Yeremia 18:15

18:15 Yet my people have forgotten me

and offered sacrifices to worthless idols!

This makes them stumble along in the way they live

and leave the old reliable path of their fathers. ¹ 

They have left them to walk in bypaths,

in roads that are not smooth and level. ² 

Ulangan 32:7

32:7 Remember the ancient days;

bear in mind ³  the years of past generations. ⁴ 

Ask your father and he will inform you,

your elders, and they will tell you.

Kidung Agung 1:7-8

The Shepherd and the Shepherdess

The Beloved to Her Lover:

1:7 Tell me, O you whom my heart ⁵  loves,

where do you pasture your sheep?

Where do you rest your sheep during the midday heat?

Tell me lest ⁶  I wander around ⁷ 

beside the flocks of your companions!

The Lover to His Beloved:

1:8 If you do not know, O most beautiful of women,

simply follow the tracks of my flock,

and pasture your little lambs

beside the tents of the shepherds.

Yesaya 8:20

8:20 Then you must recall the Lord’s instructions and the prophetic testimony of what would happen. ⁸  Certainly they say such things because their minds are spiritually darkened. ⁹ 

Maleakhi 4:4

Restoration through the Lord

4:4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, to whom at Horeb ¹⁰  I gave rules and regulations for all Israel to obey. ¹¹ 

Lukas 16:29

16:29 But Abraham said, ¹²  ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they must respond to ¹³  them.’

Yohanes 5:39

5:39 You study the scriptures thoroughly ¹⁴  because you think in them you possess eternal life, ¹⁵  and it is these same scriptures ¹⁶  that testify about me,

Yohanes 5:46-47

5:46 If ¹⁷  you believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me. 5:47 But if you do not believe what Moses ¹⁸  wrote, how will you believe my words?”

Kisah Para Rasul 17:11

17:11 These Jews ¹⁹  were more open-minded ²⁰  than those in Thessalonica, ²¹  for they eagerly ²²  received ²³  the message, examining ²⁴  the scriptures carefully every day ²⁵  to see if these things were so.

Roma 4:1-6

The Illustration of Justification

4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh, ²⁶  has discovered regarding this matter? ²⁷  4:2 For if Abraham was declared righteous ²⁸  by the works of the law, he has something to boast about – but not before God. 4:3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited ²⁹  to him as righteousness.” ³⁰  4:4 Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited due to grace but due to obligation. ³¹  4:5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous, ³²  his faith is credited as righteousness.

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

Roma 4:12

4:12 And he is also the father of the circumcised, ³³  who are not only circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham possessed when he was still uncircumcised. ³⁴ 

Ibrani 6:12

6:12 so that you may not be sluggish, ³⁵  but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises.

Ibrani 11:2--12:1

11:2 For by it the people of old ³⁶  received God’s commendation. ³⁷  11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds ³⁸  were set in order at God’s command, ³⁹  so that the visible has its origin in the invisible. ⁴⁰  11:4 By faith Abel offered God a greater sacrifice than Cain, and through his faith ⁴¹  he was commended as righteous, because God commended him for his offerings. And through his faith ⁴²  he still speaks, though he is dead. 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death, and he was not to be found because God took him up. For before his removal he had been commended as having pleased God. 11:6 Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. 11:7 By faith Noah, when he was warned about things not yet seen, with reverent regard ⁴³  constructed an ark for the deliverance of his family. Through faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, and he went out without understanding where he was going. 11:9 By faith he lived as a foreigner ⁴⁴  in the promised land as though it were a foreign country, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who were fellow heirs ⁴⁵  of the same promise. 11:10 For he was looking forward to the city with firm foundations, ⁴⁶  whose architect and builder is God. 11:11 By faith, even though Sarah herself was barren and he was too old, ⁴⁷  he received the ability to procreate, ⁴⁸  because he regarded the one who had given the promise to be trustworthy. 11:12 So in fact children ⁴⁹  were fathered by one man – and this one as good as dead – like the number of stars in the sky and like the innumerable grains of sand ⁵⁰  on the seashore. ⁵¹  11:13 These all died in faith without receiving the things promised, ⁵²  but they saw them in the distance and welcomed them and acknowledged that they were strangers and foreigners ⁵³  on the earth. 11:14 For those who speak in such a way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 11:15 In fact, if they had been thinking of the land that they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 11:16 But as it is, ⁵⁴  they aspire to a better land, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He had received the promises, ⁵⁵  yet he was ready to offer up ⁵⁶  his only son. 11:18 God had told him, “Through Isaac descendants will carry on your name,” ⁵⁷  11:19 and he reasoned ⁵⁸  that God could even raise him from the dead, and in a sense ⁵⁹  he received him back from there. 11:20 By faith also Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future. 11:21 By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped as he leaned on his staff. ⁶⁰  11:22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, ⁶¹  mentioned the exodus of the sons of Israel ⁶²  and gave instructions about his burial. ⁶³ 

