Matthew 24:43-44

24:43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief ¹  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. ² 

Matthew 24:1

The Destruction of the Temple

24:1 Now ³  as Jesus was going out of the temple courts and walking away, his disciples came to show him the temple buildings. ⁴ 

Matthew 5:2-3

5:2 Then ⁵  he began to teach ⁶  them by saying:

5:3 “Blessed ⁷  are the poor in spirit, ⁸  for the kingdom of heaven belongs ⁹  to them.

Matthew 5:2

5:2 Then ¹⁰  he began to teach ¹¹  them by saying:

Matthew 3:10

3:10 Even now the ax is laid at ¹²  the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Revelation 3:3

3:3 Therefore, remember what you received and heard, ¹³  and obey it, ¹⁴  and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will never ¹⁵  know at what hour I will come against ¹⁶  you.

Revelation 16:15

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

Blessed is the one who stays alert and does not lose ¹⁷  his clothes so that he will not have to walk around naked and his shameful condition ¹⁸  be seen.) ¹⁹ 

[24:43]  ¹ 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]  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).

[24:1]  ³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[24:1]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[5:2]  ⁶ tn Grk “And opening his mouth he taught them, saying.” The imperfect verb ἐδίδασκεν (edidasken) has been translated ingressively.

[5:3]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ 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.

[5:2]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[5:2]  ¹¹ tn Grk “And opening his mouth he taught them, saying.” The imperfect verb ἐδίδασκεν (edidasken) has been translated ingressively.

[3:10]  ¹² sn Laid at the root. That is, placed and aimed, ready to begin cutting.

[3:3]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “keep it,” in the sense of obeying what they had initially been taught.

[3:3]  ¹⁵ tn The negation here is with οὐ μή (ou mh, the strongest possible form of negation in Koine Greek).

[3:3]  ¹⁶ tn Or “come on.”

[16:15]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ 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.