1 Korintus 6:4

6:4 So if you have ordinary lawsuits, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church? ¹ 

Mazmur 17:14

17:14 Lord, use your power to deliver me from these murderers, ² 

from the murderers of this world! ³ 

They enjoy prosperity; ⁴ 

you overwhelm them with the riches they desire. ⁵ 

They have many children,

and leave their wealth to their offspring. ⁶ 

Lukas 8:14

8:14 As for the seed that ⁷  fell among thorns, these are the ones who hear, but ⁸  as they go on their way they are choked ⁹  by the worries and riches and pleasures of life, ¹⁰  and their fruit does not mature. ¹¹ 

Lukas 21:34

Be Ready!

21:34 “But be on your guard ¹²  so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day close down upon you suddenly like a trap. ¹³ 

Lukas 21:2

21:2 He also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. ¹⁴ 

Titus 2:4

2:4 In this way ¹⁵  they will train ¹⁶  the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children,

Titus 1:10

1:10 For there are many ¹⁷  rebellious people, idle talkers, and deceivers, especially those with Jewish connections, ¹⁸ 

[6:4]  ¹ tn Or “if you have ordinary lawsuits, appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church!” This alternative reading (cf. KJV, NIV) takes the Greek verb καθίζετε (kaqizete) as an ironic imperative instead of a question. This verb comes, however, at the end of the sentence. It is not impossible that Paul meant for it to be understood this way, but its placement in the sentence does not make this probable.

[17:14]  ² tc Heb “from men [by] your hand, Lord.” The translation assumes an emendation (both here and in the following line) of מִמְתִים (mimtim, “from men”) to מִמְמִתִים (mimmitim, “from those who kill”). For other uses of the plural form of the Hiphil participle of מוּת (mut, “die”), see 2 Kgs 17:26 (used with lions as subject), Job 33:22 (apparently referring to the agents of death), and Jer 26:15 (used of those seeking Jeremiah’s life).

[17:14]  ³ tn Heb “from men, from [the] world.” On the emendation of “men” to “murderers,” see the preceding note on the word “murderers.”

[17:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “their portion, in life.”

[17:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “and [with] your treasures you fill their belly.”

[17:14]  sn You overwhelm them with the riches they desire. The psalmist is not accusing God of being unjust; he is simply observing that the wicked often prosper and that God is the ultimate source of all blessings that human beings enjoy (see Matt 5:45). When the wicked are ungrateful for God’s blessings, they become even more culpable and deserving of judgment. So this description of the wicked actually supports the psalmist’s appeal for deliverance. God should rescue him because he is innocent (see vv. 3-5) and because the wicked, though blessed abundantly by God, still have the audacity to attack God’s people.

[17:14]  ⁶ tn Heb “they are satisfied [with] sons and leave their abundance to their children.”

[8:14]  ⁷ tn Grk “What”; the referent (the seed) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:14]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[8:14]  ⁹ sn That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.

[8:14]  ¹⁰ sn On warnings about the dangers of excessive material attachments, described here as the worries and riches and pleasures of life, see Luke 12:12-21; 16:19-31.

[8:14]  ¹¹ tn The verb τελεσφορέω (telesforew) means “to produce mature or ripe fruit” (L&N 23.203). Once again the seed does not reach its goal.

[21:34]  ¹² tn Grk “watch out for yourselves.”

[21:34]  sn Disciples are to watch out. If they are too absorbed into everyday life, they will stop watching and living faithfully.

[21:34]  ¹³ sn Or like a thief, see Luke 12:39-40. The metaphor of a trap is a vivid one. Most modern English translations traditionally place the words “like a trap” at the end of v. 34, completing the metaphor. In the Greek text (and in the NRSV and REB) the words “like a trap” are placed at the beginning of v. 35. This does not affect the meaning.

[21:2]  ¹⁴ sn These two small copper coins were lepta (sing. “lepton”), the smallest and least valuable coins in circulation in Palestine, worth one-half of a quadrans or 1/128 of a denarius, or about six minutes of an average daily wage. This was next to nothing in value.

[2:4]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “that they may train” (continuing the sentence of 2:3).

[2:4]  ¹⁶ tn This verb, σωφρονίζω (swfronizw), denotes teaching in the sense of bringing people to their senses, showing what sound thinking is.

[1:10]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ 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”).