Luke 9:62 No man, having put his hand to the plough,

Spoken to
an individual

A man says he wants to follow but need to say goodbye to his family.

KJV

Luke 9:62 No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

NIV

Luke 9:62 No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.

LISTENERS HEARD

No one tossing out this hand upon a plow and looking into these things behind is well-positioned for the realm of the Divine. 

LOST IN TRANSLATION

The word translated as "put" means literally to "throw against, before, by or on," but it has a large variety of specific uses. Here its sense is "tossing on this hand." The root of this verb is one Jesus often uses to lighten up a message. See this article about a root word.

Both translations leave out the words "into these things." Jesus says "looking to these things behind." The "back" has more of a sense of "behind" when referring to a place.

.The Greek word translated as "fit"  means "well-arranged", "conveniently placed", "in a suitable place", and of persons "well-adapted".  In English today, you would say "well-positioned" to capture the feeling of this word.

MY TAKE

We cannot go forward if we are looking back;

GREEK ORDER

Οὐδεὶς  ἐπιβαλὼν   τὴν χεῖρα ἐπ᾽       ἄροτρον καὶ βλέπων εἰς  τὰ               ὀπίσω
No one tossing out this hand  upon a plow      and looking into these things behind 

εὔθετός              ἐστιν    τῇ     βασιλείᾳ    τοῦ   θεοῦ.
well-positioned is       for the realm       of the Divine. 

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
8
  • WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "have" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is something that happens at a specific point in time (past, present, or future).
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "put" should be something more like "thrown."
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "his" should be something more like "this."
  • CW --Confusing Word -- This is not one of the common words usually translated as "to."
  • IW - Inserted Word-- The "the" doesn't exist in the source.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "as far as" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "these things" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "God" is not shown in the English translation.
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The "who" doesn't exist in the source.
  •  WF -- Wrong Form -  This "puts" is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, ending with "-ing. "
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "put" should be something more like "thrown."
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "his" should be something more like "this."
  • CW --Confusing Word -- This is not one of the common words usually translated as "to."
  • IW - Inserted Word-- The "the" doesn't exist in the source.
  • WF -- Wrong Form -  This "looks" is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, ending with "-ing. "
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "as far as" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "these things" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "God" is not shown in the English translation.
EACH WORD of KJV

No man, -- The Greek adjective translated as "no man" also means "no one," "nothing," and other negative pronouns. It is used by Jesus more like a negative pronoun than an adjective.  However, to avoid the English double-negative, we translate it as its opposite "anyone" when used with another Greek negative.

having -- (WT) This helping verb "have" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past. This is not the tense of the verb here.

put -- (WW) The word translated as "put" means literally to "throw against, before, by or on," but it has a large variety of specific uses. Here the sense is "throwing" like we say someone "throws themselves into their work."  See this article about a root word. It does not mean "put."

his -- (WW) The word translated as "his" 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. 

hand -- The Greek word translated as "hand" means "the hand and forearm." It can mean both the idea of a helping hand and being in someone's control. 

to -- (CW) The word translated as "to" means "on," "over," "upon," "for,"  "against," "before," "after," "during," "by" "in the case of." This is not one of the common words usually translated as "to."

the -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.

plough, -- The word translated as "plough (plow)" means "plow" as in the device for breaking the ground for planting. This is the only time it is used in Jesus's words. Interestingly, it also has a sexual connotation as our English verb does. Here it means "organs of generation". 

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

looking -- The verb translated as "looking" means "to see," "to look to," "to look like," "to beware," and "to look for." It is the more tangible sense of seeing, such as seeing what is right in front of you rather than understanding so  "watch" works better.  "Look" does not work as well because it doesn't take a direct object and this word does.

missing "as far as"  -- (MW) The untranslated word  "as far as" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in" (a position),  "as much as (of measure or limit)," "in regards to" a subject, "up to" limits in measures, "until" in reference to time, "within" a time limit, and "for" a purpose or object.

missing "these things"  -- (MW) The untranslated word  "these things" is a demonstrative pronoun ("this" "that"), but it often acts as a pronoun, "he," "she," "it," "which," "what," "who," "whosoever," "where," "when," "for which reason," and many similar meanings. In the neuter, plural, its sense is "these things."

back, -- The term translated as "back" means "back" in space but "after" in time. The logic regarding time is that, since the future is unseen, it should be regarded as behind us, whereas the past is known and therefore before our eyes. This seems quite strange to English speakers, but the use of this word in Greek is well-established to mean "future." Our English view coincides with the ancient Greek when discussing books. The "back" of the book in English means the "end" of the book, which is the future for the reader. This use of "back" is identical to the Greek.

is -- 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.

fit -- The Greek word translated as "fit"  means "well-arranged", "conveniently placed", "in a suitable place", and of persons "well-adapted".  In English today, you would say "well-positioned" to capture the feeling of this word.

