Roma 16:5

16:5 Also greet the church in their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, ¹  who was the first convert ²  to Christ in the province of Asia. ³ 

Filipi 4:1

Christian Practices

4:1 So then, my brothers and sisters, ⁴  dear friends whom I long to see, my joy and crown, stand in the Lord in this way, my dear friends!

Filipi 4:1

Christian Practices

4:1 So then, my brothers and sisters, ⁵  dear friends whom I long to see, my joy and crown, stand in the Lord in this way, my dear friends!

Yohanes 3:14

3:14 Just as ⁶  Moses lifted up the serpent ⁷  in the wilderness, ⁸  so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ⁹ 

[16:5]  ¹ sn The spelling Epenetus is also used by NIV, NLT; the name is alternately spelled Epaenetus (NASB, NKJV, NRSV).

[16:5]  ² tn Grk “first fruit.” This is a figurative use referring to Epenetus as the first Christian convert in the region.

[16:5]  ³ tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

[4:1]  ⁴ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

[4:1]  ⁵ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

[3:14]  ⁶ tn Grk “And just as.”

[3:14]  ⁷ sn Or the snake, referring to the bronze serpent mentioned in Num 21:9.

[3:14]  ⁸ sn An allusion to Num 21:5-9.

[3:14]  ⁹ sn So must the Son of Man be lifted up. This is ultimately a prediction of Jesus’ crucifixion. Nicodemus could not have understood this, but John’s readers, the audience to whom the Gospel is addressed, certainly could have (compare the wording of John 12:32). In John, being lifted up refers to one continuous action of ascent, beginning with the cross but ending at the right hand of the Father. Step 1 is Jesus’ death; step 2 is his resurrection; and step 3 is the ascension back to heaven. It is the upward swing of the “pendulum” which began with the incarnation, the descent of the Word become flesh from heaven to earth (cf. Paul in Phil 2:5-11). See also the note on the title Son of Man in 1:51.