¹ sn Cuza is also spelled “Chuza” in many English translations.

² sn Herod’s refers here to Herod Antipas. See the note on Herod Antipas in 3:1.

³ tn Here ἐπίτροπος (epitropo") is understood as referring to the majordomo or manager of Herod’s household (BDAG 385 s.v. ἐπίτροπος 1). However, as BDAG notes, the office may be political in nature and would then be translated something like “governor” or “procurator.” Note that in either case the gospel was reaching into the highest levels of society.

⁴ tc Many mss (א A L Ψ Ë¹ 33 565 579 1241 2542 pm it co) read “for him,” but “for them” also has good ms support (B D K W Γ Δ Θ Ë¹³ 700 892 1424 pm lat). From an internal standpoint the singular pronoun looks like an assimilation to texts like Matt 27:55 and Mark 15:41.

⁵ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶ tn These are not formal legal charges, but reports from friends, acquaintances, etc.; Grk “A certain man was rich who had a manager, and this one was reported to him as wasting his property.”

⁷ sn His manager was the steward in charge of managing the house. He could have been a slave trained for the role.

⁸ tn Or “squandering.” This verb is graphic; it means to scatter (L&N 57.151).

⁹ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the first debtor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰ sn A measure (sometimes translated “bath”) was just over 8 gallons (about 30 liters). This is a large debt – about 875 gallons (3000 liters) of olive oil, worth 1000 denarii, over three year’s pay for a daily worker.

¹¹ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the manager) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.

¹² sn The bill was halved (sit down quickly, and write fifty). What was the steward doing? This is debated. 1) Did he simply lower the price? 2) Did he remove interest from the debt? 3) Did he remove his own commission? It is hard to be sure. Either of the latter two options is more likely. The goal was clear: The manager would be seen in a favorable light for bringing a deflationary trend to prices.

¹³ tn Grk “And the Lord said.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹⁴ tn Or “administrator,” “steward” (L&N 37.39).

¹⁵ tn This term, θεραπεία (qerapeia), describes the group of servants working in a particular household (L&N 46.6).

¹⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events in the parable.

¹⁷ tn Grk “the stewardship,” “the management.”

¹⁸ tn Here “dig” could refer (1) to excavation (“dig ditches,” L&N 19.55) or (2) to agricultural labor (“work the soil,” L&N 43.3). In either case this was labor performed by the uneducated, so it would be an insult as a job for a manager.

¹⁹ tn Grk “I do not have strength to dig; I am ashamed to beg.”

sn To beg would represent a real lowering of status for the manager, because many of those whom he had formerly collected debts from, he would now be forced to beg from.

²⁰ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the second debtor) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.

²¹ sn The hundred measures here was a hundreds cors. A cor was a Hebrew dry measure for grain, flour, etc., of between 10-12 bushels (about 390 liters). This was a huge amount of wheat, representing the yield of about 100 acres, a debt of between 2500-3000 denarii.

²² tn Grk “He”; the referent (the manager) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²³ sn The percentage of reduction may not be as great because of the change in material.

²⁴ tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

²⁵ sn Is the manager dishonest because of what he just did? Or is it a reference to what he had done earlier, described in v. 1? This is a difficult question, but it seems unlikely that the master, having fired the man for prior dishonesty, would now commend those same actions. It would also be unusual for Jesus to make that point of the story the example. Thus it is more likely the reference to dishonesty goes back to the earliest events, while the commendation is for the cleverness of the former manager reflected in vv. 5-7.

²⁶ sn Where this parable ends is debated: Does it conclude with v. 7, after v. 8a, after v. 8b, or after v. 9? Verse 8a looks as if it is still part of the story, with its clear reference to the manager, while 8b looks like Jesus’ application, since its remarks are more general. So it is most likely the parable stops after v. 8a.

²⁷ tn Grk “sons” (an idiom).

²⁸ tn Grk “with their own generation.”

²⁹ tn Grk “sons.” Here the phrase “sons of light” is a reference to the righteous. The point is that those of the world often think ahead about consequences better than the righteous do.