1 Samuel 2:9

2:9 He watches over ¹  his holy ones, ² 

but the wicked are made speechless in the darkness,

for it is not by one’s own strength that one prevails.

Mazmur 37:23-24

37:23 The Lord grants success to the one

whose behavior he finds commendable. ³ 

37:24 Even if ⁴  he trips, he will not fall headlong, ⁵ 

for the Lord holds ⁶  his hand.

Mazmur 37:28

37:28 For the Lord promotes ⁷  justice,

and never abandons ⁸  his faithful followers.

They are permanently secure, ⁹ 

but the children ¹⁰  of evil men are wiped out. ¹¹ 

Mazmur 103:17-18

103:17 But the Lord continually shows loyal love to his faithful followers, ¹² 

and is faithful to their descendants, ¹³ 

103:18 to those who keep his covenant,

who are careful to obey his commands. ¹⁴ 

Mazmur 125:1-2

Psalm 125 ¹⁵ 

A song of ascents. ¹⁶ 

125:1 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion;

it cannot be upended and will endure forever.

125:2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, ¹⁷ 

so the Lord surrounds his people,

now and forevermore.

Amsal 2:8

2:8 to guard ¹⁸  the paths of the righteous ¹⁹ 

and to protect ²⁰  the way of his pious ones. ²¹ 

Yesaya 54:17

54:17 No weapon forged to be used against you will succeed;

you will refute everyone who tries to accuse you. ²² 

This is what the Lord will do for his servants –

I will vindicate them,” ²³ 

says the Lord.

Yeremia 32:40

32:40 I will make a lasting covenant ²⁴  with them that I will never stop doing good to them. ²⁵  I will fill their hearts and minds with respect for me so that ²⁶  they will never again turn ²⁷  away from me.

Yohanes 4:14

4:14 But whoever drinks some of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again, ²⁸  but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain ²⁹  of water springing up ³⁰  to eternal life.”

Yohanes 5:24

5:24 “I tell you the solemn truth, ³¹  the one who hears ³²  my message ³³  and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, ³⁴  but has crossed over from death to life.

Yohanes 10:28-30

10:28 I give ³⁵  them eternal life, and they will never perish; ³⁶  no one will snatch ³⁷  them from my hand. 10:29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, ³⁸  and no one can snatch ³⁹  them from my Father’s hand. 10:30 The Father and I ⁴⁰  are one.” ⁴¹ 

Yohanes 17:11-12

17:11 I ⁴²  am no longer in the world, but ⁴³  they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them safe ⁴⁴  in your name ⁴⁵  that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. ⁴⁶  17:12 When I was with them I kept them safe ⁴⁷  and watched over them ⁴⁸  in your name ⁴⁹  that you have given me. Not one ⁵⁰  of them was lost except the one destined for destruction, ⁵¹  so that the scripture could be fulfilled. ⁵² 

Yohanes 17:15

17:15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them safe ⁵³  from the evil one. ⁵⁴ 

Roma 8:31-39

8:31 What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 8:32 Indeed, he who ⁵⁵  did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things? 8:33 Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? ⁵⁶  It is God who justifies. 8:34 Who is the one who will condemn? Christ ⁵⁷  is the one who died (and more than that, he was raised), who is at the right hand of God, and who also is interceding for us. 8:35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ⁵⁸  8:36 As it is written, “For your sake we encounter death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” ⁵⁹  8:37 No, in all these things we have complete victory ⁶⁰  through him ⁶¹  who loved us! 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, ⁶²  nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, 8:39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Filipi 1:6

1:6 For I am sure of this very thing, ⁶³  that the one ⁶⁴  who began a good work in ⁶⁵  you will perfect it ⁶⁶  until the day of Christ Jesus.

Yudas 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Jude, ⁶⁷  a slave ⁶⁸  of Jesus Christ and brother of James, ⁶⁹  to those who are called, wrapped in the love of ⁷⁰  God the Father and kept for ⁷¹  Jesus Christ.

Yudas 1:24

Final Blessing

1:24 Now to the one who is able to keep you from falling, ⁷²  and to cause you to stand, rejoicing, ⁷³  without blemish ⁷⁴  before his glorious presence, ⁷⁵ 

[2:9]  ¹ tn Heb “guards the feet of.” The expression means that God watches over and protects the godly in all of their activities and movements. The imperfect verbal forms in v. 9 are understood as indicating what is typically true. Another option is to translate them with the future tense. See v. 10b.

[2:9]  ² tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading the plural (“his holy ones”) rather than the singular (“his holy one”) of the Kethib.

[37:23]  ³ tn Heb “from the Lord the steps of a man are established, and in his way he delights.” The second line qualifies the first. The man whose behavior is commendable in God’s sight is the one whose ways are established by God. Another option is that the second line refers to the godly man delighting in God’s “way,” namely the lifestyle which he prescribes for men. In this case one might translate, “The Lord grants success to the one who desires to obey his commands.”

