Tag Archives: Romans 8:32

The Lost Son of Perdition, Part 10

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This is a continuation of my consideration of God’s love for Satan revealed in the book of Job: the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) allowed Satan to carry out his scientific experiment on Job, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil.1 Satan had a hypothesis why Job feared God, and a test for that hypothesis. But when the experiment was over Job didn’t curse God to his face as Satan’s test had predicted (Job 1:20-22 NET).

Then Job got up and tore his robe. He shaved his head, and then he threw himself down with his face to the ground [Table]. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return there. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. May the name of the Lord be blessed!” [Table] In all this Job did not sin, nor did he charge God with moral impropriety [Table].

This result effectively falsified Satan’s hypothesis.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Job 2:4, 5 (Tanakh/KJV)

Job 2:4, 5 (NET)

Job 2:4, 5 (NETS)

Job 2:4, 5 (English Elpenor)
And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life (נַפְשֽׁוֹ). But Satan answered the Lord, “Skin for skin! Indeed, a man will give up all that he has to save his life (nep̄eš, נפשו). Then the slanderer continued and said to the Lord, “Skin for skin; whatever a person has he will use to pay for his life (τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ). And the devil answered and said to the Lord, Skin for skin, all that a man has will he give as a ransom for his life (τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ).
But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse (יְבָֽרְכֶֽךָּ) thee to thy face But extend your hand and strike his bone and his flesh, and he will no doubt curse (bāraḵ, יברכך) you to your face!” However, stretch out your hand, and touch his bones and his flesh; surely he will bless (εὐλογήσει) you to your face!” Nay, but put forth thine hand, and touch his bones and his flesh: verily he will bless (εὐλογήσει) thee to [thy] face.

In other words, Satan rejected the conclusion that his hypothesis was false. He said he would have gotten the result he desired, if not for the Lord’s arbitrary condition placed on his test. The Lord had said to Satan (Job 1:12b NET [Table]):

All right then, everything he has is in your power. Only do not extend your hand against the man himself!

The Lord (יהוה) didn’t debate the merits of the scientific method with Satan:

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Job 2:6 (Tanakh/KJV)

Job 2:6 (NET)

Job 2:6 (NETS)

Job 2:6 (English Elpenor)
And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life (נַפְשׁ֖וֹ). So the Lord said to Satan, “All right, he is in your power; only preserve his life (nep̄eš, נפשו).” Then the Lord said to the slanderer, “Very well, I am handing him over to you; only spare his life (τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ).” And the Lord said to the devil, Behold, I deliver him up to thee; only save his life (τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ).

The Lord’s love, kindness and patience toward Satan is, frankly, a bit perplexing to me here. Is it simply who He is because God is love?2 Was He demonstrating his superiority? Was He leading Satan to repentance? Or was He goading Satan to store up wrath for [himself] in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed?3

I also admit to being confused about Satan’s hypothesis at this point: Is it for nothing that Job fears God? [Table] Have you not made a hedge around him4 [Table] to shield him from disease? It seems even less likely to me now that Satan was conducting a scientific experiment to ascertain why/how Job was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.5 I’m thinking that Satan just wanted Job to curse God.

I, on the other hand, am more interested in how Job was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil6 even when Satan by the Lord’s leave took everything from him. The Lord’s confidence to continue with Satan’s charade encourages me that I’m on the right track with the idea that Job believed the Lord, and the Lord credited it as righteousness to him.7 The Lord’s confidence to continue with Satan’s test didn’t come from his faith in Job, but from his faith in the life-transforming power of his own credited righteousness.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Job 2:7, 8 (Tanakh/KJV)

Job 2:7, 8 (NET)

Job 2:7, 8 (NETS)

Job 2:7, 8 (English Elpenor)
So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and he afflicted Job with a malignant ulcer from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. So the slanderer went out from the Lord, and he struck Iob with a grievous festering sore from his feet to his head. So the devil went out from the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from [his] feet to [his] head.
And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes. Job took a shard of broken pottery to scrape himself with while he was sitting among the ashes. And he took a potsherd, so that he could scrape away the pus, and sat on the rubbish heap outside the city. And he took a potsherd to scrape away the discharge, and sat upon a dung-heap outside the city.

Job’s wife seemed to have an uncanny grasp of the situation, even more so because her advice seems more in line with Satan’s reasoning than the Lord’s.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Job 2:9 (Tanakh/KJV)

Job 2:9 (NET)

Job 2:9 (NETS)

Job 2:9 (English Elpenor)
Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. Then his wife said to him, “Are you still holding firmly to your integrity? Curse God, and die!” Then after a long time had passed, his wife said to him, “How long will you persist and say, ‘Look, I will hang on a little longer, while I wait for the hope of my deliverance?’ For look, your legacy has vanished from the earth—sons and daughters, my womb’s birth pangs and labors, for whom I wearied myself with hardships in vain. And you? You sit in the refuse of worms as you spend the night in the open air. As for me, I am one that wanders about and a hired servant—from place to place and house to house, waiting for when the sun will set, so I can rest from the distresses and griefs that now beset me. Now say some word to the Lord and die!” And when much time had passed, his wife said to him, How long wilt thou hold out, saying, 9α Behold, I wait yet a little while, expecting the hope of my deliverance? 9β for, behold, thy memorial is abolished from the earth, [even thy] sons and daughters, the pangs and pains of my womb which I bore in vain with sorrows; 9γ and thou thyself sittest down to spend the nights in the open air among the corruption of worms, 9δ and I am a wanderer and a servant from place to place and house to house, waiting for the setting of the sun, that I may rest from my labours and my pangs which now beset me: but say some word against the Lord, and die.

