Luke 1:3

Context
1:3 So¹ it seemed good to me as well,² because I have followed³ all things carefully from the beginning, to write an orderly account⁴ for you, most excellent Theophilus,

Luke 8:1

Context

Jesus’ Ministry and the Help of Women

8:1 Some time⁵ afterward⁶ he went on through towns⁷ and villages, preaching and proclaiming the good news⁸ of the kingdom of God.⁹ The¹⁰ twelve were with him,

[1:3] ¹tn 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] ²sn 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] ³tn Grk “having followed”; the participle παρηκολουθηκότι (parhkolouqhkoti) has been translated causally.

[1:3] ⁴sn 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.

[8:1] ⁵tn Grk “And it happened that some time.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[8:1] ⁶tn Καθεξῆς (Kaqexh") is a general temporal term and need not mean “soon afterward”; see Luke 1:3; Acts 3:24; 11:4; 18:23 and L&N 61.1.

[8:1] ⁷tn Or “cities.”

[8:1] ⁸sn The combination of preaching and proclaiming the good news is a bit emphatic, stressing Jesus’ teaching ministry on the rule of God.

[8:1] ⁹sn 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.

[8:1] ¹⁰tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.