11:23 By faith, when Moses was born, his parents hid him ⁶⁴  for three months, because they saw the child was beautiful and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 11:24 By faith, when he grew up, Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 11:25 choosing rather to be ill-treated with the people of God than to enjoy sin’s fleeting pleasure. 11:26 He regarded abuse suffered for Christ ⁶⁵  to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for his eyes were fixed on ⁶⁶  the reward. 11:27 By faith he left Egypt without fearing the king’s anger, for he persevered as though he could see the one who is invisible. 11:28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, ⁶⁷  so that the one who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. 11:29 By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if on dry ground, but when the Egyptians tried it, they were swallowed up. 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho ⁶⁸  fell after the people marched around them ⁶⁹  for seven days. 11:31 By faith Rahab the prostitute escaped the destruction of ⁷⁰  the disobedient, because she welcomed the spies in peace.

11:32 And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets. 11:33 Through faith they conquered kingdoms, administered justice, ⁷¹  gained what was promised, ⁷²  shut the mouths of lions, 11:34 quenched raging fire, ⁷³  escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness, ⁷⁴  became mighty in battle, put foreign armies to flight, 11:35 and women received back their dead raised to life. ⁷⁵  But others were tortured, not accepting release, to obtain resurrection to a better life. ⁷⁶  11:36 And others experienced mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 11:37 They were stoned, sawed apart, ⁷⁷  murdered with the sword; they went about in sheepskins and goatskins; they were destitute, afflicted, ill-treated 11:38 (the world was not worthy of them); they wandered in deserts and mountains and caves and openings in the earth. 11:39 And these all were commended ⁷⁸  for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised. ⁷⁹  11:40 For God had provided something better for us, so that they would be made perfect together with us. ⁸⁰ 

The Lord’s Discipline

12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, ⁸¹  we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us,

[18:15]  ¹ sn Heb “the ancient path.” This has already been referred to in Jer 6:16. There is another “old way” but it is the path trod by the wicked (cf. Job 22:15).

[18:15]  ² sn Heb “ways that are not built up.” This refers to the built-up highways. See Isa 40:4 for the figure. The terms “way,” “by-paths,” “roads” are, of course, being used here in the sense of moral behavior or action.

[32:7]  ³ tc The Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate read 2nd person masculine singular whereas the MT has 2nd person masculine plural. The former is preferred, the latter perhaps being a misreading (בִּינוּ [binu] for בִּינָה [binah]). Both the preceding (“remember”) and following (“ask”) imperatives are singular forms in the Hebrew text.

[32:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “generation and generation.” The repetition of the singular noun here singles out each of the successive past generations. See IBHS 116 §7.2.3b.

[1:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “soul.”

[1:7]  ⁶ tn The causal relative pronoun שֶׁ (she, “because”; BDB 980 s.v. שֶׁ 3.b) is prefixed to the interrogative particle לָמָה (lamah, “why?”; BDB 554 s.v. מַה 4.d) to form the idiom שַׁלָּמָה (shallamah, “lest”; BDB 554 s.v. מַה 4.d.β; 980 s.v. שֶׁ 3b). BDB notes that לָמָה is used with an imperfect – as is the case here with אֶהְיֶה (’ehyeh, Qal imperfect 1st person common singular from הָיָה, haya, “to be”) – to deprecate a situation and for rhetorical emphasis to introduce the reason why something should, or should not, be done: “Why should?” (e.g., Gen 27:45; 47:19; Exod 32:12; 1 Sam 19:5, 17; 20:8, 32; 2 Sam 2:22; 13:26; 16:9; 20:19; 2 Kgs 14:10; 2 Chr 25:16; Neh 6:3; Pss 79:10; 115:2; Eccl 5:5; 7:16-17; Jer 40:15; Joel 2:17) (BDB 554 s.v. מַה 4.d.β). When connected with a foregoing sentence by the causal relative pronouns שֶׁ “because,” the idiom שַׁלָּמָה connotes “lest” (literally, “Because why should?”) (BDB 554 s.v. 4.d.β). The meaning of שַׁלָּמָה is identical to the parallel constructions אֲשֶׁר לָמָּה (’asher lammah, “lest”; Dan 1:10) and דִּי לְמָה (di lÿmah, “lest”; Ezra 7:23). In Song 1:6[7] the causal relative pronoun שֶׁ connects it to the preceding lines, and our idiom assumes the elided phrase לִי הַגִּידָהּ (haggidah li, “Tell me!”) which occurred earlier: “Tell me lest I …!” or “Tell me! For why should I…?”

[1:7]  ⁷ tn The meaning of MT עֹטְיָה (’otÿyah, Qal active participle fs from עָטָה, ’atah, “to veil oneself”) is debated; several options have been proposed: (1) Some scholars attempt to explain this in light of ancient Israelite culture or customs. The term עָטָה describes a person wrapping oneself in a garment or with a veil (HALOT 813 s.v. I עטה) as (a) a sign of grief or mourning (Ezek 24:17, 22), uncleanness (Lev 13:45), or shame (Mic 3:7), and as (b) the clothing of the deceased (1 Sam 28:14) and veiled cult-prostitutes (Gen 28:14). The term is rendered “one who veils herself” (NASB), “one who is veiled” (NRSV, KJV margin) and “like a veiled woman” (ASV, NIV). BDB suggests that she veiled herself in mourning (BDB 741 s.v. I עָטָה). Rashi suggested that she veiled herself in mourning because she did not know where to find her beloved (Canticles Rabbah 1:6). Many commentators connect this with the veiled cult-prostitute soliciting business among shepherds. She wished to avoid what Tamar tried to do: to be mistaken as a harlot looking for business among the shepherds (Gen 38:14-23). If her beloved would not declare his whereabouts, she would be reduced to looking for him among the shepherds – an action that could be easily misunderstood. This is reflected in the CEV paraphrase: “Don’t let the other shepherds think badly of me.” R. E. Murphy (Song of Songs [Hermeneia], 131) writes: “Commentators have interpreted the covering as a sign of mourning (2 Sam 15:30) or as the sign of a harlot (Gen 38:14-15). These references are not helpful in explaining the context of v 7, and in neither of the instances is the word עָטָה used. She seems rather to refer to some kind of covering or disguise she will be forced to use unless she knows where to find him. One can infer that the disguise will enable her to avoid being identified by his ‘companions,’ but no reason is given (perhaps she does not want them to know about the rendezvous?)” (2) Other scholars resort to comparative lexicography. For example, S. R. Driver suggested that עֹטְיָה is not derived from עָטָה I (“to veil”), but from the Arabic root gth that came into Hebrew as the homonymic root עָטָה “to pick lice” (Isa 22:17; Jer 43:12) (HALOT 814 s.v. II עטה). Driver renders the line, “lest I be left picking lice,” that is, while away the siesta-time grooming herself. Most scholars reject this proposal; it seems strange in the context and unnecessarily creates a homonym for a well-known term that makes adequate sense contextually. Nevertheless, Driver’s proposal was adopted by the NEB: “that I may not be left picking lice.” See D. R. Driver, “Lice in the Old Testament,” PEQ 106 (1974): 159-160. (3) Still other scholars emend the text. MT reads כְּעֹטְיָה (kÿ’otÿyah, “like one who is veiled”) (preposition כְּ + Qal active participle fs עָטָה I “to veil”) which is also reflected in the LXX’s ὠ περιβαλλομενη (w periballomenh, “like one who is covered”; fs passive participle from περιβάλλω, periballw, “to cover”). However, several ancient versions (Greek: Symmachus, Syriac Peshitta, Vulgate) reflect a Hebrew Vorlage with metathesis of the first two consonants: כְּטֹעִיָּה (kÿto’iyyah) from טָעָה (ta’ah, “to wander about, to stray”; e.g., Ezek 13:10). The root טָעָה would be an Aramaizing form of Hebrew תָּעָה (“to wander”). This emendation is suggested by the BHS editors and the lexicons (HALOT 377 s.v. טעה; 814; BDB 742 s.v.); It is adopted by many translations: “like one who wanders” (RSV, AV, JB, NAB, NJV), “like one who strays” (JPS, NJPS) and “as one that turneth aside” (KJV). This would make nice sense contextually: she begs her beloved to tell her where to find him because she does not want to wander around like someone who is lost.

[8:20]  ⁸ tn Heb “to [the] instruction and to [the] testimony.” The words “then you must recall” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text vv. 19-20a are one long sentence, reading literally, “When they say to you…, to the instruction and to the testimony.” On the identity of the “instruction” and “testimony” see the notes at v. 16.

