27:1 Do not boast 1 about tomorrow; 2
for you do not know 3 what a day may bring forth.
4:13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that town 4 and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” 4:14 You 5 do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like? 6 For you are a puff of smoke 7 that appears for a short time and then vanishes.
1 tn The form אַל־תִּתְהַלֵּל (’al-tithallel) is the Hitpael jussive negated; it is from the common verb “to praise,” and so in this setting means “to praise oneself” or “to boast.”
2 sn The word “tomorrow” is a metonymy of subject, meaning what will be done tomorrow, or in the future in general.
3 sn The expression “you do not know” balances the presumption of the first line, reminding the disciple of his ignorance and therefore his need for humility (e.g., Matt 6:34; Luke 12:20; Jas 4:13-16).
4 tn Or “city.”
5 tn Grk “who” (continuing the description of the people of v. 13). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
6 tn Or “you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.”
7 tn Or “a vapor.” The Greek word ἀτμίς (atmis) denotes a swirl of smoke arising from a fire (cf. Gen 19:28; Lev 16:13; Joel 2:30 [Acts 2:19]; Ezek 8:11).