15:8 “Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins 20 and loses 21 one of them, 22 does not light a lamp, sweep 23 the house, and search thoroughly until she finds it?
1 sn Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees. The imagery of an “ax already laid at the root of the trees” is vivid, connoting sudden and catastrophic judgment for the unrepentant and unfruitful. The image of “fire” serves to further heighten the intensity of the judgment referred to. It is John’s way of summoning all people to return to God with all their heart and avoid his unquenchable wrath soon to be poured out. John’s language and imagery is probably ultimately drawn from the OT where Israel is referred to as a fruitless vine (Hos 10:1-2; Jer 2:21-22) and the image of an “ax” is used to indicate God’s judgment (Ps 74:5-6; Jer 46:22).
2 tn Grk “is”; the present tense (ἐκκόπτεται, ekkoptetai) has futuristic force here.
3 sn Wineskins were bags made of skin or leather, used for storing wine in NT times. As the new wine fermented and expanded, it would stretch the new wineskins. Putting new (unfermented) wine in old wineskins, which had already been stretched, would result in the bursting of the wineskins.
4 tn Grk “having soldiers under me.”
5 sn I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes. The illustrations highlight the view of authority the soldier sees in the word of one who has authority. Since the centurion was a commander of a hundred soldiers, he understood what it was both to command others and to be obeyed.
6 tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
7 tn Grk “What”; the referent (the seed) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
9 sn That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.
10 sn On warnings about the dangers of excessive material attachments, described here as the worries and riches and pleasures of life, see Luke 12:12-21; 16:19-31.
11 tn The verb τελεσφορέω (telesforew) means “to produce mature or ripe fruit” (L&N 23.203). Once again the seed does not reach its goal.
12 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
13 tn See L&N 13.154 for this use of the middle voice of φυλάσσω (fulassw) in this verse.
14 tn Or “avarice,” “covetousness.” Note the warning covers more than money and gets at the root attitude – the strong desire to acquire more and more possessions and experiences.
15 tn Grk “answered him and said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been shortened to “answered him.”
16 tn Grk “from the manger [feeding trough],” but by metonymy of part for whole this can be rendered “stall.”
17 sn The charge here is hypocrisy, but it is only part one of the response. Various ancient laws detail what was allowed with cattle; see Mishnah, m. Shabbat 5; CD 11:5-6.
18 tn This figurative use operates on a relative scale. God is to be loved more than family or self.
19 tn Grk “his own soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.
20 sn This silver coin is a drachma, equal to a denarius, that is, a day’s pay for the average laborer.
21 tn Grk “What woman who has ten silver coins, if she loses.” The initial participle ἔχουσα (ecousa) has been translated as a finite verb parallel to ἀπολέσῃ (apolesh) in the conditional clause to improve the English style.
22 tn Grk “one coin.”
23 tn Grk “and sweep,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.