If I thought this was contemporary fiction I might go off on a feminist rant about misogyny and the patriarchy. Though I do think the literary form of Job is drama, I believe the story is true. But as drama, Job’s wife is the first everyman character one encounters. She reacts more like what Satan claimed to expect from his scientific experiment on Job, not because she is female but because she is human. I say “claimed” because Satan (Septuagint: ὁ διάβολος) is a liar.

I’m becoming more and more convinced that Satan already knew that Job was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil8 because Job believed the Lord, and the Lord credited it as righteousness to him.9 Satan already knew, even if he held onto some vague hope, that because of the power of the Lord’s credited righteousness there was nothing he could do to cause Job to curse God. Satan’s actual intent was to baffle us with misdirection, and to terrorize us with all he would do to us if we believed the Lord and the Lord credited it as righteousness to us.

Job’s wife sounds like Satan because everyman is from [their] father the devil, and [we] want to do what [our] father desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature because he is a liar and the father of lies.10

That everyman is from [their] father the devil is a point for everyman to concede to Jesus, the shut door at the entrance to the kingdom of God, and the light that will highlight our inner devil all too clearly. God, be merciful to me, sinner that I am,11 is the key to open the shut door that is Jesus, the light of the world.

Did the rabbis who translated the Septuagint add words to Job’s wife’s soliloquy to make her more sympathetic? Or did the editors of the Masoretic text delete them to make her more direct? I’m favoring the latter here because in the Masoretic text Job’s wife quotes the Lord almost verbatim even as she sounds more like Satan:

Job 2:3 (NET) The Lord

Job 2:9 (NET) Job’s Wife
he still (ʿôḏ, ועדנו) holds firmly (ḥāzaq, מחזיק) to his integrity (tummâ, בתמתו) Are you still (ʿôḏ, עדך) holding firmly (ḥāzaq, מחזיק) to your integrity (tummâ, בתמתך)?

Here is a comparison of the Greek in the Septuagint for contrast:

Job 2:3 (Septuagint BLB) Table

Job 2:3 (Septuagint Elpenor)

Job 2:9 (Septuagint BLB)

Job 2:9 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἔτι δὲ ἔχεται ἀκακίας ἔτι δὲ ἔχετε ἀκακίας μέχρι τίνος καρτερήσεις λέγων μέχρι τίνος καρτερήσεις λέγων

Job 2:3 (NETS)

Job 2:3 (English Elpenor)

Job 2:9 (NETS)

Job 2:9 (English Elpenor)
And he still maintains his innocence and he yet cleaves to innocence How long will you persist and say How long wilt thou hold out, saying

Quoting the Lord verbatim is a clever synopsis that cuts immediately to the point. But the longer version of her speech seems more like a wife’s anguish watching her husband suffer, as well as her own anguish as long as he lives and she is not free to marry again. All this demonstrates perhaps is that the rabbis wrote better fiction. But I have faith that the story is true, and the Greek of the Septuagint seems much less like Job’s wife was privy to the Lord’s words verbatim.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Job 2:10 (Tanakh/KJV)

Job 2:10 (NET)

Job 2:10 (NETS)

Job 2:10 (English Elpenor)
But [Job] said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil (הָרָ֖ע)? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. But he replied, “You’re talking like one of the godless women would do! Should we receive what is good from God, and not also receive what is evil (raʿ, הרע)?” In all this Job did not sin by what he said. But Iob looked up and said to her, “You have spoken like one of the foolish women. If we received the good things from the Lord’s hand, shall we not bear the bad (τὰ κακὰ)?” In all these things that happened to him Iob did not sin at all with his lips before God. But he looked on her, and said to her, Thou hast spoken like one of the foolish women. If we have received good things of the hand of the Lord, shall we not endure evil things (τὰ κακὰ)? In all these things that happened to him, Job sinned not at all with his lips before God.

In one sense, Job’s faith sounds naive. He accepts what has happened to him as evil from the hand of God (Septuagint: of the Lord, Κυρίου). He seems oblivious to Satan’s part in any of it. I wondered briefly whether Job thought of Satan as one of the gods. The rabbis who translated the Septuagint seem to have anticipated that question and answered it in the negative by translating האלהים (‘ĕlōhîm) Κυρίου here rather than θεοῦ. But Job’s theology was absolutely correct since Satan could do nothing without the Lord’s permission.

