NET – ‘But he passed through the crowd and went on his way.’

NASB – ‘But passing through their midst, He went His way.’

Bill Mounce writes:

‘I was reminded recently of why every word choice matters. I was visiting a church where the preacher was discussing Luke 4:30, the story where people tried to throw Jesus off a cliff. The verse says, “But passing through their midst, He went His way (ἐπορεύετο)” (NASB). The preacher emphasized that Jesus had “His” own way, different from what the townspeople intended for Him. The entire message hinged on the phrase “His way.”

‘The problem is that this isn’t what Luke meant, even if the general idea—that Jesus had His own path—is true. The phrase “went His way” is translating the simple Greek word ἐπορεύετο, which just means Jesus left the cliff and the town. According to BDAG, the first meaning of πορεύω is simply, “to go, proceed, travel.” What makes this even more problematic is that there is no Greek behind “Him.”’

Why do some preachers think that their own ideas about what Scripture should say are better and more interesting than what Scripture actually does say?  Is it pride?  Or mere carelessness?