Kejadian 26:1-35
Konteks26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred 1 in the days of Abraham. 2 Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar. 26:2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; 3 settle down in the land that I will point out to you. 4 26:3 Stay 5 in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, 6 for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, 7 and I will fulfill 8 the solemn promise I made 9 to your father Abraham. 26:4 I will multiply your descendants so they will be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them 10 all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants. 11 26:5 All this will come to pass 12 because Abraham obeyed me 13 and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” 14 26:6 So Isaac settled in Gerar.
26:7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he replied, “She is my sister.” 15 He was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” for he thought to himself, 16 “The men of this place will kill me to get 17 Rebekah because she is very beautiful.”
26:8 After Isaac 18 had been there a long time, 19 Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out a window and observed 20 Isaac caressing 21 his wife Rebekah. 26:9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She is really 22 your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought someone might kill me to get her.” 23
26:10 Then Abimelech exclaimed, “What in the world have you done to us? 24 One of the men 25 might easily have had sexual relations with 26 your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!” 26:11 So Abimelech commanded all the people, “Whoever touches 27 this man or his wife will surely be put to death.” 28
26:12 When Isaac planted in that land, he reaped in the same year a hundred times what he had sown, 29 because the Lord blessed him. 30 26:13 The man became wealthy. 31 His influence continued to grow 32 until he became very prominent. 26:14 He had 33 so many sheep 34 and cattle 35 and such a great household of servants that the Philistines became jealous 36 of him. 26:15 So the Philistines took dirt and filled up 37 all the wells that his father’s servants had dug back in the days of his father Abraham.
26:16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Leave us and go elsewhere, 38 for you have become much more powerful 39 than we are.” 26:17 So Isaac left there and settled in the Gerar Valley. 40 26:18 Isaac reopened 41 the wells that had been dug 42 back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up 43 after Abraham died. Isaac 44 gave these wells 45 the same names his father had given them. 46
26:19 When Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing 47 water there, 26:20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled 48 with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac 49 named the well 50 Esek 51 because they argued with him about it. 52 26:21 His servants 53 dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it 54 Sitnah. 55 26:22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac 56 named it 57 Rehoboth, 58 saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.”
26:23 From there Isaac 59 went up to Beer Sheba. 26:24 The Lord appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.” 26:25 Then Isaac built an altar there and worshiped 60 the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well. 61
26:26 Now Abimelech had come 62 to him from Gerar along with 63 Ahuzzah his friend 64 and Phicol the commander of his army. 26:27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me? You hate me 65 and sent me away from you.” 26:28 They replied, “We could plainly see 66 that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be 67 a pact between us 68 – between us 69 and you. Allow us to make 70 a treaty with you 26:29 so that 71 you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed 72 you, but have always treated you well 73 before sending you away 74 in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord.” 75
26:30 So Isaac 76 held a feast for them and they celebrated. 77 26:31 Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. 78 Isaac sent them off; they separated on good terms. 79
26:32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We’ve found water,” they reported. 80 26:33 So he named it Shibah; 81 that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba 82 to this day.
26:34 When 83 Esau was forty years old, 84 he married 85 Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, as well as Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 26:35 They caused Isaac and Rebekah great anxiety. 86
Kejadian 6:2
Konteks6:2 the sons of God 87 saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose.
Kejadian 6:16
Konteks6:16 Make a roof for the ark and finish it, leaving 18 inches 88 from the top. 89 Put a door in the side of the ark, and make lower, middle, and upper decks.
Kejadian 8:10
Konteks8:10 He waited seven more days and then sent out the dove again from the ark.
Kejadian 10:15
Konteks10:15 Canaan was the father of 90 Sidon his firstborn, 91 Heth, 92
Kejadian 10:23
Konteks10:23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 93
Kejadian 10:1
Konteks10:1 This is the account 94 of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons 95 were born 96 to them after the flood.
Kejadian 11:11
Konteks11:11 And after becoming the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other 97 sons and daughters.
Kejadian 13:17
Konteks13:17 Get up and 98 walk throughout 99 the land, 100 for I will give it to you.”
Kejadian 16:1
Konteks16:1 Now Sarai, 101 Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, 102 but she had an Egyptian servant 103 named Hagar. 104
Kejadian 17:20
Konteks17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. 105 I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. 106 He will become the father of twelve princes; 107 I will make him into a great nation.
Kejadian 18:3
Konteks18:3 He said, “My lord, 108 if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. 109
Kejadian 18:18
Konteks18:18 After all, Abraham 110 will surely become 111 a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 112 using his name.
Matius 19:23
Konteks19:23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, 113 it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven!
Matius 19:28
Konteks19:28 Jesus 114 said to them, “I tell you the truth: 115 In the age when all things are renewed, 116 when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging 117 the twelve tribes of Israel.
Matius 21:21
Konteks21:21 Jesus 118 answered them, “I tell you the truth, 119 if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.
Matius 21:31
Konteks21:31 Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first.” 120 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, 121 tax collectors 122 and prostitutes will go ahead of you into the kingdom of God!
Matius 23:36
Konteks23:36 I tell you the truth, 123 this generation will be held responsible for all these things! 124
Matius 24:2
Konteks24:2 And he said to them, 125 “Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth, 126 not one stone will be left on another. 127 All will be torn down!” 128
Matius 24:34
Konteks24:34 I tell you the truth, 129 this generation 130 will not pass away until all these things take place.
Matius 24:47
Konteks24:47 I tell you the truth, 131 the master 132 will put him in charge of all his possessions.
Matius 25:12
Konteks25:12 But he replied, 133 ‘I tell you the truth, 134 I do not know you!’
Matius 25:40
Konteks25:40 And the king will answer them, 135 ‘I tell you the truth, 136 just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters 137 of mine, you did it for me.’
Matius 25:45
Konteks25:45 Then he will answer them, 138 ‘I tell you the truth, 139 just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’
Matius 26:13-14
Konteks26:13 I tell you the truth, 140 wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
26:14 Then one of the twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
Markus 3:28
Konteks3:28 I tell you the truth, 141 people will be forgiven for all sins, even all the blasphemies they utter. 142
Markus 6:11
Konteks6:11 If a place will not welcome you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off 143 your feet as a testimony against them.”
