Luke 24:51

24:51 Now ¹  during the blessing ²  he departed ³  and was taken up into heaven. ⁴ 

Luke 24:2

24:2 They ⁵  found that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb, ⁶ 

Luke 2:1-3

The Census and the Birth of Jesus

2:1 Now ⁷  in those days a decree ⁸  went out from Caesar ⁹  Augustus ¹⁰  to register ¹¹  all the empire ¹²  for taxes. 2:2 This was the first registration, taken when Quirinius was governor ¹³  of Syria. 2:3 Everyone ¹⁴  went to his own town ¹⁵  to be registered.

Luke 2:11

2:11 Today ¹⁶  your Savior is born in the city ¹⁷  of David. ¹⁸  He is Christ ¹⁹  the Lord.

Mark 16:19

16:19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

John 6:62

6:62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascending where he was before? ²⁰ 

John 13:1

Washing the Disciples’ Feet

13:1 Just before the Passover feast, Jesus knew that his time ²¹  had come to depart ²²  from this world to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now loved them to the very end. ²³ 

John 16:5

16:5 But now I am going to the one who sent me, ²⁴  and not one of you is asking me, ‘Where are you going?’ ²⁵ 

John 16:28

16:28 I came from the Father and entered into the world, but in turn, ²⁶  I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” ²⁷ 

John 17:11

17:11 I ²⁸  am no longer in the world, but ²⁹  they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them safe ³⁰  in your name ³¹  that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. ³² 

Acts 1:2

1:2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, ³³  after he had given orders ³⁴  by ³⁵  the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.

Acts 1:9

1:9 After ³⁶  he had said this, while they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud hid him from their sight.

Ephesians 1:20

1:20 This power ³⁷  he exercised ³⁸  in Christ when he raised him ³⁹  from the dead and seated him ⁴⁰  at his right hand in the heavenly realms ⁴¹ 

Ephesians 4:8-11

4:8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he captured ⁴²  captives; he gave gifts to men.” ⁴³  4:9 Now what is the meaning of “he ascended,” except that he also descended ⁴⁴  to the lower regions, ⁴⁵  namely, the earth? ⁴⁶  4:10 He, the very one ⁴⁷  who descended, is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things. 4:11 It was he ⁴⁸  who gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, ⁴⁹ 

Ephesians 4:1

Live in Unity

4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, ⁵⁰  urge you to live ⁵¹  worthily of the calling with which you have been called, ⁵² 

Ephesians 3:16

3:16 I pray that ⁵³  according to the wealth of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person,

Hebrews 6:20

6:20 where Jesus our forerunner entered on our behalf, since he became a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. ⁵⁴ 

Hebrews 12:2

12:2 keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. ⁵⁵ 

Hebrews 12:1

The Lord’s Discipline

12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, ⁵⁶  we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us,

Hebrews 3:1

Jesus and Moses

3:1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, ⁵⁷  partners in a heavenly calling, take note of Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess, ⁵⁸ 

[24:51]  ¹ tn Grk “And it happened that while.” 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.

[24:51]  ² tn Grk “while he blessed them.”

[24:51]  ³ tn Grk “he departed from them.”

[24:51]  ⁴ tc The reference to the ascension (“and was taken up into heaven”) is lacking in א* D it sy^s, but it is found in Ì⁷⁵ and the rest of the ms tradition. The authenticity of the statement here seems to be presupposed in Acts 1:2, for otherwise it is difficult to account for Luke’s reference to the ascension there. For a helpful discussion, see TCGNT 162-63.

[24:2]  ⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[24:2]  ⁶ sn Luke tells the story of the empty tomb with little drama. He simply notes that when they arrived the stone had been rolled away in a position where the tomb could be entered. This large stone was often placed in a channel so that it could be easily moved by rolling it aside. The other possibility is that it was merely placed over the opening in a position from which it had now been moved.

[2:1]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ sn This decree was a formal decree from the Roman Senate.

[2:1]  ⁹ tn Or “from the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[2:1]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² tn Grk “the whole (inhabited) world,” but this was a way to refer to the Roman empire (L&N 1.83).

[2:2]  ¹³ tn Or “was a minister of Syria.” This term could simply refer to an administrative role Quirinius held as opposed to being governor (Josephus, Ant. 18.4.2 [18.88]). See also Luke 2:1.

[2:3]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “And everyone.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[2:3]  ¹⁵ tn Or “hometown” (so CEV).

[2:11]  ¹⁶ sn The Greek word for today (σήμερον, shmeron) occurs eleven times in the Gospel of Luke (2:11; 4:21; 5:26; 12:28; 13:32-33; 19:5, 9; 22:34, 61; 23:43) and nine times in Acts. Its use, especially in passages such as 2:11, 4:21, 5:26; 19:5, 9, signifies the dawning of the era of messianic salvation and the fulfillment of the plan of God. Not only does it underscore the idea of present fulfillment in Jesus’ ministry, but it also indicates salvific fulfillment present in the church (cf. Acts 1:6; 3:18; D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 1:412; I. H. Marshall, Luke, [NIGTC], 873).

