Jude: The Easy Study Bible Commentary
About this ebook
Completely Revised and Greatly Enhanced!
Not for scholars but for anyone who struggles to understand the New Testament!
The Easy Study Bible Commentary takes The Easy Study Bible Diagramed and examines, describes and expounds upon each New Testament book, chapter by chapter, paragraph by paragraph, verse by verse and finally phrase by phrase.
In my many years of Bible study, I have found this arrangement to be the easiest to follow and understand.
I have done my best to write this commentary with the idea in mind of making it easier for you to understand and therefore apply the great teachings that God gave to each of us through the various books of the New Testament.
At the end of each section that we study, I will give you what I call my Greek Paraphrase. What I do is to take all of the expanded Greek definitions and put them together to help us better understand the passage.
The following example is from Jude 1:1-2:
Jude Commentary
Verses 1-2
Jude uses the word “ungodly” five times in these twenty-five verses. This confirms one of the themes mentioned in the introduction. Jude was on fire about the ungodly behavior of the Jewish Christians. False teachers had misled them, and he was trying to make them aware of the fact.
Greeting
1 Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are the called, loved by God the Father, and kept by Jesus Christ. 2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
1 Jude,
a slave of Jesus Christ,
and brother of James,
to those
who are the called,
loved by God the Father,
and kept by Jesus Christ.
2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
As mentioned in the introduction, Jude calls himself the brother of James. Since James was also the half-brother of Christ that means that Jude was too.
Jude is the only New Testament writer to use the word “love” this way in his greeting. Paul spoke of Timothy as his “dearly loved son” in 2 Timothy, but only Jude asked for the blessing of love to be given to them.
The word here is “agape.”
Verse: 1
1 Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are the called, loved by God the Father, and kept by Jesus Christ.
1 Jude,
a slave of Jesus Christ,
and brother of James,
to those
who are the called,
loved by God the Father,
and kept by Jesus Christ.
Phrase by phrase:
1 Jude,
Jude – Judah or Judas = “he shall be praised” – the fourth son of Jacob; an unknown ancestor of Christ; a man surnamed the Galilean, who at the time of the census of Quirinus, excited the revolt in Galilee; a certain Jew of Damascus; a prophet surnamed Barsabas, of the church at Jerusalem; the apostle who was surnamed Lebbaeus or Thaddaeus; the half-brother of Jesus, and according to opinion, wrote the book of Jude; Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus
As was also mentioned in the introduction, we’re fairly sure that this Jude was the brother of James. Therefore, that made him the half-brother of Christ.
a slave of Jesus Christ,
slave – a slave, bondman, man of servile condition; devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interests; a servant, attendant
Jesus – Jehovah is salvation
Christ – the anointed One, the Messiah
Jude is making a claim here that identifies him as a Christian. Then he also goes on to say that, he actually belongs to Christ who is his Lord and Master.
and brother of James,
brother – a brother, whether born of the same two parents or only of the same father or mother; having the same national ancestor, belonging to the same people, or countryman; any fellow or man; a fellow believer, united to another by the bond of affection
James – son of Zebedee, an apostle and brother of the apostle John, commonly called James the greater or elder, slain by Herod, Acts 12; an apostle, son of Alphaeus, called the less; James the half-brother of Christ;
This phrase further identifies him as the brother of the James.
to those
who are the called,
called – called, invited (to a banquet); called to (the discharge of) some office; divinely selected and appointed; invited (by God in the proclamation of the Gospel) to obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom through Christ
This phrase identifies his readers as Christians who were called.
loved by God the Father,
loved – of persons: to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly – of things: to be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing
God – God the Father
Father – male ancestor; could be any one from immediate father to distant ancestor
This is more identification of who Christians are in God the Father.
and kept by Jesus Christ.
kept – to attend to carefully, take care of; to guard; to keep, one in the state in which he is; to observe; to reserve: to undergo something
Jesus – Jehovah is salvation
Christ – the anointed One, the Messiah
This phrase puts the finishing touch on Jude’s description of the status of his readers. Christ is taking care of them.
Thus, the first verse is a nice description of his readers. Not only that, but it is also true of all Christians both past and present.
Verse: 2
2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
mercy – mercy; kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them; of men towards men: to exercise the virtue of mercy, show one’s self merciful; of God towards men: in general providence; the mercy and clemency of God in providing and offering to men salvation by Christ
peace – a state of national tranquility; exemption from the rage and havoc of war; peace between individuals, harmony, concord
love – brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence; love feasts; does not require a comparable response
multiplied – to increase, to multiply
This verse is a greeting and a blessing all rolled into one. In this greeting, Jude is showing that he knows his readers quite well and has a great deal of affection for them.
Greek Paraphrase of Verses: 1-2
Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ, and yet brother of James, to those who are the called, wrapped in the love of God the Father, and kept safe and secure by Jesus Christ. May mercy, peace, and love be lavished on you in abundance!
Greek Paraphrase of Verses 1-2:
Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ, and yet brother of James, to those who are the called, wrapped in the love of God the Father, and kept safe and secure by Jesus Christ. May mercy, peace, and love be lavished on you in abundance!
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About the author
Trennis E. Killian has been an Army Medic, high school English teacher, pastor, hospital chaplain, crisis counselor, police chaplain, and pastoral counselor.
All of these occupations have helped him to understand how men and women build and keep relationships. He also knows how they repair or destroy those relationships. He has also observed how people interact in all kinds of situations.
They also give him firsthand knowledge of how people live and act within each of those types of situations.
He writes in all of the following areas: Bible study, Self-Help, Crisis Preparation, and Christian oriented novels.
To be able to write so many different kinds of books, he has spent years of intensive study of Greek, an earned doctorate in counseling, and worked in many different occupations.
He writes all of his novels under the name T. E. Killian.
Because of his varied education and experience, his characters take on the characteristics and personalities of people who work in all of the occupations he knows so well.
Having been in many crisis situations over the past thirty plus years, he can write about them realistically.
He and his wife, Ann, live in Black Canyon City, Arizona, where he writes fulltime.