Lukas 18:15-16

Jesus and Little Children

18:15 Now people ¹  were even bringing their babies ²  to him for him to touch. ³  But when the disciples saw it, they began to scold those who brought them. ⁴  18:16 But Jesus called for the children, ⁵  saying, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God ⁶  belongs to such as these. ⁷ 

Daniel 1:1-21

Daniel Finds Favor in Babylon

1:1 In the third ⁸  year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar ⁹  of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem ¹⁰  and laid it under siege. ¹¹  1:2 Now the Lord ¹²  delivered ¹³  King Jehoiakim of Judah into his power, ¹⁴  along with some of the vessels ¹⁵  of the temple of God. ¹⁶  He brought them to the land of Babylonia ¹⁷  to the temple of his god ¹⁸  and put ¹⁹  the vessels in the treasury of his god.

1:3 The king commanded ²⁰  Ashpenaz, ²¹  who was in charge of his court officials, ²²  to choose ²³  some of the Israelites who were of royal and noble descent ²⁴  – 1:4 young men in whom there was no physical defect and who were handsome, ²⁵  well versed in all kinds of wisdom, well educated ²⁶  and having keen insight, ²⁷  and who were capable ²⁸  of entering the king’s royal service ²⁹  – and to teach them the literature and language ³⁰  of the Babylonians. ³¹  1:5 So the king assigned them a daily ration ³²  from his royal delicacies ³³  and from the wine he himself drank. They were to be trained ³⁴  for the next three years. At the end of that time they were to enter the king’s service. ³⁵  1:6 As it turned out, ³⁶  among these young men ³⁷  were some from Judah: ³⁸  Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. ³⁹  1:7 But the overseer of the court officials renamed them. He gave ⁴⁰  Daniel the name Belteshazzar, Hananiah he named Shadrach, Mishael he named Meshach, and Azariah he named Abednego. ⁴¹ 

1:8 But Daniel made up his mind ⁴²  that he would not defile ⁴³  himself with the royal delicacies or the royal wine. ⁴⁴  He therefore asked the overseer of the court officials for permission not to defile himself. 1:9 Then God made the overseer of the court officials sympathetic to Daniel. ⁴⁵  1:10 But he ⁴⁶  responded to Daniel, “I fear my master the king. He is the one who has decided ⁴⁷  your food and drink. What would happen if he saw that you looked malnourished in comparison to the other young men your age? ⁴⁸  If that happened, ⁴⁹  you would endanger my life ⁵⁰  with the king!” 1:11 Daniel then spoke to the warden ⁵¹  whom the overseer of the court officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: 1:12 “Please test your servants for ten days by providing us with some vegetables to eat and water to drink. 1:13 Then compare our appearance ⁵²  with that of ⁵³  the young men who are eating the royal delicacies; ⁵⁴  deal with us ⁵⁵  in light of what you see.” 1:14 So the warden ⁵⁶  agreed to their proposal ⁵⁷  and tested them for ten ⁵⁸  days.

1:15 At the end of the ten days their appearance was better and their bodies were healthier ⁵⁹  than all the young men who had been eating the royal delicacies. 1:16 So the warden removed the delicacies and the wine ⁶⁰  from their diet ⁶¹  and gave them a diet of vegetables instead. 1:17 Now as for these four young men, God endowed them with knowledge and skill in all sorts of literature and wisdom – and Daniel had insight into all kinds of visions and dreams.

1:18 When the time appointed by the king arrived, ⁶²  the overseer of the court officials brought them into Nebuchadnezzar’s presence. 1:19 When the king spoke with them, he did not find among the entire group ⁶³  anyone like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, or Azariah. So they entered the king’s service. ⁶⁴  1:20 In every matter of wisdom and ⁶⁵  insight the king asked them about, he found them to be ten times ⁶⁶  better than any of the magicians and astrologers that were in his entire empire. 1:21 Now Daniel lived on until the first ⁶⁷  year of Cyrus the king.

Kisah Para Rasul 2:39

2:39 For the promise ⁶⁸  is for you and your children, and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.”