[2:11]  ¹⁷ tn Or “town.” See the note on “city” in v. 4.

[2:11]  ¹⁸ tn This is another indication of a royal, messianic connection.

[2:11]  ¹⁹ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[6:62]  ²⁰ tn Or “he was formerly?”

[13:1]  ²¹ tn Grk “his hour.”

[13:1]  ²² tn Grk “that he should depart.” The ἵνα (Jina) clause in Koine Greek frequently encroached on the simple infinitive (for the sake of greater clarity).

[13:1]  ²³ tn Or “he now loved them completely,” or “he now loved them to the uttermost” (see John 19:30). All of John 13:1 is a single sentence in Greek, although in English this would be unacceptably awkward. At the end of the verse the idiom εἰς τέλος (eis telos) was translated literally as “to the end” and the modern equivalents given in the note above, because there is an important lexical link between this passage and John 19:30, τετέλεσται (tetelestai, “It is ended”).

[16:5]  ²⁴ sn Now the theme of Jesus’ impending departure is resumed (I am going to the one who sent me). It will also be mentioned in 16:10, 17, and 28. Jesus had said to his opponents in 7:33 that he was going to the one who sent him; in 13:33 he had spoken of going where the disciples could not come. At that point Peter had inquired where he was going, but it appears that Peter did not understand Jesus’ reply at that time and did not persist in further questioning. In 14:5 Thomas had asked Jesus where he was going.

[16:5]  ²⁵ sn Now none of the disciples asks Jesus where he is going, and the reason is given in the following verse: They have been overcome with sadness as a result of the predictions of coming persecution that Jesus has just spoken to them in 15:18-25 and 16:1-4a. Their shock at Jesus’ revelation of coming persecution is so great that none of them thinks to ask him where it is that he is going.

[16:28]  ²⁶ tn Or “into the world; again.” Here πάλιν (palin) functions as a marker of contrast, with the implication of a sequence.

[16:28]  ²⁷ sn The statement I am leaving the world and going to the Father is a summary of the entire Gospel of John. It summarizes the earthly career of the Word made flesh, Jesus of Nazareth, on his mission from the Father to be the Savior of the world, beginning with his entry into the world as he came forth from God and concluding with his departure from the world as he returned to the Father.

[17:11]  ²⁸ tn Grk And I.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[17:11]  ²⁹ tn The context indicates that this should be translated as an adversative or contrastive conjunction.

[17:11]  ³⁰ tn Or “protect them”; Grk “keep them.”

[17:11]  ³¹ tn Or “by your name.”

[17:11]  ³² tn The second repetition of “one” is implied, and is supplied here for clarity.

[1:2]  ³³ tn The words “to heaven” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied from v. 11. Several modern translations (NIV, NRSV) supply the words “to heaven” after “taken up” to specify the destination explicitly mentioned later in 1:11.

[1:2]  ³⁴ tn Or “commands.” Although some modern translations render ἐντειλάμενος (enteilameno") as “instructions” (NIV, NRSV), the word implies authority or official sanction (G. Schrenk, TDNT 2:545), so that a word like “orders” conveys the idea more effectively. The action of the temporal participle is antecedent (prior) to the action of the verb it modifies (“taken up”).

[1:2]  ³⁵ tn Or “through.”

[1:9]  ³⁶ tn Grk “And after.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[1:20]  ³⁷ tn Grk “which” (v. 20 is a subordinate clause to v. 19).

[1:20]  ³⁸ tn The verb “exercised” (the aorist of ἐνεργέω, energew) has its nominal cognate in “exercise” in v. 19 (ἐνέργεια, energeia).

[1:20]  ³⁹ tn Or “This power he exercised in Christ by raising him”; Grk “raising him.” The adverbial participle ἐγείρας (egeiras) could be understood as temporal (“when he raised [him]”), which would be contemporaneous to the action of the finite verb “he exercised” earlier in the verse, or as means (“by raising [him]”). The participle has been translated here with the temporal nuance to allow for means to also be a possible interpretation. If the translation focused instead upon means, the temporal nuance would be lost as the time frame for the action of the participle would become indistinct.

[1:20]  ⁴⁰ tc The majority of mss, especially the Western and Byzantine mss (D F G Ψ Ï b r Ambst), have the indicative ἐκάθισεν (ekaqisen, “he seated”) for καθίσας (kaqisa", “when he seated, by seating”). The indicative is thus coordinate with ἐνήργησεν (enhrghsen, “he exercised”) and provides an additional statement to “he exercised his power.” The participle (found in Ì^92vid א A B 0278 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 2464 al), on the other hand, is coordinate with ἐγείρας (egeiras) and as such provides evidence of God’s power: He exercised his power by raising Christ from the dead and by seating him at his right hand. As intriguing as the indicative reading is, it is most likely an intentional alteration of the original wording, accomplished by an early “Western” scribe, which made its way in the Byzantine text.

