2 Korintus 9:1

Preparing the Gift

9:1 For it is not necessary ¹  for me to write you about this service ²  to the saints,

2 Korintus 9:12-14

9:12 because the service of this ministry is not only providing for ³  the needs of the saints but is also overflowing with many thanks to God. 9:13 Through the evidence ⁴  of this service ⁵  they will glorify God because of your obedience to your confession in the gospel of Christ and the generosity of your sharing ⁶  with them and with everyone. 9:14 And in their prayers on your behalf they long for you because of the extraordinary grace God has shown to you. ⁷ 

Matius 10:42

10:42 And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple, I tell you the truth, ⁸  he will never lose his reward.”

Matius 12:50

12:50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is ⁹  my brother and sister and mother.”

Matius 25:40

25:40 And the king will answer them, ¹⁰  ‘I tell you the truth, ¹¹  just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters ¹²  of mine, you did it for me.’

Matius 25:44-45

25:44 Then they too will answer, ¹³  ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not give you whatever you needed?’ 25:45 Then he will answer them, ¹⁴  ‘I tell you the truth, ¹⁵  just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’

Markus 14:7

14:7 For you will always have the poor with you, and you can do good for them whenever you want. But you will not always have me! ¹⁶ 

Yohanes 19:26-27

19:26 So when Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing there, he said to his mother, “Woman, ¹⁷  look, here is your son!” 19:27 He then said to his disciple, “Look, here is your mother!” From that very time ¹⁸  the disciple took her into his own home.

Kisah Para Rasul 6:1-7

The Appointment of the First Seven Deacons

6:1 Now in those ¹⁹  days, when the disciples were growing in number, ²⁰  a complaint arose on the part of the Greek-speaking Jews ²¹  against the native Hebraic Jews, ²²  because their widows ²³  were being overlooked ²⁴  in the daily distribution of food. ²⁵  6:2 So the twelve ²⁶  called ²⁷  the whole group ²⁸  of the disciples together and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to wait on tables. ²⁹  6:3 But carefully select from among you, brothers, ³⁰  seven ³¹  men who are well-attested, ³²  full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge ³³  of this necessary task. ³⁴  6:4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 6:5 The ³⁵  proposal pleased the entire group, so ³⁶  they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, with ³⁷  Philip, ³⁸  Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a Gentile convert to Judaism ³⁹  from Antioch. ⁴⁰  6:6 They stood these men before the apostles, who prayed ⁴¹  and placed ⁴²  their hands on them. 6:7 The word of God continued to spread, ⁴³  the number of disciples in Jerusalem ⁴⁴  increased greatly, and a large group ⁴⁵  of priests became obedient to the faith.

Kisah Para Rasul 9:39-41

9:39 So Peter got up and went with them, and ⁴⁶  when he arrived ⁴⁷  they brought him to the upper room. All ⁴⁸  the widows stood beside him, crying and showing him ⁴⁹  the tunics ⁵⁰  and other clothing ⁵¹  Dorcas used to make ⁵²  while she was with them. 9:40 But Peter sent them all outside, ⁵³  knelt down, ⁵⁴  and prayed. Turning ⁵⁵  to the body, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. ⁵⁶  9:41 He gave ⁵⁷  her his hand and helped her get up. Then he called ⁵⁸  the saints and widows and presented her alive.

Kisah Para Rasul 11:29

11:29 So the disciples, each in accordance with his financial ability, ⁵⁹  decided ⁶⁰  to send relief ⁶¹  to the brothers living in Judea.

Kisah Para Rasul 24:17

24:17 After several years ⁶²  I came to bring to my people gifts for the poor ⁶³  and to present offerings, ⁶⁴ 

Roma 15:25-26

15:25 But now I go to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. 15:26 For Macedonia and Achaia are pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.

Roma 15:1

Exhortation for the Strong to Help the Weak

15:1 But we who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and not just please ourselves. ⁶⁵ 

Kolose 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁶⁶  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Kolose 1:3-4

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Church

1:3 We always ⁶⁷  give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 1:4 since ⁶⁸  we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints.

Kolose 1:15

The Supremacy of Christ

1:15 ⁶⁹ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn ⁷⁰  over all creation, ⁷¹ 

Galatia 2:10

2:10 They requested ⁷²  only that we remember the poor, the very thing I also was eager to do.

