Keluaran 5:17

5:17 But Pharaoh replied, ¹  “You are slackers! Slackers! ²  That is why you are saying, ‘Let us go sacrifice to the Lord.’

Amsal 6:6-9

6:6 Go to the ant, you sluggard; ³ 

observe its ways and be wise!

6:7 It has no commander,

overseer, or ⁴  ruler,

6:8 yet it prepares its food in the summer;

it gathers at the harvest what it will eat. ⁵ 

6:9 How long, you sluggard, will you lie there?

When will you rise from your sleep? ⁶ 

Amsal 10:26

10:26 Like vinegar to the teeth and like smoke to the eyes, ⁷ 

so is the sluggard to those ⁸  who send him.

Amsal 13:4

13:4 The appetite ⁹  of the sluggard ¹⁰  craves ¹¹  but gets nothing,

but the desire of the diligent will be abundantly satisfied. ¹² 

Amsal 18:9

18:9 The one who ¹³  is slack ¹⁴  in his work

is a brother ¹⁵  to one who destroys. ¹⁶ 

Amsal 22:29

22:29 Do you see a person skilled ¹⁷  in his work?

He will take his position before kings;

he will not take his position ¹⁸  before obscure people. ¹⁹ 

Amsal 24:30-34

24:30 I passed by the field of a sluggard,

by the vineyard of one who lacks wisdom. ²⁰ 

24:31 I saw ²¹  that thorns had grown up all over it,

the ground ²²  was covered with weeds,

and its stone wall was broken down.

24:32 When I saw this, I gave careful consideration to it; ²³ 

I received instruction from what I saw: ²⁴ 

24:33 “A little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands to relax,

24:34 and your poverty will come like a bandit,

and your need like an armed robber.” ²⁵ 

Amsal 26:13-16

26:13 The sluggard ²⁶  says, “There is a lion in the road!

A lion in the streets!” ²⁷ 

26:14 Like ²⁸  a door that turns on its hinges, ²⁹ 

so a sluggard turns ³⁰  on his bed.

26:15 The sluggard plunges ³¹  his hand in the dish;

he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth. ³² 

26:16 The sluggard is wiser in his own estimation ³³ 

than seven people who respond with good sense. ³⁴ 

Pengkhotbah 9:10

9:10 Whatever you find to do with your hands, ³⁵ 

do it with all your might,

because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, ³⁶ 

the place where you will eventually go. ³⁷ 

Yesaya 56:10

56:10 All their watchmen ³⁸  are blind,

they are unaware. ³⁹ 

All of them are like mute dogs,

unable to bark.

They pant, ⁴⁰  lie down,

and love to snooze.

Matius 25:26

25:26 But his master answered, ⁴¹  ‘Evil and lazy slave! So you knew that I harvest where I didn’t sow and gather where I didn’t scatter?

Kisah Para Rasul 20:34-35

20:34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine ⁴²  provided for my needs and the needs of those who were with me. 20:35 By all these things, ⁴³  I have shown you that by working in this way we must help ⁴⁴  the weak, ⁴⁵  and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” ⁴⁶ 

Efesus 4:28

4:28 The one who steals must steal no longer; rather he must labor, doing good with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with the one who has need.

Efesus 4:1

Live in Unity

4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, ⁴⁷  urge you to live ⁴⁸  worthily of the calling with which you have been called, ⁴⁹ 

Efesus 4:11-12

4:11 It was he ⁵⁰  who gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, ⁵¹  4:12 to equip ⁵²  the saints for the work of ministry, that is, ⁵³  to build up the body of Christ,

Efesus 4:2

4:2 with all humility and gentleness, ⁵⁴  with patience, bearing with ⁵⁵  one another in love,