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 -- The word translated as "the" 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. 

kingdom -- The word translated as "kingdom" can be the region, the reign, the castle or the authority of a ruler. Christ does not seem to use it to mean a physical region, so its translation as "reign" or "realm" seems more appropriate. This is especially true because the "reign" of a king means the execution of his will.

of -- This word comes from the genitive case of the following word(s) that required the addition of a preposition in English.  The most common is the "of" of possession, but it can also mean "belonging to," "part of", "which is", "than" (in comparisons), or  "for", "concerning" or "about" with transitive verbs. 

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word 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. 

God. -- The word translated as "God" means "God" and "deity." It is introduced with an article, so "the God." Jesus often uses it this way perhaps to indicate the one God as opposed to the pagan gods.

EACH WORD of NIV

No one, -- The Greek adjective translated as "no one" also means "no one," "nothing," and other negative pronouns. It is used by Jesus more like a negative pronoun than an adjective.  However, to avoid the English double-negative, we translate it as its opposite "anyone" when used with another Greek negative.

who - (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.

puts -- (WW, WF) The word translated as "put" means literally to "throw against, before, by or on," but it has a large variety of specific uses. Here the sense is "throwing" like we say someone "thows themselves into their work."  See this article about a related word. It does not mean "put." This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, ending with "-ing. " 

a -- (WW) The word translated as "a" 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. 

hand -- The Greek word translated as "hand" means "the hand and forearm." It can mean both the idea of a helping hand and being in someone's control. 

to -- (CW) The word translated as "to" means "on," "over," "upon," "for,"  "against," "before," "after," "during," "by" "in the case of." This is not one of the common words usually translated as "to."

the -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.

plough, -- The word translated as "plough (plow)" means "plow" as in the device for breaking the ground for planting. This is the only time it is used in Jesus's words. Interestingly, it also has a sexual connotation as our English verb does. Here it means "organs of generation". 

and  -- (I The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis, "even," "also," and "just."

and back is fit for service in

looks -- (WF)  The verb translated as "looks" means "to see," "to look to," "to look like," "to beware," and "to look for." It is the more tangible sense of seeing, such as seeing what is right in front of you rather than understanding so  "watch" works better.  "Look" does not work as well because it doesn't take a direct object and this word does. This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, ending with "-ing. " 

missing "as far as"  -- (MW) The untranslated word  "as far as" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in" (a position),  "as much as (of measure or limit)," "in regards to" a subject, "up to" limits in measures, "until" in reference to time, "within" a time limit, and "for" a purpose or object.

missing "these things"  -- (MW) The untranslated word  "these things" is a demonstrative pronoun ("this" "that"), but it often acts as a pronoun, "he," "she," "it," "which," "what," "who," "whosoever," "where," "when," "for which reason," and many similar meanings. In the neuter, plural, its sense is "these things."

back, -- The term translated as "back" means "back" in space but "after" in time. The logic regarding time is that, since the future is unseen, it should be regarded as behind us, whereas the past is known and therefore before our eyes. This seems quite strange to English speakers, but the use of this word in Greek is well-established to mean "future." Our English view coincides with the ancient Greek when discussing books. The "back" of the book in English means the "end" of the book, which is the future for the reader. This use of "back" is identical to the Greek.

is -- 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.

fit -- The Greek word translated as "fit"  means "well-arranged", "conveniently placed", "in a suitable place", and of persons "well-adapted".  In English today, you would say "well-positioned" to capture the feeling of this word.

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 -- The word translated as "the" 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. 

kingdom -- The word translated as "kingdom" can be the region, the reign, the castle or the authority of a ruler. Christ does not seem to use it to mean a physical region, so its translation as "reign" or "realm" seems more appropriate. This is especially true because the "reign" of a king means the execution of his will.

of -- This word comes from the genitive case of the following word(s) that required the addition of a preposition in English.  The most common is the "of" of possession, but it can also mean "belonging to," "part of", "which is", "than" (in comparisons), or  "for", "concerning" or "about" with transitive verbs. 

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word 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. 

