independentparticipialrelativepurposecausecontentconditionalphrase modifierdashed = verbless / suspended
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The leaven of the Pharisees, whom to fear, and confessing the Son of Man 12:1–12
vv. 1–3 — the leaven under the trampling crowd: nothing stays covered
1
Ἐν οἷς ἐπισυναχθεισῶν τῶν μυριάδων τοῦ ὄχλου,participial — genitive absolute — forward-leaning on ἤρξατο; ἐν οἷς, 'meanwhile'; μυριάδες, Luke's biggest crowd
ὥστε καταπατεῖν ἀλλήλους,purpose — ὥστε + infinitive of result (typed pur; no result key) — the crush that measures the crowd
ἤρξατο λέγειν πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ πρῶτον·independent — ingressive ἤρξατο — the frame of vv. 1–12; πρῶτον: the disciples addressed over the crowd's heads (the crowd gets its turn at v. 54)
Προσέχετε ἑαυτοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς ζύμης, ἥτις ἐστὶν ὑπόκρισις, τῶν Φαρισαίων.content — the keynote — the explanatory ἥτις-parenthesis splits ζύμης from its genitive: the leaven named and defined before its owners
2
οὐδὲν δὲ συγκεκαλυμμένον ἐστὶνcontent — periphrastic perfect — the settled state of concealment
ὃ οὐκ ἀποκαλυφθήσεται,relative — hypocrisy's futility — ἀποκαλύπτω undoes συγκαλύπτω, word for word
καὶ κρυπτὸνcontent — elliptical — ἐστίν carried over from the first colon
ὃ οὐ γνωσθήσεται.relative — the parallel relative — divine passives throughout: God is the unveiler
3
ἀνθ' ὧν ὅσα ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ εἴπατε ἐν τῷ φωτὶ ἀκουσθήσεται,content — ἀνθ' ὧν, 'wherefore' — the fronted ὅσα-relative kept in line; darkness to light
καὶ ὃ πρὸς τὸ οὖς ἐλαλήσατε ἐν τοῖς ταμείοις κηρυχθήσεται ἐπὶ τῶν δωμάτων.content — whisper to rooftop — κηρύσσω, the verb of public preaching; the ταμεῖα, the house's most private rooms (cf. v. 24)
vv. 4–7 — whom to fear: not the body-killers but God — and yet, do not fear
4
Λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν τοῖς φίλοις μου,content — the λέγω-formula — φίλοι: the only place the Synoptic Jesus calls the disciples 'my friends' (cf. John 15:14); warmth frames the hard saying
μὴ φοβηθῆτε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποκτεινόντων τὸ σῶμαcontent — prohibitive aorist — φοβεῖσθαι ἀπό, a Septuagintism; the persecutor's whole power named at its worst
καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα μὴ ἐχόντων περισσότερόν τι ποιῆσαι.participial — coordinate substantival participle — killing exhausts them: the σῶμα is all they can reach
5
ὑποδείξω δὲ ὑμῖνcontent — ὑποδείκνυμι — the true object of fear formally introduced
τίνα φοβηθῆτε·content — deliberative subjunctive in indirect question
φοβήθητε τὸν μετὰ τὸ ἀποκτεῖναι ἔχοντα ἐξουσίαν ἐμβαλεῖν εἰς τὴν γέενναν·content — the answer — God, not the devil (who holds no such ἐξουσία); his power begins exactly where the killers' ends
ναί, λέγω ὑμῖν,content — ναί — the asseveration doubled before the command is repeated
τοῦτον φοβήθητε.content — resumptive τοῦτον fronted — the fear-command sealed
6
οὐχὶ πέντε στρουθία πωλοῦνται ἀσσαρίων δύο;content — οὐχί expects 'yes' — genitive of price: five for two coppers, the fifth thrown in free
καὶ ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπιλελησμένον ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ.content — periphrastic perfect — not even the makeweight sparrow slips God's mind
7
ἀλλὰ καὶ αἱ τρίχες τῆς κεφαλῆς ὑμῶν πᾶσαι ἠρίθμηνται.content — ascensive καί — perfect ἠρίθμηνται: the census of hairs already taken
μὴ φοβεῖσθε·content — the fear-command reversed — the God to be feared (v. 5) is the God who counts hairs
πολλῶν στρουθίων διαφέρετε.cause — asyndetic ground — genitive of comparison; the a fortiori from two-copper birds (διαφέρετε returns at v. 24)
vv. 8–12 — confession and denial before the angels; the Spirit blasphemed and the Spirit teaching
