Luke 7:5

because he loves our nation, ¹  and even ²  built our synagogue.” ³ 

1Ki 5:1; 1Ch 29:3-9; 2Ch 2:11,12; Ezr 7:27,28; Ga 5:6; 1Jo 3:14; 1Jo 3:18,19; 1Jo 5:1-3

¹ tn Or “people.” The use of ἔθνος (eqnos, “nation”) here instead of “God” probably meant the man was not a full proselyte, but that he had simply been supportive of the Jews and their culture. He could have been a God-fearer. The Romans saw a stable religious community as politically helpful and often supported it (Josephus, Ant. 16.6.2 [16.162-165], 19.6.3 [19.300-311]).

² tn In the Greek text, the pronoun αὐτός (autos) is included, making this emphatic. Naturally the force of this statement is causative, meaning the centurion either had the synagogue built or donated the cost of its construction.

³ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.