LUKE 17:7 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 17:1–10: Jesus taught his disciples about sin, faith, and duty

At the end of chapter 16, Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees. He concluded his parable about Lazarus and the rich man. Here in 17:1–10, he spoke to his disciples and taught them about several issues.Scholars have different opinions about whether the teachings in this section are thematically related to Jesus’ teachings in chapter 16. Some scholars say that the teachings in the two chapters are not connected. Other scholars do see a broad connection. Green says, “Especially due to its location adjacent to prior accounts of Jesus’ interaction with Pharisees, this pericope recapitulates Jesus’ message to his followers: They are not to be like the Pharisees!” (p. 611). Liefeld says that “it is also possible to see a logical connection between the end of chapter 16 and the beginning of chapter 17, if we understand ‘the things that cause people to sin’ to be the sins of the Pharisees, such as those mentioned in 16:14.” Scholars also disagree about whether the paragraphs in this section are related to each other. About this, Liefeld says that “there is a common unifying theme of attitudes in the Christian community” (p. 994). Morris also mentions this possible connection: “The connecting link here may be the attitude of the religious leaders. They were in danger of using their wealth wrongly, and they were also in danger of leading their lesser brethren astray—temptations that would confront his disciples as well as people like the Pharisees” (p. 279). Nolland (p. 835) says, “Luke seems to have cobbled a unity together here of three separate blocks of tradition (verses 1–2, 3–4, 5–6). The catchword link “into/in the sea” from verse 2 to verse 6 helps to give a formal unity to the piece, and it is likely that he intends the blocks so juxtaposed, to mutually qualify the meaning of one another.” He also says, “As he opens this new section (17:1–19) Luke has brought together three blocks of tradition to form a unit about the adequacy, despite all human frailty, of even the most meager of kingdom faiths for the radical challenge of Jesus’ teaching” (p. 839).

English versions divide these verses into sections in different ways. For example:

Most versions put 17:1–10 together in one section and have one heading. (The Notes follow these versions.)
Some versions divide 17:1–10 into three sections with a heading for each one. For example, the GNT has:

17:1–4	Sin
17:5–6	Faith
17:7–10	A servant’s duty

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Jesus taught his disciples to not cause others to sin, to forgive others, and to serve him humbly

Teachings about Forgiveness and Faith (NLT)

Sin, Forgiveness, Faith, and Service (NET)

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 18:6–7 and 18:15 and in Mark 9:42. However, Jesus may have spoken these passages in a different context from the one in this section.

Paragraph 17:7–10

In this paragraph, Jesus told a parable to illustrate the attitude that he wanted his disciples to have. Just as a slave must serve his master, a disciple must serve God, his master. That is his duty. He should obey God without thinking that God should reward him in any special way.

17:7

In the Greek text, as in the BSB, 17:7 is one long, rhetorical question. It could be translated as a statement and a rhetorical question. For example:

Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? (NIV)

In some languages, it may be helpful to use even shorter sentences. For example:

^7aSuppose one of you had a servant. All day this servant plows the soil or looks after the sheep. Then he comes back to the house. ^7bWill you say to him, ^7c“Now come and sit down to eat?”

17:7a

Which of you whose servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field

¶ “If one of you^(plur) had a servant who plowed for you or watched your sheep, when he came in from the field,
¶ “Think about what you^(plur) would do if you had a servant/slave to plow a field or care for your sheep. When that servant returned from plowing or caring for the sheep,
¶ Jesus continued, “If/After a servant has been plowing his master’s field or tending his sheep all day, and the servant returns to the house in the evening,

17:7b

will say to him,

would you^(sing) say to him,
would you^(plur) say to him,
his master will never tell him

17:7a–b

Which of you whose servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field will say to him…?: This is a rhetorical question. Jesus used this rhetorical question to emphasize that a master would never say what follows in 17:7c. This question expects the answer, “No, no one would say that to a servant.”

Some ways to translate this emphasis are:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
Suppose someone has a servant who is plowing fields or watching sheep. Does he tell his servant when he comes from the field…? (GW)
As a statement. For example:
One would certainly not say to the servant when that servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field…
When the servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field, no master would ever say to him…

Translate this emphasis in a way that is natural in your language.

Which of you whose servant: In Greek this clause is literally “Who among you having a servant…?” For example:

Will any one of you, who has a servant…? (RSV)

Jesus used this clause to introduce his illustration. Versions such as the GW, GNT, NCV, and NIV use a clause with the word “Suppose” to introduce it. Some other ways to introduce the illustration in English are:

If your servant (CEV)

When a servant (NLT)

Introduce this illustration in a way that is natural in your language.

Which of you: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as Which of you refers to “any one of you apostles/disciples.” It is possible that Jesus was continuing his answer to his apostles’ request in 17:5. However, he was probably speaking to all his disciples, as in 17:1.

Jesus was not implying anything about whether one of his disciples had a servant. In some languages it may be helpful to translate the phrase Which of you in a more general way. For example:

Suppose someone has a servant (GW)

servant: The Greek word that the BSB translates as servant means “slave” (as in the NRSV). This word refers to someone who was owned by another person. He worked for his owner/master without receiving pay. He had no rights of his own (or very few rights). He could not choose to go and work for someone else.

