heaven; literally, heavens) rather than βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ (the kingdom of God). He wrote of a man who ἔσπειρεν ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ αὐτοῦ (sowed in his field) rather than ἔβαλεν εἰς κῆπον ἑαυτοῦ (sowed in his garden). Am I straining gnats, I wondered, trying to distinguish between two interchangeable words: αὐτοῦ and ἑαυτοῦ?

Mark wrote (Mark 4:30-32 ESV):

And he said, “With what14 can we compare the kingdom of God, or what15 parable shall we use16 for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest17 of all the seeds18 on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants (τῶν λαχάνων) and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

In Mark’s account there was no mention of a man or a garden beyond τῶν λαχάνων (ESV: the garden plants), just a general description of an event: ὃς ὅταν σπαρῇ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς (ESV: which, when sown on the ground). He (and Matthew, for that matter) seemed more focused on the contrast of a tiny seed to a tree with large branches. Of course, I began to take that contrast more personally than I recall before, puzzling over Luke’s man who sowed that tiny seed in the “garden of himself.”

“If you’re really out there, I really want to know you,”19 was a tiny seed. I voiced the words in prayer, but they didn’t originate with me. I had no clue I was asking for eternal life as Jesus understood it. Even as that tiny seed began to grow into an insatiable appetite for the Bible, even as I labored to set the Gospels to music, I was too dull-witted to make the connection. Only when I sang the words for a more literate friend, and he commented on them,20 did I begin to understand—this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent21—as Jesus’ definition of eternal life.

Over the past forty-five years that knowledge of the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom [He has] sent has grown considerably. From time to time I get a flash of the whole, but that vision is too immense for me to hold on to for very long. Most of the time I wander around in Him as He leads me through the Bible, focusing on details like why Luke used ἑαυτοῦ rather than αὐτοῦ, marveling at the connections that are made, like so many branches of a tree: for “‘In him we live and move and have our being.’”22

Jesus seemed distressed when Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us” (John 14:8-11 ESV).

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long,23 and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How24 can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works [Table]. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe25 on account of the works themselves.

So, Luke’s choice of the word ἑαυτοῦ refocused my attention. Jesus wasn’t talking about mustard seeds, or fields, or trees, or even nesting birds specifically, but the kingdom of God (or the kingdom of heaven). Even more to the point, He described that kingdom’s formation and growth from a tiny seed within an individual: εἰς κῆπον ἑαυτοῦ: literally, “into [the] garden of himself.”

Though, I’m skipping ahead a bit, Paul chose ἑαυτοῦ to describe God’s kingdom (1 Thessalonians 2:11, 12 ESV):

For you know how, like a father with his (ἑαυτοῦ) children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own (ἑαυτοῦ) kingdom and glory [Table].

The Greek words translated into his own kingdom were εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ βασιλείαν, literally, “into the of himself kingdom” or “into the kingdom of himself.” Abide in me, and I in you, Jesus said. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.26 And He promised (John 15:7, 8 ESV):

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples [Table].

And Paul wrote (2 Corinthians 5:16-21 ESV):

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though27 we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come [Table]. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation [Table]; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God [Table].

The Greek verb translated we might become was γενώμεθα, a form of γίνομαι 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. It is oftentimes used in conditional statements (i.e. ‘If…then…’ clauses) or in purpose clauses. 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.

The Greek conjunction translated so that was ἵνα. This is a purpose clause and “should be viewed as a definite outcome that will happen.” The most important words effecting that outcome are ἐν αὐτῷ, in him: not on our own or by our own efforts, not apart from Him, but in Him. Abiding, remaining, staying in Him causes the seed of his word to grow into the kingdom of God in the garden of ourselves.

I’ll continue with this in another essay. The tables mentioned above follow.

αὐτοῦ Occurrences

ἑαυτοῦ Occurrences

Total

Accusative Phrase

Total

Accusative Phrase

New Testament 1428 136 47 21
Matthew 267 90 2 0
Mark 163 46 0 0
Luke 249 72 12 6

Occurrences of αὐτοῦ preceding or following a phrase in the accusative case in Matthew

Reference NET Parallel Greek ESV
Matthew 1:2 τὸν Ἰούδαν καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ Judah and his brothers
Matthew 1:11 τὸν Ἰεχονίαν καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ Jechoniah and his brothers
Matthew 1:21 καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν you shall call his name Jesus
αὐτὸς γὰρ σώσει τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν for he will save his people from their sins
Matthew 1:23 καλέσουσιν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ they shall call his name Immanuel
Matthew 1:24 παρέλαβεν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ he took his wife
Matthew 1:25 ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν he called his name Jesus
Matthew 2:2 εἴδομεν γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸν ἀστέρα For we saw his star
Matthew 2:13 παράλαβε τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ take the child and his mother
Matthew 2:14 παρέλαβεν τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ took the child and his mother
Matthew 2:20 παράλαβε τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ take the child and his mother
Matthew 2:21 παρέλαβεν τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ took the child and his mother
Matthew 3:3 εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ make his paths straight
Matthew 3:4 ὁ Ἰωάννης εἶχεν τὸ ἔνδυμα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τριχῶν καμήλου John wore a garment of camel’s hair
καὶ ζώνην δερματίνην περὶ τὴν ὀσφὺν αὐτοῦ and a leather belt around his waist
Matthew 3:7 ἰδὼν δὲ πολλοὺς τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ Σαδδουκαίων ἐρχομένους ἐπὶ τὸ βάπτισμα |αὐτοῦ| But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism
Matthew 3:12 καὶ διακαθαριεῖ τὴν ἅλωνα αὐτοῦ and he will clear his threshing floor
καὶ συνάξει τὸν σῖτον αὐτοῦ and gather his wheat
Matthew 4:18 καὶ Ἀνδρέαν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ and Andrew his brother
Matthew 4:21 καὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ and John his brother
Matthew 5:2 καὶ ἀνοίξας τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ And he opened his mouth
Matthew 5:31 ὃς ἂν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ Whoever divorces his wife
Matthew 5:32 πᾶς ὁ ἀπολύων τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ everyone who divorces his wife
Matthew 5:45 ὅτι τὸν ἥλιον αὐτοῦ ἀνατέλλει ἐπὶ πονηροὺς For he makes his sun rise on the evil
Matthew 6:27 προσθεῖναι ἐπὶ τὴν ἡλικίαν αὐτοῦ πῆχυν ἕνα add a single hour to his span of life
Matthew 6:33 καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ and his righteousness
Matthew 7:24 ὅστις ᾠκοδόμησεν αὐτοῦ τὴν οἰκίαν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν who built his house on the rock
Matthew 7:26 ὅστις ᾠκοδόμησεν αὐτοῦ τὴν οἰκίαν ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμμον who built his house on the sand
Matthew 8:14 εἶδεν τὴν πενθερὰν αὐτοῦ βεβλημένην καὶ πυρέσσουσαν he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever.
Matthew 9:7 ἐγερθεὶς ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ he rose and went home.
Matthew 9:16 αἴρει γὰρ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱματίου for the patch tears away from the garment
Matthew 9:38 ἐκβάλῃ ἐργάτας εἰς τὸν θερισμὸν αὐτοῦ to send out laborers into his harvest
Matthew 10:24 οὐδὲ δοῦλος ὑπὲρ τὸν κύριον αὐτοῦ nor a servant above his master
Matthew 10:38 ὃς οὐ λαμβάνει τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ whoever does not take his cross
Matthew 10:39 ὁ εὑρὼν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἀπολέσει αὐτήν Whoever finds his life will lose it
ὁ ἀπολέσας τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ εὑρήσει αὐτήν whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Matthew 10:42 οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσῃ τὸν μισθὸν αὐτοῦ he will by no means lose his reward.
Matthew 12:19 οὐδὲ ἀκούσει τις ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets
Matthew 12:29 καὶ τὰ σκεύη αὐτοῦ ἁρπάσαι and plunder his goods
καὶ τότε τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ διαρπάσει Then indeed he may plunder his house.
Matthew 12:33 Ἢ ποιήσατε τὸ δένδρον καλὸν καὶ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ καλόν Either make the tree good and its fruit good
ἢ ποιήσατε τὸ δένδρον σαπρὸν καὶ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ σαπρόν or make the tree bad and its fruit bad
Matthew 12:49 καὶ ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα |αὐτοῦ| And stretching out his hand
ἐπὶ τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ εἶπεν toward his disciples, he said
Matthew 13:41 ἀποστελεῖ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ The Son of Man will send his angels
Matthew 13:54 καὶ ἐλθὼν εἰς τὴν πατρίδα αὐτοῦ and coming to his hometown
Matthew 15:6 οὐ μὴ τιμήσει τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ he need not honor his father
Matthew 15:32 Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς προσκαλεσάμενος τοὺς μαθητὰς (NA28: Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς προσκαλεσάμενος τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ) Then Jesus called his disciples to him
Matthew 16:13 ἠρώτα τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ he asked his disciples
Matthew 16:24 ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ take up his cross
Matthew 16:25 ὃς γὰρ ἐὰν θέλῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ σῶσαι ἀπολέσει αὐτήν For whoever would save his life will lose it
ὃς δ᾿ ἂν ἀπολέσῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ εὑρήσει αὐτήν but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it
Matthew 16:27 καὶ τότε ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτοῦ and then he will repay each person according to what he has done
Matthew 17:1 καὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ and John his brother
Matthew 17:27 καὶ ἀνοίξας τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ and when you open its mouth
Matthew 18:6 συμφέρει αὐτῷ ἵνα κρεμασθῇ μύλος ὀνικὸς περὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck
Matthew 19:3 εἰ ἔξεστιν ἀπολῦσαι τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife
Matthew 19:9 ὃς ἂν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ whoever divorces his wife
Matthew 20:1 μισθώσασθαι ἐργάτας εἰς τὸν ἀμπελῶνα αὐτοῦ to hire laborers for his vineyard
Matthew 20:2 ἀπέστειλεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν ἀμπελῶνα αὐτοῦ he sent them into his vineyard.
Matthew 20:28 καὶ δοῦναι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ and to give his life
Matthew 21:34 ἀπέστειλεν τοὺς δούλους αὐτοῦ he sent his servants
λαβεῖν τοὺς καρποὺς αὐτοῦ to get his fruit
Matthew 21:35 καὶ λαβόντες οἱ γεωργοὶ τοὺς δούλους αὐτοῦ And the tenants took his servants
Matthew 21:37 ὕστερον δὲ ἀπέστειλεν πρὸς αὐτοὺς τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Finally he sent his son to them
Matthew 21:38 καὶ σχῶμεν τὴν κληρονομίαν αὐτοῦ and have his inheritance
Matthew 21:45 Καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι τὰς παραβολὰς αὐτοῦ When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables
Matthew 22:3 καὶ ἀπέστειλεν τοὺς δούλους αὐτοῦ and sent his servants
Matthew 22:5 ὃς δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐμπορίαν αὐτοῦ another to his business
Matthew 22:6 οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ κρατήσαντες τοὺς δούλους αὐτοῦ while the rest seized his servants
Matthew 22:7 καὶ πέμψας τὰ στρατεύματα αὐτοῦ and he sent his troops
Matthew 22:24 ἐπιγαμβρεύσει ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ his brother must marry the widow
Matthew 22:25 ἀφῆκεν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ left his wife to his brother
Matthew 24:18 ἆραι τὸ ἱμάτιον αὐτοῦ to take his cloak
Matthew 24:31 καὶ ἀποστελεῖ τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ And he will send out his angels
καὶ ἐπισυνάξουσιν τοὺς ἐκλεκτοὺς αὐτοῦ and they will gather his elect
Matthew 24:43 καὶ οὐκ ἂν εἴασεν διορυχθῆναι τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ and would not have let his house be broken into
Matthew 24:49 καὶ ἄρξηται τύπτειν τοὺς συνδούλους αὐτοῦ and begins to beat his fellow servants
Matthew 24:51 καὶ τὸ μέρος αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ὑποκριτ …and put him with the hypocrites. In that place…
Matthew 25:14 καὶ παρέδωκεν αὐτοῖς τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ and entrusted to them his property
Matthew 26:51 ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα ἀπέσπασεν τὴν μάχαιραν αὐτοῦ stretched out his hand and drew his sword
ἀφεῖλεν αὐτοῦ τὸ ὠτίον and cut off his ear
Matthew 26:65 τότε ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς διέρρηξεν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ Then the high priest tore his robes
Matthew 26:67 Τότε ἐνέπτυσαν εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ Then they spit in his face
Matthew 27:30 καὶ ἔτυπτον εἰς τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ and struck him on the head
Matthew 27:31 καὶ ἐνέδυσαν αὐτὸν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ and put his own clothes on him
Matthew 27:32 ἵνα ἄρῃ τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ to carry his cross
Matthew 27:35 διεμερίσαντο τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ they divided his garments
Matthew 27:37 ἐπέθηκαν ἐπάνω τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ τὴν αἰτίαν αὐτοῦ over his head they put the charge against him
Matthew 27:53 καὶ ἐξελθόντες ἐκ τῶν μνημείων μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection

Occurrences of αὐτοῦ preceding or following a phrase in the accusative case in Mark

Reference NET Parallel Greek ESV
Mark 1:3 εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ make his paths straight
Mark 1:6 ζώνην δερματίνην περὶ τὴν ὀσφὺν αὐτοῦ a leather belt around his waist
Mark 1:19 Ἰωάννην τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ John his brother
Mark 1:41 ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ he stretched out his hand
Mark 3:27 τὰ σκεύη αὐτοῦ διαρπάσαι and plunder his goods
καὶ τότε τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ διαρπάσει Then indeed he may plunder his house.
Mark 4:32 ὥστε δύνασθαι ὑπὸ τὴν σκιὰν αὐτοῦ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατασκηνοῦν so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade
Mark 5:22 πίπτει πρὸς τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ he fell at his feet
Mark 6:1 καὶ ἔρχεται εἰς τὴν πατρίδα αὐτοῦ and came to his hometown
Mark 6:14 φανερὸν γὰρ ἐγένετο τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ for Jesus’ name had become known
Mark 6:27 ἐνέγκαι τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ to bring John’s head
Mark 6:28 καὶ ἤνεγκεν τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ πίνακι and brought his head on a platter
Mark 6:29 ἦλθον καὶ ἦραν τὸ πτῶμα αὐτοῦ they came and took his body
Mark 6:41 καὶ ἐδίδου τοῖς μαθηταῖς (NA28: καὶ ἐδίδου τοῖς μαθηταῖς [αὐτοῦ]) and gave them to the disciples
Mark 6:45 εὐθὺς ἠνάγκασεν τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ ἐμβῆναι εἰς τὸ πλοῖον Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat
Mark 7:19 ὅτι οὐκ εἰσπορεύεται αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν καρδίαν since it enters not his heart
Mark 7:25 ἐλθοῦσα προσέπεσεν πρὸς τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ and came and fell down at his feet
Mark 7:33 ἔβαλεν τοὺς δακτύλους αὐτοῦ he put his fingers
εἰς τὰ ὦτα αὐτοῦ into his ears
Mark 8:23 καὶ πτύσας εἰς τὰ ὄμματα αὐτοῦ and when he had spit on his eyes
Mark 8:25 εἶτα πάλιν |ἐπέθηκεν| τὰς χεῖρας ἐπὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again
Mark 8:26 καὶ ἀπέστειλεν αὐτὸν εἰς οἶκον αὐτοῦ And he sent him to his home
Mark 8:27 καὶ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ἐπηρώτα τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ And on the way he asked his disciples
Mark 8:33 ὁ δὲ ἐπιστραφεὶς καὶ ἰδὼν τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ But turning and seeing his disciples
Mark 8:34 καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθείτω μοι and take up his cross and follow me
Mark 8:35 ὃς γὰρ ἐὰν θέλῃ τὴν ψυχὴν |αὐτοῦ| σῶσαι For whoever would save his life
ὃς δ᾿ ἂν ἀπολέσει τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ but whoever loses his life
Mark 8:36 καὶ ζημιωθῆναι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ and forfeit his soul
Mark 9:21 καὶ ἐπηρώτησεν τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ And Jesus asked his father
Mark 9:31 ἐδίδασκεν γὰρ τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ for he was teaching his disciples
Mark 9:41 οὐ μὴ ἀπολέσῃ τὸν μισθὸν αὐτοῦ will by no means lose his reward
Mark 9:42 περίκειται μύλος ὀνικὸς περὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ a great millstone were hung around his neck
Mark 10:7 ἕνεκεν τούτου καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ Therefore a man shall leave his father
Mark 10:11 ὃς ἂν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ Whoever divorces his wife
Mark 10:45 καὶ δοῦναι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ λύτρον ἀντὶ πολλῶν and to give his life as a ransom for many
Mark 10:50 ὁ δὲ ἀποβαλὼν τὸ ἱμάτιον αὐτοῦ And throwing off his cloak
Mark 12:43 καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ And he called his disciples
Mark 13:16 ἆραι τὸ ἱμάτιον αὐτοῦ to take his cloak
Mark 13:27 καὶ ἐπισυνάξει τοὺς ἐκλεκτοὺς [αὐτοῦ] and gather his elect
Mark 13:34 ἀφεὶς τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ when he leaves home
ἑκάστῳ τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ each with his work
Mark 14:47 καὶ ἀφεῖλεν αὐτοῦ τὸ ὠτάριον and cut off his ear
Mark 14:65 καὶ περικαλύπτειν αὐτοῦ τὸ πρόσωπον and to cover his face
Mark 15:19 καὶ ἔτυπτον αὐτοῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν And they were striking his head
Mark 15:21 ἄρῃ τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ to carry his cross
Mark 15:24 καὶ διαμερίζονται τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ and divided his garments

Occurrences of αὐτοῦ preceding or following a phrase in the accusative case in Luke

