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Grow With Me

Luke 4:18

““The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send away the oppressed in freedom,”

Luke 4:18 · direct translation from the Greek
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In his hometown he reads Isaiah and says the good news for the poor is fulfilled todayWho Jesus Is

With the Greek beneath

18

Quotation · Isaiah 61:1-2

Go to Isaiah 61:1-2

Jesus reads Isaiah 61:1-2 in the synagogue of Nazareth and stops before “and the day of vengeance of our Elohim.” Between the sentences of Isaiah 61 he inserts one from Isaiah 58:6.

Formula: εὗρεν τὸν τόπον οὗ ἦν γεγραμμένον “he found the place where it was written” (Luke 4:17)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: Πνεῦμα κυρίου ἐπ’ ἐμέ οὗ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέν με εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοῖς ἀπέσταλκέν με κηρύξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν ἀποστεῖλαι τεθραυσμένους ἐν ἀφέσει κηρύξαι ἐνιαυτὸν κυρίου δεκτόν

Hebrew (Masoretic text): רוּחַ אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה עָלָי יַעַן מָשַׁח יְהוָה אֹתִי לְבַשֵּׂר עֲנָוִים שְׁלָחַנִי לַחֲבֹשׁ לְנִשְׁבְּרֵי לֵב לִקְרֹא לִשְׁבוּיִם דְּרוֹר וְלַאֲסוּרִים פְּקַח קוֹחַ לִקְרֹא שְׁנַת רָצוֹן לַיהוָה וְיוֹם נָקָם לֵאלֹהֵינוּ לְנַחֵם כָּל אֲבֵלִים

Septuagint (Isaiah 61:1-2 in the Septuagint numbering): Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐπ’ ἐμέ, οὗ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέν με εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοῖς, ἀπέσταλκέν με ἰάσασθαι τοὺς συντετριμμένους τῇ καρδία, κηρῦξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν, καλέσαι ἐνιαυτὸν Κυρίου δεκτὸν καὶ ἡμέραν ἀνταποδόσεως, παρακαλέσαι πάντας τοὺς πενθοῦντας,

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 12 consecutive words: “Πνεῦμα κυρίου ἐπ’ ἐμέ οὗ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέν με εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοῖς ἀπέσταλκέν με.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Quotation · Isaiah 58:6

Go to Isaiah 58:6

“To send away the oppressed in freedom” is a sentence from Isaiah 58:6, inserted in the reading of Isaiah 61.

Formula: εὗρεν τὸν τόπον οὗ ἦν γεγραμμένον “he found the place where it was written” (Luke 4:17)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: Πνεῦμα κυρίου ἐπ’ ἐμέ οὗ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέν με εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοῖς ἀπέσταλκέν με κηρύξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν ἀποστεῖλαι τεθραυσμένους ἐν ἀφέσει

Hebrew (Masoretic text): הֲלוֹא זֶה צוֹם אֶבְחָרֵהוּ פַּתֵּחַ חַרְצֻבּוֹת רֶשַׁע הַתֵּר אֲגֻדּוֹת מוֹטָה וְשַׁלַּח רְצוּצִים חָפְשִׁים וְכָל מוֹטָה תְּנַתֵּקוּ

Septuagint (Isaiah 58:6 in the Septuagint numbering): οὐχὶ τοιαύτην νηστείαν ἐγὼ ἐξελεξάμην, λέγει Κύριος, ἀλλὰ λῦε πάντα σύνδεσμον ἀδικίας, διάλυε στραγγαλιὰς βιαίων συναλλαγμάτων, ἀπόστελλε τεθραυσμένους ἐν ἀφέσει, καὶ πᾶσαν συγγραφὴν ἄδικον διάσπα.

In the Septuagint verse that most resembles it, at most 3 consecutive words match the Greek of the NT. The transcription has reading errors, so a match may not show.

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Luke 4:18, word by word

“The SpiritΠνεῦμαPneuma

Spirit

God himself at work, giving life and dwelling in believers.

Where else “Pneuma” appears
of the Lordκυρίουkyriou

Lord

The Lord: God, whose name is YHWH; also Jesus.

Where else “kyriou” appears
he anointedἔχρισένechrisen

anoint

Anoint: consecrate with oil for a task.

Where else “echrisen” appears
to bring good newsεὐαγγελίσασθαιeuangelisasthai

proclaim good news

Announce the good news; in the passive, have the good news announced or be announced as good news.