Galatia 6:10

6:10 So then, ⁷³  whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith. ⁷⁴ 

Galatia 6:1

Support One Another

6:1 Brothers and sisters, ⁷⁵  if a person ⁷⁶  is discovered in some sin, ⁷⁷  you who are spiritual ⁷⁸  restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness. ⁷⁹  Pay close attention ⁸⁰  to yourselves, so that you are not tempted too.

Titus 1:10

1:10 For there are many ⁸¹  rebellious people, idle talkers, and deceivers, especially those with Jewish connections, ⁸² 

Filemon 1:5-6

1:5 because I hear ⁸³  of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love ⁸⁴  for all the saints. ⁸⁵  1:6 I pray ⁸⁶  that the faith you share with us may deepen your understanding of every blessing ⁸⁷  that belongs to you ⁸⁸  in Christ. ⁸⁹ 

Ibrani 6:10

6:10 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name, in having served and continuing to serve the saints.

Ibrani 6:1

6:1 Therefore we must progress beyond ⁹⁰  the elementary ⁹¹  instructions about Christ ⁹²  and move on ⁹³  to maturity, not laying this foundation again: repentance from dead works and faith in God,

Yohanes 3:16-18

3:16 For this is the way ⁹⁴  God loved the world: He gave his one and only ⁹⁵  Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish ⁹⁶  but have eternal life. ⁹⁷  3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, ⁹⁸  but that the world should be saved through him. 3:18 The one who believes in him is not condemned. ⁹⁹  The one who does not believe has been condemned ¹⁰⁰  already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only ¹⁰¹  Son of God.

[9:1]  ¹ tn Or “it is superfluous.”

[9:1]  ² tn Or “this ministry,” “this contribution.”

[9:12]  ³ tn Or “not only supplying.”

[9:13]  ⁴ tn Or “proof,” or perhaps “testing” (NRSV).

[9:13]  ⁵ tn Or “ministry.”

[9:13]  ⁶ tn Or “your partnership”; Grk “your fellowship.”

[9:14]  ⁷ tn Grk “the extraordinary grace of God to you”; the point is that God has given or shown grace to the Corinthians.

[10:42]  ⁸ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[12:50]  ⁹ tn The pleonastic pronoun αὐτός (autos, “he”) which precedes this verb has not been translated.

[25:40]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “answering, the king will say to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.

[25:40]  ¹¹ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[25:40]  ¹² tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). In this context Jesus is ultimately speaking of his “followers” (whether men or women, adults or children), but the familial connotation of “brothers and sisters” is also important to retain here.

[25:44]  ¹³ tn Grk “Then they will answer, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[25:45]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “answer them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[25:45]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[14:7]  ¹⁶ tn In the Greek text of this clause, “me” is in emphatic position (the first word in the clause). To convey some impression of the emphasis, an exclamation point is used in the translation.

[19:26]  ¹⁷ sn The term Woman is Jesus’ normal, polite way of addressing women (Matt 15:28, Luke 13:12; John 4:21; 8:10; 19:26; 20:15; see BDAG 208-9 s.v. γυνή 1). But it is unusual for a son to address his mother with this term. The custom in both Hebrew (or Aramaic) and Greek would be for a son to use a qualifying adjective or title. Is there significance in Jesus’ use here? Jesus probably used the term here to help establish Mary and the beloved disciple in a new “mother-son” relationship. Someone would soon need to provide for Mary since Jesus, her oldest son, would no longer be alive. By using this term Jesus distanced himself from Mary so the beloved disciple could take his place as her earthly son (cf. John 2:4). See D. A. Carson, John, 617-18, for discussion about symbolic interpretations of this relationship between Mary and the beloved disciple.

[19:27]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “from that very hour.”

[6:1]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “these.” The translation uses “those” for stylistic reasons.

[6:1]  ²⁰ tn Grk “were multiplying.”

[6:1]  ²¹ tn Grk “the Hellenists,” but this descriptive term is largely unknown to the modern English reader. The translation “Greek-speaking Jews” attempts to convey something of who these were, but it was more than a matter of language spoken; it involved a degree of adoption of Greek culture as well.

[6:1]  sn The Greek-speaking Jews were the Hellenists, Jews who to a greater or lesser extent had adopted Greek thought, customs, and lifestyle, as well as the Greek language. The city of Alexandria in Egypt was a focal point for them, but they were scattered throughout the Roman Empire.

[6:1]  ²² tn Grk “against the Hebrews,” but as with “Hellenists” this needs further explanation for the modern reader.

