Keluaran 34:7

34:7 keeping loyal love for thousands, ¹  forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression ²  of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.”

Mazmur 32:1-2

Psalm 32 ³ 

By David; a well-written song. ⁴ 

32:1 How blessed ⁵  is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven, ⁶ 

whose sin is pardoned! ⁷ 

32:2 How blessed is the one ⁸  whose wrongdoing the Lord does not punish, ⁹ 

in whose spirit there is no deceit. ¹⁰ 

Mazmur 86:5

86:5 Certainly ¹¹  O Lord, you are kind ¹²  and forgiving,

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

Mazmur 130:4

130:4 But ¹³  you are willing to forgive, ¹⁴ 

so that you might ¹⁵  be honored. ¹⁶ 

Yesaya 43:25

43:25 I, I am the one who blots out your rebellious deeds for my sake;

your sins I do not remember.

Yesaya 55:6-7

55:6 Seek the Lord while he makes himself available; ¹⁷ 

call to him while he is nearby!

55:7 The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle ¹⁸ 

and sinful people their plans. ¹⁹ 

They should return ²⁰  to the Lord, and he will show mercy to them, ²¹ 

and to their God, for he will freely forgive them. ²² 

Yeremia 31:34

31:34 “People will no longer need to teach their neighbors and relatives to know me. ²³  For all of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me,” ²⁴  says the Lord. “For ²⁵  I will forgive their sin and will no longer call to mind the wrong they have done.”

Daniel 9:9

9:9 Yet the Lord our God is compassionate and forgiving, ²⁶  even though we have rebelled against him.

Daniel 9:19

9:19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, pay attention, and act! Don’t delay, for your own sake, O my God! For your city and your people are called by your name.” ²⁷ 

Yunus 4:2

4:2 He prayed to the Lord and said, “Oh, Lord, this is just what I thought ²⁸  would happen ²⁹  when I was in my own country. ³⁰  This is what I tried to prevent ³¹  by attempting to escape to Tarshish! ³²  – because I knew ³³  that you are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger ³⁴  and abounding ³⁵  in mercy, and one who relents concerning threatened judgment. ³⁶ 

Mikha 7:18

7:18 There is no other God like you! ³⁷ 

You ³⁸  forgive sin

and pardon ³⁹  the rebellion

of those who remain among your people. ⁴⁰ 

You do not remain angry forever, ⁴¹ 

but delight in showing loyal love.

Lukas 1:77

1:77 to give his people knowledge of salvation ⁴²  through the forgiveness ⁴³  of their sins.

Lukas 7:40-42

7:40 So ⁴⁴  Jesus answered him, ⁴⁵  “Simon, I have something to say to you.” He replied, ⁴⁶  “Say it, Teacher.” 7:41 “A certain creditor ⁴⁷  had two debtors; one owed him ⁴⁸  five hundred silver coins, ⁴⁹  and the other fifty. 7:42 When they could not pay, he canceled ⁵⁰  the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Lukas 7:47-50

7:47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which were many, are forgiven, thus she loved much; ⁵¹  but the one who is forgiven little loves little.” 7:48 Then ⁵²  Jesus ⁵³  said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” ⁵⁴  7:49 But ⁵⁵  those who were at the table ⁵⁶  with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 7:50 He ⁵⁷  said to the woman, “Your faith ⁵⁸  has saved you; ⁵⁹  go in peace.”

Lukas 24:47

24:47 and repentance ⁶⁰  for the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed ⁶¹  in his name to all nations, ⁶²  beginning from Jerusalem. ⁶³ 

Yohanes 20:23

20:23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; ⁶⁴  if you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.” ⁶⁵ 

Kisah Para Rasul 2:38

2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each one of you be baptized ⁶⁶  in the name of Jesus Christ ⁶⁷  for ⁶⁸  the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ⁶⁹ 

Kisah Para Rasul 3:19

3:19 Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out,

Kisah Para Rasul 10:43

10:43 About him all the prophets testify, ⁷⁰  that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins ⁷¹  through his name.”

