Luke 7:1-30

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Luke 7:1 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2. Luke 7:1 tn Grk “After he had completed all his sayings in the hearing of the people.”
3. Luke 7:1 sn Capernaum was a town located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It existed since Hasmonean times and was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region. The population in the first century is estimated to be around 1,500. Capernaum became the hub of operations for Jesus’ Galilean ministry (Matt 4:13; Mark 2:1). In modern times the site was discovered in 1838 by the American explorer E. Robinson, and major excavations began in 1905 by German archaeologists H. Kohl and C. Watzinger. Not until 1968, however, were remains from the time of Jesus visible; in that year V. Corbo and S. Loffreda began a series of annual archaeological campaigns that lasted until 1985. This work uncovered what is thought to be the house of Simon Peter as well as ruins of the first century synagogue beneath the later synagogue from the fourth or fifth century A.D. Today gently rolling hills and date palms frame the first century site, a favorite tourist destination of visitors to the Galilee.
4. Luke 7:2 sn A centurion was a noncommissioned officer in the Roman army or one of the auxiliary territorial armies, commanding a centuria of (nominally) 100 men. The responsibilities of centurions were broadly similar to modern junior officers, but there was a wide gap in social status between them and officers, and relatively few were promoted beyond the rank of senior centurion. The Roman troops stationed in Judea were auxiliaries, who would normally be rewarded with Roman citizenship after 25 years of service. Some of the centurions throughout the region may have served originally in the Roman legions (regular army) and thus gained their citizenship at enlistment. Others may have inherited it, like the apostle Paul did (cf. Acts 22:28).
5. Luke 7:2 tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
6. Luke 7:2 tn Though δοῦλος (doulos) 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. 1). 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. Later in this passage (v. 7) Luke uses the Greek term παῖς (pais), to refer to the centurion’s slave. This was a term often used of a slave who was regarded with some degree of affection, possibly a personal servant.
7. Luke 7:2 tn The term ἔντιμος (entimos) could mean “highly valued,” but this sounds too much like the slave was seen as an asset, while the text suggests a genuine care for the person. More archaically, it could be said the centurion was fond of this slave.
8. Luke 7:3 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the centurion) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9. Luke 7:3 tn The participle ἀκούσας (akousas) has been taken temporally.
10. Luke 7:3 sn Why some Jewish elders are sent as emissaries is not entirely clear, but the centurion was probably respecting ethnic boundaries, which were important in ancient Greco-Roman and Jewish culture. The parallel account in Matt 8:5-13 does not mention the emissaries.
11. Luke 7:3 tn The participle ἐλθών (elthōn) has been translated as an infinitive in parallel with διασώσῃ (diasōsē) due to requirements of contemporary English style.
12. Luke 7:4 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
13. Luke 7:4 tn Although the participle παραγενόμενοι (paragenomenoi) is preceded by the Greek article (οἱ, hoi) which would normally cause it to be regarded as an adjectival or substantival participle, most modern translations, probably as a result of the necessities of contemporary English style, render it as a temporal participle (“when they came”).
14. Luke 7:4 tn Or “implored.”
15. Luke 7:4 tn Grk “urged him earnestly, saying”; the participle λέγοντες (legontes) is pleonastic (redundant) and has not been translated.
16. Luke 7:4 tn Grk “Worthy is he to have you do this”; the term “worthy” comes first in the direct discourse and is emphatic.
17. Luke 7:5 tn Or “people.” The use of ἔθνος (ethnos, “nation”) here instead of “God” probably meant the man was not a full proselyte, but that he had simply been supportive of the Jews and their culture. He could have been a God-fearer. The Romans saw a stable religious community as politically helpful and often supported it (Josephus, Ant. 16.6.2 [16.162-165], 19.6.3 [19.300-311]).
18. Luke 7:5 tn In the Greek text, the pronoun αὐτός (autos) is included, making this emphatic. Naturally the force of this statement is causative, meaning the centurion either had the synagogue built or donated the cost of its construction.
19. Luke 7:5 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.
20. Luke 7:6 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the resultative action.
21. Luke 7:6 tn The participle ἀπέχοντος (apechontos) has been taken temporally.
22. Luke 7:6 sn See the note on the word centurion in 7:2.
23. Luke 7:6 tn Or “do not be bothered.”
24. Luke 7:6 sn Note the humility in the centurion’s statement I am not worthy in light of what others think (as v. 4 notes). See Luke 5:8 for a similar example of humility.
