Luke 21:1-14

The Widow’s Offering

21:1 Jesus ¹  looked up ²  and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box. ³  21:2 He also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. ⁴  21:3 He ⁵  said, “I tell you the truth, ⁶  this poor widow has put in more than all of them. ⁷  21:4 For they all offered their gifts out of their wealth. ⁸  But she, out of her poverty, put in everything she had to live on.” ⁹ 

The Signs of the End of the Age

21:5 Now ¹⁰  while some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned ¹¹  with beautiful stones and offerings, ¹²  Jesus ¹³  said, 21:6 “As for these things that you are gazing at, the days will come when not one stone will be left on another. ¹⁴  All will be torn down!” ¹⁵  21:7 So ¹⁶  they asked him, ¹⁷  “Teacher, when will these things ¹⁸  happen? And what will be the sign that ¹⁹  these things are about to take place?” 21:8 He ²⁰  said, “Watch out ²¹  that you are not misled. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ ²²  and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them! 21:9 And when you hear of wars and rebellions, ²³  do not be afraid. ²⁴  For these things must happen first, but the end will not come at once.” ²⁵ 

Persecution of Disciples

21:10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise up in arms ²⁶  against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 21:11 There will be great earthquakes, and famines ²⁷  and plagues in various places, and there will be terrifying sights ²⁸  and great signs ²⁹  from heaven. 21:12 But before all this, ³⁰  they will seize ³¹  you and persecute you, handing you over to the synagogues ³²  and prisons. You ³³  will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. 21:13 This will be a time for you to serve as witnesses. ³⁴  21:14 Therefore be resolved ³⁵  not to rehearse ³⁶  ahead of time how to make your defense.

[21:1]  ¹ tn Grk “He”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[21:1]  ² tn Grk “looking up, he saw.” The participle ἀναβλέψας (anableya") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:1]  ³ tn On the term γαζοφυλάκιον (gazofulakion), often translated “treasury,” see BDAG 186 s.v., which states, “For Mk 12:41, 43; Lk 21:1 the mng. contribution box or receptacle is attractive. Acc. to Mishnah, Shekalim 6, 5 there were in the temple 13 such receptacles in the form of trumpets. But even in these passages the general sense of ‘treasury’ is prob., for the contributions would go [into] the treasury via the receptacles.” Based upon the extra-biblical evidence (see sn following), however, the translation opts to refer to the actual receptacles and not the treasury itself.

[21:2]  ⁴ sn These two small copper coins were lepta (sing. “lepton”), the smallest and least valuable coins in circulation in Palestine, worth one-half of a quadrans or 1/128 of a denarius, or about six minutes of an average daily wage. This was next to nothing in value.

[21:3]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:3]  ⁶ tn Grk “Truly, I say to you.”

[21:3]  ⁷ sn Has put in more than all of them. With God, giving is weighed evaluatively, not counted. The widow was praised because she gave sincerely and at some considerable cost to herself.

[21:4]  ⁸ tn Grk “out of what abounded to them.”

[21:4]  ⁹ tn Or “put in her entire livelihood.”

[21:5]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[21:5]  ¹¹ sn The Jerusalem temple was widely admired around the world. See Josephus, Ant. 15.11 (15.380-425); J. W. 5.5 (5.184-227) and Tacitus, History 5.8, who called it “immensely opulent.” Josephus compared it to a beautiful snowcapped mountain.

[21:5]  ¹² tn For the translation of ἀνάθημα (anaqhma) as “offering” see L&N 53.18.

[21:5]  ¹³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:6]  ¹⁴ sn With the statement days will come when not one stone will be left on another Jesus predicted the total destruction of the temple, something that did occur in a.d. 70.

[21:6]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “the days will come when not one stone will be left on another that will not be thrown down.”

[21:7]  ¹⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Jesus’ comments about the temple’s future destruction.

[21:7]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[21:7]  ¹⁸ sn Both references to these things are plural, so more than the temple’s destruction is in view. The question may presuppose that such a catastrophe signals the end.

[21:7]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “when.”

[21:8]  ²⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[21:8]  ²¹ tn Or “Be on guard.”

[21:8]  ²² tn That is, “I am the Messiah.”

[21:9]  ²³ tn Social and political chaos also precedes the end. This term refers to revolutions (L&N 39.34).

[21:9]  ²⁴ tn This is not the usual term for fear, but refers to a deep sense of terror and emotional distress (Luke 24:37; BDAG 895 s.v. πτοέω).

[21:9]  ²⁵ sn The end will not come at once. This remark about timing not only indicates that there will be events before the end, but that some time will also pass before it comes.

[21:10]  ²⁶ tn For the translation “rise up in arms” see L&N 55.2.

[21:11]  ²⁷ sn See Isa 5:13-14; 13:6-16; Hag 2:6-7; Zech 14:4.

[21:11]  ²⁸ tn This term, φόβητρον (fobhtron), occurs only here in the NT. It could refer to an object, event, or condition that causes fear, but in the context it is linked with great signs from heaven, so the translation “sights” was preferred.

[21:11]  ²⁹ sn See Jer 4:13-22; 14:12; 21:6-7.

[21:12]  ³⁰ sn But before all this. Another note of timing is present, this one especially important in understanding the sequence in the discourse. Before the things noted in vv. 8-11 are the events of vv. 12-19.

[21:12]  ³¹ tn Grk “will lay their hands on you.”

[21:12]  ³² sn Some of the persecution is of Jewish origin (the synagogues). Some fulfillment of this can be seen in Acts. See the note on synagogues in 4:15.

[21:12]  ³³ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[21:13]  ³⁴ tn Grk “This will turn out to you for [a] testimony.”

[21:14]  ³⁵ tn Grk “determine in your hearts.”

[21:14]  ³⁶ tn This term could refer to rehearsing a speech or a dance. On its syntax, see BDF §392.2.