12:15a

And He said to them: In this verse Jesus began to speak to other people who had been listening to him. Most scholars think that he spoke to the whole crowd, though he may have been speaking mainly to his disciples. In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit who them refers to. For example:

Then he said ⌊to the other people who were listening⌋

Watch out! Guard yourselves against: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Watch out is a warning to be careful. The phrase Guard yourselves against has almost the same meaning as “Watch out.” Jesus used these two similar expressions to emphasize his warning. In some languages it may be natural to use two similar phrases. For example:

Be careful and guard against (New Century Version)
-or-
Be careful to guard yourselves from (God’s Word)
-or-
Watch out! Make sure that you avoid

In other languages it may be more natural to combine these expressions and translate the emphasis in a different way. For example:

Be very careful to stay away from

Guard yourselves against every form of greed: Here Jesus warned the people that they must not be greedy in any way. The phrase Guard yourselves against…greed indicates that people must not allow themselves to want more possessions than they ought to have. In some languages there is an idiom to express this. Other ways to translate the clause are:

Be sure that you do not become greedy in any way
-or-
Do not allow yourselves to want/seek more ⌊possessions⌋ than you need

every form of greed: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as every form of greed is literally “all greed.” The word greed refers to a strong desire for more and more things. The phrase every form of greed indicates that there are different ways to be greedy and many different things that a person can desire too much.

In 12:15b Jesus mentioned possessions. A person can also be greedy for other things, such as land, status, and position. Translate this meaning in a natural way in your language. See the examples in the preceding note.

12:15b

for: In Greek, this part of the verse begins with a conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for. It introduces a reason for the warning Jesus had just given. Introduce this reason in a natural way in your language.

one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions: The expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions indicates that owning many things does not make a person’s life more important or valuable. This implies that the things that a person owns do not determine the meaning or value of that person’s life. English versions translate this in quite different ways. For example:

Life is not measured by how much one owns. (New Century Version)
-or-
your true life is not made up of the things you own, no matter how rich you may be (Good News Translation)
-or-
Life is not about having a lot of material possessions. (God’s Word)

one’s life: The phrase one’s life means “a person’s life.” The word life in this context is referring to having a meaningful life here on earth.

the abundance of his possessions: The phrase the abundance of his possessions refers to how many things a person owns or how much wealth he has. Other ways to translate this are:

how many things he possesses
-or-
owning a lot of things

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