Kejadian 29:1-35
Konteks29:1 So Jacob moved on 1 and came to the land of the eastern people. 2 29:2 He saw 3 in the field a well with 4 three flocks of sheep lying beside it, because the flocks were watered from that well. Now 5 a large stone covered the mouth of the well. 29:3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds 6 would roll the stone off the mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place over the well’s mouth.
29:4 Jacob asked them, “My brothers, where are you from?” They replied, “We’re from Haran.” 29:5 So he said to them, “Do you know Laban, the grandson 7 of Nahor?” “We know him,” 8 they said. 29:6 “Is he well?” 9 Jacob asked. They replied, “He is well. 10 Now look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.” 29:7 Then Jacob 11 said, “Since it is still the middle of the day, 12 it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. You should water the sheep and then go and let them graze some more.” 13 29:8 “We can’t,” they said, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone is rolled off the mouth of the well. Then we water 14 the sheep.”
29:9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was tending them. 15 29:10 When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncle Laban, 16 and the sheep of his uncle Laban, he 17 went over 18 and rolled the stone off the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of his uncle Laban. 19 29:11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep loudly. 20 29:12 When Jacob explained 21 to Rachel that he was a relative of her father 22 and the son of Rebekah, she ran and told her father. 29:13 When Laban heard this news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he rushed out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob 23 told Laban how he was related to him. 24 29:14 Then Laban said to him, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.” 25 So Jacob 26 stayed with him for a month. 27
29:15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Should you work 28 for me for nothing because you are my relative? 29 Tell me what your wages should be.” 29:16 (Now Laban had two daughters; 30 the older one was named Leah, and the younger one Rachel. 29:17 Leah’s eyes were tender, 31 but Rachel had a lovely figure and beautiful appearance.) 32 29:18 Since Jacob had fallen in love with 33 Rachel, he said, “I’ll serve you seven years in exchange for your younger daughter Rachel.” 29:19 Laban replied, “I’d rather give her to you than to another man. 34 Stay with me.” 29:20 So Jacob worked for seven years to acquire Rachel. 35 But they seemed like only a few days to him 36 because his love for her was so great. 37
29:21 Finally Jacob said 38 to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time of service is up. 39 I want to have marital relations with her.” 40 29:22 So Laban invited all the people 41 of that place and prepared a feast. 29:23 In the evening he brought his daughter Leah 42 to Jacob, 43 and Jacob 44 had marital relations with her. 45 29:24 (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) 46
29:25 In the morning Jacob discovered it was Leah! 47 So Jacob 48 said to Laban, “What in the world have you done to me! 49 Didn’t I work for you in exchange for Rachel? Why have you tricked 50 me?” 29:26 “It is not our custom here,” 51 Laban replied, “to give the younger daughter in marriage 52 before the firstborn. 29:27 Complete my older daughter’s bridal week. 53 Then we will give you the younger one 54 too, in exchange for seven more years of work.” 55
29:28 Jacob did as Laban said. 56 When Jacob 57 completed Leah’s bridal week, 58 Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 59 29:29 (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) 60 29:30 Jacob 61 had marital relations 62 with Rachel as well. He loved Rachel more than Leah, so he worked for Laban 63 for seven more years. 64
29:31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, 65 he enabled her to become pregnant 66 while Rachel remained childless. 29:32 So Leah became pregnant 67 and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, 68 for she said, “The Lord has looked with pity on my oppressed condition. 69 Surely my husband will love me now.”
29:33 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Because the Lord heard that I was unloved, 70 he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. 71
29:34 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Now this time my husband will show me affection, 72 because I have given birth to three sons for him.” That is why he was named Levi. 73
29:35 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” That is why she named him Judah. 74 Then she stopped having children.
Kejadian 1:1
Konteks1:1 In the beginning 75 God 76 created 77 the heavens and the earth. 78
Kejadian 1:1-2
Konteks1:1 In the beginning 79 God 80 created 81 the heavens and the earth. 82
1:2 Now 83 the earth 84 was without shape and empty, 85 and darkness 86 was over the surface of the watery deep, 87 but the Spirit of God 88 was moving 89 over the surface 90 of the water. 91
Kisah Para Rasul 5:26
Konteks5:26 Then the commander 92 of the temple guard 93 went with the officers 94 and brought the apostles 95 without the use of force 96 (for they were afraid of being stoned by the people). 97
Kisah Para Rasul 6:12
Konteks6:12 They incited the people, the 98 elders, and the experts in the law; 99 then they approached Stephen, 100 seized him, and brought him before the council. 101
Lukas 7:39
Konteks7:39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, 102 he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, 103 he would know who and what kind of woman 104 this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.”
