¹ tn Grk “before.”

² tn Grk “and he”; because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun in the translation.

³ tn Grk “even from his mother’s womb.” While this idiom may be understood to refer to the point of birth (“even from his birth”), Luke 1:41 suggests that here it should be understood to refer to a time before birth.

sn He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. This is the language of the birth of a prophet (Judg 13:5, 7; Isa 49:1; Jer 1:5; Sir 49:7); see 1:41 for the first fulfillment.

⁴ tn See the note on the word “servant” in v. 38.

⁵ tn Grk “for behold.”

⁶ 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).

⁷ sn Mary is seen here as an example of an object of God’s grace (blessed) for all generations.

⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

⁹ tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 1:11.

¹⁰ tn Or “stood in front of.”

¹¹ tn Grk “they feared a great fear” (a Semitic idiom which intensifies the main idea, in this case their fear).

sn Terrified. See similar responses in Luke 1:12, 29.

¹² sn Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees. The imagery of an “ax already laid at the root of the trees” is vivid, connoting sudden and catastrophic judgment for the unrepentant and unfruitful. The image of “fire” serves to further heighten the intensity of the judgment referred to. It is John’s way of summoning all people to return to God with all their heart and avoid his unquenchable wrath soon to be poured out. John’s language and imagery is probably ultimately drawn from the OT where Israel is referred to as a fruitless vine (Hos 10:1-2; Jer 2:21-22) and the image of an “ax” is used to indicate God’s judgment (Ps 74:5-6; Jer 46:22).

¹³ tn Grk “is”; the present tense (ἐκκόπτεται, ekkoptetai) has futuristic force here.

¹⁴ tn The aorist participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally, reflecting action antecedent (prior to) that of the main verb.

¹⁵ sn There is a tenacity that is a part of spiritual fruitfulness.

¹⁶ sn In an ancient context, the qualifier good described the ethical person who possessed integrity. Here it is integrity concerning God’s revelation through Jesus.

¹⁷ sn Given the pressures noted in the previous soils, bearing fruit takes time (steadfast endurance), just as it does for the farmer. See Jas 1:2-4.

¹⁸ tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “Jesus answered.” Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

¹⁹ tn Grk “O.” The marker of direct address, ὦ (w), is functionally equivalent to a vocative and is represented in the translation by “you.”

²⁰ tn Or “faithless.”

sn The rebuke for lack of faith has OT roots: Num 14:27; Deut 32:5, 30; Isa 59:8.

²¹ tn Grk “how long.”

²² tn Or “and put up with.” See Num 11:12; Isa 46:4.

²³ sn The pronouns you…you are plural, indicating that Jesus is speaking to a group rather than an individual.

²⁴ tn Grk “hears you”; but as the context of vv. 8-9 makes clear, it is response that is the point. In contemporary English, “listen to” is one way to express this function (L&N 31.56).

²⁵ sn Jesus linked himself to the disciples’ message: Responding to the disciples (listens to you) counts as responding to him.

²⁶ tn The double mention of rejection in this clause – ἀθετῶν ἀθετεῖ (aqetwn aqetei) in the Greek text – keeps up the emphasis of the section.

²⁷ sn The one who sent me refers to God.

²⁸ tn Grk “will show,” but in this reflective context such a demonstration is a warning or exhortation.

²⁹ sn The actual performer of the killing is not here specified. It could be understood to be God (so NASB, NRSV) but it could simply emphasize that, after a killing has taken place, it is God who casts the person into hell.

³⁰ tn The direct object (“you”) is understood.

³¹ sn The word translated hell is “Gehenna” (γέεννα, geenna), a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew words ge hinnom (“Valley of Hinnom”). This was the valley along the south side of Jerusalem. In OT times it was used for human sacrifices to the pagan god Molech (cf. Jer 7:31; 19:5-6; 32:35), and it came to be used as a place where human excrement and rubbish were disposed of and burned. In the intertestamental period, it came to be used symbolically as the place of divine punishment (cf. 1 En. 27:2, 90:26; 4 Ezra 7:36).

³² sn The statement that the owner will come and destroy those tenants is a promise of judgment; see Luke 13:34-35; 19:41-44.

³³ sn The warning that the owner would give the vineyard to others suggests that the care of the promise and the nation’s hope would be passed to others. This eventually looks to Gentile inclusion; see Eph 2:11-22.

³⁴ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the people addressed in v. 9) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³⁵ sn May this never happen! Jesus’ audience got the point and did not want to consider a story where the nation would suffer judgment.

³⁶ tn Grk “out of what abounded to them.”

³⁷ tn Or “put in her entire livelihood.”

³⁸ tn The words “he took” are not in the Greek text at this point, but are an understood repetition from v. 19.

³⁹ tn The phrase “after they had eaten” translates the temporal infinitive construction μετὰ τὸ δειπνῆσαι (meta to deipnhsai), where the verb δειπνέω (deipnew) means “to eat a meal” or “to have a meal.”

⁴⁰ sn Jesus’ death established the forgiveness promised in the new covenant of Jer 31:31. Jesus is reinterpreting the symbolism of the Passover meal, indicating the presence of a new era.