Luke 12:20

12:20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life ¹  will be demanded back from ²  you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ ³ 

Luke 13:28

13:28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth ⁴  when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, ⁵  and all the prophets in the kingdom of God ⁶  but you yourselves thrown out. ⁷ 

Job 20:5-7

20:5 that the elation of the wicked is brief, ⁸ 

the joy of the godless ⁹  lasts but a moment. ¹⁰ 

20:6 Even though his stature ¹¹  reaches to the heavens

and his head touches the clouds,

20:7 he will perish forever, like his own excrement; ¹² 

those who used to see him will say, ‘Where is he?’

Job 21:11-13

21:11 They allow their children to run ¹³  like a flock;

their little ones dance about.

21:12 They sing ¹⁴  to the accompaniment of tambourine and harp,

and make merry to the sound of the flute.

21:13 They live out ¹⁵  their years in prosperity

and go down ¹⁶  to the grave ¹⁷  in peace.

Psalms 49:19

49:19 But he will join his ancestors; ¹⁸ 

they will never again see the light of day. ¹⁹ 

Isaiah 21:3-4

21:3 For this reason my stomach churns; ²⁰ 

cramps overwhelm me

like the contractions of a woman in labor.

I am disturbed ²¹  by what I hear,

horrified by what I see.

21:4 My heart palpitates, ²² 

I shake in fear; ²³ 

the twilight I desired

has brought me terror.

Isaiah 24:7-12

24:7 The new wine dries up,

the vines shrivel up,

all those who like to celebrate ²⁴  groan.

24:8 The happy sound ²⁵  of the tambourines stops,

the revelry of those who celebrate comes to a halt,

the happy sound of the harp ceases.

24:9 They no longer sing and drink wine; ²⁶ 

the beer tastes bitter to those who drink it.

24:10 The ruined town ²⁷  is shattered;

all of the houses are shut up tight. ²⁸ 

24:11 They howl in the streets because of what happened to the wine; ²⁹ 

all joy turns to sorrow; ³⁰ 

celebrations disappear from the earth. ³¹ 

24:12 The city is left in ruins; ³² 

the gate is reduced to rubble. ³³ 

Daniel 5:4-6

5:4 As they drank wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

5:5 At that very moment the fingers of a human hand appeared ³⁴  and wrote on the plaster of the royal palace wall, opposite the lampstand. ³⁵  The king was watching the back ³⁶  of the hand that was writing. 5:6 Then all the color drained from the king’s face ³⁷  and he became alarmed. ³⁸  The joints of his hips gave way, ³⁹  and his knees began knocking together.

Amos 8:10

8:10 I will turn your festivals into funerals, ⁴⁰ 

and all your songs into funeral dirges.

I will make everyone wear funeral clothes ⁴¹ 

and cause every head to be shaved bald. ⁴² 

I will make you mourn as if you had lost your only son; ⁴³ 

when it ends it will indeed have been a bitter day. ⁴⁴ 

Nahum 1:10

1:10 Surely they will be totally consumed ⁴⁵ 

like ⁴⁶  entangled thorn bushes, ⁴⁷ 

like the drink of drunkards, ⁴⁸ 

like very ⁴⁹  dry stubble.

Matthew 22:11-13

22:11 But when the king came in to see the wedding guests, he saw a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 22:12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But he had nothing to say. ⁵⁰  22:13 Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!’

Matthew 22:1

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

22:1 Jesus spoke ⁵¹  to them again in parables, saying:

Matthew 5:3

5:3 “Blessed ⁵²  are the poor in spirit, ⁵³  for the kingdom of heaven belongs ⁵⁴  to them.

Revelation 18:7-11

18:7 As much as ⁵⁵  she exalted herself and lived in sensual luxury, ⁵⁶  to this extent give her torment and grief because she said to herself, ⁵⁷  ‘I rule as queen and am no widow; I will never experience grief!’ 18:8 For this reason, she will experience her plagues ⁵⁸  in a single day: disease, ⁵⁹  mourning, ⁶⁰  and famine, and she will be burned down ⁶¹  with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is powerful!”

