Luke 4:27

4:27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, ¹  yet ²  none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” ³ 

Luke 7:28

7:28 I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater ⁴  than John. ⁵  Yet the one who is least ⁶  in the kingdom of God ⁷  is greater than he is.”

Luke 8:16

Showing the Light

8:16 “No one lights ⁸  a lamp ⁹  and then covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand so that those who come in can see the light. ¹⁰ 

Luke 11:33

Internal Light

11:33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a hidden place ¹¹  or under a basket, ¹²  but on a lampstand, so that those who come in can see the light.

Luke 23:53

23:53 Then ¹³  he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, ¹⁴  and placed it ¹⁵  in a tomb cut out of the rock, ¹⁶  where no one had yet been buried. ¹⁷ 

[4:27]  ¹ sn On Elisha see 2 Kgs 5:1-14.

[4:27]  ² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast.

[4:27]  ³ sn The reference to Naaman the Syrian (see 2 Kgs 5:1-24) is another example where an outsider and Gentile was blessed. The stress in the example is the missed opportunity of the people to experience God’s work, but it will still go on without them.

[7:28]  ⁴ sn In the Greek text greater is at the beginning of the clause in the emphatic position. John the Baptist was the greatest man of the old era.

[7:28]  ⁵ tc The earliest and best mss read simply ᾿Ιωάννου (Iwannou, “John”) here (Ì⁷⁵ א B L W Ξ Ë¹ 579 pc). Others turn this into “John the Baptist” (K 33 565 al it), “the prophet John the Baptist” (A [D] Θ Ë¹³ Ï lat), or “the prophet John” (Ψ 700 [892 1241] pc). “It appears that προφήτης was inserted by pedantic copyists who wished thereby to exclude Christ from the comparison, while others added τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ, assimilating the text to Mt 11.11” (TCGNT 119).

[7:28]  ⁶ sn After John comes a shift of eras. The new era is so great that the lowest member of it (the one who is least in the kingdom of God) is greater than the greatest one of the previous era.

[7:28]  ⁷ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus’ proclamation. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21. It is not strictly future, though its full manifestation is yet to come. That is why membership in it starts right after John the Baptist.

[8:16]  ⁷ tn The participle ἅψας ({aya") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[8:16]  ⁸ sn This is probably an ancient oil burning lamp or perhaps a candlestick. Jesus is comparing revelation to light, particularly the revelation of his ministry; see 1:78-79.

[8:16]  ⁹ tn Or “its light,” if the Greek article is translated as a possessive pronoun (for such usage, cf. ExSyn 215).

[11:33]  ¹⁰ tn Or perhaps “in a cellar” (L&N 28.78). The point is that the light of Jesus’ teaching has been put in public view.

[11:33]  ¹¹ tc The phrase “or under a basket” is lacking in some important and early mss (Ì^45,75 L Γ Ξ 070 ˹ 700* 1241 2542 pc sy^s sa). It is hard to decide in this case, since the inclusion of “or under a basket” is widely attested by some early and decent witnesses, as well as the overwhelming majority of mss (א A B C D W Θ Ψ Ë¹³ Ï latt). The parallel passage in Luke 8:16 does not include “under a basket.” If the phrase “under a basket” were added as a harmonization with Mark 4:21 and Matt 5:15, it is perhaps surprising that scribes did not add the phrase at Luke 8:16 as well. It seems somewhat more likely that a scribe copying Luke would be inclined to harmonize 11:33 with 8:16 by omitting the phrase here. Thus, the words “or under a basket” seem to have the marks of authenticity.

[23:53]  ¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[23:53]  ¹⁴ tn The term σινδών (sindwn) can refer to a linen cloth used either for clothing or for burial.

[23:53]  ¹⁵ tn In the Greek text this pronoun (αὐτόν, auton) is masculine, while the previous one (αὐτό, auto) is neuter, referring to the body.

[23:53]  ¹⁶ tn That is, cut or carved into an outcropping of natural rock, resulting in a cave-like structure (see L&N 19.26).

[23:53]  ¹⁷ tc Codex Bezae (D), with some support from 070, one Itala ms, and the Sahidic version, adds the words, “And after he [Jesus] was laid [in the tomb], he [Joseph of Arimathea] put a stone over the tomb which scarcely twenty men could roll.” Although this addition is certainly not part of the original text of Luke, it does show how interested the early scribes were in the details of the burial and may even reflect a very primitive tradition. Matt 27:60 and Mark 15:46 record the positioning of a large stone at the door of the tomb.