Romans 8:26-27, Groaning for the Future

Ῥωμαίους 8·26 Ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα συναντιλαμβάνεται τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ ἡμῶν· τὸ γὰρ τί προσευξώμεθα καθὸ δεῖ οὐκ οἴδαμεν, ἀλλὰ αὐτὸ τὸ πνεῦμα ὑπερεντυγχάνει στεναγμοῖς ἀλαλήτοις·  27 ὁ δὲ ἐραυνῶν τὰς καρδίας οἶδεν τί τὸ φρόνημα τοῦ πνεύματος, ὅτι κατὰ θεὸν ἐντυγχάνει ὑπὲρ ἁγίων.

And likewise, the spirit also helps us in our weaknesses. We don’t know what we should pray for, but the Spirit itself intercedes with groanings that can’t be expressed with words.  But the One who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because he (the Spirit) pleads in behalf of the saints according to the will of God.  Romans 8:26-27

I was asked by my beloved wife to blog on this passage because she wanted to know what it really meant.  Here is my attempt on some exegesis of the passage.

The context of this passage revolves around how all creation, including the members of the Roman church, is “groaning” or “sighing heavily” for the for “the adoption” into the kingdom of God, that is, according to Paul, “the redemption of our bodies.”  This is  shown in 8:18-25.  Paul ties today’s passage (26-27) to verses 18-25 by using στεναγμοῖς ἀλαλήτοις (groanings that can’t be expressed with words).  According to Paul, we may have trouble understanding what to ask for when it comes to asking for the “coming of the Lord” to come.  That seems to be what is considered the weaknesses in this text.  It could also mean that we may not know what to ask for as we prepare of the “coming of the Lord”.  This does make sense because we are, after all, human.  Most people, christians or not, would have a hard time facing the end of life as we know it.  We may be bold in saying that we are ready, but I think human side of us has the tendency to frighten us.  In other words, we let our faith waver and we start fearing the unknown.

People sometimes take verses of scripture out of context at times in order to make a point or to try to prove a point.  If you try to keep this one within context, then it must refer to the overall theme of the text.  In this case, that’s “the adoption” in which all creation is “groaning” for.  I don’t think it refers to other things such as “needs” or “wants” according to this text.

One last thing

But the One who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because he (the Spirit) pleads in behalf of the saints according to the will of God.

I will start this off by saying that I will probably revisit this in the future as it is a difficult reading.  In looking at this, I am only analyzing the greek text only!  I’m not making any attempt to interpret the text.

Who is “the One who searches the hearts”?  That’s God.  We know this because in greek τὸ πνεῦμα (the Spirit) is neuter in form.  In other words, in greek, “the spirit” is “it”, and not “he”.  In this passage, ὁ ἐραυνῶν (the One who searches) is a masculine participle acting as a noun, so it has to refer to another masculine noun.  θεὸς (God) is masculine.  The verb ἐντυγχάνει is in the 3rd person singular and implies a pronoun as the subject.  I have translated that pronoun as “he” in my translation, but the greeks would not have seen it this way as τὸ πνεῦμα is always neuter.  In summary, since ὁ ἐραυνῶν is masculine, it can’t refer to the Spirit in this text and must refer to God.  

It is also a little strange that Paul says that God knows the “mind of the spirit” because the spirit pleads with God.  It seems to say that the reason God knows what we the saints need is because he knows the mind of the Spirit and he knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit is pleading on the saints’ behalf.  It’s interesting that Paul puts it this way.  I tend to believe that he was being idiomatic in verse 27.  I will let you decide what he means and if it has any theological significance.  I will only say this; Is there a distinction?  The text says “Yes”!


http://wordforlifeinlove.blogspot.com/2010/09/groaning.html

John 1:1-2, What does that sound like in greek?

Ἰωάννην 1·1 Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος.  2 οὗτος ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεόν.

In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.  This one was with God in the beginning.

I’ve had some folks to ask me, “What does greek sound like?”  Well, hopefully this blog will answer some of those questions.  I’m using John 1:1-2 because everyone is familiar with that text.  

Greek with a southern accent.  There will be more to come.  Enjoy!

http://www.leahannahs.com/John112.mp3

Of course we have to get a “nugget” in here.  οὗτος (“This” or “this one”) is referring to “the word”.  Some translations render it as “he”, but in greek, it really means “this one”.  John liked to use “this one” and “that one” in his writing style.

Matthew 25:34, "The" Plan!

Ματθαῖον 25·34 τότε ἐρεῖ ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῖς ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ, Δεῦτε, οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ πατρός μου, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου. 

Then the king will say to the ones on his right, “Come, the ones who are blessed by my father, inherit the kingdom that has been prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  Matthew 25:34

κληρονομήσατε is a command.  “You inherit!” or “You take it!”

ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου is an idiom that means “when the world was created”.  So the “inheritance” or the "Kingdom of God" was prepared at the same time as the world was created.  Thus, God knew how all of this was going to unfold before he created anything.  God did not create “plan a” and then “plan b”.  He created “the plan”!


http://wordforlifeinlove.blogspot.com/2010/09/from-beginning.html

Matthew 6:19-21, A Matter of Life and Death

Μαθθαῖον 6·19 Μὴ θησαυρίζετε ὑμῖν θησαυροὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅπου σὴς καὶ βρῶσις ἀφανίζει καὶ ὅπου κλέπται διορύσσουσιν καὶ κλέπτουσιν·  20 θησαυρίζετε δὲ ὑμῖν θησαυροὺς ἐν οὐρανῷ, ὅπου οὔτε σὴς οὔτε βρῶσις ἀφανίζει καὶ ὅπου κλέπται οὐ διορύσσουσιν οὐδὲ κλέπτουσιν·  21 ὅπου γάρ ἐστιν ὁ θησαυρός σου, ἐκεῖ ἔσται καὶ ἡ καρδία σου. 

Do not store up treasures for yourself on the earth, where moth and corrosion destroys it and where thieves break in and steal it.  But store up treasures for yourself in heaven, where neither moth nor corrosion destroys it and where thieves neither break in nor steal it.  For where your treasure (treasury) is, your heart will be there also.  Matthew 6:19-21

This one is going to be a little different than most blogs that I do.  This is one that my preacher friends may find interesting.

θησαυροὺς actually means “storehouses” or “treasury boxes”.  In other words, it is a place where you would store your treasures.  So, this passage could really mean “do not store up treasures in your treasury boxes on the earth”.

βρῶσις means “eating away”.  If the word is used with moth, then it means “rust” or “corrosion”.

διορύσσουσιν means “to break through” or “to dig through”.  Jesus always used word images in order to describe what he really wanted the people to understand.  He liked using every-day thing to paint a picture of the things he needed to drive home.  Back in the 1st century, most Jewish homes were made of sun-dried mud bricks.  That made it very easy for thieves to “dig through” and steal the owner’s “treasure”.

When I read this passage, I can’t help but to think of how the ancient Egyptian kings were buried.  They were buried in their finest clothes and also had many treasures around them in their tomb.  All of this was suppose to help them in the after-life in their journey to nether-world.  The Egyptians made sure that their Royalty were equipped with every thing they would need in the “life after death”.  The problem was that most of the tombs were broken into and plundered.  The thieves had to dig through all of the stone and brick, but they got to most of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings and all of the tombs in the great Pyramids.  

Those kings prepared store rooms in tombs and filled them up with treasure in order to “walk in death”.  We should prepare our store rooms in heaven and fill them up with treasure in order to “walk in life”.  If your heart is in the tomb, you are dead.  If your heart is in heaven, you are alive.

Idioms 5: Hidden In Secret, Speaking Out Loud

Μαθθαῖον 10·27 ὃ λέγω ὑμῖν ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ εἴπατε ἐν τῷ φωτί, καὶ ὃ εἰς τὸ οὖς ἀκούετε κηρύξατε ἐπὶ τῶν δωμάτων. 

What I say to you in the dark, speak it in the light, and what you hear in your ear, proclaim it on the housetop.  Matthew 10:27

Here are two* wonderful idioms that refer to something being told in secret.  The first one may be close to our idiom "behind closed doors" and the second one is very close to our idiom “whisper in your ear”.  The key to understanding this verse comes in the prior verse (26)  So, if we were to put this into our own idiomatic way to speaking, we may say, 

“What I say to you behind closed doors, proclaim it openly, and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim it out loud.”

*There are really four idioms in this verse.

Matthew 6:7-8, "Babbling" for Ourselves

Μαθθαῖον 6·7 Προσευχόμενοι δὲ μὴ βατταλογήσητε ὥσπερ οἱ ἐθνικοί, δοκοῦσιν γὰρ ὅτι ἐν τῇ πολυλογίᾳ αὐτῶν εἰσακουσθήσονται.  8 μὴ οὖν ὁμοιωθῆτε αὐτοῖς· οἶδεν γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὧν χρείαν ἔχετε πρὸ τοῦ ὑμᾶς αἰτῆσαι αὐτόν. 

And don’t babble while praying as the pagans do.  For they think that they will be heard by their many words.  Therefore, do not be like them.  For your father knows of that need you have before you ask him.  Matthew 6:7-8

Προσευχόμενοι (while praying)

This word has a small nuance that indicates to us that the people who were praying, were praying for themselves.  This is reinforced in verse 8.

βατταλογήσητε (to babble)

Yes, it really does mean to babble or saying many words that make no sense.  Jesus backs up this teaching when he gives an example of how to pray in the Lord’s Prayer.  Notice how short and to the point that prayer is.  

Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς·

ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου· 

10 ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου·

γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου,

ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς· 

11 τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον· 

12 καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν,

ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν· 

13 καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν,

ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ. 

Our Father, who is in heaven, 

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come, 

your will be done 

on earth as it is also in heaven.

Give us our daily bread today 

and forgive our debts 

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And don’t bring us into temptation, 

but deliver us from the evil one.

Also, notice how we should pray for ourselves: 

1. Basic need (Give us our daily bread today) 
2. Forgiveness for what we owe, but only after we have forgiven the ones we owe.  Think about how we would do that.  Does that change how you look at this part of the prayer?
3. Asking for God’s help to intervene in our sinful nature by delivering us from the evil one who tempts us.

