LUKE 20:21 Interlinear View

1. Greek word
2. Greek lemma
3. OET-LV words
4. OET-RV words
5. Strongs
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. Καί
2. kai
3. And
4. and
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. S
10. Y33
11. 57492
1. ἐπηρώτησαν
2. eperōtaō
3. they asked
4. asked
5. 19050
6. VIAA3··P
7. ˱they˲ asked
8. ˱they˲ asked
9. -
10. Y33; R57464
11. 57493
1. αὐτόν
2. autos
3. him
4. him
5. 8460
6. R···3AMS
7. him
8. him
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57494
1. λέγοντες
2. legō
3. saying
4. -
5. 30040
6. VPPA·NMP
7. saying
8. saying
9. -
10. Y33; R57464
11. 57495
1. Οἴδαμεν
2. eidō
3. -
4. -
5. 14920
6. VIEA1··P
7. ˱we˲ ˓have˒ known
8. ˱we˲ ˓have˒ known
9. D
10. -
11. 57496
1. Διδάσκαλε
2. didaskalos
3. Teacher
4. “Teacher
5. 13200
6. N····VMS
7. Teacher
8. Teacher
9. VD
10. Y33; F57501; F57504; F57508; F57517
11. 57497
1. οἴδαμεν
2. eidō
3. we have known
4. -
5. 14920
6. VIEA1··P
7. ˱we˲ ˓have˒ known
8. ˱we˲ ˓have˒ known
9. -
10. Y33; R57464
11. 57498
1. ὅτι
2. hoti
3. that
4. -
5. 37540
6. C·······
7. that
8. that
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57499
1. ὀρθῶς
2. orthōs
3. correctly
4. -
5. 37230
6. D·······
7. correctly
8. correctly
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57500
1. λέγεις
2. legō
3. you are saying
4. -
5. 30040
6. VIPA2··S
7. ˱you˲ ˓are˒ saying
8. ˱you˲ ˓are˒ saying
9. -
10. Y33; R57497
11. 57501
1. ὀρθῶς
2. orthōs
3. -
4. -
5. 37230
6. D·······
7. correctly
8. correctly
9. -
10. -
11. 57502
1. καί
2. kai
3. and
4. -
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57503
1. διδάσκεις
2. didaskō
3. you are teaching
4. -
5. 13210
6. VIPA2··S
7. ˱you˲ ˓are˒ teaching
8. ˱you˲ ˓are˒ teaching
9. -
10. Y33; R57497
11. 57504
1. καί
2. kai
3. and
4. -
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57505
1. οὐδενός
2. oudeis
3. -
4. -
5. 37620
6. E····GMS
7. ˱of˲ not_one
8. ˱of˲ not_one
9. -
10. -
11. 57506
1. οὒ
2. ou
3. not
4. -
5. 37560
6. C·······
7. not
8. not
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57507
1. λαμβάνεις
2. lambanō
3. you are receiving
4. -
5. 29830
6. VIPA2··S
7. ˱you˲ ˓are˒ receiving
8. ˱you˲ ˓are˒ receiving
9. -
10. Y33; R57497
11. 57508
1. πρόσωπον
2. prosōpon
3. +any person
4. -
5. 43830
6. N····ANS
7. ˓any˒ person
8. ˓any˒ person
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57509
1. ἀλλʼ
2. alla
3. but
4. -
5. 2350
6. C·······
7. but
8. but
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57510
1. ἐπʼ
2. epi
3. in
4. -
5. 19090
6. P·······
7. in
8. in
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57511
1. ἀληθείας
2. alētheia
3. truth
4. truth
5. 2250
6. N····GFS
7. truth
8. truth
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57512
1. τήν
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····AFS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57513
1. ὁδόν
2. hodos
3. way
4. way
5. 35980
6. N····AFS
7. way
8. way
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57514
1. τοῦ
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····GMS
7. ¬the
8. ¬the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57515
1. Θεοῦ
2. theos
3. of god
4. -
5. 23160
6. N····GMS
7. ˱of˲ god
8. ˱of˲ God
9. GN
10. Y33; Person=God
11. 57516
1. διδάσκεις
2. didaskō
3. you are teaching
4. -
5. 13210
6. VIPA2··S
7. ˱you˲ ˓are˒ teaching
8. ˱you˲ ˓are˒ teaching
9. -
10. Y33; R57497
11. 57517

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 20:20–26: Jewish leaders tried to trap Jesus with a question about taxes

The chief priests, the scribes, and the elders mentioned in 20:1 sent men to trick Jesus into saying something for which they could accuse him and arrest him. They wanted to cause trouble for him.

The men asked Jesus, “Should the Jews pay taxes to the Roman Emperor Caesar or not?” The word “Caesar” was the title that the Roman people gave to their highest ruler, the emperor.The Romans worshiped their emperor as a god. The Romans ruled over the Jews at that time and forced them to pay taxes.

The men’s question was difficult because either a “yes” or a “no” answer would cause problems for Jesus. If Jesus answered, “yes, the Jews should pay taxes to the Romans,” he would make the Jews angry. If he answered “no, they should not pay,” he would make the Roman government angry. But Jesus answered wisely and avoided the trap that the Jewish leaders set for him.

