Discovery BoxMatthew 10:1
Context10:1 Jesus 1 called his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits 2 so they could cast them out and heal every kind of disease and sickness. 3
Matthew 22:1-46
Context22:1 Jesus spoke 4 to them again in parables, saying: 22:2 “The kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 22:3 He sent his slaves 5 to summon those who had been invited to the banquet, but they would not come. 22:4 Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Look! The feast I have prepared for you is ready. 6 My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.”’ 22:5 But they were indifferent and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. 22:6 The 7 rest seized his slaves, insolently mistreated them, and killed them. 22:7 The 8 king was furious! He sent his soldiers, and they put those murderers to death 9 and set their city 10 on fire. 22:8 Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but the ones who had been invited were not worthy. 22:9 So go into the main streets and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ 22:10 And those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all they found, both bad and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. 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. 11 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!’ 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”
22:15 Then the Pharisees 12 went out and planned together to entrap him with his own words. 13 22:16 They sent to him their disciples along with the Herodians, 14 saying, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful, and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 15 You do not court anyone’s favor because you show no partiality. 16 22:17 Tell us then, what do you think? Is it right 17 to pay taxes 18 to Caesar 19 or not?”
22:18 But Jesus realized their evil intentions and said, “Hypocrites! Why are you testing me? 22:19 Show me the coin used for the tax.” So 20 they brought him a denarius. 21 22:20 Jesus 22 said to them, “Whose image 23 is this, and whose inscription?” 22:21 They replied, 24 “Caesar’s.” He said to them, 25 “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 26 22:22 Now when they heard this they were stunned, 27 and they left him and went away.
22:23 The same day Sadducees 28 (who say there is no resurrection) 29 came to him and asked him, 30 22:24 “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and father children 31 for his brother.’ 32 22:25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children he left his wife to his brother. 22:26 The second did the same, and the third, down to the seventh. 22:27 Last 33 of all, the woman died. 22:28 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her.” 34 22:29 Jesus 35 answered them, “You are deceived, 36 because you don’t know the scriptures or the power of God. 22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels 37 in heaven. 22:31 Now as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, 38 22:32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 39 He is not the God of the dead but of the living!” 40 22:33 When the crowds heard this, they were amazed at his teaching.
22:34 Now when the Pharisees 41 heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, 42 they assembled together. 43 22:35 And one of them, an expert in religious law, 44 asked him a question to test 45 him: 22:36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 46 22:37 Jesus 47 said to him, “‘Love 48 the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 49 22:38 This is the first and greatest 50 commandment. 22:39 The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 51 22:40 All the law and the prophets depend 52 on these two commandments.”
22:41 While 53 the Pharisees 54 were assembled, Jesus asked them a question: 55 22:42 “What do you think about the Christ? 56 Whose son is he?” They said, “The son of David.” 57 22:43 He said to them, “How then does David by the Spirit call him ‘Lord,’ saying,
22:44 ‘The Lord said to my lord, 58
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”’? 59
22:45 If David then calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” 60 22:46 No one 61 was able to answer him a word, and from that day on no one dared to question him any longer.
Matthew 24:1-51
Context24:1 Now 62 as Jesus was going out of the temple courts and walking away, his disciples came to show him the temple buildings. 63 24:2 And he said to them, 64 “Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth, 65 not one stone will be left on another. 66 All will be torn down!” 67
24:3 As 68 he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things 69 happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 24:4 Jesus answered them, 70 “Watch out 71 that no one misleads you. 24:5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ 72 and they will mislead many. 24:6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Make sure that you are not alarmed, for this must happen, but the end is still to come. 73 24:7 For nation will rise up in arms 74 against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines 75 and earthquakes 76 in various places. 24:8 All 77 these things are the beginning of birth pains.