Lukas 7:1
Konteks7:1 After Jesus 105 had finished teaching all this to the people, 106 he entered Capernaum. 107
Kolose 1:24-25
Konteks1:24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my physical body – for the sake of his body, the church – what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ. 1:25 I became a servant of the church according to the stewardship 108 from God – given to me for you – in order to complete 109 the word of God,
[29:1] 1 tn Heb “and Jacob lifted up his feet.” This unusual expression suggests that Jacob had a new lease on life now that God had promised him the blessing he had so desperately tried to gain by his own efforts. The text portrays him as having a new step in his walk.
[29:1] 2 tn Heb “the land of the sons of the east.”
[29:2] 3 tn Heb “and he saw, and look.” As in Gen 28:12-15, the narrator uses the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here and in the next clause to draw the reader into the story.
[29:2] 4 tn Heb “and look, there.”
[29:2] 5 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by the noun with the prefixed conjunction) provides supplemental information that is important to the story.
[29:3] 6 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the shepherds) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:5] 8 tn Heb “and they said, ‘We know.’” The word “him” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the translation several introductory clauses throughout this section have been placed after the direct discourse they introduce for stylistic reasons as well.
[29:6] 9 tn Heb “and he said to them, ‘Is there peace to him?’”
[29:7] 11 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:7] 12 tn Heb “the day is great.”
[29:7] 13 tn Heb “water the sheep and go and pasture [them].” The verbal forms are imperatives, but Jacob would hardly be giving direct orders to someone else’s shepherds. The nuance here is probably one of advice.
[29:8] 14 tn The perfect verbal forms with the vav (ו) consecutive carry on the sequence begun by the initial imperfect form.
[29:9] 15 tn Heb “was a shepherdess.”
[29:10] 16 tn Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother” (twice in this verse).
[29:10] 17 tn Heb “Jacob.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[29:10] 18 tn Heb “drew near, approached.”
[29:10] 19 tn Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother.” The text says nothing initially about the beauty of Rachel. But the reader is struck by the repetition of “Laban the brother of his mother.” G. J. Wenham is no doubt correct when he observes that Jacob’s primary motive at this stage is to ingratiate himself with Laban (Genesis [WBC], 2:231).
[29:11] 20 tn Heb “and he lifted up his voice and wept.” The idiom calls deliberate attention to the fact that Jacob wept out loud.
[29:12] 22 tn Heb “that he [was] the brother of her father.”
[29:13] 23 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:13] 24 tn Heb “and he told to Laban all these things.” This might mean Jacob told Laban how he happened to be there, but Laban’s response (see v. 14) suggests “all these things” refers to what Jacob had previously told Rachel (see v. 12).
[29:14] 25 tn Heb “indeed, my bone and my flesh are you.” The expression sounds warm enough, but the presence of “indeed” may suggest that Laban had to be convinced of Jacob’s identity before permitting him to stay. To be one’s “bone and flesh” is to be someone’s blood relative. For example, the phrase describes the relationship between Abimelech and the Shechemites (Judg 9:2; his mother was a Shechemite); David and the Israelites (2 Sam 5:1); David and the elders of Judah (2 Sam 19:12,); and David and his nephew Amasa (2 Sam 19:13, see 2 Sam 17:2; 1 Chr 2:16-17).
[29:14] 26 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:14] 27 tn Heb “a month of days.”
[29:15] 28 tn The verb is the perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; the nuance in the question is deliberative.
[29:15] 29 tn Heb “my brother.” The term “brother” is used in a loose sense; actually Jacob was Laban’s nephew.
[29:16] 30 tn Heb “and to Laban [there were] two daughters.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a prepositional phrase) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, vv. 16-17 have been set in parentheses in the translation.
[29:17] 31 tn Heb “and the eyes of Leah were tender.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a noun) continues the parenthesis begun in v. 16. It is not clear what is meant by “tender” (or “delicate”) eyes. The expression may mean she had appealing eyes (cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT), though some suggest that they were plain, not having the brightness normally expected. Either way, she did not measure up to her gorgeous sister.
