FOOTNOTES:

^a It is typically agreed by scholars that this book was not written by Paul and was written by someone in Paul’s circles or a student of Paul or the name was added later.

^b Traditionally, ‘apostle.’ The word literally means ‘one who is sent.’

^c Traditionally, ‘savior.’ This word refers to someone who provides security and wellbeing in some way but it can be translated in various ways in various contexts, including ‘liberator,’ ‘restorer,’ ‘rescuer,’ ‘protector,’ ‘healer,’ ‘helper,’ and others.

^d Typically understood to refer to Paul being the one who introduced him to and trained him up in the teachings of Jesus.

^e This could be referring to Timothy being genuinely faithful or “a child” with regard to faithfulness. That latter option could mean being a student of the author or of Paul, or it could mean being fairly new to commitment to the path of Christ and the family of God.

^f Traditionally, ‘myths.’ The Greek word muthos can mean a number of things, including any statement, idea, story (true or fiction), deceptive story, legend, plan, speech, rumor, or statement. A modern idea that would be a faithful translation would be ‘conspiracy theories.’ The use of the word is highly dependent on context and the writer’s intended meaning, which is not always entirely clear. In this instance, it seems to indicate something unreliable that is said, but beyond that, it is difficult to know more specifically the most accurate translation.

^g This word refers to searching, seeking, or looking for something. It is a more intensive version with an added prefix. In context, it seems to be intensive ‘investigations’ that serve to distract from what’s important. It’s not simply speculation or study.

^h The word katharos literally means ‘clean’ or ‘purified’ and refers to something that is prepared for a particular purpose, especially religious practices.

ⁱ ‘Heart’ in the cultural context did not refer to emotions so much as desires or motivations.

^j Traditionally, ‘a good conscience.’ The word agathos (traditionally ‘good’) means something along the lines of benevolence, or beneficialness to others. Kindness and generosity would be expressions of this word. The word suneidesis isn’t explicitly about a moral compass. It’s about paying attention to see how things fit together, bridging ideas to understand things more clearly, with that emphasis on awareness, consciousness of something.

^k Literally, it just says ‘some have diverged toward meaningless discussion.’ ‘From love’ has been added to clarify that it is referring back to ‘love’ in verse 5.

^l More literally, ‘Torah teachers.’ Perhaps ‘theologians’ might be a modern application of this idea.

^m Or ‘admirable’ or ‘appealing’ or ‘respectable’ or ‘exemplary’ or any number of positive terms that serve to highlight the value of paying attention to it. Traditionally, ‘good.’

ⁿ More literally, what is translated as ‘based on what Torah is actually about’ is an adverb that would be something like ‘torah-ly.’ It’s a word describing actions that are characterized by Torah.

^o Or ‘are not organized/arranged by it.’ The lexicon also lists “confused” for this word. Traditional translations include “disobedient,” “insubordinate,” and “rebellious.”

^p Traditionally, ‘the ungodly.’ The word means to be ‘irreverent’ or ‘disrespectful’ often specifically in a religious context, but also of other things that deserve respectful treatment, such as a death or a marriage.

^q The word in Greek here is hamartolos, traditionally translated ‘sinful.’ The actual meaning is an archery term for missing the target; it’s a metaphor. The idea is not that it is characterized by bad behavior or rule breaking. The word torah is the noun version of the Hebrew verb for ‘shoot’ an arrow and ‘send’ instruction. Hamartia is veering off course, the course traced out by Torah that leads to New Creation/God’s Reign/The Great Jubilee-Shabbat. Much of what is referred to as ‘deviation’ is about actions that don’t align with Torah, but some of it is about states of being that don’t align with Torah’s vision of all things well, including illness and injury, which cannot be treated as moral failing in any way. In this verse’s context, it is a whole community that has left that path traced out by Torah and lived out by Jesus.