1 Tawarikh 1:1-54

Adam’s Descendants

1:1 Adam, Seth, Enosh, 1:2 Kenan, Mahalalel, Jered, 1:3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, 1:4 Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. ⁶⁹ 

Japheth’s Descendants

1:5 The sons of Japheth:

Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.

1:6 The sons of Gomer:

Ashkenaz, Riphath, ⁷⁰  and Togarmah.

1:7 The sons ⁷¹  of Javan:

Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Rodanites. ⁷² 

Ham’s Descendants

1:8 The sons of Ham:

Cush, Mizraim, ⁷³  Put, and Canaan.

1:9 The sons of Cush:

Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raamah, and Sabteca.

The sons of Raamah:

Sheba and Dedan.

1:10 Cush was the father of Nimrod, who established himself as a mighty warrior on earth. ⁷⁴ 

1:11 Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, 1:12 Pathrusites, Casluhites (from whom the Philistines descended ⁷⁵ ), and the Caphtorites.

1:13 Canaan was the father of Sidon – his firstborn – and Heth, 1:14 as well as the Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 1:15 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 1:16 Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites.

Shem’s Descendants

1:17 The sons of Shem:

Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.

The sons of Aram: ⁷⁶ 

Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech. ⁷⁷ 

1:18 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah was the father of Eber. 1:19 Two sons were born to Eber: the first was named Peleg, for during his lifetime the earth was divided; ⁷⁸  his brother’s name was Joktan.

1:20 Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 1:21 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 1:22 Ebal, ⁷⁹  Abimael, Sheba, 1:23 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.

1:24 Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, ⁸⁰  1:25 Eber, Peleg, Reu, 1:26 Serug, Nahor, Terah, 1:27 Abram (that is, Abraham).

1:28 The sons of Abraham:

Isaac and Ishmael.

1:29 These were their descendants:

Ishmael’s Descendants

Ishmael’s firstborn son was Nebaioth; the others were ⁸¹  Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 1:30 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, 1:31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael.

Keturah’s Descendants

1:32 The sons to whom Keturah, Abraham’s concubine, ⁸²  gave birth:

Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, Shuah.

The sons of Jokshan:

Sheba and Dedan.

1:33 The sons of Midian:

Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the sons of Keturah.

Isaac’s Descendants

1:34 Abraham was the father of Isaac. The sons of Isaac:

Esau and Israel.

Esau’s Descendants

1:35 The sons of Esau:

Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

1:36 The sons of Eliphaz:

Teman, Omar, Zephi, ⁸³  Gatam, Kenaz, and (by Timna) Amalek. ⁸⁴ 

1:37 The sons of Reuel:

Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

The Descendants of Seir

1:38 The sons of Seir:

Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.

1:39 The sons of Lotan:

Hori and Homam. (Timna was Lotan’s sister.) ⁸⁵ 

1:40 The sons of Shobal:

Alyan, ⁸⁶  Manahath, Ebal, Shephi, ⁸⁷  and Onam.

The sons of Zibeon:

Aiah and Anah.

1:41 The son ⁸⁸  of Anah:

Dishon.

The sons of Dishon:

Hamran, ⁸⁹  Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.

1:42 The sons of Ezer:

Bilhan, Zaavan, Jaakan. ⁹⁰ 

The sons of Dishan: ⁹¹ 

Uz and Aran.

Kings of Edom

1:43 These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites:

Bela son of Beor; the name of his city was Dinhabah.

1:44 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah, succeeded him. ⁹² 

1:45 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites succeeded him.

1:46 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad succeeded him. He struck down the Midianites in the plains of Moab; the name of his city was Avith.

1:47 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah succeeded him.

1:48 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the river ⁹³  succeeded him.

1:49 When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Achbor succeeded him.

1:50 When Baal-Hanan died, Hadad succeeded him; the name of his city was Pai. ⁹⁴  His wife was Mehetabel, daughter of Matred, daughter of Me-Zahab.

1:51 Hadad died.