Reference

NET Parallel Greek

ESV
Luke 1:13 καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰωάννην and you shall call his name John.
Luke 1:23 ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ he went to his home.
Luke 1:31 καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν and you shall call his name Jesus.
Luke 1:49 καὶ ἅγιον τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ and holy is his name.
Luke 1:58 ὅτι ἐμεγάλυνεν κύριος τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ μετ᾿ αὐτῆς that the Lord had shown great mercy to her
Luke 1:64 ἀνεῴχθη δὲ τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ παραχρῆμα And immediately his mouth was opened
Luke 2:21 καὶ ἐκλήθη τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦς he was called Jesus
Luke 2:34 καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς Μαριὰμ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ and said to Mary his mother
Luke 3:4 εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ make his paths straight.
Luke 3:17 διακαθᾶραι τὴν ἅλωνα αὐτοῦ to clear his threshing floor
καὶ συναγαγεῖν τὸν σῖτον εἰς τὴν ἀποθήκην αὐτοῦ and to gather the wheat into his barn
Luke 5:25 ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ δοξάζων τὸν θεόν and went home, glorifying God
Luke 5:30 πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ at his disciples
Luke 6:13 προσεφώνησεν τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ he called his disciples
Luke 6:14 καὶ Ἀνδρέαν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ and Andrew his brother
Luke 6:20 Καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπάρας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ And he lifted up his eyes
εἰς τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ ἔλεγεν on his disciples, and said:
Luke 6:45 ἐκ γὰρ περισσεύματος καρδίας λαλεῖ τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks
Luke 7:1 Ἐπειδὴ ἐπλήρωσεν πάντα τὰ ρήματα αὐτοῦ After he had finished all his sayings
Luke 7:3 ἐλθὼν διασώσῃ τὸν δοῦλον αὐτοῦ to come and heal his servant
Luke 7:16 καὶ ὅτι ἐπεσκέψατο ὁ θεὸς τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ and “God has visited his people!”
Luke 7:38 καὶ στᾶσα ὀπίσω παρὰ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ and standing behind him at his feet
βρέχειν τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ to wet his feet
καὶ κατεφίλει τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ and kissed his feet
Luke 8:5 ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπεῖραι τὸν σπόρον αὐτοῦ A sower went out to sow his seed.
Luke 8:41 παρεκάλει αὐτὸν εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ he implored him to come to his house
Luke 9:14 εἶπεν δὲ πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ And he said to his disciples
Luke 9:23 καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ and take up his cross
Luke 9:24 ὃς γὰρ ἂν θέλῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ σῶσαι For whoever would save his life
ὃς δ᾿ ἂν ἀπολέσῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ but whoever loses his life
Luke 9:31 ἔλεγον τὴν ἔξοδον αὐτοῦ and spoke of his departure
Luke 9:32 εἶδον τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ they saw his glory
Luke 9:43 εἶπεν πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ Jesus said to his disciples
Luke 10:2 ἐργάτας ἐκβάλῃ εἰς τὸν θερισμὸν αὐτοῦ to send out laborers into his harvest
Luke 10:34 καὶ προσελθὼν κατέδησεν τὰ τραύματα αὐτοῦ He went to him and bound up his wounds
Luke 10:39 ἤκουεν τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ and listened to his teaching
Luke 11:1 καθὼς καὶ Ἰωάννης ἐδίδαξεν τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ as John taught his disciples
Luke 11:8 διὰ τὸ εἶναι φίλον αὐτοῦ because he is his friend
διά γε τὴν ἀναίδειαν αὐτοῦ yet because of his impudence
Luke 11:22 τὴν πανοπλίαν αὐτοῦ αἴρει he takes away his armor
καὶ τὰ σκῦλα αὐτοῦ διαδίδωσιν and divides his spoil
Luke 12:1 ἤρξατο λέγειν πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ πρῶτον he began to say to his disciples first
Luke 12:22 Εἶπεν δὲ πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς [αὐτοῦ] And he said to his disciples
Luke 12:25 δύναται ἐπὶ τὴν ἡλικίαν αὐτοῦ προσθεῖναι πῆχυν can add a single hour to his span of life
Luke 12:31 πλὴν ζητεῖτε τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ Instead, seek his kingdom
Luke 12:39 οὐκ |ἂν| ἀφῆκεν διορυχθῆναι τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ he would not have left his house to be broken into
Luke 12:47 ἢ ποιήσας πρὸς τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ or act according to his will
Luke 13:15 ἕκαστος ὑμῶν τῷ σαββάτῳ οὐ λύει τὸν βοῦν αὐτοῦ Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox
Luke 14:17 ἀπέστειλεν τὸν δοῦλον αὐτοῦ he sent his servant
Luke 15:5 ἐπιτίθησιν ἐπὶ τοὺς ὤμους αὐτοῦ χαίρων he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
Luke 15:13 καὶ ἐκεῖ διεσκόρπισεν τὴν οὐσίαν αὐτοῦ and there he squandered his property
Luke 15:15 καὶ ἔπεμψεν αὐτὸν εἰς τοὺς ἀγροὺς αὐτοῦ who sent him into his fields
Luke 15:20 καὶ δραμὼν ἐπέπεσεν ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ and ran and embraced him
Luke 15:22 εἶπεν δὲ ὁ πατὴρ πρὸς τοὺς δούλους αὐτοῦ But the father said to his servants
καὶ δότε δακτύλιον εἰς τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ and put a ring on his hand
Luke 16:1 διασκορπίζων τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ was wasting his possessions
Luke 16:18 Πᾶς ὁ ἀπολύων τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ Everyone who divorces his wife
Luke 16:20 πρὸς τὸν πυλῶνα αὐτοῦ at his gate
Luke 16:21 ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ κύνες ἐρχόμενοι ἐπέλειχον τὰ ἕλκη αὐτοῦ Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
Luke 16:23 καὶ ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ ἐπάρας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ and in Hades…he lifted up his eyes
Luke 17:2 εἰ λίθος μυλικὸς περίκειται περὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ if a millstone were hung around his neck
Luke 17:16 καὶ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον παρὰ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet
Luke 17:33 ὃς ἐὰν ζητήσῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ περιποιήσασθαι Whoever seeks to preserve his life
Luke 18:13 ἀλλ᾿ ἔτυπτεν τὸ στῆθος |αὐτοῦ| but beat his breast
Luke 18:14 κατέβη οὗτος δεδικαιωμένος εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ this man went down to his house
Luke 22:36 καὶ ὁ μὴ ἔχων πωλησάτω τὸ ἱμάτιον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀγορασάτω μάχαιραν And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.
Luke 22:50 καὶ ἀφεῖλεν τὸ οὖς αὐτοῦ τὸ δεξιόν and cut off his right ear
Luke 23:34 διαμεριζόμενοι δὲ τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ ἔβαλον |κλήρους| And they cast lots to divide his garments.
Luke 23:55 καὶ ὡς ἐτέθη τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ and how his body was laid
Luke 24:23 καὶ μὴ εὑροῦσαι τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ and when they did not find his body
Luke 24:26 καὶ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ and enter into his glory
Luke 24:50 καὶ ἐπάρας τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ and lifting up his hands

Occurrences of ἑαυτοῦ in a phrase in the accusative case

Reference NET Parallel Greek ESV
Luke 2:3 εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πόλιν to his own town
Luke 11:21 φυλάσσῃ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ αὐλήν guards his own palace
Luke 14:26 μισεῖ τὸν πατέρα ἑαυτοῦ hate his own father
καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἑαυτοῦ And…his own life
Luke 14:27 βαστάζει τὸν σταυρὸν ἑαυτοῦ bear his own cross
Luke 15:20 ἦλθεν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἑαυτοῦ came to his father
Luke 24:27 τὰ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ the things concerning himself
Romans 4:19 κατενόησεν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σῶμα he considered his own body
Romans 5:8 συνίστησιν δὲ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀγάπην But…shows his love
Romans 8:3 τὸν ἑαυτοῦ υἱὸν πέμψας sending his own Son
1 Corinthians 7:2 ἕκαστος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα ἐχέτω each man should have his own wife
1 Corinthians 7:37 τηρεῖν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ παρθένον to keep her as his betrothed
1 Corinthians 7:38 ὁ γαμίζων τὴν ἑαυτοῦ παρθένον he who marries his betrothed
1 Corinthians 10:24 μηδεὶς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ζητείτω Let no one seek his own good
1 Corinthians 10:29 συνείδησιν δὲ λέγω οὐχὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ I do not mean your conscience
Ephesians 5:28 ὁ ἀγαπῶν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα ἑαυτὸν ἀγαπᾷ He who loves his wife loves himself.
Ephesians 5:29 Οὐδεὶς γάρ ποτε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σάρκα ἐμίσησεν For no one ever hated his own flesh
Ephesians 5:33 ἕκαστος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα οὕτως ἀγαπάτω ὡς ἑαυτόν let each one of you love his wife as himself
1 Thessalonians 2:12 τοῦ καλοῦντος ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ βασιλείαν who calls you into his own kingdom
1 Thessalonians 4:4 εἰδέναι ἕκαστον ὑμῶν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σκεῦος κτᾶσθαι ἐν ἁγιασμῷ that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness
Revelation 10:7 ὡς εὐηγγέλισεν τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ δούλους τοὺς προφήτας just as he announced to his servants the prophets

Tables comparing Matthew 7:24; 22:24; 1:24; 22:25; Mark 14:65; 10:11; Luke 2:3-5; Matthew 12:29; Luke 11:26; 13:18, 19; Mark 4:30, 31; John 14:9; 14:11 and 2 Corinthians 5:16 in the NET and KJV follow.

Matthew 7:24 (NET)

Matthew 7:24 (KJV)

“Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

Matthew 7:24 (NET Parallel Greek)

Matthew 7:24 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Matthew 7:24 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Πᾶς οὖν ὅστις ἀκούει μου τοὺς λόγους |τούτους| καὶ ποιεῖ αὐτούς, ὁμοιωθήσεται ἀνδρὶ φρονίμῳ, ὅστις ᾠκοδόμησεν αὐτοῦ τὴν οἰκίαν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν πας ουν οστις ακουει μου τους λογους τουτους και ποιει αυτους ομοιωσω αυτον ανδρι φρονιμω οστις ωκοδομησεν την οικιαν αυτου επι την πετραν πας ουν οστις ακουει μου τους λογους τουτους και ποιει αυτους ομοιωσω αυτον ανδρι φρονιμω οστις ωκοδομησεν την οικιαν αυτου επι την πετραν

Matthew 22:24 (NET)

Matthew 22:24 (KJV)

“Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and father children for his brother.’ Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.

Matthew 22:24 (NET Parallel Greek)

Matthew 22:24 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Matthew 22:24 (Byzantine Majority Text)

λέγοντες· διδάσκαλε, Μωϋσῆς εἶπεν· ἐάν τις ἀποθάνῃ μὴ ἔχων τέκνα, ἐπιγαμβρεύσει ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀναστήσει σπέρμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ λεγοντες διδασκαλε μωσης ειπεν εαν τις αποθανη μη εχων τεκνα επιγαμβρευσει ο αδελφος αυτου την γυναικα αυτου και αναστησει σπερμα τω αδελφω αυτου λεγοντες διδασκαλε μωσης ειπεν εαν τις αποθανη μη εχων τεκνα επιγαμβρευσει ο αδελφος αυτου την γυναικα αυτου και αναστησει σπερμα τω αδελφω αυτου

Matthew 1:24 (NET)

Matthew 1:24 (KJV)

When Joseph awoke from sleep he did what the angel of the Lord told him. He took his wife, Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:

Matthew 1:24 (NET Parallel Greek)

Matthew 1:24 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Matthew 1:24 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἐγερθεὶς δὲ |ὁ| Ἰωσὴφ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕπνου ἐποίησεν ὡς προσέταξεν αὐτῷ ὁ ἄγγελος κυρίου καὶ παρέλαβεν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ διεγερθεις δε ο ιωσηφ απο του υπνου εποιησεν ως προσεταξεν αυτω ο αγγελος κυριου και παρελαβεν την γυναικα αυτου διεγερθεις δε ο ιωσηφ απο του υπνου εποιησεν ως προσεταξεν αυτω ο αγγελος κυριου και παρελαβεν την γυναικα αυτου

Matthew 22:25 (NET)

Matthew 22:25 (KJV)

Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children he left his wife to his brother. Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:

Matthew 22:25 (NET Parallel Greek)

Matthew 22:25 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Matthew 22:25 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἦσαν δὲ παρ᾿ ἡμῖν ἑπτὰ ἀδελφοί· καὶ ὁ πρῶτος γήμας ἐτελεύτησεν, καὶ μὴ ἔχων σπέρμα ἀφῆκεν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ ησαν δε παρ ημιν επτα αδελφοι και ο πρωτος γαμησας ετελευτησεν και μη εχων σπερμα αφηκεν την γυναικα αυτου τω αδελφω αυτου ησαν δε παρ ημιν επτα αδελφοι και ο πρωτος γαμησας ετελευτησεν και μη εχων σπερμα αφηκεν την γυναικα αυτου τω αδελφω αυτου

Mark 14:65 (NET)

Mark 14:65 (KJV)

Then some began to spit on him, and to blindfold him, and to strike him with their fists, saying, “Prophesy!” The guards also took him and beat him. And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.

Mark 14:65 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 14:65 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 14:65 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Καὶ ἤρξαντο τινες ἐμπτύειν αὐτῷ καὶ περικαλύπτειν αὐτοῦ τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ κολαφίζειν αὐτὸν καὶ λέγειν αὐτῷ· προφήτευσον, καὶ οἱ ὑπηρέται ραπίσμασιν αὐτὸν ἔλαβον και ηρξαντο τινες εμπτυειν αυτω και περικαλυπτειν το προσωπον αυτου και κολαφιζειν αυτον και λεγειν αυτω προφητευσον και οι υπηρεται ραπισμασιν αυτον εβαλλον και ηρξαντο τινες εμπτυειν αυτω και περικαλυπτειν το προσωπον αυτου και κολαφιζειν αυτον και λεγειν αυτω προφητευσον και οι υπηρεται ραπισμασιν αυτον εβαλλον

Mark 10:11 (NET)

Mark 10:11 (KJV)

So he told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.

Mark 10:11 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 10:11 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 10:11 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· ὃς ἂν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ γαμήσῃ ἄλλην μοιχᾶται ἐπ᾿ αὐτήν και λεγει αυτοις ος εαν απολυση την γυναικα αυτου και γαμηση αλλην μοιχαται επ αυτην και λεγει αυτοις ος εαν απολυση την γυναικα αυτου και γαμηση αλλην μοιχαται επ αυτην

Luke 2:3-5 (NET)

Luke 2:3-5 (KJV)

Everyone went to his own town to be registered. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

Luke 2:3 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 2:3 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 2:3 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ ἐπορεύοντο πάντες ἀπογράφεσθαι, ἕκαστος εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πόλιν και επορευοντο παντες απογραφεσθαι εκαστος εις την ιδιαν πολιν και επορευοντο παντες απογραφεσθαι εκαστος εις την ιδιαν πολιν
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

Luke 2:4 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 2:4 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 2:4 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Ἀνέβη δὲ καὶ Ἰωσὴφ ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἐκ πόλεως Ναζαρὲθ εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν εἰς πόλιν Δαυὶδ ἥτις καλεῖται Βηθλέεμ, διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἐξ οἴκου καὶ πατριᾶς Δαυίδ ανεβη δε και ιωσηφ απο της γαλιλαιας εκ πολεως ναζαρετ εις την ιουδαιαν εις πολιν δαβιδ ητις καλειται βηθλεεμ δια το ειναι αυτον εξ οικου και πατριας δαβιδ ανεβη δε και ιωσηφ απο της γαλιλαιας εκ πολεως ναζαρετ εις την ιουδαιαν εις πολιν δαυιδ ητις καλειται βηθλεεμ δια το ειναι αυτον εξ οικου και πατριας δαυιδ
He went to be registered with Mary, who was promised in marriage to him, and who was expecting a child. To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

Luke 2:5 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 2:5 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 2:5 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἀπογράψασθαι σὺν Μαριὰμ τῇ ἐμνηστευμένῃ αὐτῷ, οὔσῃ ἐγκύῳ απογραψασθαι συν μαριαμ τη μεμνηστευμενη αυτω γυναικι ουση εγκυω απογραψασθαι συν μαριαμ τη μεμνηστευμενη αυτω γυναικι ουση εγκυω

Matthew 12:29 (NET)

Matthew 12:29 (KJV)

How else can someone enter a strong man’s house and steal his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can thoroughly plunder the house. Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.

Matthew 12:29 (NET Parallel Greek)

Matthew 12:29 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Matthew 12:29 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἢ πῶς δύναται τις εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ καὶ τὰ σκεύη αὐτοῦ ἁρπάσαι, ἐὰν μὴ πρῶτον δήσῃ τὸν ἰσχυρόν; καὶ τότε τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ διαρπάσει η πως δυναται τις εισελθειν εις την οικιαν του ισχυρου και τα σκευη αυτου διαρπασαι εαν μη πρωτον δηση τον ισχυρον και τοτε την οικιαν αυτου διαρπασει η πως δυναται τις εισελθειν εις την οικιαν του ισχυρου και τα σκευη αυτου διαρπασαι εαν μη πρωτον δηση τον ισχυρον και τοτε την οικιαν αυτου διαρπασει

Luke 11:26 (NET)

Luke 11:26 (KJV)

Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so the last state of that person is worse than the first.” Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

Luke 11:26 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 11:26 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 11:26 (Byzantine Majority Text)

τότε πορεύεται καὶ παραλαμβάνει ἕτερα πνεύματα πονηρότερα ἑαυτοῦ ἑπτὰ καὶ εἰσελθόντα κατοικεῖ ἐκεῖ· καὶ γίνεται τὰ ἔσχατα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκείνου χείρονα τῶν πρώτων τοτε πορευεται και παραλαμβανει επτα ετερα πνευματα πονηροτερα εαυτου και εισελθοντα κατοικει εκει και γινεται τα εσχατα του ανθρωπου εκεινου χειρονα των πρωτων τοτε πορευεται και παραλαμβανει επτα ετερα πνευματα πονηροτερα εαυτου και ελθοντα κατοικει εκει και γινεται τα εσχατα του ανθρωπου εκεινου χειρονα των πρωτων

Luke 13:18, 19 (NET)

Luke 13:18, 19 (KJV)

Thus Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what should I compare it? Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it?

Luke 13:18 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 13:18 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 13:18 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Ἔλεγεν οὖν· τίνι ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τίνι ὁμοιώσω αὐτήν ελεγεν δε τινι ομοια εστιν η βασιλεια του θεου και τινι ομοιωσω αυτην ελεγεν δε τινι ομοια εστιν η βασιλεια του θεου και τινι ομοιωσω αυτην
It is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the wild birds nested in its branches.” It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.

Luke 13:19 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 13:19 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 13:19 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ὁμοία ἐστὶν κόκκῳ σινάπεως, ὃν λαβὼν ἄνθρωπος ἔβαλεν εἰς κῆπον ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ ἠύξησεν καὶ ἐγένετο εἰς δένδρον, καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατεσκήνωσεν ἐν τοῖς κλάδοις αὐτοῦ ομοια εστιν κοκκω σιναπεως ον λαβων ανθρωπος εβαλεν εις κηπον εαυτου και ηυξησεν και εγενετο εις δενδρον μεγα και τα πετεινα του ουρανου κατεσκηνωσεν εν τοις κλαδοις αυτου ομοια εστιν κοκκω σιναπεως ον λαβων ανθρωπος εβαλεν εις κηπον εαυτου και ηυξησεν και εγενετο εις δενδρον μεγα και τα πετεινα του ουρανου κατεσκηνωσεν εν τοις κλαδοις αυτου

Mark 4:30, 31 (NET)

Mark 4:30, 31 (KJV)

He also asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to present it? And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?

