15:13

Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as pulled up by its roots refers to pulling a plant, including its roots, out of the soil. When this is done, the plant cannot regrow. It is destroyed.

This sentence is a metaphor. In this metaphor, Jesus compared:

(a) God to a farmer

(b) the Pharisees to plants/weeds that the farmer had not planted and that were not part of his garden/farm

(c) eternal punishment to uprooting those plants.

A farmer uproots plants/weeds that he has not planted. These plants do not belong in his garden/farm. In the same way, God will judge and destroy all who do not belong in his kingdom.

The Jews considered their nation to be a plant that God had planted (as in Isaiah 60:21). Jesus used this metaphor to show that many of the Pharisees were not truly God’s people.

Here are some other ways to translate this metaphor:

• Keep the metaphor: For example:

My Father in heaven will uproot any plant that he has not planted.

If people in your area will not clearly understand the meaning of the metaphor, you may want to include a footnote to explain it. A sample footnote is:

Jesus used this metaphor to explain that God will punish many Pharisees. As a farmer uproots bad plants that he has not planted, God will destroy people who do not truly belong to him.

• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:

As a farmer uproots plants that he did not plant, my heavenly Father will punish/destroy anyone who does not belong to him.
-or-
A farmer uproots plants that he did not plant. In the same way, my heavenly Father will punish/destroy anyone who does not belong to him.

• Translate the meaning of the metaphor without using a figure of speech. For example:

My heavenly Father will destroy any person who does not belong to him.

You may then want to include the metaphor in a footnote. For example:

In Greek, this is literally: My heavenly Father will uproot any plant that he has not planted.

will be pulled up by its roots: The clause is passive. Here are some ways to translate it:

• Use a passive verb. For example:

will be uprooted (NET Bible)

• As an active verb. For example:

⌊he/God⌋ will uproot

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