Luke 14:2-4

Context
14:2 There¹ right² in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy.³ 14:3 So⁴ Jesus asked⁵ the experts in religious law⁶ and the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath⁷ or not?” 14:4 But they remained silent. So⁸ Jesus⁹ took hold of the man,¹⁰ healed him, and sent him away.¹¹

[14:2] ¹tn Grk “And there.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[14:2] ²tn Grk “behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1). Here it has been translated as “right” in the phrase “right in front of him,” giving a similar effect of vividness in the translation.

[14:2] ³sn The condition called dropsy involves swollen limbs resulting from the accumulation of fluid in the body’s tissues, especially the legs.

[14:3] ⁴tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the sequence of events (Jesus’ question was prompted by the man’s appearance).

[14:3] ⁵tn Grk “Jesus, answering, said.” This is redundant in contemporary English. In addition, since the context does not describe a previous question to Jesus (although one may well be implied), the phrase has been translated here as “Jesus asked.”

[14:3] ⁶tn That is, experts in the interpretation of the Mosaic law (traditionally, “lawyers”).

[14:3] ⁷sn “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” Will the Pharisees and experts in religious law defend tradition and speak out against doing good on the Sabbath? Has anything at all been learned since Luke 13:10-17? Has repentance come (13:6-9)?

[14:4] ⁸tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the sequence of events (Jesus’ healing the man was in response to their refusal to answer).

[14:4] ⁹tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:4] ¹⁰tn Grk “taking hold [of the man].” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενος (epilabomeno") has been taken as indicating attendant circumstance.

[14:4] ¹¹tn Or “and let him go.”