Nehemia 8:9-12

8:9 Then Nehemiah the governor, ¹  Ezra the priestly scribe, ²  and the Levites who were imparting understanding to the people said to all of them, ³  “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping when they heard the words of the law. 8:10 He said to them, “Go and eat delicacies and drink sweet drinks and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy to our Lord. ⁴  Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

8:11 Then the Levites quieted all the people saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy. Do not grieve.” 8:12 So all the people departed to eat and drink and to share their food ⁵  with others ⁶  and to enjoy tremendous joy, ⁷  for they had gained insight in the matters that had been made known to them.

Nehemia 9:1-38

The People Acknowledge Their Sin before God

9:1 On the twenty-fourth day of this same month the Israelites assembled; they were fasting and wearing sackcloth, their heads covered with dust. 9:2 Those truly of Israelite descent ⁸  separated from all the foreigners, ⁹  standing and confessing their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors. ¹⁰  9:3 For one-fourth of the day they stood in their place and read from the book of the law of the LORD their God, and for another fourth they were confessing their sins ¹¹  and worshiping the LORD their God. 9:4 Then the Levites – Jeshua, Binnui, ¹²  Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani – stood on the steps and called out loudly ¹³  to the LORD their God. 9:5 The Levites – Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah – said, “Stand up and bless the LORD your God!”

“May you be blessed, O LORD our God, from age to age. ¹⁴  May your glorious name ¹⁵  be blessed; may it be lifted up above all blessing and praise. 9:6 You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, ¹⁶  along with all their multitude of stars, ¹⁷  the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You impart life to them all, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

9:7 “You are the LORD God who chose Abram and brought him forth from Ur of the Chaldeans. You changed his name to Abraham. 9:8 When you perceived that his heart was faithful toward you, you established a ¹⁸  covenant with him to give his descendants ¹⁹  the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites. You have fulfilled your promise, ²⁰  for you are righteous.

9:9 “You saw the affliction of our ancestors in Egypt, and you heard their cry at the Red Sea. ²¹  9:10 You performed awesome signs ²²  against Pharaoh, against his servants, and against all the people of his land, for you knew that the Egyptians ²³  had acted presumptuously ²⁴  against them. You made for yourself a name that is celebrated to this day. 9:11 You split the sea before them, and they crossed through ²⁵  the sea on dry ground! But you threw their pursuers ²⁶  into the depths, like a stone into surging ²⁷  waters. 9:12 You guided them with a pillar of cloud by day and with a pillar of fire by night to illumine for them the path they were to travel.

9:13 “You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven. You provided them with just judgments, true laws, and good statutes and commandments. 9:14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath; you issued commandments, statutes, and law to them through ²⁸  Moses your servant. 9:15 You provided bread from heaven for them in their time of hunger, and you brought forth water from the rock for them in their time of thirst. You told them to enter in order to possess the land that you had sworn ²⁹  to give them.

9:16 “But they – our ancestors ³⁰  – behaved presumptuously; they rebelled ³¹  and did not obey your commandments. 9:17 They refused to obey and did not recall your miracles that you had performed among them. Instead, they rebelled and appointed a leader to return to their bondage in Egypt. ³²  But you are a God of forgiveness, merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and unfailing in your loyal love. ³³  You did not abandon them, 9:18 even when they made a cast image of a calf for themselves and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up from Egypt,’ or when they committed atrocious ³⁴  blasphemies.

9:19 “Due to your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. The pillar of cloud did not stop guiding them in the path by day, ³⁵  nor did the pillar of fire stop illuminating for them by night the path on which they should travel. 9:20 You imparted your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths; you provided water for their thirst. 9:21 For forty years you sustained them. Even in the desert they never lacked anything. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.

