Roma 6:1-2

The Believer’s Freedom from Sin’s Domination

6:1 What shall we say then? Are we to remain in sin so that grace may increase? 6:2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

Roma 1:9-13

1:9 For God, whom I serve in my spirit by preaching the gospel ¹  of his Son, is my witness that ²  I continually remember you 1:10 and I always ask ³  in my prayers, if perhaps now at last I may succeed in visiting you according to the will of God. ⁴  1:11 For I long to see you, so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift ⁵  to strengthen you, 1:12 that is, that we may be mutually comforted by one another’s faith, ⁶  both yours and mine. 1:13 I do not want you to be unaware, ⁷  brothers and sisters, ⁸  that I often intended to come to you (and was prevented until now), so that I may have some fruit even among you, just as I already have among the rest of the Gentiles. ⁹ 

Mazmur 25:11

25:11 For the sake of your reputation, ¹⁰  O Lord,

forgive my sin, because it is great. ¹¹ 

Yesaya 1:18

1:18 ¹² Come, let’s consider your options,” ¹³  says the Lord.

“Though your sins have stained you like the color red,

you can become ¹⁴  white like snow;

though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet,

you can become ¹⁵  white like wool. ¹⁶ 

Yesaya 43:24-25

43:24 You did not buy me aromatic reeds; ¹⁷ 

you did not present to me ¹⁸  the fat of your sacrifices.

Yet you burdened me with your sins;

you made me weary with your evil deeds. ¹⁹ 

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

your sins I do not remember.

Yeremia 3:8-14

3:8 She also saw ²⁰  that I gave wayward Israel her divorce papers and sent her away because of her adulterous worship of other gods. ²¹  Even after her unfaithful sister Judah had seen this, ²²  she still was not afraid, and she too went and gave herself like a prostitute to other gods. ²³  3:9 Because she took her prostitution so lightly, she defiled the land ²⁴  through her adulterous worship of gods made of wood and stone. ²⁵  3:10 In spite of all this, ²⁶  Israel’s sister, unfaithful Judah, has not turned back to me with any sincerity; she has only pretended to do so,” ²⁷  says the Lord. 3:11 Then the Lord said to me, “Under the circumstances, wayward Israel could even be considered less guilty than unfaithful Judah. ²⁸ 

The Lord Calls on Israel and Judah to Repent

3:12 “Go and shout this message to my people in the countries in the north. ²⁹  Tell them,

‘Come back to me, wayward Israel,’ says the Lord.

‘I will not continue to look on you with displeasure. ³⁰ 

For I am merciful,’ says the Lord.

‘I will not be angry with you forever.

3:13 However, you must confess that you have done wrong, ³¹ 

and that you have rebelled against the Lord your God.

You must confess ³²  that you have given yourself to ³³  foreign gods under every green tree,

and have not obeyed my commands,’ says the Lord.

3:14 “Come back to me, my wayward sons,” says the Lord, “for I am your true master. ³⁴  If you do, ³⁵  I will take one of you from each town and two of you from each family group, and I will bring you back to Zion.

Yehezkiel 16:52

16:52 So now, bear your disgrace, because you have given your sisters reason to justify their behavior. ³⁶  Because the sins you have committed were more abominable than those of your sisters; they have become more righteous than you. So now, be ashamed and bear the disgrace of making your sisters appear righteous.

Yehezkiel 16:60-63

16:60 Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish a lasting ³⁷  covenant with you. 16:61 Then you will remember your conduct, and be ashamed when you receive your older and younger sisters. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on account of my covenant with you. 16:62 I will establish my covenant with you, and then you will know that I am the Lord. 16:63 Then you will remember, be ashamed, and remain silent ³⁸  when I make atonement for all you have done, ³⁹  declares the sovereign Lord.’”

