Lukas 10:25-28

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

10:25 Now ¹  an expert in religious law ²  stood up to test Jesus, ³  saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ⁴  10:26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you understand it?” ⁵  10:27 The expert ⁶  answered, “Love ⁷  the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, ⁸  and love your neighbor as yourself.” ⁹  10:28 Jesus ¹⁰  said to him, “You have answered correctly; ¹¹  do this, and you will live.”

Lukas 16:29-31

16:29 But Abraham said, ¹²  ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they must respond to ¹³  them.’ 16:30 Then ¹⁴  the rich man ¹⁵  said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead ¹⁶  goes to them, they will repent.’ 16:31 He ¹⁷  replied to him, ‘If they do not respond to ¹⁸  Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” ¹⁹ 

[10:25]  ¹ tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[10:25]  ² tn Traditionally, “a lawyer.” This was an expert in the interpretation of the Mosaic law (see also Luke 7:30, where the same term occurs).

[10:25]  ³ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:25]  ⁴ sn The combination of inherit with eternal life asks, in effect, “What must I do to be saved?”

[10:26]  ⁵ tn Grk “How do you read?” The pronoun “it” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[10:27]  ⁶ tn Grk “And he”; the referent (the expert in religious law, shortened here to “the expert”) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[10:27]  ⁷ tn Grk “You will love.” The future indicative is used here with imperatival force (see ExSyn 452 and 569).

[10:27]  ⁸ sn A quotation from Deut 6:5. The fourfold reference to different parts of the person says, in effect, that one should love God with all one’s being.

[10:27]  ⁹ tn This portion of the reply is a quotation from Lev 19:18. The verb is repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[10:28]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[10:28]  ¹¹ sn Jesus commends the reply (you have answered correctly). What is assumed here, given the previous context, is that he will respond to Jesus’ message, as to love God is to respond to his Son; see v. 22.

[16:29]  ¹² tn Grk “says.” This is one of the few times Luke uses the historical present.

[16:29]  ¹³ tn Or “obey”; Grk “hear.” This recalls the many OT texts calling for a righteous heart to respond to people in need (Deut 14:28-29; Isa 3:14-15; Amos 2:6-8; Mic 2:1-2; Zech 7:9-10).

[16:30]  ¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[16:30]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the rich man, v. 19) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:30]  ¹⁶ sn If someone from the dead goes to them. The irony and joy of the story is that what is denied the rich man’s brothers, a word of warning from beyond the grave, is given to the reader of the Gospel in this exchange.

[16:31]  ¹⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[16:31]  ¹⁸ tn Or “obey”; Grk “hear.” See the note on the phrase “respond to” in v. 29.

[16:31]  ¹⁹ sn The concluding statement of the parable, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead, provides a hint that even Jesus’ resurrection will not help some to respond. The message of God should be good enough. Scripture is the sign to be heeded.