[29:17] 32 tn Heb “and Rachel was beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance.”
[29:18] 33 tn Heb “Jacob loved.”
[29:19] 34 tn Heb “Better my giving her to you than my giving her to another man.”
[29:20] 35 tn Heb “in exchange for Rachel.”
[29:20] 36 sn But they seemed like only a few days to him. This need not mean that the time passed quickly. More likely it means that the price seemed insignificant when compared to what he was getting in the bargain.
[29:20] 37 tn Heb “because of his love for her.” The words “was so great” are supplied for stylistic reasons.
[29:21] 38 tn Heb “and Jacob said.”
[29:21] 39 tn Heb “my days are fulfilled.”
[29:21] 40 tn Heb “and I will go in to her.” The verb is a cohortative; it may be subordinated to the preceding request, “that I may go in,” or it may be an independent clause expressing his desire. The verb “go in” in this context refers to sexual intercourse (i.e., the consummation of the marriage).
[29:23] 42 tn Heb “and it happened in the evening that he took Leah his daughter and brought her.”
[29:23] sn His daughter Leah. Laban’s deception of Jacob by giving him the older daughter instead of the younger was God’s way of disciplining the deceiver who tricked his older brother. D. Kidner says this account is “the very embodiment of anti-climax, and this moment a miniature of man’s disillusion, experienced from Eden onwards” (Genesis [TOTC], 160). G. von Rad notes, “That Laban secretly gave the unloved Leah to the man in love was, to be sure, a monstrous blow, a masterpiece of shameless treachery…It was certainly a move by which he won for himself far and wide the coarsest laughter” (Genesis [OTL], 291).
[29:23] 43 tn Heb “to him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:23] 44 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:23] 45 tn Heb “went in to her.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.
[29:24] 46 tn Heb “and Laban gave to her Zilpah his female servant, to Leah his daughter [for] a servant.” This clause gives information parenthetical to the narrative.
[29:25] 47 tn Heb “and it happened in the morning that look, it was Leah.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.
[29:25] 48 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:25] 49 tn Heb What is this you have done to me?” The use of the pronoun “this” is enclitic, adding emphasis to the question: “What in the world have you done to me?”
[29:25] 50 sn The Hebrew verb translated tricked here (רָמָה, ramah) is cognate to the noun used in Gen 27:35 to describe Jacob’s deception of Esau. Jacob is discovering that what goes around, comes around. See J. A. Diamond, “The Deception of Jacob: A New Perspective on an Ancient Solution to the Problem,” VT 34 (1984): 211-13.
[29:26] 51 tn Heb “and Laban said, ‘It is not done so in our place.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[29:26] 52 tn Heb “to give the younger.” The words “daughter” and “in marriage” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[29:27] 53 tn Heb “fulfill the period of seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as “my older daughter” for clarity.
[29:27] sn Bridal week. An ancient Hebrew marriage ceremony included an entire week of festivities (cf. Judg 14:12).
[29:27] 54 tn Heb “this other one.”
[29:27] 55 tn Heb “and we will give to you also this one in exchange for labor which you will work with me, still seven other years.”
[29:27] sn In exchange for seven more years of work. See C. H. Gordon, “The Story of Jacob and Laban in the Light of the Nuzi Tablets,” BASOR 66 (1937): 25-27; and J. Van Seters, “Jacob’s Marriages and Ancient Near Eastern Customs: A Reassessment,” HTR 62 (1969): 377-95.
[29:28] 56 tn Heb “and Jacob did so.” The words “as Laban said” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[29:28] 57 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:28] 58 tn Heb “the seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as Leah to avoid confusion with Rachel, mentioned later in the verse.
[29:28] 59 tn Heb “and he gave to him Rachel his daughter for him for a wife.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:29] 60 tn Heb “and Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his female servant, for her for a servant.”
[29:30] 61 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:30] 62 tn Heb “went in also to Rachel.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.
[29:30] 63 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:30] 64 tn Heb “and he loved also Rachel, more than Leah, and he served with him still seven other years.”
[29:31] 65 tn Heb “hated.” The rhetorical device of overstatement is used (note v. 30, which says simply that Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah) to emphasize that Rachel, as Jacob’s true love and the primary object of his affections, had an advantage over Leah.
