1
Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ τὸν ὄχλον ἐπικεῖσθαι αὐτῷ ⸀καὶ ἀκούειν τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν ἑστὼς παρὰ τὴν λίμνην Γεννησαρέτ,
And it came to pass, while the crowd was pressing on him and hearing the word of God, that he was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret.
Lake (λίμνη, limnē) — this book alone calls it a lake; Mark and Matthew call it a sea. This edition keeps the difference.
first here Gennesaret Γεννησαρέτ Gennēsaret
pronoun him = Jesus
pronoun he = Jesus
2
καὶ εἶδεν ⸂δύο πλοῖα⸃ ἑστῶτα παρὰ τὴν λίμνην, οἱ δὲ ἁλιεῖς ⸂ἀπ’ αὐτῶν ἀποβάντες⸃ ⸀ἔπλυνον τὰ δίκτυα.
And he saw two boats standing beside the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing the nets.
Washing the nets — the boats are idle when he takes one.
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun them = the boats
3
ἐμβὰς δὲ εἰς ἓν τῶν πλοίων, ὃ ⸀ἦν Σίμωνος, ἠρώτησεν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἐπαναγαγεῖν ὀλίγον, ⸂καθίσας δὲ ἐκ τοῦ πλοίου ἐδίδασκεν⸃ τοὺς ὄχλους.
And getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land; and sitting down he taught the crowds from the boat.
He taught the crowds from the boat — the teaching comes before the catch, and the catch grows out of it.
first here Simon Σίμων Simōn
pronoun which = one of the boats
pronoun he = Jesus — both times
pronoun him = Simon
4
ὡς δὲ ἐπαύσατο λαλῶν, εἶπεν πρὸς τὸν Σίμωνα· Ἐπανάγαγε εἰς τὸ βάθος καὶ χαλάσατε τὰ δίκτυα ὑμῶν εἰς ἄγραν.
And when he stopped speaking he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
Into the deep — the Greek says only that.
pronoun he = Jesus — both times
pronoun your = Simon and those with him
5
καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ⸀Σίμων ⸀εἶπεν· Ἐπιστάτα, δι’ ⸀ὅλης νυκτὸς κοπιάσαντες οὐδὲν ἐλάβομεν, ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ ῥήματί σου χαλάσω ⸂τὰ δίκτυα⸃.
And answering, Simon said, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing; but on your word I will let down the nets.”
Master renders ἐπιστάτης (epistatēs), an overseer — this book alone uses the word in the four Gospels, and this edition keeps it apart from the teacher-word.
pronoun we = Simon and those with him
pronoun your = Jesus
pronoun I = Simon
Why this rendering
Luke.5.5 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἐπιστάτης is a title found only in Luke, seven times (5:5; 8:24 twice; 8:45; 9:33; 9:49; 17:13), and never in Matthew, Mark or John. All seven are vocatives, and all seven are spoken by disciples or those around them — never by opponents. The word standing in that place elsewhere is διδάσκαλε, teacher, or ῥαββί; Luke has διδάσκαλε too, so the two live side by side. As ῥαββί was Judas's word in Matthew (26:25, 49), ἐπιστάτης is the word of those close by in Luke. Something else in this verse: Simon says ἐπὶ τῷ ῥήματί σου, on your word — and ῥῆμα is a word the four Gospels has kept distinct from λόγος. And χαλάω, to let down, is the verb Mark 2:4 uses of lowering the paralysed man; Luke uses it at 5:4-5 of lowering nets, and at 5:19 uses a different verb (καθίημι) for lowering the man.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “Master” — kept distinct from teacher, with the difficulty recorded
Basis ἐπιστάτης is one who stands over and directs, διδάσκαλος one who teaches; Korean has no ready pair, so a word other than teacher is chosen so the places stay countable.
Render as “teacher”, matching διδάσκαλε
Basis The two stand in the same place, so the reading is evened.
