Imamat 26:40-42

26:40 However, when ¹  they confess their iniquity and their ancestors’ iniquity which they committed by trespassing against me, ²  by which they also walked ³  in hostility against me ⁴  26:41 (and I myself will walk in hostility against them and bring them into the land of their enemies), and ⁵  then their uncircumcised hearts become humbled and they make up for ⁶  their iniquity, 26:42 I will remember my covenant with Jacob and also my covenant with Isaac and also my covenant with Abraham, ⁷  and I will remember the land.

Imamat 26:1

Exhortation to Obedience

26:1 “‘You must not make for yourselves idols, ⁸  so you must not set up for yourselves a carved image or a pillar, and you must not place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down before ⁹  it, for I am the Lord your God.

Kisah Para Rasul 8:1

8:1 And Saul agreed completely with killing ¹⁰  him.

Saul Begins to Persecute the Church

Now on that day a great ¹¹  persecution began ¹²  against the church in Jerusalem, ¹³  and all ¹⁴  except the apostles were forced to scatter throughout the regions ¹⁵  of Judea and Samaria.

Ayub 33:27

33:27 That person sings ¹⁶  to others, ¹⁷  saying:

‘I have sinned and falsified what is right,

but I was not punished according to what I deserved. ¹⁸ 

Mazmur 51:1-5

Psalm 51 ¹⁹ 

For the music director; a psalm of David, written when Nathan the prophet confronted him after David’s affair with Bathsheba. ²⁰ 

51:1 Have mercy on me, O God, because of ²¹  your loyal love!

Because of ²²  your great compassion, wipe away my rebellious acts! ²³ 

51:2 Wash away my wrongdoing! ²⁴ 

Cleanse me of my sin! ²⁵ 

51:3 For I am aware of ²⁶  my rebellious acts;

I am forever conscious of my sin. ²⁷ 

51:4 Against you – you above all ²⁸  – I have sinned;

I have done what is evil in your sight.

So ²⁹  you are just when you confront me; ³⁰ 

you are right when you condemn me. ³¹ 

51:5 Look, I was guilty of sin from birth,

a sinner the moment my mother conceived me. ³² 

Mazmur 51:10

51:10 Create for me a pure heart, O God! ³³ 

Renew a resolute spirit within me! ³⁴ 

Yeremia 3:12-13

The Lord Calls on Israel and Judah to Repent

3:12 “Go and shout this message to my people in the countries in the north. ³⁵  Tell them,

‘Come back to me, wayward Israel,’ says the Lord.

‘I will not continue to look on you with displeasure. ³⁶ 

For I am merciful,’ says the Lord.

‘I will not be angry with you forever.

3:13 However, you must confess that you have done wrong, ³⁷ 

and that you have rebelled against the Lord your God.

You must confess ³⁸  that you have given yourself to ³⁹  foreign gods under every green tree,

and have not obeyed my commands,’ says the Lord.

Daniel 9:20-23

Gabriel Gives to Daniel a Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

9:20 While I was still speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my request before the LORD my God concerning his holy mountain ⁴⁰  – 9:21 yes, while I was still praying, ⁴¹  the man Gabriel, whom I had seen previously ⁴²  in a vision, was approaching me in my state of extreme weariness, ⁴³  around the time of the evening offering. 9:22 He spoke with me, instructing me as follows: ⁴⁴  “Daniel, I have now come to impart understanding to you. 9:23 At the beginning of your requests a message went out, and I have come to convey it to you, for you are of great value in God’s sight. ⁴⁵  Therefore consider the message and understand the vision: ⁴⁶ 

Lukas 15:18-24

15:18 I will get up and go to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned ⁴⁷  against heaven ⁴⁸  and against ⁴⁹  you. 15:19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me ⁵⁰  like one of your hired workers.”’ 15:20 So ⁵¹  he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way from home ⁵²  his father saw him, and his heart went out to him; ⁵³  he ran and hugged ⁵⁴  his son ⁵⁵  and kissed him. 15:21 Then ⁵⁶  his son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven ⁵⁷  and against you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ ⁵⁸  15:22 But the father said to his slaves, ⁵⁹  ‘Hurry! Bring the best robe, ⁶⁰  and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger ⁶¹  and sandals ⁶²  on his feet! 15:23 Bring ⁶³  the fattened calf ⁶⁴  and kill it! Let us eat ⁶⁵  and celebrate, 15:24 because this son of mine was dead, and is alive again – he was lost and is found!’ ⁶⁶  So ⁶⁷  they began to celebrate.

Lukas 15:1

The Parable of the Lost Sheep and Coin

15:1 Now all the tax collectors ⁶⁸  and sinners were coming ⁶⁹  to hear him.

