12:35 “Get dressed for service 2 and keep your lamps burning; 3
1:8 Now 4 while Zechariah 5 was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 6
1:5 During the reign 11 of Herod 12 king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah who belonged to 13 the priestly division of Abijah, 14 and he had a wife named Elizabeth, 15 who was a descendant of Aaron. 16
1 tn Grk “And it happened that as the days of his service were ended.” 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.
2 tn Grk “Let your loins be girded,” an idiom referring to the practice of tucking the ends of the long cloak (outer garment) into the belt to shorten it in preparation for activities like running, etc.
3 sn Keep your lamps burning means to be ready at all times.
3 tn Grk “Now it happened that.” 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.
4 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Zechariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Grk “serving as priest in the order of his division before God.”
4 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
5 tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
6 sn Jesus warns that excessive concern for family ties (looks back) will make the kingdom a lesser priority, which is not appropriate for discipleship. The image is graphic, for who can plow straight ahead toward a goal while looking back? Discipleship cannot be double-minded.
7 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.
5 tn Grk “It happened that in the days.” 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.
6 sn Herod was Herod the Great, who ruled Palestine from 37
7 tn Grk “of”; but the meaning of the preposition ἐκ (ek) is more accurately expressed in contemporary English by the relative clause “who belonged to.”
8 sn There were twenty-four divisions of priesthood and the priestly division of Abijah was eighth on the list according to 1 Chr 24:10.
9 tn Grk “and her name was Elizabeth.”
10 tn Grk “a wife of the daughters of Aaron.”
6 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.
7 tn Or “watching”; Grk “awake,” but in context this is not just being awake but alert and looking out.
8 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
9 tn See v. 35 (same verb).
10 tn Grk “have them recline at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.
11 tn The participle παρελθών (parelqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
12 sn He…will come and wait on them is a reversal of expectation, but shows that what Jesus asks for he is willing to do as well; see John 13:5 and 15:18-27, although those instances merely foreshadow what is in view here.
7 tn Grk “And the Lord said.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
8 tn Or “administrator,” “steward” (L&N 37.39).
9 tn This term, θεραπεία (qerapeia), describes the group of servants working in a particular household (L&N 46.6).