[29:31] 66 tn Heb “he opened up her womb.”
[29:32] 67 tn Or “Leah conceived” (also in vv. 33, 34, 35).
[29:32] 68 sn The name Reuben (רְאוּבֵן, rÿ’uven) means “look, a son.”
[29:32] 69 tn Heb “looked on my affliction.”
[29:32] sn Leah’s explanation of the name Reuben reflects a popular etymology, not an exact one. The name means literally “look, a son.” Playing on the Hebrew verb “look,” she observes that the
[29:33] 70 tn Heb “hated.” See the note on the word “unloved” in v. 31.
[29:33] 71 sn The name Simeon (שִׁמְעוֹן, shim’on) is derived from the verbal root שָׁמַע (shama’) and means “hearing.” The name is appropriate since it is reminder that the
[29:34] 72 tn Heb “will be joined to me.”
[29:34] 73 sn The name Levi (לֵוִי, levi), the precise meaning of which is debated, was appropriate because it sounds like the verb לָוָה (lavah, “to join”), used in the statement recorded earlier in the verse.
[29:35] 74 sn The name Judah (יְהוּדָה, yÿhudah) means “he will be praised” and reflects the sentiment Leah expresses in the statement recorded earlier in the verse. For further discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names ‘Israel’ and ‘Judah’ with an Excursus on the Etymology of Todah and Torah,” JBL 46 (1927): 151-85; and A. R. Millard, “The Meaning of the Name Judah,” ZAW 86 (1974): 216-18.
[1:1] 75 tn The translation assumes that the form translated “beginning” is in the absolute state rather than the construct (“in the beginning of,” or “when God created”). In other words, the clause in v. 1 is a main clause, v. 2 has three clauses that are descriptive and supply background information, and v. 3 begins the narrative sequence proper. The referent of the word “beginning” has to be defined from the context since there is no beginning or ending with God.
[1:1] sn In the beginning. The verse refers to the beginning of the world as we know it; it affirms that it is entirely the product of the creation of God. But there are two ways that this verse can be interpreted: (1) It may be taken to refer to the original act of creation with the rest of the events on the days of creation completing it. This would mean that the disjunctive clauses of v. 2 break the sequence of the creative work of the first day. (2) It may be taken as a summary statement of what the chapter will record, that is, vv. 3-31 are about God’s creating the world as we know it. If the first view is adopted, then we have a reference here to original creation; if the second view is taken, then Genesis itself does not account for the original creation of matter. To follow this view does not deny that the Bible teaches that God created everything out of nothing (cf. John 1:3) – it simply says that Genesis is not making that affirmation. This second view presupposes the existence of pre-existent matter, when God said, “Let there be light.” The first view includes the description of the primordial state as part of the events of day one. The following narrative strongly favors the second view, for the “heavens/sky” did not exist prior to the second day of creation (see v. 8) and “earth/dry land” did not exist, at least as we know it, prior to the third day of creation (see v. 10).
[1:1] 76 sn God. This frequently used Hebrew name for God (אֱלֹהִים,’elohim ) is a plural form. When it refers to the one true God, the singular verb is normally used, as here. The plural form indicates majesty; the name stresses God’s sovereignty and incomparability – he is the “God of gods.”
[1:1] 77 tn The English verb “create” captures well the meaning of the Hebrew term in this context. The verb בָּרָא (bara’) always describes the divine activity of fashioning something new, fresh, and perfect. The verb does not necessarily describe creation out of nothing (see, for example, v. 27, where it refers to the creation of man); it often stresses forming anew, reforming, renewing (see Ps 51:10; Isa 43:15, 65:17).
[1:1] 78 tn Or “the entire universe”; or “the sky and the dry land.” This phrase is often interpreted as a merism, referring to the entire ordered universe, including the heavens and the earth and everything in them. The “heavens and the earth” were completed in seven days (see Gen 2:1) and are characterized by fixed laws (see Jer 33:25). “Heavens” refers specifically to the sky, created on the second day (see v. 8), while “earth” refers specifically to the dry land, created on the third day (see v. 10). Both are distinct from the sea/seas (see v. 10 and Exod 20:11).
