Luke 9:15-19

9:15 So they did as Jesus directed, ¹  and the people ²  all sat down.

9:16 Then ³  he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven he gave thanks ⁴  and broke them. He gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 9:17 They all ate and were satisfied, and what was left over ⁵  was picked up – twelve baskets of broken pieces.

Peter’s Confession

9:18 Once ⁶  when Jesus ⁷  was praying ⁸  by himself, and his disciples were nearby, he asked them, ⁹  “Who do the crowds say that I am?” ¹⁰  9:19 They ¹¹  answered, ¹²  “John the Baptist; others say Elijah; ¹³  and still others that one of the prophets of long ago has risen.” ¹⁴ 

[9:15]  ¹ tn Grk “And they did thus.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that the disciples’ action was a result of Jesus’ instructions. The adverb οὕτως ({outw", “thus”) has been expanded in the translation to “as Jesus directed” to clarify what was done.

[9:15]  ² tn Grk “and they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:16]  ³ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[9:16]  ⁴ sn Gave thanks adds a note of gratitude to the setting. The scene is like two other later meals: Luke 22:19 and 24:30. Jesus gives thanks to God “with respect to” the provision of food. The disciples learn how Jesus is the mediator of blessing. John 6 speaks of him in this scene as picturing the “Bread of Life.”

[9:17]  ⁵ sn There was more than enough for everybody, as indicated by the gathering of what was left over.

[9:18]  ⁷ tn Grk “And it happened that.” 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 not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[9:18]  ⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:18]  ⁹ sn Prayer is a favorite theme of Luke and he is the only one of the gospel authors to mention it in the following texts (with the exception of 22:41): Luke 3:21; 5:16; 6:12; 9:28-29; 11:1; 22:41; 23:34, 46.

[9:18]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “the disciples were with him, and he asked them, saying.”

[9:18]  ¹¹ sn “Who do the crowds say that I am?” The question of who Jesus is occurs frequently in this section of Luke: 7:49; 8:25; 9:9. The answer resolves a major theme of Luke’s Gospel.

[9:19]  ⁹ tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[9:19]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “And answering, they said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “They answered.”

[9:19]  ¹¹ sn 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.

[9:19]  ¹² sn The phrase has risen could be understood to mean “has 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. Note that the three categories in the reply match the ones in Luke 9:7-8.