Mark 4:30 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 4:30 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 4:30 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Καὶ ἔλεγεν· πῶς ὁμοιώσωμεν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἢ ἐν τίνι αὐτὴν παραβολῇ θῶμεν και ελεγεν τινι ομοιωσωμεν την βασιλειαν του θεου η εν ποια παραβολη παραβαλωμεν αυτην και ελεγεν τινι ομοιωσωμεν την βασιλειαν του θεου η εν ποια παραβολη παραβαλωμεν αυτην
It is like a mustard seed that when sown in the ground, even though it is the smallest of all the seeds in the ground— It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:

Mark 4:31 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 4:31 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 4:31 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ὡς κόκκῳ σινάπεως, ὃς ὅταν σπαρῇ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, μικρότερον ὂν πάντων τῶν σπερμάτων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ως κοκκω σιναπεως ος οταν σπαρη επι της γης μικροτερος παντων των σπερματων εστιν των επι της γης ως κοκκον σιναπεως ος οταν σπαρη επι της γης μικροτερος παντων των σπερματων εστιν των επι της γης

John 14:9 (NET)

John 14:9 (KJV)

Jesus replied, “Have I been with you for so long and yet you have not known me, Philip? The person who has seen me has seen the Father! How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

John 14:9 (NET Parallel Greek)

John 14:9 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

John 14:9 (Byzantine Majority Text)

λέγει αὐτῷ |ὁ| Ἰησοῦς· |τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ| μεθ᾿ ὑμῶν εἰμι καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωκας με, Φίλιππε; ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ ἑώρακεν τὸν πατέρα· πῶς σὺ λέγεις· δεῖξον ἡμῖν τὸν πατέρα λεγει αυτω ο ιησους τοσουτον χρονον μεθ υμων ειμι και ουκ εγνωκας με φιλιππε ο εωρακως εμε εωρακεν τον πατερα και πως συ λεγεις δειξον ημιν τον πατερα λεγει αυτω ο ιησους τοσουτον χρονον μεθ υμων ειμι και ουκ εγνωκας με φιλιππε ο εωρακως εμε εωρακεν τον πατερα και πως συ λεγεις δειξον ημιν τον πατερα

John 14:11 (NET)

John 14:11 (KJV)

Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me, but if you do not believe me, believe because of the miraculous deeds themselves. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.

John 14:11 (NET Parallel Greek)

John 14:11 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

John 14:11 (Byzantine Majority Text)

πιστεύετε μοι ὅτι ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ πατρὶ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοί· εἰ δὲ μή, διὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτὰ πιστεύετε πιστευετε μοι οτι εγω εν τω πατρι και ο πατηρ εν εμοι ει δε μη δια τα εργα αυτα πιστευετε μοι πιστευετε μοι οτι εγω εν τω πατρι και ο πατηρ εν εμοι ει δε μη δια τα εργα αυτα πιστευετε μοι

2 Corinthians 5:16 (NET)

2 Corinthians 5:16 (KJV)

So then from now on we acknowledge no one from an outward human point of view. Even though we have known Christ from such a human point of view, now we do not know him in that way any longer. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

2 Corinthians 5:16 (NET Parallel Greek)

2 Corinthians 5:16 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

2 Corinthians 5:16 (Byzantine Majority Text)

῞Ωστε ἡμεῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν οὐδένα οἴδαμεν κατὰ σάρκα· εἰ καὶ ἐγνώκαμεν κατὰ σάρκα Χριστόν, ἀλλὰ νῦν οὐκέτι γινώσκομεν ωστε ημεις απο του νυν ουδενα οιδαμεν κατα σαρκα ει δε και εγνωκαμεν κατα σαρκα χριστον αλλα νυν ουκετι γινωσκομεν ωστε ημεις απο του νυν ουδενα οιδαμεν κατα σαρκα ει δε και εγνωκαμεν κατα σαρκα χριστον αλλα νυν ουκετι γινωσκομεν

1 1 Corinthians 7:36 (ESV)

2 1 Corinthians 7:37, 38 (ESV) Table

8 Matthew 12:29a (ESV) and Mark 3:27a (ESV) Table

9 Matthew 12:29b (ESV) and Mark 3:27b (ESV) Table

10 Luke 11:24a (ESV)

12 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had οὖν (NET: Then) here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε (KJV: Then).

13 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μεγα (KJV: great) following tree. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

14 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had πῶς (NET: To what) here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τινι (KJV: Whereunto).

16 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had θῶμεν (NET: to present) here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had παραβαλωμεν (KJV: shall we compare).

18 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εστιν (KJV: that be) following seeds. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

21 John 17:3 (ESV)

22 Acts 17:28a (ESV)

24 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.

25 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μοι (KJV: me) following believe. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

26 John 15:4 (ESV) Table

27 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had εἰ καὶ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ει δε και (KJV: yea, though).

Father, Son and Holy Spirit – Part 10

This is a continuation of my intent to become much more familiar with the Greek translation of יְהֹוָ֨ה (Yᵊhōvâ) and יֱהֹוִה֙ (yᵊhōvâ) in the Septuagint.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 3:11 (Tanakh/KJV)

Genesis 3:11 (NET)

Genesis 3:11 (NETS)

Genesis 3:11 (English Elpenor)

And He said (וַיֹּ֕אמֶר): ‘Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?’ And the Lord God said (‘āmar, ויאמר), “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” And he said (καὶ εἶπεν) to him, “Who told you that you are naked, unless you have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, of this one alone, not to eat from it?” And God said (καὶ εἶπεν Θεός) to him, Who told thee that thou wast naked, unless thou hast eaten of the tree concerning which I charged thee of it alone not to eat?

Here the Hebrew verb וַיֹּ֕אמֶר (‘āmar) was translated And He said (Tanakh, KJV) or And the Lord God said (NET). A note (28) in the NET explained:

Heb “and he said.” The referent (the Lord God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

It goes a long way to explaining the different translations in the Septuagint: καὶ εἶπεν (BLB), And he said (NETS), or καὶ εἶπεν Θεὸς (Elpenor), And God said (English Elpenor). But why did He ask this misleading question in the first place? Why didn’t He just come straight out with it, right here in the beginning?

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Isaiah 46:9b, 10 (Tanakh/KJV)

Isaiah 46:9b, 10 (NET)

Isaiah 46:9b, 10 (NETS)

Isaiah 46:9b, 10 (English Elpenor)

I am God (אֵל֙), and there is none else; I am God (אֱלֹהִ֖ים), and there is none like me [Table], I am God (‘ēl, אל), I have no peer; I am God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים), and there is none like me, I am God ( θεός), and there is no other besides me [Table], I am God ( Θεός), and there is none other beside me,
Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure (חֶפְצִ֖י) [Table]: who announces the end from the beginning and reveals beforehand what has not yet occurred; who says, ‘My plan will be realized, I will accomplish what I desire (ḥēp̄eṣ, חפצי);’ declaring the last things first, before they happen, and at once they came to pass, and I said, “My whole plan shall stand, and I will do all the things I have planned (βεβούλευμαι)” [Table], telling beforehand the latter events before they come to pass, and they are accomplished together: and I said, all my counsel shall stand, and I will do all things that I have planned (βεβούλευμαι):

It has taken the better part of a lifetime for me to recognize that these declarative statements, of which I am so fond, are remedial education for dullards. This is the take-home message I was expected to understand from the first two chapters of Genesis, and probably would have if not for a heart and mind dominated by sin, that innate drive to do my own thing even if, especially if, God disapproves.

Paul’s confession comes readily to mind (Romans 7:7b, 8a NET):

I would not have known sin except through the law. For indeed I would not have known what it means to desire something belonging to someone else if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” But sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of wrong desires.

The “educated” minds I fawned over when I was younger would have me believe that God was not unique, knowledgeable or determined to accomplish all his pleasure until Isaiah declared Him so sometime after his alleged prophecies came to pass, because “God” was the creation of lying Jews. But what happens if I assume that the Creator of the heavens and the earth1 was already unique, knowledgeable and determined to accomplish all his pleasure in the beginning? What might I understand if I don’t assume that He was ignorant of what had transpired, guessing by some form of reasoning and in need of Adam’s confirmation that He had guessed correctly?

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 3:12 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:12 (NET)

Genesis 3:12 (NETS)

Genesis 3:12 (English Elpenor)

And the man said: ‘The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.’ The man said, “The woman whom you gave me, she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it.” And Adam said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” And Adam said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me– she gave me of the tree and I ate.

With my mind cleansed of the idea that God was ignorant, guessing at what had transpired and seeking Adam’s confirmation, buttressed by the knowledge that He was already unique, knowledgeable and determined to accomplish all his pleasure, I assume that Adam’s response was what God wanted to achieve when He asked the question. A table comparing Adam’s answer to the narrator’s description of what had transpired follows.

Adam

Narrator

The woman whom you gave me, The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion for him who corresponds to him” [Table]…So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was asleep, he took part of the man’s side and closed up the place with flesh [Table]. Then the Lord God made a woman from the part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man [Table].

Genesis 2:18, 21, 22 (NET)

she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it.

Genesis 3:12 (NET)

She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it [Table].

Genesis 3:6b (NET)

The Lord God asked Eve a similar question.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 3:13 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:13 (NET)

Genesis 3:13 (NETS)

Genesis 3:13 (English Elpenor)

And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֧ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֛ים) said unto the woman: ‘What is this thou hast done?’ And the woman said: ‘The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.’ So the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman replied, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.” And God (κύριος θεὸς) said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The snake tricked me, and I ate.” And the Lord (Κύριος) God ( Θεὸς) said to the woman, Why hast thou done this? And the woman said, The serpent deceived me and I ate.

Here the narrator called God יְהֹוָ֧ה (Yᵊhōvâ) in the Masoretic text which was corroborated by Κύριος in both versions of the Septuagint, though the NETS translation God might indicate the existence of another version without Κύριος. A table comparing Eve’s answer to the narrator’s description of what had transpired follows.

Eve

Narrator

The serpent tricked me, 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].

Genesis 3:4, 5 (NET)

and I ate.

Genesis 3:13b (NET)

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 [Table].

Genesis 3:6a (NET)

Both Adam and Eve responded to God’s questions with true answers accurately restating events as related by the narrator of Genesis. The Lord God asked the serpent no questions.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 3:14, 15 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:14, 15 (NET)

Genesis 3:14, 15 (NETS)

Genesis 3:14, 15 (English Elpenor)

And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֨ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֥ים) said unto the serpent: ‘Because thou hast done this, cursed (אָר֤וּר) art thou from among all cattle, and from among all beasts of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. The Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed (‘ārar, ארור) are you above all the cattle and all the living creatures of the field! On your belly you will crawl and dust you will eat all the days of your life. And the Lord (κύριος) God ( θεὸς) said to the snake, “Because you have done this, cursed (ἐπικατάρατος) are you from all the domestic animals and from the wild animals of the earth; upon your chest and belly you shall go, and earth you shall eat all the days of your life. And the Lord (Κύριος) God ( Θεὸς) said to the serpent, Because thou hast done this thou art cursed (ἐπικατάρατος) above all cattle and all the brutes of the earth, on thy breast and belly thou shalt go, and thou shalt eat earth all the days of thy life.
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; they shall bruise (יְשֽׁוּפְךָ֣) thy head, and thou shalt bruise (תְּשׁוּפֶ֥נּוּ) their heel.’ And I will put hostility between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring; he will strike (šûp̄, ישופך) your head, and you will strike (šûp̄, תשופנו) his heel.” And I will put enmity between you and between the woman and between your offspring and between her offspring; he will watch (τηρήσει) your head, and you will watch (τηρήσεις) his heel.” And I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed, he shall watch against (τηρήσει) thy head, and thou shalt watch against (τηρήσεις) his heel.

Here again the narrator called God יְהֹוָ֨ה (Yᵊhōvâ) in the Masoretic text. It was corroborated by Κύριος in both Greek versions of the Septuagint and Lord in both English translations. Though the Lord God asked the serpent no questions, Rashi described the serpent’s answer to the question: “Why have you done this?”

Now the serpent was cunning: What is the connection of this matter here? Scripture should have juxtaposed (below verse 21): “And He made for Adam and for his wife shirts of skin, and He dressed them.” But it teaches you as a result of what plan the serpent thrust himself upon them. He saw them naked and engaging in intercourse before everyone’s eyes, and he desired her. — [from Gen. Rabbah 18:6]2

And I shall place hatred: You intended that the man should die when he would eat first, and you would marry Eve, and you came to Eve first only because women are easily enticed, and they know how to entice their husbands. Therefore, “I shall place hatred.”3

So, according to Rashi Eve’s nudity stirred-up lust and a murderous plot in the serpent’s heart: the serpent coveted Adam’s wife. If God had clothed Eve properly and given her a shelter for “engaging in intercourse” away from “everyone’s eyes” perhaps none of this would have happened. But I wonder why Rashi assumed that the serpent wanted Eve rather than Adam. All this conjecture leads away from the point:

God questioned Adam: Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?4 Adam answered truthfully relative to the narration of Genesis. The Lord God questioned Eve: What is this you have done?5 She didn’t deny Adam’s answer but added her own perspective truthfully relative to the narration of Genesis. The Lord God asked the serpent no questions at all. Was He unfair? Did He curse the serpent on Eve’s word alone? No, He didn’t need anyone to tell Him what He already knew.

I’m reminded of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well (John 4:14, 15 NET):

But whoever drinks some of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty6 again, but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life” [Table]. The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come7 here to draw water.”

The Samaritan woman was already drinking out of Jesus’ hand, so to speak. But rather than explaining straightforwardly that the fountain of water springing up to eternal life He spoke of was the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit, as I would have preferred, Jesus’ mind took an abrupt turn (John 4:16 NET):

He8 said to her, “Go call your husband (τὸν ἄνδρα |σου|) and come back here.”

The Samaritan woman might have obeyed Jesus and run to fetch her man: ἄνδρα, a form of ἀνήρ means man as well as husband. But she seemed to grasp his meaning (John 4:17, 18 NET):

The woman replied,9 “I have no husband (ἄνδρα).” Jesus said to her, “Right you are when you said, ‘I have no husband (ἄνδρα),’ for you have had five husbands (ἄνδρας), and the man you are living with now is not your husband (ἀνήρ). This you said truthfully (ἀληθὲς, a form of ἀληθής)!”

The Greek word translated man above was the masculine ὃν rather than the feminine ἥν. I would have known nothing of this woman’s past except for Jesus’ word, which she corroborated when she called, not her husband but, the whole town to Jesus: Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.10 Jesus remained focused on truth (John 4:23, 24 NET):

But11 a time is coming—and now is here—when the true (ἀληθινοὶ, a form of ἀληθινός) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth (ἀληθείᾳ), for the Father seeks such people to be his worshipers. God is spirit, and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth (ἀληθείᾳ).

The Father seeks (ζητεῖ, a form of ζητέω) such people to be his worshipers, those who will worship the Father in spirit and truth.12 This is quite moving: For the Son of Man came to seek (ζητῆσαι, another form of ζητέω) and to save the lost (τὸ ἀπολωλός).13 Is that why the Lord God questioned Adam and Eve? He sought them as worshipers after they disobeyed Him? To read Jesus’ out-of-his-way effort, to find something truthful in the Samaritan woman He sought, back into the Lord God’s questions to Adam and Eve seems difficult.

Neither the narrator nor the Lord God called Adam’s or Eve’s responses truthful. I’m the one comparing them to the narration and declaring them true. Perhaps it’s safer to say, that I hear Jesus’ personality in the Lord God’s questions. I tell you the solemn truth, Jesus said, the Son can do nothing on his own initiative, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise.14 And, I always do those things that please him.15 This seems like one of those places He saw the Father doing and did likewise.

What I call the Old Testament was written uniquely for, and primarily to, that 12-year-old boy who grew into the man I know as Jesus Christ. And it is his understanding of the Scriptures that I want to know. He is the One who proved Paul’s saying true: live by the Spirit and you will not carry out (οὐ μὴ τελέσητε16) the desires of the flesh.17 He found a loving Father in the pages of Scripture: One who gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life;18 One who did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him;19 One who does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance;20 One who gave all authority in heaven and on earth21 to his Son that his Son will draw all people to22 Himself. Now this is eternal life, the Son prayed to his Father, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent.23

I’ll pick this up in another essay.

Tables comparing Genesis 3:11; 3:12; 3:13; 3:14 and 3:15 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET; and tables comparing Genesis 3:11; 3:12; 3:13; 3:14 and 3:15 in the BLB and Elpenor versions of the Septuagint with the English translations from Hebrew and Greek, and tables comparing the Greek of John 4:15; 4:16; 4:17 and 4:23 the NET and KJV follow.

Genesis 3:11 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:11 (KJV)

Genesis 3:11 (NET)

And He said: ‘Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?’ And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the Lord God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

Genesis 3:11 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 3:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ τίς ἀνήγγειλέν σοι ὅτι γυμνὸς εἶ μὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου οὗ ἐνετειλάμην σοι τούτου μόνου μὴ φαγεῖν ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἔφαγες καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Θεός· τίς ἀνήγγειλέ σοι ὅτι γυμνὸς εἶ, εἰ μὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου, οὗ ἐνετειλάμην σοι τούτου μόνου μὴ φαγεῖν, ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἔφαγες

Genesis 3:11 (NETS)

Genesis 3:11 (English Elpenor)

And he said to him, “Who told you that you are naked, unless you have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, of this one alone, not to eat from it?” And God said to him, Who told thee that thou wast naked, unless thou hast eaten of the tree concerning which I charged thee of it alone not to eat?

Genesis 3:12 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:12 (KJV)

Genesis 3:12 (NET)

And the man said: ‘The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.’ And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. The man said, “The woman whom you gave me, she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it.”

Genesis 3:12 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 3:12 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Αδαμ ἡ γυνή ἣν ἔδωκας μετ᾽ ἐμοῦ αὕτη μοι ἔδωκεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου καὶ ἔφαγον καὶ εἶπεν ὁ ᾿Αδάμ· ἡ γυνή, ἣν ἔδωκας μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ, αὕτη μοι ἔδωκεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου, καὶ ἔφαγον

Genesis 3:12 (NETS)

Genesis 3:12 (English Elpenor)

And Adam said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” And Adam said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me– she gave me of the tree and I ate.

Genesis 3:13 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:13 (KJV)

Genesis 3:13 (NET)

And HaShem G-d said unto the woman: ‘What is this thou hast done?’ And the woman said: ‘The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.’ And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. So the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman replied, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.”

Genesis 3:13 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 3:13 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ εἶπεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς τῇ γυναικί τί τοῦτο ἐποίησας καὶ εἶπεν ἡ γυνή ὁ ὄφις ἠπάτησέν με καὶ ἔφαγον καὶ εἶπε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τῇ γυναικί· τί τοῦτο ἐποίησας; καὶ εἶπεν ἡ γυνή· ὁ ὄφις ἠπάτησέ με, καὶ ἔφαγον

Genesis 3:13 (NETS)

Genesis 3:13 (English Elpenor)

And God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The snake tricked me, and I ate.” And the Lord God said to the woman, Why hast thou done this? And the woman said, The serpent deceived me and I ate.

Genesis 3:14 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:14 (KJV)

Genesis 3:14 (NET)

And HaShem G-d said unto the serpent: ‘Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou from among all cattle, and from among all beasts of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all the cattle and all the living creatures of the field! On your belly you will crawl and dust you will eat all the days of your life.

