LUKE 10:2 Interlinear View

1. Greek word
2. Greek lemma
3. OET-LV words
4. OET-RV words
5. Strongs
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. Ἔλεγεν
2. legō
3. He was saying
4. -
5. 30040
6. VIIA3··S
7. ˱he˲ ˓was˒ saying
8. ˱he˲ ˓was˒ saying
9. S
10. Y32
11. 47797
1. δέ
2. de
3. but
4. -
5. 11610
6. C·······
7. but
8. but
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47798
1. οὖν
2. oun
3. -
4. -
5. 37670
6. C·······
7. therefore
8. therefore
9. -
10. -
11. 47799
1. πρός
2. pros
3. to
4. -
5. 43140
6. P·······
7. to
8. to
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47800
1. αὐτούς
2. autos
3. them
4. -
5. 8460
6. R···3AMP
7. them
8. them
9. -
10. Y32; R47772
11. 47801
1. ὁ
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····NMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47802
1. Μέν
2. men
3. On one hand
4. -
5. 33030
6. C·······
7. on_one_hand
8. on_one_hand
9. D
10. Y32
11. 47803
1. θερισμός
2. therismos
3. harvest
4. -
5. 23260
6. N····NMS
7. harvest
8. harvest
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47804
1. πολύς
2. polus
3. great
4. large
5. 41830
6. S····NMS
7. great
8. great
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47805
1. οἱ
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····NMP
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47806
1. δέ
2. de
3. on the other hand
4. -
5. 11610
6. C·······
7. on_the_other_hand
8. on_the_other_hand
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47807
1. ἐργάται
2. ergatēs
3. workers
4. -
5. 20400
6. N····NMP
7. workers
8. workers
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47808
1. ὀλίγοι
2. oligos
3. few
4. -
5. 36410
6. S····NMP
7. few
8. few
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47809
1. δεήθητε
2. deō
3. be besought
4. -
5. 12100
6. VMAP2··P
7. ˓be˒ besought
8. ˓be˒ besought
9. -
10. Y32; R47772
11. 47810
1. Οὖν
2. oun
3. Therefore
4. There's So
5. 37670
6. C·······
7. therefore
8. therefore
9. S
10. Y32
11. 47811
1. τοῦ
2. ho
3. of the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····GMS
7. ˱of˲ the
8. ˱of˲ the
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47812
1. Θεοῦ
2. theos
3. -
4. -
5. 23160
6. N····GMS
7. god
8. God
9. GN
10. Person=God
11. 47813
1. Κυρίου
2. kurios
3. master
4. -
5. 29620
6. N····GMS
7. master
8. Lord
9. GN
10. Y32
11. 47814
1. τοῦ
2. ho
3. of the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····GMS
7. ˱of˲ the
8. ˱of˲ the
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47815
1. θερισμοῦ
2. therismos
3. harvest
4. -
5. 23260
6. N····GMS
7. harvest
8. harvest
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47816
1. ὅπως
2. hopōs
3. so that
4. -
5. 37040
6. C·······
7. so_that
8. so_that
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47817
1. ἐκβάλλῃ
2. ekballō
3. -
4. -
5. 15440
6. VSPA3··S
7. ˱he˲ ˓may_be˒ throwing_out
8. ˱he˲ ˓may_be˒ casting_out
9. -
10. -
11. 47818
1. ἐκβάλῃ
2. ekballō
3. -
4. -
5. 15440
6. VSAA3··S
7. ˱he˲ ˓may˒ throwing
8. ˱he˲ ˓may˒ casting
9. -
10. -
11. 47819
1. ἐργάτας
2. ergatēs
3. workers
4. -
5. 20400
6. N····AMP
7. workers
8. workers
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47820
1. ἐργάτης
2. ergatēs
3. -
4. -
5. 20400
6. N····NMS
7. worker
8. worker
9. -
10. -
11. 47821
1. ἐκβάλῃ
2. ekballō
3. he may throw out
4. -
5. 15440
6. VSAA3··S
7. ˱he˲ ˓may˒ throw_out
8. ˱he˲ ˓may˒ cast_out
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47822
1. εἰς
2. eis
3. into
4. -
5. 15190
6. P·······
7. into
8. into
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47823
1. τόν
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····AMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47824
1. θερισμόν
2. therismos
3. harvest
4. -
5. 23260
6. N····AMS
7. harvest
8. harvest
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47825
1. αὐτοῦ
2. autos
3. of him
4. his
5. 8460
6. R···3GMS
7. ˱of˲ him
8. ˱of˲ him
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47826

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 10:1–24: Jesus sent out seventy-two disciples

In Section 9:1–6 Jesus sent out the twelve apostles to preach and to heal. Here in Section 10:1–24 he sent out a larger group of disciples to different towns. Jesus told this larger group of disciples to visit many towns. They would visit the towns to find out which people and towns would receive Jesus and which would not receive him. Jesus ended his instructions to these disciples by telling them that God would punish the towns where the people did not welcome him.

