Luke 12:46

12:46 then the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not foresee, and will cut him in two, ¹  and assign him a place with the unfaithful. ² 

Psalms 35:8

35:8 Let destruction take them by surprise! ³ 

Let the net they hid catch them!

Let them fall into destruction! ⁴ 

Matthew 24:39-50

24:39 And they knew nothing until the flood came and took them all away. ⁵  It will be the same at the coming of the Son of Man. ⁶  24:40 Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one left. ⁷  24:41 There will be two women grinding grain with a mill; ⁸  one will be taken and one left.

24:42 “Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day ⁹  your Lord will come. 24:43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief ¹⁰  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. ¹¹ 

The Faithful and Wise Slave

24:45 “Who then is the faithful and wise slave, ¹²  whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves ¹³  their food at the proper time? 24:46 Blessed is that slave whom the master finds at work ¹⁴  when he comes. 24:47 I tell you the truth, ¹⁵  the master ¹⁶  will put him in charge of all his possessions. 24:48 But if ¹⁷  that evil slave should say to himself, ¹⁸  ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 24:49 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and to eat and drink with drunkards, 24:50 then the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not foresee,

Mark 13:35-37

13:35 Stay alert, then, because you do not know when the owner of the house will return – whether during evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or at dawn – 13:36 or else he might find you asleep when he returns suddenly. 13:37 What I say to you I say to everyone: Stay alert!”

Mark 13:1

The Destruction of the Temple

13:1 Now ¹⁹  as Jesus ²⁰  was going out of the temple courts, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look at these tremendous stones and buildings!” ²¹ 

Mark 5:2-4

5:2 Just as Jesus ²²  was getting out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit ²³  came from the tombs and met him. ²⁴  5:3 He lived among the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 5:4 For his hands and feet had often been bound with chains and shackles, ²⁵  but ²⁶  he had torn the chains apart and broken the shackles in pieces. No one was strong enough to subdue him.

Mark 5:2

5:2 Just as Jesus ²⁷  was getting out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit ²⁸  came from the tombs and met him. ²⁹ 

Mark 3:10

3:10 For he had healed many, so that all who were afflicted with diseases pressed toward him in order to touch him.

Mark 3:14

3:14 He ³⁰  appointed twelve (whom he named apostles ³¹ ), ³²  so that they would be with him and he could send them to preach

Revelation 3:3

3:3 Therefore, remember what you received and heard, ³³  and obey it, ³⁴  and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will never ³⁵  know at what hour I will come against ³⁶  you.

[12:46]  ¹ tn The verb διχοτομέω (dicotomew) means to cut an object into two parts (L&N 19.19). This is an extremely severe punishment compared to the other two later punishments. To translate it simply as “punish” is too mild. If taken literally this servant is dismembered, although it is possible to view the stated punishment as hyperbole (L&N 38.12).

[12:46]  ² tn Or “unbelieving.” Here the translation employs the slightly more ambiguous “unfaithful,” which creates a link with the point of the parable – faithfulness versus unfaithfulness in servants. The example of this verse must be taken together with the examples of vv. 47-48 as part of a scale of reactions with the most disobedient response coming here. The fact that this servant is placed in a distinct group, unlike the one in vv. 47-48, also suggests ultimate exclusion. This is the hypocrite of Matt 24:51.

[35:8]  ³ tn Heb “let destruction [which] he does not know come to him.” The singular is used of the enemy in v. 8, probably in a representative or collective sense. The psalmist has more than one enemy, as vv. 1-7 make clear.

[35:8]  ⁴ tn The psalmist’s prayer for his enemies’ demise continues. See vv. 4-6.

[24:39]  ⁵ sn Like the flood that came and took them all away, the coming judgment associated with the Son of Man will condemn many.

[24:39]  ⁶ tn Grk “So also will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

[24:40]  ⁷ sn There is debate among commentators and scholars over the phrase one will be taken and one left about whether one is taken for judgment or for salvation. If the imagery is patterned after the rescue of Noah from the flood, as some suggest, the ones taken are the saved (as Noah was) andthose left behind are judged. The imagery, however, is not directly tied to theidentification of the two groups. Its primary purposein context is topicture the sudden, surprisingseparation of the righteous and the judged (i.e., condemned) at the return of the Son of Man.

[24:41]  ⁹ tn According to L&N 46.16, this refers to a hand mill normally operated by two women.

[24:42]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹⁵ 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).

[24:45]  ¹⁷ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.

[24:45]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “give them.”

[24:46]  ¹⁹ tn That is, doing his job, doing what he is supposed to be doing.

[24:47]  ²¹ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[24:47]  ²² tn Grk “he”; the referent (the master) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:48]  ²³ tn In the Greek text this is a third class condition that for all practical purposes is a hypothetical condition (note the translation of the following verb “should say”).

[24:48]  ²⁴ tn Grk “should say in his heart.”

[13:1]  ²⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[13:1]  ²⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:1]  ²⁷ 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.

[5:2]  ²⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:2]  ²⁸ sn Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.

[5:2]  ²⁹ tn Grk “met him from the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.” When this is converted to normal English word order (“a man met him from the tombs with an unclean spirit”) it sounds as if “with an unclean spirit” modifies “the tombs.” Likewise, “a man with an unclean spirit from the tombs met him” implies that the unclean spirit came from the tombs, while the Greek text is clear that it is the man who had the unclean spirit who came from the tombs. To make this clear a second verb, “came,” is supplied in English: “came from the tombs and met him.”

[5:4]  ²⁹ tn Grk “he had often been bound with chains and shackles.” “Shackles” could also be translated “fetters”; they were chains for the feet.

[5:4]  ³⁰ tn Grk “and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[5:2]  ³¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:2]  ³² sn Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.

[5:2]  ³³ tn Grk “met him from the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.” When this is converted to normal English word order (“a man met him from the tombs with an unclean spirit”) it sounds as if “with an unclean spirit” modifies “the tombs.” Likewise, “a man with an unclean spirit from the tombs met him” implies that the unclean spirit came from the tombs, while the Greek text is clear that it is the man who had the unclean spirit who came from the tombs. To make this clear a second verb, “came,” is supplied in English: “came from the tombs and met him.”

[3:14]  ³³ tn Grk “And he.”

[3:14]  ³⁴ sn The term apostles is rare in the gospels, found only here and Mark 6:30, Matt 10:2, and six more times in Luke (6:13; 9:10; 11:49; 17:5; 22:14; 24:10).

[3:14]  ³⁵ tc The phrase “whom he named apostles” is lacking in the majority of mss (A C² [D] L ˹ 33 Ï latt sy). Several primary Alexandrian and Caesarean witnesses (א B [C* W] Θ Ë¹³ 28 pc co) include the phrase, so the external evidence is strongly in favor of this reading, especially since Alexandrian witnesses tend to witness to the shorter reading. It is possible that the Alexandrian witnesses have inserted these words to bring the text in line with Luke 6:13 (TCGNT 69), but against this is the internal evidence of Mark’s style: Mark tends toward gratuitous redundancy. Thus the inclusion of this phrase is supported by both internal and external evidence and should be regarded as more likely original than the omission.

[3:3]  ³⁵ tn The expression πῶς εἴληφας καὶ ἤκουσας (pw" eilhfa" kai hkousa") probably refers to the initial instruction in the Christian life they had received and been taught; this included doctrine and ethical teaching.

[3:3]  ³⁶ tn Grk “keep it,” in the sense of obeying what they had initially been taught.

[3:3]  ³⁷ tn The negation here is with οὐ μή (ou mh, the strongest possible form of negation in Koine Greek).

[3:3]  ³⁸ tn Or “come on.”