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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jud_1:1 a
1Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,
Jud_1:1 "Jude" In Hebrew this is Judah and in Greek it is Judas. Jesus' half-brother by this name is mentioned in Mat_13:55 and Mar_6:3. From the information we have, all of His brothers and sisters were unbelievers until after the Resurrection (cf. Joh_7:5).
▣ "a bond servant" This may have been used as (1) a sign of humility (cf. Rom_1:1) or (2) an OT honorific title, "servant of God," used of Moses, Joshua, and David as well as of the Messiah in Isa_52:13 to Isa_53:12. Clement of Alexandria asserts the first usage as the reason Jude, like James, did not call himself "brother of the Lord." The second usage may follow Paul's use of the phrase (cf. Rom_1:1; Gal_1:10; Php_1:1).
It is also interesting to note that although the phrase "a bond-servant (or slave) of Jesus Christ" sounds like Paul in English; it is more like Jas_1:1. Paul always put the noun first, followed by the genitive phrase, but not so Jude and James.
▣ "Jesus" This is Joshua in Hebrew and is the name designated by Gabriel to Mary. It means "YHWH saves" (cf. Mat_1:21).
▣ "Christ" This is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew term Messiah, which means "anointed one" (i.e., for a specific task or appointed by God).
▣ "and brother of" It is unusual in the ancient near-east and Greco-Roman world to designate oneself "brother of"; usually it is "son of." It is possible that both James and Jude were uncomfortable with the exalted title "brother of the Lord." Others in the church may have used this designation for them (cf. Mat_13:55; Joh_7:3-10; Act_1:14; 1Co_9:5; and Gal_1:19).
▣ "James" This is the Hebrew Jacob. He was another half-brother of Jesus who became the leader of the Jerusalem Church (cf. Acts 15) and wrote the canonical book of James.
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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jud_1:1-2
1bTo those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: 2May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.
▣ "who are the called" The term "called" (klçtos, a dative plural) is placed last in the Greek sentence for emphasis. According to United Bible Societies' new, semantical domains lexicon (vol. 1. pp. 424-425), this term (and its related forms) was used of an urgent call to a particular task.
1. the office of apostle (cf. Rom_1:1)
2. the life of a believer (cf. Rom_1:6-7; Eph_4:1)
3. the call to preach the gospel (cf. Act_16:10)
4. in Jude the urgent call both to salvation and to live godly lives in faith, hope, and purity.
This theological emphasis on God's call (cf. Joh_6:44; Joh_6:65) is also found in 1Pe_1:1 ("chosen") and often in Paul's writings. Salvation is not simply a human choice; it is also a response to an initiation from God's Spirit. This is why it is so important that human beings respond immediately to the "still, small voice" of God's leadership in their lives, whether initial salvation or effective ministry or repentance. Humans are always the responders.
▣ "beloved" This is a perfect passive participle (as is "kept"). The King James Version has "sanctified" and follows the uncial manuscripts K, L, and P and the later Textus Receptus. Many textual scholars assume this follows the wording of 1Co_1:2. The grammatical forms of "beloved" (çgapçmenois) and "sanctified" (çgiasmenois) are very similar in Greek. There is overwhelming manuscript evidence against the King James translation as can be seen in manuscripts P72, à , A, and B, which have "beloved." The UBS4 gives "beloved" and "A" rating (certain). God the Father used this title of Jesus in Psalms 2; Mat_3:17; Mat_17:5; Mar_1:11; and Eph_1:6. It is now used for believers (cf. Jud_1:3; Jud_1:17; Jud_1:20; 1Pe_2:11; 1Pe_4:12; 2Pe_3:1; 2Pe_3:8; 2Pe_3:14; 2Pe_3:17).
▣ "God the Father" YHWH's relationship to Israel was often expressed in family metaphors: (1) as husband; (2) as kinsman redeemer; or (3) as father/mother (parental). These metaphors allow fallen mankind to comprehend an eternal, non-corporeal, holy God. They express the intimacy and intensity of YHWH's love for covenant Israel and the Church. They are not intended to express any temporal significance (i.e., first the Father then later the Son) nor any sense of sexual generation. The virgin birth was not a sexual experience for God or Mary.
Jesus' use of Abba for YHWH opens the opportunity for all humans who turn to God in faith and repentance to experience the family love of the Trinity (cf. John 17).
Our hope as believers is in the unchanging, loving character of God our Father. He is our hope, our assurance, our peace, and our life (cf. Eph_1:3-14; 1Pe_1:2).
▣ "and kept" This could mean "guarded" or "preserved." Believers have been and continue to be guarded by God (cf. 1Pe_1:4-5; 1Jn_5:18). This is the emphasis of the closing prayer in Jud_1:24-25. Paul often used the terms "called" and "beloved" in his greetings, but never the term "kept!"
The term "kept" is parallel to the perfect passive participle "beloved." Believers have been and continue to be loved and kept. What a powerful promise in a book like Jude where so many are falling away! God's keeping power is emphasized in this book in two covenantal ways: (1) it is "of God" (cf. Joh_17:11; 1Pe_1:4-5) and (2) it must be responded to by repentant, believing humans (cf. Jud_1:3; Jud_1:20-21). It is both a passive experience (given and maintained by the Spirit, cf. Php_1:6; Php_2:13) and an active experience (diligent effort on the part of the individual believer and family of faith, cf. Php_2:12).
The United Bible Societies' A Handbook on the Letter from Jude and the Second Letter from Peter by Daniel Arichea and Howard Hatton, makes an interesting comment about these three designations: "called," "loved," and "kept":
"It should be noted that these three expressions are influenced by and perhaps derived from the passages in Isaiah known as the Servant Songs, where Israel is described in the same manner, that is, called, loved, and kept by God (for "called," see Isa_41:9; Isa_42:6; Isa_48:12; for "loved," see Isa_42:1; Isa_43:4; for "kept," see Isa_42:6; Isa_49:8)"
NASB, NJB "for Jesus Christ"
NKJV
(footnote)"in Jesus Christ"
NRSV
(footnote)"by Jesus Christ"
TEV "of Jesus Christ"
This is an instrumental construction. There seems to be a parallel between believers "beloved by the Father" and "kept by/for/in the Son." Within the dative (five case) form three other options are possible: (1) "kept for Jesus" (cf. Col_1:16); (2) "kept in Jesus"; or (3) "kept by Jesus."
Jud_1:2 "may mercy, peace, and love" Jude uses many triads. Paul's usual triad is grace, peace, and love (cf. 1Ti_1:2). This is a powerful prayer. It is a summary of the whole book.
▣ "be multiplied to you" This is a rare aorist passive optative. It denotes a wish or prayer. It is also singular, directed to each believer. It expresses Jude's prayer for his readers. The passive denotes that it is Father/Son/Spirit who produce the mercy, peace, and love.
This very same rare verb form appears in 1Pe_1:2 and 2Pe_1:2, but with "grace" and "peace."
Jud_1:1-2 form a typical but Christianized standard opening to a letter. Jude appears to be a combination of a sermon and a letter. There is no characteristic greeting at the conclusion. These one page (one papyrus sheet) letters were common in the Greco-Roman world as the means of regular communication. Hundreds have been found in the papyri from Egypt, but only three are found in the NT (II, 3 John and Jude).