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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
Luke C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24
Luke 11 V1 V3 V5 V7 V9 V11 V13 V15 V17 V19 V21 V23 V25 V27 V29 V33 V35 V37 V39 V41 V43 V45 V47 V49 V51 V53
OET (OET-LV) The_queen of_the_south will_be_being_raised at the judgement with the men the this generation, and will_be_condemning them, because she_came from the ends of_the earth to_hear the wisdom of_Solomōn/(Shəlmoh), and see, one_greater than Solomōn is here.
OET (OET-RV) The queen from the south will come back to life on judgement day along with the people from this generation, and she’ll condemn them, because she travelled a long distance to hear Solomon’s wisdom, and now, someone’s here who’s greater than Solomon.
In 11:17–26, Jesus answered the accusation in 11:15 that he drove out demons by the power of Beelzebul. In this section, he answered the other group of people who wanted him to show them a sign from heaven (11:16). Even though he had already done many miracles for them, they would not believe that he had come from God. Jesus made it clear that God would punish them because they would not believe in him. He reminded them that the people of Jonah’s time believed what Jonah preached. He also reminded them that the Queen of Sheba in Solomon’s time came from a distant country to listen to Solomon wise words. The people of Jesus’ time were seeing God reveal himself in an even greater way, but they still did not believe.
Some other possible headings for this section are:
The People Want A Miracle (NCV)
The Sign of Jonah (NIV)
There is a parallel passage for this section in Matthew 12:38–42.
In 11:31, Jesus made a shocking statement. He said that on Judgment Day, the Queen of the South (a Gentile) would condemn the Jews who had not responded to Jesus’ message. She could condemn them because she responded to Solomon’s message, but they refused to respond to Jesus’ message even though Jesus was greater than Solomon.
See the General Comment on 11:31a–d at the end of 11:31d for a way to put this verse in chronological order.
The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation
At the time of judgment, the queen of the country to the south will stand up together with the men/people who are living today
The woman who formerly was the ruler of a southern country will be there with you(plur) at the time when God will judge people.
The Queen of the South: The Queen of the South refers to the Queen of Sheba (mentioned in 1 Kings 10:1–13). Her country was south of Israel, perhaps in the country that today is called Ethiopia. She had lived almost a thousand years before the time of Jesus. In some languages it may be necessary to make some of this implied information explicit. For example:
The former queen of a country to the south
Queen: In languages that do not have a word for Queen, it may be possible to use a descriptive phrase. For example:
the woman who was the leader/chief
the woman who ruled
will rise: Scholars have interpreted the Greek verb that the BSB translates literally as will rise in two ways:
It means will stand up, or will appear. The Queen of the South will stand up in God’s court when he judges people at the end of the world. For example:
On the Judgment Day the Queen of Sheba will stand up… (GNT) (GNT, NJB, NET, CEV, GW, NCV, REB, NLT)
It means will rise from the dead, or will live again. This view is supported by some commentators.
The BSB, NIV, NASB, RSV, and KJV translate the verb literally as “rise” or “arise,” which can be understood either way. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) and use a verb that is appropriate for appearing in court to condemn someone. Notice that interpretation (1) does assume that the Queen of the South will rise from the dead (interpretation 2).
at the judgment: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as at the judgment refers to the time at the end of this world when God judges everyone. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
Judgment Day (GNT)
the time of judgment (GW)
This phrase also occurs in 10:14.
with the men of this generation: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as with the men of this generation means “together with the men who are living now (that is, at Jesus’ time).” This means that the Queen will be standing at the same time as these men. It does not mean that the Queen will stand in support of them. In fact, she will stand to condemn them. Here is one way to make this clear:
against this generation (NLT)
the men of this generation: The Greek word that the BSB translates as men normally refers to males. In Jesus’ time, men were the leaders and decision-makers of the people. However, this does not mean that women will not be at the judgment. For this reason, you can translate men as “people.” For example:
the people who live now (NCV)
and condemn them;
and will accuse them of doing wrong,
She will show that you(plur) are wrong.
and condemn them: In this context, the Greek verb that the BSB translates as condemn means “show to be wrong.” The Queen of the South will not be acting as the judge. Rather, she will show that what she did pleased God. She will show that the Jewish people of Jesus’ time did not do what pleased God. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
and accuse the people of today (GNT)
She will show they are guilty (NCV)
for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
for she came/went from a far country to listen to the wise things that Solomon spoke,
This is because she came from a very distant country to hear the words of King Solomon, who was very wise.
for: The Greek word that the BSB translates as for introduces the reason why the queen will accuse the men (in 11:31a–b). Another way to translate this is:
because (GNT)
(See the General Comment on 11:31a–d at the end of 11:31d for a way to put the reason in 11:31c before 11:31a.)
she came from the ends of the earth: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as from the ends of the earth is an idiom. It means “from a place that was very far away.” The Queen of Sheba left her country far in the south and traveled to Israel. In those days her country was at the very end of the world that people in Israel knew about.
Translate this idiom using an expression that refers to making a journey from a very long distance away. For example:
she came from a long distance
she came from her land very far away
to hear the wisdom of Solomon: The Queen of Sheba journeyed to Israel in order to listen to King Solomon. He was famous for speaking with great wisdom.
In some languages, it may not be possible to use an abstract noun such as wisdom. Another way to translate the wisdom of Solomon is:
the wise things that Solomon said
In other languages, it is not possible to describe things or words as “wise.” If that is true in your language, you may be able to use a phrase such as:
the words of wise King Solomon
Solomon: Solomon was a king of Israel more than nine hundred years before Jesus was born. He was famous for being very wise. See 1 Kings chapter 3.
and now One greater than Solomon is here.
and I tell you that someone is here who is greater than Solomon.
