LUKE 7:8 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) because I’m appointed under authority and have other soldiers under me. When I tell one of them to go, he goes, and when I tell one to come, he comes, and when I tell my slave to do something, he does it.”

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 For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me, and I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another one, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

UST I know that you can do this because I myself am a man who must obey the orders of my superiors. I also have soldiers who must obey my orders. When I say to one of them, ‘Go!’ he goes. When I say to another one, ‘Come!’ he comes. When I say to my slave, ‘Do this!’ he does it.”

BLB For I also am a man appointed under authority, having soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

AICNT For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

OEB For I myself am a man under the orders of others, with soldiers under me; and if I say to one of them “Go,” he goes, and to another “Come,” he comes, and to my slave “Do this,” he does it.’

WEBBE For I also am a man placed under authority, having under myself soldiers. I tell this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

WMBB (Same as above)

NET For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

LSV for I also am a man placed under authority, having under myself soldiers, and I say to this [one], Go, and he goes; and to another, Be coming, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does [it].”

FBV For I'm under the authority of my superior officers, and I have soldiers under my authority too. I command one to go and he goes, another to come and he comes. I command my servant to do something and he does it.”

TCNT For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

T4T I believe this because, as for me, there are people who have authority over me and I obey them. I also have soldiers under my authority. When I say to one of them, ‘Go!’ he goes. When I say to another ‘Come!’ he comes. When I say to my slave, ‘Do this!’ he does it. And I believe that you speak with a similar kind of authority.”

LEB For I also am a man placed under authority, who has soldiers under me, and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another one, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”[fn]

7:8 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation

BBE For I, myself, am a man under authority, having men under me; and I say to this one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it.

Moff For though I am a man under authority myself, I have soldiers under me; I tell one man to go, and he goes, I tell another to come, and he comes, I tell my servant, "Do this," and he does it."

Wymth For I too am a man obedient to authority, and have soldiers under me; and I say to one, `Go,' and he goes; to another, `Come,' and he comes; and to my slave, `Do this or that,' and he does it."

ASV For I also am a man set under authority, having under myself soldiers: and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

DRA For I also am a man subject to authority, having under me soldiers: and I say to one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doth it.

YLT for I also am a man placed under authority, having under myself soldiers, and I say to this [one], Go, and he goeth; and to another, Be coming, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doth [it].'

Drby For I also am a man placed under authority, having under myself soldiers, and I say to this [one], Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my bondman, Do this, and he does [it].

RV For I also am a man set under authority, having under myself soldiers: and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
(For I also am a man set under authority, having under myself soldiers: and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth/goes; and to another, Come, and he cometh/comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he doth/does it. )

SLT For I also am a man set under authority, having soldiers under myself, and I say to this, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes: and to my servant, Do this, and he does.

Wbstr For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say to one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it .

KJB-1769 For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
(For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth/goes; and to another, Come, and he cometh/comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he doth/does it. )

KJB-1611 For I also am a man set vnder authoritie, hauing vnder mee souldiers: and I say vnto one, Goe, and he goeth: and to another, Come, and hee commeth: and to my seruant, Doe this, and he doeth it.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps For I also am a man, set vnder power, and haue vnder me souldiers: and I say vnto one go, and he goeth: and to another, come, and he commeth: and to my seruaunt, do this, and he doth it.
(For I also am a man, set under power, and have under me soldiers: and I say unto one go, and he goeth/goes: and to another, come, and he cometh/comes: and to my servant, do this, and he doth/does it.)

Gnva For I likewise am a man set vnder authoritie, and haue vnder mee souldiers, and I say vnto one, Goe, and he goeth: and to another, Come, and hee commeth: and to my seruant, Doe this, and he doeth it.
(For I likewise am a man set under authority, and have under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth/goes: and to another, Come, and he cometh/comes: and to my servant, Do this, and he doth/does it. )

Cvdl For I my self also am a ma, subiecte to the hygher auctorite, & haue soudyers vnder me. And I saye vnto one: Go, & he goeth. And to another: Come, & he cometh. And to my seruaut: Do this, & he doeth it.
(For I myself also am a man, subjecte to the higher authority, and have soldiers under me. And I say unto one: Go, and he goeth/goes. And to another: Come, and he cometh/comes. And to my servant: Do this, and he doth/does it.)

