2:19a

Nevertheless: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Nevertheless indicates a strong contrast with 2:16–18. The idea is that heretics might destroy the faith of some believers, but they cannot destroy God’s foundation. Other English versions translate this word as “but” or “however.”

God’s firm foundation stands: In some cultures, people who are constructing a building begin by putting large stones in the ground as a foundation. Then they build the walls of the building on this foundation. This causes the building to be more stable. Here, Paul used the image of a foundation in a figurative sense.

He was referring to the church, that is, the people who believe the teachings of Jesus. In the same way that the foundation stones of a building never move, the body of true believers always continues to trust firmly in Christ.

There are several options for translating this phrase:

• Translate it literally using the figure of a foundation, as many English translations do.

• Translate the phrase using a simile. In this case, you will have to refer to the church/believers as part of the translation. For example,

The true believers in God are strong in their faith like the strong foundation of a building.

• Replace the figure of speech with the direct meaning. An example of this would be:

God’s people always stand/remain firm.
-or-
God’s people always continue to believe the truth.

stands: Most English versions translate the Greek verb as “stands,” “stands firm,” or “remains standing.” The idea is that the foundation cannot break, nor can anyone destroy it.

This verb indicates that the church consists of people who have believed and continue to strongly believe the message of God’s word even when others have chosen to stop believing it.

2:19b

bearing this seal: Paul continued to use the figure of speech of a foundation.

The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as bearing this seal is literally “having this seal.” In the time of Paul, people would make a mark or carve words on the foundation stones of a building to show who owned the building. Sometimes the writing also told the purpose of the building. This mark or writing was called a “seal.”

In cultures where people do not build on large stones or write on them, you may need to supply a footnote. This footnote could describe buildings that people build on stone foundations and it could explain what these stones are for. The note could also say what kinds of things people write on the foundation stones of their buildings.

2:19c

“The Lord knows those who are His”: This saying comes from Numbers 16:5 in the Greek translation of the Old Testament. It means that God knows which people believe firmly in him. He knows who is part of his church and who is not.

Lord: The word Lord refers to God.

2:19d

and, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord must turn away from iniquity”: Various parts of this saying resemble parts of verses in the Old Testament, but there is no one verse in the Old Testament that contains this entire saying. Therefore, it is uncertain whether Paul wanted to quote from the Old Testament or whether he made this a summary statement of principles from the Old Testament. Nevertheless, because it is one of the two sayings that Paul lists, use the same form of punctuation as you did in the first saying.

calls on the name of the Lord: The Greek phrase which the Berean Standard Bible translates as calls on the name of the Lord means that the person claims that the Lord is his/her master or leader. Good News Translation says: “Whoever says that they belong to the Lord must turn away from wrongdoing.”

the Lord: As in 2:19c, the Lord here refers to God.

turn away from iniquity: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as turn away also means “abandon,” “desert,” or “renounce.” The New Century Version translates this clause clearly when it says: “must stop doing wrong.”

© 2003 by SIL International®

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.