Kisah Para Rasul 13:38-39

13:38 Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through this one ⁷²  forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 13:39 and by this one ⁷³  everyone who believes is justified ⁷⁴  from everything from which the law of Moses could not justify ⁷⁵  you. ⁷⁶ 

Roma 4:6-9

4:6 So even David himself speaks regarding the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

4:7 “Blessed ⁷⁷  are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;

4:8 blessed is the one ⁷⁸  against whom the Lord will never count ⁷⁹  sin.” ⁸⁰ 

4:9 Is this blessedness ⁸¹  then for ⁸²  the circumcision ⁸³  or also for ⁸⁴  the uncircumcision? For we say, “faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” ⁸⁵ 

Kolose 2:13

2:13 And even though you were dead in your ⁸⁶  transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nevertheless ⁸⁷  made you alive with him, having forgiven all your transgressions.

Ibrani 10:17-18

10:17 then he says, ⁸⁸  “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no longer.” ⁸⁹  10:18 Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Ibrani 10:1

Concluding Exposition: Old and New Sacrifices Contrasted

10:1 For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship. ⁹⁰ 

Yohanes 1:7-9

1:7 He came as a witness ⁹¹  to testify ⁹²  about the light, so that everyone ⁹³  might believe through him. 1:8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify ⁹⁴  about the light. 1:9 The true light, who gives light to everyone, ⁹⁵  was coming into the world. ⁹⁶ 

Yohanes 2:12

Cleansing the Temple

2:12 After this he went down to Capernaum ⁹⁷  with his mother and brothers ⁹⁸  and his disciples, and they stayed there a few days.

[34:7]  ¹ tn That is, “for thousands of generations.”

[34:7]  ² sn As in the ten commandments (20:5-6), this expression shows that the iniquity and its punishment will continue in the family if left unchecked. This does not go on as long as the outcomes for good (thousands versus third or fourth generations), and it is limited to those who hate God.

[32:1]  ³ sn Psalm 32. The psalmist recalls the agony he experienced prior to confessing his sins and affirms that true happiness comes when one’s sins are forgiven. He then urges others not to be stubborn, but to turn to God while forgiveness is available, for God extends his mercy to the repentant, while the wicked experience nothing but sorrow.

[32:1]  ⁴ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

[32:1]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1, 3; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15). Here it refers to the relief that one experiences when one’s sins are forgiven.

[32:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “lifted up.”

[32:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “covered over.”

[32:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “man.” The word choice reflects the perspective of the psalmist, who is male. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, the gender and age specific “man” has been translated with the more neutral “one.”

[32:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “blessed [is] the man to whom the Lord does not impute wrongdoing.”

[32:2]  ¹⁰ sn In whose spirit there is no deceit. The point is not that the individual is sinless and pure. In this context, which focuses on confession and forgiveness of sin, the psalmist refers to one who refuses to deny or hide his sin, but instead honestly confesses it to God.

[86:5]  ¹¹ tn Or “for.”

[86:5]  ¹² tn Heb “good.”

[130:4]  ¹³ tn Or “surely.”

[130:4]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “for with you [there is] forgiveness.”

[130:4]  ¹⁵ tn Or “consequently you are.”

[130:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “feared.”

[55:6]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “while he allows himself to be found.” The Niphal form has a tolerative force here.

[55:7]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “Let the wicked one abandon his way.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and the man of evil his thoughts.” The singular is collective.

[55:7]  ²⁰ tn Heb “let him return.” The singular is collective, meaning “let them.”

[55:7]  ²¹ tn The imperfect with vav (ו) conjunctive after the jussive indicates purpose/result.

[55:7]  ²² sn The appeal and promise of vv. 6-7 echoes the language of Deut 4:25-31; 30:1-10; and 1 Kgs 8:46-53, all of which anticipate the exile and speak of the prerequisites for restoration.

[31:34]  ²³ tn Heb “teach…, saying, ‘Know the Lord.’” The indirect quote has been chosen for stylistic reasons, i.e., to better parallel the following line.