Rejected Luke has both words and chose this one at seven places; one rendering for both erases the choice.
Lost in translation
ἐπιστάτης against διδάσκαλος English has no natural pair to divide the two; any choice either overlaps with teacher or, avoiding it, becomes unfamiliar. That Luke chose a different word at seven places shows fully only in the analysis.
Survives in · Peshitta / Delitzsch Hebrew NT (1877) / Salkinson-Ginsburg 1885 / Vulgata Clementina / this edition — 9 of the nine carry it (this language among them)
6
καὶ τοῦτο ποιήσαντες συνέκλεισαν πλῆθος ἰχθύων πολύ, ⸀διερρήσσετο δὲ ⸂τὰ δίκτυα⸃ αὐτῶν.
And doing this they enclosed a great multitude of fish, and their nets were tearing.
Their nets were tearing — the Greek says they were being torn, and the tense holds it in progress.
pronoun they = the fishermen
pronoun their = the fishermen
7
καὶ κατένευσαν τοῖς ⸀μετόχοις ἐν τῷ ἑτέρῳ πλοίῳ τοῦ ἐλθόντας συλλαβέσθαι αὐτοῖς· καὶ ἦλθον, καὶ ἔπλησαν ἀμφότερα τὰ πλοῖα ὥστε βυθίζεσθαι αὐτά.
And they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; and they came and filled both boats, so that they were sinking.
Partners (μέτοχοι, metochoi) — a different word from the one at verse 10, and this edition keeps them apart.
pronoun they = those in Simon's boat — the second “they” is the partners
pronoun their = those in Simon's boat
pronoun them = those in Simon's boat
8
ἰδὼν δὲ Σίμων Πέτρος προσέπεσεν τοῖς γόνασιν Ἰησοῦ λέγων· Ἔξελθε ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ, ὅτι ἀνὴρ ἁμαρτωλός εἰμι, κύριε·
And seeing it Simon Peter fell at the knees of Jesus, saying, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
Depart from me — the response to the catch is not thanks but fear.
first here Peter Πέτρος Petros
first here Jesus Ἰησοῦς Iēsous
pronoun it = the catch
pronoun me = Simon Peter
pronoun I = Simon Peter
9
θάμβος γὰρ περιέσχεν αὐτὸν καὶ πάντας τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τῇ ἄγρᾳ τῶν ἰχθύων ⸀ὧν συνέλαβον,
For amazement had surrounded him and all who were with him, at the catch of fish they had taken;
Amazement had surrounded him — the Greek says the amazement went round about him.
pronoun him = Simon Peter
pronoun they = Simon and those with him
10
ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Ἰάκωβον καὶ Ἰωάννην υἱοὺς Ζεβεδαίου, οἳ ἦσαν κοινωνοὶ τῷ Σίμωνι. καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς τὸν Σίμωνα ⸀ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Μὴ φοβοῦ· ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν ἀνθρώπους ἔσῃ ζωγρῶν.
and likewise also James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be taking men alive.”
Taking men alive renders one word (ζωγρέω, zōgreō), used once in the four Gospels — to take alive, as a hunter spares a captive. This book does not say “fishers of men”, and this edition keeps the difference.
