Luke 5:1-20

The Call of the Disciples

5:1 Now ¹  Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, ²  and the crowd was pressing around him ³  to hear the word of God. 5:2 He ⁴  saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. 5:3 He got into ⁵  one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then ⁶  Jesus ⁷  sat down ⁸  and taught the crowds from the boat. 5:4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and lower ⁹  your nets for a catch.” 5:5 Simon ¹⁰  answered, ¹¹  “Master, ¹²  we worked hard all night and caught nothing! But at your word ¹³  I will lower ¹⁴  the nets.” 5:6 When ¹⁵  they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets started to tear. ¹⁶  5:7 So ¹⁷  they motioned ¹⁸  to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they were about to sink. ¹⁹  5:8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, ²⁰  for I am a sinful man!” ²¹  5:9 For ²²  Peter ²³  and all who were with him were astonished ²⁴  at the catch of fish that they had taken, 5:10 and so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s business partners. ²⁵  Then ²⁶  Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on ²⁷  you will be catching people.” ²⁸  5:11 So ²⁹  when they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed ³⁰  him.

Healing a Leper

5:12 While ³¹  Jesus ³²  was in one of the towns, ³³  a man came ³⁴  to him who was covered with ³⁵  leprosy. ³⁶  When ³⁷  he saw Jesus, he bowed down with his face to the ground ³⁸  and begged him, ³⁹  “Lord, if ⁴⁰  you are willing, you can make me clean.” 5:13 So ⁴¹  he stretched out his hand and touched ⁴²  him, saying, “I am willing. Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him. 5:14 Then ⁴³  he ordered the man ⁴⁴  to tell no one, ⁴⁵  but commanded him, ⁴⁶  “Go ⁴⁷  and show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering ⁴⁸  for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, ⁴⁹  as a testimony to them.” ⁵⁰  5:15 But the news about him spread even more, ⁵¹  and large crowds were gathering together to hear him ⁵²  and to be healed of their illnesses. 5:16 Yet Jesus himself ⁵³  frequently withdrew ⁵⁴  to the wilderness ⁵⁵  and prayed.

Healing and Forgiving a Paralytic

5:17 Now on ⁵⁶  one of those days, while he was teaching, there were Pharisees ⁵⁷  and teachers of the law ⁵⁸  sitting nearby (who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem), ⁵⁹  and the power of the Lord was with him ⁶⁰  to heal. 5:18 Just then ⁶¹  some men showed up, carrying a paralyzed man ⁶²  on a stretcher. ⁶³  They ⁶⁴  were trying to bring him in and place him before Jesus. ⁶⁵  5:19 But ⁶⁶  since they found ⁶⁷  no way to carry him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof ⁶⁸  and let him down on the stretcher ⁶⁹  through the roof tiles ⁷⁰  right ⁷¹  in front of Jesus. ⁷²  5:20 When ⁷³  Jesus ⁷⁴  saw their ⁷⁵  faith he said, “Friend, ⁷⁶  your sins are forgiven.” ⁷⁷ 

[5:1]  ¹ 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.

[5:1]  ² sn The Lake of Gennesaret is another name for the Sea of Galilee. Cf. the parallel in Matt 4:18.

[5:1]  ³ sn The image of the crowd pressing around him suggests the people leaning forward to catch Jesus’ every word.

[5:2]  ⁴ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[5:3]  ⁵ tn Grk “Getting into”; the participle ἐμβάς (embas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[5:3]  ⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[5:3]  ⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:3]  ⁸ tn Grk “sitting down”; the participle καθίσας (kaqisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[5:4]  ⁹ tn Or “let down.” The verb here is plural, so this is a command to all in the boat, not just Peter.

[5:5]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “And Simon.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[5:5]  ¹¹ tn Grk “answering, Simon said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation to “Simon answered.”

[5:5]  ¹² tn The word ἐπιστάτης is a term of respect for a person of high status (see L&N 87.50).

[5:5]  ¹³ tn The expression “at your word,” which shows Peter’s obedience, stands first in the Greek clause for emphasis.

[5:5]  ¹⁴ tn Or “let down.”

[5:6]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[5:6]  ¹⁶ tn In context, this imperfect verb is best taken as an ingressive imperfect (BDF §338.1).

