Jude 1
Judas, a slave of Jesus Christ and brother of James, writes — not calling himself an apostle, and bearing the same name as Judas Iscariot. To those loved in God the Father and kept to Jesus Christ he prays that mercy and peace and love be multiplied — love enters a New Testament greeting only here and at Eph 6:23. Meaning to write about our common salvation, he had to write instead that they contend for the faith once handed over, because certain people have slipped in alongside, carrying over the grace of God into indecency and denying our only Master and Lord. Three examples stand out of time order: Jesus, having saved a people out of Egypt, destroyed those who did not believe (the base text reads ‘Jesus’, not ‘the Lord’); the angels who did not keep their own beginning he has kept under murk (‘keep’ turning over twice inside one verse); and Sodom and Gomorrah lie before us as a display, undergoing the penalty of eternal fire. These also, dreaming, defile flesh, set aside lordship and blaspheme glories — what the glories are is not said. Even Michael the archangel, disputing with the slanderer about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a judgement of blasphemy but said, ‘May the Lord rebuke you’ — a story not in the Old Testament, and no source is named. One woe holds three names: the way of Cain, the deception of Balaam, the contradiction of Korah. Six pictures run in a row: reefs, waterless clouds, fruitless late-autumn trees, wild waves, wandering stars. Enoch, the seventh from Adam, is quoted, and that saying too is not in the Old Testament; one verse carries four forms of ‘impious’. These are grumblers, fault-finders with their lot, makers of separations, natural ones with no spirit. But you, building yourselves up on your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God while waiting for mercy — three participles and one command. Show mercy on those who doubt; save some, snatching them out of the fire; show mercy on others in fear, hating even the tunic stained by the flesh. The close is among the longest doxologies in the New Testament: to him who is able to keep you without stumbling be glory, majesty, might and authority, before all the age and now and unto all the ages. It ends with Amen, where 2 John and 3 John ended with none.
Why this rendering
Jude.1.4 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ἰούδας Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ δοῦλος, ἀδελφὸς δὲ Ἰακώβου — the writer names himself not an apostle but a ‘slave’ and ‘brother of James’, as James does, and he does not say which James · the name is Ἰούδας, and this edition writes it as it writes the Judas of Matt 10:4 and the Judah of Matt 1:2 — the settled book title hides that link · two perfect participles stand side by side (loved, kept) · whether the dative Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ is ‘to’ or ‘for’ the text does not say · v.2 greets with three — mercy, peace and love; ‘love’ enters a New Testament greeting only here and at Eph 6:23, and the optative πληθυνθείη is the form of 1 Pet 1:2 and 2 Pet 1:2 · v.3 is where the plan changes — he meant to write about salvation and wrote instead to say ‘contend’ · ἅπαξ ‘once’ comes twice, at vv.3 and 5 · παρεισδύω ‘slip in alongside’ is once in the New Testament, the prefix of παρεισάγω at 2 Pet 2:1 · there is no article after ⸀δεσπότην, leaving ‘Master and Lord’ open between one person and two.
Rendering options · 3
Basis Ἰούδας is the name of Matt 10:4 and Matt 1:2; ‘Jude’ would split one name into two in the body.
Basis Whether ‘by’ or ‘for’ the text does not say.
Basis One article makes one person likely, but the text does not say so.
Lost in translation
Ἰούδας (v.1) — the same name as Judas Iscariot. Both write it as one name, keeping the link.
Two perfect participles (v.1) — loved and kept, and the state stands. Both render the tense.
The dative Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ (v.1) — ‘by’ or ‘for’ is not said. Both leave it unfilled.
The optative πληθυνθείη (v.2) — the form of 1 Pet 1:2 and 2 Pet 1:2. Both use the same rendering.
παρεισδύω (v.4) — the prefix of παρεισάγω at 2 Pet 2:1. Both keep ‘alongside’.
‘Master and Lord’ with one article (v.4) — one person or two is left open. Neither locale closes it.
