OET interlinear LUKE 18:11

18:11a

The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: There is a textual issue in this clause.The main textual options seem to be: 1) “stood these things to himself praying.” This is the more difficult reading. The UBS Greek NT Editorial Committee recommends it but gives it a D rating, indicating great uncertainty. 2) “stood to himself these things praying.” This option has the most external evidence. 3) “stood according to himself these things praying.” The committee considers this to be a slight modification of the text in order to make interpreting (1) less difficult. 4) “stood to himself praying.” 5) “stood these things praying.” Options (4) and (5) amount to omitting the difficult sequences, and the committee did not regard them as original (Metzger, 1971, p. 168). that affects the way scholars interpret it.Some of the interpretations are: (1) The Pharisee prayed about himself. The NET has: “prayed about himself.” (NET, NIV). (2) The Pharisee prayed to himself. He was pretending to pray to God, but he was really only talking to himself. The NJB has: “prayed this prayer to himself” (possibly KJV, RSV). (3) The Pharisee prayed silently. He did not speak loudly enough for others to hear him because of what he was saying as he prayed. This may be the meaning of the KJV and RSV “prayed thus with himself” in interpretation (2). (4) The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, standing away from others who were praying. This interpretation is based on a different order of the words in the Greek text. The GNT says: “stood apart by himself and prayed.” (BSB, GNT, NLT, CEV, NCV) (5) The words need not be translated explicitly. In Aramaic, the language Jesus was speaking, they simply emphasized the verb. The REB says: “The Pharisee stood up and prayed this prayer…” (REB, GW) The issue concerns the placement of the phrase by himself:

1. Some Greek manuscripts indicate that the phrase goes with prayed. For example:

   The Pharisee stood and began praying this in regard to himself (NASB) (NET, NIV, RSV, NJB, NASB, KJV, JBP)

2. Other Greek manuscripts indicate that the phrase goes with stood. For example:

   The Pharisee stood apart by himself and prayed (GNT) (BSB, NIV11, GNT, NRSV, CEV, NCV, NLT, ESV)

3. Some Greek manuscripts do not translate the phrase. For example:

   The Pharisee stood up and prayed (GW) (GW, REB)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). However, there is also good evidence for option (2). If the major language version in your area chooses it, you may also decide to follow it. You may want to mention the option you do not follow in a footnote. For example:

Some manuscripts have “stood by himself and prayed these things.”

stood by himself: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as stood by himself indicates that the Pharisee prayed in a standing position. This was a common way for Jewish men to pray in public places. It does not imply that the Pharisee had previously been sitting or lying down.

prayed: The previous notes recommended that you translate the phrase that the BSB translates as “by himself” with the word prayed. There are different ways to interpret the preposition that the BSB translates as “by”:These different interpretations stem partly from different meanings of the Greek preposition pros that the BSB translates as “by” and partly from cultural and religious factors. The Notes group the interpretations on the basis of the meaning of the preposition, either (1) “about” or (2) “to.”

1. It means that the Pharisee was talking to God about himself. For example:

   prayed about himself (NIV) (NIV, NET)

2. It means that he was praying to himself. This may indicate that he was praying proudly, silently, or to himself rather than to God. For example:

   prayed thus with himself (RSV) (RSV, NASB, KJV, JBP, NJB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). It has a clear meaning, and it has good support from scholars.These scholars include Hultgren (p. 122), Liefeld (p. 1002), Nolland (p. 875), Lenski (p. 900), Stein (p. 449), and Fitzmyer (p. 1186).

Interpretation (2) has several variations. English versions use expressions like “to” or “with” that are ambiguous here. Each variation has support from respected scholars. If the major language version in your area uses one of these variations, you may decide to follow it.

18:11b–d

In 18:11b the Pharisee thanked God that he was not like other people. In 18:11c–d he gave specific examples of ways that he was not like them. In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of clauses and give specific examples before the general statement. For example:

^11bI thank you, God, that I am not ^11cgreedy, dishonest, or an adulterer, ^11blike everybody else. ^11dI thank you that I am not like that tax collector over there. (GNT)

Use a natural order in your language.

18:11b

God: The Pharisee was speaking to God. Use a natural way in your language to address God in prayer. For example:

My God

O God

I thank You that I am not like the other men: Here the Pharisee told God what he was thankful for. Some other ways to say this are:

I say thank you that I am not like other men

I praise you that I am not like other men

This clause introduces a list that gives examples of what other men did. Introduce the list in a natural way in your language. For example:

I say thank you that I am not like other men. As for me, I am not….

I thank you that I am not like other men. For I do not….

I am not like the other men: The clause I am not like the other men indicates that the Pharisee thought that he was not sinful like other men. He thought that he was more righteous than they were. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit. For example:

I am not evil/sinful like other men

I do not sin like other men

The phrase can also be translated without using a negative word like not. For example:

I am different from other men

I am more righteous than other men

the other men: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as the other men refers to other people in general. It includes women as well as men. For example:

I am not like other people

18:11c

swindlers, evildoers, adulterers: Here the Pharisee gave three examples of sins that he thought other people committed. The Pharisee implied that all people except him were evil in some way.

In some languages it may be more natural to translate with verbs, adjectives, or short clauses. For example:

…greedy, dishonest, adulterous… (REB)

they rob people, they do evil, and they commit adultery

It is also possible to use negative statements with the Pharisee as the subject. For example:

I’m not a robber or a dishonest person. I haven’t committed adultery. (GW)

I am not greedy, dishonest, and unfaithful in marriage (CEV)

swindlers: The Greek word that the BSB translates as swindlers refers to people who rob or cheat others. It often implies that they take things by force. The word can also refer to people who are greedy for money or possessions. Jesus used a different form of this word in 11:39 to describe Pharisees. There the BSB translates the word as “greed.” Some other ways to translate it are:

robbers (NIV)

They cheat people

I am not greedy (GNT)

evildoers: The Greek word that the BSB translates as evildoers is literally “unjust/unrighteous.” It refers to people who do things that are not right. They act in an unjust way, and they are dishonest. They do not obey God’s law. Some ways to translate it are:

dishonest (GNT)

unjust (NASB)

unrighteous people (NET)

adulterers: The Greek word that the BSB translates as adulterers refers to people who have sexual intercourse with someone they are not married to. Some adulterers are married people, and others are not married but they have sex with someone who is married to someone else. In some languages it may be more natural to translate this with a descriptive phrase or clause. For example:

they have sex with people they are not married to

I do not have sexual relations with anyone I have not married

18:11d

or even like this tax collector: Here the Pharisee referred to the tax collector as a particular example of “other men” (18:11b) who were sinners. He probably did not imply that the tax collector was better or worse than the evildoers whom he mentioned in 18:11c. Some ways to translate this are:

or, for that matter, like this tax-collector (REB)

I’m certainly not like that tax collector! (NLT)

I am also not like that tax collector.