8
Λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν,content — the formula again — the fear-section's stakes now spelled out forensically
πᾶς ὃς ἂν ὁμολογήσῃ ἐν ἐμοὶ ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων,conditional — casus pendens (typed cnd) — the indefinite relative as virtual protasis, leaning forward on the apodosis; ὁμολογεῖν ἐν, the Semitic 'own, acknowledge'
καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὁμολογήσει ἐν αὐτῷ ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀγγέλων τοῦ θεοῦ·content — the apodosis — καί resuming the pendens; earth's courtroom answered in heaven's, before the angelic assize
9
ὁ δὲ ἀρνησάμενός με ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπαρνηθήσεται ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀγγέλων τοῦ θεοῦ.content — the dark mirror — intensive ἀπαρνηθήσεται, a divine passive; Peter's own verbs (22:34, 57) lie ahead
10
καὶ πᾶς ὃς ἐρεῖ λόγον εἰς τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου,conditional — casus pendens again (typed cnd), forward-leaning — a word against the Son of Man in his hiddenness
ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ·content — the apodosis — divine passive: even that word is pardonable
τῷ δὲ εἰς τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα βλασφημήσαντι οὐκ ἀφεθήσεται.content — the unforgivable — calling the Spirit's manifest work evil: the refusal that cannot be pardoned because it will not be
11
ὅταν δὲ εἰσφέρωσιν ὑμᾶς ἐπὶ τὰς συναγωγὰς καὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας,conditional — fronted ὅταν (typed cnd; no temporal key) — forward-leaning on μὴ μεριμνήσητε; Jewish and Gentile tribunals in one breath
μὴ μεριμνήσητεcontent — prohibitive aorist — μεριμνάω, the verb the anxiety-section (vv. 22–26) will take up
πῶς ἢ τί ἀπολογήσησθε ἢ τί εἴπητε·content — piled indirect deliberatives — ἀπολογέομαι, the courtroom's technical verb
12
τὸ γὰρ ἅγιον πνεῦμα διδάξει ὑμᾶς ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳcause — the ground — the Spirit just named as blasphemed (v. 10) is the advocate of the accused; ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ, the word delivered on time, not in advance
ἃ δεῖ εἰπεῖν.content — headless relative — the divine δεῖ set over the defense itself
The parable of the rich fool 12:13–21
vv. 13–15 — the inheritance request refused; the warning against covetousness
13
Εἶπεν δέ τις ἐκ τοῦ ὄχλου αὐτῷ·independent — the interruption — an anonymous voice out of the myriads of v. 1; a new flush-left frame
Διδάσκαλε, εἰπὲ τῷ ἀδελφῷ μουcontent — the request — Jesus invoked as a rabbi competent in inheritance law (Deut 21:17)
μερίσασθαι μετ' ἐμοῦ τὴν κληρονομίαν.content — complement infinitive — μερίζομαι, the family estate split; the man wants a verdict, not a teaching
14
ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτῷ·independent — the refusal's frame
Ἄνθρωπε, τίς με κατέστησεν κριτὴν ἢ μεριστὴν ἐφ' ὑμᾶς;content — the distancing Ἄνθρωπε — echoing Exod 2:14 ('who made you a ruler and judge?'); μεριστής picks up the man's μερίσασθαι
15
εἶπεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς·independent — the widened address — πρὸς αὐτούς: past the petitioner to the crowd
Ὁρᾶτε καὶ φυλάσσεσθε ἀπὸ πάσης πλεονεξίας,content — doubled imperative — πλεονεξία, the greed for more; πάσης: in every form, including the petitioner's
ὅτι οὐκ ἐν τῷ περισσεύειν τινὶ ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ἐκ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων αὐτῷ.cause — the ground and the parable's thesis — ζωή is not a function of τὰ ὑπάρχοντα; the maxim the story will dramatize
vv. 16–21 — the rich fool: the inner monologue, God's verdict, the application
16
