Luke 2:15

2:15 When ¹  the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem ²  and see this thing that has taken place, that the Lord ³  has made known to us.”

Luke 12:58

12:58 As you are going with your accuser before the magistrate, ⁴  make an effort to settle with him on the way, so that he will not drag you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, ⁵  and the officer throw you into prison.

Luke 13:25

13:25 Once ⁶  the head of the house ⁷  gets up ⁸  and shuts the door, then you will stand outside and start to knock on the door and beg him, ‘Lord, ⁹  let us in!’ ¹⁰  But he will answer you, ¹¹  ‘I don’t know where you come from.’ ¹² 

[2:15]  ¹ tn Grk “And it happened that when.” 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. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[2:15]  ² map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[2:15]  ³ sn Note how although angels delivered the message, it was the Lord whose message is made known, coming through them.

[12:58]  ⁴ sn The term magistrate (ἄρχων, arcwn) refers to an official who, under the authority of the government, serves as judge in legal cases (see L&N 56.29).

[12:58]  ⁵ sn The officer (πράκτωρ, praktwr) was a civil official who functioned like a bailiff and was in charge of debtor’s prison. The use of the term, however, does not automatically demand a Hellenistic setting (BDAG 859 s.v.; K. H. Rengstorf, TDNT 8:539; C. Maurer, TDNT 6:642).

[13:25]  ⁷ tn The syntactical relationship between vv. 24-25 is disputed. The question turns on whether v. 25 is connected to v. 24 or not. A lack of a clear connective makes an independent idea more likely. However, one must then determine what the beginning of the sentence connects to. Though it makes for slightly awkward English, the translation has opted to connect it to “he will answer” so that this functions, in effect, as an apodosis. One could end the sentence after “us” and begin a new sentence with “He will answer” to make simpler sentences, although the connection between the two sentences is thereby less clear. The point of the passage, however, is clear. Once the door is shut, because one failed to come in through the narrow way, it is closed permanently. The moral: Do not be too late in deciding to respond.

[13:25]  ⁸ tn Or “the master of the household.”

[13:25]  ⁹ tn Or “rises,” or “stands up.”

[13:25]  ¹⁰ tn Or “Sir.”

[13:25]  ¹¹ tn Grk “Open to us.”

[13:25]  ¹² tn Grk “and answering, he will say to you.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “he will answer you.”

[13:25]  ¹³ sn For the imagery behind the statement “I do not know where you come from,” see Ps 138:6; Isa 63:16; Jer 1:5; Hos 5:3.