[5:7]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate consequential nature of the action.

[5:7]  ¹⁸ tn That is, “they signaled by making gestures” (L&N 33.485).

[5:7]  ¹⁹ tn This infinitive conveys the idea that the boats were at the point of sinking.

[5:8]  ²⁰ sn Lord is a term of high respect in this context. God’s presence in the work of Jesus makes Peter recognize his authority. This vocative is common in Luke (20 times), but does not yet have its full confessional force.

[5:8]  ²¹ sn Peter was intimidated that someone who was obviously working with divine backing was in his presence (“Go away from me”). He feared his sinfulness might lead to judgment, but Jesus would show him otherwise.

[5:9]  ²² sn An explanatory conjunction (For) makes it clear that Peter’s exclamation is the result of a surprising set of events. He speaks, but the others feel similarly.

[5:9]  ²³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:9]  ²⁴ sn In the Greek text, this term is in an emphatic position.

[5:10]  ²⁵ tn Or “business associates.”

[5:10]  ²⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[5:10]  ²⁷ sn From now on is a common Lukan expression, see Luke 1:48.

[5:10]  ²⁸ tn The Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, thus “people.”

[5:11]  ²⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of Jesus’ pronouncement.

[5:11]  ³⁰ sn The expression left everything and followed him pictures discipleship, which means that to learn from Jesus is to follow him as the guiding priority of one’s life.

[5:12]  ³¹ 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.

[5:12]  ³² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:12]  ³³ tn Or “cities.”

[5:12]  ³⁴ tn Grk “towns, behold, a man covered with leprosy.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou, “behold”) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[5:12]  ³⁵ tn Grk “full of leprosy” (an idiom for a severe condition).

[5:12]  ³⁶ sn The ancient term for leprosy covers a wider array of conditions than what is called leprosy today. A leper was totally ostracized from society until he was declared cured (Lev 13:45-46).

[5:12]  ³⁷ tn Grk “And seeing.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, δέ (de) has not been translated here. The participle ἰδών (idwn) has been taken temporally.

[5:12]  ³⁸ tn Grk “he fell on his face”; an idiom for bowing down with one’s face to the ground.

[5:12]  ³⁹ tn Grk “and begged him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[5:12]  ⁴⁰ tn This is a third class condition. The report portrays the leper making no presumptions about whether Jesus will heal him or not.

[5:13]  ⁴¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the response of Jesus to the man’s request.

[5:13]  ⁴² sn Touched. This touch would have rendered Jesus ceremonially unclean (Lev 14:46; also Mishnah, m. Nega’im 3.1; 11.1; 12.1; 13.6-12).

[5:14]  ⁴³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[5:14]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “him”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:14]  ⁴⁵ sn The silence ordered by Jesus was probably meant to last only until the cleansing took place with the priests and sought to prevent Jesus’ healings from becoming the central focus of the people’s reaction to him. See also 4:35, 41; 8:56 for other cases where Jesus asks for silence with reference to miracles.

[5:14]  ⁴⁶ tn The words “commanded him” are not in the Greek text but have been supplied for clarity. This verse moves from indirect to direct discourse. This abrupt change is very awkward, so the words have been supplied to smooth out the transition.

[5:14]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “Going, show.” The participle ἀπελθών (apelqwn) has been translated as an attendant circumstance participle. Here the syntax also changes somewhat abruptly from indirect discourse to direct discourse.

[5:14]  ⁴⁸ tn The words “the offering” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[5:14]  ⁴⁹ sn On the phrase as Moses commanded see Lev 14:1-32.

[5:14]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “as an indictment against them”; or “as proof to the people.” This phrase could be taken as referring to a positive witness to the priests, a negative testimony against them, or as a testimony to the community that the man had indeed been cured. In any case, the testimony shows that Jesus is healing and ministering to those in need.

[5:15]  ⁵¹ sn That is, in spite of Jesus’ instructions to the man to tell no one about the healing (v. 14).

[5:15]  ⁵² tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[5:16]  ⁵³ tn Here αὐτός (autos) has been translated reflexively.

[5:16]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “was withdrawing” (ἦν ὑποχωρῶν, hn jJupocwrwn). The adverb “frequently” has been added in the translation to bring out what is most likely an iterative force to the imperfect. However, the imperfect might instead portray an ingressive idea: “he began to withdraw.” See ExSyn 542-43.

