when did verses get added to the bible
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The Books of the Bible is the first presentation of an unabridged committee translation of the Bible to remove chapter and verse numbers entirely and instead present the biblical books according to their natural literary structures. This edition of the Bible is also noteworthy for the way it recombines books that have traditionally been divided, and for the way it puts the biblical books in a different order. The edition was first published by the International Bible Society (now Biblica) in 2007 in Today's New International Version (TNIV). It was re-released in September 2012 in the latest update to the New International Version (NIV). Features Natural literary structure in place of chapters and verses The traditional chapter divisions in the Bible were introduced around the year 1200 by Stephen Langton, later Archbishop of Canterbury, when he was at the University of Paris. The verse divisions were added by Robert Estienne, a French printer and scholar, in the mid-16th century. Biblical and literary scholars have noted that chapter and verse numbering disguises the actual form of the biblical writings and interferes with the act of reading. Ernest Sutherland Bates wrote, "Certainly, no literary format was ever less conducive to pleasure or understanding than is the curious and complicated panoply in which the Scriptures have come down to us. None but a work of transcendent literary genius could have survived such a handicap at all." Richard Moulton noted, "We are all agreed to speak of the Bible as a supremely great literature. Yet, when we open our ordinary editions, we look in vain for the lyrics, epics, dramas, essays, sonnets, treatises, which make the other great literatures of the world; instead of these the eye catches nothing but a monotonous uniformity of numbered sentences." New Testament scholar Hermann von Soden urged publishers, "It is high time, in any editions that wish to facilitate rather than impede readers' understanding of the New Testament writings, for not only the verse divisions… but also the conventional chapter divisions to disappear completely from the text. Without giving any consideration to these divisions, the text must be printed in a way that will illustrate visually what units the authors themselves created within their works." In response to these concerns, in several 20th-century versions of the Bible, including two major committee translations, the chapter and verse numbers were moved to the margins, but they remained the organizing feature of the text. In one individual translation and one abridgment the numbers were eliminated entirely, but in the former case the text was still divided into the traditional chapters and in the latter topical divisions were introduced. The Books of the Bible, according to its Preface, uses characteristics such as "changes in topic, movement in place or time, or shifts from one kind of writing to another" to identify the natural literary divisions within biblical books. It also relies on the tendency of authors to repeat "particular phrases… each time they [make] the transition from one section to another." The
The Books of the Bible (book)
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John 2 is the second chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It contains the famous stories of the miracle of Jesus turning water into wine and Jesus expelling the money changers from the Temple. The author of the book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that John composed this gospel. The chapter and verse divisions did not appear in the original texts, they form part of the paratext of the Bible. Since the early 13th century, most copies and editions of the Bible present all but the shortest of these books with divisions into chapters. Since the mid-16th century editors have further subdivided each chapter into verses. Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 25 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: Papyrus 75 (AD 175–225) Papyrus 66 () Codex Vaticanus (325–350) Codex Sinaiticus (330–360) Codex Alexandrinus (400–440) Old Testament references : . Context The events recorded in chapter one of the Gospel of John take place in Bethabara (or Bethany), "beyond the Jordan", but in John 1:43 it is reported that "Jesus wanted to go to Galilee". Chapter two opens with Jesus, his mother and his disciples present in Galilee, in the village of Cana. Four "days" have been mentioned in John 1, (, "the next day") occurring in verses 29, 35 and 43. John 2 opens on the "third day". The second/third century theologian Origen suggested this was the third day from the last-named day in John 1:44 and the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary argues that it would take Jesus three days to travel from Bethabara in Perea to Cana in Galilee. Lutheran pietist Johann Bengel suggests that this was the third day after the promise given to Nathaniel at the end of chapter 1, but also that the sign given in Cana was "a specimen of its fulfilment", whereas the 19th-century theologian Heinrich Ewald suggested the third day would be reckoned from Jesus' arrival in Cana. Water into wine (2:1-11) The second chapter of John begins at "a village wedding" celebrated in Cana attended by the mother of Jesus (she is not named in the gospel), Jesus himself and his disciples, who are now "five or six in number, Andrew, John, Peter, Philip, Nathanael, and probably James". The hosts run out of wine, and Jesus' mother asks him to help. Jesus replies "What [is that] to me and to you?" (). Some interpretations suggest that Jesus is annoyed that she would ask him for a miracle, and he replies that it is not his "time" yet. The Holman Christian Standard Bible presents two interpretations, either "What has this concern of yours to do with Me?" or "You and I see things differently" whereas in the Weymouth New Testament, Jesus' words are "Leave the matter in my hands". The coming of Jesus' "hour" (verse 4) is also referred to in John 7:6, 30
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Ephesians 2 is the second chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Traditionally, it is believed to have been written by Apostle Paul while he was in prison in Rome (around AD 62), but more recently it has been suggested that it was written between AD 80 and 100 by another writer using Paul's name and style. The 1599 Geneva Bible summarises the contents of this chapter: The better to set out the grace of Christ, he (Paul) useth a comparison, calling them to mind, that they were altogether castaways and aliants, that they are saved by grace, and brought near, by reconciliation through Christ, published by the Gospel. This chapter contains the well-known verse For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith: and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 22 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: Papyrus 46 (~AD 200) Codex Vaticanus (325-350) Codex Sinaiticus (330-360) Codex Alexandrinus (400-440) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450; extant verses 19-22) Codex Freerianus (~450; extant verses 15-18) Codex Claromontanus (~550) Reminder of God's Grace (2:1–10) According to theologian James Dunn, this section contains "one of the most forceful statements in the Bible" about the human condition when separated from God's grace and the work of God's grace for salvation. Verse 1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sin. "And you hath he quickened …" in the King James Version. The verb is missing from the text, supplied by inference from verse 5 ("[he] made us alive"). Some translations decline to add a form of words on mankind being made alive: the New Revised Standard Version, for example, reads: You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived. Verse 2 ... you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. The metaphor, "the prince of the power of the air" or "the ruler of the power of the air", is not used elsewhere in the New Testament. "Prince of the power of the air?" in Mark 4: The birds fly over the air. They have control over the air. The Bible says Satan is likened to that. So, the atmosphere is Satan’s domain and territory. Mark 2:2: And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. Verse 3 ...among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. The verse describes that before being saved, converts were just as bad as those outside the faith - that
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Matthew 27:2 is the second verse of the twenty-seventh chapter of the twenty-seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Jesus has just seen condemned by the Jewish Sanhedrin, and in this verse is presented to Pontius Pilate. Content The original Koine Greek, according to Westcott and Hort, reads: και δησαντες αυτον απηγαγον και παρεδωκαν πιλατω τω ηγεμονι In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated as: And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. The modern World English Bible translates the passage as: and they bound him, and led him away, and delivered him up to Pontius Pilate, the governor. For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 27:2. Analysis This verse introduces Pontius Pilate in the Gospel of Matthew. Pilate is a historical figure attested from contemporary sources, including the histories of Josephus. While Jewish sources portray Pilate as a tyrannical ruler, Christian ones have long viewed him as a weak man doing evil despite his better judgement. The Gospel of Matthew follows the narrative of a weak, but decent, Pilate who is pressured into the crucifixion by the Jewish leaders. Like Matthew 27:1 this verse is built upon Mark 15:1. Adding the word governor may link with Jesus' prediction at Matthew 10:18 that he would be "dragged before governors." Governor was not Pilate's true title, according to the Pilate Stone he was officially Prefect of Judea. Josephus also refers to him as governor, while Tacitus uses Procurator, the later title for the governor of the region. Pilate's headquarters was at Caesarea Maritima, but he being in Jerusalem for the mass Passover festivities is logical. It has usually been accepted that the reason for the delivery of Jesus to the Roman governor by the Sanhedrin was that the Jewish authorities did not have the power to carry out executions under Roman rule. This reason is made explicit at John 18:31. This has been questioned by some modern historians. Beginning with Jean Juster in 1914, Hans Lietzmann in 1931, and Paul Winter in 1974 looked at the legal history of the period and found several executions carried out on orders of the Sanhedrin with no mention of Roman authorities. In early Christian tradition Stephen and James were tried and sentenced to death by the Sanhedrin. The right to execute Gentile trespassers into the Temple is also established from documents of the time. Based on these facts Lietzmann and Winter originated a theory that the Jewish trial is not historical, and that the execution of Jesus was a purely Roman matter. The idea that the Jewish authorities did not have this power was a product of the Gospel writers working after the destruction of the Temple, when Roman rule was far more rigid. Other historians, notably A. N. Sherwin-White, disagree. While there are recorded executions by the Jewish authorities, that of James was during a time of lapsed imperial control and that of
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Romans 6 is the sixth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle, while he was in Corinth in the mid-50s AD, with the help of an amanuensis (secretary), Tertius, who adds his own greeting in Romans 16:22. In this chapter, it is shown that the Christian, in baptism, dies to sin. Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 23 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: Papyrus 40 (~AD 250; extant verses 4–5, 16) Codex Vaticanus (325–350) Codex Sinaiticus (330–360) Codex Alexandrinus (400–440) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450; complete) Papyrus 94 (5th/6th century; extant verses 10–13, 19–22) New Testament references Romans 6:1 references Romans 3:8 Romans 6:3 references Matthew 28:19 The Bearing of Justification by Grace upon a Holy Life From the beginning of this chapter, Paul addresses the "plausible objection" that Christians should "continue in sin, that grace may abound" (Romans 6:1). In Romans 3:8, Paul had referred to slanderous reports to the effect that believers taught "Let us do evil that good may come". Similar indications can be found in Galatians 5:13, 1 Peter 2:16 and Jude 4. Paul replies that believers should "certainly not () continue in sin, that grace may abound" (Romans 6:2). The phrase is regularly used by Paul; it is used 10 times in this epistle as well as in his other writings. The Pulpit Commentary describes the phrase as "Paul's usual way of rejecting an idea indignantly". The phrase has been translated in various forms: 'God forbid' (Wycliffe Bible, King James Version and 1599 Geneva Bible) 'By no means' (New International Version) 'Of course not' (New Living Translation) 'Absolutely not' (Holman Christian Standard Bible) 'That's unthinkable' (God's Word Translation) 'Far be the thought' (Darby Bible Translation) "Let the thought be abhorred' (Matthew Henry's Commentary) 'I should hope not!' (The Message) The phrase is also used in the Gospel of Luke's conclusion to the parable of the wicked husbandmen. Dead to sin but alive to God in Christ (6:1–14) Verse 4 "Of life": from ; here functions as an attributed genitive. Dead to sin but alive to God in Christ (6:15–23) Verse 23 "Wages": from Greek , referring to 'a soldier's pay or wages', but here to 'the end result of an activity' or 'something back in return' ('payoff'). See also Baptism Related Bible parts: Matthew 28 References Bibliography External links King James Bible - Wikisource English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate Online Bible at GospelHall.org (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English) Multiple bible versions at Bible Gateway (NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.) What is the Real meaning of Romans 6:23? 06
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2 Kings 7 is the seventh chapter of the second part of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records the fulfillment of Elisha's prophecy during the siege of Arameans on Samaria. Text This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 20 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, that is, 6Q4 (6QpapKgs; 150–75 BCE) with extant verses 8–10, 20. There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century). Elisha’s prophecy of plenty (7:1–2) Facing the death threat from the Israelite king (2 Kings 6), Elisha attacked back using a prophecy from God that good-quality food would be available at normal prices within one day (verse 1). When the king's adviser showed doubts over the hardly imaginable salvation under the circumstances, Elisha even proclaimed a woeful prophecy against him (verse 2). The king's silence seems to indicate that he was ready to give Elisha one final chance. Verse 1 Then Elisha said, "Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord: 'Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria." "Seah": A third of an ephah, or about 8 gallons. Likely about 12 pounds or 5.5 kilograms of flour (also in verses 16 and 18). "Shekel": was about 0.4 ounce or 11 or 12 grams, also in verses 16 and 18. "Two seahs": likely about 20 pounds or 9 kilograms of barley, also in verses 16 and 18. The Syrians flee (7:3–15) The narrative's dramatic climax starts with four lepers, who stood daily at the city gates, rejected and avoided by other city inhabitants, going to the Aramean encampment and becoming the first to witness the sudden retreat of the big army, but instead of taking personal advantage of the situation they decided to announce the news to state officials (verses 3–11; a wonderful precursor to Jesus' recognition that God loves making the last first; cf. Mark 10:31ff). An information was supplied (what the lepers did not know) that God brought hallucinations to the Arameans, convincing them that great Egyptian and Hittite armies advanced to attack, thus forcing them to break off the siege immediately (verses 6–7). The Israelite
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Matthew 3:16 is the sixteenth verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Jesus has just been baptized by John the Baptist and the Holy Spirit comes to him like a dove. Content In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads: And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: The World English Bible translates the passage as: Jesus, when he was baptized, went up directly from the water: and behold, the heavens were opened to him. He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming on him. The 1881 Westcott-Hort Greek text is: βαπτισθεις δε ο ιησους ευθυς ανεβη απο του υδατος και ιδου ηνεωχθησαν οι ουρανοι και ειδεν πνευμα θεου καταβαινον ωσει περιστεραν ερχομενον επ αυτον For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 3:16. Analysis Gundry notes the emphasis the author of Matthew gives to how quickly Jesus gets out of water of the Jordan. An emphasis not found in Mark or Luke. Gundry believes this is because the baptism would traditionally have been followed by a confessing of sins and the author of Matthew wanted to be clear that Jesus, who had no sins, did not undergo this part of the ritual. France notes that the "heavens were opened" echoes Ezekiel 1:1. France feels that this might thus represent the return of the gift of prophecy to the earth. Hill notes that some early manuscripts have "opened up to him" rather than just "opened up." This makes the event a more private one, and helps explain why the crowds depicted as watching the baptism in Luke do not become aware of Jesus' status. The dove imagery in this passage, and in the corresponding verse in Luke, is a well known one. Based on this verse the dove has long been a symbol for the Holy Spirit in Christian art. France notes that the wording in Matthew is vague, the Spirit could be descending in the shape of a dove or it could be descending in the manner of the dove. Luke is explicit that it is in the shape of a dove, and most readers accept this meaning. This is the only event where the Spirit is described as taking such a form. There was a wide array of symbolism attached to the dove at the time the gospel was written. Albright and Mann note that in Hosea 7:11 and the dove is a symbol for the nation of Israel. Clarke feels that this verse links to both Genesis 1:2, with the image of God hovering over the water, and to where Noah sends a dove out over the water to search for land. Clarke feels the symbolism of the dove was thus one of creation with Jesus' baptism symbolically the rebirth of the world. In
