Yesaya 63:15

63:15 Look down from heaven and take notice,

from your holy, majestic palace!

Where are your zeal ¹  and power?

Do not hold back your tender compassion! ² 

Yeremia 31:20

31:20 Indeed, the people of Israel are my dear children.

They are the children I take delight in. ³ 

For even though I must often rebuke them,

I still remember them with fondness.

So I am deeply moved with pity for them ⁴ 

and will surely have compassion on them.

I, the Lord, affirm it! ⁵ 

Lukas 1:78

1:78 Because of ⁶  our God’s tender mercy ⁷ 

the dawn ⁸  will break ⁹  upon us from on high

Filipi 1:8

1:8 For God is my witness that I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Filipi 2:1

Christian Unity and Christ’s Humility

2:1 Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, ¹⁰  any affection or mercy, ¹¹ 

Filipi 2:1

Christian Unity and Christ’s Humility

2:1 Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, ¹²  any affection or mercy, ¹³ 

Yohanes 3:17

3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, ¹⁴  but that the world should be saved through him.

[63:15]  ¹ tn This probably refers to his zeal for his people, which motivates him to angrily strike out against their enemies.

[63:15]  ² tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “the agitation of your intestines and your compassion to me they are held back.” The phrase “agitation of your intestines” is metonymic, referring to the way in which one’s nervous system reacts when one feels pity and compassion toward another. אֵלַי (’elay, “to me”) is awkward in this context, where the speaker represents the nation and, following the introduction (see v. 7), utilizes first person plural forms. The translation assumes an emendation to the negative particle אַל (’al). This also necessitates emending the following verb form (which is a plural perfect) to a singular jussive (תִתְאַפָּק, tit’appaq). The Hitpael of אָפַק (’afaq) also occurs in 42:14.

[31:20]  ³ tn Heb “Is Ephraim a dear son to me or a child of delight?” For the substitution of Israel for Ephraim and the plural pronouns for the singular see the note on v. 18. According to BDB 210 s.v. הֲ 1.c the question is rhetorical having the force of an impassioned affirmation. See 1 Sam 2:27; Job 41:9 (41:1 HT) for parallel usage.

[31:20]  ⁴ tn Heb “my stomach churns for him.” The parallelism shows that this refers to pity or compassion.

[31:20]  ⁵ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[1:78]  ⁶ tn For reasons of style, a new sentence has been started in the translation at this point. God’s mercy is ultimately seen in the deliverance John points to, so v. 78a is placed with the reference to Jesus as the light of dawning day.

[1:78]  ⁷ sn God’s loyal love (steadfast love) is again the topic, reflected in the phrase tender mercy; see Luke 1:72.

[1:78]  ⁸ sn The Greek term translated dawn (ἀνατολή, anatolh) can be a reference to the morning star or to the sun. The Messiah is pictured as a saving light that shows the way. The Greek term was also used to translate the Hebrew word for “branch” or “sprout,” so some see a double entendre here with messianic overtones (see Isa 11:1-10; Jer 23:5; 33:15; Zech 3:8; 6:12).

[1:78]  ⁹ tn Grk “shall visit us.”

[2:1]  ¹⁰ tn Or “spiritual fellowship” if πνεύματος (pneumato") is an attributive genitive; or “fellowship brought about by the Spirit” if πνεύματος is a genitive of source or production.

[2:1]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and any affection and mercy.” The Greek idea, however, is best expressed by “or” in English.

[2:1]  ¹² tn Or “spiritual fellowship” if πνεύματος (pneumato") is an attributive genitive; or “fellowship brought about by the Spirit” if πνεύματος is a genitive of source or production.

[2:1]  ¹³ tn Grk “and any affection and mercy.” The Greek idea, however, is best expressed by “or” in English.

[3:17]  ¹⁴ sn That is, “to judge the world to be guilty and liable to punishment.”