Yehezkiel 36:25-32

36:25 I will sprinkle you with pure water ⁴⁰  and you will be clean from all your impurities. I will purify you from all your idols. 36:26 I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove the heart of stone ⁴¹  from your body and give you a heart of flesh. ⁴²  36:27 I will put my Spirit within you; ⁴³  I will take the initiative and you will obey my statutes ⁴⁴  and carefully observe my regulations. ⁴⁵  36:28 Then you will live in the land I gave to your fathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God. ⁴⁶  36:29 I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and multiply it; I will not bring a famine on you. 36:30 I will multiply the fruit of the trees and the produce of the fields, so that you will never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. 36:31 Then you will remember your evil behavior ⁴⁷  and your deeds which were not good; you will loathe yourselves on account of your sins and your abominable deeds. 36:32 Understand that ⁴⁸  it is not for your sake I am about to act, declares the sovereign Lord. Be ashamed and embarrassed by your behavior, O house of Israel.

Mikha 7:18-19

7:18 There is no other God like you! ⁴⁹ 

You ⁵⁰  forgive sin

and pardon ⁵¹  the rebellion

of those who remain among your people. ⁵² 

You do not remain angry forever, ⁵³ 

but delight in showing loyal love.

7:19 You will once again ⁵⁴  have mercy on us;

you will conquer ⁵⁵  our evil deeds;

you will hurl our ⁵⁶  sins into the depths of the sea. ⁵⁷ 

Matius 9:13

9:13 Go and learn what this saying means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’ ⁵⁸  For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Lukas 7:47

7:47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which were many, are forgiven, thus she loved much; ⁵⁹  but the one who is forgiven little loves little.”

Lukas 23:39-43

23:39 One of the criminals who was hanging there railed at him, saying, “Aren’t ⁶⁰  you the Christ? ⁶¹  Save yourself and us!” 23:40 But the other rebuked him, saying, ⁶²  “Don’t ⁶³  you fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁶⁴  23:41 And we rightly so, for we are getting what we deserve for what we did, but this man has done nothing ⁶⁵  wrong.” 23:42 Then ⁶⁶  he said, “Jesus, remember me ⁶⁷  when you come in ⁶⁸  your kingdom.” 23:43 And Jesus ⁶⁹  said to him, “I tell you the truth, ⁷⁰  today ⁷¹  you will be with me in paradise.” ⁷² 

Yohanes 10:10

10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill ⁷³  and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. ⁷⁴ 

Yohanes 10:1

Jesus as the Good Shepherd

10:1 “I tell you the solemn truth, ⁷⁵  the one who does not enter the sheepfold ⁷⁶  by the door, ⁷⁷  but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber.

Kolose 1:9-11

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, ⁷⁸  have not ceased praying for you and asking God ⁷⁹  to fill ⁸⁰  you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 1:10 so that you may live ⁸¹  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ⁸²  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, 1:11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of ⁸³  all patience and steadfastness, joyfully

Efesus 1:6-8

1:6 to the praise of the glory of his grace ⁸⁴  that he has freely bestowed on us in his dearly loved Son. ⁸⁵  1:7 In him ⁸⁶  we have redemption through his blood, ⁸⁷  the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 1:8 that he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight.

Efesus 2:1-5

New Life Individually

2:1 And although you were ⁸⁸  dead ⁸⁹  in your transgressions and sins, 2:2 in which ⁹⁰  you formerly lived ⁹¹  according to this world’s present path, ⁹²  according to the ruler of the kingdom ⁹³  of the air, the ruler of ⁹⁴  the spirit ⁹⁵  that is now energizing ⁹⁶  the sons of disobedience, ⁹⁷  2:3 among whom ⁹⁸  all of us ⁹⁹  also ¹⁰⁰  formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath ¹⁰¹  even as the rest… ¹⁰² 

2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, 2:5 even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you are saved! ¹⁰³  –

Efesus 2:1

New Life Individually

2:1 And although you were ¹⁰⁴  dead ¹⁰⁵  in your transgressions and sins,

Titus 1:13-16

1:13 Such testimony is true. For this reason rebuke them sharply that they may be healthy in the faith 1:14 and not pay attention to Jewish myths ¹⁰⁶  and commands of people who reject the truth. 1:15 All is pure to those who are pure. But to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 1:16 They profess to know God but with their deeds they deny him, since they are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.

