Luke 11:47-50

11:47 Woe to you! You build ¹  the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors ²  killed. 11:48 So you testify that you approve of ³  the deeds of your ancestors, ⁴  because they killed the prophets ⁵  and you build their ⁶  tombs! ⁷  11:49 For this reason also the wisdom ⁸  of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ 11:50 so that this generation may be held accountable ⁹  for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning ¹⁰  of the world, ¹¹ 

Luke 13:34

13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, ¹²  you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! ¹³  How often I have longed ¹⁴  to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but ¹⁵  you would have none of it! ¹⁶ 

Luke 13:1

A Call to Repent

13:1 Now ¹⁷  there were some present on that occasion who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. ¹⁸ 

Luke 22:24

22:24 A dispute also started ¹⁹  among them over which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. ²⁰ 

Luke 22:2

22:2 The ²¹  chief priests and the experts in the law ²²  were trying to find some way ²³  to execute ²⁴  Jesus, ²⁵  for they were afraid of the people. ²⁶ 

Luke 16:10

16:10 “The one who is faithful in a very little ²⁷  is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.

Luke 24:19-21

24:19 He ²⁸  said to them, “What things?” “The things concerning Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied, “a man ²⁹  who, with his powerful deeds and words, proved to be a prophet ³⁰  before God and all the people; 24:20 and how our chief priests and rulers handed him over ³¹  to be condemned to death, and crucified ³²  him. 24:21 But we had hoped ³³  that he was the one who was going to redeem ³⁴  Israel. Not only this, but it is now the third day since these things happened.

Nehemiah 9:26

9:26 “Nonetheless they grew disobedient and rebelled against you; they disregarded your law. ³⁵  They killed your prophets who had solemnly admonished them in order to cause them to return to you. They committed atrocious blasphemies.

Jeremiah 2:30

2:30 “It did no good for me to punish your people.

They did not respond to such correction.

You slaughtered your prophets

like a voracious lion.” ³⁶ 

Jeremiah 20:2

20:2 When he heard Jeremiah’s prophecy, he had the prophet flogged. ³⁷  Then he put him in the stocks ³⁸  which were at the Upper Gate of Benjamin in the Lord’s temple. ³⁹ 

Jeremiah 26:20-24

26:20 Now there was another man ⁴⁰  who prophesied as the Lord’s representative ⁴¹  against this city and this land just as Jeremiah did. His name was Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim. ⁴²  26:21 When the king and all his bodyguards ⁴³  and officials heard what he was prophesying, ⁴⁴  the king sought to have him executed. But Uriah found out about it and fled to Egypt out of fear. ⁴⁵  26:22 However, King Jehoiakim sent some men to Egypt, including Elnathan son of Achbor, ⁴⁶  26:23 and they brought Uriah back from there. ⁴⁷  They took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him executed and had his body thrown into the burial place of the common people. ⁴⁸ 

26:24 However, Ahikam son of Shaphan ⁴⁹  used his influence to keep Jeremiah from being handed over and executed by the people. ⁵⁰ 

Jeremiah 29:26-27

29:26 “The Lord has made you priest in place of Jehoiada. ⁵¹  He has put you in charge in the Lord’s temple of controlling ⁵²  any lunatic ⁵³  who pretends to be a prophet. ⁵⁴  And it is your duty to put any such person in the stocks ⁵⁵  with an iron collar around his neck. ⁵⁶  29:27 You should have reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth who is pretending to be a prophet among you! ⁵⁷ 

Jeremiah 37:15-16

37:15 The officials were very angry ⁵⁸  at Jeremiah. They had him flogged and put in prison in the house of Jonathan, the royal secretary, which they had converted into a place for confining prisoners. ⁵⁹ 

37:16 So ⁶⁰  Jeremiah was put in prison in a cell in the dungeon in Jonathan’s house. ⁶¹  He ⁶²  was kept there for a long time.

Jeremiah 38:4-6

38:4 So these officials said to the king, “This man must be put to death. For he is demoralizing ⁶³  the soldiers who are left in the city as well as all the other people there by these things he is saying. ⁶⁴  This ⁶⁵  man is not seeking to help these people but is trying to harm them.” ⁶⁶  38:5 King Zedekiah said to them, “Very well, you can do what you want with him. ⁶⁷  For I cannot do anything to stop you.” ⁶⁸  38:6 So the officials ⁶⁹  took Jeremiah and put him in the cistern ⁷⁰  of Malkijah, one of the royal princes, ⁷¹  that was in the courtyard of the guardhouse. There was no water in the cistern, only mud. So when they lowered Jeremiah into the cistern with ropes he sank in the mud. ⁷² 

[11:47]  ¹ sn The effect of what the experts in the law were doing was to deny the message of the prophets and thus honor their death by supporting those who had sought their removal. The charge that this is what previous generations did shows the problem is chronic. As T. W. Manson said, the charge here is “The only prophet you honor is a dead prophet!” (The Sayings of Jesus, 101).

