17:14 Lord, use your power to deliver me from these murderers, 1
from the murderers of this world! 2
They enjoy prosperity; 3
you overwhelm them with the riches they desire. 4
They have many children,
and leave their wealth to their offspring. 5
6:19 “Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth 6 and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 6:20 But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 6:21 For where your 7 treasure 8 is, there your heart will be also.
1 tc Heb “from men [by] your hand,
2 tn Heb “from men, from [the] world.” On the emendation of “men” to “murderers,” see the preceding note on the word “murderers.”
3 tn Heb “their portion, in life.”
4 tn Heb “and [with] your treasures you fill their belly.”
5 tn Heb “they are satisfied [with] sons and leave their abundance to their children.”
6 tn The term σής (shs) refers to moths in general. It is specifically the larvae of moths that destroy clothing by eating holes in it (L&N 4.49; BDAG 922 s.v.). See Jas 5:2, which mentions “moth-eaten” clothing.
7 tn The pronouns in this verse are singular while the pronouns in vv. 19-20 are plural. The change to singular emphasizes personal responsibility as opposed to corporate responsibility; even if others do not listen, the one who hears Jesus’ commands should obey.
8 sn Seeking heavenly treasure means serving others and honoring God by doing so.
9 tn Grk “And whoever.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
10 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
11 tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
12 sn The call for sacrifice comes with a promise of eternal reward: You will have treasure in heaven. Jesus’ call is a test to see how responsive the man is to God’s direction through him. Will he walk the path God’s agent calls him to walk? For a rich person who got it right, see Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10.
13 tn Grk “answer him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
14 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
15 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
16 tn Grk “answering, the king will say to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
17 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
18 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). In this context Jesus is ultimately speaking of his “followers” (whether men or women, adults or children), but the familial connotation of “brothers and sisters” is also important to retain here.
19 sn The call to sell your possessions is a call to a lack of attachment to the earth and a generosity as a result.
20 tn Grk “give alms,” but this term is not in common use today.
21 tn Grk “in the heavens.”
22 tn Or “an unfailing treasure in heaven,” or “an inexhaustible treasure in heaven.”
23 tn The term σής (shs) refers to moths in general. It is specifically the larvae of moths that destroy clothing by eating holes in it (L&N 4.49; BDAG 922 s.v.). See Jas 5:2, which mentions “moth-eaten” clothing.
24 tn Grk “unrighteous mammon.” Mammon is the Aramaic term for wealth or possessions. The point is not that money is inherently evil, but that it is often misused so that it is a means of evil; see 1 Tim 6:6-10, 17-19. The call is to be generous and kind in its use. Zacchaeus becomes the example of this in Luke’s Gospel (19:1-10).
25 sn The passive refers to the welcome of heaven.
26 tn Grk “eternal tents” (as dwelling places).
27 tn Grk “lose heart, saying.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text, but a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronominal subject “He.”
28 tn Or “town.”
29 sn The judge here is apparently portrayed as a civil judge who often handled financial cases.
30 tn Grk “man,” but the singular ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic in comparison to God.
31 sn See Luke 14:33.
32 tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
33 sn See Luke 1:50-53; 6:20-23; 14:12-14.
34 sn The call for sacrifice comes with a promise of eternal reward: …you will have treasure in heaven. Jesus’ call is a test to see how responsive the man is to God’s direction through him. Will he walk the path God’s agent calls him to walk? For a rich person who got it right, see Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10.
35 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the conversation.
36 tn BDAG 915 s.v. σάρξ 2.c.α states: “In Paul’s thought esp., all parts of the body constitute a totality known as σ. or flesh, which is dominated by sin to such a degree that wherever flesh is, all forms of sin are likew. present, and no good thing can live in the σάρξ…Gal 5:13, 24;…Opp. τὸ πνεῦμα…Gal 3:3; 5:16, 17ab; 6:8ab.”
37 tn Or “destruction.”
38 tn See the note on the previous occurrence of the word “flesh” in this verse.
39 tn Or “not become discouraged,” “not lose heart” (L&N 25.288).
40 tn Or “if we do not become extremely weary,” “if we do not give out,” “if we do not faint from exhaustion” (L&N 23.79).