Genesis 3:14 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 3:14 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ εἶπεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς τῷ ὄφει ὅτι ἐποίησας τοῦτο ἐπικατάρατος σὺ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν κτηνῶν καὶ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν θηρίων τῆς γῆς ἐπὶ τῷ στήθει σου καὶ τῇ κοιλίᾳ πορεύσῃ καὶ γῆν φάγῃ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς σου καὶ εἶπε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τῷ ὄφει· ὅτι ἐποίησας τοῦτο, ἐπικατάρατος σὺ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν κτηνῶν καὶ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν θηρίων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· ἐπὶ τῷ στήθει σου καὶ τῇ κοιλίᾳ πορεύσῃ καὶ γῆν φαγῇ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς σου.

Genesis 3:14 (NETS)

Genesis 3:14 (English Elpenor)

And the Lord God said to the snake, “Because you have done this, cursed are you from all the domestic animals and from the wild animals of the earth; upon your chest and belly you shall go, and earth you shall eat all the days of your life. And the Lord God said to the serpent, Because thou hast done this thou art cursed above all cattle and all the brutes of the earth, on thy breast and belly thou shalt go, and thou shalt eat earth all the days of thy life.

Genesis 3:15 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:15 (KJV)

Genesis 3:15 (NET)

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; they shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise their heel.’ And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. And I will put hostility between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Genesis 3:15 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 3:15 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ ἔχθραν θήσω ἀνὰ μέσον σου καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς γυναικὸς καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σπέρματός σου καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτῆς αὐτός σου τηρήσει κεφαλήν καὶ σὺ τηρήσεις αὐτοῦ πτέρναν καὶ ἔχθραν θήσω ἀνὰ μέσον σοῦ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς γυναικὸς καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σπέρματός σου καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτῆς· αὐτός σου τηρήσει κεφαλήν, καὶ σὺ τηρήσεις αὐτοῦ πτέρναν

Genesis 3:15 (NETS)

Genesis 3:15 (English Elpenor)

And I will put enmity between you and between the woman and between your offspring and between her offspring; he will watch your head, and you will watch his heel.” And I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed, he shall watch against thy head, and thou shalt watch against his heel.

John 4:15 (NET)

John 4:15 (KJV)

The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

John 4:15 (NET Parallel Greek)

John 4:15 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

John 4:15 (Byzantine Majority Text)

λέγει πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡ γυνή· κύριε, δός μοι τοῦτο τὸ ὕδωρ, ἵνα μὴ διψῶ μηδὲ διέρχωμαι ἐνθάδε ἀντλεῖν λεγει προς αυτον η γυνη κυριε δος μοι τουτο το υδωρ ινα μη διψω μηδε ερχωμαι ενθαδε αντλειν λεγει προς αυτον η γυνη κυριε δος μοι τουτο το υδωρ ινα μη διψω μηδε ερχομαι ενθαδε αντλειν

John 4:16 (NET)

John 4:16 (KJV)

He said to her, “Go call your husband and come back here.” Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

John 4:16 (NET Parallel Greek)

John 4:16 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

John 4:16 (Byzantine Majority Text)

λέγει αὐτῇ· ὕπαγε φώνησον τὸν ἄνδρα |σου| καὶ ἐλθὲ ἐνθάδε λεγει αυτη ο ιησους υπαγε φωνησον τον ανδρα σου και ελθε ενθαδε λεγει αυτη ο ιησους υπαγε φωνησον τον ανδρα σου και ελθε ενθαδε

John 4:17 (NET)

John 4:17 (KJV)

The woman replied, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “Right you are when you said, ‘I have no husband,’ The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:

John 4:17 (NET Parallel Greek)

John 4:17 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

John 4:17 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἀπεκρίθη ἡ γυνὴ καὶ εἶπεν |αὐτῷ|· οὐκ ἔχω ἄνδρα. λέγει αὐτῇ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· καλῶς εἶπας ὅτι ἄνδρα οὐκ ἔχω· απεκριθη η γυνη και ειπεν ουκ εχω ανδρα λεγει αυτη ο ιησους καλως ειπας οτι ανδρα ουκ εχω απεκριθη η γυνη και ειπεν ουκ εχω ανδρα λεγει αυτη ο ιησους καλως ειπας οτι ανδρα ουκ εχω

John 4:23 (NET)

John 4:23 (KJV)

But a time is coming—and now is here—when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to be his worshipers. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

John 4:23 (NET Parallel Greek)

John 4:23 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

John 4:23 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἀλλὰ ἔρχεται ὥρα καὶ νῦν ἐστιν, ὅτε οἱ ἀληθινοὶ προσκυνηταὶ προσκυνήσουσιν τῷ πατρὶ ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ· καὶ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ τοιούτους ζητεῖ τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας αὐτόν αλλ ερχεται ωρα και νυν εστιν οτε οι αληθινοι προσκυνηται προσκυνησουσιν τω πατρι εν πνευματι και αληθεια και γαρ ο πατηρ τοιουτους ζητει τους προσκυνουντας αυτον αλλ ερχεται ωρα και νυν εστιν οτε οι αληθινοι προσκυνηται προσκυνησουσιν τω πατρι εν πνευματι και αληθεια και γαρ ο πατηρ τοιουτους ζητει τους προσκυνουντας αυτον

1 Gensis 1:1b (NET) Table

2 From Rashi’s commentary to Genesis 3:1 (Tanakh), chabad.org

3 From Rashi’s commentary to Genesis 3:15 (Tanakh), chabad.org

4 Genesis 3:11 (NET)

5 Genesis 3:13a (NET)

6 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had διψήσει here in the future tense and indicative mood, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had διψήσῃ (KJV: shallthirst) in the aorist tense and subjunctive mood. Since the negation is οὐ μὴ here, διψήσῃ is the stronger of the two: the subjunctive of emphatic negation.

8 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ο ιησους (KJV: Jesus) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

9 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had αὐτῷ (“to him”) here. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

10 John 4:29a (NET)

12 John 4:23b (NET)

13 Luke 19:10 (NET)

14 John 5:19 (NET) Table

15 John 8:29b (NET) Table

16 This is a subjunctive of emphatic negation: “However, when this combination [οὐ µή (ou mē)] is attached to an Aorist Subjunctive, what occurs is what has been termed the Subjunctive of Emphatic Negation. As was pointed out above, the Subjunctive Mood indicates the probability of an event, and the Aorist Tense emphasizes an action as simply occurring, without any specific reference to time, apart from the use of an adverbial modifier (e.g., that which would describe when, where, how much, or how often). Thus, when you have οὐ µή (ou mē) in combination with the Aorist Subjunctive, what occurs is the absolute and unequivocal denial of the probability of an event EVER OCCURING at any moment or time in the future.” From “EMPHATIC NEGATIONS IN BIBLICAL GREEK” on the BLB Blog online.

17 Galatians 5:16 (NET)

18 John 3:16 (NET) Table

19 John 3:17 (NET) Table

20 2 Peter 3:9b (NET) Table

21 Matthew 28:18b (NET) Table

22 John 12:32b (NET)

23 John 17:3 (NET)

The Day of the Lord, Part 2

In another essay I quoted Paul: For [the day of the Lord] will not arrive until the rebellion comes and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction ( υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας).1 Now I have to consider whether my assumption that Jesus called Judas Iscariot ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας (NET: the one destined for destruction) is like Jesus’ disciples’ discussion about having no bread2 after He said: “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod!”3

Here I’ll begin with Paul’s conclusion to his discussion of ἀποκαλυφθῇ ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας, the revelation of the man of lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:12 NET):

And so all of them who have not believed the truth but4 have delighted in5 evil will be condemned.

This would be a very straightforward statement if the Greek word translated will be condemned (KJV: might be damned) was καταδικάσονται (a form of καταδικάζω). You have condemned (κατεδικάσατε, another form of καταδικάζω) and murdered the righteous person,6 James wrote of the rich. [T]he chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me about [Paul], Festus explained to King Agrippa, asking for a sentence of condemnation7 (καταδίκην, a form of καταδίκη) against him.8

The Greek word καταδίκη is the noun form of the verb καταδικάζω. Paul had clearly understood this καταδίκη as a sentence of death if convicted: If then I am in the wrong and have done anything that deserves death, I am not trying to escape dying, but if not one of their charges against me is true, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!9

Jesus used a form of the verb καταδικάζω in quite another way (Matthew 12:1-3a, 7 NET):

At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on a Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pick heads of wheat and eat them. But when the Pharisees saw this they said10 to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is against the law to do on the Sabbath.” He said to them…

“If you had known what this means: ‘I want mercy11 and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.”

Here the Pharisees’ stated their opinion that Jesus’ disciples’ behavior in Jesus’ presence was contrary to the law, and they implied that they or Jesus or someone ought to do something about it against Jesus’ disciples. Jesus characterized this as κατεδικάσατε (another form of καταδικάζω) τοὺς ἀναιτίους (NET: youhave condemned the innocent). I tell you that on the day of judgment, He said later, people will give an account for every worthless word they speak [Table]. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned (καταδικασθήσῃ, another form of καταδικάζω).12

And finally, Jesus taught (Luke 6:35-37 NET):

…love your enemies, and do good, and lend,13 expecting nothing back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the14 Most High, because he is kind to ungrateful and evil people. Be merciful,15 just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn (καταδικάζετε, another form of καταδικάζω), and you will not be condemned (καταδικασθῆτε, another form of καταδικάζω); forgive, and you will be forgiven [Table].

In 2 Thessalonians 2:12 (NET) the Greek word translated will be condemned was not καταδικάσονται or any other form of καταδικάζω. It was κριθῶσιν, a form of κρίνω. A note (25) in the NET acknowledged that the Greek is “be judged,” but added “in this context the term clearly refers to a judgment of condemnation.”

An entry in Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers on Bible Hub online reads:

That they all.—This is God’s purpose in making them believe the lie—“in order that, one and all, they might be judged.” He who desireth not the death of a sinner, now is said actually to lay plans with the intention of judging him: such are the bold self-contradictions of the Bible!

And Meyer’s NT Commentary on the same page reads:

ἵνα κριθῶσι] in order that they may be judged, i.e. according to the context, condemned.

It seems that context here refers to: the day of the Lord. Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer cited “The Church Fathers” approvingly: Irenaeus, Tertullian, Chrysostom, Cyril, Augustine, Theodoret, Theodorus Mopsuestius “and others.”16

They correctly agree in considering that by the advent (2 Thessalonians 2:1; 2 Thessalonians 2:8), or the day of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 2:2), is to be understood the personal advent of Christ for the last judgment and for the completion of the Messianic kingdom.

Given that Jesus said, do not condemn (καταδικάζετε, another form of καταδικάζω), and you will not be condemned (καταδικασθῆτε, another form of καταδικάζω),17 it seems more circumspect to understand the text as written: in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.18 I realize that Jesus also said, Do not judge (κρίνετε, a form of κρίνω), and you will not be judged (κριθῆτε, another form of κρίνω),19 but κριθῶσιν (another form of κρίνω) is actually in the text.

Paul wrote of God’s judgment (not mine) on allwho did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.20 If I hold to the text as written I believe I will knowthe only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He] sent.21 Now (δέ) this is eternal life,22 according to Jesus. If, on the other hand, I change κριθῶσιν to καταδικάσονται or understand κριθῶσιν as if it were καταδικάσονται, that’s on me: Then I have condemned those whom God judged.

Though I called 2 Thessalonians 2:12 “Paul’s conclusion,” And so (NET) and in order that (NASB) were translations of the Greek word ἵνα. This is a result clause. And κριθῶσιν, will be condemned (NET) or may be judged (NASB), is a verb in the subjunctive mood “in a purpose or result clause, [so] 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.” What is that other stated action?

God sends23 on them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false.24 Once my mind is swept clean of the notion that κριθῶσιν was a euphemism for Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels,25 it becomes much clearer that God’s judgment on all of them who have not believed the truth but have delighted in evil26 is to send on them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false. Here again this is a judgment, not necessarily THE judgment.

This judgment doesn’t preclude Jesus’ promise to draw all to Himself. On the contrary it could be instrumental to that drawing. When people believe what is false, they create a social situation like the one in which we currently live. Are there many among us not seeking some different way to live? The Greek words translated deluding influence were ἐνέργειαν πλάνης (a form of πλάνη). One of the meanings of πλάνη in the Koine Greek Lexicon online is “a wandering, roaming.” One might say that God’s judgment is a God-given energy to wander.

The Greek word translated so that was εἰς. And they will believe was πιστεῦσαι, an infinitive (to trust) of πιστεύω in the aorist tense, rather than πιστεύσουσι(ν) in the future tense. The entire clause began with καὶ διὰ τοῦτο, translated Consequently (NET), or And for this reason (NASB 1977, Legacy Standard Bible).

So, the them on whom God sends a deluding influence (a God-given energy to wander) are those who are perishing,27 because they found no place in their hearts for the truth so as to be saved.28 A note (21) in the NET acknowledged that they found no place in their hearts for the truth was “they did not accept (ἐδέξαντο, a form of δέχομαι) the love of the truth” in Greek. This is already at least round two of Jesus’ drawing: the love of the truth was offered but not “receive[d] approvingly.”

Apart from the God-given energy to wander I might have spent my entire life here, hanging around a church, not quite believing Jesus or the Bible, conning myself that I did. The God-given energy to wander, and then to trust what was false was at least a faith. Part of what is false that I believed was that faith was bad, only knowledge was good.

It took some time and experimentation to realize that disbelieving Jesus and the Bible wasn’t the result of some superior knowledge. It wasn’t even unbelief in any absolute sense of not faith. It was simply faith in something less than Jesus and the Bible. When the Lord brought me back from that particular foray into what is false, I returned almost unwittingly with a new theme song but certainly with a new and lifelong motivation to not be fooled again.

The Greek word translated are perishing was ἀπολλυμένοις, a middle/passive participle of ἀπόλλυμι, ἀπόλλω, ἀπολλύω in the present tense. This might have been translated “to be lost,” one of the possible meanings of the middle voiceIn other words, God’s judgment, a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false29 came on “those who are presently lost because they did not accept the love of the truth.” But even if our gospel is veiled, Paul wrote the Corinthians, it is veiled only to those who are perishing (ἀπολλυμένοις, a form of ἀπόλλυμι, ἀπόλλω, ἀπολλύω; KJV: are lost, presently), among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see30 the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God.31

The interchangeability of are perishing and are lost is apparent in Jesus’ parable (Luke 15:4 NET):

Which one of you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses (ἀπολέσας, another form of ἀπόλλυμι, ἀπόλλω, ἀπολλύω) one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine32 in the open pasture and go look for the one that is lost (ἀπολωλὸς, another form of ἀπόλλυμι, ἀπόλλω, ἀπολλύω) until he finds it?

Here is none of the false counsel given to Little Bo Peep in the nursery rhyme. Jesus (and his listeners apparently) knew that a lost sheep was a sheep in danger of perishing. It isn’t necessary to believe in “bold self-contradictions of the Bible.”33 The language as written allows one to believe that Christ, who is the image of God, came to seek and to save the lost (ἀπολωλός)34 or perishing.

These lost are them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth (ἀληθείας, a form of ἀλήθεια), that they might be saved.35 Set them apart in the truth (ἀληθείᾳ), Jesus prayed to his Father, your word is truth (ἀλήθεια).36 The Greek words translated your word were λόγοςσὸς. This is the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, yet in the context of John’s Gospel account ὁ λόγος ὁ σὸς is also Jesus Himself (Hebrews 1:1-3 NET):

After God spoke long ago in various portions and in various ways to our ancestors through the prophets, in these last37 days he has spoken to us in a son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world (τοὺς αἰῶνας; literally: the ages38). The Son is the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word (ρήματι, a form of ῥῆμα), and so when he had39 accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Meyer’s NT Commentary reads:

The truth is the Christian truth, and the unbelief, shown against it, is the consequence of the love for the truth in general being wanting (2 Thessalonians 2:10).

I’m unsure what the author meant by Christian, so I’ll highlight what I am sure Paul did not mean by truth; namely, the squabbling of those who profess Christ. Here is Meyer’s NT Commentary again:

The view of the Fathers remained in the following ages the prevalent one in the Christian church. It was necessary, however, partially to change and transform it, the relation of Christianity to the Roman state having altered, as the Christian church, instead of being exposed to renewed hostilities from the secular power, had obtained the sovereignty of the state, and, penetrating larger portions of the world, represented itself as the kingdom of God on earth, and an imposing hierarchy was placed at its head. Whilst, accordingly, the idea of the advent stepped more and more into the background in the church generally, and especially with the hierarchy, on the other hand, those who had placed themselves in opposition to the hierarchy believed themselves obliged to apply to it the description of the apostle, as well as the figures in the Apocalypse of St. John. Thus arose—whilst the early view concerning the παρουσία τοῦ κυρίου was held with only the modification that its entrance was to be expected in the distant future—the view, first in the eleventh century, that the establishment and growing power of the Papacy is to be considered as the Antichrist predicted by Paul…

In the presence of such polemics used against them, the Catholics are certainly not to be blamed that in retaliation they interpreted ἀποστασία as the defection from the Roman church and from the pope, and Antichrist as the heretics, especially Luther and the evangelical church.

I’ll pick this up in another essay.

According to a note (11) in the NET Jesus quoted from Hosea 6:6 in Matthew 12:7. A table comparing the Greek of Jesus’ quotation with that of the Septuagint follows.

Matthew 12:7b (NET Parallel Greek)

Hosea 6:6a (Septuagint BLB)

Hosea 6:6a (Septuagint Elpenor)

ἔλεος θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν ἔλεος θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν ἔλεος θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν

Matthew 12:7b (NET)

Hosea 6:6a (NETS)

Hosea 6:6a (English Elpenor)

I want mercy and not sacrifice I want mercy and not sacrifice I will [have] mercy rather than sacrifice

According to a note (9) in the NET Hebrews 1:3b was an allusion to Psalm 110:1. A table comparing the Greek of Hebrews 1:3b with that of the Septuagint follows.

Hebrews 1:3b (NET Parallel Greek)

Psalm 110:1b (Septuagint BLB) Table

Psalm 110:1b (Septuagint Elpenor)

ἐκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς μεγαλωσύνης ἐν ὑψηλοῖς κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου

Hebrews 1:3b (NET)

Psalm 110:1b (NETS)

Psalm 110:1b (English Elpenor)

he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high Sit on my right hand Sit thou on my right hand

Tables comparing Hosea 6:6 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and the Greek of Hosea 6:6 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables comparing 2 Thessalonians 2:12; Acts 25:15; Matthew 12:2, 3; 12:7; Luke 6:35, 36; 2 Thessalonians 2:11; 2:10; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Luke 15:4 and Hebrews 1:1-3 in the NET and KJV follow.

Hosea 6:6 (Tanakh)

Hosea 6:6 (KJV)

Hosea 6:6 (NET)

For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. For I delight in faithfulness, not simply in sacrifice; I delight in acknowledging God, not simply in whole burnt offerings.

