Luke 17:5-10
New English Translation
5 The[a] apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”[b] 6 So[c] the Lord replied,[d] “If[e] you had faith the size of[f] a mustard seed, you could say to this black mulberry[g] tree, ‘Be pulled out by the roots and planted in the sea,’[h] and it would obey[i] you.
7 “Would any one of you say[j] to your slave[k] who comes in from the field after plowing or shepherding sheep, ‘Come at once and sit down for a meal’?[l] 8 Won’t[m] the master[n] instead say to him, ‘Get my dinner ready, and make yourself ready[o] to serve me while[p] I eat and drink. Then[q] you may eat and drink’? 9 He won’t thank the slave because he did what he was told,[r] will he?[s] 10 So you too, when you have done everything you were commanded to do, should say, ‘We are slaves undeserving of special praise;[t] we have only done what was our duty.’”[u]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Luke 17:5 tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
- Luke 17:5 sn The request of the apostles, “Increase our faith,” is not a request for a gift of faith, but a request to increase the depth of their faith.
- Luke 17:6 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
- Luke 17:6 tn Grk “said.”
- Luke 17:6 tn This is a mixed condition, with ἄν (an) in the apodosis.
- Luke 17:6 tn Grk “faith as,” “faith like.”
- Luke 17:6 sn A black mulberry tree is a deciduous fruit tree that grows about 20 ft (6 m) tall and has black juicy berries. This tree has an extensive root system, so to pull it up would be a major operation.
- Luke 17:6 tn The passives here (ἐκριζώθητι and φυτεύθητι, ekrizōthēti and phuteuthēti) are probably a circumlocution for God performing the action (the so-called divine passive, see ExSyn 437-38). The issue is not the amount of faith (which in the example is only very tiny), but its presence, which can accomplish impossible things. To cause a tree to be uprooted and planted in the sea is impossible. The expression is a rhetorical idiom. It is like saying a camel can go through the eye of a needle (Luke 18:25).
- Luke 17:6 tn The verb is aorist, though it looks at a future event, another rhetorical touch to communicate certainty of the effect of faith.
- Luke 17:7 tn Grk “Who among you, having a slave…would say to him.”
- Luke 17:7 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.
- Luke 17:7 tn Grk “and recline at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away. See BDAG 70 s.v. ἀναπίπτω 1.
- Luke 17:8 tn The question includes a Greek particle, οὐχί (ouchi), that expects a positive reply. The slave is expected to prepare a meal before eating himself.
- Luke 17:8 tn Grk “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Luke 17:8 tn Grk “and gird yourself” (with an apron or towel, in preparation for service).
- Luke 17:8 tn BDAG 423 s.v. ἕως 2.b, “to denote contemporaneousness as long as, while…w. subjunctive…Lk 17:8.”
- Luke 17:8 tn Grk “after these things.”
- Luke 17:9 tn Grk “did what was commanded.”
- Luke 17:9 tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ at the end, “will he?” Thanks are not required.
- Luke 17:10 tn Some translations describe the slaves as “worthless” (NRSV) or “unworthy” (NASB, NIV) but that is not Jesus’ point. These disciples have not done anything deserving special commendation or praise (L&N 33.361), but only what would normally be expected of a slave in such a situation (thus the translation “we have only done what was our duty”).
- Luke 17:10 tn Or “we have only done what we were supposed to do.”
Luke 17:5-10
Mounce Reverse Interlinear New Testament
5 · kai The ho apostles apostolos said legō to the ho Lord kyrios, “ Increase prostithēmi our hēmeis faith pistis!” 6 And de the ho Lord kyrios said legō, “ If ei you had echō faith pistis like hōs a grain kokkos of mustard sinapi seed , you could an say legō to ho this houtos sycamore sykaminos, ‘ Be uprooted ekrizoō and kai planted phyteuō in en the ho sea thalassa,’ and kai it would an obey hypakouō you hymeis. 7 Which tis one · de of ek you hymeis, having echō a servant plowing arotriaō or ē tending poimainō sheep , who hos, when he comes eiserchomai in from ek the ho field agros, will say legō to him autos, ‘ Come here parerchomai at once eutheōs and recline anapiptō at dinner ’? 8 Will he not ouchi, rather alla, say legō to him autos, ‘ Prepare hetoimazō what tis I am to eat deipneō, then kai change perizōnnymi clothes and wait diakoneō on me egō while heōs I eat esthiō and kai drink pinō, and kai after meta this houtos you sy may eat esthiō and kai drink pinō’? 9 Does he express echō thanks charis to the ho servant because hoti he did poieō the ho things that were commanded diatassō? 10 So houtōs · kai it is with you hymeis. When hotan you have done poieō all pas that ho was commanded diatassō, say legō, ‘ We are eimi unworthy achreios servants; we have done poieō no more than hos we were obliged opheilō to do poieō.’”
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