Lukas 5:27

The Call of Levi; Eating with Sinners

5:27 After ¹  this, Jesus ²  went out and saw a tax collector ³  named Levi ⁴  sitting at the tax booth. ⁵  “Follow me,” ⁶  he said to him.

Lukas 8:43

8:43 Now ⁷  a woman was there who had been suffering from a hemorrhage ⁸  for twelve years ⁹  but could not be healed by anyone.

Lukas 14:14

14:14 Then ¹⁰  you will be blessed, ¹¹  because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid ¹²  at the resurrection of the righteous.”

[5:27]  ¹ tn Grk “And after.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[5:27]  ² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[5:27]  ³ sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.

[5:27]  ⁴ sn It is possible that Levi is a second name for Matthew, because people often used alternative names in 1st century Jewish culture.

[5:27]  ⁵ tn While “tax office” is sometimes given as a translation for τελώνιον (telwnion; so L&N 57.183), this could give the modern reader a false impression of an indoor office with all its associated furnishings.

[5:27]  sn The tax booth was a booth located on the edge of a city or town to collect taxes for trade. There was a tax booth in Capernaum, which was on the trade route from Damascus to Galilee and the Mediterranean. The “taxes” were collected on produce and goods brought into the area for sale, and were a sort of “sales tax” paid by the seller but obviously passed on to the purchaser in the form of increased prices (L&N 57.183). It was here that Jesus met Levi (also named Matthew [see Matt 9:9]) who was ultimately employed by the Romans, though perhaps more directly responsible to Herod Antipas. It was his job to collect taxes for Rome and he was thus despised by Jews who undoubtedly regarded him as a traitor.

[5:27]  ⁶ sn Follow me. For similar calls on the part of Jesus see Luke 5:10-11; 9:23, 59; 18:22.

[8:43]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[8:43]  ⁸ tn Grk “a flow of blood.”

[8:43]  ⁹ tc ‡ Most mss, including the majority of later mss (א[* C] A L W Θ Ξ [Ψ] Ë^1,13 33 [1424] Ï [lat sy^c,p,h]) read here, “having spent all her money on doctors.” Uncertainty over its authenticity is due primarily to the fact that certain important witnesses do not have the phrase (e.g., Ì⁷⁵ B [D] 0279 sy^s sa Or). This evidence alone renders its authenticity unlikely. It may have been intentionally added by later scribes in order to harmonize Luke’s account with similar material in Mark 5:26 (see TCGNT 121). NA²⁷ includes the words in brackets, indicating doubt as to their authenticity.

[14:14]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate that this follows from the preceding action. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[14:14]  ¹¹ sn You will be blessed. God notes and approves of such generosity.

[14:14]  ¹² sn The passive verb will be repaid looks at God’s commendation.