Hosea 6:6 (Septuagint BLB)

Hosea 6:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)

διότι ἔλεος θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν καὶ ἐπίγνωσιν θεοῦ ἢ ὁλοκαυτώματα διότι ἔλεος θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν καὶ ἐπίγνωσιν Θεοῦ ἢ ὁλοκαυτώματα

Hosea 6:6 (NETS)

Hosea 6:6 (English Elpenor)

For I want mercy and not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than whole burnt offerings. For I will [have] mercy rather than sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than whole-burnt-offerings.

2 Thessalonians 2:12 (NET)

2 Thessalonians 2:12 (KJV)

And so all of them who have not believed the truth but have delighted in evil will be condemned. That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

2 Thessalonians 2:12 (NET Parallel Greek)

2 Thessalonians 2:12 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

2 Thessalonians 2:12 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἵνα κριθῶσιν πάντες οἱ μὴ πιστεύσαντες τῇ ἀληθείᾳ ἀλλὰ εὐδοκήσαντες τῇ ἀδικίᾳ ινα κριθωσιν παντες οι μη πιστευσαντες τη αληθεια αλλ ευδοκησαντες εν τη αδικια ινα κριθωσιν παντες οι μη πιστευσαντες τη αληθεια αλλ ευδοκησαντες εν τη αδικια

Acts 25:15 (NET)

Acts 25:15 (KJV)

When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me about him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. About whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, desiring to have judgment against him.

Acts 25:15 (NET Parallel Greek)

Acts 25:15 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Acts 25:15 (Byzantine Majority Text)

περὶ οὗ γενομένου μου εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα ἐνεφάνισαν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τῶν Ἰουδαίων αἰτούμενοι κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ καταδίκην περι ου γενομενου μου εις ιεροσολυμα ενεφανισαν οι αρχιερεις και οι πρεσβυτεροι των ιουδαιων αιτουμενοι κατ αυτου δικην περι ου γενομενου μου εις ιεροσολυμα ενεφανισαν οι αρχιερεις και οι πρεσβυτεροι των ιουδαιων αιτουμενοι κατ αυτου δικην

Matthew 12:2, 3 (NET)

Matthew 12:2, 3 (KJV)

But when the Pharisees saw this they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is against the law to do on the Sabbath.” But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.

Matthew 12:2 (NET Parallel Greek)

Matthew 12:2 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Matthew 12:2 (Byzantine Majority Text)

οἱ δὲ Φαρισαῖοι ἰδόντες εἶπαν αὐτῷ· ἰδοὺ οἱ μαθηταί σου ποιοῦσιν ὃ οὐκ ἔξεστιν ποιεῖν ἐν σαββάτῳ οι δε φαρισαιοι ιδοντες ειπον αυτω ιδου οι μαθηται σου ποιουσιν ο ουκ εξεστιν ποιειν εν σαββατω οι δε φαρισαιοι ιδοντες ειπον αυτω ιδου οι μαθηται σου ποιουσιν ο ουκ εξεστιν ποιειν εν σαββατω
He said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry— But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;

Matthew 12:3 (NET Parallel Greek)

Matthew 12:3 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Matthew 12:3 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε τί ἐποίησεν Δαυὶδ ὅτε ἐπείνασεν καὶ οἱ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ, ο δε ειπεν αυτοις ουκ ανεγνωτε τι εποιησεν δαβιδ οτε επεινασεν αυτος και οι μετ αυτου ο δε ειπεν αυτοις ουκ ανεγνωτε τι εποιησεν δαυιδ οτε επεινασεν αυτος και οι μετ αυτου

Matthew 12:7 (NET)

Matthew 12:7 (KJV)

If you had known what this means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.

Matthew 12:7 (NET Parallel Greek)

Matthew 12:7 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Matthew 12:7 (Byzantine Majority Text)

εἰ δὲ ἐγνώκειτε τί ἐστιν· ἔλεος θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν, οὐκ ἂν κατεδικάσατε τοὺς ἀναιτίους ει δε εγνωκειτε τι εστιν ελεον θελω και ου θυσιαν ουκ αν κατεδικασατε τους αναιτιους ει δε εγνωκειτε τι εστιν ελεον θελω και ου θυσιαν ουκ αν κατεδικασατε τους αναιτιους

Luke 6:35, 36 (NET)

Luke 6:35, 36 (KJV)

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to ungrateful and evil people. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

Luke 6:35 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 6:35 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 6:35 (Byzantine Majority Text)

πλὴν ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν καὶ ἀγαθοποιεῖτε καὶ δανίζετε μηδὲν ἀπελπίζοντες· καὶ ἔσται ὁ μισθὸς ὑμῶν πολύς, καὶ ἔσεσθε υἱοὶ ὑψίστου, ὅτι αὐτὸς χρηστός ἐστιν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀχαρίστους καὶ πονηρούς πλην αγαπατε τους εχθρους υμων και αγαθοποιειτε και δανειζετε μηδεν απελπιζοντες και εσται ο μισθος υμων πολυς και εσεσθε υιοι του υψιστου οτι αυτος χρηστος εστιν επι τους αχαριστους και πονηρους πλην αγαπατε τους εχθρους υμων και αγαθοποιειτε και δανειζετε μηδεν απελπιζοντες και εσται ο μισθος υμων πολυς και εσεσθε υιοι υψιστου οτι αυτος χρηστος εστιν επι τους αχαριστους και πονηρους

Luke 6:36 (NET)

Luke 6:36 (KJV)

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Luke 6:36 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 6:36 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 6:36 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Γίνεσθε οἰκτίρμονες καθὼς [καὶ] ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν οἰκτίρμων ἐστίν γινεσθε ουν οικτιρμονες καθως και ο πατηρ υμων οικτιρμων εστιν γινεσθε ουν οικτιρμονες καθως και ο πατηρ υμων οικτιρμων εστιν

2 Thessalonians 2:11 (NET)

2 Thessalonians 2:11 (KJV)

Consequently God sends on them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

2 Thessalonians 2:11 (NET Parallel Greek)

2 Thessalonians 2:11 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

2 Thessalonians 2:11 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πέμπει αὐτοῖς ὁ θεὸς ἐνέργειαν πλάνης εἰς τὸ πιστεῦσαι αὐτοὺς τῷ ψεύδει και δια τουτο πεμψει αυτοις ο θεος ενεργειαν πλανης εις το πιστευσαι αυτους τω ψευδει και δια τουτο πεμψει αυτοις ο θεος ενεργειαν πλανης εις το πιστευσαι αυτους τω ψευδει

2 Thessalonians 2:10 (NET)

2 Thessalonians 2:10 (KJV)

and with every kind of evil deception directed against those who are perishing, because they found no place in their hearts for the truth so as to be saved. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

2 Thessalonians 2:10 (NET Parallel Greek)

2 Thessalonians 2:10 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

2 Thessalonians 2:10 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ ἐν πάσῃ ἀπάτῃ ἀδικίας τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις, ἀνθ᾿ ὧν τὴν ἀγάπην τῆς ἀληθείας οὐκ ἐδέξαντο εἰς τὸ σωθῆναι αὐτούς και εν παση απατη της αδικιας εν τοις απολλυμενοις ανθ ων την αγαπην της αληθειας ουκ εδεξαντο εις το σωθηναι αυτους και εν παση απατη της αδικιας εν τοις απολλυμενοις ανθ ων την αγαπην της αληθειας ουκ εδεξαντο εις το σωθηναι αυτους

2 Corinthians 4:4 (NET)

2 Corinthians 4:4 (KJV)

among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God. In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

2 Corinthians 4:4 (NET Parallel Greek)

2 Corinthians 4:4 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

2 Corinthians 4:4 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἐν οἷς ὁ θεὸς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἐτύφλωσεν τὰ νοήματα τῶν ἀπίστων εἰς τὸ μὴ αὐγάσαι τὸν φωτισμὸν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τῆς δόξης τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ εν οις ο θεος του αιωνος τουτου ετυφλωσεν τα νοηματα των απιστων εις το μη αυγασαι αυτοις τον φωτισμον του ευαγγελιου της δοξης του χριστου ος εστιν εικων του θεου εν οις ο θεος του αιωνος τουτου ετυφλωσεν τα νοηματα των απιστων εις το μη αυγασαι αυτοις τον φωτισμον του ευαγγελιου της δοξης του χριστου ος εστιν εικων του θεου

Luke 15:4 (NET)

Luke 15:4 (KJV)

“Which one of you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go look for the one that is lost until he finds it? What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

Luke 15:4 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 15:4 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 15:4 (Byzantine Majority Text)

τίς ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ὑμῶν ἔχων ἑκατὸν πρόβατα καὶ ἀπολέσας ἐξ αὐτῶν ἓν οὐ καταλείπει τὰ ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ πορεύεται ἐπὶ τὸ ἀπολωλὸς ἕως εὕρῃ αὐτό τις ανθρωπος εξ υμων εχων εκατον προβατα και απολεσας εν εξ αυτων ου καταλειπει τα εννενηκονταεννεα εν τη ερημω και πορευεται επι το απολωλος εως ευρη αυτο τις ανθρωπος εξ υμων εχων εκατον προβατα και απολεσας εν εξ αυτων ου καταλειπει τα ενενηκοντα εννεα εν τη ερημω και πορευεται επι το απολωλος εως ευρη αυτο

Hebrews 1:1-3 (NET)

Hebrews 1:1-3 (KJV)

After God spoke long ago in various portions and in various ways to our ancestors through the prophets, God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

Hebrews 1:1 (NET Parallel Greek)

Hebrews 1:1 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Hebrews 1:1 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως πάλαι ὁ θεὸς λαλήσας τοῖς πατράσιν ἐν τοῖς προφήταις [see verse 2] πολυμερως και πολυτροπως παλαι ο θεος λαλησας τοις πατρασιν εν τοις προφηταις [see verse 2] πολυμερως και πολυτροπως παλαι ο θεος λαλησας τοις πατρασιν εν τοις προφηταις επ εσχατου των ημερων τουτων ελαλησεν ημιν εν υιω
in these last days he has spoken to us in a son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world. Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Hebrews 1:2 (NET Parallel Greek)

Hebrews 1:2 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Hebrews 1:2 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἐπ᾿ ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν τούτων ἐλάλησεν ἡμῖν ἐν υἱῷ, ὃν ἔθηκεν κληρονόμον πάντων, δι᾿ οὗ καὶ ἐποίησεν τοὺς αἰῶνας επ εσχατων των ημερων τουτων ελαλησεν ημιν εν υιω ον εθηκεν κληρονομον παντων δι ου και τους αιωνας εποιησεν [see verse 1] ον εθηκεν κληρονομον παντων δι ου και τους αιωνας εποιησεν
The Son is the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word, and so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Hebrews 1:3 (NET Parallel Greek)

Hebrews 1:3 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Hebrews 1:3 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ὃς ὢν ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης καὶ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ, φέρων τε τὰ πάντα τῷ ρήματι τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ, καθαρισμὸν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ποιησάμενος ἐκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς μεγαλωσύνης ἐν ὑψηλοῖς ος ων απαυγασμα της δοξης και χαρακτηρ της υποστασεως αυτου φερων τε τα παντα τω ρηματι της δυναμεως αυτου δι εαυτου καθαρισμον ποιησαμενος των αμαρτιων ημων εκαθισεν εν δεξια της μεγαλωσυνης εν υψηλοις ος ων απαυγασμα της δοξης και χαρακτηρ της υποστασεως αυτου φερων τε τα παντα τω ρηματι της δυναμεως αυτου δι εαυτου καθαρισμον ποιησαμενος των αμαρτιων ημων εκαθισεν εν δεξια της μεγαλωσυνης εν υψηλοις

1 2 Thessalonians 2:3 (NET)

2 Mark 8:16b (NET) Table

3 Mark 8:15b (NET)

6 James 5:6a (NET)

8 Acts 25:15b (NET)

9 Acts 25:11 (NET)

11 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had the neuter noun ἔλεος here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the masculine noun ελεον.

12 Matthew 12:36, 37 (NET)

14 The Stephanus Textus Receptus had the article του preceding Most High (KJV: Highest). The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

15 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ουν (KJV: therefore) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

17 Luke 6:37b (NET) Table

19 Luke 6:37a (NET) Table

20 2 Thessalonians 2:12b (NASB 1995, NASB 1977, Legacy Standard Bible)

21 John 17:3b (NET)

22 John 17:3a (NET)

23 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had πέμπει here in the present tense, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had πεμψει (KJV: shall send) in the future tense.

24 2 Thessalonians 2:11 (NET)

25 Matthew 25:41b (NET)

26 2 Thessalonians 2:12a (NET)

27 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εν (KJV: in) preceding perishing (KJV: them that perish). The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

28 2 Thessalonians 2:10b (NET)

29 2 Thessalonians 2:11b (NET)

30 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτοις (KJV: unto them) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

31 2 Corinthians 4:3, 4 (NET)

34 Luke 19:10b (NET)

35 2 Thessalonians 2:10b (KJV)

36 John 17:17 (NET) Table

37 The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had ἐσχάτου here, a singular form of ἔσχατος, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had εσχατων, a plural form.

38 According to a note (6) in the NET: “Grk ‘the ages.’ The temporal (ages) came to be used of the spatial (what exists in those time periods). See Heb 11:3 for the same usage.”

39 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δι εαυτου (KJV: by himself) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

Christianity, Part 6

There are 3 more occurrences of πάντας in Luke’s Gospel [see Table], the Greek word translated all people in: And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people (πάντας, a form of πᾶς) to myself.1 But I’ve been waylaid by the occurrence in Luke 13:22-30.

In another essay I commented on the aggressive, if not violent, language of striving against the many seeking to enter a narrow door that might close at any moment: Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door2 It sounds a lot like what the Zealots actually did to foment the events that led to the massacre of 70 AD.

This language may not have affected those seeking a Messiah to lead them to overthrow the Roman superpower quite the way it affects me. Seeking an alternative explanation, however, I latch onto Jesus’ general theme of the difficulty of entering the kingdom of God (Mark 10:24 ESV [Table]):

And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God!

The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τους πεποιθοτας επι τοις χρημασιν (KJV: for them that trust in riches) following how difficult it is (πῶς δύσκολον ἐστιν). The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 didn’t limit this difficulty in any way. In other words, the editors of both the NA27 and NA28 have consistently concluded that τους πεποιθοτας επι τοις χρημασιν was a late addition to the original text. That doesn’t say anything about NA29 if other manuscripts are discovered or different strategies for organizing them chronologically are in vogue.

It seems worthwhile, however, to consider how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus spoke to descendants of Jacob, if not of Israel: “But3 woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,” Jesus said, “For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.”4 If I can equate the kingdom of heaven here with the kingdom of God, the leaders of Israel at the time Jesus spoke these words made it difficult for people to follow Him into the kingdom: the Pharisees went out and conspired against [Jesus], how to destroy him.5

So how did events play out at Jesus’ arrest when Peter took the parable about entering the narrow door most literally and behaved the most like a Zealot?

Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) [Table] So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given (δέδωκεν, a form of δίδωμι) me?” [Table]6 And [Jesus] touched [Malchus’]7 ear and healed him.8

I don’t mean to suggest that Peter was consciously striving to enter through the narrow door9 when he struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear.10 I assume that he reacted more instinctively out of affection for Jesus. I’m only saying that Peter’s action seems to align with the parable about entering the narrow door when I take the words (especially the Greek words) at face value.

The words most likely ringing in Peter’s ears at that moment were spoken earlier that evening (Luke 22:35-38 ESV):

And [Jesus] said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag11 or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said,12 “Nothing.”13 He said14 to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag15 take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell16 his cloak and buy17 one. For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment” [Table]. And they said,18 “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”

So, Jesus’ disciples had two swords and Peter carried one of them. It is not merely difficult but potentially dangerous [John 18:8, 9] to interpret Jesus’ words without the mind of Christ: The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly19 to him, Paul wrote, and he is not able (δύναται, a form of δύναμαι) to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.20 And Jesus said, That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again (ἄνωθεν; NET: from above).21 In other words, You must be born of the Spirit.

Not only leaders and peers oppose one’s entrance through the narrow door into the kingdom of God, every natural born person opposes his or her own entrance therein. Strive to enter through the narrow door no longer seems so overstated, once I realize that all the world (including myself as I was born of my human parents) is opposed to me doing so.

I want to consider a completely different example of Jesus’ words (John 6:53-60 ESV):

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink [Table].

Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live22 because of me. This is the bread that came down from23 heaven, not like the bread24 the25 fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live26 forever.”

Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.27 When many of his disciples heard it, they said,28 “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” [Table]

The Greek word translated hard here was σκληρός, but this reaction to these particular words is perhaps the most on-the-nose example of how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God.29 The Greek word translated difficult was δύσκολον, a form of δύσκολος. The definition from “HELPS Word-studies” on Bible Hub reads:

dýskolos (an adjective, derived from 1418 /dys-, “difficult” and kolon, “food”) – properly, difficult (problematic) to digest; (figuratively) disagreeable, like when food “doesn’t go down well.” It is used only in Mk 10:24.

After this many30 of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life31 (i.e., to knowthe only true God, and Jesus Christ whom [He has] sent32) [Table]…

If I assume that those disciples who no longer walked with Jesus were drawn to Him by the free food, free healthcare, the novelty of his teaching or the excitement of the crowd, and that those who remained were drawn by the Father to the words of eternal life, I see Jesus enforcing his saying, No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws (ἑλκύσῃ, a form of ἑλκύω) him.33 And [Jesus] said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted (δεδομένον, a form of δίδωμι) him by the34 Father.”35 Jesus’ equation of ἑλκύω and δίδωμι is a powerful indicator of the Father’s role in anyone who receives Jesus as Savior.

But the main reason I chose this parable is the explanation which resolves this hard saying:

Matthew 26:26-28 (ESV)

Mark 14:22-24 (ESV)

Luke 22:19, 20 (ESV)

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (ESV)

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you,
Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread,36 and after blessing37 it broke it and gave38 it to the disciples, and39 said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins [Table]. And as they were eating, he40 took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take;41 this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many [Table]. And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread [Table], and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said,42 “This is my body which is for you.43 Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as44 you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
For as often as45 you eat this bread and drink the46 cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until47 he comes.48

In hindsight it seems ridiculous to have abandoned Jesus over this, even if one was drawn only by the free food, free healthcare, the novelty of his teaching or the excitement of the crowd. But it is an opportune moment to recall why Jesus spoke in parables (Matthew 13:10-15 ESV):

Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” [Table]

And [Jesus] answered them, “To you it has been given (δέδοται, a form of δίδωμι) to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given (δέδοται, a form of δίδωμι). For to the one who has, more will be given (δοθήσεται, a form of δίδωμι), and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “‘You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them’ [Table].

