Spoken to:
Jesus addresses a large crowd that has followed him saying they must pull up their stakes to be his student.
KJV:
Luke 14:29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
NIV :
Luke 14:29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you,
LISTENERS HEARD:
Lest when laying his foundation and not having being able to finish, all those viewing it might start to ridicule him .
MY TAKE:
We must finish what we start.
GREEK (Each Word Explained Bottom of Page):
GREEK ORDER:
LOST IN TRANSLATION:
This verse begins with two different Greek phrases that can be translated as "lest." Most of the verbs are participles not active verbs.
# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES:
(MWbecause)Lest haply(IW), after he(IW) hath(WT) laid the(IW) foundation, and is(WF) not able to finish it, all that(WN) behold(WF) it begin to mock him,
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "because" is not shown in the English translation.
- IW - Inserted Word-- The "haply" doesn't exist in the source.
- IW - Inserted Word-- The "he " doesn't exist in the source.
- WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "has" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is something that happens at a specific point in time (past, present, or future).
- WF -- Wrong Form - This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "laying."-
- WF -- Wrong Form - This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "being."-
- WN --Wrong Number- The word "that" is translated as singular but the Greek word is plural.
- WF -- Wrong Form - This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "viewing."
For (MWnot) if(WW) you(IW) lay(WF) the(IW) foundation and are(WF) not able to finish it, everyone who(CW) sees(WF) it will(WW, WT) ridicule you(WW),
Lest haply, after he(IW) hath(WT) laid the(IW) foundation, and is(WF) not able to finish it, all that(WN) behold(WF) it begin to mock him,
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "not" after "for" is not shown in the English translation.
- WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "if" should be something more like "when."
- IW - Inserted Word-- The "you" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF -- Wrong Form - This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "laying."-
- IW - Inserted Word-- The "the" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF -- Wrong Form - This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "being."-
- WF -- Wrong Form - This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "viewing."
- WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "will" should be something more like "begin."
- WT -- Wrong Tense -- This verb is not the future tense, which requires a "will" before the verb.
- WW --Wrong Word -- The word "you" should be something more like "him."
EACH WORD of KJV :
missing "because" -- (MW) The untranslated word "because" is a conjunction that starts a subordinate clause "that," "when," "in order that" "when," or "because."As an adverb it is translated as "there" is an adverb "in that place," "there," "where," or "when."
Lest - The Greek word translated as "lest" is from two words normally translated as " that/there" and "not." The first is a word that means "there", "where," and "in order that." The negative used here is the Greek negative of a subjective opinion. The sense is "not there."
haply, (IW) There is no "haply" in the Greek. Since "haply" means "by chance", the KJV translation is strange.
after -- (IW) There is no "haply" in the Greek
he -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.
hath -- (WT) This helping verb "has" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past. This is not the tense of the verb here.
laid -- (WF) The Greek verb translated as "lay" is translated from a Greek word that means primarily "to put," "to dedicate," "to assign," "to award," and "to place," and in the military, "to bear arms," "to lay down and surrender," but which has many related meanings as well. This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, laying.
the -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.
foundation, - The word translated as "foundation" is not a noun, but an adjective, meaning "of or for the foundation" and "foundational". The sense here is "for the foundation.
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis.
is -- (WF) This helping verb indicates the present tense of the verb. This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "being."
not -- The negative used here is the Greek negative of a subjective opinion, commands, verbs of possibility, and requests. It applies to will, feeling, and thought.
able -- The word translated as "whole" is a verb that means "to be strong", "to be able," or "to have powerful." It is the present plural participle of verb, used as the sentence's subject.
to -- This "to" is added to create the infinitive form of the following verb.
finish -- The word translated as "to finish" is uncommon and used for the first time here. It means to "bring to an end", "accomplish", and "achieve", "fulfill" a promise, and in the passive, "will be accomplished". However, it is a form of a very common Greek word that means "to finish" or "fulfill" with the addition of a common prefix meaning "out of".
it -- There is no Greek pronoun here, but Greek does not need pronouns when the object can be assumed from the context. In English, they are added for the subject-verb-object form of our sentences.
all -- The word translated as "all" is the Greek adjective meaning "all," "the whole," "every," and similar ideas. When it is used as a noun, we would say "everything." As an adverb, it means "in every way," "on every side," and "altogether."
that -- (WN) 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. - This word is not singular but plural.
behold -- (WF) The Greek word translated as "see" is not one of the common words Jesus uses to mean "see." It is a fancier word that has more of a sense of viewing something as a spectator. This word is the root of the English word "theater." It works like our word "view" and our word "review" in the sense of "inspect" and "judge a thing." Jesus uses it most commonly to refer to people inspecting him now but not judging him in the future. This word is the root of the English word "theater," where plays are both viewed and reviewed by critics.
it -- There is no Greek pronoun here, but Greek does not need pronouns when the object can be assumed from the context. In English, they are added for the subject-verb-object form of our sentences.
begin -- "Begin" is from a verb in the form of an adjective that means "to be first," "to begin," and "to make a beginning," "to rule," "to govern," and "to command." Jesus often uses it to say "you will be the first" in a negative sense of claiming a superior position. The two meanings, "to start" and "to command" create different meanings when paired with the following verbs. The form is someone acting on themselves, so "be the first for yourself" or "start yourself."
to -- This "to" is added to create the infinitive form of the following verb.
mock -- "Mock" is an uncommon (for Jesus) verb that means "to mock" and "to sport in." In the passive as it is here, it also means "to be deluded," and "to be defrauded" of the revenues. Translating it as "jeer at" may work better when used with an indirect object,
him, -- The word translated as "him" is the Greek adjective that acts like our third-person, indirect object pronoun.
EACH WORD of NIV :
For -- The Greek word translated "for" is a conjunction that starts a subordinate clause "that," "when," "in order that" "when," or "because."As an adverb it is translated as "there" is an adverb "in that place," "there," "where," or "when."
missing "not" -- (MW) The untranslated negative used here is the Greek negative of a subjective opinion,
if -- (WW) The "if" is from an adverb meaning "when," "at what time," "at some time or other," "at some unknown time, and "at some time in the future."
you lay WF -- Wrong Form - This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "laying."
you -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.
lay -- (WF) The Greek verb translated as "lay" is translated from a Greek word that means primarily "to put," "to dedicate," "to assign," "to award," and "to place," and in the military, "to bear arms," "to lay down and surrender," but which has many related meanings as well. This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, laying.
the -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.
foundation, - The word translated as "foundation" is not a noun, but an adjective, meaning "of or for the foundation" and "foundational". The sense here is "for the foundation.
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis.
are -- (WF) This helping verb indicates the present tense of the verb. This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "being."
not -- The negative used here is the Greek negative of a subjective opinion, commands, verbs of possibility, and requests. It applies to will, feeling, and thought.
able -- The word translated as "whole" is a verb that means "to be strong", "to be able," or "to have powerful." It is the present plural participle of verb, used as the sentence's subject.
to -- This "to" is added to create the infinitive form of the following verb.
finish -- The word translated as "to finish" is uncommon and used for the first time here. It means to "bring to an end", "accomplish", and "achieve", "fulfill" a promise, and in the passive, "will be accomplished". However, it is a form of a very common Greek word that means "to finish" or "fulfill" with the addition of a common prefix meaning "out of".
it -- There is no Greek pronoun here, but Greek does not need pronouns when the object can be assumed from the context. In English, they are added for the subject-verb-object form of our sentences.
everyone -- The word translated as "everyone " is the Greek adjective meaning "all," "the whole," "every," and similar ideas. When it is used as a noun, we would say "everything." As an adverb, it means "in every way," "on every side," and "altogether."
who -- (CW)The word translated as "who" 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 is not the word usually translated as "who."
sees -- (WF) The Greek word translated as "see" is not one of the common words Jesus uses to mean "see." It is a fancier word that has more of a sense of viewing something as a spectator. This word is the root of the English word "theater." It works like our word "view" and our word "review" in the sense of "inspect" and "judge a thing." Jesus uses it most commonly to refer to people inspecting him now but not judging him in the future. This word is the root of the English word "theater," where plays are both viewed and reviewed by critics.
it -- There is no Greek pronoun here, but Greek does not need pronouns when the object can be assumed from the context. In English, they are added for the subject-verb-object form of our sentences.
will -- (WW, WT) "Will" is from a verb in the form of an adjective that means "to be first," "to begin," and "to make a beginning," "to rule," "to govern," and "to command." Jesus often uses it to say "you will be the first" in a negative sense of claiming a superior position. The two meanings, "to start" and "to command" create different meanings when paired with the following verbs. The form is someone acting on themselves, so "be the first for yourself" or "start yourself." This word doesn't mean "will." This verb is not the future tense. .
ridicule -- (WF)"Ridicule " is an uncommon (for Jesus) verb that means "to mock" and "to sport in." In the passive, it also means "to be deluded," and "to be defrauded" of the revenues. Translating it as "jeer at" may work better when used with an indirect objectm This is not an active verb but an infinitive. WF -- Wrong Form - This is not an active verb but an infinitive, "to verb."
you, -- (WW) The word translated as you" is the Greek adjective that acts like our third-person, indirect object pronoun. This word doesn't mean "you." WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "youdoesn't mean "and."
COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV :
ἵνα [134 verses](adv/conj) "Untranslated " is hina, which means "in that place," "there," "where," "when," but when beginning a phrase "so that," "in order that," "when," and "because." It is used as an introduction to a command, where it isn't translated. Often is is better to translate it as "so that" instead of "because" to avoid confusion with another conjunction. -- -- The word translated as "that" is a conjunction that starts a subordinate clause "that," "when," "in order that" "when," or "because."As an adverb it is translated as "there" is an adverb "in that place," "there," "where," or "when."
