OET interlinear LUKE 7:8

7:8a

7:8b

7:8a–b

For: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as For here introduces the reason why the officer was confident that Jesus could heal his servant by just speaking a command. Some ways to translate this connection are:

I know this because I… (NLT)

I know that you can do this because I myself…

I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as a man under authority is literally “a man placed under authority.” As a centurion in the Roman army, the officer had to obey the superior officers who had been given authority over him. He also had been given authority over soldiers, and they had to obey him. So he believed that Jesus had been given authority by God to command something to happen and make it happen. Some other ways to translate this are:

I have officers who give orders to me, and I have soldiers who take orders from me. (CEV)

I know because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. (NLT96)

I myself: The word myself indicates that the officer realized that he and Jesus were alike because that they both had authority. This likeness to Jesus is connected to all of 7:8a–e, not just to being under authorityCommentaries discuss whether this implies that Jesus too is “under authority” or whether the identification is more general and applied to other men: “I too am under authority as other men/officers are.” Commentary support divides fairly evenly between these two positions. However, as noted in the Notes, this may unnecessarily view the “too” as only going with the first part of the verse rather than the whole verse. Furthermore, the concern to guard against a statement that suggests Jesus is in a subordinate position is probably unfounded for two reasons: (a) these words reflect the understanding of the centurion concerning Jesus’ authority, not an infallible statement of Christian doctrine, and (b) authority is delegated from above. That is, it does not show weakness to suggest that someone is “under authority.” Rather, the right of authority comes from the one who gives it: “It is the centurion’s position in the chain of command that gives his own word power” (Nolland, p. 317). The centurion probably likewise recognized in Jesus one who carried the authority of God himself. in 7:8a. The officer especially focused on the fact that when he and Jesus commanded that something be done, the commands were obeyed. Here are other ways to translate I myself in this context:

For I too understand authority. I am a man under authority with soldiers under me.

For I, like you, have authority. I am a man under authority with soldiers under me.

under authority: In English people often use the words “over” and under to describe roles in a relationship that involves authority. These words indicate who has the right to command and who must obey. Other languages may use different words to describe this relationship such as “in front” and “behind.” Translate this in a way that is natural in your language.

7:8c

I tell one to go, and he goes: The officer knew what it was like simply to command a soldier to do something and to know that he would do it. While most other English versions translate this command as direct speech, as it is in the Greek text, in some languages it may be more natural to translate it using indirect speech, as the BSB does.

In some languages it may be necessary to say where the soldier must go. For example:

I tell one of them to go somewhere, and he goes there.

one…he: The officer used the words one and he to refer to any of his soldiers. Other ways to express the idea in this context are:

I only need to say, “Go,” and they go… (NLT)

I can say to one of them, “Go,” and he goes. (CEV)

Use a natural way to give a general example like this in your language.

7:8d

and another to come, and he comes: In some languages it may be natural to use indirect speech for the quoted command, as the BSB does. It may also be helpful to repeat the phrase “I tell”:

and I tell another one to come, and he comes

7:8e

I tell my servant to do something, and he does it: This part of the verse gives another general example of the officer’s authority. The word servant here refers to any servant to officer had. It does not refer specifically to the servant who was sick and dying. It also does not refer to a soldier such as those mentioned in 7:8b–d. The officer had the authority to command both his servants and soldiers.

my servant: The Greek word that the BSB translates as servant is the same one that was used in 7:2a. See the note on servant at 7:2a.

to do something: The words to do something do not refer to any specific action. The officer could command his servant to any of the things that servants normally do. If you translated the command as indirect speech in 7:8c–d, you may wish to do so again here. For example:

I tell my servant to do something for me, and he does it.