Yohanes 1:8-10

1:8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify ⁷⁰  about the light. 1:9 The true light, who gives light to everyone, ⁷¹  was coming into the world. ⁷²  1:10 He was in the world, and the world was created ⁷³  by him, but ⁷⁴  the world did not recognize ⁷⁵  him.

[26:40]  ¹ tn Heb “And.” Many English versions take this to be a conditional clause (“if…”) though there is no conditional particle (see, e.g., NASB, NIV, NRSV; but see the very different rendering in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 190). The temporal translation offered here (“when”) takes into account the particle אָז (’az, “then”), which occurs twice in v. 41. The obvious contextual contrast between vv. 39 and 40 is expressed by “however” in the translation.

[26:40]  ² tn Heb “in their trespassing which they trespassed in me.” See the note on Lev 5:15, although the term is used in a more technical sense there in relation to the “guilt offering.”

[26:40]  ³ tn Heb “and also which they walked.”

[26:40]  ⁴ tn Heb “with me.”

[26:41]  ⁵ tn Heb “or then,” although the LXX has “then” and the Syriac “and then.”

[26:41]  ⁶ tn Heb “and then they make up for.” On the verb “make up for” see the note on v. 34 above.

[26:42]  ⁷ tn Heb “my covenant with Abraham I will remember.” The phrase “I will remember” has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[26:1]  ⁸ sn For the literature regarding the difficult etymology and meaning of the term for “idols” (אֱלִילִם, ’elilim), see the literature cited in the note on Lev 19:4. It appears to be a diminutive play on words with אֵל (’el, “god, God”) and, perhaps at the same time, recalls a common Semitic word for “worthless, weak, powerless, nothingness.” Snaith suggests a rendering of “worthless godlings.”

[26:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “on.” The “sculpted stone” appears to be some sort of stone with images carved into (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 181, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 449).

[8:1]  ¹⁰ tn The term ἀναίρεσις (anairesi") can refer to murder (BDAG 64 s.v.; 2 Macc 5:13; Josephus, Ant. 5.2.12 [5.165]).

[8:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “severe.”

[8:1]  ¹² tn Grk “Now there happened on that day a great persecution.” It is less awkward to say in English “Now on that day a great persecution began.”

[8:1]  ¹³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[8:1]  ¹⁴ sn All. Given that the Jerusalem church is still active after this and that the Hellenists are the focus of Acts 6-8, it is possible to argue that only the Hellenistic Christians were forced to scatter.

[8:1]  ¹⁵ tn Or “countryside.”

[33:27]  ¹⁶ tc The verb יָשֹׁר (yashor) is unusual. The typical view is to change it to יָשִׁיר (yashir, “he sings”), but that may seem out of harmony with a confession. Dhorme suggests a root שׁוּר (shur, “to repeat”), but this is a doubtful root. J. Reider reads it יָשֵׁיר (yasher) and links it to an Arabic word “confesses” (ZAW 24 [1953]: 275).

[33:27]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “to men.”

[33:27]  ¹⁸ tn The verb שָׁוָה (shavah) has the impersonal meaning here, “it has not been requited to me.” The meaning is that the sinner has not been treated in accordance with his deeds: “I was not punished according to what I deserved.”

[51:1]  ¹⁹ sn Psalm 51. The psalmist confesses his sinfulness to God and begs for forgiveness and a transformation of his inner character. According to the psalm superscription, David offered this prayer when Nathan confronted him with his sin following the king’s affair with Bathsheba (see 2 Sam 11-12). However, the final two verses of the psalm hardly fit this situation, for they assume the walls of Jerusalem have been destroyed and that the sacrificial system has been temporarily suspended. These verses are probably an addition to the psalm made during the period of exile following the fall of Jerusalem in 586 b.c. The exiles could relate to David’s experience, for they, like him, and had been forced to confront their sin. They appropriated David’s ancient prayer and applied it to their own circumstances.

[51:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “a psalm by David, when Nathan the prophet came to him when he had gone to Bathsheba.”

[51:1]  ²¹ tn Or “according to.”

[51:1]  ²² tn Or “according to.”

[51:1]  ²³ tn Traditionally “blot out my transgressions.” Because of the reference to washing and cleansing in the following verse, it is likely that the psalmist is comparing forgiveness to wiping an object clean (note the use of the verb מָחָה (makhah) in the sense of “wipe clean; dry” in 2 Kgs 21:13; Prov 30:20; Isa 25:8). Another option is that the psalmist is comparing forgiveness to erasing or blotting out names from a register (see Exod 32:32-33). In this case one might translate, “erase all record of my rebellious acts.”

[51:2]  ²⁴ tn Heb “Thoroughly wash me from my wrongdoing.”

