32:9 You complacent 6 women,
get up and listen to me!
You carefree 7 daughters,
pay attention to what I say!
32:10 In a year’s time 8
you carefree ones will shake with fear,
for the grape 9 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! 10
33:14 Sinners are afraid in Zion;
panic 11 grips the godless. 12
They say, 13 ‘Who among us can coexist with destructive fire?
Who among us can coexist with unquenchable 14 fire?’
48:11 “From its earliest days Moab has lived undisturbed.
It has never been taken into exile.
Its people are like wine allowed to settle undisturbed on its dregs,
never poured out from one jar to another.
They are like wine which tastes like it always did,
whose aroma has remained unchanged. 15
49:31 The Lord says, 16 “Army of Babylon, 17 go and attack
a nation that lives in peace and security.
They have no gates or walls to protect them. 18
They live all alone.
6:24 “But woe 19 to you who are rich, for you have received 20 your comfort 21 already.
6:25 “Woe to you who are well satisfied with food 22 now, for you will be hungry.
“Woe to you 23 who laugh 24 now, for you will mourn and weep.
5:1 Come now, you rich! Weep and cry aloud 35 over the miseries that are coming on you.
5:7 So be patient, brothers and sisters, 36 until the Lord’s return. 37 Think of how the farmer waits 38 for the precious fruit of the ground and is patient 39 for it until it receives the early and late rains.
1 tn Grk “as.”
2 tn Grk “the towns [or cities] surrounding them.”
3 tn Grk “strange flesh.” This phrase has been variously interpreted. It could refer to flesh of another species (such as angels lusting after human flesh). This would aptly describe the sin of the angels, but not easily explain the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. It could refer to the homosexual practices of the Sodomites, but a difficulty arises from the use of ἕτερος ({etero"; “strange,” “other”). When this is to be distinguished from ἄλλος (allos, “another”) it suggests “another of a different kind.” If so, would that properly describe homosexual behavior? In response, the language could easily be compact: “pursued flesh other than what was normally pursued.” However, would this find an analogy in the lust of angels (such would imply that angels normally had sexual relations of some sort, but cf. Matt 22:30)? Another alternative is that the focus of the parallel is on the activity of the surrounding cities and the activity of the angels. This is especially plausible since the participles ἐκπορνεύσασαι (ekporneusasai, “having indulged in sexual immorality”) and ἀπελθοῦσαι (apelqousai, “having pursued”) have concord with “cities” (πόλεις, poleis), a feminine plural noun, rather than with Sodom and Gomorrah (both masculine nouns). If so, then their sin would not necessarily have to be homosexuality. However, most likely the feminine participles are used because of constructio ad sensum (construction according to sense). That is, since both Sodom and Gomorrah are cities, the feminine is used to imply that all the cities are involved. The connection with angels thus seems to be somewhat loose: Both angels and Sodom and Gomorrah indulged in heinous sexual immorality. Thus, whether the false teachers indulge in homosexual activity is not the point; mere sexual immorality is enough to condemn them.
4 tn Or “in the same way as.”
5 tn “Angels” is not in the Greek text; but the masculine demonstrative pronoun most likely refers back to the angels of v. 6.
6 tn Or “self-assured”; NASB, NRSV “who are at ease.”
7 tn Or “self-confident”; NAB “overconfident.”
8 tn Heb “days upon a year.”
9 tn Or perhaps, “olive.” See 24:13.
10 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.
11 tn Or “trembling” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “shake with fear.”
12 tn Or “the defiled”; TEV “The sinful people of Zion”; NLT “The sinners in Jerusalem.”
13 tn The words “they say” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
14 tn Or “perpetual”; or “everlasting” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).
15 tn Heb “Therefore his taste remains in him and his aroma is not changed.” The metaphor is changed into a simile in an attempt to help the reader understand the figure in the context.
16 tn Heb “Oracle of the
17 tn The words “Army of Babylon” are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
18 tn Heb “no gates and no bar,” i.e., “that lives securely without gates or bars.” The phrase is used by the figure of species for genus (synecdoche) to refer to the fact that they have no defenses, i.e., no walls, gates, or bars on the gates. The figure has been interpreted in the translation for the benefit of the average reader.
19 sn Jesus promises condemnation (woe) to those who are callous of others, looking only to their own comforts. On Luke and the rich see 1:53; 12:16; 14:12; 16:1, 21-22; 18:23; 19:2; 21:1. These woes are unique to Luke.
20 sn Ironically the language of reward shows that what the rich have received is all they will get. This result looks at a current situation, just as the start of the beatitudes did. The rest of the conclusions to the woes look to the future at the time of judgment.
21 tn Grk “your consolation.”
22 tn Grk “who are filled.” See L&N 23.18 for the translation “well satisfied with food.”
23 tc The wording “to you” (ὑμῖν, Jumin) is lacking in several witnesses (א B K L T W Θ Ξ 0147 Ë1,13 579 700 892 1241 2542 al), though found in most (Ì75 A D Q Ψ 33 Ï lat co). The longer reading looks to be a clarifying addition; nevertheless, “to you” is included in the translation because of English requirements.
24 sn That is, laugh with happiness and joy.
25 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that this is a result of the preceding statement.
26 tn Grk “to himself, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.
27 sn I have nowhere to store my crops. The thinking here is prudent in terms of recognizing the problem. The issue in the parable will be the rich man’s solution, particularly the arrogance reflected in v. 19.
28 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
29 sn Note how often the first person pronoun is present in these verses. The farmer is totally self absorbed.
30 tn Grk “to my soul,” which is repeated as a vocative in the following statement, but is left untranslated as redundant.
31 tn Grk “your soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.
32 tn Or “required back.” This term, ἀπαιτέω (apaitew), has an economic feel to it and is often used of a debt being called in for repayment (BDAG 96 s.v. 1).
33 tn Grk “the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” The words “for yourself” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
34 sn James’ point seems to be that instead of seeking deliverance from condemnation, they have defied God’s law (fattened your hearts) and made themselves more likely objects of his judgment (in a day of slaughter).
35 tn Or “wail”; Grk “crying aloud.”
36 tn Grk “brothers”; this phrase occurs again three times in the paragraph. See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
37 tn Or “advent”; or “coming” (also in v. 8).
38 tn Grk “Behold! The farmer waits.”
39 tn Grk “being patient.”