Lukas 2:7

2:7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in strips of cloth ¹  and laid him in a manger, ²  because there was no place for them in the inn. ³ 

Lukas 2:10

2:10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! Listen carefully, ⁴  for I proclaim to you good news ⁵  that brings great joy to all the people:

Lukas 2:23

2:23 (just as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male ⁶  will be set apart to the Lord” ⁷ ),

Lukas 17:1

Sin, Forgiveness, Faith, and Service

17:1 Jesus ⁸  said to his disciples, “Stumbling blocks are sure to come, but woe ⁹  to the one through whom they come!

Lukas 18:24

18:24 When Jesus noticed this, ¹⁰  he said, “How hard ¹¹  it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! ¹² 

Lukas 19:12

19:12 Therefore he said, “A nobleman ¹³  went to a distant country to receive ¹⁴  for himself a kingdom and then return. ¹⁵ 

Lukas 21:23

21:23 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in those days! For there will be great distress ¹⁶  on the earth and wrath against this people.

[2:7]  ¹ sn The strips of cloth (traditionally, “swaddling cloths”) were strips of linen that would be wrapped around the arms and legs of an infant to keep the limbs protected.

[2:7]  ² tn Or “a feeding trough.”

[2:7]  ³ tn The Greek word κατάλυμα is flexible, and usage in the LXX and NT refers to a variety of places for lodging (see BDAG 521 s.v.). Most likely Joseph and Mary sought lodging in the public accommodations in the city of Bethlehem (see J. Nolland, Luke [WBC], 1:105), which would have been crude shelters for people and animals. However, it has been suggested by various scholars that Joseph and Mary were staying with relatives in Bethlehem (e.g., C. S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, 194; B. Witherington, “Birth of Jesus,” DJG, 69-70); if that were so the term would refer to the guest room in the relatives’ house, which would have been filled beyond capacity with all the other relatives who had to journey to Bethlehem for the census.

[2:7]  sn There was no place for them in the inn. There is no drama in how this is told. There is no search for a variety of places to stay or a heartless innkeeper. (Such items are later, nonbiblical embellishments.) Bethlehem was not large and there was simply no other place to stay. The humble surroundings of the birth are ironic in view of the birth’s significance.

[2:10]  ⁴ tn Grk “behold.”

[2:10]  ⁵ tn Grk “I evangelize to you great joy.”

[2:23]  ⁶ tn Grk “every male that opens the womb” (an idiom for the firstborn male).

[2:23]  ⁷ sn An allusion to Exod 13:2, 12, 15.

[17:1]  ⁸ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[17:1]  ⁹ sn See Luke 6:24-26.

[18:24]  ¹⁰ tc ‡ The phrase περίλυπον γενόμενον (perilupon genomenon, “[When Jesus saw him] becoming sad”) is found in the majority of mss (A [D] W Θ Ψ 078 ˹³ 33^vid Ï latt sy), and it is not unknown in Lukan style to repeat a word or phrase in adjacent passages (TCGNT 143). However, the phrase is lacking in some significant mss (א B L ˹ 579 1241 2542 co). The shorter reading is nevertheless difficult to explain if it is not original: It is possible that these witnesses omitted this phrase out of perceived redundancy from the preceding verse, although intentional omissions, especially by several and varied witnesses, are generally unlikely. NA²⁷ places the words in brackets, indicating doubts as to their authenticity.

[18:24]  tn Grk “him.”

[18:24]  ¹¹ sn For the rich it is hard for wealth not to be the point of focus, as the contrast in vv. 28-30 will show, and for rich people to trust God. Wealth was not an automatic sign of blessing as far as Jesus was concerned.

[18:24]  ¹² sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

[19:12]  ¹³ tn Grk “a man of noble birth” or “a man of noble status” (L&N 87.27).

[19:12]  ¹⁴ sn Note that the receiving of the kingdom takes place in the far country. This suggests that those in the far country recognize and acknowledge the king when his own citizens did not want him as king (v. 14; cf. John 1:11-12).

[19:12]  ¹⁵ sn The background to this story about the nobleman who went…to receive for himself a kingdom had some parallels in the area’s recent history: Archelaus was appointed ethnarch of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea in 4 b.c., but the people did not like him. Herod the Great also made a similar journey to Rome where he was crowned King of Judea in 40 b.c., although he was not able to claim his kingdom until 37 b.c.

[21:23]  ¹⁶ sn Great distress means that this is a period of great judgment.