Markus 8:12
Konteks8:12 Sighing deeply in his spirit he said, “Why does this generation look for a sign? I tell you the truth, 144 no sign will be given to this generation.”
Markus 9:1
Konteks9:1 And he said to them, “I tell you the truth, 145 there are some standing here who will not 146 experience 147 death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.” 148
Markus 9:41
Konteks9:41 For I tell you the truth, 149 whoever gives you a cup of water because 150 you bear Christ’s 151 name will never lose his reward.
Markus 10:15
Konteks10:15 I tell you the truth, 152 whoever does not receive 153 the kingdom of God like a child 154 will never 155 enter it.”
Markus 10:29
Konteks10:29 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, 156 there is no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the gospel
Markus 11:23
Konteks11:23 I tell you the truth, 157 if someone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.
Markus 12:43
Konteks12:43 He called his disciples and said to them, “I tell you the truth, 158 this poor widow has put more into the offering box 159 than all the others. 160
Markus 13:30
Konteks13:30 I tell you the truth, 161 this generation 162 will not pass away until all these things take place.
Markus 14:9
Konteks14:9 I tell you the truth, 163 wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
Markus 14:18
Konteks14:18 While they were at the table 164 eating, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, 165 one of you eating with me will betray me.” 166
Markus 14:25
Konteks14:25 I tell you the truth, 167 I will no longer drink of the fruit 168 of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
Markus 14:30
Konteks14:30 Jesus said to him, “I tell you the truth, 169 today – this very night – before a rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”
Lukas 4:24
Konteks4:24 And he added, 170 “I tell you the truth, 171 no prophet is acceptable 172 in his hometown.
Lukas 11:51
Konteks11:51 from the blood of Abel 173 to the blood of Zechariah, 174 who was killed 175 between the altar and the sanctuary. 176 Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against 177 this generation.
Lukas 12:37
Konteks12:37 Blessed are those slaves 178 whom their master finds alert 179 when he returns! I tell you the truth, 180 he will dress himself to serve, 181 have them take their place at the table, 182 and will come 183 and wait on them! 184
Lukas 13:35
Konteks13:35 Look, your house is forsaken! 185 And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’” 186
Lukas 18:17
Konteks18:17 I tell you the truth, 187 whoever does not receive 188 the kingdom of God like a child 189 will never 190 enter it.”
Lukas 18:29
Konteks18:29 Then 191 Jesus 192 said to them, “I tell you the truth, 193 there is no one who has left home or wife or brothers 194 or parents or children for the sake of God’s kingdom
Lukas 21:32
Konteks21:32 I tell you the truth, 195 this generation 196 will not pass away until all these things take place.
Lukas 23:43
Konteks23:43 And Jesus 197 said to him, “I tell you the truth, 198 today 199 you will be with me in paradise.” 200
Yohanes 1:51
Konteks1:51 He continued, 201 “I tell all of you the solemn truth 202 – you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” 203
Yohanes 3:3
Konteks3:3 Jesus replied, 204 “I tell you the solemn truth, 205 unless a person is born from above, 206 he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 207
Yohanes 3:5
Konteks3:5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the solemn truth, 208 unless a person is born of water and spirit, 209 he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Yohanes 3:11
Konteks3:11 I tell you the solemn truth, 210 we speak about what we know and testify about what we have seen, but 211 you people 212 do not accept our testimony. 213
Yohanes 5:19
Konteks5:19 So Jesus answered them, 214 “I tell you the solemn truth, 215 the Son can do nothing on his own initiative, 216 but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father 217 does, the Son does likewise. 218
Yohanes 5:24-25
Konteks5:24 “I tell you the solemn truth, 219 the one who hears 220 my message 221 and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, 222 but has crossed over from death to life. 5:25 I tell you the solemn truth, 223 a time 224 is coming – and is now here – when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
Yohanes 6:26
Konteks6:26 Jesus replied, 225 “I tell you the solemn truth, 226 you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate all the loaves of bread you wanted. 227
Yohanes 6:32
Konteks6:32 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the solemn truth, 228 it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but my Father is giving you the true bread from heaven.
Yohanes 6:47
Konteks6:47 I tell you the solemn truth, 229 the one who believes 230 has eternal life. 231
Yohanes 6:53
Konteks6:53 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth, 232 unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, 233 you have no life 234 in yourselves.
Yohanes 8:34
Konteks8:34 Jesus answered them, “I tell you the solemn truth, 235 everyone who practices 236 sin is a slave 237 of sin.
Yohanes 8:51
Konteks8:51 I tell you the solemn truth, 238 if anyone obeys 239 my teaching, 240 he will never see death.” 241
Yohanes 8:58
Konteks8:58 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth, 242 before Abraham came into existence, 243 I am!” 244
Yohanes 10:1
Konteks10:1 “I tell you the solemn truth, 245 the one who does not enter the sheepfold 246 by the door, 247 but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber.
Yohanes 10:7
Konteks10:7 So Jesus said to them again, “I tell you the solemn truth, 248 I am the door for the sheep. 249
Yohanes 12:24
Konteks12:24 I tell you the solemn truth, 250 unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself alone. 251 But if it dies, it produces 252 much grain. 253
Yohanes 13:16
Konteks13:16 I tell you the solemn truth, 254 the slave 255 is not greater than his master, nor is the one who is sent as a messenger 256 greater than the one who sent him.
Yohanes 13:20-21
Konteks13:20 I tell you the solemn truth, 257 whoever accepts 258 the one I send accepts me, and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” 259
13:21 When he had said these things, Jesus was greatly distressed 260 in spirit, and testified, 261 “I tell you the solemn truth, 262 one of you will betray me.” 263
Yohanes 13:38
Konteks13:38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? 264 I tell you the solemn truth, 265 the rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times!
Yohanes 14:12
Konteks14:12 I tell you the solemn truth, 266 the person who believes in me will perform 267 the miraculous deeds 268 that I am doing, 269 and will perform 270 greater deeds 271 than these, because I am going to the Father.