18:9 Then ⁶²  the kings of the earth who committed immoral acts with her and lived in sensual luxury ⁶³  with her will weep and wail for her when they see the smoke from the fire that burns her up. ⁶⁴  18:10 They will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment, and will say,

“Woe, woe, O great city,

Babylon the powerful city!

For in a single hour your doom ⁶⁵  has come!”

18:11 Then ⁶⁶  the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn for her because no one buys their cargo ⁶⁷  any longer –

[12:20]  ¹ tn Grk “your soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.

[12:20]  ² tn Or “required back.” This term, ἀπαιτέω (apaitew), has an economic feel to it and is often used of a debt being called in for repayment (BDAG 96 s.v. 1).

[12:20]  ³ tn Grk “the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” The words “for yourself” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[13:28]  ⁴ sn Weeping and gnashing of teeth is a figure for remorse and trauma, which occurs here because of exclusion from God’s promise.

[13:28]  ⁵ tn Grk “and Isaac and Jacob,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[13:28]  ⁶ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

[13:28]  ⁷ tn Or “being thrown out.” The present accusative participle, ἐκβαλλομένους (ekballomenous), related to the object ὑμᾶς (Jumas), seems to suggest that these evildoers will witness their own expulsion from the kingdom.

[20:5]  ⁸ tn The expression in the text is “quite near.” This indicates that it is easily attained, and that its end is near.

[20:5]  ⁹ tn For the discussion of חָנֵף (khanef, “godless”) see Job 8:13.

[20:5]  ¹⁰ tn The phrase is “until a moment,” meaning it is short-lived. But see J. Barr, “Hebrew ’ad, especially at Job 1:18 and Neh 7:3,” JSS 27 (1982): 177-88.

[20:6]  ¹¹ tn The word שִׂיא (si’) has been connected with the verb נָשָׂא (nasa’, “to lift up”), and so interpreted here as “pride.” The form is parallel to “head” in the next part, and so here it refers to his stature, the part that rises up and is crowned. But the verse does describe the pride of such a person, with his head in the heavens.

[20:7]  ¹² tn There have been attempts to change the word here to “like a whirlwind,” or something similar. But many argue that there is no reason to remove a coarse expression from Zophar.

[21:11]  ¹³ tn The verb שָׁלַח (shalakh) means “to send forth,” but in the Piel “to release; to allow to run free.” The picture of children frolicking in the fields and singing and dancing is symbolic of peaceful, prosperous times.

[21:12]  ¹⁴ tn The verb is simply “they take up [or lift up],” but the understood object is “their voices,” and so it means “they sing.”

[21:13]  ¹⁵ tc The Kethib has “they wear out” but the Qere and the versions have יְכַלּוּ (yÿkhallu, “bring to an end”). The verb כָּלָה (kalah) means “to finish; to complete,” and here with the object “their days,” it means that they bring their life to a (successful) conclusion. Both readings are acceptable in the context, with very little difference in the overall meaning (which according to Gordis is proof the Qere does not always correct the Kethib).

[21:13]  ¹⁶ tc The MT has יֵחָתּוּ (yekhattu, “they are frightened [or broken]”), taking the verb from חָתַת (khatat, “be terrified”). But most would slightly repoint it to יֵחָתוּ (yekhatu), an Aramaism, “they go down,” from נָחַת (nakhat, “go down”). See Job 17:16.

[21:13]  ¹⁷ tn The word רֶגַע (rega’) has been interpreted as “in a moment” or “in peace” (on the basis of Arabic raja`a, “return to rest”). Gordis thinks this is a case of talhin – both meanings present in the mind of the writer.