Job’s wife, especially in the Masoretic text, seems to believe that Job’s blamelessness is a personal achievement, a righteousness derived from law: Job still holds firmly to his integrity. But Job’s acceptance of both good and evil from the hand of the Lord sounds more to me like the fruit of a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ’s faithfulness12 so many years before the Word became flesh and took up residence among us.13

The Lord boasts about Job: There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil.14 The Lord has every right to boast. Job’s righteousness is the Lord’s handiwork. Job does not boast: The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. May the name of the Lord be blessed!15 What do you have that you did not receive? Paul wrote the Corinthians. And if you received it, why do you boast as though you did not?16 He also wrote to the Romans: Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things?17

Satan doesn’t appear again in the book of Job except by proxy in his influence over natural born human beings. I want to continue to study the book of Job in another essay series, but here I’ll sum up a bit. This side excursion into the book of Job began for me with a question: Who did Jesus command, “What you are about to do, do quickly.”18

The narrative is quite clear that Jesus spoke to Judas Iscariot. But right before Jesus spoke those words, John also made it clear that Satan (ὁ σατανᾶς) had entered into Judas. In the book of Job Satan needed the Lord’s permission to do anything to Job. Was, What you are about to do, do quickly, Jesus’ permission? I lay down my life, so that I may take it back again, Jesus said. No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down of my own free will (ἐμαυτοῦ). I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it back again. This commandment I received from my Father.19

“It’s difficult to say that He was speaking to both: ποίησον is singular. But was He speaking to Satan/Judas, a unitary singular, at that moment?”20 Then Satan entered into him21 (τότε εἰσῆλθεν εἰς ἐκεῖνον ὁ σατανᾶς) seems to be something more than You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires.22 And now I wonder if that “ something more” exempts Judas somehow from all people Jesus will draw to Himself if or when He was crucified.23

Tables comparing Job 2:4; 2:5; 2:6; 2:7; 2:8; 2:9 and 2:10 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET, and tables comparing the Greek of Job 2:4; 2:5; 2:6; 2:7; 2:8; 2:9 and 2:10 in the Septuagint (BLB and Elpenor) follow.

Job 2:4 (Tanakh)

Job 2:4 (KJV)

Job 2:4 (NET)
And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But Satan answered the Lord, “Skin for skin! Indeed, a man will give up all that he has to save his life.

Job 2:4 (Septuagint BLB)

Job 2:4 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὑπολαβὼν δὲ ὁ διάβολος εἶπεν τῷ κυρίῳ δέρμα ὑπὲρ δέρματος ὅσα ὑπάρχει ἀνθρώπῳ ὑπὲρ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ ἐκτείσει ὑπολαβὼν δὲ ὁ διάβολος εἶπε τῷ Κυρίῳ· δέρμα ὑπὲρ δέρματος· καὶ πάντα, ὅσα ὑπάρχει ἀνθρώπῳ, ὑπὲρ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ ἐκτίσει

Job 2:4 (NETS)

Job 2:4 (English Elpenor)
Then the slanderer continued and said to the Lord, “Skin for skin; whatever a person has he will use to pay for his life. And the devil answered and said to the Lord, Skin for skin, all that a man has will he give as a ransom for his life.

Job 2:5 (Tanakh)

Job 2:5 (KJV)

Job 2:5 (NET)
But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. But extend your hand and strike his bone and his flesh, and he will no doubt curse you to your face!”

Job 2:5 (Septuagint BLB)

Job 2:5 (Septuagint Elpenor)
οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ ἀποστείλας τὴν χεῗρά σου ἅψαι τῶν ὀστῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν σαρκῶν αὐτοῦ εἰ μὴν εἰς πρόσωπόν σε εὐλογήσει οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ ἀποστείλας τὴν χεῖρά σου ἅψαι τῶν ὀστῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ σαρκῶν αὐτοῦ· ἦ μὴν εἰς πρόσωπόν σε εὐλογήσει

Job 2:5 (NETS)

Job 2:5 (English Elpenor)
However, stretch out your hand, and touch his bones and his flesh; surely he will bless you to your face!” Nay, but put forth thine hand, and touch his bones and his flesh: verily he will bless thee to [thy] face.

Job 2:6 (Tanakh)

Job 2:6 (KJV)

Job 2:6 (NET)
And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. So the Lord said to Satan, “All right, he is in your power; only preserve his life.”

Job 2:6 (Septuagint BLB)

Job 2:6 (Septuagint Elpenor)
εἶπεν δὲ ὁ κύριος τῷ διαβόλῳ ἰδοὺ παραδίδωμί σοι αὐτόν μόνον τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ διαφύλαξον εἶπε δὲ ὁ Κύριος τῷ διαβόλῳ· ἰδοὺ παραδίδωμί σοι αὐτόν, μόνον τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ διαφύλαξον

Job 2:6 (NETS)

Job 2:6 (English Elpenor)
Then the Lord said to the slanderer, “Very well, I am handing him over to you; only spare his life.” And the Lord said to the devil, Behold, I deliver him up to thee; only save his life.

