LUKE 12:6 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

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

OET (OET-RV) “Aren’t five small birds sold for just a couple of small coins? Yet not one of those birds is forgotten by God.

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, pink:genitive/possessor, 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 Are not five sparrows sold for two assaria? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God.

UST Think about the sparrows. They have so little value that you can buy five of them for only two small coins. And yet God never forgets any of them!

12:6 Greek two assaria; an assarion was a Roman copper coin worth about 1/16 of a denarius.

BLB Are not five sparrows sold for two assarion? And not one of them is forgotten before God.

AICNT “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?[fn] And not one of them is forgotten before God.

12:6, pennies: Greek “assaria”

OEB Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? Yet not one of them has escaped God’s notice.

WEBBE “Aren’t five sparrows sold for two assaria coins[fn]? Not one of them is forgotten by God.

12:6 An assarion was a small copper coin worth about an hour’s wages for an agricultural labourer.

WMBB (Same as above including footnotes)

NET Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God.

LSV Are not five sparrows sold for two assaria? And one of them is not forgotten before God,

FBV Aren't five sparrows sold for two pennies? But God doesn't forget a single one of them.

TCNT Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in the sight of God.

T4T Think about the sparrows. They are worth so little that you can [RHQ] buy five of them for only two small coins. But not one of them is ever forgotten by God {God never forgets one of them}!

LEB Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten in the sight of God.

BBE Are not five sparrows given in exchange for two farthings? and God has every one of them in mind.

Moff Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings?
⇔ Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.

Wymth Are not five sparrows sold for a penny? and yet not one of them is a thing forgotten in God's sight.

ASV Are not five sparrows sold for two pence? and not one of them is forgotten in the sight of God.

DRA Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?

YLT 'Are not five sparrows sold for two assars? and one of them is not forgotten before God,

Drby Are not five sparrows sold for two assaria? and one of them is not forgotten before [fn]God.

12.6 Elohim

RV Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings? and not one of them is forgotten in the sight of God.

SLT Are not five little sparrows sold for two small coins, and one of them is not forgotten before God?

Wbstr Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?

KJB-1769 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?

KJB-1611 Are not fiue sparrowes solde for two [fn]farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above apart from footnotes)

12:6 See Matt. 10.29.

Bshps Are not fyue sparrowes bought for two farthynges? and not one of them is forgotten before God.
(Are not five sparrows bought for two farthings? and not one of them is forgotten before God.)

Gnva Are not fiue sparowes bought for two farthings, and yet not one of them is forgotten before God?
(Are not five sparrows bought for two farthings, and yet not one of them is forgotten before God? )

Cvdl Are not fyue sparowes bought for two farthinges? Yet is not one of them forgotten before God.
(Are not five sparrows bought for two farthings? Yet is not one of them forgotten before God.)

TNT Are not five sparowes bought for two farthinges? And yet not one of them is forgotten of God.
(Are not five sparrows bought for two farthings? And yet not one of them is forgotten of God. )

Wycl Whether fyue sparowis ben not seld for twei halpens; and oon of hem is not in foryetyng bifor God?
(Whether five sparrowis been not seld for twain/two_or_both halpens; and one of hem is not in forgetting before God?)

Luth Verkauft man nicht fünf Sperlinge um zwei Pfennige? Noch ist vor GOtt derselbigen nicht einer vergessen.
(Verkauft man not five Sperlinge around/by/for two Pfennige? Still is before/in_front_of God the_same not one/a forget.)

ClVg Nonne quinque passeres veneunt dipondio, et unus ex illis non est in oblivione coram Deo?[fn]
(Isn't_it five sparrowes veneunt dipondio, and one from to_them not/no it_is in/into/on oblivion before to_God? )

12.6 Nonne quinque. AMBR. Quinque passeres, quinque corporis sensus; vel duo secundum Matthæum, corpus et anima, etc., usque ad non dubium fidelium contemplationem apud illum valituram. Veneunt dipondio. Dipondius est pondus ex duobus assibus compositum. Quod autem in numeris est unum, hoc in ponderibus as: quod duo, hoc dipondius est. Et unus ex, etc. Simplicitatis affectum inspiraverat, virtutem mentis erexerat, sola fides nutabat, hanc de vilioribus roborat. Quomodo dicit Apostolus: Nunquid de bobus cura est Deo? I Cor. 9. Sed aliud est cura, aliud est scientia.

