Read The Jewish Annotated New Testament Online
Authors: Amy-Jill Levine
34
:
Was hidden from them
, see 24.16.
18.35
–43: Healing a blind man
(Mt 20.29–34; Mk 10.46–52).
35
:
Jericho
, see 10.30n.; 19.1.
38
:
Son of David
, 1.27n.; 3.31; see also Mt 22.42; Mk 12.35.
42
:
Faith has saved you
, see 7.50n.; 8.48; 17.19.
43
:
All the people
(Gk “pas ho laos”; see 2.10; Mt 27.25); Jesus retains the support of the Jewish population.
19.1
–10: Zacchaeus. 1:
Jericho
, a customs center (see 10.30n.; 19.1).
2
:
Zacchaeus
, from the Hebrew for “righteous” or “upright,” as in R. Yo
ḥ
anan ben Zakkai.
Chief tax collector
, 3.12n.
Rich
, see 6.24n.; 18.18–23.
7
:
Sinner
, 5.1n.,30; 15.1–2.
8
:
I will give
…
will pay back
, lit., “give … do pay back” (present tense): Zaccheus is less repenting than he is attesting his righteousness.
Four times
, see Ex 22.1.
9
:
Son of Abraham
, see 13.16n.
10
:
Son of Man
, 5.24.
19.11
–27: Parable of the pounds
(Mt 25.14–30; Mk 13.34).
11
:
Kingdom of God was to appear
, the messianic age would dawn. See 17.21n.
12
:
To get royal power
, reminiscent of Archelaus’s visit to Rome in 4 BCE to seek his father Herod’s kingdom (
Ant
. 17.9.4; 17.10).
13
:
Pounds
(Gk “minas”), gold coins worth 100 drachmas (see 15.8n.), a very large amount.
14
:
Sent a delegation
, the response of the Judeans to Archelaus; in 6 CE Rome replaced Archelaus with direct rule in Judea.
23
:
Bank
(Gk “trapeza”; lit., “table”), to invest.
26
:
See 8.18.
27
:
Slaughter them
, scholars debate whether the reference is to earthly political abuse and so a warning about governments, or to the final judgment.
19.28
–40: Triumphal procession
(Mt 21.1–9; Mk 11.1–10; Jn 12.12–18).
29
:
Bethphage
, otherwise unknown;
Bethany
, east of Jerusalem (see 10.38n.).
Mount of Olives
, hill opposite Jerusalem, on the eastern side of Kidron Valley; traditional place for the Messiah’s appearance (see Zech 14.4).
30
:
You will find
, Jesus has local supporters.
Colt
, see Zech 9.9.
32
:
Found it as he had told them
, see 22.13.
36
:
Spreading their cloaks
, to greet a king (see 2 Kings 9.13).
37
:
Disciples
, distinct from the crowd (contrast other versions of this event).
38
:
Combination of Ps 118.26, part of the Hallel prayer (see 13.35n.) and Zech 9.9 (see also Lk 2.14; 13.35).
King
, the charge against Jesus (23.2–3,37–38).
39
:
Pharisees
, their last appearance in this Gospel, apparently trying to prevent Roman reprisal (see 13.31n.).
40
:
Stones would shout
, see Hab 2.11; perhaps related to the concept of nature rejoicing, Ps 93–99.
19.41
–44: Second lament over Jerusalem.
See 13.33–34; cf. 23.27–31.
42
:
Things that make for peace
, the verse likely reflects knowledge of Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 CE (see 19.44; 21.6,20–24). The name “Jerusalem” suggests a city of
peace
(Heb “shalom”).
43
–44:
You did not recognize
, Luke suggests the city’s destruction is caused by its failure to follow Jesus. Earlier prophets predicted the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE (see Isa 29.3; Jer 6.6; Ezek 4.2).
Hem you in
, Roman troops surrounded the city to starve the population.
One stone upon another
, only the Kotel (Western Wall) of the Temple retaining mound remains standing.
19.45
–46: Temple disruption
(Mt 21.12–13; Mk 11.15–17; Jn 2.13–17).
45
:
Selling
, for sacrificial offerings (see 2.24); because Luke does not specify the reason for the vendors, the text can suggest venal activity.
46
:
House of prayer
, Isa 56.7.
Den of robbers
, Jer 7.11, a place where thieves go with their ill-gotten gains. The point is not priestly corruption or vendors overcharging, but ritual without accompanying repentance and good deeds.
19.47
–48: Teaching in the Temple
(Mk 11.18–19).
47
:
Chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders
, Jesus’ adversaries in Jerusalem (see 20.19).
20.1
–8: Questioning Jesus’ authority
(Mt 21.23–27; Mk 11.27–33; Jn 2.18–22).
1
:
Good news
, 1.19n.
4
:
Baptism of John
, 3.3–21.
20.9
–19: Parable of the wicked tenants
(Mt 21.33–46; Mk 12.1–12).
9
:
Vineyard
, symbol for Israel (Isa 5.1–7).
13
:
Beloved
(see 3.22) identifies the son with Jesus.
16
:
Destroy those tenants
, see 19.27n.
Others
, here, Jesus’ followers.
17
:
Ps 118.22; see Isa 28.16; Acts 4.11; Eph 2.20; 1 Pet 2.6. The Hallel Psalms (113–118) sung on pilgrimage festivals were adapted by Jesus’ followers.
18
:
See Isa 8.14–15.
19
:
See 19.47.
20.20
–26: Paying taxes to the emperor
(Mt 22.15–22; Mk 12.13–17).
22
:
Lawful
, according to Jewish law.
24
:
Denarius
, coin depicting a portrait of the emperor (12.59n.).
25
:
Things that are God’s
, Jesus’ interlocutors would need to determine whether anything belongs to the emperor, or whether everything (including coinage) belongs to God. Christian tradition reads the saying as advocating payment (see Rom 13.6–7). Jesus’ opponents charge him with forbidding paying taxes, a plausible interpretation of his response (23.2).
20.27
–40: Question concerning resurrection
(Mt 22.23–33; Mk 12.18–27).
27
:
Sadducees
, the elite, Jerusalem-based party; see “Jewish Movements of the NT Period,” p.
526
.
There is no resurrection
, either they rejected the idea of physical resurrection (see Acts 4.1–2; 23.6–10;
Ant
. 18.1.4) or denied that it could be found in Torah (see
m. Sanh
. 10.1).
28
:
Raise up children
, levirate marriage, designed to protect widows and preserve the dead husband’s name and estate (Deut 25.5–10; see also Gen 38.8).
34
–35:
Marry and are given in marriage
, see 17.27.
36
:
Like angels
, having no need to procreate.
37
:
Story about the bush
, Ex 3.6.
20.41
–44: A question about David’s son
(Mt 22.41–46; Mk 12.35–37a).
42
–43:
Citation of Ps 110.1 (early Christian writings, but not Jewish ones, frequently cite this text in reference to the Messiah; see Acts 2.34–35; 1 Cor 15.25; Heb 1.4).
44
:
How can he be his son
, the psalm depicts God (“the Lord”) speaking to David or another king (“my Lord”); the superscription ascribes it to David.