Matthew 6:5-6, Shining with the Wrong Light

Μαθθαῖον 6·5 Καὶ ὅταν προσεύχησθε, οὐκ ἔσεσθε ὡς οἱ ὑποκριταί, ὅτι φιλοῦσιν ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς καὶ ἐν ταῖς γωνίαις τῶν πλατειῶν ἑστῶτες προσεύχεσθαι, ὅπως φανῶσιν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἀπέχουσιν τὸν μισθὸν αὐτῶν.  6 σὺ δὲ ὅταν προσεύχῃ, εἴσελθε εἰς τὸ ταμεῖόν σου καὶ κλείσας τὴν θύραν σου πρόσευξαι τῷ πατρί σου τῷ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ· καὶ ὁ πατήρ σου ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ ἀποδώσει σοι. 

And whenever you pray, you will not be like the hypocrites that love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners, so that they may be seen by men.  Truly I am saying to you, they are receiving their reward in full.  But whenever you pray, go into your inner room and shut your door to pray to your father who is unseen.  And your father, who is seeing what is hidden, will reward (give back to) you.  Matthew 6:5-6

This is a fun one.  The verb φανῶσιν (they may be seen) can also mean “they may shine”.  It is the same verb that John uses in John 1:5*.

5 καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει, καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν.

and the light is shining in the darkness and the darkness doesn’t understand it. John 1:5

Matthew doesn’t use this verb just to mean “to see”.  He uses a common “to see” verb in verse 6 (βλέπων).  So, he is using φανῶσιν to express an idea and drive a point home about hypocrites.  In this case, he is expressing an idea that hypocrites “showboat” while praying.  By using this verb, the author (in my opinion) is having a little fun with some sarcasm.  The author is obviously trying to put into words that hypocrites are trying to draw attention to themselves.  It is also very clear that the only reward that the hypocrites will receive is that attention!  This passage could be translated like this, 

So that they may shine before men.

Have you ever heard a phrase like, “Stand up!  It’s your time to shine!”?  Of course we have.  We use it as an idiom all of the time.  You don’t want “to shine” like those folks in verse 6:5!

*I wrote about this in my very first blog.

http://biblicalgreeknuggets.blogspot.com/2010/08/john-126.html

John 14:3-7, A Promise of Knowing

3 καὶ ἐὰν πορευθῶ καὶ ἑτοιμάσω τόπον ὑμῖν, πάλιν ἔρχομαι καὶ παραλήμψομαι ὑμᾶς πρὸς ἐμαυτόν, ἵνα ὅπου εἰμὶ ἐγὼ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἦτε.  4 καὶ ὅπου [ἐγὼ] ὑπάγω οἴδατε τὴν ὁδόν. 

5 Λέγει αὐτῷ Θωμᾶς· κύριε, οὐκ οἴδαμεν ποῦ ὑπάγεις· πῶς δυνάμεθα τὴν ὁδὸν εἰδέναι;  6 λέγει αὐτῷ [ὁ] Ἰησοῦς· ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή· οὐδεὶς ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸν πατέρα εἰ μὴ δι᾿ ἐμοῦ.  7 εἰ ἐγνώκατέ με, καὶ τὸν πατέρα μου γνώσεσθε. καὶ ἀπ᾿ ἄρτι γινώσκετε αὐτὸν καὶ ἑωράκατε αὐτόν. 

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am also coming again to receive you to myself, so that where I am, you also may be.  And you know the way to where I am going.

Thomas says to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going.  How are we able to know the way?”  Jesus says to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the father except through me.  If you have known me, you will know my father also.  And from now on, you know him and have seen him.” John 14:3-7

This is a continuation blog on John 14.  I was reading this in the greek yesterday and and realized that there was a big time variant reading in verse 7.  If you are using the KJV or even some modern translations, you may see something like this below.

From the TC (Textus Receptus)

7 εἰ ἐγνώκειτέ με, καὶ τὸν πατέρα μου ἐγνώκειτε ἄν· καὶ ἀπ᾿ ἄρτι γινώσκετε αὐτόν, καὶ ἑωράκατε αὐτόν.

If you would have known me, you would have known my father also.  And from now on, you know him and have seen him. John 14:7 TR

I’ve placed the two verbs in bold so that you can see the difference.  So I guess the big question is, “Why was the passage changed?”  Well, we can come up with many reasons, but it probably was altered by a scribe in order to “improve” the reading.  Some scribes had a tendency to try to “improve” the text so that it would read better and possibly line up with other text (from other author’s) or the original author’s theology.  It is possible that this passage was being paralleled with John 8:19.

Ἰωάννην 8·19 ἔλεγον οὖν αὐτῷ· ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ πατήρ σου; ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς· οὔτε ἐμὲ οἴδατε οὔτε τὸν πατέρα μου· εἰ ἐμὲ ᾔδειτε, καὶ τὸν πατέρα μου ἂν ᾔδειτε. 

Therefore they [the Pharisees] were saying to him, “Who is your father?”  Jesus answered, “You neither know me, nor my father.  If you would have known me, you would have known my father also.”  John 8:19

You can see how this passage reads like the variant reading from the TR in 14:7.    The big difference here is that the greek verb for “to know” is different here than the verb used in 14:7.  Another difference it that Jesus is saying this to the Pharisees in 8:19 and not his disciples.  Now an argument can be made that the disciples could also fit into the Pharisee camp of unbelief, but I do not accept that.  The disciples may not have known fully who Jesus was at this time, but they knew enough to have followed him for three years and to still be with him.  So the argument for the TR reading fails to reach the mark on textual grounds as well as common sense grounds, not to mention that many Biblical scholars believe the same way as well.

