Text -- Luke 9:37-42 (NET)

Healing a Boy with an Unclean Spirit

9:37 Now on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 9:38 Then a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son– he is my only child! 9:39 A spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions and causes him to foam at the mouth. It hardly ever leaves him alone, torturing him severely. 9:40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.” 9:41 Jesus answered, “You unbelieving and perverse generation! How much longer must I be with you and endure you? Bring your son here.” 9:42 As the boy was approaching, the demon threw him to the ground and shook him with convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Luk 9:37

¹ tn Grk “Now it happened that on.” 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.

NET Notes: Luk 9:38

¹ tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the somewhat unexpected appearance of the man. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

² tn Grk “cried out, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

³ tn This verb means “to have regard for”; see Luke 1:48.

NET Notes: Luk 9:39

¹ tn Grk “and behold, a.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, καί (kai) has not been translated here; instead a new sentence was started in the translation. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

² tn The Greek here is slightly ambiguous; the subject of the verb “screams” could be either the son or the spirit.

³ sn The reaction is like an epileptic fit (see L&N 14.27). See the parallel in Matt 17:14-20.

⁴ tn Or “bruising,” or “crushing.” This verb appears to allude to the damage caused when it throws him to the ground. According to L&N 19.46 it is difficult to know from this verb precisely what the symptoms caused by the demon were, but it is clear they must have involved severe pain. The multiple details given in the account show how gruesome the condition of the boy was.

NET Notes: Luk 9:40

¹ tn Grk “And I.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, καί (kai) has not been translated here; instead a new sentence was started in the translation.

² sn Note the repetition of the verb from v. 38, an indication of the father’s desperation.

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

⁴ tn The words “do so” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied for clarity and stylistic reasons.

NET Notes: Luk 9:41

¹ tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “Jesus answered.” Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

² tn Grk “O.” The marker of direct address, ὦ (w), is functionally equivalent to a vocative and is represented in the translation by “you.”

³ tn Or “faithless.”

sn The rebuke for lack of faith has OT roots: Num 14:27; Deut 32:5, 30; Isa 59:8.

⁴ tn Grk “how long.”

⁵ tn Or “and put up with.” See Num 11:12; Isa 46:4.

⁶ sn The pronouns you…you are plural, indicating that Jesus is speaking to a group rather than an individual.

NET Notes: Luk 9:42

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

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

³ sn At this point the boy was thrown down in another convulsion by the demon. See L&N 23.168.

⁴ tn See L&N 23.167-68, where the second verb συσπαράσσω (susparassw) is taken to mean the violent shaking associated with the convulsions, thus the translation here “and shook him with convulsions.”

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

⁶ sn This is a reference to an evil spirit. See Luke 4:33.