9:22 “You gave them kingdoms and peoples, and you allocated them to every corner of the land. ³⁶  They inherited the land of King Sihon of Heshbon ³⁷  and the land of King Og of Bashan. 9:23 You multiplied their descendants like the stars of the sky. You brought them to the land you had told their ancestors to enter in order to possess. 9:24 Their descendants ³⁸  entered and possessed the land. You subdued before them the Canaanites who were the inhabitants of the land. You delivered them into their hand, together with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with as they pleased. 9:25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land. They took possession of houses full of all sorts of good things – wells previously dug, vineyards, olive trees, and fruit trees in abundance. They ate until they were full ³⁹  and grew fat. They enjoyed to the full your great goodness.

9:26 “Nonetheless they grew disobedient and rebelled against you; they disregarded your law. ⁴⁰  They killed your prophets who had solemnly admonished them in order to cause them to return to you. They committed atrocious blasphemies. 9:27 Therefore you delivered them into the hand of their adversaries, who oppressed them. But in the time of their distress they called to you, and you heard from heaven. In your abundant compassion you provided them with deliverers to rescue them from ⁴¹  their adversaries.

9:28 “Then, when they were at rest again, they went back to doing evil before you. Then you abandoned them to ⁴²  their enemies, and they gained dominion over them. When they again cried out to you, in your compassion you heard from heaven and rescued them time and again. 9:29 And you solemnly admonished them in order to return them to your law, but they behaved presumptuously and did not obey your commandments. They sinned against your ordinances – those by which an individual, if he obeys them, ⁴³  will live. They boldly turned from you; ⁴⁴  they rebelled ⁴⁵  and did not obey. 9:30 You prolonged your kindness ⁴⁶  with them for many years, and you solemnly admonished them by your Spirit through your prophets. Still they paid no attention, ⁴⁷  so you delivered them into the hands of the neighboring peoples. ⁴⁸  9:31 However, due to your abundant mercy you did not do away with them altogether; you did not abandon them. For you are a merciful and compassionate God.

9:32 “So now, our God – the great, powerful, and awesome God, who keeps covenant fidelity ⁴⁹  – do not regard as inconsequential ⁵⁰  all the hardship that has befallen us – our kings, our leaders, our priests, our prophets, our ancestors, and all your people – from the days of the kings of Assyria until this very day! 9:33 You are righteous with regard to all that has happened to us, for you have acted faithfully. ⁵¹  It is we who have been in the wrong! 9:34 Our kings, our leaders, our priests, and our ancestors have not kept your law. They have not paid attention to your commandments or your testimonies by which you have solemnly admonished them. 9:35 Even when they were in their kingdom and benefiting from your incredible ⁵²  goodness that you had lavished ⁵³  on them in the spacious and fertile land you had set ⁵⁴  before them, they did not serve you, nor did they turn from their evil practices.

9:36 “So today we are slaves! In the very land you gave to our ancestors to eat its fruit and to enjoy ⁵⁵  its good things – we are slaves! 9:37 Its abundant produce goes to the kings you have placed over us due to our sins. They rule over our bodies and our livestock as they see fit, ⁵⁶  and we are in great distress!

The People Pledge to be Faithful

9:38 (10:1) ⁵⁷  “Because of all of this we are entering into a binding covenant ⁵⁸  in written form; ⁵⁹  our leaders, our Levites, and our priests have affixed their names ⁶⁰  on the sealed document.”

Mazmur 30:5

30:5 For his anger lasts only a brief moment,

and his good favor restores one’s life. ⁶¹ 

One may experience sorrow during the night,

but joy arrives in the morning. ⁶² 

Mazmur 126:1-2

Psalm 126 ⁶³ 

A song of ascents. ⁶⁴ 

126:1 When the Lord restored the well-being of Zion, ⁶⁵ 

we thought we were dreaming. ⁶⁶ 

126:2 At that time we laughed loudly

and shouted for joy. ⁶⁷ 

At that time the nations said, ⁶⁸ 

“The Lord has accomplished great things for these people.”

Mazmur 126:5-6

126:5 Those who shed tears as they plant

will shout for joy when they reap the harvest. ⁶⁹ 

126:6 The one who weeps as he walks along, carrying his bag ⁷⁰  of seed,

will certainly come in with a shout of joy, carrying his sheaves of grain. ⁷¹ 

Yesaya 22:12-13

22:12 At that time the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, called for weeping and mourning,

for shaved heads and sackcloth. ⁷² 

22:13 But look, there is outright celebration! ⁷³ 

You say, “Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep,

eat meat and drink wine.

Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” ⁷⁴ 

Matius 9:15

9:15 Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests ⁷⁵  cannot mourn while the bridegroom ⁷⁶  is with them, can they? But the days ⁷⁷  are coming when the bridegroom will be taken from them, ⁷⁸  and then they will fast.

Matius 11:17

11:17 ‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance; ⁷⁹ 

we wailed in mourning, ⁸⁰  yet you did not weep.’

Yohanes 16:20-22

16:20 I tell you the solemn truth, ⁸¹  you will weep ⁸²  and wail, ⁸³  but the world will rejoice; you will be sad, ⁸⁴  but your sadness will turn into ⁸⁵  joy. 16:21 When a woman gives birth, she has distress ⁸⁶  because her time ⁸⁷  has come, but when her child is born, she no longer remembers the suffering because of her joy that a human being ⁸⁸  has been born into the world. ⁸⁹  16:22 So also you have sorrow ⁹⁰  now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. ⁹¹ 

Roma 12:15

12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

Roma 12:2

12:2 Do not be conformed ⁹²  to this present world, ⁹³  but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve ⁹⁴  what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

Kolose 1:10

1:10 so that you may live ⁹⁵  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ⁹⁶  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,

Yakobus 4:9

4:9 Grieve, mourn, ⁹⁷  and weep. Turn your laughter ⁹⁸  into mourning and your joy into despair.

[8:9]  ¹ tc The unexpected reference to Nehemiah here has led some scholars to suspect that the phrase “Nehemiah the governor” is a later addition to the text and not original.

[8:9]  ² tn Heb “the priest, the scribe.”

[8:9]  ³ tn Heb “the people.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy.

[8:10]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[8:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “to send portions.”

[8:12]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew text does not include the phrase “with others” but it has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[8:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “to make great joy.”

[9:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “the seed of Israel.”

[9:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “sons of a foreigner.”

[9:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 9, 16, 23, 32, 34, 36).

[9:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “confessing.” The words “their sins” are not present in the Hebrew text of v. 3, but are clearly implied here because they are explicitly stated in v. 2.

[9:4]  ¹² tc Heb “Bani.” The translation reads “Binnui” (so also NAB) rather than the MT reading “Bani.” Otherwise there are two individuals with the same name in this verse. The name “Binnui” appears, for example, in Neh 10:10.

[9:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “in a great voice.”

[9:5]  ¹⁴ tc The MT reads here only “from age to age,” without the preceding words “May you be blessed, O LORD our God” which are included in the present translation. But apparently something has dropped out of the text. This phrase occurs elsewhere in the OT as a description of the Lord (see Ps 41:13; 106:48), and it seems best to understand it here in that light. The LXX adds “And Ezra said” at the beginning of v. 6 as a transition: “And Ezra said, ‘You alone are the LORD.” Without this addition (which is not included by most modern English translations) the speakers of vv. 9:5b-10:1 continue to be the Levites of v. 5a.

[9:5]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the name of your glory.”

[9:6]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the heavens of the heavens.”

[9:6]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “all their host.”

[9:8]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “the” (so NAB).

[9:8]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “seed.”

[9:8]  ²⁰ tn Heb “your words.”

[9:9]  ²¹ tn Heb “the Sea of Reeds.” Traditionally this is identified as the Red Sea, and the modern designation has been used in the translation for clarity.

[9:10]  ²² tn Heb “signs and wonders.” This phrase is a hendiadys. The second noun functions adjectivally, while the first noun retains its full nominal sense: “awesome signs” or “miraculous signs.”

[9:10]  ²³ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Egyptians) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:10]  ²⁴ tn Or “arrogantly” (so NASB); NRSV “insolently.”

[9:11]  ²⁵ tn Heb “in the midst of.”

[9:11]  ²⁶ tn Heb “those who pursued them.”

[9:11]  ²⁷ tn Heb “mighty.”

