Mark 9:43-48
New English Translation
43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off! It is better for you to enter into life crippled than to have[a] two hands and go into hell,[b] to the unquenchable fire.[c] 45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off! It is better to enter life lame than to have[d] two feet and be thrown into hell.[e] 47 If your eye causes you to sin, tear it out![f] It is better to enter into the kingdom of God[g] with one eye than to have[h] two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where their worm never dies and the fire is never quenched.
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- Mark 9:43 tn Grk “than having.”
- Mark 9:43 sn The word translated hell is “Gehenna” (γέεννα, geenna), a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew words ge hinnom (“Valley of Hinnom”). This was the valley along the south side of Jerusalem. In OT times it was used for human sacrifices to the pagan god Molech (cf. Jer 7:31; 19:5-6; 32:35), and it came to be used as a place where human excrement and rubbish were disposed of and burned. In the intertestamental period, it came to be used symbolically as the place of divine punishment (cf. 1 En. 27:2; 90:26; 4 Ezra 7:36). This Greek term also occurs in vv. 45, 47.
- Mark 9:43 tc Most later mss have 9:44 here and 9:46 after v. 45: “where their worm never dies and the fire is never quenched” (identical with v. 48). Verses 44 and 46 are present in A D Θ ƒ13 M lat syp,h, but lacking in significant Alexandrian mss and several others (א B C L W Δ Ψ 0274 ƒ1 28 565 892 co). This appears to be a scribal addition from v. 48 and is almost certainly not an original part of the Greek text of Mark. The present translation follows NA28 in omitting the verse number, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations.
- Mark 9:45 tn Grk “than having.”
- Mark 9:45 tc See tc note at the end of v. 43.
- Mark 9:47 tn Grk “throw it out.”
- Mark 9:47 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus’ teaching. The nature of the kingdom of God in the NT and in Jesus’ teaching has long been debated by interpreters and scholars, with discussion primarily centering around the nature of the kingdom (earthly, heavenly, or both) and the kingdom’s arrival (present, future, or both). An additional major issue concerns the relationship between the kingdom of God and the person and work of Jesus himself.
- Mark 9:47 tn Grk “than having.”
Romans 8:5-16
New English Translation
5 For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped by[a] the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their outlook shaped by the things of the Spirit. 6 For the outlook[b] of the flesh is death, but the outlook of the Spirit is life and peace, 7 because the outlook of the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to the law of God, nor is it able to do so. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in[c] the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but[d] the Spirit is your life[e] because of righteousness. 11 Moreover if the Spirit of the one[f] who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ[g] from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who lives in you.[h]
12 So then,[i] brothers and sisters,[j] we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh 13 (for if you live according to the flesh, you will[k] die),[l] but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are[m] the sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear,[n] but you received the Spirit of adoption,[o] by whom[p] we cry, “Abba,[q] Father.” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness to[r] our spirit that we are God’s children.
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- Romans 8:5 tn Grk “think on” or “are intent on” (twice in this verse). What is in view here is not primarily preoccupation, however, but worldview. Translations like “set their mind on” could be misunderstood by the typical English reader to refer exclusively to preoccupation.
- Romans 8:6 tn Or “mindset,” “way of thinking” (twice in this verse and once in v. 7). The Greek term φρόνημα does not refer to one’s mind, but to one’s outlook or mindset.
- Romans 8:9 tn Or “are not controlled by the flesh but by the Spirit.”
- Romans 8:10 tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.
- Romans 8:10 tn Or “life-giving.” Grk “the Spirit is life.”
- Romans 8:11 sn The one who raised Jesus from the dead refers to God (also in the following clause).
- Romans 8:11 tc Several mss read ᾿Ιησοῦν (Iēsoun, “Jesus”) after Χριστόν (Christon, “Christ”; א* A D* 630 1506 1739 1881 bo); C 81 104 lat have ᾿Ιησοῦν Χριστόν. The shorter reading is more likely to be autographic, though, both because of external evidence (א2 B D2 F G Ψ 33 1175 1241 1505 2464 M sa) and internal evidence (scribes were much more likely to add the name “Jesus” if it were lacking than to remove it if it were already present in the text, especially to harmonize with the earlier mention of Jesus in the verse).
