3 John, Part 2

Posted on July 6, 2025 by admin

This is a continuation of my notes on 3 John for the preaching class I’m taking. One feature of a sermon introduction is to “establish the context of the passage.” I have my own sketchy ideas about the historical context of 3 John, but would prefer to “establish the context” from John’s writings instead (Revelation 19:11-16 ESV).

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God [Table]. And the armies¹ of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on² white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury³ of the wrath of God the Almighty [Table]. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name⁴ written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

The Greek is: Καὶ εἶδον τὸν οὐρανὸν ἠνεῳγμένον, Then I saw heaven opened, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἵππος λευκός, and behold, a white horse! καὶ ὁ καθήμενος ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν, The one sitting on it (literally “and the one sitting on him”), [καλούμενος] |πιστὸς| καὶ ἀληθινός, is called Faithful and True (or “is called faithful and truthful”), καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ κρίνει, and in righteousness he judges (or “and by means of righteousness He judges”), καὶ πολεμεῖ, and makes war; οἱ δὲ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ [ὡς] φλὸξ πυρός, His eyes like a flame of fire, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ διαδήματα πολλά, and on his head many diadems, ἔχων ὄνομα γεγραμμένον ὃ οὐδεὶς οἶδεν εἰ μὴ αὐτός, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself (or “having a name written that no one has seen except himself”).

The Greek verb translated knows was οἶδεν, a form of εἴδω in the perfect tense, rather than ἔγνωκε(ν), a form of γινώσκω. It feels like a deliberate word choice to accentuate the more visual aspect of knowing inherent in εἴδω. John’s vision continued: καὶ περιβεβλημένος ἱμάτιον |βεβαμμένον| αἵματι, He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, καὶ κέκληται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, and the name by which he is called is (or “and He was named his name”), ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ, The Word of God.

The ESV translators understood τὸ ὄνομα in the nominative case as the subject of the clause. In my alternative version I understood it as the direct object in the accusative case. The difference seems inconsequential to me. The received texts had καλειται, a middle/passive form of καλέω in the present tense, where the critical text had κέκληται in the perfect tense. It is difficult to determine which verb the ESV translators encountered (ESV: he is called) since they also translated περιβεβλημένος, a participle of περιβάλλω (also in the perfect tense) He is clothed, along with οἶδεν, translated knows. But again, the difference seems inconsequential.

The basic thought of the perfect tense is that the progress of an action has been completed and the results of the action are continuing on, in full effect. In other words, the progress of the action has reached its culmination and the finished results are now in existence. Unlike the English perfect, which indicates a completed past action, the Greek perfect tense indicates the continuation and present state of a completed past action.⁵

Understanding καὶ κέκληται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ as “and He was named his name” leads me to suspect that ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ (The Word of God) was the “name written that no one has seen (or ‘known’) except himself.” For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, Jesus promised, nor is anything secret that will not⁶ be known⁷ and come to light.⁸

By comparing occurrences of λόγος to occurrences of θεοῦ I found eleven other examples (see Table below) of the phrase ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ (the word of God) in the New Testament. None of them seem to be a personal name, with the possible exception of another example penned by John (1 John 2:14 ESV).

I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God (ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ) abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

Even if John alluded to Jesus abiding with the young men through his indwelling Holy Spirit, it would not exclude Jesus’ teaching or the written word of God. By comparing occurrences of λόγος to occurrences of θεοῦ in the Septuagint, I found one example of λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ in the Greek translation of the Old Testament.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Jeremiah 1:2 (Tanakh/KJV)	Jeremiah 1:2 (NET)	Jeremiah 1:2 (NETS)	Jeremiah 1:2 (English Elpenor)
To whom the word (דְבַר) of the LORD (יְהֹוָה֙) came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.	The Lord’s (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) message (dāḇār, דבר) came to him in the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon ruled over Judah.	a word (λόγος) of God (τοῦ θεοῦ) which came to him in the days of King Iosias son of Amos of Iouda, in the thirteenth year of his reign.	[accordingly] as the word (λόγος) of God (τοῦ Θεοῦ) came to him in the days of Josias son of Amos king of Juda, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

This was unusual. The Hebrew phrase was usually translated λόγος κυρίου (see Table below). The NET translation, the Lord’s message, though not as literal as the word of the Lord, is fairly accurate. The name ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ (The Word of God) is revealed for the first time in:

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John…⁹

John described Jesus in the majestic opening of his Gospel narrative in the light of this revelation of his name: The Word of God (John 1:1-5 ESV):

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The Greek is: Ἐν ἀρχῇ, In the beginning, ἦν ὁ λόγος, was the Word, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, and the Word was with God, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος, and the Word was God (or “and God was the Word); οὗτος ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεόν, He was in the beginning with God (or “this was in the beginning with God,” e.g., “this is the way it was in the beginning with God”); πάντα δι᾿ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, All through him were made, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν ὃ γέγονεν, and without him was not any thing made that was made (or “and without Him was made nothing which existed and continues to exist”); ἐν αὐτῷ ζωὴ ἦν, In him was life (or “by means of Him life was”), καὶ ἡ ζωὴ ἦν τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, and the life was the light of men (or “and that life was the light of the human beings”); καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει, The light shines in the darkness (or “and the light to the darkness gives light” or “and the light gives light to the darkness”), καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν, and the darkness has not overcome it (or “and that darkness has not grasped it with the mind”).

As Jesus said (John 6:44a ESV):

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him [Table].

The revelation of Jesus Christ continued: Καὶ τὰ στρατεύματα, And the armies, [τὰ] ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἠκολούθει αὐτῷ ἐφ᾿ ἵπποις λευκοῖς, of heaven were following him on white horses (or “those who by means of heaven had followed continually after by means of Him on white horses”), ἐνδεδυμένοι βύσσινον λευκὸν καθαρόν, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure (or, “were clothed in pure white fine linen” or “had clothed themselves in pure white fine linen”); καὶ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ, From his mouth (or “and out of his mouth”), ἐκπορεύεται ρομφαία ὀξεῖα, comes a sharp sword, ἵνα ἐν αὐτῇ πατάξῃ τὰ ἔθνη, with which to strike down the nations (or “in order that by means of it He may strike the nations”), καὶ αὐτὸς ποιμανεῖ αὐτοὺς ἐν ράβδῳ σιδηρᾷ, and he will rule them with a rod of iron (or “and He will shepherd them by means of a rod of iron”).

The difference between he will rule, αὐτὸς ποιμανεῖ, and “He will shepherd” is a matter of connotation only:

Occurrences of ποιμανεῖ, a form of ποιμαίνω, in the New Testament
Reference	ESV	NA²⁸
Matthew 2:6	“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”	καὶ σὺ Βηθλέεμ, γῆ Ἰούδα, οὐδαμῶς ἐλαχίστη εἶ ἐν τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν Ἰούδα· ἐκ σοῦ γὰρ ἐξελεύσεται ἡγούμενος, ὅστις ποιμανεῖ τὸν λαόν μου τὸν Ἰσραήλ
Revelation 2:27	and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father.	καὶ ποιμανεῖ αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ ὡς τὰ σκεύη τὰ κεραμικὰ συντρίβεται (28a) ὡς κἀγὼ εἴληφα παρὰ τοῦ πατρός μου
Revelation 7:17	For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”	ὅτι τὸ ἀρνίον τὸ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ θρόνου ποιμανεῖ αὐτοὺς καὶ ὁδηγήσει αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ ζωῆς πηγὰς ὑδάτων, καὶ ἐξαλείψει ὁ θεὸς πᾶν δάκρυον ἐκ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν
Revelation 19:15	From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.	καὶ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐκπορεύεται ῥομφαία ὀξεῖα, ἵνα ἐν αὐτῇ πατάξῃ τὰ ἔθνη, καὶ αὐτὸς ποιμανεῖ αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ, καὶ αὐτὸς πατεῖ τὴν ληνὸν τοῦ οἴνου τοῦ θυμοῦ τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ παντοκράτορος

I’ll take the time here to consider the five occurrences of ποιμανεῖ, a form of ποιμαίνω, in the Septuagint.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Psalm 48:14 (Tanakh/KJV)	Psalm 48:14 (NET)	Psalm 47:15 (NETS)	Psalm 47:15 (English Elpenor)
For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide (יְנַֽהֲגֵ֥נוּ) even unto death.	For God, our God, is our defender forever. He guides (nāhaḡ, ינהגנו) us.	that this is God, our God forever, even forever and ever. He himself will shepherd (ποιμανεῖ) us for ages.	For this is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide (ποιμανεῖ) for evermore.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Isaiah 40:11 (Tanakh/KJV)	Isaiah 40:11 (NET)	Isaiah 40:11 (NETS)	Isaiah 40:11 (English Elpenor)
He shall feed (יִרְעֶ֔ה) his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.	Like a shepherd he tends (rāʿâ, ירעה) his flock; he gathers up the lambs with his arm; he carries them close to his heart; he leads the ewes along.	He will tend (ποιμανεῖ) his flock like a shepherd and gather lambs with his arm and comfort those that are with young.	He shall tend (ποιμανεῖ) his flock as a shepherd, and he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and shall soothe them that are with young.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Jeremiah 22:22 (Tanakh/KJV)	Jeremiah 22:22 (NET)	Jeremiah 22:22 (NETS)	Jeremiah 22:22 (English Elpenor)
The wind shall eat up (תִּרְעֶה) all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness.	My judgment will carry off (rāʿâ, תרעה) all your leaders like a storm wind! Your allies will go into captivity. Then you will certainly be disgraced and put to shame because of all the wickedness you have done.	A wind shall shepherd (ποιμανεῖ) all your shepherds, and your lovers shall go out in captivity, because then you will be ashamed and disgraced because of all who would kiss you.	The wind shall tend (ποιμανεῖ) all thy shepherds, and thy lovers shall go into captivity; for then shalt thou be ashamed and disgraced because of all thy lovers.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Ezekiel 34:23 (Tanakh/KJV)	Ezekiel 34:23 (NET)	Ezekiel 34:23 (NETS)	Ezekiel 34:23 (English Elpenor)
And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed (וְרָעָ֣ה) them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.	I will set one shepherd over them, and he will feed (rāʿâ, ורעה) them—namely, my servant David. He will feed them and will be their shepherd.	And I will raise up over them another shepherd, and he shall shepherd (ποιμανεῖ) them, my slave Dauid, and he shall be their shepherd,	And I will raise up one shepherd over them, and he shall tend (ποιμανεῖ) them, [even] my servant David, and he shall be their shepherd;

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Micah 5:4 (Tanakh/KJV)	Micah 5:4 (NET)	Micah 5:4 (NETS)	Micah 5:3 (English Elpenor)
And he shall stand and feed (וְרָעָה֙) in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.	He will assume his post and shepherd (rāʿâ, ורעה) the people by the Lord’s strength, by the sovereign authority of the Lord his God. They will live securely, for at that time he will be honored even in the distant regions of the earth.	And he shall stand and see and tend (ποιμανεῖ) his flock in the strength of the Lord. And they shall exist in the glory of the name of the Lord their God, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth,	And the Lord shall stand, and see, and feed (ποιμανεῖ) his flock with power, and they shall dwell in the glory of the name of the Lord their God: for now shall they be magnified to the ends of the earth.

Four of the five occurrences of ποιμανεῖ were translations of forms of רָעָה (rāʿâ), which occurs first in Moses’ description of Abel: Now Abel was a keeper (rāʿâ, רֹ֣עֵה) of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.¹⁰ The fifth was a translation of a form of נָהַג (nāhaḡ), an allied word which first occurs in the beginning of the account of Jacob’s return journey to Canaan: He drove away (nāhaḡ, וַיִּנְהַ֣ג) all his livestock, all his property that he had gained, the livestock in his possession that he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac.¹¹

According to a note (41) in the NET, he will rule them with a rod of iron¹² is a quotation from Psalm 2:9 (see Table below).