[6:1]  ²³ sn The care of widows is a major biblical theme: Deut 10:18; 16:11, 14; 24:17, 19-21; 26:12-13; 27:19; Isa 1:17-23; Jer 7:6; Mal 3:5.

[6:1]  ²⁴ tn Or “neglected.”

[6:1]  ²⁵ tn Grk “in the daily serving.”

[6:1]  sn The daily distribution of food. The early church saw it as a responsibility to meet the basic needs of people in their group.

[6:2]  ²⁶ sn The twelve refers to the twelve apostles.

[6:2]  ²⁷ tn Grk “calling the whole group…together, said.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενοι (proskalesamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[6:2]  ²⁸ tn Or “the multitude.”

[6:2]  ²⁹ tn Grk “to serve tables.”

[6:3]  ³⁰ tn It is not clear from a historical standpoint (but it is unlikely) that women would have been involved in the selection process too. For this reason the translation “brothers” has been retained, rather than “brothers and sisters” (used in contexts where both male and female believers are clearly addressed).

[6:3]  ³¹ sn Seven. Jewish town councils often had seven members (Josephus, Ant. 4.18.14 [4.214]).

[6:3]  ³² tn Or “are of good reputation” (BDAG 618 s.v. μαρτυρέω 2.b).

[6:3]  ³³ tn The translation “put in charge” is given by BDAG 492 s.v. καθίστημι 2.

[6:3]  ³⁴ tn Grk “of this need”; translated “necessary work” or “needed task” by L&N 42.22.

[6:5]  ³⁵ tn Grk “And the.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[6:5]  ³⁶ tn The translation “so” has been used to indicate the logical sequence in English.

[6:5]  ³⁷ tn “With” is smoother English style for an addition like this. Because of differences between Greek and English style, καί (kai), which occurs between each name in the list, has not been translated except preceding the last element.

[6:5]  ³⁸ sn Philip. Note how many of the names in this list are Greek. This suggests that Hellenists were chosen to solve the problem they had been so sensitive about fixing (cf. 6:1).

[6:5]  ³⁹ tn Or “a proselyte.”

[6:5]  ⁴⁰ map For location see JP1 F2; JP2 F2; JP3 F2; JP4 F2.

[6:6]  ⁴¹ tn Literally this is a participle in the Greek text (προσευξάμενοι, proseuxamenoi). It could be translated as a finite verb (“and they prayed and placed their hands on them”) but much smoother English results if the entire coordinate clause is converted to a relative clause that refers back to the apostles.

[6:6]  sn Who prayed. The prayer indicates their acceptance and commissioning for ministry (cf. Deut 34:9).

[6:6]  ⁴² tn Or “laid.”

[6:7]  ⁴³ tn Grk “kept on spreading”; the verb has been translated as a progressive imperfect.

[6:7]  ⁴⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[6:7]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “a great multitude.”

[6:7]  sn A large group. Many Jews, even some religious leaders, were responding.

[9:39]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “who.” The relative clause makes for awkward English style here, so the following clause was made coordinate with the conjunction “and” supplied in place of the Greek relative pronoun.

[9:39]  ⁴⁷ tn The participle παραγενόμενον (paragenomenon) is taken temporally.

[9:39]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “and all.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[9:39]  ⁴⁹ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[9:39]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “shirts” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). The name for this garment (χιτών, citwn) presents some difficulty in translation. Most modern readers would not understand what a ‘tunic’ was any more than they would be familiar with a ‘chiton.’ On the other hand attempts to find a modern equivalent are also a problem: “shirt” conveys the idea of a much shorter garment that covers only the upper body, and “undergarment” (given the styles of modern underwear) is more misleading still. “Tunic” was therefore employed, but with a note to explain its nature.

[9:39]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “and garments,” referring here to other types of clothing besides the tunics just mentioned.

[9:39]  ⁵² tn The verb ἐποίει (epoiei) has been translated as a customary imperfect.

[9:40]  ⁵³ tn Grk “Peter, sending them all outside, knelt down.” The participle ἐκβαλών (ekbalwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[9:40]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “and kneeling down,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more. Instead the “and” is placed before the verb προσηύξατο (proshuxato, “and prayed”). The participle θείς (qeis) is taken as a participle of attendant circumstance.

[9:40]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “and turning.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[9:40]  ⁵⁶ sn She sat up. This event is told much like Luke 8:49-56 and Mark 5:35-43. Peter’s ministry mirrored that of Jesus.

