Luke 16:29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets;

KJV: 

Luke 16:29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

LISTENERS HEARD: 

He said, however, Abraham, "They have Moses and the prophets, they must understand them. 

GREEK (Each Word Explained Bottom of Page): 

LOST IN TRANSLATION: 

This line is part of the setup for the punchline. As such, it is again very simple. However, it implies that since Moses and the prophets taught only the law, obeying the law it how one prepares for the afterlife. 

The word translated as "he said" is the most common word that means "to say," and "to speak," but it also means "to teach," which seems to be the way Christ uses it more frequently. This is, however, a different Greek word than the other "he said's" used in this story earlier. 

Untranslated is the Greek word that means "but", "however", and "on the other hand". Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better. 

The word translated as "they have" means to "have", "possess", "bear", "keep close", "have means to do",  "to have due to one", or "keep" and many specific uses. This verb isn't used to form past tenses as it is in English. 

"Moses" is the Greek spelling of the word that means "Moses".

The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").

The Greek word translated as "the prophets" means "one who speaks for God", "interpreter" and was the highest level of priesthood in Egypt. Christ uses it to refer not only to divine spokespeople but their books in the OT. It is the verb that means "to shine before." Our word "luminaries" captures the idea very well. 

"Let them hear" is translated from a Greek word that has the same sense as the English not only of listening but of understanding.  The sense here is clearly not physically hearing, so "understand" works better. The form is a third person command, which is usually translated as "let them" in the NT. However, in English, "they must understand" is closer to the sense of the word.

The word translated as "them" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English.  The word means "the same" when used as an adjective. In the adverbial form, it  means "just here" or "exactly there." 

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV : 

λέγει (verb 3rd sg pres ind act) "He saith" is lego, which means "to recount", "to tell over", "to say", "to speak", "to teach", "to mean", "boast of", "tell of", "recite," nominate," and "command." It has a secondary meaning "pick out," "choose for oneself", "pick up", "gather", "count," and "recount." A less common word that is spelled the same means "to lay", "to lay asleep" and "to lull asleep." ​

δὲ (conj/adv) Untranslated is de which means "but" and "on the other hand." It is the particle that joins sentences in an adversarial way but can also be a weak connective ("and") and explanation of cause ("so") and a condition ("if"). 

Ἀβραάμ (Hebrew name) "Abraham" is Abraam, which is the Greek form of "Abraham."

Ἔχουσι (verb 3rd pl pres ind act) "Have" is echo, which means "to have", "to hold", "to possess", "to keep", "to have charge of", "to have due to one", "to maintain", "to hold fast", "to bear", "to carry", "to keep close", "to keep safe," and "to have means to do." 

Μωυσέα (Hebrew Name) "Moses" is Moyses, which means "Moses".

καὶ (conj/adv) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "but." 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." 

τοὺς προφήτας: (noun pl masc acc) "The prophets" is prophetes, which means "one who speaks for a god and interprets his will", "interpreter", "keepers of the oracle", "the highest level of priesthood in Egypt", "interpreter," and "herald." It is a verb that means "to shine forth" It is a form of the verb, prophao. which means "to shine forth," or "to shine before." 

ἀκουσάτωσαν (verb 3rd pl aor imperat act) "Let them hear" is akouo, which means "hear of", "hear tell of", "what one actually hears", "know by hearsay", "listen to", "give ear to", "hear and understand," and "understand."

αὐτῶν. (adj pl masc acc) "Them" is autos, which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself", "yourself", "himself", "herself", "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him", "her," and "it." It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord." In the adverbial form, it  means "just here" or "exactly there." 

Front Page Date: 

Sep 2 2018