[31:34]  sn As mentioned in the translator’s note on 9:3 (9:2 HT) “knowing” God in covenant contexts like this involves more than just an awareness of who he is (9:23 [9:22 HT]). It involves an acknowledgment of his sovereignty and whole hearted commitment to obedience to him. This is perhaps best seen in the parallelisms in Hos 4:1; 6:6 where “the knowledge of God” is parallel with faithfulness and steadfast love and in the context of Hos 4 refers to obedience to the Lord’s commands.

[31:34]  ²⁴ sn This statement should be understood against the background of Jer 8:8-9 where class distinctions were drawn and certain people were considered to have more awareness and responsibility for knowing the law and also Jer 5:1-5 and 9:3-9 where the sinfulness of Israel was seen to be universal across these class distinctions and no trust was to be placed in friends, neighbors, or relatives because all without distinction had cast off God’s yoke (i.e., refused to submit themselves to his authority).

[31:34]  ²⁵ tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) that introduces this clause refers to more than just the preceding clause (i.e., that all will know the Lord) but to all of vv. 31-34a (See BDB 474 s.v. כִּי 3.c).

[9:9]  ²⁶ tn Heb “to the Lord our God (belong) compassion and forgiveness.”

[9:19]  ²⁷ tn Heb “for your name is called over your city and your people.” See the note on this expression in v 18.

[4:2]  ²⁸ tn Heb “my saying?” The first common singular suffix on דְבָרִי (dÿvari, “my saying”) functions as a subjective genitive: “I said.” The verb אָמַר (’amar, “to say”) here refers to the inner speech and thoughts of Jonah (see HALOT 66 s.v. אמר 4; BDB 56 s.v. אָמַר 2; e.g., Gen 17:17; Ruth 4:4; 1 Sam 20:26; Esth 6:6; Jonah 2:4). There is no hint anywhere else in the book that Jonah had argued with God when he was originally commissioned. While most English versions render it “I said” or “my saying,” a few take it as inner speech: “This is what I feared” (NEB), “It is just as I feared” (REB), “I knew from the very beginning” (CEV).

[4:2]  ²⁹ tn The phrase “would happen” does not appear in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.

[4:2]  ³⁰ tn Heb “Is this not my saying while I was in my own country?” The rhetorical question implies a positive answer (“Yes, this was the very thing that Jonah had anticipated would happen all along!”) so it is rendered as an emphatic declaration in the translation.

[4:2]  ³¹ tn Or “This is why I originally fled to Tarshish.” The verb קָדַם (qadam) in the Piel stem has a broad range of meanings and here could mean: (1) “to go before, be in front of” (1 Sam 20:25; Ps 68:26); (2) “to do [something] beforehand,” (Ps 119:147); or (3) “to anticipate, to do [something] early, forestall [something]” (Ps 119:148). The lexicons nuance Jonah 4:2 as “to do [something] for the first time” (HALOT 1069 s.v. קדם 4) or “to do [something] beforehand” (BDB 870 s.v. קָדַם 3). The phrase קִדַּמְתִּי לִבְרֹחַ (qiddamti livroakh, “I did the first time to flee”) is an idiom that probably means “I originally fled” or “I fled the first time.” The infinitive construct לִבְרֹחַ (“to flee”) functions as an object complement. This phrase is translated variously by English versions, depending on the category of meaning chosen for קָדַם: (1) “to do [something] for the first time, beforehand”: “That is why I fled beforehand” (JPS, NJPS), “I fled before” (KJV), “I fled previously” (NKJV), “I fled at the beginning” (NRSV), “I first tried to flee” (NJB), “I fled at first” (NAB); (2) “to do [something] early, to hasten to do [something]”: “That is why I was so quick to flee” (NIV), “I hastened to flee” (ASV), “I made haste to flee” (RSV), “I did my best to run away” (TEV); and (3) “to anticipate, forestall [something]”: “it was to forestall this that I tried to escape to Tarshish” (REB), “to forestall it I tried to escape to Tarshish” (NEB), “in order to forestall this I fled” (NASB). The ancient versions also handle it variously: (1) “to do [something] early, to hasten to do [something]”: “Therefore I made haste to flee” (LXX), “That is why I hastened to run away” (Tg. Jonah 4:2); and (2) “to go before, to be in front”: “Therefore I went before to flee to Tarshish” (Vulgate). The two most likely options are (1) “to do [something] the first time” = “This is why I originally fled to Tarshish” and (2) “to anticipate, forestall [something]” = “This is what I tried to forestall [= prevent] by fleeing to Tarshish.”

