Luke 1:48

1:48 because he has looked upon the humble state of his servant. ¹ 

For ²  from now on ³  all generations will call me blessed, ⁴ 

Luke 6:20

6:20 Then ⁵  he looked up ⁶  at his disciples and said:

“Blessed ⁷  are you who are poor, ⁸  for the kingdom of God belongs ⁹  to you.

Luke 16:23

16:23 And in hell, ¹⁰  as he was in torment, ¹¹  he looked up ¹²  and saw Abraham far off with Lazarus at his side. ¹³ 

Luke 19:5

19:5 And when Jesus came to that place, he looked up ¹⁴  and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, ¹⁵  because I must ¹⁶  stay at your house today.” ¹⁷ 

Luke 20:17

20:17 But Jesus ¹⁸  looked straight at them and said, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? ¹⁹ 

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¹ tn See the note on the word “servant” in v. 38.

² tn Grk “for behold.”

³ sn From now on is a favorite phrase of Luke’s, showing how God’s acts change things from this point on (5:10; 12:52; 22:18, 69; Acts 18:6).

⁴ sn Mary is seen here as an example of an object of God’s grace (blessed) for all generations.

⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

⁶ tn Grk “lifting up his eyes” (an idiom). The participle ἐπάρας (epara") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

⁷ sn The term Blessed introduces the first of several beatitudes promising blessing to those whom God cares for. They serve as an invitation to come into the grace God offers.

⁸ sn You who are poor is a reference to the “pious poor” for whom God especially cares. See Ps 14:6; 22:24; 25:16; 34:6; 40:17; 69:29.

⁹ sn The present tense (belongs) here is significant. Jesus makes the kingdom and its blessings currently available. This phrase is unlike the others in the list with the possessive pronoun being emphasized. Jesus was saying, in effect, “the kingdom belongs even now to people like you.”

¹⁰ sn The Greek term Hades stands for the Hebrew concept of Sheol. It is what is called hell today. This is where the dead were gathered (Ps 16:10; 86:13). In the NT Hades has an additional negative force of awaiting judgment (Rev 20:13).

¹¹ sn Hades is a place of torment, especially as one knows that he is separated from God.

¹² tn Grk “he lifted up his eyes” (an idiom).

¹³ tn Grk “in his bosom,” the same phrase used in 16:22. This idiom refers to heaven and/or participation in the eschatological banquet. An appropriate modern equivalent is “at Abraham’s side.”

¹⁴ tc Most mss (A [D] W [Ψ] ˹³ 33^vid Ï latt) read “Jesus looking up, saw him and said.” The words “saw him and” are not in א B L T Θ Ë¹ 579 1241 2542 pc co. Both the testimony for the omission and the natural tendency toward scribal expansion argue for the shorter reading here.

¹⁵ tn Grk “hastening, come down.” σπεύσας (speusa") has been translated as a participle of manner.

¹⁶ sn I must stay. Jesus revealed the necessity of his associating with people like Zacchaeus (5:31-32). This act of fellowship indicated acceptance.

¹⁷ sn On today here and in v. 9, see the note on today in 2:11.

¹⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁹ tn Or “capstone,” “keystone.” Although these meanings are lexically possible, the imagery in Eph 2:20-22 and 1 Cor 3:11 indicates that the term κεφαλὴ γωνίας (kefalh gwnia") refers to a cornerstone, not a capstone.

sn The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The use of Ps 118:22-23 and the “stone imagery” as a reference to Christ and his suffering and exaltation is common in the NT (see also Matt 21:42; Mark 12:10; Acts 4:11; 1 Pet 2:6-8; cf. also Eph 2:20). The irony in the use of Ps 118:22-23 here is that in the OT, Israel was the one rejected (or perhaps her king) by the Gentiles, but in the NT it is Jesus who is rejected by Israel.