Luke 6

Translator Notes

1. The SBLGNT reads simply en sabbato ('on a Sabbath') without the textually difficult deuteroproto ('second-first') found in some manuscripts and reflected in the KJV. The disciples' actions — picking grain (etillon) and rubbing it (psochontes) — would have been considered reaping and threshing under strict Pharisaic Sabbath interpretation. Deuteronomy 23:25 permitted eating from a neighbor's field by hand; the issue was not theft but Sabbath work.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Deuteronomy 23:25. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek exestin ('it is permitted, it is lawful') refers to halakhic legal interpretation — the Pharisees' oral tradition had elaborated thirty-nine categories of forbidden Sabbath work. The accusation is specific: the disciples are violating the Sabbath by performing agricultural labor. The Pharisees address 'you' (plural), including Jesus as responsible for his disciples' behavior.

Translator Notes

1. Jesus's opening 'Have you not even read?' (oude touto anegnote) is a pointed challenge to the Pharisees' biblical expertise. The appeal to David's precedent (1 Samuel 21:1-6) is a brilliant rhetorical move: if David, the greatest king, could supersede the letter of the law when necessity demanded, how much more can the Son of David? The parallel is: David was hungry and broke the bread law; the disciples are hungry and break the Sabbath law.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References 1 Samuel 21:1-6 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.

Translator Notes

1. The 'bread of the Presence' (artous tes protheseos, literally 'bread of the setting-forth') refers to the twelve loaves placed before God in the tabernacle and renewed weekly (Leviticus 24:5-9, Exodus 25:30). Only priests could eat the old loaves. David's action in 1 Samuel 21:1-6 established a principle: human need can take precedence over ritual restriction. Jesus does not argue that the Sabbath law is wrong but that its application must serve human well-being.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Leviticus 24:5-9. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Exodus 25:30. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.
4. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes 1 Samuel 21:1-6. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.

Translator Notes

1. The claim is extraordinary: the Son of Man is kyrios ('lord, master, sovereign') of the Sabbath — the day God himself instituted (Genesis 2:2-3, Exodus 20:8-11). If Jesus is lord of the Sabbath, he has authority to determine its proper observance. Luke does not include Mark's statement 'The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath' (Mark 2:27), going directly to the christological claim.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Genesis 2:2-3 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Exodus 20:8-11 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.

Translator Notes

1. Luke specifies 'the right hand' (he dexia) — a detail absent from Mark and Matthew. The right hand was considered the hand of power, skill, and blessing; its loss was particularly disabling. The Greek xera ('dry, withered, atrophied') indicates a chronic condition, not an acute injury. The scene is set for another Sabbath confrontation.

Translator Notes

1. The verb pareterounto ('were watching closely, were observing carefully') suggests hostile surveillance. Luke reveals their intent: not to learn or to wonder but to 'find a charge' (heurōsin kategorein) — legal language for building a case. The healing has not yet occurred, but the opposition has already decided on their conclusion.

Translator Notes

1. Again Jesus demonstrates knowledge of internal thoughts (edei tous dialogismous auton, cf. 5:22). Rather than avoiding the confrontation, Jesus makes it public — placing the man 'in the middle' (eis to meson) forces everyone to see the human need that stands at the center of the Sabbath debate. The man's obedient response sets the stage for the healing.

Translator Notes

1. Jesus reframes the question entirely. The Pharisees asked whether healing was permitted; Jesus asks whether doing good or doing harm is permitted. The verbs agathopoiesai ('to do good') and kakopoiesai ('to do harm') create a stark binary — if healing is forbidden, then refusing to heal when one can is doing harm. The Sabbath, meant for human flourishing, becomes an instrument of suffering when its observance prevents mercy. Jesus forces the opposition to choose between their interpretation and basic human compassion.

Translator Notes

1. The verb periblepsamenos ('having looked around at') describes a deliberate, sweeping gaze — Jesus looks each opponent in the eye before acting. The command 'stretch out your hand' (ekteinon ten cheira sou) requires the man to do what he cannot do — and in the act of obedience, ability is given. The passive apekatestathē ('was restored') is a divine passive — God restores through Jesus's command.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek anoias ('madness, fury, senselessness') indicates an irrational rage — literally 'without mind.' They are 'filled' (eplesthesan) with it, as others have been 'filled' with the Holy Spirit. Luke presents two types of fullness: Spirit-filled praise and fury-filled plotting. Their discussion about 'what they might do to Jesus' (ti an poieseian to Iesou) is the beginning of the conspiracy that will lead to the cross.

Translator Notes

1. The verb dianyktereoun ('spending the whole night') appears only here in the New Testament. Jesus's all-night prayer precedes the appointment of the Twelve — the most consequential leadership decision of his ministry is preceded by the most extended prayer Luke records. The phrase en te proseuche tou theou ('in the prayer of God') could mean 'in prayer to God' or possibly 'in a house of prayer dedicated to God.' The former is more likely.

