Luke 10:31-33

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Luke 10:31 sn The phrase by chance adds an initial note of hope and fortune to the expectation in the story.
2. Luke 10:31 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context between the priest’s expected action (helping the victim) and what he really did.
3. Luke 10:31 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the injured man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4. Luke 10:31 sn It is not said why the priest passed by and refused to help. It is not relevant to the point of the parable that no help was given in the emergency situation.
5. Luke 10:31 sn The text suggests that the priest went out of his way (on the other side) not to get too close to the scene.
6. Luke 10:32 tn Here κατά (kata) has been translated “up to”; it could also be translated “upon.”
7. Luke 10:32 tn The clause containing the aorist active participle ἐλθών (elthōn) suggests that the Levite came up to the place, took a look, and then moved on.
8. Luke 10:33 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context between the previous characters (considered by society to be examples of piety and religious duty) and a hated Samaritan.
9. Luke 10:33 tn This is at the beginning of the clause, in emphatic position in the Greek text.
10. Luke 10:33 tn The participle ὁδεύων (hodeuōn) has been translated as an adjectival participle (cf. NAB, NASB, TEV); it could also be taken temporally (“while he was traveling,” cf. NRSV, NIV).
11. Luke 10:33 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the injured man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12. Luke 10:33 tn “Him” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The verb means “to feel compassion for,” and the object of the compassion is understood.sn Here is what made the Samaritan different: He felt compassion for him. In the story, compassion becomes the concrete expression of love. The next verse details explicitly six acts of compassion.