Luke 1:3

1:3 So ¹  it seemed good to me as well, ²  because I have followed ³  all things carefully from the beginning, to write an orderly account ⁴  for you, most excellent Theophilus,

Luke 18:24-25

18:24 When Jesus noticed this, ⁵  he said, “How hard ⁶  it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! ⁷  18:25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle ⁸  than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

John 4:46-53

Healing the Royal Official’s Son

4:46 Now he came again to Cana ⁹  in Galilee where he had made the water wine. ¹⁰  In ¹¹  Capernaum ¹²  there was a certain royal official ¹³  whose son was sick. 4:47 When he heard that Jesus had come back from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and begged him ¹⁴  to come down and heal his son, who was about to die. 4:48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people ¹⁵  see signs and wonders you will never believe!” ¹⁶  4:49 “Sir,” the official said to him, “come down before my child dies.” 4:50 Jesus told him, “Go home; ¹⁷  your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and set off for home. ¹⁸ 

4:51 While he was on his way down, ¹⁹  his slaves ²⁰  met him and told him that his son was going to live. 4:52 So he asked them the time ²¹  when his condition began to improve, ²²  and ²³  they told him, “Yesterday at one o’clock in the afternoon ²⁴  the fever left him.” 4:53 Then the father realized that it was the very time ²⁵  Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he himself believed along with his entire household.

John 19:38-39

Jesus’ Burial

19:38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus (but secretly, because he feared the Jewish leaders ²⁶ ), ²⁷  asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. Pilate ²⁸  gave him permission, so he went and took the body away. ²⁹  19:39 Nicodemus, the man who had previously come to Jesus ³⁰  at night, ³¹  accompanied Joseph, ³²  carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes ³³  weighing about seventy-five pounds. ³⁴ 

Acts 13:7

13:7 who was with the proconsul ³⁵  Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. The proconsul ³⁶  summoned ³⁷  Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear ³⁸  the word of God.

Acts 13:12

13:12 Then when the proconsul ³⁹  saw what had happened, he believed, ⁴⁰  because he was greatly astounded ⁴¹  at the teaching about ⁴²  the Lord.

Acts 17:34

17:34 But some people ⁴³  joined him ⁴⁴  and believed. Among them ⁴⁵  were Dionysius, who was a member of the Areopagus, ⁴⁶  a woman ⁴⁷  named Damaris, and others with them.

Philippians 4:22

4:22 All the saints greet you, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.

James 1:9-11

1:9 Now the believer ⁴⁸  of humble means ⁴⁹  should take pride ⁵⁰  in his high position. ⁵¹  1:10 But the rich person’s pride should be in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a wildflower in the meadow. ⁵²  1:11 For the sun rises with its heat and dries up the meadow; the petal of the flower falls off and its beauty is lost forever. ⁵³  So also the rich person in the midst of his pursuits will wither away.

James 2:5

2:5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! ⁵⁴  Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?

James 2:2

2:2 For if someone ⁵⁵  comes into your assembly ⁵⁶  wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes,

James 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From James, ⁵⁷  a slave ⁵⁸  of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. ⁵⁹  Greetings!

[1:3]  ¹ tn The conjunction “so” is supplied here to bring out the force of the latter part of this Greek sentence, which the translation divides up because of English style. Luke, in compiling his account, is joining a tradition with good precedent.

[1:3]  ² sn When Luke says it seemed good to me as well he is not being critical of the earlier accounts, but sees himself stepping into a tradition of reporting about Jesus to which he will add uniquely a second volume on the early church when he writes the Book of Acts.

[1:3]  ³ tn Grk “having followed”; the participle παρηκολουθηκότι (parhkolouqhkoti) has been translated causally.

[1:3]  ⁴ sn An orderly account does not necessarily mean that all events are recorded in the exact chronological sequence in which they occurred, but that the account produced is an orderly one. This could include, for example, thematic or topical order rather than strict chronological order.

[18:24]  ⁵ tc ‡ The phrase περίλυπον γενόμενον (perilupon genomenon, “[When Jesus saw him] becoming sad”) is found in the majority of mss (A [D] W Θ Ψ 078 ˹³ 33^vid Ï latt sy), and it is not unknown in Lukan style to repeat a word or phrase in adjacent passages (TCGNT 143). However, the phrase is lacking in some significant mss (א B L ˹ 579 1241 2542 co). The shorter reading is nevertheless difficult to explain if it is not original: It is possible that these witnesses omitted this phrase out of perceived redundancy from the preceding verse, although intentional omissions, especially by several and varied witnesses, are generally unlikely. NA²⁷ places the words in brackets, indicating doubts as to their authenticity.

[18:24]  ⁶ sn For the rich it is hard for wealth not to be the point of focus, as the contrast in vv. 28-30 will show, and for rich people to trust God. Wealth was not an automatic sign of blessing as far as Jesus was concerned.

[18:24]  ⁷ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

[18:25]  ⁹ sn The eye of a needle refers to a sewing needle, one of the smallest items one might deal with on a regular basis, in contrast to the biggest animal of the region. (The gate in Jerusalem known as “The Needle’s Eye” was built during the middle ages and was not in existence in Jesus’ day.) Jesus is saying rhetorically that this is impossible, unless God (v. 27) intervenes.

[4:46]  ¹³ map For location see Map1 C3; Map2 D2; Map3 C5.

[4:46]  ¹⁴ sn See John 2:1-11.

[4:46]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “And in.”

[4:46]  ¹⁶ sn Capernaum was a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region.