Efesus 3:6-12

3:6 namely, that through the gospel ⁵⁶  the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members ⁵⁷  of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. 3:7 I became a servant of this gospel ⁵⁸  according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by ⁵⁹  the exercise of his power. ⁶⁰  3:8 To me – less than the least of all the saints ⁶¹  – this grace was given, ⁶²  to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ 3:9 and to enlighten ⁶³  everyone about God’s secret plan ⁶⁴  – a secret that has been hidden for ages ⁶⁵  in God ⁶⁶  who has created all things. 3:10 The purpose of this enlightenment is that ⁶⁷  through the church the multifaceted wisdom ⁶⁸  of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms. 3:11 This was according to ⁶⁹  the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 3:12 in whom we have boldness and confident access ⁷⁰  to God ⁷¹  because of ⁷²  Christ’s ⁷³  faithfulness. ⁷⁴ 

Efesus 3:1

Paul's Relationship to the Divine Mystery

3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus ⁷⁵  for the sake of you Gentiles –

Titus 1:13

1:13 Such testimony is true. For this reason rebuke them sharply that they may be healthy in the faith

Ibrani 6:10-11

6:10 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name, in having served and continuing to serve the saints. 6:11 But we passionately want each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of your hope until the end,

[5:17]  ¹ tn Heb “And he said.”

[5:17]  ² tn Or “loafers.” The form נִרְפִּים (nirpim) is derived from the verb רָפָה (rafah), meaning “to be weak, to let oneself go.”

[6:6]  ³ sn The sluggard (עָצֵל, ’atsel) is the lazy or sluggish person (cf. NCV “lazy person”; NRSV, NLT “lazybones”).

[6:7]  ⁴ tn The conjunction vav (ו) here has the classification of alternative, “or” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 71, §433).

[6:8]  ⁵ tc The LXX adds a lengthy section at the end of the verse on the lesson from the bee: “Or, go to the bee and learn how diligent she is and how seriously she does her work – her products kings and private persons use for health – she is desired and respected by all – though feeble in body, by honoring wisdom she obtains distinction.” The Greek translator thought the other insect should be mentioned (see C. H. Toy, Proverbs [ICC], 124).

[6:8]  tn Heb “its food.”

[6:9]  ⁶ sn The use of the two rhetorical questions is designed to rebuke the lazy person in a forceful manner. The sluggard is spending too much time sleeping.

[10:26]  ⁷ sn Two similes are used to portray the aggravation in sending a lazy person to accomplish a task. Vinegar to the teeth is an unpleasant, irritating experience; and smoke to the eyes is an unpleasant experience that hinders progress.

[10:26]  ⁸ tn The participle is plural, and so probably should be taken in a distributive sense: “to each one who sends him.”

[13:4]  ⁹ tn The noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, traditionally “soul”) has a broad range of meanings, and here denotes “appetite” (e.g., Ps 17:9; Prov 23:3; Eccl 2:24; Isa 5:14; Hab 2:5; BDB 660 s.v. 5.c) or (2) “desire” (e.g., Deut 12:20; Prov 19:8; 21:10; BDB 660 s.v. 6.a).

[13:4]  ¹⁰ sn The contrast is between the “soul (= appetite) of the sluggard” (נַפְשׁוֹ עָצֵל, nafsho ’atsel) and the “soul (= desire) of the diligent” (נֶפֶשׁ חָרֻצִים, nefesh kharutsim) – what they each long for.

[13:4]  ¹¹ tn The Hitpael verb means “to lust after; to crave.” A related verb is used in the Decalogue’s prohibition against coveting (Exod 20:17; Deut 5:21).

[13:4]  ¹² tn Heb “will be made fat” (cf. KJV, NASB); NRSV “is richly supplied.”

[18:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “Also, the one who.” Many commentators and a number of English versions omit the word “also.”

[18:9]  ¹⁴ tn The form מִתְרַפֶּה (mitrappeh) is the Hitpael participle, “showing oneself slack.” The verb means “to sink; to relax,” and in the causative stem “to let drop” the hands. This is the lazy person who does not even try to work.

[18:9]  ¹⁵ sn These two troubling types, the slacker and the destroyer, are closely related.

[18:9]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “possessor of destruction.” This idiom means “destroyer” (so ASV); KJV “a great waster”; NRSV “a vandal.”

[22:29]  ¹⁷ sn The word translated “skilled” is general enough to apply to any crafts; but it may refer to a scribe or an official (R. N. Whybray, Proverbs [CBC], 134).

