LUKE 16:15 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.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object.
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 And he said to them, “You are the ones justifying yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination before God.

UST But Jesus said to them, “You try to make other people think that you are righteous, but God knows what you are really like. Keep in mind that God considers to be detestable many things that people praise as very important.

BLB And He said to them, "You are those justifying themselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is exalted among men is an abomination before God.

AICNT And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of {God}.[fn]

16:15, God: B(03) reads “the Lord.”

OEB ‘You,’ said Jesus, ‘are the ones who justify themselves before the world, but God can read your hearts; and what is highly esteemed among people may be an abomination in the sight of God.

WEBBE He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is exalted amongst men is an abomination in the sight of God.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET But Jesus said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in men’s eyes, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly prized among men is utterly detestable in God’s sight.

LSV and He said to them, “You are those declaring yourselves righteous before men, but God knows your hearts; because that which is high among men [is] abomination before God;

FBV But Jesus told them, “You appear pious to people, but God knows what you're thinking. What people value highly is detested by God.

TCNT So he said to them, “You present yourselves as righteous in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

T4T But he said to them, “You try to make other people think that you are righteous, but God knows your ◄inner beings/hearts►. So he will reject you. Keep in mind that many things that people think are important, God thinks are detestable.

LEB And he said to them, “You are the ones who justify themselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts! For what is considered exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

BBE And he said, You take care to seem right in the eyes of men, but God sees your hearts: and those things which are important in the opinion of men, are evil in the eyes of God.

Moff So he told them, "You are the people who get men to think you are good, but God knows what your hearts are! What is lofty in the view of man is loathsome in the eyes of God.

Wymth "You are they," He said to them, "who boast of their own goodness before men, but God sees your hearts; for that which holds a proud position among men is detestable in God's sight.

ASV And he said unto them, Ye are they that justify yourselves in the sight of men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

DRA And he said to them: You are they who justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts; for that which is high to men, is an abomination before God.

YLT and he said to them, 'Ye are those declaring yourselves righteous before men, but God doth know your hearts; because that which among men is high, [is] abomination before God;

Drby And he said to them, Ye are they who justify themselves before men, but [fn]God knows your hearts; for what amongst men is highly thought of is an abomination before [fn]God.

16.15 Elohim

RV And he said unto them, Ye are they that justify yourselves in the sight of men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
(And he said unto them, Ye/You_all are they that justify yourselves in the sight of men; but God knoweth/knows your hearts: for that which is exalted among men is an abomination/disgusting_thing in the sight of God. )

SLT And he said to them, Ye are they justifying yourselves before men; and God knows your hearts: for the high with men is abomination before God.

Wbstr And he said to them, Ye are they who justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men, is abomination in the sight of God.

KJB-1769 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
(And he said unto them, Ye/You_all are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth/knows your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination/disgusting_thing in the sight of God. )

KJB-1611 And he said vnto them, Ye are they which iustifie your selues before men, but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed amongst men, is abomination in the sight of God.
(And he said unto them, Ye/You_all are they which justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth/knows your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed amongst men, is abomination/disgusting_thing in the sight of God.)

Bshps And he sayde vnto them, Ye are they which iustifie your selues before men: but God knoweth your heartes. For that which is hyghly esteemed among men, is abhominable in the syght of God.
(And he said unto them, Ye/You_all are they which justify yourselves before men: but God knoweth/knows your hearts. For that which is highly esteemed among men, is abominable/revolting in the sight of God.)

Gnva Then he sayde vnto them, Yee are they, which iustifie your selues before men: but God knoweth your heartes: for that which is highly esteemed among men, is abomination in the sight of God.
(Then he said unto them, Ye/You_all are they, which justify yourselves before men: but God knoweth/knows your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men, is abomination/disgusting_thing in the sight of God. )

Cvdl And he sayde vnto them: Ye are they that iustifie yor selues before men, but God knoweth youre hertes. For yt which is hye amonge men, is an abhominacion before God.
(And he said unto them: Ye/You_all are they that justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth/knows your(pl) hearts. For it which is high among men, is an abomination/disgusting_thing before God.)

TNT And he sayd vnto them: Ye are they which iustifie youre selves before me: but God knoweth youre hertes. For ye which is highlie estemed amonge me is abhominable in the sight of god.
(And he said unto them: Ye/You_all are they which justify your(pl) selves before me: but God knoweth/knows your(pl) hearts. For ye/you_all which is highlie estemed among me is abominable/revolting in the sight of god. )

Wycl And he seide to hem, Ye it ben, that iustifien you bifor men; but God hath knowun youre hertis, for that that is hiy to men, is abhomynacioun bifor God.
(And he said to hem, Ye/You_all it been, that justifien you before men; but God hath/has known your(pl) hearts, for that that is high to men, is abomination/disgusting_thing before God.)

