9:16 Then 7 he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven he gave thanks 8 and broke them. He gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.
1 tn Grk “And whatever town you enter,” but this is more often expressed in English as “whenever you enter a town.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
2 tn Or “city.” Jesus now speaks of the town as a whole, as he will in vv. 10-12.
3 tn Grk “and they”; the referent (the people who live in the town) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Grk “has come to me from the road.”
5 sn The background to the statement I have nothing to set before him is that in ancient Middle Eastern culture it was a matter of cultural honor to be a good host to visitors.
7 sn A quotation from Ps 31:5. It is a psalm of trust. The righteous, innocent sufferer trusts in God. Luke does not have the cry of pain from Ps 22:1 (cf. Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34), but notes Jesus’ trust instead.
10 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
11 sn Gave thanks adds a note of gratitude to the setting. The scene is like two other later meals: Luke 22:19 and 24:30. Jesus gives thanks to God “with respect to” the provision of food. The disciples learn how Jesus is the mediator of blessing. John 6 speaks of him in this scene as picturing the “Bread of Life.”
13 tn Grk “did not know”; the phrase “his master’s will” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the contemporary English reader.
14 tn Grk “blows.”
15 tn Grk “will receive few (blows).”
16 tn Grk “required from him”; but the words “from him” are redundant in English and have not been translated.
17 sn Entrusted with much. To be gifted with precious responsibility is something that requires faithfulness.
18 tn Grk “they will ask even more.”