law

The Greek, Hebrew, and Ge’ez that is translated in English as “Law” or “law” is translated in Mairasi as oro nasinggiei or “prohibited things” (source: Enggavoter 2004) and in Noongar with a capitalized form of the term for “words” (Warrinya) (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

In Yucateco the phrase that is used for “law” is “ordered-word” (for “commandment,” it is “spoken-word”) (source: Nida 1947, p. 198) and in Central Tarahumara it is “writing-command.” (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)

In a 1922 translation into Chagatai, a precursor language of both Uzbek and Uighur, it is translated with the Arabic loan word shari’at (شريعت), originally meaning “(Islamic) law (Shari’a).” (Source: F. Erbay and F.N. Küçükballı in Acta Theologica 2025 45/2, p. 133ff. )

See also teaching / law (of God) (Japanese honorifics).

Translation commentary on Luke 16:16

Exegesis:

ho nomos kai hoi prophētai mechri Iōannou lit. ‘the law and the prophets (were) until John.’ No connexion with what precedes or with what follows (vv. 17f) is indicated or suggested. ho nomos kai hoi prophētai is a well known phrase denoting the old covenant, or the Old Testament (cf. e.g. Acts 13.15; 28.23; Mt. 5.17). The clause states that the old covenant existed and had authority until John the Baptist.

apo tote hē basileia tou theou euaggelizetai ‘from then the (good news of the) kingdom of God has been preached.’ euaggelizetai in the present tense implies that the preaching has been going on and is still going on, cf. on 4.43. The emphasis is here on hē basileia tou theou as the new situation that exists since John the Baptist.

kai pas eis autēn biazetai ‘and everyone forces his way into it,’ i.e. everyone tried hard to enter it, in response to the proclaiming of the kingdom.

biazomai here ‘to enter forcibly,’ ‘to force one’s way into.’

Translation:

The law and the prophets, or, ‘what is written in the law and the books of the prophets,’ ‘the law and the words of the prophets,’ ‘what the law commands and the prophets say.’ For law see 2.22.

Were until John, or, ‘up to the time J. came,’ not including the time of John’s ministry. A more specific rendering of the verb may be necessary, e.g. ‘were preached’ (Fulah), ‘were important to believe/obey’ (Tzeltal), ‘were valid.’

Since then, or, ‘beginning at that moment’ (Toraja-Sa’dan).

The good news of the kingdom of God is preached, see on 4.43. The passive has probably been used here to leave the agent ambiguous, but where an active construction is required and the translator is compelled to name an agent, it is probably best to say, ‘I preach the good news….’

Enters it violently. The pronoun refers to the ‘kingdom of God,’ but now taken in its locative sense; hence ‘fights to get into that place, or, into the place where God rules,’ and cf. ‘all people do great effort to enter God’s hand (i.e. in order that He rule them)’ (a San Miguel El Grande Mixtec dialect).

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 16:16

Paragraph 16:16–18

16:16a

The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John is literally “The law and the prophets until John.” There is no verb in the Greek expression. Most English versions have supplied a verb to clarify the meaning. This Greek expression implies at least two ideas:

(a) It implies that the law and prophets “were in effect and had authority” until John came. For example:

The Law of Moses and the writings of the prophets were in effect up to the time of John the Baptist. (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004), Good News Translation, God’s Word, New Revised Standard Version, NET Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

(b) It implies that the law and prophets “were preached/proclaimed” until John came. For example:

The law of Moses and the writings of the prophets were preached until John came. (New Century Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New Century Version, New International Version, New American Standard Bible)

You may express either of these ideas or a combination of the two. One way to express both ideas is:

Before the time of John, the Jewish people were taught to follow the Law of Moses and the books that the prophets wrote.

If you cannot use a passive verb such as “were taught/proclaimed,” you may use an active verb and supply a subject such as “the Jewish leaders.” For example:

The leaders of the Jews taught people to obey the Law of Moses and the writings of the prophets.

It may be natural in your language to place the time phrase until John at the beginning of the sentence. For example:

Until John the Baptist, the law of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. (New Living Translation (2004))

In some languages this order may result in a better contrast between until John in 16:16a and “Since that time” in 16:16b. Consider what order would be more natural in your language.

