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OET (OET-LV) But the master said to him:
Now you_all the Farisaios_party are_cleansing the part outside of_the cup and of_the platter, and which inside of_you_all is_being_full of_theft and wickedness.
OET (OET-RV) But the master said to his host, “Yes, all of you in the Pharisee party clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but your insides are full of theft and wickedness.
In this section, a Pharisee invited Jesus to his house for a meal. The Pharisee was surprised that Jesus did not ritually wash his hands before he ate. Jesus then criticized the Pharisees because they carefully observed outward rituals but neglected true devotion to God. He specifically warned the Pharisees about three ways in which they displeased God. He then directed three additional warnings to the teachers of the law.
Some other headings for this section are:
Jesus’ Criticism of the Religious Leaders
There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 23:1–36 and Mark 12:38–40.
“Now then,” said the Lord,
Then/So the Lord Jesus said to him,
So the Lord Jesus said to him using an illustration,
This verse begins with a Greek conjunction. Several English versions (NIV, NLT, NRSV) translate it as “Then” because it introduces the next thing that happened in the story. Because Jesus’ words in 11:39b were a response to the Pharisee’s surprise, other versions translate it as “So.” For example:
So the Lord said to him (GNT)
The BSB does not translate this conjunction. Introduce Jesus’ response in a way that is natural in your language.
The Lord Jesus responded by giving a metaphor. In some languages it may be clearer to give the readers a clue that the Lord would be speaking figuratively. For example:
Then/So the Lord said to him, using an illustration
Now then: The Greek word that the BSB translates as Now then is literally “Now.” It introduces what Jesus was about to say with a slight emphasis. In this context it is not a time word. Some English versions do not translate it here.
Some languages may have a particle or expression that is appropriate for introducing a rebuke. If so, you may be able to use it here. For example:
Oh you Pharisees! (NAB)
the Lord: If you need to supply a name here along with the title, you may say:
the Lord Jesus
you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness: This is a metaphor. In this metaphor Jesus rebuked the Pharisees because they carefully followed external cleansing rituals such as hand-washing, but they ignored their inner wickedness. He implied that this was as foolish as cleaning the outside of cups and dishes but ignoring the dirt inside. Jesus did not mean that the Pharisees literally cleaned only the outside of their cups and dishes.
This is a complex metaphor, and parts of both the topic and the image are implied. The chart below gives the full metaphor:
topic | you are concerned about external, ritual cleansing like washing your hands, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. |
image | this is like cleaning the outside of cups and dishes but leaving the insides of the cups and dishes filthy |
point of similarity | foolishness |
In some languages it may be necessary to change this metaphor to a simile and make some of the implied parts of the comparison explicit. For example:
39bYou Pharisees, it is as if you clean only the outside of your cups and dishes, 39cbecause you carefully wash your hands, but you ignore the greed and wickedness that are in your minds/hearts.
39bYou Pharisees are like people who wash only the outside of a cup and bowl, but as for the dirt on the inside, they just leave it alone. 39cFor you wash your hands, but your inner being is really full of greed and evil.
“you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish,
“You(plur) Pharisees! It is as if you clean only the outside of your(plur) cups and dishes/plates,
“O you(plur) Pharisees! You are like people who ceremonially wash the outside of a cup/glass and dish/bowl. But as for the dirt on the inside, they just leave it.
you Pharisees: In the Greek, you is plural. Only one Pharisee has been mentioned at this point in the narrative, but perhaps others were present. Jesus was referring here to the Pharisees as a group.
clean: The Greek word that the BSB translates as clean means to purify or make ceremonially clean. It is not the usual word for washing things to remove dirt from them. However, the main contrast in this verse is between outward cleanliness (11:39b) and inward wickedness (11:39c). So if it is awkward to specify “ceremonially/ritually clean” in your language, you may use a more general term. For example:
wash
outside: Languages may use different terms to describe the outside of cups, bowls, and plates. For example, the “back of a plate.” Use a natural term in your language.
cup and dish: The word cup refers to a normal cup or glass that people drank from. The word dish refers to any plate that people used to eat their food. You may also substitute terms for other drinking or eating utensils that are used in your language area.
