Luke 12:54-56
New International Version
Interpreting the Times
54 He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does.(A) 55 And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?(B)
Luke 12:54-56
New English Translation
Reading the Signs
54 Jesus[a] also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west,[b] you say at once, ‘A rainstorm[c] is coming,’ and it does. 55 And when you see the south wind[d] blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and there is. 56 You hypocrites![e] You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how can you not know how[f] to interpret the present time?
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Luke 12:54 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.
- Luke 12:54 sn A cloud rising in the west refers to moisture coming from the Mediterranean Sea.
- Luke 12:54 tn The term ὄμβρος (ombros) refers to heavy rain, such as in a thunderstorm (L&N 14.12).
- Luke 12:55 sn The south wind comes from the desert, and thus brings scorching heat.
- Luke 12:56 sn In Luke, the term hypocrites occurs here, in 6:42, and in 13:15.
- Luke 12:56 tc Most mss (P45 A W Ψ ƒ1,13 M 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: P75 א B L Θ 33 892 1241.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.