[22:29]  ¹⁸ tn The verb form used twice here is יִתְיַצֵּב (yityatsev), the Hitpael imperfect of יָצַב (yatsav), which means “to set or station oneself; to take one’s stand” in this stem. With the form לִפְנֵי (life) it means “to present oneself before” someone; so here it has the idea of serving as a courtier in the presence of a king.

[22:29]  ¹⁹ sn The fifth saying affirms that true skill earns recognition and advancement (cf. Instruction of Amenemope, chap. 30, 27:16-17 [ANET 424]).

[24:30]  ²⁰ tn Heb “lacks heart”; KJV “understanding”; NAB, NASB, NLT “sense.”

[24:31]  ²¹ tn The Hebrew term וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, traditionally “and, lo” [KJV, ASV]) is a deictic particle that calls attention to what comes next. “And look” is too abrupt here; “I saw” calls attention to the field that was noticed.

[24:31]  ²² tn Heb “its face” (so KJV, ASV).

[24:32]  ²³ sn Heb “I set my heart.” The “heart” represents the mind and the will combined; to “set” the mind and will means to give careful consideration to what was observed.

[24:32]  ²⁴ tn Heb “I looked, I received instruction.” There are four verbs in the two parts of this verse: “I saw…I set…I saw…I received.” It is clear that the first two verbs in each half verse are the foundation for the next two. At the beginning of the verse the form is the preterite with the vav (ו) consecutive; it can be subordinated as a temporal clause to the next verb, probably to be identified as a preterite with the vav – “when I saw, I put.” The next two verbs are both perfect tenses; their construction would parallel the first half of the verse, even though there are no conjunctions here – “[when] I saw, I received.”

[24:32]  sn The teacher makes several observations of the state of the sluggard that reveal that his continued laziness will result in poverty. The reminiscence used here may be a literary device to draw a fictional but characteristically true picture of the lazy person.

[24:34]  ²⁵ tn Heb “a man of shield.” This could refer to an armed warrior (so NRSV) but in this context, in collocation with the other word for “robber” in the previous line, it must refer to an armed criminal.

[26:13]  ²⁶ sn The Book of Fools covered vv. 1-12. This marks the beginning of what may be called the Book of Sluggards (vv. 13-16).

[26:13]  ²⁷ tn Heb “in the broad plazas”; NAB, NASB “in the square.” This proverb makes the same point as 22:13, namely, that the sluggard uses absurd excuses to get out of work. D. Kidner notes that in this situation the sluggard has probably convinced himself that he is a realist and not a lazy person (Proverbs [TOTC], 163).

[26:14]  ²⁸ tn The comparative “like” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied from context in the translation.

[26:14]  ²⁹ sn The sluggard is too lazy to get out of bed – although he would probably rationalize this by saying that he is not at his best in the morning. The humor of the verse is based on an analogy with a door – it moves back and forth on its hinges but goes nowhere. Like the door to the wall, the sluggard is “hinged” to his bed (e.g., Prov 6:9-10; 24:33).

[26:14]  ³⁰ tn The term “turns” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation from the parallelism.

[26:15]  ³¹ tn Heb “buries” (so many English versions); KJV “hideth”; NAB “loses.”

[26:15]  ³² sn The proverb is stating that the sluggard is too lazy to eat; this is essentially the same point made in 19:24 (see the note there).

[26:16]  ³³ tn Heb “in his eyes.” The lazy person thinks that he has life all figured out and has chosen the wise course of action – but he is simply lazy. J. H. Greenstone says, for example, “Much anti-intellectualism may be traced to such rationalization for laziness” (Proverbs, 269).

[26:16]  ³⁴ tn The term means “taste; judgment.” The related verb means “to taste; to perceive,” that is, “to examine by tasting,” or examine by experiencing (e.g., Ps 34:9). Here the idea is expressed with the participle in construct, “those returners [of] good sense,” those who answer tastefully, with discretion. Cf. NIV “who (+ can NRSV) answer discreetly.”

[9:10]  ³⁵ tn Heb “Whatever your hand finds to do.”

