Luke 10:25-37

Context

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

10:25 Now¹ an expert in religious law² stood up to test Jesus,³ saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”⁴ 10:26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you understand it?”⁵ 10:27 The expert⁶ answered, “Love⁷ the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,⁸ and love your neighbor as yourself.”⁹ 10:28 Jesus¹⁰ said to him, “You have answered correctly;¹¹ do this, and you will live.”

10:29 But the expert,¹² wanting to justify¹³ himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 10:30 Jesus replied,¹⁴ “A man was going down¹⁵ from Jerusalem¹⁶ to Jericho,¹⁷ and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat¹⁸ him up, and went off, leaving him half dead.¹⁹ 10:31 Now by chance²⁰ a priest was going down that road, but²¹ when he saw the injured man²² he passed by²³ on the other side.²⁴ 10:32 So too a Levite, when he came up to²⁵ the place and saw him,²⁶ passed by on the other side. 10:33 But²⁷ a Samaritan²⁸ who was traveling²⁹ came to where the injured man³⁰ was, and when he saw him, he felt compassion for him.³¹ 10:34 He³² went up to him³³ and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil³⁴ and wine on them. Then³⁵ he put him on³⁶ his own animal,³⁷ brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 10:35 The³⁸ next day he took out two silver coins³⁹ and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever else you spend, I will repay you when I come back this way.’⁴⁰ 10:36 Which of these three do you think became a neighbor⁴¹ to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 10:37 The expert in religious law⁴² said, “The one who showed mercy⁴³ to him.” So⁴⁴ Jesus said to him, “Go and do⁴⁵ the same.”

[10:25] ¹tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[10:25] ²tn Traditionally, “a lawyer.” This was an expert in the interpretation of the Mosaic law (see also Luke 7:30, where the same term occurs).

[10:25] ³tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:25] ⁴sn The combination of inherit with eternal life asks, in effect, “What must I do to be saved?”

[10:26] ⁵tn Grk “How do you read?” The pronoun “it” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[10:27] ⁶tn Grk “And he”; the referent (the expert in religious law, shortened here to “the expert”) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[10:27] ⁷tn Grk “You will love.” The future indicative is used here with imperatival force (see ExSyn 452 and 569).

[10:27] ⁸sn A quotation from Deut 6:5. The fourfold reference to different parts of the person says, in effect, that one should love God with all one’s being.

[10:27] ⁹tn This portion of the reply is a quotation from Lev 19:18. The verb is repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[10:28] ¹⁰tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[10:28] ¹¹sn Jesus commends the reply (you have answered correctly). What is assumed here, given the previous context, is that he will respond to Jesus’ message, as to love God is to respond to his Son; see v. 22.

[10:29] ¹²tn Grk “And he”; the referent (the expert in religious law, shortened here to “the expert”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:29] ¹³tn Or “vindicate.”

[10:30] ¹⁴tn Grk “answering, said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “replied.”

[10:30] ¹⁵sn The journey from Jerusalem to Jericho was 17 mi (27 km), descending some 1800 ft (540 m) in altitude. It was known for its danger because the road ran through areas of desert and caves where the robbers hid.

[10:30] ¹⁶map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[10:30] ¹⁷map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[10:30] ¹⁸tn Grk “and beat,” 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.

[10:30] ¹⁹sn That is, in a state between life and death; severely wounded.

[10:31] ²⁰sn The phrase by chance adds an initial note of hope and fortune to the expectation in the story.

[10:31] ²¹tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context between the priest’s expected action (helping the victim) and what he really did.

[10:31] ²²tn Grk “him”; the referent (the injured man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:31] ²³sn It is not said why the priest passed by and refused to help. It is not relevant to the point of the parable that no help was given in the emergency situation.

[10:31] ²⁴sn The text suggests that the priest went out of his way (on the other side) not to get too close to the scene.

[10:32] ²⁵tn Here κατά (kata) has been translated “up to”; it could also be translated “upon.”

[10:32] ²⁶tn The clause containing the aorist active participle ἐλθών (elqwn) suggests that the Levite came up to the place, took a look, and then moved on.

[10:33] ²⁷tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context between the previous characters (considered by society to be examples of piety and religious duty) and a hated Samaritan.

[10:33] ²⁸tn This is at the beginning of the clause, in emphatic position in the Greek text.

[10:33] ²⁹tn The participle ὁδεύων (Jodeuwn) has been translated as an adjectival participle (cf. NAB, NASB, TEV); it could also be taken temporally (“while he was traveling,” cf. NRSV, NIV).

[10:33] ³⁰tn Grk “he”; the referent (the injured man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:33] ³¹tn “Him” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The verb means “to feel compassion for,” and the object of the compassion is understood.

[10:34] ³²tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Instead, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[10:34] ³³tn The words “to him” are not in the Greek text but are implied. The participle προσελθών (proselqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[10:34] ³⁴sn The ancient practice of pouring oil was designed to comfort and clean the wounds (Isa 1:6).

[10:34] ³⁵tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. Because of the length and complexity of this Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[10:34] ³⁶tn It is not clear whether the causative nuance of the verb included actual assistance or not (“helped him on” versus “had him get on”; see L&N 15.98), but in light of the severity of the man’s condition as described in the preceding verses, some degree of assistance was almost certainly needed.

[10:34] ³⁷sn His own animal refers to a riding animal, presumably a donkey, but not specified.

[10:35] ³⁸tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[10:35] ³⁹tn Grk “two denarii.”

[10:35] ⁴⁰tn Grk “when I come back”; the words “this way” are part of an English idiom used to translate the phrase.

[10:36] ⁴¹sn Jesus reversed the question the expert in religious law asked in v. 29 to one of becoming a neighbor by loving. “Do not think about who they are, but who you are,” was his reply.

[10:37] ⁴²tn Grk “And he”; the referent (the expert in religious law) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[10:37] ⁴³sn The neighbor did not do what was required (that is why his response is called mercy) but had compassion and out of kindness went the extra step that shows love. See Mic 6:8. Note how the expert in religious law could not bring himself to admit that the example was a Samaritan, someone who would have been seen as a racial half-breed and one not worthy of respect. So Jesus makes a second point that neighbors may appear in surprising places.

[10:37] ⁴⁴tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding summary.

[10:37] ⁴⁵tn This recalls the verb of the earlier reply in v. 28.