Lukas 7:24

7:24 When ¹  John’s messengers had gone, Jesus ²  began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness ³  to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ⁴ 

Lukas 8:29

8:29 For Jesus ⁵  had started commanding ⁶  the evil ⁷  spirit to come out of the man. (For it had seized him many times, so ⁸  he would be bound with chains and shackles ⁹  and kept under guard. But ¹⁰  he would break the restraints and be driven by the demon into deserted ¹¹  places.) ¹² 

[7:24]  ¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[7:24]  ² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:24]  ³ tn Or “desert.”

[7:24]  ⁴ tn There is a debate as to whether one should read this figuratively (“to see someone who is easily blown over?”) or literally (Grk “to see the wilderness vegetation?…No, to see a prophet”). Either view makes good sense, but the following examples suggest the question should be read literally and understood to point to the fact that a prophet drew them to the desert.

[8:29]  ⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:29]  ⁶ tc ‡ Although the external evidence favors the aorist παρήγγειλεν (parhngeilen, “he commanded”; Ì⁷⁵ B Θ Ξ Ψ Ë¹³ 579 700 1241 1424 2542 pm), the internal evidence favors the imperfect παρήγγελλεν (parhngellen, here translated “he had started commanding”; א A C K L W Γ Δ 1 33 565 892 pm). The aorist is suspect because it can more easily be taken as a single command, and thus an immediate exorcism. The imperfect would most likely be ingressive (BDF §§328; 329; 331), suggesting that Jesus started to command the evil spirit to depart, and continued the command.

[8:29]  ⁷ tn Grk “unclean.”

[8:29]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so,” introducing a clause that gives the result of the man being seized by the demon.

[8:29]  ⁹ tn Or “fetters”; these were chains for the feet.

[8:29]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[8:29]  ¹¹ tn Grk “into the deserts.” The plural use here has been translated as “deserted places,” that is, uninhabited areas.

[8:29]  ¹² sn This is a parenthetical, explanatory comment by the author.