Matthew 5:12

5:12 Rejoice and be glad because your reward is great in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.

Matthew 21:35-39

21:35 But the tenants seized his slaves, beat one, ¹  killed another, and stoned another. 21:36 Again he sent other slaves, more than the first, and they treated them the same way. 21:37 Finally he sent his son to them, ²  saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 21:38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and get his inheritance!’ 21:39 So ³  they seized him, ⁴  threw him out of the vineyard, ⁵  and killed him.

Matthew 23:31-35

23:31 By saying this you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 23:32 Fill up then the measure of your ancestors! 23:33 You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? ⁶ 

23:34 “For this reason I ⁷  am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law, ⁸  some of whom you will kill and crucify, ⁹  and some you will flog ¹⁰  in your synagogues ¹¹  and pursue from town to town, 23:35 so that on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, ¹²  whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

Matthew 23:37

Judgment on Israel

23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, ¹³  you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! ¹⁴  How often I have longed ¹⁵  to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but ¹⁶  you would have none of it! ¹⁷ 

Matthew 27:25

27:25 In ¹⁸  reply all the people said, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”

Luke 11:48-51

11:48 So you testify that you approve of ¹⁹  the deeds of your ancestors, ²⁰  because they killed the prophets ²¹  and you build their ²²  tombs! ²³  11:49 For this reason also the wisdom ²⁴  of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ 11:50 so that this generation may be held accountable ²⁵  for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning ²⁶  of the world, ²⁷  11:51 from the blood of Abel ²⁸  to the blood of Zechariah, ²⁹  who was killed ³⁰  between the altar and the sanctuary. ³¹  Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against ³²  this generation.

Luke 13:33-34

13:33 Nevertheless I must ³³  go on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, because it is impossible ³⁴  that a prophet should be killed ³⁵  outside Jerusalem.’ ³⁶  13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, ³⁷  you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! ³⁸  How often I have longed ³⁹  to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but ⁴⁰  you would have none of it! ⁴¹ 

Acts 2:23

2:23 this man, who was handed over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you executed ⁴²  by nailing him to a cross at the hands of Gentiles. ⁴³ 

Acts 3:15

3:15 You killed ⁴⁴  the Originator ⁴⁵  of life, whom God raised ⁴⁶  from the dead. To this fact we are witnesses! ⁴⁷ 

Acts 4:10

4:10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ ⁴⁸  the Nazarene whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, this man stands before you healthy.

Acts 5:30

5:30 The God of our forefathers ⁴⁹  raised up Jesus, whom you seized and killed by hanging him on a tree. ⁵⁰ 

Acts 7:52

7:52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors ⁵¹  not persecute? ⁵²  They ⁵³  killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, ⁵⁴  whose betrayers and murderers you have now become! ⁵⁵ 

[21:35]  ¹ sn The image of the tenants mistreating the owner’s slaves pictures the nation’s rejection of the prophets and their message.

[21:37]  ² sn The owner’s decision to send his son represents God sending Jesus.

[21:39]  ³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the tenants’ decision to kill the son in v. 38.

[21:39]  ⁴ tn Grk “seizing him.” The participle λαβόντες (labontes) has been translated as attendant circumstance.

[21:39]  ⁵ sn Throwing the heir out of the vineyard pictures Jesus’ death outside of Jerusalem.

[23:33]  ⁶ tn Grk “the judgment of Gehenna.”

[23:34]  ⁷ tn Grk “behold I am sending.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[23:34]  ⁸ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:34]  ⁹ sn See the note on crucified in 20:19.

[23:34]  ¹⁰ tn BDAG 620 s.v. μαστιγόω 1.a states, “of flogging as a punishment decreed by the synagogue (Dt 25:2f; s. the Mishna Tractate Sanhedrin-Makkoth, edited w. notes by SKrauss ’33) w. acc. of pers. Mt 10:17; 23:34.”

[23:34]  ¹¹ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.

[23:35]  ¹² sn Spelling of this name (Βαραχίου, Baraciou) varies among the English versions: “Barachiah” (RSV, NRSV); “Berechiah” (NASB); “Berachiah” (NIV).

[23:37]  ¹³ sn The double use of the city’s name betrays intense emotion.

[23:37]  ¹⁴ tn Although the opening address (“Jerusalem, Jerusalem”) is direct (second person), the remainder of this sentence in the Greek text is third person (“who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her”). The following sentences then revert to second person (“your… you”), so to keep all this consistent in English, the third person pronouns in the present verse were translated as second person (“you who kill… sent to you”).

[23:37]  ¹⁵ sn How often I have longed to gather your children. Jesus, like a lamenting prophet, speaks for God here, who longed to care tenderly for Israel and protect her.

[23:37]  ¹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[23:37]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “you were not willing.”

[27:25]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “answering, all the people said.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.

[11:48]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “you are witnesses and approve of.”