Εἶπεν δὲ παραβολὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺςindependent — the parable-frame — the whole story hangs on the λέγων below
λέγων·participial — speech-participle — the parable's single peg
Ἀνθρώπου τινὸς πλουσίου εὐφόρησεν ἡ χώρα.content — the exposition — εὐφορέω, a NT hapax: the χώρα is the subject; the harvest is the land's doing, not the man's
17
καὶ διελογίζετο ἐν ἑαυτῷcontent — iterative imperfect — διαλογίζομαι ἐν ἑαυτῷ: the soliloquy of a man with no one to consult
λέγων·participial — the inner speech-frame — the fool's monologue opens
Τί ποιήσω,content — deliberative future — the same anxious question Luke's crowds ask sincerely (3:10, 12, 14)
ὅτι οὐκ ἔχω ποῦ συνάξω τοὺς καρπούς μου;cause — the ground of the perplexity — μου already: the land's yield (v. 16) has become 'my' crops
18
καὶ εἶπεν·content — the resolution's frame — deliberation hardens into plan
Τοῦτο ποιήσω·content — the answer to Τί ποιήσω — fronted τοῦτο, the plan announced
καθελῶ μου τὰς ἀποθήκαςcontent — the first future — καθαιρέω, demolition as the answer to abundance
καὶ μείζονας οἰκοδομήσω,content — the second — μείζονας: the only measure is 'more'
καὶ συνάξω ἐκεῖ πάντα τὸν σῖτον καὶ τὰ ἀγαθά μου,content — the third — πάντα … μου: the hoard complete; τὰ ἀγαθά, the 'goods' his soul will feed on
19
καὶ ἐρῶ τῇ ψυχῇ μου·content — the monologue plans a further monologue — the fool's only conversation partner is his ψυχή
Ψυχή, ἔχεις πολλὰ ἀγαθὰ κείμενα εἰς ἔτη πολλά·content — the address — πολλὰ … πολλά framing the line; κείμενα, goods 'lying there' as if time were stored with them
ἀναπαύου, φάγε, πίε, εὐφραίνου.content — four asyndetic imperatives — the creed of Eccl 8:15 / Isa 22:13 without its shadow; εὐφραίνου returns on the rich man of 16:19
20
εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ θεός·content — the counter-speech — God enters the parable at the same level as the fool's planning: the only dialogue the man gets
Ἄφρων,content — verbless vocative — ἄφρων, the Psalms' 'fool who says in his heart there is no God' (Ps 14:1)
ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ τὴν ψυχήν σου ἀπαιτοῦσιν ἀπὸ σοῦ·content — impersonal plural ἀπαιτοῦσιν read as a divine plural — ἀπαιτέω, to call in a loan: the ψυχή he addressed was borrowed; ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτί against εἰς ἔτη πολλά
ἃ δὲ ἡτοίμασας, τίνι ἔσται;content — the fronted relative kept in line — the question the man of v. 13 should hear: the hoard passes to an unknown τίς
21
οὕτως ὁ θησαυρίζων ἑαυτῷ καὶ μὴ εἰς θεὸν πλουτῶν.content — verbless application closing the parable — ἑαυτῷ against εἰς θεόν; printed with the majority against the Western omission (D, a); εἰς θεὸν πλουτεῖν anticipates vv. 33–34
Do not be anxious — ravens, lilies, the little flock — and keep watch 12:22–40
vv. 22–28 — do not be anxious: the ravens and the lilies
22
Εἶπεν δὲ πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ·independent — the turn back to the disciples — one frame for vv. 22–40: anxiety and watchfulness as a single speech
Διὰ τοῦτο λέγω ὑμῖν,content — διὰ τοῦτο — the parable drawn into a command: because life is not in possessions (v. 15)
μὴ μεριμνᾶτε τῇ ψυχῇcontent — the governing prohibition — present tense: no settled habit of worry; the fool's ψυχή-word carried over
τί φάγητε,content — deliberative indirect question — the fool's φάγε (v. 19) turned inside out
μηδὲ τῷ σώματι τί ἐνδύσησθε.content — elliptical coordinate — μεριμνᾶτε carried over; food and clothing, the two cares the section dismantles in turn
23
ἡ γὰρ ψυχὴ πλεῖόν ἐστιν τῆς τροφῆς καὶ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ ἐνδύματος.cause — the ground — the a fortiori premise: the giver of the greater (ψυχή, σῶμα) will supply the lesser
24
