6:25 “Woe to you who are well satisfied with food 1 now, for you will be hungry.
“Woe to you 2 who laugh 3 now, for you will mourn and weep.
6:24 “But woe 4 to you who are rich, for you have received 5 your comfort 6 already.
10:13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! 7 Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if 8 the miracles 9 done in you had been done in Tyre 10 and Sidon, 11 they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
6:26 “Woe to you 20 when all people 21 speak well of you, for their ancestors 22 did the same things to the false prophets.
17:1 Jesus 25 said to his disciples, “Stumbling blocks are sure to come, but woe 26 to the one through whom they come!
11:42 “But woe to you Pharisees! 29 You give a tenth 30 of your mint, 31 rue, 32 and every herb, yet you neglect justice 33 and love for God! But you should have done these things without neglecting the others. 34
1 tn Grk “who are filled.” See L&N 23.18 for the translation “well satisfied with food.”
2 tc The wording “to you” (ὑμῖν, Jumin) is lacking in several witnesses (א B K L T W Θ Ξ 0147 Ë1,13 579 700 892 1241 2542 al), though found in most (Ì75 A D Q Ψ 33 Ï lat co). The longer reading looks to be a clarifying addition; nevertheless, “to you” is included in the translation because of English requirements.
3 sn That is, laugh with happiness and joy.
4 sn Jesus promises condemnation (woe) to those who are callous of others, looking only to their own comforts. On Luke and the rich see 1:53; 12:16; 14:12; 16:1, 21-22; 18:23; 19:2; 21:1. These woes are unique to Luke.
5 sn Ironically the language of reward shows that what the rich have received is all they will get. This result looks at a current situation, just as the start of the beatitudes did. The rest of the conclusions to the woes look to the future at the time of judgment.
6 tn Grk “your consolation.”
7 sn Chorazin was a town of Galilee that was probably fairly small in contrast to Bethsaida and is otherwise unattested. Bethsaida was declared a polis by the tetrarch Herod Philip, sometime after
8 tn This introduces a second class (contrary to fact) condition in the Greek text.
9 tn Or “powerful deeds.”
10 map For location see Map1-A2; Map2-G2; Map4-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
11 sn Tyre and Sidon are two other notorious OT cities (Isa 23; Jer 25:22; 47:4). The remark is a severe rebuke, in effect: “Even the sinners of the old era would have responded to the proclamation of the kingdom, unlike you!”
10 tn Or “seats of honor.” The term here is plural and is not a reference only to the lead “seat of Moses” in the synagogue, but includes the front seats near the ark.
11 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.
12 tn Grk “and the greetings.”
13 tc Most
14 tn Grk “men.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.
15 sn In Judaism to come into contact with the dead or what is associated with them, even without knowing it, makes one unclean (Num 19:11-22; Lev 21:1-3; Mishnah, m. Demai 2:3). To Pharisees, who would have been so sensitive about contracting ceremonial uncleanness, it would have been quite a stinging rebuke to be told they caused it.
16 sn The effect of what the experts in the law were doing was to deny the message of the prophets and thus honor their death by supporting those who had sought their removal. The charge that this is what previous generations did shows the problem is chronic. As T. W. Manson said, the charge here is “The only prophet you honor is a dead prophet!” (The Sayings of Jesus, 101).
17 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
19 tc The wording “to you” (ὑμῖν, Jumin) is lacking throughout the ms tradition except for a few witnesses (D W* Δ 1424 pc co). The Western witnesses tend to add freely to the text. Supported by the vast majority of witnesses and the likelihood that “to you” is a clarifying addition, the shorter reading should be considered original; nevertheless, “to you” is included in the translation because of English requirements.
20 tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.
21 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
22 sn You have taken away the key to knowledge is another stinging rebuke. They had done the opposite of what they were trying to do.
23 tn Or “you tried to prevent.”
25 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
26 sn See Luke 6:24-26.
28 sn Great distress means that this is a period of great judgment.
31 sn Jesus’ death has been determined as a part of God’s plan (Acts 2:22-24).
34 tn Grk “Woe to you…because you…” The causal particle ὅτι (Joti) has not been translated here for rhetorical effect (and so to the end of this chapter).
35 tn Or “you tithe mint.”
36 sn These small herbs were tithed with great care (Mishnah, m. Demai 2:1).
37 tn Grk “and rue.” Καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
38 sn Justice was a major theme of OT ethics (Mic 6:8; Zech 7:8-10).
39 tn Grk “those”; but this has been translated as “the others” to clarify which are meant.
37 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
38 tn Grk “said.”
39 tn Here “as well” is used to translate καί (kai) at the beginning of the statement.
40 tn Grk “men.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.
41 tn Grk “you yourselves do not touch.” This could mean one of two things: (1) Either they make others do what they themselves do not (through various technical exceptions) or (2) they make no effort to help the others fulfill what they are required to do. Considering the care these religious figures are said to have given to the law, the second option is more likely (see L&N 18.11).