[11:48]  ²⁰ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[11:48]  ²¹ tn Grk “them”; the referent (the prophets) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:48]  ²² tn “Their,” i.e., the prophets.

[11:48]  ²³ tc The majority of mss list a specific object (“their tombs”), filling out the sentence (although there are two different words for “tombs” among the mss, as well as different word orders: αὐτῶν τὰ μνημεῖα (autwn ta mnhmeia; found in A C W Θ Ψ 33 Ï) and τοὺς τάφους αὐτῶν (tou" tafou" autwn; found in Ë^1,[13] 2542 pc). This suggests that early copyists had no term in front of them but felt the verb needed an object. But since a wide distribution of early Alexandrian and Western mss lack these words (Ì⁷⁵ א B D L 579 1241 it sa), it is likely that they were not part of the original text of Luke. Nevertheless, the words “their tombs” are inserted in the translation because of requirements of English style.

[11:49]  ²⁴ sn The expression the wisdom of God is a personification of an attribute of God that refers to his wise will.

[11:50]  ²⁵ tn Or “that this generation may be charged with”; or “the blood of all the prophets… may be required from this generation.” This is a warning of judgment. These people are responsible for the shedding of prophetic blood.

[11:50]  ²⁶ tn Or “foundation.” However, this does not suggest a time to the modern reader.

[11:50]  ²⁷ tn The order of the clauses in this complicated sentence has been rearranged to simplify it for the modern reader.

[11:51]  ²⁸ sn Gen 4:10 indicates that Abel’s blood cried out for justice.

[11:51]  ²⁹ sn It is not clear which Zechariah is meant here. It is probably the person mentioned in 2 Chr 24:20-25.

[11:51]  ³⁰ tn Or “who perished.”

[11:51]  ³¹ tn Or “and the temple”; Grk “and the house,” but in this context a reference to the house of God as a place of sanctuary.

[11:51]  ³² tn Or “required from.”

[13:33]  ³³ tn This is the frequent expression δεῖ (dei, “it is necessary”) that notes something that is a part of God’s plan.

[13:33]  ³⁴ tn Or “unthinkable.” See L&N 71.4 for both possible meanings.

[13:33]  ³⁵ tn Or “should perish away from.”

[13:33]  ³⁶ sn Death in Jerusalem is another key theme in Luke’s material: 7:16, 34; 24:19; Acts 3:22-23. Notice that Jesus sees himself in the role of a prophet here. Jesus’ statement, it is impossible that a prophet should be killed outside Jerusalem, is filled with irony; Jesus, traveling about in Galilee (most likely), has nothing to fear from Herod; it is his own people living in the very center of Jewish religion and worship who present the greatest danger to his life. The underlying idea is that Jerusalem, though she stands at the very heart of the worship of God, often kills the prophets God sends to her (v. 34). In the end, Herod will be much less a threat than Jerusalem.

[13:34]  ³⁷ sn The double use of the city’s name betrays intense emotion.

[13:34]  ³⁸ tn Although the opening address (“Jerusalem, Jerusalem”) is direct (second person), the remainder of this sentence in the Greek text is third person (“who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her”). The following sentences then revert to second person (“your… you”), so to keep all this consistent in English, the third person pronouns in the present verse were translated as second person (“you who kill… sent to you”).

[13:34]  ³⁹ sn How often I have longed to gather your children. Jesus, like a lamenting prophet, speaks for God here, who longed to care tenderly for Israel and protect her.

[13:34]  ⁴⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[13:34]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “you were not willing.”

[2:23]  ⁴² tn Or “you killed.”

[2:23]  ⁴³ tn Grk “at the hands of lawless men.” At this point the term ἄνομος (anomo") refers to non-Jews who live outside the Jewish (Mosaic) law, rather than people who broke any or all laws including secular laws. Specifically it is a reference to the Roman soldiers who carried out Jesus’ crucifixion.

[3:15]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “You put to death.”

[3:15]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “Founder,” “founding Leader.”

[3:15]  ⁴⁶ sn Whom God raised. God is the main actor here, as he testifies to Jesus and vindicates him.

[3:15]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.” The two consecutive relative clauses make for awkward English style, so the second was begun as a new sentence with the words “to this fact” supplied in place of the Greek relative pronoun to make a complete sentence in English.

[4:10]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[5:30]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “ancestors”; Grk “fathers.”

[5:30]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “by crucifying him” (“hang on a tree” is by the time of the first century an idiom for crucifixion). The allusion is to the judgment against Jesus as a rebellious figure, appealing to the language of Deut 21:23. The Jewish leadership has badly “misjudged” Jesus.

[7:52]  ⁵¹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:52]  ⁵² sn Which…persecute. The rhetorical question suggests they persecuted them all.

[7:52]  ⁵³ tn Grk “And they.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[7:52]  ⁵⁴ sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ.

[7:52]  ⁵⁵ sn Whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. The harsh critique has OT precedent (1 Kgs 19:10-14; Neh 9:26; 2 Chr 36:16).