complete verse (Luke 14:29)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 14:29:

  • Noongar: “If he doesn’t have enough money, and he starts building the house, but afterwards he must stop, all the people seeing what happened, they will tease him.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “Because if he goes ahead and puts in the foundation-stone and does not finish building because his money is gone, all the people who see will laugh at him,” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “For if you (pl.) do not calculate first, all the people who see it will finally make fun of you (pl.) when you (pl.) have put up the posts but do not have (the means) to finish it.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Because if he does not calculate the money he’ll have to spend, he might just be able to set up the posts and that’s all. And the many people who see that will just smile and make fun of him because what was supposed to be a house, turned out only to be some posts stuck in the ground.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because if he doesn’t calculate it and-meanwhile his money doesn’t suffice, later the house-posts only will be finished and he won’t be able-to-continue-it. Surely all who see, they will laugh at him” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “For maybe that’s as far as it will go, just the framework will be put up. He won’t be able to complete it. Well, he will be made a laughing-stock by each who sees.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 14:29 – 14:30

Exegesis:

hina mēpote … pantes hoi theōrountes arxōntai autō empaizein ‘lest surely … all the onlookers began to make fun of him,’ syntactically a final clause in the subjunctive, dependent upon v. 28, describing what would happen if the answer to the question of v. 28 were not in the negative. hina mēpote is somewhat stronger than hina mē. mēpote 2.b.α and on 12.58. For theōreō cf. on 10.18.

empaizō with dative ‘to mock,’ ‘to ridicule,’ ‘to make fun of.’

thentos autou themelion kai mē ischuontos ektelesai ‘when he has laid the foundation and (then) is unable to finish,’ temporal clause in the genitive absolute. The aorist tense of thentos denotes a fact preceding that denoted by ischuontos in the present tense. For themelios and ischuō cf. on 6.48.

ekteleō ‘to complete,’ ‘to finish.’

(V. 30) houtos ho anthrōpos ‘this man,’ with a note of contempt, cf. Plummer.

ērxato oikodomein kai ouk ischusen ektelesai ‘began to build but was unable to finish,’ aorist tense expressing that the onlookers regard the story as an event of the past.

Translation:

Changing the structure of this sentence one may say, ‘if not (or, if he does not do so), it may happen (that) he lays the foundation but is not able to finish its-building; then all who see….’

To lay a foundation, or, ‘to place/make/build the base, or, the supporting stones/beams, or, what is to support it (i.e. the tower).’

Finish, or, ‘finish it (i.e. the tower).’ The verb is synonymous with ‘complete’ in v. 28.

To mock, or, ‘to make fun of,’ ‘to laugh at.’ Some languages prefer to use here a distinctive term in accordance with the specific kind of mockery indicated in the next verse, e.g. ‘to jeer/taunt.’

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 14:29

14:29a

Otherwise: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Otherwise is literally “lest,” as in versions such as the King James Version. It introduces a situation the builder should wish to avoid. Consider how to express this situation in a natural way in your language.

if he lays the foundation and is unable to finish the work: This verse part contains some implied reasoning. The steps in the reasoning are:

(a) ⌊If he does not calculate the cost, and⌋

(b) ⌊if he does not have enough money,⌋

(c) then he will lay and foundation, and

(d) he will not be able to finish the rest of the building.

In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit one or more of the implied steps in the reasoning.

lays the foundation: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as lays the foundation is literally “places/puts the foundation.” The foundation supports the tower. It could also be called the “base” or the “support” of the tower.

If building methods are different in your region, you could adapt this illustration to fit your culture. Describe here what a man would do to build a house that was sturdy and strong. For example, where houses are built of wood and supported by posts, you could say:

he sets the house posts in place

An almost identical phrase “laid the foundation” occurs in 6:48b.

unable to finish the work: The word work refers to the rest of the building—everything besides the foundation. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

not able to continue ⌊building the rest of it⌋
-or-
not able to finish the building

14:29b

ridicule: The word ridicule means to laugh at or make fun of someone, to try to say something that will make him ashamed.

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