Lukas 1:69

1:69 For ¹  he has raised up ²  a horn of salvation ³  for us in the house of his servant David, ⁴ 

Lukas 1:80

1:80 And the child kept growing ⁵  and becoming strong ⁶  in spirit, and he was in the wilderness ⁷  until the day he was revealed ⁸  to Israel.

Lukas 2:40

2:40 And the child grew and became strong, ⁹  filled with wisdom, ¹⁰  and the favor ¹¹  of God ¹²  was upon him.

Lukas 6:44

6:44 for each tree is known ¹³  by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered ¹⁴  from thorns, nor are grapes picked ¹⁵  from brambles. ¹⁶ 

Lukas 8:6-8

8:6 Other seed fell on rock, ¹⁷  and when it came up, it withered because it had no moisture. 8:7 Other seed fell among the thorns, ¹⁸  and they grew up with it and choked ¹⁹  it. 8:8 But ²⁰  other seed fell on good soil and grew, ²¹  and it produced a hundred times as much grain.” ²²  As he said this, ²³  he called out, “The one who has ears to hear had better listen!” ²⁴ 

Lukas 8:13-14

8:13 Those ²⁵  on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, ²⁶  but ²⁷  in a time of testing ²⁸  fall away. ²⁹  8:14 As for the seed that ³⁰  fell among thorns, these are the ones who hear, but ³¹  as they go on their way they are choked ³²  by the worries and riches and pleasures of life, ³³  and their fruit does not mature. ³⁴ 

Lukas 12:27-28

12:27 Consider how the flowers ³⁵  grow; they do not work ³⁶  or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these! 12:28 And if ³⁷  this is how God clothes the wild grass, ³⁸  which is here ³⁹  today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, ⁴⁰  how much more ⁴¹  will he clothe you, you people of little faith!

Lukas 13:6

Warning to Israel to Bear Fruit

13:6 Then ⁴²  Jesus ⁴³  told this parable: “A man had a fig tree ⁴⁴  planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none.

Lukas 13:8

13:8 But the worker ⁴⁵  answered him, ‘Sir, leave it alone this year too, until I dig around it and put fertilizer ⁴⁶  on it.

Lukas 13:19

13:19 It is like a mustard seed ⁴⁷  that a man took and sowed ⁴⁸  in his garden. It ⁴⁹  grew and became a tree, ⁵⁰  and the wild birds ⁵¹  nested in its branches.” ⁵² 

Lukas 17:6

17:6 So ⁵³  the Lord replied, ⁵⁴  “If ⁵⁵  you had faith the size of ⁵⁶  a mustard seed, you could say to this black mulberry ⁵⁷  tree, ‘Be pulled out by the roots and planted in the sea,’ ⁵⁸  and it would obey ⁵⁹  you.

[1:69]  ¹ tn Grk “and,” but specifying the reason for the praise in the psalm.

[1:69]  ² sn The phrase raised up means for God to bring someone significant onto the scene of history.

[1:69]  ³ 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 (Ps 75:4-5, 10; 148:14; 2 Sam 22:3). Thus the meaning of the figure is “a powerful savior.”

[1:69]  ⁴ 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.

[1:80]  ⁵ tn This verb is imperfect.

[1:80]  ⁶ tn This verb is also imperfect.

[1:80]  ⁷ tn Or “desert.”

[1:80]  ⁸ tn Grk “until the day of his revealing.”

[2:40]  ⁹ tc Most mss (A Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï) read πνεύματι (pneumati, “in spirit”) after “became strong,” but this looks like an assimilation to Luke 1:80. The better witnesses (א B D L N W pc lat co) lack the word.

[2:40]  ¹⁰ sn With the description grew and became strong, filled with wisdom Luke emphasizes the humanity of Jesus and his growth toward maturity.

[2:40]  ¹¹ tn Or “grace.”

[2:40]  ¹² sn On the phrase the favor of God see Luke 1:66.

[6:44]  ¹³ sn The principle of the passage is that one produces what one is.

[6:44]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “they do not gather”; this has been simplified to the passive voice in the translation since the subject “they” is not specified further in the context.

[6:44]  ¹⁵ tn This is a different verb (τρυγῶσιν, trugwsin) for gathering from the previous one (συλλέγουσιν, sullegousin).

[6:44]  ¹⁶ tn This is a different term (βάτος, batos) for a thorn or bramble bush than the previous one (ἄκανθα, akanqa).

[6:44]  sn The statement nor are grapes picked from brambles illustrates the principle: That which cannot produce fruit, does not produce fruit.

[8:6]  ¹⁷ sn The rock in Palestine would be a limestone base lying right under the soil.

[8:7]  ¹⁸ sn Palestinian weeds like these thorns could grow up to six feet in height and have a major root system.

[8:7]  ¹⁹ sn That is, crowded out the good plants.

[8:8]  ²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in the final stage of the parable.

[8:8]  ²¹ tn Grk “when it grew, after it grew.”

[8:8]  ²² sn Unlike the parallel accounts in Matt 13:8 and Mark 4:8, there is no distinction in yield in this version of the parable.

[8:8]  ²³ tn Grk “said these things.”

[8:8]  ²⁴ tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 14:35).

[8:13]  ²⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[8:13]  ²⁶ sn This time of temporary faith represented by the description believe for a while is presented rather tragically in the passage. The seed does not get a chance to do all it can.

[8:13]  ²⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[8:13]  ²⁸ tn Traditionally, “temptation.” Such a translation puts the emphasis on temptation to sin rather than testing of faith, which is what the context seems to indicate.

[8:13]  ²⁹ sn Fall away. On the idea of falling away and the warnings against it, see 2 Tim 3:1; Heb 3:12; Jer 3:14; Dan 9:9.

[8:14]  ³⁰ tn Grk “What”; the referent (the seed) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:14]  ³¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[8:14]  ³² sn That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.

[8:14]  ³³ sn On warnings about the dangers of excessive material attachments, described here as the worries and riches and pleasures of life, see Luke 12:12-21; 16:19-31.

[8:14]  ³⁴ tn The verb τελεσφορέω (telesforew) means “to produce mature or ripe fruit” (L&N 23.203). Once again the seed does not reach its goal.

[12:27]  ³⁵ tn Traditionally, “lilies.” According to L&N 3.32, “Though traditionally κρίνον has been regarded as a type of lily, scholars have suggested several other possible types of flowers, including an anemone, a poppy, a gladiolus, and a rather inconspicuous type of daisy.” In view of the uncertainty, the more generic “flowers” has been used in the translation.

[12:27]  ³⁶ tn Traditionally, “toil.” Although it might be argued that “work hard” would be a more precise translation of κοπιάω (kopiaw) here, the line in English scans better in terms of cadence with a single syllable.

[12:28]  ³⁷ tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text.

[12:28]  ³⁸ tn Grk “grass in the field.”

[12:28]  ³⁹ tn Grk “which is in the field today.”

[12:28]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “into the oven.” The expanded translation “into the fire to heat the oven” has been used to avoid misunderstanding; most items put into modern ovens are put there to be baked, not burned.

[12:28]  sn The oven was most likely a rounded clay oven used for baking bread, which was heated by burning wood and dried grass.

[12:28]  ⁴¹ sn The phrase how much more is a typical form of rabbinic argumentation, from the lesser to the greater. If God cares for the little things, surely he will care for the more important things.

[13:6]  ⁴² tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[13:6]  ⁴³ tn Grk “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:6]  ⁴⁴ sn The fig tree is a variation on the picture of a vine as representing the nation; see Isa 5:1-7.

[13:8]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the worker who tended the vineyard) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:8]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “toss manure [on it].” This is a reference to manure used as fertilizer.

[13:19]  ⁴⁷ sn The mustard seed was noted for its tiny size.

[13:19]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “threw.”

[13:19]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “garden, and it.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[13:19]  ⁵⁰ sn Calling the mustard plant a tree is rhetorical hyperbole, since technically it is not one. This plant could be one of two types of mustard popular in Palestine and would be either 10 or 25 ft (3 or 7.5 m) tall.

[13:19]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).

[13:19]  ⁵² sn The point of the parable seems to be that while the kingdom of God may appear to have insignificant and unnoticeable beginnings (i.e., in the ministry of Jesus), it will someday (i.e., at the second advent) be great and quite expansive. The kingdom, however, is not to be equated with the church, but rather the church is an expression of the kingdom. Also, there is important OT background in the image of the mustard seed that grew and became a tree: Ezek 17:22-24 pictures the reemergence of the Davidic house where people can find calm and shelter. Like the mustard seed, it would start out small but grow to significant size.

[17:6]  ⁵³ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[17:6]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “said.”

[17:6]  ⁵⁵ tn This is a mixed condition, with ἄν (an) in the apodosis.

[17:6]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “faith as,” “faith like.”

[17:6]  ⁵⁷ sn A black mulberry tree is a deciduous fruit tree that grows about 20 ft (6 m) tall and has black juicy berries. This tree has an extensive root system, so to pull it up would be a major operation.

[17:6]  ⁵⁸ tn The passives here (ἐκριζώθητι and φυτεύθητι, ekrizwqhti and futeuqhti) are probably a circumlocution for God performing the action (the so-called divine passive, see ExSyn 437-38). The issue is not the amount of faith (which in the example is only very tiny), but its presence, which can accomplish impossible things. To cause a tree to be uprooted and planted in the sea is impossible. The expression is a rhetorical idiom. It is like saying a camel can go through the eye of a needle (Luke 18:25).

[17:6]  ⁵⁹ tn The verb is aorist, though it looks at a future event, another rhetorical touch to communicate certainty of the effect of faith.