Isaiah 32:10-12

32:10 In a year’s time ¹ 

you carefree ones will shake with fear,

for the grape ²  harvest will fail,

and the fruit harvest will not arrive.

32:11 Tremble, you complacent ones!

Shake with fear, you carefree ones!

Strip off your clothes and expose yourselves –

put sackcloth on your waist! ³ 

32:12 Mourn over the field, ⁴ 

over the delightful fields

and the fruitful vine!

Luke 16:19

The Rich Man and Lazarus

16:19 “There was a rich man who dressed in purple ⁵  and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously ⁶  every day.

Luke 16:23-25

16:23 And in hell, ⁷  as he was in torment, ⁸  he looked up ⁹  and saw Abraham far off with Lazarus at his side. ¹⁰  16:24 So ¹¹  he called out, ¹²  ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus ¹³  to dip the tip of his finger ¹⁴  in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish ¹⁵  in this fire.’ ¹⁶  16:25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, ¹⁷  remember that in your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus likewise bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish. ¹⁸ 

¹ tn Heb “days upon a year.”

² tn Or perhaps, “olive.” See 24:13.

³ tn The imperatival forms in v. 11 are problematic. The first (חִרְדוּ, khirdu, “tremble”) is masculine plural in form, though spoken to a feminine plural addressee (שַׁאֲנַנּוֹת, sha’anannot, “complacent ones”). The four imperatival forms that follow (רְגָזָה, rÿgazah, “shake with fear”; פְּשֹׁטָה, pÿshotah, “strip off your clothes”; עֹרָה, ’orah, “expose yourselves”; and חֲגוֹרָה, khagorah, “put on”) all appear to be lengthened (so-called “emphatic”) masculine singular forms, even though they too appear to be spoken to a feminine plural addressee. GKC 131-32 §48.i suggests emending חִרְדוּ (khirdu) to חֲרָדָה (kharadah) and understanding all five imperatives as feminine plural “aramaized” forms.

⁴ tc The Hebrew text has “over mourning breasts.” The reference to “breasts” would make sense in light of v. 11, which refers to the practice of women baring their breasts as a sign of sorrow (see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 1:585). However, one expects the preposition עַל (’al) to introduce the source or reason for mourning (see vv. 12b-13a) and the participle סֹפְדִים (sofedim, “mourning”) seems odd modifying “breasts.” The translation above assumes a twofold emendation: (1) שָׁדַיִם (shadayim, “breasts”) is emended to [ם]שָׂדַי (saday[m], “field,” a term that also appears in Isa 56:9). The final mem (ם) would be enclitic in this case, not a plural indicator. (The Hebrew noun שָׂדֶה (sadeh, “field”) forms its plural with an וֹת- [-ot] ending). (2) The plural participle סֹפְדִים is emended to סְפֹדָה (sÿfodah), a lengthened imperatival form, meaning “mourn.” For an overview of various suggestions that have been made for this difficult line, see Oswalt, 586, n. 12).

⁵ sn Purple describes a fine, expensive dye used on luxurious clothing, and by metonymy, refers to clothing colored with that dye. It pictures someone of great wealth.

⁶ tn Or “celebrated with ostentation” (L&N 88.255), that is, with showing off. Here was the original conspicuous consumer.

⁷ sn The Greek term Hades stands for the Hebrew concept of Sheol. It is what is called hell today. This is where the dead were gathered (Ps 16:10; 86:13). In the NT Hades has an additional negative force of awaiting judgment (Rev 20:13).

⁸ sn Hades is a place of torment, especially as one knows that he is separated from God.

⁹ tn Grk “he lifted up his eyes” (an idiom).

¹⁰ tn Grk “in his bosom,” the same phrase used in 16:22. This idiom refers to heaven and/or participation in the eschatological banquet. An appropriate modern equivalent is “at Abraham’s side.”

¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous actions in the narrative.

¹² tn Grk “calling out he said”; this is redundant in contemporary English style and has been simplified to “he called out.”

¹³ sn The rich man had not helped Lazarus before, when he lay outside his gate (v. 2), but he knew him well enough to know his name. This is why the use of the name Lazarus in the parable is significant. (The rich man’s name, on the other hand, is not mentioned, because it is not significant for the point of the story.)

¹⁴ sn The dipping of the tip of his finger in water is evocative of thirst. The thirsty are in need of God’s presence (Ps 42:1-2; Isa 5:13). The imagery suggests the rich man is now separated from the presence of God.

¹⁵ tn Or “in terrible pain” (L&N 24.92).

¹⁶ sn Fire in this context is OT imagery; see Isa 66:24.

¹⁷ tn The Greek term here is τέκνον (teknon), which could be understood as a term of endearment.

¹⁸ tn Or “in terrible pain” (L&N 24.92). Here is the reversal Jesus mentioned in Luke 6:20-26.