[9:14]  ²⁸ tn Heb “by the hand of.”

[9:15]  ²⁹ tn Heb “had lifted your hand.”

[9:16]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and our fathers.” The vav is explicative.

[9:16]  ³¹ tn Heb “they stiffened their neck” (so also in the following verse).

[9:17]  ³² tc The present translation follows a few medieval Hebrew MSS and the LXX in reading בְּמִצְרָיִם (bÿmitsrayim, “in Egypt”; so also NAB, NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT) rather than the MT reading בְּמִרְיָם (bÿmiryam, “in their rebellion”).

[9:17]  ³³ tc The translation follows the Qere reading חֶסֶד (khesed, “loyal love”) rather than the Kethib reading וְחֶסֶד (vÿkhesed, “and loyal love”) of the MT.

[9:18]  ³⁴ tn Heb “great.”

[9:19]  ³⁵ tn Heb “did not turn from them by day to guide them in the path.”

[9:22]  ³⁶ tn The words “of the land” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:22]  ³⁷ tc Most Hebrew MSS read “the land of Sihon and the land of the king of Heshbon.” The present translation (along with NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, CEV, NLT) follows the reading of one Hebrew MS, the LXX, and the Vulgate.

[9:24]  ³⁸ tn Heb “the sons.”

[9:25]  ³⁹ tn Heb “they ate and were sated.” This expression is a hendiadys. The first verb retains its full verbal sense, while the second functions adverbially: “they ate and were filled” = “they ate until they were full.”

[9:26]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “they cast your law behind their backs.”

[9:27]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “from the hand of” (so NASB, NIV); NAB “from the power of.”

[9:28]  ⁴² tn Heb “in the hand of” (so KJV, ASV); NAB “to the power of.”

[9:29]  ⁴³ tn Heb “if a man keep.” See note on the word “obey” in Neh 1:5.

[9:29]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “they gave a stubborn shoulder.”

[9:29]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “they stiffened their neck.”

[9:30]  ⁴⁶ tn The Hebrew expression here is elliptical. The words “your kindness” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:30]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “did not give ear to.”

[9:30]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “the peoples of the lands.”

[9:32]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “the covenant and loyal love.” The expression is a hendiadys. The second noun retains its full nominal sense, while the first functions adjectivally: “the covenant and loyalty” = covenant fidelity.

[9:32]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “do not let it seem small in your sight.”

[9:33]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “you have done truth.”

[9:35]  ⁵² tn Heb “great.”

[9:35]  ⁵³ tn Heb “given them.”

[9:35]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “given.”

[9:36]  ⁵⁵ tn The expression “to enjoy” is not included in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:37]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “according to their desire.”

[9:38]  ⁵⁷ sn Beginning with 9:38, the verse numbers through 10:39 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 9:38 ET = 10:1 HT, 10:1 ET = 10:2 HT, 10:2 ET = 10:3 HT, etc., through 10:39 ET = 10:40 HT. Beginning with 11:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.

[9:38]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “we are cutting.”

[9:38]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “and writing.”

[9:38]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “our leaders, our Levites, and our priests on the sealed document.” The Hebrew text is elliptical here; the words “have affixed their names” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons. Cf. v. 2.

[30:5]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “for [there is] a moment in his anger, [but] life in his favor.” Because of the parallelism with “moment,” some understand חַיִּים (khayyim) in a quantitative sense: “lifetime” (cf. NIV, NRSV). However, the immediate context, which emphasizes deliverance from death (see v. 3), suggests that חַיִּים has a qualitative sense: “physical life” or even “prosperous life” (cf. NEB “in his favour there is life”).

[30:5]  ⁶² tn Heb “in the evening weeping comes to lodge, but at morning a shout of joy.” “Weeping” is personified here as a traveler who lodges with one temporarily.

[126:1]  ⁶³ sn Psalm 126. Recalling the joy of past deliverance, God’s covenant community asks for a fresh display of God’s power and confidently anticipate their sorrow being transformed into joy.

