Luke 4:32

They ¹  were amazed ²  at his teaching, because he spoke ³  with authority. ⁴ 

They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority.

and they were amazed at His teaching, for His message was with authority.

There, too, the people were amazed at the things he said, because he spoke with authority.

They were surprised and impressed--his teaching was so forthright, so confident, so authoritative, not the quibbling and quoting they were used to.

And they were surprised at his teaching, for his word was with authority.

They were astounded at his teaching, because he spoke with authority.

And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.

They ¹  were amazed ²  at his teaching, because he spoke ³  with authority. ⁴ 

¹ tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

² sn They were amazed. The astonishment shown here is like that in Luke 2:48.

³ tn Grk “because his word was.”

⁴ sn Jesus’ teaching impressed the hearers with the directness of its claim (with authority). A study of Jewish rabbinic interpretation shows that it was typical to cite a list of authorities to make one’s point. Apparently Jesus addressed the issues in terms of his own understanding.