LUKE 17:37 Parallel Verse View

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

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, cyan:dative/indirect object, magenta:vocative.
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 answering, they say to him, “Where, Lord?” So he said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered together.”

UST His disciples said to him, “Lord, where will this happen?” He replied to them, “Wherever there is a dead body, the vultures will gather to eat it.”

BLB And answering, they say to Him, "Where, Lord?" And He said to them, "Where the body is, there also the vultures will be gathered together."

AICNT And they responded, saying [to him],[fn] “Where, Lord?” And he said [to them],[fn] “{Where}[fn] the body is, [also][fn] the eagles[fn] will {be gathered together}.”[fn]

17:37, to him: Absent from D(05).

17:37, to them: Absent from some manuscripts. Latin(b e ff² i)

17:37, Where: Some manuscripts read “Wherever it may happen.” Latin(a b ff² i)

17:37, also: Absent from some manuscripts. D(05) BYZ TR

17:37, eagles: Or vultures

17:37, be gathered together: Some manuscripts read “will gather.” A(02) D(05) W(032)

OEB ‘Where will it be, Master?’ asked the disciples. ‘Where there is a body,’ said Jesus, ‘there will the vultures flock.’

WEBBE They, answering, asked him, “Where, Lord?”
¶ He said to them, “Where the body is, there the vultures will also be gathered together.”

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Then the disciples said to him, “Where, Lord?” He replied to them, “Where the dead body is, there the vultures will gather.”

LSV And they answering say to Him, “Where, Lord?” And He said to them, “Where the body [is], there the eagles will be gathered together.”

FBV “Where, Lord?” they asked. “Where the carcass is, that's where the vultures gather,” Jesus replied.

TCNT Then the disciples said to him in response, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is, there the vultures will be gathered together.”

T4T His disciples said to him, “Lord, where will this happen?” He replied to them, “Wherever there is an animal carcass, the vultures will gather to eat it [MET]. Similarly, wherever there are people who are spiritually dead, God will punish them.”

LEB And they answered and[fn] said to him, “Where, Lord?” So he said to them, “Where the dead body is, there also the vultures will be gathered.”

17:37 *Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb

BBE And they, answering him, said, Where, Lord? And he said to them, Where the body is, there will the eagles come together.

Moff They asked him, "Where, Lord?" And he said to them,
⇔ "Where the body is lying,
⇔ there the vultures will gather."

Wymth "Where, Master?" they inquired. "Where the dead body is," He replied, "there also will the vultures flock together."
¶ 

ASV And they answering say unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Where the body is, thither will the eagles also be gathered together.

DRA Who said to them: Wheresoever the body shall be, thither will the eagles also be gathered together.

YLT And they answering say to him, 'Where, sir?' and he said to them, 'Where the body [is], there will the eagles be gathered together.'

Drby And answering they say to him, Where, Lord? And he said to them, Where the body [is], there the eagles will be gathered together.

RV And they answering say unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Where the body is, thither will the eagles also be gathered together.
(And they answering say unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Where the body is, thither/there will the eagles also be gathered together. )

SLT And having answered, they say to him, Where, Lord And he said to them, Where the body, there shall the eagles be gathered together.

Wbstr And they answered and said to him, Where Lord? And he said to them, Wherever the body is , thither will the eagles be collected.

KJB-1769 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.
(And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wherever the body is, thither/there will the eagles be gathered together. )

KJB-1611 And they answered, and said vnto him, Where, Lord? And he said vnto them, Wheresoeuer the body is, thither will the Eagles be gathered together.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps And they aunswered, and sayde vnto hym: Where Lorde? He sayde vnto the: Whersoeuer the body shalbe, thyther wyll also the Egles be gathered together.
(And they answered, and said unto him: Where Lord? He said unto them: Wherever the body shall be, thither/there will also the Eagles be gathered together.)

Gnva And they answered, and saide to him, Where, Lord? And he said vnto them, Wheresoeuer the body is, thither shall also the eagles bee gathered together.
(And they answered, and said to him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wherever the body is, thither/there shall also the eagles be gathered together. )

Cvdl And they answered, and sayde vnto him: Where LORDE? He sayde vnto the: Where so euer ye deed carcase is there wil ye Aegles be gathered together.
(And they answered, and said unto him: Where LORD? He said unto them: Wherever ye/you_all deed carcass is there will ye/you_all Eagles be gathered together.)

TNT And they answered and sayde to him: wheare Lorde? And he sayd vnto the: whersoever the body shalbe thyther will the egles resoorte.
(And they answered and said to him: wheare Lord? And he said unto them: wherever the body shall be thither/there will the egles resoorte. )

Wycl Which seide to hym, Where euer the bodi schal be, thidur schulen be gaderid togidere also the eglis.
(Which said to him, Where ever the body shall be, thither/there should be gathered together also the eagles.)

Luth Und sie antworteten und sprachen zu ihm: HErr, wo da? Er aber sprach zu ihnen: Wo das Aas ist, da sammeln sich die Adler.
(And they/she/them replied and said to/for him: LORD, where there? He but spoke to/for to_them: Where the Aas is, there collect itself/yourself/themselves the eagle(s).)