24:9 “Then they will hand you over to be persecuted and will kill you. You will be hated by all the nations 78 because of my name. 79 24:10 Then many will be led into sin, 80 and they will betray one another and hate one another. 24:11 And many false prophets will appear and deceive 81 many, 24:12 and because lawlessness will increase so much, the love of many will grow cold. 24:13 But the person who endures to the end will be saved. 82 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole inhabited earth as a testimony to all the nations, 83 and then the end will come.
24:15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation 84 – spoken about by Daniel the prophet – standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 24:16 then those in Judea must flee 85 to the mountains. 24:17 The one on the roof 86 must not come down 87 to take anything out of his house, 24:18 and the one in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 24:19 Woe 88 to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in those days! 24:20 Pray 89 that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 24:21 For then there will be great suffering 90 unlike anything that has happened 91 from the beginning of the world until now, or ever will happen. 24:22 And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 24:23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ 92 or ‘There he is!’ do not believe him. 24:24 For false messiahs 93 and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 24:25 Remember, 94 I have told you ahead of time. 24:26 So then, if someone 95 says to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ 96 do not go out, or ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe him. 24:27 For just like the lightning 97 comes from the east and flashes to the west, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 24:28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures 98 will gather. 99
24:29 “Immediately 100 after the suffering 101 of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. 102 24:30 Then 103 the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 104 and 105 all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They 106 will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven 107 with power and great glory. 24:31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven 108 to the other.
24:32 “Learn 109 this parable from the fig tree: Whenever its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 24:33 So also you, when you see all these things, know 110 that he is near, right at the door. 24:34 I tell you the truth, 111 this generation 112 will not pass away until all these things take place. 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 113
24:36 “But as for that day and hour no one knows it – not even the angels in heaven 114 – except the Father alone. 24:37 For just like the days of Noah 115 were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 24:38 For in those days before the flood, people 116 were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark. 24:39 And they knew nothing until the flood came and took them all away. 117 It will be the same at the coming of the Son of Man. 118 24:40 Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one left. 119 24:41 There will be two women grinding grain with a mill; 120 one will be taken and one left.
24:42 “Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day 121 your Lord will come. 24:43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief 122 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. 123
24:45 “Who then is the faithful and wise slave, 124 whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves 125 their food at the proper time? 24:46 Blessed is that slave whom the master finds at work 126 when he comes. 24:47 I tell you the truth, 127 the master 128 will put him in charge of all his possessions. 24:48 But if 129 that evil slave should say to himself, 130 ‘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, 24:51 and will cut him in two, 131 and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
[10:1] 2 sn Unclean spirits refers to evil spirits.
[10:1] 3 tn Grk “and every [kind of] sickness.” Here “every” was not repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[22:1] 4 tn Grk “And answering again, Jesus spoke.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.
[22:3] 7 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.
[22:4] 10 tn Grk “Behold, I have prepared my dinner.” In some contexts, however, to translate ἄριστον (ariston) as “dinner” somewhat misses the point. L&N 23.22 here suggests, “See now, the feast I have prepared (for you is ready).”
[22:6] 13 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[22:7] 16 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[22:7] 17 tn Grk “he sent his soldiers, destroyed those murderers.” The verb ἀπώλεσεν (apwlesen) is causative, indicating that the king was the one behind the execution of the murderers. In English the causative idea is not expressed naturally here; either a purpose clause (“he sent his soldiers to put those murderers to death”) or a relative clause (“he sent his soldier who put those murderers to death”) is preferred.
[22:7] 18 tn The Greek text reads here πόλις (polis), which could be translated “town” or “city.” The prophetic reference is to the city of Jerusalem, so “city” is more appropriate here.
[22:12] 19 tn Grk “he was silent.”
[22:15] 22 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[22:15] 23 tn Grk “trap him in word.”
[22:16] 25 sn The Herodians are mentioned in the NT only once in Matt (22:16 = Mark 12:13) and twice in Mark (3:6; 12:13; some
[22:16] 26 sn Teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Very few comments are as deceitful as this one; they did not really believe this at all. The question of the Pharisees and Herodians was specifically designed to trap Jesus.
