Roma 7:5

7:5 For when we were in the flesh, ¹  the sinful desires, ²  aroused by the law, were active in the members of our body ³  to bear fruit for death.

Roma 7:21

7:21 So, I find the law that when I want to do good, evil is present with me.

Roma 7:25

7:25 Thanks be ⁴  to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, ⁵  I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but ⁶  with my flesh I serve ⁷  the law of sin.

Roma 8:2

8:2 For the law of the life-giving Spirit ⁸  in Christ Jesus has set you ⁹  free from the law of sin and death.

Pengkhotbah 7:20

7:20 For ¹⁰  there is not one truly ¹¹  righteous person on the earth

who continually does good and never sins.

Galatia 5:17

5:17 For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires ¹²  that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to ¹³  each other, so that you cannot do what you want.

Galatia 5:1

Freedom of the Believer

5:1 For freedom ¹⁴  Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke ¹⁵  of slavery.

Titus 1:11-12

1:11 who must be silenced because they mislead whole families by teaching for dishonest gain what ought not to be taught. 1:12 A certain one of them, in fact, one of their own prophets, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” ¹⁶ 

Ibrani 12:4

12:4 You have not yet resisted to the point of bloodshed ¹⁷  in your struggle against sin.

Yakobus 3:2

3:2 For we all stumble ¹⁸  in many ways. If someone does not stumble ¹⁹  in what he says, ²⁰  he is a perfect individual, ²¹  able to control the entire body as well.

Yakobus 4:1

Passions and Pride

4:1 Where do the conflicts and where ²²  do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, ²³  from your passions that battle inside you? ²⁴ 

Yakobus 4:1

Passions and Pride

4:1 Where do the conflicts and where ²⁵  do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, ²⁶  from your passions that battle inside you? ²⁷ 

Pengkhotbah 2:11

2:11 Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished ²⁸ 

and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it, ²⁹ 

I concluded: ³⁰  “All these ³¹  achievements and possessions ³²  are ultimately ³³  profitless ³⁴  –

like chasing the wind!

There is nothing gained ³⁵  from them ³⁶  on earth.” ³⁷ 

[7:5]  ¹ tn That is, before we were in Christ.

[7:5]  ² tn Or “sinful passions.”

[7:5]  ³ tn Grk “our members”; the words “of our body” have been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[7:25]  ⁴ tc ‡ Most mss (א* A 1739 1881 Ï sy) read “I give thanks to God” rather than “Now thanks be to God” (א¹ [B] Ψ 33 81 104 365 1506 pc), the reading of NA²⁷. The reading with the verb (εὐχαριστῶ τῷ θεῷ, eucaristw tw qew) possibly arose from a transcriptional error in which several letters were doubled (TCGNT 455). The conjunction δέ (de, “now”) is included in some mss as well (א¹ Ψ 33 81 104 365 1506 pc), but it should probably not be considered original. The ms support for the omission of δέ is both excellent and widespread (א* A B D 1739 1881 Ï lat sy), and its addition can be explained as an insertion to smooth out the transition between v. 24 and 25.

[7:25]  ⁵ tn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.

[7:25]  ⁶ tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.

[7:25]  ⁷ tn The words “I serve” have been repeated here for clarity.

[8:2]  ⁸ tn Grk “for the law of the Spirit of life.”

[8:2]  ⁹ tc Most mss read the first person singular pronoun με (me) here (A D 1739^c 1881 Ï lat sa). The second person singular pronoun σε (se) is superior because of external support (א B {F which reads σαι} G 1506* 1739*) and internal support (it is the harder reading since ch. 7 was narrated in the first person). At the same time, it could have arisen via dittography from the final syllable of the verb preceding it (ἠλευθέρωσεν, hleuqerwsen; “has set free”). But for this to happen in such early and diverse witnesses is unlikely, especially as it depends on various scribes repeatedly overlooking either the nu or the nu-bar at the end of the verb.

