Text -- Luke 8:19 (NET)

Jesus’ True Family

8:19 Now Jesus’ mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not get near him because of the crowd.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Luk 8:19

¹ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² sn The issue of whether Jesus had brothers (siblings) has had a long history in the church. Epiphanius, in the 4th century, argued that Mary was a perpetual virgin and had no offspring other than Jesus. Others argued that these brothers were really cousins. Nothing in the text suggests any of this. See also John 7:3.

³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.