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2 Samuel 23-24

David’s Final Words

23 These are the final words of David:

“The oracle of David son of Jesse,
the oracle of the man raised up as
the ruler chosen by the God of Jacob,^[a]
Israel’s beloved^[b] singer of songs:
²The Lord’s Spirit spoke through me;
his word was on my tongue.
³The God of Israel spoke,
the Protector^[c] of Israel spoke to me.
The one who rules fairly among men,
the one who rules in the fear of God,
⁴is like the light of morning when the sun comes up,
a morning in which there are no clouds.
He is like the brightness after rain
that produces grass from the earth.
⁵My dynasty is approved by God,^[d]
for he has made a perpetual covenant with me,
arranged in all its particulars and secured.
He always delivers me,
and brings all I desire to fruition.^[e]
⁶But evil people are like thorns—
all of them are tossed away,
for they cannot be held in the hand.
⁷The one who touches them
must use an iron instrument
or the wooden shaft of a spear.
They are completely burned up right where they lie!”^[f]

David’s Warriors

⁸These are the names of David’s warriors:

Josheb Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was head of the officers.^[g] He killed 800 men with his spear in one battle.^[h] ⁹Next in command^[i] was Eleazar son of Dodo,^[j] the son of Ahohi. He was one of the three warriors who were with David when they defied the Philistines who were assembled there for battle. When the men of Israel retreated,^[k] ¹⁰he stood his ground^[l] and fought the Philistines until his hand grew so tired that it^[m] seemed stuck to his sword. The Lord gave a great victory on that day. When the army returned to him, the only thing left to do was to plunder the corpses.

¹¹Next in command^[n] was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines assembled at Lehi,^[o] where there happened to be an area of a field that was full of lentils, the army retreated before the Philistines. ¹²But he made a stand in the middle of that area. He defended^[p] it and defeated the Philistines; the Lord gave them a great victory.

¹³At the time of^[q] the harvest three^[r] of the thirty leaders went down to^[s] David at the cave of Adullam. A band of Philistines was camped in the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁴David was in the stronghold at the time, while a Philistine garrison was in Bethlehem. ¹⁵David was thirsty and said, “How I wish someone would give me some water to drink from the cistern in Bethlehem near the gate!” ¹⁶So the three elite warriors broke through the Philistine forces and drew some water from the cistern in Bethlehem near the gate. They carried it back to David, but he refused to drink it. He poured it out as a drink offering to the Lord ¹⁷and said, “O Lord, I will not do this!^[t] It is equivalent to the blood of the men who risked their lives by going.”^[u] So he refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of the three elite warriors.^[v]

¹⁸Abishai son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, was head of the three.^[w] He killed 300 men with his spear and gained fame among the three.^[x] ¹⁹From^[y] the three he was given honor and he became their officer, even though he was not one of the three.

²⁰Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a brave warrior^[z] from Kabzeel who performed great exploits. He struck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab.^[aa] He also went down and killed a lion in a cistern on a snowy day. ²¹He also killed an impressive-looking Egyptian.^[ab] The Egyptian wielded a spear, while Benaiah attacked^[ac] him with a club. He grabbed the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. ²²Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who gained fame among the three elite warriors. ²³He received honor from^[ad] the thirty warriors, though he was not one of the three elite warriors. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

²⁴Included with the thirty were the following: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem, ²⁵Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite, ²⁶Helez the Paltite, Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa, ²⁷Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite, ²⁸Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite, ²⁹Heled^[ae] son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin, ³⁰Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai from the wadis of Gaash, ³¹Abi-Albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite, ³²Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan ³³son of^[af] Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite, ³⁴Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the^[ag] Maacathite, Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, ³⁵Hezrai^[ah] the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite, ³⁶Igal son of Nathan from Zobah, Bani the Gadite, ³⁷Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite (the armor-bearer^[ai] of Joab son of Zeruiah), ³⁸Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, ³⁹and Uriah the Hittite. Altogether there were thirty-seven.

