Luke 12:54-59

Reading the Signs

12:54 Jesus ¹  also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, ²  you say at once, ‘A rainstorm ³  is coming,’ and it does. 12:55 And when you see the south wind ⁴  blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and there is. 12:56 You hypocrites! ⁵  You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how can you not know how ⁶  to interpret the present time?

Clear the Debts

12:57 “And ⁷  why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 12:58 As you are going with your accuser before the magistrate, ⁸  make an effort to settle with him on the way, so that he will not drag you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, ⁹  and the officer throw you into prison. 12:59 I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the very last cent!” ¹⁰ 

[12:54]  ¹ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “also” and δέ (de) has not been translated.

[12:54]  ² sn A cloud rising in the west refers to moisture coming from the Mediterranean Sea.

[12:54]  ³ tn The term ὄμβρος (ombro") refers to heavy rain, such as in a thunderstorm (L&N 14.12).

[12:55]  ⁴ sn The south wind comes from the desert, and thus brings scorching heat.

[12:56]  ⁵ sn In Luke, the term hypocrites occurs here, in 6:42, and in 13:15.

[12:56]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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.

[12:58]  ⁸ sn The term magistrate (ἄρχων, arcwn) refers to an official who, under the authority of the government, serves as judge in legal cases (see L&N 56.29).

[12:58]  ⁹ sn The officer (πράκτωρ, praktwr) was a civil official who functioned like a bailiff and was in charge of debtor’s prison. The use of the term, however, does not automatically demand a Hellenistic setting (BDAG 859 s.v.; K. H. Rengstorf, TDNT 8:539; C. Maurer, TDNT 6:642).

[12:59]  ¹⁰ tn Here the English word “cent” is used as opposed to the parallel in Matt 5:26 where “penny” appears, since the Greek word there is different and refers to a different but similar coin.