Job 2:7 (Tanakh)

Job 2:7 (KJV)

Job 2:7 (NET)
So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and he afflicted Job with a malignant ulcer from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

Job 2:7 (Septuagint BLB)

Job 2:7 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐξῆλθεν δὲ ὁ διάβολος ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ ἔπαισεν τὸν Ιωβ ἕλκει πονηρῷ ἀπὸ ποδῶν ἕως κεφαλῆς ᾿Εξῆλθε δὲ ὁ διάβολος ἀπὸ προσώπου Κυρίου καὶ ἔπαισε τὸν ᾿Ιὼβ ἕλκει πονηρῷ ἀπὸ ποδῶν ἕως κεφαλῆς

Job 2:7 (NETS)

Job 2:7 (English Elpenor)
So the slanderer went out from the Lord, and he struck Iob with a grievous festering sore from his feet to his head. So the devil went out from the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from [his] feet to [his] head.

Job 2:8 (Tanakh)

Job 2:8 (KJV)

Job 2:8 (NET)
And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes. Job took a shard of broken pottery to scrape himself with while he was sitting among the ashes.

Job 2:8 (Septuagint BLB)

Job 2:8 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἔλαβεν ὄστρακον ἵνα τὸν ἰχῶρα ξύῃ καὶ ἐκάθητο ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας ἔξω τῆς πόλεως καὶ ἔλαβεν ὄστρακον, ἵνα τὸν ἰχῶρα ξύῃ, καὶ ἐκάθητο ἐπὶ τῆς κοπρίας ἔξω τῆς πόλεως

Job 2:8 (NETS)

Job 2:8 (English Elpenor)
And he took a potsherd, so that he could scrape away the pus, and sat on the rubbish heap outside the city. And he took a potsherd to scrape away the discharge, and sat upon a dung-heap outside the city.

Job 2:9 (Tanakh)

Job 2:9 (KJV)

Job 2:9 (NET)
Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. Then his wife said to him, “Are you still holding firmly to your integrity? Curse God, and die!”

Job 2:9 (Septuagint BLB)

Job 2:9 (Septuagint Elpenor)
χρόνου δὲ πολλοῦ προβεβηκότος εἶπεν αὐτῷ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ μέχρι τίνος καρτερήσεις λέγων Χρόνου δὲ πολλοῦ προβεβηκότος εἶπεν αὐτῷ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ· μέχρι τίνος καρτερήσεις λέγων· 9α ἰδοὺ ἀναμένω χρόνον ἔτι μικρὸν προσδεχόμενος τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς σωτηρίας μου; 9β ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἠφάνισταί σου τὸ μνημόσυνον ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, υἱοὶ καὶ θυγατέρες, ἐμῆς κοιλίας ὠδῖνες καὶ πόνοι, οὓς εἰς τὸ κενὸν ἐκοπίασα μετὰ μόχθων· 9γ σύ τε αὐτὸς ἐν σαπρίᾳ σκωλήκων κάθησαι διανυκτερεύων αἴθριος, 9δ κἀγὼ πλανῆτις καὶ λάτρις, τόπον ἐκ τόπου περιερχομένη καὶ οἰκίαν ἐξ οἰκίας, προσδεχομένη τὸν ἥλιον πότε δύσεται, ἵνα ἀναπαύσωμαι τῶν μόχθων μου καὶ τῶν ὀδυνῶν, αἵ με νῦν συνέχουσιν· ἀλλὰ εἰπόν τι ῥῆμα πρὸς Κύριον καὶ τελεύτα

Job 2:9 (NETS)

Job 2:9 (English Elpenor)
Then after a long time had passed, his wife said to him, “How long will you persist and say, ‘Look, I will hang on a little longer, while I wait for the hope of my deliverance?’ For look, your legacy has vanished from the earth—sons and daughters, my womb’s birth pangs and labors, for whom I wearied myself with hardships in vain. And you? You sit in the refuse of worms as you spend the night in the open air. As for me, I am one that wanders about and a hired servant—from place to place and house to house, waiting for when the sun will set, so I can rest from the distresses and griefs that now beset me. Now say some word to the Lord and die!” And when much time had passed, his wife said to him, How long wilt thou hold out, saying, 9α Behold, I wait yet a little while, expecting the hope of my deliverance? 9β for, behold, thy memorial is abolished from the earth, [even thy] sons and daughters, the pangs and pains of my womb which I bore in vain with sorrows; 9γ and thou thyself sittest down to spend the nights in the open air among the corruption of worms, 9δ and I am a wanderer and a servant from place to place and house to house, waiting for the setting of the sun, that I may rest from my labours and my pangs which now beset me: but say some word against the Lord, and die.

Job 2:10 (Tanakh)

Job 2:10 (KJV)

Job 2:10 (NET)
But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. But he replied, “You’re talking like one of the godless women would do! Should we receive what is good from God, and not also receive what is evil?” In all this Job did not sin by what he said.

