Luke 18

Translator Notes

1. Luke provides the interpretive key before the parable itself — an unusual technique. The verb enkakein ('to lose heart, to give up, to grow weary') suggests the temptation to stop praying when answers are delayed. The infinitive dein ('it is necessary') frames persistent prayer as a divine requirement, not merely a recommendation.

Translator Notes

1. The judge is characterized by two negatives: no fear of God (the vertical relationship) and no respect for people (the horizontal relationship). The verb entrepomenos ('regarding, respecting, having shame before') implies a complete absence of social conscience. This is not a model of God but a foil — if even this judge eventually responds, how much more will a just God?

Translator Notes

1. The imperfect ērcheto ('she kept coming') indicates repeated, persistent visits — not a single request. The verb ekdikēson ('vindicate, grant justice to') does not mean 'avenge' in the modern sense of retaliation but rather 'render a just verdict.' A widow in the ancient world had no male advocate and was legally vulnerable — her persistence was her only leverage.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase epi chronon ('for a time') indicates a significant delay, not a brief pause. The judge's internal monologue (eipen en heautō, 'said within himself') reveals that his eventual action is motivated entirely by self-interest, not justice — making the a fortiori argument of verses 6-8 even more powerful.

Translator Notes

1. The verb hypopiazē ('wear out, strike under the eye, give a black eye') is a boxing metaphor — the judge fears the widow will figuratively beat him into submission. The coarse humor is deliberate: a powerful judge is being pummeled by a powerless widow's persistence. The word kopon ('trouble, weariness') reinforces that her persistence is her only weapon.

Translator Notes

1. Luke calls Jesus 'the Lord' (ho kyrios), his characteristic title for Jesus in the narrative framework. The phrase ho kritēs tēs adikias ('the judge of unrighteousness') is a Semitic genitive construction meaning 'the unrighteous judge.' Jesus draws attention to the judge's own words as the basis for the argument from lesser to greater.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase eklektōn autou ('his chosen ones, his elect') carries covenantal weight — these are people God has specifically chosen and bound himself to. The verb makrothymei ('is patient, delays') is ambiguous: is God patient with the elect (sustaining them during the wait) or patient regarding their enemies (delaying judgment)? We render as a second rhetorical question to preserve the ambiguity.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase en tachei ('quickly, speedily, without delay') creates a tension with the parable's emphasis on prolonged waiting — 'quickly' is from God's perspective, not the petitioner's. The final question (ara heurēsei tēn pistin, 'will he indeed find the faith?') is haunting and unanswered. The article tēn before pistin ('the faith') may specify the kind of faith described in this parable — persistent, trusting prayer. Jesus leaves the question open, challenging the listener.

Translator Notes

1. Luke again provides the interpretive key before the parable. The perfect participle pepoithotas ('having trusted, being confident') indicates a settled, ongoing self-assurance. The verb exouthenountas ('despising, treating as nothing') is strong — it means to regard others as utterly worthless. The combination of self-righteousness and contempt for others is the target of what follows.

Translator Notes

1. The verb anebēsan ('went up') reflects Jerusalem's topography — the temple was on the highest point. The pairing of a Pharisee (the religious elite, known for scrupulous Torah observance) with a telōnēs ('tax collector,' despised as a collaborator with Rome and assumed to be corrupt) creates the maximum possible social and moral contrast for a Jewish audience.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase pros heauton ('to himself' or 'about himself') is ambiguous — it could mean he prayed silently or that his prayer was self-directed rather than God-directed. His prayer is technically a thanksgiving (eucharisteō) but functions as self-congratulation. Every comparison is negative: he defines himself by what he is not rather than by who God is. The climactic 'or even like this tax collector' (ē kai hōs houtos ho telōnēs) drips with contempt — he has noticed the man and judged him.

