Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

Footnotes

1. James 2:1 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
2. James 2:1 tn Or “partiality.”
3. James 2:1 tn Grk “do not have faith with personal prejudice,” with emphasis on the last phrase.
4. James 2:1 tn Grk “our Lord Jesus Christ of glory.” Here δόξης (doxēs) has been translated as an attributive genitive.
5. James 2:2 tn The word for “man” or “individual” here is ἀνήρ (anēr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But as BDAG 79 s.v. 2 says, “equivalent to τὶς someone.”
6. James 2:2 tn Grk “synagogue.” Usually συναγωγή refers to Jewish places of worship (e.g., Matt 4:23, Mark 1:21, Luke 4:15, John 6:59). The word can be used generally to refer to a place of assembly, and here it refers specifically to a Christian assembly (BDAG 963 s.v. 2.b.).
7. James 2:3 tn Grk “and you pay attention…and say,” continuing the “if” clauses from v. 2. In the Greek text, vv. 2-4 form one long sentence.
8. James 2:3 tn Or “sit here, please.”
9. James 2:3 tn Grk “sit under my footstool.” The words “on the floor” have been supplied in the translation to clarify for the modern reader the undesirability of this seating arrangement (so also TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). Another option followed by a number of translations is to replace “under my footstool” with “at my feet” (NAB, NIV, NRSV).
10. James 2:4 tn Grk “have you not made distinctions” (as the conclusion to the series of “if” clauses in vv. 2-3).
11. James 2:4 tn Grk “judges of evil reasonings.”
12. James 2:5 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
13. James 2:6 tn This is singular: “the poor person,” perhaps referring to the hypothetical one described in vv. 2-3.
14. James 2:7 tn Grk “that was invoked over you,” referring to their baptism in which they confessed their faith in Christ and were pronounced to be his own. To have the Lord’s name “named over them” is OT imagery for the Lord’s ownership of his people (cf. 2 Chr 7:14; Amos 9:12; Isa 63:19; Jer 14:9; 15:16; Dan 9:19; Acts 15:17).
15. James 2:8 tn Grk “according to the scripture.”
16. James 2:8 sn A quotation from Lev 19:18 (also quoted in Matt 19:19; 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Rom 13:9; Gal 5:14).
17. James 2:9 tn Or “transgressors.”
18. James 2:10 tn Or “stumbles.”
19. James 2:10 tn Grk “guilty of all.”
20. James 2:11 sn A quotation from Exod 20:14 and Deut 5:18.
21. James 2:11 sn A quotation from Exod 20:13 and Deut 5:17.
22. James 2:12 tn Grk “a law of freedom.”
23. James 2:13 tn Grk “boasts against, exults over,” in victory.
24. James 2:14 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
25. James 2:14 tn Grk “the faith,” referring to the kind of faith just described: faith without works. The article here is anaphoric, referring to the previous mention of the noun πίστις (pistis) in the verse. See ExSyn 219.
26. James 2:14 sn The form of the question in Greek expects a negative answer.
27. James 2:15 tn It is important to note that the words ἀδελφός (adelphos) and ἀδελφή (adelphē) both occur in the Greek text at this point, confirming that the author intended to refer to both men and women. See the note on “someone” in 2:2.
28. James 2:16 tn Grk “what is necessary for the body.”
29. James 2:18 tn There is considerable doubt about where the words of the “someone” end and where James’ reply begins. Some see the quotation running to the end of v. 18; others to the end of v. 19. But most punctuate as shown above. The “someone” is then an objector, and the sense of his words is something like, “Some have faith; others have works; don’t expect everyone to have both.” James’ reply is that faith cannot exist or be seen without works.
30. James 2:18 tn Or “from.”
31. James 2:19 tn Grk “you do well.”
32. James 2:19 tn Grk “believe and tremble.” The words “with fear” are implied.
33. James 2:20 tn Grk “do you want to know.”
34. James 2:20 tn Grk “O empty man.” Here the singular vocative ἄνθρωπε (anthrōpe, “man”) means “person” or even “fellow.” Cf. BDAG 82 s.v. ἄνθρωπος 8 which views this as an instance of rhetorical address in a letter; the pejorative sense is also discussed under the previous heading (7).
