Paragraph 17:7–10

In this paragraph, Jesus told a parable to illustrate the attitude that he wanted his disciples to have. Just as a slave must serve his master, a disciple must serve God, his master. That is his duty. He should obey God without thinking that God should reward him in any special way.

17:7

In the Greek text, as in the Berean Standard Bible, 17:7 is one long, rhetorical question. It could be translated as a statement and a rhetorical question. For example:

Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? (New International Version)

In some languages, it may be helpful to use even shorter sentences. For example:

7aSuppose one of you had a servant. ⌊All day⌋ this servant plows the soil or looks after the sheep. Then he comes back to the house. 7bWill you say to him, 7c“Now come and sit down to eat?”

17:7a–b

Which of you whose servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field will say to him…?: This is a rhetorical question. Jesus used this rhetorical question to emphasize that a master would never say what follows in 17:7c. This question expects the answer, “No, no one would say that to a servant.”

Some ways to translate this emphasis are:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Suppose someone has a servant who is plowing fields or watching sheep. Does he tell his servant when he comes from the field…? (God’s Word)

• As a statement. For example:

One would certainly not say to the servant when that servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field…
-or-
When the servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field, no master would ever say to him…

Translate this emphasis in a way that is natural in your language.

Which of you whose servant: In Greek this clause is literally “Who among you having a servant…?” For example:

Will any one of you, who has a servant…? (Revised Standard Version)

Jesus used this clause to introduce his illustration. Versions such as the God’s Word, Good News Translation, New Century Version, and New International Version use a clause with the word “Suppose” to introduce it. Some other ways to introduce the illustration in English are:

If your servant (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
When a servant (New Living Translation (2004))

Introduce this illustration in a way that is natural in your language.

Which of you: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Which of you refers to “any one of you apostles/disciples.” It is possible that Jesus was continuing his answer to his apostles’ request in 17:5. However, he was probably speaking to all his disciples, as in 17:1.

Jesus was not implying anything about whether one of his disciples had a servant. In some languages it may be helpful to translate the phrase Which of you in a more general way. For example:

Suppose someone has a servant (God’s Word)

servant: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as servant means “slave” (as in the New Revised Standard Version). This word refers to someone who was owned by another person. He worked for his owner/master without receiving pay. He had no rights of his own (or very few rights). He could not choose to go and work for someone else.

In some cultures, slaves may not be known. In other cultures, the word for slave may imply different customs than in biblical culture. If that is true in your language, some ways to translate this are:

worker
-or-
person who belonged to someone else
-or-
owned person
-or-
person who serves someone

comes in from: The clause comes in from indicates that after the servant worked in the field, he returned to the house at the end of the day. In some languages it may be helpful to make this explicit. For example:

when he returns ⌊after working in⌋ the fields ⌊all day⌋

The pronoun “him” refers to the servant, not the master. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit:

when his servant comes in from the field

plowing: The word plowing refers to using a tool called a plow to turn over the soil to prepare it for planting crops. A farmer often uses animals such as cows or oxen to pull the plow.

In areas where people do not know about plowing, you may express this in a more general way. For example:

working in the field
-or-
cultivating
-or-
preparing the field/soil for planting

shepherding in the field: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as shepherding describes taking care of animals known as sheep. Some other ways to translate this word are:

caring for the sheep (New Century Version)
-or-
looking after the sheep (New International Version)

In some areas people do not keep sheep, so you may want to use a more general expression. For example:

caring for the animals
-or-
tending the animals

Sheep are domestic animals that are raised for meat and for wool. In some languages there may not be a word for “sheep.” If that is true in your language, you may borrow the word for “sheep” and indicate its meaning with a general word such as “herd/flock” or “animals.” For example:

⌊animals called⌋ sheep
-or-

⌊herd/flock of⌋ sheep

If people are not familiar with sheep in your area, it is suggested that you insert a picture in your translation.

In some languages it may be necessary to make it explicit that the servant was taking care of the sheep that his master owned. For example:

⌊your
(sing)⌋ sheep/animals
-or-
his/the ⌊master’s⌋ sheep

will say to him: Versions such as the New International Version that divide this verse into a “suppose” statement and a rhetorical question use the pronoun “he” to refer to the master here. But since he was referred to as one “of you” in 17:7a, in some languages it may be more natural to continue to use the pronoun you here. For example:

Would you say to the servant

In other languages, it may be best to use “someone” in 17:7a and “he” here.

17:7c

Come at once: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Come at once are literally “immediately come.” For example:

Come immediately (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
Come along now (New International Version)

and sit down to eat: The clause sit down to eat is a polite invitation. This clause implies that a master was inviting his servant to eat a meal that someone had already cooked for him. Translate this invitation in a natural way in your language. Other ways to say it in English are:

sit down for a meal (NET Bible)
-or-
rest/sit and eat
-or-
and let me give you ⌊some food⌋ to eat

General Comment on 17:7b–c

If you translate 17:7b–c as a rhetorical question, you may need to supply an answer. For example:

Of course not!
-or-
No, you wouldn’t say that. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
No. (God’s Word)

You can place such an answer either at the end of 17:7c (see 17:7c in the Display) or at the beginning of 17:8 (as in the Contemporary English Version and God’s Word).

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