◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Luke 1:68-79 (God raises up a mighty savior); Jeremiah 22:18-30 (The wind shepherds the shepherds); Luke 18:15-17 (Receiving the kingdom of God) (New English Translation)

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November 19, 2022

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with sequential stories told across multiple weeks.

Duration: 1245 days

Luke 1:68-79

⁶⁸“Blessed^[a] be the Lord God of Israel,
because he has come to help^[b] and has redeemed^[c] his people.
⁶⁹For^[d] he has raised up^[e] a horn of salvation^[f] for us in the house of his servant David,^[g]
⁷⁰as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from long ago,^[h]
⁷¹that we should be saved^[i] from our enemies,^[j]
and from the hand of all who hate us.
⁷²He has done this^[k] to show mercy^[l] to our ancestors,^[m]
and to remember his holy covenant^[n]—
⁷³the oath^[o] that he swore to our ancestor^[p] Abraham.
This oath grants^[q]
⁷⁴that we, being rescued from the hand of our^[r] enemies,
may serve him without fear,^[s]
⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness^[t] before him for as long as we live.^[u]
⁷⁶And you, child,^[v] will be called the prophet^[w] of the Most High.^[x]
For you will go before^[y] the Lord to prepare his ways,^[z]
⁷⁷to give his people knowledge of salvation^[aa] through the forgiveness^[ab] of their sins.
⁷⁸Because of^[ac] our God’s tender mercy^[ad]
the dawn^[ae] will break^[af] upon us from on high
⁷⁹to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,^[ag]
to guide our feet into the way^[ah] of peace.”

Footnotes

Luke 1:68 sn The traditional name of this psalm, the “Benedictus,” comes from the Latin wording of the start of the hymn (“Blessed be…”).
Luke 1:68 sn The verb come to help can refer to a visit, but can also connote concern or assistance (L&N 85.11).
Luke 1:68 tn Or “has delivered”; Grk “has accomplished redemption.” sn Has redeemed is a reference to redemption, but it anticipates the total release into salvation that the full work of Messiah will bring for Israel. This involves both spiritual and material benefits eventually.
Luke 1:69 tn Grk “and,” but specifying the reason for the praise in the psalm.
Luke 1:69 sn The phrase raised up means for God to bring someone significant onto the scene of history.
Luke 1:69 sn The horn of salvation is a figure that refers to the power of Messiah and his ability to protect, as the horn refers to what an animal uses to attack and defend (Pss 75:4-5, 10; 148:14; 2 Sam 22:3). Thus the meaning of the figure is “a powerful savior.”
Luke 1:69 sn In the house of his servant David is a reference to Messiah’s Davidic descent. Zechariah is more interested in Jesus than his own son John at this point.
Luke 1:70 tn Grk “from the ages,” “from eternity.”
Luke 1:71 tn Grk “from long ago, salvation.”
Luke 1:71 sn The theme of being saved from our enemies is like the release Jesus preached in Luke 4:18-19. Luke’s narrative shows that one of the enemies in view is Satan and his cohorts, with the grip they have on humanity.
Luke 1:72 tn The words “He has done this” (referring to the raising up of the horn of salvation from David’s house) are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to allow a new sentence to be started in the translation. The Greek sentence is lengthy and complex at this point, while contemporary English uses much shorter sentences.
Luke 1:72 sn Mercy refers to God’s loyal love (steadfast love) by which he completes his promises. See Luke 1:50.
Luke 1:72 tn Or “our forefathers”; Grk “our fathers.” This begins with the promise to Abraham (vv. 55, 73), and thus refers to many generations of ancestors.
Luke 1:72 sn The promises of God can be summarized as being found in the one promise (the oath that he swore) to Abraham (Gen 12:1-3).
Luke 1:73 tn This is linked back grammatically by apposition to “covenant” in v. 72, specifying which covenant is meant.
Luke 1:73 tn Or “forefather”; Grk “father.”
Luke 1:73 tn Again for reasons of English style, the infinitival clause “to grant us” has been translated “This oath grants” and made the beginning of a new sentence in the translation.
Luke 1:74 tc Many significant early mss (א B L W [0130] ƒ^1,13 565 892) lack “our,” while most (A C D [K] Θ Ψ 0177 33 M) supply it. Although the addition is most likely not authentic, “our” has been included in the translation due to English stylistic requirements.
Luke 1:74 tn This phrase in Greek is actually thrown forward to the front of the verse to give it emphasis.
Luke 1:75 sn The phrases that we…might serve him…in holiness and righteousness from Luke 1:74-75 well summarize a basic goal for a believer in the eyes of Luke. Salvation frees us up to serve God without fear through a life full of ethical integrity.
Luke 1:75 tn Grk “all our days.”
Luke 1:76 sn Now Zechariah describes his son John (you, child) through v. 77.
Luke 1:76 tn Or “a prophet,” but since Greek nouns can be definite without the article, and since in context this is a reference to the eschatological forerunner of the Messiah (cf. John 1:17), the concept is better conveyed to the English reader by the use of the definite article “the.”
Luke 1:76 sn In other words, John is a prophet of God; see 1:32 and 7:22-23, 28.
Luke 1:76 tc Most mss, especially the later ones (A C D L Θ Ψ 0130 ƒ^1,13 33 M sy), have πρὸ προσώπου κυρίου (pro prosōpou kuriou, “before the face of the Lord”), but the translation follows the reading ἐνώπιον κυρίου (enōpion kuriou, “before the Lord”), which has earlier and better ms support (P⁴ א B W 0177) and is thus more likely to be authentic.
Luke 1:76 tn This term is often translated in the singular, looking specifically to the forerunner role, but the plural suggests the many elements in that salvation.sn On the phrase prepare his ways see Isa 40:3-5 and Luke 3:1-6.
Luke 1:77 sn John’s role, to give his people knowledge of salvation, is similar to that of Jesus (Luke 3:1-14; 5:31-32).
Luke 1:77 sn Forgiveness is another major Lukan theme (Luke 4:18; 24:47; Acts 10:37).
Luke 1:78 tn For reasons of style, a new sentence has been started in the translation at this point. God’s mercy is ultimately seen in the deliverance John points to, so v. 78a is placed with the reference to Jesus as the light of dawning day.
Luke 1:78 sn God’s loyal love (steadfast love) is again the topic, reflected in the phrase tender mercy; see Luke 1:72.
Luke 1:78 sn The Greek term translated dawn (ἀνατολή, anatolē) can be a reference to the morning star or to the sun. The Messiah is pictured as a saving light that shows the way. The Greek term was also used to translate the Hebrew word for “branch” or “sprout,” so some see a double entendre here with messianic overtones (see Isa 11:1-10; Jer 23:5; 33:15; Zech 3:8; 6:12).
Luke 1:78 tn Grk “shall visit us.”
Luke 1:79 sn On the phrases who sit in darkness…and…death see Isa 9:1-2; 42:7; 49:9-10.
Luke 1:79 tn Or “the path.”

