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Colossians 2:15
New English Translation
Colossians 2:15
New English Translation
15 Disarming[a] the rulers and authorities, he has made a public disgrace of them, triumphing over them by the cross.[b]
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- Colossians 2:15 tn See BDAG 100 s.v. ἀπεκδύομαι 2.
- Colossians 2:15 tn The antecedent of the Greek pronoun αὐτῷ (autō) could either be “Christ” or the “cross.” There are several reasons for choosing “the cross” as the antecedent for αὐτῷ in verse 15: (1) The nearest antecedent is τῷ σταυρῷ (tō staurō) in v. 14; (2) the idea of ἐδειγμάτισεν ἐν παρρησία (edeigmatisen en parrēsia, “made a public disgrace”) seems to be more in keeping with the idea of the cross; (3) a reference to Christ seems to miss the irony involved in the idea of triumph—the whole point is that where one would expect defeat, there came the victory; (4) if Christ is the subject of the participles in v. 15 then almost certainly the cross is the referent for αὐτῷ. Thus the best solution is to see αὐτῷ as a reference to the cross and the preposition ἐν (en) indicating “means” (i.e., by means of the cross) or possibly (though less likely) location (on the cross).
John 12:31
New English Translation
John 12:31
New English Translation
31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world[a] will be driven out.[b]
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- John 12:31 sn The ruler of this world is a reference to Satan.
- John 12:31 tn Or “will be thrown out.” This translation regards the future passive ἐκβληθήσεται (ekblēthēsetai) as referring to an event future to the time of speaking.sn The phrase driven out must refer to Satan’s loss of authority over this world. This must be in principle rather than in immediate fact, since 1 John 5:19 states that the whole world (still) lies in the power of the evil one (a reference to Satan). In an absolute sense the reference is proleptic. The coming of Jesus’ hour (his crucifixion, death, resurrection, and exaltation to the Father) marks the end of Satan’s domain and brings about his defeat, even though that defeat has not been ultimately worked out in history yet and awaits the consummation of the age.
Romans 16:20
New English Translation
Romans 16:20
New English Translation
20 The God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
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2 Thessalonians 2:8
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2 Thessalonians 2:8
New English Translation
8 and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord[a] will destroy by the breath of his mouth and wipe out by the manifestation of his arrival.
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- 2 Thessalonians 2:8 tc ‡ Several significant witnesses of the Alexandrian and Western traditions, as well as many other witnesses, read ᾿Ιησοῦς (Iēsous, “Jesus”) after κύριος (kurios, “Lord”; so א A D* F G Lc P Ψ 0278 33 81 104 365 1241 2464 latt sy co). But there is sufficient evidence in the Alexandrian tradition for the shorter reading (B 1739 1881), supported by the Byzantine text, Irenaeus, and other witnesses (D2vid 630 1175 1505). Although it is possible that scribes overlooked ᾿Ιησοῦς if the two nomina sacra occurred together (kMsiMs), since “the Lord Jesus” is a frequent enough appellation, it looks to be a motivated reading. NA28 places ᾿Ιησοῦς in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.
Hebrews 2:14
New English Translation
Hebrews 2:14
New English Translation
14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he likewise shared in[a] their humanity,[b] so that through death he could destroy[c] the one who holds the power of death (that is, the devil),
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- Hebrews 2:14 tn Or “partook of” (this is a different word than the one in v. 14a).
- Hebrews 2:14 tn Grk “the same.”
- Hebrews 2:14 tn Or “break the power of,” “reduce to nothing.”
2 Peter 2:4
New English Translation
2 Peter 2:4
New English Translation
4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned,[a] but threw them into hell[b] and locked them up[c] in chains[d] in utter darkness,[e] to be kept until the judgment,
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- 2 Peter 2:4 tn The participle ἁμαρτησάντων (hamartēsantōn) could either be attributive (“who sinned”) or adverbial (“when they sinned”). The relation to the judgment of the false teachers in v. 3 suggests that the objects of God’s judgment are not in question, but the time frame for the execution of justice is. If the participle is taken temporally, the point of comparison is not as acute. The objection that the illustrations following (the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah) are viewed temporally does not mitigate this translation, for in both instances only the time of executing judgment is in view. Further, in both instances the OT notes that God withheld punishment for a long time.
- 2 Peter 2:4 tn Grk “casting them into Tartarus” or “holding them captive in Tartarus.” This verb, ταρταρόω (tartaroō), occurs only here in the NT, but its meaning is clearly established in both Hellenistic and Jewish literature. “Tartarus [was] thought of by the Greeks as a subterranean place lower than Hades where divine punishment was meted out, and so regarded in Israelite apocalyptic as well” (BDAG 991 s.v.). Grammatically, it has been translated as an indicative because it is an attendant circumstance participle.
- 2 Peter 2:4 tn Grk “handed them over.”
- 2 Peter 2:4 tc The reading σειραῖς (seirais, “chains”) is found in P72 P Ψ 33 1739 M vg sy, while σιροῖς (sirois [or σειροῖς, seirois], “pits”) is found in א A B C 81. The evidence is thus fairly evenly divided. Internally, the reading adopted here (σειραῖς) is a rarer term, perhaps prompting some scribes to replace it with the more common word. However, this more common term is not a synonym and hence does not follow the normal pattern of scribes. As well, the use of the genitive ζόφου (zophou) in “chains of darkness” is a bit awkward (a rare genitive of place), perhaps prompting some scribes to change the imagery to “pits of darkness” (in which case ζόφου is an attributive genitive). A further point that complicates the issue is the relationship of 2 Peter to Jude. Jude’s parallel (v. 6) has δεσμοῖς (desmois, “chains”). Apart from the issue of whether 2 Peter used Jude or Jude used 2 Peter, this parallel suggests one of two possibilities: either (1) since these two books obviously have a literary relationship, σειραῖς is autographic, or (2) early scribes, recognizing that these two books shared their material, changed σειροῖς to σειραῖς to conform the wording, at least conceptually, to Jude 6. On balance, σειραῖς looks to be original because scribes were not prone to harmonize extensively between books other than the Gospels (although 2 Peter and Jude do display some of this harmonizing). Further, such harmonization is often, if not usually, verbally exact, but δεσμοῖς is not a variant here.
- 2 Peter 2:4 tn The genitive ζόφου (zophou) is taken as a genitive of place. See previous note for discussion.
1 John 3:8
New English Translation
1 John 3:8
New English Translation
8 The one who practices sin is of the devil,[a] because the devil has been sinning[b] from the beginning. For this purpose[c] the Son of God was revealed: to destroy[d] the works of the devil.
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- 1 John 3:8 sn The person who practices sin is of the devil. 1 John 3:10 and John 8:44 might be cited as parallels, because these speak of opponents as the devil’s “children.” However, it is significant that the author of 1 John never speaks of the opponents as “fathered by the devil” in the same sense as Christians are “fathered by God” (3:9). A concept of evildoers as “fathered” by the devil in the same sense as Christians are fathered by God would imply a much more fully developed Gnosticism with its dualistic approach to humanity. The author of 1 John carefully avoids saying that the opponents are “fathered by the devil,” because in Johannine theology not to be fathered by God is to be fathered only by the flesh (John 1:13). This is a significant piece of evidence that 1 John predates the more fully developed Gnosticism of the 2nd century. What the author does say is that the opponents (“the one who practices sin”) are from the devil, in the sense that they belong to him and have given him their allegiance.
- 1 John 3:8 tn The present tense verb has been translated as an extending-from-past present (a present of past action still in progress). See ExSyn 520.
- 1 John 3:8 tn Here εἰς τοῦτο (eis touto) states the purpose for the revelation of God’s Son. However, the phrase offers the same difficulty as all the ἐν τούτῳ (en toutō) phrases in 1 John: Does it refer to what precedes or to what follows? By analogy with the ἐν τούτῳ construction it is probable that the phrase εἰς τοῦτο here refers to what follows: There is a ἵνα (hina) clause following which appears to be related to the εἰς τοῦτο, and in fact is resumptive (that is, it restates the idea of “purpose” already expressed by the εἰς τοῦτο). Thus the meaning is: “For this purpose the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the devil.”