[51:2]  ²⁵ sn In vv. 1b-2 the psalmist uses three different words to emphasize the multifaceted character and degree of his sin. Whatever one wants to call it (“rebellious acts,” “wrongdoing,” “sin”), he has done it and stands morally polluted in God’s sight. The same three words appear in Exod 34:7, which emphasizes that God is willing to forgive sin in all of its many dimensions. In v. 2 the psalmist compares forgiveness and restoration to physical cleansing. Perhaps he likens spiritual cleansing to the purification rites of priestly law.

[51:3]  ²⁶ tn Heb “know.”

[51:3]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and my sin [is] in front of me continually.”

[51:4]  ²⁸ tn Heb “only you,” as if the psalmist had sinned exclusively against God and no other. Since the Hebrew verb חָטָא (hata’, “to sin”) is used elsewhere of sinful acts against people (see BDB 306 s.v. 2.a) and David (the presumed author) certainly sinned when he murdered Uriah (2 Sam 12:9), it is likely that the psalmist is overstating the case to suggest that the attack on Uriah was ultimately an attack on God himself. To clarify the point of the hyperbole, the translation uses “especially,” rather than the potentially confusing “only.”

[51:4]  ²⁹ tn The Hebrew term לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) normally indicates purpose (“in order that”), but here it introduces a logical consequence of the preceding statement. (Taking the clause as indicating purpose here would yield a theologically preposterous idea – the psalmist purposely sinned so that God’s justice might be vindicated!) For other examples of לְמַעַן indicating result, see 2 Kgs 22:17; Jer 27:15; Amos 2:7, as well as IBHS 638-40 §38.3.

[51:4]  ³⁰ tn Heb “when you speak.” In this context the psalmist refers to God’s word of condemnation against his sin delivered through Nathan (cf. 2 Sam 12:7-12).

[51:4]  ³¹ tn Heb “when you judge.”

[51:5]  ³² tn Heb “Look, in wrongdoing I was brought forth, and in sin my mother conceived me.” The prefixed verbal form in the second line is probably a preterite (without vav [ו] consecutive), stating a simple historical fact. The psalmist is not suggesting that he was conceived through an inappropriate sexual relationship (although the verse has sometimes been understood to mean that, or even that all sexual relationships are sinful). The psalmist’s point is that he has been a sinner from the very moment his personal existence began. By going back beyond the time of birth to the moment of conception, the psalmist makes his point more emphatically in the second line than in the first.

[51:10]  ³³ sn The heart is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s motives and moral character.

[51:10]  ³⁴ tn Heb “and a reliable spirit renew in my inner being.”

[3:12]  ³⁵ tn Heb “Go and proclaim these words to the north.” The translation assumes that the message is directed toward the exiles of northern Israel who have been scattered in the provinces of Assyria to the north.

[3:12]  ³⁶ tn Heb “I will not cause my face to fall on you.”

[3:13]  ³⁷ tn Heb “Only acknowledge your iniquity.”

[3:13]  ³⁸ tn The words “You must confess” are repeated to convey the connection. The Hebrew text has an introductory “that” in front of the second line and a coordinative “and” in front of the next two lines.

[3:13]  ³⁹ tc MT reads דְּרָכַיִךְ (dÿrakhayikh, “your ways”), but the BHS editors suggest דּוֹדַיִךְ (dodayikh, “your breasts”) as an example of orthographic confusion. While the proposal makes sense, it remains a conjectural emendation since it is not supported by any actual manuscripts or ancient versions.

[3:13]  tn Heb “scattered your ways with foreign [gods]” or “spread out your breasts to strangers.”

[9:20]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “the holy mountain of my God.”

[9:21]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “speaking in prayer.”

[9:21]  ⁴² tn Heb “in the beginning.”

[9:21]  ⁴³ tn The Hebrew expression בִּיעָף מֻעָף (mu’af bi’af) is very difficult. The issue is whether the verb derives from עוּף (’uf, “to fly”) or from יָעַף (ya’af, “to be weary”). Many ancient versions and modern commentators take the first of these possibilities and understand the reference to be to the swift flight of the angel Gabriel in his coming to Daniel. The words more likely refer to the extreme weariness, not of the angel, but of Daniel. Cf. 7:28; 8:27; 10:8-9, 16-17; also NASB.

[9:22]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “he instructed and spoke with me.” The expression is a verbal hendiadys.

[9:23]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “a precious treasure”; KJV “greatly beloved”; NASB, NIV “highly esteemed.”

[9:23]  ⁴⁶ tn This sentence is perhaps a compound hendiadys (“give serious consideration to the revelatory vision”).

[15:18]  ⁴⁷ sn In the confession “I have sinned” there is a recognition of wrong that pictures the penitent coming home and “being found.”

[15:18]  ⁴⁸ sn The phrase against heaven is a circumlocution for God.