David Displeases the Lord by Taking a Census

24 The Lord’s anger again raged against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go count Israel and Judah.”^[aj] ²The king told Joab, the general in command of his army, “Go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba and muster the army, so I may know the size of the army.”

³Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God make the army a hundred times larger right before the eyes of my lord the king! But why does my master the king want to do this?”

⁴But the king’s edict stood, despite the objections of^[ak] Joab and the leaders of the army. So Joab and the leaders of the army left the king’s presence in order to muster the Israelite army.

⁵They crossed the Jordan and camped at Aroer, on the south side of the city, at^[al] the wadi of Gad, near Jazer. ⁶Then they went on to Gilead and to the region of Tahtim Hodshi, coming to Dan Jaan and on around to Sidon. ⁷Then they went to the fortress of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went on to the Negev of Judah, to Beer Sheba. ⁸They went through all the land and after nine months and twenty days came back to Jerusalem.

⁹Joab reported the number of warriors^[am] to the king. In Israel there were 800,000 sword-wielding warriors, and in Judah there were 500,000 soldiers.

¹⁰David felt guilty^[an] after he had numbered the army. David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly by doing this! Now, O Lord, please remove the guilt of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”

¹¹When David got up the next morning, the Lord’s message had already come to the prophet Gad, David’s seer: ¹²“Go, tell David, ‘This is what the Lord has said: I am offering you three forms of judgment. Pick one of them and I will carry it out against you.’”

¹³Gad went to David and told him, “Shall seven^[ao] years of famine come upon your land? Or shall you flee for three months from your enemies with them in hot pursuit? Or shall there be three days of plague in your land? Now decide^[ap] what I should tell the one who sent me.” ¹⁴David said to Gad, “I am very upset! I prefer that we be attacked by the Lord, for his mercy is great; I do not want to be attacked by human hands!”^[aq]

¹⁵So the Lord sent a plague through Israel from the morning until the completion of the appointed time, and 70,000 people died from Dan to Beer Sheba. ¹⁶When the angel^[ar] extended his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented from his judgment.^[as] He told the angel who was killing the people, “That’s enough! Stop now!”^[at] (Now the angel of the Lord was near the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.)

¹⁷When he saw the angel who was destroying the people, David said to the Lord, “Look, it is I who have sinned and done this evil thing! As for these sheep—what have they done? Attack me and my family.”^[au]

David Acquires a Threshing Floor and Constructs an Altar There

¹⁸So Gad went to David that day and told him, “Go up and build an altar for the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” ¹⁹So David went up as Gad instructed him to do, according to the Lord’s instructions.

²⁰When Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants approaching him, he^[av] went out and bowed to the king with his face^[aw] to the ground. ²¹Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David replied, “To buy from you the threshing floor so I can build an altar for the Lord, so that the plague may be removed from the people.” ²²Araunah told David, “My lord the king may take whatever he wishes^[ax] and offer it. Look! Here are oxen for burnt offerings, and threshing sledges^[ay] and harnesses^[az] for wood. ²³I, the servant of my lord^[ba] the king, give it all to the king!” Araunah also told the king, “May the Lord your God show you favor!” ²⁴But the king said to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it from you! I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt sacrifices that cost me nothing.”

So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty pieces of silver.^[bb] ²⁵Then David built an altar for the Lord there and offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings. And the Lord accepted prayers for the land, and the plague was removed from Israel.