Tribal Chiefs of Edom

The tribal chiefs of Edom were:

Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 1:52 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 1:53 Kenaz, Teman, ⁹⁵  Mibzar, 1:54 Magdiel, Iram. ⁹⁶  These were the tribal chiefs of Edom.

Yohanes 3:3

3:3 Jesus replied, ⁹⁷  “I tell you the solemn truth, ⁹⁸  unless a person is born from above, ⁹⁹  he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ¹⁰⁰ 

Yohanes 3:5

3:5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the solemn truth, ¹⁰¹  unless a person is born of water and spirit, ¹⁰²  he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

1 Yohanes 5:12

5:12 The one who has the Son ¹⁰³  has this ¹⁰⁴  eternal ¹⁰⁵  life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have this ¹⁰⁶  eternal ¹⁰⁷  life.

Roma 8:9

8:9 You, however, are not in ¹⁰⁸  the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person does not belong to him.

[18:15]  ¹ tn Grk “they.”

[18:15]  ² tn The term βρέφος (brefos) here can refer to babies or to toddlers (2:12, 16; Acts 7:19; 2 Tim 3:15; 1 Pet 2:2).

[18:15]  ³ tn Grk “so that he would touch them.” Here the touch is connected with (or conveys) a blessing (cf. Mark 10:16; also BDAG 126 s.v. ἅπτω 2.c).

[18:15]  ⁴ tn Grk “the disciples began to scold them.” In the translation the referent has been specified as “those who brought them,” since otherwise the statement could be understood to mean that the disciples began scolding the children rather than their parents who brought them.

[18:16]  ⁵ tn Grk “summoned them”; the referent (the children) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:16]  ⁶ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

[18:16]  ⁷ sn The kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Children are a picture of those whose simple trust illustrates what faith is all about. The remark illustrates how everyone is important to God, even those whom others regard as insignificant.

[1:1]  ⁸ sn The third year of the reign of Jehoiakim would be ca. 605 B.C. At this time Daniel would have been a teenager. The reference to Jehoiakim’s third year poses a serious crux interpretum, since elsewhere these events are linked to his fourth year (Jer 25:1; cf. 2 Kgs 24:1; 2 Chr 36:5-8). Apparently Daniel is following an accession year chronology, whereby the first partial year of a king’s reign was reckoned as the accession year rather than as the first year of his reign. Jeremiah, on the other hand, is following a nonaccession year chronology, whereby the accession year is reckoned as the first year of the king’s reign. In that case, the conflict is only superficial. Most modern scholars, however, have concluded that Daniel is historically inaccurate here.

[1:1]  ⁹ sn King Nebuchadnezzar ruled Babylon from ca. 605-562 B.C.

[1:1]  ¹⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:1]  ¹¹ sn This attack culminated in the first of three major deportations of Jews to Babylon. The second one occurred in 597 B.C. and included among many other Jewish captives the prophet Ezekiel. The third deportation occurred in 586 B.C., at which time the temple and the city of Jerusalem were thoroughly destroyed.

[1:2]  ¹² tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[1:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “gave.”

[1:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “hand,” which is often used idiomatically for one’s power and authority. See BDB 390 s.v. יָד 2.

[1:2]  ¹⁵ tn Or “utensils”; or “articles.”

[1:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “house of God.”

[1:2]  ¹⁷ sn The land of Babylonia (Heb “the land of Shinar”) is another name for Sumer and Akkad, where Babylon was located (cf. Gen 10:10; 11:2; 14:1, 9; Josh 7:21; Isa 11:11; Zech 5:11).

