1 Kings 18:21

18:21 Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision? ¹  If the Lord is the true God, ²  then follow him, but if Baal is, follow him!” But the people did not say a word.

1 Kings 22:28

22:28 Micaiah said, “If you really do safely return, then the Lord has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Take note, ³  all you people.”

Psalms 49:1-2

Psalm 49 ⁴ 

For the music director, a psalm by the Korahites.

49:1 Listen to this, all you nations!

Pay attention, all you inhabitants of the world! ⁵ 

49:2 Pay attention, all you people, ⁶ 

both rich and poor!

Psalms 94:8

94:8 Take notice of this, ⁷  you ignorant people! ⁸ 

You fools, when will you ever understand?

Matthew 15:10

True Defilement

15:10 Then he called the crowd to him and said, ⁹  “Listen and understand.

Luke 12:1

Fear God, Not People

12:1 Meanwhile, ¹⁰  when many thousands of the crowd had gathered so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus ¹¹  began to speak first to his disciples, “Be on your guard against ¹²  the yeast of the Pharisees, ¹³  which is hypocrisy. ¹⁴ 

Luke 12:54-57

Reading the Signs

12:54 Jesus ¹⁵  also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, ¹⁶  you say at once, ‘A rainstorm ¹⁷  is coming,’ and it does. 12:55 And when you see the south wind ¹⁸  blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and there is. 12:56 You hypocrites! ¹⁹  You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how can you not know how ²⁰  to interpret the present time?

Clear the Debts

12:57 “And ²¹  why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?

Luke 20:45-47

Jesus Warns the Disciples against Pride

20:45 As ²²  all the people were listening, Jesus ²³  said to his disciples, 20:46 “Beware ²⁴  of the experts in the law. ²⁵  They ²⁶  like walking around in long robes, and they love elaborate greetings ²⁷  in the marketplaces and the best seats ²⁸  in the synagogues ²⁹  and the places of honor at banquets. 20:47 They ³⁰  devour ³¹  widows’ property, ³²  and as a show make long prayers. They will receive a more severe punishment.”

[18:21]  ¹ tn Heb “How long are you going to limp around on two crutches?” (see HALOT 762 s.v. סְעִפִּים). In context this idiomatic expression refers to indecision rather than physical disability.

[18:21]  ² tn Heb “the God.”

[22:28]  ³ tn Heb “Listen.”

[49:1]  ⁴ sn Psalm 49. In this so-called wisdom psalm (see v. 3) the psalmist states that he will not fear the rich enemies who threaten him, for despite their wealth, they are mere men who will die like everyone else. The psalmist is confident the Lord will vindicate the godly and protect them from the attacks of their oppressors.

[49:1]  ⁵ tn The rare noun חָלֶד (kheled, “world”) occurs in Ps 17:14 and perhaps also in Isa 38:11 (see the note on “world” there).

[49:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “even the sons of mankind, even the sons of man.” Because of the parallel line, where “rich and poor” are mentioned, some treat these expressions as polar opposites, with בְּנֵי אָדָם (bÿney ’adam) referring to the lower classes and בְּנֵי אִישׁ (bÿney ’ish) to higher classes (cf. NIV, NRSV). But usage does not support such a view. The rare phrase בְּנֵי אִישׁ (“sons of man”) appears to refer to human beings in general in its other uses (see Pss 4:2; 62:9; Lam 3:33). It is better to understand “even the sons of mankind” and “even the sons of man” as synonymous expressions (cf. NEB “all mankind, every living man”). The repetition emphasizes the need for all people to pay attention, for the psalmist’s message is relevant to everyone.

[94:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “understand.” The verb used in v. 7 is repeated here for rhetorical effect. The people referred to here claim God is ignorant of their actions, but the psalmist corrects their faulty viewpoint.

[94:8]  ⁸ tn Heb “[you] brutish among the people.”

[15:10]  ⁹ tn Grk “And calling the crowd, he said to them.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesamenos) has been translated as attendant circumstance. The emphasis here is upon Jesus’ speaking to the crowd.

[12:1]  ¹⁰ tn The phrase ἐν οἷς (en Jois) can be translated “meanwhile.”

[12:1]  ¹¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:1]  ¹² tn According to L&N 27.59, “to pay attention to, to keep on the lookout for, to be alert for, to be on your guard against.” This is another Lukan present imperative calling for constant vigilance.

[12:1]  ¹³ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[12:1]  ¹⁴ sn The pursuit of popularity can lead to hypocrisy, if one is not careful.

[12:54]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “also” and δέ (de) has not been translated.

[12:54]  ¹⁶ sn A cloud rising in the west refers to moisture coming from the Mediterranean Sea.

[12:54]  ¹⁷ tn The term ὄμβρος (ombro") refers to heavy rain, such as in a thunderstorm (L&N 14.12).

[12:55]  ¹⁸ sn The south wind comes from the desert, and thus brings scorching heat.

[12:56]  ¹⁹ sn In Luke, the term hypocrites occurs here, in 6:42, and in 13:15.

[12:56]  ²⁰ tc Most mss (Ì⁴⁵ A W Ψ Ë^1,13 Ï lat) have a syntax here that reflects a slightly different rhetorical question: “but how do you not interpret the present time?” The reading behind the translation, however, has overall superior support: Ì⁷⁵ א B L Θ 33 892 1241 pc.

[12:57]  ²¹ tn Jesus calls for some personal reflection. However, this unit probably does connect to the previous one – thus the translation of δέ (de) here as “And” – to make a good spiritual assessment, thus calling for application to the spiritual, rather than personal, realm.

[20:45]  ²² tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[20:45]  ²³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:46]  ²⁴ tn Or “Be on guard against.” This is a present imperative and indicates that pride is something to constantly be on the watch against.

[20:46]  ²⁵ tn Or “of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

[20:46]  ²⁶ tn Grk “who,” continuing the sentence begun by the prior phrase.

[20:46]  ²⁷ sn There is later Jewish material in the Talmud that spells out such greetings in detail. See D. L. Bock, Luke (BECNT), 2:1642; H. Windisch, TDNT 1:498.

[20:46]  ²⁸ sn See Luke 14:1-14.

[20:46]  ²⁹ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.

[20:47]  ³⁰ tn Grk “who,” continuing the sentence begun in v. 46.

[20:47]  ³¹ sn How they were able to devour widows’ houses is debated. Did they seek too much for contributions, or take too high a commission for their work, or take homes after debts failed to be paid? There is too little said here to be sure.

[20:47]  ³² tn Grk “houses,” “households”; however, the term can have the force of “property” or “possessions” as well (O. Michel, TDNT 5:131; BDAG 695 s.v. οἶκια 1.a).