[4:2]  ³² tn See note on the phrase “to Tarshish” in 1:3.

[4:2]  sn The narrator skillfully withheld Jonah’s motivations from the reader up to this point for rhetorical effect – to build suspense and to create a shocking, surprising effect. Now, for the first time, the narrator reveals why Jonah fled from the commission of God in 1:3 – he had not wanted to give God the opportunity to relent from judging Nineveh! Jonah knew that if he preached in Nineveh, the people might repent and as a result, God might more than likely relent from sending judgment. Hoping to seal their fate, Jonah had originally refused to preach so that the Ninevites would not have an opportunity to repent. Apparently Jonah hoped that God would have therefore judged them without advance warning. Or perhaps he was afraid he would betray his nationalistic self-interests by functioning as the instrument through which the Lord would spare Israel’s main enemy. Jonah probably wanted God to destroy Nineveh for three reasons: (1) as a loyal nationalist, he despised non-Israelites (cf. 1:9); (2) he believed that idolaters had forfeited any opportunity to be shown mercy (cf. 2:9-10); and (3) the prophets Amos and Hosea had recently announced that God would sovereignly use the Assyrians to judge unrepentant Israel (Hos 9:3; 11:5) and take them into exile (Amos 5:27). If God destroyed Nineveh, the Assyrians would not be able to destroy Israel. The better solution would have been for Jonah to work for the repentance of Nineveh and Israel.

[4:2]  ³³ tn Or “know.” What Jonah knew then he still knows about the Lord’s character, which is being demonstrated in his dealings with both Nineveh and Jonah. The Hebrew suffixed tense accommodates both times here.

[4:2]  ³⁴ tn Heb “long of nostrils.” Because the nose often expresses anger through flared nostrils it became the source of this idiom meaning “slow to anger” (e.g., Exod 34:6; Num 14:18; Neh 9:17; Pss 86:15; 103:8; 145:8; Jer 15:15; Nah 1:3; BDB 74 s.v. אָרֵךְ).

[4:2]  ³⁵ tn Heb “great” (so KJV); ASV, NASB “abundant”; NAB “rich in clemency.”

[4:2]  ³⁶ tn Heb “calamity.” The noun רָעָה (ra’ah, “calamity, disaster”) functions as a metonymy of result – the cause being the threatened judgment (e.g., Exod 32:12, 14; 2 Sam 24:16; Jer 18:8; 26:13, 19; 42:10; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2). The classic statement of God’s willingness to relent from judgment when a sinful people repent is Jer 18:1-11.

[4:2]  sn Jonah is precisely correct in his listing of the Lord’s attributes. See Exod 34:6-7; Num 14:18-19; 2 Chr 30:9; Neh 9:17, 31-32; Pss 86:3-8, 15; 103:2-13; 116:5 (note the parallels to Jonah 2 in Ps 116:1-4); 145:8; Neh 9:17; Joel 2:13.

[7:18]  ³⁷ tn Heb “Who is a God like you?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No one!”

[7:18]  ³⁸ tn Heb “one who.” The prayer moves from direct address (second person) in v. 18a to a descriptive (third person) style in vv. 18b-19a and then back to direct address (second person) in vv. 19b-20. Due to considerations of English style and the unfamiliarity of the modern reader with alternation of persons in Hebrew poetry, the entire section has been rendered as direct address (second person) in the translation.

