FOOTNOTES:

^a This is a strange grammatical structure. The preposition dia used with a genitive case noun, kuriou Jesou, should be translated as ‘through’ or ‘by.’ However, it seems unclear what it would mean here. The preposition is modifying ‘we gave,’ so the giving was somehow done through or by Jesus. It seems unlikely that it was in a sense ‘empowered by’ Jesus since dia implies movement through the middle of something, as if Jesus was the conduit for the giving.

^b Traditionally, ‘sexual immorality.’ Part of the benefit of using ‘immorality’: it’s vague. Unfortunately, it has been abused and weaponized to be able to include anything related to sex that makes people with power uncomfortable. There’s a good case to be made that in the mind of a 1st century Jew, it would point to the sexual instruction contained in Leviticus 17-20. The reasoning for this has to do with the connection of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15:20-21, which included a prohibition of against “things defiled by idols and from sexual immorality and from what has been strangled and from blood.” Another reason to lean toward ‘exploitation’ is that porneia shares a root with perneimi, which means ‘to sell.’ Porne is the word for a female sex worker, which in the cultural context would always have been someone exploited and failed by the patriarchal society.

^c ‘each’ and ‘own’ serve to be emphatic in the Greek. It’s not just ‘possess your body with dignity’ but ‘EACH person possess your OWN body with dignity,’ implying that no one should be trying to possess other people’s bodies.

^d The word literally means ‘vessel,’ as in a ship. It was a common metaphor for body, implying the physical part of oneself that carried the immaterial part of oneself through life, a way to distinguish the body from the person.

^e Or ‘worth’ or ‘value.’ Perhaps ‘self-worth’ or ‘respect’ would be appropriate.

^f The Greek en pathei epithumias means something literally like ‘with passion/desire of craving/desire’ and epithumia often has a connection with sexual desire, though not always. These are both different words from what is translated as ‘God’s desire’ in verse 3 of this chapter, thelema, which is a less intense, less specific word for wanting or desiring something. It is what has traditionally been translated as ‘will.’ The context of this paragraph seems to be about sexual misconduct and being in control of one’s own body rather than imposing one’s sexual desires on others.

^g Or ‘overstepping’ which is more literal and connects with the metaphor of ‘walking the Path’ but also feels more vague than what the context calls for here.

^h Traditionally, ‘The Lord is the avenger.’ The Greek word ekdikos is a noun that can be translated as ‘avenger’ or ‘punisher,’ but probably should not be translated with a single word. It designates the role of being the primary person who pursues justice after a wrongdoing. With a Roman/Western perspective of retributive justice, the assumption that ‘punisher’ would be appropriate makes sense; however, the Hebraic context of scripture contradicts this assumption. The Hebrew scriptures do not teach retributive justice. The Hebrew scriptures teach restitutionary and/or restorative justice. The wrong must be made right, not just punished. The point of justice is not to make the wrongdoer suffer but to bring wellbeing for those who have been wronged and develop a culture of wholeness and care for each other expressed by future behavior in relationships.

ⁱ See Matthew 15:1-20 for what Jesus taught qualified as being ‘unclean.’ It seems that treating others in ways that cause them harm is the heart of what Jesus sees as unclean.

^j Literally, ‘you have no need to write to you.’ It does not specify who would do the writing. The implication is that this letter does not instruct them about it with anything they do not already know or do because they are already proficient.

^k Literally, ‘you yourselves are God-taught’

^l Or ‘quietly,’ ‘restfully,’ or with a sense of not being characterized by frantic action and ambition but by peaceful contentment

^m Literally, ‘the ones outside’ or ‘outsiders’

ⁿ In English, phrasing without the double negatives would be preferable: “We want you to know about…” However, the literal Greek reads something more like “We do not want you to be unaware about…”

^o This phrase could be used literally for people who were sleeping, or it was commonly used as a euphemism for having died. It corresponds to ‘being reawakened’ or ‘being raised’ as a euphemism for coming to life from death.

^p Or ‘are faithful’ or ‘have allegiance’ or ‘are committed’

^q Or ‘precede.’ This word along with many other words that can be taken as either ‘first’ in chronology or ‘first’ in priority must be interpreted based on context and often could be understood either way or perhaps in a way that straddles both meanings or uses chronology as a symbol for priority.

^r In the Hebrew scriptures, trumpets were used as a signal for several things, including the presence of God on Sanai (Exodus 19-20) inviting the people to hear God’s message through the chief messenger, Moses.