TNT For I lyke wyse am a man vnder power and have vnder me soudiers and I saye vnto won goo: and he goeth. And to another come: and he cometh. And to my servaunt do this: and he doeth it.
(For I likewise am a man under power and have under me soldiers and I say unto won goo: and he goeth/goes. And to another come: and he cometh/comes. And to my servant do this: and he doth/does it. )

Wycl For Y am a man ordeyned vndur power, and haue knyytis vndur me; and Y seie to this, Go, and he goith, and to anothir, Come, and he cometh, and to my seruaunt, Do this thing, and he doith.
(For I am a man ordained under power, and have knights/warriors under me; and I say to this, Go, and he goeth/goes, and to another, Come, and he cometh/comes, and to my servant, Do this thing, and he doth/does.)

Luth Denn auch ich bin ein Mensch, der Obrigkeit untertan, und habe Kriegsknechte unter mir und spreche zu einem: Gehe hin! so geht er hin, und zum andern: Komm her! so kommt er, und zu meinem Knecht: Tu das! so tut er‘s.
(Because also I am a person, the/of_the Obrigkeit subject/subservient, and have soldiers under to_me and speak to/for on: Go there/therefore! so goes he there/therefore, and for_the change/modify: Come her! so comes he, and to/for my servant/farmhand: Do/Act that! so does he's.)

ClVg Nam et ego homo sum sub potestate constitutus, habens sub me milites: et dico huic, Vade, et vadit: et alii, Veni, et venit: et servo meo, Fac hoc, et facit.[fn]
(For/Surely and I human I_am under power appointed, having under me soldiers: and I_mean/say to_this, Go, and goes: and others, I_came, and he_came: and server/keeper mine, Fac hoc, and he_does. )

7.8 Nam et ego, etc. Si ego homo sub alio possum imperare minoribus, quanto magis tu, qui super omnia habens famulantes angelos, potes per eorum ministeria sine corporis præsentia dicere infirmitati ut recedat, et recedet, et sanitati ut veniat, et veniet.

7.8 For/Surely and I, etc. When/But_if I human under another I_can imperare to_the_minors, how_much more you(sg), who/which over everything having famulantes messenger/angels, you_can through their ministries without body presence to_say infirmitati as recedat, and recedet, and sanitati as let_him_come, and will_come.

UGNT καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπός εἰμι ὑπὸ ἐξουσίαν τασσόμενος, ἔχων ὑπ’ ἐμαυτὸν στρατιώτας; καὶ λέγω τούτῳ, πορεύθητι, καὶ πορεύεται; καὶ ἄλλῳ, ἔρχου, καὶ ἔρχεται; καὶ τῷ δούλῳ μου, ποίησον τοῦτο, καὶ ποιεῖ.
(kai gar egō anthrōpos eimi hupo exousian tassomenos, eⱪōn hup’ emauton stratiōtas; kai legō toutōi, poreuthaʸti, kai poreuetai; kai allōi, erⱪou, kai erⱪetai; kai tōi doulōi mou, poiaʸson touto, kai poiei.)

SBL-GNT καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπός εἰμι ὑπὸ ἐξουσίαν τασσόμενος, ἔχων ὑπʼ ἐμαυτὸν στρατιώτας, καὶ λέγω τούτῳ· Πορεύθητι, καὶ πορεύεται, καὶ ἄλλῳ· Ἔρχου, καὶ ἔρχεται, καὶ τῷ δούλῳ μου· Ποίησον τοῦτο, καὶ ποιεῖ.
(kai gar egō anthrōpos eimi hupo exousian tassomenos, eⱪōn hupʼ emauton stratiōtas, kai legō toutōi; Poreuthaʸti, kai poreuetai, kai allōi; Erⱪou, kai erⱪetai, kai tōi doulōi mou; Poiaʸson touto, kai poiei.)

RP-GNT Καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπός εἰμι ὑπὸ ἐξουσίαν τασσόμενος, ἔχων ὑπ' ἐμαυτὸν στρατιώτας, καὶ λέγω τούτῳ, Πορεύθητι, καὶ πορεύεται· καὶ ἄλλῳ, Ἔρχου, καὶ ἔρχεται· καὶ τῷ δούλῳ μου, Ποίησον τοῦτο, καὶ ποιεῖ.
(Kai gar egō anthrōpos eimi hupo exousian tassomenos, eⱪōn hup' emauton stratiōtas, kai legō toutōi, Poreuthaʸti, kai poreuetai; kai allōi, Erⱪou, kai erⱪetai; kai tōi doulōi mou, Poiaʸson touto, kai poiei.)

