Luke 1:2

1:2 like the accounts ¹  passed on ²  to us by those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word ³  from the beginning. ⁴ 

Luke 12:11

12:11 But when they bring you before the synagogues, ⁵  the ⁶  rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you should make your defense ⁷  or what you should say,

Luke 20:20

Paying Taxes to Caesar

20:20 Then ⁸  they watched him carefully and sent spies who pretended to be sincere. ⁹  They wanted to take advantage of what he might say ¹⁰  so that they could deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction ¹¹  of the governor.

[1:2]  ¹ tn Grk “even as”; this compares the recorded tradition of 1:1 with the original eyewitness tradition of 1:2.

[1:2]  ² tn Or “delivered.”

[1:2]  ³ sn The phrase eyewitnesses and servants of the word refers to a single group of people who faithfully passed on the accounts about Jesus. The language about delivery (passed on) points to accounts faithfully passed on to the early church.

[1:2]  ⁴ tn Grk “like the accounts those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word passed on to us.” The location of “in the beginning” in the Greek shows that the tradition is rooted in those who were with Jesus from the start.

[12:11]  ⁵ sn The saying looks at persecution both from a Jewish context as the mention of synagogues suggests, and from a Gentile one as the reference to the rulers and the authorities suggests.

[12:11]  ⁶ tn Grk “and the,” but 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.

[12:11]  ⁷ tn Grk “about how or what you should say in your defense,” but this is redundant with the following clause, “or what you should say.”

[20:20]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[20:20]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “righteous,” but in this context the point is their false sincerity.

[20:20]  ¹¹ tn Grk “so that they might catch him in some word.”

[20:20]  ¹² 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).