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Psalm 2:9 (Tanakh/KJV)	Psalm 2:9 (NET)	Psalm 2:9 (NETS)	Psalm 2:9 (English Elpenor)
Thou shalt break (תְּרֹעֵֽם) them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.	You will break (rāʿaʿ, תרעם) them with an iron scepter; you will smash them like a potter’s jar.’”	You shall shepherd (ποιμανεῖς) them with an iron rod; like a potter’s vessel you shall shatter them’.”	Thou shalt rule (ποιμανεῖς) them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces as a potter’s vessel.

In the Septuagint תְּרֹעֵֽם (rāʿaʿ) was translated ποιμανεῖς, another form of ποιμαίνω. There are no occurrences of ποιμανεῖς in the New Testament. There are two other occurrences in the Septuagint.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
2 Samuel 5:2 (Tanakh)	2 Samuel 5:2 (NET)	2 Reigns 5:2 (NETS)	2 Kings 5:2 (English Elpenor)
In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was thou that didst lead out and bring in Israel; and HaShem said to thee: Thou shalt feed (תִרְעֶ֚ה) My people Israel, and thou shalt be prince over Israel.’	In the past, when Saul was our king, you were the real leader in Israel. The Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd (rāʿâ, תרעה) my people Israel; you will rule over Israel.’”	And yesterday and the third day, while Saoul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel, and the Lord said to you: It is you who shall shepherd (ποιμανεῖς) my people Israel, and it is you who shall become a ruler over Israel.”	And heretofore Saul being king over us, thou wast he that didst lead out and bring in Israel: and the Lord said to thee, Thou shalt feed (ποιμανεῖς) my people Israel, and thou shalt be for a leader to my people Israel.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
1 Chronicles 11:2 (Tanakh/KJV)	1 Chronicles 11:2 (NET)	1 Supplements 11:2 (NETS)	1 Chronicles 11:2 (English Elpenor)
And moreover in time past, even when Saul was king, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD thy God said unto thee, Thou shalt feed (תִרְעֶ֚ה) my people Israel, and thou shalt be ruler over my people Israel.	In the past, even when Saul was king, you were Israel’s commanding general. The Lord your God said to you, ‘You will shepherd (rāʿâ, תרעה) my people Israel; you will rule over my people Israel.’”	And yesterday and the third day when Saoul was king, you were the one to lead Israel out and in, and the Lord God said to you, “You will shepherd (ποιμανεῖς) my people Israel, and you will be a leader over Israel.”	And heretofore when Saul was king, thou wast he that led Israel in and out, and the Lord of Israel said to thee, Thou shalt feed (ποιμανεῖς) my people Israel, and thou shalt be for a ruler over Israel.

Here, two of three occurrences of ποιμανεῖς were translations of forms of רָעָה (rāʿâ), but the third is an outlier: The first occurrence of a form of רָעַע (rāʿaʿ)—Thou shalt break (תְּרֹעֵֽם, Tanakh, KJV), You will break (תרעם, NET)—occurs in Lot’s entreaty to the men of Sodom threatening to break down his door (Genesis 19:7 ESV).

…and [Lot] said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly (rāʿaʿ, תָּרֵֽעוּ).

For any who has ears to hear, the Greek translator’s choice of ποιμανεῖς, a 2^nd person singular form of ποιμαίνω, in Psalm 2:9 and John’s and the Holy Spirit’s choice of ποιμανεῖ, a 3^rd person singular form, in Revelation 19:15 are at least three witnesses that either תְּרֹעֵֽם or its parse as a form of רָעַע (rāʿaʿ) was not original to the Hebrew text of Psalm 2:9.

An excerpt from Jewish Concepts: Masoretic Text on Jewish Virtual Library online describing the Masoretic text follows:

The Torah texts that we read today are believed by some to be the same as those given to Moses and the people of Israel by God. It is believed by scholars that the word of God and history of the Jewish people was imprinted on the minds of the Israelites at Mount Sinai. Over the years as tradition was orally passed on and eventually written down, many disparities of the Torah emerged as countless scribes wrote numerous scrolls.
After being exiled from Israel, and as the Jewish Diaspora grew more widespread across the World, many Jews understood the importance of creating a single text of the Torah. This uniformity would enable the consistency of the Jewish faith outside the land of Israel. Specific scholars and scribes were chosen for this task, these men were called Masoretes. Masoretes derives its name from the word “masorah” meaning “tradition;” their ultimate goal was to uphold the traditions of the Jewish people. The Masoretes had to decipher the authentic word of God and eliminate the dissimilarities…
In 930 C.E. Aaron ben Moses ben Asher produced the first complete Bible, called the Aleppo Codex, utilizing masoretic symbols and ordering. For several centuries, various Masoretes continued to influence the pronunciation and writing of the text. However, the first “official” Bible text that is still used today was the Great Rabbinic Bible, published in 1524-1525 by Daniel Bomberg (a Christian in Venice).

Though negative evidence is more time consuming to acquire—scrutinizing all 102 occurrences of forms of רָעַע (rāʿaʿ) in both the Hebrew of the Masoretic text and the Greek of the Septuagint (which I didn’t do)—I did search for ποιμαίνω and all its forms listed in the Koine Greek Lexicon online in the BLB Septuagint, and compared those results against the results listed for רָעַע (rāʿaʿ) on Blue Letter Bible online. I got no other matches. In other words, it doesn’t appear likely that any of the other occurrences of forms of רָעַע (rāʿaʿ) in the Masoretic text were translated with forms of ποιμαίνω in the Septuagint.

The nearest proximity I recognized from those searches was in Psalm 37:1-3, a contrast which is probably worth pursuing here.

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Psalm 37:1-3 (KJV)	Psalm 37:1-3 (NET)	Psalm 36:1-3 (NETS)	Psalm 36:1-3 (English Elpenor)
A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers (בַּמְּרֵעִ֑ים), neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.	By David. Do not fret when wicked men (rāʿaʿ, במרעים) seem to succeed. Do not envy evildoers.	Pertaining to Dauid. Do not fret among wicked people (ἐν πονηρευομένοις), nor be envious of those that do lawlessness,	[[A Psalm] of David.] Fret not thyself because of evil-doers (ἐν πονηρευομένοις), neither be envious of them that do iniquity.
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.	For they will quickly dry up like grass, and wither away like plants.	because like grass they will quickly wither and like green herbs they will quickly fall off.	For they shall soon be withered as the grass, and shall soon fall away as the green herbs.
Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (וּרְעֵ֥ה).	Trust in the Lord and do what is right. Settle in the land and maintain (rāʿâ, ורעה) your integrity.	Hope in the Lord, and keep doing kindness, and encamp in the land, and you will be tended (ποιμανθήσῃ) by its wealth.	Hope in the Lord, and do good; and dwell on the land, and thou shalt be fed (ποιμανθήσῃ) with the wealth of it.

A note (5) in the NET reads:

Heb “tend integrity.” The verb רָעָה (raʿah, “tend, shepherd”) is probably used here in the sense of “watch over, guard.” The noun אֱמוּנָה (ʾemunah, “faithfulness, honesty, integrity”) is understood as the direct object of the verb, though it could be taken as an adverbial accusative, “[feed] securely,” if the audience is likened to a flock of sheep.

Somehow it makes perfect sense to me that the NET translators would turn a promise into a work. It’s what I love about the NET. The translators are my contemporaries, who grew up in the same religious milieu, and translated the Bible accordingly.¹³ They keep me from feeling absolutely insane. Perhaps I should rephrase that to say, they keep me from feeling absolutely alone in my insanity. They confirm that I had some company and encouragement in it along the way.

For comparison, The Complete Jewish Bible on chabad.org reads (Psalm 37:3 CJB):

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and be nourished by faith.

My Hebrew isn’t good enough to comment on this as translation, but it’s excellent expository preaching. Rashi’s commentary on Psalm 37:3 follows:

Trust in the Lord. and do not say, “If I do not rob and steal,” or “If I give charity to a poor man, how will I sustain myself?”

and do good. Then you will dwell in the land for a long time.

and be nourished by faith. You will eat and be sustained from the reward of [your] faith, that you believed in the Holy One, blessed be He, to rely on Him and do good.

It’s not too difficult to appreciate why Masoretes, as champions of Jewish traditions, might want to read תְּרֹעֵֽם in Psalm 2:9 (or whatever word was in the original text) as a form of רָעַע (rāʿaʿ) rather than as a form of רָעָה (rāʿâ).

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Joshua 24:19-23 (Tanakh/KJV)	Joshua 24:19-23 (NET)	Joshua 24:19-23 (NETS)	Joshua 24:19-23 (English Elpenor)
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins [Table].	Joshua warned the people, “You will not keep worshiping the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God who will not forgive your rebellion or your sins.	And Iesous said to the people, “You will not be able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy god. And since he is jealous, he will not forgive your sins and your acts of lawlessness [Table].	And Joshua said to the people, Indeed ye will not be able to serve the Lord, for God is holy; and he being jealous will not forgive your sins and your transgressions.
If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt (וְהֵרַ֚ע), and consume you, after that he hath done you good.	If you abandon the Lord and worship foreign gods, he will turn against you; he will bring disaster (rāʿaʿ, והרע) on you and destroy you, though he once treated you well.”	Whenever you forsake the Lord and serve other gods, then he will come upon you and do you harm (κακώσει) and consume you, instead of having done you good.”	Whensoever ye shall forsake the Lord and serve other gods, then he shall come upon you and afflict (κακώσει) you, and consume you, because he has done you good.
And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.	The people said to Joshua, “No! We really will worship the Lord.”	And the people said to Iesous, “No, but we will serve the Lord.”	And the people said to Joshua, Nay, but we will serve the Lord.
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.	Joshua said to the people, “Do you agree to be witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to worship the Lord?” They replied, “We are witnesses!”	And Iesous said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.	And Joshua said to the people, Ye [are] witnesses against yourselves, that ye have chosen the Lord to serve him.
Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.	Joshua said, “Now put aside the foreign gods that are among you and submit to the Lord God of Israel.”	And now put away the foreign gods that are among you, and direct your heart toward the Lord, God of Israel.”	And now take away the strange gods that are among you, and set your heart right toward the Lord God of Israel.

Israel, including the Masoretes, lived through the fulfillment of Joshua’s prophecy: Indeed ye will not be able to serve the Lord, for God is holy; and he being jealous will not forgive your sins and your transgressions;¹⁴ he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you…¹⁵ Could David prophesy anything less (or, more) concerning the heathen (Tanakh, KJV) or the nations (NET)—ג֖וֹיִם (gôy) in Hebrew in the Masoretic text—or nations (NETS) or the heathen (English Elpenor)—ἔθνη, a form of ἔθνος, in Greek in the Septuagint?