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Matthew 28:4 is the fourth verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse is part of the resurrection narrative; describing the reaction of the tomb guards after the arrival of the angel of the Lord and the occurrence of an earthquake that opened the tomb. Content The original Koine Greek, according to Westcott and Hort, reads: απο δε του φοβου αυτου εσεισθησαν οι τηρουντες και εγενηθησαν ως νεκροι In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated as: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. The modern World English Bible translates the passage as: For fear of him, the guards shook, and became like dead men. Analysis This verse returns to the guards, literally "those keeping [watch]" (, ), who appeared throughout Matthew's crucifixion narrative, but not in the other gospels. The same words are used for the guards as those at the crucifixion introduced at Matthew 27:36. Those guards are also frightened by an earthquake at Matthew 27:54, but in that instance the guards are converted, whereas here these guards are fearful, but give no indication of conversion. In Mark it is the women who are afraid of the angel, but in Matthew, the women were bystanders and the line about fear was transferred from the women to the guards. For Robert Gundry, the weakness of the guards serves to contrast with the angel's power. That the guards are now as dead, while Jesus is alive, also serves as an ironic reversal. It is also something of a pun to have the guards "shake" ("tremble" or "shaken", from Greek: , ; a plural equivalent of [the earth was] "shaken" from singular , , in Matthew 27:51) when confronted with an earthquake, perhaps reflecting the author of Matthew's fondness for wordplay. Falling "like dead" occurs again in the New Testament at Revelation 1:17, where John did so when presented with his vision of 'the exalted Son of Man'. Similar expressions are also used in contemporary Greco-Roman pagan literature when mortals are confronted by gods. Fear is also the standard reaction in the Bible when confronted by the divine, and this verse is a variation on the expression "fear and trembling" that commonly describes such incidents. The collapse of the guards removes them from the rest of this section of the narrative. Eduard Schweizer notes that the fainting of the guards and the possible absence of the women at this point indicate that Jesus may have emerged physically from the tomb during the period when no witnesses could have seen him. Notes References Sources Matthew 28 Angelic apparitions in the Bible Angels in Christianity
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Hosea 12 is the twelfth chapter of the Book of Hosea in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. In the Hebrew Bible it is a part of the Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets. This chapter contains prophecies attributed to the prophet Hosea, son of Beeri, delivered about the time when the Kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) sought the aid of the Egyptian king So, in violation of her covenant with Assyria (Hosea 12:1). References to contemporary events sit alongside allusions to the patriarchal age in Israel's history. Hosea exhorts the country's leaders to follow their father Jacob's persevering prayerfulness, "which brought God's favor upon him". The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary notes that "as God is unchangeable, He will show the same favor to Jacob's posterity as He did to Jacob, if, like him, they seek God". Text The original text was written in Hebrew. This chapter is divided into 14 verses in English Christian Bibles, but 15 verses in the Hebrew Bible, which includes Hosea 11:12 as verse 1. This article generally follows the common numbering in Christian English Bible versions, with notes to the numbering in Hebrew Bible versions. For verse 1 in the Hebrew Bible see Hosea 11:12. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916), Aleppo Codex (10th century), Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments cumulatively containing all verses of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, including 4Q82 (4QXIIg; 25 BCE) with extant verses 1–14 (verses 1–15 in Masoretic Text). There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q; Q; 6th century). Contents and commentary Verse 1 "Ephraim feeds on the wind, And pursues the east wind; He daily increases lies and desolation. Also they make a covenant with the Assyrians, And oil is carried to Egypt. "East wind": in Palestine is coming from Arabia and the Far East, over large sandy area, scorching, destructive to vegetation , and also having the force of the whirlwind (; cf. ). "Oil is carried into Egypt" refers to rich and precious oils used to procure Egypt's friendship. The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary notes that "Palestine was famed for oil", cf. Ezekiel 27:17: Judah and Israel traded with you (Tyre); they exchanged wheat from Minnith and confections, honey, olive oil and balm for your wares. Isaiah's prophecies condemned such associations with Egypt. Verse 9 And I that am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt will yet make thee to dwell in tabernacles, as in the days of the solemn feast. This verse consists of two parts which in the original are coordinated. It is better to translate thus: And I am the Lord
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Matthew 5:26 is the twenty-sixth verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and is part of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has just warned that if you do not reconcile with your enemies a judge is likely to throw you in jail. In this verse Jesus mentions that your debts must be paid completely before one can leave. Content In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads: Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. The World English Bible translates the passage as: Most certainly I tell you, you shall by no means get out of there, until you have paid the last penny. The Novum Testamentum Graece text is: ἀμὴν λέγω σοι, οὐ μὴ ἐξέλθῃς ἐκεῖθεν ἕως ἂν ἀποδῷς τὸν ἔσχατον κοδράντην. For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 5:26 Analysis This verse opens with a similar phrase to that of Matthew 5:22, often translated as "amen I say to you." This is a popular phrase in Matthew, that Schweizer notes usually introduces something eschatological. This verse is normally taken as a metaphor for how God must be pleased. France notes that it is clear that for God has no half-measures, that even for a slight debt punishment will still be full. Nolland notes that there is no tradition of imprisonment until a fine is paid in the Jewish legal tradition. The allusions in the verse are to the Greco-Roman system of justice, which did have such punishments, and was in place at the time in Roman occupied Judea. The coin mentioned is also Roman. The word translated as farthing in the KJV and penny in the WEB in Greek is a quadrans, as implied by the translations this was a coin of low value. In the Roman currency system of the time the Quadrans was the lowest valued coin. The very similar verse at Luke 12:59 mentions a mite, a Jewish coin worth even less than a quadrans. This is one of a small group of verses that have been advanced as Biblical references to purgatory, and one that was attacked by the early Protestant reformers. Schweizer agrees and states that the waiting reference is simply a link to the analogy begun in the earlier verse. Schweizer also notes that this verse jars somewhat with the previous part of the parable as debt or fines have not been mentioned. To Schweizer this implies that Jesus is being metaphorical rather than discussing actual legal problems. Commentary from the Church Fathers Jerome: A farthing is a coin containing two mites. What He says then is, ‘Thou shalt not go forth thence till thou hast paid for the smallest sins.’ Augustine: Or it is an expression to denote that there is nothing that shall go unpunished; as we say ‘To the dregs,’ when we are speaking of any thing so emptied that nothing is left in
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Matthew 28:13 is the thirteenth verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse is part of the resurrection narrative. In this verse the guards of the tomb, after being present for an angel hearkening the resurrection, were told what to say by the priests of Jerusalem after being bribed. Content The original Koine Greek, according to Westcott and Hort, reads: 13: λεγοντες ειπατε οτι οι μαθηται αυτου νυκτος ελθοντες εκλεψαν αυτον ημων κοιμωμενων In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated as: 13: Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. The modern World English Bible translates the passage as: 13: saying, “Say that his disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. Analysis This verse links back to Matthew 27:64. In that verse the priests raised the idea of the disciples stealing the body as a reason for putting the guards in place. Thus, according to Matthew, the priests are making use of the deception that they themselves had warned of. It is notable that the priests make no attempt to deny that the body has been removed: it is accepted by all involved that the tomb is empty. Keener has a number of problems with the priests' story. Stealing a body was considered deeply impious and a capital offence, and the disciples had taken no action to prevent the crucifixion itself. Why then would anyone believe they would take such risks to steal the body, especially when it was guarded by a Roman force? Also unbelievable was that anyone would sleep through the disciples rolling away the massive stone that covered the entrance to the tomb. And if the guards were asleep, how then did they know who it was who had robbed the tomb? While tombs were robbed in this era to get at the valuables inside, any guards present were usually killed or wounded. A guard claiming to have simply slept through the event was unlikely to be believed. Moreover, sleeping on duty was itself a serious offence in the Roman military. The standard punishment was a severe beating, and if the soldier survived they were expelled from the army and permanently exiled from country and family. Losing a dead body in your care was also an offence that could bring court martial and execution. Even if the bribe to Pilate was successful, questions would be asked as to how the guards avoided punishment from these events. The poorness of the cover story is one that has long been noted. Fourth century commentator John Chrysostom saw this as further evidence of the incompetence of the priests, and their discombobulation at the news of the resurrection. Jones notes that the excuse given is simply a suggestion by the priests to the soldiers, and that the soldiers with their better understanding of their duties would likely have made up a more credible excuse. Notes References Matthew 28
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2 Corinthians 10 is the tenth chapter of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle and Timothy (2 Corinthians 1:1) in Macedonia in 55–56 CE. According to theologian Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer, chapters 10–13 "contain the third chief section of the Epistle, the apostle's polemic vindication of his apostolic dignity and efficiency, and then the conclusion". Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 18 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: Papyrus 46 (~AD 200) Codex Vaticanus (325–350) Codex Sinaiticus (330–360) Codex Alexandrinus (400–440) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450; extant verses 1–7) Codex Freerianus (~450; extant verses 1,8–10,17–18) Codex Claromontanus (~550) Old Testament references 2 Corinthians 10:17: New Testament references 2 Corinthians 10:17: Verse 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world (New International Version). The weapons (, ) which Paul refers to are "not carnal", (, ). He does not rely on human power and authority or on learning or eloquence. Verse 10 Paul knows that he is criticised for being bold and direct in his writings but treated as weak and unassertive when he is present: he has made the same point in verse 1, I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away. Biblical commentator Edward Plumptre notes also the criticism that Paul's delay in returning to Corinth, which he has explained in , was also considered to be "a proof that he was shirking [an] encounter". Verse 17 But "he who glories, let him glory in the Lord." Believers should not glories in oneself, nor in outward circumstances of life, or inward endowments of mind, but in the Lord Jesus Christ, as the author and donor of all gifts, natural and spiritual. See also Macedonia Titus Related Bible parts: Psalm 34, Psalm 44, Jeremiah 9, 1 Corinthians 1, 2 Corinthians 11 References Sources External links King James Bible - Wikisource English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate Online Bible at GospelHall.org (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English) Multiple bible versions at Bible Gateway (NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.) 2 Corinthians 10
2 Corinthians 10
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2 Corinthians 13 is the thirteenth and final chapter of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle and Timothy (2 Corinthians 1:1) in Macedonia in 55–56 CE. Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 14 verses in most Bible versions, but 13 verses in some versions, e.g. the Vulgate, Douay-Rheims Version and Jerusalem Bible, where verses 12 and 13 are combined as verse 12 and the final verse is numbered as verse 13. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: Papyrus 46 (~AD 200) Codex Vaticanus (325–350) Codex Sinaiticus (330–360) Codex Alexandrinus (400–440) Codex Freerianus (~450; extant verses 1–2, 10–11) Codex Claromontanus (~550) Verses 12–13 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. These verses are combined as verse 12 in the Vulgate, Douay-Rheims Version and Jerusalem Bible. Verse 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. This verse is number 13 in the Vulgate, Douay-Rheims Version and Jerusalem Bible. It contains a statement of the Holy Trinity of distinct persons in the Godhead. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ" may refer to the love of Christ () or the fullness of grace in Him as Mediator, redeeming the believers by His blood from "sin, law, and wrath", having all their sins forgiven through His sacrifice, and justifying them by His righteousness. "The love of God" who is "the Father" (as added in the Arabic version). "The communion of the Holy Spirit" (KJV: "Holy Ghost", "fellowship" in the RSV and NIV) may refer to a "larger communication of the gifts and graces of the Spirit of God", called "the supply of the Spirit" () or the communion and fellowship which the Spirit of God that leads the saints into the one with the Father, and with the Son. "Be with you all": or "with your company", or "congregations". The Arabic version reads "with all the saints". The subscription was found in some manuscripts at the end of this epistle stating that it was written by Paul when he was at Philippi, a city of Macedonia, transcribed by Titus and Lucas, and by them sent or carried to the Corinthians; this seems to be agreeable to what is suggested in the epistle itself, though these subscriptions are not to be depended upon. The Syriac version only mentions Luke; and some copies read, by Titus, Barnabas, and Luke. Pope Benedict XVI suggests that these words were "probably echoed in the worship of the newborn Church". His analysis, "based on the close parallelism between the three genitives that the text establishes: ("the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ ... the love of God ... and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit), presents 'fellowship' as a specific gift of the Spirit, the fruit of the love
2 Corinthians 13
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Romans 3 is the third chapter of the Epistle to the Romans in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It was composed by Paul the Apostle, while he was in Corinth in the mid-50s AD, with the help of an amanuensis (secretary), Tertius, who added his own greeting in Romans 16:22. In this chapter, Paul asks a series of rhetorical questions in order to develop his theological message, and quotes extensively from the Hebrew Bible. Theologian Albert Barnes suggests that "the design of the first part of this chapter is to answer some of the objections which might be offered by a Jew to the statements in the previous chapter". Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 31 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: Papyrus 40 (~AD 250; extant verses 21–31) Codex Vaticanus (325–350) Codex Sinaiticus (330–360) Codex Alexandrinus (400–440) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450; extant verses 22–31) Old Testament references Romans 3:4 references Psalm 51:4 Romans 3:10–12 references Psalm 14:1–3, Psalm 53:1–3 and Ecclesiastes 7:20 Romans 3:13 references Psalm 5:9 and Psalm 140:3 Romans 3:14 references Psalm 10:7 Romans 3:17 references Isaiah 59:7–8 Romans 3:18 references Psalm 36:1 Romans 3:20 references Psalm 143:2b God's righteousness upheld (3:1–7) In verse 2, the chief advantage, or benefit, or responsibility, or superiority of the Jewish people is their possession of the Hebrew Bible ( New International Version). Traditional translations (the Geneva Bible, King James Version, American Standard Version and Revised Standard Version) refer to the "oracles of God". The Jewish "advantage" () is really an act of entrustment (Romans 3:2). Verse 2 Nonconformist theologian Matthew Poole stated that "to the Jews were credited, or given in custody, the Holy Scriptures". Stephen, whose martyrdom Paul had witnessed before his conversion, called the scriptures the 'living oracles' (). Slanderous criticisms In verse 8, Paul refers to slanderous accusations made by "some people" that believers say "Let's do evil that good may result". Bishop Charles Ellicott suggests that these accusers might have been the Jews or "the Judaizing party"; Barnes says it is "doubtless" that they were Jews; the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges argues that they were Paul's "inveterate adversaries in the Church". No one is righteous (3:9–20) Paul's statement that "both Jews and Greeks are under the power of sin" (verse 9) exposes the impossibility of either Gentile or Jew, unaided by God, being able to become righteous (contra Romans 2:7,13, etc.; consistent with Romans 7:7–24), as supported by a compilation of citations from the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament texts) in verses 10–18 describing humanity's utter depravity or incapability of not sinning (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Psalm 5:10; 10:7; 14:1—3; 53:2—4; 36:2; 140:4; Isaiah 59:7—8; Proverbs 1:16). Only Christ can break sin's power for Jews as well as for Gentiles. The revelation of God's righteousness (3:21–26) This section (extending to verse 31) revisits 'the grand theme', "the righteousness of God", which is introduced in the Thanksgiving part of chapter 1.
