Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options

Luke 24:44-53
New English Translation

Jesus’ Final Commission

44 Then[a] he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me[b] in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms[c] must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures,[d] 46 and said to them, “Thus it stands written that the Christ[e] would suffer[f] and would rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance[g] for the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed[h] in his name to all nations,[i] beginning from Jerusalem.[j] 48 You are witnesses[k] of these things. 49 And look, I am sending you[l] what my Father promised.[m] But stay in the city[n] until you have been clothed with power[o] from on high.”

Jesus’ Departure

50 Then[p] Jesus[q] led them out as far as Bethany,[r] and lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 51 Now[s] during the blessing[t] he departed[u] and was taken up into heaven.[v] 52 So[w] they worshiped[x] him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,[y] 53 and were continually in the temple courts[z] blessing[aa] God.[ab]

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Luke 24:44 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
  2. Luke 24:44 sn Everything written about me. The divine plan, events, and scripture itself are seen here as being one.
  3. Luke 24:44 sn For a similar threefold division of the OT scriptures, see the prologue to Sirach, lines 8-10, and from Qumran, the epilogue to 4QMMT, line 10.
  4. Luke 24:45 sn Luke does not mention specific texts here, but it is likely that many of the scriptures he mentioned elsewhere in Luke-Acts would have been among those he had in mind.
  5. Luke 24:46 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
  6. Luke 24:46 tn Three Greek infinitives are the key to this summary: (1) to suffer, (2) to rise, and (3) to be preached. The Christ (Messiah) would be slain, would be raised, and a message about repentance would go out into all the world as a result. All of this was recorded in the scripture. The remark shows the continuity between Jesus’ ministry, the scripture, and what disciples would be doing as they declared the Lord risen.
  7. Luke 24:47 sn This repentance has its roots in declarations of the Old Testament. It is the Hebrew concept of a turning of direction.
  8. Luke 24:47 tn Or “preached,” “announced.”
  9. Luke 24:47 sn To all nations. The same Greek term (τὰ ἔθνη, ta ethnē) may be translated “the Gentiles” or “the nations.” The hope of God in Christ was for all the nations from the beginning.
  10. Luke 24:47 sn Beginning from Jerusalem. See Acts 2, which is where it all starts.
  11. Luke 24:48 sn You are witnesses. This becomes a key concept of testimony in Acts. See Acts 1:8.
  12. Luke 24:49 tn Grk “sending on you.”
  13. Luke 24:49 tn Grk “the promise of my Father,” with τοῦ πατρός (tou patros) translated as a subjective genitive. This is a reference to the Holy Spirit and looks back to how one could see Messiah had come with the promise of old (Luke 3:15-18). The promise is rooted in Jer 31:31 and Ezek 36:26.
  14. Luke 24:49 sn The city refers to Jerusalem.