Why this rendering
Jude.1.7 Observation
Syntactic observation
ὅτι ⸀Ἰησοῦς λαὸν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου σώσας — the base text reads Ἰησοῦς ‘Jesus’ here, where other editions read ‘the Lord’; the split changes the name of the one who destroyed the people in the wilderness. The base text is what is rendered · ⸂ὑμᾶς ἅπαξ⸃ and ⸀πάντα are also the base text’s readings · three examples stand out of time order — the people in the wilderness (v.5), the angels (v.6), Sodom and Gomorrah (v.7); 2 Pet 2:4-8 sets two of the same three in time order · τηρέω ‘keep’ comes twice in v.6, once of what the angels did not keep and once of how God has kept them — the play stands inside one verse · ἀρχή ‘beginning’ is used of a position, and of what it is the beginning the text does not say · ἀΐδιος ‘everlasting’ (v.6) and αἰώνιος ‘eternal’ (v.7) are different words · ἐκπορνεύω, δεῖγμα and ὑπέχω, all in v.7, are each once in the New Testament.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The base text reads Ἰησοῦς; rendering ‘the Lord’ would hide what it chose.
Basis Whether a position or a rule the text does not say.
Basis English can keep ‘everlasting’ apart from ‘eternal’.
Lost in translation
⸀Ἰησοῦς (v.5) — the name the base text chose. Both render the base text.
τηρέω twice (v.6) — what they did not keep and how he has kept them, one word. Both keep one word.
ἀΐδιος (v.6) against αἰώνιος (v.7) — two words. English keeps ‘everlasting’ and ‘eternal’ apart.
ἀρχή (v.6) — of what it is the beginning is not said. Both leave it unfilled.
The order of the three examples (vv.5-7) — out of time order. Neither locale reorders them.
ἐκπορνεύω (v.7) — ‘out’ inside the word. English carries it as ‘gone out into’.
Why this rendering
Jude.1.13 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ὁμοίως μέντοι καὶ οὗτοι ἐνυπνιαζόμενοι σάρκα μὲν μιαίνουσιν — μέν … δέ … δέ sets three side by side (flesh, lordship, glories) · δόξας ‘glories’ is plural, and what it names the text does not say, as at 2 Pet 2:10 · v.9 tells of Michael and the slanderer, and the story is not in the Old Testament; the text names no source · the middle of διακρίνω divides in sense between v.9 and v.22 (dispute against doubt) · ‘May the Lord rebuke you’ is the word of Zechariah 3:2, and it is an optative · βλασφημέω comes twice, at vv.8 and 10, with βλασφημία at v.9 · v.11 puts three names into one woe (Cain, Balaam, Korah), with three datives side by side (way, deception, contradiction) · vv.12-13 run six pictures in a row (reefs, clouds, trees, waves, stars) · σπιλάς is once in the New Testament, and whether it is a reef or a spot the text does not say; 2 Pet 2:13 has the different word σπίλος ‘spot’ · φθινοπωρινός, ἐπαφρίζω and πλανήτης are each once as well · ζόφος τοῦ σκότους is the phrase of 2 Pet 2:17.
Rendering options · 3
Basis 2 Pet 2:13 has σπίλος ‘spot’; this is σπιλάς.
Basis The text lays a participle over an imperfect.
Basis As at 2 Pet 2:10, the text does not say; ‘angels’ would add what is not there.
Lost in translation
μέν … δέ … δέ (v.8) — three set side by side. English marks it by the run of clauses.
The plural δόξας (v.8) — what they are is not said. Both leave it unfilled.
διακρίνω (vv.9 · 22) — one middle dividing between disputing and doubting. Both use two words.
βλασφημέω / βλασφημία (vv.8 · 9 · 10) — one root. Both keep the link.
Three datives (v.11) — way, deception, contradiction. Both render the run.
σπιλάς (v.12) — reef or spot is not said. Both must choose one.
