Luke 1:4

1:4 so that you may know for certain ¹  the things you were taught. ² 

Luke 1:49

1:49 because he who is mighty ³  has done great things for me, and holy is his name;

Luke 1:53

1:53 he has filled the hungry with good things, ⁴  and has sent the rich away empty. ⁵ 

Luke 10:41

10:41 But the Lord ⁶  answered her, ⁷  “Martha, Martha, ⁸  you are worried and troubled ⁹  about many things,

Luke 12:31

12:31 Instead, pursue ¹⁰  his ¹¹  kingdom, ¹²  and these things will be given to you as well.

Luke 17:25

17:25 But first he must ¹³  suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

Luke 24:14-15

24:14 They ¹⁴  were talking to each other about all the things that had happened. 24:15 While ¹⁵  they were talking and debating ¹⁶  these things, ¹⁷  Jesus himself approached and began to accompany them

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¹ tn Or “know the truth about”; or “know the certainty of.” The issue of the context is psychological confidence; Luke’s work is trying to encourage Theophilus. So in English this is better translated as “know for certain” than “know certainty” or “know the truth,” which sounds too cognitive. “Certain” assumes the truth of the report. On this term, see Acts 2:36; 21:34; 22:30; and 25:26. The meaning “have assurance concerning” is also possible here.

² tn Or “you heard about.” This term can refer merely to a report of information (Acts 21:24) or to instruction (Acts 18:25). The scope of Luke’s Gospel as a whole, which calls for perseverance in the faith and which assumes much knowledge of the OT, suggests Theophilus had received some instruction and was probably a believer.

³ tn Traditionally, “the Mighty One.”

⁴ sn Good things refers not merely to material blessings, but blessings that come from knowing God.

⁵ sn Another fundamental contrast of Luke’s is between the hungry and the rich (Luke 6:20-26).

⁶ tc Most mss (A B* C D W Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 Ï it) read “Jesus” instead of “the Lord” here, but κύριος (kurios, “Lord”) has the support of some weighty papyri, uncials, and other witnesses (Ì^3,[45],75 א B² L 579 892 pc lat sa).

⁷ tn Grk “answering, said to her.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “answered her.”

⁸ sn The double vocative Martha, Martha communicates emotion.

⁹ tn Or “upset.” Here the meanings of μεριμνάω (merimnaw) and θορυβάζομαι (qorubazomai) reinforce each other (L&N 25.234).

¹⁰ tn Grk “seek,” but in the sense of the previous verses.

¹¹ tc Most mss (Ì⁴⁵ A D¹ Q W Θ 070 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat sy) read τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou, “of God”) instead of αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”; found in א B D* L Ψ 579 892 pc co). But such a clarifying reading is suspect. αὐτοῦ is superior on both internal and external grounds. Ì⁷⁵ includes neither and as such would support the translation above since the article alone can often be translated as a possessive pronoun.

¹² sn His (that is, God’s) kingdom is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

¹³ sn The Son of Man’s suffering and rejection by this generation is another “it is necessary” type of event in God’s plan (Luke 4:43; 24:7, 26, 44) and the fifth passion prediction in Luke’s account (9:22, 44; 12:50; 13:32-33; for the last, see 18:32-33).

¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹⁵ tn Grk “And it happened that while.” 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. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹⁶ tn This term suggests emotional dialogue and can thus be translated “debated.”

¹⁷ tn The phrase “these things” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.