[37:24]  ⁴ tn Other translation options for כִּי in this context are “when” (so NASB) or “though” (so NEB, NIV, NRSV).

[37:24]  ⁵ tn Heb “be hurled down.”

[37:24]  ⁶ tn The active participle indicates this is characteristically true. See v. 17.

[37:28]  ⁷ tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the Lord’s commitment to principles of justice causes him to actively promote these principles as he governs the world. The active participle describes characteristic behavior.

[37:28]  ⁸ tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to this generalizing statement.

[37:28]  ⁹ tn Or “protected forever.”

[37:28]  ¹⁰ tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”

[37:28]  ¹¹ tn Or “cut off”; or “removed.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 28b state general truths.

[103:17]  ¹² tn Heb “but the loyal love of the Lord [is] from everlasting to everlasting over those who fear him.”

[103:17]  ¹³ tn Heb “and his righteousness to sons of sons.”

[103:18]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to those who remember his precepts to do them.”

[125:1]  ¹⁵ sn Psalm 125. The psalmist affirms his confidence in the Lord’s protection and justice.

[125:1]  ¹⁶ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[125:2]  ¹⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:8]  ¹⁸ tn The infinitive construct לִנְצֹר (lintsor, “to guard”) designates the purpose of the Lord giving “effective counsel” and being a “shield” to the upright. The verb נָצַר (natsar, “to guard”) has a broad range of meanings: (1) to watch over, guard or protect a vineyard from theft (Prov 27:18); (2) to guard one’s lips or heart from evil (Prov 4:23; 13:3); (3) to protect a person from moral or physical danger (Prov 2:8, 11; 4:6; 13:6; 20:28; 22:12; 24:12) and (4) to guard with fidelity = to observe commands, law or covenant (Prov 3:1, 21; 4:13; 5:2; 6:20; 28:7; see BDB 665-66 s.v.). Here God guards the way of the just, that is, the course and conduct of life from the influence of evil.

[2:8]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “paths of righteousness.” The word “righteousness” is a possessive genitive, signifying the ways that the righteous take.

[2:8]  ²⁰ tn The imperfect tense verb יִשְׁמֹר (yishmor, “to protect”) continues the syntactical nuance of the preceding infinitive construct of purpose.

[2:8]  ²¹ tc The Kethib is the singular noun + 3rd person masculine singular suffix חֲסִידוֹ (khasido) “his pious one.” The Qere reads the plural noun + 3rd person masculine singular suffix חֲסִידָיו (khasidav) “his pious ones.” The LXX εὐλαβουμένων αὐτόν (eujlaboumenwn aujton) supports the Qere reading.

[2:8]  tn The noun חֶסֶד (khesed, “the pious”) describes those who show “covenantal faithful love” or “loyal love” to God and his people. The description of the righteous by this term indicates their active participation in the covenant, for which God has promised his protection.

[54:17]  ²² tn Heb “and every tongue that rises up for judgment with you will prove to be guilty.”

[54:17]  ²³ tn Heb “this is the inheritance of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication from me.”

[32:40]  ²⁴ tn Heb “an everlasting covenant.” For the rationale for the rendering “agreement” and the nature of the biblical covenants see the study note on 11:2.

[32:40]  sn For other references to the lasting (or everlasting) nature of the new covenant see Isa 55:3; 61:8; Jer 50:5; Ezek 16:60; 37:26. The new covenant appears to be similar to the ancient Near Eastern covenants of grants whereby a great king gave a loyal vassal a grant of land or dynastic dominion over a realm in perpetuity in recognition of past loyalty. The right to such was perpetual as long as the great king exercised dominion, but the actual enjoyment could be forfeited by individual members of the vassal’s dynasty. The best example of such an covenant in the OT is the Davidic covenant where the dynasty was given perpetual right to rule over Israel. Individual kings might be disciplined and their right to enjoy dominion taken away, but the dynasty still maintained the right to rule (see 2 Sam 23:5; Ps 89:26-37 and note especially 1 Kgs 11:23-39). The new covenant appears to be the renewal of God’s promise to Abraham to always be the God of his descendants and for his descendants to be his special people (Gen 17:7) something they appear to have forfeited by their disobedience (see Hos 1:9). However, under the new covenant he promises to never stop doing them good and grants them a new heart, a new spirit, the infusion of his own spirit, and the love and reverence necessary to keep from turning away from him. The new covenant is not based on their past loyalty but on his gracious forgiveness and his gifts.

[32:40]  ²⁵ tn Or “stop being gracious to them” or “stop blessing them with good”; Heb “turn back from them to do good to them.”