25. Luke 7:7 tn Or “roof; therefore.”
26. Luke 7:7 tn Grk “I did not consider myself worthy to come to you.” See BDAG 94 s.v. ἀξιόω 1. “Presume” assumes this and expresses the idea in terms of offense.
27. Luke 7:7 tc The aorist imperative ἰαθήτω (iathētō, “must be healed”) is found in P^75vid B L 1241 sa. Most mss (א A C D W Θ Ψ ƒ^1,13 33 M latt bo) have instead a future indicative, ἰαθήσεται (iathēsetai, “will be healed”). This is most likely an assimilation to Matt 8:8, and thus, as a motivated reading, should be considered secondary. The meaning either way is essentially the same.tn The aorist imperative may be translated as an imperative of command (“must be healed” or, more periphrastically, “command [my servant] to be healed”) or as a permissive imperative (“let my servant be healed”), which lessens the force of the imperative somewhat in English.
28. Luke 7:8 tn Grk “having soldiers under me.”
29. Luke 7:8 sn I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes. The illustrations highlight the view of authority the soldier sees in the word of one who has authority. Since the centurion was a commander of a hundred soldiers, he understood what it was both to command others and to be obeyed.
30. Luke 7:8 tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
31. Luke 7:9 tn Or “pleased with him and amazed.” The expanded translation brings out both Jesus’ sense of wonder at the deep insight of the soldier and the pleasure he had that he could present the man as an example of faith.
32. Luke 7:9 sn There are two elements to the faith that Jesus commended: The man’s humility and his sense of Jesus’ authority which recognized that only Jesus’ word, not his physical presence, were required.
33. Luke 7:10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the summarization at the end of the account.
34. Luke 7:10 tc Most mss, especially later ones (A C [D] Θ Ψ ƒ¹³ 33 M), have “the sick slave” here instead of “the slave.” This brings out the contrast of the healing more clearly, but this reading looks secondary both internally (scribes tended toward clarification) and externally (the shorter reading is well supported by a variety of witnesses: P⁷⁵ א B L W ƒ¹ 579 700 892* 1241 2542 it co).
35. Luke 7:11 tn Grk “And it happened that soon.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
36. Luke 7:11 tc Several variants to ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ (egeneto en tō) are found before the adverb ἑξῆς (hexēs), all of them clarifying by the use of the feminine article that the next day is meant (τῇ [tē] in D; ἐγένετο τῇ in W; ἐγένετο ἐν τῇ in א* C K 565 892 1424 pm). But these readings are decidedly secondary, for they are more specific than Luke usually is, and involve an unparalleled construction (viz., article + ἡμέρα [hēmera] + ἑξῆς; elsewhere, when Luke uses this adverb, the noun it modifies is either implied or after the adverb [cf. Luke 9:37; Acts 21:1; 25:17; 27:18)]. The reading adopted for the translation is a more general time indicator; the article τῷ modifies an implied χρόνῳ (chronō), with the general sense of “soon afterward.”
37. Luke 7:11 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
38. Luke 7:11 tn The term πόλις (polis) can refer to a small town, which is what Nain was. It was about six miles southeast of Nazareth.
39. Luke 7:12 tn Grk “behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
40. Luke 7:12 tn That is, carried out for burial. This was a funeral procession.
41. Luke 7:12 tn Grk “and she.” The clause introduced by καί (kai) has been translated as a relative clause for the sake of English style.
42. Luke 7:12 sn The description of the woman as a widow would mean that she was now socially alone and without protection in 1st century Jewish culture.
43. Luke 7:12 tn Or “city.”
44. Luke 7:13 tn Grk “And seeing her, the Lord.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. The participle ἰδών (idōn) has been taken temporally.
45. Luke 7:13 sn He had compassion. It is unusual for Luke to note such emotion by Jesus, though the other Synoptics tend to mention it (Matt 14:14; Mark 6:34; Matt 15:32; Mark 8:2).
46. Luke 7:13 tn The verb κλαίω (klaiō) denotes the loud wailing or lamenting typical of 1st century Jewish mourning.
47. Luke 7:14 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
48. Luke 7:14 tn Grk “coming up, he touched.” The participle προσελθών (proselthōn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
49. Luke 7:14 sn The act of having touched the bier would have rendered Jesus ceremonially unclean, but it did not matter to him, since he was expressing his personal concern (Num 19:11, 16).