Luth Und er sprach zu ihnen: Ihr seid‘s, die ihr euch selbst rechtfertiget vor den Menschen; aber GOtt kennet eure Herzen. Denn was hoch ist unter den Menschen, das ist ein Greuel vor GOtt.
(And he spoke to/for to_them: You(pl) are‘s, the you(pl)/their/her you himself/itself rightfertiget before/in_front_of the people; but God knows your(pl) heart(s). Because what/which high is under the people, the is a abomination/disgusting_thing before/in_front_of God.)

ClVg Et ait illis: Vos estis qui justificatis vos coram hominibus: Deus autem novit corda vestra: quia quod hominibus altum est, abominatio est ante Deum.[fn]
(And he_said to_them: You(pl) you_are who/which justificatis you(pl) before to_humans: God however he_knows hearts your: because that to_humans high it_is, abomination it_is before God. )

16.15 Et ait, etc. Dum peccatores quasi infirmos et desperatores contemnitis, et vos perfectos in omnibus cunctæque fragilitatis expertes, eleemosynarum remedio non egere creditis. Sed hæc tumoris altitudo quam juste damnanda sit, videt ille qui illuminat abscondita tenebrarum, et manifestat consilia cordium.

16.15 And he_said, etc. While sinners as_if sick and desperatores despisesis, and you(pl) perfectos in/into/on to_all cunctæque fragilitatis expertes, alms remedio not/no egere you_believe. But these_things tumoris height how justly damnanda be, he_sees he/that_one who/which illuminates hidden of_darkness, and obvioust plans heart.

UGNT καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, ὑμεῖς ἐστε οἱ δικαιοῦντες ἑαυτοὺς ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὁ δὲ Θεὸς γινώσκει τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν; ὅτι τὸ ἐν ἀνθρώποις ὑψηλὸν, βδέλυγμα ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ.
(kai eipen autois, humeis este hoi dikaiountes heautous enōpion tōn anthrōpōn, ho de Theos ginōskei tas kardias humōn; hoti to en anthrōpois hupsaʸlon, bdelugma enōpion tou Theou.)

SBL-GNT καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Ὑμεῖς ἐστε οἱ δικαιοῦντες ἑαυτοὺς ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὁ δὲ θεὸς γινώσκει τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν· ὅτι τὸ ἐν ἀνθρώποις ὑψηλὸν βδέλυγμα ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ.
(kai eipen autois; Humeis este hoi dikaiountes heautous enōpion tōn anthrōpōn, ho de theos ginōskei tas kardias humōn; hoti to en anthrōpois hupsaʸlon bdelugma enōpion tou theou.)

RP-GNT Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Ὑμεῖς ἐστε οἱ δικαιοῦντες ἑαυτοὺς ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὁ δὲ θεὸς γινώσκει τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν· ὅτι τὸ ἐν ἀνθρώποις ὑψηλὸν βδέλυγμα ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ.
(Kai eipen autois, Humeis este hoi dikaiountes heautous enōpion tōn anthrōpōn, ho de theos ginōskei tas kardias humōn; hoti to en anthrōpois hupsaʸlon bdelugma enōpion tou theou.)

TC-GNT Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Ὑμεῖς ἐστε οἱ δικαιοῦντες ἑαυτοὺς ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὁ δὲ Θεὸς [fn]γινώσκει τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν· ὅτι τὸ ἐν ἀνθρώποις ὑψηλὸν βδέλυγμα ἐνώπιον τοῦ [fn]Θεοῦ.
(Kai eipen autois, Humeis este hoi dikaiountes heautous enōpion tōn anthrōpōn, ho de Theos ginōskei tas kardias humōn; hoti to en anthrōpois hupsaʸlon bdelugma enōpion tou Theou. )

16:15 γινωσκει ¦ γεινωσκει TH

16:15 θεου ¦ θεου εστιν TR

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 16:14–18: Jesus spoke to the Pharisees

In this section Jesus talked to the Pharisees about several topics. He told them that God understood their hearts, that is, that he knew what they most deeply valued and desired. He also talked to them about the authority of God’s law.

Another possible heading for this section is:

Some other things that Jesus taught

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 5:31–32 and Mark 10:11–12.

16:15a

So He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves before men,

So/Then he said to them, “You^(plur) are the kind of people who want to show other people that you are righteous.
But Jesus said to them, “You^(plur) try to cause other people to think that you are righteous/godly men.

So He said to them: In Greek this verse begins with a conjunction that the BSB translates as So. It introduces what Jesus said in response to the sneering of the Pharisees. His response contained an implied rebuke and an implied warning of judgment. The RSV translates this conjunction as “But,” the NLT as “Then,” and the NRSV, like the BSB, as “So.” The NIV makes the connection implicit. Introduce Jesus’ response in a way that is natural in your language.

