Luke 5:34-36

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Luke 5:34 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Jesus’ pronouncement is a result of their statements about his disciples.
2. Luke 5:34 tn Grk “the sons of the wedding hall,” an idiom referring to guests at the wedding, or more specifically, friends of the bridegroom present at the wedding celebration (L&N 11.7).
3. Luke 5:34 sn The expression while the bridegroom is with them is an allusion to messianic times (John 3:29; Isa 54:5-6; 62:4-5).
4. Luke 5:34 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mē) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here it is “can you?”).
5. Luke 5:35 sn The statement when the bridegroom is taken from them is a veiled allusion by Jesus to his death, which he did not make explicit until the incident at Caesarea Philippi in 9:18ff.
6. Luke 5:35 tn Grk “then in those days.”
7. Luke 5:36 sn The term parable in a Semitic context can cover anything from a long story to a brief wisdom saying. Here it is the latter.
8. Luke 5:36 tn Grk “puts,” but since the means of attachment would normally be sewing, the translation “sews” has been used.
9. Luke 5:36 tn Grk “he tears.” The point is that the new garment will be ruined to repair an older, less valuable one.
10. Luke 5:36 sn The piece from the new will not match the old. The imagery in this saying looks at the fact that what Jesus brings is so new that it cannot simply be combined with the old. To do so would be to destroy what is new and to put together something that does not fit.