κατανοήσατε τοὺς κόρακαςcontent — the first look-imperative — κατανοέω, study closely; κόρακες, unclean birds (Lev 11:15) whom God feeds (Ps 147:9; Job 38:41)
ὅτι οὐ σπείρουσιν οὐδὲ θερίζουσιν,content — the observation — the agricultural economy absent
οἷς οὐκ ἔστιν ταμεῖον οὐδὲ ἀποθήκη,relative — dative-of-possession relative on τοὺς κόρακας — ἀποθήκη, the rich fool's own word (v. 18): the ravens lack precisely what he demolished to enlarge
καὶ ὁ θεὸς τρέφει αὐτούς·content — adversative καί inside the observation — the barnless birds are fed
πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὑμεῖς διαφέρετε τῶν πετεινῶν.content — the a fortiori — πόσῳ μᾶλλον; διαφέρετε echoes v. 7's sparrows
25
τίς δὲ ἐξ ὑμῶν μεριμνῶν δύναται ἐπὶ τὴν ἡλικίαν αὐτοῦ προσθεῖναι πῆχυν;content — worry's impotence — the participle of means kept in line; ἡλικία taken of lifespan (a 'cubit' of time), not stature
26
εἰ οὖν οὐδὲ ἐλάχιστον δύνασθε,conditional — first-class protasis, forward-leaning — the cubit reclassified as ἐλάχιστον: even 'small' additions to life are beyond you
τί περὶ τῶν λοιπῶν μεριμνᾶτε;content — the accusing τί — worry indicted by its own uselessness
27
κατανοήσατε τὰ κρίναcontent — the second look-imperative — the clothing-care answered by the wildflowers, as food was by the ravens
πῶς αὐξάνει·content — indirect question — singular verb with the neuter plural; effortless growth the object of study
οὐ κοπιᾷ οὐδὲ νήθει·content — asyndetic expansion — κοπιάω the field-labor, νήθω the spinning: the whole clothing-economy covered
λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν,content — the solemn heightening before the comparison
οὐδὲ Σολομὼν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ δόξῃ αὐτοῦ περιεβάλετο ὡς ἓν τούτων.content — the climax — royal magnificence (1 Kgs 10) outdone by a single wildflower
28
εἰ δὲ ἐν ἀγρῷ τὸν χόρτον ὄντα σήμερον καὶ αὔριον εἰς κλίβανον βαλλόμενον ὁ θεὸς οὕτως ἀμφιέζει,conditional — first-class protasis, forward-leaning — the lilies downgraded to χόρτος, fuel-grass; σήμερον/αὔριον, the fool's timetable in miniature
πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὑμᾶς, ὀλιγόπιστοι.content — elliptical apodosis — ἀμφιέζει supplied; ὀλιγόπιστοι: anxiety diagnosed as little faith
vv. 29–34 — seek the kingdom; fear not, little flock; treasure in the heavens
29
καὶ ὑμεῖς μὴ ζητεῖτεcontent — emphatic ὑμεῖς — the disciples set against the seeking world of v. 30
τί φάγητε καὶ τί πίητε,content — the deliberative pair — the fool's φάγε, πίε (v. 19) once more
καὶ μὴ μετεωρίζεσθε·content — μετεωρίζομαι — 'hang in mid-air': rendered of anxious suspense, not of pride; a NT hapax
30
ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τοῦ κόσμου ἐπιζητοῦσιν·cause — first ground — such striving is pagan: ἐπιζητέω, the intensive hunt, against the forbidden ζητεῖτε
ὑμῶν δὲ ὁ πατὴρ οἶδενcause — second ground — fronted ὑμῶν: 'your' Father, the anxiety-section's first naming of God as πατήρ
ὅτι χρῄζετε τούτων.content — the need acknowledged, not denied
31
πλὴν ζητεῖτε τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ,content — the counter-command — πλήν, Luke's strong 'rather'; αὐτοῦ read with the better witnesses against the rival τοῦ θεοῦ
καὶ ταῦτα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν.content — imperative + καί + future = promise — divine passive: God adds what worry could not (v. 25's προσθεῖναι)
32
Μὴ φοβοῦ, τὸ μικρὸν ποίμνιον·content — the tenderest line — singular φοβοῦ to a collective; nominative-for-vocative ποίμνιον: Israel's shepherd-imagery (Isa 41:14) for the small band
ὅτι εὐδόκησεν ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν δοῦναι ὑμῖν τὴν βασιλείαν.cause — the ground — aorist εὐδόκησεν: the good pleasure already decided; the sought kingdom (v. 31) turns out to be a gift
33
Πωλήσατε τὰ ὑπάρχοντα ὑμῶνcontent — the gift's consequence — τὰ ὑπάρχοντα, the very word of v. 15's maxim
