NOTES

BIBLE

Luke 3

1	Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,	Ἐν ἔτει δὲ πεντεκαιδεκάτῳ τῆς ἡγεμονίας Τιβερίου Καίσαρος, ἡγεμονεύοντος Ποντίου Πιλάτου τῆς Ἰουδαίας, καὶ τετρααρχοῦντος τῆς Γαλιλαίας Ἡρῴδου, Φιλίππου δὲ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ τετρααρχοῦντος τῆς Ἰτουραίας καὶ Τραχωνίτιδος χώρας, καὶ Λυσανίου τῆς Ἀβιληνῆς τετρααρχοῦντος,
2	during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.	ἐπὶ ἀρχιερέως Ἅννα καὶ Καϊάφα, ἐγένετο ῥῆμα θεοῦ ἐπὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν Ζαχαρίου υἱὸν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ.	during The word “during” translates the preposition ἐπι (epi). The word “in” (which often translates a different preposition, ἐν [en]) is not used in order to differentiate between the two prepositions. The translation choice also more clearly communicates the idea in English since it is more common to describe something as happening “during” a particular time rather than “in” a particular time. Luke is intent to communicate the time when the word of God came to John—during Annas’ and Caiaphas’ high priesthood (ca. A.D. 7–36)—because it anchored the details about Jesus in the facts of real history (cf. Luke 1:3-4). Zechariah This name is recorded in some versions as “Zacharias,” reflecting the Greek spelling (Ζαχαρίας; Zacharias). However, Luke is transliterating the Hebrew name “Zechariah” (זְכַרְיָה; zekharyah, meaning “Yah remembers”) using Greek letters. Since it is the same name, it is written here with the familiar English spelling “Zechariah” to preserve the continuity of the name’s spelling throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament. This righteous man was waiting for God’s promised Messiah to be revealed, and his name is a testimony that God remembered His promises and even privileged Zechariah to be the father of the promised Messiah’s forerunner.
3	And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;	καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς πᾶσαν περίχωρον τοῦ Ἰορδάνου κηρύσσων βάπτισμα μετανοίας εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν,
4	as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.	ὡς γέγραπται ἐν βίβλῳ λόγων Ἠσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου· Φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· Ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου, εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ.
5	EVERY RAVINE WILL BE FILLED, AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE BROUGHT LOW; THE CROOKED WILL BE STRAIGHT, AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH.	πᾶσα φάραγξ πληρωθήσεται καὶ πᾶν ὄρος καὶ βουνὸς ταπεινωθήσεται, καὶ ἔσται τὰ σκολιὰ εἰς εὐθείαν καὶ αἱ τραχεῖαι εἰς ὁδοὺς λείας·
6	AND ALL FLESH WILL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD.’”	καὶ ὄψεται πᾶσα σὰρξ τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ.
7	So he was saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?	Ἔλεγεν οὖν τοῖς ἐκπορευομένοις ὄχλοις βαπτισθῆναι ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ· Γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν, τίς ὑπέδειξεν ὑμῖν φυγεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς μελλούσης ὀργῆς;
8	Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.	ποιήσατε οὖν καρποὺς ἀξίους τῆς μετανοίας· καὶ μὴ ἄρξησθε λέγειν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς· Πατέρα ἔχομεν τὸν Ἀβραάμ, λέγω γὰρ ὑμῖν ὅτι δύναται ὁ θεὸς ἐκ τῶν λίθων τούτων ἐγεῖραι τέκνα τῷ Ἀβραάμ.	fruits The word καρποὺς (karpous) is translated “fruits” instead of “fruit” to accurately reflect the plural in Greek (καρποὺς; karpous). Though in English the plural could be represented either by “fruit” or “fruits,” in this context, “fruits” clearly indicates a numerical plural, allowing the reader to more easily identify the number of the word. With this usage, Luke demonstrates that different kinds of fruits should be the result of true repentance. This emphasizes the scope of change brought about by true repentance.
9	But indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”	ἤδη δὲ καὶ ἡ ἀξίνη πρὸς τὴν ῥίζαν τῶν δένδρων κεῖται· πᾶν οὖν δένδρον μὴ ποιοῦν καρπὸν καλὸν ἐκκόπτεται καὶ εἰς πῦρ βάλλεται.