Romans 3
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Acts 19 is the nineteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records part of the third missionary journey of Paul. The author of the book containing this chapter is anonymous but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke composed this book as well as the Gospel of Luke. Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 41 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: Papyrus 38 (~AD 250) Codex Vaticanus (325–350) Codex Sinaiticus (330–360) Codex Bezae (~400) Codex Alexandrinus (400–440) Codex Laudianus (~550) Locations {{Location map+ | Mediterranean | width=500 | float=right | label= Central and eastern Mediterranean Sea | caption= Places mentioned in (blue) and related to (black) this chapter. | relief = yes | places= {{Location map~| Mediterranean |lat= 43.0 |long= 12 |mark= Blue_pog.svg |marksize=1 |label= Italy |background= |label_size= 80 |position= top }} }} This chapter mentions the following places (in the order of appearance): Corinth Ephesus Asia (Roman province) Macedonia Achaia Jerusalem Rome Timeline This part of the third missionary journey of Paul took place in ca. AD 53–55. Paul's ministry in Ephesus (19:1–22) This part covers Paul's long stay (almost 3 years) in Ephesus, where he encountered "some disciples" of John the Baptist and confronted the influence of magic and occult in that city. Verse 4Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus"."Believe on him" is the translation used by the King James Version and New King James Version. The more natural phrase "believe in him" is used by the New American Standard Bible. Verse 5When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.Verse 14 Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so (i.e. attempted to heal using the name of the Lord Jesus).Sceva () was a Jew called a "chief priest" (). Some scholars note that it was not uncommon for some members of the Zadokite clan to take on an unofficial high-priestly role, which may explain this moniker. However, it is more likely that he was an itinerant exorcist based on the use of the Greek term () "going from place to place" in . In this verse, it is recorded that he had seven sons who attempted to exorcise a demon from a man in Ephesus by using the name of Jesus as an invocation. This practice is similar to the Jewish practice, originating in the Testament of Solomon, of invoking Angels to cast out demons. Sorcery and exorcism are mentioned several times in Acts: Simon Magus and Elymas Bar-Jesus, and divination is illustrated by the girl at Philippi. "She was regarded as spirit-possessed, and it was the spirit who was addressed and expelled by Paul in ". Verse 15 And the evil spirit answered and said,
Acts 19
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Romans 11 is the eleventh chapter of the Epistle to the Romans in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle, while he was in Corinth in the mid-50s AD, with the help of an amanuensis (secretary), Tertius, who adds his own greeting in Romans 16:22. Chapter 11 concludes the section of the letter in which "St. Paul teaches us about the eternal providence of God" with particular reference to the election of a chosen people, Israel (Romans 9:11), who have become disobedient (Romans 11:31), and in whose place a remnant have been chosen (Romans 11:5) and grafted into place. Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 36 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: In Greek: Codex Vaticanus (AD 325–350) Codex Sinaiticus (330–360) Codex Alexandrinus (400–440) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (; extant verses 1–14) in Gothic language Codex Carolinus (6th/7th century; extant verses 33–36) in Latin Codex Carolinus (6th/7th century; extant verses 33–36) Old Testament references Romans 11:1–2 references Psalm 94:14 Romans 11:3 references 1 Kings 19:10,14 Romans 11:4 references 1 Kings 19:18 Romans 11:8 references Deuteronomy 29:4 and and Romans 11:9–10 references Psalm 69:22, 23 Romans 11:27 references Isaiah 59:20, 21 Romans 11:34 references Isaiah 40:13, Wisdom 9:13 and Jeremiah 23:18 Romans 11:35 references Job 41:11 New Testament references Romans 11:1 references Philippians 3:5 references Paul's identity Verse 1 Paul uses the phrase "Certainly not!" or *God forbid" () regularly in this letter. On this occasion, he puts himself forward as an example to evidence his argument, "to show that God has not rejected His people en masse. An Israelite of pure descent, he is, nevertheless a true believer". Later in the chapter (Romans 11:13), Paul also refers to himself as the "apostle of the gentiles" (). Verse 34 Romans 34 cites both Isaiah 40:13 and Jeremiah 23:18. See also Abraham Baal Benjamin David Elijah Israel Zion Other related Bible parts: Deuteronomy 29, 1 Kings 19, Job 41, Psalm 69, Isaiah 40, Isaiah 59, Jeremiah 23 Notes References Bibliography External links King James Bible – Wikisource English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate Online Bible at GospelHall.org (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English) Multiple bible versions at Bible Gateway (NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.) 11
Romans 11
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2 Corinthians 1 is the first chapter of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle and Timothy (2 Corinthians 1:1) in Macedonia in 55–56 CE. Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 24 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: Papyrus 46 (~AD 200) Codex Vaticanus (325–350) Codex Sinaiticus (330–360) Codex Alexandrinus (400–440; complete) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450; extant verses 3–24) Codex Freerianus (~450; extant verses 1, 9, 16–17) Codex Claromontanus (~550) Greetings Verse 1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia: (NKJV) Timothy's name is also associated with Paul's name in the Epistles to the Philippians, Colossians, both of those written to the Thessalonians, and in that to Philemon. Preface Paul's preface to his letter begins in with a thanksgiving to God the "father of mercies" (, ), a Jewish term frequently used in prayer. The plural ('mercies') generates a strong sense of God's many mercies alongside God's merciful nature; James uses a similar expression, ( , the father of lights), in . Sparing the Church Paul outlines his aborted plans to travel to Corinth on his way to Macedonia, return to Corinth and then travel to Judea. The letter does not indicate where he is writing from, or would have been travelling from. Easton's Bible Dictionary suggests "it was probably written at Philippi, or, as some think, Thessalonica". Verse 20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. "All the promises of God in Him are Yes" ("yea" in King James Version): the first 5 words may be rendered, "as many promises of God", and these promises are all "in" Christ, with and in whom they were made. Moreover, these promises are "in Him [are] yea". "And in Him Amen": that is, like Christ himself, who is "the amen, the true and faithful witness, the same today, yesterday, and for ever." "The glory of God through us": When the promises are received "by us", the believers in Christ, the more glory is given to God. The Syriac version has the "Amen" in the last clause, reading: "therefore by him we give Amen to the glory of God". Verse 21 Now the one who establishes us together with you in Christ and who anoints us is God, Verse 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. Cross reference: Ephesians 1:13 See also Achaia Jesus Christ Judea Macedonia Paul of Tarsus Silvanus Timothy Other related Bible parts: 1 Corinthians 1, Revelation 3 References Sourcesd External links King James Bible - Wikisource English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate Online Bible at GospelHall.org (ESV, KJV, Darby, American
2 Corinthians 1
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Revelation 10 is the tenth chapter of the Book of Revelation or the Apocalypse of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is traditionally attributed to John the Apostle, but the precise identity of the author remains a point of academic debate. This chapter and the first part of the next chapter report two episodes which intervene between the sounding of the sixth and seventh trumpets. Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 11 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are among others: Papyrus 115 (ca. AD 275; extant verses 1–4, 8–11) Papyrus 47 (3rd century; complete) Papyrus 85 (4th century; extant verses 1–2, 5–9) Codex Sinaiticus (330-360) Codex Alexandrinus (400-440) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (ca. 450; extant verses 1–9) Old Testament references : ; Verse 1 I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. "Another mighty angel": not one of the four angels standing at the corners of the earth (), the seven angels who were given the seven trumpets (), the angel with the golden censer () or the four angels chained up by the river Euphrates (), but possibly the same "mighty" angel previously mentioned in . Yet "another angel" proclaims the fall of Babylon the Great in . "Clothed with a cloud": and therefore clothed with something of the state with which Christ will come in judgment (). Verse 4 Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them." "Uttered": or "sounded". Verse 9 So I went to the angel and said to him, "Give me the little book." And he said to me, "Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth." Verse 11 And he [the angel] said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.” See also Events of Revelation Book of Daniel Jesus Christ John's vision of the Son of Man Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament Related Bible parts: Revelation 9, Revelation 11 Notes References External links King James Bible - Wikisource English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate Online Bible at GospelHall.org (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English) Multiple bible versions at Bible Gateway (NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.) 10
Revelation 10
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Luke 12 is the 12th chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records a number of teachings and parables told by Jesus Christ when "an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together", but addressed "first of all" to his disciples. The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke the Evangelist composed this Gospel as well as the Acts of the Apostles. Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: Papyrus 75 (AD 175-225) Papyrus 45 (~250) Codex Vaticanus (325-350) Codex Sinaiticus (330-360) Codex Bezae (~400) Codex Washingtonianus (~400) Codex Alexandrinus (400-440) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450; extant verses 1-3) This chapter is divided into 59 verses. Hypocrisy and the fear of God Scottish minister William Robertson Nicoll calls this passage (verses 1-12) an "exhortation to fearless utterance". Henry Alford suggests that this discourse consists "for the most part of sayings repeated from other occasions". An innumerable multitude In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy". Nicoll suggests that this is "the largest crowd mentioned anywhere in the Gospels" but Jesus speaks "first of all" to his disciples, only turning to the multitude in verses 14-21, in response to a question from someone in the crowd, and again in verses 54-59. Peter asks (at verse 41) whether the parable of the faithful servant is addressed solely to the disciples or to the wider multitude (παντας, pantas: everyone). The Jerusalem Bible notes that an alternative reading would connect the word "first" with the succeeding statement: First of all, be on your guard ... (, proton prosechete eautois). Protestant commentator Heinrich Meyer likewise argues that "πρῶτον, before all, is to be taken with προσέχετε"; it does not belong to what precedes". The Matthew Bible (1537) and Ruth Magnusson Davis' New Matthew Bible translation (2016) pick up this reading: ... he began and said to his disciples, "First of all, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy". Verse 2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. This verse matches : For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. Eric Franklin suggests that, in particular, it is Pharisaic hypocrisy which will be revealed, while David Robert Palmer translates the initial words of this verse, οὐδὲν δέ, ouden de, as "But there is nothing ...", arguing that "the particle δέ is meant to make a contrast here, between hypocrisy, in verse 1, and the disclosure of verse 2". Verse 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms
Luke 12
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Luke 20 is the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records the teaching of Jesus Christ in the temple in Jerusalem, especially his responses to questions raised by the Pharisees and Sadducees. The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke the Evangelist composed this Gospel as well as the Acts of the Apostles. Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 47 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: Papyrus 75 (written about AD 175-225) Codex Vaticanus (325-350) Codex Sinaiticus (330-360) Codex Bezae (c. 400) Codex Washingtonianus (c. 400) Codex Alexandrinus (400-440) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (c. 450; extant verses 1-27) Old Testament references : Psalm 118:22 : : the Levirate law : : the passage about the burning bush : Psalm Jesus' authority questioned (20:1-8) Luke follows with some abbreviation, and with some material peculiar to himself. One day, as he was teaching the people in the temple and telling the good news, the chief priests and the scribes came with the elders ... The New King James Version reads "on one of those days", reflecting the additional word εκεινων (ekeinōn), inserted into the Textus Receptus. This word, added "for greater precision", is missing "from the authorities of greatest importance, condemned by Johann Jakob Griesbach, and deleted by Karl Lachmann and Constantin von Tischendorf". Luke presents Jesus continuing to teach 'the people' in the Temple, who are "presented as favourably disposed to him", but when the chief priests, scribes and elders question him about his authority, Jesus raises a question in return about the origin of John's baptism. In the popular mind, John was a prophet, but the temple leaders had "refused to believe him" (verse 5). In Luke 7:30, the Pharisees and the lawyers had declined John's baptism. Those who have questioned Jesus decline to answer, stating that they "did not know where it came from". Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers (20:9-19) This parable of Jesus, also known as the Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen, is found in three of the four canonical gospels (, Mark , and Matthew ), and also in the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas. For Rudolf Bultmann, the passage is not a "parable" but an "allegory", and "intelligible only on that basis". It describes a householder planting a vineyard and letting it out to husbandmen, who failed in their duty. The owner sent various servants successively to collect a share of the proceeds of the harvest, but each time the husbandmen rejected them. Unlike the texts in Matthew and Mark, Luke states that "perhaps" (, isōs, "probably" in the NKJV and in Marvin Vincent's interpretation) they will respect the owner's son. The word ἴσως is not used elsewhere in the New Testament. It appears once in the Septuagint version of the Hebrew Bible, at , where the Greek is translated as "perhaps", but as "surely" in
Luke 20