[8:20]  ⁹ tn Heb “If they do not speak according to this word, [it is] because it has no light of dawn.” The literal translation suggests that “this word” refers to the instruction/testimony. However, it is likely that אִם־לֹא (’im-lo’) is asseverative here, as in 5:9. In this case “this word” refers to the quotation recorded in v. 19. For a discussion of the problem see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 230, n. 9. The singular pronoun in the second half of the verse is collective, referring back to the nation (see v. 19b).

[4:4]  ¹⁰ sn Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai (cf. Exod 3:1).

[4:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “which I commanded him in Horeb concerning all Israel, statutes and ordinances.”

[16:29]  ¹² tn Grk “says.” This is one of the few times Luke uses the historical present.

[16:29]  ¹³ tn Or “obey”; Grk “hear.” This recalls the many OT texts calling for a righteous heart to respond to people in need (Deut 14:28-29; Isa 3:14-15; Amos 2:6-8; Mic 2:1-2; Zech 7:9-10).

[5:39]  ¹⁴ tn Or “Study the scriptures thoroughly” (an imperative). For the meaning of the verb see G. Delling, TDNT 2:655-57.

[5:39]  ¹⁵ sn In them you possess eternal life. Note the following examples from the rabbinic tractate Pirqe Avot (“The Sayings of the Fathers”): Pirqe Avot 2:8, “He who has acquired the words of the law has acquired for himself the life of the world to come”; Pirqe Avot 6:7, “Great is the law for it gives to those who practice it life in this world and in the world to come.”

[5:39]  ¹⁶ tn The words “same scriptures” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to clarify the referent (“these”).

[5:46]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “For if.”

[5:47]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “that one” (“he”); the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:11]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “These”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue at Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[17:11]  ²⁰ tn Or “more willing to learn.” L&N 27.48 and BDAG 404 s.v. εὐγενής 2 both use the term “open-minded” here. The point is that they were more receptive to Paul’s message.

[17:11]  ²¹ sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).

[17:11]  map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[17:11]  ²² tn Or “willingly,” “readily”; Grk “with all eagerness.”

[17:11]  ²³ tn Grk “who received.” Here the relative pronoun (“who”) has been translated as a pronoun (“they”) preceded by a semicolon, which is less awkward in contemporary English than a relative clause at this point.

[17:11]  ²⁴ tn This verb (BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω 1) refers to careful examination.

[17:11]  ²⁵ tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.

[4:1]  ²⁶ tn Or “according to natural descent” (BDAG 916 s.v. σάρξ 4).

[4:1]  ²⁷ tn Grk “has found?”

[4:2]  ²⁸ tn Or “was justified.”

[4:3]  ²⁹ tn The term λογίζομαι (logizomai) occurs 11 times in this chapter (vv. 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 22, 23, 24). In secular usage it could (a) refer to deliberations of some sort, or (b) in commercial dealings (as virtually a technical term) to “reckoning” or “charging up a debt.” See H. W. Heidland, TDNT 4:284, 290-92.

[4:3]  ³⁰ sn A quotation from Gen 15:6.

[4:4]  ³¹ tn Grk “not according to grace but according to obligation.”

[4:5]  ³² tn Or “who justifies the ungodly.”

[4:12]  ³³ tn Grk “the father of circumcision.”

[4:12]  ³⁴ tn Grk “the ‘in-uncircumcision faith’ of our father Abraham.”

[6:12]  ³⁵ tn Or “dull.”

[11:2]  ³⁶ tn Or “the elders,” “the ancients.”

[11:2]  ³⁷ tn Grk “were attested,” “received commendation”; and Heb 11:4-6 shows this to be from God.

[11:3]  ³⁸ tn Grk “ages.” The temporal (ages) came to be used of the spatial (what exists in those time periods). See Heb 1:2 for same usage.

[11:3]  ³⁹ tn Grk “by God’s word.”

[11:3]  ⁴⁰ sn The Greek phrasing emphasizes this point by negating the opposite: “so that what is seen did not come into being from things that are visible.”

[11:4]  ⁴¹ tn Or “through his sacrifice”; Grk “through which.”

[11:4]  ⁴² tn Or “through his sacrifice”; Grk “through it.”

[11:7]  ⁴³ tn Cf. BDAG 407 s.v. εὐλαβέομαι 2, “out of reverent regard (for God’s command).”

[11:9]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “settled as a resident alien.”

[11:9]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “heirs with him.”

