Luke 10:30-37

Context
10:30 Jesus replied,¹ “A man was going down² from Jerusalem³ to Jericho,⁴ and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat⁵ him up, and went off, leaving him half dead.⁶ 10:31 Now by chance⁷ a priest was going down that road, but⁸ when he saw the injured man⁹ he passed by¹⁰ on the other side.¹¹ 10:32 So too a Levite, when he came up to¹² the place and saw him,¹³ passed by on the other side. 10:33 But¹⁴ a Samaritan¹⁵ who was traveling¹⁶ came to where the injured man¹⁷ was, and when he saw him, he felt compassion for him.¹⁸ 10:34 He¹⁹ went up to him²⁰ and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil²¹ and wine on them. Then²² he put him on²³ his own animal,²⁴ brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 10:35 The²⁵ next day he took out two silver coins²⁶ 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.’²⁷ 10:36 Which of these three do you think became a neighbor²⁸ to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 10:37 The expert in religious law²⁹ said, “The one who showed mercy³⁰ to him.” So³¹ Jesus said to him, “Go and do³² the same.”

[10:30] ¹tn Grk “answering, said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “replied.”

[10:30] ²sn 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] ³map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[10:30] ⁴map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[10:30] ⁵tn 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] ⁶sn That is, in a state between life and death; severely wounded.

[10:31] ⁷sn The phrase by chance adds an initial note of hope and fortune to the expectation in the story.

[10:31] ⁸tn 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] ⁹tn Grk “him”; the referent (the injured man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:31] ¹⁰sn 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] ¹¹sn 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] ¹²tn Here κατά (kata) has been translated “up to”; it could also be translated “upon.”

[10:32] ¹³tn 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] ¹⁴tn 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] ¹⁵tn This is at the beginning of the clause, in emphatic position in the Greek text.

[10:33] ¹⁶tn 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] ¹⁷tn Grk “he”; the referent (the injured man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:33] ¹⁸tn “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] ¹⁹tn 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] ²⁰tn 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] ²¹sn The ancient practice of pouring oil was designed to comfort and clean the wounds (Isa 1:6).

[10:34] ²²tn 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] ²³tn 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] ²⁴sn His own animal refers to a riding animal, presumably a donkey, but not specified.

[10:35] ²⁵tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[10:35] ²⁶tn Grk “two denarii.”

[10:35] ²⁷tn Grk “when I come back”; the words “this way” are part of an English idiom used to translate the phrase.

[10:36] ²⁸sn 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] ²⁹tn 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] ³⁰sn 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] ³¹tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding summary.

[10:37] ³²tn This recalls the verb of the earlier reply in v. 28.