NET BIBLE Table of Content

For permission, inquire by e-mail to PERMISSION@BIBLE.ORG or call 888-997-6884.

You may not download the information and reprint any of it for commercial publication, except that the NET BIBLE verses may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic, or audio) up to and inclusive of one thousand (1000) verses or less without written permission, providing the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible, do not comprise 50% or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted, and the verses are not being quoted in a commentary or other biblical reference work. This permission is contingent upon an appropriate copyright acknowledgment.

Preface to the First Edition

The NET Bible

The NET Bible is a completely new translation of the Bible with 60,932 translators' notes! It was completed by more than 25 scholars - experts in the original biblical languages - who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. Turn the pages and see the breadth of the translators' notes, documenting their decisions and choices as they worked. The translators' notes make the original languages far more accessible, allowing you to look over the translator's shoulder at the very process of translation. This level of documentation is a first for a Bible translation, making transparent the textual basis and the rationale for key renderings (including major interpretive options and alternative translations). This unparalleled level of detail helps connect people to the Bible in the original languages in a way never before possible without years of study of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. It unlocks the riches of the Bible's truth from entirely new perspectives.

Produced for ministry

Our ministry, bible.org, was created to be a source of trustworthy Bible study resources for the world, so that everyone is guaranteed free access to these high quality materials. In the second year of bible.org's ministry (1995) it became clear that a free online Bible would be needed on the bible.org website since copyrighted Bibles can't be quoted in a huge collection of online studies.

The NET Bible project was commissioned to create a faithful Bible translation that could be placed on the Internet, downloaded for free, and used around the world for ministry. The Bible is God's gift to humanity - it should be free. (Go to www.bible.org and download your free copy.) Permission is available for the NET Bible to be printed royalty-free for organizations like the The Gideons International who print and distribute Bibles for charity. The NET Bible (with all the translators' notes) has also been provided to Wycliffe Bible Translators to assist their field translators. The NET Bible Society is working with other groups and Bible Societies to provide the NET Bible translators' notes to complement fresh translations in other languages. A Chinese translation team is currently at work on a new translation which incorporates the NET Bible translators' notes in Chinese, making them available to an additional 1.5 billion people. Parallel projects involving other languages are also in progress.

Now serving individuals in 170 different countries on an average day, bible.org is the largest Bible study resource on the Internet with over 40,000 pages of Bible study materials currently available online for free. Also included are topical forums (www.bible.org/forum) where visitors to the site can dialogue and learn from each other. All this is done to support local church ministries and to build an effective online community of believers. Our passion is to see every person become mature in Christ and competent to teach and train others.

Accountability, transparency, and feedback

The NET Bible is the first Bible ever to be beta-tested on the Internet. In this beta-testing process all working drafts of the NET Bible were posted on www.bible.org for public review and comment. The significance of this is that the NET Bible team, from day one, has been listening to its readers. The purpose of the public review and comment was not to achieve a consensus translation, but to be accountable, to be transparent, and to request that millions of people provide feedback on the faithfulness and clarity of the translation as well as on the translators' notes. Countless valuable suggestions have been made by scholars, by junior high school students, by college professors, and by lay Christians who speak English as a second language. Because of the open approach of the NET Bible team, the resulting product has been enriched immeasurably. Each one of us comes to the Bible from a different perspective; scholars need to listen to the person in the pew as much as the layperson needs to listen to scholars. The translation reflects the latest scholarship, and the sources are cited in the translators' notes and documented in the appendices. The NET Bible is a truly symbiotic effort between the insights of biblical scholars and the needs of lay Christians. The combined effect of the notes and the nine year public review process has reinforced the translation's primary goal of faithfulness to the original languages. By creating a translation environment that is responsible both to the world's scholars and to lay readers, the NET Bible was read, studied, and checked by more eyes than any Bible translation in history.

The most important translation concept

The most important translation of the Bible is not from the original languages to English, but from the printed page into your life. If you have never read through a complete book of the Bible, we suggest you begin by reading the Gospel of John. We encourage you to recognize that the Bible is not merely a book. It is God's message to us all, and God continues to speak through it today. There is, after all, a reason far more Bibles have been produced than any book in history. Read it and see.

Copyright Innovations - Toward a New Model

We don't like the copyright notice on the second page of the NET Bible, but we don't yet know the best way to fix it. The reason for this dilemma is that we stand at the beginning of a new era made possible by the Internet. New approaches to ministry, publishing, distribution, and collaboration are made possible by the Internet. When the first Bibles and books began to be printed rather than copied by hand, new issues emerged (plagiarism, author's rights, freedom of the press versus censorship, copyright laws, etc.). It is now time to recognize that the copyright and permissions conventions carried over from printed books must now be upgraded for the Internet age. The innovations will create new opportunities for ministry while also providing new opportunities for authors to support themselves. We believe that 1 Tim 5:17-18 (the author has the right to be paid) and Lev 23:22 (allow the poor and foreigner free access) can be simultaneously satisfied far better with a new Internet model.