[22:16] 27 tn Grk “And it is not a concern to you about anyone because you do not see the face of men.”
[22:17] 28 tn Or “lawful,” that is, in accordance with God’s divine law. On the syntax of ἔξεστιν (exestin) with an infinitive and accusative, see BDF §409.3.
[22:17] 29 tn According to L&N 57.180 the term κῆνσος (khnso") was borrowed from Latin and referred to a poll tax, a tax paid by each adult male to the Roman government.
[22:17] 30 tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).
[22:19] 31 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate their response to Jesus’ request for a coin.
[22:19] 32 tn Here the specific name of the coin was retained in the translation, because not all coins in circulation in Palestine at the time carried the image of Caesar. In other places δηνάριον (dhnarion) has been translated simply as “silver coin” with an explanatory note.
[22:20] 34 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[22:20] 35 tn Or “whose likeness.”
[22:21] 37 tn Grk “they said to him.”
[22:21] 38 tn Grk “then he said to them.” τότε (tote) has not been translated to avoid redundancy.
[22:21] 39 sn Jesus’ answer to give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s was a both/and, not the questioners’ either/or. So he slipped out of their trap.
[22:22] 40 tn Grk “they were amazed; they marveled.”
[22:23] 43 sn See the note on Sadducees in 3:7.
[22:23] 44 sn This remark is best regarded as a parenthetical note by the author.
[22:23] 45 tn Grk “and asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[22:24] 46 tn Grk “and raise up seed,” an idiom for fathering children (L&N 23.59).
[22:24] 47 sn A quotation from Deut 25:5. This practice is called levirate marriage (see also Ruth 4:1-12; Mishnah, m. Yevamot; Josephus, Ant. 4.8.23 [4.254-256]). The levirate law is described in Deut 25:5-10. The brother of a man who died without a son had an obligation to marry his brother’s widow. This served several purposes: It provided for the widow in a society where a widow with no children to care for her would be reduced to begging, and it preserved the name of the deceased, who would be regarded as the legal father of the first son produced from that marriage.
[22:27] 49 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[22:28] 52 tn Grk “For all had her.”
[22:29] 55 tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
[22:29] 56 tn Or “mistaken” (cf. BDAG 822 s.v. πλανάω 2.c.γ).
[22:30] 58 tc Most witnesses have “of God” after “angels,” although some
[22:31] 61 tn Grk “spoken to you by God, saying.” The participle λέγοντος (legontos) is redundant here in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[22:32] 64 sn A quotation from Exod 3:6.
[22:32] 65 sn He is not God of the dead but of the living. Jesus’ point was that if God could identify himself as God of the three old patriarchs, then they must still be alive when God spoke to Moses; and so they must be raised.
[22:34] 67 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[22:34] 68 sn See the note on Sadducees in 3:7.
[22:34] 69 tn Grk “for the same.” That is, for the same purpose that the Sadducees had of testing Jesus.
[22:35] 70 tn Traditionally, “a lawyer.” This was an expert in the interpretation of the Mosaic law.
[22:35] 71 tn Grk “testing.” The participle, however, is telic in force.
[22:36] 73 tn Or possibly “What sort of commandment in the law is great?”
[22:37] 76 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[22:37] 77 tn Grk “You will love.” The future indicative is used here with imperatival force (see ExSyn 452 and 569).
[22:37] 78 sn A quotation from Deut 6:5. The threefold reference to different parts of the person says, in effect, that one should love God with all one’s being.
[22:38] 79 tn Grk “the great and first.”
[22:39] 82 sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.
[22:40] 85 tn Grk “hang.” The verb κρεμάννυμι (kremannumi) is used here with a figurative meaning (cf. BDAG 566 s.v. 2.b).