[9:10]  ³⁶ tn Heb “Sheol.”

[9:10]  ³⁷ tn Or “where you are about to go.”

[56:10]  ³⁸ sn The “watchmen” are probably spiritual leaders, most likely prophets and priests, responsible for giving the people moral direction.

[56:10]  ³⁹ tn Heb “they do not know”; KJV “they are all ignorant”; NIV “they all lack knowledge.”

[56:10]  ⁴⁰ tn The Hebrew text has הֹזִים (hozim), which appears to be derived from an otherwise unattested verbal root הָזָה (hazah). On the basis of alleged cognates, BDB 223 s.v. הָזָה offers the definition “dream, rave” while HALOT 243 s.v. הזה lists “pant.” In this case the dog metaphor of the preceding lines continues. The reference to dogs at the beginning of v. 11 favors the extension of the metaphor. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has חזים (“seers”) here. In this case the “watchmen” are directly identified as prophets and depicted as lazy.

[25:26]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “But answering, his master said to him.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.

[20:34]  ⁴² tn The words “of mine” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to clarify whose hands Paul is referring to.

[20:35]  ⁴³ sn The expression By all these things means “In everything I did.”

[20:35]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “must assist.”

[20:35]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “the sick.” See Eph 4:28.

[20:35]  ⁴⁶ sn The saying is similar to Matt 10:8. Service and generosity should be abundant. Interestingly, these exact words are not found in the gospels. Paul must have known of this saying from some other source.

[4:1]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “prisoner in the Lord.”

[4:1]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “walk.” The verb “walk” in the NT letters refers to the conduct of one’s life, not to physical walking.

[4:1]  ⁴⁹ sn With which you have been called. The calling refers to the Holy Spirit’s prompting that caused them to believe. The author is thus urging his readers to live a life that conforms to their saved status before God.

[4:11]  ⁵⁰ tn The emphasis on Christ is continued through the use of the intensive pronoun, αὐτός (autos), and is rendered in English as “it was he” as this seems to lay emphasis on the “he.”

[4:11]  ⁵¹ sn Some interpreters have understood the phrase pastors and teachers to refer to one and the same group. This would mean that all pastors are teachers and that all teachers are pastors. This position is often taken because it is recognized that both nouns (i.e., pastors and teachers) are governed by one article in Greek. But because the nouns are plural, it is extremely unlikely that they refer to the same group, but only that the author is linking them closely together. It is better to regard the pastors as a subset of teachers. In other words, all pastors are teachers, but not all teachers are pastors. See ExSyn 284.

[4:12]  ⁵² tn On the translation of πρὸς τὸν καταρτισμὸν τῶν ἁγίων (pro" ton katartismon twn Jagiwn) as “to equip the saints” see BDAG 526 s.v. καταρτισμός. In this case the genitive is taken as objective and the direct object of the verbal idea implied in καταρτισμός (katartismo").

[4:12]  ⁵³ tn The εἰς (eis) clause is taken as epexegetical to the previous εἰς clause, namely, εἰς ἔργον διακονίας (ei" ergon diakonia").

[4:2]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “meekness.” The word is often used in Hellenistic Greek of the merciful execution of justice on behalf of those who have no voice by those who are in a position of authority (Matt 11:29; 21:5).

[4:2]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “putting up with”; or “forbearing.”

[3:6]  ⁵⁶ sn The phrase through the gospel is placed last in the sentence in Greek for emphasis. It has been moved forward for clarity.

[3:6]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “and fellow members.”

[3:7]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “of which I was made a minister,” “of which I became a servant.”

[3:7]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “according to.”

[3:7]  ⁶⁰ sn On the exercise of his power see 1:19-20.

[3:8]  ⁶¹ sn In Pauline writings saints means any true believer. Thus for Paul to view himself as less than the least of all the saints is to view himself as the most unworthy object of Christ’s redemption.

[3:8]  ⁶² sn The parallel phrases to proclaim and to enlighten which follow indicate why God’s grace was manifested to Paul. Grace was not something just to be received, but to be shared with others (cf. Acts 13:47).