[1:2]  ¹⁸ tn Or “gods” (NCV, NRSV, TEV; also later in this verse). The Hebrew term can be used as a numerical plural for many gods or as a plural of majesty for one particular god. Since Nebuchadnezzar was a polytheist, it is not clear if the reference here is to many gods or one particular deity. The plural of majesty, while normally used for Israel’s God, is occasionally used of foreign gods (cf. BDB 43 s.v. אֱלֹהִים 1, 2). See Judg 11:24 (of the Moabite god Chemosh); 1 Sam 5:7 (of the Philistine god Dagon); 1 Kgs 11:33 (of the Canaanite goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Milcom); 2 Kgs 19:37 (of the Assyrian god Nisroch). Since gods normally had their own individual temples, Dan 1:2 probably refers to a particular deity, perhaps Marduk, the supreme god of Babylon, or Marduk’s son Nabu, after whom Nebuchadnezzar was named. The name Nebuchadnezzar means “Nabu has protected the son who will inherit” (HALOT 660 s.v. נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר). For a discussion of how temples functioned in Babylonian religion see H. Ringgren, Religions of the Ancient Near East, 77-81.

[1:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “brought.” Though the Hebrew verb “brought” is repeated in this verse, the translation uses “brought…put” for stylistic variation.

[1:3]  ²⁰ tn Or “gave orders to.” Heb “said to.”

[1:3]  ²¹ sn It is possible that the word Ashpenaz is not a proper name at all, but a general term for “innkeeper.” See J. J. Collins, Daniel (Hermeneia), 127, n. 9. However, the ancient versions understand the term to be a name, and the present translation (along with most English versions) understands the word in this way.

[1:3]  ²² sn The word court official (Hebrew saris) need not mean “eunuch” in a technical sense (see Gen 37:36, where the term refers to Potiphar, who had a wife), although in the case of the book of Daniel there was in Jewish literature a common tradition to that effect. On the OT usage of this word see HALOT 769-70 s.v. סָרֹיס.

[1:3]  ²³ tn Heb “bring.”

[1:3]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and from the seed of royalty and from the nobles.”

[1:4]  ²⁵ tn Heb “good of appearance.”

[1:4]  ²⁶ tn Heb “knowers of knowledge.”

[1:4]  ²⁷ tn Heb “understanders of knowledge.”

[1:4]  ²⁸ tn Heb “who had strength.”

[1:4]  ²⁹ tn Heb “to stand in the palace of the king.” Cf. vv. 5, 19.

[1:4]  ³⁰ sn The language of the Chaldeans referred to here is Akkadian, an East Semitic cuneiform language.

[1:4]  ³¹ tn Heb “Chaldeans” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV). This is an ancient name for the Babylonians.

[1:5]  ³² tn Heb “a thing of a day in its day.”

[1:5]  ³³ tn Heb “from the delicacies of the king.”

[1:5]  ³⁴ tn Or “educated.” See HALOT 179 s.v. I גדל.

[1:5]  ³⁵ tn Heb “stand before the king.”

[1:6]  ³⁶ tn Heb “and it happened that.”

[1:6]  ³⁷ tn Heb “among them”; the referent (the young men taken captive from Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:6]  ³⁸ tn Heb “the sons of Judah.”

[1:6]  ³⁹ sn The names reflect a Jewish heritage. In Hebrew Daniel means “God is my judge”; Hananiah means “the Lord is gracious”; Mishael means “who is what God is?”; Azariah means “the Lord has helped.”

[1:7]  ⁴⁰ tc The LXX and Vulgate lack the verb here.

[1:7]  ⁴¹ sn The meanings of the Babylonian names are more conjectural than is the case with the Hebrew names. The probable etymologies are as follows: Belteshazzar means “protect his life,” although the MT vocalization may suggest “Belti, protect the king” (cf. Dan 4:8); Shadrach perhaps means “command of Aku”; Meshach is of uncertain meaning; Abednego means “servant of Nego.” Assigning Babylonian names to the Hebrew youths may have been an attempt to erase from their memory their Israelite heritage.

[1:8]  ⁴² tn Heb “placed on his heart.”

[1:8]  ⁴³ tn Or “would not make himself ceremonially unclean”; TEV “become ritually unclean.”

[1:8]  sn Various reasons have been suggested as to why such food would defile Daniel. Perhaps it had to do with violations of Mosaic law with regard to unclean foods, or perhaps it had to do with such food having been offered to idols. Daniel’s practice in this regard is strikingly different from that of Esther, who was able successfully to conceal her Jewish identity.