- 1 John 3:8 tn In the Gospel of John λύσῃ (lusē) is used both literally and figuratively. In John 1:27 it refers to a literal loosing of one’s sandal-thong, and in John 2:19 to a destruction of Jesus’ physical body which was understood by the hearers to refer to physical destruction of the Jerusalem temple. In John 5:18 it refers to the breaking of the Sabbath, in John 7:23 to the breaking of the law of Moses, and in John 10:35 to the breaking of the scriptures. The verb is again used literally in John 11:44 at the resurrection of Lazarus when Jesus commands that he be released from the graveclothes with which he was bound. Here in 1 John 3:8 the verb means, with reference to “the works of the devil,” to “destroy, bring to an end, abolish.” See BDAG 607 s.v. λύω 4 and F. Büchsel, TDNT 4:336.
Jude 6
New English Translation
Jude 6
New English Translation
6 You also know that[a] the angels who did not keep within their proper domain[b] but abandoned their own place of residence, he has kept[c] in eternal chains[d] in utter[e] darkness, locked up[f] for the judgment of the great Day.
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- Jude 1:6 tn Grk “and.” Verse 6 is a continuation of the same sentence begun in v. 5. Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
- Jude 1:6 tn Grk “who did not keep their own domain.”sn The idea is that certain angels acted improperly, going outside the bounds prescribed by God (their proper domain).
- Jude 1:6 sn There is an interesting play on words used in this verse. Because the angels did not keep their proper place, Jesus has kept them chained up in another place. The same verb keep is used in v. 1 to describe believers’ status before God and Christ.
- Jude 1:6 sn In 2 Pet 2:4 a less common word for chains is used.
- Jude 1:6 tn The word ζόφος (zophos, “utter, deepest darkness”) is used only five times in the NT: two in 2 Peter, two in Jude, and one in Hebrews. Jude 6 parallels 2 Pet 2:4; Jude 13 parallels 2 Pet 2:17.
- Jude 1:6 tn The words “locked up” are not in Greek, but are expressed in English as a resumptive point after the double prepositional phrase (“in eternal chains in utter darkness”).
Revelation 12:7-10
New English Translation
Revelation 12:7-10
New English Translation
War in Heaven
7 Then[a] war broke out in heaven: Michael[b] and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But[c] the dragon was not strong enough to prevail,[d] so there was no longer any place left[e] in heaven for him and his angels.[f] 9 So[g] that huge dragon—the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world—was thrown down to the earth, and his angels along with him. 10 Then[h] I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,
“The salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the ruling authority[i] of his Christ,[j] have now come,
because the accuser of our brothers and sisters,[k]
the one who accuses them day and night[l] before our God,
has been thrown down.
Footnotes
- Revelation 12:7 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
- Revelation 12:7 sn The archangel Michael had a special role in protecting the nation of Israel in the OT (Dan 10:13, 21; 12:1; see also Jude 9).
- Revelation 12:8 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the implied contrast.
- Revelation 12:8 tn The words “to prevail” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
- Revelation 12:8 tn Grk “found.”
- Revelation 12:8 tn Grk “for them”; the referent (the dragon and his angels, v. 7) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Revelation 12:9 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the war in heaven.
- Revelation 12:10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
- Revelation 12:10 tn Or “the right of his Messiah to rule.” See L&N 37.35.
- Revelation 12:10 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
- Revelation 12:10 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelphoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). The translation “fellow believer” would normally apply (L&N 11.23), but since the speaker(s) are not specified in this context, it is not clear if such a translation would be appropriate here. The more generic “brothers and sisters” was chosen to emphasize the fact of a relationship without specifying its type.
- Revelation 12:10 tn Or “who accuses them continually.”
New English Translation (NET)
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