Genesis 49:14

49:14 Issachar is a strong-boned donkey

lying down between two saddlebags.

Esther 1:13

1:13 The king then inquired of the wise men who were discerners of the times – for it was the royal custom to confer with all those who were proficient in laws and legalities. ¹ 

Isaiah 22:12-14

22:12 At that time the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, called for weeping and mourning,

for shaved heads and sackcloth. ² 

22:13 But look, there is outright celebration! ³ 

You say, “Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep,

eat meat and drink wine.

Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” ⁴ 

22:14 The Lord who commands armies told me this: ⁵  “Certainly this sin will not be forgiven as long as you live,” ⁶  says the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies.

Isaiah 33:6

33:6 He is your constant source of stability; ⁷ 

he abundantly provides safety and great wisdom; ⁸ 

he gives all this to those who fear him. ⁹ 

Micah 6:9

6:9 Listen! The Lord is calling ¹⁰  to the city!

It is wise to respect your authority, O Lord! ¹¹ 

Listen, O nation, and those assembled in the city! ¹² 

Matthew 16:3

16:3 and in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, because the sky is red and darkening.’ ¹³  You know how to judge correctly the appearance of the sky, ¹⁴  but you cannot evaluate the signs of the times.

Luke 12:56-57

12:56 You hypocrites! ¹⁵  You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how can you not know how ¹⁶  to interpret the present time?

Clear the Debts

12:57 “And ¹⁷  why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?

[1:13]  ¹ tn Heb “judgment” (so KJV); NASB, NIV “justice”; NRSV “custom.”

[22:12]  ² tn Heb “for baldness and the wearing of sackcloth.” See the note at 15:2.

[22:13]  ³ tn Heb “happiness and joy.”

[22:13]  ⁴ tn The prophet here quotes what the fatalistic people are saying. The introductory “you say” is supplied in the translation for clarification; the concluding verb “we die” makes it clear the people are speaking. The six verbs translated as imperatives are actually infinitives absolute, functioning here as finite verbs.

[22:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “it was revealed in my ears [by?] the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts].”

[22:14]  ⁶ tn Heb “Certainly this sin will not be atoned for until you die.” This does not imply that their death will bring atonement; rather it emphasizes that their sin is unpardonable. The statement has the form of an oath.

[33:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “and he is the stability of your times.”

[33:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “a rich store of deliverance, wisdom, and knowledge.”

[33:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “the fear of the Lord, it is his treasure.”

[6:9]  ¹⁰ tn Or “the voice of the Lord is calling.” The translation understands קוֹל (qol, “voice”) as equivalent to an imperative.

[6:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “one who sees your name is wisdom.” It is probably better to emend יִרְאֶה (yir’eh, “he sees”) to יִרְאָה (yir’ah, “fearing”). One may then translate, “fearing your name is wisdom.” The Lord’s “name” here stands by metonymy for his authority.

[6:9]  ¹² tn Heb (apparently) “Listen [to] the staff and the one who appointed it.” Verse 10 then begins with עוֹד (yod, “still” or “again”). The translation assumes an emendation to שִׁמְעוּ מַטֶּה וּמוֹעֵד הָעִיר (shim’u matteh umo’ed ha’ir, “listen, O tribe and the assembly of the city”).

[16:3]  ¹³ tn Or “red and gloomy” (L&N 14.56).

[16:3]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “The face of the sky you know how to discern.”

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

[12:56]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ 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.