[1:8]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “with the delicacies of the king and with the wine of his drinking.”

[1:9]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “Then God granted Daniel loyal love and compassion before the overseer of the court officials.” The expression “loyal love and compassion” is a hendiadys; the two words combine to express one idea.

[1:10]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “The overseer of the court officials.” The subject has been specified in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[1:10]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “assigned.” See v. 5.

[1:10]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “Why should he see your faces thin from the young men who are according to your age?” The term translated “thin” occurs only here and in Gen 40:6, where it appears to refer to a dejected facial expression. The word is related to an Arabic root meaning “be weak.” See HALOT 277 s.v. II זעף.

[1:10]  ⁴⁹ tn The words “if that happened” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.

[1:10]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “my head.” Presumably this is an implicit reference to capital punishment (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT), although this is not entirely clear.

[1:11]  ⁵¹ sn Having failed to convince the overseer, Daniel sought the favor of the warden whom the overseer had appointed to care for the young men.

[1:13]  ⁵² tn Heb “let our appearance be seen before you.”

[1:13]  ⁵³ tn Heb “the appearance of.”

[1:13]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “delicacies of the king.” So also in v. 15.

[1:13]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “your servants.”

[1:14]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the warden mentioned in v. 11) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:14]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “listened to them with regard to this matter.”

[1:14]  ⁵⁸ sn The number ten is sometimes used in the OT as an ideal number of completeness. Cf. v. 20; Zech 8:23; Rev 2:10.

[1:15]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “fat of flesh”; KJV, ASV “fatter in flesh”; NASB, NRSV “fatter” (although this is no longer a sign of health in Western culture).

[1:16]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “the wine of their drinking.”

[1:16]  ⁶¹ tn The words “from their diet” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.

[1:18]  ⁶² tn Heb “at the end of the days which the king said to bring them.”

[1:19]  ⁶³ tn Heb “from all of them.”

[1:19]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “stood before the king.”

[1:20]  ⁶⁵ tc The MT lacks the conjunction, reading the first word in the phrase as a construct (“wisdom of insight”). While this reading is not impossible, it seems better to follow Theodotion, the Syriac, the Vulgate, and the Sahidic Coptic, all of which have the conjunction.

[1:20]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “hands.”

[1:21]  ⁶⁷ sn The Persian king Cyrus’ first year in control of Babylon was 539 B.C. Daniel actually lived beyond the first year of Cyrus, as is clear from 10:1. The purpose of the statement in 1:21 is merely to say that Daniel’s life spanned the entire period of the neo-Babylonian empire. His life span also included the early years of the Persian control of Babylon. However, by that time his age was quite advanced; he probably died sometime in the 530’s B.C.

[2:39]  ⁶⁸ sn The promise refers to the promise of the Holy Spirit that Jesus received from the Father in 2:33 and which he now pours out on others. The promise consists of the Holy Spirit (see note in 2:33). Jesus is the active mediator of God’s blessing.

[1:4]  ⁶⁹ tc The LXX reads “Noah; the sons of Noah [were] Shem, Ham, and Japheth.” Several English translations (e.g., NIV, NLT) follow the LXX.

[1:4]  sn Shem, Ham, and Japheth were Noah’s three sons (Gen 6:10).

[1:6]  ⁷⁰ tc Many medieval Hebrew mss, along with the LXX and Vulgate, read “Riphath” (see Gen 10:3). This is followed by several English translations (e.g., NAB, NIV, NLT), while others (e.g., ASV, NASB, NRSV) follow the MT reading (“Diphath”).

[1:7]  ⁷¹ tn Or in this case, “descendants.”

[1:7]  ⁷² tc The Kethiv has “Rodanim,” which probably refers to the island of Rhodes. The Qere has “Dodanim,” which refers to one of the most ancient and revered locations in ancient Greece. The MT and most medieval Hebrew mss of the parallel list in Gen 10:4 read “Dodanim,” but a few have “Rodanim.”

[1:7]  tn Heb “Kittim and Rodanim.”

[1:8]  ⁷³ tn That is, “Egypt.”