Psalm 2:7-9, along with Rashi’s commentary from The Complete Jewish Bible on chabad.org, follows:

I will tell of the decree; The Lord said to me, “You are My son; this day have I begotten you [Table].
I will tell of the decree. Said David, “This is an established decree, and [one] that I have received to tell this and to make known.”
The Lord said to me. through Nathan, Gad, and Samuel.
You are My son. The head over Israel, who are called “My firstborn son.” And they will endure through you, as is stated concerning Abner (II Sam. 3:18): “for God said, etc., ‘By the hand of My bondsman David shall I deliver… Israel.’” And for their sake, you are before Me as a son because they are all dependent upon you.
this day have I. for I have enthroned you over them.
begotten you. to be called My son and to be beloved to Me as a son for their sake, as it is stated (II Sam. 7:14) concerning Solomon: “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to Me a son.” We find further concerning David (Ps. 89:27) “He shall call Me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’”
Request of Me, and I will make nations your inheritance, and the ends of the earth your possession.
Request of Me. Pray to Me whenever you come to battle your enemies.
You shall break them with an iron rod; like a potter’s vessel you shall shatter them.”
You shall break them. Heb. תרעם [like] תרוצצם.
with an iron rod. That is the sword.
you shall shatter them. Heb. תנפצם, you shall break them, and that is the expression of נפוץ throughout the Scriptures, a potsherd that is broken into fine pieces.

Understood as a promise of Israel’s military conquest of the heathen nations, תְּרֹעֵֽם (or whatever word was in the original text) in Psalm 2:9 could only be understood by the Masoretes as a form of רָעַע (rāʿaʿ, break), rather than as a form of רָעָה (rāʿâ, shepherd). But those of us heathen who recognize the benefit of the shepherding of the Lord Jesus Christ, the son of David, the One condemned as a blasphemer by the High Priest and the Council (Mark 14:55-65), crucified by the Romans (Mark 15:1-39) and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead,¹⁶ find it easier to see that the rabbis who translated the Septuagint had it right as a form of רָעָה (rāʿâ) all along.

In The Complete Jewish Bible on chabad.org, the book of Joshua (Ἰησοῦς in Greek in the Septuagint) is listed as the first book of the prophets. The response of the people to Joshua’s prophecy near the beginning of the old covenant is virtually identical to that of Peter and all the disciples when Jesus (Ἰησοῦς in Greek in the New Testament) revealed what was about to happen to them, according to the written word of God, near the end of the old covenant. I belabor this point of connotation between he will rule and “He will shepherd” in Revelation 19:15 because the connotations of the English words which translate the warlike imagery describing the absolute power and authority of the Lord in the revelation of Jesus Christ are offered as excuses to doubt, dispute or deny Jesus’ clear declaration of God’s judgment (John 12:31, 32 ESV).

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

The Greek is: νῦν κρίσις ἐστὶν, Now is the judgment (or “now judgment is”), τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, of this world; νῦν ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, now the ruler of this world, ἐκβληθήσεται ἔξω, will be cast out;¹⁷ καγὼ, And I, ἐὰν ὑψωθῶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς, when I am lifted up from the earth (or “if I am lifted up from the earth”¹⁸), πάντας ἑλκύσω πρὸς ἐμαυτόν, all “I” will draw to myself.

The revelation of Jesus Christ continued: καὶ αὐτὸς πατεῖ, He will tread (or “and He treads”), τὴν ληνὸν, the winepress, τοῦ οἴνου, “of the wine,” τοῦ θυμοῦ, of the fury, τῆς ὀργῆς, of the wrath, τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ παντοκράτορος, of God the Almighty; καὶ ἔχει, “and” he has, ἐπὶ τὸ ἱμάτιον καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν μηρὸν αὐτοῦ, On his robe and on his thigh, ὄνομα γεγραμμένον, a name written, Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Though The Word of God, King of kings and Lord of lords is never mentioned in John’s third letter, this vision of the omnipotent Lord Jesus Christ is ever present in the confidence the author exudes throughout.

According to a note (41) in the NET, Revelation 19:15 contains a quotation from Psalm 2:9. The following table compares the Greek of that quotation with that of the Septuagint.

Revelation 19:15b (NET Parallel Greek)	Psalm 2:9a (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 2:9a (Septuagint Elpenor)
αὐτὸς ποιμανεῖ αὐτοὺς ἐν ράβδῳ σιδηρᾷ	ποιμανεῖς αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ	ποιμανεῖς αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ
Revelation 19:15b (NET)	Psalm 2:9a (NETS)	Psalm 2:9a (English Elpenor)
He will rule them with an iron rod	You shall shepherd them with an iron rod	Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron

Examples of ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ in the New Testament
Reference	ESV	NA²⁸
Luke 8:11	Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.	Ἔστιν δὲ αὕτη ἡ παραβολή· ὁ σπόρος ἐστὶν ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ
John 10:35	If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken—	εἰ ἐκείνους εἶπεν θεοὺς πρὸς οὓς ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ οὐ δύναται λυθῆναι ἡ γραφή
Acts 6:7	And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.	Καὶ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ηὔξανεν καὶ ἐπληθύνετο ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν μαθητῶν ἐν Ἰερουσαλὴμ σφόδρα, πολύς τε ὄχλος τῶν ἱερέων ὑπήκουον τῇ πίστει
Acts 12:24	But the word of God increased and multiplied.	Ὁ δὲ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ηὔξανεν καὶ ἐπληθύνετο
Acts 17:13	But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds.	Ὡς δὲ ἔγνωσαν οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης Ἰουδαῖοι ὅτι καὶ ἐν τῇ Βεροίᾳ κατηγγέλη ὑπὸ τοῦ Παύλου ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ, ἦλθον κἀκεῖ σαλεύοντες καὶ ταράσσοντες τοὺς ὄχλους
Romans 9:6	But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel,	Οὐχ οἷον δὲ ὅτι ἐκπέπτωκεν ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ. οὐ γὰρ πάντες οἱ ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ οὗτοι Ἰσραήλ
1 Corinthians 14:36	Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached?	ἢ ἀφ’ ὑμῶν ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐξῆλθεν, ἢ εἰς ὑμᾶς μόνους κατήντησεν
2 Timothy 2:9	for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!	ἐν ᾧ κακοπαθῶ μέχρι δεσμῶν ὡς κακοῦργος, ἀλλ’ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ οὐ δέδεται
Titus 2:5	to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.	σώφρονας ἁγνὰς οἰκουργοὺς ἀγαθάς, ὑποτασσομένας τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀνδράσιν, ἵνα μὴ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ βλασφημῆται
Hebrews 4:12	For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.	Ζῶν γὰρ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐνεργὴς καὶ τομώτερος ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαιραν δίστομον καὶ διϊκνούμενος ἄχρι μερισμοῦ ψυχῆς καὶ πνεύματος, ἁρμῶν τε καὶ μυελῶν, καὶ κριτικὸς ἐνθυμήσεων καὶ ἐννοιῶν καρδίας
1 John 2:14	I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.	ἔγραψα ὑμῖν, παιδία, ὅτι ἐγνώκατε τὸν πατέρα. ἔγραψα ὑμῖν, πατέρες, ὅτι ἐγνώκατε τὸν ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς. ἔγραψα ὑμῖν, νεανίσκοι, ὅτι ἰσχυροί ἐστε καὶ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν ὑμῖν μένει καὶ νενικήκατε τὸν πονηρόν.
Revelation 19:13	He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.	καὶ περιβεβλημένος ἱμάτιον βεβαμμένον αἵματι, καὶ κέκληται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ

Masoretic Text		Septuagint
Zechariah 11:11 (Tanakh/KJV)	Zechariah 11:11 (NET)	Zechariah 11:11 (NETS)	Zechariah 11:11 (English Elpenor)
And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word (דְבַר) of the LORD (יְהֹוָ֖ה).	So it was annulled that very day, and then the most afflicted of the flock who kept faith with me knew that it was the Lord’s (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) message (dāḇār, דבר).	And it shall be scattered on that day, and the Chananites will know the sheep that are kept, for it is the Lord’s (κυρίου) word (λόγος).	And it shall be broken in that day; and the Chananites, the sheep that are kept for me, shall know that it is the word (λόγος) of the Lord (Κυρίου).

Tables comparing Psalm 2:9; Jeremiah 1:2; Zechariah 11:11; Psalm 48:14; Isaiah 40:11; Jeremiah 22:22; Ezekiel 34:23; Micah 5:4; Genesis 4:2; 31:18; 2 Samuel 5:2; 1 Chronicles 11:2; Genesis 19:7; Psalm 37:1; 37:2; 37:3; Joshua 24:20; 24:21; 24:22; 24:23 and Psalm 2:8 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and comparing the Greek of Psalm 2:9; Jeremiah 1:2; Zechariah 11:11; Psalm 48:14 (47:15); Isaiah 40:11; Jeremiah 22:22; Ezekiel 34:23; Micah 5:4 (5:3); Genesis 4:2; 31:18; 2 Samuel (2 Reigns, 2 Kings) 5:2; 1 Chronicles (1 Supplements) 11:2; Genesis 19:7; Psalm 37:1 (36:1); 37:2 (36:2); 37:3 (36:3); Joshua 24:20; 24:21; 24:22; 24:23 and Psalm 2:8 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor), and tables comparing Revelation 19:14; 19:16 and Luke 8:17 in the KJV and NET follow.

Psalm 2:9 (Tanakh)	Psalm 2:9 (KJV)	Psalm 2:9 (NET)
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.	Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.	You will break them with an iron scepter; you will smash them like a potter’s jar.’”

Psalm 2:9 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 2:9 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ποιμανεῖς αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ ὡς σκεῦος κεραμέως συντρίψεις αὐτούς	ποιμανεῖς αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ, ὡς σκεύη κεραμέως συντρίψεις αὐτούς
Psalm 2:9 (NETS)	Psalm 2:9 (English Elpenor)
You shall shepherd them with an iron rod; like a potter’s vessel you shall shatter them’.”	Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces as a potter’s vessel.

Jeremiah 1:2 (Tanakh)	Jeremiah 1:2 (KJV)	Jeremiah 1:2 (NET)
To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.	To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.	The Lord’s message came to him in the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon ruled over Judah.

Jeremiah 1:2 (Septuagint BLB)	Jeremiah 1:2 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὃς ἐγενήθη λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ιωσια υἱοῦ Αμως βασιλέως Ιουδα ἔτους τρισκαιδεκάτου ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ	ὡς ἐγενήθη λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ᾿Ιωσία υἱοῦ ᾿Αμὼς βασιλέως ᾿Ιούδα, ἔτους τρισκαιδεκάτου ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ
Jeremiah 1:2 (NETS)	Jeremiah 1:2 (English Elpenor)
a word of God which came to him in the days of King Iosias son of Amos of Iouda, in the thirteenth year of his reign.	[accordingly] as the word of God came to him in the days of Josias son of Amos king of Juda, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

Zechariah 11:11 (Tanakh)	Zechariah 11:11 (KJV)	Zechariah 11:11 (NET)
And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD.	And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the LORD.	So it was annulled that very day, and then the most afflicted of the flock who kept faith with me knew that it was the Lord’s message.

Zechariah 11:11 (Septuagint BLB)	Zechariah 11:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ διασκεδασθήσεται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ καὶ γνώσονται οἱ Χαναναῖοι τὰ πρόβατα τὰ φυλασσόμενα διότι λόγος κυρίου ἐστίν	καὶ διασκεδασθήσεται ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, καί γνώσονται οἱ Χαναναῖοι τὰ πρόβατα τὰ φυλασσόμενα, διότι λόγος Κυρίου ἐστί
Zechariah 11:11 (NETS)	Zechariah 11:11 (English Elpenor)
And it shall be scattered on that day, and the Chananites will know the sheep that are kept, for it is the Lord’s word.	And it shall be broken in that day; and the Chananites, the sheep that are kept for me, shall know that it is the word of the Lord.

Psalm 48:14 (Tanakh)	Psalm 48:14 (KJV)	Psalm 48:14 (NET)
For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.	For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.	For God, our God, is our defender forever. He guides us.

