Romans 12:1-2 Annotated

ROMANS 12:1-2 

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. 
Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect. 

 

offer= παρίστημι = paristēmi 

"to place beside," "to present;"to proffer; to provide; to place a person or thing at one's disposal; to bring to, bring near; to stand by to help, to succor; to stand beside, stand by or near, to be at hand, be present;to be at hand, stand ready; to be at hand for service

 

living= ζάω =zaō

be alive; to live, breathe, be among the living (not lifeless, not dead);o be in full vigour;  to be fresh, strong, efficient; active, powerful, efficacious; to continue to live, to be kept alive; to live and be strong; to be no longer dead, to recover life, be restored to life; having vital power in itself and exerting the same

 

sacrifice= θυσία = thysia

 

Romans 13:8-10 Annotated

Romans 13:8-10

Owe nothing to anyone, except to love  one another; for the one who lovesanother has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Love*  does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love* is the fulfillment of the law.

 

love, loves= ἀγαπάω = agapaō

Verb; is not an impulse from the feelings, it does not always run with the natural inclinations, nor does it spend itself only upon those for whom some affinity is discovered; this is not the love of complacency, or affection, that is, it was not drawn out by any excellency in its objects; Love seeks the welfare of all; love seeks opportunity to do good to all men

 

to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly; to have a preference for, wish well to, regard the welfare of; to take pleasure in the thing, prize it above other things, be unwilling to abandon it or do without it; to welcome with desire, long for

 

Love*= ἀγάπη = agape

Noun;affection, good will, love, benevolence, brotherly love 

Matthew 22:1-14 Annotated

Matthew 22:1-14

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people 
in parables, saying,

"The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come.A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited:“Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come* tothe feast.”’

Some ignoredthe invitation and went away, one to his farm, another 

his business.  The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 

Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come.  Go out, therefore, into the main roads
and inviteto the feast whomever you find.’ The servants went out into the streets and gatheredall they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. 

But when the king came in to meet the guests, he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.  The king said to him, 'My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?' But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ Many are invited, but few are chosen."

 

Summoned, invited = καλέω = kaleō

Blue Letter Bible

"to bid," in the sense of "invite;" "to speak, to call by name;"to call aloud, utter in a loud voice; to salute one by name; 

 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

call, summon;demand, require; call to oneself; call to one's house or to a repast, invite;call by name, name

 

Come = ἔρχομαι = erchomai

Blue Letter Bible

to come from one place to another, and used both of persons arriving and of those returning; to appear, make one's appearance, come before the public; to go, to follow one; to come into being, arise, come forth, show itself, find place or influence

 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon 

start, set out;  come to, arrive at; come within a little of, be near

 

 Come* = δεῦτε = deute

Blue Letter Bible

 come hither, come here; interjection, come!, come now!

 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon 

come hither!

 

Ignored = ἀμελέω = ameleō

Blue Letter Bible

denotes "to be careless, not to care"; neglect, not regarding; to be careless of, to neglect; make light of, neglect

 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

have no care for, be neglectful of; to be careless, negligent; overlook;to be slighted, overlooked

 

Gathered together= συνάγω= synagō

Blue Letter Bible

"to assemble" (sun, "together," ago, "to bring"), is used of the "gathering together" of people or things; to bring together; to join together, join in one (those previously separated); into one's home, i.e. to receive hospitably, to entertain, take in

 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

 bring together, gather together; bring together, join in one, unite; make friends of, reconcile

 

Chosen = ἐκλεκτός = eklektos

Blue Letter Bible

Select, picked out

 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon 

picked out, select 

 

Exodus 22:20-26 Annotated

Exodus 22:20-26

Thus says the LORD:
"You shall not molestor oppressan alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.  You shall not wrongany widow or orphan.  If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry.  My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword;
then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans.

 

"If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people, you shall not act like an extortioner toward him by demanding interest from him. 

If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, you shall return it to him before sunset; for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body.  What else has he to sleep in? If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate."

 

Molest = יָנָה = yanah

Blue Letter Bible

to oppress, suppress, treat violently, maltreat, vex, do wrong;

 

Oppress = לָחַץ = lachats

Blue Letter Bible

to squeeze, press;afflict, crush, force, hold fast

 

Wrong = עָנָה = `anah

Blue Letter Bible

to afflict, oppress, humble, be afflicted, be bowed down; mishandle;hurt, ravish; abase, weaken; to bestow labor upon

 

Compassionate = חַנּוּן = channuwn

Blue Letter Bible

Gracious, benignant  

 

Additional scriptures addressing these principles are collected at Wisdom Principles: Caring For the Weak & Vulnerable

Matthew 22:34-40 Annotated

Matthew 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law tested him by asking, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" 

He said to him, "You shall lovethe Lord, your God, with all your heart, with allyour soul, and with allyour mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall loveyour neighboras yourself.  The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."