Job 2:10 (Septuagint BLB)

Job 2:10 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ὁ δὲ ἐμβλέψας εἶπεν αὐτῇ ὥσπερ μία τῶν ἀφρόνων γυναικῶν ἐλάλησας εἰ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐδεξάμεθα ἐκ χειρὸς κυρίου τὰ κακὰ οὐχ ὑποίσομεν ἐν πᾶσιν τούτοις τοῗς συμβεβηκόσιν αὐτῷ οὐδὲν ἥμαρτεν Ιωβ τοῗς χείλεσιν ἐναντίον τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ δὲ ἐμβλέψας εἶπεν αὐτῇ· ἵνα τί ὥσπερ μία τῶν ἀφρόνων γυναικῶν ἐλάλησας οὕτως; εἰ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐδεξάμεθα ἐκ χειρὸς Κυρίου, τὰ κακὰ οὐχ ὑποίσομεν; ἐν πᾶσι τούτοις τοῖς συμβεβηκόσιν αὐτῷ οὐδὲν ἥμαρτεν ᾿Ιὼβ τοῖς χείλεσιν ἐναντίον τοῦ Θεοῦ

Job 2:10 (NETS)

Job 2:10 (English Elpenor)
But Iob looked up and said to her, “You have spoken like one of the foolish women. If we received the good things from the Lord’s hand, shall we not bear the bad?” In all these things that happened to him Iob did not sin at all with his lips before God. But he looked on her, and said to her, Thou hast spoken like one of the foolish women. If we have received good things of the hand of the Lord, shall we not endure evil things? In all these things that happened to him, Job sinned not at all with his lips before God.

1 Job 1:8b (NET) Table

2 1 John 4:8 (NET)

3 Romans 2:5 (NET) Table

4 Job 1:9b, 10a (NET)

5 Job 1:1b (NET) Table

6 Ibid.

7 Genesis 15:6 (NET) Table

8 Job 1:1b (NET) Table

9 Genesis 15:6 (NET) Table

10 John 8:44 (NET) Table

11 Luke 18:13 (NET) Table

12 Philippians 3:9b (NET)

13 John 1:14a (NET)

14 Job 1:8b (NET) Table

15 Job 1:21b (NET) Table

16 1 Corinthians 4:7b (NET)

17 Romans 8:32 (NET) Table

18 John 13:27b (NET)

19 John 10:17b, 18 (NET)

21 John 13:27a (NET)

22 John 8:44a (NET) Table

Romans, Part 34

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What then shall we say about these things? Paul continued.  If God is for (ὑπὲρ) us, who can be against (καθ᾿, a form of κατά) us?[3]  It would be a mistake to think that Paul implied that no one is, or would be, against us.  Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.  I have not come to bring peace but a sword.  For I have come to set a man against (κατὰ) his father, a daughter against (κατὰ) her mother, and a daughter-in-law against (κατὰ) her mother-in-law, and a man’s enemies (ἐχθροὶ, a form of ἐχθρός) will be the members of his household.”[5]  The point of Paul’s rhetorical question is, who are they who would array themselves against us compared to God?

Though they do not measure up to God they are the enemies we love.  But I say to you who are listening, Jesus said: Love your enemies (ἐχθροὺς, another form of ἐχθρός), do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”[6]  It is a mysterious blessing that we learn this love at home, with our families, in our own households.

Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, Paul continued to elaborate how God is for (ὑπὲρ) us, but gave him up for (ὑπὲρ) us all – how will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things?[7]  Repent, and each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift (δωρεὰν, a form of δωρεά) of the Holy Spirit,[9] Peter ended his first sermon on Pentecost.  Paul indicated that those who trust in Jesus receive the abundance of grace and of the gift (δωρεᾶς, another form of form of δωρεά) of righteousness.[10]  I became a servant of this gospel, Paul wrote the Ephesians, according to the gift (δωρεὰν, a form of δωρεά) of God’s grace that was given to me by the exercise of his power.[11]  When Paul enumerated the gifts of God’s grace for the Corinthians[12] he went on to describe a way that is beyond (καθ᾿) comparison,[13] the love[14] that fulfills the law, the gift of righteousness, the fruit of the Spirit, the essence of what it means to be led[15] by the gift of the Holy Spirit.

As Paul wrote the Ephesians, For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift (δῶρον) of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast.  For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.[17]

Who will bring any charge against God’s elect (ἐκλεκτῶν, a form of ἐκλεκτός)? Paul continued in Romans.  Of course, many will presume, but who are they compared to God?  It is God who justifies.[19]  And yet the elect are not smug masters of the universe (Colossians 3:12-17 NET):

Therefore, as the elect (ἐκλεκτοὶ, another form of ἐκλεκτός) of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness (χρηστότητα, a form of χρηστότης), humility, gentleness (πραΰτητα, a form of πραΰτης), and patience (μακροθυμίαν, a form of μακροθυμία), bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else.  Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others.  And to all these virtues[23] add[24] love (ἀγάπην, a form of ἀγάπη), which is the perfect bond.  Let the peace (εἰρήνη) of Christ be in control in your heart (for you were in fact called as one body to this peace), and be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with grace in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

To clothe myself with a heart of mercy (σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμοῦ) is an interesting word picture.  I am to clothe myself with something internal, cover my naked ambition one might say with Christlikeness, the fruit of his Spirit (Galatians 5:13-16, 22-26).

