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January 14, 2025

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with sequential stories told across multiple weeks.

Duration: 1245 days

Psalm 106:1-12

Psalm 106^[a]

106 Praise the Lord.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
and his loyal love endures.^[b]
²Who can adequately recount the Lord’s mighty acts,
or relate all his praiseworthy deeds?^[c]
³How blessed are those who promote justice,
and do what is right all the time.
⁴Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people.
Pay attention to me, when you deliver,
⁵so I may see the prosperity^[d] of your chosen ones,
rejoice along with your nation,^[e]
and boast along with the people who belong to you.^[f]
⁶We have sinned like^[g] our ancestors;^[h]
we have done wrong, we have done evil.
⁷Our ancestors in Egypt failed to appreciate your miraculous deeds.
They failed to remember your many acts of loyal love,
and they rebelled at the sea, by the Red Sea.^[i]
⁸Yet he delivered them for the sake of his reputation,^[j]
that he might reveal his power.
⁹He shouted at^[k] the Red Sea and it dried up;
he led them through the deep water as if it were a desert.
¹⁰He delivered them from the power^[l] of the one who hated them,
and rescued^[m] them from the power^[n] of the enemy.
¹¹The water covered their enemies;
not even one of them survived.^[o]
¹²They believed his promises;^[p]
they sang praises to him.

Judges 5:12-21

¹²Wake up, wake up, Deborah!

Wake up, wake up, sing a song!
Get up, Barak!
Capture your prisoners of war,^[a] son of Abinoam!
¹³Then the survivors^[b] came down^[c] to the mighty ones;^[d]
the Lord’s people came down to me^[e] as^[f] warriors.
¹⁴They came from Ephraim, who uprooted Amalek;^[g]
they follow^[h] after you, Benjamin, with your soldiers.
From Makir leaders came down,
from Zebulun came^[i] the ones who march carrying^[j] an officer’s staff.
¹⁵Issachar’s leaders were with Deborah;
the men of Issachar^[k] supported^[l] Barak;
into the valley they were sent under Barak’s command.^[m]
Among the clans of Reuben there was intense^[n] heart searching.^[o]
¹⁶Why do you remain among the sheepfolds,^[p]
listening to the shepherds playing their pipes^[q] for their flocks?^[r]
As for the clans of Reuben—there was intense searching of heart.
¹⁷Gilead stayed put^[s] beyond the Jordan River.
As for Dan—why did he seek temporary employment in the shipyards?^[t]
Asher remained^[u] on the seacoast;
he stayed^[v] by his harbors.^[w]
¹⁸The men of Zebulun were not concerned about their lives;^[x]
Naphtali charged onto the battlefields.^[y]
¹⁹Kings came, they fought;

the kings of Canaan fought
at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo,
but^[z] they took no silver as plunder.
²⁰From the sky^[aa] the stars^[ab] fought,
from their paths in the heavens^[ac] they fought against Sisera.
²¹The Kishon River carried them off;
the river confronted them^[ad]—the Kishon River.
Step on the necks of the strong!^[ae]

