Luke 2:1

The Census and the Birth of Jesus

2:1 Now ¹  in those days a decree ²  went out from Caesar ³  Augustus ⁴  to register ⁵  all the empire ⁶  for taxes.

Luke 5:35

5:35 But those days are coming, and when the bridegroom is taken from them, ⁷  at that time ⁸  they will fast.”

Luke 4:2

4:2 where for forty days he endured temptations ⁹  from the devil. He ¹⁰  ate nothing ¹¹  during those days, and when they were completed, ¹²  he was famished.

Luke 9:36

9:36 After ¹³  the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. So ¹⁴  they kept silent and told no one ¹⁵  at that time ¹⁶  anything of what they had seen.

Luke 21:23

21:23 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in those days! For there will be great distress ¹⁷  on the earth and wrath against this people.

[2:1]  ¹ tn Grk “Now it happened that.” 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.

[2:1]  ² sn This decree was a formal decree from the Roman Senate.

[2:1]  ³ tn Or “from the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[2:1]  ⁴ sn Caesar Augustus refers to Octavian, who was Caesar from 27 b.c. to a.d. 14. He was known for his administrative prowess.

[2:1]  ⁵ tn Grk “that all the empire should be registered for taxes.” The passive infinitive ἀπογράφεσθαι (apografesqai) has been rendered as an active in the translation to improve the English style. The verb is regarded as a technical term for official registration in tax lists (BDAG 108 s.v. ἀπογράφω a).

[2:1]  ⁶ tn Grk “the whole (inhabited) world,” but this was a way to refer to the Roman empire (L&N 1.83).

[5:35]  ⁷ sn The statement when the bridegroom is taken from them is a veiled allusion by Jesus to his death, which he did not make explicit until the incident at Caesarea Philippi in 9:18ff.

[5:35]  ⁸ tn Grk “then in those days.”

[4:2]  ¹³ tn Grk “in the desert, for forty days being tempted.” The participle πειραζόμενος (peirazomeno") has been translated as an adverbial clause in English to avoid a run-on sentence with a second “and.” Here the present participle suggests a period of forty days of testing. Three samples of the end of the testing are given in the following verses.

[4:2]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[4:2]  ¹⁵ sn The reference to Jesus eating nothing could well be an idiom meaning that he ate only what the desert provided; see Exod 34:28. A desert fast simply meant eating only what one could obtain in the desert. The parallel in Matt 4:2 speaks only of Jesus fasting.

[4:2]  ¹⁶ tn The Greek word here is συντελεσθείσων (suntelesqeiswn) from the verb συντελέω (suntelew).

[9:36]  ¹⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[9:36]  ²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding summary of the account.

[9:36]  ²¹ sn Although the disciples told no one at the time, later they did recount this. The commentary on this scene is 2 Pet 1:17-18.

[9:36]  ²² tn Grk “in those days.”

[21:23]  ²⁵ sn Great distress means that this is a period of great judgment.