LUKE 5:34 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 can’t make the groomsmen fast at a wedding,” Yeshua responded, “not while the groom is with them.

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 Then he said to them, “You are not able to make the sons of the bridal chamber fast while the bridegroom is still with them, are you?

UST Jesus answered, “No one tells the friends of the bridegroom to fast while the wedding celebration is still going on!

BSB Jesus replied, “Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while [He] is with them?

MSB [Jesus] replied, “Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while [He] is with them?

BLB And Jesus said to them, "Are you able to make the sons of the bridechamber to fast while the bridegroom is with them?

AICNT {Jesus}[fn] said to them, “Can [you make][fn] the sons of the bridechamber fast {while the bridegroom is}[fn] [with them].[fn]

5:34, Jesus: 𝔓4 ℵ(01) B(03) C(04) D(05) W(032) NA28 THGNT ‖ Some manuscripts read “he.” A(02) Latin(a b e ff²) SBLGNT BYZ TR

5:34, you make: Absent from some manuscripts. ℵ(01) D(05) Latin(it)

5:34, while the bridegroom is: Some manuscripts read “for as long as they have the bridegroom.” D(05) Latin(e)

5:34, with them: Absent from some manuscripts. Latin(b ff²)

OEB But Jesus answered them, ‘Can you make the groom’s friends fast while the groom is with them?

WEBBE He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?

WMBB (Same as above)

NET So Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you?

LSV And He said to them, “Are you able to make the sons of the bride-chamber—in the Bridegroom being with them—to fast?

FBV “Should the groomsmen fast while the bridegroom is with them?” Jesus asked.

TCNT Jesus said to them, “Can you make the bridegroom's attendants fast while the bridegroom is with them?

T4T To show them that it was not appropriate for his disciples to be sad and abstain from food while he was still with them [MET], Jesus said to them, “When ◄the bridegroom/man who is getting married► is with his friends at the time of the wedding, you certainly do not make his friends abstain from food, do you [RHQ]? No, you do not do that.

LEB So he[fn] said[fn] to them, “You are not able to make the _⌊bridegroom’s attendants_⌋[fn] fast as long as the bridegroom is with them, are you?[fn]

5:34 *Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun

5:34 Some manuscripts have “So Jesus said”

5:34 Literally “sons of the bridal chamber”

5:34 *The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated in the translation by the phrase “are you”

BBE And Jesus said, Are you able to make the friends of the newly-married man go without food when he is with them?

Moff Jesus said to them,
⇔ "Can you make friends at a wedding fast while the bride groom is beside them?

Wymth "Can you compel the bridal party to fast," replied Jesus, "so long as they have the bridegroom among them?

ASV And Jesus said unto them, Can ye make the sons of the bride-chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?

DRA To whom he said: Can you make the children of the bridegroom fast, whilst the bridegroom is with them?

YLT And he said unto them, 'Are ye able to make the sons of the bride-chamber — in the bridegroom being with them — to fast?

Drby And he said to them, Can ye make the sons of the bridechamber fast when the bridegroom is with them?

RV And Jesus said unto them, Can ye make the sons of the bride-chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?
(And Jesus said unto them, Can ye/you_all make the sons of the bride-chamber/room fast, while the bridegroom is with them? )

SLT And he said to them, Ye cannot make the sons of the nuptial chamber fast, when the bridegroom is with them.

Wbstr And he said to them, Can ye make the children of the bride-chamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?

KJB-1769 And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?
(And he said unto them, Can ye/you_all make the children of the bridechamber/room fast, while the bridegroom is with them? )

KJB-1611 And he said vnto them, Can yee make the children of the Bride-chamber fast, while the Bridegrome is with them?
(And he said unto them, Can ye/you_all make the children of the Bride-chamber/room fast, while the Bridegroom is with them?)

Bshps He sayde vnto them. Can ye make the chyldren of the weddyng chaumber fast, whyle the brydegrome in with the?
(He said unto them. Can ye/you_all make the children of the wedding chamber/room fast, while the bridegroom in with the?)

Gnva And he said vnto them, Can ye make the children of the wedding chamber to fast, as long as the bridegrome is with them?
(And he said unto them, Can ye/you_all make the children of the wedding chamber/room to fast, as long as the bridegroom is with them? )

Cvdl And he sayde vnto them: Can ye make the weddynge childre fast, so loge as the brydegrome is with the?
(And he said unto them: Can ye/you_all make the wedding children fast, so long as the bridegroom is with the?)

TNT And he sayde vnto them: Can ye make the chyldren of the weddinge fast as longe as the brydgrome is present with them?
(And he said unto them: Can ye/you_all make the children of the weddinge fast as long as the bridegroom is present with them? )

Wycl To whiche he seide, Whether ye moun make the sones of the spouse to faste, while the spouse is with hem?
(To which he said, Whether ye/you_all may/can make the sons of the spouse to fast, while the spouse is with hem?)

