Luke 5:27-28

The Call of Levi; Eating with Sinners

5:27 After ¹  this, Jesus ²  went out and saw a tax collector ³  named Levi ⁴  sitting at the tax booth. ⁵  “Follow me,” ⁶  he said to him. 5:28 And he got up and followed him, leaving everything ⁷  behind. ⁸ 

[5:27]  ¹ tn Grk “And after.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[5:27]  ² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[5:27]  ³ sn See the note on tax collectors in 3:12.

[5:27]  ⁴ sn It is possible that Levi is a second name for Matthew, because people often used alternative names in 1st century Jewish culture.

[5:27]  ⁵ tn While “tax office” is sometimes given as a translation for τελώνιον (telwnion; so L&N 57.183), this could give the modern reader a false impression of an indoor office with all its associated furnishings.

[5:27]  ⁶ sn Follow me. For similar calls on the part of Jesus see Luke 5:10-11; 9:23, 59; 18:22.

[5:28]  ⁷ sn On the phrase leaving everything see Luke 5:10-11; 14:33.

[5:28]  ⁸ tn The participial phrase “leaving everything behind” occurs at the beginning of the sentence, but has been transposed to the end in the translation for logical reasons, since it serves to summarize Levi’s actions.