Yohanes 16:20
Konteks16:20 I tell you the solemn truth, 272 you will weep 273 and wail, 274 but the world will rejoice; you will be sad, 275 but your sadness will turn into 276 joy.
Yohanes 16:23
Konteks16:23 At that time 277 you will ask me nothing. I tell you the solemn truth, 278 whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. 279
Yohanes 21:18
Konteks21:18 I tell you the solemn truth, 280 when you were young, you tied your clothes around you 281 and went wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will tie you up 282 and bring you where you do not want to go.”
[26:1] 1 tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”
[26:1] 2 sn This account is parallel to two similar stories about Abraham (see Gen 12:10-20; 20:1-18). Many scholars do not believe there were three similar incidents, only one that got borrowed and duplicated. Many regard the account about Isaac as the original, which then was attached to the more important person, Abraham, with supernatural elements being added. For a critique of such an approach, see R. Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, 47-62. It is more likely that the story illustrates the proverb “like father, like son” (see T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 53). In typical human fashion the son follows his father’s example of lying to avoid problems. The appearance of similar events reported in a similar way underscores the fact that the blessing has now passed to Isaac, even if he fails as his father did.
[26:2] 3 sn Do not go down to Egypt. The words echo Gen 12:10, which reports that “Abram went down to Egypt,” but state the opposite.
[26:3] 5 tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur) means “to live temporarily without ownership of land.” Abraham’s family will not actually possess the land of Canaan until the Israelite conquest hundreds of years later.
[26:3] 6 tn After the imperative “stay” the two prefixed verb forms with prefixed conjunction here indicate consequence.
[26:3] sn I will be with you and I will bless you. The promise of divine presence is a promise to intervene to protect and to bless.
[26:3] 7 tn The Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) occurring here and in v. 18 may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.
[26:3] sn To you and to your descendants. The Abrahamic blessing will pass to Isaac. Everything included in that blessing will now belong to the son, and in turn will be passed on to his sons. But there is a contingency involved: If they are to enjoy the full blessings, they will have to obey the word of the
[26:3] 8 tn The Hiphil stem of the verb קוּם (qum) here means “to fulfill, to bring to realization.” For other examples of this use of this verb form, see Lev 26:9; Num 23:19; Deut 8:18; 9:5; 1 Sam 1:23; 1 Kgs 6:12; Jer 11:5.
[26:3] 9 tn Heb “the oath which I swore.”
[26:3] sn The solemn promise I made. See Gen 15:18-20; 22:16-18.
[26:4] 10 tn Heb “your descendants.”
[26:4] 11 tn Traditionally the verb is taken as passive (“will be blessed”) here, as if Abraham’s descendants were going to be a channel or source of blessing to the nations. But the Hitpael is better understood here as reflexive/reciprocal, “will bless [i.e., pronounce blessings on] themselves/one another” (see also Gen 22:18). Elsewhere the Hitpael of the verb “to bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11. Earlier formulations of this promise (see Gen 12:2; 18:18) use the Niphal stem. (See also Gen 28:14.)
[26:5] 12 tn The words “All this will come to pass” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons.
[26:5] 13 tn Heb “listened to my voice.”
[26:5] 14 sn My charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. The language of this verse is clearly interpretive, for Abraham did not have all these laws. The terms are legal designations for sections of the Mosaic law and presuppose the existence of the law. Some Rabbinic views actually conclude that Abraham had fulfilled the whole law before it was given (see m. Qiddushin 4:14). Some scholars argue that this story could only have been written after the law was given (C. Westermann, Genesis, 2:424-25). But the simplest explanation is that the narrator (traditionally taken to be Moses the Lawgiver) elaborated on the simple report of Abraham’s obedience by using terms with which the Israelites were familiar. In this way he depicts Abraham as the model of obedience to God’s commands, whose example Israel should follow.
[26:7] 15 sn Rebekah, unlike Sarah, was not actually her husband’s sister.
[26:7] 16 tn Heb “lest.” The words “for he thought to himself” are supplied because the next clause is written with a first person pronoun, showing that Isaac was saying or thinking this.
[26:7] 17 tn Heb “kill me on account of.”
[26:8] 18 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:8] 19 tn Heb “and it happened when the days were long to him there.”
[26:8] 20 tn Heb “look, Isaac.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to view the scene through Abimelech’s eyes.
[26:8] sn The Hebrew word מְצַחֵק (mÿtsakheq), from the root צָחַק (tsakhaq, “laugh”), forms a sound play with the name “Isaac” right before it. Here it depicts an action, probably caressing or fondling, that indicated immediately that Rebekah was Isaac’s wife, not his sister. Isaac’s deception made a mockery of God’s covenantal promise. Ignoring God’s promise to protect and bless him, Isaac lied to protect himself and acted in bad faith to the men of Gerar.
[26:9] 22 tn Heb “Surely, look!” See N. H. Snaith, “The meaning of Hebrew ‘ak,” VT 14 (1964): 221-25.
[26:9] 23 tn Heb “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’” Since the verb “said” probably means “said to myself” (i.e., “thought”) here, the direct discourse in the Hebrew statement has been converted to indirect discourse in the translation. In addition the simple prepositional phrase “on account of her” has been clarified in the translation as “to get her” (cf. v. 7).
[26:10] 24 tn Heb “What is this you have done to us?” The Hebrew demonstrative pronoun “this” adds emphasis: “What in the world have you done to us?” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).
[26:10] 26 tn The Hebrew verb means “to lie down.” Here the expression “lie with” or “sleep with” is euphemistic for “have sexual relations with.”
[26:11] 27 tn Heb “strikes.” Here the verb has the nuance “to harm in any way.” It would include assaulting the woman or killing the man.
[26:11] 28 tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the imperfect makes the construction emphatic.
[26:12] 29 tn Heb “a hundredfold.”
[26:12] 30 tn This final clause explains why Isaac had such a bountiful harvest.
[26:13] 31 tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Isaac’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are included.
[26:13] 32 tn Heb “and he went, going and becoming great.” The construction stresses that his growth in possessions and power continued steadily.
[26:14] 33 tn Heb “and there was to him.”
[26:14] 34 tn Heb “possessions of sheep.”
[26:14] 35 tn Heb “possessions of cattle.”