The Law and the Prophets: The phrase The Law and the Prophets refers to two of the divisions of the Old Testament, the Law ⌊of Moses⌋ and ⌊the Writings/Books of⌋ the Prophets. In many languages it will be necessary to use more explicit phrases like this. See the preceding Good News Translation example under (a) in 16:16a.

The Jews sometimes used the expression The Law and the Prophets to refer to the whole Old Testament, the Hebrew Scriptures. Jesus used it in that way here. Consider putting this information in a footnote. For example:

The Jews often used the expression “the Law and the Prophets” to refer to the whole Old Testament. That is its meaning here.

Prophets: In this context the word Prophets refers to the writings of the prophets in the OT. These prophets were men and women who spoke on behalf of God. They told people what God revealed to them. Later these words were written and became part of the OT Scriptures.

The word Prophets also occurs at 13:28b. See also prophet in the Glossary.

until John: The name John refers to John the Baptist. He preached and baptized just before Jesus began to preach and baptize. See Luke 3:1–23. There are two ways to interpret the phrase until John:

(1) It means “up to but not including John.” Another way to translate this phrase is:

before the time of John the Baptizer

(2) It means “up to and including John.”

English versions are ambiguous. If it is not possible to translate ambiguously, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most scholars. John did not represent the Old Covenant. He preached the good news, as Jesus did at the beginning of his ministry (see 3:18).

16:16b

Since that time: The phrase Since that time probably refers to the general time of John the Baptist’s ministry and after.

the gospel of the kingdom of God is being preached: In Greek, this clause consists of five words: a subject the kingdom of God and a verb “good-news-is-being-preached.” The Notes will discuss the meaning of this clause in terms of normal English grammar and word order.

The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as is being preached is a passive verb. If it is necessary to use an active verb in your language, here are some ways to translate it:

• Supply a general subject if possible. For example:

some/people are preaching the good news

• Supply a more specific subject like “I” or “we(excl).” Such a subject implies that Jesus himself or he and others like his disciples were preaching the good news. For example:

⌊I⌋ have been preaching the good news
-or-
we(excl) have been proclaiming the good news

See the notes on 4:43a and 8:1b, where almost identical expressions occur.

the gospel…is being preached: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the gospel…is being preached means to publicly tell people good news. Some other ways to translate the gospel…is being preached are:

the good/sweet news…is being announced
-or-
good news…is being preached
-or-
the message/report…that causes joy is being told

Be sure that the term you choose does not refer only to a news report or to a story that is not true.

the gospel of the kingdom of God: The phrase the gospel of the kingdom of God means “the good news about God’s kingdom/reign.” The phrase the kingdom of God usually refers to God’s activity of ruling and caring for his people as their king. It does not refer to a literal land or country that he rules. Other ways to translate this whole phrase are:

the good news concerning God’s reign/rule
-or-
the sweet message about God’s chieftaincy

In some languages it may be necessary to translate kingdom with a verb and supply an object. If that is true in your language, some ways to translate it are:

the good/sweet news about God ruling ⌊his people⌋
-or-
the message/report that causes joy. This message is about God reigning ⌊over his people⌋

16:16c

everyone is forcing his way into it: The clause everyone is forcing his way into it probably refers to the many people who were accepting the good news. They desired very strongly to have God as their king. They were trying hard to enter God’s kingdom. For example:

everyone is trying hard to get in (Contemporary English Version)

everyone: The word everyone in this context is a figure of speech (hyperbole). It is a deliberate exaggeration that refers to the many people who were trying to enter the kingdom of God. If hyperbole is not correctly understood in your language, you may translate the meaning directly. For example:

eager multitudes (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
many people

into it: The pronoun it refers here to the kingdom of God. English versions translate this phrase in a way that implies that the kingdom of God is a place that people can enter. Although the phrase “kingdom of God” does not usually refer to a place (see the note on 16:16b), it may have that sense here. You will need to translate this phrase in a way that fits your translation of “kingdom of God” in 16:16b. Some ways to do this are:

enter ⌊the place of⌋ his/God’s rule
-or-
be subjects in his/God’s kingdom
-or-
join those whom he/God rules

© 2009, 2010, 2013 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.