first here James Ἰάκωβος Iakōbos
first here John Ἰωάννης Iōannēs
first here Zebedee Ζεβεδαῖος Zebedaios
pronoun who = James and John
pronoun you = Simon
Why this rendering
Luke.5.10 Observation
Syntactic observation
The call is built differently in the three books. Matthew 4:19 and Mark 1:17 say it with a noun — ποιήσω ὑμᾶς ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων, I will make you fishers of men. Luke 5:10 says it with a verb — ἀνθρώπους ἔσῃ ζωγρῶν, you will be taking men alive. ζωγρέω joins ζωός, alive, to ἀγρεύω, to catch; it is unique in the four Gospels and carries not killing inside the word itself. So in Matthew and Mark a trade is renamed, and in Luke what is done changes. And in Luke the word goes to Simon alone (πρὸς τὸν Σίμωνα, singular), where in Matthew and Mark it goes to the two brothers together. The whole passage differs: Matthew 4:18-22 and Mark 1:16-20 have no boat put out, no night of fruitless work, no tearing nets, and no Simon falling at the knees saying depart from me. ἄγρα, a catch; κατανεύω, to signal; μέτοχος, partner — all are unique in the four Gospels or Luke's alone. And John 21:1-11 stands as this story's twin and diverges at the decisive point: Luke 5:6 has διερρήσσετο τὰ δίκτυα, the nets were tearing, and John 21:11 has οὐκ ἐσχίσθη τὸ δίκτυον, the net was not torn. The verbs differ (διαρρήγνυμι against σχίζω) and what they say is opposite. δίκτυον occurs twice in Matthew, twice in Mark, four times in Luke and four in John — all four of Luke's in this chapter and all four of John's in ch. 21.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “you will be taking men alive” — the verb kept
Basis Luke chose a verb, not a noun, and the verb carries alive inside it; rendering it as fishers of men would impose Matthew's and Mark's sentence on Luke.
“you will be a fisher of men”
Basis Uses the settled rendering and matches the three books.
Rejected The word ἁλιεύς, fisherman, is not in Luke's sentence — he uses it at v.2 only, of the fishermen; matching erases both his change of word and the alive inside it.
11
καὶ καταγαγόντες τὰ πλοῖα ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἀφέντες ⸀πάντα ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ.
And bringing the boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
They left everything — the boats full of fish are what is left.
pronoun they = Simon, James and John
pronoun him = Jesus
12
Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἐν μιᾷ τῶν πόλεων καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ πλήρης λέπρας· ⸂καὶ ἰδὼν⸃ τὸν Ἰησοῦν πεσὼν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον ἐδεήθη αὐτοῦ λέγων· Κύριε, ἐὰν θέλῃς δύνασαί με καθαρίσαι.
And it came to pass, while he was in one of the cities, that behold, a man full of leprosy; and seeing Jesus he fell on his face and begged him, saying, “Lord, if you want, you can make me clean.”
Full of leprosy — only this book grades it.
pronoun he = Jesus — the second “he” is the man
pronoun his = the man
pronoun him = Jesus
pronoun you = Jesus
pronoun me = the man
13
καὶ ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα ἥψατο αὐτοῦ ⸀εἰπών· Θέλω, καθαρίσθητι· καὶ εὐθέως ἡ λέπρα ἀπῆλθεν ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ.
And stretching out his hand he touched him, saying, “I want to; be clean.” And at once the leprosy left him.
He touched him — the touching is what the law forbade.
pronoun his = Jesus
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun him = the man — both times
pronoun I = Jesus
14
καὶ αὐτὸς παρήγγειλεν αὐτῷ μηδενὶ εἰπεῖν, ἀλλὰ ἀπελθὼν δεῖξον σεαυτὸν τῷ ἱερεῖ, καὶ προσένεγκε περὶ τοῦ καθαρισμοῦ σου καθὼς προσέταξεν Μωϋσῆς εἰς μαρτύριον αὐτοῖς.
And he charged him to tell no one — “but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing as Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.”
For a testimony to them may be read for them or against them — Greek does not settle it.
first here Moses Μωϋσῆς Mōysēs
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun him = the man
pronoun yourself = the man
pronoun your = the man
pronoun them = the priests and the people
15
διήρχετο δὲ μᾶλλον ὁ λόγος περὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ συνήρχοντο ὄχλοι πολλοὶ ἀκούειν καὶ ⸀θεραπεύεσθαι ἀπὸ τῶν ἀσθενειῶν αὐτῶν·
But the word about him spread all the more, and great crowds were coming together to hear and to be healed of their sicknesses.
Spread all the more — the silencing does the opposite of what it says.
pronoun him = Jesus
pronoun their = the crowds
16
αὐτὸς δὲ ἦν ὑποχωρῶν ἐν ταῖς ἐρήμοις καὶ προσευχόμενος.
