17:20 Now at one point59 the Pharisees60 asked Jesus61 when the kingdom of God62 was coming, so he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs63 to be observed,
tn The words “at one point” are supplied to indicate that the following incident is not necessarily in chronological sequence with the preceding event.
tnGrk “having been asked by the Pharisees.” The passive construction has been translated as an active one in keeping with contemporary English style, and the direct object, Jesus, has been supplied from the context.
62
snThe kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20–21.
63
tn Or “is not coming in a way that it can be closely watched” (L&N 24.48). Although there are differing interpretations of what this means, it probably refers to the cosmic signs often associated with the kingdom’s coming in the Jewish view (1 En. 91, 93; 2 Bar. 53–74). See D. L. Bock, Luke (BECNT), 2:1412–14, also H. Riesenfeld, TDNT 8:150.