Text -- Luke 8:22-25 (NET)

Stilling of a Storm

8:22 One day Jesus got into a boat with his disciples and said to them, “Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, 8:23 and as they sailed he fell asleep. Now a violent windstorm came down on the lake, and the boat started filling up with water, and they were in danger. 8:24 They came and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are about to die!” So he got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they died down, and it was calm. 8:25 Then he said to them, “Where is your faith?” But they were afraid and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him!”

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Luk 8:22

¹ tn Grk “Now it happened that one.” 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. Here δέ (de) has not been translated either.

² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ sn A boat that held all the disciples would be of significant size.

⁴ tn Grk “lake, and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the response to Jesus’ request. In addition, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

NET Notes: Luk 8:23

¹ tn Or “a squall.”

² sn A violent windstorm came down on the lake. The Sea of Galilee is located in a depression some 700 ft (200 m) below sea level and is surrounded by hills. Frequently a rush of wind and the right mix of temperatures can cause a storm to come suddenly on the lake. Storms on the Sea of Galilee were known for their suddenness and violence.

³ tn Grk “they were being swamped,” but English idiom speaks of the boat being swamped rather than the people in it, so the referent (the boat) has been supplied to reflect this usage.

NET Notes: Luk 8:24

¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

² tn The participle προσελθόντες (proselqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

³ tn The double vocative shows great emotion.

⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the connection to the preceding events.

⁵ tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).

⁶ sn Who has authority over the seas and winds is discussed in the OT: Ps 104:3; 135:7; 107:23-30. When Jesus rebuked the wind and the raging waves he was making a statement about who he was.

NET Notes: Luk 8:25

¹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

² sn “Where is your faith?” The call is to trust God and realize that those who exercise faith can trust in his care.

³ sn The combination of fear and respect (afraid and amazed) shows that the disciples are becoming impressed with the great power at work in Jesus, a realization that fuels their question. For a similar reaction, see Luke 5:9.

⁴ sn Jesus’ authority over creation raised a question for the disciples about who he was exactly (“Who then is this?”). This verse shows that the disciples followed Jesus even though they did not know all about him yet.