LUKE 17:7 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) “Imagine that you had a slave that was out in the field ploughing or looking after the sheep. When he came back to the house, which of you would tell him, ‘The meal’s ready so come in now and sit down to eat.’

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 But which of you is it, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, who will say to him, having come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and recline to eat’?

UST Jesus also said, “Suppose that one of you had a servant who was plowing your fields or taking care of your sheep. After he came into the house from the field, you would not say, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat!’

BSB Which of you [whose] servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field will say to him, ‘Come at once [and] sit down to eat’?

MSB Which of you [whose] servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field will say,[fn] ‘Come at once [and] sit down to eat’?

BLB And which of you having a servant plowing or shepherding, the one having come in out of the field, will say to him 'Having come, immediately recline?'

AICNT “But which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say [[to him]][fn] when he has come in from the field, ‘Come [immediately][fn] and sit down to eat’?

17:7, to him: Absent from some manuscripts. A(02) W(032) BYZ TR

17:7, immediately: Absent from some manuscripts. Latin(a b ff² i)

OEB Which of you, if he had a servant ploughing, or tending the sheep, would say to him, when he came in from the fields, “Come at once and take your place at the table,”

WEBBE But who is there amongst you, having a servant ploughing or keeping sheep, that will say when he comes in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down at the table’?

WMBB (Same as above)

NET “Would any one of you say to your slave who comes in from the field after plowing or shepherding sheep, ‘Come at once and sit down for a meal’?

LSV But who is he of you—having a servant plowing or feeding—who, to him having come in out of the field, will say, Having come, recline at once?

FBV Say you have a servant who does plowing or shepherding. When he comes in from work, do you say to him, ‘Come in and sit down now for a meal’?

TCNT “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing the field or tending the sheep. As soon as he comes in from the field would you [fn]say, ‘Come and recline at the table’?

17:7 say ¦ say to him CT

T4T Jesus also said, “Suppose that one of you had a servant who was plowing your fields or taking care of your sheep. After he comes into the house from the field, you (sg) would not say [RHQ], ‘Sit down and eat immediately!’

LEB “And which of you who has a slave plowing or shepherding sheep[fn] who comes in from the field will say to him, ‘Come here at once and[fn] recline at the table’?

17:7 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation

17:7 *Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“come here”) has been translated as a finite verb

BBE But which of you, having a servant who is ploughing or keeping sheep, will say to him, when he comes in from the field, Come now and be seated and have a meal,

Moff Which of you, with a servant out ploughing or shepherding, will say to him when he comes in from the field, "Come at once and take your place at table"?

Wymth But which of you who has a servant ploughing, or tending sheep, will say to him when he comes in from the farm, `Come at once and take your place at table,'

ASV But who is there of you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say unto him, when he is come in from the field, Come straightway and sit down to meat;

DRA But which of you having a servant ploughing, or feeding cattle, will say to him, when he is come from the field: Immediately go, sit down to meat:

YLT 'But, who is he of you — having a servant ploughing or feeding — who, to him having come in out of the field, will say, Having come near, recline at meat?

Drby But which of you [is there] who, having a bondman ploughing or shepherding, when he comes in out of the field, will say, Come and lie down immediately to table?

RV But who is there of you, having a servant plowing or keeping sheep, that will say unto him, when he is come in from the field, Come straightway and sit down to meat;
(But who is there of you, having a servant ploughing or keeping sheep, that will say unto him, when he is come in from the field, Come straightway and sit down to meat; )

SLT And which of you having a servant ploughing or feeding, who will say to him having come out of the field, Quickly having come, recline?

Wbstr But which of you having a servant plowing, or feeding cattle, will say to him immediately, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to eat?

KJB-1769 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?
( But which of you, having a servant ploughing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? )

KJB-1611 But which of you hauing a seruant plowing, or feeding cattell, will say vnto him by & by when he is come from the field, Goe and sit downe to meate?
(But which of you having a servant ploughing, or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meate?)

