◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous) / Amos 7:7-17 (A plumb line judging the people); Psalm 82 (O God rule the earth); Colossians 1:1-14 (The gospel is bearing fruit); Luke 10:25-37 (The parable of the merciful Samaritan) (New English Translation)

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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

Amos 7:7-17

⁷He showed me this: I saw^[a] the Lord^[b] standing by a tin^[c] wall holding tin in his hand. ⁸The Lord said to me, “What do you see, Amos?” I said, “Tin.” The Lord then said,

“Look, I am about to place tin^[d] among my people Israel.
I will no longer overlook their sin.^[e]
⁹Isaac’s centers of worship^[f] will become desolate;
Israel’s holy places will be in ruins.
I will attack Jeroboam’s dynasty with the sword.”^[g]

Amos Confronts a Priest

¹⁰Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent this message^[h] to King Jeroboam of Israel: “Amos is conspiring against you in the very heart of the kingdom of Israel!^[i] The land cannot endure all his prophecies.^[j] ¹¹As a matter of fact,^[k] Amos is saying this: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword and Israel will certainly be carried into exile^[l] away from its land.’”

¹²Amaziah then said to Amos, “Leave, you visionary!^[m] Run away to the land of Judah. Earn your living^[n] and prophesy there! ¹³Don’t prophesy at Bethel any longer, for a royal temple and palace are here.”^[o]

¹⁴Amos replied^[p] to Amaziah, “I was not a prophet by profession.^[q] No,^[r] I was a herdsman who also took care of^[s] sycamore fig trees.^[t] ¹⁵Then the Lord took me from tending^[u] flocks and gave me this commission,^[v] ‘Go! Prophesy to my people Israel.’ ¹⁶So now listen to the Lord’s message! You say, ‘Don’t prophesy against Israel! Don’t preach^[w] against the family of Isaac!’

¹⁷“Therefore this is what the Lord says:

‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the streets^[x]
and your sons and daughters will die violently.^[y]
Your land will be given to others^[z]
and you will die in a foreign^[aa] land.
Israel will certainly be carried into exile^[ab] away from its land.’”