[49:19]  ¹⁸ tn Verses 18-19a are one long sentence in the Hebrew text, which reads: “Though he blesses his soul in his life, [saying], ‘And let them praise you, for you do well for yourself,’ it [that is, his soul] will go to the generation of his fathers.” This has been divided into two sentences in the translation for clarity, in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences.

[49:19]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “light.” The words “of day” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[21:3]  ²⁰ tn Heb “my waist is filled with shaking [or “anguish”].”

[21:3]  ²¹ tn Or perhaps, “bent over [in pain]”; cf. NRSV “I am bowed down.”

[21:4]  ²² tn Heb “wanders,” perhaps here, “is confused.”

[21:4]  ²³ tn Heb “shuddering terrifies me.”

[24:7]  ²⁴ tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “all the joyful in heart,” but the context specifies the context as parties and drinking bouts.

[24:8]  ²⁵ tn Heb “the joy” (again later in this verse).

[24:9]  ²⁶ tn Heb “with a song they do not drink wine.”

[24:10]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the city of chaos” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV). Isaiah uses the term תֹּהוּ (tohu) rather frequently of things (like idols) that are empty and worthless (see BDB 1062 s.v.), so the word might characterize the city as rebellious or morally worthless. However, in this context, which focuses on the effects of divine judgment, it probably refers to the ruined or worthless condition in which the city is left (note the use of the word in Isa 34:11). For a discussion of the identity of this city, see R. Chisholm, “The ‘Everlasting Covenant’ and the ‘City of Chaos’: Intentional Ambiguity and Irony in Isaiah 24,” CTR 6 (1993): 237-53. In the context of universal judgment depicted in Isa 24, this city represents all the nations and cities of the world which, like Babylon of old and the powers/cities mentioned in chapters 13-23, rebel against God’s authority. Behind the stereotypical language one can detect various specific manifestations of this symbolic and paradigmatic city, including Babylon, Moab, and Jerusalem, all of which are alluded or referred to in chapters 24-27.

[24:10]  ²⁸ tn Heb “every house is closed up from entering.”

[24:11]  ²⁹ tn Heb “[there is] an outcry over the wine in the streets.”

[24:11]  ³⁰ tn Heb “all joy turns to evening,” the darkness of evening symbolizing distress and sorrow.

[24:11]  ³¹ tn Heb “the joy of the earth disappears.”

[24:12]  ³² tn Heb “and there is left in the city desolation.”

[24:12]  ³³ tn Heb “and [into] rubble the gate is crushed.”

[5:5]  ³⁴ tn Aram “came forth.”

[5:5]  ³⁵ sn The mention of the lampstand in this context is of interest because it suggests that the writing was in clear view.

[5:5]  ³⁶ tn While Aramaic פַּס (pas) can mean the palm of the hand, here it seems to be the back of the hand that is intended.

[5:6]  ³⁷ tn Aram “[the king’s] brightness changed for him.”

[5:6]  ³⁸ tn Aram “his thoughts were alarming him.”

[5:6]  ³⁹ tn Aram “his loins went slack.”

[8:10]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “mourning.”

[8:10]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “I will place sackcloth on all waists.”

[8:10]  ⁴² tn Heb “and make every head bald.” This could be understood in a variety of ways, while the ritual act of mourning typically involved shaving the head (although occasionally the hair could be torn out as a sign of mourning).

[8:10]  ⁴³ tn Heb “I will make it like the mourning for an only son.”

[8:10]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “and its end will be like a bitter day.” The Hebrew preposition כְּ (kaf) sometimes carries the force of “in every respect,” indicating identity rather than mere comparison.

