The Bible — notes and cross-references in The Gospel According to Luke | Interpretation and commentary to chapter 4

This must have occurred in the preadamic age. The devil's word here indicates that when God anointed the archangel to be the head of the preadamic age (Ezek. 28:13-14), the authority and glory of the kingdom of the earth must have been given to him. The Lord's word in John 12:31 confirms this. After he rebelled against God and became God's enemy, Satan, he was judged by God (Isa. 14:12-15), but the full execution of God's judgment upon him will not be completed until the end of the millennium (Rev. 20:7-10). Hence, until that time he has authority over the kingdoms of the earth. He tempted the Lord Jesus by offering this authority and its glory to Him. His evil offer was rejected by God's Christ, but it will be accepted by the Antichrist, the man of lawlessness (2 Thes. 2:3-4), at the end of this age (Rev. 13:4) for the executing of Satan's evil strategy against God. Only by Christ, who lives in us, can we reject the evil tempter.

4:8¹ him

Some MSS add, Go away, behind Me, Satan.

4:8^a You

Deut. 6:13

4:8² serve

Lit., serve as a priest.

4:9¹ wing

See note Matt. 4:5¹.

4:10^a To

Psa. 91:11-12

4:12^a You

Deut. 6:16; Isa. 7:12

4:12¹ test

See note Matt. 4:7².

4:13¹ until

Indicating that the devil would seek for another time and would come back to tempt Him again and again at any time he saw fit (Matt. 16:22-23; John 8:40; Luke 22:53; John 6:70-71).

4:14^1a Spirit

Luke 4:1, 18

See note Luke 3:22^1a.

4:14^b Galilee

Matt. 4:12; John 4:43; Acts 10:37

4:14^2c reports

Luke 4:37

Or, the fame concerning Him went out.

4:15^1a taught

Luke 4:31

See note Mark 1:21². So in v. 31.

4:15^2b synagogues

Matt. 4:23; 9:35; John 18:20

See note Mark 1:21^1d and note James 2:2¹.

4:15³ glorified

I.e., praised, extolled.

4:16^a came

vv. 16-24: Matt. 13:54-58; Mark 6:1-6

4:16^b Nazareth

Matt. 2:23; Luke 2:39, 51

4:16^c custom

Acts 17:2

4:16^d Sabbath

Luke 4:31

4:16^e synagogue

Acts 13:14

4:16^f read

Acts 13:27; 15:21

4:17^a Isaiah

Luke 3:4

4:18^a The

Isa. 61:1-2

4:18^1b Spirit

Luke 4:1, 14; Isa. 42:1

See note Luke 3:22^1a.

4:18^c anointed

Dan. 9:26; cf. Lev. 8:12; 1 Sam. 16:12-13

4:18^2d announce

Luke 3:18; 4:43

See note Luke 4:43^1a. To announce the gospel was the first commission of the Savior as God's anointed One, Messiah.

4:18^3e poor

Matt. 11:5; Luke 6:20

Poor in heavenly, spiritual, and divine things (Luke 12:21; Rev. 3:17; cf. Matt. 5:3).

4:18^f release

Psa. 146:7-8; Zech. 9:11-12; Rom. 6:18, 22

4:18⁴ captives

Prisoners of war, exiles and prisoners under Satan's bondage (Isa. 42:7).

4:18⁵ recovery

Recovery of sight is related to being released from the power of Satan (Acts 26:18).

4:18^6g blind

Acts 26:18

Those who are blind physically and spiritually (Zeph. 1:17; John 9:39-41; 1 John 2:11; Rev. 3:17).

4:18^7h oppressed

Isa. 58:6

From a verb meaning to break in pieces (Matt. 12:20). Here it denotes being oppressed under Satan in sickness or in sin (Luke 13:11-13; John 8:34).

4:19¹ acceptable

The New Testament age, typified by the year of jubilee (Lev. 25:8-17). The New Testament age would be the time when God would accept the returned captives of sin (Isa. 49:8; 2 Cor. 6:2) and when those oppressed under the bondage of sin would enjoy the release of God's salvation and keep the New Testament jubilee.

4:21^a fulfilled

Matt. 1:22

4:22^a marveled

Luke 4:32; Matt. 7:28; Mark 6:2

4:22¹ words

Referring to the words in v. 21, and including the words of the gospel in vv. 18-19.

4:22^b grace

Psa. 45:2

4:22^2c Joseph

Luke 3:23

They knew the Savior according to His flesh (2 Cor. 5:16), not according to the Spirit (Rom. 1:4).

4:23^a yourself

Matt. 27:42; Luke 23:39

4:23^b Capernaum

Luke 4:31; Matt. 4:13; 11:23

4:25^a Elijah

1 Kings 17:1; 18:1; James 5:17

4:26^1a Sarepta

1 Kings 17:9

The Old Testament name is Zarephath (1 Kings 17:9).

