Luke 2:4

2:4 So ¹  Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth ²  in Galilee to Judea, to the city ³  of David called Bethlehem, ⁴  because he was of the house ⁵  and family line ⁶  of David.

Luke 2:34

2:34 Then ⁷  Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “Listen carefully: ⁸  This child ⁹  is destined to be the cause of the falling and rising ¹⁰  of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be rejected. ¹¹ 

Luke 4:16

Rejection at Nazareth

4:16 Now ¹²  Jesus ¹³  came to Nazareth, ¹⁴  where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue ¹⁵  on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. ¹⁶  He ¹⁷  stood up to read, ¹⁸ 

Luke 8:22

Stilling of a Storm

8:22 One ¹⁹  day Jesus ²⁰  got into a boat ²¹  with his disciples and said to them, “Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.” So ²²  they set out,

Luke 13:19

13:19 It is like a mustard seed ²³  that a man took and sowed ²⁴  in his garden. It ²⁵  grew and became a tree, ²⁶  and the wild birds ²⁷  nested in its branches.” ²⁸ 

Luke 15:22

15:22 But the father said to his slaves, ²⁹  ‘Hurry! Bring the best robe, ³⁰  and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger ³¹  and sandals ³²  on his feet!

[2:4]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the consequential nature of the action.

[2:4]  ² sn On Nazareth see Luke 1:26.

[2:4]  ³ tn Or “town.” The translation “city” is used here because of its collocation with “of David,” suggesting its importance, though not its size.

[2:4]  ⁴ sn The journey from Nazareth to the city of David called Bethlehem was a journey of about 90 mi (150 km). Bethlehem was a small village located about 7 miles south-southwest of Jerusalem.

[2:4]  ⁵ sn Luke’s use of the term “house” probably alludes to the original promise made to David outlined in the Nathan oracle of 2 Sam 7:12-16, especially in light of earlier connections between Jesus and David made in Luke 1:32. Further, the mention of Bethlehem reminds one of the promise of Mic 5:2, namely, that a great king would emerge from Bethlehem to rule over God’s people.

[2:4]  ⁶ tn Or “family,” “lineage.”

[2:34]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[2:34]  ⁸ tn Grk “behold.”

[2:34]  ⁹ tn Grk “this one”; the referent (the child) is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:34]  ¹⁰ sn The phrase the falling and rising of many emphasizes that Jesus will bring division in the nation, as some will be judged (falling) and others blessed (rising) because of how they respond to him. The language is like Isa 8:14-15 and conceptually like Isa 28:13-16. Here is the first hint that Jesus’ coming will be accompanied with some difficulties.

[2:34]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and for a sign of contradiction.”

[4:16]  ¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[4:16]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:16]  ¹⁵ sn Nazareth was Jesus’ hometown (which is why he is known as Jesus of Nazareth) about 20 miles (30 km) southwest from Capernaum.

[4:16]  ¹⁶ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.

[4:16]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “according to his custom.”

[4:16]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[4:16]  ¹⁹ sn In normative Judaism of the period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present. See the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2. First came the law, then the prophets, then someone was asked to speak on the texts. Normally one stood up to read out of respect for the scriptures, and then sat down (v. 20) to expound them.

[8:22]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “Now it happened that one.” 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 δέ (de) has not been translated either.

[8:22]  ²⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:22]  ²¹ sn A boat that held all the disciples would be of significant size.

[8:22]  ²² tn Grk “lake, and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the response to Jesus’ request. In addition, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[13:19]  ²⁵ sn The mustard seed was noted for its tiny size.

[13:19]  ²⁶ tn Grk “threw.”

[13:19]  ²⁷ tn Grk “garden, and it.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[13:19]  ²⁸ sn Calling the mustard plant a tree is rhetorical hyperbole, since technically it is not one. This plant could be one of two types of mustard popular in Palestine and would be either 10 or 25 ft (3 or 7.5 m) tall.

[13:19]  ²⁹ tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).

[13:19]  ³⁰ sn The point of the parable seems to be that while the kingdom of God may appear to have insignificant and unnoticeable beginnings (i.e., in the ministry of Jesus), it will someday (i.e., at the second advent) be great and quite expansive. The kingdom, however, is not to be equated with the church, but rather the church is an expression of the kingdom. Also, there is important OT background in the image of the mustard seed that grew and became a tree: Ezek 17:22-24 pictures the reemergence of the Davidic house where people can find calm and shelter. Like the mustard seed, it would start out small but grow to significant size.

[15:22]  ³¹ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.

[15:22]  ³² sn With the instructions Hurry! Bring the best robe, there is a total acceptance of the younger son back into the home.

[15:22]  ³³ tn Grk “hand”; but χείρ (ceir) can refer to either the whole hand or any relevant part of it (L&N 8.30).

[15:22]  ³⁴ sn The need for sandals underlines the younger son’s previous destitution, because he was barefoot.