LUKE 11:44 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) You all won’t end well, because you’re like unmarked graves that people walk all over without even realising—the people simply don’t know that you’re dead inside.”

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, cyan:dative/indirect object, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT Woe to you, for you are like the unseen graves, and the men walking over them do not know it.”

UST How terrible it will be for you, because you are like unmarked graves that people walk over without realizing it and so become ceremonially unclean.”

BSB Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, [which] men walk over without [even] noticing.”

11:44 CT does not include scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.

BLB Woe to you, for you are like unmarked graves, and the men walking above have not known it."

AICNT “Woe to you [[Scribes and Pharisees.]][fn] [[Hypocrites!]][fn] For you are [as][fn] unmarked graves, and the men walking above do not know.”

11:44, Scribes and Pharisees: Some manuscripts include. A(02) D(05) W(032) Latin(b i) BYZ TR ‖ Absent from 𝔓45 𝔓75 ℵ(01) B(03) C(04) Latin(a e ff²) Syriac(sy^s sy^c) NA28 SBLGNT THGNT.

11:44, hypocrites!: Some manuscripts include. A(02) W(032) Latin(b) BYZ TR ‖ Absent from 𝔓45 𝔓75 ℵ(01) B(03) C(04) D(05) Latin(a e i) Syriac(sy^s sy^c) NA28 SBLGNT THGNT.

11:44, as: Absent from some manuscripts. D(05) Latin(a b e ff² i)

OEB Alas for you! You are like unsuspected graves, over which men walk unawares.’

WEBBE Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like hidden graves, and the men who walk over them don’t know it.”

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Woe to you! You are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without realizing it!”

LSV Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you are as the unseen tombs, and the men walking above have not known.”

FBV Shame on you! You are like unmarked graves that people walk over without knowing.”

TCNT Woe to [fn]you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without realizing it.”

11:44 you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! ¦ you! CT

T4T There will be terrible punishment for you, because you are like ground where there is no marker to indicate that there is a grave underneath. People walk there, but they cannot see what is rotten down below [MET]! Similarly, people who see you do not realize how polluted you are within yourselves.”

LEB Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, and the people who walk over them[fn] do not know it![fn]

11:44 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation

BBE A curse is on you! for you are like the resting-places of dead men, which are not seen, and men go walking over them without knowledge of it.

Moff Woe to you!
⇔ you are like unsuspected tombs;
⇔ men walk over them unawares."

Wymth Alas for you! for you are like the tombs which lie hidden, and the people who walk over them are not aware of their existence."

ASV Woe unto you! for ye are as the tombs which appear not, and the men that walk over them know it not.

DRA Woe to you, because you are as sepulchres that appear not, and men that walk over are not aware.

YLT 'Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because ye are as the unseen tombs, and the men walking above have not known.'

Drby Woe unto you, for ye are as the sepulchres which appear not, and the men walking over them do not know [it].

RV Woe unto you! for ye are as the tombs which appear not, and the men that walk over them know it not.
(Woe unto you! for ye/you_all are as the tombs which appear not, and the men that walk over them know it not. )

SLT Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as concealed tombs, and men walking above know not.

Wbstr Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them .

KJB-1769 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.
( Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye/you_all are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them. )

KJB-1611 Woe vnto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: for ye are as graues which appeare not, and the men that walk ouer them, are not aware of them.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps Wo vnto you scribes and pharisees, ye hypocrites: for ye are as graues which appeare not, and the men that walke ouer them, are not ware of them.
(Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, ye/you_all hypocrites: for ye/you_all are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them, are not ware of them.)

Gnva Wo be to you, Scribes and Pharises, hypocrites: for ye are as graues which appeare not, and the men that walke ouer them, perceiue not.
(Woe be to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: for ye/you_all are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them, perceive not. )

Cvdl Wo vnto you scrybes and Pharyses, ye ypocrites, for ye are like couered sepulcres, where ouer men walke, and are not awarre of them.
(Woe unto you scribes and Pharyses, ye/you_all hypocrites, for ye/you_all are like covered sepulchre/tombs/tombs, where over men walk, and are not awarre of them.)

TNT Wo be to you scribes and pharises ypocrites for ye are as graves which appere not, and the men that walke over them, are not ware of them.
(Woe be to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for ye/you_all are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them, are not ware of them. )

Wycl Wo to you, that ben as sepulcris, that ben not seyn, and men walkynge aboue witen not.
(Woe to you, that been as sepulchre/tombs/tombs, that been not seen, and men walking above perceive not.)

