Luke

24:36-53

The culmination of Messiah's mission, 19:45-24:53

3. The glorification of the Messiah, 23:26-24:53

vi] Appearances in Jerusalem - the commission

It was the day of Jesus' resurrection, and many of the disciples had gathered in Jerusalem to discuss the reports that Jesus had risen from the dead. "While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them." During this appearance, Jesus explains from the scriptures the meaning of his death and resurrection. He then commissions his disciples to be "witnesses" (now to all nations and in the power of the Holy Spirit), blesses them, and then he disappears.

It was necessary for the messiah to die and rise again, so that repentance for the forgiveness of sins may be preached to all nations.

i] Context: See 23:26-31. The appearances in Jerusalem, detailing Jesus' meeting with his disciples for their commissioning, is the final episode of a series of six dealing with The Glorification of the Messiah, 23:26-24:53.

ii] Structure: Jesus' appearances in Jerusalem:

iii] Interpretation:

iv] Synoptics:

v] Exposition: A simple exposition of this passage may be found in the linked pew-level Sermon Notes.

The commission, v36-53: i] Jesus appears to his disciples, v36-37. When Jesus appears in the midst of his gathered disciples, they react with fear. It may be that by just appearing in their midst, the disciples are shocked, but it is possible that there is something about Jesus that makes them think that he is an apparition of some sort. Their doubts continue until they share a meal with Jesus and he expounds the scriptures to them. In meeting his disciples, Jesus says to them "Peace be with you", although, as a variant, it is a possible addition drawn from John 20:19.

lalountwn (lalew) pres. part. "while [they] were still talking" - [but/and they] speaking. The genitive participle and its genitive subject autwn, "they", forms a genitive absolute construction, best taken as a temporal here, as NIV.

tauta "about this" - these things. The accusative object of the participle is best taken here as adverbial, reference / respect; "about / concerning these things." Referring to v35.

en "[stood] among" - [he = himself he stood] in [midst]. Local, expressing space. A common phrase in Luke, but redundant. The presence of autoV, "he", with the verb "to stand", is emphatic, so "he himself." "Jesus himself stood among them", Phillips.

autwn gen. pro. "them" - of them. The genitive is adjectival, partitive.

autoiV dat. pro. "[said] to them" - [and he says] to them. Dative of indirect object.

uJmin dat. pro. "[peace be] to you" - [peace] to you. Dative of interest, advantage.

genomenoi (ginomai) aor. part. "they were" - [but/and having been terrified and] having been [afraid]. The participle is modified by the adjective "afraid", giving the sense "having been frightened", and is coordinate with the participle "having been terrified." Both participles are adverbial, probably causal, "because they were startled and frightened." "There is little difference between the two and they serve to reinforce one another", TH; "they shrank back in terror", Phillips.

qewrein (qewrew) pres. inf. "[thinking] they saw" - [they were thinking] to see. The infinitive introduces an object clause / dependent statement of perception expressing what they were thinking; "they were under the impression that they were seeing an apparition." The imperfect for the verb "to think, suppose" probably indicates the provision of background information.

pneuma (a atoV) "a ghost" - a spirit. Accusative direct object of the infinitive "to see." Here in the sense of a disembodied person, "apparition", "ghost".

ii] Confirmation of the resurrection, v38-43: Luke now takes time to emphasise that Jesus' presence with the disciples is not just an apparition. This is the real flesh and blood Jesus; he is even able to sit down with his disciples and share a meal with them. Yet, at the same time, Luke does not counter the fact that Jesus can appear in a locked room, such that his resurrected body is a human body transformed. Jesus' enigmatic statement to Mary, recorded in John's gospel, "don't touch / hold me, I have not yet ascended to the Father", may indicate that the transformation was not yet complete. The vision of Paul on the road to Damascus is probably more in keeping with the transformed, ascended, glorious Christ. Anyway, at this point, Luke wants his readers to know that the disciples can confirm a bodily resurrection of Jesus.

tetaragmenoi (tarassw) perf. mid. part. "troubled" - [and he said to them, why has] having been disturbed, agitated, shaken up, alarmed. The participle with the present tense of the verb to-be este, forms a periphrastic perfect, possibly emphasising durative aspect; "[why] have you been troubled ..." It is possible to criticise the disciples for their seeming lack of confidence in the presence of the risen Christ, but "such criticism seems perverse. Even if the clearest warning has been given, the surprise and alarm are natural in the presence of a visitant from another world," Luce.

dia tiv "Why" - [and] because why. Causal. This construction is used to emphasise the question.

en "in [your minds]" - [do doubts arise] in [the heart of you]. Local, expressing space. The reasoning of the inner person, for a Jew, took place in the heart, although we identify the centre of reasoning as the mind. "Why do you let doubts invade your minds?", Barclay.

