5so that He might redeem and liberate those who were under the Law, that we [who believe] might be adopted as sons [as God’s children with all rights as fully grown members of a family]. [Rom 11:17-24]
15… you once had [from your salvation and your relationship with Christ]? …
22For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman [Hagar] and one by the free woman [Sarah]. [Gen 16:15; 21:2, 9]
30But what does the Scripture say?"Cast out the bondwoman [Hagar] and her son [Ishmael],For never shall the son of the bondwoman be heirandshare the inheritance with the son of the free woman." [Gen 21:10]
3God [approaching from Sinai] comes from Teman (Edom),And the Holy One from 3:3 Located in the Sinai peninsula.Mount Paran. Selah (3:3 The exact meaning of selah is unknown; many think it calls for a pause in music.pause, and calmly think of that).His splendor and majesty covers the heavensAnd the earth is full of His praise.
8… On Your chariots of salvation?
13You went forth for the salvation of Your people,For the salvation and rescue of Your anointed [people Israel].You struck the 3:13 Perhaps a reference to Pharaoh.head from the house of the wickedTo lay him open from the thigh to the neck. Selah (pause, and calmly think of that).
14With the enemy’s own spears, You piercedThe head of his hordes.They stormed out to scatter us,Rejoicing like thoseWho secretly devour the oppressed [of Israel].
18… the [victorious] God of my salvation! [Rom 8:37]
5The Lord has become like an enemy;He has swallowed up Israel.He has swallowed up all its palaces;He has destroyed its strongholdsAnd multiplied in the Daughter of JudahMourning and lamentation (expressions of grief).
13How shall I console you?To what shall I compare you,O Daughter of Jerusalem?With what shall I compare you, so that I may comfort you,O Virgin Daughter of Zion?For your ruin is as vast as the sea;Who can heal you? [Lam 1:12; Dan 9:12]
17The Lord has done what He planned;He has accomplished His wordWhich He commanded 2:17 The Jews were well aware of the ancient predictions of the coming judgment against Israel because of their sin.from days of old.He has demolished without sparing,And He has caused the enemy to rejoice over you;He has exalted the power of your enemies. [Lev 26:14-39; Deut 28:15-68]
11"What strength do I have left, that I should wait [and hope]?And what is ahead of me, that I should be patient and endure?
18"The paths of their course wind along,They go up into nothing and perish.[Your counsel is as helpful to me as a dry streambed in the heat of summer.]
23Or, ‘Rescue me from the adversary’s hand,’Or, ‘Redeem me from the hand of the tyrants’?
3what we have seen and heard we also proclaim to you, so that you too may have fellowship [as partners] with us. And indeed our fellowship [which is a distinguishing mark of born-again believers] is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
4… share in the joy of salvation].
5This is the message [of God’s promised revelation] which we have heard from Him and now announce to you, that God is Light [He is holy, His message is truthful, He is perfect in righteousness], and in Him there is no darkness at all [no sin, no wickedness, no imperfection].
7but if we [really] walk in the Light [that is, live each and every day in conformity with the precepts of God], as He Himself is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another [He with us, and we with Him], and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin [by erasing the stain of sin, keeping us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations].
4"On that day they shall take up a [taunting, deriding] parable against youAnd wail with a doleful and bitter song of mourning and say,‘We are completely destroyed!God exchanges the inheritance of my people;How He removes it from me!He divides our fields to the rebellious [our captors].’
12"I shall most certainly assemble all of you, O Jacob;I shall surely gather the remnant of Israel.I shall bring them together like sheep in the fold [multiplying the nation];Like a flock in the midst of its pasture.The place will swarm with many people and hum loudly with noise.
13"The 2:13 The prophets repeatedly revealed the full extent of God’s coming judgment and salvation. God would punish His rebellious people but would afterward redeem them. Israel would be sent into exile, but a remnant of the people would return. The Messiah, the One who breaks open the way, shall lead them back and shall restore the kingdom of David.breaker [the Messiah, who opens the way] shall go up before them [liberating them].They will break out, pass through the gate and go out;So their King goes on before them,The Lord at their head." [Ex 23:20, 21; 33:14; Is 63:8, 9; Hos 3:5; Amos 9:11]
9"Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord.’ Say,‘A sword, a sword [from Babylon] is sharpenedAnd also polished!
10‘It is sharpened to make a slaughter,Polished to flash and glimmer like lightning!’Shall we then rejoice [when such a disaster approaches]? But it rejects and views with contempt the scepter of My son [Judah]. [Gen 49:9, 10; 2 Sam 7:23]
14"Therefore, son of man, prophesy and strike your hands together; and let the sword be doubled the third time [in intensity], the sword for the slain. It is the sword for the great slaughter which surrounds them [so that no one can escape, even by hiding in their inner rooms],
2You shall keep My Sabbaths and have reverence for My sanctuary. I am the Lord.
6I will also grant peace in the land, so that you may lie down and there will be no one to make you afraid. I will also eliminate harmful animals from the land, and no sword will pass through your land.
45But I will, for their sake, [earnestly] remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I have brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am the Lord.’ "
1Now the apostles and the believers who were throughout Judea heard [with astonishment] that the Gentiles also had received and accepted the word of God [the message concerning salvation through Christ].
9But the voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has cleansed and pronounced clean, no longer consider common (unholy).’
14he will bring a message to you by which you will be saved [and granted eternal life], you and all your household.’
