Luke 21:26

21:26 People will be fainting from fear ¹  and from the expectation of what is coming on the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ² 

Luke 7:24

7:24 When ³  John’s messengers had gone, Jesus ⁴  began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness ⁵  to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ⁶ 

Luke 6:38

6:38 Give, and it will be given to you: A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, ⁷  will be poured ⁸  into your lap. For the measure you use will be the measure you receive.” ⁹ 

Luke 6:48

6:48 He is like a man ¹⁰  building a house, who dug down deep, ¹¹  and laid the foundation on bedrock. When ¹²  a flood came, the river ¹³  burst against that house but ¹⁴  could not shake it, because it had been well built. ¹⁵ 

¹ tn According to L&N 23.184 this could be mainly a psychological experience rather than actual loss of consciousness. It could also refer to complete discouragement because of fear, leading people to give up hope (L&N 25.293).

² sn An allusion to Isa 34:4. The heavens were seen as the abode of heavenly forces, so their shaking indicates distress in the spiritual realm. Although some take the powers as a reference to bodies in the heavens (like stars and planets, “the heavenly bodies,” NIV) this is not as likely.

³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁵ tn Or “desert.”

⁶ tn There is a debate as to whether one should read this figuratively (“to see someone who is easily blown over?”) or literally (Grk “to see the wilderness vegetation?…No, to see a prophet”). Either view makes good sense, but the following examples suggest the question should be read literally and understood to point to the fact that a prophet drew them to the desert.

⁵ sn The background to the image pressed down, shaken together, running over is pouring out grain for measure in the marketplace. One often poured the grain into a container, shook it to level out the grain and then poured in some more. Those who are generous have generosity running over for them.

⁶ tn Grk “they will give”; that is, “pour.” The third person plural has been replaced by the passive in the translation.

⁷ tn Grk “by [the measure] with which you measure it will be measured back to you.”

⁷ tn Here and in v. 49 the Greek text reads ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), while the parallel account in Matt 7:24-27 uses ἀνήρ (anhr) in vv. 24 and 26.

⁸ tn There are actually two different Greek verbs used here: “who dug (ἔσκαψεν, eskayen) and dug deep (ἐβάθυνεν, ebaqunen).” Jesus is placing emphasis on the effort to which the man went to prepare his foundation.

⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

¹⁰ sn The picture here is of a river overflowing its banks and causing flooding and chaos.

¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in the context.

¹² tc Most mss, especially later ones (A C D Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 Ï latt), read “because he built [it] on the rock” rather than “because it had been well built” (Ì^75vid א B L W Ξ 33 579 892 1241 2542 pc sa). The reading of the later mss seems to be a harmonization to Matt 7:25, rendering it most likely secondary.