Luke 6:17

The Sermon on the Plain

6:17 Then ¹  he came down with them and stood on a level place. ²  And a large number ³  of his disciples had gathered ⁴  along with ⁵  a vast multitude from all over Judea, from ⁶  Jerusalem, ⁷  and from the seacoast of Tyre ⁸  and Sidon. ⁹  They came to hear him and to be healed ¹⁰  of their diseases,

Luke 9:12

9:12 Now the day began to draw to a close, ¹¹  so ¹²  the twelve came and said to Jesus, ¹³  “Send the crowd away, so they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging ¹⁴  and food, because we are in an isolated place.” ¹⁵ 

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¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

² tn Or “on a plateau.” This could refer to a message given in a flat locale or in a flat locale in the midst of a more mountainous region (Jer 21:13; Isa 13:2). It is quite possible that this sermon is a summary version of the better known Sermon on the Mount from Matt 5-7.

³ tn Grk “large crowd.”

⁴ tn There is no verb in Greek at this point, but since “a large crowd” (see preceding tn) is in the nominative case, one needs to be supplied.

⁵ tn Grk “and.”

⁶ tn Grk “and from,” 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.

⁷ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁸ map For location see Map1-A2; Map2-G2; Map4-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.

⁹ sn These last two locations, Tyre and Sidon, represented an expansion outside of traditional Jewish territory. Jesus’ reputation continued to expand into new regions.

map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.

¹⁰ sn To hear him and to be healed. Jesus had a two-level ministry: The word and then wondrous acts of service that showed his message of God’s care were real.

¹¹ tn Grk “the day began to decline,” looking to the approach of sunset.

¹² tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that the disciples’ request was related to the approach of sunset.

¹³ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁴ tn That is, find someone to show them hospitality. L&N 34.61 has “find lodging,” using this verse as an example.

¹⁵ tn Or “in a desert” (meaning a deserted or desolate area with sparse vegetation). Here ὧδε (Jwde) has not been translated.