2:1 Those who devise sinful plans are as good as dead, 1
those who dream about doing evil as they lie in bed. 2
As soon as morning dawns they carry out their plans, 3
because they have the power to do so.
20:20 Then 41 they watched him carefully and sent spies who pretended to be sincere. 42 They wanted to take advantage of what he might say 43 so that they could deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction 44 of the governor. 20:21 Thus 45 they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach correctly, 46 and show no partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 47 20:22 Is it right 48 for us to pay the tribute tax 49 to Caesar 50 or not?” 20:23 But Jesus 51 perceived their deceit 52 and said to them,
“The salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the ruling authority 54 of his Christ, 55 have now come,
because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, 56
the one who accuses them day and night 57 before our God,
has been thrown down.
1 tn Heb “Woe to those who plan sin.” The Hebrew term הוֹי (hoy, “woe”; “ah”) was a cry used in mourning the dead.
2 tn Heb “those who do evil upon their beds.”
3 tn Heb “at the light of morning they do it.”
4 tn Or “some of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.
5 tn Grk “Reasoning within their hearts.”
6 sn Blaspheming meant to say something that dishonored God. To claim divine prerogatives or claim to speak for God when one really does not would be such an act of offense. The remark raised directly the issue of the nature of Jesus’ ministry.
7 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.
8 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9 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).
10 tn Grk “Stand up in the middle.”
11 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
12 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”).
13 tn This term is a collective singular in the Greek text.
14 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.
15 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
16 sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.
17 tn Grk inserts “against him” after “Herodians.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has not been translated.
18 tn Grk “destroy.”
19 tn Or “The scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.
20 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
21 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.
22 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
23 tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text; Jesus’ opponents anticipated he would do this.
24 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).
25 sn The irony is that Jesus’ “work” consisted of merely touching the woman. There is no sense of joy that eighteen years of suffering was reversed with his touch.
26 tn Grk “on which it is necessary to work.” This has been simplified in the translation.
27 tn The participle ἐρχόμενοι (ercomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
28 tn Grk “answered him and said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been shortened to “answered him.”
29 tn Grk “from the manger [feeding trough],” but by metonymy of part for whole this can be rendered “stall.”
30 sn The charge here is hypocrisy, but it is only part one of the response. Various ancient laws detail what was allowed with cattle; see Mishnah, m. Shabbat 5; CD 11:5-6.
31 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to show the connection with Jesus’ previous statement.
32 tn Grk “is it not necessary that.” Jesus argues that no other day is more appropriate to heal a descendant of Abraham than the Sabbath, the exact opposite view of the synagogue leader.
33 sn Note that this is again a battle between Satan and God; see 11:18-23.
34 tn The word “long” reflects the emphasis added in the Greek text by ἰδού (idou). See BDAG 468 s.v. 1.
35 tn Or “bondage”; Grk “bond.”
36 tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
37 tn Or “were put to shame.”
38 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
39 sn Concerning all the wonderful things see Luke 7:16; 19:37.
40 tn Grk “that were being done by him.” The passive has been converted to an active construction in the translation.
41 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
42 tn Grk “righteous,” but in this context the point is their false sincerity.
43 tn Grk “so that they might catch him in some word.”
44 tn This word is often translated “authority” in other contexts, but here, in combination with ἀρχή (arch), it refers to the domain or sphere of the governor’s rule (L&N 37.36).
45 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “thus” to indicate the implied result of the plans by the spies.
46 tn Or “precisely”; Grk “rightly.” Jesus teaches exactly, the straight and narrow.
47 sn Teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Very few comments are as deceitful as this one; they did not really believe this at all. The question was specifically designed to trap Jesus.
48 tn Or “lawful,” that is, in accordance with God’s divine law. On the syntax of ἔξεστιν (exestin) with an infinitive and accusative, see BDF §409.3.
49 tn This was a “poll tax.” L&N 57.182 states this was “a payment made by the people of one nation to another, with the implication that this is a symbol of submission and dependence – ‘tribute tax.’”
50 tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).
51 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
52 tn Or “craftiness.” The term always has negative connotations in the NT (1 Cor 3:19; 2 Cor 4:2; 11:3; Eph 4:14).
53 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
54 tn Or “the right of his Messiah to rule.” See L&N 37.35.
55 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
56 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). The translation “fellow believer” would normally apply (L&N 11.23), but since the speaker(s) are not specified in this context, it is not clear if such a translation would be appropriate here. The more generic “brothers and sisters” was chosen to emphasize the fact of a relationship without specifying its type.
57 tn Or “who accuses them continually.”