Footnotes

2 Samuel 23:1 tn Heb “the anointed one of the God of Jacob.”
2 Samuel 23:1 tn Or “pleasant.”
2 Samuel 23:3 tn Heb “rock,” used as a metaphor of divine protection.
2 Samuel 23:5 tn Heb “For not thus [is] my house with God?”
2 Samuel 23:5 tn Heb “for all my deliverance and every desire, surely does he not make [it] grow?”
2 Samuel 23:7 tn Heb “and with fire they are completely burned up in [the place where they] remain.” The infinitive absolute is used before the finite verb to emphasize that they are completely consumed by the fire.
2 Samuel 23:8 tn The Hebrew word is sometimes rendered as “the three,” but BDB is probably correct in taking it to refer to military officers (BDB 1026 s.v. שְׁלִישִׁי). In that case the etymological connection of this word to the Hebrew numerical adjective for “three” can be explained as originating with a designation for the third warrior in a chariot.
2 Samuel 23:8 tc The translation follows some LXX mss (see 1 Chr 11:11 as well) in reading הוּא עוֹרֵר אֶת־חֲנִיתוֹ (huʾ ʿorer ʾet khanito, “he raised up his spear”) rather than the MT’s הוּא עֲדִינוֹ הָעֶצְנִי (huʾ ʿadino haʿetsni [Kethib = הָעֶצְנוֹ, haʿetsno]; “Adino the Ezenite”). The emended text reads literally “he was wielding his spear against eight hundred, [who were] slain at one time.”
2 Samuel 23:9 tn Heb “after him.”
2 Samuel 23:9 tc This follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading דֹּדוֹ (dodo) rather than the Kethib of the MT דֹּדַי (doday; cf. ASV, NIV, NLT). But see 1 Chr 27:4.
2 Samuel 23:9 tn Heb “went up.”
2 Samuel 23:10 tn Heb “arose.”
2 Samuel 23:10 tn Heb “his hand.”
2 Samuel 23:11 tn Heb “after him.”
2 Samuel 23:11 tn The Hebrew text is difficult here. The MT reads לַחַיָּה (lachayyah), which implies a rare use of the word חַיָּה (chayyah). The word normally refers to an animal, but if the MT is accepted it would here have the sense of a troop or community of people. BDB 312 s.v. II. חַיָּה, for example, understands the similar reference in v. 13 to be to “a group of allied families, making a raid together.” But this works better in v. 13 than it does in v. 11, where the context seems to suggest a particular staging location for a military operation. (See 1 Chr 11:15.) It therefore seems best to understand the word in v. 11 as a place name with ה (he) directive. In that case the Masoretes mistook the word for the common term for an animal and then tried to make sense of it in this context.
2 Samuel 23:12 tn Heb “delivered.”
2 Samuel 23:13 tn The meaning of Hebrew אֶל־קָצִיר (ʾel qatsir) seems here to be “at the time of harvest,” although this is an unusual use of the phrase. As S. R. Driver points out, this preposition does not normally have the temporal sense of “in” or “during” (S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 366).
2 Samuel 23:13 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading שְׁלֹשָׁה (sh^eloshah, “three”) rather than the Kethib of the MT שְׁלֹשִׁים (sh^eloshim, “thirty”). “Thirty” is due to dittography of the following word and makes no sense in the context.
2 Samuel 23:13 tn Heb “went down…and approached.”
2 Samuel 23:17 tn Heb “Far be it to me, O Lord, from doing this.”
2 Samuel 23:17 tn Heb “[Is it not] the blood of the men who were going with their lives?”
2 Samuel 23:17 tn Heb “These things the three warriors did.”
2 Samuel 23:18 tc The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew mss, the LXX, and Vulgate in reading הַשְּׁלֹשָׁה (hash^elosha, “the three”) rather than the Kethib of the MT הַשָּׁלִשִׁי (hashalishi, “the third,” or “adjutant”). Two medieval Hebrew mss and the Syriac Peshitta have “thirty.”
2 Samuel 23:18 tn Heb “and he was wielding his spear against three hundred, [who were] slain, and to him there was a name among the three.”