TC-GNT Καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπός εἰμι ὑπὸ ἐξουσίαν τασσόμενος, ἔχων ὑπ᾽ ἐμαυτὸν στρατιώτας, καὶ λέγω τούτῳ, Πορεύθητι, καὶ πορεύεται· καὶ ἄλλῳ, Ἔρχου, καὶ ἔρχεται· καὶ τῷ δούλῳ μου, Ποίησον τοῦτο, καὶ ποιεῖ.
(Kai gar egō anthrōpos eimi hupo exousian tassomenos, eⱪōn hup emauton stratiōtas, kai legō toutōi, Poreuthaʸti, kai poreuetai; kai allōi, Erⱪou, kai erⱪetai; kai tōi doulōi mou, Poiaʸson touto, kai poiei. )

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 7:1–10: Jesus healed an army officer’s servant

This section tells how an army officer trusted Jesus to heal his servant. The officer was not a Jew; he was a Gentile, a Roman. He sent some Jewish leaders as messengers to ask Jesus to come and heal his servant. Later he sent some friends to say that it was not necessary for Jesus to come to his house. He believed that Jesus could heal his servant from a distance.

The Roman compared Jesus’ authority to his own authority as an army officer. As an officer, he could cause other soldiers to obey him by simply commanding them to do something. He recognized that Jesus also had authority and power to heal by only giving a command. Jesus was amazed that this Gentile trusted him so much. He said that the officer had more faith than any Jew whom he had met.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it. Some other possible headings for this section are:

A Roman army officer shows great faith in Jesus

Jesus is amazed by the faith of a captain in the Roman army

The amazing faith of the centurion

There is a parallel passage for this section in Matthew 8:5–13.

7:8a

For I myself am a man under authority,

I say this because I too understand authority. My superiors give me orders and I obey them.
I know that you can do this because I, too, must obey my leaders,

7:8b

with soldiers under me.

and I give orders to the soldiers who are under my authority.
and I have soldiers who must obey me.

7:8a–b

For: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as For here introduces the reason why the officer was confident that Jesus could heal his servant by just speaking a command. Some ways to translate this connection are:

I know this because I… (NLT)

I know that you can do this because I myself…

I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as a man under authority is literally “a man placed under authority.” As a centurion in the Roman army, the officer had to obey the superior officers who had been given authority over him. He also had been given authority over soldiers, and they had to obey him. So he believed that Jesus had been given authority by God to command something to happen and make it happen. Some other ways to translate this are:

I have officers who give orders to me, and I have soldiers who take orders from me. (CEV)

I know because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. (NLT96)

I myself: The word myself indicates that the officer realized that he and Jesus were alike because that they both had authority. This likeness to Jesus is connected to all of 7:8a–e, not just to being under authorityCommentaries discuss whether this implies that Jesus too is “under authority” or whether the identification is more general and applied to other men: “I too am under authority as other men/officers are.” Commentary support divides fairly evenly between these two positions. However, as noted in the Notes, this may unnecessarily view the “too” as only going with the first part of the verse rather than the whole verse. Furthermore, the concern to guard against a statement that suggests Jesus is in a subordinate position is probably unfounded for two reasons: (a) these words reflect the understanding of the centurion concerning Jesus’ authority, not an infallible statement of Christian doctrine, and (b) authority is delegated from above. That is, it does not show weakness to suggest that someone is “under authority.” Rather, the right of authority comes from the one who gives it: “It is the centurion’s position in the chain of command that gives his own word power” (Nolland, p. 317). The centurion probably likewise recognized in Jesus one who carried the authority of God himself. in 7:8a. The officer especially focused on the fact that when he and Jesus commanded that something be done, the commands were obeyed. Here are other ways to translate I myself in this context:

For I too understand authority. I am a man under authority with soldiers under me.

For I, like you, have authority. I am a man under authority with soldiers under me.

under authority: In English people often use the words “over” and under to describe roles in a relationship that involves authority. These words indicate who has the right to command and who must obey. Other languages may use different words to describe this relationship such as “in front” and “behind.” Translate this in a way that is natural in your language.

General Comment on 7:8a–b

In some languages it may be good style to show the link between 7:8a and 7:8b by using similar words or phrases. For example:

I too am a man under authority and I have soldiers who are under my authority.

I obey my superior officers and I have soldiers who obey me.

7:8c

I tell one to go, and he goes;

I say to one of them, ‘Go,’ and he goes.
If/when I tell one of them to go somewhere, he goes there,

I tell one to go, and he goes: The officer knew what it was like simply to command a soldier to do something and to know that he would do it. While most other English versions translate this command as direct speech, as it is in the Greek text, in some languages it may be more natural to translate it using indirect speech, as the BSB does.

In some languages it may be necessary to say where the soldier must go. For example:

I tell one of them to go somewhere, and he goes there.

one…he: The officer used the words one and he to refer to any of his soldiers. Other ways to express the idea in this context are:

I only need to say, “Go,” and they go… (NLT)

I can say to one of them, “Go,” and he goes. (CEV)

Use a natural way to give a general example like this in your language.