Why look at Jesus' hands and feet? In John 20:25, 27, Jesus' wound-marks confirm that it is the crucified Jesus who stands before the disciples, wounds that Thomas can confirm by the touch of a finger. It seems that Luke knows the line well enough, "Look at my hands and my feet", but not specifically what the disciples should be looking for on his hands and feet. Maybe Luke assumes that everyone knows that the hands and feet of Jesus bear the marks of crucifixion. Anyway, a touch will confirm Jesus' bodily resurrection.

idete (eidon) aor. imp. "look" - see, look at [the hands of me and the feet of me]. "Examine my hands and feet."

oJti "-" - and know that. Probably best classified as introducing an object clause / dependent statement of perception after an assumed verb such as "to know" (poss. kai idete, "and see", as later in the verse), expressing what the disciples should know / conclude from examining the hands and feet of Jesus, namely that it is he himself. "Look at my hands and my feet to assure yourselves that it is I myself", Cassirer.

autoV "[It is I] myself" - [i am] he = myself. Emphatic. "It is really me."

yhlafhsate (yhlafaw) aor. imp. "touch" - touch, feel [me and see]. A rare word in the NT. "Handle me."

oJti "-" - that / because. This second hoti may function as above, "touch me and see (prove to yourself) that a spirit ...", yet the resulting clause doesn't quite make sense. It possibly serves to introduce direct speech, as NIV, but a causal use seems better, so introducing a causal clause; "For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have", ESV.

pneuma (a atoV) "ghost" - a spirit [does not have flesh and bones]. Nominative subject of the verb "to have." The word is used in the sense of an independent expression of a person after their death. By saying he is not such a spirit, Jesus is not implying that ghosts necessarily exist. "An incorporeal being", Abbott-Smith.

kaqwV "as [you see]" - as [you see]. Here serving as a comparative.

econta (exw) pres. part. "[I] have" - [me] having. The accusative participle serves as the complement of the direct object "me", standing in a double accusative construction and asserting a fact about the object.

As with "Peace be with you", v36, this verse is not found in Codex Beza and the old Latin manuscripts. This implies that the verse, at some point in time, was transcribed from John's gospel. None-the-less, the verse is well attested.

eipwn (eipon) aor. part. "when he had said" - [and] having said this. The participle is adverbial, probably temporal, as NIV.

autoiV dat. pro. "[he showed] them" - [he showed the = his hands and the = his feet] to them. Dative of indirect object.

The disciples are "dumbfounded", overwhelmed in amazement by the presence of a spiritual manifestation of Jesus. In psychological terms we would probably say that "they thought it was still too good to be true", Barclay. It is probably for this reason that Jesus asks for some food. As to the deception of asking for food when he didn't actually need any, "is there any deceit in taking food, which one does not want, in order to put others, who are needing it, at their ease?" Plumber. Note, some manuscripts add "and of a honeycomb", but this is probably a later addition, given that honey was used in the early church in sacramental liturgy. Of course, just because Jesus doesn't need to eat doesn't mean he can't enjoy a meal!!

apistountwn (apistew) pres. part. gen. "while [they still] did not believe" - [but/and still] disbelieving [them]. Along with "being amazed", this genitive participle and its genitive subject autwn, "them", forms a genitive absolute construction, usually treated as temporal, as NIV, although possibly causal here; "it was because they did not believe ..... and were lost in amazement that he asked them, ..." "Disbelieve" may not mean faithless or sceptical, but with "amazement", "dumbfounded", NJB, it may lean toward "incredulous".

apo + gen. "because of [joy]" - from [joy and being amazed]. The preposition usually expresses source / origin, here leaning toward causal, as NIV.

autoiV dat. pro. "[asked] them" - [he said] to them [have you some food]. Dative of indirect object.

