Luke 19:1-10
New King James Version
Jesus Comes to Zacchaeus’ House
19 Then Jesus entered and passed through (A)Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to (B)see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up [a]and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, [b]make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” 6 So he [c]made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. 7 But when they saw it, they all [d]complained, saying, (C)“He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”
8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the (D)poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by (E)false accusation, (F)I restore fourfold.”
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because (G)he also is (H)a son of Abraham; 10 (I)for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
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Luke 19:1-10
New English Translation
Jesus and Zacchaeus
19 Jesus[a] entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2 Now[b] a man named Zacchaeus was there; he was a chief tax collector[c] and was rich. 3 He[d] was trying to get a look at Jesus,[e] but being a short man he could not see over the crowd.[f] 4 So[g] he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree[h] to see him, because Jesus[i] was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to that place, he looked up[j] and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly,[k] because I must[l] stay at your house today.”[m] 6 So he came down quickly[n] and welcomed Jesus[o] joyfully.[p] 7 And when the people[q] saw it, they all complained,[r] “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”[s] 8 But Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I now give[t] to the poor, and if[u] I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back four times as much!” 9 Then[v] Jesus said to him, “Today salvation[w] has come to this household,[x] because he too is a son of Abraham![y] 10 For the Son of Man came[z] to seek and to save the lost.”
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- Luke 19:1 tn Grk “And entering, he passed through”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
- Luke 19:2 tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of a new character. 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).
- Luke 19:2 sn This is the one place in the NT the office of chief tax collector is noted. If the term refers to a managerial rank, this individual would organize and oversee the other tax collectors and collect significant commissions (see also the note on the word tax collector in 3:12). It is possible, however, that in this context the term simply means “major tax collector” and is a comment on the individual’s importance or wealth rather than his rank (see D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT] 1:1516).
- Luke 19:3 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
- Luke 19:3 tn Grk “He was trying to see who Jesus was.”
- Luke 19:3 tn Grk “and he was not able to because of the crowd, for he was short in stature.”
- Luke 19:4 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Zacchaeus not being able to see over the crowd.
- Luke 19:4 sn A sycamore tree would have large branches near the ground like an oak tree and would be fairly easy to climb. These trees reach a height of some 50 ft (about 15 m).
- Luke 19:4 tn Grk “that one”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Luke 19:5 tc Most mss (A [D] W [Ψ] ƒ13 33vid M latt) read “Jesus looking up, saw him and said.” The words “saw him and” are not in א B L T Θ ƒ1 579 1241 2542 co. Both the testimony for the omission and the natural tendency toward scribal expansion argue for the shorter reading here.
- Luke 19:5 tn Grk “hastening, come down.” σπεύσας (speusas) has been translated as a participle of manner.
- Luke 19:5 sn I must stay. Jesus revealed the necessity of his associating with people like Zacchaeus (5:31-32). This act of fellowship indicated acceptance.
- Luke 19:5 sn On today here and in v. 9, see the note on today in 2:11.
- Luke 19:6 tn Grk “hastening, he came down.” σπεύσας (speusas) has been translated as a participle of manner.
- Luke 19:6 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Luke 19:6 tn The participle χαίρων (chairōn) has been taken as indicating manner.sn Zacchaeus responded joyfully. Luke likes to mention joy as a response to what God was doing (1:14; 2:10; 10:20; 13:17; 15:5, 32; 19:37; 24:41, 52).
- Luke 19:7 tn Grk “they”; the referent is unspecified but is probably the crowd in general, who would have no great love for a man like Zacchaeus who had enriched himself many times over at their expense.
- Luke 19:7 tn This term is used only twice in the NT, both times in Luke (here and 15:2) and has negative connotations both times (BDAG 227 s.v. διαγογγύζω). The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
- Luke 19:7 sn Being the guest of a man who is a sinner was a common complaint about Jesus: Luke 5:31-32; 7:37-50; 15:1-2.
- Luke 19:8 sn Zacchaeus was a penitent man who resolved on the spot to act differently in the face of Jesus’ acceptance of him. In resolving to give half his possessions to the poor, Zacchaeus was not defending himself against the crowd’s charges and claiming to be righteous. Rather as a result of this meeting with Jesus, he was a changed individual. So Jesus could speak of salvation coming that day (v. 9) and of the lost being saved (v. 10).
- Luke 19:8 tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text. It virtually confesses fraud.
- Luke 19:9 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative
- Luke 19:9 sn This is one of the few uses of the specific term salvation in Luke (1:69, 71, 77), though the concept runs throughout the Gospel.
- Luke 19:9 sn The household is not a reference to the building, but to the people who lived within it (L&N 10.8).
- Luke 19:9 sn Zacchaeus was personally affirmed by Jesus as a descendant (son) of Abraham and a member of God’s family.
- Luke 19:10 sn The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost is Jesus’ mission succinctly defined. See Luke 15:1-32.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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