Discovery BoxLuke 2:36 
Context2:36 There was also a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, 1 having been married to her husband for seven years until his death.
Luke 4:25
Context4:25 But in truth I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s days, 2 when the sky 3 was shut up three and a half years, and 4 there was a great famine over all the land.
Luke 15:29
Context15:29 but he answered 5 his father, ‘Look! These many years I have worked like a slave 6 for you, and I never disobeyed your commands. Yet 7 you never gave me even a goat 8 so that I could celebrate with my friends!
1 tn Her age is emphasized by the Greek phrase here, “she was very old in her many days.”
2 sn Elijah’s days. Jesus, by discussing Elijah and Elisha, pictures one of the lowest periods in Israel’s history. These examples, along with v. 24, also show that Jesus is making prophetic claims as well as messianic ones. See 1 Kgs 17-18.
3 tn Or “the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. Since the context here refers to a drought (which produced the famine), “sky” is preferable.
4 tn Grk “as.” The particle ὡς can also function temporally (see BDAG 1105-6 s.v. 8).
5 tn Grk “but answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “but he answered.”
6 tn Or simply, “have served,” but in the emotional context of the older son’s outburst the translation given is closer to the point.
7 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to bring out the contrast indicated by the context.
8 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!”
