Luke 6:1

Lord of the Sabbath

6:1 Jesus ¹  was going through the grain fields on ²  a Sabbath, ³  and his disciples picked some heads of wheat, ⁴  rubbed them in their hands, and ate them. ⁵ 

Luke 6:7

6:7 The experts in the law ⁶  and the Pharisees ⁷  watched ⁸  Jesus ⁹  closely to see if ¹⁰  he would heal on the Sabbath, ¹¹  so that they could find a reason to accuse him.

Luke 6:9

6:9 Then ¹²  Jesus said to them, “I ask you, ¹³  is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?”

Luke 14:1

Healing Again on the Sabbath

14:1 Now ¹⁴  one Sabbath when Jesus went to dine ¹⁵  at the house of a leader ¹⁶  of the Pharisees, ¹⁷  they were watching ¹⁸  him closely.

Luke 14:3

14:3 So ¹⁹  Jesus asked ²⁰  the experts in religious law ²¹  and the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath ²²  or not?”

[6:1]  ¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:1]  ² tn Grk “Now 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.

[6:1]  ³ tc Most later mss (A C D Θ Ψ [˹³] Ï lat) read ἐν σαββάτῳ δευτεροπρώτῳ (en sabbatw deuteroprwtw, “a second-first Sabbath”), while the earlier and better witnesses have simply ἐν σαββάτῳ (Ì⁴ א B L W ˹ 33 579 1241 2542 it sa). The longer reading is most likely secondary, though various explanations may account for it (for discussion, see TCGNT 116).

[6:1]  ⁴ tn Or “heads of grain.” While the generic term στάχυς (stacus) can refer to the cluster of seeds at the top of grain such as barley or wheat, in the NT the term is restricted to wheat (L&N 3.40; BDAG 941 s.v. 1).

[6:1]  ⁵ tn Grk “picked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands.” The participle ψώχοντες (ywconte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style, and the order of the clauses has been transposed to reflect the logical order, which sounds more natural in English.

[6:7]  ⁶ tn Or “The scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

[6:7]  ⁷ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[6:7]  ⁸ sn The term translated watched…closely is emotive, since it carries negative connotations. It means they were watching him out of the corner of their eye or spying on him.

[6:7]  ⁹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:7]  ¹⁰ tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text; Jesus’ opponents anticipated he would do this.

[6:7]  ¹¹ sn The background for this is the view that only if life was endangered should one attempt to heal on the Sabbath (see the Mishnah, m. Shabbat 6.3; 12.1; 18.3; 19.2; m. Yoma 8.6).

[6:9]  ¹¹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[6:9]  ¹² sn With the use of the plural pronoun (“you”), Jesus addressed not just the leaders but the crowd with his question to challenge what the leadership was doing. There is irony as well. As Jesus sought to restore on the Sabbath (but improperly according to the leaders’ complaints) the leaders were seeking to destroy, which surely is wrong. The implied critique recalls the OT: Isa 1:1-17; 58:6-14.

[14:1]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “Now it happened that one.” 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. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[14:1]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “to eat bread,” an idiom for participating in a meal.

[14:1]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “a ruler of the Pharisees.” He was probably a synagogue official.

[14:1]  ¹⁹ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[14:1]  ²⁰ sn Watching…closely is a graphic term meaning to lurk and watch; see Luke 11:53-54.

[14:3]  ²¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the sequence of events (Jesus’ question was prompted by the man’s appearance).

[14:3]  ²² tn Grk “Jesus, answering, said.” This is redundant in contemporary English. In addition, since the context does not describe a previous question to Jesus (although one may well be implied), the phrase has been translated here as “Jesus asked.”

[14:3]  ²³ tn That is, experts in the interpretation of the Mosaic law (traditionally, “lawyers”).

[14:3]  ²⁴ sn “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” Will the Pharisees and experts in religious law defend tradition and speak out against doing good on the Sabbath? Has anything at all been learned since Luke 13:10-17? Has repentance come (13:6-9)?