 

Love = ἀγαπάω = agapaō

Blue Letter Bible

to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly; to be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing; to have a preference for, wish well to, regard the welfare of; to take pleasure in the thing, prize it above other things, be unwilling to abandon it or do without it; to welcome with desire, long for; 

 

not an impulse from the feelings, it does not always run with the natural inclinations, nor does it spend itself only upon those for whom some affinity is discovered; Love seeks the welfare of all, and works no ill to any; love seeks opportunity to do good to all men; the deep and constant love and interest of a perfect Being towards entirely unworthy objects, producing and fostering a reverential love in them towards the Giver, and a practical love towards those who are partakers of the same

 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

Greet with affection, show affection; to be fond of, prize, desire; to be well pleased, contented

 

All = ὅλος = holos

Blue Letter Bible

all, whole, complete

 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon 

whole, entire, complete in all its parts; entire, utter

 

 

Heart = καρδία = kardia

Blue Letter Bible

man's entire mental and moral activity, both the rational and the emotional elements; used figuratively for the hidden springs of the personal life; the seat of moral nature and spiritual life;the vigour and sense of physical life; the centre and seat of spiritual life; seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavours; the faculty and seat of the intelligence; the will and character; the seat of the sensibilities, affections, emotions, desires, appetites, passions; 

the middle or central or inmost part of anything; will and character

 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon 

the seat of feeling and passion; inclination, desire, purpose

 

Soul =ψυχή = psyche 

Blue Letter Bible

the seat of personality; the breath of life; the vital force which animates the body; the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions

 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

Life; the conscious self or personality as centre of emotions, desires, and affections; various aspects of the self; Psyche

 

Mind = διάνοια = dianoia

Blue Letter Bible

 the faculty of thinking;" then, "of knowing;" hence, "the understanding," and in general, "the mind," and so, "the faculty of moral reflection;""a thinking through, or over, a meditation, reflecting;” faculty of understanding, feeling, desiring; way of thinking and feeling; imagination

 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon 

thought, i.e. intention, purpose; process of thinking, thought; discursive thought; thinking faculty, intelligence, understanding; intellectual capacity 

 

Neighbor = πλησίον = plēsion  

Blue Letter Bible

near, close by, neighboring;  any other person, and where two are concerned, the other; fellow; There were no farmhouses scattered over the agricultural areas of Palestine; the populations, gathered in villages, went to and fro to their toil. Hence domestic life was touched at every point by a wide circle of neighborhood. The terms for neighbor were therefore of a very comprehensive scope.

 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

near, close to 

Matthew 5:1-12 annotated

Matthew 5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.

Blessed are they who hungerand thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”

 

Came = προσέρχομαι = proserchomai

Blue Letter Bible

to come or go near to; draw near; approach

 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon   

come or go to; approach, draw nigh; come in, surrender, capitulate; come forward to speak; appear before a tribunal; approach an official; have recourse to

 

Poor in spirit = πτωχός = ptōchos

Blue Letter Bible

 one who crouches and cowers; reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms; destitute of wealth, influence, position, honour;lowly, afflicted, destitute of the Christian virtues and eternal riches; helpless, powerless to accomplish an end; destitute of wealth of learning and intellectual culture which the schools afford (men of this class most readily give themselves up to Christ's teaching and proved themselves fitted to lay hold of the heavenly treasure); absolute or public mendicancy

 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

Beggarly

 

Synonyms of the New Testament: Richard C. Trench

one who in the sense of his abjectness and needs crouches ... in the presence of his superiors;so poor that he only obtains his living by begging

 

Mourn = πενθέω =pentheō

Blue Letter Bible

Lament; to grieve (the feeling or the act)

 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon 

 bewail, lament; go into mourning

 

 

Meek = πραΰς = praus

Blue Letter Bible

mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit

 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon 

soft, gentle; mild; tame

 

Hunger = πεινάω = peinaō

Blue Letter Bible

 to suffer want; to be needy; to crave ardently, to seek with eager desire; 

 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon 

to be hungry; to be starved; crave after

 

Thirst = διψάω = dipsaō

Blue Letter Bible

suffer from thirst; painfully feel their want of, and eagerly long for

 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon 

to be thirsty, parched; thirst after a thing

Readings for November 1,2020 annotated, lectionary 667

This translation is from the New American Bible. The bolded hyperlinks  will take you to additional translations or collections/discussions of other scriptures addressing related principles. The entire chapter is included to provide context. 