Translator Notes

1. The Torah required fasting only on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29-31). Fasting twice weekly (Monday and Thursday, the traditional days) was a voluntary Pharisaic practice that exceeded the law's requirements. Similarly, tithing 'everything I acquire' (panta hosa ktōmai) goes beyond the Torah's agricultural tithe — he tithes even purchased goods, in case the seller had not tithed. His claims are probably truthful, which makes the parable's verdict all the more startling.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Leviticus 16:29-31. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. Every detail contrasts with the Pharisee: the tax collector stands 'far off' (makrothen) rather than prominently, refuses to raise his eyes (the normal posture of prayer), and beats his chest (etypen to stēthos, a gesture of grief and self-condemnation). The verb hilasthēti ('be merciful, be propitiated') is related to hilastērion ('mercy seat, place of atonement') — he is essentially asking God to do for him what the Day of Atonement sacrifice does: to cover his sin. The article tō hamartōlō ('the sinner') is significant — he does not say 'a sinner' but 'the sinner,' as though he is the only one.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The perfect participle dedikaiōmenos ('having been justified, declared righteous') is a divine passive — God is the one who justifies. This is startling: the tax collector, who offered nothing but confession, leaves in right standing with God, while the Pharisee, who exceeded every requirement, does not. The concluding proverb (repeated from 14:11) is Luke's signature reversal theme. The verb katebē ('went down') contrasts with anebēsan ('went up') in verse 10 — the physical descent from the temple mirrors the spiritual descent of humility.

Translator Notes

1. Luke uses brephē ('infants, babies') rather than Mark's paidia ('children'), emphasizing that these were very young — too young to come on their own. The verb haptētai ('to touch') implies a blessing through physical contact. The disciples' rebuke (epetimōn) uses the same word used for rebuking demons and storms, suggesting they viewed the interruption as inappropriate and beneath Jesus's dignity.

Translator Notes

1. Jesus shifts from brephē ('infants') to paidia ('children') — a broader term that includes the infants but extends the principle. The present imperative with mē (mē kōlyete, 'stop hindering') implies the disciples are currently doing something that must cease. The phrase tōn toioutōn ('of such as these, to such ones') clarifies that the kingdom belongs not to children per se but to those who share their characteristics — dependence, receptivity, lack of status.

Translator Notes

1. The double negative ou mē ('never, by no means') is the strongest form of negation in Greek — there are no exceptions. The comparison 'like a child' (hōs paidion) is about how one receives, not about innocence or purity. Children in the ancient world had no legal standing, no achievements to present, no leverage — they could only receive what was given. This connects directly to the Pharisee-tax collector parable: the one who receives God's mercy without presenting credentials is the one who enters.

Translator Notes

1. Luke identifies the man as an archōn ('ruler, official') — Matthew calls him 'young' (neaniskos) and Mark simply 'a man.' The title 'Good Teacher' (didaskale agathe) is unusual and becomes the basis for Jesus's response. The question itself contains a tension: 'inherit' (klēronomēsō) implies receiving a gift, while 'what must I do' (ti poiēsas) implies earning it.

Translator Notes

1. Jesus's response does not deny his own goodness but challenges the ruler's casual use of the term. The statement 'No one is good except God alone' (oudeis agathos ei mē heis ho theos) establishes an absolute standard that will prove relevant: if only God is truly good, then human moral achievement alone cannot secure eternal life. The implicit question is whether the ruler understands the full weight of calling someone 'good.'

Translator Notes

1. Jesus cites five of the Ten Commandments — all from the second table (duties toward other people) — but conspicuously omits the tenth: 'You shall not covet.' Given the story's outcome, this omission may be deliberate. The order differs from the Hebrew Bible (Exodus 20) but follows the Septuagint order in some manuscripts (Deuteronomy 5:17-18 LXX places adultery before murder).
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Exodus 20 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Deuteronomy 5:17-18 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.

Translator Notes

1. The verb ephylaxa ('I have guarded, kept, observed') implies careful, watchful obedience. The phrase ek neotētos ('from youth') refers to the age of accountability (around twelve or thirteen in Jewish practice). Jesus does not dispute his claim — this man may genuinely have lived an outwardly commandment-keeping life. The problem lies elsewhere.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase eti hen soi leipei ('one thing still remains lacking for you') pierces through the ruler's self-assessment. The command is fourfold: sell (pōlēson), distribute (diados), come (deuro), follow (akolouthei). Luke's version specifies 'everything' (panta hosa echeis) and 'distribute to the poor' (diados ptōchois), making the demand as radical as possible. The promise of 'treasure in heaven' (thēsauron en tois ouranois) reframes wealth: true riches are stored elsewhere.

