Luke 1:1

Explanatory Preface

1:1 Now ¹  many have undertaken to compile an account ²  of the things ³  that have been fulfilled ⁴  among us,

Luke 1:14

1:14 Joy and gladness will come ⁵  to you, and many will rejoice at ⁶  his birth, ⁷ 

Luke 14:25

Counting the Cost

14:25 Now large crowds ⁸  were accompanying Jesus, ⁹  and turning to them he said,

[1:1]  ¹ tn Grk “Since” or “Because.” This begins a long sentence that extends through v. 4. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, the Greek sentence has been divided up into shorter English sentences in the translation.

[1:1]  ² tn This is sometimes translated “narrative,” but the term itself can refer to an oral or written account. It is the verb “undertaken” which suggests a written account, since it literally is “to set one’s hand” to something (BDAG 386 s.v. ἐπιχειρέω). “Narrative” is too specific, denoting a particular genre of work for the accounts that existed in the earlier tradition. Not all of that material would have been narrative.

[1:1]  ³ tn Or “events.”

[1:1]  ⁴ tn Or “have been accomplished.” Given Luke’s emphasis on divine design (e.g., Luke 24:43-47) a stronger sense (“fulfilled”) is better than a mere reference to something having taken place (“accomplished”).

[1:14]  ⁵ tn Grk “This will be joy and gladness.”

[1:14]  ⁶ tn Or “because of.”

[1:14]  ⁷ tn “At his birth” is more precise as the grammatical subject (1:58), though “at his coming” is a possible force, since it is his mission, as the following verses note, that will really bring joy.

[14:25]  ⁹ sn It is important to note that the following remarks are not just to disciples, but to the large crowds who were following Jesus.

[14:25]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.