[1:10]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “he began to be a mighty warrior in the earth.”

[1:12]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “came forth.”

[1:17]  ⁷⁶ tc The words “the sons of Aram” do not appear in the Hebrew text. Apparently the phrase וּבְנֵי אֲרָם (uvÿney ’aram) has accidentally dropped out of the text by homoioteleuton (note the presence of אֲרָם just before this). The phrase is included in Gen 10:23.

[1:17]  ⁷⁷ tc The MT of the parallel geneaology in Gen 10:23 reads “Mash,” but the LXX there reads “Meshech” in agreement with 1 Chr 1:17.

[1:19]  ⁷⁸ sn Perhaps this refers to the scattering of the people at Babel (Gen 11:1-9).

[1:22]  ⁷⁹ tc Some medieval Hebrew mss and the Syriac read “Obal” (see Gen 10:28).

[1:24]  ⁸⁰ tc Some LXX mss read “Arphaxad, Cainan, Shelah” (see also the notes on Gen 10:24; 11:12-13).

[1:29]  ⁸¹ tn The words “the others were” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:32]  ⁸² sn A concubine was a slave woman in ancient Near Eastern societies who was the legal property of her master, but who could have legitimate sexual relations with her master. A concubine’s status was more elevated than a mere servant, but she was not free and did not have the legal rights of a free wife. The children of a concubine could, in some instances, become equal heirs with the children of the free wife. After the period of the Judges concubines may have become more of a royal prerogative (2 Sam 21:10-14; 1 Kgs 11:3).

[1:36]  ⁸³ tc Many medieval Hebrew mss, along with some LXX mss and the Syriac, read “Zepho” (see Gen 36:11).

[1:36]  ⁸⁴ tn The Hebrew text has simply, “and Timna and Amalek,” but Gen 36:12 indicates that Timna, a concubine of Eliphaz, was the mother of Amalek. See also v. 39 below, which states that Timna was the sister of Lotan.

[1:39]  ⁸⁵ tn Perhaps this is the Timna mentioned in v. 36.

[1:40]  ⁸⁶ tc Some medieval Hebrew mss and a few LXX mss read “Alvan” (see Gen 36:23).

[1:40]  ⁸⁷ tc A few medieval Hebrew mss read “Shepho” (see Gen 36:23).

[1:41]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “sons.” The Hebrew text has the plural, but only one son is listed. For stylistic reasons the singular “son” was used in the translation.

[1:41]  ⁸⁹ tn The parallel geneaology in Gen 36:26 has the variant spelling “Hemdan.” Some English versions follow the variant spelling here (e.g., NAB, NIV, NCV, CEV, NLT).

[1:42]  ⁹⁰ tn The parallel geneaology in Gen 36:27 has the variant spelling “Akan.” Among English versions that use the variant spelling here are NIV, NCV, NLT.

[1:42]  ⁹¹ tc The MT reads “Dishon” here, but this should be emended to “Dishan.” See the list in v. 38 and Gen 36:28.

[1:44]  ⁹² tn Heb “ruled in his place,” here and in vv. 45-50.

[1:48]  ⁹³ tn Or “near the river.”

[1:48]  sn The river may refer to the Euphrates River (cf. NRSV, CEV, NLT).

[1:50]  ⁹⁴ tc Many medieval Hebrew mss, along with some LXX mss, the Syriac, and Vulgate, read “Pau.” See also Gen 36:39.

[1:53]  ⁹⁵ tn The parallel genealogy in Gen 36:42 has the variant spelling “Temam.”

[1:54]  ⁹⁶ tn Each of the names in this list is preceded by the word “chief” in the Hebrew text. This has not been included in the translation because it would appear very redundant to the modern reader.

[3:3]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “answered and said to him.”

