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The Superiority of the New

33 Then[a] they said to him, “John’s[b] disciples frequently fast[c] and pray,[d] and so do the disciples of the Pharisees,[e] but yours continue to eat and drink.”[f]

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 5:33 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
  2. Luke 5:33 tc Most mss (א*,2 A C D Θ Ψ ƒ1,13 M latt sy) read διὰ τί (dia ti, “Why do John’s…?”) here, turning the statement into a question. But such seems to be a motivated reading, assimilating the text to Mark 2:18 and Matt 9:14. The reading represented in the translation is supported by P4 א1 B L W Ξ 33 892* 1241 sa.sn John refers to John the Baptist.
  3. Luke 5:33 sn John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees followed typical practices with regard to fasting and prayer. Many Jews fasted regularly (Lev 16:29-34; 23:26-32; Num 29:7-11). The zealous fasted twice a week on Monday and Thursday.
  4. Luke 5:33 tn Grk “and offer prayers,” but this idiom (δέησις + ποιέω) is often simply a circumlocution for praying.
  5. Luke 5:33 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
  6. Luke 5:33 tn Grk “but yours are eating and drinking.” The translation “continue to eat and drink” attempts to reflect the progressive or durative nature of the action described, which in context is a practice not limited to the specific occasion at hand (the banquet).