Luke 11:44 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves

Spoken to: 

The Pharisees

A Pharisee criticizes Jesus for not washing before the meal.

KJV: 

Luke 11:44 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.

NIV : 

Luke 11:44 Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it.

LISTENERS HEARD: 

Sadly, for you, because you are just like the memorials, those unseen and the people, the ones walking above, do not know.

MY TAKE: 

Time erases memories on earth, especially those on the ground.

GREEK (Each Word Explained Bottom of Page): 

GREEK ORDER: 

οὐαὶ    ὑμῖν,     ὅτι        ἐστὲ       ὡς         τὰ μνημεῖα      τὰ      ἄδηλα,
Sadly, for you, because you are just like the memorials, those unseen

καὶ οἱ   ἄνθρωποι οἱ            περιπατοῦντες ἐπάνω οὐκ    οἴδασιν.
and the people,     the ones walking            above, do not know.

LOST IN TRANSLATION: 

Notice how long Jesus is going on when criticized about not washing his hands. If he weren't being humorous, people would say he was ranting. This verse is something of a punchline for the last where Jesus made fun of the way Pharisees build themselves up. 

The key to the humor is the repeated, "woe." "Woe" is from an exclamation of grief, meaning "woe" or "alas." Today we would say "sadly [for you]" or "boo-hoo to you." More about this word in this article.

The Greek word translated as "graves" means "memorial", "remembrance," and "record." Jesus does not use the noun frequently, but he does use the verb form of this word, which means "to remember." It could mean a buried urn filled with ashes, but not a grave as we know it. Here, the double meaning is that people will forget about those who sits in the best seats and greet in the market today.

"Appear not" and "unmarked" is an adjective that means "unseen", "invisible", "unknown",  and "obscure". The most common meaning "unseen" works. The idea is that the Pharisees will be forgotten.

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES: 

9
  • OS -- Outdated Source -- The Greek word translated as "scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! " existed in the KJV Greek source but not the source we use today.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "graves" is not shown in the English translation.
  • . CW --Confusing Word -- "graves's" translation is more specific than the word's more general meaning
  • WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "which  " should be something more like "the ones."
  • CW --Confusing Word -- The "appear not" does not capture the word's specific meaning in this situation.  
  • WF -- Wrong Form -  This is not a verb but an adjective.
  • WF -- Wrong Form -  The "walk" is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, ending with "-ing."
  • IW - Inserted Word-- The "them  " doesn't exist in the source.
  • IW - Inserted Word-- The "of them  " doesn't exist in the source.

# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES: 

9
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "graves" is not shown in the English translation.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- "Graves's" translation is more specific than the word's more general meaning
  •  MW - Missing Word -- The word "the ones" before "word" is not shown in the English translation.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- The "unmarked " does not capture the word's specific meaning in this situation.
  • WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "which" should be something more like "and."
  •  MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "people" is not shown in the English translation. MW - Missing Word -- The word "the ones" before "walking" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WF -- Wrong Form -  The "walk" is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, ending with "-ing."
  • WF -- Wrong Form -  . This is not a participle but an active verb.
  • IW - Inserted Word-- The "it" doesn't exist in the source.

EACH WORD of KJV : 

Woe -- "Woe" is an exclamation of grief, meaning "woe" or "alas." Jesus uses it humorously. Today we would say "so sad for you" or "boo-hoo to you." The word is very like the Jewish, "oy vey" which can be used to express sorrow but is more commonly used cynically. More about this phrase in this article on Christ's humor using exaggeration.

unto -- This word "to" comes from the indirect object form of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is a "to" for the English indirect object.

you, -- The Greek pronoun "you" here is plural and in the form of an indirect object, "to you," "for you," etc.

scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! -- (OS) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as this in the source we use today but it does exist in the source that the KJV translators used.

for -- The word translated as "for" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," "seeing that," "that," and "wherefore." Jesus usually uses this word to mean "because" in statements that seem like an answer to a question because of the change of context. It means "because" when answering a "why" question and "that" when explaining a "what" question.

ye -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the verb.

are -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics.  The word also means "to exist" and where it doesn't connect to characteristics or conditions.

