◀ All Reading Plans / Chronological / Matthew 4 Luke 4-5 John 1:15-51 (New English Translation)

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Matthew 4

The Temptation of Jesus

4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness^[a] to be tempted by the devil. ²After he fasted forty days and forty nights he was famished.^[b] ³The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.”^[c] ⁴But he answered,^[d] “It is written, ‘Man^[e] does not live^[f] by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”^[g] ⁵Then the devil took him to the holy city,^[h] had him stand^[i] on the highest point^[j] of the temple, ⁶and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you’^[k] and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”^[l] ⁷Jesus said to him, “Once again it is written: ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’”^[m] ⁸Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their grandeur.^[n] ⁹And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you throw yourself to the ground and worship^[o] me.” ¹⁰Then Jesus said to him, “Go away,^[p] Satan! For it is written: ‘You are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”^[q] ¹¹Then the devil left him, and angels^[r] came and began ministering to his needs.

Preaching in Galilee

¹²Now when Jesus^[s] heard that John^[t] had been imprisoned,^[u] he went into Galilee. ¹³While in Galilee, he moved from Nazareth to make his home in Capernaum^[v] by the sea,^[w] in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled:^[x]

¹⁵“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way^[y] by the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
¹⁶the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,
and on those who sit in the region and shadow of death a light has dawned.”^[z]

¹⁷From that time Jesus began to preach this message:^[aa] “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near!”

The Call of the Disciples

¹⁸As^[ab] he was walking by the Sea of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishermen).^[ac] ¹⁹He said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people!”^[ad] ²⁰They^[ae] left their nets immediately and followed him.^[af] ²¹Going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and his brother John, in a boat^[ag] with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Then^[ah] he called them. ²²They^[ai] immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.

Jesus’ Healing Ministry

²³Jesus^[aj] went throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,^[ak] preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and sickness^[al] among the people. ²⁴So a report about him spread throughout Syria. People^[am] brought to him all who suffered with various illnesses and afflictions, those who had seizures,^[an] paralytics, and those possessed by demons,^[ao] and he healed them. ²⁵And large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis,^[ap] Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan River.^[aq]

Footnotes

Matthew 4:1 tn Or “desert.”sn The Judean Wilderness (or Judean Desert) is a geographical feature extending from the mountains of Judea in the west to the Dead Sea in the east. It is a relatively small desert, covering only about 600 square miles (roughly 1,500 square km). The Judean Wilderness is characterized by breathtaking panoramas: mountains, cliffs, chalk hills, and plateaus are interrupted by riverbeds and canyons, some of which are up to 1,500 feet (500 m) deep. Some of the rivers are seasonal streams and some have water all year round. The tall cliffs on the eastern edge of the desert reach a height of 1,000 feet (300 m) above the shore of the Dead Sea. The Judean Wilderness is close to Jerusalem and sparsely populated with few settlements around its edges. It is known for its rugged and desolate landscape, which has provided a refuge and hiding place for rebels and zealots throughout history, as well as solitude for monks and hermits.
Matthew 4:2 tn Grk “and having fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward he was hungry.”
Matthew 4:3 tn Grk “say that these stones should become bread.”
Matthew 4:4 tn Grk “answering, he said.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokritheis) is redundant, but the syntax of the phrase has been changed for clarity.
Matthew 4:4 tn Or “a person.” Greek ὁ ἄνθρωπος (ho anthrōpos) is used generically for humanity. The translation “man” is used because the emphasis in Jesus’ response seems to be on his dependence on God as a man.
Matthew 4:4 tn Grk “will not live.” The verb in Greek is a future tense, but it is unclear whether it is meant to be taken as a command (also known as an imperatival future) or as a statement of reality (predictive future).
Matthew 4:4 sn A quotation from Deut 8:3.
Matthew 4:5 sn The order of the second and third temptations are reversed in Luke’s account (4:5-12) from the order given in Matthew. Scholars differ on which account represents the original order of the temptations, but it seems likely that whichever is original, the other was changed by the author of that gospel for literary reasons.
Matthew 4:5 tn Grk “and he stood him.”
Matthew 4:5 sn What the highest point of the temple refers to is unclear. Perhaps the most popular suggestion is that the word refers to the point on the temple’s southeast corner where it looms directly over a cliff some 450 ft (135 m) high. Others have suggested the reference could be to the roof of the temple or a projection of the roof; still others see a reference to the lintel of the temple’s high gate, or a tower in the temple courts. The Greek word itself could be literally translated “winglet” (a diminutive of the Greek word for “wing”) which may have been chosen as a wordplay on the reference to safety under the “wings” of God in Ps 91:4, the same psalm quoted by the devil in the following verse.
Matthew 4:6 sn A quotation from Ps 91:11. This was not so much an incorrect citation as a use in a wrong context (a misapplication of the passage). Ps 91 addresses one who has sought shelter in the Lord and assures him that God will protect him from danger. As Jesus points out in his reply, however, this protection does not extend to cases where the intent is to put the Lord to the test.
Matthew 4:6 sn A quotation from Ps 91:12.
Matthew 4:7 sn A quotation from Deut 6:16.
Matthew 4:8 tn Grk “glory.”
Matthew 4:9 tn Grk “if, falling down, you will worship.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”
Matthew 4:10 tc The majority of witnesses (C² D L Z Γ 33 1241 1424 M) have “behind me” (ὀπίσω μου; opisō mou) after “Go away.” But since this is the wording in Matt 16:23, where the text is certain, scribes most likely added the words here to conform to the later passage. Further, the shorter reading has superior support (א B C*^vid K P W Δ 0233 ƒ^{1, 13} 565 579* 700). Thus, both externally and internally, the shorter reading is strongly preferred.
Matthew 4:10 sn A quotation from Deut 6:13. The word “only” is an interpretive expansion in the Greek text of the NT not found in either the Hebrew or Greek (LXX) text of the OT.
Matthew 4:11 tn Grk “and behold, angels.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
Matthew 4:12 tn Grk “he.”
Matthew 4:12 sn A reference to John the Baptist.
Matthew 4:12 tn Or “arrested,” “taken into custody” (see L&N 37.12).
Matthew 4:13 tn Grk “and leaving Nazareth, he came and took up residence in Capernaum.” sn Capernaum was a town located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, about 680 ft (207 m) below sea level. It existed since Hasmonean times and was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region. The population in the first century is estimated to be around 1,500. Capernaum became the hub of operations for Jesus’ Galilean ministry (Matt 4:13; Mark 2:1). In modern times the site was discovered in 1838 by the American explorer E. Robinson, and major excavations began in 1905 by German archaeologists H. Kohl and C. Watzinger. Not until 1968, however, were remains from the time of Jesus visible; in that year V. Corbo and S. Loffreda began a series of annual archaeological campaigns that lasted until 1985. This work uncovered what is thought to be the house of Simon Peter as well as ruins of the first century synagogue beneath the later synagogue from the fourth or fifth century A.D. Today gently rolling hills and date palms frame the first century site, a favorite tourist destination of visitors to the Galilee.
Matthew 4:13 tn Or “by the lake.”sn By the sea refers to the Sea of Galilee.
Matthew 4:14 tn The redundant participle λέγοντος (legontos) has not been translated here.
Matthew 4:15 tn Or “road.”
Matthew 4:16 sn A quotation from Isa 9:1.
Matthew 4:17 tn Grk “to preach and to say.” The second of the two Greek infinitives (“to say”) is redundant in English and is not included in the translation.
Matthew 4:18 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Matthew 4:18 tn The two phrases in this verse placed in parentheses are explanatory comments by the author, parenthetical in nature.
Matthew 4:19 tn The Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, thus “people.”sn The kind of fishing envisioned was net—not line—fishing (cf. v. 18; cf. also BDAG 55 s.v. ἀμφιβάλλω, ἀμφίβληστρον) which involved a circular net that had heavy weights around its perimeter. The occupation of fisherman was labor-intensive. The imagery of using a lure and a line (and waiting for the fish to strike) is thus foreign to this text. Rather, the imagery of a fisherman involved much strain, long hours, and often little results. Jesus’ point in using the analogy may have been one or more of the following: the strenuousness of evangelism, the work ethic that it required, persistence and dedication to the task (often in spite of minimal results), the infinite value of the new “catch” (viz., people), and perhaps an eschatological theme of snatching people from judgment (cf. W. L. Lane, Mark [NICNT], 67). If this last motif is in view, then catching people is the opposite of catching fish: The fish would be caught, killed, cooked, and eaten; people would be caught so as to rescue them from eternal destruction and to give them new life.
Matthew 4:20 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Matthew 4:20 sn The expression followed him pictures discipleship, which means that to learn from Jesus is to follow him as the guiding priority of one’s life.
Matthew 4:21 tn Or “in their boat.” The phrase ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ (en tō ploiō) can either refer to a generic boat, some boat (as it seems to do here); or it can refer to “their” boat, implying possession. Mark (unlike Matthew) assumes a certain preunderstanding on the part of his readers about the first four disciples and hence in Mark the translation “their boat” is justified (Mark 1:19; cf. also Mark 1:20 in which the “hired men” indicates that Zebedee’s family owned the boats)sn In 1986 following a period of drought and low lake levels, a fishing boat from the first century was discovered on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. It was excavated and preserved and can now be seen in the Yigal Allon Museum in Kibbutz Ginosar north of Tiberias. The remains of the boat are 27 ft (8.27 m) long and 7.5 ft (2.3 m) wide; it could be rowed by four rowers and had a mast for a sail. The boat is now known as the “Jesus boat” or the “Sea of Galilee boat” although there is no known historical connection of any kind with Jesus or his disciples. However, the boat is typical for the period and has provided archaeologists with much information about design and construction of boats on the Sea of Galilee in the first century.
Matthew 4:21 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Matthew 4:22 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Matthew 4:23 tn Grk “And he.”
Matthew 4:23 sn Synagogues were places for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though the origin of the synagogue is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present (see the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2).
Matthew 4:23 tn Grk “every [kind of] disease and every [kind of] sickness.” Here “every” was not repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons. The present translation, like several other translations (e.g., NASB, CEV, NLT), has opted for “every kind of disease and sickness” here, understanding the Greek term πᾶς to refer to “everything belonging, in kind, to the class designated by the noun” (BDAG 784 s.v. 5).
Matthew 4:24 tn Grk “And they”; “they” is probably an indefinite plural, referring to people in general rather than to the Syrians (cf. v. 25).
Matthew 4:24 tn Grk “those who were moonstruck,” possibly meaning “lunatic” (so NAB), although now the term is generally regarded as referring to some sort of seizure disorder such as epilepsy (L&N 23.169; BDAG 919 s.v. σεληνιάζομαι).
Matthew 4:24 tn The translation has adopted a different phrase order here than that in the Greek text. The Greek text reads, “People brought to him all who suffered with various illnesses and afflictions, those possessed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics.” Even though it is obvious that four separate groups of people are in view here, following the Greek word order could lead to the misconception that certain people were possessed by epileptics and paralytics. The word order adopted in the translation avoids this problem.
Matthew 4:25 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated before each of the places in the list, since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.sn The Decapolis refers to a group of towns (originally consisting of ten; the Greek name literally means “ten towns”) whose region (except for Scythopolis) lay on the east side of the Jordan River. Although frequently seen as a league of independent city states organized by the Roman general Pompey, contemporary sources do not support such a view. Rather their unity came from their Greek (Hellenistic) culture and religions, which set them apart from surrounding areas.
Matthew 4:25 tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity. The region referred to here is sometimes known as Transjordan (i.e., “across the Jordan”).

Luke 4-5

The Temptation of Jesus

4 Then^[a] Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River^[b] and was led by the Spirit^[c] in^[d] the wilderness,^[e] ²where for forty days he endured temptations^[f] from the devil. He^[g] ate nothing^[h] during those days, and when they were completed,^[i] he was famished. ³The devil said to him, “If^[j] you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”^[k] ⁴Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man^[l] does not live by bread alone.’”^[m]

⁵Then^[n] the devil^[o] led him up^[p] to a high place^[q] and showed him in a flash all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶And he^[r] said to him, “To you^[s] I will grant this whole realm^[t]—and the glory that goes along with it,^[u] for it has been relinquished^[v] to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish. ⁷So then, if^[w] you will worship^[x] me, all this will be^[y] yours.” ⁸Jesus^[z] answered him,^[aa] “It is written, ‘You are to worship^[ab] the Lord^[ac] your God and serve only him.’”^[ad]

⁹Then^[ae] the devil^[af] brought him to Jerusalem, had him stand^[ag] on the highest point of the temple,^[ah] and said to him, “If^[ai] you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, ¹⁰for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’^[aj] ¹¹and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”^[ak] ¹²Jesus^[al] answered him,^[am] “It is said, ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’”^[an] ¹³So^[ao] when the devil^[ap] had completed every temptation, he departed from him until a more opportune time.^[aq]

The Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry in Galilee

¹⁴Then^[ar] Jesus, in the power of the Spirit,^[as] returned to Galilee, and news about him spread^[at] throughout the surrounding countryside.^[au] ¹⁵He^[av] began to teach^[aw] in their synagogues^[ax] and was praised^[ay] by all.