[11:47]  ² tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[11:48]  ³ tn Grk “you are witnesses and approve of.”

[11:48]  ⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[11:48]  ⁵ tn Grk “them”; the referent (the prophets) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:48]  ⁶ tn “Their,” i.e., the prophets.

[11:48]  ⁷ tc The majority of mss list a specific object (“their tombs”), filling out the sentence (although there are two different words for “tombs” among the mss, as well as different word orders: αὐτῶν τὰ μνημεῖα (autwn ta mnhmeia; found in A C W Θ Ψ 33 Ï) and τοὺς τάφους αὐτῶν (tou" tafou" autwn; found in Ë^1,[13] 2542 pc). This suggests that early copyists had no term in front of them but felt the verb needed an object. But since a wide distribution of early Alexandrian and Western mss lack these words (Ì⁷⁵ א B D L 579 1241 it sa), it is likely that they were not part of the original text of Luke. Nevertheless, the words “their tombs” are inserted in the translation because of requirements of English style.

[11:49]  ⁸ sn The expression the wisdom of God is a personification of an attribute of God that refers to his wise will.

[11:50]  ⁹ tn Or “that this generation may be charged with”; or “the blood of all the prophets… may be required from this generation.” This is a warning of judgment. These people are responsible for the shedding of prophetic blood.

[11:50]  ¹⁰ tn Or “foundation.” However, this does not suggest a time to the modern reader.

[11:50]  ¹¹ tn The order of the clauses in this complicated sentence has been rearranged to simplify it for the modern reader.

[13:34]  ¹² sn The double use of the city’s name betrays intense emotion.

[13:34]  ¹³ tn Although the opening address (“Jerusalem, Jerusalem”) is direct (second person), the remainder of this sentence in the Greek text is third person (“who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her”). The following sentences then revert to second person (“your… you”), so to keep all this consistent in English, the third person pronouns in the present verse were translated as second person (“you who kill… sent to you”).

[13:34]  ¹⁴ sn How often I have longed to gather your children. Jesus, like a lamenting prophet, speaks for God here, who longed to care tenderly for Israel and protect her.

[13:34]  ¹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[13:34]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “you were not willing.”

[13:1]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[13:1]  ¹⁸ sn This is an event that otherwise is unattested, though several events similar to it are noted in Josephus (J. W. 2.9.2-4 [2.169-177]; Ant. 13.13.5 [13.372-73], 18.3.1-2 [18.55-62]; 18.4.1 [18.85-87]). It would have caused a major furor.

[22:24]  ¹⁹ tn Or “happened.”

[22:24]  ²⁰ tn Though the term μείζων (meizwn) here is comparative in form, it is superlative in sense (BDF §244).

[22:2]  ²¹ tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[22:2]  ²² tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

[22:2]  ²³ tn Grk “were seeking how.”

[22:2]  ²⁴ tn The Greek verb here means “to get rid of by execution” (BDAG 64 s.v. ἀναιρέω 2; cf. also L&N 20.71, which states, “to get rid of someone by execution, often with legal or quasi-legal procedures”).

[22:2]  ²⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:2]  ²⁶ sn The suggestion here is that Jesus was too popular to openly arrest him. The verb were trying is imperfect. It suggests, in this context, that they were always considering the opportunities.

[16:10]  ²⁷ sn The point of the statement faithful in a very little is that character is shown in how little things are treated.

[24:19]  ²⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[24:19]  ²⁹ tn This translates the Greek term ἀνήρ (anhr).

[24:19]  ³⁰ sn The role of Jesus as prophet is a function Luke frequently mentions: 4:25-27; 9:35; 13:31-35.

[24:20]  ³¹ sn Handed him over is another summary of the passion like Luke 9:22.

[24:20]  ³² sn See the note on crucify in 23:21.

[24:21]  ³³ tn The imperfect verb looks back to the view that they held during Jesus’ past ministry.

[24:21]  ³⁴ sn Their messianic hope concerning Jesus is expressed by the phrase who was going to redeem Israel.

[9:26]  ³⁵ tn Heb “they cast your law behind their backs.”

[2:30]  ³⁶ tn Heb “Your sword devoured your prophets like a destroying lion.” However, the reference to the sword in this and many similar idioms is merely idiomatic for death by violent means.