[1:20]  ⁴¹ sn Eph 1:19-20. The point made in these verses is that the power required to live a life pleasing to God is the same power that raised Christ from the dead. For a similar thought, cf. John 15:1-11.

[4:8]  ⁴² tn Grk “he led captive captivity.”

[4:8]  ⁴³ sn A quotation which is perhaps ultimately derived from Ps 68:18. However, the wording here differs from that of Ps 68 in both the Hebrew text and the LXX in a few places, the most significant of which is reading “gave gifts to” in place of “received gifts from” as in HT and LXX. It has sometimes been suggested that the author of Ephesians modified the text he was citing in order to better support what he wanted to say here. Such modifications are sometimes found in rabbinic exegesis from this and later periods, but it is also possible that the author was simply citing a variant of Ps 68 known to him but which has not survived outside its quotation here (W. H. Harris, The Descent of Christ [AGJU 32], 104). Another possibility is that the words here, which strongly resemble Ps 68:19 HT and LXX (68:18 ET), are actually part of an early Christian hymn quoted by the author.

[4:9]  ⁴⁴ tc The majority of mss (א² B C³ Ψ Ï) read πρῶτον (prwton, “first”) here in conjunction with this verb: “he first descended.” The shorter reading, which lacks πρῶτον, should be considered original on the basis of both external and internal evidence: It has strong external support from the Alexandrian and Western texttypes (Ì⁴⁶ א* A C* D F G I^vid 082 6 33 81 1739 1881 pc); internally, the inclusion of πρῶτον is most likely an addition to clarify the sense of the passage.

[4:9]  ⁴⁵ tc The Western texttype (D* F G it) lacks the plural noun μέρη (merh, “regions”); the shorter reading cannot be dismissed out of hand since it is also supported by Ì⁴⁶ (which often has strong affinities, however, with the Western text). The inclusion of the word has strong external support from important, early mss as well as the majority of Byzantine cursives (א A B C D² I Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï). Certain scribes may have deleted the word, thinking it superfluous; in addition, if the shorter reading were original one would expect to see at least a little variation in clarifying additions to the text. For these reasons the inclusion of μέρη should be regarded as original.

[4:9]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “to the lower parts of the earth.” This phrase has been variously interpreted: (1) The traditional view understands it as a reference to the underworld (hell), where Jesus is thought to have descended in the three days between his death and resurrection. In this case, “of the earth” would be a partitive genitive. (2) A second option is to translate the phrase “of the earth” as a genitive of apposition: “to the lower parts, namely, the earth” (as in the present translation). Many recent scholars hold this view and argue that it is a reference to the incarnation. (3) A third option, which also sees the phrase “of the earth” as a genitive of apposition, is that the descent in the passage occurs after the ascent rather than before it, and refers to the descent of the Spirit at Pentecost (cf. Acts 4:11-16). Support for this latter view is found in the intertestamental and rabbinic use of Ps 68:18 (quoted in v. 8), which is consistently and solely interpreted as a reference to Moses’ ascent of Mt. Sinai to “capture” the words of the law. The probability, therefore, is that the comments here in v. 9 reflect a polemic against the interpretation of Ps 68:18 in certain circles as a reference to Moses. See W. H. Harris, The Descent of Christ (AGJU 32), 46-54; 171-204.

[4:10]  ⁴⁷ tn The Greek text lays specific emphasis on “He” through the use of the intensive pronoun, αὐτός (autos). This is reflected in the English translation through the use of “the very one.”

[4:11]  ⁴⁸ tn The emphasis on Christ is continued through the use of the intensive pronoun, αὐτός (autos), and is rendered in English as “it was he” as this seems to lay emphasis on the “he.”

[4:11]  ⁴⁹ sn Some interpreters have understood the phrase pastors and teachers to refer to one and the same group. This would mean that all pastors are teachers and that all teachers are pastors. This position is often taken because it is recognized that both nouns (i.e., pastors and teachers) are governed by one article in Greek. But because the nouns are plural, it is extremely unlikely that they refer to the same group, but only that the author is linking them closely together. It is better to regard the pastors as a subset of teachers. In other words, all pastors are teachers, but not all teachers are pastors. See ExSyn 284.

[4:1]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “prisoner in the Lord.”

[4:1]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “walk.” The verb “walk” in the NT letters refers to the conduct of one’s life, not to physical walking.

[4:1]  ⁵² sn With which you have been called. The calling refers to the Holy Spirit’s prompting that caused them to believe. The author is thus urging his readers to live a life that conforms to their saved status before God.

[3:16]  ⁵³ tn Grk “that.” In Greek v. 16 is a subordinate clause to vv. 14-15.

[6:20]  ⁵⁴ sn A quotation from Ps 110:4, picked up again from Heb 5:6, 10.

[12:2]  ⁵⁵ sn An allusion to Ps 110:1.

[12:1]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “having such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us.”

[3:1]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.

[3:1]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “of our confession.”