10:1

After these things: The events recorded from Lu 10:1 to 18:14 are not mentioned in the other Gospels. However, some of the subjects in these chapters were recorded by the other Gospel writers, apparently in connection with earlier occasions during Jesus’ ministry. It seems that the events mentioned by Luke took place after the Festival of Tabernacles (or Booths) in the autumn of 32 C.E. (See App. A7.) At this time, Jesus apparently moved the focus of his activity southward, to the area in and around Jerusalem and the districts of Judea and Perea. He concentrated his preaching in that area during the last six months of his earthly ministry.

70: Some early manuscripts read “72,” and this reading is reflected in some Bible translations. However, the reading “70” can be found in many other early authoritative manuscripts, including the Codex Sinaiticus of the fourth century C.E. and the Codex Alexandrinus and the Codex Ephraemi Syri rescriptus, both of the fifth century. Bible scholars have offered various explanations, but this minor difference in manuscript readings does not affect the overall message. The abundance of ancient manuscripts and translations agree on all fundamentals, verifying that Jesus did send out a large group of disciples by twos, or in pairs, to preach.

70 others: This evidently refers to 70 disciples in addition to the 12 apostles, who were trained and sent out earlier.​—Lu 9:1-6.