Paul addressed this hardening: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.49 Concerned that the church in Ephesus might lose heart50 over what [he was] suffering for [them],51 he bowed his knees before the Father52that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being [Table], so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith–that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth [Table], and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.53

This strength (ἐξισχύσητε, a form of ἐξισχύω) or ability to comprehend both knowledge and the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge seems more like the strength or ability the many [who] will seek to enter and will not be able54 (ἰσχύσουσιν, a form of ἰσχύω) lack. Jesus said (Luke 11:9-13 ESV):

And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone (πᾶς) who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

What father among55 you, if his son asks for56 a fish, will instead of57 a fish give him a serpent; or if58 he asks for59 an egg, will give60 him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give (δώσει, a form of δίδωμι) the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

I’ll pick this up in another essay. According to a note (23) in the NET, Jesus quoted from Isaiah 6:9, 10. The table below compares the Greek of Matthew 13:14 to Isaiah 6:9 in the Septuagint.

Matthew 13:14b (NET Parallel Greek Text) Table

Isaiah 6:9b (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 6:9b (Septuagint Elpenor)

ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε, καὶ βλέποντες βλέψετε καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε καὶ βλέποντες βλέψετε καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε καὶ βλέποντες βλέψετε καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε

Matthew 13:14b (NET)

Isaiah 6:9b (NETS)

Isaiah 6:9b (English Elpenor)

You will listen carefully yet will never understand, you will look closely yet will never comprehend. ‘You will listen by listening, but you will not understand, and looking you will look, but you will not perceive’. Ye shall hear indeed, but ye shall not understand; and ye shall see indeed, but ye shall not perceive.

The table below compares the Greek of Matthew 13:15 to Isaiah 6:10 in the Septuagint.

Matthew 13:15 (NET Parallel Greek Text) Table

Isaiah 6:10 (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 6:10 (Septuagint Elpenor)

ἐπαχύνθη γὰρ ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου, καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν βαρέως ἤκουσαν καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐκάμμυσαν, μήποτε ἴδωσιν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν ἀκούσωσιν καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ συνῶσιν καὶ ἐπιστρέψωσιν καὶ ἰάσομαι αὐτούς ἐπαχύνθη γὰρ ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου καὶ τοῗς ὠσὶν αὐτῶν βαρέως ἤκουσαν καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐκάμμυσαν μήποτε ἴδωσιν τοῗς ὀφθαλμοῗς καὶ τοῗς ὠσὶν ἀκούσωσιν καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ συνῶσιν καὶ ἐπιστρέψωσιν καὶ ἰάσομαι αὐτούς ἐπαχύνθη γὰρ ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου, καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν αὐτῶν βαρέως ἤκουσαν καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐκάμμυσαν μήποτε ἴδωσι τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν ἀκούσωσι καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ συνῶσι, καὶ ἐπιστρέψωσι, καὶ ἰάσομαι αὐτούς

Matthew 13:15 (NET)

Isaiah 6:10 (NETS)

Isaiah 6:10 (English Elpenor)

For the heart of this people has become dull; they are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes, so that they would not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ For this people’s heart has grown fat, and with their ears they have heard heavily, and they have shut their eyes so that they might not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn–and I would heal them.” For the heart of this people has become gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

Tables comparing Isaiah 6:9 and 6:10 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and comparing Isaiah 6:9 and 6:10 in the BLB and Elpenor versions of the Septuagint with the English translations from Hebrew and Greek, and tables comparing the Greek of Matthew 23:13; Luke 22:51; 22:35, 36; 22:38; John 6:57-59; 6:66; 6:65; Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; 1 Corinthians 11:24-26; Ephesians 3:13 and Luke 11:11, 12 in the NET and KJV follow.

Isaiah 6:9 (Tanakh)

Isaiah 6:9 (KJV)

Isaiah 6:9 (NET)

And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. He said, “Go and tell these people: “‘Listen continually, but don’t understand. Look continually, but don’t perceive.’

Isaiah 6:9 (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 6:9 (Septuagint Elpenor)

καὶ εἶπεν πορεύθητι καὶ εἰπὸν τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε καὶ βλέποντες βλέψετε καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε καὶ εἶπε· πορεύθητι καὶ εἰπὸν τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ· ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε καὶ βλέποντες βλέψετε καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε

Isaiah 6:9 (NETS)

Isaiah 6:9 (English Elpenor)

And he said, “Go, and say to this people: ‘You will listen by listening, but you will not understand, and looking you will look, but you will not perceive’. And he said, Go, and say to this people, Ye shall hear indeed, but ye shall not understand; and ye shall see indeed, but ye shall not perceive.

Isaiah 6:10 (Tanakh)

Isaiah 6:10 (KJV)

Isaiah 6:10 (NET)

Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Make the hearts of these people calloused; make their ears deaf and their eyes blind. Otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, their hearts might understand and they might repent and be healed.”

Isaiah 6:10 (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 6:10 (Septuagint Elpenor)

ἐπαχύνθη γὰρ ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου καὶ τοῗς ὠσὶν αὐτῶν βαρέως ἤκουσαν καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐκάμμυσαν μήποτε ἴδωσιν τοῗς ὀφθαλμοῗς καὶ τοῗς ὠσὶν ἀκούσωσιν καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ συνῶσιν καὶ ἐπιστρέψωσιν καὶ ἰάσομαι αὐτούς ἐπαχύνθη γὰρ ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου, καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν αὐτῶν βαρέως ἤκουσαν καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐκάμμυσαν μήποτε ἴδωσι τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν ἀκούσωσι καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ συνῶσι, καὶ ἐπιστρέψωσι, καὶ ἰάσομαι αὐτούς

Isaiah 6:10 (NETS)

Isaiah 6:10 (English Elpenor)

For this people’s heart has grown fat, and with their ears they have heard heavily, and they have shut their eyes so that they might not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn–and I would heal them.” For the heart of this people has become gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

Matthew 23:13 (NET)

Matthew 23:13 (KJV)

“But woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in. But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

Matthew 23:13 (NET Parallel Greek)

Matthew 23:14 (Stepanus Textus Receptus)

Matthew 23:13 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Οὐαὶ δὲ ὑμῖν, γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι ὑποκριταί, ὅτι κλείετε τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων· ὑμεῖς γὰρ οὐκ εἰσέρχεσθε οὐδὲ τοὺς εἰσερχομένους ἀφίετε εἰσελθεῖν ουαι υμιν γραμματεις και φαρισαιοι υποκριται οτι κλειετε την βασιλειαν των ουρανων εμπροσθεν των ανθρωπων υμεις γαρ ουκ εισερχεσθε ουδε τους εισερχομενους αφιετε εισελθειν ουαι υμιν γραμματεις και φαρισαιοι υποκριται οτι κλειετε την βασιλειαν των ουρανων εμπροσθεν των ανθρωπων υμεις γαρ ουκ εισερχεσθε ουδε τους εισερχομενους αφιετε εισελθειν

Luke 22:51 (NET)

Luke 22:51 (KJV)

But Jesus said, “Enough of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him.

Luke 22:51 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 22:51 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 22:51 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ |ὁ| Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν· ἐᾶτε ἕως τούτου· καὶ ἁψάμενος τοῦ ὠτίου ἰάσατο αὐτόν αποκριθεις δε ο ιησους ειπεν εατε εως τουτου και αψαμενος του ωτιου αυτου ιασατο αυτον οαποκριθεις δε ο ιησους ειπεν εατε εως τουτου και αψαμενος του ωτιου αυτου ιασατο αυτον

Luke 22:35, 36 (NET)

Luke 22:35, 36 (KJV)

Then Jesus said to them, “When I sent you out with no money bag, or traveler’s bag, or sandals, you didn’t lack anything, did you?” They replied, “Nothing.” And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing.

Luke 22:35 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 22:35 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 22:35 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· ὅτε ἀπέστειλα ὑμᾶς ἄτερ βαλλαντίου καὶ πήρας καὶ ὑποδημάτων, μή τινος ὑστερήσατε; οἱ δὲ εἶπαν· οὐθενός και ειπεν αυτοις οτε απεστειλα υμας ατερ βαλαντιου και πηρας και υποδηματων μη τινος υστερησατε οι δε ειπον ουδενος και ειπεν αυτοις οτε απεστειλα υμας ατερ βαλαντιου και πηρας και υποδηματων μη τινος υστερησατε οι δε ειπον ουθενος
He said to them, “But now, the one who has a money bag must take it, and likewise a traveler’s bag too. And the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one. Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.

Luke 22:36 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 22:36 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 22:36 (Byzantine Majority Text)

εἶπεν δὲ αὐτοῖς· ἀλλὰ νῦν ὁ ἔχων βαλλάντιον ἀράτω, ὁμοίως καὶ πήραν, καὶ ὁ μὴ ἔχων πωλησάτω τὸ ἱμάτιον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀγορασάτω μάχαιραν ειπεν ουν αυτοις αλλα νυν ο εχων βαλαντιον αρατω ομοιως και πηραν και ο μη εχων πωλησατω το ιματιον αυτου και αγορασατω μαχαιραν ειπεν ουν αυτοις αλλα νυν ο εχων βαλαντιον αρατω ομοιως και πηραν και ο μη εχων πωλησει το ιματιον αυτου και αγορασει μαχαιραν

Luke 22:38 (NET)

Luke 22:38 (KJV)

So they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” Then he told them, “It is enough.” And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.

Luke 22:38 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 22:38 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 22:38 (Byzantine Majority Text)

οἱ δὲ εἶπαν· κύριε, ἰδοὺ μάχαιραι ὧδε δύο. ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· ἱκανόν ἐστιν οι δε ειπον κυριε ιδου μαχαιραι ωδε δυο ο δε ειπεν αυτοις ικανον εστιν οι δε ειπον κυριε ιδου μαχαιραι ωδε δυο ο δε ειπεν αυτοις ικανον εστιν

John 6:57-59 (NET)

John 6:57-59 (KJV)

Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so the one who consumes me will live because of me. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

John 6:57 (NET Parallel Greek)

John 6:57 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

John 6:57 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καθὼς ἀπέστειλεν με ὁ ζῶν πατὴρ καγὼ ζῶ διὰ τὸν πατέρα, καὶ ὁ τρώγων με κακεῖνος ζήσει δι᾿ ἐμέ καθως απεστειλεν με ο ζων πατηρ καγω ζω δια τον πατερα και ο τρωγων με κακεινος ζησεται δι εμε καθως απεστειλεν με ο ζων πατηρ καγω ζω δια τον πατερα και ο τρωγων με κακεινος ζησεται δι εμε
This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the bread your ancestors ate, but then later died. The one who eats this bread will live forever.” This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

John 6:58 (NET Parallel Greek)

John 6:58 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

John 6:58 (Byzantine Majority Text)

οὗτος ἐστιν ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς, οὐ καθὼς ἔφαγον οἱ πατέρες καὶ ἀπέθανον· ὁ τρώγων τοῦτον τὸν ἄρτον ζήσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ουτος εστιν ο αρτος ο εκ του ουρανου καταβας ου καθως εφαγον οι πατερες υμων το μαννα και απεθανον ο τρωγων τουτον τον αρτον ζησεται εις τον αιωνα ουτος εστιν ο αρτος ο εκ του ουρανου καταβας ου καθως εφαγον οι πατερες υμων το μαννα και απεθανον ο τρωγων τουτον τον αρτον ζησεται εις τον αιωνα
Jesus said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.

John 6:59 (NET Parallel Greek)

John 6:59 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

John 6:59 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Ταῦτα εἶπεν ἐν συναγωγῇ διδάσκων ἐν Καφαρναούμ ταυτα ειπεν εν συναγωγη διδασκων εν καπερναουμ ταυτα ειπεν εν συναγωγη διδασκων εν καπερναουμ

John 6:66 (NET)

John 6:66 (KJV)

After this many of his disciples quit following him and did not accompany him any longer. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

John 6:66 (NET Parallel Greek)

John 6:66 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

John 6:66 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Ἐκ τούτου πολλοὶ [ἐκ] τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ ἀπῆλθον εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω καὶ οὐκέτι μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ περιεπάτουν εκ τουτου πολλοι απηλθον των μαθητων αυτου εις τα οπισω και ουκετι μετ αυτου περιεπατουν εκ τουτου πολλοι απηλθον των μαθητων αυτου εις τα οπισω και ουκετι μετ αυτου περιεπατουν

John 6:65 (NET)

John 6:65 (KJV)

So Jesus added, “Because of this I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has allowed him to come.” And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

John 6:65 (NET Parallel Greek)

John 6:65 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

John 6:65 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ ἔλεγεν· διὰ τοῦτο εἴρηκα ὑμῖν ὅτι οὐδεὶς δύναται ἐλθεῖν πρός με ἐὰν μὴ ᾖ δεδομένον αὐτῷ ἐκ τοῦ πατρός και ελεγεν δια τουτο ειρηκα υμιν οτι ουδεις δυναται ελθειν προς με εαν μη η δεδομενον αυτω εκ του πατρος μου και ελεγεν δια τουτο ειρηκα υμιν οτι ουδεις δυναται ελθειν προς με εαν μη η δεδομενον αυτω εκ του πατρος μου

Matthew 26:26 (NET)

Matthew 26:26 (KJV)

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat, this is my body.” And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

Matthew 26:26 (NET Parallel Greek)

Matthew 26:26 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Matthew 26:26 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Ἐσθιόντων δὲ αὐτῶν λαβὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἄρτον καὶ εὐλογήσας ἔκλασεν καὶ δοὺς τοῖς μαθηταῖς εἶπεν· λάβετε φάγετε, τοῦτο ἐστιν τὸ σῶμα μου εσθιοντων δε αυτων λαβων ο ιησους τον αρτον και ευλογησας εκλασεν και εδιδου τοις μαθηταις και ειπεν λαβετε φαγετε τουτο εστιν το σωμα μου εσθιοντων δε αυτων λαβων ο ιησους τον αρτον και ευχαριστησας εκλασεν και εδιδου τοις μαθηταις και ειπεν λαβετε φαγετε τουτο εστιν το σωμα μου

Mark 14:22 (NET)

Mark 14:22 (KJV)

While they were eating, he took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take it. This is my body.” And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.

Mark 14:22 (NET Parallel Greek)

Mark 14:22 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Mark 14:22 (Byzantine Majority Text)

Καὶ ἐσθιόντων αὐτῶν λαβὼν ἄρτον εὐλογήσας ἔκλασεν καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς καὶ εἶπεν· λάβετε, τοῦτο ἐστιν τὸ σῶμα μου και εσθιοντων αυτων λαβων ο ιησους αρτον ευλογησας εκλασεν και εδωκεν αυτοις και ειπεν λαβετε φαγετε τουτο εστιν το σωμα μου και εσθιοντων αυτων λαβων ο ιησους αρτον ευλογησας εκλασεν και εδωκεν αυτοις και ειπεν λαβετε φαγετε τουτο εστιν το σωμα μου

1 Corinthians 11:24-26 (NET)

1 Corinthians 11:24-26 (KJV)

and after he had given thanks he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

1 Corinthians 11:24 (NET Parallel Greek)

1 Corinthians 11:24 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

1 Corinthians 11:24 (Byzantine Majority Text)

καὶ εὐχαριστήσας ἔκλασεν καὶ εἶπεν· τοῦτο μού ἐστιν τὸ σῶμα τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν· τοῦτο ποιεῖτε εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν ἀνάμνησιν και ευχαριστησας εκλασεν και ειπεν λαβετε φαγετε τουτο μου εστιν το σωμα το υπερ υμων κλωμενον τουτο ποιειτε εις την εμην αναμνησιν και ευχαριστησας εκλασεν και ειπεν λαβετε φαγετε τουτο μου εστιν το σωμα το υπερ υμων κλωμενον τουτο ποιειτε εις την εμην αναμνησιν
In the same way, he also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, every time you drink it, in remembrance of me.” After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

1 Corinthians 11:25 (NET Parallel Greek)

1 Corinthians 11:25 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

1 Corinthians 11:25 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ὡσαύτως καὶ τὸ ποτήριον μετὰ τὸ δειπνῆσαι λέγων· τοῦτο τὸ ποτήριον ἡ καινὴ διαθήκη ἐστὶν ἐν τῷ ἐμῷ αἵματι· τοῦτο ποιεῖτε, ὁσάκις ἐὰν πίνητε, εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν ἀνάμνησιν ωσαυτως και το ποτηριον μετα το δειπνησαι λεγων τουτο το ποτηριον η καινη διαθηκη εστιν εν τω εμω αιματι τουτο ποιειτε οσακις αν πινητε εις την εμην αναμνησιν ωσαυτως και το ποτηριον μετα το δειπνησαι λεγων τουτο το ποτηριον η καινη διαθηκη εστιν εν τω εμω αιματι τουτο ποιειτε οσακις αν πινητε εις την εμην αναμνησιν
For every time you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.

1 Corinthians 11:26 (NET Parallel Greek)

1 Corinthians 11:26 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

1 Corinthians 11:26 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ὁσάκις γὰρ ἐὰν ἐσθίητε τὸν ἄρτον τοῦτον καὶ τὸ ποτήριον πίνητε, τὸν θάνατον τοῦ κυρίου καταγγέλλετε ἄχρι οὗ ἔλθῃ οσακις γαρ αν εσθιητε τον αρτον τουτον και το ποτηριον τουτο πινητε τον θανατον του κυριου καταγγελλετε αχρις ου αν ελθη οσακις γαρ αν εσθιητε τον αρτον τουτον και το ποτηριον τουτο πινητε τον θανατον του κυριου καταγγελλετε αχρις ου αν ελθη

Ephesians 3:13 (NET)

Ephesians 3:13 (KJV)

For this reason I ask you not to lose heart because of what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

Ephesians 3:13 (NET Parallel Greek)

Ephesians 3:13 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Ephesians 3:13 (Byzantine Majority Text)

διὸ αἰτοῦμαι μὴ ἐγκακεῖν ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσιν μου ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, ἥτις ἐστὶν δόξα ὑμῶν διο αιτουμαι μη εκκακειν εν ταις θλιψεσιν μου υπερ υμων ητις εστιν δοξα υμων διο αιτουμαι μη εκκακειν εν ταις θλιψεσιν μου υπερ υμων ητις εστιν δοξα υμων

Luke 11:11, 12 (NET)

Luke 11:11, 12 (KJV)

What father among you, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

Luke 11:11 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 11:11 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 11:11 (Byzantine Majority Text)

τίνα δὲ ἐξ ὑμῶν τὸν πατέρα αἰτήσει ὁ υἱὸς ἰχθύν, |καὶ| ἀντὶ ἰχθύος ὄφιν αὐτῷ ἐπιδώσει τινα δε υμων τον πατερα αιτησει ο υιος αρτον μη λιθον επιδωσει αυτω ει και ιχθυν μη αντι ιχθυος οφιν επιδωσει αυτω τινα δε υμων τον πατερα αιτησει ο υιος αρτον μη λιθον επιδωσει αυτω η και ιχθυν μη αντι ιχθυος οφιν επιδωσει αυτω
Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

Luke 11:12 (NET Parallel Greek)

Luke 11:12 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Luke 11:12 (Byzantine Majority Text)

ἢ καὶ αἰτήσει ᾠόν, ἐπιδώσει αὐτῷ σκορπίον η και εαν αιτηση ωον μη επιδωσει αυτω σκορπιον η και εαν αιτηση ωον μη επιδωσει αυτω σκορπιον

1 John 12:32 (ESV)

2 Luke 13:24, 25a (ESV) Table

4 Matthew 23:13 (ESV)

5 Matthew 12:14 (ESV)

6 John 18:10, 11 (ESV)

8 Luke 22:51b (ESV)

9 Luke 13:24a (ESV) Table

10 John 18:10b (ESV) Table

11 In the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 moneybag (KJV: purse) was spelled βαλλαντίου, and βαλαντιου in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

14 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had the conjunction δὲ (not translated in the NET) following said, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ουν (KJV: Then).

