Luke 11:26

11:26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so ¹  the last state of that person ²  is worse than the first.” ³ 

Luke 12:1

Fear God, Not People

12:1 Meanwhile, ⁴  when many thousands of the crowd had gathered so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus ⁵  began to speak first to his disciples, “Be on your guard against ⁶  the yeast of the Pharisees, ⁷  which is hypocrisy. ⁸ 

Luke 14:18

14:18 But one after another they all ⁹  began to make excuses. ¹⁰  The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, ¹¹  and I must go out and see it. Please excuse me.’ ¹² 

[11:26]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding point of the story.

[11:26]  ² tn Grk “man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.

[11:26]  ³ sn The point of the story is that to fail to respond is to risk a worse fate than when one started.

[12:1]  ⁴ tn The phrase ἐν οἷς (en Jois) can be translated “meanwhile.”

[12:1]  ⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:1]  ⁶ tn According to L&N 27.59, “to pay attention to, to keep on the lookout for, to be alert for, to be on your guard against.” This is another Lukan present imperative calling for constant vigilance.

[12:1]  ⁷ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[12:1]  ⁸ sn The pursuit of popularity can lead to hypocrisy, if one is not careful.

[14:18]  ⁷ tn Or “all unanimously” (BDAG 107 s.v. ἀπό 6). "One after another" is suggested by L&N 61.2.

[14:18]  ⁸ sn To make excuses and cancel at this point was an insult in the culture of the time. Regardless of customs concerning responses to invitations, refusal at this point was rude.

[14:18]  ⁹ sn I have bought a field. An examination of newly bought land was a common practice. It was this person’s priority.

[14:18]  ¹⁰ sn The expression Please excuse me is probably a polite way of refusing, given the dynamics of the situation, although it is important to note that an initial acceptance had probably been indicated and it was now a bit late for a refusal. The semantic equivalent of the phrase may well be “please accept my apologies.”