cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful

The Greek in Luke 12:46 that is translated as “cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) with es wird ihm dreckig ergehen wie den Gottlosen or “it will be as miserable for him as for the sinners.”

complete verse (Luke 12:46)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 12:46:

  • Noongar: “then his master will return one day at a moment he does not know. This servant is not expecting the master. The master will cut him to pieces and the servant will go down the path of punishment like all people doing wrong.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “But actually, while he is being lax like that, suddenly his nobleman arrives on a day and at an hour that he did not know. That slave is severely struck/beaten and he is thrown outside, he is-considered a person who does not believe in God.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “then suddenly his master will arrive on a day when he does not expect him and a time he does not know. Na, then he will really be punished by his master and he will be sent to the place that is given/caused-to-belong to the ones who do not believe in God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Because on the day that he’s not expecting, and at the hour that he doesn’t know, the master will return. And as for this servant, what will be done to him will be like that which is done to the servants who cannot be trusted, and he will be killed by his master.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then suddenly his master will return at the day and hour that that-aforementioned servant didn’t expect. And he will kill him so that he will join-in-experiencing the punishment of those who don’t believe.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “His master will arrive on a day when he wasn’t expecting/sure-of it and at an hour which he didn’t know. What will happen is, he will be punished without limit by that master of his. He will be caused to companion the people who don’t believe-in/obey God, there in hardship/suffering which has no ending.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 12:45 – 12:46

Exegesis:

ho doulos ekeinos ‘that servant,’ i.e. the one referred to in v. 43.

en tē kardia autou ‘in his heart,’ i.e. ‘to, or, in himself.’

chronizei ho kurios mou erchesthai ‘my master is a long time in coming.’ For chronizō (here with the infinitive) cf. on 1.21.

kai arxētai tuptein tous paidas kai tas paidiskas ‘and (when) he begins to beat the menservants and womenservants,’ dependent on ean. tuptō (cf. on 6.29) here has a more general meaning, i.e. ‘to bully,’ cf. New English Bible.

paidiskē (also 22.56) ‘maid,’ ‘servant-girl,’ ‘woman-servant.’

esthiein te kai pinein kai methuskesthai ‘to eat and drink, and to get drunk,’ dependent on arxētai. esthiein te kai pinein is one phrase and denotes gluttony (cf. on 7.33 where a different meaning prevails).

methuskomai ‘to get drunk.’

(V. 46) ho kurios tou doulou ekeinou ‘the master of that slave,’ emphatic repetition of ho doulos ekeinos in v. 45.

en hēmera hē ou prosdoka ‘on a day on which he does not expect (him to return).’ For prosdokaō cf. on 1.21.

kai en hōra hē ou ginōskei ‘and at a time at which he does not know,’ i.e. he had not been informed about the time of his master’s return.

kai dichotomēsei auton ‘and will cut him in two,’ as execution of death penalty.

kai to meros autou meta tōn apistōn thēsei lit. ‘and (he) will put his share with the unbelievers,’ i.e. ‘will make him share the lot of the unbelievers’ with implicit reference to the final judgment. apistos, cf. on 9.41.

meros ‘part,’ here ‘share,’ ‘lot,’ ‘allotted place,’ ‘place of destiny.’

Translation:

V. 45 expresses a suppositional case: ‘but suppose now…’; v. 46 is to be introduced then by a consecutional connective, e.g. ‘so, then’ (Trukese).

Says to himself, or ‘says in his heart,’ ‘thinks.’

My master is delayed in coming, or, describing the verb, ‘my master does not come (home) quickly/shortly, or, stays away fairly long’; or, ‘it will take a long time before my master returns.’

Beat, probably with hand or stick.

Menservants and maidservants, or, ‘servants, both men and women.’

To eat and drink and get drunk here refers to feasting. In Chuukeseexcessive eating and drinking is expressed by reduplicated forms of the verbs, and “get drunk” by ‘become-foolish.’

