translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: LUK

label: NET translator note

text: Or “Emperor Tiberius” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor). sn Tiberius Caesar was the Roman emperor Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus, who ruled from a.d. 14-37.


text: The term translated “word” here is not λόγος ( logos ) but ῥῆμα ( rJhma ), and thus could refer to the call of the Lord to John to begin ministry.


text: Or “desert.”


text: Grk “And he.” Here καί ( kai ) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.


text: “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.


text: Or “A voice.”


text: Or “desert.” The syntactic position of the phrase “in the wilderness” is unclear in both Luke and the LXX. The MT favors taking it with “Prepare a way,” while the LXX takes it with “a voice shouting.” If the former, the meaning would be that such preparation should be done “in the wilderness.” If the latter, the meaning would be that the place from where John’s ministry went forth was “in the wilderness.” There are Jewish materials that support both renderings: 1QS 8:14 and 9 .19-20 support the MT while certain rabbinic texts favor the LXX (see D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 1:290-91). While it is not absolutely necessary that a call in the wilderness led to a response in the wilderness, it is not unlikely that such would be the case. Thus, in the final analysis, the net effect between the two choices may be minimal. In any case, a majority of commentators and translations take “in the wilderness” with “The voice of one shouting” (D. L. Bock; R. H. Stein, Luke [NAC], 129; I. H. Marshall, Luke [NIGTC], 136; NIV, NRSV, NKJV, NLT, NASB, REB).


text: This call to “make paths straight” in this context is probably an allusion to preparation through repentance as the verb ποιέω ( poiew ) reappears in vv. 8, 10, 11, 12, 14 .


text: Grk “all flesh.”


text: Grk “he”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Or “snakes.”


text: The verb here is ποιέω ( poiew ; see v. 4 ).


text: Grk “fruits.” The plural Greek term καρπούς has been translated with the collective singular “fruit” (so NIV; cf. Matt 3:8 where the singular καρπός is found). Some other translations render the plural καρπούς as “fruits” (e.g., NRSV, NASB, NAB, NKJV).


text: In other words, “do not even begin to think this.”


text: Grk “is”; the present tense ( ἐκκόπτεται , ekkoptetai ) has futuristic force here.


text: Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “so” to indicate the consequential nature of the people’s response.


text: Though this verb is imperfect, in this context it does not mean repeated, ongoing questions, but simply a presentation in vivid style as the following verbs in the other examples are aorist.


text: Grk “Answering, he said to them.” This construction with passive participle and finite verb is pleonastic (redundant) and has been simplified in the translation to “answered them.”


text: Or “shirt” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). The name for this garment ( χιτών , citwn ) presents some difficulty in translation. Most modern readers would not understand what a ‘tunic’ was any more than they would be familiar with a ‘ chiton .’ On the other hand, attempts to find a modern equivalent are also a problem: “Shirt” conveys the idea of a much shorter garment that covers only the upper body, and “undergarment” (given the styles of modern underwear) is more misleading still. “Tunic” was therefore employed, but with a note to explain its nature.


text: In the Greek text μηδὲν πλέον ( mhden pleon , “no more”) is in an emphatic position. sn By telling the tax collectors to collect no more than…required John was calling for honesty and integrity in a business that was known for greed and dishonesty.


text: Or “than you are ordered to.”


text: Grk “And soldiers.”


text: Grk “And what should we ourselves do?”


text: Or “Rob no one.” The term διασείσητε ( diaseishte ) here refers to “shaking someone.” In this context it refers to taking financial advantage of someone through violence, so it refers essentially to robbery. Soldiers are to perform their tasks faithfully. A changed person is to carry out his tasks in life faithfully and without grumbling.


text: The term translated “accusation” ( συκοφαντήσητε , sukofanthshte ) refers to a procedure by which someone could bring charges against an individual and be paid a part of the fine imposed by the court. Soldiers could do this to supplement their pay, and would thus be tempted to make false accusations.


text: Or “with expectation.” The participle προσδοκῶντος ( prosdokwnto" ) is taken temporally. sn The people were filled with anticipation because they were hoping God would send someone to deliver them.


text: Grk “pondered in their hearts.”


text: Grk “in their hearts concerning John, (whether) perhaps he might be the Christ.” The translation simplifies the style here.


text: Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.” sn See the note on Christ in 2:11 .


text: Grk “answered them all, saying.” The participle λέγων ( legwn ) is redundant and has not been translated.