[126:1]  ⁶⁴ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[126:1]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “turns with a turning [toward] his people.” The Hebrew noun שִׁיבַת (shivat) occurs only here in the OT. For this reason many prefer to emend the form to the more common שְׁבִית (shevit) or שְׁבוּת (shÿvut), both of which are used as a cognate accusative of שׁוּב (shuv; see Ps 14:7). However an Aramaic cognate of שְׁבִית appears in an eighth century b.c. Old Aramaic inscription with the verb שׁוּב. This cognate noun appears to mean “return” (see J. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Treaties of Sefire [BibOr], 119-20) or “restoration” (see DNWSI 2:1125). Therefore it appears that שְׁבִית should be retained and understood as a cognate accusative of שׁוּב. In addition to Fitzmyer (119-20) see L. C. Allen, who offers the literal translation, “turn with a turning toward” (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 170). Allen takes שְׁבִית as construct and understands “Zion” as an objective genitive.

[126:1]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “we were like dreamers.” This could mean the speakers were so overcome with ecstatic joy (see v. 3b) that they were like those who fantasize about pleasurable experiences in their sleep (see Isa 29:7-8). Since dreams are more commonly associated in the OT with prophetic visions, the community may be comparing their experience of God’s renewed favor to a prophet’s receiving divine visions. Just as a prophetic dream sweeps the individual into a different dimension and sometimes brings one face-to-face with God himself (see Gen 28:11-15; 1 Kgs 3:5-15), so the community was aware of God’s presence in a special way in the day of Zion’s restoration. Though the MT as it stands makes good sense, some choose to understand a homonymic root here meaning “to be healthy; to be strong” (see BDB 321 s.v. I חָלַם) and translate, “we were like those restored to health.” This reading appears to have the support of several ancient translations as well as 11QPs^a. See L. C. Allen (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 170-71) for a discussion of the viewpoints.

[126:2]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with a shout.”

[126:2]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “they said among the nations.”

[126:5]  ⁶⁹ sn O. Borowski says regarding this passage: “The dependence on rain for watering plants, the uncertainty of the quantity and timing of the rains, and the possibility of crop failure due to pests and diseases appear to have kept the farmer in a gloomy mood during sowing” (Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 54). Perhaps the people were experiencing a literal drought, the effects of which cause them to lament their plight as they plant their seed in hopes that the rain would come. However, most take the language as metaphorical. Like a farmer sowing his seed, the covenant community was enduring hardship as they waited for a new outpouring of divine blessing. Yet they are confident that a time of restoration will come and relieve their anxiety, just as the harvest brings relief and joy to the farmer.

[126:6]  ⁷⁰ tn The noun occurs only here and in Job 28:18 in the OT. See HALOT 646 s.v. I מֶשֶׁךְ which gives “leather pouch” as the meaning.

[126:6]  ⁷¹ tn The Hebrew noun אֲלֻמָּה (’alummah, “sheaf”) occurs only here and in Gen 37:7 in the OT.

[126:6]  sn Verse 6 expands the image of v. 5. See the note on the word “harvest” there.

[22:12]  ⁷² tn Heb “for baldness and the wearing of sackcloth.” See the note at 15:2.

[22:13]  ⁷³ tn Heb “happiness and joy.”

[22:13]  ⁷⁴ tn The prophet here quotes what the fatalistic people are saying. The introductory “you say” is supplied in the translation for clarification; the concluding verb “we die” makes it clear the people are speaking. The six verbs translated as imperatives are actually infinitives absolute, functioning here as finite verbs.

[9:15]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “sons of the wedding hall,” an idiom referring to wedding guests, or more specifically friends of the bridegroom present at the wedding celebration (L&N 11.7).

[9:15]  ⁷⁶ sn The expression while the bridegroom is with them is an allusion to messianic times (John 3:29; Isa 54:5-6; 62:4-5; 4 Ezra 2:15, 38).

[9:15]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “days.”

[9:15]  ⁷⁸ sn The statement the bridegroom will be taken from them is a veiled allusion by Jesus to his death, which he did not make explicit until the incident at Caesarea Philippi in 16:13ff.