15 In the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 moneybag (KJV: purse) was spelled βαλλαντίου, and βαλαντιου in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

20 1 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV)

21 John 3:6, 7 (ESV)

22 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ζήσει in the active voice here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ζησεται (KJV: shall live) in the middle voice.

24 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had το μαννα (KJV: manna) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

25 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had υμων (KJV: your) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

26 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ζήσει in the active voice here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ζησεται (KJV: shall live) in the middle voice.

29 Mark 10:24b (ESV) Table

30 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἐκ following many. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

31 John 6:66-68 (ESV)

32 John 17:3 (ESV)

33 John 6:44a (ESV) Table

34 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μου (KJV: my) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

35 John 6:65 (ESV)

36 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article τον preceding bread. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

40 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ο ιησους (KJV: Jesus) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

41 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had φαγετε (KJV: eat) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

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

43 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had κλωμενον (KJV: broken) following you. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

46 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τουτο (KJV: this) following cup. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

47 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἄχρι here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αχρις (KJV: till).

48 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αν preceding comes (KJV: come). The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

49 Romans 11:25b (ESV) Table

50 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἐγκακεῖν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εκκακειν (KJV: that ye faint).

51 Ephesians 3:13b (ESV)

52 Ephesians 3:14b (ESV) Table

53 Ephesians 3:16-19 (ESV)

54 Luke 13:24b (ESV) Table

56 The Stephanus Textus Receptus had αρτον μη λιθον επιδωσει αυτω ει (KJV: breadwill he give him a stoneif he ask) here. The Byzantine Majority Text had all of that except for having η at the end rather than ει. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

57 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μη preceding instead of (KJV: for). The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

59 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had αἰτήσει here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αιτηση (KJV: he shall ask).

60 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had μη preceding will give (KJV: will he offer). The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

The New Covenant, Part 3

In an article, “All of America Must Be a Hard Target to Prevent Mass Shootings,” James Pinkerton wrote:

Reacting to an earlier school shooting, former Los Angeles police officer J. Warner Wallace identified four driving causes: “an increase in social media use”; “an increased dependency on prescription medicine”; “an increase in single parent households”; and “a decrease in traditional Christian values,” including, we can add, the belief that bad people go to hell where they are tormented forever. It’s too bad that the idea of hell, just as the notion of evil, has been mostly banished by our secular culture.

This article was written in response to the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

On May 24, 2022, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos fatally shot nineteen students and two teachers, and wounded seventeen other people, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, United States.1

Mr. Ramos didn’t surrender to authorities but fought apparently to the death. If he had been raised with “‘traditional Christian values,’ including…the belief that bad people go to hell where they are tormented forever” would he have feared death more? Would he have feared death enough to dissuade him from shooting 39 people including his grandmother?2 Clearly, I don’t know the answer to those questions, but asking them helps me understand why some would prefer to deprive Mr. Ramos (and everyone else) of weapons that can kill so many so fast.

Fear of death didn’t dissuade Adam and Eve from eating the fruit God had forbidden. Granted, death may have been an abstract concept until Cain killed Abel. The law God gave to Israel added many fearful punishments including death (Exodus 21:12-22:20; Leviticus 7:20-27; 19:5-10; 20:1-9; 24:13-23; 26:14-38) for noncompliance. Israel didn’t keep the law in a way that satisfied God.

People may have been more or less satisfied with the law depending on whether they were victimized by lawbreakers or not. I know none of the children or adults killed or wounded in Uvalde at the Robb Elementary School. I’m more or less satisfied that the laws in Uvalde did what they could. At least, I’m not persuaded that any new laws would help significantly to prevent such killings.

Mr. Ramos seemed willing to die for his cause, whatever he perceived that cause to be.3

Ramos’s social media acquaintances said he openly abused animals such as cats and would livestream the abuse on Yubo.[111] Other social media acquaintances said that he would also livestream himself on Yubo threatening to kidnap and rape girls who used the app, as well as threatening to commit a school shooting.[109] “On May 14, Ramos sent a private Instagram message reading, ’10 more days’. A person responded, ‘Are you going to shoot up a school or something?’ He replied, ‘No, stop asking dumb questions. You’ll see.’

Neither the law nor the fear of death deterred him from his course. At least, no one has reported that he curled up in a fetal position and cried when surrounded by armed men. Perhaps, there were no witnesses by that point.

Paul wrote (Romans 8:3, 4 NET):

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.

This fulfillment of the righteous requirement of the lawin us, whowalk according to the Spirit got short shrift from me when avoiding hell was my hope of “salvation.” Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead to save each of us first and foremost from our sinful selves.

Paul continued (Romans 8:5 NET):

For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped by the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their outlook shaped by the things of the Spirit.

What is born of the flesh is flesh, Jesus told Nicodemus, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must all be born from above.’4

Now the works of the flesh are obvious, Paul wrote, 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!5

For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped by the things of the fleshFor the outlook of the flesh is deathbecause the outlook of the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to the law of God, nor is it able to do so. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.6

You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires,7 Jesus said to those Judeans who had believed him,8 arguably the best of the best at suppressing the sins of the flesh while still in the flesh. I already admitted I didn’t take Jesus seriously here until recently.

I recall when my mother tried to teach me about hell by putting my hand in a gas flame on the stove. She failed. She wasn’t strong enough, whether physically or emotionally, to overcome my resistance.

That sounds obscene without context, but frankly, I don’t remember the context. I probably said or did something that highly offended her. I did that often. She told me many times how often she was surprised by the sinfulness of her precious first born baby boy. This was long after I had said a sinner’s prayer to Jesus to escape hell.

Mom was consistent in her expectation that someone born of God should be different. I see that now. At the time she was up against a religious establishment that defended its religious traditions, and I had said the sinner’s prayer those traditions required. At that time I resented being called sinful. So I lived 65 years before I could or would acknowledge that I in my flesh was from [my] father the devil.

Jesus continued to describe my father and my unwitting relationship to him (John 8:44b-46a NET):

He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature because he is a liar and the father of lies [Table]. But because I am telling you the truth, you do not believe me. Who among you can prove me guilty of any sin? [Table]

Jesus was not some egoist bolstering his own self-esteem by denigrating others. He is God, come to earth as a human being to, among other things, teach us what we did not understand, what we refused to understand, about ourselves (John 8:46b, 47 NET).

If I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me [Table]? The one who belongs to God listens and responds to God’s words. You don’t listen and respond because you don’t belong to God.

I hear this as a relative measure. For I know that nothing good lives in me, Paul wrote, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do the good, but I cannot do it.9 Even here, though, Paul recognized God’s law as the good (Romans 7:10b-12 NET):

So10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life brought death! For sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it I died. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.

Now one of the experts in the law came and heard them [Pharisees and HerodiansSadducees (who say there is no resurrection)] debating (Mark 12:28-34a NET).

When he saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is: ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength[Table]. The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” The expert in the law said to him, “That is true, Teacher; you are right to say that he is one, and there is no one else besides him. And to love him with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices” [Table]. When Jesus saw that he had answered thoughtfully, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

Paul continued (Romans 7:13-17 NET):

Did that which is good, then, become11 death to me? Absolutely not! But sin, so that it would be shown to be sin, produced death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual—but I am unspiritual (KJV: carnal), sold into slavery to sin [Table]. For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I do not do what I want—instead, I do what I hate. But if I do what I don’t want, I agree that the law is good. But now it is no longer me doing it, but sin that lives in me [Table].

I wasn’t so clear. The good was what I wanted, irrespective of God’s law. My faith in this understanding of the good reached its zenith when I became an atheist, but it didn’t vanish overnight. God’s laws were added more or less reluctantly over time to my understanding of the good as what I wanted, but still may not have entirely supplanted it on a day-to-day basis.

While I might have seen some benefit to a law that inhibits you from messing around with my wife, if I wanted yours more than you did and she wanted me more than you, I was kind of fuzzy why you or God should interfere with the good we wanted. So, I “loved” and lusted after a friend’s wife for twenty years.

To Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength’ [Table] was a tall order when I thought of love as my feeling. It was all but impossible when I thought of the Gospel as an ultimatum: “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ or burn in hell for all eternity.” Socialized as a male American after Adolf Hitler’s death, during the reigns of Chairman Mao and Nikita Khrushchev anyone who made such an ultimatum was not one to be loved, but someone to be resisted to the death.

A better understanding of love (1 Corinthians 13) helped me to begin to love God. Even when I thought Paul’s description of love was rules for me to obey in my own strength, it gave me more practical things to do than trying to conjure a feeling of love. When I began to understand Paul’s description as God’s love, given freely to us as an aspect of the fruit of his Holy Spirit, everything began to change for the better. I began, in fact, to be born from above in practice.

For no good tree bears bad fruit, Jesus taught, nor again12 does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from brambles. The good person out of the good treasury of his13 heart produces good, and the evil person14 out of his evil treasury15 produces evil, for his mouth speaks from what fills16 his17 heart.18

I didn’t know Mr. Ramos. I know the fruit of the Spirit through the word of God and personal experience. Mr. Ramos was not led by God’s own love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control when he shot 39 people. You people are from your father the devil, Jesus warned, and you want to do what your father desires. He was a murderer from the beginning19

United States Congressmen take an oath of office:20

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”

Members of the U.S. Congress have forsworn themselves to enact legislation to infringe “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms.”21 And the President of the United States, who made a similar oath,22 signed that legislation.23 Mr. Ramos’ acts of political terrorism have apparently succeeded where others have failed. Was this his conscious purpose and cause? I have no way of knowing.

Jesus warned us of a powerful liar and murderer who incites people to obey his will (John 8:44b, 44a NET):

He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature because he is a liar and the father of lies.

You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires.

Do not be amazed that I said to you, Jesus said, ‘You must all be born from above.’24

As I wrote this essay the Supreme Court of the United States of America barely affirmed the rather obvious fact that no right of abortion is mentioned in the document that constitutes the federal government of the United States. What impact might this tepid affirmation have on those who want a right of abortion, who want to destroy their unborn children, who want me (among others) to consider them righteous if they do so? I don’t know.

Considering the question, however, helps to confirm for me the relative futility of political action vis-a-vis the privilege of sharing the good news that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost (πρῶτος).25 In other words, God in Christ has done all the heavy lifting to save sinners like you and me from our sinful selves. Know Him. [T]his is eternal life,26 Jesus prayed.

Look, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will complete a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.

It will not be like the covenant that I made with their fathers, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant and I had no regard for them, says the Lord.

For this is the covenant that I will establish with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds, and I will inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be my people.

And there will be no need at all for each one to teach his countryman or each one to teach his brother saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ since they will all know me, from the least to the greatest.

For I will be merciful toward their evil deeds, and their sins I will remember no longer” [Table].27

Tables comparing Romans 7:13; Luke 6:43 and 6:45 in the NET and KJV follow.

Romans 7:13 (NET)

Romans 7:13 (KJV)

Did that which is good, then, become death to me? Absolutely not! But sin, so that it would be shown to be sin, produced death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

Τὸ οὖν ἀγαθὸν ἐμοὶ ἐγένετο θάνατος; μὴ γένοιτο· ἀλλὰ ἡ ἁμαρτία, ἵνα φανῇ ἁμαρτία, διὰ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ μοι κατεργαζομένη θάνατον, ἵνα γένηται καθ᾿ ὑπερβολὴν ἁμαρτωλὸς ἡ ἁμαρτία διὰ τῆς ἐντολῆς το ουν αγαθον εμοι γεγονεν θανατος μη γενοιτο αλλα η αμαρτια ινα φανη αμαρτια δια του αγαθου μοι κατεργαζομενη θανατον ινα γενηται καθ υπερβολην αμαρτωλος η αμαρτια δια της εντολης το ουν αγαθον εμοι γεγονεν θανατος μη γενοιτο αλλα η αμαρτια ινα φανη αμαρτια δια του αγαθου μοι κατεργαζομενη θανατον ινα γενηται καθ υπερβολην αμαρτωλος η αμαρτια δια της εντολης

Luke 6:43 (NET)

Luke 6:43 (KJV)

For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν δένδρον καλὸν ποιοῦν καρπὸν σαπρόν, οὐδὲ πάλιν δένδρον σαπρὸν ποιοῦν καρπὸν καλόν ου γαρ εστιν δενδρον καλον ποιουν καρπον σαπρον ουδε δενδρον σαπρον ποιουν καρπον καλον ου γαρ εστιν δενδρον καλον ποιουν καρπον σαπρον ουδε δενδρον σαπρον ποιουν καρπον καλον

Luke 6:45 (NET)

Luke 6:45 (KJV)

The good person out of the good treasury of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasury produces evil, for his mouth speaks from what fills his heart. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

ὁ ἀγαθὸς ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ θησαυροῦ τῆς καρδίας προφέρει τὸ ἀγαθόν, καὶ ὁ πονηρὸς ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ προφέρει τὸ πονηρόν· ἐκ γὰρ περισσεύματος καρδίας λαλεῖ τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ ο αγαθος ανθρωπος εκ του αγαθου θησαυρου της καρδιας αυτου προφερει το αγαθον και ο πονηρος ανθρωπος εκ του πονηρου θησαυρου της καρδιας αυτου προφερει το πονηρον εκ γαρ του περισσευματος της καρδιας λαλει το στομα αυτου ο αγαθος ανθρωπος εκ του αγαθου θησαυρου της καρδιας αυτου προφερει το αγαθον και ο πονηρος ανθρωπος εκ του πονηρου θησαυρου της καρδιας αυτου προφερει το πονηρον εκ γαρ του περισσευματος της καρδιας λαλει το στομα αυτου

2Robb Elementary School shooting,” Wikipedia: “Earlier in the day, he shot his grandmother in the forehead at home, severely wounding her.”

4 John 3:6, 7 (NET)

5 Galatians 5:19-21 (NET) Table

6 Romans 8:5-8 (NET)

7 John 8:44a (NET) Table

8 John 8:31a (NET)

9 Romans 7:18 (NET) Table

10 In the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 verse 10 begins with ἐγὼ δὲ ἀπέθανον (NET: and I died). These words conclude verse 9 in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

15 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had θησαυρου της καρδιας αυτου (KJV: treasure of his heart) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

16 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article του preceding what fills (KJV: abundance). The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

17 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article της preceding heart. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

18 Luke 6:43-45 (NET)

19 John 8:44a (NET) Table

21 The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

24 John 3:7 (NET)

25 1 Timothy 1:15b (ESV)

26 John 17:3 (NET)

27 Hebrews 8:8b-12 (NET) [See Greek comparison tables]

Isaiah 53:10-12, Part 11

This is a continuation of a consideration of the differences between the Masoretic text and the Septuagint, a translation of the Hebrew before Israel rejected Jesus as Messiah. 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) Table

Isaiah 53:11a (Elpenor English)

and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand (בְּיָד֥וֹ). and the Lord’s purpose will be accomplished through him (yāḏ, בידו). And the Lord wishes to take away (ἀφελεῗν) the Lord also is pleased to take away (ἀφελεῖν) from

I had begun to consider other occurrences of forms ἀφαιρέω (Table) in Isaiah to get a feel for any potential relationship between ἀφελεῖν (a form of ἀφαιρέω) and בְּיָד֥וֹ (yāḏ). Since a form of ἀφαιρέω was the translation of a form of סוּר (sûr) in two of the three examples I considered in another essay,1 I’ve continued with those occurrences in Isaiah.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Isaiah 18:5 (Tanakh/KJV)

Isaiah 18:5 (NET)

Isaiah 18:5 (NETS)

Isaiah 18:5 (Elpenor English)

For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away (הֵסִ֥יר) and cut down the branches. For before the harvest, when the bud has sprouted and the ripening fruit appears, he will cut off the unproductive shoots with pruning knives; he will prune the tendrils [Note 13: the tendrils he will remove (sûr, הסיר), he will cut off]. Before the harvest, when the blossom has been completed and the unripe grape blossoms—a grape-bearing blossom—then he will take away (ἀφελεῗ) the little clusters with pruning hooks and take away (ἀφελεῗ) the small branches and cut them off Before the reaping time, when the flower has been completely formed, and the unripe grape has put forth its flower and blossomed, then shall he take away (ἀφελεῖ) the little clusters with pruning-hooks, and shall take away (ἀφελεῖ) the small branches, and cut them off;

This seems to be an example of one instance of הֵסִ֥יר (sûr) translated with two instances of ἀφελεῖ (a form of ἀφαιρέω) because of the Hebrew word וְכָרַ֚ת (kāraṯ), translated he shall both cut off (Tanakh, KJV). I won’t spend time here to try to confirm it with other examples.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Isaiah 25:8 (Tanakh/KJV)

Isaiah 25:8 (NET)

Isaiah 25:8 (NETS)

Isaiah 25:8 (Elpenor English)

He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away (וּמָחָ֨ה) tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away (יָסִיר֙) from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. he will swallow up death permanently. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away (māḥâ, ומחה) the tears from every face, and remove (sûr, יסיר) his people’s disgrace from all the earth. Indeed, the Lord has announced it! Death, having prevailed, swallowed them up, and God has again taken away (ἀφεῗλεν) every tear from every face; the disgrace of the people he has taken away (ἀφεῗλεν) from all the earth, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Death has prevailed and swallowed [men] up; but again the Lord God has taken away (ἀφεῖλε) every tear from every face. He has taken away (ἀφεῖλεν) the reproach of [his] people from all the earth: for the mouth off the Lord has spoken it.

Here both וּמָחָ֨ה (māḥâ) and יָסִיר֙ (sûr) were translated ἀφεῖλε(ν) and ἀφεῗλεν (a form of ἀφαιρέω) in the Septuagint. According to a note (33) in the NET Paul quoted Isaiah 25:8, “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”2 The table below compares Paul’s Greek to that of the Septuagint.