label: NET textual note

text: A few mss (C D 892 1424 pc it ) add εἰς μετάνοιαν ( ei" metanoian , “for repentance”). Although two of the mss in support are early and important, it is an obviously motivated reading to add clarification, probably representing a copyist’s attempt to harmonize Luke’s version with Matt 3:11 .


text: Grk “of whom I am not worthy.” sn The humility of John is evident in the statement I am not worthy . This was considered one of the least worthy tasks of a slave, and John did not consider himself worthy to do even that for the one to come, despite the fact he himself was a prophet!


text: The term refers to the leather strap or thong used to bind a sandal. This is often viewed as a collective singular and translated as a plural, “the straps of his sandals,” but it may be more emphatic to retain the singular here.


text: Or “granary,” “barn” (referring to a building used to store a farm’s produce rather than a building for housing livestock).


text: On construction μὲν οὖν καί ( men oun kai ), see BDF §451.1.


text: Grk “he”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Several mss (A C K W Ψ 33 565 579 1424 2542 al bo) read τῆς γυναικὸς Φιλίππου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ ( th" gunaiko" Filippou tou adelfou autou , “the wife of his brother Philip”), specifying whose wife Herodias was. The addition of “Philip,” however, is an assimilation to Matt 14:3 and is lacking in the better witnesses. sn This marriage to his brother’s wife was a violation of OT law ( Lev 18:16; 20:21 ). In addition, both Herod Antipas and Herodias had each left previous marriages to enter into this union.


text: Or “immoralities.”


text: Grk “Now it happened that when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο ( egeneto , “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.


text: Grk “and while Jesus was being baptized and praying.” The first of these participles has been translated as a finite verb to be more consistent with English style.


text: Or “the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός ( ouranos ) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. In this context, although the word is singular, the English plural “heavens” connotes the Greek better than the singular “heaven” would, for the singular does not normally refer to the sky.


text: This phrase is a descriptive comparison. The Spirit is not a dove, but descends like one in some type of bodily representation.


text: Grk “my beloved Son,” or “my Son, the beloved [one].” The force of ἀγαπητός ( agaphtos ) is often “pertaining to one who is the only one of his or her class, but at the same time is particularly loved and cherished” (L&N 58.53; cf. also BDAG 7 s.v. 1 ).


text: Instead of “You are my one dear Son; in you I take great delight,” one Greek ms and several Latin mss and church fathers (D it Ju [Cl] Meth Hil Aug) quote Ps 2:7 outright with “You are my Son; today I have fathered you.” But the weight of the ms testimony is against this reading. tn Or “with you I am well pleased.” sn The allusions in the remarks of the text recall Ps 2:7 a; Isa 42:1 and either Isa 41:8 or, less likely, Gen 22:12,16 . God is marking out Jesus as his chosen one (the meaning of “[in you I take] great delight”), but it may well be that this was a private experience that only Jesus and John saw and heard (cf. John 1:32-33 ).


text: Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “so” to indicate the summary nature of the statement.


text: The words “his ministry” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the contemporary English reader.


text: Grk “of age, being.” Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the participle ὤν ( wn ) has been translated as a finite verb with the pronoun “he” supplied as subject, and a new sentence begun in the translation at this point.


text: Several of the names in the list have alternate spellings in the ms tradition, but most of these are limited to a few mss . Only significant differences are considered in the notes through v. 38 . tn The construction of the genealogy is consistent throughout as a genitive article ( τοῦ , tou ) marks sonship. Unlike Matthew’s genealogy, this one runs from Jesus down. It also goes all the way to Adam, not stopping at Abraham as Matthew’s does. Jesus has come for all races of humanity. Both genealogies go through David.


text: bo) have Σαλμών ( Salmwn , “Salmon”), an assimilation to Matt 1:4-5 and 1 Chr 2:11 (LXX). “In view of the early tradition that Luke was a Syrian of Antioch it is perhaps significant that the form Σαλά appears to embody a Syriac tradition” ( TCGNT 113).


text: pc ). Deciding between these variants is quite difficult. The reading “Amminadab, Aram” is the strongest externally since it is represented by Alexandrian, Western, and Byzantine witnesses, although it is significantly weaker internally because it disrupts the artistic balance of the number of generations and their groups that three names would preserve (see TCGNT 113, fn. 1 for discussion). In this case, the subtle intrinsic arguments that would most likely be overlooked by scribes argues for the reading “Amminadab, Admin, Arni,” although a decision is quite difficult because of the lack of strong external support.


text: Ï ( Καϊνάν , Kainan ). The translation above has adopted the more common spelling “Cainan,” although it is based on the reading Καϊνάμ .