Jesus was giving the disciples a promise that they would know the father as they know him; personally.  That actually happened on the Day of Pentecost when the Church was birthed.  He was not telling them that they had known nothing about him.  They may not have “grasped” the whole idea of who Jesus was, but that was soon to change just three days later on a Sunday morning.  On that day, it would become abundantly clear who Jesus was.

John 14:2, But if not...

2 ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ πατρός μου μοναὶ πολλαί εἰσιν· εἰ δὲ μή, εἶπον ἂν ὑμῖν ὅτι πορεύομαι ἑτοιμάσαι τόπον ὑμῖν; 

There are many dwelling places in my father’s house, and if that were not so, I would have told you because I am going to prepare a place for you.  John 14:2

I used to be super critical when I would read a passage and it would have some words in italics noting that those words were not found in the original language.  Studying greek has cured me from that.  Let’s take this passage for instance.

εἰ δὲ μή  The literal translation to this phrase is “if but not” or “if and not”.  It was common in greek for the “and/but” (δὲ) to be placed somewhere else in the sentence or clause other than at the beginning (most of the time, it is the second word as it is here).  With that said, we can get this phrase down to “and if not”. That makes it a little better as now the passage would read, “There are many dwelling places in my father’s house, and if not, I would have told you...”  Still, I think some helping words are in order here.

There is no such thing as a literal translation from biblical greek to english.  2000 year-old greek just didn’t work the same way that english works today.  Translators will always have to add helping words in order for the translation to make sense.

John 14:1-2a, A state of remaining

Ἰωάννην 14·1 Μὴ ταρασσέσθω ὑμῶν ἡ καρδία· πιστεύετε εἰς τὸν θεὸν καὶ εἰς ἐμὲ πιστεύετε.  2 ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ πατρός μου μοναὶ πολλαί εἰσιν· 

Do not let your heart be troubled.  You believe in God, believe in me also.  There are many places to live in my father’s house.  John 14: 1-2a

μοναὶ πολλαί (many living places) or (rooms)

For those of us who grew up on the KJV of the Bible, we remember this to be “In my father’s house, there are many mansions”.  That actually puts a touch of splendor on this text that I like.  When we think of a mansion, we think of a huge house, so that actually is a good translation here.

I love John. He seems to like using word plays in his style of writing.  That keeps the passages interesting and really brings out exactly what he is trying to say.  You have to love that!

μοναὶ is from the word μονή.  As you would expect, it means rooms or dwelling places.  Another definition (actually the number one definition) is “a state of remaining in an area” or “staying”.  Is there any doubt as to why John used this word?  He uses it again in verse 23.  In that verse, he drives home (pun intended) what he is trying to describe in this passage.  There is plenty of room in heaven and once we get there, we will be in a “state of of remaining” in that house.  Why would we want to leave?  We wouldn’t!

Revelation 22:19, Tree of Life or Book of Life?

Ἀποκάλυψις 22·19 καὶ ἐάν τις ἀφέλῃ ἀπὸ τῶν λόγων τοῦ βιβλίου τῆς προφητείας ταύτης, ἀφελεῖ ὁ θεὸς τὸ μέρος αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς καὶ ἐκ τῆς πόλεως τῆς ἁγίας τῶν γεγραμμένων ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τούτῳ. 

And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, of which has been written about in this book.  The Apocalypse (Revelation) 22:19

This one seems to be pretty straight forward for those of you who use a modern translation of the New Testament, but if you use the King James Version, you will see a big problem.  The KJV renders ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς as “from the book of life” as opposed to “from the tree of life”.  Why, you ask?  Before we go into that, I think it would be worth while for you to see the same verse in greek in which the KJV used.  I’ve highlighted the different words.

Ἀποκάλυψις 22·19 καὶ ἐάν τις ἀφαιρῇ ἀπὸ τῶν λόγων βίβλου τῆς προφητείας ταύτης, ἀφαιρήσει ὁ Θεὸς τὸ μέρος αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ βίβλου τῆς ζωῆς, καὶ ἐκ τῆς πόλεως τῆς ἁγίας, καὶ τῶν γεγραμμένων ἐν βιβλίῳ τούτῳ. 

So why the difference?  The translators of the King James Version were using an inferior text where as modern translators have ALL of the manuscripts available.  The text that was used by the KJV translators was the textus receptus (latin for received text).  If you have been reading my blogs, then you know that I’m not a fan of the KJV of the Bible.  This is mostly due to the greek text behind the translation.  The story behind this passage is pretty interesting.  See below for the translation notes of the NET Bible.

³⁷tc The Textus Receptus, on which the KJV rests, reads “the book” of life (ἀπὸ βίβλου, apo biblou) instead of “the tree” of life. When the Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus translated the NT he had access to no Greek mss for the last six verses of Revelation. So he translated the Latin Vulgate back into Greek at this point. As a result he created seventeen textual variants which were not in any Greek mss. The most notorious of these is this reading. It is thus decidedly inauthentic, while “the tree” of life, found in the best and virtually all Greek mss, is clearly authentic. The confusion was most likely due to an intra-Latin switch: The form of the word for “tree” in Latin in this passage is ligno; the word for “book” is libro. The two-letter difference accounts for an accidental alteration in some Latin mss; that “book of life” as well as “tree of life” is a common expression in the Apocalypse probably accounts for why this was not noticed by Erasmus or the KJV translators. (This textual problem is not discussed in NA²⁷.)*

As you can see, it was an honest mistake made by the translators in 1611, but they didn’t look at other greek texts for their translation.  Today, we have far more resources to rely on than they did. Today, we are literally “without excuse” when it comes to studying the Bible.  