But he would withdraw into deserted places and pray.
Would withdraw and pray — the tense holds it as a habit, and this book says it of him again and again.
pronoun he = Jesus
17
Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν μιᾷ τῶν ἡμερῶν καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν διδάσκων, καὶ ἦσαν καθήμενοι Φαρισαῖοι καὶ νομοδιδάσκαλοι οἳ ἦσαν ἐληλυθότες ἐκ πάσης κώμης τῆς Γαλιλαίας καὶ Ἰουδαίας καὶ Ἰερουσαλήμ· καὶ δύναμις κυρίου ἦν εἰς τὸ ἰᾶσθαι ⸀αὐτόν.
And it came to pass on one of the days that he was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come out of every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was there for him to heal.
Teachers of the law (νομοδιδάσκαλοι, nomodidaskaloi) — used once in the four Gospels.
first here Pharisee Φαρισαῖος Pharisaios
first here Galileans Γαλιλαία Galilaia
first here Judea Ἰουδαία Ioudaia
first here Jerusalem Ἰερουσαλήμ Ierousalēm
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun who = the Pharisees and teachers
pronoun him = Jesus
18
καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄνδρες φέροντες ἐπὶ κλίνης ἄνθρωπον ὃς ἦν παραλελυμένος, καὶ ἐζήτουν αὐτὸν εἰσενεγκεῖν καὶ ⸀θεῖναι ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ.
And behold, men carrying on a couch a man who was paralysed; and they were seeking to bring him in and set him before him.
Couch (κλίνη, klinē) — at verse 19 the word changes to a diminutive, and this edition keeps them apart.
pronoun who = the man
pronoun they = the men carrying him
pronoun him = the paralysed man — “before him” is Jesus
19
καὶ μὴ εὑρόντες ποίας εἰσενέγκωσιν αὐτὸν διὰ τὸν ὄχλον ἀναβάντες ἐπὶ τὸ δῶμα διὰ τῶν κεράμων καθῆκαν αὐτὸν σὺν τῷ κλινιδίῳ εἰς τὸ μέσον ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ.
And not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles, with the small couch, into the midst before Jesus.
Small couch (κλινίδιον, klinidion) — English must spell the small form out. Through the tiles — only this book has a tiled roof, which is a Greek house, not a Galilean one.
pronoun him = the paralysed man — both times
pronoun they = the men carrying him
Why this rendering
Luke.5.19 Observation
Syntactic observation
The opening of the roof differs between the books. Mark 2:4 has ἀπεστέγασαν τὴν στέγην … καὶ ἐξορύξαντες, they unroofed the roof … and dug through; Luke 5:19 has διὰ τῶν κεράμων καθῆκαν, they let him down through the tiles. ἀποστεγάζω is unique to Mark and κέραμος, tile, unique to Luke — each word absent from the other's book. What the man lies on differs too. Mark uses κράβαττος five times and John four, and Luke never uses it at all. Matthew 9:2, 6 has κλίνη. And Luke changes the word inside one story: at v.18 they carry him on a κλίνη, and at vv.19 and 24 he is let down on and takes up a κλινίδιον, its diminutive. Three authors use three words, and Luke uses two. Verse 17 is Luke's alone as well: νομοδιδάσκαλοι, teachers of the law, had come from every village of Galilee, Judea and Jerusalem, and δύναμις κυρίου, the power of the Lord, was there to heal. The παράδοξος, a strange thing, of v.26 is unique in the four Gospels.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “through the tiles” and “the small couch” — kept apart from Mark and Matthew
Basis Three authors chose three words and three renderings follow; in the four Gospels Mark has mat and Matthew couch, so Luke's diminutive receives small couch — distinct also from the couch of v.18.
Match all three books to one word, “bed”
Basis One story and one object.
