Lukas 1:1-2

Explanatory Preface

1:1 Now ¹  many have undertaken to compile an account ²  of the things ³  that have been fulfilled ⁴  among us, 1:2 like the accounts ⁵  passed on ⁶  to us by those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word ⁷  from the beginning. ⁸ 

Lukas 2:13

2:13 Suddenly ⁹  a vast, heavenly army ¹⁰  appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

Lukas 4:13

4:13 So ¹¹  when the devil ¹²  had completed every temptation, he departed from him until a more opportune time. ¹³ 

Lukas 6:41

6:41 Why ¹⁴  do you see the speck ¹⁵  in your brother’s eye, but fail to see ¹⁶  the beam of wood ¹⁷  in your own?

Lukas 9:29

9:29 As ¹⁸  he was praying, ¹⁹  the appearance of his face was transformed, ²⁰  and his clothes became very bright, a brilliant white. ²¹ 

Lukas 10:31

10:31 Now by chance ²²  a priest was going down that road, but ²³  when he saw the injured man ²⁴  he passed by ²⁵  on the other side. ²⁶ 

Lukas 12:9

12:9 But the one who denies me before men will be denied before God’s angels.

Lukas 12:41

12:41 Then ²⁷  Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?” ²⁸ 

Lukas 12:50

12:50 I have a baptism ²⁹  to undergo, ³⁰  and how distressed I am until it is finished!

Lukas 15:1

The Parable of the Lost Sheep and Coin

15:1 Now all the tax collectors ³¹  and sinners were coming ³²  to hear him.

Lukas 16:6

16:6 The man ³³  replied, ‘A hundred measures ³⁴  of olive oil.’ The manager ³⁵  said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.’ ³⁶ 

Lukas 18:19

18:19 Jesus ³⁷  said to him, “Why do you call me good? ³⁸  No one is good except God alone.

Lukas 20:12

20:12 So ³⁹  he sent still a third. They even wounded this one, and threw him out.

Lukas 22:25

22:25 So ⁴⁰  Jesus ⁴¹  said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ ⁴² 

Lukas 22:49

22:49 When ⁴³  those who were around him saw what was about to happen, they said, “Lord, should ⁴⁴  we use our swords?” ⁴⁵ 

Lukas 22:71

22:71 Then ⁴⁶  they said, “Why do we need further testimony? We have heard it ourselves ⁴⁷  from his own lips!” ⁴⁸ 

Lukas 24:17

24:17 Then ⁴⁹  he said to them, “What are these matters ⁵⁰  you are discussing so intently ⁵¹  as you walk along?” And they stood still, looking sad.

[1:1]  ¹ tn Grk “Since” or “Because.” This begins a long sentence that extends through v. 4. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, the Greek sentence has been divided up into shorter English sentences in the translation.

[1:1]  ² tn This is sometimes translated “narrative,” but the term itself can refer to an oral or written account. It is the verb “undertaken” which suggests a written account, since it literally is “to set one’s hand” to something (BDAG 386 s.v. ἐπιχειρέω). “Narrative” is too specific, denoting a particular genre of work for the accounts that existed in the earlier tradition. Not all of that material would have been narrative.

[1:1]  ³ tn Or “events.”

[1:1]  ⁴ tn Or “have been accomplished.” Given Luke’s emphasis on divine design (e.g., Luke 24:43-47) a stronger sense (“fulfilled”) is better than a mere reference to something having taken place (“accomplished”).

[1:2]  ⁵ tn Grk “even as”; this compares the recorded tradition of 1:1 with the original eyewitness tradition of 1:2.

[1:2]  ⁶ tn Or “delivered.”

[1:2]  ⁷ sn The phrase eyewitnesses and servants of the word refers to a single group of people who faithfully passed on the accounts about Jesus. The language about delivery (passed on) points to accounts faithfully passed on to the early church.

[1:2]  ⁸ tn Grk “like the accounts those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word passed on to us.” The location of “in the beginning” in the Greek shows that the tradition is rooted in those who were with Jesus from the start.

[2:13]  ⁹ tn Grk “And suddenly.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[2:13]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “a multitude of the armies of heaven.”

[4:13]  ¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate a summary.

[4:13]  ¹² tn Grk “he”; the referent (the devil) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:13]  ¹³ tn Grk “until a favorable time.”

[4:13]  sn Until a more opportune time. Though some have argued that the devil disappears until Luke 22:3, this is unlikely since the cosmic battle with Satan and all the evil angels is consistently mentioned throughout Luke (8:26-39; 11:14-23).

[6:41]  ¹⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[6:41]  ¹⁵ sn A speck (also twice in v. 42) refers to a small piece of wood, chaff, or straw (L&N 3.66).

[6:41]  ¹⁶ tn Or “do not notice.”

[6:41]  ¹⁷ sn The beam of wood (also twice in v. 42) refers to a big piece of wood, the main beam of a building, in contrast to the speck in the other’s eye (L&N 7.78).