^r Traditionally, ‘unholy.’ The Cambridge Greek Lexicon (2021) describes this word as meaning ‘disregard for anything or anyone sacred.’ The context suggests mistreatment of human beings.

^s The word bebelos was not inherently negative. It means ‘common’ or ‘public,’ undesignated for particular purpose.

^t Or ‘beat’ or ‘murder’

^u Traditionally, ‘sexual immorality.’ The benefit of using ‘immorality’ is that 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.” It’s interesting with regard to Matthew 15:10-20 to note that three of the four prohibitions in Acts 15 include what people should not eat; the other is ‘sexual immorality.’ 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.

^v Or ‘men who sexually abuse boys.’ There is much to be said about this translation of arsenokoites. The first thing to say is that translating it as ‘practicing homosexuals’ or ‘homosexuals’ is inappropriate. Additionally, the translation of ‘perverts’ according to A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Also referred to as BDAG, this is the most widely respected and used Greek-English lexicon for biblical translation.) is “lexically unacceptable” (BDAG, 135). Along with supporting information and clarification, the definition listed in BDAG is ‘pederasty.’ Pederasty is defined as sexual activity between an adult man and a youth. The translation of ‘homosexuals’ was not introduced into English Bibles until the RSV in 1946. Prior to 1946, the standard translation in the KJV was ‘them that defile themselves with mankind.’ The meaning of the word is specifically referring to men who take the position of the ‘top’ in sexual contact with males as an act of domination. Typically, that other male was a youth or boy, often an apprentice. This word is describing rape. Whether violently forceful or by abuse of power and authority to pressure someone with less status and power, this word was never used to describe consensual sex between adults, let alone romantic relationships between adults. There are many resources readily available for further study about this information and the history of this rare word both in the ancient world and its more recent translations.

^w Or ‘capturing people to sell into slavery’

^x Traditionally, ‘blessed’ or ‘happy.’ This is the same word used in Matthew 5 and translated there and elsewhere as ‘gratified.’ It is used of the condition one is in when they are in positive circumstances, happy to have received good fortune and grateful for their situation. It is difficult to apply that exact definition in this context, but delighted seems to carry those same connotations and allows for exploration regarding the source of God’s delight.

^y Traditionally, ‘glorious’

^z Traditionally, ‘gospel’ or ‘good news.’ The word ‘gospel’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon term god-spell, which means ‘good story.’ The Greek euangelion literally means ‘good message’ and was used specifically of a message announced publicly, which fits the use of the word ‘news.’ The historical context comes from when rulers and military leaders returned to a city after victory in battle, and a herald would be sent ahead to announce the victory and the ruler’s impending arrival. The writers of the Bible took this word and applied it to Jesus’ victory of a different kind. The use of “triumphant message’ here is intended to communicate the full meaning of the word in context and not the narrow dictionary definition.

^aa Traditionally, ‘blasphemous person,’ but the word blasphemos was not a specifically religious term. It referred to slander, belittling, or speaking disrespectfully about anyone.

^bb Someone who pursues people to harass, harm, or cause hardship for them

^cc Traditionally, ‘mercy.’ It does not have to do with what modern readers think of either as ‘pity’ or ‘relenting from deserved punishment.’ It is used of taking care of people. The Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the “Septuagint,” using this word to translate the Hebrew word hesed, which means something along the lines of ‘loyal love,’ ‘compassionate faithfulness,’ ‘lovingkindness,’ ‘committed love/kindness.’ It carries a commitment to pursue good for others based in care.

^dd Traditionally, ‘save.’ This word refers to actions that provide security and wellbeing in some way. It can be translated in various ways in various contexts, including ‘liberate,’ ‘restore,’ ‘rescue,’ ‘protect,’ ‘heal,’ ‘help,’ and others.