[15:18]  ⁴⁹ tn According to BDAG 342 s.v. ἐνωπιον 4.a, “in relation to ἁμαρτάνειν ἐ. τινος sin against someone Lk 15:18, 21 (cf. Jdth 5:17; 1 Km 7:6; 20:1).”

[15:19]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “make me.” Here is a sign of total humility.

[15:20]  ⁵¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the son’s decision to return home. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.

[15:20]  ⁵² tn Grk “a long way off from [home].” The word “home” is implied (L&N 85.16).

[15:20]  ⁵³ tn Or “felt great affection for him,” “felt great pity for him.”

[15:20]  sn The major figure of the parable, the forgiving father, represents God the Father and his compassionate response. God is ready with open arms to welcome the sinner who comes back to him.

[15:20]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “he fell on his neck,” an idiom for showing special affection for someone by throwing one’s arms around them. The picture is of the father hanging on the son’s neck in welcome.

[15:20]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (the son) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:21]  ⁵⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[15:21]  ⁵⁷ sn The phrase against heaven is a circumlocution for God. 1st century Judaism tended to minimize use of the divine name out of reverence.

[15:21]  ⁵⁸ sn The younger son launches into his confession just as he had planned. See vv. 18-19.

[15:22]  ⁵⁹ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.

[15:22]  ⁶⁰ sn With the instructions Hurry! Bring the best robe, there is a total acceptance of the younger son back into the home.

[15:22]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “hand”; but χείρ (ceir) can refer to either the whole hand or any relevant part of it (L&N 8.30).

[15:22]  ⁶² sn The need for sandals underlines the younger son’s previous destitution, because he was barefoot.

[15:23]  ⁶³ tn Grk “And bring.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[15:23]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “the prize calf” (L&N 65.8). See also L&N 44.2, “grain-fattened.” Such a calf was usually reserved for religious celebrations.

[15:23]  ⁶⁵ tn The participle φαγόντες (fagontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[15:24]  ⁶⁶ sn This statement links the parable to the theme of 15:6, 9.

[15:24]  ⁶⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the father’s remarks in the preceding verses.

[15:1]  ⁶⁸ sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.

[15:1]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “were drawing near.”

[1:8]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “to bear witness.”

[1:9]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “every man” (but in a generic sense, “every person,” or “every human being”).

[1:9]  ⁷² tn Or “He was the true light, who gives light to everyone who comes into the world.” The participle ἐρχόμενον (ercomenon) may be either (1) neuter nominative, agreeing with τὸ φῶς (to fw"), or (2) masculine accusative, agreeing with ἄνθρωπον (anqrwpon). Option (1) results in a periphrastic imperfect with ἦν (hn), ἦν τὸ φῶς… ἐρχόμενον, referring to the incarnation. Option (2) would have the participle modifying ἄνθρωπον and referring to the true light as enlightening “every man who comes into the world.” Option (2) has some rabbinic parallels: The phrase “all who come into the world” is a fairly common expression for “every man” (cf. Leviticus Rabbah 31.6). But (1) must be preferred here, because: (a) In the next verse the light is in the world; it is logical for v. 9 to speak of its entering the world; (b) in other passages Jesus is described as “coming into the world” (6:14, 9:39, 11:27, 16:28) and in 12:46 Jesus says: ἐγὼ φῶς εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἐλήλυθα (egw fw" ei" ton kosmon elhluqa); (c) use of a periphrastic participle with the imperfect tense is typical Johannine style: 1:28, 2:6, 3:23, 10:40, 11:1, 13:23, 18:18 and 25. In every one of these except 13:23 the finite verb is first and separated by one or more intervening words from the participle.

[1:9]  sn In v. 9 the world (κόσμος, kosmos) is mentioned for the first time. This is another important theme word for John. Generally, the world as a Johannine concept does not refer to the totality of creation (the universe), although there are exceptions at 11:9. 17:5, 24, 21:25, but to the world of human beings and human affairs. Even in 1:10 the world created through the Logos is a world capable of knowing (or reprehensibly not knowing) its Creator. Sometimes the world is further qualified as this world (ὁ κόσμος οὗτος, Jo kosmos Joutos) as in 8:23, 9:39, 11:9, 12:25, 31; 13:1, 16:11, 18:36. This is not merely equivalent to the rabbinic phrase “this present age” (ὁ αἰών οὗτος, Jo aiwn Joutos) and contrasted with “the world to come.” For John it is also contrasted to a world other than this one, already existing; this is the lower world, corresponding to which there is a world above (see especially 8:23, 18:36). Jesus appears not only as the Messiah by means of whom an eschatological future is anticipated (as in the synoptic gospels) but also as an envoy from the heavenly world to this world.

[1:10]  ⁷³ tn Or “was made”; Grk “came into existence.”

[1:10]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “and,” but in context this is an adversative use of καί (kai) and is thus translated “but.”

[1:10]  ⁷⁵ tn Or “know.”