OET interlinear LUKE 19:8

19:8a

Bible scholars have different views about exactly when and where the events of this paragraph happened.See Bock’s commentary (p. 1519) for a list of proposed suggestions about the setting for these verses. But some time passed before Zacchaeus spoke the words in 19:8. Zacchaeus and Jesus may have been in his house with other guests or outside the house where the whole crowd could hear what they said. In some languages it may be necessary or helpful to indicate that some time had passed. For example:

A little later

Later that day (CEV)

But: What Zacchaeus said in this verse contrasts with what the crowd said about him in 19:7 (that he was a sinful man). So some English versions begin this verse with But. Other versions have “and” or do not have a conjunction. Begin the verse in a way that natural in your language.

Zacchaeus stood up: The Greek word that the BSB translates as stood up is literally “stood” or “standing.” There are two ways to interpret it in this context:

1. It indicates that Zacchaeus stood up from a sitting position. For example:

   Zacchaeus stood up (CEV) (BSB, NIV, GNT, RSV, ESV, GW, CEV, NCV, KJV)

2. It indicates that Zacchaeus stopped or kept standing where he was. For example:

   Zacchaeus stood there (NRSV) (NRSV, NJB, NASB, NET, REB, JBP, NLT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Zacchaeus was about to make an important statement. It was proper for him to stand so that everyone there could see him and listen to what he said.

and said to the Lord: The Greek word that the BSB translates as Lord means “master.” It is also a word that the Jews used to address God. Luke often used the title Lord to refer to Jesus. In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit that the title refers to Jesus here. For example:

and said to the/our Lord Jesus

See Lord, Context 3, in the Glossary.

19:8b

Look: The Greek word that the BSB translates as Look introduces a statement that Zacchaeus wanted Jesus to pay special attention to. In this context the word Look implies that the statement will be important. It may also imply that the statement will be surprising. Some ways to translate the word in English are:

Behold (RSV)

Listen (GNT)

See

If you have a word or phrase in your language that draws special attention to a statement, you may be able to use it here.

Lord: The Greek word that the BSB translates as Lord is often used as a polite way to address a master or respected religious leader.In Luke, Jesus’ disciples and others with faith generally addressed Jesus using this term while those who opposed him (like the Pharisees) usually used the term didaskale. Here Zacchaeus used it to address Jesus.

The word Lord occurs twice in this verse. Both Luke and Zacchaeus recognized Jesus as representing God. It should be clear in your translation that Zacchaeus was being very respectful in the way he spoke to Jesus.

See Lord, Context 3, in the Glossary for more information and for translation suggestions.

half of my possessions I give to the poor: In this clause Zacchaeus was promising to give half of his goods to poor people in the future. He was not literally giving those things to them while he was speaking. The present form of give indicates that Zacchaeus would certainly keep his promise.

Use a natural way in your language to make a promise like this. Some other ways to translate it in English are:

I will give half my wealth to the poor (NLT)

I am going to give half my property to the poor (NJB)

half of my possessions I will give to the poor (NASB)

Notice that the NLT and NJB have used a different order of phrases than the BSB has. Use a natural order in your language to emphasize this promise.

half of my possessions: The Greek word that the BSB translates as possessions refers to what Zacchaeus owned. It can also be translated “belongings” or “property.”

In some languages it may be difficult to translate a word like half. It may be more helpful to translate the idea in a different way. For example:

I will divide what I own into two equal groups/parts and give one group/part to poor people

the poor: See how you translated this phrase in 18:22.

19:8c

19:8d

19:8c–d

and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold: In this statement Zacchaeus announced what he would do for anyone whom he had cheated. He was probably admitting that he had cheated people when he collected their taxes.That Zacchaeus was admitting his guilt by this statement has strong commentary support—mostly based on the first-class conditional form used (ει + indicative). It is true that a strong case can be made for this when one brings together what we know about tax collectors, the crowd’s attitude toward Zacchaeus, and the first-class conditional. However, the first-class conditional form alone is not a sufficient basis for this conclusion. In his discussion of the first-class conditional, Daniel Wallace (Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, pp. 690–94) points out that this condition indicates that an author is temporarily assuming the truth of a statement for the sake of argument. It does not necessarily indicate that he himself believed the statement to be true. Zacchaeus might have implied only that if he remembered or discovered that he had cheated someone, he would pay them back four times as much.

In many languages it may be helpful to use a more definite statement than the if clause expresses in English. For example:

I’ll pay four times as much as I owe to those I have cheated in any way. (GW)

And I will now pay back four times as much to everyone I have ever cheated. (CEV)

Notice that both of these examples change the order of the clauses in the statement. Use a natural order in your language.

cheated anyone: The Greek word that the BSB translates as cheated refers here to taking money from people by making false charges. In his work as a tax collector Zacchaeus could say that people must pay more money than they really owed. Other ways to translate this are:

defrauded anyone (REB)

dishonestly taken too much money/payment from someone

repay it fourfold: The Greek word that the BSB translates as repay means “to give” or “to pay.” Here Zacchaeus promised to give four times what he had gained. For example, if he had cheated a person and gained one hundred silver coins, he promised to give him four hundred silver coins. Here is another way to translate this:

I will give them back four times as much! (NLT)

When Zacchaeus did this, he was obeying the Old Testament Law. If you are using footnotes to give your readers background information, you may want to include one here. For example:

Old Testament law required that when someone had gained money or goods by trickery or stealing, he must pay back more than the amount that was taken. See Exodus 22:1–9 for a list of cases and how much to pay back. Zacchaeus promised to pay back the maximum amount.