Translator Notes

1. The adjective perilypos ('deeply grieved, exceedingly sorrowful') is the same word used of Jesus in Gethsemane (Mark 14:34). Luke adds sphodra ('exceedingly, extremely') to plousios ('rich'), emphasizing the magnitude of what is being asked. The man's sorrow confirms both his genuine desire and his inability to pay the cost. Luke does not record him leaving — a subtle openness that Mark's account resolves more definitively (Mark 10:22).

Translator Notes

1. The adverb dyskolōs ('with difficulty, hardly') is the key word — entering the kingdom is not impossible for the wealthy (as verse 27 will clarify) but extremely difficult. The phrase ta chrēmata echontes ('those having possessions') describes not merely the rich but those who hold onto their possessions as defining possessions.

Translator Notes

1. The image is deliberately absurd — a kamēlon ('camel'), the largest animal in Palestine, through a trēmatos belonēs ('eye of a needle'), the smallest opening. There is no historical evidence for a medieval legend about a small gate called 'The Needle's Eye' in Jerusalem. Some manuscripts read kamilon ('rope') instead of kamēlon ('camel'), which would create a more logical comparison (rope through needle), but the harder reading (camel) is almost certainly original. The hyperbole underscores the impossibility of wealth-based entry into the kingdom.

Translator Notes

1. The question reveals the audience's assumption: if the wealthy — who were commonly viewed as blessed by God — cannot enter the kingdom, then salvation seems impossible for anyone. The verb sōthēnai ('to be saved') broadens the discussion from kingdom entry to salvation itself. Their shock is genuine and theologically significant.

Translator Notes

1. This is the theological center of the passage. The adjective adynata ('impossible things') is unqualified — Jesus does not soften it to 'difficult.' Human effort cannot achieve salvation; only divine power can accomplish it. This echoes the angel's word to Mary in 1:37: 'Nothing will be impossible with God' (ouk adynatēsei para tou theou pan rhēma).

Translator Notes

1. Peter's statement is an implicit question: if the rich ruler failed to give up everything, what about those who did? The phrase ta idia ('our own things, what belonged to us') is more modest than Mark's panta ('everything') — Luke's Peter does not claim to have left 'everything' but rather 'what was ours.' The aorist verbs aphentes ('having left') and ēkolouthēsamen ('we followed') present the decision as completed and definitive.

Translator Notes

1. Luke's list of what might be left behind includes 'wife' (gynaika), which is unique among the Synoptic parallels and provocative — it does not necessarily advocate abandoning a spouse but recognizes that discipleship may require separation (cf. 14:26). The phrase heneken tēs basileias tou theou ('for the sake of the kingdom of God') replaces Mark's 'for my sake and the gospel's,' focusing on the kingdom rather than Jesus personally.

Translator Notes

1. The promise is twofold: pollaplasiona ('many times more, manifold') in this present age (en tō kairō toutō), plus eternal life (zōēn aiōnion) in the age to come. Luke omits Mark's specification of 'houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields' as well as 'with persecutions,' offering a more streamlined promise. The two-age framework (this age/the coming age) reflects standard Jewish eschatology.

Translator Notes

1. This is Jesus's third and most detailed passion prediction in Luke (cf. 9:22, 9:44). The phrase telesthēsetai panta ta gegrammena ('everything written will be completed/fulfilled') frames the passion as the fulfillment of scripture, not a tragic accident. Luke's version uniquely emphasizes prophetic fulfillment — Mark and Matthew focus more on the events themselves.

Translator Notes

1. The sequence of passive verbs (paradothēsetai, empaichthēsetai, hybristhēsetai, emptysthēsetai) creates a crescendo of humiliation. The 'Gentiles' (ethnesin) refers to the Roman authorities — Jesus specifies that his death will involve both Jewish and Roman agency. The verb hybristhēsetai ('to be treated with hubris, outrageously mistreated') implies deliberate degradation.