Translator Notes

1. The verb exelexamenos ('having chosen, having selected') indicates deliberate, Spirit-informed selection from a larger group of disciples. The title apostolous ('apostles, sent ones') from the verb apostello ('to send') defines their role: they are commissioned representatives, sent with the authority of the one who sends them. The number twelve corresponds to the twelve tribes of Israel — the apostles represent the reconstituted people of God.

Translator Notes

1. Simon receives the name Petros ('Peter,' from petra, 'rock'). This renaming echoes the Old Testament pattern of God renaming those he commissions for special roles (Abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel). Andrew and Simon are brothers; James and John are brothers (sons of Zebedee, 5:10). The list is arranged in pairs, a pattern that may reflect mission practice (cf. 10:1, sent 'two by two').

Translator Notes

1. Matthew is identified with Levi the tax collector (5:27-28) by tradition. Thomas (from Aramaic te'oma, 'twin') will later be known for his doubt and his confession (John 20:24-28). James son of Alphaeus is distinguished from James son of Zebedee. Simon 'the Zealot' (zeoloten) indicates either membership in the Zealot political movement opposing Rome or simply religious zeal. The group includes a former tax collector (Roman collaborator) and a zealot (anti-Roman nationalist) — an extraordinary combination.

Translator Notes

1. Two men named Judas (Ioudas) are listed. 'Judas of James' (Ioudan Iakobou) is called 'son of James' by most interpreters (though 'brother of James' is possible; the KJV chooses 'brother'). Judas Iscariot — whose surname may mean 'man of Kerioth' (a Judean town) or may derive from the Latin sicarius ('dagger-man') — is identified proleptically as prodotes ('traitor, betrayer'). Luke names the end from the beginning.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek topou pedinou ('a level/flat place') gives this sermon its traditional name, 'Sermon on the Plain,' distinguishing it from Matthew's 'Sermon on the Mount.' Jesus has come down from the mountain (v. 12) to level ground. The audience includes people from Tyre and Sidon — Gentile territory — consistent with Luke's universal scope. The crowd includes 'disciples' (mathetōn, a larger group than the Twelve) and 'the people' (laou, the general population).

Translator Notes

1. Luke distinguishes between those with diseases (nosōn, physical illness) and those troubled by unclean spirits (pneumaton akathartōn) — different conditions requiring different interventions, though both are resolved by Jesus's power. The verb etherapeuonto ('were being healed, were cured') is in the imperfect, suggesting ongoing healing activity.

Translator Notes

1. The verb ezetoun ('were seeking, were trying') shows the crowd's desperate urgency. The Greek dynamis ('power') literally 'was going out from him' (par autou exercheto) — Luke depicts healing power as a tangible force that radiates from Jesus's person. This same concept appears in the story of the woman who touched his garment (8:46). The universal scope — 'healing everyone' (iato pantas) — demonstrates the comprehensive nature of Jesus's restorative power.

Translator Notes

1. Luke's Beatitudes are addressed directly to the disciples in the second person ('you who are poor') rather than Matthew's third person ('the poor in spirit'). The Greek ptochoi ('poor, destitute, beggars') without Matthew's qualifying 'in spirit' (to pneumati) refers primarily to material poverty, though spiritual poverty is not excluded. Luke's Jesus consistently champions the economically poor (1:52-53, 4:18, 7:22, 14:13, 16:19-31). The kingdom of God belongs to the poor — not as a future reward for suffering but as a present reality of divine reversal.

Translator Notes

1. Luke adds nyn ('now') twice, creating a temporal contrast between present suffering and future reversal. The Greek chortasthesesthe ('you will be satisfied, you will be filled') was originally used for feeding animals to satisfaction — it implies complete, even excessive fullness. The verb gelasete ('you will laugh') is unique to Luke's Beatitudes — laughter as the reversal of weeping. The structure mirrors the Magnificat: God fills the hungry and satisfies those who mourn.

Translator Notes

1. Four verbs describe escalating persecution: hate (misesōsin), exclude/separate (aphorisosin — possibly excommunication from the synagogue), insult/reproach (oneidisōsin), and reject/cast out your name (ekbalosin to onoma). The phrase 'on account of the Son of Man' (heneka tou huiou tou anthrōpou) specifies that the blessing applies specifically to persecution for loyalty to Jesus, not suffering in general.

Translator Notes

1. The verb skirtesate ('leap for joy') is the same word used for the unborn John leaping in Elizabeth's womb (1:41, 44) — physical, exuberant joy. The persecuted are placed in the lineage of the prophets — to be rejected for God's sake is to share the fate of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Elijah. The 'great reward in heaven' (misthos polys en to ourano) does not mean a distant, immaterial compensation but the heavenly reality that already exists and will be fully revealed.