Rejection at Nazareth

¹⁶Now^[az] Jesus^[ba] came to Nazareth,^[bb] where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue^[bc] on the Sabbath day, as was his custom.^[bd] He^[be] stood up to read,^[bf] ¹⁷and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He^[bg] unrolled^[bh] the scroll and found the place where it was written,

¹⁸“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed^[bi] me to proclaim good news^[bj] to the poor.^[bk]
He has sent me^[bl] to proclaim release^[bm] to the captives
and the regaining of sight^[bn] to the blind,
to set free^[bo] those who are oppressed,^[bp]
¹⁹to proclaim the year^[bq] of the Lord’s favor.”^[br]

²⁰Then^[bs] he rolled up^[bt] the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on^[bu] him. ²¹Then^[bv] he began to tell them, “Today^[bw] this scripture has been fulfilled even as you heard it being read.”^[bx] ²²All^[by] were speaking well of him, and were amazed at the gracious words coming out of his mouth. They^[bz] said, “Isn’t this^[ca] Joseph’s son?” ²³Jesus^[cb] said to them, “No doubt you will quote to me the proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself!’^[cc] and say, ‘What we have heard that you did in Capernaum,^[cd] do here in your hometown too.’” ²⁴And he added,^[ce] “I tell you the truth,^[cf] no prophet is acceptable^[cg] in his hometown. ²⁵But in truth I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s days,^[ch] when the sky^[ci] was shut up three and a half years, and^[cj] there was a great famine over all the land. ²⁶Yet^[ck] Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to a woman who was a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.^[cl] ²⁷And there were many lepers^[cm] in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha,^[cn] yet^[co] none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”^[cp] ²⁸When they heard this, all the people^[cq] in the synagogue were filled with rage. ²⁹They got up, forced^[cr] him out of the town,^[cs] and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that^[ct] they could throw him down the cliff.^[cu] ³⁰But he passed through the crowd^[cv] and went on his way.^[cw]

Ministry in Capernaum

³¹So^[cx] he went down to Capernaum,^[cy] a town^[cz] in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he began to teach the people.^[da] ³²They^[db] were amazed^[dc] at his teaching, because he spoke^[dd] with authority.^[de]

³³Now^[df] in the synagogue^[dg] there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean^[dh] demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, ³⁴“Ha! Leave us alone,^[di] Jesus the Nazarene! Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One^[dj] of God.” ³⁵But^[dk] Jesus rebuked him:^[dl] “Silence! Come out of him!”^[dm] Then, after the demon threw the man^[dn] down in their midst, he came out of him without hurting him.^[do] ³⁶They^[dp] were all amazed and began to say^[dq] to one another, “What’s happening here?^[dr] For with authority and power^[ds] he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” ³⁷So^[dt] the news^[du] about him spread into all areas of the region.^[dv]

³⁸After Jesus left^[dw] the synagogue, he entered Simon’s house.^[dx] Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus^[dy] to help her.^[dz] ³⁹So^[ea] he stood over her, commanded^[eb] the fever, and it left her. Immediately^[ec] she got up and began to serve^[ed] them.

⁴⁰As the sun was setting, all those who had any relatives^[ee] sick with various diseases brought them to Jesus.^[ef] He placed^[eg] his hands on every one of them and healed them. ⁴¹Demons also came out^[eh] of many, crying out,^[ei] “You are the Son of God!”^[ej] But he rebuked^[ek] them, and would not allow them to speak,^[el] because they knew that he was the Christ.^[em]

⁴²The next morning^[en] Jesus^[eo] departed and went to a deserted place. Yet^[ep] the crowds were seeking him, and they came to him and tried to keep him from leaving them. ⁴³But Jesus^[eq] said to them, “I must^[er] proclaim the good news of the kingdom^[es] of God to the other towns^[et] too, for that is what I was sent^[eu] to do.”^[ev] ⁴⁴So^[ew] he continued to preach in the synagogues of Judea.^[ex]

The Call of the Disciples

5 Now^[ey] Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,^[ez] and the crowd was pressing around him^[fa] to hear the word of God. ²He^[fb] saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. ³He got into^[fc] one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then^[fd] Jesus^[fe] sat down^[ff] and taught the crowds from the boat.^[fg] ⁴When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and lower^[fh] your nets for a catch.” ⁵Simon^[fi] answered,^[fj] “Master,^[fk] we worked hard all night and caught nothing! But at your word^[fl] I will lower^[fm] the nets.” ⁶When^[fn] they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets started to tear.^[fo] ⁷So^[fp] they motioned^[fq] to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they were about to sink.^[fr] ⁸But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord,^[fs] for I am a sinful man!”^[ft] ⁹For^[fu] Peter^[fv] and all who were with him were astonished^[fw] at the catch of fish that they had taken, ¹⁰and so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s business partners.^[fx] Then^[fy] Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on^[fz] you will be catching people!”^[ga] ¹¹So^[gb] when they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed^[gc] him.

Healing a Leper

¹²While^[gd] Jesus^[ge] was in one of the towns,^[gf] a man came^[gg] to him who was covered with^[gh] leprosy.^[gi] When^[gj] he saw Jesus, he bowed down with his face to the ground^[gk] and begged him,^[gl] “Lord, if^[gm] you are willing, you can make me clean.” ¹³So^[gn] he stretched out his hand and touched^[go] him, saying, “I am willing. Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him. ¹⁴Then^[gp] he ordered the man^[gq] to tell no one,^[gr] but commanded him,^[gs] “Go^[gt] and show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering^[gu] for your cleansing, as Moses commanded,^[gv] as a testimony to them.”^[gw] ¹⁵But the news about him spread even more,^[gx] and large crowds were gathering together to hear him^[gy] and to be healed of their illnesses. ¹⁶Yet Jesus himself^[gz] frequently withdrew^[ha] to the wilderness^[hb] and prayed.

Healing and Forgiving a Paralytic

¹⁷Now on^[hc] one of those days, while he was teaching, there were Pharisees^[hd] and teachers of the law^[he] sitting nearby (who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem),^[hf] and the power of the Lord was with him^[hg] to heal. ¹⁸Just then^[hh] some men showed up, carrying a paralyzed man^[hi] on a stretcher.^[hj] They^[hk] were trying to bring him in and place him before Jesus.^[hl] ¹⁹But^[hm] since they found^[hn] no way to carry him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof^[ho] and let him down on the stretcher^[hp] through the roof tiles^[hq] right^[hr] in front of Jesus.^[hs] ²⁰When^[ht] Jesus^[hu] saw their^[hv] faith he said, “Friend,^[hw] your sins are forgiven.”^[hx] ²¹Then^[hy] the experts in the law^[hz] and the Pharisees began to think^[ia] to themselves,^[ib] “Who is this man^[ic] who is uttering blasphemies?^[id] Who can forgive sins but God alone?” ²²When Jesus perceived^[ie] their hostile thoughts,^[if] he said to them,^[ig] “Why are you raising objections^[ih] within yourselves? ²³Which is easier,^[ii] to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? ²⁴But so that you may know^[ij] that the Son of Man^[ik] has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralyzed man^[il]—“I tell you, stand up, take your stretcher^[im] and go home.”^[in] ²⁵Immediately^[io] he stood up before them, picked^[ip] up the stretcher^[iq] he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying^[ir] God. ²⁶Then^[is] astonishment^[it] seized them all, and they glorified^[iu] God. They were filled with awe,^[iv] saying, “We have seen incredible^[iw] things^[ix] today.”^[iy]

The Call of Levi; Eating with Sinners

²⁷After^[iz] this, Jesus^[ja] went out and saw a tax collector^[jb] named Levi^[jc] sitting at the tax booth.^[jd] “Follow me,”^[je] he said to him. ²⁸And he got up and followed him, leaving everything^[jf] behind.^[jg]

²⁹Then^[jh] Levi gave a great banquet^[ji] in his house for Jesus,^[jj] and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others sitting^[jk] at the table with them. ³⁰But^[jl] the Pharisees^[jm] and their experts in the law^[jn] complained^[jo] to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”^[jp] ³¹Jesus^[jq] answered them, “Those who are well don’t need a physician, but those who are sick do.^[jr] ³²I have not come^[js] to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”^[jt]

The Superiority of the New

³³Then^[ju] they said to him, “John’s^[jv] disciples frequently fast^[jw] and pray,^[jx] and so do the disciples of the Pharisees,^[jy] but yours continue to eat and drink.”^[jz] ³⁴So^[ka] Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the wedding guests^[kb] fast while the bridegroom^[kc] is with them, can you?^[kd] ³⁵But those days are coming, and when the bridegroom is taken from them,^[ke] at that time^[kf] they will fast.” ³⁶He also told them a parable:^[kg] “No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews^[kh] it on an old garment. If he does, he will have torn^[ki] the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.^[kj] ³⁷And no one pours new wine into old wineskins.^[kk] If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. ³⁸Instead new wine must be poured into new wineskins.^[kl] ³⁹^[km] No^[kn] one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘The old is good enough.’”^[ko]