12.6 Isn't_it five. AMBR. Five sparrowes, five body sense; or two after/second Matthæum, body and soul, etc., until to not/no doubt/hesitation faithful contemplationm at him valituram. Veneunt dipondio. Dipondius it_is weight from for_two assibus compositum. That however in/into/on numberss it_is one, this in/into/on ponderibus as: that two, this dipondius it_is. And one ex, etc. Simplicitatis the_feeling inspiraverat, virtue of_the_mind erexerat, alone faith nutabat, this from/about vilioribus roborat. How/In_what_manner he_says Apostolus: Nunquid from/about ox/bull care it_is to_God? I Cor. 9. But something_else it_is care, something_else it_is knowledge/skill.

UGNT οὐχὶ πέντε στρουθία πωλοῦνται ἀσσαρίων δύο? καὶ ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπιλελησμένον ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ.
(ouⱪi pente strouthia pōlountai assariōn duo? kai hen ex autōn ouk estin epilelaʸsmenon enōpion tou Theou.)

SBL-GNT οὐχὶ πέντε στρουθία ⸀πωλοῦνται ἀσσαρίων δύο; καὶ ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπιλελησμένον ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ.
(ouⱪi pente strouthia ⸀pōlountai assariōn duo; kai hen ex autōn ouk estin epilelaʸsmenon enōpion tou theou.)

RP-GNT Οὐχὶ πέντε στρουθία πωλεῖται ἀσσαρίων δύο; Καὶ ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπιλελησμένον ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ.
(Ouⱪi pente strouthia pōleitai assariōn duo; Kai hen ex autōn ouk estin epilelaʸsmenon enōpion tou theou.)

TC-GNT Οὐχὶ πέντε στρουθία [fn]πωλεῖται ἀσσαρίων δύο; Καὶ ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπιλελησμένον ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ.
(Ouⱪi pente strouthia pōleitai assariōn duo; Kai hen ex autōn ouk estin epilelaʸsmenon enōpion tou Theou. )

12:6 πωλειται ¦ πωλουνται CT

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 12:1–12: Jesus warned and encouraged his disciples

In the previous section, Jesus criticized the Pharisees and teachers of the law. They responded by being hostile to him. Here in Section 12:1–12 a large crowd gathered around Jesus and his disciples. Jesus spoke first to his disciples. He warned them that they must not be hypocrites like the Pharisees. His disciples should not be afraid to declare that they were loyal to him. They should not fear people, but they should fear and respect God, and they should never insult the Holy Spirit. Jesus encouraged them to remember that they were valuable to God. He assured them that the Holy Spirit would help them when people persecuted them.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it. Another possible heading for this section is:

Warnings and Encouragements (NIV)

Some versions have divided this section into three shorter sections. Each section has one or more parallel passages. If you choose to divide this section, here are some examples of headings that you can use.

12:1–3	A Warning against Hypocrisy (GNT) -or- Jesus warned his disciples not to be like the Pharisees
	(There is a parallel passage for this section in Matthew 10:26–27.)

12:4–7	The One Whom People Should Fear -or- Jesus told his disciples whom they should fear
	(There is a parallel passage for this section in Matthew 10:28–31.)

12:8–12	Confessing and Rejecting Christ (GNT) -or- Don’t Be Ashamed of Jesus (NCV)
	(There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 10:32–33, 12:32, 10:19–20.)

12:6–7

In 12:4–5 Jesus warned his disciples not to fear people but to fear/respect God. In 12:6–7 he began to encourage his disciples by telling them how much God cares for them. Jesus began this encouragement by talking about sparrows. God remembers each sparrow, though sparrows do not have much value, and God values the disciples much more than sparrows.

In some languages it may be necessary to make the connection between 12:6 and 12:5 more explicit. For example:

Consider also God’s attitude toward sparrows. …

See the note on 12:7b and the General Comment on 12:7a–c at the end of 12:7c for other ways to make the connection between these verses clearer.

