Lukas 1:3

1:3 So ¹  it seemed good to me as well, ²  because I have followed ³  all things carefully from the beginning, to write an orderly account ⁴  for you, most excellent Theophilus,

Lukas 3:9

3:9 Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, ⁵  and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be ⁶  cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Lukas 6:7-8

6:7 The experts in the law ⁷  and the Pharisees ⁸  watched ⁹  Jesus ¹⁰  closely to see if ¹¹  he would heal on the Sabbath, ¹²  so that they could find a reason to accuse him. 6:8 But ¹³  he knew ¹⁴  their thoughts, ¹⁵  and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Get up and stand here.” ¹⁶  So ¹⁷  he rose and stood there.

Lukas 6:20

6:20 Then ¹⁸  he looked up ¹⁹  at his disciples and said:

“Blessed ²⁰  are you who are poor, ²¹  for the kingdom of God belongs ²²  to you.

Lukas 11:9

11:9 “So ²³  I tell you: Ask, ²⁴  and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door ²⁵  will be opened for you.

Lukas 13:17

13:17 When ²⁶  he said this all his adversaries were humiliated, ²⁷  but ²⁸  the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things ²⁹  he was doing. ³⁰ 

Lukas 14:18-19

14:18 But one after another they all ³¹  began to make excuses. ³²  The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, ³³  and I must go out and see it. Please excuse me.’ ³⁴  14:19 Another ³⁵  said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, ³⁶  and I am going out ³⁷  to examine them. Please excuse me.’

Lukas 15:15

15:15 So he went and worked for ³⁸  one of the citizens of that country, who ³⁹  sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ⁴⁰ 

Lukas 16:3

16:3 Then ⁴¹  the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking my position ⁴²  away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig, ⁴³  and I’m too ashamed ⁴⁴  to beg.

Lukas 20:25-26

20:25 So ⁴⁵  he said to them, “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” ⁴⁶  20:26 Thus ⁴⁷  they were unable in the presence of the people to trap ⁴⁸  him with his own words. ⁴⁹  And stunned ⁵⁰  by his answer, they fell silent.

Lukas 24:17

24:17 Then ⁵¹  he said to them, “What are these matters ⁵²  you are discussing so intently ⁵³  as you walk along?” And they stood still, looking sad.

[1:3]  ¹ tn The conjunction “so” is supplied here to bring out the force of the latter part of this Greek sentence, which the translation divides up because of English style. Luke, in compiling his account, is joining a tradition with good precedent.

[1:3]  ² sn When Luke says it seemed good to me as well he is not being critical of the earlier accounts, but sees himself stepping into a tradition of reporting about Jesus to which he will add uniquely a second volume on the early church when he writes the Book of Acts.

[1:3]  ³ tn Grk “having followed”; the participle παρηκολουθηκότι (parhkolouqhkoti) has been translated causally.

[1:3]  ⁴ sn An orderly account does not necessarily mean that all events are recorded in the exact chronological sequence in which they occurred, but that the account produced is an orderly one. This could include, for example, thematic or topical order rather than strict chronological order.

[3:9]  ⁵ sn Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees. The imagery of an “ax already laid at the root of the trees” is vivid, connoting sudden and catastrophic judgment for the unrepentant and unfruitful. The image of “fire” serves to further heighten the intensity of the judgment referred to. It is John’s way of summoning all people to return to God with all their heart and avoid his unquenchable wrath soon to be poured out. John’s language and imagery is probably ultimately drawn from the OT where Israel is referred to as a fruitless vine (Hos 10:1-2; Jer 2:21-22) and the image of an “ax” is used to indicate God’s judgment (Ps 74:5-6; Jer 46:22).

[3:9]  ⁶ tn Grk “is”; the present tense (ἐκκόπτεται, ekkoptetai) has futuristic force here.

[6:7]  ⁷ tn Or “The scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

[6:7]  ⁸ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[6:7]  ⁹ sn The term translated watched…closely is emotive, since it carries negative connotations. It means they were watching him out of the corner of their eye or spying on him.

[6:7]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:7]  ¹¹ tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text; Jesus’ opponents anticipated he would do this.

[6:7]  ¹² sn The background for this is the view that only if life was endangered should one attempt to heal on the Sabbath (see the Mishnah, m. Shabbat 6.3; 12.1; 18.3; 19.2; m. Yoma 8.6).

[6:8]  ¹³ tn Here the conjunction δέ (de) has been translated as contrastive.

[6:8]  ¹⁴ sn The statement that Jesus knew their thoughts adds a prophetic note to his response; see Luke 5:22.

[6:8]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “their reasonings.” The implication is that Jesus knew his opponents’ plans and motives, so the translation “thoughts” was used here.