10	And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what should we do?”	Καὶ ἐπηρώτων αὐτὸν οἱ ὄχλοι λέγοντες· Τί οὖν ποιήσωμεν;	should The translation “should” brings out the nuance of the subjunctive mood of the verb ποιήσωμεν (poiēsōmen), which communicates the idea of possibility or potentiality. This fits perfectly with the context of this question, since the people are not asking what they “will” or “shall” do, but what they “should” do in response to John’s teaching. This exact question is asked three times in this section (by the crowds here, by tax collectors in v. 12, and by soldiers in v. 14) as Luke demonstrates that John’s teaching from God is authoritative and applicable for all categories of people. True repentance requires true obedience no matter who you are.
11	And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.”	ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς· Ὁ ἔχων δύο χιτῶνας μεταδότω τῷ μὴ ἔχοντι, καὶ ὁ ἔχων βρώματα ὁμοίως ποιείτω.
12	And tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?”	ἦλθον δὲ καὶ τελῶναι βαπτισθῆναι καὶ εἶπαν πρὸς αὐτόν· Διδάσκαλε, τί ποιήσωμεν;	should Refer to the discussion on verse 10 above.
13	And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.”	ὁ δὲ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· Μηδὲν πλέον παρὰ τὸ διατεταγμένον ὑμῖν πράσσετε.
14	And soldiers were also questioning him, saying, “What should we also do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or extort anyone, and be content with your wages.”	ἐπηρώτων δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ στρατευόμενοι λέγοντες· Τί ποιήσωμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς; καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Μηδένα διασείσητε μηδὲ συκοφαντήσητε, καὶ ἀρκεῖσθε τοῖς ὀψωνίοις ὑμῶν.	should Refer to the discussion on verse 10 above. extort “Extort” translates the Greek word συκοφαντέω (sukophanteō) which refers to the act of wrongfully taking something by the use of intimidation, blackmail, or other forms of false accusation (see BDAG on συκοφαντέω). Because the two commands in this verse are similar to one another, several translations combine the two verbal ideas into one English verb and then proceed to distinguish the ideas with two adverbial clauses: “Do not extort…by violence [first verb] or by false accusation [second verb].” However, translating this verb as a separate command better reflects the original Greek and allows readers to feel the impact of two successive commands. Moreover, “extort” is a simpler translation of the lengthier explanation (e.g., “accuse falsely”) and thus better reflects the single word in the Greek.
15	Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were reasoning in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ,	Προσδοκῶντος δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ διαλογιζομένων πάντων ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν περὶ τοῦ Ἰωάννου, μήποτε αὐτὸς εἴη ὁ χριστός,	the Christ “The Christ” (ὁ χριστὸς; ho christos; “the Anointed One”) is the Greek expression of the Hebrew הַמָּשִׁיחַ (ha-mashiach; “the Messiah” or “the Anointed One”). The people were wondering because of John’s powerful teaching whether he himself was the promised Messiah foretold in the Old Testament.
16	John answered, saying to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water, but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the strap of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.	ἀπεκρίνατο λέγων πᾶσιν ὁ Ἰωάννης· Ἐγὼ μὲν ὕδατι βαπτίζω ὑμᾶς· ἔρχεται δὲ ὁ ἰσχυρότερός μου, οὗ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς λῦσαι τὸν ἱμάντα τῶν ὑποδημάτων αὐτοῦ· αὐτὸς ὑμᾶς βαπτίσει ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί·	As for me The translation “As for me” captures the inclusion of the Greek first person pronoun ἐγώ (egō), which is emphatic in this instance because it is not grammatically necessary. Thus, the translation is not simply “I” but “As for me.” John speaks in this way here to show a greater contrast between himself and the coming Messiah who is mightier and much more glorious than him.
17	His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”	οὗ τὸ πτύον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ διακαθᾶραι τὴν ἅλωνα αὐτοῦ καὶ συναγαγεῖν τὸν σῖτον εἰς τὴν ἀποθήκην αὐτοῦ, τὸ δὲ ἄχυρον κατακαύσει πυρὶ ἀσβέστῳ.