Information about the meaning of the original Hebrew of Greek of italicized  words is provided in blue beneath each reading.

Text highlighted in yellow tells us something about God’s nature or our relationship to Him. 

Text in green tells us about something God wants us to do. 

Text in red  describes what God tells us not to do. 

Reading 1

Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14

I, John, saw another angel come up from the East, holding the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to damage the land and the sea, “Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand marked from every tribe of the children of Israel.

After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb.”

All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God, and exclaimed: “Amen.  Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving,

honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever.  Amen."

Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, “Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?” I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.” He said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.” 

Prostrated = πίπτω = piptō  

Blue Letter Bible

To fall;losing its authority or ceasing to have force; to reduce to inactivity; to faint; to "fall" down from; to descend from a higher place to a lower; overcome by terror or astonishment; used of suppliants and persons rendering homage or worship to one; to lose authority, no longer have force; to be thrust down; to be cast down from a state of prosperity

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

fall down, and (when intentional) cast oneself down;  throw oneself down, fall down; sink

Worshipped = προσκυνέω = proskyneō

Blue Letter Bible

to make obeisance, do reverence to; an act of homage or reverence; to kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence; to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence; kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication; homage shown to men and beings of superior rank: absolutely; do reverence to, adore 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon 

make obeisance to; do reverence to;prostrating oneself before kings and superiors

 

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it.

For he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD? or who may stand in his holy place?

One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain.

 

R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

He shall receive a blessing from the LORD, a reward from God his savior.

Such is the race that seeks him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.

R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

Seeks = בָּקַשׁ= baqash

Blue Letter Bible

to seek, require, desire, exact, request; to desire, demand;beg, beseech; strive after, try to get

 

Reading 2

1 John 3:1-3

Beloved:

See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are.

The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.

 

Alleluia

Matthew 11:28

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Come = δεῦτε = deute

Blue Letter Bible

come hither, come here, come; interjection, come!, come now!; follow;  come after me 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

come hither!

 

Gospel

Matthew 5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”

Came = προσέρχομαι = proserchomai

Blue Letter Bible

to come or go near to; draw near; approach

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon   

come or go to; approach, draw nigh; come in, surrender, capitulate; come forward to speak; appear before a tribunal; approach an official; have recourse to

 

Poor in spirit = πτωχός = ptōchos

Blue Letter Bible

 one who crouches and cowers; reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms; destitute of wealth, influence, position, honour;lowly, afflicted, destitute of the Christian virtues and eternal riches; helpless, powerless to accomplish an end; destitute of wealth of learning and intellectual culture which the schools afford (men of this class most readily give themselves up to Christ's teaching and proved themselves fitted to lay hold of the heavenly treasure); absolute or public mendicancy 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon

Beggarly 

Synonyms of the New Testament: Richard C. Trench

one who in the sense of his abjectness and needs crouches ... in the presence of his superiors;so poor that he only obtains his living by begging

 

Mourn = πενθέω =pentheō

Blue Letter Bible

Lament; to grieve (the feeling or the act)

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon 

bewail, lament; go into mourning

 

Meek = πραΰς = praus

Blue Letter Bible

mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon 

soft, gentle; mild; tame

 

Hunger = πεινάω = peinaō

Blue Letter Bible

 to suffer want; to be needy; to crave ardently, to seek with eager desire; 

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon 

to be hungry; to be starved; crave after

 

Thirst = διψάω = dipsaō

Blue Letter Bible

suffer from thirst; painfully feel their want of, and eagerly long for

Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon 

to be thirsty, parched; thirst after a thing

 

***

What these readings tell us about God and His ways:

a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue

They stood before the throne and before the Lamb

They cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb.”

They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God, and exclaimed: “Amen Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever”

The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it.

he founded it ... and established it

what love the Father has bestowed on us

we may be called the children of God. 

we are God’s children now

what we shall be has not yet been revealed

when it is revealed we shall be like him

we shall see him as he is

I will give you rest, says the Lord.

He began to teach them

 

What these readings tell us to do:

They cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb.”

They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God, and exclaimed: “Amen Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever”

longs to see your face

longs to see your face

hands are sinless

whose heart is clean

longs to see your face

seeks him

seeks the face of the God of Jacob

longs to see your face

Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure

Come to me

his disciples came to him

the poor in spirit

mourn

meek

hunger and thirst for righteousness

merciful

clean of heart

peacemakers

persecuted for the sake of righteousness