Footnotes

Luke 4:1 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate continuity with the previous topic.
Luke 4:1 tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.
Luke 4:1 sn The double mention of the Spirit in this verse makes it clear that the temptation was neither the fault of Jesus nor an accident.
Luke 4:1 tc Most mss (A Θ Ξ Ψ 0102 ƒ^1,13 33 M lat) read εἰς τὴν ἔρημον (eis tēn erēmon, “into the wilderness”), apparently motivated by the parallel in Matt 4:1. However, the reading behind the translation (ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, en tē erēmō) is found in overall better witnesses (P^{4vid,7, 75vid} א B D L W 579 892 1241 it).
Luke 4:1 tn Or “desert.”sn The Judean Wilderness (or Judean Desert) is a geographical feature extending from the mountains of Judea in the west to the Dead Sea in the east. It is a relatively small desert, covering only about 600 square miles (roughly 1,500 square km). The Judean Wilderness is characterized by breathtaking panoramas: mountains, cliffs, chalk hills, and plateaus are interrupted by riverbeds and canyons, some of which are up to 1,500 feet (500 m) deep. Some of the rivers are seasonal streams and some have water all year round. The tall cliffs on the eastern edge of the desert reach a height of 1,000 feet (300 m) above the shore of the Dead Sea. The Judean Wilderness is close to Jerusalem and sparsely populated with few settlements around its edges. It is known for its rugged and desolate landscape, which has provided a refuge and hiding place for rebels and zealots throughout history, as well as solitude for monks and hermits.
Luke 4:2 tn Grk “in the desert, for forty days being tempted.” The participle πειραζόμενος (peirazomenos) has been translated as an adverbial clause in English to avoid a run-on sentence with a second “and.” Here the present participle suggests a period of forty days of testing. Three samples of the end of the testing are given in the following verses.
Luke 4:2 tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 4:2 sn The reference to Jesus eating nothing could well be an idiom meaning that he ate only what the desert provided; see Exod 34:28. A desert fast simply meant eating only what one could obtain in the desert. The parallel in Matt 4:2 speaks only of Jesus fasting.
Luke 4:2 tn The Greek word here is συντελεσθείσων (suntelestheisōn) from the verb συντελέω (sunteleō).sn This verb and its cognate noun, sunteleia, usually implies not just the end of an event, but its completion or fulfillment. The noun is always used in the NT in eschatological contexts; the verb is often so used (cf. Matt 13:39, 40; 24:3; 28:20; Mark 13:4; Rom 9:28; Heb 8:8; 9:26). The idea here may be that the forty-day period of temptation was designed for a particular purpose in the life of Christ (the same verb is used in v. 13). The cognate verb teleioō is a key NT term for the completion of God’s plan: See Luke 12:50; 22:37; John 19:30; and (where it has the additional component of meaning “to perfect”) Heb 2:10; 5:8-9; 7:28.
Luke 4:3 tn This is a first class condition: “If (and let’s assume that you are) the Son of God…”
Luke 4:3 tn Grk “say to this stone that it should become bread.”
Luke 4:4 tn Or “a person.” The Greek word ὁ ἄνθρωπος (ho anthrōpos) is used generically for humanity. The translation “man” is used because the emphasis in Jesus’ response seems to be on his dependence on God as a man.
Luke 4:4 tc Most mss (A [D] Θ Ψ [0102] ƒ^1,13 33 M latt) complete the citation with ἀλλ᾿ ἐπὶ παντὶ ῥήματι θεοῦ (all’ epi panti rhēmati theou, “but by every word from God”), an assimilation to Matt 4:4 (which is a quotation of Deut 8:3). The shorter reading is found in א B L W 1241 sa. There is no good reason why scribes would omit the rest of the quotation here. The shorter reading, on both internal and external grounds, should be considered the autographic wording in Luke.sn A quotation from Deut 8:3. Jesus will live by doing God’s will, and will take no shortcuts.
Luke 4:5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. sn The order of Luke’s temptations differs from Matthew’s at this point as numbers two and three are reversed. It is slightly more likely that Luke has made the change to put the Jerusalem temptation last, as Jerusalem is so important to Luke’s later account. The temporal markers in Matthew’s account are also slightly more specific.
Luke 4:5 tn Grk “he.”
Luke 4:5 tc Most mss (א¹ A [D W] Θ Ψ 0102 ƒ^1,[13] 33 700 2542 M it) refer to Jesus being taken up “to a high mountain” (with many of these also explicitly adding “the devil”) here in parallel with Matt 4:8, but both scribal harmonization to that text and the pedigree of the witnesses for the shorter reading (א* B L 1241) is the reason it should be omitted from Luke.
Luke 4:5 tn “A high place” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied for clarity.
Luke 4:6 tn Grk “And the devil.”
Luke 4:6 sn In Greek, this phrase is in an emphatic position. In effect, the devil is tempting Jesus by saying, “Look what you can have!”
Luke 4:6 tn Or “authority.” BDAG 353 s.v. ἐξουσία 6 suggests, concerning this passage, that the term means “the sphere in which the power is exercised, domain.” Cf. also Luke 22:53; 23:7; Acts 26:18; Eph 2:2.
Luke 4:6 tn The addendum referring to the glory of the kingdoms of the world forms something of an afterthought, as the following pronoun (“it”) makes clear, for the singular refers to the realm itself.
Luke 4:6 tn For the translation of παραδέδοται (paradedotai) see L&N 57.77. The devil is erroneously implying that God has given him such authority with the additional capability of sharing the honor.
Luke 4:7 tn This is a third class condition: “If you worship me (and I am not saying whether you will or will not)…”
Luke 4:7 tn Or “will prostrate yourself in worship before…” The verb προσκυνέω (proskuneō) can allude not only to the act of worship but the position of the worshiper. See L&N 53.56.
Luke 4:7 tn One could translate this phrase “it will all be yours.” The sense is the same, but the translation given is a touch more emphatic and more likely to catch the force of the offer.
Luke 4:8 tn Grk “And Jesus.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 4:8 tc Most mss, especially the later ones (A Θ Ψ 0102 ƒ¹³ M it), have “Get behind me, Satan!” at the beginning of the quotation. This roughly parallels Matt 4:10 (though the Lukan mss add ὀπίσω μου to read ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, σατανᾶ [hupage opisō mou, satana]); for this reason the words are suspect as a later addition to make the two accounts agree more precisely. A similar situation occurred in v. 5.
Luke 4:8 tn Or “You will prostrate yourself in worship before…” The verb προσκυνέω (proskuneō) can allude not only to the act of worship but the position of the worshiper. See L&N 53.56.
Luke 4:8 tc Most later mss (A Θ 0102 M) alter the word order by moving the verb forward in the quotation. This alteration removes the emphasis from “the Lord your God” as the one to receive worship (as opposed to Satan) by moving it away from the beginning of the quotation.sn In the form of the quotation in the Greek text found in the best mss, it is the unique sovereignty of the Lord that has the emphatic position.
Luke 4:8 sn A quotation from Deut 6:13. The word “only” is an interpretive expansion not found in either the Hebrew or Greek (LXX) text of the OT.
Luke 4:9 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Luke 4:9 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the devil) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 4:9 tn Grk “and stood him.”
Luke 4:9 sn What the highest point of the temple refers to is unclear. Perhaps the most popular suggestion is that the word refers to the point on the temple’s southeast corner where it looms directly over a cliff some 450 ft (135 m) high. Others have suggested the reference could be to the roof of the temple or a projection of the roof; still others see a reference to the lintel of the temple’s high gate, or a tower in the temple courts. The Greek word itself could be literally translated “winglet” (a diminutive of the Greek word for “wing”) which may have been chosen as a wordplay on the reference to safety under the “wings” of God in Ps 91:4, the same psalm quoted by the devil in the following verse.
Luke 4:9 tn This is another first class condition, as in v. 3.
Luke 4:10 sn A quotation from Ps 91:11 by the devil. This was not so much an incorrect citation as a use in a wrong context (a misapplication of the passage).
Luke 4:11 sn A quotation from Ps 91:12.
Luke 4:12 tn Grk “And Jesus.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 4:12 tn Grk “Jesus, answering, said to him.” This is redundant in English and has been simplified to “Jesus answered him.”
Luke 4:12 sn A quotation from Deut 6:16 used by Jesus in reply to the devil. The point is that God’s faithfulness should not be put to the test, but is rather a given.
Luke 4:13 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate a summary.
Luke 4:13 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the devil) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 4:13 tn Grk “until a favorable time.”sn Until a more opportune time. Though some have argued that the devil disappears until Luke 22:3, this is unlikely since the cosmic battle with Satan and all the evil angels is consistently mentioned throughout Luke (8:26-39; 11:14-23).
Luke 4:14 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Luke 4:14 sn Once again Jesus is directed by the Spirit. Luke makes a point about Jesus’ association with the Spirit early in his ministry (3:22; 4:1 [2x]; 4:18).
Luke 4:14 tn Grk “went out.”
Luke 4:14 tn Grk “all the surrounding region.”
Luke 4:15 tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 4:15 tn The imperfect verb has been translated ingressively.
Luke 4:15 sn The next incident in Luke 4:16-30 is probably to be seen as an example of this ministry of teaching in their synagogues in Galilee. Synagogues were places for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though the origin of the synagogue is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present (see the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2).
Luke 4:15 tn Grk “being glorified.” The participle δοξαζόμενος (doxazomenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. This is the only place Luke uses the verb δοξάζω (doxazō) of Jesus.
Luke 4:16 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
Luke 4:16 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 4:16 sn Nazareth was Jesus’ hometown (which is why he is known as Jesus of Nazareth) about 20 miles (30 km) southwest from Capernaum.
Luke 4:16 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.
Luke 4:16 tn Grk “according to his custom.”
Luke 4:16 tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 4:16 sn In normative Judaism of the period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present. See the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2. First came the law, then the prophets, then someone was asked to speak on the texts. Normally one stood up to read out of respect for the scriptures, and then sat down (v. 20) to expound them.
Luke 4:17 tn Grk “And unrolling the scroll he found.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Instead a new sentence has been started in the translation.
Luke 4:17 tn Grk “opening,” but a scroll of this period would have to be unrolled. The participle ἀναπτύξας (anaptuxas) has been translated as a finite verb due to the requirements of contemporary English style.
Luke 4:18 sn The phrase he has anointed me is an allusion back to Jesus’ baptism in Luke 3:21-22.
Luke 4:18 tn Grk “to evangelize,” “to preach the gospel.”
Luke 4:18 sn The poor is a key term in Luke. It refers to the pious poor and indicates Jesus’ desire to reach out to those the world tends to forget or mistreat. It is like 1:52 in force and also will be echoed in 6:20 (also 1 Pet 2:11-25). Jesus is commissioned to do this.
Luke 4:18 tc The majority of mss, especially the later Byzantines, include the phrase “to heal the brokenhearted” at this point (A Θ Ψ 0102 ƒ¹ M). The phrase is lacking in several weighty mss (א B D L W Ξ ƒ¹³ 33 579 700 892* lat sy^s co), including representatives from both the Alexandrian and Western text-forms. From the standpoint of external evidence, the omission of the phrase is more likely what the initial text read. When internal evidence is considered, the shorter reading becomes almost certain. Scribes would be much more prone to add the phrase here to align the text with Isa 61:1, the source of the quotation, than to remove it from the initial text.
Luke 4:18 sn The release in view here is comprehensive, both at a physical level and a spiritual one, as the entire ministry of Jesus makes clear (Luke 1:77-79; 7:47; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 5:31; 10:43).
Luke 4:18 sn Again, as with the previous phrase, regaining of sight may well mean more than simply miraculously restoring physical sight, which itself pictures a deeper reality (Luke 1:77-79; 18:35-43).
Luke 4:18 sn The essence of Jesus’ messianic work is expressed in the phrase to set free. This line from Isa 58 says that Jesus will do what the nation had failed to do. It makes the proclamation messianic, not merely prophetic, because Jesus doesn’t just proclaim the message—he brings the deliverance. The word translated set free is the same Greek word (ἄφεσις, aphesis) translated release earlier in the verse.
Luke 4:18 sn Again, as with the previous phrases, oppressed may well mean more than simply political or economic oppression, but a deeper reality of oppression by sin (Luke 1:77-79; 18:35-43).
Luke 4:19 sn The year of the Lord’s favor (Grk “the acceptable year of the Lord”) is a description of the Year of Jubilee (Lev 25:10). The year of the total forgiveness of debt is now turned into a metaphor for salvation. Jesus had come to proclaim that God was ready to forgive sin totally.
Luke 4:19 sn A quotation from Isa 61:1-2a. Within the citation is a line from Isa 58:6, with its reference to setting the oppressed free.
Luke 4:20 tn Grk “And closing.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
Luke 4:20 tn Grk “closing,” but a scroll of this period would have to be rolled up. The participle πτύξας (ptuxas) has been translated as a finite verb due to the requirements of contemporary English style.
Luke 4:20 tn Or “gazing at,” “staring at.”
Luke 4:21 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Luke 4:21 sn See the note on today in 2:11.
Luke 4:21 tn Grk “in your hearing.”
Luke 4:22 tn Grk “And all.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 4:22 tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 4:22 sn The form of the question assumes a positive reply. It really amounts to an objection, as Jesus’ response in the next verses shows. Jesus spoke smoothly and impressively. He made a wonderful declaration, but could a local carpenter’s son make such an offer? That was their real question.
Luke 4:23 tn Grk “And he”; 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 4:23 sn The proverb Physician, heal yourself! means that Jesus should prove his claims. It is a “Prove it to us!” mentality that Jesus says the people have.
Luke 4:23 sn The remark “What we have heard that you did at Capernaum” makes many suspect that Luke has moved this event forward in sequence to typify what Jesus’ ministry was like, since the ministry in Capernaum follows in vv. 31-44. The location of this event in the parallel of Mark 6:1-6 also suggests this transposition. On Capernaum itself, see the note at Luke 4:31.
Luke 4:24 tn Grk “said,” but since this is a continuation of previous remarks, “added” is used here.
Luke 4:24 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amēn), I say to you.”
Luke 4:24 sn Jesus argues that he will get no respect in his own hometown. There is a wordplay here on the word acceptable (δεκτός, dektos), which also occurs in v. 19: Jesus has declared the “acceptable” year of the Lord (here translated year of the Lord’s favor), but he is not “accepted” by the people of his own hometown.
Luke 4:25 sn Elijah’s days. Jesus, by discussing Elijah and Elisha, pictures one of the lowest periods in Israel’s history. These examples, along with v. 24, also show that Jesus is making prophetic claims as well as messianic ones. See 1 Kgs 17-18.
Luke 4:25 tn Or “the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. Since the context here refers to a drought (which produced the famine), “sky” is preferable.
Luke 4:25 tn Grk “as.” The particle ὡς can also function temporally (see BDAG 1105-6 s.v. 8).
Luke 4:26 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast.
Luke 4:26 sn Zarephath in Sidon was Gentile territory (see 1 Kgs 17:9-24). Jesus’ point was that he would be forced to minister elsewhere, and the implication is that this ministry would ultimately extend (through the work of his followers) to those outside the nation.
Luke 4:27 sn The ancient term for leprosy covers a wider array of conditions than what is called leprosy today (Hansen’s disease). In the OT the Hebrew term generally referred to a number of exfoliative (scaly) skin diseases (when applied to humans). A person with one of these diseases was totally ostracized from society until he was declared cured (Lev 13:45-46). In the NT the Greek term also refers to a number of skin diseases, but there is some evidence that true leprosy (Hansen’s disease) could be referred to, since that disease began to be described by Greek physicians in Alexandria, Egypt around 300 B.C. and thus might have been present in Judea and Galilee just before the time of Jesus.
Luke 4:27 sn On Elisha see 2 Kgs 5:1-14.
Luke 4:27 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast.
Luke 4:27 sn The reference to Naaman the Syrian (see 2 Kgs 5:1-24) is another example where an outsider and Gentile was blessed. The stress in the example is the missed opportunity of the people to experience God’s work, but it will still go on without them.
Luke 4:28 tn The words “the people” are not in the Greek text but have been supplied.
Luke 4:29 tn Grk “cast.”
Luke 4:29 tn Or “city.”
Luke 4:29 tn The Greek conjunction ὥστε (hōste) here indicates their purpose.
Luke 4:29 sn The attempt to throw him down the cliff looks like “lynch law,” but it may really be an indication that Jesus was regarded as a false prophet who was worthy of death (Deut 13:5). Such a sentence meant being thrown into a pit and then stoned.