[9:29]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “And as.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[9:29]  ¹⁹ tn Here the preposition ἐν (en) plus the dative articular aorist infinitive has been translated as a temporal clause (ExSyn 595).

[9:29]  ²⁰ tn Or “the appearance of his face became different.”

[9:29]  sn In 1st century Judaism and in the NT, there was the belief that the righteous get new, glorified bodies in order to enter heaven (1 Cor 15:42-49; 2 Cor 5:1-10). This transformation means the righteous will share the glory of God. One recalls the way Moses shared the Lord’s glory after his visit to the mountain in Exod 34. So the disciples saw the appearance of his face transformed, and they were getting a sneak preview of the great glory that Jesus would have (only his glory is more inherent to him as one who shares in the rule of the kingdom).

[9:29]  ²¹ tn Or “became bright as a flash of lightning” (cf. BDAG 346 s.v. ἐξαστράπτω); or “became brilliant as light” (cf. BDAG 593 s.v. λευκός 1).

[10:31]  ²² sn The phrase by chance adds an initial note of hope and fortune to the expectation in the story.

[10:31]  ²³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context between the priest’s expected action (helping the victim) and what he really did.

[10:31]  ²⁴ tn Grk “him”; the referent (the injured man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:31]  ²⁵ sn It is not said why the priest passed by and refused to help. It is not relevant to the point of the parable that no help was given in the emergency situation.

[10:31]  ²⁶ sn The text suggests that the priest went out of his way (on the other side) not to get too close to the scene.

[12:41]  ²⁷ tn Grk “And Peter.” Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the connection to the preceding statement.

[12:41]  ²⁸ sn Is the parable only for disciples (us) or for all humanity (everyone)? Or does Peter mean for disciples (us) or for the crowd (everyone)? The fact that unfaithful slaves are mentioned in v. 46 looks to a warning that includes a broad audience, though it is quality of service that is addressed. This means the parable focuses on those who are associated with Jesus.

[12:50]  ²⁹ sn The figure of the baptism is variously interpreted, as some see a reference (1) to martyrdom or (2) to inundation with God’s judgment. The OT background, however, suggests the latter sense: Jesus is about to be uniquely inundated with God’s judgment as he is rejected, persecuted, and killed (Ps 18:4, 16; 42:7; 69:1-2; Isa 8:7-8; 30:27-28; Jonah 2:3-6).

[12:50]  ³⁰ tn Grk “to be baptized with.”

[15:1]  ³¹ sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.

[15:1]  ³² tn Grk “were drawing near.”

[16:6]  ³³ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the first debtor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:6]  ³⁴ sn A measure (sometimes translated “bath”) was just over 8 gallons (about 30 liters). This is a large debt – about 875 gallons (3000 liters) of olive oil, worth 1000 denarii, over three year’s pay for a daily worker.

[16:6]  ³⁵ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the manager) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.

[16:6]  ³⁶ sn The bill was halved (sit down quickly, and write fifty). What was the steward doing? This is debated. 1) Did he simply lower the price? 2) Did he remove interest from the debt? 3) Did he remove his own commission? It is hard to be sure. Either of the latter two options is more likely. The goal was clear: The manager would be seen in a favorable light for bringing a deflationary trend to prices.

[18:19]  ³⁷ tn Grk “And Jesus.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[18:19]  ³⁸ sn Jesus’ response, Why do you call me good?, was designed to cause the ruler to stop and think for a moment about who Jesus really was. The following statement No one is good except God alone seems to point the man in the direction of Jesus’ essential nature and the demands which logically follow on the man for having said it.

[20:12]  ³⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the tenants’ mistreatment of the first two slaves.

[22:25]  ⁴⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the dispute among the apostles.

[22:25]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:25]  ⁴² sn The title ‘benefactor,’ highlighting grace and meaning something like “helper of the people,” was even given to tyrants (2 Macc 4:2; 3 Macc 3:19; Josephus, J. W. 3.9.8 [3.459]).

[22:49]  ⁴³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[22:49]  ⁴⁴ tn The direct question using “if” in Greek is not unusual (BDF §440.3).

[22:49]  ⁴⁵ sn “Should we use our swords?” The disciples’ effort to defend Jesus recalls Luke 22:35-38. One individual did not wait for the answer.

[22:71]  ⁴⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[22:71]  ⁴⁷ sn We have heard it ourselves. The Sanhedrin regarded the answer as convicting Jesus. They saw it as blasphemous to claim such intimacy and shared authority with God, a claim so serious and convicting that no further testimony was needed.

[22:71]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “from his own mouth” (an idiom).

[24:17]  ⁴⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[24:17]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “words,” but the term λόγος (logos) can refer to “matters” rather than only “words” (BDAG 600 s.v. 1.a.ε).

[24:17]  ⁵¹ tn “Discussing so intently” translates the reciprocal idea conveyed by πρὸς ἀλλήλους (pro" allhlou"). The term ἀντιβάλλω (antiballw), used only here in the NT, has the nuance of “arguing” or “debating” a point (the English idiom “to exchange words” also comes close).