Luke 8:42-44

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Luke 8:42 tn This imperfect verb could be understood ingressively: “she was beginning to die” or “was approaching death.”
2. Luke 8:42 sn Pressed is a very emphatic term—the crowds were pressing in so hard that one could hardly breathe (L&N 19.48).
3. Luke 8:43 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
4. Luke 8:43 tn Grk “a flow of blood.”sn This most likely refers to a chronic vaginal or uterine hemorrhage which would have rendered the woman ritually unclean. In addition to being a source of continuing embarrassment, the condition would have excluded the woman from social contact and religious activities. Contemporary remedies included wine mixed with rubber, alum, and crocuses (D. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 1:793).
5. Luke 8:43 tc ‡ Most mss, including the majority of later mss (א[* C] A L W Θ Ξ [Ψ] ƒ^1,13 33 [1424] M [lat sy^c,p,h]) read here, “having spent all her money on doctors.” Uncertainty over its authenticity is due primarily to the fact that certain significant witnesses do not have the phrase (e.g., P⁷⁵ B [D] 0279 sy^s sa Or). This evidence alone renders its authenticity unlikely. It may have been intentionally added by later scribes in order to harmonize Luke’s account with similar material in Mark 5:26 (see TCGNT 121). NA²⁸ includes the words in brackets, indicating doubt as to their authenticity.
6. Luke 8:44 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
7. Luke 8:44 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8. Luke 8:44 sn The edge of his cloak may simply refer to the edge or hem of the garment, but it could refer to the kraspedon, the tassel on the four corners of the garment, two in front and two behind, that served to remind the wearer of God’s commands (Num 15:37-41; Deut 22:12; D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 1:794). The woman thus touched the very part of Jesus’ clothing that indicated his ritual purity.
9. Luke 8:44 tn Grk “garment,” but here ἱμάτιον (himation) denotes the outer garment in particular.
10. Luke 8:44 tn Grk “the flow of her blood.”sn The woman was most likely suffering from a vaginal hemorrhage, in which case her bleeding would make her ritually unclean.