Titus 3:3-7

3:3 For we too were once foolish, disobedient, misled, enslaved to various passions and desires, spending our lives in evil and envy, hateful and hating one another. 3:4 ¹⁰⁷  But “when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, 3:5 he saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, 3:6 whom he poured out on us in full measure ¹⁰⁸  through Jesus Christ our Savior. 3:7 And so, ¹⁰⁹  since we have been justified by his grace, we become heirs with the confident expectation of eternal life.” ¹¹⁰ 

[1:9]  ¹ tn Grk “whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel.”

[1:9]  ² tn Grk “as.”

[1:10]  ³ tn Grk “remember you, always asking.”

[1:10]  ⁴ tn Grk “succeed in coming to you in the will of God.”

[1:11]  ⁵ sn Paul does not mean here that he is going to bestow upon the Roman believers what is commonly known as a “spiritual gift,” that is, a special enabling for service given to believers by the Holy Spirit. Instead, this is either a metonymy of cause for effect (Paul will use his own spiritual gifts to edify the Romans), or it simply means something akin to a blessing or benefit in the spiritual realm. It is possible that Paul uses this phrase to connote specifically the broader purpose of his letter, which is for the Romans to understand his gospel, but this seems less likely.

[1:12]  ⁶ tn Grk “that is, to be comforted together with you through the faith in one another.”

[1:13]  ⁷ sn The expression “I do not want you to be unaware [Grk ignorant]” also occurs in 1 Cor 10:1; 12:1; 1 Thess 4:13. Paul uses the phrase to signal that he is about to say something very important.

[1:13]  ⁸ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[1:13]  ⁹ tn Grk “in order that I might have some fruit also among you just as also among the rest of the Gentiles.”

[25:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “name.” By forgiving the sinful psalmist, the Lord’s reputation as a merciful God will be enhanced.

[25:11]  ¹¹ sn Forgive my sin, because it is great. The psalmist readily admits his desperate need for forgiveness.

[1:18]  ¹² sn The Lord concludes his case against Israel by offering them the opportunity to be forgiven and by setting before them the alternatives of renewed blessing (as a reward for repentance) and final judgment (as punishment for persistence in sin).

[1:18]  ¹³ tn Traditionally, “let us reason together,” but the context suggests a judicial nuance. The Lord is giving the nation its options for the future.

[1:18]  ¹⁴ tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.

[1:18]  ¹⁵ tn The imperfects must be translated as modal (indicating capability or possibility) to bring out the conditional nature of the offer. This purification will only occur if the people repent and change their ways.

[1:18]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “though your sins are like red, they will become white like snow; though they are red like scarlet, they will be like wool.” The point is not that the sins will be covered up, though still retained. The metaphorical language must be allowed some flexibility and should not be pressed into a rigid literalistic mold. The people’s sins will be removed and replaced by ethical purity. The sins that are now as obvious as the color red will be washed away and the ones who are sinful will be transformed.

[43:24]  ¹⁷ tn That is, “calamus” (so NIV); NCV, TEV, NLT “incense”; CEV “spices.”

[43:24]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “you did not saturate me”; NASB “Neither have you filled Me.”

[43:24]  ¹⁹ sn In vv. 22-24 the Lord appears to be condemning his people for failure to bring the proper sacrifices. However, this is problematic. If this refers to the nation’s behavior while in exile, such cultic service was impossible and could hardly be expected by the Lord. If this refers to the nation’s conduct before the exile, it contradicts other passages that depict Israel as bringing excessive sacrifices (see, e.g., Isa 1:11-14; Jer 6:20; Amos 4:4-5, 5:21-23). Rather than being a condemnation of Israel’s failure to bring sacrifices, these verses are better taken as a highly rhetorical comment on the worthlessness of Israel’s religious ritual. They may have brought sacrifices, but not to the Lord, for he did not accept them or even want them. See C. R. North, Second Isaiah, 127, and R. Whybray, Isaiah 40-66 (NCBC), 91.

