Scriptures Plain & Simple (Luke 4:16-30)

Barclay Newman, a translator on the teams for both the Good News Bible and the Contemporary English Version, translated passages of the New Testament into English and published them in 2014, “in a publication brief enough to be non-threatening, yet long enough to be taken seriously, and interesting enough to appeal to believers and un-believers alike.” The following is the translation of Luke 4:16-30:

Jesus — now a grown man — returned one day
to his hometown of Nazareth,
       where he attended synagogue on a Sabbath.
He was handed a Bible and instructed to read from Isaiah:

       The Spirit of the Lord has descended upon me
       and has chosen me to proclaim great news for the poor,
              to set prisoners free, to heal blindness and suffering,
              and to announce this is the Lord’s chosen time.
Jesus closed the Bible and handed it to the leader,
then sat down, and with everyone staring at him, said,
       “These words have all come true today.”

Though completely amazed at the teaching of Jesus,
the entire congregation was puzzled and questioned,
       “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?”

So Jesus responded:

       “You think I’m really the one in need of help,
       and you challenge me to work in my own hometown
              the same miracles you heard I worked in Capernaum.
       Need I remind you — prophets are rejected at home!

       “During the time of Elijah the prophet,
       there was a drought for three years,
              and people were starving everywhere.
       But God sent Elijah to help only a foreign widow.

       “During the time of Elisha the prophet,
       many men in our nation suffered from leprosy,
              but God healed only Naaman, who lived in Syria.”

At this, everyone in the synagogue became furious.
They threw Jesus out of their town,
       dragged him to the edge of a cliff,
       and started to throw him down from there.
But Jesus slipped through the crowd and disappeared.

Translation commentary on Luke 4:24

Exegesis:

eipen de ‘and he said,’ i.e. “he added” (Phillips), or “he went on” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation).

amēn legō humin ‘truly I say to you,’ cf. on 3.8.

amēn ‘truly,’ always at the beginning of a solemn declaration. The introductory amēn-formula is a substitute for the Old Testament prophetic “Thus says the Lord” without the name of God. It serves to lend weight and authority to the statement which follows.

oudeis prophētēs dektos estin en tē patridi autou ‘no prophet is acceptable in his native place.’ This saying which has become a proverb and is today almost exclusively in use as a proverb, probably was not known as such in Jesus’ time. For dektos cf. on v. 19.

Translation:

Truly, I say to you. For the verbal phrase cf. on “I tell you” in 3.8.

The structure of no prophet is acceptable in his own country may have to be changed, e.g. ‘a prophet is not accepted in (or, by the people of) his own country/place/town,’ ‘the people in a prophet’s own country/town (or, a prophet’s fellow-countrymen/townsmen) never accept him.’ To be acceptable has been rendered variously, e.g. ‘to be well received (Sinhala) or, welcomed,’ ‘to be considered-good’ (Tae’), ‘to be liked (Sundanese), or, cherished (Trukese), or popular’ (Pohnpeian), ‘to be believed with respect’ (Kele), ‘to be listened to,’ cf. ‘they do not always listen to a prophet if he tells something to his own people in his own country’ (Tboli).

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 4:24

4:24a

He added: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as He added is literally “he said” (as in the Revised Standard Version). In 4:23 Jesus said what the people were thinking. In 4:24a, he began to express his response to their thoughts. Because of this, the Berean Standard Bible has translated the Greek word as He added. In some languages, it may be more natural to use a different speech clause. For example:

he continued (New International Version)
-or-
Then Jesus said (New Century Version)

Truly I tell you: Jesus often used the words Truly I tell you to introduce a statement that he wanted to emphasize. He wanted people to listen with extra attention. Some other ways to show this emphasis are:

I assure you that (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
I can guarantee this truth (God’s Word)

4:24b

no prophet is accepted in his hometown: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as is accepted means “is welcomed” or “is honored.” The clause no prophet is accepted in his hometown means that people in the town where a prophet grew up generally do not honor him. People find it hard to believe that someone whom they know personally is a prophet from God. Some other ways to translate this are:

prophets are never welcomed in their hometown (Good News Translation)
-or-
no prophet is acceptable in his hometown (NET Bible)
-or-
no prophets are liked by the people of their own hometown (Contemporary English Version)

Like the proverb “Physician, heal yourself!” (4:23b), this clause also appears to be a proverb.

no prophet is accepted: This clause is passive. Some ways to translate this are:

• Use a passive clause. For example:

a prophet is not accepted (New Century Version)

• Use an active clause and supply a subject. For example:

⌊People⌋ do not accept a prophet

prophet: The word prophet also occurs in 4:17a. Translate it the same way in both verses.

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