Some examples of headings for this section are:

The Question about Paying Taxes (GNT)

Paying Taxes to Caesar (NIV)

Should people pay taxes to Caesar or not?

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 22:15–22 and Mark 12:13–17.

20:21a

“Teacher,” they inquired,

So those spies began to question Jesus, saying,
Then those men/people went to Jesus and said to him,

In Greek, 20:21a begins with conjunction that is often translated as “and.” The NIV translates this word as “So.” It introduces the result of the plans that the Jewish leaders made: The spies asked Jesus a question. Many English versions, such as the BSB, do not have a conjunction here. In some languages it may be natural to introduce the verse with a phrase or clause. For example:

When the spies came to Jesus, they…

Having come to Jesus, the spies…

Then the spies went to Jesus, and…

Introduce this verse in a natural way in your language.

“Teacher,” they inquired: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as they inquired means “to ask” or “to question.” The BSB places these words in the middle of what the spies said. In some languages, it may be necessary to put these words at the beginning of 20:21a. For example:

So the spies questioned him, “Teacher…” (NIV)

Teacher: The word Teacher was a polite title for a Jewish religious leader. It was a title of respect for a Jewish man who had authority to teach other people things about God and his commands. In some languages the appropriate way to address a religious teacher may be:

Honored Teacher

Sir

Master

The term does not refer to a person who taught children in school.

they inquired: The Greek word that the BSB translates as inquired is literally “questioned.” In some languages, it may be necessary to make the subject of this verb explicit, since the subject of 20:20 was the Jewish leaders. For example:

the spies questioned him (NIV)

The spies did not question Jesus until 20:22. First, they praised Jesus in a long statement. In some languages it may be more natural to translate inquired as “said” here. If you do this, you may introduce the actual question in 20:22 with a phrase like “then they asked him.”

20:21b

“we know that You speak and teach correctly.

“Teacher, we^(excl) know that you^(sing) speak and teach accurately/correctly,
“Teacher, we^(excl) know that your^(sing) teaching is right,

we know that You speak and teach correctly: Here the spies said something that they did not really believe. They did not really believe that Jesus spoke and taught correctly. They said it because they wanted him to think that they were friendly toward him. They did not want him to guard carefully what he said to them. However, what they said about Jesus was true: Jesus did teach what was correct. Some other ways to translate this are:

we know that what you say and teach is true (NCV)

we know that you are right in what you say and teach (NRSV)

we: The pronoun we refers to the spies and not to both the spies and Jesus.

speak and teach correctly: The phrase speak and teach correctly is literally “rightly speak and teach.” It indicates that what Jesus taught and what he said in ordinary speech was true and correct. It implies that he did not teach error.

In this context the words speak and teach have similar meanings. In some languages it may be more natural to use only one of these verbs. For example:

we know that you teach the truth (CEV)

20:21c

You show no partiality,

and you^(sing) do not favor some people over other people.
and you^(sing) treat all people the same.

You show no partiality: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as You show no partiality is literally “you do not receive/accept a face.” This statement is an idiom. It indicates that Jesus did not favor one person more than another person. He treated all people fairly. He did not flatter rich and important people. He told everyone the truth, even when they did not like to hear it. Here is another way to translate this:

you pay no attention to anyone’s status (GNT)

By saying this, the spies were praising Jesus. However, they had a deceitful motive in praising him. They wanted Jesus to answer their question without showing special favor or respect even to the emperor. Be sure to translate the statement as a good thing to say about Jesus. For example:

You do not show unfair/improper favor to anyone

In some languages it may be more natural to translate this without a negative. For example:

You treat everyone fairly.

And you treat everyone with the same respect, no matter who they are. (CEV)

20:21d

but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.

You^(sing) teach the truth about how God wants people to live.
As you^(sing) teach people what God requires of them, you faithfully tell them what is true.

but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth: This statement is similar to the statements in 20:21b and 20:21c. It indicates that Jesus taught what is true about God’s way. He did not say false things in order to please anyone.

In some languages a conjunction like but may be confusing here or it may imply a wrong contrast. If that is true in your language, you may connect the statements in a different way or omit a conjunction. For example:

You teach the way of God truthfully. (NLT)

…and you always teach the truth about God’s way. (NCV)

the way of God: In the context of the question about paying taxes, the phrase the way of God refers primarily to what God wants people to do or not to do. Some other ways to translate this are:

the way of life that God requires (REB)

what God wants people to do (CEV)

in accordance with the truth: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as in accordance with the truth is literally “in truth.” It means “truthfully.” The spies were saying that Jesus taught the truth about the way God wants people to live.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτὸν

˱they˲_asked (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτόν λέγοντες Διδάσκαλε οἴδαμεν ὅτι ὀρθῶς λέγεις καί διδάσκεις καί οὒ λαμβάνεις πρόσωπον ἀλλʼ ἐπʼ ἀληθείας τήν ὁδόν τοῦ Θεοῦ διδάσκεις)

It may be helpful to state explicitly that this happened after the spies whom the leaders sent arrived where Jesus was. Alternate translation: [the spies came and asked Jesus]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche

ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτὸν

Luke could mean that one spy spoke on behalf of the whole group. So instead of they, you could state “one of them,” as UST does.