[7:18]  ³⁹ tn Heb “pass over.”

[7:18]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “of the remnant of his inheritance.”

[7:18]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “he does not keep hold of his anger forever.”

[1:77]  ⁴² sn John’s role, to give his people knowledge of salvation, is similar to that of Jesus (Luke 3:1-14; 5:31-32).

[1:77]  ⁴³ sn Forgiveness is another major Lukan theme (Luke 4:18; 24:47; Acts 10:37).

[7:40]  ⁴⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the connection with the preceding statement recording the Pharisee’s thoughts.

[7:40]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “answering, said to him.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “answered him.”

[7:40]  sn Jesus answered him. Note that as the Pharisee is denying to himself that Jesus is a prophet, Jesus is reading his thoughts.

[7:40]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “he said.”

[7:41]  ⁴⁷ sn A creditor was a moneylender, whose business was to lend money to others at a fixed rate of interest.

[7:41]  ⁴⁸ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[7:41]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “five hundred denarii.”

[7:41]  sn The silver coins were denarii. The denarius was worth about a day’s wage for a laborer; this would be an amount worth not quite two years’ pay. The debts were significant: They represented two months’ pay and one and three quarter years’ pay (20 months) based on a six day work week.

[7:42]  ⁵⁰ tn The verb ἐχαρίσατο (ecarisato) could be translated as “forgave.” Of course this pictures the forgiveness of God’s grace, which is not earned but bestowed with faith (see v. 49).

[7:47]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “for she loved much.” The connection between this statement and the preceding probably involves an ellipsis, to the effect that the ὅτι clause gives the evidence of forgiveness, not the ground. For similar examples of an “evidentiary” ὅτι, cf. Luke 1:22; 6:21; 13:2. See discussion in D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 1:703-5. Further evidence that this is the case here is the final statement: “the one who is forgiven little loves little” means that the one who is forgiven little is thus not able to love much. The REB renders this verse: “her great love proves that her many sins have been forgiven; where little has been forgiven, little love is shown.”

[7:47]  sn She loved much. Jesus’ point is that the person who realizes how great a gift forgiveness is (because they have a deep sense of sin) has a great love for the one who forgives, that is, God. The woman’s acts of reverence to Jesus honored him as the one who brought God’s message of grace.

[7:48]  ⁵² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[7:48]  ⁵³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:48]  ⁵⁴ sn Jesus showed his authority to forgive sins, something that was quite controversial. See Luke 5:17-26 and the next verse.

[7:49]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “And”; here καί (kai) has been translated as an adversative (contrastive).

[7:49]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “were reclining at table.”

[7:50]  ⁵⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[7:50]  ⁵⁸ sn On faith see Luke 5:20; 7:9; 8:25; 12:28; 17:6; 18:8; 22:32.

[7:50]  ⁵⁹ sn The questioning did not stop Jesus. He declared authoritatively that the woman was forgiven by God (your faith has saved you). This event is a concrete example of Luke 5:31-32.

[24:47]  ⁶⁰ sn This repentance has its roots in declarations of the Old Testament. It is the Hebrew concept of a turning of direction.

[24:47]  ⁶¹ tn Or “preached,” “announced.”

[24:47]  ⁶² sn To all nations. The same Greek term (τὰ ἔθνη, ta eqnh) may be translated “the Gentiles” or “the nations.” The hope of God in Christ was for all the nations from the beginning.

[24:47]  ⁶³ sn Beginning from Jerusalem. See Acts 2, which is where it all starts.

[24:47]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[20:23]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “they are forgiven to them.” The words “to them” are unnecessary in English and somewhat redundant.

[20:23]  ⁶⁵ sn The statement by Jesus about forgive or retaining anyone’s sins finds its closest parallel in Matt 16:19 and 18:18. This is probably not referring to apostolic power to forgive or retain the sins of individuals (as it is sometimes understood), but to the “power” of proclaiming this forgiveness which was entrusted to the disciples. This is consistent with the idea that the disciples are to carry on the ministry of Jesus after he has departed from the world and returned to the Father, a theme which occurred in the Farewell Discourse (cf. 15:27, 16:1-4, and 17:18).