Luth Wehe euch Schriftgelehrten und Pharisäern, ihr Heuchler, daß ihr seid wie die verdeckten Totengräber, darüber die Leute laufen und kennen sie nicht!
(Woe you scribes and Phariseesn, you(pl)/their/her Heuchler, that you(pl)/their/her are as/like the hiddenen killing(n)gräber, about_it the people/folk run(v) and know they/she/them not!)

ClVg Væ vobis, quia estis ut monumenta, quæ non apparent, et homines ambulantes supra, nesciunt.[fn]
(Alas/Woe to_you(pl), because you_are as monumenta, which not/no apparent, and people/men walking above, they_don't_know. )

11.44 Qui estis ut monumenta. Hic superstitionem ipsorum doctorum redarguit, qui foris speciem rectæ doctrinæ prætendunt, fœditatem vero quam intus gerunt, occultant.

11.44 Who you_are as monumenta. Here/This superstitionem their_own of_teachers redarguit, who/which outside appearance rectæ doctrines beforetendunt, fœditatem indeed/however how inside/within gerunt, hiddennt.

UGNT οὐαὶ ὑμῖν, ὅτι ἐστὲ ὡς τὰ μνημεῖα τὰ ἄδηλα, καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἱ περιπατοῦντες ἐπάνω οὐκ οἴδασιν.
(ouai humin, hoti este hōs ta mnaʸmeia ta adaʸla, kai hoi anthrōpoi hoi peripatountes epanō ouk oidasin.)

SBL-GNT οὐαὶ ⸀ὑμῖν, ὅτι ἐστὲ ὡς τὰ μνημεῖα τὰ ἄδηλα, καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι ⸀οἱ περιπατοῦντες ἐπάνω οὐκ οἴδασιν.
(ouai ⸀humin, hoti este hōs ta mnaʸmeia ta adaʸla, kai hoi anthrōpoi ⸀hoi peripatountes epanō ouk oidasin.)

RP-GNT Οὐαὶ ὑμῖν, γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι, ὑποκριταί, ὅτι ἐστὲ ὡς τὰ μνημεῖα τὰ ἄδηλα, καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι περιπατοῦντες ἐπάνω οὐκ οἴδασιν.
(Ouai humin, grammateis kai Farisaioi, hupokritai, hoti este hōs ta mnaʸmeia ta adaʸla, kai hoi anthrōpoi peripatountes epanō ouk oidasin.)

TC-GNT Οὐαὶ ὑμῖν, [fn]γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι, ὑποκριταί, ὅτι ἐστὲ ὡς τὰ μνημεῖα τὰ ἄδηλα, καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι [fn]περιπατοῦντες ἐπάνω οὐκ οἴδασιν.
(Ouai humin, grammateis kai Farisaioi, hupokritai, hoti este hōs ta mnaʸmeia ta adaʸla, kai hoi anthrōpoi peripatountes epanō ouk oidasin. )

11:44 γραμματεις και φαρισαιοι υποκριται ¦ — CT

11:44 περιπατουντες ¦ οι περιπατουντες CT TR

Key for above GNTs: red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 11:37–54: Jesus criticized the Pharisees and the teachers of the law

In this section, a Pharisee invited Jesus to his house for a meal. The Pharisee was surprised that Jesus did not ritually wash his hands before he ate. Jesus then criticized the Pharisees because they carefully observed outward rituals but neglected true devotion to God. He specifically warned the Pharisees about three ways in which they displeased God. He then directed three additional warnings to the teachers of the law.

Some other headings for this section are:

Jesus’ Criticism of the Religious Leaders

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 23:1–36 and Mark 12:38–40.

Paragraph 11:42–44

In this paragraph, Jesus said that God was not pleased with how the Pharisees were behaving. He also said that God would punish them.

11:44a

Woe to you!

It will be bad/terrible for you^(plur),
How sad/awful! God will severely punish you^(plur) Pharisees,

Woe to you!: There is a textual issue here. Following “to you” some Greek manuscripts add “scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites.” This longer text is found in Matthew 23:13, 15, 23, 25, 27, 29. The KJV follows this longer text. It is recommended that you not include these words. The earliest manuscripts and the majority of English versions do not include them here. If a major language version in your area includes these words, you may want to put them in a footnote. For example: “Following ‘to you’ some Greek manuscripts add the words, ‘scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites.’” For more information, see Swanson, p. 217; TRT, p. 246; and Blight 2007a, pp. 535–37. Woe to you is the same phrase that was used in 11:43a. Jesus was still referring to the Pharisees. Consider if you need to make the Pharisees explicit here.