[1:10]  ⁴⁵ tn The verb אֻכְּלוּ (’ukkÿlu, “they will be consumed”) is an example of the old Qal passive perfect 3rd person common plural which was erroneously pointed by the Masoretes as Pual perfect 3rd person common plural. The Qal passive of אָכַל (’akhal) occurs several times in the Hebrew Bible, pointed as Pual (e.g., Exod 3:2; Neh 2:3, 13; Isa 1:20; Nah 1:10). For further discussion on the old Qal passive see H. L. Ginsberg, “Studies on the Biblical Hebrew Verb: Masoretically Misconstrued Internal Passives,” AJSL 46 (1929): 53-56; R. J. Williams, “The Passive Qal Theme in Hebrew,” Essays on the Ancient Semitic World, 43-50; Joüon 1:166-67 §58.a; IBHS 373-76 §22.6 (see especially n. 36 on p. 375).

[1:10]  ⁴⁶ tn The particle עַד (’ad) is taken as a comparative of degree (“like”) by many lexicographers (BDB 724 s.v. I.3; HALOT 787 s.v. 5), English versions (NASB, NRSV, NJPS), and scholars (W. A. Maier, Nahum, 192; R. L. Smith, Micah-Malachi [WBC], 76; R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah [WEC], 42). Although the comparative sense is rare (1 Sam 11:15; 2 Sam 23:19; 2 Kgs 24:20; 1 Chr 4:27), it is suggested by the similes in v. 10 (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 57, §312). The comparative sense is reflected in the Greek versions of Symmachus, Aquila, and Theodotion. Although Origen took עַד in its more common spatial sense (“up to”), his approach can be dismissed because he misunderstood the entire line: ὅτι ἕως θεμελίου αὐτοῦ ξερσωθήσεται (Joti Jew" qemeliou autou xerswqhsetai, “up to his foundation he shall be laid bare”). The KJV takes עַד in its rare temporal sense (“while”; see BDB 725 s.v. II.2). T. Longman suggests a locative sense: “by the entangled thorns they are like drunkards stinking of drink” (“Nahum,” The Minor Prophets, 2:794, 796; see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 56-57, §310). Because of its difficulty, several scholars have resorted to conjectural emendations of the MT: (1) K. J. Cathcart (Nahum in the Light of Northwest Semitic [BibOr], 61) suggests emending the MT’s עַד to the temporal particle עוֹד (’od, “again”); (2) The BHS editors suggest emending the MT’s כִּי עַד (ki ’ad) to הוֹי עִיר (hoy ’ir, “woe to the city!”) which appears in Nah 3:1; (3) The BHS editors suggest the alternate conjectural emendation of יִבְעֲרוּ כְ (yiv’aru kÿ, “they will burn like …”); (4) H. Junker (Die zwolf kleinen Propheten, 175) suggests emending כִּי עַד (ki ’ad) to כְּיַעַד (kÿya’ad, “like a forest”). Although the Masoretic reading is difficult, it is more plausible than any conjectural emendation.

[1:10]  ⁴⁷ tc The MT reads סִירִים סְבֻכִים (sirim sÿvukhim, “entangled thorn-bushes”), and is supported by the Dead Sea text from Murabba`at: סירים סבכים (see DJD 2:197). The noun סִירִים (“thorn bushes”) is from סִיר (sir, “thorn, thorn bush,” BDB 696 s.v. II סִיר; HALOT 752 s.v. *סִירָה), e.g., Isa 34:13; Hos 2:8; Eccl 7:6. The Qal passive participle סְבֻכִים (sÿvukhim) is from סָבַךְ (savakh, “to interweave,” BDB 687 s.v. סָבַךְ; HALOT 740 s.v. סבך), e.g., Job 8:17, which is related to Assyrian sabaku (“to entwine,” AHw 2:999.a) and Arabic sabaka (“to entwine”; Leslau, 51). The MT is supported by several LXX translators, e.g., Symmachus, Aquila, and Theodotion. It is also reflected in Vulgate’s spinarum perplexi (“thorn-bushes entangled”). On the other hand, the Syriac Peshitta reflects סָרִים סוֹרְרִים (sarim sorÿrim, “your princes are rebels”) which points to orthographic confusion and a different vocalization. Similar textual confusion is apparent in Origen: θεμελίου αὐτοῦ ξερσωθήσεται (qemeliou autou xerswqhsetai, “his foundation shall be laid bare”) seems to reflect יְסֹדָם יְכָבֵּס (yÿsodam yÿkhabbes, “their foundation shall be washed away”) which was caused by orthographic confusion and transposition of consonants. The MT should be retained.