[7:20]  ¹⁰ tn The introductory particle כִּי (ki) is rendered variously: “for” (KJV); “indeed” (NASB); not translated (NIV); “for” (NJPS). The particle functions in an explanatory sense, explaining the need for wisdom in v. 19. Righteousness alone cannot always protect a person from calamity (7:15-16); therefore, something additional, such as wisdom, is needed. The need for wisdom as protection from calamity is particularly evident in the light of the fact that no one is truly righteous (7:19-20).

[7:20]  ¹¹ tn The term “truly” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity. Qoheleth does not deny the existence of some people who are relatively righteous.

[5:17]  ¹² tn The words “has desires” do not occur in the Greek text a second time, but are repeated in the translation for clarity.

[5:17]  ¹³ tn Or “are hostile toward” (L&N 39.1).

[5:1]  ¹⁴ tn Translating the dative as “For freedom” shows the purpose for Christ setting us free; however, it is also possible to take the phrase in the sense of means or instrument (“with [or by] freedom”), referring to the freedom mentioned in 4:31 and implied throughout the letter.

[5:1]  ¹⁵ sn Here the yoke figuratively represents the burdensome nature of slavery.

[1:12]  ¹⁶ sn A saying attributed to the poet Epimenides of Crete (6th century b.c.).

[12:4]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “until blood.”

[3:2]  ¹⁸ tn Or “fail.”

[3:2]  ¹⁹ tn Or “fail.”

[3:2]  ²⁰ tn Grk “in speech.”

[3:2]  ²¹ tn The word for “man” or “individual” is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But it sometimes is used generically to mean “anyone,” “a person,” as here (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. 2).

[4:1]  ²² tn The word “where” is repeated in Greek for emphasis.

[4:1]  ²³ tn Grk “from here.”

[4:1]  ²⁴ tn Grk “in your members [i.e., parts of the body].”

[4:1]  ²⁵ tn The word “where” is repeated in Greek for emphasis.

[4:1]  ²⁶ tn Grk “from here.”

[4:1]  ²⁷ tn Grk “in your members [i.e., parts of the body].”

[2:11]  ²⁸ tn Heb “all my works that my hands had done.”

[2:11]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and all the toil with which I had toiled in doing it.” The term עָמַל (’amal, “toil”) is repeated to emphasize the burden and weariness of the labor which Qoheleth exerted in his accomplishments.

[2:11]  ³⁰ tn Heb “Behold!”

[2:11]  ³¹ tn The term הַכֹּל (hakkol, “everything” or “all”) must be qualified and limited in reference to the topic that is dealt with in 2:4-11. This is an example of synecdoche of general for the specific; the general term “all” is used only in reference to the topic at hand. This is clear from the repetition of כֹּל (kol, “everything”) and (“all these things”) in 2:11.

[2:11]  ³² tn The phrase “achievements and possessions” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in translation for clarity.

[2:11]  ³³ tn The term “ultimately” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:11]  ³⁴ tn The parallelism with יִתְרוֹן (yitron), “profit; advantage; gain”) indicates that הֶבֶל (hevel) should be nuanced as “profitless, fruitless, futile” in this context. While labor offers some relative and temporal benefits, such as material acquisitions and the enjoyment of the work of one’s hands, there is no ultimate benefit to be gained from secular human achievement.

[2:11]  ³⁵ tn The noun יִתְרוֹן (yitron, “profit”) has a two-fold range of meanings: (1) “what comes of [something]; result” (Eccl 1:3; 2:11; 3:9; 5:8, 15; 7:12; 10:10) and (2) “profit; advantage” (Eccl 2:13; 10:11); see HALOT 452–53 s.v. יִתְרוֹי. It is derived from the noun יֶתֶר (yeter, “what is left behind; remainder”; HALOT 452 s.v. I יֶתֶר). The related verb יָתַר (yatar) denotes “to be left over; to survive” (Niphal) and “to have left over” (Hiphil); see HALOT 451–52 s.v. יתר. When used literally, יִתְרוֹן refers to what is left over after expenses (gain or profit); when used figuratively, it refers to what is advantageous or of benefit. Though some things have relative advantage over others (e.g., light over darkness, and wisdom over folly in 2:13), there is no ultimate profit in man’s labor due to death.

[2:11]  ³⁶ tn The phrase “from them” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:11]  ³⁷ tn Heb “under the sun.”