LUKE 9:62 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, 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 Jesus replied, “No one, having put his hand on a plow, yet looking to the things behind, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

UST Jesus said to him, “Anyone who is like a farmer who tries to plow his field while looking behind him is not able to serve God as his ruler.”

BSB Then Jesus declared, “No one who puts [his] hand to [the] plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

MSB Then Jesus declared, “No one who puts his hand to [the] plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

BLB And Jesus said to him, "No one having laid the hand upon the plow, and looking on the things behind, is fit for the kingdom of God."

AICNT But Jesus said [to him],[fn] “No one {who puts {the}[fn] hand to the plow and looks back}[fn] is fit for the kingdom of God.”

9:62, to him: ℵ(01) A(02) C(04) D(05) W(032) BYZ TR NA28[ ] THGNT ‖ Absent from some manuscripts. 𝔓45 𝔓75 B(03) SBLGNT

9:62, the: 𝔓75 B(03) NA28 SBLGNT ‖ Some manuscripts read “his.” 𝔓45 ℵ(01) A(02) C(04) D(05) W(032) BYZ TR THGNT

9:62, No one who puts the hand to the plow and looks back: Some manuscripts read “having put his hand to the plow and looking back.” 𝔓45 D(05) Latin(it)

OEB But Jesus answered, ‘No one who looks back, after putting their hand to the plough, is fitted for the kingdom of God.’

WEBBE But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plough and looking back, is fit for God’s Kingdom.”

WMBB But Yeshua said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plough and looking back, is fit for God’s Kingdom.”

NET Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

LSV and Jesus said to him, “No one having put his hand on a plow, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God.”

FBV But Jesus told him, “Nobody once they've started plowing and then looks back is fit for God's kingdom.”

TCNT But Jesus said [fn]to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

9:62 to him ¦ — SBL

T4T Jesus said to him, “Anyone who is plowing his field should not look back to see what he has done. He must look forward to what is ahead. Similarly, anyone who continues to be concerned about his family and other things he has left behind is not fit to serve me and tell others about how God wants to rule [MTY] people’s lives.”

LEB But Jesus said,[fn] “No one who puts his[fn] hand on the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God!”

9:62 Some manuscripts have “said to him”

9:62 *Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun

BBE But Jesus said, No man, having put his hand to the plough and looking back, is good enough for the kingdom of God.

Moff Jesus said to him, "No one is any use to the Reign of God who puts his hand to the plough and then looks behind him."

Wymth Jesus answered him, "No one who has put his hand to the plough, and then looks behind him, is fit for the Kingdom of God.
¶ 

ASV But Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

DRA Jesus said to him: No man putting his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

YLT and Jesus said unto him, 'No one having put his hand on a plough, and looking back, is fit for the reign of God.'

Drby But Jesus said to him, No one having laid his hand on [the] plough and looking back is fit for the kingdom of [fn]God.

9.62 Elohim

RV But Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

SLT And Jesus said to him, No one putting his hand upon the plough, and looking back, is adapted to the kingdom of God.

Wbstr And Jesus said to him, No man having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

KJB-1769 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

KJB-1611 And Iesus said vnto him, No man hauing put his hand to the plough, and looking backe, is fit for the kingdome of God.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Iesus sayde vnto hym: No man that putteth his hande to the plowe, and loketh backe, is apt to the kyngdome of God.
(Yesus/Yeshua said unto him: No man that putteth/puts his hand to the plough, and looketh/looks back, is apt to the kingdom of God.)

Gnva And Iesus saide vnto him, No man that putteth his hand to the plough, and looketh backe, is apt to the kingdome of God.
(And Yesus/Yeshua said unto him, No man that putteth/puts his hand to the plough, and looketh/looks back, is apt to the kingdom of God. )

Cvdl Iesus sayde vnto him: Who so putteth his hade to the plowe, and loketh backe, is not mete for the kingdome of God.
(Yesus/Yeshua said unto him: Whoso/Whoever putteth/puts his hand to the plough, and looketh/looks back, is not meet for the kingdom of God.)

TNT Iesus sayde vnto him: No man that putteth his honde to the plowe and loketh backe is apte to the kyngdome of God.
(Yesus/Yeshua said unto him: No man that putteth/puts his hand to the plough and looketh/looks back is apt to the kingdom of God. )

Wycl And Jhesus seide to hym, No man that puttith his hoond to the plouy, and biholdynge bacward, is able to the rewme of God.
(And Yhesus said to him, No man that putteth/puts his hand to the plouy, and beholding backward, is able to the realm of God.)