Bshps But which of you, hauyng a seruaunt plowyng, or feedyng cattell, woulde say vnto hym by & by when he were come from the fielde, go and syt downe at the table:
(But which of you, having a servant ploughing, or feeding cattle, would say unto him by and by when he were come from the field, go and sit down at the table:)

Gnva Who is it also of you, that hauing a seruant plowing or feeding cattell, woulde say vnto him by and by, when hee were come from the fielde, Goe, and sit downe at table?
(Who is it also of you, that having a servant ploughing or feeding cattle, would say unto him by and by, when he were come from the field, Go, and sit down at table? )

Cvdl Which of you is it, that hath a seruaunt (which ploweth, or fedeth the catell) wha he commeth home from ye felde, that he wil saye vnto him: Go quyckly, and syt the downe to meate?
(Which of you is it, that hath/has a servant (which plougheth, or feedeth/feeds the cattle) what he cometh/comes home from ye/you_all field, that he will say unto him: Go quickly, and sit the down to meate?)

TNT Who is it of you yf he had a servaute plowinge or fedinge catell that wolde saye vnto him when he were come from the felde Goo quickly and syt doune to meate:
(Who is it of you if he had a servante ploughinge or feeding cattle that would say unto him when he were come from the field Go quickly and sit down to meat: )

Wycl But who of you hath a seruaunt erynge, or lesewynge oxis, which seith to hym, whanne he turneth ayen fro the feeld, Anoon go, and sitte to mete;
(But who of you hath/has a servant ering, or feeding oxes, which saith/says to him, when he turneth again from the field, Anoon go, and sit to mete;)

Luth Welcher ist unter euch, der einen Knecht hat, der ihm pflüget oder das Vieh weidet, wenn er heimkommt vom Felde, daß er ihm sage: Gehe bald hin und setze dich zu Tische?
(Which is under you, the/of_the a servant/farmhand has, the/of_the him ploughs(v) or the cattle grazes, when he homekommt from_the field, that he him said: Go soon there/therefore and set/put you/yourself to/for tables?)

ClVg Quis autem vestrum habens servum arantem aut pascentem, qui regresso de agro dicat illi: Statim transi, recumbe:[fn]
(Who however of_you having a_servant arantem or pascentem, who/which regresso from/about field let_him_say them: Immediately transi, recumbe: )

17.7 Quis autem, etc. Servus arans aut pascens doctor est Ecclesiæ, de quo dicitur: Nemo mittens manum ad aratrum et aspiciens retro, aptus est regno Luc. 9. Dei. Et Dominus Petro dicit: Pasce oves meas Joan. 21.. Qui servus de agro regreditur, cum intermisso opere prædicandi, quasi ad curiam conscientiæ rediens sua dicta vel facta pertractat, cui Dominus non statim jubet ab hac vita transire, et æterna quiete refoveri, sed domi parare quod cœnet, id est post laborem apertæ locutionis, humilitatem propriæ conversationis exhibere, in tali enim conscientia Deus cœnat.

17.7 Who however, etc. Servus arans or feeding doctor it_is Assemblies/Churches, from/about where it_is_said: Nobody sendns hand to aratrum and looking back, suitable it_is kingdom Luc. 9. of_God. And Master Petro he_says: Pasce sheep of_mine Yohan 21.. Who servant from/about field regreditur, when/with intermisso by_work beforedicandi, as_if to curiam conscience rediens his_own said/dictated or facts pertractat, to_whom Master not/no immediately commands away this_way life to_pass, and eternal quietly refoveri, but domi to_prepare that cœnet, that it_is after work open of_speech, humility propriæ conversation exhibere, in/into/on such because conscience God dinnert.

UGNT τίς δὲ ἐξ ὑμῶν δοῦλον ἔχων, ἀροτριῶντα ἢ ποιμαίνοντα, ὃς εἰσελθόντι ἐκ τοῦ ἀγροῦ ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ, εὐθέως παρελθὼν ἀνάπεσε?
(tis de ex humōn doulon eⱪōn, arotriōnta aʸ poimainonta, hos eiselthonti ek tou agrou erei autōi, eutheōs parelthōn anapese?)

