Luke 7:31

7:31 “To what then should I compare the people ¹  of this generation, and what are they like?

Luke 13:18

On the Kingdom of God

13:18 Thus Jesus ²  asked, ³  “What is the kingdom of God ⁴  like? ⁵  To ⁶  what should I compare it?

Luke 13:20

13:20 Again ⁷  he said, “To what should I compare the kingdom of God? ⁸ 

Luke 14:34

14:34 “Salt ⁹  is good, but if salt loses its flavor, ¹⁰  how can its flavor be restored?

Luke 7:41

7:41 “A certain creditor ¹¹  had two debtors; one owed him ¹²  five hundred silver coins, ¹³  and the other fifty.

Luke 18:2

18:2 He said, ¹⁴  “In a certain city ¹⁵  there was a judge ¹⁶  who neither feared God nor respected people. ¹⁷ 

Luke 6:47

6:47 “Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and puts them into practice ¹⁸  – I will show you what he is like:

Luke 11:19

11:19 Now if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons ¹⁹  cast them ²⁰  out? Therefore they will be your judges.

Luke 12:20

12:20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life ²¹  will be demanded back from ²²  you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ ²³ 

Luke 11:1

Instructions on Prayer

11:1 Now ²⁴  Jesus ²⁵  was praying in a certain place. When ²⁶  he stopped, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John ²⁷  taught ²⁸  his disciples.”

Luke 12:15

12:15 Then ²⁹  he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourself from ³⁰  all types of greed, ³¹  because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

[7:31]  ¹ tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"). The comparison that follows in vv. 32-34 describes “this generation,” not Jesus and John.

[13:18]  ² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:18]  ³ tn Grk “said,” but what follows is a question.

[13:18]  ⁴ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. 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.

[13:18]  ⁵ sn What is the kingdom of God like? Unlike Mark 4 or Matt 13, where the kingdom parables tend to be all in one location in the narrative, Luke scatters his examples throughout the Gospel.

[13:18]  ⁶ tn Grk “And to.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[13:20]  ³ tn Grk “And again.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[13:20]  ⁴ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. 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.

[14:34]  ⁴ tn Grk “Now salt…”; here οὖν has not been translated.

[14:34]  ⁵ sn The difficulty of this saying is understanding how salt could lose its flavor since its chemical properties cannot change. It is thus often assumed that Jesus was referring to chemically impure salt, perhaps a natural salt which, when exposed to the elements, had all the genuine salt leached out, leaving only the sediment or impurities behind. Others have suggested the background of the saying is the use of salt blocks by Arab bakers to line the floor of their ovens: Under the intense heat these blocks would eventually crystallize and undergo a change in chemical composition, finally being thrown out as unserviceable. A saying in the Talmud (b. Bekhorot 8b) attributed to R. Joshua ben Chananja (ca. a.d. 90), when asked the question “When salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again?” is said to have replied, “By salting it with the afterbirth of a mule.” He was then asked, “Then does the mule (being sterile) bear young?” to which he replied: “Can salt lose its flavor?” The point appears to be, both are impossible. The saying, while admittedly late, suggests that culturally the loss of flavor by salt was regarded as an impossibility. Genuine salt can never lose its flavor. In this case the saying by Jesus here may be similar to Matt 19:24, where it is likewise impossible for the camel to go through the eye of a sewing needle.

[7:41]  ⁵ sn A creditor was a moneylender, whose business was to lend money to others at a fixed rate of interest.

[7:41]  ⁶ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[7:41]  ⁷ tn Grk “five hundred denarii.”

[18:2]  ⁶ tn Grk “lose heart, saying.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text, but a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronominal subject “He.”

[18:2]  ⁷ tn Or “town.”

[18:2]  ⁸ sn The judge here is apparently portrayed as a civil judge who often handled financial cases.

[18:2]  ⁹ tn Grk “man,” but the singular ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic in comparison to God.

[6:47]  ⁷ tn Grk “and does them.”

[11:19]  ⁸ sn Most read your sons as a reference to Jewish exorcists (cf. “your followers,” L&N 9.4; for various views see D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 2:1077-78), but more likely this is a reference to the disciples of Jesus themselves, who are also Jewish and have been healing as well (R. J. Shirock, “Whose Exorcists are they? The Referents of οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν at Matthew 12:27/Luke 11:19,” JSNT 46 [1992]: 41-51). If this is a reference to the disciples, then Jesus’ point is that it is not only him, but those associated with him whose power the hearers must assess. The following reference to judging also favors this reading.

[11:19]  ⁹ tn The pronoun “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[12:20]  ⁹ tn Grk “your soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.

[12:20]  ¹⁰ tn Or “required back.” This term, ἀπαιτέω (apaitew), has an economic feel to it and is often used of a debt being called in for repayment (BDAG 96 s.v. 1).

[12:20]  ¹¹ tn Grk “the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” The words “for yourself” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[11:1]  ¹⁰ 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. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[11:1]  ¹¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:1]  ¹² tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[11:1]  ¹³ sn John refers to John the Baptist.

[11:1]  ¹⁴ sn It was not unusual for Jewish groups to have their own prayer as a way of expressing corporate identity. Judaism had the Eighteen Benedictions and apparently John the Baptist had a prayer for his disciples as well.

[12:15]  ¹¹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[12:15]  ¹² tn See L&N 13.154 for this use of the middle voice of φυλάσσω (fulassw) in this verse.

[12:15]  ¹³ tn Or “avarice,” “covetousness.” Note the warning covers more than money and gets at the root attitude – the strong desire to acquire more and more possessions and experiences.