I find it ironic that the very passage that spells out doom to those who “take away from the words of this book of prophecy” was actually “taken away from”.

*NET Bible Translation Notes

Mark 1:1, The Witnesses and the Evidence

Μάρκον 1·1 Ἀρχὴ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ [υἱοῦ θεοῦ]. 

The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ [the son of God].  Mark 1:1

So why the brackets?  This means that it is possible that the bracketed praise [the son of God] is not original. 

Learning the greek of the New Testament involves much more than just the actual language.  One also has to understand that there are thousands of New Testament greek manuscripts out there and none of them agree 100%.  So how do we know what was original?  We must use Textual Criticism.  There are several ways that scholars use Textual Criticism in order to obtain the “original” passages.  1. Witnesses (early and late manuscripts), 2. Internal Evidence, 3. External Evidence.

1. Witnesses: This passage appears in some of the earliest witnesses, but not all.  In Textual Criticism, the earlier the witness, the better (most of the time).
2. Internal Evidence: Is the praise something that Mark the author would use or believed?  Yes!  He uses it a few more times in his Gospel.  So, this was not a foreign idea to Mark.
3. External Evidence: Is this opening passage in Mark quoted in other sources?  Yes!  Several Church Fathers quote the passage with [the son of God].

In the end, there was enough evidence to include the praise, although it was bracketed.  This was due mostly because it just didn’t appear in all of the earliest witnesses.  I personally believe that the title is true even if it was not included in this line originally.


http://wordforlifeinlove.blogspot.com/2010/09/it-began-long-ago.html

Colossians 1:3, Always give thanks.

Εὐχαριστοῦμεν τῷ θεῷ πατρὶ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ πάντοτε περὶ ὑμῶν προσευχόμενοι

We always give thanks to God the father of our lord Jesus Christ while praying for you,  Colossians 1:3

While translating from the original greek, one must use a little common sense in how you translate.  Take Colossians 1:3, the King James Version 

We give thanks to God and* the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,  Colossians 1:3 KJV

Did Paul always thank God for the folks in Colosse when he prayed, or did he always pray?  Which makes the most sense?  It is possible that πάντοτε περὶ ὑμῶν προσευχόμενοι means “always praying for you”, but if it does, then it would have to be idiomatic as Paul wouldn’t be able to pray always.  We use “always” idiomatically all of the time.  Just like we use “all of the time” all of the time (sorry, I couldn’t resist).  I believe that Paul was “always” thanking God while in prayer for the people in Colosse.  In other words, when each time Paul prayed, he thanked God for the church in Colosse.

*Variant Reading Alert!  Notice the “and” in the KJV.  It is not original to the text.  It was added at a later date while the letter was being copied.  People who know me know that I’ve not a fan of the KJV.  I’m not a fan for two reasons: 

1. When I read english, I want to understand what I read.  I love the 400 year old english, but I would rather read the Bible in today’s english in order to understand it better and quicker without having to use a super decoder ring.
2. The greek text behind the KJV, the textus receptus (latin for received text), is far inferior to much older manuscripts that are available.  There are thousands of manuscripts out there and the textus receptus is mostly based on a few 12th century documents.  There will be more posts regarding this subject.  

The included “and” doesn’t even make sense in the passage.

John 8:6-8: Throwing the first Stone Part 2

Ἰωάννην 8·6 τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγον πειράζοντες αὐτόν, ἵνα ἔχωσιν κατηγορεῖν αὐτοῦ. ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς κάτω κύψας τῷ δακτύλῳ κατέγραφεν εἰς τὴν γῆν.  7 ὡς δὲ ἐπέμενον ἐρωτῶντες αὐτόν, ἀνέκυψεν καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· ὁ ἀναμάρτητος ὑμῶν πρῶτος ἐπ᾿ αὐτὴν βαλέτω λίθον.  8 καὶ πάλιν κατακύψας ἔγραφεν εἰς τὴν γῆν. 

And they were saying this, testing him, that they may have something to accuse him.  And Jesus bent down and was writing on the ground.  And when they were continuing to question him, he stood up and said to them, “The sinless one among you must throw the first stone at her.”  And he bent down and was writing on the ground again.  John 8:6-8

Here is a final point about this passage.  βαλέτω, “must throw”, is a third person imperative.  In the second person, it is used as a command or demand.  In the third person, it can be translated “let him throw”.  In english, that sounds a little more like giving permission as opposed to a command.  Wallace says (Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics) that “he must” is closer to the force of the 3rd person imperative than “let him”.  I also think that it demonstrates Jesus’ authority in the passage.

