Jeremiah 5:5

5:5 I will go to the leaders

and speak with them.

Surely they know what the Lord demands.

Surely they know what their God requires of them.”

Yet all of them, too, have rejected his authority

and refuse to submit to him.

Luke 19:14

19:14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to be king over us!’

Luke 19:27

19:27 But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be their king, bring them here and slaughter 10  them 11  in front of me!’”

Luke 19:1

Jesus and Zacchaeus

19:1 Jesus 12  entered Jericho 13  and was passing through it.

Luke 2:7-8

2:7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in strips of cloth 14  and laid him in a manger, 15  because there was no place for them in the inn. 16 

The Shepherds’ Visit

2:8 Now 17  there were shepherds 18  nearby 19  living out in the field, keeping guard 20  over their flock at night.


tn Or “people in power”; Heb “the great ones.”

tn Heb “the way of the Lord.”

tn Heb “the judgment [or ordinance] of their God.”

tn Heb “have broken the yoke and torn off the yoke ropes.” Compare Jer 2:20 and the note there.

tn Or “subjects.” Technically these people were not his subjects yet, but would be upon his return. They were citizens of his country who opposed his appointment as their king; later the newly-appointed king will refer to them as his “enemies” (v. 27).

tn The imperfect is intense in this context, suggesting an ongoing attitude.

tn Grk “this one” (somewhat derogatory in this context).

tn Or “to rule.”

tn Grk “to rule over them.”

10 tn This term, when used of people rather than animals, has some connotations of violence and mercilessness (L&N 20.72).

11 sn Slaughter them. To reject the king is to face certain judgment from him.

12 tn Grk “And entering, he passed through”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

13 map For location see Map5-B2; Map6-E1; Map7-E1; Map8-E3; Map10-A2; Map11-A1.

14 sn The strips of cloth (traditionally, “swaddling cloths”) were strips of linen that would be wrapped around the arms and legs of an infant to keep the limbs protected.

15 tn Or “a feeding trough.”

16 tn The Greek word κατάλυμα is flexible, and usage in the LXX and NT refers to a variety of places for lodging (see BDAG 521 s.v.). Most likely Joseph and Mary sought lodging in the public accommodations in the city of Bethlehem (see J. Nolland, Luke [WBC], 1:105), which would have been crude shelters for people and animals. However, it has been suggested by various scholars that Joseph and Mary were staying with relatives in Bethlehem (e.g., C. S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, 194; B. Witherington, “Birth of Jesus,” DJG, 69-70); if that were so the term would refer to the guest room in the relatives’ house, which would have been filled beyond capacity with all the other relatives who had to journey to Bethlehem for the census.

17 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

18 sn Some argue that shepherds were among the culturally despised, but the evidence for this view of shepherds is late, coming from 5th century Jewish materials. December 25 as the celebrated date of Jesus’ birth arose around the time of Constantine (ca. a.d. 306-337), though it is mentioned in material from Hippolytus (a.d. 165-235). Some think that the reason for celebration on this date was that it coincided with the pagan Roman festival of Saturnalia, and Christians could celebrate their own festival at this time without fear of persecution. On the basis of the statement that the shepherds were living out in the field, keeping guard over their flock at night it is often suggested that Jesus’ birth took place in early spring, since it was only at lambing time that shepherds stood guard over their flocks in the field. This is not absolutely certain, however.

19 tn Grk “in that region.”

20 tn Grk “living in the field (see BDAG 15 s.v. ἀγραυλέω) and guarding their flock.”