4:26^b Sidon

Matt. 15:21 and note;

4:26² woman

This was a case of feeding, signifying the Lord's feeding of the hungry (John 6:33, 35). The case of Naaman in the next verse is a case of cleansing, signifying the Lord's cleansing of sinners (1 Cor. 6:11). The Savior's mentioning of these two cases implied that His gospel would turn to the Gentiles (Acts 13:45-48 see note Matt. 15:21^1b and note Matt. 15:22^1a) — not because His standard of morality was unable to embrace the Jews but because of the Jews' hardhearted rejection of Him.

4:27^a lepers

2 Kings 7:3

4:27^b Naaman

2 Kings 5:1-5

4:28^a anger

Luke 6:11; John 7:23; cf. Acts 7:54

4:29^a cast

Acts 7:58; cf. Num. 15:35

4:30¹ passing

Showing His steadiness under the threatening of His opposers.

4:30^a went

John 8:59; 10:39

4:31^a came

vv. 31-37: Mark 1:21-28

4:31^b Capernaum

Luke 4:23; 7:1; Matt. 4:13; Mark 1:21

4:31^c taught

Matt. 4:23; Mark 6:2

4:31^d Sabbath

Luke 4:16

4:32^a astounded

Luke 4:22

4:32^1b authority

Matt. 7:28-29; Mark 1:22

See note Mark 1:22¹.

4:33^1a spirit

Luke 6:18

See note Mark 1:23¹.

4:34¹ Ah

An interjection expressing anger or dismay. The Greek word may be translated Let us alone.

4:34^2a What

Matt. 8:29

Lit., What to us and to You. A Hebrew idiom.

4:34^b Nazarene

Luke 4:16; John 1:45

4:34^c know

Acts 19:15

4:34^d Holy

Psa. 16:10; Luke 1:35

4:35^a quiet

Luke 4:41

4:36^1a authority

Luke 4:32; cf. Matt. 8:27

See note Mark 1:27^1c.

4:36^b power

Luke 6:19

4:37^1a reports

Luke 4:14

Or, a sound.

4:38^a entered

vv. 38-41: Matt. 8:14-17; Mark 1:29-34

4:38¹ Simon

In vv. 38-41; 5:12-14 and Luke 7:1-10, the order in the narration of the incidents is according to morality; this differs from the order in Matt. 8:2-16 and Mark 1:29-45; 2:1. See note Matt. 8:16¹, par. 2.

4:38² suffering

Lit., constrained.

4:38³ fever

See note Mark 1:30¹ and note Mark 1:31¹.

4:39^a rebuked

Luke 4:41; 8:24; 9:42

4:40^a laid

Mark 5:23; 16:18

4:41^a crying

Mark 3:11-12; Acts 16:17-18

4:41^b Son

Matt. 14:33

4:41^c not

Luke 4:35; Mark 1:25

4:41^d Christ

Luke 2:11, 26

4:42^a day

Mark 1:35

4:42^b deserted

Luke 5:16

4:42^c sought

Mark 1:36, 37

4:43^1a announce

Luke 2:10; 3:18; 8:1; 16:16; Matt. 4:23; 24:14; Acts 8:12

The Greek word means to announce good news, to declare (bring) glad tidings, to preach (the gospel). Hence, to announce the gospel of the kingdom of God is to preach the kingdom of God as the gospel, the good news.

4:43² kingdom

The kingdom of God is the Savior (see note Luke 17:21¹) as the seed of life sown into His believers, God's chosen people (Mark 4:3, 26), and developing into a realm over which God can rule as His kingdom in His divine life. The entrance into the kingdom is regeneration (John 3:5), and the development of the kingdom is the believers' growth in the divine life (2 Pet. 1:3-11). The kingdom is the church life today, in which the faithful believers live (Rom. 14:17), and it will develop into the coming kingdom as a reward to be inherited (Gal. 5:21; Eph. 5:5) by the overcoming saints in the millennium (Rev. 20:4, 6). Eventually, it will consummate in the New Jerusalem as the eternal kingdom of God, an eternal realm of the eternal blessing of God's eternal life, which all God's redeemed will enjoy in the new heaven and new earth for eternity — Rev. 21:1-4; 22:1-5, 14 (see note Mark 1:15^1b, and note Mark 4:3^1a, note Mark 4:3², note Mark 4:26^1a, note Mark 4:26^3b). Such a kingdom, the kingdom of God, is what the Savior announced here as the gospel, the good news, to those who were alienated from the life of God (Eph. 4:18).

4:43³ this

See note Mark 1:38².

4:44¹ preached

See note Mark 1:14^2b.

4:44^a synagogues

Matt. 4:23; Mark 1:39

4:44² Judea

Some MSS read, Galilee; corresponding with Mark 1:39 and Matt. 4:23. Galilee was a part of the country of the Jews, which was commonly called Judea (see note Luke 7:17¹ and note Luke 23:5^1a).