Discovery BoxLuke 2:4 
Context2:4 So 1 Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth 2 in Galilee to Judea, to the city 3 of David called Bethlehem, 4 because he was of the house 5 and family line 6 of David.
Luke 7:37
Context7:37 Then 7 when a woman of that town, who was a sinner, learned that Jesus 8 was dining 9 at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar 10 of perfumed oil. 11
Luke 8:27
Context8:27 As 12 Jesus 13 stepped ashore, 14 a certain man from the town 15 met him who was possessed by demons. 16 For a long time this man 17 had worn no clothes and had not lived in a house, but among 18 the tombs.
Luke 10:1
Context10:1 After this 19 the Lord appointed seventy-two 20 others and sent them on ahead of him two by two into every town 21 and place where he himself was about to go.
1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the consequential nature of the action.
2 sn On Nazareth see Luke 1:26.
map For location see Map1 D3; Map2 C2; Map3 D5; Map4 C1; Map5 G3.
3 tn Or “town.” The translation “city” is used here because of its collocation with “of David,” suggesting its importance, though not its size.
4 sn The journey from Nazareth to the city of David called Bethlehem was a journey of about 90 mi (150 km). Bethlehem was a small village located about 7 miles south-southwest of Jerusalem.
map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
5 sn Luke’s use of the term “house” probably alludes to the original promise made to David outlined in the Nathan oracle of 2 Sam 7:12-16, especially in light of earlier connections between Jesus and David made in Luke 1:32. Further, the mention of Bethlehem reminds one of the promise of Mic 5:2, namely, that a great king would emerge from Bethlehem to rule over God’s people.
6 tn Or “family,” “lineage.”
7 tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
8 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9 tn Grk “was reclining at table.”
10 sn A jar made of alabaster stone was normally used for very precious substances like perfumes. It normally had a long neck which was sealed and had to be broken off so the contents could be used.
11 tn Μύρον (muron) was usually made of myrrh (from which the English word is derived) but here it is used in the sense of ointment or perfumed oil (L&N 6.205). The same phrase occurs at the end of v. 38 and in v. 46.
sn Nard or spikenard is a fragrant oil from the root and spike of the nard plant of northern India. This perfumed oil, if made of something like nard, would have been extremely expensive, costing up to a year’s pay for an average laborer.
12 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
13 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
14 tn Grk “stepped out on land.”
15 tn Or “city.”
16 tn Grk “who had demons.”
17 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the demon-possessed man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
18 tn Or “in.”
19 tn Grk “And after these things.” Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
20 tc There is a difficult textual problem here and in v. 17, where the number is either “seventy” (א A C L W Θ Ξ Ψ Ë1,13 Ï and several church fathers and early versions) or “seventy-two” (Ì75 B D 0181 pc lat as well as other versions and fathers). The more difficult reading is “seventy-two,” since scribes would be prone to assimilate this passage to several OT passages that refer to groups of seventy people (Num 11:13-17; Deut 10:22; Judg 8:30; 2 Kgs 10:1 et al.); this reading also has slightly better ms support. “Seventy” could be the preferred reading if scribes drew from the tradition of the number of translators of the LXX, which the Letter of Aristeas puts at seventy-two (TCGNT 127), although this is far less likely. All things considered, “seventy-two” is a much more difficult reading and accounts for the rise of the other. Only Luke notes a second larger mission like the one in 9:1-6.
21 tn Or “city.”
