Discovery BoxLuke 10:1-17 
Context10:1 After this 1 the Lord appointed seventy-two 2 others and sent them on ahead of him two by two into every town 3 and place where he himself was about to go. 10:2 He 4 said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest 5 to send out 6 workers into his harvest. 10:3 Go! I 7 am sending you out like lambs 8 surrounded by wolves. 9 10:4 Do not carry 10 a money bag, 11 a traveler’s bag, 12 or sandals, and greet no one on the road. 13 10:5 Whenever 14 you enter a house, 15 first say, ‘May peace 16 be on this house!’ 10:6 And if a peace-loving person 17 is there, your peace will remain on him, but if not, it will return to you. 18 10:7 Stay 19 in that same house, eating and drinking what they give you, 20 for the worker deserves his pay. 21 Do not move around from house to house. 10:8 Whenever 22 you enter a town 23 and the people 24 welcome you, eat what is set before you. 10:9 Heal 25 the sick in that town 26 and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God 27 has come upon 28 you!’ 10:10 But whenever 29 you enter a town 30 and the people 31 do not welcome 32 you, go into its streets 33 and say, 10:11 ‘Even the dust of your town 34 that clings to our feet we wipe off 35 against you. 36 Nevertheless know this: The kingdom of God has come.’ 37 10:12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom 38 than for that town! 39
10:13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! 40 Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if 41 the miracles 42 done in you had been done in Tyre 43 and Sidon, 44 they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 10:14 But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you! 10:15 And you, Capernaum, 45 will you be exalted to heaven? 46 No, you will be thrown down to Hades! 47
10:16 “The one who listens 48 to you listens to me, 49 and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects 50 the one who sent me.” 51
10:17 Then 52 the seventy-two 53 returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to 54 us in your name!” 55
1 tn Grk “And after these things.” Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
2 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.
3 tn Or “city.”
4 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
5 sn The phrase Lord of the harvest recognizes God’s sovereignty over the harvest process.
6 tn Grk “to thrust out.”
7 tn Grk “Behold I.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
8 sn On the imagery of lambs see Isa 40:11, Ezek 34:11-31, and John 10:1-18.
9 sn This imagery of wolves is found in intertestamental Judaism as well; see Pss. Sol. 8:23.
10 sn On the command Do not carry see Luke 9:3. The travel instructions communicate a note of urgency and stand in contrast to philosophical teachers, who often took a bag. There is no ostentation in this ministry.
11 tn Traditionally, “a purse.”
12 tn Or possibly “a beggar’s bag” (L&N 6.145; BDAG 811 s.v. πήρα).
13 tn Or “no one along the way.”
14 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
15 tn Grk “Into whatever house you enter.” This acts as a distributive, meaning every house they enter; this is expressed more naturally in English as “whenever you enter a house.”
16 sn The statement ‘May peace be on this house!’ is really a benediction, asking for God’s blessing. The requested shalom (peace) is understood as coming from God.
17 tn Grk “a son of peace,” a Hebrew idiom for a person of a certain class or kind, as specified by the following genitive construction (in this case, “of peace”). Such constructions are discussed further in L&N 9.4. Here the expression refers to someone who responds positively to the disciples’ message, like “wisdom’s child” in Luke 7:30.
18 sn The response to these messengers determines how God’s blessing is bestowed – if they are not welcomed with peace, their blessing will return to them. Jesus shows just how important their mission is by this remark.
19 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
20 tn Grk “eating and drinking the things from them” (an idiom for what the people in the house provide the guests).
21 sn On the phrase the worker deserves his pay see 1 Tim 5:18 and 1 Cor 9:14.
22 tn Grk “And whatever town you enter,” but this is more often expressed in English as “whenever you enter a town.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
23 tn Or “city.” Jesus now speaks of the town as a whole, as he will in vv. 10-12.
24 tn Grk “and they”; the referent (the people who live in the town) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
25 tn 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.
sn Ministry (heal the sick) is to take place where it is well received (note welcome in the preceding verse).
26 tn Grk “in it”; the referent (that town) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
27 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.
28 tn Or “come near to you,” suggesting the approach (but not arrival) of the kingdom. But the combination of the perfect tense of ἐγγίζω (engizw) with the preposition ἐπί (epi) most likely suggests that the sense is “has come upon” (see BDAG 270 s.v. ἐγγίζω 2; W. R. Hutton, “The Kingdom of God Has Come,” ExpTim 64 [Dec 1952]: 89-91; and D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 2:1000; cf. also NAB “is at hand for you”). These passages argue that a key element of the kingdom is its ability to overcome the power of Satan and those elements in the creation that oppose humanity. Confirmation of this understanding comes in v. 18 and in Luke 11:14-23, especially the parable of vv. 21-23.
29 tn Grk “whatever town you enter,” but this is more often expressed in English as “whenever you enter a town.”
30 tn Or “city.”
31 tn Grk “and they”; the referent (the people who live in the town) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
32 sn More discussion takes place concerning rejection (the people do not welcome you), as these verses lead into the condemnation of certain towns for their rejection of God’s kingdom.
33 tn The term πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to the “broad street,” so this refers to the main roads of the town.
34 tn Or “city.”
35 sn See Luke 9:5, where the verb is different but the meaning is the same. This was a sign of rejection.
36 tn Here ὑμῖν (Jumin) has been translated as a dative of disadvantage.
37 tn Or “has come near.” As in v. 9 (see above), the combination of ἐγγίζω (engizw) with the preposition ἐπί (epi) is decisive in showing that the sense is “has come” (see BDAG 270 s.v. ἐγγίζω 2, and W. R. Hutton, “The Kingdom of God Has Come,” ExpTim 64 [Dec 1952]: 89-91).
38 sn The allusion to Sodom, the most wicked of OT cities from Gen 19:1-29, shows that to reject the current message is even more serious than the worst sins of the old era and will result in more severe punishment. The noun Sodom is in emphatic position in the Greek text.
39 tn Or “city.”
40 sn Chorazin was a town of Galilee that was probably fairly small in contrast to Bethsaida and is otherwise unattested. Bethsaida was declared a polis by the tetrarch Herod Philip, sometime after
41 tn This introduces a second class (contrary to fact) condition in the Greek text.
42 tn Or “powerful deeds.”
43 map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
44 sn Tyre and Sidon are two other notorious OT cities (Isa 23; Jer 25:22; 47:4). The remark is a severe rebuke, in effect: “Even the sinners of the old era would have responded to the proclamation of the kingdom, unlike you!”
map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
45 sn Capernaum was a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region.
map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.
46 tn The interrogative particle introducing this question expects a negative reply.
47 sn In the OT, Hades was known as Sheol. It is the place where the unrighteous will reside (Matt 11:23; Luke 16:23; Rev 20:13-14).
48 tn Grk “hears you”; but as the context of vv. 8-9 makes clear, it is response that is the point. In contemporary English, “listen to” is one way to express this function (L&N 31.56).
49 sn Jesus linked himself to the disciples’ message: Responding to the disciples (listens to you) counts as responding to him.
50 tn The double mention of rejection in this clause – ἀθετῶν ἀθετεῖ (aqetwn aqetei) in the Greek text – keeps up the emphasis of the section.
51 sn The one who sent me refers to God.
52 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
53 tc See the tc note on the number “seventy-two” in Luke 10:1.
54 tn Or “the demons obey”; see L&N 36.18.
55 tn The prepositional phrase “in your name” indicates the sphere of authority for the messengers’ work of exorcism.