Rejected Even if the object is the same, the authors' words are not; matching them makes the three books show no difference when set side by side — and showing that difference is why the four Gospels exists.
20
καὶ ἰδὼν τὴν πίστιν αὐτῶν ⸀εἶπεν· Ἄνθρωπε, ἀφέωνταί σοι αἱ ἁμαρτίαι σου.
And seeing their faith he said, “Man, your sins have been forgiven you.”
Their faith — the faith counted is the bearers'. Have been forgiven stands in the perfect here, not the present of Mark 2:5.
pronoun their = the men carrying him
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun your = the paralysed man
pronoun you = the paralysed man
21
καὶ ἤρξαντο διαλογίζεσθαι οἱ γραμματεῖς καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι λέγοντες· Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὃς λαλεῖ βλασφημίας; τίς δύναται ⸂ἁμαρτίας ἀφεῖναι⸃ εἰ μὴ μόνος ὁ θεός;
And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Reason (διαλογίζομαι, dialogizomai) is the word of 1:29 and 2:35.
pronoun this = Jesus
pronoun who = the one who speaks blasphemies
22
ἐπιγνοὺς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς αὐτῶν ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· Τί διαλογίζεσθε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν;
But Jesus, knowing their reasonings, answered and said to them, “What are you reasoning in your hearts?
Knowing their reasonings — the noun of the verb in verse 21.
pronoun their = the scribes and Pharisees
pronoun them = the scribes and Pharisees
pronoun you = the scribes and Pharisees
23
τί ἐστιν εὐκοπώτερον, εἰπεῖν· Ἀφέωνταί σοι αἱ ἁμαρτίαι σου, ἢ εἰπεῖν· ⸀Ἔγειρε καὶ περιπάτει;
Which is easier, to say ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,' or to say ‘Rise and walk'?
Which is easier — the question is about saying, not about doing.
pronoun Your = the paralysed man
pronoun you = the paralysed man
24
ἵνα δὲ εἰδῆτε ὅτι ⸂ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐξουσίαν ἔχει⸃ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτίας— εἶπεν τῷ παραλελυμένῳ· Σοὶ λέγω, ⸀ἔγειρε καὶ ἄρας τὸ κλινίδιόν σου πορεύου εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου.
But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — he said to the paralysed man, “I say to you, rise, take up your small couch and go to your house.”
The sentence breaks off and the writer steps in, as at Mark 2:10.
pronoun you = the scribes and Pharisees — the later “you” is the paralysed man
pronoun he = Jesus
pronoun I = Jesus
pronoun your = the paralysed man — both times
25
καὶ παραχρῆμα ἀναστὰς ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν, ἄρας ἐφ’ ὃ κατέκειτο, ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ δοξάζων τὸν θεόν.
And at once he rose before them, took up what he had been lying on, and went away to his house, glorifying God.
Glorifying God — this book puts praise at the end of a healing again and again.
pronoun he = the paralysed man
pronoun them = those present
pronoun his = the paralysed man
26
καὶ ἔκστασις ἔλαβεν ἅπαντας καὶ ἐδόξαζον τὸν θεόν, καὶ ἐπλήσθησαν φόβου λέγοντες ὅτι Εἴδομεν παράδοξα σήμερον.
And astonishment took hold of them all, and they were glorifying God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today.”
Strange things renders παράδοξα (paradoxa) — the word behind “paradox”, used once in the four Gospels.
pronoun them = those present
pronoun they = those present
pronoun We = those present
27
Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐξῆλθεν καὶ ἐθεάσατο τελώνην ὀνόματι Λευὶν καθήμενον ἐπὶ τὸ τελώνιον, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ἀκολούθει μοι.
And after these things he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.”
Levi — Matthew 9:9 names the same man Matthew. Neither book joins the names.
first here Levi Λευί Leui
pronoun he = Jesus — both times
pronoun him = Levi
pronoun me = Jesus
28
καὶ καταλιπὼν ⸀πάντα ἀναστὰς ⸀ἠκολούθει αὐτῷ.