Psalm 48:14 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 47:15 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος αὐτὸς ποιμανεῖ ἡμᾶς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας	ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος· αὐτὸς ποιμανεῖ ἡμᾶς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας
Psalm 47:15 (NETS)	Psalm 47:15 (English Elpenor)
that this is God, our God forever, even forever and ever. He himself will shepherd us for ages.	For this is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide for evermore.

Isaiah 40:11 (Tanakh)	Isaiah 40:11 (KJV)	Isaiah 40:11 (NET)
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.	He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.	Like a shepherd he tends his flock; he gathers up the lambs with his arm; he carries them close to his heart; he leads the ewes along.

Isaiah 40:11 (Septuagint BLB)	Isaiah 40:11 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὡς ποιμὴν ποιμανεῖ τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ καὶ τῷ βραχίονι αὐτοῦ συνάξει ἄρνας καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσας παρακαλέσει	ὡς ποιμὴν ποιμανεῖ τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ καὶ τῷ βραχίονι αὐτοῦ συνάξει ἄρνας καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσας παρακαλέσει
Isaiah 40:11 (NETS)	Isaiah 40:11 (English Elpenor)
He will tend his flock like a shepherd and gather lambs with his arm and comfort those that are with young.	He shall tend his flock as a shepherd, and he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and shall soothe them that are with young.

Jeremiah 22:22 (Tanakh)	Jeremiah 22:22 (KJV)	Jeremiah 22:22 (NET)
The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness.	The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness.	My judgment will carry off all your leaders like a storm wind! Your allies will go into captivity. Then you will certainly be disgraced and put to shame because of all the wickedness you have done.

Jeremiah 22:22 (Septuagint BLB)	Jeremiah 22:22 (Septuagint Elpenor)
πάντας τοὺς ποιμένας σου ποιμανεῖ ἄνεμος καὶ οἱ ἐρασταί σου ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ ἐξελεύσονται ὅτι τότε αἰσχυνθήσῃ καὶ ἀτιμωθήσῃ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν φιλούντων σε	πάντας τοὺς ποιμένας σου ποιμανεῖ ἄνεμος, καὶ οἱ ἐρασταί σου ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ ἐξελεύσονται· ὅτι τότε αἰσχυνθήσῃ καὶ ἀτιμωθήσῃ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν φιλούντων σε
Jeremiah 22:22 (NETS)	Jeremiah 22:22 (English Elpenor)
A wind shall shepherd all your shepherds, and your lovers shall go out in captivity, because then you will be ashamed and disgraced because of all who would kiss you.	The wind shall tend all thy shepherds, and thy lovers shall go into captivity; for then shalt thou be ashamed and disgraced because of all thy lovers.

Ezekiel 34:23 (Tanakh)	Ezekiel 34:23 (KJV)	Ezekiel 34:23 (NET)
And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.	And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.	“‘I will set one shepherd over them, and he will feed them—namely, my servant David. He will feed them and will be their shepherd.

Ezekiel 34:23 (Septuagint BLB)	Ezekiel 34:23 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἀναστήσω ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς ποιμένα ἕνα καὶ ποιμανεῖ αὐτούς τὸν δοῦλόν μου Δαυιδ καὶ ἔσται αὐτῶν ποιμήν	καὶ ἀναστήσω ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς ποιμένα ἕνα καὶ ποιμανεῖ αὐτούς, τὸν δοῦλόν μου Δαυίδ, καὶ ἔσται αὐτῶν ποιμήν
Ezekiel 34:23 (NETS)	Ezekiel 34:23 (English Elpenor)
And I will raise up over them another shepherd, and he shall shepherd them, my slave Dauid, and he shall be their shepherd,	And I will raise up one shepherd over them, and he shall tend them, [even] my servant David, and he shall be their shepherd;

Micah 5:4 (Tanakh)	Micah 5:4 (KJV)	Micah 5:4 (NET)
And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.	And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.	He will assume his post and shepherd the people by the Lord’s strength, by the sovereign authority of the Lord his God. They will live securely, for at that time he will be honored even in the distant regions of the earth.

Micah 5:4 (Septuagint BLB)	Micah 5:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ στήσεται καὶ ὄψεται καὶ ποιμανεῖ τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἰσχύι κυρίου καὶ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ ὀνόματος κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτῶν ὑπάρξουσιν διότι νῦν μεγαλυνθήσεται ἕως ἄκρων τῆς γῆς	καὶ στήσεται καὶ ὄψεται καὶ ποιμανεῖ τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἰσχύϊ Κύριος, καὶ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ ὀνόματος Κυρίου Θεοῦ αὐτῶν ὑπάρξουσι, διότι νῦν μεγαλυνθήσονται ἕως ἄκρων τῆς γῆς
Micah 5:4 (NETS)	Micah 5:3 (English Elpenor)
And he shall stand and see and tend his flock in the strength of the Lord. And they shall exist in the glory of the name of the Lord their God, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth,	And the Lord shall stand, and see, and feed his flock with power, and they shall dwell in the glory of the name of the Lord their God: for now shall they be magnified to the ends of the earth.

Genesis 4:2 (Tanakh)	Genesis 4:2 (KJV)	Genesis 4:2 (NET)
And again she bore his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.	And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.	Then she gave birth to his brother Abel. Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground.

Genesis 4:2 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 4:2 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ προσέθηκεν τεκεῖν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν Αβελ καὶ ἐγένετο Αβελ ποιμὴν προβάτων Καιν δὲ ἦν ἐργαζόμενος τὴν γῆν	καὶ προσέθηκε τεκεῖν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, τὸν ῎Αβελ. καὶ ἐγένετο ῎Αβελ ποιμὴν προβάτων, Κάϊν δὲ ἦν ἐργαζόμενος τὴν γῆν
Genesis 4:2 (NETS)	Genesis 4:2 (English Elpenor)
And she proceeded to bear his brother Habel. And Habel became a herder of sheep, but Kain was tilling the earth.	And she again bore his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Genesis 31:18 (Tanakh)	Genesis 31:18 (KJV)	Genesis 31:18 (NET)
and he carried away all his cattle, and all his substance which he had gathered, the cattle of his getting, which he had gathered in Paddan-aram, to go to Isaac his father unto the land of Canaan.	And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padanaram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.	He took away all the livestock he had acquired in Paddan Aram and all his moveable property that he had accumulated. Then he set out toward the land of Canaan to return to his father Isaac.

Genesis 31:18 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 31:18 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἀπήγαγεν πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἀποσκευὴν αὐτοῦ ἣν περιεποιήσατο ἐν τῇ Μεσοποταμίᾳ καὶ πάντα τὰ αὐτοῦ ἀπελθεῖν πρὸς Ισαακ τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ εἰς γῆν Χανααν	καὶ ἀπήγαγε πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτῷ, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἀποσκευὴν αὐτοῦ, ἣν περιεποιήσατο ἐν τῇ Μεσοποταμίᾳ, καὶ πάντα τὰ αὐτοῦ ἀπελθεῖν πρὸς ᾿Ισαὰκ τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ εἰς γῆν Χαναάν
Genesis 31:18 (NETS)	Genesis 31:18 (English Elpenor)
and he carried off all his possessions and all his chattels that he had procured in Mesopotamia and all that was his, to go off to his father Isaak in the land of Canaan.	and he took away all his possessions and all his store, which he had gotten in Mesopotamia, and all that belonged to him, to depart to Isaac his father in the land of Chanaan.

2 Samuel 5:2 (Tanakh)	2 Samuel 5:2 (KJV)	2 Samuel 5:2 (NET)
In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was thou that didst lead out and bring in Israel; and HaShem said to thee: Thou shalt feed My people Israel, and thou shalt be prince over Israel.’	Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel.	In the past, when Saul was our king, you were the real leader in Israel. The Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel; you will rule over Israel.’”

2 Samuel 5:2 (Septuagint BLB)	2 Kings 5:2 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐχθὲς καὶ τρίτην ὄντος Σαουλ βασιλέως ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν σὺ ἦσθα ὁ ἐξάγων καὶ εἰσάγων τὸν Ισραηλ καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς σέ σὺ ποιμανεῖς τὸν λαόν μου τὸν Ισραηλ καὶ σὺ ἔσει εἰς ἡγούμενον ἐπὶ τὸν Ισραηλ	καὶ ἐχθὲς καὶ τρίτην ὄντος Σαοὺλ βασιλέως ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν, σὺ ἦσθα ὁ ἐξάγων καὶ εἰσάγων τὸν ᾿Ισραήλ, καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς σέ· σὺ ποιμανεῖς τὸν λαόν μου τὸν ᾿Ισραήλ, καὶ σὺ ἔσῃ εἰς ἡγούμενον ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν μου ᾿Ισραήλ
2 Reigns 5:2 (NETS)	2 Kings 5:2 (English Elpenor)
And yesterday and the third day, while Saoul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel, and the Lord said to you: It is you who shall shepherd my people Israel, and it is you who shall become a ruler over Israel.”	And heretofore Saul being king over us, thou wast he that didst lead out and bring in Israel: and the Lord said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be for a leader to my people Israel.

1 Chronicles 11:2 (Tanakh)	1 Chronicles 11:2 (KJV)	1 Chronicles 11:2 (NET)
And moreover in time past, even when Saul was king, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD thy God said unto thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be ruler over my people Israel.	And moreover in time past, even when Saul was king, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD thy God said unto thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be ruler over my people Israel.	In the past, even when Saul was king, you were Israel’s commanding general. The Lord your God said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel; you will rule over my people Israel.’”

1 Chronicles 11:2 (Septuagint BLB)	1 Chronicles 11:2 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐχθὲς καὶ τρίτην ὄντος Σαουλ βασιλέως σὺ ἦσθα ὁ ἐξάγων καὶ εἰσάγων τὸν Ισραηλ καὶ εἶπεν κύριος ὁ θεός σού σοι σὺ ποιμανεῖς τὸν λαόν μου τὸν Ισραηλ καὶ σὺ ἔσῃ εἰς ἡγούμενον ἐπὶ Ισραηλ	καὶ ἐχθὲς καὶ τρίτην ὄντος Σαοὺλ βασιλέως, σὺ ἦσθα ὁ ἐξάγων καὶ εἰσάγων τὸν ᾿Ισραήλ, καὶ εἶπεν ᾿Ισραὴλ Κύριός σοι· σὺ ποιμανεῖς τὸν λαόν μου τὸν ᾿Ισραήλ, καὶ σὺ ἔσῃ εἰς ἡγούμενον ἐπὶ ᾿Ισραήλ
1 Supplements 11:2 (NETS)	1 Chronicles 11:2 (English Elpenor)
And yesterday and the third day when Saoul was king, you were the one to lead Israel out and in, and the Lord God said to you, “You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will be a leader over Israel.”	And heretofore when Saul was king, thou wast he that led Israel in and out, and the Lord of Israel said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be for a ruler over Israel.

Genesis 19:7 (Tanakh)	Genesis 19:7 (KJV)	Genesis 19:7 (NET)
And he said: ‘I pray you, my brethren, do not so wickedly.	And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.	He said, “No, my brothers! Don’t act so wickedly!

Genesis 19:7 (Septuagint BLB)	Genesis 19:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)
εἶπεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς μηδαμῶς ἀδελφοί μὴ πονηρεύσησθε	εἶπε δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς· μηδαμῶς ἀδελφοί, μὴ πονηρεύσησθε
Genesis 19:7 (NETS)	Genesis 19:7 (English Elpenor)
And he said to them, “By no means, brothers, do not act wickedly.	and said to them, By no means, brethren, do not act villainously.

Psalm 37:1 (Tanakh)	Psalm 37:1 (KJV)	Psalm 37:1 (NET)
Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.	Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.	By David. Do not fret when wicked men seem to succeed. Do not envy evildoers.