Footnotes

Amos 7:7 tn Heb “behold” or “look.”
Amos 7:7 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in the following verse is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
Amos 7:7 tn The Hebrew word אֲנָךְ (ʾanakh), “tin,” occurs only in this passage (twice in verse 7 and twice in verse 8). The meaning “tin” is based on its Akkadian cognate annaku. The traditional interpretation of these verses (reflected in many English versions) assumed that אֲנָךְ meant “lead.” Since lead might be used for a plumb line, and a plumb line might be used when building wall, the “lead” wall was assumed to be a wall built “true to plumb” while God holds a “lead” weighted plumb line in his hand. In this view the plumb line represents a standard of evaluation. This understanding developed before Akkadian was deciphered and the type of metal clearly identified for annaku. (In Hebrew “lead” is עֹפֶרֶת; ʿoferet.) Realizing that אֲנָךְ (ʾanakh) means “tin” has lead to other proposed interpretations. Some view the tin wall and piece of tin as symbolic. If the tin wall of the vision symbolizes Israel, it may suggest weakness and vulnerability to judgment. See S. M. Paul, Amos (Hermeneia), 233-35. Another option understands the Lord to have ripped off a piece of the tin wall and placed it in front of all to see. Their citadels, of which the nation was so proud and confident, are nothing more than tin fortresses. Various proposals depend on selecting some quality about tin and suggesting a role for that in this context. However, it is more likely that this is a case of a sound play like the next vision in Amos 8:1-2 (see also Jer 1:11-14). With the presentation technique of a sound play, the vision is not the prophecy, only the occasion for the prophecy. God gets the prophet to say a certain sound and then spins the prophecy off that. See the note at 7:8.
Amos 7:8 sn The next vision clearly shows the technique of using a sound play. In 8:1 and 7:7 (cf. Jer 1:11-14) God shows the prophet an object, then asks what he sees. When the prophet responds, the last word becomes the jumping off point for the prophetic word. Based on the similar structure to the vision in 8:1-2 we expect a sound play here as well. But exactly how it works is uncertain. Possibly the term אֲנָךְ (ʾanakh) in v. 8b is a homonym meaning “grief” (this term is attested in post-biblical Hebrew). In this case God is saying that he will put grief in the midst of Israel, meaning that he is sending judgment. Judgment was also threatened in the first two visions of Amos 7. See F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman, Amos (AB), 759. Another possibility is that אֲנָךְ is supposed to sound like a pronominal suffix on the verb. While it would not fit the normal verb paradigm exactly, it is close to how a second person masculine singular suffix could sound (more typical of the pausal second masculine singular suffix on nouns or prepositions). In this case God is saying to Amos, “I am about to place you in the midst of Israel.” In the next section of the chapter, Amos relates how God sent him to preach to Israel (7:15). Amaziah the priest rejects Amos’ message, leading to God declaring the “end” (8:2) for Israel.
Amos 7:8 tn Heb “And I will no longer pass over him.”
Amos 7:9 tn Traditionally, “the high places” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); cf. NLT “pagan shrines.”
Amos 7:9 tn Heb “And I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam with a sword.”
Amos 7:10 tn The direct object of the verb translated “sent” is elided in the Hebrew text. The words “this message” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
Amos 7:10 tn Heb “in the middle of the house of Israel.”
Amos 7:10 tn Heb “words.”
Amos 7:11 tn Or “for.”
Amos 7:11 tn See the note on the word “exile” in 5:5.
Amos 7:12 tn Traditionally, “seer.” The word is a synonym for “prophet,” though it may carry a derogatory tone on the lips of Amaziah.
Amos 7:12 tn Heb “Eat bread there.”
Amos 7:13 tn Heb “for it is a temple of a king and it is a royal house.” It is possible that the phrase “royal house” refers to a temple rather than a palace. See S. M. Paul, Amos (Hermeneia), 243.
Amos 7:14 tn Heb “replied and said.” The phrase “and said” is pleonastic (redundant) and has not been included in the translation.
Amos 7:14 tn Heb “I was not a prophet nor was I the son of a prophet.” The phrase “son of a prophet” refers to one who was trained in a prophetic guild. Since there is no equative verb present in the Hebrew text, another option is to translate with the present tense, “I am not a prophet by profession.” In this case Amos, though now carrying out a prophetic ministry (v. 15), denies any official or professional prophetic status. Modern English versions are divided about whether to understand the past (JB, NIV, NKJV) or present tense (NASB, NEB, NRSV, NJPS) here.
Amos 7:14 tn Heb “for.”
Amos 7:14 tn Heb “gashed”; or “pierced.”sn For a discussion of the agricultural background, see O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 128-29.
Amos 7:14 sn It is possible that herdsmen agreed to care for sycamore fig trees in exchange for grazing rights. See P. King, Amos, Hosea, Micah, 116-17. Since these trees do not grow around Tekoa but rather in the lowlands, another option is that Amos owned other property outside his hometown. In this case, this verse demonstrates his relative wealth and is his response to Amaziah; he did not depend on prophecy as a profession (v. 13).
Amos 7:15 tn Heb “from [following] after.”
Amos 7:15 tn Heb “and the Lord said to me.”
Amos 7:16 tn The verb, which literally means “to drip,” appears to be a synonym of “to prophesy,” but it might carry a derogatory tone here, perhaps alluding to the impassioned, frenzied way in which prophets sometimes delivered their messages. If so, one could translate, “to drivel; to foam at the mouth” (see HALOT 694 s.v. נטף).
Amos 7:17 tn Heb “in the city,” that is, “in public.”
Amos 7:17 tn Heb “will fall by the sword.”
Amos 7:17 tn Heb “will be divided up with a [surveyor’s] measuring line.”
Amos 7:17 tn Heb “[an] unclean”; or “[an] impure.” This fate would be especially humiliating for a priest, who was to distinguish between the ritually clean and unclean (see Lev 10:10).
Amos 7:17 tn See the note on the word “exile” in 5:5.

Psalm 82

Psalm 82^[a]

A psalm of Asaph.

