Matthew 7:23

7:23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!’ ¹ 

Psalms 6:8

6:8 Turn back from me, all you who behave wickedly, ² 

for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping! ³ 

Psalms 119:115

119:115 Turn away from me, you evil men,

so that I can observe ⁴  the commands of my God. ⁵ 

Psalms 139:19

139:19 If only ⁶  you would kill the wicked, O God!

Get away from me, you violent men! ⁷ 

Luke 13:27

13:27 But ⁸  he will reply, ⁹  ‘I don’t know where you come from! ¹⁰  Go away from me, all you evildoers!’ ¹¹ 

¹ tn Grk “workers of lawlessness.”

² tn Heb “all [you] workers of wickedness.” See Ps 5:5.

³ sn The Lord has heard. The psalmist’s mood abruptly changes because the Lord responded positively to the lament and petition of vv. 1-7 and promised him deliverance.

⁴ tn The cohortative verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding imperative.

⁵ tn The psalmist has already declared that he observes God’s commands despite persecution, so here the idea must be “so that I might observe the commands of my God unhindered by threats.”

⁶ tn The Hebrew particle אִם (’im, “if”) and following prefixed verbal form here express a wish (see Pss 81:8; 95:7, as well as GKC 321 §109.b).

⁷ tn Heb “men of bloodshed.”

⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

⁹ tc Most mss (Ì^75* A D L W Θ Ψ 070 Ë^1,13 Ï) have ἐρεῖ λέγω ὑμῖν (erei legw Jumin; “he will say, ‘I say to you’”) here, while some have only ἐρεῖ ὑμῖν (“he will say to you” in א 579 pc lat sa) or simply ἐρεῖ (“he will say” in 1195 pc). The variety of readings seems to have arisen from the somewhat unusual wording of the original, ἐρεῖ λέγων ὑμῖν (erei legwn Jumin; “he will say, saying to you” found in Ì^75c B 892 pc). Given the indicative λέγω, it is difficult to explain how the other readings would have arisen. But if the participle λέγων were original, the other readings can more easily be explained as arising from it. Although the external evidence is significantly stronger in support of the indicative reading, the internal evidence is on the side of the participle.

¹⁰ sn The issue is not familiarity (with Jesus’ teaching) or even shared activity (eating and drinking with him), but knowing Jesus. Those who do not know him, he will not know where they come from (i.e., will not acknowledge) at the judgment.

¹¹ tn Grk “all you workers of iniquity.” The phrase resembles Ps 6:8.