Psalm 37:1 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 36:1 (Septuagint Elpenor)
τοῦ Δαυιδ μὴ παραζήλου ἐν πονηρευομένοις μηδὲ ζήλου τοὺς ποιοῦντας τὴν ἀνομίαν	Τῷ Δαυΐδ. – ΜΗ ΠΑΡΑΖΗΛΟΥ ἐν πονηρευομένοις μηδὲ ζήλου τοὺς ποιοῦντας τὴν ἀνομίαν
Psalm 36:1 (NETS)	Psalm 36:1 (English Elpenor)
Pertaining to Dauid. Do not fret among wicked people, nor be envious of those that do lawlessness,	[[A Psalm] of David.] Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, neither be envious of them that do iniquity.

Psalm 37:2 (Tanakh)	Psalm 37:2 (KJV)	Psalm 37:2 (NET)
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.	For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.	For they will quickly dry up like grass, and wither away like plants.

Psalm 37:2 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 36:2 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὅτι ὡσεὶ χόρτος ταχὺ ἀποξηρανθήσονται καὶ ὡσεὶ λάχανα χλόης ταχὺ ἀποπεσοῦνται	ὅτι ὡσεὶ χόρτος ταχὺ ἀποξηρανθήσονται καὶ ὡσεὶ λάχανα χλόης ταχὺ ἀποπεσοῦνται
Psalm 36:2 (NETS)	Psalm 36:2 (English Elpenor)
because like grass they will quickly wither and like green herbs they will quickly fall off.	For they shall soon be withered as the grass, and shall soon fall away as the green herbs.

Psalm 37:3 (Tanakh)	Psalm 37:3 (KJV)	Psalm 37:3 (NET)
Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.	Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.	Trust in the Lord and do what is right. Settle in the land and maintain your integrity.

Psalm 37:3 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 36:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἔλπισον ἐπὶ κύριον καὶ ποίει χρηστότητα καὶ κατασκήνου τὴν γῆν καὶ ποιμανθήσῃ ἐπὶ τῷ πλούτῳ αὐτῆς	ἔλπισον ἐπὶ Κύριον καὶ ποίει χρηστότητα καὶ κατασκήνου τὴν γῆν, καὶ ποιμανθήσῃ ἐπὶ τῷ πλούτῳ αὐτῆς
Psalm 36:3 (NETS)	Psalm 36:3 (English Elpenor)
Hope in the Lord, and keep doing kindness, and encamp in the land, and you will be tended by its wealth.	Hope in the Lord, and do good; and dwell on the land, and thou shalt be fed with the wealth of it.

Joshua 24:20 (Tanakh)	Joshua 24:20 (KJV)	Joshua 24:20 (NET)
If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.	If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.	If you abandon the Lord and worship foreign gods, he will turn against you; he will bring disaster on you and destroy you, though he once treated you well.”

Joshua 24:20 (Septuagint BLB)	Joshua 24:20 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἡνίκα ἐὰν ἐγκαταλίπητε κύριον καὶ λατρεύσητε θεοῖς ἑτέροις καὶ ἐπελθὼν κακώσει ὑμᾶς καὶ ἐξαναλώσει ὑμᾶς ἀνθ᾽ ὧν εὖ ἐποίησεν ὑμᾶς	ἡνίκα ἂν ἐγκαταλίπητε Κύριον καὶ λατρεύσητε θεοῖς ἑτέροις, καὶ ἐπελθὼν κακώσει ὑμᾶς καὶ ἐξαναλώσει ὑμᾶς ἀνθ’ ὧν εὖ ἐποίησεν ὑμᾶς
Joshua 24:20 (NETS)	Joshua 24:20 (English Elpenor)
Whenever you forsake the Lord and serve other gods, then he will come upon you and do you harm and consume you, instead of having done you good.”	Whensoever ye shall forsake the Lord and serve other gods, then he shall come upon you and afflict you, and consume you, because he has done you good.

Joshua 24:21 (Tanakh)	Joshua 24:21 (KJV)	Joshua 24:21 (NET)
And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.	And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.	The people said to Joshua, “No! We really will worship the Lord.”

Joshua 24:21 (Septuagint BLB)	Joshua 24:21 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν ὁ λαὸς πρὸς Ἰησοῦν οὐχί ἀλλὰ κυρίῳ λατρεύσομεν	καὶ εἶπεν ὁ λαὸς πρὸς ᾿Ιησοῦν· οὐχί, ἀλλὰ Κυρίῳ λατρεύσομεν
Joshua 24:21 (NETS)	Joshua 24:21 (English Elpenor)
And the people said to Iesous, “No, but we will serve the Lord.”	And the people said to Joshua, Nay, but we will serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:22 (Tanakh)	Joshua 24:22 (KJV)	Joshua 24:22 (NET)
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.	And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.	Joshua said to the people, “Do you agree to be witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to worship the Lord?” They replied, “We are witnesses!”

Joshua 24:22 (Septuagint BLB)	Joshua 24:22 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ εἶπεν Ἰησοῦς πρὸς τὸν λαόν μάρτυρες ὑμεῖς καθ᾽ ὑμῶν ὅτι ὑμεῖς ἐξελέξασθε κύριον λατρεύειν αὐτῷ	καὶ εἶπεν ᾿Ιησοῦς πρὸς τὸν λαόν· μάρτυρες ὑμεῖς καθ’ ὑμῶν, ὅτι ὑμεῖς ἐξελέξασθε Κυρίῳ λατρεύειν αὐτῷ
Joshua 24:22 (NETS)	Joshua 24:22 (English Elpenor)
And Iesous said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.	And Joshua said to the people, Ye [are] witnesses against yourselves, that ye have chosen the Lord to serve him.

Joshua 24:23 (Tanakh)	Joshua 24:23 (KJV)	Joshua 24:23 (NET)
Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.	Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.	Joshua said, “Now put aside the foreign gods that are among you and submit to the Lord God of Israel.”

Joshua 24:23 (Septuagint BLB)	Joshua 24:23 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ νῦν περιέλεσθε τοὺς θεοὺς τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους τοὺς ἐν ὑμῖν καὶ εὐθύνατε τὴν καρδίαν ὑμῶν πρὸς κύριον θεὸν Ισραηλ	καὶ νῦν περιέλεσθε τοὺς θεοὺς τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους τοὺς ἐν ὑμῖν καὶ εὐθύνατε τὴν καρδίαν ὑμῶν πρὸς Κύριον Θεὸν ᾿Ισραήλ
Joshua 24:23 (NETS)	Joshua 24:23 (English Elpenor)
And now put away the foreign gods that are among you, and direct your heart toward the Lord, God of Israel.”	And now take away the strange gods that are among you, and set your heart right toward the Lord God of Israel.

Psalm 2:8 (Tanakh)	Psalm 2:8 (KJV)	Psalm 2:8 (NET)
Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.	Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.	Ask me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the ends of the earth as your personal property.

Psalm 2:8 (Septuagint BLB)	Psalm 2:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)
αἴτησαι παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσίν σου τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς	αἴτησαι παρ᾿ ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσίν σου τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς
Psalm 2:8 (NETS)	Psalm 2:8 (English Elpenor)
Ask of me, and I will give you nations as your heritage, and as your possession the ends of the earth.	Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen [for] thine inheritance, and the ends of the earth [for] thy possession.

Revelation 19:14 (NET)	Revelation 19:14 (KJV)
The armies that are in heaven, dressed in white, clean, fine linen, were following him on white horses.	And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

Revelation 19:14 (NET Parallel Greek)	Revelation 19:14 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Revelation 19:14 (Byzantine Majority Text)
Καὶ τὰ στρατεύματα [τὰ] ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἠκολούθει αὐτῷ ἐφ᾿ ἵπποις λευκοῖς, ἐνδεδυμένοι βύσσινον λευκὸν καθαρόν	και τα στρατευματα εν τω ουρανω ηκολουθει αυτω εφ ιπποις λευκοις ενδεδυμενοι βυσσινον λευκον και καθαρον	και τα στρατευματα τα εν τω ουρανω ηκολουθει αυτω επι ιπποις λευκοις ενδεδυμενοι βυσσινον λευκον καθαρον

Revelation 19:16 (NET)	Revelation 19:16 (KJV)
He has a name written on his clothing and on his thigh: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”	And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Revelation 19:16 (NET Parallel Greek)	Revelation 19:16 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Revelation 19:16 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καὶ ἔχει ἐπὶ τὸ ἱμάτιον καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν μηρὸν αὐτοῦ ὄνομα γεγραμμένον· Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων	και εχει επι το ιματιον και επι τον μηρον αυτου το ονομα γεγραμμενον βασιλευς βασιλεων και κυριος κυριων	και εχει επι το ιματιον και επι τον μηρον αυτου ονομα γεγραμμενον βασιλευς βασιλεων και κυριος κυριων

Luke 8:17 (NET)	Luke 8:17 (KJV)
For nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing concealed that will not be made known and brought to light.	For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.

Luke 8:17 (NET Parallel Greek)	Luke 8:17 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Luke 8:17 (Byzantine Majority Text)
οὐ γάρ ἐστιν κρυπτὸν ὃ οὐ φανερὸν γενήσεται οὐδὲ ἀπόκρυφον ὃ οὐ μὴ γνωσθῇ καὶ εἰς φανερὸν ἔλθῃ	ου γαρ εστιν κρυπτον ο ου φανερον γενησεται ουδε αποκρυφον ο ου γνωσθησεται και εις φανερον ελθη	ου γαρ εστιν κρυπτον ο ου φανερον γενησεται ουδε αποκρυφον ο ου γνωσθησεται και εις φανερον ελθη

3 John, Part 3

Back to Justice and Mercy Revisited, Part 2

¹ The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text had the article [τὰ] (NET: that are) following armies. The Stephanus Textus Receptus did not, though the KJV translators added which were at the same location in their translation.

² The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Stephanus Textus Receptus had the preposition ἐφ᾿ (KJV: upon) preceding white horses, where the Byzantine Majority Text had επι.

³ The Stephanus Textus Receptus had the conjunction και following the fury (KJV: the fierceness and wrath). The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

⁴ The Stephanus Textus Receptus had the article το preceding a name. The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

⁵ From Verb Tenses: Perfect Tense, Greek Verbs (Shorter Definitions) on Resources for Learning New Testament Greek online.

⁶ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had the intensified negation οὐ μὴ here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had simply ου.

⁷ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had γνωσθῇ here, a form of γινώσκω in the aorist tense and subjunctive mood, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had γνωσθησεται in the future tense and indicative mood.

⁸ Luke 8:17 (ESV)

⁹ Revelation 1:1 (ESV)

¹⁰ Genesis 4:2b (ESV)

¹¹ Genesis 31:18 (ESV)

¹² Revelation 19:15b (ESV) Table

¹³ In fairness, I’ve also learned some good things from the NET translators. Their translation of ἄνωθεν as from above in John 3:3 began a process that culminated in the clearest understanding of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus that I had ever had.

¹⁴ Joshua 24:19b (English Elpenor)

¹⁵ Joshua 24:20b (Tanakh, KJV)

¹⁶ Romans 1:4a (ESV)

¹⁷ The Greek ἐκβληθήσεται ἔξω, will be cast out, seems a bit redundant, perhaps for emphasis: “will be cast out outside.”

¹⁸ The conjunction ἐάν translated if is to be understood as introducing the logic of a conditional statement (Father, Son and Holy Spirit – Part 11), rather than Jesus doubting his crucifixion. John’s clarification immediately following—He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die [Table]—focuses ὑψωθῶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς on Jesus’ crucifixion; otherwise I would be inclined to understand ἐκ, “out from, from within,” as a reference to his resurrection.