as "-- The word translated as "as" has a very broad meaning, translated as "when," "where," "just as," "like," and related words. It means "how" only in an exclamation with and adjective or adverb like "how wonderful." 

missing "the/this"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more. 

graves - - (CW)  The Greek word translated as "graves" means "memorial," "remembrance," and "record." This translation is more specific than the word's meaning

which  -- (WW) The word translated as "Which" is the Greek definite article, "which  ," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. This word doesn't mean "which  ." 

appear not, - - (CW, WF) "Appear not" is an adjective that means "unseen", "invisible", "unknown", "obscure", "to nothing", "inscrutable", "uncertain", "not evident to senses", "unintelligible", "unproved", and as an adverb "secretly".  This is not a verb but an adjective

and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis, "even," "also," and "just."

the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, "the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

men - The Greek word for "men" means "man," "person" and "humanity" in the singular. In the plural, it means "men," "people," and "peoples." 

that -- The word translated as "that" is the Greek definite article, "the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

walk -- (WF)  "Walk" is a Greek verb that means "to walk up and down," "to walk about," and "to walk about while teaching." Jesus uses it somewhat humorously in the sense that we use "pace" or "parade." This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, ending with "-ing." 

over  -- The word "thereon" is from a preposition meaning both "on" and "in front of."

them  -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.

are -- This helping verb indicates the present tense of the verb. It is used here to form the present, progressive tense, which doesn't exist in Greek but which can smooth the flow of English sentences.

not  -- The Greek word translated as "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It means "no," "not," or"no truly." It makes a negative statement of fact. When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words. 

aware -- The word translated as "aware " means primarily "to see" and is used to mean "know' as we use the word "see" to mean "know" in English. It is the past perfect tense so "have seen" but it is translated as the present tense of "know."  What someone "has seen" is what they "know" in the present.

of them  -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.

EACH WORD of NIV : 

Woe -- "Woe" is an exclamation of grief, meaning "woe" or "alas." Jesus uses it humorously. Today we would say "so sad for you" or "boo-hoo to you." The word is very like the Jewish, "oy vey" which can be used to express sorrow but is more commonly used cynically. More about this phrase in this article on Christ's humor using exaggeration.

to -- This word "to" comes from the indirect object form of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is a "to" for the English indirect object.

you, -- The Greek pronoun "you" here is plural and in the form of an indirect object, "to you," "for you," etc.

because -- The word translated as "because " introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," "seeing that," "that," and "wherefore." Jesus usually uses this word to mean "because" in statements that seem like an answer to a question because of the change of context. It means "because" when answering a "why" question and "that" when explaining a "what" question.

you -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the verb.

are -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics.  The word also means "to exist" and where it doesn't connect to characteristics or conditions.

like "-- The word translated as "as" has a very broad meaning, translated as "when," "where," "just as," "like," and related words. It means "how" only in an exclamation with and adjective or adverb like "how wonderful." 

missing "the/this"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more. 

graves - - (CW) The Greek word translated as "graves" means "memorial," "remembrance," and "record." "Graves" is not the specific meaning of the word in this situation.

missing "the ones"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more.

unmarked - - (CW)  "Unmarked " is an adjective that means "unseen", "invisible", "unknown", "obscure", "to nothing", "inscrutable", "uncertain", "not evident to senses", "unintelligible", "unproved", and as an adverb "secretly".  

which -- (WW) The Greek word translated as "which " is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis, "even," "also," and "just." This word doesn't mean "which ."

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more.

people - The Greek word for "people" means "man," "person" and "humanity" in the singular. In the plural, it means "men," "people," and "peoples." 

missing "the ones"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article," the," which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," and "those"). See this article for more.

walk -- (WF)  "Walk" is a Greek verb that means "to walk up and down," "to walk about," and "to walk about while teaching." Jesus uses it somewhat humorously in the sense that we use "pace" or "parade." This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, ending with "-ing." 

over  -- The word "thereon" is from a preposition meaning both "on" and "in front of."

without it.

without -- (WW) The Greek word translated as "without " is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It means "no," "not," or"no truly." It makes a negative statement of fact. When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words.  This word doesn't mean "without."  WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "without" should be something more like "not."

knowing -- (WF) The word translated as "aware " means primarily "to see" and is used to mean "know' as we use the word "see" to mean "know" in English. It is the past perfect tense so "have seen" but it is translated as the present tense of "know."  What someone "has seen" is what they "know" in the present. This is not a participle but an active verb.

it -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV : 

οὐαὶ [27 verses](exclam)"Woe" is ouai, which is an exclamation of pain or anger meaning "woe" or "alas" but it can be used sarcastically.