Again, we have another narrative element common to resurrection stories, namely, Jesus eating fish with his disciples, cf., John 21. Fish was an available food source in Jerusalem, although mostly salted.

oiJ de "-" - but/and they [they gave]. Transitional, indicating a change in subject from Jesus to the disciples.

autw/ dat. pro. "him" - to him. Dative of indirect object after the verb "to give."

icquoV (uV uoV) gen. "a piece of [broiled] fish" - of fish [broiled, baked, cooked, roasted, grilled, to him]. The genitive is adjectival, partitive, with the adjective "broiled", genitive in agreement, as NIV.

Jesus eating a meal in the presence of his disciples serves as an important element of the resurrection tradition reinforcing the fact that Jesus rose bodily.

labwn (lambanw) pres. part. "he took it and [ate it]" - [and] having taken it [he ate it]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "he ate", as NIV.

enwpion + gen. "in their presence" - before, in front of [them]. Spatial. Jesus "ate it as they watched", CEV.

iii] The confirmation of scripture, v44-47. Jesus reminds his disciples that everything that has transpired, from his birth to his resurrection, has served to fulfil the Old Testament prophecies concerning the long promised kingdom and its messiah. All three areas of the scriptures speak of Christ: the law, the prophets and the writings. Luke goes on to record Jesus' summary of the gospel / the announcement of the coming kingdom now realised in the person of Jesus, and the divine intention that it be proclaimed to the ends of the world. "It stands written, that the Lord's anointed would suffer death, would rise up on the third day, and that proclamation would be made in his name, addressed to all the nations, calling for repentance, so that people might have their sins forgiven them", Cassirer.

proV + acc. "[He said] to [them]" - [but/and he said] toward [them]. Used here to introduce an indirect object instead of a dative; see proV, 1:16. The clause is transitional, indicating a step in the narrative, but probably not a step to a new incident, eg., Jesus' farewell words to his disciples just before the ascension. The words introduce an immediate sequel.

mou gen. pro. "[this is what] I [told you]" - [these words] of me [which i spoke toward you]. The genitive may be taken as adjectival, possessive, or verbal, subjective, or even ablative, expressing source / origin.

wJn (eimi) pres. part. "while I was [still]" - being [still]. The participle of the verb "to be" is adverbial, and along with eti, "still", is best treated as temporal, as NIV. "Being with you" over the period of the last three years, not just the present moment. Jesus was always just a visitor, but now we can visit him anytime!

sun + dat. "with [you]" - with [you]. Expressing association.

oJti "-" - that. Introducing an epexegetic clause specifying ou}toi, "these [words of mine]", so Marshall.

dei "must" - it is necessary. A divine necessity that is driven by a divine plan revealed in the scriptures; "Had to happen", CEV.

plhrwqhnai (plhrow) aor. pas. inf. "be fulfilled" - to be fulfilled, completed. The infinitive serves as the subject of the impersonal verb "is necessary", with "all the things having been written [in the Law of Moses, and the Prophets and the Psalms about me]" serving as the accusative subject of the infinitive; "all the things ...... to be fulfilled is necessary." For a complementary classification see grayai, 1:19. The gospel, "the kingdom of God is at hand / upon us", is sometimes introduced in the synoptic gospels with the statement, "the time is fulfilled", ie., the promises in scripture concerning the coming messiah and his kingdom are now being realised in the person of Jesus Christ. Given this fact, "the kingdom of God is at hand." "Must come true", Barclay.

ta gegrammena (grafw) - perf. pas. part. "that is written" - [all] the things having been written. If we read the adjective panta, "all", as a substantive, "everything", then the participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting "everything". Often used in the perfect of legal documents that are binding, the authority of which cannot be questioned. Such was written of Jesus in the scriptures.

MwuvewV (hV ewV) gen. "[in the Law] of Moses" - [in the law] of moses [and the prophets and psalms (ie., the writings)]. The genitive is adjectival, idiomatic, something like "the Law given by Moses."

peri + gen. "about [me]" - about [me]. Reference / respect; "concerning me."

The opening of the disciples' minds is often equated with the giving of the Spirit, parallel with the giving of the Spirit in John's gospel, Pentecost being the empowering of the Spirit. This is certainly possible, but it seems more likely that we have here the bestowal of a spiritual gift of understanding, or even a simple explanation of how the scriptures are fulfilled in Jesus; "he explained everything to them so that they were able to understand the scriptures", Barclay.

tote adv. "then" - then [he opened up the mind of them]. Temporal adverb serving to introduce a temporal clause, as NIV.

tou sunienai (sunihmi) pres. inf. "so they could understand" - to understand [the scriptures]. The genitive articular infinitive introduces either a final clause expressing purpose, "in order to understand", or a consecutive clause expressing result, "with the result that they understood the scriptures". "So that they could understand the scriptures", Phillips.

