OET interlinear LUKE 5:14

5:14a

“Do not tell anyone,” Jesus instructed him: In Greek, the phrase that the BSB translates as Jesus instructed him occurs at the beginning Jesus’ words. The BSB has placed it in the middle of Jesus’ words. Place the phrase where it is most natural in your language. For example:

Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone…” (NIV)

Do not tell anyone: The phrase Do not tell anyone here probably means “Do not yet tell anyone about your healing.” It probably implies “until you have seen the priest.” Jesus did not mean that the man could never tell anyone.

Jesus instructed him: The Greek clause that the BSB translates as Jesus instructed him introduces what Jesus said to the man after he was healed. Introduce this in a natural way in your language. Other ways to do this in English are:

And he charged him (ESV)

Jesus ordered him (GW)

5:14b

But: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as But introduces what Jesus told the man to do. It contrasts with what he should not do. Use a natural way in your language to connect this command with the previous instruction. For example:

Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone. Instead, show yourself to the priest….” (GW)

In some languages, a conjunction is not necessary here. For example:

And he ordered him to tell no one. “Go,” he said, “and show yourself to the priest….” (NRSV)

Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, “Go to the priest….” (NLT)

go, show yourself to the priest: The commands go and show contain implied information that was understood by Luke’s readers. Luke’s readers understood that the man was to go to the temple at Jerusalem. They also understood who “the priest” was. It was not just any priest. It was the priest who was on duty at the temple in Jerusalem at that time. They also understood why the man should do this.

In some languages the verb go may require a location. A definite noun such as the priest may require more information. You may also need to say why Jesus told the man to show himself to the priest. If this is true in your language, you may need to make some or all of the implied information explicit. For example:

Go to Jerusalem, ask the priest who is performing his duties in the temple to examine you and confirm that you are healed

show yourself to the priest: Only a priest could examine this man and confirm that he no longer had leprosy. After examining him, the priest would declare him to be ritually clean. This process is described in Leviticus 14:1–32. Some ways to translate this are:

go straight to the priest and let him examine you (GNT)

Just quietly present your healed self to the priestEugene H. Peterson, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language (Colorado Springs, Colo.: NavPress, 2003).

priest: A Jewish priest was a man who offered sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. He also performed other rituals for them.

Some ways to translate priest are:

• Use a descriptive term that focuses on the function of a priest. For example:

  sacrificer

  man/person who offers sacrifices to God

  one who represents people to God

• Use a local word for priest. This option may be acceptable if the duties of a local priest are similar to those of a Jewish priest. You may need to indicate that the word refers to a Jewish priest. For example:

  Jewish people’s priest/sacrificer

If possible, you should choose a term that can be used in both Old Testament and New Testament contexts. Remember that in the book of Hebrews believers are called priests and Christ is called our high priest.

See priest in the Glossary.

5:14c

present the offering Moses prescribed for your cleansing: In the Old Testament, God gave laws to Moses for the Jewish people. These laws included detailed instructions about what a person should do after he had been healed from leprosy. These commands for purification are found in Leviticus 14:2–31.

present the offering: In this context the phrase present the offering means that the healed man should bring the sacrifices to the priest. The priest would offer these sacrifices to God on his behalf. Another way to translate this is:

have him present the sacrifices to God on your behalf

Moses prescribed: Moses wrote down God’s laws about leprosy long before Jesus was born. Your translation should not imply that Moses was living at the same time as Jesus.

for your cleansing: The phrase for your cleansing explains the purpose for which the man had to bring sacrifices to the priest. After offering the sacrifices, the priest would declare that the man was ritually clean. He would be able to worship again at the temple and associate with others in the community. Jesus had already healed the man, but the man remained ritually unclean until the priest declared him to be clean. Another way to translate for your cleansing is:

so that you will become ritually clean

5:14d

as a testimony to them: The phrase as a testimony to them means “to prove to the people that you are well.” After the priest had declared the man to be clean/well, he could participate in public worship. He could live with his family again. People would believe that he was healthy because the priest had declared that he was clean. Other ways to translate this are:

everyone will know that you have been healed (CEV)

as proof to people that you are clean (GW)

This will show the people what I have done. (NCV)

to them: The Greek pronoun them probably refers to people in general. Many English translations make this explicit. For example:

to everyone (GNT)

to people (GW)