- Romans 8:11 tc Most mss (B D F G Ψ 33 1175 1241 1739 1881 M lat) have διά (dia) followed by the accusative: “because of his Spirit who lives in you.” The genitive “through his Spirit” is supported by א A C 81 104 1505 1506 al, and is slightly preferred.
- Romans 8:12 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.
- Romans 8:12 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.
- Romans 8:13 tn Grk “are about to, are certainly going to.”
- Romans 8:13 sn This remark is parenthetical to Paul’s argument.
- Romans 8:14 tn Grk “For as many as are being led by the Spirit of God, these are.”
- Romans 8:15 tn Grk “slavery again to fear.”
- Romans 8:15 tn The Greek term υἱοθεσία (huiothesia) was originally a legal technical term for adoption as a son with full rights of inheritance. BDAG 1024 s.v. notes, “a legal t.t. of ‘adoption’ of children, in our lit., i.e. in Paul, only in a transferred sense of a transcendent filial relationship between God and humans (with the legal aspect, not gender specificity, as major semantic component).”
- Romans 8:15 tn Or “in that.”
- Romans 8:15 tn The term “Abba” is the Greek transliteration of the Aramaic אַבָּא (’abba’), literally meaning “my father” but taken over simply as “father,” used in prayer and in the family circle, and later taken over by the early Greek-speaking Christians (BDAG 1 s.v. ἀββα).sn This Aramaic word is found three times in the New Testament (Mark 14:36; Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6), and in each case is followed by its Greek equivalent, which is translated “father.” It is a term expressing warm affection and filial confidence. It has no perfect equivalent in English. It has passed into European languages as an ecclesiastical term, “abbot.” Over the past fifty years a lot has been written about this term and Jesus’ use of it. Joachim Jeremias argued that Jesus routinely addressed God using this Aramaic word, and he also noted this was a “child’s word,” leading many to conclude its modern equivalent was “Daddy.” This conclusion Jeremias soon modified (the term on occasion is used of an adult son addressing his father) but the simplistic equation of abba with “Daddy” is still heard in some circles today. Nevertheless, the term does express a high degree of closeness with reverence, and in addition to the family circle could be used by disciples of a much loved and revered teacher.
- Romans 8:16 tn Or possibly “with.” ExSyn 160-61, however, notes the following: “At issue, grammatically, is whether the Spirit testifies alongside of our spirit (dat. of association), or whether he testifies to our spirit (indirect object) that we are God’s children. If the former, the one receiving this testimony is unstated (is it God? or believers?). If the latter, the believer receives the testimony and hence is assured of salvation via the inner witness of the Spirit. The first view has the advantage of a σύν- (sun-) prefixed verb, which might be expected to take an accompanying dat. of association (and is supported by NEB, JB, etc.). But there are three reasons why πνεύματι (pneumati) should not be taken as association: (1) Grammatically, a dat. with a σύν- prefixed verb does not necessarily indicate association. This, of course, does not preclude such here, but this fact at least opens up the alternatives in this text. (2) Lexically, though συμμαρτυρέω (summartureō) originally bore an associative idea, it developed in the direction of merely intensifying μαρτυρέω (martureō). This is surely the case in the only other NT text with a dat. (Rom 9:1). (3) Contextually, a dat. of association does not seem to support Paul’s argument: ‘What standing has our spirit in this matter? Of itself it surely has no right at all to testify to our being sons of God’ [C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans [ICC], 1:403]. In sum, Rom 8:16 seems to be secure as a text in which the believer’s assurance of salvation is based on the inner witness of the Spirit. The implications of this for one’s soteriology are profound: The objective data, as helpful as they are, cannot by themselves provide assurance of salvation; the believer also needs (and receives) an existential, ongoing encounter with God’s Spirit in order to gain that familial comfort.”
