1 tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
2 tn Grk “when they”; the referent (his parents) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
3 tn Grk “And his.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
4 tn The Greek word here is τέκνον (teknon) rather than υἱός (Juios, “son”).
5 tn Or “Child, why did you do this to us?”
6 tn Or “your father and I have been terribly worried looking for you.”
7 tn The verb here is ποιέω (poiew; see v. 4).
8 tn 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).
9 tn In other words, “do not even begin to think this.”
10 sn We have Abraham as our father. John’s warning to the crowds really assumes two things: (1) A number of John’s listeners apparently believed that simply by their physical descent from Abraham, they were certain heirs of the promises made to the patriarch, and (2) God would never judge his covenant people lest he inadvertently place the fulfillment of his promises in jeopardy. In light of this, John tells these people two things: (1) they need to repent and produce fruit in keeping with repentance, for only that saves from the coming wrath, and (2) God will raise up “children for Abraham from these stones” if he wants to. Their disobedience will not threaten the realization of God’s sovereign purposes.
11 sn The point of the statement God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham is that ancestry or association with a tradition tied to the great founder of the Jewish nation is not an automatic source of salvation.
12 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
13 tn Grk “and John,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
14 sn How one responds now to Jesus and his teaching is a reflection of how Jesus, as the Son of Man who judges, will respond then in the final judgment.
15 tn This pronoun (τοῦτον, touton) is in emphatic position in its own clause in the Greek text: “of that person the Son of Man will be ashamed…”
16 tn Grk “in the glory of him and of the Father and of the holy angels.” “Glory” is repeated here in the translation for clarity and smoothness because the literal phrase is unacceptably awkward in contemporary English.
17 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
18 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the boy) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
19 sn At this point the boy was thrown down in another convulsion by the demon. See L&N 23.168.
20 tn See L&N 23.167-68, where the second verb συσπαράσσω (susparassw) is taken to mean the violent shaking associated with the convulsions, thus the translation here “and shook him with convulsions.”
21 tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).
22 sn This is a reference to an evil spirit. See Luke 4:33.
23 tn The participle ὑπάρχοντες (Juparconte") has been translated as a concessive participle.
24 sn The provision of the Holy Spirit is probably a reference to the wisdom and guidance supplied in response to repeated requests. Some apply it to the general provision of the Spirit, but this would seem to look only at one request in a context that speaks of repeated asking. The teaching as a whole stresses not that God gives everything his children want, but that God gives the good that they need. The parallel account in Matthew (7:11) refers to good things where Luke mentions the Holy Spirit.
25 tn This figurative use operates on a relative scale. God is to be loved more than family or self.
26 tn Grk “his own soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.
27 tn Grk “came to himself” (an idiom).
28 tn Grk “bread,” but used figuratively for food of any kind (L&N 5.1).
29 tn Grk “but answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “but he answered.”
30 tn Or simply, “have served,” but in the emotional context of the older son’s outburst the translation given is closer to the point.
31 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to bring out the contrast indicated by the context.
32 sn You never gave me even a goat. The older son’s complaint was that the generous treatment of the younger son was not fair: “I can’t get even a little celebration with a basic food staple like a goat!”
33 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous actions in the narrative.
34 tn Grk “calling out he said”; this is redundant in contemporary English style and has been simplified to “he called out.”
35 sn The rich man had not helped Lazarus before, when he lay outside his gate (v. 2), but he knew him well enough to know his name. This is why the use of the name Lazarus in the parable is significant. (The rich man’s name, on the other hand, is not mentioned, because it is not significant for the point of the story.)
36 sn The dipping of the tip of his finger in water is evocative of thirst. The thirsty are in need of God’s presence (Ps 42:1-2; Isa 5:13). The imagery suggests the rich man is now separated from the presence of God.
37 tn Or “in terrible pain” (L&N 24.92).
38 sn Fire in this context is OT imagery; see Isa 66:24.
39 tn Grk “asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
40 tn Grk “his brother”; but this would be redundant in English with the same phrase “his brother” at the end of the verse, so most modern translations render this phrase “the man” (so NIV, NRSV).
41 tn The use of ἵνα (Jina) with imperatival force is unusual (BDF §470.1).
42 tn Grk “and raise up seed,” an idiom for procreating children (L&N 23.59).
43 sn A quotation from Deut 25:5. Because the OT quotation does not include “a wife” as the object of the verb, it has been left as normal type. This practice is called levirate marriage (see also Ruth 4:1-12; Mishnah, m. Yevamot; Josephus, Ant. 4.8.23 [4.254-256]). The levirate law is described in Deut 25:5-10. The brother of a man who died without a son had an obligation to marry his brother’s widow. This served several purposes: It provided for the widow in a society where a widow with no children to care for her would be reduced to begging, and it preserved the name of the deceased, who would be regarded as the legal father of the first son produced from that marriage.