9:8 Then the neighbors and the people who had seen him previously 18 as a beggar began saying, 19 “Is this not the man 20 who used to sit and beg?” 9:9 Some people said, 21 “This is the man!” 22 while others said, “No, but he looks like him.” 23 The man himself 24 kept insisting, “I am the one!” 25
1 tn Grk “alms,” but this term is not in common use today, so the closest modern equivalent, “donations,” is used instead. The idea is that of a donation to charity.
2 sn Amazement is a frequent response to miracles of Jesus or the apostles. These took the ancients by as much surprise as they would people today. But in terms of response to what God is doing, amazement does not equal faith (Luke 4:36; 5:9, 26; 7:16).
3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then.”
4 sn Jesus’ hometown (where he spent his childhood years) was Nazareth, about 20 miles (30 km) southwest of Capernaum.
5 tn Grk “them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23. Jesus undoubtedly took the opportunity on this occasion to speak about his person and mission, and the relation of both to OT fulfillment.
7 tn Grk “synagogue, so that they.” Here ὥστε (Jwste) has not been translated. Instead a new sentence was started in the translation.
8 sn The reference to Jesus as the carpenter’s son is probably derogatory, indicating that they knew Jesus only as a common laborer like themselves. The reference to his mother…Mary (even though Jesus’ father was probably dead by this point) appears to be somewhat derogatory, for a man was not regarded as his mother’s son in Jewish usage unless an insult was intended (cf. Judg 11:1-2; John 4:41; 8:41; 9:29).
9 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
10 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11 tn Grk “be,” that is, “remain.” In this context that would involve accompanying Jesus as he went on his way.
12 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
13 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
14 sn Jesus instructs the man to declare what the Lord has done for him, in contrast to the usual instructions (e.g., 1:44; 5:43) to remain silent. Here in Gentile territory Jesus allowed more open discussion of his ministry. D. L. Bock (Luke [BECNT], 1:781) suggests that with few Jewish religious representatives present, there would be less danger of misunderstanding Jesus’ ministry as political.
15 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “So” to indicate the conclusion of the episode in the narrative.
16 sn The Decapolis refers to a league of towns (originally consisting of ten; the Greek name literally means “ten towns”) whose region (except for Scythopolis) lay across the Jordan River.
17 sn Note that the man could not separate what God had done from the one through whom God had done it (what Jesus had done for him). This man was called to witness to God’s goodness at home.
18 tn Or “formerly.”
19 tn An ingressive force (“began saying”) is present here because the change in status of the blind person provokes this new response from those who knew him.
20 tn Grk “the one.”
21 tn Grk “Others were saying.”
22 tn Grk “This is the one.”
23 tn Grk “No, but he is like him.”
24 tn Grk “That one”; the referent (the man himself) is specified in the translation for clarity.
25 tn Grk “I am he.”