[3:8]  ²⁰ tc Heb “she [‘her sister, unfaithful Judah’ from the preceding verse] saw” with one Hebrew ms, some Greek mss, and the Syriac version. The MT reads “I saw” which may be a case of attraction to the verb at the beginning of the previous verse.

[3:8]  ²¹ tn Heb “because she committed adultery.” The translation is intended to spell out the significance of the metaphor.

[3:8]  ²² tn The words “Even after her unfaithful sister, Judah, had seen this” are not in the Hebrew text but are implicit in the connection and are supplied for clarification.

[3:8]  ²³ tn Heb “she played the prostitute there.” This is a metaphor for Israel’s worship; she gave herself to the worship of other gods like a prostitute gives herself to her lovers. There seems no clear way to completely spell out the metaphor in the translation.

[3:9]  ²⁴ tc The translation reads the form as a causative (Hiphil, תַּהֲנֵף, tahanef) with some of the versions in place of the simple stative (Qal, תֶּחֱנַף, tekhenaf) in the MT.

[3:9]  ²⁵ tn Heb “because of the lightness of her prostitution, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood.”

[3:10]  ²⁶ tn Heb “And even in all this.”

[3:10]  ²⁷ tn Heb “ has not turned back to me with all her heart but only in falsehood.”

[3:11]  ²⁸ tn Heb “Wayward Israel has proven herself to be more righteous than unfaithful Judah.”

[3:11]  sn A comparison is drawn here between the greater culpability of Judah, who has had the advantage of seeing how God disciplined her sister nation for having sinned and yet ignored the warning and committed the same sin, and the culpability of Israel who had no such advantage.

[3:12]  ²⁹ tn Heb “Go and proclaim these words to the north.” The translation assumes that the message is directed toward the exiles of northern Israel who have been scattered in the provinces of Assyria to the north.

[3:12]  ³⁰ tn Heb “I will not cause my face to fall on you.”

[3:13]  ³¹ tn Heb “Only acknowledge your iniquity.”

[3:13]  ³² tn The words “You must confess” are repeated to convey the connection. The Hebrew text has an introductory “that” in front of the second line and a coordinative “and” in front of the next two lines.

[3:13]  ³³ tc MT reads דְּרָכַיִךְ (dÿrakhayikh, “your ways”), but the BHS editors suggest דּוֹדַיִךְ (dodayikh, “your breasts”) as an example of orthographic confusion. While the proposal makes sense, it remains a conjectural emendation since it is not supported by any actual manuscripts or ancient versions.

[3:13]  tn Heb “scattered your ways with foreign [gods]” or “spread out your breasts to strangers.”

[3:14]  ³⁴ tn Or “I am your true husband.”

[3:14]  sn There is a wordplay between the term “true master” and the name of the pagan god Baal. The pronoun “I” is emphatic, creating a contrast between the Lord as Israel’s true master/husband versus Baal as Israel’s illegitimate lover/master. See 2:23-25.

[3:14]  ³⁵ tn The words, “If you do” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection of the Hebrew verb with the preceding.

[16:52]  ³⁶ tn Heb “because you have interceded for your sisters with your sins.”

[16:60]  ³⁷ tn Or “eternal.”

[16:63]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and your mouth will not be open any longer.”

[16:63]  ³⁹ tn Heb “when I make atonement for you for all which you have done.”

[36:25]  ⁴⁰ sn The Lord here uses a metaphor from the realm of ritual purification. For the use of water in ritual cleansing, see Exod 30:19-20; Lev 14:51; Num 19:18; Heb 10:22.

