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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 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 V31 V33 V35 V37 V39 V41 V43 V45 V47 V49
OET (OET-LV) To_the one striking you on the cheek, be_bringing_about also the other, and from the one taking_away the the_coat of_you, also you_may_ not _forbid the tunic.
OET (OET-RV) When someone slaps you on the face, offer them the other side, and when someone forces you to hand over your coat, don’t resist if they want your shirt as well.
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.
In this paragraph, Jesus taught his disciples that they should love people who do not treat them well. Jesus emphasized this point by restating the command in four different ways. Then Jesus gave four examples of showing love to enemies and a general statement of how to treat others.
Some English versions have a section heading here, but Jesus was continuing the sermon that he began in 6:20b. If you put a heading here, you may need to make it explicit that Jesus was still talking. For example:
Jesus continued teaching, and he said, “But I tell you…”
In these verses, Jesus stopped using the word “you(plur)” and began to use “you(sing).” He was referring to each of his listeners individually. If this is natural in your language, you should use the singular word for “you(sing)” here. But if it is not natural, you may continue to use “you(plur)” throughout this paragraph. If you change from plural to singular, it may be helpful to introduce the change at the beginning of 6:29 by saying something like:
I say to each one of you…
The four commands that Jesus made in these verses show specific examples of love towards an enemy. The specific action of the enemy is given first. Then the disciple is told how to show love to that person.
In some languages, it may be more natural to begin with the commands. For example:
29bPresent your other cheek 29ato the person who strikes you on the cheek.
29dDo not withhold your tunic from 29cthe person who takes your cloak.
30aGive to everyone who asks you for something.
30cDo not demand your things back from 30bthe person who takes them.
Many English versions have translated these illustrations using “if” or “when.” These illustrations are not real situations. Jesus was illustrating how to show love in possible situations. Translate these illustrations in a way that is natural in your language.
If someone strikes you on one cheek,
If anyone strikes/slaps one of you(plur) on one cheek,
I say to each of you, if/when someone insults you(sing) by slapping you on the side of your face,
If someone strikes you on one cheek: In the Jewish culture, it was a great insult to strike/slap someone on the cheek. In some cultures, slapping someone on the cheek is not an insult. If that is true in your culture, you could make the cultural meaning clear by saying:
If someone insults/shames you by striking you on the cheek
strikes: The Greek word that the BSB translates as strikes describes striking/slapping someone with either the open hand or the fist.
turn to him the other also.
present your(sing) other cheek to him also.
allow him to also strike/slap you(sing) on the other side of your face.
turn to him the other also: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as turn to him the other also is literally “offer/present also the other.” This implies that you should allow that person to strike/slap your other cheek also. Jesus was saying that his followers should not retaliate or try to get revenge. Some other ways to translate this are:
Allow him to strike the other cheek also.
…don’t stop that person from slapping you on the other cheek. (CEV)
And if someone takes your cloak,
If someone takes your(sing) coat,
If/When someone unjustly takes your(sing) outer garment,
And if someone takes your cloak: The verb takes here refers to getting possession unjustly. It could include stealing a person’s cloak or taking it as payment after making a false accusation in court against the disciple (see Matthew 5:40).
cloak: A cloak was a long, loose outer garment such as a long coat or robe. Another way to translate this is:
coat (GNT)
See the General Comment on 6:29c–d below for more suggestions.
do not withhold your tunic as well.
do not refuse(sing) to give your(sing) shirt also.
let(sing) him take your(sing) under garment/robe also.
do not withhold your tunic as well: The phrase do not withhold your tunic as well means “allow/permit him to also take your tunic.” Some other ways to translate this are:
offer your shirt also (NLT)
let him have your shirt as well (REB)
tunic: A tunic was a robe-like undergarment that people wore beneath the cloak. Another way to translate this is:
shirt (GNT)
Some ways to translate “cloak” and “tunic” are:
Use general terms. For example:
outer garment and under garment
outer robe and under robe
Use terms for clothing worn in your culture. This would especially be a good choice if you wear robe-like garments and if you wear two layers of clothing.
Both the cloak and tunic were considered necessities. So be careful not to use a term for clothing that is considered luxurious or is not commonly worn.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / hypo
τῷ τύπτοντί σε ἐπὶ τὴν σιαγόνα, πάρεχε καὶ τὴν ἄλλην
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τῷ τύπτοντι σέ ἐπί τήν σιαγόνα πάρεχε καί τήν ἄλλην καί ἀπό τοῦ αἴροντος σοῦ τό ἱμάτιον καί τόν χιτῶνα μή κωλύσῃς)
Jesus is using a hypothetical situation to teach. Alternate translation: [Suppose someone hits you on one side of your face. Then turn your face so that he could also strike the other side]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / youcrowd
σε & σου
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τῷ τύπτοντι σέ ἐπί τήν σιαγόνα πάρεχε καί τήν ἄλλην καί ἀπό τοῦ αἴροντος σοῦ τό ἱμάτιον καί τόν χιτῶνα μή κωλύσῃς)
Even though Jesus is still speaking to his disciples and the crowd, he is now addressing an individual situation, so you and your are singular in this verse. But if the singular forms of these pronouns would not be natural in your language for someone who was speaking to a group of people, you could use the plural forms in your translation.
ἐπὶ τὴν σιαγόνα
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τῷ τύπτοντι σέ ἐπί τήν σιαγόνα πάρεχε καί τήν ἄλλην καί ἀπό τοῦ αἴροντος σοῦ τό ἱμάτιον καί τόν χιτῶνα μή κωλύσῃς)
Alternate translation: [on one side of your face]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
πάρεχε καὶ τὴν ἄλλην
˓be˒_bringing_about (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τῷ τύπτοντι σέ ἐπί τήν σιαγόνα πάρεχε καί τήν ἄλλην καί ἀπό τοῦ αἴροντος σοῦ τό ἱμάτιον καί τόν χιτῶνα μή κωλύσῃς)
It may be helpful to state the implicit purpose of this action. Alternate translation: [turn your face so that he could also strike the other side, to show that you do not want to fight and you are not resisting]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / hypo
ἀπὸ τοῦ αἴροντός σου τὸ ἱμάτιον, καὶ τὸν χιτῶνα μὴ κωλύσῃς
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τῷ τύπτοντι σέ ἐπί τήν σιαγόνα πάρεχε καί τήν ἄλλην καί ἀπό τοῦ αἴροντος σοῦ τό ἱμάτιον καί τόν χιτῶνα μή κωλύσῃς)
Jesus is using another hypothetical situation to teach. Alternate translation: [suppose someone takes away your cloak. Then give him your tunic as well]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / litotes
καὶ τὸν χιτῶνα μὴ κωλύσῃς
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τῷ τύπτοντι σέ ἐπί τήν σιαγόνα πάρεχε καί τήν ἄλλην καί ἀπό τοῦ αἴροντος σοῦ τό ἱμάτιον καί τόν χιτῶνα μή κωλύσῃς)
Here Jesus uses a figure of speech that expresses a positive meaning by using a negative word together with a word that is the opposite of the intended meaning. Alternate translation: [give him your tunic as well]
OET (OET-LV) To_the one striking you on the cheek, be_bringing_about also the other, and from the one taking_away the the_coat of_you, also you_may_ not _forbid the tunic.
OET (OET-RV) When someone slaps you on the face, offer them the other side, and when someone forces you to hand over your coat, don’t resist if they want your shirt as well.
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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