Luke 4:30 tn Grk “their midst.”
Luke 4:30 tn The verb πορεύομαι (poreuomai) in Luke often suggests divine direction, “to go in a led direction” (4:42; 7:6, 11; 9:51, 52, 56, 57; 13:33; 17:11; 22:22, 29; 24:28). It could suggest that Jesus is on a journey, a theme that definitely is present later in Luke 9-19.
Luke 4:31 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the continuation of the topic; in light of his rejection at Nazareth, Jesus went on to Capernaum.
Luke 4:31 sn Capernaum was a town located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It existed since Hasmonean times and was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region. The population in the first century is estimated to be around 1,500. Capernaum became the hub of operations for Jesus’ Galilean ministry (Matt 4:13; Mark 2:1). In modern times the site was discovered in 1838 by the American explorer E. Robinson, and major excavations began in 1905 by German archaeologists H. Kohl and C. Watzinger. Not until 1968, however, were remains from the time of Jesus visible; in that year V. Corbo and S. Loffreda began a series of annual archaeological campaigns that lasted until 1985. This work uncovered what is thought to be the house of Simon Peter as well as ruins of the first century synagogue beneath the later synagogue from the fourth or fifth century A.D. Today gently rolling hills and date palms frame the first century site, a favorite tourist destination of visitors to the Galilee.
Luke 4:31 tn Or “city.”
Luke 4:31 tn Grk “them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 4:32 tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 4:32 sn They were amazed. The astonishment shown here is like that in Luke 2:48.
Luke 4:32 tn Grk “because his word was.”
Luke 4:32 sn Jesus’ teaching impressed the hearers with the directness of its claim (with authority). A study of Jewish rabbinic interpretation shows that it was typical to cite a list of authorities to make one’s point. Apparently Jesus addressed the issues in terms of his own understanding.
Luke 4:33 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a specific example of how Jesus spoke with authority (v. 32).
Luke 4:33 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.
Luke 4:33 tn Grk “having an unclean, demonic spirit,” that is, an evil spirit. This is the only place Luke uses this lengthy phrase. Normally he simply says an “unclean spirit.”
Luke 4:34 tn Grk “What to us and to you?” This is an idiom meaning, “We have nothing to do with one another,” or “Why bother us!” The phrase τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοί (ti hēmin kai soi) is Semitic in origin, though it made its way into colloquial Greek (BDAG 275 s.v. ἐγώ). The equivalent Hebrew expression in the Old Testament had two basic meanings: (1) When one person was unjustly bothering another, the injured party could say “What to me and to you?” meaning, “What have I done to you that you should do this to me?” (Judg 11:12; 2 Chr 35:21; 1 Kgs 17:18). (2) When someone was asked to get involved in a matter he felt was no business of his, he could say to the one asking him, “What to me and to you?” meaning, “That is your business, how am I involved?” (2 Kgs 3:13; Hos 14:8). Option (1) implies hostility, while option (2) merely implies disengagement. BDAG suggests the following as glosses for this expression: What have I to do with you? What have we in common? Leave me alone! Never mind! Hostility between Jesus and the demons is certainly to be understood in this context, hence the translation: “Leave me alone….” For a very similar expression, see Luke 8:28 and (in a different context) John 2:4.
Luke 4:34 sn The confession of Jesus as the Holy One here is significant, coming from an unclean spirit. Jesus, as the Holy One of God, who bears God’s Spirit and is the expression of holiness, comes to deal with uncleanness and unholiness.
Luke 4:35 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast involved in Jesus’ reply.
Luke 4:35 tn Grk “rebuked him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
Luke 4:35 sn The command Come out of him! is an example of Jesus’ authority (see v. 32). Unlike other exorcists, Jesus did not use magical incantations nor did he invoke anyone else’s name.
Luke 4:35 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 4:35 sn The departure of the evil spirit from the man without hurting him shows Jesus’ total deliverance and protection of this individual.
Luke 4:36 tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 4:36 tn This imperfect verb has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
Luke 4:36 tn Grk “What is this word?” The Greek term λόγος (logos) has a wide range of meaning. Here it seems to mean, “What is this matter?” More idiomatically it would be, “What’s going on here?!”
Luke 4:36 sn The phrase with authority and power is in an emphatic position in the Greek text. Once again the authority of Jesus is the point, but now it is not just his teaching that is emphasized, but his ministry. Jesus combined word and deed into a powerful testimony in Capernaum.
Luke 4:37 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate resultative nature of the action.
Luke 4:37 tn That is, “information concerning a person or an event—‘report, news, word, information’” (L&N 33.211).
Luke 4:37 sn Given Luke 4:31, the phrase the region is a reference to Galilee.
Luke 4:38 tn Grk “Arising from the synagogue, he entered.” The participle ἀναστάς (anastas) has been taken temporally here, and the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 4:38 sn There is now significant agreement among scholars that the house of Simon Peter in Capernaum has been found beneath the ruins of a fifth-century Byzantine church some 84 ft south of the synagogue. At the bottom of several layers of archaeological remains is a first-century house that apparently was designated for public viewing sometime in the mid-first century, and continued to be so in subsequent centuries. For details see S. Loffreda, “Capernaum—Jesus’ Own City,” Bible and Spade 10.1 (1981): 1-17.
Luke 4:38 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 4:38 tn Grk “they asked him about her.” It is clear from the context that they were concerned about her physical condition. The verb “to help” in the translation makes this explicit.
Luke 4:39 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the resultative nature of Jesus’ actions.
Luke 4:39 tn Or “rebuked,” but “rebuke” implies strong disapproval, while the usage here involves more of a command with perhaps the implication of a threat (L&N 33.331).sn The language here (commanded) almost treats the illness as a personal force (see vv. 35, 41), but this is not the case. This healing shows Jesus’ power over sickness and should not be construed as an exorcism.
Luke 4:39 tn Grk “and immediately.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, δέ (de) has not been translated here. Instead a new sentence is started in the translation.sn The note that this happened immediately shows the speed and totality of the recovery.
Luke 4:39 tn The imperfect verb has been translated ingressively.
Luke 4:40 tn Grk “everyone, as many as had those being sick.” The use of εἶχον (eichon, “had”) suggests that the subject of the accusative participle ἀσθενοῦντας (asthenountas, “those being sick”) is not simply acquaintances, but rather relatives, perhaps immediate family, and certainly close friends.
Luke 4:40 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 4:40 tn Or “laid.” The participle ἐπιτεθείς (epitetheis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
Luke 4:41 sn Demons also came out. Note how Luke distinguishes healing from exorcism here, implying that the two are not identical.
Luke 4:41 tn Grk “crying out and saying.” The participle λέγοντα (legonta) is redundant in English and has not been translated here.
Luke 4:41 tc Most mss (A Q Θ Ψ 0102 ƒ^1,13 M) read “the Christ, the Son of God.” But the earliest and best mss, along with several other witnesses (א B C D L W Ξ 33 579 700 1241 2542 lat sa), lack “the Christ” here. It is likely that later scribes wished to bring the demons’ confession in line with what Luke says they knew later in the verse.
Luke 4:41 tn Or “commanded,” but “rebuke” implies strong disapproval, which seems to be more in keeping with the context here (L&N 33.419).
Luke 4:41 sn Jesus would not allow the demons to speak because the time for such disclosure was not yet at hand, and such a revelation would have certainly been misunderstood by the people. In all likelihood, if the people had understood him early on to be the Son of God, or Messiah, they would have reduced his mission to one of political deliverance from Roman oppression (cf. John 6:15). Jesus wanted to avoid, as much as possible, any premature misunderstanding about who he was and what he was doing. However, at the end of his ministry, he did not deny such a title when the high priest asked him (22:66-71).
Luke 4:41 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”sn Note how Luke associates Son of God with Messiah (Christ) in this context, a regal connection with OT roots (Ps 2:7). Also, see the note on Christ in 2:11.
Luke 4:42 tn Grk “When it became day.”
Luke 4:42 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 4:42 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate that the crowds still sought Jesus in spite of his withdrawal.
Luke 4:43 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 4:43 tn Here δεῖ (dei, “it is necessary”) indicates divine commission (cf. Luke 2:49).
Luke 4:43 sn The good news of the kingdom, the kingdom of the rule of God through the Messiah, is the topic of Jesus’ preaching.
Luke 4:43 tn Or “cities.”
Luke 4:43 sn Jesus was sent by God for this purpose. This is the language of divine commission.
Luke 4:43 tn Grk “because for this purpose I was sent.”
Luke 4:44 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the summarization.
Luke 4:44 tc Most mss (A D Θ Ψ ƒ¹³ 33 M latt) have “of Galilee”; others, “of the Jews” (W). “Judea” (read by P⁷⁵ א B Q 579 892 sa, and [with minor variation] C L ƒ¹ 1241) is probably the earlier reading since it is both the harder reading and supported by the best witnesses. “Galilee” is an assimilation to Mark 1:39 and Matt 4:23.
Luke 5:1 tn Grk “Now it happened that.” 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.
Luke 5:1 sn The Lake of Gennesaret is another name for the Sea of Galilee. Cf. the parallel in Matt 4:18.
Luke 5:1 sn The image of the crowd pressing around him suggests the people leaning forward to catch Jesus’ every word.
Luke 5:2 tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 5:3 tn Grk “Getting into”; the participle ἐμβάς (embas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
Luke 5:3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Luke 5:3 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 5:3 tn Grk “sitting down”; the participle καθίσας (kathisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
Luke 5:3 sn In 1986 following a period of drought and low lake levels, a fishing boat from the first century was discovered on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. It was excavated and preserved and can now be seen in the Yigal Allon Museum in Kibbutz Ginosar north of Tiberias. The remains of the boat are 27 ft (8.27 m) long and 7.5 ft (2.3 m) wide; it could be rowed by four rowers and had a mast for a sail. The boat is now known as the “Jesus boat” or the “Sea of Galilee boat” although there is no known historical connection of any kind with Jesus or his disciples. However, the boat is typical for the period and has provided archaeologists with much information about design and construction of boats on the Sea of Galilee in the first century.
Luke 5:4 tn Or “let down.” The verb here is plural, so this is a command to all in the boat, not just Peter.
Luke 5:5 tn Grk “And Simon.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 5:5 tn Grk “answering, Simon said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation to “Simon answered.”
Luke 5:5 tn The word ἐπιστάτης is a term of respect for a person of high status (see L&N 87.50).
Luke 5:5 tn The expression “at your word,” which shows Peter’s obedience, stands first in the Greek clause for emphasis.
Luke 5:5 tn Or “let down.”
Luke 5:6 tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 5:6 tn In context, this imperfect verb is best taken as an ingressive imperfect.
Luke 5:7 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate consequential nature of the action.
Luke 5:7 tn That is, “they signaled by making gestures” (L&N 33.485).
Luke 5:7 tn This infinitive conveys the idea that the boats were at the point of sinking (BDF §338.1).
Luke 5:8 sn Lord is a term of high respect in this context. God’s presence in the work of Jesus makes Peter recognize his authority. This vocative is common in Luke (20 times), but does not yet have its full confessional force.
Luke 5:8 sn Peter was intimidated that someone who was obviously working with divine backing was in his presence (“Go away from me”). He feared his sinfulness might lead to judgment, but Jesus would show him otherwise.
Luke 5:9 sn An explanatory conjunction (For) makes it clear that Peter’s exclamation is the result of a surprising set of events. He speaks, but the others feel similarly.
Luke 5:9 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 5:9 sn In the Greek text, this term is in an emphatic position.
Luke 5:10 tn Or “business associates.”
Luke 5:10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Luke 5:10 sn From now on is a common Lukan expression, see Luke 1:48.
Luke 5:10 tn The Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, thus “people.”sn The kind of fishing envisioned was net—not line—fishing, which involved a circular net that had heavy weights around its perimeter. The occupation of fisherman was labor-intensive. The imagery of using a lure and a line (and waiting for the fish to strike) is thus foreign to this text. Rather, the imagery of a fisherman involved much strain, long hours, and often little results. Jesus’ point may have been one or more of the following: the strenuousness of evangelism, the work ethic that it required, persistence and dedication to the task (often in spite of minimal results), the infinite value of the new “catch” (viz., people), and perhaps an eschatological theme of snatching people from judgment (cf. W. L. Lane, Mark [NICNT], 67; D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 1:461). If this last motif is in view, then catching people is the opposite of catching fish: The fish would be caught, killed, cooked, and eaten; people would be caught so as to remove them from eternal destruction and to give them new life. With the statement “You will be catching people” Jesus turns the miracle into a metaphor for mission.
Luke 5:11 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of Jesus’ pronouncement.
Luke 5:11 sn The expression left everything and followed him pictures discipleship, which means that to learn from Jesus is to follow him as the guiding priority of one’s life.
Luke 5:12 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.
Luke 5:12 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 5:12 tn Or “cities.”
Luke 5:12 tn Grk “towns, behold, a man covered with leprosy.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou, “behold”) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
Luke 5:12 tn Grk “full of leprosy” (an idiom for a severe condition).
Luke 5:12 sn See the note on lepers in Luke 4:27.
Luke 5:12 tn Grk “And seeing.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, δέ (de) has not been translated here. The participle ἰδών (idōn) has been taken temporally.
Luke 5:12 tn Grk “he fell on his face”; an idiom for bowing down with one’s face to the ground.
Luke 5:12 tn Grk “and begged him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
Luke 5:12 tn This is a third class condition. The report portrays the leper making no presumptions about whether Jesus will heal him or not.
Luke 5:13 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the response of Jesus to the man’s request.
Luke 5:13 sn Touched. This touch would have rendered Jesus ceremonially unclean (Lev 14:46; also Mishnah, m. Nega’im 3.1; 11.1; 12.1; 13.6-12).
Luke 5:14 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Luke 5:14 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 5:14 sn The silence ordered by Jesus was probably meant to last only until the cleansing took place with the priests and sought to prevent Jesus’ healings from becoming the central focus of the people’s reaction to him. See also 4:35, 41; 8:56 for other cases where Jesus asks for silence with reference to miracles.
Luke 5:14 tn The words “commanded him” are not in the Greek text but have been supplied for clarity. This verse moves from indirect to direct discourse. This abrupt change is very awkward, so the words have been supplied to smooth out the transition.
Luke 5:14 tn Grk “Going, show.” The participle ἀπελθών (apelthōn) has been translated as an attendant circumstance participle. Here the syntax also changes somewhat abruptly from indirect discourse to direct discourse.
Luke 5:14 tn The words “the offering” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
Luke 5:14 sn On the phrase as Moses commanded see Lev 14:1-32.
Luke 5:14 tn Or “as an indictment against them”; or “as proof to the people.” This phrase could be taken as referring to a positive witness to the priests, a negative testimony against them, or as a testimony to the community that the man had indeed been cured. In any case, the testimony shows that Jesus is healing and ministering to those in need.
Luke 5:15 sn That is, in spite of Jesus’ instructions to the man to tell no one about the healing (v. 14).
Luke 5:15 tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
Luke 5:16 tn Here αὐτός (autos) has been translated reflexively.
Luke 5:16 tn Grk “was withdrawing” (ἦν ὑποχωρῶν, ēn hupochōrōn). The adverb “frequently” has been added in the translation to bring out what is most likely an iterative force to the imperfect. However, the imperfect might instead portray an ingressive idea: “he began to withdraw.” See ExSyn 542-43.
Luke 5:16 tn Or “desert.”