[36:26]  ⁴¹ sn That is, a heart which symbolizes a will that is stubborn and unresponsive (see 1 Sam 25:37). In Rabbinic literature a “stone” was associated with an evil inclination (b. Sukkah 52a).

[36:26]  ⁴² sn That is, a heart which symbolizes a will that is responsive and obedient to God.

[36:27]  ⁴³ tn Or “in the midst of you.” The word “you” is plural.

[36:27]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “and I will do that which in my statutes you will walk.” The awkward syntax (verb “to do, act” + accusative sign + relative clause + prepositional phrase + second person verb) is unique, though Eccl 3:14 contains a similar construction. In the last line of that verse we read that “God acts so that (relative pronoun) they fear before him.” However, unlike Ezek 36:27, the statement has no accusative sign before the relative pronoun.

[36:27]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “and my laws you will guard and you will do them.” Jer 31:31-34 is parallel to this passage.

[36:28]  ⁴⁶ sn This promise reflects the ancient covenantal ideal (see Exod 6:7).

[36:31]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “ways.”

[36:32]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “Let it be known.”

[7:18]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “Who is a God like you?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No one!”

[7:18]  ⁵⁰ 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]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “pass over.”

[7:18]  ⁵² tn Heb “of the remnant of his inheritance.”

[7:18]  ⁵³ tn Heb “he does not keep hold of his anger forever.”

[7:19]  ⁵⁴ tn The verb יָשׁוּב (yashuv, “he will return”) is here used adverbially in relation to the following verb, indicating that the Lord will again show mercy.

[7:19]  ⁵⁵ tn Some prefer to read יִכְבֹּס (yikhbos, “he will cleanse”; see HALOT 459 s.v. כבס pi). If the MT is taken as it stands, sin is personified as an enemy that the Lord subdues.

[7:19]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “their sins,” but the final mem (ם) may be enclitic rather than a pronominal suffix. In this case the suffix from the preceding line (“our”) may be understood as doing double duty.

[7:19]  ⁵⁷ sn In this metaphor the Lord disposes of Israel’s sins by throwing them into the waters of the sea (here symbolic of chaos).

[9:13]  ⁵⁸ sn A quotation from Hos 6:6 (see also Matt 12:7).

[7:47]  ⁵⁹ 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.

[23:39]  ⁶⁰ tc Most mss (A C³ W Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat) read εἰ σὺ εἶ (ei su ei, “If you are”) here, while οὐχὶ σὺ εἶ (ouci su ei, “Are you not”) is found in overall better and earlier witnesses (Ì⁷⁵ א B C* L 070 1241 pc it). The “if” clause reading creates a parallel with the earlier taunts (vv. 35, 37), and thus is most likely a motivated reading.

[23:39]  sn The question in Greek expects a positive reply and is also phrased with irony.

[23:39]  ⁶¹ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[23:39]  sn See the note on Christ in 2:11.

[23:40]  ⁶² tn Grk “But answering, the other rebuking him, said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.

[23:40]  ⁶³ tn The particle used here (οὐδέ, oude), which expects a positive reply, makes this a rebuke – “You should fear God and not speak!”

[23:40]  ⁶⁴ tn The words “of condemnation” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[23:41]  ⁶⁵ sn This man has done nothing wrong is yet another declaration that Jesus was innocent of any crime.

[23:42]  ⁶⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[23:42]  ⁶⁷ sn Jesus, remember me is a statement of faith from the cross, as Jesus saves another even while he himself is dying. This man’s faith had shown itself when he rebuked the other thief. He hoped to be with Jesus sometime in the future in the kingdom.

