eternal life

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The Greek that is translated in English as “eternal life” is translated in various ways:

Lloyd Peckham explains the Mairasi translation: “In secret stories, not knowable to women nor children, there was a magical fruit of life. If referred to vaguely, without specifying the specific ‘fruit,’ it can be an expression for eternity.”

See also eternity / forever and salvation.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Eternal Life in John .

complete verse (Luke 18:30)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 18:30:

  • Noongar: “he will get much more in these days, and after, he will get eternal life.'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “that person will receive many times his return/reward in this world. And in the future he will also receive eternal life.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “really, God will reward him as long as he is here in this world with more yet than what he has left behind and he will be given life without end there in the afterworld.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “the reward which God will give him will be very great, while he is still on earth. And in the future, at the time when God judges, he will be given life without end.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “far-away more is what God will give him in this life. And also in the future moreover, he will also be given life that has no end.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “For it’s really certain that he will receive much more in this life. And there in the second life, life which is without ending will be his too.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

age / (for)ever / eternity / eternal / permanent / of old / long ago

The Greek in the referenced verses that is typically translated as “age,” “(for)ever / eternity / eternal / permanent,” “of old / long ago” in English is translated in the German translation by Fridolin Stier (1989) consistenty as “world (or: “cosmic”) time” (Weltzeit).

Sarah Ruden (2021, p. lxii) explains the complexities of the translation of aiōn: “Trickiest of all [the words relating to time] is aion, most simply an ‘age’ or ‘era’ but sometimes denoting either the whole present world or the whole world to come. The same word can allude to all the limits of material existence (or to dangerous worldly distractions in particular), or to their absence in the eternal age to come. Looking forward, especially to ‘ages of ages’ (in the pattern of ‘King of Kings’), the meaning is ‘eternity.’”

Translation commentary on Luke 18:29 – 18:30

Exegesis:

amēn legō humin ‘truly I say to you,’ cf. on 3.8 and 4.24.

oudeis estin hos aphēken … hos ouchi mē apolabē… ‘there is no one who has given up … who will not receive…’ oudeis estin … hos is equivalent to an emphatic oudeis: ‘absolutely no one.’ The clause hos aphēken…, subordinate to the main clause, has the function of a conditional clause.

adelphous ‘brothers,’ implying sisters.

heneken tēs basileias tou theou ‘for the sake of the kingdom of God,’ i.e. in order to serve the cause of the kingdom.

(V. 30) (oudeis) … hos ouchi mē apolabē ‘(no one) who will not receive….’ Together with, and because of the preceding oudeis, ouchi mē serves to express a strongly positive assertion, which is in the nature of a promise. For apolambanō cf. on 6.34.

pollaplasiona ‘many times as much,’ ‘many times more.’

en tō kairō toutō ‘in this time,’ en tō aiōni tō erchomenō ‘in the coming age.’

zōēn aiōnion ‘eternal life,’ cf. on 10.25.

Translation:

There is no man who has left … who will not receive, or, ‘everybody who has left (or, if a man has left…, he) will be sure to receive…’; cf. also on 9.24.

House … children, cf. on 14.26. Each or some of the terms used may obligatorily be possessed. For parents see on 2.27.

For the sake of the kingdom of God, or shifting to a verbal clause ‘in order that God may rule (the world/people).’

(V. 30) Receive, or “get back” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation), ‘receive in return’ (Thai), ‘come to have in return,’ ‘be given in exchange’ (Tzeltal).

Manifold more, or, ‘many times as much’: the idioms used in Fulah and Uab Meto lit. mean ‘pile surpassing in quantity,’ and ‘in layers,’ respectively. The ellipsis may have to be filled out, .’.. more than he has left’ (Shona 1966), .’.. more than all he had, or, than all his family and property.’

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 18:30

18:30a

will fail to receive: See the note on 18:29b–30a for translation suggestions.

many times more: The phrase many times more implies a comparison. Jesus compared the reward the disciples will receive to what they left behind. The phrase indicates that what they will receive was far more valuable and greater than what they gave up to follow him. In some languages it may be necessary to make the comparison more explicit. For example:

many times as much ⌊as he left⌋
-or-
very much more ⌊than he gave up⌋

in this age: The phrase in this age is literally “in this time.” It refers to the present time while people are living on earth. Other ways to say it are:

in this life (New Century Version)
-or-
in this present life (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

18:30b

and in the age to come, eternal life: The phrase in the age to come refers to the time after a person has finished living on earth. The phrase eternal life was also used in 18:18, where the ruler asked Jesus what he should do to receive it. Here Jesus assured the disciples that people who left what they had for the sake of God’s kingdom will receive eternal life. After they die, they will live forever with God.

This is the final clause of a long sentence. In some languages it may be best to repeat the subject and verb of the clause. For example:

And in the future world they will have eternal life. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
And in the age that is coming, they will have life forever. (New Century Version)
-or-
They will also live forever with God after they die.

General Comments on 18:29–30

In these verses Jesus spoke about the people who left home and family for him. He used third person forms: “he, she, the one(s), anyone/everyone.” Peter and the other disciples were some of the people whom Jesus was talking about. So in some languages it may be more natural to use “you(plur)” in these verses. For example:

Jesus said to the disciples, “I tell you(plur) the truth, none of you(plur) who have left home, wives, brothers, parents, or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come you(plur) will receive eternal life.”

In some languages it may be more natural to use more than one sentence. For example:

Jesus said to the disciples, “I tell you(plur) the truth, some of you(plur) have left your homes. Some have left wives, brothers, parents, or children. Anyone who has done this for the sake of the kingdom of God will certainly receive many times as much in this age. Then in the age to come you(plur) will receive eternal life.”

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