Lukas 2:1

The Census and the Birth of Jesus

2:1 Now ¹  in those days a decree ²  went out from Caesar ³  Augustus ⁴  to register ⁵  all the empire ⁶  for taxes.

Lukas 2:11

2:11 Today ⁷  your Savior is born in the city ⁸  of David. ⁹  He is Christ ¹⁰  the Lord.

Lukas 7:7

7:7 That is why ¹¹  I did not presume ¹²  to come to you. Instead, say the word, and my servant must be healed. ¹³ 

Lukas 7:43

7:43 Simon answered, ¹⁴  “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” ¹⁵  Jesus ¹⁶  said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

Lukas 9:38

9:38 Then ¹⁷  a man from the crowd cried out, ¹⁸  “Teacher, I beg you to look at ¹⁹  my son – he is my only child!

Lukas 9:57

Challenging Professed Followers

9:57 As ²⁰  they were walking ²¹  along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” ²² 

Lukas 9:62

9:62 Jesus ²³  said to him, “No one who puts his ²⁴  hand to the plow and looks back ²⁵  is fit for the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ 

Lukas 10:33

10:33 But ²⁷  a Samaritan ²⁸  who was traveling ²⁹  came to where the injured man ³⁰  was, and when he saw him, he felt compassion for him. ³¹ 

Lukas 12:14

12:14 But Jesus ³²  said to him, “Man, ³³  who made me a judge or arbitrator between you two?” ³⁴ 

Lukas 12:40

12:40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” ³⁵ 

Lukas 12:59

12:59 I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the very last cent!” ³⁶ 

Lukas 13:23

13:23 Someone ³⁷  asked ³⁸  him, “Lord, will only a few ³⁹  be saved?” So ⁴⁰  he said to them,

Lukas 18:35

Healing a Blind Man

18:35 As ⁴¹  Jesus ⁴²  approached ⁴³  Jericho, ⁴⁴  a blind man was sitting by the road begging.

Lukas 22:29

22:29 Thus ⁴⁵  I grant ⁴⁶  to you a kingdom, ⁴⁷  just as my Father granted to me,

Lukas 22:41

22:41 He went away from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed,

Lukas 23:44

23:44 It was now ⁴⁸  about noon, ⁴⁹  and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, ⁵⁰ 

Lukas 23:47

23:47 Now when the centurion ⁵¹  saw what had happened, he praised God and said, “Certainly this man was innocent!” ⁵² 

[2:1]  ¹ tn Grk “Now it happened that.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[2:1]  ² sn This decree was a formal decree from the Roman Senate.

[2:1]  ³ tn Or “from the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[2:1]  ⁴ sn Caesar Augustus refers to Octavian, who was Caesar from 27 b.c. to a.d. 14. He was known for his administrative prowess.

[2:1]  ⁵ tn Grk “that all the empire should be registered for taxes.” The passive infinitive ἀπογράφεσθαι (apografesqai) has been rendered as an active in the translation to improve the English style. The verb is regarded as a technical term for official registration in tax lists (BDAG 108 s.v. ἀπογράφω a).

[2:1]  sn This census (a decree…to register all the empire) is one of the more disputed historical remarks in Luke. Josephus (Ant. 18.1.1 [18.1-2]) only mentions a census in a.d. 6, too late for this setting. Such a census would have been a massive undertaking; it could have started under one ruler and emerged under another, to whose name it became attached. This is one possibility to explain the data. Another is that Quirinius, who became governor in Syria for the later census, may have been merely an administrator for this census. See also Luke 2:2.

[2:1]  ⁶ tn Grk “the whole (inhabited) world,” but this was a way to refer to the Roman empire (L&N 1.83).

[2:11]  ⁷ sn The Greek word for today (σήμερον, shmeron) occurs eleven times in the Gospel of Luke (2:11; 4:21; 5:26; 12:28; 13:32-33; 19:5, 9; 22:34, 61; 23:43) and nine times in Acts. Its use, especially in passages such as 2:11, 4:21, 5:26; 19:5, 9, signifies the dawning of the era of messianic salvation and the fulfillment of the plan of God. Not only does it underscore the idea of present fulfillment in Jesus’ ministry, but it also indicates salvific fulfillment present in the church (cf. Acts 1:6; 3:18; D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 1:412; I. H. Marshall, Luke, [NIGTC], 873).

[2:11]  ⁸ tn Or “town.” See the note on “city” in v. 4.

[2:11]  ⁹ tn This is another indication of a royal, messianic connection.

[2:11]  ¹⁰ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[2:11]  sn The term χριστός (cristos) was originally an adjective (“anointed”), developing in LXX into a substantive (“an anointed one”), then developing still further into a technical generic term (“the anointed one”). In the intertestamental period it developed further into a technical term referring to the hoped-for anointed one, that is, a specific individual. In the NT the development starts there (technical-specific), is so used in the gospels, and then develops in Paul to mean virtually Jesus’ last name.

[7:7]  ¹¹ tn Or “roof; therefore.”

[7:7]  ¹² tn Grk “I did not consider myself worthy to come to you.” See BDAG 94 s.v. ἀξιόω 1. “Presume” assumes this and expresses the idea in terms of offense.

