9:16 Then some of the Pharisees began to say, 42 “This man is not from God, because he does not observe 43 the Sabbath.” 44 But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform 45 such miraculous signs?” Thus there was a division 46 among them.
1 tn Or “The scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.
2 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
3 sn The term translated watched…closely is emotive, since it carries negative connotations. It means they were watching him out of the corner of their eye or spying on him.
4 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text; Jesus’ opponents anticipated he would do this.
6 sn The background for this is the view that only if life was endangered should one attempt to heal on the Sabbath (see the Mishnah, m. Shabbat 6.3; 12.1; 18.3; 19.2; m. Yoma 8.6).
7 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the sequence of events (Jesus’ question was prompted by the man’s appearance).
8 tn Grk “Jesus, answering, said.” This is redundant in contemporary English. In addition, since the context does not describe a previous question to Jesus (although one may well be implied), the phrase has been translated here as “Jesus asked.”
9 tn That is, experts in the interpretation of the Mosaic law (traditionally, “lawyers”).
10 sn “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” Will the Pharisees and experts in religious law defend tradition and speak out against doing good on the Sabbath? Has anything at all been learned since Luke 13:10-17? Has repentance come (13:6-9)?
11 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the sequence of events (Jesus’ healing the man was in response to their refusal to answer).
12 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
13 tn Grk “taking hold [of the man].” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενος (epilabomeno") has been taken as indicating attendant circumstance.
14 tn Or “and let him go.”
15 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
16 tc Here “son,” found in Ì45,75 (A) B W Ï, is the preferred reading. The other reading, “donkey” (found in א K L Ψ Ë1,13 33 579 892 1241 2542 al lat bo), looks like an assimilation to Luke 13:15 and Deut 22:4; Isa 32:20, and was perhaps motivated by an attempt to soften the unusual collocation of “son” and “ox.” The Western ms D differs from all others and reads “sheep.”
17 tn καί (kai) has been translated here as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context. The experts, who should be expected to know the law, are unable to respond to Jesus’ question.
18 sn They could not reply. Twice in the scene, the experts remain silent (see v. 4). That, along with the presence of power working through Jesus, serves to indicate endorsement of his work and message.
19 tn Grk “And behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
20 sn Withered means the man’s hand was shrunken and paralyzed.
21 tn Grk “and they asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated. The referent of the pronoun (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
22 sn The background for this is the view that only if life was endangered should one attempt to heal on the Sabbath (see the Mishnah, m. Shabbat 6.3; 12.1; 18.3; 19.2; m. Yoma 8.6).
23 sn The term translated watched…closely is emotive, since it carries negative connotations. It means they were watching him out of the corner of their eye or spying on him.
24 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
25 sn The background for this is the view that only if life was endangered should one attempt to heal on the Sabbath (see the Mishnah, m. Shabbat 6.3; 12.1; 18.3; 19.2; m. Yoma 8.6).
26 tn Grk “Stand up in the middle.”
27 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
28 tn The aorist participle περιβλεψάμενος (peribleyameno") has been translated as antecedent (prior) to the action of the main verb. It could also be translated as contemporaneous (“Looking around…he said”).
29 tn This term is a collective singular in the Greek text.
30 sn The passive was restored points to healing by God. Now the question became: Would God exercise his power through Jesus, if what Jesus was doing were wrong? Note also Jesus’ “labor.” He simply spoke and it was so.
31 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
32 sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.
33 tn Grk inserts “against him” after “Herodians.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has not been translated.
34 tn Grk “destroy.”
35 tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).
36 tn Grk “and opened his eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).
37 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
38 tn Or “how he had become able to see.”
39 tn Grk “And he said to them.”
40 tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).
41 tn The word “now” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate the contrast between the man’s former state (blind) and his present state (able to see).
42 tn As a response to the answers of the man who used to be blind, the use of the imperfect tense in the reply of the Pharisees is best translated as an ingressive imperfect (“began to say” or “started saying”).
43 tn Grk “he does not keep.”
44 sn The Jewish religious leaders considered the work involved in making the mud to be a violation of the Sabbath.
45 tn Grk “do.”
46 tn Or “So there was discord.”