[1:10]  ⁴⁸ tc The MT reading וּכְסָבְאָם סְבוּאִים (ukhÿsav’am sÿvu’im, “and like the drink of drunkards”) is supported by Symmachus (“and as those drinking their drink with one another”) who is known for his wooden literalness to the Hebrew text, and by Vulgate which reads et sicut vino suo inebriati. K. J. Cathcart revocalizes as וּכְסֹבְאִים סְבֻאִים (ukhÿsovÿ’im sÿvu’im, “and like drunkards sodden with drink”; Nahum in the Light of Northwest Semitic [BibOr], 61). Haldar equates Hebrew סָבָא (sava’) with Ugaritic sp’ (“eat”) due to an interchange between ב (bet) and פ (pe), and produces “and as they consume a consuming” (A. Haldar, Studies in the Book of Nahum, 32). Barr argues that the mem (מ) on MT וּכְסָבְאָם (ukhÿsov’am) is enclitic, and he translates the line as “and as the drunken are getting drunk” (J. Barr, Comparative Philology, 33).

[1:10]  ⁴⁹ tc The BHS editors propose emending the MT’s מָלֵא (male’, “fully”) to the negative interrogative הֲלֹא (halo’, “Has not…?”) and connecting it with the next line: “Has not one plotting evil marched out from you?” However, this emendation is unnecessary because the MT makes sense as it stands, and there is no textual support for the emendation. The MT is supported by the Greek tradition, the Dead Sea Scrolls (4QpNah), and the other versions.

[22:12]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “he was silent.”

[22:1]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “And answering again, Jesus spoke.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.

[5:3]  ⁵² 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]  ⁵³ 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]  ⁵⁴ 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.

[18:7]  ⁵⁵ tn “As much as” is the translation of ὅσα (Josa).

[18:7]  ⁵⁶ tn On the term ἐστρηνίασεν (estrhniasen) BDAG 949 s.v. στρηνιάω states, “live in luxury, live sensually Rv 18:7. W. πορνεύειν vs. 9.”

[18:7]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “said in her heart,” an idiom for saying something to oneself.

[18:8]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “For this reason, her plagues will come.”

[18:8]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “death.” θάνατος (qanatos) can in particular contexts refer to a manner of death, specifically a contagious disease (see BDAG 443 s.v. 3; L&N 23.158).

[18:8]  ⁶⁰ tn This is the same Greek word (πένθος, penqo") translated “grief” in vv. 7-8.

[18:8]  ⁶¹ tn Here “burned down” was used to translate κατακαυθήσεται (katakauqhsetai) because a city is in view.

[18:9]  ⁶² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[18:9]  ⁶³ tn On the term ἐστρηνίασεν (estrhniasen) BDAG 949 s.v. στρηνιάω states, “live in luxury, live sensually Rv 18:7. W. πορνεύειν vs. 9.”

[18:9]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “from the burning of her.” For the translation “the smoke from the fire that burns her up,” see L&N 14.63.

[18:10]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “judgment,” condemnation,” “punishment.” BDAG 569 s.v. κρίσις 1.a.β states, “The word oft. means judgment that goes against a person, condemnation, and the sentence that follows…ἡ κ. σου your judgment Rv 18:10.”

[18:11]  ⁶⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[18:11]  ⁶⁷ tn On γόμος (gomos) BDAG 205 s.v. states, “load, freight…cargo of a ship…Ac 21:3. W. gen. of the owner Rv 18:11. W. gen. of content…γ. χρυσοῦ a cargo of gold vs. 12.”