Luke 10:29

But the expert, ¹  wanting to justify ²  himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbour?"

But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

Looking for a loophole, he asked, "And just how would you define 'neighbor'?"

But he, desiring to put himself in the right, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

But the expert, ¹  wanting to justify ²  himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

¹ tn Grk “And he”; the referent (the expert in religious law, shortened here to “the expert”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Or “vindicate.”

sn The expert in religious law picked up on the remark about the neighbor and sought to limit his responsibility for loving. Some believed this obligation would only be required toward the righteous (Sir 12:1-4). The lawyer was trying to see if that was right and thus confidently establish his righteousness (wanting to justify himself).