(V. 46) On a day when he does not expect him, or, ‘does not await him, or, does not think he will come.’

At an hour he does not know closely parallels the preceding phrase, using a more specific indication of time, and a verb that, in this context, is rather synonymous with ‘to expect.’ Hence the two phrases can better be combined in some languages, cf. e.g. ‘at a day and an hour that are not to-be-known’ (Balinese), ‘at an hour when his heart is forgetful, and he is not expecting him.’

Will punish him, preferably, ‘will punish him by death (or, very severely)’; or in languages that prefer to make explicit indirect agency, ‘will have him punished (or, will order someone to punish him) severely/by death.’

Put him with the unfaithful (preferably, ‘the unbelievers’), or, ‘put him where the unbelievers are, or, in the same place as the unbelievers,’ ‘let him suffer what the unbelievers suffer.’ The term ‘unbelievers,’ i.e. those who do not believe in the God of Israel, refers to the non-Jews in general; hence some versions render ‘heathen’ (Bible de Jérusalem, Bahasa Indonesia). For ‘to believe’ cf. the references on “faith” in 5.20; for ‘heathen’ cf. on “Gentiles” in 2.32.

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 12:46

12:46a–c

This verse tells what will happen to a servant who does what Jesus described in 12:45. In some languages it may be helpful to introduce this verse with a connecting word or phrase. For example:

then (NET Bible)
-or-
If that happens (Contemporary English Version)

The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate: The two phrases on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate both mean “at a time when the servant is not expecting his master to return.” The master returns earlier than the servant expected. If your language has parallel structures like this, it may be appropriate to use two different phrases here. But if it does not, it may be better to combine both clauses into one expression. For example:

on a day and at a time when he is not expecting him at all

12:46d

Then he will cut him to pieces: There are three ways to interpret the clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Then he will cut him to pieces:

(1) It is a figure of speech that refers to severe punishment. For example:

his master will punish him severely (God’s Word)

(Revised Standard Version, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

(2) It is a punishment that involved literally cutting a person into two or more pieces with a sword or saw. For example:

and will cut him in two (NET Bible)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New Living Translation (2004), Good News Translation, New Century Version, NET Bible)

(3) It is an idiom that meant he would be “cut off” or banished. For example:

will cut him off (New Jerusalem Bible)

(New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) because its meaning would include the other two interpretations. It also seems unlikely that Jesus was referring to literally cutting a person into pieces. It was certainly not a punishment that Jewish masters used on their servants. Since many versions follow the literal wording, it is suggested that you put interpretation (2) in a footnote. A suggested footnote is:

In Greek it says “cut him in two.” Many scholars think that this is a figurative expression that refers to severe punishment.

12:46e

and: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and here introduces a further explanation of 12:46d. By punishing the servant severely, the master would cause him to share the same fate as other unfaithful people. Other ways to express this connection are:

punish him severely and in this way he will share the fate of others who cannot be trusted
-or-
give him an extreme punishment so his situation/fate will be like other servants who were unfaithful

assign him a place with the unbelievers: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as assign him a place with is more literally “put his share with.” In this context it probably means “make him share the fate of.” Another way to translate this is:

make him share the fate of the disobedient (Good News Translation)

unbelievers: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as unbelievers is literally “faithless.” There are two main ways to interpret this word:

(1) It means unfaithful. These people are disobedient servants whom the master cannot trust. For example:

unfaithful people (God’s Word)
-or-
servants who cannot be trusted (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
others who don’t obey (New Century Version)

(New Living Translation (2004), Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, God’s Word, NET Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, New Jerusalem Bible)

(2) It means these people are unbelievers. They do not believe in God. For example:

the unbelievers (New American Standard Bible)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, New American Standard Bible, King James Version)

The Revised English Bible has “faithless,” which can be understood either way. If you must choose between the meanings, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), as do the majority of English versions. This fits the context of the parable better. See believe, Meaning 4, in the Glossary.

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