[26:14] 36 tn The Hebrew verb translated “became jealous” refers here to intense jealousy or envy that leads to hostile action (see v. 15).
[26:15] 37 tn Heb “and the Philistines stopped them up and filled them with dirt.”
[26:16] 38 tn Heb “Go away from us.”
[26:16] 39 sn You have become much more powerful. This explanation for the expulsion of Isaac from Philistine territory foreshadows the words used later by the Egyptians to justify their oppression of Israel (see Exod 1:9).
[26:17] 40 tn Heb “and he camped in the valley of Gerar and he lived there.”
[26:17] sn This valley was actually a wadi (a dry river bed where the water would flow in the rainy season, but this would have been rare in the Negev). The water table under it would have been higher than in the desert because of water soaking in during the torrents, making it easier to find water when digging wells. However, this does not minimize the blessing of the
[26:18] 41 tn Heb “he returned and dug,” meaning “he dug again” or “he reopened.”
[26:18] 42 tn Heb “that they dug.” Since the subject is indefinite, the verb is translated as passive.
[26:18] 43 tn Heb “and the Philistines had stopped them up.” This clause explains why Isaac had to reopen them.
[26:18] 44 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:18] 45 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the wells) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:18] 46 tn Heb “called names to them according to the names that his father called them.”
[26:19] 47 tn Heb “living.” This expression refers to a well supplied by subterranean streams (see Song 4:15).
[26:20] 48 tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.
[26:20] 49 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:20] 50 tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”
[26:20] 51 sn The name Esek means “argument” in Hebrew. The following causal clause explains that Isaac gave the well this name as a reminder of the conflict its discovery had created. In the Hebrew text there is a wordplay, for the name is derived from the verb translated “argued.”
[26:20] 52 tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:21] 53 tn Heb “they”; the referent (Isaac’s servants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:21] 54 tn Heb “and he called its name.” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:21] 55 sn The name Sitnah (שִׂטְנָה, sitnah) is derived from a Hebrew verbal root meaning “to oppose; to be an adversary” (cf. Job 1:6). The name was a reminder that the digging of this well caused “opposition” from the Philistines.
[26:22] 56 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:22] 57 tn Heb “and he called its name.”
[26:22] 58 sn The name Rehoboth (רְהֹבוֹת, rehovot) is derived from a verbal root meaning “to make room.” The name was a reminder that God had made room for them. The story shows Isaac’s patience with the opposition; it also shows how God’s blessing outdistanced the men of Gerar. They could not stop it or seize it any longer.
[26:23] 59 tn Heb “and he went up from there”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:25] 60 tn Heb “called in the name of.” The expression refers to worshiping the
[26:25] 61 tn Heb “and they dug there, the servants of Isaac, a well.”
[26:26] 62 tn The disjunctive clause supplies pertinent supplemental information. The past perfect is used because the following narrative records the treaty at Beer Sheba. Prior to this we are told that Isaac settled in Beer Sheba; presumably this treaty would have allowed him to do that. However, it may be that he settled there and then made the treaty by which he renamed the place Beer Sheba. In this case one may translate “Now Abimelech came to him.”
[26:26] 64 tn Many modern translations render the Hebrew term מֵרֵעַ (merea’) as “councillor” or “adviser,” but the term may not designate an official position but simply a close personal friend.
[26:27] 65 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, expressing the reason for his question.
[26:28] 66 tn The infinitive absolute before the verb emphasizes the clarity of their perception.
[26:28] 67 tn Heb “And we said, ‘Let there be.’” The direct discourse in the Hebrew text has been rendered as indirect discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:28] 68 tn The pronoun “us” here is inclusive – it refers to the Philistine contingent on the one hand and Isaac on the other.
[26:28] 69 tn The pronoun “us” here is exclusive – it refers to just the Philistine contingent (the following “you” refers to Isaac).
[26:28] 70 tn The translation assumes that the cohortative expresses their request. Another option is to understand the cohortative as indicating resolve: “We want to make.’”
[26:29] 71 tn The oath formula is used: “if you do us harm” means “so that you will not do.”
[26:29] 73 tn Heb “and just as we have done only good with you.”
[26:29] 74 tn Heb “and we sent you away.”
[26:29] 75 tn The Philistine leaders are making an observation, not pronouncing a blessing, so the translation reads “you are blessed” rather than “may you be blessed” (cf. NAB).
[26:30] 76 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:30] 77 tn Heb “and they ate and drank.”
[26:31] 78 tn Heb “and they got up early and they swore an oath, a man to his brother.”
[26:31] 79 tn Heb “and they went from him in peace.”
[26:32] 80 tn Heb “and they said to him, ‘We have found water.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:33] 81 sn The name Shibah (שִׁבְעָה, shiv’ah) means (or at least sounds like) the word meaning “oath.” The name was a reminder of the oath sworn by Isaac and the Philistines to solidify their treaty.
[26:33] 82 sn The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, bÿ’er shava’) means “well of an oath” or “well of seven.” According to Gen 21:31 Abraham gave Beer Sheba its name when he made a treaty with the Philistines. Because of the parallels between this earlier story and the account in 26:26-33, some scholars see chaps. 21 and 26 as two versions (or doublets) of one original story. However, if one takes the text as it stands, it appears that Isaac made a later treaty agreement with the people of the land that was similar to his father’s. Abraham dug a well at the site and named the place Beer Sheba; Isaac dug another well there and named the well Shibah. Later generations then associated the name Beer Sheba with Isaac, even though Abraham gave the place its name at an earlier time.
[26:34] 83 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), making this clause subordinate to the next.
[26:34] 84 tn Heb “the son of forty years.”
[26:34] 85 tn Heb “took as a wife.”
[26:35] 86 tn Heb “And they were [a source of ] bitterness in spirit to Isaac and to Rebekah.”