Matthew 8:23-34

Posted on September 16, 2024 by admin

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, 3^rd Edition by Bryan Chapell

It’s preface is Jesus’ response to an unnamed disciple asking leave to bury his father: Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.¹

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him.² And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they³ went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we⁴ are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

And when he came⁵ to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes,⁶ two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O⁷ Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons⁸ begged (παρεκάλουν, a form of παρακαλέω) him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away⁹ into the herd of pigs.” And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters [Table]. The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. And behold, all the city came out to meet¹⁰ Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged (παρεκάλεσαν, another form of παρακαλέω) him to leave their region.¹¹

The assignment was to determine the SOS, EMP, CTA and RTC for this passage. These acronyms are my Pastor’s technique for establishing a Fallen Condition Focus (FCF). The acronyms mean: Source of Sorrow (SOS), Empowering Grace (EMP), Call to Action (CTA) and Road to Christ (RTC).

Source of Sorrow (SOS)

No one but the demons recognized Jesus as God in human flesh: two demon-possessed men met¹² Jesus and cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God?¹³ In the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text they even called Him by name: Jesus (ιησου).

John made it clear that Nathanael was a possible exception (John 1:47-49 ESV):

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus¹⁴ answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered¹⁵ him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the¹⁶ King of Israel!”

But Nathanael, perhaps better known as Bartholomew, was either not present or profoundly silent in these two stories. Matthew acknowledged Peter and John as potentially among those disciples who followed him (ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ) into the boat¹⁷ (Matthew 4:18-22 ESV).

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen [Table]. And he said to them, “Follow me (δεῦτε ὀπίσω μου), and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him (ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ). And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him (ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ).

The Holy Spirit had not yet revealed Jesus’ identity to Peter (Matthew 16:15-17 ESV):

[Jesus] said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven [Table].

It would be many years before John wrote his majestic description of Jesus (John 1:1-5, 14 ESV):

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it…

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

At this particular time Peter and John were apparently among the men (ἄνθρωποι, a form of ἄνθρωπος) who marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this (ποταπός ἐστιν οὗτος), that even winds and sea obey (ὑπακούουσιν, a form of ὑπακούω) him?”¹⁸ It caught my attention that Matthew and the Holy Spirit called them men here rather than disciples. It reminded me of Paul’s complaint to the Corinthians over a different issue: are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way (κατὰ ἄνθρωπον, another form of ἄνθρωπος)?¹⁹ Presumably, the men continued to accompany Jesus, but disciples followed him as Lord and Christ, the Son of God in human flesh.

Jesus’ disciples are not mentioned again in Matthew’s Gospel account until he was called by Jesus (Matthew 9:9, 10 ESV).

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew 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 (τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ).

Empowering Grace (EMP)

Jesus is God in human flesh (Matthew 17:1-9 ESV).

…Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light [Table]. And behold, there appeared²⁰ to them Moses²¹ and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make²² three tents here, one for you and one for Moses²³ and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell²⁴ on their faces and were terrified (ἐφοβήθησαν σφόδρα). But Jesus came and touched²⁵ them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear (φοβεῖσθε, another form of φοβέω).” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

And as they were coming down²⁶ the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised²⁷ from the dead.”

I’m more like Peter than I want to admit. Confronted with an unimaginable circumstance, his mind scrambled to make sense of it by latching on to an application, what he could, or should, do to make sense of it all. Whether I will make (ποιήσω in the NA²⁷ and NA²⁸) or let us make (ποιησωμεν in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text) is the more original text, the point is the same: Peter alone will make, or enlist James and John and lead them to make, three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.²⁸

As he made Jesus equal to Moses the lawgiver and Elijah the prophet who was taken up into heaven in a fiery chariot, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud²⁹ gave Peter the true understanding of the vision: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.³⁰ And the voice terrified Peter with the true application, what he should do in response to this vision: listen to him.³¹

Matthew recorded an incident which occurred the night Jesus was arrested: And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.³² It is easy, perhaps, to muddle the significance of this action. Only John, many years later named the assailant of the high priest’s servant: Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear.³³

Peter had made his motive and intent quite clear to Jesus (Matthew 16:21, 22 ESV):

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.”

And Jesus had made his assessment of Peter’s motive and intent quite clear to Peter (Matthew 16:23 ESV):

But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me (ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου), Satan (σατανᾶ, a form of σατανᾶς)! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” [Table].

Matthew also recorded Jesus’ response to Peter’s drawn sword (Matthew 26:52, 53 ESV [Table]):

Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?

I have no idea if Peter thought that or not. He had seen Jesus demonstrate his power and authority over the winds and the sea (Matthew 8:26b ESV) and over demons (Matthew 8:32b ESV). I assume he thought that Jesus, if properly motivated, could end all that transpired that night with a word. But Peter had also witnessed how patient and gracious Jesus was in response to the pleas of his frightened disciples (Matthew 8:25-26), demons (Matthew 8:29-32) and even Gentile villagers who begged Him to leave (Matthew 8:33-34). The postscript to these two stories reads (Matthew 9:1 ESV):

And getting into a³⁴ boat he crossed over and came to his own city.

Call to Action (CTA)

The Call to Action is implied in the first verse of the passage: his disciples followed him (Matthew 8:23b ESV), bolstered by the preface, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”³⁵ But how?

Peter followed Jesus literally for a few years. A voice from a bright cloud warned him to listen to Jesus after he had rebuked Jesus for saying that He would be killed, and on the third day be raised. Later Jesus said, “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”³⁶ But Peter’s drawn sword indicates that he held fast to his own religious belief: This shall never happen to you.

Jesus had instructed his disciples earlier that night (Matthew 26:31, 32 ESV):

“You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered’ [Table]. But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”

He applied the prophetic Scripture to his disciples (Zechariah 13:7 [Table]):

“Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me,” declares the Lord of hosts.
“Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones.

Peter listened neither to Jesus nor the prophet Zechariah (Matthew 26:33 ESV):

Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away” [Table].

So Jesus prophesied to Peter (Matthew 26:34 ESV):

Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”

But Peter refused to listen to Him and encouraged, if not led, the rest of Jesus’ disciples to follow his mutiny (Matthew 26:35 ESV):

Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.

Frankly, I’ve never heard a sermon on Peter’s denial of Christ that didn’t at least imply an application that Peter should have played the man and proved both Jesus’ word and the Scripture false. Peter and the other disciples had one simple task to perform that night: Scatter. Stay alive. And then they were to regroup in Galilee three days later after Jesus’ resurrection.

So now, I see Peter, standing with his drawn sword, defying the will of God, the prophetic Scripture and Jesus Christ. Had he succeeded in his mission he would have become the enemy of every person alive at that time, every person who had ever lived up to that time, and every person who will live since that time, by robbing them of God’s salvation through his Son Jesus the Christ. Jesus didn’t let Peter succeed as his, and our, “enemy” or “adversary.”

He asked Peter a question (Matthew 26:54-56 ESV):

“But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me [Table]. But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.

Road to Christ (RTC)

Peter’s time with Jesus wasn’t wasted. Once he and Jesus’ other disciples received the indwelling Holy Spirit sent by the Father, they were dramatically changed that very day. And here my likeness to Peter abruptly ends. Though I had received Jesus’ Holy Spirit after asking to know God, though I received a voracious appetite for the Bible after I received his Holy Spirit after I asked to know God, it wasn’t long before my religious mind came roaring back with a vengeance.

“Follow me,” Jesus’ oft repeated³⁷ command stirred me but didn’t seem particularly practical since his ascension. I squandered most of my appetite and the God-given energy to satisfy that appetite in the early years searching the Bible for applications: rules I could obey to prove what I could do for God.

It took many years to realize that I could sit down with God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and follow Him through the Bible, and get to know Him through the Scriptures. Duh! It took even more time to realize that knowing Him through his word and his Spirit transformed me into his likeness far better than any desire or effort of mine. And it took many more years for me to stop feeling guilty about all the time I “wasted” studying the Bible with Him when I “should” have been “doing” something “more productive.”

A voice from a bright cloud commanded Peter, James and John: listen (ἀκούετε, a form of ἀκούω) to him. Luke recorded a story about a woman who did just that, though she had never heard a voice from a bright cloud (Luke 10:38-40 ESV):

Now³⁸ as they went on their way, Jesus³⁹ entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.⁴⁰ And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened (ἤκουεν, another form of ἀκούω) to his teaching [Table]. But Martha was distracted with much serving (πολλὴν διακονίαν, a form of διακονία). And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve (διακονεῖν, an infinitive form of διακονέω) alone? Tell her then to help me.”

Jesus’ answer to Martha played no small role in helping me overcome my guilt studying the Bible, for Martha was directly serving Jesus’ immediate needs when he answered her (Luke 10:41, 42 ESV):

But the Lord⁴¹ answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled⁴² about many things, but one thing is necessary (χρεία). Mary⁴³ has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from⁴⁴ her.”

I recall being moved by a sermon on this story when I was young. It’s difficult to date when, but I must have been between nine and eleven. I could read the Bible and I was still talking to my mother about things like my reactions to a sermon. She hadn’t liked it. I don’t remember her words, only the emotional response I had to them; namely, that Jesus was unnecessarily harsh with Martha, and ultimately unfair to her. I did notice that preachers and Sunday school teachers covered for Jesus quite often, when He seemed unnecessarily harsh and ultimately unfair to people. Over time, I suppose, I just began to assume that Jesus was unnecessarily harsh and ultimately unfair to people.

I should probably get back to the text I’m supposed to be studying (Matthew 8:26a ESV):

And [Jesus] said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?”

My assumption that Jesus was unnecessarily harsh and ultimately unfair to people coupled with the belief that faith was not a gift of God but entirely up to me, made Jesus’ words fairly meaningless. Rather, the meaning I ascribed to them had nothing to do with Jesus’ words. O you of little faith might as well have been “O you damned destined to burn in the lake of fire for all eternity!” That made his question unintelligible except as an expletive of utter exasperation, resignation or despair.

Who in his right mind would even want to hang out with this guy, much less follow him? But it is hard to imagine anything more painfully obvious in the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry on earth than this: sinners liked to hang out with Jesus. It was those with religious minds who wanted Him dead.

Paul wrote, when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.⁴⁵ And I prove his word true every moment of every day I live. Eventually, the Holy Spirit got me to take on O you of little faith directly. Looking at Greek text was still kind of a new thing for me. My first thought was that the phrase wasn’t even there. But by carefully looking up every word in the verse, I discovered that the “phrase” was one word in Greek: ὀλιγόπιστοι, a plural form of the adjective ὀλιγόπιστος.

What!?

My high school French came to mind: “My little cabbage” may not be exactly what I want to be called by anyone, but it was received as an endearing term by enough French-speaking people that mon petit chou was taught in my first semester class. It began to dawn on me that ὀλιγόπιστοι was Jesus’ pet name for his disciples: “my little faiths, my incredulous.” Only then did I fully recognize that He didn’t refuse to calm the storm because his “little faiths” were afraid: Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.⁴⁶

I want to consider this storm before taking on Jesus’ question directly. I don’t spend much time on the water. I’ve spent most of my life in the middle of the United States of America. So, apart from the occasional tornado, a storm is something that happens in the sky. They are usually enjoyable to watch if one has the time. The Greek word translated storm in this passage was σεισμὸς, the etymological origin of the English word seismic. The disciples weren’t admiring some phenomenon happening afar off in the heavens. They were riding out an earthquake in the sea: great waves mounding up over their heads, crashing mountains of water down upon them, swamping their boat—and Jesus was asleep.