The Problem: It's difficult to quote a modern Bible translation legally

Bible.org's ministry objective is to be used by God to mature Christians worldwide. To accomplish this we needed to quote a modern Bible translation in the production of thousands of trustworthy Bible Study resources that could be offered on the Internet for free. We predicted in 1995 that the number of Bible verses quoted in these studies would soon surpass available legal permission limits. We tried for a year, but could not obtain the necessary permissions. Lack of a legal ability to quote the Bible online makes online Bible studies impossible and threatened bible.org's "Ministry First" model. Quite simply the only way we could secure permission to quote a modern Bible was to sponsor a new translation - the NET Bible. We now want to ensure that other ministries and authors don't experience the same roadblocks. The NET Bible is not just for bible.org, but for everyone.

You may ask (as we have): "Why not just make the NET Bible public domain? Wouldn't that solve the problem?" It does solve the permission problem but stifles ministry another way. When a publisher prints a public domain KJV they pay no royalties to anyone, but they still make millions of dollars in revenue - and don't have to spend any of that money on ministry or charity. We didn't create the NET Bible to save royalties for such publishers. We think a better approach is to leverage copyright laws to ensure that anyone selling NET Bibles must support ministry.

How we intend to solve the problem

The first major step was taken 10 years ago when we posted the NET Bible on the Internet when no other major modern English Bible translations had done so. The other major Bible translations partially followed suit - all of them are now viewable on the Internet - but after 10 years, the NET Bible is still the only major modern translation that can be downloaded for free in its entirety and used seamlessly in presentations and documents.

We think it is time to take a few more steps. NET Bible study software will now be offered free to allow those who can't afford Bible study tools to search the Bible electronically. We also will remove an important barrier for teachers, pastors, authors, and students of the Bible who plan to write and distribute their studies. Bible copyright policies typically require special permission before Internet posting, writing commentaries, allowing mission organizations to translate works into other languages, or when quotations exceed some verse limit. The result is that an author is forced to delay writing until permission is granted, use an old public domain text, or proceed illegally in order to serve missions. Other authors have found that a valuable work is simply not publishable because they lack permission for the Bible translation quoted in it. We want all authors to know that the NET Bible is a safe choice. We intend to make quoting the NET Bible easy for both commercial publications and ministry by making the vast majority of requests covered by an automatic "yes." This new copyright permission policy, when implemented, will result in many more works being created for charitable use and Internet distribution. A second major historical reason used to justify prior written approval of papers, books, and commentaries quoting Bibles is to ensure that nothing embarrassing is written using a copyrighted Bible. We'd rather risk embarrassment than hamper thousands of worthwhile projects. We'll let the Internet community label the rare bad works and bad authors. We'd rather remove barriers so that the other 99.9% of Christian authors can be more productive. We solicit your ideas for an optimal solution for Bible quotations in the Internet age.

Characteristics of a good solution

· By making permissions easier, it becomes far easier to post, share, and publish works which quote the Bible.

· It should be easy to say "yes" to all requests to quote and use the NET Bible (both charitable and commercial use).

· The "yes" should be automatic for the vast majority of requests, so our organization gets out of the way of ministries, teachers, pastors, and authors. We don't want them to delay before authoring, sharing, and implementing the Great Commission of Matt 28:19 - and we don't want their works which quote the Bible to be held hostage based on copyright permissions.

· Incentives should be offered to authors who are willing to share their works for free, (even when they also sell books and software versions of the same title for income) while authors who only offer their works for sale should pay customary royalties. This encourages greater participation in the "ministry first" model.

It is time for ministry to be more free - and for a Bible which puts ministry first. The best way to encourage ministry is to give people the tools they need and remove barriers which encumber their work. Let us know how we can better serve your needs.

For the latest on "Ministry First" copyright innovations,

visit www.bible.org/ministryfirst

Introduction to the First Edition

previous
next
up
Copyright Innovations - Toward a New Model
The NET Bible® Team

The NET Bible® Team

First Edition Translators, Editors, and Consultants

Old Testament Translators and Editors

Pentateuch:

Richard E. Averbeck, Ph.D.

(Dropsie College)¹⁹

Robert B. Chisholm, Th.D.

(Dallas Theological Seminary)

Dorian Coover-Cox, Ph.D.

(Dallas Theological Seminary)

Eugene H. Merrill, Ph.D.

(Columbia University)

Allen P. Ross, Ph.D.

(Cambridge University)

Historical Books:

Robert B. Chisholm, Th.D.

(Dallas Theological Seminary)

Dorian Coover-Cox, Ph.D.

(Dallas Theological Seminary)

Gordon H. Johnston, Th.D.

(Dallas Theological Seminary)

Richard A. Taylor, Ph.D.

(Catholic University of America)

Wisdom Books:

Robert B. Chisholm, Th.D.