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Proverbs 4 is the fourth chapter of the Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of several wisdom literature collections, with the heading in 1:1 may be intended to regard Solomon as the traditional author of the whole book, but the dates of the individual collections are difficult to determine, and the book probably obtained its final shape in the post-exilic period. This chapter is a part of the first collection of the book. The Jerusalem Bible entitles this chapter, "On choosing wisdom". Text Hebrew The following table shows the Hebrew text of Proverbs 4 with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain). Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes the Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BC; some extant ancient manuscripts of this version include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: S; 4th century), and Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century). Analysis This chapter belongs to a section regarded as the first collection in the book of Proverbs (comprising Proverbs 1–9), known as "Didactic discourses". The Jerusalem Bible describes chapters 1–9 as a prologue of the chapters 10–22:16, the so-called "[actual] proverbs of Solomon", as "the body of the book". This chapter has the following structure: an exhortation to acquire wisdom (verses 1–4a), a list of the benefits of wisdom (4b–9), a call to pursue a righteous lifestyle (10–13), a warning against a wicked lifestyle (14–19), and an exhortation to righteousness (20–27). Get Wisdom! (4:1–9) This passage focuses on the value of Wisdom, so it needs to be acquired at all costs (verse 7). The father's appeal (verses 1–2) is reinforced by recounting his own experience when he was taught the lesson by his own parents (verses 3–4), demonstrating the importance of a "home" as the place for an educational discipline to get Wisdom (cf. Exodus 12:26–27; Deuteronomy 6:6–7, 20–25), and the transmission from one generation to the next. In verses 6–9 Wisdom is personified as 'a bride to be wooed', and who, in return, will 'love and honor those who embrace her', in contrast to the spurious love and deadly embrace of the seductress. Verse 1 Hear, O children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. "Know": in Hebrew literally "in order to come to know", from the interpretation of the stative verb , yadaʿ, which can also mean "to learn." The right way and the wrong way (4:10–27) The metaphor of a road with two ways in one's life is important in the teaching of Proverbs, even if it occurs many times (cf. Proverbs 1:15,19; 2:8–22; 3:17, 23, etc.), in counseling young people to avoid the path of the wicked, but to stay on the
Proverbs 4
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2 Kings 20 is the twentieth chapter of the second part of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records the events during the reign of Hezekiah and Manasseh, the kings of Judah. Text This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 21 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century). Old Testament references : ; : Analysis A parallel pattern of sequence is observed in the final sections of 2 Kings between 2 Kings 11–20 and 2 Kings 21–25, as follows: A. Athaliah, daughter of Ahab, kills royal seed (2 Kings 11:1) B. Joash reigns (2 Kings 11–12) C. Quick sequence of kings of Israel and Judah (2 Kings 13–16) D. Fall of Samaria (2 Kings 17) E. Revival of Judah under Hezekiah (2 Kings 18–20) A'. Manasseh, a king like Ahab, promotes idolatry and kills the innocence (2 Kings 21) B'. Josiah reigns (2 Kings 22–23) C'. Quick succession of kings of Judah (2 Kings 24) D'. Fall of Jerusalem (2 Kings 25) E'. Elevation of Jehoiachin (2 Kings 25:27–30) Hezekiah’s illness and recovery (20:1–11) This passage records the miraculous healing of Hezekiah from mortal illness as a corollary with the account of Jerusalem's deliverance, both by YHWH. The prophet Isaiah acted as the messenger of YHWH, first to announce the 'prophecy of woe' that Hezekiah would die (verse 1b; cf. 2 Kings 1:16), later to announce a positive prophecy: Hezekiah would recover (and receive the addition of fifteen years of life, verse 6a) and to order a 'fig paste' to be spread on the diseased part of his body, 'so that he may recover' (verse 7; cf. Isaiah 38:21). The king asked for a sign that he really would get healed (verse 8a), so YHWH had the shadow on the sundial (put up by Hezekiah's father, Ahaz) to move back: a sign that 'Hezekiah's life-clock' had also been turned back (w. 9–11). Narrative in the parallel passage in Isaiah 38 differs extensively in some parts: Isaiah did not include 'the sake of my servant David' (verse 6 here) The statement about Isaiah's remedy and Hezekiah's request of sign (verses 7–8 here) are placed at the end of passage (Isaiah 38:21–22) following Hezekiah's prayer of thanksgiving (Isaiah 38:9–20) 2 Kings 20:9 has Isaiah stating
2 Kings 20
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Romans 13 is the thirteenth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle, while he was in Corinth in the mid-50s AD, with the help of an amanuensis (secretary), Tertius, who adds his own greeting in Romans 16:22. Paul wrote to the Roman Christians because he was "eager to preach the gospel" to them, so as to remind them on "certain subjects". Although he had been hindered from coming to them many times, he longed to encourage the Roman church by reminding them of the gospel, because of his calling to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews. In this chapter, Paul reminds his readers that they should honour and obey the secular authorities. Reformer Martin Luther suggested that "he includes this, not because it makes people virtuous in the sight of God, but because it does insure that the virtuous have outward peace and protection and that the wicked cannot do evil without fear and in undisturbed peace". Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 14 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: In Greek: Codex Vaticanus (AD 325–350) Codex Sinaiticus (330–360) Codex Alexandrinus (400–440) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450; extant verses 11–14) in Gothic language Codex Carolinus (6th/7th century; extant: verses 1–5) in Latin Codex Carolinus (6th/7th century; extant: verses 1–5) Context Love your neighbour (verse 9) Verse 9 alludes to Exodus 20:13–15, Deuteronomy 5:17–19, 21, and Leviticus 19:18. The King James Bible includes "You shall not bear false witness" in the verse because of its presence in the Textus Receptus. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges suggests that it is "perhaps to be omitted, on documentary evidence". The day is at hand (verses 11–14) Non-conformist theologian Matthew Henry calls verses 11–14 "a Christian's directory for his day's work". According to the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, "Paul enforces all the preceding precepts (of chapters 12 and 13) by the solemn assertion of the approach of the eternal Day of Resurrection and Glory", "for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed" (King James Version). Many translations, such as the New King James Version and Revised Standard Version, refer to "when we believed". Political meaning and use In this chapter, Paul reminds his readers that they should honour and obey the secular authorities. Some interpreters have claimed that this implies that Christians are to obey all public officials under all circumstances. Many interpreters and biblical scholars dispute this view, however. Thomas Aquinas interprets Paul's derivation of authority from God as conditional on the circumstances in which authority is obtained and the manner in which it is used: Petr Chelčický interpreted the verse in the sense that it was addressed in a pagan age with a pagan society telling Christians that a Christian out of humility should submit to such pagan practices, but that in a Christian society such
Romans 13
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Romans 4 is the fourth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle, while he was in Corinth in the mid-50s AD, with the help of an amanuensis (secretary), Tertius, who adds his own greeting in Romans 16:22. The focus of this chapter is on Abraham, whose faith "was accounted (or imputed) to him for righteousness" (Romans 4:3). The Geneva Bible's chapter summary states that "ten times in the chapter [Paul] beateth upon this word, Imputation. Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 25 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: Papyrus 40 (~AD 250; extant verses 1–8) Codex Vaticanus (325–350) Codex Sinaiticus (330–360) Codex Alexandrinus (400–440) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450; complete) Old Testament references Romans 4:3 references Genesis 15:6 Romans 4:7–8 references Psalm 32:1–2 Romans 4:17 references Genesis 17:5 Romans 4:18 references Genesis 15:5 Romans 4:22 references Genesis 15:6 Abraham's faith Verse 3 Heinrich Meyer explains that the citation from Genesis 15:6 ("he believed in the ; and He counted it to him for righteousness") is quoted according to the Septuagint (LXX), which renders the active by the passive . Paul quotes the same verse in the same way in Galatians 3:6. Meyer also disputes the charge from theologian Leopold Immanuel Rückert that Paul "made an unwarrantable use of the passage for his purpose", because here Paul definitely understood "in the dogmatic sense", justifiable in doing so, since "the imputation of faith as was essentially the same judicial act which takes place at the justification of Christians". See also Abraham David Related Bible parts: Genesis 12, Genesis 15, Genesis 17, Genesis 22, Psalm 32, Isaiah 53, Galatians 3, Hebrews 11 References Bibliography External links King James Bible - Wikisource English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate Online Bible at GospelHall.org (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English) Multiple bible versions at Bible Gateway (NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.) 04
Romans 4
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Matthew 28:14 is the fourteenth verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse is part of the resurrection narrative. In this verse the priests of Jerusalem assured the safety of the tomb guards should the governor, Pontius Pilate, receive report of their failure. Content The original Koine Greek, according to Westcott and Hort/[NA27 and UBS4 variants], reads: 14: καὶ ἐὰν ἀκουσθῇ τοῦτο ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος, ἡμεῖς πείσομεν [αὐτὸν] καὶ ὑμᾶς ἀμερίμνους ποιήσομεν. In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated as: 14: And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. The modern World English Bible translates the passage as: 14: If this comes to the governor's ears, we will persuade him and make you free of worry." Analysis The Roman soldiers who guarded the tomb would receive capital punishment for not properly doing their duty when the report of the missing corpse reached 'the governor's ears', as the fate of the keepers after Apostle Peter's miraculous liberation from the prison () shows. The priests used 'all persuasive powers' to assure the safety of these watchmen, that "Pilate would acquiesce in the deception, and that the Sanhedrin would make sure he did". The guards could not be from the Roman platoon directly responsible to Pontius Pilate (cf. ), because the governor would surely get to hear what happened, but could be a local troop of Jewish temple guard. France suggests that Pilate would not be concerned overmuch about the failure of soldiers not directly under his command. In the apocryphal Gospel of Peter 11:43-49, the report was made directly to Pilate, then the Jewish elders came to beg Pilate to order the soldiers (unspecified whether Jewish or Romans) to keep quiet, which he did. According to a fragment of Hegesippus, and Eusebius, Pilate eventually learned about the resurrection of Jesus, with no record of him punishing the guards, but it is noted that he sent an account of the matter to Tiberius, who then tried to make the senate pass a decree enrolling Jesus in the list of Roman gods. This fact is attested by Tertullian in his Apologeticus. Notes References Sources Matthew 28
Matthew 28:14
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Titus 2 is the second chapter of the Epistle to Titus in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The letter is traditionally attributed to Paul the Apostle, sent from Nicopolis of Macedonia (Roman province), addressed to Titus in Crete. Some scholars argue that it is the work of an anonymous follower, written after Paul's death in the first century AD. This chapter describes the qualities of members of the community and doctrinal statements regarding the death of Christ in relation to the removal of sin. Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 15 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: Papyrus 32 (~AD 200; extant verses 3–8) Codex Sinaiticus (330–360) Codex Alexandrinus (400–440) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450; complete) Codex Freerianus (~450; extant verses 4–6, 14–15) Codex Claromontanus (~550) Codex Coislinianus (~550; extant verses 1–5) Membership of the community (2:1–10) Verses 1–10 contain an injunction to Titus to teach 'sound doctrine' () to the community with a list of qualities and duties for the members, in contrast to the "unseemly doctrine" highlighted in chapter 1. 1 Timothy 1:10 uses the same term, 'sound doctrine'. Doctrinal statements (2:11–15) The doctrinal statements in this part are typical of Paul's teaching, which links the incarnation and sacrifice of Christ to the hope and expectation of his second coming. Verse 14 "A peculiar people": translated from the Greek phrase , which is found only here in the whole New Testament but is used multiple times in Greek Septuagint version of some Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) verses to translate the Hebrew phrase (Exodus 19:5 , 'a peculiar treasure' (KJV); Deuteronomy 7:6 , 'special people' (KJV); Deuteronomy 14:2 , 'a peculiar people' (KJV); Deuteronomy 26:18 , 'peculiar people' (KJV)). The word means 'a valued property, a peculiar treasure" (), and when appearing alone translated in the Greek Septuagint version as in Psalm 135:4 and in Malachi 3:17; this last rendition is cited in Ephesians 1:14 () and 1 Peter 2:9 (, KJV: "a peculiar people", in which recalls of the Septuagint rendering of the passages in Exodus and Deuteronomy). may refer to 'the treasure as laid up', and , may refer to 'the treasure as acquired'. Verse 15 This summary command to Titus contains previously mentioned three didactic terms: "speak/teach" (in 2:1) about "these things", referring to the matters in the preceding paragraphs (2:1–14) "exhort/encourage" (in 2:6) "rebuke/reproof" (in 1:13) recalling 'the job description of the overseer' (1:9), which Titus must do himself. "Let no one despise you": is an indirect command in the third person to strengthen Titus, which is similar in form and content to for Timothy. Philip Towner offers a paraphrase: See also Jesus Related Bible parts: 1 Timothy 3 References Bibliography External links King James Bible - Wikisource English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate Online Bible at GospelHall.org (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English) Multiple bible versions at Bible Gateway (NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.) 02
Titus 2
