Luke 8:10-12 New English Translation
10 He[a] said, “You have been given[b] the opportunity to know[c] the secrets[d] of the kingdom of God,[e] but for others they are in parables, so that although they see they may not see, and although they hear they may not understand.[f]
11 “Now the parable means[g] this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who have heard; then the devil[h] comes and takes away the word[i] from their hearts, so that they may not believe[j] and be saved.
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- Luke 8:10 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
- Luke 8:10 tn This is an example of a so-called “divine passive,” with God understood to be the source of the revelation (see ExSyn 437-38).
- Luke 8:10 tn Grk “it has been given to you to know.” The dative pronoun occurs first, in emphatic position in the Greek text, although this position is awkward in contemporary English.
- Luke 8:10 tn Grk “the mysteries.”sn The key term secrets (μυστήριον, mustērion) can mean either (1) a new revelation or (2) a revealing interpretation of existing revelation as in Dan 2:17-23, 27-30. Jesus seems to be explaining how current events develop old promises, since the NT consistently links the events of Jesus’ ministry and message with old promises (Rom 1:1-4; Heb 1:1-2). The traditional translation of this word, “mystery,” is misleading to the modern English reader because this English word suggests a secret which people have tried to uncover but which they have failed to understand (L&N 28.77).
- Luke 8:10 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus’ teaching. The nature of the kingdom of God in the NT and in Jesus’ teaching has long been debated by interpreters and scholars, with discussion primarily centering around the nature of the kingdom (earthly, heavenly, or both) and the kingdom’s arrival (present, future, or both). An additional major issue concerns the relationship between the kingdom of God and the person and work of Jesus himself. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.
- Luke 8:10 sn A quotation from Isa 6:9. Thus parables both conceal or reveal depending on whether one is open to hearing what they teach.
- Luke 8:11 tn Grk “is,” but in this context it is clearly giving an explanation of the parable.
- Luke 8:12 sn Interestingly, the synoptic parallels each use a different word for the devil here: Matt 13:19 has “the evil one,” while Mark 4:15 has “Satan.” This illustrates the fluidity of the gospel tradition in often using synonyms at the same point of the parallel tradition.
- Luke 8:12 sn The word of Jesus has the potential to save if it germinates in a person’s heart, something the devil is very much against.
- Luke 8:12 tn The participle πιστεύσαντες (pisteusantes) has been translated as a finite verb here. It may be regarded as an adverbial participle of attendant circumstance. From a logical standpoint the negative must govern both the participle and the finite verb.
New English Translation (NET)
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