Exodus 19:8

19:8 and all the people answered together, “All that the Lord has commanded we will do!” ¹  So Moses brought the words of the people back to the Lord.

Matthew 8:19-20

8:19 Then ²  an expert in the law ³  came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” ⁴  8:20 Jesus said to him, “Foxes have dens, and the birds in the sky ⁵  have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” ⁶ 

John 13:37

13:37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you!” ⁷ 

[19:8]  ¹ tn The verb is an imperfect. The people are not being presumptuous in stating their compliance – there are several options open for the interpretation of this tense. It may be classified as having a desiderative nuance: “we are willing to do” or, “we will do.”

[8:19]  ² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then.”

[8:19]  ³ tn Or “a scribe.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[8:19]  ⁴ sn The statement I will follow you wherever you go is an offer to follow Jesus as a disciple, no matter what the cost.

[8:20]  ⁵ tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).

[8:20]  ⁶ sn Jesus’ reply is simply this: Does the man understand the rejection he will be facing? Jesus has no home in the world (the Son of Man has no place to lay his head).

[13:37]  ⁷ tn Or “I will die willingly for you.”