John 8:6-8: Throwing the first Stone Part 1

Ἰωάννην 8·6 τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγον πειράζοντες αὐτόν, ἵνα ἔχωσιν κατηγορεῖν αὐτοῦ. ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς κάτω κύψας τῷ δακτύλῳ κατέγραφεν εἰς τὴν γῆν.  7 ὡς δὲ ἐπέμενον ἐρωτῶντες αὐτόν, ἀνέκυψεν καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· ὁ ἀναμάρτητος ὑμῶν πρῶτος ἐπ᾿ αὐτὴν βαλέτω λίθον.  8 καὶ πάλιν κατακύψας ἔγραφεν εἰς τὴν γῆν. 

And they were saying this, testing him, that they may have something to accuse him.  And Jesus bent down and was writing on the ground.  And when they were continuing to question him, he stood up and said to them, “The sinless one among you must throw the first stone at her.”  And he bent down and was writing on the ground again.  John 8:6-8

The woman caught in adultery.  What a story!  Have you ever wondered what Jesus was writing on the ground?  I’ve placed the two verbs in question here in bold type.  The are both form the verb γράφω.  The first one, κατέγραφεν, is a compound verb.  κατ - έγραφεν.  κατ (from κατά*) is actually a preposition that means “down from”.  It can also mean “against”.  Within this context, there would be no reason for the author** to used two different forms of the verb γράφω unless he really wanted to place emphasis on something by placing κατά in order to compound the verb.  It is very probable that the verb means “he was writing against them”.  Some scholars think that he may have been writing down the accusers’ names and the sins that they were guilty of committing!  Can you imagine?   Compound that with what Jesus said to them, no wonder they all left the scene!

So, with this in mind, maybe the passage in question should be translated:

And Jesus bent down and was writing against them on the ground.

*Techy grammar alert!!!  κατά means “down from” or “against” if its object is in the genitive and “according to”, “through out”, or “during” if its object is in the accusative.

**Most likely, this story is not original and was added to John’s Gospel at a later date.  According to scholars, the vocabulary and style are different than the rest of the Gospel.  This passage doesn’t appear in some of the oldest manuscripts and is often placed in different places within the Gospel where it does appear.  It probably was a story that was handed down from early sources and a copyist inserted it in John at some point.  Since it was and is still widely accepted, modern translations include it.  It is almost always bracketed or footnoted due to the lack of evidence for the passage.


http://wordforlifeinlove.blogspot.com/2010/09/from-now-on.html

Idioms 4: And it came to pass

Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις

And it came to pass in those days. Mark 1:9a

This is more of a Jewish transitional clause than an idiom.  It was a way to introduce a new subject or event.  In the greek, the passage literally says, “and it became in those days.”  I think “and it came to pass” is a wonderful english translation of this transitional clause.

Mark 8:34-37: Life or no life?

Μάρκον 8·34 Καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος τὸν ὄχλον σὺν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· εἴ τις θέλει ὀπίσω μου ἀκολουθεῖν, ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκολουθείτω μοι.  35 ὃς γὰρ ἐὰν θέλῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ σῶσαι ἀπολέσει αὐτήν· ὃς δ᾿ ἂν ἀπολέσει τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ καὶ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου σώσει αὐτήν.  36 τί γὰρ ὠφελεῖ ἄνθρωπον κερδῆσαι τὸν κόσμον ὅλον καὶ ζημιωθῆναι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ;  37 τί γὰρ δοῖ ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ;

And after calling the crowd with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wishes to follow after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever will lose his life for my sake and the Good News will save it.  For what benefits man to gain the whole world and lose his life?  For what would a man give in exchange for his life?”

Mark 8:34-37

There are times in my learning of greek, that I become amazed at how the author sets up words or phrases to drive a point home.  I’m also amazed at what the author may be alluding to in some of the passages or what word plays that he may be using to drive points home.  In this blog, I will attempt to show some of those things that I will teach in my upcoming study in Mark.

I was translating the above passage and had to stop at verse 35.  The reason was because I didn’t see: “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it”.  I saw: “For whoever wishes to save his life will destroy it.”  I was well justified in this as ἀπολέσει is the future active indicative of ἀπόλλυμι.  Most of the time, ἀπόλλυμι means “to destroy”.  So you can see how I may be taken back by this.  So, I pull out my BDAG (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature) and looked up ἀπόλλυμι.  As I said before, the word normally means “to destroy,” but it also can mean “to fail to obtain what one expects or anticipates”.  BDAG also said that there was a passage written from a greek poet named Tyrtaeus (500BC?) that talked about soldiers “losing their life” on the battlefield” and how they should really go about saving their life in battle.  Here is that passage.

“One who risks his life in battle has the best chance of saving it; one who flees to save it is most likely to lose it.”  Tyrtaeus, 8 Diehl lines 11-14 (BDAG)

All of a sudden, the passage made total sense.  A christian is to continually (ἀκολουθείτω carries a continual action) follow Jesus and to fight to do the things that are commanded that we must do.  If we wish to save our mortal, worldly lifestyle*, then we will lose our eternal lifestyle*.  If we lose our mortal, worldly lifestyle* for the sake of Jesus, then our eternal lifestyle* will be saved.  We can’t expect to save one and to save the other one as well.  Jesus could have been using allusions to Tyrtaeus’ passage to put it into a context that his followers could understand.  Remember, Jesus called all of them together so that he could tell them this.  Within the context, Jesus had already been teaching them how he would suffer many things.  Peter tried to get him to stop saying those things, but Jesus rebuked him heavily (called him Satan, ouch!).  That event lead to this teaching and he expected all of them to understand it.  He was teaching “plainly” about what he was to suffer, there would have been no reason for him to change from “plainly” to “obscurely.”

But wait, there’s more! (way more than I can put in this already too long blog)

Mark switches “to lose” verbs in verse 36.  He now uses ζημιωθῆναι.  I didn’t know the word, so I had to look it up.  It is from ζημιόω which means “to experience the loss of something with implication of undergoing hardship or suffering.” (BDAG)  So why did Mark change words?  They both mean “to lose,” so why change from ἀπόλλυμι?  I believed he changed it to set up the next question.  “For what would a man give in exchange for his life?”  In other words, what is the value of an eternal lifestyle that a man may give it up in order to not suffer mortal lifestyle loss and hardship?  Is there anything more valuable than eternal life?

Peter was looking for a “worldly” kingdom and not a “spiritual” kingdom.  He didn’t want Jesus to speak of being rejected and killed by the very people he was suppose to rule over.  He wanted Jesus to become King and drive the Romans out of Israel.  Jesus came to offer himself and to give us “real” life; Eternal life.  Eternal life has a price, but it is worth it.  Are worldly things really worth giving up eternal life?  Οὐ οὐδεὶς**!  NO WAY!

*ψυχὴ can mean soul, life, or living being.
**I guess it should have been μὴ μηδείς.  These are used to indicate a "no" answer.

Romans 1:17, Here I Stand.

Ῥωμαίους 1·17 δικαιοσύνη γὰρ θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ ἀποκαλύπτεται ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν, καθὼς γέγραπται· ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται.

For in it (the gospel), the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it has been written, “And the righteous will live by means of faith.”  Romans 1:17.

There’s a little history in this verse that really affects how Christianity is viewed today.  I have many Catholic and Protestant friends, so this is NOT a “gotcha” on either side.  It is a matter of history.

Martin Luther read this verse in greek and rebelled against the Catholic church.  That rebellion not only started the Reformation, but it also changed some views within the Catholic church (Counter-Reformation)*. 

ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν (from faith to faith)

“ἐκ … εἰς …: (an idiomatic frame, literally ‘from … to …’) a degree of totality emphasizing exclusiveness or the elimination of other possibilities — ‘completely, entirely, exclusively a matter of.’ δικαιοσύνη γὰρ θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ ἀποκαλύπτεται ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν ‘for God’s righteousness is revealed in it as exclusively a matter of faith’ or ‘the way God has put people right with himself is revealed in it as a matter of faith from beginning to end’ Ro 1:17; οἷς μὲν ὀσμὴ ἐκ θανάτου εἰς θάνατον, οἷς δὲ ὀσμὴ ἐκ ζωῆς εἰς ζωήν ‘on the one hand, to those (who are being lost) it is a stench which is completely a matter of death, but to those (who are being saved) it is a fragrance which is completely a matter of life’ 2Cor 2:16.” From Louw & Nida Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament

A little history on Martin Luther

From Patheos.com, article on Protestant Founders.

Luther entered the Augustinian monastery at Erfurt (he was a law student returning to school after a semester break) after he was caught in a thunderstorm, feared for his life, and realized that he was not sure of his salvation. Though he was apparently a very conscientious monk, his strenuous efforts in the monastery did not reduce his anxiety about God's wrath. Trained as a biblical theologian, he was preparing a lecture on Paul's Letter to the Romans for his university students when he realized that the Greek of Romans 1:17 could mean either "the righteous shall live by faith" or "those who are righteous by faith shall live." The first had been taught by the Catholic Church, and implies that as one strives for righteousness (sinlessness), one is rewarded with faith. The second implies that faith is a gift that one does not strive for, but that brings righteousness with it. Luther believed this to be the intent of Paul, and indeed of the entire Bible. This insight formed the core of his reform.

From www.greatsite.com/timeline-english-bible-history/martin-luther

Here I Stand

Luther's Protestant views were condemned as heretical by Pope Leo X in the bull Exsurge Domine in 1520. Consequently Luther was summoned to either renounce or reaffirm them at the Diet of Worms on 17 April 1521. When he appeared before the assembly, Johann von Eck, by then assistant to the Archbishop of Trier, acted as spokesman for Emperor Charles the Fifth. He presented Luther with a table filled with copies of his writings. Eck asked Luther if he still believed what these works taught. He requested time to think about his answer. Granted an extension, Luther prayed, consulted with friends and mediators and presented himself before the Diet the next day.

When the counselor put the same question to Luther the next day, the reformer apologized for the harsh tone of many of his writings, but said that he could not reject the majority of them or the teachings in them. Luther respectfully but boldly stated, "Unless I am convinced by proofs from Scriptures or by plain and clear reasons and arguments, I can and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.**"

On May 25, the Emperor issued his Edict of Worms, declaring Martin Luther an outlaw.  

*Thanks to Jimmy Payne for telling me about this.

**My pastor, Shane Brown, quoted this last night.  He didn't know I was writing this up.

Study in Mark! Don't miss it!

Idioms 3: John 9:21b

αὐτὸν ἐρωτήσατε, ἡλικίαν ἔχει, αὐτὸς περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λαλήσει.