[5:16]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “desert.”

[5:17]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “And it happened that on.” 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.

[5:17]  ⁵⁷ sn Pharisees were members of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.

[5:17]  ⁵⁸ tn That is, those who were skilled in the teaching and interpretation of the OT law. These are called “experts in the law” (Grk “scribes”) in v. 21.

[5:17]  ⁵⁹ sn Jesus was now attracting attention outside of Galilee as far away as Jerusalem, the main city of Israel.

[5:17]  ⁶⁰ tc Most mss (A C D [K] Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï latt bo) read αὐτούς (autous) instead of αὐτόν (auton) here. If original, this plural pronoun would act as the direct object of the infinitive ἰᾶσθαι (iasqai, “to heal”). However, the reading with the singular pronoun αὐτόν, which acts as the subject of the infinitive, is to be preferred. Externally, it has support from better mss (א B L W al sa). Internally, it is probable that scribes changed the singular αὐτόν to the plural αὐτούς, expecting the object of the infinitive to come at this point in the text. The singular as the harder reading accounts for the rise of the other reading.

[5:18]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “And behold.” Here καὶ ἰδού (kai idou) has been translated as “just then” to indicate the somewhat sudden appearance of the men carrying the paralytic. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1), especially in conjunction with the suddenness of the stretcher-bearers’ appearance.

[5:18]  ⁶² tn Grk “a man who was paralyzed”; the relative clause in Greek has adjectival force and has been simplified to a simple adjective in the translation.

[5:18]  ⁶³ tn Traditionally, “on a bed,” but this could be confusing to the modern reader who might envision a large piece of furniture. In various contexts, κλίνη (klinh) may be translated “bed, couch, cot, stretcher, or bier” (in the case of a corpse). See L&N 6.106.

[5:18]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “stretcher, and.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Instead, because of the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was begun here in the translation.

[5:18]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:19]  ⁶⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast implied in the context: They wanted to bring the man to Jesus, but found no way.

[5:19]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “But finding.” The participle εὑρόντες (Jeuronte") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[5:19]  ⁶⁸ sn A house in 1st century Palestine would have had a flat roof with stairs or a ladder going up. This access was often from the outside of the house.

[5:19]  ⁶⁹ tn This word, κλινίδιον (klinidion), is a different Greek word than the one used in the previous verse (κλίνη, klinh). In this context both may be translated “stretcher” (see L&N 6.106 and 6.107).

[5:19]  ⁷⁰ tn There is a translational problem at this point in the text. The term Luke uses is κέραμος (keramo"). It can in certain contexts mean “clay,” but usually this is in reference to pottery (see BDAG 540 s.v. 1). The most natural definition in this instance is “roof tile” (used in the translation above). However, tiles were generally not found in Galilee. Recent archaeological research has suggested that this house, which would have probably been typical for the area, could not have supported “a second story, nor could the original roof have been masonry; no doubt it was made from beams and branches of trees covered with a mixture of earth and straw” (J. F. Strange and H. Shanks, “Has the House Where Jesus Stayed in Capernaum Been Found?” BAR 8, no. 6 [Nov/Dec 1982]: 34). Luke may simply have spoken of building materials that would be familiar to his readers.

[5:19]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “in the midst.”

[5:19]  ⁷² sn The phrase right in front of Jesus trailing as it does at the end of the verse is slightly emphatic, adding a little note of drama: What would Jesus do?

[5:20]  ⁷³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[5:20]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:20]  ⁷⁵ sn The plural pronoun their makes it clear that Jesus was responding to the faith of the entire group, not just the paralyzed man.

[5:20]  ⁷⁶ tn Grk “Man,” but the term used in this way was not derogatory in Jewish culture. Used in address (as here) it means “friend” (see BDAG 82 s.v. ἄνθρωπος 8).

[5:20]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” Luke stresses the forgiveness of sins (cf. 1:77; 3:3; 24:47). In 5:20 he uses both the perfect ἀφέωνται and the personal pronoun σοι which together combine to heighten the subjective aspect of the experience of forgiveness. The σοι has been omitted in translation in light of normal English style.