Luke 11:42-44

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Luke 11:42 tn Grk “Woe to you…because you…” The causal particle ὅτι (hoti) has not been translated here for rhetorical effect (and so to the end of this chapter).
2. Luke 11:42 tn Or “you tithe mint.”
3. Luke 11:42 sn These small herbs were tithed with great care (Mishnah, m. Demai 2:1).
4. Luke 11:42 tn Grk “and rue.” Καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.sn Rue was an evergreen herb used for seasoning.
5. Luke 11:42 sn Justice was a major theme of OT ethics (Mic 6:8; Zech 7:8-10).
6. Luke 11:42 tn Grk “those,” but this has been translated as “the others” to clarify which are meant.
7. Luke 11:43 tn Or “seats of honor.” The term here is plural and is not a reference only to the lead “seat of Moses” in the synagogue, but includes the front seats near the ark.
8. Luke 11:43 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.
9. Luke 11:43 tn Grk “and the greetings.”sn The later Jewish summary of oral tradition, the Talmud, notes elaborate greetings for rabbis. The rebuke here is for pride.
10. Luke 11:43 sn See the note on marketplace in Luke 7:32.
11. Luke 11:44 tc Most mss (A [D] W Θ Ψ ƒ¹³ M it) have “experts in the law and Pharisees, hypocrites” after “you,” but this looks like an assimilation to the parallel in Matt 23:25, 27, 29. The shorter reading has earlier attestation from a variety of reliable mss (P^45,75 א B C L ƒ¹ 33 1241 2542 lat sa).
12. Luke 11:44 tn Grk “men.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos), referring to both males and females.
13. Luke 11:44 sn In Judaism to come into contact with the dead or what is associated with them, even without knowing it, makes one unclean (Num 19:11-22; Lev 21:1-3; Mishnah, m. Demai 2:3). To Pharisees, who would have been so sensitive about contracting ceremonial uncleanness, it would have been quite a stinging rebuke to be told they caused it.