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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 V45 V47 V49
OET (OET-LV) For/Because there_is not good tree producing bad fruit, nor contrastly a_ bad _tree producing good fruit.
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 used another illustration or extended metaphor. He compared different kinds of people to different kinds of trees. He said that the way a person acts shows the kind of person he is.
The BSB does not translate the Greek conjunction that introduces this illustration, but many English versions translate it as “for.” This conjunction indicates that this illustration reinforces what Jesus had just said. Connect this illustration to what Jesus had just said in a way that is natural in your language. Some ways to connect this illustration are:
Think about this:
You know
good…bad…evil: The words good and bad (or good and evil) describe many things in the passage: trees, fruit, people, treasure in a person’s heart, and actions. If possible, use general words for good and bad that can be applied to all these things. This will help maintain the unity of the passage. If not, be sure to use words for good and bad that are appropriate for the thing that is being described. (See the notes for each verse for more explanation of the way these words are used in each context.)
No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit: This is a general statement about something that is always true. The fruit that a tree produces reflects the tree itself. Healthy fruit trees produce good, edible fruit. Trees that are not healthy do not produce good, edible fruit. Jesus used this proverb to teach a spiritual lesson. He meant that good people do not do evil deeds. Some other ways to translate this general statement could be:
Good trees do/cannot bear bad fruit. Bad trees do/cannot bear good fruit.
There is no such thing as a good tree producing bad fruit, nor yet a bad tree producing good fruit. (REB)
No good tree bears bad fruit,
¶ “Good trees do not yield/give bad fruit.
¶ “Think about what I have just said: A good/useful tree cannot produce bad/worthless fruit.
good tree: The exact sense in which this tree is good is not certain. However, the context indicates that a good tree is healthy, and it produces tasty fruit for people to eat.
In each of these senses, it is true that a “good tree does not produce bad fruit.” Try to translate “good” in a general way. Your translation should fit well with the idea of bearing good fruit, since this is important in the context.
tree: The Greek word that the BSB translates as tree can refer to any large woody plant. If possible, choose a general word that includes trees and large bushes such as the bushes with thorns mentioned in 6:44b–c.
bad fruit: If possible, use a general word for bad here. If you must choose a word that is more specific, choose a word that refers to fruit that is not suitable for eating.
nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.
Nor do bad trees yield/give good fruit.
And a bad/useless tree cannot produce good fruit.
a bad tree: As with “good tree” in 6:43a, it is recommended that you choose a general word for bad that could include the meanings “unhealthy” and “unable to produce good fruit.”
good fruit: If possible, use a general word for good here. If you must choose a word that is more specific, choose a word that refers to fruit that is suitable for eating. Such fruit tastes good.
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
γάρ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὒ Γάρ ἐστίν δένδρον καλόν ποιοῦν καρπόν σαπρόν οὐδέ πάλιν δένδρον σαπρόν ποιοῦν καρπόν καλόν)
Jesus uses the word For to introduce the reason for what he said in the previous sentence. Alternate translation: [This is because]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / litotes
οὐ γάρ ἐστιν δένδρον καλὸν ποιοῦν καρπὸν σαπρόν; οὐδὲ πάλιν δένδρον σαπρὸν ποιοῦν καρπὸν καλόν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὒ Γάρ ἐστίν δένδρον καλόν ποιοῦν καρπόν σαπρόν οὐδέ πάλιν δένδρον σαπρόν ποιοῦν καρπόν καλόν)
Jesus is twice using 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: [For a healthy tree naturally produces good fruit and, on the other hand, an unhealthy tree naturally produces bad fruit]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
οὐ γάρ ἐστιν δένδρον καλὸν ποιοῦν καρπὸν σαπρόν; οὐδὲ πάλιν δένδρον σαπρὸν ποιοῦν καρπὸν καλόν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὒ Γάρ ἐστίν δένδρον καλόν ποιοῦν καρπόν σαπρόν οὐδέ πάλιν δένδρον σαπρόν ποιοῦν καρπόν καλόν)
This is a metaphor. Alternate translation: [For a person of good character naturally says and does helpful things but, on the other hand, a person of bad character naturally says and does harmful things]
OET (OET-LV) For/Because there_is not good tree producing bad fruit, nor contrastly a_ bad _tree producing good fruit.
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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