Isaiah 21:11-12

Bad News for Seir

21:11 Here is a message about Dumah: ¹ 

Someone calls to me from Seir, ² 

“Watchman, what is left of the night?

Watchman, what is left of the night?” ³ 

21:12 The watchman replies,

“Morning is coming, but then night. ⁴ 

If you want to ask, ask;

come back again.” ⁵ 

Matthew 16:3

16:3 and in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, because the sky is red and darkening.’ ⁶  You know how to judge correctly the appearance of the sky, ⁷  but you cannot evaluate the signs of the times.

Matthew 24:42-44

24:42 “Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day ⁸  your Lord will come. 24:43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief ⁹  was coming, he would have been alert and would not have let his house be broken into. 24:44 Therefore you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. ¹⁰ 

Matthew 24:1

The Destruction of the Temple

24:1 Now ¹¹  as Jesus was going out of the temple courts and walking away, his disciples came to show him the temple buildings. ¹² 

Matthew 5:1-3

The Beatitudes

5:1 When ¹³  he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. ¹⁴  After he sat down his disciples came to him. 5:2 Then ¹⁵  he began to teach ¹⁶  them by saying:

5:3 “Blessed ¹⁷  are the poor in spirit, ¹⁸  for the kingdom of heaven belongs ¹⁹  to them.

[21:11]  ¹ tn The noun דּוּמָה (dumah) means “silence,” but here it is a proper name, probably referring to a site in northern Arabia or to the nation of Edom. See BDB 189 s.v. II דּוּמָה. If Dumah was an area in northern Arabia, it would be of interest to the Edomites because of its strategic position on trade routes which they used. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:398.

[21:11]  ² sn Seir is another name for Edom. See BDB 973 s.v. שֵׂעִיר.

[21:11]  ³ sn The “night” probably here symbolizes distress and difficult times. See BDB 539 s.v. לַיְלָה.

[21:12]  ⁴ sn Dumah will experience some relief, but it will be short-lived as night returns.

[21:12]  ⁵ sn The point of the watchman’s final instructions (“if you want to ask, ask; come again”) is unclear. Perhaps they are included to add realism to the dramatic portrayal. The watchman sends the questioner away with the words, “Feel free to come back and ask again.”

[16:3]  ⁷ tn Or “red and gloomy” (L&N 14.56).

[16:3]  ⁸ tn Grk “The face of the sky you know how to discern.”

[24:42]  ¹⁰ tc Most later mss (L 0281 Ï lat) have here ὥρᾳ ({wra, “hour”) instead of ἡμέρα (Jemera, “day”). Although the merits of this reading could be argued either way, in light of the overwhelming and diverse early support for ἡμέρᾳ ({א B C D W Δ Θ Ë¹³ 33 892 1424, as well as several versions and fathers}), the more general term is surely correct.

[24:43]  ¹³ sn On Jesus pictured as a returning thief, see 1 Thess 5:2, 4; 2 Pet 3:10; Rev 3:3; 16:15.

[24:44]  ¹⁶ sn Jesus made clear that his coming could not be timed, and suggested it would take some time – so long, in fact, that some will not be looking for him any longer (at an hour when you do not expect him).

[24:1]  ¹⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[24:1]  ²⁰ sn The Jerusalem temple was widely admired around the world. See Josephus, Ant. 15.11 [15.380-425]; J. W. 5.5 [5.184-227] and Tacitus, History 5.8, who called it “immensely opulent.” Josephus compared it to a beautiful snowcapped mountain.

[5:1]  ²² tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[5:1]  ²³ tn Or “up a mountain” (εἰς τὸ ὄρος, eis to oro").

[5:2]  ²⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[5:2]  ²⁶ tn Grk “And opening his mouth he taught them, saying.” The imperfect verb ἐδίδασκεν (edidasken) has been translated ingressively.

[5:3]  ²⁸ sn The term Blessed introduces the first of several beatitudes promising blessing to those whom God cares for. They serve as an invitation to come into the grace God offers.

[5:3]  ²⁹ sn The poor in spirit is a reference to the “pious poor” for whom God especially cares. See Ps 14:6; 22:24; 25:16; 34:6; 40:17; 69:29.

[5:3]  ³⁰ sn The present tense (belongs) here is significant. Jesus makes the kingdom and its blessings currently available. This phrase is unlike the others in the list with the possessive pronoun being emphasized.