(Dallas Theological Seminary)

Gordon H. Johnston, Th.D.

(Dallas Theological Seminary)

Allen P. Ross, Ph.D.

(Cambridge University)

Steven H. Sanchez, Ph.D.

(Dallas Theological Seminary)

Major and Minor Prophets:

William D. Barrick, Th.D.

(Grace Theological Seminary)

M. Daniel Carroll R., Ph.D.

(University of Sheffield)

Robert B. Chisholm, Th.D.

(Dallas Theological Seminary)

Dorian Coover-Cox, Ph.D.

(Dallas Theological Seminary)

Donald R. Glenn, M.A.

(Brandeis University)

Michael A. Grisanti, Ph.D.

(Dallas Theological Seminary)

W. Hall Harris III, Ph.D.

(University of Sheffield)

Eugene H. Merrill, Ph.D.

(Columbia University)

Steven H. Sanchez, Ph.D.

(Dallas Theological Seminary)

Brian L. Webster, Ph.D.

(Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion)

New Testament Translators and Editors

Gospels and Acts:

Darrell L. Bock, Ph.D.

(University of Aberdeen)

Michael H. Burer, Ph.D.

(Dallas Theological Seminary)

W. Hall Harris III, Ph.D.

(University of Sheffield)

Gregory J. Herrick, Ph.D.

(Dallas Theological Seminary)

David K. Lowery, Ph.D.

(University of Aberdeen)

Pauline Letters:

John D. Grassmick, Ph.D.

(University of Glasgow)

W. Hall Harris III, Ph.D.

(University of Sheffield)

Gregory J. Herrick, Ph.D.

(Dallas Theological Seminary)

Harold W. Hoehner, Ph.D.

(Cambridge University)

David K. Lowery, Ph.D.

(University of Aberdeen)

Jay E. Smith, Ph.D.

(Trinity Evangelical Divinity School)

General Letters and Revelation:

Buist M. Fanning III, D.Phil.

(Oxford University)

W. Hall Harris III, Ph.D.

(University of Sheffield)

Gregory J. Herrick, Ph.D.

(Dallas Theological Seminary)

David K. Lowery, Ph.D.

(University of Aberdeen)

Daniel B. Wallace, Ph.D.

(Dallas Theological Seminary)

Translation Consultants

Wayne Leman, M.A.

(University of Kansas)

James Routt, Ph.D.

(Cambridge University)

English Style Consultant

W. Hall Harris III, Ph.D.

(University of Sheffield)

NET Bible Executive Steering Committee

W. Hall Harris III, Ph.D.,

Project Director and Managing Editor

Michael H. Burer, Ph.D.,

Editor and Assistant Project Director

Robert B. Chisholm, Th.D., Senior OT Editor

Daniel B. Wallace, Ph.D., Senior NT Editor

Buist M. Fanning, Ph.D., NT Editor

Donald R. Glenn, M.A., OT Editor

Gordon H. Johnston, Th.D., OT Editor

Steven H. Sanchez, Ph.D., OT Editor

Richard A. Taylor, Ph.D., OT Editor

Project Management and Production

W. Hall Harris III, Ph.D.,

Project Director and Managing Editor

Michael H. Burer, Ph.D.,

Editor and Assistant Project Director

J. Hampton Keathley IV, Th.M.,

Technical Director

Todd Lingren, M.A.,

Director of Publication

Due to the rapidly expanding list of endorsements of the NET Bible, a current list may be seen at www.bible.org/endorse

The current list of editors and contributors may be seen at www.bible.org/editors

NET Bible Principles of Translation

1. Text

• Old Testament: For the OT the translators started with the MT (Masoretic Text) found in the current edition of BHS (Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia). In particularly difficult passages the translator may have followed a variant reading found in the versions, alternative Hebrew tradition (e.g., DSS), or in some cases, conjectural emendation. Such variations from the MT were noted by the individual translator and reviewed by the OT textual consultant.
• New Testament: For the NT
  the Greek text to be used by individual translators was decided by the textual
  consultant. The full Greek text will be published at a later date.
• Traditional passages: For passages which lack adequate textual authority (i.e., are almost certainly not part of the autographs) the words were included in the translation in double square brackets with a note giving a brief discussion of the problem.

2. Interpretive Decisions and Tools

• Interpretive decisions, where necessary to translate a passage, were made by the translators and editors. The alternative renderings, where exegetically significant, have been indicated in the notes.
• Standard technical (critical) commentaries and relevant periodical articles were consulted in the translation process. These are often cited in the notes.
• Current standard lexical tools were consulted as needed. For the OT, these included such works as BDB, KB3, and
  TDOT; for the NT, BDAG, Louw-Nida, and TDNT.
• Computerized concordance programs and electronic search engines were used extensively in the production of this translation.