7:8d

and another to come, and he comes.

I say to another one, ‘Come here,’ and he comes.
and if/when I tell someone to come to me, he comes.

and another to come, and he comes: In some languages it may be natural to use indirect speech for the quoted command, as the BSB does. It may also be helpful to repeat the phrase “I tell”:

and I tell another one to come, and he comes

General Comment on 7:8c–d

In some languages it may be natural to combine 7:8c and 7:8d:

I tell one of them to go and one of them to come, and they both obey me.

7:8e

I tell my servant to do something, and he does it.”

And I say to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
I also can tell one of my slaves to do something, and he does it. I know that you have even greater authority, so you can give the command and it will be done.”

I tell my servant to do something, and he does it: This part of the verse gives another general example of the officer’s authority. The word servant here refers to any servant to officer had. It does not refer specifically to the servant who was sick and dying. It also does not refer to a soldier such as those mentioned in 7:8b–d. The officer had the authority to command both his servants and soldiers.

my servant: The Greek word that the BSB translates as servant is the same one that was used in 7:2a. See the note on servant at 7:2a.

to do something: The words to do something do not refer to any specific action. The officer could command his servant to any of the things that servants normally do. If you translated the command as indirect speech in 7:8c–d, you may wish to do so again here. For example:

I tell my servant to do something for me, and he does it.

General Comment on 7:6d–8e

In this speech, the officer’s friend was telling Jesus the message that the officer had told him to say. The friend reported what the officer said as if it were the officer himself who was speaking. He used pronouns like “I,” “me,” and “my.” Consider how someone gives a message from another person in your language. In some languages it may be more natural to refer to the officer in a different way. For example:

^6d The officer asks you not to trouble yourself further. ^6eHe says that he does not deserve for you to enter his house.

General Comment on 7:7b–8e

The officer’s message gave the reason he believed that Jesus was able to heal his slave from a distance by commanding it to happen. This reason includes some implied information. The officer’s logic was:

I believe that you can heal my slave just by giving the command (7:7b).
I believe this because I understand authority. I am under the authority of my superiors, and I have soldiers under my authority (7:8a–b).
When someone in authority gives a command, his command will be obeyed (7:8c–e).
I know that you, Jesus, have authority from God. So your command to heal will certainly be accomplished. (implied)

If the implied information is not clear to your readers, you might consider making it explicit. For example, after 7:8e you could say:

I know that you have authority and so you can heal my servant from a distance just by commanding that he be healed.

I know that you have even greater authority, so you can give the command to heal and it will be done.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

καὶ & ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπός εἰμι ὑπὸ ἐξουσίαν τασσόμενος, ἔχων ὑπ’ ἐμαυτὸν στρατιώτας

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: καί Γάρ ἐγώ ἄνθρωπος εἰμί ὑπό ἐξουσίαν τασσόμενος ἔχων ὑπʼ ἐμαυτόν στρατιώτας καί λέγω τούτῳ Πορεύθητι καί πορεύεται καί ἄλλῳ Ἔρχου καί ἔρχεται καί τῷ δούλῳ μού Ποίησον τοῦτο καί ποιεῖ)

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this with an active form. Alternate translation: [I also have someone in authority over me, and I have soldiers under me]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ὑπ’ ἐμαυτὸν

under (Some words not found in SR-GNT: καί Γάρ ἐγώ ἄνθρωπος εἰμί ὑπό ἐξουσίαν τασσόμενος ἔχων ὑπʼ ἐμαυτόν στρατιώτας καί λέγω τούτῳ Πορεύθητι καί πορεύεται καί ἄλλῳ Ἔρχου καί ἔρχεται καί τῷ δούλῳ μού Ποίησον τοῦτο καί ποιεῖ)

This is a spatial metaphor that describes the authority relationship. Alternate translation: [under my authority]

τῷ δούλῳ μου

˱to˲_the slave (Some words not found in SR-GNT: καί Γάρ ἐγώ ἄνθρωπος εἰμί ὑπό ἐξουσίαν τασσόμενος ἔχων ὑπʼ ἐμαυτόν στρατιώτας καί λέγω τούτῳ Πορεύθητι καί πορεύεται καί ἄλλῳ Ἔρχου καί ἔρχεται καί τῷ δούλῳ μού Ποίησον τοῦτο καί ποιεῖ)

Here the word that ULT translates as servant is the typical word for a servant, as in [7:2](../07/02.md) and [7:3](../07/03.md). It is not the word that usually means “boy,” as in [7:7](../07/07.md).

Parallel LUKE 7:8