Matthew 18:15 Cross References - JMNT

¹⁵ "Now if your brother should make a mistake (or: = your fellow believer may fail to hit the target for which he is aiming; or: your group member should be erring or sinning) [later MSS add: unto you; (= do you wrong)], humbly go [to him and] test it (or: bring convincing proof about it, laying the matter bare) between you and him alone. If he can listen and should be hearing you, you made gain and profit for your brother.

³⁵ "My heavenly Father (or: My Father, Who inhabits, and can be compared to, the atmosphere) will be progressively dealing with you folks in this same way (or: will continue doing to you men in like manner), too, if each person does not release and forgive his brother (and let things flow away for him), from your hearts."

³ "Be habitually holding your attention and your selves toward each other, and thus be considerate of and devoted to one another. If your brother (or: fellow believer; group or family member) should make a mistake or fail (may miss the goal or fall short; or: happens to sin or go into error), respectfully give him honorable advice and let him know of his value. Then, if he should change his mind and his thinking [while turning to Yahweh], make the [issue] flow away from him (or: forgive and release him). ⁴ "Even if he should (or: may) be a failure unto you (or: sin into you) seven times a day, and then seven times should turn around to you, time after time saying, 'I continue in the process of changing my thinking [and am turning to Yahweh],' you will proceed making it flow away from him (or: be repeatedly forgiving and habitually releasing him)."

²¹ Do not be habitually conquered under (or: Stop being overcome by) the worthless (the bad of quality; the ugly and unsound; the evil), but to the contrary, be constantly conquering (overcoming; victorious over) the worthless (the unsound, the bad and the ugly; the evil) [by being] in union with The Good One (or: [a participant] within what is profitable; or: in the midst of virtue). [comment: this verse points to a positive interpretation of the burning coals in vs. 20]

⁶ But to the contrary, a brother is constantly being brought to court (sued; judged; evaluated and decided about) with a brother (= by a fellow believer; or: member of the same family) – and this upon [the basis and situation] of unbelievers! ⁷ Indeed, it is already (or: to begin with [= even before going to court]) therefore wholly an effect of a lessened condition in (a result of a diminishing from an overthrow for) you folks – that you continue having lawsuits with one another. Why not rather continue suffering wrong (or: be repeatedly treated unfairly and unjustly)? Why not rather continue being defrauded (or: being deprived from; or, as a middle: allowing yourselves to be cheated)? ⁸ Yet instead, you yourselves are constantly committing wrong (being unfair and unjust; living contrary to the Way pointed out) and are repeatedly defrauding (cheating; depriving from [someone]) – and this [to] brothers (= fellow believers; = members of the Family)!

¹² Now by continually doing error (repeatedly failing and missing the goal; habitually sinning or acting amiss) unto the brothers (or: So while from time to time [casting this] mistake into the [hearts] of [your] fellow believers) in this way, and repeatedly beating or striking and thus wounding their weak conscience, you folks are constantly doing error (failing; sinning; acting amiss) unto Christ!

¹⁹ You see, continually being free from out of the midst of all things and from all people (or: from everything), I enslave myself to all people (or: everything and everyone), to the end that I can (may; would) gain [all] the more folks. ²⁰ So I come to be (or: became) as a Jew for (or: to; with) the Jews, to the end that I can (would; may) gain Jews; as under Law for (or: to; with) those under Law, to the end that I can (or: would; should; may) gain those under Law; ²¹ as without law (or: as lawless) – [though] not continually being without a law pertaining to God, but to the contrary, within a principle which is Christ (or: Christ's law; the custom which has the character and quality of Christ; or: [the] law which is [the] Anointing) – to those without law (for and with the lawless ones), to the end that I will progressively [other MSS: can; may; would] gain the folks without law (the lawless ones).

¹² Consequently, even if I write (or: although I wrote) to you, [it is] not on account of the one doing wrong (behaving contrary to the Way pointed out; acting unjustly or injuriously; the offender), nor either on account of the one being wronged (being treated unfairly or unjustly; being injured; the victim), but rather on account of the [opportunity] to set in clear light and manifest to you folks your haste to earnest and diligent care – that which [was] over us and on our behalf – in God's sight. Because of this we have been, and remain, encouraged and comforted (we have received the influence of a paraclete).

¹ Brothers (= Fellow believers; = My family)! Even if a person (or: human) may be at some point overtaken (caught; laid hold of before; be surprised) within the effect of some slip or falling to the side (or: the result of some offense, lapse or mistake), you folks – the spiritual ones (the people influenced by the Breath-effect and Attitude) – repeatedly (or: continuously) adjust, mend or repair such a one so as to thoroughly prepare and equip him, within a spirit of gentle friendliness (attitude of meekness; breath of mildness), as you each are constantly keeping a watchful eye on yourself (carefully noting yourself with regard to the goal), and so you folks may not at some point be put to the proof (or: and you, yourself, would not be tried, tested or harassed by some ordeal).

¹³ being folks continuously holding up [things or situations] pertaining to one another (or: habitually holding yourselves up, belonging to one another; constantly putting up with one another) and incessantly giving grace to or doing a favor for (dealing graciously with and among) yourselves, if ever anyone may continue having (or: holding) a complaint toward someone. Just as the Lord [= Christ or Yahweh; some MSS: Christ; Aleph* & some Vulgate MSS read: God] also gave (or: gives) grace to and favor for you (deals graciously in, with and among you folks), thus also you folks [do the same].

⁶ Thus, no one is to be continuously overstepping and have more (hold advantage) in his brother's affair (result of doing; transaction-effect; development from a matter; = cheat his fellow believers in business dealings), because [the] Lord [= Yahweh or Christ] [is] a maintainer of right (an executor of justice and equity from the Way pointed out) concerning all these people and things, just as we also told you before and certified with solemn witness throughout.

¹⁵ And yet you must not consider [him or her] as an enemy, but rather you must continuously admonish (or: put [him/her] in mind), as (or: as being) a brother [to him or her].

¹⁹ My brothers (= Dear family), if someone among you may be led astray (caused to wander) away from the Truth and reality, and someone should (or: would) turn him back, ²⁰ continue knowing from experience and realize that this one turning back a sinner (a failure; one missing the goal; one living in error or under a mistake) out of [the] straying of his way (or: from the midst of his path of wandering), will proceed delivering (rescuing; saving; making healthy and whole) a soul (= a person) from out of the midst of death, and “will cover [the] fullness of [his] mistakes (errors; failures to hit the target; deviations; sins).” [Prov. 10:12] [written circa A.D. 47-48 – Based on the critical analysis of John A.T. Robinson]

¹ Likewise (In like manner), you wives: [Be] habitually with humility aligning yourselves to your own husbands (or: women: [Be] continually arranging yourselves for support, under your own adult males), to the end that if any (or: certain ones) are habitually unpersuaded by the Word (or: uncompliant or disobedient to the message; unconvinced with the thought, reason or idea), they will continue being profited (will progressively receive advantage; or: will proceed in being acquired as gain) without a word (or: message; reason), through the behavior (or: conduct; way of life) of the wives (or: women),