SBL-GNT Τίς δὲ ἐξ ὑμῶν δοῦλον ἔχων ἀροτριῶντα ἢ ποιμαίνοντα, ὃς εἰσελθόντι ἐκ τοῦ ἀγροῦ ἐρεῖ ⸀αὐτῷ· Εὐθέως παρελθὼν ἀνάπεσε,
(Tis de ex humōn doulon eⱪōn arotriōnta aʸ poimainonta, hos eiselthonti ek tou agrou erei ⸀autōi; Eutheōs parelthōn anapese,)

RP-GNT Τίς δὲ ἐξ ὑμῶν δοῦλον ἔχων ἀροτριῶντα ἢ ποιμαίνοντα, ὃς εἰσελθόντι ἐκ τοῦ ἀγροῦ ἐρεῖ εὐθέως, Παρελθὼν ἀνάπεσε·
(Tis de ex humōn doulon eⱪōn arotriōnta aʸ poimainonta, hos eiselthonti ek tou agrou erei eutheōs, Parelthōn anapese;)

TC-GNT Τίς δὲ ἐξ ὑμῶν δοῦλον ἔχων ἀροτριῶντα ἢ ποιμαίνοντα, ὃς εἰσελθόντι ἐκ τοῦ ἀγροῦ [fn]ἐρεῖ εὐθέως, Παρελθὼν [fn]ἀνάπεσε·
(Tis de ex humōn doulon eⱪōn arotriōnta aʸ poimainonta, hos eiselthonti ek tou agrou erei eutheōs, Parelthōn anapese; )

17:7 ερει ¦ ερει αυτω CT

17:7 αναπεσε ¦ αναπεσαι TR

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 17:1–10: Jesus taught his disciples about sin, faith, and duty

At the end of chapter 16, Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees. He concluded his parable about Lazarus and the rich man. Here in 17:1–10, he spoke to his disciples and taught them about several issues.Scholars have different opinions about whether the teachings in this section are thematically related to Jesus’ teachings in chapter 16. Some scholars say that the teachings in the two chapters are not connected. Other scholars do see a broad connection. Green says, “Especially due to its location adjacent to prior accounts of Jesus’ interaction with Pharisees, this pericope recapitulates Jesus’ message to his followers: They are not to be like the Pharisees!” (p. 611). Liefeld says that “it is also possible to see a logical connection between the end of chapter 16 and the beginning of chapter 17, if we understand ‘the things that cause people to sin’ to be the sins of the Pharisees, such as those mentioned in 16:14.” Scholars also disagree about whether the paragraphs in this section are related to each other. About this, Liefeld says that “there is a common unifying theme of attitudes in the Christian community” (p. 994). Morris also mentions this possible connection: “The connecting link here may be the attitude of the religious leaders. They were in danger of using their wealth wrongly, and they were also in danger of leading their lesser brethren astray—temptations that would confront his disciples as well as people like the Pharisees” (p. 279). Nolland (p. 835) says, “Luke seems to have cobbled a unity together here of three separate blocks of tradition (verses 1–2, 3–4, 5–6). The catchword link “into/in the sea” from verse 2 to verse 6 helps to give a formal unity to the piece, and it is likely that he intends the blocks so juxtaposed, to mutually qualify the meaning of one another.” He also says, “As he opens this new section (17:1–19) Luke has brought together three blocks of tradition to form a unit about the adequacy, despite all human frailty, of even the most meager of kingdom faiths for the radical challenge of Jesus’ teaching” (p. 839).

English versions divide these verses into sections in different ways. For example:

Most versions put 17:1–10 together in one section and have one heading. (The Notes follow these versions.)
Some versions divide 17:1–10 into three sections with a heading for each one. For example, the GNT has:

17:1–4	Sin
17:5–6	Faith
17:7–10	A servant’s duty

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Jesus taught his disciples to not cause others to sin, to forgive others, and to serve him humbly

Teachings about Forgiveness and Faith (NLT)

Sin, Forgiveness, Faith, and Service (NET)

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 18:6–7 and 18:15 and in Mark 9:42. However, Jesus may have spoken these passages in a different context from the one in this section.

Paragraph 17:7–10

In this paragraph, Jesus told a parable to illustrate the attitude that he wanted his disciples to have. Just as a slave must serve his master, a disciple must serve God, his master. That is his duty. He should obey God without thinking that God should reward him in any special way.