Luke 5:17 tn Grk “And it happened that on.” 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.
Luke 5:17 sn Pharisees were members of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.
Luke 5:17 tn That is, those who were skilled in the teaching and interpretation of the OT law. These are called “experts in the law” (Grk “scribes”) in v. 21.
Luke 5:17 sn Jesus was now attracting attention outside of Galilee as far away as Jerusalem, the main city of Israel.
Luke 5:17 tc Most mss (A C D [K] Θ Ψ ƒ^1,13 33 M latt bo) read αὐτούς (autous) instead of αὐτόν (auton) here. If original, this plural pronoun would act as the direct object of the infinitive ἰᾶσθαι (iasthai, “to heal”). However, the reading with the singular pronoun αὐτόν, which acts as the subject of the infinitive, is to be preferred. Externally, it has support from better mss (א B L W al sa). Internally, it is probable that scribes changed the singular αὐτόν to the plural αὐτούς, expecting the object of the infinitive to come at this point in the text. The singular as the harder reading accounts for the rise of the other reading.
Luke 5:18 tn Grk “And behold.” Here καὶ ἰδού (kai idou) has been translated as “just then” to indicate the somewhat sudden appearance of the men carrying the paralytic. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1), especially in conjunction with the suddenness of the stretcher-bearers’ appearance.
Luke 5:18 tn Grk “a man who was paralyzed”; the relative clause in Greek has adjectival force and has been simplified to a simple adjective in the translation.
Luke 5:18 tn Traditionally, “on a bed,” but this could be confusing to the modern reader who might envision a large piece of furniture. In various contexts, κλίνη (klinē) may be translated “bed, couch, cot, stretcher, or bier” (in the case of a corpse). See L&N 6.106.
Luke 5:18 tn Grk “stretcher, and.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Instead, because of the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was begun here in the translation.
Luke 5:18 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 5:19 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast implied in the context: They wanted to bring the man to Jesus, but found no way.
Luke 5:19 tn Grk “But finding.” The participle εὑρόντες (heurontes) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.
Luke 5:19 sn A house in 1st century Palestine would have had a flat roof with stairs or a ladder going up. This access was often from the outside of the house.
Luke 5:19 tn This word, κλινίδιον (klinidion), is a different Greek word than the one used in the previous verse (κλίνη, klinē). In this context both may be translated “stretcher” (see L&N 6.106 and 6.107).
Luke 5:19 tn There is a translational problem at this point in the text. The term Luke uses is κέραμος (keramos). It can in certain contexts mean “clay,” but usually this is in reference to pottery (see BDAG 540 s.v. 1). The most natural definition in this instance is “roof tile” (used in the translation above). However, tiles were generally not found in Galilee. Recent archaeological research has suggested that this house, which would have probably been typical for the area, could not have supported “a second story, nor could the original roof have been masonry; no doubt it was made from beams and branches of trees covered with a mixture of earth and straw” (J. F. Strange and H. Shanks, “Has the House Where Jesus Stayed in Capernaum Been Found?” BAR 8, no. 6 [Nov/Dec 1982]: 34). Luke may simply have spoken of building materials that would be familiar to his readers.
Luke 5:19 tn Grk “in the midst.”
Luke 5:19 sn The phrase right in front of Jesus trailing as it does at the end of the verse is slightly emphatic, adding a little note of drama: What would Jesus do?
Luke 5:20 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 5:20 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 5:20 sn The plural pronoun their makes it clear that Jesus was responding to the faith of the entire group, not just the paralyzed man.
Luke 5:20 tn Grk “Man,” but the term used in this way was not derogatory in Jewish culture. Used in address (as here) it means “friend” (see BDAG 82 s.v. ἄνθρωπος 8).
Luke 5:20 tn Grk “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” Luke stresses the forgiveness of sins (cf. 1:77; 3:3; 24:47). In 5:20 he uses both the perfect ἀφέωνται and the personal pronoun σοι which together combine to heighten the subjective aspect of the experience of forgiveness. The σοι has been omitted in translation in light of normal English style.sn The passive voice here is a divine passive (ExSyn 437). It is clear that God does the forgiving.
Luke 5:21 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Luke 5:21 tn Or “Then the scribes.” The traditional rendering of γραμματεύς (grammateus) as “scribe” does not communicate much to the modern English reader, for whom the term might mean “professional copyist,” if it means anything at all. The people referred to here were recognized experts in the law of Moses and in traditional laws and regulations. Thus “expert in the law” comes closer to the meaning for the modern reader.
Luke 5:21 tn Or “to reason” (in a hostile sense). See G. Schrenk, TDNT 2:97.
Luke 5:21 tn The participle λέγοντες (legontes, “saying”) has not been translated because it is redundant in contemporary English.
Luke 5:21 tn Grk “this one” (οὗτος, houtos).
Luke 5:21 sn Uttering blasphemies in the NT has a somewhat broader meaning than mere exclamations or pronouncements. It could mean to say something that dishonored God, but it could also involve claims to divine prerogatives (in this case, to forgive sins on God’s behalf). Such claims were viewed as usurping God’s majesty or honor. The remark here raised directly the issue of the nature of Jesus’ ministry, and even more importantly, the identity of Jesus himself as God’s representative.
Luke 5:22 sn Jesus often perceived people’s thoughts in Luke; see 4:23; 6:8; 7:40; 9:47. Such a note often precedes a rebuke.
Luke 5:22 tn Grk “reasonings.” This is the noun form of the infinitive διαλογίζεσθαι (dialogizesthai, “began to reason to themselves”) used in v. 21. Jesus’ reply to them in the latter part of the present verse makes clear that these reasonings were mental and internal, so the translation “thoughts” was used here. On the hostile or evil nature of these thoughts, see G. Schrenk, TDNT 2:97.
Luke 5:22 tn Grk “answering, he said to them.” This construction with passive participle and finite verb is pleonastic (redundant) and has been simplified in the translation.
Luke 5:22 tn The Greek verb διαλογίζεσθε (dialogizesthe, “you reason”), used in context with διαλογισμούς (dialogismous, “reasonings”), connotes more than neutral reasoning or thinking. While the verb can refer to normal “reasoning,” “discussion,” or “reflection” in the NT, its use here in Luke 5:22, alongside the noun—which is regularly used with a negative sense in the NT (cf. Matt 15:19; Mark 7:21; Luke 2:35; 6:8; 9:47; Rom 1:21; 1 Cor 3:20; G. Schrenk, TDNT 2:96-97; D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 1:484)—suggests the idea of “contention.” Therefore, in order to reflect the hostility evident in the reasoning of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, the verb has been translated as “raising objections.”
Luke 5:23 sn Which is easier is a reflective kind of question. On the one hand to declare sins are forgiven is easier, since one does not need to see it, unlike telling a paralyzed person to walk. On the other hand, it is harder, because for it to be true one must possess the authority to forgive the sin.
Luke 5:24 sn Now Jesus put the two actions together. The walking of the man would be proof (so that you may know) that his sins were forgiven and that God had worked through Jesus (i.e., the Son of Man).
Luke 5:24 sn The term Son of Man, which is a title in Greek, comes from a pictorial description in Dan 7:13 of one “like a son of man” (i.e., a human being). It is Jesus’ favorite way to refer to himself. Jesus did not reveal the background of the term here, which mixes human and divine imagery as the man in Daniel rides a cloud, something only God does. He just used it. It also could be an idiom in Aramaic meaning either “some person” or “me.” So there is a little ambiguity in its use here, since its origin is not clear at this point. However, the action makes it clear that Jesus used it to refer to himself here.
Luke 5:24 tn Grk “to the one who was paralyzed”; the Greek participle is substantival and has been simplified to a simple adjective and noun in the translation.sn Jesus did not finish his sentence with words but with action, that is, healing the paralytic with an accompanying pronouncement to him directly.
Luke 5:24 tn This word, κλινίδιον (klinidion), is the same as the one used in v. 19. In this context it may be translated “stretcher” (see L&N 6.107).
Luke 5:24 tn Grk “to your house.”
Luke 5:25 tn Grk “And immediately.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 5:25 tn Grk “and picked up.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because contemporary English normally places a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series.
Luke 5:25 tn Grk “picked up what he had been lying on”; the referent of the relative pronoun (the stretcher) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 5:25 sn Note the man’s response, glorifying God. Joy at God’s work is also a key theme in Luke: 2:20; 4:15; 5:26; 7:16; 13:13; 17:15; 18:43; 23:47.
Luke 5:26 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Luke 5:26 tn Or “amazement.” See L&N 25.217, which translates this clause, “astonishment seized all of them.”
Luke 5:26 tn This imperfect verb could be translated as an ingressive (“they began to glorify God”), but this is somewhat awkward in English since the following verb is aorist and is normally translated as a simple past.
Luke 5:26 tn Grk “fear,” but the context and the following remark show that it is mixed with wonder; see L&N 53.59.
Luke 5:26 tn Or “remarkable.” The term παράδοξος (paradoxos) is hard to translate exactly; it suggests both the unusual and the awe inspiring in this context. For the alternatives see L&N 31.44 (“incredible”) and 58.56 (“remarkable”). It is often something beyond belief (G. Kittel, TDNT 2:255).
Luke 5:26 tn The word “things” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied because the adjective παράδοξος (paradoxos) is substantival. Other translations sometimes supply alternate words like “miracles” or “signs,” but “things” is the most neutral translation.
Luke 5:26 sn See the note on today in 2:11.
Luke 5:27 tn Grk “And after.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 5:27 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
Luke 5:27 sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.
Luke 5:27 sn It is possible that Levi is a second name for Matthew, because people often used alternative names in 1st century Jewish culture.
Luke 5:27 tn While “tax office” is sometimes given as a translation for τελώνιον (telōnion; so L&N 57.183), this could give the modern reader a false impression of an indoor office with all its associated furnishings.sn The tax booth was a booth located at a port or on the edge of a city or town to collect taxes for trade. These taxes were a form of customs duty or toll applied to the movement of goods and produce brought into an area for sale. As such these tolls were a sort of “sales tax” paid by the seller but obviously passed on to the purchaser in the form of increased prices (L&N 57.183). The system as a whole is sometimes referred to as “tax farming” because a contract to collect these taxes for an entire district would be sold to the highest bidder, who would pay up front, hire employees to do the work of collection, and then recoup the investment and overhead by charging commissions on top of the taxes. Although rates and commissions were regulated by law, there was plenty of room for abuse in the system through the subjective valuation of goods by the tax collectors, and even through outright bribery. Tax overseers and their employees were obviously not well liked. There was a tax booth in Capernaum, which was on the trade route from Damascus to Galilee and the Mediterranean. It was here that Jesus met Levi (also named Matthew [see Matt 9:9]) who, although indirectly employed by the Romans, was probably more directly responsible to Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee appointed by Rome. It was Levi’s job to collect customs duties for Rome and he was thus despised by his fellow Jews, many of whom would have regarded him as a traitor.
Luke 5:27 sn Follow me. For similar calls on the part of Jesus see Luke 5:10-11; 9:23, 59; 18:22.
Luke 5:28 sn On the phrase leaving everything see Luke 5:10-11; 14:33.
Luke 5:28 tn The participial phrase “leaving everything behind” occurs at the beginning of the sentence, but has been transposed to the end in the translation for logical reasons, since it serves to summarize Levi’s actions.
Luke 5:29 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Luke 5:29 sn A great banquet refers to an elaborate meal. Many of the events in Luke take place in the context of meal fellowship: 7:36-50; 9:12-17; 10:38-42; 11:37-54; 14:1-24; 22:7-38; 24:29-32, 41-43.
Luke 5:29 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 5:29 tn Grk “reclining.” This term reflects the normal practice in 1st century Jewish culture of eating a meal in a semi-reclining position. Since it is foreign to most modern readers, the translation “sitting” has been substituted.
Luke 5:30 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the implied contrast present in this context.
Luke 5:30 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
Luke 5:30 tn Or “and their scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.
Luke 5:30 tn Or “grumbled”; a term often used in the OT for inappropriate grumbling: Exod 15:24; 16:7-8; Num 14:2, 26-35; 16:11.
Luke 5:30 sn The issue here is inappropriate associations (eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners) and the accusation comes not against Jesus, but his disciples.
Luke 5:31 tn Grk “And Jesus.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 5:31 sn Jesus’ point is that he associates with those who are sick because they have the need and will respond to the offer of help. A person who is well (or who thinks mistakenly that he is) will not seek treatment.
Luke 5:32 sn I have not come is another commission statement by Jesus; see 4:43-44.
Luke 5:32 sn Though parallels exist to this saying (Matt 9:13; Mark 2:17), only Luke has this last phrase but sinners to repentance. Repentance is a frequent topic in Luke’s Gospel: 3:3, 8; 13:1-5; 15:7, 10; 16:30; 17:3-4; 24:47.
Luke 5:33 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Luke 5:33 tc Most mss (א*^,2 A C D Θ Ψ ƒ^1,13 M latt sy) read διὰ τί (dia ti, “Why do John’s…?”) here, turning the statement into a question. But such seems to be a motivated reading, assimilating the text to Mark 2:18 and Matt 9:14. The reading represented in the translation is supported by P⁴ א¹ B L W Ξ 33 892* 1241 sa.sn John refers to John the Baptist.
Luke 5:33 sn John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees followed typical practices with regard to fasting and prayer. Many Jews fasted regularly (Lev 16:29-34; 23:26-32; Num 29:7-11). The zealous fasted twice a week on Monday and Thursday.
Luke 5:33 tn Grk “and offer prayers,” but this idiom (δέησις + ποιέω) is often simply a circumlocution for praying.
Luke 5:33 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
Luke 5:33 tn Grk “but yours are eating and drinking.” The translation “continue to eat and drink” attempts to reflect the progressive or durative nature of the action described, which in context is a practice not limited to the specific occasion at hand (the banquet).
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.
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).
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).
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?”).
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.
Luke 5:35 tn Grk “then in those days.”
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.
Luke 5:36 tn Grk “puts,” but since the means of attachment would normally be sewing, the translation “sews” has been used.
Luke 5:36 tn Grk “he tears.” The point is that the new garment will be ruined to repair an older, less valuable one.
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.
Luke 5:37 sn Wineskins were bags made of skin or leather, used for storing wine in NT times. As the new wine fermented and expanded, it would stretch the new wineskins. Putting new (unfermented) wine in old wineskins, which had already been stretched, would result in the bursting of the wineskins.
Luke 5:38 tc Most mss (A C [D] Θ Ψ ƒ¹³ M latt sy) have καὶ ἀμφότεροι συντηροῦνται (kai amphoteroi suntērountai, “and both will be preserved”), assimilating the text to Matt 9:17. The earliest and best witnesses, as well as many others (P^4,75vid א B L W ƒ¹ 33 579 700 1241 2542 co), however, lack the words.sn The meaning of the saying new wine…into new skins is that the presence and teaching of Jesus was something new and signaled the passing of the old. It could not be confined within the old religion of Judaism, but involved the inauguration and consummation of the kingdom of God.
Luke 5:39 tc The Western textual tradition (D it) lacks 5:39. The verse is unique to Luke, so the omission by these witnesses looks like assimilation to the other synoptic accounts.
Luke 5:39 tc ‡ Although most mss begin the verse with καί (kai, “and”), beginning the sentence without a conjunction is both a harder reading and is found in early and significant witnesses (P^4,75vid א² B 579 700 892 1241). NA²⁸ puts the word in brackets indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
Luke 5:39 tc Most mss, especially the later ones (A C Θ Ψ ƒ^1,13 33 M lat), read χρηστότερος (chrēstoteros, “better”), a smoother reading. The reading of the text (found in P⁴ א B L W 1241) is preferred as the more difficult reading. This reading could suggest that the new thing Jesus brings is not even considered, since the “old wine” is already found quite acceptable.tn Grk “good.”sn The third illustration points out that those already satisfied with what they have will not seek the new (The old is good enough).