[3:9]  ⁶³ tn There is a possible causative nuance in the Greek verb, but this is difficult to convey in the translation.

[3:9]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “what is the plan of the divine secret.” Earlier the author had used οἰκονομία (oikonomia; here “plan”) to refer to his own “stewardship” (v. 2). But now he is speaking about the content of this secret, not his own activity in relation to it.

[3:9]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “for eternity,” or perhaps “from the Aeons.” Cf. 2:2, 7.

[3:9]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “by God.” It is possible that ἐν (en) plus the dative here indicates agency, that is, that God has performed the action of hiding the secret. However, this usage of the preposition ἐν is quite rare in the NT, and even though here it does follow a perfect passive verb as in the Classical idiom, it is more likely that a different nuance is intended.

[3:10]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “that.” Verse 10 is a subordinate clause to the verb “enlighten” in v. 9.

[3:10]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “manifold wisdom,” “wisdom in its rich variety.”

[3:11]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “according to.” The verse is a prepositional phrase subordinate to v. 10.

[3:12]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “access in confidence.”

[3:12]  ⁷¹ tn The phrase “to God” is not in the text, but is clearly implied by the preceding, “access.”

[3:12]  ⁷² tn Grk “through,” “by way of.”

[3:12]  ⁷³ tn Grk “his.”

[3:12]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “faith in him.” A decision is difficult here. Though traditionally translated “faith in Jesus Christ,” an increasing number of NT scholars are arguing that πίστις Χριστοῦ (pisti" Cristou) and similar phrases in Paul (here and in Rom 3:22, 26; Gal 2:16, 20; 3:22; Phil 3:9) involve a subjective genitive and mean “Christ’s faith” or “Christ’s faithfulness” (cf., e.g., G. Howard, “The ‘Faith of Christ’,” ExpTim 85 [1974]: 212-15; R. B. Hays, The Faith of Jesus Christ [SBLDS]; Morna D. Hooker, “Πίστις Χριστοῦ,” NTS 35 [1989]: 321-42). Noteworthy among the arguments for the subjective genitive view is that when πίστις takes a personal genitive it is almost never an objective genitive (cf. Matt 9:2, 22, 29; Mark 2:5; 5:34; 10:52; Luke 5:20; 7:50; 8:25, 48; 17:19; 18:42; 22:32; Rom 1:8; 12; 3:3; 4:5, 12, 16; 1 Cor 2:5; 15:14, 17; 2 Cor 10:15; Phil 2:17; Col 1:4; 2:5; 1 Thess 1:8; 3:2, 5, 10; 2 Thess 1:3; Titus 1:1; Phlm 6; 1 Pet 1:9, 21; 2 Pet 1:5). On the other hand, the objective genitive view has its adherents: A. Hultgren, “The Pistis Christou Formulations in Paul,” NovT 22 (1980): 248-63; J. D. G. Dunn, “Once More, ΠΙΣΤΙΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ,” SBL Seminar Papers, 1991, 730-44. Most commentaries on Romans and Galatians usually side with the objective view.

[3:12]  sn Because of Christ’s faithfulness. Though Paul elsewhere teaches justification by faith, this presupposes that the object of our faith is reliable and worthy of such faith.

[3:1]  ⁷⁵ tc Several early and important witnesses, chiefly of the Western text (א* D* F G [365]), lack ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou, “Jesus”) here, while most Alexandrian and Byzantine mss (Ì⁴⁶ א¹ A B [C] D¹ Ψ 33 1739 [1881] Ï lat sy bo) have the word. However, because of the Western text’s proclivities to add or delete to the text, seemingly at whim, serious doubts should be attached to the shorter reading. It is strengthened, however, by א’s support. Nevertheless, since both א and D were corrected with the addition of ᾿Ιησοῦ, their testimony might be questioned. Further, in uncial script the nomina sacra here could have led to missing a word by way of homoioteleuton (cMuiMu). At the same time, in light of the rarity of scribal omission of nomina sacra (see TCGNT 582, n. 1), a decision for inclusion of the word here must be tentative. NA²⁷ rightly places ᾿Ιησοῦ in brackets.