12:1 Meanwhile, 4 when many thousands of the crowd had gathered so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus 5 began to speak first to his disciples, “Be on your guard against 6 the yeast of the Pharisees, 7 which is hypocrisy. 8
1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding point of the story.
2 tn Grk “man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.
3 sn The point of the story is that to fail to respond is to risk a worse fate than when one started.
4 tn The phrase ἐν οἷς (en Jois) can be translated “meanwhile.”
5 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 tn According to L&N 27.59, “to pay attention to, to keep on the lookout for, to be alert for, to be on your guard against.” This is another Lukan present imperative calling for constant vigilance.
7 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
8 sn The pursuit of popularity can lead to hypocrisy, if one is not careful.
7 tn Or “all unanimously” (BDAG 107 s.v. ἀπό 6). "One after another" is suggested by L&N 61.2.
8 sn To make excuses and cancel at this point was an insult in the culture of the time. Regardless of customs concerning responses to invitations, refusal at this point was rude.
9 sn I have bought a field. An examination of newly bought land was a common practice. It was this person’s priority.
10 sn The expression Please excuse me is probably a polite way of refusing, given the dynamics of the situation, although it is important to note that an initial acceptance had probably been indicated and it was now a bit late for a refusal. The semantic equivalent of the phrase may well be “please accept my apologies.”