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Romans 14 is the fourteenth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle, while he was in Corinth in the mid-50s AD, with the help of an amanuensis (secretary), Tertius, who adds his own greeting in Romans 16:22. Protestant Reformer Martin Luther summarised this chapter as Paul's teaching that "one should carefully guide those with weak conscience and spare them; one shouldn't use Christian freedom to harm, but rather to help, the weak". Lutheran theologian Johann Albrecht Bengel says that Paul "refers all things to faith". Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 23 verses in most modern-day translations, but many historic Greek editions placed Romans 16:25–27 at the end of this chapter instead, making it consist of 26 verses in total. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: In Greek: Codex Vaticanus (AD 325–350) Codex Sinaiticus (330–360) Codex Alexandrinus (400–440) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450; complete) In Gothic language Codex Carolinus (6th/7th century; extant verses 9–20) In Latin Codex Carolinus (6th/7th century; extant verses 9–20) Old Testament references Romans 14:11 refers to Isaiah 45:23 New Testament references references references references references The weak in faith The word which Paul uses for "weakness" in faith () refers to both physical illness and moral weakness. In 2 Timothy 4:20, a book traditionally ascribed to Paul, it is stated that Paul's missionary companion Trophimus was sick () when he left him at Miletus. Verse 4 Verse 4 is reminiscent of the teaching of Jesus Christ (and one of the most-cited biblical quotations) in Matthew 7:1: "Judge not, lest you be judged." Verse 23 The statement about faith in verse 23 is similar to that found in Hebrews 11:6, "...without faith it is impossible to please God". Verses 24–26 Verses 24–26 are not contained here in most modern-day English translations, but rather they are placed at the end of Romans 16 as verses 25–27. However, the majority of Greek manuscripts, most of which are in the Byzantine Text tradition, place these verses here at the end of Romans 14. A very small minority of other manuscripts either place them after Romans 15, place them in multiple places, or omit them altogether. Most scholars today believe that these verses belong at the end of chapter 16, but some defend the authenticity of their placement at this location. See also Unclean animals Related Bible parts: Isaiah 45, Isaiah 49, Matthew 7 References Bibliography External links King James Bible - Wikisource English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate Online Bible at GospelHall.org (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English) Multiple bible versions at Bible Gateway (NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.) 14
Romans 14
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1 Kings 15 is the fifteenth chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. 1 Kings 12:1-16:14 documents the consolidation of the kingdoms of northern Israel and Judah. This chapter focusses on the reigns of Abijam (or Abijah) and Asa in the southern kingdom, as well as Nadab and Baasha in the northern kingdom. Text This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 34 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century). Old Testament references : : ; : : Abijam, the king of Judah (15:1–8) Abijam is the first king who is given synchronized dating, that is, correlation to the line of kings in the northern kingdoms, a reminder of the common heritage, despite their separate development, as the people of YHWH. The names of the Judean queen mothers are always noted for specific political reasons: as an overriding factor to decide who took up the reins of the government among rival parties and interest-groups (cf. 1 Kings 1), also as she held a specific rank of 'mistress' (synonymous with the Hebrew word for 'queen mother') giving her power especially in the case of her son's death, similar to other cultures of the ancient Near East, such as amongst the Hittites. Abijam did not rule for long (about two full years, cf. verse 1 with 15:9; the number 'three' in 15:2 can be explained since the years of accession and death were not complete calendar years). Abijam was given a poor rating as a king, because he did not reverse the (alleged) atrocities introduced by Rehoboam, and failed to be "like David", but for David's sake, God still gave "a lamp in Jerusalem" (verse 4; cf. 1 Kings 11:36) even when there were conflicts with the northern state at this time (v. 7b, probably a note from the annals of the Judean kings). Verses 1–2 Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat reigned Abijam over Judah. Three years reigned he in Jerusalem. and his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. Cross references: 2 Chronicles 13:1–2 "Eighteenth year of king Jeroboam...three years reigned he": in Thiele's chronology (improved by McFall), Abijam became king between April and September 913 BCE and died between September 911 and April
1 Kings 15
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Psalm 142 is the 142nd psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "I cried unto the LORD with my voice". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible, and the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 141. In Latin, it is known as "Voce mea ad Dominum clamavi". It is attributed to David in the opening verses. It is labelled as a maschil or contemplation. The text is presented as a prayer uttered by David at the time he was hiding in the Cave of Adullam (part of the David and Jonathan narrative in the Books of Samuel). Albert Barnes notes that "a prayer when he was in the cave" could mean it was a prayer which he composed while in the cave, or one which he composed at a later date, "putting into a poetic form the substance of the prayer which he breathed forth there". It is, consequently, used as a prayer in times of distress. The psalm is used as a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies; it has been set to music. Text Hebrew The following table shows the Hebrew text of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain). King James Version The following is the English text of the Psalm from the King James Bible. Maschil of David; A Prayer when he was in the cave. I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me. I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me. Verse numbering In the Hebrew Bible, Psalm 142:1 comprises the designation Maschil of David; A Prayer when he was in the cave. (KJV) From then on verses 1–7 in most English versions correspond to verses 2–8 in the Hebrew text. Verse 2 I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble. Barnes points out that the psalmist is not so much "complaining" as meditating, or praying for release. Liturgical use In Catholic liturgy, this psalm has been recited at Vespers since the Middle Ages. According to the Rule of St. Benedict (530), this
Psalm 142
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Romans 7 is the seventh chapter of the Epistle to the Romans in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle, while he was in Corinth in the mid-50s AD, with the help of an amanuensis (secretary), Tertius, who adds his own greeting in Romans 16:22. Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 25 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: Codex Vaticanus (AD 325–350) Codex Sinaiticus (330–360) Codex Alexandrinus (400–440) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450; complete) Old Testament references Romans 7:7 references Exodus 20:17 and Deuteronomy 5:21 Lifelong authority of the Law (7:1–4) The concluding discussion in chapter 6 on slavery and freedom leads to the reintroduction of the topic of "the law and sin", that a believer has died not only to sin (6:3) but also to the law (verses 1–4). Verse 1 "Has dominion" or "rules"; writing to "those who know the [Jewish] Law, Paul says that the Law has authority over a man (only) "as long as he lives" (verse 1). Jewish Christians in Rome would have been familiar with the Hebrew Bible but many commentators recognise that "the whole Roman Church, whether Jewish or Gentile, would be familiar with it; many of them having been disciples of the synagogue, and all being directed constantly to the use of the Old Testament by apostolic precept and example". William Robertson Nicoll, however, argues that "neither Roman nor Mosaic law is specially referred to: the argument rests on the nature of law in general". Marriage provides an example as stated in verse 2. Verse 2 Verse 3 The one who dies is the "law", metaphorically "the husband", so from that time, the wife (the believer) is no longer subject to his authority, that is "may not be judged a sinner" ('an adulterer') when remarrying. On the other hand, when the law has not died, one who disregards it (like a person who has an affair) may be judged as a sinner. Verse 4 The conclusion "you [therefore] have died to the law through the body of Christ" aligns with the statement in verse 1 that "the law is binding on a person only during a person's lifetime". The law provides knowledge of sin (7:5–25) A connection between 'law' and 'sin' was stated in the earlier parts of the epistle (Romans 3:20, 4:15, 5:13, and 5:20), but because this is regarded "surprising and controversial" for most readers, Paul elaborates more in chapter 6 and 7, especially in verses 5–12 where the law itself is said to be a cause of sin. Verse 7 Paul asks a rhetorical question in verse 7: Verse 8 Verse 9 Verse 25 The second part of verse 25 may be paraphrased as "Thus, left to myself, I serve...", which may better capture Paul's meaning. It should take account of Romans 8:1–7, as the person "with [the] flesh", "a slave to the law of sin" in this
Romans 7
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Ashrei () is a prayer that is recited at least three times daily in Jewish prayers, twice during Shacharit (morning service) and once during Mincha (afternoon service). The prayer is composed primarily of Psalm 145 in its entirety, with and added to the beginning, and added to the end. The first two verses that are added both start with the Hebrew word (translating to 'happy is he who...', 'praiseworthy' or 'fortunate'), hence the prayer's name. The Talmud does not refer to the psalm by the (current) title of Ashrei, but rather as the opening words, Tehillah l'David. Times of recitation Ashrei is recited three times daily during the full course of Jewish prayers, in accordance with the Talmudic statement that one who recites Ashrei three times daily is guaranteed a place in the World to Come. For this reason, not only is Ashrei recited these three times, but many of its verses occur throughout liturgy. Ashrei is recited twice during Shacharit (once during Pesukei D'Zimrah and once between Tachanun/Torah reading and Psalm 20/Uva Letzion or in this place when any of these are omitted), and once as the introduction to Mincha; it is also recited in many customs at the commencement of Selichot services. On Yom Kippur, Ashkenazi Jews recite it during Ne'ila instead of during Mincha, whereas Sephardim and Italkim recite it during both Mincha and Ne'ila. Text The majority of Ashrei is Psalm 145 in full. Psalm 145 is an alphabetic acrostic of 21 verses, each starting with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet arranged alphabetically. This makes Ashrei easy to memorize. The only Hebrew letter that does not begin a verse of Psalm 145 is nun (נ). This omission is discussed at greater length in the Wikipedia article on Psalm 145. Although the Septuagint and some other non-Massoretic versions of the Bible have such a line, no Jewish prayerbook inserts a line beginning with nun. The first two verses are from Psalms 84:4-5 and Psalms 144:15 respectively. The final verse is Psalm 115:18. The Rome liturgy adds to this Psalm 119:1 and Machzor Vitry (12th century) adds four (possibly five) other verses beginning with the same word ("Ashrei") (namely Psalms 119:1-2, 84:6, 112:1, and 89:16), and it appears that originally the general practice was to have more introductory verses than the two now used by Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews. It is customary for the congregants to be seated while reciting Ashrei, as the introductory verse, "Happy are the people who dwell in Your house", describes the congregants as part of the household, not strangers or mere visitors, so they sit to demonstrate that connection. The word ישב, here translated as "dwell", also means "sit down" (as in Exodus 17:12, I Kings 2:12, and Psalm 122:5). Verse 7 (ז): It has been noticed that, while the majority of Hebrew Bibles spell the first word of this verse with a long vowel - זֵכֶר (zaykher), many prayerbooks print this word with a short vowel - זֶכֶר (zekher) --
Ashrei
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2 Kings 6 is the sixth chapter of the second part of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BC, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records some miraculous deeds of the prophet Elisha. Text This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 33 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). A fragment containing a part of this chapter in Hebrew was found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, that is, 6Q4 (6QpapKgs; 150–75 BCE) with the extant verse 32. There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century). The axe head recovered (6:1–7) The passage shows how Elisha helped his disciples, even for something seemingly trivial. Elisha's followers lost a borrowed axe in the water (hence an obligation to repay its owner for the loss; cf. Exodus 22:13–14), and the prophet came to help by using "a kind of analogical magic" on the last spot of the axe, before letting the disciple picked it up out of the water. This episode is tied syntactically to the earlier passage by an 'initial waw-consecutive verb' (in "and they said") and thematically by similar emphasis of Elisha's 'divinely granted powers' as well as in its relation to Jordan River. Verse 6 Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float. "Threw it in there": The stick is thrown on the surface of the water and this clear statement. does not fit with the attempted explanations that Elisha actually held a long stick to fish the iron out from the bottom. Elisha captures Arameans and subsequently ensures their release (6:8–23) The scene moves to a larger political world, where Aramean troops attacked Israelite territory unhindered, but with the help from the prophet, the Israelite army could avoid falling into their hands several times. The Aramean king (likely Ben-Hadad II; 2 Kings 6:24) could only presume he had been betrayed (verse 11), until he found out that the Israelite king (verse 12, Jehoram) was guided by a 'clairvoyant prophet', so he sent an 'army regiment with horses and chariots' to Dothan (about 15 km. north of Samaria) to arrest Elisha. The prophet's servant saw in despair that the city was completely surrounded, yet Elisha could see a heavenly host with horses and chariots of
2 Kings 6