50. Luke 7:14 sn Although sometimes translated “coffin,” the bier was actually a stretcher or wooden plank on which the corpse was transported to the place of burial. See L&N 6.109.
51. Luke 7:14 tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
52. Luke 7:15 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of Jesus’ command.
53. Luke 7:15 tn Or “the deceased.”
54. Luke 7:15 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
55. Luke 7:15 tn In the context, the verb δίδωμι (didōmi) has been translated “gave back” rather than simply “gave.”
56. Luke 7:16 tn Or “Awe.” Grk “fear,” but the context and the following remark show that it is mixed with wonder; see L&N 53.59. This is a reaction to God’s work; see Luke 5:9.
57. Luke 7:16 tn This imperfect verb has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
58. Luke 7:16 sn That Jesus was a great prophet was a natural conclusion for the crowd to make, given the healing, but Jesus is more than this. See Luke 9:8, 19-20.
59. Luke 7:16 tn Grk “arisen.”
60. Luke 7:16 tn Grk “visited,” but this conveys a different impression to a modern reader. L&N 85.11 renders the verb, “to be present, with the implication of concern—‘to be present to help, to be on hand to aid.’…‘God has come to help his people’ Lk 7:16.” The language recalls Luke 1:68, 78.
61. Luke 7:17 tn Grk “And this.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
62. Luke 7:17 sn See Luke 4:14 for a similar report.
63. Luke 7:17 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
64. Luke 7:17 tn Grk “went out.”
65. Luke 7:17 tn Grk “through the whole of.”
66. Luke 7:18 tn Grk “And John’s.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. This is a reference to John the Baptist as the following context makes clear.
67. Luke 7:18 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that John’s action was a result of the report he had heard.
68. Luke 7:18 tn Grk “And calling two of his disciples, John sent.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesamenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
69. Luke 7:19 tc ‡ Although most mss (א A W Θ Ψ ƒ¹ M it sy bo) read πρὸς τὸν ᾿Ιησοῦν (pros ton Iēsoun, “to Jesus”), other significant witnesses (B L Ξ ƒ¹³ 33 sa) read πρὸς τὸν κύριον (pros ton kurion, “to the Lord”). A decision is difficult in this instance, as there are good witnesses on both sides. In light of this, that “Jesus” is more widespread than “the Lord” with almost equally significant witnesses argues for its authenticity.
70. Luke 7:19 tn Grk “to Jesus, saying,” but since this takes the form of a question, it is preferable to use the phrase “to ask” in English.
71. Luke 7:19 sn Aspects of Jesus’ ministry may have led John to question whether Jesus was the promised stronger and greater one who is to come that he had preached about in Luke 3:15-17.
72. Luke 7:20 tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
73. Luke 7:20 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
74. Luke 7:20 tn Grk “to you, saying,” but since this takes the form of a question, it is preferable to use the phrase “to ask” in English.
75. Luke 7:20 tn This question is repeated word for word from v. 19.
76. Luke 7:21 tn Grk “In that hour.”
77. Luke 7:21 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
78. Luke 7:21 tn Grk “and sicknesses,” 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.
79. Luke 7:21 tn Or “and bestowed (sight) on.”
80. Luke 7:22 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the relationship to Jesus’ miraculous cures in the preceding sentence.
81. Luke 7:22 tn Grk “answering, he said to them.” This is redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation to “he answered them.”
82. Luke 7:22 sn The same verb has been translated “inform” in 7:18.
83. Luke 7:22 sn What you have seen and heard. The following activities all paraphrase various OT descriptions of the time of promised salvation: Isa 35:5-6; 26:19; 29:18-19; 61:1. Jesus is answering not by acknowledging a title, but by pointing to the nature of his works, thus indicating the nature of the time.
84. Luke 7:22 sn See the note on lepers in Luke 4:27.
85. Luke 7:22 tn Grk “and the,” 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.
86. Luke 7:23 tn Grk “whoever.”
87. Luke 7:24 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
88. Luke 7:24 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
89. Luke 7:24 tn Or “desert.”
90. Luke 7:24 tn It is debated whether this expression should be read figuratively (“to see someone who is easily blown over?”) or literally (“to see the wilderness vegetation blowing in the wind?…No, to see a prophet”). Either view is possible, but the following examples suggest the question should be read literally, meaning that an extraordinary event like the arrival of a prophet (rather than the common occurrence of plants blowing in the wind) drew them to the desert.
