Discovery BoxLuke 11:1-17
Context11:1 Now 1 Jesus 2 was praying in a certain place. When 3 he stopped, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John 4 taught 5 his disciples.” 11:2 So he said to them, “When you pray, 6 say:
Father, 7 may your name be honored; 8
may your kingdom come. 9
11:3 Give us each day our daily bread, 10
11:4 and forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins 11 against us.
And do not lead us into temptation.” 12
11:5 Then 13 he said to them, “Suppose one of you 14 has a friend, and you go to him 15 at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 16 11:6 because a friend of mine has stopped here while on a journey, 17 and I have nothing to set before 18 him.’ 11:7 Then 19 he will reply 20 from inside, ‘Do not bother me. The door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed. 21 I cannot get up and give you anything.’ 22 11:8 I tell you, even though the man inside 23 will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of the first man’s 24 sheer persistence 25 he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
11:9 “So 26 I tell you: Ask, 27 and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door 28 will be opened for you. 11:10 For everyone who asks 29 receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door 30 will be opened. 11:11 What father among you, if your 31 son asks for 32 a fish, will give him a snake 33 instead of a fish? 11:12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 34 11:13 If you then, although you are 35 evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit 36 to those who ask him!”
11:14 Now 37 he was casting out a demon that was mute. 38 When 39 the demon had gone out, the man who had been mute began to speak, 40 and the crowds were amazed. 11:15 But some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, 41 the ruler 42 of demons, he casts out demons.” 11:16 Others, to test 43 him, 44 began asking for 45 a sign 46 from heaven. 11:17 But Jesus, 47 realizing their thoughts, said to them, 48 “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, 49 and a divided household falls. 50
[11:1] 1 tn Grk “And it happened that while.” 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. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
[11:1] 2 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:1] 3 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[11:1] 4 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
[11:1] 5 sn It was not unusual for Jewish groups to have their own prayer as a way of expressing corporate identity. Judaism had the Eighteen Benedictions and apparently John the Baptist had a prayer for his disciples as well.
[11:2] 6 sn When you pray. What follows, although traditionally known as the Lord’s prayer, is really the disciples’ prayer. It represents how they are to approach God, by acknowledging his uniqueness and their need for his provision and protection.
[11:2] 7 tc Most
[11:2] 8 tn Grk “hallowed be your name.”
[11:2] 9 tc Most
[11:3] 10 tn Or “Give us bread each day for the coming day,” or “Give us each day the bread we need for today.” The term ἐπιούσιος (epiousio") does not occur outside of early Christian literature (other occurrences are in Matt 6:11 and Didache 8:2), so its meaning is difficult to determine. Various suggestions include “daily,” “the coming day,” and “for existence.” See BDAG 376 s.v.; L&N 67:183, 206.
[11:4] 11 tn Grk “who is indebted to us” (an idiom). The picture of sin as debt is not unusual. As for forgiveness offered and forgiveness given, see 1 Pet 3:7.
[11:4] 12 tc Most
[11:5] 13 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[11:5] 14 tn Grk “Who among you will have a friend and go to him.”
[11:5] 15 tn Grk “he will go to him.”
[11:5] 16 tn The words “of bread” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by ἄρτους (artou", “loaves”).
[11:6] 17 tn Grk “has come to me from the road.”
[11:6] 18 sn The background to the statement I have nothing to set before him is that in ancient Middle Eastern culture it was a matter of cultural honor to be a good host to visitors.
[11:7] 19 tn Κἀκεῖνος (kakeino") has been translated “Then he.”
[11:7] 20 tn Grk “answering, he will say.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “he will reply.”
[11:7] 21 tn Grk “my children are with me in the bed.” In Jewish homes in the time of Jesus, the beds were often all together in one room; thus the householder may be speaking of individual beds (using a collective singular) rather than a common bed.
[11:7] 22 tn The syntax of vv. 6-7 is complex. In the Greek text Jesus’ words in v. 6 begin as a question. Some see Jesus’ question ending at v. 6, but the reply starting in v. 8 favors extending the question through the entire illustration. The translation breaks up the long sentence at the beginning of v. 7 and translates Jesus’ words as a statement for reasons of English style.
