Discovery BoxLuke 4:16 
Context4:16 Now 1 Jesus 2 came to Nazareth, 3 where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue 4 on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. 5 He 6 stood up to read, 7
Luke 7:38
Context7:38 As 8 she stood 9 behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. She 10 wiped them with her hair, 11 kissed 12 them, 13 and anointed 14 them with the perfumed oil.
Luke 18:11
Context18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself like this: 15 ‘God, I thank 16 you that I am not like other people: 17 extortionists, 18 unrighteous people, 19 adulterers – or even like this tax collector. 20
Luke 18:13
Context18:13 The tax collector, however, stood 21 far off and would not even look up 22 to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful 23 to me, sinner that I am!’ 24
Luke 23:35
Context23:35 The people also stood there watching, but the rulers ridiculed 25 him, saying, “He saved others. Let him save 26 himself if 27 he is the Christ 28 of God, his chosen one!”
1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
2 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3 sn Nazareth was Jesus’ hometown (which is why he is known as Jesus of Nazareth) about 20 miles (30 km) southwest from Capernaum.
map For location see Map1 D3; Map2 C2; Map3 D5; Map4 C1; Map5 G3.
4 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.
5 tn Grk “according to his custom.”
6 tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
7 sn In normative Judaism of the period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present. See the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2. First came the law, then the prophets, then someone was asked to speak on the texts. Normally one stood up to read out of respect for the scriptures, and then sat down (v. 20) to expound them.
8 tn Grk “And standing.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
9 tn Grk “standing”; the participle στᾶσα (stasa) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
10 tn Grk “tears, and she.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
11 tn Grk “with the hair of her head.”
12 tn Grk “and kissed,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
13 tn Grk “kissed his feet,” but this has been replaced by the pronoun “them” in keeping with contemporary English style.
14 sn The series of verbs in this verse detail the woman’s every move, much as if the onlookers were watching her every step. That she attended the meal is not so surprising, as teachers often ate an open meal where listeners were welcome, but for her to approach Jesus was unusual and took great nerve, especially given her reputation.
15 tn Or “stood by himself and prayed like this.” The prepositional phrase πρὸς ἑαυτόν (pros eauton, “to/about himself”) could go with either the aorist participle σταθείς (staqeis, “stood”) or with the imperfect verb προσηύχετο (proshuceto, “he prayed”). If taken with the participle, then the meaning would seem at first glance to be: “stood ‘by himself’,” or “stood ‘alone’.” Now it is true that πρός can mean “by” or “with” when used with intransitive verbs such as ἵστημι ({isthmi, “I stand”; cf. BDAG 874 s.v. πρός 2.a), but πρὸς ἑαυτόν together never means “by himself” or “alone” in biblical Greek. On the other hand, if πρὸς ἑαυτόν is taken with the verb, then two different nuances emerge, both of which highlight in different ways the principal point Jesus seems to be making about the arrogance of this religious leader: (1) “prayed to himself,” but not necessarily silently, or (2) “prayed about himself,” with the connotation that he prayed out loud, for all to hear. Since his prayer is really a review of his moral résumé, directed both at advertising his own righteousness and exposing the perversion of the tax collector, whom he actually mentions in his prayer, the latter option seems preferable. If this is the case, then the Pharisee’s mention of God is really nothing more than a formality.
16 sn The Pharisee’s prayer started out as a thanksgiving psalm to God, but the praise ended up not being about God.
17 tn Here the plural Greek term ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) is used as a generic and can refer to both men and women (NASB, NRSV, “people”; NLT, “everyone else”; NAB, “the rest of humanity”).
18 tn Or “swindlers” (BDAG 134 s.v. ἅρπαξ 2); see also Isa 10:2; Josephus, J. W. 6.3.4 [6.203].
19 sn A general category for “sinners” (1 Cor 6:9; Lev 19:3).
20 sn Note what the Pharisee assumes about the righteousness of this tax collector by grouping him with extortionists, unrighteous people, and adulterers.
21 tn Grk “standing”; the Greek participle has been translated as a finite verb.
22 tn Grk “even lift up his eyes” (an idiom).
23 tn The prayer is a humble call for forgiveness. The term for mercy (ἱλάσκομαι, Jilaskomai) is associated with the concept of a request for atonement (BDAG 473-74 s.v. 1; Ps 51:1, 3; 25:11; 34:6, 18).
24 tn Grk “the sinner.” The tax collector views himself not just as any sinner but as the worst of all sinners. See ExSyn 222-23.
25 tn A figurative extension of the literal meaning “to turn one’s nose up at someone”; here “ridicule, sneer at, show contempt for” (L&N 33.409).
26 sn The irony in the statement Let him save himself is that salvation did come, but later, not while on the cross.
27 tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text.
28 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
sn See the note on Christ in 2:11.