[6:2] 87 sn The Hebrew phrase translated “sons of God” (בְנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים, bÿne-ha’elohim) occurs only here (Gen 6:2, 4) and in Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7. There are three major interpretations of the phrase here. (1) In the Book of Job the phrase clearly refers to angelic beings. In Gen 6 the “sons of God” are distinct from “humankind,” suggesting they were not human. This is consistent with the use of the phrase in Job. Since the passage speaks of these beings cohabiting with women, they must have taken physical form or possessed the bodies of men. An early Jewish tradition preserved in 1 En. 6-7 elaborates on this angelic revolt and even names the ringleaders. (2) Not all scholars accept the angelic interpretation of the “sons of God,” however. Some argue that the “sons of God” were members of Seth’s line, traced back to God through Adam in Gen 5, while the “daughters of humankind” were descendants of Cain. But, as noted above, the text distinguishes the “sons of God” from humankind (which would include the Sethites as well as the Cainites) and suggests that the “daughters of humankind” are human women in general, not just Cainites. (3) Others identify the “sons of God” as powerful tyrants, perhaps demon-possessed, who viewed themselves as divine and, following the example of Lamech (see Gen 4:19), practiced polygamy. But usage of the phrase “sons of God” in Job militates against this view. For literature on the subject see G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:135.
[6:16] 89 tn Heb “to a cubit you shall finish it from above.” The idea is that Noah was to leave an 18-inch opening from the top for a window for light.
[10:15] 91 sn Sidon was the foremost city in Phoenicia; here Sidon may be the name of its founder.
[10:15] 92 tn Some see a reference to “Hittites” here (cf. NIV), but this seems unlikely. See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.
[10:23] 93 tc The MT reads “Mash”; the LXX and 1 Chr 1:17 read “Meshech.”
[10:23] sn Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. Little is known about these descendants of Aram.
[10:1] 94 tn The title אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת (’elle tolÿdot, here translated as “This is the account”) here covers 10:1–11:9, which contains the so-called Table of Nations and the account of how the nations came to be dispersed.
[10:1] 95 sn Sons were born to them. A vertical genealogy such as this encompasses more than the names of sons. The list includes cities, tribes, and even nations. In a loose way, the names in the list have some derivation or connection to the three ancestors.
[10:1] 96 tn It appears that the Table of Nations is a composite of at least two ancient sources: Some sections begin with the phrase “the sons of” (בְּנֵי, bÿne) while other sections use “begot” (יָלָד, yalad). It may very well be that the “sons of” list was an old, “bare bones” list that was retained in the family records, while the “begot” sections were editorial inserts by the writer of Genesis, reflecting his special interests. See A. P. Ross, “The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 – Its Structure,” BSac 137 (1980): 340-53; idem, “The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 – Its Content,” BSac 138 (1981): 22-34.
[11:11] 97 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[13:17] 98 tn The connective “and” is not present in the Hebrew text; it has been supplied for purposes of English style.
[13:17] 99 tn The Hitpael form הִתְהַלֵּךְ (hithallekh) means “to walk about”; it also can carry the ideas of moving about, traversing, going back and forth, or living in an area. It here has the connotation of traversing the land to survey it, to look it over.
[13:17] 100 tn Heb “the land to its length and to its breadth.” This phrase has not been included in the translation because it is somewhat redundant (see the note on the word “throughout” in this verse).
[16:1] 101 tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of a new episode in the story.
[16:1] 102 sn On the cultural background of the story of Sarai’s childlessness see J. Van Seters, “The Problem of Childlessness in Near Eastern Law and the Patriarchs of Israel,” JBL 87 (1968): 401-8.
[16:1] 103 tn The Hebrew term שִׁפְחָה (shifkhah, translated “servant” here and in vv. 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8) refers to a menial female servant.
[16:1] 104 sn The passage records the birth of Ishmael to Abram through an Egyptian woman. The story illustrates the limits of Abram’s faith as he tries to obtain a son through social custom. The barrenness of Sarai poses a challenge to Abram’s faith, just as the famine did in chap. 12. As in chap. 12, an Egyptian figures prominently. (Perhaps Hagar was obtained as a slave during Abram’s stay in Egypt.)
[17:20] 105 sn The Hebrew verb translated “I have heard you” forms a wordplay with the name Ishmael, which means “God hears.” See the note on the name “Ishmael” in 16:11.
[17:20] 106 tn Heb “And I will multiply him exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
[17:20] 107 tn For a discussion of the Hebrew word translated “princes,” see E. A. Speiser, “Background and Function of the Biblical Nasi’,” CBQ 25 (1963): 111-17.
[18:3] 108 tc The MT has the form אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “Master”) which is reserved for God. This may reflect later scribal activity. The scribes, knowing it was the
[18:3] 109 tn Heb “do not pass by from upon your servant.”
[18:18] 110 tn Heb “And Abraham.” The disjunctive clause is probably causal, giving a reason why God should not hide his intentions from Abraham. One could translate, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation?”
[18:18] 111 tn The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the finite verb that follows.
[18:18] 112 tn Theoretically the Niphal can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Abram were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in later formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless [i.e., “pronounce blessings upon”] themselves [or “one another”].” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 18:18 (like 12:2) predicts that Abraham will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.
[19:23] 113 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[19:28] 114 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[19:28] 115 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[19:28] 116 sn The Greek term translated the age when all things are renewed (παλιγγενεσία, palingenesia) is understood as a reference to the Messianic age, the time when all things are renewed and restored (cf. Rev 21:5).
[19:28] 117 sn The statement you…will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel looks at the future authority the Twelve will have when Jesus returns. They will share in Israel’s judgment.
[21:21] 118 tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
[21:21] 119 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[21:31] 120 tc Verses 29-31 involve a rather complex and difficult textual problem. The variants cluster into three different groups: (1) The first son says “no” and later has a change of heart, and the second son says “yes” but does not go. The second son is called the one who does his father’s will. This reading is found in the Western
[21:31] 121 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[21:31] 122 sn See the note on tax collectors in 5:46.
[23:36] 123 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[23:36] 124 tn Grk “all these things will come on this generation.”
[24:2] 125 tn Grk “answering, he said to them.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (ajpokriqei") is redundant in English and has not been translated.
[24:2] 126 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[24:2] 127 sn With the statement not one stone will be left on another Jesus predicted the total destruction of the temple, something that did occur in
[24:2] 128 tn Grk “not one stone will be left here on another which will not be thrown down.”