[2:38]  ⁶⁶ tn The verb is a third person imperative, but the common translation “let each of you be baptized” obscures the imperative force in English, since it sounds more like a permissive (“each of you may be baptized”) to the average English reader.

[2:38]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[2:38]  sn In the name of Jesus Christ. Baptism in Messiah Jesus’ name shows how much authority he possesses.

[2:38]  ⁶⁸ tn There is debate over the meaning of εἰς in the prepositional phrase εἰς ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ὑμῶν (eis afesin twn Jamartiwn Jumwn, “for/because of/with reference to the forgiveness of your sins”). Although a causal sense has been argued, it is difficult to maintain here. ExSyn 369-71 discusses at least four other ways of dealing with the passage: (1) The baptism referred to here is physical only, and εἰς has the meaning of “for” or “unto.” Such a view suggests that salvation is based on works – an idea that runs counter to the theology of Acts, namely: (a) repentance often precedes baptism (cf. Acts 3:19; 26:20), and (b) salvation is entirely a gift of God, not procured via water baptism (Acts 10:43 [cf. v. 47]; 13:38-39, 48; 15:11; 16:30-31; 20:21; 26:18); (2) The baptism referred to here is spiritual only. Although such a view fits well with the theology of Acts, it does not fit well with the obvious meaning of “baptism” in Acts – especially in this text (cf. 2:41); (3) The text should be repunctuated in light of the shift from second person plural to third person singular back to second person plural again. The idea then would be, “Repent for/with reference to your sins, and let each one of you be baptized…” Such a view is an acceptable way of handling εἰς, but its subtlety and awkwardness count against it; (4) Finally, it is possible that to a first-century Jewish audience (as well as to Peter), the idea of baptism might incorporate both the spiritual reality and the physical symbol. That Peter connects both closely in his thinking is clear from other passages such as Acts 10:47 and 11:15-16. If this interpretation is correct, then Acts 2:38 is saying very little about the specific theological relationship between the symbol and the reality, only that historically they were viewed together. One must look in other places for a theological analysis. For further discussion see R. N. Longenecker, “Acts,” EBC 9:283-85; B. Witherington, Acts, 154-55; F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary, 129-30; BDAG 290 s.v. εἰς 4.f.

[2:38]  ⁶⁹ tn Here the genitive τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος (tou Jagiou pneumato") is a genitive of apposition; the gift consists of the Holy Spirit.

[10:43]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “All the prophets testify about him.” Although modern English translations tend to place “about him” after “testify” (so NIV, NRSV) the phrase “about him” has been left at the beginning of v. 43 for emphatic reasons.

[10:43]  ⁷¹ sn Forgiveness of sins. See Luke 24:47; also Acts 14:23; 19:4; 9:42; 11:17; 16:31. The gospel is present in the prophetic promise, Rom 1:1-7. The message is in continuity with the ancient hope.

[13:38]  ⁷² tn That is, Jesus. This pronoun is in emphatic position in the Greek text. Following this phrase in the Greek text is the pronoun ὑμῖν (Jumin, “to you”), so that the emphasis for the audience is that “through Jesus to you” these promises have come.

[13:39]  ⁷³ sn This one refers here to Jesus.

[13:39]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “is freed.” The translation of δικαιωθῆναι (dikaiwqhnai) and δικαιοῦται (dikaioutai) in Acts 13:38-39 is difficult. BDAG 249 s.v. δικαιόω 3 categorizes δικαιωθῆναι in 13:38 (Greek text) under the meaning “make free/pure” but categorizes δικαιοῦται in Acts 13:39 as “be found in the right, be free of charges” (BDAG 249 s.v. δικαιόω 2.b.β). In the interest of consistency both verbs are rendered as “justified” in this translation.

[13:39]  ⁷⁵ tn Or “could not free.”