17:7

In the Greek text, as in the BSB, 17:7 is one long, rhetorical question. It could be translated as a statement and a rhetorical question. For example:

Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? (NIV)

In some languages, it may be helpful to use even shorter sentences. For example:

^7aSuppose one of you had a servant. All day this servant plows the soil or looks after the sheep. Then he comes back to the house. ^7bWill you say to him, ^7c“Now come and sit down to eat?”

17:7a

Which of you whose servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field

¶ “If one of you^(plur) had a servant who plowed for you or watched your sheep, when he came in from the field,
¶ “Think about what you^(plur) would do if you had a servant/slave to plow a field or care for your sheep. When that servant returned from plowing or caring for the sheep,
¶ Jesus continued, “If/After a servant has been plowing his master’s field or tending his sheep all day, and the servant returns to the house in the evening,

17:7b

will say to him,

would you^(sing) say to him,
would you^(plur) say to him,
his master will never tell him

17:7a–b

Which of you whose servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field will say to him…?: This is a rhetorical question. Jesus used this rhetorical question to emphasize that a master would never say what follows in 17:7c. This question expects the answer, “No, no one would say that to a servant.”

Some ways to translate this emphasis are:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
Suppose someone has a servant who is plowing fields or watching sheep. Does he tell his servant when he comes from the field…? (GW)
As a statement. For example:
One would certainly not say to the servant when that servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field…
When the servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field, no master would ever say to him…

Translate this emphasis in a way that is natural in your language.

Which of you whose servant: In Greek this clause is literally “Who among you having a servant…?” For example:

Will any one of you, who has a servant…? (RSV)

Jesus used this clause to introduce his illustration. Versions such as the GW, GNT, NCV, and NIV use a clause with the word “Suppose” to introduce it. Some other ways to introduce the illustration in English are:

If your servant (CEV)

When a servant (NLT)

Introduce this illustration in a way that is natural in your language.

Which of you: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as Which of you refers to “any one of you apostles/disciples.” It is possible that Jesus was continuing his answer to his apostles’ request in 17:5. However, he was probably speaking to all his disciples, as in 17:1.

Jesus was not implying anything about whether one of his disciples had a servant. In some languages it may be helpful to translate the phrase Which of you in a more general way. For example:

Suppose someone has a servant (GW)

servant: The Greek word that the BSB translates as servant means “slave” (as in the NRSV). This word refers to someone who was owned by another person. He worked for his owner/master without receiving pay. He had no rights of his own (or very few rights). He could not choose to go and work for someone else.

In some cultures, slaves may not be known. In other cultures, the word for slave may imply different customs than in biblical culture. If that is true in your language, some ways to translate this are:

worker

person who belonged to someone else

owned person

person who serves someone

comes in from: The clause comes in from indicates that after the servant worked in the field, he returned to the house at the end of the day. In some languages it may be helpful to make this explicit. For example:

when he returns after working in the fields all day

The pronoun “him” refers to the servant, not the master. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit:

when his servant comes in from the field

plowing: The word plowing refers to using a tool called a plow to turn over the soil to prepare it for planting crops. A farmer often uses animals such as cows or oxen to pull the plow.

In areas where people do not know about plowing, you may express this in a more general way. For example:

working in the field

cultivating

preparing the field/soil for planting

shepherding in the field: The Greek word that the BSB translates literally as shepherding describes taking care of animals known as sheep. Some other ways to translate this word are:

caring for the sheep (NCV)

looking after the sheep (NIV)

In some areas people do not keep sheep, so you may want to use a more general expression. For example:

caring for the animals

tending the animals

Sheep are domestic animals that are raised for meat and for wool. In some languages there may not be a word for “sheep.” If that is true in your language, you may borrow the word for “sheep” and indicate its meaning with a general word such as “herd/flock” or “animals.” For example:

animals called sheep

herd/flock of sheep

If people are not familiar with sheep in your area, it is suggested that you insert a picture in your translation.