2 Samuel 23:19 tn Or “more than.”
2 Samuel 23:20 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading חַיִל (khayil, “valor”) rather than the Kethib of the MT, חַי (khay, “life”).
2 Samuel 23:20 tc Heb “the two of Ariel, Moab.” The precise meaning of אריאל is uncertain; some read “warrior.” The present translation assumes that the word is a proper name and that בני, “sons of,” has accidentally dropped from the text by homoioarcton (note the preceding שׁני), so originally: שְׁנֵי בְנֵי אֲרִיאֵל (sh^ene v^ene ʾariʾel).
2 Samuel 23:21 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading אִישׁ (ʾish, “man”) rather than the Kethib of the MT, אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher, “who”).
2 Samuel 23:21 tn Heb “and he went down to.”
2 Samuel 23:23 tn Or “more than.”
2 Samuel 23:29 tc The translation follows many medieval Hebrew mss in reading חֵלֶד (kheled; cf. NAB, NIV, NLT) rather than the MT חֵלֶב (khelev).
2 Samuel 23:33 tn The Hebrew text does not have “the son of.”
2 Samuel 23:34 tn Heb “the son of.”
2 Samuel 23:35 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading חֶצְרַי (khetsray; cf. KJV, NAB) rather than the Kethib of the MT, חֶצְרוֹ (khetsro).
2 Samuel 23:37 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading the singular rather than the plural of the Kethib of the MT.
2 Samuel 24:1 sn The parallel text in 1 Chr 21:1 says, “An adversary opposed Israel, inciting David to count how many warriors Israel had.” The Samuel version gives an underlying theological perspective, while the Chronicler simply describes what happened from a human perspective. The adversary in 1 Chr 21:1 is likely a human enemy, probably a nearby nation whose hostility against Israel pressured David into numbering the people so he could assess his military strength. See the note at 1 Chr 21:1.
2 Samuel 24:4 tn Heb “and the word of the king was stronger than.”
2 Samuel 24:5 tn Heb “in the middle of.”
2 Samuel 24:9 tn Heb “and Joab gave the number of the numbering of the people.”
2 Samuel 24:10 tn Heb “and the heart of David struck him.”
2 Samuel 24:13 tc The LXX has here “three” rather than “seven,” and is followed by NAB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT. See 1 Chr 21:12.
2 Samuel 24:13 tn Heb “now know and see.”
2 Samuel 24:14 tn Heb “There is great distress to me. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for great is his mercy, but into the hand of man let me not fall.”
2 Samuel 24:16 tn Heb “messenger.”
2 Samuel 24:16 tn Heb “concerning the calamity.”
2 Samuel 24:16 tn Heb “Now, drop your hand.”
2 Samuel 24:17 tn Heb “let your hand be against me and against the house of my father.”
2 Samuel 24:20 tn Heb “Araunah.” The name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.
2 Samuel 24:20 tn Heb “nostrils.”
2 Samuel 24:22 tn Heb “what is good in his eyes.”
2 Samuel 24:22 sn Threshing sledges were heavy boards used in ancient times for loosening grain from husks. On the bottom sides of these boards sharp stones were embedded, and the boards were then dragged across the grain on a threshing floor by an ox or donkey.
2 Samuel 24:22 tn Heb “the equipment of the oxen.”
2 Samuel 24:23 tc The Hebrew text is difficult here. The translation reads עֶבֶד אֲדֹנִי (ʿeved ʾadoni, “the servant of my lord”) rather than the MT’s אֲרַוְנָה (ʾAravnah). In normal court etiquette a subject would not use his own name in this way, but would more likely refer to himself in the third person. The MT probably first sustained loss of עֶבֶד (ʿeved, “servant”), leading to confusion of the word for “my lord” with the name of the Jebusite referred to here.
2 Samuel 24:24 tn Heb “fifty shekels of silver.” This would have been about 20 ounces (568 grams) of silver by weight.