[22:41] 88 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[22:41] 89 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[22:41] 90 tn Grk “asked them a question, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is somewhat redundant here in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[22:42] 91 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[22:42] 92 sn It was a common belief in Judaism that Messiah would be the son of David in that he would come from the lineage of David. On this point the Pharisees agreed and were correct. But their understanding was nonetheless incomplete, for Messiah is also David’s Lord. With this statement Jesus was affirming that, as the Messiah, he is both God and man.
[22:44] 94 sn The Lord said to my Lord. With David being the speaker, this indicates his respect for his descendant (referred to as my Lord). Jesus was arguing, as the ancient exposition assumed, that the passage is about the Lord’s anointed. The passage looks at an enthronement of this figure and a declaration of honor for him as he takes his place at the side of God. In Jerusalem, the king’s palace was located to the right of the temple to indicate this kind of relationship. Jesus was pressing the language here to get his opponents to reflect on how great Messiah is.
[22:44] 95 sn A quotation from Ps 110:1.
[22:45] 97 tn Grk “how is he his son?”
[22:46] 100 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[24:1] 103 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
[24:1] 104 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.
[24:2] 106 tn Grk “answering, he said to them.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (ajpokriqei") is redundant in English and has not been translated.
[24:2] 107 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[24:2] 108 sn With the statement not one stone will be left on another Jesus predicted the total destruction of the temple, something that did occur in
[24:2] 109 tn Grk “not one stone will be left here on another which will not be thrown down.”
[24:3] 109 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[24:3] 110 sn Because the phrase these things is plural, more than the temple’s destruction is in view. The question may presuppose that such a catastrophe signals the end.
[24:4] 112 tn Grk “answering, Jesus said to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
[24:4] 113 tn Or “Be on guard.”
[24:5] 115 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[24:6] 118 tn Grk “it is not yet the end.”
[24:7] 121 tn For the translation “rise up in arms” see L&N 55.2.
[24:7] 122 sn See Isa 5:13-14; 13:6-16; Hag 2:6-7; Zech 14:4.
[24:7] 123 tc Most witnesses (C Θ 0102 Ë1,13 Ï) have “and plagues” (καὶ λοιμοί, kai loimoi) between “famines” (λιμοί, limoi) and “earthquakes” (σεισμοί, seismoi), while others have “plagues and famines and earthquakes” (L W 33 pc lat). The similarities between λιμοί and λοιμοί could explain how καὶ λοιμοί might have accidentally dropped out, but since the Lukan parallel has both terms (and W lat have the order λοιμοὶ καὶ λιμοί there too, as they do in Matthew), it seems more likely that scribes added the phrase here. The shorter reading does not enjoy overwhelming support ([א] B D 892 pc, as well as versional witnesses), but it is nevertheless significant; coupled with the internal evidence it should be given preference.
[24:8] 124 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[24:9] 127 tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “nations” or “Gentiles”).
[24:9] 128 sn See Matt 5:10-12; 1 Cor 1:25-31.
[24:10] 130 tn Or “many will fall away.” This could also refer to apostasy.
[24:11] 133 tn Or “and lead many astray.”
[24:13] 136 sn But the person who endures to the end will be saved. Jesus was not claiming here that salvation is by works. He was simply arguing that genuine faith evidences itself in persistence through even the worst of trials.
[24:14] 139 tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “nations” or “Gentiles”).
[24:15] 142 sn The reference to the abomination of desolation is an allusion to Dan 9:27. Though some have seen the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy in the actions of Antiochus IV (or a representative of his) in 167
[24:16] 145 sn Fleeing to the mountains is a key OT image: Gen 19:17; Judg 6:2; Isa 15:5; Jer 16:16; Zech 14:5.
[24:17] 148 sn On the roof. Most of the roofs in the NT were flat roofs made of pounded dirt, sometimes mixed with lime or stones, supported by heavy wooden beams. They generally had an easy means of access, either a sturdy wooden ladder or stone stairway, sometimes on the outside of the house.
