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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT ESA WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
Luke C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24
Luke 6 V1 V3 V5 V7 V9 V11 V13 V15 V17 V19 V21 V23 V25 V27 V29 V31 V33 V35 V37 V39 V41 V43 V45 V47 V49
OET (OET-LV) And he having_lifted_up the eyes of_him on the apprentices/followers of_him was_saying:
Blessed are the poor, because the kingdom of_ the _god is yours.
OET (OET-RV) Then looking up at his followers, he said,
⇔ “Blessed are the poor, because God’s kingdom is yours.
In this section, Jesus spoke about how his true disciples should think and act. He spoke about this immediately after he had chosen twelve of his disciples to be his apostles. Jesus said many things about this topic in his speech, so that people have often called this particular speech of Jesus a “sermon.”
In this sermon, Jesus asked those who heard him to be different from other people in the world and to think differently. He encouraged his disciples to obey his authority and live as people of God. They should be generous and merciful even to their enemies, as God is generous to everyone. Jesus assured his disciples that they would be blessed and rewarded for their obedience and for suffering for him. He concluded his speech by telling parables to motivate his disciples to obey his teaching.
Another possible heading for this section is:
The Sermon on the Plain (NET)
Some English versions divide 6:17–49 into several sections. Here is one way that might be done:
6:17–26 Blessings and woes
6:27–36 Love your enemies
6:37–42 Do not judge
6:43–45 A tree and its fruit
6:46–49 Two foundations
The sermon in 6:17–49 is similar to the sermon commonly referred to as “The Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew chapters 5–7.
Some people call verses 6:20–23 “The Beatitudes.” “Beatitudes” means “Blessings.” Some Beatitudes are also in Matthew 5:3–12.
Jesus spoke in general terms about God’s kingdom and God’s values. When he addressed the people as “you(plur),” he was making general statements. He did not mean that everyone in the crowd was poor, hungry, or weeping. Nor did he mean that every person who is poor will enjoy the blessings of God’s kingdom.
Use the form that is natural in your language for general statements that are true. Your language may prefer to use a different pronoun. For example:
You(sing) are blessed
They/People are blessed
He is blessed
Blessed are those (GW)
Looking up at His disciples, Jesus said:
¶ Jesus looked at his disciples and said,
¶ Then Jesus turned his gaze/attention toward his followers and said,
Looking up at His disciples, Jesus said: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as Looking up at His disciples is literally “And he having lifted up his eyes on his disciples.” This is an idiom. It means that Jesus focused his attention on his disciples. He spoke mainly to them because he wanted to teach them about being true disciples.
Some other ways to translate this are:
Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said (NLT)
And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say (NASB)
“Blessed are you who are poor,
“You(plur) who are poor are favored/fortunate,
“Joyful/Desirable is your(plur) situation, you(plur) who are without resources,
“How good it is for you(plur) who are in need.
Blessed are you: The Greek word that the BSB translates as Blessed describes a person who is in a good situation. In the Bible, the good situation results from God showing favor/kindness to the person.
Some other ways to translate this word are:
Joyful/desirable is your situation
How good it is for you
You are favored/fortunate
This word does not primarily refer to a feeling. However, a person in this good situation will frequently have good feelings such as happiness and joy. Do not use a word that only refers to material prosperity or physical health.
In 6:20–23, Jesus says that people who are poor, who are hungry, who weep, and who are mistreated because they follow him are actually in a very favorable situation. They are in this situation now even though that is not how it seems. This is because they are citizens of God’s kingdom and will certainly receive the future rewards that belong to God’s citizens.
The word Blessed contrasts with the word translated as “woe” in 6:24.
See bless, Meaning 3, in the Glossary.
In the Greek text, the word Blessed is emphasized. It is the first word in the sentence. Consider how it would be natural to show this emphasis in your language.
who are poor: The Greek word that the BSB translates as poor refers mainly to people who do not have food or other things that they need, such as clothing or shelter. It sometimes also includes people who lack money, education, or status that they need. The word “poor” is also used in the Old Testament for people who know that they are dependent on God.