In some languages, it is more natural to use plural terms. For example:
cups and dishes (CEV)
but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.
because you carefully wash your hands, but you(plur) ignore the greed and evil that are in your minds/hearts.
For you(plur) wash your hands/bodies, but your inner being is full of wickedness/sinfulness and a strong desire to take things away from others.
inside: The Greek word that the BSB translates as inside refers to the Pharisees’ inner person or nature. It is the part of a person that thinks and feels and desires things. Some other ways to translate this word are:
in your minds
your hearts
you are full of: In some languages, it may not be possible to say that people are full of bad qualities. If this is true in your language, use an expression that means that these people are characterized by these bad things. For example:
on the inside you are (CEV)
greed: The Greek word that the BSB translates as greed often refers to taking other people’s things wrongly. It can also refer to taking things violently or forcefully.
In this context, “violent greed”This definition is from Louw & Nida, p. 292. fills the minds/hearts of the Pharisees. So it refers here to an inner desire rather than an outward action. Some other ways to translate this word are:
violence (GNT)
strong desire to gain things violently
wickedness: The Greek word that the BSB translates as wickedness is a general word for sinfulness or evil. For example:
evil (GNT)
ὁ Κύριος
the Lord
Here Luke refers to Jesus by the respectful title the Lord. Alternate translation: [the Lord Jesus]
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ὑμεῖς οἱ Φαρισαῖοι τὸ ἔξωθεν τοῦ ποτηρίου καὶ τοῦ πίνακος καθαρίζετε, τὸ δὲ ἔσωθεν ὑμῶν γέμει ἁρπαγῆς καὶ πονηρίας
you_all ¬the Pharisees (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἶπεν Δέ ὁ Κύριος πρός αὐτόν Νῦν ὑμεῖς οἱ Φαρισαῖοι τό ἔξωθεν τοῦ ποτηρίου καί τοῦ πίνακος καθαρίζετε τό δέ ἔσωθεν ὑμῶν γέμει ἁρπαγῆς καί πονηρίας)
It becomes clear from the second part of this sentence that Jesus is using the cup and the bowl in the first part to represent the Pharisees. Alternate translation: [you Pharisees are careful to maintain good appearances on the outside, but your true character is that you are greedy and wicked people]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ὑμεῖς οἱ Φαρισαῖοι τὸ ἔξωθεν τοῦ ποτηρίου καὶ τοῦ πίνακος καθαρίζετε
you_all ¬the Pharisees (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἶπεν Δέ ὁ Κύριος πρός αὐτόν Νῦν ὑμεῖς οἱ Φαρισαῖοι τό ἔξωθεν τοῦ ποτηρίου καί τοῦ πίνακος καθαρίζετε τό δέ ἔσωθεν ὑμῶν γέμει ἁρπαγῆς καί πονηρίας)
Washing the outside of containers was a part of the ritual practices of the Pharisees. Alternate translation: [as part of your rituals, you Pharisees always clean the things that you are going to eat and drink from]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
τὸ δὲ ἔσωθεν ὑμῶν γέμει ἁρπαγῆς καὶ πονηρίας
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἶπεν Δέ ὁ Κύριος πρός αὐτόν Νῦν ὑμεῖς οἱ Φαρισαῖοι τό ἔξωθεν τοῦ ποτηρίου καί τοῦ πίνακος καθαρίζετε τό δέ ἔσωθεν ὑμῶν γέμει ἁρπαγῆς καί πονηρίας)
If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the ideas behind the abstract nouns greed and evil with adjectives, as UST does. Alternate translation: [but your true character is that you are greedy and wicked people]
11:39 The Pharisees had meticulous rules for ceremonially cleaning cups and utensils for religious purity. Jesus accused them of cleaning only the outside of the cup (following external rules) but leaving the inside . . . filthy (keeping unrighteousness in their hearts).
OET (OET-LV) But the master said to him:
Now you_all the Farisaios_party are_cleansing the part outside of_the cup and of_the platter, and which inside of_you_all is_being_full of_theft and wickedness.
OET (OET-RV) But the master said to his host, “Yes, all of you in the Pharisee party clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but your insides are full of theft and wickedness.
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.