For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another.  For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment, namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.”  However, if you continually bite and devour one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another.  But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh…the fruit of the Spirit is love (ἀγάπη), joy, peace (εἰρήνη), patience (μακροθυμία), kindness (χρηστότης), goodness, faithfulness, gentleness (πραΰτης), and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.  Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, being jealous of one another.

Who is the one who will condemn? Paul continued.  Again, many will condemn, but who are they by comparison?  Christ is the one who died (and more than that, he was raised), who is at the right hand of God, and who also is interceding for us.[29]  Though many will try to bring a charge or condemn, who will actually prevail?  Who will separate us from the love of Christ?  Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  As it is written, “For your sake we encounter death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[30]

Paul quoted from Psalm 44.  In the Psalm the experience of death was viewed in confusion, as an evil, a lament, a plea to, or a rebuke of, God (Psalm 44:20-24 NET):

If we had rejected our God, and spread out our hands in prayer to another god, would not God discover it, for he knows one’s thoughts?  Yet because of you we are killed all day long; we are treated like sheep at the slaughtering block (Table).  Rouse yourself!  Why do you sleep, O Lord?  Wake up!  Do not reject us forever!  Why do you look the other way, and ignore the way we are oppressed and mistreated?

Paul’s attitude about death in the Gospel was entirely different (2 Corinthians 4:7-11 NET):

But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that the extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.  We are experiencing trouble on every side, but are not crushed; we are perplexed, but not driven to despair; we are persecuted, but not abandoned; we are knocked down, but not destroyed, always carrying around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our body.  For we who are alive are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our mortal body.

No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us! Paul continued in Romans.  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.[31]

Paul’s quotation is compared with the Septuagint below for completeness.

Paul

Blue Letter Bible (Septuagint)

NET   Bible (Greek parallel text)
For your sake we encounter death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

Romans 8:36 (NET)

 ὅτι ἕνεκα σοῦ θανατούμεθα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἐλογίσθημεν ὡς πρόβατα σφαγῆς

Psalm 44:22

 ὅτι ἕνεκεν σοῦ θανατούμεθα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, ἐλογίσθημεν ὡς πρόβατα σφαγῆς

Romans 8:36

[3] Romans 8:31 (NET)

[5] Matthew 10:34-36 (NET)

[6] Luke 6:27 (NET)

[7] Romans 8:32 (NET) Table

[9] Acts 2:38 (NET) Table

[10] Romans 5:17 (NET)

[11] Ephesians 3:7 (NET)

[17] Ephesians 2:8-10 (NET)

[19] Romans 8:33 (NET)

[23] NET Note: The term “virtues” is not in the Greek text, but is included in the translation to specify the antecedent and to make clear the sense of the pronoun “these.” See: Peter’s Way?

[24] Net Note: The verb “add,” though not in the Greek text, is implied, picking up the initial imperative “clothe yourselves.” See: Peter’s Way?

[29] Romans 8:34 (NET) Table

[30] Romans 8:35, 36 (NET) Table

[31] Romans 8:37-39 (NET)

Romans, Part 3

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I want to consider παραδίδωμι as used by Paul in Romans and 1 Corinthians.  The wrath of God…revealed from heaven against all ungodliness (ἀσέβειαν, a form of ἀσέβεια) and unrighteousness of people1 was revealed in three stages:

1) God gave them over (παρέδωκεν, a form of παραδίδωμι) in the desires of their hearts to impurity.

2) God gave them over (παρέδωκεν, a form of παραδίδωμι) to dishonorable passions.

3) God gave them over (παρέδωκεν, a form of παραδίδωμι) to a depraved mind.

This usage of παραδίδωμι is virtually identical to that of Paul encouraging the Corinthians to turn over the man who had his father’s wife to Satan.

When you gather together in the name of our Lord Jesus, and I am with you in spirit, along with the power of our Lord Jesus, turn this man over (παραδοῦναι, another form of παραδίδωμι) to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 5:4, 5 (NET) Table

 Therefore God gave them over (παρέδωκεν, a form of παραδίδωμι) in the desires of their hearts to impurity…

Romans 1:24 (NET) Table
For this reason God gave them over (παρέδωκεν, a form of παραδίδωμι) to dishonorable passions.

Romans 1:26a (NET)
God gave them over (παρέδωκεν, a form of παραδίδωμι) to a depraved mind…

Romans 1:28b (NET)

I’ve already indicated that Paul’s reaction to this man seems disproportionate when compared with his reaction to the sin he addressed in his letter to the Galatians.  But if I accept Paul’s second explanation in 2 Corinthians as the more appropriate, then Paul was not reacting to this man’s sin as much as he was responding to the Corinthians’ reactions to it (2 Corinthians 2:9-11; 7:11, 12 NET):

For this reason also I wrote you: to test (δοκιμὴν, a form of δοκιμή) you to see if you are obedient (ὑπήκοοι, a form of ὑπήκοος) in everything.  If you forgive (χαρίζεσθε, a form of χαρίζομαι) anyone for anything, I also forgive him – for indeed what I have forgiven (κεχάρισμαι, another form of χαρίζομαι) (if I have forgiven [κεχάρισμαι, another form of χαρίζομαι] anything) I did so for you in the presence of Christ [Table], so that we may not be exploited by Satan (for we are not ignorant of his schemes)…
For see what this very thing, this sadness [e.g., caused by Paul’s original letter, cf. 2 Corinthians 7:8 (NET)] as God intended, has produced (κατειργάσατο, a form of κατεργάζομαι) in you: what eagerness, what defense of yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what deep concern, what punishment!  In everything you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.  So then, even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong (ἀδικήσαντος, a form of ἀδικέω), or on account of the one who was wronged (ἀδικηθέντος, a form of ἀδικέω), but to reveal to you your eagerness on our behalf before God [Table].