Luth Er sprach aber zu ihnen: Ihr möget die Hochzeitleute nicht zum Fasten treiben, solange der Bräutigam bei ihnen ist.
(He spoke but to/for to_them: You(pl) may the Hochzeitleute not for_the fasting(n) to_drive, as_long_as the/of_the Bräutigam at/in to_them is.)

ClVg Quibus ipse ait: Numquid potestis filios sponsi, dum cum illis est sponsus, facere jejunare?[fn]
(To_whom exactly_that/himself he_said: Is_it can_you children grooms, while when/with to_them it_is groom, to_do to_fast? )

5.34 Nunquid enim potestis. ID. Quandiu sponsus nobiscum est et in lætitia sumus, nec jejumare possumus, etc., usque ad tunc filii sponsi jejunabunt, desiderantes Judicis adventum.

5.34 Nunquid because can_you. ID. Quandiu groom with_us it_is and in/into/on joy we_are, but_not yeyumare we_can, etc., until to then children grooms yeyunabunt, they_desirees Yudicis arrival.

UGNT ὁ δὲ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς, μὴ δύνασθε τοὺς υἱοὺς τοῦ νυμφῶνος ἐν ᾧ ὁ νυμφίος μετ’ αὐτῶν ἐστιν ποιῆσαι νηστεύειν?
(ho de eipen pros autous, maʸ dunasthe tous huious tou numfōnos en hō ho numfios met’ autōn estin poiaʸsai naʸsteuein?)

SBL-GNT ὁ ⸀δὲ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· Μὴ δύνασθε τοὺς υἱοὺς τοῦ νυμφῶνος ἐν ᾧ ὁ νυμφίος μετʼ αὐτῶν ἐστιν ποιῆσαι ⸀νηστεῦσαι;
(ho ⸀de eipen pros autous; Maʸ dunasthe tous huious tou numfōnos en hō ho numfios metʼ autōn estin poiaʸsai ⸀naʸsteusai;)

RP-GNT Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς, Μὴ δύνασθε τοὺς υἱοὺς τοῦ νυμφῶνος, ἐν ᾧ ὁ νυμφίος μετ' αὐτῶν ἐστιν, ποιῆσαι νηστεύειν;
(Ho de eipen pros autous, Maʸ dunasthe tous huious tou numfōnos, en hō ho numfios met' autōn estin, poiaʸsai naʸsteuein;)

TC-GNT Ὁ [fn]δὲ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτούς, Μὴ δύνασθε τοὺς υἱοὺς τοῦ νυμφῶνος, ἐν ᾧ ὁ νυμφίος μετ᾽ αὐτῶν ἐστι, ποιῆσαι [fn]νηστεύειν;
(Ho de eipe pros autous, Maʸ dunasthe tous huious tou numfōnos, en hō ho numfios meta autōn esti, poiaʸsai naʸsteuein; )

5:34 δε ¦ δε ιησους NA TH WH

5:34 νηστευειν ¦ νηστευσαι CT

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 5:33–39: Jesus explained why his disciples did not fast

In this section, some people made a comment to Jesus about fasting. Their comment implied that they were criticizing the disciples. It also implied the question, “Why do your disciples act differently from the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees?” Jesus explained the difference in their actions. In his explanation, he compared himself to a bridegroom, and he compared his disciples to wedding guests. The disciples could not fast while he was with them, just as wedding guests do not fast while the bridegroom is with them.

After he had explained this different attitude towards fasting, he told them that he was teaching a new way to live for God. His new way would not fit into the old traditions. To illustrate this, Jesus used three comparisons:

He compared the old traditional ways to an old garment. He compared his new way to cloth taken from a new garment. No one would sew the new cloth onto an old garment.
He compared the old traditional ways to old wineskins. He compared his new way to new wine. When new wine is put into old wineskins, both are ruined.
Jesus concluded with a saying that rebuked those who wanted to keep to the old traditions. Jesus said that people who had drunk old wine did not want to drink new wine. He was really talking about people who were content with the old ways and teaching of the Jewish religion. He said that they were unwilling to consider the new ways and teaching that he had brought.

This section can be difficult for people to understand because Jesus used comparisons to illustrate what he was teaching. He did not make what he was teaching explicit. If you need to make the meaning clearer, you should explain it in a footnote.

In this section, there are some ideas that may not be familiar in certain cultures. For example:

fasting
Jewish wedding customs about bridegrooms
sewing patches onto cloth
new wine and old wine
wineskins

Consider carefully how to translate each of these ideas in a meaningful way in your language. The notes for this section will give suggestions.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Jesus taught that his new way was different from Jewish traditions

Jesus’ new way and the old ways

This story also occurs in Matthew 9:14–17 and Mark 2:18–22.

Paragraph 5:33–35

This paragraph tells about how the religious leaders continued to disagree with Jesus. In 5:30, the religious leaders had accused Jesus of associating with the wrong kind of people. In this paragraph, they accused Jesus and his disciples of not keeping the Jewish traditions.