[9:41]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “Giving her his hand, he helped her.” The participle δούς (dous) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[9:41]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “Then calling the saints…he presented her.” The participle φωνήσας (fwnhsa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style; it could also be taken temporally (“After he called”).

[11:29]  ⁵⁹ tn So BDAG 410 s.v. εὐπορέω.

[11:29]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “determined,” “resolved.”

[11:29]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “to send [something] for a ministry,” but today it is common to speak of sending relief for victims of natural disasters.

[11:29]  sn The financial relief reflects the oneness of the church, meeting the needs of another (even racially distinct) community. Jerusalem, having ministered to them, now received ministry back. A later collection from Greece is noted in Rom 15:25-27, but it reflects the same spirit as this gift.

[24:17]  ⁶² tn BDAG 401 s.v. ἔτος has “δι᾿ ἐ. πλειόνων after several years 24:17.”

[24:17]  ⁶³ tn Grk “to bring alms,” but the term “alms” is not in common use today, so the closest modern equivalent, “gifts for the poor,” is used instead.

[24:17]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “sacrifices.” BDAG 887 s.v. προσφορά 1 has “προσφοράς ποιεῖν have sacrifices made Ac 24:17,” but this may be overly specific. It is not clear from the immediate context whether the offering of sacrificial animals (so BDAG assumes) or offerings of some other sort (such as financial gifts) are in view. The combination with ἐλεημοσύνας (elehmosuna") in the preceding clause may suggest monetary offerings. Some have suggested this is an allusion to the payments made by Paul on behalf of the four other men mentioned in Acts 21:23-26, but the text here seems to suggest something Paul had planned to do before he came, while the decision to pay for the expenses of the men in 21:23ff. was made at the suggestion of the Jerusalem leadership after he arrived. In either case, Paul was portraying himself as a pious worshiper of his God.

[15:1]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “and not please ourselves.” NT Greek negatives used in contrast like this are often not absolute, but relative: “not so much one as the other.”

[1:1]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:3]  ⁶⁷ tn The adverb πάντοτε (pantote) is understood to modify the indicative εὐχαριστοῦμεν (eucaristoumen) because it precedes περὶ ὑμῶν (peri Jumwn) which probably modifies the indicative and not the participle προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi). But see 1:9 where the same expression occurs and περὶ ὑμῶν modifies the participle “praying” (προσευχόμενοι).

[1:4]  ⁶⁸ tn The adverbial participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") is understood to be temporal and translated with “since.” A causal idea may also be in the apostle’s mind, but the context emphasizes temporal ideas, e.g., “from the day” (v. 6).

[1:15]  ⁶⁹ sn This passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.

[1:15]  ⁷⁰ tn The Greek term πρωτότοκος (prwtotokos) could refer either to first in order of time, such as a first born child, or it could refer to one who is preeminent in rank. M. J. Harris, Colossians and Philemon (EGGNT), 43, expresses the meaning of the word well: “The ‘firstborn’ was either the eldest child in a family or a person of preeminent rank. The use of this term to describe the Davidic king in Ps 88:28 LXX (=Ps 89:27 EVV), ‘I will also appoint him my firstborn (πρωτότοκον), the most exalted of the kings of the earth,’ indicates that it can denote supremacy in rank as well as priority in time. But whether the πρωτό- element in the word denotes time, rank, or both, the significance of the -τοκος element as indicating birth or origin (from τίκτω, give birth to) has been virtually lost except in ref. to lit. birth.” In Col 1:15 the emphasis is on the priority of Jesus’ rank as over and above creation (cf. 1:16 and the “for” clause referring to Jesus as Creator).

[1:15]  ⁷¹ tn The genitive construction πάσης κτίσεως (pash" ktisew") is a genitive of subordination and is therefore translated as “over all creation.” See ExSyn 103-4.

[2:10]  ⁷² tn Grk “only that we remember the poor”; the words “They requested” have been supplied from the context to make a complete English sentence.

[6:10]  ⁷³ tn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what Paul has been arguing.

[6:10]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “to those who are members of the family of [the] faith.”

[6:1]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:11.

[6:1]  ⁷⁶ tn Here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense, referring to both men and women.

[6:1]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “some transgression” (L&N 88.297).

[6:1]  ⁷⁸ sn Who are spiritual refers to people who are controlled and directed by God’s Spirit.

