Luke 13:14-16
Context13:14 But the president of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the crowd, “There are six days on which work 1 should be done! 2 So come 3 and be healed on those days, and not on the Sabbath day.” 13:15 Then the Lord answered him, 4 “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from its stall, 5 and lead it to water? 6 13:16 Then 7 shouldn’t 8 this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan 9 bound for eighteen long 10 years, be released from this imprisonment 11 on the Sabbath day?”
1 sn The irony is that Jesus’ “work” consisted of merely touching the woman. There is no sense of joy that eighteen years of suffering was reversed with his touch.
2 tn Grk “on which it is necessary to work.” This has been simplified in the translation.
3 tn The participle ἐρχόμενοι (ercomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
4 tn Grk “answered him and said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been shortened to “answered him.”
5 tn Grk “from the manger [feeding trough],” but by metonymy of part for whole this can be rendered “stall.”
6 sn The charge here is hypocrisy, but it is only part one of the response. Various ancient laws detail what was allowed with cattle; see Mishnah, m. Shabbat 5; CD 11:5-6.
7 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to show the connection with Jesus’ previous statement.
8 tn Grk “is it not necessary that.” Jesus argues that no other day is more appropriate to heal a descendant of Abraham than the Sabbath, the exact opposite view of the synagogue leader.
9 sn Note that this is again a battle between Satan and God; see 11:18-23.
10 tn The word “long” reflects the emphasis added in the Greek text by ἰδού (idou). See BDAG 468 s.v. 1.
11 tn Or “bondage”; Grk “bond.”