When I first moved to Florida, I had a mostly sleepless night through my first hurricane. I’ve lived through tornadoes, even two I heard right overhead. The Lord protected me and all that was mine. Driving in the dark through the Texas panhandle, my phone alerted me that a tornado had been sighted between mile marker x and y—my exact location. There was no place to pull off and hide. So I sped up and prayed until I got safely to Amarillo, where I could stop for the night. But a hurricane was a new experience. In the morning, however, I realized I’d wasted the night awake. I had slept through worse storms in both St. Louis and Chicago.

Be that as it may, whenever a hurricane was forecast and I was expected to drive recording equipment to a show from my home in Florida, I left early at my own expense to make sure the job got done. Regardless of the harm one may or may not suffer from a hurricane, traffic and travel times could be disrupted. And “at my own expense” usually meant that I stayed in hotels on points I had received from hotels paid for by my employer, and ate in restaurants on leftover per diem from other shows.

I assume then that Jesus’ question—Why are you afraid—was not about prudence. “We have an innate drive to survive this storm and until You woke up and calmed the storm things were not looking promising” would not have been a valid answer. The Greek word translated afraid was δειλοί, a plural form of δειλός: “timid, fearful, cowardly, fainthearted; miserable, wretched, worthless; deserving pity, deserving contempt.” Perhaps, the easiest way to answer Jesus’ question is to consider why Jesus, in exactly the same circumstance, was not “timid, fearful, cowardly, fainthearted; miserable, wretched, worthless; deserving pity, deserving contempt.”

Jesus was conceived (γεννηθὲν, a form of γεννάω)…from the Holy Spirit (ἐκ πνεύματος ἐστιν ἁγίου): As Joseph considered divorcing Mary because she was pregnant with Jesus behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear (φοβηθῇς, a form of φοβέω) to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.⁴⁷

He was in the world, John wrote of Jesus, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born (ἐγεννήθησαν, another form of γεννάω), not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God (ἀλλ᾿ ἐκ θεοῦ).⁴⁸

Jesus received the Spirit of God ([τὸ] πνεῦμα [τοῦ] θεοῦ): And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him [Table]; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”⁴⁹

Now when they heard [Peter preach after he had received the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-36)] they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent (μετανοήσατε, an imperative form of μετανοέω) and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος) [Table]. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls [Table].⁵⁰

Jesus was led (ἀνήχθη, a form of ἀνάγω)…by the Spirit (ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος) and believed the Scriptures (Matthew 4:1-10 ESV):

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written,

“‘Man⁵¹ shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’” [Table].⁵²

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple [Table] and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”⁵³

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”⁵⁴ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve’” [Table].⁵⁵

For all who are led by the Spirit of God (πνεύματι θεοῦ ἄγονται, a form of ἄγω) are sons of God,⁵⁶ Paul wrote to the Romans. But I say, he wrote To the churches of Galatia,⁵⁷ walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do [Table]. But if you are led by the Spirit (πνεύματι ἄγεσθε, another form of ἄγω), you are not under the law⁵⁸ (Romans 8:2-4 ESV):

For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death [Table]. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Follow me, Jesus—conceived from the Spirit, having received the Spirit of God, led by the Spirit and believing the Scriptures—said. And so, I return with the tempter’s Scriptural applications still ringing in my ears, to Peter, standing with his drawn sword, forcing his “heart and nerve and sinew”⁵⁹ not to be “timid, fearful, cowardly, fainthearted; miserable, wretched, worthless; deserving pity, deserving contempt.”

But at that particular place, at that particular time, there was only one meaningful way to follow Jesus, one relevant application: “Scatter.” And at that particular place, at that particular time, none of Jesus’ disciples had the faith in the word of the only true God, or in Jesus Christ whom He sent, to do so willingly. Rather, they fled against their wills, contrary to their own stated beliefs or intentions, because God is faithful.

I find it to be a law that when I want to do right (τὸ καλόν, a form of καλός; i.e., “the beautiful”), evil lies close at hand.⁶⁰ Given that, if I attempt to do right by following a complicated list of sometimes contradictory applications—I, or anyone else, has derived from Scripture—I am as likely as not to think, say or do the wrong thing at the wrong place at the wrong time. And it is completely unnecessary since now we can enter by the new and living way that he opened for us through⁶¹ his death and resurrection; He who was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.⁶² Follow Him.

According to a note (118) in the NET, Jesus alluded to Psalm 32:2 in John 1:47. A table comparing the Greek of Jesus’ allusion with that of the Septuagint follows.

John 1:47b (NET Parallel Greek)	Psalm 32:2b (Septuagint BLB) Table	Psalm 31:2b (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐν ᾧ δόλος οὐκ ἔστιν	οὐδὲ ἔστιν ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ δόλος	οὐδέ ἐστιν ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ δόλος
John 1:47b (NET)	Psalm 31:2b (NETS)	Psalm 31:2b (English Elpenor)
in whom there is no deceit	in his mouth there is no deceit	and [in]* whose mouth there is no guile

Tables comparing Matthew 8:22; 8:25; 8:28, 29; 8:31; 8:34; John 1:48, 49; Matthew 17:3, 4; 17:6, 7; 17:9; 9:1; Luke 10:38 and 10:41, 42 in the KJV and NET follow.

Matthew 8:22 (NET)	Matthew 8:22 (KJV)
But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”	But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

Matthew 8:22 (NET Parallel Greek)	Matthew 8:22 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Matthew 8:22 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς λέγει αὐτῷ· ἀκολούθει μοι καὶ ἄφες τοὺς νεκροὺς θάψαι τοὺς ἑαυτῶν νεκρούς	ο δε ιησους ειπεν αυτω ακολουθει μοι και αφες τους νεκρους θαψαι τους εαυτων νεκρους	ο δε ιησους ειπεν αυτω ακολουθει μοι και αφες τους νεκρους θαψαι τους εαυτων νεκρους

Matthew 8:25 (NET)	Matthew 8:25 (KJV)
So they came and woke him up saying, “Lord, save us! We are about to die!”	And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.

Matthew 8:25 (NET Parallel Greek)	Matthew 8:25 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Matthew 8:25 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καὶ προσελθόντες ἤγειραν αὐτὸν λέγοντες· κύριε, σῶσον, ἀπολλύμεθα	και προσελθοντες οι μαθηται αυτου ηγειραν αυτον λεγοντες κυριε σωσον ημας απολλυμεθα	και προσελθοντες οι μαθηται ηγειραν αυτον λεγοντες κυριε σωσον ημας απολλυμεθα

Matthew 8:28, 29 (NET)	Matthew 8:28, 29 (KJV)
When he came to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were extremely violent, so that no one was able to pass by that way.	And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.

Matthew 8:28 (NET Parallel Greek)	Matthew 8:28 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Matthew 8:28 (Byzantine Majority Text)
Καὶ ἐλθόντος αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ πέραν εἰς τὴν χώραν τῶν Γαδαρηνῶν ὑπήντησαν αὐτῷ δύο δαιμονιζόμενοι ἐκ τῶν μνημείων ἐξερχόμενοι, χαλεποὶ λίαν, ὥστε μὴ ἰσχύειν τινὰ παρελθεῖν διὰ τῆς ὁδοῦ ἐκείνης	και ελθοντι αυτω εις το περαν εις την χωραν των γεργεσηνων υπηντησαν αυτω δυο δαιμονιζομενοι εκ των μνημειων εξερχομενοι χαλεποι λιαν ωστε μη ισχυειν τινα παρελθειν δια της οδου εκεινης	και ελθοντι αυτω εις το περαν εις την χωραν των γεργεσηνων υπηντησαν αυτω δυο δαιμονιζομενοι εκ των μνημειων εξερχομενοι χαλεποι λιαν ωστε μη ισχυειν τινα παρελθειν δια της οδου εκεινης

They cried out, “Son of God, leave us alone! Have you come here to torment us before the time?”

And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?

Matthew 8:29 (NET Parallel Greek)	Matthew 8:29 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Matthew 8:29 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καὶ ἰδοὺ ἔκραξαν λέγοντες· τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοί, υἱὲ τοῦ θεοῦ; ἦλθες ὧδε πρὸ καιροῦ βασανίσαι ἡμᾶς	και ιδου εκραξαν λεγοντες τι ημιν και σοι ιησου υιε του θεου ηλθες ωδε προ καιρου βασανισαι ημας	και ιδου εκραξαν λεγοντες τι ημιν και σοι ιησου υιε του θεου ηλθες ωδε προ καιρου βασανισαι ημας

Matthew 8:31 (NET)	Matthew 8:31 (KJV)
Then the demons begged him, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”	So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.

Matthew 8:31 (NET Parallel Greek)	Matthew 8:31 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Matthew 8:31 (Byzantine Majority Text)
οἱ δὲ δαίμονες παρεκάλουν αὐτὸν λέγοντες· εἰ ἐκβάλλεις ἡμᾶς, ἀπόστειλον ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν ἀγέλην τῶν χοίρων	οι δε δαιμονες παρεκαλουν αυτον λεγοντες ει εκβαλλεις ημας επιτρεψον ημιν απελθειν εις την αγελην των χοιρων	οι δε δαιμονες παρεκαλουν αυτον λεγοντες ει εκβαλλεις ημας επιτρεψον ημιν απελθειν εις την αγελην των χοιρων

Matthew 8:34 (NET)	Matthew 8:34 (KJV)
Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.	And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.

Matthew 8:34 (NET Parallel Greek)	Matthew 8:34 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Matthew 8:34 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καὶ ἰδοὺ πᾶσα ἡ πόλις ἐξῆλθεν εἰς ὑπάντησιν τῷ Ἰησοῦ καὶ ἰδόντες αὐτὸν παρεκάλεσαν ὅπως μεταβῇ ἀπὸ τῶν ὁρίων αὐτῶν	και ιδου πασα η πολις εξηλθεν εις συναντησιν τω ιησου και ιδοντες αυτον παρεκαλεσαν οπως μεταβη απο των οριων αυτων	και ιδου πασα η πολις εξηλθεν εις συναντησιν τω ιησου και ιδοντες αυτον παρεκαλεσαν οπως μεταβη απο των οριων αυτων

John 1:48, 49 (NET)	John 1:48, 49 (KJV)
Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” Jesus replied, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”	Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

John 1:48 (NET Parallel Greek)	John 1:48 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	John 1:48 (Byzantine Majority Text)
λέγει αὐτῷ Ναθαναήλ· πόθεν με γινώσκεις; ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· πρὸ τοῦ σε Φίλιππον φωνῆσαι ὄντα ὑπὸ τὴν συκῆν εἶδον σε	λεγει αυτω ναθαναηλ ποθεν με γινωσκεις απεκριθη ο ιησους και ειπεν αυτω προ του σε φιλιππον φωνησαι οντα υπο την συκην ειδον σε	λεγει αυτω ναθαναηλ ποθεν με γινωσκεις απεκριθη ιησους και ειπεν αυτω προ του σε φιλιππον φωνησαι οντα υπο την συκην ειδον σε

Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel!”

Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

John 1:49 (NET Parallel Greek)	John 1:49 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	John 1:49 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ Ναθαναήλ· ραββί, σὺ εἶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, σὺ βασιλεὺς εἶ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ	απεκριθη ναθαναηλ και λεγει αυτω ραββι συ ει ο υιος του θεου συ ει ο βασιλευς του ισραηλ	απεκριθη ναθαναηλ και λεγει αυτω ραββι συ ει ο υιος του θεου συ ει ο βασιλευς του ισραηλ

Matthew 17:3, 4 (NET)	Matthew 17:3, 4 (KJV)
Then Moses and Elijah also appeared before them, talking with him.	And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.