[20:2]  ³⁷ tn Heb “And Pashhur son of Immer, the priest and he [= who] was chief overseer [or officer] in the house of the Lord heard Jeremiah prophesying these words/things 20:2 and Pashhur had the prophet Jeremiah flogged.” This verse and the previous one has been restructured in the translation to better conform with contemporary English style.

[20:2]  ³⁸ tn The meaning of this word is uncertain. It occurs only here, in 29:26 where it is followed by a parallel word that occurs only there and is generally translated “collar,” and in 2 Chr 16:10 where it is preceded by the word “house of.” It is most often translated “stocks” and explained as an instrument of confinement for keeping prisoners in a crooked position (from its relation to a root meaning “to turn.” See BDB 246 s.v. מַהְפֶּכֶת and KBL 500 s.v. מַהְפֶּכֶת for definition and discussion.) For a full discussion including the interpretation of the ancient versions see W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:542-43.

[20:2]  ³⁹ sn A comparison of Ezek 8:3 and 9:2 in their contexts will show that this probably refers to the northern gate to the inner court of the temple. It is called Upper because it was on higher ground above the gate in the outer court. It is qualified by “in the Lord’s temple” to distinguish it from the Benjamin Gate in the city wall (cf. 37:13; 38:7). Like the Benjamin Gate in the city wall it faced north toward the territory of the tribe of Benjamin.

[26:20]  ⁴⁰ sn This is a brief parenthetical narrative about an otherwise unknown prophet who was executed for saying the same things Jeremiah did. It is put here to show the real danger that Jeremiah faced for saying what he did. There is nothing in the narrative here to show any involvement by Jehoiakim. This was a “lynch mob” instigated by the priests and false prophets which was stymied by the royal officials supported by some of the elders of Judah. Since it is disjunctive or parenthetical it is unclear whether this incident happened before or after that in the main narrative being reported.

[26:20]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “in the name of the Lord,” i.e., as his representative and claiming his authority. See the study note on v. 16.

[26:20]  ⁴² tn Heb “Now also a man was prophesying in the name of the Lord, Uriah son of…, and he prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah.” The long Hebrew sentence has been broken up in conformity with contemporary English style and the major emphasis brought out by putting his prophesying first, then identifying him.

[26:21]  ⁴³ tn Heb “all his mighty men/soldiers.” It is unlikely that this included all the army. It more likely was the palace guards or royal bodyguards (see 2 Sam 23 where the same word is used of David’s elite corps).

[26:21]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “his words.”

[26:21]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “But Uriah heard and feared and fled and entered Egypt.”

[26:22]  ⁴⁶ sn Elnathan son of Achbor was one of the officials who urged Jeremiah and Baruch to hide after they heard Jeremiah’s prophecies read before them (Jer 36:11-19). He was also one of the officials who urged Jehoiakim not to burn the scroll containing Jeremiah’s prophecies (Jer 36:25). He may have been Jehoiakim’s father-in-law (2 Kgs 24:6, 8).

[26:23]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “from Egypt.”

[26:23]  ⁴⁸ sn The burial place of the common people was the public burial grounds, distinct from the family tombs, where poor people without any distinction were buried. It was in the Kidron Valley east of Jerusalem (2 Kgs 23:6). The intent of reporting this is to show the ruthlessness of Jehoiakim.

[26:24]  ⁴⁹ sn Ahikam son of Shaphan was an official during the reign of Jehoiakim’s father, Josiah (2 Kgs 22:12, 14). He was also the father of Gedaliah who became governor of Judah after the fall of Jerusalem (Jer 40:5). The particle at the beginning of the verse is meant to contrast the actions of this man with the actions of Jehoiakim. The impression created by this verse is that it took more than just the royal officials’ opinion and the elders’ warnings to keep the priests and prophets from swaying popular opinion to put Jeremiah to death.

[26:24]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “Nevertheless, the hand of Ahikam son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah so that he would not be given (even more literally, ‘so as not to give him’) into the hand of the people to kill him.” “Hand” is often used for “aid,” “support,” “influence,” “power,” “control.”

[29:26]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “in place of Jehoiada the priest.” The word “the priest” is unnecessary to the English sentence.

[29:26]  ⁵² tc Heb “The Lord has appointed you priest in place of the priest Jehoiada to be overseer in the house of the Lord for/over.” The translation is based on a reading presupposed by several of the versions. The Hebrew text reads “The Lord has…to be overseers [in] the house of the Lord for/over.” The reading here follows that of the Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions in reading פָּקִיד בְּבֵית (paqid bÿvet) in place of פְּקִדִים בֵּית (pÿqidim bet). There has been a confusion of the ם (mem) and בּ (bet) and a transposition of the י (yod) and ד (dalet).