  15. Luke 24:49 sn Until you have been clothed with power refers to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. What the Spirit supplies is enablement. See Luke 12:11-12; 21:12-15. The difference the Spirit makes can be seen in Peter (compare Luke 22:54-62 with Acts 2:14-41).
  16. Luke 24:50 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
  17. Luke 24:50 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  18. Luke 24:50 sn Bethany was village on the Mount of Olives about 2 mi (3 km) from Jerusalem; see John 11:1, 18.
  19. Luke 24:51 tn Grk “And it happened that while.” 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.
  20. Luke 24:51 tn Grk “while he blessed them.”
  21. Luke 24:51 tn Grk “he departed from them.”
  22. Luke 24:51 tc The reference to the ascension (“and was taken up into heaven”) is lacking in א* D it sys, but it is found in P75 and the rest of the ms tradition. The authenticity of the statement here seems to be presupposed in Acts 1:2, for otherwise it is difficult to account for Luke’s reference to the ascension there. For a helpful discussion, see TCGNT 162-63.tn For the translation of ἀνεφέρετο (anephereto) as “was taken up” see BDAG 75 s.v. ἀναφέρω 1.sn There is great debate whether this event equals Acts 1:9-11 so that Luke has telescoped something here that he describes in more detail later. The text can be read in this way because the temporal marker in v. 50 is vague.
  23. Luke 24:52 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of Jesus’ ascension and the concluding summary of Luke’s Gospel.
  24. Luke 24:52 tc The reference to worship is lacking in the Western ms D, its last major omission in this Gospel.
  25. Luke 24:52 sn Joy is another key theme for Luke: 1:14; 2:10; 8:13; 10:17; 15:7, 10; 24:41.
  26. Luke 24:53 tn Grk “in the temple.”sn Luke’s gospel story proper ends where it began, in the temple courts (Luke 1:4-22). The conclusion is open-ended, because the story continues in Acts with what happened from Jerusalem onwards, once the promise of the Father (v. 49) came.
  27. Luke 24:53 tc The Western text (D it) has αἰνοῦντες (ainountes, “praising”) here, while the Alexandrian mss (P75 א B C* L) have εὐλογοῦντες (eulogountes, “blessing”). Most mss, especially the later Byzantine mss, evidently combine these two readings with αἰνοῦντες καὶ εὐλογοῦντες (A C2 W Θ Ψ ƒ1,13 33 M lat). It is more difficult to decide between the two earlier readings. Internal arguments can go either way, but what seems decisive in this instance are the superior witnesses for εὐλογοῦντες.
  28. Luke 24:53 tc The majority of Greek mss, some of which are significant witnesses (A B C2 Θ Ψ ƒ13 M lat), add “Amen” to note the Gospel’s end. Such a conclusion is routinely added by scribes to NT books because a few of these books originally had such an ending (cf. Rom 16:27; Gal 6:18; Jude 25). A majority of Greek witnesses have the concluding ἀμήν in every NT book except Acts, James, and 3 John (and even in these books, ἀμήν is found in some witnesses). It is thus a predictable variant. Further, since significant witnesses lack the word (P75 א C* D L W 1 33 it co), it is evidently not original.
Next
Luke 23
John 1
Next
Previous Next