Luke now records the divine plan, as revealed in the scriptures: God has determined that the messiah must suffer, and rise, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins must be proclaimed to all peoples, v46-47.

autoiV dat. pro. "[he told] them" - [he said] to them. Dative of indirect object.

oJti "-" - that. Introducing a dependent statement of direct speech, expressing what Jesus said.

ouJtwV adv. "this is what [is written]" - thus [it has been written]. Adverb of manner; "in this way." It is likely that the adverb is used here to refer to the content of the scriptural teaching concerning Christ, as NIV, "So this is what is written", Fitzmyer; "This is what scripture says: ......", TNT, cf., 19:31, Acts 7:6. Marshall suggests that it is backward referencing, rather than forward referencing; "Thus (ie., because the Scriptures about me must be fulfilled), it is written that ....." It is possibly causal, "because the scripture must be fulfilled", Bock.

paqein (pascw) aor. inf. "will suffer" - [namely that it is necessary, the christ] to suffer. As with the infinitives "to rise" and "to be preached", this infinitive is usually treated as epexegetic, specifying ouJtwV, "thus"; "Thus is is written, that the Christ should suffer ......", ESV. The accusative subject of the first two infinitives is ton criston, "the Christ." It does seem likely that the clause is elliptical with the infinitives serving as the subject of the assumed impersonal verb dei, "it is necessary" (probably expressing divine necessity - "God has determined that the Christ ....."), as for plhrwqhnai, v44 - "the Christ to suffer and to rise again ...... is necessary, and that repentance for forgiveness to be preached ..... is necessary"; "This is what Scripture says: the Messiah must suffer, and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins must be proclaimed in his name among all nations", TNT, cf., v26, Acts 17:3.

anasthnai (anisthmi) aor. inf. "rise" - [and] to rise again. The infinitive as above. The resurrection is always difficult to source in scripture. Acts refers to Ps.16:10 and 110.1. Biblical theology is the key to sourcing the scriptural support for the resurrection of the messiah. The messiah is representative Israel and his resurrection constitutes the enlivening, reconstitution of faithful Israel, as promised in scripture. Christ, as the representative remnant, God's elect, subjected to the bondage of death (Egypt), now, through the cross/suffering (Exodus), gains eternal glory (the promised land).

ek + gen. "from [the dead]" - from [the dead]. Expressing source/origin, "from the dead", or standing in place of a partitive genitive, "from among the dead."

th/ trith/ hJmera/ dat. "on the third day" - on the third day. The dative is adverbial, of time.

A coordinate (kai) introduces another epexegetic infinitival construction, specifying the adverb ouJtwV, "thus [it is written]", v46, again with an assumed dei, "it is necessary", expressing divine necessity; "Thus it is written that it is necessary the Christ to suffer .......... and that it is necessary repentance for forgiveness of sins to be preached in the name of him to all nations ..." The scriptures reveal the divine necessity of proclaiming the kingdom / gospel to all nations under the authority of the messiah, Jesus ("in the name of him"), namely a message concerning a repentance (a turning to Christ, inclusive of a resting on Christ / faith) that has as its purpose / goal (eiV) divine forgiveness. The elements of the divine commission are constantly referred to in Acts.

metanoian (a) "repentance" - [and that it is necessary] repentance. Biblical repentance is not so much a feeling sorry, or even a new-year's resolution to behave properly, but is a change of will or direction, a turning from self to Christ. It is often linked to the word "faith" - a resting upon Christ for the fulfilment of his promises. Its use here, as is often the case, includes the idea of faith, so a turning to and resting on.

eiV + acc. "and [forgiveness] / for [the forgiveness]" - into [forgiveness, remission, release]. Here expressing purpose, as NIV11. The gospel announces divine forgiveness of sin as a gift of grace through faith (Christ's faithfulness on the cross and our response of faith). Repentance "which leads to the forgiveness of sins", Phillips.

