Luke 3:7

3:7 So John ¹  said to the crowds ²  that came out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers! ³  Who warned you to flee ⁴  from the coming wrath?

Luke 8:32

8:32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, ⁵  and the demonic spirits ⁶  begged Jesus ⁷  to let them go into them. He gave them permission. ⁸ 

Luke 11:19

11:19 Now if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons ⁹  cast them ¹⁰  out? Therefore they will be your judges.

Luke 22:62

22:62 And he went outside and wept bitterly. ¹¹ 

[3:7]  ¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:7]  ² sn The crowds. It is interesting to trace references to “the crowd” in Luke. It is sometimes noted favorably, other times less so. The singular appears 25 times in Luke while the plural occurs 16 times. Matt 3:7 singles out the Sadducees and Pharisees here.

[3:7]  ³ tn Or “snakes.”

[3:7]  ⁴ sn The rebuke “Who warned you to flee…?” compares the crowd to snakes who flee their desert holes when the heat of a fire drives them out.

[8:32]  ⁵ tn Grk “mountain,” but this might give the English reader the impression of a far higher summit.

[8:32]  ⁶ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the demonic spirits) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:32]  ⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:32]  ⁸ sn Many have discussed why Jesus gave them permission, since the animals were destroyed. However, this is another example of a miracle that is a visual lesson. The demons are destructive: They were destroying the man. They destroyed the pigs. They destroy whatever they touch. The point was to take demonic influence seriously, as well as Jesus’ power over it as a picture of the larger battle for human souls. There would be no doubt how the man’s transformation had taken place.

[11:19]  ⁹ sn Most read your sons as a reference to Jewish exorcists (cf. “your followers,” L&N 9.4; for various views see D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 2:1077-78), but more likely this is a reference to the disciples of Jesus themselves, who are also Jewish and have been healing as well (R. J. Shirock, “Whose Exorcists are they? The Referents of οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν at Matthew 12:27/Luke 11:19,” JSNT 46 [1992]: 41-51). If this is a reference to the disciples, then Jesus’ point is that it is not only him, but those associated with him whose power the hearers must assess. The following reference to judging also favors this reading.

[11:19]  ¹⁰ tn The pronoun “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[22:62]  ¹³ sn When Peter went out and wept bitterly it shows he really did not want to fail here and was deeply grieved that he had.