Lukas 15:1

The Parable of the Lost Sheep and Coin

15:1 Now all the tax collectors ¹  and sinners were coming ²  to hear him.

Lukas 18:13

18:13 The tax collector, however, stood ³  far off and would not even look up ⁴  to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful ⁵  to me, sinner that I am!’ ⁶ 

Lukas 19:2

19:2 Now ⁷  a man named Zacchaeus was there; he was a chief tax collector ⁸  and was rich.

Lukas 19:7

19:7 And when the people ⁹  saw it, they all complained, ¹⁰  “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” ¹¹ 

[15:1]  ¹ sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.

[15:1]  ² tn Grk “were drawing near.”

[18:13]  ³ tn Grk “standing”; the Greek participle has been translated as a finite verb.

[18:13]  ⁴ tn Grk “even lift up his eyes” (an idiom).

[18:13]  ⁵ tn The prayer is a humble call for forgiveness. The term for mercy (ἱλάσκομαι, Jilaskomai) is associated with the concept of a request for atonement (BDAG 473-74 s.v. 1; Ps 51:1, 3; 25:11; 34:6, 18).

[18:13]  ⁶ tn Grk “the sinner.” The tax collector views himself not just as any sinner but as the worst of all sinners. See ExSyn 222-23.

[19:2]  ⁷ tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of a new character. 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).

[19:2]  ⁸ sn This is the one place in the NT the office of chief tax collector is noted. He would organize the other tax collectors and collect healthy commissions (see also the note on the word tax collector in 3:12).

[19:7]  ⁹ tn Grk “they”; the referent is unspecified but is probably the crowd in general, who would have no great love for a man like Zacchaeus who had enriched himself many times over at their expense.

[19:7]  ¹⁰ tn This term is used only twice in the NT, both times in Luke (here and 15:2) and has negative connotations both times (BDAG 227 s.v. διαγογγύζω). The participle λέγοντες (legonte") is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[19:7]  ¹¹ sn Being the guest of a man who is a sinner was a common complaint about Jesus: Luke 5:31-32; 7:37-50; 15:1-2.