[1:1] 79 tn The translation assumes that the form translated “beginning” is in the absolute state rather than the construct (“in the beginning of,” or “when God created”). In other words, the clause in v. 1 is a main clause, v. 2 has three clauses that are descriptive and supply background information, and v. 3 begins the narrative sequence proper. The referent of the word “beginning” has to be defined from the context since there is no beginning or ending with God.
[1:1] sn In the beginning. The verse refers to the beginning of the world as we know it; it affirms that it is entirely the product of the creation of God. But there are two ways that this verse can be interpreted: (1) It may be taken to refer to the original act of creation with the rest of the events on the days of creation completing it. This would mean that the disjunctive clauses of v. 2 break the sequence of the creative work of the first day. (2) It may be taken as a summary statement of what the chapter will record, that is, vv. 3-31 are about God’s creating the world as we know it. If the first view is adopted, then we have a reference here to original creation; if the second view is taken, then Genesis itself does not account for the original creation of matter. To follow this view does not deny that the Bible teaches that God created everything out of nothing (cf. John 1:3) – it simply says that Genesis is not making that affirmation. This second view presupposes the existence of pre-existent matter, when God said, “Let there be light.” The first view includes the description of the primordial state as part of the events of day one. The following narrative strongly favors the second view, for the “heavens/sky” did not exist prior to the second day of creation (see v. 8) and “earth/dry land” did not exist, at least as we know it, prior to the third day of creation (see v. 10).
[1:1] 80 sn God. This frequently used Hebrew name for God (אֱלֹהִים,’elohim ) is a plural form. When it refers to the one true God, the singular verb is normally used, as here. The plural form indicates majesty; the name stresses God’s sovereignty and incomparability – he is the “God of gods.”
[1:1] 81 tn The English verb “create” captures well the meaning of the Hebrew term in this context. The verb בָּרָא (bara’) always describes the divine activity of fashioning something new, fresh, and perfect. The verb does not necessarily describe creation out of nothing (see, for example, v. 27, where it refers to the creation of man); it often stresses forming anew, reforming, renewing (see Ps 51:10; Isa 43:15, 65:17).
[1:1] 82 tn Or “the entire universe”; or “the sky and the dry land.” This phrase is often interpreted as a merism, referring to the entire ordered universe, including the heavens and the earth and everything in them. The “heavens and the earth” were completed in seven days (see Gen 2:1) and are characterized by fixed laws (see Jer 33:25). “Heavens” refers specifically to the sky, created on the second day (see v. 8), while “earth” refers specifically to the dry land, created on the third day (see v. 10). Both are distinct from the sea/seas (see v. 10 and Exod 20:11).
[1:2] 83 tn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) at the beginning of v. 2 gives background information for the following narrative, explaining the state of things when “God said…” (v. 3). Verse one is a title to the chapter, v. 2 provides information about the state of things when God spoke, and v. 3 begins the narrative per se with the typical narrative construction (vav [ו] consecutive followed by the prefixed verbal form). (This literary structure is paralleled in the second portion of the book: Gen 2:4 provides the title or summary of what follows, 2:5-6 use disjunctive clause structures to give background information for the following narrative, and 2:7 begins the narrative with the vav consecutive attached to a prefixed verbal form.) Some translate 1:2a “and the earth became,” arguing that v. 1 describes the original creation of the earth, while v. 2 refers to a judgment that reduced it to a chaotic condition. Verses 3ff. then describe the re-creation of the earth. However, the disjunctive clause at the beginning of v. 2 cannot be translated as if it were relating the next event in a sequence. If v. 2 were sequential to v. 1, the author would have used the vav consecutive followed by a prefixed verbal form and the subject.
[1:2] 84 tn That is, what we now call “the earth.” The creation of the earth as we know it is described in vv. 9-10. Prior to this the substance which became the earth (= dry land) lay dormant under the water.
[1:2] 85 tn Traditional translations have followed a more literal rendering of “waste and void.” The words describe a condition that is without form and empty. What we now know as “the earth” was actually an unfilled mass covered by water and darkness. Later תֹהוּ (tohu) and בֹּהוּ (bohu), when used in proximity, describe a situation resulting from judgment (Isa 34:11; Jer 4:23). Both prophets may be picturing judgment as the reversal of creation in which God’s judgment causes the world to revert to its primordial condition. This later use of the terms has led some to conclude that Gen 1:2 presupposes the judgment of a prior world, but it is unsound method to read the later application of the imagery (in a context of judgment) back into Gen 1:2.
