Lukas 11:16

11:16 Others, to test ¹  him, ²  began asking for ³  a sign ⁴  from heaven.

Lukas 12:54-57

Reading the Signs

12:54 Jesus ⁵  also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, ⁶  you say at once, ‘A rainstorm ⁷  is coming,’ and it does. 12:55 And when you see the south wind ⁸  blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and there is. 12:56 You hypocrites! ⁹  You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how can you not know how ¹⁰  to interpret the present time?

Clear the Debts

12:57 “And ¹¹  why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?

[11:16]  ¹ tn Grk “testing”; the participle is taken as indicating the purpose of the demand.

[11:16]  ² tn The pronoun “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[11:16]  ³ tn Grk “seeking from him.” The imperfect ἐζήτουν (ezhtoun) is taken ingressively. It is also possible to regard it as iterative (“kept on asking”).

[11:16]  ⁴ sn What exactly this sign would have been, given what Jesus was already doing, is not clear. But here is where the fence-sitters reside, refusing to commit to him.

[12:54]  ⁵ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “also” and δέ (de) has not been translated.

[12:54]  ⁶ sn A cloud rising in the west refers to moisture coming from the Mediterranean Sea.

[12:54]  ⁷ tn The term ὄμβρος (ombro") refers to heavy rain, such as in a thunderstorm (L&N 14.12).

[12:55]  ⁸ sn The south wind comes from the desert, and thus brings scorching heat.

[12:56]  ⁹ sn In Luke, the term hypocrites occurs here, in 6:42, and in 13:15.

[12:56]  ¹⁰ tc Most mss (Ì⁴⁵ A W Ψ Ë^1,13 Ï lat) have a syntax here that reflects a slightly different rhetorical question: “but how do you not interpret the present time?” The reading behind the translation, however, has overall superior support: Ì⁷⁵ א B L Θ 33 892 1241 pc.

[12:57]  ¹¹ tn Jesus calls for some personal reflection. However, this unit probably does connect to the previous one – thus the translation of δέ (de) here as “And” – to make a good spiritual assessment, thus calling for application to the spiritual, rather than personal, realm.