11:46a

“Woe to you as well, experts in the law!” He replied: In Greek, Jesus’ reply is more literally “Also to you experts in the law, woe.” The word you is in an emphatic position in the sentence. It indicates that Jesus was now addressing the law experts specifically. For example:

As for you experts in the law, woe to you also

You may have a natural way to indicate this in your language. Remember that some languages place a focused item first in the sentence; other languages place it last.

Woe to you: This is the same phrase as in 11:43a.

He replied: The Berean Standard Bible has placed He replied after the start of what Jesus said. In the Greek text, these words are at the beginning of the verse. Place them wherever it is natural in your language.

11:46b

You weigh men down with heavy burdens: This is a metaphor. It indicates that the experts in the law were teaching people that they must keep many difficult laws in order to please God. Their teachings were like heavy burdens to the people.

In this metaphor the topic is implied. The chart below gives the full metaphor:

topic

⌊you make the Jewish people follow many complicated religious laws that are too difficult to obey
⌋

image
you make people carry loads that are too heavy for them

point of similarity
both are too difficult to do

God intended that the Old Testament Law should show people how to serve him happily. But these experts in the Law had made it into an unbearable burden by adding many extra laws.

Some ways to translate this metaphor are:

• Change the metaphor to a simile and make the topic explicit. For example:

⌊you make people follow many rules. It is as if⌋ you are placing heavy loads on their backs that they are unable to carry.

• State the meaning of the metaphor directly. For example:

You make strict rules that are very hard for people to obey. (New Century Version)

If possible, use words that would imply a heavy load. For example:

you crush people with unbearable religious demands (New Living Translation (2004))

Remember that one of the purposes of a metaphor is to create a picture in the hearer’s mind. So if possible, your translation of this metaphor should help your readers to imagine a heavy load.

11:46c

but you yourselves will not lift a finger to lighten their load: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but you yourselves will not lift a finger to lighten their load is an idiom. It can be translated more literally:

you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers (Revised Standard Version)

There are two ways to interpret this idiom:

(1) It means that the law experts made no effort to help others follow their laws. They did not make the laws any easier, and they did not give any help or counsel to people who were trying to obey them. For example:

you yourselves will not stretch out a finger to help them carry those loads (Good News Translation)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004))

(2) It means that the law experts made no effort to try to obey their own laws. They were hypocrites who did not follow their own teaching. Instead, they were experts in finding ways to avoid following the law. For example:

you yourselves don’t even try to follow those rules (New Century Version)

(New Century Version, New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most English versions. It is clear from the preceding context that the Jewish leaders were careful to follow even unimportant regulations.

will not lift a finger to lighten their load: The phrase lift a finger is an idiom in English as well as in Greek. It means here that the law experts refused to make any effort to help lighten the burdens of the people.

Some ways to translate this are:

you do not help them even by using one of your fingers
-or-
you do not do the smallest thing to help them
-or-
you do not help people even a little bit

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