Luth JEsus aber sprach zu ihm: Wer seine Hand an den Pflug leget und siehet zurück, der ist nicht geschickt zum Reich Gottes.
(Yesus but spoke to/for him: Who his hand at/to the Pflug lays and see/look back, the/of_the is not sent for_the kingdom God’s.)

ClVg Ait ad illum Jesus: Nemo mittens manum suam ad aratrum, et respiciens retro, aptus est regno Dei.
(He_said to him Yesus: Nobody sendns hand his_own to aratrum, and respiciens back, suitable it_is kingdom of_God. )

UGNT εἶπεν δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, οὐδεὶς ἐπιβαλὼν τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐπ’ ἄροτρον καὶ βλέπων εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, εὔθετός ἐστιν τῇ Βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ.
(eipen de ho Yaʸsous, oudeis epibalōn taʸn ⱪeira autou ep’ arotron kai blepōn eis ta opisō, euthetos estin taʸ Basileia tou Theou.)

SBL-GNT εἶπεν δὲ ⸂ὁ Ἰησοῦς⸃· Οὐδεὶς ἐπιβαλὼν τὴν ⸀χεῖρα ἐπʼ ἄροτρον καὶ βλέπων εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω εὔθετός ἐστιν ⸂τῇ βασιλείᾳ⸃ τοῦ θεοῦ.
(eipen de ⸂ho Yaʸsous⸃; Oudeis epibalōn taʸn ⸀ⱪeira epʼ arotron kai blepōn eis ta opisō euthetos estin ⸂taʸ basileia⸃ tou theou.)

RP-GNT Εἶπεν δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς πρὸς αὐτόν, Οὐδείς, ἐπιβαλὼν τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐπ' ἄροτρον, καὶ βλέπων εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, εὔθετός ἐστιν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ.
(Eipen de ho Yaʸsous pros auton, Oudeis, epibalōn taʸn ⱪeira autou ep' arotron, kai blepōn eis ta opisō, euthetos estin eis taʸn basileian tou theou.)

TC-GNT Εἶπε δὲ [fn]ὁ Ἰησοῦς πρὸς αὐτόν, Οὐδείς, ἐπιβαλὼν τὴν χεῖρα [fn]αὐτοῦ ἐπ᾽ ἄροτρον, καὶ βλέπων εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, εὔθετός ἐστιν [fn]εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ.
(Eipe de ho Yaʸsous pros auton, Oudeis, epibalōn taʸn ⱪeira autou ep arotron, kai blepōn eis ta opisō, euthetos estin eis taʸn basileian tou Theou. )

9:62 ο ιησους προς αυτον ¦ προς αυτον ο ιησους NA TH TR WH ¦ ο ιησους SBL

9:62 αυτου ¦ — NA SBL WH

9:62 εις την βασιλειαν ¦ τη βασιλεια CT

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 9:57–62: It is hard to follow Jesus

In the previous section, Luke spoke about the unwillingness of people in a Samaritan village to receive Jesus. In this Section 9:57–62, Luke told about three men who said that they were willing to follow Jesus. However, they did not understand the difficulties involved. Jesus warned each of them that it would not be easy. He told them that they must put the kingdom of God above everything else in their lives.

Some other examples of headings for this section are:

The Difficulty of Following Jesus

Three People Who Wanted To Be Jesus’ Followers

There is a parallel passage for this section in Matthew 8:19–22.

9:62a–b

No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God: In this verse Jesus used a metaphor about farming with a plow. Jesus indicated here that a person who says he will follow Jesus but then wants to return to his former way of life cannot do useful work in God’s kingdom. He is like a person who looks behind him as he uses a plow. The similarity between these people is that neither one is able to do useful work. A person who looks backward while plowing a field will make crooked furrows. Similarly, a person who is sidetracked by his former way of life will not serve God effectively in his kingdom.

In some languages the meaning of this metaphor may be clear. If it is not clear, other ways to translate this metaphor are:

Change the metaphor to a simile. Make the implied topic explicit. For example:
No one who starts to be my disciple and then turns back to his former way of life will be useful to serve/work in God’s kingdom. He is like someone who begins to plow a field but then he looks backwards.
Make the topic explicit. State each part of the metaphor as a separate sentence. For example:
If anyone starts to plow a field and then looks back, his work will be useless. In the same way, if anyone starts to follow me and turns aside to do other things, he will not be able to do useful work in God’s kingdom.
State the meaning directly. For example:
Whoever starts to follow me and then looks back is of no use in serving God in his kingdom.

Translate this metaphor in the way that is most natural in your language.

