complete verse (Luke 12:47)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 12:47:

  • Noongar: “If a servant knows what his master wants him to do, but is not ready to do this, he will be punished with much beating.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “‘The slave who knows the desires of his nobleman, but he is not watchful and he does not do the desires of his nobleman, that slave is definitely severely beaten.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “‘If the servant knows as to what his master wants him to do but he does not get ready and does it, he will be beaten/whipped a lot.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Now as for that servant who already knows what his master wants him to do but he does not get ready and he does not obey what his master wanted him to do, now he will not escape a severe beating by his master.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘The servant who knows what his master wants him to do, but he doesn’t begin to fulfil it, he will be punished with many strokes (of the whip).” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Think about this, that the slave who knows the will of his master but ignores it, it’s certain that heavy punishment is what he will receive.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 12:47 – 12:48

Exegesis:

ekeinos de ho doulos ‘but that servant…,’ referring forward to ho gnous, etc., and to be distinguished from the one to whom vv. 43, 45f refer.

ho gnous to thelēma tou kuriou autou ‘who did know what his master wants.’

thelēma ‘will,’ i.e. what is willed, here of that which one wants to be brought about by somebody else.

kai mē hetoimasas ē poiēsas pros to thelēma autou ‘and who has not made preparations or acted according to what he wants.’ autou refers to tou kuriou. For pros. For hetoimazō cf. on 1.17.

darēsetai pollas (scil. plēgas) ‘will be beaten with many (strokes),’ hence ‘severely’ (cf. New English Bible).

derō ‘to beat,’ here with accusative of content.

(V. 48a) ho de mē gnous ‘but he who did not know,’ i.e. ‘what his master wants,’ with to thelēma tou kuriou autou understood from v. 47.

poiēsas de axia plēgōn ‘but who did what deserves strokes,’ i.e. what deserves punishment. plēgē, cf. on 10.30.

darēsetai oligas (scil. plēgas) ‘will be beaten with few (strokes),’ hence ‘lightly.’

Translation:

Again a change in the sentence structure may be preferable, e.g. ‘if a servant knows…, he will receive….’

Did not make ready or act according to his will. Where the verbs to be used are obligatorily transitive one may say, ‘did not make ready or do what he (i.e. his master) wanted him to do.’

Shall receive a severe beating. Such constructions with ‘receive’ can often be rendered as passives, e.g. ‘will be beaten severely,’ then, with a further shift, ‘his master will beat him severely.’ For indirect agency cf. the remark on v. 46. Beating here probably refers to beating with a stick or whip.

(V. 48a) He, referring to another hypothetical servant.

Did what deserved a beating, or, ‘did what is repaid/punished with blows’ (cf. Yao), ‘did something that properly brings (lit. causes-to-come) blows’ (Bahasa Indonesia RC); or introducing a reference to the person to be beaten, ‘did things for which he deserved a beating, or, ought to be beaten,’ ‘acted so that his master must beat him,’ etc., see above.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 12:47

Paragraph 12:47–48

12:47

This verse states a general principle. It does not refer to a particular action in the past. Use a natural way in your language to state this general principle. For example:

If servants are not ready or willing to do what their master wants them to do, they will be beaten hard. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Servants who know their master’s will but do not get themselves ready or do it will receive many blows.
-or-
As for a servant who knows his master’s will but does not do it, he will receive a severe beating.

12:47a

That servant who knows his master’s will: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as That servant refers to a type of servant that Jesus was about to mention. Jesus was referring to any servant who knew what his master wanted or told him to do. In some languages it may be more natural to use a different form to refer to a servant or servants in general. For example:

a servant who knows what the master wants (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
servants who know what their master wants them to do

12:47b

but does not get ready: In this context the phrase does not get ready means “does not prepare for the master’s return.”

or: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as or introduces a second thing that the servant does not do. The servant does not get ready and he does not do what his master wants.

follow his instructions: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as follow his instructions is literally “do his master’s will,” as in 12:47a. The Berean Standard Bible has varied the translation for stylistic reasons. You may use the same expression if that is good style in your language. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

obey his master
-or-
fulfill his master’s desires

General Comment on 12:47b

In some languages it may be more natural to reverse the order of the two verb phrases in this part of the verse. For example:

and does not obey his master or prepare for his return

12:47c

will be beaten with many blows: This is a passive verb phrase. It refers to someone being struck many times with a whip (or possibly a stick). Some ways to translate it are:

• With a passive verb. For example:

will be whipped with many blows/strokes

• With an active verb. For example:

will receive a severe beating (New Revised Standard Version)

• If it is necessary to specify an actor, the implied actor is either the master or someone else whom the master orders to whip him. For example:

⌊his master⌋ will give him a severe whipping
-or-

⌊his master will cause/order someone to⌋ beat him with many blows

Translate this in a way that is most natural in your language.

General Comment on 12:47a–c

12:47a–b describe a condition or situation that will lead to a particular result (12:47c). In some languages it may be more natural to state 12:47a–b as a conditional (if) clause. For example:

If servants do not obey their master or prepare for him to return, they will receive many lashes with the whip.

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