19… without telling the message [of salvation through Christ] to anyone except …
21… turned to the Lord [for salvation, accepting and drawing near …
24For Barnabas was a good man [privately and publicly—his godly character benefited both himself and others] and he was full of the Holy Spirit and full of faith [in Jesus the Messiah, through whom believers have everlasting life]. And a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
5and from Jesus Christ, the 1:5 Lit the witness, the faithful.faithful and trustworthy Witness, the 1:5 Jesus was not the first person to be brought back to life, since He raised others from the dead (the most notable being Lazarus, John 11), but they had to experience death again. Jesus is the first to be restored to life with a glorified (immortal, everlasting) body, never again to die. The word Firstborn may point not only to Jesus’ own resurrection but also to His divine power to resurrect others. The Firstborn (preeminent) is given power over all things.Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who [always] loves us and who [has once for all] 1:5 Some manuscripts use "freed" (lusanti) while others use "washed" (lousanti). Either reading conveys a similar theological conclusion: Jesus has taken away our sins by His blood.freed us [or washed us] from our sins by His own blood (His sacrificial death)— [Ps 89:27]
6and formed us into a kingdom [as His subjects], 1:6 All Christians become priests to God in order to offer spiritual sacrifices (1 Pet 2:5) and proclaim His praises (1 Pet 2:9), and they will reign with Christ in the Millennium (20:6).priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the power and the majesty and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. [Ex 19:6; Is 61:6]
9… word of God [regarding eternal salvation] and the testimony of …
10I was in the 1:10 Or spirit. The Greek wording is not decisive, so John could be referring either to being in special communion with the Holy Spirit, or to being in a trance-like state in his own spirit like that experienced by Peter at Joppa (cf Acts 10:10, 11).Spirit [in special communication with the Holy Spirit and empowered to receive and record the revelation from Jesus Christ] on the 1:10 The early church used this term to refer to Sunday, the day of Jesus’ resurrection. The term Kyriake is also the regular word for Sunday in modern Greek.Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet,
3In their mother’s womb he took his brother by the heel,And in his maturity he contended with God. [Gen 25:26; 27:36]
4He wrestled with the angel and prevailed;He wept [in repentance] and sought His favor.He met Him at BethelAnd there God spoke with [him and through him with] us— [Gen 28:12-19; 32:28; 35:1-15]
13And by a prophet (Moses) the Lord brought Israel up from Egypt,And by a prophet Israel was preserved.
5Let your gentle spirit [your graciousness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance, and patience] be known to all people. The Lord is near.
20To our God and Father be the glory 4:20 Lit to the ages of the ages.forever and ever. Amen.
21Remember me to every 4:21 Every born-again believer (saint) has been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, made holy and set apart for God’s purpose.saint in Christ Jesus. The 4:21 Lit brethren.brothers who are with me greet you.
1The 1:1 I.e. an urgent message the prophet is under compulsion to proclaim.oracle (a burdensome message—a pronouncement from God) which Habakkuk the prophet saw.
2O Lord, how long will I call for helpAnd You will not hear?I cry out to You, "Violence!"Yet You do not save.
12Are You not from everlasting,O Lord, my God, My Holy One?We will not die.O Lord, You have appointed the Chaldeans [who rule in Babylon] to execute [Your] judgment,And You, O Rock, have established them to correct and chastise. [Deut 32:4]
3Those who are [spiritually] wise will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead many to righteousness, [will shine] like the stars forever and ever. [Matt 13:43]
10Many will be purged, purified (made white) and refined, but the wicked will behave wickedly. None of the wicked shall understand, but those who are [spiritually] wise will understand. [Dan 11:33-35]
12How blessed [happy, fortunate, spiritually prosperous] and beloved is he who waits expectantly [enduring without wavering for the period of tribulation] and comes to the 12:12 The difference between this number and that in v 11 is 45 days, an interval that is not explained. The ancient rabbis speculated that when the Messiah comes, He will lead Israel into the wilderness and then disappear for 45 days to test their faith. The true believers will wait for Him, the rest will join other nations and eventually die there.1,335 days!
6Jonathan said to his young armor bearer, "Come, let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised men; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For there is nothing to prevent the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few."
18Saul said to Ahijah [the priest], "Bring the ark of God here." For at that time the ark of God was with the sons of Israel.
45But the people said to Saul, "Must Jonathan, who has brought about this great victory in Israel, be put to death? Far from it! As the Lord lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day." So the people rescued Jonathan and he was not put to death.
15What then [are we to conclude]? Shall we sin because we are not under Law, but under [God’s] grace? Certainly not!
18And having been set free from sin, you have become the slaves of righteousness [of conformity to God’s will and purpose].
22But now since you have been set free from sin and have become [willing] slaves to God, you have your benefit, resulting in sanctification [being made holy and set apart for God’s purpose], and the outcome [of this] is eternal life.
16though these three men were in the land, as I live," says the Lord God, "they could not save either their sons or their daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate (ruined, deserted).
17Or if I were to bring a sword on that land and say, ‘Let a sword go through the land and cut off man and animal from it,’
22Yet, behold, survivors will be left in it [escaping the judgments], both sons and daughters. Listen carefully, they are going to come out to you [in Babylon] and you will see their [wicked] conduct and [despicable] actions; then you will be at peace in regard to the disaster which I have brought against Jerusalem for everything which I have brought on it [has been deserved].