Jeremiah 22:18-30

¹⁸So^[a] the Lord has this to say about Josiah’s son, King Jehoiakim of Judah:

“People will not mourn for him, saying,
‘This makes me sad, my brother!
This makes me sad, my sister!’
They will not mourn for him, saying,
‘Poor, poor lord! Poor, poor majesty!’^[b]
¹⁹He will be left unburied just like a dead donkey.
His body will be dragged off and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.^[c]

Warning to Jerusalem

²⁰“People of Jerusalem,^[d] go up to Lebanon and cry out in mourning.
Go to the land of Bashan and cry out loudly.
Cry out in mourning from the mountains of Moab.^[e]
For your allies^[f] have all been defeated.
²¹While you were feeling secure I gave you warning.^[g]
But you said, ‘I refuse to listen to you.’
That is the way you have acted from your earliest history onward.^[h]
Indeed, you have never paid attention to me.
²²My judgment will carry off all your leaders like a storm wind!^[i]
Your allies will go into captivity.
Then you will certainly^[j] be disgraced and put to shame
because of all the wickedness you have done.
²³You may feel as secure as a bird
nesting in the cedars of Lebanon.
But O how you^[k] will groan^[l] when the pains of judgment come on you.
They will be like those of a woman giving birth to a baby.”^[m]

Jeconiah Will Be Permanently Exiled

²⁴The Lord says,^[n] “As surely as I am the living God, you, Jeconiah,^[o] king of Judah, son of Jehoiakim, will not be the earthly representative of my authority. Indeed, I will take that right away from you.^[p] ²⁵I will hand you over to those who want to take your life and of whom you are afraid. I will hand you over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his Babylonian^[q] soldiers. ²⁶I will force you and your mother who gave you birth into exile. You will be exiled to^[r] a country where neither of you were born, and you will both die there. ²⁷You will never come back to this land that you will long to return to!^[s]

²⁸“This man, Jeconiah, will be like a broken pot someone threw away.

He will be like a clay vessel^[t] that no one wants.^[u]
Why will he and his children be forced into exile?
Why will they be thrown out into a country they know nothing about?^[v]
²⁹O Land, land, land of Judah!^[w]
Listen to the Lord’s message.

³⁰The Lord says,

“Enroll this man in the register as though he were childless.^[x]
Enroll him as a man who will not enjoy success during his lifetime.
For none of his sons will succeed in occupying the throne of David
or ever succeed in ruling over Judah.”

Footnotes

Jeremiah 22:18 sn This is the regular way of introducing the announcement of judgment after an indictment of crimes. See, e.g., Isa 5:13, 14 and Jer 23:2.
Jeremiah 22:18 tn The translation follows the majority of scholars, who think that the address of brother and sister are the address of the mourners to one another, lamenting their loss. Some scholars feel that all four terms are parallel and represent the relation that the king had metaphorically to his subjects; i.e., he was not only Lord and Majesty to them but like a sister or a brother. In that case it would be something like, “How sad it is for the one who was like a brother to us! How sad it is for the one who was like a sister to us.” This makes for poor poetry and is not very likely. The lover can call his bride sister in Song 4:9, 10, but there are no documented examples of a subject ever speaking of a king in this way in Israel or the ancient Near East.
Jeremiah 22:19 sn A similar judgment against this ungodly king is pronounced by Jeremiah in 36:30. According to 2 Chr 36:6 he was bound over to be taken captive to Babylon but apparently died before he got there. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, Nebuchadnezzar ordered his body thrown outside the wall in fulfillment of this judgment. The Bible itself, however, does not tell us that.
Jeremiah 22:20 tn The words “people of Jerusalem” are not in the text. They are supplied in the translation to clarify the referent of the imperative. The imperative is feminine singular and it is generally agreed that personified Zion/Jerusalem is in view. The second feminine singular has commonly been applied to Jerusalem or the people of Judah throughout the book. The reference to allies (v. 20, 22) and to leaders (v. 22) make it very probable that this is the case here too.
Jeremiah 22:20 tn Heb “from Abarim.” This was the mountain range in Moab from which Moses viewed the promised land (cf. Deut 32:49).
Jeremiah 22:20 tn Heb “your lovers.” For the use of this term to refer to allies, see 30:14 and a semantically similar term in 4:30.sn If the passages in this section are chronologically ordered, this refers to the help that Jehoiakim relied on when he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar.
Jeremiah 22:21 tn Heb “I spoke to you in your security.” The reference is to the sending of the prophets. Compare this context with the context of 7:25. For the nuance “security” for this noun (שַׁלְוָה, shalvah), rather than “prosperity” as many translate, see Pss 122:7; 30:6; and the related adjective (שָׁלֵו, shalev) in Jer 49:31; Job 16:2; and 21:23.
Jeremiah 22:21 tn Heb “from your youth.” Compare the usage in 2:2 and 3:24, and see a similar idea in 7:25.
Jeremiah 22:22 tn Heb “A wind will shepherd away all your shepherds.” The figures have all been interpreted in the translation for the sake of clarity. For the use of the word “wind” as a metaphor or simile for God’s judgment (using the enemy forces), see 4:11-12; 13:24; 18:17. For the use of the word “shepherd” to refer to rulers/leaders, see 2:8; 10:21; 23:1-4. For the use of the word “shepherd away” in the sense of carry off/drive away, see BDB 945 s.v. רָעָה 2.d and compare Job 20:26. There is an obvious wordplay involved in two different senses of the word “shepherd,” one referring to their leaders and one referring to the loss of those leaders by the wind driving them off. There may even be a further play involving the word “wickedness,” which comes from a word having the same consonants. If the oracles in this section are chronologically ordered, this threat was fulfilled in 597 b.c. Then many of the royal officials and nobles were carried away captive with Jehoiachin (see 2 Kgs 24:15), who is the subject of the next oracle.
Jeremiah 22:22 tn The use of the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) is intensive here and probably also at the beginning of the last line of v. 21. (See BDB 472 s.v. כִּי 1.e.)
Jeremiah 22:23 tn Heb “You who dwell in Lebanon, you who are nested in its cedars, how you….” The metaphor has been interpreted for the sake of clarity. The figure here has often been interpreted of the people of Jerusalem living in paneled houses or living in a city dominated by the temple and palace, which were built from the cedars of Lebanon. Some even interpret this as a reference to the king, who has been characterized as living in a cedar palace, in a veritable Lebanon (cf. vv. 6-7, 14 and see also the alternate interpretation of 21:13-14). However, the reference to “nesting in the cedars” and the earlier reference to “feeling secure” suggest that the figure is instead like that of Ezek 31:6 and Dan 4:12. See also Hab 2:9, where a related figure is used. The forms for “you who dwell” and “you who are nested” in the literal translation are feminine singular participles, referring again to personified Jerusalem. (The written forms of these participles are to be explained as participles with a hireq campaginis according to GKC 253 §90.m. The use of the participle before the preposition is to be explained according to GKC 421 §130.a.)
Jeremiah 22:23 tn The verb here should be identified as a Niphal perfect of the verb אָנַח (ʾanakh) with the א (aleph) left out (so BDB 336 s.v. חָנַן Niph and GKC 80 §23.f, n. 1). The form is already translated that way by the Greek, Latin, and Syriac versions.
Jeremiah 22:23 sn This simile has already been used in Jer 4:31 and 6:24 in conjunction with Zion/Jerusalem’s judgment.
Jeremiah 22:24 tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”
Jeremiah 22:24 tn Heb “Coniah.” This is the spelling of this king’s name here and in v. 28 and 37:1. Elsewhere in Jeremiah he is called Jeconiah (24:1; 27:20; 28:4; 29:2 [see also 1 Chr 3:16, 17; Esth 2:6]) and Jehoiachin (52:31, 33 [see also 2 Kgs 24:6, 8, 12, 15; 25:27, 29; 2 Chr 36:8, 9; Ezek 1:2]). For the sake of consistency the present translation uses the name Jeconiah throughout.sn According to 2 Kgs 24:8-9 Jeconiah (= Jehoiachin) succeeded his father Jehoiakim and evidently followed in his anti-Babylon, anti-God stance. He surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar shortly after he became king and along with his mother, his family, his officials, and some of the leading men of Jerusalem and Judah was carried into exile in 597 b.c. According to Jer 28:4, 10, there were popular hopes that he would be restored from exile and returned to the throne. This oracle flatly denies that hope. Allusion has already been made to the loss of regal authority by this king and his mother in 13:18-19.
Jeremiah 22:24 tn Heb “As surely as I live, Jeconiah, King of Judah, son of Jehoiakim will not be a signet ring on my right hand. Indeed I will tear you off from it [i.e., pull you off of my finger as a signet ring].” The signet ring was the king’s seal by which he verified all his legal and political transactions. To have the signet ring was to exercise authority in the king’s name. For examples of this see Gen 41:42-43; 1 Kgs 21:8; Esth 3:10; 8:2. The figure has been interpreted in the translation for the sake of clarity. The particles כִּי אִם (ki ʾim) that stand after the oath formula “As I live” introduce a negative statement according to Hebrew grammar (cf. BDB 474 s.v. כִּי אִם 1.a and BDB 50 s.v. אִם 1.b[2] and compare 2 Sam 3:35). The particle כִּי that stands in front of “I will tear you off” contrariwise introduces a positive affirmation (cf. BDB 472 s.v. כִּי 1.c and compare 1 Sam 14:39, 44). The Lord is swearing emphatically that Jeconiah will not be the earthly representative of his rule, i.e., not carry the authority of the signet-ring bearer. As in several other places in Jeremiah, there is a sudden shift from the third person to the second person, which runs throughout vv. 24-27. The pronouns are leveled in the translation to the second person to avoid confusion. The figures are interpreted in the translation to convey the proper significance. See the study note for explanation.sn According to the Davidic covenant the Davidic king sat on God’s throne over God’s kingdom, Israel (cf. 2 Chr 29:30; 28:5). As God’s representative he ruled in God’s stead and could even be addressed figuratively as God (cf. Ps 45:6 [45:7 HT] and compare the same phenomenon for the earthly judges: Exod 22:7-8; Ps 82:1, 6). Jeconiah is being denied the right to function any longer as the Davidic king, and any hopes of ever regaining that right in his lifetime or through the succession of his sons is also denied. This oracle is reversed by the later oracle of the prophet Haggai to his grandson Zerubbabel in Hag 2:20-23, and both Jeconiah and Zerubbabel are found in the genealogy of Christ in Matt 1:12-13.
Jeremiah 22:25 tn Heb “the Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4.
Jeremiah 22:26 tn Heb “I will hurl you and your mother…into another land where…” The verb used here is very forceful. It is the verb used for Saul throwing a spear at David (1 Sam 18:11) and for the Lord unleashing a violent storm on the sea (Jonah 1:4). It is used both here and in v. 28 for the forceful exile of Jeconiah and his mother.
Jeremiah 22:27 tn Heb “And unto the land to which they lift up their souls to return there, there they will not return.” Once again there is a sudden shift in person from the second plural to the third plural. As before, the translation levels the pronouns to avoid confusion. For the idiom “to lift up the soul to” = “to long/yearn to,” see BDB 670 s.v. נָשָׂא 1.b(9).
Jeremiah 22:28 tn The word translated “clay vessel” occurs only here. Its meaning, however, is assured on the basis of the parallelism and the verb root, which is used for shaping or fashioning in Job 10:8. The KJV renders it as “idol,” but that word, while having the same consonants, never appears in the singular. The word is missing in the Greek version but is translated “vessel” in the Latin version. The word “clay” is supplied in the translation to clarify what sort of vessel is meant; its inclusion is justified based on context and use of the same verb root in Job 10:8 to refer to shaping or fashioning, which would imply clay pots or vessels.
Jeremiah 22:28 tn Heb “Is this man, Coniah, a despised, broken vessel or a vessel that no one wants?” The question is rhetorical, expecting a positive answer in agreement with the preceding oracle.sn For the image of a rejected, broken vessel, see Jer 19:1-13 (where, however, the vessel is rejected first and then broken), and compare Jer 13, especially vv. 10-11, for the image of linen shorts that are good for nothing.
Jeremiah 22:28 sn The question “Why?” is a common rhetorical feature in the book of Jeremiah. See Jer 2:14, 31; 8:5, 19, 22; 12:1; 13:22; 14:19. In several cases like this one, no answer is given, leaving a sense of exasperation and hopelessness with the sinfulness of the nation that calls forth such punishment from God.
Jeremiah 22:29 tn The words “of Judah” have been added to clarify the addressee, which is actually the people of Judah. There is no certain explanation for the triple repetition of the word “land” here. F. B. Huey (Jeremiah, Lamentations [NAC], 209) suggests the idea of exasperation, but is it exasperation at their continued apostasy, which made these exiles necessary, or at their pitiful hopes of seeing Jeconiah restored? Perhaps “pitiful, pitiful, pitiful land of Judah” would convey some of the force of the repetition. The triple address could be a highly emphatic way (cf. Isa 6:3; Ezek 21:27) to gain attention (cf. Gen 22:11; 46:2; Exod 3:4; 1 Sam 3:10).
Jeremiah 22:30 tn Heb “Write this man childless.” For the explanation see the study note. The word translated “childless” has spawned some debate because Jeconiah was in fact not childless. There is record from both the Bible and ancient Near Eastern texts that he had children (see, e.g., 1 Chr 3:17). G. R. Driver, “Linguistic and Textual Problems: Jeremiah,” JQR 28 (1937-38): 115, has suggested that the word both here and in Lev 20:20-21 should be translated “stripped of honor.” While that would relieve some of the difficulties here, the word definitely means “childless” in Gen 15:2 and also in Sir 16:3, where it is contrasted with having godless children. The issue is not one of childlessness but of having “one of his sons” succeed to the Davidic throne. The term for “one of his sons” is literally “from his seed a man,” and the word “seed” is the same one that is used to refer to his “children” who were forced into exile with him (v. 28).sn The figure here is of registering a person on an official roll of citizens, etc. (cf. Num 11:26; 1 Chr 4:41; Ps 87:6). Here it probably refers to the “king list” of dynastic succession. While Jeconiah did have children (2 Chr 3:17), none of them ever returned to Judah or ruled over it. What is being denied here is his own succession and that of his immediate sons, contrary to the popular hopes expressed in Jer 28:4. His grandson Zerubbabel did return to Judah, became governor (Hag 1:1; 2:2), and along with the high priest Joshua was responsible for rebuilding the second temple (e.g., Ezra 5:2).

Luke 18:15-17

Jesus and Little Children

¹⁵Now people^[a] were even bringing their babies^[b] to him for him to touch.^[c] But when the disciples saw it, they began to scold those who brought them.^[d] ¹⁶But Jesus called for the children,^[e] saying, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God^[f] belongs to such as these.^[g] ¹⁷I tell you the truth,^[h] whoever does not receive^[i] the kingdom of God like a child^[j] will never^[k] enter it.”

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Footnotes

Warning to Jerusalem

Jeconiah Will Be Permanently Exiled

Footnotes

Jesus and Little Children

Footnotes