91. Luke 7:25 tn Grk “But what.” Here ἀλλά (alla, a strong contrastive in Greek) produces a somewhat awkward sense in English, and has not been translated. The same situation occurs at the beginning of v. 26.
92. Luke 7:25 sn The reference to soft clothing suggests that John was not rich or powerful, nor did he come from the wealthy or ruling classes. The crowds came out into the wilderness not to see the rich and famous, but to see a prophet.
93. Luke 7:25 tn See L&N 88.253, “to revel, to carouse, to live a life of luxury.”
94. Luke 7:25 tn This is a different Greek term than in the parallel in Matt 11:8. Cf. BDAG 169 s.v. βασίλειος, “the (royal) palace.”
95. Luke 7:26 tn John the Baptist is “more” because he introduces the one (Jesus) who brings the new era. The term is neuter, but may be understood as masculine in this context (BDAG 806 s.v. περισσότερος b.).
96. Luke 7:27 tn Grk “before your face” (an idiom).
97. Luke 7:27 sn The quotation is primarily from Mal 3:1 with pronouns from Exod 23:20, and provides a more precise description of John the Baptist’s role. He is the forerunner who points the way to the arrival of God’s salvation. His job is to prepare and guide the people (just as the cloud did for Israel in the wilderness at the time of the Exodus).
98. Luke 7:28 sn In the Greek text greater is at the beginning of the clause in the emphatic position. John the Baptist was the greatest man of the old era.
99. Luke 7:28 tc The earliest and best mss read simply ᾿Ιωάννου (Iōannou, “John”) here (P⁷⁵ א B L W Ξ ƒ¹ 579). Others turn this into “John the Baptist” (K 33 565 al it), “the prophet John the Baptist” (A [D] Θ ƒ¹³ M lat), or “the prophet John” (Ψ 700 [892 1241]). “It appears that προφήτης was inserted by pedantic copyists who wished thereby to exclude Christ from the comparison, while others added τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ, assimilating the text to Mt 11.11” (TCGNT 119).
100. Luke 7:28 sn After John comes a shift of eras. John stands at the end of the old era (those born of women), and is to some extent a pivotal or transitional figure. The new era which John heralds is so great that the lowest member of it (the one who is least in the kingdom of God) is greater than the greatest one of the previous era. (The parallel passage Matt 11:11 reads kingdom of heaven.)
101. Luke 7:28 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus’ teaching. The nature of the kingdom of God in the NT and in Jesus’ teaching has long been debated by interpreters and scholars, with discussion primarily centering around the nature of the kingdom (earthly, heavenly, or both) and the kingdom’s arrival (present, future, or both). An additional major issue concerns the relationship between the kingdom of God and the person and work of Jesus himself. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21. Here the kingdom of God is not viewed as strictly future, though its full manifestation is yet to come. That is why membership in it starts right after John the Baptist.
102. Luke 7:29 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the parenthetical nature of the comment by the author.
103. Luke 7:29 sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.
104. Luke 7:29 tn Or “vindicated God”; Grk “justified God.” This could be expanded to “vindicated and responded to God.” The point is that God’s goodness and grace as evidenced in the invitation to John was justified and responded to by the group one might least expect, tax collector and sinners. They had more spiritual sensitivity than others. The contrastive response is clear from v. 30.
105. Luke 7:29 tn The participle βαπτισθέντες (baptisthentes) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.
106. Luke 7:30 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
107. Luke 7:30 tn That is, the experts in the interpretation of the Mosaic law (see also Luke 5:17, although the Greek term is not identical there, and Luke 10:25, where it is the same).
108. Luke 7:30 tn Or “plan.”
109. Luke 7:30 tn The participle βαπτισθέντες (baptisthentes) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle; it could also be translated as means (“for themselves, by not having been baptized”). This is similar to the translation found in the NRSV.
110. Luke 7:30 tn Grk “by him”; the referent (John the Baptist) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
111. Luke 7:30 sn Luke 7:29-30 forms something of an aside by the author. To indicate this, they have been placed in parentheses.