After the apostles start asking themselves who is the greatest among them.
Luke 22:27 For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.
Luke 22:27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.
Because who is higher? The one reclining or the one serving? Certainly not the one reclining! I, myself, however, in your midst as I am that one serving!
This verse starts with a joke or play on words that is entirely lost in translation. Jesus asks who is higher, the one reclining, as they did at meals in Jesus's time, or the one serving? The word translated as "greater" also means "higher". Every one of them make this translation error. I don't know what these English translations think he meant.
Jesus was not probably standing up, helping serve the meal, but he could have been. He is actually using a simile, though he is in the middle of them, by teaching and passing out the bread, he is like one serving. The teacher is higher in a different way.
For whether is greater, he(CW) that(IW) sitteth(WF) [at meat(IP)], or he(CW) that(IW) serveth(WF)? is(IW) not(CW) he(CW) that(IW) sitteth(WF) [at meat(IP)]? but I (MW) am among (MW) you(WF) as , he(CW) that(IW) sitteth(WF) .
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "he" is not the common word usually translated as "he".
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "that" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF -- Wrong Form - This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "reclining".
- IP - Inserted Phrase-- The "at meat" doesn't exist in the source.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "he" is not the common word usually translated as "he".
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "that" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF -- Wrong Form - This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "serving".
- IW - Inserted Word-- The "is" doesn't exist in the source.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "he" is not the common word usually translated as "he".
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "that" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF -- Wrong Form - This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "reclining".
- IP - Inserted Phrase-- The "at meat" doesn't exist in the source.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "myself" after "I" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "midst" after "among" is not shown in the English translation.
- WF -- Wrong Form - This is not an object but a possessive.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "he" is not the common word usually translated as "he".
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "that" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF -- Wrong Form - This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "serving".
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "who" doesn't exist in the source.
- WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "is" should be something more like "reclining".
- IP - Inserted Phrase-- The "at the table" doesn't exist in the source.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "who" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF -- Wrong Form - This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "serving".
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "who" doesn't exist in the source.
- WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "is" should be something more like "reclining".
- IP - Inserted Phrase-- The "at the table" doesn't exist in the source.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "myself" after "I" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "midst" after "among" is not shown in the English translation.
- WF -- Wrong Form - This is not an object but a possessive.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "who" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF -- Wrong Form - This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "serving".
For -- The word translated as "for" introduces a reason or explanation so "because" and, in questions, "why". However, since this word always appears in the second position, it is more like an aside remark like, "consequently" or "as a cause".
whether -- The word translated as "whether" means primarily "anything" or "anyone", but Jesus often uses it to start a question so it means "who", "what" or even "why".
is -- There is no verb "is" here in the Greek source but it is implied by the noun in the form of a subject having no verb associated with it.
greater -- The joke is on the multiple meanings of the word translated as "greater." It is an adjective which is the comparative form of the word meaning "big" or "great", but it also means "higher", "longer" and simply, "superior".
he -- (CW) The word translated as "he" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those") than the English "the". See this article for more.
that -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "that" in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than as a participle.
sitteth -- (CF) The word translated as "sitteth" doesn't mean "sit" directly. It means "be laid up" as a votive offering in the temple, "to be dedicated", "lie at table" and "reclining". In Jesus's time, people reclined at meals. It is a verb in the form of an adjective, but with the article before it, it acts as a noun, "the one reclining".
at meat,-- (IP) There is nothing that can be translated as this phrase in the Greek source. It is added to clarify that the word translated as "sitteth" describes how people eat.
or -- "Or" is translated from a Greek word that means primarily "or" but serves as "than" in a comparison. Here it is a comparison and we can see how it works as both.
he -- (CW) The word translated as "he" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one". The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those") than the English "the". See this article for more.
that -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "that" in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than as a participle.
serveth -- (WF) The Greek verb translated as "serveth" means "to act as a servant", "to minister" and "to perform services". It is usually translated as "minister". It is from the same root as the Greek word usually translated as "minister". Jesus uses it, however, consistently to describe those serving a meal. This is the punchline. Imagine Jesus pausing afterwards to let his followers figure out his meaning.
is --- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.
not -- The word translated as "not" is a different form of the usual Greek negative of fact. It means "no truly", "assuredly not", "not however", "nevertheless" and "notwithstanding". Used in questions where an affirmative answer is expected. Used in answers where a "yes" must be supplied. Perhaps best translated as an "isn't it?" at the end of the sentence. The fact that ancient Greek has no clear verb form for questions makes interpreting it difficult.
he -- (CW) The word translated as "he" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one". The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those") than the English "the". See this article for more.
that -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "that" in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than as a participle.
sitteth -- (CF) The word translated as "sitteth" doesn't mean "sit" directly. It means "be laid up" as a votive offering in the temple, "to be dedicated", "lie at table" and "reclining". In Jesus's time, people reclined at meals. It is a verb in the form of an adjective, but with the article before it, it acts as a noun, "the one reclining".
at meat,-- (IP) There is nothing that can be translated as this phrase in the Greek source. It is added to clarify that the word translated as "sitteth" describes how people eat.
but -- The Greek word translated as "but" 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. This comes after the "I, myself".
