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2 Corinthians Chapter 3

2 Corinthians Chapter 3

(Underlining marks a quotation/allusion. [Brackets] mark a textual variant.fnWhen two (or more) different copies of an original manuscript disagree on any given word or phrase — addition, omission, word order, etc. — the disagreement is called a "textual variant". ~99% of existing textual variants are either minor (like spelling), obviously not original (often appearing only in a few late manuscripts), or don't affect meaning (like "Jesus Christ" vs. "Christ Jesus"). The ~1% that remain do not affect any central doctrine of Christianity. The BOS Bible only marks significant textual variants that affect the meaning; smaller variants that do not affect meaning won't be marked for readability.  "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.fn"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love".  However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings — agapé centers on choice and behavior.  It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings.  (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".)  Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé".  Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing.  It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. An asterisk (*) indicates a verb in the Greek perfect tense.fnThe Greek perfect tense signifies a completed action in the past with a result and/or an ongoing state that extends into the present. For example, Hebrews 12:2 says in part: "He *sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"; the verb for "sat" is in the perfect tense, indicating that He sat down once (completed action in the past), and also that He remains seated until the present moment (ongoing state).)

Glossary

Note: this glossary is currently a work in progress; entries that do not expand will be added as time permits

Ages/of ages
“ages” and “of ages” are the Greek words “αἰών” (aión, noun form) and “αἰώνιος” (aiónios, adjective form) respectively.  The adjective form is typically translated “eternal”, as in “eternal life”. The noun form refers to a whole time period, (Keizer, “Life Time Entirety”) such as a person’s lifetime (an older Greek sense), an age/epoch (e.g., 2 Cor 4:4), or even time in its entirety, making its meaning similar to “forever” (e.g., John 14:16). The adjective form is similarly context-dependent, and the New Testament context often dictates a meaning similar to “forever” (but not always: e.g. 2 Tim 1:9).  Alternately or additionally, it can indicate the quality of a time period — indicating greatness/severity — like the English idiom “of ages” (e.g. “battle of the ages”). Thus, “of ages” was chosen for the adjective form so that both the time and quality senses remain visible.

Clean/unclean

Covenant

Faith

Flesh

Forgive/forgiveness

Grace
The Greek word is “χάρις” (charis), most often translated “grace”, “gift”, or “thanks”. It was a technical term in the 1st century, referring to the Patronage system in place. The Patron (from “pater” = “father”) would give gifts or do favors (both called a charis). A charis was always given/done freely to anyone who would be grateful for it, and this person then became a “client” of the patron. The clients were expected to reciprocate by telling everyone what the patron had done, and offering their services to the patron whenever the patron needed them. This reciprocal act was also called “charis”, and the ones who reciprocated were “being faithful” by giving thanks in this way. Both were done out of gratitude, not legal obligation. A client who wasn’t faithful and grateful probably wouldn’t receive any more charis from his patron, or any other patrons. The patron was responsible for taking care of all his clients, and making sure their needs were met. New Testament usage typically casts God the Father as a Heavenly Patron, to whom Christians should be grateful and faithful because of the gifts He has given us. (e.g. salvation, provision, protection, etc.)

Holy

Justification

Law (Torah)

Make purification

Pure/Impure

Purification offering
In the Old Testament, this is typically the Hebrew “חַטָּ֖את” (khat-tat); in the New Testament, it’s typically “περὶ ἁμαρτίας” (peri hamartias), which is what the Septuagint (an ancient translation of the Old Testament into Greek) used to translate the Hebrew. It’s traditionally translated “sin offering”, but that translation has less support in high-level scholarship. The Hebrew word can mean “sin”, but it can also mean “purification” (e.g. Numbers 8:7). This offering was used to purify uncleanness, whether or not a sin was committed. Thus, it was required even when no sin was committed, such as after childbirth (Leviticus 12:1-8), for certain diseases (Leviticus 14), etc. High-level, peer-reviewed scholarship dedicated to the field (e.g. Milgrom, Levine, Gane, Sklar, Wright, Gorman, etc.) is largely united on the “purification offering” understanding. The BOS Bible has aligned itself with that high-level, peer-reviewed scholarship in its translation.