82 God stands in^[b] the assembly of El;^[c]
in the midst of the gods^[d] he renders judgment.^[e]
²He says,^[f] “How long will you make unjust legal decisions
and show favoritism to the wicked?^[g] (Selah)
³Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless.^[h]
Vindicate the oppressed and suffering.
⁴Rescue the poor and needy.
Deliver them from the power^[i] of the wicked.
⁵They^[j] neither know nor understand.
They stumble around^[k] in the dark,
while all the foundations of the earth crumble.^[l]
⁶I thought,^[m] ‘You are gods;
all of you are sons of the Most High.’^[n]
⁷Yet you will die like mortals;^[o]
you will fall like all the other rulers.”^[p]
⁸Rise up, O God, and execute judgment on the earth!
For you own^[q] all the nations.

Footnotes

Psalm 82:1 sn Psalm 82. The psalmist pictures God standing in the “assembly of El” where he accuses the “gods” of failing to promote justice on earth. God pronounces sentence upon them, announcing that they will die like men. Having witnessed the scene, the psalmist then asks God to establish his just rule over the earth.
Psalm 82:1 tn Or “presides over.”
Psalm 82:1 tn The phrase עֲדַת אֵל (ʿadat ʾel, “assembly of El”) appears only here in the OT. (1) Some understand “El” to refer to God himself. In this case he is pictured presiding over his own heavenly assembly. (2) Others take אֵל as a superlative here (“God stands in the great assembly”), as in Pss 36:6 and 80:10. (3) The present translation assumes this is a reference to the Canaanite high god El, who presided over the Canaanite divine assembly. (See Isa 14:13, where El’s assembly is called “the stars of El.”) In the Ugaritic myths the phrase ʿdt ʾilm refers to the “assembly of the gods,” who congregate in King Kirtu’s house, where Baal asks El to bless Kirtu’s house (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 91). If the Canaanite divine assembly is referred to here in Ps 82:1, then the psalm must be understood as a bold polemic against Canaanite religion. Israel’s God invades El’s assembly, denounces its gods as failing to uphold justice, and announces their coming demise. For an interpretation of the psalm along these lines, see W. VanGemeren, “Psalms,” EBC 5:533-36.
Psalm 82:1 sn The present translation assumes that the Hebrew term אֱלֹהִים (ʾelohim, “gods”) here refers to the pagan gods who supposedly comprise El’s assembly according to Canaanite religion. Those who reject the polemical view of the psalm prefer to see the referent as human judges or rulers (אֱלֹהִים sometimes refers to officials appointed by God, see Exod 21:6; 22:8-9; Ps 45:6) or as angelic beings (אֱלֹהִים sometimes refers to angelic beings, see Gen 3:5; Ps 8:5).
Psalm 82:1 sn The picture of God rendering judgment among the gods clearly depicts his sovereign authority as universal king (see v. 8, where the psalmist boldly affirms this truth).
Psalm 82:2 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation to indicate that the following speech is God’s judicial decision (see v. 1).
Psalm 82:2 tn Heb “and the face of the wicked lift up.”
Psalm 82:3 tn The Hebrew noun יָתוֹם (yatom) refers to one who has lost his father (not necessarily his mother, see Ps 109:9). Because they were so vulnerable and were frequently exploited, fatherless children are often mentioned as epitomizing the oppressed (see Pss 10:14; 68:5; 94:6; 146:9; as well as Job 6:27; 22:9; 24:3, 9; 29:12; 31:17, 21).
Psalm 82:4 tn Heb “hand.”
Psalm 82:5 sn Having addressed the defendants, God now speaks to those who are observing the trial, referring to the gods in the third person.
Psalm 82:5 tn Heb “walk.” The Hitpael stem indicates iterative action, picturing these ignorant “judges” as stumbling around in the darkness.
Psalm 82:5 sn These gods, though responsible for justice, neglect their duty. Their self-imposed ignorance (which the psalmist compares to stumbling around in the dark) results in widespread injustice, which threatens the social order of the world (the meaning of the phrase all the foundations of the earth crumble).
Psalm 82:6 tn Heb “said.”
Psalm 82:6 sn Normally in the OT the title Most High belongs to the God of Israel, but in this context, where the mythological overtones are so strong, it probably refers to the Canaanite high god El (see v. 1, as well as Isa 14:13).
Psalm 82:7 tn Heb “men.” The point in the context is mortality, however, not maleness.sn You will die like mortals. For the concept of a god losing immortality and dying, see Isa 14:12-15, which alludes to a pagan myth in which the petty god “Shining One, son of the Dawn,” is hurled into Sheol for his hubris.
Psalm 82:7 tn Heb “like one of the rulers.” The comparison does not necessarily imply that they are not rulers. The expression “like one of” can sometimes mean “as one of” (Gen 49:16; Obad 11) or “as any other of” (Judg 16:7, 11).
Psalm 82:8 tn The translation assumes that the Qal of נָחַל (nakhal) here means “to own; to possess,” and that the imperfect emphasizes a general truth. Another option is to translate the verb as future, “for you will take possession of all the nations” (cf. NIV “all the nations are your inheritance”).

Colossians 1:1-14

Salutation

1 From Paul,^[a] an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, ²to the saints, the faithful^[b] brothers and sisters^[c] in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you^[d] from God our Father!^[e]

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Church

³We always^[f] give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ⁴since^[g] we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints. ⁵Your faith and love have arisen^[h] from the hope laid up^[i] for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel^[j] ⁶that has come to you. Just as in the entire world this gospel^[k] is bearing fruit and growing, so it has also been bearing fruit and growing^[l] among you from the first day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth. ⁷You learned the gospel^[m] from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave^[n]—a^[o] faithful minister of Christ on our^[p] behalf— ⁸who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

⁹For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you,^[q] have not ceased praying for you and asking God^[r] to fill^[s] you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰so that you may live^[t] worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects^[u]—bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of^[v] all patience and steadfastness, joyfully ¹²giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share^[w] in the saints’^[x] inheritance in the light. ¹³He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves,^[y] ¹⁴in whom we have redemption,^[z] the forgiveness of sins.

Footnotes

Colossians 1:1 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
Colossians 1:2 tn Grk “and faithful.” The construction in Greek (as well as Paul’s style) suggests that the saints are identical to the faithful; hence, the καί (kai) is best left untranslated (cf. Eph 1:1). See ExSyn 281-82.
Colossians 1:2 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelphoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).
Colossians 1:2 tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”
Colossians 1:2 tc Most witnesses, including some significant ones (א A C F G I [P] 075 2464 M it bo Hier), read “and the Lord Jesus Christ” at the end of this verse, no doubt to conform the wording to the typical Pauline salutation. However, excellent and early witnesses (B D K L Ψ 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 al sa Ambst) lack this phrase. Since the omission is inexplicable as arising from the longer reading (otherwise, these mss would surely have deleted the phrase in the rest of the corpus Paulinum), it is surely authentic.
Colossians 1:3 tn The adverb πάντοτε (pantote) is understood to modify the indicative εὐχαριστοῦμεν (eucharistoumen) because it precedes περὶ ὑμῶν (peri humōn) which probably modifies the indicative and not the participle προσευχόμενοι (proseuchomenoi). But see 1:9 where the same expression occurs and περὶ ὑμῶν modifies the participle “praying” (προσευχόμενοι).
Colossians 1:4 tn The adverbial participle ἀκούσαντες (akousantes) is understood to be temporal and translated with “since.” A causal idea may also be in the apostle’s mind, but the context emphasizes temporal ideas, e.g., “from the day” (v. 6).
Colossians 1:5 tn Col 1:3-8 form one long sentence in the Greek text and have been divided at the end of v. 4 and v. 6 and within v. 6 for clarity, in keeping with the tendency in contemporary English toward shorter sentences. Thus the phrase “Your faith and love have arisen from the hope” is literally “because of the hope.” The perfect tense “have arisen” was chosen in the English to reflect the fact that the recipients of the letter had acquired this hope at conversion in the past, but that it still remains and motivates them to trust in Christ and to love one another.
Colossians 1:5 tn BDAG 113 s.v. ἀπόκειμαι 2 renders ἀποκειμένην (apokeimenēn) with the expression “reserved” in this verse.
Colossians 1:5 tn The term “the gospel” (τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, tou euangeliou) is in apposition to “the word of truth” (τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ἀληθείας, tō logō tēs alētheias) as indicated in the translation.
Colossians 1:6 tn Grk “just as in the entire world it is bearing fruit.” The antecedent (“the gospel”) of the implied subject (“it”) of ἐστιν (estin) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Colossians 1:6 tn Though the participles are periphrastic with the present tense verb ἐστίν (estin), the presence of the temporal indicator “from the day” in the next clause indicates that this is a present tense that reaches into the past and should be translated as “has been bearing fruit and growing.” For a discussion of this use of the present tense, see ExSyn 519-20.
Colossians 1:7 tn Or “learned it.” The Greek text simply has “you learned” without the reference to “the gospel,” but “the gospel” is supplied to clarify the sense of the clause. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
