Translation commentary on Luke 7:33

Exegesis:

elēluthen gar Iōannēs ho baptistēs ‘for John the Baptist came.’ gar implies that vv. 33f bring the application of v. 32. The perfect tense of elēluthen suggests that John’s coming has created a situation which still exists and in connexion with which people have still to make up their mind.

mē esthiōn arton mēte pinōn oinon ‘not eating bread nor drinking wine.’ Semantically the participial clause carries the main weight in the sentence, because it describes John’s way of life, and it is this way of life which calls forth people’s reaction. In v. 34 the same participial clause occurs without arton and oinon (cf. also Mt. 11.18f, where arton and oinon do not appear at all), and this short form appears to be the basic form of the saying. In its negative form it describes the way of life of an ascetic, and in its positive form (v. 34) it refers to normal, non-ascetic life. arton and oinon are added for stylistic reasons.

kai legete ‘and you say.’ In the present context this is addressed to ‘the crowds’ that are there (v. 24), but the reference is to ‘the men of this generation’ (v. 31) in general.

daimonion echei ‘he has a demon,’ i.e. ‘he is in the power of a demon,’ ‘he is possessed,’ cf. on 4.33.

Translation:

Has come. The verb may have to be repeated with the second participle, as in Marathi.

Eating no bread and drinking no wine may better become the main clause, cf. e.g. ‘when John … came, he ate no bread/food’ etc. (cf. An American Translation). If the hyperbolic negation would be misunderstood one may say, ‘he suffered hunger and thirst,’ or, “he fasted (cf. references on 2.37) and drank no wine” (Good News Translation). For eat and drink cf. on 5.30 and 33; for bread and wine see references on 4.3 and 1.15.

He has a demon, cf. references on demon possession in 4.33.

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 7:33

7:33a

For: Verses 7:33–34 explain how “the people of this generation” are like the children of 7:32. The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For here indicates this connection. Use a natural way in your language to make this connection clear. For example:

In the same way (Translator’s Reference Translation)

In some languages it may be necessary or helpful to make this connection more explicit. For example:

⌊This generation of people is like them⌋ because
-or-

⌊These children represent how people are acting today. I say this⌋ because

John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine: This part of the verse indicates that John did not eat normal food during the time when he was living and preaching in the wilderness. He lived like that in order to express his dedication to God.

In this context the word came is used in a general way to describe the time when John was preaching in the wilderness. It introduces the way John usually lived. It does not indicate that John the Baptizer came to a particular place. In some languages a literal translation may imply a wrong meaning. If that is true in your language, here are some other ways to translate this:

For John the Baptist had the custom of not eating bread or drinking wine
-or-
John the Baptist did not go around eating and drinking (Contemporary English Version)

neither eating bread: There are two ways to interpret the word bread and the meaning of the phrase neither eating bread in this context:

(1) The word bread refers to the usual daily food of the Jews, which was bread. So the phrase neither eating bread indicates that John did not eat normal food. Mark 1:6 records that he ate locusts and wild honey. One way to translate this is:

not eating the usual food

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, King James Version, Revised English Bible, NET Bible, God’s Word, New Century Version)

(2) The word bread refers to food in general. So neither eating bread refers to his custom of frequent fasting. This does not mean that John never ate food. For example:

he fasted (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, New Living Translation (1996))

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), since it is followed by the majority of English versions. Also, the Pharisees also fasted, so it would not be a likely reason for them to say, “He has a demon!”

If bread is not the usual food of ordinary people in your culture, it may be necessary to add some implied information. For example:

he did not eat ⌊normal food such as⌋ bread

However, in some languages this example might wrongly imply that John ate better or more expensive food than bread. If that is true in your language, you may need to say something like:

he ⌊chose to eat the simplest of food⌋ and did not ⌊even⌋ eat bread or drink wine
-or-
he chose to go without ⌊even⌋ bread and wine

wine: The word wine refers to an alcoholic drink. It is made from the juice of a fruit called grapes. When grape juice ferments, it becomes wine.

In some areas, people may not be familiar with grapes or with wine. If that is true in your area, some other ways to translate wine are:

• Use a general term for an alcoholic drink.

• Use a specific term that can also be used to refer to alcoholic drinks in general. For example:

millet beer
-or-
palm wine
-or-
something like palm wine

• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:

fruit juice/water
-or-
grape juice
-or-
fermented grape juice

Wine was a common drink among the Jews. But too much wine could make a person drunk. The angel Gabriel had told John’s father that John must never drink wine. (See 1:15.)

7:33b

and: The word and here has the meaning “and as a result.” John’s custom of not eating bread or drinking wine is what caused these people to conclude that he had a demon. Translate this connection in a way that is natural in your language.

you say, ‘He has a demon!’: The form of the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as you say is plural. In this part of the verse, Jesus spoke directly to the people who rejected him and John.

The words He has a demon indicate that the people rejected John. They did not believe that he was God’s messenger. If this is not clear in your language, you may need to make it explicit. For example:

…you ⌊rejected him⌋ saying, ‘He has a demon.’

The words He has a demon are a quotation within another quotation. In some languages, it may be more natural to use indirect speech. For example:

you say that he has a demon

He has a demon: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as He has a demon usually indicates that an evil spirit controlled a person’s thoughts and actions. When the religious leaders said that John had a demon, they meant that he did not act like a normal person. In this context the meaning is not that he was evil.

Some ways to translate this are:

• Translate the literal meaning that a demon was controlling him. Use a natural expression in your language. For example:

He’s possessed by a demon. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
He has a demon in him! (Good News Translation)
-or-
An evil spirit has fastened on him.
-or-
An evil spirit is riding him.

• Translate the expression in a more general way. For example:

He acts as if a demon is controlling him.
-or-
He is insane.

demon: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as demon has the same meaning as the phrase that is often translated literally as “evil spirit.” The term “evil spirits” occurred earlier in this chapter at 7:21. See the note on “evil spirits” at 7:21a.

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