Διδάσκαλε

Teacher

Teacher is a respectful title. You could translate it with an equivalent term that your language and culture would use.

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / exclusive

οἴδαμεν

˱we˲_˓have˒_known

The spies are speaking only of themselves, so we would be exclusive, if your language marks that distinction.

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

οὐ λαμβάνεις πρόσωπον

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτόν λέγοντες Διδάσκαλε οἴδαμεν ὅτι ὀρθῶς λέγεις καί διδάσκεις καί οὒ λαμβάνεις πρόσωπον ἀλλʼ ἐπʼ ἀληθείας τήν ὁδόν τοῦ Θεοῦ διδάσκεις)

The spies are using the term face to mean “person.” Alternate translation: [it does not matter to you who a person is]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ

The spies speak of how God wants people to live as if it were a way or path that people should follow. Alternate translation: [how God wants people to live]

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

1. OET-LV words
2. OET-RV words
3. Strongs
4. Greek word
5. Greek lemma
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. And
2. and
3. 25320
4. S
5. kai
6. C-·······
7. and
8. and
9. S
10. Y33
11. 57492
1. they asked
2. asked
3. 19050
5. eperōtaō
6. V-IAA3··P
7. ˱they˲ asked
8. ˱they˲ asked
9. -
10. Y33; R57464
11. 57493
1. him
2. him
3. 8460
5. autos
6. R-···3AMS
7. him
8. him
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57494
1. saying
2. -
3. 30040
5. legō
6. V-PPA·NMP
7. saying
8. saying
9. -
10. Y33; R57464
11. 57495
1. Teacher
2. “Teacher
3. 13200
4. VD
5. didaskalos
6. N-····VMS
7. Teacher
8. Teacher
9. VD
10. Y33; F57501; F57504; F57508; F57517
11. 57497
1. we have known
2. -
3. 14920
5. eidō
6. V-IEA1··P
7. ˱we˲ ˓have˒ known
8. ˱we˲ ˓have˒ known
9. -
10. Y33; R57464
11. 57498
1. that
2. -
3. 37540
5. hoti
6. C-·······
7. that
8. that
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57499
1. you are saying
2. -
3. 30040
5. legō
6. V-IPA2··S
7. ˱you˲ ˓are˒ saying
8. ˱you˲ ˓are˒ saying
9. -
10. Y33; R57497
11. 57501
1. correctly
2. -
3. 37230
5. orthōs
6. D-·······
7. correctly
8. correctly
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57500
1. and
2. -
3. 25320
5. kai
6. C-·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57503
1. you are teaching
2. -
3. 13210
5. didaskō
6. V-IPA2··S
7. ˱you˲ ˓are˒ teaching
8. ˱you˲ ˓are˒ teaching
9. -
10. Y33; R57497
11. 57504
1. and
2. -
3. 25320
5. kai
6. C-·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57505
1. you are
2. -
3. 29830
5. lambanō
6. V-IPA2··S
7. ˱you˲ ˓are˒ receiving
8. ˱you˲ ˓are˒ receiving
9. -
10. Y33; R57497
11. 57508
1. not
2. -
3. 37560
5. ou
6. C-·······
7. not
8. not
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57507
1. receiving
2. -
3. 29830
5. lambanō
6. V-IPA2··S
7. ˱you˲ ˓are˒ receiving
8. ˱you˲ ˓are˒ receiving
9. -
10. Y33; R57497
11. 57508
1. +any person
2. -
3. 43830
5. prosōpon
6. N-····ANS
7. ˓any˒ person
8. ˓any˒ person
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57509
1. but
2. -
3. 2350
5. alla
6. C-·······
7. but
8. but
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57510
1. you are teaching
2. -
3. 13210
5. didaskō
6. V-IPA2··S
7. ˱you˲ ˓are˒ teaching
8. ˱you˲ ˓are˒ teaching
9. -
10. Y33; R57497
11. 57517
1. the
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····AFS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57513
1. way
2. way
3. 35980
5. hodos
6. N-····AFS
7. way
8. way
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57514
1. of
2. -
3. 23160
4. GN
5. theos
6. N-····GMS
7. ˱of˲ god
8. ˱of˲ God
9. GN
10. Y33; Person=God
11. 57516
1. the
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····GMS
7. ¬the
8. ¬the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57515
1. god
2. -
3. 23160
4. GN
5. theos
6. N-····GMS
7. ˱of˲ god
8. ˱of˲ God
9. GN
10. Y33; Person=God
11. 57516
1. in
2. -
3. 19090
5. epi
6. P-·······
7. in
8. in
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57511
1. truth
2. truth
3. 2250
5. alētheia
6. N-····GFS
7. truth
8. truth
9. -
10. Y33
11. 57512

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.