[4:46]  ¹⁷ tn Although βασιλικός (basiliko") has often been translated “nobleman” it is almost certainly refers here to a servant of Herod, tetrarch of Galilee (who in the NT is called a king, Matt 14:9, Mark 6:14-29). Capernaum was a border town, so doubtless there were many administrative officials in residence there.

[4:47]  ¹⁷ tn The direct object of ἠρώτα (hrwta) is supplied from context. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[4:48]  ²¹ tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate that the verb is second person plural (referring to more than the royal official alone).

[4:48]  ²² tn Or “you never believe.” The verb πιστεύσητε (pisteushte) is aorist subjunctive and may have either nuance.

[4:50]  ²⁵ tn Grk “Go”; the word “home” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[4:50]  ²⁶ tn Grk “and left.” The words “for home” are implied by the following verse.

[4:51]  ²⁹ sn While he was on his way down. Going to Capernaum from Cana, one must go east across the Galilean hills and then descend to the Sea of Galilee. The 20 mi (33 km) journey could not be made in a single day. The use of the description on his way down shows the author was familiar with Palestinian geography.

[4:51]  ³⁰ tn Traditionally, “servants.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[4:52]  ³³ tn Grk “the hour.”

[4:52]  ³⁴ tn BDAG 558 s.v. κομψότερον translates the idiom κομψότερον ἔχειν (komyoteron ecein) as “begin to improve.”

[4:52]  ³⁵ tn The second οὖν (oun) in 4:52 has been translated as “and” to improve English style by avoiding redundancy.

[4:52]  ³⁶ tn Grk “at the seventh hour.”

[4:53]  ³⁷ tn Grk “at that hour.”

[19:38]  ⁴¹ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders, especially the Pharisees (see John 12:42). See also the note on the phrase “Jewish leaders” in v. 7.

[19:38]  ⁴² sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:38]  ⁴³ tn Grk “And Pilate.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[19:38]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “took away his body.”

[19:39]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:39]  ⁴⁶ sn See John 3:1-21.

[19:39]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “came”; the words “accompanied Joseph” are not in the Greek text but are supplied for clarity.

[19:39]  ⁴⁸ sn Aloes refers to an aromatic resin from a plant similar to a lily, used for embalming a corpse.

[19:39]  ⁴⁹ sn The Roman pound (λίτρα, litra) weighed twelve ounces or 325 grams. Thus 100 Roman pounds would be about 32.5 kilograms or 75 pounds.

[13:7]  ⁴⁹ sn The proconsul was the Roman official who ruled over a province traditionally under the control of the Roman senate.

[13:7]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “This one”; the referent (the proconsul) is specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:7]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “summoning Barnabas and Saul, wanted to hear.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[13:7]  ⁵² sn The proconsul…wanted to hear the word of God. This description of Sergius Paulus portrays him as a sensitive, secular Gentile leader.

[13:12]  ⁵³ sn See the note on proconsul in v. 8.

[13:12]  ⁵⁴ sn He believed. The faith of the proconsul in the face of Jewish opposition is a theme of the rest of Acts. Paul has indeed become “a light to the Gentiles” (Acts 13:47).

[13:12]  ⁵⁵ tn The translation “greatly astounded” for ἐκπλησσόμενος (ekplhssomeno") is given by L&N 25.219.

[13:12]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “of,” but this could give the impression the Lord himself had done the teaching (a subjective genitive) when actually the Lord was the object of the teaching (an objective genitive).

[17:34]  ⁵⁷ tn Although the Greek word here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which normally refers to males, husbands, etc., in this particular context it must have a generic force similar to that of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), since “a woman named Damaris” is mentioned specifically as being part of this group (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. ἀνήρ 1.a).

[17:34]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “joining him, believed.” The participle κολληθέντες (kollhqente") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. On the use of this verb in Acts, see 5:13; 8:29; 9:26; 10:28.

[17:34]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “among whom.” Due to the length of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been translated as a third person plural pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[17:34]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “the Areopagite” (a member of the council of the Areopagus). The noun “Areopagite” is not in common usage today in English. It is clearer to use a descriptive phrase “a member of the Areopagus” (L&N 11.82). However, this phrase alone can be misleading in English: “Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, and a woman named Damaris” could be understood to refer to three people (Dionysius, an unnamed member of the Areopagus, and Damaris) rather than only two. Converting the descriptive phrase to a relative clause in English (“who was a member of the Areopagus”) removes the ambiguity.

[17:34]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “and a woman”; but this 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.

[1:9]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “brother.” Here the term “brother” means “fellow believer” or “fellow Christian” (cf. TEV, NLT “Christians”; CEV “God’s people”). The term broadly connotes familial relationships within the family of God (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a).

[1:9]  ⁶² tn Grk “the lowly brother,” but “lowly/humble” is clarified in context by the contrast with “wealthy” in v. 10.

[1:9]  ⁶³ tn Grk “let him boast.”

[1:9]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “his height,” “his exaltation.”

[1:10]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “a flower of grass.”

[1:11]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “perishes,” “is destroyed.”

[2:5]  ⁷³ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[2:2]  ⁷⁷ tn The word for “man” or “individual” here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But as BDAG 79 s.v. 2 says, “equivalent to τὶς someone.”

[2:2]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “synagogue.” Usually συναγωγή refers to Jewish places of worship (e.g., Matt 4:23, Mark 1:21, Luke 4:15, John 6:59). The word can be used generally to refer to a place of assembly, and here it refers specifically to a Christian assembly (BDAG 963 s.v. 2.b.).

[1:1]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “James.” The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ⁸² tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  ⁸³ tn Grk “to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora.” The Greek term διασπορά (diaspora, “dispersion”) refers to Jews not living in Palestine but “dispersed” or scattered among the Gentiles.