And leaving everything behind he rose and followed him.
Leaving everything behind — only this book says everything, as it did of the fishermen at verse 11.
pronoun he = Levi
pronoun him = Jesus
29
Καὶ ἐποίησεν δοχὴν μεγάλην Λευὶς αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἦν ὄχλος ⸂πολὺς τελωνῶν⸃ καὶ ἄλλων οἳ ἦσαν μετ’ αὐτῶν κατακείμενοι.
And Levi made a great banquet for him in his house; and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others reclining with them.
Banquet (δοχή, dochē) — this word is used in the four Gospels only in this book, here and at 14:13; this edition keeps it apart from the lunch and supper words.
first here Levi Λευίς Leuis
pronoun him = Jesus
pronoun his = Levi
pronoun them = Jesus and Levi
30
καὶ ἐγόγγυζον οἱ ⸂Φαρισαῖοι καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς αὐτῶν⸃ πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ λέγοντες· Διὰ τί μετὰ τῶν τελωνῶν καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν ἐσθίετε καὶ πίνετε;
And the Pharisees and their scribes were grumbling at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
Grumbling (γογγύζω, gongyzō) is a word made from the sound of muttering.
pronoun their = the Pharisees
pronoun his = Jesus
pronoun you = the disciples
31
καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· Οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν οἱ ὑγιαίνοντες ἰατροῦ ἀλλὰ οἱ κακῶς ἔχοντες·
And answering, Jesus said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
Those who are well renders a participle — those in health.
pronoun them = the Pharisees and their scribes
32
οὐκ ἐλήλυθα καλέσαι δικαίους ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλοὺς εἰς μετάνοιαν.
I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
To repentance — only this book adds these words; Mark 2:17 stops at “sinners”.
pronoun I = Jesus
33
Οἱ δὲ εἶπαν πρὸς αὐτόν· ⸀Οἱ μαθηταὶ Ἰωάννου νηστεύουσιν πυκνὰ καὶ δεήσεις ποιοῦνται, ὁμοίως καὶ οἱ τῶν Φαρισαίων, οἱ δὲ σοὶ ἐσθίουσιν καὶ πίνουσιν.
And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and make supplications, and so do those of the Pharisees; but yours eat and drink.”
And make prayers — only this book adds the praying to the fasting.
pronoun they = the questioners
pronoun him = Jesus
pronoun those = the disciples of the Pharisees
pronoun yours = Jesus
34
ὁ ⸀δὲ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· Μὴ δύνασθε τοὺς υἱοὺς τοῦ νυμφῶνος ἐν ᾧ ὁ νυμφίος μετ’ αὐτῶν ἐστιν ποιῆσαι ⸀νηστεῦσαι;
And Jesus said to them, “Can you make the sons of the wedding feast fast while the bridegroom is with them?
Sons of the wedding feast is a Semitic turn for the guests, kept word for word.
pronoun them = the questioners — “while the bridegroom is with them” is the wedding guests
pronoun you = the questioners
35
ἐλεύσονται δὲ ἡμέραι, καὶ ὅταν ἀπαρθῇ ἀπ’ αὐτῶν ὁ νυμφίος τότε νηστεύσουσιν ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις.
But days will come; and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.”
In those days — only this book adds the phrase at the end.
pronoun them = the sons of the wedding feast
pronoun they = the sons of the wedding feast
36
ἔλεγεν δὲ καὶ παραβολὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὅτι Οὐδεὶς ἐπίβλημα ⸀ἀπὸ ἱματίου καινοῦ ⸀σχίσας ἐπιβάλλει ἐπὶ ἱμάτιον παλαιόν· εἰ δὲ μήγε, καὶ τὸ καινὸν ⸀σχίσει καὶ τῷ παλαιῷ οὐ ⸂συμφωνήσει τὸ ἐπίβλημα⸃ τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ καινοῦ.