3. Form of Translation

No translation can ever achieve complete formal equivalence.¹ Even a translation which sometimes reflects Hebrew and Greek word order at the expense of English style has to resort to paraphrase in some places. On the other hand, no translation achieves complete dynamic equivalence ² either. Thus this translation, like every other, ends up somewhere between the two extremes. These considerations are reflected by the following specific qualifications:

• In vocabulary and grammatical forms every attempt has been made to reflect the different styles of the different authors of the Bible. Paul's letters should not sound like John's or Peter's or that of Hebrews in the English translation where possible.
• The level of English style is formal (not, however, technical) except in passages where somewhat more informal style would be more in keeping with the content. In general the use of contractions
  ("don't," "isn't") has been avoided, except in quoted speech.
• The language of average adults had priority. The translation attempts to use good literary style but is not overly formal or embellished.
• The translation is intended to be understandable to non-Christians as well as Christians, so liturgical language or Christian "jargon" has been avoided.
• Archaisms have also been avoided (e.g., "letter" was used instead of "epistle" in the NT). This includes the absolute avoidance of "thou" and "thee," since there were no distinctions in the original Hebrew or Greek between pronouns used to address people and those used to address Deity. On a related note, pronouns which refer to Deity are not capitalized for this same reason.
• Long, complicated sentences in the original languages have been broken up into shorter sentences more acceptable
  in contemporary English. However, an attempt has been made to maintain the connections present in the original languages wherever possible.
• Idiomatic expressions and figurative language in the original languages have been changed when they
  make no sense to a typical modern English reader or are likely to lead to misunderstanding by a typical modern English reader. The literal
  reading has been placed in a note giving a brief explanation (a translator's
  note).
• Nouns have been used for pronouns
  where the English pronoun would be obscure or ambiguous to a modern reader.
  This has been indicated in a note.
• Questions expecting a negative answer
  have been phrased to indicate this to the English reader.
• Clearly redundant
  expressions such as "answered and said" have been avoided unless
  they have special rhetorical force in context. The literal reading is frequently
  indicated in a note.
• Introductory expressions like "verily,
  verily" have been translated idiomatically, the single ἀμήν
  as "I tell you the truth" and the double ἀμήν
  (peculiar to John's Gospel) as "I tell you the solemn truth."
• Introductory particles like ἰδού
  ("behold") have been translated to fit the context (sometimes "listen,"
  "pay attention," "look," or occasionally left untranslated).
• Use of quotation marks (which did
  not exist in the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts) conforms to contemporary
  American English usage.
• The basic unit of translation is
  the paragraph. Verse numbers are included in boldface type. Poetry is set
  out as poetry.
• Greek historical presents have been
  translated by English simple past tenses since English has no corresponding
  use of the present tense.
• In places where passive constructions
  create ambiguity, obscurity, or awkwardness in contemporary English, either
  the agent has been specified from context or the construction has been changed
  to active voice in the English translation, with an explanatory note.
• Ellipses have been filled out according
  to current English requirements (e.g., 1 John 2:19). This is normally explained
  in a note.
• Proper names have been standardized
  in accordance with accepted English usage.

4. Additional Features of the Translation and Notes

• Any place supplementary information
  is required (e.g., word-plays, historical details, cultural differences, etc.)
  this is provided in a brief study note.
• Any technical terms (corban,
  Mark 7:11) used in the translation are explained in a study note.
• Any unfamiliar terms for weights,
  measures, and coins have been explained in a study note, although in general
  these have been expressed in contemporary American units, with metric units
  given parenthetically in the notes.
• A limited system of cross-referencing
  to principal parallel texts, cross-references, or significant allusions is
  found in the notes.
• Descriptive section headings have
  been provided by the translators and editors as an aid to the reader.
• Greek and Hebrew in the translator's
  notes use Greek and Hebrew fonts, often followed by transliteration. The occasional
  reference to a Greek or Hebrew word in a study note is transliterated.
• Abbreviations of biblical books
  and reference material follow Patrick H. Alexander et al., eds., The SBL
  Handbook of Style: For Ancient Near Eastern, Biblical, and Early Christian
  Studies (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1999) with only a few exceptions.

¹  With formal equivalence each word of the original language is represented by a word in the receptor (target) language, and the word and clause order is kept as nearly identical to that of the original language as possible. Thus this approach translates word for word.

²  With dynamic equivalence (sometimes called functional equivalence) the goal is to render the original language text in the closest natural equivalent in the receptor language, both in meaning and style. This approach translates phrase for phrase or thought for thought.

