Luke 9:38-40

9:38 Then ¹  a man from the crowd cried out, ²  “Teacher, I beg you to look at ³  my son – he is my only child! 9:39 A ⁴  spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams; ⁵  it throws him into convulsions ⁶  and causes him to foam at the mouth. It hardly ever leaves him alone, torturing ⁷  him severely. 9:40 I ⁸  begged ⁹  your disciples to cast it out, but ¹⁰  they could not do so.” ¹¹ 

[9:38]  ¹ tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the somewhat unexpected appearance of the man. 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).

[9:38]  ² tn Grk “cried out, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[9:38]  ³ tn This verb means “to have regard for”; see Luke 1:48.

[9:39]  ⁴ tn Grk “and behold, a.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, καί (kai) has not been translated here; instead a new sentence was started in the translation. 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).

[9:39]  ⁵ tn The Greek here is slightly ambiguous; the subject of the verb “screams” could be either the son or the spirit.

[9:39]  ⁶ sn The reaction is like an epileptic fit (see L&N 14.27). See the parallel in Matt 17:14-20.

[9:39]  ⁷ tn Or “bruising,” or “crushing.” This verb appears to allude to the damage caused when it throws him to the ground. According to L&N 19.46 it is difficult to know from this verb precisely what the symptoms caused by the demon were, but it is clear they must have involved severe pain. The multiple details given in the account show how gruesome the condition of the boy was.

[9:40]  ⁸ tn Grk “And I.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, καί (kai) has not been translated here; instead a new sentence was started in the translation.

[9:40]  ⁹ sn Note the repetition of the verb from v. 38, an indication of the father’s desperation.

[9:40]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[9:40]  ¹¹ tn The words “do so” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied for clarity and stylistic reasons.