Notice that in Luke 10:1 there is a textual issue concerning the number of disciples Jesus sent. You should make a decision about this textual issue before you decide on the heading for this section.

Another possible heading for this section is:

Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples to preach and to heal people

Luke is the only gospel writer who wrote about this event. However, there are parallel passages for some of the verses in this section in Matthew 9:37–38, 10:7–16, and 11:21–23.Marshall, p. 412.

10:2a

And He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

He told them this illustration/parable: “There is much ripe grain to be harvested, but there are not many people/workers who are able to harvest/reap it.
Before they left, he/Jesus said to them, “There are many people who are ready to believe in me. They are like a ripe crop, but there are few harvesters/pickers.

In this verse Luke began to quote what Jesus told the seventy-two disciples before they left. Be sure that the sequence of events is clear. See the note on 10:1–2.

And: This verse begins with a Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as And, as do some other English versions (ESV, NASB). Many other versions do not translate this conjunction. Connect 10:2a to 10:1 in a way that is natural in your language.

He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few…”: Jesus spoke here of a large crop with only a few people to harvest it. This is a metaphor. It means that many people were ready to hear Jesus’ message, but there were only a few people to tell them.

In some languages people may not understand that Jesus was using a metaphor here, or they may not understand its meaning. If that is true in your language, some other ways to translate this metaphor are:

Keep the entire metaphor, but make explicit in some way that Jesus was using figurative language. For example:
He told them this illustration/parable: “The…”
Jesus told them, “I am sending you out like workers who will harvest a crop. The harvest…”
Keep part of the metaphor. Make part of the meaning explicit. For example:
There are a great many people to harvest, but there are only a few workers. (NCV)
Change the metaphor to a simile. Make one or both parts of the topic explicit. For example:
Many people are ready to believe in me, but there are not many people to tell them the good news. They are like a big grain field that is ripe, and there are not enough workers to harvest the ripe grain.
Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:
There are many people who are ready to believe in me, but there are not many who can help/invite them. This option should only be used if the other options are not clear or natural.

Try to keep at least part of the metaphor if possible. If you translate the metaphor literally, you may want to include a footnote with an explanation. For example:

The “harvest” symbolizes people who need to hear Jesus’ message. The “workers” symbolize people who tell them his message.

The harvest is plentiful: The word harvest refers here to a crop that is ready to be gathered. It is a general word that can refer to different types of crops, for example, ripe grain or fruit. See also Matthew 9:37–38. Other ways to translate this clause are:

There is a large crop ready to be harvested

The fields are full of ripe grain

the workers are few: The clause the workers are few means that not many people were working in the field to harvest the crop.

the workers: In some languages it may be more natural to translate this phrase with a word that refers specifically to harvest workers. For example:

the reapers

the harvesters

10:2b

Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.

So ask/beg^(plur) the owner of the grain field to send more people who can harvest the ripe grain.
So pray^(plur) to God, who is in charge of the harvesting. Plead with him to send more people to do this work.

Ask: The Greek word that the BSB translates as Ask means to ask urgently or plead. In this context it can also mean to pray. You may use a word that is appropriate for pleading with a literal human owner of the harvest or for praying to God, the figurative owner. For example:

beseech (NASB)

pray to (NLT)

the Lord of the harvest: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as the Lord was used in 10:1a to refer to Jesus. Here it has both a literal and a figurative meaning. In the illustration it refers literally to the owner of a field. He is the one who gets workers to come and harvest the crop. Figuratively, it refers to God. It does not refer here to Jesus. The Greek word meaning “owner” or “master” was the same word that the Jews used for God. That is why the BSB translates it as Lord.

In some languages you may be able to use a word that could refer to both a master/owner or to God. For example:

the owner of the harvest (GNT)

the master who is in charge of the harvest

In other languages it may be more appropriate to refer specifically to God. For example:

God, who is the Lord of the harvest

God, who owns the harvest (NCV)

therefore: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as therefore introduces 10:2b as the logical conclusion of 10:2a. The BSB has placed this word in the middle of the sentence. In some languages it may be more natural to place it at the beginning of 10:2b. For example:

therefore ask… (NRSV)

to send out workers into His harvest: In this context the word workers implies more workers. The disciples were to ask the field owner to send more people to work in his field to harvest the crop. Some other ways to express this request are:

that he will send more workers to help gather his harvest (NCV)

to send more workers into his fields (NLT)

Here His harvest is a metaphor that refers to the many people in the world who had not heard Jesus’ message. In many languages it will be possible to keep this figure of speech. However, if it gives the wrong meaning in your language, you may translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:

So pray to God, who has been making these people ready to believe. Ask him to send more disciples to help people to come to me.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / events

ἔλεγεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἔλεγεν δέ πρός αὐτούς ὁ Μέν θερισμός πολύς οἱ δέ ἐργάται ὀλίγοι δεήθητε Οὖν τοῦ Κυρίου τοῦ θερισμοῦ ὅπως ἐργάτας ἐκβάλῃ εἰς τόν θερισμόν αὐτοῦ)