[24:34] 129 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[24:34] 130 sn This is one of the hardest verses in the gospels to interpret. Various views exist for what generation means. (1) Some take it as meaning “race” and thus as an assurance that the Jewish race (nation) will not pass away. But it is very questionable that the Greek term γενεά (genea) can have this meaning. Two other options are possible. (2) Generation might mean “this type of generation” and refer to the generation of wicked humanity. Then the point is that humanity will not perish, because God will redeem it. Or (3) generation may refer to “the generation that sees the signs of the end” (v. 30), who will also see the end itself. In other words, once the movement to the return of Christ starts, all the events connected with it happen very quickly, in rapid succession.
[24:47] 131 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[24:47] 132 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the master) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:12] 133 tn Grk “But answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
[25:12] 134 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[25:40] 135 tn Grk “answering, the king will say to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
[25:40] 136 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[25:40] 137 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). In this context Jesus is ultimately speaking of his “followers” (whether men or women, adults or children), but the familial connotation of “brothers and sisters” is also important to retain here.
[25:45] 138 tn Grk “answer them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[25:45] 139 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[26:13] 140 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[3:28] 141 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[3:28] 142 tn Grk “all the sins and blasphemies they may speak will be forgiven the sons of men.”
[6:11] 143 sn To shake the dust off represented shaking off the uncleanness from one’s feet; see Luke 10:11; Acts 13:51; 18:6. It was a sign of rejection.
[8:12] 144 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[9:1] 145 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[9:1] 146 tn The Greek negative here (οὐ μή, ou mh) is the strongest possible.
[9:1] 147 tn Grk “will not taste.” Here the Greek verb does not mean “sample a small amount” (as a typical English reader might infer from the word “taste”), but “experience something cognitively or emotionally; come to know something” (cf. BDAG 195 s.v. γεύομαι 2).
[9:1] 148 sn Several suggestions have been made as to the referent for the phrase the kingdom of God come with power: (1) the transfiguration itself, which immediately follows in the narrative; (2) Jesus’ resurrection and ascension; (3) the coming of the Spirit; (4) Jesus’ second coming and the establishment of the kingdom. The reference to after six days in 9:2 seems to indicate that Mark had the transfiguration in mind insofar as it was a substantial prefiguring of the consummation of the kingdom (although this interpretation is not without its problems). As such, the transfiguration was a tremendous confirmation to the disciples that even though Jesus had just finished speaking of his death (8:31; 9:31; 10:33), he was nonetheless the promised Messiah and things were proceeding according to God’s plan.
[9:41] 149 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[9:41] 150 tn Grk “in [the] name that of Christ you are.”
[9:41] 151 tn Or “bear the Messiah’s”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[9:41] sn See the note on Christ in 8:29.
[10:15] 152 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[10:15] 153 sn On receive see John 1:12.
[10:15] 154 sn The point of the comparison receive the kingdom of God like a child has more to do with a child’s trusting spirit and willingness to be dependent and receive from others than any inherent humility the child might possess.
[10:15] 155 tn The negation in Greek (οὐ μή, ou mh) is very strong here.
[10:29] 156 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[11:23] 157 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[12:43] 158 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[12:43] 159 tn See the note on the term “offering box” in v. 41.
[12:43] 160 sn Has put more into the offering box than all the others. With God, giving is weighed evaluatively, not counted. The widow was praised because she gave sincerely and at some considerable cost to herself.
[13:30] 161 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[13:30] 162 sn This is one of the hardest verses in the gospels to interpret. Various views exist for what generation means. (1) Some take it as meaning “race” and thus as an assurance that the Jewish race (nation) will not pass away. But it is very questionable that the Greek term γενεά (genea) can have this meaning. Two other options are possible. (2) Generation might mean “this type of generation” and refer to the generation of wicked humanity. Then the point is that humanity will not perish, because God will redeem it. Or (3) generation may refer to “the generation that sees the signs of the end” (v. 26), who will also see the end itself. In other words, once the movement to the return of Christ starts, all the events connected with it happen very quickly, in rapid succession.
[14:9] 163 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[14:18] 164 tn Grk “while they were reclined at the table.”
[14:18] sn 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.
[14:18] 165 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[14:18] 166 tn Or “will hand me over”; Grk “one of you will betray me, the one who eats with me.”
[14:25] 167 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[14:25] 168 tn Grk “the produce” (“the produce of the vine” is a figurative expression for wine).
[14:30] 169 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[4:24] 170 tn Grk “said,” but since this is a continuation of previous remarks, “added” is used here.
[4:24] 171 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[4:24] 172 sn Jesus argues that he will get no respect in his own hometown. There is a wordplay here on the word acceptable (δεκτός, dektos), which also occurs in v. 19: Jesus has declared the “acceptable” year of the Lord (here translated year of the Lord’s favor), but he is not “accepted” by the people of his own hometown.
[11:51] 173 sn Gen 4:10 indicates that Abel’s blood cried out for justice.
[11:51] 174 sn It is not clear which Zechariah is meant here. It is probably the person mentioned in 2 Chr 24:20-25.
[11:51] 175 tn Or “who perished.”
[11:51] 176 tn Or “and the temple”; Grk “and the house,” but in this context a reference to the house of God as a place of sanctuary.
[11:51] 177 tn Or “required from.”
[12:37] 178 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.
[12:37] 179 tn Or “watching”; Grk “awake,” but in context this is not just being awake but alert and looking out.
[12:37] 180 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[12:37] 181 tn See v. 35 (same verb).
[12:37] 182 tn Grk “have them recline at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.
[12:37] 183 tn The participle παρελθών (parelqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
[12:37] 184 sn He…will come and wait on them is a reversal of expectation, but shows that what Jesus asks for he is willing to do as well; see John 13:5 and 15:18-27, although those instances merely foreshadow what is in view here.
[13:35] 185 sn Your house is forsaken. The language here is from Jer 12:7 and 22:5. It recalls exilic judgment.
[13:35] 186 sn A quotation from Ps 118:26. The judgment to come will not be lifted until the Lord returns. See Luke 19:41-44.
[18:17] 187 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[18:17] 188 sn On receive see John 1:12.