Abbreviations for Biblical Books and Nonbiblical Literature

Old Testament

Gen	Genesis
Exod	Exodus
Lev	Leviticus
Num	Numbers
Deut	Deuteronomy
Josh	Joshua
Judg	Judges
Ruth	Ruth
1 Sam	1 Samuel
2 Sam	2 Samuel
1 Kgs	1 Kings
2 Kgs	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 Songs
Isa	Isaiah
Jer	Jeremiah
Lam	Lamentations
Ezek	Ezekiel
Dan	Daniel
Hos	Hosea
Joel	Joel
Amos	Amos
Obad	Obadiah
Jonah	Jonah
Mic	Micah
Nah	Nahum
Hab	Habakkuk
Zeph	Zephaniah
Hag	Haggai
Zech	Zechariah
Mal	Malachi

Books of the Old Testament Apocrypha

Bar	Baruch
Add Dan	Additions to Daniel
Pr Azar	Prayer of Azariah
Bel	Bel and the Dragon
Sg Three	Song of the Three Young Men
Sus	Susanna
1-2 Esd	1-2 Esdras
Add Esth	Additions to Esther
Ep Jer	Epistle of Jeremiah
Jdt	Judith
1-4 Macc	1-4 Maccabees
Pr Man	Prayer of Manasseh
Ps 151	Psalm 151
Sir	Sirach/ Ecclesiasticus
Tob	Tobit
Wis	Wisdom of Solomon

New Testament

Matt	Matthew
Mark	Mark
Luke	Luke
John	John
Acts	Acts
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
Phlm	Philemon
Heb	Hebrews
Jas	James
1 Pet	1 Peter
2 Pet	2 Peter
1 John	1 John
2 John	2 John
3 John	3 John
Jude	Jude
Rev	Revelation

Other Ancient Documents

Two citation systems for Philo and Josephus are used in the notes. The older (classical) system is listed first, and the Loeb citation system then follows in parentheses.


1 En.	1 Enoch, a Jewish pseudepigraphic work that includes what are thought to be Christian interpolations in chaps. 37-71 (also called Ethiopic Enoch)
1 Kgdms	1 Kingdoms, the book of the LXX which corresponds to 1 Samuel
1QH	Thanksgiving Hymns, hymns composed for worship within the Qumran community
1QS	Rule of the Community, one of the first Dead Sea Scrolls recovered. This scroll details rules for admission into the Qumran community.
2 Bar.	2 Baruch, a Jewish apocalyptic work written early in the second century
2 En.	2 Enoch, an Jewish pseudepigraphic work that expands upon Gen 5:21-32
4QMMT	Miqsat Maàaseh Torah from Qumran Cave 4, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Ag. Ap.	Against Apion, a defense of the Jewish people written by Josephus, a Jewish historian who lived from a.d. 37/38 until the early years of the second century.
Ant.	Jewish Antiquities, a history of the Jewish people written by Josephus (see Ag. Ap. above)
b.	Indicates a tractate from the Babylonian Talmud, which contains the Mishnah and rabbinic interpretive expansions. Collected ca. a.d. 500-550.
CD	A copy of the Damascus Document, which is one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, found in the Cairo genizah
Embassy	On the Embassy to Gaius, a philosophical work by Philo, a Jewish philosopher who lived from 20 b.c. to a.d. 50
Praep. Ev.	Praeparatio evangelica (Preparation for the Gospel), a work by Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea in Palestine, who lived ca. a.d. 260-341
Flaccus	Against Flaccus, a philosophical work by Philo (see Embassy above)
Heir	Who is the Heir?, a philosophical work by Philo (see Embassy above)
Herm.	Shepherd of Hermas, a Christian work written in Rome sometime during the 1st and 2nd centuries a.d.
Ibn Ezra	Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra, a medieval Jewish scholar who wrote many works, including a commentary on the Hebrew Bible. Lived a.d. 1092/1093 to a.d.1167.
Ign.	Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, who died as a martyr in Rome early in the second century. Following will be the abbreviation for one of his seven letters.
J. W.	Jewish War, a history of the events surrounding the war between Rome and the Jews ca. a.d. 70 written by Josephus (see Ag. Ap. above)
Jub.	Jubilees, a Jewish pseudepigraphic work that expands upon the narratives in Genesis and Exodus
Letter of Aristeas	An ancient letter which purports to explain the origins of the LXX. Posited by most scholars to have been written ca. 170 b.c.
Life	The Life, an autobiography of Josephus (see Ag. Ap. above)
m.	Indicates a tractate from the Mishnah, a codification of Jewish rabbinic oral tradition collected ca. a.d. 200-220