aJmartiwn (a) gen. "of sins" - of sins. The genitive is adjectival, usually classified as verbal, objective; "repent and God will forgive you of your sins", TH.

khrucqhnai (khrussw) aor. inf. "will be preached" - to be preached, proclaimed. The infinitive serves as the subject of the assumed impersonal verb dei, "it is necessary" (see grayai, 1:3, for this construction), with the infinitival construction as a whole epexegetic, specifying ou{twV, "thus"; as with "to suffer" and "to rise", v46. The proclamation of God's mercy to the nations fulfils the third element of the covenant promises given to Abraham - a blessing to the nations. "And repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed to all people of every nation."

epi + dat. "in [his name]" - upon [the name of him]. Spatial; expressing a resting upon, thus the ground upon which the authority for the preached word lies, namely, Christ. Christ is the divinely appointed messiah, thus, on the basis of Christ's authority ("his name") a disciple can offer forgiveness of sins to all who repent; "on the basis of (all that) his name (implies)", Plummer.

eiV "to [all nations]" - into [all the nations]. Here local, expressing the direction of the action and arrival at - the message of hope is to go to all nations, cf. Isa.42:6, 49:6.

arxamenoi (arxw) aor. part. "beginning [at Jerusalem]" - having begun [from jerusalem]. The participle is adverbial, modal, modifying the infinitive "to preach." Best understood as "the mission will start in Jerusalem."

iv] The commissioning of the disciples, v48-49: Jesus has opened their eyes to the meaning of the scriptures and now he promises his disciples that, as "witnesses of these things", they will be supported by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. What they must do now is wait in Jerusalem for the gift of the Spirit.

uJmeiV "you" - you [you are witnesses]. Emphatic position; "As for you yourselves", Cassirer.

toutwn gen. pro. "of these things" - of these things. The genitive is probably adverbial, expressing reference / respect; "you are witnesses with respect to these things." The "things" are most likely the divine necessity concerning the death and resurrection of Jesus and the communication of a repentance that leads to the forgiveness of sins.

Luke doesn't spell out the promise, other than describing it as a "power from on high." Obviously the gift of the Holy Spirit is intended, 3:16, Acts 1:4-5, cf., Joel 2:28-32. Jesus does the sending (John 16:7), but in John 14:16, 26, the Father does the sending. We have here the age old debate as to whether the Spirit proceeds from the Father, or the Son, or the Father and the Son. At least we can say here that Jesus has authority when it comes to the Spirit's sending, or at least, the Spirit's distribution.

egw pres. pro. "I" - i. Emphatic by use and position.

apostellw pres. "am going to send" - i send. The present tense is obviously futuristic, but primarily expresses the aspect of continued action, ie., the bestowal of the gift is ongoing.

ef (epi) + acc. "-" - to / on / into [you]. Local, expressing space; "I will send down on you", Moffatt.

tou patroV (hr roV) gen. "[what my] Father [has promised]" - [the promise] of the father [of me upon you]. The genitive is adjectival, usually treated as a verbal, subjective, "the promise made by my Father", as NIV, but ablative, source / origin is possible; "the promise from my Father"; "I'm going to send you the gift my Father has promised", Barclay.

uJmeiV pro. "-" - [but/and] you. Emphatic by use.

kaqisate (kaqizw) aor. imp. "stay" - you must sit, remain, continue. In Acts, "stay" often takes the sense "stay for a period of time."

en + dat. "in [the city]" - in [the city]. Local, expressing space. The disciples are to remain in Jerusalem until they are "clothed with power from on high."

eJwV ou + subj. "until" - until. Introducing an indefinite temporal clause, expressing time up to a point.

endushsqe (enduw) aor. pas. subj. "you have been clothed with" - you may be clothed, dressed in. Descriptive language of the gift of the Spirit, although some contend otherwise. "Armed with", REB; "endued with", Moffatt; "given", CEV.

dunamin (iV ewV) "power" - power. Accusative object of the verb "to put on", Sometimes translated as a definite noun. Is this a gift of power or a gift of the powerful one? The words dunamiV and pneuma, "spirit", are "virtually synonymous terms since power is what the Spirit supplied", Bock. As far as the fulfilment of scripture is concerned, the promise of the new covenant is more the gift of the divine presence than divine power, although the language does reflect a believer's renewal and gifting for service. "The power", NJB.

