(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 GlossaryConcern for Jews
(Parallel teachings: Galatians 4:21-31)
- 1 I speak the truth in the Anointed. I don’t lie, my conscience is testifying with me in the Holy Spirit
- 2 that my grief is great and unceasing anguish is in my heart.
- 3 For I was wishing myself to be anathemafn“anathema” this Greek word literally means to curse someone, specifically with a curse to devote them to God’s destruction. In the Septuagint (an ancient translation of the Old Testament into Greek) it was used of items placed under the divine ban for total destruction (e.g. Deuteronomy 7:26; Joshua 6:17-18). It can also carry the sense of being separated from the sphere of God’s blessing or from God Himself (e.g. Romans 9:3), and being abominable and/or detestable. – separated from the Anointed – for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh,fnquotation/allusion to Exodus 32:32
- 4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory, and the covenants, and the Mosaic legislation, and the sacred service, and the promises,
- 5 to whom belong the forefathers, and from whom came the Anointed according to the flesh, the One who is God over all and blessed through the ages, Amen.fn There is some debate over how to punctuate this sentence. The other notable option is: “…from whom came the Anointed according to the flesh. God who is over all be blessed through the ages, Amen.” This second option is legitimate in Greek and makes the final clause a doxology to the Father. Proponents of this view say that Paul never directly calls Jesus God and thus he wouldn’t here (compare with Titus 2:13; some doubt Paul wrote it, others dispute the grammar there as well). Opponents of this reading argue that applying “God” to Jesus here is the natural reading of the Greek, that there’s no contextual reason to be speaking of the Father, and that the construction of this phrase doesn’t match any of Paul’s doxologies.
- 6 But it’s not as though the word of God has failed, for not all the men of Israel are these men of Israel.
- 7 Nor are all children because they’re Abraham’s seed, but “In Isaac your seed will be called.”fnquotation/allusion to Genesis 21:12 (also quoted/alluded to by Heb 11:18)
- 8 That is, it’s not these children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are considered to be seed.
- 9 For the word of promise was this: “At this time, I will come and there will be a son through Sarah.”fnquotation/allusion to Genesis 18:10, 14
- 10 And not only that, but there’s also Rebecca having her conception from one man, Isaac our father.
- 11 For while not yet having been born nor having done anything good or evil – so that the purpose of God in regard to election might remain not from works, but from the One calling them –
- 12 it was said to her: “The older will serve the younger.”fnquotation/allusion to Genesis 25:23
- 13 Just as it’s *written: “Jacob I ^loved, but Esau I hated.”fnquotation/allusion to Malachi 1:2-3
The Potter and the Clay
(Parallel teachings: Jeremiah 18:1-12)
(Thematic parallels: 2 Timothy 2:20-21)
- 14 Then what will we say? There isn’t injustice with God, is there? May it never be!
- 15 For He says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”fnquotation/allusion to Exodus 33:19
- 16 So then it’s not from the man desiring, nor the man running, but from God having mercy.
- 17 For the scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, so that I might demonstrate My power in you, and so that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”fnquotation/allusion to Exodus 9:16
- 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires and He hardensfn“hardens” There are two basic understandings of how divine hardening works, especially in Pharaoh’s case. (1) This view says that God directly interferes in that person’s thought processes to make him think a certain way. This view is heavily based on Exodus 8-10, where God is repeatedly said to “harden Pharaoh’s heart”. (2) This view says that God uses more natural means, and would say that telling Pharaoh — the most powerful man in the world at that time — that he must listen to the God of his slaves (Yahweh) would be insulting, and thus make him not willing to listen because of the insult; i.e., make him harden his own heart. This is primarily supported by Exodus 9:34 – 10:1, where God takes credit for Pharaoh hardening his own heart. whom He desires.
- 19 Therefore you will say to me: “Then why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?”
- 20 On the contrary, O man, who are you? The man contradicting God? The thing that’s molded won’t say to the One who molded it: “Why did you make me this way?”, will it?fnquotation/allusion to Isaiah 29:16, Isaiah 45:9, and possibly Jeremiah 18:6
- 21 Or doesn’t the potter have authority over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?
- 22 And what if God – desiring to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known – bore with much patience the vessels of wrath *fitfn“*fit” could also be translated “prepared”. The verb is a perfect passive participle, contextually indicating a completed action in the past that results in a present state. Calvinist scholars usually prefer “prepared” to emphasize God’s sovereignty in the preparation. (God is not explicitly stated to be the One who prepared them, but this is inferred from the “potter” analogy.) Arminian scholars tend to prefer “fit”, emphasizing the state the person is in. The underlying Greek word allows either understanding. for destruction?
- 23 And so that He might make known the wealth of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,
- 24 I mean us whom He also called, not only from the Jews, but also from the gentiles.
- 25 Just as He also says in Hosea:
- “I will call the man who isn’t My people, My people;
- and the woman who hasn’t been ^loved, the woman who has been ^loved.”fnquotation/allusion to Hosea 2:23 (also quoted/alluded to by 1 Pet 2:10)
- 26 And:
- “it will be in the place where it was said to them: “you aren’t My people”,
- there they will be called sons of the living God.”fnquotation/allusion to Hosea 1:10 (also quoted/alluded to by 1 Pet 2:10)
- 27 Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel:
- “Though the number of the sons of Israel might be as the sand of the sea,
- only the remnant will be saved.
- 28 “For the Lord will do His word, fulfilling and swiftly executing it upon the land
- [in righteousness, because the word will be swiftly executed].”fnquotation/allusion to Isaiah 10:22-23. This textual variant appears in some later manuscripts and harmonizes with the reading of Isaiah 10:22-23 found in the Septuagint (an ancient translation of the Old Testament into Greek, often abbreviated “LXX”).
- 29 And as Isaiah has foretold:
- 30 Then what will we say? That the gentiles not pursuing righteousness attained righteousness? (And I mean the righteousness from faith.)
- 31 But Israel pursuing a law of righteousness didn’t attain to that law?
- 32 Why? Because it wasn’t from faith but as from works [of the law], they stumbled over the stone of stumbling,
- 33 just as it’s *written:
- “Behold, I place a stone of stumbling in Zion,
- and a rock of offense.”fnquotation/allusion to Isaiah 8:14 (also quoted/alluded to by 1 Pet 2:8)
- And:
- “The man believing on Him won’t be put to shame.”fnquotation/allusion to Isaiah 28:16 (also quoted/alluded to by 1 Pet 2:6; Rom 10:11)
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