And Paul questioned their reaction right from the beginning: And you are proud!  Shouldn’t you have been deeply sorrowful instead and removed the one who did this from among you?2  In my opinion, yes, they should have been sorrowful, but whether they should have removed him from their midst or not is open to question by Paul’s own subsequent writings.

And knowing that Paul passed on (παρεδίδοσαν, another form of παραδίδωμι) the decrees that had been decided on by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the Gentile believers to obey3 as he traveled on his second missionary journey, I have an even better idea why he called the man’s sin πορνεία.  If I examine the list of James’ abbreviated version of the law—abstain from meat that has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what has been strangled and from πορνείας (a form of πορνεία)4—it was the only thing left to Paul that even came close to describing the man’s sin.

All of this is based on my assumption that the man Paul encouraged the Corinthians to forgive in 2 Corinthians 2:5-8 was the same man he told them to turn over to Satan in 1 Corinthians 5:4, 5.  It is not the only assumption I could make.  I might take Paul’s phrase, the destruction of the flesh, literally and assume that the man died, or that he simply left, or that he moved on to the Baptist church down the street.5  I know that Paul wrote a letter to the Corinthians before 1 Corinthians, I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral (πόρνοις, a form of πόρνος) people.6  The unspecified man in 2 Corinthians could be some other sinner Paul had the church shun in any number of unknown letters he wrote between 1 and 2 Corinthians.

For me it all comes down to my account (λόγον, a form of λόγος).7  Assuming the man is one and the same is an honest mistake (if that’s what it proves to be) that I can live with.  But if I stand before the Lord with all kinds of imaginary excuses—the first man died, left the church, moved on to the Baptist church down the street, and the second man was introduced in an imaginary letter I don’t have access to—all He has to say is, “What does it say, Dan?” and I have no λόγον to offer Him.  I can honestly say that I thought Paul was talking about the same man in both letters.  The Lord already knows better than anyone how bright I’m not.  I would like, by his grace, to keep the willful ignorance to a minimum from here on out.

After people were given over (παρέδωκεν, a form of παραδίδωμι) in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonorable passions, and to a depraved mind by God, the rest of the occurrences of παραδίδωμι in Romans form a mini-Gospel lesson.  [Jesus] was given over (παρεδόθη, another form of παραδίδωμι) because of our transgressions and was raised for the sake of our justification (δικαίωσιν, a form of δικαίωσις).8  The word is used in a similar way in 1 Corinthians, If9 I give away everything I own, and if I give over (παραδῶ, another form of παραδίδωμι) my body in order to boast,10 but do not have love, I receive no benefit.11

The next step of the mini-Gospel lesson is, But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were entrusted to (παρεδόθητε, another form of παραδίδωμι), and having been freed from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.12  There is a similar reference to a message that was passed on and a similar theme in 1 Corinthians: For I passed on (παρέδωκα, another form of παραδίδωμι) to you as of first importance what I also received – that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures…13

Another usage in 1 Corinthians corroborated this idea of a message that was passed on and introduced the related word παράδοσις which is that message.  I praise you14 because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions (παραδόσεις, a form of παράδοσις) just as I passed them on (παρέδωκα, another form of παραδίδωμι) to you.15  And another usage of παραδίδωμι is both the idea of a message passed on and Jesus given over or given up.  For I received from the Lord what I also passed on (παρέδωκα, another form of παραδίδωμι) to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed16 (παρεδίδετο, another form of παραδίδωμι) took bread…17

In Romans the mini-Gospel lesson continued: Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up (παρέδωκεν, a form of παραδίδωμι) for us all – how will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things?18 And I suppose the final occurrence in 1 Corinthians adds the finishing touch to this lesson: Then comes the end, when [Jesus] hands over (παραδιδῷ, another form of παραδίδωμι) the kingdom to God the Father, when he has brought to an end all rule and all authority and power.19

Below is a copy of this mini-Gospel lesson in tabular form.

Paul’s usage of παραδίδωμι in Romans / 1 Corinthians as a Mini-Gospel Lesson
Therefore God gave them over (παρέδωκεν, a form of παραδίδωμι) in the desires of their hearts to impurity…

Romans 1:24 (NET)
For this reason God gave them over (παρέδωκεν, a form of παραδίδωμι) to dishonorable passions.