Luke 19:1-27

Jesus and Zacchaeus

19 Jesus^[a] entered Jericho and was passing through it. ²Now^[b] a man named Zacchaeus was there; he was a chief tax collector^[c] and was rich. ³He^[d] was trying to get a look at Jesus,^[e] but being a short man he could not see over the crowd.^[f] ⁴So^[g] he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree^[h] to see him, because Jesus^[i] was going to pass that way. ⁵And when Jesus came to that place, he looked up^[j] and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly,^[k] because I must^[l] stay at your house today.”^[m] ⁶So he came down quickly^[n] and welcomed Jesus^[o] joyfully.^[p] ⁷And when the people^[q] saw it, they all complained,^[r] “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”^[s] ⁸But Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I now give^[t] to the poor, and if^[u] I have cheated anyone of anything, I am paying back four times as much!” ⁹Then^[v] Jesus said to him, “Today salvation^[w] has come to this household,^[x] because he too is a son of Abraham!^[y] ¹⁰For the Son of Man came^[z] to seek and to save the lost.”

The Parable of the Ten Minas

¹¹While the people were listening to these things, Jesus^[aa] proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they thought^[ab] that the kingdom of God^[ac] was going to^[ad] appear immediately. ¹²Therefore he said, “A nobleman^[ae] went to a distant country to receive^[af] for himself a kingdom and then return.^[ag] ¹³And he summoned ten of his slaves,^[ah] gave them ten minas,^[ai] and said to them, ‘Do business with these until I come back.’ ¹⁴But his citizens^[aj] hated^[ak] him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man^[al] to be king^[am] over us!’ ¹⁵When^[an] he returned after receiving the kingdom, he summoned^[ao] these slaves to whom he had given the money. He wanted^[ap] to know how much they had earned^[aq] by trading. ¹⁶So^[ar] the first one came before him and said, ‘Sir,^[as] your mina^[at] has made ten minas more.’ ¹⁷And the king^[au] said to him, ‘Well done, good slave! Because you have been faithful^[av] in a very small matter, you will have authority^[aw] over ten cities.’ ¹⁸Then^[ax] the second one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has made five minas.’ ¹⁹So^[ay] the king^[az] said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ ²⁰Then another^[ba] slave^[bb] came and said, ‘Sir, here is^[bc] your mina that I put away for safekeeping^[bd] in a piece of cloth.^[be] ²¹For I was afraid of you, because you are a severe^[bf] man. You withdraw^[bg] what you did not deposit^[bh] and reap what you did not sow.’ ²²The king^[bi] said to him, ‘I will judge you by your own words,^[bj] you wicked slave!^[bk] So you knew, did you, that I was a severe^[bl] man, withdrawing what I didn’t deposit and reaping what I didn’t sow? ²³Why then didn’t you put^[bm] my money in the bank,^[bn] so that when I returned I could have collected it with interest?’ ²⁴And he said to his attendants,^[bo] ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has ten.’^[bp] ²⁵But^[bq] they said to him, ‘Sir, he has ten minas already!’^[br] ²⁶‘I tell you that everyone who has will be given more,^[bs] but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.^[bt] ²⁷But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be their king,^[bu] bring them here and slaughter^[bv] them^[bw] in front of me!’”

