Luke 4:1

The Temptation of Jesus

4:1 Then ¹  Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River ²  and was led by the Spirit ³  in ⁴  the wilderness, ⁵ 

Luke 5:12

Healing a Leper

5:12 While ⁶  Jesus ⁷  was in one of the towns, ⁸  a man came ⁹  to him who was covered with ¹⁰  leprosy. ¹¹  When ¹²  he saw Jesus, he bowed down with his face to the ground ¹³  and begged him, ¹⁴  “Lord, if ¹⁵  you are willing, you can make me clean.”

¹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate continuity with the previous topic.

² tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.

³ sn The double mention of the Spirit in this verse makes it clear that the temptation was neither the fault of Jesus nor an accident.

⁴ tc Most mss (A Θ Ξ Ψ 0102 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat) read εἰς τὴν ἔρημον (ei" thn erhmon, “into the wilderness”), apparently motivated by the parallel in Matt 4:1. However, the reading behind the translation (ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, en th ejrhmw) is found in overall better witnesses (Ì^4vid,7,75vid א B D L W 579 892 1241 pc it).

⁵ tn Or “desert.”

⁶ tn Grk “And it happened that while.” 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.

⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸ tn Or “cities.”

⁹ tn Grk “towns, behold, a man covered with leprosy.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou, “behold”) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

¹⁰ tn Grk “full of leprosy” (an idiom for a severe condition).

¹¹ sn The ancient term for leprosy covers a wider array of conditions than what is called leprosy today. A leper was totally ostracized from society until he was declared cured (Lev 13:45-46).

¹² tn Grk “And seeing.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, δέ (de) has not been translated here. The participle ἰδών (idwn) has been taken temporally.

¹³ tn Grk “he fell on his face”; an idiom for bowing down with one’s face to the ground.

¹⁴ tn Grk “and begged him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

¹⁵ tn This is a third class condition. The report portrays the leper making no presumptions about whether Jesus will heal him or not.