John 1:15-51

¹⁵John^[a] testified^[b] about him and shouted out,^[c] “This one was the one about whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is greater than I am,^[d] because he existed before me.’” ¹⁶For we have all received from his fullness one gracious gift after another.^[e] ¹⁷For the law was given through Moses, but^[f] grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸No one has ever seen God. The only one,^[g] himself God, who is in closest fellowship with^[h] the Father, has made God^[i] known.^[j]

The Testimony of John the Baptist

¹⁹Now^[k] this was^[l] John’s^[m] testimony^[n] when the Jewish leaders^[o] sent^[p] priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”^[q] ²⁰He confessed—he did not deny but confessed—“I am not the Christ!”^[r] ²¹So they asked him, “Then who are you?^[s] Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not!”^[t] “Are you the Prophet?”^[u] He answered, “No!” ²²Then they said to him, “Who are you? Tell us^[v] so that we can give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

²³John^[w] said, “I am the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Make straight^[x] the way for the Lord,’^[y] as the prophet Isaiah said.” ²⁴(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.^[z])^[aa] ²⁵So they asked John,^[ab] “Why then are you baptizing if you are not the Christ,^[ac] nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

²⁶John answered them,^[ad] “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not recognize,^[ae] ²⁷who is coming after me. I am not worthy^[af] to untie the strap^[ag] of his sandal!” ²⁸These things happened in Bethany^[ah] across the Jordan River^[ai] where John was baptizing.

²⁹On the next day John^[aj] saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God^[ak] who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰This is the one about whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is greater than I am,^[al] because he existed before me.’ ³¹I did not recognize^[am] him, but I came baptizing with water so that he could be revealed to Israel.”^[an]

³²Then^[ao] John testified,^[ap] “I saw the Spirit descending like a dove^[aq] from heaven,^[ar] and it remained on him.^[as] ³³And I did not recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining—this is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴I have both seen and testified that this man is the Chosen One of God.”^[at]

³⁵Again the next day John^[au] was standing there^[av] with two of his disciples. ³⁶Gazing at Jesus as he walked by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”^[aw] ³⁷When John’s^[ax] two disciples heard him say this,^[ay] they followed Jesus.^[az] ³⁸Jesus turned around and saw them following and said to them, “What do you want?”^[ba] So they said to him, “Rabbi” (which is translated Teacher),^[bb] “where are you staying?” ³⁹Jesus^[bc] answered,^[bd] “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. Now it was about four o’clock in the afternoon.^[be]

Andrew’s Declaration

⁴⁰Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two disciples who heard what John said^[bf] and followed Jesus.^[bg] ⁴¹He first^[bh] found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah!”^[bi] (which is translated Christ).^[bj] ⁴²Andrew brought Simon^[bk] to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, the son of John.^[bl] You will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).^[bm]

The Calling of More Disciples

⁴³On the next day Jesus^[bn] wanted to set out for Galilee.^[bo] He^[bp] found Philip and said^[bq] to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴(Now Philip was from Bethsaida,^[br] the town of^[bs] Andrew and Peter.) ⁴⁵Philip found Nathanael^[bt] and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets also^[bu] wrote about—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” ⁴⁶Nathanael^[bv] replied,^[bw] “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”^[bx] Philip replied,^[by] “Come and see.”

⁴⁷Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and exclaimed,^[bz] “Look, a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit!”^[ca] ⁴⁸Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” Jesus replied,^[cb] “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree,^[cc] I saw you.” ⁴⁹Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king^[cd] of Israel!”^[ce] ⁵⁰Jesus said to him,^[cf] “Because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”^[cg] ⁵¹He continued,^[ch] “I tell all of you the solemn truth^[ci]—you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”^[cj]

Footnotes

John 1:15 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
John 1:15 tn Or “bore witness.”
John 1:15 tn Grk “and shouted out saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
John 1:15 tn Or “has a higher rank than I.”
John 1:16 tn Grk “for from his fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” The meaning of the phrase χάριν ἀντὶ χάριτος (charin anti charitos) could be: (1) love (grace) under the New Covenant in place of love (grace) under the Sinai Covenant, thus replacement; (2) grace “on top of” grace, thus accumulation; (3) grace corresponding to grace, thus correspondence. The most commonly held view is (2) in one sense or another, and this is probably the best explanation. This sense is supported by a fairly well-known use in Philo, Posterity 43 (145). Morna D. Hooker suggested that Exod 33:13 provides the background for this expression: “Now therefore, I pray you, if I have found χάρις (LXX) in your sight, let me know your ways, that I may know you, so that I may find χάρις (LXX) in your sight.” Hooker proposed that it is this idea of favor given to one who has already received favor which lies behind 1:16, and this seems very probable as a good explanation of the meaning of the phrase (“The Johannine Prologue and the Messianic Secret,” NTS 21 [1974/75]: 53).sn Earlier commentators (including Origen and Luther) took the words For we have all received from his fullness one gracious gift after another to be John the Baptist’s. Most modern commentators take them as the words of the author.
John 1:17 tn “But” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the implied contrast between the Mosaic law and grace through Jesus Christ. John 1:17 seems to indicate clearly that the Old Covenant (Sinai) was being contrasted with the New. In Jewish sources the Law was regarded as a gift from God (Josephus, Ant. 3.8.10 [3.223]; Pirqe Avot 1.1; Sifre Deut 31:4 §305). Further information can be found in T. F. Glasson, Moses in the Fourth Gospel (SBT).
John 1:18 tc The textual problem μονογενὴς θεός (monogenēs theos, “the only God”) versus ὁ μονογενὴς υἱός (ho monogenēs huios, “the only son”) is a notoriously difficult one. Only one letter would have differentiated the readings in the mss, since both words would have been contracted as nomina sacra: thus qMs or uMs. Externally, there are several variants, but they can be grouped essentially by whether they read θεός or υἱός. The majority of mss, especially the later ones (A C³ Θ Ψ ƒ^1,13 M lat), read ὁ μονογενὴς υἱός. P⁷⁵ א¹ 33 have ὁ μονογενὴς θεός, while the anarthrous μονογενὴς θεός is found in P⁶⁶ א* B C* L. The articular θεός is almost certainly a scribal emendation to the anarthrous θεός, for θεός without the article is a much harder reading. The external evidence thus strongly supports μονογενὴς θεός. Internally, although υἱός fits the immediate context more readily, θεός is much more difficult. As well, θεός also explains the origin of the other reading (υἱός), because it is difficult to see why a scribe who found υἱός in the text he was copying would alter it to θεός. Scribes would naturally change the wording to υἱός however, since μονογενὴς υἱός is a uniquely Johannine christological title (cf. John 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9). But θεός as the older and more difficult reading is preferred. As for translation, it makes the most sense to see the word θεός as in apposition to μονογενής, and the participle ὁ ὤν (ho ōn) as in apposition to θεός, giving in effect three descriptions of Jesus rather than only two. (B. D. Ehrman, The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture, 81, suggests that it is nearly impossible and completely unattested in the NT for an adjective followed immediately by a noun that agrees in gender, number, and case, to be a substantival adjective: “when is an adjective ever used substantivally when it immediately precedes a noun of the same inflection?” This, however, is an overstatement. First, as Ehrman admits, μονογενής in John 1:14 is substantival. And since it is an established usage for the adjective in this context, one might well expect that the author would continue to use the adjective substantivally four verses later. Indeed, μονογενής is already moving toward a crystallized substantival adjective in the NT [cf. Luke 9:38; Heb 11:17]; in patristic Greek, the process continued [cf. PGL 881 s.v. 7]. Second, there are several instances in the NT in which a substantival adjective is followed by a noun with which it has complete concord: cf., e.g., Rom 1:30; Gal 3:9; 1 Tim 1:9; 2 Pet 2:5.) The modern translations which best express this are the NEB (margin) and TEV. Several things should be noted: μονογενής alone, without υἱός, can mean “only son,” “unique son,” “unique one,” etc. (see 1:14). Furthermore, θεός is anarthrous. As such it carries qualitative force much like it does in 1:1c, where θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος (theos ēn ho logos) means “the Word was fully God” or “the Word was fully of the essence of deity.” Finally, ὁ ὤν occurs in Rev 1:4, 8; 4:8; 11:17; and 16:5, but even more significantly in the LXX of Exod 3:14. Putting all of this together leads to the translation given in the text.tn Or “The unique one.” For the meaning of μονογενής (monogenēs) see the note on “one and only” in 1:14.
John 1:18 tn Grk “in the bosom of” (an idiom for closeness or nearness; cf. L&N 34.18; BDAG 556 s.v. κόλπος 1).
John 1:18 tn Grk “him”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
John 1:18 sn Has made God known. In this final verse of the prologue, the climactic and ultimate statement of the earthly career of the Logos, Jesus of Nazareth, is reached. The unique One (John 1:14), the One who has taken on human form and nature by becoming incarnate (became flesh, 1:14), who is himself fully God (the Word was God, 1:1c) and is to be identified with the ever-living One of the Old Testament revelation (Exod 3:14), who is in intimate relationship with the Father, this One and no other has fully revealed what God is like. As Jesus said to Philip in John 14:9, “The one who has seen me has seen the Father.”
John 1:19 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.
John 1:19 tn Grk “is.”
John 1:19 sn John’s refers to John the Baptist.
John 1:19 tn Or “witness.”sn John the Baptist’s testimony seems to take place over 3 days: day 1, John’s testimony about his own role is largely negative (1:19-28); day 2, John gives positive testimony about who Jesus is (1:29-34); day 3, John sends his own disciples to follow Jesus (1:35-40).
John 1:19 tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. Here the author refers to the authorities or leaders in Jerusalem. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.)
John 1:19 tc ‡ Several significant witnesses have πρὸς αὐτόν (pros auton, “to him”) either here (B C* 33 892^c al it) or after “Levites” (P^{66c vid} A Θ Ψ ƒ¹³ 579 al lat), while the earliest mss as well as the majority of mss (P^66*,75 א C³ L W^s ƒ¹ M) lack the phrase. On the one hand, πρὸς αὐτόν could be perceived as redundant since αὐτόν is used again later in the verse, thus prompting scribes to omit the phrase. On the other hand, both the variation in placement of πρὸς αὐτόν and the fact that this phrase rather than the latter αὐτόν is lacking in certain witnesses (cf. John 11:44; 14:7; 18:31), suggests that scribes felt that the sentence needed the phrase to make the sense clearer. Although a decision is difficult, the shorter reading is slightly preferred. NA²⁸ has πρὸς αὐτόν in brackets, indicating doubt as to the phrase’s authenticity.
John 1:19 sn “Who are you?” No uniform Jewish expectation of a single eschatological figure existed in the 1st century. A majority expected the Messiah. But some pseudepigraphic books describe God’s intervention without mentioning the anointed Davidic king; in parts of 1 Enoch, for example, the figure of the Son of Man, not the Messiah, embodies the expectations of the author. Essenes at Qumran seem to have expected three figures: a prophet, a priestly messiah, and a royal messiah. In baptizing, John the Baptist was performing an eschatological action. It also seems to have been part of his proclamation (John 1:23, 26-27). Crowds were beginning to follow him. He was operating in an area not too far from the Essene center on the Dead Sea. No wonder the authorities were curious about who he was.
John 1:20 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).sn “I am not the Christ.” A 3rd century work, the pseudo-Clementine Recognitions (1.54 and 1.60 in the Latin text; the statement is not as clear in the Syriac version) records that John’s followers proclaimed him to be the Messiah. There is no clear evidence that they did so in the 1st century, however—but Luke 3:15 indicates some wondered. Concerning the Christ, the term χριστός (christos) was originally an adjective (“anointed”), developing in LXX into a substantive (“an anointed one”), then developing still further into a technical generic term (“the anointed one”). In the intertestamental period it developed further into a technical term referring to the hoped-for anointed one, that is, a specific individual. In the NT the development starts there (technical-specific), is so used in the gospels, and then develops in Paul to mean virtually Jesus’ last name.
John 1:21 tn Grk “What then?” (an idiom).
John 1:21 sn According to the 1st century rabbinic interpretation of 2 Kgs 2:11, Elijah was still alive. In Mal 4:5 it is said that Elijah would be the precursor of Messiah. How does one reconcile John the Baptist’s denial here (“I am not”) with Jesus’ statements in Matt 11:14 (see also Mark 9:13 and Matt 17:12) that John the Baptist was Elijah? Some have attempted to remove the difficulty by a reconstruction of the text in the Gospel of John which makes the Baptist say that he was Elijah. However, external support for such emendations is lacking. According to Gregory the Great, John was not Elijah, but exercised toward Jesus the function of Elijah by preparing his way. But this avoids the real difficulty, since in John’s Gospel the question of the Jewish authorities to the Baptist concerns precisely his function. It has also been suggested that the author of the Gospel here preserves a historically correct reminiscence—that John the Baptist did not think of himself as Elijah, although Jesus said otherwise. Mark 6:14-16 and Mark 8:28 indicate the people and Herod both distinguished between John and Elijah—probably because he did not see himself as Elijah. But Jesus’ remarks in Matt 11:14, Mark 9:13, and Matt 17:12 indicate that John did perform the function of Elijah—John did for Jesus what Elijah was to have done for the coming of the Lord. C. F. D. Moule pointed out that it is too simple to see a straight contradiction between John’s account and that of the synoptic gospels: “We have to ask by whom the identification is made, and by whom refused. The synoptic gospels represent Jesus as identifying, or comparing, the Baptist with Elijah, while John represents the Baptist as rejecting the identification when it is offered him by his interviewers. Now these two, so far from being incompatible, are psychologically complementary. The Baptist humbly rejects the exalted title, but Jesus, on the contrary, bestows it on him. Why should not the two both be correct?” (The Phenomenon of the New Testament [SBT], 70).
John 1:21 sn The Prophet is a reference to the “prophet like Moses” of Deut 18:15, by this time an eschatological figure in popular belief. Acts 3:22 identifies Jesus as this prophet.
John 1:22 tn The words “Tell us” are not in the Greek but are implied.
John 1:23 tn Grk “He”; the referent (John the Baptist) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
John 1:23 sn This call to “make straight” is probably an allusion to preparation through repentance.
John 1:23 sn A quotation from Isa 40:3.
John 1:24 sn Pharisees were members of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.
John 1:24 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
John 1:25 tn Grk “And they asked him, and said to him”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity, and the phrase has been simplified in the translation to “So they asked John.”
John 1:25 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).sn See the note on Christ in 1:20.
John 1:26 tn Grk “answered them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
John 1:26 tn Or “know.”
John 1:27 tn Grk “of whom I am not worthy.”sn The humility of John is evident in the statement I am not worthy. This was considered one of the least worthy tasks of a slave, and John did not consider himself worthy to do even that for the one to come, despite the fact he himself was a prophet.
John 1:27 tn The term refers to the leather strap or thong used to bind a sandal. This is often viewed as a collective singular and translated as a plural, “the straps of his sandals,” but it may be more emphatic to retain the singular here.
John 1:28 tc Many witnesses ([א²] C² K T Ψ^c 083 ƒ^1,13 33 pm sa Or) read Βηθαβαρᾷ (Bēthabara, “Bethabara”) instead of Βηθανίᾳ (Bēthania, “Bethany”). But the reading Βηθανίᾳ is strongly supported by P^66,75 A B C* L W^s Δ Θ Ψ* 565 579 700 1241 1424 pm latt bo as well as several fathers. Since there is no known Bethany “beyond the Jordan,” it is likely that the name would have been changed to a more etymologically edifying one (Origen mistakenly thought the name Bethabara meant “house of preparation” and for this reason was appropriate in this context; see TCGNT 171 for discussion). On the other hand, both since Origen’s understanding of the Semitic etymology of Bethabara was incorrect, and because Bethany was at least a well-known location in Palestine, mentioned in the Gospels about a dozen times, one has to wonder whether scribes replaced Βηθαβαρᾷ with Βηθανίᾳ. However, if Origen’s understanding of the etymology of the name was representative, scribes may have altered the text in the direction of Bethabara. And even if most scribes were unfamiliar with what the name might signify, that a reading which did not contradict the Gospels’ statements of a Bethany near Jerusalem was already at hand may have been sufficient reason for them to adopt Bethabara. Further, in light of the very strong testimony for Βηθανίᾳ, this reading should be regarded as authentic.
John 1:28 tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.
John 1:29 tn Grk “he”; the referent (John) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
John 1:29 sn Gen 22:8 is an important passage in the background of the title Lamb of God as applied to Jesus. In Jewish thought this was held to be a supremely important sacrifice. G. Vermès stated: “For the Palestinian Jew, all lamb sacrifice, and especially the Passover lamb and the Tamid offering, was a memorial of the Akedah with its effects of deliverance, forgiveness of sin and messianic salvation” (Scripture and Tradition in Judaism [StPB], 225).
John 1:30 tn Or “has a higher rank than I.”
John 1:31 tn Or “know.”
John 1:31 sn John the Baptist, who has been so reluctant to elaborate his own role, now more than willingly gives his testimony about Jesus. For the author, the emphasis is totally on John the Baptist as a witness to Jesus. No attention is given to the Baptist’s call to national repentance and very little to his baptizing. Everything is focused on what he has to say about Jesus: so that he could be revealed to Israel.
John 1:32 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events in the narrative. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.
John 1:32 tn Grk “testified, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
John 1:32 sn The phrase like a dove is a descriptive comparison. The Spirit is not a dove, but descended like one in some sort of bodily representation.
John 1:32 tn Or “from the sky.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context.
John 1:32 sn John says the Spirit remained on Jesus. The Greek verb μένω (menō) is a favorite Johannine word, used 40 times in the Gospel and 27 times in the Epistles (67 together) against 118 times total in the NT. The general significance of the verb μένω for John is to express the permanency of relationship between Father and Son and Son and believer. Here the use of the word implies that Jesus permanently possesses the Holy Spirit, and because he does, he will dispense the Holy Spirit to others in baptism. Other notes on the dispensation of the Spirit occur at John 3:5 and following (at least implied by the wordplay), John 3:34; 7:38-39, numerous passages in John 14-16 (the Paraclete passages) and John 20:22. Note also the allusion to Isa 42:1—“Behold my servant…my chosen one in whom my soul delights. I have put my Spirit on him.”
John 1:34 tc ‡ What did John the Baptist declare about Jesus on this occasion? Did he say, “This is the Son of God” (οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, houtos estin ho huios tou theou), or “This is the Chosen One of God” (οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἐκλεκτὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, houtos estin ho eklektos tou theou)? The majority of the witnesses, impressive because of their diversity in age and locales, read “This is the Son of God” (so P^66,75 A B C L Θ Ψ 0233^vid ƒ^1,13 33 1241 aur c f l q bo as well as the majority of Byzantine minuscules and many others). Most scholars take this to be sufficient evidence to regard the issue as settled without much of a need to reflect on internal evidence. On the other hand, one of the earliest mss for this verse, P⁵ (3rd century), evidently read οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἐκλεκτὸς τοῦ θεοῦ. (There is a gap in the ms at the point of the disputed words; it is too large for υἱός especially if written, as it surely would have been, as a nomen sacrum [uMs]. The term ἐκλεκτός was not a nomen sacrum and would have therefore taken up much more space [eklektos]. Given these two variants, there is hardly any question as to what P⁵ read.) This papyrus has many affinities with א*, which here also has ὁ ἐκλεκτός. In addition to their combined testimony P^106vid b e ff^2* sy^s,c also support this reading. P¹⁰⁶ is particularly impressive, for it is a second third-century papyrus in support of ὁ ἐκλεκτός. A third reading combines these two: “the elect Son” (electus filius in ff^2c sa and a [with slight variation]). Although the evidence for ἐκλεκτός is not as impressive as that for υἱός, the reading is found in early Alexandrian and Western witnesses. Turning to the internal evidence, “the Chosen One” clearly comes out ahead. “Son of God” is a favorite expression of the author (cf. 1:49; 3:18; 5:25; 10:36; 11:4, 27; 19:7; 20:31); further, there are several other references to “his Son,” “the Son,” etc. Scribes would be naturally motivated to change ἐκλεκτός to υἱός since the latter is both a Johannine expression and is, on the surface, richer theologically in 1:34. On the other hand, there is not a sufficient reason for scribes to change υἱός to ἐκλεκτός. The term never occurs in John; even its verbal cognate (ἐκλέγω, eklegō) is never affirmed of Jesus in this Gospel. ἐκλεκτός clearly best explains the rise of υἱός. Further, the third reading (“Chosen Son of God”) is patently a conflation of the other two. It has all the earmarks of adding υἱός to ἐκλεκτός. Thus, ὁ υἱός τοῦ θεοῦ is almost certainly a motivated reading. As R. E. Brown notes (John [AB], 1:57), “On the basis of theological tendency…it is difficult to imagine that Christian scribes would change ‘the Son of God’ to ‘God’s chosen one,’ while a change in the opposite direction would be quite plausible. Harmonization with the Synoptic accounts of the baptism (‘You are [This is] my beloved Son’) would also explain the introduction of ‘the Son of God’ into John; the same phenomenon occurs in vi 69. Despite the weaker textual evidence, therefore, it seems best—with Lagrange, Barrett, Boismard, and others—to accept ‘God’s chosen one’ as original.”
John 1:35 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
John 1:35 tn “There” is not in the Greek text but is implied by current English idiom.
John 1:36 sn This section (1:35-51) is joined to the preceding by the literary expedient of repeating the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus being the Lamb of God (1:36, cf. 1:29). This repeated testimony (1:36) no longer has revelatory value in itself, since it has been given before; its purpose, instead, is to institute a chain reaction which will bring John the Baptist’s disciples to Jesus and make them Jesus’ own disciples.
John 1:37 tn Grk “his”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
John 1:37 tn Grk “And the two disciples heard him speaking.”
John 1:37 sn The expression followed Jesus pictures discipleship, which means that to learn from Jesus is to follow him as the guiding priority of one’s life.
John 1:38 tn Grk “What are you seeking?”
John 1:38 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
John 1:39 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
John 1:39 tn Grk “said to them.”
John 1:39 tn Grk “about the tenth hour.” sn About four o’clock in the afternoon. What system of time reckoning is the author using? B. F. Westcott thought John, unlike the synoptic gospels, was using Roman time, which started at midnight (St. John, 282). This would make the time 10 a.m., which would fit here. But later in the Gospel’s Passover account (John 19:14, where the sixth hour is on the “eve of the Passover”) it seems clear the author had to be using Jewish reckoning, which began at 6 a.m. This would make the time here in 1:39 to be 4 p.m. This may be significant: If the hour was late, Andrew and the unnamed disciple probably spent the night in the same house where Jesus was staying, and the events of 1:41-42 took place on the next day. The evidence for Westcott’s view, that the Gospel is using Roman time, is very slim. The Roman reckoning which started at midnight was only used by authorities as legal time (for contracts, official documents, etc.). Otherwise, the Romans too reckoned time from 6 a.m. (e.g., Roman sundials are marked VI, not XII, for noon).
John 1:40 tn Grk “who heard from John.”
John 1:40 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
John 1:41 tc Most witnesses (א* L W^s M) read πρῶτος (prōtos) here instead of πρῶτον (prōton). The former reading would be a predicate adjective and suggest that Andrew “was the first” person to proselytize another regarding Jesus. The reading preferred, however, is the neuter πρῶτον, used as an adverb (BDAG 893 s.v. πρῶτος 1.a.β.), and it suggests that the first thing that Andrew did was to proselytize Peter. The evidence for this reading is early and weighty: P^66,75 א² A B Θ Ψ 083 ƒ^1,13 892 al lat.
John 1:41 sn Naturally part of Andrew’s concept of the Messiah would have been learned from John the Baptist (v. 40). However, there were a number of different messianic expectations in 1st century Palestine (see the note on “Who are you?” in v. 19), and it would be wrong to assume that what Andrew meant here is the same thing the author means in the purpose statement at the end of the Fourth Gospel, 20:31. The issue here is not whether the disciples’ initial faith in Jesus as Messiah was genuine or not, but whether their concept of who Jesus was grew and developed progressively as they spent time following him, until finally after his resurrection it is affirmed in the climactic statement of John’s Gospel, the affirmation of Thomas in 20:28.
John 1:41 tn Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “the one who has been anointed.”sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. See the note on Christ in 1:20.
John 1:42 tn Grk “He brought him”; both referents (Andrew, Simon) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
John 1:42 tc The reading “Simon, son of John” is well attested in P^66,75,106 א B* L 33 it co. The majority of mss (A B² Ψ ƒ^1,13 M) read “Simon, the son of Jonah” here instead, but that is perhaps an assimilation to Matt 16:17.
John 1:42 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Giving Simon the name of Cephas is indicative of the future role he will play. Only John among the gospel writers gives the Greek transliteration (Κηφᾶς, Kēphas) of Simon’s new name, Qéphâ (which is Galilean Aramaic). Neither Πέτρος (Petros) in Greek nor Qéphâ in Aramaic is a normal proper name; it is more like a nickname.
John 1:43 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Jesus is best taken as the subject of εὑρίσκει (heuriskei), since Peter would scarcely have wanted to go to Galilee.
John 1:43 sn No explanation is given for why Jesus wanted to set out for Galilee, but probably he wanted to go to the wedding at Cana (about a two day trip).
John 1:43 tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
John 1:43 tn Grk “and Jesus said.”
John 1:44 sn Although the author thought of the town as in Galilee (12:21), Bethsaida technically was in Gaulanitis (Philip the Tetrarch’s territory) across from Herod’s Galilee. There may have been two places called Bethsaida, or this may merely reflect popular imprecision—locally it was considered part of Galilee, even though it was just east of the Jordan river. This territory was heavily Gentile (which may explain why Andrew and Philip both have Gentile names).
John 1:44 tn Probably ἀπό (apo) indicates “originally from” in the sense of hometown rather than current residence; Mark 1:21, 29 seems to locate the home of Andrew and Peter at Capernaum. The entire remark (v. 44) amounts to a parenthetical comment by the author.
John 1:45 sn Nathanael is traditionally identified with Bartholomew (although John never describes him as such). He appears here after Philip; in all lists of the twelve except in Acts 1:13, Bartholomew follows Philip. Also, the Aramaic Bar-tolmai means “son of Tolmai,” the surname; the man almost certainly had another name. Other alternatives than Bartholomew have also been suggested, e.g. James the son of Alphaeus; see C. E. Hill, “The Identity of John’s Nathanael,” JSNT 20 (1998): 45-61.
John 1:45 tn “Also” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
John 1:46 tn Grk “And Nathanael.”
John 1:46 tn Grk “said to him.”
John 1:46 sn Can anything good come out of Nazareth? may be a local proverb expressing jealousy among the towns.
John 1:46 tn Grk “And Philip said to him.”
John 1:47 tn Grk “said about him.”
John 1:47 tn Or “treachery.”sn An allusion to Ps 32:2.
John 1:48 tn Grk “answered and said to him.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation to “replied.”
John 1:48 sn Many have speculated about what Nathanael was doing under the fig tree. Meditating on the Messiah who was to come? A good possibility, since the fig tree was used as shade for teaching or studying by the later rabbis (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 5:11). Also, the fig tree was symbolic for messianic peace and plenty (Mic 4:4, Zech 3:10.)
John 1:49 tn Although βασιλεύς (basileus) lacks the article it is definite due to contextual and syntactical considerations. See ExSyn 263.
John 1:49 sn Nathanael’s confession—You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel—is best understood as a confession of Jesus’ messiahship. It has strong allusions to Ps 2:6-7, a well-known messianic psalm. What Nathanael’s exact understanding was at this point is hard to determine, but “son of God” was a designation for the Davidic king in the OT, and Nathanael parallels it with King of Israel here.
John 1:50 tn Grk “answered and said to him.” This has been simplified in the translation to “said to him.”
John 1:50 sn What are the greater things Jesus had in mind? In the narrative this forms an excellent foreshadowing of the miraculous signs which began at Cana of Galilee.
John 1:51 tn Grk “and he said to him.”
John 1:51 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
John 1:51 sn The title Son of Man appears 13 times in John’s Gospel. It is associated especially with the themes of crucifixion (3:14; 8:28), revelation (6:27; 6:53), and eschatological authority (5:27; 9:35). The title as used in John’s Gospel has for its background the son of man figure who appears in Dan 7:13-14 and is granted universal regal authority. Thus for the author, the emphasis in this title is not on Jesus’ humanity, but on his heavenly origin and divine authority.

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Chronological

The Temptation of Jesus

Preaching in Galilee

The Call of the Disciples

Jesus’ Healing Ministry

Footnotes

The Temptation of Jesus

The Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry in Galilee

Rejection at Nazareth

Ministry in Capernaum

The Call of the Disciples

Healing a Leper

Healing and Forgiving a Paralytic

The Call of Levi; Eating with Sinners

The Superiority of the New

Footnotes

The Testimony of John the Baptist

Andrew’s Declaration

The Calling of More Disciples

Footnotes