Luke 9:1-8

Context

The Sending of the Twelve Apostles

9:1 After¹ Jesus² called³ the twelve⁴ together, he gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure⁵ diseases, 9:2 and he sent⁶ them out to proclaim⁷ the kingdom of God⁸ and to heal the sick.⁹ 9:3 He¹⁰ said to them, “Take nothing for your¹¹ journey – no staff,¹² no bag,¹³ no bread, no money, and do not take an extra tunic.¹⁴ 9:4 Whatever¹⁵ house you enter, stay there¹⁶ until you leave the area.¹⁷ 9:5 Wherever¹⁸ they do not receive you,¹⁹ as you leave that town,²⁰ shake the dust off²¹ your feet as a testimony against them.” 9:6 Then²² they departed and went throughout²³ the villages, proclaiming the good news²⁴ and healing people everywhere.

Herod’s Confusion about Jesus

9:7 Now Herod²⁵ the tetrarch²⁶ heard about everything that was happening, and he was thoroughly perplexed,²⁷ because some people were saying that John²⁸ had been raised from the dead, 9:8 while others were saying that Elijah²⁹ had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had risen.³⁰

[9:1] ¹tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[9:1] ²tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:1] ³tn An aorist participle preceding an aorist main verb may indicate either contemporaneous (simultaneous) action (“When he called… he gave”) or antecedent (prior) action (“After he called… he gave”). The participle συγκαλεσάμενος (sunkalesameno") has been translated here as indicating antecedent action.

[9:1] ⁴tc Some mss add ἀποστόλους (apostolou", “apostles”; א C* L Θ Ψ 070 0291 Ë¹³ 33 579 892 1241 1424 2542 pc lat) or μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ (maqhta" autou, “his disciples”; C³ al it) here, but such clarifying notes are clearly secondary.

[9:1] ⁵sn Note how Luke distinguishes between exorcisms (authority over all demons) and diseases here.

[9:2] ⁶sn “To send out” is often a term of divine commission in Luke: 1:19; 4:18, 43; 7:27; 9:48; 10:1, 16; 11:49; 13:34; 24:49.

[9:2] ⁷tn Or “to preach.”

[9:2] ⁸sn 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.

[9:2] ⁹sn As Jesus’ own ministry (Luke 4:16-44) involved both word (to proclaim) and deed (to heal) so also would that of the disciples.

[9:3] ¹⁰tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[9:3] ¹¹tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[9:3] ¹²sn Mark 6:8 allows one staff. It might be that Luke’s summary (cf. Matt 10:9-10) means not taking an extra staff or that the expression is merely rhetorical for “traveling light” which has been rendered in two slightly different ways.

[9:3] ¹³tn Or “no traveler’s bag”; or possibly “no beggar’s bag” (L&N 6.145; BDAG 811 s.v. πήρα).

[9:3] ¹⁴tn Grk “have two tunics.” See the note on the word “tunics” in 3:11.

[9:4] ¹⁵tn Grk “And whatever.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[9:4] ¹⁶sn Jesus telling his disciples to stay there in one house contrasts with the practice of religious philosophers in the ancient world who went from house to house begging.

[9:4] ¹⁷tn Grk “and depart from there.” The literal wording could be easily misunderstood; the meaning is that the disciples were not to move from house to house in the same town or locality, but remain at the same house as long as they were in that place.

[9:5] ¹⁸tn Grk “And wherever.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[9:5] ¹⁹tn Grk “all those who do not receive you.”

[9:5] ²⁰tn Or “city.”

[9:5] ²¹sn To shake the dust off represented shaking off the uncleanness from one’s feet; see Luke 10:11; Acts 13:51; 18:6. It was a sign of rejection.

[9:6] ²²tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[9:6] ²³tn This is a distributive use of κατά (kata); see L&N 83:12 where this verse is cited as an example of the usage.

[9:6] ²⁴tn Or “preaching the gospel.”

[9:7] ²⁵sn Herod refers here to Herod Antipas. See the note on Herod Antipas in 3:1.

[9:7] ²⁶sn See the note on tetrarch in 3:1.

[9:7] ²⁷tn Or “was very confused.” See L&N 32.10 where this verse is given as an example of the usage.

[9:7] ²⁸sn John refers to John the Baptist, whom Herod had beheaded (v. 9).

[9:8] ²⁹sn The appearance of Elijah would mean that the end time had come. According to 2 Kgs 2:11, Elijah was still alive. In Mal 4:5 it is said that Elijah would be the precursor of Messiah.

[9:8] ³⁰sn The phrase had risen could be understood to mean “had been resurrected,” but this is only a possible option, not a necessary one, since the phrase could merely mean that a figure had appeared on the scene who mirrored an earlier historical figure. The three options of vv. 7-8 will be repeated in v. 19.