21:10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise up in arms 1 against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
21:20 “But when you see Jerusalem 6 surrounded 7 by armies, then know that its 8 desolation 9 has come near.
16:16 “The law and the prophets were in force 17 until John; 18 since then, 19 the good news of the kingdom of God 20 has been proclaimed, and everyone is urged to enter it. 21
11:24 “When an unclean spirit 25 goes out of a person, 26 it passes through waterless places 27 looking for rest but 28 not finding any. Then 29 it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’ 30
1 tn For the translation “rise up in arms” see L&N 55.2.
2 sn Luke does not mention specific texts here, but it is likely that many of the scriptures he mentioned elsewhere in Luke-Acts would have been among those he had in mind.
3 sn The statement when the bridegroom is taken from them is a veiled allusion by Jesus to his death, which he did not make explicit until the incident at Caesarea Philippi in 9:18ff.
4 tn Grk “then in those days.”
4 sn This term refers to wide streets, and thus suggests the major streets of a city.
5 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
6 sn See Luke 19:41-44. This passage refers to the events associated with the fall of Jerusalem, when the city is surrounded by armies.
7 tn Grk “her,” referring to the city of Jerusalem (the name “Jerusalem” in Greek is a feminine noun).
8 sn The phrase its desolation is a reference to the fall of the city, which is the only antecedent present in Luke’s account. The parallels to this in Matt 24:15 and Mark 13:14 refer to the temple’s desolation, though Matthew’s allusion is clearer. They focus on the parallel events of the end, not on the short term realization in
6 tn Grk “And then” (καὶ τότε, kai tote). Here καί has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
7 sn An allusion to Dan 7:13. Here is Jesus returning with full judging authority.
7 sn The figure of crying out to the mountains ‘Fall on us!’ (appealing to creation itself to hide them from God’s wrath), means that a time will come when people will feel they are better off dead (Hos 10:8).
8 sn An allusion to Hos 10:8 (cf. Rev 6:16).
8 tn Grk “host, and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate this action is a result of the situation described in the previous verse. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
9 tn Or “then in disgrace”; Grk “with shame.” In this culture avoiding shame was important.
10 tn Grk “lowest place” (also in the repetition of the phrase in the next verse).
9 tn There is no verb in the Greek text; one must be supplied. Some translations (NASB, NIV) supply “proclaimed” based on the parallelism with the proclamation of the kingdom. The transitional nature of this verse, however, seems to call for something more like “in effect” (NRSV) or, as used here, “in force.” Further, Greek generally can omit one of two kinds of verbs – either the equative verb or one that is already mentioned in the preceding context (ExSyn 39).
10 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
11 sn Until John; since then. This verse indicates a shift in era, from law to kingdom.
12 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.
13 tn Many translations have “entereth violently into it” (ASV) or “is forcing his way into it” (NASB, NIV). This is not true of everyone. It is better to read the verb here as passive rather than middle, and in a softened sense of “be urged.” See Gen 33:11; Judg 13:15-16; 19:7; 2 Sam 3:25, 27 in the LXX. This fits the context well because it agrees with Jesus’ attempt to persuade his opponents to respond morally. For further discussion and details, see D. L. Bock, Luke (BECNT), 2:1352-53.
10 sn Fleeing to the mountains is a key OT image: Gen 19:17; Judg 6:2; Isa 15:5; Jer 16:16; Zech 14:5.
11 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
12 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
11 sn This is a reference to an evil spirit. See Luke 4:33.
12 tn Grk “man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.
13 sn The background for the reference to waterless places is not entirely clear, though some Jewish texts suggest spirits must have a place to dwell, but not with water (Luke 8:29-31; Tob 8:3). Some suggest that the image of the desert or deserted cities as the places demons dwell is where this idea started (Isa 13:21; 34:14).
14 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
15 tc ‡ Most
16 tn Grk “I will return to my house from which I came.”
12 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding point of the story.
13 tn Grk “man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.
14 sn The point of the story is that to fail to respond is to risk a worse fate than when one started.
13 tn Grk “the one who invited you.”
14 tn Grk “Go up higher.” This means to move to a more important place.
14 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the preceding responses.
15 tn Grk “being furious, said.” The participle ὀργισθείς (orgisqei") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
16 sn It was necessary to go out quickly because the banquet was already prepared. All the food would spoil if not eaten immediately.
17 tn Or “town.”
18 sn The poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. Note how the list matches v. 13, illustrating that point. Note also how the party goes on; it is not postponed until a later date. Instead new guests are invited.
19 tn Grk “and the crippled.” Normally crippled as a result of being maimed or mutilated (L&N 23.177). Καί (kai) has not been translated here and before the following category (Grk “and the blind and the lame”) since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.