Why this rendering
Jude.1.19 Observation
Syntactic observation
Προεφήτευσεν δὲ καὶ τούτοις ἕβδομος ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ Ἑνὼχ λέγων — the text quotes a writing outside Scripture; these two verses are not in the Old Testament, and where they come from the text does not say, so nothing is supplied · ἦλθεν is aorist — ‘came’: a thing still to come spoken as done · the root behind ‘impious’ comes four times in v.15 alone (impious, impiety, did impiously, impious sinners), and ἀσεβέω among them is once in the New Testament · πᾶς comes five times in v.15 · γογγυστής and μεμψίμοιρος in v.16 are also once, and the γογγύζω family is the root of John 6:41 · θαυμάζοντες πρόσωπα ‘marvelling at faces’ is a Hebrew turn for showing partiality, but the text says only ‘marvel’ and ‘faces’ · vv.17-18 quote the apostles and run almost with 2 Pet 3:3 · ⸂Ἐπ’ ἐσχάτου χρόνου⸃ is the base text’s reading, where 2 Pet 3:3 has ‘in the last days’ · ἀποδιορίζω (v.19) is once as well · v.19 sets ψυχικοί against πνεῦμα, the pairing of 1 Cor 2:14 and 15:44, 46.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The text names no source; supplying a book would add what is not there.
Basis ‘Will come’ would lose the text’s way of speaking a thing to come as done.
Basis ‘Showing partiality’ would put in an idiom the text does not have.
Lost in translation
A quotation from outside Scripture (vv.14-15) — no source. Both leave it unfilled.
The aorist ἦλθεν (v.14) — a thing to come spoken as done. Both render it past.
Four words of one root (v.15) — one root in four forms. Both keep ‘impious / impiety’.
θαυμάζοντες πρόσωπα (v.16) — only two words. Neither locale supplies the idiom.
ψυχικοί against πνεῦμα (v.19) — one root with ψυχή. English splits ‘natural’ from ‘life’.
‘At the last time’ (v.18) — against ‘in the last days’ of 2 Pet 3:3. Both keep them apart.
Why this rendering
Jude.1.25 Observation
Syntactic observation
ὑμεῖς δέ, ἀγαπητοί, ⸂ἐποικοδομοῦντες ἑαυτοὺς τῇ ἁγιωτάτῃ ὑμῶν πίστει⸃ — vv.20-21 hold three participles and one imperative: building up, praying, waiting, and only keep is a command · ἁγιωτάτῃ is a superlative, and this is the only superlative of ἅγιος in the New Testament · v.21 puts the Father’s love and the Son’s mercy in one sentence · ἐλεάω comes twice in vv.22-23 with ‘save’ between them — mercy, saving, mercy · ⸂ ⸃ covers the whole of vv.22-23, so whether they read as three groups or two is unsettled in the base text itself · ἁρπάζω ‘snatch’ is the verb of the wolf at John 10:12 · χιτών ‘tunic’ is the word kept apart from ἱμάτιον ‘garment’ · the doxology of vv.24-25 is among the longest in the New Testament — four words in a row (glory, majesty, might, authority) and time divided three ways (before all the age, now, unto all the ages) · ἄπταιστος ‘without stumbling’ is once in the New Testament · it closes with ἀμήν, where 2 John and 3 John closed with no Amen.
Rendering options · 3
Basis Rendering all four as commands would lose the text’s single imperative.
Basis This is the only superlative of ἅγιος in the New Testament.
Basis The base text marks the whole of these two verses; reducing them to two groups would hide that.
Lost in translation
Three participles and one imperative (vv.20-21). Both render the difference.
The superlative ἁγιωτάτῃ (v.20). Both render a superlative.
Mercy, saving, mercy (vv.22-23) — three laid in a row. Neither locale reorders them.
ἁρπάζω (v.23) — the verb of the wolf at John 10:12. Both use the same word.
Four in a row (v.25) — glory, majesty, might, authority. Both keep four.
Time in three (v.25) — before all the age, now, unto all the ages. Both keep three.