Translator Notes

1. The four woes (vv. 24-26) are unique to Luke and mirror the four blessings exactly. The Greek ouai ('woe') is not a curse but a prophetic lament — 'how terrible for you.' The verb apechete ('you have received in full') is a commercial term used for receipts — the rich have been paid in full; there is no more coming. The Greek paraklesin ('comfort, consolation') is the same word used for the 'consolation of Israel' Simeon awaited (2:25). Those who have already found their consolation in wealth will not find it in God.

Translator Notes

1. The reversal is exact: full now/hungry later mirrors hungry now/satisfied later (v. 21); laughing now/mourning later mirrors weeping now/laughing later (v. 21). The word nyn ('now') again marks the temporal dimension — present condition does not determine ultimate destiny. Luke's Jesus consistently warns that present prosperity can be spiritually dangerous when it becomes self-sufficient and indifferent to the suffering of others.

Translator Notes

1. The fourth woe mirrors the fourth blessing. Universal popularity is a danger sign — the false prophets who told people what they wanted to hear were praised (cf. Jeremiah 5:31, Micah 2:11), while the true prophets who spoke God's uncomfortable word were persecuted (v. 23). If everyone speaks well of you, you may be telling people what they want to hear rather than what God says.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Jeremiah 5:31. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Micah 2:11. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The phrase 'to you who are listening' (hymin tois akouousin) narrows the audience to those willing to hear. The command agapate tous echthrous hymon ('love your enemies') is the most radical ethical demand in the Gospels. The Greek agapao is not an emotion but a deliberate choice to act for another's good — it can be commanded because it is about action, not feeling. 'Do good' (kalōs poieite) specifies what love looks like in practice.

Translator Notes

1. Four commands form two pairs: love/do good (v. 27) and bless/pray (v. 28). 'Bless' (eulogeite) means to speak well of, to invoke God's favor upon — the opposite of their cursing. 'Pray for' (proseuchesthe peri) goes beyond words to intercessory action. The verb epereavonton ('those who mistreat, those who abuse') describes deliberate hostility. Jesus commands active good toward those who actively harm.

Translator Notes

1. The slap on the cheek (siagona) was an insult rather than an assault — a backhanded slap was a gesture of contempt. Offering the other cheek is not passive acceptance of abuse but a refusal to retaliate that asserts dignity. Luke reverses the garment order from Matthew (Matthew says tunic then cloak; Luke says cloak then tunic). The himation ('outer cloak') was essential for warmth; the chiton ('inner tunic') was the basic garment. The teaching demands radical non-retaliation that goes beyond what is taken.

Translator Notes

1. The command is sweeping: panti aitounti ('to everyone who asks') allows no exceptions. The verb apaitei ('demand back') implies legal recourse — do not sue for recovery. These are radical economic principles that prioritize relationship over property. They are not legal codes for civil government but principles for kingdom living that demonstrate trust in God's provision rather than self-protection.

Translator Notes

1. The 'Golden Rule' appears in positive form here and in Matthew 7:12. The negative form ('do not do to others what you would not want done to you') was already known in Judaism — attributed to Rabbi Hillel (b. Shabbat 31a). Jesus's positive formulation is more demanding: it requires active initiative, not merely passive restraint. The Greek kathos thelete ('as you want') makes the standard one's own desires for good treatment.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek charis ('credit, grace, thanks') is used here in the sense of 'what is remarkable or praiseworthy about that?' Luke uses 'sinners' (hamartoloi) where Matthew uses 'tax collectors' — both make the same point: reciprocal love requires no grace or moral distinction. Even those outside the covenant community practice reciprocal love. Jesus's ethic demands something qualitatively different.

Translator Notes

1. The threefold repetition (love, vv. 32; do good, v. 33; lend, v. 34) drives the point home: every form of reciprocal virtue is practiced by people who make no claim to follow God. The standard for disciples must exceed the baseline of ordinary human reciprocity.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek danisete ('lend') and the expectation of receiving ta isa ('equal amount, same amount back') describes ordinary commercial lending. This is not charity but investment. Jesus challenges the economic logic of reciprocity: kingdom economics gives without calculating return.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase meden apelpizontes ('expecting nothing back, despairing of nothing') captures the radical nature of kingdom generosity. The motivation is not reciprocity but imitation of God — 'you will be children of the Most High' (esesthe huioi hypsistou). To be God's children means to act like God. And God's character is defined here as chrestos ('kind, good, gracious') toward tous acharistous kai ponerous ('the ungrateful and the wicked'). This is Luke's version of Matthew's 'perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.'

Translator Notes

1. Where Matthew 5:48 says 'be perfect' (teleioi), Luke says 'be merciful' (oiktirmones). The Greek oiktirmon ('compassionate, merciful') echoes the Hebrew rachum (from rechem, 'womb') — the deep, visceral compassion of a parent for a child. The standard is not abstract moral perfection but God's own compassionate character. This verse encapsulates the entire Sermon on the Plain.

