tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

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.

tn Grk “answering, he said to them.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (ajpokritheis) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amēn), I say to you.”

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 a.d. 70.

tn Grk “not one stone will be left here on another which will not be thrown down.”

tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

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.

tn Grk “answering, Jesus said to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.

tn Or “Be on guard.”

tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.

tn Grk “it is not yet the end.”

tn For the translation “rise up in arms” see L&N 55.2.

* Is 5:13–14 Is 13:6–16 Hag 2:6–7 Zec 14:4

tc Most witnesses (C Θ 0102 f1, 13 𝔐) 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.

tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “nations” or “Gentiles”).

* Mt 5:10–12 1 Co 1:25–31

tn Or “many will fall away.” This could also refer to apostasy.

tn Or “and lead many astray.”

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.

tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “nations” or “Gentiles”).

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 b.c., the words of Jesus seem to indicate that Antiochus was not the final fulfillment, but that there was (from Jesus’ perspective) still another fulfillment yet to come. Some argue that this was realized in a.d. 70, while others claim that it refers specifically to Antichrist and will not be fully realized until the period of the great tribulation at the end of the age (cf. Mark 13:14, 19, 24; Rev 3:10).

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.

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.

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.

tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

tn Traditionally, “great tribulation.”

sn Suffering unlike anything that has happened. Some refer this event to the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70. While the events of a.d. 70 may reflect somewhat the comments Jesus makes here, the reference to the scope and severity of this judgment strongly suggest that much more is in view. Most likely Jesus is referring to the great end-time judgment on Jerusalem in the great tribulation.

tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.

tn Or “false christs”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

tn Or “Pay attention!” Grk “Behold.”

tn Grk “they say.” The third person plural is used here as an indefinite and translated “someone” (ExSyn 402).

tn Or “in the desert.”

sn The Son of Man’s coming in power will be sudden and obvious like lightning. No one will need to point it out.

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.

sn Jesus’ answer is that when the judgment comes, the scenes of death will be obvious and so will the location of the judgment. See also Luke 17:37.

tn Grk “will be gathered.” The passive construction has been translated as an active one in English.

tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

tn Traditionally, “tribulation.”

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.

tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

tn Or “in the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context.

tn Here τότε (tote, “then”) has not been translated to avoid redundancy in English.

tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

sn An allusion to Dan 7:13. Here is Jesus returning with full authority to judge.

tn Or “of the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context.

tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

tn The verb γινώσκετε (ginōskete, “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.

tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amēn), I say to you.”

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.

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.

tc ‡ Some important witnesses, including early Alexandrian and Western mss (א*,2 B D Θ f13 pc it vgmss Irlat Hiermss), have the additional words οὐδὲ ὁ υἱός (oude ho huios, “nor the son”) here. Although the shorter reading (which lacks this phrase) is suspect in that it seems to soften the prophetic ignorance of Jesus, the final phrase (“except the Father alone”) already implies this. Further, the parallel in Mark 13:32 has οὐδὲ ὁ υἱός, with almost no witnesses lacking the expression. Hence, it is doubtful that the absence of “neither the Son” is due to the scribes. In keeping with Matthew’s general softening of Mark’s harsh statements throughout his Gospel, it is more likely that the absence of “neither the Son” is part of the original text of Matthew, being an intentional change on the part of the author. Further, this shorter reading is supported by the first corrector of א as well as L W f1 33 𝔐 vg sy co Hiermss. Admittedly, the external evidence is not as impressive for the shorter reading, but it best explains the rise of the other reading (in particular, how does one account for virtually no mss excising οὐδὲ ὁ υἱός at Mark 13:32 if such an absence here is due to scribal alteration? Although scribes were hardly consistent, for such a theologically significant issue at least some consistency would be expected on the part of a few scribes). Nevertheless, NA27 includes οὐδὲ ὁ υἱός here.

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.

tn Grk “they,” but in an indefinite sense, “people.”

sn Like the flood that came and took them all away, the coming judgment associated with the Son of Man will condemn many.

tn Grk “So also will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

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) and those left behind are judged. The imagery, however, is not directly tied to the identification of the two groups. Its primary purpose in context is to picture the sudden, surprising separation of the righteous and the judged (i.e., condemned) at the return of the Son of Man.

tn According to L&N 46.16, this refers to a hand mill normally operated by two women.

tc Most later mss (L 0281 𝔐 lat) have here ὥρᾳ (hōra, “hour”) instead of ἡμέρα (hemera, “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 f13 33 892 1424, as well as several versions and fathers}), the more general term is surely correct.

sn On Jesus pictured as a returning thief, see 1 Thess 5:2, 4; 2 Pet 3:10; Rev 3:3; 16:15.

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).

tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.

tn Grk “give them.”

tn That is, doing his job, doing what he is supposed to be doing.

tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amēn), I say to you.”

tn Grk “he”; the referent (the master) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

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”).

tn Grk “should say in his heart.”

tn The verb διχοτομέω (dichotomeō) 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).