In some cultures, slaves may not be known. In other cultures, the word for slave may imply different customs than in biblical culture. If that is true in your language, some ways to translate this are:

worker

person who belonged to someone else

owned person

person who serves someone

comes in from: The clause comes in from indicates that after the servant worked in the field, he returned to the house at the end of the day. In some languages it may be helpful to make this explicit. For example:

when he returns after working in the fields all day

The pronoun “him” refers to the servant, not the master. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit:

when his servant comes in from the field

plowing: The word plowing refers to using a tool called a plow to turn over the soil to prepare it for planting crops. A farmer often uses animals such as cows or oxen to pull the plow.

In areas where people do not know about plowing, you may express this in a more general way. For example:

working in the field

cultivating

preparing the field/soil for planting

shepherding in the field: The Greek word that the BSB translates literally as shepherding describes taking care of animals known as sheep. Some other ways to translate this word are:

caring for the sheep (NCV)

looking after the sheep (NIV)

In some areas people do not keep sheep, so you may want to use a more general expression. For example:

caring for the animals

tending the animals

Sheep are domestic animals that are raised for meat and for wool. In some languages there may not be a word for “sheep.” If that is true in your language, you may borrow the word for “sheep” and indicate its meaning with a general word such as “herd/flock” or “animals.” For example:

animals called sheep

herd/flock of sheep

If people are not familiar with sheep in your area, it is suggested that you insert a picture in your translation.

In some languages it may be necessary to make it explicit that the servant was taking care of the sheep that his master owned. For example:

your ^(sing) sheep/animals

his/the master’s sheep

will say to him: Versions such as the NIV that divide this verse into a “suppose” statement and a rhetorical question use the pronoun “he” to refer to the master here. But since he was referred to as one “of you” in 17:7a, in some languages it may be more natural to continue to use the pronoun you here. For example:

Would you say to the servant

In other languages, it may be best to use “someone” in 17:7a and “he” here.

17:7c

‘Come at once and sit down to eat’?

‘Come^(sing) quickly and sit down to eat’?
‘Come^(sing), sit here and eat’? Of course not!
to rest and eat supper/dinner.

Come at once: The Greek words that the BSB translates as Come at once are literally “immediately come.” For example:

Come immediately (NASB)

Come along now (NIV)

and sit down to eat: The clause sit down to eat is a polite invitation. This clause implies that a master was inviting his servant to eat a meal that someone had already cooked for him. Translate this invitation in a natural way in your language.The Greek verb that the BSB translates as “sit down” is more literally “recline.” However, in this context English versions do not translate it literally, since the custom of reclining to eat is not known in most cultures, and in this context Jesus was telling a parable, not describing a historical event. Even in Jesus’ time, most people reclined only at formal meals. However, the ESV is an exception to this and does translate the verb here as “recline.” That verb may emphasize the point of the story that a master would never tell his slave to come in and relax to eat before he serves the meal to his master. Other ways to say it in English are:

sit down for a meal (NET)

rest/sit and eat

and let me give you some food to eat

General Comment on 17:7b–c

If you translate 17:7b–c as a rhetorical question, you may need to supply an answer. For example:

Of course not!

No, you wouldn’t say that. (CEV)

No. (GW)

You can place such an answer either at the end of 17:7c (see 17:7c in the Display) or at the beginning of 17:8 (as in the CEV and GW).

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

τίς δὲ ἐξ ὑμῶν δοῦλον ἔχων, ἀροτριῶντα ἢ ποιμαίνοντα, ὃς εἰσελθόντι ἐκ τοῦ ἀγροῦ ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ, εὐθέως παρελθὼν ἀνάπεσε?

which (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τίς Δέ ἐξ ὑμῶν δοῦλον ἔχων ἀροτριῶντα ἤ ποιμαίνοντα ὅς εἰσελθόντι ἐκ τοῦ ἀγροῦ ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ εὐθέως Παρελθών ἀνάπεσε)

Jesus is using the question form to teach his disciples. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate his words as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: [But none of you who had a servant who was out plowing or tending sheep would say to him when he came in from the field, ‘Come immediately and recline to eat’.]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / hypo

Jesus is using an illustration that involves a hypothetical situation. Alternate translation: [Suppose one of you had a servant who was out plowing or tending sheep. You would not say to him when he came in from the field, ‘Come immediately and recline to eat.’]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / quotesinquotes

εἰσελθόντι ἐκ τοῦ ἀγροῦ ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ, εὐθέως παρελθὼν ἀνάπεσε

˓having˒_come_in out_of the field ˓will_be˒_saying ˱to˲_him immediately (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τίς Δέ ἐξ ὑμῶν δοῦλον ἔχων ἀροτριῶντα ἤ ποιμαίνοντα ὅς εἰσελθόντι ἐκ τοῦ ἀγροῦ ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ εὐθέως Παρελθών ἀνάπεσε)

If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: [would tell him as soon as he came in from the field to sit right down and have his own supper]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

δοῦλον & ἀροτριῶντα ἢ ποιμαίνοντα

˓a˒_slave & plowing (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τίς Δέ ἐξ ὑμῶν δοῦλον ἔχων ἀροτριῶντα ἤ ποιμαίνοντα ὅς εἰσελθόντι ἐκ τοῦ ἀγροῦ ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ εὐθέως Παρελθών ἀνάπεσε)

It may be helpful to say explicitly that the land and sheep hypothetically belong to the person who is being asked to consider what he would do in this situation. Alternate translation: [a servant who had been out plowing your land or taking care of your sheep]

Note 5 topic: translate-unknown

ἀνάπεσε

sit_down_‹to_eat›

See how you translated this phrase in [5:29](../05/29.md). Alternate translation: [and sit down to eat] or [and sit down and have your supper]

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

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 17:7

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