24:19 Joshua warned 9 the people, “You will not keep worshiping 10 the Lord, for 11 he is a holy God. 12 He is a jealous God who will not forgive 13 your rebellion or your sins.
15:20 This is the land assigned to the tribe of Judah by its clans: 18
24:28 So they approached the village where they were going. He acted as though he wanted to go farther, 42
1 tn Heb “if it is bad in your eyes.”
2 tn Or “to serve.”
3 tn Or “will serve.”
4 tn Heb “your fathers.”
5 tn Or “served.”
6 tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity; see v. 3.
7 tn Heb “house.”
8 tn Or “will serve.”
9 tn Heb “said to.”
10 tn Heb “you are not able to serve.”
11 sn For an excellent discussion of Joshua’s logical argument here, see T. C. Butler, Joshua (WBC), 274-75.
12 tn In the Hebrew text both the divine name (אֱלֹהִים, ’elohim) and the adjective (קְדֹשִׁים, qÿdoshim, “holy”) are plural. Normally the divine name, when referring to the one true God, takes singular modifiers, but this is a rare exception where the adjective agrees grammatically with the honorific plural noun. See GKC §124.i and IBHS 122.
13 tn Heb “lift up” or “take away.”
14 tn Heb “your fathers.”
15 tn Heb “the river,” referring to the Euphrates. This has been specified in the translation for clarity.
16 tn Or “served.”
17 tn Elsewhere this Hebrew word (בְּרָכָה, bÿrakhah) is often translated “blessing,” but here it refers to a gift (as in Gen 33:11; 1 Sam 25:27; 30:26; and 2 Kgs 5:15).
18 tn Heb “This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Judah by their clans.”
19 tn Heb “Their southern border was from the end of the Salt Sea, from the tongue that faces to the south.”
20 tn Or “look.”
21 tn Heb “men have come here tonight from the sons of Israel.”
22 tn This figurative use operates on a relative scale. God is to be loved more than family or self.
23 tn Grk “his own soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.
24 sn It was customary practice in a Roman crucifixion for the prisoner to be made to carry his own cross. Jesus is speaking figuratively here in the context of rejection. If the priority is not one’s allegiance to Jesus, then one will not follow him in the face of possible rejection; see Luke 9:23.
25 tn Grk “and come after.” In combination with the verb ἔρχομαι (ercomai) the improper preposition ὀπίσω (opisw) means “follow.”
26 tn The participle καθίσας (kaqisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
27 tn The first illustration involves checking to see if enough funds exist to build a watchtower. Both ψηφίζω (yhfizw, “compute”) and δαπάνη (dapanh, “cost”) are economic terms.
28 tn Grk “to complete it, lest.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation and ἵνα μήποτε ({ina mhpote, “lest”) has been translated as “Otherwise.”
29 tn The participle θέντος (qentos) has been taken temporally.
30 tn The words “the tower” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
31 tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
32 tn Or “mock,” “ridicule.” The person who did not plan ahead becomes an object of joking and ridicule.
33 tn Grk “make fun of him, saying.”
34 sn The phrase this man is often used in Luke in a derogatory sense; see “this one” and expressions like it in Luke 5:21; 7:39; 13:32; 23:4, 14, 22, 35.
35 sn The failure to finish the building project leads to embarrassment (in a culture where avoiding public shame was extremely important). The half completed tower testified to poor preparation and planning.
36 tn The participle καθίσας (kaqisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
37 tn On the meaning of this verb see also L&N 55.3, “to meet in battle, to face in battle.”
38 tn Grk “And if not.” Here δέ (de) has not been translated; “succeed” is implied and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
39 tn Grk “a messenger.”
40 sn This image is slightly different from the former one about the tower (vv. 28-30). The first part of the illustration (sit down first and determine) deals with preparation. The second part of the illustration (ask for terms of peace) has to do with recognizing who is stronger. This could well suggest thinking about what refusing the “stronger one” (God) might mean, and thus constitutes a warning. Achieving peace with God, the more powerful king, is the point of the illustration.
41 tn Grk “Likewise therefore every one of you who does not renounce all his own possessions cannot be my disciple.” The complex double negation is potentially confusing to the modern reader and has been simplified in the translation. See L&N 57.70.
42 sn He acted as though he wanted to go farther. This is written in a way that gives the impression Jesus knew they would ask him to stay.