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Jesus’ Ministry and the Help of Women

Some time[a] afterward[b] he went on through towns[c] and villages, preaching and proclaiming the good news[d] of the kingdom of God.[e] The[f] twelve were with him, and also some women[g] who had been healed of evil spirits and disabilities:[h] Mary[i] (called Magdalene), from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna the wife of Cuza[j] (Herod’s[k] household manager),[l] Susanna, and many others who provided for them[m] out of their own resources.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 8:1 tn Grk “And it happened that some time.” 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. Luke 8:1 tn Καθεξῆς (Kathexēs) is a general temporal term and need not mean “soon afterward”; see Luke 1:3; Acts 3:24; 11:4; 18:23 and L&N 61.1.
  3. Luke 8:1 tn Or “cities.”
  4. Luke 8:1 sn The combination of preaching and proclaiming the good news is a bit emphatic, stressing Jesus’ teaching ministry on the rule of God.
  5. Luke 8:1 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus’ teaching. The nature of the kingdom of God in the NT and in Jesus’ teaching has long been debated by interpreters and scholars, with discussion primarily centering around the nature of the kingdom (earthly, heavenly, or both) and the kingdom’s arrival (present, future, or both). An additional major issue concerns the relationship between the kingdom of God and the person and work of Jesus himself. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.
  6. Luke 8:1 tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
  7. Luke 8:2 sn There is an important respect shown to women in this text, as their contributions were often ignored in ancient society.
  8. Luke 8:2 tn Or “illnesses.” The term ἀσθένεια (astheneia) refers to the state of being ill and thus incapacitated in some way—“illness, disability, weakness.” (L&N 23.143).
  9. Luke 8:2 sn This Mary is not the woman mentioned in the previous passage (as some church fathers claimed), because she is introduced as a new figure here. In addition, she is further specified by Luke with the notation called Magdalene, which seems to distinguish her from the woman at Simon the Pharisee’s house.
  10. Luke 8:3 sn Cuza is also spelled “Chuza” in many English translations.
  11. Luke 8:3 sn Herods refers here to Herod Antipas. See the note on Herod Antipas in 3:1.
  12. Luke 8:3 tn Here ἐπίτροπος (epitropos) is understood as referring to the majordomo or manager of Herod’s household (BDAG 385 s.v. ἐπίτροπος 1). However, as BDAG notes, the office may be political in nature and would then be translated something like “governor” or “procurator.” Note that in either case the gospel was reaching into the highest levels of society.
  13. Luke 8:3 tc Many mss (א A L Ψ ƒ1 33 565 579 1241 2542 pm it co) read “for him,” but “for them” also has good ms support (B D K W Γ Δ Θ ƒ13 700 892 1424 pm lat). From an internal standpoint the singular pronoun looks like an assimilation to texts like Matt 27:55 and Mark 15:41.

Many Women Contribute to Jesus’ Ministry

And it happened that soon afterward He was going around from one city and village to another, (A)preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, and also (B)some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: (C)Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, (D)Herod’s (E)manager, and Susanna, and many others who were ministering to them from their possessions.

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