[29:26]  ⁵³ sn The Hebrew term translated lunatic applies to anyone who exhibits irrational behavior. It was used for example of David who drooled and scratched on the city gate to convince Achish not to arrest him as a politically dangerous threat (1 Sam 21:14). It was often used contemptuously of the prophets by those who wanted to play down the significance of their words (2 Kgs 9:11; Hos 9:7 and here).

[29:26]  ⁵⁴ tn The verb here is a good example of what IBHS 431 §26.2f calls the estimative-declarative reflexive where a person presents himself in a certain light. For examples of this usage see 2 Sam 13:5; Prov 13:7.

[29:26]  ⁵⁵ tn See the translator’s note on 20:2 for this word which only occurs here and in 20:2-3.

[29:26]  ⁵⁶ tn This word only occurs here in the Hebrew Bible. All the lexicons are agreed as seeing it referring to a collar placed around the neck. The basis for this definition are the cognate languages (see, e.g., HALOT 958-59 s.v. צִינֹק for the most complete discussion).

[29:27]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “So why have you not reprimanded Jeremiah…?” The rhetorical question functions as an emphatic assertion made explicit in the translation.

[37:15]  ⁵⁸ sn The officials mentioned here are not the same as those mentioned in Jer 36:12, most of whom were favorably disposed toward Jeremiah, or at least regarded what he said with enough trepidation to try to protect Jeremiah and preserve the scroll containing his messages (36:16, 19, 24). All those officials had been taken into exile with Jeconiah in 597 b.c. (2 Kgs 24:14).

[37:15]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “for they had made it into the house of confinement.” The causal particle does not fit the English sentence very well and “house of confinement” needs some explanation. Some translate this word “prison” but that creates redundancy with the earlier word translated “prison” (בֵּית הָאֵסוּר, bet ha’esur, “house of the band/binding”] which is more closely related to the concept of prison [cf. אָסִיר, ’asir, “prisoner”]). It is clear from the next verse that Jeremiah was confined in a cell in the dungeon of this place.

[37:16]  ⁶⁰ tn The particle כִּי (ki) here is probably temporal, introducing the protasis to the main clause in v. 17 (cf. BDB 473 s.v. כִּי 2.a). However, that would make the translation too long, so the present translation does what several modern English versions do here, though there are no parallels listed for this nuance in the lexicons.

[37:16]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “Jeremiah came into the house of the pit [= “dungeon,” BDB 92 s.v. בּוֹר 4 and compare usage in Gen 40:15; 41:14] and into the cells [this word occurs only here; it is defined on the basis of the cognate languages (cf. BDB 333 s.v. חָנוּת)].” The sentence has been restructured and some words supplied in the translation to better relate it to the preceding context.

[37:16]  ⁶² tn Heb “Jeremiah.” But the proper name is somewhat redundant and unnecessary in a modern translation.

[38:4]  ⁶³ tn Heb “weakening the hands of.” For this idiom see BDB 951 s.v. רָפָה Pi. and compare the usage in Isa 13:7; Ezek 21:7 (21:12 HT).

[38:4]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “by saying these things.”

[38:4]  ⁶⁵ tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) has not been rendered here because it is introducing a parallel causal clause to the preceding one. To render “For” might be misunderstood as a grounds for the preceding statement. To render “And” or “Moreover” sounds a little odd here. If it must be represented, “Moreover” is perhaps the best rendering.

[38:4]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “is not looking out for these people’s best interests but is really trying to do them harm”; Heb “is not seeking the welfare [or “well-being”; Hebrew shalom] of this people but [their] harm [more literally, evil].”

[38:5]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “Behold, he is in your hands [= power/control].”

[38:5]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “For the king cannot do a thing with/against you.” The personal pronoun “I” is substituted in the English translation due to differences in style; Hebrew style often uses the third person or the title in speaking of oneself but English rarely if ever does. Compare the common paraphrasis of “your servant” for “I” in Hebrew (cf. BDB 714 s.v. עֶבֶד 6 and usage in 1 Sam 20:7, 8) and compare the usage in Pss 63:11 (63:12 HT); 61:6 (61:7 HT) where the king is praying for himself. For the meaning of יָכֹל (yakhol) as “to be able to do anything,” see BDB 407 s.v. יָכֹל 1.g.

[38:6]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “they.”

[38:6]  ⁷⁰ sn A cistern was a pear-shaped pit with a narrow opening. Cisterns were cut or dug in the limestone rock and lined with plaster to prevent seepage. They were used to collect and store rain water or water carried up from a spring.

[38:6]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “the son of the king.” See the translator’s note on Jer 36:26 for the rendering here.

[38:6]  ⁷² tn Heb “And they let Jeremiah down with ropes and in the cistern there was no water, only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.” The clauses have been reordered and restructured to create a more natural and smoother order in English.