[32:40]  ²⁶ tn Or “I will make them want to fear and respect me so much that”; Heb “I will put the fear of me in their hearts.” However, as has been noted several times, “heart” in Hebrew is more the center of the volition (and intellect) than the center of emotions as it is in English. Both translations are intended to reflect the difference in psychology.

[32:40]  ²⁷ tn The words “never again” are not in the text but are implicit from the context and are supplied not only by this translation but by a number of others.

[4:14]  ²⁸ tn Grk “will never be thirsty forever.” The possibility of a later thirst is emphatically denied.

[4:14]  ²⁹ tn Or “well.” “Fountain” is used as the translation for πηγή (phgh) here since the idea is that of an artesian well that flows freely, but the term “artesian well” is not common in contemporary English.

[4:14]  ³⁰ tn The verb ἁλλομένου (Jallomenou) is used of quick movement (like jumping) on the part of living beings. This is the only instance of its being applied to the action of water. However, in the LXX it is used to describe the “Spirit of God” as it falls on Samson and Saul. See Judg 14:6, 19; 15:14; 1 Kgdms 10:2, 10 LXX (= 1 Sam 10:6, 10 ET); and Isa 35:6 (note context).

[5:24]  ³¹ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[5:24]  ³² tn Or “obeys.”

[5:24]  ³³ tn Or “word.”

[5:24]  ³⁴ tn Grk “and does not come into judgment.”

[10:28]  ³⁵ tn Grk “And I give.”

[10:28]  ³⁶ tn Or “will never die” or “will never be lost.”

[10:28]  ³⁷ tn Or “no one will seize.”

[10:29]  ³⁸ tn Or “is superior to all.”

[10:29]  ³⁹ tn Or “no one can seize.”

[10:30]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “I and the Father.” The order has been reversed to reflect English style.

[10:30]  ⁴¹ tn The phrase ἕν ἐσμεν ({en esmen) is a significant assertion with trinitarian implications. ἕν is neuter, not masculine, so the assertion is not that Jesus and the Father are one person, but one “thing.” Identity of the two persons is not what is asserted, but essential unity (unity of essence).

[17:11]  ⁴² tn Grk And I.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[17:11]  ⁴³ tn The context indicates that this should be translated as an adversative or contrastive conjunction.

[17:11]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “protect them”; Grk “keep them.”

[17:11]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “by your name.”

[17:11]  ⁴⁶ tn The second repetition of “one” is implied, and is supplied here for clarity.

[17:12]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “I protected them”; Grk “I kept them.”

[17:12]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “and guarded them.”

[17:12]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “by your name.”

[17:12]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk And not one.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[17:12]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “the son of destruction” (a Semitic idiom for one appointed for destruction; here it is a reference to Judas).

[17:12]  sn The one destined to destruction refers to Judas. Clearly in John’s Gospel Judas is portrayed as a tool of Satan. He is described as “the devil” in 6:70. In 13:2 Satan put into Judas’ heart the idea of betraying Jesus, and 13:27 Satan himself entered Judas. Immediately after this Judas left the company of Jesus and the other disciples and went out into the realm of darkness (13:30). Cf. 2 Thess 2:3, where this same Greek phrase (“the son of destruction”; see tn above) is used to describe the man through whom Satan acts to rebel against God in the last days.

[17:12]  ⁵² sn A possible allusion to Ps 41:9 or Prov 24:22 LXX. The exact passage is not specified here, but in John 13:18, Ps 41:9 is explicitly quoted by Jesus with reference to the traitor, suggesting that this is the passage to which Jesus refers here. The previous mention of Ps 41:9 in John 13:18 probably explains why the author felt no need for an explanatory parenthetical note here. It is also possible that the passage referred to here is Prov 24:22 LXX, where in the Greek text the phrase “son of destruction” appears.

[17:15]  ⁵³ tn Or “that you protect them”; Grk “that you keep them.”

[17:15]  ⁵⁴ tn The phrase “the evil one” is a reference to Satan. The genitive noun τοῦ πονηροῦ (tou ponhrou) is ambiguous with regard to gender: It may represent the neuter τὸ πονηρόν (to ponhron), “that which is evil,” or the masculine ὁ πονηρός (Jo ponhro"), “the evil one,” i.e., Satan. In view of the frequent use of the masculine in 1 John 2:13-14, 3:12, and 5:18-19 it seems much more probable that the masculine is to be understood here, and that Jesus is praying for his disciples to be protected from Satan. Cf. BDAG 851 s.v. πονηρός 1.b.β and 1.b.γ.

[8:32]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “[he] who.” The relative clause continues the question of v. 31 in a way that is awkward in English. The force of v. 32 is thus: “who indeed did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – How will he not also with him give us all things?”

[8:33]  ⁵⁶ sn An allusion to Isa 50:8 where the reference is singular; Paul applies this to all believers (“God’s elect” is plural here).

