Luke 20:43 Till I make thine enemies thy footstool.

Spoken to
The Sadducees

Jesus asks Pharisees to explain a quote of David's about the Anointed. 

KJV

Luke 20:43 Till I make thine enemies thy footstool.

NIV

Luke 20:43 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.

LISTENERS HEARD

Until when I lay those hated of yours down as a footstool for those feet of yours.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

This refers to quote is Psalm 110.

The word translated as "make" commonly means "put" and a lot of variations of it. Here, "put down as" fits the best with the footstool and enemies. 

 

 

MY TAKE

People don't make the best furniture except in poetry. 

GREEK ORDER

 

ἕως   ἂν      θῶ                τοὺς  ἐχθρούς σου         
Until when I lay down as those hated     of yours 

  ὑποπόδιον       τῶν    ποδῶν σου:
a footstool    for those feet   of yours.

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
5

Till (MW) I make(CW) thine (MW)enemies thy footstool (MW) (MW).

  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "when"  after "till" is not shown in the English translation.-
  • CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "make".
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "enemies" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" after "footstool" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "feet"  after "footstool" is not shown in the English translation. 
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
4
until (MW) I make(CW) your (MW) enemies a footstool for your (MW) feet.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "when"  after "till" is not shown in the English translation.-
  • CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "make".
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "enemies" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "feet" is not shown in the English translation. 
EACH WORD of KJV

Till -- The word translated as "till" means "until" but it also means "in order that".

missing "when"  -- (MW) The untranslated word "when" because it indicates more of an expectation of something happening than "if" alone.  It can be used after a demonstrative pronoun to mean "that possibly", "whosoever" or "whatsoever".

I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.

make -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "make" is translated from a Greek word that means primarily "to put" and "to place", but which has many related meanings as well. This verb is in a form that indicates it is possible but not certain, which goes with the "when". This is not the word usually translated as "make". 

thine --  The "your" here is the singular, possessive (genitive) form the second-person pronoun. When it follows the noun, "of yours". As an object, it indicates movements or positions away from something.

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. 

enemies -- The word translated as "enemies" is an adjective meaning "hated" and "hating". It is used as a noun, being introduced by an article, so "the hated" or "the hating".

thy --  The "your" here is the singular, possessive (genitive) form the second-person pronoun. When it follows the noun, "of yours". As an object, it indicates movements or positions away from something.

footstool  -- The Greek word translated as "footstool" means "footstool" and "to reduce under one''s feet". It was the practice of conquerors to place their feet on their conquered enemies' necks.

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. 

missing "feet"  -- (MW) The untranslated word  The Greek word for "feet" appears here, but it untranslated in the KJV. The same word also means "trampling" and "treading upon".

EACH WORD of NIV

until -- The word translated as "until" means "until" but it also means "in order that".

missing "when"  -- (MW) The untranslated word "when" because it indicates more of an expectation of something happening than "if" alone.  It can be used after a demonstrative pronoun to mean "that possibly", "whosoever" or "whatsoever".

I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.

make -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "make" is translated from a Greek word that means primarily "to put" and "to place", but which has many related meanings as well. This verb is in a form that indicates it is possible but not certain, which goes with the "when". This is not the word usually translated as "make". 

your --  The "your" here is the singular, possessive (genitive) form the second-person pronoun. When it follows the noun, "of yours". As an object, it indicates movements or positions away from something.

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. 

enemies -- The word translated as "enemies" is an adjective meaning "hated" and "hating". It is used as a noun, being introduced by an article, so "the hated" or "the hating".

a -- There is no indefinite article in Greek, but when a noun doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article can be added in English translation.

footstool  -- The Greek word translated as "footstool" means "footstool" and "to reduce under one''s feet". It was the practice of conquerors to place their feet on their conquered enemies' necks.

for -- This word "for" 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. However, the translator can choose other prepositions: "with",  "in",  "of", "as", "by", "for", "at" or "on" depending on the context. The case can indicate a "with" for instruments, an "in" for locations, an "for" for purposes, an "about" (or "for" or "against") indicating interest, an "of" for possession, a "by" for agents, an "as" for comparisons, "at" or "on" a time and an "in" for area of effect.

your --  The "your" here is the singular, possessive (genitive) form the second-person pronoun. When it follows the noun, "of yours". As an object, it indicates movements or positions away from something.

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. 

missing "feet"  -- (MW) The untranslated word  The Greek word for "feet" appears here, but it untranslated in the KJV. The same word also means "trampling" and "treading upon".

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

ἕως "Till" is from heos which means "until", "till", "in order that" and "up to the point that".

ἂν  [163 verses](conj) Untranslated is ean, which is a conditional particle (derived from ei (if) and an (possibly), which makes reference to a time and experience in the future that introduces but does not determine an event. This is how we use the word "when". It can be used after a demonstrative pronoun hos or hostis meaning "that possibly",  "whosoever" or "whatsoever".

θῶ (verb 1st sg aor subj act) "I make" is from tithemi which means "to put", "to place", "to propose", "to suggest", "to deposit", "to set up", "to dedicate", "to assign", "to award", "to agree upon", "to institute", "to establish", "to execute", "to work", "to prepare oneself", "to bear arms [military]", "to lay down and surrender [military]", "to lay in the grave", "to bury", "to put words on paper [writing]" and is a metaphor for "to put in one's mind".

τοὺς [821 verses](article pl 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 word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones". 

ἐχθρούς (adj pl masc acc) "Enemies" is from echthros, which means "the hated", "the hateful", "the hostile", "the enemy", "the alienated" and "the hating".

σου (pron 2nd sg gen) "Thy" is from sou which means "you" and "your". -- The word translated as "thy" is the possessive form of the second person pronoun.

ὑποπόδιον  [2 verses](noun sg neut acc) "Footstool" is from hypopodion, which means "footstool" and "to reduce under one''s feet". It was the practice of conquerors to place their feet on their conquered enemies' necks. -- -- The Greek word translated as "footstool" has one meaning as something that goes "under feet", which is its literal meaning. It is the subject of the phrase.  Jesus uses this word twice. It has no article before it, nor a "his" modifying it, so the sense is that the enemies are "a footstool" not "the footstool".

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

ποδῶν (noun pl masc gen) Untranslated is pous, which means a "foot", "a talon [of a bird]" and the concept of "to trample" or "to tred upon".

σου; (pron 2nd sg gen) "Thy" is from sou which means "you" and "your". -- The word translated as "thy" is the possessive form of the second person pronoun.

parallel comparison

This verse uses the actual Greek word for footstool. The version in Matthew 22:44 doesn't use the same word, but a more general one.  The last part of this verse  is missing in Matthew.

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