Luke 8:26

Healing of a Demoniac

8:26 So ¹  they sailed over to the region of the Gerasenes, ²  which is opposite ³  Galilee.

Luke 12:16

12:16 He then ⁴  told them a parable: ⁵  “The land of a certain rich man produced ⁶  an abundant crop,

Luke 15:14

15:14 Then ⁷  after he had spent everything, a severe famine took place in that country, and he began to be in need.

Luke 19:12

19:12 Therefore he said, “A nobleman ⁸  went to a distant country to receive ⁹  for himself a kingdom and then return. ¹⁰ 

Luke 2:8

The Shepherds’ Visit

2:8 Now ¹¹  there were shepherds ¹²  nearby ¹³  living out in the field, keeping guard ¹⁴  over their flock at night.

Luke 15:13

15:13 After ¹⁵  a few days, ¹⁶  the younger son gathered together all he had and left on a journey to a distant country, and there he squandered ¹⁷  his wealth ¹⁸  with a wild lifestyle.

Luke 15:15

15:15 So he went and worked for ¹⁹  one of the citizens of that country, who ²⁰  sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ²¹ 

Luke 21:21

21:21 Then those who are in Judea must flee ²²  to the mountains. Those ²³  who are inside the city must depart. Those ²⁴  who are out in the country must not enter it,

Luke 3:1

The Ministry of John the Baptist

3:1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, ²⁵  when Pontius Pilate ²⁶  was governor of Judea, and Herod ²⁷  was tetrarch ²⁸  of Galilee, and his brother Philip ²⁹  was tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ³⁰  was tetrarch of Abilene,

¹ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate a summary and transition in the narrative.

² tc The textual tradition here is quite complicated. Most mss, especially later ones (A W Ψ Ë¹³ Ï sy), read “Gadarenes,” which is the better reading in Matt 8:28. Some mss (א L Θ Ξ Ë¹ 33 579 700* 1241 pc) have “Gergesenes.” But early and important representatives of the Alexandrian and Western texttypes (Ì⁷⁵ B D latt) have “Gerasenes,” the reading followed in the translation. The difference between Matthew and Luke may well have to do with uses of variant regional terms.

³ sn That is, across the Sea of Galilee from Galilee.

⁴ tn Grk “And he.” Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the connection to the preceding statement.

⁵ tn Grk “a parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.

⁶ tn Or “yielded a plentiful harvest.”

⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the sequence of events in the parable. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.

¹⁰ tn Grk “a man of noble birth” or “a man of noble status” (L&N 87.27).

¹¹ sn Note that the receiving of the kingdom takes place in the far country. This suggests that those in the far country recognize and acknowledge the king when his own citizens did not want him as king (v. 14; cf. John 1:11-12).

¹² sn The background to this story about the nobleman who went…to receive for himself a kingdom had some parallels in the area’s recent history: Archelaus was appointed ethnarch of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea in 4 b.c., but the people did not like him. Herod the Great also made a similar journey to Rome where he was crowned King of Judea in 40 b.c., although he was not able to claim his kingdom until 37 b.c.

¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

¹⁴ sn Some argue that shepherds were among the culturally despised, but the evidence for this view of shepherds is late, coming from 5th century Jewish materials. December 25 as the celebrated date of Jesus’ birth arose around the time of Constantine (ca. a.d. 306-337), though it is mentioned in material from Hippolytus (a.d. 165-235). Some think that the reason for celebration on this date was that it coincided with the pagan Roman festival of Saturnalia, and Christians could celebrate their own festival at this time without fear of persecution. On the basis of the statement that the shepherds were living out in the field, keeping guard over their flock at night it is often suggested that Jesus’ birth took place in early spring, since it was only at lambing time that shepherds stood guard over their flocks in the field. This is not absolutely certain, however.

¹⁵ tn Grk “in that region.”

¹⁶ tn Grk “living in the field (see BDAG 15 s.v. ἀγραυλέω) and guarding their flock.”

¹⁶ tn Grk “And after.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹⁷ tn Grk “after not many days.”

¹⁸ tn Or “wasted.” This verb is graphic; it means to scatter (L&N 57.151).

¹⁹ tn Or “estate” (the same word has been translated “estate” in v. 12).

¹⁹ tn Grk “joined himself to” (in this case an idiom for beginning to work for someone).

²⁰ tn Grk “and he.” Here the conjunction καί (kai) and the personal pronoun have been translated by a relative pronoun to improve the English style.

²¹ sn To a Jew, being sent to the field to feed pigs would be an insult, since pigs were considered unclean animals (Lev 11:7).

²² 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.

²³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

²⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

²⁵ tn Or “Emperor Tiberius” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

²⁶ sn The rule of Pontius Pilate is also described by Josephus, J. W. 2.9.2-4 (2.169-177) and Ant. 18.3.1 (18.55-59).

²⁷ sn Herod refers here to Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great. He ruled from 4 b.c.-a.d. 39, sharing the rule of his father’s realm with his two brothers. One brother, Archelaus (Matt 2:22) was banished in a.d. 6 and died in a.d. 18; the other brother, Herod Philip (mentioned next) died in a.d. 34.

²⁸ sn A tetrarch was a ruler with rank and authority lower than a king, who ruled only with the approval of the Roman authorities. This was roughly equivalent to being governor of a region. Several times in the NT, Herod tetrarch of Galilee is called a king (Matt 14:9, Mark 6:14-29), reflecting popular usage.

²⁹ sn Philip refers to Herod Philip, son of Herod the Great and brother of Herod Antipas. Philip ruled as tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis from 4 b.c.-a.d. 34.

³⁰ sn Nothing else is known about Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene.