Luke 14:17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden

Spoken to
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Jesus starts a parable about a man fix a big dinner for many.

KJV

Luke 14:17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

NIV

Luke 14:17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’.

LISTENERS HEARD

And he sent that servant of his at the time of the meal to say to those having been called, "Start out because it is ready here now.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

The word translated as "now" is not the common word for now. It means both "here" and "now." 
 

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
9

And sent (CW) his (MWthe) servant at (MWthe) supper (MWthe) time to say to them(WW) that(IW) were(WT,WF) bidden, Come; for [all things(OS)] are now ready.

  • CW --Confusing Word -- The "sent" does not capture the word's specific meaning of "sent off" or "sent out”.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "servant" is not shown in the English translation. 
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "supper" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "time" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "them" should be something more like "those”.
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The "that" doesn't exist in the source.
  • WT -- Wrong Tense -- This verb is the past perfect tense, which requires a "have" before the verb.
  • WF -- Wrong Form -  This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "being”.
  • OS -- Outdated Source -- The Greek word translated as "all things" existed in the KJV Greek source but not the source we use today.

At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

EACH WORD of KJV

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

sent --- (CW) The "send " here is a word that means "to send off" and "dispatch”. It is the source of our word "apostle." This word is not the simple "send" but a more complex one that means "send out" or "send from."

his -- The word translated as "his" is the Greek word correctly translated as third-person "his/him" in English.  The word appears after the noun so the sense is "of his”. - In its adverbial form, this means "just here" or "exactly there”.

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.

servant -- The noun translated as "servant" means "slave". It is translated as "servant" to update the Bible.

at -- -- This word "to" comes from the indirect object form of the "time" that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is a "to" for the English indirect object. However, the translator can choose other prepositions: "with”, "in”, "of”, "as”, "by”, "for”, "at”, or "on" depending on the context.

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.

supper  -- "Feasts" is from a word that means "a meal”, "noonday meal” and, generally, "food”.

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.

time - The word translated as "time" means a period of time equal to the one-twelfth part of the daylight, like an "hour”, More generally, it means a period of time, like a "season”.

to -- This "to" is added to create the infinitive form of the following verb.

say The word translated as "speak" means "to say" and "to speak”. It is one of the two most common words translated "speak”, "say" and "tell”, but it has more a sense of addressing and proclaiming.

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.

them -- The word translated as "them" 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.   This word doesn't mean "them”.

that -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than as a participle.

missing "have"  -- (WT) The helping vcrb, "have," is needed to show the past perfect tense of the verb.

were -- (WF) This helping verb "to be" indicates that the verb is passive. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English. This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "being”.

bidden, -- The term translated as "call" is like our word "bidden" because it means both "to summon" and also "to name”, but it does not as clearly mean "to address”,

Come; -- The word translated as "come" primarily means "to start out" but Jesus usually uses it to mean "come" but not always. It indicates movement, especially its beginning, without indicating a direction toward or away from anything, so it works either as "start”, "come”, or "go”, but it is more like our phrase "being underway”. Technically, it is in the middle voice meaning the subject acts on himself. In English, this is assumed in our words "come" and "go." Our English word "show up" captures both the "start" and "come" ideas. See this article for more.

for -- The word translated as "that" 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. Another common word is used for "for”.

all things -- (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.

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.

now -- "Now" is a Greek adverb meaning "by this time”, "forthwith”, "after”, "immediately” and "now”. It means proximity in time, but also place.

ready. -- Ready" is an adjective that means "at hand”, "ready” and of persons, "ready” and "active”.

 

EACH WORD of NIV

At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

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”.

ἀπέστειλεν  [60 verses] (verb 3rd sg aor ind act) "sent " is apostello, which means "to send off”, "to send away”  or "to dispatch”.

τὸν [821 verses](article sg masc 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”.  -- 

δοῦλον  [56 verses] (noun sg masc acc) "servant" is doulos, which means a "slave”, a "born bondsman" or "one made a slave”.

αὐτοῦ [142 verses](adv/adj sg masc gen) "His/" is autou, which means is the singular adjective used as the genitive pronoun, which is used as a possessive form or the object of prepositions and sometimes verbs as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord”. In its adverbial form, this means "just here" or "exactly there." This form is often used as the object of a preposition, him." This form of an object of a preposition means a movement away from something or a position away from something else. The time sense of a genitive object is that the event occurred within a specified time. Though the form is masculine, it refers to masculine words, not people.  The masculine form is used to refer to people in general, not just men.

τῇ [821 verses](article sg fem dat)  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”.

ὥρα [37 verses](noun sg fem dat) "Time" is hora, which means "any period”, "season”, (especially springtime), "year' (generally), "climate" (as determined by seasons), "duration”, "the twelve equal parts into which the period of daylight was divided”, "the fitting time" (for a task).

τοῦ [821 verses](article noun sg neut gen)  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”.

δείπνου  [7 verses] (noun noun sg neut gen) "Supper" is from deipnon, which means "a meal”, "noonday meal” and, generally, "food”.

εἰπεῖν [162 verses]  (verb aor inf act) "To say" is eipon, which means "to speak”, "to say”, "to recite”, "to address”, "to mention”, "to name”, "to proclaim”, "to plead”, "to promise” and "to offer”.  This is the second most common word Jesus uses for this idea. The other word is used more for discussion. Perhaps translating it consistently as "tell" would work. -

τοῖς [821 verses](article sg masc nom)  "Them" 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 word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones”.

κεκλημένοις [38 verses](part pl perf mp masc dat) "Were bidden" is kaleo, which means "call”, "summon”, "invite”, "invoke", "call by name” and "demand”. "Shall be called" is kaleo, which means "call”, "summon”, "invite”, "invoke”, "call by name” and "demand”.

Ἔρχεσθε [198 verses](verb 2nd pl pres imperat mp) "Come" is  erchomai, which means "to start”, "to set out”, "to come”, "to go” and any kind of motion. It means both "to go" on a journey and "to arrive" at a place.

ὅτι [332 verses](adv/conj) "That" 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 same word can be translated as both "because" and "that" in the same verse when answering two different types of questions.

ἤδη [13 verses](adv) "Yet" is ede, which means "already”, "by this time”, "forthwith”, "after”, "immediately” and "now”. It means proximity in time, but also place.

ἕτοιμά  [8 verses](adj pl neut acc) "Ready" is hetoimos, which means "at hand”, "ready”, "prepared”, of persons, "ready”, "active”, "zealous”, of the mind, "ready”, "bold” and as an adverb, "readily”, "willingly”.

ἐστιν.  [614 verses] (verb 3rd sg pres ind act) "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”.

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