[1:2] 86 sn Darkness. The Hebrew word simply means “darkness,” but in the Bible it has come to symbolize what opposes God, such as judgment (Exod 10:21), death (Ps 88:13), oppression (Isa 9:1), the wicked (1 Sam 2:9) and in general, sin. In Isa 45:7 it parallels “evil.” It is a fitting cover for the primeval waste, but it prepares the reader for the fact that God is about to reveal himself through his works.
[1:2] 87 tn The Hebrew term תְּהוֹם (tÿhom, “deep”) refers to the watery deep, the salty ocean – especially the primeval ocean that surrounds and underlies the earth (see Gen 7:11).
[1:2] sn The watery deep. In the Babylonian account of creation Marduk killed the goddess Tiamat (the salty sea) and used her carcass to create heaven and earth. The form of the Hebrew word for “deep” is distinct enough from the name “Tiamat” to deny direct borrowing; however, it is possible that there is a polemical stress here. Ancient Israel does not see the ocean as a powerful deity to be destroyed in creation, only a force of nature that can be controlled by God.
[1:2] 88 tn The traditional rendering “Spirit of God” is preserved here, as opposed to a translation like “wind from/breath of God” (cf. NRSV) or “mighty wind” (cf. NEB), taking the word “God” to represent the superlative. Elsewhere in the OT the phrase refers consistently to the divine spirit that empowers and energizes individuals (see Gen 41:38; Exod 31:3; 35:31; Num 24:2; 1 Sam 10:10; 11:6; 19:20, 23; Ezek 11:24; 2 Chr 15:1; 24:20).
[1:2] 89 tn The Hebrew verb has been translated “hovering” or “moving” (as a bird over her young, see Deut 32:11). The Syriac cognate term means “to brood over; to incubate.” How much of that sense might be attached here is hard to say, but the verb does depict the presence of the Spirit of God moving about mysteriously over the waters, presumably preparing for the acts of creation to follow. If one reads “mighty wind” (cf. NEB) then the verse describes how the powerful wind begins to blow in preparation for the creative act described in vv. 9-10. (God also used a wind to drive back the flood waters in Noah’s day. See Gen 8:1.)
[1:2] 91 sn The water. The text deliberately changes now from the term for the watery deep to the general word for water. The arena is now the life-giving water and not the chaotic abyss-like deep. The change may be merely stylistic, but it may also carry some significance. The deep carries with it the sense of the abyss, chaos, darkness – in short, that which is not good for life.
[5:26] 93 tn Grk “the official [of the temple],” a title for the commander of the Jewish soldiers guarding the temple (thus the translation, “the commander of the temple guard”). See L&N 37.91.
[5:26] 94 tn The Greek term ὑπηρέτης (Juphreth") generally means “servant,” but in the NT is used for many different types of servants. See the note on the word “officers” in v. 22.
[5:26] 95 tn Grk “brought them”; the referent (the apostles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:26] 96 tn Or “without violence.” It is clear, as well, that the apostles did not resist arrest.
[5:26] 97 tn Grk “for they feared lest they be stoned by the people.” The translation uses a less awkward English equivalent. This is an explanatory note by the author.
[6:12] 98 tn Grk “and the,” 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.
[6:12] 99 tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 4:5.
[6:12] 100 tn Grk “approaching, they seized him”; the referent (Stephen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:12] 101 tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews). Stephen suffers just as Peter and John did.
[7:39] 102 tn The word “this” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[7:39] 103 tn This is a good example of a second class (contrary to fact) Greek conditional sentence. The Pharisee said, in effect, “If this man were a prophet (but he is not)…”
[7:39] 104 sn The Pharisees believed in a form of separationism that would have prevented them from any kind of association with such a sinful woman.
[7:1] 105 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:1] 106 tn Grk “After he had completed all his sayings in the hearing of the people.”
[7:1] 107 sn Capernaum was a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region.
[7:1] map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.
[1:25] 108 tn BDAG 697 s.v. οἰκονομία 1.b renders the term here as “divine office.”
[1:25] 109 tn See BDAG 828 s.v. πληρόω 3. The idea here seems to be that the apostle wants to “complete the word of God” in that he wants to preach it to every person in the known world (cf. Rom 15:19). See P. T. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon (WBC), 82.