Ask him, he has age, he will speak about himself.  John 9:21b

A wonderful idiom!  Most translations render it “he is of age”.

“Verily, verily"

Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν

“Verily, verily, I am saying to you” or “Truly, truly, I am saying to you”

Have you ever wondered what “verily, verily” means?  It is the greek word where we get “amen” (ἀμὴν).  Jesus used it to reassure to those who he was speaking to that what he was saying was true; "I most assuredly am saying to you" or "truly, I am saying to you."  Christians (and Paul’s letters) placed it at the end of a known truth or at the end of a prayer; "so let it be" or “amen.”  Paraphrased from BDAD. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd Edition

RB

Mark 12:29-31, Who are our neighbors?

29 ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι πρώτη ἐστίν· ἄκουε, Ἰσραήλ, κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν κύριος εἷς ἐστιν,  30 καὶ ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ἰσχύος σου.  31 δευτέρα αὕτη· ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν. μείζων τούτων ἄλλη ἐντολὴ οὐκ ἔστιν.

Jesus answered, “The first one (commandment) is, ‘Hear, Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord, and you will love the Lord your God from your whole heart, from your whole soul, from your whole understanding, and from your whole strength.’ The second one is this, ‘you will love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.  Mark 12:29-31

πλησίον (neighbor)

In the Old Testament, a neighbor was a fellow hebrew, but Jesus expanded that role in his teaching.

“According to the teaching of Christ, any other man irrespective of race or religion with whom we live or whom we chance to meet (which idea is clearly brought out in the parable Luke 10:25-37)”  Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament 

How have we been treating our neighbor’s lately?  Do you think Jesus would approve?

Spirit and Wind: John 3:5-8

5 ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς· ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω σοι, ἐὰν μή τις γεννηθῇ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ πνεύματος, οὐ δύναται εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ.  6 τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς σάρξ ἐστιν, καὶ τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος πνεῦμά ἐστιν.  7 μὴ θαυμάσῃς ὅτι εἶπόν σοι· δεῖ ὑμᾶς γεννηθῆναι ἄνωθεν.  8 τὸ πνεῦμα ὅπου θέλει πνεῖ καὶ τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ἀκούεις, ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ οἶδας πόθεν ἔρχεται καὶ ποῦ ὑπάγει· οὕτως ἐστὶν πᾶς ὁ γεγεννημένος ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος.

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I am saying to you, if anyone is not born from water and spirit, he is not able to go into the kingdom of God.  What has been born from the flesh is flesh, and what has been born of the Spirit is spirit.  Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘it is necessary for you all to be born from above.’  The wind blows where it wishes and you hear it’s sound, but you don’t know from where it comes and where it goes.  It is this way with all who have been born from the Spirit.  John 3:5-8

If you like word plays, then this is the passage for you.  In greek, πνεῦμά can mean spirit, wind, or breath.  I have placed the word in bold type so that you can see everywhere that it is used.  I also have underlined the verb form of the same word with means “to blow”.  Where is it obvious that the “Holy Spirit” is in play here, I have capitalized those.

ἄνωθεν: “from above” or “again”.  ἄνωθεν can mean either “from above” or “again”.  In this passage, many translations render it as “again”.  Within the context of the passage though, I think “from above” is best suited here.  There is another greek word that means “again”.  That word is πάλιν.  This word occurs very frequently in the New Testament and could have been used here if the author really wanted to say “again”.  I think the author uses ἄνωθεν for the purpose of saying “from above”, besides, it makes more sense in this passage to be “born from above”.

For some commentary of this passage, check out my friend's blog.

http://wordforlifeinlove.blogspot.com/2010/09/wind-blows.html

http://wordforlifeinlove.blogspot.com/2010/09/from-above.html

Idioms 2: John 2:4

Ἰωάννην 2·4 [καὶ] λέγει αὐτῇ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί, γύναι; οὔπω ἥκει ἡ ὥρα μου. 

And Jesus is saying to her, “Woman, what to me and to you?  My hour has not yet come.”  John 2:4

τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί: “What to me and to you?”

This may be my favorite idiom in the Bible.  You know it is a common expression when Jesus says it to his mother!  Most people don’t know that it’s there because most translations render it as something else other that "what to me and to you".  Check your favorite translation and see what it says.  Also see Mark 5:7.

The phrase τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί, γύναι (ti emoi kai soi, gunai) is Semitic in origin. The equivalent Hebrew expression in the Old Testament had two basic meanings: (1) When one person was unjustly bothering another, the injured party could say “What to me and to you?” meaning, “What have I done to you that you should do this to me?” (Judg 11:12, 2 Chr 35:21, 1 Kgs 17:18). (2) When someone was asked to get involved in a matter he felt was no business of his, he could say to the one asking him, “What to me and to you?” meaning, “That is your business, how am I involved?” (2 Kgs 3:13, Hos 14:8). Option (1) implies hostility, while option (2) implies merely disengagement. Mere disengagement is almost certainly to be understood here as better fitting the context (although some of the Greek Fathers took the remark as a rebuke to Mary, such a rebuke is unlikely). (From the NET Bible Translation Notes)

ὥρα μου: my hour.

Let’s not short-change this verse (How about a modern day idiom). “My hour” is also an idiom that is referring to time.  In this case, Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection.