Luke 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.

Spoken to
Apostles

Jesus describes the apostles being captured, imprisoned, and brought before kings and governors.

KJV

Luke 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.

NIV

Luke 21:19 Stand firm, and you will win life.

LISTENERS HEARD

In that endurance of yours, you will acquire for yourselves that self of yours.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

The first phrase means "in that endurance of yours" referring to the apostles putting up with being hated by everyone. From this endurance, the apostles discover their true selves, which is a better translation of the word Greek word translated as "soul" and life.  The word translated as "possess" and "win" has the primary meaning of "acquire". It is in the middle voice so the sense is "acquire for yourselves". 

 

MY TAKE

What we endure shows who we are. 

GREEK ORDER

 

ἐν τῇ   ὑπομονῇ        ὑμῶν κτήσεσθε                                  τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν.
In that endurance of yours, you will acquire for yourselves that self      of yours.

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
5

In your (MW) patience (WT) possess (MW) ye your (MW) souls(CW).

  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "patience" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WT -- Wrong Tense -- This verb is the future tense, which requires a "will" before the verb.
  • WV -- Wrong Voice -- This verb is a middle voice, which requires a "by/for yourselves" or a "yourselves" as an object.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/these" before "souls" is not shown in the English translation.
  • CW --Confusing Word --  The word "soul" has a religious meaning that the Greek word didn't have.

 

# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
4

[Stand firm(PP3)], and you will win (MW) (MW) life(CW).

 

 

  • PP3 -- Paraphrase - The phrase "in that patience of yours  exists in the source but "stand firm and" doesn't.  
  • WV -- Wrong Voice -- This verb is a middle voice, which requires a "by/for yourselves" or a "yourselves" as an object.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/these" before "life" is not shown in the English translation.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "life."
EACH WORD of KJV

In  -- The word translated as "in" also means "within", "with" or "among".

your -- The word translated as "your" is plural addressing a group of Jesus's listeners. It follows the noun, which is optional and so intentional,  so "of yours" is more correct.

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. 

patience  -- "Patience" is an  uncommon word, a noun meaning, "remaining beautiful", " endurance",  in bad sense, "obstinacy", of plants, "power to endure" and "enduring to do". "Endurance" is a better translation than "patience". This word is used to describe the ability of plants to endure, which we would call "hardiness". 

missing "will"  -- (WT) The helping verb, "will", is needed to show the future tense of the verb. 

possess -- The term translated as "possess ye" means "to acquire", but specifically for yourself. It also means "to possess" in the sense of having something stored in opposition to the common Greek word that means "possess" in the sense of having it in hand. So the sense is either that a ego is found stored within your endurance or that you acquire it by endurance. This is in the future tense.

missing "yourselves"-- (WV) A phrase is necessary because the form of the previous verb is a middle voice, which means that the subject is to act on "yourselves", "for yourselves" or "by yourselves". 

your -- The word translated as "your" is plural addressing a group of Jesus's listeners. It follows the noun, which is optional and so intentional,  so "of yours" is more correct.

missing "the/these"  -- (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.

souls -- (CW) The word translated here as "soul" is psyche, a common word in Greek, familiar in English, translated commonly as "life", "soul", "consciousness" and "a sense of self". It is used for different aspects of "self," the emotional self, the conscious self, the intellectual self. Jesus uses it to mean our identity in our worldly life specifically, the role we play on earth, what we might call the "self", "ego" or our "the person we are". The problem with translating it as "life" is that another common Greek word means "life". The problem with "soul" is that it doesn't work for many verses because the "soul" is separate from the body. Though the word can mean a departed spirit, most of the word's meanings revolve around "self". "Soul" can also be confused with the concept of "spirit" which is another Greek word. When "self" doesn't work, "person" offers the least confusion. See this article for detail about this word. The word "soul" has a religious meaning that the Greek word didn't have. 

EACH WORD of NIV

Stand firm, and   -- (PP3) The Greek words meaning "in that patience of yours" here are not translated but instead their assumed meaning is paraphrased into different words. The word translated as "in" also means "within", "with" or "among". The word translated as "your" is plural addressing a group of Jesus's listeners. The Greek definite article, "the", 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.  "Patience" is an  uncommon word, a noun meaning, "remaining beautiful", "endurance",  in bad sense, "obstinacy", of plants, "power to endure" and "enduring to do". "Endurance" is a better translation than "patience". This word is used to describe the ability of plants to endure, which we would call "hardiness". It follows the noun, which is optional and so intentional,  so "of yours" is more correct.

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

will -- This helping verb "will" indicates the verb is in the future tense. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English. However, the verb could also be in the form of possibility, "might".

win -- The term translated as "win" means "to acquire," but specifically for yourself. It also means "to possess" in the sense of having something stored in opposition to the common Greek word that means "possess" in the sense of having it in hand. This is in the future tense.

missing "yourselves"-- (WV) A phrase is necessary because the form of the previous verb is a middle voice, which means that the subject is to  act on "yourselves", "for yourselves" or "by yourselves".

your -- The word translated as "your" is a plural addressing a group of Jesus's listeners. It follows the noun, which is optional and so intentional, so "of yours" is more correct. 

missing "the/these"  -- (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.

life -- (CW) The word translated here as "life" is psyche, a common word in Greek, familiar in English, translated commonly as "life", "soul", "consciousness" and "a sense of self". It is used for different aspects of "self", the emotional self, the conscious self, the intellectual self. Jesus uses it to mean our identity in our worldly life specifically, the role we play on earth, what we might call the "self", "ego" or our "the person we are". The problem with translating it as "life" is that another common Greek word means "life." The problem with "soul" is that it doesn't work for many verses because the "soul" is separate from the body. Though the word can mean a departed spirit, most of the word's meanings revolve around "self". "Soul" can also be confused with the concept of "spirit" which is another Greek word. When "self" doesn't work, "person" offers the least confusion. See this article for detail about this word. 

 
COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

ἐν (prep) "In" is en, which means "in", "on", "at", "by", "among", "within", "surrounded by", "in one's hands", "in one's power" and "with".

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 word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones".

ὑπομονῇ [2 verses](noun sg fem dat ) "Patience" is hypomone, which means "remaining beautiful", "endurance",  in bad sense, "obstinacy", of plants, "power to endure" and "enduring to do".  

ὑμῶν (pron 2nd pl gen) "Your" is humon, the plural possessive form of su the pronoun of the second person, "you".

κτήσεσθε  [3 verses] (verb 2nd pl fut ind mid ) "Possess ye" is ktaomai, which means to "acquire", "get specifically for oneself", "procure for oneself", "win", "bring upon oneself" (of consequences) and "have in store" (opposite of echo, "having in hand"). It also means "to possess" in the sense of having something stored in opposition to echo, having it in hand. With the "in" preposition it seems to be used as "store".

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

ψυχὰς [33 verses] ( noun sg fem gen ) "Souls" is psyche, which is translated as "breath", "life", "self", "personality", "spirit" and "soul". It is also used to describe "the spirit" of things. It is also often translated as "soul" but it didn't have the religious sense at the time. 

ὑμῶν. "Your" is humon, the plural possessive form of su the pronoun of the second person, "you". 

Front Page Date