Matthew 17:3 (NET Parallel Greek)	Matthew 17:3 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Matthew 17:3 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καὶ ἰδοὺ ὤφθη αὐτοῖς Μωϋσῆς καὶ Ἠλίας συλλαλοῦντες μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ	και ιδου ωφθησαν αυτοις μωσης και ηλιας μετ αυτου συλλαλουντες	και ιδου ωφθησαν αυτοις μωσης και ηλιας μετ αυτου συλλαλουντες

So Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, I will make three shelters—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

Matthew 17:4 (NET Parallel Greek)	Matthew 17:4 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Matthew 17:4 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Πέτρος εἶπεν τῷ Ἰησοῦ· κύριε, καλόν ἐστιν ἡμᾶς ὧδε εἶναι· εἰ θέλεις, ποιήσω ὧδε τρεῖς σκηνάς, σοὶ μίαν καὶ Μωϋσεῖ μίαν καὶ Ἠλίᾳ μίαν	αποκριθεις δε ο πετρος ειπεν τω ιησου κυριε καλον εστιν ημας ωδε ειναι ει θελεις ποιησωμεν ωδε τρεις σκηνας σοι μιαν και μωση μιαν και μιαν ηλια	αποκριθεις δε ο πετρος ειπεν τω ιησου κυριε καλον εστιν ημας ωδε ειναι ει θελεις ποιησωμεν ωδε τρεις σκηνας σοι μιαν και μωση μιαν και μιαν ηλια

Matthew 17:6, 7 (NET)	Matthew 17:6, 7 (KJV)
When the disciples heard this, they were overwhelmed with fear and threw themselves down with their faces to the ground.	And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.

Matthew 17:6 (NET Parallel Greek)	Matthew 17:6 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Matthew 17:6 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ μαθηταὶ ἔπεσαν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν σφόδρα	και ακουσαντες οι μαθηται επεσον επι προσωπον αυτων και εφοβηθησαν σφοδρα	και ακουσαντες οι μαθηται επεσον επι προσωπον αυτων και εφοβηθησαν σφοδρα

But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Do not be afraid.”

And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.

Matthew 17:7 (NET Parallel Greek)	Matthew 17:7 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Matthew 17:7 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καὶ προσῆλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ ἁψάμενος αὐτῶν εἶπεν· ἐγέρθητε καὶ μὴ φοβεῖσθε	και προσελθων ο ιησους ηψατο αυτων και ειπεν εγερθητε και μη φοβεισθε	και προσελθων ο ιησους ηψατο αυτων και ειπεν εγερθητε και μη φοβεισθε

Matthew 17:9 (NET)	Matthew 17:9 (KJV)
As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”	And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.

Matthew 17:9 (NET Parallel Greek)	Matthew 17:9 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Matthew 17:9 (Byzantine Majority Text)
Καὶ καταβαινόντων αὐτῶν ἐκ τοῦ ὄρους ἐνετείλατο αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς λέγων· μηδενὶ εἴπητε τὸ ὅραμα ἕως οὗ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐγερθῇ	και καταβαινοντων αυτων απο του ορους ενετειλατο αυτοις ο ιησους λεγων μηδενι ειπητε το οραμα εως ου ο υιος του ανθρωπου εκ νεκρων αναστη	και καταβαινοντων αυτων εκ του ορους ενετειλατο αυτοις ο ιησους λεγων μηδενι ειπητε το οραμα εως ου ο υιος του ανθρωπου εκ νεκρων αναστη

Matthew 9:1 (NET)	Matthew 9:1 (KJV)
After getting into a boat he crossed to the other side and came to his own town.	And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.

Matthew 9:1 (NET Parallel Greek)	Matthew 9:1 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Matthew 9:1 (Byzantine Majority Text)
Καὶ ἐμβὰς εἰς πλοῖον διεπέρασεν καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν πόλιν	και εμβας εις το πλοιον διεπερασεν και ηλθεν εις την ιδιαν πολιν	και εμβας εις το πλοιον διεπερασεν και ηλθεν εις την ιδιαν πολιν

Luke 10:38 (NET)	Luke 10:38 (KJV)
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him as a guest.	Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

Luke 10:38 (NET Parallel Greek)	Luke 10:38 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Luke 10:38 (Byzantine Majority Text)
Ἐν δὲ τῷ πορεύεσθαι αὐτοὺς αὐτὸς εἰσῆλθεν εἰς κώμην τινά· γυνὴ δέ τις ὀνόματι Μάρθα ὑπεδέξατο αὐτόν	εγενετο δε εν τω πορευεσθαι αυτους και αυτος εισηλθεν εις κωμην τινα γυνη δε τις ονοματι μαρθα υπεδεξατο αυτον εις τον οικον αυτης	εγενετο δε εν τω πορευεσθαι αυτους και αυτος εισηλθεν εις κωμην τινα γυνη δε τις ονοματι μαρθα υπεδεξατο αυτον εις τον οικον αυτης

Luke 10:41, 42 (NET)	Luke 10:41, 42 (KJV)
But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things,	And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

Luke 10:41 (NET Parallel Greek)	Luke 10:41 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Luke 10:41 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ εἶπεν αὐτῇ ὁ κύριος· Μάρθα Μάρθα, μεριμνᾷς καὶ θορυβάζῃ περὶ πολλά	αποκριθεις δε ειπεν αυτη ο ιησους μαρθα μαρθα μεριμνας και τυρβαζη περι πολλα	αποκριθεις δε ειπεν αυτη ο ιησους μαρθα μαρθα μεριμνας και τυρβαζη περι πολλα

but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the best part; it will not be taken away from her.”

But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Luke 10:42 (NET Parallel Greek)	Luke 10:42 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)	Luke 10:42 (Byzantine Majority Text)
\|ἑνὸς\| δέ ἐστιν χρεία · Μαριὰμ γὰρ τὴν ἀγαθὴν μερίδα ἐξελέξατο ἥτις οὐκ ἀφαιρεθήσεται αὐτῆς	ενος δε εστιν χρεια μαρια δε την αγαθην μεριδα εξελεξατο ητις ουκ αφαιρεθησεται απ αυτης	ενος δε εστιν χρεια μαρια δε την αγαθην μεριδα εξελεξατο ητις ουκ αφαιρεθησεται απ αυτης

Luke 8:22-56

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¹ Matthew 8:22b (ESV)

² John 8:31; John 14:15; John 15:10

³ The Stephanus Textus Receptus had οι μαθηται αυτου (KJV: his disciples) and the Byzantine Majority Text had οι μαθηται (“the disciples”) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

⁴ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ημας here in the accusative case, accentuating the WE who are perishing (ἀπολλύμεθα), whether that WE included Jesus or not. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not. I can see how ημας here might turn a studious pastor’s focus toward the failure of Jesus’ disciples and away from the grace of God.

⁵ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἐλθόντος αὐτοῦ here in the genitive case, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ελθοντι αυτω (KJV: when he was come) in the dative case.

⁶ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had Γαδαρηνῶν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had γεργεσηνων (KJV: Gergesenes).

⁷ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ιησου (KJV: Jesus) preceding Son of God. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

⁸ “Ancestor Worship and the Gadarene Demoniacs,” by Cedric Vine, on Digital Commons @ Andrews University.

⁹ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἀπόστειλον ἡμᾶς here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had επιτρεψον ημιν απελθειν (KJV: suffer us to go away).

¹⁰ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ὑπάντησιν, a form of ὑπάντησις here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had συναντησιν, a form of συνάντησις.

¹¹ Matthew 8:23-34 (ESV)

¹² Matthew 8:28b (ESV)

¹³ Matthew 8:29b (ESV)

¹⁴ The Stephanus Textus Receptus had the article ο preceding Jesus. The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

¹⁵ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και λεγει (KJV: and saith) here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

¹⁶ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article ο preceding King. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

¹⁷ Matthew 8:23 (ESV)

¹⁸ Matthew 8:27 (ESV)

¹⁹ 1 Corinthians 3:3b (ESV) Table

²⁰ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ὤφθη, a singular form of ὁράω in the passive voice here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the plural ωφθησαν.

²¹ In the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ Moses was spelled Μωϋσῆς, and μωσης in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

²² The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ποιήσω, a 1^st person singular form of ποιέω in the indicative mood here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the 1^st person plural ποιησωμεν (KJV: let us make) in the subjunctive mood.

²³ In the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ Moses was spelled Μωϋσεῖ, and μωση in the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text.

²⁴ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἔπεσαν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had επεσον. These appear to be alternate spellings for the same part of speech, though επεσον may also be understood as a 1^st person singular form of πίπτω.

²⁵ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἁψάμενος here, a participle of ἅπτω, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ηψατο.

²⁶ The NET parallel Greek text, NA²⁸ and Byzantine Majority Text had ἐκ (NET: from) here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus had απο (KJV: from).

²⁷ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had ἐγερθῇ, a form of ἐγείρω here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αναστη (KJV: be risen again), a form of ἀνίστημι.

²⁸ Matthew 17:4b (ESV)

²⁹ Matthew 17:5b (ESV)

³⁰ Matthew 17:5c (ESV)

³¹ Matthew 17:5d (ESV)

³² Matthew 26:51 (ESV)

³³ John 18:10a (ESV) Table

³⁴ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had the article το preceding boat. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

³⁵ Matthew 8:22b (ESV)

³⁶ Matthew 26:2 (ESV)

³⁷ Matthew 8:22; Luke 9:59; Matthew 9:9; Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27; Matthew 10:38; Matthew 19:21; Mark 10:21; Luke 18:22; John 1:43; John 21:19; John 21:22

³⁸ 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.

³⁹ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και (KJV: that) at the beginning of this clause. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

⁴⁰ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had εις τον οικον αυτης (KJV: into her house) at the beginning of this clause. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

⁴¹ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had κύριος here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had ιησους (KJV: Jesus).

⁴² The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had θορυβάζῃ here, a form of θορυβάζω, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had τυρβαζη, a form of τυρβάζω.

⁴³ In the NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ Mary was spelled Μαριὰμ with γὰρ following. In the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text Mary was spelled μαρια, followed by δε (KJV: and).

⁴⁴ The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had απ here. The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ did not.

⁴⁵ Romans 7:21b (ESV)

⁴⁶ Matthew 8:26b (ESV)

⁴⁷ Matthew 1:20 (ESV) Table

⁴⁸ John 1:10-13 (ESV)

⁴⁹ Matthew 3:16, 17 (ESV)

⁵⁰ Acts 2:37-41 (ESV)

⁵¹ The NET parallel Greek text and NA²⁸ had the article ὁ here. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

⁵² For a table comparing the Greek of Jesus’ quotation with that of the Septuagint see: Nothing True, Part 2.

⁵³ For tables comparing the Greek of these quotations with that of the Septuagint see: A Monotonous Cycle Revisited, Part 3.

⁵⁴ For a table comparing the Greek of Jesus’ quotation with that of the Septuagint see: A Monotonous Cycle Revisited, Part 3.

⁵⁵ For tables comparing the Greek of Jesus’ quotation to that of the Septuagint see: Romans, Part 4.

⁵⁶ Romans 8:14 (ESV)

⁵⁷ Galatians 1:2b (ESV)

⁵⁸ Galatians 5:16-18 (ESV)

⁵⁹ From the poem “If,” by Rudyard Kipling. This was my Dad’s favorite poem: Who Am I? Part 4

⁶⁰ Romans 7:21 (ESV)

⁶¹ Hebrews 10:20a (ESV)

⁶² Romans 1:4b (ESV)

The Gospel and the Religious Mind

An attempt to distinguish the mind of Christ from the ordinary religious mind.

Tag Archives: Romans 1:4

3 John, Part 2

Matthew 8:23-34