Luke 13:31-32

Context

Going to Jerusalem

13:31 At that time,¹ some Pharisees² came up and said to Jesus,³ “Get away from here,⁴ because Herod⁵ wants to kill you.” 13:32 But⁶ he said to them, “Go⁷ and tell that fox,⁸ ‘Look, I am casting out demons and performing healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day⁹ I will complete my work.¹⁰

[13:31] ¹tn Grk “At that very hour.”

[13:31] ²sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[13:31] ³tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:31] ⁴tn Grk “Go away and leave from here,” which is redundant in English and has been shortened to “Get away from here.”

[13:31] ⁵sn Herod refers here to Herod Antipas. See the note on Herod Antipas in 3:1.

[13:32] ⁶tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[13:32] ⁷tn The participle πορευθέντες (poreuqente") has been taken as indicating attendant circumstance.

[13:32] ⁸sn That fox. This is not fundamentally a figure for cleverness as in modern western culture, but could indicate (1) an insignificant person (Neh 4:3; 2 Esd 13:35 LXX); (2) a deceiver (Song Rabbah 2.15.1 on 2:15); or someone destructive, a destroyer (Ezek 13:4; Lam 5:18; 1 En. 89:10, 42-49, 55). Luke’s emphasis seems to be on destructiveness, since Herod killed John the Baptist, whom Luke calls “the greatest born of women” (Luke 7:28) and later stands opposed to Jesus (Acts 4:26-28). In addition, “a person who is designated a fox is an insignificant or base person. He lacks real power and dignity, using cunning deceit to achieve his aims” (H. W. Hoehner, Herod Antipas [SNTSMS], 347).

[13:32] ⁹sn The third day is a figurative reference to being further on in time, not a reference to three days from now. Jesus is not even in Jerusalem yet, and the events of the last days in Jerusalem take a good week.

[13:32] ¹⁰tn Or “I reach my goal.” The verb τελειόω (teleiow) is a key NT term for the completion of God’s plan: See Luke 12:50; 22:37; John 19:30; and (where it has the additional component of meaning “to perfect”) Heb 2:10; 5:8-9; 7:28.