Luke 4:15

4:15 He ¹  began to teach ²  in their synagogues ³  and was praised ⁴  by all.

Luke 4:31-32

Ministry in Capernaum

4:31 So ⁵  he went down to Capernaum, ⁶  a town ⁷  in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he began to teach the people. ⁸  4:32 They ⁹  were amazed ¹⁰  at his teaching, because he spoke ¹¹  with authority. ¹² 

[4:15]  ¹ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[4:15]  ² tn The imperfect verb has been translated ingressively.

[4:15]  ³ sn The next incident in Luke 4:16-30 is probably to be seen as an example of this ministry of teaching in their synagogues in Galilee. Synagogues were places for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though the origin of the synagogue is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present (see the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2).

[4:15]  ⁴ tn Grk “being glorified.” The participle δοξαζόμενος (doxazomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. This is the only place Luke uses the verb δοξάζω (doxazw) of Jesus.

[4:31]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the continuation of the topic; in light of his rejection at Nazareth, Jesus went on to Capernaum.

[4:31]  ⁶ sn Capernaum was a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region, and it became the hub of operations for Jesus’ Galilean ministry.

[4:31]  ⁷ tn Or “city.”

[4:31]  ⁸ tn Grk “them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:32]  ⁹ tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[4:32]  ¹⁰ sn They were amazed. The astonishment shown here is like that in Luke 2:48.

[4:32]  ¹¹ tn Grk “because his word was.”

[4:32]  ¹² sn Jesus’ teaching impressed the hearers with the directness of its claim (with authority). A study of Jewish rabbinic interpretation shows that it was typical to cite a list of authorities to make one’s point. Apparently Jesus addressed the issues in terms of his own understanding.