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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 17 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25 V26 V27 V28 V29 V30 V32 V33 V34 V35 V36 V37
OET (OET-LV) In that the day, who will_be on the housetop, and the goods of_him in his house, him_let_ not _come_down to_take_away them, and the one in the_field, likewise him_let_ not _return to the things back.
OET (OET-RV) “On that day, anyone who’s just outside the house should not go back in to get their valuables. Similarly, anyone who’s out on the farm shouldn’t return to the house to get their possessions.
The Greek text does not indicate when Jesus said the words in this section. Scholars believe that he said them during the same time period as the last section. During this time, Jesus was making his final journey to Jerusalem. The Pharisees asked him when the kingdom of God would come. Jesus answered by describing the way the Son of Man, the Messiah, will return to earth. He will return suddenly, and it will be obvious to everyone that he has returned. Jesus compared his return to how suddenly the flood came in the time of Noah and how suddenly Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed in the time of Lot.
Examples of headings for this section are:
Jesus taught about when the Son of Man will come
The coming of the Kingdom of God
Parallel passages are in Matthew 24:17–18, 24:23–28, 24:37–41, and Mark 13:14–16, 13:19–23.
In this paragraph Jesus told his disciples that they must not delay to take any of their possessions when he returns. There are two ways to interpret this instruction:
Jesus was speaking in a figurative way. He warned that a person must not be concerned about possessions when he (Jesus) returns.
Jesus was speaking literally. Jesus warned that they must not delay to take their possessions, but instead, they must flee from danger that is coming.
English versions are ambiguous. It is recommended that you also translate in an ambiguous way so that either interpretation may be understood. If that is not possible, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).Commentators who follow this interpretation include Arndt, Erdman, Geldenhuys, Godet, Plummer, Lenski, Liefeld, Green, Marshall, Hendriksen, Nolland, Tolbert, TH, and Morris. This context in Luke is different from the one in Mark, where Jesus’ disciples should flee from the destruction of Jerusalem. Here in Luke, Jesus is returning, and no one can run from him.
On that day, let no one on the housetop
¶ “On that day, whoever is outside his house
¶ Jesus continued: “On that future day, if a person is sitting on his roof
come down to retrieve his possessions.
should not come back inside to get anything he owns.
and the things that he owns are inside the house, he should not enter and get them.
On that day: The phrase On that day refers to the day when God reveals the Son of Man, mentioned in the previous verse. Another way to translate it is:
When that happens
let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve his possessions: Here Jesus warned his disciples that no one who is on his roof should go back into his house to get any of his possessions. Someone who was on a roof would in fact have to come down, but he should not go back into his house to get anything.Similar passages in Matthew 24:16 and in Mark 13:14 imply that the reason for not going back into their houses is that they should not waste time but should flee to the mountains. Here in Luke, however, the emphasis is on being ready when the Son of Man is revealed. It will be too late to flee then. Hendriksen (p. 808) says that “any thought of fleeing is, of course, out of the question.” Lenski (p. 888) says, “In the present discourse the destruction of Jerusalem is not referred to; Luke 21:5–38 reports Matthew 24 and deals with Jerusalem….” Here in Luke 17:31–37, “Jesus speaks of the end of the world throughout and therefore says nothing of flight, for no flight will then save any man.” Many other commentators support this interpretation, including Arndt (p. 409), Erdman (p. 179), Geldenhys (p. 441), Liefeld in Gaebelein (p. 998), Marshall (p. 664), Morris (p. 286), Nolland (p. 861), Plummer (p. 409), TH (p. 591), and Tolbert (p. 139). Be sure to make this clear in your translation. For example:
a person who is on the roof should not go down into his house to get any of his things from there
on the housetop: The Jews built houses with flat roofs and stairs on the outside. They liked to sit and talk or rest on the roof, especially in the late afternoon when it was cool. These flat roofs were also mentioned in 5:19 and 12:3. Refer to your translation of those verses.
to retrieve his possessions: The phrase to retrieve his possessions is literally “and his possessions in the house.” It refers to someone whose belongings are not with him on the roof but are inside the house. The BSB translates this phrase in a way that describes why a person would “come down” from the roof and go inside the house. Another way to translate this is:
go down into the house to pack (NLT)
possessions: The word possessions includes anything in the house, for example, household furnishings, clothing, food, and other possessions.
Likewise, let no one in the field return for anything he has left behind.
In the same way, whoever is in his field should not return home to get anything.
Also the person who is out in his field/farm should not delay by going back to his house to get something to take with him.