Hebrews 12:14-29
New English Translation
Do Not Reject God’s Warning
14 Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness,[a] for without it no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God, that no one be like a bitter root springing up[b] and causing trouble, and through it many become defiled. 16 And see to it that no one becomes[c] an immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal.[d] 17 For you know that[e] later when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no opportunity for repentance, although he sought the blessing[f] with tears. 18 For you have not come to something that can be touched,[g] to a burning fire and darkness and gloom and a whirlwind 19 and the blast of a trumpet and a voice uttering words[h] such that those who heard begged to hear no more.[i] 20 For they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.”[j] 21 In fact, the scene[k] was so terrifying that Moses said, “I shudder with fear.”[l] 22 But you have come to Mount Zion, the city[m] of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly 23 and congregation of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous, who have been made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator[n] of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks of something better than Abel’s does.[o]
25 Take care not to refuse the one who is speaking! For if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less shall we, if we reject the one who warns from heaven? 26 Then his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “I will once more shake not only the earth but heaven too.”[p] 27 Now this phrase “once more” indicates the removal of what is shaken, that is, of created things, so that what is unshaken may remain. 28 So since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us give thanks, and through this let us offer worship pleasing to God in devotion and awe. 29 For our God is indeed a devouring fire.[q]
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- Hebrews 12:14 sn The references to peace and holiness show the close connection between this paragraph and the previous one. The pathway toward “holiness” and the need for it is cited in Heb 12:10 and 14. More importantly Prov 4:26-27 sets up the transition from one paragraph to the next: It urges people to stay on godly paths (Prov 4:26, quoted here in v. 13) and promises that God will lead them in peace if they do so (Prov 4:27 [LXX], quoted in v. 14).
- Hebrews 12:15 tn Grk “that there not be any root of bitterness,” but referring figuratively to a person who causes trouble (as in Deut 29:17 [LXX] from which this is quoted).sn An allusion to Deut 29:18.
- Hebrews 12:16 tn Grk “that there not be any,” continuing from v. 15.
- Hebrews 12:16 sn An allusion to Gen 27:34-41.
- Hebrews 12:17 tn Or a command: “for understand that.”
- Hebrews 12:17 tn Grk “it,” referring either to the repentance or the blessing. But the account in Gen 27:34-41 (which the author appeals to here) makes it clear that the blessing is what Esau sought. Thus in the translation the referent (the blessing) is specified for clarity.
- Hebrews 12:18 tn This describes the nation of Israel approaching God on Mt. Sinai (Exod 19). There is a clear contrast with the reference to Mount Zion in v. 22, so this could be translated “a mountain that can be touched.” But the word “mountain” does not occur here and the more vague description seems to be deliberate.
- Hebrews 12:19 tn Grk “a voice of words.”
- Hebrews 12:19 tn Grk “a voice…from which those who heard begged that a word not be added to them.”
- Hebrews 12:20 sn A quotation from Exod 19:12-13.
- Hebrews 12:21 tn Grk “that which appeared.”
- Hebrews 12:21 tn Grk “I am terrified and trembling.”sn A quotation from Deut 9:19.
- Hebrews 12:22 tn Grk “and the city”; the conjunction is omitted in translation since it seems to be functioning epexegetically—that is, explaining further what is meant by “Mount Zion.”
- Hebrews 12:24 tn The Greek word μεσίτης (mesitēs, “mediator”) in this context does not imply that Jesus was a mediator in the contemporary sense of the word, i.e., he worked for compromise between opposing parties. Here the term describes his function as the one who was used by God to enact a new covenant which established a new relationship between God and his people, but entirely on God’s terms.
- Hebrews 12:24 sn Abel’s shed blood cried out to the Lord for justice and judgment, but Jesus’ blood speaks of redemption and forgiveness, something better than Abel’s does (Gen 4:10; Heb 9:11-14; 11:4).
- Hebrews 12:26 sn A quotation from Hag 2:6.
- Hebrews 12:29 sn A quotation from Deut 4:24; 9:3.
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