Discovery BoxLuke 7:36 
Context7:36 Now one of the Pharisees 1 asked Jesus 2 to have dinner with him, so 3 he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. 4
Luke 11:37
Context11:37 As he spoke, 5 a Pharisee 6 invited Jesus 7 to have a meal with him, so he went in and took his place at the table. 8
Luke 7:37
Context7:37 Then 9 when a woman of that town, who was a sinner, learned that Jesus 10 was dining 11 at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar 12 of perfumed oil. 13
Luke 7:39
Context7:39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, 14 he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, 15 he would know who and what kind of woman 16 this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.”
Luke 18:11
Context18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself like this: 17 ‘God, I thank 18 you that I am not like other people: 19 extortionists, 20 unrighteous people, 21 adulterers – or even like this tax collector. 22
Luke 18:14
Context18:14 I tell you that this man went down to his home justified 23 rather than the Pharisee. 24 For everyone who exalts 25 himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
1 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
2 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Jesus’ action was the result of the Pharisee’s invitation.
4 tn Grk “and reclined at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.
5 tn The use of the aorist infinitive here should probably be translated “as he spoke” rather than “while he was speaking” (see ExSyn 595). The Pharisee did not necessarily interrupt Jesus to issue the invitation.
6 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
7 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn Grk “and reclined at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.
9 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).
10 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11 tn Grk “was reclining at table.”
12 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.
13 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.
14 tn The word “this” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
15 tn This is a good example of a second class (contrary to fact) Greek conditional sentence. The Pharisee said, in effect, “If this man were a prophet (but he is not)…”
16 sn The Pharisees believed in a form of separationism that would have prevented them from any kind of association with such a sinful woman.
17 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.
18 sn The Pharisee’s prayer started out as a thanksgiving psalm to God, but the praise ended up not being about God.
19 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”).
20 tn Or “swindlers” (BDAG 134 s.v. ἅρπαξ 2); see also Isa 10:2; Josephus, J. W. 6.3.4 [6.203].
21 sn A general category for “sinners” (1 Cor 6:9; Lev 19:3).
22 sn Note what the Pharisee assumes about the righteousness of this tax collector by grouping him with extortionists, unrighteous people, and adulterers.
23 sn The prayer that was heard and honored was the one given with humility; in a surprising reversal it was the tax collector who went down to his home justified.
24 tn Grk “the other”; the referent (the Pharisee, v. 10) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
25 sn Everyone who exalts himself. See Luke 14:11. Jesus often called for humility and condemned those who sought honor.