And the truth is that someone greater than Solomon is here. But/and you refuse to listen to him.
Now a person who is greater than King Solomon is here. I am that person, but you(plur) will not listen to me.
now: The Greek word that the BSB translates as now is literally “behold.” Many English versions translate it that way. This word is used here to call attention to the next statement. It indicates that the next statement is something important or surprising. Some other ways to translate this word are:
I tell you (NCV)
I assure you
One greater than Solomon is here: The Greek word that the BSB translates as One greater is neuter. It can also be translated this way:
something greater (GNT, RSV)
In either case, Jesus was referring to himself. He was saying that he was greater than Solomon and that his wisdom was greater than Solomon’s. Consider whether in your language it would be more natural to say “something greater” or “someone greater.”
If a person cannot refer to himself using the third person in your language, you may say:
Someone who is greater than Solomon is here, and that is I.
I who am greater than Solomon am here.
There is important implied information at the end of this part of the verse. Jesus implied here (but did not say) “but you(plur) will not listen to him!” If the people reading your translation do not understand this implied information, you may need to make it explicit. You could include it in the translation or put it in a footnote. For example:
but you refuse to listen (NLT)
In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of the parts of this verse so that it is in chronological order. For example:
Long ago, the Queen of the South 31ccame from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom. 31dNow one greater than Solomon is here, but you refuse to listen to him. 31aThat is why at the judgment she will rise with the men of this generation 31band condemn them.
Note 1 topic: translate-names
βασίλισσα νότου
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Βασίλισσα νότου ἐγερθήσεται ἐν τῇ κρίσει μετά τῶν ἀνδρῶν τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης καί κατακρινεῖ αὐτούς ὅτι ἦλθεν ἐκ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς ἀκοῦσαι τήν σοφίαν Σολομῶνος καί ἰδού πλεῖον Σολομῶνος ὧδε)
This means the Queen of Sheba. Sheba was a kingdom south of Israel. Alternate translation: [The Queen of Sheba]
Note 2 topic: translate-symaction
ἐγερθήσεται & μετὰ τῶν ἀνδρῶν τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης
˓will_be_being˒_raised & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Βασίλισσα νότου ἐγερθήσεται ἐν τῇ κρίσει μετά τῶν ἀνδρῶν τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης καί κατακρινεῖ αὐτούς ὅτι ἦλθεν ἐκ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς ἀκοῦσαι τήν σοφίαν Σολομῶνος καί ἰδού πλεῖον Σολομῶνος ὧδε)
In this culture, a person would stand up to give testimony in a legal proceeding. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain that this will be the reason for her action. Alternate translation: [will stand up … to give testimony before God against the people who lived at this time]
ἐν τῇ κρίσει
at the judgment
Alternate translation: [at the time when God judges people]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations
τῶν ἀνδρῶν τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης
the men ¬the generation this
Here Jesus is using the term men in a generic sense that includes all people. Alternate translation: [the people who lived at this time]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
ἦλθεν ἐκ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς
˱she˲_came from the ends ˱of˲_the earth
This is an idiom that means she came from very far away. Alternate translation: [she traveled a great distance] or [she came from a faraway place]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
τὴν σοφίαν Σολομῶνος
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Βασίλισσα νότου ἐγερθήσεται ἐν τῇ κρίσει μετά τῶν ἀνδρῶν τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης καί κατακρινεῖ αὐτούς ὅτι ἦλθεν ἐκ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς ἀκοῦσαι τήν σοφίαν Σολομῶνος καί ἰδού πλεῖον Σολομῶνος ὧδε)
If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun wisdom with an adjective such as “wise.” Alternate translation: [the wise things that Solomon said]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ἰδοὺ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Βασίλισσα νότου ἐγερθήσεται ἐν τῇ κρίσει μετά τῶν ἀνδρῶν τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης καί κατακρινεῖ αὐτούς ὅτι ἦλθεν ἐκ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς ἀκοῦσαι τήν σοφίαν Σολομῶνος καί ἰδού πλεῖον Σολομῶνος ὧδε)
Jesus uses the term behold to get the crowd to focus its attention on what he is about to say. Alternate translation: [now listen carefully]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
πλεῖον Σολομῶνος ὧδε
˱one˲_greater_‹than› Solomon_‹is› here
Jesus is using the phrase something greater to refer to a specific person, the Son of Man. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make that idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [someone greater than Solomon is here]
Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / 123person
πλεῖον Σολομῶνος ὧδε
˱one˲_greater_‹than› Solomon_‹is› here
Jesus is speaking about himself in the third person. Alternate translation: [I, who am greater than Solomon, am here]
Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
πλεῖον Σολομῶνος ὧδε
˱one˲_greater_‹than› Solomon_‹is› here
It may be helpful to state explicitly that these people have not listened to Jesus. Alternate translation: [even though I, who am greater than Solomon, am here, the people of this time have not listened to me]
OET (OET-LV) The_queen of_the_south will_be_being_raised at the judgement with the men the this generation, and will_be_condemning them, because she_came from the ends of_the earth to_hear the wisdom of_Solomōn/(Shəlmoh), and see, one_greater than Solomōn is here.
OET (OET-RV) The queen from the south will come back to life on judgement day along with the people from this generation, and she’ll condemn them, because she travelled a long distance to hear Solomon’s wisdom, and now, someone’s here who’s greater than Solomon.
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.
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