καὶ δότε ἐλεημοσύνην·content — ἐλεημοσύνη — Luke's signature command (11:41; Acts 9:36; 10:2)
ποιήσατε ἑαυτοῖς βαλλάντια μὴ παλαιούμενα,content — the positive command — βαλλάντια, purses; the attributive participle kept in line
θησαυρὸν ἀνέκλειπτον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς,phrase modifier — apposition — ἀνέκλειπτος, never giving out; the rich fool's θησαυρίζων (v. 21) redirected
ὅπου κλέπτης οὐκ ἐγγίζει οὐδὲ σὴς διαφθείρει·relative — the local relative — the two enemies of stored wealth, burglar and moth, both barred; the κλέπτης returns at v. 39
34
ὅπου γάρ ἐστιν ὁ θησαυρὸς ὑμῶν, ἐκεῖ καὶ ἡ καρδία ὑμῶν ἔσται.cause — the heart-maxim as ground, kept whole — the treasure's location fixes the heart's; the hinge from possessions to watchfulness
vv. 35–40 — girded loins and burning lamps: the returning master, the serving master, the thief
35
Ἔστωσαν ὑμῶν αἱ ὀσφύες περιεζωσμέναι καὶ οἱ λύχνοι καιόμενοι,content — periphrastic perfect imperatives — the girded loins of Passover night (Exod 12:11); readiness as a standing state
36
καὶ ὑμεῖς ὅμοιοι ἀνθρώποιςcontent — verbless — ἔστε understood; the simile opens
προσδεχομένοις τὸν κύριον ἑαυτῶνparticipial — attributive participle — προσδέχομαι, expectant waiting; ὁ κύριος inside the picture, the Lord above it
πότε ἀναλύσῃ ἐκ τῶν γάμων,content — indirect question on the waiting — ἀναλύω, to cast off, break up camp; the hour unknown even in the parable
ἵνα ἐλθόντος καὶ κρούσαντος εὐθέως ἀνοίξωσιν αὐτῷ.purpose — the waiting's purpose — twin genitive absolutes packed inside the ἵνα; εὐθέως, the door opened on the first knock
37
μακάριοι οἱ δοῦλοι ἐκεῖνοι,content — verbless beatitude — the first of the section's two μακάριος-sayings (v. 38, v. 43)
οὓς ἐλθὼν ὁ κύριος εὑρήσει γρηγοροῦντας·relative — the finding-relative — γρηγορέω, the watch-word; the pattern ὃν ἐλθὼν … εὑρήσει returns at v. 43
ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖνcontent — the ἀμήν-formula — reserved for the astonishing promise that follows
ὅτι περιζώσεταιcontent — the reversal — the master takes the servants' girding (v. 35) upon himself; cf. 22:27 and John 13:4
καὶ ἀνακλινεῖ αὐτοὺςcontent — ἀνακλίνω — the slaves seated as banquet guests
καὶ παρελθὼν διακονήσει αὐτοῖς.content — διακονέω — the lord turned waiter: the eschatological banquet with the roles inverted
38
κἂν ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ κἂν ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ φυλακῇ ἔλθῃ καὶ εὕρῃ οὕτως,conditional — doubled κἄν protasis, forward-leaning — the Jewish night-watches: the dead hours when watching costs most
μακάριοί εἰσιν ἐκεῖνοι.content — the beatitude repeated — this time with its copula: the blessing holds at any hour
39
τοῦτο δὲ γινώσκετεcontent — the second picture keyed — from waiting servants to a householder surprised; fronted τοῦτο
ὅτι εἰ ᾔδει ὁ οἰκοδεσπότηςconditional — contrary-to-fact protasis, forward-leaning — the ὅτι of the content clause carried with it
ποίᾳ ὥρᾳ ὁ κλέπτης ἔρχεται,content — indirect question — the κλέπτης of v. 33 now an image of the Son of Man's coming
ἐγρηγόρησεν ἂνcontent — the apodosis — ἄν + aorist, contrary to fact; ἐγρηγόρησεν ἂν καί printed with the majority though P75 and Sinaiticus* lack it
καὶ οὐκ ἀφῆκεν διορυχθῆναι τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ.content — διορύσσω — burglary through the mud-brick wall itself
40
καὶ ὑμεῖς γίνεσθε ἕτοιμοι,content — the application — γίνεσθε: keep becoming ready, a continuing posture
ὅτι ᾗ ὥρᾳ οὐ δοκεῖτε ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἔρχεται.cause — the ground — the attracted ᾗ ὥρᾳ kept in line; futuristic present ἔρχεται: the unexpected hour is the whole point
Peter's question: the stewards, the fire, and the divided households 12:41–53
