Luke 18:38-40

18:38 So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 18:39 And those who were in front scolded him to get him to be quiet, but he shouted even more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 18:40 So Jesus stopped and ordered the beggar to be brought to him. When the man 10  came near, Jesus 11  asked him,

tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the blind man learning that Jesus was nearby.

tn Grk “called out, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

sn Jesus was more than a Nazarene to this blind person, who saw quite well that Jesus was Son of David. He understood what Luke 7:22-23 affirms. There was a tradition in Judaism that the Son of David (Solomon) had great powers of healing (Josephus, Ant. 8.2.5 [8.42-49]).

sn Have mercy on me is a request for healing (cf. 17:13). It is not owed the man. He simply asks for God’s kind grace.

sn That is, those who were at the front of the procession.

tn Or “rebuked.” The crowd’s view was that surely Jesus would not be bothered with someone as unimportant as a blind beggar.

sn Public opinion would not sway the blind man from getting Jesus’ attention. The term shouted is strong as it can be used of animal cries.

tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the beggar’s cries.

tn Grk “ordered him”; the referent (the blind beggar, v. 35) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

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

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