Ransom

Redemption

Repent/repentance

Righteous/righteousness

Salvation/save

Soul
“soul” is the Greek word “ψυχή/psuché” and Hebrew word “נֶפֶשׁ/nephesh”. The BOS Bible translates these words as “soul” for consistency, and so the full meaning of “soul” isn’t obscured by different translations in different places. They closely overlap in meaning and are typically translated “soul” or “life”. They refer to the animating force of a living thing, and thus can also refer to its life, or to the whole of any person or creature, including animals (e.g. fish in Revelation 8:9 and Genesis 1). They are frequently used as an emphatic reference to a person’s whole self, including longings, deep emotions, and inner life. (e.g. Ps 42:11) Note: while “soul” has significant overlap in meaning with “spirit”, the words have distinct meanings and usages throughout scripture. For example, lions tear apart a soul in Psalm 7:2, and a “dead soul” is mentioned in Leviticus 21:11; “spirit” has no analogous usages, and it returns to God at death (Ecc 12:7; Acts 7:59). The adjective forms of soul and spirit are contrasted in 1 Corinthians 2:14-15; see also: Hebrews 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

Sin

Click to Collapse the Glossary
The New and Old Covenants

(Parallel teachings: Hebrews 8:1 – 10:18)
(Thematic parallels: Matthew 17:1-8 and parallels; Matthew 27:51 and parallels)

  • 1 Do we begin to commend ourselves again?  Or do we need letters of commendation for you, or from you, as some do?
  • 2 You are our letter, *written in our hearts, being known and being read by all men,
  • 3 making it obvious that you’re a letter of the Anointed, served by us, *written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God.  Not on stone tablets, but on tablets that are hearts of flesh.fnquotation/allusion to Ezekiel 11:19, Ezekiel 36:26-27, and Jeremiah 31:33, and also to the writing of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 31:18 and Exodus 32:15-16.
  • 4 And we have such confidence toward God through the Anointed.
  • 5 Not that we’re fit in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our fitness is from God,
  • 6 who also made us fit servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit.fnquotation/allusion to Jeremiah 31:31-34 (also quoted/alluded to by Luke 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25)  For the letter kills, but the Spirit makes alive.
  • 7 But if the ministry of death (in letters *engraved on stonesfnquotation/allusion to Exodus 34:1-4 and Exodus 34:28-29) happened in such glory that the sons of Israel weren’t able to gaze at the face of Moses because of the glory on his face,fnquotation/allusion to Exodus 34:29-35 (the glory being nullified)
  • 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be in more glory?
  • 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness overflows much more in glory.
  • 10 For even what was *glorified, now isn’t *glorified in this respect because of the glory surpassing it.
  • 11 For if the thing being nullified was marked with glory, the thing remaining is much more marked by glory.
  • 12 And having such a hope, we therefore employ much boldness in speaking.
  • 13 And not like Moses, who was putting a veil on his face so the sons of Israel wouldn’t gaze into the end of the thing being nullified.fnquotation/allusion to Exodus 34:29-35
  • 14 But their minds were hardened,fnquotation/allusion to Isaiah 6:9-10 and Deuteronomy 29:4 (also quoted/alluded to by Rom 11:8).  Also, “were hardened” could be translated “were made calloused”.  The Greek word refers to making something harder which carries the connotation of being insensate, like a callous. for the same veil remains until this present day at the reading of the old covenant, not being unveiled because it’s nullified in the Anointed.
  • 15 But until today, a veil lies over their heartsfn“hearts” is literally “heart”. whenever Moses is read.
  • 16 And whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.fnquotation/allusion to Exodus 34:34
  • 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
  • 18 But we all with an *unveiled face — reflectingfn“reflecting” could also be translated “beholding” the glory of the Lord like a mirror — are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as it’s from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

 

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