[11:17]  ⁷⁹ sn ‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance…’ The children of this generation were making the complaint (see vv. 18-19) that others were not playing the game according to the way they played the music. John and Jesus did not follow “their tune.” Jesus’ complaint was that this generation wanted things their way, not God’s.

[11:17]  ⁸⁰ tn The verb ἐθρηνήσαμεν (eqrhnhsamen) refers to the loud wailing and lamenting used to mourn the dead in public in 1st century Jewish culture.

[16:20]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[16:20]  ⁸² tn Or “wail,” “cry.”

[16:20]  ⁸³ tn Or “lament.”

[16:20]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “sorrowful.”

[16:20]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “will become.”

[16:21]  ⁸⁶ sn The same word translated distress here has been translated sadness in the previous verse (a wordplay that is not exactly reproducible in English).

[16:21]  ⁸⁷ tn Grk “her hour.”

[16:21]  ⁸⁸ tn Grk “that a man” (but in a generic sense, referring to a human being).

[16:21]  ⁸⁹ sn Jesus now compares the situation of the disciples to a woman in childbirth. Just as the woman in the delivery of her child experiences real pain and anguish (has distress), so the disciples will also undergo real anguish at the crucifixion of Jesus. But once the child has been born, the mother’s anguish is turned into joy, and she forgets the past suffering. The same will be true of the disciples, who after Jesus’ resurrection and reappearance to them will forget the anguish they suffered at his death on account of their joy.

[16:22]  ⁹⁰ tn Or “distress.”

[16:22]  ⁹¹ sn An allusion to Isa 66:14 LXX, which reads: “Then you will see, and your heart will be glad, and your bones will flourish like the new grass; and the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants, but he will be indignant toward his enemies.” The change from “you will see [me]” to I will see you places more emphasis on Jesus as the one who reinitiates the relationship with the disciples after his resurrection, but v. 16 (you will see me) is more like Isa 66:14. Further support for seeing this allusion as intentional is found in Isa 66:7, which uses the same imagery of the woman giving birth found in John 16:21. In the context of Isa 66 the passages refer to the institution of the messianic kingdom, and in fact the last clause of 66:14 along with the following verses (15-17) have yet to be fulfilled. This is part of the tension of present and future eschatological fulfillment that runs throughout the NT, by virtue of the fact that there are two advents. Some prophecies are fulfilled or partially fulfilled at the first advent, while other prophecies or parts of prophecies await fulfillment at the second.

[12:2]  ⁹² tn Although συσχηματίζεσθε (suschmatizesqe) could be either a passive or middle, the passive is more likely since it would otherwise have to be a direct middle (“conform yourselves”) and, as such, would be quite rare for NT Greek. It is very telling that being “conformed” to the present world is viewed as a passive notion, for it may suggest that it happens, in part, subconsciously. At the same time, the passive could well be a “permissive passive,” suggesting that there may be some consciousness of the conformity taking place. Most likely, it is a combination of both.

[12:2]  ⁹³ tn Grk “to this age.”

[12:2]  ⁹⁴ sn The verb translated test and approve (δοκιμάζω, dokimazw) carries the sense of “test with a positive outcome,” “test so as to approve.”

[1:10]  ⁹⁵ tn The infinitive περιπατῆσαι (peripathsai, “to walk, to live, to live one’s life”) is best taken as an infinitive of purpose related to “praying” (προσευχόμενοι, proseucomenoi) and “asking” (αἰτούμενοι, aitoumenoi) in v. 9 and is thus translated as “that you may live.”

[1:10]  ⁹⁶ tn BDAG 129 s.v. ἀρεσκεία states that ἀρεσκείαν (areskeian) refers to a “desire to please εἰς πᾶσαν ἀ. to please (the Lord) in all respects Col 1:10.”

[4:9]  ⁹⁷ tn This term and the following one are preceded by καί (kai) in the Greek text, but contemporary English generally uses connectives only between the last two items in such a series.

[4:9]  ⁹⁸ tn Grk “let your laughter be turned.”