[23:42]  ⁶⁸ tc ‡ The alternate readings of some mss make the reference to Jesus’ coming clearer. “Into your kingdom” – with εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν (ei" thn basileian), read by Ì⁷⁵ B L – is a reference to his entering into God’s presence at the right hand. “In your kingdom” – with ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ (en th basileia), read by א A C*^,2 W Θ Ψ 070 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat sy – looks at his return. It could be argued that the reading with εἰς is more in keeping with Luke’s theology elsewhere, but the contrast with Jesus’ reply, “Today,” slightly favors the reading “in your kingdom.” Codex Bezae (D), in place of this short interchange between the criminal and Jesus, reads “Then he turned to the Lord and said to him, ‘Remember me in the day of your coming.’ Then the Lord said in reply to [him], ‘Take courage; today you will be with me in paradise.’” This reading emphasizes the future aspect of the coming of Christ; it has virtually no support in any other mss.

[23:43]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “he.”

[23:43]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[23:43]  ⁷¹ sn Jesus gives more than the criminal asked for, because the blessing will come today, not in the future. He will be among the righteous. See the note on today in 2:11.

[23:43]  ⁷² sn In the NT, paradise is mentioned three times. Here it refers to the abode of the righteous dead. In Rev 2:7 it refers to the restoration of Edenic paradise predicted in Isa 51:3 and Ezek 36:35. In 2 Cor 12:4 it probably refers to the “third heaven” (2 Cor 12:2) as the place where God dwells.

[10:10]  ⁷³ tn That is, “to slaughter” (in reference to animals).

[10:10]  ⁷⁴ tn That is, more than one would normally expect or anticipate.

[10:1]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[10:1]  ⁷⁶ sn There was more than one type of sheepfold in use in Palestine in Jesus’ day. The one here seems to be a courtyard in front of a house (the Greek word used for the sheepfold here, αὐλή [aulh] frequently refers to a courtyard), surrounded by a stone wall (often topped with briars for protection).

[10:1]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “entrance.”

[1:9]  ⁷⁸ tn Or “heard about it”; Grk “heard.” There is no direct object stated in the Greek (direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context). A direct object is expected by an English reader, however, so most translations supply one. Here, however, it is not entirely clear what the author “heard”: a number of translations supply “it” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV; NAB “this”), but this could refer back either to (1) “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8, or (2) “your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints” (v. 4). In light of this uncertainty, other translations supply “about you” (TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). This is preferred by the present translation since, while it does not resolve the ambiguity entirely, it does make it less easy for the English reader to limit the reference only to “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8.

[1:9]  ⁷⁹ tn The term “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but the following reference to “the knowledge of his will” makes it clear that “God” is in view as the object of the “praying and asking,” and should therefore be included in the English translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ⁸⁰ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated as substantival, indicating the content of the prayer and asking. The idea of purpose may also be present in this clause.

[1:10]  ⁸¹ 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]  ⁸² 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.”

[1:11]  ⁸³ tn The expression “for the display of” is an attempt to convey in English the force of the Greek preposition εἰς (eis) in this context.

[1:6]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “to the praise of his glorious grace.” Many translations translate δόξης τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ (doxh" th" carito" autou, literally “of the glory of his grace”) with τῆς χάριτος as an attributed genitive (cf., e.g., NIV, NRSV, ESV). The translation above has retained a literal rendering in order to make clear the relationship of this phrase to the other two similar phrases in v. 12 and 14, which affect the way one divides the material in the passage.

[1:6]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “the beloved.” The term ἠγαπημένῳ (hgaphmenw) means “beloved,” but often bears connotations of “only beloved” in an exclusive sense. “His dearly loved Son” picks up this connotation.

[1:6]  sn God’s grace can be poured out on believers only because of what Christ has done for them. Hence, he bestows his grace on us because we are in his dearly loved Son.

[1:7]  ⁸⁶ tn Grk “in whom” (the relative clause of v. 7 is subordinate to v. 6). The “him” refers to Christ.

[1:7]  ⁸⁷ sn In this context his blood, the blood of Jesus Christ, refers to the price paid for believers’ redemption, which is the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross.

[2:1]  ⁸⁸ tn The adverbial participle “being” (ὄντας, ontas) is taken concessively.

