Matthew 24:42

24:42 “Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day ¹  your Lord will come.

Matthew 24:44

24:44 Therefore you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. ² 

Matthew 25:13

25:13 Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour. ³ 

Zechariah 14:7

14:7 It will happen in one day (a day known to the Lord); not in the day or the night, but in the evening there will be light. ⁴ 

Mark 13:32

Be Ready!

13:32 “But as for that day or hour no one knows it – neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son ⁵  – except the Father.

Acts 1:7

1:7 He told them, “You are not permitted to know ⁶  the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.

Acts 1:1

Jesus Ascends to Heaven

1:1 I wrote ⁷  the former ⁸  account, ⁹  Theophilus, ¹⁰  about all that Jesus began to do and teach

Acts 5:2

5:2 He ¹¹  kept back for himself part of the proceeds with his wife’s knowledge; he brought ¹²  only part of it and placed it at the apostles’ feet.

Acts 5:2

5:2 He ¹³  kept back for himself part of the proceeds with his wife’s knowledge; he brought ¹⁴  only part of it and placed it at the apostles’ feet.

Acts 3:10

3:10 and they recognized him as the man who used to sit and ask for donations ¹⁵  at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with astonishment and amazement ¹⁶  at what had happened to him.

Revelation 3:3

3:3 Therefore, remember what you received and heard, ¹⁷  and obey it, ¹⁸  and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will never ¹⁹  know at what hour I will come against ²⁰  you.

Revelation 16:15

16:15 (Look! I will come like a thief!

Blessed is the one who stays alert and does not lose ²¹  his clothes so that he will not have to walk around naked and his shameful condition ²²  be seen.) ²³ 

[24:42]  ¹ 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.

[24:44]  ² 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).

[25:13]  ³ tc Most later mss (C³ ˹³ 1424^c Ï) also read here “in which the Son of Man is coming” (ἐν ᾗ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἔρχεται, en |h Jo Juio" tou anqrwpou ercetai), reproducing almost verbatim the last line of Matt 24:44. The longer reading thus appears to be an explanatory expansion and should not be considered authentic. The earlier and better witnesses ({̳⁵ א A B C* D L W Δ Θ Ë¹ 33 565 892 1424* lat co}) lack this phrase.

[14:7]  ⁴ sn In the evening there will be light. The normal pattern is that light breaks through in the morning (Gen 1:3) but in the day of the Lord in judgment it would do so in the evening. In a sense the universe will be “de-created” in order to be “recreated.”

[13:32]  ⁵ sn The phrase nor the Son has caused a great deal of theological debate because on the surface it appears to conflict with the concept of Jesus’ deity. The straightforward meaning of the text is that the Son does not know the time of his return. If Jesus were divine, though, wouldn’t he know this information? There are other passages which similarly indicate that Jesus did not know certain things. For example, Luke 2:52 indicates that Jesus grew in wisdom; this has to mean that Jesus did not know everything all the time but learned as he grew. So Mark 13:32 is not alone in implying that Jesus did not know certain things. The best option for understanding Mark 13:32 and similar passages is to hold the two concepts in tension: The Son in his earthly life and ministry had limited knowledge of certain things, yet he was still deity.

[1:7]  ⁶ tn Grk “It is not for you to know.”

[1:1]  ⁷ tn Or “produced,” Grk “made.”

[1:1]  ⁸ tn Or “first.” The translation “former” is preferred because “first” could imply to the modern English reader that the author means that his previous account was the first one to be written down. The Greek term πρῶτος (prwtos) does not necessarily mean “first” in an absolute sense, but can refer to the first in a set or series. That is what is intended here – the first account (known as the Gospel of Luke) as compared to the second one (known as Acts).

[1:1]  ⁹ tn The Greek word λόγος (logos) is sometimes translated “book” (NRSV, NIV) or “treatise” (KJV). A formal, systematic treatment of a subject is implied, but the word “book” may be too specific and slightly misleading to the modern reader, so “account” has been used.

[1:1]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “O Theophilus,” but the usage of the vocative in Acts with ὦ (w) is unemphatic, following more the classical idiom (see ExSyn 69).

[5:2]  ¹¹ tn Grk “And he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[5:2]  ¹² tn The participle ἐνέγκας (enenka") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[5:2]  ¹³ tn Grk “And he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[5:2]  ¹⁴ tn The participle ἐνέγκας (enenka") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[3:10]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “alms,” but this term is not in common use today, so the closest modern equivalent, “donations,” is used instead. The idea is that of a donation to charity.

[3:10]  ¹⁶ sn Amazement is a frequent response to miracles of Jesus or the apostles. These took the ancients by as much surprise as they would people today. But in terms of response to what God is doing, amazement does not equal faith (Luke 4:36; 5:9, 26; 7:16).

[3:3]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “keep it,” in the sense of obeying what they had initially been taught.

[3:3]  ¹⁹ tn The negation here is with οὐ μή (ou mh, the strongest possible form of negation in Koine Greek).

[3:3]  ²⁰ tn Or “come on.”

[16:15]  ²¹ tn Grk “and keeps.” BDAG 1002 s.v. τηρέω 2.c states “of holding on to someth. so as not to give it up or lose it…τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ Rv 16:15 (or else he will have to go naked).”

[16:15]  ²² tn On the translation of ἀσχημοσύνη (aschmosunh) as “shameful condition” see L&N 25.202. The indefinite third person plural (“and they see”) has been translated as a passive here.

[16:15]  ²³ sn These lines are parenthetical, forming an aside to the narrative. The speaker here is the Lord Jesus Christ himself rather than the narrator. Many interpreters have seen this verse as so abrupt that it could not be an original part of the work, but the author has used such asides before (1:7; 14:13) and the suddenness here (on the eve of Armageddon) is completely parallel to Jesus’ warning in Mark 13:15-16 and parallels.