[11:8] 23 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man in bed in the house) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:8] 24 tn Grk “his”; the referent (the first man mentioned) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:8] 25 tn The term ἀναίδεια (anaideia) is hard to translate. It refers to a combination of ideas, a boldness that persists over time, or “audacity,” which comes close. It most likely describes the one making the request, since the unit’s teaching is an exhortation about persistence in prayer. Some translate the term “shamelessness” which is the term’s normal meaning, and apply it to the neighbor as an illustration of God responding for the sake of his honor. But the original question was posed in terms of the first man who makes the request, not of the neighbor, so the teaching underscores the action of the one making the request.
[11:9] 26 tn Here καί (kai, from καγώ [kagw]) has been translated as “so” to indicate the conclusion drawn from the preceding parable.
[11:9] 27 sn The three present imperatives in this verse (Ask…seek…knock) are probably intended to call for a repeated or continual approach before God.
[11:9] 28 tn Grk “it”; the referent (a door) is implied by the context and has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:10] 29 sn The actions of asking, seeking, and knocking are repeated here from v. 9 with the encouragement that God does respond.
[11:10] 30 tn Grk “it”; the referent (a door) is implied by the context and has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:11] 31 tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
[11:11] 32 tc Most
[11:11] 33 sn The snake probably refers to a water snake.
[11:12] 34 sn The two questions of vv. 11-12 expect the answer, “No father would do this!”
[11:13] 35 tn The participle ὑπάρχοντες (Juparconte") has been translated as a concessive participle.
[11:13] 36 sn The provision of the Holy Spirit is probably a reference to the wisdom and guidance supplied in response to repeated requests. Some apply it to the general provision of the Spirit, but this would seem to look only at one request in a context that speaks of repeated asking. The teaching as a whole stresses not that God gives everything his children want, but that God gives the good that they need. The parallel account in Matthew (7:11) refers to good things where Luke mentions the Holy Spirit.
[11:14] 37 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
[11:14] 38 tn The phrase “a demon that was mute” should probably be understood to mean that the demon caused muteness or speechlessness in its victim, although it is sometimes taken to refer to the demon’s own inability to speak (cf. TEV, “a demon that could not talk”).
[11:14] 39 tn Grk “And it happened that when.” 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. Here δέ (de) has not been translated either.
[11:14] 40 sn This miracle is different from others in Luke. The miracle is told entirely in one verse and with minimum detail, while the response covers several verses. The emphasis is on explaining what Jesus’ work means.
[11:15] 41 tn Grk “By Beelzebul.”
[11:16] 43 tn Grk “testing”; the participle is taken as indicating the purpose of the demand.
[11:16] 44 tn The pronoun “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[11:16] 45 tn Grk “seeking from him.” The imperfect ἐζήτουν (ezhtoun) is taken ingressively. It is also possible to regard it as iterative (“kept on asking”).
[11:16] 46 sn What exactly this sign would have been, given what Jesus was already doing, is not clear. But here is where the fence-sitters reside, refusing to commit to him.
[11:17] 47 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:17] 48 sn Jesus here demonstrated the absurdity of the thinking of those who maintained that he was in league with Satan and that he actually derived his power from the devil. He first teaches (vv. 17-20) that if he casts out demons by the ruler of the demons, then in reality Satan is fighting against himself, with the result that his kingdom has come to an end. He then teaches (v. 21-22) about defeating the strong man to prove that he does not need to align himself with the devil because he is more powerful. Jesus defeated Satan at his temptation (4:1-13) and by his exorcisms he clearly demonstrated himself to be stronger than the devil. The passage reveals the desperate condition of the religious leaders, who in their hatred for Jesus end up attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan.
[11:17] 49 tn Or “is left in ruins.”
[11:17] 50 tn Grk “and house falls on house.” This phrase pictures one house collapsing on another, what is called today a “house of cards.”