Footnotes

Judges 5:12 tn Heb “take captive your captives.” (The Hebrew text uses a cognate accusative here.)
Judges 5:13 tn This probably refers to those who responded to the call for war. They were “survivors” of the Canaanite oppression (see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 250).
Judges 5:13 tn The translation assumes a repointing of the verb as a perfect or imperfect/preterite form of יָרַד (yarad, “to go down”). The form as pointed in the MT appears to be from רָדָה (radah, “to rule”). See GKC 188 §69.g. The same form, translated “came down,” occurs in the next line as well.
Judges 5:13 sn The expression mighty ones probably refers to the leaders of the army.
Judges 5:13 sn The speaker may be Deborah here.
Judges 5:13 tn The translation assumes the preposition ב (bet) prefixed to “warriors” has the force of “in the capacity of.” For this use of the preposition, see GKC 379 §119.i.
Judges 5:14 tn Heb “From Ephraim their root in Amalek” (the words “they came” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons). Because of the difficulty of the MT, many prefer to follow one of the ancient versions or emend the text. For various proposals see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 252-53. The present translation repoints שָׁרְשָׁם (shorsham, traditionally translated “their root”) as a Piel verb form with enclitic mem (ם). The preposition ב (bet) on עֲמָלֵק (ʿamaleq) introduces the object (see Job 31:12 for an example of the construction). Ephraim’s territory encompassed the hill country of the Amalekites (Judg 12:15).
Judges 5:14 tn The words “They follow” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
Judges 5:14 tn The word “came” is supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
Judges 5:14 tn Or possibly “who carry.”
Judges 5:15 tn Heb “Issachar.” The words “the men of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
Judges 5:15 tn Or “were true to.”
Judges 5:15 tn Heb “at his feet.”
Judges 5:15 tn Heb “great was.”
Judges 5:15 tc The great majority of Hebrew mss have “resolves of heart,” but a few mss read “searchings of heart,” which is preferable in light of v. 16.
Judges 5:16 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word מִשְׁפְּתַיִם (mishp^etayim) is uncertain. Some understand the word to mean “campfires.”
Judges 5:16 tn Or “whistling.”
Judges 5:16 tn Heb “listening to the pipe playing for the flocks.”
Judges 5:17 tn Heb “lived” or “settled down.”sn Apparently the people of Gilead remained on the other side of the river and did not participate in the battle.
Judges 5:17 tn Heb “Dan, why did he live as a resident alien, ships.” The verb גּוּר (gur) usually refers to taking up residence outside one’s native land. Perhaps the Danites, rather than rallying to Barak, were content to move to the Mediterranean coast and work in the shipyards. For further discussion, see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 262.
Judges 5:17 tn Heb “lived.”
Judges 5:17 tn Heb “lived” or “settled down.”
Judges 5:17 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word מִפְרָץ (mifrats) is uncertain, but the parallelism (note “seacoast”) suggests “harbors.”
Judges 5:18 tn Heb “Zebulun was a people which despised its life even unto death.”
Judges 5:18 tn Heb “Naphtali was on the heights of the field.”
Judges 5:19 tn The contrastive conjunction “but” is interpretive.
Judges 5:20 tn Or “from heaven.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
Judges 5:20 tn The MT takes “the stars” with what follows rather than with the first colon of v. 20. But for metrical reasons it seems better to move the atnakh (colon divider) and read the colon as indicated in the translation.
Judges 5:20 tn The words “in the heavens” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
Judges 5:21 tn Possibly “the ancient river,” but it seems preferable in light of the parallel line (which has a verb) to emend the word (attested only here) to a verb (קָדַם, qadam) with pronominal object suffix.
Judges 5:21 tn This line is traditionally taken as the poet-warrior’s self-exhortation, “March on, my soul, in strength!” The present translation (a) takes the verb (a second feminine singular form) as addressed to Deborah (cf. v. 12), (b) understands נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) in its well-attested sense of “throat; neck” (cf. Jonah 2:6), (c) takes the final yod (י) on נַפְשִׁי (nafshi) as an archaic construct indicator (rather than a suffix), and (d) interprets עֹז (ʿoz, “strength”) as an attributive genitive (literally, “necks of strength,” i.e., “strong necks”). For fuller discussion and various proposals, see B. Lindars, Judges 1-5, 270-71.

1 John 5:13-21

Assurance of Eternal Life

¹³I have written these things^[a] to you who believe^[b] in the name of the Son of God so that^[c] you may know that you have eternal life.

¹⁴And this is the confidence that we have before him: that^[d] whenever^[e] we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵And if we know^[f] that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, then we know that we have the requests that we have asked from him. ¹⁶If^[g] anyone sees his fellow Christian^[h] committing a sin not resulting in death,^[i] he should ask, and God^[j] will grant^[k] life to the person who commits a sin not resulting in death.^[l] There is a sin^[m] resulting in death.^[n] I do not say that he should ask about that. ¹⁷All unrighteousness^[o] is sin, but there is sin not resulting in death.^[p]

¹⁸We know that everyone fathered^[q] by God does not sin, but God^[r] protects^[s] the one he has fathered, and the evil one cannot touch him. ¹⁹We know that we are from God,^[t] and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. ²⁰And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us insight to know^[u] him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This one^[v] is the true God and eternal life. ²¹Little children, guard yourselves from idols.^[w]