ClVg Qui dixit illis: Ubicumque fuerit corpus, illuc congregabuntur et aquilæ.[fn]
(Who he/she_said to_them: Ubicumque has_been body, there/to_that_place they_will_gather and eagles. )

17.37 Qui dixit illis. Duo quærentibus unum respondet, sanctos scilicet secum assumendos, aliud subjiciendo innuit, malos scilicet a se repulsos cum diabolo damnandos. Ubicunque, etc. Ubicunque fuerit Dominus corporaliter, illo congregabuntur electi, qui ejus passionem humiliter imitando tanquam de carne ejus saturantur, quorum per resurrectionem renovabitur ut aquilæ juventus.

17.37 Who he/she_said to_them. Duo to_the_seekerbus one responds, saints namely with_him assumendos, something_else subyiciendo hints, I_prefers namely from himself repulsos when/with devil damnandos. Wherever, etc. Wherever has_been Master physically/bodily, that/there they_will_gather chosen, who/which his passion humbly imitando as_if from/about flesh/meat his saturantur, whose through resurrection renovabitur as eagles yuventus.

UGNT καὶ ἀποκριθέντες λέγουσιν αὐτῷ, ποῦ, Κύριε? ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, ὅπου τὸ σῶμα, ἐκεῖ καὶ οἱ ἀετοὶ ἐπισυναχθήσονται.
(kai apokrithentes legousin autōi, pou, Kurie? ho de eipen autois, hopou to sōma, ekei kai hoi aetoi episunaⱪthaʸsontai.)

SBL-GNT καὶ ἀποκριθέντες λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Ποῦ, κύριε; ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Ὅπου τὸ σῶμα, ἐκεῖ ⸂καὶ οἱ ἀετοὶ ἐπισυναχθήσονται⸃.
(kai apokrithentes legousin autōi; Pou, kurie; ho de eipen autois; Hopou to sōma, ekei ⸂kai hoi aetoi episunaⱪthaʸsontai⸃.)

RP-GNT Καὶ ἀποκριθέντες λέγουσιν αὐτῷ, Ποῦ, κύριε; Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Ὅπου τὸ σῶμα, ἐκεῖ συναχθήσονται οἱ ἀετοί.
(Kai apokrithentes legousin autōi, Pou, kurie; Ho de eipen autois, Hopou to sōma, ekei sunaⱪthaʸsontai hoi aetoi.)

TC-GNT Καὶ ἀποκριθέντες λέγουσιν αὐτῷ, Ποῦ, Κύριε; Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Ὅπου τὸ σῶμα, ἐκεῖ [fn]συναχθήσονται οἱ ἀετοί.
(Kai apokrithentes legousin autōi, Pou, Kurie; Ho de eipen autois, Hopou to sōma, ekei sunaⱪthaʸsontai hoi aetoi. )

17:37 συναχθησονται οι αετοι ¦ συναχθησονται και οι αετοι PCK ¦ επισυναχθησονται και οι αετοι ANT ¦ και οι αετοι επισυναχθησονται CT

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 17:20–37: Jesus taught about the time when the kingdom of God will come

The Greek text does not indicate when Jesus said the words in this section. Scholars believe that he said them during the same time period as the last section. During this time, Jesus was making his final journey to Jerusalem. The Pharisees asked him when the kingdom of God would come. Jesus answered by describing the way the Son of Man, the Messiah, will return to earth. He will return suddenly, and it will be obvious to everyone that he has returned. Jesus compared his return to how suddenly the flood came in the time of Noah and how suddenly Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed in the time of Lot.

Examples of headings for this section are:

Jesus taught about when the Son of Man will come

The coming of the Kingdom of God

Parallel passages are in Matthew 24:17–18, 24:23–28, 24:37–41, and Mark 13:14–16, 13:19–23.

Paragraph 17:34–37

For 17:34–35 see also Matthew 24:40–41. These verses indicate that some people who live and work close to one another will be separated at the time when Jesus returns.

17:37a–b

“Where, Lord?” they asked. Jesus answered, “Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.”: There are different ways to interpret the question and answer in this verse. Two of the most common interpretations are:

The disciples were asking where the people in 17:34–35 would be left to be punished. Jesus’ answer implies that punishment will come wherever wicked people are, just as vultures come to a dead body.
The disciples were asking where the Son of Man would return. Jesus’ answer implies that the place of his return would be obvious, just as vultures show the presence of a dead body.The idea in this interpretation is similar to 17:24, where Jesus said that his coming would be as obvious as lightning.