Colossians 1:7 tn The Greek word translated “fellow slave” is σύνδουλος (sundoulos); the σύν- prefix here denotes association. Though δοῦλος is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). One good translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος) in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force. Also, many slaves in the Roman world became slaves through Rome’s subjugation of conquered nations, kidnapping, or by being born into slave households.
Colossians 1:7 tn The Greek text has “who (ὅς, hos) is a faithful minister.” The above translation conveys the antecedent of the relative pronoun quite well and avoids the redundancy with the following substantival participle of v. 8, namely, “who told” (ὁ δηλώσας, ho dēlōsas).
Colossians 1:7 tc ‡ Judging by the superior witnesses for the first person pronoun ἡμῶν (hēmōn, “us”; P⁴⁶ א* A B D* F G 326* 1505) vs. the second person pronoun ὑμῶν (humōn, “you”; found in א² C D¹ Ψ 075 33 1175 1739 1881 2464 M lat sy co), ἡμῶν should be regarded as the initial reading. Although it is possible that ἡμῶν was an early alteration of ὑμῶν (either unintentionally, as dittography, since it comes seventeen letters after the previous ἡμῶν; or intentionally, to conform to the surrounding first person pronouns), this supposition is difficult to maintain in light of the varied and valuable witnesses for this reading. Further, the second person is both embedded in the verb ἐμάθετε (emathete) and is explicit in v. 8 (ὑμῶν). Hence, the motivation to change to the first person pronoun is counterbalanced by such evidence. The second person pronoun may have been introduced unintentionally via homoioarcton with the ὑπέρ (huper) that immediately precedes it. As well, the second person reading is somewhat harder for it seems to address Epaphras’ role only in relation to Paul and his colleagues, rather than in relation to the Colossians. Nevertheless, the decision must be based ultimately on external evidence (since the internal evidence can be variously interpreted), and this strongly supports ἡμῶν.
Colossians 1:9 tn Or “heard about it”; Grk “heard.” There is no direct object stated in the Greek (direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context). A direct object is expected by an English reader, however, so most translations supply one. Here, however, it is not entirely clear what the author “heard”: a number of translations supply “it” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV; NAB “this”), but this could refer back either to (1) “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8, or (2) “your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints” (v. 4). In light of this uncertainty, other translations supply “about you” (TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). This is preferred by the present translation since, while it does not resolve the ambiguity entirely, it does make it less easy for the English reader to limit the reference only to “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8.
Colossians 1:9 tn The term “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but the following reference to “the knowledge of his will” makes it clear that “God” is in view as the object of the “praying and asking,” and should therefore be included in the English translation for clarity.
Colossians 1:9 tn The ἵνα (hina) clause has been translated as substantival, indicating the content of the prayer and asking. The idea of purpose may also be present in this clause.
Colossians 1:10 tn The infinitive περιπατῆσαι (peripatēsai, “to walk, to live, to live one’s life”) is best taken as an infinitive of purpose related to “praying” (προσευχόμενοι, proseuchomenoi) and “asking” (αἰτούμενοι, aitoumenoi) in v. 9 and is thus translated as “that you may live.”
Colossians 1:10 tn BDAG 129 s.v. ἀρεσκεία states that ἀρεσκείαν (areskeian) refers to a “desire to please εἰς πᾶσαν ἀ. to please (the Lord) in all respects Col 1:10.”
Colossians 1:11 tn The expression “for the display of” is an attempt to convey in English the force of the Greek preposition εἰς (eis) in this context.
Colossians 1:12 tn BDAG 473 s.v. ἱκανόω states, “τινὰ εἴς τι someone for someth. Col 1:12.” The point of the text is that God has qualified the saints for a “share” or “portion” in the inheritance of the saints.
Colossians 1:12 tn Grk “the inheritance of the saints.” The genitive noun τῶν ἁγίων (tōn hagiōn) is a possessive genitive: “the saints’ inheritance.”
Colossians 1:13 tn Here αὐτοῦ (autou) has been translated as a subjective genitive (“he loves”).
Colossians 1:14 tc διὰ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ (dia tou haimatos autou, “through his blood”) is read at this juncture by several minuscule mss (614 630 1505 2464) as well as a few, mostly secondary, versional and patristic witnesses. But the reading was prompted by the parallel in Eph 1:7 where the wording is solid. If these words had been in the original of Colossians, why would scribes omit them here but not in Eph 1:7? Further, the testimony on behalf of the shorter reading is quite overwhelming: א A B C D F G Ψ 075 0150 6 33 1739 1881 M latt co as well as several other versions and fathers. The conviction that “through his blood” is not authentic in Col 1:14 is as strong as the conviction that these words are authentic in Eph 1:7.