[6:1]  ⁷⁹ tn Or “with a gentle spirit” or “gently.”

[6:1]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “taking careful notice.”

[1:10]  ⁸¹ tc ‡ The earliest and best mss lack καί (kai) after πολλοί (polloi; so א A C P 088 81 104 365 614 629 630 al sy co), though the conjunction is found in several significant witnesses, chiefly of the Western and Byzantine texts (D F G I Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï lat). Although it is possible that some scribes omitted the word, thinking it was superfluous, it is also possible that others added the conjunction for clarification. Judging by the pedigree of the witnesses and the inconclusiveness of the internal evidence, the shorter reading is considered to be most likely original. NA²⁷ puts the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.

[1:10]  ⁸² tn Grk “those of the circumcision.” Some translations take this to refer to Jewish converts to Christianity (cf. NAB “Jewish Christians”; TEV “converts from Judaism”; CEV “Jewish followers”) while others are less clear (cf. NLT “those who insist on circumcision for salvation”).

[1:5]  ⁸³ tn The Greek present participle ἀκούων (akouwn, “hearing”) is an adverbial participle of cause relating to εὐχαριστῶ (eucaristw, “I give thanks”).

[1:5]  ⁸⁴ sn Your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. In accord with Paul, John also advocates this combination of “faith in Christ and love for the saints.” The believers’ invisible faith becomes visible in the demonstration of love for others. This, of course, is not only desired, but commanded (1 John 3:23). Although Paul’s comment here may appear as a stock expression to the casual reader, praising Philemon for his track record of faithfulness to Christ demonstrated in love for the saints is actually integral to the author’s argument in this short but pithy letter. Paul will soon ask Philemon to demonstrate this love toward Onesimus, his runaway slave.

[1:5]  ⁸⁵ tn The Greek is somewhat awkward here. It appears as though the text reads “…the love and faith which you have for the Lord Jesus and for all the saints.” In other Pauline letters the emphasis seems to be “faith in Christ Jesus and love for all of the saints.” Some ancient mss have altered the wording to produce a smoother reading; scribes changed the wording to resemble the more readable versions in Eph 1:15 and Col 1:4, “your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which you have to all the saints.”

[1:6]  ⁸⁶ tn The term ὅπως ({opw") refers back to the idea of prayer (μνείαν σου ποιούμενος ἐπὶ τῶν προσευχῶν μου, mneian sou poioumeno" epi twn proseucwn mou) in 1:4. See BDAG 718 s.v. 2.b; P. T. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon (WBC), 279. The indicative “I pray that” was supplied in the English in order to make this connection clear.

[1:6]  ⁸⁷ tn Grk “everything good.”

[1:6]  ⁸⁸ tc ‡ ὑμῖν (Jumin, “you”) is found in many valuable witnesses (Ì⁶¹ א F G P 0278 33 1739 1881 al sy co). The witnesses for ἡμῖν (Jhmin, “us”) are not as strong (A C D Ψ 048^vid Ï), but nevertheless represent a broad base. Internally, ἡμῖν could be favored because of second person pronouns surrounding it, making it the harder reading. On the other hand, the last second person plural pronoun was in v. 3, and the next one will not show up until v. 22, a fact which tends to counter the internal argument on behalf of ἡμῖν. Although a decision is difficult, with the internal evidence being capable of favoring either reading, our preference is based on the external evidence; ὑμῖν is thus slightly preferred.