And he also told them a parable: “No one, having torn a patch from a new garment, puts it on an old garment; otherwise he both tears the new, and the patch from the new does not match the old.
This book tells the patch the other way round — the cloth is torn from a new garment, so two are spoiled. Mark 2:21 and Matthew 9:16 have only the old torn.
pronoun he = Jesus — the second “he” is the one who tears
pronoun them = the questioners
pronoun it = the patch
Why this rendering
Luke.5.36 Observation
Syntactic observation
The picture of the patch differs across the books. Matthew 9:16 and Mark 2:21 have a ῥάκος ἀγνάφου, a piece of unshrunk cloth, put on an old garment; Luke 5:36 has a piece torn from a new garment and put on an old — σχίσας, having torn, is in it, and so both garments suffer: the new is torn, and the patch does not match the old. In Matthew and Mark only the old suffers. σχίζω stands twice in this verse; elsewhere in the four Gospels it is the heavens splitting (Mark 1:10), the sanctuary curtain tearing (Matt 27:51 twice, Mark 15:38, Luke 23:45), or a garment being divided (John 19:24). συμφωνέω, to agree, occurs three times in Matthew (18:19 agreeing together; 20:2, 13 agreeing a price) and once here — a word for people agreeing is used here between a patch and a garment. And only Luke calls this a παραβολή, a parable.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “having torn a patch from a new garment” — kept apart from Matthew and Mark
Basis Luke has no unshrunk cloth and does have tearing; matching the three books erases Luke's picture in which both garments suffer.
Render as unshrunk cloth, as in Matthew and Mark
Basis One parable, so the reading is evened out.
Rejected Luke's words and picture differ; matching hides that the three books tell one parable differently.
37
καὶ οὐδεὶς βάλλει οἶνον νέον εἰς ἀσκοὺς παλαιούς· εἰ δὲ μήγε, ῥήξει ὁ ⸂οἶνος ὁ νέος⸃ τοὺς ἀσκούς, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκχυθήσεται καὶ οἱ ἀσκοὶ ἀπολοῦνται·
And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be poured out and the skins will be ruined.
New wine (νέος, neos) is new in time; new wineskins at verse 38 uses the other new-word (καινός, kainos). This edition keeps them apart.
pronoun it = the new wine
38
ἀλλὰ οἶνον νέον εἰς ἀσκοὺς καινοὺς ⸀βλητέον.
But new wine must be put into new wineskins.
Must (δεῖ, dei) — the Greek says it is necessary.
39
⸀καὶ οὐδεὶς πιὼν ⸀παλαιὸν θέλει νέον· λέγει γάρ· Ὁ παλαιὸς ⸀χρηστός ἐστιν.
And no one who has drunk old wants new, for he says, ‘The old is good.'”
The old is good — only this book has this last line, and it turns the parable back on the hearer.
pronoun he = the one who has drunk old
Why this rendering
Luke.5.39 Observation
Syntactic observation
This verse is Luke's alone. Matthew 9:17 and Mark 2:22 end with new wine and new skins; Luke adds a line — and no one who has drunk old wants new, for he says, the old is good. It seems to cut against the two verses before it: vv.37-38 say to put new into new, and v.39 says the old is good. Luke does not resolve the tension. χρηστός, good or serviceable, occurs twice in Luke, the other at 6:35, where God is χρηστός to the ungrateful and evil; Matthew has one, 11:30, my yoke is χρηστός. So the word stands three times in the four Gospels and attaches to three different things — old wine, God, a yoke. SBLGNT marks a variant at the head of the verse (⸂⸃): some manuscripts lack it entirely.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “The old is good” — the verse kept, unresolved
Basis It stands in the base text and is rendered, and the tension with the verses before is left standing; resolving it is left to the reader.
Attribute it — “people say the old is better”
Basis Eases the tension with the verses before.
Rejected The text attributes it to no one; easing the tension removes the place where the reader might ask why Luke added the line at all.