Romans 1:26a (NET)
God gave them over (παρέδωκεν, a form of παραδίδωμι) to a depraved mind…

Romans 1:28b (NET)
[Jesus] was given over (παρεδόθη, another form of παραδίδωμι) because of our transgressions and was raised for the sake of our justification.

Romans 4:25 (NET)
But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were entrusted to (παρεδόθητε, another form of παραδίδωμι), and having been freed from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.

Romans 6:17, 18 (NET)
Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up (παρέδωκεν, a form of παραδίδωμι) for us all – how will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things?

Romans 8:32 (NET)
Then comes the end, when [Jesus] hands over (παραδιδῷ, another form of παραδίδωμι) the kingdom to God the Father, when he has brought to an end all rule and all authority and power.

1 Corinthians 15:24 (NET)

Addendum: May 1, 2020
Tables comparing 1 Corinthians 13:3; 11:2; 11:23 and Acts 18:25 in the NET and KJV follow.

1 Corinthians 13:3 (NET)

1 Corinthians 13:3 (KJV)
If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have love, I receive no benefit. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
κὰν ψωμίσω πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντα μου |καὶ ἐὰν| παραδῶ τὸ σῶμα μου ἵνα καυχήσωμαι, ἀγάπην δὲ μὴ ἔχω, οὐδὲν ὠφελοῦμαι και εαν ψωμισω παντα τα υπαρχοντα μου και εαν παραδω το σωμα μου ινα καυθησωμαι αγαπην δε μη εχω ουδεν ωφελουμαι και εαν ψωμισω παντα τα υπαρχοντα μου και εαν παραδω το σωμα μου ινα καυθησωμαι αγαπην δε μη εχω ουδεν ωφελουμαι

1 Corinthians 11:2 (NET)

1 Corinthians 11:2 (KJV)
I praise you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions just as I passed them on to you. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
Ἐπαινῶ δὲ ὑμᾶς ὅτι πάντα μου μέμνησθε καί, καθὼς παρέδωκα ὑμῖν, τὰς παραδόσεις κατέχετε επαινω δε υμας αδελφοι οτι παντα μου μεμνησθε και καθως παρεδωκα υμιν τας παραδοσεις κατεχετε επαινω δε υμας αδελφοι οτι παντα μου μεμνησθε και καθως παρεδωκα υμιν τας παραδοσεις κατεχετε

1 Corinthians 11:23 (NET)

1 Corinthians 11:23 (KJV)
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread, For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

NET Parallel Greek

 Stephanus Textus Receptus

Byzantine Majority Text
Ἐγὼ γὰρ παρέλαβον ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου, ὃ καὶ παρέδωκα ὑμῖν, ὅτι ὁ κύριος Ἰησοῦς ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ᾗ παρεδίδετο ἔλαβεν ἄρτον εγω γαρ παρελαβον απο του κυριου ο και παρεδωκα υμιν οτι ο κυριος ιησους εν τη νυκτι η παρεδιδοτο ελαβεν αρτον εγω γαρ παρελαβον απο του κυριου ο και παρεδωκα υμιν οτι ο κυριος ιησους εν τη νυκτι η παρεδιδοτο ελαβεν αρτον
Acts 18:25 (NET) Acts 18:25 (KJV)
He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and with great enthusiasm he spoke and taught accurately the facts about Jesus, although he knew only the baptism of John. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
NET Parallel Greek Stephanus Textus Receptus Byzantine Majority Text
οὗτος ἦν κατηχημένος τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ κυρίου καὶ ζέων τῷ πνεύματι ἐλάλει καὶ ἐδίδασκεν ἀκριβῶς τὰ περὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, ἐπιστάμενος μόνον τὸ βάπτισμα Ἰωάννου ουτος ην κατηχημενος την οδον του κυριου και ζεων τω πνευματι ελαλει και εδιδασκεν ακριβως τα περι του κυριου επισταμενος μονον το βαπτισμα ιωαννου ουτος ην κατηχημενος την οδον του κυριου και ζεων τω πνευματι ελαλει και εδιδασκεν ακριβως τα περι του κυριου επισταμενος μονον το βαπτισμα ιωαννου

1 Romans 1:18 (NET)

2 1 Corinthians 5:2 (NET) Table

3 Acts 16:4 (NET) Table

4 Acts 15:29a (NET) Table

5 I’m only half joking.  As I consider Acts 18:24-28 it is not too hard to imagine others like Apollos who spoke and taught accurately the facts about Jesus (KJV: the Lord), although he knew only the baptism of John (Acts 18:25 NET).

6 1 Corinthians 5:9 (NET)

8 Romans 4:25 (NET)

9 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had κὰν here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had και εαν (KJV: And though).

10 The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had καυχήσωμαι here, where the Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had καυθησωμαι (KJV: to be burned).  See NET Note 1.

11 1 Corinthians 13:3 (NET)

12 Romans 6:17, 18 (NET)

13 1 Corinthians 15:3 (NET)

14 The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text had αδελφοι (KJV: brethren) here.  The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 did not.

15 1 Corinthians 11:2 (NET)

17 1 Corinthians 11:23 (NET)

18 Romans 8:32 (NET) Table

19 1 Corinthians 15:24 (NET) Table