Monday with Mounce

ξύλον is a difficult word to translate, although from its entry in BDAG you wouldn’t think so. It gives three basic meanings: (1) Wood; (2) Something made of wood, such as a pole, club, stocks, cross; (3) Tree.

Gal 3:13 in the NIV reads, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.’” The use of “pole” is, shall we say, unexpected since we know the shape of the cross. How could Jesus have been hung on a pole when the wounds in his hands require a cross?

Every once in a while I come across a verse that is simply impossible to translate. No matter what you do, you over- or under-translate, or at worst, mistranslate. 2 John 1:12 is one of those verses. “Although I have many other things to write (γράφειν) to you, I do not want to use (οὐκ ἐβουλήθην) paper and ink (διὰ χάρτου καὶ μέλανος); instead, I hope to be with you and speak face to face, so that our joy may be complete.”

My friend is wondering when Satan’s powers were limited. Creation? The cross? The Millennium? What prompted the discussion was that a friend of his thinks that Satan is not limited at all right now, and therefore all limiting has to be during the Millennium.

When we go through difficult times, sometimes they are the consequence of our own actions, but not always. When the book of Hebrews talks about God “disciplining” us, it doesn’t always mean we have done something wrong.

ὁ has got to be one of the most flexible words in Greek. When I first saw the 85 pages Wallace commits to the article, I remembered being shocked there was that much to say. But of course there is that much to say, and Matt 28:17 is a good example.