11:44b

For you are like unmarked graves,

because you^(plur) are like graves that have not been marked,
because you^(plur) are like hidden/unseen burial places that contain rottenness/corpses.
because you^(plur) have unseen filthiness/rottenness in your minds/hearts. You are just like graves that are hidden in a field.

For: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as For is the same conjunction as in 11:42b and 11:43b, where the BSB did not translate it. This conjunction introduces another reason why God was going to punish the Pharisees. Some English versions do not translate this conjunction. In some languages it may be natural to introduce this reason without using an explicit conjunction.

you are like unmarked graves: The clause you are like unmarked graves is a figure of speech called a simile. In this simile, Jesus compared the Pharisees to unmarked graves.

Unmarked graves looked like ordinary ground on the outside, so people did not realize that they contained rotting bodies inside. In the same way, the Pharisees appeared to be righteous and religious in their outward behavior. People did not suspect that their unseen inner thoughts and motives were full of evil.

In some languages it will be necessary to make one or more of the points of comparison explicit. For example:

because you have unseen/hidden filthiness/rottenness inside you like an unmarked grave

because you are like hidden graves that contain rotting/contaminating corpses

unmarked graves: The Greek expression that the BSB translates as unmarked graves refers to graves that were not evident or identifiable as graves. Generally, tombs or graves were painted white so that people knew where they were located. Jesus was referring to places that had not been marked in this way. They looked normal on the outside, but inside they contained dead bodies. Their location was not hidden from view, but it was not obvious that corpses were buried there. Some other ways to translate this expression are:

graves with no marker

graves that people cannot distinguish

11:44c

which men walk over without even noticing.”

which people can step on and not even know that they have become unclean/defiled.”
Anyone can accidentally walk over such a grave and become unclean. He does not realize what is inside/underneath.”
If a person walks over the surface of a grave like this, he will not know that there is something rotten/filthy inside that has caused him to be unclean.”

which men walk over without even noticing: Sometimes, people walked across or stepped on such graves and did not realize that there were dead people underneath. When they did this, they became ceremonially unclean without knowing it.

The Pharisees were like these graves because they caused other people to become morally unclean. The ordinary people admired them and were influenced by them. But without realizing it, they learned evil ways of thinking and acting from the Pharisees.

men: The Greek word that the BSB translates as men here refers to people in general.

noticing: There is more than one implied object of noticing. The word can refer to:

noticing that the graves contain rotting bodies
noticing that they have become defiled/unclean

You may need to make some of this implied information explicit in a footnote or in your translation. For example:

which people can step on and become unclean without knowing it

If a person walks over the surface of a grave like this, he will not know that there is something rotten/filthy inside that has made him unclean.

A suggested footnote is:

A Jewish person who touched a grave became ceremonially/ritually unclean for seven days. See Numbers 19:16.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

ἐστὲ ὡς τὰ μνημεῖα τὰ ἄδηλα, καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἱ περιπατοῦντες ἐπάνω οὐκ οἴδασιν

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Οὐαί ὑμῖν ὅτι ἐστέ ὡς τά μνημεῖα τά ἄδηλα καί οἱ ἄνθρωποι περιπατοῦντες ἐπάνω οὐκ οἴδασιν)

Jesus is saying that the Pharisees are like unmarked graves because they appear to be ceremonially clean, and so people do not realize that they should avoid them and their teaching. Alternate translation: [you are like burial places that people should not go near, but people do not realize that because the places are unmarked]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἐστὲ ὡς τὰ μνημεῖα τὰ ἄδηλα

The implication is that these graves are unseen, that is, people do not know that they are there, because they do not have markers such as the stones or plaques that are customarily used to identify graves and to memorialize the people who are buried in them. Alternate translation: [you are like unmarked graves]

Note 3 topic: translate-unknown

μνημεῖα

tombs

The term graves refers to holes dug in the ground where dead bodies are buried. If your readers would not be familiar with graves, you could use a general term. Alternate translation: [burial places]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἱ περιπατοῦντες ἐπάνω

Here Jesus is using the term men in a generic sense that includes all people. Alternate translation: [that people walk over]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

οὐκ οἴδασιν

not ˱they˲_˓have˒_known_‹it›

The implication is that if the Jews walked over a grave, they would become ceremonially unclean because they had come close to a dead body. Unmarked graves would cause them to do that accidentally. Alternate translation: [do not realize that and so become ceremonially unclean]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor