HarperCollins Study Bible

by Harold W. Attridge

  For the NT the Committee has based its work on the most recent edition of The Greek New Testament, prepared by an interconfessional and international committee and published by the United Bible Societies (1966; 3d ed. corrected, 1983; information concerning changes to be introduced into the critical apparatus of the forthcoming 4th edition was available to the Committee). As in that edition, double brackets are used to enclose a few passages that are generally regarded to be later additions to the text, but that we have retained because of their evident antiquity and their importance in the textual tradition. Only in very rare instances have we replaced the text or the punctuation of the Bible Societies’ edition by an alternative that seemed to us to be superior. Here and there in the footnotes the phrase “Other ancient authorities read” identifies alternative readings preserved by Greek manuscripts and early versions. In both OT and NT, alternative renderings of the text are indicated by the word “Or.”

  As for the style of English adopted for the present revision, among the mandates given to the Committee in 1980 by the Division of Education and Ministry of the National Council of Churches of Christ (which now holds the copyright of the RSV Bible) was the directive to continue in the tradition of the King James Bible, but to introduce such changes as are warranted on the basis of accuracy, clarity, euphony, and current English usage. Within the constraints set by the original texts and by the mandates of the Division, the Committee has followed the maxim “As literal as possible, as free as necessary.” As a consequence, the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) remains essentially a literal translation. Paraphrastic renderings have been adopted only sparingly, and then chiefly to compensate for a deficiency in the English language—the lack of a common-gender third-person singular pronoun.

  During the almost half a century since the publication of the RSV, many in the churches have become sensitive to the danger of linguistic sexism arising from the inherent bias of the English language toward the masculine gender, a bias that in the case of the Bible has often restricted or obscured the meaning of the original text. The mandates from the Division specified that, in references to men and women, masculine-oriented language should be eliminated as far as this can be done without altering passages that reflect the historical situation of ancient patriarchal culture. As can be appreciated, more than once the Committee found that the several mandates stood in tension and even in conflict. The various concerns had to be balanced case by case in order to provide a faithful and acceptable rendering without using contrived English. Only very occasionally has the pronoun “he” or “him” been retained in passages where the reference may have been to a woman as well as to a man, for example, in several legal texts in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. In such instances of formal, legal language, the options of either putting the passage in the plural or of introducing additional nouns to avoid masculine pronouns in English seemed to the Committee to obscure the historic structure and literary character of the original. In the vast majority of cases, however, inclusiveness has been attained by simple rephrasing or by introducing plural forms when this does not distort the meaning of the passage. Of course, in narrative and in parable no attempt was made to generalize the sex of individual persons.

  Another aspect of style will be detected by readers who compare the more stately English rendering of the OT with the less formal rendering adopted for the NT. For example, the traditional distinction between “shall” and “will” in English has been retained in the OT as appropriate in rendering a document that embodies what may be termed the classic form of Hebrew, while in the NT the abandonment of such distinctions in the usage of the future tense in English reflects the more colloquial nature of the Koine Greek used by most NT authors except when they are quoting the OT.

  Careful readers will notice that here and there in the OT the word LORD (or in certain cases GOD) is printed in capital letters. This represents the traditional manner in English versions of rendering the divine name, the “Tetragrammaton” (see the text notes on Exodus 3.14–15), following the precedent of the ancient Greek and Latin translators and the long-established practice in the reading of the Hebrew scriptures in the synagogue. Although it is almost if not quite certain that the name was originally pronounced “Yahweh,” this pronunciation was not indicated when the Masoretes added vowel sounds to the consonantal Hebrew text. To the four consonants YHWH of the divine name, which had come to be regarded as too sacred to be pronounced, they attached vowel signs indicating that in its place should be read the Hebrew word Adonai, meaning “Lord” (or Elohim, meaning “God”). Ancient Greek translators employed the word Kyrios (“Lord”) for the name. The Vulgate likewise used the Latin word Dominus (“Lord”). The form “Jehovah” is of late medieval origin; it is a combination of the consonants of the divine name and the vowels attached to it by the Masoretes but belonging to an entirely different word. Although the American Standard Version (1901) had used “Jehovah” to render the Tetragrammaton (the sound of y being represented by j and the sound of w by v, as in Latin), for two reasons the Committees that produced the RSV and the NRSV returned to the more familiar usage of the King James Version. (1) The word “Jehovah” does not accurately represent any form of the divine name ever used in Hebrew. (2) The use of any proper name for the one and only God, as though there were other gods from whom the true God had to be distinguished, began to be discontinued in Judaism before the Christian era and is inappropriate for the universal faith of the Christian church.

