Translation commentary on Luke 12:27

Exegesis:

katanoēsate ta krina pōs auxanei ‘consider the lilies how they grow,’ i.e. ‘consider how the lilies grow.’ ta krina is emphatic by position. For auxanō cf. on 1.80.

krinon ‘lily.’

ou kopia oude nēthei ‘they do not toil or spin,’ referring to human efforts towards the sustaining of life in an agricultural setting. kopiaō (cf. on 5.5) refers to the (hard) work on the land (usually done by men), and nēthō ‘to spin’ to domestic work (usually done by women).

legō de humin ‘but I tell you,’ cf. on 3.8.

oude Solomōn en pasē tē doxē autou ‘not even Solomon in all his splendour.’ doxa refers here to the magnificence which surrounds a king in every respect.

periebaleto hōs hen toutōn ‘was dressed like one of them.’ The aorist tense does not refer here to an event, but to a situation of the past.

periballō (also 23.11) ‘to put on,’ in middle form ‘to dress (oneself).’

Translation:

Lilies, or, the name of some brightly coloured flower, especially the purple, or scarlet, wild anemone; or more generically, ‘(wild) flowers’ (Batak Toba, Huixtec, Central Mazahua), ‘blooms.’

How they grow refers here to the result of their growth, i.e. their outward appearance, rather than to the process of growing; it has, therefore, sometimes been omitted, i.e. left to be understood from the context, e.g. in Shona 1966.

To spin, or, ‘to spin thread,’ or some term referring to an equivalent feminine activity, e.g. ‘to weave cloth(es)’ (Tzeltal, similarly in Shona 1963; and in one West Nyanja version, lit. ‘to beat cloth,’ i.e. to beat the threads into position in the loom), or a term for rolling fibres to make thread (Shona 1966), twisting bark threads on the thigh to make strings (Ekari, similarly another West Nyanja version), beating out bark-cloth (Kele); or more generically, “make clothes for themselves” (Good News Translation).

Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. The sentence structure often has to be recast, e.g. ‘not even S., as glorious (or, rich) as he was, had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers’ (cf. Good News Translation), or, if a term for ‘array,’ ‘clothing’ cannot be applied to flowers, ‘although the clothes of S. were very beautiful, their beauty did not equal the beauty of one flower’ (Tzeltal). Glory, here referring to a human being’s outward appearance, may be rendered, ‘pomp,’ ‘splendour,’ ‘magnificence,’ ‘beauty,’ ‘greatness of life’ (Tae’ 1933); such a rendering will often differ from the one used for ‘(heavenly or divine) glory’ in 2.9. Arrayed, or, ‘attired,’ especially said of princely dress, or simply, ‘clothed.’

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 12:27

Paragraph 12:27–28

In 12:22, Jesus told his disciples not to worry about food or clothing. In 12:24 he used ravens as an example of how God provided food for insignificant birds. Here in 12:27–28, he used lilies as a parallel example of how God provided beautiful “clothing” for wildflowers.

12:27a

Consider how the lilies grow: The word Consider is the same word that was used in 12:24a. Since this is a parallel example, you may want to use similar wording here. In some languages it may be more natural to make lilies the direct object of Consider:

Consider the lilies. You know how they grow.

the lilies: Scholars are uncertain about the meaning of the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as lilies. It may refer to a specific flower, but it may also refer generally to any of the beautiful wildflowers that grew in Palestine (Israel). So you may want to use a general expression. For example:

the wild flowers (Good News Translation)
-or-
the flowers (New Jerusalem Bible)

As with “the ravens” (12:24a), consider whether or not the definite article (“the”) is natural here in your language. It is probable that Jesus pointed to some nearby flowers as he said these words. In some languages it may be appropriate to indicate that in some way. For example:

these/those wildflowers

12:27b

labor: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as labor refers to hard physical work, such as digging in the ground or gathering the harvest.

spin: The word spin refers to twisting fibers together to make thread for weaving cloth. If in your culture people do not spin thread, you may wish to translate the function of this work:

make clothes

12:27c

Yet I tell you: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Yet I tell you introduces a statement that Jesus wanted to emphasize. It was surprising and unexpected. People did not expect him to say that ordinary wildflowers had greater beauty than the clothes of King Solomon. Some other ways to emphasize this statement are:

• As a phrase before Jesus’ statement. For example:

But let me tell you this
-or-
Yet I assure you

• As an emphatic word within Jesus’ statement. For example:

But Solomon in all his splendor was certainly not dressed like one of these

If you have another way in your language to emphasize a statement or to alert people to listen with special attention, consider using it here.

The phrase I tell you was used in a different context in 12:4a and 12:8a. It was used in a similar context in 10:12. Be sure to evaluate the context carefully before you decide what expression to use here.

Solomon: Jesus referred here to King Solomon, the richest of all Israel’s kings. He lived long before Jesus’ time.

in all his glory: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as glory in this context refers to all the ways in which Solomon displayed his wealth and power. This included the expensive and beautiful robes that he wore as king, as well as his luxurious palace and his other possessions. Some versions focus on Solomon’s clothing. For example:

in all his royal robes (New Jerusalem Bible)

Most versions use a word that refers more generally to Solomon’s riches. For example:

with all his wealth (Good News Translation)
-or-
in all his majesty (God’s Word)

In some languages a single term may not be adequate to express the meaning of glory. In that case, consider using more than one term. For example:

who was very rich and wore expensive clothes (Translator’s Reference Translation)

was adorned like one of these: In this context the phrase was adorned like means “was dressed as well as” or “wore clothes as beautiful as.” Jesus was saying that even Solomon’s best clothes were not as beautiful as the wildflowers. The New Century Version makes this explicit:

even Solomon with his riches was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers

The phrase adorned like one of these is a figurative comparison, since flowers do not literally wear clothes. If this figure is not natural in your language, you may translate this meaning directly. For example:

Solomon’s magnificent robes were not as beautiful as one of these flowers.

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