1 Samuel 2:2

2:2 No one is holy ¹  like the Lord!

There is no one other than you!

There is no rock ²  like our God!

Mazmur 36:7-8

36:7 How precious ³  is your loyal love, O God!

The human race finds shelter under your wings. ⁴ 

36:8 They are filled with food from your house,

and you allow them to drink from the river of your delicacies.

Mazmur 86:5

86:5 Certainly ⁵  O Lord, you are kind ⁶  and forgiving,

and show great faithfulness to all who cry out to you.

Mazmur 119:68

119:68 You are good and you do good.

Teach me your statutes!

Yakobus 1:17

1:17 All generous giving and every perfect gift ⁷  is from above, coming down ⁸  from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. ⁹ 

Yakobus 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From James, ¹⁰  a slave ¹¹  of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. ¹²  Greetings!

Yohanes 4:8

4:8 (For his disciples had gone off into the town to buy supplies. ¹³ ) ¹⁴ 

Yohanes 4:16

4:16 He ¹⁵  said to her, “Go call your husband and come back here.” ¹⁶ 

[2:2]  ¹ sn In this context God’s holiness refers primarily to his sovereignty and incomparability. He is unique and distinct from all other so-called gods.

[2:2]  ² tn The LXX has “and there is none righteous like our God.” The Hebrew term translated “rock” refers to a rocky cliff where one can seek refuge from enemies. Here the metaphor depicts God as a protector of his people. Cf. TEV “no protector like our God”; CEV “We’re safer with you than on a high mountain.”

[36:7]  ³ tn Or “valuable.”

[36:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “and the sons of man in the shadow of your wings find shelter.” The preservation of physical life is in view, as the next verse makes clear.

[86:5]  ⁵ tn Or “for.”

[86:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “good.”

[1:17]  ⁷ tn The first phrase refers to the action of giving and the second to what is given.

[1:17]  ⁸ tn Or “All generous giving and every perfect gift from above is coming down.”

[1:17]  ⁹ tn Grk “variation or shadow of turning” (referring to the motions of heavenly bodies causing variations of light and darkness).

[1:1]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “James.” The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ¹¹ tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” 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.). 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]  ¹² tn Grk “to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora.” The Greek term διασπορά (diaspora, “dispersion”) refers to Jews not living in Palestine but “dispersed” or scattered among the Gentiles.

[4:8]  ¹³ tn Grk “buy food.”

[4:8]  ¹⁴ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author, indicating why Jesus asked the woman for a drink (for presumably his disciples also took the water bucket with them).

[4:16]  ¹⁵ tc Most witnesses have “Jesus” here, either with the article (א^c C² D L W^s Ψ 086 Ï lat) or without (א* A Θ Ë^1,13 al), while several important and early witnesses lack the name (Ì^66,75 B C* 33^vid pc). It is unlikely that scribes would have deliberately expunged the name of Jesus from the text here, especially since it aids the reader with the flow of the dialogue. Further, that the name occurs both anarthrously and with the article suggests that it was a later addition. (For similar arguments, see the tc note on “woman” in 4:11).

[4:16]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “come here” (“back” is implied).