complete verse (Luke 14:30)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 14:30:

  • Noongar: “They will say, ‘This man began building a house but he couldn’t do it!'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “they will say: ‘Ii, what’s-his-name wanted to build a big house but actually he did not have enough money!'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “They (will) say, ‘This person is able to start putting up a house but cannot finish it.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And they will say to each other, ‘It would have been better if he had not set up the posts of that house, because it’s evident that he cannot afford to continue.’ ‘” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “saying, ‘E (mocking exclamation), look at that, would-you! He only started and he isn’t able-to-continue-it.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “They will say, ‘Expl., just spikes set in the sky!’ (idiom for frame of house left incompleted). Therefore the one who wants to submit to me, he must think about it well first.” (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 14:30

14:30

saying: The verb saying introduces an example of the things that people might say in this situation. It does not imply that everyone said the same words or that they spoke at the same time. One way to make this clear is:

They will say things like

This man: In this context, the expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as This man is a mocking way to refer to someone. Try to use an expression in your language that shows that people are ridiculing someone. Various English versions use expressions such as “fool” and “this fellow” (New Revised Standard Version) and “that guy.” See the Display for some further suggestions.

could not finish what he started to build: In some languages it may be necessary to supply an object for at least one of the verbs. For example:

began to build ⌊this tower⌋

In other languages, it may be more natural to say only “began it” and leave the words “to build” implied. Consider what is clear and natural in your language.

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