Luke 3:22

3:22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. ¹  And a voice came from heaven, “You are my one dear Son; ²  in you I take great delight.” ³ 

Luke 4:25

4:25 But in truth I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s days, ⁴  when the sky ⁵  was shut up three and a half years, and ⁶  there was a great famine over all the land.

Luke 6:23

6:23 Rejoice in that day, and jump for joy, because ⁷  your reward is great in heaven. For their ancestors ⁸  did the same things to the prophets. ⁹ 

Luke 8:5

8:5 “A sower went out to sow ¹⁰  his seed. ¹¹  And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled on, and the wild birds ¹²  devoured it.

Luke 9:16

9:16 Then ¹³  he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven he gave thanks ¹⁴  and broke them. He gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.

Luke 9:58

9:58 Jesus said to him, “Foxes have dens and the birds in the sky ¹⁵  have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” ¹⁶ 

Luke 11:13

11:13 If you then, although you are ¹⁷  evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit ¹⁸  to those who ask him!”

Luke 12:33

12:33 Sell your possessions ¹⁹  and give to the poor. ²⁰  Provide yourselves purses that do not wear out – a treasure in heaven ²¹  that never decreases, ²²  where no thief approaches and no moth ²³  destroys.

Luke 13:19

13:19 It is like a mustard seed ²⁴  that a man took and sowed ²⁵  in his garden. It ²⁶  grew and became a tree, ²⁷  and the wild birds ²⁸  nested in its branches.” ²⁹ 

Luke 15:7

15:7 I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner ³⁰  who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people ³¹  who have no need to repent. ³² 

Luke 15:21

15:21 Then ³³  his son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven ³⁴  and against you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ ³⁵ 

Luke 18:13

18:13 The tax collector, however, stood ³⁶  far off and would not even look up ³⁷  to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful ³⁸  to me, sinner that I am!’ ³⁹ 

Luke 18:22

18:22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have ⁴⁰  and give the money ⁴¹  to the poor, ⁴²  and you will have treasure ⁴³  in heaven. Then ⁴⁴  come, follow me.”

[3:22]  ¹ tn This phrase is a descriptive comparison. The Spirit is not a dove, but descends like one in some type of bodily representation.

[3:22]  ² tn Grk “my beloved Son,” or “my Son, the beloved [one].” The force of ἀγαπητός (agaphtos) is often “pertaining to one who is the only one of his or her class, but at the same time is particularly loved and cherished” (L&N 58.53; cf. also BDAG 7 s.v. 1).

[3:22]  ³ tc Instead of “You are my one dear Son; in you I take great delight,” one Greek ms and several Latin mss and church fathers (D it Ju [Cl] Meth Hil Aug) quote Ps 2:7 outright with “You are my Son; today I have fathered you.” But the weight of the ms testimony is against this reading.

[4:25]  ⁴ sn Elijah’s days. Jesus, by discussing Elijah and Elisha, pictures one of the lowest periods in Israel’s history. These examples, along with v. 24, also show that Jesus is making prophetic claims as well as messianic ones. See 1 Kgs 17-18.

[4:25]  ⁵ tn Or “the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. Since the context here refers to a drought (which produced the famine), “sky” is preferable.

[4:25]  ⁶ tn Grk “as.” The particle ὡς can also function temporally (see BDAG 1105-6 s.v. 8).

[6:23]  ⁷ tn Grk “because behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this clause has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[6:23]  ⁸ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[6:23]  ⁹ sn Mistreatment of the prophets is something Luke often notes (Luke 11:47-51; Acts 7:51-52).

[8:5]  ¹⁰ sn A sower went out to sow. The background for this well-known parable is a field through which a well-worn path runs in the Palestinian countryside. Sowing would occur in late fall or early winter (October to December) in the rainy season, looking for sprouting in April or May and a June harvest. The use of seed as a figure for God’s giving life has OT roots: Isa 55:10-11.