You are the ones who justify yourselves before men: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as justify yourselves before men means “make yourselves appear righteous to others” or “try to make other people think that you are righteous.” The Pharisees wanted other people to think that they were upright, godly men. Here are other possible ways to translate this clause:

You are the people who impress others with your righteousness (REB)

You make yourselves look good in front of people (NCV)

before men: Other ways to translate the Greek phrase that the BSB translates as before men are:

in other people’s sight/presence

in the opinion/viewpoint of other people

This phrase contrasts strongly with “God” in 16:15b.

16:15b

but God knows your hearts.

But God knows that your^(plur) hearts are evil.
But God knows what you^(plur) really love/value, and he will judge/punish you.

but: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as but here introduces a contrast. The contrast is between what the Pharisees tried to make other people think about them and what God knew about them.

God knows your hearts: The expression God knows your hearts means “God knows what you are thinking and desiring.” God knew that their thoughts and motives were evil. He knew that they loved money rather than God. It may be necessary to make some of this explicit and say:

God knows that your hearts/thoughts are evil

God knows what is really in your hearts (NCV)

This clause also contains an implied warning that God will judge them. This implied information may need to be made explicit in order to make clear the connection between 16:15b and 16:15c. See the next note.

16:15c

For what is prized among men is detestable before God.

The things that people consider to be very important/valuable are disgusting/nauseating to God.
For God hates the things that most people greatly value/esteem.

For: In the Greek text 16:15c is connected to 16:15b with a conjunction that the BSB (like the RSV and GNT) translates as For. This conjunction introduces a clause that may be an explanation for the implied information in 16:15b that God will punish the Pharisees.Several scholars understand that implied information needs to be supplied before the conjunction hoti in order for 16:15c to make sense as a reason. Marshall (p. 626) says that this whole verse is a warning of judgment. He, Godet (pp. 171–72), and Arndt (p. 360) all suggest God’s judgment or rejection as the implied information. This is followed by the TRT (p. 320). It does not introduce the reason why God knows their hearts. In some languages it may be better to omit this conjunction, as versions such as the NIV do. In other languages it may be better to supply the implied logic. For example:

But God knows that your hearts are evil and he will judge you. ^15cFor what is highly valued…

what is prized among men is detestable before God: The clause what is prized among men is detestable before God means “the things that people value the most are the things that God detests.” In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of the phrases. For example:

God detests the things that people value the most

Jesus meant this to be understood as a general principle: in general, people of this world value things that God hates. In some languages it may be necessary to make it clear that this is a general truth, not an absolute statement without exceptions. For example:

The things that most people think are important (CEV)

what is prized among men: The expression what is prized among men refers to “the things that people think are the most important/valuable.” Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

the things that are considered of great value by people (GNT)

What is important to people (NCV)

detestable before God: The phrase detestable before God is literally “an abomination before God.” It is a very strong expression. It means that God hates it. He considers it to be nauseating and disgusting. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

hateful in God’s sight (NCV)

disgusting to God (GW)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

ὑμεῖς ἐστε οἱ δικαιοῦντες ἑαυτοὺς

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ὑμεῖς ἐστέ οἱ δικαιοῦντες ἑαυτούς ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁ δέ Θεός γινώσκει τάς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὅτι τό ἐν ἀνθρώποις ὑψηλόν βδέλυγμα ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ)

Alternate translation: [You are people who try to make yourselves look good]

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀνθρώπων

before the people

Jesus is using this expression to mean “where people can see,” and it refers to perception and judgment. Alternate translation: [from the perspective of others]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

ἀνθρώπων

people

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

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ὁ δὲ Θεὸς γινώσκει τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν

¬the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ὑμεῖς ἐστέ οἱ δικαιοῦντες ἑαυτούς ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁ δέ Θεός γινώσκει τάς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὅτι τό ἐν ἀνθρώποις ὑψηλόν βδέλυγμα ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ)

Here, hearts represent people’s motivations and desires. Alternate translation: [God understands your true desires] or [God knows your real motives]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

τὸ ἐν ἀνθρώποις ὑψηλὸν

Jesus is using a spatial metaphor to describe things that are valued or honored as if they were high up. Alternate translation: [what people value] or [what people respect]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

ἀνθρώποις

people

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

Note 6 topic: translate-unknown

βδέλυγμα

˓an˒_abomination_‹is›

The term abomination comes from the regulations for religious life in the Jewish law. It refers to something that provokes feelings of horror and revulsion and must be avoided. Alternate translation: [is detestable]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ

before before ¬the God

Jesus is using this expression to mean “where God can see,” and it refers to perception and judgment. Alternate translation: [from God’s perspective]

Parallel LUKE 16:15

Section 16:14–18: Jesus spoke to the Pharisees

16:15a

16:15b

16:15c