vv. 41–44 — Peter's question and the faithful steward
41
Εἶπεν δὲ ὁ Πέτρος·independent — the second interruption — Peter, spokesman as ever, resets the frame
Κύριε, πρὸς ἡμᾶς τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην λέγεις ἢ καὶ πρὸς πάντας;content — the audience-question — ἡμᾶς the Twelve against πάντας the crowd; answered only obliquely, by a parable about stewards
42
καὶ εἶπεν ὁ κύριος·independent — the answering frame — ὁ κύριος, the narrator's title shadowing the parable's κύριος; vv. 42–53 hang here
Τίς ἄρα ἐστὶν ὁ πιστὸς οἰκονόμος ὁ φρόνιμος,content — the counter-question — inferential ἄρα picks up Peter's question; οἰκονόμος: Peter's 'us' recast as household managers
ὃν καταστήσει ὁ κύριος ἐπὶ τῆς θεραπείας αὐτοῦrelative — the appointing relative — καθίστημι, the verb of v. 14's refused judgeship; θεραπεία, the body of servants
τοῦ διδόναι ἐν καιρῷ τὸ σιτομέτριον;purpose — τοῦ + infinitive of purpose — σιτομέτριον, the measured grain-allowance: authority given for feeding, not for self
43
μακάριος ὁ δοῦλος ἐκεῖνος,content — verbless beatitude — the οἰκονόμος is, after all, a δοῦλος
ὃν ἐλθὼν ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ εὑρήσει ποιοῦντα οὕτως.relative — the finding-relative of v. 37 verbatim — blessedness is being caught at one's post
44
ἀληθῶς λέγω ὑμῖνcontent — ἀληθῶς — Luke's rendering of the ἀμήν-formula (cf. v. 37)
ὅτι ἐπὶ πᾶσιν τοῖς ὑπάρχουσιν αὐτοῦ καταστήσει αὐτόν.content — the promotion — from the ration-store to πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντα; faithfulness in stewardship answered with everything
vv. 45–48 — the unfaithful servant: the cutting verdict and the many and few stripes
45
ἐὰν δὲ εἴπῃ ὁ δοῦλος ἐκεῖνος ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ·conditional — third-class protasis, forward-leaning on ἥξει — the same δοῦλος ἐκεῖνος, now imagined corrupted; speech ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ, the rich fool's theater
Χρονίζει ὁ κύριός μου ἔρχεσθαι,content — the heart's one sentence — χρονίζει: the delay of the parousia as the license for misrule
καὶ ἄρξηται τύπτειν τοὺς παῖδας καὶ τὰς παιδίσκας,conditional — the protasis continued — the food-giver turned beater; the staff he was set over becomes his victims
ἐσθίειν τε καὶ πίνειν καὶ μεθύσκεσθαι,content — the infinitive chain on ἄρξηται — the fool's φάγε, πίε with μεθύσκεσθαι added: the ration-store consumed by its keeper
46
ἥξει ὁ κύριος τοῦ δούλου ἐκείνου ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ οὐ προσδοκᾷ καὶ ἐν ὥρᾳ ᾗ οὐ γινώσκει,content — the apodosis — the twin relatives of ignorance kept in line; the unexpected hour of v. 40 turned against the steward
καὶ διχοτομήσει αὐτὸνcontent — διχοτομέω kept literal — the savage penalty (cf. 1 Sam 15:33); some soften to 'cut off,' but the next clause assumes a surviving portion only as parable-logic strains
καὶ τὸ μέρος αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἀπίστων θήσει.content — τὸ μέρος — his allotted place; ἄπιστοι against the πιστὸς οἰκονόμος of v. 42: the parable's own verdict
47
ἐκεῖνος δὲ ὁ δοῦλος ὁ γνοὺς τὸ θέλημα τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ καὶ μὴ ἑτοιμάσας ἢ ποιήσας πρὸς τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ δαρήσεται πολλάς·content — the long subject kept whole — knowledge without readiness; δαρήσεται πολλάς (πληγάς understood): accountability graded by light received
48
ὁ δὲ μὴ γνούς, ποιήσας δὲ ἄξια πληγῶν, δαρήσεται ὀλίγας.content — the counterpart — ignorance mitigates but does not acquit: ὀλίγας, not none
παντὶ δὲ ᾧ ἐδόθη πολύ, πολὺ ζητηθήσεται παρ' αὐτοῦ,content — the principle — pendent παντί resumed by παρ' αὐτοῦ; divine passives: the Giver is the Requirer