[2:1]  ⁸⁹ sn Chapter 2 starts off with a participle, although you were dead, that is left dangling. The syntax in Greek for vv. 1-3 constitutes one incomplete sentence, though it seems to have been done intentionally. The dangling participle leaves the readers in suspense while they wait for the solution (in v. 4) to their spiritual dilemma.

[2:2]  ⁹⁰ sn The relative pronoun which is feminine as is sins, indicating that sins is the antecedent.

[2:2]  ⁹¹ tn Grk “walked.”

[2:2]  sn The Greek verb translated lived (περιπατέω, peripatew) in the NT letters refers to the conduct of one’s life, not to physical walking.

[2:2]  ⁹² tn Or possibly “Aeon.”

[2:2]  sn The word translated present path is the same as that which has been translated [this] age in 1:21 (αἰών, aiwn).

[2:2]  ⁹³ tn Grk “domain, [place of] authority.”

[2:2]  ⁹⁴ tn Grk “of” (but see the note on the word “spirit” later in this verse).

[2:2]  ⁹⁵ sn The ruler of the kingdom of the air is also the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience. Although several translations regard the ruler to be the same as the spirit, this is unlikely since the cases in Greek are different (ruler is accusative and spirit is genitive). To get around this, some have suggested that the genitive for spirit is a genitive of apposition. However, the semantics of the genitive of apposition are against such an interpretation (cf. ExSyn 100).

[2:2]  ⁹⁶ tn Grk “working in.”

[2:2]  ⁹⁷ sn Sons of disobedience is a Semitic idiom that means “people characterized by disobedience.” However, it also contains a subtle allusion to vv. 4-10: Some of those sons of disobedience have become sons of God.

[2:3]  ⁹⁸ sn Among whom. The relative pronoun phrase that begins v. 3 is identical, except for gender, to the one that begins v. 2 (ἐν αἵς [en Jais], ἐν οἵς [en Jois]). By the structure, the author is building an argument for our hopeless condition: We lived in sin and we lived among sinful people. Our doom looked to be sealed as well in v. 2: Both the external environment (kingdom of the air) and our internal motivation and attitude (the spirit that is now energizing) were under the devil’s thumb (cf. 2 Cor 4:4).

[2:3]  ⁹⁹ tn Grk “we all.”

[2:3]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Or “even.”

[2:3]  ¹⁰¹ sn Children of wrath is a Semitic idiom which may mean either “people characterized by wrath” or “people destined for wrath.”

[2:3]  ¹⁰² sn Eph 2:1-3. The translation of vv. 1-3 is very literal, even to the point of retaining the awkward syntax of the original. See note on the word dead in 2:1.

[2:5]  ¹⁰³ tn Or “by grace you have been saved.” The perfect tense in Greek connotes both completed action (“you have been saved”) and continuing results (“you are saved”).

[2:1]  ¹⁰⁴ tn The adverbial participle “being” (ὄντας, ontas) is taken concessively.

[2:1]  ¹⁰⁵ sn Chapter 2 starts off with a participle, although you were dead, that is left dangling. The syntax in Greek for vv. 1-3 constitutes one incomplete sentence, though it seems to have been done intentionally. The dangling participle leaves the readers in suspense while they wait for the solution (in v. 4) to their spiritual dilemma.

[1:14]  ¹⁰⁶ sn Jewish myths were legendary tales characteristic of the false teachers in Ephesus and Crete. See parallels in 1 Tim 1:4; 4:7; and 2 Tim 4:4.

[3:4]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Verses 4-7 are set as poetry in NA²⁶/NA²⁷. These verses probably constitute the referent of the expression “this saying” in v. 8.

[3:6]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Or “on us richly.”

[3:7]  ¹⁰⁹ tn This is the conclusion of a single, skillfully composed sentence in Greek encompassing Titus 3:4-7. Showing the goal of God’s merciful salvation, v. 7 begins literally, “in order that, being justified…we might become heirs…”

[3:7]  ¹¹⁰ tn Grk “heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”