Lukas 10:9-16

10:9 Heal ¹  the sick in that town ²  and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God ³  has come upon ⁴  you!’ 10:10 But whenever ⁵  you enter a town ⁶  and the people ⁷  do not welcome ⁸  you, go into its streets ⁹  and say, 10:11 ‘Even the dust of your town ¹⁰  that clings to our feet we wipe off ¹¹  against you. ¹²  Nevertheless know this: The kingdom of God has come.’ ¹³  10:12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom ¹⁴  than for that town! ¹⁵ 

10:13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! ¹⁶  Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if ¹⁷  the miracles ¹⁸  done in you had been done in Tyre ¹⁹  and Sidon, ²⁰  they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 10:14 But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you! 10:15 And you, Capernaum, ²¹  will you be exalted to heaven? ²²  No, you will be thrown down to Hades! ²³ 

10:16 “The one who listens ²⁴  to you listens to me, ²⁵  and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects ²⁶  the one who sent me.” ²⁷ 

[10:9]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[10:9]  sn Ministry (heal the sick) is to take place where it is well received (note welcome in the preceding verse).

[10:9]  ² tn Grk “in it”; the referent (that town) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:9]  ³ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

[10:9]  ⁴ tn Or “come near to you,” suggesting the approach (but not arrival) of the kingdom. But the combination of the perfect tense of ἐγγίζω (engizw) with the preposition ἐπί (epi) most likely suggests that the sense is “has come upon” (see BDAG 270 s.v. ἐγγίζω 2; W. R. Hutton, “The Kingdom of God Has Come,” ExpTim 64 [Dec 1952]: 89-91; and D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 2:1000; cf. also NAB “is at hand for you”). These passages argue that a key element of the kingdom is its ability to overcome the power of Satan and those elements in the creation that oppose humanity. Confirmation of this understanding comes in v. 18 and in Luke 11:14-23, especially the parable of vv. 21-23.

[10:10]  ⁵ tn Grk “whatever town you enter,” but this is more often expressed in English as “whenever you enter a town.”

[10:10]  ⁶ tn Or “city.”

[10:10]  ⁷ tn Grk “and they”; the referent (the people who live in the town) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:10]  ⁸ sn More discussion takes place concerning rejection (the people do not welcome you), as these verses lead into the condemnation of certain towns for their rejection of God’s kingdom.

[10:10]  ⁹ tn The term πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to the “broad street,” so this refers to the main roads of the town.

[10:11]  ¹⁰ tn Or “city.”

[10:11]  ¹¹ sn See Luke 9:5, where the verb is different but the meaning is the same. This was a sign of rejection.

[10:11]  ¹² tn Here ὑμῖν (Jumin) has been translated as a dative of disadvantage.

[10:11]  ¹³ tn Or “has come near.” As in v. 9 (see above), the combination of ἐγγίζω (engizw) with the preposition ἐπί (epi) is decisive in showing that the sense is “has come” (see BDAG 270 s.v. ἐγγίζω 2, and W. R. Hutton, “The Kingdom of God Has Come,” ExpTim 64 [Dec 1952]: 89-91).

[10:12]  ¹⁴ sn The allusion to Sodom, the most wicked of OT cities from Gen 19:1-29, shows that to reject the current message is even more serious than the worst sins of the old era and will result in more severe punishment. The noun Sodom is in emphatic position in the Greek text.

[10:12]  ¹⁵ tn Or “city.”

[10:13]  ¹⁶ sn Chorazin was a town of Galilee that was probably fairly small in contrast to Bethsaida and is otherwise unattested. Bethsaida was declared a polis by the tetrarch Herod Philip, sometime after a.d. 30.

[10:13]  ¹⁷ tn This introduces a second class (contrary to fact) condition in the Greek text.

[10:13]  ¹⁸ tn Or “powerful deeds.”

[10:13]  ¹⁹ map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[10:13]  ²⁰ sn Tyre and Sidon are two other notorious OT cities (Isa 23; Jer 25:22; 47:4). The remark is a severe rebuke, in effect: “Even the sinners of the old era would have responded to the proclamation of the kingdom, unlike you!”

[10:13]  map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[10:15]  ²¹ sn Capernaum was a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region.

[10:15]  map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.

[10:15]  ²² tn The interrogative particle introducing this question expects a negative reply.

[10:15]  ²³ sn In the OT, Hades was known as Sheol. It is the place where the unrighteous will reside (Matt 11:23; Luke 16:23; Rev 20:13-14).

[10:16]  ²⁴ tn Grk “hears you”; but as the context of vv. 8-9 makes clear, it is response that is the point. In contemporary English, “listen to” is one way to express this function (L&N 31.56).

[10:16]  ²⁵ sn Jesus linked himself to the disciples’ message: Responding to the disciples (listens to you) counts as responding to him.

[10:16]  ²⁶ tn The double mention of rejection in this clause – ἀθετῶν ἀθετεῖ (aqetwn aqetei) in the Greek text – keeps up the emphasis of the section.

[10:16]  ²⁷ sn The one who sent me refers to God.