In some languages it may be necessary to make it explicit that the servant was taking care of the sheep that his master owned. For example:

your ^(sing) sheep/animals

his/the master’s sheep

will say to him: Versions such as the NIV that divide this verse into a “suppose” statement and a rhetorical question use the pronoun “he” to refer to the master here. But since he was referred to as one “of you” in 17:7a, in some languages it may be more natural to continue to use the pronoun you here. For example:

Would you say to the servant

In other languages, it may be best to use “someone” in 17:7a and “he” here.

17:7c

‘Come at once and sit down to eat’?

‘Come^(sing) quickly and sit down to eat’?
‘Come^(sing), sit here and eat’? Of course not!
to rest and eat supper/dinner.

Come at once: The Greek words that the BSB translates as Come at once are literally “immediately come.” For example:

Come immediately (NASB)

Come along now (NIV)

and sit down to eat: The clause sit down to eat is a polite invitation. This clause implies that a master was inviting his servant to eat a meal that someone had already cooked for him. Translate this invitation in a natural way in your language.The Greek verb that the BSB translates as “sit down” is more literally “recline.” However, in this context English versions do not translate it literally, since the custom of reclining to eat is not known in most cultures, and in this context Jesus was telling a parable, not describing a historical event. Even in Jesus’ time, most people reclined only at formal meals. However, the ESV is an exception to this and does translate the verb here as “recline.” That verb may emphasize the point of the story that a master would never tell his slave to come in and relax to eat before he serves the meal to his master. Other ways to say it in English are:

sit down for a meal (NET)

rest/sit and eat

and let me give you some food to eat

General Comment on 17:7b–c

If you translate 17:7b–c as a rhetorical question, you may need to supply an answer. For example:

Of course not!

No, you wouldn’t say that. (CEV)

No. (GW)

You can place such an answer either at the end of 17:7c (see 17:7c in the Display) or at the beginning of 17:8 (as in the CEV and GW).

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

τίς δὲ ἐξ ὑμῶν δοῦλον ἔχων, ἀροτριῶντα ἢ ποιμαίνοντα, ὃς εἰσελθόντι ἐκ τοῦ ἀγροῦ ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ, εὐθέως παρελθὼν ἀνάπεσε?

which (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τίς Δέ ἐξ ὑμῶν δοῦλον ἔχων ἀροτριῶντα ἤ ποιμαίνοντα ὅς εἰσελθόντι ἐκ τοῦ ἀγροῦ ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ εὐθέως Παρελθών ἀνάπεσε)

Jesus is using the question form to teach his disciples. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate his words as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: [But none of you who had a servant who was out plowing or tending sheep would say to him when he came in from the field, ‘Come immediately and recline to eat’.]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / hypo

Jesus is using an illustration that involves a hypothetical situation. Alternate translation: [Suppose one of you had a servant who was out plowing or tending sheep. You would not say to him when he came in from the field, ‘Come immediately and recline to eat.’]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / quotesinquotes

εἰσελθόντι ἐκ τοῦ ἀγροῦ ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ, εὐθέως παρελθὼν ἀνάπεσε

˓having˒_come_in out_of the field ˓will_be˒_saying ˱to˲_him immediately (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τίς Δέ ἐξ ὑμῶν δοῦλον ἔχων ἀροτριῶντα ἤ ποιμαίνοντα ὅς εἰσελθόντι ἐκ τοῦ ἀγροῦ ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ εὐθέως Παρελθών ἀνάπεσε)

If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: [would tell him as soon as he came in from the field to sit right down and have his own supper]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

δοῦλον & ἀροτριῶντα ἢ ποιμαίνοντα

˓a˒_slave & plowing (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τίς Δέ ἐξ ὑμῶν δοῦλον ἔχων ἀροτριῶντα ἤ ποιμαίνοντα ὅς εἰσελθόντι ἐκ τοῦ ἀγροῦ ἐρεῖ αὐτῷ εὐθέως Παρελθών ἀνάπεσε)

It may be helpful to say explicitly that the land and sheep hypothetically belong to the person who is being asked to consider what he would do in this situation. Alternate translation: [a servant who had been out plowing your land or taking care of your sheep]

Note 5 topic: translate-unknown

ἀνάπεσε

sit_down_‹to_eat›

See how you translated this phrase in [5:29](../05/29.md). Alternate translation: [and sit down to eat] or [and sit down and have your supper]

Parallel LUKE 17:7