2 Corinthians 10:3-6
New English Translation
3 For though we live[a] as human beings,[b] we do not wage war according to human standards,[c] 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons,[d] but are made powerful by God[e] for tearing down strongholds.[f] We tear down arguments[g] 5 and every arrogant obstacle[h] that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obey[i] Christ. 6 We are also ready to punish every act of disobedience,[j] whenever your obedience is complete.
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- 2 Corinthians 10:3 tn Grk “we walk.”
- 2 Corinthians 10:3 tn Grk “in the flesh.”
- 2 Corinthians 10:3 tn Grk “according to the flesh.”
- 2 Corinthians 10:4 tn Grk “are not fleshly [weapons].” The repetition of the word “warfare” does not occur in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity.
- 2 Corinthians 10:4 tn Or “but (are) divinely powerful,” “but they have divine power,” or “but are powerful for God’s [service]”; Grk “but are powerful to God.”
- 2 Corinthians 10:4 sn Ultimately Paul is referring here to the false arguments of his opponents, calling them figuratively “strongholds.” This Greek word (ὀχύρωμα, ochurōma) is used only here in the NT.
- 2 Corinthians 10:4 tn Or “speculations.”
- 2 Corinthians 10:5 tn The phrase “every arrogant obstacle” could be translated simply “all arrogance” (so L&N 88.207).
- 2 Corinthians 10:5 tn Grk “to the obedience of Christ,” but since Χριστοῦ (Christou) is clearly an objective genitive here, it is better to translate “to make it obey Christ.”
- 2 Corinthians 10:6 tn Or “punish all disobedience.”
Hebrews 4:12
New English Translation
12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart.
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Hebrews 4:13
New English Translation
13 And no creature is hidden from God,[a] but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.
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- Hebrews 4:13 tn Grk “him”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Ephesians 6:10-20
New English Translation
Exhortations for Spiritual Warfare
10 Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 11 Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand against the schemes[a] of the devil. 12 For our struggle[b] is not against flesh and blood,[c] but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness,[d] against the spiritual forces[e] of evil in the heavens.[f] 13 For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground[g] on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm therefore, by fastening[h] the belt of truth around your waist,[i] by putting on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 by fitting your[j] feet with the preparation that comes from the good news[k] of peace,[l] 16 and in all of this,[m] by taking up the shield[n] of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation[o] and the sword[p] of the Spirit (which is the word of God). 18 With every prayer and petition, pray[q] at all times in the Spirit, and to this end[r] be alert, with all perseverance and petitions for all the saints. 19 Pray[s] for me also, that I may be given the right words when I begin to speak[t]—that I may confidently make known[u] the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may be able to speak boldly as I ought to speak.
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- Ephesians 6:11 tn Or “craftiness.” See BDAG 625 s.v. μεθοδεία.
- Ephesians 6:12 tn BDAG 752 s.v. πάλη says, “struggle against…the opponent is introduced by πρός w. the acc.”
- Ephesians 6:12 tn Grk “blood and flesh.”
- Ephesians 6:12 tn BDAG 561 s.v. κοσμοκράτωρ suggests “the rulers of this sinful world” as a gloss. sn The phrase world-rulers of this darkness does not refer to human rulers but the evil spirits that rule over the world. The phrase thus stands in apposition to what follows (the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens); see note on heavens at the end of this verse.
- Ephesians 6:12 tn BDAG 837 s.v. πνευματικός 3 suggests “the spirit-forces of evil” in Ephesians 6:12.
- Ephesians 6:12 sn The phrase spiritual forces of evil in the heavens serves to emphasize the nature of the forces which oppose believers as well as to indicate the locality from which they originate.
- Ephesians 6:13 tn The term ἀνθίστημι (anthistēmi) carries the idea of resisting or opposing something or someone (BDAG 80 s.v.). In Eph 6:13, when used in combination with στῆναι (stēnai; cf. also στῆτε [stēte] in v. 14) and in a context of battle imagery, it seems to have the idea of resisting, standing firm, and being able to stand your ground.
- Ephesians 6:14 sn The four participles fastening…putting on…fitting…taking up… indicate the means by which believers can take their stand against the devil and his schemes. The imperative take in v. 17 communicates another means by which to accomplish the standing, i.e., by the word of God.
- Ephesians 6:14 tn Grk “girding your waist with truth.” In this entire section the author is painting a metaphor for his readers based on the attire of a Roman soldier prepared for battle and its similarity to the Christian prepared to do battle against spiritually evil forces. Behind the expression “with truth” is probably the genitive idea “belt of truth.” Since this is an appositional genitive (i.e., belt which is truth), the author simply left unsaid the idea of the belt and mentioned only his real focus, namely, the truth. (The analogy would have been completely understandable to his 1st century readers.) The idea of the belt is supplied in the translation to clarify the sense in English.
- Ephesians 6:15 tn The definite article τοῖς (tois) was taken as a possessive pronoun, i.e., “your,” since it refers to a part of the physical body.
- Ephesians 6:15 tn Grk “gospel.” However, this is not a technical term here.
- Ephesians 6:15 tn Grk “in preparation of the gospel of peace.” The genitive τοῦ εὐαγγελίου (tou euangeliou) was taken as a genitive of source, i.e., “that comes from….”
- Ephesians 6:16 tn Grk “in everything.”
- Ephesians 6:16 sn The Greek word translated shield (θυρεός, thureos) refers to the Roman soldier’s large rectangular wooden shield, called in Latin scutum, about 4 ft (1.2 m) high, covered with leather on the outside. Before a battle in which flaming arrows might be shot at them, the soldiers wet the leather covering with water to extinguish the arrows. The Roman legionaries could close ranks with these shields, the first row holding theirs edge to edge in front, and the rows behind holding the shields above their heads. In this formation they were practically invulnerable to arrows, rocks, and even spears.
- Ephesians 6:17 sn An allusion to Isa 59:17.
- Ephesians 6:17 sn The Greek term translated sword (μάχαιρα, machaira) refers to the Roman gladius, a short sword about 2 ft (60 cm) long, used for close hand-to-hand combat. This is the only clearly offensive weapon in the list of armor mentioned by the author (he does not, for example, mention the lance [Latin pilum]).
- Ephesians 6:18 tn Both “pray” and “be alert” are participles in the Greek text (“praying…being alert”). Both are probably instrumental, loosely connected with all of the preceding instructions. As such, they are not additional commands to do but instead are the means through which the prior instructions are accomplished.
- Ephesians 6:18 tn Grk “and toward it.”
- Ephesians 6:19 tn To avoid a lengthy, convoluted sentence in English, the Greek sentence was broken up at this point and the verb “pray” was inserted in the English translation to pick up the participle προσευχόμενοι (proseuxomenoi, “praying”) in v. 18.
- Ephesians 6:19 tn Grk “that a word may be given to me in the opening of my mouth.” Here “word” (λόγος, logos) is used in the sense of “message,” but more specifically in this context, “the right words.”
- Ephesians 6:19 tn The infinitive γνωρίσαι (gnōrisai, “to make known”) is functioning epexegetically to further explain what the author means by the preceding phrase “that I may be given the right words when I begin to speak.”
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