Footnotes

1 John 5:13 tn Theoretically the pronoun ταῦτα (tauta) could refer (1) to what precedes or (2) to what follows. Since it is followed by a ἵνα (hina) clause which gives the purpose for the writing, and a new subject is introduced in 5:14 (ἡ παρρησία, hē parrēsia), it seems almost certain that the ταῦτα in 5:13 refers to preceding material. Even at this, some would limit the referent of ταῦτα (1) only to 5:1-12 or even 5:12, but more likely ταῦτα in 5:13 refers (2) to the entirety of the letter, for two reasons: (a) based on the structural analogy with the Gospel of John, where the conclusion refers to all that has preceded, it is probable that the conclusion to 1 John refers likewise to all that has preceded; and (b) the statement ταῦτα ἔγραψα ὑμῖν (tauta egrapsa humin) in 5:13 forms an inclusion with the statement καὶ ταῦτα γράφομεν ἡμεῖς (kai tauta graphomen hēmeis) at the end of the prologue (1:4) and encompasses the entire body of the letter.
1 John 5:13 tn The dative participle πιστεύουσιν (pisteuousin) in 5:13 is in simple apposition to the indirect object of ἔγραψα (egrapsa), ὑμῖν (humin), and could be translated, “These things I have written to you, namely, to the ones who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know.” There is an exact parallel to this structure in John 1:12, where the pronoun is αὐτοῖς (autois) and the participle is τοῖς πιστεύουσιν (tois pisteuousin) as here.
1 John 5:13 tn This ἵνα (hina) introduces a clause giving the author’s purpose for writing “these things” (ταῦτα, tauta), which refers to the entirety of the preceding material. The two other Johannine statements about writing, 1 John 1:4 and John 20:31, are both followed by purpose clauses introduced by ἵνα, as here.
1 John 5:14 tn For the third time in 5:9-14 the author uses the construction αὕτη ἐστίν (hautē estin; 5:9, 11, 14). As in the previous instance (5:11) the ὅτι (hoti) clause which follows is epexegetical (explanatory) to the pronoun αὕτη and explains what the “confidence” (παρρησία, parrēsia) consists of (technically the subject is ἡ παρρησία, the predicate nominative is the pronoun αὕτη, and the ὅτι clause explains the predicate nominative): “And the confidence which we have before him is this, namely, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”
1 John 5:14 tn A third-class condition is introduced by ἐάν (ean) + present subjunctive. Because the apodosis also contains a present tense verb (ἀκούει, akouei) this belongs in a subcategory of third-class conditional sentences known as present general. In the Koine period ἐάν can mean “when” or “whenever” and is virtually the equivalent of ὅταν (hotan; see BDAG 268 s.v. ἐάν 2). Thus the meaning here is, “whenever (i.e., if) we ask anything according to his will, then he hears us.”
1 John 5:15 tn This use of ἐάν (ean) with the indicative mood rather than the subjunctive constitutes an anomalous usage. Here ἐάν is used instead of ἐι (ei) to introduce a first-class condition: “if we know (οἴδαμεν, oidamen) that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, then we know that we have the requests which we have asked from him.” The reality of the condition (protasis) is assumed for the sake of argument; given the protasis, the apodosis follows. The use of ἐάν for ἐι is rare but not without precedent; see M. Zerwick (Biblical Greek §§330-31).
1 John 5:16 tn Again ἐάν (ean) in 5:16 introduces (as in 5:14) a third-class condition, but this time, with the future indicative (αἰτήσει, aitēsei) in the apodosis, the condition is known as “more probable future.” As BDF §371.4 points out, such a condition describes what is to be expected under certain circumstances. If a person sees his Christian brother committing a sin not to death (which is probable), he should make intercession for the sinning brother (“he should ask…”), and that life will be granted to the sinner in answer to the request. The author has already pointed out in 5:14-15 that if believers make requests of God in accordance with his will they may have confidence that they will receive the requests they have asked for, and this is a specific instance.
1 John 5:16 tn See note on the phrase “fellow Christian” in 2:9.
1 John 5:16 tn Grk “a sin not to death.”
1 John 5:16 tn Grk “he” (see the note on the word “grant” later in this verse for discussion).
1 John 5:16 tn The referent of the (understood) third person subject of δώσει (dōsei) in 5:16 is difficult to determine. Once again the author’s meaning is obscure. Several possibilities have been suggested for the referent of the subject of this verb: (1) From a grammatical and syntactical standpoint, it would be easiest to understand the subject of δώσει in 5:16 as the person who makes the request, since this person is the subject of the preceding verb αἰτήσει (aitēsei) and the following verb ἐρωτήσῃ (erōtēsē). From a theological standpoint this is extremely difficult, however, since it would make the person who prays for the sinner the giver of life, and it is questionable whether the author (for whom God is the ultimate source of life) would say that one believer could ‘give’ life to another. In this case the meaning would be: “he [the petitioner] should ask, and he [the petitioner] will grant life to him [the sinner], namely, to those who sin not to death.” (2) Another option is to see God as the subject of δώσει in 5:16 and the Giver of life to the sinner. This is far more consistent theologically with the author’s perspective on God as the Giver of life everywhere else, but it is awkward grammatically (as explained in reference to the previous position above) because it involves a shift in subjects for the three third person verbs in the context from the person who makes the request (αἰτήσει) to God (δώσει) and back to the person who makes the request (ἐρωτήσῃ). In this case the meaning would be: “he [the petitioner] should ask, and he [God] will grant life to him [the sinner], namely, to those who sin not to death.” (3) A third possibility is to see God as the subject of δώσει in 5:16, but the person who makes the request (rather than the sinner) as the referent of the indirect object αὐτῷ (autō) in 5:16. This is possible because the indirect object αὐτῷ is singular, while the dative substantival participle τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν (tois hamartanousin) which follows (which clearly refers to those who sin) is plural. Thus the meaning would be: “he [the petitioner] should ask, and he [God] will grant life to him [the petitioner], with reference to [his praying for] those who sin not to death.” Although this is a difficult and awkward construction no matter what solution one takes, on the whole the second alternative seems most probable. Even if option (1) is preferred it must be acknowledged that God is ultimately the source of life, although it is given as a result of the petitioner’s intercessory prayer and the petitioner becomes, in a sense, the intermediate agent. But in the preceding context (5:11) the author has emphasized that God is the Giver of life, and in spite of the awkwardness in the change of subjects, that would seem to be the most likely meaning here, so option (2) is preferred. Option (3) is improbable because it seems clear that it should be the sinner for whom intercession is made, rather than the petitioner, who is the recipient of life. The petitioner would be assumed to possess life already or he could not be making a request which God would hear. In this case the change from the singular dative indirect object (αὐτῷ) to the plural dative substantival participle (τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσιν) is merely a loose construction (which by this time should come as no surprise from the author).
1 John 5:16 tn Grk “a sin not to death.”
1 John 5:16 tn Or “is sin.”
1 John 5:16 tn Grk “a sin to death.”
1 John 5:17 tn The meaning of ἀδικία (adikia) here is “unrighteousness” (BDAG 20 s.v. 2). It refers to the opposite of that which is δίκαιος (dikaios, “right, just, righteous”) which is used by the author to describe both God and Jesus Christ (1 John 1:9; 2:2, 29). Here, having implied that sins committed by believers (sins “not to death”) may be prayed for and forgiven, the author does not want to leave the impression that such sin is insignificant, because this could be viewed as a concession to the views of the opponents (who as moral indifferentists have downplayed the significance of sin in the Christian’s life).
1 John 5:17 tn Grk “a sin not to death.”
1 John 5:18 tn The concept represented by the verb γεννάω (gennaō) here means to be fathered by God and thus a child of God. The imagery in 1 John is that of the male parent who fathers children (see 2:29).
1 John 5:18 tn Grk “he”; see the note on the following word “protects.”
1 John 5:18 tn The meaning of the phrase ὁ γεννηθεὶς ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ τηρεῖ αὐτόν (ho gennētheis ek tou theou tērei auton) in 5:18 is extraordinarily difficult. Again the author’s capacity for making obscure statements results in several possible meanings for this phrase: (1) “The fathering by God protects him [the Christian].” Here a textual variant for ὁ γεννηθείς (ἡ γέννησις, hē gennēsis) has suggested to some that the passive participle should be understood as a noun (“fathering” or perhaps “birth”), but the ms evidence is extremely slight (1505 1852 2138 latt [sy^h] bo). This almost certainly represents a scribal attempt to clarify an obscure phrase. (2) “The One fathered by God [Jesus] protects him [the Christian].” This is a popular interpretation, and is certainly possible grammatically. Yet the introduction of a reference to Jesus in this context is sudden; to be unambiguous the author could have mentioned the “Son of God” here, or used the pronoun ἐκεῖνος (ekeinos) as a reference to Jesus as he consistently does elsewhere in 1 John. This interpretation, while possible, seems in context highly unlikely. (3) “The one fathered by God [the Christian] protects himself.” Again a textual problem is behind this alternative, since a number of mss (א A^c P Ψ 33 1739 M) supply the reflexive pronoun ἑαυτόν (heauton) in place of αὐτόν in 5:18. On the basis of the external evidence this has a good possibility of being the autographic wording, but internal evidence favors αὐτόν as the more difficult reading, since ἑαυτόν may be explained as a scribal attempt at grammatical smoothness. From a logical standpoint, however, it is difficult to make much more sense out of ἑαυτόν; to say what “the Christian protects himself” means in the context is far from clear. (4) “The one fathered by God [the Christian] holds on to him [God].” This results in further awkwardness, because the third person pronoun (αὐτοῦ, autou) in the following clause must refer to the Christian, not God. Furthermore, although τηρέω (tēreō) can mean “hold on to” (BDAG 1002 s.v. 2.c), this is not a common meaning for the verb in Johannine usage, occurring elsewhere only in Rev 3:3. (5) “The one fathered by God [the Christian], he [God] protects him [the Christian].” This involves a pendant nominative construction (ὁ γεννηθεὶς ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ) where a description of something within the clause is placed in the nominative case and moved forward ahead of the clause for emphatic reasons. This may be influenced by Semitic style; such a construction is also present in John 17:2 (“in order that everyone whom You have given to him, he may give to them eternal life”). This view is defended by K. Beyer (Semitische Syntax im Neuen Testament [SUNT], 1:216ff.) and appears to be the most probable in terms both of syntax and of sense. It makes God the protector of the Christian (rather than the Christian himself), which fits the context much better, and there is precedent in Johannine literature for such syntactical structure.
1 John 5:19 tn The preposition ἐκ (ek) here indicates both source and possession: Christians are “from” God in the sense that they are begotten by him, and they belong to him. For a similar use of the preposition compare the phrases ἐκ τοῦ πατρός (ek tou patros) and ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου (ek tou kosmou) in 1 John 2:16.
1 John 5:20 tn The ἵνα (hina) introduces a purpose clause which gives the purpose of the preceding affirmation: “we know that the Son of God has come and has given us insight (so that we may) know him who is true.”
1 John 5:20 sn The pronoun This one (οὗτος, houtos) refers to a person, but it is far from clear whether it should be understood as a reference (1) to God the Father or (2) to Jesus Christ. R. E. Brown (Epistles of John [AB], 625) comments, “I John, which began with an example of stunning grammatical obscurity in the prologue, continues to the end to offer us examples of unclear grammar.” The nearest previous antecedent is Jesus Christ, immediately preceding, but on some occasions when this has been true the pronoun still refers to God (see 1 John 2:3). The first predicate which follows This one in 5:20, the true God, is a description of God the Father used by Jesus in John 17:3, and was used in the preceding clause of the present verse to refer to God the Father (him who is true). Yet the second predicate of This one in 5:20, eternal life, appears to refer to Jesus, because although the Father possesses “life” (John 5:26; 6:57) just as Jesus does (John 1:4; 6:57, 1 John 5:11), “life” is never predicated of the Father elsewhere, while it is predicated of Jesus in John 11:25 and 14:6 (a self-predication by Jesus). If This one in 5:20 is understood as referring to Jesus, it forms an inclusion with the prologue, which introduced the reader to “the eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us.” Thus it appears best to understand the pronoun This one in 5:20 as a reference to Jesus Christ. The christological affirmation which results is striking, but certainly not beyond the capabilities of the author (see John 1:1 and 20:28): This One [Jesus Christ] is the true God and eternal life. See also D. B. Wallace, Granville Sharp’s Canon and Its Kin: Semantics and Significance, Studies in Biblical Greek 14, ed. D. A. Carson (Bern/New York: Peter Lang, 2009), 273-77.
1 John 5:21 tc Most later mss (P 81 1175 M) have ἀμήν (amēn, “amen”) at the end of this letter. Such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant. Further, the earliest and best witnesses, along with several others (א A B Ψ 33 323 630 1505 1739 sy co), lack the inoffensive particle, rendering its omission as the authentic reading.sn The modern reader may wonder what all this has to do with idolatry. In the author’s mind, to follow the secessionist opponents with their false Christology would amount to idolatry, since it would involve worshiping a false god instead of the true God, Jesus Christ. Thus guard yourselves from idols means for the readers to guard themselves against the opponents and their teaching.

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 106[a]

Footnotes

Footnotes

Assurance of Eternal Life

Footnotes

Psalm 106^[a]