Pirqe Avot	A collection of the sayings from Jewish sages and rabbis
Pirqe Rabbi Eliezer	A collection of Jewish rabbinic tradition compiled ca. a.d. 750-850
Posterity	On the Posterity of Cain, a philosophical work by Philo (see Embassy above)
Rabbah	Jewish rabbinic commentary on books of the Bible, e.g., Genesis Rabbah
Sib. Or.	Sibylline Oracles, a collection of poetic prophecies contained within the Jewish pseudepigrapha
Sifre Deut	Sifre on Deuteronomy, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the book of Deuteronomy compiled ca. a.d. 350-400
Smr	Samaritan Pentateuch, the version of the first five books of the Old Testament accepted as canonical by the Samaritans
t.	Indicates a tractate from the Tosefta, a codification of Jewish rabbinic oral tradition collected ca. a.d. 220-230
T. Gad	Testament of Gad, one of the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, a group of works written between 109 and 106 b.c. and inspired by Jacob's testament in Gen 49
T. Reu.	Testament of Reuben, one of the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (see T. Gad above)
T. Sol.	Testament of Solomon, a story about Solomon building the Temple, written sometime during the 1st to 3rd centuries a.d.
Tg.	Indicates a Targum, an Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible which often included interpretive comments
Tg. Onq.	Targum Onqelos, an Aramaic translation of the Pentateuch, regarded as the official targum of these books
Tg. Ps.-J.	Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, an Aramaic translation of the Pentateuch
y.	Indicates a tractate from the Jerusalem Talmud (which actually took shape in Galilee ca. a.d. 400-425), a work which contains the Mishnah and rabbinic interpretive expansions

Abbreviations for Bible Versions

English Versions

NET	The NET Bible / New English Translation (NT, 1998; First Beta Edition, 2001; Second Beta Edition, 2003; First Edition, 2005)3
TNIV	Today's New International Version (NT, 2001)
NLT	New Living Translation (1996)
CEV	The Contemporary English Version (1995)
NIrV	New International Reader's Version (1995)
Message	E. H. Peterson, The Message: The New Testament in Contemporary Language (1993)
NCV	New Century Version (1991)
REB	Revised English Bible (1989)
NRSV	New Revised Standard Version (1989)
NJB	New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
NJPS	Tanakh (1985), produced by the Jewish Publication Society
NKJV	New King James Version (1979)
TEV	Today's English Version, also known as Good News for Modern Man (1976)
NIV	The New International Version (NT, 1973; OT, 1978)
LB	The Living Bible (1971)
NASB	New American Standard Bible (1971; update 1995)
NAB	The New American Bible (1970)
NEB	The New English Bible (1970)
JB	Jerusalem Bible (1966)
Amplified	The Amplified Bible (1965)
BBE	C. K. Ogden, The Bible in Basic English (1965)
JPS	The Torah (1962), The Prophets (Nevi'im) (1978), The Writings (Kethuvim) (1982), produced by the Jewish Publication Society
MLB	Modern Language Bible: New Berkeley Version (1959; rev. 1969)
Phillips	J. B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English (1958)
RSV	Revised Standard Version (NT, 1946; OT, 1952)
Knox	R. A. Knox, The New Testament in English (1945)
AT	The Bible-An American Translation (1927)
Moffatt	James Moffatt, A New Translation of the Bible (1926)
TCNT	The Twentieth Century New Testament (1898-1901; rev. 1904)
ASV	American Standard Version (1901)
RV	Revised Version (NT 1881; OT 1885)
YLT	Young's Literal Translation (1862; rev. 1898)
KJV (=AV)	The King James Version, known in Britain as the Authorized Version (1611)
AV (=KJV)	The Authorized Version, known in America as the King James Version (1611)
Douay	Douay-Rheims Version, a translation for the Roman Catholic Church (NT 1582; OT 1609-1610)

Ancient Versions

MT	Masoretic Text (the traditional rabbinical text of the Hebrew Bible, dating from the medieval period)
LXX	Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament, translated between 250-100 B.C.)

General Abbreviations

NET Bible Footnote Types

tn	Translator's Note-explains the rationale for the translation and gives alternative translations, interpretive options, and other technical information.
sn	Study Note-includes comments about historical or cultural background, explanation of obscure phrases or brief discussions of context, discussions of the theological point made by the biblical author, cross references and references to Old Testament quotations or allusions in the New Testament, or other miscellaneous information helpful to the modern reader.
tc	Text-critical Note-discusses alternate (variant) readings found in the various manuscripts and groups of manuscripts of the Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament.
map	Map Note-gives map coordinates for site within the two map sections, "The Journeys of Paul" and "The Holy Land from the Heavens."

Journals

ABR	Australian Biblical Review
ADAJ	Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan
AION	Annali dell'Istituto Orientale di Napoli
AJBA	Australian Journal of Biblical Archaeology
AJSL	American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literature
ArOr	Archiv Orientální
ASTI	Annual of the Swedish Thelogical Institute
AUSS	Andrews University Seminary Studies
BA	Biblical Archaeologist
BAR	Biblical Archaeology Review
BASOR	Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research
BBR	Bulletin for Biblical Research
BETS	Bulletin of the Evangelical Theological Society
Bib	Biblica
BiBh	Bible Bhashyam
Bijdr	Bijdragen: Tijdschrift voor filosofie en theologie
BJRL	Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester
BN	Biblische Notizen
BRev	Bible Review
BSac	Bibliotheca Sacra
BT	The Bible Translator
BTB	Biblical Theology Bulletin
BV	Biblical Viewpoint
BZ	Biblische Zeitschrift
CBQ	Catholic Biblical Quarterly
CentBib	Central Bible Quarterly
CTJ	Calvin Theological Journal
CTM	Concordia Theological Monthly
CTR	Criswell Theological Review
ErIsr	Eretz-Israel
EvQ	Evangelical Quarterly
ExpTim	Expository Times
FO	Folia orientalia
GOT	Glasgow Oriental Transactions
GTJ	Grace Theological Journal
HAR	Hebrew Annual Review
HBT	Horizons in Biblical Theology
HS	Hebrew Studies
HTR	Harvard Theological Review
HUCA	Hebrew Union College Annual
IEJ	Israel Exploration Journal
Int	Interpretation