Most English versions translate the proverb without making the meaning explicit.The NLT makes explicit another interpretation, saying, “Jesus replied, ‘Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.’” However, in this context Jesus does not list various signs of his coming, as he does elsewhere. The emphasis of this passage is that his coming will be sudden. It will come at a time when most people are not expecting it. It is recommended that you also translate so that more than one interpretation can be understood. For example:

The followers asked Jesus, “Where will this be, Lord?” Jesus answered, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.” (NCV)

Then Jesus’ disciples spoke up, “But where will this happen, Lord?” Jesus said, “Where there is a corpse, there will always be buzzards.” (CEV)

In some languages this proverb may communicate a wrong meaning. If that is true in your language and you need to add implied information, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The description of vultures coming to a dead body fits better with punishment of wicked people than as a description of Jesus returning.Arndt, Bock, Fitzmyer, Geldenhuys, Morris, and Plummer follow this interpretation. Morris says, “Where the spiritually dead are found, there inevitably will…be judgment” (p. 287). Marshall, Nolland, Stein, and Green follow interpretation (2). However, both interpretations are true. Jesus will return in an obvious way, and the wicked will certainly be judged at that time.

If you add implied information, you should give only enough information to avoid a wrong meaning. For example:

They asked, “Lord, where will this happen?” Jesus answered them, “Just as vultures come to a dead body, judgment will come to wicked people.”

17:37a

“Where, Lord?” they asked.

They asked him, “Where, Lord?”
They asked, “Where will this happen, Lord?”

“Where, Lord?” they asked: The BSB has placed the phrase they asked after the quotation. The Greek text places it before the quotation, and most English versions do as well. For example:

And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” (RSV)

Place it where it is natural in your language.

Lord: The Greek word that the BSB translates as Lord was used in 17:5 to refer to Jesus. Here the apostles addressed him directly as Lord to show respect. See the note on 17:5. The first time Jesus was addressed as Lord in Luke was in 5:8. See how you translated this term of address there.

17:37b

Jesus answered, “Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.”

Jesus said to them, “Wherever there is a dead body, vultures will gather.”
And Jesus answered them with a proverb. He said, “Birds that eat dead things always gather wherever there is a corpse/carcass.”

carcass: The Greek word that the BSB translates as carcass refers here to the corpse or carcass of a person or animal. For example:

Where the carcass is, there will the vultures gather. (REB)

Vultures will gather where there is something dead.

vultures: The Greek word that the BSB translates as vultures can refer to either vultures (sometimes called buzzards) or eagles. But vultures fits this context better than ‘eagles.’ A vulture is a large bird that eats the bodies of animals that have died and are decaying. Vultures often fly in groups. In your translation, use the name of a bird that feeds on dead things.

will gather: the Greek word that the BSB translates as will gather refers to the vultures coming and gathering around the dead body on the ground. They will gather to eat the body.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

ἀποκριθέντες λέγουσιν αὐτῷ

answering ˱they˲_˓are˒_saying ˱to˲_him

To convey the vividness and immediacy of the disciples’ question, Luke uses the present tense in past narration here. See how you decided to approach this usage in [7:40](../07/40.md). If it would not be natural to use the present tense in your language, you could use the past tense in your translation. Alternate translation: [the disciples responded to him]

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / hendiadys

ἀποκριθέντες λέγουσιν αὐτῷ

answering ˱they˲_˓are˒_saying ˱to˲_him

Together the two words answering and say mean that the disciples responded to what Jesus had been telling them by asking him a question about it. Alternate translation: [the disciples responded to him]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ποῦ, Κύριε

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἀποκριθέντες λέγουσιν αὐτῷ Ποῦ Κύριε ὁ Δέ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ὅπου τό σῶμα ἐκεῖ καί οἱ ἀετοί ἐπισυναχθήσονται)

The implication is that the disciples are asking where the things that Jesus has been describing will happen. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: [Lord, where will these things happen]

Note 3 topic: writing-proverbs

ὅπου τὸ σῶμα, ἐκεῖ καὶ οἱ ἀετοὶ ἐπισυναχθήσονται

Jesus may be quoting a popular proverb of the time. Alternate translation: [The location will be obvious from the things that you see happening there]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ὅπου τὸ σῶμα, ἐκεῖ καὶ οἱ ἀετοὶ ἐπισυναχθήσονται

In this proverb, the body and the vultures are figurative. If you would like to present the same image to your readers but your language does not use metaphors, you can express this as a simile. Alternate translation: [Just as vultures gather where there is a dead body, so the things I have described will indicate where this is about to happen]

Note 5 topic: translate-unknown

οἱ ἀετοὶ

the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἀποκριθέντες λέγουσιν αὐτῷ Ποῦ Κύριε ὁ Δέ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ὅπου τό σῶμα ἐκεῖ καί οἱ ἀετοί ἐπισυναχθήσονται)

The word vultures describes large birds that travel in flocks and eat the flesh of dead animals that they find. If your readers would not be familiar with vultures, you could use the name of similar birds in your area, or you could use a general expression. Alternate translation: [the scavenger birds]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

ἐπισυναχθήσονται

˓will_be_being˒_gathered_together

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this with an active form. Alternate translation: [will flock together] or [will assemble]

Parallel LUKE 17:37

Section 17:20–37: Jesus taught about the time when the kingdom of God will come

Paragraph 17:34–37

17:37a–b

17:37a

17:37b