I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.
missing "myself" -- (MW) The pronoun "I" is used here. When the subject of the sentence is part of the verb, this pronoun accentuates who is speaking "I." Saying "I myself" captures this feeling in English. The subject pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself." When it has no verb, the verb "is" or the previous verb is assumed.
am -- The verb "am" 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.
among -- "Among" is two Greek words meaning "in middle". The word translated as "in" also means "within", "with" or "among". The word "middle" has a lot of special meanings with different prepositions. One of those with the "in" is "offer for competition", "in comparison" and "middle point". Since this verse is about a comparison, the "in comparison" might be most accurate".
missing "midst" -- (MW) The untranslated word "midst" generally means "middle" but has a lot of special meanings with different prepositions. One of those with the "in" is "offer for competition" and "middle point". It also means "difference." It can mean "front" with verbs of speaking because it means the person talking or being addressed.
you -- (WF) The word translated as "your" is plural addressing a group of Jesus's listeners. This is not an object but a possessive.
as -- The word translated as "as" has a very broad meaning, translating as "how", "when", "where", "just as", "like" and related words.
he -- (CW) The word translated as "he" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one". The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those") than the English "the". See this article for more.
that -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "that" in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than as a participle.
serveth -- (WF) The Greek verb translated as "serveth means "to act as a servant", "to minister" and "to perform services". It is usually translated as "minister". It is from the same root as the Greek word usually translated as "minister". Jesus uses it, however, consistently to describe those serving a meal. This is the punchline. Imagine Jesus pausing afterwards to let his followers figure out his meaning.
For -- The word translated as "for" introduces a reason or explanation so "because" and, in questions, "why". However, since this word always appears in the second position, it is more like an aside remark like, "consequently" or "as a cause".
who -- The word translated as "whether" means primarily "anything" or "anyone", but Jesus often uses it to start a question so it means "who", "what" or even "why".
is -- There is no verb "is" here in the Greek source but it is implied by the noun in the form of a subject having no verb associated with it.
greater -- The joke is on the multiple meanings of the word translated as "greater". It is an adjective which is the comparative form of the word meaning "big" or "great", but it also means "higher", "longer" and simply, "superior".
the one -- The word translated as "the one" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one". The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those") than the English "the". See this article for more.
who-- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "that" in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than as a participle.
is -- (WW) The word translated as "is" doesn't mean "sit" directly. It means "be laid up" as a votive offering in the temple, "to be dedicated", "lie at table" and "reclining". In Jesus's time, people reclined at meals. It is a verb in the form of an adjective, but with the article before it, it acts as a noun, "the one reclining". This word doesn't mean "is".
at the table -- (IP) There is nothing that can be translated as this phrase in the Greek source. It is added to clarify that the word translated as "sitteth" describes how people at.
or -- "Or" is translated from a Greek word that means primarily "or" but serves as "than" in a comparison. Here it is a comparison and we can see how it works as both.
the one -- The word translated as "he" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one". The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those") than the English "the". See this article for more.
who-- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "that" in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than as a participle.
serves -- (WF) The Greek verb translated as "serveth" means "to act as a servant", "to minister" and "to perform services". It is usually translated as "minister". It is from the same root as the Greek word usually translated as "minister". Jesus uses it, however, consistently to describe those serving a meal. This is the punchline. Imagine Jesus pausing afterwards to let his followers figure out his meaning.
Is --- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.
not -- The "not" here is both of the Greek negatives used together. Greek has two negatives, one objective, one subjective. The use of both together is more extreme, like saying, "never" or literally, "you cannot really think". When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words.
the one -- The word translated as "the one" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one". The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those") than the English "the". See this article for more.
who-- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "that" in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than as a participle.
is -- (WW) The word translated as "is" doesn't mean "sit" directly. It means "be laid up" as a votive offering in the temple, "to be dedicated", "lie at table" and "reclining". In Jesus's time, people reclined at meals. It is a verb in the form of an adjective, but with the article before it, it acts as a noun, "the one reclining". This word doesn't mean "is".
at the table -- (IP) There is nothing that can be translated as this phrase in the Greek source. It is added to clarify that the word translated as "sitteth" describes how people at.
But -- The Greek word translated as "but" 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. This comes after the "I, myself".