Some Bible scholars have interpreted this word in both a literal and a spiritual/figurative way. If you have a word that could be interpreted either way, it may be appropriate here.
for yours is the kingdom of God.
because you(plur) are part of the kingdom of God.
because the kingdom of God belongs to you. (NCV)
God is your(plur) king and you(plur) are his people/subjects.
for: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as for introduces the reason why the “poor” are blessed. They are blessed because the kingdom of God belongs to them. For example:
because the kingdom of God belongs to you (NCV)
In some languages, no conjunction is necessary here. For example:
…the Kingdom of God is yours! (GNT)
yours is the kingdom of God: The phrase yours is the kingdom of God means that they are citizens of God’s kingdom. They enjoy all the benefits and blessings that go with it. This phrase does not mean that they own the kingdom of God.
The verb here is in the present form. Having God’s favor makes people rich whenever they have it. That is true in the present, not only in the future. Some ways to translate this are:
you have a share/part in the kingdom of God
you are citizens/subjects of God’s kingdom
you are included in God’s kingdom
kingdom of God: The phrase kingdom of God refers to God’s activity of ruling and caring for his people as their king. It does not refer to a land or country that he rules over. It refers to the relationship that he has with his people. He leads, protects, and cares for them. They obey, trust, and submit to him as their king.
Some ways to translate this are:
As a noun. For example:
God’s rule/reign
God’s kingship
God’s chieftaincy
God’s government
As a verbal expression:
the way God rules his people
the way God cares for his people as king
See kingdom of God, Context 2, in the Glossary.
In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of 6:20b–c. For example:
20bYou who are poor, 20cthe kingdom of God belongs to you, 20bso you are blessed.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
αὐτὸς ἐπάρας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί αὐτός ἐπάρας τούς ὀφθαλμούς αὐτοῦ εἰς τούς μαθητάς αὐτοῦ ἔλεγεν Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοί ὅτι ὑμετέρᾳ ἐστίν ἡ Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ)
This is an idiom that means “he looked,” but it means that he looked carefully and considerately. Alternate translation: [he gazed]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
μακάριοι
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί αὐτός ἐπάρας τούς ὀφθαλμούς αὐτοῦ εἰς τούς μαθητάς αὐτοῦ ἔλεγεν Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοί ὅτι ὑμετέρᾳ ἐστίν ἡ Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ)
This expression indicates that God is giving favor to people and that their situation is positive or good. Alternate translation: [God will bless] or [How good it is for]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj
οἱ πτωχοί
the poor
Jesus is using the adjective poor as a noun in order to indicate a group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you could translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [people who are poor] or [you who are poor]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
ὅτι ὑμετέρα ἐστὶν ἡ Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ
because (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί αὐτός ἐπάρας τούς ὀφθαλμούς αὐτοῦ εἰς τούς μαθητάς αὐτοῦ ἔλεγεν Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοί ὅτι ὑμετέρᾳ ἐστίν ἡ Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ)
See how you decided to translate the phrase the kingdom of God in [4:43](../04/43.md). If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun kingdom with a verb such as “rule.” Alternate translation: [because God is ruling your lives]
ὑμετέρα ἐστὶν ἡ Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί αὐτός ἐπάρας τούς ὀφθαλμούς αὐτοῦ εἰς τούς μαθητάς αὐτοῦ ἔλεγεν Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοί ὅτι ὑμετέρᾳ ἐστίν ἡ Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ)
This could mean: (1) “the kingdom of God belongs to you.” (2) “you are privileged within the kingdom of God.”
OET (OET-LV) And he having_lifted_up the eyes of_him on the apprentices/followers of_him was_saying:
Blessed are the poor, because the kingdom of_ the _god is yours.
OET (OET-RV) Then looking up at his followers, he said,
⇔ “Blessed are the poor, because God’s kingdom is yours.
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.
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