[8:34]  ⁵⁷ tc ‡ A number of significant and early witnesses, along with several others (Ì^46vid א A C F G L Ψ 6 33 81 104 365 1505 al lat bo), read ᾿Ιησοῦς (Ihsous, “Jesus”) after Χριστός (Cristos, “Christ”) in v. 34. But the shorter reading is not unrepresented (B D 0289 1739 1881 Ï sa). Once ᾿Ιησοῦς got into the text, what scribe would omit it? Although the external evidence is on the side of the longer reading, internally such an expansion seems suspect. The shorter reading is thus preferred. NA²⁷ has the word in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.

[8:34]  tn Grk “who also.”

[8:35]  ⁵⁸ tn Here “sword” is a metonymy that includes both threats of violence and acts of violence, even including death (although death is not necessarily the only thing in view here).

[8:36]  ⁵⁹ sn A quotation from Ps 44:22.

[8:37]  ⁶⁰ tn BDAG 1034 s.v. ὑπερνικάω states, “as a heightened form of νικᾶν prevail completely ὑπερνικῶμεν we are winning a most glorious victory Ro 8:37.”

[8:37]  ⁶¹ tn Here the referent could be either God or Christ, but in v. 39 it is God’s love that is mentioned.

[8:38]  ⁶² tn BDAG 138 s.v. ἀρχή 6 takes this term as a reference to angelic or transcendent powers (as opposed to merely human rulers). To clarify this, the adjective “heavenly” has been supplied in the translation. Some interpreters see this as a reference to fallen angels or demonic powers, and this view is reflected in some recent translations (NIV, NLT).

[1:6]  ⁶³ tn Grk “since I am sure of this very thing.” The verse begins with an adverbial participle that is dependent on the main verb in v. 3 (“I thank”). Paul here gives one reason for his thankfulness.

[1:6]  ⁶⁴ tn The referent is clearly God from the overall context of the paragraph and the mention of “the day of Christ Jesus” at the end, which would be redundant if Christ were referred to here.

[1:6]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “among.”

[1:6]  ⁶⁶ tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[1:1]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “Judas,” traditionally “Jude” in English versions to distinguish him from the one who betrayed Jesus. The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ⁶⁸ tn Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). At the same time, perhaps “servant” is apt in that the δοῦλος of Jesus Christ took on that role voluntarily, unlike a slave. The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  sn Undoubtedly the background for the concept of being the Lord’s slave or servant is to be found in the Old Testament scriptures. For a Jew this concept did not connote drudgery, but honor and privilege. It was used of national Israel at times (Isa 43:10), but was especially associated with famous OT personalities, including such great men as Moses (Josh 14:7), David (Ps 89:3; cf. 2 Sam 7:5, 8) and Elijah (2 Kgs 10:10); all these men were “servants (or slaves) of the Lord.”

[1:1]  ⁶⁹ sn Although Jude was half-brother of Jesus, he humbly associates himself with James, his full brother. By first calling himself a slave of Jesus Christ, it is evident that he wants no one to place stock in his physical connections. At the same time, he must identify himself further: Since Jude was a common name in the 1st century (two of Jesus’ disciples were so named, including his betrayer), more information was needed, that is to say, brother of James.

[1:1]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “loved in.” The perfect passive participle suggests that the audience’s relationship to God is not recent; the preposition ἐν (en) before πατρί (patri) could be taken as sphere or instrument (agency is unlikely, however). Another possible translation would be “dear to God.”

[1:1]  ⁷¹ tn Or “by.” Datives of agency are quite rare in the NT (and other ancient Greek), almost always found with a perfect verb. Although this text qualifies, in light of the well-worn idiom of τηρέω (threw) in eschatological contexts, in which God or Christ keeps the believer safe until the parousia (cf. 1 Thess 5:23; 1 Pet 1:4; Rev 3:10; other terms meaning “to guard,” “to keep” are also found in similar eschatological contexts [cf. 2 Thess 3:3; 2 Tim 1:12; 1 Pet 1:5; Jude 24]), it is probably better to understand this verse as having such an eschatological tinge. It is at the same time possible that Jude’s language was intentionally ambiguous, implying both ideas (“kept by Jesus Christ [so that they might be] kept for Jesus Christ”). Elsewhere he displays a certain fondness for wordplays; this may be a hint of things to come.

[1:24]  ⁷² tn The construction in Greek is a double accusative object-complement. “You” is the object and “free from falling” is the adjectival complement.

[1:24]  ⁷³ tn Grk “with rejoicing.” The prepositional clause is placed after “his glorious presence” in Greek, but most likely goes with “cause you to stand.”

[1:24]  ⁷⁴ tn The construction in Greek is a double accusative object-complement. “You” is the object and “without blemish” is the adjectival complement.

[1:24]  ⁷⁵ tn Or “in the presence of his glory,” “before his glory.”