1 Corinthians 15:54b (NET Parallel Greek)

Isaiah 25:8a (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 25:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)

κατεπόθη ὁ θάνατος εἰς νῖκος κατέπιεν ὁ θάνατος ἰσχύσας κατέπιεν ὁ θάνατος ἰσχύσας

1 Corinthians 15:54b (NET)

Isaiah 25:8 (NETS)

Isaiah 25:8 (English Elpenor)

Death has been swallowed up in victory.” Death, having prevailed, swallowed them up Death has prevailed and swallowed [men] up

Perhaps κατεπόθη ὁ θάνατος εἰς νῖκος (Death has been swallowed up in victory) was a popular saying (λόγος), a summation of the first two clauses of Hosea 13:14 alluding to the καταπίνω imagery (“to drink down, swallow, gulp”) of Isaiah 28:5. As death has swallowed up the living, the living God will swallow up death through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:54b (NET Parallel Greek)

Hosea 13:14a (Septuagint BLB)

Hosea 13:14a (Septuagint Elpenor)

κατεπόθη ὁ θάνατος εἰς νῖκος ἐκ χειρὸς ᾅδου ῥύσομαι αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐκ θανάτου λυτρώσομαι αὐτούς ἐκ χειρὸς ᾅδου ῥύσομαι καὶ ἐκ θανάτου λυτρώσομαι αὐτούς

1 Corinthians 15:54b (NET)

Hosea 13:14a (NETS)

Hosea 13:14a (English Elpenor)

Death has been swallowed up in victory.” I shall rescue them from the hand of Hades and shall redeem them from Death. I will deliver [them] out of the power of Hades, and will redeem them from death:

1 Corinthians 15:55 (NET Parallel Greek)

Hosea 13:14b (Septuagint BLB)

Hosea 13:14b (Septuagint Elpenor)

ποῦ σου, θάνατε, τὸ νῖκος;3 ποῦ σου, θάνατε, τὸ κέντρον ποῦ δίκη σου θάνατε ποῦ τὸ κέντρον σου ᾅδη ποῦ δίκη σου, θάνατε; ποῦ τὸ κέντρον σου, ᾅδη

1 Corinthians 15:55 (NET)

Hosea 13:14b (NETS)

Hosea 13:14b (English Elpenor)

Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” O Death, where is your sentence? O Hades, where is your goad? where is thy penalty, O death? O Hades, where is thy sting?

Regardless, the rabbis who translated the Septuagint didn’t understand the first clause of Isaiah 25:8 in the same way that more contemporary translators have translated the Hebrew of the Masoretic text.

Isaiah 25:8a (Tanakh/KJV from the Masoretic text)

Isaiah 25:8a (NETS from the Septuagint)

He will swallow up death in victory; Death, having prevailed, swallowed them up,

Does this mean that the Hebrew text the rabbis translated was different from that in the Masoretic text? It’s hard to say. The NET translation of Hosea 13:14 leads me to believe that even the Hebrew of the Masoretic text is open to interpretation.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Hosea 13:14 (Tanakh/KJV)

Hosea 13:14 (NET)

Hosea 13:14 (NETS)

Hosea 13:14 (Elpenor English)

I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. Will I deliver them from the power of Sheol? No, I will not! Will I redeem them from death? No, I will not! O Death, bring on your plagues! O Sheol, bring on your destruction! My eyes will not show any compassion! I shall rescue them from the hand of Hades and shall redeem them from Death. O Death, where is your sentence? O Hades, where is your goad? Comfort is hidden from my eyes. I will deliver [them] out of the power of Hades, and will redeem them from death: where is thy penalty, O death? O Hades, where is thy sting? comfort is hidden from mine eyes.

This kind of complexity is frustrating to anyone living a timed life. I certainly live a timed life, traveling on airplanes to various cities to record conference sessions that happen in various locations at various times on media that will only hold a fixed amount of data. But I also live an eternal life, knowing the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [He] sent.4 I can trust Him—to unfold, to uncover, to reveal the things that frustrate or confuse me—with that continuous supply of his own peace, patience and faithfulness. Jesus said (Matthew 7:7, 8 NET)

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

My ten years’ association with the study of Geology, first as a student taking courses then as a teaching assistant helping other students learn field techniques for identifying rocks and minerals, helped me see the sediments deposited by a great flood in the Grand Canyon. Standing on the north rim I could almost feel the uplift of the kaibab plateau and the rapid recession of flood waters that carved out most of the features of the Grand Canyon through relatively unconsolidated sediments. On the drive back down to St. Louis I saw for the first time that grander canyon known as the Mississippi valley. And as I recalled the similarity of sedimentary rock strata on the east coast of South America and the west coast of Africa I perceived the grandest canyon of all, called the Atlantic Ocean, though my mind still boggles at the power that created it.

Clearly, I didn’t learn what I was expected to learn. My instructors preferred to deliberately suppress this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water and by means of water. Through these things the world existing at that time was destroyed when it was deluged with water.5

Peter’s point in this portion of his letter was that by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, by being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.6 [T]he heavens will disappear with a horrific noise, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze.7 This destruction of the universe (or at least this solar system) makes space for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness truly resides.8

In answer to a question why this hasn’t happened yet (2 Peter 3:3, 4), Peter replied, The Lordis being patient toward you because he does not wish (βουλόμενός, a form of βούλομαι) for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.9 His wish corresponds to the way Jesus pictured death and Hades (Luke 16:19-31): as the opportunity and space for rich and poor alike to focus their attention on the Bible, something they may have ignored or been completely ignorant of during their lives here.

Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death10—the lake of fire.11 I admit I’ve thought of Death and Hades here as euphemisms for those who have died and those who reside in the place of the dead respectively. Now I’m more willing to consider that it is the very concepts Death and Hades (as the place of the dead) which will be done away with. They become superfluous once every knee has bowed and every tongue confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:5-11).

Paul wrote (Philippians 2:10, 11 NET):

…so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

The Greek word translated will bow above was not κάμψουσιν, the future tense indicative form of κάμπτω. It was κάμψῃ in the aorist tense and subjunctive mood. Likewise, the Greek word translated confess was not ἐξομολογήσεται, the future tense indicative form of ἐξομολογέω (Romans 14:11). It was ἐξομολογήσηται in the aorist tense and subjunctive mood. This is part of the intrigue of translating Koine Greek into English.

Ordinarily, the subjunctive mood would be translated something like “every knee may bow” and “every tongue may confess.” That’s what someone who already knows Greek would expect. Of course, someone who already knows Greek probably also knows that “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.”

Here “every knee may bow” and “every tongue may confess” are clearly the result of Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:6-8 NET):

who, though he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature [Table]. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross!

And (Philippians 2:9, 10a NET):

As a result God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that (ἵνα) at the name of Jesus…

And here, apparently, the translators of the NET wanted even those who do not already know Koine Greek to know how certain Paul was of this outcome (Philippians 2:10b, 11 NET):

every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

The Lord’s wishfor all to come to repentance isn’t given this much credence in the religious circles I inhabit. But there are six other undisputed12 occurrences of βουλόμενος in the New Testament to consider: Because he wanted (βουλόμενος) to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas for them.13 Because the Roman commander in Jerusalem wanted (βουλόμενος) to know the true reason Paul was being accused by14 the Jews, he released him15 and ordered the chief priests and the whole16 council17 to assemble.18 He then brought Paul down and had him stand before them.19 When he learned of a plot to kill Paul the Roman commander sent him to the Governor Felix with a letter describing his actions (Acts 23:28 NET):

Since20 I wanted (βουλόμενος) to know21 what charge they were accusing him of, I brought him22 down to their council.

God wanted (βουλόμενος) to demonstrate more clearly to the heirs of the promise that his purpose was unchangeableso he intervened with an oath.23 In each instance quoted above one with power and authority acted to satisfy his βουλόμενος.

When the ship carrying Paul as a prisoner to Rome began to sink (Acts 27:42, 43 NET):

…the soldiers’ plan (βουλὴ) was to kill the prisoners so that none of them would escape24 by swimming away. But the centurion, wanting (βουλόμενος) to save Paul’s life, prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard25 first and get to land.

It was not the relative strengths of the Greek words (βουλὴ vs. βουλόμενος) that carried the day, but the centurion’s authority over his soldiers. Likewise, WhenHerod planned (βουλόμενος) to bring [Peter] out for public trial after the Passover,26 there is every reason to believe he would have carried out his βουλόμενος if he had not been thwarted by a higher power with greater authority (Acts 12:6-11).

Knowing this, I can’t stand before the judgment seat of Christ, look Him in the eye and say to his face, “Your wish for all to come to repentance will never happen.” I’m all in, on Him, his power and his authority because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

Tables comparing Isaiah 18:5; 25:8 and Hosea 13:14 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and comparing the Greek of Isaiah 18:5; 25:8 and Hosea 13:14 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables comparing 1 Corinthians 15:55; Revelation 20:14; 2 Corinthians 1:17; Acts 22:30; 23:28 and 27:42, 43 in the NET and KJV follow.

Isaiah 18:5 (Tanakh)

Isaiah 18:5 (KJV)

Isaiah 18:5 (NET)

For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches. For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches. For before the harvest, when the bud has sprouted and the ripening fruit appears, he will cut off the unproductive shoots with pruning knives; he will prune the tendrils.

Isaiah 18:5 (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 18:5 (Septuagint Elpenor)

πρὸ τοῦ θερισμοῦ ὅταν συντελεσθῇ ἄνθος καὶ ὄμφαξ ἀνθήσῃ ἄνθος ὀμφακίζουσα καὶ ἀφελεῗ τὰ βοτρύδια τὰ μικρὰ τοῗς δρεπάνοις καὶ τὰς κληματίδας ἀφελεῗ καὶ κατακόψει πρὸ τοῦ θερισμοῦ, ὅταν συντελεσθῇ ἄνθος καὶ ὄμφαξ ἐξανθήσῃ ἄνθος ὀμφακίζουσα, καὶ ἀφελεῖ τὰ βοτρύδια τὰ μικρὰ τοῖς δρεπάνοις καὶ τὰς κληματίδας ἀφελεῖ καὶ ἀποκόψει

Isaiah 18:5 (NETS)

Isaiah 18:5 (English Elpenor)

Before the harvest, when the blossom has been completed and the unripe grape blossoms—a grape-bearing blossom—then he will take away the little clusters with pruning hooks and take away the small branches and cut them off Before the reaping time, when the flower has been completely formed, and the unripe grape has put forth its flower and blossomed, then shall he take away the little clusters with pruning-hooks, and shall take away the small branches, and cut them off;

Isaiah 25:8 (Tanakh)

Isaiah 25:8 (KJV)

Isaiah 25:8 (NET)

He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. he will swallow up death permanently. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from every face, and remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. Indeed, the Lord has announced it!

Isaiah 25:8 (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 25:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)

κατέπιεν ὁ θάνατος ἰσχύσας καὶ πάλιν ἀφεῗλεν ὁ θεὸς πᾶν δάκρυον ἀπὸ παντὸς προσώπου τὸ ὄνειδος τοῦ λαοῦ ἀφεῗλεν ἀπὸ πάσης τῆς γῆς τὸ γὰρ στόμα κυρίου ἐλάλησεν κατέπιεν ὁ θάνατος ἰσχύσας, καὶ πάλιν ἀφεῖλε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς πᾶν δάκρυον ἀπὸ παντὸς προσώπου· τὸ ὄνειδος τοῦ λαοῦ ἀφεῖλεν ἀπὸ πάσης τῆς γῆς, τὸ γὰρ στόμα Κυρίου ἐλάλησε

Isaiah 25:8 (NETS)

Isaiah 25:8 (English Elpenor)

Death, having prevailed, swallowed them up, and God has again taken away every tear from every face; the disgrace of the people he has taken away from all the earth, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Death has prevailed and swallowed [men] up; but again the Lord God has taken away every tear from every face. He has taken away the reproach of [his] people from all the earth: for the mouth off the Lord has spoken it.

Hosea 13:14 (Tanakh)

Hosea 13:14 (KJV)

Hosea 13:14 (NET)

I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. Will I deliver them from the power of Sheol? No, I will not! Will I redeem them from death? No, I will not! O Death, bring on your plagues! O Sheol, bring on your destruction! My eyes will not show any compassion!

Hosea 13:14 (Septuagint BLB)

Hosea 13:14 (Septuagint Elpenor)

ἐκ χειρὸς ᾅδου ῥύσομαι αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐκ θανάτου λυτρώσομαι αὐτούς ποῦ ἡ δίκη σου θάνατε ποῦ τὸ κέντρον σου ᾅδη παράκλησις κέκρυπται ἀπὸ ὀφθαλμῶν μου ἐκ χειρὸς ᾅδου ῥύσομαι καὶ ἐκ θανάτου λυτρώσομαι αὐτούς, ποῦ ἡ δίκη σου, θάνατε; ποῦ τὸ κέντρον σου, ᾅδη; παράκλησις κέκρυπται ἀπὸ ὀφθαλμῶν μου,

Hosea 13:14 (NETS)

Hosea 13:14 (English Elpenor)

I shall rescue them from the hand of Hades and shall redeem them from Death. O Death, where is your sentence? O Hades, where is your goad? Comfort is hidden from my eyes. I will deliver [them] out of the power of Hades, and will redeem them from death: where is thy penalty, O death? O Hades, where is thy sting? comfort is hidden from mine eyes.

1 Corinthians 15:55 (NET)

1 Corinthians 15:55 (KJV)

Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

ποῦ σου, θάνατε, τὸ νῖκος; ποῦ σου, θάνατε, τὸ κέντρον που σου θανατε το κεντρον που σου αδη το νικος που σου θανατε το κεντρον που σου αδη το νικος

Revelation 20:14 (NET)

Revelation 20:14 (KJV)

Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

καὶ ὁ θάνατος καὶ ὁ ᾅδης ἐβλήθησαν εἰς τὴν λίμνην τοῦ πυρός. οὗτος θάνατος ὁ δεύτερος ἐστιν, λίμνη τοῦ πυρός και ο θανατος και ο αδης εβληθησαν εις την λιμνην του πυρος ουτος εστιν ο δευτερος θανατος και ο θανατος και ο αδης εβληθησαν εις την λιμνην του πυρος ουτος ο θανατος ο δευτερος εστιν η λιμνη του πυρος

2 Corinthians 1:17 (NET)

2 Corinthians 1:17 (KJV)

Therefore when I was planning to do this, I did not do so without thinking about what I was doing, did I? Or do I make my plans according to mere human standards so that I would be saying both “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay?

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

τοῦτο οὖν βουλόμενος μήτι ἄρα τῇ ἐλαφρίᾳ ἐχρησάμην; ἢ ἃ βουλεύομαι κατὰ σάρκα βουλεύομαι, ἵνα ᾖ παρ᾿ ἐμοὶ τὸ ναὶ ναὶ καὶ τὸ οὒ οὔ τουτο ουν βουλευομενος μη τι αρα τη ελαφρια εχρησαμην η α βουλευομαι κατα σαρκα βουλευομαι ινα η παρ εμοι το ναι ναι και το ου ου τουτο ουν βουλευομενος μη τι αρα τη ελαφρια εχρησαμην η α βουλευομαι κατα σαρκα βουλευομαι ινα η παρ εμοι το ναι ναι και το ου ου

Acts 22:30 (NET)

Acts 22:30 (KJV)

The next day, because the commanding officer wanted to know the true reason Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole council to assemble. He then brought Paul down and had him stand before them. On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

Τῇ δὲ ἐπαύριον βουλόμενος γνῶναι τὸ ἀσφαλές, τὸ τί κατηγορεῖται ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἔλυσεν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐκέλευσεν συνελθεῖν τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ πᾶν τὸ συνέδριον, καὶ καταγαγὼν τὸν Παῦλον ἔστησεν εἰς αὐτούς τη δε επαυριον βουλομενος γνωναι το ασφαλες το τι κατηγορειται παρα των ιουδαιων ελυσεν αυτον απο των δεσμων και εκελευσεν ελθειν τους αρχιερεις και ολον το συνεδριον αυτων και καταγαγων τον παυλον εστησεν εις αυτους τη δε επαυριον βουλομενος γνωναι το ασφαλες το τι κατηγορειται παρα των ιουδαιων ελυσεν αυτον απο των δεσμων και εκελευσεν ελθειν τους αρχιερεις και ολον το συνεδριον αυτων και καταγαγων τον παυλον εστησεν εις αυτους

Acts 23:28 (NET)

Acts 23:28 (KJV)

Since I wanted to know what charge they were accusing him of, I brought him down to their council. And when I would have known the cause wherefore they accused him, I brought him forth into their council:

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

βουλόμενος τε ἐπιγνῶναι τὴν αἰτίαν δι᾿ ἣν ἐνεκάλουν αὐτῷ, |κατήγαγον εἰς τὸ συνέδριον αὐτῶν| βουλομενος δε γνωναι την αιτιαν δι ην ενεκαλουν αυτω κατηγαγον αυτον εις το συνεδριον αυτων βουλομενος δε γνωναι την αιτιαν δι ην ενεκαλουν αυτω κατηγαγον αυτον εις το συνεδριον αυτων

Acts 27:42, 43 (NET)

Acts 27:42, 43 (KJV)

Now the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners so that none of them would escape by swimming away. And the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

Τῶν δὲ στρατιωτῶν βουλὴ ἐγένετο ἵνα τοὺς δεσμώτας ἀποκτείνωσιν, μή τις ἐκκολυμβήσας διαφύγῃ των δε στρατιωτων βουλη εγενετο ινα τους δεσμωτας αποκτεινωσιν μη τις εκκολυμβησας διαφυγοι των δε στρατιωτων βουλη εγενετο ινα τους δεσμωτας αποκτεινωσιν μη τις εκκολυμβησας διαφυγη
But the centurion, wanting to save Paul’s life, prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land, But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land:

NET Parallel Greek

Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text

ὁ δὲ ἑκατοντάρχης βουλόμενος διασῶσαι τὸν Παῦλον ἐκώλυσεν αὐτοὺς τοῦ βουλήματος, ἐκέλευσεν τε τοὺς δυναμένους κολυμβᾶν ἀπορίψαντας πρώτους ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἐξιέναι ο δε εκατονταρχος βουλομενος διασωσαι τον παυλον εκωλυσεν αυτους του βουληματος εκελευσεν τε τους δυναμενους κολυμβαν απορριψαντας πρωτους επι την γην εξιεναι ο δε εκατονταρχος βουλομενος διασωσαι τον παυλον εκωλυσεν αυτους του βουληματος εκελευσεν τε τους δυναμενους κολυμβαν απορριψαντας πρωτους επι την γην εξιεναι

2 1 Corinthians 15:54b (NET)

4 John 17:3b (NET)

5 2 Peter 3:5, 6 (NET)

6 2 Peter 3:7 (NET) Table

7 2 Peter 3:10b (NET) Table

8 2 Peter 3:13 (NET)

9 2 Peter 3:9 (NET) Table

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

11 Revelation 20:14 (NET) The NET parallel Greek text, NA28 and Byzantine Majority Text had λίμνη τοῦ πυρός here. The Stephanus Textus Receptus did not.

12 In the NET parallel Greek text and NA28 planning to do (NET) was βουλόμενος, but in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text When Iwasminded was βουλευομενος.

13 Mark 15:15a (NET)

14 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ὑπὸ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had παρα (KJV: of).

15 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had απο των δεσμων (KJV: from his bands) following released him (KJV: loosed him). The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

16 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had πᾶν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ολον (KJV: all).

17 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αυτων (KJV: their) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

19 Acts 22:30 (NET)

20 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had τε here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had δε (KJV: And).

23 Hebrews 6:17 (NET)

25 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had ἀπορίψαντας here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had απορριψαντας (KJV: should cast themselves…into the sea).

26 Acts 12:4b (NET)