Luke 10:25-37

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

²⁵Now^[a] an expert in religious law^[b] stood up to test Jesus,^[c] saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”^[d] ²⁶He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you understand it?”^[e] ²⁷The expert^[f] answered, “Love^[g] the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,^[h] and love your neighbor as yourself.”^[i] ²⁸Jesus^[j] said to him, “You have answered correctly;^[k] do this, and you will live.”

²⁹But the expert,^[l] wanting to justify^[m] himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ³⁰Jesus replied,^[n] “A man was going down^[o] from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat^[p] him up, and went off, leaving him half dead.^[q] ³¹Now by chance^[r] a priest was going down that road, but^[s] when he saw the injured man^[t] he passed by^[u] on the other side.^[v] ³²So too a Levite, when he came up to^[w] the place and saw him,^[x] passed by on the other side. ³³But^[y] a Samaritan^[z] who was traveling^[aa] came to where the injured man^[ab] was, and when he saw him, he felt compassion for him.^[ac] ³⁴He^[ad] went up to him^[ae] and bandaged his wounds, pouring olive oil^[af] and wine on them. Then^[ag] he put him on^[ah] his own animal,^[ai] brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵The^[aj] next day he took out two silver coins^[ak] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever else you spend, I will repay you when I come back this way.’^[al] ³⁶Which of these three do you think became a neighbor^[am] to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” ³⁷The expert in religious law^[an] said, “The one who showed mercy^[ao] to him.” So^[ap] Jesus said to him, “Go and do^[aq] the same.”