I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.
missing "myself" -- (MW) The pronoun "I" is used here. When the subject of the sentence is part of the verb, this pronoun accentuates who is speaking "I". Saying "I myself" captures this feeling in English. The subject pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself". When it has no verb, the verb "is" or the previous verb is assumed.
am -- The verb "am" 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.
among -- "Among" is two Greek words meaning "in middle." The word translated as "in" also means "within", "with" or "among". The word "middle" has a lot of special meanings with different prepositions. One of those with the "in" is "offer for competition", "in comparison" and "middle point". Since this verse is about a comparison, the "in comparison" might be most accurate".
missing "midst" -- (MW) The untranslated word "midst" generally means "middle" but has a lot of special meanings with different prepositions. One of those with the "in" is "offer for competition" and "middle point". It also means "difference". It can mean "front" with verbs of speaking because it means the person talking or being addressed.
you -- (WF) The word translated as "your" is plural addressing a group of Jesus's listeners. This is not an object but a possessive.
as -- The word translated as "as" has a very broad meaning, translating as "how", "when", "where", "just as", "like" and related words.
the one -- The word translated as "the one" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one". The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those") than the English "the". See this article for more.
who-- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "who" in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than as a participle.
serves -- (WF) The Greek verb translated as "serveth" means "to act as a servant", "to minister" and "to perform services". It is usually translated as "minister". It is from the same root as the Greek word usually translated as "minister". Jesus uses it, however, consistently to describe those serving a meal. This is the punchline. Imagine Jesus pausing afterwards to let his followers figure out his meaning.
τίς ( irreg sg masc nom ) "Whether" is tis which can mean "someone", "any one", "everyone", "they" [indefinite], "many a one", "whoever", "anyone", "anything", "some sort", "some sort of", "each", "any", "the individual", "such" and so on. In a question, it can mean "who", "why" or "what".
γὰρ (partic) "For" comes from gar which is the introduction of a clause explaining a reason or explanation: "for", "since" and "as". In an abrupt question, it means "why" and "what".
μείζων, (adj sg masc nom comp) "Greatest" is meizon which means "bigger", "higher", "longer" and "greater" and is the comparative form of megas, which means "big" and "great". The superlative form "greatest" is megistos, μέγιστος.
ὁ (article sg masc nom) "He that" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones".
ἀνακείμενος ( part sg pres mp masc nom ) "Sitteth at meat" is from anakeimai, which means to "be laid up" as a votive offering in the temple, "to be dedicated", "to be set up" as a statue in public, "to be put aside", "lie at table" and "recline".
ἢ (conj/adv) "Or" is e which is a particle meaning "either", "or" or "than".
ὁ (article sg masc nom) "He that" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones".
διακονῶν; ( part sg pres act masc nom ) "Serveth" is from diakoneo, which "to act as a servant", "to minister" and "to perform services".
οὐχὶ (partic) "Not" is ouchi, an adverb which means "no", "no truly", "assuredly not", "not however", "nevertheless", "notwithstanding", "yet", "still", "never yet", "for not", "indeed", "for surely not", "no, certainly not", "for I don't suppose" and "for in no manner".
ὁ (article sg masc nom) "He that" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones". The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
ἀνακείμενος ( part sg pres mp masc nom ) "Sitteth at meat" is from anakeimai, which means to "be laid up" as a votive offering in the temple, "to be dedicated", "to be set up" as a statue in public, "to be put aside", "lie at table" and "recline". -- The word translated as "the guests" doesn't mean "guests" directly. It means "be laid up" as a votive offering in the temple, "to be dedicated", "lie at table" and "reclining". It is a verb acting as a noun, "the reclining".
ἐγὼ (pron sg masc nom) "I" is ego, which is the first-person singular pronoun meaning "I". It also means "I at least", "for my part", "indeed" and "for myself".
δὲ (conj/adv) "But" 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").
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".
μέσῳ ( adj sg masc dat ) Untranslated is mesos, which means "middle", "middle point", "midway between", "offered for competition", "deposited", "by the middle", "by the waist", "impartial", "inter-mediate", "indeterminate", "things indifferent" (neither good nor bad), "middling", "moderate", "midst", "intervening space", "intervening", "difference", "in a moderate degree", "in the mean" and "equator".
ὑμῶν (pron 2nd pl gen) "Your" is humon, the plural possessive form of su the pronoun of the second person, "you".
ἐγὼ [162 verses](pron 1st sg masc nom) "I" is ego, which is the first-person singular pronoun meaning "I". It also means "I at least", "for my part", "indeed" and for myself.
εἰμὶ (verb 3rd sg pres ind act) "Is" is eimi, which means "to be", "to exist", "to be the case" of circumstance and events "to happen" and "is possible". (The future form is "esomai". The 3rd person present indicative is "esti".)
ὡς (adv/conj) "How" is hos, an adverb which means to "thus", "as", "how", "when", "where", "like", "just as", "so far as", "as much as can be", "that", "in order that", "nearly" (with numbers) and "know that".
ὁ (article sg masc nom) "He that" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones". -- The word translated as "He that" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one". The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
διακονῶν ( part sg pres act masc nom ) "Serveth" is from diakoneo, which "to act as a servant", "to minister" and "to perform services". It is usually translated as "minister". It is from the same root as the Greek word usually translated as "minister".