Matthew 3:10

3:10 Even now the ax is laid at ¹  the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Luke 13:7

13:7 So ²  he said to the worker who tended the vineyard, ‘For ³  three years ⁴  now, I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and each time I inspect it ⁵  I find none. Cut ⁶  it down! Why ⁷  should it continue to deplete ⁸  the soil?’

Luke 16:22-26

16:22 “Now ⁹  the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. ¹⁰  The ¹¹  rich man also died and was buried. ¹²  16:23 And in hell, ¹³  as he was in torment, ¹⁴  he looked up ¹⁵  and saw Abraham far off with Lazarus at his side. ¹⁶  16:24 So ¹⁷  he called out, ¹⁸  ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus ¹⁹  to dip the tip of his finger ²⁰  in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish ²¹  in this fire.’ ²²  16:25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, ²³  remember that in your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus likewise bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish. ²⁴  16:26 Besides all this, ²⁵  a great chasm ²⁶  has been fixed between us, ²⁷  so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’

[3:10]  ¹ sn Laid at the root. That is, placed and aimed, ready to begin cutting.

[13:7]  ² tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the man’s response as a result of the lack of figs in the preceding clause.

[13:7]  ³ tn Grk “Behold, for.”

[13:7]  ⁴ sn The elapsed time could be six years total since planting, since often a fig was given three years before one even started to look for fruit. The point in any case is that enough time had been given to expect fruit.

[13:7]  ⁵ tn The phrase “each time I inspect it” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied to indicate the customary nature of the man’s search for fruit.

[13:7]  ⁶ tc ‡ Several witnesses (Ì⁷⁵ A L Θ Ψ 070 ˹³ 33 579 892 al lat co) have “therefore” (οὖν, oun) here. This conjunction has the effect of strengthening the logical connection with the preceding statement but also of reducing the rhetorical power and urgency of the imperative. In light of the slightly greater internal probability of adding a conjunction to an otherwise asyndetic sentence, as well as significant external support for the omission (א B D W ˹ Ï), the shorter reading appears to be more likely as the original wording here. NA²⁷ puts the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.

[13:7]  ⁷ tn Grk “Why indeed.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[13:7]  ⁸ sn Such fig trees would deplete the soil, robbing it of nutrients needed by other trees and plants.

[16:22]  ⁹ tn Grk “Now it happened that the.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[16:22]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “to Abraham’s bosom.” The phrase “carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom” describes being gathered to the fathers and is a way to refer to heaven (Gen 15:15; 47:30; Deut 31:16).

[16:22]  ¹¹ tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[16:22]  ¹² sn The shorter description suggests a different fate, which is confirmed in the following verses.

[16:23]  ¹³ sn The Greek term Hades stands for the Hebrew concept of Sheol. It is what is called hell today. This is where the dead were gathered (Ps 16:10; 86:13). In the NT Hades has an additional negative force of awaiting judgment (Rev 20:13).

[16:23]  ¹⁴ sn Hades is a place of torment, especially as one knows that he is separated from God.

[16:23]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “he lifted up his eyes” (an idiom).

[16:23]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “in his bosom,” the same phrase used in 16:22. This idiom refers to heaven and/or participation in the eschatological banquet. An appropriate modern equivalent is “at Abraham’s side.”

[16:24]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous actions in the narrative.

[16:24]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “calling out he said”; this is redundant in contemporary English style and has been simplified to “he called out.”

[16:24]  ¹⁹ sn The rich man had not helped Lazarus before, when he lay outside his gate (v. 2), but he knew him well enough to know his name. This is why the use of the name Lazarus in the parable is significant. (The rich man’s name, on the other hand, is not mentioned, because it is not significant for the point of the story.)

[16:24]  ²⁰ sn The dipping of the tip of his finger in water is evocative of thirst. The thirsty are in need of God’s presence (Ps 42:1-2; Isa 5:13). The imagery suggests the rich man is now separated from the presence of God.

[16:24]  ²¹ tn Or “in terrible pain” (L&N 24.92).

[16:24]  ²² sn Fire in this context is OT imagery; see Isa 66:24.

[16:25]  ²³ tn The Greek term here is τέκνον (teknon), which could be understood as a term of endearment.

[16:25]  ²⁴ tn Or “in terrible pain” (L&N 24.92). Here is the reversal Jesus mentioned in Luke 6:20-26.

[16:26]  ²⁵ tn Grk “And in all these things.” There is no way Lazarus could carry out this request even if divine justice were not involved.

[16:26]  ²⁶ sn The great chasm between heaven and hell is impassable forever. The rich man’s former status meant nothing now.

[16:26]  ²⁷ tn Grk “between us and you.”