Luke 8:5

8:5 “A sower went out to sow ¹  his seed. ²  And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled on, and the wild birds ³  devoured it.

Luke 8:8

8:8 But ⁴  other seed fell on good soil and grew, ⁵  and it produced a hundred times as much grain.” ⁶  As he said this, ⁷  he called out, “The one who has ears to hear had better listen!” ⁸ 

Luke 8:14

8:14 As for the seed that ⁹  fell among thorns, these are the ones who hear, but ¹⁰  as they go on their way they are choked ¹¹  by the worries and riches and pleasures of life, ¹²  and their fruit does not mature. ¹³ 

Luke 8:41

8:41 Then ¹⁴  a man named Jairus, who was a ruler ¹⁵  of the synagogue, ¹⁶  came up. Falling ¹⁷  at Jesus’ feet, he pleaded ¹⁸  with him to come to his house,

Luke 13:4

13:4 Or those eighteen who were killed ¹⁹  when the tower in Siloam fell on them, ²⁰  do you think they were worse offenders than all the others who live in Jerusalem? ²¹ 

Luke 21:24

21:24 They ²²  will fall by the edge ²³  of the sword and be led away as captives ²⁴  among all nations. Jerusalem ²⁵  will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. ²⁶ 

[8:5]  ¹ sn A sower went out to sow. The background for this well-known parable is a field through which a well-worn path runs in the Palestinian countryside. Sowing would occur in late fall or early winter (October to December) in the rainy season, looking for sprouting in April or May and a June harvest. The use of seed as a figure for God’s giving life has OT roots: Isa 55:10-11.

[8:5]  ² tn Luke’s version of the parable, like Mark’s (cf. Mark 4:1-9) uses the collective singular to refer to the seed throughout, so singular pronouns have been used consistently throughout this parable in the English translation. However, the parallel account in Matt 13:1-9 begins with plural pronouns in v. 4 but then switches to the collective singular in v. 5 ff.

[8:5]  ³ tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).

[8:8]  ⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in the final stage of the parable.

[8:8]  ⁵ tn Grk “when it grew, after it grew.”

[8:8]  ⁶ sn Unlike the parallel accounts in Matt 13:8 and Mark 4:8, there is no distinction in yield in this version of the parable.

[8:8]  ⁷ tn Grk “said these things.”

[8:8]  ⁸ tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 14:35).

[8:14]  ⁷ tn Grk “What”; the referent (the seed) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:14]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[8:14]  ⁹ sn That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.

[8:14]  ¹⁰ sn On warnings about the dangers of excessive material attachments, described here as the worries and riches and pleasures of life, see Luke 12:12-21; 16:19-31.

[8:14]  ¹¹ tn The verb τελεσφορέω (telesforew) means “to produce mature or ripe fruit” (L&N 23.203). Once again the seed does not reach its goal.

[8:41]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[8:41]  ¹¹ tn Jairus is described as ἄρχων τῆς συναγωγῆς (arcwn th" sunagwghs), the main elder at the synagogue who was in charge of organizing the services.

[8:41]  ¹² sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.

[8:41]  ¹³ tn Grk “and falling.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started in the translation at this point.

[8:41]  ¹⁴ tn This verb is an imperfect tense, commonly used by Luke for vividness.

[13:4]  ¹³ tn Grk “on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them.” This relative clause embedded in a prepositional phrase is complex in English and has been simplified to an adjectival and a temporal clause in the translation.

[13:4]  ¹⁴ sn Unlike the previous event, when the tower in Siloam fell on them, it was an accident of fate. It raised the question, however, “Was this a judgment?”

[13:4]  ¹⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[21:24]  ¹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:24]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “by the mouth of the sword” (an idiom for the edge of a sword).

[21:24]  ¹⁸ sn Here is the predicted judgment against the nation until the time of Gentile rule has passed: Its people will be led away as captives.

[21:24]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “And Jerusalem.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:24]  ²⁰ sn Until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled implies a time when Israel again has a central role in God’s plan.