Translator Notes

1. Three prohibitions and three corresponding promises form a tight structure. The Greek krinete ('judge') means to pass sentence, to render a verdict — not to exercise discernment (which is required elsewhere). The verb katadikazete ('condemn') is even stronger — to pass a guilty verdict. The verb apolyete ('forgive, release, let go') is the same word used for forgiveness of sins (aphesis). Each human action triggers a divine response: how we treat others determines how God treats us.

Translator Notes

1. The imagery is from the grain market: filling a container, pressing the grain down to remove air, shaking it to settle, and piling more until it overflows. God's return is not merely proportional but superabundant. The 'lap' (kolpon, literally 'bosom' or the fold of a garment used as a pocket) was where merchants received their measured goods. The proverb 'the measure you use will be measured back to you' (ho metro metreite antimetrethesetai hymin) applies to generosity, judgment, forgiveness, and all human dealings.

Translator Notes

1. The parable is brief and proverbial. In Matthew 15:14, it is directed at the Pharisees; in Luke, the context suggests it applies to the disciples — those who would teach others must first be able to see clearly themselves. The rhetorical questions expect obvious answers: no, a blind guide cannot lead; yes, both will fall.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek katertismenos ('fully trained, fully equipped, made complete') does not mean 'perfect' in the moral sense (as the KJV suggests) but 'fully formed' or 'thoroughly prepared.' The principle is that a student's goal is to become like the teacher. If the teacher is blind, the student will also be blind (v. 39). The positive implication: if Jesus is the teacher, the fully trained disciple will be like him.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek karphos ('speck, splinter, small piece of straw') contrasted with dokos ('beam, log, main structural timber') creates deliberate absurdist humor. The contrast is comically exaggerated to make a serious point about self-righteousness. The verb katanoeis ('notice, observe carefully, consider') implies that failure to see one's own faults requires willful inattention.

Translator Notes

1. The term hypokrita ('hypocrite') originally meant 'actor' — one who plays a role. Jesus applies it to those who perform the role of moral adviser while ignoring their own greater faults. Note that Jesus does not forbid helping others with their faults — he says 'first' (proton) deal with your own, 'and then' (kai tote) you will see clearly to help. The goal is not indifference to others' faults but honest self-examination as the prerequisite for genuine helpfulness.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek sapron ('rotten, worthless, bad') describes fruit that is spoiled and useless. The tree-and-fruit metaphor establishes a direct connection between inner character and outward behavior. The logic is: examine the fruit to know the tree, examine the behavior to know the heart.

Translator Notes

1. The examples are common-sense observations from Palestinian agriculture. Figs (syka) come from fig trees, not from thornbushes (akanthōn). Grapes (staphylen) come from grapevines, not from bramble bushes (batou). The principle is self-evident: the nature of the source determines the nature of the product. Applied to human character, one's actions inevitably reveal one's inner condition.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek thesauros ('treasure, storehouse') of the heart is the accumulated deposit of character, conviction, and disposition. The verb propherei ('brings forth, produces') indicates that speech and action emerge from this inner storehouse. The concluding proverb — 'out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks' (ek perisseumatos kardias lalei to stoma) — identifies speech as the most immediate revelation of the heart's condition.

Translator Notes

1. The doubled kyrie kyrie ('Lord, Lord') indicates emphatic address — these are not casual followers but people who use the most respectful title. Yet verbal acknowledgment without corresponding obedience is empty. Jesus's challenge is directed at the gap between confession and conduct. The question is unanswerable — there is no good reason for the contradiction.

Translator Notes

1. Three actions define the true disciple: coming to Jesus (erchomenos), hearing his words (akouon), and doing them (poion). All three are necessary — hearing without doing is insufficient (v. 49). Luke frames this as a comparison ('I will show you what that person is like'), introducing the parable of the two builders.

Translator Notes

1. Luke's version emphasizes the effort of preparation: eskapsev kai ebathynen ('dug and went deep') — the builder deliberately dug down to bedrock rather than building on the surface. The flood (plemmyres, a word unique to this passage in the NT) and the river's violent assault (proserexen, 'burst against, dashed against') represent the trials and crises of life. The house stands not because of the storm's weakness but because of the foundation's strength — dia to kalos oikodomesthai ('because it had been well built').

Translator Notes

1. The contrast is not between two different storms but between two different foundations — choris themeliou ('without a foundation'). Both houses face the same crisis; the difference is entirely in the preparation. The collapse is immediate (euthys, 'at once') and total — to rhegma ('the destruction, the ruin, the crash') is catastrophic. Luke ends the sermon on this sobering note: hearing Jesus's words without obeying them leads not to a minor setback but to complete ruin.