13:24 He presented them with another parable: 5 “The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field.
13:47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea that caught all kinds of fish.
18:1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
18:23 “For this reason, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. 8
20:1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner 9 who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.
21:43 For this reason I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people 10 who will produce its fruit.
25:1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
1 tn Grk “and recline at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away. The word “banquet” has been supplied to clarify for the modern reader the festive nature of the imagery. The banquet imagery is a way to describe the fellowship and celebration of being among the people of God at the end.
2 tn Grk “and Isaac and Jacob,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
3 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
4 tn Or “the kingdom of heaven is forcibly entered and violent people take hold of it.” For a somewhat different interpretation of this passage, see the note on the phrase “urged to enter in” in Luke 16:16.
5 tn Grk “He set before them another parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.
7 sn An allusion to Dan 12:3.
8 tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15, 13:9; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8, 14:35).
9 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.
11 sn The term landowner here refers to the owner and manager of a household.
13 tn Or “to a nation” (so KJV, NASB, NLT).