[18:17] 189 sn The point of the comparison receive the kingdom of God like a child has more to do with a child’s trusting spirit and willingness to be dependent and receive from others than any inherent humility the child might possess.
[18:17] 190 tn The negation in Greek used here (οὐ μή, ou mh) is very strong.
[18:29] 191 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[18:29] 192 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:29] 193 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[18:29] 194 tn The term “brothers” could be understood as generic here, referring to either male or female siblings. However, it is noteworthy that in the parallel passages in both Matt 19:29 and Mark 10:29, “sisters” are explicitly mentioned in the Greek text.
[21:32] 195 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[21:32] 196 sn This is one of the hardest verses in the gospels to interpret. Various views exist for what generation means. (1) Some take it as meaning “race” and thus as an assurance that the Jewish race (nation) will not pass away. But it is very questionable that the Greek term γενεά (genea) can have this meaning. Two other options are possible. (2) Generation might mean “this type of generation” and refer to the generation of wicked humanity. Then the point is that humanity will not perish, because God will redeem it. Or (3) generation may refer to “the generation that sees the signs of the end” (vv. 25-26), who will also see the end itself. In other words, once the movement to the return of Christ starts, all the events connected with it happen very quickly, in rapid succession.
[23:43] 198 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[23:43] 199 sn Jesus gives more than the criminal asked for, because the blessing will come today, not in the future. He will be among the righteous. See the note on today in 2:11.
[23:43] 200 sn In the NT, paradise is mentioned three times. Here it refers to the abode of the righteous dead. In Rev 2:7 it refers to the restoration of Edenic paradise predicted in Isa 51:3 and Ezek 36:35. In 2 Cor 12:4 it probably refers to the “third heaven” (2 Cor 12:2) as the place where God dwells.
[1:51] 201 tn Grk “and he said to him.”
[1:51] 202 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[1:51] 203 sn The title Son of Man appears 13 times in John’s Gospel. It is associated especially with the themes of crucifixion (3:14; 8:28), revelation (6:27; 6:53), and eschatological authority (5:27; 9:35). The title as used in John’s Gospel has for its background the son of man figure who appears in Dan 7:13-14 and is granted universal regal authority. Thus for the author, the emphasis in this title is not on Jesus’ humanity, but on his heavenly origin and divine authority.
[3:3] 204 tn Grk “answered and said to him.”
[3:3] 205 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[3:3] 206 tn The word ἄνωθεν (anwqen) has a double meaning, either “again” (in which case it is synonymous with παλίν [palin]) or “from above” (BDAG 92 s.v. ἄνωθεν). This is a favorite technique of the author of the Fourth Gospel, and it is lost in almost all translations at this point. John uses the word 5 times, in 3:3, 7; 3:31; 19:11 and 23. In the latter 3 cases the context makes clear that it means “from above.” Here (3:3, 7) it could mean either, but the primary meaning intended by Jesus is “from above.” Nicodemus apparently understood it the other way, which explains his reply, “How can a man be born when he is old? He can’t enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?” The author uses the technique of the “misunderstood question” often to bring out a particularly important point: Jesus says something which is misunderstood by the disciples or (as here) someone else, which then gives Jesus the opportunity to explain more fully and in more detail what he really meant.
[3:3] sn Or born again. The Greek word ἄνωθεν (anwqen) can mean both “again” and “from above,” giving rise to Nicodemus’ misunderstanding about a second physical birth (v. 4).
[3:3] 207 sn What does Jesus’ statement about not being able to see the kingdom of God mean within the framework of John’s Gospel? John uses the word kingdom (βασιλεία, basileia) only 5 times (3:3, 5; 18:36 [3x]). Only here is it qualified with the phrase of God. The fact that John does not stress the concept of the kingdom of God does not mean it is absent from his theology, however. Remember the messianic implications found in John 2, both the wedding and miracle at Cana and the cleansing of the temple. For Nicodemus, the term must surely have brought to mind the messianic kingdom which Messiah was supposed to bring. But Nicodemus had missed precisely this point about who Jesus was. It was the Messiah himself with whom Nicodemus was speaking. Whatever Nicodemus understood, it is clear that the point is this: He misunderstood Jesus’ words. He over-literalized them, and thought Jesus was talking about repeated physical birth, when he was in fact referring to new spiritual birth.
[3:5] 208 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[3:5] 209 tn Or “born of water and wind” (the same Greek word, πνεύματος [pneumatos], may be translated either “spirit/Spirit” or “wind”).
[3:5] sn Jesus’ somewhat enigmatic statement points to the necessity of being born “from above,” because water and wind/spirit/Spirit come from above. Isaiah 44:3-5 and Ezek 37:9-10 are pertinent examples of water and wind as life-giving symbols of the Spirit of God in his work among people. Both occur in contexts that deal with the future restoration of Israel as a nation prior to the establishment of the messianic kingdom. It is therefore particularly appropriate that Jesus should introduce them in a conversation about entering the kingdom of God. Note that the Greek word πνεύματος is anarthrous (has no article) in v. 5. This does not mean that spirit in the verse should be read as a direct reference to the Holy Spirit, but that both water and wind are figures (based on passages in the OT, which Nicodemus, the teacher of Israel should have known) that represent the regenerating work of the Spirit in the lives of men and women.
[3:11] 210 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[3:11] 211 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to show the contrast present in the context.
[3:11] 212 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in the translation to indicate that the verb is second person plural (referring to more than Nicodemus alone).
[3:11] 213 sn Note the remarkable similarity of Jesus’ testimony to the later testimony of the Apostle John himself in 1 John 1:2: “And we have seen and testify and report to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was revealed to us.” This is only one example of how thoroughly the author’s own thoughts were saturated with the words of Jesus (and also how difficult it is to distinguish the words of Jesus from the words of the author in the Fourth Gospel).
[5:19] 214 tn Grk “answered and said to them.”
[5:19] 215 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[5:19] 216 tn Grk “nothing from himself.”