Acts 1:1-11
New English Translation

Jesus Ascends to Heaven

1 I wrote[a] the former[b] account,[c] Theophilus,[d] about all that Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven,[e] after he had given orders[f] by[g] the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 To the same apostles[h] also, after his suffering,[i] he presented himself alive with many convincing proofs. He was seen by them over a forty-day period[j] and spoke about matters concerning the kingdom of God.[k] 4 While he was with them,[l] he declared,[m] “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait there[n] for what my[o] Father promised,[p] which you heard about from me.[q] 5 For[r] John baptized with water, but you[s] will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

6 So when they had gathered together, they began to ask him,[t] “Lord, is this the time when you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He told them, “You are not permitted to know[u] the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts[v] of the earth.” 9 After[w] he had said this, while they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 As[x] they were still staring into the sky while he was going, suddenly[y] two men in white clothing stood near them 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here[z] looking up into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven[aa] will come back in the same way you saw him go into heaven.”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Acts 1:1 tn Or “produced,” Grk “made.”
  2. Acts 1:1 tn Or “first.” The translation “former” is preferred because “first” could imply to the modern English reader that the author means that his previous account was the first one to be written down. The Greek term πρῶτος (prōtos) does not necessarily mean “first” in an absolute sense, but can refer to the first in a set or series. That is what is intended here—the first account (known as the Gospel of Luke) as compared to the second one (known as Acts).
  3. Acts 1:1 tn The Greek word λόγος (logos) is sometimes translated “book” (NRSV, NIV) or “treatise” (KJV). A formal, systematic treatment of a subject is implied, but the word “book” may be too specific and slightly misleading to the modern reader, so “account” has been used.sn The former account refers to the Gospel of Luke, which was “volume one” of the two-volume work Luke-Acts.
  4. Acts 1:1 tn Grk “O Theophilus,” but the usage of the vocative in Acts with ὦ (ō) is unemphatic, following more the classical idiom (see ExSyn 69).
  5. Acts 1:2 tn The words “to heaven” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied from v. 11. Several modern translations (NIV, NRSV) supply the words “to heaven” after “taken up” to specify the destination explicitly mentioned later in 1:11.
  6. Acts 1:2 tn Or “commands.” Although some modern translations render ἐντειλάμενος (enteilamenos) as “instructions” (NIV, NRSV), the word implies authority or official sanction (G. Schrenk, TDNT 2:545), so that a word like “orders” conveys the idea more effectively. The action of the temporal participle is antecedent (prior) to the action of the verb it modifies (“taken up”).
  7. Acts 1:2 tn Or “through.”
  8. Acts 1:3 tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the apostles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  9. Acts 1:3 sn After his suffering is a reference to Jesus’ crucifixion and the abuse which preceded it.
  10. Acts 1:3 tn Grk “during forty days.” The phrase “over a forty-day period” is used rather than “during forty days” because (as the other NT accounts of Jesus’ appearances make clear) Jesus was not continually visible to the apostles during the forty days, but appeared to them on various occasions.
  11. Acts 1:3 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.
  12. Acts 1:4 tn Or “While he was assembling with them,” or “while he was sharing a meal with them.” There are three basic options for translating the verb συναλίζω (sunalizō): (1) “Eat (salt) with, share a meal with”; (2) “bring together, assemble”; (3) “spend the night with, stay with” (see BDAG 964 s.v.). The difficulty with the first option is that it does not fit the context, and this meaning is not found elsewhere. The second option is difficult because of the singular number and the present tense. The third option is based on a spelling variation of συναυλιζόμενος (sunaulizomenos), which some minuscules actually read here. The difference in meaning between (2) and (3) is not great, but (3) seems to fit the context somewhat better here.
  13. Acts 1:4 tn Grk “ordered them”; the command “Do not leave” is not in Greek but is an indirect quotation in the original (see note at end of the verse for explanation).
  14. Acts 1:4 tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text (direct objects in Greek were frequently omitted when clear from the context).
  15. Acts 1:4 tn Grk “the,” with the article used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
  16. Acts 1:4 tn Grk “for the promise of the Father.” Jesus is referring to the promised gift of the Holy Spirit (see the following verse).
  17. Acts 1:4 tn Grk “While he was with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for ‘what my Father promised, which you heard about from me.’” This verse moves from indirect to direct discourse. This abrupt change is very awkward, so the entire quotation has been rendered as direct discourse in the translation.
  18. Acts 1:5 tn In the Greek text v. 5 is a continuation of the previous sentence, which is long and complicated. In keeping with the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
  19. Acts 1:5 tn The pronoun is plural in Greek.
  20. Acts 1:6 tn Grk “they began to ask him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. The imperfect tense of the Greek verb ἠρώτων (ērōtōn) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
  21. Acts 1:7 tn Grk “It is not for you to know.”
  22. Acts 1:8 tn Or “to the ends.”
  23. Acts 1:9 tn Grk “And after.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
  24. Acts 1:10 tn Grk “And as.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
  25. Acts 1:10 tn Grk “behold.”
  26. Acts 1:11 tn The word “here” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
  27. Acts 1:11 tc Codex Bezae (D) and several other witnesses lack the words εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν (eis ton ouranon, “into heaven”) here, most likely by way of accidental deletion. In any event, it is hardly correct to suppose that the Western text has intentionally suppressed references to the ascension of Christ here, for the phrase is solidly attested in the final clause of the verse.tn Or “into the sky.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” (vv. 10, 11a) or “heaven” (twice in v. 11b) depending on the context.
Next
John 21
Acts 2
Next
dropdown
New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.