35. James 2:20 tc Most witnesses, including several significant ones (א A C² P Ψ 5 33 81 436 442 1611 1735 1852 2344 2492 M al sy bo), have νεκρά (nekra, “dead”) here, while P⁷⁴ reads κενή (kenē, “empty”). Both variants are most likely secondary, derived from ἀργή (argē, “useless”). The reading of the majority is probably an assimilation to the statements in vv. 17 and 26, while P⁷⁴’s reading picks up on κενέ (kene) earlier in the verse. The external evidence (B C* 323 945 1175 1243 1739 sa) for ἀργή is sufficient for authenticity; coupled with the strong internal evidence for the reading (if νεκρά were original, how would ἀργή have arisen here and not in vv. 17 or 26?), it is strongly preferred.
36. James 2:23 sn A quotation from Gen 15:6.
37. James 2:23 sn An allusion to 2 Chr 20:7; Isa 41:8; 51:2; Dan 3:35 (LXX), in which Abraham is called God’s “beloved.”
38. James 3:1 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
39. James 3:1 tn Grk “will receive a greater judgment.”
40. James 3:2 tn Or “fail.”
41. James 3:2 tn Or “fail.”
42. James 3:2 tn Grk “in speech.”
43. James 3:2 tn The word for “man” or “individual” is ἀνήρ (anēr), 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).
44. James 3:3 tn Grk “their entire body.”
45. James 3:5 tn Grk “a small member.”
46. James 3:5 tn Grk “boasts of great things.”
47. James 3:5 tn Grk “Behold.”
48. James 3:6 tn Grk “makes itself,” “is made.”
49. James 3:6 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
50. James 3:6 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).
51. James 3:7 tn Grk (plurals), “every kind of animals and birds, of reptiles and sea creatures.”
52. James 3:7 tn Grk “the human species.”
53. James 3:8 tc Most mss (C Ψ 1611 1739^c 1244 M as well as a few versions and fathers) read “uncontrollable” (ἀκατασχετόν, akatascheton), while most of the more significant witnesses (א A B K P 1175 1243 1735 1739* latt co) have “restless” (ἀκατάστατον, akatastaton). Externally, the latter reading should be preferred. Internally, however, things get a bit more complex. The notion of being uncontrollable is well suited to the context, especially as a counterbalance to v. 8a, though for this very reason scribes may have been tempted to replace ἀκατάστατον with ἀκατασχετόν. In a semantically parallel early Christian text, ἀκατάστατος (akatastatos) was considered strong enough of a term to denounce slander as “a restless demon” (Herm. 27:3). On the other hand, ἀκατάστατον may have been substituted for ἀκατασχετόν by way of assimilation to 1:8 (especially since both words were relatively rare, scribes may have replaced the less familiar with one that was already used in this letter). On internal evidence, it is difficult to decide, though ἀκατασχετόν is slightly preferred. However, in light of the strong support for ἀκατάστατον, and the less-than-decisive internal evidence, ἀκατάστατον is deemed more likely to be the initial reading.
54. James 3:9 tc Most later mss (M), along with several versional witnesses, have θεόν (theon, “God”) here instead of κύριον (kurion, “Lord”). Such is a predictable variant since nowhere else in the NT is God described as “Lord and Father,” but he is called “God and Father” on several occasions. Further, the reading κύριον is well supported by early and diversified witnesses (P²⁰ א A B C P Ψ 33 81 945 1241 1739), rendering it as the overwhelmingly preferred reading.
55. James 3:9 tn Grk “men”; but here ἀνθρώπους (anthrōpous) has generic force, referring to both men and women.
56. James 3:10 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
57. James 3:12 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
58. James 3:13 tn Grk “works in the gentleness of wisdom.”
59. James 3:15 tn Grk “This.”
60. James 3:15 tn Grk “come down”; “descend.”
61. James 3:15 tn Grk “soulish,” which describes life apart from God, characteristic of earthly human life as opposed to what is spiritual. Cf. 1 Cor 2:14; 15:44-46; Jude 19.
62. James 3:17 tn Or “willing to yield,” “open to persuasion.”
63. James 3:17 tn Grk “fruits.” The plural Greek term καρπούς has been translated with the collective singular “fruit.”
64. James 3:17 tn Or “sincere.”
65. James 3:18 tn Grk “the fruit of righteousness,” meaning righteous living as a fruit, as the thing produced.
66. James 3:18 tn Grk “is sown.”
67. James 3:18 tn Or “for,” or possibly “by.”