(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 GlossaryThe parable of the unrighteous steward
- And He was also saying to the disciples: “There was a rich man who had a steward, and this steward was accused by him offn“of” is literally “as” squandering his possessions.
- “And having summoned him, he said to him: “What’s this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you aren’t able to manage any longer.’
- “And the steward said inside himself: ‘What should I do? Because my lord is taking away the stewardship away from me. I’m not strong enough to dig; I’m ashamed to beg.
- ” ‘I know what I should do so that when I’m removed from the stewardship, they might welcome me into their own homes.’
- “And having summoned each one of his lord’s debtors, he was saying to the first: ‘How much do you owe my lord?’
- “And the debtor said: ‘A hundred bathsfn“baths” a unit of liquid measure equal to 72 sextarii, which is 8-9 gallons. of oil.’ And he told him: “Take your bill and having sat down quickly, write fifty.
- “Then he said to another debtor: ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ And he said: ‘a hundred korsfn“kors” is the plural of “kor”, which was a Hebrew measurement typically used for dried goods. Opinions vary on how much, but some put the number at about 120 gallons. of wheat.” He tells him: ‘Take your bill and write eighty.’
- “And the lord commended the unrighteous steward because he acted shrewdly, because the sons of this age are more shrewd than the sons of light in their own generation.
- “And I myself tell you: Make friends for yourselves from unrighteous wealth so that when it fails, they might welcome you into their dwellings through the ages.
- “The man faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and the man unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much.
- “Therefore, if you didn’t become faithful in unrighteous wealth, who will entrust true wealth to you?
- “And if you didn’t become faithful in another’s belongings, who will give your belongings to you?
- “No servant is able to serve as a slave to two lords; for he will either hate the one and will ^love the other, or he will cling to one and will scorn the other. You aren’t able to serve as a slave to God and the treasure you trust in.fn“the treasure you trust in” is a single word in Greek, with that exact meaning.
- And the Pharisees were hearing all these things, and — being lovers of money — they were mocking Him.
- And He told them: “You are the men declaring yourselves righteous in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts, because what’s exalted among men is an abomination in God’s sight.
- “The law and the prophets were proclaimed until John; from then on, the kingdom of God is being proclaimed, and every man forces his way into it.
- “Yet it’s easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one diacritic markfn“diacritic marks” are little lines or dots that change the meaning or sound of a word. For example, in the word “fiancé”, the little line above the “e” indicates a change of pronunciation. English rarely uses them, but Greek does. Hebrew sometimes does, but they weren’t introduced into Hebrew until the mid first millennium. However, this more likely refers to the slight extensions on certain Hebrew letters that distinguish them from other letters. of the law to fail.
- “Every man sending awayfn“sending away”; see note on Matthew 19:3 his wife and marrying another has sex with another man’s wife.fn“has sex with another man’s wife” is one word in the Greek, typically translated “commit adultery”. However, the Greek word (and Hebrew too) is more limited in scope than our English word adultery. In English, “adultery” means illicit sex between a married person – man or woman – and someone who isn’t their spouse. In Greek (and Hebrew also), it meant “a man having sex with another man’s wife”. A married man having sex with an unmarried woman was typically called fornication or sexual immorality. And the man marrying a woman merely *sent away from her husband has sex with another man’s wife.
The parable of Lazarus and the rich man
- “And there was afn“a” This is the Greek indefinite pronoun “τις” (tis), which is used to specify that the topic of discussion is not a particular person, place, or thing. Thus, there isn’t a particular rich man in view, but rather a non-specific and almost certainly fictional rich man in view. rich man, and he was clothing himself in purple and fine linen, rejoicing magnificently each day.
- “And afn“a” This is the Greek indefinite pronoun “τις” (tis), which is used to specify that the topic of discussion is not a particular person, place, or thing. Thus, there isn’t a particular beggar named lazarus in view, but rather a non-specific and almost certainly fictional beggar named lazarus in view. Interestingly, some Bible timelines put this parable soon after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (in John 11), so that is a possible connection to the name. beggar named Lazarus had laid at his gate,
- “*afflicted with sores and longing to be fed from the things falling from the rich man’s table. But coming to him, even the dogs were licking his sores.
- “And the beggar’s time to die came, and he was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom. And the rich man also died and was buried.
- “And having lifted up his eyes while being in torment in Hades, he sees Abraham from afar and Lazarus in his bosom.
- “And having called out, he said: “Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus so that he might dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I’m being tormented in this fire.
- “But Abraham said: “Child, remember that you received your good things in your life, and Lazarus likewise received evil things. But now, he’s comforted here, but you’re being tormented there.
- “And in addition to all these things, a great chasm was *fixed between you and us so that the men wanting to cross over from here to you wouldn’t be able, nor can someone cross over from there to us.
- “And he said: “Then I’m begging you, father, that you might send him to the house of my father.
- “For I have five brothers that he might solemnly testify to them, so that they might not also come to this place of torment.
- “But Abraham says: “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.”
- “But he said: “Certainly not, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead travels to them, they will repent.
- “But he told him: “If they aren’t listening to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.”
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