Footnotes

Luke 10:25 tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
Luke 10:25 tn Traditionally, “a lawyer.” This was an expert in the interpretation of the Mosaic law (see also Luke 7:30, where the same term occurs).
Luke 10:25 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 10:25 sn The combination of inherit with eternal life asks, in effect, “What must I do to be saved?”
Luke 10:26 tn Grk “How do you read?” The pronoun “it” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
Luke 10:27 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (the expert in religious law, shortened here to “the expert”) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Luke 10:27 tn Grk “You will love.” The future indicative is used here with imperatival force (see ExSyn 452 and 569).
Luke 10:27 sn A quotation from Deut 6:5. The fourfold reference to different parts of the person says, in effect, that one should love God with all one’s being.
Luke 10:27 tn This portion of the reply is a quotation from Lev 19:18. The verb is repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
Luke 10:28 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Luke 10:28 sn Jesus commends the reply (you have answered correctly). What is assumed here, given the previous context, is that he will respond to Jesus’ message, as to love God is to respond to his Son; see v. 22.
Luke 10:29 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (the expert in religious law, shortened here to “the expert”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 10:29 tn Or “vindicate.”sn The expert in religious law picked up on the remark about the neighbor and sought to limit his responsibility for loving. Some believed this obligation would only be required toward the righteous (Sir 12:1-4). The lawyer was trying to see if that was right and thus confidently establish his righteousness (wanting to justify himself).
Luke 10:30 tn Grk “answering, said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “replied.”
Luke 10:30 sn The journey from Jerusalem to Jericho was 17 mi (27 km), descending some 3425 ft (1044 m) in altitude. It was known for its danger because the road ran through areas of desert and caves where the robbers hid.
Luke 10:30 tn Grk “and beat,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
Luke 10:30 sn That is, in a state between life and death; severely wounded.
Luke 10:31 sn The phrase by chance adds an initial note of hope and fortune to the expectation in the story.
Luke 10:31 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context between the priest’s expected action (helping the victim) and what he really did.
Luke 10:31 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the injured man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 10:31 sn It is not said why the priest passed by and refused to help. It is not relevant to the point of the parable that no help was given in the emergency situation.
Luke 10:31 sn The text suggests that the priest went out of his way (on the other side) not to get too close to the scene.
Luke 10:32 tn Here κατά (kata) has been translated “up to”; it could also be translated “upon.”
Luke 10:32 tn The clause containing the aorist active participle ἐλθών (elthōn) suggests that the Levite came up to the place, took a look, and then moved on.
Luke 10:33 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context between the previous characters (considered by society to be examples of piety and religious duty) and a hated Samaritan.
Luke 10:33 tn This is at the beginning of the clause, in emphatic position in the Greek text.
Luke 10:33 tn The participle ὁδεύων (hodeuōn) has been translated as an adjectival participle (cf. NAB, NASB, TEV); it could also be taken temporally (“while he was traveling,” cf. NRSV, NIV).
Luke 10:33 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the injured man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 10:33 tn “Him” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The verb means “to feel compassion for,” and the object of the compassion is understood.sn Here is what made the Samaritan different: He felt compassion for him. In the story, compassion becomes the concrete expression of love. The next verse details explicitly six acts of compassion.
Luke 10:34 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Instead, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
Luke 10:34 tn The words “to him” are not in the Greek text but are implied. The participle προσελθών (proselthōn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
Luke 10:34 sn The ancient practice of pouring olive oil on wounds was designed to ease pain and provide cleansing for the wounds (Isa 1:6).
Luke 10:34 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. Because of the length and complexity of this Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
Luke 10:34 tn It is not clear whether the causative nuance of the verb included actual assistance or not (“helped him on” versus “had him get on”; see L&N 15.98), but in light of the severity of the man’s condition as described in the preceding verses, some degree of assistance was almost certainly needed.
Luke 10:34 sn His own animal refers to a riding animal, presumably a donkey, but not specified.
Luke 10:35 tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 10:35 tn Grk “two denarii.”sn The two silver coins were denarii. A denarius was a silver coin worth about a day’s pay for a laborer; this would be an amount worth about two days’ pay.
Luke 10:35 tn Grk “when I come back”; the words “this way” are part of an English idiom used to translate the phrase.
Luke 10:36 sn Jesus reversed the question the expert in religious law asked in v. 29 to one of becoming a neighbor by loving. “Do not think about who they are, but who you are,” was his reply.
Luke 10:37 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (the expert in religious law) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
Luke 10:37 sn The neighbor did not do what was required (that is why his response is called mercy) but had compassion and out of kindness went the extra step that shows love. See Mic 6:8. Note how the expert in religious law could not bring himself to admit that the example was a Samaritan, someone who would have been seen as a racial half-breed and one not worthy of respect. So Jesus makes a second point that neighbors may appear in surprising places.
Luke 10:37 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding summary.
Luke 10:37 tn This recalls the verb of the earlier reply in v. 28.

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Amos Confronts a Priest

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Psalm 82[a]

A psalm of Asaph.

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Salutation

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Church

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

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The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Footnotes

Psalm 82^[a]