God. -- The word translated as "God" means "God" and "deity." It is introduced with an article, so "the God." Jesus often uses it this way perhaps to indicate the one God as opposed to the pagan gods.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

Οὐδεὶς [69 verses](adj sg masc nom) "No man" is oudeis which means "no one," "not one," "nothing," "naught," "good for naught," and "no matter."

ἐπιβαλὼν  [5 verses](part sg aor act masc nom) "Having put" is epiballo, which means to "throw or cast upon," "lay on," " affix (a seal, add)," "contribute," "place next in order," "let grow," "let loose," "throw oneself upon," "go straight towards," "follow," "come next," "belong to," "fall to the share of," "shut to," "close," "to overlap (in logic)," and in the passive to "lie upon," "be put upon," and "be set over."

τὴν [821 verses](article sg fem acc)  "The" 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." Proper nouns do normally not take articles but they are needed when the noun ending cannot be changed to show the noun's role in the sentence as an object, indirect object, or genitive (possessive) form. However, the Greek article is very close to "this" so the purpose of an article like this can also be demonstrative.There is no vocative definite article, (despite being shown in Perseus). When the vocative is meant, no article is used or they used ω or εSee this article.  

χεῖρα [25 verses](noun sg fem acc) "Hand" is cheir, which means "the hand and arm," and "with the help of agency of another." Like "hand" in English, it has a lot of meanings including "an act or deed," "a body of people," and the measurement "handful."

ἐπ᾽ [138 verses](prep) "To" is from epi which means "on," "upon," "at," "by," "before," "across," "for," and "against." With a noun in the possessive, genitive, it means "upon," "on" but not necessarily of Place, "by (of persons)," "deep (with numbers)," "in the presence of," "towards," "in the time of," and "over (referring to a person of authority)." With a noun indirect object, dative, it means of place: "upon," "on," or "over," of people: "against (in a hostile sense)," regarding a situation: "towards" or "in reference to," of an accumulation: "upon," "after," "addition to," and "besides," of position: "after," "behind," "in dependence upon," and "in the power of," of time: "by," and "after," and. in a causal sense: "of the occasion or cause," "for" a person, an end, or purpose," "on condition that," and "for" (a price).  With the objective noun, an accusative, it means of place: "upon or on to a height," "up to," "as far as," "a little way," "a little," "towards," "to," in hostile sense: "against," of extension: "over," "over (a space)," of time: "for," "during," "up to" or "till," in a causal sense: "of (the object)," for (this purpose)," "as regards," "according to," and "by (this cause)." With verbs of perceiving, observing, and judging, it means "in the case of."

ἄροτρον [1 verse](noun sg neut acc) "Plough" is from arotron, which means "plow", (in boxing) "a right-handed blow", and "organs of generation". 

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." In a series, it can be translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as."

βλέπων [46 verses](part sg pres act masc nom) "Looking" is from of blepo, which means "to look," "to see," "to look to," "to look like," "to rely on," "to look longingly," "to propose," "to beware," "to behold," and "to look for." Used with the preposition meaning "from" (ἀπὸ) to means "watch out."

εἰς [325 verses](prep) "Into" is eis, which means "into (of place)," "up to (of time)," "until (of time)," "in" (a position),  "as much as (of measure or limit)," "as far as (of measure or limit)," "towards (to express relation)," "in regard to (to express relation)," "of an end or limit," and "for (of purpose or object)."

τὰ   [294 verses](pron pl neut acc)  Untranslated is hos, which means "this," "that," "he," "she," "it," "which," "what," "who," "whosoever," "where," "when," " "for which reason," and many similar meanings.

ὀπίσω [15 verses](prep/adv) "Back" is from opiso, which means "back," "behind," and "hereafter."

εὔθετός [2 verses](adj sg masc nom) "Fit" is euthetoswhich means "well-arranged", "conveniently placed", "in a suitable place", "well-fitting", "ready for use", of persons "well=adapted", "quick", "able", and "fit and proper". 

ἐστίν.[614 verses](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." 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."

τῇ [821 verses] (article sg fem dat) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").

βασιλείᾳ [98 verses](noun sg fem dat) "Kingdom" is basileia, which means "kingdom", "dominion", "hereditary monarchy", "kingly office," (passive) "being ruled by a king," and "reign."

τοῦ [821 verses](article sg masc gen)  Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). 

θεοῦ [144 verses](noun sg masc gen) "God" is theos, which means "God," "divine," and "Deity."

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