καὶ ᾧ παρέθεντο πολύ, περισσότερον αἰτήσουσιν αὐτόν.content — the parallel — impersonal plurals as divine plurals (as at v. 20); παρατίθημι, wealth as deposit: Peter's question finally answered — to whom much, from whom much
vv. 49–53 — fire on the earth, the baptism ahead, and the divided households
49
Πῦρ ἦλθον βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν,content — fronted πῦρ — the Baptist's promised fire (3:16): judgment, purification, division; ἦλθον + infinitive, the mission-formula
καὶ τί θέλωcontent — τί as exclamatory 'how' — the Lord's own longing breaks the parable sequence
εἰ ἤδη ἀνήφθη.content — εἰ-complement of θέλω (the idiom τί θέλω εἰ) — ἀνάπτω: the wish that the blaze had already caught
50
βάπτισμα δὲ ἔχω βαπτισθῆναι,content — cognate accusative — the passion as immersion (cf. Mark 10:38): the fire waits on the cross
καὶ πῶς συνέχομαιcontent — συνέχομαι — hemmed in, pressed on every side: the rare window into Jesus' own straits
ἕως ὅτου τελεσθῇ.conditional — backward ἕως ὅτου (typed cnd; no temporal key) — τελέω, the verb of the cross's completion (18:31; John 19:30)
51
δοκεῖτεcontent — the challenge to expectation
ὅτι εἰρήνην παρεγενόμην δοῦναι ἐν τῇ γῇ;content — the assumed answer — the angels' εἰρήνη ἐπὶ γῆς (2:14) is real but not yet unconditional
οὐχί, λέγω ὑμῖν,content — the flat οὐχί — expectation overturned in one word
ἀλλ' ἢ διαμερισμόν.content — elliptical — παρεγενόμην δοῦναι supplied; διαμερισμός, the chapter's coming keyword, a NT hapax
52
ἔσονται γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν πέντε ἐν ἑνὶ οἴκῳ διαμεμερισμένοι, τρεῖς ἐπὶ δυσὶν καὶ δύο ἐπὶ τρισίν·cause — the ground — future periphrastic perfect: division as settled state; ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν, Luke's watershed-phrase; the arithmetic of a torn household
53
διαμερισθήσονται πατὴρ ἐπὶ υἱῷ καὶ υἱὸς ἐπὶ πατρί,cause — Mic 7:6 — the prophet's sign of the end-time invoked; each pair stated both ways: division is mutual
μήτηρ ἐπὶ θυγατέρα καὶ θυγάτηρ ἐπὶ τὴν μητέρα,phrase modifier — verbless pair — the women of the household follow the men
πενθερὰ ἐπὶ τὴν νύμφην αὐτῆς καὶ νύμφη ἐπὶ τὴν πενθεράν.phrase modifier — the third pair — the five of v. 52 complete: allegiance to Jesus cuts through the closest bonds
Interpreting the time and settling with the accuser 12:54–59
vv. 54–56 — you can read the sky but not the time
54
Ἔλεγεν δὲ καὶ τοῖς ὄχλοις·independent — the last frame — imperfect Ἔλεγεν; καί: the crowds of v. 1 finally addressed directly
Ὅταν ἴδητε νεφέλην ἀνατέλλουσαν ἐπὶ δυσμῶν,conditional — fronted ὅταν (typed cnd; no temporal key) — forward-leaning on λέγετε; the west, over the Mediterranean: rain
εὐθέως λέγετεcontent — the apodosis — εὐθέως: weather-reading is instant, unhesitating
ὅτι Ὄμβρος ἔρχεται,content — recitative ὅτι — the farmer's forecast quoted
καὶ γίνεται οὕτως·content — the verification — their meteorology works
55
καὶ ὅταν νότον πνέοντα,conditional — elliptical ὅταν (typed cnd) — ἴδητε carried over from v. 54; the νότος off the desert
λέγετεcontent — the parallel apodosis
ὅτι Καύσων ἔσται,content — recitative ὅτι — καύσων, the sirocco's burning
καὶ γίνεται.content — verified again — two readings, two hits
56
ὑποκριταί,content — verbless vocative — ὑπόκρισις, the chapter's opening charge (v. 1), now flung at the crowd
τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς καὶ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ οἴδατε δοκιμάζειν,content — the concession — δοκιμάζω, to assay: their skill granted in full
τὸν καιρὸν δὲ τοῦτον πῶς οὐκ οἴδατε δοκιμάζειν;content — the indictment — ὁ καιρὸς οὗτος: the hour of visitation standing in front of them (cf. 19:44); the failure is moral, not intellectual — hence 'hypocrites'
vv. 57–59 — settle on the way, or pay the last lepton
57
