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OET (OET-LV) the master of_ the that _slave will_be_coming in a_day which he_is_ not _expecting, and in an_hour which he_is_ not _knowing, and will_be_dismembering him, and will_be_appointing the portion of_him with the unbelievers.
OET (OET-RV) then his master is sure to arrive when he’s not expecting him, and the master will give him a gruesome execution and he’ll be in hell with the unbelievers.
In this section Jesus continued to teach his disciples. He told them to do their work faithfully and to be ready for the time he would return to earth. He used three illustrations that all emphasized how important it is to be prepared for his return. In 12:35–38 he described a man who had gone to a wedding feast. His servants needed to be ready to open the door for him at whatever time he returned. In 12:39 he described the owner of a house watching out for a thief who might come at an unexpected time. In 12:41–48, Jesus explained the difference between a faithful servant and an unfaithful servant. This encouraged his disciples to be faithful.
Some other headings for this section are:
Faithful and Unfaithful Servants (CEV)
Be Ready for the Lord’s Coming (NLT)
Watchfulness (NIV)
There is a parallel passage for 12:41–48 in Matthew 24:45–51.
The master of that servant will come
Then his master will return home from his trip
In that case, when his master comes home,
on a day he does not expect
on a day and at a time when that servant is not expecting him to come,
the servant will not be expecting him.
and at an hour he does not anticipate.
and the servant will be completely unprepared/surprised.
He will not know that his master was going to return at that time.
This verse tells what will happen to a servant who does what Jesus described in 12:45. In some languages it may be helpful to introduce this verse with a connecting word or phrase. For example:
then (NET)
If that happens (CEV)
The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate: The two phrases on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate both mean “at a time when the servant is not expecting his master to return.” The master returns earlier than the servant expected. If your language has parallel structures like this, it may be appropriate to use two different phrases here. But if it does not, it may be better to combine both clauses into one expression. For example:
on a day and at a time when he is not expecting him at all
Then he will cut him to pieces
His master will punish him severely
Then his master will give him an extremely harsh punishment,
Then he will cut him to pieces: There are three ways to interpret the clause that the BSB translates as Then he will cut him to pieces:
It is a figure of speech that refers to severe punishment. For example:
his master will punish him severely (GW) (RSV, GW, CEV, JBP)
It is a punishment that involved literally cutting a person into two or more pieces with a sword or saw. For example:
and will cut him in two (NET) (BSB, NIV, KJV, NASB, NRSV, REB, NLT, GNT, NCV, NET)
It is an idiom that meant he would be “cut off” or banished. For example:
will cut him off (NJB) (NJB)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) because its meaning would include the other two interpretations. It also seems unlikely that Jesus was referring to literally cutting a person into pieces. It was certainly not a punishment that Jewish masters used on their servants. Since many versions follow the literal wording, it is suggested that you put interpretation (2) in a footnote. A suggested footnote is:
In Greek it says “cut him in two.” Many scholars think that this is a figurative expression that refers to severe punishment.
and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
so that he shares the fate/situation of others who are not trustworthy/faithful.
like he gives to other disobedient servants.
and: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as and here introduces a further explanation of 12:46d. By punishing the servant severely, the master would cause him to share the same fate as other unfaithful people. Other ways to express this connection are:
punish him severely and in this way he will share the fate of others who cannot be trusted
give him an extreme punishment so his situation/fate will be like other servants who were unfaithful
assign him a place with the unbelievers: The phrase that the BSB translates as assign him a place with is more literally “put his share with.” In this context it probably means “make him share the fate of.” Another way to translate this is:
make him share the fate of the disobedient (GNT)
unbelievers: The Greek word that the BSB translates as unbelievers is literally “faithless.” There are two main ways to interpret this word:
It means unfaithful. These people are disobedient servants whom the master cannot trust. For example:
unfaithful people (GW)
servants who cannot be trusted (CEV)
others who don’t obey (NCV) (NLT, RSV, GNT, GW, NET, CEV, NCV, NJB)
It means these people are unbelievers. They do not believe in God. For example:
the unbelievers (NASB) (BSB, NIV, NASB, KJV)