[1:6]  ⁸⁹ tn Grk “that the fellowship of your faith might become effective in the knowledge of everything good that is in us in Christ.” There are numerous difficulties with the translation and interpretation of this verse: (1) What is the meaning of ἡ κοινωνία τῆς πίστεως σου (Jh koinwnia th" pistew" sou, “the fellowship of your faith”)? Several suggestions are noted: (a) taking κοινωνία as a reference to “monetary support” and τῆς πίστεως as a genitive of source, the phrase could refer to Philemon’s financial giving which he has done according to his faith; (b) taking κοινωνία as a reference to “sharing” or “communicating” and the genitive τῆς πίστεως as an objective genitive, then the meaning would be “sharing the faith” as a reference to evangelistic activity; (c) taking κοινωνία in a distributive sense referring to fellowship with other believers, and τῆς πίστεως as a reference to the common trust all Christians have in Jesus, then the meaning is Christian fellowship centered on faith in Jesus; (d) taking κοινωνία as a reference to “participation” and the genitive τῆς πίστεως as a reference to the thing participated in, the meaning would then be Philemon’s “participation in the faith”; (2) what is the meaning of ἐνεργής (energh"; Does it mean “active” or “effective”?) and ἐπιγνώσει (epignwsei; Does it refer to simply understanding? Or “experiencing” as well?); (3) what is the meaning of the phrase παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ (panto" agaqou)? and (4) what is the force of εἰς Χριστόν (ei" Criston)? It is difficult to arrive at an interpretation that deals adequately with all these questions, but given the fact that Paul stresses what Philemon has done for the brothers (cf. the γάρ [gar] in v. 7), it seems that his concern in v. 6 is on Philemon’s fellowship with other believers and how he has worked hard to refresh them. In this interpretation: (1) the phrase ἡ κοινωνία τῆς πίστεως σου is taken to refer to fellowship with other believers; (2) ἐνεργής is taken to mean “effective” (i.e., more effective) and ἐπιγνώσει involves both understanding and experience; (3) the phrase παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ refers to every spiritual blessing and (4) εἰς Χριστόν carries a locative idea meaning “in Christ.” The result is that Paul prays for Philemon that he will be equipped to encourage and love the saints more as he himself is brought to a place of deeper understanding of every spiritual blessing he has in Christ; out of the overflow of his own life, he will minister to others.

[6:1]  ⁹⁰ tn Grk “Therefore leaving behind.” The implication is not of abandoning this elementary information, but of building on it.

[6:1]  ⁹¹ tn Or “basic.”

[6:1]  ⁹² tn Grk “the message of the beginning of Christ.”

[6:1]  ⁹³ tn Grk “leaving behind…let us move on.”

[3:16]  ⁹⁴ tn Or “this is how much”; or “in this way.” The Greek adverb οὕτως (Joutws) can refer (1) to the degree to which God loved the world, that is, to such an extent or so much that he gave his own Son (see R. E. Brown, John [AB], 1:133-34; D. A. Carson, John, 204) or (2) simply to the manner in which God loved the world, i.e., by sending his own son (see R. H. Gundry and R. W. Howell, “The Sense and Syntax of John 3:14-17 with Special Reference to the Use of Οὕτως…ὥστε in John 3:16,” NovT 41 [1999]: 24-39). Though the term more frequently refers to the manner in which something is done (see BDAG 741-42 s.v. οὕτω/οὕτως), the following clause involving ὥστε (Jwste) plus the indicative (which stresses actual, but [usually] unexpected result) emphasizes the greatness of the gift God has given. With this in mind, then, it is likely (3) that John is emphasizing both the degree to which God loved the world as well as the manner in which He chose to express that love. This is in keeping with John’s style of using double entendre or double meaning. Thus, the focus of the Greek construction here is on the nature of God's love, addressing its mode, intensity, and extent.

[3:16]  ⁹⁵ tn Although this word is often translated “only begotten,” such a translation is misleading, since in English it appears to express a metaphysical relationship. The word in Greek was used of an only child (a son [Luke 7:12, 9:38] or a daughter [Luke 8:42]). It was also used of something unique (only one of its kind) such as the mythological Phoenix (1 Clement 25:2). From here it passes easily to a description of Isaac (Heb 11:17 and Josephus, Ant. 1.13.1 [1.222]) who was not Abraham’s only son, but was one-of-a-kind because he was the child of the promise. Thus the word means “one-of-a-kind” and is reserved for Jesus in the Johannine literature of the NT. While all Christians are children of God (τέκνα θεοῦ, tekna qeou), Jesus is God’s Son in a unique, one-of-a-kind sense. The word is used in this way in all its uses in the Gospel of John (1:14, 1:18, 3:16, and 3:18).

[3:16]  ⁹⁶ tn In John the word ἀπόλλυμι (apollumi) can mean either (1) to be lost (2) to perish or be destroyed, depending on the context.

[3:16]  ⁹⁷ sn The alternatives presented are only two (again, it is typical of Johannine thought for this to be presented in terms of polar opposites): perish or have eternal life.

[3:17]  ⁹⁸ sn That is, “to judge the world to be guilty and liable to punishment.”

[3:18]  ⁹⁹ tn Grk “judged.”

[3:18]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Grk “judged.”

[3:18]  ¹⁰¹ tn See the note on the term “one and only” in 3:16.