[3:3]  ⁹⁸ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[3:3]  ⁹⁹ tn The word ἄνωθεν (anwqen) has a double meaning, either “again” (in which case it is synonymous with παλίν [palin]) or “from above” (BDAG 92 s.v. ἄνωθεν). This is a favorite technique of the author of the Fourth Gospel, and it is lost in almost all translations at this point. John uses the word 5 times, in 3:3, 7; 3:31; 19:11 and 23. In the latter 3 cases the context makes clear that it means “from above.” Here (3:3, 7) it could mean either, but the primary meaning intended by Jesus is “from above.” Nicodemus apparently understood it the other way, which explains his reply, “How can a man be born when he is old? He can’t enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?” The author uses the technique of the “misunderstood question” often to bring out a particularly important point: Jesus says something which is misunderstood by the disciples or (as here) someone else, which then gives Jesus the opportunity to explain more fully and in more detail what he really meant.

[3:3]  sn Or born again. The Greek word ἄνωθεν (anwqen) can mean both “again” and “from above,” giving rise to Nicodemus’ misunderstanding about a second physical birth (v. 4).

[3:3]  ¹⁰⁰ sn What does Jesus’ statement about not being able to see the kingdom of God mean within the framework of John’s Gospel? John uses the word kingdom (βασιλεία, basileia) only 5 times (3:3, 5; 18:36 [3x]). Only here is it qualified with the phrase of God. The fact that John does not stress the concept of the kingdom of God does not mean it is absent from his theology, however. Remember the messianic implications found in John 2, both the wedding and miracle at Cana and the cleansing of the temple. For Nicodemus, the term must surely have brought to mind the messianic kingdom which Messiah was supposed to bring. But Nicodemus had missed precisely this point about who Jesus was. It was the Messiah himself with whom Nicodemus was speaking. Whatever Nicodemus understood, it is clear that the point is this: He misunderstood Jesus’ words. He over-literalized them, and thought Jesus was talking about repeated physical birth, when he was in fact referring to new spiritual birth.

[3:5]  ¹⁰¹ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[3:5]  ¹⁰² tn Or “born of water and wind” (the same Greek word, πνεύματος [pneumatos], may be translated either “spirit/Spirit” or “wind”).

[3:5]  sn Jesus’ somewhat enigmatic statement points to the necessity of being born “from above,” because water and wind/spirit/Spirit come from above. Isaiah 44:3-5 and Ezek 37:9-10 are pertinent examples of water and wind as life-giving symbols of the Spirit of God in his work among people. Both occur in contexts that deal with the future restoration of Israel as a nation prior to the establishment of the messianic kingdom. It is therefore particularly appropriate that Jesus should introduce them in a conversation about entering the kingdom of God. Note that the Greek word πνεύματος is anarthrous (has no article) in v. 5. This does not mean that spirit in the verse should be read as a direct reference to the Holy Spirit, but that both water and wind are figures (based on passages in the OT, which Nicodemus, the teacher of Israel should have known) that represent the regenerating work of the Spirit in the lives of men and women.

[5:12]  ¹⁰³ sn The one who has the Son. The expression “to have the Son” in 5:12 means to “possess” him in the sense that he is present in the individual’s life (see 1 John 2:23 for the use of the Greek verb “to have” to indicate possession of a divine reality). From the parallel statement in 5:10a it is clear that believing in the Son and thus having God’s testimony in one’s self is the same as “having” the Son here in 5:12a. This is essentially identical to John 3:16: “that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” In contrast, the negative statement in 5:12b reflects the author’s evaluation of the opponents: “the one who does not have the Son does not have (eternal) life.” The opponents, in spite of their claims to know God, do not possess (nor have they at any time possessed, cf. 2:19) eternal life.

[5:12]  ¹⁰⁴ tn “This” is a translation of the Greek anaphoric article.

[5:12]  ¹⁰⁵ tn The word “eternal” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity, since the anaphoric article in Greek points back to the previous mention of eternal life in 5:11.

[5:12]  ¹⁰⁶ tn “This” is a translation of the Greek anaphoric article.

[5:12]  ¹⁰⁷ tn The word “eternal” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity, since the anaphoric article in Greek points back to the previous mention of eternal life in 5:11.

[8:9]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Or “are not controlled by the flesh but by the Spirit.”