μὴπότε [447 verses](conj) "Lest" is fron two Greek words meaning "not when." "Not" is from (IW) There is no "haply" in the Greekme , which is the negative used in prohibitions and expressions of doubt meaning "not" and "no." The negative, μή, rejects, is relative, and subjective. It is used with verbs of subjective action: thinking, feeling, seeing, etc. It is used in imperative and subjunctive clauses because both express opinions. With pres. or aor. subjunctive, it is used in a warning or statement of fear, "take care." The combination of ἵνα μή means "lest." The combination of ὅτι μή, means "except." Used before tis with an imperative to express a will or wish for something in independent sentences and, with subjunctives, to express prohibitions. It is used with infinitives that express a purpose. When used with verbs of physical action, its sense is that "not wanting" or "thinking" something, not that it isn't done or thought. With these verbs, the sense is rejecting the action, rather than simply not doing it. With the verb "to be," the sense is "doesn't seem." When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words. Used with an imperative to express a will or wish. Used in negative conditional "when/if/whoever" clauses. With "have," the sense is "lacks" or "wants."
θέντος [24 verses] (part sg aor act masc gen) "Hath laid" is tithemi which means "to put," "to place," "to propose," "to suggest," "o deposit," "to set up," "to dedicate," "to assign," "to award," "to agree upon," "to institute," "to establish," "to make," "to work," "to prepare oneself," "to bear arms [military]," "to lay down and surrender [military]," "to lay in the grave," "to bury," and "to put words on paper [writing]," and a metaphor for "to put in one's mind." This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "laying."
αὐτοῦ [142 verses](adv/adj sg masc gen) " Untranslated" 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.-- 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."
θεμέλιον [3 verses](adj sg masc acc) "Foundation" is from themelios, which means" of or for the foundation", "foundational", and "foundation-stone". These ideas are used metaphorically as well.
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."
μὴ [447 verses](conj) "Not" is me , which is the negative used in prohibitions and expressions of doubt meaning "not" and "no." The negative, μή, rejects, is relative, and subjective. It is used with verbs of subjective action: thinking, feeling, seeing, etc. It is used in imperative and subjunctive clauses because both express opinions. With pres. or aor. subjunctive, it is used in a warning or statement of fear, "take care." The combination of ἵνα μή means "lest." The combination of ὅτι μή, means "except." Used before tis with an imperative to express a will or wish for something in independent sentences and, with subjunctives, to express prohibitions. It is used with infinitives that express a purpose. When used with verbs of physical action, its sense is that "not wanting" or "thinking" something, not that it isn't done or thought. With these verbs, the sense is rejecting the action, rather than simply not doing it. With the verb "to be," the sense is "doesn't seem." When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words. Used with an imperative to express a will or wish. Used in negative conditional "when/if/whoever" clauses. With "have," the sense is "lacks" or "wants."
ἰσχύοντος (part sg pres act masc gen) "Is able" is ischyo which means "to be strong", "to be powerful", "to prevail", "to be worth," and "to be equivalent to."
ἐκτελέσαι [2 verses](verb aor inf act) "To finish" is ekteleō , which means to "bring to an end", "accomplish", and "achieve", "fulfill" a promise, and in the passive, "will be accomplished".
πάντες [212 verses] (adj pl masc nom) "All" is pas, which means "all," "the whole," "every," "anyone," "all kinds," and "anything." In the adverbial form, it means "every way," "on every side," "in every way," and "altogether."
οἱ [821 verses](article sg 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."
θεωροῦντες [15 verses](part pl pres act masc nom ) "Behold"" is theoreo, which means "to view," "to see", "to look at", "to gaze," "to behold," (of the mind) "to contemplate", "to consider", "to observe (as a spectator)", "to gaze", "to gape", "to inspect (troops)" "to judge of," and, in abstract, "to theorize" and "to speculate." It originally means literally, "to be a spectator" or "to be sent to see an oracle."
ἄρξωνται [14 verses] (verb 3rd pl aor subj mid) "Begin" is from archomai, which is a form of archô, which means "to be first," "to begin," "to make a beginning," "to rule," "to govern," and "to command."
αὐτῷ [106 verses](pron/adj sg masc/neut dat) "Him" is is auto, the dative case of the third-person, singular adjective that is used as a pronoun. The word also means "the same,""one's true self," and "the soul" as opposed to the body. It also means "of one's own accord." The form is the third person, plural as an indirect object of the verb or the object of a preposition. When used as a noun, it is preceded by a definite article, and it means "the same."A dative object of a preposition implies no movement but in a fixed position. With the "to be," it acts as a possessive, "his."
ἐμπαίζειν [4 verses](verb pres inf act) "To Mock" is empaizo, which means "to mock" and "to sport in." In the passive, it means "to be deluded," and "to be defrauded" of the revenues.