Jesus said these things to the 72 disciples before they actually went out. Alternate translation: [He had said to them] or [Before they went out, he told them]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ὁ μὲν θερισμὸς πολύς, οἱ δὲ ἐργάται ὀλίγοι

the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἔλεγεν δέ πρός αὐτούς ὁ Μέν θερισμός πολύς οἱ δέ ἐργάται ὀλίγοι δεήθητε Οὖν τοῦ Κυρίου τοῦ θερισμοῦ ὅπως ἐργάτας ἐκβάλῃ εἰς τόν θερισμόν αὐτοῦ)

This statement means, “There is a big crop, but there are not enough workers to bring it in.” Jesus is speaking. Alternate translation: [There are many people who are ready to enter God’s kingdom, but there are not enough disciples to help them understand how to do that]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / exmetaphor

τοῦ Κυρίου τοῦ θερισμοῦ

˱of˲_the Lord ˱of˲_the harvest

Jesus continues to speak and extends his metaphor by describing God as the Lord of the harvest. Alternate translation: [God, who leads people to believe]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / exmetaphor

ὅπως ἐργάτας ἐκβάλῃ εἰς τὸν θερισμὸν αὐτοῦ

so_that workers ˱he˲_˓may˒_cast_out into (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἔλεγεν δέ πρός αὐτούς ὁ Μέν θερισμός πολύς οἱ δέ ἐργάται ὀλίγοι δεήθητε Οὖν τοῦ Κυρίου τοῦ θερισμοῦ ὅπως ἐργάτας ἐκβάλῃ εἰς τόν θερισμόν αὐτοῦ)

Jesus extends his metaphor even further by describing disciples who help others to trust in him as laborers in the harvest. Alternate translation: [to send more disciples to go and help people trust in me]

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

1. OET-LV words
2. OET-RV words
3. Strongs
4. Greek word
5. Greek lemma
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. He was saying
2. -
3. 30040
4. S
5. legō
6. V-IIA3··S
7. ˱he˲ ˓was˒ saying
8. ˱he˲ ˓was˒ saying
9. S
10. Y32
11. 47797
1. but
2. -
3. 11610
5. de
6. C-·······
7. but
8. but
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47798
1. to
2. -
3. 43140
5. pros
6. P-·······
7. to
8. to
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47800
1. them
2. -
3. 8460
5. autos
6. R-···3AMP
7. them
8. them
9. -
10. Y32; R47772
11. 47801
1. On one hand
2. -
3. 33030
4. D
5. men
6. C-·······
7. on_one_hand
8. on_one_hand
9. D
10. Y32
11. 47803
1. the
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····NMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47802
1. harvest
2. -
3. 23260
5. therismos
6. N-····NMS
7. harvest
8. harvest
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47804
1. great
2. large
3. 41830
5. polus
6. S-····NMS
7. great
8. great
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47805
1. on the other hand
2. -
3. 11610
5. de
6. C-·······
7. on_the_other_hand
8. on_the_other_hand
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47807
1. the
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····NMP
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47806
1. workers
2. -
3. 20400
5. ergatēs
6. N-····NMP
7. workers
8. workers
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47808
1. few
2. -
3. 36410
5. oligos
6. S-····NMP
7. few
8. few
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47809
1. Therefore
2. There's So
3. 37670
4. S
5. oun
6. C-·······
7. therefore
8. therefore
9. S
10. Y32
11. 47811
1. be besought
2. -
3. 12100
5. deō
6. V-MAP2··P
7. ˓be˒ besought
8. ˓be˒ besought
9. -
10. Y32; R47772
11. 47810
1. of the
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····GMS
7. ˱of˲ the
8. ˱of˲ the
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47812
1. master
2. -
3. 29620
4. GN
5. kurios
6. N-····GMS
7. master
8. Lord
9. GN
10. Y32
11. 47814
1. of the
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····GMS
7. ˱of˲ the
8. ˱of˲ the
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47815
1. harvest
2. -
3. 23260
5. therismos
6. N-····GMS
7. harvest
8. harvest
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47816
1. so that
2. -
3. 37040
5. hopōs
6. C-·······
7. so_that
8. so_that
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47817
1. workers
2. -
3. 20400
5. ergatēs
6. N-····AMP
7. workers
8. workers
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47820
1. he may throw out
2. -
3. 15440
5. ekballō
6. V-SAA3··S
7. ˱he˲ ˓may˒ throw_out
8. ˱he˲ ˓may˒ cast_out
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47822
1. into
2. -
3. 15190
5. eis
6. P-·······
7. into
8. into
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47823
1. the
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····AMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47824
1. harvest
2. -
3. 23260
5. therismos
6. N-····AMS
7. harvest
8. harvest
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47825
1. of him
2. his
3. 8460
5. autos
6. R-···3GMS
7. ˱of˲ him
8. ˱of˲ him
9. -
10. Y32
11. 47826

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.

OET interlinear LUKE 10:2

SR Greek word order (including unused variant words in grey)

Section 10:1–24: Jesus sent out seventy-two disciples

10:2a

10:2b

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)