JANESCU	Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society of Columbia University
JAOS	Journal of the American Oriental Society
JBL	Journal of Biblical Literature
JCS	Journal of Cuneiform Studies
JETS	Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
JJP	Journal of Juristic Papyrology
JJS	Journal of Jewish Studies
JNES	Journal of Near Eastern Studies
JNSL	Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages
JPOS	Journal of the Palestine Oriental Society
JQR	Jewish Quarterly Review
JRAS	Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society
JSNT	Journal for the Study of the New Testament
JSOT	Journal for the Study of the Old Testament
JSS	Journal of Semitic Studies
JTS	Journal of Theological Studies
JTVI	Journal of the Transactions of the Victoria Institute
Jud	Judaica
Les_	Les_oneÃnu
LTQ	Lexington Theological Quarterly
MAOG	Mitteilungen der Altorientalischen Gesellschaft
Mus	Muséon: Revue d'études orientales
NovT	Novum Testamentum
NTS	New Testament Studies
Or	Orientalia
OTS	Old Testament Studies
PEQ	Palestinian Exploration Quarterly
RA	Revue d'assyriologie et d'archéologie orientale
RB	Revue biblique
RevExp	Review and Expositor
RHPR	Revue d'histoire et de philosophie religieuses
RHR	Revue de l'histoire des religions
RQ	Römische Quartalschrift für christliche Altertumskunde und Kirchengeschichte
RSR	Recherches de science religieuse
Sem	Semitica
SJT	Scottish Journal of Theology
ST	Studia theologica
SwJT	Southwestern Journal of Theology
TA	Tel Aviv
TB	Theologische Bücherei: Neudrucke und Berichte aus dem 20. Jahrhundert
TGUOS	Transactions of the Glasgow University Oriental Society
TJ	Trinity Journal
TLZ	Theologische Literaturzeitung
TRu	Theologische Rundschau
TynBul	Tyndale Bulletin
TZ	Theologische Zeitschrift
UF	Ugarit-Forschungen
VT	Vetus Testamentum
WTJ	Westminster Theological Journal
WW	Word and World
ZÄS	Zeitschrift für ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde
ZAW	Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft
ZDMG	Zeitschrift der deutschen morgenländischen Gesellschaft
ZNW	Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft

Commentary and Monograph Series

AB	Anchor Bible
AfO	Archiv für Orientforschung
AGJU	Arbeiten zur Geschichte des antiken Judentums und des Urchristentums
AnBib	Analecta biblica
AnOr	Analecta orientalia
AOAT	Alter Orient und Altes Testament
ArBib	The Aramaic Bible
ATD	Das Alte Testament Deutsch
BASORSup	Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research: Supplement Series
BECNT	Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament
BibOr	Biblica et orientalia
BKAT	Biblischer Kommentar, Altes Testament
BSC	Bible Student's Commentary
CBC	Cambridge Bible Commentary
CBQMS	Catholic Biblical Quarterly Monograph Series
CC	Continental Commentaries
CNT	Commentaire du Nouveau Testament
ConBOT	Coniectanea biblica: Old Testament Series
DissAb	Dissertation Abstracts
DJD	Discoveries in the Judaean Desert
DJDJ	Discoveries in the Judaean Desert of Jordan
DSBS	Daily Study Bible Series
EGGNT	Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament
FCI	Foundations of Contemporary Interpretation
FOTL	Forms of the Old Testament Literature
FRLANT	Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten und Neuen Testaments
GBS	Guides to Biblical Scholarship
HNTC	Harper's New Testament Commentaries
HSM	Harvard Semitic Monographs
IBC	Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching
ICC	International Critical Commentary
JAARSup	Journal of the American Academy of Religion: Supplement Series
JBLMS	Journal of Biblical Literature Monograph Series
JPSTC	Jerusalem Publication Society Torah Commentary
JSNTSup	Journal for the Study of the New Testament: Supplement Series
JSOTSup	Journal for the Study of the Old Testament: Supplement Series
KAT	Kommentar zum Alten Testament
LHD	The Library of History and Doctrine
MNTC	Moffatt New Testament Commentary
NAC	New American Commentary
NCBC	New Century Bible Commentary
NICNT	New International Commentary on the New Testament
NICOT	New International Commentary on the Old Testament
NIGTC	New International Greek Testament Commentary
NovTSup	Supplements to Novum Testamentum
NTL	New Testament Library
OBO	Orbis biblicus et orientalis
OBT	Overtures to Biblical Theology
OTL	Old Testament Library
OTM	Oxford Theological Monographs
PTMS	Pittsburgh Theological Monograph Series
SB	Sources bibliques
SBA	Studies in Biblical Archaeology
SBG	Studies in Biblical Greek
SBLDS	Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series
SBT	Studies in Biblical Theology
ScrHier	Scripta hierosolymitana
SD	Studies and Documents
SHR	Studies in the History of Religions
SJLA	Studies in Judaism in Late Antiquity
SNTSMS	Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series
SoBB	Soncino Books of the Bible
SOTBT	Studies in Old Testament Biblical Theology
SOTSMS	Society for Old Testament Studies Monograph Series
SPCKTC	Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Theological Collections
SSN	Studia semitica neerlandica
StPB	Studia post-biblica
SUNT	Studien zur Umwelt des Neuen Testaments
TBC	Torch Bible Commentaries
TCS	Texts from Cuneiform Sources
TOTC	Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries
TU	Texte und Untersuchungen
VAB	Vorderasiatische Bibliothek
VTSup	Supplements to Vetus Testamentum
WBC	Word Biblical Commentary
WEC	Wycliffe Exegetical Commentary
WUNT	Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament

Text-critical Terms

al	Abbreviation for alii, a Latin phrase meaning "others," referring to manuscripts
ms (mss)	manuscript (manuscripts)
pc	Abbreviation for pauci, "a few (others)," referring to manuscripts
pm	Abbreviation for permulti, "a great many (others)," referring to manuscripts
vid	Abbreviation for videtur, a Latin word meaning "apparently" or "so it appears," referring to an uncertain reading in a manuscript

Miscellaneous Abbreviations

abs.	absolute
acc.	accusative
ANE	Ancient Near East (noun), Ancient Near Eastern (adjective)
ca.	approximately (from Latin circa)
cf.	compare (from Latin confer)
chap.	chapter
dat.	dative
ed.	editor; edited by; edition
e.g.	for example (from Latin exempli gratia)
ET	English text (when versification in the English Bible differs from the Greek or Hebrew text)
expr.	expression
ff.	following
fig.	figurative; figuratively
gen.	genitive
GT	Greek text (when versification differs from the English Bible)
HT	Hebrew text (when versification differs from the English Bible)
i.e.	that is (from Latin id est)
loc. cit.	in the place cited (from Latin loco citato), usually referring to a Bible verse or passage cited in a commentary or other work
ms (mss)	manuscript (manuscripts)
nom.	nominative
NT	New Testament
pl.	plural
q.v.	which see (from Latin quod vide)
sc.	supply (from Latin scilicet)
sing.	singular
suppl.	supplement
s.v.	under the word (from Latin sub verbo or sub voce)
trans.	translated; translator
v.	verse
viz.	namely (from Latin videlicet)
w.	with

List of Cited Works

previous
next
up
General Abbreviations
Principal Manuscript Evidence for the Greek New Testament

Principal Manuscript Evidence for the Greek New Testament

previous
next
up
List of Cited Works
Section Titles

Section Titles

previous
next
up
Principal Manuscript Evidence for the Greek New Testament
Index of Map

Index of Map

Click Index to NET Bible Maps to map places in NET Bible.

• Map 1: Galilee and the North
  
  
  
• Map 2: Galilee and the North
  
  
  
• Map 3: Galilee and the North
  
  
  
• Map 4: The Hill Country of Samaria
  
  
  
• Map 5: The Hill Country of Samaria
  
  
  
• Map 6: The Hill Country of Samaria
  
  
  
• Map 7: The Hill Country of Judah
  
  
  
• Map 8: The Hill Country of Judah
  
  
  
• Map 9: Coastal Plain and Shephelah
  
  
  
• Map 10: Hill Country and Wilderness
  
  
  
• Map 11: The Negev and the South
  
  
  
• Map 12: The Negev and the South
  
  
  
• 
  Old Testament Map 1 - The World of the Patriarchs
  
  
  
• 
  Old Testament Map 2 - The Travels of the Patriarchs
  
  
  
• 
  Old Testament Map 3 - The Exodus
  
  
  
• 
  Old Testament Map 4 - The Tribes of Israel
  
  
  
• 
  Old Testament Map 5 - Israel During the Divided Monarchy
  
  
  
• 
  Old Testament Map 6 - The Assyrian and Babylonian Empires
  
  
  
• Journeys of Paul Map 1 - First Missionary Journey
  
  
  
• Journeys of Paul Map 2 - Second Missionary Journey
  
  
  
• Journeys of Paul Map 3 - Third Missionary Journey
  
  
  
• Journeys of Paul Map 4 - Journey to Rome