[24:17] 149 sn The swiftness and devastation of the judgment will require a swift escape. There will be no time to come down from the roof and pick up anything from inside one’s home.
[24:19] 151 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[24:20] 154 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[24:21] 157 tn Traditionally, “great tribulation.”
[24:21] 158 sn Suffering unlike anything that has happened. Some refer this event to the destruction of Jerusalem in
[24:23] 160 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[24:24] 163 tn Or “false christs”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[24:25] 166 tn Or “Pay attention!” Grk “Behold.”
[24:26] 169 tn Grk “they say.” The third person plural is used here as an indefinite and translated “someone” (ExSyn 402).
[24:26] 170 tn Or “in the desert.”
[24:27] 172 sn The Son of Man’s coming in power will be sudden and obvious like lightning. No one will need to point it out.
[24:28] 175 tn The same Greek term can refer to “eagles” or “vultures” (L&N 4.42; BDAG 22 s.v. ἀετός), but in this context it must mean vultures because the gruesome image is one of dead bodies being consumed by scavengers.
[24:28] 176 tn Grk “will be gathered.” The passive construction has been translated as an active one in English.
[24:29] 178 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[24:29] 179 tn Traditionally, “tribulation.”
[24:29] 180 sn An allusion to Isa 13:10, 34:4 (LXX); Joel 2:10. The heavens were seen as the abode of heavenly forces, so their shaking indicates distress in the spiritual realm. Although some take the powers as a reference to bodies in the heavens (like stars and planets, “the heavenly bodies,” NIV) this is not as likely.
[24:30] 181 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[24:30] 182 tn Or “in the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context.
[24:30] 183 tn Here τότε (tote, “then”) has not been translated to avoid redundancy in English.
[24:30] 184 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[24:30] 185 sn An allusion to Dan 7:13. Here is Jesus returning with full authority to judge.
[24:31] 184 tn Or “of the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context.
[24:32] 187 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[24:33] 190 tn The verb γινώσκετε (ginwskete, “know”) can be parsed as either present indicative or present imperative. In this context the imperative fits better, since the movement is from analogy (trees and seasons) to the future (the signs of the coming of the kingdom) and since the emphasis is on preparation for this event.
[24:34] 193 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[24:34] 194 sn This is one of the hardest verses in the gospels to interpret. Various views exist for what generation means. (1) Some take it as meaning “race” and thus as an assurance that the Jewish race (nation) will not pass away. But it is very questionable that the Greek term γενεά (genea) can have this meaning. Two other options are possible. (2) Generation might mean “this type of generation” and refer to the generation of wicked humanity. Then the point is that humanity will not perish, because God will redeem it. Or (3) generation may refer to “the generation that sees the signs of the end” (v. 30), who will also see the end itself. In other words, once the movement to the return of Christ starts, all the events connected with it happen very quickly, in rapid succession.
[24:35] 196 sn The words that Jesus predicts here will never pass away. They are more stable and lasting than creation itself. For this kind of image, see Isa 40:8; 55:10-11.
[24:36] 199 tc ‡ Some important witnesses, including early Alexandrian and Western
[24:37] 202 sn Like the days of Noah, the time of the flood in Gen 6:5-8:22, the judgment will come as a surprise as people live their day to day lives.
[24:38] 205 tn Grk “they,” but in an indefinite sense, “people.”
[24:39] 208 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] 209 tn Grk “So also will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
[24:40] 211 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] 214 tn According to L&N 46.16, this refers to a hand mill normally operated by two women.
[24:42] 217 tc Most later
[24:43] 220 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] 223 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] 226 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.
[24:45] 227 tn Grk “give them.”
[24:46] 229 tn That is, doing his job, doing what he is supposed to be doing.
[24:47] 232 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[24:47] 233 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the master) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:48] 235 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] 236 tn Grk “should say in his heart.”
[24:51] 238 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).
