Luke 4:16

Rejection at Nazareth

4:16 Now ¹  Jesus ²  came to Nazareth, ³  where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue ⁴  on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. ⁵  He ⁶  stood up to read, ⁷ 

Luke 4:31

Ministry in Capernaum

4:31 So ⁸  he went down to Capernaum, ⁹  a town ¹⁰  in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he began to teach the people. ¹¹ 

[4:16]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[4:16]  ² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:16]  ³ 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]  ⁴ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.

[4:16]  ⁵ tn Grk “according to his custom.”

[4:16]  ⁶ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[4:16]  ⁷ 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.

[4:31]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the continuation of the topic; in light of his rejection at Nazareth, Jesus went on to Capernaum.

[4:31]  ⁹ sn Capernaum was a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region, and it became the hub of operations for Jesus’ Galilean ministry.

[4:31]  ¹⁰ tn Or “city.”

[4:31]  ¹¹ tn Grk “them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.