[7:7]  ¹³ tc The aorist imperative ἰαθήτω (iaqhtw, “must be healed”) is found in Ì^75vid B L 1241 sa. Most mss (א A C D W Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï latt bo) have instead a future indicative, ἰαθήσεται (iaqhsetai, “will be healed”). This is most likely an assimilation to Matt 8:8, and thus, as a motivated reading, should be considered secondary. The meaning either way is essentially the same.

[7:7]  tn The aorist imperative may be translated as an imperative of command (“must be healed” or, more periphrastically, “command [my servant] to be healed”) or as a permissive imperative (“let my servant be healed”), which lessens the force of the imperative somewhat in English.

[7:43]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “answering, said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “answered.”

[7:43]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “the one to whom he forgave more” (see v. 42).

[7:43]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[9:38]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the somewhat unexpected appearance of the man. 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).

[9:38]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “cried out, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[9:38]  ¹⁹ tn This verb means “to have regard for”; see Luke 1:48.

[9:57]  ²⁰ tn Grk “And as.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[9:57]  ²¹ tn Grk “going,” but “walking” is an accurate description of how they traveled about.

[9:57]  ²² tc Most mss (A C W Θ Ψ Ë¹³ 33 Ï) add κύριε (kurie, “Lord”) here, but scribes were prone to add to the text, especially appellations for the Lord. The shorter reading also enjoys significant ms support (Ì^45,75 א B D L Ξ Ë¹ lat co).

[9:57]  sn The statement “I will follow you wherever you go” is an offer to follow Jesus as a disciple, no matter what the cost.

[9:62]  ²³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[9:62]  ²⁴ tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[9:62]  ²⁵ sn Jesus warns that excessive concern for family ties (looks back) will make the kingdom a lesser priority, which is not appropriate for discipleship. The image is graphic, for who can plow straight ahead toward a goal while looking back? Discipleship cannot be double-minded.

[9:62]  ²⁶ 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.

[10:33]  ²⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context between the previous characters (considered by society to be examples of piety and religious duty) and a hated Samaritan.

[10:33]  ²⁸ tn This is at the beginning of the clause, in emphatic position in the Greek text.

[10:33]  ²⁹ tn The participle ὁδεύων (Jodeuwn) has been translated as an adjectival participle (cf. NAB, NASB, TEV); it could also be taken temporally (“while he was traveling,” cf. NRSV, NIV).

[10:33]  ³⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the injured man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:33]  ³¹ tn “Him” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The verb means “to feel compassion for,” and the object of the compassion is understood.

[10:33]  sn Here is what made the Samaritan different: He felt compassion for him. In the story, compassion becomes the concrete expression of love. The next verse details explicitly six acts of compassion.

[12:14]  ³² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:14]  ³³ tn This term of address can be harsh or gentle depending on the context (BDAG 82 s.v. ἄνθρωπος 8). Here it is a rebuke.

[12:14]  ³⁴ tn The pronoun ὑμᾶς (Jumas) is plural, referring to both the man and his brother; thus the translation “you two.”

[12:40]  ³⁵ sn Jesus made clear that his coming could not be timed, and suggested it might take some time – so long, in fact, that some would not be looking for him any longer (at an hour when you do not expect him).

[12:59]  ³⁶ tn Here the English word “cent” is used as opposed to the parallel in Matt 5:26 where “penny” appears, since the Greek word there is different and refers to a different but similar coin.

[12:59]  sn This cent was a lepton, the smallest coin available. It was copper or bronze, worth one-half of a quadrans or 1/128 of a denarius. The parallel in Matt 5:26 mentions the quadrans instead of the lepton. The illustration refers to the debt one owes God and being sure to settle with him in the right time, before it is too late. Some interpreters, however, consider it to be like Matt 5:26, which has similar imagery but a completely different context.

[13:23]  ³⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[13:23]  ³⁸ tn Grk “said to.”

[13:23]  ³⁹ sn The warnings earlier in Jesus’ teaching have led to the question whether only a few will be saved.

[13:23]  ⁴⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Jesus’ reply was triggered by the preceding question.

[18:35]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “Now it happened that as.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[18:35]  ⁴² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[18:35]  ⁴³ tn The phrase is “he drew near to” (19:29; 24:28). It is also possible the term merely means “is in the vicinity of.” Also possible is a reversal in the timing of the healing and Zacchaeus events for literary reasons as the blind man “sees” where the rich man with everything did not.

[18:35]  ⁴⁴ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[22:29]  ⁴⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “thus” to indicate the implied result of the disciples’ perseverance with Jesus.

[22:29]  ⁴⁶ sn With the statement “I grant to you a kingdom” Jesus gave the disciples authority over the kingdom, as God had given him such authority. The present tense looks at authority given presently, though the major manifestation of its presence is yet to come as the next verse shows.

[22:29]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “I give you the right to rule” (cf. CEV). For this translation of διατίθεμαι βασιλείαν (diatiqemai basileian) see L&N 37.105.

[23:44]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “And it was.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[23:44]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “the sixth hour.”

[23:44]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “until the ninth hour.”

[23:47]  ⁵¹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 7:2.

[23:47]  ⁵² tn Or “righteous.” It is hard to know whether “innocent” or “righteous” is intended, as the Greek term used can mean either, and both make good sense in this context. Luke has been emphasizing Jesus as innocent, so that is slightly more likely here. Of course, one idea entails the other.

[23:47]  sn Here is a fourth figure who said that Jesus was innocent in this chapter (Pilate, Herod, a criminal, and now a centurion).