18	So with many other exhortations he proclaimed the gospel to the people.	Πολλὰ μὲν οὖν καὶ ἕτερα παρακαλῶν εὐηγγελίζετο τὸν λαόν·
19	But when Herod the tetrarch was reproved by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the wicked things which Herod had done,	ὁ δὲ Ἡρῴδης ὁ τετραάρχης, ἐλεγχόμενος ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ περὶ Ἡρῳδιάδος τῆς γυναικὸς τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ περὶ πάντων ὧν ἐποίησεν πονηρῶν ὁ Ἡρῴδης,
20	Herod also added this to them all: he locked John up in prison.	προσέθηκεν καὶ τοῦτο ἐπὶ πᾶσιν, καὶ κατέκλεισεν τὸν Ἰωάννην ἐν φυλακῇ.
21	Now it happened that when all the people were being baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened,	Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ βαπτισθῆναι ἅπαντα τὸν λαὸν καὶ Ἰησοῦ βαπτισθέντος καὶ προσευχομένου ἀνεῳχθῆναι τὸν οὐρανὸν
22	and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”	καὶ καταβῆναι τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον σωματικῷ εἴδει ὡς περιστερὰν ἐπʼ αὐτόν, καὶ φωνὴν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ γενέσθαι· Σὺ εἶ ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἐν σοὶ εὐδόκησα.
23	When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli,	Καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν Ἰησοῦς ἀρχόμενος ὡσεὶ ἐτῶν τριάκοντα, ὢν υἱός, ὡς ἐνομίζετο, Ἰωσὴφ τοῦ Ἠλὶ	*Genealogy Formatting* The LSB places each name of this genealogy on its own line to assist readers in tracking the generations preceding Jesus back, through Adam, to God Himself (cf. v. 38). This formatting, as a list rather than multiple names in paragraph style, simply helps the reader to track Jesus’ lineage recorded here more easily.
24	the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,	τοῦ Μαθθὰτ τοῦ Λευὶ τοῦ Μελχὶ τοῦ Ἰανναὶ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ
25	the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Hesli, the son of Naggai,	τοῦ Ματταθίου τοῦ Ἀμὼς τοῦ Ναοὺμ τοῦ Ἑσλὶ τοῦ Ναγγαὶ
26	the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,	τοῦ Μάαθ τοῦ Ματταθίου τοῦ Σεμεῒν τοῦ Ἰωσὴχ τοῦ Ἰωδὰ
27	the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,	τοῦ Ἰωανὰν τοῦ Ῥησὰ τοῦ Ζοροβαβὲλ τοῦ Σαλαθιὴλ τοῦ Νηρὶ
28	the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,	τοῦ Μελχὶ τοῦ Ἀδδὶ τοῦ Κωσὰμ τοῦ Ἐλμαδὰμ τοῦ Ἢρ
29	the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,	τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ἐλιέζερ τοῦ Ἰωρὶμ τοῦ Μαθθὰτ τοῦ Λευὶ
30	the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,	τοῦ Συμεὼν τοῦ Ἰούδα τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ τοῦ Ἰωνὰμ τοῦ Ἐλιακὶμ
31	the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,	τοῦ Μελεὰ τοῦ Μεννὰ τοῦ Ματταθὰ τοῦ Ναθὰμ τοῦ Δαυὶδ
32	the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,	τοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ τοῦ Ἰωβὴλ τοῦ Βόος τοῦ Σαλὰ τοῦ Ναασσὼν
33	the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,	τοῦ Ἀμιναδὰβ τοῦ Ἀδμὶν τοῦ Ἀρνὶ τοῦ Ἑσρὼμ τοῦ Φαρὲς τοῦ Ἰούδα
34	the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,	τοῦ Ἰακὼβ τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ τοῦ Θάρα τοῦ Ναχὼρ
35	the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Heber, the son of Shelah,	τοῦ Σεροὺχ τοῦ Ῥαγαὺ τοῦ Φάλεκ τοῦ Ἔβερ τοῦ Σαλὰ
36	the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,	τοῦ Καϊνὰμ τοῦ Ἀρφαξὰδ τοῦ Σὴμ τοῦ Νῶε τοῦ Λάμεχ
37	the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,	τοῦ Μαθουσαλὰ τοῦ Ἑνὼχ τοῦ Ἰάρετ τοῦ Μαλελεὴλ τοῦ Καϊνὰμ
38	the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.	τοῦ Ἐνὼς τοῦ Σὴθ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ τοῦ θεοῦ.

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