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Luke 1 is the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. With 80 verses, it is one of the longest chapters in the New Testament. This chapter describes the birth of John the Baptist and the events leading up to the birth of Jesus. Two canticles, the canticle of Mary (the Magnificat) and the canticle of Zechariah (the Benedictus), are both contained within this chapter. The unnamed author of Luke names its recipient, Theophilus, who is most likely a real (but unknown) person, but the term could simply mean a fellow believer, since theo philus is Greek for God lover. Early Christian tradition uniformly affirms that Luke composed this Gospel as well as the Acts of the Apostles, the companion volume to Luke, which is addressed to Theophilus in the same way. The title "The Gospel of Luke", found in many Bibles and some manuscripts, was added later with no indication that it was originally part of the text. Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 80 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: Papyrus 4 (AD 150–175; extant verses: 58–59; 62–80) Papyrus 75 (175-225) Codex Vaticanus (325-350; complete) Codex Sinaiticus (330-360) Codex Bezae (~400) Codex Washingtonianus (~400) Codex Alexandrinus (400-440) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450; extant verses 3-80) Papyrus 42 (6th/7th century; extant: Greek verses 54–55; Coptic verses 46–51) Minuscule 481 (10th century) Old Testament references : : Psalm c : Psalm : Psalm : Psalm : Psalm : Psalm ; Psalm ; Psalm ; Psalm a : Psalm c : Psalm : Psalm : Psalm New Testament references Luke 1:4: Acts 1:1 Prologue (1:1–4) The evangelist, Luke, begins his "orderly account" with the following statement: Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed. The narratives are claimed to be an accurate history and meant to confirm the things that Theophilus has already been taught about Jesus, being written by a believer for the purpose of confirming belief. The writer clearly states there are other accounts about Jesus circulating and he is aware of them. Protestant theologian Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer and Lutheran biblical commentator Johann Albrecht Bengel think that Mark is among those Luke has in mind, but Bengel suggests that Matthew and John were not. Luke also states he is not himself an eyewitness but belongs to another generation that received its information from "eyewitnesses" to these events in a previous generation. Some argue Luke thus states that he is getting his information from
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Matthew 24 is the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It commences the Olivet Discourse or "Little Apocalypse" spoken by Jesus Christ, also described as the Eschatological Discourse, which continues into chapter 25. It contains Jesus' prediction of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Mark 13 and Luke 21 also cover the same material. Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 51 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: Codex Vaticanus (AD 325–350) Codex Sinaiticus (330-360) Codex Bezae () Codex Washingtonianus () Codex Alexandrinus (-440) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus () Codex Purpureus Rossanensis (6th century) Codex Sinopensis (6th century; extant: verses 3–12) Papyrus 83 (6th century; extant: verses 1, 6) Old Testament references Matthew 24:15: ; Matthew 24:35: Isaiah 51:6 Context In the preceding chapters (chapters 21–23), Jesus has been teaching in the Temple and debating with the Pharisees, Herodians and Sadducees. Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple Jesus and his disciples leave the Temple (), or the temple grounds in the New Living Translation. Theologian John Gill observes that Jesus was "never to return". Arthur Carr reports that in descending the Kedron Valley, to the east of the temple, and then ascending the slope of the Mount of Olives, the disciples could look back and see "the Temple [rising] with its colonnade of dazzling white marble, surmounted with golden roof and pinnacles, and founded on a substructure of huge stones". In this "introductory scene " (verses 1-2), Jesus predicts that "not one stone shall be left here upon another". The prediction follows the sentiments expressed by Jesus in : O Jerusalem, Jerusalem ... See! Your house is left to you desolate. Methodism's founder John Wesley says that the prediction was "most punctually fulfilled" in that the majority of the temple buildings were burned and then dug up on the orders of the invading Roman general Titus in 70 AD. Mount of Olives Jesus and his disciples proceed to the Mount of Olives, where a "private" conversation takes place regarding "the end of the age". Jesus's words here are referred to as the "Little Apocalypse" or "Olivet Discourse." Jesus appears to have gone ahead of his disciples (), who come to him to enquire about the timing and signification of his parousia (, parousias). states that only Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to speak with him. Verse 5 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 'I am Christ,' lacking the definite article, in the Geneva Bible (1599), the King James Version, and the New Matthew Bible (a modernised version of the New Testament of William Tyndale). Carr (1882 onwards) observes that "the Christ, the Messiah" is correct, departing from the King James Version then in use. Verse 15 Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation', spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place"
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Galatians 6 is the sixth (and the last) chapter of the Epistle to the Galatians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle for the churches in Galatia, written between 49–58 CE. This chapter contains Paul's exhortations and also a summary of the key points in the epistle. Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 18 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: Papyrus 46 (~AD 200) Codex Vaticanus (325-350) Codex Sinaiticus (330-360) Papyrus 99 (~400; extant verses 1-15) Codex Alexandrinus (400-440) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450; complete) Codex Claromontanus (~550) Work for the Good of All (6:1–10) This section, in every verse, includes exhortations, which are related to the particular needs of the churches in Galatia. Verse 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. "Bear one another's burdens": can be done by gentle reprove, by comforting those stressed with guilt, by sympathizing in others' sorrow, by praying to God to manifest his pardoning grace, by forgiving other people, when they committed faults, or by accommodating their weakness, by administering help and relief, whether temporal or spiritual, and bear a part with them in their griefs. "Fulfil the law of Christ": To "fulfill" here to "do" or to "act" in obedience. "The Law of Christ" is "to love one another" () in contrast to "the law of Moses". In Judaism, as "Christ" means "Messiah", the so-called "law of the Messiah" is considered preferable to any other. Verse 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. Verse 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. Verse 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Conclusion (6:11–18) Unlike his other epistles, Paul does not include personal greetings in the end of the epistle. Nonetheless, this part holds the summary and "the hermeneutical key to the whole letter", consisting some key points already discussed previously, but here are emphasized again, such as the topic of 'the new creation' with abolished distinction between the circumcised and uncircumcised. See also Related Bible parts: Job 4, Proverbs 11, 2 Corinthians 9, Galatians 1. References Bibliography External links King James Bible - Wikisource English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate Online Bible at GospelHall.org (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English) Multiple bible versions at Bible Gateway (NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.) 06
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Luke 7 is the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It tells the records of two great miracles performed by Jesus, his reply to John the Baptist's question, and the anointing by a sinful woman. The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke the Evangelist, a companion of Paul the Apostle on his missionary journeys, composed this Gospel as well as the Acts of the Apostles. Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 50 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: Papyrus 75 (AD 175-225) Papyrus 45 (~250). Codex Vaticanus (325-350) Codex Sinaiticus (330-360) Codex Bezae (~400) Codex Washingtonianus (~400) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450; lacunae: verse 17 to end) Papyrus 2 (~550; extant verses 22-26 and 50 in Coptic language) Papyrus 3 (6th/7th century; extant verses 36-45) Healing the centurion's servant (7:1-10) Luke 7:1-10 relates that, when Jesus had "concluded all his sayings", a Roman centurion in Capernaum sent the Jewish elders to ask Jesus for help, because his servant (or slave) was ill. The elders testified to the centurion's worthiness (ἄξιός, axios) but the centurion did not consider himself worthy (using the same Greek word, ηξιωσα, ēxiōsa) to have Jesus come into his home to perform the healing, suggesting instead that Jesus perform the healing at a distance. Jesus concurred, and the servant was found to have been healed when the centurion returned home. records the same healing. A similar event is recounted in , but this may refer to another event as it concerns the son of a court official. Widow of Nain's son raised (7:11-17) This account of a miracle by Jesus is only recorded in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus, accompanied by a large crowd (verse 11), arrived at the gates of the village of Nain during the burial ceremony of the son of a widow, and raised the young man from the dead. The location is the village of Nain in Galilee, two miles south of Mount Tabor. This is the first of three miracles of Jesus in the canonical gospels in which he raises the dead, the other two being the raising of Jairus' daughter and of Lazarus. Following the healing, Jesus' fame spread "throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region". In the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, commentator F. W. Farrar explains that "the notion that St Luke therefore supposed Nain to be in Judaea is quite groundless. He means that the story of the incident at Nain spread even into Judaea". Some parallels in details are noted with the raising of the son of the widow of Zarephath, by the Old Testament prophet Elijah (1 Kings 17), especially some verbal parallels. The raising of the son of the woman of Shunem (2 Kings 4) by Elisha is also similar, including the reaction of the people, and in particular, the location of
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Śāstra-tattva-vinirṇaya, also transliterated as Shastra-tattva-vinirnaya ("A Verdict on the Truth of the Shastra"), is a Sanskrit-language text written by Nilakantha Gore (or Goreh, later Neremiah Goreh) during 1844–1845 in Benares, British India. It is a Hindu apologist response to the Christian writer John Muir's Mataparīkṣā. Authorship Nilakantha Gore, a Marathi-speaking Chitpavan Brahmin wrote the text at Benares during 1844-1845, at the age of 19. Around four years later, he later converted to Christianity, and was baptized with the name Nehemiah. Contents The text comprises 784 anuṣṭubh verses in 6 chapters: Repudiation of the Opponent's Way of Examining the Authoritativeness of Religion (Parokta-mata-prāmāṇya-parīkṣā-prakāra-nirākaraṇaṃ), 28 verses Investigation of Faults in the Opponent's Religion (Para-mata-dūṣaṇa-nirūpaṇaṃ), 71 verses Beneficial Instruction (Hitopadeśa), 71 verses Investigation of the Instability of Argumentation in the Previous Narratives and the Necessity of Faith in the Scriptures (Śāstra-śraddhāvaśyakatā-kathana-pūrvaka-tarkāpratiṣṭhāna-nirūpaṇaṃ), 59 verses Investigation into the Scriptures' Self-Validity, which is Independent of Reason (Śāstrasyopapatti-nirapekṣa-svataḥ-prāmāṇya-nirūpaṇaṃ), 202 verses Repudiation of Suspicions About Defects in Our Religion (Sva-mata-doṣa-śaṅkā-nirākaraṇaṃ), 186 verses The following sections list Nilakantha's arguments. Criticism of Christianity Why should one believe that the stories of the miracles of Jesus are true and substantiated by the accounts of Christianity's adversaries, as claimed by Muir? If the Bible is the source for such claims, why should one trust the Bible as divine and authoritative? If Jesus really restored eyesight to the blind, why do blind people who revere him today remain blind? Is the god no longer compassionate, or no longer willing to act in a way that will make people have confidence in him? According to the Christian belief, the god created souls (as opposed to the Hindu belief that the atman is eternally existing). Did the god create souls for his entertainment, because he was alone and sad? If he wants the souls to go to heaven, why did he give them the ability to commit sin, let some of them die as children, or make children who are retarded? Is he not compassionate? If he created humans because he needed them to worship him, he must not be self-sufficient. According to the Hindu belief, the souls suffer pain and pleasure over several lives, in accordance with their deeds: the sinful suffer only for a limited time, and get a chance to attain salvation in their subsequent lives. According to the Christian belief, the sinful are condemned to eternal hell. Why did the god create souls that do not know about the Christian scripture, and therefore, are condemned to the eternal hell? Regarding the concept of original sin, how can the god be called just, if he gave the man ability to break his commands, and then punished him for doing so, and if he punishes one person for the sin of another? Is it not unjust that Jesus makes sinful men pure (shuddha) out of mercy? If men can destroy their sins simply by trusting in Jesus, wouldn't they commit sins at whim? Why do people who trust in Jesus experience suffering? How
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Matthew 6:18 is the eighteenth verse of the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and is part of the Sermon on the Mount. This verse concludes the discussion of fasting. Content In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads: That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. The World English Bible translates the passage as: So that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. The Novum Testamentum Graece text is: ὅπως μὴ φανῇς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις νηστεύων ἀλλὰ τῷ Πατρί σου τῷ ἐν τῷ κρυφαίῳ καὶ ὁ Πατήρ σου ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυφαίῳ ἀποδώσει σοι. For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 6:18 Analysis Fasting (verses 16–18) is Jesus' third example of 'pious deeds', after previously discussing about almsgiving (verses 2–4) and prayer (verses 5–6). The previous verse stated that, unlike the hypocrites, Jesus' followers should present a clean and normal appearance even when fasting. This verse closely parallels Matthew 6:4 and Matthew 6:6, and as in those verses, the message is that even if your piety is kept secret from those around you, God will still know about it and reward you. Davies and Allison note William Law's comment on this verse that it is impossible to keep one's fasting completely secret; disguising such an activity from one's family and friends is almost impossible. Law thus reads this verse as calling for keeping the notion private from general onlookers. Commentary from the Church Fathers Chrysostom: In almsgiving indeed, He did not say simply, ‘Do not your alms before men,’ but added, ‘to be seen of them.’ But in fasting and prayer He added nothing of this sort; because alms cannot be so done as to be altogether hid, fasting and prayer can be so done. The contempt of men's praise is no small fruit, for thereby we are freed from the heavy slavery of human opinion, and become properly workers of virtue, loving it for itself and not for others. For as we esteem it an affront if we are loved not for ourselves but for others’ sake, so ought we not to follow virtue on the account of these men, nor to obey God for men's sake but for His own. Therefore, it follows here, But to thy Father which seeth in secret. Glossa Ordinaria: That is, to thy heavenly Father, who is unseen, or who dwells in the heart through faith. He fasts to God who afflicts himself for the love of God, and bestows on others what he denies himself. Saint Remigius: For it is enough for you that He who sees your conscience should be your rewarder. Pseudo-Chrysostom: Spiritually interpreted—the face may be understood to mean the mental conscience. And as in the eyes of man