Footnotes

Luke 19:1 tn Grk “And entering, he passed through”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 19:2 tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of a new character. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
Luke 19:2 sn This is the one place in the NT the office of chief tax collector is noted. If the term refers to a managerial rank, this individual would organize and oversee the other tax collectors and collect significant commissions (see also the note on the word tax collector in 3:12). It is possible, however, that in this context the term simply means “major tax collector” and is a comment on the individual’s importance or wealth rather than his rank (see D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT] 1:1516).
Luke 19:3 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Luke 19:3 tn Grk “He was trying to see who Jesus was.”
Luke 19:3 tn Grk “and he was not able to because of the crowd, for he was short in stature.”
Luke 19:4 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Zacchaeus not being able to see over the crowd.
Luke 19:4 sn A sycamore tree would have large branches near the ground like an oak tree and would be fairly easy to climb. These trees reach a height of some 50 ft (about 15 m).
Luke 19:4 tn Grk “that one”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 19:5 tc Most mss (A [D] W [Ψ] ƒ¹³ 33^vid M latt) read “Jesus looking up, saw him and said.” The words “saw him and” are not in א B L T Θ ƒ¹ 579 1241 2542 co. Both the testimony for the omission and the natural tendency toward scribal expansion argue for the shorter reading here.
Luke 19:5 tn Grk “hastening, come down.” σπεύσας (speusas) has been translated as a participle of manner.
Luke 19:5 sn I must stay. Jesus revealed the necessity of his associating with people like Zacchaeus (5:31-32). This act of fellowship indicated acceptance.
Luke 19:5 sn On today here and in v. 9, see the note on today in 2:11.
Luke 19:6 tn Grk “hastening, he came down.” σπεύσας (speusas) has been translated as a participle of manner.
Luke 19:6 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 19:6 tn The participle χαίρων (chairōn) has been taken as indicating manner.sn Zacchaeus responded joyfully. Luke likes to mention joy as a response to what God was doing (1:14; 2:10; 10:20; 13:17; 15:5, 32; 19:37; 24:41, 52).
Luke 19:7 tn Grk “they”; the referent is unspecified but is probably the crowd in general, who would have no great love for a man like Zacchaeus who had enriched himself many times over at their expense.
Luke 19:7 tn This term is used only twice in the NT, both times in Luke (here and 15:2) and has negative connotations both times (BDAG 227 s.v. διαγογγύζω). The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
Luke 19:7 sn Being the guest of a man who is a sinner was a common complaint about Jesus: Luke 5:31-32; 7:37-50; 15:1-2.
Luke 19:8 sn Zacchaeus was a penitent man who resolved on the spot to act differently in the face of Jesus’ acceptance of him. In resolving to give half his possessions to the poor, Zacchaeus was not defending himself against the crowd’s charges and claiming to be righteous. Rather as a result of this meeting with Jesus, he was a changed individual. So Jesus could speak of salvation coming that day (v. 9) and of the lost being saved (v. 10).
Luke 19:8 tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text. It virtually confesses fraud.
Luke 19:9 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative
Luke 19:9 sn This is one of the few uses of the specific term salvation in Luke (1:69, 71, 77), though the concept runs throughout the Gospel.
Luke 19:9 sn The household is not a reference to the building, but to the people who lived within it (L&N 10.8).
Luke 19:9 sn Zacchaeus was personally affirmed by Jesus as a descendant (son) of Abraham and a member of God’s family.
Luke 19:10 sn The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost is Jesus’ mission succinctly defined. See Luke 15:1-32.
Luke 19:11 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 19:11 tn The present active infinitive δοκεῖν (dokein) has been translated as causal.
Luke 19:11 sn Luke means here the appearance of the full kingdom of God in power with the Son of Man as judge as Luke 17:22-37 describes.
Luke 19:11 tn Or perhaps, “the kingdom of God must appear immediately (see L&N 71.36).
Luke 19:12 tn Grk “a man of noble birth” or “a man of noble status” (L&N 87.27).
Luke 19:12 sn Note that the receiving of the kingdom takes place in the far country. This suggests that those in the far country recognize and acknowledge the king when his own citizens did not want him as king (v. 14; cf. John 1:11-12).
Luke 19:12 sn The background to this story about the nobleman who went…to receive for himself a kingdom had some parallels in the area’s recent history: Archelaus was appointed ethnarch of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea in 4 b.c., but the people did not like him. Herod the Great also made a similar journey to Rome where he was crowned King of Judea in 40 b.c., although he was not able to claim his kingdom until 37 b.c.
Luke 19:13 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.
Luke 19:13 sn That is, one for each. A mina was a Greek monetary unit worth 100 denarii or about four months’ wages for an average worker based on a six-day work week.
Luke 19:14 tn Or “subjects.” Technically these people were not his subjects yet, but would be upon his return. They were citizens of his country who opposed his appointment as their king; later the newly-appointed king will refer to them as his “enemies” (v. 27).
