¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Grk “Answering, he said to them.” This construction with passive participle and finite verb is pleonastic (redundant) and has been simplified in the translation to “answered them.”

³ tn Or “shirt” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). The name for this garment (χιτών, citwn) presents some difficulty in translation. Most modern readers would not understand what a ‘tunic’ was any more than they would be familiar with a ‘chiton.’ On the other hand, attempts to find a modern equivalent are also a problem: “Shirt” conveys the idea of a much shorter garment that covers only the upper body, and “undergarment” (given the styles of modern underwear) is more misleading still. “Tunic” was therefore employed, but with a note to explain its nature.

⁴ tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

⁵ tn Grk “And answering, they said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “They answered.”

⁶ sn The appearance of Elijah would mean that the end time had come. According to 2 Kgs 2:11, Elijah was still alive. In Mal 4:5 it is said that Elijah would be the precursor of Messiah.

⁷ sn The phrase has risen could be understood to mean “has been resurrected,” but this is only a possible option, not a necessary one, since the phrase could merely mean that a figure had appeared on the scene who mirrored an earlier historical figure. Note that the three categories in the reply match the ones in Luke 9:7-8.

⁸ 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.

⁹ tn Grk “O.” The marker of direct address, ὦ (w), is functionally equivalent to a vocative and is represented in the translation by “you.”

¹⁰ tn Or “faithless.”

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

¹¹ tn Grk “how long.”

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

¹³ sn The pronouns you…you are plural, indicating that Jesus is speaking to a group rather than an individual.

¹⁴ tn Grk “And answering, John said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “John answered.” Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

¹⁵ tc The translation follows the reading that has Luke’s normal imperfect here (ἐκωλύομεν, ekwluomen; found in Ì^75vid א B L Ξ 579 892 1241). Most mss, however, have an aorist (ἐκωλύσαμεν, ekwlusamen; found in A C D W Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï co), which would be translated “we forbade him.” The imperfect enjoys the best external and internal support.

¹⁶ tn Grk “does not follow with us.” BDAG 36 s.v. ἀκολουθέω 2 indicates that the pronoun σοι (soi, “you”) is to be supplied after the verb in this particular instance; the translation in the text best represents this nuance.

¹⁷ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

¹⁸ sn Jesus did not want his hearers to think that tragedy was necessarily a judgment on these people because they were worse sinners.

¹⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the worker who tended the vineyard) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁰ tn Grk “toss manure [on it].” This is a reference to manure used as fertilizer.