[5:19] 217 tn Grk “that one”; the referent (the Father) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:19] 218 sn What works does the Son do likewise? The same that the Father does – and the same that the rabbis recognized as legitimate works of God on the Sabbath (see note on working in v. 17). (1) Jesus grants life (just as the Father grants life) on the Sabbath. But as the Father gives physical life on the Sabbath, so the Son grants spiritual life (John 5:21; note the “greater things” mentioned in v. 20). (2) Jesus judges (determines the destiny of people) on the Sabbath, just as the Father judges those who die on the Sabbath, because the Father has granted authority to the Son to judge (John 5:22-23). But this is not all. Not only has this power been granted to Jesus in the present; it will be his in the future as well. In v. 28 there is a reference not to spiritually dead (only) but also physically dead. At their resurrection they respond to the Son as well.
[5:24] 219 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[5:24] 222 tn Grk “and does not come into judgment.”
[5:25] 223 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[6:26] 225 tn Grk “answered and said to them.”
[6:26] 226 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[6:26] 227 tn Grk “because you ate of the loaves of bread and were filled.”
[6:32] 228 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[6:47] 229 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[6:47] 230 tc Most witnesses (A C2 D Ψ Ë1,13 33 Ï lat and other versions) have “in me” (εἰς ἐμέ, eis eme) here, while the Sinaitic and Curetonian Syriac versions read “in God.” These clarifying readings are predictable variants, being motivated by the scribal tendency toward greater explicitness. That the earliest and best witnesses (Ì66,75vid א B C* L T W Θ 892 pc) lack any object is solid testimony to the shorter text’s authenticity.
[6:47] 231 tn Compare John 6:40.
[6:53] 232 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[6:53] 233 sn Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood. These words are at the heart of the discourse on the Bread of Life, and have created great misunderstanding among interpreters. Anyone who is inclined toward a sacramental viewpoint will almost certainly want to take these words as a reference to the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or the Eucharist, because of the reference to eating and drinking. But this does not automatically follow: By anyone’s definition there must be a symbolic element to the eating which Jesus speaks of in the discourse, and once this is admitted, it is better to understand it here, as in the previous references in the passage, to a personal receiving of (or appropriation of) Christ and his work.
[6:53] 234 tn That is, “no eternal life” (as opposed to physical life).
[8:34] 235 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[8:34] 236 tn Or “who commits.” This could simply be translated, “everyone who sins,” but the Greek is more emphatic, using the participle ποιῶν (poiwn) in a construction with πᾶς (pas), a typical Johannine construction. Here repeated, continuous action is in view. The one whose lifestyle is characterized by repeated, continuous sin is a slave to sin. That one is not free; sin has enslaved him. To break free from this bondage requires outside (divine) intervention. Although the statement is true at the general level (the person who continually practices a lifestyle of sin is enslaved to sin) the particular sin of the Jewish authorities, repeatedly emphasized in the Fourth Gospel, is the sin of unbelief. The present tense in this instance looks at the continuing refusal on the part of the Jewish leaders to acknowledge who Jesus is, in spite of mounting evidence.
[8:34] 237 tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.
[8:51] 238 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[8:51] 239 tn Grk “If anyone keeps.”
[8:51] 241 tn Grk “he will never see death forever.” The Greek negative here is emphatic.
[8:51] sn Those who keep Jesus’ words will not see death because they have already passed from death to life (cf. 5:24). In Johannine theology eternal life begins in the present rather than in the world to come.
[8:58] 242 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[8:58] 243 tn Grk “before Abraham was.”
[8:58] 244 sn I am! is an explicit claim to deity. Although each occurrence of the phrase “I am” in the Fourth Gospel needs to be examined individually in context to see if an association with Exod 3:14 is present, it seems clear that this is the case here (as the response of the Jewish authorities in the following verse shows).
[10:1] 245 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[10:1] 246 sn There was more than one type of sheepfold in use in Palestine in Jesus’ day. The one here seems to be a courtyard in front of a house (the Greek word used for the sheepfold here, αὐλή [aulh] frequently refers to a courtyard), surrounded by a stone wall (often topped with briars for protection).
[10:7] 248 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[10:7] 249 tn Or “I am the sheep’s door.”
[12:24] 250 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[12:24] 251 tn Or “it remains only a single kernel.”
[12:24] 253 tn Grk “much fruit.”
[13:16] 254 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[13:16] 255 tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.
[13:16] 256 tn Or “nor is the apostle” (“apostle” means “one who is sent” in Greek).
[13:20] 257 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[13:20] 258 tn Or “receives,” and so throughout this verse.
[13:20] 259 sn The one who sent me refers to God.
[13:21] 260 tn Or “greatly troubled.”
[13:21] 261 tn Grk “and testified and said.”
[13:21] 262 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[13:21] 263 tn Or “will hand me over.”
[13:38] 264 tn Or “Will you die willingly for me?”
[13:38] 265 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[14:12] 266 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[14:12] 268 tn Grk “the works.”
[14:12] 269 tn Or “that I do.”
[14:12] sn See the note on miraculous deeds in v. 11.
[14:12] 271 tn Grk “greater works.”
[14:12] sn What are the greater deeds that Jesus speaks of, and how is this related to his going to the Father? It is clear from both John 7:39 and 16:7 that the Holy Spirit will not come until Jesus has departed. After Pentecost and the coming of the Spirit to indwell believers in a permanent relationship, believers would be empowered to perform even greater deeds than those Jesus did during his earthly ministry. When the early chapters of Acts are examined, it is clear that, from a numerical standpoint, the deeds of Peter and the other Apostles surpassed those of Jesus in a single day (the day of Pentecost). On that day more were added to the church than had become followers of Jesus during the entire three years of his earthly ministry. And the message went forth not just in Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, but to the farthest parts of the known world. This understanding of what Jesus meant by “greater deeds” is more probable than a reference to “more spectacular miracles.” Certainly miraculous deeds were performed by the apostles as recounted in Acts, but these do not appear to have surpassed the works of Jesus himself in either degree or number.
[16:20] 272 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[16:20] 273 tn Or “wail,” “cry.”
[16:20] 275 tn Or “sorrowful.”
[16:20] 276 tn Grk “will become.”
[16:23] 277 tn Grk “And in that day.”
[16:23] 278 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[16:23] 279 sn This statement is also found in John 15:16.
[21:18] 280 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”