[11:10]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “that has foundations.”

[11:11]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “past the time of maturity.”

[11:11]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “power to deposit seed.” Though it is not as likely, some construe this phrase to mean “power to conceive seed,” making the whole verse about Sarah: “by faith, even though Sarah herself was barren and too old, she received ability to conceive, because she regarded the one who had given the promise to be trustworthy.”

[11:12]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “these”; in the translation the referent (children) has been specified for clarity.

[11:12]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk a collective “the sand.”

[11:12]  ⁵¹ sn An allusion to Gen 22:17 (which itself goes back to Gen 15:5).

[11:13]  ⁵² tn Grk “the promises,” referring to the things God promised, not to the pledges themselves.

[11:13]  ⁵³ tn Or “sojourners.”

[11:16]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “now.”

[11:17]  ⁵⁵ tn Here “received the promises” refers to the pledges themselves, not to the things God promised.

[11:17]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “he was offering up.” The tense of this verb indicates the attempt or readiness to sacrifice Isaac without the actual completion of the deed.

[11:18]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “in Isaac seed will be named for you.”

[11:18]  sn A quotation from Gen 21:12.

[11:19]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “having reasoned,” continuing the ideas of v. 17.

[11:19]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “in/by a symbol.”

[11:21]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “worshiped on the top of his staff,” a quotation from Gen 47:31 (LXX).

[11:22]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “coming to an end,” “dying.”

[11:22]  ⁶² sn Joseph’s prophecy about the exodus of the sons of Israel is found in Gen 50:24.

[11:22]  ⁶³ tn Grk “about his bones,” which refers by metonymy to the disposition of his bones, i.e., his burial.

[11:22]  sn The instructions about his burial are recorded in Gen 50:25.

[11:23]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “Moses, when he was born, was hidden by his parents.”

[11:26]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “the abuse [or ‘reproach’] of Christ.”

[11:26]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “he was looking away to.”

[11:28]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “the pouring out of the blood.”

[11:28]  sn The sprinkling of the blood refers here to the application of the blood to the doorways of the Israelite houses (cf. Exod 12:7, 13).

[11:30]  ⁶⁸ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[11:30]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “after they had been encircled.”

[11:31]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “did not perish together with.”

[11:33]  ⁷¹ tn This probably refers to the righteous rule of David and others. But it could be more general and mean “did what was righteous.”

[11:33]  ⁷² tn Grk “obtained promises,” referring to the things God promised, not to the pledges themselves.

[11:33]  sn Gained what was promised. They saw some of God’s promises fulfilled, even though the central promise remained unfulfilled until Christ came (cf. vv. 39-40).

[11:34]  ⁷³ tn Grk “quenched the power of fire.”

[11:34]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “recovered from sickness.”

[11:35]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “received back their dead from resurrection.”

[11:35]  ⁷⁶ tn Grk “to obtain a better resurrection.”

[11:37]  ⁷⁷ tc The reading ἐπρίσθησαν (ejprisqhsan, “they were sawed apart”) is found in some important witnesses (Ì⁴⁶ [D* twice reads ἐπίρσθησαν, “they were burned”?] pc sy^p sa Or^pt Eus). Other mss have ἐπειράσθησαν (ejpeirasqhsan, “they were tempted”), either before “sawed apart” ([א] L P [048] 33 81 326 1505 pc sy^h), after “sawed apart” (Ì^13vid A D¹ Ψ 1739 1881 Ï lat bo Or^pt), or altogether in place of “sawed apart” (0150 vg^mss Cl). Since the two words ἐπρίσθησαν and ἐπειράσθησαν are so much alike in sight and sound, and since the position of “they were tempted” varies in the mss, it seems best to say that ἐπειράσθησαν is an accidental corruption of ἐπρίσθησαν or an intentional change to a more common word (the root of ἐπρίσθησαν [πρίζω, prizw] occurs only here in the NT, while the root of ἐπειράσθησαν [πειράζω, peirazw] occurs 38 times). The best reading here seems to be “sawed apart” without any addition before or after. (See TCGNT 603-4, for a discussion of emendations that scholars have proposed for this difficult problem.)

[11:39]  ⁷⁸ sn The expression these all were commended forms an inclusio with Heb 11:2: The chapter begins and ends with references to commendation for faith.

[11:39]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “the promise,” referring to the thing God promised, not to the pledge itself.

[11:40]  ⁸⁰ tn The Greek phrasing emphasizes this point by negating the opposite: “so that they would not be made perfect without us.”

[12:1]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “having such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us.”