Where else “euangelisasthai” appears
to the poorπτωχοῖςptōchois

poor

Someone who has nothing to live on.

Where else “ptōchois” appears
he has sentἀπέσταλκένapestalken

send

To send someone somewhere on an errand, on behalf of the sender.

Where else “apestalken” appears
to proclaimκηρύξαιkēryxai

proclaim

Proclaim aloud, like a herald announcing a message on behalf of the king.

Where else “kēryxai” appears
freedomἄφεσινaphesin

release

Release for prisoners and the oppressed.

Where else “aphesin” appears
to the captivesαἰχμαλώτοιςaichmalōtois

captive

Captive, prisoner of war.

Where else “aichmalōtois” appears
recovery of sightἀνάβλεψινanablepsin

recovery of sight

Recovery of sight.

Where else “anablepsin” appears
to the blindτυφλοῖςtyphlois

blind

Someone who cannot see.

Where else “typhlois” appears
the oppressedτεθραυσμένουςtethrausmenous

crush, oppress

Break in pieces, crush; hence oppress the downtrodden.

Where else “tethrausmenous” appears

Translation note· on the manuscripts

A quotation from Isaiah 61:1-2 according to the ancient Greek, which says “recovery of sight to the blind”; “to send away the oppressed in freedom” comes from Isaiah 58:6. Many late manuscripts add “to heal the brokenhearted.” The reading stops before “the day of vengeance of our God.”

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Jesus rejected at Nazareth

Matthew 13:53-58Mark 6:1-6

It is discussed whether Luke tells the same visit as Matthew and Mark.

See them side by side

Luke 4:16-30

16And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and according to his custom he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him, and unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written: 18“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send away the oppressed in freedom, 19to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” 20And rolling up the scroll and giving it back to the attendant, he sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21And he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22And all were testifying about him and marveling at the words of grace that were coming out of his mouth, and they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” 23And he said to them, “Surely you will tell me this proverb: Physician, heal yourself; all that we heard was done in Capernaum, do here also, in your hometown.” 24And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown. 25But in truth I tell you, there were many widows in the days of Elijah in Israel, when heaven was shut for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; 26and to none of them was Elijah sent, except to Zarephath of Sidon, to a widow. 27And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed, except Naaman the Syrian.” 28And all in the synagogue were filled with rage when they heard these things; 29and rising up, they drove him out of the town, and they led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, so as to throw him down the cliff. 30But he, passing through the midst of them, went on his way.

Matthew 13:53-58

53And it happened when Jesus had finished these parables that he went away from there. 54And coming to his hometown, he was teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and the miracles? 55Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56And his sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57And they stumbled over him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his house.” 58And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

Mark 6:1-6

1And he went out from there and comes to his hometown, and his disciples follow him. 2And when the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue; and the many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? And what is the wisdom given to him, and such miracles done by his hands? 3Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they stumbled over him. 4And Jesus was saying to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his house.” 5And he could not do any miracle there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6And he was amazed because of their unbelief. And he was going around the villages in a circuit, teaching.

Quotation · Isaiah 61:1-2

Jesus reads Isaiah 61:1-2 in the synagogue of Nazareth and stops before “and the day of vengeance of our Elohim.” Between the sentences of Isaiah 61 he inserts one from Isaiah 58:6.

See them side by side

Luke 4:18

18“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send away the oppressed in freedom,

Isaiah 61:1-2

1The spirit of Adonai YHWH is upon me, because YHWH has anointed me to bring good news to the humble; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and to the prisoners opening of the prison,

Quotation · Isaiah 58:6

“To send away the oppressed in freedom” is a sentence from Isaiah 58:6, inserted in the reading of Isaiah 61.

See them side by side

Luke 4:18

18“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send away the oppressed in freedom,

Isaiah 58:6

6Is this not the fast that I choose: to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, and to set free the crushed, and that you break every yoke?

The context

17And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him, and unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written:

18 · This verse (above)

19to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

Read all of Luke 4

To study Luke 4 in a group

  1. 1. What it says

    How does Jesus answer the devil each time he is tempted in the wilderness? (vv. 3-13)

  2. 2. What it means

    In Nazareth Jesus reads from Isaiah and says, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled.” Why do his neighbors become angry afterward? (vv. 18-29)

  3. 3. How I live it

    Jesus came to bring good news to the poor and freedom to the oppressed. Who near you could you bring some of that to?

How to use it