In this paragraph it is important for readers to know what “fasting” meant in the Jewish culture. Fasting meant to not eat food for a certain time for religious reasons. There were many reasons for fasting. For example, people fasted:

to express their grief and sorrow during times of mourning;
to show that they were sorry for their sins;
to strengthen their prayers that God would help or guide them.

John the Baptizer’s disciples and the Pharisees’ disciples followed these Jewish customs.

5:34

Jesus replied, “Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them?

So Jesus said, “Can you^(plur) cause/force the friends of a bridegroom to fast while he is with them? Of course not!
Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the friends of the bridegroom give up eating while he is still with them. (NCV)

This verse begins with a Greek conjunction that connects Jesus’ answer here to the people’s statement about his disciples in 5:33. Several English versions, such as the ESV, translate this conjunction as “and.” However, other versions translate it in a way that indicates that Jesus’ answer is a result of the people’s statement. For example:

So (NET)

As a result

In some languages, no connecting word is necessary.

Jesus replied: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as Jesus replied is literally “he said.” Use a verb that is natural in your language for this context.

Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them?: This is a rhetorical question that expects the answer “No.” This question emphasizes that the guests of the bridegroom cannot fast while he is with them. Fasting would imply that the guests were sad or serious. It would not be appropriate for them to be sad while they were at the wedding feast with the bridegroom.Every Jew knew that a Jewish bridegroom would celebrate his wedding with a feast that lasted for a week. No one would expect his guests to fast during that time.

There are several ways to translate this rhetorical question:

As a question. For example:
Can you force wedding guests to fast while the groom is still with them? (GW)
As a statement. For example:
The friends of a bridegroom don’t go without eating while he is still with them. (CEV)
As a statement with a tag question. For example:
You cannot make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? (NET)
As a question with an answer. For example:
Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. (NLT)

Use whichever form is most natural in your language to emphasize something that people know is true.

make the guests…fast: The phrase make the guests…fast means to cause the wedding guests to fast. Some other ways to translate this are:

Can you force the wedding guests to fast…? (GW)

Will anyone ask/require the guests of the bridegroom to fast…?

the guests of the bridegroom: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as the guests of the bridegroom is literally “the sons of the wedding hall.” It refers to people who come to rejoice with the bridegroom at his wedding. There are at least two ways to translate this term:

Use an expression that refers specifically to the bridegroom’s friends who come to his wedding. For example:
the friends of a bridegroom (CEV)
Use a general expression that refers to people who come to a wedding. For example:
the wedding guests (RSV)

In some cultures, marriage customs may be so different from those of the Jews that the term guests of the bridegroom may be difficult to translate. For example, there may be no celebration at the time of a couple’s marriage, or the bridegroom may not be involved in the celebration. If that is true in your culture, you may need to use a very general phrase. For example:

friends who are celebrating with the man-who-has-gotten-a-wife

bridegroom: The word bridegroom refers to the man who is getting married. In modern English, this man is often called simply the “groom” (as in the GW).

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / doublenegatives

μὴ δύνασθε τοὺς υἱοὺς τοῦ νυμφῶνος ἐν ᾧ ὁ νυμφίος μετ’ αὐτῶν ἐστιν ποιῆσαι νηστεύειν?

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὁ Δέ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν πρός αὐτούς Μή δύνασθε τούς υἱούς τοῦ νυμφῶνος ἐν ᾧ ὁ νυμφίος μετʼ αὐτῶν ἐστίν ποιῆσαι νηστεύειν)

The first word of this sentence in Greek is a negative word that can be used to turn a negative statement into a question that expects a negative answer. ULT shows this by adding are you? Your language may have other ways of asking a question that expects a negative answer, for example, by changing the word order of a positive statement. Translate this in the way that would be clearest in your language. Alternate translation: [Can you actually make the groom’s party at a wedding fast while the groom is still with them]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

μὴ δύνασθε τοὺς υἱοὺς τοῦ νυμφῶνος ἐν ᾧ ὁ νυμφίος μετ’ αὐτῶν ἐστιν ποιῆσαι νηστεύειν?

Jesus is using the question form to teach. He wants the scribes and Pharisees to reflect on the actions of his disciples in light of a situation they are already familiar with. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate his words as a statement or exclamation. Alternate translation: [No one tells the groom’s party at a wedding to fast while the groom is still with them!]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

τοὺς υἱοὺς τοῦ νυμφῶνος

The expression sons of is a Hebrew idiom that means a person shares the qualities of something. In this case, Jesus is describing people who share the quality of being an integral part of a wedding. These are the male friends who attend the groom during the ceremony and the festivities. Alternate translation: [the groom’s party]

Parallel LUKE 5:34

Section 5:33–39: Jesus explained why his disciples did not fast

Paragraph 5:33–35

5:34