^ee The word in Greek here is hamartolos, traditionally translated ‘sinful’ or when applied to ‘sinful people,’ ‘sinners.’ The actual meaning is an archery term for missing the target; it’s a metaphor. The idea is not that it is characterized by bad behavior or rule breaking. The word torah is the noun version of the Hebrew verb for ‘shoot’ an arrow and ‘send’ instruction. Hamartia is veering off course, the course traced out by Torah that leads to New Creation/God’s Reign/The Great Jubilee-Shabbat. Much of what is referred to as ‘deviation’ is about actions that don’t align with Torah, but some of it is about states of being that don’t align with Torah’s vision of all things well, including illness and injury, which cannot be treated as moral failing in any way. In this verse’s context, it is a whole community that has left that path traced out by Torah and lived out by Jesus.

^ff The phrase ‘place their trust in’ implies giving it to someone. It could also be translated as ‘trust because of’

^gg There are a number of ways this could be translated, and it’s one where it’s impossible for the translator’s bias not to show up. Traditionally, this is ‘eternal life’ or ‘everlasting life.’ ‘Everlasting’ is probably better between the two. It’s an adjective from the word for an ‘eon’ or an ‘age.’ I translated it earlier as ‘indefinite.’ It means ‘lasting a really long time’ without specifying the precise amount. It’s possible it’s talking about a conscious afterlife, but if we’re thinking in terms of Hebrew culture and thought, going to Heaven when you die was not a concept at that time, or at least was still a new idea during the time of Jesus, having been influenced by Greek philosophy. In the days of Abraham and other Hebrew Bible figures, the way one’s life continued was in the legacy one left through family relationships and the impact one had on the world. The scriptural context would be Deuteronomy 6:1-5, particularly verse 2 “to prolong your days,” and Deuteronomy 30:1-20, especially 15-20, which includes “To love the Lord your God, to heed His voice, and to cling to Him, for He is your life and your length of days to dwell on the soil which the LORD your God sword to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them” (Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible, 2019). In Matthew, the wording is ‘cling to’ rather than ‘inherit.’ The Greek translated as ‘cling to’ is the same Greek verb in the Septuagint that is translated as ‘cling to’ in Alter’s translation of Deuteronomy 30:20, in the phrase ‘cling to Him, for He is your life and your length of days to dwell on the soil.’ That points to participating in (inheriting) the long and prosperous life promised to the people as a whole when the people as a whole follow God’s ways. Jesus’ answer to him also seems to fit with this interpretation Essentially, he seems to be asking, how do I get God to make me more prosperous? He has missed the point, and Jesus makes sure he knows.

^hh Or possibly, ‘Timothy, my child,’ though the word ‘my’ is not present in the Greek.

ⁱⁱ Traditionally, ‘good’

^jj This phrase is “so that you may strateuo the admirable strateia.” The verb strateuo and the noun strateia refer to a military campaign or serving in the military. It is being used metaphorically here to communicate an ongoing dedication to struggling toward contributing to transformation of the world system.

^kk Or ‘benevolent’ or ‘beneficial’ or ‘generous’ or ‘good’ in the sense of ‘good to people’

^ll Referring to ‘faithfulness and generous attentiveness.’

^mm The word Satanas was not a name. It meant ‘adversary’ in the sense of prosecutor or opponent. It carries the meaning of someone who is against another, trying to sabotage their efforts and their wellbeing, and against someone as a plaintiff in court. It is an enemy, but also someone accusing another of wrongdoing, whether truly or falsely. It’s not just about pointing out something bad, but actively moving to cause adversity for someone else. The concept of HaShatan in the Hebrew Bible was not the evil archnemesis of God that Christian teaching has turned it into. It was described as a member of the council of spiritual beings whose role was to test people to see how genuine they were. The clearest example of this is in the book of Job.

ⁿⁿ Most translations read ‘to be taught’ or ‘that they may learn.’ The word here is paideuo, literally, ‘to raise a child.’

^oo Traditionally, ‘to blaspheme,’ but the word blasphemeo was not a specifically religious term. It referred to slandering, belittling, or speaking disrespectfully about anyone.