Likewise: The Greek word that the BSB translates as Likewise means “in the same way.” The person on his roof should not get his things out of his house (17:31a–b). In the same way, the person in the field should not go back to get his things.
let no one in the field return for anything he has left behind: This clause indicates that a person should not take the time to go back to his house. He should not delay at all. The BSB has supplied the words for anything, which are not in the Greek text. Other ways to translate the clause are:
anyone who is out in the field must not go back to the house (GNT)
A person who is in the field should not go back home. (NCV)
no one in the field: The phrase no one in the field refers to anyone working out in the fields or farms. These fields would be some distance from the cities or towns.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ
in in (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ὅς ἔσται ἐπί τοῦ δώματος καί τά σκεύη αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ μή καταβάτω ἆραι αὐτά καί ὁ ἐν ἀγρῷ ὁμοίως μή ἐπιστρεψάτω εἰς τά ὀπίσω)
Jesus is using the term day to refer to a specific time. Alternate translation: [At that time]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / hypo
ὃς ἔσται ἐπὶ τοῦ δώματος, καὶ τὰ σκεύη αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ, μὴ καταβάτω ἆραι αὐτά
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ὅς ἔσται ἐπί τοῦ δώματος καί τά σκεύη αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ μή καταβάτω ἆραι αὐτά καί ὁ ἐν ἀγρῷ ὁμοίως μή ἐπιστρεψάτω εἰς τά ὀπίσω)
Jesus is speaking of a hypothetical situation that might occur at this time. Alternate translation: [suppose someone is doing something on the roof of his house. Then he should not go inside to get his valuables]
Note 3 topic: translate-unknown
ἐπὶ τοῦ δώματος
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ὅς ἔσται ἐπί τοῦ δώματος καί τά σκεύη αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ μή καταβάτω ἆραι αὐτά καί ὁ ἐν ἀγρῷ ὁμοίως μή ἐπιστρεψάτω εἰς τά ὀπίσω)
In this culture, housetops were flat and people could go up onto them without being in danger of sliding off. Housetops were used for a variety of purposes, such as storing and ripening grain and fruit, sleeping in hot weather, and gathering in a large open space. If housetops or roofs are different in your culture and your readers would not understand that Jesus is speaking of someone doing an ordinary activity, you could use a general expression in your translation. Alternate translation: [doing something outside the house]
τὰ σκεύη αὐτοῦ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ὅς ἔσται ἐπί τοῦ δώματος καί τά σκεύη αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ μή καταβάτω ἆραι αὐτά καί ὁ ἐν ἀγρῷ ὁμοίως μή ἐπιστρεψάτω εἰς τά ὀπίσω)
Alternate translation: [his possessions] or [his valuables]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
μὴ καταβάτω ἆραι αὐτά
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ὅς ἔσται ἐπί τοῦ δώματος καί τά σκεύη αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ μή καταβάτω ἆραι αὐτά καί ὁ ἐν ἀγρῷ ὁμοίως μή ἐπιστρεψάτω εἰς τά ὀπίσω)
The implication is that people should flee immediately without even taking the time to secure their valuables. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: [he should flee immediately, without going inside to get his valuables]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / hypo
καὶ ὁ ἐν ἀγρῷ, ὁμοίως μὴ ἐπιστρεψάτω εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ὅς ἔσται ἐπί τοῦ δώματος καί τά σκεύη αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ μή καταβάτω ἆραι αὐτά καί ὁ ἐν ἀγρῷ ὁμοίως μή ἐπιστρεψάτω εἰς τά ὀπίσω)
Jesus is speaking of a hypothetical situation that might occur at this time. Alternate translation: [and suppose someone is out working in the field. Then he too should not go back into the house for anything]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
μὴ ἐπιστρεψάτω εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ὅς ἔσται ἐπί τοῦ δώματος καί τά σκεύη αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ μή καταβάτω ἆραι αὐτά καί ὁ ἐν ἀγρῷ ὁμοίως μή ἐπιστρεψάτω εἰς τά ὀπίσω)
The implication once again is that people should flee immediately without even taking the time to secure their valuables. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: [he should flee immediately, without going back to the house to get his valuables]
17:20-37 This is the first of two discourses in Luke’s Gospel on the coming of the Kingdom and the return of the Son of Man (see also ch 21).
OET (OET-LV) In that the day, who will_be on the housetop, and the goods of_him in his house, him_let_ not _come_down to_take_away them, and the one in the_field, likewise him_let_ not _return to the things back.
OET (OET-RV) “On that day, anyone who’s just outside the house should not go back in to get their valuables. Similarly, anyone who’s out on the farm shouldn’t return to the house to get their possessions.
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.