Translation commentary on Luke 22:27

Exegesis:

tis gar meizōn ‘for who is greater?’ As shown by what follows the standard by which to answer this question is that of the normal situation in life, to which the situation of Jesus is contrasted.

ho anakeimenos ē ho diakonōn ‘the one who reclines at table, or the one who serves (at table)?’ For anakeimai cf. on 5.25 (katakeimai with which it is synonymous).

ouchi ‘is it not?,’ interrogative particle suggesting an answer in the affirmative.

egō de ‘but I (who am your master).’

en mesō humōn ‘in your midst,’ ‘among you.’

eimi hōs ho diakonōn ‘I am like the one who serves,’ takes up ho diakonōn in the preceding clause but leads back to the general idea of service in v. 26.

Translation:

The structure of the first sentence may have to be recast, e.g. ‘when there is (or, when you compare) one who … and one who…, which of the two is greater (than the other), or, which of them is great, which is not great?’

Who serves (first occurrence), same term as used in vv. 26 and 27b, but with the more restricted meaning it has also in 12.37c, ‘who waits upon (him) at the meal,’ ‘who serves the meal, or, the food’ (Shona 1966).

Is it not?, or in the affirmative, “surely” (New English Bible), “of course” (Good News Translation)

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 22:27

22:27a–b

In this verse Jesus again emphasized that his disciples must be great in a different way from worldly rulers. Those rulers seek greatness by demanding honor and obedience. Jesus’ disciples must follow his example and lead people by serving them.

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces two rhetorical questions and a statement that contrasts with it. What Jesus said in this verse supports what he said in 22:25–26. Many English versions also translate the conjunction as “For” or do not have a conjunction. Translate the verse so that it supports 22:25–26 in a natural way in your language.

who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines?: The two questions in this verse are rhetorical questions. Jesus used these questions to help his disciples to think carefully about what he was teaching. The second question gives the answer to the first question.

Some ways to translate these questions are:

• As two rhetorical questions. For example:

For who is the greater: the one at table or the one who serves? The one at table, surely? (New Jerusalem Bible)

• As a combination of questions, statements, or requests. For example:

Now…who is the greatest? Is it the one who sits down to eat or is it the servant who serves him? Well certainly the one who is greatest is the one who sits down.
-or-

⌊Think about⌋ who is greater, the person sitting at the table or the one who serves ⌊him⌋. The person sitting at the table is greater.

Jesus indicated here that it is natural to think that great people are the ones whom other people serve. He used rhetorical questions to prepare his disciples for what he wanted to tell them in 22:27c: He himself was an example of a different kind of greatness. He showed his greatness by serving others.

the one who reclines at the table: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the one who reclines at the table is literally “the one who is reclining.” It refers to a person who is eating/dining. The Greek text does not mention a table explicitly. The Berean Standard Bible supplied this word because it is common for many people in Western cultures to sit at tables to eat. Use a natural way in your language to refer to a person who is eating a meal. Other ways to translate the phrase are:

the one who sits down to eat (Good News Translation)
-or-
the one who is at the table (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
the person relaxing as ⌊a servant brings⌋ his dinner

For more information, see the note on “reclined at the table” at 22:14b.

the one who serves: The phrase the one who serves refers to a person who serves a meal. He brings the food to the people at the table. In that culture this task was usually done by a servant. In some cultures it is always the host or hostess who brings the food to the others. If that is true in your culture, you may need to make it explicit that Jesus was referring to a servant. For example:

the servant ⌊who brings him his food⌋

22:27c

But I am among you as one who serves: Here the phrase But I is emphatic. It introduces a contrast with the rulers in 22:25. Jesus contrasted the way he led his disciples with the way that Gentile rulers led people. Jesus led his disciples by serving and helping them. He did not have the attitude of the Gentile leaders, who lorded it over their people.

In some languages it may be necessary to supply some implied information to make the contrast clear. For example:

But ⌊although I am your leader⌋, I am like a servant among you.
-or-
but in spite of that, I your master, I am like a person who serves you.

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