Translator Notes

1. The verb mastigōsantes ('having flogged') refers to the Roman flagellum — a whip with embedded bone and metal that tore flesh. The prediction moves from humiliation through death to resurrection in a single sentence. The phrase tē hēmera tē tritē ('on the third day') is the standard early Christian formula for the resurrection (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:4).

Translator Notes

1. Luke's threefold emphasis on incomprehension is unique and emphatic: they did not understand (synēkan), the meaning was hidden (kekrymmenon) from them, and they did not know (eginōskon) what was said. The passive kekrymmenon ('having been hidden') suggests divine concealment — God deliberately veiled the meaning until after the resurrection (cf. 24:45, where the risen Jesus 'opens their minds'). This is not merely intellectual failure but a divinely imposed limitation.

Translator Notes

1. Luke places the healing as Jesus approaches Jericho, while Mark 10:46 places it as Jesus leaves Jericho — a well-known discrepancy. Various harmonizations have been proposed (two Jerichos, two healings), but we render Luke's text as written. Mark names the man Bartimaeus; Luke does not. The blind beggar sat beside the road (para tēn hodon), the only location where a beggar could access passing travelers.

Translator Notes

1. The imperfect epynthaneto ('he was asking, he kept asking') suggests repeated inquiry — the blind man could hear but not see the commotion and persistently sought information. The optative eiē ('might be') indicates indirect discourse in a formal literary style characteristic of Luke.

Translator Notes

1. The designation Nazōraios ('Nazarene') identifies Jesus by his hometown of Nazareth. The present tense parerchetai ('is passing by') conveys immediacy — the opportunity is now and will not last. The crowd serves as intermediary between the blind man and Jesus.

Translator Notes

1. The title 'Son of David' (huie Dauid) is a messianic title — the blind man confesses Jesus as the expected Davidic Messiah. This is remarkable: a blind beggar sees what the disciples cannot (v. 34). The plea eleēson me ('have mercy on me') uses the same verb as the tax collector's prayer in 18:13, connecting the two stories thematically.

Translator Notes

1. As with the parents bringing children (v. 15), the crowd tries to prevent access to Jesus, and as with the persistent widow (vv. 1-8), refusal only intensifies the plea. The imperfect ekrazen ('he kept crying out') paired with pollō mallon ('much more, all the more') shows an escalation — he refuses to be silenced. His persistence mirrors the parable that opened this chapter.

Translator Notes

1. The verb statheis ('having stood still, having stopped') is significant — Jesus halts his journey to Jerusalem for this one man. The verb ekeleusen ('commanded, ordered') shows authority — Jesus directs the same crowd that tried to silence the man to now bring him forward. The question that follows (v. 41) is not for information but for the man's own confession of need.

Translator Notes

1. Jesus asks the same question he implicitly asked the rich ruler — 'What do you want?' The blind man's answer is direct and humble: anablepsō ('to see again, to look up') implies he was not born blind but had lost his sight. His address kyrie ('Lord') may be simple respect ('sir') or a deeper confession, given his use of 'Son of David' earlier.

Translator Notes

1. The imperative anablepson ('see again!') is a command, not a prayer — Jesus speaks healing into existence with a word. The phrase hē pistis sou sesōken se ('your faith has saved you') is identical to 17:19 (the grateful leper), again using sōzō to indicate that physical healing and spiritual salvation are bound together. The blind man's faith was demonstrated in his persistent refusal to be silenced.

Translator Notes

1. The adverb parachrēma ('immediately, at once') is a Lukan favorite for emphasizing the instantaneous nature of divine action. The healed man ēkolouthei ('was following') Jesus — the imperfect tense suggests ongoing discipleship, not a one-time response. Unlike the rich ruler who went away grieving, the blind man follows. The chapter ends with communal praise (pas ho laos, 'all the people'), a characteristic Lukan conclusion that frames the miracle as a public revelation of God's power.