9:62a

Then Jesus declared, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back

Jesus said to him, “Whoever starts to plow and then looks behind him
But Jesus said, “If anyone starts to plow a field and then looks back, his work will be useless. In the same way, if anyone starts to follow me and turns aside to do other things,
But Jesus responded, “Any man who becomes my disciple and then wants to go back to his former way of life

puts his hand to the plow: The phrase puts his hand to the plow describes someone who grasps a plow to begin to use it to prepare his field for planting. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

begins to plow a field (NCV)

starts plowing (CEV)

plow: A plow (or plough) was a sharply pointed wooden tool used for breaking up the soil before planting seeds. It was pulled by a horse or an ox. The farmer held the plow in order to keep it going in a straight line.

and then looks back: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as looks back means “looks behind him.” If a farmer looks behind him as he plows, he will not be able to guide the plow in a straight line. Figuratively, this refers to a disciple who thinks longingly about how he used to live before he followed Jesus. This prevents him from following Jesus with all his heart.

9:62b

is fit for the kingdom of God.”

is of no use in serving God in his kingdom.”
he will not be able to do useful work to benefit God’s reign/chieftaincy.”
is not useful as a servant/worker for God as God rules over people.”

is fit for the kingdom of God: Jesus was saying here that no one who commits himself to be a disciple of Christ and then wants to go back to his former life can serve God in a useful way in his kingdom.

In this context is fit for the kingdom of God probably refers to the way a person serves and obeys God in order to benefit God’s kingdom. That would include telling people about God ruling his people through the Messiah. It would also include helping people to believe in Jesus (as in 9:60b) and other types of service. Some ways to translate fit for the kingdom of God are:

serve God effectively to benefit his reign/chieftaincy

serve God in a useful way as he rules his people

fit for: In this context the Greek word that the BSB translates as fit means to be useful or able to serve effectively.

the kingdom of God: The phrase the kingdom of God refers to God ruling as king over his people. This same phrase occurs in 9:60b. See also the first note in this part of the verse for translation suggestions for this context.

General Comment on 9:62a–b

In some languages it may be more natural to begin this verse without using a negative phrase such as “no one.” For example:

Anyone who starts to plow and then keeps looking back is of no use for the Kingdom of God. (GNT)

If someone starts to plow and then looks backward, his work in God’s kingdom will be useless.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

οὐδεὶς ἐπιβαλὼν τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐπ’ ἄροτρον καὶ βλέπων εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω, εὔθετός ἐστιν τῇ Βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἶπεν Δέ ὁ Ἰησοῦς Οὐδείς Ἐπιβαλών τήν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐπʼ ἄροτρον καί βλέπων εἰς τά ὀπίσω εὔθετος ἐστίν τῇ Βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ)

Jesus responds with an illustration that is designed to teach this person about what is required to be his disciple. He means that a person is not suitable for the kingdom to God if his past loyalties are more important to him. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain this illustration. Alternate translation, add: [No one can plow straight if he is looking backwards, and in the same way, no one will be useful in the kingdom of God if his past loyalties are more important to him]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche

οὐδεὶς ἐπιβαλὼν τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐπ’ ἄροτρον

Jesus refers to a person using a plow by describing one part of that activity, guiding the plow with the hand. Alternate translation: [No one who is using a plow]

Note 3 topic: translate-unknown

οὐδεὶς ἐπιβαλὼν τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐπ’ ἄροτρον

A plow is a tool that farmers use to break up soil to prepare a field for planting. Plows have sharp, pointed prongs that dig into the soil. They usually have handles that the farmer uses to guide the plow. If your readers would not be familiar with this kind of tool, you could use a general expression. Alternate translation: [No one who needs to go straight forward]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

βλέπων εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω

looking on (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἶπεν Δέ ὁ Ἰησοῦς Οὐδείς Ἐπιβαλών τήν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐπʼ ἄροτρον καί βλέπων εἰς τά ὀπίσω εὔθετος ἐστίν τῇ Βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ)

The implication is that anyone who is looking backwards while plowing cannot guide the plow where it needs to go. That person must focus on looking forward in order to plow well. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: [looking backwards, and so not going in the right direction]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

εὔθετός ἐστιν τῇ Βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ

See how you decided to translate the phrase the kingdom of God in [4:43](../04/43.md). If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun kingdom with a verb such as “rule.” Alternate translation: [can really let God rule his life]

Parallel LUKE 9:62

Section 9:57–62: It is hard to follow Jesus

9:62a–b

9:62a

9:62b

General Comment on 9:62a–b