19:28 After Jesus 1 had said this, he continued on ahead, 2 going up to Jerusalem. 3 19:29 Now 4 when he approached Bethphage 5 and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, 6 he sent two of the disciples, 19:30 telling them, 7 “Go to the village ahead of you. 8 When 9 you enter it, you will find a colt tied there that has never been ridden. 10 Untie it and bring it here. 19:31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs 11 it.’” 19:32 So those who were sent ahead found 12 it exactly 13 as he had told them. 19:33 As 14 they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, 15 “Why are you untying that colt?” 19:34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.”
1 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn This could mean “before [his disciples],” but that is slightly more awkward, requiring an elided element (the disciples) to be supplied.
3 sn This is yet another travel note on the journey to Jerusalem. See also Luke 18:31; 19:11. Jesus does not actually enter Jerusalem until 19:45.
4 tn Grk “And it happened that when.” 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. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
5 sn The exact location of the village of Bethphage is not known. Most locate it on the southeast side of the Mount of Olives and northwest of Bethany, about 1.5 miles (3 km) east of Jerusalem.
6 tn Grk “at the mountain called ‘of Olives.’” This form of reference is awkward in contemporary English, so the more familiar “Mount of Olives” has been used in the translation.
7 tn Grk “saying.”
8 tn Grk “the village lying before [you]” (BDAG 530 s.v. κατέναντι 2.a).
9 tn Grk “in which entering.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in Greek, but because of the length and complexity of the construction a new sentence was started here in the translation.
10 tn Grk “a colt tied there on which no one of men has ever sat.”
10 sn The custom called angaria allowed the impressment of animals for service to a significant figure.
13 tn Grk “sent ahead and went and found.”
14 sn Exactly as he had told them. Nothing in Luke 19-23 catches Jesus by surprise. Often he directs the action.
16 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
17 tn Grk “said to them.”