Luke 1:32

1:32 He ¹  will be great, ²  and will be called the Son of the Most High, ³  and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father ⁴  David.

Luke 12:20

12:20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life ⁵  will be demanded back from ⁶  you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ ⁷ 

Luke 12:28

12:28 And if ⁸  this is how God clothes the wild grass, ⁹  which is here ¹⁰  today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, ¹¹  how much more ¹²  will he clothe you, you people of little faith!

Luke 18:7

18:7 Won’t ¹³  God give justice to his chosen ones, who cry out ¹⁴  to him day and night? ¹⁵  Will he delay ¹⁶  long to help them?

[1:32]  ¹ tn Grk “this one.”

[1:32]  ² sn Compare the description of Jesus as great here with 1:15, “great before the Lord.” Jesus is greater than John, since he is Messiah compared to a prophet. Great is stated absolutely without qualification to make the point.

[1:32]  ³ sn The expression Most High is a way to refer to God without naming him. Such avoiding of direct reference to God was common in 1st century Judaism out of reverence for the divine name.

[1:32]  ⁴ tn Or “ancestor.”

[12:20]  ⁵ tn Grk “your soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.

[12:20]  ⁶ tn Or “required back.” This term, ἀπαιτέω (apaitew), has an economic feel to it and is often used of a debt being called in for repayment (BDAG 96 s.v. 1).

[12:20]  ⁷ tn Grk “the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” The words “for yourself” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[12:28]  ⁹ tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text.

[12:28]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “grass in the field.”

[12:28]  ¹¹ tn Grk “which is in the field today.”

[12:28]  ¹² tn Grk “into the oven.” The expanded translation “into the fire to heat the oven” has been used to avoid misunderstanding; most items put into modern ovens are put there to be baked, not burned.

[12:28]  ¹³ sn The phrase how much more is a typical form of rabbinic argumentation, from the lesser to the greater. If God cares for the little things, surely he will care for the more important things.

[18:7]  ¹³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[18:7]  ¹⁴ sn The prayers have to do with the righteous who cry out to him to receive justice. The context assumes the righteous are persecuted.

[18:7]  ¹⁵ tn The emphatic particles in this sentence indicate that God will indeed give justice to the righteous.

[18:7]  ¹⁶ sn The issue of delay has produced a whole host of views for this verse. (1) Does this assume provision to endure in the meantime? Or (2) does it mean God restricts the level of persecution until he comes? Either view is possible.