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1 Kings 12 is the twelfth chapter of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the First Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. 1 Kings 12:1 to 16:14 documents the consolidation of the kingdoms of northern Israel and Judah: this chapter focusses on the reigns of Rehoboam and Jeroboam. Text This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 33 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, that is, 6Q4 (6QpapKgs; 150–75 BCE) with extant verses 28–31. There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century). Old Testament references : Negotiations in Shechem (12:1–20) Rehoboam took the throne in Judah without opposition, but he required confirmation from the northern kingdom (cf ; ; 19:10-11,42-4). After Solomon's death, the northern tribes of Israel requested negotiations with the new king in Shechem (today: Nablus, in the central mountain country of Ephraim) and when the early negotiation failed, Jeroboam was called upon to lead the petition to reduce the financial burdens imposed by Solomon (verse 20). Rehoboam seeks advice from 'the older men who had attended his father Solomon' and with 'the young men who had grown up with him and now attended him' (verses 6, 8), representing a political conflict between two generations. The 'undiplomatic arrogance' of Rehoboam's reply based on the advice of the younger advisors (using vulgarity) triggered what already perceived by the northern tribes that Solomon and his family intended to squeeze the northern Israel hard, in comparison to the tribe of Judah, so the northern tribes decided to separate (verse 16 uses a language of separation almost identical to 2 Samuel 20:1, when the northern tribes had privately distanced themselves from Davidic rule during Absalom's failed revolt). Despite the acknowledgment that things happened exactly as the prophet Ahijah of Shiloh had forecast (verse 15, cf. 1 Kings 11:29–32), the author of this passage still regards the separation as a 'perverse rebellion against the legitimate reign of the descendants of David' (verse 19). Verse 18 Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. "Adoram": Old Greek translation and Syriac Peshitta have "Adoniram." (cf. 1 Kings 4:6). He
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1 Samuel 28 is the twenty-eighth chapter of the First Book of Samuel in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible or the first part of the Books of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish tradition the book was attributed to the prophet Samuel, with additions by the prophets Gad and Nathan, but modern scholars view it as a composition of a number of independent texts of various ages from c. 630–540 BCE. This chapter contains the account of David's escape from Saul's repeated attempts to kill him. This is within a section comprising 1 Samuel 16 to 2 Samuel 5 which records the rise of David as the king of Israel. Text This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 25 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls including 4Q51 (4QSam; 100–50 BCE) with extant verses 1–3, 22–25. Extant ancient manuscripts of a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint (originally was made in the last few centuries BCE) include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century). Places Endor Gilboa Shunem The Philistines gather against Israel (28:1–2) Verses 1–2 continue the story of David's time among the Philistines, which will be picked up again in chapters 29–30. As the Philistines prepared for another war against Israel, David was placed in an awkward position to prove his loyalty to Achish by going to fight against his own people. Saul and the Medium of Endor (28:3–25) At his camp at Gilboa, facing the big army of Philistines at Shunem, Saul was in utter fear because he had no access to divine guidance, as described in verses 3–6: Samuel was already dead and buried Saul had removed 'mediums and wizards' from the land, as was required by law (Leviticus 19:31; 20:6, 27; Deuteronomy 18:11). Saul did not get any answer when he sought YHWH's guidance through dreams, sacred lots (Urim) and prophets (cf. Jeremiah 18:18; Ezekiel 7:26). This caused Saul to desperately turn to prohibited means of getting to know the divine will, going against his own laws. Because Endor was located northeast of Shunem, thus behind enemy lines, Saul had to go in disguise and at night. The narrative about Saul's visit to the woman in Endor was 'one of the most bizarre texts in Scripture', as it claimed that Samuel's spirit could be called to speak through using witchcraft. It is debatable whether it was really Samuel's spirit or the woman impersonating Samuel, because there was no new information was given other than what was already known from Samuel's speech long ago. The text does say that the woman "saw a figure coming up", whom Saul assumed to be "Samuel" (verse 14), and was
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Matthew 4:10 is the tenth verse of the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Jesus has rebuffed two earlier temptations by Satan. The devil has thus transported Jesus to the top of a great mountain and offered him control of the world to Jesus if he agrees to worship him. In this verse, Jesus rejects this temptation. Content In the Catholic Bible, the text states: At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written: ‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship, and him alone shall you serve.’” In the King James Version of the Bible, the text reads: Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. The English Standard Version translates the passage as: 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.’” The Novum Testamentum Graece text is: τότε λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς Ὕπαγε, Σατανᾶ· γέγραπται γάρ Κύριον τὸν θεόν σου προσκυνήσεις καὶ αὐτῷ μόνῳ λατρεύσεις. For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 4:10 Analysis In contrast with Matthew 4:1 where "the devil" is named, here Jesus refers to the devil as Satan (cf. Matthew 12:26; 16:23), which is the same as Beelzebul (Matthew 10:25; 12:24, 27). Throughout Matthew, the devil and his evil underlings are always overpowered (cf. Matthew 4:23; 8:16, 28; 9:32; 12:22; 15:22; 17:18; 23:39). Jesus again quotes scripture in response to the temptation, this time the quote is from the passage on the Israelites rejection of idolatry in . The Spirit-led behavior that Jesus demonstrates here is significant: to know God's command and its context means to obey, with no added reasoning to God's simple commands (cf. Psalm 119:11). The verse uses the word "worship" (not the word "fear" as in the Septuagint), to better tie in with the temptation, and adds only at the end for added emphasis. Commentary from the Church Fathers Pseudo-Chrysostom: With these words, He puts an end to the temptations of the Devil, that they should proceed no further. Jerome: The Devil and Peter are not, as many suppose, condemned to the same sentence. To Peter it is said, Get thee behind me, Satan; i. e. follow thou behind Me who art contrary to My will. But here it is, Go, Satan, and is not added ‘behind Me,’ that we may understand into the fire prepared for thee and thy angels. Saint Remigius: Other copies read, Get thee behind me; i. e. remember thee in what glory thou wast created, and into what misery thou hast fell. Pseudo-Chrysostom: Observe how Christ when Himself suffered wrong at the hands of the Devil, being tempted of him, saying, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down, yet was not moved to chide the Devil. But now when the Devil usurps the honor of God, he is
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Lamentations 1 is the first chapter of the Book of Lamentations in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, part of the Ketuvim ("Writings"). Text The original text was written in Hebrew language. The chapter is acrostic, divided into 22 stanzas or verses. The stanzas consist of triplets of lines (except Lamentations 1:7a, which contains four lines) each beginning with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet in regular order. Textual versions Some early witnesses for the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, i.e., 4Q111 (4QLam; 30‑1 BCE) with extant verses 1–15, 17, 16, 18 and 3Q3 (3QLam; 30 BCE–50 CE) with extant verses 10‑12. There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. The Septuagint translation added an introductory line before the first stanza: And it came to pass, after Israel was taken captive, and Jerusalem made desolate, that Jeremias sat weeping, and lamented with this lamentation over Jerusalem, and said, Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: S; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q; Q; 6th century). Verse 1 How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary! "How" (Hebrew: איכה Eichah): the Hebrew word (the first word of the book, starting with "Aleph", the first letter of Hebrew alphabet) is the title more frequently given by the Jews to these Elegies. In the Septuagint the initial word is , pós. This is the characteristic introductory word of an elegy (cf. ; ), and adopted as the title of the Book of Lamentations. It is repeated at the opening of chapter 2 and chapter 4. "Sit solitary": The city of Jerusalem here is "poetically personified and distinguished from the persons who accidentally compose her population". The word "solitary" does not mean "into solitude", but "deserted by her inhabitants" (the same word as in the first clause of : the fortified city is solitary, a habitation deserted and forsaken in the Revised Standard Version). "Great among the nations": one that "ruled over many nations" and, in the times of David and Solomon, received tribute from the Philistines, Edomites, Moabites, and Syrians, but later was forced to pay tribute herself, e.g. to Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, then, in the times of Jehoiakim until Zedekiah, to the king of Babylon. "Tributary" has the sense of "personal labor" . Verse 7 Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her:
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2 Corinthians 8 is the eighth chapter of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle and Timothy (2 Corinthians 1:1) in Macedonia in 55–56 CE. This chapter, and the next one, "are devoted entirely to the topic of generous giving". Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 24 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: Papyrus 46 (~AD 200) Codex Vaticanus (325–350) Codex Sinaiticus (330–360) Codex Alexandrinus (400–440) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450) Codex Freerianus (~450; extant verses 6–7,14–17,24) Codex Claromontanus (~550) Old Testament references : Verse 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. "Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor": From having the fullness of the Godhead in Him, for the sake of human being, Jesus had become human and was exposed to outward poverty, born of poor parents, had no place to lay His head, was ministered to by others, had nothing to bequeath His mother at His death, but had to commit her to the care of one of His disciples; fulfilled the prophecies of Him, that He should be "poor" and "low" (; Zechariah 9:9). Verse 18 And we have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches. For many church fathers, such as Pseudo-Ignatius (250 AD), John Chrysostom (407 AD), Jerome (420 AD) Pelagius (420 AD), Oecumenius (990 AD), this Pauline verse written in 55 AD refers to Luke and his gospel. Lukan authorship of a New Testament Gospel is dead in the water, as far as mainstream Bible scholars are concerned. Collection for the Judean Saints "Next to his ministry of preaching to the Gentiles, Paul's most important activity during his ministry was to collect money for the poor [believers] in Jerusalem." Paul confirms in that this was a part of his ministry which he considered important and endorsed by the leaders of the church in Jerusalem. See also Macedonia Titus Related Bible parts: Luke 12, 2 Corinthians 9, Ephesians 1, Philippians 4, Hebrews 11, Revelation 3 References Sources External links King James Bible - Wikisource English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate Online Bible at GospelHall.org (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English) Multiple bible versions at Bible Gateway (NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.) 2 Corinthians 8
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Matthew 27:1 is the first verse of the twenty-seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse begins the chapter on the trial and crucifixion of Jesus. Content The original Koine Greek, according to Westcott and Hort, reads: πρωιας δε γενομενης συμβουλιον ελαβον παντες οι αρχιερεις και οι πρεσβυτεροι του λαου κατα του ιησου ωστε θανατωσαι αυτον In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated as: When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: The modern World English Bible translates the passage as: Now when morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 27:1. Analysis This verse describes a capital trial in the Sanhedrin. The council of Jewish leaders has already been mentioned as meeting in Chapter 26. The verse could be interpreted as meaning that a second session of the council was held after the earlier one to continue the trial of Jesus. The other possibility is that this is a continuation of the same session, which began the previous night and reaches its final conclusion close to dawn the night day. Some scholars have argued that this timeline negates the conviction of Jesus, as the Sanhedrin tractate specifies that capital trials had to be held during the day, and their verdicts reached during the day. The gospel itself makes no indication that this is an issue to focus on, there is also no evidence that that rule was in effect at this time, the M. Sanh only being written two centuries later. In the previous chapter Jesus has been arrested. The three synoptic gospels present this verse differently. At it is "all the people" who condemn Jesus. speaks of the chief priest, leaders, and scribes. Matthew adds an all to Mark version, specifying that it is all of these figures that judged Jesus and drops the scribes. To Gundry the author of Matthew drops the scribes as there are no theological issues being discussed. Like Matthew 26:3 "of the people" is added to title of the elders, something not found in Mark. Although they had made the verdict to put Jesus to death, the Jews did not have the authority to execute the criminals (), as this responsibility is at the hand of the Romans. References Sources 27:01
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Esther 3 is the third chapter of the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The author of the book is unknown and modern scholars have established that the final stage of the Hebrew text would have been formed by the second century BCE. Chapters 3 to 8 contain the nine scenes that form the complication in the book. This chapter introduces Haman the Agagite, who is linked by his genealogy to King Agag, the enemy of Israel's King Saul, from whose father, Kish, Mordecai was descended (). The king Ahasuerus elevated Haman to a high position in the court, and ordered everyone to bow down to him, but Mordecai refuses to do so to Haman (), which is connected to Mordecai's Jewish identity (as Jews would only bow down to worship their own God (cf. Daniel 3); this indirectly introduced the religious dimension of the story. Haman reacted by a vast plan to destroy not simply Mordecai, but his entire people (), getting the approval from the king to arrange for a particular date of genocide, selected by casting a lot, or pur (one reason for the festival of Purim; ) to fall on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar (, ). The chapter ends with the confused reaction of the whole city of Susa due to the decree (). Text This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language and since the 16th century is divided into 15 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes Codex Leningradensis (1008). There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: S; 4th century), and Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century). Haman's promotion and Mordecai's refusal to honor him (3:1–6) Shifting the focus from Esther and Mordecai, this section describes Haman the Agagite which would be "the enemy of the Jews". Haman's displeasure of Mordecai's refusal to bow down to him turns into an evil design to wipe out the whole people of Mordecai. Verse 1 After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. "Did… promote": or from Hebrew "made great"; NAB "raised…to high rank"; NIV “honored.” The promotion of Haman here has a striking irony to the contribution of Mordecai to saving the king's life (recorded in ), which goes unnoticed. Verse 4 Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew. "Mordecai": a name that reflects the name of the Babylonian deity Marduk; a possible common custom of
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John 16 is the sixteenth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records Jesus' continued farewell discourse to his disciples, set on the last night before his crucifixion. In this chapter, Jesus speaks about the work of the Holy Spirit, the joy of the believers and his victory over the world. The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that John composed this Gospel. Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 33 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: Papyrus 75 (AD 175–225) Papyrus 5 (c. 250; extant verses: 14–30) Papyrus 22 (c. 250) Codex Vaticanus (325-350) Codex Sinaiticus (330-360) Codex Bezae (c. 400) Codex Alexandrinus (400-440) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (c. 450; extant verses 22–33) Papyrus 60 (c. 700; extant verses 29–33) Places The setting for the discourse in this chapter and the following chapter appears to be in Jerusalem. The precise location is not specified, but John 18:1 states that afterwards, "Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley". Purpose The evangelist's purpose in this section of his gospel is to support the early Church for whom he is writing, to ensure that they do not fall away (, hina mē skandalisthēte) (). Some commentators suggest he is writing for a specific group of believers called the Johannine Community. Verse 1 All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. Heinrich Meyer relates "all this" to , the section of this discourse which anticipates the world's hatred for the disciples. English translations vary widely in the way they treat the opening verse of this chapter: that ye should not be caused to stumble (American Standard Version) that ye should not lose faith (21st Century King James Version) that ye should not be offended. (Geneva Bible) that you should not be offended (taken unawares and falter, or be caused to stumble and fall away (Amplified Bible) so that you will not fall away (New International Version) so that you won't be caught by surprise (Complete Jewish Bible) to keep you from being afraid (Contemporary English Version) that you may not be scandalized (Douay–Rheims Bible) so that you won't lose your faith when you face troubles (Easy-to-Read Version) to keep you from stumbling (NRSV) that you may avoid the offenses that are coming (The Voice) so that your faith may not be shaken (Jerusalem Bible) so that you may not be tripped (note on 'literal' translation in Jerusalem Bible) so that you will not turn back (Bible in Worldwide English) Meyer observes that Verse 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Jesus foretells the exclusion from the Jewish synagogues which the evangelist has already alluded to in and . Verse 4 But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did
John 16
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John 10 is the tenth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The author of the book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that John composed this Gospel. This chapter records Jesus' description of himself as the "door of the sheep" and the "Good Shepherd", and contains the only mention of Hanukkah, "the Feast of Dedication", in the New Testament. Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 42 verses. Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: Papyrus 75 (AD 175–225) Papyrus 66 (~ 200) Codex Vaticanus (325-350) Papyrus 6 (~ 350; extant: Greek verses 1–2, 4–7, 9–10; Coptic verses 1–12, 20) Codex Sinaiticus (330-360) Codex Bezae (~ 400) Codex Alexandrinus (400-440) Old Testament references : , : : Psalm Places Events recorded in this chapter refer to the following locations: Jerusalem () The east bank of Jordan River, the place where John the Baptist was baptizing at first. () The true shepherd illustration In verses , Jesus uses a parable, illustration or "figure of speech" regarding the manner in which a true shepherd enters his sheepfold, through the door or the gate, unlike the manner of a thief or a stranger. H. W. Watkins notes that "the word rendered 'parable' (in verse 6) is the wider word (, paroimia) which includes every kind of figurative and proverbial teaching, every kind of speech ... which departs from the usual course (, oimos)". The word παραβολα (parabola) is not used in John's Gospel. Jesus begins: Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The Pharisees are not mentioned in the Greek text (λεγω υμιν, legō humin, "I speak to you") but they are mentioned in the New International Version (NIV) in continuity with John 9:40, where "some Pharisees" had spoken with Jesus. The NIV and the Jerusalem Bible also confirm in verse 6 that the Pharisees are the group Jesus is addressing. German Protestant theologian Heinrich Meyer argues that these verses continue from chapter 9 "without the slightest indication of a change having taken place", and that ideally the chapter break would have been inserted at John 9:35. Henry Alford likewise connects this pericope with John 9:35-41. In this illustration, the true shepherd "enters the sheepfold by the door" and "calls his own sheep by name and leads them out ()" (). The alternative way in, taken by the thief or stranger, is to "climb up some other way", i.e. to climb over the wall of the sheepfold. The narrative is introduced "very truly" or "most assuredly". Jesus' audience ("they", verse 6) did not understand what he was saying, and did not understand that he was applying the reference to thieves and robbers (verse 1) to themselves. In its reference to the shepherd leading the flock out of
John 10
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Matthew 6:13 is the thirteenth verse of the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament, and forms part of the Sermon on the Mount. This verse is the fifth and final one of the Lord's Prayer, one of the best known parts of the entire New Testament. Content In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads: And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. The English Standard Version translates the passage as: And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. The Novum Testamentum Graece text is: καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ. The doxology which concludes the Lord's Prayer is generally considered to be a later addition to the text and is usually omitted in modern translations into English. Commentary on Evil Translations and scholars are divided over whether the prayer asks for protection from evil in general or from the evil one, i.e. Satan, in particular. The original Greek is ambiguous, but most modern translations have "evil one" as it is felt that this better reflects first century theology. The earlier reference to temptation could also be a clue that the great tempter of Matthew 4 is being referenced. Matthew 13:19 quite clearly refers to Satan when discussing similar issues. Hill, however, notes that "the evil" is used in neither Hebrew or Aramaic to denote Satan and in Matthew 5:39 a similar wording quite clearly refers to general evil rather than Satan. John Calvin noted the vagueness of the verse, but did not feel it was important as there is little real difference between the two interpretations. In 2017, Pope Francis, speaking on the Italian TV channel TV2000, proposed that the wording of the translation be changed to "do not let us fall into temptation", explaining that "I am the one who falls; it's not him [i.e. God] pushing me into temptation to then see how I have fallen". The Anglican theologian Ian Paul has highlighted how such a proposal is "stepping into a theological debate about the nature of evil". Indeed, one of the most important issues with this verse is that it seems to imply that God is the one who leads humans into sin, not humanity's innate sinfulness as Christian theologians generally believe. A literal reading of this verse could imply that God is the source of evil. There are several explanations for getting around this. The first is that temptation is not an accurate translation. Fowler suggests that the Greek term peirasmos can mean temptation, but can also mean "test of character". At several points in the Bible God tests his followers, and this could be a plea to avoid such unpleasant testing. Schweizer notes that this would be a departure from the Judaism of the period where the faithful would pray to be tested, so that they could prove their loyalty
Matthew 6:13
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Job 3 is the third chapter of the Book of Job in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is anonymous; most scholars believe it was written around the 6th century BCE. This chapter belongs to the Dialogue section of the book, comprising Job 3:1–31:40. Text The original text is written in Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 26 verses. Textual witnesses Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes the Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BC; some extant ancient manuscripts of this version include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: S; 4th century), and Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century). Analysis The structure of the book is as follows: The Prologue (chapters 1–2) The Dialogue (chapters 3–31) The Verdicts (32:1–42:6) The Epilogue (42:7–17) Within the structure, chapter 3 is grouped into the Dialogue section with the following outline: Job's Self-Curse and Self-Lament (3:1–26) Job's Self-Curse (3:1–10) Job's Self-Lament (3:11–26) Round One (4:1–14:22) Round Two (15:1–21:34) Round Three (22:1–27:23) Interlude – A Poem on Wisdom (28:1–28) Job's Summing Up (29:1–31:40) The Dialogue section is composed in the format of poetry with distinctive syntax and grammar. Job curses his day of birth (3:1–10) After the prose prologue in chapters 1–2, the narrator of the Book of Job fades away until reappearing in chapter 42, so there is no interpreter to explain the conversation among the individual speakers and the readers have to attentively follow the threads of the dialogue. When seven days had passed since the arrival of Job's three friends, Job finally released his 'pent-up emotions', by cursing the day of his birth (verses 2–10), before turning to questioning in verses 11–26. In all of his words, Job did not directly curse God as the Adversary had predicted (1:11) or his wife had suggested (2:9). Nothing in Job's "self-curse" or "self-imprecation" is inconsistent with his faith in God, Job's words are best understood as a bitter cry of pain or protest out of an existential dilemma, preserving faith in the midst of an experience of disorientation, rather than an incantation to destroy the creation, because of the inability of literal fulfillment. [[File:Léon Bonnat - Job.jpg|right|thumb|150px|"'Job by Léon Bonnat (1880)]] Verse 1After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day."Cursed": from , ; the usual Hebrew word for "curse" here is used instead of the euphemism , barak ("bless"; cf. 2:5) which is used when God is the object of the verb. This is the only curse that Job uttered, although throughout the book, he gets desperately close to cursing God (the goal expected by the Adversary in Job 2:5), but until the end he never did. "His day": translated literally from , ; the context makes it clear that Job meant "the day of his birth". The
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The Third Epistle of John is the third-to-last book of the New Testament and the Christian Bible as a whole, and attributed to John the Evangelist, traditionally thought to be the author of the Gospel of John and the other two epistles of John. The Third Epistle of John is a personal letter sent by "the elder" (the presbyter) to a man named Gaius, recommending to him a group of Christians led by Demetrius, which had come to preach the gospel in the area where Gaius lived. The purpose of the letter is to encourage and strengthen Gaius, and to warn him against Diotrephes, who refuses to cooperate with the author of the letter. Early church literature contains no mention of the epistle, with the first reference to it appearing in the middle of the third century AD. This lack of documentation, though likely due to the extreme brevity of the epistle, caused early church writers to doubt its authenticity until the early 5th century, when it was accepted into the canon along with the other two epistles of John. The language of 3 John echoes that of the Gospel of John, which is conventionally dated to around AD 90, so the epistle was likely written near the end of the first century. Others contest this view, such as the scholar John A. T. Robinson, who dates 3 John to . The location of writing is unknown, but tradition places it in Ephesus. The epistle is found in many of the oldest New Testament manuscripts, and its text is free of major discrepancies or textual variants. Content There is no doctrine laid out in 3 John, which is strictly a personal letter, but the overall theme is the importance of hospitality, especially when it comes to men who were working to spread the gospel. Third John is the shortest book of the Bible by word count, though 2 John has fewer verses. 3 John has 15 verses in the critical SBL Greek New Testament text, or 14 in the Textus Receptus. It is the only New Testament book which does not contain the names "Jesus" or "Christ". The original Greek uses the term Ὀνόματος (Onomatos, verse 7) generally translated "Name" and referring specifically to the "Name of Jesus", but the text does not say "Jesus" or "Christ". Greeting and introduction The letter is written to a man named Gaius. Gaius seems to have been a wealthy man, since the epistle's author, who identifies himself only as "the Elder", did not think it would impose unduly on him to host some traveling preachers for a short time. The Elder may have converted Gaius, since he calls Gaius his "child" in the faith. The Apostolic Constitutions VII.46.9 records that Gaius was made bishop of Pergamon, though there is no early support for this statement. The name Gaius occurs four other times in the New Testament. First, a Christian Gaius is mentioned in Macedonia as a traveling companion of Paul, along with Aristarchus
Third Epistle of John