ὑμῖν [289 verses](pron 2nd pl dat) "To you" is humin the plural form of the pronoun of the second person, "you." As the object of a preposition, this form implies no movement, but in a fixed position or events occur at a specified time or while the action was being performed. With the "to be," it acts as a possessive, "yours."

ὅτι [332 verses](adv/conj) "for" is hoti, which introduces a statement of fact "with regard to the fact that," "seeing that," and acts as a causal adverb meaning "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore." This is the same word can be translated as both "because" and "that" in the same verse when answering two different types of questions.

ἐστὲ .[614 verses](verb 2nd pl pres ind act) "Ye are" is eimi, which means "to be," "to exist," "to be the case," of circumstance and events "to happen,"  and "is possible." With the possessive (genitive) object, it means "is descended from," "is the type of," "belongs to," "is made of," "is a duty of," "is at the mercy of," or " is dependent on." With an indirect (dative) object, it means "have" where the subject and object are reversed.  "It is to him" becomes "it is his" or "he has it."  With the preposition,"into" (εἰς), the sense is "consist of." When the verb "to be" appears early in the clause before the subject, the sense is more like "it is" or, in the plural, "there are."

ὡς (167 verses](adv/conj) "As" is hos, an adverb which means to "thus," "as," "when," "where," "like," "just as," "so far as," "as much as can be," "that," "in order that," "nearly (with numbers)," and "know that." It means "how" only in an exclamation with and adjective or adverb like "how wonderful.

τὰ [821 verses](article pl neut acc)  Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). It usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. When not preceding a a word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."  --

μνημεῖα [3 verses]] (noun pl neut acc) "Graves" is mnêmeion, which means "memorial," "remembrance," and "record." 

τὰ [821 verses](article pl neut acc) "Which" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").   It usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. When not preceding a a word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."

ἄδηλα, [1 verse](adj pl neut acc) "Appear not" is adelos, which means "unseen", "invisible", "unknown", "obscure", "to nothing", "inscrutable",  "uncertain", "not evident to senses", "unintelligible", "unproved", and as an adverb "secretly". 

καὶ [1089 verses](conj/adv) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "also." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even," "also," and "just." In a series, it can be translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as."

οἱ[821 verses](article pl masc nom)  "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").   It usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. When not preceding a a word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." 

ἄνθρωποι [209 verses](noun pl masc nom) "Men" is anthropos, which is "man," and, in plural, "mankind." It also means "humanity" and that which is human and opposed to that which is animal or inanimate. -

οἱ[821 verses](article pl masc nom)  "That" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").   It usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. When not preceding a a word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." 

περιπατοῦντες [13 verses]part pl pres act masc nom) "Walk" is peripateo, which means "to walk up and down," "to walk about," and "to walk about while teaching."

ἐπάνω [8 verses](prep/adv) "Over" is epano, which is an adverb meaning "above," "on the upper side," "[former] times," "more [of numbers]," "in front of," and "in the presence of."

οὐκ [269 verses](adv) "Not" is ou , the negative adverb for facts and statements, negating both single words and sentences.  The negative, οὐ, denies, is absolute, and objective.

οἴδασιν. [38 verses](verb 3rd pl perf ind act) "Aware"  is oida which has the sense of "to know." This listing is not a root word, but the past perfect tense of eido, which means "to see," "to examine," "to perceive," "to behold," "to know how to do," "to see with the mind's eye," and "to know." That which "has been seen" is that which is "known." This is a somewhat legalistic idea because the truth can only be established by eyewitnesses.

Related Verses: 

Front Page Date: 

Jun 2 2024