The REB has “faithless,” which can be understood either way. If you must choose between the meanings, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), as do the majority of English versions. This fits the context of the parable better. See believe, Meaning 4, in the Glossary.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / hypo
ἥξει ὁ κύριος τοῦ δούλου ἐκείνου
˓will_be˒_coming the master ¬the ˱of˲_slave that
If you translated the previous verse as a hypothetical condition, you could translate this verse as the result of that condition. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: [Then the master of that slave will arrive]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism
ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ οὐ προσδοκᾷ, καὶ ἐν ὥρᾳ ᾗ οὐ γινώσκει
in ˓a˒_day which in (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἥξει ὁ κύριος τοῦ δούλου ἐκείνου ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ οὒ προσδοκᾷ καί ἐν ὥρᾳ ᾗ οὒ γινώσκει καί διχοτομήσει αὐτόν καί τό μέρος αὐτοῦ μετά τῶν ἀπιστῶν θήσει)
These two phrases mean the same thing. Jesus is likely using the repetition to emphasize that the return of the master will be completely unexpected by the servant. If it would be helpful in your language, you could combine these phrases, especially if putting both of them in your translation might be confusing for your readers. Alternate translation: [at a time that is a complete surprise to the servant]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ οὐ προσδοκᾷ
in ˓a˒_day which in (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἥξει ὁ κύριος τοῦ δούλου ἐκείνου ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ οὒ προσδοκᾷ καί ἐν ὥρᾳ ᾗ οὒ γινώσκει καί διχοτομήσει αὐτόν καί τό μέρος αὐτοῦ μετά τῶν ἀπιστῶν θήσει)
Here, Jesus uses the term day to refer to a specific time. Alternate translation: [at a time when he is not expecting him]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
ἐν ὥρᾳ ᾗ οὐ γινώσκει
in in ˓an˒_hour which (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἥξει ὁ κύριος τοῦ δούλου ἐκείνου ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ οὒ προσδοκᾷ καί ἐν ὥρᾳ ᾗ οὒ γινώσκει καί διχοτομήσει αὐτόν καί τό μέρος αὐτοῦ μετά τῶν ἀπιστῶν θήσει)
Here, Jesus uses the term hour to refer to a specific time. Alternate translation: [at a time when he does not think he will come]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
διχοτομήσει αὐτὸν
˓will_be˒_dismembering (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἥξει ὁ κύριος τοῦ δούλου ἐκείνου ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ οὒ προσδοκᾷ καί ἐν ὥρᾳ ᾗ οὒ γινώσκει καί διχοτομήσει αὐτόν καί τό μέρος αὐτοῦ μετά τῶν ἀπιστῶν θήσει)
The expression cut him in two could mean one of two things, depending on how the word unfaithful is understood (See: next note): (1) if unfaithful means “untrustworthy,” then the expression is probably figurative, since the master could not reassign this servant to less important responsibilities if he cut him in two. Alternate translation: [will punish him severely] (2) if unfaithful means “unbelieving,” then the expression is more literal, since it would describe something that will happen when God judges the world. Alternate translation: [destroy his body]
τὸ μέρος αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἀπίστων θήσει
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἥξει ὁ κύριος τοῦ δούλου ἐκείνου ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ οὒ προσδοκᾷ καί ἐν ὥρᾳ ᾗ οὒ γινώσκει καί διχοτομήσει αὐτόν καί τό μέρος αὐτοῦ μετά τῶν ἀπιστῶν θήσει)
The term that ULT translates as unfaithful could mean: (1) “untrustworthy.” The meaning would be that the master will assign this servant to less important responsibilities, along with other servants who have shown that they cannot be trusted with important ones. Alternate translation: [will give him unimportant responsibilities, like other servants who have shown that they cannot be trusted] (2) “unbelieving.” The master in the parable represents God, and Jesus would be speaking of what God will do, when he judges the world, to people who show by their disobedience that they do not have genuine faith. Alternate translation: [will assign him a place with the unbelievers]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj
τῶν ἀπίστων
the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἥξει ὁ κύριος τοῦ δούλου ἐκείνου ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ οὒ προσδοκᾷ καί ἐν ὥρᾳ ᾗ οὒ γινώσκει καί διχοτομήσει αὐτόν καί τό μέρος αὐτοῦ μετά τῶν ἀπιστῶν θήσει)
Jesus is using the adjective unfaithful as a noun in order to indicate a group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you could translate this expression with an equivalent phrase. The meaning will depend on how you decided to translate unfaithful (See: previous note). Alternate translation: [servants who have shown that they cannot be trusted] or [people who have shown that they are not genuine believers]
OET (OET-LV) the master of_ the that _slave will_be_coming in a_day which he_is_ not _expecting, and in an_hour which he_is_ not _knowing, and will_be_dismembering him, and will_be_appointing the portion of_him with the unbelievers.
OET (OET-RV) then his master is sure to arrive when he’s not expecting him, and the master will give him a gruesome execution and he’ll be in hell with the unbelievers.
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.