12:6a

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?

You^(plur) realize that you can buy five sparrows for only two small coins, don’t you?
But consider^(plur) also how God thinks about sparrows. We all know that the cost of five sparrows is just two pennies.

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?: Here Jesus asked a rhetorical question to state something that everyone already knew. The question expects the answer “yes, five sparrows are sold for only this small amount of money.”

Some ways to translate this question are:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
Don’t you realize that five sparrows are sold for only two pennies?
As a statement. For example:
Everyone knows that five sparrows are sold for just two pennies.

Use a way that is natural in your language to express a statement that people already know to be true.

sparrows: The word sparrows refers to a type of small, common bird that poor people ate. In some areas people are not familiar with sparrows or sparrows are not sold in the market. If this is true in your area, you may:

Use a descriptive phrase. For example:
five small birds
Use the name of a small local bird. For example:
five rice birds

two pennies: The word pennies refers to certain Roman coins. Each of these coins was worth about one sixteenth of a workman’s daily pay. The point is that the sparrows cost very little. The exact value of two pennies is not important here. Some other ways to translate two pennies are:

Use a descriptive phrase for a small amount of money. For example:
two copper coins (NLT)
only a few small coins
Use a local equivalent for a coin of little value. For example:
two cents (GW)

12:6b

Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.

And yet God thinks about every one of them.
But even though they are worth almost nothing, God does not neglect even one of those birds.

Yet: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates here as Yet introduces an unexpected fact that contrasts with 12:6a. In spite of the fact that sparrows are of almost no value, God cares about each one of them. Other ways to introduce this unexpected statement are:

but (CEV)

But/Yet even though that is true

not one of them is forgotten by God: The clause that the BSB translates as not one of them is forgotten by God means that God does not neglect or overlook even one sparrow. He knows and cares about each one. Other ways to translate this clause are:

Yet God does not forget a single one of them. (NLT)

Yet God remembers and cares for every one of those sparrows.

General Comment on 12:6a–b

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of 12:6a and 12:6b. For example:

^6bDo you think God forgets even one of ^6athe small birds that cost less than a penny? Of course not!

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

οὐχὶ πέντε στρουθία πωλοῦνται ἀσσαρίων δύο

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Οὐχί πέντε στρουθία πωλοῦνται ἀσσαρίων δύο Καί ἕν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐστίν ἐπιλελησμένον ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ)

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this with an active form, and you could state who does the action. Alternate translation: [Do people not sell five sparrows for only two small copper coins]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

οὐχὶ πέντε στρουθία πωλοῦνται ἀσσαρίων δύο?

Jesus is using this question to teach the disciples. He is not asking them to verify the market price for sparrows. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate his words as a statement. Alternate translation: [You know that five sparrows are sold for only two small copper coins.]

Note 3 topic: translate-unknown

στρουθία

sparrows

The word sparrows refers to small, seed-eating birds. If your readers would not know what sparrows are, you could use a general expression instead. Alternate translation: [small birds]

Note 4 topic: translate-bmoney

ἀσσαρίων δύο

˱for˲_assarions two

The word assaria is the plural of “assarion.” An assarion was a small copper coin equivalent to about half an hour’s wage. You could try to express this amount in terms of current monetary values, but that might cause your Bible translation to become outdated and inaccurate, since those values can change over time. So instead you might state something more general or give the equivalent in wages. Alternate translation: [for two small copper coins] or [for an hour’s wages]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπιλελησμένον ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this with an active form. Alternate translation: [God never forgets a single one of them]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / doublenegatives

ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπιλελησμένον ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ

If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this double negative, which consists of a negative particle and a negative verb, as a positive statement. Alternate translation: [God is always aware of every one of them]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπιλελησμένον ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ

The expression before God means “in front of God,” that is, “where God can see.” Sight, in turn, represents attention. Alternate translation: [God is always aware of every one of them]

Parallel LUKE 12:6

Section 12:1–12: Jesus warned and encouraged his disciples

12:6–7

12:6a

12:6b

General Comment on 12:6a–b