[6:8]  ¹⁶ sn Most likely synagogues were arranged with benches along the walls and open space in the center for seating on the floor.

[6:8]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the man’s action was a result of Jesus’ order.

[6:20]  ¹⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[6:20]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “lifting up his eyes” (an idiom). The participle ἐπάρας (epara") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[6:20]  ²⁰ sn The term Blessed introduces the first of several beatitudes promising blessing to those whom God cares for. They serve as an invitation to come into the grace God offers.

[6:20]  ²¹ sn You who are poor is a reference to the “pious poor” for whom God especially cares. See Ps 14:6; 22:24; 25:16; 34:6; 40:17; 69:29.

[6:20]  ²² sn The present tense (belongs) here is significant. Jesus makes the kingdom and its blessings currently available. This phrase is unlike the others in the list with the possessive pronoun being emphasized. Jesus was saying, in effect, “the kingdom belongs even now to people like you.”

[11:9]  ²³ tn Here καί (kai, from καγώ [kagw]) has been translated as “so” to indicate the conclusion drawn from the preceding parable.

[11:9]  ²⁴ sn The three present imperatives in this verse (Ask…seek…knock) are probably intended to call for a repeated or continual approach before God.

[11:9]  ²⁵ tn Grk “it”; the referent (a door) is implied by the context and has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:17]  ²⁶ tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[13:17]  ²⁷ tn Or “were put to shame.”

[13:17]  ²⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[13:17]  ²⁹ sn Concerning all the wonderful things see Luke 7:16; 19:37.

[13:17]  ³⁰ tn Grk “that were being done by him.” The passive has been converted to an active construction in the translation.

[14:18]  ³¹ tn Or “all unanimously” (BDAG 107 s.v. ἀπό 6). "One after another" is suggested by L&N 61.2.

[14:18]  ³² sn To make excuses and cancel at this point was an insult in the culture of the time. Regardless of customs concerning responses to invitations, refusal at this point was rude.

[14:18]  ³³ sn I have bought a field. An examination of newly bought land was a common practice. It was this person’s priority.

[14:18]  ³⁴ sn The expression Please excuse me is probably a polite way of refusing, given the dynamics of the situation, although it is important to note that an initial acceptance had probably been indicated and it was now a bit late for a refusal. The semantic equivalent of the phrase may well be “please accept my apologies.”

[14:19]  ³⁵ tn Grk “And another.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[14:19]  ³⁶ sn Five yoke of oxen. This was a wealthy man, because the normal farmer had one or two yoke of oxen.

[14:19]  ³⁷ tn The translation “going out” for πορεύομαι (poreuomai) is used because “going” in this context could be understood to mean “I am about to” rather than the correct nuance, “I am on my way to.”

[15:15]  ³⁸ tn Grk “joined himself to” (in this case an idiom for beginning to work for someone).

[15:15]  ³⁹ tn Grk “and he.” Here the conjunction καί (kai) and the personal pronoun have been translated by a relative pronoun to improve the English style.

[15:15]  ⁴⁰ sn To a Jew, being sent to the field to feed pigs would be an insult, since pigs were considered unclean animals (Lev 11:7).

[16:3]  ⁴¹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events in the parable.

[16:3]  ⁴² tn Grk “the stewardship,” “the management.”

[16:3]  ⁴³ tn Here “dig” could refer (1) to excavation (“dig ditches,” L&N 19.55) or (2) to agricultural labor (“work the soil,” L&N 43.3). In either case this was labor performed by the uneducated, so it would be an insult as a job for a manager.

[16:3]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “I do not have strength to dig; I am ashamed to beg.”

[16:3]  sn To beg would represent a real lowering of status for the manager, because many of those whom he had formerly collected debts from, he would now be forced to beg from.

[20:25]  ⁴⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Jesus’ pronouncement results from the opponents’ answer to his question.

[20:25]  ⁴⁶ sn Jesus’ answer to give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s was a both/and, not the questioners’ either/or. So he slipped out of their trap.

[20:26]  ⁴⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “thus” to indicate the implied result of Jesus’ unexpected answer.

[20:26]  ⁴⁸ tn On this term, see BDAG 374 s.v. ἐπιλαμβάνομαι 3.

[20:26]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “to trap him in a saying.”

[20:26]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “amazed.”

[24:17]  ⁵¹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[24:17]  ⁵² tn Grk “words,” but the term λόγος (logos) can refer to “matters” rather than only “words” (BDAG 600 s.v. 1.a.ε).

[24:17]  ⁵³ tn “Discussing so intently” translates the reciprocal idea conveyed by πρὸς ἀλλήλους (pro" allhlou"). The term ἀντιβάλλω (antiballw), used only here in the NT, has the nuance of “arguing” or “debating” a point (the English idiom “to exchange words” also comes close).