1 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn The Hebrew verb means “to look intently; to gaze” (see 15:5).
3 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
4 tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
5 sn Jesus warns that excessive concern for family ties (looks back) will make the kingdom a lesser priority, which is not appropriate for discipleship. The image is graphic, for who can plow straight ahead toward a goal while looking back? Discipleship cannot be double-minded.
6 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.
7 sn Most of the roofs in the NT were flat roofs made of pounded dirt, sometimes mixed with lime or stones, supported by heavy wooden beams. They generally had an easy means of access, either a sturdy wooden ladder or stone stairway, sometimes on the outside of the house.
8 sn The swiftness and devastation of the judgment will require a swift escape. There is no time to come down from one’s roof and pick up anything from inside one’s home.
9 sn An allusion to Gen 19:26. The warning about Lot’s wife is not to look back and long to be where one used to be. The world is being judged, and the person who delays or turns back will be destroyed.
10 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.
11 tn Grk “But this one thing (I do).”
12 tn Grk “according to the goal.”
13 tn Grk “prize, namely, the heavenly calling of God.”