ex (ek) + gen. "from [on high]" - from [heights]. Expressing source / origin. From the heavenlies = from God.

v] Jesus blesses the disciples and ascends to heaven, v50-53. Jesus and his disciples move out from Jerusalem to the vicinity of Bethany. Here, Jesus blesses them in a typically priestly manner. This images Christ's present priestly role, cf. Heb.8:1ff. Although often taken as an ascension scene, Jesus' "withdrawal" is more likely the same as in 24:31. The phrase "carried up into heaven" is not found in some of the key manuscripts, although it is well supported. "Raised up into heaven" doesn't necessarily mean that Jesus is finally ascended. Luke mentions Jesus' "having been taken up" in Acts before he actually recounts the ascension in 1:9-11. The importance of Luke's third resurrection story lies in the commissioning, rather than Jesus "being taken up into heaven." Anyway, the disciples do as instructed, and return to Jerusalem. Back in Jerusalem, they continue together in prayer, worshipping at the Temple, and waiting for the promised blessing from on high.

eJwV proV "to the vicinity of [Bethany]" - [but/and he led out them outside] as toward [bethany]. Here eJwV takes a spatial sense, expressing extension up to, and is reinforced by a spatial proV, "toward", giving the sense "as far as to, to the neighbourhood of, over against." Possibly, "in the sight of."

eparaV (epairw) aor. part. "he lifted up [his hands]" - [and] having lifted up [the hands of him]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "blessed", as NIV. Possibly adverbial, temporal; "when he lifted up his hands he blessed them." Given that this is the Jewish stance for prayer, we may simply say that, "he prayed for them."

euloghsen (eulogew) aor. "he blessed [them]" - he blessed [them]. And "called God's gracious power upon them", TH.

The ascension is usually depicted as Jesus ascending on a cloud with hands raised for blessing, but this is not what Luke describes here. The verb diesth is rare and probably means something like "he went away"; it indicates nothing as to how Jesus departs. The verb anefereto, "was being taken up", may, or may not be, original. In Acts 1:9, where Luke describes Jesus' ascension, we have the mention of a cloud and the use of verbs which imply upward movement, although is it Jesus himself going upward, or is it the cloud / mist going upward? It is quite possible that Jesus is enveloped in the cloud (possibly representing the shekinah glory, the presence of the divine), and then it ascends, or better, just drifts away. Whatever happened on ascension day, in the passage before us, Luke doesn't seem to describe Jesus' ascension into glory.

en tw/ + inf. "while he was blessing [them]" - [and it happened] in the [he to bless them]. The preposition en with the articular infinitive introduces a temporal clause, contemporaneous time; "while, during ..." The accusative pronoun auton, "he", serves as the subject of the infinitive.

ap (apo) + gen. "[he left them]" - [he went away, moved on, departed] from [them, and was being taken up into heaven]. Expressing separation; "away from."

proskunhsanteV (proskunew) aor. part. "then they worshiped [him]" - [and they] having worshiped, done obeisance, homage, devotion, bowed before. The participle is adverbial, probably temporal, "and when they had worshiped him." Not found in all manuscripts. The word always carries the sense of obeisance, so "they knelt in worship", Barrett.

meta + gen. "with [great joy]" - with [great joy]. Here adverbial, modal, expressing manner; "they returned to Jerusalem and were very happy", CEV.

Luke's story begins in the temple with a priest and his wife who were seekers after righteousness, and it ends in the temple with a group of Jesus' disciples who have found righteousness. So, they stay "continually" praising God. Given that we are dealing with hyperbolae, it is likely that the disciples didn't stay "continually", but continued with their practice of temple worship. As the years passed, persecution encouraged a drift from the synagogue / temple to the fellowship of believers, the church.

dia pantoV "[they stayed] continually" - [and they were] continually. Temporal; a shortened version of dia pantoV cronou, "through all time" = "continually"; "they continued to attend the temple for worship, praising God."

in + dat. "at [the temple]" - in [the temple]. Local, expressing space.

eulogounteV (eulogew) pres. part. "praising [God]" - blessing = praising [god]. The participle is adverbial, modal, expressing the manner of their attendance at the temple - how they spent their time in the temple. Culy suggests that it may also be viewed as attendant on the modified verb to-be h\san, even possibly an imperfect periphrastic with the verb to-be.

Luke Introduction

Exposition

Exegetical Commentaries

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