[13:39]  ⁷⁶ tn Grk “from everything from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation, with “by the law of Moses” becoming the subject of the final clause. The words “from everything from which the law of Moses could not justify you” are part of v. 38 in the Greek text, but due to English style and word order must be placed in v. 39 in the translation.

[4:7]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “Happy.”

[4:8]  ⁷⁸ tn The word for “man” or “individual” here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” However, as BDAG 79 s.v. 2 says, here it is “equivalent to τὶς someone, a person.”

[4:8]  ⁷⁹ tn The verb translated “count” here is λογίζομαι (logizomai). It occurs eight times in Rom 4:1-12, including here, each time with the sense of “place on someone’s account.” By itself the word is neutral, but in particular contexts it can take on a positive or negative connotation. The other occurrences of the verb have been translated using a form of the English verb “credit” because they refer to a positive event: the application of righteousness to the individual believer. The use here in v. 8 is negative: the application of sin. A form of the verb “credit” was not used here because of the positive connotations associated with that English word, but it is important to recognize that the same concept is used here as in the other occurrences.

[4:8]  ⁸⁰ sn A quotation from Ps 32:1-2.

[4:9]  ⁸¹ tn Or “happiness.”

[4:9]  ⁸² tn Grk “upon.”

[4:9]  ⁸³ sn See the note on “circumcision” in 2:25.

[4:9]  ⁸⁴ tn Grk “upon.”

[4:9]  ⁸⁵ sn A quotation from Gen 15:6.

[2:13]  ⁸⁶ tn The article τοῖς (tois) with παραπτώμασιν (paraptwmasin) is functioning as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[2:13]  ⁸⁷ tn The word “nevertheless,” though not in the Greek text, was supplied in the translation to bring out the force of the concessive participle ὄντας (ontas).

[10:17]  ⁸⁸ tn Grk “and.”

[10:17]  ⁸⁹ sn A quotation from Jer 31:34.

[10:1]  ⁹⁰ tn Grk “those who approach.”

[1:7]  ⁹¹ tn Grk “came for a testimony.”

[1:7]  sn Witness is also one of the major themes of John’s Gospel. The Greek verb μαρτυρέω (marturew) occurs 33 times (compare to once in Matthew, once in Luke, 0 in Mark) and the noun μαρτυρία (marturia) 14 times (0 in Matthew, once in Luke, 3 times in Mark).

[1:7]  ⁹² tn Or “to bear witness.”

[1:7]  ⁹³ tn Grk “all.”

[1:8]  ⁹⁴ tn Or “to bear witness.”

[1:9]  ⁹⁵ tn Grk “every man” (but in a generic sense, “every person,” or “every human being”).

[1:9]  ⁹⁶ 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.

[2:12]  ⁹⁷ sn Verse 12 is merely a transitional note in the narrative (although Capernaum does not lie on the direct route to Jerusalem from Cana). Nothing is mentioned in John’s Gospel at this point about anything Jesus said or did there (although later his teaching is mentioned, see 6:59). From the synoptics it is clear that Capernaum was a center of Jesus’ Galilean ministry and might even be called “his own town” (Matt 9:1). The royal official whose son Jesus healed (John 4:46-54) was from Capernaum. He may have heard Jesus speak there, or picked up the story about the miracle at Cana from one of Jesus’ disciples.

[2:12]  map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.

[2:12]  ⁹⁸ sn With respect to Jesus’ brothers, the so-called Helvidian view is to be preferred (named after Helvidius, a 4th-century theologian). This view holds that the most natural way to understand the phrase is as a reference to children of Joseph and Mary after the birth of Jesus. Other views are that of Epiphanius (they were children of Joseph by a former marriage) or Jerome (they were cousins). The tradition of Mary’s perpetual virginity appeared in the 2nd century and is difficult to explain (as J. H. Bernard, St. John [ICC], 1:85, points out) if some of her other children were prominent members of the early church (e.g., James of Jerusalem). But this is outweighed by the natural sense of the words.