  It will be seen that in the Psalms and in other prayers addressed to God the archaic second-person singular pronouns (“thee, thou, thine”) and verb forms (“art, hast, hadst”) are no longer used. Although some readers may regret this change, it should be pointed out that in the original languages neither the OT nor the NT makes any linguistic distinction between addressing a human being and addressing the deity. Furthermore, in the tradition of the King James Version one will not expect to find the use of capital letters for pronouns that refer to the deity—such capitalization is an unnecessary innovation that has only recently been introduced into a few English translations of the Bible. Finally, we have left to the discretion of the licensed publishers such matters as section headings, cross-references, and clues to the pronunciation of proper names.

  This new version seeks to preserve all that is best in the English Bible as it has been known and used through the years. It is intended for use in public reading and congregational worship as well as in private study, instruction, and meditation. We have resisted the temptation to introduce terms and phrases that merely reflect current moods, and have tried to put the message of the scriptures in simple, enduring words and expressions that are worthy to stand in the great tradition of the King James Bible and its predecessors.

  In traditional Judaism and Christianity, the Bible has been more than a historical document to be preserved or a classic of literature to be cherished and admired; it is recognized as the unique record of God’s dealings with people over the ages. The OT sets forth the call of a special people to enter into covenant relation with the God of justice and steadfast love and to bring God’s law to the nations. The NT records the life and work of Jesus Christ, the one in whom “the Word became flesh,” as well as describes the rise and spread of the early Christian church. The Bible carries its full message not to those who regard it simply as a noble literary heritage of the past or who wish to use it to enhance political purposes and advance otherwise desirable goals, but to all persons and communities who read it so that they may discern and understand what God is saying to them. That message must not be disguised in phrases that are no longer clear or hidden under words that have changed or lost their meaning; it must be presented in language that is direct and plain and meaningful to people today. It is the hope and prayer of the translators that this version of the Bible may continue to hold a large place in congregational life and to speak to all readers, young and old alike, helping them to understand and believe and respond to its message.


  For the Committee,

  Bruce M. Metzger

  Abbreviations

  The following abbreviations are used for the books of the Bible:

  OLD TESTAMENT

  Gen … Genesis

  Ex … Exodus

  Lev … Leviticus

  Num … Numbers

  Deut … Deuteronomy

  Josh … Joshua

  Judg … Judges

  Ruth … Ruth

  1 Sam … 1 Samuel

  2 Sam … 2 Samuel

  1 Kings … 1 Kings

  2 Kings … 2 Kings

  1 Chr … 1 Chronicles

  2 Chr … 2 Chronicles

  Ezra … Ezra

  Neh … Nehemiah

  Esth … Esther

  Job … Job

  Ps(s) … Psalms

  Prov … Proverbs

  Eccl … Ecclesiastes

  Song … Song of Solomon

  Isa … Isaiah

  Jer … Jeremiah

  Lam … Lamentations

  Ezek … Ezekiel

  Dan … Daniel

  Hos … Hosea

  Joel … Joel

  Am … Amos

  Ob … Obadiah

  Jon … Jonah

  Mic … Micah

  Nah … Nahum

  Hab … Habakkuk

  Zeph … Zephaniah

  Hag … Haggai

  Zech … Zechariah

  Mal … Malachi

  APOCRYPHAL/DEUTEROCANONICAL BOOKS

  Tob … Tobit

  Jdt … Judith

  Add Esth … Additions to Esther

  Wis … Wisdom of Solomon

  Sir … Sirach (Ecclesiasticus)

  Bar … Baruch

  Let Jer … Letter of Jeremiah

  Pr Azar … Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Jews

  Sus … Susanna

  Bel … Bel and the Dragon

  1 Macc … 1 Maccabees

  2 Macc … 2 Maccabees

  1 Esd … 1 Esdras

  Pr Man … Prayer of Manasseh

  3 Macc … 3 Maccabees

  2 Esd … 2 Esdras

  4 Macc … 4 Maccabees

  NEW TESTAMENT

  Mt … Matthew

  Mk … Mark

  Lk … Luke

  Jn … John

  Acts … Acts of the Apostles

  Rom … Romans

  1 Cor … 1 Corinthians

  2 Cor … 2 Corinthians

  Gal … Galatians

  Eph … Ephesians

  Phil … Philippians

  Col … Colossians

  1 Thess … 1 Thessalonians

  2 Thess … 2 Thessalonians

  1 Tim … 1 Timothy

  2 Tim … 2 Timothy

  Titus … Titus

  Philem … Philemon

  Heb … Hebrews

  Jas … James

  1 Pet … 1 Peter

  2 Pet … 1 Peter

  1 Jn … 1 John

  2 Jn … 2 John

  3 Jn … 3 John

  Jude … Jude

  Rev … Revelation

  Abbreviations used in the text notes to the books of the OT:

  Ant.

  Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews

  Aram

  Aramaic

  Ch(s)

  Chapter(s)

  Cn

  Correction; made where the text has suffered in transmission and the versions provide no satisfactory restoration, but where the Standard Bible Committee agrees with the judgment of competent scholars as to the most probable reconstruction of the original text.

  Gk

  Septuagint, Greek version of the OT

  Heb

  Hebrew of the consonantal Masoretic Text of the OT

  Josephus

  Flavius Josephus (Jewish historian, ca. 37–95 CE)

  Macc.

  The book(s) of the Maccabees

  Ms(s)

  Manuscript(s)

  MT

  The Hebrew of the pointed Masoretic Text of the OT

  OL

  Old Latin

  Q Ms(s)

  Manuscript(s) found at Qumran by the Dead Sea

  Sam

  Samaritan Hebrew text of the OT

  Syr

  Syriac Version of the OT

  Syr H

  Syriac Version of Origen’s Hexapla

  Tg

  Targum

  Vg

  Vulgate, Latin Version of the OT

  Abbreviations used in the study notes:

  ch(s).

  chapter(s)

  v(v).

  verse(s)

  OT

  Old Testament

  NT

  New Testament

  BCE

  Before the Common Era

  CE

  Common Era

  List of Illustrations, Maps, and Tables

  Before Genesis

  Names and Order of Books of the Bible in Several Traditions

  Jewish Bibles

  Protestant Bibles

  Orthodox Bibles

  Catholic Bibles

  Exodus

  Asiatic Captives Making Bricks

  Geography of the Exodus and Numbers Narratives (map)

  Court of the Tabernacle

  Numbers

  Geography of Israel’s Migration into Canaan (map)

  The Land of Canaan (map)

  Joshua

  The Conquest of Canaan (map)

  1 Samuel

  The Kingdom of Saul (map)

  1 Kings

  Solomon’s Twelve Administrative Districts (map)

  Solomon’s Temple (floor plan)

  Solomon’s Temple

  Chronology of the Kings of the Divided Monarchy

  2 Kings

  The Assyrian Empire and the Conquest of the West (map)

  Before Tobit

  Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books in Various Bibles

  Designations for Books Associated with Ezra and Nehemiah

  1 Maccabees

  Division of Alexander’s Empire (map)

  The Maccabees: A Family Tree

  A Family Tree of Seleucid Rulers in the Maccabean Period

  1 Esdras

  The Relation of 1 Esdras to Other Biblical Books

  Before Matthew

  A Table of Parallel Passages in the Four Gospels

  Matthew

  The Herods: A Simplified Family Tree

  Galilee at the Time of Jesus (map)

  John

  Jewish Festivals in the Gospel of John

  Acts

  The Fulfillment of Acts 1.8 in the Following Narrative

  Early Spread of Christianity (map)

  Early Expansion of Christianity into Asia Minor (map)

  Cyprus, Pamphylia, and Pisidia (map)

  The Aegean (map)

  Before Romans

  Possible Chronology of the Pauline Letters

  1 Corinthians

  Rome’s Aegean Provinces (map)

  Colossians

  Western Asia Minor (map)

  1 Thessalonians

  Macedonia (map)

  1 Timothy

  The Eastern Mediterranean (map)

  1 Peter

  Asia Minor (map)

  Revelation

  Western Asia Minor and the Aegean (map)

  Alternate Ways of Counting the Roman Emperors Signified in Rev 17.10–11

  After Revelation

  Quotations of the Jewish Scriptures in the New Testament

  COLOR MAPS SECTION AT THE END OF THIS VOLUME

  Map 1

  Physical Map of the Land of Israel and Surrounding Area in Biblical Times

  Map 2

  The Ancient World in the Late Bronze Age

  Map 3

  Settlement in Canaan and the Tribal Areas

  Map 4

  The Empire of David and Solomon

  Map 5

  The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah

  Map 6

 
The Assyrian Empire

  Map 7

  Judah After the Fall of Israel

  Map 8

  Great Empires of the Sixth Century BCE

  Map 9

  Israel Under Persian Rule (After the Return from Exile)

  Map 10

  The Empire of Alexander

  Map 11

  Israel’s Boundary Under the Maccabees

  Map 12

  The Roman World

  Map 13

  Judea, Samaria, and Surrounding Areas in New Testament Times

  Map 14

  Jerusalem of David and Solomon

  Map 15

  Jerusalem After the Exile

  Map 16

  Jerusalem in Jesus’ Time

  Map 17

  The Eastern Mediterranean World at the Time of the New Testament (First Century CE)

  Map 18

  Archaeological Sites in Israel and Jordan