Luke 10:17-24

10:17 Then ¹  the seventy-two ²  returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to ³  us in your name!” ⁴  10:18 So ⁵  he said to them, “I saw ⁶  Satan fall ⁷  like lightning ⁸  from heaven. 10:19 Look, I have given you authority to tread ⁹  on snakes and scorpions ¹⁰  and on the full force of the enemy, ¹¹  and nothing will ¹²  hurt you. 10:20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice that ¹³  the spirits submit to you, but rejoice ¹⁴  that your names stand written ¹⁵  in heaven.”

10:21 On that same occasion ¹⁶  Jesus ¹⁷  rejoiced ¹⁸  in the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise ¹⁹  you, Father, Lord ²⁰  of heaven and earth, because ²¹  you have hidden these things from the wise ²²  and intelligent, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will. ²³  10:22 All things have been given to me by my Father. ²⁴  No one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son decides ²⁵  to reveal him.”

10:23 Then ²⁶  Jesus ²⁷  turned ²⁸  to his ²⁹  disciples and said privately, “Blessed ³⁰  are the eyes that see what you see! 10:24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings longed to see ³¹  what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

[10:17]  ¹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[10:17]  ² tc See the tc note on the number “seventy-two” in Luke 10:1.

[10:17]  ³ tn Or “the demons obey”; see L&N 36.18.

[10:17]  ⁴ tn The prepositional phrase “in your name” indicates the sphere of authority for the messengers’ work of exorcism.

[10:18]  ⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Jesus’ reply in vv. 18-20 follows from the positive report of the messengers in v. 17.

[10:18]  ⁶ tn This is an imperfect tense verb.

[10:18]  ⁷ tn In Greek, this is a participle and comes at the end of the verse, making it somewhat emphatic.

[10:18]  ⁸ tn This is probably best taken as allusion to Isa 14:12; the phrase in common is ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ (ek tou ouranou). These exorcisms in Jesus’ name are a picture of Satan’s greater defeat at Jesus’ hands (D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 2:1006-7).

[10:19]  ⁹ tn Or perhaps, “trample on” (which emphasizes the impact of the feet on the snakes). See L&N 15.226.

[10:19]  ¹⁰ sn Snakes and scorpions are examples of the hostility in the creation that is defeated by Jesus. The use of battle imagery shows who the kingdom fights against. See Acts 28:3-6.

[10:19]  ¹¹ tn Or “I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and [authority] over the full force of the enemy.” The second prepositional phrase can be taken either as modifying the infinitive πατεῖν (patein, “to tread”) or the noun ἐξουσίαν (exousian, “power”). The former is to be preferred and has been represented in the translation.

[10:19]  ¹² tn This is an emphatic double negative in the Greek text.

[10:20]  ¹³ tn Grk “do not rejoice in this, that.” This is awkward in contemporary English and has been simplified to “do not rejoice that.”

[10:20]  ¹⁴ tn The verb here is a present imperative, so the call is to an attitude of rejoicing.

[10:20]  ¹⁵ tn The verb here, a perfect tense, stresses a present reality of that which was a completed action, that is, their names were etched in the heavenly stone, as it were.

[10:21]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “In that same hour” (L&N 67.1).

[10:21]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:21]  ¹⁹ sn Jesus rejoiced. The account of the mission in 10:1-24 ends with several remarks about joy.

[10:21]  ²⁰ tn Or “thank.”

[10:21]  ²¹ sn The title Lord is an important name for God, showing his sovereignty, but it is interesting that it comes next to a reference to the Father, a term indicative of God’s care. The two concepts are often related in the NT; see Eph 1:3-6.

[10:21]  ²² tn Or “that.”

[10:21]  ²³ sn See 1 Cor 1:26-31.

[10:21]  ²⁴ tn Grk “for (to do) thus was well pleasing before you,” BDAG 325 s.v. ἔμπροσθεν 1.δ; speaking of something taking place “before” God is a reverential way of avoiding direct connection of the action to him.

[10:22]  ²¹ sn This verse has been noted for its conceptual similarity to teaching in John’s Gospel (10:15; 17:2). The authority of the Son and the Father are totally intertwined.

[10:22]  ²² tn Or “wishes”; or “intends”; or “plans” (cf. BDAG 182 s.v. βούλομαι 2.b). Here it is the Son who has sovereignty.

[10:23]  ²⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[10:23]  ²⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:23]  ²⁷ tn Grk “turning to the disciples, he said.” The participle στραφείς (strafei") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[10:23]  ²⁸ tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[10:23]  ²⁹ sn This beatitude highlights the great honor bestowed on the disciples to share in this salvation, as v. 20 also noted. See also Luke 2:30.

[10:24]  ²⁹ sn This is what past prophets and kings had wanted very much to see, yet the fulfillment had come to the disciples. This remark is like 1 Pet 1:10-12 or Heb 1:1-2.