Τί δὲ καὶ ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν οὐ κρίνετε τὸ δίκαιον;content — ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν — without needing signs or arbiters (cf. v. 14): the crisis should be self-evident
58
ὡς γὰρ ὑπάγεις μετὰ τοῦ ἀντιδίκου σου ἐπ' ἄρχοντα,conditional — temporal ὡς (typed cnd; no temporal key), forward-leaning on δός — the γάρ grounds v. 57: singular 'you,' each hearer on the road to court
ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ δὸς ἐργασίανcontent — δὸς ἐργασίαν — a Latinism (da operam); ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ: the interval before arrival is the whole opportunity
ἀπηλλάχθαι ἀπ' αὐτοῦ,content — epexegetic perfect infinitive — ἀπαλλάσσομαι, settled and done with, out of court
μήποτε κατασύρῃ σε πρὸς τὸν κριτήν,purpose — negative purpose — κατασύρω, hauled bodily; the machinery of justice begins to move
καὶ ὁ κριτής σε παραδώσει τῷ πράκτορι,purpose — the chain continues — the shift to future indicative inside the μήποτε: once moving, the process is certain; πράκτωρ, the court's debt-enforcer
καὶ ὁ πράκτωρ σε βαλεῖ εἰς φυλακήν.purpose — the last link — accuser, magistrate, judge, officer, prison: five stations with one exit missed
59
λέγω σοι,content — the formula gone singular — each hearer addressed alone before the ledger
οὐ μὴ ἐξέλθῃς ἐκεῖθενcontent — οὐ μή + aorist subjunctive — the strongest denial: no early release
ἕως καὶ τὸ ἔσχατον λεπτὸν ἀποδῷς.conditional — backward ἕως (typed cnd; no temporal key) — the λεπτόν, the smallest coin there is (21:2); settle with the ἀντίδικος now: the chapter's last word is the unpaid debt
Analysis. Luke 12 is one crowded scene — myriads trampling one another (v. 1) — carrying five speeches, and the page shows the rhythm of interruption and resumption: each brief narrative frame (the ἤρξατο λέγειν of v. 1, the man in the crowd at v. 13 with Jesus' double answer, the parable-frame of v. 16, the turn to the disciples at v. 22, Peter's question at v. 41, the turn to the crowds at v. 54) stands flush-left, and the following speech hangs in coordinate blue cnt lines at constant depth beneath its verb of saying. Inside the discourse the grammar indents as elsewhere: fronted ὅταν/ἐάν/εἰ protases lean forward anchor-less one step above their apodoses (vv. 11, 26, 28, 38, 39, 45, 54–55, 58 — the temporal ὡς of v. 58 and the casus-pendens πᾶς-clauses of vv. 8 and 10 are treated the same way, as virtual protases), and the γάρ/ὅτι-grounds hang cau beneath the commands they motivate. The rich fool's parable nests deepest: his plans hang under his own εἶπεν inside the parable's λέγων, so the ἐρῶ τῇ ψυχῇ μου of v. 19 reaches four deep — a man audibly alone with his goods — before God's εἶπεν cuts in at the parable's own level, and the impersonal plural ἀπαιτοῦσιν (v. 20) is read as a divine plural: God calling in the loan of the very ψυχή the fool had addressed. The ravens and lilies (vv. 24–28) run parallel to Matthew 6's birds and lilies: κατανοήσατε-imperatives with their observations hung beneath, each closed by an a-fortiori at speech level. Cruxes and choices: v. 21 is printed with the majority against its Western omission; at v. 31 τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ is read against the rival τοῦ θεοῦ; at v. 39 ἐγρηγόρησεν ἂν καί is printed though P75 and Sinaiticus* lack it; ἡλικία with πῆχυς (v. 25) is taken of lifespan, not stature; μετεωρίζεσθε (v. 29) is rendered of anxious suspense, not pride; διχοτομήσει (v. 46) is kept in its savage literal sense, with the 'portion with the unfaithful' standing as the parable's own gloss; and τί θέλω εἰ (v. 49) is read as the idiom 'how I wish it were already kindled.' The chapter ends at the courtroom door: the backward ἕως of v. 59, like the ἕως ὅτου of v. 50, is typed cnd as elsewhere, and the discourse's last word is the unpaid λεπτόν.