[8:5]  ¹¹ tn Luke’s version of the parable, like Mark’s (cf. Mark 4:1-9) uses the collective singular to refer to the seed throughout, so singular pronouns have been used consistently throughout this parable in the English translation. However, the parallel account in Matt 13:1-9 begins with plural pronouns in v. 4 but then switches to the collective singular in v. 5 ff.

[8:5]  ¹² 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).

[9:16]  ¹³ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[9:16]  ¹⁴ sn Gave thanks adds a note of gratitude to the setting. The scene is like two other later meals: Luke 22:19 and 24:30. Jesus gives thanks to God “with respect to” the provision of food. The disciples learn how Jesus is the mediator of blessing. John 6 speaks of him in this scene as picturing the “Bread of Life.”

[9:58]  ¹⁶ 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).

[9:58]  ¹⁷ sn Jesus’ reply is simply this: Does the man understand the rejection he will be facing? Jesus has no home in the world (the Son of Man has no place to lay his head).

[11:13]  ¹⁹ tn The participle ὑπάρχοντες (Juparconte") has been translated as a concessive participle.

[11:13]  ²⁰ sn The provision of the Holy Spirit is probably a reference to the wisdom and guidance supplied in response to repeated requests. Some apply it to the general provision of the Spirit, but this would seem to look only at one request in a context that speaks of repeated asking. The teaching as a whole stresses not that God gives everything his children want, but that God gives the good that they need. The parallel account in Matthew (7:11) refers to good things where Luke mentions the Holy Spirit.

[12:33]  ²² sn The call to sell your possessions is a call to a lack of attachment to the earth and a generosity as a result.

[12:33]  ²³ tn Grk “give alms,” but this term is not in common use today.

[12:33]  ²⁴ tn Grk “in the heavens.”

[12:33]  ²⁵ tn Or “an unfailing treasure in heaven,” or “an inexhaustible treasure in heaven.”

[12:33]  ²⁶ tn The term σής (shs) refers to moths in general. It is specifically the larvae of moths that destroy clothing by eating holes in it (L&N 4.49; BDAG 922 s.v.). See Jas 5:2, which mentions “moth-eaten” clothing.

[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.

[15:7]  ²⁸ sn There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. The pursuit of the sinner is a priority in spite of the presence of others who are doing well (see also Luke 5:32; 19:10). The theme of repentance, a major Lukan theme, is again emphasized.

[15:7]  ²⁹ tn Here δικαίοις (dikaioi") is an adjective functioning substantivally and has been translated “righteous people.”

[15:7]  ³⁰ tn Or “who do not need to repent”; Grk “who do not have need of repentance.”

[15:21]  ³¹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[15:21]  ³² sn The phrase against heaven is a circumlocution for God. 1st century Judaism tended to minimize use of the divine name out of reverence.

[15:21]  ³³ sn The younger son launches into his confession just as he had planned. See vv. 18-19.

[18:13]  ³⁴ tn Grk “standing”; the Greek participle has been translated as a finite verb.

[18:13]  ³⁵ tn Grk “even lift up his eyes” (an idiom).

[18:13]  ³⁶ tn The prayer is a humble call for forgiveness. The term for mercy (ἱλάσκομαι, Jilaskomai) is associated with the concept of a request for atonement (BDAG 473-74 s.v. 1; Ps 51:1, 3; 25:11; 34:6, 18).

[18:13]  ³⁷ tn Grk “the sinner.” The tax collector views himself not just as any sinner but as the worst of all sinners. See ExSyn 222-23.

[18:22]  ³⁷ sn See Luke 14:33.

[18:22]  ³⁸ tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[18:22]  ³⁹ sn See Luke 1:50-53; 6:20-23; 14:12-14.

[18:22]  ⁴⁰ sn The call for sacrifice comes with a promise of eternal reward: …you will have treasure in heaven. Jesus’ call is a test to see how responsive the man is to God’s direction through him. Will he walk the path God’s agent calls him to walk? For a rich person who got it right, see Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10.

[18:22]  ⁴¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the conversation.