Luke 19:14 tn The imperfect is intense in this context, suggesting an ongoing attitude.
Luke 19:14 tn Grk “this one” (somewhat derogatory in this context).
Luke 19:14 tn Or “to rule.”
Luke 19:15 tn Grk “And it happened that when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
Luke 19:15 tn Grk “he said for these slaves to be called to him.” The passive construction has been translated as an active one and simplified to “he summoned.”
Luke 19:15 tn Grk “in order that he might know” (a continuation of the preceding sentence). Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronoun “he” as subject and the verb “wanted” to convey the idea of purpose.
Luke 19:15 sn The Greek verb earned refers to profit from engaging in commerce and trade (L&N 57.195). This is an examination of stewardship.
Luke 19:16 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the royal summons.
Luke 19:16 tn Or “Lord”; or “Master.” (and so throughout this paragraph).
Luke 19:16 tn See the note on the word “minas” in v. 13.
Luke 19:17 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the nobleman of v. 12, now a king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 19:17 tn See Luke 16:10.
Luke 19:17 sn The faithful slave received expanded responsibility (authority over ten cities) as a result of his faithfulness; this in turn is an exhortation to faithfulness for the reader.
Luke 19:18 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Luke 19:19 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the second slave’s report.
Luke 19:19 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the nobleman of v. 12, now a king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 19:20 sn Though ten were given minas, the story stops to focus on the one who did nothing with the opportunity given to him. Here is the parable’s warning about the one who does not trust the master. This figure is called “another,” marking him out as different than the first two.
Luke 19:20 tn The word “slave” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied for stylistic reasons.
Luke 19:20 tn Grk “behold.”
Luke 19:20 tn Or “that I stored away.” L&N 85.53 defines ἀπόκειμαι (apokeimai) here as “to put something away for safekeeping—‘to store, to put away in a safe place.’”
Luke 19:20 tn The piece of cloth, called a σουδάριον (soudarion), could have been a towel, napkin, handkerchief, or face cloth (L&N 6.159).
Luke 19:21 tn Or “exacting,” “harsh,” “hard.”
Luke 19:21 tn Grk “man, taking out.” The Greek word can refer to withdrawing money from a bank (L&N 57.218), and in this context of financial accountability that is the most probable meaning. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronoun “you” as subject and translating the participle αἴρεις (aireis) as a finite verb.
Luke 19:21 tn The Greek verb τίθημι (tithēmi) can be used of depositing money with a banker to earn interest (L&N 57.217). In effect the slave charges that the master takes what he has not earned.
Luke 19:22 tn Grk “He”; the referent (the nobleman of v. 12, now a king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Luke 19:22 tn Grk “out of your own mouth” (an idiom).
Luke 19:22 tn Note the contrast between this slave, described as “wicked,” and the slave in v. 17, described as “good.”
Luke 19:22 tn Or “exacting,” “harsh,” “hard.”
Luke 19:23 tn That is, “If you really feared me why did you not do a minimum to get what I asked for?”
Luke 19:23 tn Grk “on the table”; the idiom refers to a place where money is kept or managed, or credit is established, thus “bank” (L&N 57.215).
Luke 19:24 tn Grk “to those standing by,” but in this context involving an audience before the king to give an accounting, these would not be casual bystanders but courtiers or attendants.
Luke 19:24 tn Grk “the ten minas.”
Luke 19:25 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context. Those watching the evaluation are shocked, as the one with the most gets even more. The word “already” is supplied at the end of the statement to indicate this surprise and shock.
Luke 19:25 tc A few mss (D W 69 and a few versional witnesses) omit this verse either to harmonize it with Matt 25:28-29 or to keep the king’s speech seamless.
Luke 19:26 tn Grk “to everyone who has, he will be given more.” sn Everyone who has will be given more. Again, faithfulness yields great reward (see Luke 8:18; also Matt 13:12; Mark 4:25).
Luke 19:26 sn The one who has nothing has even what he seems to have taken away from him, ending up with no reward at all (see also Luke 8:18). The exact force of this is left ambiguous, but there is no comfort here for those who are pictured by the third slave as being totally unmoved by the master. Though not an outright enemy, there is no relationship to the master either. Three groups are represented in the parable: the faithful of various sorts (vv. 16, 18); the unfaithful who associate with Jesus but do not trust him (v. 21); and the enemies (v. 27).
Luke 19:27 tn Grk “to rule over them.”
Luke 19:27 tn This term, when used of people rather than animals, has some connotations of violence and mercilessness (L&N 20.72).
Luke 19:27 sn Slaughter them. To reject the king is to face certain judgment from him.

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Old/New Testament

David’s Final Words

David’s Warriors

David Displeases the Lord by Taking a Census

David Acquires a Threshing Floor and Constructs an Altar There

Footnotes

Jesus and Zacchaeus

The Parable of the Ten Minas

Footnotes